Kurt looked over at Rachel, who was fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Thank god Blaine's mother was a pill-popper or he would have never gotten Rachel to relax long enough for the plane to take off.
As soon as they had sat down, Rachel had started hyperventilating and claiming that she was cursed and this plane was going to crash too. Anything Kurt said to calm her just made her panic more. Blaine had given him a bottle of Valium before Kurt left, anticipating something like this would happen. Kurt had just given her the pill, and after a bit, she calmed down before falling asleep on his shoulder. She'd been like that since the plane took off.
Now Kurt was left in silence, having only his thoughts for company. He went over the plan again and again in his mind. This had to work—he and Jesse, along with most of the members of New Directions, had spent months planning this out. There was no way it could go wrong. Besides, he knew Puck will loved Rachel even though he tried denying it to himself and everyone around him.
Every time Kurt brought Rachel up in a conversation, he saw the way Puck's face contorted, like it physically hurt him to even hear her name. Plus, he hadn't dated anyone since she had left which was unusual for him.
Rachel let out a sigh though stayed fast asleep, her dark hair falling into her face. Kurt gently brushed it away before turning his attention to the window beside her. They'd be landing within an hour, meaning Kurt had approximately three hours to get off the plane, get Rachel and himself ready for the dance, get to Lima, and explain to her exactly how she was making her entrance.
This was never going to work. There wasn't enough time. They were going to end up missing the dance, or Rachel was going to look less than fabulous.
The plane slowly began lowering in the air as the captain came on, telling everyone to buckle their seatbelts for the landing. Kurt shook Rachel's shoulder gently, trying to wake her.
"Rachel," he murmured, watching her eyes flutter open.
"Hmm?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, letting out a small yawn.
"We're landing," Kurt said, checking his watch. It was five in the evening. Well, he guessed they were skipping dinner, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make in this case.
Rachel held onto Kurt's hand tightly as the plane descended. There were a few bumps as the plane landed, but other than that it was a smooth ride.
"See? Nothing to be scared of. It was a completely normal plane ride."
"Yes, but my last one wasn't," she whispered, closing her eyes until the few images of the crash disappeared from her head. She didn't remember much about that night, but she didn't like thinking about the little bits she did remember.
Once the plane arrived at the gate and they were permitted to take off their seatbelts, Kurt glanced down at his watch. Five PM. Damn, they really needed to hustle to make sure they stayed on schedule.
"Come on, Rachel," Kurt muttered, picking up his one bag and draped it over his shoulder. Rachel grabbed her bag and held onto his hand tightly, allowing him to pull her through the crowd on the plane and out into the airport.
Kurt walked quickly through the terminal, Rachel being forced to jog a little to keep up with him. They walked past security and were greeted by all the drivers picking up various people,
Kurt seemed to be scanning the drivers, smiling as he found the sign that said "HUMMEL-BERRY" and headed towards him.
"Mr. Hummel?" the driver asked, looking skeptically at the two teenagers.
"Yes, and this is Miss Berry. Jesse St. James told you where to take us, correct?" he asked. The driver paused before nodding once and took both of their bags, leading them out of the airport. He had them sit on the bench while he went to retrieve his car.
Rachel looked around, chewing on her bottom lip. Kurt sighed, putting an arm around her. "Don't worry, Rach. Everything's going to be okay," he promised, though it was silly to promise something like that when he wasn't sure if it was going to be okay.
The driver pulled up a few minutes later and helped them into the car after putting their bags in. He climbed in the driver's seat and started to head towards Lima.
Kurt pulled a makeup bag and hair supplies out of his carry on, looking at Rachel. "Listen, we only have a few hours before the dance starts," he said when she gave him a look. "Don't complain and let me make you beautiful."
Rachel rolled her eyes but had a smile on her face as Kurt started combing and curling her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders. He worked on putting on her makeup as well. Rachel stayed silent, not wanting to incur the wrath of Kurt if she messed up his concentration.
The entire time he was doing her hair, he was telling her the plan for when they arrived for the dance. He'd already picked out the two songs she was singing to Puck and promised that the entire glee club had agreed to help her out—Finn and Sam were going to make sure Puck was there to hear her sing while Tina and Quinn would help her sing.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Rachel asked. "What if he still doesn't forgive me?" she asked after looking over the two sings Kurt was having her sing. "What if he takes on look at me and walks away because he still hates me?"
"Well, that's when Santana says it's lady's choice and you ask him to dance," Kurt explained. "She's going to sing something slow, and you'll dance and apologize to him. Trust me, Jesse and I planned this all out." Kurt placed a hand on top of hers. "Just relax and breathe. You'll be fine."
The closer they got to Lima, the more Rachel started freaking out about what was about to happen. Two hours until the dance…now one hour.
No, she couldn't do this. She couldn't see him again, not after their last fight. It didn't matter how many times Kurt told her Noah didn't hate her, she knew in her heart he did. How could he not? She lied to him, ran away, and spent the past few months with her ex-boyfriend, her picture all over the tabloids with him.
The car finally pulled up in front of Kurt's house, causing Rachel to look at Kurt. "I thought we were going to the dance?" she asked.
"We are, but you need to change first. Besides, my dad said you were welcome to stay with us while you're in town if you need a place to stay," he added, helping her out of the car.
