A Story of New York Chapter 38: Leave It To Me And Puck, a glee fanfic

Chapter 38

Rachel doesn't sleep well that night, her mind seemingly unable to switch off from how concerned she is about James. In the morning, she wakes up feeling frustrated with herself; Rachel has always prided herself on being able to switch off and fall asleep but the fact that she knows that something is wrong with James keeps seeping through into her thoughts and she spends half the night waking up, trying to get back to sleep.

She's been led in bed awake for at least a half hour by the time her alarm sounds, leaning over to switch it off before she groans collapsing back against her bed staring up at her gold star covered ceiling.

James was the key thought that ran through her mind; she had sat up in bed idly watching TV, hoping that he would call her. She was a little upset and disappointed that he hadn't done, that instead of choosing to confide in her James kept to himself. Rachel couldn't really blame him, not really; his Dad being in town was confusing to him. She knew that and remembering her Dads advice, James would talk to her when he was ready; it just made her feel a little down that he hadn't done so straight away.

It was a little scary to think about James affected her; she felt infinitely happier when he was around, so much so that she didn't let anything bother her but when she knew something was wrong with him, then that was all that she could think off. Rachel smiled a little at the thought, she really did love him and in a way this confirmed how deep their relationship was.

Feeling herself perk up at her own realisation, albeit not making her feel completely better, Rachel managed to get out of bed and run through her morning routine. Sometimes, she was thankful for being alone in the morning. As much as she loved James, he was awful distracting and an interruptive in terms of her morning routine; sure he went for a run three times a week, but on the two weekdays he didn't James would make his mission to try and prevent her from doing her workout as he kissed her and tried to make her stay in bed with him.

After completing it, Rachel made her way downstairs and sat with her fathers to eat breakfast before they went to work; each of them kissing her forehead, telling her to have a good day at school and to remember what they told her last night.

A quarter of an hour later and Rachel was getting into her car in order to head to school, smiling when she turned on the radio and heard Aerosmith, James' favourite band, blazing through the speakers of her car. Sighing contentedly, she drove out of the driveway towards McKinley.

….

Pulling the collar of her coat up to her chin, Rachel shivered in the cold wind as she made her way towards the doors of McKinley High. The weather was cooling as they headed further into November and maybe it wasn't the smartest idea in the world to continue to wear her summer clothes for school, except the occasional pair of jeans once or twice a week, but she couldn't help herself considering the looks she got from James as his eyes roamed appreciatively over her exposed legs. It was a silly thing but Rachel had always struggled with finding herself attractive, was it so wrong for her to enjoy the attention of the boy she loved?

"Hey Rach" Mike greeted her as she walked towards her locker.

"Hi" Rachel returned his smile although her thoughts were dwelling on finding James as she headed through the corridors. As she made her way past the choir room, Rachel could see her locker as some students moved so that it came into view and her smile widened as she saw James leaning against the one next to hers, his head bowed as his fingers fiddled with the bottom of his purple knitted sweater.

Rachel felt a warmness about the fact that the first thing he had done that day was to be at her locker, waiting for her; feeling happy about the fact that just as she'd known he would, James had searched for her. She could tell that everything wasn't as normal as it appeared; while he was trying to appear happy, there was a small smile on his lips as he stood there waiting for her, Rachel could see past it. The way he was playing with the bottom of his jumper along with the slight slump of his shoulders as well as the fact his smile didn't make it all the way to the corner of his lips.

As she approached him, James raised his head and stared at her; his face seeming to light up at seeing her face, causing Rachel's own lips to spread into a wide smile although she noticed while he was looking at her seemingly happy, there was a sat overcast in his eyes that showed her exactly how he was really feeling. As soon as she stepped in front of him, Rachel put her arms around him his neck and hugged him tightly. She felt the tension leave his body as he settled against her, his arms tightening around her waist as he sighed.

Pressing a kiss against his neck Rachel pulled back from their hug slightly, only a small amount of distance as she moved her hands and cupped his face gently; their bodies still in close proximity to one another as she gazed up into his eyes.

"Hey Baby" Rachel murmured softly, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm okay" He replied, sad smiles staring back at her as he shot her a small smile.

