Ohkay, so I know I have been MIA for the past few months, but I'm back, and really excited to keep this story going, specially since the show won't be back on till September. Anyways, I hope you all like it! :) On with the story!
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Glee. I don't know why I have to keep saying it though... It's just so sad...
Time stopped. All he could see was a mop of brown hair. Dark brown hair, he noted. The little boy's hands were wound tightly around Rachel's leg.
Rachel.
He looked up and caught her staring at him. Her eyes were wide and swirling with emotion. Sadness, anger, confusion, and …. What was that? Fear. She was afraid. Afraid of him or afraid of the outcome of this whole situation, he wasn't sure, but afraid nonetheless. And the fact that she was afraid because of him, well that just killed him inside.
But that wide eyed bambii look was soon gone, and replaced with a fierce look of determination. Gone was the fear, replaced with fiery anger. He wished for the doe eyes again, but he couldn't dwell on that, because from what he was seeing now, everything was about to blow up.
He saw her suck in a breath before she lowered herself to speak into their son's ear. She spoke so softly that he couldn't hear what she said, but saw the boy's head nod after a few seconds, and how his arms squeezed her leg a little tighter than before.
She stood back up, straightened her posture, and crossed her hands in front of her chest.
"What are you doing here?" She asked thru clenched teeth, her voice cold and hard.
He steadied himself, arranged his thoughts, and said calmly, "I'm here to explain."
He wasn't ready for the bitter laughter that escaped her mouth. "Explain? You came back here after 6 years to explain? Sorry Puck, but it's a little too late for that."
The 'Puck' slapped him right across the face, but he knew this would happen. He had expected nothing less. Hell, if he was in her shoes, he would have already told Sam to beat his ass into next Thursday, but he knew, and was very thankful, that that wasn't the type of person she was, and that she wouldn't do that unless it was absolutely necessary, which he was praying it wouldn't be.
"Please. I know you don't owe me anything, but"
"Your sure as hell she doesn't." came Sam's rough whisper. All it took was a look from Rachel to shut him up though.
"But, if you would just give me a chance, let me just state my case."
She looked back at him, eyes cold as ice, and shook her head.
His heart stopped beating the moment she uttered the words, "I think it's time for you to leave."
He hadn't come all this way to leave just yet. He had to at least put up a bit of a fight, and at the end, if she still wanted him to leave, he would. But he needed her to just hear him out first.
"Please Rachel. All I'm asking for is one chance for you to just hear me out. If you don't want me to stay, I'll go. Please just let us talk first."
Her eyes lost a bit of there fire, and her eyebrows knitted together slightly, a tell tale sign that she was thinking about it.
At this sight though, Kurt and Quinn quickly swooped in. They were two of her best friends, and they wouldn't let him hurt her again. In their eyes, he was as good as dead, and had absolutely no business here at all.
They made a wall in front of her, and he knew this wasn't good.
Quinn had her HBIC look in place, plus her ice queen glare. And for those who know Quinn, HBIC + Ice Queen= Scary Quinn, a force that no one in their right minds would go up against.
Kurt had his crazy eyes going on, hands firmly planed on his hips, and though people usually thought Kurt was as scary as a cabbage patch kid, Puck knew better. He knew that if Kurt wanted to, he could be as scary and threatening as something out of a damn horror movie.
Quinn spoke first, her words as cold and biting as her glare, "She said you need to leave Puck." She spat, "She doesn't want you here, now go."
Puck shook his head, "I need to talk to her."
Quinn scoffed, "You don't have any right to be here, nevertheless talk to her! You gave up that right years ago. You need to leave now."
Puck's aggravation was rising. He understood why they were doing this, and he liked that Rachel had such good friends, but he wasn't going to stand here and take this crap that they were throwing at him. He thought only Rachel had the right to yell at him, since it was their situation anyway.
He clenched his jaw slightly as he spoke. "Listen Quinn, I think it should be Rachel's decision whether or not she wants to talk to me. Now if you would just step out of the way, we can..."
She cut him off, taking a menacing step toward him, and it took him a lot of self control not to take a step away from her. Don't blame him! Girl was down right terrifying right now and the look in her eyes screamed psycho murderer.
"She already told you to leave. Why can't you take NO for an answer? Who the hell do you think you are?" she seethed.
His frustration finally boiled over, as he stepped towards her, noting how Finn stepped towards the pair also. When he spoke, his voice was louder than before, as his hands gestured wildly.
"Who the hell do I think I am? I think I am his f..." The words died on his tongue as Kurt, who before this time had been standing behind Quinn, shooting daggers at him, spoke, his shrill voice loud and commanding.
"Don't you dare even think about finishing that sentence!"
He strode up to Puck, and stuck a finger in his chest as he spoke lowly, making sure only Puck could hear him.
"Don't you dare say the word father. That little boy does not need to find out who you are in the middle of a crowd of people. You have caused enough heartache and trouble in Rachel's life. When will you finally think it's enough?"
Puck opened his mouth to speak, but Kurt silenced him with a glare and continued.
