A/N- It's still Saturday here! You know my posse is amazing. This chapter is one of my favorites. A lot of stuff happening so I'll let you get to it.

Disclaimer- I do not own the character, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. All mistakes, however, are mine.

"Hey bartender, what's a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?" Finn tapped on the bar, smiling as he waited for his friend to notice him. Puck turned, his automatic look of annoyance turning to recognition as soon as he saw Finn sitting at his bar.

"Hey Dirtbag, how did you get out of the house on a school night?" Puck filled a glass and slid it in front of his friend, leaning on the bar while Finn took a hefty gulp of the cold beverage. "I thought you were grounded."

"I'm not grounded." Finn drank from the glass once again and then looked around the bar. There were only a few tables occupied in the dark space and only two other people sitting at the bar, leaving Puck mostly free to talk. "Have you been busy tonight?"

Puck raised an eyebrow at him and looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind him. "Dude, it's only eight. You know it doesn't get crazy in here until at least ten." Puck leaned in conspiratorially, looked from side to side, and then to a table in the back that was currently occupied by a couple of older business women. "And you know I like it crazy."

"I do." Finn laughed, knowing exactly what his friend was talking about. Puck loved to tell crazy stories about his nights at the bar and when he finally got him to stop telling them to Katie, Finn enjoyed hearing them. Of course, he told her a watered down version, but he told her enough that Finn had to put a stop to it. "I'm sure it will get crazy on New Years."

"Oh man. Are you coming? Please tell me your pansy ass is coming." Puck was practically bouncing from his spot behind the counter. New Year's Eve was one of the best nights at the bar. "I got pole dancers coming in. Pole dancers, Finn."

Finn finished his beer, smiling into the glass. "How did you manage that? You don't have poles in here?"

"They bring their own, dude. They are gonna set up on the stage and… it's gonna be awesome. So you coming?"

He felt a little bad, not only was he not coming to the New Year's Eve party that was in a few days, he was here to convince Puck to do something that he knew he wouldn't want to do. "I can't. I'm on shift that night."

"Too bad. It's gonna be epic." Puck refilled Finn's glass and made his way down the bar, checking on the customers that were seated there before returning to where Finn was. "So what brings you out tonight; Special K give you a pardon?"

"Nah. She's with mom and Burt tonight." He sipped from the newly refilled glass, taking the time to inspect the liquid thoroughly. "I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me and Katie on this weekend?"

"That could be cool, what did you have in mind?" Puck picked a glass from the tray of newly washed dishes and began drying them so he could put them away while he and Finn talked.

Finn looked around the bar, avoiding eye contact with Puck. "We, uh, we are gonna go seeBeautyandtheBeastonBroadway."

"Huh?" Puck stilled, hoping the movements would help him to somehow hear better.

He sighed, unable to avoid it any longer. He had hoped to somehow trick Puck into going without really telling him where they were going, though he knew that that was unlikely. "Rachel gave Katie tickets to see her play; we are going to see Beauty and the Beast."

"Oh hell no." Puck forcefully set the glass down, shaking his head and firmly indicating his disapproval of the planned activities. "Get someone else."

Finn held tight to his beer. He wasn't expecting Puck to agree easily. "Come on Puck. I can't go alone."

"I thought you said Katie was going." He resumed drying the glasses, satisfied that Finn knew how much he really didn't want to go.

"She is. You know what I mean. We are supposed to go backstage after and I can't see her alone." He implored, hoping to convince him to go, despite his not wanting to.

Puck moved a dry glass to its spot and took hold of another while trying to think up ways to get out of going. He sympathized, knowing that Finn was sensitive to the subject of Rachel, but that was not a good enough reason to make him suffer too. "What about Petunia?"

"He's working. He can't take any time off this week." Finn knows, because he asked. Kurt wouldn't have be much for keeping him from doing something stupid with Rachel, but he may have been too wrapped up being backstage at a real Broadway theater to allow Finn the chance.

"Take your mom."

Finn shook his head, again, he knew. He didn't ask his mom though. He knew she wouldn't be helpful at all in this situation. His mom would push until it was awkward. "She's leaving tomorrow, why do you think they have Katie today? She and Burt wanted to take her for one more night before they go home."

"Dude. I can't go to a Broadway play." He began shaking his head again, wiping the glasses forcefully. He knew he was running out of excuses.

"Don't you think I've asked everyone else? You are the only one. I need you to come with me and Katie." Finn was almost pleading now. "You are the only one that can keep me from doing something stupid. I can't go alone."

