If she really thought about it, Rachel would say the first day she felt a truly pervertedly ownership of Noah Puckerman was at the end of a really weird week in sophmore year. Of course if anyone asked her she'd say it was the week he had carried her around when she sprained her ankle in senior year. What can she say? Noah has a very comfy shoulder.

It was a week like no other.

Rachel giggled as she watched the two girls end their duet in a fight. Luckily for Noah everyone else was either trying to help separate Santana and Mercedes or they were just enjoying the drama and as such they didn't notice the pink flush that rushed up his neck and tapered out around his chin.

When Rachel was eight she'd decided that to be an actress she'd need to learn to blush on cue. She didn't feel that she was getting the appropriate feedback in front of a mirror so she recruited Noah into being her magic mirror and answering her questions. Once she had that sorted, she decided to see if she could train someone else. So though Noah was more interested in preventing a blush, Rachel decided to help him anyway. They'd gotten into an argument a week into the training and as a punishment Noah had never learnt to fully suppress a blush.

Rachel routinely reaped the rewards of that argument.

Once the fight had fully ceased, Mr Shuester had no choice but to let the club leave early as everyone one was too hyped up. While Rachel mentally argued over the pros and cons regarding adding the fiery duet to their set list, the rest of the group had exited the room, a few of them humming 'the boy is mine' under their breath.

Though she shouldn't have been, Rachel was still startled from her thoughts when she heard someone release their breath. Looking behind her, she smiled softly as she saw Noah slumped in his seat.

"Normally I'd chastise you on your posture…" Ignoring the harsh rasp of her voice, Rachel smiled at him as she waited for him to respond.

As anticipated Noah's eyes met hers, sparkling with unspoken emotion. "But…"

Taking his hint, Rachel nodded as she moved up the rows. "But, it must have been pretty traumatic having two girls fighting over you."

"You know sarcasm isn't your strong point, don't you?"

Laughing as Noah pulled her down into the seat next to him, she sighed as she felt his arm wrap firmly around his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure your reputation's firmly in tact. No one, other than me, saw you blushing."

Instead of getting a response, a squeal of surprise slipped through her own lips as Noah lifted her with ease, holding her like he would a football. "Noah, put me down."

"What's that my hot little Jewish, American princess?" Noah mockingly put a hand to his ear, signalling he would not release her until she relented.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I was wrong and insensitive, there was no way anyone doubted your reputation in the first place. When you blush it's manly."

As her feet settled on the ground she huffed as he patted her hair back into place.

"There. Was that so hard?" She saw his eyes harden playfully in response to her opening her mouth to retort. "Nu-uh, don't respond, you're supposed to be resting your voice remember."

Rolling her eyes at his tone, Rachel humphed before turning on her heel to follow him out of the room. Her hawklike eyes caused her head to cock to the side in curiosity when she noticed Noah press his hand into his side. Shaking the thought away she quickly caught up to him, smiling when he offered her a lift home.

As the week continued Rachel found herself focusing less and less on Finn and more on Santana and Mercedes' attempts to gain Noah's affections. It really was pathetic.

Santana left her underwear in his locker and his car, promising interesting nights with her and Brittany as a package deal. She performed cheer routines after cornering him in the boys locker room, emphasising her flexibility - as if he wasn't already aware of it. Though Rachel was acutely aware and proud of the fact that she was more flexible than Santana could only dream of.

She watched as Mercedes' made magic with her newfound popularity, giving Noah absolutely anything he could need - tardy slips, cover stories, one freshman was even willing to given Noah his watch so that he could say 'Puck threw him in the dumpster'. Despite what Kurt and Rachel herself insisted, some of the freshman thought that the dumpster acted as a measure of their place in the hierarchy. Apparently any attention was better than no attention.

It was quite sad really, the lengths the girls went to, when it seemed obvious to her at least that Noah wasn't particularly attached to either of them. But it wasn't her place to inform them of that.

It was four days into this mess when Rachel finally snapped. She'd been half-heartedly listening to Finn mumble, when she saw Noah press his hand to his side again, his eyes fluttering to a close momentarily before they reopened.

Scanning the hallway to see if anyone else notice, she stopped short when she saw the look Quinn sent her way. It was as if they were both in on something that only they knew. There was just one small problem and that was that Rachel had no idea what it was that she supposedly knew.

