A/N: So after writing the story last night I really wanted to write the story from Rachel's point of view. Even thought I don't write her well I thought it would be interesting to show her side on how she saw things and how it didn't always match up with what Puck was thinking. So I turned my player on this morning and was blessed with these songs. Apparently the Fanfiction God's agreed with my sentiment. The filling in the gaps of his story was intentional. But I had really great songs so it was easy to do that. I also got really lucky with a six-minute song! Anyway I hope I do her justice. I don't have her ramble on as much as the show because in this story she is older and has matured. But I hope that she is still in character. I want to thank the people who reviewed. They made my day!
Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.
Got You (Where I Want You) | The Flys
Got you where I want you
Hey, maybe just a smile
Oh hey, did you know that I can dance?
Could we talk for a while?
She comes to Ohio to see him. She knows it's her fault that their relationship has been so difficult lately. So after she finishes her midterms she flies out giving her understudy a chance to shine. She hopes he realizes how much she is sacrificing for him.
Right now they are in a bar not to far from his school. They are slow dancing in the middle of the floor between pool tables. Everyone is staring at them but he doesn't seem to care. She doesn't know if it is because he is truly happy she is there or if he is drunk. It could be a combination of the two. She doesn't get angry with him for it though. She knows she has been a bad girlfriend. Well that's what she feels like anyway. He started calling her Berry again. She knows that isn't a good sign.
"I missed you," He says into her hair and she responds by pulling him closer.
"I'm here now,"
"I wish you were always here,"
Okay so he had to be drunk. He never is that honest with her.
"Noah…" she sighs. He knows how much her dreams mean to her. He was just being selfish.
"I know. But that doesn't mean I don't feel that way," He answers. She doesn't even have to lecture him anymore. He can tell by her tone of voice what she is thinking. She loves and hates that about him.
"I love you, you know that right," She says pulling back to look at him in the eyes.
He does not look drunk at all to her.
"I love you too Rach,"
Good he isn't calling her Berry. Maybe this trip was worth it. She doesn't say anything, she just rests her head on his chest again as they sway to the music. She wishes he were always this close to her too.
***
The Boys are Back in Town | John Darnielle Cover
Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town
"Didn't you see the NFL Draft?" Quinn scoffs at the other end of the line.
"No? Should I have?"
"Puck joined the Giants," Quinn explains.
"So?" Rachel clearly doesn't understand and she didn't want to hear about him either.
"The Giants are a New York team!" Quinn yelled for emphasis.
"Oh…" Rachel the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh!"
"Yeah…He'll probably be on his way to see you as soon as he gets there,"
"I doubt it, I haven't talked to him in almost two years,"
There is a knock on the door to her apartment. She stands there for a second wondering if Quinn knew something she didn't. No it couldn't be, this was real life. Not a movie.
"Well if you see him on the street it's not because he a crazy stalker fan," Quinn goes on. Rachel chuckles as she makes her way to the door. When she opens it she almost drops the phone right then and there. Right before her eyes is Noah Puckerman, just as Quinn has predicted.
"I'm going to have to call you back," Rachel faltered into the phone.
"Is everything okay? Rachel?" Quinn said into the other end.
Rachel clicked the phone off, this time allowing the phone to fall on the floor. Quinn better not have planned this. She would kill her.
***
You Know You're Right | Nirvana
No thought was put into this
I always knew it would come to this
Things have never been so swell
I have never failed to fail
She stood up and walked down the stairs past Noah, hoping and praying he wouldn't grab her ankle as she walked by. She made it to the end of the stairs and then made a beeline for the exit. She continued down the street the ten blocks back to her apartment. She was just so angry with him! Yes, she had been busy with her career and school but that did not mean she loved him any less. He did not trust their relationship and she couldn't be constantly reassuring him. At some point he had to believe in her.
He was not ready for a real relationship; he had answered that question point blank at the bar. She just shook her head at the thought. The anger was building up in her more as she took each step. It got to the point she was running down the streets of New York in a black cocktail dress with theater make up and heels on. People she passed must have thought she totally lost it. And maybe she did.
