A/N: I wanted to thank you guys for reading and reviewing! I wrote this story back in March and I'm surprised that people like it, considering how fluffy it is! Haha! (I'm a big fan of cheese... oy.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the following chapter.

Thanks again for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I merely used Ryan Murphy's amazing characters to get me out of my writer's block.

"Mom, it's not the end of the world."

"What do you mean it's not the end of the world, Noah?" his mother spat. "Don't you see what a terrible mess you're in? And, what are you going to do with a baby? How is Quinn paying for her medical bills? Oh my God, what did Judy and Russell do to that girl? I know how fanatic they are!"

Puck's mom was losing it, but he kept his defiant disposition. He rolled his eyes, pushed himself out of his chair and started pacing.

"Look, I know that we're in deep…" his mother looked at him menacingly. "… trouble, but the kid's okay. I took Quinn to her doctor's appointment last week and both she and the baby are fine. As for the money, I sold my X-Box, my old guitar and a few of dad's records. So far, so good."

With everything that Puck was saying, his mother's eyes softened more and more.

"She's going to Lamaze, taking her vitamins, still kicking everyone's ass—I mean behind—in school. Sure, her parents kicked her out and sure Finn hates us both, but at least Quinn and I have handled all of our problems. I've got all of this under control." Puck finished, a deep frown set in his forehead. He silently prayed that his mom bought his bullshit because he knew that he and Quinn were in over their heads.

His mom rubbed her tired eyes. Shit. Her bullshit reader must be going off the charts… She looked at her son and smiled comfortingly, motioning for Puck to sit back down. Puck reluctantly returned to his seat, fearing the worst. She's going to send me to boarding school… Worse! An all-boys boarding school. And she'll sell me out to Quinn's psycho parents… Mr Fabray will kill me when he finds out I knocked up his precious Quinnie. Puck could feel his temperature rising, but he put on his poker face.

"Noah, I want you to listen to me." His mother's eyes narrowed, making her seem older than her 38 years. "I am going to help you and Quinn, whether you like it or not." Puck's face twitched slightly and his mom caught the tiny spasm. In that slight twitch, Sarah Puckerman saw that her son was putting on a brave face for her. She was overcome with emotion and another tear rolled down her cheek. Puck saw the tear and immediately grabbed his mom's hand, squeezing it. When their eyes met, he smiled softly and nodded his head—slowly giving in and accepting her help.

Puck was still in his gym clothes, but he decided to skip the shower that night. The conversation he'd just had with his mom was the closest they'd ever come to having a heart-to-heart. Adding to the awkwardness of the situation, he felt like he'd let her down.

As a single mom of two, Sarah Puckerman had never been able to spoil her kids, but she'd done the best she could. She worked tirelessly at the hospital, saved money for her kids' college funds and tried putting them in affordable after-school activities. Puck knew that she regretted the fact that neither he nor Hannah saw their dad (the last time Puck and Hannah had been forced into seeing the bastard, his dad had made promises to see them again soon. That was four years ago and Hannah still held hope of this coming true.), but the truth was, Puck never even missed the guy. Sure, his mom couldn't buy him game consoles like PS3 or X-Box (Finn's mom always buys him shit. But he's an only child, Puck reasoned whenever he felt the pang of jealousy brought on by Finn having all of the material things he wanted), but he didn't mind that he had to get a job in order to buy things for himself. It was better than asking his mom to buy stuff for him, since that often led to awkward moments in which she had to say "no".

He jumped on his bed, his eyebrows furrowed. Overall, his mom was one classy lady; she didn't threaten him, scream at him or castrate him, so as far as he was concerned, he was in the clear. He didn't know how she would be able to help him with the whole Quinn situation, but now he had someone to count on who wasn't 16 years old. Thanks, Big Guy, he thought as he stared at the ceiling.

