A/N: This story is a bit of a companion to 'Broken.' ( s/7214110/9/The_Puckleberry_Shuffle ) I suppose you could just say they take place in the same universe. It isn't necessary to read that one first, but of course it can't hurt. ;)
~.~
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. – Jane Howard
Puck let out a content sigh as he sank down into his chair. He looked out at the calm, still water of the little pond then let his eyes drift over to the bank and settle on the beautiful blonde next to him. It was her first time fishing, ever, and knowing that it was with him made him smile. He didn't even care that he'd done all the work for her so far, baiting the hook (at least she didn't exclaim that the live crickets they were using were 'yucky' or 'scary') and casting the line for her. And he didn't know until that day that pink fishing poles even existed – though his rod and reel were older than he was, so it's not like he'd been shopping around lately – but he wasn't the least bit surprised that that's what she'd gotten. He noticed that her bubblegum-tinted pole was basically just lying across her lap and that she would have little to no chance of actually catching anything sitting there staring at the flowers between her feet, but he couldn't really care less.
"Hey Uncle Noah, guess what!" He wasn't sure if the flowers sparked an idea, or if it just came to her, but either way, her head shot up at him and she shot him a gap-toothed grin.
"What, Bug?" His content smile broke into a wide grin when Beth giggled at his nickname for her.
"No one else gets to call me that, you know."
"Yeah? Guess that means I'm pretty special, huh?"
"Oh yes, you're very special." He marveled for probably the thousandth time at how a five-year-old managed to have better grammar than he did. "Oh! So guess what!"
Puck laughed and shook his head a little. That was one thing he'd learned shortly after the little girl started talking in complete sentences – unlike most children her age, Beth was nearly impossible to distract. She may let her mind wander for a little while, but it was no time at all before she was right back where she started. "Umm, you decided to be a professional football player when you grow up?" Beth began to giggle hysterically, but honestly, that wasn't the most far-fetched thing he could have come up with. Just the previous week she told him she was going to be a 'teacher on the moon.'
"You're silly, Uncle Noah. I don't want to play football."
"I'm offended!" Puck brought a hand to his chest and put on his best 'wounded' face. "What's wrong with football? I played football!"
"I know that! But I don't want to play football. Now, let me tell you my surprise!"
"Okay. If you must." He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he watched Beth sit up a little straighter in her tiny folding chair and fold her hands primly in her lap. It was all part of the routine.
"Mommy got me a kitten!"
"She did, huh?"
Puck wasn't the least bit surprised. Beth had been begging Shelby for a kitten for months, and Shelby had been standing strong in her refusal of the little girl's requests. Puck knew it wouldn't last, though. Beth was far from being a spoiled brat. On the things that really mattered, when Shelby said 'no' she meant 'no.' Thing was, Beth knew the difference between, "No," and, "This isn't my favorite idea in the world, but I know there's no real harm in it, so I'll give in eventually." The previous night, she'd slipped out of bed five minutes after Puck had tucked her in and asked Shelby if she could stay up 'just one extra hour, Mommy,' since Puck was there, and Shelby just looked at her without even getting off the couch and said, "Beth Lucille Corcoran, you have a bedtime for a reason. Uncle Noah will be here when you wake up. Now, go back to bed, and don't even think about giving him that look. He already tucked you in once, you're on your own this time." Beth just let out a quiet, 'yes Mommy,' and kissed each of them on the cheek (again) before heading back to her own room. The kitten thing, though? Everyone knew that was never a firm no.
"She did. Well, we didn't get her yet. But we went and picked her out, and we get to bring her home as soon as she's big enough. She's beautiful, Uncle Noah. She's black, and all shiny, and her tummy and her feet and one of her eyes are white. She's so lovely."
"She sounds awesome, Bug. What are you gonna name 'er?" He was going over a list of Broadway-related potential names in his head. Maria was a little too human for a pet, in his opinion. Roxy wouldn't be bad, but he figured even Shelby wouldn't have shown Chicago to a five-year-old. God, he hoped she didn't name her kitten Elphaba. He was just settling on Babs as his best bet when Beth answered.
"Socks."
"Socks?"
She nodded. "Socks." And all of a sudden, she wasn't the little girl being raised by one-time New York performer and eight-time National Show Choir Champion coach Shelby Corcoran, she was just a five-year-old little girl. (A five-year-old little girl who happened to have his smile and who he loved more than his own life.) He loved that.
