Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I do own Mouse, Candy, and Sarah.
(a/n: thank you to those who read, and especially to those who reviewed! I appreciate you taking the time to review.)
...
Chapter Nineteen
...
It was Friday night and BreadstiX was packed. Puck shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable on his seat. Across from him, his date was talking about some celebrity that he didn't care about. He glanced at the mirror behind her head, seeing the two main groups of people that were crowding the restaurant. The first were from McKinley High, and made up of both the glee club and footballers. Candy was somewhere in the middle of the masses of bodies, laughing happily at something. The second group was more worrying to Puck. Dalton Academy's glee club. The garglers, or whatever they were called...
Finn had told him that Mouse had invited them as a way to better know their competition. He'd gone on to say something about enemies and friends, but Puck tuned him out easily enough. Mouse had invited a group of all-boy singers for dinner. Was she going to pick one out as a boyfriend, a way of showing Puck that she was over him? Or was she already dating one?
At that thought, Puck's stomach twisted and his hands clenched into fists.
"You want to get out of here?" Puck began to ask his date. Geez, he'd forgotten her freaking name!
The waitress arrived with their food, and whatever-her-name was bounced happily at the arrival. Puck tried not to grimace. Sure, the girl had some nice breasts (okay, they were freaking huge), but the way she was bouncing around all the time was becoming annoying, rather than visually pleasing as it had earlier.
He sighed and began to eat, hoping he could concentrate on the food and forget the fact that Mouse was only two booths behind him.
Loud cheering erupted behind them, and Puck turned around angrily. He was trying to eat, damn them! He saw Mouse walking over to the jukebox, and his anger faded instantly. What the hell was she doing? And since when did the restaurant have a microphone? He turned around before they could see him looking, but he couldn't help his gaze from going to the mirror.
Mouse grabbed the microphone, and there was more cheering from her friends. Even The Warblers looked enthusiastic. She took a deep breath and hoped that Puck would understand why she was singing this song. (Finn had told her to sing after Puck had started eating; he wouldn't leave the restaurant when he had food to eat.)
"Yes I am,
I hope you think you beat me.
Hope I start talking crazy before you understand me,
Are we through?
You think that I'm beneath you,
But you like the things that I do,
Wrap 'em up and take 'em with you."
Candy was bopping his head to the music, and with a grin, Mouse continued.
"I'm all right,
Hope I can sleep for one night.
If not to cool my insides,
Maybe to calm my backside. (Puck remembered her robe, and a view he couldn't forget.)
Rain on me,
I got a weakness in me.
I think that weakness feeds me,
I don't think you think you need me."
She looked to Puck for that line. His gaze seemed to be permanently attached to the mirror. Or his date... Mouse continued to sing.
"Sunshine, you're the best time,
I ever, ever had,
But I think I made you feel bad.
A black fly on your necktie,
Time after time."
Tina and Mercedes got up to be back up dancers, grinning at Mouse as they went past her.
"But when the sun starts sinking,
On your beautiful soul.
Make you cry, cry baby,
Make you feel so cold.
Don't you know, it's all right,
Sometimes you just got to show how you feel.
'Cause that's you baby,
Hell, you're so real."
Mouse hoped that Candy wouldn't recognise and repeat the swear word.
"Run this round in your head,
Like you don't know what's on the inside.
You don't know me too well,
You ain't seen my bad side. (Mouse couldn't help grinning.)
Shame on me, shame on the things that I be.
If you could complicate me,
if you could get inside me.
Sometimes, you're the best time,
I've ever, ever known,
A pretty girl with a wicked smile on. (Puck remembered her smile, wicked and victorious when she was beating him at Halo.)
But I've cried for the last time,
Something just don't feel right.
"But when the sun starts sinking,
On your beautiful soul.
Make you cry, cry baby,
Make you feel so cold.
Don't you know, it's all right,
Sometimes you just got to show how you feel.
'Cause that's you baby,
Hell, you're so real."
Tine and Mercedes sang the next part, letting Mouse catch her breath.
"You always know just who you are,
You never needed someone else,
To realise yourself."
Puck realised that his date was saying something to him, but he didn't answer, and he couldn't look away from Mouse's reflection.
"Hell, when the sun starts sinking,
On your beautiful soul.
Make you cry, cry baby,
Make you feel so cold.
Don't you know, it's all right,
Sometimes you just got to show how you feel.
'Cause that's you baby,
Hell, you're so real.
Yeah, baby, you're so real,
Yeah, baby, you're so real,
So real, so real.
Oh, god, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah!"
Mouse's chest was heaving slightly as she finished singing. Cheers and applause came from all corners, even from people she didn't know. She couldn't stop grinning, her expression not even slipping when she saw that Puck wasn't looking at her or clapping with the others.
Puck finally tore his gaze away from the mirror and looked at his date. She looked pissed off, to say the least.
"Couldn't hear you. What'd you say?" he asked.
She seemed slightly appeased at his excuse, and repeated herself, "I can't believe that the restaurant's management is actually letting them sing. It's not a karaoke bar, for god's sakes! Although, the singing would probably be better there," she muttered, glaring over at the glee members briefly. "Oh great, the retard's going to sing now. Will it never end?"
Candy had dragged Terrence over to the jukebox and was picking a song.
Without seeming to realise it, Puck had crushed his drink in his grip. "Don't call him that," he snarled angrily, his jaw tight.
His date looked at him in surprise. "What?"
"Don't you dare call him that. Candy has a name."
"Like I know his stupid name," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Geez, if you're that worked up over it, why don't I just leave?" she said, thinking that her threat would make him see sense. No guy refused her; she knew what power she had over them.
"Yeah, I think you should."
