Running Out Of Time

Summary: glee. At 25, Puck is a famous rock musician. Rachel is a Broadway super star. Dating after seven years apart is harder now because they're biggest worry isn't the hockey team, but the paparazzi.

Please Note: So this will be multi chaptered. It is my third attempt at a multi chapter excursion and my SECOND attempt at trying to FINISH a multi chaptered story. Everything in italicize or bold is something either they (Rachel/Puck) write themselves or something that is written in a tabloid magazine like Us Weekly or Star. Also, this isn't really AU but it is future-ish.

Shameless Self-Promotion: Follow my tumblr/twitter and I will love you. Information is on my profile.

Disclaimer: I don't own glee. I don't have anything clever or witty or just plain Lorelei Gilmore-ish to add.

Chapter One: Seven Lucky Years Later

It seems front man of "the Viper Code" "Puck" Puckerman has found himself a new lady friend. He was seen in upstate New York with a petite brunette by his side. Sources say the brunette was Broadway veteran Rachel Berry. Berry, 24, who is currently portraying Amber Von Tussle in a production of Hairspray. Puckerman, 25, has been linked to Anna Kendrick and Ashley Greene of Twilight fame but reps for all has denied any romantic involvement.

PuckViper: chilling with friends in L.A tonight. Studio all day tomorrow.

MsRachelBerry: Headed to LAX! The airport is peaceful at 3 am. (:

"So Puck, is Rachel really coming to see you?" Quinn asked suggestively. Puck rolled his eyes and was about to respond but a flying rubber ball flew past his nose silencing him.

"Sorry, Puck!" Finn yelled. Quinn turned to her husband of six years and smiled like he was the lord of everything amazing.

"Dude, I said no ball in the house." Puck stressed sounding like his mom. He made a mental note to call her tomorrow morning and looked back at Finn who was whispering into Quinn's ear.

"Puck? Rachel coming? Yes or no?" Quinn asked again like she was talking to a five year old.

"Yes, okay? Fuck, you're worse than my own mom."

"Oh my gosh! Is she going to sleep here?" Quinn waved a hand, in general, at Puck's sweet mansion.

"Yeah, that was the plan."

"That's the third date in a week. Right?" Finn asked nicely. Actually it was the fifth. Puck still hadn't told Finn about when he went to New York on Saturday for a Cd signing but he ended staying at Berry's apartment. He counted it as two dates because they got dinner then she made him pancakes in the morning. (And, when he told Finn, without Quinn around of course, he'd stress that he slept in Berry's guest room and not in her actual bed.)

"Sure, anyway, when are you and Quinn getting back to D.C?" Finn had started playing hockey the summer before senior year (after the jerky hockey guys got kicked off the team because the football guys joined up and took their spots) Finn realized he was pretty good at the sport. He was so good he was offered a spot on the Washington Capitals' farm team in Hershey, Pennsylvania. For the last couple weeks, however, Finn had been given the chance to play in a couple Capitals' games.

"In two days." As Finn spoke Quinn stood up heading towards the bathroom.

"Man, that's to fucking bad, I like having you around man." Puck said honestly. He wouldn't admit that in front of Quinn but he missed having Finn around, but Finn and Quinn were married so Puck didn't push it. He and Finn called each other and talked pretty much all the time and they played each other on XBOX live every night. They were a regular J.D and Turk.

"I miss it too man, but think about it, in a couple years maybe I'll get traded to the L.A Kings and we can live next door." Finn said and for a second Puck thought that Finn looked like he was ten years old. They had met at the park when Puck had accidently thrown the football too far and it hit Finn in the head. Puck's dad was around then and told the two to make friends. And fifteen years later they were still as close as brothers.

"But the Kings are shit."

"Hah! I know but it's better than nothing."

"Finn? My mom just called. She needs us back home, apparently Cody is acting up." Quinn strode back into the room clutching her phone.

