Author's Note: I can't believe it. This story actually passed 400 reviews. Considering how many chapters are left, I might ACTUALLY hit 500. That is just ... insane. You guys seriously blow my mind! The week actually got shittier but somehow your reviews and encouragement brought me back to neutral. Thank you so much! This chapter is again missing that element you guys (and myself) are all craving, but it is a little more fun than Rachel's introspection. I hope you like it and let me know what you think!

The sound of the kids screaming could be heard the second Puck opened the cab door. Visions of sprinklers and water balloons danced in his head, and he seriously thought about jumping back in the cab and demanding the driver take him back home. It wasn't a bad idea considering it wasn't going to be easy getting a cab ride back into the city from Brooklyn, but his little sister was already walking up the Evans' front walkway so Puck couldn't very well leave her behind.

Could he?

It would serve her right. She'd been on his case since she'd arrived almost two weeks ago, not dulling at all even though his mother had only stayed to torture him for a couple of days. Puck didn't think he'd hear the end of it after that first night his mother and sister had gone to Rachel's musical. He'd avoided the whole thing with a perfectly timed emergency C-section, but the two relatives made up for it by berating him the next day after they'd come home to find him completely wasted. He hadn't meant to get so drunk, but he knew they were going to come home gushing about Rachel's performance and how she looked and whatever they talked about after the show and he wasn't in the mood.

His mother, however, wasn't in the mood either. She had one day left after that night before she was driving back to Ohio and she spent the whole time telling him how stupid he was. Honestly, it felt like high school all over again except this time he was on her side. Puck knew he made a mistake, but he was old enough now that instead of acting out and doing something stupid because of it, he was trying to accept it. It sucked and his mother actually didn't appreciate his more subdued approach, but he'd already made a fool of himself once and that had been enough for him. It was time to count his losses and move on.

Which was more than he could say for his buddy Sam.

"Hey guys!" Sam greeted the second Puck and Sarah made their way to the backyard. The blonde wore a chef's hat and an apron that proclaimed his love for handling meat. Puck had bought it a couple of years ago as a gag gift, and he found himself laughing out loud that his friend not only still had it but actually wore it. "We're glad you came!"

"It wasn't my idea," Puck muttered, taking the covered fruit salad Sarah had prepared from his sister's grasp. He gestured with his head to inside the house, disappearing in the quaint Brooklyn home that housed Sam, Quinn, their two kids, and the overly obedient golden retriever the oldest had mistakenly named Lassie. It was immaculate inside, no doubt cleaned up and down yesterday in preparation of the Fourth of July barbeque. It was also beautifully quiet, and Puck savored the minutes he could get away with hiding inside.

"Hi, Unc Pk."

He dipped his head down, smiling a little at the little girl who'd quickly nixed that plan. "Hello, little lady." He looked up and then around before focusing back on the small child. "Whatcha doin' in here by yourself?"

"Momma tell me to gets my babin suit." She smiled wide, outstretching her tiny arm to show him the pink, frilly outfit in her hand. "I goin' swimnin."

"No, honey, there's no pool." Mike came into the house, looking for his daughter and smiling when he heard her holding a conversation with Puck. "You're going to play in the sprinkler with SJ and Lucy." She didn't look convinced or particularly pleased with the change in plans. "The water comes out of a flower and swirls all around."

"Fwower!" She squealed, running away quickly with the bathing suit flowing in the wind behind her.

Mike just shrugged at Puck, moving next to his friend after grabbing a few pieces of fruit from the bowl and popping them in his mouth. He chewed and seemed to take in the few moments of uninterrupted silence like much needed oxygen. Then again, Hanna was four now and Puck imagined quiet time was like air at this point in his life.

"So Sarah says you struck a deal to come here."

"She said I could drink if we came," he responded comically, shrugging his shoulders even as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned deeper against the kitchen counter. "Chick's fuckin' insane. She didn't just make my place dry, but she legit threw a bottle of Jack against the wall in protest."

"Because?"

"Because she's bat-shit crazy!"

Mike chuckled, leaning back and stealing some more fruit. "Well, come outside. I'm sure there's a beer in that cooler somewhere."

