Father's Son – 3 Doors Down

She had run away at the age of sixteen to New York. She had run from the bullying and pain of being different. Back then she was a sweet girl who only wanted to be accepted and to have friends.

He found her again when she was twenty-one and things were much different. She wasn't that sweet girl in short skirts and animal sweaters. Her brown hair was bleached and teased to the heavens. Her brown eyes weren't innocent anymore and surrounded by thick black eyeliner; her lips plump and covered in sticky pink lip-gloss. He recognized her not by her looks but by the way she spoke.

Intelligent words flowed from those luscious lips with phrases that went over his head just like at seventeen when Rachel would go on and on about politics or a musical. He looked twice at the woman clad in a tight leather vest and pants with knee high boots. His band was holding auditions for their next video and she was standing in line waiting to get in.

Sam ran into his back, "Dude what's up with you?" Puck shook his head and walked into the room where they would talk to the girls.

Their manager who was also Mike Chang's girlfriend sat at the table with a list of names and called them one at a time for the guys to say Yay or Nay. The really fake ones got a Nay while the ones who only had one or two procdures done got a Yay.

"Um the next girl up is Cherry Berry." Tina said not looking up from her list as the woman walked in. "So Ms. Berry where are you originally from?"

"Ohio." She popped her gum with a smirk.

"Any tattoos?" Sam asked.

"Yeah but none you can see unless I'm working." Her eyes glinted with mischief.

This definitely wasn't his Berry anymore, "So how often do you go see the shows on Broadway?" His band was looking at him strangely.

"As often as I can Noah." There was a collective gasp in the room; only his band mates knew his real name.

"Well, well how the mighty have fallen. I can't believe you used Satan's name for your porn name." Puck smirked at her.

"And I can't believe you still have that stupid Mohawk." She walked up to him and pushed her hand through it.

"Oh you love it babe." He couldn't believe this was happening right now.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't, you're never going to find out. It was nice seeing you Noah." She pulled away from him and started to walk out the room.

He followed her out, "So you didn't come to be in my video? Just to see me?" She turned around and smiled his smile the one when he gave up football for her.

"Yeah, I did. I don't need the money from this. Haven't you heard Cherry Berry is huge in the porn world? It was really good to see you Noah." She tried to turn but he stopped her and grabbed her phone from her back pocket.

"Look I'll call you and we'll go out to dinner or something. Please?" He gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah okay, Noah. See you around." She took her phone back and walked out of the room and probably his life forever.

Three months and a hundred phone calls later she finally agreed to dinner with him. He sat in the restaurant waiting for her and humming Sweet Caroline. He watched the door as a black hair woman walked in; she wore a tight red dress with tan fuck me pumps. The waiter lead her over to his table, it was Rachel now just a little more recognizable.

The waiter pulled out the chair for her. "Sorry I am late. My hair appointment ran over." The waiter asked her what she wanted to drink, "Give me a Dr. Pepper please. I feel I need to be sober for this."

He laughed. "I like the hair you look a little more you. So how have you been?" He asked because he was concerned.

"Would you have liked for me to wear one of this skirts and an animal sweater for this?" She laughed. "I've been fine. What about you Mr. Rock God?"

He choked. "I don't know about God although a lot of women have called me that." Rachel threw her head back laughing which made him smile as everyone looked at them. "I've been great working on the album and touring." He said after she stopped laughing.

They went through dinner talking about nothing important; they were leaving it for when they got to a more private location. He stood and went to pull her chair out, "Would you like to come back to my place?"

He was unsure of her answer but relaxed as she smiled. "Sure as long as you don't mind your name being dragged through the mud."

He threw his keys down on the side table as he entered the apartment. He took of his blazer and threw it over the couch. "You want something to drink?"

"Yeah a soda will be fine." She sat on his couch; she was the first woman not to go snooping through his apartment.

He brought it to her and sat beside her. "Rachel what happened?"

She sighed and sat the can on the table. "Life I guess. I was tired of being treated like a freak in Ohio so I ran. I didn't have a place to stay or money so I started working in a strip club, I lied about my age. Then this guy came in one night, I was about 18, he offered me a role in a movie. I accepted and I've been doing it ever since. They don't understand and I don't do it for pleasure I do it because I can."

He looked at the girl who made him sing in front of everyone back in high school and he felt his hear clenched because the story she had just told him wasn't the whole thing. "Why did you really leave and why this?"

She pushed off the couch and with her back turned she said, "I was tired of the abuse, Noah. Back in Ohio I couldn't control things but my work this is controlled it never gets out of hand and I'm safe."

"Abuse? Are you talking about at school?" He stared at her back holding his breath for an answer he didn't really want. He knew about abuse and the things it did to your mind.

She snorted. "The bullying was nothing compared to what was happening at home. I hid it really well didn't I? I was a good actress in my chaos world."

Puck's fist clenched as he thought back to the way her fathers acted in temple with her and then after she ran-away. "Why didn't you say anything? To me? I understand Rachel I could have helped you."

She turned to face him with rage in her eyes. "No you don't understand. Your father hit you while mine snuck into my room at night." She gave a non-humorous laugh, "Yeah he was gay but he liked girls to and I happened to be his type."

He sat in shock at her words. He watched as she shook her head and then she moved to leave. She got up and grabbed her arm pulling her close in a hug. "I'm sorry, Rachel that, that happened to you." She melted into his arms and started sobbing.

"It's not your fault. You're right I should have said something but he was my father." She had his shirt balled up in her fist.

"I know baby. Come on. We don't have to talk about this anymore." He led her back to the couch.

"No ask me what you want and I'll be honest with you." She said as she opened the soda and took a sip.

"Why porn?"

"Easy money and I have the right look for it. When I got here I worked at an Ihop and this producer came in and gave me his card saying come audition for me. I did and you know I thought about it for a long time before I said yes." She had looked in his eyes as he spoke.

"Shit Rachel. This fucked up."

She laughed, "You have no idea. Me and you switched places huh?"

His eyes got wide as he realized she was right. "Yeah I was supposed to be the porn star and you the rock star." They sat in silence for a while, "I have a kid."

No reaction.

"Her names Beth and Quinn's her mother. We gave her up for adoption." He ran a hand over his Mohawk. "Your mom adopted her."

"I know." She whispered.

"What? How?" He was dumbfounded.

"She found me and we're on speaking terms for now." She smiled at him and patted his hand. "Beth is beautiful so be proud."

More silence. "I'm divorced."

"What?" Puck sputtered.

"Yeah I married the producer who gave me my first job. Brody was not a good man so I ended it." She said it looking at him. "Not like you Noah. He never sang to me or gave anything up for me." She leaned into him and kissed him.

He takes it back, she was still the Rachel from when they we're sixteen she was just buried under layers of baggage and make-up.

A year later

Tina was standing in front of the band on the tour bus and read out a headline from a tabloid, "Badass Rock Star marries former Porn Star. They're behind by a couple of months aren't they?"

The group laughed. Sam shouted out, "The baby'll be born before they figure it."

The couple just laughed. Her brown hair was back even through the ends were still black and her eyes weren't dull anymore. Rachel told Noah he had healed her but he disagreed she just needed someone to knock some sense in her.

Puck kissed his wife and pressed his hand to her pregnant belly with love and tenderness which critics said made his music suffer but his fans disagreed.