-1AUTHOR'S NOTE: LAST CHAPTER. FROWN.

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER. HA!

CHAPTER SEVEN: SECOND ONLY TO AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

- - -

Noah didn't like the fact that even though they were officially together Rachel was insisting that they still pretend that they still couldn't stand each other. First off it meant that he couldn't kiss her whenever he felt like. She couldn't flash him that secret smile he always loved. And Finn was still trying to convince Rachel that cancelling their date was a bad idea even though Noah knew full well that Finn and Quinn had made out like three nights ago in Quinn's hot tub.

He decided that the only way to convince her that he cared more about her than his popularity was to prove it to her. With Seth, Abby, and surprisingly enough even Quinn's help he'd come up with a fool proof way to get her to see that what they had was too important to him to hide.

He nervously fiddled with his guitar as he waited for everyone including her to arrive. He knew that when Mr. Schue walked in he was going to ask if anyone had anything they would care to share with the rest of the glee club and that would be his chance. He stared at the clock on the wall and willed the seconds to pass by faster.

- - -

Rachel could tell the moment she walked into the choir room that something was up with Noah. He seemed almost jumpy. She took her usual seat and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what was going on with him today. She groaned when she saw Finn heading straight towards her. She was really getting tired of him trying to convince her to reschedule the date that she had cancelled the night that Noah asked her to pick him as if there was really another option.

She did her best not to frown when she saw Quinn plop down in the seat beside Noah and whisper something in his ear. It wasn't like Quinn would do anything, right? I mean she knew that they were together. The very next morning Quinn had cornered her and told her that not only did she know everything, but that she was willing to keep it a secret because even if she desperately wanted to hate Rachel, she couldn't. And then after a long and seemingly painful pause she admitted that she was totally happy for the new couple.

So she wasn't such a trollop that she would flirt with Noah in front of Rachel and Noah wasn't such a complete jerk that he would actually flirt back.

Right?

- - -

"Does anybody have anything they've been working on and would like to show the rest of us?" Mr. Schue asked after setting down his stuff on top of the piano. He wasn't holding his breath. No one but Rachel and occasionally Kurt really seemed to come up with anything they felt like showcasing for the rest of the club .

Noah took a deep breath because even if he didn't want to admit it he was totally nervous to do this. Once again it was one thing to sing with Rachel. It was another thing to sing for Rachel. He felt like such a puss when he mumbled, "Quinn and I uh do."

Mr. Schue glanced at Quinn and Puck in surprise. He grinned. "Well by all means come on up."

Quinn grabbed the sheet music that they had printed out and handed it to various members of the band that accompanied the club. She took her place next to Noah and winked at him.

Noah could tell by the way Rachel was eyeing him that she was less than pleased to see him standing up there with Quinn. He tried to tell her to simmer the fuck down with his eyes, but knew that she was so dismayed by the scene in front of her that she wouldn't be able to read his expression. He glanced back at the band and motioned that they could go ahead and start. He cleared his throat and took another deep breath before singing.

Baby

Its been a long day, baby.

Things ain't going my way

You know I need you here

Here by my side

All of the time

He made a point to stare at her the entire time he sang.

And Baby, the way you move me its crazy.

It's like, you see right through me, you make it easier,

You please me and you don't even have to try.

He felt himself smile when she realized that while Quinn might have been singing back up, she was the one he was singing to.

Oh because,

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

Ever happened to me

Quinn watched as the rest of the glee club kept looking back between Puck and Rachel as if they were trying to wrap their heads around what they were witnessing.

Baby,

We've come a long way, baby.

You know, I hope and I pray that you believe me

When I say this love will never fade away

Oh because

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

Ever happened to me

Now both of us have known love before,

To come on up promising, like the spring, just walk on out the door.

Our hearts are kind and are hearts are strong.

well, let me tell you what exactly is on my mind.

