A/N- Hey guys. I finally found the time to update. Sorry about the delay. My next hiatus will probably be shorter. I'm planning on updating my Faberry fic sometime in the next couple days too, so keep an eye out. Enjoy!

"It's about time!" Shauna Puckerman shouted, flying at him the minute he was through the front door.

"What's up, ma?" He wrapped his arms around her, convinced that she had shrunk since the last time he'd been home.

"What's up to you? How's school? Are you getting As?"

Puck shrugged, dropping his bag on the floor and kicking off his shoes. "I'm trying."

"You always were the smart one, Noah," She sighed, linking her arm in his and leading him down the narrow hallway toward the kitchen. "Out of all your siblings, you were the one with the brains. That was always clear to me."

Noah rolled his eyes. He knew she'd never believed that. She only claimed to now that he was inches away from a college degree. She didn't want to look like the bitch who'd never believed in him. For him, it was too late. However, she was still his mother, and out of love, he could humor her.

"Speaking of siblings: any of them here?"

His mother shook her head simply, going over to the coffee maker and starting a pot.

Puck blinked expectantly. "Are any of them coming home?"

"Why would they come home?" She snapped smartly. "It's not like its Passover."

"It's the Goldblatt Bar Mitzvah," Puck replied significantly.

"We barely know the Goldblatts." Shauna insisted. "I'm only going because you're going and it would be weirder if you went without me."

"What about Hannah," Puck asked, glancing around, wondering why his little sister hadn't popped out of some dark corner to scare him yet. "She probably wants to go."

"Hannah's weekending in Aspen with her boyfriend and his super-rich boyfriend," Shauna swatted the air dismissively.

Puck's brow furrowed, suddenly concerned. "…boyfriend…?"

"Yep; a dreamy little thing…They're getting kind of serious."

"Serious…? And you're letting them?" Puck was getting into protective older brother mode. He hadn't felt like this since the time he'd nearly murdered Jesse St. James for smashing an egg on Rachel's head. Because that's exactly what he'd been like to her in high school…an older brother…that made out with her in bed several times…

"I'm not concerned. She's seventeen." Shauna sighed. "And she's on the pill…"

"Gross!"

"I already housed one pregnant teenager in my lifetime…"

"Damn it, mom,"

"…I'm not going to do it again…" She ignored her son's glares. "I learned the hard way that you can't cage you kids in."

"You can at least make an effort," Puck shrugged, beginning to back out of the kitchen.

"I can make you lunch or something," His mother told him on his way out.

Puck shook his head. "I already took care of that."

And he was out the door.

His mother hadn't put clean sheets on his bed. It's not like he'd expected her too. The fact that he wasn't getting the guest treatment made him feel more at home, but at the same time, he almost wished she made more of an event of his return. He wished she would've picked him up from the bus station, or prepared a list of things she wanted to tell him upon their reunion.

He also wished his siblings were around. The house was too quiet without them. His oldest brother, Gabe, lived in Chicago. Noah didn't expect him to come home, but Eli and his family were less than two hours away. It wouldn't be hard for them to spend the weekend in Lima. He'd never been close with his brothers growing up, but they were still his family. The thing he liked about coming home for the holidays was seeing their faces; playing euchre around the dining room table and arguing about who'd brought the best brew of beer home. Now, it was like all the color had drained from his home in the time he'd been away. Suddenly, he felt no desire to be there.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed the first number on his "recent calls" list.

"I changed my mind," He said surely.

"About what…?" Rachel asked boredly.

"I don't know…about seeing my mom. Come pick me up again."

"You can't just change your mind, Noah," Rachel snapped. He grinned, because the tone she was speaking in was one he hadn't heard since high school.

"Look, I'm sorry if I was hostile earlier," He pleaded. "But it's really boring here, and I want to leave."

"Then leave."

"I don't have a car, remember,"

Rachel hesitated, exhaling heavily into the phone. "Fine…" She said. "Never mind the fact that I just took off my shoes. I'll come back. What kind of brilliant idea do you have in the realm of something to do?"

Puck grinned victoriously. "I don't know, babe. I'm sure we'll think of something."

