Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
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A/N3: Keep in mind, within this AU... There is no Puck/Quinn, no Finn/Rachel, Quinn is NOT pregnant at all, Puck's dad never left when he was a kid and Puck will be OOC so yes, totally AU, though you'll see similarities to the episodes.
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With the epic news that Noah got on their way to the airport, he was on cloud nine, honored to have the opportunity to sing with an artist he grew up listening to and also a fellow Jew, Neil Diamond. Noah knew exactly what song he wanted to sing, but he wanted to keep it a secret until closer to the awards. As he thought about it, he decided that he'd wait until after the video shoot to call Neil, so they didn't have to rush their conversation.
It was four days to Christmas and the airport was pretty busy with holiday travelers, so Noah stayed close to his dad, Alan and David, hoping to blend in with the crowd and thankfully they got through security without a hassle and were on their way to their gate, having already eaten and it was only a two hour flight to New York.
The flight itself was mostly uneventful. There were a few teen girls on the flight who recognized him and asked for his autograph, which he gladly gave and posed for a picture before taking his seat and relaxing for the two hours, knowing he wouldn't have the opportunity for a few more days, since he'd be filming.
"Noah?" Rachel started and when he turned to look at her, she blushed, "I was wondering... When you were talking to your manager, you also mentioned something about songs you wrote and not wanting to go to LA. What was that about?"
"Oh that," he nodded, "remember the movie that I told you I wrote those two songs for?" He asked, hoping he didn't have to say the name, wanting to keep it quiet on the plane.
Rachel nodded, "yes, I remember."
"Well, there's going to be a second one filmed starting in mid-January and during this year I wrote six more songs for the sequel. The male and female leads want me to be in the studio with them when they record the songs, but I don't want to go to LA to do that. Elliott told them that, so they're coming to New York to record their parts between Christmas and New Years Eve," he explained. "I figured one day in the studio wouldn't be so bad, and it'd give you, Quinn and Finn some experience there, ya know?"
"As in..." Rachel pulled a note pad out and wrote 'Joe and Demi?' and showed it to him and at his nod, her eyes widened, "oh wow," she blushed, "really?"
"Yep," he nodded and turned to press a kiss to her lips, "just hope I don't have to worry about competition," he winked.
She giggled, "no you don't. I'm not interested in him. Do I have to worry about competition?" She asked, turning the question around to him.
"Not a chance. I respect her as an artist, but that's it. Same with others," he reached for her pen and paper and wrote, 'like Miley, Taylor S., Selena, etc.', "and there's only one girl in this world I would date," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, kissing her lovingly, "you. So don't worry," he assured her.
Rachel smiled, "I won't, and I knew that, but it's nice to hear."
...
The airplane touched down at dusk in New York, the skyline still visible, but the light beginning to fade. Rachel was able to get a few pictures from the air before they landed and once the first class passengers filed off the plane, Noah tugged his hood up over his head a little, but tried to stay calm, keeping one arm around Rachel's shoulders and his other around his sister's, while is mom walked next to her. New York's airport was a lot busier than Columbus had been, and in the mass of passengers, it's easy to get separated, and the last thing he wanted was to get one of them lost in the mix.
Reaching baggage claim, they were joined by Tim and Alex, and after greetings were passed around, they began collecting their luggage when it came from the plane, filling up a luggage cart with their bags. When they were sure they had everything, they headed outside and Rachel stopped in her tracks when she saw what was waiting for them.
"What's wrong?" Noah asked, turning to her.
"We're going in a... limo?" She asked.
He smirked, "yeah. What did you expect? Babe, we're not in Ohio anymore," he added, taking her hand and guiding her towards the stretch SUV. "You're with 'Puck' now," he smirked. "Not many girls can say they have two boyfriends and get away with it. Think of it this way, you get two for the price of one," he wiggled his eyebrows as he motioned into the open door, where his mom and sister had already gotten in.
Rachel blushed and climbed into the large backseat and slid over to sit next to Arin and Noah climbed in next, sitting next to her, "I... I guess I didn't realize that we'd be traveling in a limo and I only have one boyfriend, he just happens to be known by something else to the world," she clarified, leaning against him.
