Ch. 11. Homecoming

A.N. Thanks so much for your reviews—you're really inspiring me to keep up the work of writing this story even when I get busy or brain-blocked!

I got a few signed reviews and some unsigned reviews asking for a return to smut, so I hope you enjoy. I can't promise smut in every chapter though ;) Smut-avoiders look out at the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything familiar.

…

His arms felt like home to her. But she had a lot to consider.

First they were going to be late for glee. They didn't take time to agree on what to say to the others. Rachel walked in and sat next to Kurt, while Puck kept walking to sit across the room next to Artie.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Kurt asked through gritted teeth.

"We'll talk later," she whispered back.

Kurt had been trying to reach Rachel for nearly two days now. It was just like her—she's so utterly annoying and boring forever (with some helpful advice thrown in on occasion), and then suddenly she's surrounded by drama—and that's when she decides to disappear. Well, she was still in school, but he couldn't talk to her openly about everything there. He'd been trying to tell her about the exchange between Puck and Santana—the one that implied Santana had something to do with Puck's forgiveness offering of a sad wilted rose and a quaint pearl bracelet. But Rachel wasn't answering her phone, so he had to resort to texting her the information. He thought she'd want to know, even if he didn't really know what to make of the whole situation—which is why Rachel needed to answer her damn phone!

Rachel was polite enough to text Kurt thanking him for his message, but she wasn't sure what to make of her situation either—or the fact that Noah may have turned to Santana for advice. Santana had been helping her, so perhaps she had been helping him too. She knew that Santana would only be helpful if there was something in it for her. But it seemed like she really had some sort of actual feelings for Finn, so maybe it was all in an effort to get Rachel a boyfriend and out of the picture with Finn.

Of course, it was hard to imagine that Santana considered Rachel competition for anything, but Rachel couldn't come up with anything else, and she had higher priorities to resolve.

And Kurt wasn't giving up either. He elbowed her again during their warm-up vocals. "At least give me a hint about what's going on with you lately!"

Rachel nodded and had just the thing. She reached into her bag and put on the pearl bracelet.

Kurt's eyes widened. He couldn't wait to find out how she'd gone from running out of the room in tears to wearing Puck's bracelet.

Unfortunately, he did have to wait. And glee rehearsal seemed to drag on forever. He was ready to burst by the end and didn't even pause for privacy. "So, tell me what's going on with you and Puck!"

Rachel blushed at being called out in front of the remaining students. Santana dragged Finn to his feet and out of the room. (She knew enough already, and she didn't want Finn to start getting jealous—just in case.) Quinn followed Santana's lead and pulled Sam away. Though she was really curious…but she could ask one of the others afterward.

Tina spoke up. "Inquiring minds want to know," she prompted.

Rachel turned to her audience. "After further conversation, I have forgiven Noah, and we have decided to put aside our differences and work on being friends. Hopefully this unity will help us all act as a team for Sectionals," she added for good measure.

"Or at least have fewer interruptions," Mike pointed out.

Puck glared at him, and Mike shrugged back. "Hey, it was entertaining at all, but definitely disruptive."

Tina nodded in agreement.

"Whatever,"Puck grunted. "We've got football practice." He headed out of the room, but decided it wouldn't hurt to say out loud what he was going to text to Rachel anyway.

"See you after, right? My house?"

Rachel nodded and graced him with a brilliant smile.

At Mike's questioning look, Puck shrugged. "Audition stuff," he said as he walked out of the room.

Kurt's eyes were as wide as they had ever been. "My house first!" he demanded.

…

Rachel followed Kurt home for a more detailed discussion of the most recent events in her tangled relationship with Noah Puckerman. She tried to explain the change, but she could barely piece it together herself. How had she wound up in Noah Puckerman's arms in the hallway one minute, singing in glee rehearsal the next, and agreeing to meet him after his football practice that night?

"We're at least friends…We're going to discuss our status tonight," she told Kurt. And it wasn't long before she left for the Puckerman house to figure out what the two of them were really doing—and to get her own thoughts in order on the subject..

…

"Rachel!" Sarah lunged at her and gave her a fierce hug. Rachel was completely taken aback considering how the girl typically seemed more interested in the Disney channel than her presence.

"Sarah! Your reaction is flattering and surprising."

Sarah stepped back and shrugged. "Well, when you stopped coming over, Noah was really sad—and grumpy."

