A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and continuing to review my stories! These one shots have been a lot of fun to write and I am glad you all have responded so well. On that note, this one-shot means a lot to me and I wanted to get this out before Veteran's Day here on November 11.

Long Time Gone

Puck glanced out the window of the aircraft and watched as the ocean was quickly swallowed by the land. He let out the huge breath he didn't know he had been holding, realizing that he was finally on (or flying over) his home country. The United States of America.

It had been a long twelve months and he didn't think he would ever get all of the sand out of his clothes and his gear after serving in Afghanistan for just over a year.

But his gear was one thing. The horrific memories and images of death and destruction was another thing. He witnessed cars and buildings explode in front of his eyes, the brick, mortar and metal shrapnel expelled all over the streets. He watched several of his fellow Marines go down in battle as well, Puck holding one of his friends as he watched the life slowly slip away from his bloodied body. He had seen the cruelty with which the insurgents dealt upon those civilians and villages they thought were aiding the Americans, and he had patrolled areas where it was common to see parents mourning the deaths of their children or women mourning the loss of their husbands at the hands of war and violence.

He swallowed the tight lump forming in his throat, the images becoming too much to handle. He thought about Quinn and his son and Beth. He couldn't help but imagine them in the same scenario if the situations were reversed and the thought alone just about killed him. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to focus on the fact that his family lived in a free country and could enjoy their lives and liberty without constant fear. He closed his eyes and did his best to push the images out of his head, instead thinking about the fact that Quinn and his son would be waiting for him when the plane landed and how anxious he was to see them, to pull them into his arms and tell them how much he loved them and had missed them.

When he really got to thinking about it, he felt pretty terrible about leaving them as often as he had to. He and Quinn and been married for close to 5 years, half of which he had either spent deployed or taking advantage of all of the training the Marine Corps offered, from Officer Candidate school, to Marine Recon training, and various other weapons and leadership courses in between. The thing that really got to him though, was the fact that his son was just over three years old, meaning that Puck had missed out on a good chunk of his life and that part absolutely killed him.

He was thrilled that his son actually recognized him over the webcam and Skype when he and Quinn would find a time to talk but he had to wonder what would happen when he finally got to see him again in person. Would the little boy run and hide behind his mom, thinking he was a stranger? Would he be super shy and not want to be around Puck? Would he even remember who Puck was?

Puck prided himself on being able to keep a straight face and keep his emotions in check, but just the thought made his stomach queasy. He didn't know if he could handle his own flesh and blood not knowing his father. Quinn had told him that his son asked where Puck was all the time, and while he knew she tried her best to connect with Puck via webcam or Skype, the little boy didn't quite understand how his father was "stuck in the computer." He was too young to understand why his dad had to leave for so long. Puck was out there defending the free world and helping those who couldn't defend themselves against religious fanatics and terrorist insurgents, but that wouldn't matter to his little boy. All he wanted was for his daddy to be home.

Quinn on the other hand, was a little bit of a different story. She understood why he did what he did. She understood the demands of his job and the dangers and risks that came with his military service. Hell, she had been nothing but supportive and had sacrificed so much herself just so he could continue to serve. But even though she never said anything, he knew it was wearing on her and the stress of the deployments was getting to be a bit much. He loved his wife with all his heart and would do anything for her, even if it meant getting out of the Corps he loved so much. They hadn't talked about him leaving or anything yet, but if she even said the word, he would be out as soon as he could.

She had been so selfless and given so much to hold down the fort and take care of their kiddo on her own over these past few years and he couldn't even fathom how to thank her or make it up to her, let alone find the words to tell her how much she meant to him. She was one of a kind and he felt incredibly fortunate to have her in his life but he knew that the wife of a Marine was not an easy job. He had seen many of his friends and members of his company go through divorces and such simply because it was a stressful lifestyle for everyone involved. And truthfully, he would be damned if that happened to him and Quinn. Even though it had never come up or was an issue between the two of them, he would do anything to show her how much he loved her and needed her in his life.