"Again? Okay, sorry Puck, I wanted to hang out longer but maybe tomorrow after Rachel comes in all of us can hang out. We can hang at that park in Beverley Hills and teach Cody how to play football."

"But Finn Cody's only six. He doesn't need to know how to play that yet." Quinn protested. Puck laughed at Quinn's mom senses. Contrary to their friend's belief, Quinn hadn't been pregnant when she and Finn got married. Their honeymoon had just apparently been "very eventful".

"But baby, it's time he learned." Puck nodded approvingly. The married couple bickered for a few more minutes then they headed out the door. Puck watched as they drove threw his long driveway and waited until they were out of sight. He walked back inside his immaculate house and looked around. Gold records were stuck on the walls and each one held a personal memory for Puck. His band "the Viper Code" was popular. It wasn't hard metal but it wasn't pop either. It was sort of an updated version of the Ramones. They had gone on tour seven times in the past four years and Puck was thankful he met all his band members. His band mates, Ethan, Carlisle, Tucker, and Ross were great guys and it was honestly pure chance they met. Puck had intended to go to college because he'd gotten a scholarship to Ohio State but once he got to registration he saw Ross playing guitar outside he got an idea for an amazing band. He walked right up to Ross and inquired whether he wanted to be in a band. Ross' next door neighbors, brothers, Ethan and Carlisle, played drums and bass. And the brothers' cousin Tucker just so happened to play twelve instruments and the much needed keyboard was one of them.

Puck hadn't to school that semester because of multiple band practices and gigs but went second semester to please his mom. By the end of the term the band had gotten an offer from a producer from a record label in L.A. Puck told his mom and she willingly agreed to be okay with it as long as he went back to school if things went belly up. It hadn't gone belly up. The producer had signed to guys to his label, Gotta Get That Music Records, and the guys were soon opening for bands like Paramore. But even with the band's newfound celebrity status, Puck still went to college online. And he was only so happy when his mother cried after he mailed her his diploma that stated he received a degree in music engineering. Now he was soaking up his fame, but Puck was still as down to earth as when he started. He donated money to charity and always sent his mother flowers to make up for his inability to visit as much as she wanted.

You have received a text message from: Berry

Noah, my flight has gotten in. I'll be seeing you very soon. (:

"Miss, would you like anything else?" Rachel looked up to find the steward that had been assigned to her section was leaning over her again. The woman was very nice and attentive but Rachel was sort of annoyed because she really just wanted to be left alone with her own thoughts. She was going to L.A to see Noah and she was absolutely confused about everything. After high school she jumped at her chance to star as Rizzo in a production of Grease on Broadway and it wasn't until opening night that she received flowers from Noah. She'd called him and he'd told her he'd also bypassed college for the time being to become a star. They traded emails and phone calls for the past seven years and it wasn't until Noah had a CD signing in upstate Manhattan a few weeks prior that they'd actually seen each other in the flesh. Rachel would never admit she sometimes bought trashy gossip mags because Puck's picture was in some of them. He'd caught a showing of Hairspray where she portrayed Amber Von Tussle and she was shocked to see him standing near the reporters who often occupied the space outside her dressing room. She'd invited him inside and they'd agreed to meet later for a late dinner. Sure, they'd been spotted by paparazzi because of Puck's fame but that didn't stop Rachel from inviting Puck into her apartment. She'd half expected him to insist on sex but it didn't happen that night or any other time he went to see her. (It shocked her because the summer before junior year (and most of junior) was spent sleeping with each other. They weren't dating but they knew what made the other tick so they became each other non-romantic dates. The same continued onto senior year. ) He eventually told her it was because he didn't want to be a sex-crazed maniac anymore. He wanted to be married by age 26 and sleeping around was not only bad for publicity but it also wouldn't be good for that eventual long term relationship. He'd also admitted he had been celibate, albeit some oral sex, for nearly three years. He also confessed that he and Brittany had dated seriously for three years while Puck's career was lifting off. Brittany became a Playboy playmate and he told Rachel that they kept in contact simply because he and Britt always got along like best friends. Even though he stated they were just best friends, that conversation had been hellishly awkward.

