Title: As You Wish, Chapter 3/?

Disclaimer1: I don't own Glee, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.

A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.

A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

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Disclaimer2: I do not own the rights to 'I Dream of Jeannie' (the 1960s sitcom) or the 'Aladdin' movie series put out by Disney. Anything familiar to either of those works belong to their rightful owners; I'm just borrowing some ideas for the fun of writing this work of fiction!

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Chapter 3: Introductions, Part 3

"A girlfriend? Really?" Finn asked, before the guys could even get out of Puck's hallway.

Expecting the question, Puck nodded, "yeah, I've had one for a few months," he replied simply as they stepped outside and began jogging towards the main street.

"A few months?" Finn gasped, glancing at him, "and I'm just now finding out? Why didn't you say anything?"

"We didn't know where things were going and she was living in Columbus at the time, so we haven't seen each other a lot. The only reason why she's here is because she's moving in," Puck explained.

Finn's eyes widened in shock, "really? So soon?"

"We didn't plan on living together, but she lost her job as a live-in nanny and I invited her to move in until she can get back on her feet," Puck told his friend, "if we like living together, then we'll keep doing it. If we'd rather not, then once she gets a job and can find a place, she can move out."

"Yeah, alright, I get that. You still didn't answer my question about why I'm just finding out," Finn added.

Puck smirked, "well, I know my track record with girls isn't the greatest and like I said, we didn't know where things were going, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, until I knew how things were going to go," motioning behind them to his apartment, "and I definitely didn't expect you to meet her that way. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry, it's alright," Finn waved off the apology, "I'm just shocked. Does anyone else know?"

"No. You're the first one to find out. I'm gonna tell my mom and sister today, so please don't tell anyone until I tell them. I don't want them finding out from someone else," he requested, knowing their moms were close.

"I won't say anything. Let me know when I can, okay?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Speaking of girlfriends, what's Quinn up to?" Puck wondered, since he hadn't talked to Finn for a few days.

Finn rolled his eyes, "we got into an argument again yesterday."

"About what? The same thing?" Puck asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Yes, the same thing. She wants me to find a better job than managing Burt's garage. She's finally getting settled into her real estate job now that she's had her license for a few months and her paychecks are really nice, but she keeps telling me she doesn't want to support me," Finn sighed, "I never asked her to. I'm making pretty good money with the garage... Sure, it's not what she's making, but it pays the bills and I like what I'm doing."

"There's nothing wrong with working at the garage," Puck assured him, "and I get she's making money now, but she's never complained before about the money you're making, so what's changed? Have you guys talked about moving in together or getting married?"

"No, we haven't talked about either of those. The only thing I can come up with is that her mom is probably saying things to her, because she's never been a huge fan of us dating," Finn replied, "and a few months ago, when she got her license, she wasn't like this. She was just barely scraping by and was borrowing money from me, so she wasn't always getting it from her mom. Now that her job is paying something, she's totally changed her feelings and I don't know why."

"Point blank come out and ask why she's suddenly concerned with the job you have, the money you make and why it was good enough to help pay her bills before, but now it isn't," Puck suggested. "You know Quinn and I haven't gotten along since the pregnancy scare in high school and all that drama, so we're only civil to each other now, because of you. What's that saying? 'There's plenty of fish in the sea'? You should ask her and if she can't accept that you're going to continue to work there, then you need to think about if staying with her is worth it. Do you want to be with someone who can't accept who you are?"

Several moments passed as Finn thought about what Puck was saying and slowly he shook his head, "no, I don't want to be. You're right. I'm not gonna change who I am for her. If she can't deal with it, then I can find someone else."

"Exactly," Puck nodded, "and I know Christmas is in a week, so it's a rough time to be talking about this, but you've gotta know. Why wait?"

"That's true. It's crappy timing, but I want some answers. I do love her, but recently it's been tough because we've been bickering so much and I want to get past this. If that means breaking up with her, then I'm gonna have to do it," Finn told him honestly, "because I'm getting tired of all the bickering."

