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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Noah hated leaving Rachel, but he also knew it would be good for them to see that they could manage while they were apart, even if the distance sucked. They'd only been out of Lima about an hour and the further they got away the more his heart ached, "now I know how you guys feel when dad and I leave for months," Noah murmured.
Deborah turned around a little, to look at him, "I miss you both so much while you're gone, but talking to you often and sending pictures back and forth really helps," she admitted, "now it's a bit easier to deal with, but the first few years I cried myself to sleep a lot."
"I'm sorry," Noah said softly, "I never really knew how it felt until now and it makes me feel even worse for keeping you guys apart for so long," he admitted.
"Don't apologize," Ethan told him, "we're fine with what we've been doing because we trust each other," he motioned between him and Deborah, then took her hand in his, "besides, when they do get to visit or we can come home, it's amazing," he smiled, trying to keep his eyes on the road, but glanced at Deborah, smirking.
"Oh man," Noah groaned, shaking his head, "please! I don't want to know the details of your sex life!" He exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. "It's bad enough I know you guys have sex, I don't need to be told, too!"
Ethan laughed lightly, "I won't say anymore, but yes, being apart sucks, but seeing each other again is great. Yes, you have every right to miss Rachel, and you'll feel like a part of you is empty, but when you see her and hold her again, she'll fill the emptiness and you'll be whole again," he said, squeezing Deborah's hand, "and you'll fall even more in love with her every time you see her again, just like I do with your mom."
Deborah blushed at his words, a bright grin growing on her face, "I feel the same way."
Noah watched his parents and smiled, knowing they were deeply in love with each other. Settling back in his seat, he put his ear-buds in and tried to lose himself in some relaxing music, "every time I see Rachel I fall more in love with her," he thought, his grin brightening, "when I see her again, I'm sure it'll be the same; I'll fall even more for her, just like dad said. I can't wait to wrap my arms around her again... Dude, relax. You're just leaving, you have a whole week to get through before that can happen. It's too early to be thinking that or you won't be able to deal with the separation. Just take it one day at a time... I really hate leaving her... She's been through hell and all I want to do is be with her and this timing really sucks!" He sighed, flipping to a more upbeat song on his playlist, "I know she wanted me to go and I do, too, but I just wish it wasn't so soon, but I guess it's too late for that. I can't back out, well I could, but I'd get in a lot of trouble... It's going to be hard, but we'll be okay. It's just a week; not forever," he nodded lightly, agreeing with the thoughts dancing around his head.
...
Noah let his music occupy his mind for a while and when he began to see the familiar signs for the airport, he realized they were close. They'd left Lima at eight in the morning it was just after ten, so he pulled his ear-buds from his ears and put them back in his bag, then glanced at his phone to see a few messages from friends, so he responded to them and then wrote one to Rachel, "hey baby! We're almost to the airport. As soon as we get checked in and through security I'll call you! Love you, miss you!" He typed, sending the message when he was done.
Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he pulled his hood up and relaxed, watching road pass by as Ethan headed up to the airport's parking garage. Pausing at the ticket booth, Ethan gave his information over and they were given directions to where to leave their vehicle and he drove through the lot and found their spot.
Getting out and gathering their luggage, they locked up Ethan's SUV and made their way towards the entrance of the airport. For the time of day and year it was, the airport wasn't super busy, so the check-in line was pretty short, but once they had their boarding passes and were on their way to the security line, they found the back-up. They line was pretty long, but it seemed to be moving pretty quickly, so it didn't take long for them to get to the front. Taking their turns emptying their pockets, letting their bags and things get checked as they walked through the metal detectors. Since they were used to traveling with all the rules, all three of them got through without any trouble and once they had their things gathered up, they headed right for the Starbucks. "Can you guys get me my usual? I want to go call Rachel," Noah requested.
"Sure, just don't go far," Ethan nodded.
"I won't," Noah replied, pulling his phone out and dialed her number, that he knew by heart and after a few rings, he smiled when he heard her answer, "hey baby! I miss you!"
"I miss you, too, Noah," Rachel replied, stretching as she laid in bed.
"We just got through security. Mom and dad are in line at Starbucks. I'm so sorry I didn't call or text you while we were on our way here," he admitted. "I should have," he added, feeling bad that on their trip he hadn't messaged her.
"It's okay," Rachel admitted, "I wouldn't have gotten them. After you guys left, dad, daddy and I talked for a bit and I came up to bed and laid down for a while. The text you did send woke me up," she explained.
"Oh really? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. Are you okay?" Noah asked concerned.
She debated lying to him, but decided to be honest, "well, I was a bit emotional right after you guys left, but I'm okay now. Dad and daddy helped me calm down and then I decided to lay down and take a nap to relax."
Noah bit his lip, "I thought you might be upset," he admitted softly. "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to leave like this."
"Don't feel bad, Noah," Rachel said, sitting up a little, "I miss you so much, but I understand why you had to go," she paused, remembering some things she'd thought of just before she fell asleep, "and I hate to admit this, but this isn't going to be the first time we'll have to be apart. I won't always be able to go with you, either because of something I have going on, or because of what you need to do, so we need to make the time we are together as special as we can, and last night was so amazing," she explained, smiling at the memories.
"Yeah, it was amazing," he agreed grinning, gathering the rest of his thoughts, "you must have been thinking about this."
