Chapter 2: Crisis Unaverted

A/N: Thanks for all the positive reviews! Read On!

Puck was having a hard time being in Glee today.

As much as he hated to admit it, Glee was usually something he usually looked forward to. He'd actually find himself thinking about it during his afternoon nap (the one he took during math class). It's not like he would 'Rachel Berry' think about it but he would look forward to it.

Today was no exception. If you ever told anyone he'd kick your ass, but he might have been excited today that things were back to normal and that Rachel wouldn't be moping around the choir room anymore. But it wasn't like he actually cared. It's just watching her had been a total downer. It would've made anyone a little testy.

Yes, we've established that Puck thought Rachel Berry was hot. Crazy hot. Yes, Rachel Berry was a kind of at the bottom of the social totem pole and he was a stud. But Puck was used to wanting to bang everything with boobs, why should Berry be any exception?
He could deal with lusting after the brunette diva. Hell, it's not like he hadn't pictured Tina in a catholic school girl uniform once or twice.

But that being said, when Puck entered Glee after school that day, he sensed something was totally off. And it would only go downhill from there.

First of all, it was 5 minutes before practice and Rachel was no where to be seen. This was the first clue. If Rachel had truly felt like her old self again, she would have been here already, practicing some showtune and talking his ear off about Streisand or some shit.

The next thing that bothered him was that he had showed up so early. The only other people that were there were Tina and Artie and Puck felt like he might have interrupted something...or something? He didn't even try to make awkward conversation. If had tried, they might have asked him why he'd showed up so early.

The third and final warning sign was what Rachel had looked like when she finally entered the room 20 minutes late. It was no secret that Kurt hated Rachel's sense of fashion (and Puck knew it was because he liked guys because any hot blooded male could appreciate those short skirts),
but when Rachel had entered the classroom that day, it was a whole new level of what Mercedes described as a 'hot damn mess'.

Puck was a little pissed, honestly. I mean what the fuck? Did he not go out of his way yesterday to restore the universe to its natural order?
Did he not make her feel better? It wasn't his fault she'd turned out a makeout sesh with the Puckster. If she hadn't maybe she'd be looking a little less limp and fuck why were her eyes all red? Was she crying!

He could hear Kurt and Mercedes whispering furiously behind him and it was becoming hard to concentrate. Not on Mr. Schue, of course who was going on about some other stupid weekly assignment, but on why the fuck he felt so shitty right now.

"Berry!" Puck whispered harshly to her, failing to gage her attention. "BERRY!" He said slightly louder, and then "RACHEL!".

Rachel finally looked up from her penny loafers looking destroyed and slightly confused at Puck's actions.

All Puck asked her was "What the fuck!", and Rachel started to look outraged instead of sad.
Puck decided he liked that expression better. "Berry..." He began again, leaning over in her direction.

"Puck?" Mr. Schuester addressed him in front of the club, distracted by his loud whispering. Sure, but he never hears dear Kurt and Mercedes.

"'Sup Schue?" Puck answered, turning his face back to the front of the class, and smirking widely.

A few seats down, Rachel looked on, still frowning and completely puzzled at the boy's behaviour.

"Puck, can you continue your conversation another time please? What I'm talking about is really important if we want to beat Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals!" Schue said seriously, clasping his hands together. Puck rolled his eyes. Nothing they ever really did was that important. I'm sure they'd just wing it at Regionals again like they always did. Plus, what could be more important than their lead chick looking like someone had stomped all over her crazy little heart ? If Rachel didn't get her shit together they'd end up singing some disco song from the seventies or something and Puck didn't want to rock that look.

As Schuester continued his lesson, Puck wondered why no one else seemed to give a fuck that Rachel was upset. I mean it was a really unlikely scenario- the fact that Puck was the one so bothered. Shouldn't this be someone else's problem? Puck looked around the room at Kurt and Mercedes who were still whispering and giving Rachel dirty looks, then at Tina and Artie who were too busy flirting to be aware of anything around them, Santana and Brittany who were playing with one of those cootie catchers and giggling to themselves, then at Mike and Matt who seemed to be the only ones actually listening to Schuester.

Then he saw it and he wondered how the fuck he hadn't seen it before.

Finn and Quinn. Sitting next to each other. Now that was wierd in itself, but then he saw Quinn comment on something Schue had said to Finn and Finn cracked a smile, and Puck's stomach dropped when he saw Finn nervously glancing in Rachel's direction, then darting back to Quinn.

