Rachel and Puck never talk about what happened the night they went out with Brittany and Santana. It's not that they ignore it exactly; it's just that they consciously choose to never deal with it. Puck feels guilty later that night when he's alone in bed and remembers how amazing it felt to finally hold her in his arms in a moment that had nothing to do with grief or comfort. He knows that it's too soon for her to have it mean anything, so he chooses to make himself believe that they just got caught up in the excitement of the baby. It's easier that way. It takes away the power to break his heart.

She doesn't exactly know what to make of it either. Rachel knows that the last thing she needs to do is act on any kind of romantic feelings she is having, especially for her dead husband's best friend and the only person she can rely on right now. It's easier for her to chalk it up to pregnancy hormones and loneliness than to figure out what it actually means. She knows that her heart felt a little twinge of something when her baby reacted to Puck's voice that night, but defining that feeling isn't something she is up for doing. It's easier that way. It takes away the power to destroy her life.

Instead, the two of them focus on getting the house ready for Thanksgiving. Puck knows from the pregnancy books she leaves around the house that Rachel is deep in nesting mode, which causes her to wake up at odd hours to clean the oven or ask him to come hang some forgotten picture in the study. She has magazine clippings of recipes that she wants to make for the holiday, determined to make a perfect turkey for her guests despite her own vegan status. Puck spends his hours off from work basically fulfilling her every whim – going grocery shopping, carrying things up and down from the attic, raking the leaves in the front yard, whatever it is that she thinks needs to be done.

They're both exhausted by the time the day actually arrives. Rachel wakes earlier than he does to get the turkey going and decides that she has enough time for the luxury of a long, hot shower. The weather has turned decidedly cold as the last days of autumn bear down on Kentucky. Puck only wakes up when he hears the blow dryer flip on in her bathroom. He pads down the hallway barefoot and leans in the doorway to watch her try to manage her long, silky mane.

Puck's always had this weird thing about watching women get ready. He can trace it back to when he was a kid and he used to sit on the edge of his mother's bed while she got ready for work. There were some days when that was the only time she had to spend with her children. That precious hour between shifts at the hospital and her overnights at the diner was spent watching her pull her hair back into a neat bun, scrub away the hospital grime and paint her face with light pink lipstick and shimmery beige eyeshadow. Watching a woman put herself together is like watching an artist work on a painting, and Puck had always been quite the aficionado.

He sometimes worries it's some kind of fucked up Oedipal fetish or something because he comes to find it undeniably sexy when he's a teenager and he's watching his conquests put themselves together after a roll in the hay. It started with Santana and the way she could throw her hair back in a messy ponytail and still look like the best wet dream imaginable. When he had lived with a pregnant Quinn, he had liked to watch her rubbing lotion on her legs after a shower and the way she'd sweep her golden hair off her neck so that he could clasp her favorite gold cross necklace for her. Even with Lauren, he liked how she would put her glasses on and rake her thick fingers through her brown hair after they messed around. Each girl had their own little nuances that made them distinctly them, and they were these little things that he liked about them.

But watching Rachel is better than watching any of them. She's sitting on the bathroom floor, her long hair flipped over her head as she waves the pink hairdryer across her damp tresses. She's dressed in this really fucking cute plum maternity dress that cinches below her chest and makes her breasts look amazing. He loves the way the bathroom is still steamy from the shower and smells like the blackberry vanilla body wash she'd found at the health food store. Her bare feet, complete with the freshly painted pink toes, tap in time to the Rumer song she has blaring on her iPhone on the counter. The whole thing is just so comfortable and domesticated that Puck can't help but smile. This is really his life now.

"G'mornin'," he says thickly after she switches off the dryer. Her head is still upside down as she tries to comb through her now-tangled hair, but that doesn't stop Puck from noticing the delicious little shiver that makes its way up her spine. He knows he sounds sleepier than he feels and it's not really fair to tease her like that. Yet, he forgets that when she looks up at him all wide-eyed and wanton, and it takes every ounce of control he has not to bend over and kiss her right there on the bathroom floor. "When is everyone supposed to get here again?"

