A/N I know I shouldn't be writing anything new but this popped into my head! I guess it will be at least one more chapter just to resolve the last issue at the end but I hope you enjoy! I'm sorry if Rachel and Puck seem a little OCC as well!
The lovely PrincessOnyx has beta'd this for me hence the reposting! :D thank you!
Disclaimed!
Rachel knew the minute the door burst open and an elderly woman with a small three year old in her arms practically ran into the room that her life and reputation at McKinley was over.
"Rachel, darling, I'm so sorry!" The women babbled, "My daughter has been rushed to the hospital, and I need to leave for Cleveland right now. I tried to contact your fathers, but neither of them would pick up the phone and, um, Hannah is it? I couldn't get hold of her either."
A clinical part of Rachel's mind noted the time as twenty past three as she replied calmly to the woman, "That's perfectly fine, Donna. I hope your daughter is okay," she moved to take the little boy who only just noticed her as he turned towards her voice.
"Mommy!" he screamed happily and launched himself into Rachel's waiting arms.
"Mommy?" echoed the glee club as one in shock.
Closing her eyes in defeat momentarily, Rachel held her son close to her, "Thank you, Donna. I'll see you next week," she said in farewell, opening her eyes to see the woman's apologetic face.
Turning back to the club, she shifted her son onto her hip with one hand as she grabbed for her bag awkwardly, "This is my son, Aaron," Rachel said as Mike took pity on her and handed it to her, smiling at the beautiful three year old who giggled happily at him as he waved hello.
"Rach, he's gorgeous." Mike said "May I?" he asked, motioning to him.
"Please," Rachel said, smiling at Mike's easy acceptance. "Give my arms a break," she added with a laugh, "I always forget how heavy he is getting!"
Mike took the smiling boy in his arms with Matt coming to join him as Aaron grabbed the tie he was wearing and tugged on it. Matt laughed and slipped his own tie off to let the boy play with it and not choke Mike.
"You have a son?" asked Mercedes in shock, sitting down.
"Yeah, you have a child? Who would have ever slept with you?" smirked Santana, "I thought Jesse popped your cherry last year - that kid is at least two."
"He's three," Rachel said.
"You got pregnant at fourteen? God, you are a slut," sneered Quinn "That poor boy stuck with you as a mother… then again, he's your son so he's probably already a freak," she added with an evil laugh.
"Mike, turn his face away," Rachel ordered, moving over to Quinn and slapping her across the face to everyone's shock, "You can insult me, my fathers, my dress sense, hell, my singing! But if you ever, EVER insult my son again, I will hurt you," she growled. "And to answer your question, Santana, I was raped but trust me if I ever find out who did it, I'll make sure to find out why he did it," she said in a strangled tone, moving over to Mike and Matt and taking her son into her arms. She hugged him tightly to her body, her frame shaking a little while Puck moved over to rest his hand on her shoulder in silent comfort.
Quinn held her hand to the cheek that Rachel had slapped in shock; it was red with a perfect hand print. She was surprised that no one had jumped to her defense as Rachel had slapped her, as well as the brunette's statement that she had been raped.
"B, you okay?" asked Puck quietly as the club (including Mr. Schuester) stood around in shock, not knowing how to react.
"Of Course, Noah," Rachel said brightly, her usual demeanor back in place like a protective mantle, "I just need to go catch the bus - it will be time for Aaron's dinner soon." Turning to the silenced glee club one more time, "I understand that this is an extremely juicy piece of gossip and, as such, will more than likely be all over the school by tomorrow - all I ask for is that you refrain from telling Jacob and having it plastered over the internet. My son will be grown up one day and he doesn't deserve to have his name dragged through the mud."
Slightly shamed that they had all been thinking of gossiping as soon as she left (minus Puck, Mike, and Matt), they all shifted guiltily.
"I can drive you home," Puck offered quietly. "Give Aaron to me," he ordered, taking the little boy who had lost his smile a little at the obvious tension in the room. He smiled gently at the little boy who clung to his mother a little, grinning as the little boy tugged on the tie that he was wearing as well.
Pulling her bag onto her shoulder, she grabbed Puck's as well as they moved to leave the room.
"Wait up!" Matt said, glancing at Quinn, who he had been dating, with disgust, "I'll come with you. My car is parked right next yours, Puck. Coming, Mike?" he asked the other football player, who nodded and grabbed his bag off the floor, taking Puck's from Rachel.
"Matt!" protested Quinn, "I was just saying what everyone else was thinking."