"I know you are."

"Thanks for the advice," Finn smiled as the two turned down another street and continued to jog.

"No problem. I know it's not quite my business, which is why I haven't said too much in the past when you've vented, but you've been dealing with this for a while and I can't hold back any longer. You've gotta figure something out," Puck told him.

"Yeah, I do. I think I just needed to talk it out with someone. I'll maybe talk to her today after she gets home from church," Finn explained as they came towards his apartment complex. "Are things good between you and Rachel?"

"We're good. Still figuring things out. She's nervous about living in a new place, it'll be great to be together more than once and a while," Puck replied simply.

"I'm glad to see you with someone, like, um, a..." Finn paused, figuring out the right words, "you've never really dated a girl before, so I'm happy to see you're trying that."

"Rachel's the first girl I've really liked, so it's new territory for me, but I get what you're saying. I knew one day I'd have to quit with one-night-stands and I have, since Rachel and I got together," Puck commented with a shrug, mentally knowing part of what he was saying was true; if he had met the right girl, he would have straightened out his act. He also definitely liked Rachel.

"Quinn and I have never lived together, so that's a big step. Some couples have no problem living together, but others do, so I hope you're one of the lucky ones," Finn told him.

"Thanks," Puck smiled, "I hope things work out, too."

...

When the guys made it back to Finn's place, they headed inside. Both chugged down a bottle of water and after talking for a short time, they said their goodbyes and Puck left, jogging back to his place to finish up his run. He wasn't sure if Rachel would be up when he got back and when he finally walked into his apartment, he could tell by the silence that she was still asleep. Moving into his room, he froze in the doorway when he saw Rachel curled up in his bed, "whoa, didn't expect this," Puck murmured.

Hearing his voice, Rachel stirred and sat up a little, "hey, Noah," she waved lightly, "you alone?"

"Yeah," Puck nodded, heading towards the bed, "Finn jogs over here, then we go back to his place and then I come back here. That's what we usually do. Why?" He motioned towards her, "and I didn't expect you being in my bed."

"Oh," Rachel blushed, "sorry, I didn't want to be too forward, but I thought if Finn returned with you, in case he happened to see in here, he might be curious where I was sleeping, if I wasn't in your bed."

Puck nodded in understanding, "I get what you mean. I never thought about sleeping arrangements being something we'd need to think about."

"I didn't either, until I was just about to fall asleep. I had a few other things on my mind and then had the thought. Hope it's alright," she blushed, realizing what she was doing.

"It's cool," he assured her, "no worries. You're actually the first girl I've had in my bed."

"What?" She gasped, remembering what he told her the night before about all the girls he'd been with over the years."

"I'm serious. I never brought them back home when I was living with my mom and sister and now this is my safe place. I definitely don't want some random girl coming over and knowing where I live, in case she gets pissed at me," he explained with a shrug, "so I always went to a hotel or her place."

"I see," Rachel nodded, understanding what he was getting at, "that makes sense. That's a good thing."

"Yeah, I have good ideas from time to time," he smirked.

"You do," she agreed, "um, so is there anything else going on today that I should know about?"

"No. After I shower and have something to eat, I'll call my mom and sister and have them come over this afternoon. Finn should be the last surprise," he promised with a grin.

"Okay, good. I still feel bad that I did that, but I'm glad Finn didn't seem upset or mad at me," she blushed.

"He's not. He's happy to see me with a steady 'girlfriend'. I kinda hate lying to him, but I don't want him to know. Maybe once my mom and sister know and get used to us, I'll think about telling him, because he's like a brother to me, but not right now."

