Puck could not believe that this was how he was spending his Saturday.

Instead of jamming on his guitar, watching horror movies, or going to the temple (he was such a bad Jew), Puck was forced to stay inside and baby-sit his kid sister Emily. Puck's mom had left him in charge while she went away for the weekend on her annual trip—the trip that she affectionately referred to as, "Getting out of this hellhole for a few days so that I can retain the few shreds of sanity that I have left."

Puck strongly suspected that his mom really left to go meet guys because she always came back smelling like Old Spice and cigar smoke. Puck didn't really care what (or who) she was doing as long as she had a good time. The only downside was that he was stuck with the screaming banshee known as his sister.

At the moment, Puck was holed up his room trying to ignore Emily's annoying demands.

Puck looked at the cell phone on his bedside table and willed it to ring. He had been trying to get Quinn to call him back ever since last night. He wanted to apologize for yelling and calling her a bitch.

Not that she didn't deserve it.

Puck had discretely asked around and found out that Quinn was the one who was spreading the rumors about him and Rachel. Puck was getting so sick of Quinn's vindictive behavior, and was almost at the point of admitting defeat and just letting the whole thing go. But, a part of him just couldn't—the part that wanted his daughter to know who her real father was. Puck realized that if he wanted to have any shot at being in his kids' life then he would have to suck up his pride and make the first move.

Thinking that she might have sent a text, Puck grabbed the phone and flipped it open.

No new messages and no new texts.

He dialed her number again, and it went straight to voicemail. Puck threw the phone down in frustration. He flopped on his bed and thought back to yesterday. He could not believe that he had actually stormed into the choir room to defend anyone, let alone Rachel. That was not like him, he was usually so laid back and chill—he was chiller than sticking an ice cube in your underpants on a hot day. Something in Quinn's tone though had gotten under Puck's skin worse than a bad case of jock itch.

She had called Puck a dog. She had made hooking up with him sound like a fate worse than death. And she had been so nasty to Rachel.

Puck had been surprised at Rachel's reaction; he thought she would cry or yell or give a monologue on the harmful effects of rumor. Instead, she had protected him and their "relationship" by letting everyone think they had done the deed. Puck had to admit that Rachel Berry was turning out to be one cool chick.

Puck wondered what Rachel was doing right now and thought about calling her when he heard a shout from downstairs.

"Noah, I'm Hungry!" Emily bellowed.

Puck sighed. "I gave you a donut before!" he shouted back.

"That was hours ago. You do know that you have to feed me more than once a day. It's lunchtime."

Puck looked over at the clock on his dresser. Damn. It was after one. He figured that he better head down before Emily threatened to tell on him…

"If you don't make me lunch, I'm gonna call mom!" Emily called in the whiniest of tones.

"I'M COMING. SHUT YOUR FACE."

Puck got off his bed and hurried down the stairs. He did his best to avoid the minefield of clothes and toys that were scattered everywhere. Puck was in disbelief that a ten-year old girl could make such a big mess in such a short amount of time.

Puck placed his foot on the last stair, which was covered in laundry, and heard a small popping sound. Lifting up a green t-shirt, Puck saw that he had accidentally stepped on one of Emily's dolls. The doll lay in two pieces; the body that was dressed in a pink jumper was now completely separated from the head that was covered with deep brown hair.

Puck picked up the head and unsuccessfully tried to jam it back onto the body. He noticed that the doll's plastic neck was badly cracked and realized there was no way that he was going to be able to fix it.

Shit.

He couldn't get rid of the evidence because Emily would notice if one of her dolls was missing. He couldn't blame it on anyone else, and they didn't have any pets in the house. If he copped to it, Emily would cry and his mom would give him a painful speech about being disappointed in him for torturing his sister.

DING DONG

Still unsure of what to do, Puck walked to get the door with the doll parts in his hands.

"Don't forget to ask who it is," Emily yelled from the kitchen.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Who is it?"

"It's me," a female voice called.

Puck would recognize that voice anywhere. He wasn't sure why, but his heart started beating a little faster in his chest. With anticipation, he swung the door open in record time and saw Rachel Berry standing on his porch.

Puck couldn't help but notice that Rachel looked good. She was wearing a dark blue shirt with a deep V neck, a pair of tight jeans, and brown boots.

Stare at her face, Stare at her face Puck mentally told himself.

Puck leaned against the doorjamb in an effort to be casual. "Hey Rachel, I didn't know you were coming over."

"I hope you don't mind. We didn't really get a chance to talk after practice yesterday, and I wanted to…" Rachel trailed off as she took in the doll head and body,

"Maybe I should have called first. I'll let you get back to…decapitating dolls….and I'll just see you at school." Rachel looked like she was gonna rush off the porch.

Puck cursed the stupid doll. "Wait Rachel. This is not what it looks like."

Rachel raised an eyebrow to indicate she didn't believe him.

"Okay," Puck conceded as he took on a mock serious tone. "I was, in fact, the person who decapitated this doll. However, I did not take any pleasure in doing so. This," he held up the doll head, "was the result of a horrible accident. I tried to see if I could save her, but I think it's in God's hands now." Puck sniffed and pretended to wipe away a tear.

