Disclaimer: As always I don't own anything within this work of fiction that is relating to Glee. I most certainly don't won anything relating to Nickelback - except two tickets to see them in Sheffield in 63 days (not that I'm counting - much!) Brilliant Nickelback song in this chapter.
A/N: This is a light hearted chapter although there are some sad bits coming to finish off the story from chapter 32-33. The delay for that has been deliberate. I hope you enjoy this one. It made me smile to write it. Thank you for your continued support and comments, they are always very much welcomed.
New Directions felt a bit deflated when they won Sectionals. The whole competition was a flop. One group, from an all girl's school, were disqualified because half the team got lost on the way there so they didn't have the minimum of 12 performers. The other group started off really good but on their second number, a solo, the young girl performing choked. She just choked. New Directions felt like they'd got an easy ride, the judges couldn't really vote for anyone else. On the other hand, a win was a win. Next step regionals.
"Right. I think we need to get some rock up in here." stated Mr Schue when he entered the choir room the following Monday. "We always seem to play it safe, let's see where we go with something really….. rock. Boys versus girls."
Puck nodded, a smile on his face. "Cool Mr Schue. Anything goes?" he queried, one eye brow raised.
Mr Schue started to get a bit of an uneasy feeling, knowing Puck's taste in music, "Errrrm…..ye-es," he replied, qualifying it speedily with "within reason."
Puck's smile became a smirk, "I have the perfect song." he raised both hands, finger and thumb making circles. "We'll be ready with it tomorrow. Right guys?" he looked round at his friends. Finn, also knowing Puck's taste shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glanced at Rachel as if needing permission, then agreed. Sam agreed straight away as did Artie. Kurt would need more convincing but Mike and Blaine jumped at the chance.
"I know that look Puckerman." Quinn stated. "What are you thinking of singing?"
"No way! You girls get your own song." he told her, his arms folded across his chest. "Artie? Can we come over to yours tonight to rehearse?" Artie nodded his agreement. "Can everyone make it tonight?" he suddenly thought of asking. Each of the guys nodded. They arranged the time. All sorted.
"Well, girls, that's the guys with their song. What about you? Wednesday? Will you be ready?" he asked.
Quinn answered for everyone. "Oh, we'll be ready Mr Schue. Where do you want to meet girls?"
"Ah, Quinn. My mom's working early tonight, so if I'm out you'll have to be home with Sarah." Puck stated. "Should have jumped in first babe, I got dibs on being free tonight." he crowed before smacking her cheek with a wet sloppy kiss.
"Fine. You'll all have to come over to ours tonight then, we'll rehearse there. No problem." Quinn shot a look at Noah that would have felled any of their fellow Glee Clubbers. It didn't bother Puck in the slightest, he just smiled back at her. "Just know this Puckerman, next time you stay home with Sarah, I'll be the one going out."
"Babe. I'm hurt that you think I don't want to be at home with you and my sister." he teased, his tone so totally insincere, that along with the smirk on his face made Quinn give him a stare that should have turned him to ice.
They separated into teams. The girls whispered and spoke in hushed voices about different songs and women in rock. The guys all listened to Puck who said just two words. He gave them the name of the group and the song.
"Dude. That song is smoking." exclaimed Sam, impressed. They all high fived.
"Hell yeah!" replied Puck. "We got this." he glanced over at the girls. "Need some help there, honey?" he asked over his shoulder, again everyone in the room could hear the teasing in his tone, knowing he had no intention of giving the girls any ideas.
Rachel jumped up, indignant. "They day I need help from you in choosing a song, Puckerman, is the day I stop coming to Glee." Santana, Quinn and Mercedes caught each other's eyes, each trying to hold in the burst of laughter that bubbled up, each of them thinking "We should be so lucky."
When all the girls arrived at the Puckerman home that night they congregated in Quinn and Noah's bedroom. Quinn had her laptop at the ready. Tina straight away said "Joan Jett." Everyone looked at her. "Either Joan Jett or Chrissie Hynde. They're both kick ass rock chicks, I think we should go with one of them." She looked round to see all of the girls nodding and agreeing with her.
"Ok, let's check out some of their songs." said Quinn, already loading up google.
At Artie's house the guys did a couple of run throughs. Finn on drums, Puck, Sam and Artie on guitar, Mike bouncing around dancing wildly, Blaine and Kurt attempting to do the same but not quite managing it. "Don't worry, we'll work something out." said Puck, "maybe just have mikes on stands to hang onto and sing?" he looked round for approval. Everyone agreed. "We ready for tomorrow?" he asked.
"Hell, yeah" came the chorus of agreement.
Puck arrived home before the girls had left. He tried to sneak upstairs to his and Quinn's room to find out what the girls were singing but Sarah had been on 'Puckwatch' and had let Quinn know as soon as her brother had pulled up on the drive. The girls had immediately stopped their rehearsing to all be sat on the bed discussing their relevant boyfriends, complaining about what they did and didn't do. Sarah, with a prearranged signal text, let Quinn know as soon as Noah was outside their room without alerting Noah that the game was up. Quinn immediately started complaining about him. She moaned about little things that niggled her, to be fair, the sort of things that niggle every girl. "He's never, ever bought me flowers. Ever." Quinn complained. "You'd think, after everything, I'd have got at least one bunch, wouldn't you?" she asked, trying desperately to sound pissed off, trying not to laugh. The girls all going along with the performance, agreeing that he should man up and go buy her some flowers. The complaints continued in a similar vein, from each of the girls, "Mike never, ever lets me….."
