Author's Note: You guys are completely, totally, and utterly awesome. Seriously. I can't thank y'all enough for the encouragement and support on this story, which is so much a work in progress that I only hope the dots start connecting soon. I've still got about five chapters in the bank and I'm working on more, but fair warning that the transition from Finchel to Puckleberry is going to be as realisitic as possible (read: slow). Hopefully what I got in store in the meantime, however, will keep y'all entertained enough that you'll keep reading (and keep reviewing)! So, again, thanks!


Puck strolled into the windowless room in the library where detention was held, unsurprised to see Rachel already sitting primly in the front row. He also wasn't surprised that she was the only one in the room outside of the detention supervisor, who he basically knew like family considering how much Puck used to get in trouble. You know, back in the good old days when he thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted and still make something of himself. Everything was easier back then, which probably should have been the first sign that he was fucked but he was too dumb to notice then.

"Mr. Puckerman, if you'll take your seat we can begin." The supervisor, who was also one of the lunch ladies, noted their attendance on the sheet and marked the time. "You two are it for this afternoon, so please keep quiet and I'll return to release you in one hour. No bathroom breaks, no going to your locker for a book, nothing."

Rachel's mouth gaped open as the older woman just walked out of the room without further explanation, the only sound left in the room coming from the loud ticking clock hanging above the solid wood door. Her eyes shifted from the left and to the right, taking in her surroundings. She'd never been in this room, and given the ancient card catalog system in the corner and the archaic computer up front, she was pretty sure there was no reason to ever come back. It smelled like mold and she wasn't entirely sure the carpet used to be the color that it is now.

"Mind keepin' the wheels from turnin' so loudly? Some of us are tryin' to sleep."

She turned in her seat and noticed Puck was sitting in the back row, his head nestled in the bend of his elbow while both arms rested on the tabletop. She could see the defined muscles of his arms even in the distance, and she blamed the supposed dark tan of his skin on the shiny white fabric of his football jersey paired with the fluorescent lighting overhead. His Mohawk was growing more and more unruly with each passing day, so long now that Rachel inwardly giggled at the thought of what his reaction might be if she were able to grab hold of the short strands and pull.

"Your laser stare ain't helpin', Berry."

She bit her lip. "Shouldn't you at least whisper?" Rachel turned back to face the door for a moment before looking back at Puck. "She said no talking."

"She also said she ain't comin' back for another hour." Puck lifted his head, sighing as he switched positions so his feet rested on one of the chairs across from him and his back pushed into the hard chair. "And it's Friday so she probably won't even do that."

"You mean we'll be trapped here?"

"Nah. We'll just leave." He shrugged casually, folding his arms across his chest. "I'd leave now but this gives me a chance to nap before the game."

In spite of herself, Rachel smiled. "I imagine your sleeping pattern has been dramatically altered now that you are actually attending your math class."

Puck lifted one eye, the same side of his mouth also curling up. "The nurse legit came into my class last week 'cause she thought I'd transferred."

Rachel giggled lightly, biting her lip as she turned fully in her seat. "Speaking of transferring …"

"I didn't hear anymore about Evans, so don't ask."

"No, this has nothing to do with him." She frowned a little. "Well, it did at first, but now it doesn't." Puck closed his eye again, but she was undeterred. "I've been thinking about our predicament regarding the two choirs a lot lately, and I realize my worrying over which side Sam might choose is irrelevant." She had hoped that would spark his attention, but he remained completely docile. "As you know, our main struggle the first year of competition was the fact that we needed a minimum of 12 members, with an equal amount of boys and girls. Right now, Sugar's choir only has the three females so even with Sam they will be unable to perform."

"You're fucked without Santana." He didn't even open his eyes. He didn't even move. "Alls she gotta do is snap her fingers and that choir's gonna have every cheerleader and leftover football player."