"A bit," she nodded, "when I came up to my room, before I fell asleep I was thinking about this situation. I realized that maybe not so much now, but when we go to New York, I hope we live together and if you're working, I wouldn't be able to travel as much as you, since I'll be taking classes on campus, unless there is an occasional online one I can take," she explained, already feeling more like the Rachel Berry she knew weeks prior.
Noah nodded, his mind contemplating what she said, "yeah, you are right, baby. Being apart sucks," he agreed. "I really want to live together when we go to New York, too," he added.
"I hoped you'd say that," Rachel grinned.
"You know me well, Rach," he told her, smiling at his parents when they came over with coffee in their hands. "Besides, you think I'd really let you live somewhere else? Not a chance," he said honestly.
Ethan raised a curious eyebrow at what they were talking about, but ignored it for the moment, giving the teens a chance to talk.
"Do you think we'd really be able to?" Rachel asked softly.
"What do you mean?" Noah asked, following his parents towards their gate.
"Would we be able to live together? I mean," Rachel bit her lip, thinking of the other draw back to them living together, "if we're not married, would your manager allow us to?"
Noah smirked, "I don't know... Hey mom, dad, would it be okay if Rachel lived with us when I have to go back to New York, even if we weren't married?" He asked them casually.
Deborah gasped at the question, thankful that she didn't have coffee in her mouth and turned to look at her husband, seeing his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide with shock and wanted to let him answer, since he'd be returning to New York with Noah.
The three had stopped walking, so Ethan took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts, calming down from the metaphorical heart attack he'd just had, "personally, I would not have a problem with that; she is welcome any time, but I believe that question should be directed at her dads. You know, the guys she lives with? The lawyer and the doctor?" Ethan smirked, turning the shock to Noah.
Noah groaned, "I think I walked into that one," he murmured, blushing as he continued on their trek to their gate.
"I can't believe you just asked that, Noah!" Rachel exclaimed, "someone could have heard you!"
"I love you and I don't care who knows," he said honestly, "and what we choose to do with our lives is our choice," he added, "well, once your dads agree to it, anyway. I don't want to be on their bad side."
Rachel laughed lightly at that, "well, considering that they've given you free reign to stay here for however long you want, I don't think they'd mind if we did decide to live together. And I love you, too, but I just don't want rumors or anything to start because of someone hearing a portion of a conversation," she added.
Noah smiled at her response, happy to hear that about her dads. "Don't worry about rumors. I don't care. Haven't been concerned about them before; I'm not going to start now," Noah replied finally taking a seat, once they reached the waiting area.
"Sweetheart, I really do understand where you're coming from, but what I mean about the rumors, is more of your image. When we graduate, we'll be adults and sometimes girlfriends and boyfriends live together for years before they get married, but we're not a regular couple. You are in the public eye. How many parents would let their thirteen year old daughters listen to you or like you, once they find out that the young adult celebrity their daughter is crushing on, is living with his girlfriend, probably sexually active and not married? To the general public it wouldn't be a big deal, but to a lot of conservative families, like Quinn's, for example, would not accept that," Rachel explained.
"I get that, I do, but I've never conformed to the cookie-cutter-pop-star image and I never plan to. It's my life and no one can tell me how to live it, except me, and well, my parents," he said, glancing at them, "but if you're that concerned about my 'image', I know a way we could erase your concerns," he said honestly.
"You do? Really?" She asked surprised.
Noah smirked, "yeah, I do. We could get married as soon as we graduate and then we wouldn't have to worry about any 'rumors'," he added, waiting to see his parents' reactions.
Ethan shook his head, smirking at Noah, "I expected that conversation to go in that direction," he admitted.
"And it's not like it hasn't been talked about before," Deborah added, taking a deep breath, "but that still doesn't make in any less shocking. Getting married at a young age, celebrity or not, is a big decision," she said looking at him, "and it isn't something to take lightly, but this is not the place to be discussing personal matters, so when we're in private we will talk about it," she added in a stronger, more serious tone, "and wipe that smirk off your face, Ethan Michael!"
"I agree!" Rachel commented, "I can imagine you only said that to shock your parents, but you shouldn't joke about things like this! I want to be with you forever, Noah, but only if you can take our relationship seriously. It's not something to joke about!" She huffed, knowing most of why he continued that part of the conversation was to tease his parents.
"Who said I'm joking? I'm not! I am being honest. I want to marry you," he replied.
Though Rachel was really shocked that they were talking about marriage, she couldn't help the butterflies fluttering in her stomach or her racing heart, but tried to remain calm, "that is one horrible proposal, then, Noah Aaron Puckerman," she said.
"Baby, that is not a proposal at all. I'm just telling you what I've been thinking about for months, so you know how I really feel. I know it's a big decision and we do have a lot of things to talk about, but what I do know, for sure, is I want to marry you, Rachel," he said honestly, hoping they would all see that he wasn't just saying that for the fun of it.
Rachel thought of everything that had gone on for the past few months and realized she felt the same way; she knew it would not be something they could just jump into, but she did want to talk to him more about it, "I want the same thing, Noah, but I would really like to discuss this when we're not apart."
Noah thought for a moment, "yeah, me, too," he agreed, "so, how about you talk to your dads and I'll talk to my parents, because I know they're going to want to continue this conversation when we get to LA," he said, then smiled, "and when we get home, you and I can talk."
