AN: Yeah, I should be working on my latest chapter for "Long Time Coming"...and my one-shot for my Support Stacie Auction...but this idea hit me and wouldn't leave me alone. (No, seriously, I literally couldn't sleep until I wrote it all.) Not much back story for this one except it's easier to follow if you pretend "Mash-Up" didn't happen. (Horror! I know!) ;o) Anyway, I think everything else besides that is covered sorta. Please R&R! I'd love to know what you guys think!

Stand Up

Rachel honestly didn't know why she even tried anymore. Here she was sitting on the bench outside Mama Italiano's, dressed in her nicest sundress with her makeup done and her hair slightly curled at the ends, waiting for him to show up. Sure, she arrived five minutes past six o'clock, but she was the girl; she was entitled a grand entrance. Heaven forbid she arrive early and look like an eager beaver in front of him. So, she made sure she was fashionably late, but not so much so that he would wonder if she would show. Not as late as he was now. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been sitting there, but she figured it'd been awhile seeing as though the middle-aged couple who walked in right before she planted herself on the bench was now leaving and glancing at her repeatedly with these sympathetic looks that she couldn't stand. Rachel sighed. Once again, she had put too much stock in his goofy smile and aw-shucks demeanor. Somehow she knew he'd stand her up though. Kicking at a rock, she pushed away the tears stinging her eyes. She was so done putting up with his games. Stupid Finn Hudson and the stupid games he played with her heart.

Puck whipped into the Blockbuster parking lot, jamming to the latest Lady Antebellum single (So what they had a chick name? They were a legit band, and the female singer was hot). It was a rare Friday evening that he didn't have a party to go to, a game to play in, or a Cheerio to sleep with, and he was actually relieved. Being a stud was exhausting sometimes, but Puck was up for the duty. Needless to say, he was pretty stoked about having a night to himself. His mom was working late, and his sister was at a sleepover. He just wanted time for himself: just him, multiple bags of buttery popcorn, a six-pack of beer he scored from a total loser at the 7-Eleven a half hour ago, and a marathon of the Saw movies. Oh yeah, tonight would be awesome.

As Puck headed up to the door, he glanced down the block and saw a really hot girl sitting on the bench outside the best Italian restaurant they had in Lima, and he immediately thought his plans for the evening were about to change. She had her head down covering her face, but her gorgeous long, brown hair shone in the moonlight, and Puck was intrigued. She had on a peach-colored, spaghetti strapped dress, and her small feet were clad in copper-toned sandals. She was a tiny thing, but he noticed boobs, so he figured (hoped) she wasn't, like, twelve or anything. With legs like that, he (again) hoped she was at least fifteen. Puck considered going over to talk to her; from her stance on the bench, she looked upset. Perhaps the Puckerone could fix that, he smirked to himself.

As he strutted over to the mystery girl on the bench, she took that moment to look up, and Puck was floored by the fact that "hot girl whose (figurative) pants he wanted to get in" was actually Rachel Berry. It was too late to change the direction he was walking, so he didn't even try. He dismissed the warning sign that he got when he realized he didn't even want to turn around anyway. Rachel was surprised to see Puck walking up to her; she thought for sure he had a party to attend or a cougar to bang. She was even more surprised when he sidled up next to her and sat down. He smirked at her look of suspicion.

"So, Berry, what's a pretty girl like you doing out here alone on a Friday evening?" he asked, casually slinging his arm on the back of the bench.

"Hello to you too, Noah," Rachel replied, effectively dodging the question.

Puck looked at Rachel from his peripheral vision; she was playing with the hem of her dress, something he knew she only did when she was nervous. He had to admit, he wasn't lying when he'd called her pretty. He'd be an idiot not to notice that she looked really cute with her hair all fixed and junk. But, what made him curious was why she looked so sad.

"Rachel?" he tried again.

She swung her head to look at him, and Puck saw two small trails of tears, one down each cheek. Why had she been crying? A protective streak surged through his body. He didn't like crying girls for one, but for some reason, seeing a normally overconfident Rachel Berry almost in tears was enough to make him want to punch whoever made her feel like that.

"Yes, Noah?" she lilted.

"Are you okay?" he asked, uncharacteristically tender.

He placed his hand gently on her arm, and she was touched by the sincerity of his action. She smiled slightly, and Puck seriously felt like the man for being able to make her smile. He didn't know where the heck all these feelings were coming from, but he kinda liked them.

"I was supposed to meet my date here at six," she said carefully. She looked down at her fidgeting hands. "But he still has yet to show."

Six o'clock? Heck, it was nearing seven-thirty. That urge to hit someone was back. "Who?" Puck bit out angrily.

Rachel hesitated, knowing Puck wouldn't like the answer.

