AN: Okay, so not to sound vain, but this is my favorite chapter so far. Haha! What you've all been waiting for: Puckleberry's back! Please R&R! :o)
Four Acts of Kindness
"Ooof," Rachel huffed as she got out of her Prius for what she hoped was her last stop.
She was finishing up the last of her Christmas shopping, and she needed to find the tie her Uncle James had been talking about. Leave it to her uncle to want a tie with The Godfather on it, but that's what he wanted, so that's what he was getting.
Kohl's was her last hope before having to search another town for one. She knew she could easily purchase it online, but Rachel was a stickler for physically buying all of her gifts unless absolutely impossible. So, she trudged through the slush to get inside.
She found the tie without a glitch and was looking at some clothes to give her fathers some ideas of what she wanted when she heard a tiny voice come from the jewelry department.
"Hey, mister," the little boy said.
Rachel looked up to find a young boy, about seven years old. He wasn't badly dressed or dirty, but his coat was too small and very well worn. And his ears were red from having been in the cold. It was also obvious that he hadn't been fed a decent meal in awhile either. Her heart squeezed for him. She was blessed to have food and shelter and fathers with jobs, but Rachel often forgot that not everyone was as lucky as she. Suddenly, a deeper voice caused her to look closer.
"Are you talking to me?" the deep voice asked.
Rachel followed the sound and found herself looking at Noah Puckerman. He was bundled in a warm jacket and a ski cap was covering his Mohawk, but Rachel knew it was him. She'd heard his voice plenty of times; it sometimes still haunted her dreams.
Shaking herself out of her revelry, Rachel watched as the scene unfolded before her.
"Yeah," the little boy said. "I want to get this necklace for my mom, but I don't know if I got enough money," he said as he shoved the necklace into Puck's face.
Puck looked down at the little boy who couldn't have been any older than his sister, Nina. He smiled as he ruffled the boy's head. He crouched down so he was eye level with him.
"Well, let's just take a look," Puck drawled.
He checked the price tag: $25 and then looked at the bills in the little boy's hand. It couldn't have been more than eight dollars. Puck knew then what he had to do.
"Come on," Puck said, leading the boy to the cash register. "Let's get your mom that necklace."
Rachel inched closer as the boys made their way through the line, the boy chattering to Puck about his brother and sister and mom. Puck learned that the little boy was named Ethan. It turned out that his brother was around the store somewhere. Their sister, Lydia, had dropped them off on her way to work at the diner. When Ethan had told him that their father had left them about four months ago, Puck felt his heart rip out of his chest.
The cashier, an older woman, rang up the necklace and asked for the money. The boy proudly handed over his eight dollars. The lady smiled at the boy but looked at Puck questioningly. Puck handed her a twenty-dollar bill on the sly as the boy beamed down at his purchase.
Rachel's hand shot to her throat when she realized what Noah was doing. Tears immediately welled in her eyes. It was the nicest thing she had ever seen anyone do, and seeing Noah be the one to do it made it all the more special.
The cashier smiled tenderly as she gave Puck his change. Puck simply shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, "Merry Christmas."
"I can't wait to show Lydia and Kevin what I got Mom!" Ethan cried, jumping up and down.
Puck laughed at his enthusiasm. "Well, go find your brother. Merry Christmas, Ethan."
"Merry Christmas, Puck!" The little boy ran to the front to find his brother.
Puck smiled as he watched the boy go. He felt good about what he had done. At least he could know that Ethan's mom, who probably worked twice as hard now that her husband was gone, would have something under the tree for herself.
Rachel made her purchase without seeing Puck again, but his thoughtful act played out in her mind over and over again. She knew he had a tender heart; he rarely showed it though. It was one of the few things she had learned about him when they dated. It was one of the many things she liked about him too.
She was walking out of the store when she heard someone sniffling. She turned to find Ethan sitting on the bench hugging his knee up to his chest. His older brother was sitting with him trying to comfort him, but it was obvious Ethan needed a mother's touch. Rachel knew she was a poor substitute for a mom, but she went over to the bench and kneeled down beside Ethan.
"Did you fall?" she said quietly.
"Uh huh," he sniffed.
"Want me to take a look at it?" Rachel asked.
"Uh huh," he sniffed again.
Rachel gently rolled up the pant leg to find a small scrape. It was bleeding a little, but thankfully his pants weren't torn. Digging through her purse, Rachel found her mini first aid kit and pulled out a band-aid and some Neosporin.
"You know," she said, as she dabbed his knee with some gauze. "Whenever I get hurt or sad, I like to sing a song. Would you like me to sing you a song?" she asked Ethan.
The little boy nodded, and Rachel sang softly.
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
After wiping his knee off, she gently rubbed some Neosporin on his cut. She continued singing softly as both boys watched her in wonder.
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
Rachel smiled as she put the bandage on his knee and sat down on the bench beside him.
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
Puck was walking out of the store when he heard a clear sweet voice singing, and he knew it was Rachel Berry. He could pick her singing voice out of a crowd of a hundred musicians singing at once. Hers was the only voice to make his heart soar like that. He looked around and saw her curled on the bench with Ethan and his brother.
Now they were all three singing:
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Puck applauded the trio, and Rachel looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected to see Noah again, even though he didn't technically see her the first time. He smiled at her, and again his eyes had something in them she couldn't describe.
"Nicely done, Berry," he smirked. "What is the grand occasion for this serenade?"
