Chapter 9 Keep Holding On

A/N: Yeah I am back on a roll, thank you again for the awesome reviews and alerts, you guys totally rock. Special shout out to my beta EJ, thank you, thank you. Rock Star! On with the show, hope you like it.

School the next day was pretty uneventful, despite the rumors that were running around, but when Rachel snapped at Santana, and told her about Puck's grandparents, the gossip died down was replaced by stories of a drunken kegger that weekend. Puck was snappish and irritable, most people assumed that it was because of his grandparent's car accident, but only Rachel knew that it was because Finn was coming over to his house after school. He was dreading the conversation, but knew that he couldn't put it off anymore.

Rachel looked at her boyfriend stubbornly. "We have already been through this, Noah, I told you I am staying with you."

Noah shook his head gently and kissed her on the head. "Babe, I'll be fine, I promise."

"I'm staying." She repeated inflexibly, her face set with determination. "I am not saying that I want to be in the room with you while you talk to Finn, that would be entirely to awkward. I am just saying that I would like to be in the house, otherwise I'll worry to much." Rachel leaned over and kissed him gently. "You wouldn't want me to worry about you, Noah, right?" She asked sweetly.

Puck cocked his head and considered his girlfriend briefly. "Ya know," he began casually, "I always thought that you were a little scary, in a good way of course," he said in a tongue and cheek manner, "but in a few years you are going to be fucking terrifying. You're only sixteen and you already have the Jewish guilt thing down cold, by the time you have kids you'll make my mom seem like an amateur by comparison."

"Does that I mean I can stay?" Rachel asked with a smile.

Puck's response became irrelevant, as they were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. "Go." Puck growled playfully as he smacked Rachel on the ass, rushing her upstairs.

"Good luck" she whispered, kissed him quickly, then scurried up the stairs out of sight.

Puck too a deep, steadying breath and walked to the door to greet is best friend. "Hey man."

"So, are you ready for me to kick your ass on X-Box?" Finn asked with a cocky grin as he walked into the house and made himself comfortable; something he had done many times over the years.

"You wish." Puck replied. "You want a soda?" He asked, stalling for time.

"Sure."

Puck nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab a couple drinks. 'I hope he doesn't decide to chuck this at my head.' He thought, as he checked the weight of the Coke can. He walked back in to the living room and handed the beverage to Finn, then sat down in the chair across from him, only to pop back up a moment later.

Finn looked at his best friend with concern. "Dude, what is up with you. You kinda look like your about to freak out, and you never freak out. Is everything OK with your Grandparents and your mom? I thought you said they were doing better." The concern in his friends face hit him like a knife in the gut.

"No, they're fine, it's not about them it's.. Dude, I gotta tell you something and it's bad," he rushed, wrenching his hands, "So I'm just gonna rip off the band-aid or whatever." Puck flexed his hands nervously and began to pace around the living room. "Quinn's baby is mine." He blurted out.

"I know." Finn said softly.

"I'm a total dick, and don't blame you if you want to kick my ass." Puck said rushing on, not hearing what Finn had just said. "I mean I know I was kinda wasted and she told me that you two broke up, but there is no excuse and..." Puck stopped abruptly as his brain and ears caught up to each other. "You know?" Puck asked incredulously.

"I know." Finn repeated. "Dude, I know I may not always know my right from my left, but I'm not that much of a freakin' idiot. Once the shock of the whole pregnancy bomb settled, I went home and Googled sperm and hot tubs. After that it was pretty obvious that it couldn't have been me. I just didn't know who it was."

Puck ran his hand though his mo-hawk and sat down. Finn looked more tired than pissed at the moment. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner man." He said softly. "Quinn didn't want me to say anything to anyone.She didn't want to have anything to do with me, man. She chose you, ya know? How'd you figure it out?"

"At first I thought that it might be this older guy from her church that was always flirting with her; until the day that we all had to ride around in wheelchairs at school." Finn explained, tapping his foot nervously. "You started giving me shit about not 'manning-up' and taking care of Quinn and the baby. You were so pissed, and then something just kinda clicked. Like how you and Quinn seemed to bitch at each other all the time, or how you would both suddenly stop talking when I came over. Shit like that."

Puck looked down at his shoes, feeling very guilty and small. "So that's why you pounded my face that day during drills." Puck said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Finn looked at his friend and shrugged. "I was so pissed. I couldn't take it out on Quinn, hell, she doesn't even know that I know and you were an easy target."

