Author's Note: I truly appreciate all the alerts for my little ol' fantasy world in which Puck and Rachel are together, or at least they will be- patience! It would be great if you could tell me what you love about it! I also have to say, this story is really starting to take shape. It's almost starting to write itself at this point. Hopefully, now that finals are over, I'll be able to update a little more frequently. Though, this may end up being a longer story than the original 16 chapters I had planned, now that Glee is on hiatus until April…. Gotta have my fix somehow! The song in the last chapter was "Broken-Hearted Girl" by Beyonce if you weren't familiar. This chapter is a bit longer than the rest, but it had to be written like this- my brain was on overdrive. But it should hold you all over for a while, since I will be out of town for a week and will not be able to update until next year! Yay for New Years in New York City!!!

P.S. Glee is still owned by Ryan Murphy and Fox. I am still thankful for Mark Salling, and the rest of the Glee cast for a fantastic and memorable first half of the season! Can't wait for Santa to bring me my Glee, Vol. 1: Road to Sectionals DVD!


Damn it dude! Get it together!

Over the last week, the club had spent most of their rehearsals learning two new pieces. With everything on his mind, he was having a hard time concentrating. Unfortunately it was beginning to show in his inability to keep up the pace.

I'm starting to look like Finn… I've really gotta snap out of it. He took a deep breath and focused. He succeeded at nailing the rest of the steps. I've still got it, he said to himself, smirking, as he found his chair and turned half of his attention to the front of the room.

"Fantastic job guys," Mr. Schuester said.

"Uh, Mr. Schue?" Artie asked and continued when the question was acknowledged. "These are both great numbers, but why are we learning them? I mean, we already have our set list for sectionals!"

Mr. Schuester laughed. "That's right. We do. But, this is for something entirely different." He looked at the confused faces of the kids. "Principal Figgins has asked if we could put on another show for the PTA and the community. In order to build excitement and support for our trip to sectionals. So, three weeks from tomorrow, we will be performing for all our friends, family, and neighbors."

Excited chatter erupted from the group. Most were all talking about the new songs and mentioning their ideas for costumes. It was decided that Kurt would be appointed designee- provided there were no feathers.

Finn spoke first. "Are those the only songs we're gonna do? Shouldn't we add a few more? It'll be a pretty short show if not."

"Glad you brought that up, Finn." He moved from next to the piano to right in front of the group seated on chairs. "Of course, we'll be performing our three numbers for Sectionals, plus the two new numbers we've learned this week. That brings me to your next assignment."

Great, he thought. The way things are going for me, it'll be another disaster like the duet with the ice princess… He shifted in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I want each of you to prepare a solo. Mr. Schuester watched as the faces of each member slowly lit up at the thought, and he smiled too.

Mercedes turned to Brittany, and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Fantastic! I got my track."

Mr. Schuester held up his hand. "Not so fast Mercedes." He saw their expressions turn to worry. "Now, I know all of you have your favorites and are pretty sure of yourselves in your genre. But we're not gonna be great at Sectionals by playing it safe. We need to get out of our comfort zones."

He was interrupted by Rachel. "Mr. Schue, if I may. I fail to see how-"

Mr. Schuester returned the favor, and continued. "In order for us to take Nationals, we need to really start growing in our abilities. That's why each of you are to choose a song that is something completely opposite of your norm. Everyone needs to expand their repertoire. This is going to be a great chance for you to do just that. You've got a week to put together your piece. On Tuesday, the girls will perform. On Thursday, the guys. You'll vote on the three best performances the following week and the winners will be added to our set list for the show. Good luck to everyone. I can't wait to see what you come up with!"

He watched Mr. Schue grab his coat and briefcase and head out the door. He started thinking about his song selection, a welcome occasion to keep him from thinking about all the other things going on in his jacked up life. Different from the norm? That means no rock 'n roll. Where in the hell am I gonna find a song I will actually wanna sing?

As if on cue, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "Noah?"

Naturally. It's always her. Does she ever stop talking? He looked up at her from his seat with his eyes and she continued.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were having difficulties with the choreography."

She looked at him with that sparkle in her eyes she always got when offering her services to someone in need of assistance in the dancing/singing/performing area. His mind quickly wandered to thoughts of other 'services' she could provide, and he fought the urge to smile. Damn it Puckerman, it's Berry!

Thankfully she didn't seem to notice his little reaction, and continued speaking. "I could help you with it, if you'd like."