Brushing off Finn, she could feel his disbelieving, disapproving glare as she headed over to his ex-girlfriend. Stopping in front of her rival, Rachel raised an eyebrow as she refused to risk her voice over a possibly insulting conversation with Quinn.

"Isn't it pathetic how Santana and Mercedes are fighting over him, especially given he's already taken."

Rachel pushed down the hurt that stabbed through her as she realised what the blonde cheerio was implying. Noah and Quinn hadn't been able to give it a proper shot at being together, baby-gate had ruined it as they were both in too much pain from loosing Finn. But apparently the mourning period had officially passed.

Unable to muster up an appropriate level of happiness, Rachel chose not to answer the blonde, instead she gave a poor attempt at a smile before fleeing down the hall. Used to being relatively invisible in the hallway Rachel was somewhat surprised when she felt Noah's eyes trailing her but she still couldn't bring herself to stop.

She should have known better than to run for the bleachers but it was instinct.

As he settled beside her, Rachel kept her eyes locked on the ground.

"Rach?" Noah's voice was soft and tinged with worry. "What did Hudson do now?"

Rachel shook her head, leaning into his welcoming arms despite herself. "He didn't do anything. It's nothing."

"Of course it's not nothing, you look like you did when you found out about the Wizard in Wicked."

Rachel knew she must look pretty bad if Noah was willing to bring up a potentially reputation destroying road trip down to New York City. Tapping at her throat, Rachel heard Noah sigh as he pulled back.

"Okay, I'll let it go for now. But don't think we're not going to finish this once you can't rely on your tonsillitis."

A tear slipped from her eyes as she watched Noah walk down the bleachers, his shoulder's hunched, his hand once again rubbing his side. Straightening her back, she resolved to ask him about it tomorrow. She was going to get to the bottom of his injury one way or the other.

Rachel was not sure her face was capable of being any redder, apparently she should have focused more on suppressing her blush instead of inducing it but evidently despite all the crap she'd been put through during her time at McKinley nothing was as bad as this.

Slouching further in her seat, she moved her eyes around the room to avoid participating in Finn's painfully sad proclamation of interest.

As her eyes settled on Noah, she saw amusement and anger warring on his face. As if he felt her eyes on him, Noah turned to face her, his face softening until only laughter at her expense remained.

Unable to resist the urge, she stuck her tongue out at him. Drawn from their bubble by the sound of snickers, Rachel looked up only to realise Finn had finished and was glowering at his ex-best friend, evidentially more embarrassed than Rachel at this point. She didn't know what it was like to have an audience ignore you when singing but she figured it was not a good feeling.

Regardless, Rachel felt no need to apologise for what had just happened, despite Mr Shuester's disapproving glare. Determined to remain silent as she waited for the bell to ring, Rachel ignored the eyes on her and just barely manage to hold in her sigh of relief when the shrill sound of the bell finally cut through the room.

Once again remaining in her seat until the others had filed out, Rachel looked up as Noah sat beside her.

"You're clearly feeling better today."

Rachel felt her mouth turn down at the reminder of her trip to the bleachers the other day but pushed that to the back of her mind content to remain blissfully ignorant or at least as close to that as possible regarding Noah and Quinn. As long as he didn't confirm anything, she could pretend their relationship wasn't happening.

Needing to steer the conversation away from herself, Rachel turned her inquisitive eyes on him. Making sure to keep the accusation from her tone as she didn't want to reprimand him just yet, rather she was concerned, "why aren't you singing in practice?"

When he shuffled awkwardly next to her, Rachel placed her hand gently on his, reminding him he could trust her. "I just, I didn't… it just hasn't been as much fun lately. Especially given all the things being said with song."

Meeting his response with a raised eyebrow. She nodded accepting it for now, hoping that once Santana, Mercedes and Finn all reined it back in he'd be back to participating. Noticing his other hand was once again pressed to his side, she didn't give him a chance to even realise what she was doing as she basically ripped his shirt in her desperate attempt to see what horror lay underneath.

To her surprise it was a tattoo she'd never seen before. "Noah? When did you-"

"Come on Rach, don't go giving me a lecture. Remember who held your hand when you got those music notes on your shoulder."

"I… I just. Why didn't you ask me to come with you. To be your hand?" Tears filled her eyes as he fingertip delicately traced over the design. It was her star. The one she had connected with her name back in kindergarden. It even had the same somewhat uncertain line strokes that only a child learning to perfect a star can manage. "Oh, Noah."

