Disclaimer: Ownership is neither claimed nor implied.
A/N: A YouTube message across the miles...
"Hey," Puck mumbled quietly, he didn't want to scare her and as he'd walked up the drive, he could see that she was totally engrossed in what she was doing.
Quinn jumped and put her hand to her chest. "Jesus, Puck, you scared the crap out of me," she grumbled. "What do you want?" she asked and went back to cleaning out her car. Quinn was conscious of the time, she was due at Bert's in an hour for him to give her car the once over, she had a long drive ahead of her tomorrow, back to New Haven.
"I just came to say thank you," Puck said with a frown, he was looking down at his feet with his hands in his pockets, he couldn't make himself give her any eye contact. Puck knew that if he looked into those huge emerald green eyes, he would be lost. Again.
"Thank you for what?" Quinn asked breathlessly as she continued finding crap in the back of her car. When had she become such a slob?
"For coming to the anniversary memorial," Puck replied. "I know you didn't make it last year or the year before that, I know that school has been kind of intense for you, the military has for me too," he added, giving a careless shrug. "I wish Rachel had come though, and Mercedes, it's like people are forgetting him and that's just not right," he stopped talking abruptly, realising that he sounded accusing. He didn't mean to, he was just worried that everyone would forget Finn and if they could forget him then maybe they could forget anything and what would his life have been for if everyone forgot?
"Puck, I know he was your friend," Quinn started quietly, Puck cut her off.
"Best friend," Puck corrected.
"He was your best friend," Quinn agreed, "and for a lot of years he was important to me too, but we all have to move on, you know?" she added gently and allowed her hand to rest on Puck's chest.
Puck glared at Quinn. She didn't get it, she just didn't understand. Why the hell did he ever think she would get it? He spun on his heel and walked away. Halfway down the drive he stopped and spun back to see her still watching him. "I get deployed next week, I'm going to the Middle East for a year as part of a peace keeping exercise. If anything happens, will you forget me as quick?" he asked then spun away again and marched to his truck.
"I could never forget you," Quinn whispered to herself as the tears began to roll down her face. "Though God knows I've tried," she added a little louder as he started the engine. Quinn couldn't move, she was pinned to the spot as she watched him drive away, drive out of her life, maybe for good this time.
Ten Months Later
"Hi," Quinn sighed as she settled on her squishy sofa with her laptop propped on her crossed legs. "Did you get the part?" she asked Rachel.
"Nope," Rachel answered, she sounded like a trucculent fourteen year old. "They gave it to some stupid, skinny, blonde bitch," she griped.
"Oh well," Quinn shrugged, unsure of what to say, she never knew how to make Rachel feel better when she lost out at an audition.
"Did you hear the news?" Rachel suddenly demanded, still pouting.
"No, what?" Quinn asked, checking out her manicure. That new girl at the nail salon still needed to work on her presentation, Quinn wasn't quite sure about this new look. "Sorry, did I hear what?" she asked, focusing on Rachel once again.
"Puck got himself in trouble. Again," Rachel announced and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide the indulgent smile. "It was on WOLIMA-News," she added, "I thought you still watched that online to keep in touch?" she asked.
"I do, I didn't see Puck on it yet. What did he do this time?" Quinn asked, totally exasperated. She remembered the time when Puck had said he'd probably be dead or in jail by the time he was thirty. If he wasn't careful, his prediction would damn well come true, he'd been arrested by the MPs countless times, always for stupid stunts, nothiing serious. Luckily he hadn't ever been charged with anything, though he'd been warned, that could always change. Stupid, stupid man.
"He rocked out an amazing song during the Sunday service using the tannoy system," Rachel told Quinn, giggling. "Said he shouldn't have to take part in their services because he's Jewish and then belted out a really great number," she explained, laughing even harder. "Kara sent me a link to it, it's even on YouTube," Rachel added, wiping her eyes and getting herself under control. "You should take a listen. He still looks good too," she whispered. "Bye, talk to you next week," she said then cut the link between the two of them.
"Well, shit. Hi there, bye there," Quinn muttered to herself. "Wonder why Kara never, oh," she mumbled. "Ooops," she sighed. "I'll email her now."
"Hi Kara, just a little email from your favourite 'almost' sister," Quinn wrote. "This is my new email address, sorry I didn't send it to you before, how's life treating you? I'll be in Lima in six weeks, maybe we can meet up for coffee or at the mall or something? Byeeee," she ended the email and sent it before she could change her mind.
Puck's little sister, Kara, must have been sat at her computer, she replied to Quinn's email in minutes.
"Hi Quinn, I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth, lol," Kara replied. "Life's good, my mom is good, I have a boyfriend that my brother hasn't met yet - he doesn't actually know about him yet," she admitted. "Please don't tell him if you talk to him. Or email him. Do you speak to him at all? He talks about you all the time, the things you're doing at Yale, how proud of you he is," she wrote. "I know my brother still loves you, you and Beth, I don't think that'll ever change. Even though he's an idiot. Check out this link, see what the fool did this time :p
And yes, I'd love to meet up when you get to Lima. Love you, Kara xx"
Quinn copied and pasted the link into her search engine. YouTube popped open on her laptop. Quinn turned the sound on and pressed play on the video. "How the hell can he tell Kara anything about me, we haven't even spoken in nearly a year," she muttered to herself then settled back to watch and listen.