"Finn, urghh, he's always trying to…."
"Don't even get me started about Sam," complained Mercedes.
"See, this is why girls are so much better." Santana felt she had to mention.
Finally Puck could stand it no longer, he opened the door, "Hey girls. God, this is like the old days, just me and a stack of girls in my room." he joked.
"Don't be getting any ideas Puckerman," Quinn stated. "One girl. One. Me. That's it." she reminded him, waggling her ring finger at him.
"Aww Q." he dropped down next to her, kissing her neck, "you know you're the only girl for me. So, did you find your song?" he asked.
"Like we'd tell you, douche bag." snorted Santana. "Right, we'll get going. See you tomorrow, love birds. And Quinn, you have my sympathy, you're right, it's not fair." she stated, shaking her head, looking at Puck.
"Girl, what you have to put up with," Mercedes shook her head, looking Puck up and down, "you need a medal. A big one. Solid gold."
The girls all gathered their things up, looking at Puck with feigned disgust and shaking their heads, Quinn saw them to the front door and waved them off.
When she returned to their room Noah was laid out on the bed. "Why do I get the feeling that you've had a guy bashing session instead of a song finding session?"
"I've no idea" she claimed in an innocent tone. "I'm tired, you ready for bed too?" she asked. Noah nodded. Quinn slept well, Noah's head was busy. Was Quinn really feeling as though she wasn't the most important thing to him? Should he buy her some flowers or would it seem a bit trite? Would she leave him for another guy if he was better at the romantic slushy shit? Eventually Noah fell asleep.
Tuesday afternoon in the choir room, Mr Schue asked if the guys were ready to perform. Puck could not resist, it was a hand delivered opening line, "I'm always ready to perform. Right Q?" he replied, waggling his eyebrows at Quinn.
"Asshole." she muttered but couldn't quite hide the little smile.
Mr Schuester rolled his eyes, "Are you guys ready to perform your song?" he asked again, with exaggerated patience.
"Yes we are Mr Schue. Would you all like to come to the auditorium, please?" Artie answered.
The girls all sat in the front row, watching the guys set up. Puck at the front taking lead vocals, the others with their own roles to play, drums, guitar etc.
"One, two, one, two, three, four" shouted Finn in time honoured fashion then:
"I, I'm driving black on black
Just got my license back
I got this feeling in my veins this train is coming off the track
I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride
Because the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me tonight
I'm driving past your house while you were sneaking out
I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run
Your mom don't know that you were missing
She'd be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I've been kissing
Screamin'
No, we're never gonna quit
Ain't nothing wrong with it
Just acting like we're animals
No, no matter where we go
'Cause everybody knows
We're just a couple of animals
So come on baby, get in
Get in, just get in
Check out the trouble we're in
You're beside me on the seat
Got your hand between my knees
And you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze
It's hard to steer when you're breathing in my ear
But I got both hands on the wheel while you got both hands on my gear
By now, no doubt that we were heading south
I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth
'Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch
It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch
I'm screamin'
No, we're never gonna quit
Ain't nothing wrong with it
Just acting like we're animals
No, no matter where we go
'Cause everybody knows
We're just a couple of animals
So come on baby, get in
Get in, just get in
Check out the trouble we're in
We were parked out by the tracks
We're sitting in the back
And we just started getting busy
When she whispered "what was that?"
The wind, I think 'cause no one else knows where we are
And that was when she started screamin'
"That's my dad outside the car!"
Oh please, the keys, they're not in the ignition
Must have wound up on the floor while
we were switching our positions
I guess they knew that she was missing
As I tried to tell her dad it was her mouth that I was kissing
Screamin'
No, we're never gonna quit
Ain't nothing wrong with it
Just acting like we're animals
No, no matter where we go
'Cause everybody knows
We're just a couple of animals
So come on baby, get in
We're just a couple of animals
Get in, just get in
Ain't nothing wrong with it
Check out the trouble we're in
Get in, just get in"
The song ended with the guys all looking immensely pleased with themselves, the girls were cheering and clapping. Mr Schue didn't look quite so impressed. "Yeah, that was good, guys, but it was maybe a little too….." he struggled to find the right words.
"What're you talking about Mr Schue?" asked Puck. "That was a kick ass rock song. Right guys?" he asked the others for support.
"Errm, yeah it was, but it maybe a little too…graphic for what we need." Mr Schue decided that was the right phrase to use. "But good effort, really good. Well done guys. Girls, tomorrow you need to bring your best game."
"Oh we're ready Mr Schue." replied Mercedes. She looked at the guys on stage, her eyes coming to rest on Sam, and in her absolute best 'Diva Tone' she said quietly "It's on."