"W-what?" she spluttered in disbelief.
"Leave."
She made a noise of anger and disbelief, and seconds later, she poured her raspberry drink over Puck's head. She was gone in moments, and the restaurant was quiet as everyone watched.
With a growl, Puck pushed his plate away and stood up. Ice went down his shirt, freezing his back. His hand was still covered in his drink and he shook it off, muttering under his breath. Another song started, and as Candy started to sing, Puck went to the bathroom so he could clean up.
Taking his shirt off, he shook himself to get rid of the pieces of ice. Turning the tap sharply, Puck waited for the water to warm up so he could clean his sticky head, hands, and body.
There was a tentative knock at the bathroom door a few moments later and he wrenched it open, glaring.
"What?" Some of Puck's anger dissipated when he saw Mouse standing there.
Mouse forced herself not to look at his bare body. Okay, one peek...
"Well?" Puck asked, unable to stop the grin when he saw her staring.
"Oh... Just wanted to bring this to you," she said quickly, blushing. She held out a bottle of soda water. "It'll get the stain out."
He took the bottle from her, his fingers brushing against hers. "Thanks, Mouse."
"'Welcome," she said with a nod, turning to leave.
Puck took her hand quickly. "Stay with me."
Mouse pulled a face. "In the men's bathroom?"
"Please."
She looked at his face, his pleading eyes saying so much more than his words did. Mouse nodded and slipped inside.
...
Minutes after Candy had finished singing with Terrence (who had been very reluctant, but got a lot of applause anyway), he realised that Mouse wasn't at the table.
"Where's Mousie?" Candy asked, looking around the restaurant.
"I think she went to help Puck clean up," Tina said, and before she'd finished her sentence, Candy had gone to the bathroom.
"Should we be letting him in there?" Finn asked, frowning.
Terrence hurried after Candy quickly.
Candy opened the bathroom door to see Mouse and Puck laughing, both of them holding Puck's shirt under the hand dryer. He looked up at Terrence when he put his hand on his shoulder, and let him lead him back to the table.
"Why did that girl put her drink on Puck? Is it because Mouse didn't like her?" Candy asked, all wide eyes and a frown.
"How do you know that Mouse didn't like her?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow creased.
"She called her a blonde horse," Candy said proudly.
"A blonde horse? Oh, you mean who..." Blaine began to say.
Kurt hurried to cover his mouth. "Candy copies words," he explained quickly, trying not to dwell on the feel of his lips on his skin.
Blaine nodded awkwardly, raising an eyebrow when Kurt didn't move his hand.
"Oh. Sorry," he said quickly, letting him go.
Candy had been distracted by Tina and Artie's announcement to sing a duet, and had promptly left the table to help choose their song.
"Where the h-e-double hockey sticks are our burgers?" Mercedes muttered, looking away from Kurt and Blaine.
...
"Noah Puckerman, if you don't get out of bed this instant, you can babysit your sister for the whole weekend!" his mother called up the stairs loudly.
Puck, who had been having a very pleasant dream involving Mouse and minimal clothing, groaned in annoyance. "Fine!" he called back, shutting his eyes and willing himself to go to sleep again.
"What?" Apparently, his mother had been so surprised, she found it necessary to come upstairs, open his door and check that he wasn't sick.
Hearing her footsteps on the staircase, Puck hurried to manoeuvre his blankets so the after affects of his dream wasn't so obvious. Thankfully, his mother hadn't seen, or else he was sure that she would have made some comment about it being natural and healthy, and if that had happened, Puck might have jumped out of his window.
"You'll look after Katie? On your first weekend off in forever?" she added, quoting his words from earlier in the week.
"Yeah. Haven't seen her in a while, it'll be fine."
His mother looked amused, but seemed happy enough to have a day to herself. "All right then. Since you're looking after her, I might see if Shelley's has an opening for a bikini wax. Call me if you need help, or if you've hurt yourselves. Don't burn down the house!"
Puck waved her away, falling back on to his mattress with a sigh as she left, closing the door behind her. Well, after that unwanted and terrifying information about his mother's bikini line, he no longer felt horny... He muttered and sat up, pulling a pair of pants on.
It didn't take long for Katie to come knocking on her brother's door. She looked inside, and seeing that he was awake, she hurried inside eagerly.
"Noah? Can we go to the library? Pleeeeeease?" she begged, tugging on his arm.
"The library? Why would you want to go there for?" he asked, shaking his arm out of her grasp and rubbing his head with a yawn.
"Because it's the last day Mouse is doing story time for, like, ever!" Katie said, jumping on the spot briefly.
Puck looked at his sister in some sort of shock. "What?"
"Story time! You know, at the library! Mum used to take me every weekend, and since Mouse joined your singing thing, she's always been there instead of at the library! She's doing three different story times today, and then she's not coming back until after school's finished! Stupid exams, why do you have to take them anyway?" Katie asked, crossing her arms with a huff.
It took Puck a moment to process his sister's fast-paced words and come to the realisation that Mouse - his Mouse - was at the local library.
"What time's the story things?" he asked, grabbing his watch.
"The first one is at 10, but we have to get there early, or I'll never get a seat!" Katie said.
"All right. You've already had breakfast, right?" Puck asked.
Katie nodded quickly. "So I can go?"
"If you can get changed in ten minutes, you can go."
Katie bolted from the room as fast as she could.
Puck chuckled and closed the door to get dressed properly.
...
Mouse led Candy up to the library, watching carefully as he hopped over the lines in the large tiles on the floor. Pressing the doorbell, Mouse waited until the door was opened by one of the library staff and went inside with Candy.
"Morning, Jane. Hello, Candon. How are you today?"
