Disclaimer: Dont own it, never have, never will. Also, this is unbeta'd

Title: Fireworks

Rating:T

Summary: "Noah, I think it might be against the law to set fireworks off on your rooftop"

Alright, this is the first story in a collection of one-shots and drabbles that I think dont deserve a publishing of their own. My aim is to get to one hundred of these, but knowing me, I'll probably get to ten and give up. Hopefully, I wont (fingers crossed). If there was inspiration or a dedication/request for one of these, it will be listed at the bottom of the story. All stories are rated between K-T, but most are probably going to be T, because just like Puck, I have a serious problem with swearing. Sailors aint got nothing on my dirty mind.

Rachel had been looking forward to a New Year's Eve in New York ever since she was eight and had watched the fireworks on TV with her daddies. It was spectacular. The bright lights from all the buildings, thousands and thousands of people standing in Times Square, the giant ball dropping down when the clock reached midnight, and most of all, the sparks that lit up the night sky from all the fireworks being set off into the air. It was much better than the display that was put on by the Lima Council centre at the Tansley's ranch every year, this was amazing. She wanted to move all the way to New York just to see those special lights, to let them light up her life in the same way that they had lit up so many others. Watching them on TV just wasn't enough –she needed to be in Times Square in person at New Year's Eve.

When she was twenty-three, and she and her boyfriend moved to New York after college in California, it seemed like that childhood dream of hers was finally coming true.

Until she came down with a serious fever a few days before the end of December. Sometimes, Rachel thinks, the universe can be a real bitch and a half.

"Rachel, you know I'm not going to let you go out tonight. Strict doctor's orders, babe. Besides, you can watch the fireworks on TV" Noah wrapped his arms around his sick girlfriend, who was sitting on the couch moping. Six hours till midnight in the best place to celebrate the New Year in the world, and she was stuck in her apartment. This really was not fair.

"It's not the same. I've wanted to see these fireworks since I was eight, Noah, I've watched them on the TV every year since then, and I'm telling you –watching something on TV looks exactly the same as it does in California and Ohio. I want to see them in person down in Times Square, not from a couch in a small apartment" She sneezed into the tissue in her hand and groaned. Being sick was terrible.

"Hey!" Noah said, slightly offended. "What's so bad about this apartment? It's a nice place, and it's a real steal around this area. Most places you get for this price are shit"

Rachel sighed. "You know I don't mean to offend the apartment –and you did do a good job with finding this place –I just…I've waited so long to see those fireworks, and now I'm finally in New York, I'm as sick as a dog and on house arrest. It, well…it sucks, Noah!" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms while Noah rubbed her arm sympathetically. He felt so sorry for his girlfriend, but what could he do? It's not like he could take her down there (the doc seemed pretty damn serious, and he's always had a fear of doctors. Fuck you, it's perfectly normal), and well, he couldn't bring the fireworks to her…wait.

Noah jumped off the couch, scattering used tissues all over the floor. He ran over to the doorway and pulled his coat of the rack. Rachel stayed on the couch, shocked and confused. "What are you doing?" She asked. He ran back over to her and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"No time to explain, babe. I'll be back before midnight, I promise" She watched as her boyfriend ran out the door and heard his footsteps moving down the stairs outside before the door slammed shut.

What on earth was she going to do with him?

**/**

A little over five hours later, Noah pushed his way through the front door of their apartment, laden with plastic bags, and walked over to the couch where Rachel was sleeping, rolled tightly in a doona. He kind of thought she looked like a giant caterpillar –a cute one, but. The TV was on in the background, and it was showing the festivities going on in the streets of New York. Noah kinda felt bad that Rachel wasn't going to get to party down there, but hey, he didn't make his little trip to Chinatown for nothing. He shook her shoulder gently and she groaned, slowly lifting her head and shaking herself off.

"Noah…" she grumbled. Her voice was thick and tired. "Where the hell did you go? I tried to stay up to wait for you, but I got tired, and I think I must have fallen asleep because they weren't showing that part of New York on the screen when I last looked"

"C'mon, we're gonna go party?" He started to move to the door when she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What do you mean 'we're gonna party'? You told me I couldn't go to Times Square, doctor's orders, remember?" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, babe. You couldn't leave the house. And we're not really leaving, not exactly"

She pulled herself off the couch, making sure the doona was still around her. "Then, where are we going?"