Puck arrived at Brittany's house earlier than usual. He hadn't slept much the previous night and all he wanted was to see Quinn. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be all right, that together they could raise their baby and that he had finally told his mom. Okay, technically I didn't tell her, but I know Quinn will be proud, Puck thought with a smug smile.

When the girls finally exited the house, Quinn was surprised to find him waiting for them. She entered the car and awkwardly handed Puck his coffee. Puck took a long sip from the coffee and nodded his thanks, noticing that Quinn was out-right staring at him. He smiled uncomfortably and put the car in drive.

They drove in silence, but every so often, Puck would catch Quinn looking at him, a soft smile on her pink lips. As soon as their eyes would meet (his were puzzled, hers were dazed), Quinn would hide her face behind her hair, a blush creeping on her face.

"What's up, Quinn?" Puck asked after the fourth time they played eye-tag. Quinn looked up at him. "Why do you keep lookin' at me?" He said with a laugh. It's like I'm stuck in the Twilight Zone with this girl—one day she's mad at me, the next she's all smiles. Girls.

Quinn shrugged, trying to appear disinterested. Just great, Quinn. You admit your feelings for Puck and now you're acting like a five year-old. She rolled her eyes. Might as well answer his question.

"I'm tired." She replied, trying to smile. Puck nodded, not looking at her, but staring straight ahead. "So, did you have a nice sleep?" Quinn asked. Puck's face showed his surprise. Since when is Quinn into small-talk? He turned to look in the backseat. He wanted to make sure that Brittany was still in the car and he hadn't in fact stepped into another dimension in which Quinn Fabray actually cared about him, pigs flew and Brittany didn't exist.

Brittany looked back at Puck, just as confused as he was (But that's normal). She shrugged her thin shoulders and shook her head.

"I didn't sleep well." Puck finally answered. Quinn nodded sympathetically.

"That's horrible. Sorry to hear that." Puck looked at Quinn as though she had sprouted three heads. They stopped at a stoplight and he turned in his seat to get a better look at the blond sitting next to him. He assessed that she still looked the same, she still sounded the same and, yes... she was still pregnant. He turned, hoping to exchange another confused look with Brittany, but Brittany was busy playing games on her cell.

"Okay, Fabray," he started, his eyes hardening to show that his bullshit reader was starting to detect some major BS. "What's with the attitude?"

"What attitude?" Quinn asked, shrugging her shoulders. She smiled warmly at him (a smile he'd seen only a handful of times). "I just woke up in a really great mood," she lied. I really don't want to push you away anymore.

"Sure," Puck raised his eyebrows. The light changed and they continued on their way. Seeing as she's actually speaking to me today, I should take advantage of this situation. Warm her up a bit before I tell her the big news, Puck contemplated.

"How was your rehearsal with Berry?" Puck asked, trying to keep the conversation flow going.

"Not bad..." Quinn shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to remember Rachel or the secret she'd shared with her.

"Yeah?" Puck asked, genuinely surprised that Quinn had enjoyed herself with Rachel. "I'm getting together with Santana tonight." Puck told her offhandedly. Quinn winced, turning her face to hide her displeasure. While he may have not been looking at his baby mama, Puck knew the precise moment in which Quinn went from happy to annoyed.

"Oh. When are you meeting her?" She asked jarringly. "We have glee club today, can't you practice then?" She looked at her hands, feeling embarrassed, angry and annoyed with herself. I forgot about Santana. Puck only cares if he can get between girls' legs. I'm such an idiot. Tomorrow he'll forget about my Lamaze class and will ditch me at school.

"After I drop you and Brit off at the house, I'm coming back to school." Puck answered, his tone annoyed. And here I go shitting the bed. Again. Shit. But what does she care that I'm getting together with Hopez? He drove into the parking lot, finding his spot, trying hard not to look at Quinn (he could sense Quinn's glare and he didn't want to risk angering her more). He manoeuvred his way into a spot, turning off the ignition.

"You know what, Puck?" Quinn unbuckled her seat belt. "We won't need a ride. Brit and I can walk home today."