"How tragic," Rachel played along. She grabbed the doll head and looked at it, "At least she's in a better place now."

"The big dollhouse in the sky," Puck conjectured.

Rachel was the first to crack a smile. "I think this may be the weirdest conversation I've ever had."

"I've had weirder," Puck said smiling. Rachel believed him.

From behind his back, Puck heard his sister's voice say from the foyer, "Is that a girl Noah? Mom said you weren't allowed to invite any tramps in when she wasn't home."

"She is not a tramp, she's my girlfriend. And believe me, mom would approve of her."

Emily peered at Rachel with curiosity. "Are you Jewish?"

Rachel walked through the door. "Yes I am. My name is Rachel. What's yours?"

"Emily."

"It's nice to meet you," Rachel said as she went to shake hands while forgetting what she was holding.

"OH MY GOD! THAT'S MOLLY DOLLY'S HEAD. YOU KILLED HER. YOU'RE A MURDERER!" Emily shrieked.

Rachel jumped back in surprise, and dropped the offending doll part on the ground.

"Relax Emily," Puck stepped in, "Rachel didn't kill your doll. I stepped on her by accident because there is so much crap on the stairs."

:"That's one of my top five favorite dolls," Emily hiccupped. "I've had her since I was little."

"I'll get you another doll," Rachel offered. "You can even have some of my old dolls. I don't play with them anymore."

"I don't want any of your dolls, tramp. I want Molly Dolly!"

Puck apologized to Rachel with his eyes. He knelt down to Emily's level and grabbed onto her shoulders, "What can I do to make you feel better?"

Emily screwed her eyes shut like she was thinking really hard. Finally, she said, "Got any money?"

"Forget it." Puck stood up.

Rachel reached into her pocket and pulled out a five.

"Here you go," she offered it to Emily.

Emily turned the bill over like a person checking for counterfeits before pocketing it herself.

"That will buy my silence about the doll, but not about your tramp stopping by."

"I told you, she's not a tramp. And I am not bargaining with you, tell mom whatever you want."

"Fine. I'll tell mom you made this mess, you forgot to feed me, and you destroyed my personal property. You'll be grounded for weeks; you probably won't even be allowed to go to your lame glee competition."

Puck was used to getting ultimatums from the women in his life. He decided just to go with it. "What are your demands?"

"You have to clean the whole house by yourself, you have to make me lunch, and you have to fix my doll…"

"I don't know if I can fix your doll," Puck said as Emily started to pout.

"Of course you can," Rachel said brightly. "All she needs is a little surgery—some glue and tape and she'll be as good as new."

Emily seemed a little unsure.

"Listen dweeb, you go upstairs and get the doctor's kit that was a part of your Halloween costume while I make you a sandwich."

Emily quickly bounded up the stairs and Puck turned to Rachel.

"You want me to perform surgery on a doll?"

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. I'll even be your nurse. What else were you planning on doing today?"

Puck couldn't remember, but he quickly decided that this was exactly how he wanted to spend his Saturday.

*******

"Glue."

"Check."

"Tape."

"There's some tape."

"Hold the head."

"I'm holding the head."

"Soda."

"What?"

"I'm thirsty. I need a sip of soda."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but grabbed a can of cola that was sitting amidst the remnants of their lunch.

"Bring it up to my lips nurse, I'm doing a delicate procedure here," Puck said.

Rachel complied.

Puck rolled his shoulders, "My back is kind of sore. Nurse, could you give it a little rub?"

"Nice try Doctor, but I think you should be focusing on the patient."

Puck figured it had been worth a shot.

"Is she fixed yet?" Emily asked nervously.

Puck pressed the plastic stethoscope that was around his neck against the doll and stated in his professional opinion, "Not yet, but she's got a good…er…heartbeat..in her…face."

Rachel, who was sporting a paper hat with a red cross on it, leaned in to confirm the diagnosis, "I think you mean that she has a good pulse in her carotid artery."

"Whatever."

Puck grabbed another piece of tape and stuck it on the doll's neck. Puck couldn't deny that he had previously had dreams where he was a doctor. Admittedly, in those dreams he was either in a porno or playing the George Clooney role on ER—not operating on his little sister's doll.

Once the head was attached, Puck shook the doll to make sure the thing wasn't going to fall off. When it didn't, he declared his job was done,

"Wait," Rachel said. She grabbed a band-aid with a sparkly silver hologram on it and stuck it over Puck's handy-work. "Now she's all set."

Emily reached for the doll and then gently cradled it in her arms.

"Thanks Rachel."

"What am I, chopped fish guts?" Puck asked.

"Yes you are. Don't forget, you still have to clean up this mess Noah."

"Fine, go watch a movie or something."

"Okay."

Before racing out of the room, Emily gave Puck a quick one-armed hug around his neck.

Puck returned the hug and then told her to "Beat it."

"She's cute," Rachel observed as Emily left.

"If you like demons," Puck grumbled as he stood up.

"I like her." Rachel continued, "She has a good imagination. She's lucky to have such a sweet brother."