"Are you sure?" She couldn't help but ask him. Deep down she loved that he was trying to be strong for her, but what she needed now was for him to unload all of it onto her. "I love you James, you can talk to me"

James eyes observed her for a moment, the smile fading from his face as he closed his eyes and let another sigh. Rachel took the step further so that there was no gap between their bodies as she looked up and squeezed his cheek reassuringly. His mouth opened and he spoke softly. Rachel wouldn't have been able to hear it if she wasn't stood so closely, her heart crying out at the sound of his voice breaking "I'm not okay"

"What is it, baby" She asked moving one hand to his waist and continuing to hold his face in other, trying to resist the urge to cry at how sad he sounded and the way his eyes showed his vulnerability when they opened again. "Is it your Dad?"

"Yeah" He replied quietly. "I'm sorry"

"Hey" Rachel cooed reaching up to press a tender kiss against his lips, lingering there for a few seconds before pulling back to speak again; "What are you sorry for?"

"For not calling you, I know I worried you when ..." He explained and Rachel shook her head instantly at him.

"It's okay, I'm not mad at you" Rachel replied smiling at him, trying to stop her tears from falling. "I wished you had though, I can tell you're upset baby. What happened last night?"

"Just my Dad giving me…giving me more crap about school" James said sniffing, his hand coming up to brush her hair behind her ears before settling on her neck. The way he looked at her, his eyes brimming with apology and hurt Rachel knew that there was something he wasn't telling her

"What else did he say" Rachel asked, nudging him softly; encouraging him to tell her. "James what else did he yell at you about?"

"You" James replied in a small voice

"Me?" Rachel asked

James nodded at her and she could see his eyes filling. "He…about us sleeping together"

"He didn't know?" Rachel asked surprised, she'd assumed Andrea would have told his father. When James shook his head, her heart dropped as she panicked a little; did that mean Robert disapproved of their relationship? "What did he say?"

"He was angry….gave me a lecture about how inappropriate it was and then he tried to blame you for me slacking off" James said and Rachel saw his jaw clench as he shook his head. "I shouted at him, saying how dare he blame you when he hasn't ever taken the time to listen to me talk about you"

"Your Dad doesn't like me?" Rachel asked sadly.

James didn't reply, instead he pressed a forceful kiss against her lips that caused her to moan slightly. Rachel opened her eyes again as she felt him rest his forehead against hers. Their eyes met as he opened his mouth to speak again; "You're amazing, I don't care what my father thinks"

"But he doesn't like me? He blames me for-"

"No one blames you for anything; there's nothing wrong with my school grades, my father never listens to anything" James spoke as he interrupted her, squeezing her neck reassuringly. "My grades are better when I'm around you, especially in calculus and all that crap I struggle with. If he wants to blame you for something it should be for the fact I'm doing better; you sit there with me while I do homework, it relaxes me so that it comes easier. Everything about you relaxes me"

"Really?" Rachel asked smiling at him. Her intention had been to help him with the classes he struggled with, only for him to insist he wanted to do it himself as long as she sat nearby while he did. She felt her heart swell at the fact she affected him as deeply as he did her. There was just something about him that relaxed her and she was ecstatic it that it was the same for him too.

"Yeah, Rach; you're everything I need. I love you" James replied smiling widely at her as she grinned back. Rachel was touched and she couldn't help but press several kisses against his lips, her grin only widening as they pulled away.

"Love you too" She said, moving to rest her hand on his that was touching her neck, the contact soothing. "Did you get in trouble for shouting at him?"

"Yea, He told me I was being a little brat and I should be more grateful" James nodded, scoffing before he spoke again "I should be grateful that he was insulting my girlfriend and tried to act like it was out of the kindness of his heart that he allowed me to transfer. It was all my mom, just like everything else in my life; she's the one that's there for me"

"Your Dad loves you" Rachel said softly. She was shocked at what his father had said about her, she knew that deep down it was true, Robert did love his son. "He seemed happy to see you"

"He did yea" James replied, nodding his head. "I was shocked, he never normally looks at me like that; he's mostly just strict with me"

"Like in the car?" Rachel asked, chewing her lip.

"Yeah" James confirmed, his eyes flicking down to the floor. "He knows how to make me feel like a little child again. I hate how he can do that to me; I'm nearly 18 Rach"

"I know baby" Rachel said soothingly, stroking his arm affectionately. "It upset me seeing him interrogate you like that; I didn't think a parent could treat their child like that, was he like that when you were little?"

"No" James shook his head. "The first time I remember him giving me a hard time was when I was around eleven or twelve"

"Before that?"

