Alrighty, well, this is a new chapter, everyone. We've got it under control, though. It's all good. Enjoy, and review!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Too Much To Handle

Puck went home at around 11:30 PM after a night of walking, cold pizza, and sorbet. They had talked the whole night about Abbey and how she had leukemia and how it had been a struggle for Puck his whole life having to take care of her and all. How he had to start taking care of her when he was only seven years old, how most of the time, he was at the Fabray's playing with Quinn while her mother took care of his sister. Then how when he reached fifth grade, he had to stop everything he was doing after school and take care of her at home, not able to go out and play football with his friends or hang by the 7-11 and steal candy bars and slurp at the Slushees. And in eighth grade when he had to start taking the bus to the doctors appointments with her, not able to leave home for school in the mornings until the nanny came at eight thirty to take care of Abbey while he went to school. Then, finally, in high school when he got his license and was able to drive her to appointments, leave school in the middle of the day to take her to dance classes, or voice lessons, or back home for tutoring in the afternoons on Wednesdays.

And Rachel just listened to him talk for hours, sitting their politely and snuggling close to him every time his voice would grow quiet or choke. It was when his story ended that he noticed Rachel's eyes were starting to droop, so he picked her up and carried her to her room, laying her down on the bed and pulling the blanket at the end of the bed over her body. He wrote her a note saying that she had started to fall asleep, and so he left, but that he loved her and would see her tomorrow in school. Adding a P.S. at the end, he said if she wanted to meet him by the football field during fourth block, he wouldn't be argumentative about just sitting and talking with her. Or making out. It was her choice, and he left it up to her to decide what she wanted. After taping it to the bed post closest to her head, he kissed her temple and grabbed his sweatshirt, quietly exiting the house, not forgetting to check if the door was locked.

On the way home, he didn't listen to his iPod, he only walked slowly down the middle of the street, no cars on the road at this time of night in Lima, Ohio. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and when he was halfway home, he felt a buzzing in his hand. Pulling out his phone, he bit down on the inside of his cheeks when the front screen said Quinn.

Cautiously flipping his phone open so he had the keyboard, he read the text from her, slowly.

Don't forget, chorus room, first block. —Quinn

He sighed, not responding the message as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He remembered about meeting her, obviously, but now he didn't want to go. Whatever she was going to tell him, he wouldn't have enough brainpower to deal with whatever she had to say. It was just...

"Ugh!" he said, kicking a small stone that was lying in front of him. "I can't handle this right now!" he shouted to no one, throwing his hands up in the air. "I don't even know anymore!"

But, that didn't matter. Puck had to know, because what Quinn had to tell him the next day would require knowing more than any high school boy should.

~*~
The next morning, Quinn walked into the choir room before the doors had even been opened. One was always locked, but the door that let out near the cafeteria was always a little iffy, so she jiggled the door knob a few times before letting herself in. The room was deadly quiet, which was good because she needed some time to think. She'd been practicing what she was going to tell Puck, walking around her room and saying it out loud—when Finn wasn't there, of course—but she never thought she would actually have the courage to tell Puck what she wanted to say.

Immediately, she started pacing around, reaching on end of the room then turning on her heel and heading to the other. She snapped her fingers nervously, checking her phone every other second, hoping that maybe Puck had texted her saying that he wasn't going to be in school and she would be off the hook for another day. She would have another day to say what she needed to say, another day to practice telling him what she decided.

Quinn suddenly found that she had been doing this on Saturday night when she was debating whether or not she should tell him to meet her in the chorus room. She had been in the guest room at Finn's house, which they had let her start to stay in, pacing back and forth in the small area. Her phone had been sitting on the bed and she would look at it every time she passed it. It was open, but the screen had turned black because she had left it like that for such a long time.

"Come on, Quinn, make a decision... You know what you want to do, all you have to do is tell him and it's his choice on how to react..." she had said to herself over and over again, snapping her fingers repeatedly. "Okay, I'm gonna do it."

Then she had snatched up her phone and entered Puck's name into the recipient space, rapidly typing 'We need to talk. Monday, chorus room, first period. -Quinn' into the text box. Then with a few deep breaths, she pressed send then threw her phone down on the bed, flopping down next to it.

"Please don't answer, please don't answer, please don't answer," she whispered to herself, covering her face with her hands.

