Finally, a little Puckleberry interaction. What took me so long? Thx, as always, for all the views & great feedback. Soooo grateful! I'm going to try and keep to a weekly/Sunday writing schedule.

Ch. 5 - "Good Ruck: Wicked Game"

Thanks to Quinn, Rachel strode into Glee Club with a song that would appeal to any man with a pulse. Mr. Schu had already announced that in honor of the approaching Valentine's day holiday, today's mike would be open to anyone wanting to express their inner Cupid.

The moment he opened up the floor to volunteers, Rachel's hand lept into the air ahead of all the others. She credited her lightning reflexes to years of interactive Jeopardy with her dads. She'd become so quick with the home buzzers plaid dad had made that she soon excelled in every class where class participation counted heavily in the grading process.

"Wow, Rachel, such an eager response," Mr. Schu said, clearly impressed. "I take it you've prepared a song for us in keeping with our Valentine Day's theme."

"Yes, Mr. Schuster," she began to say a little too enthusiastically, until she caught the admonishing glance from Quinn, and immediately made a course correction. "I mean, I'm suddenly feeling this overpowering...URGE come over me to sing something special...and completely unrehearsed."

Mercedes shook her head at Rachel's overemphasis on "urge." She was trying way too hard.

Quinn's face was blank. She had a serious lack of confidence in Rachel's ability to bring sexy back, but was reserving her judgment for now, waiting to see if Rachel would perform their very rehearsed song better than she had in practice. Rachel hadn't a clue how to own her sexuality and manipulate it to win anyone over. But Quinn did her best to show her the ropes. Whether the moves, that came naturally to Quinn, had made any lasting impression on Rachel still remained to be seen.

Rachel's legs shook violently on her way to the floor. Funny, this was the first time, she noted, that she'd ever truly been nervous performing for others. She'd always known how amazing a talent she was, but this performance had nothing to do with star power and everything to do with seduction. Could she pull it off?

"Rachel so cannot pull this off," Santana whispered to Brittany, while shaking her bottled water for emphasis.

"Of course she can pull it off," she snickered. "It's just a twistie," she added, and demonstrated her point by turning the cap on the water bottle till it opened, spraying Santana in the face.

"Thanks so much, Brittany," she flared.

"Girls," Mr. Schu warned. "Rachel is ready to perform. A little respect is in order here."

"So sorry, Mr. Schu," Santana quipped. "I didn't realize that stupid look on her face meant she was ready."

And it was true, Rachel registered with shock. The bulging eyes and gaping mouth she wore reminded her of the unforgettable Ronald McDonald appearance at her pre-school. To make matters worse, nothing was coming out of her throat when she tried to speak. Another first.

"Rachel are you feeling all right?" Mr. Schu asked tentatively. "You're looking sort of green."

Oh, great, Finn was staring too, only in a more disgusted way. "She looks like she's going to hurl!" he shouted.

Oh no, she thought. My pulse is quickening, my stomach is tightening and the school's unidentified veggie surprise was beginning to reveal itself in a way that was causing vile to rise in her throat. Finn was right, she was about to regurgitate her still undigested lunch. And with Puck sitting front and center right before her, it would probably shoot straight into the lap of the guy she was trying so hard to impress most, right now.

Rachel allowed herself a quick glance Quinn's way and saw the irritation plainly visible. All the precious time she had devoted to her was about to be flushed down the toilet, unceremoniously. No, mustn't think toilet, just now. Must be sexy, she chided. She needed an image, some sexy example to follow. And it came, unbidden, in the form of Elvis. Having nothing else to go on, she curled her upper lip just like him, remembering how sexy the rocker was to a whole nation of over-sexed teeny boppers.

"Now she looks like she's having a stroke," Artie commented, quietly to his girlfriend.

"Wow, she's such a good actress," Brittany replied with unconcealed admiration. "I could never make my face do all that,"

For once, Mr. Schu was at a loss. He knew he should probably call in the school nurse, at this point, but there was something so compelling about Rachel's predicament that made him just stand there and gape along with the others.

And then, at the height of Rachel's humiliation, something miraculous happened. Her background music began playing, and she could feel its sultry vibrations coursing through her.

Rachel opened her mouth to sing, and a sexy siren of unfathomable proportions released itself from her inner being. It was then that Rachel caught Puck quietly slipping back into his seat. He was the one who had taken control of her tumultuous situation, she realized, and had switched on her music, and seemingly her soul, along with it.

The words that poured forth from Wicked Game, flowed from her sensual lips directly into Puck's waiting ears, and Rachel delivered them to him as if they were the only two in the room.

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.

It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.

I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.

And I never dreamed that I knew somebody like you.

Rachel's body flowed with the music so effortlessly, she felt herself rising and falling on a tide that was quickly sweeping her away.

Puck's eyes rode the waves and reflected the desire right back at her with such an intensity it nearly stole the breath from Rachel's lungs.

In all her life, Rachel had never felt more like a woman, completely held in the grips of her own primitive sexuality. Was it possible that Puck could stir such animalistic emotions within her? No...it had to be the music...or maybe even Cupid, himself, she theorized.

Either way, mission accomplished.

Upon the last note of her song, a reverent silence filled the room that touched everyone in it, including Mr. Schu. Even Kurt was fanning himself.

"Wow, Rachel...that was really amazing," Mr. Schu pronounced. "I frankly didn't know you had it in you."

Rachel barely heard him because her eyes were still fastened on Puck's. In her peripheral vision she managed to register Quinn's ecstatic approval, but right now that didn't seem to matter so much. What did, was Puck's smoldering eyes and the proud expression he was radiating.

Slowly, almost as if they'd been in a cheesy Twilight movie, they sauntered toward one another, while everyone else was still chattering away about her performance.

And then, just as they finally reached each other, she heard a strong voice issue the invitation she had hoped for. "Rachel, will you go to the Sweetheart's Dance with me?"

Shockingly, it was Finn, not Puck, doing the asking.

Somehow his large body had sandwiched itself between Rachel and Puck, at the last minute.

"Well, will you?" Finn repeated, almost desperately.

Hope you'll stay tuned...:) Tracey www dot timewarped dot net