"It was my little secret. Something only I knew about."

A feeling of warmth rushed over her as she realised this was him proclaiming his loyalty to her, in whatever capacity, to anyone who saw it. A little symbol easy to overlook much like the N that the notes on her shoulder formed.

"How does Quinn know?"

"Yeah, about that. She's staying at my place for the next few weeks. Apparently she managed to piss off Santana's mother and Brittany's parents refuse to have any guests over since Lord Tubbington tried to burn Santana's hair off."

The urge to laugh at her obvious jealousy regarding the blonde was too much for her to handle and Rachel managed a small self-deprecating half laugh before Noah pulled her to her feet.

Fighting him as he caught her in a headlock. Rachel tried to keep the smile off her face. Quinn might be staying with the Puckermans and she may even get a chance to meet Neil but Noah was Rachel's and she was his. No matter what. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

As she sat in Noah's truck, Rachel sighed slightly. "What's got you all wound up."

"Finn's fallacious belief that I am still 'Jesse's Girl'."

As Noah slung his hand over her shoulder, Rachel smiled as she felt his rub his thumb against her tattoo. She swore she heard him mutter 'damn straight' under his breath but she was to distracted by his warmth to be fully certain.

The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence, as she rested her head against Noah's side. Contrary to what everyone else in the club believed she was capable of silence.

Rachel shook her head as her fathers' appeared at the door upon their arrival. She swore they had some radar tuned to Noah because 9 out of 10 times they were home when the two of them arrived together, waiting to greet the boy that thought of them as his fathers.

"Noah!"

The smile that crossed Noah's face as he let himself be enveloped in her fathers' hugs warmed Rachel's heart. Her daddies had always said there was no such thing as too few hugs and as such there were always hugs to go around. Something neither Finn nor Jesse had been entirely comfortable with but Noah… well he just melted into them.

Once they'd somehow managed to get through the door, Rachel found herself back under Noah's arm, Neil's wet nose brushing against her elbow from where he was laying in Noah's other arm as they all sat on the couch.

Knowing her parents as well as he did, Rachel knew Noah noticed at the same time she did, that her Daddy had some piece of news he was dying to spill. Sure enough once everyone was situated comfortably her Daddy's lips started moving.

"So Noah, your mother just called and she said there are three girls standing and yelling at each other on your front porch. From what she described I believe them to be Santana Lopez, Mercedes Jones and Quinn Fabray."

Rachel watched with hawk like eyes as Noah moved his hand back to his side and rubbed his thumb over the spot where his tattoo was. Rubbing it three times, one for each girl. Once again she was filled with that thrill of possession. Each time Noah rubbed his hand over the tattoo he reminded himself who he belonged to and hopefully who belonged to him. Though they still refused to acknowledge anything more than friendship at this point.

"Can I stay the night?"

Rachel was pulled from her thoughts by Noah's simple question only to find both her fathers were shaking their heads in laughter not at all surprised by his reluctance to face the problem brewing on his front porch. "Do you even have to ask?"

As Noah scooped up the remote, Rachel smiled as Neil moved to curl up on her lap. Barely paying attention to what Noah had settled on, Rachel let the calm that she only seemed to truly find with Noah permeate through her system. Muscles she didn't realise were tense started to relax causing her to stretch and quickly stifle a yawn before it escaped.

It felt like a fog was draped over her mind, as her thoughts finally quietened.

Lulled into a near sleep, she only startled slightly when she felt Noah's hand rest on top of hers. Blinking up into his eyes it took her a moment to realise that she was unintentionally caressing his inked skin. It took her a moment to finally process that this was definitely not a fresh tattoo, that he'd had this for a while, perhaps as long as she'd had hers. He had disappeared for a bit in the middle of her session.

Rachel knew she would lie if anyone were to ask her when she first felt a sense of ownership over one Noah 'Puck' Puckerman. After all she had lied to herself a lot that week, the only truth being her acknowledging that the perverse feeling even existed. So she would lie because what's one lie between friends or enemies. She'd lie because whenever she saw that crudely drawn tattoo she was reminded of that week of kindergarden when Noah had decided she was worth it, she remembered the things the two of them had done to ensure the other's well being but more importantly she'd lie because who would really believe that she would feel such ownership because of one tiny tattoo.