Chapter title from "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons. Enjoy ^___^
Chapter 5: It was not your fault, but mine.
Rachel woke up the next morning when the light shone through her window. Hadn't she closed the blinds last night? Apparently not. Something is different, thought Rachel, still in her post-sleep stupor. She turned over and there he was; Noah Puckerman, her boyfriend, the man who made her a woman. She smiled when she remembered the events of last night. He had been so gentle, so loving and respectful, things she would never have thought him to be a month ago. Oh, how things have changed. She remembered how he told her she was beautiful, how he had made her feel safe and wanted. It was the best night of her life, even better than singing on stage. This was a different kind of rush.
He stirred and opened his eyes, and Rachel chuckled at the momentary look of confusion on his face as he tried to figure out where he was. After a moment, he smiled and reached out to her. He placed his hand on her face, and she smiled back at him.
"Hey sleepy-head."
"Hey yourself."
Rachel snuggled into him, loving the feeling of his warm body on hers. They lay in silence for a while. There was no need for words.
Rachel looked at the clock, and sat bolt upright.
"Oh God! It's already 8 o'clock!"
She jumped up and ran to her wardrobe to hastily pick an outfit. She grabbed her favourite pink skirt and a plain white shirt, some knee-highs and patent black flats. She grabbed a hair brush and headed for her ensuite, when she realised that Noah had not left the bed.
"Come on, Noah, If we don't hurry we will be late for home room."
"They still have that?"
He gave her a crooked smile, one which almost made her jump right back in bed with him.
"Come on, out of bed! I'm going to have a shower, how about you get some breakfast ready for us?"
"Alright, alright."
He started getting out of bed and Rachel took one last look at him before shutting the door to the bathroom. She turned on the water, let it heat up, and jumped in the shower. She was still a bit sore from last night, but the pain was worth it. She was also very grateful that her parents had stayed out of town that night; she certainly wouldn't want to explain Noah's presence at their house at eight in the morning. She quickly washed and jumped out the shower. She dried herself, got dressed, brushed her hair and brushed her teeth. She threw her books into her bag and went downstairs.
Noah had prepared some cereal and toast for them and she sat down in the chair he held out for her. They ate quickly, and Noah went to have a quick shower while Rachel cleaned up and washed their dishes. Once he had finished, they jumped in his car and headed to school. While they were driving, Rachel noticed Noah looking at her a lot.
"What are you staring at Noah Puckerman?" She said with a playful smile on her lips.
"You, Rachel Berry. May I say that you look lovely today?"
"You may!" She giggled. She loved this gentlemanly side of Noah. She could really get used to this. She had never felt so…beautiful, so sexy, in her entire life.
"You know, Noah, I want to commend you on how gentlemanly you have been recently, especially last night. And I want you to know, last night… well, it was the best night of my life."
Noah reached out and took her hand in his.
"Your right, Rach, it was pretty damn great."
He smiled at her. Rachel knew that he felt exactly the same as she did, even if he wasn't as eloquent as expressing it.
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Rachel had spent nearly fifteen minutes making out with Noah in the car, before distantly hearing the bell for homeroom ring, giving him one last kiss and running off into the school. She had spent the first three periods in a Noah-induced daze, her mind drifting to the previous night. His hands all over her body, her hands running over his stomach, his back…the feeling of his –
"Rachel?"
Rachel snapped out of her daze to see the whole class, including Finn, who was sitting two rows in front of her, staring at her.
"Yes, Miss Porter?"
"Can you tell us about tragic elements in Romeo and Juliet?"
Romeo and Juliet? Oh yeah, she was in English class. Oh God, she had no idea what they had been talking about. This was so unlike her. She sat there, completely speechless for the first time ever in English class.
"Um…tragic, um, tragic elements...Uh, well, um…"
"See me after class, Rachel. Brittany, tragic elements in Romeo and Juliet?"
Rachel sighed and looked up to see Finn still looking at her. He looked away as soon as she locked eyes with him. What was going on with him? She didn't have much time to contemplate this, as soon her thoughts were back on Noah. Noah, Noah, Noah – he drove her crazy in the best ways possible. The bell rang, and she stayed behind waiting for a lecture from Miss Porter.