When she made it up to her apartment she walked in the living room. She needed to get rid of this anger and she did not know what to do. She did not want to sing. She saw the picture of the two of them sitting on an end table. She picked it up and chucked it out into the hallway outside her apartment. Glass shattered everywhere. To her it was the perfect metaphor. Then she picked up his bag and shoved it out the door slamming it behind her.
The next morning when she left for class the broken picture and his bag was still there but he was nowhere to be found.
***
Born a Lion | Ani DiFranco
I got a big crush on you
And it's crushing my mind
Can I follow you home?
And listen to what you think
So he might not have been her date to prom but he was the boy she left with. While Noah was for the most part an unsavory character he was showing her a new side of him lately and she liked this person. She was still very upset for what happened at prom but as he helped her up to her room and sat her on the bed, she was starting to forget and live in the moment. He was staring at her and it made her feel uncomfortable. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she was trying to calm down. She knew she looked like a mess but she didn't really care. She just wanted him to look at her like that forever.
***
Champagne for my Real Friends, Real Pain for my Sham Friends | Fall Out Boy
Oh yeah, you caught me
But I caught you one worse
They say "You want war? You've got war,"
But what are you fighting for?
Normally it's Noah who is late, but not this time. She had waited till the last minute to pack to go home for Thanksgiving and she missed her flight. She had to take a later flight and she knew he'd be pissed.
She walked into the terminal of the airport and he was seated down waiting for her. She hadn't expected to meet him at the gate. She looked at him oddly.
"You are late," He stated as he stood up. She couldn't tell if he was angry or not.
"I'm.." But before she could finish his lips crashed on hers and he kissed her hard.
Oh yeah she was in trouble.
"You are going to make it up to me later," He didn't even wait for a response before he started kissing her with the same intensity as he just did.
She could melt right there, in front of all the other passengers scattering past her towards baggage claim.
They might not be fighting with words but they were in fact fighting… and she didn't mind loosing just this once.
***
What Sarah Said | Death Cab for Cutie
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said
That love is watching someone die
So who's going to watch you die?
All through high school she was told she was the crazy one. She was starting to think that she was the sane one and everyone else had been crazy especially their ringleader, Puck.
"You are insane!" She yelled at him still eyeing the box in his hand.
"Look Rach, we haven't been together for a year and it's been the worst year of my life. I don't ever want to go that long with out you again,"
Her face softened for a minute but then she shook her head.
"So much has changed since then," She rationalized. "I don't even know who you are now. I didn't even know who you were those last few months…"
"Come on Rachel please," He was begging. Noah Puckerman never begged... Well expect for… never mind stick to the situation at hand Berry.
"Please what Noah? Betroth myself to you?"
"That's what you want right?"
"Noah you can't just come here after two years and expect that I'm just going to drop everything for you. I have moved on. I have started my life,"
His face turned hard. She could tell he was going to start with the monosyllable responses and it wasn't fair. He came here; he couldn't just drop in and out of her life whenever he pleased. Well maybe that wasn't true. She was the one that pushed him out but he didn't exactly come after her either. They stood in silence for a while and then he pushed himself past her into her apartment. Her eyes widened.
"Well just make yourself at home!" She said sarcastically.
He walked over to her kitchen and rummaged around the bottom of one of her cabinets. He pulled out a bottle of vodka she had hidden. She rolled her eyes. He still knew her so well. He took two cups out of the cupboard and poured two glasses. He sat down on the floor and patted the ground next to him. She took her glass of vodka off the counter and sat down on the ground farther away from him then he had intended. The floor was cold under her and the chill made it's way from the floor and up her spine. She rested her back against the cabinet and picked up the vodka. She downed her glass to warm herself up. He reached up and picked the bottle up pouring her another drink.
"Can you please put that away?" She asks motioning to the box; it was still out sitting on the floor next to his foot. And she didn't want to acknowledge it with a real term just yet.
"It's for you," He told her again staring at her.
"I don't want it right now," she went back to shaking her glass slowly.
"Right now?"
"Yes, I don't want it right now," she repeated herself like she was talking to a child.
"But maybe later?"
