CHAPTER 6

AN: OMG thanks so much for all the reviews and everything. It makes me smile so much when I see I have a new review or favorite or alert. Chey, I love you.

PS-Oh yeah, Chey and I named Matt Darius :3

Rachel could tell today was going to be a different day on the island.

Every morning, Rachel would glance over at Noah's mat after she woke up. It was a comfort, remembering that someone else was stuck here with her. And he was always there because he slept longer than she did. Then, she would usually, get up, wash up in the ocean, and get breakfast started before Noah woke up.

That morning, however, Noah was not sleeping. He was not even in the cabin still. She started panicking for a moment. What if he had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and he'd fallen and broken his neck? Or gotten lost in the jungle? Or was attacked by something?

She jumped to her feet, heading out of the hut in her pajamas. She's sacrificed all of her original outfit with the exception of her shoes and made a new pair of shorts for Puck. In turn, he had given up his boxers and shirt for Rachel to wear to sleep. Of course, he was less clothed, but then again, so was Rachel.

She headed out onto the beach, looking around for Puck. The fire was dying and there were the remnants of his breakfast, but Puck was missing.

Rachel muttered a few harsh words under her breath before looking around the camp. It was as if Puck had just got up and disappeared after he ate breakfast. The whole thing was just strange.

She started really panicking at this point. He could not be anywhere. Rachel and Puck had made a pact not to go anywhere on the island without one another, just to be safe. Yet Puck wasn't here, so where the hell was he?

"Berry!" came a voice. Rachel snapped her head in the direction of where Noah Puckerman's voice had come from, watching as he strolled up towards their camp from the beach.

Rachel started fuming, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where have you been!" she shrieked, using all her self-control to not launch herself at him and punch him in the nose.

"Oh, get your panties out of a bunch and relax," he said, rolling his eyes. "I had to go set something up for later."

Rachel looked at him curiously. "Set something up?" she asked. "Setting what up, exactly?"

"Ah, that I cannot tell you," he smirked. "It's a surprise. You'll find out later. Now you must be hungry. I made you some fruit salad," he said, picking up half of a coconut shell, filled with fruit.

Rachel opened her mouth to protest and make him tell her what he'd been doing, but she just shook it off. He wasn't going to tell her. She'd just have to wait.

She took a seat on the log, slowly eating, though her eyes kept drifting to Puck, who was sitting on the other side of the fire pit, not paying her any mind. Again, that was odd because Noah usually spent all of breakfast staring at her as she ate.

"Noah. Is everything okay?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" he laughed.

"I don't know. You're just acting…strange," she admitted. Rachel toyed with her fingers in her lap, not meeting his eyes.

Puck let out a loud laugh, shaking his head. "Oh Berry, you kill me. Just finish your breakfast. Then, I was thinking instead of working like we normally, we could go for a swim," he said.

Rachel bit her lip. "I don't know, Noah. I mean, we need to make sure we have enough firew—"

"Berry, relax. We have plenty of firewood. Plenty of fish. Plenty of fruit. We need just one day where we can just have fun for once. All we ever do here is work. You need to relax."

Rachel sighed. "I—I guess you're right," she said as she popped the last piece of pineapple into her mouth, setting the coconut bowl on the ground. She rose to her feet, looking down at Puck. "So, swimming?" she asked.

"Swimming," he laughed, nodding his head and standing up. Puck took Rachel by the hand, leading her away from the camp and through the jungle. Normally, she would have protested something like this, but she did not really care right now. Plus, it felt nice having his big hand around her small one.

Rachel moved a little closer to Puck's side as the two teens made their way through the path lined by tall trees, still uncomfortable venturing away from their camp.

Puck smiled as Rachel moved closer to him. He did not want to say anything, but he could tell something was growing between them. Just from the way she looked at him and the tone she used when talking to him.

He wanted to kiss her, to tell her how beautiful she was, how she made him feel when he was around her, but he was nervous. The great Puckasaurous was nervous around Rachel Berry—that was something he never would have thought possible. However, it was true. She was the only other person on the god-forsaken spit of land. He did not want to fuck everything up, and have no one to talk to.

