Title: Punch Drunk Love

Category: Glee

Ship: Rachel/Puck

Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor

Rated: PG-13

Word Count: 1883

Summary: A drunken night at her friend's bachelorette party reveals long forgotten feelings. Takes place six years after high school.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or it's characters.

Chapter 1.

Her tongue felt like sand paper, her eyes burned like crazy and she was pretty sure someone was tap dancing on her brain in four-inch stiletto heels.

"Tequila bad…" She croaked out as she raised herself to her elbows, one of her hands went to the corner of her mouth to wipe away the moisture, drooling in her sleep. Lovely! "Tequila very, very bad."

She squinted, looking around the unfamiliar room, not being able to place where she was. She wasn't in her posh New York condo she knew that much, her room much like her apartment was sleek and classic. There was too much flower wallpaper here to be her room. Looking around some more, she figured she must be in her best friend's guest room, the portrait of Jesus was a pretty good tip after all. Now if she could just remember how she made it to the bed she was currently on, that would be great. She shifted in the bed when she realized that something was more horribly wrong than her hazy memory. As she moved, she felt movement behind her, noticing for the first time there was something very warm and large pressed against her back. She could feel a warm breath against her shoulder and as she tried to move again, an arm not her own shot out, wrapping itself around her waist, over the covers. She looked down at the offensive appendage. It was a nice tanned color and strong, sprinkled with fine black hairs.

'No,' she closed her eyes. 'No, no, no, no. Not real. Please, dear lord, no.'

A very deep, very male, very amused and rough-from-sleep voice interrupted her inner freak-out. "What's the matter, Berry, it's too early for your drama."

Rachel Berry's eyes opened so wide she half feared they would pop straight out of her skull. She knew that voice; it was one that that had been haunting her for the last six years since she left Lima. Jumping out of the bed, feeling less graceful as she stumbled to her feet, she kept her back to the man that she had been sharing a bed with.

'Why, why her,' She thought pitifully. 'She was a good Jew.'

She turned around slowly and even though she knew who she would find there, seeing him lying where only seconds ago she had lain was still a shock to the system. It was so long ago since they had shared a bed. Seeing him there, the white sheets a stark contrast from his tanned body sent a simultaneous sense of sexual awareness and a sense of lost.

"Hey baby girl," Her ex-boyfriend of six-plus years said, a delighted grin on his handsome ass-hat face.

"Noah…"

She was going to kill Quinn.

72 hours earlier…..

Rachel Berry loved to fly; she wasn't prone to fear it. She liked the slight jump in her stomach every time the plane takes off, she liked the fact that she can get anywhere in the world in a matter of hours as opposed to days or even weeks in a car or a train or a luxury ship. She liked going to different places, however, when that place was Ohio…well, all of a sudden flying lost its appeal. She fidgeted in her first class seat wondering how she was made to feel guilty and suckered into this.

**"It's my wedding, Berry, and you are one of my closest friends. You have to be the maid-of-honor, you have to be here!"

Rachel sighed as she moved around her room, looking for her beige pumps with the open toe, she could hear the slight petulant tone in her friend's voice. Holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she looked under her bed. "Quinn, I'm going to be late getting to the theater, can't we talk about this later?"

"No."

"Quinn," Rachel whined.

"Nope, you've been putting this off and my wedding is in a month, you are agreeing to come home and being my maid-of-honor now or I'm just going to keep on calling."

"I could just hang up and turn off my phone." Rachel pointed out, letting a shout of happiness as she found her shoes.

"Then I'll just keep calling the theater, I'm sure your director will loooove that," Quinn answered smugly.

"Ugh," Rachel groaned as she went to put on her jacket, making her way to the door. "Remember when we hated each other's guts and fought over boys, I miss that."

"Ditto, man hands," Quinn quipped, smiling when she heard Rachel mumbled about her hands being perfect. "But we decided to be friends long ago and now we're stuck with each other and that means you will be my maid-of-honor or Kurt will try to be it and you know he'll put on a prettier dress just to outshine me."

Rachel laughed at the mental picture. "And we can't have that."

"Right." Quinn answered amused, before turning serious. "Rach, please, I need you here, I'm so happy but scared shitless. Please, I need you to hold my hand."

Rachel closed her eyes as she leaned against her door. "I wouldn't be able to make it until about a week before the wedding, so I can't help you with much."

Quinn grinned as she heard Rachel weakening. "That's okay, between Kurt and Mercedes I have a lot of help, plus my mom and Finn's, I'm on help overload, and I just need you to stand next to me that day."