...
The thirty minute drive from the airport to Long Beach, New York was quiet. It was hard to see much since it was now dark out, but passing street lights and signs still lit up the night sky as they passed, until they pulled up to the front of the hotel, small yet classy. The hotel was just on the outskirts of the town, right on the beach, and it was pretty quiet, but everyone knew by morning the place would be buzzing with workers of all types for the video shoot.
As the limo came to a stop outside the front door, Elliott and two bellhops came out with carts for their luggage and Ethan, Tim and Alex got out first, followed by Noah, Rachel, Alan, David, Deborah and Arin, "hello everyone. Welcome to Long Beach," Elliott said greeting them all.
Once their luggage was loaded up, the Berry's on one cart and the Puckerman's on the other, they headed inside to get their room keys. Noah and his family got a three-bedroom suite, so he, his sister and their parents could each have their own room and then Rachel and her dad's got a two-bedroom suite for the same reason, but they were both on the same floor and just a few rooms apart.
Dropping off their bags, Rachel, Alan and David headed into the Puckerman's room to talk with Elliott and a few others who would be meeting in there and Noah plopped down on the couch and Rachel joined him.
"Have you asked yet?" Elliott asked Noah.
Noah smirked, "nope, but I probably should," he said turning to Rachel, "hey babe... Would you like to be in my video?"
Rachel's eyes widened, "are you serious? In your video?"
"Who else would be filming a video here?" He kissed her on the lips, "yes mine. I'd love for you to be in it."
"Wow," she looked around, "I... Can I?" She asked, "I mean, I'm not eighteen..."
"Neither am I and all you need is parental permission and your dads just happen to be here," he motioned to them, "and I already asked them if I could ask you."
Rachel looked over at her dads, who both nodded, "I... I would love to be," she told her boyfriend.
...
They had a short meeting about what time things would get going in the morning and Noah and Rachel went down to the room they were using for wardrobe and tried on the clothes that had been picked out and decided on a few outfits to use, and once they were back in their clothes, the teen couple headed back to their floor and on the elevator, Rachel was totally out of it and quiet. "Babe, what's wrong?" Noah asked, concerned.
She shook her head and looked at him, "nothing is wrong, it's just... I'm still shocked I'm going to be in your video. I... I never expected this," she told him.
"I know," he nodded wrapping her up in a hug, "it originally was only going to be me, but I wanted you to be in it, because of what it talks about, I want to spend the time with the girl I love," he kissed her lovingly as they walked down the hall to their rooms.
Rachel blushed, but hugged him and returned his kiss, "I love you, too," she whispered, "and I feel the same way."
...
The first night in New York was quiet. The two families had dinner in the hotel's restaurant and turned in early, because they all had an early morning so they could start filming as soon as it got light enough.
Rachel and Noah walked into the room that was being used for hair, make-up and wardrobe and met up with the stylists they'd met the night before, along with a few others that had arrived that morning and once they were in the clothes for the first part of the video shoot that day, they both sat down in chairs and a stylist started work on them.
"So what are we doing with this?" The woman asked, running her hand through Noah's hair.
Noah smirked, "trimming it. No more mohawk. It's time for a change and to grow up a little."
The woman's eyes widened in shock, but but did understand that he wanted a change and agreed that he was growing up, so it was time to have a little more adult hair style. While Noah was getting a trim, they did Rachel's hair, brushing it out and drying it from her shower, putting it in a casual style without doing any cutting and applied light make-up to both before they were ready to head outside.
As the two walked, Rachel looked at him, "it's so cold out," she murmured.
"I know, babe," he agreed, "I'll keep you warm as best as I can," he promised pulling her close as they walked onto the sand and towards where everyone was set up, including her dads and his family, "if we're lucky we could finish it all today," he admitted.
"It's possible?" She asked in shock.
"Yeah, I mean, we're doing this differently than some videos. Instead of doing parts of the song and the scene to go along with it, like we talked about last night, we're going to do one take of me singing the song through in several ways, and they can pick and choose what pieces to use and when. It doesn't look like there will be any sun today, so as long as it doesn't rain, we should be able to get things done in one or two takes, I hope, at least."