"Eleven," she reminded him for the fourth time in the past twelve hours. "The turkey is in the oven, and I will get to work on the pies after I finish up in here."

"What do you need me to do?"

She smiled up at him and shook her head. "You've done everything I needed to get ready," she answered. "You can grab a shower and relax on the couch. I know that you're dying to just watch football. I figure you can hang out with Michael, Burt and Dad while Daddy, Tina and Kurt gossip with your mom, sister and me in the kitchen."

"Sounds perfect, babe," he replies before reaching down to tussle her hair a little. He knows that she is missing Finn this morning and wishing that Carole was coming with her husband and stepson. Rachel had worried last night that she was out of line inviting them when she knew that Carole wouldn't set foot in her house. They hadn't spoken since that disaster of a phone call over a month ago. Neither of them had been exactly surprised when Burt and Kurt had accepted the invitation but explained that Carole was going to visit her sister in Pennsylvania for the long weekend. "But if you need anything..."

"I'll call," she promised. She loved how he worried about her. It made her feel safe in the strangest way. "And Noah, you should wear that gray sweater you wore Saturday to temple. It looked nice on you, and your mom would probably appreciate it if you made a little effort."

What he hears and she doesn't say is that she would appreciate it if he would make a little effort to look nice. This was her first holiday away from Lima and first time putting together a holiday for their little makeshift family. He knew that she was putting too much pressure on herself to make it perfect, but it was useless to try to talk her out of it. She would only want to argue with him about it, and he didn't want to fight with her about anything. There were too many sad Rachel moments still that he would do pretty much anything to make her smile. Damn, the woman had him whipped.

He hears Mike and Tina get there as he's getting out of the shower. It only takes him three minutes to throw on his clothes, run his fingers through his hair and slap on a little cologne before he is trading an intricate handshake with Mike and lifting Tina slightly off the ground in a tight hug. Rachel is laughing as she comes into the living room, resting her left hand on Noah's back while hugging each of her friends with her right arm. Tina follows Rachel into the kitchen to drop off the fresh rolls they'd brought along while Mike ambles after Puck toward the couch to turn on the Lions/Vikings game.

"So how are you feeling?" Tina asks as she watches Rachel put the finishing touches on her pumpkin pie before sliding it into the oven. "I am guessing the morning sickness is pretty much gone. Any weird cravings?"

"A few. I have really developed a taste for apricot jam for some reason, and I think Noah is tired of Mexican food. He never complains though, even when we had it four times last week," Rachel giggled. "He's been pretty wonderful, Tina. He rubs my feet when they swell and runs all over getting me anything I want and even massages cocoa butter on my stomach so I don't get stretch marks. It's pretty sweet how excited he is for this baby."

Tina offered her a small smile, and Rachel knew what she was thinking. The more they went through this together, a more paternal role Noah was bound to take. It was a natural progression, and there were going to be people who thought she was trying to replace Finn. It wasn't like that for either of them, and that knowledge alone prevented her from explaining it to Tina or anyone else.

"Well, I am glad you're doing well," Tina replied finally. "It's nice that he's around or whatever. Mike says that he sounds pretty happy too whenever they talk. I just wish we weren't in Lima and Chicago so that we could help out more."

"We do just fine on our own, Tina, but thank you," Rachel smiled politely. "Now, hand me that tin over there so we can get started on the cookies. I promised Noah I would make some sugar ones. They're his favorite."

Meanwhile, Puck and Mike hadn't said more to each other than a few grunts and curse words at the stupidity of the referees or bad plays. When the Vikes call time out and a beer commercial starts to play on screen, they both sort of relax back into the couch. Other than Finn, Puck had always been closer to Mike than anyone. Now that Finn was gone, they sort of talked all the time. Whenever he needed to work something out aloud or bitch about Rachel being crazy or ask advice about some tiny little thing, he'd call up his Asian friend in Chicago so the two of them could figure it out.