"Rachel, are you feeling alright today?"
"I'm just a bit tired, Miss Porter. I was up very late last night, working on choreography for a glee number."
"Well, Rachel, I've noticed a change in you during the last month…and I have heard that you have begun dating Noah Puckerman? I'm concerned that he may be affecting the quality of you work, and I would hate for that to happen to you."
"Miss Porter, my romantic life has no effect on my academic achievements; I can assure you of that. I apologise for being distracted today, and I promise that it will not happen again."
"Well…if you're sure, Rachel. I'll see you next class."
Rachel walked out of the classroom and before she could walk three steps she was stopped by Finn.
"Hey Rach. Are you OK? You seem a bit strange."
"Yeah Finn, I'm fine."
"Well, if you say so. Anyway, are we still on for bowling this afternoon?"
Oh God, I agreed to go bowling with him. Rachel had completely forgot about hanging out with Finn, and she was sure that Noah would be angry when he found out that she would be spending one-on-one time with the boy who confessed his feelings for her not a day earlier. But she knew she couldn't cancel on Finn; he was, after all, her friend, and he did seem genuinely sorry.
"Oh, yeah, bowling. Meeting outside the auditorium after school, right?"
"That's it. See you then, Rach."
He ran off in the opposite direction. Rachel began heading to her locker, but detoured to the girl's bathroom on the way. She went to the toilet, and while she was in the cubicle, she could hear someone else come in and shut the door. She flushed the toilet and walked out of the cubicle, only to be confronted with Santana sitting on the bench, filing her nails.
"Hey freak"
Rachel rolled her eyes and ignored Santana, instead washing her hands and drying them with a paper towel. Santana put down her nail file and turned to Rachel.
"So, how are you and Puck going? He impregnated you yet?"
"Please, Santana, leave me alone."
Rachel made for the door, but Santana blocked her path.
"I only ask, you know, because it wouldn't be the first time."
"The first time?"
"The first time that he has impregnated someone"
Rachel felt a stab somewhere inside her, perhaps one of anger? Or maybe, deep down, did she know that there may be some truth in what Santana was saying?
"That's ridiculous, Santana."
"Is it? I can see it in your eyes; you know that I'm telling the truth. I can see that hint of doubt."
Rachel tried her best to keep her face as blank as possible.
"Well, I bet you're dying to know who it is, huh? Well, that is one juicy bit of information, freak. You see, you know this person. I know this person. Everyone at this school knows this person. I'll give you a clue. Who do we all know who is pregnant?"
One name – one heartbreaking name – rose to the back of Rachel's throat, but refused to make its way out. She didn't even have to say it – Santana knew that she had won.
"Uh-huh." She said with a smirk, grabbed her nail file and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Rachel standing, shaking, shocked, her heart sinking.
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Quinn was at her locker in the change rooms, cleaning out her locker. She had officially been kicked off of the Cheerios. She was pregnant, a liar, breaking the hearts of two boys, and had been knocked off of the top rung of the McKinley ladder. My life couldn't possibly be any worse, thought Quinn. Or so she assumed.
"Is it true?"
Quinn whirled around to see a distraught Rachel Berry standing in front of her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Did Noah impregnate you?"
The question threw her off balance. She had no answer. That was all the confirmation that Rachel needed, clearly, as with a sob, she ran from the room. Quinn leant against the locker, slid down to the floor and put her head in her hands.
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Rachel stormed down the hallway, tears streaming down her face. She was supposed to be in fourth period, but she knew that she could not go back to class. She also knew that Noah skipped fourth period and sat on the bleachers, drinking the bottle of bourbon that he kept in his glove compartment in his car. She had always hated that he did that, but for once she was grateful that he was not in class, so that she could confront him.
There he was, as per usual, sitting on the bleachers.
She towards him and she could see the smile, the one that usually made her weak at the knees, falter with every step she took.
"Rach, are you alright? What's the matter?"
"I know, Noah."
She saw his face fall.
"I know about you and Quinn."
They stood there, neither able to speak. Rachel had tears streaming down her face; Puck looked away from her, physically unable to see her feeling like this.
"Why didn't you tell me, Noah? How could you lie to me, to Finn?"