Puck wasn't used to getting compliments, so he just shrugged in response.

"I mean it. As an only child, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a sibling to share things with."

"Well, you can borrow mine."

Rachel looked around at the messy state of the house, "I think I'll pass. I will help you clean up though."

Puck was grateful. He and Rachel spent the next hour picking up clothes, vacuuming, and just straightening up. When they were done, they went into Puck's room. While Rachel looked at his CD collection, Puck checked his phone—still no new messages. He put the phone in his pocket and went over to Rachel to talk about music. Several hours later, they were still talking about their preferences.

"I can't believe you hate the Beatles. That's blasphemy," Puck said.

"I don't hate them. I'm just not all that familiar."

"Well get familiar. You should also listen to the Rolling Stones, Radiohead and Nine inch Nails. Your common knowledge of good music is sorely lacking."

"Show-tunes are good music. I have over a hundred soundtracks from different Broadway musicals. That music can be so inspiring. It showcases the triumph of the human spirit."

"I've never even been to one of those plays. I just don't get the characters in them; they burst into song at any time and they sing about anything."

Imitating an opera singer, Puck bellowed, "I'm waking up in the morning, and now I'm brushing my teeth. I have to go to the bathroom, no wait I don't have to go, oh yes I do, oh now I don't, but now I dooooo!!!!" He dragged out the last note.

"Stop," Rachel laughed. "I admit that there are some musicals out there that are not for everyone. However, I really think you would enjoy the experience if you went to the right show. I could pick one out, and we could go together."

Puck paused. Going to a play with Rachel wouldn't really serve any greater purpose. Finn and Quinn were already jealous, and the whole school already knew they were together. Plus, plays weren't really his thing.

Rachel noticed his hesitation. She bit her lip, "If you don't want to, that's completely fine…"

Strangely enough, Puck did want to go despite the reasons he had against it. He did think of one condition though.

Puck got off his bed and walked over to his stacks of CDs. He picked three and threw them over to Rachel.

"I'll go to the play, if you promise to listen to these CDs. They are life changing."

Rachel looked them over.

"I want you to just listen though," Puck instructed. "Don't analyze it, don't over-think it, just feel the music and let it wash over you."

"I promise," Rachel said. "And I will look for the perfect play to take you to. I am going to change your mind about the performing arts."

"You can certainly try," Puck grinned.

"Noah," the irritating voice that had blissfully remained quiet for the past few hours now yelled. "It's dinnertime."

Rachel glanced out the window and saw that the sun had in fact gone down. She couldn't believe that she had spent so many hours talking to Puck in his bedroom. It was weird, but she was a bit sad that she had to leave.

"I need to get home," Rachel said.

"Okay. I'll walk you downstairs since it's feeding time at the zoo."

Puck and Rachel stopped when they had reached the front door. Puck was suddenly reminded of something.

"Hey Rachel, you never got a chance to tell me why you decided to stop by."

"Oh…I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for me at practice. I know you have feelings for Quinn, but you defended me anyway. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate it."

"It wasn't a big deal. She shouldn't have said that about you in the first place."

Puck watched as Rachel turned to leave when he heard the approach of slippered feet.

"Aren't you gonna kiss her goodbye?" Emily asked.

"What?"

"You said she's your girlfriend," she pointed out.

Puck could not believe that this little gremlin was trying to dictate his love-life. Puck looked at Rachel to see if she had reacted badly.

Rachel seemed to be amused and charmed by Emily. "Yeah, aren't you going to kiss me goodbye?" she mimicked.

Oh hell, if she didn't think he had the guts to do it, then she was wrong.

Puck grasped Rachel, bent her backwards into a low dip, and kissed her firmly for several seconds. Only when he felt a slight tweak from his already sore back muscles did Puck bring Rachel up and release her. She swayed slightly on her feet after having been caught so off guard.

"Wow," she whispered.

Damn straight, Puck thought to himself.

"I guess I'll see you in school on Monday," Rachel said while straightening out her shirt.

"Yeah, you will. Don't forget to listen to those CDs."

"I won't. Good-Bye."

"Bye." Puck shut the front door.

"Happy now?" Puck asked Emily.

"Not really. I'm still hungry."

Puck jumped up slightly when he felt a vibration in his pocket from his phone. This could be important.

"Go order a pizza," Puck told Emily.

She grumbled, but went into the kitchen to do so.

Puck pulled out his phone and saw the name of the person he had been waiting for—Quinn.

Puck couldn't believe that she was actually calling him back. Maybe she wanted to apologize for the gossip, or maybe she wanted to tell him that she had finally broken up with Finn and that she wanted a family with him.

Nah.

More than likely, Quinn was calling to yell at him for bothering her. She was probably going to remind him to keep his mouth shut about their secret or she was going to bad-mouth Rachel.

The phone in his hand continued to buzz. The more Puck stared at the name Quinn flashing on the tiny screen, the less he wanted to actually answer the phone. After the nice day he had had with Rachel (and Emily), he just didn't feel like talking anymore. He was sick of all the crap. As he walked into the kitchen, he felt the vibrations stop; and at this particular moment, he didn't even care.