She had spent the rest of the night like that, curled up on her bed and praying to God that Puck wouldn't text her back and strike up a conversation about what she wanted to talk about. And he hadn't. He didn't even text back with an 'Ok' or something along those lines. Just no response, and that eased Quinn slightly.

But, now here in the chorus room, now doing nearly the same exact thing, Quinn found herself getting that same feeling, one that hoped Puck wouldn't show up and then she wouldn't have to tell him. She would never have to say a thing to him, and could just pretend like none of this had ever happened and although she was a pregnant teen, she could live a life as a normal teen, instead of setting herself up for the drama she was about to get into.

The lights suddenly flicked on and she whirled around to see who it was, shrieking slightly. But, it was only the janitor turning on all the lights in the school. He gave her a smile, and she smiled back, sitting down on the piano bench when he left her there without saying a word.

Her heart started to beat fast. The lights were being turned on. That meant that school was going to start soon, and she would have to face Puck. She folded her hands, clutching her fingers as they rested in her lap. Quinn could practically feel the color draining from her face when she heard footsteps in the hallway. And they didn't sound like the clunky but jingled steps of the janitors. They sounded like the flat, unemotional footsteps of a teenager, one who played foot ball and sang in the glee club. One's that she recognized too well.

She took a deep breath, squeezing her fingers so hard, a new of her knuckled cracked, but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt her anymore. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

~*~
Puck pulled into the parking lot before any other cars were there. Any other cars except for Quinn's little red bug. He silently swore at himself, already regretting everything that was about to happen, and he didn't even know what was going to happen. But he didn't care. Because he knew it was going to be awful.

Hopping out of the Jeep and tossing his bag over his shoulder. Puck walked up to the school as slowly as humanly possible. It had rained that night, so he spent some time walked around the puddles, doing loops around a few of them. Puck even stared into one, wishing that he could just jump in and disappear into a different world where no one ever slept with their best friends girlfriends and got them pregnant. To a world where it was only him, only him and Rachel and he never had to worry about anything else.

But, he couldn't do that. So, he just stepped over the puddle and made his way to the front doors. They were open, much to his dismay, and he walked in, suddenly feeling his heart sink to nearly his stomach. The hallways were empty, naturally, but he looked around them anyway, hoping that maybe he would be able to see Quinn and escape when he got the chance. He had no luck, but instead, he ran straight into the janitor, who promptly knocked him to the ground because he was so big.

"Oh, I'm sorry, kid," he said, extending his hand and helping him up. "Gotta watch where you're going, huh?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry, sir. I'm just, uh, looking for someone."

"A blonde?" Puck nodded. "She's down the hall, pacing around the music room like a lunatic."

Then he walked away, leaving Puck standing there with his heart beating in his ears. He felt glued in his spot. Puck tied to move his feel, but he couldn't. He was stuck and couldn't leave. He was already trapped.

Then, suddenly, as if by magic, his legs started to move, leading him to the door by the cafeteria. It was open, and he knew by Quinn, and his hands were shaking when he walked in. Quinn was sitting at the piano bench, her hands placed neatly in her lap as she stared straight ahead, not moving when Puck walked up in front of her. Her face was paler than he had every seen anyone's face be, and it freaked him out that Quinn was so still.

"Quinn?" he said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Quinn, are you, like, functional?"

With a snap of her head, she looked at him. "Oh, you're here!" she said, surprised. "Oh, wait, you're here." Her voice was suddenly forlorn, and then she looked like she was going to be sick.

But, Puck tried to act as normal as possible. "Yeah, I'm here. And I woke up even earlier than I normally do so that I could be here on time so I could talk to you about the thing you said we needed to talk about..." She nodded slowly, taking a few deep breaths. "So, you gonna talk, or can I leave? Maybe take a nap in my car?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, we're gonna talk. We need to talk." Puck looked at her with a blank expression. "So, why don't you sit down or something?"

Puck grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the bench, plopping down in it and dropping his back pack on the floor. He stared at Quinn and she stared back, bouncing her foot anxiously. They were silent for a while, both of them just looking at each other, and after a while, Puck sighed. "Come on, Fabray, I know you need to talk to me about the baby, our baby, so just say it. Tell me what you need to say." She didn't answer. "Is it dead?" he said suddenly. "Did you have a miscarriage? Is there more than one? Is it deformed?"