"Actually, I was thinking that Rachel is really brave," interrupted Brittany, "Cos you were pregnant last year and you gave her up, but Rachel has had her boy for three years."
"It's different though, Brittany," Rachel said in fairness, "Giving up her baby girl was right for Quinn," she defended, "I couldn't do it for other reasons."
"It doesn't matter, Quinn," Matt said quietly, "I knew you could be a bitch and I knew that even though I liked Rachel, you didn't, but you just called a three year old a freak because of his mother who is actually a lovely person. Not to mention when you got pregnant at sixteen, we didn't judge you, but when Rachel gets pregnant, she's a slut? That's called a double standard - one I won't put up with. Anyway we were only dating, it's not liked you actually wanted me; I'm just a stop gap until you get Finn back, remember?" he said bitterly, walking out of the room.
Feeling slightly awkward that she had just managed to break up two people, Rachel hurried after him, leaving Puck and Mike to follow with her son.
"Matt!" she cried as he marched down the corridor, "I'm so sorry," she apologized as she caught up with him, "I never wanted this, I promise!"
"Rach, you didn't even want us to know about your son - you are in no way responsible for what just happened," he promised as Puck and Mike came up beside them. "Now what about getting this gorgeous boy some food," he smiled, waving at Aaron who waved back wildly before sucking his thumb as his other hand clung to Puck's shirt, the Mohawked Wonder carrying him gently, a smile fixed on his face as he gazed down at the little boy.
"Yeah, we should feed you shouldn't we, buddy?" Puck said down to him, smiling more as the toddler nodded sleepily and snuggled into him a little. "Well, Mom, can we have some food?" he asked with a grin aimed at Rachel whose heart melted a little at the picture of her son in Puck's arms.
"Of course the reason Donna couldn't get hold of anyone is because they're all away on business trips, so please, come over and have dinner with me and Aaron - all of you," Rachel invited. "In fact, I should probably get the story out of the way, so maybe I should invite everyone else in glee," she mused.
"Well, I'll come," said Puck.
"Me too," Mike piped up, "I'll go invite the club for you if you want to tell them to come to your house later, say seven-ish?"
"Thank you, Mike. That would be helpful. Now I really must get home, Aaron needs food and bed, don't you, gorgeous?" she asked fondly, smoothing back his unruly dark blonde curls as he nodded.
"Well, we will meet you there then," said Matt. "Me and Mike will come help you cook though, so see you in about an hour," he said, smiling as he watched Puck and Rachel walk out of the school looking like the perfect family.
Puck and Quinn had not lasted long after putting Beth up for adoption almost eight months ago, neither had Finn and Rachel once she had found that he now stared at Quinn. Typical Finn, always wanting what he couldn't have. Unlike Quinn though, Rachel didn't stand for it and chucked him in spectacular fashion in front of the entire cafeteria only three months after Regionals and at the start of the new school year.
Puck and Rachel had continued their dance of "will they, won't they" for the last five months, Puck being particularly protective of her and making sure that she always had a friend to talk to and sit next to in glee and showing his feelings for her as clearly as he could. Now watching them, Matt knew that Puck hadn't known about Aaron but it didn't matter, one smile of that little boy hadn't changed his feelings for the petite brunette one iota. In fact, it probably increased them.
Settling Aaron in the centre seat of his truck, Puck smiled and made funny faces as he belted him in, making the little boy's laughter roll out. Grinning one more time, he looked up to see Rachel having difficulty trying to hike herself in. He rolled his eyes at her son as he jumped out to help her into the cab, wrapping his hands around her narrow waist with pleasure, picking her up, and placing her into the cab.
"Silly Mommy, huh?" he asked Aaron who laughed and nodded.
The drive to Rachel's house was too short for Puck's liking as Rachel sung softly to the radio and Aaron clapped and laughed as she made funny faces and acted over the top. Pulling into her empty driveway, he turned off the engine but kept the radio on as she finished the last song with a flourish, both males clapping before going inside.
"Bath time, Mister," Rachel said as they entered.
"Aaron," she said warningly as the little boy's face dropped sullenly, "you are a smelly mister, and you need a bath, but," she smiled as the boy looked up hopefully, "you get to choose what you want for dinner."
"Picky plate," Aaron said adorably, smiling again and hugging his mom's legs, "with eggs and solders."
"Okay then," she agreed, "go and get your bath things. But remember, only one toy!" she reminded him as he clambered up the stairs, Rachel not moving until he was right at the top.
