Disclaimer: If any of you out there seriously think I own Glee, then you must be pretty damn stupid. And a little naive
It's taken a month...and it's seriously short. I really hate real life sometimes. School sucks pretty damn bad too. I should just run away and join the army. That should solve all my problems.
A little message to everyone who's reading this: I realise that not everyone out there likes Finchel and Quick. Believe me, I dont really either. But this story would be just a little on the side of BORING if I had Puckleberry all the way through. So naturally, I'm going to mix it up a little. Mainly for my own entertainment, 'cause I'm kind of evil like that. Just bear in mind, I put the pairing on this story as Puck and Rachel for a reason. If that's not enough of a clue, then I dont know what is.
So, it's been a week.
Or two weeks. Depending on how you look at it. It certainly feels like two weeks to Rachel, and neither of them have been particularly easy, seeing as in both, Mr Schuester has been stressing over the upcoming Regional's performance in five weeks' time. Seriously, he's picking now to discover just how important it was to get the songs perfected early? When she really didn't need any extra stress in her life? It just goes to show how selfish some people could be sometimes.
She's in the Noah-verse now, walking out of Glee club after the meeting, her tiny hand encased in Puck's large one. She's talking to him about the vocal exercises that she's going to be starting to give herself an extra edge at Regionals, when she notices Puck's not really listening.
Instead, his attention is focused on the form of a woman standing at the end of the hall, talking to a member of the English faculty. Her mother. Shelby.
Puck's hand tightens around hers, the callouses of his fingertips digging into her skin. He pulls her in a little bit closer to his body as they walk past her. Shelby barely gives either of them a passing glance. Rachel doesn't look up at Puck's face, but she knows the expression on it isn't going to be a happy one.
In his truck, he bangs his fists on the steering wheel, giving Rachel a fright. "It's not fucking fair!" he shouts. His head falls down to rest on the wheel. "It's just not fair, babe…she can't do this to me." She reaches out her arm to rub her hand up and down his back, not really knowing what else to do. It still felt a little weird comforting him like this.
"What's wrong, Noah?" she asks, her voice timid. Puck lifts his head up to look at her, grabbing her hand to hold it in his.
"I miss Beth," he grunts, his thumb rubbing a circle into her palm. "Ever since Shelby's returned, it's just making me think about her all the fucking time. She still won't let me see her, just sends me pictures through the mail every now and then. The pictures are good, don't get me wrong, but it's not the same…I wanna see my little girl, Rach. I wanna fuckin'…hold her in my arms, just like I did that day at the hospital when she was born." Puck sighs. "It's the only time I've ever gotten to hold her, and I want to do it again so god damn badly, but I can't." He stays sitting there silently, still rubbing Rachel's palm.
"I wish you could see her, Noah," she chokes out. "It's not fair on you, having her so close but not being able to see her." Puck nods his head, and starts up the engine. He won't look her in the eye for the whole car trip. Rachel wonders just how much he's hurting inside, and why he chooses to bottle it all up instead of telling someone. Like her.
He pulls up in her driveway, and before she gets out, she rests a hand on his shoulder. "You know, Noah, if you're having any problems, troubles, or you just want to get something off your chest, you can always come to me. It's what I'm here for" Puck puts his hand on top of hers and squeezes it.
"Thanks, babe," he replies, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek as he draws it away. "I really love you."
Rachel pauses in shock. She grabs her bag and moves to open the door. She turns around as she steps out of the car, tripping over the words that are tumbling around in her head. "I-I…uh, love you too, Noah," she fumbles as she waves goodbye to him. She shuts the door and watches from the porch as his car pulls out of the driveway and drives off down the street. A shaky breath escapes her throat and she gives herself a minute outside to compose herself before moving inside her house, pulling the door firmly closed behind her.
*/*
The next day, she's back in the Finn-verse, sitting with her boyfriend in the cafeteria at the table with the rest of the Glee club because it's Tuesday, and she set Tuesday as the Official-Glee-Club-Lunch-Date about a year ago. Not many were too enthusiastic about the idea then, and they aren't exactly now, but there's significantly less grumbling then there was in the previous year, so Rachel sees that as a bonus. The events from yesterday have still left her knocked for six, especially since she practically lied to her dream-boyfriend's face about loving him. Lying is not something she particularly likes doing, especially not to someone who she cares about (and she's not going to deny that she cares for Noah –she has on some level for a while). She doesn't know what else she should have said, however. It's not as if she could say she didn't love him, when it was quite obvious that dream-Rachel did. It's all very confusing.