"That's understandable. Tell him when and if you're ready to," Rachel replied, "it's your decision and I'd be alright with it either way. Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, but probably not for long. They're having issues. They've been dating since we were in high school, but they've had some ups and downs. Her mom doesn't like him very much and now that his girlfriend has gotten a good paying job, she's becoming a bitch, again. Her and I have never really gotten along, ever since she had the pregnancy scare, because I would have been the kid's father and it's a long story. Anyway, I think Finn is finally fed up with her attitude and is gonna give her an ultimatum, so they may be breaking up here in the very near future," Puck explained, sitting on his bed to kick off his shoes and socks.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but if they are having problems, maybe it's for the best?"

"That's what I think," Puck shrugged, "Finn needs someone who doesn't care what kind of job he has or how much money he makes. Quinn isn't that person anymore, so I think it's definitely time to break up, unless Quinn is willing to change her attitude," Puck paused and stood up, "and with that, I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Okay. Would you like me to make you something for breakfast?" Rachel wondered.

"Sure, if you don't mind. I won't be long. I can fix something after I'm done, but if you make something, that's okay, too."

Rachel nodded and got out of bed, "I'll make something after I shower and change."

"You have a shower in your bottle?" He smirked, "really?"

Rachel laughed lightly, "yes; one of many magic things my bottle can do."

"That's awesome," Puck smiled, "you'll have to tell me about all the other things later."

"Okay, sounds good," Rachel nodded, disappearing in a flash.

Watching her disappear into thin air, Puck smirked, "I can't believe I have a genie friend. She's awesome! I'm definitely one lucky guy... For once!"

...

Puck didn't take a long shower and when he stepped out of the bathroom, he could smell something cooking. With a smile, he headed for his room and got dressed, before heading into the kitchen to find Rachel making some omelets for them, "smells good in here, Rachel."

"You think so? Great! Breakfast is almost ready," she replied, "besides what I'm making, is there anything else you'd like?"

"Nah, what you've done is cool," he told her, taking a seat at the table she'd already set, "do you need any help?"

Rachel shook her head, "no, I'm all done, actually," she smiled, snapping her fingers.

In a flash, their meals appeared on the table and Puck smirked at the movement, "you're spoiling me."

"What's wrong with that?" Rachel wondered, moving over to sit down next to him, "and what would you have had for breakfast if I hadn't been here?"

Puck laughed, "probably a bowl of cereal, so this is definitely awesome," he motioned to what was in front of him, "thank you."

"You're welcome, but you don't have to keep thanking me for things. I appreciate it, but I'm helping you out and I know you appreciate what I'm doing," she assured him, loving to hear 'thank you', but also didn't feel it was always necessary.

"I know I don't have to say it all the time, but I want to. You're doing things for me that deserve a 'thank you' and I'm not gonna just ignore that, alright?" He asked as they started to eat their meal.

"Alright," she blushed, "I suppose just like you have to get used to me, I'm gonna have to get used to you, too," she added, knowing her new life was totally different than the ones she'd had in the past.

...

Putting their conversation behind them, Puck and Rachel continued eating and talked lightly over their meal. By the time they were finished, his sister was calling his phone, "hey, Arin, what's up?" He asked, surprised she was calling so early.

"Not much. Are you busy doing anything today? I thought I'd come over and we could hang out or something. If you've got plans, I understand, but we haven't hung out for a while," she admitted.

"We haven't," he agreed, "that would be cool. I actually was gonna call you and mom in a while and see if you wanted to come over. I have someone I'd like for you two to meet."

"What? Meet? Really?" Arin gasped, "who is it?"

Puck smirked, "you'll have to find out when you get here."

"Why not? Mom's at work for a few hours to help cover for a friend's shift, so she won't be home until later."

"Oh, so that's why you want to hang out. Your friends are busy and mom's not home, huh?" He teased lightly.

"No," Arin sighed, "I mean, yeah, but I still want to hang out with you, too."

"It's alright, sis. I get it. You can come over whenever you want, you know that," Puck replied honestly.

"I know, but I never know when you're doing things for work or with your friends," she told him, "I'll be over in a bit."

"Okay, see you then," Puck replied, hearing her phone click off, so he knew she'd hung up, "my sister is on her way over," he added, looking at Rachel.

