Daddy
Entering the apartment Puck tossed his keys down on the table and flickered quickly through the mail he had picked up on his way up, dropping the bills on the table as he had lost bill paying rights in their first year in New York after spending all the money on a big screen TV. After sorting out the invitations to events by the person who was inviting them he stopped on the personal letter addressed to him, which stopped him in his tracks, he wasn't exactly unknown, being married to Rachel Berry world superstar didn't exactly entail not being in the media spotlight but he wasn't famous in his own right.
"Hello darling" Rachel said finally coming to join him in the foyer as she finally came to join him in the foyer "sorry I was in the studio and didn't hear you come in"
"That's ok, I get to see you in your dance clothes, all good in my mind" Puck smirked tugging he closer and pressing a kiss to her lips while his other hand held the letter still.
"What's that?" she asked curiously as she led the way into the kitchen, their Penthouse really too big for them both but she had fallen in love with the view and had wanted it, so he of course had agreed.
"Letter for me" Puck drawled sarcastically as Rachel placed a glass of wine in front of him and got herself a glass of fruit juice.
"Yes well done" Rachel laughed as Puck watched her curiously take a sip of cranberry juice their glass of wine on a Friday night a tradition for them both since they had arrived in New York ten years ago "who from?"
Rolling his eyes at his wife's curiosity he opened the letter and pulled out the cheap piece of paper inside, Rachel idly picking up the envelope and losing colour as she saw the return address on the other side, for the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville. Puck across the table from her didn't see her expression as he read his letter, it was from his father asking him to come and visit him as he did his sentence for assault, scoffing at the letter he screwed it up into a ball and lobbed it into the trash can contemptuously.
"No one important" he said downing his glass of wine harshly slamming it down before reaching over to pour another glass for himself.
"How about a night in?" Rachel asked brightly changing the conversation "I know how much you hate the penguin suit after a day in the office"
"You sure?"
"Of course, a night in with my husband sounds amazing to me" Rachel assured him "I'll order Chinese you find us a DVD to watch"
Rachel fussed around the kitchen the next day tidying up the mess made by the Chinese feast last night had turned into, stacking leftover food she placed it in the refrigerator before moving the empty containers to the bin. Opening it with the foot peddle she paused as she saw the letter lying on the top, instinctively picking it up she stuffed it into her pocket before Puck entered the kitchen sweating from his run in the park and grabbed a bottle of water to down.
"Morning darling" Rachel smiled her hands fluttering to her stomach "what are you doing today?"
"Helping Mike move again, Santana and Brit got back together and he's not impressed"
"Oh" Rachel said in shock "how do I never hear all this gossip?"
"You work hard" Puck laughed pulling her closer "plus Mike hasn't told anyone but me"
"Well I'm going out in the car, I have a location visit" she invented suddenly, the letter burning a hole in her pocket.
"Alright baby, just make sure you take your phone this time" Puck said leaning over and kissing her firmly before making himself move away, despite eleven years together and six of marriage he wasn't good at just kissing her without it leading to more. Saying goodbye he went across town to help Mike while Rachel headed towards their parking garage and got their rarely used car out of the lot and headed north out of the city, determined to visit Puck's father before telling Puck about her news.
Three hours later she was hesitantly sitting down in the visitor room of Otisville prison looking round hoping no one would recognise her through her cunning disguise of sunglass and baseball cap and heavy jumper.
"You're not my son" a man said harshly breaking her from her trance and making her jump to her feet.
"No...No I'm not, I mean obviously as I'm a girl, I'm Noah's wife" she rambled in a way she hadn't since high school.
"Oh right, I'm David" he said sitting down at the table Rachel had jumped up from suddenly, Rachel joining him hesitantly.
"I'm Rachel, Rachel Berry, sorry it's a habit to say my last name" she rambled again "Obviously that's just my stage name though"
"I've heard of you" he said gently "I assume that Noah did get my letter?"
"Yes, yes he did but he decided...he decided..."
"Not to see me" David said simply "but your here"
"Yes I'm here" Rachel breathed out gently "I wanted to see you for me, and for you I can imagine that you want to know about him"
"I do, tell me, tell me about him"
"He's amazing. He wasn't always I can admit candidly, he was a terror as a child and for most of high school, but since we got together eleven years ago he has changed so much."
"Terror?"
"A bully to be frank, and a 'man whore' as the colloquialism went, he got the president of the celibacy club pregnant who was his best friend girlfriend, he liked to slushie me and my friends"
"And you married him?" David asked in disbelief
"Yes, because I love him, we dated momentarily in our sophomore year and ever since we had this connection, but he thought he was in love with Quinn, that's the girl he got pregnant, and I thought I was in love with Finn his best friend. But in our senior year it finally clicked for us, both single we spent more and more time together and realised our connection was something that so few people had and that it was a true love unlike any other"
"Oh" David nodded slightly stunned
"Or rather I noticed and he agreed, because he is not the most emotionally open person in the world, but I know he loves me he says it a lot more now than he did in the past"
"What does he do?"
"He works in journalism, sports journalism for the Times, he enjoys it gets to travel to games a lot, mostly football but also basketball"
"And you're a movie star"
"Well I started on stage in New York, but yes now I work mostly in movies"
"You're happy?"
"Very" Rachel smiled gently her hands travelling to her belly and pressing her hands against its still flat appearance.
"How long?" David asked gently his eyes not missing her movements and finding his own heart growing at the idea of his grandchild growing in there.
"Only a month, when I missed my period I realised straight away so I took a test, that was three days ago"
"You haven't told him"
"Not yet, I was going to today but he is helping one of our friends move and I wanted to see you"
"Why?"
"You walked away" Rachel said bluntly "not that I think Noah will walk away, but I need to know why before he has his little freak out"
"His freak out?"
"You leaving really messed him up for a long time and he will be petrified of turning out like you, of walking away of it getting to much for him like it did for you"
"I walked away because I was a coward, and because I didn't love my wife. I was drunk and an addict and was so determined to be this live of the party that I wasn't there for my family and it was easier to just not be there physically as well as emotionally so I walked"
"Noah won't do that" Rachel said firmly "he'll be there for us"
"Then he's a better man then me" David said numbly, Rachel nodded and went to get up "wait!" he said loudly making her pause "can you...can you tell me more? Maybe about Abigail as well?"
"Oh ok" Rachel agreed sitting back down "I can stay a little longer"
"Thank you" David said sincerely as Rachel pulled out her IPhone
"This is your daughter..."
"I'm back" Rachel called into the apartment much later that day hearing her husband in the study
"Hey baby, how'd it go?" he called out to her as she came to him
"Bad location" Rachel smiled "I'll leave it to the professionals from now on" she walked over to him as he pulled back from the desk to give her room to perch on his lap sideways, her arms going around his neck "I have something to tell you" she added with a smile
"Yeah go on then" Puck said slightly distracted by the computer in front of him.
"I've been really selfish in the last few days, I'm sorry"
"What do you mean baby?" he said finally looking up at her
"I've been keeping something from you, but only because I needed to get everything sorted in my own head, but now, now I cannot wait to tell you"
"Ok then tell me" Puck rolled his eyes at his wife rambling
"I'm pregnant" she whispered, laughing as his jaw dropped and he grabbed her closer, his hand falling to her stomach.
"Yeah?"
"Congratulations Daddy"