"I'd really like that," Rachel smiled, blushing.
Deborah held out her hand, "let me talk to her."
Noah raised a curious eyebrow at her, "why?"
"Your dad and I didn't get a chance to talk to them when we picked you up this morning," she explained.
"Oh," Noah sighed, "um, Rach, mom wants to talk to you. Here she is," he added, reluctantly handing over the phone.
"Hey, Rachel," Deborah said, once she put it to her ear.
"Hey, mom. I hope our conversation doesn't cause any problems," she admitted, immediately nervous about what had been discussed.
"It won't Rachel, but it does bring up a lot of questions and concerns, but we've got plenty of time to deal with that. I actually wanted to speak to you about Arin," she said, getting to the point, because she knew that they'd have to board soon and Noah would want to say a proper 'see you later'.
"Oh, alright. What about?" Rachel asked.
"You're picking her up from school today, right?"
"I am," Rachel nodded, "is that alright?"
"Of course," Deborah laughed lightly, "why wouldn't it be? We gave her teacher a picture of you and your dads, so she was familiar with the three of you, so she's not confused when one of us isn't there to get Arin," she explained, "now, school gets out at three, but tons of parents pick up their kids, so you should definitely get there before school's out, so you can find parking and you actually have to get out of the car and wait on the sidewalk in front of the school, so she can find you. You'll see other parents there... After school, just make sure that she gets her homework done," she continued. "We'll be landing in LA around eight, so by the time we land, get our bags and are on our way to the hotel, we'll call probably closer to nine. We usually let her stay up no later than nine and she'll want to hear from us before she goes to bed, so that's okay if she's up a little later. We'll try and call as soon as we can."
Noah smirked, "I'll be calling her as soon as we get off the plane," he said, "so I guess I could say something to Arin," he sighed dramatically next to her.
Deborah laughed lightly, "Noah, you love your sister. Don't make it sound like you don't."
"Alright, but she still is a pain sometimes," he muttered. "Can I talk to my girlfriend again?"
"Yes, just give me a second," Deborah replied, returning her focus back to Rachel, "Rachel, your dads have our flight information, so if Arin is curious, they should be able to look up our flight online to see where we are."
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," Rachel replied, holding back her laughter, but she could tell Noah was getting antsy, and as much as she loved talking to Deborah, the time she and Noah had to talk was limited.
"Thank you," Deborah replied, "we really appreciate you guys taking care of her this week."
"You're welcome, and we're happy to have her over. It'll give me a chance to see what it's like to have a sibling," Rachel added.
"Flight 533 to Los Angeles International Airport now boarding all first glass passengers at gate 3B... Flight 533 to LAX now boarding all first class passengers at gate 3B..."
"Mom, please," Noah begged, holding out his hand.
Deborah said a quick 'goodbye' to Rachel and then handed the phone back to Noah, "make it quick."
Noah nodded and put the phone to his ear, "you still there, baby?" He asked, standing up and gathering his things.
"I am," Rachel replied, "I heard the announcement," she added softly.
"Yeah," he sighed, "sorry babe. I wish we could talk longer."
"It's okay, Noah, I understand. I'm glad I got to talk to you before you left," she admitted with a smile, "and I know you'll call as soon as you can."
"I will," he promised, "I miss you so much, baby."
Rachel smiled, nodding in agreement, "me too, sweetheart and it's not 'goodbye', either. Just 'see you later'," she explained.
"I definitely agree and I'm sure I'll sleep most of the flight, so I'll definitely see you later," he grinned.
Though she was shocked at his comment, she didn't disagree, because during her nap, she had a dream of them together, "you will," she nodded, "just like I saw you in mine."
"You were dreaming about me?" He asked, following his parents over to the small line forming of first-class passengers. "What was it about?"
"Maybe when you have more time, I'll tell you," she replied with a smile.
He sighed, "yeah, guess I should go... I love you, baby," he said honestly.
"I love you, too, Noah. Have a safe trip and I'll talk to you when you're in California," she said, knowing he didn't have long.
"You will," he nodded, moving closer to the front of the line, "we're almost on the plane, so I gotta go. Later, babe," he said and when she said the same thing back, he reluctantly ended the call and slid it into his pocket. "California, here I come. I just wish Rachel could have come with," he thought, handing over his boarding pass and after a moment, followed his parents down the ramp to the plane.
...
Rachel hit the end button on her phone and sighed, hating that it'd be over eight hours before she'd be able to talk to her boyfriend again. Sliding off her bed, she slid it into her pocket and heard her stomach growl, "I should probably go eat something," she thought, remembering that she hadn't eaten much that morning. She and the Puckermans had all be busy getting ready, so they all had a quick breakfast, and she planned to eat once Ethan and Deborah picked up Noah, but she had gotten emotional and chose to take a nap, so it was definitely time for lunch.
Slipping her feet into her soft slippers, she headed downstairs to the kitchen to find Alan just getting a soda from the fridge, "hey dad," she said softly.
"Hey, sweetheart. Are you feeling any better?" He asked, closing the fridge.
"A little bit. The nap helped and so did talking to Noah," she admitted, slipping her arms around him in a hug.
Alan returned her hug and kissed her cheek, "I'm glad," he replied, "I take it they got to the airport alright?"
"Yes," she nodded and smiled, "he called once they got through security and we talked until they had to board," she explained, "oh, and I also talked to Deborah briefly."