"You two doing okay?" Mike asks without tearing his gaze away from the TV.

"Yeah, fine, same old, ya know," Puck replied. "Everything's good. The baby is healthy and Rachel's not freaking the fuck out anymore."

"That's good. What about you?"

"I'm happy as long as she's doing okay," he shrugged. "I like my job, the garage is cool. I am going to take a few online classes in January, just some business courses. Rach tried to convince me to go to school, but I want to be around as much as I can. She's due in March, and it'll be easier to help her out with the kid if I don't have to rush off to class or whatever."

It's easy for Mike to imagine Puck balancing studying between feedings. Despite what a lot of people thought, Puck was one of those people who was made to be a dad. He'd always been really great with Sarah, and Mike had seen firsthand how empty a part of his heart had been when they'd given up Beth. He actually got excited about some of the things he read in Rachel's pregnancy books, like how the kid was growing fingernails and was the size of some piece of fruit that week and was in the top percentiles for development.

"Knock, knock!" came a voice from the hallway, and Puck recognized it as Hiram. Rachel scurried excitedly from the kitchen to greet her fathers while Puck and Mike came over to free them of the grocery bags they were carrying. Once everything had been deposited on the kitchen counter, Puck went back in to say hello the Fathers Berry.

"We've got the game on in the living room," Mike told Hiram while Tina led Leroy into the kitchen for a glass of wine.

Puck was left in the foyer alone with Rachel. "Everything going okay in there?"

"It's perfect, Noah," she said pleasantly. Her head was bowed as she fidgeted with the thin gold bracelet around her wrist. He grabbed her hand to still it, loosely weaving their fingers together to calm her down. She smiled up at him thankfully for sensing that she needed it. He slid his other hand to her hip and pulled her in for a brief hug and a kiss to the top of her head. "I just want it to go okay."

"It's going to be amazing because it's yours," he reminded her gently. "Stop stressing so much."

"Easy for you to say," she pouted, and he laughs out loud when she actual pushes her bottom lip out in a really cute way.

"Yup, now get back in the kitchen and make my cookies, woman!" he teased her. "Your promised."

Leroy watched his daughter interact with Noah from his place at the kitchen doorway, easily finding his husband's eyes as he watched them from the sofa. Hiram seems a little more concerned while he is comforted by it. It's so easy between the two of them, and that's what Rachel needs right now. She has always had to fight for every inch of her happiness, and for once, she deserved for it to come easily to her.

"Noah, can you get that please?" Rachel called out ten minutes later when the doorbell rings. He hollered back an affirmative, causing Mike to make a whipped gesture and get punched in return. She heard the exchange and smiled exasperatedly at Tina. The Asian girl just shrugged one shoulder and refocused her attention on measuring out the brown sugar for the yams. A minute later, she heard Kurt's excited squeal as he comes into her kitchen. "Oh, Kurt, you're here!"

"In the flesh, Diva," he smiled. He looked good. New York is doing wonders for her old friend, and she isn't even the tiniest bit jealous of how well he fits in there. He hugged Rachel, smiling down at her stomach momentarily, before moving over to greet Tina and her father. He told them that Blaine was visiting family when Leroy asked and then explained to Rachel that the containers he had stowed in the fridge contained cranberry sauce, green beans and glazed carrots.

The four of them talked while the guys watched football in the living room. Rachel loved how full the house sounds as she works around the kitchen, adding her two cents in every now and then while focusing on the task at hand. She was just wondering where the Puckermans are when she heard the doorbell ring and Puck nearly ran toward the front door to let his mom and sister in.

"Noah!" Rebecca Puckerman laughed as her son greeted her eagerly, pulling her into a bear hug before he even lets her come through the door. Rachel was just behind him, wiping her hands on her apron as Sarah tried to squeeze past her mother and brother to hug her. She hugged the youngest Puckerman tightly and smiled at Noah over her head before moving over to greet Rebecca. She grinned again when she watched Sarah jump into her brother's arms, wrapping her tiny body around his in a tight hug. She can tell that they have missed him as much as he has missed them.

