A/N: Sorry I took so long with this one, the conversation was harder to write than I thought it would be. And I had to do a lot of research for some flower things that will be present here and coming up soon...Victorians took their flowers very seriously.

Shannon: Thanks bb 33 Glad to know you enjoyed it :D

Tommy: Thank you so much! I'm glad :)

alinah100: So do I! And I'm really glad you think so! I have no plans to stop any time soon, so please don't cry! :)

Rachel learned a lot of things about Noah in the hour they were stuck in the gazebo. She learned that he had been working for her family for almost a year and he was content. He had a little sister who he adored, and he and Santana had grown up together. He hated planting roses and he was overly critical of the roses on the gazebo.

"They're so hard to plant!" He complained to her as she laughed softly. "They are so...so...finicky!" He exclaimed, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "You can't plant them in certain areas because there's not enough light, but over here, there's too much shade! There either isn't enough room for their roots or they have more than enough room to grow and then you get weeds all over the place. They are such a hassle."

Rachel giggled, looking at the roses on the gazebo. "I was never overly fond of red roses," she commented, touching one lightly. "I prefer pink and white ones, to be honest. They're beautiful to look at, but I think my favorites are the lilies on the side of the house." She turned, pointing with her outstretched hand, as was proper.

"The white ones?" He asked, following her gaze.

"Yes." She said, smiling a little. "I keep a bouquet of flowers in the house at all times, usually more than one. I frequent that side of the garden often in my quest for my flowers. The cala lilies are currently residing in my room." Rachel told him, smiling a bit more.

Noah wondered why he had never seen her much before if she was often over there, as the lilies she had been referring to were the ones he had planted originally. Blowing it off quickly, thinking that she must be out there when he worked in other sections, he nodded noncommittally.

The subject turned to Santana again, and Rachel could tell Noah held the girl in a high regard. Rachel expressed similar feelings, which seemed to surprise him. When they spoke of Santana's relationship with Finn, Rachel was surprisingly vocal, where Noah was oddly silent.

Finally, after a long moment of listening Rachel gush about how excited she was that the couple would be getting "a proper chance" soon, Noah held up a hand to stop her, confused. "Wait...you're supporting them?"

Rachel blinked at him, shocked. "Of course I am; Finn and Santana are my dearest friends. I wish them well and I am glad to see them so happy." She said calmly, studying him curiously. "Why...do you...not support them?"

Now it was Noah's turn to blink. "No, I do, actually, I'm just surprised that y-" He stopped, not wanting to insult the boss' daughter, not even indirectly.

"That I do?" Rachel asked, an amused smile gracing her features for a moment. "And what, pray tell, would make you believe that I would do anything other than support Finn and San?"

"I just figured that since you're part of the upper class, and so is Finn..." Noah said, thrown off by the familiar way Rachel used Santana's nickname. "That..." He blinked again. How was this girl able to make him speechless by doing nothing more than speaking to him and smiling a little?

"That I wouldn't support their romance, because Santana's part of a different social class?" Rachel finished for him, pacing slowly around the gazebo. "To be quite honest and frank...if I may be so bold," she said, looking over at him as if in permission to speak her mind. Noah was struck by how different their worlds were. She instantly deferred to the nearest man before saying her piece, whereas he knew Santana would simply say it. He wasn't sure what the upper class had against women but he knew he didn't like the unsure look in her eyes.

"Please, Miss Ber-" She glared at him and he backpedaled. "Rachel. Please, Rachel, be bold." He said, none of his normal lewdness in his tone, which surprised him.

She smiled her thanks and nodded, bowing her head a little as she resumed her pacing. "To be frank, I can not see the difference between the love Finn and Santana share, and the one my parents shared at our age. Both my mother and father were born to the upper class, as was Finn. Santana was not, but...she loves him." Rachel said earnestly. "And to me, that is what matters the most. I believe that in matters of the heart, social standing carries no meaning."