Puck listened to Beth prattle on about Socks and how cute and sweet and soft and cuddly and precious she was for another 10 minutes before the girl got quiet again. He didn't tune out once. That didn't mean he didn't appreciate the quiet once she stopped, though. And he wasn't sure he hadn't missed a bite somewhere during that whole Socks spiel. It was really hard to want to pay attention to anything else with his little girl sitting next to him and going on and on like she was. He figured he might as well reel it back in and recast, just to be safe.
When he had his line about halfway back in, Puck jumped at the sound of a girlish squeal followed by the clatter of Beth's little folding chair toppling over. When he heard, "It moved, Uncle Noah! My pole moved!" Puck dropped his own rod and moved to kneel behind Beth, who was nearly vibrating with excitement.
"Alright Bug, we're gonna do this together, okay?" Beth nodded and released the rod once he had it gripped in his left hand. "No no no, little girl. Together. That means you gotta hold it too, k?" She nodded again, and he nodded with her. "Okay. Now you put your hand right here in front of mine," he paused until she followed his instruction. "Now, hold onto the reel handle." He didn't think twice about trying to come up with a simpler or more kid-friendly name, because no one, besides other kids, ever talked to Beth in kid-friendly terms. "Now, I'm gonna help you hold it steady, and you're gonna reel it in. Got it, Bug?" His eyes were focused on the point where her line disappeared into the murky water, but he felt her head bob alongside his. "Ok, go! I'll help pull it in when it gets closer."
Puck grinned like a maniac as Beth's little teeth clamped down on her bottom lip and she turned the reel handle furiously. She struggled with it at first, and he rested his right hand on her forearm just above her wrist as she moved her hand jerkily. But once she found her rhythm and momentum, she pulled in her line like a champ. When the end of the line, and the fish that he could tell was on it, neared the surface of the water, Puck tightened his grip on the handle of the rod and leaned forward to grasp the line in his other hand. As soon as the head of the small bluegill peeked out of the water, Beth shrieked and lost all her previous control over the fishing pole. That was okay, he'd prepared for that. He held the rod steady in his left hand and tugged at the line with his right. "Hold the pole, Bug," he told her once Beth regained her composure. "Got it?" He turned to see her nod and told her to hold on tight as he stepped around her to pull the fish out of the water, tugging the line up hand-over-hand.
"That's my fish, Uncle Noah!" Beth dropped the pole and came to stand beside him as he worked the hook free of the fish's mouth. He looked down at her once he had the fish loose and she was staring back up at him with eager eyes, her hands clasped together under her chin.
"Sure is, little girl. You wanna hold it?" He cradled the six inch fish – not a big catch, by any means, but perfect for a little girl – in both hands and held it out toward her. Beth studied the fish closely, leaning forward a bit and cocking her head from one side to the other to regard her catch from multiple angles. Once she had apparently satisfied her curiosity, she stepped back.
"Could I maybe just touch it? Pet it a little?"
Puck chuckled, because of course she would want to pet the fish. "'Course you can. C'mere." He jerked his head back in invitation for her to step closer. "Make sure you go from front to back so you don't go against the scales." Beth nodded and cautiously ran two fingers from the top of the fish's head, between its eyes, and over the ridge of its back to the tail. Seeming to decide that it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, she reached out again and repeated the action, applying a bit more pressure. "Whaddya think?" He grinned when her nose wrinkled in concentration before she took a step away from him and the fish and linked her fingers together then dropped her hands in front of her waist.
"It feels interesting. It wasn't slimy or gross, like I thought, but I'm done now."
"You're done?"
"I'm done."
"Okay," he laughed and shook his head a little, then moved toward the cooler he had brought along for just that purpose.
"Uncle Noah!" Beth gasped. "Put him back now."
"What?" He looked back at her over his shoulder, eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Put him back in the water now."
"But … I mean, don't you wanna take 'im home and show your ma?"
"No. I want you to put my fish back in the water now, please." Her voice was soft and sweet, as it always was, and her manners were perfect, the way he knew to expect from her, but the look on her face and the way one of her little hips popped to one side as she rested all her weight on one foot told him that was not a battle he wanted to pick.
