Warnings: Hannah Montana: The Movie is mentioned/discussed, so if you haven't seen it, you may get confused, but I'd be glad to explain it or you can find it on Youtube :)

Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.

A/N: Not beta'd; all mistakes are mine. Please mention them if you find any.

...

He knew she was very inexperienced at relationships, and Puck would have had an issue with it, but Noah didn't. Noah didn't want to screw up their relationship. She still had her bag on her shoulder, so he reached up and tugged it down, letting it join his bags from school, "I'll have to remember what embarrasses you," he smirked, heading further into the house.

"Noah!" Rachel was still blushing, but she followed him into the kitchen. "That's not fair!"

He smiled at her and turned as he reached the fridge, "fair? Nothing ever really is fair," he laughed pulling it open and tossing her a bottle of water.

Surprisingly, she caught it, watching him dig through the fridge, setting things on the counter next to it as he did, "what are you doing?" She asked curiously.

He looked up from where he was looking through a bin, "got to eat at some point tonight," he told her.

"You know how to cook?" Rachel's eyes widened at the meaning of his statement.

Puck stood up and looked at her, "yes, Rachel, I do. I'm no famous chef, but I can come up with edible food," he admitted.

Heavy footsteps could be heard from the stairs, which startled Rachel, "what's that?"

"That would be my sister," he laughed, looking up to see Arin coming into the kitchen. "What did mom tell you about stomping on the stairs?"

Arin sighed, "not to do it."

"Then stop," he commented pushing the fridge door closed and heading for a cupboard.

"What's for dinner? Are you staying for dinner?" She turned to look at Rachel.

"Um, I, uh, guess," she looked at Arin and then over to Puck, who was looking for something in the pantry.

"Good! Lets watch a movie!" She exclaimed grabbing Rachel's hand and tugging her into the living room.

Puck groaned as the two left the kitchen; if Rachel was nice to her, which he knew she would be, he would have his hands full. He wasn't quite sure if letting Rachel be alone with Arin was a good idea, but all Rachel would do with him at the moment was watch him wonder around the kitchen making dinner.

His head was in cupboard when the phone rang; he figured it was his mom, but before he could get to it the ringing stopped quickly, realizing that Arin had gotten it, "oh crap," he groaned and took off to the living room to find her on the phone. "Give me the phone," he said reaching for it.

Arin got up and slipped away from him, "Rachel and I are gonna watch a movie... Noah's girlfriend... She's pretty... I don't know..."

Rachel watched Puck chase Arin around the living room as she spoke on the phone, and by the look he was giving his sister, she could tell it must be his mom. She could also tell that he wasn't fully trying to chase her or he would have caught her by now, but Rachel realized he didn't want to hurt her.

"Noah, mom wants to talk to you," Arin said stopping her circle to hand him the phone.

He snatched it from her and huffed off into the kitchen with the cordless phone, taking a deep breath before putting it to his ear, "hi mom."

"What is going on, Noah?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that, too. Arin was sitting on the front porch for hard telling how long," he retorted.

"She was what?"

"When I got home just after four, she was freaking out because she didn't have a key to get inside and you told her I would be home at four. She wasn't even supposed to be home until four-thirty."

He could hear her sigh, "she was, but Mrs. Morgan called me at work and told me she was sick and not to have her come over, so I called her and told her to ride the bus home. She would have been home at three-forty-five."

"I had Glee practice today after school; I'm never home before four-thirty."

"Oh, God, I am so sorry, I forgot!"

Puck sighed and leaned against the counter, hearing the beginning of 'Hannah Montana: The Movie' and groaned, "it's alright mom. She's safe, I'm home now, but she needs to have a key," he told her.

"I'll have to get her one; now who is this Rachel person?"

"She's my girlfriend. Her name is Rachel Berry, she's a sophomore and we've been dating since Friday," he responded.

"And if Arin hadn't been home when you got there, what would have you two done?"

"About the same as now," he replied, "we're taking things slow. She's, um... Not like other girls I've dated," he admitted with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh yeah? How is she different?" She asked.

"For one, she's Jewish, and two, she's in Glee club with me at school; she's, well, the female lead."

"Oh Noah!"

He could hear her sniffle on the other end, "oh come on mom, don't start crying!" He groaned.

"I just never thought you'd end up finding someone -"

"I know mom," he cut her off, "look, she might be here when you get home; when are you coming home?"

"I don't know, eight or nine. Make sure Arin is in bed by nine if I'm not home by then."