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with it... And, you'll be kind of relieved to now that I decided to keep it. I'm not going to give it up for adoption. She's going to be mine... I just needed to tell you about what I decided. When it comes to the father..." Puck felt himself freeze, his breathing stopping and his heart slowing to the pace of a snail. "I've been thinking... And, Puck, you're such a nice person. You care about those you love. I mean, I've seen you with your little sister over the years, especially when she had leukemia and now I see you with Rachel. Puck, she's such a sweet person. I may penalize her all the time and make fun of her for anything I can, but she was nice to me when everyone found out I was pregnant and she welcomed me into the Glee club... So, I don't want to see anything wrong happen with you two. You guys make each other. You complete each other I guess. And, if I were to say that you could be the father, I feel like something awful would happen between the two of you.

"And I love Finn so much, Puck, I do. He's sweet and caring and wonderful and he understands me. I don't want to hurt him either. But, he doesn't know anything about taking care of a baby..."

Puck sighed. "Look, Quinn, just say it. You want Finn to be the father because then everything will work out for you. I could take care of it, sure, and I would be an awesome dad. I know how to take care of people. I did with my sister, and I still do now. But, obviously, you're only thinking about you and not about the little baby in your stomach. So, pick Finn. I mean, come on, Quinn. You've always done what was better for you, how should this be any different. So, do what you want now, I don't care anymore and-"

"No! Puck, shut up!" she said in a loud voice, slapping her hand over his mouth. "I said listen." He let out another sigh and her had fell from his mouth. "Okay, yes, I want to pick Finn because it would be better for me, and I want to pick you because it would be better for the baby... And I do think about me a lot, but right now, I'm thinking about my little girl... Our little girl." He whipped his head to look at her. "Puck, for the baby's father... I chose you." Puck swore he felt his heart stop altogether and move to the general region of his stomach, then to his lungs, then his throat, and back to it's original position. He wanted to barf. "Finn would be a good dad because he would love her and care about her, but you would to that and take care of her too. You'd know what to do. You're responsible, you know how to take control of situations and in general, you know how to take care of babies... And you would be good for her, I know it. So, you're the father, Puck. I'm letting you be her father."

Puck sat there for a few moments, just staring at the blonde sitting next to him. His brain hurt. It felt like it was exploding and imploding at the exact same time, while also eating itself and turning into goop. His hands where shaking slightly and he felt all the color from his face drain from his skin and move to some unknown place. His eyes were burning and his mouth was dry. He couldn't swallow. He was afraid to move.

"Puck? Are... Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He shook his head, the nodded. "... I thought this was what you wanted. You've been telling me over and over again since you found out I was pregnant that you wanted to be the dad. You've been wanting this, and now you have it."

"I just can't handle this right now," he whispered, looking down at the floor. "I can't deal with this at the moment, Quinn."

She made a face. "What do you mean you can't handle this right now? You've been bugging me and bugging me. How can you no handle this right now?"

"I just can't..."

"How. Tell me, Puck, Enlighten me for a moment as to why you can't handle the one thing you've been annoying me about for weeks."

He shot from his chair. "I just can't handle it Quinn! Look at me now! Do I look like I can handle it? You tell me that you want me to be the father? Let's be logical here, Quinn. Neither me or Finn would be able to properly take care of that baby. We're in high school, and we're just learning how countries are at war and that 'Q' equals 'mc' multiplied by the change in time, not how to take care of a baby or raise a family or whatever!"

"This is what you wanted, Puck, It doesn't matter whether or not you're under stress because you don't know how to take care of a baby, but-"

"It's just just that!" he shouted. "It's more than just not knowing how to take care of a baby. I have a girlfriend I love more than anything in the world, and a sister whose cancer is back. I can't take care of a baby right now!"

Quinn's face fell. "I... I didn't know, Puck, I'm sorry about Abbey. I don't know what to say, I'm sorry. But, please, think of your baby girl right now." He was about to argue. "Think of your daughter!" she suddenly said, making him go silent.

Puck turned to face her. "Look, I want to be the father, I do... And I'll do it... I just need some time right now to think. To make some plans and just work everything that's going on out, okay? I'm not walking away. I'll be there. I promise. But, I... I just have to go."

Then he turned and scurried from the room, not stopping until he was at his car again.