"Picky plate?" asked Puck curiously as he followed her into the kitchen, "solders?"
"Lots of different things on one plate: a little carrot, some broccoli, potatoes - he gets a well rounded diet this way, and solders are soldiers. He can't say it right yet," she explained, smiling.
"You're a good mom," Puck moved up to lean against the counter next to her. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, "And I don't mean anyone else - I don't care about that - I mean me. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked intently.
"Well, we only really became friends in the last few months, and you had just given up Beth. I didn't want to, in some way, make you feel bad for giving up your daughter when I kept my son. And you are so protective of me, which I love," she hurried to qualify, "but hearing that I got raped, well… you tell me, how did that make you feel?"
"I wanted to kill the guy who did it, I want to rip him limb from limb, burn him. I want to decimate, pulverize, destroy, slaughter, devastate, and demolish him until he was a wreck of man," Puck answered honestly but furiously. He moved over to Rachel and took her into his arms, "I wanted to maim and destroy him because people aren't allowed to hurt you, not you," he repeated, stroking her cheek and gazing down into her eyes intently.
"Why not me?" asked Rachel quietly but with purpose.
"Because," he whispered, his eyes flickering to those pouting lips and back to her eyes before starting to lean down.
"Mommy, I'm ready," came a voice from upstairs. Sighing in resignation but smiling, Puck pressed a kiss to her forehead instead of her lips.
"I'll finish his dinner, but hold that thought. Don't go and over-think what almost just happened." He made her promise before she moved away, her hair scrapped back into a ponytail and clearly wet when she came back twenty minutes later, "I thought he was getting the bath," Puck smiled.
"I always end up getting soaked as well," Rachel said happily. "A boisterous three year old in water, I'm sure you can imagine the state of the bathroom afterwards," she laughed as said three year old came downstairs in football pajamas.
"Cool pajamas, Sport," said Puck, putting the plate on the table. "You like football?" he asked, surprised.
"Yep, granddaddy lets me watch I like the Pat…Patwiots," Aaron said, grabbing a carrot slice.
"Patriots," Rachel corrected gently, getting his sippy cup for him.
"Yeah them!" he agreed, taking a drink. "What's your name?" he asked suddenly, pointing at Puck.
"Oh I'm sorry, baby," Rachel apologized, "This is-"
"Noah." Puck interrupted, "I'm Noah. Do you want me to crack your egg open for you, Aaron?"
His mouth full, Aaron nodded, not noticing his mothers shock at Puck's introduction. After refilling his plate only once, he squirmed in his seat, struggling not to yawn while he chattered with Noah. Later after dragging him away to play with his toys as Rachel tidied up and started prep for her own dinner with the glee club, he answered the door to Matt and Mike at nearly five o'clock.
Aaron of course had to know who was at the door and laughed when he saw the Asian again running to give him a hug even though he didn't know his name. Mike swung him up and solemnly introduced himself and Matt before the two boys let themselves be dragged into playing cars.
"They are coming, by the way - even Quinn and Santana," added Mike with a sneer as he paused in making car noises.
"Of course they are, they want the gossip," Rachel said. "You okay with him? I just need to start dinner."
"Course," said Matt, looking up, "It's got to be tough looking after him and yourself."
"Sometimes," Rachel agreed, walking back into the kitchen with Puck who grabbed her hips and eased her into the corner of the room away from everyone's sight.
"You didn't go away and over-think did you?" he asked desperately. "You want this, don't you," he stated, motioning to the two of them.
"Yes," Rachel said. "I want this, but I come with a package. The reason none of my boyfriends have known about Aaron is because I can't have people coming in and out of his life; it would confuse him."
"I can't promise forever," Puck said honestly, "but I can tell you that I want it. All it took was him tugging on my tie, and I fell in love with him. Honestly I couldn't believe it myself," he laughed, "but then again I fell in love with his mom pretty quickly," he said slyly as Rachel's head shot up.
"You love me?" she asked incredulously, "You don't fall in love."
"I did with you."
"Noah, you are seventeen, you don't really want a family right now," Rachel said sadly, "even though I love you too, I need to do right by my son."
"I was prepared to have a family a year ago," Puck argued. "I want this!" he promised. "I want you, and I want this - including Aaron. Only time will convince you that I mean it. You just have to give me that time; give me that time, Rach," he begged, gripping her hips a little harder.