She turns to her real boyfriend, putting a hand on his arm. "Finn, would you be able to come with me to the Mall after school? I feel like buying a new dress."
Finn's face is apologetic when he tells her he can't. "I'm sorry, baby, but I promised Burt I'd help him out in the garage this afternoon. He's been understaffed ever since Brett did a runner on him, and he really needs the help." Rachel nods sadly, and turns to Quinn.
"Quinn, would you be able to come with me? Dress shopping really isn't as rewarding if someone isn't there with you to praise you on your choice," she asks.
"Sorry, I'm stuck with babysitting. Again. You know, if I wasn't getting paid so much for it, I'd tell my sister to rack off. It's really putting a dent in my 'me time'." Rachel's face falls and she sighs.
"Never mind. I'll go by myself. I'm sure I can give myself enough commendation on whatever I choose."
"I'll go with you, if it'll stop you whining."
She looks up to see Puck staring at her, burger in his hands. She raises an eyebrow at him, and he explains, "My mom and sister have been riding my ass non-stop for a few days now, I need a fucking break. And hell, if going to the Mall to look at fucking dresses means getting out of the house, I'm game." He smirks, and takes a bite out of his burger. Rachel scrunches up her face as she watches the sauce from it drip down his chin. Disgusting…
"That would be lovely Noah...just…please –would you like a napkin?"
Puck shakes his head. "M'all good."
"Right then…you can meet me in the carpark after school then, Noah, and I'll drive us there. Please try to be prompt, I want to be in and out quickly so I have time to watch Gossip Girl tonight." Really, one of the only good things about living two lives was how it fitted into her TV schedule. Gossip Girl tonight, Supernatural tomorrow at the same time on the same date. Problem solved.
Puck rolls his eyes. "Yeah, stop worryin', I'll be there on time." Rachel glares at him and he mock scowls back.
Rachel turns to Finn and says, "I'll call you tonight when I get back from the Mall. I want to discuss a duet idea for Glee that I've had." Finn nods at her, and presses a kiss onto her cheek.
"Sounds good, Rachel." He grins at her and she gives him a huge smile back. She really misses her boyfriend in the Noah-verse.
*/*
Rachel stands out by her car after school, tapping her foot. She checks her watch, and then crosses her arms. He's late, she thinks as she tries to restrain herself from checking her watch again. She sees his figure walking towards her in the distance, and honestly, how on earth was she managing a friendship with someone who did not understand the benefits of punctuality?
Then again, she was dating him in another world. Best just not to think about it too much.
"You're late," she says, shaking her head.
"By like, five minutes. Keep your fuckin' panties on." She glowers at him as he fumbles with the door. "Can you unlock the car?"
She presses the button on her keys and steps inside the car, starting the engine and flicking to her favourite radio station. She hears Puck groan in the seat next to her as the sound of Kelly Clarkson's voice echo's through the car. "Is there a problem, Noah?" she asks.
"Yeah…as your friend and shit, I consider it my duty to tell you that I fucking hate Kelly Clarkson. Her music makes me want to shoot myself."
Rachel furrows her brow. How on earth could anyone hate Kelly Clarkson? Her music was an inspiration to all. She turns the dial on the radio tuner, settling on a classic rock station. "This better?" she asks, receiving the answer form Puck in the form of a giant grin as he starts banging his head along to Led Zeppelin.
"Fuck yeah! Zeppelin beats Kelly hands down any day." He reaches for the volume dial and turns it up almost all the way, blasting her tiny speakers to a deafening volume. Rachel giggles when Puck starts air guitaring along to a riff, scrunching up his face in utter concentration. She decides to keep the station on as she drives. She'll never admit it to him, but she's a bit of a Led Zeppelin fan herself. She blames her daddy.
He makes her sit in the car for an extra few minutes in the parking lot while he waits for an Aerosmith song to finish. She's still shaking her head as she walks through the big glass doors.
"Come over, Rach, it was a good song! You gotta admit, Love in an Elevator is the shit."
"While I confess, the song is a little catchy, I just don't understand why someone would write a song about an elevator. It makes no sense," she replies, walking over to a directory. Where's that dress shop I went to a month ago...?
Puck smirks behind her. "It's not so much about the elevator, it's more what they do in it –if you get my drift."