"Good, thanks, Gladys."
"Happy!" Candy said in an excited whisper.
"That's good to hear. Have you been enjoying school and singing?" Gladys asked, smiling at him.
"Yes. Sweet loves singing!" he said, grinning broadly. "Oh. How are you?"
"I'm well, thank you for asking," Gladys said, trying not to show her shock. In all of the years Candon had been coming to the library with his sister, he had never asked how she was. She hadn't minded, of course, knowing that the boy didn't know to ask.
"Mrs. Komp taught me to ask that," Candy said proudly.
"That's wonderful. Is Mrs. Komp nice?"
Candy nodded enthusiastically.
Mouse grinned as her brother started talking about school, and started to set up her things for story time. Apparently, she had been missed by a lot of the children, and some had cried when she hadn't shown up. She just hoped that they wouldn't be too upset from now until after her exams.
Mouse thought back to when she'd first started doing this, nearly five years ago now. She'd usually come to the library with Candy to get away from Sarah who, more often than not, was hung over and had some stranger in her bed. Mouse had started reading out loud to Candy so he wouldn't run around and as the weeks went by, more and more children started sitting around her. The children's librarian let Mouse volunteer at the library, even going so far as to make her story time a scheduled event for both parents and children to attend.
Candy loved making so many new friends, and always sat at the very front, listening intently to every story she read. A few times, he'd even asked her to bring the book home so she could read it to him again. When she did, he held onto the book tightly as they went home, and Mouse sometimes worried that his face hurt from smiling so much.
"Gladys needs to get back to the front desk now, sweetie. Why don't you choose your pillow and get comfy?" Mouse said, smiling at him.
Gladys smiled at the siblings and went to the loans desk to get ready for the day.
Candy nodded and went over to the large pillow box in the corner. He returned with a bright red one, sitting on it promptly and wriggling about to get comfortable.
There was a moment of silence, and then the library doors opened. Due to the amount of advertising and simple word-of-mouth, the story time event for today was highly anticipated. Children hurried inside, tens upon tens of them hurrying to the children's section of the library. Some parents accompanied them, but there were some who had been dropped off at the library alone, or just with an older sibling, who was generally no older than them anyway.
Mouse watched with a smile as some children brought their own pillows, parents carrying blankets, other children hurrying to get the best pillows from the box.
Her smile faltered for a moment when she saw Puck arrive with Katie. She knew that Puck had a sister, and Katie had an older brother, but until now, seeing them side by side, Mouse hadn't picked up on the family resemblance.
While she and Puck had spent a lot of last night together as they waited for his shirt to dry, they hadn't done anything other than talk. Their talk had been about so many different things, but they hadn't talked about anything emotional or relationship-related. Mouse was sort of glad they hadn't - it had been good to just talk with Puck - but she did wonder where that left them.
There was a small scream as two children fought over a pillow. Mouse looked away from Puck and to the children, her smile turning to a frown. Jamie and Danny were twins, and had since their parents dropped them off at the library every week, they always seemed to make their way to the story time. She held back her sigh; last time she'd seen them, they'd finally seemed to stop fighting. Just because she'd been gone a month or two, it didn't mean the rules had changed.
"Danny and Jamie. What have I told you about fighting?" Mouse asked sternly, holding her hand out.
"That we're not to," they chorused, handing her the pillow reluctantly.
"Sit down at each side of the group," she said.
Giving each other mean looks, they both went to opposite sides. Mouse threw the pillow back to the box for another child to use, knowing that by the end of the story, both Danny and Jamie would be sitting next to each other quietly.
When it seemed that everyone had arrived, the children were quiet, and everyone looked comfortable enough, Mouse opened a large picture book and began reading.
Puck stood at the back of the group, watching as all of the kids (and probably a lot of parents) listened, entranced by Mouse. She pulled faces, did voices, and made all of the appropriate noises.
"Sammy tried to give some flowers to a little girl clown, but Babe the elephant suddenly scooped up the flowers with her trunk and ate them!"
The gathered group laughed along as she exaggerated a sad face.
He grinned slightly and wandered off to a different section of the library as the story ended. Realising that he'd gone into the work-end of the library, he turned to leave when one of the librarians called to him.
"You're looking a little lost there, son. First time to the story time?" one of the older men asked, smiling at him kindly.
"Uh, yeah," Puck replied, looking through the tinted window to the group. Mouse had started another story, it seemed.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Jane always takes care of them. It's in her nature, has been ever since Candon was born."
"You know Mouse... I mean, Jane?"
The man chuckled at the nickname, the others smiling.
"Of course he does. Robert was the one who gave her the nickname."
"Was that at the hospital, or here in the library, Rob?"
"Hospital. She was always so quiet, even before Candon was born. I worked in the hospital back then, and saw her coming in with her mum when she was pregnant with Candon. Then one day when I was going off my shift, I saw little Jane all alone in the sitting room. Four years old, and there she was, telling me in the quietest voice that she was waiting for her mum to finish having her baby brother," he said, shaking his head.
"Apart from Robert, the rest of us have all known her since she was six years old. Came in right through that door, all serious-like, pushing her brother's pram," one of the elderly women said.
"Then she told the librarian on desk that she'd walked up here with that thing all by herself and would like to see the children's section, pretty please! Swear the darned thing was bigger than her." Another chuckle and shake of the head by someone else in the group.
It seemed like they'd talked about this often, if the way they were going on was any indication.
Someone rang the bell, and Gladys hurried back out to the front desk. Puck followed her and made his way back to the story time group.
"It's time for me to have a bath. But how do I get up to the bathroom past all the anatosaurs playing on the stairs?"
