Summary: Puck really wasn't surprised when it happened. He was just surprised that it took them this long to stick their noses where they didn't belong. He was a tiny bit surprised at how ridiculously stupid the whole thing turned. But only a little surprised. After all these were the gleeks he was dealing with.
Pairings: Samtana, Finnchel, Bartie, Klaine, Chang-squared and Wemma. Hints of Puckleberry and Quick (yes, I said Quick). Puck/Sam, Pezberry and Quick friendships
Warnings: No real spoilers involved in this story. It's obviously very AU as I totally made up Sam's family life. So nothing really spoilery in here. Be warned, this fic does deal with a very sensitive issue (child abuse and domestic violence). It's not too graphic but it is mentioned.
Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own Glee despite my continued efforts. I own Sam's brother Dean. And even that shtick is borrowed from Supernatural… which I also don't own.
Author's Note: So, I had a lot of cognitive dissonance going on while writing this story. I'll explain in more detail in the second author's note because I know some of you do read these and I don't want you to be spoiled. But needless to say this chapter is my least favorite and my favorite because something I've wanted for a long time happens but I'm not so sure I should've let it happen. Ugh, being a writer is so confusing! LOL. Hope you all enjoy this chapter
Puck's Intervention
Puck really wasn't surprised when it happened. He was just surprised that it took them this long to stick their noses where they didn't belong. He was a tiny bit surprised at how ridiculously stupid the whole thing turned. But only a little surprised. After all these were the gleeks he was dealing with. No one ever accused them of having much in the way of common sense or tact. Both of those qualities would tell you that Puck was better off being left alone. So he knew it was only a matter of when and just how ridiculous this whole thing would turn out. He got his answer almost two weeks to the day his mother casually announced is father was dead. He sighed as Sam met him outside Emma's office with Kurt in tow. Sam's expression was equal parts warning and annoyance. Puck knew if he wanted to make a run for it, Sam would distract Kurt long enough for him to get away. But since it took them this long to interfere, he figured he should get it over with.
"You know you don't actually have to do this," Sam said, correctly reading the decision on his face. Kurt squawked in the background but both boys ignored him.
"Yeah, actually I do. If we give them more time, they'll only be ten times more annoying when they come up with something else."
"We are not annoying," Kurt protested. "We're looking out for your mental health and well being as difficult as that may be to imagine given your largely pessimistic view of friendship."
"Not friendship," Puck corrected as he stepped into place beside Sam. He gave Kurt a wide smile. "Just you guys." Thankfully Kurt had no response to that one. That meant the short journey to the choir room was made in blissful silence.
Puck called upon all of his limited patience to suppress the urge to roll his eyes and storm off when they finally walked into the redesigned choir room. The chairs had been set up in a circle, though he did note that a few chairs remained on the outside. So it was going to be an intervention. Joy. He didn't bother to listen to whatever New Age bull crap they were trying to throw at him to justify why they had to do this. He merely sat down in the clearly designated seat and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Can we get this over with already? I've got a ton of homework and I've also got to lower my self respect and beg my mother to sign off on my college applications."
"Still?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "I thought Dean talked to her about that."
"She found a way to translate his logic into her usual bullshit and she's ignoring it. So I'm forced to go over there tonight and listen to her crap about how I should move back in."
Sam frowned but sat down in the seat outside the circle. Puck noticed that Quinn and Blaine were over there as well. Huh. Guess they're not being team players. His eyes flickered between the gleeks that were staging this intervention. Only Mercedes, Finn, Kurt and strangely enough Rachel looked like they wanted to be there. Santana looked like she was having serious second doubts. Artie was frowning and glaring at nothing in general which led Puck to believe that someone dragged him over there and then jammed his brakes. Mike was clearly being forced by Tina to attend and someone must've given Brittany the wrong information about why they were there because she was wearing an inappropriately bright smile. Did he mention that he totally loved Brittany?
"So we getting started or what?"
"Right!" Rachel said, taking lead. "Noah, we're gathered here today because we're concerned about how you're handling your father's untimely passing."
"I'd say I'm handling it pretty well."
"That's the thing," Finn jumped in. "You don't usually handle things well."
"Interesting. So because I'm not getting drunk, screwing cougars and stealing ATMs, you geniuses decided that warranted an intervention?"