Puck pulled the branch back, letting Rachel walk through first to the lake on the island. It really was a beautiful area. He had to give himself props for hooking up with her here last time. After all, with the waterfall and all the plants around them, there really wasn't anywhere else on the island more romantic. Well, with the exception of one place, but that was a secret for now.

Rachel walked into the cove, slipping her shoes off, taking a running start, and launching herself into the water, still in her makeshift outfit. Puck grinned, kicking his shoes off and following her into the cool, refreshing water.

Rachel returned to the surface first, laughing and moving her hair out of her eyes. She looked around for Puck before her feet were lifted off the ground and a pair of strong arms was wrapped around her waist.

"Hey!" she shrieked before Puck tossed her back into the water. Rachel kicked back to the surface, giving him a glare. "Noah Puckerman!" she laughed, splashing him.

Puck grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes?" he asked innocently. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You know what you did. You threw me into the water!"

Puck laughed loudly, a smirk on his face. "Oh, lighten up, Berry. It's just water. It's not going to kill you," he teased.

Rachel let out an exasperated sigh, but continued swimming around. Even with Puck's splashing and picking her up every ten minutes to toss her back into the water, it was very relaxing. All they ever did on this island was work. Work all day, eat, then sleep. They hardly ever had fun. And, if this was what her life was going to be, she might as well enjoy it. And that life, as much as she didn't want to admit it, now included Noah Puckerman.

After an hour or two of swimming, the two teenagers climbed out of the water. Rachel squeezed out her hair, letting the wet tresses hang down her back as she and Puck started making their way back to camp.

"Thanks," she said, pushing a branch out of their way so they could get back to camp unscathed.

"You're welcome," he replied. "Though I'm not quite sure what I did to earn the great Rachel Berry's thanks," he teased.

"Just…thanks for showing me it's okay to have fun here. I've been so obsessed with getting through each day as quickly and painlessly as possible that I forgot this island can actually be enjoyable. I had a lot of fun today."

"Oh, but the day's not over yet," he laughed.

"It's not?" Rachel asked, looking at him, slightly confused. "We went swimming. What else is there to do here?"

"Ah, that my dear, is a surprise," Puck smirked. He pulled a white flower off one of the trees, handing it to Rachel as they walked back into their camp. "This is for you. Now, why don't you go get dried off and change. I'll meet you out by the fire when you're ready," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Rachel's eyes darted open. She hadn't been expecting that. She was just confused at this point. Shaking it off, she walked back into their hut, stripping out of her leaf ensemble, deciding what to wear. She didn't have many choices—island living didn't allow for a diverse wardrobe. No dresses, no skirts, no heels. Just leaves and bare feet.

That being said, Rachel did have one nice outfit she made. She'd attacked some flowers onto the leaves, and that was the skirt and bandeau combination she was pulling on now. She used her makeshift comb, pulling it through her hair and tucking the flower Puck gave her behind her ear as she headed out to the fire.

Puck stood up when he heard footsteps in the sand, but he wasn't prepared for what stood before him. Rachel had really made an effort tonight. She was, to put it simply, beautiful. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, stopping just above her breasts. The flowers all over her just enhanced her beauty.

It took Puck a few minutes to gain his composure before he plastered a smile on his face. "So, I was thinking we get dinner."

Rachel laughed softly, her melodic voice entering his ears gently. Her laugher was a sound he wouldn't give up for the world. "You say that like we have somewhere to go," she teased.

"Well, we do, actually," he said, a smirk on his lips again. "Take my arm and I'll show you."

Giving him a confused look, Rachel took Puck's arm, following him through the sand and across the beach. After they'd been walking for near twenty minutes, Rachel spotted what Puck had clearly been talking about. There was a table set up on the beach, some kind of candle on the table with flowers and a tray of food that was covered.

"Is this what you were doing this morning?" she asked, looking at him. Puck grinned, reaching down and giving her hand a squeeze before pulling her over to the table with him.