"Alright Bug, whatever you say." He turned back to face the water and lowered himself to one knee then leaned forward and submerged his hands into the water, releasing his grip on the fish and letting it slide out of his hands. "All gone," he told her as he stood, holding his hands palm-up in front of her and trying to avoid dripping pond water on his clothes the best he could, since he knew he'd probably be in them for a while and he didn't really want to smell when got back to Shelby's house with Beth.
"Thank you. Now bait me again." Puck laughed and nodded as he moved toward the cup of crickets he had gotten at the little gas station at the end of the road.
"Yes ma'am."
Nearly 10 minutes later, Puck was picking moss and grass from his own hook after re-baiting Beth's and watching her cast her line surprisingly well. The little pond they were fishing out of wasn't very deep, and leaving his pole completely unattended for so long hadn't done him any favors.
The pond wasn't much of anything, really, just a hole about the size of his mom's living room and kitchen in the middle of a cow field. He'd seen it on his way out of town when he'd had to take a detour because of construction on I-94 the last time he'd gone to visit Beth and Shelby in Chicago. He was already a little lost anyway, so he pulled into the driveway of the only house in sight and right after he asked for directions to get him to Gary, Indiana without having to get back onto the interstate, he asked the old man at the door if the pond belonged to him. When the man nodded, Puck whipped out his phone and showed off one picture of Beth after another then explained that every few weeks he drove the four and a half hours from Lima to Chicago to see his little girl (and okay, he knows she's not like, legally his, or whatever, and Shelby's a great mom and he's basically okay with the situation, but sometimes it slips out and he doesn't freak out over it anymore) and he would really love to get the chance to take her fishing for the first time ever. The old dude just grinned and nodded then took Puck out to show him how to work the 'tricky' gate that led into the field. Honestly, Puck kind of worried about the guy, because he almost felt like it was a little too easy to get him to agree to let Puck come in and run all over his property, but then he figured the guy had probably been living out there most of his life without any problems, so maybe he knew what he was doing.
"So guess what else, Uncle Noah?" He turned his attention from the mess at the end of his line back to Beth. It was hilarious to him the way she picked up a conversation that he had thought was over at least 20 minutes before. Who knew five-year-olds had that kind of attention span? But then – it's not like Beth was a typical five-year-old. His girl was one special kid.
"What?" She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at him and he was reminded that, coming from her, 'Guess what,' meant you literally had to guess. "Oh. Right. Umm … You begged and begged and Mommy finally agreed to take you to Dora on Ice." So the funny thing about that was that, actually, Shelby had been suggesting the show to Beth for months, and the girl wasn't having any of it. Now, obviously, Puck wasn't a fan himself. He was a grown-ass man, for fucksakes. But from what he understood, the little Spanish-spouting cartoon was hot shit with the under seven crowd. And he supposed he could get it – simple shapes, bright colors, educational television, all that – but Beth hated Dora and that little monkey sidekick of hers. He never really got why, but whatever. It's not like he was heartbroken about not getting to watch it, or any other kid-shows, if he was being honest, every time he hauled himself to Chicago.
"Don't be ridiculous." Puck actually choked a little bit in his attempt to not laugh out loud. "No. Dance class! Mommy signed me up to start ballet next week, and in a few months, if I adjust well and do good in that one, I get to start jazz or tap!"
"That's awesome, Bug!" Beth had been wanting to get into dance for a while, but Shelby wanted to wait until she was sure the little girl was serious about it and would really put in the time and effort. Puck was pretty sure Beth was never not serious about anything. (It seemed to be genetic, though not a trait she inherited from him, obviously. He just hoped that focus stayed on things like dance and school and other stuff that could actually help her and didn't shift to shit like pom-poms and tiaras and popularity once she got older.)
"I know. And I'm going to be so good, I just know it. I want to be like Aunt Rachel some day. She's the best at dancing and singing."
"She is good." He didn't look at her, baiting his hook again as she talked.
"Better than good, Uncle Noah. Me and Mommy went to see her in New York. She was Ariel and she was amazing." Beth giggled and covered her mouth with the palm of one hand. "She looked funny with that red hair though."