"I don't care why you left. I don't care about your sick, messed up reasoning behind it either. I don't give a damn why your back now. All I care about is that you hurt Rachel, and that you left a little boy without a father." His voice lowered even more, "And if you think you're going to come back here, say a few words, and everything is going to be fine and dandy, you have another thing coming." His eyes softened slightly, and he lowered his finger, "But you are the father, and I believe you should state your case before we kill you."
Puck would've laughed if he hadn't known Kurt was being dead serious.
Kurt flashed him an evil smile before he whispered "I watch CSI every Tuesday night. Mess this up, and I can end you, and make it look like an accident."
Puck gulped in spite of himself, and nodded dumbly. Kurt nodded back, grabbed Quinn's hand, and dragged her over to stand by Finn and Blaine. Since Quinn was silent, he knew she had heard everything Kurt had said, and by the way her eyes were staring at him right now, and that half smirk on her face, he knew damn well that if he messed this up, he would have them to answer to.
He turned to stare at Rachel again, and saw her eyes shinning with tears. It took everything he had not to go over and kiss all her troubles away. But he knew it wasn't his place, and if he tried anything of that sort, all his chances of getting to talk to her again would be blown.
She turned to look at Kurt and Quinn, nodding slightly, silently thanking them. Kurt smiled a bit and nodded back.
Rachel turned back to him, and he knew this right here was the moment of truth. If she told him to leave right now, he would have no choice but to go, even if he didn't want to. He could see the way Sam and Finn were itching to throw his sorry ass out to the curb, and if Rachel told him to go, nothing would be holding them back anymore.
He could see the gears in her head going a mile a minute, trying to think of the best solution. Her eyes brimmed with more tears, but she strongly held them in.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she slowly exhaled a shaky breath. She kneeled down and faced the little boy who had been clinging onto her leg for dear life the past few minutes. She kneeled in front of him, blocking him from Puck's view. He could hear her speak softly, stroking his hair. The boy nodded mutely, and she kissed the top of his head.
She motioned for Santana, who Puck just noticed was standing close to Rachel's right, and whispered something to her. Santana nodded, and looked at Puck for a moment, nodding slightly, then went and picked up their son, and carried him away toward the back exit.
As they were nearing the exit, the little boy's head tilted up slightly, and Puck saw his eyes. His hazel eyes. The kid had his eyes. HIS eyes.
Puck's eyes watered up, but he pushed the feeling down, knowing there was another, larger issue at hand at the moment.
Rachel looked at him again, and slowly started to close the distanced between them. She stopped a couple of feet away from him, and a stray tear left her eye. The room was dead silent as she opened her mouth. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears as she looked him dead in the eye.
She took a deep breath, her arms crossing her chest again, almost like a barrier between him and her heart.
Her voice came out smooth and even, though he could hear the slight waver.
"You had no right coming back here. I honestly don't know why you did. You have no place here anymore. I've moved on, made myself a life, and am raising a child. I'm ok now. That doesn't mean I'm not hurting, but I'm better than I was before. Seeing you here, now, it hurts. I don't really want to hear anything you have to say. It won't change the fact that you left. Nothing will."
Throughout her speech, his heart was slowly but surely sinking into the pit of his stomach, and by the end, it had completely dropped.
That was it. She wasn't going to listen. She had erased him from her life. She moved on, she said. Now all he was to her was a source of pain. It was no use anymore. It was over.
He was about to turn around and leave when she started talking again, her voice gaining a hard edge to it.
"But, you are still his father, and I have wondered these past 6 years why you left. You owe me that. So, I will give you one chance, only ONE chance, to explain yourself. After
I get all my answers, you will leave. Are we clear?"
His heart soared. She was giving him a chance! A chance to explain. And though she said he would have to leave right after, this little chance was all he needed. He nodded quickly.
She sighed. "Meet me at the Lima Bean tomorrow at 11."
He nodded, more enthusiastically this time. "I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
She rolled her eyes and walked toward the group that was huddled near them. He just stood there, thoughts racing thru his mind, a stupid small grin on his face that he couldn't stop. After what he guessed to be a few minutes, Quinn turned toward him, and said bitingly, "You can leave now. You still aren't welcome here."
He glared at her, about to reply when Finn came up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, glaring down at the slightly shorter boy. "Goodbye, Puck." He spat.
Puck nodded, before stealing a quick glance at Rachel. She was in the middle of the dance floor with Brittany, dancing wildly and laughing, seemingly forgetting his existence.
He walked out of there, and new jump in his step, unaware of the soft brown eyes watching him.
As he lay in bed that night, he let the smile that had been trying to make its way to his face every since she set up their meeting tomorrow, go free, and laid smiling giddily up at the ceiling.
He already knew what he was going to say to her, for he had been planning it out for the past 6 years. He was still nervous about how everything was going to turn out, but he wouldn't let that dampen his mood.
That night he went to bed with a smile on his face, and for the first time in a long time, he slept peacefully.
TA DA! Lol, anyways, hoped you liked it. I'm trying to move it along ya know? Please REVIEW! so I can smile :D Thanks for reading!
Next chapter up soon.
3, D