Disclaimer: I make no claim to ownership of anything Glee.
A/N: Not strictly following season 2, the end of Quick?
"Are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Quinn?" Mrs Puckerman asked as Puck tried to sneak back into the house.
"Busted," Puck thought to himself but refrained from saying it out loud. There was still a chance he could deflect this. "Quinn who?" he asked, hanging his jacket up at the bottom of the stairs then heading towards the kitchen.
"Don't give me that Noah," Mrs Puckerman said as she followed her son. "You know very well who. And Judy says Quinn is acting all strange and secretive too," she announced, letting Puck know for sure that his mom and Quinn's mom were keeping tabs on them. "I'm not a fool Noah, don't treat me like one."
"Nothing is going on with me and Quinn," Puck insisted, his fingers crossed on both hands that were shoved in his pockets out of sight of his mom. "I was with Santana but we broke up, I'm with Lauren now," he told her in a bored voice. He thanked God that every time he had to spend any time with Lauren that she was too much of a badass to want to make out. All she ever wanted to do was wrestle and he was picking up some really great tips from her. Puck turned to look his mom in the eye. "I was thinking of bringing Lauren home with me tomorrow after school to meet you," he offered. Yeah, like he'd even thought of that till right this very second.
"I'll be at work tomorrow, you have to be here for Sarah and I'm not comfortable with you being here alone with a girl, not after last year. Leave it till the weekend then invite her for dinner on Saturday," Mrs Puckerman said with a nod, leaving Puck in the kitchen wondering what excuse he could make up for Lauren not making an appearance at dinner. "I'm still on to you Noah Puckerman," she thought to herself, "'with Lauren' my ass, I've seen that girl and there's no way on this planet you are dating her. So who the hell are you covering for if it isn't Quinn Fabray?"
Quinn and Finn were still sick and not at school but at least that meant they didn't have to hear Santana's weird and slightly deranged homage to Sam's lips in her original song and thankfully they also missed Puck's light hearted but insultingly brilliant song to Lauren. Rachel and the rest of the team were under no illusions. They knew how and why both of them were out sick. Finn had passed mono on to Quinn because they'd been secretly meeting and getting it on, cheating on Sam. Sam had swiftly moved his attentions to Santana leaving Puck free to pursue Lauren at Quinn's insistence. Puck knew he was becoming the joke of the school and for that he actually hated Quinn.
Once they were well again and back at school. they reluctantly admitted that they were dating again. Quite a few people watched with interest, some watched with more than a little jealousy. Rachel managed with just a few words and hints to play on all of Finn's insecurities.
"She's cheated on you before, remember," Rachel reminded Finn as they drove slowly, following Quinn's car then parked up.
"I didn't really need reminding of that, but thanks Rachel," Finn replied, his voice distracted as he pointed his camera in Quinn's direction, focusing on the back of her head when she knocked on the door of a seedy looking motel room.
"That wasn't who I thought it was going to be," Rachel said in surprise when the door was opened allowing Quinn to enter. "I seriously thought it would be Noah," she said, checking the glove box for snacks. "I mean, they have history, they have chemistry and you can't help but notice the glances and touches that pass between them every time we do a routine in Glee," Rachel commented, munching on some vegan health crap. "Want some?" she asked happily, thrusting the package towards Finn. Finn shook his head and concentrated on the motel room window.
"Doesn't make it any better," Finn mumbled, his sights now on the silhouettes in the window. "Cheating's cheating, no matter who it's with."
Finn called Quinn out for cheating on him. Puck and Quinn darted freaked out, scared eyes at each other. Shit. How had Finn found out?
"Sam, it's not cool to do that with your friend's girl," Rachel said loudly, hands on hips. "And Quinn, I can't believe you'd do that again to Finn. What is it with you?" she asked, looking with disgust at Quinn.
"There's nothing going on between Sam and I" Quinn insisted, rolling her eyes in faked boredom. She truly wasn't bored at all. She was freaking out big time. "If he followed me to Sam's motel, how many times has he followed me to Puck's or to the janitor's closet? How many times has he seen Puck come to my house?" Quinn thought to herself. She was more than a little relived when no one mentioned anything to do with her and Puck. They were still safe. For now.
Thankfully Sam and Quinn were able to prove that they hadn't been cheating, Quinn had been merely helping out but it scared Puck and Quinn so much that they decided to cool it a little. Not too much, just a little. The janitor's closet was still a fairly busy space, although they only met there a couple of times a week now instead of daily.
"No, I can't see you tonight," Quinn whispered into her phone. "No, really, I have a date with Finn. No, I can't," she insisted time after time when Puck first asked then begged her to break the dates.
Puck was getting pissed off with this answer. "What's going on Quinn?" he asked harshly, "I thought everyone was just a cover so that we could be together but lately it feels like I'm the cover for you to get with Finn. What? You suddenly realise it's the only way to be Miss Popular?" he heard Quinn chewing on her lip and knew she didn't have an answer for him. "Well, fuck it," he said, "give me a call when it all goes tits up again," then hung up on her.
Puck laid back on his bed and sighed heavily, his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling. Fuck Quinn and her plans. Fuck 'em all. Maybe he wouldn't even get on the plane to come back from New York. Now that they'd won Regionals and knew for sure they were going to New York he might just stay there. That's where Beth was. Maybe he could convince Ms Corcoran to let him meet his little girl. Puck closed his eyes and tried to picture what she would look like now. Would she have Quinn's eyes? His smile? Would she instinctively know who he was? Puck fell asleep to dream of a little blond haired tyke with a wicked smile.