Noah knew from the way that Rachel was looking at him that Abby had been right. A girl wanted nothing more than for a guy to stand up in front of a bunch of people and admit that he was fucking crazy about her. She was quick to point out that it had worked for Seth Cohen and the chips were way more stacked against him than they were Noah.

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

Rachel was almost positive that her heart was literally going to burst. Noah had whisper-sang the last part of the song which he knew absolutely drove her crazy. There was something so sexy about how soft and rugged his voice sounded when he did that.

Mr. Schue as well as the rest of the glee club watched in amazement as Noah crossed the room and placed a sweet and gentle peck on Rachel's cheek. He could tell by the way she responded that she desperately wanted him to give her a little more than just a peck. And because he wasn't an absolute saint or anything he smirked like the sexy fool he was.

"Well that was awesome guys," Mr. Schue said in an attempt to get the club to stop staring at Rachel and Puck. The only person who didn't seem the least bit fazed was Quinn Fabray. "Wasn't that awesome guys?" He raised his voice to snap everyone out of their trance.

- - -

The moment that the glee club was over everyone seemed to pounce on Rachel, Puck, and Quinn except for Finn of course because all he was doing was scowling. It wasn't long after because it was obvious that there was no way Mr. Schue could keep the club from staring at Rachel and Puck as though they were some sort of science experiment.

"Are you two together now?" Mercedes boomed.

Rachel glanced at Noah and felt herself melt a little when she saw him nod that yes they were in fact a couple now.

"Well," Kurt said with his hands on his hips. "I just don't know what to make of this."

"There's nothing to make of it Hummel. Rachel here is my girlfriend. End of story." Noah wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder to punctuate his point.

Santana turned on Quinn. "You don't look shocked."

"What?" Quinn asked.

"She said you don't look shocked. Which you totally don't Q. What's up with that?" Brittany didn't get Quinn's reaction. She should have been outraged. She should have been saying things like "Who the fuck does man-hands think she it?" and "Have all the boys at this fucking school gone crazy or something?" She should not have been singing back up for Puck when he was obviously singing to Rachel Berry.

"I don't know I guess I just saw that they had a lot of chemistry when they sang that duet together. I asked Puck about it and he admitted that he liked her." Quinn lied. They had rehearsed this lie many times so that when the time came she didn't even for a moment falter. Brittany may have been dense when it came to a lot of things but she was eerily skilled at seeing through a lie.

"I thought you were in love with Finn," Mercedes pointed out because she had never been one to keep a thought or opinion to herself.

Rachel tried not to openly blanch. It wasn't fair of her to blanch because she had at one point been smitten with the tall quarterback. Still had was the keyword. "I don't feel we deserve to undergo the Spanish inquisition. Our business is our business. Noah's my boyfriend and you should understand and accept that."

Noah smirked at the group before grabbing his guitar case and guiding Rachel out of the classroom. He shot Quinn an appreciative smile before leaving.

"Am I the only one who noticed that she called him Noah?" Artie asked the group of people surrounding him.

"This is so Twilight Zone worthy," Tina remarked.

Matt shrugged. "I don't know Berry is hot."

"Totally," Mike agreed.

- - -

Emma smiled when she glanced up from her computer and saw Will walking into her office. She could tell the moment she looked at his face that something interesting had happened at glee club that day. "Hi."

"Hey," Will said as he sat down in the chair across from her desk just like he found himself doing almost everyday.

"Something bugging you?"

"What makes you say that?"

Emma shot him a look that said I am a counselor after all.

"Puck performed that Ray LaMontagne song "You Are the Best Thing" along with Quinn in glee today."

Emma's brow furrowed. She didn't understand what was so puzzling about that. They'd already realized that Puck was an accomplished singer.

"He was singing to Rachel," Will added when he saw that she wasn't understanding his beguilement. "Professing if you will."

Emma grinned. She had been pulling for the couple. She hated that Rachel didn't think she was worth Puck giving up his popularity for.

