Hello! IT'S DECEMBER! Only 21 more days until Christmas! Ok, so this chapter is kinda long, and i was debating on whether to attempt to split it, but I kept it the same, so I hope it's ok. This is going to be the rest of the dinner scene. The next chapter will be up really soon, and i know I'm keeping the Puck/Rachel/Eli confrontation/meeting from everyone, but I feel like everything should be out on the table before that happens. Kay, without further ado, Chapter 5 :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, plain and simple, now let's not dwell on that..

Chapter 5

"He came back"

My heart stopped beating, and I bet my eyes looked as big as the plates at that stupid dinner. I just sat there, breathless, staring at him like an idiot. His just turned to stare outside again, probably so I wouldn't see his returning tears that he was attempting to keep at bay. A cold silence settled between us, as I sat there, mute, trying to comprehend what he had just said.

My brain was in a frenzy, a million and one questions zooming around inside it. What did he mean 'he was back'? Ok, well I could answer that one, 'he' was back. I might be shocked, but that doesn't mean I became stupid all of a sudden. If he was back, why? What happened between Puck and him? What had been said? And the question that was currently blazing in my brain in like a neon sign, what does his father being back have to do with him running away from Rachel?

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got my act together and decided to voice my questions. "Huh?"

Ok, maybe I didn't voice some of the main questions, but come on; I was still in shock mode.

He attempting to wipe his eyes nonchalantly, but I still noticed it.

"I said, he is back. What part of that sentence don't you understand?" his tone showed his aggravation of having to talk about this, but I am never one to let things alone just because it annoys someone, so I continued, my normal attitude coming back and replacing the comforting façade I had going on.

"No shit Sherlock. I get that part. I mean what the hell happened?" I wasn't one to dance around a subject either, since I prefer to get right to it. No use delaying something when you can just say it straight up and save lots of time.

His broken expression disappeared, and was replaced with a hard glare, focused fully in my direction.

"What the hell do you think happened? He came back. He came to my house while I was getting ready for the party, and told me he wanted to "check how everyone was" and I told him to f off. End of story."

I stared at him, confused expression painted across my face, and an eyebrow cocked.

"Ok…. Then why the hell are you at this crappy dinner? More importantly, if that is "all that happened", then why are you leaving Rachel and your kid? I know you're a bit of a…. let's just say jerk, but you are anything but a coward."

He looked down, obviously cursing to himself at how he didn't exactly think his little plan through. When he looked up, he stared out the window again.

"Fine, maybe some other stuff went down before he left."

"Again, I repeat, no shit Sherlock." His face dropped a little, so I continued softly, "Just tell me what really happened."

He didn't say anything, just continued to stare out the window. It had started to rain, and you could hear the pitter patter of it on the roof.

After a couple of minutes, I was getting ticked. So I thought if he wasn't going to tell me what happened when I was all nice and understand, then I will just have to get him pissed, and make him blurt it out. I turned back into my HBIC attitude, and shock my head back and forth.

"Guess everyone was right about you; you are just a coward. Running away from your problems like a little kid, leaving everyone else to clean up your mess. I would say I'm surprised, but really, who am I kidding. I always knew you were never "father" material. That's exactly why Quinn didn't want to tell everyone that you were the father. She was ashamed of you. Oh, hey. It all makes sense now! That's why she wanted to give Beth up. She must have wanted to keep her, but just didn't want Beth growing up with a crap father like you. Guess Quinn always knew what the rest of us are just finding out.. I.."

I was just about to continue when he whipped his head around and glared at me, his eyes murderous, his face red, and his hands in fists on the table.

"You have no idea what you are saying Satan. The whole Beth situation is in the past, and has nothing to do with right now. And I am not running away. I am going to make a life for my kid, so they don't have to grow up in a crappy life. They deserve an amazing life, and so does Rachel. Hell, they deserve a perfect life!"

By this time he was seething, and I would have been scared if, you know, I wasn't me, and also if we hadn't been in a dinner with witnesses who could help me if he tried to hit me or something.