Giggles and dinosaur roars erupted from the children (Puck wasn't sure a dinosaur would start mooing like that one kid, but he seemed to enjoy it). He looked to where Katie was sitting, and saw that she was giggling with some friends.
Mouse finished the story and grinned at the kids. They knew the routine, and hurried to look at the picture books and toys before the last story. She had a drink of water, her mouth slightly dry after getting around the awkwardly pronounced dinosaur names.
"Hey Mouse. Having fun?" Puck asked, coming to stand beside her.
"Always do," she replied, grinning.
"How long have you been doing this?" he asked, indicating to the pile of pillows on the floor.
"A while... I didn't know Katie was your sister," she said with a smile.
"She looks more like my mum than I do," he replied, trailing off slightly when he saw the large pile of books his sister was collecting off the shelf.
"Well, she's always well behaved, so you can be proud of her."
"Sure," Puck said, thinking she was pulling his leg. His sister was well behaved? The same one who screamed and ran around one minute, and then was timid and quiet the next?
"Hi Mouse. What do you think of these ones?" Katie asked, passing Noah with a brief smile.
Mouse took the stack of books carefully, sitting them on her lap to look through.
"How did you like the books I suggested last time?"
Katie grinned brightly. "They were really good. The one with the aliens was my favourite!"
"Really? That's part of a series, so there's more for you to read. You remember the author?"
Nodding, Katie hurried back to the shelves. She returned a few minutes later with more books.
"Haven't you already read this one?" Mouse asked Katie with a grin.
She went red and nodded shyly. "I really like it."
"That's great. I'm sure your brother could buy it for you. It's your birthday soon, isn't it?"
Puck hadn't thought it possible, but Katie went brighter still.
"Yeah, in two weeks. I'm turning thirteen."
"Awesome! Are you having a party?"
"Yeah, I can't wait. It's a pool party," she said, grinning brightly.
"It is?" Puck asked, frowning.
"Yeah, Mum said you have to clean the pool next week so it's ready. You didn't forget, did you?" Katie asked, her eyes wide.
"Oh, that's right. I didn't forget," he said quickly, silently reminding himself to make a note in his work diary.
"You've got some really good books there, Katie," Mouse said, writing something on a piece of paper she'd pulled from her pocket. "I've written the book down for Noah to buy for your birthday, but act surprised," she added with a grin.
"I will! Thanks, Mouse," Katie said, taking the collection back from her. She immediately handed them to Puck, who looked slightly annoyed at being turned into a pack mule. "It's story time rules," she said quickly, hurrying to her friends and pillow on the floor.
Mouse laughed softly, and he turned to glare at her. "She's right, it's the rules. No more than one book during story time," she said, grinning at his expression. "Here, I'll put it in your pocket. I wrote a note about cleaning the pool too," Mouse added quietly so Katie wouldn't hear.
Puck's grip on the books tightened as she tucked the piece of paper into his pants pocket.
"Thanks," he said, somewhat hoarse.
"'Welcome. Go on, the kids are waiting," Mouse said with a smile.
Puck made his way to the back of the group, careful not to drop the books on some kid's unsuspecting head. Katie hurried over to him and put her card on top of the books, thanking him before going back to her spot.
Sighing, Puck headed to the loans desk. Gladys smiled when she saw how many books he had.
"Your sister is quite the avid reader," she said, checking out the books for him.
"Yeah, seems so. Not much of a reader myself," he admitted, feeling bad for saying that in a library of all places.
"You're not the first to have said that. Don't worry, not everyone likes reading," Gladys said pleasantly. "We do have a large collection of DVDs and CDs if you're interested in those. Just over to the left there," she added.
He thanked her and headed to the DVD section for the hell of it.
"Haven't you finished yet, Noah?" Katie said, tugging on his shirt.
"You're done already?"
"Yeah, we finished like five minutes ago! Sheesh, you're so slow. Come on, you can take me out for lunch," Katie said, smiling brightly.
"You don't want to stay in the library?"
Katie's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him. "You want to stay?"
"Um... Sure, why not?"" he asked, seeing Mouse go past with Candy. "Here, I'll be back in a sec," he said, quickly handing Katie the library bag and going after them.
Katie looked annoyed at having to carry the bag, but she was too curious to see what had her brother wanting to stay in a library, and she followed him.
"Hey Mouse, want help with that?" Puck asked, seeing a large pile of books in her arms.
"I'm fine, thanks anyway," she said with a smile. "You missed the last story."
"You were looking for me, then?" he asked, grinning.
"It was about a big brother and his little sister! She was really tiny! Like Quinnie's baby," Candy said with a decisive nod.
Mouse handed half of the books to Candy. "Go and get these, I'll get my bag, and we'll go out for lunch, okay?"
Candy nodded happily, heading to the end of the line at the loans desk.
"Where are you going?"
Mouse shrugged briefly. "Not sure yet. I'll see what Candy feels like first," she said, adjusting the books in her arms.
"I can drive you if you want."
"Sure, that'd be nice. Better than dragging this lot around," she added with a grin. "I'll be out in about ten minutes, okay? Just have to pack up."
"'Kay. I'll wait outside with Katie for you," Puck said.
Nodding her thanks, Mouse went into the staff entrance. Puck turned to go get Katie, and found that she was standing right behind him, her hands on her hips, and a very knowing smirk on her face.
"You wanted to stay here for Mouse, didn't you?" she asked, giggling. "You like her, don't you?"
"Come on, or I'm leaving you behind," Puck muttered, grabbing the bag and leaving the library quickly.
"You love her, you want to hug her, you want to ..." Katie faltered for a moment, then grinned and continued, "take her out to lunch," she sang. Giggling when he just ignored her, Katie quickly followed him before he really did leave her behind.
