Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
Rachel walked into the bar that night to find Tina and Mike having a small celebration at a table with Kurt, Blaine, and Puck. "Hey." Rachel sat down next to Puck. "What's going on?"
"Champagne." Mike replied. "Do you want some? We're all having some to celebrate the pregnancy."
"Actually, I'm just having water." Tina clarified and sipped from her glass.
"If this is weird for…" Mike trailed off when he noticed Rachel's forced smile.
"I'm fine, guys. I was just a little shocked at first but I'm really happy you two. Tina is going to be an amazing mom." Rachel nodded, her smile a little brighter. She really was happy for her friends and she didn't want to make them think otherwise. "And I'm sure that Mike is going to be an exceptional dad. You two deserve this." She reached for the glass Mike was holding out to her. "Thank you, Mike."
"You sure you're okay?" Puck whispered into her ear.
"Would you just stop asking me that?" She snapped back, a little harsher than she meant to. The hurt puppy dog look he gave to her didn't help her conscious. "I'm sorry; I just need you to stop treating me like I'm a child. I'm not going to break, Noah."
He nodded and slung his arm around her shoulders, breaking the tension in the group and then the conversation flowed easily. Tina and Mike announced that they were nearly 30 weeks pregnant – no one was really sure how the two had hid the pregnancy this long – and that it was a girl. Rachel stopped drinking after two glasses of champagne, she didn't trust herself, so instead she opted to watch Puck and Mike finish on the bottle before moving onto beer.
Kurt and Blaine decided to call it an early night and left around seven. Mike and Tina left not long after and that left Rachel sipping on her water in a booth next to Puck. He looked like he was scouting out the girls at the bar and Rachel looked around herself.
She spotted the tall man almost instantly. He was hunched over the counter, flirting pretty heavily with this fake blonde, who was sipping on a martini. She furrowed her brow and turned to Puck. "What is Finn doing?" Rachel was not jealous. She wasn't. She was over Finn. But it just didn't set right for him to be hitting on some drunken woman while he had a wife and child at home.
Puck set his jaw and looked away from Finn. "I'll be right back." He replied shortly before sliding out of the booth and heading outside, pulling his cell phone from his back pocket on the way.
Rachel sat a little restlessly at the booth for a while but when Puck hadn't come back in after five minutes, she walked out of the bar to find him. He was standing near his car, having a heated conversation with some unknown person over his phone. He saw Rachel and quickly ended the call.
"Sorry." He smiled. "It was nothing. You want to get out of here? We can go back to your place and watch a movie or something." He suggested.
"I think I'd rather go home and take a nice, long bath." She admitted truthfully. "Rain check? I'll let you pick the movie tomorrow night and I'll pop some popcorn."
"I'll bring the booze." He met her halfway and pulled her into a hug.
Rachel melted against him, reciprocating his hug and they stood there for a few seconds, probably a few seconds too long, before they finally separated. He smiled down at her, planting a kiss on her forehead before telling her goodnight. He made sure she was in her car and on her way home safely before heading out himself.
/
"You want to do what?" Kurt stood up suddenly from the chair at her kitchen table the next day and stared at her dumbfounded. "That is the stupidest idea I have ever heard."
"I have to do something." Rachel sighed.
"Then you give her a cute outfit or a nice toy for the baby." Kurt shook his head. "You don't decide to throw a baby shower. After everything, Rachel, I honestly don't think you can handle this. I know you want to be strong and not let this hold you back anymore but what happened to you was traumatic. It is hard and no matter how badly you just want to forget about it—"
"Forget?" Rachel whispered harshly. "There is not one second that I wish to forget. I don't want to pretend that I wasn't pregnant. I was, Kurt, and yes, I'll admit that my miscarriage was hard on me and sometimes I still get upset but…" She paused to take a deep breath. "I have to do this. For Tina and Mike and for myself. I'm going to throw this party whether you decide to help or not. I'm Tina's friend and I'm doing this. Now will you please help me pick out the damn colors for the decorations?" The tears stung at her eyes by the time she finished her spiel and she tried to wipe them away quickly but the way she was sniffling let Kurt know she was crying.
"Okay." Kurt replied softly. "I'll help."
"Thank you." She nodded and shoved the book of sample colors towards him. "I was thinking pink and brown… or yellow. Tina likes yellow."
"Yellow is good." Kurt smiled softly.
/
"I'm glad I have you, Noah." Rachel whispered into his chest that night. "I don't know what I would have down these past few months if it wasn't for you."
"Mmm." He hummed the agreement and shifted slightly, not noticing that he was pulling her closer. "Kurt told me about the baby shower."
"Do you agree with him?" She asked. "He thinks I shouldn't do it."
He was quiet for a few minutes, his eyes closed as he thought it over. "Does it really matter what I think? Even if I told you what I think you should do, you'll just do whatever you want anyways."
"So you don't think I should do it either?" She huffed.
"I didn't say that." He told her firmly and they let the subject drop.
Rachel looked up at him. "You never told me what was going on with Finn last night. You got upset when you saw him at the bar and then you started yelling at someone on your phone. Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's nothing you need to worry about, Rachel." He shrugged.
"Is he cheating on Santana?" She whispered the question. She hated Santana and a little part of her thought that Finn cheating on his wife would serve the Latina right. But mostly, Rachel just wanted Puck to say no.
He didn't say anything though. He kept quiet and didn't even dignify her with a shrug. "It's late, Rachel. I should get home. I have to work early tomorrow." He slipped out of her bed and pulled his shoes on.
"Before you go," She jumped from the bed and rushed over to dresser. "Kurt got this gift card from some client of his. He said that he'll never use it so he gave it to me. It expires next week and I really don't want it to go to waste."
She looked at him expectantly and he stared back before a smile broke out over his face. "I'd love to go, Rach." He leaned down slightly to kiss her forehead. "How about Saturday? I'll pick you up at six?" His lips met hers for a few seconds before they quickly tore apart and he stepped back.
"Y-yea." She nodded, swallowing thickly. "That sounds good."
"G'night." He gave her one last smile before heading out of her bedroom and then she heard her front door shut quietly.
"Night." She whispered and gripped the gift card in her hands.
She grappled for her phone and dialed Kurt's home number from memory. He didn't pick up and she groaned in frustration. She tried his work number and luckily he answered after the third ring.
"This better be important, Rachel." Kurt sounded a little annoyed. "I have the most demanding client in my office right now, spouting out demands like he's a damn god. I have officially met someone that is a bigger diva than you. The apocalypse must be coming soon." He paused for a second. "Anyway, what did you call for?"
"I think I have a date with Noah Puckerman."