Hey guys. Thanks so much for the support on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. This is one of my favorite S1 episodes, but it was tough to write since it would be so different in my universe! I missed writing Finn and Kurt's bonding, but don't worry, bonding for them is coming up - they'll always be my BroTP. Hope you enjoy and review if I should keep going :) And have a great Halloween!
Ballad
"What are these?"
Puck stopped in his tracks as he walked into the kitchen. His mom was holding up ultrasound photos.
Oh no. How had she found those? "You never clean your room," Mrs. Puckerman continued. "These were under your bed..."
"Mom..." Puck began. He couldn't hide this.
Mrs. Puckerman looked horrified. "So you got some girl pregnant?"
"I can explain..." Puck began.
"Who is she?" Mrs. Puckerman asked.
"Her name is Quinn Fabray, she's in my grade at school," Puck admitted. "I know I shouldn't have had sex with her..."
"You're right, you shouldn't," Mrs. Puckerman scolded. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? If you keep this baby, your lives are never going to be the same. You'll need to put him or her ahead of the two of you all the time. Your life and your feelings will come second. You might need to skip school a lot..."
"We don't know if we're keeping the baby," Puck interrupted.
"What do you want to do?" Mrs. Puckerman asked.
"I don't know," Puck admitted.
"Well, if Quinn decides to keep the baby, don't do what your father did to me and you and Sarah," Mrs. Puckerman said.
Puck thought about what his mother was saying. "I wouldn't. I'm really, really sorry Mom... I wasn't trying..."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Mrs. Puckerman asked.
"I thought that you'd be mad," Puck said.
"Of course I'm upset, but it's not like I would neglect you," Mrs. Puckerman said. "Do Quinn's parents know?"
"No," Puck admitted. "She and I aren't really together..."
"Well, even if you're not together, you're going to have a responsibility for the rest of your life as that child's father if she keeps it," Mrs. Puckerman said.
"I know," Puck said. At least his mom wasn't throwing him out or anything. And he had to admit, he felt a little better now that she knew. It was like a weight had been lifted.
x
Rachel arrived in glee practice to see "Ballad" written on the board. "Ballad," Mr. Schue said. "From Middle English, balade. Ballads are stories set to music, which is why they're the perfect storm of self-expression. Stories and music are the way we express feelings that we can't get out any other way. Okay, now, sectionals are in a few weeks and there's a new rule this year: we have to perform... a ballad."
A ballad? Rachel loved ballads. Maybe she and Finn could sing one together... well, her and Kurt. But she wanted to sing with Finn. "I have your names in this hat, and one by one, you'll come up, pick a name... and that's who you're going to sing with."
Rachel crossed her fingers, hoping she'd choose Finn's name. Blaine went up first and drew Kurt's name, then Artie went and drew Quinn's, then Puck drew Mercedes's, Tina drew Mike's, Sam drew Brittany's, and Santana drew Lauren's.
There were two names left: Finn and Rachel. Rachel couldn't believe her luck. She'd be singing with Finn. "So I guess that leaves Finn and Rachel," Mr. Schue said.
Rachel had to stop herself from smiling wide. "Sounds good."
"I'm not sure if I'm okay with this," Kurt said.
"It's just an assignment, Kurt," Mr. Schue said.
"Yeah," Rachel said. "I'm sure you and Blaine will come up with good things."
Kurt glared at Finn. "You'd better not use this as an opportunity to hit on her."
"Kurt, stop it," Mr. Schue said.
"Want to come over and find a song?" Rachel whispered to Finn.
"Yeah, I'd love to," Finn said.
x
Quinn sat in her living room, waiting for Artie to arrive to work on the ballads. Anyway, it would be nice to have a little distraction. Earlier today, she'd tried on the dress her mom had bought her for the chastity ball. It had been tight. Her mom had reprimanded her for gaining weight when they'd had the dress custom made and for the fact that they'd need to have it redone...
The doorbell rang, and Quinn walked to the door. To her surprise, Artie wasn't there. Puck was. "Hi," Quinn said.
"Hi," Puck said.
"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked.
"Artie asked if we could trade," Puck said. "Now that he's dating Mercedes, he wanted to sing with her, so I told him it was fine."
Quinn was fine with that... but what would Mr. Schue think? "You're not with Finn anymore, right?" Puck asked.