As the plane began to descend through the clouds, his heart began to race, the uniform feeling far too hot and tight for his liking. He re-adjusted a bit, pulling on the collar of his dress uniform to loosen the garment, the fabric feeling way too uncomfortable for the long flight. He held his white dress cover (hat) in his lap, fidgeting with the Marine Corps anchor, globe and eagle emblem on the front and wiping the excess finger prints off of the brim out of nervous habit.

The trees and houses grew bigger and shortly thereafter he felt the landing gear click down when the runway came into view. A few moments later, the plane landed and began taxiing up to the gates. As soon as the flight attendants began dismissing people, Puck stood and reached for his smaller duffle, an older man grabbing it out of the bin for him and handing it over.

"You coming home from overseas, young man?" the older gentleman asked.

"Yes sir. Just finished my second tour in Afghanistan."

The older gentleman smiled and extended his hand to Puck, "Thank you for your service, son. We are incredibly proud and grateful to have men and women such as yourself fighting in our Armed Forces."

Puck took the man's hand and shook it, "Thank you sir. It's an honor to serve and wear the uniform."

"Oh I know," the man replied, "graduated with 3rd Battalion and DIS out of Marine Corps Depot Parris Island, South Carolina in 1972."

Puck smiled, "Drill Instructor School, eh? You guys put out some tough dudes, that's for sure. I was originally out with 8th at Pendleton but went to Officer Candidate School and was last stationed with the 1st Recon Battalion, Charlie Company out at Quantico, Virginia."

"That's a good group out there, Marine. So, anybody meeting you here? If you needed to get somewhere, it would be my privilege." the man offered.

Puck straightened his uniform jacket as he and the man began to walk down the aisle of the aircraft, "Thank you for the offer sir, but I do have someone meeting me. It's been a year since I've seen my wife and son and I've been looking forward to seeing them since the day I left."

The older man smiled and patted Puck on the shoulder, "I know how that goes. Enjoy your time home, son. You deserve it."

"Thank you, sir," Puck offered in return, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

With that, Puck shook his hand again and headed off toward Arrivals, where he would finally be reunited with his family.

It had been a long year.

All things considered, Quinn had been able to keep it together pretty well over the past twelve months, mainly for the benefit of their three year old son, but it had certainly taken a toll on her. Every night there was some story on the news about the war in the Middle East. Every night there were photos and videos of what was going on over there. Every night there were reports of suicide bombs, IEDs, ambushes, raids, and more casualties than she ever cared to hear about. And every night she prayed that she wouldn't see his name as one of them, one of those names on the casualty reports.

Those men and women had families, mothers and fathers, siblings, husbands, wives, and children of their own. Hearing about their incredible bravery and sacrifice absolutely broke her heart. All of those men and women knew of the risks their job posed when they joined the military and they knew of the possibilities of injury and death as well. But the fact that all of those soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines continued to put their lives on the line knowing they may not make it home to their families truly humbled her.

Quinn knew her husband loved his job and was incredibly proud to serve his country, his family and his Corps. She was so proud of him and his dedication, as were both of their families, and she knew her son would be proud as well, already saying he wanted to be just like his dad some day. But every hour he spent serving overseas brought new risks and that thought alone made her head spin and her stomach churn.

She had known a few women who received that dreaded visit from the Casualty Assistance Office and had attended a few military funerals and memorials as part of the Marine Corps wives and families support group, but it never got any easier. She felt selfish and guilty for feeling happy that it wasn't her husband they were mourning, but the relief she got from hearing his voice or seeing his image on the computer screen afterwards was indescribable.

He hadn't been able to divulge too much of what his missions and job over there really entailed but given the area he was stationed in and the accolades he had been awarded already for his courage, bravery and sacrifice gave her an idea of the kinds of dangers he faced every day. She knew he was very well trained and could take care of himself but you really never knew what the next day might hold.