He thought he heard her pause before adding the last part, but he figured it had been a figment of his imagination. Unintentionally, he stole a glance at those legs that were more exposed than covered in that little piece of material that could only be loosely defined as a skirt. I bet those legs could do some damage… Snap out of it! It's Berry! After realizing he himself had paused, he reacted quickly. "What, so you can make out with me too?" That might not actually be a bad thing… Shock registered on her face and he felt a fleeting feeling of regret at the words. He shook it off and continued. "You know I'm not Finn, right?"

Calmly, she said, ignoring his jab, "With a little bit of practice, you'll have it down in no time. I helped with the choreography, you know."

He rolled his eyes at the obviousness of her statement and then narrowed his gaze at her."Why do you care, Berry?" He couldn't help notice the flush that crossed her cheeks briefly. What bothered him was the feeling that her blushing caused in him. Arghh! Not again… It had taken extreme measures to get rid of it the last time and he was in no mood for that today.

She replied. "Well, it's for the good of the group. We all need to be perfect if we want to win." Yeah, that's the reason, she tried convincing herself.

He stood there looking at her, trying to figure the girl out. She looked so nervous, biting her lip and shifting her weight from one foot to another, waiting for his reply. He couldn't help but laugh to himself a bit at the sight. Nerves? Where's her 'game face' now! Me and my badass guns must really be driving her crazy! Not surprised though, since they are better than Finn's wimpy ass, so-called muscles.

"Um, Noah?'

He snapped back to reality, and remembered her question. Did he really want help from her, of all people? He knew the kind of trouble he could get himself into. His eyes fell to her legs again briefly. His mind was made up. "Sure. Tomorrow, after school." He watched the smile creep across her face. "But, Berry? You tell anyone about this little arrangement, and the whole school is gonna know about that kiss, starting with Quinn."

He watched her nod, slowly, in agreement, noticing a disappointed look fill her face, even if it was only fleetingly. He felt a surge of pride. I can't just be going all gooey like that because of those damn skirts! Besides, she knows who she's dealing with.

He picked up his coat and started putting it on. She was still rooted in her spot, looking rather uncomfortable. Probably because of the silence. He laughed to himself. Good, I've got her shaking in her shoes. That means she's not gonna tell… Another thought struck him. And now I've got her lying for me too… Guess I'm not any better than him…

It wasn't until after he had his coat on and was halfway out the door, that she finally moved and broke the silence. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Noah."

That smile was back on her face, though he didn't have to turn around to see it because he heard it in her voice. "Yeah, later," he replied, making his way out into the hall and to his truck.

Upon reaching the vehicle, he shuffled through the CD's on the seat. "Nothing here. Where in the hell am I gonna find a song to sing?" He put the keys into the ignition and started on his way home, no longer thinking about his song selection, but those legs and where he could envision them… "Tomorrow should be interesting," he said out loud to nobody but himself, rolling his eyes.


Waiting for him to show had been more painful than she could've imagined. Of course, as usual, she had been early. She set her stuff down and smoothed her skirt. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it had been ten minutes since the last bell rang. Where is he?

She moved towards the piano and sat down on the bench. She tried playing a song, but for some reason her fingers wouldn't cooperate. With a heavy sigh, she stood up and stole another look at the clock. Now it had been 20 minutes since the school day ended.

I'm giving him five more minutes.

She found herself pacing the length of the piano, her fingers nervously dancing off of each other. Over and over again, she turned her head to the door, watching for him.

Eventually, she stopped pacing. "He's not coming," she resigned. She walked over to her stuff and began picking it up.

It was then that he strode through the doorway, setting his bag and coat on the chair nearest the door. "Whoa. Where ya goin,' Berry?"

She just stood there, glaring at him. "You're late," she spat, after a slight pause. "It's obvious you don't really care about this because of your complete disregard for being punctual."

As usual, he just stared at her. "So are we gonna do this, or not?"

"Arghh! You are unbelievable!" She couldn't figure out what was bothering her more, his aloofness about almost standing her up or the butterflies that she started feeling the minute he walked into the room. She shook away the thought. No need to get distracted. Yes, she had admitted she liked him, of course, only to herself, but the butterfly effect he was having on her stomach was another story altogether. One she wasn't ready to open up yet. "Where were you?"

"Running laps." Why did he feel like he had to justify himself by giving her an answer? Grr… He shrugged. "Are we gonna practice or not? 'Cause I've got better things to do if you're bolting."

So he's putting up that wall again. Well, two can play this game. "Fine."

He looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Fine, we're done, or fine, we're doing this?"