Noah stared at her for a moment. "That is a refreshingly innocent opinion." He said finally, and she quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you find me naive, Noah?"

"A little," he admitted. "But it is nothing more than I expected. Less, I believe."

Rachel blinked, surprised. "Do I exasperate you?" She asked curiously, and he had a feeling that she had been called that many times before.

"No. You fascinate me." He told her honestly, and right then, the sprinklers shut off. Rachel made her excuses quickly, and thanked him for keeping her company. He remarked that he hadn't had much of a choice, which made her laugh. He finished by thanking her as well, and telling her that if she ever wished to speak to him again, all she had to do was walk through the gardens. She smiled back at him, cocking her head to the side slightly, and he realized that she was honestly weighing his offer. "I think I'd like that. I'll find you." Rachel told him, and then left, picking up her shoes with one hand and lifting her skirts with the other, running back to the main house, barefoot.

Noah caught himself smiling after her, then headed back to work, the sunshine drying his clothes quickly. He was surprised by this girl who believed so openly and honestly in love. He'd never had a mind for it, not after what had happened with Miss Quinn Fabray last year. Noah's eyes darkened and his movements became a bit angry and jerky as he thought of the blonde. He had been so in love with her...but to her, it had been just a game. He had merely been a way to pass the time. Noah pushed the thoughts away quickly before the whole situation returned to his mind, not wanting to relive it. He had sworn away from upper class women after that. He wouldn't go near them, and Santana had understood. He had been angry when she would speak of Rachel, as he was convinced all woman of that standing were the same. He had told Santana not to rely on Rachel, not to trust her.

"She will only be there when it's good for her, San, and then you'll be left in the cold without a job when she's done with you." He had told her when she mentioned that she had been developing a friendship with the young Jewish girl. Sighing angrily, Santana had turned around and snapped at him. "She's not Quinn, Puck!"

As Noah went back to work, weeding some chrysanthemums, he thought more about Rachel, about how honest and open she had been with him. She had no reason to do so, but when he mentioned Santana and Finn, she had trusted him instantly. It was almost...unnerving, especially since he was brought up under the assumption that he could trust no one except his family, and Santana. But the Spanish girl had been right: Rachel was not Quinn, not in the slightest. Noah suddenly realized that he was whistling happily, and he found himself looking forward to the next time they would get a chance to talk. He hoped that she really would take him up on the offer, and come find him later this week. She really did fascinate him.

Rachel berated Santana for her deception the entire time the Spanish girl helped her into dry clothing, thankful that her father was out so he wouldn't see the state her dress was in. Santana, however, wouldn't stop interrupting Rachel's tirade.

"Yes, okay, fine, Rachel, I shouldn't have done that, but what did you think of him?" Santana asked, almost whining. She was desperate for information, because she and Finn had only been able to see Noah and Rachel, not hear them. And Santana hadn't seen Noah look that happy in a long time. She was dying to know what Rachel thought of him.

Rachel couldn't help but smile. "He is a very nice man with impeccable charm." She said simply, refusing to divulge any other information. That, however, told Santana all she needed to know. The blush on Rachel's cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes also told Santana that maybe she should up her game.

If Rachel was this excited and flustered already, something told the Spanish girl that friendship wasn't the best option for Noah and Rachel. She knew how Noah felt about upper class women, but Rachel was different. Hopefully he would be able to see that. Santana was going to open his eyes, but she needed Finn's help. Making up her mind, she finished helping Rachel change a little distractedly, then moved downstairs to go fetch some food. Rachel stopped her on her way out, touching the taller girl's hand lightly.

"What you did today was wrong, Santana." Rachel said softly. "But, be that as it may, it was beneficial to all parties involved, I believe. So thank you, San."

Santana blinked, then smiled at her friend, nodding a little before leaving. Oh yeah, she totally had this one under control. All she needed to do was keep pushing them together and get Finn to help her. Rachel and Noah wouldn't stand a chance.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Meyx