Anything could happen and even though she was thankful to be able to talk to him on a regular basis and he had called her to let her know that he was coming home soon, she wouldn't be able to truly relax until she saw him in person here in the United States.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Yes, it had been a really long year but thank God the wait was almost over, Quinn thought as she walked through the crowded terminal. She held her son's hand while the little blond boy ambled alongside her, his little legs working overtime to keep up with his mom as they made their way toward the international arrivals section of the airport.

Once they found the waiting area for arrivals, she picked up her son and cradled the young boy as they waited. She kept nervously checking the status of the flight Puck said he would be on over and over again, deciding to talk to her son and let him know that daddy was coming home while they stood there patiently. Her heart began to race the longer they waited and her nerves began to kick in, the fear of him not returning coming back full-force as the minutes continued to tick away.

Finally, she saw that crisp blue and white Marine Corps officer uniform step around the corner, her husband's face lighting up once he saw them at the end of the short hallway. She pinched her arm, trying to convince herself that this wasn't a dream and that he really was home.

When she saw him wave at them and knew it was for real, she let out a huge sigh of relief and a giant smile returned to her face, tears of joy pricking her eyes as she leaned in toward her son and pointed at Puck. He looked at where she was motioning and saw Puck too, the little boy starting to fidget instantly as he recognized the man. Quinn kissed him on the head and murmured, "Do you know who that is? That's your daddy!"

He squirmed more and she set him down, the little blonde boy immediately racing past the security guards and flailing his arms, calling out for his daddy. Puck smiled, his eyes going misty as he watched his son barrel toward him. He dropped his cover and bag to the floor and scooped his son up in his arms, cradling the boy and kissing his cheeks as he savored the feeling of holding him in his arms again.

He glanced out into the crowd of people, several other travelers and bystanders staring and some even tearing up at the reunion before he spotted Quinn. As soon as he locked eyes with her watery hazel ones everything around them seemed to disappear. He completely forgot about his belongings, quickly covering the distance to where she stood and engulfing her with his other arm. He smiled briefly before he leaned down and captured her lips, kissing her with all of the need, want and passion he had pent up over the last year.

Time seemed to stand still as he held her close, the little boy draped over his arm as the family enjoyed their moment. As they parted, the world seemed to fade back in around them and they finally realized they were not alone as the rest of the airport seemed to burst into applause at the happy reunion. They looked around at the people staring, several taking photos or recording the event, many people wiping their eyes at the sight in front of them. Several people came up and shook Puck's hand, welcoming him home or thanking him for his service while one of the security officers was kind enough to bring Puck's belongings over to him, smiling and telling him he understood when Puck tried to apologize for leaving them in the middle of the walkway.

He gathered his belongings and swung a protective arm around his wife while he continued to carry his son out to the baggage claim area. Quinn tucked her head into Puck's chest as they walked, inhaling his clean scent as she tried to get her emotions back in check. It was so good to see him and it felt almost surreal that he was finally here in front of her.

He was finally home.

x-x-x-x-x

Since she knew Puck would be coming home that day, Quinn went ahead and made dinner that night, grilling up some of his favorites as she wanted him to be able to have a good, old-fashioned home-cooked meal for the first time in a long time. The look on his face throughout dinner was priceless as well, the grown man practically purring as the meat and potatoes hit his tongue. He caught her staring at him, a small laugh escaping her lips as she watched him eat, to which he simply responded that this type of meal was heaven compared to the mass-produced mess hall meals or MREs they ate out in the field.

After dinner, Quinn insisted that she clean up so that Puck could go play with their son for a little while longer before the tyke needed to go to bed. She stood there and rinsed off the plates while she watched the boys play in the living room, the look of sheer joy on Puck's face enough to warm even the coldest hearts. She loved her boys and it was very clear that they loved each other too, the two of them wrestling around on the floor causing the littlest one to explode in a fit of giggles every time his dad tickled his tummy.

