Happy New Year, everyone! I'm LOVING the feedback I'm getting from you guys! Seriously, you guys are totally awesome. =D Also, I'm going to apologize now. I don't think this chapter is one of my best. I haven't been feeling so great, but I felt like I needed to get this chapter finished.

So I think I've developed a rhythm with these. It's going to go Puck/Rachel/Puck/Rachel. This one will be Puck-centric. Hokay? Song in this one is Calling You by Blue October.

Song guide:
Puck
Rachel
Together
All
Tina
*Artie

Disclaimer: No ownage of Glee happening here, much to my chagrin. AHH I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL APRIL. Also, I do not own the song. That's all Blue October.

ON TO THE STORY!

Hi. You have reached Rachel Berry. If I am unable to take your call, it is because I am making my dreams come true. I will get back to you as soon as I have a free moment in my busy schedule, though I doubt that will be soon. I appreciate your calling and hope you recognize your full potential soon.

Puck sighed as the line went dead and tossed his cell phone across the room somewhere. He had been calling Rachel Berry every ten minutes for the last two days. Frustrated, he leaned over and turned his radio up to its full volume. It wasn't like the phone was going to ring, so he didn't need to hear it. The sounds of Blue October drowned out all the outside noise and chaos that usually surrounded his house. It didn't help the chaos inside his head quite as well.

Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine every face but the one he wanted to see. All Puck saw, though, was the deepest pair of brown eyes he had ever seen. They stared into him, knowing every facet of his soul. He wanted to punch something.

Maybe he should call again…?

No, that would be stupid. Get it together, man!

He was acting like a freaking girl or something. He just couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to talk to anyone this badly. It was getting to the point where just hearing her voicemail soothed him.

And what made Noah Puckerman so agitated over one girl? One kiss. That's right, just one kiss. From a girl he had been doing a great job of not-thinking about for over a year.

Shit.

It all started three weeks ago when Finn got laryngitis. The McKinley Glee Club invitational was coming up and the chances of Finn healing in time were slim. The only other option for male lead was—you guessed it—Noah Puckerman. That afternoon, Rachel Berry showed up on his doorstep, sheet music in hand and a look of steely determination on her face.

She had pushed past him, right into his own home, babbling a mile a minute.

"We have a lot of work to do, Noah, and only so much time to do it. You have an entire repertoire of lead vocals to learn, so I don't want to hear any complaining. I doubt you have adequate facilities in which to practice here, but it will have to do for a first rehearsal. And—"

"Berry, what the hell are you doing in my house?!" he had interrupted.

She just fixed him with that look and Puck knew, without doubt, he would be doing exactly as she said. So they slaved away for weeks. Everyday he would show up at her house at exactly 5:30. He never thought about what she would do if he were late. They quickly developed a routine. Puck would arrive, and Rachel would drag him past the living room, where one or both of her fathers would be sitting. The father(s) would wave them upstairs, where they would go straight to her bedroom. They would spend the first thirty minutes warming up, and then the next two hours singing until Puck was hoarse.

"You're progressing splendidly!" she would proclaim at the end of every rehearsal.

"So does that mean we can stop this shit?" he would whine.

She would just fix him with that look, hand him a bottle of water, and instruct, "Same time tomorrow." It was only on Saturdays and Sundays he got any peace, and that was only after he threatened her with a slushie facial every morning until graduation.

Puck would have rather died than admit it, but after awhile he didn't mind the long rehearsals so much. In fact, they became almost fun. He could tell he was becoming a better singer everyday, and Berry wasn't so bad sometimes. She was almost human.

He couldn't recall when he had started thinking of her as human, but almost overnight he found his mind wandering back to their—fling? relationship? There really was no word for it. He remembered the way her small body seemed to fit into his body almost like it belonged there. He recalled the way her hot mouth moved against his in perfect sync and the soft look in her eyes when she looked at him sometimes.

He found himself wanting to call her and see if she wanted to rehearse more, or maybe she wanted to see a movie or something. He would catch himself thinking of the way her hair smelled like vanilla and how her barely-there skirts would sway dangerously as she flitted through the halls. Once or twice, Puck wondered if she ever thought of him at all.