"That's … that's … that's not fair!" Rachel cried out, as if Puck had any power to fix the situation. "I don't even understand why she left the group. Doesn't she care about Brittany at all?" Rachel's eyes widened. "You don't think she'll take Brittany, do you?"

"If she does you can count that leprechaun out, too." He heard her whimper and couldn't help but finally pry his eyes open, looking at her sympathetically. "I'll talk to San, but you might wanna think of another brilliant plan."

She nodded in determination, whipping around without another word to the front again and digging into her bag for a notepad and a pen. She feverishly wrote down each name of the current members in New Directions, with an asterisk placed by anyone who could be swayed to the other side. She also wrote down everyone in Shelby's choir, with an asterisk by everyone but Sugar for the same reason. Then, below that, she wrote down a few of the cheerleaders and the names of the football players who had helped them last year during the Thriller/Heads Will Roll mash-up. She also wrote down Sam's name with a question mark by it and then, hesitantly, wrote Karofsky's name with the same treatment.

Turning slowly, she smiled when she saw Puck wasn't sleeping but instead working on a worksheet for school. "Noah, do you think David Karofsky would consider joining New Directions?"

"Legit?"

"Kurt is under the impression that he could convince him to join, and he did seem to enjoy performing even though he was a little uncomfortable with the damage to his social status." She bit her lip nervously. "Now that McKinley has taken a stronger stance against bullying, sparked by him of all people, perhaps he'd feel safer joining."

"I dunno." He shrugged, taking his eyes off the worksheet. "We could get him, but then could lose Blaine."

Rachel gaped at him. "You … you think …" She furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't know what he was thinking. "What?"

"Wake up and smell the pride parade, Berry. Karofsky's a homo." Puck went back to his history worksheet, answering the questions easily enough that he could carry on with this ridiculous and entirely girly conversation. "And he's hot for your bestie."

"But …" Rachel scrunched her nose, not even able to process that information. "Kurt and Blaine are perfect together. Have you seen them recently? They've never been happier, closer."

"S'cause they're fuckin'." Puck grinned at the sound of Rachel's swallow catching in her throat.

"Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes. Why did he have to spell everything out for this chick? "Porcelain and Bow Tie packed some fudge."

"You're revolting." She shook her head, disgusted by his words. "And you must be mistaken."

"I ain't." He sighed, folding up the now finished worksheet and putting it in his back pocket. "Dudes walk different after." He grinned. "So do girls if it's done right."

She scowled at his suggestive wink. "Kurt is my best friend." Puck didn't respond and she couldn't very well blame him since she hadn't exactly asked a question. "I know he's still upset with me, but … we tell each other everything."

Puck could see her world crumbling around her, and he was shit with emotions and girls crying, so he tucked the pen he'd been toying with back behind his ear and stood up. He took the seat next to Rachel, moving her notepad in front of him and scanning what she'd written down. He didn't want to talk about Kurt and Blaine, and he really, really didn't want to talk about her and Finn (and the fact that she wasn't walking differently) so he knew he had to distract her. And, with Rachel Berry, anything related to her career was always the perfect way.

"You actually wrote down that I could seduce Sugar?"

Rachel blushed but nodded. "It is my understanding that others feel she is quite attractive," she answered hesitantly, getting over the wave of melancholy and instead focusing on the task at hand. "I'm fairly certain you've done worse."

"I got standards," he defended on a growl, lowering his voice as he moved his face closer to hers. "And just 'cause I put up with your particular brand of crazy don't mean I wanna touch that thing with a ten-foot pole."

"It was just one of the ideas," she finally answered, grabbing the pen from his ear and crossing it off. She poked her tongue out as she tried to replace the writing instrument, but it took her a couple of tries; she'd fumbled the first attempt when her mind flashed with the buried memory of how warm his skin was and then again when she realized how soft the skin behind his ear was. "But I think our best plan might be the sing off, then."

"Ya know whoever judges that thing ain't gonna let Sugar lose."