Rachel nodded and as the two reached their families, they greeted them and talked to the director and producer a little more before they started with their day.
...
They started out the morning with three different 'scenes' in the first outfit they were wearing, both were in jeans without shoes. Rachel had on a light blue sweater and Noah was in a gray OSU sweatshirt.
The first scene they did was the two of them sitting on a blanket on the beach, she was sitting watching him play his guitar to the music and sing along and another one was of them walking along the water's edge, his arm draped over her shoulders, while her arms were wrapped around his waist. He sang along to the music, his eyes back and forth looking at her and then to the camera, while she rested her head on his chest, watched him or glanced out over the water. For the last moment of the video, as the final notes played, Noah turned to her, kissed her lovingly and said, "I love you," and she returned the words with a smile.
For these scenes, along with others they would film, the director and producer wanted them to be as natural as possible together, so they only ran through the song a few times for each take, wanting the couple to act as comfortable and unrehearsed as they could, yet still getting what they needed for the video.
With a break to warm up and drink some coffee, they set up the next scene, with a piano. A platform had been built on the beach to put the piano on, but the sand covered it, hiding the wood. Once the piano was uncovered and it was safe to get started with, Noah and Rachel got in their places. Noah sat on the piano bench and Rachel sat with her legs folded under her, on top of the piano, facing him so she could watch him 'play'. The piano didn't have any of the keys hooked up, so Noah could actually press them down without sound coming out, so again, they went through the song a few times, him looking at her most of it, but glancing at the camera randomly.
Content with what they had so far, and with how quick it had gone, they knew they still had a lot of work to do, but there was a good chance they would have everything done before by the time it got dark that day.
"Alright, Rachel, you're done until after lunch. Puck, let's get you into a new outfit, so we can get those two scenes with just you in it, and then we'll break for lunch," the director said to them.
Noah and Rachel nodded and slipped on their shoes, making their way back to the hotel where the wardrobe room was set up and once inside, alone for a few moments, Noah wrapped his arms around her, "it's been a crazy morning, but how are you doing?"
"I'm... I'm okay, but I'm also freezing," she murmured, snuggling up to him.
"I know, I'm sorry," he replied, pressing a kiss to her lips as he rubbed her back and tried to help her warm up a little.
"Don't be," she looked at him and smiled, "I'm having fun and I'm getting to share this with you. I'm enjoying the experience," she told him.
He smiled and relaxed, kissing her lovingly, "I'm glad you're here. It really makes me feel good that I can share this video with my girlfriend, the girl I love," he admitted.
"I love you, too, Noah, and it means a lot to me that you wanted me in your video," she replied.
...
The couple and many of the workers, along with their families had gone inside to warm up while they changed and once Noah was in a black t-shirt and the jeans he already had on, they returned to the beach, with Rachel dressed in her clothes.
It was finally warming up, but the breeze from the water still made it feel a lot colder. Most around were keeping active so they didn't notice the cool air as much, but their families stayed close to the tent with a heater in it, but did watch the filming going on, from a distance to stay out of the way of the workers.
Noah started out at the piano, singing to the camera as he played through the song and after two takes, they were happy with it, so he went for his next scene, which was him walking along the beach, playing his guitar and singing along. As the song came to an end for the second time, the director called 'cut', "alright, that looks great Puck, break for lunch, we'll start back up at two," he called out.
...
The break was much needed for everyone, most now started to freeze from the cold air. After a relaxing lunch inside, Rachel and Noah changed into their final outfit for the video. He was dressed in the same jeans and shirt he had been in, but added a plaid shirt with a collar over it and she was in a strapless dress that had an empire waist and hits her at her ankles. The dress is in a teal and white tie-dye print and over it is a matching teal cardigan.
"Wow," Noah looks her over, having not seen her in that the day before, "you look amazing."
"Really? It's not too much?" She asked nervously.
"No, it's beautiful, you're beautiful," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"Thank you," she replied, relaxing now that she knew he liked it, since she's not used to dressing like that.
Noah hugged her and kissed her forehead, "you're beautiful in anything you wear," he promised.
