Author's Note: Prompt by xxxalexandraxxx.

in an instant, all is changed

Ten years.

A whole decade has gone by since he last saw Rachel. It was in graduation, after their last year together. Never be said that Rachel Berry isn't a woman of word. When they got back from Nationals, she told him she was to leave to New York after graduation and leave she did. She packed her bags and moved to NY and only needed two years to take Broadway by storm. He stayed back in Ohio, went to Ohio State and settled in Columbus. He's a sports journalist.

He's still single.

No one knows anything about Rachel's life. For someone who was so open back in high school, after being shot to stardom in a revival of Oklahoma! she became quite the super-private Broadway starlet. He knows she's close with Kurt and Blaine (who went to Tisch and NYU respectively) – he has seen pictures from the three of them on the internet and Kurt's facebook page. Quinn (who's now a real-estate agent and married to, surprise, surprise, Matt) says Mercedes mentions Rachel, so the two divas who bonded in junior year are still in touch.

He grits his teeth together when he reminds that Jesse St. James is another of Rachel's friends. For a while there were rumors of them being an item, but then St. James began dating a lawyer and is now married and Rachel was his best woman. So he knows St. Berry is only onstage now.

He has been asking around their old friends about news from her love life but no one knows. Quinn says Mercedes refuses to discuss Rachel's private business. Tina and Mike are too busy traveling around the world choreographing and being a fashion stylist to gossip about old friends. Santana flat out says she knows but it's none of his business. Brittany is always giggling and saying Rachel's fine. Artie, the third party in that relationship, smirks but says nothing.

Puck went MIA immediately after graduation and, for all Finn knows, his former best friend can be as good as dead.

So he has no idea of how Rachel's life is besides the fact that she's now 27 with a bunch of Tonys to her belt. Determined to change that – and hoping to make Finchel a reality again – he manages to sweet-talk his boss into transferring him to the NYC branch of their paper. A little snooping around and, six months after moving into the city, here he is.

In front of Rachel Berry's building.

His hands are clammy as he crosses the small distance between him and the building's front door. A tall, beautiful girl with long chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes gets out of it and looks at him funny when he holds the door open and smiles gratefully at her before slipping in the warmed-up hall. A quick look at the mailboxes reveals a little plaque with the name 'Berry' affixed to the box number 1501.

Finn's mouth dries up. It's the penthouse.

As he rides up towards the 15th floor, he wipes his sweaty palms on his pants. He has no idea why he is so nervous. It's Rachel. Sure, it's been ten years since he last saw her, but they parted on good terms. He made up for her for the lousy boyfriend he was before Nationals and she promised him he was someone she called a friend.

Here's hoping she can call him something more, again.

In what looks like the blink of an eye the lift beeps and the doors slide open and he stands in the penthouse hall. He squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath, marches towards the door with the number 1501 on it and presses the doorbell. A soft wind bell-like noise rings and he fidgets as he hears hurried steps approaching the closed door.

He gapes when it opens.

In front of him, stands the most beautiful little girl he has ever seen. No older than five, she is Rachel's spitting image: naturally pale-tanned skin, long dark hair curling slightly at the ends, generous pink lips. But her eyes… Her hazel-green eyes are eerily familiar. He has seen these eyes before, but in whose face?

"Yes?" The little girl asks, curiously but politely. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yes, I think so. I'm a friend of your mommy. Is she home?"

The little girl shakes her head negatively, her luscious locks hitting gently against her cheeks. "No, sorry", she says, looking disappointedly up at him. "She's at the workshop for her new play with Uncle Jesse". Then, after a moment, she perks up. "But daddy is! Will it help if I call him?"

"Uh… Sure, I guess", Finn says hesitantly. The little girl nods but before she can move a deep, male voice sounds, moving towards the open door.

"Hilary, who's at the door, baby?"

Finn gapes again.

Hilary is taking too long at the door, so Noah grows worried and puts a t-shirt on before going to find his daughter. Rachel's out for the afternoon on the workshop for Chicago with Jesse and Sarah just went out for a date with her boyfriend and he promised Rachel he'd put their hyperactive five-year-old – Hilary Caroline Puckerman – for a nap before focusing on writing songs for Bon Jovi's new album.

He overhears Hilary talking to someone at the door and frowns. They're not expecting any visitors. "Hilary, who's at the door, baby?" He calls out, approaching the front entrance hall of their kickass penthouse (which Rachel inherited from her loaded grandparents) and halting to a stop when he comes face to face with someone he hasn't seen in ten years. "Crap", he mumbles as he stands directly behind his daughter. "Baby, why don't you go pop in the 'Beauty and The Beast' DVD? Daddy'll catch up with you later, kay?"

"But, Daddy-"

"Hilary", Puck says sternly, and Hilary sighs and storms out, pouting. Puck chuckles as his daughter's dramatic antics remind him of Rachel on her age. Once he catches the faint sounds of the DVD – Hilary's all-time favorite Disney movie – he steps out to the foyer and closes the door behind him. "Finn. How can I help you?"

Finn is still gaping, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out, and Puck snaps his fingers in front of his former best friend's face. "Finn!" He calls out, rolling his eyes when Finn startles. "Hurry up, dude, I have a daughter who won't be distracted by Belle too long. What do you want?"

"You married Rachel?" Finn screeches. "When?"

Puck narrows his eyes when something clicks in his mind. Mercedes, Santana and Artie have been warning him for some time now that Finn's been making questions about Rachel, but he dismissed it as just Finn being his clueless curious self. "Oh fuck no. It's none of your business. Dude, it's been ten years. Move the fuck on already!"

"But-"

"No buts. She told you she was leaving Lima behind and she did. That meant she left you behind too. She's now mine and no way in hell I'm letting go of my girl again. Get lost, Hudson. Or I swear to God I'm going to give you the proper ass-kicking Rachel always talked me out of giving you back in high school". With that, Puck walks back in and slams the door closed. Hilary, eyes full of sleep, appears.

"Who was that, daddy?"

His eyes take in the adorable vision of his beautiful daughter and he softens instantly. Fuck she looks so much like Rachel it never fails to turn him into a big softie. "Hey, baby", he says quietly as he takes her in his arms. Hilary snuggles against him, her sweet warm breath puffing against his neck, and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head. "You sleepy?"

"Uh-hummm…" Hilary mumbles. "He said he was a friend of mommy's".

"He was no one, baby", he says quietly, walking past pictures of his life with Rachel towards their master bedroom so they could settle for Hilary's nap. "He was no one. Sweet dreams".

Prompt: Ten years after high school, Finn comes to New York in search of Rachel Berry - only to have a five-year-old little girl with hazel eyes and dark curls open the door. Mommy's not home but daddy is.

FYI Puck is the daddy