...
Mouse said goodbye to everyone as she and Candy left the library.
"What do you want for lunch, sweetie?"
Candy thought about it hard, trying to figure out what he felt like eating.
"Sandwiches," Candy said. "And juice!"
"What's the magic word?"
"Abra-cadabra!" he replied cheekily, giggling. "Please, Mousie."
"All right, sweetie. Puck will drive us to Lo Cal Cafe, okay?"
"No, no, no! Sandwiches and juice at home!" Candy said, pouting.
"Are you sure? We can eat out as a treat," Mouse offered.
Candy shook his head adamantly. "Home!"
Puck was waiting beside his car, Katie already in her seat. He'd only just shut her up from singing that stupid song, and was trying to keep the song out of his head too.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind, but Candy just wants lunch at home," Mouse said.
"Oh, okay then," Puck said, trying not to show his disappointment.
"You could ... do you want to come over for lunch?" she asked, reddening slightly.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Katie won't mind," he added, looking to his sister.
She pretended to be singing again, and Puck moved so he was blocking her from Mouse's sight. Katie immediately erupted into giggles again.
"PBJ, PBJ, PBJ," Candy sang, doing a little dance as he waited impatiently for Mouse and Puck to finish talking.
"Okay, in you get, sweetie," Mouse said, opening the door for him.
"I'll get in the back," Katie said quickly from the front seat.
"Don't worry about it; I'll sit in the back with Candy," Mouse replied with a smile.
Puck drove carefully, seeing Candy's white-knuckled grip on Mouse's hand after a slightly fast turn. He wanted to ask Mouse how the hell they got to and from the library all the time; it was a twenty minute drive across town to her place!
"Thanks for driving, Puck. Just ... give me a minute, okay? I just want to check Sarah's not home," Mouse muttered, glowering at the front door briefly.
"Who's Sarah?" Katie asked curiously when Mouse and Candy were inside and out of earshot.
"Mouse's mother," Puck replied briefly.
"Oh... Reckon Mum would let me call her by her first name?"
Puck snorted. "She'd probably have a heart attack if you did."
Katie laughed, then stopped and looked at her brother, a large grin forming. "So, is Mouse Jewish or what?"
"Why are you so interested?"
"Oh, please. Mum's already going on about me finding a nice Jewish boy, and I've heard those talks she gives you."
"No, she's not Jewish, and I don't care. Neither should you, for that matter. You're not even thirteen yet!"
"Tell Mum that. Loudly and repeatedly," Katie muttered.
Puck looked at her for a moment, then grinned and ruffled her hair. "You're still a kid, keep acting like one, would you?"
"Thought you hated me running around like an idiot?" she replied, rolling her eyes as she hurried to fix her hair.
"Yeah, I do. But you can still do it sometimes," he said.
Katie was silent for a moment. "If I get nightmares, can I still come in your room?" she asked, her voice soft and timid.
Puck could see how Mouse might think Katie was well behaved now and then...
"Knock first, and for god's sakes, don't tell anyone," he added, getting out of the car when he saw Mouse waving for them to come inside.
"Sorry, should have checked my phone first. Sarah text me to say she won't be home until later. Do you like PBJ sandwiches, Katie?"
"Yeah!" she said, grinning.
"Candy, why don't you show our guest where the movies are, and let Katie choose one to watch?"
"Oh, but..." Candy began, his lower lip trembling.
"You know the rules, sweetie. Katie is our guest, isn't she?"
Candy nodded, still not looking too happy. Katie felt a bit bad, watching him put a DVD back on the shelf quickly.
Mouse went into the kitchen, Puck following her.
"You can choose," Candy said, suddenly smiling at Katie.
She grinned back at him, not feeling as guilty, and looked at the DVDs on the shelf, in particular the one Candy had put back. The Little Mermaid? She hadn't watched that in forever. Well, maybe a year, since she'd insisted she was old enough to watch older movies (Schindler's list hadn't been the best option to start off with, she thought with a shudder). Actually, The Little Mermaid sounded great.
"This one. Please," she said, smiling.
Candy's face lit up and Katie took the offered remote as he carefully put the DVD in the player.
Mouse made up the sandwiches quickly, looking to Puck every so often as he poured the drinks. She wasn't sure what to say, how to start a conversation, wondered if they even should be having a conversation. She concentrated as she cut the crust off the sandwiches, and was surprised when she felt arms wrap around her waist.
"Holding a knife here, Puck," she said, putting it down before either of them could get hurt. The last thing she wanted to do was stab her boyfriend... If that's even what he was.
"Would you go out on a date with me, Jane?"
"Is this your way of apologising?" she asked, her voice breathless.
"Is this you accepting my apology?" he replied, no less affected.
"Say the words, Noah," she murmured, but her tone much clearer.
"I'm sorry, Jane... Please, give me another chance. I'll treat you the way I should have treated you the first time round."
"You're forgiven, Noah. But you won't get another chance, got it?"
He turned her so they were face to face. "Got it," he said, kissing her.
Mouse smiled against his lips, her arms around his shoulders.
At the doorway, Katie pulled a face at the sight of her brother kissing someone. She snuck in, grabbed the sandwiches and drinks, and left before either one noticed.
As she sat on a beanbag beside Candy, eating a PBJ sandwich and watching The Little Mermaid, Katie decided her brother was right. She could keep acting like a kid for a while longer.
...
Later that night, Mouse was tucking Candy in after his bath. He was tired, but still insisted on Mouse reading him a story before going to sleep. It was the third one she'd read to the story time group, and Mouse was surprised to see it. She hadn't seen him take it.
