Wow. I think I've finally recognized that I am the epitome of procrastination. Sorry for the long wait. I have this horrible disease which only lets me write when I'm inspired. And being sick for five days straight, not very inspiring. Is it just me, or do I get sick a lot? Sick and distracted, I blame Tumblr.

Anyway, SIL is trying a different writing style today. And I heard some request for more Pezberry friendship, so I added in a little chocolate chip of that to my Showface cookie. I also put the title in my story. Am I the only one who thinks of Family Guy when people do that? (He said it! He said it!) Maybe I'm just weird. That wouldn't surprise me.

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee I wouldn't make you wait twenty-five more days just to see it.

Chapter Twelve: No repeats, or hesitation.

The Next Day…

Rachel was speechless. Twelve hours ago, she opened her door to find Noah Puckerman standing on the stoop, overnight bag in hand. Sure, she had gotten his text earlier that day, but she hadn't been all that sure if it was real, or if she was just hallucinating. She showed him the guest bedroom where he would be staying, then offered him a drink as you talked in the living room. She can't really remember what happened after that.

She woke up at five in the morning, still fully clothed, with a messed up hair and a horrible hangover. That's when it came flooding back.

She shot up from the couch. "Oh!" A large blanket moved beside her as she shook Puck awake. When his eyes finally opened him, she stared at him wordlessly with raised eyebrows. He only smirked, brushing her hand off, and straightened himself up. "You found my dad's tequila stock? They're gonna notice that's gone." She said sternly.

"I'll get it replaced before I leave." He assured her, standing up and entering the kitchen. Rachel remained seated for a moment, looking at the door. She wondered why he always just left, and then expected her to follow. Was it obvious she would? Then the smell of dough wafted through the room, sending Rachel rocketing into the kitchen. She came upon a rather amusing sight, Noah Puckerman, standing at the counter, stirring waffle batter. Rachel smiled as his obvious concentration.

"Waffles?" She asked delightedly, skipping in. He turned in her direction and grinned.

"They're great hangover food." She watched as he continued to stir the batter by hand, and poured it into the waffle machine.

"I guess I just didn't know you could cook." Rachel said, sounding surprise. He shrugged, not offering an explanation as he sat down. Rachel bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, before asking the question she really wanted to ask. "So…" She started smoothly, trying not to be obvious. "Did we…?"

He laughed at her obvious discomfort as she blanched across the table. "No, we just had fun." He caught the look on her face. "That's not an innuendo." She nodded slowly as Puck took a sip of his water. "Trust me Berry, even when you're drunk…" He trailed off, not sure how to end that sentence. She just assumed he was implying that even under a state off heavy intoxication, she would never just jump into bed with someone. She smiled at him. "You did mention New Directions though." He said, abruptly changing not only the conversation, but Rachel's mood. She leaned back away from him unconsciously, averting her eyes, afraid of what she might have said.

She collected her thoughts as he continued to blatantly observe her. She stuck her chin in the air defiantly before responding. "Well, whatever I said, I'm sure it's not true." His eyes darkened slightly and he was opening his mouth when the waffle timer went off. She heard him emit a soft growling before raising, returning with two golden brown waffles and a container off syrup. She carefully forked the smaller of the two onto her plate, before grabbing the syrup quickly, not wanting any awkward handing touching.

They ate in silence, neither really looking at each other, not knowing what to say. As she was taking a small sip of orange juice, Puck seized the opportunity by saying, "You could come back." Rachel froze, swallowing the liquid thickly before setting the glass down and facing Puck, both hands on the table.

"No, Noah. I couldn't. I have friends here. Commitments. I can't just turn and run back" Rachel winced at the harsh look on his face.

"Yeah, well you had friends back in Lima. You had commitments, you just left anyway."

"Real friends," She replied scathingly. "Ones that I don't have to beg to friends with or ones that don't go behind my back."

"One friend did that Rachel. One. What about Kurt?" He asked scornfully before narrowing his eyes. "What about me?" Rachel was suddenly very interested in her waffles, and didn't answer. Puck scoffed. "I don't know why you're so mad at Santana anyway. Think about it, she sleeps with everyone, it's not like it's a personal thing."

Rachel sighed as Puck's brow scrunched in confusion. "Let's just… not talk about this now, okay?" She said, trying to keep her tone light. "You're here for the day; we might as well enjoy each other's company before you have to go." Puck nodded, and just like that, they both continued eating their waffles like the conversation had never happened.

"So," Santana started drawlingly. The girl blinked up at her with the largest, most innocent doe eyes she's ever seen. The expression on her face was so sweet it made Santana want to puke. "Where did you say you transferred from?" Santana was suspicious of this girl, and how she just happened to skip in and save the day. She had that blinding white smile that looked more like a show face, and from what she learned from St. Douche was that you could never trust someone like that. But still, the girl hung around Santana's side, surprisingly clingy for someone who projected so much confidence. It was like Alicia thought that sense they were both Latinas they were automatically best friends. Santana wasn't buying it.

