Hello all, I apologize for the long break. I wasn't sure where I wanted this story to go and as I was figuring it out… life went on. But hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter and it will make up for the long break.
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything!
When Rachel opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was how long Puck's eyelashes were. They fanned across his cheeks and looked like silk. She smiled as her mind raced back over the previous night's activities.
She was happy. She had been happy with him just as a friend, but this seemed to be something more intense than she had thought. She knew that it was just beginning and her excitement was enormous.
She sighed know that years of training had awoken her and there was no way she would be able to go back to sleep. She slid silently from the bed and into her bathroom. After handling basic necessities, she headed to the kitchen.
Puck awoke alone and he didn't like it. He rubbed his hand over Rachel's spot in the bed. It was cool, indicating she'd been up for a while. He stretched as he stood up. His grin spread as he pulled on his jeans, leaving them unsnapped. He got the girl. Badass personified.
He walked into the kitchen and smiled at the sight before him. Rachel was singing to herself as she arranged fruit on a platter. Puck stepped behind her and nuzzled her neck. She immediately relaxed into the embrace and wrapped an arm back around his neck.
When she finally turned to face him, they were both smiling. "Good morning Noah." He kissed her nose. "Morning babe. What are you doing?" She shrugged. "I wasn't sure what your morning plans were, and since mine are always the same I made a fruit plate to get us going."
"What are you doing this morning?" He asked curiously. She sighed. "I jog outside on Saturdays. Usually I just take advantage of my treadmill or the elliptical, but I like having that one day outside to enjoy the fresh air." He nodded. "Where are we running?"
She stared at him. "We?" He nodded and gestured between them. "We… I want to spend the day with you if you want to spend it with me." Her eyes sparkled as she leaned up and kissed him softly. "There's no one I'd rather be with. I run around the lake."
He nodded again and pulled out a chair for her to sit. "Cool. I usually do the track so this will be a nice change." He pushed her chair closer to the table after she was seated. As he walked to another chair, he continued. "We'll eat, then you can get dressed. We can walk to Mike's and get my truck, and then zip to my house so I can get some better clothes." He met her gaze. "Is that going to work for you?"
She smiled gently as she reached across and squeezed his hand. "It's going to work great."
After their jog and the respective showers, the pair met back up at Puck's house. Fortunately, his mother wasn't home, so Puck didn't have to endure his mother's scrutiny about him finally bringing home a "nice Jewish girl". He sat on the bottom step of his porch settle between Rachel's legs as she rested her head atop of his.
"Bath or shower?"
Rachel crinkled her nose. "Obviously baths. Showers are great, but nothing makes me feel cleaner than soaking in hot water with candles lit." Puck took a moment to imagine Rachel covered in nothing but bubbles, then grimaced. "How can sitting in dirty water make you feel cleaner than standing up and letting it immediately rinse off you?"
She faltered for a second, because it was a good question. "I'm not sure. It just does." Even without seeing his face, she knew he was smiling and smiled in return.
She kissed the top of his head. "Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston?" He spoke quickly. "Angelina Jolie!" She snorted. "Why does that not surprise me?" He turned and looked at her with a smirk. "It shouldn't. I think I've proven I've got a thing for dark-haired beauties with pouty lips." She blushed and ducked her head. "Is that what this is? A thing."
Chuckling, he turned completely to face her fully. "What this is… is everything." Seeing the shock in her eyes, he realized he had to continue. "Look… I'm not good at… expressing myself." He paused and considered. "Unless I'm singing. But I've never had this with any girl.
"I'm usually pulling my pants up as I'm on my way out of the door. I haven't even pulled my pants down with you and yet it's the best time ever."
She was slightly disconcerted by the mention of his previous sexual activities but got past it as she realized what he was saying. She nudged him with her knee and giggled. "You like me. You like me!" Her singsong voice made him laugh back at her. "Yeah, whatever. I like you. You like me too."
She saw the vulnerability in his gaze and her grin soften. "Yes, Noah. I like you too. You're my best friend and my boyfriend. What could be better than that?" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "That." She nodded. "Good point."
They were sitting quietly content in their company when Finn pulled into the driveway. Quinn got out of the passenger seat and their hands linked as they walked towards the couple on the steps. Quinn's grin was huge. "This looks good on you Puckerman."
Puck's hand slid up to grip Rachel's where it was resting on his shoulder. "Feels better." Rachel hugged him to her. "Exactly. So what are you two up to?" Finn shrugged. "We wanted to see if you guys wanted to go with us to the park and throw the football around."
Rachel raised one eyebrow. "Excuse me?" Puck snorted. "He means he wants to know if you want to sit on a picnic table at the park with Quinn and watch your badass boyfriend toss the pigskin." It was Rachel's turn to snort. "So you're going to play catch? How… cute."
Her playfully disdainful tone had Quinn laughing as the guys looked at her insulted. Quinn spoke up. "Come on Berry… they won one game but they still need all the practice they can get." As the insulted gazes swung to the blonde girl, Rachel collapsed against Puck's back laughing.
"That's logic I can't dispute. Let's go."
The boys threw the ball back and forth between them as the girls sat on a picnic table. The silence between the females was comfortable but Rachel was still limited on how long she could be quiet. "So you're sure you don't have a problem with this?"
Quinn looked at her and smiled. "Would it matter if I did?" Rachel's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Not one little bit Fabray." The blonde laughed outright. "Then it's a good thing that it makes me completely giddy. I told you before; I want Puck to be stupidly deliriously happy. And being with you is the happiest I've seen him since…" She broke off and stared at her hands.
"Since Grace was born." Rachel supplied. At Quinn's nod, she continued. "How are you?"
Quinn took a shaky breath. "I'm getting better. At first I thought I was going to lose my mind. I mean I know we did the right thing, but for nine months I spent every day with her. I sang for her, I ate for her, I breathed for her. And then… she was gone. I mean I know she's got a happy home but sometimes the pain of not being with her is… devastating."
Rachel wrapped an arm around her friend. "As you know, I was adopted. My situation was different because my mom got pregnant specifically to give me to my dads, but I do think about her sometimes. I mean I wonder what kind of person she is, and who she is." Quinn spoke softly. "Are you mad at her? Do you hate her for giving you up? Do you think she's selfish?"
Rachel pulled away and met her gaze. "Honestly, my life is great. I have 2 parents who love me and support my dreams, a great house to grow up in, all the lessons I could ever want, and I know that somewhere out there, there's a woman who loved me enough to make sure I would have all of that. It's the most unselfish thing. How can I not love her for that?"
Tears slid quietly down Quinn's cheeks. She swiped at them quickly. "It's nice to have a girl to talk about this with. I mean I love Britt and San, but they just don't get it even though they try."
Rachel nodded. "I understand. You can always come talk when you need to. I don't have a lot of female friends but I'd like to add you to the count." Quinn managed a watery chuckle. "You just try to get rid of me Berry."
They both went back to watching the boys. Quinn broke the silence this time. "They are cute… aren't they?" Rachel smirked. "Yeah they are. Look at them with their little ball, all focused and graceful. Yet they both struggle to complete the most basic dance steps." Quinn giggled. "Puck's better than Finn. He looks like a newborn foal when he dances, all wobbly legs and gawky arms."
The mental picture and the ensuing laughter caused both boys to look at their girlfriends and shake their heads. Puck summed it up in one word. "Crazy." Finn nodded. "Yup, but they're ours." Puck nodded. "We're damn lucky dude."