Two Weeks Later

"So, I was thinking we should go out for coffee. I really need some caffeine right now." Puck pouted pleadingly at Rachel, who was sitting down at her laptop typing out an email.

Rachel rolled her eyes before standing up reluctantly. "You know I'm a sucker for the puppy dog eyes. All right, let me grab my jacket and tell Santana I'm leaving. Then we'll go."

Puck was in New York for the week, meeting some new producers that were working with his record label. Two weeks after convincing Rachel to give him a chance, they finally got some alone time together when he was sent unexpectedly to New York. He had considered asking his record label to move him to New York, but then he got scared thinking about if him and Rachel didn't work out, then he'd be stuck in NYC. He had prepared himself for a lot of Skype sessions and calls and texts so that the long distance didn't seem like that far, but actually being in New York and being with her was a dream. He got to see her all the time. When he wasn't in meetings, he was at her apartment just spending time with her. Everything was in walking distance from her apartment, which meant there was less chance of paparazzi catching them out and about, especially together.

When him and Rachel left her apartment and headed down the street to Starbucks, Puck boldly took her hand. They walked down the street, hand in hand, and Puck was staring at her in awe as she lit up in her element. New Yorkers walked quickly by, not bothered by the sight of two supposedly single celebrities walking hand in hand down the street. They had places to be and people to see. Tourists, on the other hand, stared at the duo and snapped pictures.

As Puck and Rachel turned the corner to get their coffee, they ran right into a group of paparazzi. Puck pulled Rachel in the coffee shop quickly, but they still heard and saw the flashes and clicks of the camera through the glass walls of Starbucks. As they ordered their drinks and prepared themselves to leave, a little girl ran up to Rachel and hugged her.

"Miss Berry, could I pretty please get your autograph. I don't want to bother you, but I've been wanting to meet you for forever!" The little girl held out a napkin with a pen with a hopeful look on her face.

Rachel smiled down at the girl before taking the napkin and pen and signing her name neatly. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The girl blushed and looked down at the ground. "Layla, Miss Berry."

Rachel shook the little girl's hand, watching Layla's face light up in delight. "That's a beautiful name. And please, call me Rachel."

Puck and Rachel walked out of Starbucks quickly, fast-walking their way back to Rachel's apartment with the paparazzi hot on their heels.

When Rachel unlocked her door and the two stumbled into the apartment, Puck let out a breath of relief. "What rumors do you think are going to be spread about us by tomorrow?" Puck asked Rachel. He knew how these things went. For months, magazines were spewing crap about him and Quinn being in a secret relationship, even though his rep always denied the ridiculous rumors. He had never even been to New Zealand, let alone on a secret vacation with Quinn.

Rachel shrugged and hung her jacket up on the hook on the wall. "Pregnancy, for starts."

Puck choked on his coffee, turning to face her. "Seriously?"

Rachel laughed and patted him on the back. "That or a secret affair, maybe even marriage if they put two and two together that we dated in high school."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Some people would print anything about anyone if it meant making a little cash. And it was only two weeks. I seriously doubt any of our classmates even remember it."

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him challengingly. "Sure about that? Kurt brought it up the day before the reunion when I was on the phone with him."

Puck chuckled. "Beyonce's got a photographic memory when it comes to hot guys, and baby, I'm a hot guy."

Rachel smirked as she snaked her arms around his neck and played with his hair. "We're a couple of good-looking Jews, sweetheart."

Reaching down and teasingly biting her bottom lip and sucking, Puck made Rachel swoon. He had forgotten how captivating she was, how her taste was sweet yet spicy, something purely Rachel.

Just when he had reached the promised land and had both hands on her tantalizing behind, her front door swung open and a precocious mini-Rachel came sprinting through the door.

"Mommy!" Piper slid across the floor as she stopped herself from running straight into the entangled couple.

As he looked down at a blushing Rachel who was quickly trying to put distance between them, Piper's father walked through the door, his Russian fiancee hanging onto his arm as she had difficulty walking in her soaring high heeled boots.

Rachel looked even more flustered as Antony and Natasha walked in. "Tony, Nat! I didn't know you'd be stopping by!"

Piper grabbed Rachel's hand and smiled her toothless grin. "I wanted to surprise you, so surprise!"

"If my surprise was you, then it's the best surprise I've ever had," Rachel said as she squatted down and kissed Piper on top of her head.

Natasha stepped forward and hugged Rachel. "Did you get my email about your dress color?"

Puck watched as Rachel's face lit up when talking about Antony and Natasha's wedding. "Mint would look absolutely gorgeous, I agree. And I cannot wait to try on my dress when it's finished."

Natasha smiled and clapped her hands together giddily. "Perfect! Then I'll email you later if I have anymore ideas. Thanks for letting us interrupt your day off. Bye darling!"

And just as quickly as the trio arrived, they disappeared.

Later, after finally getting to have their perfect high-school-esque makeout session, they returned to their songwriting session, tossing ideas back and forth for their duet.

"Don't you think it should be a sweet yet sultry song, with you crooning out the lyrics?"

Puck frowned. "What, you don't want any romantic duets with me?"

As he saw her furrowed brows soften and a sweet grin take shape, he sighed. He knew he'd always let her win.

"Fine, sweet and sultry it is."

Rachel leaned over and pecked him on the lips. "With extra crooning and-"

"YOU'VE HEARD IT HERE FIRST. HEARTBREAKER NOAH PUCKERMAN AND RACHEL BERRY ARE DATING. PAPARAZZI CAPTURED PHOTOS OF THE HOT DUO ON A COFFEE DATE EARLIER TODAY IN NYC AND SOURCES HAVE JUST TOLD US THAT THEY WERE BOTH IN THEIR HOMETOWN OF LIMA, OH, A FEW WEEKS AGO. NEITHER OF THEIR REPS HAVE RESPONDED AND BERRY'S FORMER FLAME ANTONY BENTON IS KEEPING HUSH HUSH AS WELL. AND WHAT'S THIS ABOUT BENTON AND BERRY'S SECRET SIX-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER? A CLOSE FRIEND OF THE FORMER COUPLE HAS TOLD OUR REPORTERS THAT PIPER ARYA BENTON, 6, IS THE DAUGHTER OF BERRY AND BENTON, CONCEIVED DURING THE RUN OF THE BROADWAY SHOW THEY STARRED IN TOGETHER. HOW HAS THIS CUTE THING-cuts to two photos, one of Rachel and Piper, and one of Antony and Piper-BEEN KEPT SO SECRET? I'M GUESSING SOME VERY TALENTED PRESS REPS AND A LOT OF BRIBERY. WHAT OTHER SECRETS ARE THE BROADWAY STARS HIDING?"

Rachel and Puck stared at the television in shock. Looking over at a defeated looking Rachel, already on the phone with her publicist, Puck knew that this was going to be rough. He put his arm around her and brushed away the tears as she silently cried.

A/N- I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON AND I'M SO SORRY. I broke my ankle over four months ago, and it's been a slow recovery process. I've just gotten off of crutches and I still have almost daily physical therapy. Also, school is keeping me busy and I just haven't found the time lately to write. So sorry, love you all!