"Wadleigh," She answered, a little quickly. Her smile went wider, if that was possible. "It's in New York." Santana threw back her shoulders menacingly.

"Funny." She replied shortly. "Never heard of it."

"Well it's not a very good school." She replied laughing, tossing her hair. Santana's eyes narrowed and she turned her seat to face her directly.

"I'm sure you noticed I not the one to hide my dislike, so I'm just gonna say it. I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't like you." She had expected Alicia's eyes to widen in shock, but instead she just smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows mockingly. Santana continued before she could say anything. "You might think you can just come in here and save the day, but you're lucky if you're half the singer Rachel was. Because the girl you're replacing had a voice that deaf kids could appreciate, where as yours will probably never be heard anywhere outside of a strip club."

Alicia looked highly amused. "If she was so good then, why'd she leave?"

"That's none of your business." Santana snapped back. "All I know is that if you think you're as good as Rachel Berry, you're sadly mistaken." With that, she stood up and called for Brittany. And as she walked out to door, she couldn't help but feel like her diva storm out was tribute to Rachel.

Kurt wasn't that sure about Alicia. For the most part she seemed like a genuinely nice person. But that was the thing. A lot of times when people are completely innocent, no suspicion whatsoever, it usually means there is something to be suspicious about. If that made any sense.

So Kurt took up spy work. He watched her turn corners, he observed every time she talked to someone, and became very interested in Cosmo. (Good for peeking over the corner, but gives the illusion of being preoccupied) But the more he watched, the more she reminded him of Rachel. She studied all the time, and when she wasn't doing well in class, she was singing. She talked to anyone who would listen, and she always had that ridiculous grin Rachel would wear when she was hiding something.

He did admire her taste in fashion though. She rarely wore hardcore designers like McQueen, but she had quite a bit of Abercrombie-not important. But for someone so outwardly social, he noticed that she and Santana had a bit of a rough spot. They would send glares at each other from across the room, and accidently bump into each other in the halls. He was almost afraid to ask why.

But there were a few surprising things about her. Like that fact that she seemed biologically connected to her phone. And sense it was Kurt saying that, you know it's true. It's like Finn calling you an idiot.

That's how you know it's bad.

"I'm saving up my money to buy the second one when it comes out," Puck explained to Rachel between bites of pizza. Rachel listened, peeling off the pepperoni as he rambled about Super Mario something or other. She watched amusedly as he stuffed piece after piece in his mouth, as he was talking, so she really couldn't understand the words even if she knew what he was talking about. She had never played video games in her life, her daddies said it 'destroyed your imagination' and wasted valuable practice time.

Her phone vibrated with a text messages, she just smiled as Puck continued, reaching for her phone. 'Wat r u doing?' She bit her lip, hesitant to tell him. She carefully pressed her lips together and typed 'Hanging w/ my dads' before sending the message guiltily. Puck just then seemed to notice he wasn't paying attention to her. "Who was that?" Rachel didn't have the chance to answer before Christian sent her another text. 'Tell em I said hi' She smiled unconsciously, not noticing when Puck leaned over to look. "That Christian guy?" She snapped her phone shut as he leaned back, looking highly uncomfortable. "Are you like dating him now?" He asked his face scrunched up in pain.

"No. We're just friends." He sent her a weird look, and from some reason she could clearly hear him saying 'You sure?' like they were having some sort of telepathic communication. She gave one short nod. Puck picked up his pizza and looked like he was about to take a bite, then set it down again, looking deep in thought. After a moment of comfortable silence, he finally turned to her.

"Do you really like it here?" It wasn't the question she was expected to hear. But he said it a tone so calm, so un-Puck-like, it made her want to answer truthfully. She too set down her pizza.

"Yes. I do." She said, bringing her hands to her lap. "There are some things I don't like about it, but nothing's perfect." Puck rolled his eyes at the cliché line.

"Then why didn't you go here sooner?" He asked sarcastically.

"I didn't have the option to." Rachel shot back, trying not to get angry.

He fired his next question without missing a beat, and it threw Rachel off guard. "Do you miss McKinley at all?" She felt her face fall as she looked away, unsure how to answer. Truthfully, she did. A little. Just a miniscule amount. She's not even that sure why, she got slushied, made fun of, people sought out to torture her, she was plainly and drastically unpopular. But she was special. In a way people didn't necessarily like, but in a way they couldn't ignore. Sometimes, (though it was one of her secrets) she still bought herself slushies. She didn't throw them at herself, of course, she didn't miss slushy facials, but she missed the taste.

She struggled to look indifferent. "A bit." He nodded. "But," She continued, then stopped because she wasn't really sure what she was going to say, she just wanted to stop him from saying what came next.