He did have a point; it still didn't make him want to go. "You do need supervision most of the time, but you have Katie. Can't she keep you under control?"

"I need my best friend." Finn noticed Puck's incessant drying slowing down and he knew he was close to getting him to agree to come with. Good thing he had one more thing up his sleeve.

Puck looked around, noticing some more of the tables were filling up. He sighed, hoping he could at least get something in return for his sacrifice. "Why does it feel like I'm the only one sacrificing?"

"How about I introduce you to the new Paramedic; the one I have been making you stay away from." Finn knew that Puck had his eye on the busty red head that transferred to his station last month. He spotted her one day when Puck brought Katie to the station and had been bugging Finn about her ever since. Finn cited the great Cindy incident and forbid Puck from getting within fifteen feet of the new girl.

Puck had no choice but to comply; things did not go well when he and Cindy decided not to see each other. More accurately, when Cindy yelled at him in the fire station, loudly, letting everyone in house know that she Puck were not exclusive. That was a hard day for everyone. That still didn't stop him from wanting to know the newest paramedic just a little better. "Jen?"

"Yes. I'll even put in a good word for you." It was a risk, but it was one Finn had to take. He would just make sure she knew not to expect too much from Puck.

"Katie too?" Puck asked. Katie was an excellent reference.

Finn groaned, his patience was beginning to wear thin. He knew Puck was going to agree, he just had to wait for him to say so. "Yes. Now will you just come to the play?"

"If I have to." Puck groaned, rolling his eyes for effect.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I'm fine. I'm Rachel Berry, future Tony award winning actress; I can do this." Rachel repeated the words over and over again while she applied her makeup for her matinee performance. She secretly hoped that the more she said the words, the more likely she would be to believe them.

When Rachel had promised Katie tickets to her show, she never imagined that things would happen the way they did. By the time she and Finn had their falling out, Katie already had the promised tickets in hand. Rachel sent three, gifting an extra ticket just in case Katie wanted to bring a friend, though Finn's mom or Kurt were the more likely choices. At the time, Rachel was thrilled to have Katie and Finn at her show; now, she was terrified.

She thought that she and Finn might still be dating. There was a part of her- a big part- that was relieved that the two of them had at least made amends with each other; if not, this day would be even more awkward. She repeated the words again and again, looking at herself in the mirror and speaking directly to the woman who was looking back at her.

"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I'm fine. I'm Rachel Berry, future Tony award… What are you doing?" Rachel put the brush and powder she was holding onto the vanity and shook her head. There was no way she could do this alone; she needed back up.

Dressed in her robe with her makeup only half done, she made her way to wardrobe to find Brittany, her best chance for surviving this day. "Brittany, are you in here?"

"Where else would I be?" Brittany popped out from behind a rack of clothing and walked towards Rachel. "Didn't I give you all of your costume? Whoa, do you need help with your makeup?"

Rachel shook her head, knowing she probably looked crazy. "No. I mean, I have my costume and I can do my makeup; I needed to ask you for a favor."

"Oh." Brittany was visibly relieved. "How can I help?"

"I need you to help me during the meet and greet today; just the one for the matinee." Rachel wasn't sure how she was going to help yet, she just needed someone near her, someone to keep her from being stupid around Finn.

"I have to get some things ready for the next show, but I think I can help you."

Rachel smiled, happy to tell Brittany what she needed. She and Brittany were friends, so she knew most of the story already. All Rachel had to do was tell her why she needed her for this particular meet and greet. "Finn and Katie are coming to the show today."

"Oh."

"They are supposed to come back for the meet and greet and I don't trust myself around him." Brittany turned her head slightly and raised an eyebrow, silently telling Rachel to continue. "It's complicated."

Brittany shook her head, her expression soft. "It's not. You still like him."

"Of course I still like him. I've tried not to, I have. I just need you to keep me from turning into a babbling idiot when he shows up." Rachel felt dumb even asking, she was an actress. It was her career to pretend to be something that she's not. She went to four years of college perfecting the art and yet, here she was asking a friend to basically babysit her during a meet and greet. As dumb as she felt, the more she thought about it, the more she knew it would be necessary. "Can you please help me?"

"I would be glad to."

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Brittany will be by her side when she sees Finn again. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

Good question. Why couldn't she just tell him? She went back and forth with the idea, finally realizing that they had already had their chance. In the end though, fear won out and she decided it was best to keep him and Katie as friends. "I can't. What if he says no or laughs at me."