Rachel nodded, her voice too tight with emotion at his heartfelt declaration to speak. Sighing in victory, Noah finally pressed his lips to Rachel's for the first time in over a year, practically moaning in pleasure as her own unique taste of vanilla and cinnamon invaded his senses.
Pulling back breathlessly, Rachel bit her lip and moaned.
"I love you," she said breathlessly.
"You just stole my line," Puck laughed. "I love you too," he kissed her one more time before letting go of her as she moved to start cooking, "I still want to hear that story though, so don't even think about sending me off to put Aaron to bed when the time comes to tell it."
Rachel blushed as he smirked at her knowingly, nodding her defeat as she started to dice the onions, "Well then, you should start him on relaxing now, otherwise he will take ages to calm down and go to sleep."
Kissing her on the head, he went to do that as he left her to cook, Matt coming to help her as Puck told Aaron a story with Mike helping with some of the voices making the little boy laugh. Spotting the time, Rachel wiped her hands and clapped Matt on the shoulder in thanks before moving into the living room.
"What time is it then, Aaron?" she asked.
"Song time! Can I say good night first?"
"Course, baby," Rachel said, watching as her son hugged Mike, Matt, and Puck before coming back to her and holding up his arms mutely. Smiling, Rachel picked him up and settled him on her hip again. "What song tonight then?" she asked as she went to go upstairs.
"Sweet Caro…Caro-" the little boy answered quickly, struggling on the long word.
"Caroline," Puck said for him, his heart swelling that Rachel would sing that song to her son, "Do you like that song, Aaron?"
"Love it!" he answered cheekily. "Mommy says it her favorite as well," he stated, making Rachel blush.
"Okay, song time now," said Rachel, hurriedly going upstairs.
Puck grinned at his embarrassed girlfriend as he turned back to the boys whose eyebrows were raised, identical smirks on their faces. "Tell me you have finally told her!" Mike said with a grin.
"Yeah, I told her; we're together now," Puck said, smiling happily and laughing as the boys thumped him on the back and gave him the equivalent of a man hug. "Come on, we should set the table for Rachel," he said, motioning to the large dining room table.
"Oh, look he's being all responsible already," Matt said teasingly, ducking the pillow thrown at his head.
Coming down half an hour later, Rachel found a perfectly laid table but one random pillow in the middle of the living room floor. Staring at it quizzically, Rachel picked it up and tossed it on the couch as her doorbell rang.
Opening the door, she had less than a second to react before Brittany and Mercedes jumped on her, hugging her tightly and crushing her to them.
"Um, I do require oxygen," she croaked as they strangled her.
"Whoops, sorry," Mercedes said, letting go. "Where is that gorgeous son of yours then?" she gushed.
"Yeah, I want to meet him!" Brit said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Oh I'm sorry, but he's gone to bed," Rachel said, ushering everyone in (including Mr. Schuester). "I thought you would just want to hear the story and then depart. You can meet him tomorrow if you really want to though, Mercedes, Brittany," she offered, leading them into the dining room where they could all sit down comfortably.
"We all want to meet him," Quinn snapped.
"Want all you want, it's not happening," Rachel snapped back. "Why would I want you to be around my son? Your opinion of him has already been clearly shown, and you said it in front of him - which I cannot believe or condone. You go nowhere near my son," Rachel stated, taking a seat next to Puck who took her hand reassuringly.
"I can't believe you just said that!" Quinn sneered.
"Unless you want to be slapped again, I would shut up and sit down," ordered the quiet Tina to everyone's surprise. "Even you, Mr. Schuester, cannot accept what Quinn said," she continued, turning on the usually indecisive teacher.
"Or is this another instance of Quinn is right, Rachel is wrong?" asked Puck with a sneer, "Cos every time you do that, it makes me want to punch you a little more than I already do."
"What Quinn said was wrong," Will said, awkwardly sitting down and clearly not knowing how to respond to being attacked by Puck let alone the quiet Tina.
"Please, let's just eat," Rachel said as Mike and Matt brought in the large dish of spaghetti Bolognese she had made, everyone helping themselves.
When everyone had a plate in front of them, Rachel took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"I was fifteen, not fourteen," she started, every eye turning to hers, "I was walking home from dance class when I was grabbed from behind… I was raped," she stated simply. "I was found by a stranger who called 911, and I was rushed to the hospital. I was unconscious, and they took a rape kit before rushing me to surgery to stop internal bleeding. Because of complications with the surgery and a reaction to the drugs, the pregnancy wasn't caught in the first week. By the time I was conscious and able to walk, I was already at a month," Rachel explained, eating a bit of her food.