Rachel blushed, "thank you," she said again and soon the two were getting their make-up touched up and heading back outside.
...
The scene they started with was for the beginning of the video. Rachel stood on the beach, looking out over the waves and Noah came up behind her, putting his hands over her eyes to surprise her, and she then turned around to hug and kiss him, the point being they haven't seen each other for a while and are meeting on the beach. It only took three takes to get it how the couple liked it, only doing the introduction of the song.
They went back to the blanket they'd been on earlier, but this time, Rachel was sitting between Noah's legs, his arms wrapped around her, resting on her stomach, and her hands were resting on his and they were both sitting, looking out over the water and Noah was singing along to the song. That scene only took one run through to get what was needed, and they had one final scene to shoot.
"Hopefully this will be done in one take," the director commented, "and we saved it until the end because you guys might get wet."
Rachel and Noah talked a little about what they were going to do for the 'playing around on the beach' scene and as the music played, they started out just walking along the water's edge, getting their feet wet and then he grabbed her around her waist and spun them around and when he put her down, she'd got her hand wet and splashed him with some water. He returned the favor, but they didn't soak each other, as they splashed back and forth for the next few moments. While the camera continued to record, Noah and Rachel calmed down a little and hugged, then she jogged ahead of him and he chased after her; she turned around to smile at him and when he caught up to her, he wrapped her up in a hug, picked her up and kissed her happily. She smiled at him and draped her arms around his neck as they kissed, not wanting to let go.
"Cut!" The director called out with a grin, "and that's a wrap on 'Live Like We're Dying'!"
Noah and Rachel slowly pulled away, he set her back down and smiled at her, "I'm so glad you're here," he murmured.
She stood up and kissed him again, "me too," she assured him.
...
The outfits they wore in the video were given to them to keep and once they were back in their clothes, they returned to their rooms to shower and warm up before having dinner with their families.
During dinner, many of the workers came up to say 'goodbye' to Noah and everyone, wanting to get back home soon for the holiday. Noah completely understood and thanked them for helping out with the video before they left and slowly the mass of people staying in the hotel was down to a few.
Elliott, Ethan, Noah and the director and producer talked after dinner briefly before they left, leaving just the Berrys, Puckermans, Elliott, Tim and Alex at the hotel until the next morning.
"Noah, do you think we could go out to the beach for a while?" Arin asked.
"Sure," Noah nodded, "we just gotta get some warmer clothes on and tell mom and dad where we're going. Rachel do you want to go?" He turned to her.
"Yes, I'd like to," she agreed.
The adults were in the middle of a conversation and when Noah said they were going out to the beach, he promised they'd dress warmly and Ethan turned down Tim and Alex's offer to go with them; there wasn't anyone around and they were just going out to the beach, so they'd be safe.
Heading upstairs to their rooms, they three parted; Rachel went into her and her dads' room, while Noah and Arin went into theirs. Noah made sure Arin got a sweatshirt on under her Winter jacket and another layer of pants on before he slid on a pair of jeans over a pair of sweats, and on top of a black hoodie, he put on his Letterman's jacket with some gloves stuffed in the pockets, just in case he'd need them. They met Rachel in the hallway moments later and she was dressed in a sweater with a sweatshirt jacket over it and two layers of pants.
Using the lobby exit, they walked outside and towards the beach, staying on the gravel path and until they got through the dune grass and Noah noticed a few picnic tables with seats attached setting along the sandy edge of the dunes, "why don't we sit here," Noah commented, "we shouldn't sit in the sand and I don't think we should go much further unless we want to ruin our shoes," he said, climbing up onto the table and sitting on it, letting his feet rest on the seats.
Rachel climbed up to sit next to him and Arin looked at them, "do you guys want to be alone?" She asked, seeing Rachel snuggle up to him.
"It's okay Arin. Anything I want to say to Rachel I can say in front of you and I don't want you wandering off in the dark," Noah said patting his lap, "come on, you're not to old to sit on your big brother's lap, are you?"