"Finn Hudson, you hit my boyfriend on purpose!?" Rachel exclaimed as she charged downstairs.

"You eavesdropping little pixie." Puck muttered as he chuckled at the antics of his girlfriend.

"How dare you!" Rachel continued stomping her foot in an all out Diva rage. "You Neanderthal! He made a mistake, granted it was a big one, but you don't go around punching people. Besides," Rachel raged, oblivious to her boyfriend's silent laughter. "You aren't entirely blame-free, Finn Hudson. You made out with me in the auditorium when you first joined Glee, you flirted, and then you asked me out on a 'date' and kissed me at that stupid bowling alley just so I would come back to Glee, and the whole time you were still with Quinn."

Finn had the good grace to blush as he shuffled his feet uneasily.

Puck saw the look of hurt that flashed over Rachel's face. He knew that Rachel no longer had a thing for Finn, but hurt feelings didn't go away so easily. "That was kinda fucked up, dude." Puck said softly "You didn't exactly hide the fact that you were makin' cow eyes at Rachel from Quinn."

Finn stood up suddenly, fists clenched. "So that makes it OK then?" He asked angrily. "That means it was my fault that you screwed Quinn!?"

Puck stood up and put a tentative hand on his friends shoulder. "No man, I'm not saying that at all. That thing with Quinn was a huge mistake and ultimately that's on me and Quinn. I'm just saying that your actions, or whatever, effected things, ya know? Be honest, what you did to Rachel was a dick move, and trust me I know. I am the freakin' King of dick moves." Puck said deprecatingly. He patted his friend on the back a little harder than necessary; a little frustrated that Finn seemed to get away with everything, while Puck was always the uber-jerk. 'Finn is always the fucking golden boy and I'm just a Lima Loser.' Puck thought bitterly. "If I had pulled the same shit with Rachel, that you did, you would have beaten the shit out of me."

Finn nodded slightly, and then walked over to Rachel looking to Puck for permission. The boy nodded briefly and Finn pulled Rachel in for a sincere, but brief hug. "Puck's right. I'm sorry, Rach. You totally deserved better than that. I did like you, you know, but Quinn is just..." He finished awkwardly. "I shouldn't have strung you along and I'm sorry." He hugged her again and then backed away, not wanting to piss off Puck.

"Look, it doesn't mean that I'm not still pissed at you. You broke the guy code, but I do kinda understand. It totally doesn't make it right, but I know you had a thing for Quinn and it wasn't just you trying to get into her pants. It's not like she didn't always flirt with you, besides drunk or not, Quinn doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do." Finn slammed his fist into the back of the Puckerman's couch. "Dude, this is so messed up. We belong on like, freakin' Jerry Springer."

Rachel walked over and put a reassuring hand on the distraught boy. "Finn," She asked sympathetically, "If you knew all this time, why didn't you say anything at the very least? Why are you still a part of Quinn and her deceptions?"

Finn ran is hand through his hair with a sigh. "I love her." He said sadly. "I know I sound like a sucker." Finn said looking pointedly at Puck. "But as messed up as things are, I love Quinn, and I have since I was twelve. I know that's no excuse, but it's the truth." He patted Rachel's hand softly. "Thanks for caring, Rachel. I'm just sorry that you got pulled into our soap opera shit."

Puck chuckled wryly and pulled Rachel into his arms. "We are a fucked up group, aren't we? The only one who is blameless here, is you, Rachel."

Finn nodded emphatically, still feeling like crap about the way he treated Rachel. "She's like a Knight or whatever."

Rachel furrowed her brows in confusion, and then squeezed Puck's hand. "You mean Pawn, Finn." She said turning to the boy. "But I'm not, not really. I'm the one who set up the 'seduction' picnic in the auditorium. I chased you, Finn, and I knew you had a girlfriend. I'm not blameless." She kissed Puck on the cheek. "We all had a part in this," She continued. "But that is all in the past, and dwelling on the past doesn't fix anything."

"You're right." Finn said sitting back down into the couch next to the couple. His head felt like it was about to explode, but at the same time he felt an odd sense of relief. "All we can so now is focus on the future, right?"

"Right."

"How do we do that?" He asked wearily.

Puck looked at Rachel, and without even saying a word, he knew what she was thinking.

"We have to talk to Quinn." Puck replied with a sigh. "The three of us have cleared the air and all that shit. I'm glad about that, I really am, but she is the one that's knocked up. We have to figure out what to do about the baby; together."