"I fell, Puck. But Rachel fixed up my knee good. See?" Ethan answered, balancing on one foot so he could show Puck his band-aid. Of course, it had gold stars on it; only Rachel Berry would have bandages like that.
"Do you boys have a ride home?" Rachel asked suddenly.
"Well, we were about to walk home when Ethan tripped," the older boy spoke up. "I'm Kevin," he said.
Puck and Rachel looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing. These boys couldn't walk home in this weather.
"Come on," Rachel said. "We'll take you home."
Puck eyed her as if to say "We?" Her eyes pleaded with him to say yes. He gave in.
"Yeah, we'll take Berry's, er, Rachel's car," Puck said.
Rachel smiled at him gratefully, and for the second time today, Puck felt really good about his decisions.
They all piled in Rachel's tiny Prius, and Kevin gave them directions to their house. Ethan gabbed on about one thing or another, and Puck soon learned that he knew their sister, Lydia. Lydia Freeman was a Cheerio, emphasis on the was: she had quit about a month ago for unknown reasons. Quinn had assumed she was knocked up or something, but Puck was beginning to think it was because she had to get that job at the diner.
Soon enough, they reached Ethan and Kevin's house. The boys thanked Rachel and Puck and hugged their necks.
"Merry Christmas!" they yelled over their shoulders as they ran to the house.
Rachel sighed as she watched them go in, and Puck knew he agreed with whatever she was thinking.
Their ride back to Kohl's was made in comfortable silence. Each one had their own thoughts racing through their minds. However, neither could forget those two boys they had just encountered.
"I can't believe that we know Lydia, but we never noticed that she and her family were struggling," Puck finally said, breaking the silence.
"I know what you mean," Rachel said. "I wish there was something more we could do."
They pulled into the Kohl's parking lot and found Puck's car.
"Hey, Rach," he said, before getting out slowly. He leaned on the open door frame. Rachel's eyes peeked at his arm muscles that bulged from the position he was standing. She blushed and glanced quickly back at his face. If he noticed her looking, he didn't let on.
"Yeah?" she said, wondering why her breathing was so shallow at that moment.
"You wanna go eat something at the diner?" Puck asked, and Rachel understood what he meant.
"Sure," she smiled. He returned the grin and got back into Rachel's car.
They got to Moe's Diner and were seated in Lydia's section upon Rachel's request. Puck led Rachel to the booth with his hand on the small of her back, and he couldn't help but think about how right it all felt, being with her again like this.
Lydia looked surprised but not upset to see them in her section. She remained friendly and made small talk as she took their order. When she left, Puck turned his attention to the pretty brunette sitting across from him.
"So, what are you doing for Hanukkah?" he asked casually.
"Not much," Rachel replied. "Dad and Daddy are visiting Grandma Berry in Akron, but I still have dance classes, so I can't go."
Lydia returned with their food and the check. Puck dove into his hamburger and French fries, while Rachel plucked at her chicken salad.
"You could spend Hanukkah with us," Puck suggested, honestly having no clue where that idea came from.
Rachel looked at him nervously. "Are you sure you mom wouldn't mind? I don't want to intrude on family time," she said hesitantly.
"Nah, I'm sure it'll be cool," Puck said, all the while reminding himself to ask his mom when he got home.
"Well, I'll think about it," Rachel said finally. She didn't know what to make of his offer, but she appreciated it nonetheless.
"I have one more idea," Puck said as he paid the bill and left Lydia a generous tip.
"Okay," Rachel said as Puck helped her put on her coat.
He grabbed her hair and pulled it from her collar, and she shivered under his slight touch. Puck duly noted the tingly sensation in his fingers the touch produced as well.
"Let's get them some groceries," Puck said excitedly.
Rachel looked at him with new eyes. Never before had she seen Puck act this way, but then again, when he got a project in his head, he went at it full force. He seemed to sense her amazement and questioning.
"It's just, I want to help them. I know what they're going through," he said quietly, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.
Rachel smiled as she put her hand on his arm. "Let's go then," she said.
They had fun meandering down the aisles at the grocery store. Puck kept putting random food items in their basket, but Rachel tried to keep them to a reasonable list. He teased her for not knowing the awesomeness that is a Hostess cupcake, and she scoffed at him for having never tried a veggie burger. All in all, they were silently both amazed at how easily their friendship/relationship/whatever-ship they had going on had come back to them.
They split the cost of the groceries and headed back to the Freeman house. Mrs. Freeman was home now, and she answered the door and practically fainted at the sight of Rachel and Puck on her doorstep, arms full of grocery bags. They helped her carry them inside but didn't tarry. She hugged them tightly and willed herself not to cry.
Puck and Rachel wished her a Merry Christmas and headed back to Kohl's one last time to get Puck's truck.
They lingered a few moments when they got back to the parking lot. She hesitated before grabbing his hand lightly, and was relieved when he didn't pull away.
"You did a wonderful thing today, Noah," Rachel said softly.
"It's nothing," Puck shrugged.
Rachel looked at him with shining eyes. She reached up to put her hand to his cheek, and he smiled at the contact.
"But to them, it was everything," she said tenderly.
AN2: Thanks for reading yet another chapter! I hope you liked it and the beginnings of some Puckleberry goodness! lol As always, if you have any suggestions, feel free to send them my way! I live for feedback of any kind! Remember, R&R=Love :o)