"I could tell," Rachel admitted, "how would you like me to meet her?"

"Preferably without a baseball bat," he winked and at Rachel's cheeks flushing, he reached over and rested his hand on hers, "I'm just teasing you. As for meeting my sister, she'll knock when she gets here and I'll answer the door. When she comes inside you can come over and meet her and at first I'll introduce you like I did with Finn, but once she gets over the shock of me having a girlfriend, we can sit down and I'll bring it up, and then you can 'show' her."

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded, "okay. That sounds good. Just don't forget you want her to keep this a secret."

"I know. Trust me, I won't forget," he assured her, "I'm just not gonna drop it on her right away."

"That makes sense. Have you told me how old she is?"

"I can't remember if I did," he admitted with a shrug, taking a sip of water, "she's eighteen. She's a Senior in high school."

"Oh, alright. For some reason, if you told me, I missed it and thought she was younger, but this way she'll understand everything," Rachel smiled.

"That's why I don't mind telling her. She'll get it. She also knows how to keep secrets, so she won't say anything and as soon as my mom finds out, she won't have to hide it from her, because she hates doing that," Puck replied, sitting back in his seat. "They also don't live too far away, so I'm sure she'll be here shortly."

Rachel nodded and seeing that they were done eating, she snapped her fingers and this time everything disappeared, magically appearing back where they belonged, leftovers setting on the counter to cool, clean dishes put away and all the messes on the kitchen counters and the table cleaned up.

Puck smirked, amazed at what happened before his eyes, "are you sure I'm not dreaming?"

"I'm sure," she smiled, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder, "see? All real."

"Yeah you are," he agreed, then grinned, "I can't wait to see my sister's reaction or my mom's!"

"I just hope they're not scared of me," Rachel replied, smiling at his comment.

"They won't be, once they understand everything. Maybe at first they'll be a little shocked or confused, but as they get used to everything, they'll love you," Puck assured her.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel smiled, "I keep telling myself that, so hopefully you're right."

"Of course I'm right," he winked, "but honestly, I know my mom and sister."

Rachel nodded, "yes, you're right. You do."

...

Like Puck expected, his sister was knocking on his door a short time after her call and Puck headed to get the door. "Hey sis. You could have just come in," he commented as he pulled the door open.

"I know, but it's a force of habit to knock," she admitted, waving at him as she moved inside. "Now, who do you want me and mom to meet? Because the only person I could come up with..." She trailed off when she looked a few feet away and saw Rachel standing, dressed casually, "...is a girlfriend," she finished, smiling at her and then looking at Puck for an explanation.

Puck closed the door and stepped over to his sister, slipping an arm around her shoulders, "you could say that," he agreed, "Arin, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is my little sister, Arin."

Rachel smiled at Arin and moved towards her, "it's nice to meet you," she replied, holding out her hand.

Curiously, Arin shook Rachel's hand, "same here," she agreed, "so, are you his girlfriend?"

"Um, well, there's a little more to that, so let's sit down and talk," Puck admitted, guiding them towards the couch.

"Alright," Arin and Rachel both took seats on the couch, while Puck Puck turned to face them and sat down on the edge of the coffee table, "so, what's going on?" Arin inquired.

Puck took a moment to gather his thoughts and figure out exactly how he wanted to start, "to everyone, Rachel is my girlfriend, but there's something I want to share with you and mom that no one else can know, alright? You can't tell anyone. You have to keep this a secret."

"Okay, I can do that," the teen trailed off, eyeing her brother and then looked at his 'girlfriend'. After a moment, Arin gasped in shock as a thought came to her, "are you pregnant?"

"No way!" Rachel shook her head, quickly reacting to the question, "I'm a virgin," she added proudly, though her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

At her response, Arin's shock grew even more as she curiously looked at her brother. Her mind filled with tons of questions and was really wondering what was going on, but chose to stay calm and wait until they said more, before she freaked out or made more assumptions.