"Honey, you look lovely," Rebecca said to Rachel. She was standing next to her son, his arm around his mother's shoulder proudly. "And you look nice too, Noah. I suppose it's Rachel's doing?"

"Ma," Puck complained as the three guys in the living room cheered. "Uh, I'm just gonna..."

"Go watch your game, Noah," Rachel told him. "Dinner will be in ready in a half hour or so."

"Sounds good," he retorted, hugging his mother one last time before heading back toward the living room. He kissed Rachel's forehead on the way by, and Rachel has to keep herself from blushing at the affectionate gesture.

They are just sitting down at dinner when Burt's cell phone rings from the other room. He excuses himself for a moment, and Kurt explained that Carole was supposed to call when she got to her sister's house from the airport. They all try not to think about how she is missing from the family meal and instead start talking about the snow that is supposed to be hitting Lima next week.

When Burt came back in a few minutes later, Leroy looked around the room and smiled. "I would like to take a minute to go around the table so that everyone can share what they are thankful for this holiday. I am thankful that we are all able to share this holiday together with the comfort of good friends and good food."

"I am thankful that the Cowboys are playing the Browns later and that they actually have a chance of winning for once," Hiram grinned, earning a sharp elbow from his husband and an amused look from his daughter. "And of course, as always, I am thankful for our Rachel."

"Well, I have to second the Browns thing," Burt laughed. "But I am also thankful that I get to spend today with my son and my daughter-in-law. The two of you are enough to make a father very proud."

"Oh, Dad," Kurt chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "I am grateful that this weather isn't so cold that it is going to give me chapped lips or wind burn and for the sample sale at Bergdorf's last week where I got this fabulous shirt and that Lima finally has a decent beauty supply place..."

Rebecca waited patiently for Kurt to finish his little tirade and laughed despite herself when he finally finished with a deep sigh. "I am grateful that I get to spend today with my two children and that for once, they are both on the right track. It's been awhile, but I'm proud of both of you."

"Geez, Ma," Sarah muttered, and Rachel thought she sounded too much like Noah for it to be any good. "I'm just grateful that I don't have to go to my grandma's this year because her turkey is always really dry and her house smells like old bandages."

Tina lifted her glass in acknowledgment of that one. "I second the good food thing. Half my family pretty much refuses to accept any holidays that aren't Chinese, so we usually end up eating moo goo gai pan."

Mike wrinkled his nose. "My parents are even worse than hers, so you can imagine. But this year, I am thankful that I get to spend the holiday with my girlfriend and three of my closest friends," he said as he looked at Tina and then Puck, Rachel and Kurt. "I've looked all over Chicago for people as good as you guys, and I just don't think I'm going to find it."

"Obviously, honey," Kurt scoffed. "You've met me, right?"

"Yeah, man, I have to agree with Beyonce," Puck boasted. "The Puckerone is often replicated but never duplicated. I'm one of a kind."

"Thank goodness," Rebecca and Rachel deadpan in unison, setting the table off in a round of laughter.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Your turn, Rach."

She smiled around the room at her friends and family. "I'm grateful that despite everything, I'm still standing with all of you in my corner," she told them genuinely. "We all know it's been a hard few months, but it has been an incredible blessing to have all of you supporting me. Especially you, Noah. Out of everything and everyone, I owe you the most."

"You don't owe me anything, Berry."

"But I do," she assured him. "And we both know that. Really, you've been incredible."

Not exactly wanting to have this conversation in front of everyone, he settled for reaching over and squeezing her hand. "Back at ya, Rach." She cocked her head to the side and looked at him in this funny little way, almost as if she was seeing him in a certain light for the first time. "So I guess it's my turn. Like Rachel said, I'm grateful for all of you. Just a few months ago, I thought I'd be alone in some cramped apartment in LA eating a TV dinner for Thanksgiving, so getting to be here with you all is pretty damn sweet."