The final days before the invitational were when things began to tense up. Everyone was on edge, unsure if Puck would live up to St. Finn's shining example. Rehearsals were getting longer, both with the Gleeks and with Rachel, and even Mr. Schue was feeling the tension. It was all starting to cramp Puck's style.

The night before Puck's debut, Rachel showed up at his door. She had no sheet music with her for once, and she didn't enter in her usual whorl of determination and Chanel no. 5. Instead, she stood on his doorstep, empty-handed, chewing her bottom lip uncertainly.

"Uh…Hey, Berry," he started, confused. "Can I help you with something?"

She flashed him a nervous smile. "Oh, well I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I would inquire after you and make sure you're keeping your voice in top condition."

"Um… Yeah."
"Oh, ok. Good."

An awkward silence stretched between them before Puck spoke. "Did you want to come in or something?"

Rachel nodded quickly, "That would be lovely! Thank you, Noah." She brushed past him into the house. She seemed to recover her usual confidence as she walked.

"I was just grabbing something to drink. You want anything?" Puck asked. What was she doing here?

"Yes, please" she answered. "I'll accompany you."

They walked into the kitchen, where Puck grabbed two glasses and filled them each with lemonade. Rachel muttered a thanks before they fell silent once more.

Puck took large gulps of the drink, the sourness stinging his throat. He watched her over the glass, fidgeting with her own full glass. She seemed determined to look anywhere but at him; it was kind of cute.

What the hell? Since when is Berry cute? he thought.

He quickly set down his drink and cleared his throat. "So...uh, do you think a lot of people are gonna show up tomorrow night?"

Her eyes shot to his before she smiled. "Oh yes, I expect plenty of people. There may even be a few talent scouts in the audience just waiting to further my career," she gushed. "You may even be discovered, Noah. There's plenty of room on that stage for both of our talents."

Puck was confused. Since when was Berry willing to share the spotlight with anyone, much less a Lima Loser like him? And talent scouts? Like they would be interested in him. "What the hell are you talking about, Berry?" he asked.

She sighed and set down her glass, as well. "Noah, if you honestly cannot see how talented you are, your ego may not be as big as you make it out to be."

He must have still looked confused because she continued, "You're an exceptional performer, Noah. One of the best I've ever worked with… including Finn."

Puck stared at her, a feeling rising in his gut he was pretty sure he'd never felt before. He was suddenly struck with the thought that Rachel Berry, standing under a crappy kitchen light in her granny clothes, was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

Without realizing what he was doing, he stepped forward, pushing her back against the counter. "N-Noah?" she asked nervously. He continued to stare at her, determined to memorize every curve on her face.

Slowly, she leaned in and brushed her lips across his cheek. Puck thought his heart was going to stop. "What did you do that for, Berry?"

She looked right in the eyes, her face determined. "I think we're going to be great tomorrow. You're going to be great tomorrow. Despite what everyone else may think, I believe in you."

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to gauge a reaction. When it seemed that all he was going to do was stare blankly at her, she whispered, "Goodnight, Noah," and brushed past him. He let her go, but he watched the spot she had just vacated for the longest time.

The next night, Puck was a bundle of nerves. There was a knot in his stomach that wouldn't go away; he thought he was going to puke.

"Ok, everyone, listen up!" Mr. Schuester called out. "We've practiced long and hard for tonight. Despite our last minute substitution," he looked pointedly at Puck and Finn, "I think we can really pull this off. You guys are incredibly gifted, and I know you're going to make me proud."

They filed onto the stage, the air almost crackling with nervous excitement. Puck could hear the dull murmuring of the crowd outside and briefly considered running. Suddenly, a warm hand slipped into his, causing Puck to nearly jump out of his skin. Looking down, he saw that the hand was attached to none other than Rachel Berry. She smiled at him, her eyes intense, and he recalled her words from the night before. "You're going to be great..."

He squeezed her small hand, and she squeezed his back, and the knot in Puck's stomach loosened considerably. He gave her a small smile before dropping her hand and getting into position. He was ready, more ready than he had ever been. This was his moment.

The curtains were pulled open, revealing a packed crowd and releasing the power of the stage lights right into Puck's eyes. He winced slightly, his resolve faltering. He searched the stage out of the corner of his eyes before finding the one person he needed to see.