"You did? What for? Is everything alright?" He wondered.
Rachel nodded, "yes, but she just wanted to tell me a few things about Arin; you know, when I pick her up and stuff. We had already talked about it, but I just went along with it, because I figured she'd forgotten we had."
"I don't think she forgot," Alan grinned, "she's a parent. She's worried about leaving Arin and wants to make sure things go smoothly while she's gone," he explained.
"That makes sense," Rachel replied, smiling. "Where's daddy?" She asked, realizing he hadn't joined them yet.
"He went to the store to pick up some groceries," he replied.
"Oh, alright," she nodded, "I hope he gets back soon, because I want to talk to you both about something Noah and I talked about before Arin gets out of school," she blushed.
Alan glanced at the time, "he left about an hour ago, so he should be home soon and this discussion wouldn't have anything to do with you and Noah getting married, would it?"
Rachel gasped, "how did you know?" Her eyes widened, feeling her stomach flip-flop.
"Ethan let us know you guys were having that conversation. He wanted to warn us so we weren't caught off guard like he and Deborah were. I admit, your daddy and I have discussed you two getting married, but I don't think either of us expected you two to talk about it so soon," Alan explained.
As if on cue, the front door opened, startling Rachel, but they both realized that David was home, so the two moved to the door and helped him carry in the shopping bags and put things away.
Once the groceries were put away, they pulled together a quick lunch and when they sat down, David looked at his husband, "Alan, did you happen to get an interesting text message from Ethan earlier?"
Alan glanced at Rachel, seeing her cheeks turning pink and ducking her head, "the one about our daughter and her boyfriend talking about getting married?" Alan asked with a grin, turning to David.
"Yeah, that one," he replied, glancing at Rachel, "and as much as that should scare me, it doesn't, though how did you get on that topic?"
Rachel took a deep breath, her blush continuing to grow, "Noah and I were talking about how this won't be the only time we'll have to be apart. While we're still in high school, not so much, but once we go to New York, I'll be in school and won't be able to miss a lot of it to follow him around, so we'll have to get used to the separation. His parents manage it, it sucks being apart, but they make it work, so I know Noah and I could do the same. We admitted we want to live together, but with our age and not being married, I wasn't sure if it'd be allowed by his manager, but he assured me he didn't care what his manager felt, as long as our parents were okay with it. I was still worried about his 'image' and he said if it was such a concern, we could fix it easily by getting married after we graduate, since I will be going through the running start program to finish my credits, so I can graduate at the same time he does," she explained. "Now, I know it's a shock, but this isn't the first time we've have talked about getting married, we've just never gone into any details before. We both know that getting married is a big decision and something we really need to think about, and he told us that he has thought about it a lot and really does want to marry me," she blushed, "and I really want to marry him, too, but even if we say that, we still know there are a lot of things to talk about," she added, "and we ended it there, because we want to be together when we continue to discuss it."
"Good idea to wait until your together to continue talking and we trust you with Noah, so we would not have a problem with you two living together at all," Alan admitted honestly, and David nodded in agreement, "on the other hand, knowing that one day we'll be letting you go is going to be awfully hard, no matter how much we prepare for it. Though, you and Noah talking about marriage or living together is not a shock," he added.
"Also, I think now-a-days, couples are living together before they get married, so it's not as bad as it was years ago. Back then it was not appropriate to be sexually active before marriage and now, couples live together for years before they get married, maybe even having a few kids together," David paused, "I'm not giving you any ideas because Deborah, Ethan, dad and I are no where ready to be grandparents yet, but you get the idea," he added.
Rachel nodded, taking in what they said, "thank you for supporting my relationship with Noah. I don't know what I'd do if you guys didn't," she started with.
"We know he loves you and makes you happy. That's what we want for you and we're happy you found it," Alan told her.
She smiled, "I am, too. I really thought I'd be in my twenties before I dated," she blushed, for the first time admitting one of the fears she had before Noah came along, "but to what else you guys said, I do understand that it's a big deal and you're right, daddy, couples do live together for years before getting married, but they're normal couples with regular jobs and lives; Noah is in the spotlight. What would that look like to his teen fans? I mean, I'm a year younger than him, so when I graduate, I'll be a month away from turning eighteen and he'll be almost nineteen; that's super young to be living together, isn't it? I don't want him to lose fans or have people turn against him because of his choice to not marry me and still have us live together," she admitted, "I don't want him to get in trouble."
"We get what you're saying, sweetheart, but you keep bringing up his image. You and Noah have to get married when you're ready and not let anyone tell you differently. His image shouldn't matter. What Noah and you do in your private lives is just that, private. You can't let any outside factors change what you want. Yes, he is in the public eye, but you can't worry about what others think. No matter what he decides to do, he's going to have people who don't agree, but that's life," David said to her honestly.
"I'd never marry him just for his 'image'," she said firmly, "I love him and can not imagine my life without him, but I worry because I don't want him to get in trouble with his record label or manager, or be the cause of problems with fans."
"Don't worry about that kind of stuff. When the time comes for you two to get married, you need to be doing it because you can't stand being without him and because you love him. That's it. The rest will fall in place after; his record company and manager will just have to 'deal with it', I suppose you could say," Alan explained.