~*~
That afternoon, Rachel looked all over for Puck. She spent the better part of her school day calling him multiple times and walking around the school over and over again like the crazy person. She looked around the bleachers, in the chorus room, the auditorium, and by the Dumpsters every five minutes, but he was no where to be found.

She'd texted him a thousand times, but never left him a message in all the times she called, so finally she left a voicemail.

"Hey, this is Puck. I'm obviously not answering your call because I have better things to do, so leave a message."

She rolled her eyes but then the phone beeped and she sighed. "Noah, it's me, Rachel. I don't know where you are, I can't find you anywhere... I just wanted to know if you were okay. Call me back, bye."

Then she hung up her phone and sighed, sliding it into her backpack and then plopping down on the bleachers, crossing her arms over chest and letting her head fall slightly. It was silent for a long time, just the sound of the wind blowing and the trees rustling. Rachel was getting frustrated. He'd left her a note that night saying that he would see her in school and that he would meet her in the bleachers if she wanted too. And here she was, at the football field, waiting for him, calling him, texting him, and he isn't showing up.

Rachel started to think about Puck then. She thought about everything he did. How they were supposed to do a duet together in Glee club. How they didn't agree on a song until she proposed the one they still hadn't fully practiced without getting distracted. How he started hanging out with her and inviting her inside to see his sister and to make dinner with him. How he started kissing her in public and taking her out to restaurants and kissing her in the rain. How he went to her house when he found out this little sister had cancer and how he said he loved her too.

She analyzed it all, down to the very detail, and she started to debate whether or not it was real. Noah Puckerman was the school sex monster. He slept with pretty much every girl in the school, except for her and Quinn Fabray, and there was no way he would never pick a girl like her over a girl like Quinn. Sure, Quinn was taken because she was with Finn and as pregnant with his baby, but that doesn't mean Puck wouldn't try to get in Quinn's pants.

Why would he go with her? She was the school freak and no one really liked her except for Jacob Ben Israel, but he didn't count because he was a creep. So, why would Puck, the hottie of the school and the guy who could get any girl he wanted, go for her?

Suddenly, there was the sound of feet hitting the metal seats, but Rachel didn't look up. "Well, what have we here?" a deep voice said, their shadow looming over her like a dark cloud. "The Freak, sitting alone. What a surprise."

Rachel tilted her head up slightly to see Dave Karoffski standing there with a Big Quench cup in his hand. "Well, as far as I can tell, you're alone too, David. I'm not the only lonely one here right now, am I?" He rolled his eyes. "But, please, just for today, can you leave me alone?" He shook his head. "Haven't you ever had a day where you don't want to talk to anyone and you would rather just be left alone? So, just for one day, can you find it somewhere in your pea brain to give me some sympathy and just walk away?"

"Hell no."

She smirked. "Of course you couldn't. I mean, look at you. You're barbaric and a Neanderthal. You don't have any real emotions, so you just pray on people who you know have them. You're obnoxious and self centered and don't care about anything. You disgust me."

The football player's face scrunched up into something along the lines of a disturbed smirk. "I'm surprised you finally said something, RuPaul..."

"I'm just getting sick of this. So, if you're going to torture me everyday, you might as well know how I actually feel, instead of just Slusheeing me for no apparent reason, you idiotic swine."

"Two can play at this game, can't they, dwarf?" She glared at him and soon, he slowly lifted the cup over her head, tipping it over and dumping the contents into her hair.

Rachel didn't react. She just sat there. The cold ice was soaking into her hair and she could feel the corn syrup start to seep into her sweater. It dripped over her lips and she licked them, tasting the sweet flavor of grape. Then, she nodded, standing up to look at him.

"It's getting old, David... For six years, I've been getting Slushee Facials. They don't phase me anymore. I'm used to them."

"Trying to stand up for yourself Rachel?"

She shook her head, gathering all her hair to one side and wringing out the purple syrup onto his shoes and jacket. "No, not really. I've just had a bad day," she sneered before grabbing her backpack and walking away.

And so, Puck and Quinn are bother nervous wrecks, Rachel is sick of Slushee Facials and actually had the balls to stand up for herself. It's a big day, everyone, isn't it? Yes, yes, it is.

REVIEW PLEASE! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF QUINN'S CHOICE AND PUCK'S REACTION!