"The rooftop, sweetheart. Where else?"

Rachel looked down at his hands. "What's in the bags?"

"Nothing you need to worry about till we get up there"

"I need to grab my coat" she grumbled. The rooftop? Sometimes she wondered why she even dated him. The amount of crazy ideas that went through this man's head was astonishing. Just last month, he wanted to test the strength of their new bed (to make sure it was 'up to code with all the awesome sexing the two of them were so gonna get up to'…why else?), and did so by jumping on it for a full hour. He deserved every last bit of the concussion he got when his –oversized –head hit the roof.

"Don't worry, just keep that thing wrapped around you, you'll be warm enough"

"You know, Noah, I really don't trust you with this. You've got that mischievous smile on your face, and nothing good ever comes from that"

"Babe, I'm hurt" he said as he closed the door behind them and stared leading them all the way up the stairs. "You've got nothing to worry about, my sexy little caterpillar, I promise this will be so awesome"

"You said exactly the same thing about car sex that night we ran out of gas on the highway…and how is a caterpillar sexy?"

"Oh come on, the police were totally understanding about that, I bet that happens to them all the time. Plus," he said as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You totally make that caterpillar look seem sexy, and you know it"

Rachel blushed as Noah opened the door to the rooftop. "It's a good thing you brought that doona thing, babe, it's pretty damn cold out here. Surprised it aint snowing on a night like this"

"Noah, I'm well aware it's freezing, I can still feel the cold. What are we doing up here?" He grabbed her shoulders and led her over to a milk crate and sat her down on it. "Ok, now I'm really confused. Are you going to perform some kind of lap dance for me?"

Noah scoffed. "Fuck no babe…unless you really want me to. Better wait till we get back inside though, I know you're too horny to wait, but Little Noah might just fall off in the cold out here"

"You're incorrigible"

"You know you love it" Noah started pulling things out of the bags and setting up some kind of small base thing on the cement of the roof. From where Rachel was sitting, it looked a little like….

"Are those fireworks?" He smirked and nodded, continuing with his set-up.

"Yep, sure are. Got 'em real cheap from a friend down in Chinatown, you know you can always count on the Changster to come through on the goods, specially the awesome ones" And fireworks were definitely kickass awesome goods. Shit was great!

"Noah, I think it might be against the law to set fireworks off on your rooftop" Rachel called from her seat.

"And since when have I ever cared about following the law?" Rachel rolled her eyes as she watched her boyfriend strike a match on one of the rockets and race back to kneel beside her box. He slipped an arm over her shoulder and whispered "Shit's gonna be fantastic" in her ear. When the rocket flew into the air and exploded into a burst of sparks and bangs above her head, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god, Noah, this is amazing!" She giggled as the rocket exploded over and over again. Once the sparks had stopped, Noah ran forward and it another one, then another, then another. Rachel's entire face lit up as flame after flame burst into the sky, contrasting against the black of the night. For about half an hour, she sat there giggling as Noah set of the fireworks, putting on a show that was just for her.

"One last special one for the new year, Rach!" he called out, lighting the fuse on a rather large looking rocket. As it flew off into the sky, he pulled Rachel up off the crate and encased her into a hug, nuzzling the side of her neck with his nose. He lifted his mouth up to her ear, and pressed a small kiss into the skin.

"Ten, nine, eight…" he started in her ear, his breath sending her senses into overdrive. "…seven, six, five, four, three, two….one" Noah pulled her face up by her chin and slanted his mouth over hers, one of his hands trailing across her waist, the other tangling in her hair.

"Happy New Year, Rachel" he muttered against her lips. She smiled as she leaned back into him, covering his lips with hers again.

Next year, she would have her New Year's Eve dream down in Times Square with all the other crazy New Yorkers. But this year, she had the rooftop with Noah, and to be honest, she think she preferred this celebration a lot better.

If there were any swear words with a '*' replacing the vowel, it's because I sent this over on a crappy, restricted email adress that hates swears (I need to find my USB). I think I got them all, but if I missed one, please tell me!

Inspiration: Lea Michele's new movie about New Years Eve, what else? I bet when she started off in her career, she never thought she'd be playing the love interes to Ashton Kutcher...it's practically almost every girls dream!

Reviews are most welcome :)