"Yeah?" Puck grinned as he recast his line. He'd seen a couple of Rachel's performances since she'd gone to NYADA, but that wasn't one of them. It was a small thing that supported some charity one of her professors was really involved in, something for kids, he was pretty sure, and it only ran for one weekend. After she finished giving him a hard time about how a true best friend (he said the words once and never heard the end of it) would be there to support her no matter how small the performance, she told him that she completely understood that he couldn't just drop everything to come see a show that would run only three times and that she wouldn't even be putting on her resume. He did need to ask Shelby to see pictures though.
"I'm sure Aunt Rachel will be happy to hear that you want to be like her." Actually, he was pretty sure there would be tears when he relayed this conversation to her.
"I do. I love her so much." Puck didn't say anything to that, just nodding and turning his reel handle a couple times to move his line through the water.
"Are you going to meet John while you're here, Uncle Noah?"
"John?" Seriously, who the hell was John?
"Yes, John. Mommy's boyfriend." Oh.
"Oh." He never believed Shelby was like, holing herself up in the house somewhere and not looking at men or anything like that. They'd just never talked about her dating before – wasn't really any of his business, in his opinion – and Beth had never mentioned a boyfriend either.
"Mommy's never had a boyfriend before." Right. So that explains that, then. He still didn't believe Shelby hadn't dated anyone in five years, but apparently whoever they'd been, Beth hadn't known anything about them. He figured that was a good thing. He also figured that meant this one was probably pretty serious. "I asked her if he was going to be my Daddy now." Puck's head shot up and he fumbled his fishing pole for a second before regaining control then reeling his line back in. There was no way he was getting any fishing done at that point anyway. Might as well save himself the trouble of dealing with whatever mess would end up on the hook if he just ignored it again. "Taylor's mommy got a boyfriend and now he's her new daddy. He's nice and Taylor likes him. She likes having a daddy again, too."
"What did Mommy say?" He didn't give a shit about Taylor, but he was really freakin' interested in Shelby's answer to that question.
" No." Her face fell and she looked down at her lap and she just looked so sad that it broke Puck's heart. More than anything he wanted to pull her onto his lap and tell her that she didn't need John to be her daddy, because he was her daddy and he'd be the best one she could ever want. He didn't do that though, any of it. He just reached over and tugged gently at a strand of her hair until she looked up at him. He smiled at her until she smiled back. "It's okay though. Mommy says I shouldn't be sad. She said it wasn't because John doesn't like me. She promised he does like me and that he'll keep coming to visit us for a long time, and he can still take me skating and build me a tree house and do some of the other stuff Taylor's new daddy does."
"That's good, Bug." The knot in his stomach didn't feel so good, but he knew it was pointless to be jealous about not being the one doing those things for her. He did what he could, which was basically everything when he was in town, and he was thankful for the opportunity to do even that. "So uh … did Mommy say why John won't be your daddy? I mean, since he's still gonna be around, apparently?" He set his rod and reel on the ground and tucked it under his chair.
Beth nodded. "She said John can't be my daddy because I already have a daddy who loves me very, very much. She said he let her take care of me by herself because she was really sad and all alone and he wanted us to take care of each other."
"That-that's good, I guess." Puck shifted uncomfortably in his lawn chair and rubbed a thumb over and over the knee of his jeans.
"Mommy says so. And she made me promise to never ever be mad at my daddy, because even though he doesn't live with us and do all the things other daddies do, he still takes care of me. I don't know how, but Mommy doesn't lie to me, so I believe her. If she says I have a daddy, then I must have a daddy. And he must love me, because daddies always love their little girls. And so I love him too, even if I never even get to meet him." Puck just kind of stared at her, because he really didn't know what else to do, and the lump in his throat prevented him from saying anything. "Besides!" Her voice brightened and she grew more animated. "Mommy said John would do some of that daddy stuff, and you bring me fishing and play music and sing for me, which is even better than what my friends' daddies do." She shrugged happily, bouncing a little in her seat, "I think that makes me pretty lucky."
Puck ruffled Beth's hair then cupped the back of her head in his hand and leaned over to kiss her blonde curls. He stood and turned to walk away from the little pond and when Beth asked him where he was going he told her he had to go to the bathroom. He walked far enough away so that he felt he had a bit of privacy, but close enough that he could keep an ear out for Beth. If anyone had come along, he would have sworn that a gust of wind had kicked some dirt up into his eyes, but he knew the truth. Whatever. He had more important things on his mind than worryin' about the fact that his eyes were watering. Or, ya know, tearing up. He took a minute to get himself back together – he might have been okay with the fact that he was kinda sorta cryin' or something, but Beth didn't need to see that – then made his way back to Beth, looking down at her with his hands on his hips.
