Hi! Just trying this out. Like Doctor Who? Like Puckleberry? Why can't you have both? I hope you enjoy!
Companionship
Chapter One
Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh
Noah Puckerman's dad disappeared from his life when he was eight years old.
There was plenty of gossip circling throughout little ole Lima, Ohio as to where he ended up. Most of the old biddies at the temple started the whole womanizer story, and how he finally went to live with his other family in Poughkeepsie. His old teammates from McKinley High football said he finally decided to go full gay transvestite and was headlining in Vegas. A few guys from his old army unit said he had been picked for super secret agent stuff and had to erase his civilian life completely.
Mr. Puckerman's wife, his mother, his kids...they honestly didn't know where the man was. And they had no idea what he was doing. Because Mr. Puckerman disappeared ten years ago. The only witness to the disappearance had been eight-year-old Noah. And the only thing he can remember was a man with a funny voice and some very strange sounds.
Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh.
"Berry, I gotta say. I'm really surprised. Shocked even."
Rachel rolled her eyes and looked at Puck with a face that could only be described as petulant as she reached from the scotch tape a few feet away and went back to her work. Silence extended between the pair as they worked diligently at their task. Rachel looked at their work critically and bit her lip, her head tilting slightly to the right.
"Do you think he'll sit on it?" she wondered critically. "Or will he be able to tell?"
"He'll laugh when he sees it, and he'll definitely sit in it," Puck nodded confidently. "Unless he's seen that episode of the Office where Jim wraps Dwight's desk...and don't get me wrong, Brad's cool or whatever, but I doubt he's kept track of all the pranks."
"So knowing all of the fictitious pranks that fictitious Jim Halpert has pulled on fictitious Dwight Schrute can be classified as cool?" Rachel pursed her lips as her eyebrows shot up in definite amusement. Puck nodded and she shrugged and said, "So you're cool?"
"Cool as ice, Princess," Puck assured her.
"And then...my Dad's are cool?" Rachel giggled.
Puck rolled his eyes and said, "Your dads were the first people to legit hire me as a pool cleaner. And they never wanted to see me naked either, so that makes them SUPER cool."
"Okay, okay," Rachel grinned. She looked back to the gift wrapped piano...which was actually just flimsy cardboard wrapped in birthday paper. If all went to plan, Brad would sit on the piano bench tomorrow and fall. "You think he'll fall for it?"
"Abso-freaking-lutely!" Puck said with enthusiasm. "And HEY...double points if Blainers comes in and starts a tune...you know he's going to go straight for the piano and use it as his little Blainers jungle gym and then...BAM! Down you go Hogwarts."
"Be nice to Blaine," Rachel scolded playfully.
"I'm nice to Blainers," Puck insisted. "I think he and Kurt are super cute-I mean, super cool in a totally awesome gay way..."
"That's sweet," Rachel grinned.
"But seriously, if Blainers ever breaks Kurt's heart or whatever? I'm totally going to lengthen Blainers pants and then yank them up in the world's largest wedgie," Puck promised, his alpha male aggression actually making his silly threat sound violent and frightening.
"And this from the guy who used to toss Kurt into dumpsters," Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "You've come a long way, Noah."
"Thanks," Puck shrugged.
Whoosh...whoosh...
Puck spun in a half circle, looking towards the choir room door, his eyes open wide as all of the breath in his lungs suddenly disappeared. Rachel looked at him strangely, her eyes wide and unblinking.
"Noah?" she whispered.
Whoosh...whoosh...
"Did you hear that?" Puck barely breathed the words.
"The whooshing sound? It's probably just the air conditioning system. Principal Figgins always waits until a full week of over eight-five degree weather before turning it on to save money," Rachel explained.
Whoosh...whoosh...
"Not the air conditioning system," Puck shook his head imperceptibly. He reached down and grabbed Rachel's hand before literally darting from the room, yanking her along for the ride. They sprinted down the hallway and followed the whooshing sound.
Rachel had to admit, the closer they got, the more it didn't sound like the air conditioning vents. She started to get a funny feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Anxious, flighty butterflies, zinging about as the nearly unearthly sound got louder and louder. Something exciting was happening. She could feel it in the tips of her toes. It was exhilarating and absolutely terrifying.
"Noah, what-is-going on?" she panted as she ran as fast as her legs would go, barely keeping up with the much faster, longer strides of the boy who had an iron-clad grip on her hand, dragging her along.
"It's my dad," he nearly shouted. "It's my dad!"
They reached the auditorium and Puck slammed one of the doors open and he stopped short at the sight in front of him. He let go of Rachel's hand and his arm wrapped around her shoulder protectively. Rachel's body slammed into his side, her arms going around his waist as she steadied herself. Her face was planted in the front of his soft gray t-shirt and she breathed deeply as she recovered from the insanely fast 100 yard dash they had just went through.
"It's real," Noah whispered.
Rachel looked up and blinked rapidly. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. A blue police box that looked like a closed off telephone booth was blinking into existence under the stage lights of McKinley High School's auditorium in time to the whooshing sound that was literally shooting tingles down her spine.
The whooshing stopped and the big blue police box solidified completely. Rachel stole one glance to Puck, whose face was more youthful than it had ever been as it was full of delirious hope and joy. His mouth formed the word Dad, but no sound came out. Rachel looked back to the box expectantly, as the door creaked open.
A head of brown, wild-ish hair peaked out, followed by wide open eyes displaying a curious expression on a quirkily handsome man. She felt Puck tensing. This was not his father.
"Ah...another couple?" the man from the blue box sighed dramatically, his accent decidedly British. "Oh well...I quite like life as a third wheel. So many fun angles to play off of. Right...so..."
He stepped out of the box completely and bounded off the stage, rushing up with his hand extended. "You Americans do love a hand shake. I believe you must be...Noah?"
"What?" Puck furrowed his brow, his hand gripping Rachel's opposite shoulder as he angled himself protectively so that Rachel was in no immediate danger. "Where's my Dad, dude?"
"Yes...there's that," the man from the box nodded. "Noah...I need some help, and your father indicated that you might be the proper young man for the job. And you-" the man pointed at Rachel and laughed before clapping one hand over his smile. "I've seen your face before...this should be fun, then...you two about ready?"
"WHO ARE YOU?" Puck yelled.
"Oh, Noah, no need to shout," the man smiled gently. He held out his hand again and offered, "I'm the Doctor."
So. there's that. Thanks so much for stopping by and giving this a shot! Now off to watch Community! YAY!