"Mom, I know the drill," he told her.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure you do," she said softly. "I have to go, Noah, see you tonight. I love you."

Puck smiled, "I love you, too."

The phone clicked and he hit the end button before heading back to the living room and returning it to the base. "Haven't your worn this movie out yet?"

"Noah! It's a good movie."

At first he thought Arin said that, but her attention was on the movie, while Rachel was looking at him, realizing she had said it. "Oh God," he threw his hands up in the air and headed for the kitchen. He was screwed.

"You know, it is a really good movie," Rachel's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh yeah? She watches it at least once a week, my ears bleed!" He groaned gathering up the stuff he'd gotten out to put together a Mexican macaroni and cheese.

"Have you ever watched it? Without nagging it to death?"

"No."

"Well you should. It's very metaphorical. I like it a lot. Come on, just watch it with us."

"Oh hell no!" he dug out a pot and shook his head again, "not a chance!"

"Come on, Noah, please," Rachel was almost begging him.

"You're seriously begging me to watch a... a... Hannah Montana?" He shook his head trying to focus on dinner.

"Please, for me?"

He looked over at her and saw her lower lip puffed out slightly. Rachel Berry wouldn't give up on anything until she won, so with an exaggerated sigh, "fine, but I've gotta make dinner first," he gave in, damning her tricks for working on him as he glared at her retreating back.

Dinner came together, but it could have gone together quicker if he wasn't dreading being forced to watch that movie. Sliding the casserole dish into the preheated oven, he headed for the living room. "Alright, I'm here."

Rachel was sitting in the middle of the couch with a school book in her lap, reading something, while Arin was sitting on the floor watching cartoons. "Noah, are you really gonna watch Hannah Montana with us?" Arin asked jumping up and running over to him.

"Yes, so get it started before I change my mind," he told her, motioning to the TV as he plopped down on the couch next to Rachel.

Arin turned the DVD player on and took her spot on the floor by the couch and the movie started.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled to him as she closed her book and set it aside, leaning against him.

"Uh huh," he nodded and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

Rachel had her reasons for wanting him to watch it and she hoped he got why once he actually watched it. When the first song started, he groaned, 'The Best of Both Words' was a song he'd heard over and over from his sisters CD player and he was tired of it. "Couldn't they get new music?"

"There is a point to the song; haven't you ever listened to it?" Rachel asked turning her head from looking at Hanna shopping on Rodeo before she got into a fight with Tyra Banks.

"It's a screechy voiced chick, so no."

She shook her head, "you know, you're more like Hannah Montana than I thought," she turned back to the TV just as 'Hannah' was crashing Lilly's party.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Puck and Noah are just like Miley and Hannah, just watch the movie," she admitted, sliding away from him and leaning against the arm of the couch.

Puck glanced at her, trying to figure out what she meant and then turned back to the TV, figuring he better watch it and at least try and come up with something.

"Hey, is that Rascal Flatts?" he asked leaning forward to look at the TV.

"Yes, it is," Rachel replied softly.

The attitude of Miley when she first arrived in Tennessee, and knowing of Hannah Montana, Miley was acting like a stuck up spoiled brat. He was starting to wonder if the two sides of the character was pointing towards him being a jerk at school to everyone, and then Noah, who was a decent guy, loved his family and liked music, but he never mixed the two. In his case, Hannah would be Puck, while Noah was Miley. It was a good thirty minutes into the movie before he spoke again, "I take it you're Travis?" he asked looking at Rachel.

She smiled at him, moving towards him and leaning against his chest, "you figured it out," she murmured.

Now that he was watching the movie, it really wasn't that hard to figure out just what it meant. He let his arm drape over her shoulders as she snuggled against him. He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her forehead and continued watching. He let a few more scenes pass before stopping, "hey Arin, can you pause it so I can go check on dinner?" He asked.

Arin silently paused the movie and she reluctantly nudged Rachel to move, "sorry Rach, I gotta get up," he whispered.

Shifting, she moved so he could and watched as he disappeared into the kitchen. She debated on staying, but chose to get up and follow him, finding him pulling out something from the oven. He was standing so his back was to her, so she moved behind him and slipped her arms around him, "you figured it out," she repeated.

He smirked and turned in her arms, "well it wasn't that hard to figure out, but I get it," he admitted.

"Ewe, are you gonna kiss?" Arin asked looking at them from the kitchen door.