"So kiddo, think you've got your taste of fishin' yet? You ready to go home?"
She tilted her head back to grin up at him. "Sure, Uncle Noah. I caught my fish. We can go now."
Puck laughed to himself as he cleaned up and packed their supplies back into the trunk of the car. She would see fishing as something to accomplish and not just something to relax and enjoy. They'd have to work on that in the future.
Between the drive out there, and the drive back to Shelby's subdivision on the outskirts of Chicago, Puck and Beth would spend more time on the road than they did actually fishing. He was surprised at how little he minded that. He'd given Beth her first fishing experience. He'd helped her catch her first fish ever. And he'd had the best conversation anyone could ever imagine having with a five-year-old. All in all, it was a pretty awesome day.
~.~
"And that's why The Voice will always be better than American Idol."
"Thanks for sharin', Bug. I'll keep that in mind." Beth had spent the last 30 minutes of the drive explaining to him why one reality singing show was 'far superior' to the other. It's not like he watched either, and he may have lost track of several of her reasons because he wasn't completely following every word that came out of her mouth, but he didn't really mind it because he loved the sound of her voice.
Puck stole a glance at her in the rearview as he pulled Shelby's car into the drive beside his own truck. Shelby was really great about pretty much giving him free reign to do whatever he wanted with Beth when he was in town, as long as it didn't interfere with school or any other prior engagements they had, but she always made him use her car. He couldn't say that he blamed her, really. He knew his old truck and he trusted her not to let him down, but he could only imagine how she looked through Shelby's eyes. Besides, he knew how much safer Beth was in the backseat, even if he would obviously have put her booster seat into the truck as well. She caught his eye in the mirror just as he put the car into park and grinned at him, throwing up one hand and wiggling her little fingers.
"So, how was it? Did you have fun, sweetheart?" Shelby, who had been sitting on the front porch sipping a mug of tea and flipping through a magazine when Puck pulled up, made her way down the steps toward the car.
"I did, Mommy." Beth wrapped her arms around Puck's neck and let him lift her out of the car. He knew she was usually very independent and had once watched her shut Shelby down, insisting she could do it herself, when Shelby tried to help her out of her seat. That just meant he loved it even more when she let him do it. "I even caught a fish!" She patted Puck's shoulder once they were around the car and on the grass and he put her down so she could run to a now-kneeling Shelby.
"You did? Can I see it?" Shelby looked up at Puck after speaking to her daughter. He just chuckled and shook his head.
"No, Mommy. Uncle Noah put it back. If we brought it home that would be kidnapping. You wouldn't like it if somebody kidnapped me, would you?"
Shelby's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped just a little. She looked up at Puck and he smirked back down at her. "Well, no, baby girl, I wouldn't. It was very thoughtful of you to put the fish back."
"I know." Beth leaned in to kiss her mother, who still looked a little shocked, on the cheek. "I gotta go potty now." She took off running for the house and Puck and Shelby followed behind her, stopping on the porch and sitting in the wooden rocking chairs Shelby kept there.
"So," Shelby took another sip of her tea then turned to Puck. "How did she do really? I hope she didn't freak out on you or anything. She's never done anything like that before."
"She was awesome. Seriously. I mean, I baited her hook for her, but that was mostly 'cause I was afraid she'd hurt herself. And after I helped her reel in her fish, she touched it and everything without gettin' all prissy on me. I tried to get her to bring it home to show you, but she wasn't goin' for it. She didn't tell me the part about kidnappin', though." Puck laughed a little.
"Yes, I'm afraid she might be a little too smart for her own good." Shelby shook her head and smiled at Puck. "She's definitely too smart for my own good."
They were both laughing when Beth came bounding back out of the house. "Look!" She pointed down the street excitedly before either of the adults had a chance to say anything else. Puck followed the line of her arm to a silver SUV making its way toward them. "John's coming!" She jumped down the porch steps and ran to the tree that marked the spot in the yard she wasn't allowed to go past without an adult.