"Yea, under all the lemonade and sissy shit, I'm sure." Puck rolled his eyes, following Mike back to the deck. Sarah was talking to Sam about the possibility of working at the school as an art teacher. The two had talked about it already once, and Puck knew Sarah was really just exploring her options. She was great with kids and could definitely do the job, but it wasn't her passion. She loved art and while she enjoyed the social nature of art classes and such, she was equally happy holing herself into a room for days on end to finish a particular project.

"Mom!"

All the adults turned their heads when Sam and Quinn's oldest, SJ, screamed from the middle of the backyard. His arm was outstretched and pointing toward his younger sister, Lucy, who was about twenty feet away from the sprinkler but still in the grass and not any closer to the deck. She suddenly crouched down a little and then a stream of what everyone knew was pee came out between her legs. She looked down and watched the flow until it stopped, smirking widely toward the deck before she went back to running through the sprinkler. It was seriously the grossest thing Puck had seen in awhile (and he'd delivered a kid a couple of days ago), but for whatever reason he couldn't stop laughing.

"Shut up!" Quinn reprimanded tightly. "Don't encourage her!"

"Me?" He questioned breathlessly, still laughing. "Maybe you should talk to the mutt."

On cue, Lassie dashed across the yard, shaking its fur dry before stopping at its standard spot to handle its business. Then it ran back into the sprinkler, frolicking happily with the children while still maintaining enough collectedness that the adults didn't mind using the dog as a babysitter. They were too busy talking about the weather and plans for the summer and family gatherings tomorrow for the actual holiday. Everyone but Puck, that is, because he got so bored with the conversation and frustrated with the lack of alcohol that he moved back inside after only five or ten minutes.

Santana had texted him a couple of minutes ago saying that her and Brittany were being held at the gates of suburbia, and given the commotion he could hear outside he knew they'd arrived. Tina was apparently pretty tight with Brittany, probably just relieved the hot blonde Mike worked with every day ended up being into chicks more than the two actually having much in common. Quinn and Santana never got along, and the fact that the latter had brought beer certainly didn't make things better between the two. Puck, on the other hand, sprang from his lounged position on the living room couch the second Santana walked into the house with the case.

"Her majesty requests this be hidden in the fridge." Santana rolled her eyes, shoving the beer into his waiting arms while she opened the refrigerator door. She pushed aside enough leftovers on one shelf to make room for the case, moving aside so Puck could put the beer inside. "You would think I brought crack."

"I wouldn't put it past you," Sarah remarked from the doorway, glaring at Santana's proximity to her brother. The Latina just rolled her eyes at Puck and moved through the house toward the back. "You best not be barkin' up that tree again."

Pucked crossed his arms over his chest, sighing as he leaned back against the counter. It was no secret that Sarah didn't like Santana. The Latina had tortured the poor girl when she was younger, and as Sarah grew up and grew a thicker skin the two often went head to head about almost anything. It was strange since Puck and Santana were so alike and Puck and Sarah were also very similar; the two girls should be like sisters. Instead, Sarah seemed to take a more protective role, treating Puck like her younger sibling even though it was the other way around. And even though Puck and Santana were just friends and had been for a lot longer than they'd ever been anything more, Sarah was always skeptical about that arrangement.

"Because I swear I'll tell Ma and she'll come right back …"

"Really? The mom card?" Puck shook his head walking out of the kitchen. "Calm the fuck down, would you?"

"Puck!" Quinn growled as she entered the house, carrying an empty bowl of what used to be chips. "Can you at least try to watch your mouth? Lucy is three now and she's just repeating everything she hears, and you know SJ understands what you are saying."

"They're outside," he defended quickly, sighing when Sarah left him alone with the blonde woman. Sarah didn't like Quinn much either, but that was more because she was a bitch and less because they had a history. "S'not like I told them you fucked another guy." Quinn stared at him with daggers, the whites of her knuckles brighter against the hard contrast of the red bowl. He'd learned long ago that him and Quinn got along better if they didn't talk to each other, but considering his mood he wasn't really up for walking on eggshells. "Did you need a stepladder to kiss that prick or what?"