"This is what happens when you try to make a good Jewish boy go to Sunday Service," Puck complained into the camera, a twinkle of laughter in his eyes. He sighed and turned more serious. "Another letter came back today, you'd think I'd get the message, right?" he said as he strummed his guitar. The camera panned out to show Puck stood with his guitar, dressed in his desert fatigues, in the back of a huge helicopter that was on the ground. "You'd think, that after all these years, I'd have learned my lesson. Maybe I think you're worth that one last try. Quinn, I wish you'd listen to this, maybe even reply, but I know that's too much to hope for. Maybe after this I'll move on, maybe close the book, I dont know, but I think this time, if I don't hear anything, I think maybe this time, I'm done," he added, then the music began, obviously he had friends with him.
"Tonight the sunset means so much
The one thing that you know you'll never touch
Like the feeling, the real thing
I reach out for that sweet dream
But somehow the darkness wakes me up
I've felt this emptiness before
But all the times that I've been broken
I still run right back for more
You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now
You'd think that I'd somehow figure out
That if you strike the match
You're bound to feel the flame
You think that I'd learn the cost of love
Paid that price long enough
But still I drive myself right through the pain
Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learned a thing
Sometimes I think I'm better off
To turn out the lights and close up shop
And give up the longing, believing in belonging
Just hold down my head and take the loss
You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now
You'd think that I'd somehow figure out
That if you strike the match
You're bound to feel the flame
You'd think that I'd learn the cost of love
Paid that price long enough
But still I drive myself right through the pain
Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learned a thing
You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now
You'd think that I'd somehow figure out
That if you strike that match
You're bound to feel the flame
You'd think that I'd learn the cost of love
Paid that price long enough
But still I drive myself right through the pain
Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learned a thing
I haven't learned a thing
I haven't learned
I haven't learned
I haven't learned a thing"
Quinn checked the bottom of the page as soon as she could see, once she'd stopped crying. One point five million hits. She checked out some of the comments. How dare these people call her a bitch? They didn't know her, didn't know the circumstances. Fuck them. Quinn snapped her laptop shut.
Seven Weeks Later
"Hi Kara," Quinn called and hugged the sixteen year old as they met at the designated place in the mall. "How are you?" she asked.
"I'm good, thanks Quinn," Kara replied and hugged Quinn again. "There's something I have to tell you," she muttered very close to Quinn's ear.
Quinn pulled back slightly to look into Kara's toubled eyes. At that very second, Quinn heard a familiar tune, one she'd listened to endlessly over the last few weeks. "Oh," she gasped, staring open-mouthed at Kara. "He's here?" she asked. Kara nodded. Quinn looked over the balcony into the open area at the bottom of the escalators, the place where they'd given so many impromptu flash mob style performances in their New Directions days.
Puck looked up to the upper level, exactly where his sister had said she'd be. He saw Quinn's shocked face peer over the barrier. He grinned and began singing, the same song that had been on You Tube, the one he'd lost his stripes for. His mom had shouted at him for being busted from Senior Airman down to Airman First Class. Fuck, it had been so worth it.
As Puck sang, Kara and Quinn travelled down to the lower level on the escalator. Puck's eyes stayed on her the whole way, he walked towards them, still playing his guitar, still singing.
"...You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now
You'd think that I'd somehow figure out
That if you strike that match
You're bound to feel the flame
You'd think that I'd learn the cost of love
Paid that price long enough
But still I drive myself right through the pain
Yeah, well it turns out, I haven't learned a thing
I haven't learned a thing
I haven't learned
I haven't learned
I haven't learned a thing"
Puck's hand stilled on the strings as he came to the end of the song, directly in front of Quinn. Neither of them noticed the huge crowd that had appeared nor heard the applause.
"You're home," Quinn whispered after endless silent minutes.
"Yep," Puck replied, "no fooling you, right?" he teased.
Quinn swallowed as she continued to stare at Puck. Slowly she became aware of the crowd's rhythmic chant. "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her..." they called over and over again.
"I guess it'd be kind of rude..." Puck murmured with a slightly embarrassed shrug.
"Definitely," Quinn agreed as the distance between them closed. Suddenly Quinn felt his hands in her hair, the heat and tension exploded between them the instant their lips touched. "Oh God, it's still the same," she wailed silently to herself. "I've spent the last four years trying to forget this, forget how he makes me feel."
"Oh God, she tastes exactly the same," Puck realised as their tongues stroked each others, their lips mashed, parted, mashed. "I missed you," he whispered as he raised his head just a touch.
"I missed you too, life has never been the same without you in it," Quinn admitted. They both gave an embarrassed sort of laugh, still wrapped up in each others arms, Puck's guitar still slung over his shoulder.