Despite how happy Puck appeared to be, she had a gut feeling that there was something troubling him. She knew that he had experienced some terrible things overseas and the military psychology experts had all said that it would take some time for returning service members to re-acclimate and re-adjust to life at home. It was stressful to remain constantly vigilant and alert at all times for over a year, and while he probably just needed a bit of time to come to terms with everything, she still worried.

They had been able to catch up a bit on the drive home and over dinner but it was a strange feeling they both got. It was almost like they didn't know what to say to one another. Like this was all new and they needed to get to know each other again. Quinn had asked Puck a few general questions about how things had been over there but he had been fairly quiet about everything that happened, politely asking if they could talk about that at a later date after he had finally gotten settled back into a routine and things had calmed down. She quickly agreed, realizing that he may need some time and really not wanting to push him either, knowing that whatever it was that was bothering him probably wasn't pretty.

She watched him play with their son for the rest of the evening, the family finally settling down to watch a movie as the night progressed. Their toddler didn't last long before his eyelids began to droop and he started to fall asleep on Puck's lap. Quinn offered to take him upstairs so Puck could relax a bit but Puck kindly refused, telling her he wanted to put him to bed instead. It had been over a year since he had participated in his little boy's nightly routine and it was something he had missed dearly. He gently picked up the sleeping toddler and carried him upstairs to his room while Quinn finished up downstairs.

She turned off all of the lights before following them up, watching from the doorway as Puck tucked the little guy into bed, pulling the sheets up around his shoulders and ruffling his hair a bit before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead. He sat there for a bit longer, simply watching his boy sleep for a bit before standing and turning on the moon-shaped nightlight and heading out the door.

He stopped as he passed Quinn, his gaze meeting hers for a moment before he cocked his head to the side and offered her a slight closed-mouth smile, the timid, boyish expression that she fell in love with in high school causing her heart to clench as he looked into her eyes. She didn't quite know what to say so she gave him a shy look back, biting her lip in between her teeth as she waited to see what he would do next.

Puck held her hand and brought it to his lips, tenderly kissing her knuckles as he took in her self-conscious girlish expression, the one he fell in love with back in high school. The same expression she wore the first night they spent together all of those years ago, the one that signified that she was unsure of what to do next but was willing to see where it all went.

He wove his fingers in between hers and tugged, silently leading her into their bedroom. He brushed her hair away from her face as he looked down at her, caressing her cheek before pulling her toward him for a kiss. He put everything he had into that kiss, using his lips to try and tell her how much he missed her and how much he needed her. They stood there simply making out for a while, enjoying the gentle slide of their lips against one another's until the build-up started to become too much.

Puck finally pulled back a bit, searching her eyes for the ok to proceed. She bit her lip again, her eyes full of love as her hands found the bottom hem of her shirt, slowly lifting the garment up her body and over her head, discarding it on the floor. Quinn looked back up into his eyes, his expression soft and reserved as he looked her over.

She reached out toward Puck and began pulling on the bottom hem of his shirt, hoping to give him the go ahead to proceed. He caught her hands with his, stopping her movements momentarily before taking over the task for her. He grabbed the collar of his t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head until it fell to the floor.

Quinn drug her fingertips down his finely chiseled torso, her short nails tickling his skin as she descended lower, stopping at his belt buckle. Slowly, she began to pull the leather free from its clasp, tugging and pulling it away from the belt loops and dropping it to the side. Puck simply watched her work, groaning lightly when she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest, her nimble fingers unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans.

As soon as his pants dropped to the floor, he engulfed her with his arms and held her close, capturing her lips in a heated kiss that left them both breathless when they parted. He kissed her a second time, drawing this one out and suckling gently on her bottom lip as he went to work on ridding her of her jeans. He unfastened the front, his hands finding their way inside as he cupped her backside and squeezed, pulling her hips into his, his arousal clearly evident from the moan that escaped her throat.