She calmly placed the large plastic bowl on the counter, flipping her hair just a little as she looked up at him. "No, but I bet Rachel does."

Puck brushed by her and her stupid satisfied smile, walking back out to the deck and then down to the yard. He needed some space and unfortunately he was literally fenced in. And, even more unfortunate, he was trapped with people who for whatever reason felt like they needed to help him get out of the rut he'd been in for the past six or so weeks.

"Hey, man," Mike greeted quietly, both their backs facing the deck of adults and somehow the side area where the kids had moved on to water balloon fighting. "Why don't you just call her?"

"Call who?" He asked, a stupid question given Mike's resulting expression. "You're right. I'll call her. Maybe she could bring Finn, too. Ya'think Sam would like that? One big happy family?"

Mike rolled his eyes, not amused by Puck's attitude. "We're just tryin' to help."

"Well it's not workin', OK?" Puck snarled. "I just want some God damn peace!"

"A God damn piece of what?" SJ asked suddenly, a balloon in his hand and poised to be tossed somewhere near the dog or maybe Hanna. Mike and Puck lifted their eyes to the deck to see if Sam or Quinn had heard the exchange, and given both of them moving closer to the pair at an alarming rate they figured they had. Mike went with Sam to distract the kids while Quinn got right into Puck's face.

"What did I tell you?"

"Get out of my face, Q." Puck moved by her again, going back to the deck and taking the can of beer right from Santana's hands. It was cool already and the entire contents slid down his throat like a fresh breeze.

"This is my house and I will not tolerate this behavior in front of my children. We're all sorry you blew it with Rachel …"

"And I'm sorry you blew Finn." He paused for a nanosecond. "I mean blew it with Finn."

"You're such an asshole!"

"Watch your mouth, Quinn. Luc might hear you." Then he raised his voice. "And we'd hate for her to hear that her mom is a cocktease!"

"Puck!" Sam shouted, climbing the deck stairs in two quick strides and pulling his friend into the house. Quinn was hot on his heels, leaving everyone else to whisper about what had just happened and keep the children as far away from the conversation they all knew wasn't even close to over. "I appreciate you, like, defending my honor or whatever, but … you don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't?" He quirked up an eyebrow, looking past Sam and over at Quinn. "In all these heart-to-heart talks you've had recently, have you told him exactly what happened back during senior year at NYU?" Her scowl deepened and he smirked. "Looks like I know more than you think, Sammy."

"What is he talking about?"

"Tell him, Quinn. Tell him that Finn wasn't the first guy to turn you down." She was stark white and looked like she might pass out, but Puck wasn't even close to being done. "Tell him you made me promise not to say anything about how you tried to take our strip poker game into the bedroom."

Sam whipped around to face Quinn, the latter immediately trying to defuse the situation while Puck just walked by them back toward the deck. He grabbed another beer and downed it even while everyone was staring at him. The kids were now eating in the style of a picnic at the far end of the yard, partially guarded by the dog and partially trapped by the hungry dog who no doubt knew the little one would drop at least something worth eating. Everyone else heard Quinn try to quickly backpedal, explaining that it was just a kiss between Finn and the thing with Puck had been because she was drunk and nothing had happened that he didn't already know so it shouldn't matter. Apparently it did matter, though, because Sam didn't say anything and then reappeared on the deck quickly, Quinn following close behind.

"Sam, please just listen to me."

"No," he answered firmly, accepting the beer Puck tossed toward him. "We'll talk about this with the therapist."

Quinn huffed out a breath, her eyes flashing with anger as she evaluated Puck. "I hope you're happy!"

"Getting' there," he responded, toasting to her with another can of beer that he drained equally as fast as the others.

"No wonder she picked Finn over you." He wanted to bite back about how Finn had picked Rachel over Quinn, but the blonde talked too quickly. "You're pathetic."

"Me?" He scoffed, using the expanse of his forearm to wipe his mouth. "At least I didn't cheat on my husband because I was bored."

"At least I didn't dump my girlfriend because I was scared!"