"I do love him and want to be with him; that's the reason why I want to marry him," she said with a smile, "I try not to worry, but I can't help it. He tells me the same things you guys have; he's always done what he wanted and isn't going to let anyone stop him from that, but I guess I just want to be prepared for all angles of what could happen," she added.
"You can't prepare for everything, sweetheart, sometimes you just have to follow your heart and together, you and Noah will be able to get through it," David replied.
Rachel smiled, "we can," she agreed.
"Though this is all just talk, you mentioned that Noah had been thinking about it before, have you done any thinking on it?" Alan asked curiously.
"A bit," Rachel nodded, "I mean, there are so many options and pros and cons for us getting married right after we graduate or waiting a few years," she admitted.
"There are," David agreed, "tell us what's good about getting married as soon as you guys graduate," he requested.
"Well, once Noah graduates, he's supposed to go back to New York and start recording his fourth album, so if we got married over that summer, just after I turn eighteen and before his nineteenth birthday, we'd have time to get married, go on a honeymoon of some sort and be in New York by the time I'd have to start school and he could start recording. The following summer his album would be out and he'd be on a summer tour and I could go with him, as his wife, and I wouldn't miss school. Noah and I are both mature for our age and I know my feelings will never change for him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him, so I don't see why we'd have to wait and if we did get married after we graduated, we'd have plenty of time to be a couple before we settled down and started a family, because we do want one, but I know neither of us are ready to bring a child into the world just yet," she said honestly.
The two fathers nodded, understanding what she was saying, "you do have some valid points, but what about waiting a few years?" Alan asked.
Rachel thought for a moment, "you know, the more I think about it, it doesn't make any sense to wait. I mean, the summer after we graduate may be the last time Noah really has a long portion of free time. He'll be recording, traveling for interviews and tours, and so much more, so he's not going to be in one place for long and I know it's going to be hard on us, but at least we'd be already married and getting used to the strain, so when we are together, we have time for us and can prepare for our lives together and I can still travel with him sometimes. That way when the day comes that I get pregnant, we're not still getting used to being married or dealing with him being gone so much," she commented, "because it'll be hard to travel with a baby. It is possible, but a lot harder," she added, "and though I pray this will never happen, if we are married right away and something happens, I'm legally his wife and can make medical decisions for him. I don't think his parents would push me away if something bad happened, but at least if we're married, it's a protection for it. If I'm just his girlfriend, I'm not anything legal to him. The same goes for me. If I'm in New York and something happens and we're not married, and you guys are here in Ohio, he can't make decisions about me if we're just dating," she explained.
"Wow, you have thought about this. You're thinking of a lot of things I was concerned about," Alan commented.
David nodded, "me, too, but I do have one question you haven't really discussed. I get that you two plan to wait to have children, because neither of you are ready, and that's a great plan, but we're aware that even if you and Noah don't get married right away, that you will be sexually active and no matter how much protection you use, there is still a chance you could get pregnant. Married or not, if you did get pregnant before you finished university, what would you do?" David asked, "because no matter how much you 'plan' for a child, sometimes they happen when it's least expected," he told her.
"I'm not getting an abortion, if that's what you mean," she said honestly, looking at them.
"Oh, no sweetheart," David shook his head, reaching over the island to take her hand, "I didn't mean that at all. We'd never ask you to do that. I should have chosen my words better," he admitted, "I just was curious if you'd thought about the chances of getting pregnant before you finish school. You've dreamed your whole life of going to school in New York and then pursuing a spot on Broadway. If you got pregnant, what would change? Would you take time off to have the baby and be a mom and housewife, or would you continue to go to school and find daycare or some form of care for your baby?"
Rachel open her mouth to respond, but then stopped, realizing that hadn't crossed her mind, "I don't know," she admitted, taking a moment to come up with a thought. "I definitely want to finish school, so I guess it would depend on when I get pregnant. I may have to take off a quarter or two, but I'd go back as soon as I could. As for Broadway, I don't know. I'd try for it, but depending on my schedule and Noah's, it may be difficult for a while, because I'm not going to just hire some stranger to care for our child and I can't expect Noah to always watch them," she said, "so I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Yes, that isn't something that needs to be decided right now, but it is something to think about," Alan agreed, "and all of what we discussed is something you need to bring up to Noah, too," he added.
"I know," Rachel nodded, "I plan to, but we just want to wait until he gets home before we do. It's not a discussion we should be having over the phone," she paused, "so you guys are okay with us talking about our future so early?"
"Of course we are," Alan nodded, "you two can talk about anything you want. It's good to discuss things like this and it's great to know you both are thinking long-term for your relationship," he added.
"But, it's a huge commitment," David started, motioning between him and Alan, "for us, we just want to make sure that you guys are thinking of all the possibilities and I'm sure Deborah and Ethan are going to be talking to Noah about the same things. Talking about something is one thing, following through is another. We love Noah and would be happy if you two got married, but only if it's what you both want and is for the right reasons."
"That's fair," Rachel smiled, standing up and moving around the island to hug them, "I love you both so much, "and I promise you guys we'll get married for the right reasons. Besides, he hasn't even proposed yet."
The two men laughed at her comment, "oh, he will," Alan smirked, "there is no doubt."
"Very true," David agreed.
As Rachel smiled and pulled from their hugs, she glanced at the clock and saw what time it was, "oh, I better go get ready. I need to leave soon to go get Arin from school," she said.
"Alright. You don't want to be late and Deborah told us that it's best to get there early, because it's a busy parking lot," David added.
