The Missing Piece
A/N: I was sort of craving some more Puckelberry after "Special Education" and I really didn't appreciate how little of it there was, so these are the missing scenes.
When Puck saw Satan – sorry, Santana – rounding the corner looking very smug and then saw Rachel staring off at Finn's exiting form doing, what he calls, a "swagga walk", he knew what had just transpired. Sure, Rachel is a bit overbearing, but, honestly, she's not a bad person. She's always been nice to him, even though he's been terrible to her, so he figured he should be nice back.
He touched her shoulder lightly asking if she was okay, only to be asked right back if he was going to steal something from her. He shrugged it off and offered her his advice.
"Walk with me," he said, holding out his arm. She hesitantly took it, but when they fell into step with each other he started having flashbacks to that week they dated last year. It felt so comfortable, and it made his stomach rumble a little.
She gripped his arm a little tighter, asking him if he had been working out because his arms seemed bigger.
"It's the steroids," he meant for it to come out in a joking fashion, but it came out more timid, but she gave a small smile anyways.
They passed by Finn, and he just looked confused when he saw them, arm-in-arm, walking down the hallway. He walked her to her class, comforting her and making sure she didn't need anything before he left. Puck said goodbye and went off to take a shower and change out of his dirty, stinking sweatshirt.
Puck walked her to his truck after Glee that day, agreeing to give her a ride home. When he pulled up outside her house, she asked if he wanted to come in, and of course he wouldn't turn down that offer. Rachel unlocked to door and led him up the stairs to her room.
"My dads aren't home," she called behind her to him as she pushed open the door to her room, the big, metallic, gold star dangled and swung as she did. Rachel closed the door behind him and invited him to sit down on her hope chest at the end of her bed. He sat and watched as she did little things that were so meticulous and specific that they were interesting. The way she took her back-pack off and hung it across the back of her chair, opening it up and taking out all of her homework and any text books she needed and laying them out across her desk in order of what period they were in. She then pushed in her chair and walked across her room to the opening to her bathroom, from his point of view he could clearly see her refection in the mirror, brushed her teeth and flossed, and put her hair up in a pony tail, her bangs fell into her eyes and she let little fringes of hair that were too short to go back into her up-do fall down and curl against her cheeks. After she finished all the little tasks in her afternoon ritual she sat down next to him.
They sat in silence for a few moments, and not the awkward kind, it was safe and comfortable. "Noah," she began, breaking the silence, "do you hate me?"
Puck laughed, and he got a dirty look for it. "Rachel, I don't hate you. Sure you can be annoying, and sometimes you make me want to light myself on fire, but you're actually a really nice person. I can't hate you for being weird or annoying; all of us are a little."
She cocked her head to the side and stared at him. "When did you get so insightful?"
"It's amazing what you gain from praying after being trapped in a Port-O-John." She laughed, leaning her head against his shoulder. He picked up a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. When she looked up at him her lips were parted and they looked so juicy and he just really wanted to kiss them. So he did. Kiss them. He leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. There was a shock of electricity between them, (no, really, like, their lips caused friction in the dry air and it created electricity) making her jump back. "Sorry," he murmured, but she only leaned her head back towards him and kissed him again. She got up and took his hand, leading him to her bed where she sat down and took him with her. The kissing got a little more heated and she accidentally nipped his lips.
He jerked back, "Oh, God," she said, "I'm so sorry. I'm just terrible at this."
Puck smiled at her and kissed her lightly, "No, you're not," he whispered against her lips. They rolled back and forth and after a few minutes Puck had the image of Finn in the hallway earlier that day. He pulled back again, "What's wrong?" She put her fingers to her lips, and it took all his self control not to suck them into his mouth. "Did I bite you again?"
"I did this to Finn once before. I can't do it again," he said and tried so hard not to kiss her again to make the look of hurt across her face disappear. "I'm sorry. I have to go," and he left. But before he closed the front door behind him he listened and heard her begin to cry. He slammed the door after him, standing rooted to the cold ground underneath him outside her door. His fists clenched, he desperately wanted to go back inside and rock her until she stopped crying, but, as much as he wanted it, he knew it would just lead to what had happened before. He heard the lock on the door click, and for a moment, when he turned around at the sound, thought she was going to open the door and jump into his arms, only she never did. So he walked away and drove off in his truck.