"So…what now…?" Rachel asked slowly, as they walked through the main entrance of the mall.

"I don't know. We should go into a store or something."

Rachel shook her head, a smile of disbelief creeping over her face. "You dragged me out of my house, Noah. The least you could do is to keep me entertained."

"Have a little patience, Berry. Did I not say I would figure something out?"

"I could be on my couch watching Funny Girl and eating the snap peas and hummus that my fathers so graciously bought in preparation for my homecoming. Kurt's and my apartment in New York is fabulous, but it's not home. There's something therapeutic about relaxing on the sofa of my childhood."

"You haven't changed a bit," Noah chuckled. Rachel looked at him curiously, so he clarified. "…Funny Girl…? You're still obsessed with her."

"She's Barbara…" Rachel stated unapologetically. "You can't just get over Barbara."

Puck suddenly stopped, as they came to the foot of a set of escalators. He smirked. "Speaking of Barbara…do you remember what happened here?"

Rachel looked around, inhaling sharply, and trying not to get too nostalgic. She kept her forming grin under control. "I thought we weren't going to talk about high school anymore."

"What else are we supposed to talk about?"

Rachel paused, stepping onto the up escalator. Noah followed her lead. "We were kind of friends in high school, weren't we? I mean, I never thought of us as being close at the time, but would we really be here right now if we weren't?"

"Hey, I thought you were a bad ass," Puck told her. "You were the one that would never let me worship you."

"Worship…" Rachel shifted uncomfortably, leaning against the moving railing. "That's an interesting choice of words…"

Puck suddenly realized that he was coming across kind of weird, he couldn't falter, though. That would only make him look worse. "That's the only accurate word choice."

Rachel blushed slightly as they stepped off the escalator.

"So how are the men treating you in New York?" He asked her. "Men besides Kurt, I mean. I know he's your number one..."

Rachel shrugged, trying to maintain her confidence. "I'm getting the attention I need."

"Good. So, I don't have to come there and kick any ungrateful asses."

"Thankfully, no. It's kind of a long drive to New York, especially when your sole agenda is a weakly inspired ass-kicking."

Puck nodded, pursing his lips in a tough smile.

"What about you?" Rachel walked a little closer to him and nudged his arm with her elbow. "How are the ladies treating you in Cleveland?"

"Ladies don't treat me, Berry," Puck corrected her quickly. "I'm always the one in control."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I forgot what a piece of work you are."

Puck sighed, taking his eyes away from Rachel to examine a cell-phone accessory kiosk as they walked past. "The truth is…" He admitted. "I haven't actually dated since high school...like…at all…"

"You never actually dated in high school," Rachel was quick to remind him. "You just…you know…hadgirls you went out with." She made finger-quotes around "went out" to show that she was using a euphemism for something a bit more intimate. She had this teasing smile on her face, though, like his man-whore tendencies were actually one of her fondest memories of him.

Puck sighed heavily, not caring to admit that he'd barely "gone out" with anyone either. It was getting harder and harder to find girls who were willing to hook up for fun. Now that they were in their twenties, women were only interested in long term relationships. He was sure he could track down a free-spirit or two at any bar or frat party on a Saturday night, but lately he didn't feel like being that guy anymore. It was a side of him that started fading after his affair with Shelby; after Beth became a part of his life. Since high school, he wanted what the women wanted: a serious commitment. The problem was that he didn't want any of the women. He knew, though, that his borderline celibacy was something he could never admit to any of his friends from high school. It would completely destroy the way they saw him.

"Are you hungry again yet?" He asked, quickly changing the subject as he spotted a intriguing cart several feet ahead of them. "I know we already had pasta and ice cream, but you're thin. You can afford to have some pop corn, can't you?"

Rachel knew what he was doing, but she humored him. "We can split a bag, but you better eat most of it," She said, pointing a cute finger in his face. "I have a dress to fit into tomorrow."

"Duly noted," He nodded, he held out his arm and she took it gently as they walked toward the cart. It took him back to the old days; when they were dating. She'd once told him how proud she was to have him on his arm in front of the whole high school.

For some reason, he had trouble forgetting that.