Quinn hated not seeing as much of Puck as she had until just recently and to be honest, she missed him. Missed his own special brand of humour, his little ways of cheering her up, making her feel special. But there was something really important that she had to concentrate on. Prom. She had to be fully committed to Finn if she was going to get that crown. And Quinn needed that crown. She needed it in a way that she had never needed anything else in her life before. More than she needed food, more than she needed air, more than she needed Puck. And he knew it.
Lauren brought the big guns out to play. She had more than a little suspicion that her 'boyfriend' wasn't really her boyfriend. She had seen how Quinn and Puck had looked at each other across the room at the stupid celibacy club, she had heard the teasing in Puck's voice when he questioned Quinn about the hickie on her neck. There was just a little something that niggled at Lauren, a suspicion that wouldn't quite quit. But she hadn't got on the boys wrestling team by giving up at the first hurdle. She'd dig and dig till she got what she needed then watch out Fabray, 'cos Zizes is coming after you.
Quinn's campaign for Prom Queen was derailed by Lauren Zizes. What made it hurt worse was that Puck had helped Lauren to find the dirt on her.
"I can't believe you did that to me," Quinn told Puck, her eyes full of hurt, full of tears. "You know what that crown means to me and you helped her to sabotage me. Why?" she whispered. "Why would you do that?"
"Why?" Puck repeated. "Because after everything that's happened between us, been between us, I'm still not good enough for you. It's been two years and you still won't admit to anyone that what we had was more than just a one night thing. Not even your 'boyfriend' knows that we were together, we were having sex long before he ever even asked you out," he said, his breath coming in gasps, he could barely contain himself. "Just admit it, we've been together since the start of freshman year, you're just too afraid of what people will think, the pretty little princess and the Jew," he ended abruptly. Puck knew what he wanted to say to her, he wanted to say that if he hadn't been Jewish, if he'd been the all American Christian boy that her family approved of there's no way she would have given up their daughter. But he couldn't make himself do it. That would be like admitting that he thought that himself. "Can you even admit to yourself that you cheated on me with Finn rather than the other way around?" he asked sadly, watching her face for a long moment. "No," he answered himself, "thought not," he added quietly as he turned and walked away from her.
Things between Puck and Quinn cooled even further. They were barely even looking at each other these days, never mind talking. Forget sneaking around and getting into each other's pants. The janitor's closet was pretty quiet these days. The janitor was pleased even if no one else knew it. He could get his lunch on time and without having to disinfect his bench first.
Having to sing a really lame song at Coach Sylvester's sister's funeral sucked big time but Puck sucked it up along with the rest of them. Even Mr Schue helped out, reading the eulogy when Coach Sue couldn't say another word. It was actually quite moving. After the service Puck didn't drive away from the chapel straight away. He watched what was happening in Finn's car from his vantage point behind another truck. He saw Quinn start to cry, he saw her get out of the car and saw Finn drive away. Puck couldn't leave her there. They might have fought a lot recently, but he still had feelings for her.
"Get in," Puck said as he pushed open the passenger door. "Quick, before anyone sees us," he muttered sadly, used to sneaking around with her. "You wouldn't want Finn to find out that we've been seen together and make him think you're cheating on him again, would you?" he asked, totally insincerely.
"Doesn't matter," Quinn sniffed as she climbed in his truck and pulled the door shut. "We're through, it's over. He doesn't want me, apparently I don't 'feel enough'," she said with a sob. "I'm too cold, I don't have any emotions," she looked at Puck and waited for him to refute Finn's claims.
"What?" Puck asked. "You want me to deny any of that?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in question. "Right on the fucking money, I'd say," he muttered, checking the traffic before pulling out onto the street.
"You think that too?" Quinn asked, her voice rising.
"Maybe," Puck shrugged, concentrating on driving. "I mean, when have you ever shown any emotions about Beth?" he asked. "Have you ever? Have you ever even said her name? Thought about her?" he demanded.
"I think about her every day," Quinn whispered, heartbroken. "Don't you ever dare say I don't think about her," she hissed at Puck. "You have no idea how hard it was for me," she claimed.
"And you think it wasn't hard for me?" he shouted. "You were the one who decided, you were the one who didn't want to keep her. I didn't get a fucking choice," he yelled, the anger and frustration that he'd felt for almost a full year bubbling up to the surface. "If you weren't such a selfish bitch she'd..." he stopped, going quiet, realising he'd gone too far.
"She'd what?" Quinn asked quietly, icily. "Be here with us now? Is that what you were going to say? With a screwed up, fucked up, emotionless mother and a jailbird father? Is that what you want for our daughter?" she asked. "Because I sure as fuck don't. Stop the car." Quinn demanded. "Let me out, I'll walk," she insisted.
"Don't be fucking stupid," Puck spat back at her. "I'll drop you at your house, I don't think either of our mothers has anything to worry about anymore, do you?" he asked wearily.
"No," Quinn replied, just as tiredly, sadly. "No they don't. I'm done with you."
New York didn't turn out to be quite the dream that everyone hoped it would be. Puck didn't get to meet with either Ms Corcoran or Beth. It wasn't through lack of trying but Quinn had beaten him to the punch. Midway through their stay Quinn had disappeared for the day. She didn't tell anyone where she was going and came back to the hotel in a dreadful state. Santana and Brittany helped sort her out a little. They had no idea what she'd been up to and took her crying about everyone except her finding love at face value. Santana did the only sensible thing when a girl felt so bad about herself. She gave Quinn a haircut.
"Fuck," Puck breathed into Quinn's ear, standing just behind her in the wings as they waited to go on stage. "You look hot like a pixie," he whispered. "Makes me want to throw you down and fuck you right here," he said with a grin.
Quinn didn't turn round but she smiled. She felt her whole being lighten. "You won't get the chance again, asshole, but thanks for the ego boost," she replied as she skipped out to make her first appearance on a New York stage.
