Noah woke up the next morning, finding Rachel seated in bed, furiously typing on her laptop. She had one of his shirts on and her hair was piled on top of her head, pulled into a messy bun.
He rolled onto his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. She didn't even seem to register his presence.
"Morning," he said, placing a kiss on her hip.
"Morning," she muttered, not bothering to look down at him. Her attention seemed to be glued to her computer screen, her fingers dancing across the keys.
Noah sat up, yawning as he stretched his arms over his head before wrapping them around her, leaning his chin on his shoulder. "What are you working on so early?" he asked.
"Article," she said quickly, still not pulling her eyes away. "Got some new information last night." She pulled her eyes away finally, looking at him. "Noah, I think I know who's killing everyone."
"You do?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
"It's Quinn," she said confidently. "The hair they found has to be hers. She's connected to every victim. It all makes sense."
Noah rolled his eyes, lying back down. "There's no way a chick did this. It's too brutal."
Rachel turned her head, fixing Noah with a glare. "Just because they were killed in brutal ways doesn't mean a guy has to have done it. A girl could easily be the killer." Rachel pressed the enter key a little more forcefully than she had to.
"Rach, girls just aren't that evil. No girl would go around killing other girls in town. It just doesn't make sense."
Rachel turned her head, looking down at him before turning, climbing over before sitting on top of his chest.
"Oh, I like this," Noah teased. "I'll like it even more if you take your shirt off."
Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be vulgar," she scolded. She placed her hands on his chest. "But it being a girl does make sense. Why else would there be no sexual assault on the victims? Why else would the hair be cut off of those things carved into them?"
"Yes, but how would Quinn over power both Brittany and Santana before killing them? Hell, Santana put up a fight. Quinn's not strong enough for that."
"Maybe she has a partner?" Rachel suggested.
"Like who? There's no one in town that would willingly help her—" He was cut off by his phone ringing. Noah looked up at Rachel for a moment. "Don't move," he ordered, reaching over onto his nightstand and grabbed his phone, flipping it open. "Sheriff Puckerman," he said, placing the phone to his ear.
Rachel watched Noah's face, his brown creasing in frustration. Clearly, whatever this phone call was about was stressing him out.
"No, stay there. I'm getting up now. NO! Don't touch anything!" Noah shouted into the phone, causing Rachel to lean back slightly. "I'll be right there, Sam. Just stay put and wait for me to get there. Tell Andy to get his ass out of bed, too," he said, closing the phone.
Rachel looked down curiously at him, her bottom lip in between her teeth.
"Well, you were wrong about Quinn being the killer. She's dead," Noah said. Rachel carefully climbed off him, sitting beside him in bed. "Sam just found her body behind The Lima Bean. She was dumped just like the others." Noah's voice seemed dead.
"Noah, I know I'm right about this," Rachel whispered. "I know she's involved somehow. Maybe she was working with a partner and they—"
"Damn it, Rachel, just stop!" he yelled. "The one person you were convinced did this is dead, so drop it," he said, climbing out of bed. Rachel shrunk back against the headboard, pulling the blankets to her chest.
She watched as Noah pulled a pair of jeans on before finding a shirt in his closet, pulling it on. He seemed to forget Rachel was even there, walking into the bathroom without even glancing at her.
Rachel pulled her knees to her chest, her whole body trembling. She wasn't used to Noah yelling at her like that—or even speaking to her with a raised voice.
Noah emerged a moment later, his face somber. He walked over towards Rachel, sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly, his head down. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
Rachel crawled over to him, kneeling behind him before wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned her chin on his shoulder, the side of her face pressed against his.
"It's just this case. I'm not cut out for this, Rachel. I'm not used to watching people I know turn up dead without being able to do anything to stop it. I don't know how much more of this I can take. And even if we do find this guy, I don't know how I'm going to stay here and have everyone in town hating me for not catching him sooner. Because, when this all ends, they're all going to blame me for letting it go on as long as it has."
Rachel tightened her arms, holding him close to her. "I don't blame you, Noah. I think you're a wonderful sheriff. You're exactly what they need right now. You're the person who's out there making sure something gets done. You're the one who leaves early and comes home late. You're the one who puts the job ahead of everything else, even me. You're doing everything you can to stop this, and if people here can't see that, then fuck them."
Rachel saw a small smile form on his face before she buried her face against his shoulder.
