Love Makes You Do the Wacky

(RATED M; Q/P/R/F, P/R)

CHAPTER IX- Dinner and a Show

"Noah Puckerman, I am really surprised at you!" Rachel gushed as they were seated in a booth, one of the best in the house, in the large, up-done Italian restaurant.

"Why? Because I'm so badass, you'd never expect something like this? Listen, babe, I got a soft side." Rachel arched her eyebrow and smirked in response. "You told me you liked Italian. I was just taking advantage of a hint you dropped on me."

"I didn't drop any hints," Rachel argued.

"You totally did! We were talking about soccer, for God-knows-what-reason, when you dropped the 'you know, I really like Italian' bomb on me. I'd say that was a hint."

Puck waved over a waitress and ordered for the both of them. Rachel sat in shock that he got her order of three cheese ravioli completely right! When the waitress looked over to Rachel to confirm the order, Rachel looked at her with her mouth agape, nodding dumbly. Twenty minutes later their food came in the most decorated manner. The plates were heated to a comfortable warm, all of the decorative parsley and basil was finely manicured, even the bread and oil seemed to be the most perfect tasting bread and oil she's had.

"So," Puck inquired, "could you tell what you parents thought of me?"

Rachel let out a small chuckle, "I'm surprised Papa didn't pull out divorce papers and thrust them at Daddy!" Puck put on his shit-eating grin. "They loved you, Noah."

"Of course they did! 'Cause I'm the Puckerone!

"Noah, that is the most asinine name you could ever think of. It's even worse than Puck!"

"Hey! Don't rag on 'Puck'! 'Puck' is fuckin' awesome!'

"Noah! Please refrain from using such profane language in a public forum!" Rachel scolded him.

Puck told her to eat up quickly; otherwise they would miss the show.

When Puck paid the bill he helped Rachel into the rusty cabin of his truck, a step down from the manicured palace they just left. However it was no matter to Rachel, all she cared about was being with the man she loved. When Puck pulled into a parking lot and thrust the truck into Park, Rachel looked around at her surroundings.

"Noah?" Rachel questioned him.

"Yes?"

"I thought we were going to a show?"

"We are."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"But this is the Lima Elementary School auditorium." Puck nodded. "The show is in there?" Rachel pointed toward the red-bricked building. Puck nodded once again and got out of the cabin. Rachel unbuckled and followed in suit. When they got to the door Rachel could clearly see the entire PTSA gathered around the door to the tiny stage area. On the door to the entrance was a poster, held firmly in place by four scotch tape pieces, one on every corner. The poster read 'Lima Elementary School Welcomes You to Their Production of … The Princess and the Pea!' Rachel still didn't get it. When they walked into the tiny auditorium each of them were handed a single sheet of thin paper, the 'program'. It had drawings of flowers and butterflies, as well as a stack of what appeared to be mattresses with a little woman sitting on top. The drawings surrounded typed print, listing the cast of the show. And at the top, as the Princess, was listed the name 'Sara Puckerman'.

Rachel looked up at Puck with a dumbstruck look on her face. Puck smirked at her as the lights began to fade and the red velvet curtain was drawn. The set was hand painted with vibrant colors; flowers and butterflies, just like on the 'program', and a sun, a big yellow ball with yellow strokes of paint emanating from the center and two black dots and a curved line in the center gave the impression of a face.

Rachel sat through the entire show, holding back tears of joy and pride for the girl on stage that bravely played the lead role of the Princess. When the show was over, she and Puck stood outside the auditorium and waited for the tiny girl. She came running up to them, still in her poufy, pink 'princess' dress. Sara squealed as Puck picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He swung her around until a PTSA parent cleared her throat and arched her eyebrow at them. Puck put down his sister and smoothed down her dress. When Sara spotted Rachel, she ran up to her and hugged her waist. Rachel put her arms on the little girls back lovingly.

Rachel bent down at her knees to look the younger girl in eyes. Sara smiled brightly at her as she declared happily, "You came!"

Rachel hugged her again and graciously told her that "of course they would come".

"You were great up there, darling!" Rachel gushed, "You sang beautifully!"

"Not as great as you…."

"But you will someday."

Sara smiled beamingly up at Rachel. "Why did you dress up so much? It's not like you're going to a movie premiere."

"Well, kiddo," Puck said, "we just came from dinner." At that Puck pulled a slice of manicured Tiramisu cake in a clear plastic box from behind his back and handed it to the little girl. She squealed as she grabbed it from him and kissed him on the cheek. She turned to Rachel and kissed her on the cheek as well, surprising the older girl as the younger one ran off into the dressing room to change and boast to her friends that while they got flowers her big brother brought her cake!

Rachel stood back up and smiled at Puck. They were walking to his truck in the parking lot when she looked over to him and said, "Noah? How-"

But he saw the question coming and cut her off. "You remember when you came over for dinner and you sang for my family?"

Rachel nodded. "That was when I met you mother and sister."

"Well, the next day, Sara came home from school and she waved the permission slip for her to tryout at my mom." Rachel looked at him disbelievingly as they continued walking. "She told us that you inspired her to try out when you sang. She said that she had wanted to try out for the past month, so when she was home alone she would sing the audition song." Rachel and Puck stopped at the passenger's side door of the truck. He turned her to him and looked her right in the eye as he said one of the sweetest things he had ever said to anyone before. "You aren't even a star yet, and you're already inspiring kids to dream."

Rachel pulled him down to her for a chaste kiss. They stood there for God-knows-how-long before they were interrupted by a gaggle of four giggling kids going 'eww…' and a soccer mom covering as many of their eyes as possible before giving up and hustling them into her minivan. Puck helped Rachel into the cab and drove her home silently.

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