"Come back." He said plainly, and immediately it was like he had broken some unspoken rule, and Rachel recoiled.

"No." She returned in the exact same voice. Then suddenly he was too close to her, and she could barely hear him whisper 'Please?' so softly it was almost a hiss. She was fighting to remain in a normal breathing pattern as something flickered in her mind. She thought of the time Finn seduced her into coming back to Glee. She wouldn't let herself fall for it again. Summoning all the strength she had, she brought her hands up and promptly pushed him away. "No." She repeated, firmly this time. Puck frowned in defeat as Rachel checked her phone again and sighed. "I think it's time for you to go, Noah."

He nodded silently, waving slightly before he grabbed his unopened bag and walked out the door an hour before he was originally supposed to leave. Rachel didn't wave back, focused her eyes on the blank screen in front of her, trying not to feel disappointed he left so quickly.

Puck wasn't upset. He wasn't. He just felt bad that he broke his promise to the club, and failed to get Rachel back to Glee. That didn't stop him from clutching the wheel even tighter as he speeded his way back to Lima, trying to focus on nothing but the road, which led him to drive more careful than ever before.

He didn't even bother stopping at his house, he just went right over to McKinley, knowing they'd be practicing for Glee around this time. He after searching around for a parking spot for a minute or two, he decidedly threw it into park in a handicap space, not really caring. He found the choir room empty, so he headed to the only other place they'd be, the auditorium. As he started getting closer, he was surprised to hear the opening notes to Don't Stop Believing playing. He was expected to hear Quinn's voice for the female lead, but was instead greeted by a new voice. Her singing sounded effortless, and he would have been nothing short of amazed had he not heard better. He turned to corner and evaluated the scene in front of him.

A tall, tan, Latina girl was standing just a few feet away from Finn, grinning obnoxiously. Before he could get a good look however, the music stopped playing, and he heard Mr. Schue shout, "Puck!" Puck gave the girl a good one over, than jogged up to the side of the stage. "Sorry Mr. Schue, I couldn't get her to come back." He explained, but Mr. Schue didn't look sorry at all.

He clapped his hand on Puck's back, turning him to face the girl, who was now blatantly checking him out. "That's okay Puck. We have a new female lead, Alicia Walker." The girl, Alicia, smirked at the mention of her name, and Puck nearly grimaced, realizing it was actually a very unattractive trait on almost every except him. Though he had to admit, the girl was hot. He shook these thoughts away as Mr. Schue continued. "We won't need you to get Rachel back anymore. Alicia's got us covered." The rest of the club smiled happily at this, while Kurt, Quinn, Santana, and Finn all looked somewhat unsure. "Actually," Mr. Schue said after a brief pause. "Sense you're the captain, why don't you try taking the lead this time? You pulled it off at Regionals." Before Puck could really answer, he was thrust up on the stage with Alicia smiling at him creepily and the beginning notes starting to play.

She was trying to convince herself that she wasn't technically doing anything wrong. Or permanent. But minutes after Puck left, she realized that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she came down to check. Or just visit. It was just a visit after all, to check up on her old friends, see how everyone was doing. Or at least, that's what she was trying to convince herself.

But a small part of her thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go back. Like actually transfer back. Slushies were manageable, and she could still talk to Christian and Amanda, even Paige. It wasn't like she was leaving them behind. She just… she missed being a part of something special, and she was starting to realize that New Directions was really the only Glee club that actually believed in that, and not just winning. She missed that.

She saw Puck's car in the parking lot, silently her head when she saw he was parked in a handicap zone. She quietly shut her door, almost as if she was afraid someone would hear her. She looked both ways quickly before sneaking into the school, not sure if she'd get kicked out or not, she wasn't a student here anymore. But the halls were empty, and she found herself sprinting toward the choir room, only stopping when she heard voices, and pressed herself up against the wall.

Before she could determine whose voices they were, they were replaced by music, a song that she easily recognized. She let it guide her to the auditorium, which she was right outside of when she heard it.

Just a small town girl,

But it wasn't Finn's voice singing the song anymore, it was Puck. So found herself subconsciously smiling as she walked through the door, catching Puck's eye as he belted out the rest. He smiled at her, but as the music continued a look of panic flashed over his face. Then Rachel noticed a girl she had originally mistaken for Santana standing beside him, a girl she hadn't seen before.

Just a city boy,

Born and raised in south Detroit,

He took the midnight train going anywhere,

Then it hit her. They had gotten a new female lead. One that Puck hadn't told her about. She stood shock still for a moment as the song continued, then turned around, and walked straight back.

It seems like all my PuckelBerry stories involve either pancakes or waffles. But they're just so much fun to make! Also Woodleigh is a real, so if you read this and happen to go there, don't be angry. I'm sure it's an awesome school. :D I like smiley faces, they make everything happy. ALSO! Virtual cookies to anyone who knows where the chapter title is from!