Santana snorted loudly before reaching a conclusion in her internal debate. She got up and moved to the seat next to Sam. Mike also stood up to join the non intervention gleeks but only after removing the jam they used on Artie's wheelchair. He and Brittany were outside the circle less than a minute later.
"So I guess we're done."
"No, we're not done, Puck. You're repressing how you're feeling and it's not healthy."
"Oh? And you know how I'm feeling, do you?"
He could see Sam tensing at the clear challenge in his voice. But the others continued on. Puck caught Sam's gaze and wasn't surprised at the message warning him against big emotionally draining outbursts. He sighed again and resolved to soldier through this bullshit.
"It's ok to be sad," Mercedes said, gently. He nodded blankly. "When my grandfather died in freshmen year, I felt like everything stopped making sense. He helped raise me and my brother and then he was gone. It hurt really bad. I felt like no one understood. I was so angry all the time."
Puck's gaze softened somewhat. "I didn't know that. Sorry, Mercy," he said, genuinely. Mercedes blinked away tears and nodded.
"Dude, I know what it's like to lose a parent," Finn said, leaning forward with the honest, 'trust me' genuine eyes already working. "It's hard. But you have friends that are here for you."
Puck's eyes drifted outside the circle and he smiled despite himself. Rachel cleared her throat forcing him back in the moment. He growled under his breath.
"Look, I get it, ok? I can be sad and y'all will be there for me to hold my hand and sing songs about healing and give me tissues. I know this already. Now like I said I've got shit to do."
"This isn't a joke, Puck," Kurt cut in. "We're all really worried about you." Sam cleared his throat pointedly. "Fine, those of us in the circle are worried about you. Apparently they all agree with your self assessment."
"Knew they were the smart ones."
"Puck, your dad is dead!" Finn all but yelled.
He tried not to flinch but he couldn't help it. Even after two weeks, the sting was still there when he heard it. But for reasons these guys weren't connecting. It was officially time to wrap this shit up because it was getting ugly. Things were going to be said and he didn't have the energy to deal with the fallout. Clearly they had other ideas.
"Noah, your father died and you're acting like nothing happened. But he was your father."
Puck looked at Rachel in surprise. Out of all of them, it was her participation in this thing that confused (and hurt) the most. He expected this from Kurt, Finn and Mercedes….but Rachel? She knew him. Or at least she used to.
"I know how it is when you first get the news. You're numb but it's been two weeks, Puck," Kurt said, mistaking his silence for a cue to continue this. "We need you to let it go."
"Let what go?"
"The sadness."
Puck snorted. "Ok, I'm so done now."
"Puck…."
"No! Puck doesn't want to hear it, ok? I've been more than understanding and tolerant but I'm done! I'm not sure if you're all stupid or that fucking tragically naïve."
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, hurt bleeding into her tone. Well so what? He hurt too having his dead dad waved in his face.
"You all remember that I live with Sam for a reason, right? It's because my dad used to beat the shit out of me for kicks."
There was a heavy silence where he thought maybe, just maybe, he finally got through to them. He was wrong yet again.
"I know that it was rough but there has to be something good you remember about your father," Mercedes tried.
So tragically naïve it was. Seriously he worried about these people in the real world. They believed that life was butterflies and rainbows. But since they took the time to stage this intervention, he supposed he could at least take the time to school them on how things worked outside the happy, bland family sitcom they all seemed to be living in.
"You what to know what I remember about my dad? I remember drawing a picture of our family in first grade. That was right around the time my sister was born. So I felt extra proud of including the baby. So I bought it home to show my dad. He called me a pansy and smacked me over the head with his beer bottle. I missed two weeks of school because they couldn't find a way to explain away the damn near cracked skull and black eyes."
He stood up and started pacing as the words flooded out of him. "But that was in the past, right? You probably want more recent. You'd think after he'd been gone for almost ten years that he would've mellowed out, right? But he didn't. Oh, wait, now he just knew not to leave marks where people could see. It helps being married to a nurse who could tell you where to hit to leave the most damage and the least amount of evidence. I guess I never told you guys how Sam knew for sure that something was wrong, huh. Well, it's because he saw the marks on my back from when my dad whipped me with his belt for who the fuck even knows why!
