Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
A/N: Another Puckleberry fic that started out as a short story for my Eng 101 class and has morphed into this. Hope you guys enjoy this. Hopefully this isn't too OOC.
"I was thinking about this for the centerpieces." Rachel showed the picture to Finn.
"It's nice Rachel, honey." Finn agreed turning the page of the newspaper.
"You didn't even look." Rachel pouted.
"Yes I did. The flowers are red."
"They're yellow!" Rachel stood up and started to gather all the wedding plans back into the folder.
"Honey?" Finn asked.
"YOU said we didn't need a wedding planner. YOU said we could make the arrangements together but every time I ask you anything you say you don't care." Rachel said angrily. "My God Finn, you've spent more time on your stupid fantasy football than to our wedding."
"Sshh." Finn tried to calm down Rachel by pulling her to him but all he did was crush her nose against his chest. "We can get a wedding planner."
"I don't need a wedding planner." Rachel ground her teeth together. "I need your opinions."
"We'll talk about this later."
"When? You work all day and don't get home until after I'm asleep. The only time we have to talk is before you leave for work." Rachel was getting angry and she was trying to remember the last time she was this angry.
Junior year in college. Her boyfriend, Jesse, was cheating on her and she caught him with some girl in his dorm room. Jesse landed in the hospital with a broken nose and a black eye, with a huge gash along his forehead from Rachel throwing a book at his head as he struggled to pull his pants up.
"I'll get off early." Finn smiled kissing her forehead and bringing her out of her own head. "We'll talk then. Promise."
Right. Promise. Rachel thought.
"I love you." Rachel called after Finn.
"Love you too." He said walking out of the front door.
Rachel sighed cleaning the table of the breakfast dishes and when she was done she leaned back against the counter to look around the house. It was an old house but it was still nice. She had just painted all the walls so it didn't look so musty. The kitchen was big and Rachel's favorite room. She loved cooking. It helped to relieve her stress and calm her down. She remembered when she found out a friend had died. She cooked for three straight days.
The living room was right through a big doorway. It was a pretty big room. There was a table against the wall behind a couch and two recliners. The only TV in the house sat directly across from the couch. Beside the TV was a shelf lined with DVD's and VCR tapes.
Rachel's eyes traveled down the hallway. She knew that the first door on the left opened up to a bathroom and across from that was a bedroom. There were five more bedrooms and three more bathrooms upstairs.
The house had been her parents for over fifty years until they moved into a small apartment and Rachel took over the house. Rachel came from a large family. She was the youngest of seven kids. She had four brothers and two sisters. First Rachel's parents, Jim and Susie, had twins John and Henry, 37, then Tiffany, 36, twins Roxie and Anthony, 33, Blaine, 30, and then Rachel, 28.
John and Henry joined the army in 1991 but never made it back home. They died while overseas when they were 18. Tiffany became a veterinarian and moved to Tennessee. Roxie was a singer and lived with her husband, Tom, in Virginia. Anthony lived in Florida working for NASA. Blaine was a grade-school teacher living about an hour away from Rachel and their parents. Rachel was an aspiring singer, still living in the same town she grew up in; Apple Tree, population: 5,731 and dropping.
Apple Tree was a dinky town smack dab in the middle of Alabama. Rachel was the only one that never made it out of Apple Tree. She went away to college but then her parents got sick so she had moved back home to care for them. She got them a nice apartment a few miles away with a live in nurse. The house was paid for and Rachel couldn't bear to sell it so after her and Finn got engaged they moved in.
Finn didn't care for Apple Tree but when Rachel refused to move away from her parents he caved and agreed to stay. He was an accountant, and had met Rachel when they were both going to NYU.
Rachel sighed and walked upstairs to make their bed. She was almost done cleaning up the already clean house when someone rang the doorbell downstairs. Who was visiting her? She realized whoever it was wasn't ringing the doorbell at the front door. Whoever it was had his finger down pressed against the buzzer so it made one long shrill at the door on the side of the house. No one had used that door in a long time.
"I hear you! Stop pressing the damn button." Rachel said loudly yanking the door open. Rachel froze. She couldn't believe who was standing at her door.
"Rachel?" He asked unsure.
Rachel went to shut the door in his face. "Blaine's not here, Noah."
Puck stopped the door with his hand and stepped through the small opening Rachel left for him. "Where is he?"
"At work I'm guessing." Rachel crossed her arms. "What the hell are you doing back in Apple Tree? Run out of girls to fuck in Tennessee?"
"I see you still have a mouth on you." Puck said. "Actually I'm here for the funeral."
"Oh." Rachel looked down. She forgot about his Aunt dying and she wished she could take back what she said. "Sorry."
Puck smirked. "Don't worry about it."
Rachel stood awkwardly by the door and looked up at Puck. "It's been… years."