Shelby cleared her throat and fidgeted a little with the edges of the magazine she had left sitting on the table between her chair and Puck's. "Umm, Puck, John is -,"
"I know. Beth told me."
"Oh. Well, we had plans to have lunch together today. I wasn't expecting you two home so early. I really have planned to tell you about him. It's just -,"
"Shelby," Puck cut her off, sending her a small smile when she looked over at him sheepishly, "it's cool. You don't like, owe me anything, or whatever."
"No," Shelby agreed, "I know that. And I've dated before and I obviously didn't feel the need to tell you about it. But, I do feel like you have a right to be informed about decisions I make that impact Beth's life, and things are pretty serious with John, which definitely impacts her. He's the first man I've dated that she's ever met."
Puck had suspected that, based on what Beth had said before, and he was really glad to hear it being confirmed. Shelby was an awesome mom, and he figured that if she was okay bringing this guy around Beth, he must be alright. And he must really mean something to her. Honestly, Puck was happy for her. And as much as he wished he was the only father-figure in Beth's life, he didn't hate the idea of them having a man around when he wasn't.
"It's cool. And Beth seems to like him."
"She does, doesn't she?" They both watched as John got out of his car and ran over to Beth, scooping her up and throwing her over one shoulder. The little girl squealed and giggled as her feet kicked wildly in front of John's chest.
By the time John and Beth reached the porch, he had lowered her so she was settled on one hip, one arm slung over his shoulder. "You're so lucky you came right now, John," she was telling him, "because now you get to meet Uncle Noah!" Puck watched the recognition flash over the man's face as he stood and extended his hand, and he knew John knew what 'Uncle Noah' really meant.
"Noah Puckerman," Puck shook the hand that wasn't holding Beth and smiled at the other man. John gripped his hand firmly and smiled back as Beth pointed to the hanging porch swing.
"Puck took Beth fishing this morning," Shelby told him as he made his way to the swing.
"Is that so?" he sat down and looked down at Beth as she scooted off his lap and settled in beside him.
"Yep," she nodded enthusiastically. "I caught one and everything!" All the adults laughed as she bounced, making the swing move erratically.
"Good for you, kiddo," he slung one arm over the back of the swing then looked over at Puck. "You got in last night?"
"Yeah. Well, 'bout dinner time." John nodded and didn't say anything else, so Puck continued. "Used to hate the drive, but I've gotten used to it. Long as I don't run into any construction, it's not too bad." John nodded again.
"I've got some family down in Indy. I know how that goes. It's nice to have a place to go when the drive's done though, instead of just some hotel."
Puck studied the other man for a second to see if it seemed like he was bitter or jealous, but his face was open and his smile seemed sincere. "Yeah, it's great of Shelby to share her place with me. Plus, it means I get to spend that much more time with my Little Bug." He tipped his chair forward and reached out to tickle the back of Beth's knee, making her kick and scream.
Puck tickled Beth for a minute longer, finally sitting back again when she was panting for breath. She pushed herself back up into a sitting position once she had composed herself and her breath was mostly back to normal. "I'm really glad Uncle Noah's here," she beamed up at John. "And I'm especially glad you get to meet him, since he's moving to New York next week with Aunt Rachel."
Okay, Puck wasn't exactly moving with Rachel. He was moving to New York because he was sick and fucking tired of Lima and he got accepted to some tiny little music school there based on his transcripts from OSU Lima and the video Artie and Rachel helped him make. It didn't hurt that his best friend already lived there and knew her way around and had been encouraging him to come for almost a year now. That wasn't really something he wanted to try to explain at that moment, though, so he let it go. Besides, it wasn't like Beth planned to stop talking any time soon.
"She goes to Nada and she's the best singer and dancer the whole Big Apple." Puck looked over at Shelby and noted that her small smile looked proud. "She's going to be a big star on Broadway and Uncle Noah's in love with her."
Shelby gasped, John coughed into his hand in a poor attempt to cover a laugh, and Puck's jaw dropped as his gaze shifted from Shelby to Beth, then to John, then finally back to Shelby. "I didn't … I never said a word," she whispered hoarsely. "She's a very perceptive child."
"It's okay though," for such a perceptive child, Beth just kept going as if she hadn't noticed any of what was going on around her. "Wanna know why?" She looked up at John expectantly.