Thankful that Sarah was still out for the night, and Candy would be settled and asleep by the time she did get home, Mouse opened the book to read.
"I always wanted a brother," Candy murmured sleepily when she'd finished.
"Why's that?" Mouse asked, her mind thinking up an irrational worry that she hadn't done something because she wasn't a boy.
"Because you love me so much, and another brother could look after you properly, and I could help him love you as much as I do."
Despite being so tired, Candy was very serious as he said this, and it took a lot of willpower for Mouse not to cry. She hugged him, trying not to squeeze him as tightly as she wanted to.
"Love you too, Candon," she whispered.
Candy snored against her gently, and with a smile, she settled him back on the mattress to sleep.
Mouse readied herself for bed absent-mindedly, thinking of Candy's words, one part in particular. Another brother could look after you properly... It was one of the few times he'd made reference to being different, or not strong enough, smart enough, etc. to look after her. He'd grown up with Mouse looking after him for most of his life, and had wanted to do the same, telling her in a serious voice that he would look after her when he was bigger and stronger. She'd usually put it down to him wanting to grow up quickly, but now she wondered if he really thought that she needed looking after...
Mouse was still awake when Sarah came home a few hours later. She didn't leave her bed to greet her though, especially not when she heard some male laughter joining her mother's. Shuddering, Mouse put her earphones on and turned the music up loud enough to drown them out.
...
"Morning, Jane dear. How did you sleep?" Sarah asked pleasantly as she came into the dining room, dressed in nothing more than her robe.
"John Doe already left. Muttered something about his wife and kids when he saw me, by the way," Mouse replied, not looking away from the papers in front of her.
"He swore he was going through a divorce," Sarah muttered, taking out a pack of cigarettes. "So, what are you looking so intense about, anyway?" she asked, looking over her daughter's shoulder. "College brochures?" she snorted in disbelief. "You really think they're going to let you in to college? Do they have a goody-two-shoes scholarship now?"
"Yes, I do believe they'll accept me, and I still have my education fund, so I don't need a scholarship," Mouse replied tersely.
"Ah, yeah, about that. There's no money left in it," Sarah said with a sniff, heading out to the back to smoke.
"WHAT?" Mouse yelled.
"Well, you two needed a lot more taking care of than I thought. You think all of those bills and other shit just pay for themselves?"
"Meaning, you drank all of my college money?"
Sarah turned away, but not before Mouse saw her grin.
Mouse's yell had woken Candy, and she hurried upstairs to placate him. She could feel tears burning in her eyes, but blinked them back quickly, putting on a smile before she opened her brother's door.
"Sorry for waking you, sweetie. You okay?" she asked, trying not to let her voice waver.
Candy nodded, holding his arms out for a hug. Mouse gave him one, kissing the top of his head gently.
"Come on, want to go out today?" she asked, swallowing the lump forming in her throat as she looked at him with a smile.
"Okay!"
"You get dressed quickly, and I'll take you out for breakfast too," she said, giving him another smile as she left his room, shutting the door behind her.
She went into her room, grabbed her purse, phone, and put them in her handbag. She was back in the hallway moments later, not daring to dwell in her room for long. She knew that if she did, she would pack a bag and never come back.
This was truly the last straw. She had been through enough, had suffered each and every bout of drinking and abuse her mother put her through, all because she knew that she had that college money to get her out. She had made calculations based on how much money her grandmother had left her, knew exactly how much she needed to pay for college, how much she needed to earn every week in order to get the hell out of Lima. She'd only needed these few years at college to be able to afford enough money to get Candy out too, and she'd relied on that money ever since she'd been given it as her inheritance when she was seven years old.
Of course, since she'd been too young to have that much money at her disposal, it had been put into a bank account with her mother's signature. It was before the new laws regarding inheritance and children's savings had come into affect, and obviously, Sarah had taken the money and drank every last cent.
Her stomach twisted in anger and she forced herself to calm her hands out of their balled up fists. It took her longer than she would have liked.
"Ready!" Candy announced, opening his door.
"Oh, sweetie," Mouse said, a small laugh escaping, providing a brief reprieve from her anger. "I don't think going out in your pyjamas is a good idea," she said, trying to think of a reason that he'd understand. "They'll get very dirty, and then you won't be able to wear them for a long time," she added.
Candy's smile fell flat as he looked down at his clothes. His Buzz Lightyear pyjamas were his favourite, and he didn't want them dirty!
"Okay. Wait for me, Mousie," he said, closing the door and changing again.
"Much better," Mouse said with a smile. He was dressed in jeans and a Toy Story shirt, and had his bright red shoes on, the laces undone and waiting to be tied.
"Laces?" he asked, sticking his foot out.
Mouse nodded and tied them quickly. "Ready?"
Candy checked himself over, and then nodded. "Ready!"
Making herself smile again, she led Candy out of the house. He called out goodbye to Sarah when he saw her car in the driveway.
Sarah put out her cigarette, waved a sarcastic little wave to her neighbour who was glaring at her from her two-storey deck, and decided to open her hidden stash of alcohol. She'd even drink it in her back garden, just to spite the prissy bitch. Who the fuck exercised on a Sunday?
...
"Mr. Hummel? Sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but I was wondering if Candy and I could stay over tonight please?" Mouse asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Candy was drawing on the paper placemat, trying to complete the connect-the-dots, and didn't pay attention to his sister's conversation.
"I'm sorry, Jane, but I won't be at home tonight, and Kurt's staying with some friends. Perhaps you can stay with them instead?"
"That's fine. Thank you, Mr. Hummel. See you tomorrow after school," she said, hanging up and going to the next number.