Puck shot her a dirty look, but when he saw Rachel's surprise turn into a beaming smile, he figured the ego blow might be worth it.

"Leave us alone, squirt," he told his sister gruffly. "Rach and I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Sarah nodded a little too knowingly. "Uh-huh."

Puck grabbed Rachel's hand and she followed him upstairs.

"We have a lot to discuss," she said. She was shocked when he pushed her lightly against the door and locked it, pressing against her.

"Kiss now, talk later," he said as he proceeded to do just that.

As much as she wanted to give into his demand and get lost in his arms, his lips; she couldn't repeat her past mistakes of letting her physical urges win over her emotional needs.

She pushed him back, and of course he was a gentleman enough to stop.

"I'm sorry, Noah. We have to talk first and determine if there will be any kissing later," she said firmly.

He shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Can I say right now that I vote 'yes' to kissing?"

She couldn't help the slight smile that crept onto her face. "Wait to hear what I say first, in case you change your mind."

Puck figured he wouldn't change his mind, but Rachel had that look in her eyes that made it clear she wasn't going to take no for an answer, so he didn't bother to keep arguing. "Ok, what do you have to say?" he asked as flopped down on his bed to get comfortable for what was sure to be one of Rachel's trademark long speeches.

Rachel paced in his room as she tried to articulate her feelings and how she and Noah should proceed.

Puck sat on his bed, amused and slightly scared by her intensity. He tried to listen and understand…at first. But she was saying all of this stuff and some of it didn't make sense with some of the other stuff. She finally stopped for a moment and said, "So what do you think?"

"Uh…can you maybe go over the main points again?"

She sighed and agreed. "Maybe it would help if I type these out so that we can see them. I admit that I'm a bit wound up and scatter-brained; it's very unlike me." She settled next to him on his bed and opened her laptop. She spoke as she typed what she thought were the most important points to distill from the turmoil she'd been going through for all this time.

"First, I have concluded that I cannot continue the physical relationship we started without an Emotional Connection and Commitment."

Puck's eyes widened at those words staring at him from her screen, but he figured it would be best to keep his mouth shut until after she finished.

"But that is keeping in mind that senior year is a finite period after which we'll go our Separate Ways," she said.

"So…doesn't that clash with the first one…about…commitment?" Puck asked cautiously. This shit was freaking him out but he didn't want to scare her off either—he just got her back.

"That's a very good question and observation, Noah," she said matter-of-factly. Puck rolled his eyes at the teacher-vibe she was giving off, but then he started thinking about her as a hot librarian, and he was all good.

"Let me clarify," Rachel started. "We both know that this arrangement is temporary considering our futures in different states after this year. And that's not to say that I expect that we'll necessarily continue our relationship for the entirety of our senior year. But I do want an emotional connection with the boy I choose to be physically intimate with—and I think we have started to build one—even though you often insist on tearing it down. I'm willing to build it up again. But I'm digressing again. The point is that I've decided I'm not comfortable with the idea that we'll…have sex in the near future…but then the minute Quinn snaps her fingers you'll drop me like a bad habit—or whatever the appropriate phrase would be."

"Uh, I know you said you were explaining this shit, but could you maybe just say what exactly you want from me?"

She sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm working it out in my head too." She couldn't blame him for asking. She was implying that she wanted him to be her boyfriend, but at the same time she wasn't sure that was exactly what she wanted either. She really did need to protect her heart from falling too deep when they were destined to be separated.

"Ok, here is what I want from you," she began typing a new list.

1) Friendship

"That's easy, B. Done."

"Great!" she said brightly. "If you can be a good friend to me, then I'll be a good friend to you. That would be along the lines of my friendship with Kurt or Sam I guess would be more fitting."

Puck narrowed his eyes.

"That means that if you can follow the first item, then we will be friends—no…sexual activities," she explained. "For a more advanced relationship, I require more."

"Ok, what do you require for us to get back on track for the Puckerman Experience?"

Rachel blushed and cleared her throat.

2) Feelings

"You have to care about me," she said softly. "And you have to show it," she said more confidently.

"Baby, I care about you," he whispered as he reached to set her laptop aside and grab her hand. "You have to know that." He ran his thumb along the pearl bracelet on her wrist.

"You're good at showing mixed signals, Noah. You shouldn't expect that I would know your true feelings unless you tell me. I might guess, I might hope, but I can't know unless you tell me. Repeatedly."