"She's right there, Puckerman. She's going to be with you the whole time," he told himself. "It's just like rehearsal."

The guitars started up, followed quickly by the drums. This was it, his cue was right there. Puck took a deep breath and started to sing.

Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it's only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together

He walked over to Rachel, like the choreography called for, but something felt different this time. There seemed to be a swagger in his steps that wasn't there before as he approached her. A lazy smile tugged at her lips as she also walked towards him.

If I should call you up, invest a dime
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together

Right as they met up, they spun away from each other, mixing in with their fellow Glee members. As the groups eased into the chorus, Puck could feel every care just drift away.

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life!
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life!

The group quieted down to their background "Ooohs" as Tina and Artie took the next verse.

~Me and you and you and me
*No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
~The only one for me is you, and you for me
*So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life!
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life!

Puck and Rachel once more sauntered towards each other from opposite ends of the stage. Staring into her eyes, everyone else seemed to fall away. The only thing holding everything together was the song and their voice mixing together.

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Puck grabbed her hand like he was supposed to as the verse ended and spun her out towards the opposite side of the stage as the group danced forward. The volume got progressively louder as everyone came together. Puck almost felt like he was flying.

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-baaaa!

Everyone moved to the front of the stage while Puck, Rachel, Artie, and Tina hung back, finishing the last verse.

Me and you and you and me
*No matter how they toss the dice, ~it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

The rest of the Glee members sat down at the edge of the stage, keeping up their "ba-ba-ba-ba's." Something had happened on that stage that Puck had never felt before. There was this connection between every single person onstage, it infected their song and made it so much more than it had ever been. And it still wasn't over.

~So happy together
*How is the weather
*~So happy together
We're happy together
So happy together
Happy together
So happy together
So happy together

As the last notes of the song rang out, the crowd jumped to its feet. People were cheering as loud as they had for Sectionals last year, and Puck felt like he was going to explode. Everything has been so beyond perfect. And Rachel—she had been something else entirely on that stage. She seemed to glow almost. As everyone took a bow, Puck felt a hand in his tugging him forward, right in front of everyone.
People cheered even louder as Puck looked down to see Rachel beaming up at him, the performance glow still present. Puck's whole body hummed with that same unfamiliar feeling as he gazed at her.

The curtain closed once the crowd began to die down, and Puck's fellow Glee members rushed back to their dressing rooms to change for the next song. As he turned to join them, he felt a tug on his hand and realized Rachel was still holding onto it. Right as he turned to look at her, he felt her let go, and a split second later her small arms were wrapped tightly around his neck as she pressed her full lips to his.

Time stopped. It was as if the entire universe slowed to a crawl as she pulled him closer to her, kissing him like she had never kissed him before. It wasn't like last time when he knew she was just picturing Finn and he was thinking of any other girl. This time it was all about each other. Puck moved to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss, but Rachel pushed him back.

"We'd better get changed," she said quickly before rushing off of the stage.

Puck didn't know how he managed to get through the next three songs. All he could think about was her arms around his neck and the feel of her body pressed against his. He could still feel her lips, still taste her lip gloss. But for Rachel it was like nothing happened. She sang and danced like she had never thought twice about kissing him. It was way too fucked up.

She had practically run off after the last song; Puck never had a chance of catching her, not with everyone closing in on him, congratulating him. Everywhere he turned was a new face, patting him on the back and singing his praises, but none of them were the one he was desperately looking for. By the time he had extracted himself from Mr. Schuester, Rachel was long gone.

That night he was the night he started calling. He needed to hear her voice, needed to make sure she was still real. He had even dreamt about her that night, as well as every night afterward. Her song was inside of his head, pushing him towards the phone once more.

Every time the phone rang, his heart jumped to his throat. Maybe it was her that time. But, of course, it never was. So he just kept calling and calling, each ring putting miles and miles of distance between them. He desperately wanted to know if she was thinking about him, if she ever dreamt about him. She had completely taken him over.

Without realizing what he was doing, Puck sat up, turned down the Blue October, and reached for the phone once more. After four rings, he moved the phone away to hang up when he heard from the other line, "Puck?"