Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love hearing what you all think about the chapters. It was a close race, but the chapter I chose edged out the other just by a couple votes. Don't worry, the other one will be up soon! Enjoy.
** If any of you are interested I wrote a Puck/Quinn one-shot not related to this story. It's fluffy and has a bit of smut (rated M). I was bored. Haha!
Chapter 4- Oh No He Didn't
Disclaimer- Nope, Glee and it's characters did not come from me.
Quinn was laying on her bed with Beth sprawled across her chest. The small baby held her mother's pinky finger as Quinn told her nursery rhymes and hummed "Dream A Little Dream." In a few minutes Puck would be at the house to pick Quinn up and she anxiously awaited his arrival. They were going over to his house for dinner and she was happy to do it. Quinn, at one point in time wanted to strangle Ms Puckerman when she felt cooped up like a chicken, but after a few weeks of being away from his family, she realized that she kind of missed them. So, when Puck invited her to dinner she said yes wanting to see his mom and his little sister again.
Judy knocked on her daughter's door and smiled, "He just pulled up."
Quinn smiled widely and then kissed Beth on the forehead. "Let's go see your dad."
Puck saw her coming down the stairs as he entered the front door. He shook his sleeves and little pellets of water fell to the ground. "It's raining like hell out there."
Quinn smiled as she walked closer to him. She could see small beads of water on his buzzed head and laughed when she wiped some off just above his brow. "Ever heard of an umbrella or rain coat?"
He rolled his eyes and smirked when he extended his hands to get Beth. "Hey you."
"Let me get my purse." Quinn turned to walk away and sighed nervously.
He nodded and then looked down to Beth. She had her fists clenched into tiny balls and swung them around. Puck laughed thinking she'd look hilarious dressed up in one of those pro wrestling outfits. He watched her for a moment and then looked to see if Quinn was coming back. Before he could even blink he felt a thud on his chin.
"Hey?" Puck snorted with laughter as Beth clocked him again. "Ahh, you got me. Ohh, you got me."
Quinn walked back to the foyer half amused and half concerned. It was adorable how good he was with her, but she also knew if they didn't leave soon they'd be late for dinner.
"You two better hurry." Quinn's mom smiled as she reached for her granddaughter. "And Puck."
"Ma'am?"
"Drive carefully."
He nodded with a smile and put his hand on the small of Quinn's back. "Let's go."
Quinn turned back to her mom. "We'll be back around ten. There's a bottle in the fridge..."
"I know, honey."
Quinn smiled. "Thanks."
As Puck ushered her to the door she thought of how thankful she was to have a built in babysitter. Sure, Quinn and her mother had been estranged for a while, but that was all over now. Her mother was always the first to offer to watch Beth, do the laundry, she bought the latest and greatest toys, and she'd do everything else Quinn needed help with. Most of it was probably out of guilt, but so far, Quinn was really happy that her mother had had a change of heart.
"On the count of three." Puck grabbed her hand and smiled. They were going to race to the car hoping they wouldn't get soaked.
Running as fast as they could, Quinn slid into the truck a little wet but not too bad. Brushing some water off her arms, Quinn grinned when Puck threw a smirk her way. He was right, who needed umbrellas or a raincoat?
PQPQ
Dinner had been really good. Puck's mom had made her famous lasagna and his little sister kept the table entertained with stories about soccer camp and a boy named Trey Adams. Quinn noticed each time his sister would talk about her crush, Puck would tense up and look cold, but she thought it was really sweet. When the table was clear of all food Puck offered to do the dishes. His mother welcomed the help so that left Quinn and his little sister alone to watch TV.
When Quinn handed him her plate, he whispered for her to go to his room and that he'd meet her when he was through. She smirked at his sneaky demeanor, and she slipped out of the kitchen unnoticed making her way down the hall.
She'd never been in his room, not alone anyway. So as she sat down on the bed, Quinn took in all the sights. He had some Maxim posters, an old lava lamp she was sure was a fire hazard, he had stacks of Sports Illustrated piled on his desk, and his clothes were strewn about the room. In a nutshell, the room was what everyone should have expected from Noah Puckerman.
His bed though, it was sharply made and his pillows looked like they were pressed firm. Quinn sat carefully not wanting to mess up the covers and waited. She was minding her own business but the dishes were taking longer than she thought, so she got up and walked around his room to kill time. He had trophies from the sixth grade up until high school scattered on shelves, and she smiled knowing he was a tremendous athlete.
When she reached his dresser, Quinn fiddled with a knob before she pulled it open. Quinn knew it wasn't right, but she also knew that she could handle whatever it was that she'd find. Nothing surprised her about Puck. However, a book at the top caught her eye and she smiled. She had no idea he had it. It had an interesting title, one that made her cheeks hurt because she was smiling so wide. The Dudes' Guide to Pregnancy: Dealing with You Expecting Wife, Coming Baby, the End of Life as You Knew It, that's what had her grinning.
She set the book on the dresser and then eyed a couple black and white composition notebooks.
"Puck?" She laughed pulling one of the notebooks from the dresser. "A journal guy."
This wasn't just a journal though, it was much more as Quinn found out when she turned the front cover. Bang and Blow was written in his thin handwriting on the first page. A knot welled up in Quinn's stomach and her eyes filled with disgust. Not being able to put it down, she thumbed through the pages shaking her head. Each name she recognized or thought she recognized. Some from school, some were moms, and it made her sick to her stomach. The worst part was that he'd written down the date and time, like that's all he really cared about. Some of them were circled and some were crossed off. As she got close to the end, the dates were getting closer to the time when they had slept together. She scanned the names and then saw the date. Before she could find her name, Quinn heard Puck walk to his room.
