A/N: I had this idea while I was taking the shower. I was just kind of musing like…hmmm…it seems like an interesting idea. So, this story is a future fic. It starts when Rachel, Puck, Finn etc are 23 or 24, but there will be background so, don't worry. As usual, I own nada because if I did, "Duets" would have never happened.

Chapter One- Going Home

Once you're divorced, you stay that way right? You don't meet up with your ex for coffee, or dinner. You don't willingly go to the same church or stores at the same time. Once it's over, it's over. And you sure as hell don't show up on your exes' doorstep at one in the morning once you're divorced, it's over. There are no more random meetings or anything. So why was Rachel showing up at his door for no reason. On top of that, why was she crying and shaking?

"What the fuck do you want Berry?" He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but they'd been over for eighteen months. Sure, in the first few weeks he would call her to make sure she was okay. She would check in randomly to make sure he had food, but after he got the papers all that shit stopped.

"Noah…" Her voice was so quiet and shaky that he almost felt bad for being short with her, almost. "Can I come in please? I need help."

"Berry, its one in the god damn morning, why the fuck can't you goes to your new boyfriend. Surely he would be able to help you." Puck scoffed, because her new boyfriend was actually an old boyfriend from high school. He had to hold onto his anger because if he didn't he would be in love with her all over again, and then all hope would be lost. As long as he was angry at her, he could pretend he didn't miss her voice or her eyes or her singing or her smell or just her in general.

"I left him Noah. Please?" Rachel looked down, and Puck had never seen her look so broken, not even when she told him that she thought they should take some time apart because the fighting was becoming too much for her.

"Sure Rachel, whatever you need." Puck decided to be a little bit gentler with her as he ushered her into the house. When he felt how cold she was, he started to worry, "Rach, you okay? You're freezing."

"I'm fine Noah, really." Rachel said timidly, standing awkwardly in the hallway of the house that was once theirs. She felt like she didn't belong, like they had nothing in common anymore.

"So, why are you here?"

"I needed to get away while he was sleeping."

"What do you mean; you needed to get away while he was sleeping? While who was sleeping Rach? Are you okay?" Puck stood in front of her, pulling her gently to his chest, truly worried about the woman he used to (still) love (loves).

She shook her head, afraid that he would send her back on her way if she told him about her problems; after all, they were divorced for a reason, right? "It doesn't matter."

"Bullshit, it doesn't matter Rachel. We haven't spoken in almost two years. If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be here. Now how about you go up to the guest room and get changed. I think I saw some of your clothes still in there. When you come back down, I'll have a cup of tea waiting for you and we can sit and talk about whatever is bothering you, okay?" Puck suggested gently, leading Rachel towards the staircase.

…***…***

Upstairs, Rachel had time to think about what lead her to Noah Puckerman's door at such a late hour. She hadn't meant to show up there, it's just where her feet carried her, where she knew she would be safe. She and Finn had been fighting a lot lately. He accused her of still loving Noah; she accused him of being a controlling asshole. Both of course, were true. She would always love Noah, no matter how much time passed, and Finn was always controlling of her, even in high school. So, why she was shocked that he started once they were again a couple baffled her. Tonight, it had been bad. There was screaming and pushing and shoving; which was normal for them when they fought. What was worse, what she couldn't handle and made her run as soon as she could were three coldhearted words. I own you.

Looking around the guest room, she noticed he hadn't changed anything. She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't the walls the same warm yellow, the bedspread the same light cream color. She was thinking he would have turned it into an office or a workout room or something. It stayed the same; it was the only thing in her life that had stayed the same it seemed.

Once she was dressed, she walked back down the stairs to the sound of Puck singing "Sweet Caroline". At one time, that song put a smile on her face warmed her heart. Now it made her feel like she was home, like she was safe. She stood, watching him as he made tea and coffee for them.

"You still sing?" She asked quietly and could tell she had startled him.