"But I don't want to walk!" Brittany pouted from the backseat.

"Tough!" Quinn called over her seat.

"Quinn," Puck started, attempting to catch her hand, but Quinn had already opened the door angrily and was walking away from the car, Brittany following quickly after her.

Puck fumbled stupidly with his seat belt latch, pushing the door open and almost hitting a freshman in the process. He ran after her, catching her by the wrist and turning her to face him. Big mistake.

She was livid, yanking her hand out of his grasp. Neither of them noticed that Brittany kept walking. So much for them playing nice, she thought.

"Don't you ever grab me like that ever again," her voice shook with feeling. "Ever." She spun on her heel, but Puck was still on her trail.

"Quinn, wait!" He finally ran in front of her, blocking her escape. Shit she's angry. I've never seen her eyes this green… Looking into her eyes, Puck noticed the tears pooling in her eyes. His first instinct was to look away, fearing another uncomfortable scene, but he stupidly reached out to hug her, instead.

"What are you doing?" Quinn demanded, pushing his arms away. She rolled her eyes and he figured it was because she was annoyed with his very presence. "Don't touch me. Just... Leave me alone, Puck. Please," she pleaded. Walking around him, Quinn started walking to her first class. She kept rolling her eyes to keep the tears from gathering and streaming down her cheeks. Growing up in the Fabray household, where hiding your true emotions was encouraged, this trick came in handy.

Puck watched after her, confused that she had reacted to strongly to him saying he would be rehearsing with Santana.

Realization dawned on him then: Santana. Quinn had a problem with him spending time alone with Santana. Alone. Just great. He hit a locker, hoping to be rid of some of his frustration, but all that did was anger him further. Just fucking great, he thought as he shook his smarting palm.

They had math together during sixth period. They often sat next to one another, but Quinn had asked to be moved to the front of the room, claiming she was feeling ill that day and would need a quick exit.

Puck watched her from the back, worrying that he had blown everything with her. Ever since Quinn had learned of Puck's sexting habits with Santana, she had pushed Puck further away. Now that she'd finally let him in, he had to go and make plans to work alone on a project with Santana. The easiest girl in their class.

And just when his mom finally learned the truth. Great, Puckerman.

A few rows ahead, Quinn's throat felt like she'd swallowed an entire ping-pong ball and the little bastard had somehow wedged itself in her larynx. She kept turning her neck slightly to watch Puck out the corner of her eye, but all she could see was Jacob Ben-Israel writing "I love Rachel Berry" and doodling a very unflattering caricature of Finn.

Why did he have to bring up Santana?, she lamented.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Or at least it would if they didn't have glee in 30 minutes.

Wanting to avoid Puck just a while longer, Quinn quickly gathered her things, rushing over to the girls' bathroom, where she knew Puck wouldn't venture.

The atmosphere in glee was tense. The 12 members acted as though they were standing in a room made of fine china, not wanting to be the first to break the tension. Now that Rachel knew the extent of Quinn's feelings for Puck, Quinn would catch her overtly staring from Puck to Quinn and vice versa. Rachel failed at subtlety. This made both Puck and Quinn feel as though were under constant scrutiny, adding to their unease.

And, though Puck and Finn sat as far from one another as possible, it was obvious that there was still a lot of hostility in the air between them. Adding to that hostility, Quinn was angry with Puck and made it abundantly clear by refusing to touch him.

Looking at his 12 glee club members, Will Schuester shrugged. He had thought that the week's assignment would help clear the air, but it seemed that it had managed to increase tension in the group. Deciding to call it a day, he let the glee clubbers leave early. It didn't surprise him that as soon as the words left his mouth, all 12 members rushed out into the hallway.

Once out in the hallway, Puck looked for Quinn. She had managed to evade him during rehearsal and now she was nowhere to be found. He caught up with Brittany, remembering Quinn's words to her this morning, figuring that the two girls would walk to Brit's house together.

