Alright, I'm giving you a warning, MAJOR FLUFF CHAPTER! I'm kind of just adding this in there to backbone some things that are gonna happen later on, and give time for Rachel to have closure and blah blah blah. So don't expect much drama for this chapter.
Also, I kind of hate it when writers just throw in crappy makeshift characters for fun, so I'm aware that I'm being extremely hypocritical, but the character I'm adding in is in some ways necessary for certain things that aren't entirely necessary for the purpose of the story, but I promised myself I would do. If that makes sense AT ALL.
Disclaimer: I own Glee! Oh wait… no I don't. I'm just some crazy person with laptop and brain full of ideas.
Chapter Four: Moving On
Two Days Later…
Rachel stood awkwardly in the doorway as her dad packed his suitcase for his trip to New York.
"So, you're both leaving?" Daddy sighed and turned around to face Rachel.
"Well, honey, your dad has a case out in New Jersey, and I'm going to your Aunt Barbara's to help her plan her wedding." Rachel's eyes rose.
"The Barbara I got my middle name after?" Her Aunt Barbara was closing in on fifty years old, which is a strange time for a rather short, plump woman to be getting married. Then again, it might have something to do with the thousands of dollars she had in the bank.
Her daddy chuckled. "Sweetie, we named you after Barbara Streisand, but it she ever asks you, make sure to deny it." He said, winking at her.
Rachel smiled, but also shifted uncomfortably, something bothering her. "Isn't your anniversary this weekend?" Her daddy froze.
"Rachel, it's our eighteenth anniversary, we don't need to do anything special." He stopped, sensing her discomfort. "We'll celebrate later as a family." She accepted this hesitantly, pushing the unpleasant thought away.
"Am I going to be here all alone?" Daddy shook his head as he tried to shove his socks into his overflowing suitcase.
"No, your cousin Connor is coming by to watch you." Rachel grinned. Her cousin Connor was about twenty years old and still in college, but he dropped out multiple times a year to come by and watch her, thanks to her ever moving fathers.
She loved Connor more than the rest of her cousins, he was fun and easy to talk to, but also a bit reckless and a bit more like Puck than she was happy with. She had never really noticed because they were family, but she supposes now that he was quite handsome. He had ruffled brown hair and shimmering green eyes, and he was very well built and muscular. He was also quite the ladies man, which was more than a little awkward.
Especially when he brought his girlfriends home. Or worse, when she woke up to find him in the bedroom with them. Sometimes her bedroom. Connor was the whole reason she ever had the birds and the bees talk with her parents.
But he bought her ice cream. And he listened when he talked, and he even pretended to be her boyfriend one time to get a guy jealous. So she put up with it.
"Oh yeah? And when's he coming down?" She asked excitedly.
"Oh, any time I'd imagine. You know Connor."
Rachel gave her daddy as kiss on the cheek as she ran into her room.
The rest of the day was spent flitting around the house, helping her dads pack and waiting for any sound of approaching motorcycles.
Three thirty came, and she showed her dads out to door, hugging them goodbye, and promising to text them telling them she was alright.
It was about ten minutes later when he showed up. She heard the sound of the engine revving as she ran out the door, locking the house behind her.
"S'up coz?" He asked, stepping off the bike and taking his helmet off. She grinned brightly and gave him a hug. He smiled as she pulled away, shaking his hair slightly. He gave her a good one over and scrutinized her face before asking, "Are you okay? You look beat." His eyes squinted concernedly.
She grimaced. "Just a bad start to the year. It's kind of a long story." He flashed her a grin.
"Well why don't I take you out for ice cream and you can tell me all about it." She scoffed.
"I'm not five, Connor." He laughed.
"I guess you don't want this then," He said, bending over and picking up a bike helmet. It was pink and covered in glitter and gold star, bearing the name Rachel Berry.
She squealed. "You actually got it! You told me you'd die before carrying around a bedazzled bike helmet!" She attempted to grab it from his hands, but he pulled it back, and put it on her head himself.
"Hell, I don't know anybody here, it doesn't really matter. Come on," He said, jumping back onto his bike.
They arrived at the ice cream shop in record time, and they sat down at her favorite booth. Being here with him reminded her of the old times when he took her here when she was little, and all the things she told him about.
He scooted into the booth. And waited patiently for Rachel to begin to tell her tale.
She honestly didn't know where to begin. She told him about the most recent part of her and Finn's relationship, how he had cheated on her, and how she told him he'd blown all his chances.
She had only just finished when her milkshake arrived.
"So what was the deal with Quinn and Finn before?" he paused for a moment. "Wow, no wonder they didn't work, their names rhyme." She giggled.
"Well, Finn was dated her at the beginning of the year when she got pregnant." His eyebrows rose. "But then Finn found out, well, I told him, but, he found out that he wasn't actually the father."
Connor nearly choked on his milkshake. "Sense when did your high school turn into 90210?"She shook her head and continued, feeling more like Kurt with each passing second.