John cleared his throat once, shot one more amused look at Puck, then looked back down at Beth. "Why, kiddo?"
"Okay, but it's a secret. Can you keep a secret?" John nodded and Beth lowered her voice, not because she was trying to keep anyone from hearing, but just because she knew that's what people did when they told secrets, "She loves him back." Puck's neck cracked when he jerked his head around to look at her. "She told Mommy and me when we went to see The Little Mermaid." Puck narrowed his eyes and turned, much more slowly, back to Shelby. Was she planning to share that information any time soon? Or like, ever?
"She does, huh?" John questioned Beth. Puck was still glaring at Shelby, but he could tell just from his voice that the man was amused. At least someone was.
Puck turned just in time to see Beth nodding. "I'm thirsty John. Will you get me some apple juice?" And just like that, the subject was changed.
"I'll get it." Puck pushed himself out of the chair and asked John if he wanted anything.
"Water'd be great." He smirked up at Puck and Puck fought back an eye roll before nodding and looking down at Shelby.
"Shelby. Help me?" He asked as politely as he could, ya know, considering, but the look he shot her didn't leave any room for argument. "Oh, and Bug?" Beth smiled up at him. "I think we need to work on your secret-keeping skills, little girl."
She just shook her head at him. "It's okay, Uncle Noah. John won't tell." Puck closed his eyes and shook his head a little, laughing as he made his way into the house.
"Puck, I really didn't say anything to her. I mean, it's not as if I discuss things like that with my five-year-old."
He turned to look at Shelby, who was just a couple steps behind him, and waved her off. "'S'cool. I mean, I kinda need a minute, a breather or whatever, but that's not really why I got you in here. And besides, apparently I don't have anything to worry about." He smirked at her over his shoulder. "Not that you were gonna give me a heads-up or anything."
"Oh no." Her eyes widened. "No, Puck. Please tell me you're not going to go to New York and torture the girl."
"Torture? Of course not. As your 'very perceptive' daughter pointed out, I'm in love with her." He smirked a little more dangerously. "Tease? Oh hell yeah. I mean, I've spent the last couple months worryin' that I was gonna get up there and she wasn't gonna have time for me or she was gonna have some douchey New York boyfriend or somethin'. It's only fair that she gets at least a little something in return."
"Puck," she sounded worried as she followed him into the kitchen, frowning a little as he laughed.
"Seriously though," he didn't even look back at her as he reached into the refrigerator for Beth's juice. "'S'not what I wanted to talk to you about."
Neither of them spoke while Puck pulled Beth's favorite cup out of the cabinet and poured her juice. He was taking the time to figure out exactly what he planned to say, and he liked that Shelby knew him well enough to give him that time. He put the juice away and waited, leaning against the island in the middle of the kitchen, until Shelby was finished running water into a glass for John before saying anything. "I just wanted to say thanks. For everything."
"Oh Puck," she turned and looked at him, her eyes soft. "You're wonderful with her. You've always been wonderful with her. She loves you and she loves spending time with you." She laughed quietly. "I feel like I should be thanking you."
"No, that's not … I mean, yeah, thanks for lettin' me come up here and stay so much, and for lettin' me take her out to the middle of nowhere to go fishin' and all the other stuff you let me do. But that's not all I was talkin' about." He cleared his throat and looked down at his feet, watched the invisible line his toe was tracing across the tile. "What I really meant was, uh," he ran his hand nervously over the back of his neck, "Beth told me about your conversation." He looked up at her expectantly, but she only stared blankly back at him.
"Sorry Puck, but you're going to have to be more specific. I have a lot of conversations with my daughter." She grinned a little when he just blinked at her.
"Oh. Yeah, right. Sorry." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was kind of pissed about how nervous he was. It was stupid. "She told me she asked you about John being her new daddy, and about what you said … after."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Puck nodded at her then continued. "I just, that means a lot to me, Shelby. You have no idea."
She looked away from him quickly, but before she did, Puck thought he might have seen a couple tears swimming in her eyes. "You know Puck, I think I do. And I didn't say anything that wasn't true, so there's no need to thank me."