"She wasn't my girlfriend," he volleyed back immediately, ignoring the soft whisper from Brittany to Santana asking if Quinn was bisexual. The word threesome left her mouth and Santana actually managed a quiet laugh even though she'd been watching Puck and Quinn intently.

"What do you mean she wasn't your girlfriend?" Sarah questioned, all of the adults moving their attention from the fighting pair to the younger woman. She looked exactly like Puck did when he was confused, her arms crossed and one eyebrow cocked up dubiously. Her eyes were set on her older brother, and she was just as stubborn as he was so she wouldn't just give him a pass like others might.

Puck's anger deflated a little, his eyes scanning over the others' faces before landing on his sister's. She didn't looked pissed like Quinn or amused like Santana. She didn't even look devestated like Sam. She looked ... ashamed of him.

"I just told Ma I was dating someone to get her off my case. Rach and I were just … foolin' around."

Sarah's brows furrowed closer together, her head shaking a little in response to his answer. None of it made sense to her, especially considering her brother's attitude since she'd come to New York. If Puck and Rachel had just been fooling around, then he would have just moved on to the next bimbo just like he did in high school. And Rachel, even though Sarah didn't know her too well, wouldn't have avoided talking about Puck entirely when they'd gone to see her musical. There wouldn't be so much pain between the two of them if it had been casual.

"I think you were pretending, for sure, but not about what you think you were."

Puck and everyone else watched Sarah stand up and walk away, moving across the yard to go sit with the kids. He was staring at his little sister but he could feel everyone else's eyes on him and he couldn't take it. It unnerved him enough that he swept past the group once more, moving through the house and all the way to the front porch. He'd been outside before, but the air felt lighter in front of the house. He sat down on the porch, his feet resting on the second step. He slumped against the column at the corner of the railing, the warm wood against the side of his head providing no sense of stability to his thoughts.

"Who knew a Puckerman would know how to pack such a powerful punch with her words and not her fists, huh?" Mike joked as he came to sit next to Puck.

The latter managed to snort in laughter, moving to mirror Mike's relaxed position. He let his elbows rest on his knees, supporting his upper body while his head faced forward. A lot of other homes in the neighborhood were having cookouts as well, the smoke from the grills visible over the houses and the street lined with cars. The whole thing reminded him of Sarah's graduation back in Ohio, except today didn't feel as much like a family reunion. In fact, it hadn't felt familiar or pleasant at all, and even though a lot of that had been because of his squabbling with Quinn, he knew a lot of it was also that Rachel wasn't there to hold it all together.

"Look, man, I've been tryin' to give you your space. I mean, I know you don't want to hear it and especially not from me." Mike shrugged self-deprecatingly. "I've been in love with Tina since high school and I've never known any different so what the fuck do I know, right?"

Mike rarely cursed. He was pretty soft spoken as it was, and much like Quinn was worried about Lucy, Tina had already pulled the same thing at their house thanks to Hanna. So when he'd said the word 'fuck', Puck actually flinched. This was serious.

"But Sam told me the thing about you not wanting his want his life and that you weren't him, but … I mean, Rachel isn't Quinn either, right?" Puck shook his head vehemently. "Well, then ... be Puck and Rachel."

Puck breathed out a chuckle, shaking his head in derision. He wished it were that easy. Pride was not the issue. If it would work, he'd stand outside her apartment day and night serenading her until she agreed to just talk to him. But that wasn't why he wasn't listening to his friends. It wasn't why he wasn't listening to his mom or his sister. It wasn't why he wasn't listening to his heart.

"She deserves better than me," he admitted, not daring to look up from his sagged position.

Mike seemed to consider the statement before he said, "Maybe that's because you don't know who you really are."

Puck sighed, accepting Mike's pat on the back as he thought about his advice not to mention his sister's words, everything between Quinn and Sam, and the past six weeks in general. Then he considered the time before that, from the day he met Rachel up until the day they got back from Ohio. And maybe Mike was right.

Puck thought he knew himself pretty well, but now he wasn't sure if who he was now was the same as who he was with Rachel.