"From what you told me about him, I don't think he would laugh at you." Brittany offered helpfully.

"Okay, he probably wouldn't, but he still might say no. I don't think I can take it, Brit." Rachel clasped her hands together in from of her, focusing her attention on her feet.

Brittany stepped forward and rested her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "If that's the worse he could do, I think you'll be okay. You never know, he could say yes."

"I guess." Rachel gave Brittany a tight smile. "I'll think about it."

"Good. I'm sure it will all work out."

Rachel stepped towards the door, ready to go back to her dressing room and finish her preparations. "I hope so. I'll see you after the show. Thanks, Brit."

"You're welcome. Break a leg."

Rachel smiled once more before heading back to her dressing room. Right now, there wasn't a clear answer. Brittany made some good points and if all Finn could do was tell her no, she wasn't doing so badly. Maybe seeing him after the show would help her to know how to proceed. Until then, she had a show to do.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Come on Uncle Puck, we are gonna be late." Katie pulled Puck's arm, hoping to get him to move faster. She barely slept last night, knowing that she would get to see Belle today. She even fell asleep holding tight to the snow globe Rachel had given her. She hoped Belle remembered her.

"Good." Puck held back, resisting the little girl's attempt to get him to speed up. "I'm still trying to figure out how you got me to come along." He turned to Finn, who was barely ahead of him on the sidewalk.

Finn chuckled, amused that Katie was pulling him along, despite his resistance. "I asked and you agreed. Just please try to behave. You are supposed to help me get through this." He raised an eyebrow at him and stole a glance at Katie.

"All I know is that Jen better be worth it." He took a large step, falling in step next to Katie. Puck wasn't opposed to helping out Finn, what he was opposed to, was musicals. They were not his cup of tea and the closer they got to the theater the more he regretted agreeing to this. However, he was a man of his word and as much as he hated the idea, he agreed to this. He never agreed to not complain about it though; Finn should know that was an unspoken part of the deal.

"I already talked to her, she will be. Just don't make me regret talking to her for you." Finn turned to him, leveling him with a stare that left no room for argument, he expected one though.

"I will do whatever I want. I'm making the ultimate sacrifice here." He was going to behave and chances are that Finn knows it. This was how Puck was coping with having to do something he really didn't want to do.

Katie tugged on Pucks hand looking up at him with her big brown eyes, her hand still tucked in his. "Uncle Puck, don't you want to meet Belle? She's a princess."

"I know who Belle is Special K and it's just a lady in…"

Finn reached out and hit Puck on the shoulder, stopping him before he could finish the sentence. "A castle." Finn smiled at Katie and then turned to Puck. "What the hell man?" He asked in a harsh whisper. "Could you just play a long?"

"Fine. I can't wait to meet Belle, Special K." The sarcasm was heavy with every word and Puck added an eye roll for effect; Finn noticed, but Katie did not.

"Thank you."

Now that Uncle Puck was fully on board, Katie's excitement bubbled further. It wouldn't be long before she was sitting in a plush seat watching her favorite princess on stage. "She's my favorite; we have the same kind of shoes."

"So I've been told." Puck rolled his eyes again, wishing this was already over. Maybe he could take a little nap during the show.

The three of them closed in on the theater not long after that. The line had already died down, leaving them not far from where they were to scan their tickets. Katie was dancing around in the line, being sure to stay close to her dad and uncle. The line moved closer and Finn pulled the tickets from his coat pocket, readying them for the usher.

"Uncle Puck, Uncle Puck, did you bring a book for Belle to sign? I bet she would sign one of you."

Puck groaned at first and then he saw it as an opportunity. "I didn't bring a book. I could go home and get one. I'll meet you guys back here." Puck turned and took a step away from the line, only to be stopped by Finn pulling on his jacket.

"Nice try."

"Damn." Not that he thought it would work, but it was worth a try.

"Just… try to enjoy the show."

Puck turned to Finn and smiled subtly. "No promises."

Finn sympathized with his best friend. He knew that Puck didn't enjoy musicals; he also knew that Puck was a good friend. Why else would he help with Katie all these years? As much as Puck protested and said he hated doing these things, Finn knew that it was never as awful as he wanted others to believe. Puck cared for Katie and he loved the time he spent with her.

They scanned their tickets and stopped at the gift shop, before finding their seats in the theater. It wasn't long before the curtain went up and the show begun.