Quinn had her phone switched off; Mercedes had a full house with both Kurt and Tina over; Artie had a recital with the jazz band; Finn was on a date with Rachel; Santana and Brittany were getting their teeth done or something (it had been hard to hear them on the phone); and Mike and Matt had dragged Puck off for a guy's day out at the local paintball place. Mr. Schuester was sleeping god knew where, and Mouse didn't want to burden him with her problems anyway.
"Come on, Candy. Let's go on the swings for a while," Mouse said with a smile, leading him to the park after paying for breakfast.
She would think of something else, somewhere else to stay. She couldn't face Sarah right now.
...
"When did Mouse call you?" Puck asked, frowning at Mike.
"Oh, before the game. You were changing. I told her we'd abducted you," he said, grinning.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I was trying to stay alive, it kinda slipped my mind," Mike replied, his grin faltering.
"What did she call you for anyway?" Matt asked, frowning.
"Wanted to see if there was anyplace she could stay, or something. It was hard to hear over those speakers," he muttered.
Puck pulled over, took his phone out of his pocket and rang Mouse's phone. She didn't pick up.
...
"Higher! Higher!" Candy called, laughing happily as Mouse pushed him on the swing.
She smiled and kept pushing him until her arms hurt. Then, when he was satisfied with how high he was going, Mouse sat on the swing next to him, swaying slightly.
Her handbag was on the ground, her phone inside it and on silent.
...
"Call the others, we need to find her," Puck said, hitting redial on his phone.
"Seriously? I'm sure she's fine," Matt said.
"You really think she'd be calling for a place to stay if she was fine?"
Mike just started ringing their friends, already feeling guilty.
...
Mercedes hung up, looking pale. "Um, guys? We need to find Mouse. Like, now," she said, grabbing her bag and scarf.
"What's wrong?" Kurt asked with a frown, turning off the music.
"You know that phone call I got before? It was Mouse. I thought she just wanted to hang out, but ... well, she might be in trouble." Mercedes said, frowning.
"I'll call my dad," he replied, already opening his phone and going to his contact list.
Burt felt slightly sick when he hung up from Kurt's call. He thought that Jane hadn't sounded ... well, like she normally did, at least ... but he'd dismissed it as bad reception. Guilt turned in his stomach as he remembered how he'd promised that she and Candy would have somewhere to stay if they ever needed it. And now, when they did need it, he'd broken his promise just because he was on a date?
"Are you all right, Burt?" Carole asked, concerned.
He nodded briefly. "I think I just need some air," he murmured, excusing himself with a brief smile.
From what Kurt had said, most of the Glee club were out looking for her. He had no idea where Mouse could possibly be, and they were their friends. The most help he'd be was to drive around, but they all had cars and their licences, so that was basically moot. He'd tell Carole what had happened, keep his phone on, and hope that she understood when he explained why Jane was important to him, and more importantly, to Kurt.
...
Finn almost threw his phone out the window. He'd just got to second base with Rachel, damn it! He answered in anger, but soon, all of that frustrated emotion simply melted away.
"Uh, Finn? Are you all right?" Rachel asked, sitting up as she looked at him.
"Yeah. Yeah, fine. We've got to look for Mouse... She called before, when you were in the bathroom, and ... well, she needs help."
Rachel hurried to stand and fix her blouse. "We should check the usual places she might go to first. Do you know where that might be?"
Finn thought about it, but came up blank. He had no idea where Mouse would go on the weekend, other than Glee practice.
Rachel didn't have any idea either. "Maybe we should try her house; she might be home already."
Grateful that she'd thought of something, Finn nodded quickly, and after thinking about the postman for a moment, he went with Rachel to his car.
...
Mike had barely gotten past the sentence 'Mouse needs help, she has Candy with her', before Terrence had said he'd check the football grounds and promptly hung up.
They had nearly everyone from Glee looking around town (Artie couldn't leave the jazz practice, Quinn had her phone off, and Brittany and Santana were too drugged up to do much more than answer their phone with some happy laughter before a nurse had closed their phones with some clipped response to not call again).
"Has anyone checked the park yet?"
"The park?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, there's one near her house," Puck said.
"Finn and Rachel are checking her house, but they're in the opposite direction," Mike answered, checking his text messages.
Puck checked the oncoming traffic, and moments later, turned around with a squeal of rubber.
...
"Where do you want to go now, sweetie?" Mouse asked.
"Roundabout!"
Candy slid his feet along the ground, jumping off the slowing swing, and heading to the middle of the park.
Mouse followed him, deciding not to correct him. He held on to the bar, and when she was sure he was holding on tight enough, she pushed the circle around, jumping up on to the spinning disc. Gravity and wind pushed against her, her short hair flying against her face. Closing her eyes, Mouse tried to stop thinking all together. They slowed down, and at Candy's insistence, she got off and spun them around again.
...
"There they are," Puck said, sounding relieved.
"We'll text everyone," Mike said quickly.
Matt nodded, unlocking his phone as Puck pulled over.
The car door slamming made Mouse open her eyes, and she watched numbly as Puck ran towards them. They were still spinning around quickly, but he jumped straight up next to her nimbly. Candy yelled happily.
"Are you all right?" Puck asked.
She shook her head.
"Hey, Candy. You been on the slide yet?" Mike called.
Candy waited until the spinning had stopped and got off carefully, his footsteps wobbly. Matt and Mike gave a laugh and helped him over to the slide.
"What's wrong?" Puck asked, glad that they'd distracted Candy.
"It's all gone."
"What?"
"It's all gone. All of my college money. She drank it all away. I can't get out... I'm going to be stuck here until I die... And now, Candy won't be able to get out either. I just ... She drank all of my money!" Mouse said, her voice hoarse with disbelief.