The next day he decided he should probably go speak to Rachel, so he went to the auditorium, because anyone who knew her and was looking for her would check there first. He heard the tentative plucking from the piano and knew that Rachel was in there, the piano stopped and he heard a squeaky male voice being muffled behind the door. He walked in and just caught her statement about how she fantasizes about her own funeral, and, jeez, was she really that lonely? He when she began to sing, he sat at the back of the auditorium and closed his eyes, letting her voice over take him. Kurt stopped the song half way through; she stopped and wished him luck on the audition. Kurt walked off stage and when the stage door closed, Rachel began to sing again, as if her music hadn't stopped and there was an entire orchestra behind her. She made her way across the stage and climbed the ladder to the second floor. She gripped the red metal of the balcony and belted out the notes.
Now's not the time, he thought. He opened the door and looked back up at her. Their eyes connected for a moment and he swears he felt the same spark of electricity on his lips then as he did the night before, only this one moved down to his heart and made it burn. He could have doubled over in pain, if it weren't for her eyes and how badly he didn't want to pull away from them. He eventually found the strength and turned to walk out the door.
After sectionals he saw her walking out of the bathroom. He ran up to her, "Hey, Rachel!"
She spun around and gave him a small smile, "Hello, Noah. Congratulations."
"You, too. But I think that if you got a solo we would have been able to beat them," he moved up closer to her.
When he reached her, he tried to cup her face, but she backed away, "Noah… I know what you're thinking, but it can't happen."
"I saw you hug Finn. Are-are things okay with you two now?"
"I-I think, "She looked down, and when she looked back her eyes were glassy. "That's why it can't happen, Noah."
"I understand," he said cupping her cheek, this time she didn't back away. "I heard you, talking to Kurt. That day in the auditorium. Rach… you-you fantasize about you're funeral?" She laughed. She laughed. "R-rach! Rachel, this isn't funny. It's not normal for people to do that."
"Noah, I was trying to make a point about emotion to Kurt. I was trying to tell him about regret…" she paused, and he understood that it was because she knew all about those, he did too. Two nights ago for example. "Although, I do admit, sometimes when I'm lonely I do wonder if people would even come or feel the way they should. I wonder if I would… die alone." Her face fell.
"Rach, you're never alone," he said, lifting her chin and kissing her cheek.
She looked after him as he turned and walked away, he could feel her intense brown eyes against his back like the sun.
Puck found her Monday, leaning against a wall wiping her eyes. He felt his heart clench and his fists ball, he let out a low growl so menacing that the kid walking down the stairs next to him jumped against the wall to get away from him, but he paid him no mind, just looked from Finn's departing form, and back to Rachel, crying into her hands. His eyes zeroed in on her, and he made a b-line for her.
Puck opened his mouth to speak, but before he did he collected himself, already knowing the words would have come out harsh and angry, which would only upset her more.
"Rach…," he said softly, laying his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he could see the tear stains on her cheeks. He pulled her into his chest and gave her a tight hug. He loosened up and led her around the corner and into the empty hallway adjacent. "What happened?"
She mumbled into his chest and he could barely make out the words "told… Finn… last week… broke up… with me…." He pulled her away from his chest and looked into her watery eyes. He swiped his thumbs beneath her eyes, wiping away the tears and running mascara and eyeliner. "I know now…," hiccup, "that… I'm destined to die alone!" She cried, "I have no one, and I never will." She buried her head in his chest, sobbing.
"That's not true," he whispered into her hair. "You have me," she looked up at him. "You'll always have me." And he kissed her. Lightly, slowly, languidly. And then he pulled away. "You're the missing piece, Rachel. For everything. The piece that we needed to win sectionals, not just tie. The piece that keeps the Glee club together, no matter how much they say they hate you. And you're the missing piece of my heart. You always will be."
Rachel's mouth fell open, her tears had stopped and now there were only water marks. "Noah…," she sputtered at his heartfelt confession.
"I know," he said as he put his fingers against her soft lips, stopping her from speaking. "You belong to Finn, not me. Rachel, even though he's mad at you, he'll get over it. You two… you belong together." He slipped his hands to her upper arms and lightly held on, "We can't be together, Rachel, but maybe we can still be friends." He let go of her and to a step back.
"But, we weren't friends before," Rachel said.
Puck just smiled and turned around. With each step he took his heart broke just a little bit more, and the hole in his stomach got bigger. I love you, Rachel…. He whispered in his mind, I'll never leave you. You're the missing piece.