"Well, I'm telling you, again. Rachel, I care about you. I missed you so fucking much and tried like hell to get you to forgive me."

His hazel eyes looked so green and sincere—it was breathtaking. She nodded and tried to get a hold of herself. "I forgive you."

"And?" he prompted.

She furrowed her brow in puzzlement.

"Didn't you miss me too?" he asked with a smirk.

She gave him her exasperated look but couldn't stop her smile. "Yes, I missed you too—a little. I was mostly mad at you. But I have forgiven you…and there's something else I want…before…completing the Puckerman Experience as you call it."

She typed out the next line.

3) Commitment

"So this is the one that really makes me nervous," he admitted.

"I assumed as much."

"Well, then what does it mean to you exactly?"

"It doesn't have to mean you have to be my boyfriend for us to…fool around, but I'll definitely need some assurances…and I can't guarantee that my virginity is still part of the arrangement if I don't feel comfortable and safe."

"Hold up. This whole thing started with you asking me to take your virginity. Now you're backing out? Or you're holding it hostage unless I'm your boyfriend?" He looked at her incredulously.

"No! That's not what I'm saying!" Or maybe it was, but based on his reaction, she didn't want to admit it.

"Well?"

"I just can't…I can't give myself to you that way if I know that once I do you'll have no use for me and you'll just run to Quinn!" she admitted in a bitter exclamation. Her face was hot, and she miserably awaited his response to her outburst.

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Quinn's super pissed at me and I'm pissed at her too," he said bluntly. He didn't tell her he was still pretty deflated from his last run-in with Quinn.

"You don't think I have to worry? I need more than that."

"Shit, B, it's not like I can promise my whole future to you just so I can get in your pants. Don't get me wrong, I wanna pop that cherry like I haven't wanted any girl's pussy before, but I don't think I'm ready to jump through a bunch of hoops like Quinn's lapdog Sam just to get your precious prize."

Rachel nodded resignedly. "Then Friends it is."

"Nope. You forgot we already established Feelings. That's got to earn me rights to at least Levels 1-3," he argued.

"We've only been through Phases 1 and 2," she protested nervously.

"That's right," he said slyly. "You still get to at least move to Phase 3 before you stop me from taking your big V."

Rachel thought about the pros and cons of agreeing to two out of three on her list. "So you're not still pursuing your plan to woo Quinn?" she asked hesitantly.

He smirked. "Not for now. I'm totally focused on wooing you." If the charming smile he flashed didn't win her over, he only had a few tricks left.

Fortunately, from the gleam in her eye, it looked like he'd be able to save those tricks for another day.

Rachel smiled a shyly. "Wooing me?"

"Yeah. So we can be friends, totally. But I'm also going to want more." As much as he could get. He set her laptop aside and ran his hand over her thigh. "Shit, B, don't fight this. We both want each other. Let's have something good in our lives again, ok?"

She flushed at his words and the way his hand was dangerously high. "I won't fight this—once we finish establishing our guidelines and boundaries." She pushed his hand down.

"What's worng with the original contract thingy?" he asked impatiently. "Can't we just go back to that?"

"You're the one who said it should be invalidated," she pointed out. "And you already violated once, what makes you think we should go back?"

"If we have a warning system or whatever you said earlier today, then I think that deal is still fine. You just have to warn me when I'm on thin ice and doing something to piss you off before you just walk out on me."

His words gave her pause every time. "Well…a warning seems possible to incorporate—a three strikes clause," she proposed.

"Yeah, sure," he bobbed his head.

"But I'm still not satisfied with the way the original contract allows you to just walk out on me," she emphasized.

"You mean on the off chance that Quinn does a 180 and forgets that she told me to move on and get over my daughter?"

Rachel could hear the pain in his voice. "Noah, I'm sorry you're hurting. Do you want to talk about it? That's what friends are for."

"Nah," he said. But then he started talking anyway. "She just said some shit about how she didn't want the reminder of Beth and that I should give up on a happy ending with Shelby and Beth."

Rachel bit her lip thoughtfully. "Quinn might have a point…but I understand why you'd be upset…"

"Forget it," Puck said, eager to change the subject. "We're fine on the friends stuff. Let's move on to the good stuff." He leaned over her on his bed.

Rachel almost forgot that they hadn't really finished setting boundaries. "But what about-?" she started.

"How's this? Come to Homecoming with me."

She gaped at him. "Considering that you're playing in the football game…Are you asking me to the dance…with you?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "You down?"