He led her over to the bed and sat down, pulling her in between his knees as he slowly peeled her jeans down her body. The look in his eyes alone was enough to set her skin ablaze with need.

Quinn looped her arms around his neck and went in for another kiss. She leaned into his chest and planted both of her knees on the mattress, straddling his legs as she drew him close.

Puck's calloused hands roamed up and down her back, the rough pads of his fingertips leaving a wake of fire wherever they touched. He continued to kiss her, enjoying the softness of her body against his tough, sun-dried skin, taking pleasure in the small whimpers she was making in the back of her throat as he unfastened her bra and moved his lips down to suckle her neck.

Her fingernails danced over his scalp and shoulders as he continued to work her over with his mouth, peppering kisses along the column of her neck and collarbones. She could feel the need within her rising, simmering low in her abdomen as his hands roamed her body and cupped her breasts. As soon as his tongue met a nipple, she almost lost it, the sensation incredible as his wet tongue swept across the open expanse of her chest.

She ground her hips down into his, aching for some sort of friction. Puck growled as she rotated her hips again, pulling her into his body as he twisted and laid her down on the bed, bracing himself on his hands and knees above her. He leaned in to kiss her lips again, caressing her cheek and brushing a wayward lock of hair out of her face as he traced her features.

Puck's whole body was buzzing with anticipation but he wanted to draw this out for a bit longer so he forced himself to stop. He pulled away and looked down at his wife, her lips kiss-swollen as her eyes roamed the body above her.

His hands swept down her chest and stomach and Puck leaned forward to place a kiss just above her hipbone and the waistband of her panties, the sweet spot he discovered a few years back still making her squirm. He drug her panties down her legs, discarding them off to the side as he sat back on his haunches, his eyes taking their sweet time as he marveled at her body.

Quinn felt her face flush as he sat back and scrutinized her naked form, her whole body feeling like it was on fire as he looked her over. She was too hot and needy for him to stop now so she sat up to meet him and ran her hands over his chest. Her fingertips traced every scar he had collected over the years, all remnants from a life of service and protecting others from car bombs, IEDs, and other flying shrapnel. She traced her tongue over each mark, soothing the area with her lips as she went.

She felt his heart beat faster against her mouth and his hands tighten their grip on her waist and she knew he was feeling just as hot and needy as she was. She ventured further south, the tips of her fingertips teasing the fine hairs of his chest as she made her way toward his boxer briefs.

Quinn's kisses practically scorched Puck's skin, his body aching to touch her. Her petite hands trembled against his abdomen as they searched for the waistband of his briefs, looping into the fabric and gently tugging at the elastic. He helped her lower his briefs, her fingertips tentatively stroking his length before cupping him and he had to think about baseball and cold showers as he tried as hard as he could not to come right then.

It had been a long twelve months and Puck wanted to go slow to make up for lost time with his wife, but her touch felt too damn good. He had lost count of the number of times this last year he found himself dreaming about his wife's hands wrapped around him while he stroked himself, helping to take off some of the edge every now and again, but the real thing was so much better than his imagination. He felt his stomach twist a bit and knew he was close, but he wanted nothing more than to be inside of her when he finally came, so he gently pushed her hands away.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, "Did I –"

He crashed his lips to hers, her question lost as he helped her lean back against the mattress. He trailed his hand down her hips, running it up the inside of her thigh before slowly dragging his index and middle fingers through her slick heat. A high pitched moan escaped Quinn's throat at the contact and Puck knew she was ready for him.

He lined himself up with her center, breaking apart from their kiss as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Missed you," he whispered before easing himself inside of her.

"Oh God, I missed you too," she gasped as he pushed into her, hitting that spot deep inside. She felt his whole body go still, giving her a chance to get used to his size again. It had been so long since she felt this good, this full, and while she thought it felt amazing having him inside of her, nothing compared to the incredible sensation she felt when he finally started moving again.