"Get this, he wasn't the father, his best friend Noah Puckerman was" Connor gave short laugh of appreciation at the drama.
"And was this Noah Puckerman in glee club?" He questioned. Rachel just nodded. "Did you know him? Were you friends?" Rachel took a sip as she contemplated how to answer.
"Well, we dated once, but I was very brief, we both liked other people." Connor nodded and made a move toward the napkins before freezing, something catching his eye. "What?" She asked.
He moved again. Once he had grabbed the napkins he snuck another glance somewhere across the room and asked, "What does he look like?"
She was surprised at the question. "Oh, well, I mean, he used to have a mohawk, but then he shaved it off… why do you ask?" Connor gave another laugh and pointed across the room with his straw.
"Because he's sitting over there giving me the stink eye." Rachel spun around fast enough to give herself head damage. Sure enough, there he was, sitting right next to his little sister, staring angrily in their direction.
She nearly laughed out loud. She faced Connor for a second. "Yep, that's him. I'm gonna go over and say hi!" She scooted back her chair and rushed over to his table as Connor watched in amusement.
He greeted her with a hearty, "Another one already? Pretty slutty Berry." She scoffed and put her hands on her hips.
"First of all, I'm horrified that you would talk like that in front of your little sister, and second, Connor is my cousin." She stated haughtily.
Puck's face lightened at the word cousin, and he opened his mouth to say something before his sister cut him off. "Hi Rachel!"
Rachel smiled at the little girl. "Hi Anna, how are you? It's good to see you again."
The seven year old beamed up at her. "Can we go sit with you Rachel? Noah's really boring. He just sits here and stares at people and whenever I try to talk to him he just tells me to shut up and eat my ice cream!" She whined and Puck rolled his eyes.
Rachel shot him a hard look. "Of course you can sit with me Anna." She glanced at Puck again. "Would you like to join us Noah? I'd feel bad stealing your little sister."
"Sure, I'd love to have ice cream with you and your arm candy." It was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes as she grabbed Anna's hand and lead her over to where Connor was smirking knowingly.
"Connor," Rachel said as she sat down. "This is Noah Puckerman and his little sister Anna, they're going to join us for ice cream." Connor turned to Puck and gave him an appraising look before nodding, sticking his hand out and saying, "Nice to meet you."
Puck grunted in response, then slid over on the other side of the booth.
"So Anna, how's your new year at school? Do you like it so far?" Rachel asked as she took a large sip of her strawberry milkshake. Anna shook her head wildly.
"First grades awesome, but my teachers really scary." She proclaimed, then filled her mouth with milkshake. She swallowed thickly then continued, "Her names Ms. Cannons."
"Ms. Cannons?" Rachel repeated. "I had her in third grade but she was really nice!"
Anna nodded. "She's our music teacher. She is nice but she made me get up and sing in front of the whole class."
Connor laughed at the scandalized look on Rachel's face. "What's so wrong with that?"
"I hate singing." She explained. "I'm really bad at it too." Puck scoffed.
"Your fine twerp, you just psyche yourself out before you even start singing." He said, nudging her in the shoulder. Anna looked down dejectedly.
Rachel reached over the table and patted her shoulder. "All singers need practice, and lessons. I could teach you if you want."
"Really?" Anna's face broke into a wide grin. "Noah says you're a really good singer." Noah shifted uncomfortably as Rachel shot him a smug look. "That would be awesome! I asked Noah to give me lessons but he said no way. He doesn't like helping me with things. He taught me how to play football though, but that games boring and you smell all gross afterward." She rambled, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
Connor turned to Puck. "You play football?" He nodded. "So did I. I was quarterback of my High school team."
Puck's eyebrows rose. "High school? So what, are you in college?"
Connor laughed. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I go to UCLA." He was interrupted by a loud slurping sound from Anna.
"Noah, I'm all done. Can we go home now?" She gazed up at him with wide eyes.
"Yeah sure, see you around Rachel." Rachel blinked several times, as she processed the past few seconds. He had actually called her by her first name!
She didn't even notice she was smiling like an idiot until Connor burst into laughter.
"What?"
"Ha, you should see to look on your face. And on his! Ha!" He bending over, nearly choking on his drink.
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest in frustration. "I refuse to see what's so hilarious."
"What's hilarious is you're in denial! The way he was staring at you the whole time, I could have cut the sexual tension with a knife!" Rachel's mouth hung open for a few good seconds.
"That's ridiculous. And even if it was true, it would be inappropriate. I need time to mourn my relationship." She said, sounding more like she was convincing herself than anyone else.
He threw his hands up in defeat. "If you say so." He stood up and held out his hand for her. "Come on Rach, time to be heading home." She nodded and yawned noticeably before taking his arm and following him out the door.
A/N: Alright, the Connor character might seem a little pointless right now, but trust me he is a part of a bigger story line that will rear its ugly head next chapter. Also, I have no idea what Puck's little sister's real name is, or even anything about her, ditto with the Fathers Berry, so forgive me for any lack of information.
-xoxo SIL xoxo