"Why didn't you ever answer my letters?" Puck asked, he had to know, surely this thing between them went deeper than just a few kisses every time they met up.
"I never got them," Quinn replied, puzzled. "I know on your YouTube video you said something about another one sent back, but I never recieved them, trust me, I would not have sent them back to you, I would have written to you," she promised and she meant it, totally and completely.
Puck searched her eyes, saw that she was telling the truth. "So how did they all come back, I sent them to the right address," he grumbled.
"Wait a minute," Quinn sighed, her hands flying to her forehead, realisation dawning on her. "Did you send them to the address I gave out when I very, very first got accepted?" she asked.
"Of course, it's the only address I had," Puck nodded.
"But I never lived there," Quinn sighed. "Remember when I first got accepted and I was going to do the performing arts program?" she asked, Puck nodded. "Well, if I'd gone ahead with that I would have been at that address but I changed direction after my accident, I went into psycology, counselling," she explained, Puck still looked blank. "It's based at a different college, a different residence, it's all still part of Yale, but it's a different address, they wouldn't have ever heard of me there at the original address. I am so sorry," she cried.
"So you really didn't ignore my letters?" Puck asked, just to make sure, a little smile beginning to emerge on his lips.
"I really didn't," Quinn agreed and reached to kiss him again. "And I think we both learned our lesson," she said with a smile. "We can try to walk away from this, from each other, we can spend a year in different countries, on different continents but it's never going to end what we have between us," she sighed. Puck didn't say anything, he couldn't speak, he didn't want to admit that he had a lump in his throat as big as some of the rocks in the barren, inhospitable desert he'd just spent a year in. As their lips joined once more the crowd slowly dispersed, encouraged by the security officers on duty in the mall, at the request of Puck's air force buddies.
Six Years Later
"So we thought we'd post this on YouTube too," Puck smiled into the camera. "Well, you saw the first song and the reunion at the mall, we posted our engagement and our wedding videos, thanks by the way you guys, for all the messages," he added, adjusting the camera a little, altering the focus just a smidge. "We posted videos of the dog and how he's been getting along so we thought you might be interested in this," he said with a grin and looked up as Quinn joined him on the sofa. "Hey little guy," Puck said softly, taking the baby in his arms. Carefully, Puck peeled back the blankets surrounding the baby. "Hi everybody, this is the newest member of our family," he said with a huge grin. "Please allow me to introduce Alexander Finlay Puckerman," he announced. "I just call him Xander," Puck whispered, as though passing on a secret.
"But not when I'm around," Quinn stated, giving Puck her patented 'do not even think of disagreeing with me' stare that Puck had come to love while she was pregnant.
"Or when I'm around," another voice added, over the back of the sofa.
"Ah yes, the final introduction," Puck said with a smile. "Please welcome to the couch, Miss Beth Corcoran, rah," he cheered quietly, smiling at his son as Beth sat between him and Quinn. "Now, you might think that Young Miss Corcoran here favours both myself and my beautiful wife," he said, giving Beth a wink as his arm went around her shoulder. "And you would be right," he admitted. "You see, thirteen years ago we brought another amazing little person into the world," he said and pressed a kiss to Beth's head, "and for the first twelve of those years, we didn't get to see her, but, thanks to YouTube and one child's insane curiosity," he grinned as Beth protested that sentence, "we are now getting to know Beth and her adoptive mom," he said, giving Quinn a tight smile that showed her just how emotional he felt right at this moment. "So this is us, it's been a pleasure sharing some of the intimate moments of our lives with you, and who knows, maybe we'll post a video when Xander starts to crawl, starts to talk, maybe when he has a baby sister or brother," Puck added then glanced at Quinn. "Although he is only three days old, it's maybe a little too soon to even think about that," he said with a decisive nod.
"Ya think?" Quinn muttered, Beth giggled.
"So it leaves me nothing else to say but Chag Urim Sameach, or, if you prefer, Happy Hanukkah, or Merry Christmas if that's your deal. Also we would like to wish you all the very, very best for 2024, may every day be exactly what you wish for and may every lesson be one well learned," Puck said then glanced at his family with a smile. Two seconds later he turned off the camera.
Quinn checked online an hour after Puck posted the latest video. Seven million hits. She couldn't believe it. Seven million. Then again, it perhaps wasn't all that unbelievable, not when she thought about the size of Puck's fan club, there were over five million members world wide. Ever since he'd signed with that record label after he'd served his time in the air force, he'd been a household name and every interview started with the Learn My Lesson videos, the one in the Middle East and then the one in the mall. The older interviewers tended to let the second video run to the end, they always commented on the romantic kiss at the bottom of the escalator, the younger ones, especially the women tended to ignore that part and flirt outrageously with him. Puck took it all in his stride, he didn't need to look elsewhere for any sort of love or affection, he had it all right here at home, with the first girl he had ever loved and now, thanks to the power of the internet, he also had the second girl he'd ever loved right by his side too. Noah Puckerman, ex delinquent, ex airman, loving husband and daddy of two. What a life it had been. So far...