"He was never an affectionate father, you know I never saw him much but…he never put any pressure on me until I started middle school" James reminisced sadly. "Luckily I've always had my moms love"

"Your Dad loves you, James" Rachel says, nodding at him. "I know it doesn't feel like it sometimes, baby, but he's proud of you and he really does love you"

"I believe you" James admitted after a few seconds of silence, Rachel could see him processing the words in his mind. "It's just hard to remember sometimes when he…well when he's him"

"I know, baby" Rachel replied leaning forward to kiss him softly. "It's hard for you, he upsets you but try to remember he's your father and you'll always have his love"

"I just need yours Rach" James said smiling at her. "Yours is the love I need, not his"

"You have it" Rachel confirmed to him before their lips met again. They stood there for a couple of minutes, sharing soft chaste kisses; nothing more intense, just simply showing each other that they loved one another. When the bell rang for first period the two of them separated, resting their foreheads against one another as they remained there caught up in each other.

"Come on, lets go to class" Rachel spoke first as kids started to move past them in the corridor.

….

As the day went on, Rachel was happily noticing that James mood brightened considerably; the glum, sad look that had first been on his face when she saw him by her locker had remained for about an hour or so as he obviously thought over what had happened with his father the night before. After that however he returned to being his normal self, wearing a happy smile as they sat next to each other enjoying their classes together. When they separated for the final class before lunch, both of them wore a smile as they parted after she gave him a goodbye kiss outside her class room; making her way inside to sit down before her teacher could say anything about their PDA.

By the time lunch came around Rachel was still wearing the smile that James had left on her lips as he kissed her, lingering for a few moments longer than appropriate considering they were outside her classroom, as she deposited her books in her locker and made her way towards the lunch room to meet James and the rest of the glee club at their table.

Pushing the door open, Rachel made her way over and sat down in between Finn and Blaine at their table; greeting the New Directions with a warm smile as she dug into her food. Chewing her sandwich, she listened to Finn talking to Blaine and Mike about the song they were working on in Glee, ABC by Michael Jackson, a song that Mr Schu wanted to try out for sectionals. So far they had been simply working on the choreography rather than the vocals; it was a high energy dance routine that they were supposed to be mastering before Mr Schuster layered in the lyrics in the next few weeks before sectionals.

Of course, Rachel was hoping that she got the lead for it; it was her senior year and she wanted to take the chance to step up and carry the New Directions to Nationals in Chicago. A small part of her was hoping as well that Mr Schuster would reward James for his enthusiasm and hard work in the little over a month her boyfriend had been in the group, but had to wonder if Mr Schuster would give him the lead over Finn.

"Hey Rach" She heard Finn speak, interrupting her thoughts as she considered who would be a better choice for the song; turning to smile at the tall boy next to her.

"Hi Finn" She replied smiling. "How are you?"

"I'm good Rach, yea" Finn said, smiling slightly at her. "Do you know where James is? We want to ask him a little about the choreography for the MJ number"

Rachel smile widened as she thought of the two boys working together, ever since James and Finn had their little confrontation a few weeks ago, things had returned to the peace that existed between them. A smile covered her face however when she realised that she hadn't seen James since he'd walked her to her class earlier in the morning and he hadn't showed up at lunch yet.

"I don't know where he is" Rachel said, chewing her lip thoughtfully. James had definitely said "I'll meet you at lunch", but where was he? "Maybe he's-"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of Noah's voice from outside. Frowning even deeper, Rachel rose from her seat with the rest of the New Directions as they along with the rest of the students made their way through the glass doors outside into the courtyard.

"Me and James, along with our boys from the band are here to raise some support for our candidate for Student Body President; Vote Rachel Berry!" Noah's words made her smile nervously, glancing at Kurt who seemed to glare at Noah. Turning back to the sight, she saw James and Noah set up with a few of the band members at the foot of the steps, chewing her lip as James indicated with his head to Noah.

...

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and
Smile

James starts singing next to Noah, a smirk on his face as he sings. Rachel bites her lip as she sees people start to stop what they were doing; stop walking around or eating their lunch and watch the performance. At the end of the first verse, James walks over and taps a girl on the shoulder pulling a confused face and shrugging his shoulder as he sings;

Why is everybody so serious
Acting so damn mysterious
Got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good time

Rachel giggles as both James and Noah put on a pair of sunglasses as they sing.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
We're paying with love tonight
It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

James sits down at one of the benches outside as Noah takes over the next verse, walking in between the other tables as he sings and plays the chords on his guitar.

Okay!
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all unite
And it wasn't low blows and video hoes,
Am I the only one getting tired
Why is everybody so obsessed
Money can't buy us happiness
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now
Guarantee we'll be feeling Alright.