"That's a very public expression of our…friendship."

"Shows some commitment, right?" Puck raised his eyebrow. With any luck, he could get some real action after a public display like that.

Rachel nodded with a shy smile. "It does."

"So, is that a yes?"

"I'll think about it…I might have to find something new to wear."

Puck rolled his eyes with a smile—such a girl thing. He just kissed her instead of talking about clothes. Finally kissing time instead of talking time.

Rachel didn't get through all of the points she wanted to discuss, but she was too caught up in the romance of the moment. She thought it just might be possible that Quinn could be moving farther out of the picture.

…

But maybe Rachel did have to worry about Quinn.

Puck's display of a rose and a bracelet really made Quinn curious. She already had Finn's version of what Sam had seen between them, so she decided to go to the source. She also wanted to see if Sam would admit to keeping that secret from her.

And of course, Sam did.

"So, Sam, it was really weird to see Puck being so nice to Rachel, right? It was almost…romantic. What do you think is going on there?" she asked with an attempt to sound casual.

Sam took a deep breath and spilled what he knew. "Yeah, it was weird…but there's something I need to tell you…I'm really sorry I didn't say anything before….I wasn't sure how you'd take the news."

And of course, Quinn forgave him. Unfortunately, his admission didn't really tell her more than what she already knew. Puck may or may not have something more than friendship going on with Rachel—in spite of his song indicating that he wanted to be with Quinn.

Not that she wanted to be Puck. At all. She was just…curious.

She asked around with the other Cheerios to find out if any of them had been with Puck lately or which girls they'd seen him with—and after a pretty exhaustive search she couldn't find anyone who'd actually been with him lately.

Could he be serious about changing?

For her?

Maybe he changed his mind after she yelled at him about Beth…And what about Rachel? What was going on there?

Quinn asked Mercedes what she missed when she and Sam left glee.

"Rachel made her little holier-than-thou announcement that she forgave Puck and they were friends now. She said something dumb about how it'd help club unity—that's when I walked out."

Mercedes rolled her eyes at the memory and Quinn nodded sympathetically. "Glad I missed it. Thanks for filling me in."

"Sure, Quinn. Later. Good luck with the Homecoming vote," she added with a smile.

"Thanks!" She smiled as she thought about how this is what she always wanted for her senior year: a popular and sweet boyfriend and her own popularity—demonstrated by winning Homecoming and Prom Queen titles.

With that smile on her face, she ran into an unsuspecting Puck.

He didn't seem happy to see her. He gave her an inscrutable look before continuing to walk by her.

"Puck, wait!"

Fortunately, he turned around and raised his eyebrow.

Quinn walked toward him. "I want to apologize for last week. I was a little harsh…I was having a bad day, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Thanks, Q," he said flatly.

Quinn decided to come right out and ask him. "So I'm a little confused about what's been going on with you lately…like with your so-called apology song to me…I asked around a little and it seems like you haven't been up to your usual ways…"

"So?"

"So, what does that mean? Are we friends? And what's with you and Rachel Berry?"

Puck was surprised by her interest, and he responded with the first thing he thought to say. "Yeah, we're friends—I'm your friend; I'm Rachel's friend; I'm a friendly guy," he shrugged. He was pretty clueless as to where this was going, but it was slowly dawning on him that his plan to make Quinn realize he wasn't going after other girls was working. Weird timing considering he was still pretty pissed at her.

Quinn nodded skeptically. "You tend to have a hard time just being friends with a girl."

"Maybe," he gave her a dismissive look. Then he added, "Of course I did ask Berry to the Homecoming dance, so I guess we'll see you there, Friend."

That felt good. He grinned as he left her staring.

…

Quinn was shocked—and a little angry. Though she wasn't sure who she was mad at—herself for caring? Puck for…being Puck? But she recognized that she might be getting jealous—Why did Rachel Berry have to play such a bizarre role in her life? Not that she was considering Puck as a viable boyfriend or anything crazy like that. She just started wondering if she had been attracted (so long ago) to the danger Puck represented. Sam's so safe—like Finn had been. Though now that Finn's so much more experienced with Santana, he almost gives off a sense of danger too. Quinn wasn't sure what she was thinking except that she was angry and confused…and a little intrigued by Puck. It wasn't about the fact that Rachel seemed to have Puck. Or was it?

…

Later in the day, Puck was stopped again by one of his exes.