That was it. Puck had gone over the deep end. Why the fuck did it even matter? Okay it mattered. It mattered alot.
And Puck wasn't even sure what the real reason for it was anymore. But he was sick of how everyone fucking worshipped the ground Finn walked on.
Why the fuck was Finn fucking flirting with Puck's babymama? And also, why the fuck did Rachel just look like someone died? What had fucking St. Finn done?

Puck looked back at Rachel who looked very interested in her hands, and frowned deeply.

There was this One time, Puck remembered during Glee, that he was talking to her and he'd brushed her shoulder, and it was so lightly, and it wasn't even on purpose, but 5 minutes later Finn had talked to her and he had full on touched her shoulder and Puck had felt some strange pang of jealousy. To be honest, it had seriously freaked him out.
It wasn't even the fact that it was Rachel. Well he'd be kidding himself if he didn't admit it was. But it was also that it was Finn touching her and if there was one person he didn't want to touch Rachel it was Finn.

Finn was fucking Looney Tunes if he thought he was getting away with this shitstorm.

Puck had wanted to ask Rachel what was wrong, but she had ran out of that room as fast as she had possibly could and he only had time to get out a "Beh.." before she was out of his sight. So when the only three people left in the choir room were Finn and Quinn and him, he took this as is golden opportunity to fix this shit.

"You wanna tell me what the fuck this is!" Puck said coldly over Finn's shoulder, and Quinn's face looked up at him actually looking kind of guilty.

"Puck..." she said in her sweet Quinn voice, but Puck wasn't going to fall for it.

"Are you seriously talking to me right now?" Finn said in a menacing voice that he'd only ever heard when Finn had first confronted him about Babygate,
and then at Sectionals when he had refused to forgive him.

"Yeah, man..." Puck taunted, "unless there's another storybook giant around here somewhere...". He noticed Quinn looked super uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. Finn stood up quickly and turned to face Puck.

"What the hell could possibly be your problem?" Finn fumed.

"Since when are you and Quinn all buddy buddy?" He asked simply, pressing his lips together, "You do remember that she fucked me and she's having my kid,
right?" Puck could practically see the steam coming out of Finn's ears.

Quinn huffed. "Puck, seriously? What are you doing?" She asked, giving him a look, and placing a hand over her stomach.

Finn scoffed and laughed dryly. "Wow, you are a bigger asshole than I thought, Puck." Puck clenched his jaw and shoved Finn a little.

And that little action managed to escalate into a fistfight. Puck made sure they were safely away from Quinn and Beth of course.

"What the fuck is your problem, man?" Puck managed between punching Finn's face. Finn retaliated by hitting Puck against the ground.

"My problem!" Finn practically screamed, frustrated, "You're the one who fucked my girlfriend, and you're the one who fucking egged me on just now."

Puck felt a new burst of anger. "What" *punch* "about" *slam* "fucking" *scramble* "Rachel!" Puck managed, shoving Finn, and Finn stopped suddenly, backing away.

Practically in unison, Finn and Quinn let out a confused expression, "Rachel!"

Puck glared at Finn. "Rachel Berry...she's a midget and she talks too much...?"

"Yeah, we know who Rachel Berry is, Puck." Quinn bit, and looked at him strangely. Finn wore a similar expression.

"What about her?" He asked, "she did look kind of sad today." Finn's puppy dog look and genuine expression of concern made Puck want to punch him in the face.
Again.

"Sad?" Puck retorted, "She looked crushed. What did you do?" Finn looked completely confused again.

"What? What did I do? I didn't do anything."

Quinn was now looking at him like he had grown a second head.

"You're talking to Quinn. I thought you had the hots for Berry. I know she's all goo-goo eyes for you." Quinn seemed to throw up in her mouth a bit.

"Are we in an alternate universe where people care about Rachel Berry?" Quinn bit out, heading for the door, "I'm going to go wait by your truck for a ride home, Puck..." she sighed heavily, "with your daughter...far away from this...crazy."

Puck was unimpressed. He grunted an okay and turned back to Finn.

"If you didn't do anything, then why is she upset?" Puck interrogated, poking into Finn's chest. Finn seemed to be distracted.

"Maybe I should go ask her..." Finn looked towards the door, thinking about it.

Puck wanted to throw up. No fucking way, Finnessa.