Rachel nodded, "yes, she told me the same thing," she replied, finishing off the last bit of what she'd been eating and headed upstairs to her room.
...
After returning home that morning, Rachel had changed into workout clothes that were comfortable, but were not something she normally wear out, so she changed again and returned to the kitchen with her purse and let her dads know she was leaving. She promised them she'd be careful and that she and Arin would come right home.
Leaving the house, Rachel drove towards Arin's school; it wasn't too far away, so she managed to pull into the parking lot and find a spot just after two-thirty. It was too early to go walk up to meet Arin, so she stayed in the car with it running to keep the heat on, since it was just above freezing outside. While she was sitting there, her mind began to wander to her boyfriend, "I really hope he gets out and does something fun while he's in California," she thought, "he needs to."
With her mind on the subject, she pulled out her cell phone and looked for Taylor's number and hit 'send', hoping she wasn't interrupting anything. After a third ring, she didn't think he'd answer, so she was thinking of what to say in a message and then heard him answer with a quick 'hello', "hey, Taylor. It's Rachel... Rachel Berry, Noah Puckerman's girlfriend," she said, unable to remember if he had her number in his phone.
Taylor laughed lightly, "hey Rachel, I knew it was was you," he smiled, "how are you? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, things are alright. Thanks for asking," she replied with a smile, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Nope, just hanging out at home. It's quiet. Makena is at school and my parents are out," he commented, "I was listening to music when you called; that's why I to took me so long to answer."
"It's okay. I actually couldn't remember if you had my number in your phone," she told him.
"Oh yeah, I've had it for a while," he nodded.
"Hey, um," she blushed, "I have a question for you."
"Oh yeah? What is it?" He asked curiously.
"Could you get Noah out to do something while he's there?" She asked softly, "I hate to ask, but he's been through so much lately and we miss each other, and I know he's not up for doing a lot of 'fun' stuff, but he needs it," she explained.
"Well, he and his parents are coming over to our house for dinner tomorrow. I know that Saturday, Sunday and Monday are pretty tied up for him, but I'll try to get him out tomorrow. I have a radio interview tomorrow morning, but I'll come up with something. In fact, I'll take him to the interview and then we'll go out and do something," he replied, "I know he has homework and I'm not going to stop him from doing it, but you're right, he does need to get out for a while."
"Thank you, Taylor," she smiled, "I hate to ask you, because I'm sure busy, but-"
"Rachel," Taylor smirked, cutting her off, "don't worry about it. Noah and I friends; that's what friends do," he told her honestly.
She nodded and saw it was close to the end of the school day, so she turned her car off and slid out, "you're right. Noah is really lucky to have true friends like you, Finn and the guys."
Taylor smiled, "it is and I know Noah would do the same thing for me, if the tables were turned," he added. "Where are you?"
"I'm at Arin's school. I'm picking her up. She's staying with my dads and I while Noah, Deborah and Ethan are gone," she explained.
"Oh, okay. That's cool," Taylor smirked, "tell her 'hi' for me."
"I will," she said, moving up to the sidewalk where parents and older siblings were waiting for their students.
"What time does their flight land?" Taylor asked.
"About five California time," she said, "unless it's delayed."
"Alright. I'll make sure I call him tonight to tell him about tomorrow, so he can get up. I have to be at the studio by eight," he explained.
"Okay," Rachel nodded, "thank you, Taylor. What radio show is it for?"
"Ryan Seacrest," he replied, hearing a beeping in his ear, "ah crap, hey Rachel, I'm gonna have to go. My dad is calling on the other line."
"Oh, it's alright. I shouldn't be talking on the phone right now, either," she admitted, "Thank you again, Taylor and talk to you later."
"You're welcome. Take it easy, Rachel," he said, switching over to his other line.
Rachel smiled and slid her phone back into her pocket, moving closer to the group of people gathered.
...
At promptly three-pm, school let out and kids began running out to the sidewalk, some walking home, some catching their bus and others meeting their parents, siblings or caretakers. Rachel glanced around, unsure where Arin would be coming from, but after a few moments, she heard her name and after glancing around, she saw Arin skipping over to her and hugging her, "hey, Arin!" Rachel said, returning her hug, "how was school?"
Arin shrugged, "it was school. Are my parents and brother in California yet?" She asked.
"Not yet," Rachel shook her head, "they won't be there for a while," she explained. "Are you ready to go back to my place?"
"Yeah!" Arin nodded.
"Alright, let's go," Rachel smiled, motioning towards where she'd parked.
Arin took her right hand and led her towards the parking lot, "did you cry when Noah left?" She asked softly.
Rachel glanced at her, "um, yes, I did," she admitted.
"When dad and Noah would leave, me and mom would cry a lot," she commented.
"I bet you guys did," Rachel agreed, "do you cry now?"
"Sometimes, but not as much. I cried a little at school this morning when they walked me to class, but I'm okay now. We're going to have fun this week!" She said.
"That's my plan," she smiled, unlocking her doors and letting Arin slide into the backseat.
"Awesome!" Arin smiled and buckled her belt while Rachel closed the door and slid into the driver's seat, "do you have everything you need for your homework? And is there anything you forgot at home you need? We can drive out there and get it," she commented.
"Uh. I don't know. I can't remember everything I brought. Mom packed most of my stuff," she admitted, "but I have my homework stuff," Arin replied.