"Closet, now," Santana pushed him and caught him off guard enough that he stumbled through the open doorway.

"What the fuck, Lopez?" Puck grunted. Then he smiled in understanding. "You missing the Puckerone?"

Santana scowled at him. "This is business."

"I bet it is," he grinned. "Finn's not doing you like I do, huh?"

She shoved him backward. "Remember, I know what's going on with you: with Quinn and with Rachel," she pushed her finger into his chest. "And lucky for you, I'll keep it quiet if you help me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied—poorly.

Santana rolled her eyes. "You have a couple of options. The idea is that I want to fuck with Quinn's head and shake up Ken and Barbie a little. Those two are inches away from winning Homecoming, so I need to be Prom Queen."

"Are you fucking serious? This is about being prom queen? That's like—forever away."

"Six months. And it's about victory," she said through gritted teeth. "So you can help by breaking up the perfect couple, which will probably take a couple months of work anyway. Besides, you can also give me one less thing to worry about by keeping Rachel occupied and away from Finn—he's been asking weird questions and I won't be able to keep my eye on that while I go after Q."

"Questions about Rachel?"

"Oh, just stupid questions like is it fair that she asked him to give up football; would I be mad at him if he didn't give something up for me. Anyway, I'll worry about that."

"So what exactly do you want me to do that's related to Rachel and Quinn? Because I'm not really interested in getting shot down by Quinn again."

"Well, knowing what I do, I'm sure you can simultaneously keep Rachel occupied, kinda like you're already doing, while you make Quinn jealous as hell. And that will lead to ruining the perfect couple of Quinn and Sam."

"I'm pretty sure you're insane."

"Whatever. I'm a genius. If Quinn sees you with Rachel, it's gonna drive her crazy. Like bleeding from her eyeballs," Santana grinned evilly.

Puck raised an eyebrow, impressed momentarily until he came up with a flaw. "I know you're a jealous bitch, so that shit would work on you, but it won't work with Quinn. She doesn't deal with jealousy—she dropped me as soon as she caught me sexting with you back in sophomore year. She definitely didn't get all wet for me over that shit."

"Oh you foolish boy," she shook her head. "All girls have a little jealous bitch inside, mine's just out and proud."

"No kidding."

She ignored him. "But what you don't realize is that she dropped you because you were a player. If you go all perfect boyfriend with Rachel Berry…she'll seriously have an aneurism or something." Santana's eyes gleamed with delight.

Puck had to admit, her logic seemed solid. "So…you're asking me to become Berry's boyfriend…like in public?"

She nodded. "I'm sure Berry will do back-flips at the news. So that's good for you in your sick little game. And Quinn will freak the fuck out, which is good for you too, apparently. And that's all good for me."

Puck nodded slowly as it was all sinking in. "Holy shit, Lo. You're a fuckin' genius."

"I told you," she said impassively.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't really give a shit about breaking up Sam and Quinn."

Santana raised her eyebrow and regarded him angrily.

"But lucky for you, I'm one step ahead of you. I already asked Rachel to the Homecoming Dance," he said smugly.

"It's a start," Santana agreed.

He shrugged. "Yeah, she hasn't exactly said 'yes' yet; but I'm not too worried."

"Alright, Puckerman, I'll let you move at your own pace since you seem to be following the path I want," she regarded him with a mix of surprise and admiration. "But definitely consider the boyfriend idea—before Prom," she added.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, shaking her off as he left the closet. But he was already thinking about it.

Seriously, how good would Rachel give it up if she was his real girlfriend? She pretty much told him already that if he was her boyfriend, they could have sex. The word Commitment was freaky, but he started to realize that's basically what he had agreed to in the contract—except for the whole end to the contract once Quinn realized what a mistake she'd made. So it's not like it would be that bad to do the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing with Rachel. And if it was, that's what breaking up is for. If Quinn didn't get jealous like Santana said, he'd still have Rachel. And honestly, if it weren't for Quinn and Beth, he might think that Rachel was the best thing that had ever happened to him. So it was win-win, or win-win-win because of Santana's side. Whatever. He was gonna do it.

Now he just had to figure out how to ask her. How could he change this contract thing to a real (sorta fake) dating thing? He needed something good…something to sweep her off her feet.

And when he started coming up with ideas, the whole thing didn't seem so fake. He kinda didn't give a shit what that would mean for him and Quinn. He really wanted Rachel to say yes. For once, maybe they'd be together in public for longer than a week and she'd actually be proud of him.