"What do you mean, what they do in –" Rachel pauses, finger stilling on the directory. "Oh, that is just –you're lying."
"Didn't you listen to the lyrics?" He leans in close and starts singing the lyrics in her ear. "Love in an elevator, living it up while I'm going down."
Rachel slaps his arm. "Noah Puckerman! You are just vile." He's laughing too hard for her remark to hurt. It doesn't help that she's giggling a little too. "Come on, I found the shop I want to go to."
Simply Fabulous! sits two floors above the entrance, a bright neon sign hanging above the store. Rachel pulls Puck into the store, ignoring his grumblings of stupid fucking chick shops and so many fucking clothes, they look better without them anyway. She gasps when she sees a blue dress with red polka-dots hanging on a rail. "Noah, what do you think of this one?" she asks, holding it up against her frame. She scowls at him when he shrugs.
"I dunno…what the hell do you want me to say? They all look the fuckin' same to me!"
Rachel scoffs at him. Bringing Kurt probably would have been a better option. She checks out the price tag. $30. Down from $75. That settles it, she's buying it.
"I'm going to go try this on. Try not to get in trouble while I'm gone." Puck looks like he's trying not to flip her off as she flounces to the changing rooms. She kind of admires his self-control.
Her first opinion of the dress was right; it looks absolutely wonderful on her. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded paying the full $75 on this. Dresses like these don't come along every day. She does a little twirl in the mirror. Perfect, she thinks as she's slipping it off. It's just what she needs.
After she's paid for the dress, she walks outside the store, and comes to a halt. A tented stall is set up just next to Simply Fabulous!, with aromatherapy candles and intricate looking jewellery on sale. There's a woman sitting inside, long wavy hair cascading down her tie-dyed dress, her yellowy-green eyes staring right at Rachel. It's silly, she knows, but it feels like this strange gypsy woman is staring right into her soul. She breaks eye contact and turns to Puck, asking, "Was that stall there when we went in the shop?" Rachel huffs when he shrugs again.
"Would you like a fortune, my dear?" Gypsy-Lady asks, her voice thick with a Romanian accent. It sends shivers down Rachel spine, and she shakes her head.
"I'm sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush…maybe another day." Gypsy-lady lady nods solemnly, and her mouth twists into a grin, baring yellow stained teeth. Rachel involuntarily shudders.
"It's no bother, I can sense that you shall be back soon." She taps her nose twice, and Rachel chooses that moment to mutter a goodbye, grab Puck's arm, and drag him quickly towards the stairs.
"Y'know, the whole dragging thing gets old after a while."
"Shut up, Noah."
*/*
An hour later, she's sitting in her kitchen nursing a cup of hot chocolate, watching Puck go through the collection of DVD's next to the TV. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to, Noah. I don't mind if you go home." Actually, she does. It's nice having a friend around to watch movies with, but if he leaves, it's not like it's not the first Friday night she's spent alone.
"S'no problem, only an empty fridge for me at home. Got nothin' else going on anywhere else." He holds up a movie with a grin on his face. "You wanna watch a little Seth Rogen?"
"Okay, that sounds great! Shall I make the popcorn?"
"Rachel, that shouldn't even be a question."
She'll never admit it to anyone else, but Knocked Up isn't a half-bad movie. If you look past all the drug references, sexual innuendos and absolute love for Canada, it's actually pretty interesting. Twenty minutes in, and she's hooked. Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigel's characters are drawing her in completely.
Something about the look on Puck's face just doesn't seem right to Rachel, and she asks him what's wrong. He shakes his head and tells her not to worry. "It's stupid, Rach. Just forget about it."
"Noah, please, tell me. What's wrong?"
Puck sighs. "After Quinn got pregnant, I had like, this idea of us kind of raising that baby together." He scoffs. "Problem was, I had no fucking idea how to take care of a baby. I knew you fed em and shit, and changed their nappies every few hours, but apart from that I had nothing. Couldn't ask Ma, 'cause she didn't know that I was even gonna be a dad, and couldn't ask Quinn, 'cause she wanted nothing to do with me. I fucking hate reading, so I just did what I knew best. Which was going to Blockbuster, and hiring every movie with a baby or pregnant chick in it. This was one of the few ones that wasn't some shitty chick-flick with a leading girl I'd only bang if I was drunk."