The first thing Katie noticed was the production in front of her. There was so much happening and she was on the edge of her seat trying to take it all in. She sang along to every song and watched the entire thing with wide eyes, thoroughly enjoying her first theater experience.

The first thing that Finn noticed was how much he missed Rachel; immediately followed by how incredible her voice was. In the few weeks that they dated, Finn had heard lots of things from her and up until this moment, her laugh had been an easy favorite. That quickly moved to second as soon as he heard her sing.

The first thing Puck noticed was that he would definitely be needed at the meet and greet. Finn had not taken his eyes off of Rachel since she took the stage. He saw the way he his jaw dropped when she sang and he saw the way he reacted throughout the production. There was no doubt that Finn was still incredibly hung up on Rachel.

When Rachel and the rest of the cast took their final bow, Katie and Finn were both clapping wildly from where they stood in front of their seats. Puck remained seated, watching the two of them. He still wasn't a fan of musicals, but he could appreciate the experience. Seeing Katie react throughout the show and watching Finn turn into a lovesick fool were easily the best part of this; at least until they were able to see her backstage. Puck was looking forward to finding out how Finn would conduct himself.

They showed their passes to the guard, allowing them access to the backstage area without incident. They only took a few steps before Katie spotted Rachel, still in her costume from the show. Of course Katie still had no idea that Rachel was Belle, she was still under the impression that they were two different people. Finn stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her and Katie pulled Puck's arm. "Come on Uncle Puck."

Puck looked at Finn, who was clearly not ready to go over there yet. "I'll take her, just come over when you can." Finn nodded and Puck squeezed Katie's hand, ready to lead her to the princess. "Come on, Special K."

Rachel saw Finn as soon as he entered the back stage area. There weren't many people backstage to begin with and she had just finished with the ones who did come back stage, leaving a clear view of him. She reached out and took hold of Brittany's arm. "That's him."

"The tall one or the one with the Mohawk?" Brittany saw the three of them stopped just inside the door and wondered if Finn was as freaked out as Rachel.

"The tall one."

Brittany smiled and turned to Rachel. "He's cute." She had noticed that Finn was hanging back while the little girl pulled the other man towards her and Rachel.

"I know." Rachel nodded, taking in Finn's appearance as much as she could before Katie got close enough. The dark blue button up shirt he was wearing fit him well and looked good tucked into the dark wash jeans he was wearing. She noticed Katie was getting close and tore her eyes away from Finn so that she could greet her properly. "Hi, Katie."

Katie watched in awe as the princess lowered herself so that she could talk to her easier, much the same way as she did the first time they met. She let go of Puck's hand and reached out to claim the hug Belle was offering. "You remember my name?"

"Of course I do. Did you enjoy the show?" Rachel smiled, easily slipping into character for the little girl. It warmed her heart when little girls came to her show and treated her like a princess. She glanced up at Brittany, who was standing silently at her side, just as planned.

"It was the bestest. I liked the part when all the dishes started to sing and dance with you." Katie danced around in front of the princess allowing the pink dress Kurt had got for her to puff out at her ankles.

Rachel smiled at her, subtly looking behind Katie at Finn, who was still hanging back. She didn't know why he didn't come over with Katie and it was probably a good thing she didn't have time to ponder it. "That's my favorite part too."

"I think Uncle Puck liked it a little too." Katie added, reaching up to take Puck's hand again.

Impressed, Rachel looked up to the mohawked man she believed was Puck. "Oh really?" She stood and smoothed her dress out before reaching her hand out to the man. "You must be the famous Uncle Puck."

"The one and only babe." He shook her hand, ruffling Katie's hair a little. "I guess my reputation precedes me once again."

Rachel giggled, knowing that this is exactly how she expected Puck to act. He was confident and lacked a filter and she already enjoyed it. "Did you enjoy the show."

"It didn't make me want to commit suicide… much." Puck was amused when he saw the look on her face. She glanced at Katie, who didn't seem to have heard the comment or didn't know what it meant.

"I'll take that compliment." Rachel laughed and introduced Puck and Katie to Brittany, willing herself to forget that Finn was in the room and still hadn't come over to her.

Finn watched on as Katie and Puck talked with Rachel and her friend. As soon as he saw her, he wanted nothing more than to run up to her and kiss her senseless. He didn't care that she was in costume or that there were other people around. That's exactly why he was still standing in the same spot. He knew that he had to regain some control before going over there.