"Rach, I'm so sorry, I didn't plan any of this to happen, and she didn't want me to tell Finn, she doesn't want me in her life, she doesn't want me to be near the baby –"
"Why didn't you tell me, Noah?"
"I…I thought that you wouldn't…wouldn't want to be…with me…anymore…"
They stood there, completely shattered, unsure, at a crossroads.
"Noah, I can't be around you right now –"
"Please, Rachel –"
Puck reached out to grab her hand, and she pulled away.
"No, Noah, I can't be near you right now. You kept this huge, massive, secret from me, and I don't know if I can trust you anymore."
Rachel ran down the stairs of the bleachers and into the auditorium, her safe spot, a place where she could let go. And she did just that. She let everything go, and sunk to the ground and cried.
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Finn was waiting by the auditorium for Rachel. He was worried; he had asked Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina where she was, but none of them had seen her since that morning. Something was wrong, he knew it.
He was about to call her when he saw Quinn walking towards him. He immediately wanted her to leave, but then felt a stab of guilt; this was the mother of his child, his girlfriend, he shouldn't be feeling this way. He realised when she got closer to him that she was in tears.
"Quinn, are you OK?"
She sobbed, her shoulders sagging.
"Finn, I have to tell you something. Can we go inside please?"
"Uh, yeah, alright."
They walked into the auditorium and sat down in one of the many chairs.
"Finn…before I tell you this, please know that I am so, so sorry, and that I love you so much, and I hope you will forgive me."
"Quinn, what's up? You're starting to scare me…"
"Oh Finn…I should have told you from the beginning…the baby…the baby isn't yours Finn…"
Finn sat still, shocked at what he was hearing.
"What did you say?"
"You're not the father of the baby."
Finn couldn't believe what he was hearing. After all this time, after everything he did, what he was willing to give up…all that for a child that wasn't his. He felt anger boil up inside of him. Quinn was still talking to him, but he couldn't hear what she was saying; he didn't want to. There was one thing he did want to hear, though, straight from her lips.
"Who?"
Quinn seemed to know exactly what he was asking, and she looked at her hands, unable to meet him in the eye.
"Puck."
Finn grabbed his bag and walked away, unable to look at her anymore. He could barely hear her crying; he was filling up with anger, all he wanted was to hurt her, hurt him, the two people he was supposed to trust most in this world. Finn knew that no one would be backstage of the auditorium; there were no glee or band practices that afternoon. He stormed backstage and threw his bag against the wall. He wanted to scream, to cry, to let go of all of the pain he was feeling. He leant against the wall and doubled over, looking at his feet, feeling his head pound. That was when he realised: he could hear someone crying; a girl by the sounds of it. He walked around the corner into the dressing rooms and there she was – Rachel Berry, sad, teary, alone. She looked up and saw him standing there, tears in his own eyes.
"She told you, didn't she?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Oh, Finn, I'm so sorry."
He went and sat on the bench next to her.
"I'm guessing Puck told you? Is that why you're crying?"
"Actually, no, Santana told me. But yes, that is why I'm crying."
They sat in silence. Finn didn't know what to do; he was so lost.
"I think she really does love you, Finn. That's probably why she didn't want to tell you. Because she loved you, and she didn't want to lose you."
Finn realised that Rachel was right. Rachel was always right about these kinds of things.
"Finn, if you want to talk to someone about how you are feeling about this, then I'm here, alright?"
She put her hand on his, and looked into his eyes. When she did so, all the thoughts of Quinn and the baby and hurting Puck went flying out of the window – all the thought of was: Rachel. He leaned towards her, wanting to kiss her, wanting not to talk to her about his feelings, but to show her.
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Rachel put her hand on Finn's. She felt so sorry for him; he really didn't deserve this. She looked into his eyes. She saw something: a mixture of sadness, confusion, and a hint of lust…or was it something more? He leaned towards her, moving for her lips. All she thought of was:
Noah.
A.N. I struggled with the ending, but I'm happy with the different points of view in this chapter; I wanted to try using multiple points of view. Please give me your opinions on this chapter, let me know how my experiments went! Thanks ^____^ P.S. Thought I'd better put this disclaimer in, for good measure: I don't own Glee, or Romeo and Juliet.