I'm not a huge fan of this chapter, but I sort of need it as "set-up" for later chapters. So, please bear with me. I have an idea for the next chapter that brings Mercedes and Tina into the mix, which I'm excited about.

Rachel was annoyed. They had a meeting scheduled promptly at 4pm, but Puck was not home. In fact, no one was at his house, so she was stuck sitting in her car parked outside. She checked her phone for the eighteenth time and a voicemail appeared.

"Hey, Berry. It's me. Sorry I'm running late. I'm sure you're having a conniption. See, I'm totally using that SAT book you forced on me. Anyway, you can just let yourself in. The spare key is under the flower pot. I'll be home in 20 minutes."

Rachel got out of her car and walked up to the Puckermans' front door. She looked to her right, then her left, and only when she was certain no one looking, she retrieved the key from its hiding place. Granted, it wasn't a particularly inventive place to hide a key, but she would not end up responsible if someone broken into the home in the future. After she entered the house, she wasn't sure what to do. She felt awkward being there alone. Of course, it was better than being there with Puck's mother and sister. They seemed like lovely people, but whenever she tried to strike up a conversation with them on her way in or out of the house, Puck shooed him to his room or out the front door respectively. So, out of respect for Puck's desire to keep her separate from his family, she would have felt awkward talking with them today. Rachel decided to go upstairs to wait in Puck's room. On her way up the stairs, she smiled at the pictures of a younger Puck that she had caught her eye in the past, but she never had the chance to examine closely. Once she got into Puck's room, she once again was not sure what to do. She completed most of her homework during her free period and she was not one to snoop around someone else's room, though she admittedly wondered what secrets Puck was hiding in his room. Rachel was a little tired, so she decided to just rest on Puck's bed.

Approximately 23 minutes later, Puck dashed up the staircase…but then slowed down for the last few steps…studs like him didn't worry about being late for anybody. When he sauntered into his bedroom, smirk firmly in place, he was taken aback to see Rachel curled up fast asleep on his bed. An odd feeling of warmth filled his chest when he heard her sigh quietly. Seeing her laying there on his bed made Puck's mind wander to what other things she could in his bed…with him, of course. The strange thing was that as much as he was picturing things of a sexual nature involving Rachel and his bed, he was also thinking how peaceful she looked just laying there. She did look a little cold though. Shit, when in the hell did I start caring about whether Rachel Berry was cold? Okay, he really needed to stop watching Rachel sleep. It was creepy. He should have woken her up; he knew she would be mad that he didn't…but instead he covered her with a blanket and went downstairs to play some video games.

Puck was getting something to drink in the kitchen when he heard Rachel come down the stairs. She entered the kitchen with sleepy eyes and a confused expression on her face. All Puck could think was how she looked so beautiful. Before she could launch into a lecture about how he shouldn't have let her sleep and then thank him profusely for covering her with a blanket, he yelled out to the dining room.

"Rachel's staying for dinner, Ma."

Rachel was surprised, especially since Puck had been intent on limiting her contact with his family. She called her fathers to let them know and then her dinner with the Puckermans began. Rachel chatted with his mother about her singing and her aspirations for the future. Puck remained mostly quiet during dinner, as did his sister. But all of a sudden, the little girl spoke.

"Are you Noah's girlfriend?"

Puck kicked his sister under the table.

"No, no. Your brother and I are just friends; we're not dating."

"Why not? You should be his girlfriend. You're pretty and nice and smart and Noah talks about you a lot."

For the first time that she could recall, Rachel actually saw Puck blush.

From the smile on Mrs. Puckerman's face, Rachel had a sneaking suspicion that Puck's little sister may have been coached a little bit with regards to her questions about the nature of their relationship. Rachel herself had been encountering familial pressure regarding her relationship with Noah. Oddly enough, both of her fathers were commenting on that "Puck fellow" and how they didn't mind him hanging around so much. Rachel was beyond confused as to why her fathers were encouraging her to spend more time with a reputed sex fiend.

After dinner, Rachel insisted that they at least talk about their project a little so that the day wasn't wasted.

"Our paper is coming along quite well, but we need to get started on the creative presentation component of the assignment. Now, I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"How much am I not going to like it?"

Rachel decided to not answer that question and just lay it on him.

"So, you know how we watched Pride and Prejudice…and how much they danced in that time period…well I thought we could learn and perform a dance for the class!

Puck laughed so hard, his sides were literally in pain.

"What's so funny?"

"Shit, Berry, you're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious! And I would appreciate it if you didn't laugh at me. It's an excellent idea. Dancing was very important during that time period. It was the primary means of courtship."

"You are insane. There is no way in hell that I am doing this."

"We can do this Puck! I've seen you dance; you're a natural. Of course, I have years of extensive training…ballet, jazz, tap. And I've recently become quite adept at pole dancing."

Puck had begun to zone out as Rachel listed her various dancing abilities, but that last one caught his attention. He began to choke on the water he had been drinking.

"What the hell are you talking about, Berry? Do you have some side job I don't know about?"

"It's an exercise class! Please, Noah…please. I'll do anything."

Puck was ready to throw out a lewd comment about what exactly she could do to him, but then she looked up at him with those big brown eyes and pouty lips and he was a goner.

"Fine, I'll do it."

Rachel launched herself at Puck and threw her arms around him. Puck wrapped his arms around her small waist and a thought popped into his mind about how natural it felt to have her in his arms. He leaned his head downward towards her shoulder and inhaled the scent of her hair. He didn't know what it was, but it was heavenly.

"Puck, did you just sniff my hair?"

"No."

Rachel stepped back, a little embarrassed at how she had hugged him so enthusiastically. But he did hug back, after all.

Later than night as Puck tried to fall asleep, all he could think about was Rachel had somehow gotten him to agree to perform an old-fashioned dance in front of their entire class…and all he could picture was Rachel doing a strip tease pole dance. There was definitely something about this girl that made him do crazy things.

Later that night as Rachel tried to fall asleep, her thoughts raced. She had managed to block out what Quinn had said at the restaurant from her mind, but when she woke up today in Noah's bed and realized he had placed a blanket over her, it all came rushing back. Moreover, she realized that she wanted something to be happening. He made her feel things she never felt before…he was dangerous, but made her feel safe; he was lewd, but made her feel sexy; he was Puck, but he let her call him Noah.

An idea popped into her head and before she could talk herself out of it, she sent a quick text message. "Lavender and chamomile."

Six miles away, Puck opened up a new text message and smiled. He wrote back: "Sweet dreams, Rachel."

Five minutes later, both were fast asleep.