"Okay, then how about this," Rachel backed out of her spot and once she was on the road home, she continued, "we'll go back to my place, we can do some homework, you can unpack a little and after dinner, if you need something from home, we can go get it," she suggested.
"Okay," Arin nodded, "sounds great!"
...
Returning to the Berry's house, Rachel and Arin sat down in the living room and got to their homework. Rachel was no where near done with all the work she'd missed, but was only doing it to pass time while Arin was working on hers.
It didn't take long for Arin to finish her few math worksheets and practice her spelling words, so once she was done, she and Rachel headed upstairs to unpack her overnight bags a little.
Arin was satisfied with what Deborah had packed and assured Rachel she didn't need anything from her house, so it saved them a trip out to the Puckerman's. As dinnertime arrived, the two joined David and Alan and sat down to dinner together
When Rachel was home, she usually was the one making dinner, so it was ready when her dads got home from work, but because of the cast on her arm, it was difficult for her to do a lot of cooking, so her dads had been taking care of the meals in the house, but since neither of them were big on cooking, they kept to simple meals that everyone didn't mind eating and that night was hamburgers, french fries and a salad.
"I think we should all watch a movie," David commented as they began to clear the table.
"Sounds good to me. Arin, you can pick. All of our movies are in the living room," Rachel said, motioning to the rack of movies.
"Really? Okay! I'll pick out something," Arin said with a smile, moving over to their video selection.
Rachel helped her dads clear the rest of the dishes and then went back into the living room to see Arin reading the back of a case. "Did you find something?" Rachel asked.
"Yep," Arin nodded and showed her the cover of a romantic comedy.
"Awesome. That's a great one," Rachel replied.
Setting up the DVD player, Rachel and Arin waited the guys to join them and once they did, the four settled in to watch the movie.
...
Rachel was the only one who had seen the movie before, so she tried to keep from talking through it and they did have to pause the movie a few times to explain somethings to Arin, but everyone enjoyed it.
"What time is it?" Arin asked.
Pulling her cellphone out of her pocket, Rachel glanced at the time, "eight-fifteen. Noah and your parents should be calling soon. You want to go up and get ready for bed, so when they do you can talk to them and then go to sleep?" Rachel asked Arin.
"Sure," Arin nodded, standing up, "I'll come back downstairs when I'm done."
"Okay, let us know if you need any help," Rachel told her.
"I will," Arin replied, heading upstairs to her room.
Once Rachel heard Arin walking around upstairs, she sighed, "do you think they've made it yet? I mean, should we check their flight information to make sure nothing has happened?"
The two dads exchanged smirks and then glanced at Rachel, "I'm sure they're alright sweetheart. He probably just wants to make sure that he doesn't have to hang up and call back later when they get somewhere. Just give them some time," David said softly.
Rachel took a deep breath and nodded, "I know. I just don't like waiting to hear from him. I'm so used to seeing him or being able to call him when I want to talk."
"Noah feels the same way, sweetheart. He'll call as soon as he can," Alan added.
Closing her eyes and relaxing back against the couch, she nodded again, "I just need to find something to occupy myself until he calls," she thought, opening her eyes to look around the room. Landing on her school work, "I guess I could do some homework while I wait," she admitted.
Rachel's dads agreed that was a good idea and got up, moving back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up for the night.
Arin came back downstairs a few moments later, dressed in her pajamas and ready for bed. Rachel let her watch TV and just as she settled on a rerun of a Hannah Montana episode, Rachel's phone began to sing her current ringtone for Noah, 'Sweet Caroline' by Neil Diamond, so she quickly reached for it and hit the answer button, "hey Noah!" She smiled.
"Hey baby, we're here. I would have called sooner, but mom and dad talked me into waiting until we were in the car, on the way to the hotel, which we are now," he explained.
"Oh, it's okay," she blushed, "I figured you'd call as soon as you could, but I was a bit worried," she admitted.
"Worried that I wouldn't call? You crazy?" He smirked, "I feel so much better hearing your voice," he told her honestly.
"Me too," she agreed.
"Hey, before we continue, mom and dad wanna talk to my sister. Is she still up?" Noah asked.
"Yeah, she is. I'll give her the phone," Rachel replied handing over the phone to a waiting Arin, "they want to talk to you," she explained.
...
For a short time, Arin talked to her brother and their parents and then she passed the phone over to David, who spoke with Deborah, assuring her that everything was going well and promised to call if they needed anything, before Rachel finally got her phone back to talk to her boyfriend. She took a moment to tell her dads 'goodnight' and she loved them, before following Arin upstairs and helped her get situated in bed, making Arin promise to get her during the night if she needed anything, before Rachel left and moved into her room, closing the door, "Noah, you still there?" She asked hopeful.
"Yeah, we're just heading into the hotel now. What are you doing?"
She shrugged, "well, I just got into my room, so I was thinking of relaxing and talking to you," she explained, a smile growing on her lips.
"Sounds like a great idea to me. How was the rest of your day, after we talked last?"
Rachel moved over to her dresser and dug out some pajamas, "it was okay. Spoke to dad and daddy for a bit, then went to pick up Arin at school. Came back here, we did homework and had dinner and the four of us watched a movie. It ended a little bit before you called."