His voice grew louder as he continued, "You really want to know what he said? Fine. He heard about how Rachel was pregnant, and he came to tell me how I would end up just like him. He said that the situation I am in is almost the same situation that he was in with my ma. He had gotten her pregnant when they were both young, and they had gotten married. Even with my ma's parents supporting them, it was hard, and, even though they were in love, they ended up fighting about everything and growing apart. So, when she got pregnant again, he cracked. He knew he couldn't handle it, trying to support 2 kids and his wife. The pressure got to him. He couldn't take that he couldn't be the man of the house, that he still needed his in-laws money to keep his family afloat, so he split."

He paused, sucking in a breathe after his rant, and his expression hardened, if it was even possible, and his posture began rigid, his fists slamming onto the table.

"He said I would turn out exactly like him. He said that I would be a deadbeat, that the same pressure would come, and that I wasn't strong enough to handle it. He told me that I should do what he should've done in the first place, when he learned ma was pregnant."

He trailed off, and his posture slumped. He lowered his head into his hands, which were being propped up by his elbows. His shoulders started to shake slightly, and I could hear his breath become more labored. It took me a second to realize that he was crying. Actually, silently sobbing was more like it. I reached across the table and stroked one of his hands, silently giving him support.

When he looked up, his eyes were glistening and red rimmed. His face looked more broken then when I had first walked in.

As he gave a shaky breath, he finished his thought, "He told me I should leave. He said it would cause less heartbreak if I left now rather then later. Then Rachel could find someone else to help raise our kid, and the kid would never think know me."

Now it was my turn for my eyes to grow murderous, as I smacked the hand I was previously stroking.

"And you believed him! Are you kidding me? Puck, you are an idiot if you think this is easier. How stupid can one person get? I swear if that's your reason for leaving I'm gonna.."

Before I was able to finish me threat, he held up both hands, shaking them around in the air.

"No! No, that's not what's happening! I would never take his advice, let alone advice as stupid as that."

I squinted my eyes, confused yet again by what was happening. "Then what are you doing?"

He sat up straighter, and looked me dead in the eye, almost daring me to contradict what he was about to say. "I am going away to make a life for my family. I am going away to prove him wrong. I am going to make something of myself, to live up to the potential that Rach keeps saying I have. I am away so I can come back a great father. I am not my dad."

My eyes widened at his revelation, knowing he didn't see all the flaws in his plan. Being his friend, and Rachel's best friend, I knew it was up to me, and only me, to convince him that this plan he had conjured up would do nothing but hurt him and his family.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts, picking which argument to start with. Gosh, this felt like some kind of court.

"Puck, do you even hear yourself? You're leaving your pregnant girlfriend and your unborn kid so you can be a good father. Do you really not see what is wrong with that?"

My eyes begged him to understand. I was silently praying for him to have an epiphany, to realize how stupid and destructive this plan is.

But as I looked into his eyes, I knew he stood firm on this decision, so I decided to take a different approach.

"Ok, fine. Go make something of yourself. I can't exactly see a point to it, but whatever. If you're so stuck on this, then why don't you just tell Rachel, instead of leaving her with some BS excuse that I'm truly afraid to hear."

"You know Rachel. She will just say that I'm perfectly fine the way I am now, and how I don't need to prove anything. She won't let me go, you and I both know that as a fact. If I want to be something for her, I have to do this without her knowing."

I inwardly groaned, knowing he was right. Rachel would never let him just leave by himself, she would want to go with him, and then they are back where they started. So I went with the last argument I had left.

"If you leave, Rachel is never going to forgive you, and neither is your kid. They are never going allow you back into to their lives. You are never even going to be able to be a father."

This shut him up, a good sign, so I decided to continue, using what he had said against him.

"You know Rachel. She will never forgive you for abandoning your kid. She doesn't give a flying crap about you leaving her. If it was only her, we both know she would get over it, but this is a kid. Her kid. Your kid. And she won't care why you did it, she will only care that you did it."

His eyes looked conflicted. Good. Maybe I won. But then his eyes turned determined again. He folded his hands on the table, and sat straight up again. It was scary how much he looked like Rachel in that moment.

"San, I am doing this for my kid. For my family. Rachel will understand. It might take some time, but I know I have to do this, and I know she will understand it."

I was about to open my mouth to rebuttal, but he just hardened his stare.

"Santana, I've made up my mind. This is what I'm doing." Crap. It wasn't even the end of his sentence that made me know it was over, it was how he started it. He never used my full name unless he meant business. I looked into his eyes again. They were are hard as a wall. I knew he had made up his mind, and if there was one thing I learned about Puck over all these years, it was that if he made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.

