Happy Valentine's Day. :D

Song: Billy Joel's "You May Be Right." Yes, I already used a Billy Joel song. Yes, I can do so again. I debated on it a long time since I've only used other artists once each, but Glee canon reuses artists regularly, so why can't I?

Review! Please! Exclamatory sentence!

Quinn: Kept the Smile

When Puck confronted her, Quinn freely admitted she had been avoiding him, or avoiding being alone with him at least. She had already talked to Sam, apologized to him and listened to him apologize to her. They weren't going to date again, but she thought maybe they could be friends now. Puck was another matter.

He stood in front of the whole glee club—minus Kurt who had declined to come—with Artie beside him. Quinn silently thanked Artie for offering to play guitar during Puck's attempt to serenade the cheerio. If he had to make a fool of himself, at least he wouldn't risk tearing open the slash Kurt had left in his forearm while he did so.

"I know you said you wanted space," he said to Quinn with too wide a grin on his face, "but it's just a song." Even though it was dumb and untrue, Quinn was glad he said it if only because he took her mind off of Kurt attacking people with knives.

Friday night I crashed your party
Saturday I said I'm sorry
Sunday came and trashed me out again
I was only having fun
Wasn't hurting anyone
And we all enjoyed the weekend for a change

Just a song. Just a song trying to convince her to date him. Quinn sighed and rested her chin lightly on the palm of her hand, but she kept her eyes on Puck as he sang to her. She owed him very little, but this much she probably did.

I was stranded in the combat zone
I walked through Bedford Stuy alone
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I'm insane

It was the second time Puck had sung Billy Joel to her. The first time, he had been drunk, and it had been for the group as a whole too. He had wanted them to accept that he didn't have to be what they thought he should, and that it was okay to be something that maybe most people believed was wrong or at least strange.

You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for
Turn out the light
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right

This time was different. Somehow bringing Kurt home had helped Puck accept himself in a way singing never had. The boy had been away for two weeks, and Quinn wondered seriously for the first time what had happened to change him so much. Sometimes he still behaved like a child, but even then he lacked the volatility she remembered.

Now think of all the years you tried to
Find someone to satisfy you
I might be as crazy as you say
If I'm crazy then it's true
That it's all because of you
And you wouldn't want me any other way

At least the jock had the sense not to look hopeful. Quinn wasn't ready to leap into his arms and kiss him, even though she knew Puck wanted her to. The others applauded and filed out, leaving Quinn and Puck painfully alone. Or most of them did, Finn actually carried Santana out, and Mercedes had to encourage Sam to move.

"Puck," Quinn said softly when she realized she would only get away after speaking to him. "Life isn't as easy as singing a song."

"I know." His lips formed a small smile without a hint of smugness. "But it'd be awesome if it were."

"Did you think this would get you something?"

"Not right now." He shrugged. "Maybe eventually, after you've had time for your thinking and stuff."

Quinn carefully kept her distance. Falling into Puck's arms now would accomplish nothing. "So why not wait to sing it later?"

"Babe, I don't know. It just felt right. I know everyone set us up in here or whatever, but I'm even cool if you don't want to talk about it right now. Unless you do want to, and that's awesome too." The uncertain expression on Puck's face reminded Quinn of the way he had looked when their daughter was born.

"What do you think Beth is doing right now?" Sometimes she thought of the child by name, and others just as her daughter. Puck had been the one to name her.

"Well, it's right after lunch, so probably napping with a full belly. Do you feed babies at lunch time?"

"I don't know, Puck, probably. I was just curious." Really, Quinn should have asked how he thought Beth was doing. It was the question she wanted answered, but also the one she feared. Quinn had given her child up with no way to know if the little girl would have a good home. A better home than a couple of teenagers could give her. "You know, you are kind of crazy sometimes." Talking about the song just seemed easier.

"And I was serious when I said you wouldn't want me any other way." He smirked this time, but it turned into a genuine grin when then cheerio answered with a smile of her own.

"I still haven't decided if I want you at all." She tried to keep the words soft. It was something he needed to know, but not something she wanted to hurt him with.

"I know, but when you do, it'll be because I'm not like all those other guys."

She let herself laugh just a little. "You're quite the confident one now."

Puck caught her eyes with his and grinned widely. Then he turned and left the room to join the others. It had been a long time since being around the jock left Quinn feeling anything but depressed. She kept the smile on her face as she moved into the other room.

~.x.~

I originally tried to write this from Puck's POV, but it was all wrong and didn't keep with the song's not performed by POV character thing I've been doing since after chapter 25, so yeah. Now it does. Booyah.

It'd be more holiday appropriate if Puck and Quinn got together in this chapter, but it didn't work out. And posting this nowish is mostly coincidence anyway. :P

Please review! You can tell me I'm a sillyface for shipping Puck/Quinn, especially after seeing how awesome Puck/Lauren would be!