"Who was your date with, Rachel?" he pressed.

"Finn," she finally whispered.

Puck let out his breath in a loud whoosh. He always knew Finn was an idiot, but Puck didn't really think Finn would actually stand up a girl, especially not Rachel. Puck was pretty sure Finn had been crushing on her even before he broke up with Quinn.

"He's an idiot," Puck assured her.

Rachel let out a sad chuckle. "Yes, he is."

"Well, at least you see it now!" Puck laughed. "So, what shall we do now? Go somewhere else and forget the loser? Or just people watch?"

He slouched more into the bench and fondly ruffled her curls. Rachel beamed up at Puck. She didn't know why he was here or why he even cared that Finn stood her up, but she liked it. It made her feel warm inside, like she was wanted by someone. When it was clear that Puck wasn't leaving anytime soon, she smiled shyly at him.

"People watch?" she parroted.

"Yeah, sure, Berry," he rolled his eyes. "Have you never just sat and watched people and wondered what their life stories are?"

"I cannot say that I have ever done that, no," she giggled. "But, I admit, it sounds highly intriguing. How does one go about this people-watching?"

Puck chuckled at her formal assessment of his little game. "Easy, you watch. Then, you make up their story," he instructed, rolling his eyes playfully. Puck scanned the street and saw a man on his cell phone outside the Dairy Queen across the street, talking with big hand motions. "See that guy?" Rachel nodded. "He's just been working a ten-hour day and he's whipped. Definitely in more ways than one. His wife is probably at home, five months pregnant, and she's whining about how she wants an Oreo Blizzard, and it's gotta be right now!" he mimicked.

Rachel burst into a fit of giggles. This is why she appreciated Puck so much. It was funny to admit, but of all the people who could have found her in this unpleasant state, she was glad it was him. He always had a way of cheering her up. And it seemed like he had made it his mission to do just that.

"Oh really?" she challenged. "You got all that from a regular man on the cell phone?"

Puck winked at her. "Of course. Gotta use your imagination, babe," he crooned, his eyes locking with hers.

Rachel flushed at the seduction in his voice. "Okay, I'll try," she offered, clearly flustered at the intensity of his gaze. She looked around for a suitable observation target. She quickly found a woman quickly hauling a young boy out of the Blockbuster. "That one," she pointed. "That lady is punishing her boy because first she found him looking through the R-rated movie section, and then in the line, he attempted to stuff his pockets with boxes of Mike & Ike's, and when she caught him, he threw a temper tantrum in the middle of the store. So now she's making him leave without a movie," Rachel claimed triumphantly.

"Not bad, Berry," he snickered. "Very creative for your first time."

Puck was impressed. Rachel took on his people-watching challenge full force, though he had to admit, he wouldn't have expected anything less. Truth be told, she was actually entertaining. They sat on the bench people-watching for the next hour. Rachel was laughing and smiling, and Puck was having a good time simply hanging out with her. She was a pretty cool chick. Soon, they tired of observing other people and focused on each other instead. Rachel talked about her summer plans to go to a theatre camp in New York. Puck was planning on cleaning pools again, but at the look of slight discomfort from Rachel, he immediately felt like giving up the extra money he could be getting on the side from that job, if you got what he meant. It was crazy really; heck, they weren't even really on a date, but it felt more like a date to Puck than any date he'd ever been on in his years on the market. He wanted this to be a date. He was beginning to like Rachel Berry.

He liked the way Rachel's eyes sparkled when the street lamp hit them just right.

He liked the way she wasn't so abrasive when it was just her and him talking.

He liked the way she made him laugh unintentionally, and the way she had no qualms about laughing loudly, and in her opinion "highly unladylike," when he made a joke on purpose.

But he didn't like the way her face took on a confused look when the boy, who was the reason they were together on that bench in the first place, finally showed up.

Rachel tensed immediately when she saw Finn. She had been perfectly content spending time with Puck. He was being a perfect gentleman (a real feat, she knew), and he was talking to her like a normal person, not someone he barely tolerated most of the time. She was having a wonderful time on their non-date. She wished it was a real date. She was happy. Until Finn decided to finally show up for their real date.

"Hey Rachel," Finn said quietly.

"'Hey Rachel'?" she imitated, standing sharply. "You arrive for our date," she glanced at her watch, "three hours late, and all I receive is a 'hey Rachel'?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel. I wrote all the information down on a piece of paper. But I couldn't tell if I wrote down a six or a nine," he admitted sheepishly.

Puck snorted at his admission but was quickly silenced by Rachel's warning stare and Finn's confused glare.

"You didn't think to call me?" she asked impatiently.