Puck never could pinpoint the time when his drive switched from being about Quinn to being about Rachel.

But that's because he's an idiot.

…

The next day after football practice, Rachel came over again, and he decided to test out Santana's jealousy theory using Rachel as a substitute for Quinn. He didn't recognize the irony.

"So, Rachel, question for ya."

"Ok."

"Did you get upset seeing Finn acting all boyfriend-y with Santana after you two broke up?"

She was surprised at the emotionally-savvy (yet random) query. Maybe he really was trying to rebuild their emotional connection. She answered carefully but honestly. "I suppose I did feel hurt. At first. Then it stopped bothering me—probably because I was so wrapped up in our drama."

"I made you forget about Finn, huh?" he grinned.

"Definitely," she nodded rapidly.

She was so fucking cute. Puck forgot why he asked her the question in the first place and decided it was time for a make-out session.

Rachel didn't pause to ask him what brought that up.

…

Everything seemed to be going pretty well. Puck and Rachel's friendship (and more) was under the radar—like they often seemed to be—instead of causing any major drama. But that was shattered by Jacob's blog.

Santana was ecstatic—Jacob's blog arrived just in time. Who knew that little perv was still following Berry around? At least he compiled all of these video clips that made Rachel seem like she was all over every guy, and the word spread about it in time for the Homecoming King and Queen vote. It was unfortunate that Finn was featured in the vlog, but at least he had the most innocent encounter of them all, and Santana wasn't too worried. She just hoped it didn't affect their chances of victory. But as long as she came out on top as Queen and Quinn lost, she'd be satisfied.

The video started with lots of random shots of Rachel, followed by the line: Sneaky Hot and Gunning for the Most Ineligible Senior Guys? Then there was Rachel talking with Finn; Rachel talking, laughing, and whispering with Sam; and finally Rachel and Puck kissing in the hallway.

That one was the big shocker—at least for most viewers of that video.

Especially Quinn.

There was one of Jacob's signature stories about how the boyfriends of some of the most popular senior girls appeared to have romantic ties to Rachel Berry. And then the most sought-after guy in school hadn't been seen with any of his usual 'companions' but instead was caught making out with said sneaky-hot-slut. It ended with a warning for girls to hold on to their boyfriends and a plea for Rachel to finally reveal her sweater-puppies to Jacob before graduation separated them forever.

It was pretty sickening.

Santana couldn't have been happier.

Quinn was furious.

Rachel was mortified.

…

Puck did what he knew how to do, roll with the punches. He tried to calm Rachel down in her freak-out over the video. "Well, there's no hiding now, B. So come to Homecoming with me?"

"I'm not sure…I'm incredibly embarrassed by that slanderous video. I don't know if an appearance at the dance would be in my best interest."

"Aw, fuck all that, Rach. It's our senior year. Who cares about these jerkoffs? You know you want to get down on the dance floor with me—in front of everyone. C'mon, how great will that be?"

"Pretty great," she admitted softly.

"So you in?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm in," she beamed.

…

At McKinley the Homecoming dance was a fairly casual event, considering that the football players showered off in the locker room to join in the dance; it wasn't the suit and corsage affair of the prom. This was the first time Rachel bothered to go to the Homecoming dance since her freshman year when she was desperately trying to do every social event possible to fit in at school. She had to consult with Kurt regarding her wardrobe. This resulted in a shopping trip and selection of a 'casual yet sexy' dress for the occasion and filling in Kurt on as many details as Rachel could bear to admit out loud.

Then came the actual event. She sat next to Kurt and Blaine, and then Tina and Mercedes filed in behind them in the bleachers. Mercedes and Tina seemed unusually interested in Rachel—unsubtly trying to figure out if she really was going after Finn, Sam, and Puck (and maybe other senior guys) like Jacob's story said. So of course, sitting in the stands at the Homecoming game meant so much gossip and playing down rumors when all Rachel wanted to do was watch Noah play and cheer on the team.

At half-time of the game, the Homecoming Court was announced. In a bizarre twist probably influenced by perceptions from Jacob's blog and the fact that Quinn had been asking around about Puck, Santana was voted Queen and Sam was voted King.

Santana beamed with pride.

Sam looked at the crowd sheepishly as he stood in his football gear next to Santana in her Cheerios uniform.

From the side of the stage set up on the track, Finn and Quinn were both visibly disappointed with the outcome.