Arin shrugged, but climbed up on his lap and sat so she was facing Rachel and Noah wrapped his other arm around her back, "thanks, Noah," she told him, "it's just so boring in there and I know you guys want to be together, alone, but I'm the only ten year old here," she said sadly.
"I know it's boring in there," Noah agreed, "it's not set up for families or kids. This place seems like it's for a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the major cities. Don't be upset that you're the only ten year old here. You're totally welcome to hang out with me and Rachel. Like I said, anything I want to say to her, I can say in front of you and this is time for us to spend together, too. You're my sister and I know most teen guys can't wait to get away from their little sisters, but I'm not like that. I love you and I want to spend as much time with you as a I can."
"I love you, too, Noah," she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him, "I missed you while you and dad were gone, but I really like that you and dad are home for a while."
Noah moved his arm from around Rachel and wrapped both of his arms around his sister in a tight hug, "I missed you, too, kiddo," he replied, pressing a kiss to her cheek as they parted from their hug, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to give you a hard time and tease you."
Arin laughed, "I know, same here."
"Good," he nodded and returned his arm around his girlfriend and kissed her on the forehead.
"You know, Arin, I think of you as a sister," Rachel commented, leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.
"You do?" She asked surprised.
"yes," Rachel nodded, "I'm an only child, so I don't have any brothers or sisters. It's fun to have you around. You're welcome anytime and I'm always here if you want to talk and you don't want to talk to Noah or your parents," she explained.
Arin smiled, "thanks Rachel," she said, reaching over to give Rachel a hug.
Rachel returned the hug and then the three of them settled into the relaxing calm of the ocean waves crashing along the shore not far from them.
The three-quarter moon out was lighting up the waves enough so they could see the white caps crash along the shore, the breeze bringing in the salty sea air, cold when it hit you, but comforting and relaxing in other ways.
"Are you cold?" Noah asked, looking at his girlfriend who was snuggling closer to him as a large gust of wind came towards them and he felt her shiver a little.
"Yes, the wind seems to be going right through my sweater and sweatshirt. I should have put on my other jacket, but I thought these would be warmer," she admitted.
"Arin sit up a bit," Noah said softly. When she did, he unbuttoned his Letterman's jacket and took it off, draping it around her shoulders, "put this on, it'll keep you warm."
"But then you'll get cold," Rachel replied, smelling his familiar scent as she slipped her arms into it.
"I'll be fine, babe, you need it more than I do," he told her smiling as he saw her buttoning it up, really liking how it looked on her. "You look awesome in McKinley colors."
"I do?" She asked looking at him.
"Yeah, or maybe it's because you're wearing my jacket that makes it so amazing," he clarified pressing a kiss to her lips.
She returned the kiss and then snuggled against him, "I do like red," she admitted, looking down at the red material and the black 'M' on one side.
Holding her close, with his sister on his lap, Noah was completely content, but hearing a light snore, he realized Arin was asleep. "Arin's asleep," he said softly.
"Oh, she must be tired. She was up early today," Rachel said, "it's getting late," she looked at his watch, seeing it was almost nine at night, "to be honest, I'm tired, too."
Noah nodded, "we should probably go in, too. If we're out here much later we're apt to freeze things off we might want in the future," he smirked.
Rachel giggled and nudged him playfully in the shoulder, "I think that you'll be safe," she replied, climbing down off the table.
Pressing a kiss to his sister's cheek, he woke her up and got her to climb down, and he followed, the three heading back towards the hotel. "That was a nice break," he admitted, putting his arms around Arin and Rachel's shoulders.
"It was," Rachel smiled, slipping her arm around his waist as they walked.
Arin was half asleep, leaning against her brother as they went inside the warm hotel and over to the elevators. It didn't take long before they were walking down the hallway for their rooms. "Would you like to come in?" Noah asked Rachel as they paused outside his family's room.
"Yeah, that'd be alright," she nodded and as he slid the key in to unlock the door, he pushed it open and let Arin and Rachel go in before he did.
Walking inside, he saw his parents kicked back on the couch, "hey," Noah said.
"Hey kids," Deborah sat up a little, "too cold to stay out much longer?" She asked.
"Kind of. Arin fell asleep, so we thought we'd come in," Noah replied.