"You said you didn't know who raped you," said Finn who had been unnaturally quiet.
"That is correct. While there is obviously DNA, he is not in the 'system' as it were; therefore the odds of the person being caught are incredibly slim."
"Why did you keep the baby? I don't think anyone would have blamed you for giving it up," said Kurt, another person who had been unnaturally quiet, "especially as it was conceived in such a manner."
"There were complications," Rachel said, taking another deep breath. "I can't have any more children. In fact, Aaron is a miracle - it was a difficult pregnancy and I didn't carry him to term. He was only twenty seven weeks when he was born. He was so frail and tiny, and there were so many risks. I spent weeks in the hospital just watching him, but I am so lucky, almost half of the babies born so early have learning difficulties, but he is so bright," she said with pride, her eyes shining. "I decided that I didn't want to lose the chance to have my own child even though I was so young, and my fathers supported me," she finished quietly.
"Wow, that's quite a story," said Will, sitting back, "So all this time you have had a child? I always wondered why you had been kept back a year - well it's in her file," he explained to the glee club. "You took on such a heavy burden at a very young age, Rachel."
"Well, I have a lot of help," Rachel conceded. "My fathers are wonderful, and Hannah is our housekeeper, so she looks after Aaron a lot. And they insist that I still partake in 'teenage' activities, but I would give it all up for Aaron - he's my life," Rachel said, smiling.
"Speak of the devil," Puck murmured, looking at the dining room door.
"Mommy, I had a bad dream," said Aaron, rubbing at his eyes and running to his mom.
"Oh, honey!" cried Rachel, picking him up and placing him in her lap. "It's okay, baby. Bad dreams can't hurt you, I promise," she assured him, kissing him repeatedly on the head and smoothing back his curls.
"Yeah, buddy, they can't hurt you. And you know what, you can always wish really hard in them and make me or Mommy appear to protect you," said Puck as he moved closer to his girlfriend and her son.
"I can?" asked Aaron, sniffling as he looked at Puck who nodded gravely and opened his arms for Aaron to climb into them.
"Yep, me and Mommy can come into your dreams and protect you. Now how about some hot milk? It always helped me when I was little," Aaron nodded and snuggled into Puck's arms again as he got up and took the little boy into the kitchen, Rachel smiling gently after them.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Brit gushed, hugging Rachel again, "And Puck is so good with him!"
"I know, I'm so lucky," Rachel said with a gentle smile as her son and the man willing to be his father walked back into the room. "Sweetie, as it's a weekend, do you want to stay up a little and meet some of my friends?" she asked him as he settled on Puck's lap, sipping on his milk and nodding in reply.
"Okay, well these two girls really wanted to meet you - this is Brit, and this is Mercedes."
"Mer…Mer-" Aaron struggled to repeat the difficult name.
"You can call me Mercy, sweet cheeks," Mercedes said. "Now come over here and give your new auntie some sugar," she held out her arms to show what she meant.
"Oh, do we get to be aunts?" asked Brit brightly, "Hi, I'm your Aunt Brit."
Quinn and Santana sat back, slightly stunned at both their friend's easy reaction to Rachel's three year old son who was now having a ride on Artie's wheelchair, and her story. Both only felt slightly guilty at their derogatory remarks about the sweet boy who was so easily worming his way into everyone's hearts, including, it seems, the badass Noah Puckerman who was watching with all the pride of a new father as he wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders.
Getting excited at all the new faces, Aaron crawled across everyone's lap - even Kurt who refrained from yelling about wrinkles on his new jacket as Aaron stared up at him laughing. Everyone, that is, other than Quinn and Santana who sat there in perfect mirror to each other with their arms crossed like a barrier that even a three year old could perceive he shouldn't try and break.
"I think you two should leave," said Puck rudely to the two of them, "This is a family gathering now. Let me show you the door," he continued, nodding to Mercedes to grip their arms and lead them outside - something he couldn't do himself.
"When you are ready to be part of this, let me know. Don't go anywhere near Rachel, Quinn - what you said earlier was disgusting and uncalled for, and I don't want you poisoning us with that hatred you are carrying around," he said, closing the door in their shocked faces.
"Come on, Mister," he said, walking back into the dining room. "Let's show Artie who's the best at cars," he said before Aaron practically bowled him over as he launched himself into his arms, the boys all laughing as he excitedly showed them his cars and set up races on the table with Artie.