Rachel jumped from him as if she'd been pulled and Puck couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips, "well I was thinking about it," he muttered tugging out a plate from the cupboard, "dinner's ready," he said handing it to Arin. "It's hot, so be careful," he added getting two more plates and finding some silverware, holding a fork out to her.

Arin scooped up some of the Mexi-mac onto her plate and took the fork from him, heading back to the living room.

"Is she gonna eat in there?" Rachel asked curious as she watched Arin leave the kitchen.

It took a second for him to realize her question, then shrugged, "uh, we're not that formal here. Most of the time we eat wherever," he added, handing her a plate with food on it.

She took it along with a fork and watched him get his own plate full before motioning to the living room again. Silently walking, she was thinking about the new perspective on life she was getting; at least finding out that not everyone lived like she did. Sure she had two dads, but the rest of her life seemed to be pretty normal. She was used to having everything a certain way and expected most everyone did the same thing; families had dinner together, but now she was seeing that it wasn't always the case.

"Are you going to sit down, Rach?" Puck asked from where he was sitting on the couch.

"Oh, sorry," she blushed and sat down next to him, Arin pressing the play button and the movie continued. She took a few bites of her dinner, surprised at how good it was. There was just the right amount of Mexican spice, but didn't burn going down, "Noah, this is really good," she whispered.

"Thanks," he smiled, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Not what I figured I'd ended up cooking for our first dinner together, though," he added, glancing at her.

"But this is nice," she admitted, "to see you in your life."

His response was a silent nod as he returned to the TV. The movie was almost over, Hannah was about to take the stage in Miley's hometown to help save it, but she stopped in the middle, and explained that she was Miley. As her wig came off, the gasps of the crowd expressed the shock as everyone learned that the two were the same person. Rachel imagined this would be the same shock that everyone in the school would have if Puck acted like Noah at school.

The movie had ended before she realized it and he was taking her empty plate. Noah wasn't in the living room, but she heard dishes clanking in the kitchen, so she knew where he was, when Arin was turning off the TV.

"I like you, Rachel," Arin said sitting down on the couch next to her. "Noah is different around you than he is with other girls. Well, Noah is himself when he's with you."

Rachel smiled at her, surprised to see a ten year old with so much knowledge, "well, I think he realizes that he doesn't have to hide himself around me."

"He hides from people?" She asked.

"No," Rachel corrected herself quickly, "I just mean that, um. He is, um," she, for once, was at a loss for words.

"I'm a jerk at school," his voice responded, and Rachel looked up to see him in the hallway.

Arin looked up at him, "a jerk?"

Puck dried his hands off with the towel he had in his hands and threw it over his shoulder, "I'm mean to people at school, but I'm not like that with you and mom."

"Noah is finally seeing that the guy he is at school isn't a good person and he's trying to make up for that," Rachel explained.

"Oh," Arin looked at Rachel and then at Puck, with a look of confusion on her face. "You're not going to leave like dad did, are you?"

Puck's heart ached at her question and realized everything he was doing was turning him into the asshole his father was. He moved towards the couch and knelt down in front of her, "I will never leave you or mom," he said taking her hands in his, "I love you, both, so much," he whispered, straining to keep calm.

She nodded, "alright. I love you, too," she replied, trying to figure out what he meant, so she put it in a perspective she knew, "so like people think you're Hannah Montana at school, but you're actually Miley?"

He laughed a little at her explanation, but she was right, "exactly. Now why don't you go up and get ready for bed," he told her, "I'll be up to check on you in a bit," he replied.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck and give him a quick hug before silently going up the stairs leaving Rachel and Puck in the living room. He was still kneeling where he had been in front of the couch, but Rachel could tell something was wrong. There was a fire in his eyes that she'd never seen before. She reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, "Noah, are you-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he stood up and without even glancing at her, he stomped back to the kitchen. The noise of him forcibly pushing dishes around, gave her the answer to her unanswered question. He was not alright. She could tell with his actions that he hated what his father did to them and for his sister to ask a question like that, must have been heartbreaking to think he'd do something like that. Blinking back her own emotions, Rachel got up and headed into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to see him leaning over the sink, his shoulders shaking. Wiping her own eyes from the light tears that fell, she walked into the kitchen and rested a hand on his back, "Noah, don't do this to yourself," she whispered.

He whipped around and looked at her, "do what?" he snapped.

"Beat yourself up about this. She's ten."