Puck's own cheeks changed to a light pink color as the question settled in the room and then he sobered to continue, "no, Arin, that's not it at all," he assured her, "do you promise whatever we tell you or show you is secret; private between you, me, Rachel and mom?"

"I already told you I would keep things quiet, so yes, I promise," Arin nodded, "tell me."

Exchanging a glance with Rachel, Puck nodded and took a deep breath, "there's more to Rachel than just a beautiful young woman. She's awesome!" Puck saw his sister smile, so he continued, "the reason why we're only telling a few people is because it'd be super complicated to explain, so I only want to tell you and mom," at the confused look his sister had, Puck kept going, "I met Rachel yesterday. She's not my girlfriend; we're just friends, but she'll be living here with me. You see, Rachel is very special; she's not like us in some ways. She has some pretty cool powers."

Arin eyed him, "powers? Like witchcraft?"

"No," Rachel shook her head, "not really like that, but I suppose it could be seen as that."

"Wait, what?" Arin's eyes widened, "you're being serious?"

"We are," Puck nodded, pausing again, before looking Arin in the eyes, "Rachel is a genie."

Unable to hold back, Arin began laughing, "yeah right! There's no such thing as genies! They're only in fictional Disney movies."

Puck and Rachel shared a look and he smirked, "well, that's not quite true. They are real, but are very rare."

Arin's laughing stopped at his calm response and her eyes widened, "you're a... No way! This has got to be some kind of joke! Am I on candid camera or something?" She asked quickly, looking around.

"We're serious, sis," Puck responded, resting his hand on her knee, "it's real."

Arin's mouth fell open in shock and her eyes darted between Puck and Rachel, "I... What?"

Rachel held out her hands, one to Puck and the other to Arin, "let me show you," she offered softly, seeing the teen was having a hard time believing them.

Puck immediately took Rachel's hand and looked at his sister, "it's okay, sis. Take her hand."

Eyeing her brother skeptically, she reached out and took Rachel's hand, and then immediately grabbed onto his other hand, "okay, now what?"

"Let's stand. It'll be easier," Rachel said softly and as the three of them stood up, she took a deep breath, and like with Puck, she used her powers to transport them from Puck's living room into Rachel's bottle.

As soon as they landed on the soft carpeting of Rachel's 'room', Puck and Rachel calmly looked at Arin, waiting to see how she responded.

Arin's eyes darted around the round room as her hands firmly gripped onto their hands. She couldn't believe what had just happened to her and felt as if it was all a dream, "oh my! This... this can't be real," she muttered, turning slightly to look behind her, at a completely unfamiliar room.

Puck reassuringly squeezed her hand, "I know how you feel. I was like this yesterday, but it's all real. Come on," he guided her towards one of the 'windows', "we're in Rachel's bottle, which is on my desk in my room," he explained, motioning towards his currently unmade bed.

"I'm... We're..." As the reality finally sunk in, Arin's list of questions grew exponentially and she quickly turned to Rachel, still standing in the middle of the room, "you're a... and you have... And this is..."

"Arin, take a deep breath and relax," Puck said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Following his suggestion, Arin took a few calming breaths and let her brain settle for a moment, "okay, that helped," she agreed, "so, you're a real genie? Genies are real?"

"Yes, I am and they are real," Rachel confirmed, remaining where she was standing, so Arin could be the one to move closer.

"Now do you understand why you and mom will be the only ones who know the truth and why we're telling everyone else we're dating and living together?" Puck asked, hoping her shock wasn't too severe.

"Yes, it all makes sense now. I promise I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good, thank you, sis," Puck sighed in relief and guided her towards Rachel.

Silence filled the room for a long moment as Arin processed everything, "this is a lot to take in," she finally said, "I have so many questions."

"I'm sure you do," Rachel smiled, "and I'd be happy to answer as many of them as I can. Shall we go back to the living room and talk?"

...