"Yep." Puck replied.
Puck had been Blaine's friend in high school. Rachel idolized him. She loved when he would come over. She would prance around the house in a pair of shorts and a tight shirt and Puck definitely noticed. Her dad eventually made Puck stop coming over when Jim found Puck and Rachel in her room alone. Her dad would tell Blaine that Rachel was going to have to be sent to a convent if Blaine didn't get some ugly friends. Blaine would laugh and Rachel would storm up to her room yelling that her dad was ruining her life.
Rachel studied Puck. He was taller but not by much. He stood about Rachel's height. Puck had bulked up since high school. His shoulders were broader and he looked older but the ten years had been very generous to him. He still had that stupid boyish grin on his face from high school. He had been kind of a jock in high school and still was but it suited him.
"Rachel?" Puck asked when Rachel closed her eyes. "You okay?"
"Yea. I have a headache." Rachel nodded walked down the hallway and she heard Puck's footsteps behind her. In the bathroom Rachel downed a few aspirin and looked in the mirror. "Do you think I look different?" Rachel asked Puck and he stepped behind her looking in the mirror too.
"Naw." Puck said. "You look the same."
"It's been ten years. I do not look the same." Rachel replied but couldn't help but smile.
"You've gotten prettier." Puck told her and she blushed looking down. "Your hair's longer." Puck watched her curls bounce when she looked back up.
Rachel looked at herself in the mirror and really studied her face. She did look a little older and her hair was longer. It was a dark brown and really curly. When she was younger her mom always used to tell her she looked like Shirley Temple with those curls. She realized she didn't have any make-up on but she didn't care. She was never one to wear a lot of make-up. Maybe a little eye-liner every now and again but that was all.
Rachel tore her eyes away from the mirror and back to Puck. She turned so that they faced each other. God, this bathroom was small. They were almost touching. Rachel moved away and Puck looked over her head at the clock in the hallway.
"It's almost five o'clock. Don't you work or something?" Puck asked.
"Not anymore." Rachel stepped away again and walked back down the hallway to the living room. Puck joined her beside the couch. "Finn says I should get used to being home more."
"Finn?" Puck asked.
"My fiancé." Rachel nodded. She had always hated that word.
"Oh. I didn't realize… you're not wearing a ring."
Rachel reached down to her empty finger. "I uh… don't like wearing it. I'm afraid I'll lose it."
"You should wear it. You'll give guys the wrong idea."
"Like what?"
"That you're single."
Rachel snorted. "I never leave the house anymore. Finn says there is no need to go out when he can get whatever I need for me." She shrugged.
"So you're marrying a guy that would rather stuff you away in a house alone than show you off?"
"Finn's just old fashioned. He says I need to get used to staying home for when we have kids."
"Right." Puck grinned. "You know… it's a little wacky, but women can have jobs and families now." He teased.
"I know. Maybe I'll go back to work after the wedding." Rachel told him. "Come on. I want to show you something." Rachel grabbed Puck's hand and led him upstairs. She opened Blaine's old bedroom door and they walked inside.
"Wow." Puck laughed. "It's exactly the same."
"Yea." Rachel smiled. "Momma didn't want to change anything after we all moved out. Everyone's room is exactly like we left it."
Puck grinned. "Even yours?"
Rachel shrugged. "I guess so." Puck walked past her before she could understand what he was doing. "Wait." She followed him.
Puck opened the bedroom across the hall and walked in. It looked the same. The bed in the middle of the room and the vanity across from it. All of her old high school photos still plastered the mirror and posters of Ryan Reynolds and Johnny Depp covered most of her walls.
"I haven't been in here in months." Rachel looked around and sat on her bed. It was still covered in her old bed set. "I can't believe Mom never boxed all this stuff up."
"Aww." Puck spread out on the bed beside Rachel. She looked down at him. He was staring up at the ceiling. "I remember the last time we were in her together… alone."
"Me too." Rachel said still looking at him.
Puck smiled. "Your dad almost killed me."
"I think he got so mad because you were older… and it was my first kiss."
"What?" Puck sat up quickly. "It was not."
"…Yes it was." Rachel nodded.
"I feel like I took your innocence or something now." Puck smirked.
"It was only a kiss." Rachel said and thought about how he had come to her room one night and asked to borrow some paper. He had basically groped her on her bed before her dad caught them. "It's not like we had sex."
"Right." Puck agreed. "You saved that for Kevin Nichols."
"What?" Rachel furrowed her brow. "I never slept with Kevin."
"Are you sure?" Puck asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. I think I would remember if I fucked Kevin Nichols." Rachel was defensive. She had gone out with Kevin her sophomore and junior year of high school. It didn't end well.
"Not according to him. He went around saying you two went up to the pier right before you broke up."