"The only good thing I remember about my father was the day he left. Best thing he ever did for me. Of course, he fucked it all up by coming back but yeah, Puckerman's aren't known for doing what's best for others." He ran a hand through his hair. "So yeah, I'm not sad that he's dead. I don't know what I'm feeling but it's not sadness. So now if we're done, I really do have stuff I need to do."
He didn't wait to see if they were going to try and stop him. He didn't even bother to grab his stuff. He was confident that Sam would get it for him. He left. He needed to be out of that room. He really was supposed to see his mother that evening but he didn't think that was going to be possible. Not when everything felt so…. raw. He didn't miss his father. He wasn't sad that he was dead but he also didn't want to think about him. He wanted to forget the man ever existed. Of course, the scars on his body were physical proof that he could never forget he existed. He knew they had good intentions but what he needed was to not talk about his dad's death. What he needed was to get away from this town and the legacy that his father left behind.
Puck came to a stop in his blind wanderings and looked around his current location with a snort of amusement. What was it with him and the bleachers? He slumped down onto one of the seats and stared out at the empty field. His father wasn't even proud to know that his son was on a Championship title winning team. He never offered to go to any of Puck's games. Then again neither did his mother. She always claimed she was working. Strangely her days off seemed to center around his sister's soccer games. Guess he really was the hated child all around.
He didn't react as someone joined him on the bleachers. He felt her drape his coat around his shoulders before taking a seat next to him. He moved closer to her, unconsciously seeking the warmth her body was putting off.
"So what exactly did you do to Sam to get the privilege of chasing after the head case? You didn't maim him did you?"
Quinn snorted even as she smacked him sharply on the arm. "You are not a head case. I don't want to hear you call yourself that again. And I didn't do anything to Sam. Right after you left he called Dean and asked him to pick him up. He left his keys with me to give to you. He probably would've given them to either Santana or Blaine but they were too busy shaming everyone else to notice that he was leaving."
Puck frowned, contemplating why Sam would've called Dean. But then he shook it off. If it was really important, they would tell him later. He was fairly confident that there were no secrets between him and the brothers. So he was content to push that issue to the side for now so that he could focus on trying to quiet the thoughts in his mind that were all clamoring for attention. He grabbed onto the most persistent and puzzling.
"Why were you guys outside the circle?"
"Because Sam knows you. And because Blaine and I understand."
Puck turned his head towards her. "You understand?"
"You're not sad because you're angry, Puck. Your father died and you never got a chance to let him know how much he hurt you. You never got the answers for why he hurt you."
"I'm not," Puck started but the look on her face silenced him. He turned away from her. "I'm not angry."
"I would be. If my dad died today, I'd be pissed. When I needed him the most, he threw me out. He still hasn't tried to apologize for that. He doesn't even talk about those days." Quinn clasped her hands together on her lap. "I'm so angry with him but I need to play the game. I want college and he's going to pay. So I play nice and hate him every single day. But if died today without me being able to tell him everything, I'd be angry."
Puck felt a familiar stinging in his eyes. He couldn't even blame Sam for this one. This time it was all him. "He had a heart attack, Q. A fucking heart attack in his sleep! The doctors said he probably didn't even wake up. It was peaceful."
Quinn placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He felt the burning in his eyes growing. "I don't remember ever having a moment of peace when he was around. I remember fear, pain and humiliation but never peace. What the hell did that man do to deserve peace? He's dead and I still don't have peace. Because he fucking died! And he left me with all these feelings… and questions. And I don't understand what I did to deserve any of it!"
For the second time that day, Puck felt the words pour out of him. He told Quinn everything. And if he ever doubted that she was forgiven for everything in the past two years, it was erased in that moment. Because she stayed with him. She sat there and she listened to every word he had to say. After almost an hour of continuous babbling he was done. At some point he ended up holding onto Quinn's hand. He didn't remember if he reached for her or vice versa but it didn't matter. He was holding onto her like she was the only thing keeping his head above water. And at the moment, she was.
"I'm all over the place, Q."
"It's to be expected," she assured him.
"I tried to be what they wanted me to be and it wasn't right. So I tried to be the exact opposite of that and it still didn't work. I don't know why I'm not good enough. And shit… I'll never know."