After the initial shock wore off, Arin began asking some simple questions about how they met and they told her, and Rachel and Puck also explained what they'd be telling everyone about their relationship. Arin understood why they were keeping the truth from everyone else and assured them she'd keep quiet and was pretty sure that her and Puck's mom would give the same promise.

Slowly Arin's questions shifted and her and Rachel began talking, more like two best friends, laughing and joking around and just for 'fun' Rachel began conjuring up items, like flowers, a new backpack for Arin, a specific book and Arin's favorite chocolate cake. Puck was happy they were getting along, just like he thought they would, but he didn't want his sister to come across as 'using' Rachel for her powers. They were definitely helpful, but he didn't want Arin to go overboard, so they cut back and the three continued to sit around and talk.

A little after noon, Arin and Puck's mom, Deborah, called, wanting to know what Arin was up to, since she wasn't home when she got back from work. Puck and Arin immediately invited her over so they could have lunch together and it wasn't long before Deborah was knocking on Puck's door and then opening it, smelling lunch. "Knock, knock," she called out, stepping inside.

"Hey mom!" Puck replied, getting up and moving to greet her, "how was work?"

Closing the door behind her, she smiled, "it was an easy morning. Really simple. What smells so good? Are you cooking?" She asked curiously as they hugged.

"No, he isn't. Rachel is," Arin replied from the dinning table she and Rachel were sitting at.

Pulling away from their hug, Deborah gasped and glanced towards where Arin and Rachel were and then returned her gaze to her son, "and who is this beautiful young woman?" She wondered curiously.

"Mom, this is Rachel, Rachel, this our mom Deborah," Puck replied as they walked over towards them, "Rachel's a friend of mine."

"A friend of yours? And why I have I never heard anything about her before?" Deborah asked, glancing at her son before holding her hand out to Rachel, "it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Mrs. Puckerman," Rachel replied with a smile, shaking her hand.

"That's because we just met," Puck commented, motioning towards the chairs, "let's sit and we can talk over lunch," he suggested.

"Oh that sounds wonderful. I haven't eaten since this morning," Deborah admitted, "whatever is cooking smells lovely."

"Thank you. I hope you all like it," Rachel smiled at them, while her mind raced. She was thankful the table was set, so all Rachel needed to do was serve up the various items cooking on the stove, but the drawback was she needed to use her powers to finish up and with Puck's small apartment, the kitchen could be seen completely from the dinning table, where Deborah was sitting.

"Noah, could you help me for a moment?" Rachel asked, motioning to the oven.

"Sure, what's up?" He asked, moving towards her.

Rachel shared a silent look at him and then her eyes moved towards the table, "I was wondering if you could help me get things on the table."

"Oh yeah," Puck nodded, realizing the situation they were in, "I'll get it on the table. You go ahead and sit down," he added, guiding her towards the table and got her to sit down next to Arin and across from Deborah, "relax."

Rachel nodded and joined his mom and sister without hesitation, "alright."

"So, Rachel. How long have you and Noah known each other? He said you just met," the older woman asked curiously.

"Um, we met yesterday at the Jewish store in Columbus," she explained simply.

"What?" Deborah gasped.

"There's a lot to explain," Rachel commented softly, "Noah and I spent the morning explaining it to Arin."

"Rachel's awesome!" Arin grinned, looking at Deborah, "but we have to keep some things a secret."

Deborah eyed her daughter and then looked at Rachel, "secret? Why? Do you... I don't understand."

Puck took that moment to come over to the table with a casserole dish hot from the oven and set it down in the middle of the table. "Mom, Rachel's my new roommate and there are some things she can do, that only you and Arin will know about. You two will be the only ones who know the whole truth, at least for now."

"The truth? Roommate? Who are you?" Deborah asked, completely confused at what Puck, Arin and Rachel were trying to tell her.

Rachel noticed that Puck hadn't brought over the fresh cut french bread to go along with the Italian pasta casserole, so she snapped her fingers and let it appear on the table. "I'm a genie. Noah bought my bottle yesterday and activated it last night."