"He's too into Rachel," Quinn groaned.
"Well, his loss," Puck said. "Any songs you have in mind?"
"Well, I'm sure we can find something," Quinn said.
"Quinn..." Puck began. "My mom knows."
"What?" Quinn asked.
"She found ultrasound photos in my room," Puck said. "I'm so sorry..."
Quinn felt herself beginning to panic. "Oh my gosh! What if she tells my mom?"
"I don't think she's ever even met your mom," Puck said.
"Puck, I think my mom might even suspect something," Quinn said. "My dress for the chastity ball didn't fit..."
"Maybe you should tell her," Puck said. "I feel better now that my mom knows, and she told me that she'll support me... and you..."
Quinn didn't know much about Puck's mom, but she was probably more open minded than her own parents. Then again, that didn't take much. "My parents aren't like that, Puck. They have very high expectations, they stress perfection... they think sex before marriage is the ultimate sin. Before my sister got married, they constantly made sure she wasn't having sex."
"Really?" Puck asked.
"Yeah, really," Quinn said. "My dad especially."
"You don't know," Puck said.
"I do know," Quinn said. "Look Puck... I really appreciate your concern, but we can't talk about this."
"You may be able to hide it now, but you can't hide it forever," Puck said. "In a few months, it's going to be obvious and you can't just say you've been eating a lot or not exercising enough or something like that."
Quinn knew Puck was right. Before she could say anything, he looked at her. "I have something to say to you. I know we've got to do our ballad together, but this is a song I have for you." He turned on his iPod and began to sing the song the music went with.
Puck: You're havin' my baby
What a lovely way of sayin'
How much you love me
You're havin' my baby
What a lovely way of sayin'
What you're thinkin' of me
I can see it, your face is glowing
I can see it in your eyes
I'm happy you know it
That you're havin' my baby
You're the woman I love
And I love what it's doin' to ya
You're havin' my baby
You're a woman in love
And I love what's goin' through ya
The need inside you
I see it showin'
Whoa, the seed inside you
The music stopped and Quinn turned. Her parents were here. What were they doing here? She thought they were at that fundraiser for John Kasich...
"What's going on here?" Quinn's dad demanded.
Quinn didn't know what to say. Instead, Puck started talking. "In glee club, we have this assignment where we have to sing a ballad for..."
"Who are you?" Quinn's dad asked. "I've never even seen you before and you're singing a song like that to my daughter?"
"My name is Noah Puckerman, Quinn and I go to school together..." Puck began.
"Are you two dating?" Quinn's mom asked.
"Yes," Quinn lied. That would make things easier.
"What happened to that Finn boy?" Mrs. Fabray asked. "Didn't you say you say that he was doing well with the football team?"
"It didn't work out," Quinn said.
"And why were you singing that song?" Mr. Fabray asked.
Both Quinn and Puck fell silent. Mr. Fabray glared at both of them. It was the angriest Quinn had ever seen her father look.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Puck began.
Mr. Fabray glared at Quinn. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry," Quinn said. She didn't know what to say. "I shouldn't have had sex... I just got caught up in the moment..." She didn't want to mention that she and Puck had both been drunk. That would make her parents even angrier.
"We raised you right," Mrs. Fabray said, sounding close to tears.
"Of course you did," Quinn said. "I told you, I wasn't trying to get pregnant. Can we at least talk about this?"
"What is there to talk about?" Mr. Fabray snapped. "You sinned... you know sex shouldn't happen before marriage."
"I don't even know if I'm keeping the baby..." Quinn began.
"If she does, I'm going to be there for both of them, every step of the way," Puck said.
Mr. Fabray turned to Puck. "You need to leave."
Quinn didn't want to continue this discussion without Puck. She at least knew that Puck was on her side. Her mom was always afraid of her dad, always gave into him.
"Puck's a good guy," Quinn said. This was exactly why she'd been afraid to tell her parents. She knew they wouldn't have a good reaction. She was lucky they hadn't noticed any of the signs... but now that she thought about it, her mom had been eyeing her stomach when she tried on the dress for the chastity ball... had she figured it out then?
"You too," Mr. Fabray said to Quinn. "Get out of my house."
Was he kicking her out? "What?" Puck jumped to Quinn's defense. "You can't do that! She's your daughter!"