Quinn squeezed his hand. "I wish I knew so I could tell you why. But I'm confused too. Because you're more than enough, Noah Puckerman. There are so many people that see who you are and love you. Sam loves you. Dean totally loves you….. I love you." He looked up in surprise. Quinn chewed on her lip for a moment before leaning forward and kissing him. It took him a moment to even realize what happened and before he could react in any way, she pulled away from him.
"You love me?"
She laughed humorlessly. "You actually seemed surprised. I told you that you were letting people see the real you. It's hard not to fall in love with the real you. Trust me, I've tried."
"Quinn, I…."
"I know," she smiled, finally meeting his gaze. "You love me but you're in love with Rachel. You're like Jewish soul mates, I get it. I needed to get that out of my system, really. The truth is I don't want to be number two anymore. So it'll take some time but I'll deal."
Puck felt a pang of regret. His life would be so much simpler if he loved Quinn like that. And he was completely aware of how ironic and hilarious that was given their history together. But a lot had changed in the months he'd been living with Sam. Quinn changed a lot in the months he'd been living with Sam. He knew that if he tried he could be in love with Quinn one day. But he'd always love Rachel and that wasn't fair to Quinn. She deserved better than Finn 2.0.
"Are we still ok?"
"What? Because now you know how I feel?" she asked, playfully. "We're ok, Puck. I've kind of been falling for you for awhile. Nothing changes because you know." She squeezed his hand again. "Just, you know if you ever want to get over Rachel, you have my number."
He laughed for the first time since what felt like forever. "Yeah, Q. I got your number. Who knows I might be using it soon. I think Finnchel is staying strong even though the tool tried to kill me on Thanksgiving."
Quinn made a humming noise and gestured with her chin at something in the distance. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," she murmured under her breath. Her gaze was locked on the tiny, brown eyed girl watching them sadly from the bottom of the stairs. Quinn leaned into his shoulder. "You should talk to her."
"What about you?"
"I'm fine. I promise. I'll go find Santana. I think I'm long overdue for a haircut. They work wonders on resolving potentially personality destroying life decisions."
"Maybe I should get a haircut."
Quinn gasped in mock horror. "Blasphemy! The 'hawk stays. It's part of who you are. And you're pretty amazing." She pressed a kiss against his cheek and stood up. "Remember, you have my number."
"Got you. And Quinn, you should try talking to your dad. You don't want to regret it later. You don't want to feel like this."
She nodded thoughtfully. "If he throws me out, you think Dean will take me in too?"
"That's all I need, two sisters and a brother," he grinned and watched her walk away laughing. He didn't know how Quinn Fabray worked her way back into his life but he hoped she stayed there. The small smile that formed when Quinn kissed his cheek didn't fade as Rachel went to sit next to him.
It was a testament to how far they'd grown apart that there was actually space between them. They'd never had a problem ignoring personal boundaries when it came to each other. But now he felt like there was practically a gulf in between them. It hurt. A lot.
"Did you want something, Rach?" he asked quietly, noticing she had yet to say a word.
"Are you and Quinn dating?"
"Do you care?" he frowned. "No, we're not. Because unlike you, I'm not in the habit of lying to myself."
"What does that mean?"
"What the hell do you think it means, Rach? I'm in love with you. You're in love with me but you're with St. Finn."
"Why…."
"Because I'm tired of pretending that I'm ok with this when I'm not. This isn't a movie. You don't get to chase after the perfect, dopey male lead while the right guy waits until the final act to make a move."
She didn't say anything but he felt the rift grow a little wider. "If this is about the intervention, I'm sorry."
"This is not just about the damn intervention! This is about the fact that everyone but you sees that we belong together! Even your boyfriend knows it."
"I know we do."
"Then what's the problem?"
"It's not that easy."
Puck rolled his eyes. "Yes, Rachel. It really is. The only problem is that you're so damn determined to make this into some sort of fantasy love story that can be translated into the story of your life later on. I hate to break it to you, Berry. But this is reality."
She scoffed and turned to him with fire burning in her eyes. "I know this is reality. I resent that you seem intent on insulting my intelligence."
"And I resent that you just helped stage an intervention to get me to mourn a man that doesn't deserve a single tear from me. You're so caught up in the fairytale that you don't see anything around you! This is reality. I have a dead father that hated me for god only knows what reasons and now that he's dead, I'll never understand. I have a baby mama that fell in love with me two years too late. And then I have you. I'm so fucking tired of trying to get you to understand that you're it for me. That I'm the one for you."
