Title: Red Meets Blue
Author: Kate (heartsmash)
Rating: Overall, M
Pairing: Rachel/Puck
Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy, among others. I am just taking the characters out to play - I'll put them back when I'm done.
Summary: Who do you turn to when you need protection? P/R, future fic.
Author's Note: I began writing this before Sheena (SMC-27) posted her story Bulletproof Loneliness (Trust me, I've got the notebook pages and Starbucks receipts to prove it). The plot point of Rachel having a stalker and Puck being her bodyguard is purely coincidental and I believe it to be really the only thing that the two stories have in common. I admire Sheena's writing too much to even think of plagiarising.
Chapter 1
"Thank you Ms. Berry, we are so excited for the movie to be released next week!" the Entertainment Weekly reporter gushed, shaking her hand as they exited the restaurant.
It had been a day of four interviews and four small meals but she was finally done. This was the second day of press in New York and although Rachel adored the attention, she desperately needed some rest before what she knew of free time was officially gone. Her newly purchased apartment was calling her name and thankfully, Quinn had finagled some down time for her and blocked out her calendar as such.
A quiet evening of John Hughes films and Chinese takeout with Quinn and Kurt sounded heavenly. Her vegan diet was long since retired, as the Manhattan cuisine available to her put her former dietary restrictions to shame. Rachel had quickly learned after being in the city for six years, that there was nothing like a slice of pizza at 2 in the morning during finals week or celebratory milkshakes on the closing night performance despite the fact that dairy was harmful to her vocal chords.
It was weird to think that after years of tolerating each other through high school that the two had become her biggest supporters and the team that helped her through each and every day of her burgeoning career. Quinn had become her publicist and manager while Kurt had taken it upon himself to make sure 'that she never wore anything from her high school wardrobe ever again.'
The yellow cab that she slid into got her to her apartment in record time and she compensated her driver happily. Her daytime doorman, Eddie, tipped his hat and opened the front door for her. Despite only living here for two weeks, he knew who she was and who her friends were making it easy to feel safe in such a big city. Rachel smiled and went inside, taking the elevator to her floor. Lucky for her, Kurt had been more than willing to decorate while she had been filming on location in Chicago and London, although they had had minor disagreements at the beginning as to the style she desired. She did not want Marlena Dietrick and Gary Cooper in Morocco as the inspiration to her living room. He had huffed about this being the second time someone had discarded a perfectly good idea but he had lived with it.
Using her key, she went in the front door and the aroma of Chinese food flooded her senses, might work better here. Despite her earlier meals in which she ate daintily in an effort to preserve the perfect picture that she was, she was famished.
"I'm home," she shouted and soon Quinn's blonde head of hair poked around the corner from her kitchen.
"Food's here Rach, go get changed and we can eat in the living room. Kurt put down drop cloths but don't take offense. He just doesn't want anything to "christen" your furniture so soon."
"I heard that!" Rachel heard her stylist protest.
Rachel didn't get in the middle of the two. It was a normal occurrence as the two butted heads about everything – from whether an appearance that Rachel was making should be understated or expressive with what she wore, or whether she should take an interview with Teen Vogue or not (she did not, she wanted to be established as an actress before appealing to one audience or another).
Instead, she admired the still new furnishings of her apartment and how in the end Kurt had given her exactly what she wanted from her first owned home. The content sigh that escaped her lips upon entering the master bedroom didn't get old as this room had been Kurt's piece de résistance.
Aubergine purple paint defined the walls, all white linens made up the king sized mahogany bed and he hadn't forgotten her love of vanity tables that matched the bed frame. It still was missing some decoration but that would come with time.
She felt like she lived in the apartment and that was the most important thing. She changed into sweats and a t-shirt that Kurt wouldn't let her out of the house in and pulled her long dark hair into a pony tail. Tonight was about comfort even if her friend commented on her outfit.
Padding into the living barefoot, she ignored the eye roll she got out of Kurt and instead took interest in Quinn who held out a glass of Pinot Noir and had "news" face on.
"What is it? Do I need to be sitting down for this?"
"Yes," Quinn answered and sat with her. Kurt obviously had not yet heard this news and was quiet as a church mouse.
"The studio called earlier."
Rachel's mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion. If the studio called, it must have something to do with the film and if it was the film, it was her role.
"Oh my God, they cut me out of the movie didn't they? I've heard that can happen. The movie gets to be too cumbersome so they cut out what didn't test well…"
"Rachel, breathe…they didn't cut you out of the movie."
Rachel blinked slowly, clearly not sure what else could be an issue that Quinn couldn't handle.
"The studio received some fan mail for you that they deemed concerning. They've suggested that we look into some security as a preventative measure."
Her face scrunched up, clearly taking in one part but not the other.
"They OPENED my first piece of fan mail?"
Quinn had to stop herself from shaking Rachel, but luckily Kurt stepped in to talk some sense into their friend.
"Diva B, focus please. This is serious. Q didn't even tell me so you have to see that the studio is taking this issue and your safety quite seriously. They must think a lot of you that they want to get involved in this."
The words finally sank in and the outrage that had come out for the fan mail was replaced by anxiety. Suddenly gone was the confident star of what was to be the summer's hottest movie and a little girl from Lima was suddenly sitting in her spot on the couch.
"What do we do?" asked Rachel
Quinn resumed control. "I have an alarm company coming tomorrow for the apartment and we need to start interviewing security detail."
Rachel drained her glass of Pinot Noir in one giant gulp. "Having some stranger be the one responsible for protecting me from another reprobate is a little alarming."
"That's why we're interviewing, to determine who you feel most comfortable with. Unless you have a better idea?"
At Quinn's final sentence, an idea sparked in Kurt's brain and he nearly sprayed red wine everywhere as he momentarily choked on the liquid.
"Ooof," Kurt coughed and Quinn quirked an eyebrow.
"Something to add Hummel?"
"Nope," he said popping the p.
That's because his plan would go into effect tomorrow. The three settled in for dinner and the movie, each of them lost in the news and all trying to find the best solution.