Both of the boys unite their voices for the next few parts; lots of the students singing along or dancing about together.

Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

"Oh my god..." Rachel laughs as James starts rapping the next bit; the rest of the glee club laughing along.

Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six strings and a half stACK.
And you can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I..
Yes all I need are keys and guitars
And its with in 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars
Yeah we leaping across these undefeatable odds
Its like this man, you can't put a price on the life
We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice everynight
So we aint gon stumble and fall never
Waiting to see this in the sign of defeat uh uh
So we gon keep everyone moving their feet
So bring back the beat and then everyone sing

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the Price Tag.

...

"Remember; Vote Rachel Berry for Senior Class President"James said, as he walked over to Noah and the two boys high fived each other as the crowed of students clapped loudly.

Rachel could help but giggle as she applauded, grinning widely as James and Noah bowed to the crowd. That had been amazing! She couldn't believe that they'd taken it on themselves to perform a song in front of most of the student boy for her. The applause stopped and Rachel felt her heart swell as she saw James and Noah congratulating each other as she made her way over to them. James turned to face her just as she approached, stepping forward and reaching out to her with his hand. Rachel took it in hers and stepped into his side as he wrapped another arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

"You did all this for me?" She asked, beaming at him.

"Yeah of course babe" James replied, smirking at her. "I told you we were going to do something awesome for your campaign; what did you think?"

"It was amazing; I love you so much!" Rachel giggled, moving her hand to his neck and gently tugging him down to her so that they could share a kiss.

"Where's my thanks?" Noah's voice speaks and she can hear him smirking as she pulls away from James lips to grin at her friend embarrassed. Unravelling herself from James' grip, Rachel makes her way over and hugs Noah tightly; pressing a kiss against his cheek as they part.

"Thank you too Noah, it meant a lot to me"

"No worries babe" Noah smirked at her. "You know I'd do anything for my hot little Jewish American princess"

Rachel giggled at him, hitting his arm playfully as she stepped back over to her boyfriend and placed her arms around his neck, pulling her closer to him. "I love you baby"

"Love you too Rach" James replied, touching his nose against hers before he moved the short distance between them so that he could press his lips against hers.

They had remained locked their for several minutes, Rachel quite happy to stay there and show James how much she loved him, as well as just how much she appreciated what he had done for her before a loud coughing noise from Noah had caused them to separate as they made their way back to the lunch room. They spent the rest of their lunch sitting with the New Directions eating lunch, as James and Noah sat there smugly while people complimented them on their performance.

Even Kurt had made a comment, saying that he was impressed by their performance but not with the fact they were supporting Rachel. James had sat there, holding her hand reassuringly as they both knew Kurt was still incredibly upset by the whole Senior Class President debacle. Rachel knew that James and Kurt were still friends and that by proclaiming his support for her in such a public manner, her boyfriend could have messed up his friendship with the boy; but it meant a lot to her that James was doing as he had said he would so many times before, he had chosen her above all else.

….

Rachel has a humungous grin on her face for the rest of the school day. The knowledge that James loved her so much that he would stand up in front of the school, a student body that admittedly didn't appreciate the glee club all the much and perform a song to try drum up support for her presidential campaign means everything in the world. It makes it feel incredibly special and she can't help the infectious good mood that she's in as she cuddles tightly into his side while they're sat in the choir room waiting for Mr Schuster to come and start the glee club rehearsal.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you" She murmurs in James' ear, smiling as sees him smirk as he turns his head to look at her.

"Maybe a few times, but I don't get tired of hearing it" He replies, winking at her.

"Well" Rachel giggles "Let me show you"

Raising a hand to cup his cheek, she leans forward and kisses him; tenderly at first before running her tongue his bottom lip, completely forgetting where they are as she feels him smirk as he deepens the kiss.

A coughing noise makes them pull apart and Rachel rubs her lips together, a flush coming to her cheeks as she sees Mr Schuster looking at them with a raised eyebrow. James hand finds hers and give it a soft squeeze as she rests her head against his shoulder.

"As I was trying to say, Puck and James" Mr Schuster says, a small amused smile on his lips. "I was very impressed by your impromptu performance in the courtyard at lunch"

"Thanks Mr Schu" James replies, smiling.

"It was badass" Noah says and Rachel rolls her eyes as a few others giggle.

