AN: AHA! So A Little Gossip Never Hurts worked! My Muse has returned. Again, I'm sorry for the delay with the story. I lost myself a little. Oh well, I'm back now and I have finally figured out where this story is headed. You guys can count on 3 more chapters for this, and if your reading my other one as well, it should have about 12 chapters (I'd like to finish these two before school starts again) :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, nor do I own the lyrics to the song mentioned Later, that belongs to The Civil Wars, all other ideas and characters are mine though.

*for the song* Bold =Puck, Italics =Rachel, Both =Both

enjoy!


Derek burst into the cabin, scaring both Puck and Ayden who had both been quietly doing their own thing.

They exchanged glances as Derek doubled over trying to catch his breath. "Dude. You ok?" Ayden asked from his bed.

Derek nodded, still out of breath from his sprint from the girls cabin to his current seat at the end of Pucks bed.

Puck set his sheet music down and looked at his friend. "Sup man?"

Derek looked between his two friends and whispered, "This can't leave this cabin. We are now in a sacred cone of silence."

Ayden's eyes widened and he leaned forward. "The cone of silence is sacred."

Puck just rolled his eyes and nodded. He was getting used to the camps' tendency to lean towards being overly dramatic.

Derek seemed appeased at his response and decided to continue, "Teasley's got a plan."

Ayden groaned and laid back down on his bed, Teasley's plans were notorious for their overwhelmingly meddlesome nature.

Puck just raised his brow and waited for Derek to continue. "She wants you and Rae to get together. Like...together together. She thinks you guys are soul-mates or something." Ayden scoffed and shook his head. It was classic Teasley. Derek glared at his best friend before continuing on with the plan. "She wants you two to perform a duet for the Showcase. I'm going to produce it and she's going to dance to it. It's going to be rad. This way, you guys are guaranteed to spend loads of time together, I mean...we all know Rae, she'll want to perfect everything."

Puck scowled while Ayden nodded, it sounded perfect to him. "Who says I want to spend lots of time with Berry? Especially if it's time spent locked in your tiny little booth?"

Now it was Derek and Ayden's turn to roll their eyes. "Dude. Who wouldn't to be locked in that room with Rae?"

Puck scrubbed his face and looked up wearily, "Ok maybe I do. But who says this is going to work?"

Derek smiled and reached over to slap Ayden's awaiting palm with a victorious high five.

The plan was as good as sold.


"So I'm thinking something lightly acoustic, slow, soulful. In a perfect world the lyrics would have to do with love, either about falling for someone you've known forever, or blossoming love. Kinda hopeful. Ya know?" Teasley was currently pacing in front of the little group seated on the grass in front of her; Rachel laying back watching the clouds drift by, Derek paying rapt attention to the graceful turns the raven haired dancer was making, and Puck who sat cross legged stealing glances of Rachel out of the corner of his eye.

Teasley huffed and threw herself to the ground, "Any ideas?"

Derek raised his hand and then just as quickly lowered it when he realized what he'd done. "Dave Matthews?

Puck threw a disgusted look at his friend, "Fuck no, Fargo."

Derek and Puck continued to throw around artist names, each getting shot down for some reason or another, when suddenly Rachel sat up. "The Civil Wars."

Three pairs of questioning eyes landed on her mid argument. "What?"

"The Civil Wars."

Both Derek and Puck turned to the other and shrugged as the name rang no bell with them. Teasley on the other hand seemed to know the band. "But which song are we talking about? Poison & Wine?"

Rachel glanced towards Puck and blushed before shaking her head. "No I was thinking either To Whom It May Concern or I've Got This Friend...?"

Puck had no idea what the fuck was going on, and by the looks of it, neither did Derek.

No bueno. "What the fuck are you two talking about?" Rachel looked up from her iPod that she had just dug out of her bag and met his eyes for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Language, Noah." she grinned, "We're talking about this amazing band called the Civil Wars. They're very light and airy and singer/songwritery. Our voices would blend beautifully with the style. Here. Let me play you the song that I was thinking about."

She placed the tiny hot pink device onto the ground between the two of them.

The song was perfect.

Learning the guitar part shouldn't be too hard for him, and the lyrics fit them almost perfectly, even if she didn't realize it yet.

Teasley and Derek nodded in agreement. "Alright then, To Whom It May Concern it is."


They had been working on the song for little over a week.

Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Puck already had the guitar part down pat, and just like Rachel had predicted, the two singers fell into the harmonies as if it was as natural as breathing.

Their last session of the day had just ended when he called out to her, "Hey Rach, wanna run through the song before dinner?"

Rachel turned back from the door and removed her bag, dropping it lightly to the floor near his guitar case. "You know I'm always willing to practice, Noah." Her smile was blinding and he couldn't exactly help the butterflies that began to stir as he acknowledged that they were alone once again in the same room that he had almost kissed her the last time.

She sat down cross legged on the floor and stretched herself out.

Puck followed suit and dragged the guitar case towards him.

He began to strum the melody and watched as she tilted her head back, immersing herself in the song.

Why are you so far from me?

In my arms is where you ought to be

How long will you make me wait?

I don't know how much more I can take

I missed you

But I haven't met you

Oh but I want to

How I do

Slowly counting down the days

Till I finally know your name

Ooo the way your hand feels round my waist

The way you laugh

The way your kisses taste

I missed you

But I haven't met you

Oh but I want to

How I do, How I do

I've missed you

But I haven't met you

Oh I missed you

I haven't met you

Oh but I want to

Oh how I want to

Dear whoever you might be

I'm still waiting patiently.

He was drifting towards her as the last notes left her lips, and before he even realized what was happening, he had shifted his guitar onto the floor and had his left arm wrapped around her waist hauling her into his lap as his other hand rose and tangled itself in her hair.

Her lips were soft and she let out the tiniest whimper as his lips crashed onto hers.

It was an intense kiss, definitely something that was long overdue in his opinion.

Her hands came up to fist themselves in his shirt as they fought for dominance of the kiss.

He took his time exploring her mouth, it had after all, been quite a long time since he had last claimed it as his.

Her breath was ragged as she lightly pushed him away and she let go of his shirt and began trying to soothe the wrinkles that had appeared from her death-grip.

Puck reached for her face and titled her head so that their foreheads were touching and he could clearly see the turmoil and utter panic in her eyes.

He knew she was going to freak out.

He sighed deeply and ran his nose along her cheek until he hit her jaw and began to nibble his way down to her pulse point.

She inhaled sharply as he found the spot behind her ear that she had always liked for him to pay attention to.

"Noah. Stop."

"Hmm?"

"Noah." he ran his tongue along the spot and goosebumps erupted down her arms.

"Noah, stop."

It took him a second to realize that she wasn't in fact grabbing at his shirt in excitement like before, but she was trying to push her body up and away from his.

He let her go, and glared as she stood up and stumbled a few steps away from him.

She shook her head and backed up more. Towards her bag, towards the door. She was running. Again.

She reached down and grabbed her bag, looking back to the boy sitting dumbfounded on the floor.

"It's not that I don't want this Noah. I do. You don't know how much. I just...I want this too much."

She continued backing up, she was almost to the door, and he continued to sit there, staring at her.

"You know me. How much I want things. I want you too much. Just like always. And I can't...I can't do that to you. I'm sorry."

And with that, she reached behind her back and turned the doorknob.

And she was gone.


Yeah yeah yeah...sorry, I know. But fear not Puckleberry shippers, all is not lost :)

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