Puck squeezed Rachel's hand and then he reached over and placed his hand on Finn's forearm with his free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Biology or not, Finn still loved that little girl. Finn's eyes began to fill with tears.

Rachel placed a supportive hand on his arm, next to Puck's. "He means it Finn." Rachel said softly, speaking for her boyfriend because Noah's eyes were also beginning to tear up.

"What's the point?" Finn asked bitterly. "It's her body and it's not like she is letting me have a say in anything. I'm only there for support and money and whatever she wants." The frustration in his voice was evident.

"When I say that we are going to do this together man, I mean it." Puck said forcefully.

"Noah is the biological father" Rachel continued, explaining for her boyfriend. "I don't think that it will happen, but if Quinn keeps insisting that the baby isn't his, he can demand a paternity test through the courts and Quinn has to comply. If we want the baby, we can sue for custody, if she wants to give up the baby for adoption Noah has to give legal consent as the biological father, and if we decide that adoption is the best option, then we will all help find the right family. She can't make all the decisions about the baby alone, Finn." She said reassuringly, "I am not very fond of sports metaphors, but the fact is, that it's a whole different ball game now."

Puck quickly scrubbed away a tear that escaped, and picked up where Rachel left off.

"I don't have a freakin' clue what to do about the baby, but Rachel's right. Whatever we do, it will be what is best for the baby." He looked deep into Rachel's eyes when he said that, and smiled briefly when he saw the pride that shone through. "And we will all figure it out together," Puck continued, "Not just me and Quinn, whether she likes it or not, but you and Rachel too. You, because screw biology, you're her father, too, and Rachel..." He paused, looking at his girlfriend.

"Because I promised Noah that I would stand by him." Rachel said intensely, "and there is no way in hell that I am going to break my promise to him." She turned and kissed him fiercely, then leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Finn's cheek. "In case you haven't noticed, I am kind of an expert on alternative families, and that is what we are. A family."

Puck pulled her tight to him once again. "You're kind of amazing, you know that?" He whispered in her ear.

"So are you." She responded.

Finn studied the couple, happy for them, but also envious. "You two are good together." He said softly. "Are we done?" He asked abruptly, suddenly wanting to be away from their happiness, knowing that his own relationship was about to be hit by a tsunami.

Rachel nodded, "the money," She murmured.

"Just one more thing," Puck said once again, patting his friend on the back. He didn't used to be so touchy feely (with dudes anyway), but he guessed that Rachel was rubbing off on him. "It's not that bad, dude, I swear. But you need to know about it before we talk to Quinn. You know how I told you that I started that landscaping business?"

Finn nodded in confirmation. "Well I did it to make more money; I've been giving money to Quinn. I have been keeping track of how much I give her. You should too man, OK? That way we can legally cover our asses, not that I think it'll get to that."

"That's it?" Finn said with a weary smile, "There are no more bombshells left?" He stood up wanting to leave.

"Nope, that's it." Puck stood up, and in an uncharacteristic move, he gave his friend a hug, not a man hug, but a real brother to brother hug. "I really am sorry Finn." He said huskily, "I wish I...I know that it doesn't mean anything, but I am so freaking sorry."

Finn hugged his friend back tightly. "You told me, that means...it means a lot." They separated and shared a brief smile.

Rachel was happy and relieved to see the boys getting along, but ever the planner, she had to plan for the next day. "We have to talk to Quinn tomorrow." Rachel said gently, "The longer we put it off, the harder it is going to be. Finn, what time does your mom get home?"

"Seven"

"Fine than, Noah and I will meet you and Quinn at your house after practice, okay?" Finn nodded wearily, "Okay, I won't say anything to her until then. I think that I'll need the back up, anyway."

"We have your back." Noah said. Rachel gave Finn a quick hug. "We really do."

They walked the quarterback to the door. Noah stuck out his hand. "We cool?"

Finn smirked, and then took it. "We're cool."

Puck closed the door behind Finn, and wrapped his arms around Rachel. "Thank you." He said softly, voice full of emotion. "Thank you for defending my honor, Rachel. Such as it is."

Rachel kissed him deeply. "Just because you had a bumpy start, does not mean that you are not an honorable man, Noah, and I will always defend you."

A/N 2: Sheesh that was a hard one to write, but I really hope you all enjoyed it. Ok now the shameless plug portion of the morning. I started a new Future Puckleberry Fic called The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday. Puck Is Navy SEAL. So check it out! As always thanks again, and remember to is your waitress (Review) we writers live for it!