Beautiful Nightmare
A Glee Fan Fiction
Chapter 21
A/N: I'm obsessed with Jake Puckerman's audition song for the first episode of season 4. God...he sounds like Puck, but a lil bit different. It's like they really ARE brothers...

"Hey, I got you something," Puck said, walking up towards Rachel the next morning at school. Rachel had gotten a ride from Santana that morning so that they could discuss everything that had happened the previous day, so Puck was just seeing his girlfriend for the first time since their moment in the auditorium.

Rachel frowned, her eyebrows forming an adorable V of confusion as she closed her locker and turned towards him, leaning against the cool metal, one arm higher than the rest of her, with her head set on her forearm. She looked incredibly sexy, especially with the tiny black satin shorts she was wearing with a white ruffle front tank top blouse and her black flats.

"What for?" She questioned, obviously wondering what event she could have forgotten that he'd remember.

"Just because," He grinned, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. She giggled at the contact as he leaned back and swung his backpack towards the front of him, searching through until he pulled out a long box, wrapped in black wrapping paper with gold stars covering it. Her eyes widened a little bit as he grinned sheepishly and handing it to her, holding up a finger for her to wait a second before opening it. Then he pulled out another box that was pretty much identical to the first. He handed that one to her as well and then swung his back pack onto his back, nodding for her to go ahead and open it.

She opened the second package first, tossing the wrapping paper at him playfully and gasping as she pulled out the simple silver chain with the letters P-U-C-K in the center with a single, tiny little diamond chip in each letter, each one in a different location. It was a gorgeous necklace, but there was just one small problem. She looked up at him, but he shook his head, gesturing for her to just open the next package. She sighed as she opened the next one, her enthusiasm fading a little bit, but her shock returning as she spotted another necklace, almost exactly like the first one, except for the letters in the middle. This one read NOAH, which was exactly what she'd wanted the first one to say.

"That one," Puck told her, gesturing towards the one she was now holding gingerly in her hands. "Is for you to wear every single day, so that people know that you're mine. The other one? That's for you to wear when you're pissed at me, because I'm not good at reading you or understanding girls. And besides that, just because you're pissed at me and take off the NOAH necklace, it doesn't mean you're available, so you should keep wearing the PUCK one, so guys know not to look at you," He told her seriously.

"You're so weird," She teased him, but she was placing the necklaces back in their boxes as she opened her locker. She set the PUCK one down and handed him the NOAH one, slamming her locker shut. "Now help me put the necklace on before I change my mind about which one to wear today," She told him with an eye roll, a teasing grin on her face.

"That," He told her seriously. "Is not funny," He said as she lifted her hair and he did the clasp for her.

"What the hell is happening right here? Rachel's getting jewelry from Puck? I want some," Santana whined as she approached her best friend. "This is so unfair!" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Rachel's my girlfriend. I don't have the money to go out and buy you both expensive jewelry. She happens to be worth all the saving and extra work. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you later about my job, okay?" Puck said, turning from Santana to look down at Rachel who bit her lip and nodded. "It's nothing bad, I promise, okay?" She nodded again, still looking upset. "Believe me, Berry, you're going to love what I have to tell you about it, okay?" He sighed. She nodded one more time, a smile beginning to form. It wasn't the best smile, full of happiness, but at least it wasn't her show smile. "I'll see you later, okay?" He said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek one more time before he turned to leave.

"What the hell is that about? He's buying you jewelry and he needs to talk to you about his job?" Santana asked, her dark eyebrows raising towards her hairline as she and Rachel started towards their class in the opposite direction.

"He said it wasn't anything bad, Santana. I don't think he'd make such a big deal about it being good news if he was lying," Rachel shrugged.

"I actually thing that's the perfect reason for him to make such a big deal about it. Then you won't worry about what he has to say all day and bug him about it. Come on, Rach, you're smart. You know how those cougars react to him." Santana said. "And why else would he be buying you jewelry if not to apologize for something without actually saying the words? It's a good way to soften a girl up-buying her gifts and leading her to believe it's for no reason, when really it's to beg for forgiveness," Santana explained to her.