He watched on as Puck and Rachel shook hands and decided that he was ready to go over there. He didn't want her to think he was mad at her or anything; that was not even an issue. He took a tentative step towards the group, locking his eyes on Rachel. He continued walking, her voice, and the others, becoming clearer as he got closer. He had every intention of politely joining the conversation and telling Rachel how incredible the show was. It was when he was only a couple strides away when the melodic sound of Rachel's laughter changed everything.

"Hello, Finn."

Finn reached his arm around her waist, unintentionally ignoring everyone around them. His hand hauled her close to him, flattening the bright yellow dress between them as her lips met his. His heart was beating incredibly fast as his other hand wrapped behind her lifting her off the ground while the room melted away.

Rachel was barely able to say hello to Finn before she felt his lips on hers. After that, nothing else mattered. She had forgotten what it felt like to kiss Finn Hudson and as it stands now, that was all her brain was focusing on. He was holding her against him while her feet dangled off the floor and their lips moved together.

Brittany watched on as Rachel moved her arms around Finn's neck. Rachel had asked her to keep her from doing something stupid in Finn's presence and she was not sure if this qualified. She reached out, tapping forcefully on the arm that was now tight around Finn's neck. "He's kissing you." Never breaking the kiss, Rachel lifted her arm and swatted away the unwelcome distraction and that was all Brittany needed to know. She wasn't sure if this was the something stupid that Rachel was referring to, but it seemed that Rachel no longer required her services. Her work here was done.

Katie didn't even get to see her dad before he was kissing the princess. She had no idea what to do with that information. Was he going to be a prince; did that mean that she would get to live in a castle? "Daddy?"

"Step back, Special K, you don't want to get any of that on you." Puck reached out and pulled the little girl away from the grotesque public display of affection, amused that Finn had brought him along as back up. He's not sure why he thought it would work at all.

Katie looked up at her dad and Belle in awe. "My daddy is kissing a Princess…"

"Looks like she is enjoying it, too." Puck looked at the two and smirked. The whole situation was funny as hell to him; even if he just watched this entire musical for nothing. Well, not for nothing; he would still get to talk to Jen.

The passionate kiss could not go on forever, as much as both Finn and Rachel would have liked it to, and they had to pull apart eventually. Reluctantly, Finn set Rachel on the ground, her dazed expression pointed at him. "Wow."

"I'm sorry." He wasn't really, except that Katie had seen that and so did everyone else backstage.

Rachel shook her head, smiling while she placed her palm on his chest. "Don't be. That was..."

"Yeah?" Finn leaned down and kissed her once more.

"Beast is gonna be so mad."

The concerned tone of his shocked daughter pulled Finn from his blissful daze. He needed to explain to her what had just happened. "Katie…"

"Do we get to live in the castle? Will Beast still live there? Can Uncle Puck visit? Can I have a sister?"

Finn couldn't help but smile at the rapid fire questions, even if they were inappropriate. He turned to Rachel, hoping she was able to help. "Is there someplace we can talk, the three of us?"

Rachel nodded and held her free hand out to Katie. "We can go in my dressing room."

"Hell no, you don't need me for that. You three have fun." Puck stepped forward and held a fist to Katie, who instantly bumped it with her own. "Special K, I'll see you tomorrow." He looked up at Brittany, understanding now that her job was the same as his. "Brittany, it was nice meeting you." Finally, he looked to Finn and Rachel, pointedly giving them the only advice he had. "Be sure to wrap it up when you two finally decide to do the oopma loopa. I'm out."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, wondering how he can explain Puck to Rachel and Pucks words to Katie. "So… That's Puck."

"I have to go too, Rachel. Good luck." Brittany looked at Rachel, silently giving her approval before heading back to wardrobe.

Rachel smiled, knowing exactly how Puck could be. "That's okay. Let's go to my dressing room so we can talk for a few minutes."

Finn nodded and allowed Rachel to lead him and Katie to her dressing room so that they could let Katie know what was happening.

"Daddy, can I oompa loopa with you guys?"

A/N- Awkward! A few things- 1) I respect the hell out of pole dancers, so don't hate Puck for hiring some. It's a hard thing to do. I would know, I have attended a class at least once a week for about a year and a half now. There is a difference between pole dancers and strippers. 2) I have hilarious video of my kid reading parts of this chapter that I wish I could share with all of you. It makes me laugh. 3)The 'oompa loompa' reference comes from the movie this is based off of. It's one of my favorite lines and I'm glad I found a way to use it, albeit adapted. -Your reviews and tweets have made me smile and I want you to know that I appreciate every one of them. There are still two chapters left to go, until then, much love.