"Not anymore she's not!" Mr. Fabray shouted. "She went against everything I raised her to be."
This was really happening. "Why are you doing this?" Quinn asked.
Puck turned to Quinn's mom. "Why aren't you defending her?"
"If she really cared, she would have said something when she found out I was pregnant," Quinn said. Her mind once again flashed back to when they were trying on the dress. Her mom had even been feeling her stomach.
Mr. Fabray turned to his wife. "You knew?"
"You didn't tell me," Mrs. Fabray said to Quinn.
"But you knew, I knew you did," Quinn said. "I needed you... but you thought by ignoring it that it would go away, just like you and Dad do with every bad feeling."
"Don't turn this on us!" Mr. Fabray snapped. "This is your fault! Go get your things. You have half an hour to get out."
A half hour? Quinn didn't know what to say. Luckily, Puck spoke. "You two shouldn't be allowed to be parents. I'm sure Quinn and I will be better parents to our kid than you are to her."
x
Finn sat in Rachel's bedroom, waiting for her to get back from picking up the music she had in mind for their ballad. Finn eyed Rachel's queen sized bed. It looked so comfortable... perfect for sex. His thoughts were interrupted when Rachel came over with her laptop. "Okay, let's find some ideas. You have any songs in mind?"
"Not sure, you?" Finn asked.
"I'm sure we can find some," Rachel said. "Come on, it'll be us singing together, of course it'll be good."
"Yeah," Finn said. "How's it feel to not be on the cheerios anymore?"
"It's surprisingly better than I expected," Rachel said. "It's just nice to have more free time."
"I bet," Finn said. The only disadvantage to Rachel not being on the cheerios was that most of her clothes didn't expose her legs as much and he didn't get to see her doing the cheerleading routines at football games. The plus side was that lots of her clothes made her look really pretty... especially her sequined leg warmers, and she had lots of cute sweaters with animals on them...
"Do you think we'll win Sectionals?" Rachel asked.
"I hope so," Finn said. "I can see you singing really good ballads."
"Really?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, you're a really good singer," Finn said. "I'm glad we got paired up. I've missed hanging out with you..."
"Kurt's been getting really upset whenever I hang out with other guys lately," Rachel admitted.
Of course this had to do with Kurt. "Rachel, why do you let him do that?"
"The bad thing about not being on the cheerios anymore is that I don't have the social status I used to," Rachel admitted. "At least with Kurt, I get to be dating the quarterback."
"That's not a very good reason to date someone," Finn said.
Rachel looked like she thought Finn was right. "I think he likes me... well, when he's not critiquing my wardrobe..."
"I love your animal sweaters!" Finn laughed.
Rachel giggled. "Thanks, I like them too."
Finn looked at the list of songs when Rachel pointed to one. "I think that one would be good for both our voices."
Finn looked at the song. "I do too. Want to try it?"
Finn: My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right
Rachel: My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make
Finn (and Rachel): And I (Rachel: I)
I want to share
(All my love with you)
No one else will do
Rachel: And your eyes (Finn: Your eyes, your eyes)
Rachel and Finn: They tell me how much you care
Oh yes
You will always be
My endless love
Two hearts
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun
Rachel (and Finn): Forever (Finn: Oooh)
(I'll hold you close in my arms)
(I can't resist your charms)
And I (Finn: Oh, love)
(I'll be a fool for you)
(I'm sure)
You know I don't mind (Will: Oh, you know I don't mind)
Rachel and Finn: 'Cause you
You mean my world to me
Oh I know
I've found in you
My endless love
Bum Bum
Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum
Bum Bum Bum Bum Bum
Oh and I (Finn: Oh Love)
I'll be that fool for you
I'm sure
Rachel: You know I don't mind (Will: Oh, you know I don't mind!)
You don't mind!
Rachel and Finn: And yes!
You'll be the only one
'Cause no one can deny this love
I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
Finn: My love (Rachel: My love, my Love)
Rachel and Finn: My endless love
At the end of the song, Finn and Rachel stared in each other's eyes. He felt the urge to kiss her, but then his phone went off. He looked at the phone and saw that it was Puck. "Oh gosh, Quinn's parents kicked her out."
"Oh no," Rachel said.
"I can't believe a parent would do that," Finn said.
"Yeah, me neither," Rachel said.