Rachel took a deep shaky breath. "What are you saying, Noah? Are you giving me an ultimatum?"
He snorted. "You'd love that, wouldn't you? Ratchet the dramatic tension even higher. I'm not giving you an ultimatum. I'm only putting the facts out there. I'm not going to be waiting forever for you, Rach. I love you but I deserve more than that. When you're ready to face this thing between us, you know where to find me."
"Where are you going?"
"Home," he sighed. "Too many heart to hearts and emotional talks for one day. I don't think I can deal with my mother tonight."
Rachel looked down at her hands thoughtfully. "What if I don't get it together in time? Are you going to stop being there? Because you know me, Noah. I have to analyze and obsess over everything. I can't make a decision this big very easily. I don't want to take too long and lose you forever."
Puck rolled his eyes fondly and smiled. "I know you. I know how you are and I know how that brain of yours works. I know you need to analyze everything and I'm ok with that. I just need you to analyze it. I need you to notice this between us."
"I know notice this between us and it scares me," she admitted, breathily. "I don't want to lose you, Noah."
"Hey, even if we got together and fell apart, I'll always be here, Rach. No matter what happens in life, I think we're always meant to be a part of each other's lives. You're one of my best friends. I think you forgot."
She gave him a small smile as well. "I think we both did. Because it works both ways." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I have a lot to think about. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, tomorrow," he whispered in response. She gave him a brief kiss on his lips before bounding down the stairs. He sat back against the bleachers and exhaled. "I'm too young for this shit."
He wasn't sure how long he was sitting on the bleachers but he realized with a start that it was a few hours longer than he originally intended. When Rachel left, the sun was still sitting high in the sky. When he snapped out of his contemplative silence, he saw the sun had set long ago bringing about an inch of snow and a deep chill that sank down to his bones. He shivered and frowned at his thin, not at all meant for winter weather jacket. Dean would never let him hear the end of this.
He pulled his phone out of his bag and gasped. Screw that, Dean was going to kill him. It was almost 9 o'clock. Then again a quick check of the phone showed that he had no missed calls or messages from either brother. So it looked like they weren't terribly concerned after all. Maybe he was feeling overly sensitive from the day's extreme emotional vomit but the fact that they hadn't called hurt a little bit. He fastened his coat, trying to trap in the little warmth he had left, and made the slow trek to where Sam left the car that morning.
When he finally reached the car, he noticed a white sheet of paper underneath the window shield wiper. It was slightly damp but Dean's careless scrawl was still visible. 'Heard you had a bad day. Call me when you get home. Have some family stuff to take care of with Sam. Order a pizza.' Well that explained why that hadn't called at least. He was concerned about this "family stuff" they needed to take care of. Would it really kill Dean to just explain elaborate for once in his life? Puck paused, taking into consideration that this was Dean. Yes, it probably would kill him. Dean lived for delivering pointlessly cryptic short messages that had to be contemplated over for hours. The jerk.
He pulled into the driveway less than twenty minutes later and officially well after 9 o'clock. Just as he was about to call Dean and tell him that he finally made it home, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Hello? Seriously, what the hell do you mean 'hello'?"
Puck raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the customary way people answer the phone? Or did you learn some new fancy way at work?"
"Dude, I don't care about phone etiquette. Where the hell are you?"
"I'm home."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not. I'm here."
"Bullshit! Me and Sam are here and I don't see you. Unless you're hiding under the bed again, which is just sad."
"Hey! That was only one time and you know I had a good reason for it! Anyway, jerk. I'm outside. I just pulled up."
Puck waited for some sort of answer. Instead the front door opened and Dean's head appeared. He sagged in visible relief upon seeing Puck getting out of Sam's car.
"You ever disappear on me like that again and you're grounded until college," Dean promised once Puck was standing in front of him. Though his tone was gruff, Puck could hear the underlying concern and worry in his voice. Made him feel a little warmer on the inside. Too bad the outside was still cold. "Tell me you wore more than this."
"I thought I'd be home before the snow started," Puck replied, rubbing his hands together. Dean rolled his eyes and pushed the teen through the door.
"And the reason you didn't turn the heat on in the car?"
"Burns gas."
"So you'd rather freeze to death on the way home? Next time, turn on the heat."