She missed her husband tremendously while he was gone. All of his touches, all of his caresses, all of his kisses. But this right here, this feeling of him making love to her and showing her how he cared for her was definitely one of things she missed the most.

Puck tried to go slow but that plan wasn't working so well. His whole body began trembling as he thrust in and out of her at a steady pace, building on their rhythm as he went. His whole body felt like it was on fire, the pleasure getting to be too much. "Quinn, I'm sorry, I don't know if I can last much longer," he croaked.

Quinn's body began to quake, the internal rumblings of her orgasm building fast as her inner muscles began to clench. She dug her nails into his back, arching up into him as he thrust. "Mmm, please Puck! Come with me," she begged.

He thrusts a few more times, arching as deep into her as he could before his world exploded. Quinn was equally as close, his final thrust and climax setting her off as her muscles clenched almost painfully hard around him. Her arms and legs keeping him in a vice-grip hold as her whole body shook from the exertion.

Puck held on to her, knowing he was probably crushing her but relishing in the full-on skin-to-skin contact he had been craving for the last year. After a few moments, she slowly let her legs unwind from around his waist and released him, the duo panting hard as they tried to catch their breath.

He raised his head from the spot it had been nuzzling her neck and pressed his forehead against hers. His hand found one of hers and he laced their fingers together, pushing it against the mattress by her head as he kissed her lips sweetly. She ran her other hand along his back, gently scratching and tickling the hard muscular ridges, a slight shiver running up his back at the touch.

He pulled away slightly and looked into her sleepy, sated eyes. She smiled coyly back up at him, quickly pecking his lips again before murmuring, "Mmm, love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he replied, "Sorry I couldn't last longer. It's just been so long since I've touched you."

She brought her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek before tracing his lips with the pad of her index finger in an action meant to silence him, "You don't need to apologize for anything, Puck. You're home. That's all I care about."

He smiled against her lips and she gave him another quick peck. "And if you didn't notice the goofy grin on my face, I definitely enjoyed myself too," she winked and gave him a cheeky grin.

He laughed, finding her sense of humor refreshing after the long few days of travel and the fairly quiet evening the two of them had earlier. "Well, I always enjoy myself when I'm with you," he replied as he rolled off of her and settled on his side, propping his head up on his hand.

"You better," she joked, smiling over at him, "Plus, no matter what, it totally beats doing it myself, that's for sure."

His eyes widened in shock, his jaw hanging slack as he tried to process what she just admitted, "Wait, doing it yourself? Doing what yourself?"

"Well you know, helping myself out a little. Easing a bit of tension if you know what I mean," she paused, seeing the look on his face, "And don't look at me like that, I know you were doing the same."

"True, but uh, I'm interested in how you 'helped yourself out,'" he grinned, "How about you show me how you took care of yourself while I was gone sometime?"

She playfully sighed and chuckled, "Well, your mom is coming to pick your Mini-Me up tomorrow morning for school," she paused, quirking an eyebrow at him, "Which means we'll have the whole house to ourselves. All.Day.Long."

Puck grinned and pulled her into his chest, kissing her hard, "Mmm, sounds perfect. I can think of alot of things we could do to pass the time."

She giggled as he playfully tickled her stomach for a few moments, leaning in to kiss her softly before gently tracing her features. Quinn sighed as she nuzzled her face into his open palm, "Welcome home, baby. Welcome home."

x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: I know this wasn't as light as some of the other chapters, and there are plenty of not-so-serious chapters coming up, but I wanted to include it because this particular topic means a lot to me. I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of those brave men and women who serve their countries worldwide and are willing to lay their lives on the line so we can continue to enjoy ours. Please take a moment to thank those who have helped defend and protect your liberties and freedoms, regardless of your political beliefswhat country you are from :)

This is dedicated to all those who serve or have served, the families that support them and the sacrifices they have all made, and in memory of those who never made it home. Thank you and God Bless.

All gave some, but some gave all... Rest in Peace, Daniel. I love you with everything I am and I miss you more than you'll ever know.