Finn and Rachel both sat in silence for a few moments. They were both lucky to have supportive parents, but clearly everyone else wasn't so lucky. "Maybe we could see if the whole glee club could sing a ballad to them, to show them we're there for them," Rachel suggested.
"I like that idea," Finn said. "Let's find a song and then call everyone."
x
It had been luck that Kurt and Blaine were paired together for the ballad assignment.
Kurt had so many ballads he wanted to sing with Blaine, but he couldn't. Not when everyone still thought he was straight. If they sang a ballad together for the assignment, they could just say they were doing it as two artists. That could work - right?
Kurt knocked on Blaine's door, where they'd planned to get together to work on a ballad. "Hey!" Blaine said. "I picked out a song."
"Great," Kurt said. "Do I know it?"
"Of course you do," Blaine said. He turned on his iPod as the music began.
Kurt knew this song. This was probably the song at the top of his wishlist for songs to sing with Blaine.
Blaine: Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time
Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Blaine and Kurt: Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And there's no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather
And stars may collide
Kurt: But I love you (Blaine: I love you)
Until the end of time (Blaine: Until the end of time)
Blaine and Kurt: Come what may
Come what may
I will love you, I will love you
At the end of the song, Kurt leaned in and kissed Blaine. The song had sounded better than Kurt had imagined it sounding in the fantasies he had about singing this song with Blaine.
"Wow," Blaine whispered. "That was good."
"Yeah," Kurt said.
"I can't wait for the glee club to hear it," Blaine said.
"Me either," Kurt said. "But remember, we're doing it as two artists..."
Blaine looked annoyed. "How long are we going to keep pretending this doesn't mean anything, Kurt?"
"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, knowing very well what.
"We both know that we're gay and in love with each other, not the girls we're pretending to date," Blaine said. "We can't keep pretending."
"Blaine, I'm not ready to come out," Kurt said.
"Well, I am," Blaine said. "And I'm not going to keep pretending to be straight and living a lie."
"That's your choice," Kurt said. "You'll probably be a slushie target."
"Fine, then I'll be a slushie target," Blaine said. "But I'm so tired of pretending to be something that I'm not."
"You think we would have gotten the top positions on the football team if people knew we were gay?" Kurt asked. "I know Frankenteen's trying to take my position..."
"Enough is enough," Blaine interrupted. "Either we go public with this, or I'm done doing it in private."
"I should go now," Kurt said.
"Yeah, I think so," Blaine agreed.
Kurt left Blaine's house, thinking about what Blaine had said. He knew he loved Blaine and wanted to be with him. But was he ready for the school to know that?
x
Quinn was lucky that Puck's mom had let her move in with them, but she was still recovering from what her parents had done. She'd wondered for most of her life if they really loved her or just the idea of having a perfect daughter, and this just about confirmed that it was the latter. Puck, his mom and his sister were all supportive and nice to her, but at the same time, she often found herself longing for her parents.
She was barely able to focus on the ballads some of the glee clubbers were performing, but then she noticed everyone but her and Puck was at the front of the room. "Puck, Quinn, your fellow Glee Club members want to sing a song for you guys to let you know how they feel about you," Mr. Schue said.
Another song for them? Quinn listened and held Puck's hand as the music began.
New Directions: Hum
hum-hum-hum-hum
Hum-hum-hum-hum
Hum-hum-hum-hum
Artie: Hold on
Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow
Artie and Mercedes: Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on
Just lean on me
Call on your brother
When you need a friend
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me
Artie: Oh, oh if there is a load
New Directions: There's a load
Artie: You have to face
New Directions: You have to face
Artie That you can't carry
I am right up the road
I'll share your load
New Directions: If you just call me
Call me
I'm calling
Artie: Call me
Mercedes: When you need a friend
Artie: Call me
New Directions: Call me
Call me
Call me
When you need a friend
Call me
Any time of day
Call me
Mercedes: Ooh, it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Lean on, lean on me
Lean on, lean on
Lean on me
New Directions: Lean on me
Lean on, lean on
Hey, hey, hey
Lean on me
You can lean on me
I'm gonna need somebody to lean on
Gonna need somebody to lean on
By the end of the song, Puck and Quinn joined the rest of the group in their dance, and Quinn had to admit, she felt better. At least she had a great group of friends who had her back in this.