"Where's Q?"

"I dunno. She told me that she wasn't going to walk home with me." Brittany shrugged.

Would it kill Brittany to know something? Typical, Puck thought darkly, glaring at the deft Cheerio before him. He motioned to leave, but she grabbed him by the arm, asking for a ride. He conceded, hoping to catch up to Quinn on the way to Brit's house.

They drove in silence; Brittany watched Puck's white knuckles, as he tightly gripped the steering wheel. She could make out the small indentations in his bones and silently worried that his skin would explode.

"Have you considered calling her cell?" Brittany offered in her breathy voice.

"Yes," Puck snapped. "I have, Brittany, but she's let it go to her voicemail each time."

"Oh," she turned back to face her window, deciding against saying something more. Puck was not in a good mood.

When they arrived at Brittany's house, both Puck and Brittany were surprised to find that Rachel was there with Quinn. Even more surprising was that they were loading Quinn's things into Rachel's shiny VW bug. Noticing Puck's car, the girls exchanged a worried look.

Brittany got out of the car, rushing to Quinn's side, while Puck deliberated whether he should speak with Quinn or not. Deciding that telling her that he'd finally told his mom the truth would make her happy, Puck pushed his door open. He stepped forward, deciding to stay a little behind. Burying his hands deep in his pockets, he shifted uncomfortably as the girls chatted. He stitched his eyebrows together, forming a scowl, and he kept swallowing, like he was trying to get a gross taste out of his mouth.

"Guess it was too good to last, huh?" he heard Brittany say to Quinn. Quinn nodded. "Well, if you're ever tired of... you know," Brittany said, casting a disgusted look in Rachel's direction, causing a dramatic eye roll from Rachel. "Hanging with Berry, mi casa es your cama."

"That means 'my house is your bed', Brit," Quinn answered with a smile.

"Duh. No wonder I got that question wrong on our Spanish mid-term," The blonde answered, her expression mystified. "Well, you're always welcome." She smiled.

"Thanks." Brittany waved at Rachel and Puck and scurried inside, her red Cheerios skirt twirling.

"I have, to um, check-in with my dads," Rachel said, scurrying inside her car to give Puck and Quinn some alone time. Once Rachel was out of sight, Puck shortened the distance between him and Quinn in three short steps.

"Quinn..." he started, not knowing what to say. Quinn shook her head, biting her lower lip to stop the tears from falling.

"No, Puck. It's okay. I overreacted this morning." She said with an unhappy smile. "But, I'm going to stay at Rachel's. And, the good thing is," she rambled on, avoiding Puck's eyes. "You no longer have to worry about driving me to Lamaze class or school... Rachel has volunteered to do... all of that." She faltered at the end of her sentence, not liking the prospect of having zero time with Puck. Sure, it was her kid, her mess, but now it was also Puck's choice. Wasn't it?

"But you hate Rachel," Puck said through gritted teeth, annoyed that something he'd done had caused all of this.

Quinn smiled, her teeth sparkling in the evening sun. "Nah, she's actually okay if you learn to drown out most of what she says. I think I can handle her." She bit her lip, looking up at the boy in front of her.

Puck tried laughing at Quinn's joke, but all he managed was a short chuckle. Impulsively, he cupped her cheek, catching her off-guard. Quinn let him touch her, leaning her face into his warm hand. But he's going to hook up with Santana tonight, came a terrified voice from within. She quickly straightened up, as though Puck's touch disgusted her, and grabbed the rest of her things.

He clenched his jaw, watching as Quinn opened the door to Rachel's car.

"I told my mom," he called out to her.

Quinn turned to look at him and smiled.

"About time."

She ducked into Rachel's car, twisting in her seat to watch him as they drove away.

Puck watched as the silver Jetta drove away, taking Quinn away from him. He lumbered back to his car and drove back to school, hating Santana more and more with every passing minute.