"Attention passengers, we are landing very shortly and it is slightly rainy but once we land in Los Angeles I can guarantee that the sun will be out." The pilot said over the crinkly loudspeaker. Rachel clicked on her laptop and checked her email. She had 5 five emails. Each was from her current director. The production had been placed on hold for the next two weeks and he was frantically making sure Rachel was still in good health. Most of her other cast mates had been placed on sick leave so Rachel had opted out to take time off as well simply because she missed Noah.

The plane landed and the second Rachel stepped onto L.A ground she felt the heat. She'd only visited Noah one other time, and she was only there for a performance so they didn't get the talk much, but the heat shocked her. She knew Noah wouldn't be there to pick her up because he'd told her he had a record label meeting then Quinn and Finn were coming over for a few minutes. Rachel had hoped she'd be able to see the married couple but she knew she would come in too late. But she also knew she'd see them in the coming week. Noah had told her Finn and Quinn were staying in Cali for the next couple days. She searched for the person Noah had said would pick her up and eventually found the elder Spanish woman named Mandy. Apparently this woman was Noah's maid/stand in mother.

"Mandy?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

"Miss. Berry, it's a pleasure to met you. Mr. Puckerman instructed me to give this to you." Mandy handed over an envelope and Rachel held it while Mandy dragged Rachel's bags to the Bentley Rachel figured Noah only bought so he could say he owned a Bentley. Rachel looked down at the envelope and figured it was a good time to open it.

Berry; sorry I couldn't be there to pick you up. I trust Mandy entirely to get you to my house safe and warm. I may not be at the house because my band manager is going crazy trying to figure out the tour schedule and I'm the one who's in charge of making sure she doesn't do anything drastic. Mandy has your key and before you go all obsessive about how serious our relationship is and what not because I'm giving you a key to my house, I got you the key in the event I am not at my own house. Does this make sense? I haven't written a handwritten letter in years. The key's star charm has nothing to do with how serious I am about us. There are three options that ensure the key's wellbeing: You can give it back to me and I will most likely just leave it on a hook for future times like these. You may keep it and put it on your normal key chain so you are able to say you have a key to your boyfriends' house. And number three: you can give me a key to your apartment so we can just call it even. Anyway, I'll be back hopefully, around six pm and I will bring dinner. So you have a place to put your things I have taken the liberty of giving you your own room. It's up the stairs to the left, at the end of the hallway. It being decorated in a way I know for a fact that pleases you is a just a coincidence. It has no meaning whatsoever in our relationship. If you just want to forgo your room in general and live in my room you can do that also. It's all the way at the other end of the house. You just keep walking past the other rooms and the stairs until you reach a door directly in front of yours. Feel free to sleep there because I have no problem sleeping to your perfume on my pillows. By the way, destroy this note once you get settled. Finn and Quinn are over a lot and if they find this note they will realize I am a complete pussy for you.

Love, Puck.

Rachel smiled and tucked the note into the safe confines of her backpack. Only Noah would write a letter like that. Nicely written but lined with sexual innuendo and a blunt piece about her over thinking their relationship. But most of all, the entire note calmed Rachel. It showed Rachel that Noah was serious about their relationship. To some people it might've been the opposite but Rachel and Puck got each other. They just seemed to know how the other meant things. And this was one of them.

So end of chapter one. I hope you will review and add this story to your alerts.

Preview:

"They thought your son was our son so now the tabloids think Noah has a secret love child with me."

"That's intense."

"Quinn, you say it so nonchalant that I don't know if you're listening."

"Would you like me to embarrass us in front of everybody?"

And…

PuckViper: Just to clear up rumors, I am not cheating on MsRachelBerry with Nikki Reed.