"Please don't flood my mind with all these horrid ideas, Santana," Rachel begged. "I know why you're doing it and I understand that it's because you care and don't want to see me get hurt, but you really can't do this to me. You know how I believe practically everything you say," Rachel sighed, shaking her head as they walked, arm in arm down the hallway.

"Listen, I guarantee that Puck would never actually cheat on you. I know for a fact that he loves you more than anybody he's ever been with before, so don't worry about him cheating. But, I can't promise you that somebody didn't try to make a move on him. And I know that he loves you enough that he'd feel guilty if even that happened. I don't know what it is about you, Rach, but you've stolen his balls and are affecting his bad ass-ness. But it's somehow making him even more attractive to the girls at this school. Because they want what they can't have. All teens do. Example A? Ever since you put that necklace on, the guys have been drooling more than normal," Santana teased her, bumping hips with her as they walked.

Rachel knew that Santana's words weren't supposed to cause her any stress or harm, but they had. Rachel couldn't get them out of her mind. Could it be possible that something had happened between Puck and one of the cougars? And had it been completely innocent on his part, or had he been just as guilty as the sick, disgusting old women who seemed to enjoy his presence so much?

She shook her head as she approached him at his locker before lunch. His locker was a disaster, a complete and total mess, and he was searching through it with his head buried deep inside. When she reached it, she stood by for a few seconds before he took his head out and grinned at her.

"Rachel!" He smiled, pulling her in for a tight hug. She hugged him back, but she knew he could feel the tension. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"What did you have to talk to me about, Noah? Did you cheat on me with one of your employers or something? Did one of them hit on you? What did you need to tell me about your job?" She asked, blurting the question out. She hadn't wanted to just blurt it out-or make it sound so accusing, but she had done just that. She was just so upset, so worried-and so stressed out. She understood that Puck was a stud and experienced, and that every girl in their school wanted him-and she wasn't saying that because she was biased, but because it was true-but she'd really never thought about what could happen until the ideas had been planted into her head, by someone who would only tell her if they thought there was a reason to be worried.

"You think I...do you honestly believe that...Rachel, I would never cheat on you. I love you. I've told you that before, remember? I'm constantly telling you that I love you. I wouldn't lie to you about something like that. And I wouldn't risk what we have just for somebody else. The other guys that cheat are ones that are bored, and, baby, you are anything but boring. I was going to tell you that I'm looking for a new job, because I don't want to be in that situation like that anymore." Puck said, staring down at her with a hurt expression.

"Noah, I..."Rachel sighed, trying to clear her head.

"No...don't say anything right now. Just listen to me. I love you and I know that I haven't been the ideal boyfriend, but I've been there for you, haven't I? I love you, and I thought I proved that to you. I thought I earned your trust, but I guess not. And that really hurts because it means that every single time you told me you loved me, you lied. It's not possible for you to love me without trusting me," He said softly.

"I do trust you...it's just...you got me jewelry for no reason, so I just figured you were trying to make up for something, and then you said we needed to talk and those words never mean anything good and I panicked and started to worry and got all stressed out. And then I listened to Santana and got me even more worried. I'm so sorry, Noah. I do trust you, and I do love you. You've got to believe me. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. You're not that guy," Rachel said quickly, looking up at him with watery eyes.

"I just don't get why you'd even think that about me," He sighed, shaking his head. "But you're pretty torn up about this, and I can't be mad at you when you're sad, so bring it here," He sighed, opening his arms and wrapping her in a hug.

And, when she was in his arms, wrapped up nice and safe, she knew that she was foolish for ever doubting him. He was Noah Puckerman-the school's bad ass lady's man who could get any girl he wanted. He was a Grade A stud and known for having sex with cougars and teenage girls alike. He liked them old, young, short, tall-any way at all. BUt he was always sweet, kind, and a perfect gentleman. His image was not the person that he was. He was much better than that. THe real Noah Puckerman was not the scary bully that the school knew as Puck. The real boy behind the slushies and dumpsters was Noah, the boy who Rachel Berry was heads over heels in love with.