Oh man, she was tapping her foot. Finn was in for it now, Puck thought. Well, at least he hoped she wouldn't just melt at Finn's puppy dog eyes and forgive him immediately.

"Well, I figured if I was late, you would have called me," Finn defended himself.

Puck stood by, barely holding onto his temper. Rachel was great, and she didn't deserve to be treated the way Finn treated her. Puck knew he would be a whole lot better choice than Finn. That thought caught him off guard, but it was true. Puck was a man of his word; he was fiercely loyal. If he had made a date with an awesome girl like Rachel Berry, he sure as heck would've kept it. He saw the look of shock on Rachel's face at Finn's words. The douche had somehow turned his mistake on her, and that was a load of crap.

"Dude! What is your problem?" Puck yelled at him. "Rachel Berry has never been anything but loyal to you. She stood by you through hell and back, and this is how you repay her?"

Both Finn and Rachel were stunned into silence, so Puck continued. "I mean, seriously, look at her! She looks beautiful tonight, and she has been waiting for you for three freaking hours, Finn. Not many girls would have waited that long. Rachel doesn't deserve you playing with her heart like that, asking her out and then standing her up," he accused. Puck got in Finn's face and poked him hard in the chest, trying his best not to punch him. "You've been stringing her along since you and Quinn broke up, and you have never even made a move until now. And then you managed to screw that up too. Not cool, man, not cool at all."

After his speech, Puck ran his hand through his Mohawk. He hadn't meant to go off on Finn quite that much, but it sure felt good saying all those things. Finn's face had turned rage-red halfway through Puck's speech, but he couldn't seem to find a pause in it to say anything back. Finally, Finn stopped opening and closing his mouth with no words coming out.

"Puck," he spat out, "I don't know why you're here, but I think it's time for you to leave so Rachel and I can talk."

Puck took a step forward, ready to punch Finn when a tiny hand came to rest on his forearm, and a small but strong voice sounded from beside him.

"No, Finn, I think it's time for you to leave," Rachel said with deadly calm. "Noah is correct; I don't deserve to be treated the way you have acted toward me tonight. Goodnight, Finn," she said firmly.

Finn furrowed his brow and began to open his mouth to say something, but Rachel's hand shot up to stop him.

"I see," Finn mumbled. "Fine. See you at school, Rach. I really am sorry, though."

Puck rolled his eyes as watched the exchange between the two, and silently cheered for Rachel telling Finn what needed to be said. He was proud of her. But, then a wicked thought came to him about Finn's lame excuse. As Finn turned to stalk away, Puck called out to him.

"Hey Finn?" Puck shouted to the gangly teen's retreating back. "Which direction on the paper was the name of the restaurant?"

Finn slowly turned but didn't come closer. "Huh?"

"Well, you said you couldn't figure out if it the time you wrote down was a six or nine," Puck smirked. "So which way had the name restaurant facing the right way so you could read it? When it was the six or the nine?"

Finn thought about it, and then his face turned an unhealthy shade of red as he realized his stupid mistake. With not another word, Finn shuffled away with his proverbial tail between his legs. Puck chuckled at his friend's idiocy. Meanwhile, he forgot about a certain brunette who had remained abnormally quiet through a majority of the events. He turned to Rachel, who was staring at him in shock, either over his parting jab to Finn or the whole situation.

He started to apologize for butting in, but he couldn't, because Rachel took that exact moment to jump him. Like, seriously, attack-his-mouth-with-hers-and-get-rather-handsy-jump him. She assaulted his mouth with her tiny lips and grabbed onto his 'hawk for dear life. He stumbled out of his shock and moaned at the sensation her kisses were giving his body. He felt alive. He never thought kissing Rachel Berry would be so thrilling. Heck, he never thought Rachel Berry would even be any good at kissing. She had quickly taken charge of the kiss at first, but once Puck regained his senses, he set his tongue to battle with hers for dominance. Neither one cared they were a public street, in plain view of many passersby. He threaded one hand in her curls; her hair was unimaginably soft. The other hand was caressing her cheek, and she smiled into his lips at his ministrations. Then, her lips detached from his as to move down his jaw line. She nibbled at the skin just underneath his tee shirt collar. He groaned, and craned his neck for her to reach him better. He was usually the one going for the girl's neck, not the other way around. It was hot. It was yet another he liked that about Rachel.

He smirked to himself as he pulled Rachel toward his car so they could properly finish this thing they had going on in the privacy of his home. He learned a lot of things about this insanely hot girl tonight, but only one was really important at that moment: apparently, one thing Rachel Berry hates more than anything is someone standing her up. But someone standing up for her? Totally gets her hot.

AN2: Remember, R&R = Love ;o) I live for feedback. (Again, seriously.)