Puck didn't even bother asking who 'she' was. He put his arm around her shoulders.
"Lots of kids go to college without money. You can do that too, can't you?"
"It's not the point, Noah. She drank all of my money away. I've been waiting for that money since I was seven years old!" she said, all but screaming. "She drank every last cent and then she told me that I had my education fund for college. She told me it was there, and she drank it all! And then when she was drunk, she'd verbally abuse Candy. She abused Candy with my money, Noah."
He didn't know what to say to that, and just hugged Mouse.
One by one, cars pulled up to the park. Candy was happy to see everyone (Terrence had called the entire football team, unsure of what sort of 'help' Mouse needed), and Puck and Mouse were left alone until dark.
...
"Why are you suddenly bringing girls home, Noah? And with her brother, no less? What sort of name is Mouse anyway? She's good at reading and seems nice enough, but she's not Jewish, is she?"
"She doesn't have to be Jewish, Mum. Just leave it, okay? Mouse can sleep in Katie's room, that 'kay?" Puck said, turning to his sister.
"Yeah. But what about Candy?" Katie asked.
"He can have my bed. I'll take the floor."
"All right. I'll go make up my spare mattress," Katie said, suddenly embarrassed about the state of her room.
"I'm going to get Mouse and Candy inside. Mum, just ... be nice, okay?" Puck asked with a sigh.
"When am I not nice?"
Puck refrained from comment, and went out to his car where Candy and Mouse were waiting. "Hey, come on in. Katie's just cleaning her room up," he said with a slight grin.
Mouse nodded, still looking far too wooden for his liking, and his grin slipped. Candy had been distracted by everyone to the point of exhaustion, and Puck had to carry him to the car. He was careful to lift him out of the seat and inside, the younger boy snuggling up to him.
His mother didn't say a word as he took Candy upstairs. After laying Candy on his bed, Puck went back down to see Mouse standing in the hallway, staring but not seeming to see anything. His mother looked creeped out at her expression, and soon muttered something about a TV show, heading into the lounge room quickly.
"Mouse?" No response. "Jane, come on. Let's get you upstairs," Puck said, taking her hand.
She followed him automatically. Katie's mixture of excitement and embarrassment had morphed into something terrible, but her room was clean at least (she was standing in front of her wardrobe protectively), and the trundle bed was made up beside her bed. Her excited energy faded soon after seeing Mouse's flat expression, and Katie left to watch TV with her mother.
Puck helped Mouse take her shoes off and tucked her into the bed. "I'm right across the hall, okay? Come get me if you need," he said, hoping that would get through to her.
Mouse nodded briefly, turning to look up at the ceiling. "Thanks," she whispered as he left, so quiet Puck wasn't even sure she'd said something.
He made sure that Candy was comfortable, and then went downstairs to say goodnight to his mother and sister. He hugged both of them, ignoring their shock and surprise, suddenly grateful that they were who they were. Sure, his mother was blunt to the point of embarrassment and sometimes nausea, and his sister could get on his nerves every now and then, but they'd never purposely try to destroy his future.
"Good night. I ... I love you both, you know that, right?"
His mother was silent for so long that Puck was almost sure she'd had a silent heart attack. "Love you too, Noah," she said finally, smiling.
Katie got up and hugged him. "Love you too... Look after Mouse, okay?"
He nodded, ruffling her hair when she pulled away. He intended to do just that.
...
Mouse came out of her stupor around 4 in the morning. She hadn't slept a wink, but had pretended that she had, so as not to scare or worry Katie.
She felt bad at everything that had happened, wishing she could ring everyone immediately and apologise for scaring them. Puck's earlier words had been correct, she knew that now, but at the time, she hadn't wanted to hear them. She'd apply for a scholarship, she'd work her ass off and she would not only get herself out of Lima, but she'd get Candy out the first moment she could. She'd just have to work a bit harder, that's all, but she would do it.
Listening to her surroundings for a moment, Mouse sat up, got off the mattress, and left the room quietly.
Puck woke up when the mattress dipped beside him. He opened his eyes groggily, staring in disbelief when he saw Mouse beside him. Was he dreaming again?
"I'm sorry, Noah," she whispered.
Probably not a dream. At least, he'd hope his own dream-version of Mouse would have said something a bit hotter than that after getting into bed with him. And she was still in the same clothes from yesterday, so definitely not a dream.
"What for?"
"For scaring you, for putting you through this. It's my problem, and I should have dealt with it on my own. I ... I just couldn't see Sarah again tonight."
"You're allowed to share your problems, you know. More people and less stress, or whatever the saying is," he said with a yawn. "And you don't have to be sorry," he murmured sleepily.
"Noah?" Mouse asked softly, her hand on his arm.
"Mmm?"
"Hold me?"
Puck opened an eye to see if she was testing him or something.
Mouse looked straight back at him, suddenly feeling nervous and shy. She'd just asked him to sleep with her (in the non-sexual sense, at least), and if he agreed, then he would be the first person who had ever done so. That didn't mean she wanted him getting any ideas since she was vulnerable, like he had with Quinn and the wine coolers...
He gave her a somewhat sleepy grin, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close.
"Sleep now," Puck murmured, rubbing her back gently as they both dozed off to sleep.
...
End of the nineteenth chapter.
I hope you liked it!
...
The books that Mouse reads from are part of the Little Golden Book series. I don't own any rights or anything legal-related to these books.
1) Precious moments: put on a happy face! by Debbie Wiersma.
2) There are Tyrannosaurs trying on pants in my bedroomby Jim Heartney.
The third mentioned book is a picture book (What a Good Big Brother! by Diane Wright Landolf.), and I also don't own anything to do with it.