"It doesn't matter anyway," Puck shrugged. "It's not like I drive Sam's car that much and he's the smart one out of the two of us."
"And what does that make you?" Sam asked, leaning on the kitchen wall.
"The hot one."
"I've somehow been complimented and insulted at the same time. Good job. By the way, where have you been?"
"I was at school. I needed to think and I guess I lost track of time. I didn't call when I saw the note because I figured you'd be busy with the family stuff. I didn't want to intrude." Dean draped an arm around his shoulder while Sam smiled brightly. Puck narrowed his eyes looking between them suspiciously. "What?"
"The family stuff has been successfully resolved. By the way, I believe these belong to you," Sam said before tossing a set of keys at him. Puck caught them easily.
"These are the keys to my truck." He looked up in confusion. "Why do we have keys to my truck?"
"Because it would be really stupid to try driving without them."
"But my mom has my truck."
"I believe the word you're looking for is 'had'. She had your truck. And now we do," Sam corrected. Puck took a few hesitant steps towards the kitchen and the open garage door beyond his best friend. There in plain sight was his truck. His truck that he saved for years to buy was sitting in the garage next to Dean's car.
"That's what you went to take care of?" Puck asked.
"No, that was an added bonus," Dean smirked. "I was already intending to visit your mother this evening but then Sam called me and told me she was still giving you a hard time about the applications."
Puck groaned as he remembered he still had to take care of that. But at least he had the truck back. That was one last thing he had to do. "Wait, why were you planning on talking to my mom tonight?"
"As you already know the emancipation papers never went through completely. And now that your dad is dead, your mother can stop the process because the offender is no longer in the home."
Puck felt his stomach clench. "She can actually make me go back there?"
"Yeah, she could've but she can't now." Puck raised an eyebrow as Dean let go of him to reach into his work bag to pull out a piece of paper. "That's a legal document drafted by everyone's favorite legal Berry stating that I'm your legal guardian. And that I'm financially and morally responsible for you until you turn 18. I made the same kind of agreement when I took in Sam."
"So this means…"
"You're Dean's foster kid," Sam snickered. "You're like his son."
"Shut up, squirt. He's not my son. He's our annoying baby brother."
"Wait!" Puck held up a hand. "Baby brother? How the hell do you figure that one?"
"When's your birthday?"
"August."
"And how old are you going to be?"
"18."
"When's Sam's birthday?"
"April."
"And how old is he going to be?"
"18."
"And what comes first August or April?"
"April… damn it!"
"There's your answer. You're the baby."
Puck rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress the smile that was threatening to bloom. "Does that mean I don't have to go beg my mother to sign my applications?"
"It means your applications have already been signed," Dean grinned, waving to the neat stack of papers on the desk in the living room.
"I knew you loved me."
Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. "Damn it, it's like I'm living in a house full of chicks!" he stomped away, muttering loudly about girly brothers. Puck smiled wider as he heard going into the kitchen to order a pizza with all the toppings Puck liked. This baby brother thing wasn't so bad after all.
"So what were you doing at school all this time?" Sam asked, dropping down onto the couch. Puck shuffled over to sit beside him. "I thought you'd be home long before us."
"I was pretending to be Finn."
"Huh?"
Puck snorted. "Quinn's in love with me."
"Oh. So she told finally told you?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she told me. She was cool about it too. Then Rachel came by and I was talking to her about everything. Now I know how Finn feels."
"Screw how Finn feels. How do you feel?"
"All over the place. Quinn was right. I'm pissed that my dad died. But maybe it's for the best that I never know for sure. I don't know."
"You'll figure it out."
Puck rolled his head to the side to face Sam. "How do you know?"
"Because you've got two really awesome big brothers."
Puck felt the warmth of the words and the reality wash over him. He had brothers. He knew that Dean had pretty much adopted him from the first day he moved in. But this was legally binding confirmation that someone out there in the world wanted him even though his parents didn't. That was enough to give him some peace. But there was no way he was going to let Sam know that one.
"You're such a girl, Samantha."
"Only for you, Puckerman."
"Hey, Sammy?"
"Yeah?"
"Does this mean that I'm Noah Evans now?"
"Only if you want to be."
Puck grinned. "It does have a certain ring to it."
"Yeah, and you guys didn't even have to go to Canada and get married to make it happen!" Dean's voice drifted out from the kitchen.