"Well I was six when he took off. I've been more of a father to her than he ever will be to us. For her to ask that; that was like twisting the knife," he motioned to the stairs his sister had gone up, "I don't want to be a jerk anymore, but I can't just throw away everything I've worked for at school to be a normal guy."

Rachel looked at him, trying to figure him out, "no one ever said you had to throw everything away; you just need to prioritize what is more important. Falling into peer pressure or doing the right thing. Noah is doing the right thing, it's Puck who's gotta make that call," she said softly.

"Prioritize," he laughed, "yeah, that's just what I need to do! Figure out what's more important... I fucked up and got Quinn pregnant and now she won't let me have anything to do with it. You know what's important and you also know how much of a bitch she is!" He exclaimed.

"Oh my God! Noah, what have you done?"

Puck's head whipped to see his mom standing in the doorway, staring at him. The defense he'd tried to build with Rachel, fell to pieces seeing his mom, "Mom, I..." His shoulders sunk and he closed his eyes. "I messed up. I'm sorry," he didn't know what else to say. He didn't know how he would have told her, but he knew this wasn't how he wanted her to find out, but in some strange way he was glad she did.

Deborah Puckerman stood in the doorway of her kitchen, watching her son, having just accidentally admitted he'd gotten a girl pregnant. She didn't know what to say. She herself wasn't much more than 18 when she had gotten pregnant with him, so she couldn't be too mad, but she was was disappointed. She had hoped she'd raised him better than that, but it was obvious there was a second person involved in making a child. Turning her head she saw the petite girl standing almost frozen on the opposite side of the kitchen, dressed in a white collared shirt and a black skirt, her brunette hair hanging down around her shoulders. It didn't take her long to realize this was Rachel, and by the looks of her still in the kitchen and a not trying to leave, she figured Rachel knew his secret. "When were you planning to tell me?" She asked softly, looking back at her son.

Puck took a deep breath and looked at her, "I don't know," he shrugged, "Quinn is planning on giving her up for adoption. I don't have much say in it because she won't let me, but I want to keep her."

"Her? She's having a girl?" She asked softly, but the shock was evident on her face.

Puck silently nodded, not able to meet her eyes.

Rachel stood and watched the exchange between Noah and his mom. She'd never met the woman, but with the tag on her shirt, she realized she was a nurse at St. Rita's Medical Center, one of the local hospitals. Now she knew why she worked long hours.

"How long have you known, Rachel?" Deborah asked.

Rachel jumped at her name and looked at Deborah, "um, Noah told me Friday," she said.

"And you're okay with this?" She asked keeping her voice as calm as possible.

Rachel looked at Puck. He had looked up and she could see he was also curious to her question. She took a deep breath and looked at Deborah again, "I wouldn't say I'm okay with it. I'm hurt that he's having a child with someone else, but he was honest with me and I won't turn my back on him or his child," she admitted, looking at him.

Deborah smiled at Rachel's response. Though she didn't know how strong their relationship would be, she hoped at least the two would be friends; he would need them. Moving into the kitchen, she stepped up to her son, "then I guess we've got a nursery to design," Deborah smiled, waiting for his response.

Puck's head jerked up at her words, his eyes studying her for a second before throwing his arms around her, whispering, "I love you, mom," to her. He didn't think he'd start crying, but his secret was out in the open with her and nothing was holding back the tears that fell from his eyes as he held her against him.

Deborah kept her arms around him, her hands rubbing his back gently as his shoulders shook, "I love you, too, Noah," she whispered, silently praying for things to work out smoothly. She was aware that Rachel was still there, so she pulled away and rested her hands on her son's cheeks, "Noah, there's no need to cry, I'll be here for you and so will Arin and Rachel," she smiled.

"Always," Rachel added, moving to stand next to him.

He blinked his eyes a few times before looking at Rachel, smiling, "thank you, both of you," he whispered, shifting his arms to wrap around Rachel, pulling her close to his chest in a tight hug. His mind was clouded; he didn't know how or why he deserved them, but he was thankful they were willing to be there for him. With them there he had the strength to fight for himself, his daughter, and anyone else who was willing to stand beside him; he only hoped when the truth surfaces, that they wouldn't be the only ones left standing.

...

A/N3: The rest of Mash-up will be featured in part 4, so look for it soon. :D

A/N4: LOL, call me corny for using Hannah Montana the movie as a metaphor for the dividing line between Noah and Puck, but I couldn't help it. When I saw the movie and then saw Mash-up, it was easy for me to see the similarities.