"Language, Noah."

"Sorry, Ma," he apologized automatically. "I am thankful that whether it is from Ohio or Chicago or New York, you all cared enough to come here and spend this day with Berry and me. I am grateful that I get to have my mom and sister here because I really miss them a lot, which isn't something I ever thought I'd say. And I'm glad the Berrys are here because I know that Rachel really loves it when they're here because she smiles in this way that she doesn't do for anyone else. I'm glad that Burt is here because he's been more of a father to me than my own, and I hope you really know how much I appreciate that." The two exchange a knowing smile and Burt nods. Puck is one of his boys, just like Kurt and Finn. "And I'm glad Porcelain is here too because you can talk to Berry about that Broadway sh...stuff that she likes so much and I can't really stand to hear about. I'm grateful that Mike and Tina are here just because I love them and they're my friends."

"But most of all, I am thankful for Berry," he said as he stared at her. "She's pretty amazing even if she doesn't know it, and her strength has taught me more in these past two months than I could have ever learned anywhere else. I am grateful that she let me be there – wanted me to be there – that first day and keeps letting me stay. So, thanks, Berry. For letting me be part of your life here and letting me be there for your baby."

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted after Puck finally finished talking. It's more than Rachel can ever remember him saying all at once. She had decided to make an announcement tonight when everyone was together. "If you will give me one more minute, I have one more thing to say," Rachel called out as she tapped her fork to her glass. Everyone stopped talking and looked to the end of the room where Puck was still holding her hand on top of the table. "As you know, we went to the doctor for the five-month checkup, and everything is fine. What you don't know is that I had an ultrasound and found out what the baby is."

Puck looked at her suddenly then. He didn't even know that Rachel had found out. She had asked the doctor after he had left the room so she could get dressed. She had wanted to surprise him when she told everyone else.

"I'm having a little boy."

The room started to bustle in excitement as Hiram and Leroy hugged happily and Rebecca and Burt clapped. Mike and Tina were grinning like fools, and it was evident that Kurt was already working out wardrobe options in his head. However, amidst all the commotion, none of them miss when Puck dropped to his knees next to Rachel's chair and stared up at her in wonder. "It's a little boy?" he asked in the smallest voice she's ever heard. He grinned up at her then and then leaned his cheek on her stomach. "You hear that, little dude? We're going to have so much fun together. I have so much to teach you."

Rachel rested her hand on top of Puck's head and stroked his scalp gently. He looked up at her again and raised himself up on his knees before pulling her into a tight hug. "A little boy, babe," he murmured as he gazed at her. "You're going to have a son."

"I know," she whispered back, the prettiest smile imaginable on her face. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed. "This is the best fuckin' news ever!"

She doesn't admonish him for his language and her fathers don't wonder if they are just a little too close for either of their own good. Rebecca doesn't worry that her son is setting himself up to get hurt and Burt doesn't think about how this isn't really Puck's kid. Kurt doesn't say that the whole thing is inappropriate and Mike doesn't make that stupid whipped gesture again and Tina doesn't try to hide her tears and Sarah doesn't think her brother is a pussy for being so excited about all of this. No, they all just smile at the two of them, this little unit that is excited that there is going to be a little boy in their house soon. It's the first time Puck feels like he's about to be a father and Rachel knows that it's inevitable that her son is going to probably call him daddy and they both finally see they have already become a family without ever realizing it.

And later, after everyone has left and the kitchen is cleaned up, Puck leads Rachel down the hallway to the room that will be the nursery and lights a few tea light candles on the window sills. They're both in their bare feet as the stereo plays softly in the background. He wraps his arms around her, she rests her head on his shoulder, and the two of them get lost in the music once again.

"The way that we love, the way that we laugh. It's something worth seeing. So let's make it last. Live out each moment. They go by so fast. Let's make it last."

Song Credit: "Let's Make It Last" by Brandon Heath