"You know, you're one of the only people I know who uses the phrase 'fuck them' in a pep talk to a sheriff," he joked, reaching back to grab her. He pulled her onto his lap, his arms around her waist.
Rachel wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms going around his neck as she kissed him on the lips.
Noah ran his hands through her hair, pulling her close. He didn't care that she had morning breath or had just rolled out of bed. He loved her, now more than ever.
Rachel pulled back after a long kiss, resting her head against his chest as he rubbed her back. "Besides," she said. "If people are assholes to you after this all ends, you can leave this town and be with me instead."
"Baby, I'm always going to be with you."
Rachel pulled her head up, looking him in the eye. "No, I'm being serious. You can leave Ohio and come to Philadelphia or New York or Texas or wherever the hell we want to go. We'll travel the world and fuck and have a baby and then another and then another. We'll do whatever we want to and no one will be able to tell us not to," she said.
Noah laughed, his hands resting on her hips.
"Don't laugh. I'm being serious," Rachel pouted. "I left this town a long time ago. I'm never moving back. I know that. But I also know I don't want to lose you again. I want to be with you forever and ever."
"I want to be with you too," he murmured, placing a kiss along the side of her neck. He moved his head to the other side, placing another kiss on her neck before letting his lips trail down as Rachel kept talking.
"I want you to leave this town with me, come home with me, stay with me and –oh," she gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders as he started sucking on an area at the base of her throat.
Noah slid his hands up and under her shirt, moving his hands to the front of her body. He found her breasts, his hands easily fitting around them.
Rachel started grinding against his hips, her hands still resting on his shoulders. "Don't you have a job to do?" she asked breathlessly. "I thought Sam needed you at the body?"
"He can wait for a bit," Noah said, flipping her onto her back, his hands still inside her shirt. "I'd like to start the day off right and fuck my girlfriend."
Rachel's cheeks went red at his words before her eyes narrowed seductively. She reached for his waist, pulling his belt loose. "I'm guessing it has to be quick so the entire sheriff's department doesn't know you got lucky this morning?" she teased, pulling him out, her hands running up and down his shaft.
Noah pulled a condom out, quickly tearing the package open and slid it on himself. Rachel slipped her panties off as he did so, spreading her legs slightly for him.
Noah, still fully dressed, wasted no time and pushed himself into Rachel, who let out an audible gasp. She grabbed his shoulders, digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt.
"Oh, yes baby," she moaned as he started his rhythm, slowly moving in and out of her. "Right there, Noah. Yes, right there," she gasped, digging her fingers more into him.
Noah began to speed up, his hands roughly playing with her chest under the shirt she still wore. "Come on, Rachel. I want to hear you," he grunted, moving his hips harder into hers.
Rachel gasped again, letting out a loud moan. "Oh, Noah," she whispered. "Oh, oh, oh," she said, getting louder each time.
Noah reached a hand down, playing with her as he tried to get her off as fast as possible, feeling himself building already.
Rachel moved her hips with his thrusts, lifting her body up each time he slammed into her. "Yes, Noah. Harder!" she screamed. "So close," she moaned as he moved his fingers and thrusts faster.
Noah knew when she was over the edge. Her eyes closed and her back arched as she let out a few short screams of pleasure. Noah could feel her clench around him, which was what did it for him. He felt himself release into her, speeding up his thrusts until he was finally finished, collapsing on top of Rachel.
She was panting, her chest heaving up and down rapidly. Noah pulled himself out of her, sliding the condom off him and tossed it into the trash. He stood up, cleaning himself up slightly before zipping his pants.
Rachel sat up in bed, a satisfied expression on her face. She climbed off the bed, jumping into his arms and planted a long kiss on his lips. "Be safe. Catch the bad guy," she said once she had pulled away.
Noah laughed, holding her tight. "I'll do my best. You stay safe. Don't leave the apartment unless you have to. I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed the top of her head, setting her back on the ground.
He grabbed his keys, putting them in his pocket before heading for the door, pulling it open.
"Noah?" he heard.
Noah turned, seeing Rachel standing right where he had left her.
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Noah smiled at that, pretty sure he looked like the biggest dumbass on the planet with a huge goofy grin on his face.
"I love you too," he said, getting a slight chill as he said it. It felt like he was saying goodbye to her. Shaking that thought off, he walked out of the apartment, unaware of what was waiting for Rachel.