"Shut up, Dean!"
Hours later, both Sam and Puck were sprawled across the sofa, pretty much dead to the world. Consciousness suddenly grabbed him and Puck flinched away from the ironclad grip on his shoulder. It took his mind a few moments to process where and when he was and that the hand that was now hovering over his shoulder belonged to Dean.
"You looked like you were having a bad dream," Dean said, keeping his voice low so that he didn't disturb Sam who was sleeping on the other end of the sofa. Puck sat up carefully and moved closer to where Dean was seated on the arm of the sofa. "You ok?"
"Yeah, just thinking about stuff," he replied, looking down at his hands. "You really sure about this whole taking me in thing?"
"I already took you in, genius. That piece of paper just makes it legally binding and stuff. But nothing changes from before. Except I'm going to have to find that balance between not being a shitty parent that lets you do what you want and being a cool brother. Man, life is so hard."
"That's what I mean. You sure you want to go through all that for me?"
"In case you're a little slower than I thought, I'm kind of attached to you and the other drooling idjit. I told you, the world hates me. It gave me two annoying, pain in the ass little brothers. You belong with us, kiddo. So stop second guessing it and go to bed." Dean ran a hand over Puck's hair. "And your own bed. It's a little disturbing how often you and Sam end up in the same bed."
Puck grinned. He knew Dean was more than aware of how and, most importantly, why Puck and Sam ended up in the same bed. It was the same reason he knew to wake him just now. He might be starting to move past all of the damage in his childhood slowly but surely but that didn't help him at night. At night, he couldn't escape it all.
"Get some sleep. You're going to need all the strength you can get to deal with the massive amounts of apologies all the other gleeks are going to throw at you for this pathetic intervention."
Puck rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to school."
"Yeah, you are. Be the bigger man. Now off you go. I get to wake Sleeping Ugly over here."
"Be careful," Puck warned, rising to his feet. "He's knocked out. When he's like this, he's overly affectionate and cuddly."
"I've lived with the twerp for ten years. I think I know how to wake him up."
Puck shrugged. He did warn him. He walked out the room as Dean was poking Sam on the stomach. He didn't even need to see what was going on to understand that the high pitched yelp emitted by Dean meant that he found out how cuddle happy a sleeping Sam could be.
"Don't be the little spoon, Dean! You'll regret it in the morning! And despite what he promises, he won't call you!"
Dean's muttered cursing followed him up the stairs and into his room. He was still laughing softly when he realized he wasn't alone in his room. There sitting on his bed as if she belonged there was Rachel Berry. She was wearing a white tank top and the fuzzy blue cow pajama pants that he gave her as a joke the previous year for Hanukkah.
"What are you doing here?"
She patted the space on the bed beside her. He closed the door behind him gently, not wanting to let Dean or Sam know Rachel was here before he found out what she wanted. He sat down slowly but kept his eyes locked on her. He didn't know what it meant that she was here. He knew what he hoped it meant. But really, he was way too cynical to believe that suddenly everything he wanted was in his reach.
"While I am still a little resentful of you pointing out that I tend to imagine my life as a movie, I appreciate that you did. Because you're right."
"You snuck into my room to tell me that?" he teased with a slight grin, leaning against the headboard. "You could've sent me a message, Berry."
"I did not come here just to tell you that," she chided, smacking him on the arm lightly. She shifted so they were seated side by side with their arms brushing against each other. "I came here to tell you that I made my decision. And I didn't even need to make a list."
"Oh yeah?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. He craned his neck to look at her. "I thought you couldn't make a decision this big easily."
"That's because I was thinking about it the wrong way. I was thinking about it from the unrealistic perspective. But when I stopped and really thought about it, there was no decision to make. There was only ever one option."
He swallowed. "And that was?"
"Us," she replied with a bright smile. "It's always been us and always will be us."
"What about Finn?"
"I broke up with him. After I left you, I went back to the choir room and he was still waiting. I took one look at him and I knew that I couldn't lie to myself any longer. And Finn just knew. It was like he realized that it wasn't meant to be either. So that was good. I didn't have to make him cry and he's not likely to try to hit you in the face tomorrow. That actually works out because I'm certain that Sam doesn't really need anymore reasons to want to kill Finn these days."