"Did you just grin?"

"What?" Emma feigned innocence.

"You just grinned." Will replied in shock.

"I just think it sounded sweet."

"No," Will shook his head, "That wasn't the kind of grin you were sporting. You were sporting the good for him grin. You knew about them and didn't tell me." He didn't phrase it as a question but instead stated it.

"Maybe I did," Emma admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me? I was completely blindsided in there."

"They asked me not to," she explained. "It wasn't my secret to share."

"We had to cut glee short because they couldn't stop staring at them. You would have thought they had just witnessed an alien birth or something. It was completely surreal."

Emma could imagine. She remembered how surprised she was when she saw them embracing in the hallway.

"It was sweet though," Will conceded a few moments later. He'd once again found himself surprised by Puck's talent despite the fact that the boy had yet to let him down. "You would have enjoyed it."

"You should add it to the showcase."

"This is why you're an awesome guidance counselor," Will teased with a grin.

- - -

"Hey!" Finn called. "Wait up!"

Noah and Rachel turned around and frowned at the sound of Finn who was practically chasing them down the hallway.

"What is this?" He asked, gesturing between the two of them.

Noah scoffed. "Seriously Finn?"

"Noah," Rachel said softly. She laid a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to call him. She could feel him tense.

"I don't get it Rachel." Finn replied softly. "I thought you liked me. I thought we had something."

"Finn," Rachel groaned. "You're a nice guy but stick with Quinn. You've got the whole adorable rhyming thing in your favor. You're the quarterback. She's the head cheerleader. Why mess with a proven combination?"

"I don't want Quinn. I want you."

Noah wanted to throttle Finn.

"And I want Noah." Rachel reminded him. "Now if you don't mind we've got somewhere we've got to be."

- - -

Hannah beamed when Noah and Rachel walked into her bedroom holding hands. She threw her hands up in the air and cheered. "Finally!"

"Tell us how you really feel Bubie," Noah joked as he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"You two have made me happier than you could ever imagine," Hannah admitted softly. "This is almost as romantic as An Officer and a Gentleman."

"You know they hated each other in real life, right?" Noah laughed softly.

"Oy vey Noah you're almost as bad as your grandfather," he'd always loved to point out things during movies that totally took away from the magic. It had driven Hannah mad. Now she occasionally found herself doing it.

"I'm pretty sure I'm okay with being second to An Officer and a Gentleman. When he shows up to the factory and carries her out of there," Rachel paused because she started to choke up just like she always did when she talked about that movie as well as during Breakfast at Tiffany's. "Oy."

"Exactly," Hannah agreed. "See I knew my Noah needed himself a smart Jewish girl. I won't always be here to talk sense into him."

Noah wanted to point out that he had declared his love for her via song, but he was pretty sure his Bubie would have asked enough questions to find out how vicious he'd been to Rachel at times. He definitely wasn't asking for the ass-whooping that would lead to. Plus he figured if second was good enough for Rachel then it should be good enough for him. He glanced at her and couldn't help but agree that there was nobody better for him than a smart Jewish girl like Rachel.

"I knew this was going to happen," Hannah said with a confident smile. "You two were always more than just friends."

- - -

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HOPE YOU LIKED THAT. HAHA. I WROTE THAT UNUSUALLY FAST. IT NORMALLY TAKES ME A COUPLE OF HOURS TO WRITE A CHAPTER, BUT THIS ONE REALLY FLOWED FROMY FINGERS. I GAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTING. NEVER HEARD THE SONG USED IN THIS CHAPTER? LOOK INTO IT. I THINKN YOU'LL AGREE IT'S FANTASTIC. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS EVER. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS FIC. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE END. IF I HAVE ONE REGRET IT'S THAT I DIDN'T SQUEEZE IN A BIT MORE SETH AND ABBY. GAH! I LOVED THEM. ANYWAY. R&R PLEASE. - KRISTINE.