Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 34th cycle. Now cycle 35!

YEAR TWO ANNIVERSARY CYCLE! - Within days it will have been two years since I've started this Gleekathon, and like last year I'm dedicating the cycle to commemorating my 21 favorite one shots or chapter stories from year two (up to the point where I did the planning ;)) A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should get a second shot ;)

Last year there were three categories, but this year I've added two new ones: Prequel, Sequel, POV Swap, and now Alternate Ending, and Additional Scenes. In no particular order... Today's story is an Alternate Ending to #490 "Rachel Requests Rent" a Rachel/Puck + Project No Day But Today Series story originally posted on February 23rd 2011.

"There's Only This"
Rachel & Puck
Project No Day But Today - Extra

She spoke. She spoke for something like thirty minutes, maybe forty… maybe an hour. She spoke, and he listened… he couldn't not. Maybe he thought she would smack him if he didn't, she didn't know – she wouldn't, of course she wouldn't – but whatever it was, he let her go on. When she stopped, he was still staring, and he blinked, sitting back. She hadn't shown him anything, or made him listen to anything yet. She was working toward asking him if he was interested, if he'd do it, and when he didn't say a thing she decided to just go ahead and let him listen. He hadn't just gotten up and left, so she was going to see that as a good sign. She pressed play, and she sat to watch him.

"You know I'm not just going to sit here and listen to this with you staring at me the whole time."

"Right, of course, I'll… I'll leave you to it," she made a show to get up and exit into the hall, hoping that she would have shown herself trusting and that he wouldn't just use it as an escape. Still as she stood there, basically staring at the back of his head, she wondered… Was he listening? What if he was sleeping? Or he could be texting… He was still there, so some part of him had to have been swayed in some way. After her selection of songs had run through, she made a quick appearance to put on the movie for him and then got out again. On the way she peeked at his face – he didn't look like he'd been asleep, and she didn't see a phone… maybe she had him…

"I should go… Have to pick up my sister from school…"

"It's Saturday," she pointed out.

"Detention," he 'revealed,' but he wasn't fooling her. "I'll get back to you on this," he said, turning to leave. No, she knew what he was really saying – he wasn't going to do it, she was losing him… She couldn't let that happen. She made a dash and slipped by him, standing before the door, blocking his way.

"She doesn't have detention, you always say how your sister lacks any kind of trouble genes," she pointed out. He frowned.

"You know I could just pick you right up and move you out of the way."

"Just try," she dared. He stared at her, then shrugged and stepped forward, his hand taking hold of her waist like he was about to pick up some plastic mannequin in a store window – she squeaked. "Think about what you're doing, Noah," she tried to appeal to him while still sounding in charge, which was only made more difficult by the fact his face was just inches away from hers. "If you don't do it, then I'll have to give Roger's part to Finn."

"He couldn't do it," Puck almost scoffed, and then her face lit up and he realized she'd baited him. "Damn it…" he muttered.

"Just watch the movie? Please?" she asked. He looked back at her, and staring into his eyes it was only at that point that she remembered he still held on to her waist. She coughed, and he let go.

"You'll never get this done," he still tried to find some kind of an out.

"Not without you I won't," she 'agreed,' but now he could tell she was trying to appeal to his ego, and though he tried to play it cool, she knew it was still doing something for him. "You'd be perfect," she insisted. "I don't give that kind of praise lightly."

"Only when you want something, right?" he tried, and she frowned. But she'd already reached him – she knew it, he knew it… "Fine, but just a little. The second I decide to leave, you let me go, or I will pick you up out of the way for real that time."

"You keep telling yourself that," she patted his chest triumphantly and moved back to the living room. He stood there, trying to decide if she'd insulted him or… "Are you coming?"

"Relax, will you?" he turned and went back to sit on the couch. She sat at his side this time, not watching for his reactions, not giving him option to tell her to walk away like before – it was killing her not to be able to see how he was doing with it, but eventually she just let herself get drawn into the movie and the rest was forgotten. And then the movie was ending and she realized… the movie was ending, and he was still there. She tempted looking at him. Now she saw why he'd wanted her to walk out before – it was easier to hide the fact he wasn't hating this. Even now, he was trying to keep it under wraps, but she was right there next to him, and his mask was crumbling under pressure.

"Pathetic," she smirked.

"What did I do now?" he defended himself. "I watched the movie."

"Did you like it?" she went on.

"You know that Maureen chick kind of looks like you?" he deflected.

"You're changing the subject." He didn't reply. "Are you going to tell me I wasn't right about you and Roger?" she went on.

"You want to be Mimi, right?" he turned it around on her before she knew.

"I, yeah…" she confirmed.

"You know if you wanted to make out, there are easier ways," he looked at her, and it was her turn to crumble, but then she still knew his deflection tactics when she saw them.

"I'm going to do this, with or without you, but I'd prefer it being with you. Otherwise I'm going to have to settle for some second choice, and no matter who I get, it's always going to be tainted by the fact that the right person didn't get it. Now is that what you want? It's going to be all of us doing it, and you're telling me you'll let someone else have this part that should have been yours?" He stared at her, and then… he smiled.

"Look at you, playing dirty." She smiled back.

"So you'll do it?" He sighed, taking a moment more to consider.

"I guess I don't have a choice, do I? I hear I'm perfect for the role." She smirked… they were on.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!