Rachel smiled tenderly even though her friend couldn't see it. "Then I wouldn't miss it for the world, I'll be there, Quinn."**

"Ladies and Gentlemen… we are now starting our descend to 'Dayton International Airport', we should be landing in just a few minutes. The temperature is a nice seventy-seven degrees, a perfect spring day in Ohio. On behalf of myself and the crew, we hope you enjoyed your flight and will think of Delta for your future flying needs. Thank you and have a nice day."

Rachel rolled her neck, reminding herself to relax. She waited until the plane came to a stop and unbuckled her belt. Standing up, she stretched her back, noticing how the man across the aisle gave her a once over. She smiled to herself as she smoothed out the lines of her snug-fit knee-length skirt, knowing that the combination of the skirt and her high heels along with her silk blouse with a plunging neck line gave her a sophisticated sexy look completely different from the girl who once liked animal sweaters. Flashing him an amused smile as he stared too long, Rachel started to make her way out of the plane with her carryon in hand. She arrived at baggage claim, pulling along the matching luggage once she spotted it. Balancing it, she walked slowly through the crowd, looking out for blonde hair or a giant. She started to smile as up ahead she saw her name written on white cardboard being held up.

"Hey," She said with a wide smile to the person whose face was covered by the large sign. "I'm Rachel…"

"Berry," The person finished as he brought the sign down, flashing a wide grin. "You look good, baby girl."

Rachel stared at the man in front of her, her smile along with her body frozen. "Noah…"

**"So we need to talk about…"

"Nope."

"Rachel…"Quinn sighed over the phone. "We need to talk about him."

Rachel shook her head insistently, knowing that while Quinn couldn't see it, she would be able to hear it.

"No, we don't, my trip home has nothing to do with him, and I don't plan on even seeing him."

"That's going to be hard since he's Finn's best man."

Rachel groaned as she laid back on her bed. "Why? He knocked you up once upon a time."

"Nice," Quinn said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized "But true."

"Still, he's a good friend and you're going to have to deal with him."

Rachel sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"He's doing good, Rachel. His business is good and…I think he misses..."

"No," Rachel interrupted. "Just no, do me a favor, Quinn, please, I'll be at your wedding but the less we talk and the less I see Noah Puckerman the better."**

"Rachel?"

Rachel looked at the man in front of her, his smile growing the longer she stayed quiet.

"I still leave you speechless, baby girl, I'm flattered." Puck joked.

"Don't call me that," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes at the cocky way he spoke to her and suppressing the thrill his confidence and swagger always had given her. "Why are you here, where are Quinn and Finn?"

Puck cleared his throat at the harsh tone her voice had taken. "Wedding duties."

"Right," Rachel mocked, crossing her arms. "And you were the only one who could pick me up; I'm going to kill Quinn."

Puck stared at her chest, admiring the way her arms pushed up her cleavage, giving him a great view.

"My face is up here, pervert." Rachel said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Just checking out the goods." Puck answered, not at all embarrassed at being caught smirking as she gave him a scathing look. "You really do look good, baby girl."

"I told you not to call me that." Rachel snapped.

Puck rolled his eyes as he leaned down to grab her bag. "Whatever, princess, let's just go."

"I don't want to go with you."

"Look, Berry, it's only fifty-eight miles to Lima, I think you can survive being in car with me for that long, right?," Puck asked tiredly, not surprised that his ex was making this difficult. He watched as she looked at him defiantly and tried a different approach. "That is unless you're scared to being in a closed space with me. Hey, I don't blame you, once you've had the 'Pucker', it's hard not to come back for more."

"Ugh!" Rachel exclaimed, not caring that people around the airport were starting to give them looks, the ones close enough to hear were amused. She walked up close to him, her body brushing his, her face inches away from his. "I'm not here because 'it's hard not to come back for more'. After six years Noah I think I can handle it, let's go and handle my luggage with care, it's expensive."

Rachel moved around him, leaving him behind as she made her way out the terminal doors. Puck remained behind, telling his body to calm down; the feel of her body even for a second had sent a shot of arousal through it. He needed to get a grip. Turning around, he followed her out, loving the way her heart-shaped ass moved in her tight black skirt.

His girl always did have the best backside.

Reaching the outside, he led her to his car not missing the look of surprise on her face when she saw that it was expensive and new. He also didn't miss the look of apprehension on her face as they both closed their doors, leaving them in a small space away from the world outside his car. That look on her face reminded him that she wasn't his girl anymore, not yet anyway.