Title: Melody.
Chapter: 1/?
Pairing: Eventual Cherry.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, any of the characters. However, I have made the characters my own so will be slightly AU from the show.

"Noah!"

Puck curses under his breath and stops, turning to where the voice had come from. He smiles at her, but he knows she's going to try and get an answer from him, so he mentally prepares himself. "Hey, Princess."

She glares at him as she comes to a stop just infront of him. "Do not princess me!" She crosses her arms and looks up at him. "Where have you and Mike been?"

"What do you mean?" He asks, raising his eyebrow for a slightly better effect.

She rolls her eyes at him, "I haven't seen either of you for the past two weeks. Matt hasn't either." She lets her arms drop to her side. "Where is Mike today, it's the first day of Senior year and San said he didn't answer when she went to pick him up today."

Puck wants to tell her everything, because he knows just how much Rachel cares for the tall Asian dancer, she's confided in him a few times, but it isn't his news to tell and he's made a promise to Mike. "He's got a bug."

She glares at him again, "I know you're lying to me, Puck."

Damn, now he knows she's angry, but still, a promise is a promise. "Rach, he has a bug. As for the past two weeks, I've been babysitting whilst my mum picked overtime up and Mike's just been busy."

"Maybe I should take him some soup…" Rachel starts musing quietly and Puck shakes his head.

"Rach, he's ill. He's hardly going to let you in to watch him throw up, is he?" Puck rolls his eyes and steps forward to hug her. "Look, why don't we all, minus Mike head to Taco Bell tonight?" He asks and he can't help but smile as she smiles widely at him.

"I'd like that." She nods and Puck hugs her again, a little tighter this time before he steps away and catches sight of the time.

"I've got to go Rach, if I'm late, I'm going to get detention again." He begins to walk off, only to be stopped again by her voice.

"If you speak to Mike, could you at least ask him too message me back, so you know, I know he isn't dead or you know, hates me."

Puck turns to her and nods. "Rach, he 100% doesn't hate you. I promise."

[+]

Another week passes before Mike returns to school and although he did message Rachel back a few times, it's still nowhere near to how much they communicated last school year and Rachel watches how easy he falls back into friendships with everyone, but her. She begins to panic, because she can't remember upsetting him and she's really starting to miss him. They're sat together in Maths and she turns to look at him as his breathing changes, smiling at how he barely has his eyes open. Although she's worried, because she's never seen Mike exhausted, even on his bad days, he'd always manage to find energy from somewhere.

She nudges him lightly as she notices the teacher begin to look their way and his eyes open although he doesn't move. As the teacher walks past them, he mouths a thank you and she smiles at him, turning back to her work. She holds back a laugh as she feels his chin rest on her shoulder and she knows he's copying her answers, something he does when he really hasn't been paying attention. As she turns her head to look at him, he grins back at her, squeezing her arm lightly.

[+]

She finds out that Mike has been picking up any extra shift he can get at the restaurant he works at and that's why he can barely keep his eyes open at lunchtime.

"You're overworking yourself." She says in a quiet voice as she nudges him again before he ends up asleep in his lunch.

He rubs his face and sits up a little. "I need the money." Is all that she gets and she doesn't have chance to question it anymore as the bell rings again.

[+]

It's by chance that she bumps into him one Saturday morning as she takes a walk around the neighbourhood, needing the fresh air. She stops, confused as she spots him, because he's pushing a pram and she didn't know that he had a new baby cousin or sibling. He stops as he spots her and quickly looks between her and the pram.

"Hey, Mike." She smiles and she walks towards him, stopping as she reaches him. She peeks into the pram and can't help but make a small sound of happiness. "Who's this?"

"Melody." He answers her straight away, before managing a smile back at her. He knows the question is coming and he knows he needs to tell her, like Puck has been telling him too for the past five weeks.

"She's tiny. How old is she?" Rachel asks and she can't help but coo once again.

"Five weeks." He answers easily and he's still waiting for the question that he isn't certain on how to answer. "I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend the past few weeks."

She smiles softly at him. "Stop apologising. I just miss you." She reaches out to quickly touch his arm, before she retreats it. "I didn't know you were expecting a new sibling to your family."

He swallows thickly and looks down. "I wasn't. She isn't…" He stops as he tries to think on what he can say. "Melody isn't my sibling."

Rachel raises her eyebrow confused. "Oh." She tries to piece the puzzle together, but she's unsure on what they are. "Your cousin?"

He shakes his head. "She's mine."

Rachel feels her heart stop for a few seconds as she takes in this new information. As far as she was concerned, Mike wasn't in a relationship. "I… uh…"

He sighs and reaches for her arm lightly. "I'll explain." He promises. "Just not here."

She nods and begins to follow him, realising just how much Melody looks like Mike know she takes more notice of her features.

[+]

Rachel looks around confused as they walk into a small studio apartment. She goes to ask why they are here, but he cuts her off.

"My Mum and Dad kicked me out." He stated as he moved Melody from her pram to her bouncing chair. "I had to find somewhere for us and this was the first place I found that was within what I could afford each month." He heads towards the kitchen and motions to the fridge. "Drink?"

She nods her head, knowing he'll pick what she likes without having to tell him. "Is that why you're so exhausted all the time, the extra shifts and the sleepless nights?"

He laughs quietly as he passes Rachel her drink and begins to make Melody a bottle, ready for when the small girl wakes up. "Actually, she's really good through the night, only wakes twice."

Rachel waits for him to finish and follows him to the small sofa she recognizes from his games room at home. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighs a little and avoids eye contact with her. "I was scared you'd be disappointed in me. I can handle everyone else, Rach, but I really didn't want you to be."

She reaches her arm to him again and this time doesn't move it away. "Why would I be disappointed?" She takes a breath and looks over to Melody. "Confused maybe, but not disappointed."

The hand on his arm calms him a little and he sighs before looking up at her for a second. "Last Christmas, I went out with Puck, let him talk me into getting blind drunk and I had a one night stand." He gets straight to the point, "I'm not proud of it, at all."

She nods, because she isn't sure what to say back to him. She's never seen Mike as the kind of guy to have a one night stand but she also knows how convincing Noah can be to try and get someone to drink. "You didn't say anything about Melody." It's not a dig, she's just curious on how he kept it a secret.

"I didn't know about her." He answers. "Her mother contacted me six weeks ago, a week before Melody was born to inform me of everything and then told me that if I didn't want her, she would be giving her up for adoption."

She squeezes his arm as he talks and notices how he leans into her slightly.

"Obviously my parents wanted me to agree to her being put up for adoption, but no way could I agree to that. I knew the decision would probably change my life, but I couldn't do it Rach…" He trailed off.

Placing her head against his shoulder, she ran her hand down to his hand gripping it lightly. "I think you're very brave, I'm anything but disappointed in you." She takes a breath before she speaks again. "You're going to be an amazing Dad, I mean you're already exhausting yourself doing anything you can to provide for her."

He smiles and rests his head against hers, closing his eyes for a moment. "Thanks Rach. You honestly don't understand how much relief I feel now you know. I really didn't want my best friend disappointed with me."

They sit in silence for a few moments, Mike feeling relaxed for the first time in a while until Melody begins to cry out. He stands to pick her up, smiling gratefully as he sits back down with Melody and Rachel passes him the bottle.

"I'm here Mike, even if it's just to watch Melody whilst you catch up on sleep, anytime." She smiles and Mike nods, knowing she will be.