"Nah," Puck dismissed, "I'll do it." He shrugged and walked out of the choir room and right to his truck where Quinn was waiting, leaving a dumbfounded Finn in his wake.

"Done defending Rachel Berry's honour?" Quinn asked mockingly, her face breaking into a laugh.

"Shut Up." Puck grumbled, opening the door for her, and helping her in, then getting in himself.

"You have the hots for Crazy..." Quinn sing songed, teasingly as Puck pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Quinn..." he warned, shooting what he hoped was a badass glance in her direction.

"Seriously," She smirked, "What was that all about?"

Puck turned to look at her as he stopped at a red light. "I could ask you the same thing. You and Finn talking again? That's kind of weird".

Quinn's face grew serious quickly and she took a deep breath. "Puck..." Puck hit the gas again as the light turned green.

"I still love him. This is your daughter, but I still love Finn." She looked up through her long eyelashes in his direction and he snorted.

"Yeah, I know." Puck frowned, and she looked at him sympathetically.

But Puck didn't feel one pang of jealousy. Not one. Beth was his daughter.

So Quinn loved Finn, so what?

As long as he stayed the hell away from Rachel...

Puck tried to push away all thoughts that told him it was irrational to feel that way.

"Hey"

Rachel stood at her locker the next morning when Noah Puckerman greeted her, leaning in closely behind her.

"Hello, Noah."

" 'Sup?" He asked, examining her way too closely. She tilted her head curiously and looked up at him.

"I'm gathering my books for English class." She continued to get her books out of her locker.

"Cool." Puck said, leaning against the locker beside hers and crossing his arms. She squinted at him again.

"Is there anything particular I can help you with, Noah?" He heaved a sigh, turned towards her and reluctantly spoke.

"What was wrong with you yesterday? You were all moody and shit. I thought you'd gotten over twinkle toes..." A smile slowly broke out onto Rachel's face.

"Twinkle toes?" She chuckled, giving him a questioning look. "Really, Noah, I didn't know you cared that much..." He scoffed.

"I don't. I just thought that you were over that creep." He leaned in dangerously close. "There are much better options for you, trust me."

Noah was leering at her. She opened her mouth to make a sound, but nothing was coming out.

When she placed a hand on his chest, he smirked wider, and she could see that lusty look in his eyes again.

Then she gently pushed him away, and he was frowning, and she was shaking her head so that she could think again like a normal person.

Rachel turned around and locked her locker.

"I was just having a really bad day Noah." She said, smiling sadly, "First I got slushied before homeroom hence my awful attire when I entered Glee, and then someone tripped me in the hallway before lunch, and then during Math, Jacob Ben Israel grazed my boob on purpose borrowing a pencil, which left me permanently and deeply scarred, and then," she paused for dramatic effect, "Kurt pretended he hadn't borrowed my Spring Awakening soundtrack when he has had it for at least two weeks, and he refuses to give it back." She sighed and leaned against the lockers beside him. "I was 20 Minutes late because my locker wouldn't open, and I needed to call the janitor to break my lock open...it was awful."

He wasn't sure whether to relieved or feel like a complete idiot. He'd punched Finn in the face. Repeatedly. Oh Well.

"It's all right now, though." Rachel beamed at him, and motioned for him to follow her down the hallway. Puck grinned.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He managed. One of Rachel's books began to slip out of her hand and he caught it. They locked gazes. Before he knew what was happening, he was asking her.

"Hey...what are you doing, Friday?" Puck was feeling a little unbadass. She looked away and they continued their walk.

"Oh...actually I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Watching musicals?" Puck laughed. Rachel huffed.

"Noah...I do have a life you know." She swallowed. "I have plans with Finn."

Puck was a little dumbfounded. Fucking Finn. "What?"

"Yeah, yesterday he came over and we talked..." She said, "he noticed I was upset too."

Puck was seething. No he didn't, I did. He tried not to look like he wanted to spray the fire extinguisher on the next kid he saw.

"We're going mini-golfing..." She giggled, and Puck wanted to vomit.

"Great..." He said as sincerely as he could fake it, and Rachel waved goodbye as she entered her homeroom.

Whatever, Puck thought. Rachel's back to normal now. It's all good.

But when he pulled some blonde cheerio into the janitor's closet for a quickie before lunch, all he could think about was ways to torture Finn, and what it would feel like if it were Rachel's legs wrapped around him.

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