Arin shrugged, "I guess I'm tired," she said, rubbing her eyes.
Saying 'goodnight' to Rachel, Noah, Ethan and Deborah, Arin went into her room to get ready for bed.
"Are my dads in our room?" Rachel asked curiously.
Ethan nodded, "yes. We just got up here a few minutes ago from downstairs. We're leaving at noon tomorrow for the condo so we all wanted to turn in early and get a good nights sleep. It's been a long day," he replied.
"Yes it has," Rachel agreed looking at her boyfriend, "I should probably go, I'm tired, too," she told him.
"I'll walk you," Noah said.
"Goodnight Ethan, Deborah," Rachel smiled at them.
"Goodnight, Rachel, see you tomorrow," Deborah replied and Ethan nodded, saying something similar as Noah and Rachel walked out of the room and down the hall to her and her dads' room.
Rachel unbuttoned Noah's jacket to get her room key from her pocket, "I guess I should give you back your jacket."
"No," he shook his head, "I want you to have it," he brushed some of her hair back and smiled, "I like seeing you in it."
"But it's your jacket. You earned it. Why do you want me to keep it?" She asked surprised.
"Do you know what the traditions are for them?" He asked softly, letting his hand toy with part of the collar near her neck.
"Um, not really, why?"
He smiled, "one tradition is for a guy to give his girlfriend his jacket for her to wear as a sign that they're in a loving relationship, and I want you to have it because I love you and never want to let you go," he pressed a kiss to her lips.
Returning the kiss, she let one of her hands rest against his cheek and when they pulled away she smiled, "I love you, too, Noah."
Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close, "and I know where to find it if I ever wanted to wear it," he added, kissing her cheek, "because I know you like seeing me in it."
She blushed, but nodded, "I do," she agreed, "but I get that you're officially giving it to me," she added relaxing against his chest.
Noah reached for her key card and slipped it into the door and once it was open, guided them into the room, finding David sitting on the couch reading a magazine. "Hey David," Noah said.
"Hey you two," he set the magazine down, "finally got too cold for you guys outside?" He smirked.
"Yes," Rachel nodded, "Arin fell asleep, it was cold and I was getting tired, so we thought it best to come inside."
"A good idea. Too bad it wasn't warmer out, it's beautiful here," he admitted.
"Yes it is," she agreed, "where's dad?"
"Showering and then we're going to bed," he told them.
"I should get to bed, myself," Rachel replied, turning to her boyfriend, "guess you're going back to your room?"
He nodded, "I'd love to stay, but Elliott asked me not to do that while we were here. He said he wouldn't stop me, but requested that we stay in separate rooms to not drop hints that we could have done something else."
"It's alright, I understand," Rachel kissed him, "we talked about it already."
"I know, but still sucks. Once we get to our condo, we can have my room all to ourselves," he grinned, "I miss you in bed."
"I miss you, too," she admitted, kissing him on the lips.
Knowing he should go back to his room to get some sleep, he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and held her close for a long moment before they pulled apart and kissed one more time, "goodnight, love you, babe."
"Love you, too, Noah. See you in the morning," she replied.
"You will," he nodded, saying 'goodnight' to David and leaving the room to return to his.
...
A/N4: A huge thank you to everyone for all your love, support and prayers for me and my family over the past few months. I'm super sorry that it has taken me so long to update my fics, but I'm doing my best; I haven't had as much free time as I usually do and I don't see that changing anytime soon, so it may be a bit before another update, I'm so sorry about that.
A/N5: Up next: They're off to the Big Apple.
Personal update: Mom had her first treatment of chemo on September 27th and as I write this, she's having another treatment. She's been doing radiation also and aside from being a little tired and not having much of an appetite, she's doing well. We're off to Seattle later in the week for a consultation with the doctor who will be doing the internal radiation to get things going with that. Other than the stress of many doctor's appointments, we're doing okay. Iit sucks that I haven't had as much time to write as I want. Writing is what keeps me mellow, so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in some more time, so again, I apologize if it's another week or more before another update; I'm trying. I hate making you guys wait this long. Love you all! Thanks again for the support!
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