"Oh yeah? What movie did you watch?" He asked, "and we're about to go on an elevator, so I might lose you, but if I do, I'll call you back as soon as we get to our floor."
"Okay, and the movie was '27 Dresses' with Katherine Heigl and James Marsden," she replied, taking the phone away from her ear and putting him on speakerphone, so she could change.
Noah thought for a moment, "I've heard of it, but I've never watched it. What's it about?" He asked, stepping off the elevator, following his parents to their suite.
Rachel picked up her phone and turned off the speaker, then pulled her blankets back and slid into bed, "it's about a girl who lives in New York City and has been a bridesmaid for 27 friends, yet she's never found anyone to date. She has feelings for her boss, but then her sister shows up and starts dating her boss, and they end up engaged within a few weeks and she is having issues with it. She also meets a guy who turns out to be a writer and they start dating. Though he's falling for her, he writes an article about how she's kind of always the bridesmaid and never the bride. He tries to stop it being printed, because he realized he shouldn't have written it, but his boss prints it anyway and they break-up, but after some time apart, she forgives him and it ends with them getting married," she explained.
"Nice," he smiled, "we'll have to watch it when I get home," he admitted, moving into his room of the suite.
"Really?" She asked surprised, not expecting that.
"Yeah. Romantic movies are usually not on the top of my list of ones I wanna watch, but if my girl likes 'em, then I'll watch them," he said, "and it sounds cool."
"It is. It's a very good movie and that means a lot, Noah. And I'll even sit through your action movies in return," she added with a grin.
"This is why I love you. We're two people, but we're willing to compromise to make our relationship work," he replied.
Rachel smiled brightly at his words, "I love you, too, Noah, so much. I know we'll always be able to make this work... Even if we have to be apart sometimes," she said honestly.
"As much as it sucks to be apart, yes, I agree with you, baby," he commented, unzipping his suitcase, "what are you doing?"
"I'm laying in bed. I figured I'd go to sleep after we talked," she told him.
"Or we could talk until you fall asleep. I'm just unpacking a bit," he told her, "and it might help you sleep."
"We could," she agreed, relaxing into her pillows even more.
...
Noah and Rachel continued to talk for about twenty minutes, keeping their conversation positive and light; talking about movies they should watch together when he gets home and who he'd probably see, talk to or meet at the awards. He could tell she was starting to drift off when her answers were soft and short, so he lightly sang the chorus of 'Someone To Fall Back On' to her and after a few silent moments from the other end, he knew she had fallen asleep. Whispering, "goodnight baby, sleep well," to her, he ended their call and created a text message with "I love you, baby. Goodnight. Miss you so much!" in it and sent it to her, hoping it didn't wake her up, but wanted it to be the first thing she saw when she did wake up.
"I really hope she can get some sleep. She needs it and I feel so helpless; I'm not there to be with her... Being apart sucks! The timing for the awards is crap. Sure, they're important to me, but she is more important. She's my life and I can't do anything to help her, except talk to her on the phone or text her," he thought, continuing to unpack some of his things, "I know what happened to her is a fluke, but still; the timing stinks," he sighed, glancing at his phone's wallpaper of them in New York, "it's just a week. We can do this, baby."
...
A/N4: I hope you enjoyed! I promise I have not abandoned you! It's been a long few months. When I last updated my fics, in late-May to early-June, I was doing okay, but my medical issues flared up and in mid-June other things were added to my plate. Since it's the summer, it's road-trip season for me, so I've been hanging out with my friends and am also trying to get my business up and running to sell my crafts, my mom is out of school and we have a lot of things around the house we're trying to do, going places with her and taking her to Seattle for her cancer check-ups (she's still cancer free! Yay!) so my time online has been limited. All of this has built up, so I usually only have the energy to email and hang out on Tumblr. I just went to the doctor and am working on getting some of these things straightened out, so I'm getting there. Just bare with me, please. I promise I will get to reviews and fics when I can, but it may be a while. I love you all and thank you so much for your support and for reading my fics! Don't forget, aside from my few WIPs, I also have several complete fics that you could read.
A/N5: There is a 'Puckleberry Awards' going on at LiveJournal - here's the link to the nomination post - ( prfanficawards . livejournal . com / 789 . html ). They have numerous categories and you can vote for up to 3 fics per category. Originally the nominations would only be until July 15th, but they have been extended to July 31st. There are a ton of Puckleberry fics and authors out there and I'm not sure who knows about this (I heard about it on Tumblr) and I'm letting you all know. You have to be a member of LiveJournal to comment and all you guys have to do is copy and paste the nomination 'form' into a comment on that link above and type in the names of the fics and authors information (links to fics of some kind) and submit it. You can also post the form in the 'askbox' on the Tumblr for the awards, but you have to be a member of Tumblr. If you are not a member of either, I think you can email it, but I'm not 100% on that one, but I'm sure you could contact the creator and ask. There is only one 'WIP' category, so 'Out of the Blue', 'Starlight', 'Broken Road' and 'Returning Home' only fit into that category, but remember, I have several complete fics you can nominate (if you'd like): 'Fly Me To The Moon', 'Became The Summer', 'Leave Out All The Rest', 'Paper and 'Gotta Start Somewhere' and I'm SapphireEJ on FF and SapphiresFic on LJ - the more information you give them, the easier it is for the people doing the awards to find the fics. Don't feel obligated to nominate me, but if you'd like to, that'd be awesome.
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