McKinley actually won the Homecoming game, so everyone was is pretty good spirits for the dance even though it was just a fairly lame event held in the school gym with a dj trying to relive his glory days from when he was a student there.

Rachel was nervous about the dance for good reason: more than a few hostile eyes were on her. But when she saw Noah walking toward her from the locker room, her fears abated slightly. It was hard to think of anything else when the olive shirt he wore made his eyes seem so green and the way he smiled at her took her breath away. "You look great,babe," he told her, looking her up and down.

"So do you," she replied sincerely. Not that he ever didn't look good.

"Ready to dance?" he asked as he held out his hand.

He warmed up with some patented glee twirls and soon enough he was actually grinding with Rachel freakin' Berry. And damn, she could move that little body. On the next slow song, he offered to get them both punch.

Rachel looked around for Kurt and Blaine, but they were busy enjoying their time on the dance floor, so she just waited patiently for Noah. She noticed several girls approach him at the refreshment table, and he fended them off. He returned proudly holding out the punch.

"It's a jungle over there, but I made it back to you," he grinned.

She thanked him for the punch and pointed out that he was free to dance with other girls.

"Don't wanna," he shrugged with a smirk. "I went through all the effort to tell the football team you were off-limits and threaten Jacob to keep his creepy ass away, so I'm not risking some dumbfuck I missed sweeping in thinking you really are…what Jacob said," he finished, realizing that maybe he should avoid repeating the term 'sneaky slut'.

Rachel was surprised and touched, but she played it down a bit. She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "My hero!" she said with the air of a Southern belle. But she was serious too, so she decided to make that clear. "That was truly sweet, Noah, and I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, well…" He looked slightly uncomfortable with the compliment. "I just knew you were worried about how people would react to that stupid video, so I figured I'd do what I could to help make you have a good night."

Her heart was about to burst—she loved this boy so much. She stretched to her tiptoes to kiss him gently. "Thank you, Noah."

He was pretty sure he needed to make out with her. Like now. So he did.

And she let him. Sweet! She always was up for a make-out session.

"Wanna get outta here?" He whispered as his hands slid down her sides and stopped to massage her hips.

She nodded, and they proceeded to leave the dance floor with matching grins on their faces.

Finn and Sam noticed and both felt pangs of hurt for different reasons, but they did admirable jobs of covering their emotions.

The gym doors opened and slammed closed behind Puck and Rachel.

Santana was expecting something like that.

Quinn was annoyed on several levels.

Rachel was walking on air.

…

"This night has been amazing, Noah, thank you," she smiled sweetly at him in the parking lot.

"It's not over yet," he told her suggestively as he opened the passenger side door of his truck.

"So the truth comes out—you want something in return for your good behavior," she said playfully.

Puck was relieved to hear that tone in her voice instead of the pissed tone he realized could have come next. "But I was really good tonight, right?" he smiled and raised his eyebrows in anticipation of her answer.

"Yes, you really were." She wasn't going to fight this. She wanted to forget about the hurt. She wanted to hope. She just wanted to stop thinking and let herself enjoy the moments she had. She leaned to kiss him just as he was turning the key in the ignition.

That was all the opening Puck needed. He returned her kiss and automatically started laying her down in the seat. Reflexively he cradled her head in his hand and guided her hips as he pressed himself against her. He'd probably done this a million times.

Rachel hadn't.

"What are we doing?" she asked when she could pull her lips away from his.

"Whatever we want, baby," he smirked as his hand slid up her thigh.

"Here?" she squeaked.

"You have a better idea?" He propped himself up a little to look her in the eye, but he kept inching his hand higher…now he was toying with her panties.

"Your house?"

"Can't. Mom's home, the runt's home; no good." Then he knew the answer. "Let's go to the park. Then you don't have to worry…about what you're worrying about. People seeing us, right?"

She nodded and bit her lip. "Ok…thanks."

Puck gave her a quick peck and hurried to start the truck. He wanted to get to the park before she changed her mind.

Rachel sat up and buckled her seat belt, fidgeting nervously.

On the way he kept glancing at her. "Calm down, B. It's just you and me."

That's what worried her. She wasn't sure how far he'd try to go…and how far she'd let him. Why did he have to be so charming? And gorgeous. She could barely wait—and this lack of control irritated her to no end.