"Well, if that's true, then the same thing is just going to happen at Sectionals, too. So we might as well lose in a competition that doesn't determine if we get to move on to regionals and beyond."

It was Puck's turn to be shocked by something she said. "You would do that? Just … switch sides?"

"We have to win this year, Noah. We should have won last year."

"Maybe if you hadn't stopped to suck Hudson's face off we woulda."

She rolled her eyes. "Noah, you know better than that. The songs were written the day before and the dance steps were created while we were waiting backstage." She blew out a determined breath. "Mr. Schuester seems to have his head in the game this year, but we can't take any chances. This is it, and there's nothing wrong with admitting that Shelby has some experience that might be valuable." He eyes sparkled into the next part. "If we won, we would perform internationally. Can't you just imagine?"

"New York ain't enough, now you want to conquer the whole world?"

Rachel's smile faltered, the light in her eyes dimming. "Wanting New York and getting it are two very different things." Her voice was low, almost wounded. "I've wanted a lot of things in my life, Noah. That doesn't mean I've gotten them all."

Puck ignored the thoughts about what she might want that she couldn't have, like a mother, or the things she'd wanted that she didn't always get, like Finn. Instead, he was lost in the realization of just how alike they were. On the outside, they both portrayed themselves as these overly confident people, but anyone who really paid attention could see they were just overcompensating for everything they weren't so sure of. Like, why did his dad leave or why had she never had a mother? He couldn't understand why everyone picked Finn over him, and she internalized the fear she had that Finn would eventually leave her for someone else. Someone better.

"I know what you mean, but … look. You're sure as shit crazy if ya think you ain't gonna make it. Ya got the best voice and more talent in your damn pinkie finger than in this whole fuckin' school."

"Thank you, Noah," she responded genuinely, taken aback by his sudden declaration but feeling her heart soar nonetheless. "I know others blame my diva attitude on some concept that I'm fishing for compliments but, sometimes …" She sighed, not strong enough to finish that thought. "I've had a wonderful support system in my life, but I've also dealt my fair share amount of ridicule." She shrugged emptily. "It weighs on you eventually."

"I know," he answered gravely, earning a sympathetic look from Rachel.

"We've all noticed how well you're doing lately, Noah. It's nothing short of admirable." She wasn't sure why, but she felt comfortable rubbing his back in a soothing manner, as if the soft stroke of her fingers would assure him she was being honest but not patronizing. "And I'll make sure everyone knows you were only in here because of me."

Puck nodded dumbly. She had no idea how true that statement was, and she never would. He was still trying to convince himself it was just a symptom of something else, like being around Shelby more or how much he knew about her (and the real her because he'd seen the her the others saw and that one sucked). But so far he couldn't, and only could accept that he liked her. And he wasn't dumb enough to ruin his friendship with Finn (again), but also wasn't smart enough to stay away.

Rachel made him feel like he could be better, like he was better.

"In fact, the way I understand it, I owe you."

He gulped and backed away a little, suddenly feeling hot. "I, uh …" He coughed into his lack of response, feeling dumber as the seconds ticked away. This was dangerous territory, and he needed to wade his way out of it, the faster the better. And, well, being an ass was pretty much his fallback technique. "I'll assume a BJ is out of the question since Finn won't stop bitchin' about not getting any."

Rachel felt a strong mix of emotions overcome her, anger and embarrassment at the forefront. She had thought she and Noah were having a pleasant conversation, the type of interaction she'd been missing since Mercedes hated her and Kurt wasn't speaking as openly to her as he used to (which really was getting old since he had ended up winning the campaign for senior class president). Her and Finn spoke about their days and plans for dates and such, but they never really talked. Everything she wanted to discuss with him was about the future, and anytime that topic came up Finn would shut down. They would usually end up just making out, which is why Noah's statement hurt more because she was under the impression that she and Finn were moving at a pace that both of them was comfortable with.