"Yeah, you?"

"No, he doesn't like it. Says it reminds him too much of high school." Rachel frowned because singing was her world for such a long time, and one day, it just wasn't.

"I'm sorry Rach. So, wanna tell me why the hell you're here now?" He asked gently, handing her a cup of tea.

"It's a long story Noah." She sighed, knowing it wouldn't matter; he would want to hear it anyways.

"You better start now then." He said, leading her to the bedroom on the main floor.

"We've been fighting a lot," Rachel began quietly, sitting on the bed, "more than we should. Normally it's about little things, but last night was the final straw. I yelled at him, he yelled at me. He said he owned me. Like I was a possession, something that you could buy at the store," she scoffed, disgusted by Finn, "Honestly, I don't know why I thought he would be any different than when we were in high school.

"I just knew I had to leave. If I didn't leave, I'd be stuck there forever. Stuck with him forever. Once he was asleep, I left. I didn't even pack a bag; I just walked out the door. After walking for a few miles I got scared. What if he woke up and noticed I was gone? What if he started searching for me? So I ran. I ran as far as I could, and then I hopped on a train to the city. I didn't mean to end up here. I just remembered thinking about how the first place he looked would be my dads, and then he would go to hotels after that. The last place he would think to look would be here, with you. By the time he got here, I'd be gone. So long gone, he could never find me again." Rachel finished, looking down. She neglected the parts where Finn accused her of still loving Puck, the nights where Finn would get drunk and hit her, the times when he would lock her out of their condo in the rain or snow. She knew that if Puck knew that, Finn would be dead.

"Rachel, why didn't you call me sooner?" Puck asked without even thinking.

"We're divorced Noah, for a reason. You're not supposed to ask your ex for help."

"So, why did you ask me? You could have stayed with someone else."

"I knew I'd be safe here. Even when you've hated me, you've kept me safe." She sounded so defeated, and when she looked at him, her eyes pleaded with him to not question it.

"Rachel, what else happened? You've always been able to handle him before, his scathing remarks, the cuts to your ego. What changed? What did he do to you?" Puck asked softly, afraid of making her even more upset. He wanted to, no needed, to help her. The look in her eyes, that completely broken and defeated look told him what her words wouldn't. Finn had hurt her more than mentally. "Has he ever laid a hand on you Rach? Has he ever physically attacked you?"

Rachel stood up off the bed, sipping her tea and looking around. "You know, I always wanted to make this a workout room. We never did. We didn't do a lot of things we said we would."

Her change of topic told him everything that he needed to know. "Babe, come here." He was shocked at how fast the term of endearment reappeared when talking about her. Rachel slowly walked back over to the bed and sat down, staring at him. "Has he ever hit you?"

"Once or twice, but it was my fault. I talked about Glee. I know how mad it makes him."

"There's never an excuse for that Rachel. Just because it makes him mad doesn't give him the right to take it out on you, okay?" Rachel nodded, and yawned a little. She hadn't slept in nearly 48 hours and she was tired.

"Can I go to bed now Noah? I'm sure we can talk more later."

"Of course Rach. Wanna sleep here or upstairs?" Puck asked, standing up and taking the mug from Rachel's hand.

"Can I sleep upstairs?" She really wanted to feel closer to him. She had missed him so much. They had best friends for so long, and for it to just change in the blink of an eye kind of messed with her head. She had nothing stable anymore. He was the one stable, normal thing in her life.

"Of course babe, come on." He led her up the stairs back to the guest room. "If you need anything, you know where I am, okay?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah. Thank you so much Noah. I promise I'll make it up to you." Rachel hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go. When she heard him hum "Sweet Caroline" softly, she felt tears come to her eyes. She was home, where she belonged, and she had no idea why she left in the first place.

A/N: This is so far from over its not even funny. The story title is by Adele, and the chapter title is from the Laguna Beach soundtrack. What do you all think? Let me know. Xoxo