"Fine, we're doing this," she replied, rather icily. She noticed the confusion flicker in his eyes, but it was only momentary. She set her stuff back down and pulled something out. She walked over and put the cd into the stereo system. Before she pushed play, she glanced in his direction. Standing there with his hands on his hips, she couldn't help but smile. He is one gorgeous-

Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice and she blushed at the realization that he had caught her staring at him. "Berry, you gotta push play for it to work," he said with a smirk.

As she inhaled, she rolled her eyes. "So, I'm gonna watch you go through the steps the first time. Just do your best to accommodate without the group. I'll join in on the second run-through."

When he grinned at her and raised his eyebrow, she could've sworn her knees turned to jello. Swiftly, she leaned over on the piano, resting her elbow to catch herself.

"Admit it, Berry. You just wanna watch me and my hot bod move."

This charade was proving to be more difficult than she had planned. He just has to be so damn cute! Her knees were not helping the situation. "No, I merely need to assess the areas that are giving you trouble. I can only do that if I watch you go through the choreography first."

Moving into his starting spot, he replied, "yeah, sure. If that's what you wanna tell yourself." Though he could see she was getting a bit flustered, he was pretty impressed with how she was handling herself. No stuttering. Way to go, Berry!

The rest of the rehearsal continued in the same way. She would say something to him and he would respond in his usual obnoxious, vulgar manner. She would keep up her I'm-slightly-annoyed-but-I-don't-care attitude and he would continually try to break her out of it. Admittedly, he had come close, but she wasn't going to let him win. She could hold her own.

Even through their game of cat-and-mouse, they did manage to accomplish some of their task. She hadn't exactly lied to him about her need to watch him during the first run-through. It really was the only way to pinpoint the things he needed to work on. However, he had been right that she really did want to watch him dance around that room.

As his body moved with the music, her eyes were glued to him. He's really a lot better than he gives himself credit for. He definitely knows how to use his body… Her mind wandered to the dark side momentarily and she immediately realized her slip. Much better than Finn. Ughh! Again, comparing the two!

"Earth to Berry."

He had stopped dancing and she realized the music had ceased as well. Doing her best to hide her obvious amazement at his gracefulness, she had quickly moved to his side and helped him work out the first problem area. After only a few run-throughs, he was able to merge his movements with his voice, and together they made it through the section without any mishaps.

When his phone rang, she happened to look at the clock. 5:00? Where had the time gone? She listened to his half of the conversation half-heartedly, as she gathered her books and put on her coat. She had told her dad that she'd be home by 5:30, and though she had thoroughly enjoyed herself, and really didn't want it to end, she knew that her dads would worry if she was late.

He finished his conversation and she walked towards him. "There's still a few more parts we, I mean you, need to work on. Tomorrow afternoon works for me, if you are free too."

He was too busy gathering his things to look at her, but he could sense the hesitation in her voice. "Yeah, whatever. Same place."

She nodded and began walking toward the door. Stopping, she turned and added, "try to be on time tomorrow?" before walking out the door.

Laughing to himself, he zipped up his coat and left the classroom. Always a performance with you, Berry…


"Noah, you did it. Finally," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I'm kidding," she laughed. "I knew you'd get the steps down."

"Mission accomplished," he said smiling. Though he'd never admit it, he really was thankful for her help. And to think he almost didn't show up three days ago!

He'd been running around the track when he looked at his phone. He was already ten minutes late. He turned towards the school, but had changed his mind and continued around the track. He really didn't want to go. Spending time with her, after school, alone, was not, in his opinion, the best thing for him to do with these crazy thoughts running through his head. Nor was it on his top ten list of things he'd love to do.

But, at some point during that last lap, he started feeling guilty about standing her up. He did say he'd be there after all. Guilt? Where the hell did that come from?

Before he knew it, he realized he was already at the school doors. When he walked into the room, he could see she was clearly pissed. He didn't blame her, really, but he'd shown up, so he figured they should practice.

That first day, he kept up his cocky, arrogant jock façade, which he guessed she noticed when she put on her annoyed, Good Samaritan act for him. However, somewhere in that four day time frame that they had been practicing, things had changed for him. Only a little, though, he told himself.

The second day, their routine was more of the same give-and-take. The only difference was that he found he actually meant some of the innuendos he threw her way. The why part was something he had yet to wrap his brain around, but whatever. He figured it had something to do with the flames that he felt burn wherever her skin brushed his.