That time, Puck gave Shelby a minute he could tell she needed. She turned her back to him and pretended to straighten the clean dishes on the drying rack. He waited for her to turn back around before saying anything else. "Look Shelby, like I said, I really, really appreciate what you said to her. But I know one day you're gonna end up with somebody – John or somebody else, doesn't matter, really, long as he's good to you and Beth – and you're gonna get married or whatever, and if you want that guy to be the dad to Beth, I get it. I mean, it'll suck, and I won't lie to you and say it won't bother me at all or that I won't be a dick about it at first, 'cause I prob'ly will, but I'll get it. I know how good a mom you are, and I know you wouldn't do anything that wasn't good for her, even if it sucks for me."
Shelby moved to lean across the island and dropped one hand on top of Puck's. "I don't lie to my daughter, Puck. When I told her she already has a daddy, I meant it. And he's the only one she'll ever have, no matter who else comes into our lives."
Puck lifted her hand off the island to kiss the back of it. He was always careful not to cross any boundaries when it came to Shelby; the last thing he wanted was to cause any awkwardness between them that would somehow hinder his time with Beth. But she just promised him that beautiful little girl outside was his, always.Right then, he didn't give a fuck about boundaries.
"And one day, when she's old enough to understand but not so old that she'll feel like we betrayed her, we'll all sit down, Quinn too, if she wants, and explain the whole thing to her."
"Yeah, well," he snorted and took a step back, picking up the juice he'd poured for Beth. "Don't hold your breath on Quinn."
He knew how harsh that probably sounded, but really, he was far past being pissed at Quinn. That didn't mean he never had been, though, because he'd been really angry for a really long time. To be honest, he'd pretty much hated her for a while after her crazy ass baby snatcher plans had driven Shelby, with Beth, out of Lima for good. And to make it worse, Quinn just acted like Beth didn't even exist, which pissed him off to no end. Over time (and with a lot of pushing from a certain brunette who was never afraid to be pushy about anything), he kind of came to accept that what Quinn was going through was a type of mourning. No, no one died, but apparently she was feeling a loss something like that (and again, that had to be pointed out to him more than once, since it was hard for him to accept at first). Everyone deals with grief in their own way, and being mad at her for not being able to handle being around Beth was like being mad at someone for not crying at a funeral just 'cause everyone else is. So yeah, he wasn't really mad at her anymore, and they'd actually had a few decent conversations when she'd been visiting from school over the past year or so, but she always found some excuse to cut the conversation short as soon as he turned it to Beth. He still didn't really understand how basically pretending Beth didn't exist was easier on her than trying to just enjoy even the small amount of time she could have with her. He couldn't imagine his own life without that little girl in it, and it didn't make any sense to him that Quinn could live that way.
"Don't be so hard on her. You know -,"
"Yeah yeah, you and Rach are like a broken record when it comes to her. And I understand, I guess, I just don't get it. She's so amazing, ya know?" His eyes were wide as he stared at a nodding Shelby and he knew he didn't have to clarify who 'she' was. "But yeah, I didn't mean for that to sound so shitty. I was just sayin'." Shelby nodded again then tilted her head a little toward the living room. He nodded back and followed her back out onto the porch.
Puck spent the rest of the afternoon outside, running around the front lawn with Beth, then watching her do the same with John, then Shelby, and finally pushing Beth and himself on the swing with his feet as he sang softly to her and she tried to convince them all that she didn't need a nap. He dragged his fingers through the soft blonde curls that fanned out across his lap and watched as Shelby and John laughed at something he couldn't quite hear. He was never going to have the traditional nuclear family with the wife and 2.5 kids and dog. But he had Beth, and Shelby and John (or whoever she ended up with, though he really hoped it was John, because he actually kinda liked the guy, and he wasn't crazy about the idea of Beth having to deal with a break-up and then someone new), and his loud, determined, gorgeous best friend (for now – he planned to have that title changed about an hour after he got to New York). And he was pretty sure he'd wanna give Beth at least one little brother or sister someday, too. So yeah, what he got was way better than traditional.
A/N 2: I have to say a quick 'Thank You' to my own dad and little brother, though they will never even read this story. About a month ago, they took me fishing for the first time since the one time I went when I was kid myself. They were so patient with me, doing the same things for me that Puck did for Beth (my brother baited my hook and my dad held my pole when I almost dropped it so I could reel in my fish) and got almost as excited as I did when I caught my first fish ever. This story is dedicated to them.