I don't own Glee.
"It's so great to have you over again, Rachel." Debbie led Rachel into the kitchen where Sarah and Puck were already sitting at the table. "Have a seat, sweetie."
Rachel smiled, sitting in the chair beside Puck. "Hey." He kissed her cheek and his hands gripped hers. "I'm glad you came. Ma has been bugging the shit out of me to get you over here again."
"So you're really pregnant?" Sarah asked. "Like… with Noah's baby?"
"Yes." Rachel nodded.
"Are you going to move in with us like Quinn did?" Sarah questioned. "Cuz she was mean and always hogging the bathroom. She told me I was an annoying brat and she listened to bad music all the time. One time, she even threw up in the kitchen sink. It was disgusting."
Rachel smiled sheepishly. "I'm not moving in, Sarah."
"Oh…" The small girl sighed. "How'd you get the baby inside you anyway? I asked Noah but he just blushed and told me to shut up."
"Shut up, Sarah." Puck kicked at her under the table.
"No, I wanna know. I mean, did you swallow something. Christy in my class told me if you swallow a watermelon seed then a baby grows in your belly so now I don't eat watermelon. That kinda sucks cuz I love watermelon but I don't want a baby. I'm tiny so I don't think I could grow a baby inside me anyway."
"Sarah, you can't get pregnant by swallowing something." Debbie shook her head, dishing the casserole out onto the plates. "I've told you this time and time again."
"Then how'd it happen, Rachel?" Sarah looked at Rachel imploringly.
"I…" Rachel pursed her lips.
"Eat your food, squirt." Puck warned, trying to avoid this awkward conversation.
"No, let Rachel tell her." Debbie raised her eyebrows. "It will give you two practice when you have to give your children the talk." It wasn't lost on Rachel or Puck that Debbie said 'children' and not 'child.'
Rachel sucked in a breath and looked to Sarah. "You see, when you two people are… loving with each other something really cool happens. Noah put the baby inside me so it could grow. I have to protect it so it can get big enough to survive outside my body."
"How'd he put it inside you?" Sarah scrunched up her brow and then she gasped, her eyes widening. "You and Noah love each other?"
Rachel's throat dried and Puck choked on his water beside her. "…No." Rachel shook her head. "But Noah and I care about each other. We made the mistake of making this baby a little too early. You're supposed to wait until your married, Sarah."
"Okay." Sarah seemed satisfied with this explanation. "Are you going to marry my brother? Cuz I've always wanted a sister so it'd be pretty cool if you did. That way you could live with us and I wouldn't even mind sharing my toys with you."
"Noah and I are way too young to get married." Rachel laughed softly.
"But mom said you're supposed to be married to have babies." Sarah countered.
"I did say that." Debbie nodded innocently.
"So I think Noah should buy you a ring or something. I mean, you guys don't have to get married right now, but he could give you the ring so everyone knows you two love each other. Then, when you get a little older, you could get married and I could be in the wedding."
"Oh." Rachel looked at Puck. "Why don't you take this one, Noah? You've been awfully quiet this evening." She cocked her head slightly, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this one.
"Well, uh, I don't want to get married, Sarah." Puck shrugged.
"Why not? I thought you liked Rachel."
"I do." He nodded. "But like she said, we're too young to get married. I mean, maybe in a few years we can talk about marriage but for right now… we just need to concentrate on not failing out of high school. We graduate in a few months, Sarah, we're too busy to get married."
Sarah frowned but then sighed. "But you promise you'll think about marrying her in a few years, right Noah?"
Puck looked at Rachel, who was blushing as she fumbled with the edge of the tablecloth. "Yea, I promise." He replied and his mother smiled widely.
/
Mr. Schuester's newest assignment was to sing a song that explains where you are in life, right now. It's kind of a weird assignment for high schoolers but the gleeks ran with it, searching for songs to sing. That's how Rachel ended up in the auditorium that afternoon but Puck had already beaten her there. He was sitting on a stool in the center of the stage with the band around him. She could tell he was getting ready to sing so she stuck to the shadows and watched him closely.
The music was soft, almost like a lullaby, and it drew Rachel closer. She sucked in a breath when Puck started to sing and she recognized the song instantly, her hands going to hold her slightly protruding stomach.
Well I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I close my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
Well I don't know if I'm ready
To be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything ... oh yeah
With arms wide open… wide open
There was a guitar break and Rachel was tempted to walk up on the stage and kiss Noah soundly. He was singing again before she had a chance to make a decision.
If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope he's not like me
I hope he understands
That he can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world
With arms wide open...
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything… oh yeah
With arms wide open... wide open
Rachel listened to the notes fade out and then Puck stood quickly, thanking the band for sticking around. For the first time since Rachel found out she was pregnant, she realized she wasn't the only one unprepared for what was about to arrive in the world in a short four and a half months. She sucked in another breath and watched as Puck slowly left the auditorium, his hands shoved in his pockets as if he was thinking about something.
/
Puck had the house to himself tonight so he was a little irritated when the doorbell rang downstairs. It was his first night off in weeks and he just needed a little time alone. The frown fell off his face when he opened the door to find Rachel standing on his front porch.
"I thought you were hanging out with Quinn tonight?" Puck stepped back to let her in and she led him straight up to his room. He was still confused as to why she was here.
"I uh… I wanted to see you." She told him quietly and held out the gift bag in her hands. "I got you something." She smiled sheepishly. "You can't open it yet, though." He took the bag and sat it on the bed. "I went to the adoption agency today with Quinn because Leann wanted me to meet with some prospective parents."
"Rachel." Puck sighed.
"Just listen, okay? I was talking to them and they're amazing. The husband, he's a doctor and a very good one at that. The wife was so nice and sweet. I think she said she was an author. They were like, the perfect parents, Noah. They can't have their own children because the wife is infertile. Quinn loved them and she said they were make great adoptive parents. And I agree with Quinn." Rachel felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "But as I was talking to this couple, I realized I don't want anyone else to hold my baby and take care of him or her. This is our baby, Noah, not anyone else's. I couldn't imagine just handing my baby off to some strange people. I don't want that. And I know we're going to mess up majorly because we have no idea what we're doing but… we should at least try. I mean, if we love this baby, we have to try."
Puck's mouth was on hers then, sucking the air out of her lungs but she didn't seem to mind, kissing him back with the same intensity. He pulled away hesitantly, still sprinkling kisses over her face so she could breathe. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that. Fuck, Rachel, I love this baby so much."
"I do, too." She smiled softly, pulling his hand to press against her swollen stomach.
He led her back to the bed and let her curl into his side as his fingers ran through her hair. "Can I open my present now?" He asked quietly, afraid if he talked to loud, he would pop the bubble they were wrapped up in.
"Mm-hmm." She nodded, pulling the gift bag towards him and his hand reached in to pull out three parenting books. "I bought three. One's for the mother, one's for the father," She smiled, her fingers trailing up and down his forearm as he studied the books. "And I thought we could read the other one together. It's about childbirth and what to do after the baby arrives." She yawned. "Is it okay if I text my dads that I'm sleeping over here?"
"Yea, yea, sure." He replied absently as he opened the books for dads and started to read. "The light's not bugging you is it?" He asked, planting a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I can turn it off if you want."
"No," She smiled at the sight of him actually studying something. "It's fine."