The park was quiet and deserted. They looked at each other: Rachel glancing at him shyly; Puck eyeing her hungrily. They unbuckled their seat belts and took off their coats, with grins that didn't fade as they started to kiss.

This time Puck settled back and positioned Rachel on top of him. He figured she'd be more comfortable that way instead of laying her head against the door the way he was. Plus she was tiny. He was actually really comfy with her body pressing down on him.

He ran his hands back and forth over her. Damn, that ass was so perfect. He grazed her boobs and decided to stay there for a while. She moaned into his lips as his thumbs caught her just right. He almost lost it. He couldn't help the way he started thrusting against her, erection straining in his pants. He wished he could just go for it, but he knew this wasn't the right time.

But when she unzipped his pants he thought maybe it was the right time.

No, he knew it wasn't the right time for her. But he wasn't gonna say no to whatever Rachel was up for—not when she was stroking his cock like her life depended on it and kissing him like the world would end if she stopped.

He was glad she was wearing a dress.

"You're so wet for me, baby," he breathed as he let his fingers enter where he wished his dick could be.

She gasped in surprise and hopefully pleasure. She arched back just enough that she seemed to be inviting him to go to town on her tits—if he could get to them.

"Take off your bra," he told her hoarsely. He was grateful that she did even though it meant she stopped stroking him for those few seconds. She shimmied it out through her dress somehow and looked at him anxiously. He wasted no time. She let out a little shriek of surprise when he tried to go head first up her dress to reach her boobs. If he could just get a little farther, he could almost lick…

She pulled her dress back down so he was outside, staring at the purple fabric that was in his way.

"I think this will work better," she suggested in a whisper.

To his surprise, she actually popped out a boob for him! His eyes widened and the biggest grin erupted before his lips changed their shape as he tried to go for the elusive boob-gasm. And his fingers were downstairs to help in that department.

The noises she was making were fucking hot and egging him on—and he was pretty close to getting off the way she was working him.

Rachel was quivering and writhing and could barely control her movements. She didn't mean to moan so much, but she couldn't really help it. And his groans back told her that she was doing something right. And then…and then…

"Rach, I'm gonna-" he managed to get out before he put his hand on hers to stop her motion. She slid her hand to the base of his penis and felt the undulation as he came.

She shivered and burned at the same time.

There was a mess all over his beautiful green shirt. She wished she would have made him take it off, but it was October and cold—and she had been so caught up she didn't even think about the fact that she had actually missed out on viewing his abs in all their glory.

Next time.

She blushed at her thoughts about their next encounter and scooted off of him.

"Your poor shirt," she said sadly.

"Just a shirt," he shrugged.

"But I love you in that shirt!" she exclaimed. "It makes your eyes look so green!" Then she realized what she had said.

He was smirking at her.

At least he wasn't running away screaming.

"Guess I'll have to try to get the stains out," he grinned. "Or buy a new one this color. It would be a shame to ruin the shirt you love me in," he finished teasingly.

She scowled at him but couldn't keep down her grin. Fortunately, she had enough sense not to say the words that came to mind next. I love you in any shirt, definitely without a shirt, I just love you. "Yes, it's a shame to ruin a perfectly good shirt. And it's fortunate that I stopped you before you tore my dress to shreds. Honestly, Noah-"

He cut her off with a kiss. "Sorry about that. I wasn't really thinking about anything except your boobs."

She rolled her eyes and straightened her dress. She shivered in the cold night air and reached for her coat. He took that as another signal. He put on his coat too and turned the ignition to get the heat going in the truck. He leaned over and pulled her against him.

"Let's sit for a few minutes and warm up—now that we've cooled down."

She settled into the warmth of his arms around her and leaned back against his chest. "This feels nice," she murmured.

"Yeah, I know." He held her tighter.

They sat together for awhile but the clock shining at them in the dark put an end to their night.

"It's getting late, huh? We could try to sneak into my house or I can take you home," he offered.

Of course she asked him to take her home.

He decided this night was so great, he didn't want to ruin it by asking the big boyfriend question without having some grand gesture or something. He didn't want her to think he was just pushing her for sex. He could wait a little while longer.

When he dropped her off at her house, and headed down the street to go home, he really wished she could've stayed the night with him instead.

He already missed the way she felt with her body pressed against his.

…

A.N. Thanks to Karma22 who made me think of Jacob from an email ;) Also, I warn you that I have a big deadline in real-life on Thursday, and that may slightly delay the completion of the next update. But I don't think the delay will be too long.