He was speechless. Of all the ways he thought this day would come to an end, being all but adopted and getting the girl were definitely nowhere on his list. She was staring back at him with big, shiny brown eyes waiting for him to say something, anything. All he could do was shake his head.
"You just had to prove me wrong, didn't you?"
"How did I do that?"
"This is just like one of those stupid romantic comedies you and Satan always trick me into watching with you."
She laughed and he felt loved. He felt peace. "You're right. This is just like a movie. The hero gets the girl. And the girl gets the right guy."
He snorted. "Since when have I been the hero of this piece?"
Rachel gave him a serious look. "Since forever, Noah. Since forever." She crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His own arms wound around her waist. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For a lot of things. For making you feel like you had to make me notice you when sometimes you're all I see. For letting Finn drive us apart when I was with you first. For not turning Finn down when he said he wanted this year. I should've run straight to you. But I didn't and I wasted so much time. I'm so sorry."
"I'm not going to lie, because we don't do that with each other," he started. "It hurt knowing that you were with him when you should be with me. But we're together now. And we're going to stay that way? No breaking up with me because you think we 'want things too much'?"
She smiled and bumped her nose against his. "Yes, we're going to stay this way. The only thing I want too much is you."
"Man, you're cheesy, Rach."
"Noah!"
"I'm kidding… kinda. The point is that we're together now and we're going to make it work this time. Problem solved. But if you're so inclined, I can think of at least a dozen ways you can start to make it up to me," he smirked lecherously.
Her lips curled back in a smile before she closed the small distance between them. He could feel her breath against his cheek. "Oh, I definitely think that can be arranged."
And then their lips met and the world finally made sense again. Kissing Rachel was the equivalent of coming home. He never felt the way he did when he was wrapped around this girl. Quinn was right. They were like Jewish soul mates. And now that he had her, he was never letting her go. Or rather, he was letting her go for right now because he heard muffled voices in the hallway and the sounds of shuffling feet.
"Keep quiet," he whispered to her. She nodded, leaning her head against his. They listened as Dean and Sam bickered a little more before parting ways in the hallway to their separate rooms. Puck looked down at Rachel in amusement. "You spending the night?"
"Yes," she replied in a hushed whisper. "I don't want you to wake up and think it wasn't real. This is real."
Damn, this girl knew him so well. He nodded and brushed his lips against her forehead. As quickly and quietly as possibly, he changed his clothes and made his way back to the bed. He slipped under the sheets and pulled her into his arms. This was how it was meant to be. He was going to tell her exactly that when there was a knock on the wall behind his bed. He groaned and knocked back.
"Night, Puck."
"Night, Sammy."
They both paused and waited. "Night, John Boy."
"Shut up, Dean!"
Rachel lifted her head to look at him in amusement. "You do this every night?"
"It's our thing," he shrugged with one shoulder. He was leaning in for another kiss when Sam knocked on the wall again.
"Good night, Rachel," was the chorused response from both Evans brothers.
She groaned, burying her face in his neck. Puck chuckled. No, he had no idea how they knew she was here but clearly they were ok with it as neither one of them was making her leave. He kissed her hair softly. "It's customary to say goodnight too. Besides they'll keep this going all night if you don't say it back."
"Uh, good night Dean and Sam."
"Puck, no sexy times or you're grounded until college!"
He rolled his eyes. Looked like Dean wasn't having trouble balancing the cool brother and good parent act with him at all.
"Goodnight, Noah," Rachel whispered, placing her head on his shoulder again. "I love you."
They didn't have sex that night and honestly there was more tongue action involved in his kiss with Quinn than he got all night but he couldn't stop smiling at hearing those three little words. After waiting nearly three years to hear them, it was almost as good as sex. Almost. Kind of…. but whatever. For tonight, he was content to curl around Rachel and whisper in her ear.
"I love you too, Rach."
*And it's complete (the chapter, not the story). Now I can fully rant about the insanity that was my writing this chapter. The Puckleberry fan in me was ready to kill the part that thought Quick was a good idea. I swear that whole Quinn/Puck kiss just happened on its own. For a few moments, I was ready to just let it happen. But I like the way it ended. I only hope you all do as well. The updates for this might slow down a bit because I'm currently trying to work on another multi-chapter story. But never fear my shiny readers I'm not abandoning this story. I just suffer from attention difficulties and need to focus on one story at a time. Ciao for now.