I sighed, knowing the conversation was over. I wished Rachel had been here. I'm sure it would have gone a lot differently if she had found him. But no use wishing on the past, now all I can do is make the best out of what I got.

"Fine Puck. Fine. When are you planning on coming back?"

His posture relaxed slightly, obviously relieved that I wasn't fighting him anymore.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out. I want everything to be perfect at that time. I want to already have it all done, ya know."

I nodded. "Have you got any ideas?" "I was thinking the 6 year reunion."

"6 years? Are you serious? You want to miss 6 years of your kid's life?"

He shook his head, "No, of course not. But college takes 4 years, and I'm figuring 2 years to try to find something should be enough time, or at least enough time to start a career."

I smiled slightly at how thorough he was being. He might be insane, but at least he was serious about this.

I sighed, for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. "What can I do to help?"

His eyes brightened. "You serious?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm serious. Knowing how easily you screw up, the least I can do is help with something."

He nodded, not even acknowledging her insult, and his eyes went determined again. "Watch over Rachel. And keep me updated. I want to make sure she and the baby are ok. And I'll need you to tell me when the reunion is, since no one will know where I am. Think you can do that?"

I nodded, "I think I can handle that. I would watch over Ray anyway."

He smiled, a hopeful smile, and his eyes smiled right along with it. He looked truly happy that I was taking care of Rachel. It showed how much he cared for her. Something came over me, my heart felt all warm and such. I thought of how badly Rachel was going to think of him, and I felt bad for him.

"Maybe I can try to make you sound a little better too. You know, not tell her you're a complete moron who she should kill with her bare hands the next time she gets a chance."

He smile became wider. "Really, you would do that?"

I rolled my eyes again. "Listen, I know why you are doing this, and even though I think it's a horrible idea, like seriously, it may be the worst idea ever thought of, but anyway, I can do my best."

"Thanks San that would mean a lot to me." We smiled at each other, a comfortable silence settled over us.

He looked outside, then back at me. "Listen San, if I'm gonna get anywhere tonight, I need to go now."

I looked at him, concern evident in my features. "Now you're completely sure about this Puck?"

"100%."

"Alright then, guess there isn't anything I can say. Call me to keep me updated, got it?"

"Promise San. I'll call you later."

We both got up and hugged. I walked him out to his truck, and waved as he backed out of the parking lot and drove away. I watched until his truck was out of sight, then let of the breath I didn't know I was holding, putting my hand up to my forehead. I knew this wasn't going to end well. Heck, I knew this wasn't going to be easy to go through, but I knew I had to do my part. And right now, my part was to go back home and comfort my best friend. I walked over to my car, and drove the opposite way that Puck had driven a little bit ago, thinking to myself why I had to come after Puck in the first place.

She sighed at the memory. She relived that night way too many times for her own good, always thinking what she could have said or done to make it go differently, but she always came up blank.

Now, here she was, sitting on a cheap hotel bed in Lima, watching some crappy TV show while Brittany was in the shower. She glanced over at the clock. 4:30 glared back at her in bright red. She sighed nervously. Only four more hours until this all came to light. 4 more hours until Puck was reunited with Rachel, and introduced to his nearly perfect son.

That was one thing Santana wasn't horribly worried about. She knew what Eli thought of his father, and it was ok. Rachel had never wanted to talk about Puck in a bad way. She had told Eli about all the good things he had done and all the good characteristics he had. She had never once said a bad thing about him, and Santana didn't even have to convince her not to. It was the kind of person she was, and it might've had to do with the fact that she was still completely, head over heels in love with him.

Santana smiled. She knew Rach was still in love with Puck, but she also knew how hurt Rachel was after he left. Santana kept up her end of the promise, never cussing Puck out, and only said things like "Well he must have a reason" and such.

She never liked this plan, and there were times that she wanted to rip Puck's arm off and beat him with it, but she kept her cool, and now it was, hopefully, all about to pay off.

She glanced back at the clock, turned off the TV, and listened for Brittany. Once she heard her belting out a Mariah Carey song, she knew it would be a little while till she got the shower, so she laid her head back and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander off.

So that's it :) Hope you liked it. Yeah, so please Review to make me smile. Thanks!

Chapter 6 (& I promise this will come true): THE REUNION! :D

3, D