He pulled out a chair, letting Rachel sit down before moving it closer to the table. He sat down across from her, lifting the lid off the food.

"Sorry it's not anything better than fruit. Supplies are a bit limited here," he said sheepishly.

Rachel beamed. "Noah, it's fine. Do you see me complaining? You went to all this time and effort to do something nice for me. The least I could do is be grateful." She scooped some of the fruit onto her plate, popping a piece of pineapple into her mouth.

After both kids had finished their food, filling the meal with conversation, Puck rose from the table, walking over next to Rachel and extending his hand to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, giving him a confused look.

"Dance with me," he grinned.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "As much as I'd love to, I can't dance without music. And how is there supposed to be music since you can't play the guitar and dance with me at the same time."

"With this," Puck said, pulling out a small radio from beneath the table. "It was in that dude's guitar case. And before you say anything, you can't send any messages. You can only hear stuff. And somehow, I got reception on this thing." He turned it on, and an oldies tune started playing. "Now, dance with me. Please?"

Rachel looked at him for a moment before taking his hand and rising to her feet. She walked with him to a clear area of the beach, putting one hand on his shoulder and holding his in her other. Puck gently placed a hand on her waist, and the two of them swayed to the music.

This is nice, Rachel thought. No expectations, no pressure. Ever since she'd gotten back together with Finn, he always seemed to be pushing her to go further than she was comfortable. After all, Rachel was still a virgin. She'd always thought she'd save herself until marriage, but being here on this island made her reevaluate everything.

Maybe it was better to wait until she was willing to lose it with someone she really loved. Sure, she cared about Finn and she told him she loved him, but she wasn't sure if that was true. She never seemed to be good enough for him the way she was. She had to change to make him happy. When she was around Puck, he didn't seem to care that she was bossy, controlling, and at times, annoying.

Rachel laughed as Puck spun her around before pulling her closer so her chest was pressed up against his. Her breathing hitched a little and she felt her cheeks heat up. She hadn't been expecting to be so close to him like this. All those thoughts she'd been having ever since they kissed in the lake resurfaced, and all she could see were Puck's lips, which were less than six inches from hers.

Before she could even think to kiss him, the song ended and Puck pulled away from her. "Hey Rachel?" he asked.

That immediately got Rachel's attention. He hardly ever called her Rachel unless he was being serious.

"Yes, Noah?" she asked, looking up at his face.

"Come take a walk with me. I want to talk with you about something." Puck held his hand out and Rachel hesitantly took it. The two of them walked away from their dinner and dance, walking along the shoreline of the island instead.

Puck seemed to be thinking about something. Rachel hardly ever saw him thinking. It was a bit weird.

After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke up. "You know, when we first crashed here, I thought my life was over. And not just because we crashed on this island. But because I crashed here with you, no offense. I mean, you're great, but I always used to think you were annoying and bossy and I didn't know how I was going to last any length of time with just you as company."

Rachel made an insulted sound, yet still kept her hold on Puck's hand.

"I don't think that way now, honest. I mean, I kind of admire you. You're always working and you've never given up, even though we've been stuck here for ages. And, you make me want to keep working every day."

Rachel flushed at his compliments. "Noah, I'm not—"

Puck shook his head, cutting her off. "Let me talk, or I'm going to forget what I want to say and it's all going to come out wrong. You're a great person. You're beautiful, both inside and out, and it always killed me back in Lima that you were with someone who couldn't see that."

"Finn?" she asked.

"Yeah, him. He never appreciated you. He was always trying to change who you were. No one should do that. You're perfect just the way you are, bossiness included," he teased.

Rachel smiled to herself, leaning a little closer to Puck.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is you don't need to change for anyone, especially someone like Finn. Being here showed me that. You're an amazing person." He put an arm around her, fidgeting a little. The words were on the tip of his tongue. All he had to do was say them.

"Noah, are you okay? You seem nervous," she commented.

Puck took a deep breath before turning to face her, a strange smile on his face.

"I love you."