That burn brought him back for a third day of practice with her. She had relaxed a bit and he had stopped trying to intentionally annoy her. Well, most of the time, because, well, he was a guy. If he had to be honest, which he was, but only to himself, day three was actually pretty enjoyable. She really was an amazing performer and, though he'd deny it 'til his dying day, he liked watching her in all her performing glory.

Not to mention, he missed her. That little revelation occurred after they were practicing the spin for what seemed like the eightieth time. He had missed his step, again, and her hand managed to connect with his nose, the noise loud enough to shock her into silence. Feigning hurt, he had brought his hand to his face. She had replied with a curt, "That's what you get for not paying attention." He had almost went with the line, "A hand in the face is not the usual reaction I get from girls when they catch me staring" but she quickly burst into giggles and took a step closer to him, so he decided against it.

"Oh Noah," she said with genuine concern in her voice. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you," she added, reaching up to touch the place where her hand had caused a red mark.

Their eyes locked and he had to fight the urge to kiss her right then and there. Whether it was because of the slow burn where her fingers rested or the look of concern and smile upon her face, he wasn't entirely sure. He was certain, however, he was not going there. NOT with her. That was not what he wanted. It wasn't. So instead, he broke the moment between them by taking a step back.

He laughed. "It didn't hurt… that bad." She slapped him on the arm. "First the nose. Now the arm? Damn, Berry! I didn't take you for the dominatrix type!"

He was surprised that she didn't slap him again. But he was shocked when she gave him a flirty, coy smile and said, "there's a lot you don't know about me Noah Puckerman."

Instinctively, he raised both eyebrows at her. Was that a wink?!?! Damn! He had forgotten how nice it was to be around her when she let go of her diva-tude and wasn't talking like she had just won the national spelling bee.

It wasn't until he found himself intentionally messing up the steps, during what she had said would be their last run-through because he had gotten it down, that he realized he was truly enjoying hanging with her. And he didn't want their practices to end. When she looked at him with confusion at his obvious regression, he answered her silent question. "Maybe tomorrow? I think I will definitely have it with one more practice. What do you say?" One more, he had told himself. Any more than that and I'll look like Finn.

She smiled and he felt that familiar burn return. "Okay. Same time? Same place?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Berry," he said, smiling, as he walked out the door. When he saw he had a text from Santana, he ignored it and threw his phone in his bag. He couldn't help shake his head and mumble to himself under his breath, "since when do I turn her down?"

He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he also knew he didn't like what it was.


"Hi dad. Daddy," she sang as she breezed by them on her way up to her room. Upon entering her lair, she dropped her stuff by the door and moved to the computer. Opening her iTunes, she hit play and then laid down on her bed, resting her chin in her hands, the memories of the last few days running like a movie in her head.

Though she knew what she wanted, for the first time in her life she had been unsure how to get it. After their "break-up," he had pretty much avoided her, or at least tried to as much as possible. His wall was up again, and she found him almost inaccessible.

But then she saw an opportunity and, as always, had jumped at it. Besides, who else was more qualified to help him with the choreography? Surely not Quinn. Not that she was a terrible dancer. She wasn't. But that growing baby bump was becoming more of a hindrance to her usually spot-on movement lately.

At first, she had questioned her sanity in thinking that it was a good idea. Day one had been awful. Sure she was a performer, but keeping up her usual demeanor had proven difficult, as it went against every feeling she had in her body. With each move he made, her knees grew weaker and she might as well have been putty in his hands when he opened his mouth to sing. Though every fiber in her being wanted his lips pressed against hers, she kept rebuffing his innuendos and advances. She inhaled. Chalk it up to the performance of a lifetime, Ms. Berry…

However, the days that followed reminded her why she had gone through with her plan. Slowly, he had let his guard down and became Noah, instead of the arrogant jock, Puck. She even found she no longer had to put on her act for him. They had found some kind of common ground and were, much to her surprise, enjoying themselves. Well, she knew she was, but was able to conclude he was too from the frequent laughing and smiling he was doing.

She sighed and laid her head down, using her arm as a pillow. She had watched him come alive as he sang and moved around the room during their afternoons together. He has it in him. He just needs to believe it. Then a thought popped into her head. He really would do great as lead male vocal. I'm gonna have to work on that… She pictured the two of them singing together on stage and those butterflies came back.

Rolling over onto her back, she sighed again. "Too bad our practices are over."

Hearing one of her favorite songs begin, she started singing along. Then she remembered the assignment Mr. Schue had given them earlier in the week. She had been so preoccupied with Noah, she had forgotten all about choosing a song.