"I hope however that you haven't used up too much of your "badass-ness" to handle the number we're rehearsing for sectionals" Mr Schuster chuckles. "I've decided who I want to sing the parts for "ABC" and we're going to start putting the whole performance together over the last week before we work on the other two songs"

"Who did you pick to sing, Mr Schuster?" Finn asks.

"I want to try something a little different than normal" Mr Schuster says with a glint in his eye that makes Rachel lean up off James' shoulder, intrigued. "Since he seems so much more comfortable with his singing; and it has improved. I was thinking that Mike and Tina could give this song a go"

"What really?" Mike asks, his eyes widen in shock.

"Mr Schuster that's amazing" Tina adds, grinning widely.

"We're going to layer in a couple of other smaller solos during the song; but for now I want you two to lead us through"

Rachel is a little disheartened by the fact she didn't get chosen for the song, but as they work on practising the number; she can't help but feel that Mr Schuster's idea was a good one. There is just something about Tina and Mike as they interchange during the song that makes her think that they are perfect for the song. By the end of the rehearsal, as she is walking out towards the senior parking lot with James, Rachel isn't at all upset by the fact that she doesn't get to sing lead on one of their three sectional songs. A small part of that is probably due to feeling buzzed from James and Noah's performance at lunch.

Climbing into her car after telling James she'll meet him at her house; Rachel makes her way home, giggling a little when she sees James car on the curb as he stands leaning against the bonnet having apparently beaten her home. He smirks at her as he helps her out of her car once she's parked up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walk together towards her house.

They sit together at the kitchen table as they do their homework together, before settling down on the couch together as they talk about Glee club with MTV playing in the background until her Dads come home.

"I think it's a good idea" James says, his hand idly playing with a lock of her hair as she sits sideways facing him. "I don't think its strong enough to win sectionals at the moment, maybe with some of the other voices layered over to boost the sound but its got potential"

"Mhmm" Rachel says nodding. She's really enjoyed having James around, he's been to three nationals and finished 2nd twice and 1st last year; as well as having won every competition over the past three and a bit years. His experience is something that she's really excited about having in the New Directions; she can rest a little easier knowing that a least one of the team will be prepared when May comes around. "You're not upset about not getting chosen?"

"Maybe a little" He shrugs nonchalantly. "But it's one song, and you never know maybe Mr Schuster has something planned for us to sing together"

"It would be lovely to hear you two up on stage, singing together" Rachel smiles as she hears her Daddy's voice from the hallway.

"It really would be" She replies as he walks into the lounge. "How was work?"

"Quiet" He smiles, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead. "Good evening, Son"

"Hey Sir" James replies, returning her father's smile.

"How are you feeling about having your father around?" Leroy asks, his hand touching James shoulder. Rachel smiles at the gesture, watching as James' smile slips a little bit.

"It's…strange" James says, taking a breath. "But I guess it's nice that he wants to spend some time with me and mom"

Leroy nods in understatement and Rachel grips her boyfriend's hand a little tighter as her father speaks again; "Just remember that you're welcome to stay here any night you want"

"Thanks" James replies, his smile widening. "I was actually hoping I could stay here tonight and maybe a couple more days this week?"

"Of course, James" Leroy confirms with a nod of his head. "Some of the clothes you left in Rachel's hamper are upstairs"

Rachel takes care of dinner with James that night considering that Hiram is working late and the three of them settle down to eat together. She notices that Leroy seems a little more protective of James that night and it honestly warms her heart to see her father take such an interest in making sure that James feels especially safe and at home in the house that night. They sit on the couch together until her Dad comes home at which point, after a brief talk about school that day, Rachel leads James upstairs to her bedroom where they settle down to watch a film together in her bed.

"How would you feel about going to dinner with our parents" James asks suddenly about forty minutes into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Rachel raises her head of his shoulder and looks at him curiously. "We don't have to if you don't want to but I'd like it if we could"

"All of us together?" Rachel asks, smiling when James nods his head. "I'd love it, give our families a chance to get to know each other even more. Up until now, its always been Andrea and my Dads"

"Yea" James replies nodding again. "I just think that if my Dad saw us all; he'd realise that this has been the best thing to happen to me; moving here to Ohio to be with you"

Rachel feels her eyes well up and pulls him gently towards her so that she can kiss him; moaning softly when his hand rests against her and starts to slowly rub her through the silk material of her pyjamas. In response, Rachel shifts closer to him, exploring his mouth with her tongue as the film they were watching gets forgotten.

...

Song -

Tyler ward's cover arrangement of Price tag by jessie j