Rachel looks down at the popcorn bowl (low-fat, dairy free –just the way it should be). "We don't have to continue watching it if you don't want to," she says.
"Nah, it's cool," Puck replies. "Seth Rogen's like, my man. Wouldn't be right stopping a movie of his. Jew-honour and all that shit."
She giggles and returns her attention back to the TV. A while later, Puck nudges her in the side and tells her to, "watch carefully, 'cause this is the best fuckin' part."
She watches him double over with laughter when the scene comes on, paying more attention to the expression on his face rather than the screen. "Fucking hilarious," he states, stealing a handful of popcorn. Rachel giggles, then turns her head back to the movie.
*/*
"Rach, why the fuck are we here? I can think of about a million other things I could be doing right now, and only about 87% involve you in my bedroom. Wearing as little as possible."
"Noah, if you want to leave, then feel free. I'm really not stopping you." Rachel stops in the middle of the Mall and crosses her arms, staring straight at her boyfriend (still not used to thinking that). Puck stares straight back at her, trying to keep a passive expression on his face. After ten seconds he caves and groans, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender.
"Again, why the fuck are we here?"
"Because, I saw an absolutely lovely dress here the other day selling for a very good price, and I wish to see if it is still here, because it would be fantastic if it was. I know it will just look lovely on me." Mainly because she tried it on today/yesterday, and it's now hanging in her other wardrobe. Having the same dress in both worlds is just too good of an offer to turn up. Puck groans again as she drags him up the escalator and into Simply Fabulous!. She squeals when she sees the exact same dress hanging on the rack. She checks the price. $30. Rachel loves today.
She doesn't bother trying it on –why bother when she knows it looks great? Outside the store, she waits patiently while Puck talks on the phone with his mother. She looks inside the bag, and smiles again. She really does love this dress.
"Would you like a fortune, my dear?" Rachel swivels around, and sees the same tent with the same candles and same Gypsy-Lady sitting inside. Rachel shakes her head.
"I'm sorry, I'm a little busy right now, maybe another time?"
The lady nods solemnly, and looks down at her cards, perfectly lay out on the table in front of her. "I should have expected that answer…it's exactly what you said yesterday."
Rachel's blood runs cold, Gypsy-Lady's words ringing in her brain like a siren. She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. It's like her voice has been trapped at the bottom of her throat.
"Of course," she continues, moving some of the cards around. "It wasn't really yesterday…more a second today…" She looks up at Rachel, and her mouth twists into a combination of a grin and a smirk, her thin lips baring stained yellow teeth. Rachel swallows a lump in her throat that she didn't know was there.
"What are you –do you know what's happening to me? What the hell is going on! You have to tell me –"
"Rach!" Puck calls out. She turns her head back to him. He's holding up his phone, trying to wave her over. "My mom wants me home. It's Schindler's list night, and she's still pissed I missed out on the last one." Rachel nods at him, and signals for him to wait a minute. Turning back to face the woman, who's smirking at her, she points her finger out and tells her in the sternest voice that she can muster; "I will be back to find out exactly what you know about what's happening to me, and that's a promise."
Gypsy-Lady nods. "I know you will, my dear. I foresee it" She starts chuckling as Rachel walks away, the sound following Rachel out of the mall and into the carpark
In the car driving home with Puck, she stays quiet, too deep in her thoughts to engage in conversation. What that woman had said…it came as a huge shock. If she knew about the two worlds –the only other person who seemed too –then…was it possible that she had something to do with it? Rachel bangs her head on the window in frustration. This sucked. So bloody much.
"You right there, babe?" Puck looks at her, brow furrowed. "Ya seem…angry, or something. I dunno. You wanna talk about it?" Rachel sighs and shakes her head.
"No, it's not something I can really talk about. Don't worry, though, I think I'll be alright." Puck takes one of his hands off the wheel and reaches over for hers, squeezing it softly.
"If anything's bothering you, Rach, you know you can always talk to me. S'what I'm here for." He smiles at her, and she gives him a small smile back, squeezing his hand in return.
"Thank you Noah." She looks down at their hands, clasped together, their fingers interlocking. "You're an amazing boyfriend." She can see him grinning as he faces to the front, still holding her hand. It's a little bit of a surprise to her –the fact that he's such a good boyfriend.
Then again, did she ever expect him to be anything less?
"Living in dreams of yesterday, we find ourselves still dreaming of impossible future conquests" –Charles Lindbergh