She sat at her desk and scrolled through her collection of songs, but realized that they were all too "her." Definitely not out of the norm… "Where am I gonna come up with a song?"

Her eyes lit up as her solution to both problems became clear. "Noah," she said happily, determined to seek his help at school the next day.


Standing by his locker, he was surprised to see the blonde had walked up to him as the final bell rang. "And to what do I owe the great honor of your presence?" he said sarcastically, slamming his locker to look at her.

She pursed her lips and sighed. "Hello to you too, Puck." She paused as she watched him roll his eyes. He seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere. "Off to duet with that freak again?" she quipped with a pleased smirk on her face.

He tried to hide his disbelief at her words. So Berry opened her mouth, huh? He was instantly in a bad mood. He was pretty sure she noticed this change. I warned her. Now Quinn finds out about the kiss.

But before he could drop the bomb, she started talking again. "I saw you two in the choir room the other day. So are you two an item now?" She had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring at him, waiting for an answer.

She hadn't told. He felt strangely relieved. Though he wasn't sure why, because he should've wanted to break his so-called best friend and his baby mama up, or at the very least drive a wedge between them. Telling Quinn about the kiss would've done just that. God, what is up with me?

"Should I take that as a yes then?" she questioned.

"No," he spat at her. "Why the hell does it matter to you anyways?" She really was starting to piss him off now. She has no right to act all concerned. "You chose Finn, after all. Remember?" He moved closer and glared down at her.

Ever the star, she chose that precise moment to flounce her scantily clad legs over to him. "Hey, Noah," she chimed, happily clutching her books to her chest.

"Noah?" Quinn gaped. So now you're on first name basis?"

Caught for a moment between the two girls, he paused, looking at them and fighting the urge to bash his head into his locker. Though this particular scenario was once a part of his daytime fantasies, he was pretty sure the actual thing being played out in front of him was definitely straight out of hell. "Go away Berry," he growled.

He watched as she opened her mouth to speak, but then quickly closed it before turning to walk away. It wasn't fast enough for him to miss the look of defeat in her eyes, though. Suddenly, he was even more pissed off than before. I really am an asshole. She didn't deserve that.

He looked over at Quinn, who had a huge smile on her face, as if she had just scored a victory. "Always a gentleman, Puck."

"Can it, ice princess," he sneered, storming past her and heading out to his car.

The entire ride home was spent flipping through radio stations. "I gotta find a damn song to sing." He didn't come up with anything, though he thought it could've been because he wasn't really listening to the music.

His mind was elsewhere, actually. He kept picturing the look in her eyes and he felt guilty all over again. Man, these last four days have really done a number on me…

He wasn't blind. She had been wearing her heart on her sleeve during the final practice, which he thought was crazy. Who does that? He had also noticed that her face practically screamed disappointment after they were finished and she walked out of the room mumbling a barely audible "bye." She had it bad for him. Who could blame her, he thought with a smirk. I'm a stud!

The smile faded fast though. The thing was, he knew he had feelings too. Noah Puckerman was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them. He caught on when that damn burning refused to go away. Being with her was more enjoyable than he had anticipated, or would even admit to anyone. Somehow she was able to make him forget about all that was wrong with his life for those few short hours, and he found he could smile and laugh, and truly mean it. He didn't have to force it with her.

Plus, she believed in him. He saw it in her eyes and heard it in her words. He wasn't sure why. She wouldn't if she knew… But, besides his mom, no one else has even given a shit about him. To them, he was just a kid going nowhere fast. It felt good to have someone else on his side for a change.

"Fuck," he yelled as he hit the steering wheel with his palm. That look… It wouldn't leave his mind.

That's why he couldn't go there with her. All he knew how to do was go and screw up everyone's life. She didn't deserve that. She deserved better. Besides the whole baby issue was bound to come out soon and he could just picture 'that look' crossing her face again when she found out. Causing it once had hurt like hell. There was no way he could handle it if he caused it again.

He sighed heavily. I never used to care about that… Slushies, of course…

But, somehow she had gotten to him. He pulled into his driveway and made his way into the house, thinking about how he could make her see her mistake. He heard his sister singing at the top of her lungs to a song. Definitely not following in Berry's footsteps, he thought rolling his eyes at her screeching. He was about to pound on the door, yelling at her to shut up, but paused. He listened to her words that tried to match the sound coming out of the speakers.

Instead, he knocked on the door. "What are you singing?"

Holding up her "new cd," her words, she had told him the name of the song. He went to his room hand turned on his laptop. He googled the song and quickly read over the lyrics.

He leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and smirking. "Fucking perfect! What better way than a song?"


While waiting for his turn to go, he found his eyes wander over to the seat where she was sitting. She was focusing all her attention on Artie doing his solo. He saw her start clapping and realized the song was over. He quickly joined in the applause.

Finn took the stage next and he couldn't help but cringe. He stole another glance her way. No beaming at him?

He flashed back to her solo. As usual, she hit it. Flawless. He didn't recognize the song, but he had listened closely, knowing she chose to sing her emotions ninety percent of the time. It was some song about not being a second choice. Unexpectedly, he felt like he had been sucker punched. When he caught her eyes, he knew she was singing to him. He just crossed his arms and looked away, in the direction of the blonde, hoping he'd gotten his point across.

Apparently, he hadn't, since she was still being her happy-go-lucky self as she tried to get his attention every chance she had. His reaction was to ignore her and walk away, throwing in an insult occasionally for good measure. Better to hurt her now than later. I'm only doing her a solid…

The group was clapping again, so he concluded his dopey friend was done singing.

"Puck, are you ready?" Mr. Schuester asked.

He nodded and picked up his guitar. Pulling a chair to the middle of the floor, he took a seat. Taking a chance, he glanced up. All eyes were on him, but hers were the only ones he saw. She looked like she was holding her breath.

His slight hesitation wasn't obvious to anyone but himself. Though "Sweet Caroline" had been a success with the group and easy to make his own, this was a chick song, and had proven to be a bit more difficult to rearrange for his voice. But he knew if anybody could pull it off, it was him. He'd like to see Finn try it, since his only talent besides his mediocre voice was his second-rate drum skills. I swear, he's lucky we're friends or I'd probably kick his pansy ass…

Chuckling to himself and swallowing hard, he started strumming his guitar, his fingers dancing easily over the strings. Then he opened his mouth and started singing, finding his stride.

Angels lift you off the ground
I've got shadows weighing me down
Still you believe, you believe in me
I wish I could feel that way
You can trust so easily
I can't give you all of me
Still you're holding on, when you should be gone
I wish I was that brave

He could see the astonished looks on the faces of the Glee members. Many were turning to each other with puzzled looks. Well, Mr. Schue said something not the norm… This song couldn't be more fitting…

You go to war for love like a soldier
I wanna run away
You're never scared to walk through the fire
I wish I had your faith
I turn away, knowing my heart could break
I'm so afraid to lay down my armor
I'm not brave
I'm not brave

He had to hold back a laugh when he noticed she was literally on the edge of her seat as he finished the chorus. Oh yeah, she gets it.

Keep my shield up constantly
Stop these arrows piercing me
Now I don't know how, how to put it down
I wish I was that brave

Quinn's face was priceless. Sitting back in her seat with her arms folded across her chest, she raised her eyebrow, clearly contemplating his song choice. He continued the chorus, putting a little bit more emotion behind it, just for her pleasure.

You go to war for love like a soldier
I wanna run away
You're never scared to walk through the fire
I wish I had your faith
I turn away, knowing my heart could break
I'm so afraid to lay down my armor
I'm not brave
I'm not brave

Frankly, the shared glances between Mercedes and Kurt, as well as the look he was getting from Finn, were pissing him off. Who the hell cares what they think, Puckerman? Knowing the part that came next, he turned toward her. When their eyes locked, he didn't flinch this time. Just kept singing, putting his heart behind it, hoping she understood.

Still you believe, you believe in me
I wish I was that…

Yep, she does, he thought, when she inhaled heavily.

You go to war for love like a soldier
I wanna run away
You're never scared to walk through the fire
I wish I had your faith
I turn away, knowing my heart could break
I'm so afraid to lay down my armor
I'm not brave
I'm not brave

He finished the song and she started clapping enthusiastically. The rest of the group joined in, a bit hesitantly, as if they weren't sure what to make of his performance. He could tell that they all liked it, though.

Moving back to his seat, he sat down in his chair and watched the rest of the solos. He wasn't surprised when she walked up to him after rehearsal was over.

She looked up at him and he couldn't help but notice the sparkle in her eyes. "Noah, that song… it was wonderful."

He caught the hidden meaning in her words and he sighed. "It was just a song, Berry. Only picked it because I couldn't sing anything that I actually would listen to, like I wanted." She seemed to be pondering other songs he could've chosen. "If ya liked it, you can thank my sister." With that he turned and walked away.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath when he saw the blonde staring him down, realizing she had seen the entire conversation take place. My life could not be any more complicated…