"Just so you know," she began, her voice wavering despite how strong she tried to sound, "I'm not a liar. I stand by what I said in celibacy club in sophomore year."

"Fuckin' hot."

"The difference is that men and women don't operate the same way," she explained, ignoring his crass response. "I can't just push aside all the other thoughts and concerns I have and just … give in."

"I was just jokin', B."

"But you weren't." She sighed heavily, slouching a little in her seat. "I know he's frustrated. We've been together for almost five months and things started out much quicker and more comfortable than they ever were last time. But …" She bowed her head, a catch in her throat. "I'm not going to have sex with him if that's the only thing he wants from me."

Puck groaned, holding his head in both of his hands. What had he gotten himself into? He just didn't want to say or do anything stupid that could ruin the balance they'd finally perfected and now he was like, the God damned mediator in the Finchel saga? How the hell was he supposed to give either of them advice when inside all he was wishing for was them to break up?

"Finn loves ya."

"I know that. And I love him." She exhaled a deep breath. "But I also know that it takes more than love to make a relationship work. We each have to be equally invested, and if he's only thinking about lasting graduation and my mind is on the future, then that isn't fair to either of us."

"Finn's never been much of a forward thinker, though."

"Yes, I know." She evaluated him for a moment. "But, then again, neither were you." She smiled softly. "Things change."

Rachel and Puck stared at one another for a long moment, not in a particular creepy or even meaningful way, but they were both just lost in their own thoughts. Puck couldn't help but think about everything that had changed, and lament about everything that never would. Rachel, on the other hand, was wondering how someone could be so torn between wanting everything to remain exactly the same and still want so much to be different.

"Ms. Berry?"

Rachel's head snapped forward, her gaze focusing on Mrs. Tiller who was holding out her phone. Her eyes then moved up to the clock, and she realized her and Puck had stayed an extra fifteen minutes – and he was right; that supervisor woman never came back. She extended her arm forward, grasping the phone sheepishly and thanking the teacher. Puck had stood up and stretched before walking out behind Mrs. Tiller, but Rachel stayed seated and opened the message from Sam she'd wanted to read earlier this morning.

"So?" Puck asked from the doorway. "He in or out?"

"Out," she responded softly, pouting a little as she read and reread the message.

Puck sighed, his head resting against the doorframe for a moment before he looked back over at Rachel. She looked genuinely worried about the future of New Directions, and he couldn't blame her. Despite her hard talk about just wanting to win, the group was like a second home for many of them, Puck included. He didn't just want to win no matter the cost. The glee club was like a family and they needed to stick together, band together. And even though he wasn't exactly captain or even using his am-badass-ador status anymore, he had to try to help. And not just for her.

"I'll talk to San."

Rachel nodded blankly, finally standing to pack up her materials. She placed the strap of her bag over her head and across her chest, looking up at him with a pained expression. He looked determined to fix things, and she admired his ambition. It had been a delight watching him grow so much in the past year, his lewd comments and crass commentary still ever present but drowned out by his distinctive maturity. Puck was a fighter like her, and he wouldn't just stand back and let everything they'd work for fall by the wayside.

"You're a star."

He cocked one eyebrow up at her, an amused expression hiding his confusion. "I am?"

Rachel smiled shyly, stopping in front of him in the doorway and placing a gentle caress on his arm while nodding. "You are." His eyes flashed with an unknown emotion but Rachel just smiled wider before exiting the room entirely and heading out of the library.

"Ya gonna be at the game tonight?"

She swirled around just before the exit, nodding her head and pulling off as much enthusiasm as she could for a sport she didn't quite understand nor enjoy. "Go Titans."

Puck grinned well after she left the library, his weight falling heavily against the doorframe. He knew he was playing with fire, but now he was even more determined to prove just how much things could change. He wasn't just going to stop at picking up his grades and dominating on the football field. He could help out with glee and work on his college applications. He could be a better friend and a better brother and son and even a better employee. He could be the better man.

All he needed was her to believe.