"Are you serious?" Rachel asked but couldn't help but laugh. "Wait? Is that why you stopped talking to me?"
Puck looked down and shrugged. "I don't know."
"You stopped talking to me because you thought I had sex with Kevin." Rachel laughed again. "I didn't have sex until I was in college."
"Wow." Puck smiled too. "Blaine always told me you were a prude."
"I am not." Rachel's eyes got big. "I've been with plenty of guys."
"Yea?" Puck teased. "Let me guess… two, maybe three."
"Three." Rachel smiled.
"Slut." Puck laughed.
"It's getting late." Rachel noted looking outside to see it was almost dark. The clock read 6:47 and Rachel sighed.
"What's wrong?" Puck asked.
"He said he would be home early." Rachel was getting upset.
"Finn?" Puck asked. "He'll be here. I don't know any guy that would make you wait."
"You obviously don't know Finn."
"No, but I know you." Puck replied.
"No you don't." Rachel shook her head.
"Yea I do. You're very predictable. I was over here almost every day for six years I probably know more about you than Finn does."
"Whatever." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Is that a challenge?" Puck straightened up. "Your favorite food is cheese pizza, the vegan kind; you didn't know how to tie your shoes until you were nine; and you stuffed your bra in junior high."
Rachel laughed. "I did not."
"Yes you did." Puck laughed too.
"And besides… that doesn't mean you know me."
Puck raised his eyebrows. "Your favorite color is green; you're a clean freak; and you kept a diary until you were a freshman in college."
"Those are all things Finn knows."
"I bet Finn doesn't know that it's Friday and every Friday you wear a blue silk bra; I bet he doesn't know that you made out with your college roommate twice; and I know he doesn't know about our night in your room."
"Okay… well maybe Finn doesn't know everything about me but he knows the important stuff."
"No. I know the important stuff. He only knows what you tell him." Puck retorted and it shut Rachel up. She didn't have time to say anything else before Finn walked through the front door.
"I'm home." Finn called and found Rachel in the living room. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Noah." Rachel introduced them. "Noah, Finn."
"Hi." Puck held out his hand.
"Hello." Finn said but didn't shake Puck's hand. He sat his briefcase on the couch and loosened his tie.
"Noah is one of Blaine's friends from high school. He came by and I guess we got caught up talking."
"Apparently." Finn didn't look happy walking into the kitchen.
"Excuse us." Rachel followed Finn into the kitchen leaving Puck in the living room. "What's wrong?"
"I don't like coming home to find strange men alone with my wife in my house."
"Your house? It's my parents' house."
"I thought it was our house."
"How Finn? You only come home to sleep and half the time you sleep at the office!" Rachel was starting to get loud.
"That's not fair." Finn yelled back. "I work hard to support us."
"What us? It's all about you! You work! You do everything! I have to stay home all day cleaning up the house, cooking supper, whatever YOU want!"
"Don't yell at me!" Finn retorted.
"Fine. I won't yell. I'll throw." Rachel reached over and picked up the closet dish to her and chucked it at Finn. She kept throwing and the dishes kept breaking.
"I can't be around you when you act like this!" Finn yelled and another dish whirled past him shattering against the wall. "I'm leaving!" Another broken dish. "Maybe you should sleep alone tonight!" Another dish flew past his head as he stormed out of the kitchen.
"Maybe I will!" Rachel screamed and reached for something else to throw but she was out of dishes.
Puck walked into the kitchen to see Rachel slumped against the counter. She was flushed red from anger and her hair was wild. He stepped over the broken dishes that blanketed the floor to get to Rachel. He pulled her against him and she sunk into him. She didn't know how much longer her legs would hold her. She buried her face in his shirt. It was soft cotton and his chest was solid. He smelled good. Like the rain and a soft scent of sweat but it was sweet. It smelled like Puck.
"I'm going to ruin your shirt." Rachel said when she started to cry.
"I'll get another one." Puck replied and her curls tickled his chin as her face nuzzled closer to him; wanting to soak all of him in.
Rachel finally pulled away when the tears stopped. "It's late."
"Yea." Puck said wanting to pull Rachel back to him.
"I should get some sleep. I've got a long day tomorrow."
"Yea." Puck said again and stepped back crunching glass as he went.
"Thanks for coming by." Rachel told him when they got to the side door. "I really needed the company."
"You're welcome." Puck nodded. "I'll see you around."
Rachel leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. "Would you mind not telling anybody about this? I really don't need all the gossip." Puck knew she was talking about the fight between her and Finn.
"Of course." He kissed her cheek as well before stepping outside. Rachel locked the door behind him and grabbed the broom from the closet to clean up the mess she had made with the plates. If only the mess with Finn could be cleaned up that easily.
A/N: Next part should be up next weekend, hopefully. Review and let me know what you think.