Blinking her eyes and gasping, Deborah jumped in shock and slid her chair back, "what just happened? You're a what?"

Puck reached out and rested his hand on his mom's arm, "it's alright, mom," he assured her, "Rachel's a genie. She has magic powers."

"That's not possible!" Deborah retorted, taking a deep breath, "that's a story for kids!"

"Yes, it is, but she is also real," Puck replied, motioning to Rachel, "I summoned her by rubbing her bottle, so she's bound to me for as long as I want her and this is what you and Arin have to keep secret."

"Wait... So you're telling me..." Deborah eyed her son, daughter and the strange new girl and saw their serious expressions, "you're a... a... this is real?" She asked, looking at Rachel.

"Yes, Mrs. Puckerman, I'm really a genie," she replied and snapped her fingers again, this time conjuring up a glass vase full of flowers to be the table's centerpiece, "I promise there's nothing to be scared of," she added, seeing the concerned look on the older woman's face.

"I'm... I'm not scared," she admitted honestly, "but it's a lot to process," she commented, scooting her chair back towards the table and taking deep, calming breaths, "you... you're dressed in, um, normal clothes," she stated.

Rachel smiled, understanding what she was getting at, "you're used to the fictional depiction of genies wearing what some call 'belly dancing' costumes, right?"

Deborah blushed and nodded, "yes, that's what I mean."

"I understand and normally I dress that way, but Noah requested I didn't. Given the 'cover story' we've come up to tell everyone, it's best I dress in clothes a girl would wear today. I've done well so far, having learned a lot from the internet and TV, but I've also asked Arin to help me," she explained, looking at the teen.

"It's gonna be so fun to help out and I can't wait until we can hang out more!" Arin grinned, looking at Rachel.

"I'm looking forward to it," Rachel added with a smile, "are you alright, Mrs. Puckerman?"

"Yes, I think I'm okay," she nodded, "just trying to understand all this and please, call me Deborah, no need to be fancy."

Rachel nodded at her response, but before she could reply, Puck spoke up, "I know, mom, it's a lot. Trust me, I thought I'd been drugged last night when she appeared, but since we've had time to talk and get to know each other, Rachel's a great person and I'm proud to call her my friend," he smiled, glancing at Rachel.

"Thank you, Noah," Rachel replied, happily returning his smile.

"You're welcome," he nodded and then looked back at his mom.

"So... um, you mentioned a cover story? What is that about?" Deborah wondered, feeling herself relaxing now that the shocking things she'd just learned were soaking in.

Motioning to lunch, he smiled, "we'll tell you all about it over lunch."

...

A/N3: OMG! An update! I'm so behind on all my stories and I'm so sorry! Please be gentle! My life has been turned upside down and there is no relief in sight. :( My free time is down to two hours a day, or less, so my writing is pretty much non-existent. I'm trying, though. In fact, I've been going through all my WIPs to see where I left off, so I can start back up on them and found that this chapter had been completed back in April. With this written, I decided to edit and update this story and maybe stretch my writing legs out by working on the next chapter of this story as I get back into writing. I miss writing, I miss all of you! Please know I'm still around (I'm on Twitter a lot as EJ8302), Puckleberry is always in my heart and I'm going to continue all of my stories as soon as real life lets me. I'll catch up one day and thank you all for sticking with me, for your kind words, for your friendship and for your awesome reviews to all of my stories, they truly mean the world to me, they put a smile on my face and inspire me to keep writing when I can. I hope I can update one of my other WIPs soon, but I'm not sure which one yet.

A/N4: A special shout-out to three of my best friends - SkyeDrgn, Annic and PKteach - words can't express how thankful I am to have met you! Thank you for always being there when I need you and know I'm only a text, call, email or tweet away! Hugs and love! To all my friends I didn't mention - you know who you are - thank you for all of your support, love and understanding! It means the world to me! Love ya!