"Quinn?" Puck pushed open his door and saw her standing by his dresser. "Hey."
She spun on her heel and scowled. Her hands were shaking as she tossed the notebook to the floor. "What's this?"
He didn't know what to say. "Uh..uh." He bent down and swallowed hard. "It's just..." Puck looked at the book and then to Quinn with anger welling in his eyes. "Wait, why are you going through my stuff?"
That was besides the point for Quinn. "You keep records?" She used her fingers to make air quotes on the word 'records'. His silent stare told her everything. "Ugh, you're disgusting."
"Jesus, Quinn." He furrowed his brow and his voice loudened. "So what? Yeah, I made a list."
"For what, little reminders, trophies of your indiscretions?"
He was close enough to touch her but he didn't. "I don't know, maybe."
Quinn didn't want to look at him. "You know, I thought you had changed. That maybe somehow you were different."
"I did. I am." Puck widened his eyes. "This isn't a big deal."
This isn't a big deal? Quinn shook her head at the thought. It was totally a big deal. She looked down trying to hold back tears. "Don't follow me."
Puck watched her leave his room and he couldn't even mumble for her to stop. When he heard the front door shut, Puck threw the notebook across the room and huffed in anger. "Shit!"
PQPQ
Quinn had said she was sorry to Puck's mom and sister as she ran out of the house. Her tears stung her face as she walked in the dark hoping she could find a ride somehow. In her furry and rage she'd forgotten her purse which meant no cell. She was just hoping some nice stranger would give her a lift.
She wrapped her arms around her body to keep warm. The rain had cleared and a chilly breeze blew her hair in her face. Her tears were unyielding and she cried for several reasons. The first being because of the journal. It made her sick to think how many girls Puck had been with. She'd only been with one. Him. The second reason was because she hated herself for falling for such a scumbag. She didn't know how she had ever liked him, someone so...gross. Her third reason was because she didn't want Beth to have a father with such low morals and standards. Beth deserved a father, a man with all the right intentions, not an immature boy who only thought with his overactive sex drive. The last reason she cried was mainly because she was alone, cold, and walking home in the dark.
PQPQ
After taking a few minutes to gather his thoughts, Puck ran out of the house to chase after Quinn. His only problem was he didn't know which way she had gone. He was worried for her safety, but most of all he was sorry. He'd circled the block once and then headed down a dimly lit street yelling her name out the window.
Then he spotted her, sitting on the curb with her head buried in her hands, Quinn was in the shadows of some trees almost hidden. He parked his truck and walked over to her. She looked up to him shaking her head.
"Puck, leave me alone." Quinn rose to her feet and began to walk away.
He grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let me explain."
She widened her eyes, "What's there to explain? Just let me go."
"No!" he shouted, hoping his voice would stop her. Quinn stood silent for a second so he jumped at the opportunity. "That book, it doesn't matter." Quinn wiped her cheek and listened, even if she didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I started that thing in the seventh grade, and I...I just kept doing it."
Quinn rolled her eyes. Great, she was in love with a sex addict. "I can't do this right now." She pushed past him as her tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Wait!" Puck ran to the truck, grabbed the journal, and then jogged ahead of Quinn. He stopped her with his body and sighed. "Will you look at the last page?"
"No," Quinn crossed her arms and shook her head.
He did it for her. "See." Puck pointed to the last name on the list. "Look."
Quinn humored him and stared at the page. Her name wasn't on the list and she shrugged her shoulders. "What?"
"It stopped with you." The kindness in his voice took her by surprise. He smiled and brushed a tear off her cheek. "Quinn, you weren't just another hook up." It was the truth. Quinn didn't even make it on the list because all of those other girls were just mindless flings. She was different.
"But you...you and Santana..."
Puck shook his head. He knew she was talking about 'sexting.' "It's over."
"All of it?" She questioned him with a quivering chin.
Puck nodded. "All of it." He sighed and looked to the ground. "I'm done." Puck looked back to Quinn with an expression that could have said it all. You're the one I want. You're the one I need. It's only you, Quinn.
For the first time in a while Quinn felt her lips curve into a smile. She wished she wasn't so crazy about him, but the heart wants what the hear wants. Puck reached for her hand and their fingers locked together. Her eyes welled with tears again, but this time they were tears of relief. She licked her lips and could taste her salty tears, but she looked up to him and smiled.
"Take me home?"
He nodded, "Sure."
With their hands still holding on to each other, Puck and Quinn walked to the truck in silence. Their silence was comfortable, it was what they needed. They didn't need words, and they didn't need apologies. The stillness between them, with its radiating passion was more than enough.
As Puck drove the car towards Quinn's house, he watched her stare out the window. He knew that loving Quinn Fabray wouldn't be easy, but he never thought it'd be this hard. She was going to challenge him and he'd challenge her right back. As he looked over to her, he thought of the ways he'd show her, tell her, remind her that he loved her. Putting his free hand on top of hers, Puck grinned because he was going to do it every day for the rest of his life.
So there was the fight.
What did you think?
Would Puck actually have something like his 'journal'?
As promised, the baby 'incident' will come up shortly, but there's a certain holiday coming up that I've decided to squeeze in between them. Hmm, what could I be talking about ;)
That one-shot I wrote is called Junior Year. Check it out if you're feeling like it :)
You all know I love reviews!