***
Bella Linda | The Grass Roots
To thoughtless things I do
The dreams that don't come true
'Cause I'll never change, believe me I try
If you go away, you know I'll die
She sighed as her phone vibrated for the fourth time in a row. It was not a text message but a phone call. And she could only imagine who it was from. She picked the phone up and pressed ignore. He had called her five times in the last two hours. She wasn't mad at him, they weren't having a fight this time but she needed to breath.
He always wanted to stay on the phone with her for long periods of time. At first she thought it was sweet but when her phone bill went through the roof and the calls started to cut into her time to make friends and practice for her plays she grew annoyed. He didn't even talk that much on the phone. He didn't talk much period. It was always her that talked.
She could be such an idiot sometimes. They were hours apart and he just wanted to feel close to her again. Her ramblings made him feel better. She picked up her phone and dialed his number.
"Ignoring my calls now Berry?" He grunted into the phone.
"Sorry, I hit the wrong button," She assured him.
"Yeah the fifth time I called,"
"I was in dance rehearsal before," she tried. She knew he knew her schedule but he let that lie slide.
"Since you came here last time I'm coming to see you," he told her.
She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
***
Asleep on a Sunbeam | Bell and Sebastian
I could watch dreams flicker in your eyes
Lying here asleep on a sunbeam
I wonder if you realize you fascinate me so
She woke up the next morning. He was still sleeping. She cuddled herself closer to him. Last night was her first time and she was still coming down from the high. She looked up at him. He looked so peaceful. He never looked like this during the day. She smiled to herself. She was so happy she got to see him like this, at his most vulnerable. A side he never showed anyone else. His arm tightened around her and she let herself be pulled closer to him.
"Go back to sleep," he said sleepily.
She didn't respond she just closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of just laying there next to him. She wanted to have this feeling forever. She kept the thoughts of starting college the next week at bay. This is all that mattered to her right now. Being here with him. He really had no idea how much she loved him. She snuggled up to him as much as she possible could.
"Stop moving around," He whined as he kissed the top of her head.
She smiled into his chest.
***
Returning to the Fold | The Thermals
But I still have faith
If I ever had faith
Wait for me
Wait for me
She was cleaning out her apartment one day. She wanted to do it every six months but her schedule did not allow for it. Her closet was especially packed. She grabbed everything out of it and dumped it on the floor. She felt something fall from the top shelf and hit her on the head.
It was his bag. The one he left here after she walked out on him at the bar. She unzipped the bag. There was a shirt and a pair of jeans. She pulled the shirt out. It was one of his football shirts from high school. It still smelled like him. She closed her eyes to keep from crying.
She didn't get rid of it. She put the bag back in her closet. But she wore that stupid shirt to bed every night. It helped her fall asleep.
***
Paths of Victory | Cat Power Cover
Trails of trouble
And your road of battle
They lead paths of victory
We shall walk
He started coming over once a week since the day in the kitchen. They didn't talk much about the incident or the past. They just made small talk about their lives as they were now. She didn't know what to think of it all, if it was worth all this effort. They both looked so tired every time they were around each other.
But then he started suggesting that they go out and do things. It started out as small outings. Going to get coffee or see a movie. When they grew more comfortable with each other he started to go to her plays and she went to his games. Every once in a while he would take a dance class with her. She really enjoyed that.
Tonight was different, he had taken her to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center be lit. Her face lit up as much as the tree. They went back to his apartment for hot chocolate to warm up. She was sitting on the couch in his living room enjoying the view when he walked in holding two mugs. He handed one to her. She brought it to her lips to take a sip, but was not met with the warm chocolately goodness she was expecting. Something furry hit her lip. She frowned looking at him and he chuckled. She looked down into the cup. A small velvet box was sitting in the cup. A small smile came to her face and she shook her head at him.
"What? It's later," He reminded her.
"Much," She smiled back.
.Fin.
A/N: So I hope that wasn't too painful and I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I was surprised with what came out in the last chapter and it was fun to sit down and let the rest of the story pour out. I hope that this chapter didn't ruin any of the storyline from the last chapter or feel forced.