Their driver carried their bags inside, then said he'd be waiting at the car to drive them to the dance when they were ready.
Kurt smiled at Rachel when they were inside, handing her the bag that contained the dress and shoes she was wearing. "Go change," he ordered as he headed to his room to get himself ready for the dance.
Rachel walked into the bathroom, staring in the mirror at her reflection. She had to admit, Kurt did a great job. She looked nice. She glanced down at the bag before shutting and locking the bathroom door.
No, she couldn't do this. She wasn't going, an no one could make her. Kurt would just have to get over the disappointment of her not wearing the dress he picked out. She just…she couldn't face Noah. Not now, not ever. He was better off without her.
She sunk to the floor of the bathroom, her back pressed against the door as she listened to the soft humming of the lights.
"Rachel?" There was a knock at the door as Kurt called her name.
"Go away, Kurt," she muttered. "I'm not going. I don't want him back," she lied. She wanted him back more than anything else in the world, but she was too much of a coward to actually go up to him and tell him that.
"Rachel Berry, stop it," Kurt ordered. "You're feeling sorry for yourself and letting your nerves win over. Please, just come out so we can go. Everything's going to be fine," he said, trying to reassure her.
"No," she said stubbornly. "It's not going to be fine. He's going to turn me down and my hearts going to break all over again. It's not worth it," she murmured, feeling tears welling in her eyes.
"Don't you dare cry and ruin your makeup," Kurt ordered. He let out a sigh as Rachel refused to move. "Here, you talk to her," he said to someone.
"Rachel?" a soft voice asked.
"Finn?"
"Look, I know you're scared and afraid this isn't going to work. But you're never going to know unless you try. Puck loves you, and you love him. You two have spent the past few months denying that you still care about each other, but I know he still loves you. And from everything Kurt's said, you still love him. So please, just come out of the bathroom," he pleaded.
There was a pause, some rustling, and a click as Rachel opened the door, wearing the dress Kurt had picked out for her, the shoes in her hand. She was smiling at Finn. "Do you mean that?" she asked. "Does he really still love me?"
"More than anything else in the world. He can't even listen to someone say your name because it hurts too much. You have to make up of He'll never be the same again."
Rachel looked between Kurt and Finn, chewing on her lower lip. "Well, what are we still doing here? We have a dance to go to!"
xxxx
Rachel could hear Artie and Sam singing the words to Chris Brown's Yeah 3x while everyone cheered and danced along to the music. Rachel wasn't out with everyone else—she was in the back so no one saw her. Tina and Santana were with her at the moment since they were singing next.
This was it—she could hardly breathe she was so nervous. Rachel normally didn't get stage fright, but this was different then performing a solo at Regionals. This was more important than that. Rachel never thought anything could be more important than competitions, but Noah was. Noah was everything.
Santana was tapping her foot on the ground while Tina twisted her hands in her lap nervously. There was so much riding on their songs, they couldn't afford to screw it up.
Santana stopped in front of Rachel, looking at her. She was just standing with a blank look on her face, not showing any sign of nerves, but not looking like she was entirely with it, either.
"Look, everything's going to go great," she said, attempting to make Rachel feel a bit better about this. She couldn't say that she really liked Rachel, but she needed to make sure the girl could go out and sing—everything would go wrong if she couldn't do that.
"Kurt keeps telling me that, but I don't believe him," she said quietly.
"Well, you should. He worked his ass off setting this whole thing up. He planned the entire dance and got Figgens to okay it. And he did that all for you," she murmured as she reached over and took Rachel's hand.
Rachel looked Santana in the eyes before nodding her head and sighing. "Right, I can't let all his work be for nothing."
The music stopped and they saw the boys pass them as they headed back to the dance. "Good luck," Artie whispered.
"Yeah, break a leg, Rachel," Sam said. "Glad to have you back," he said, shooting her a smile as the two of them rushed back to the crowd as the three girls prepared to take the stage.
Tina stood up, handing Rachel her microphone. "You can do it. I believe in you," she whispered as she and Santana took the stage.
Rachel took a few breaths as the music started playing. She walked up the stairs behind the stage before walking on as she began singing, not even looking in the crowd for Puck. Kurt had decided she start with P!nk's Please Don't Leave Me, so she took a deep breath before singing.
Rachel glanced up before singing the chorus, spotting Puck in the crowd standing with Finn and Sam. He was staring up at her. She felt her heart skip a beat when she looked at him. Rachel had to remind herself that she had to keep performing and resisted the urge to run to him. His gaze met hers and she kept eye-contact with him as she continued singing.
Every time she sang 'please don't leave me', Rachel would extend her arms towards Puck. It seemed to take him a minute, but he realized she was singing directly to him.
Rachel ignored everyone else at the dance, only seeing Puck. He needed to hear her, needed to know how sorry she was.
As Rachel finished the song, she broke her gaze with Puck and looked at the floor of the stage, growing quiet. Everyone began cheering, not having expected her to return.
Rachel looked over at Puck, who was looking at her. His face was hard to read, but she didn't see any traces of hate on his face. That was a good sign.
She took a deep breath before looking back at Santana and Tina, nodding her head. She turned back towards Puck and mouthed 'this is for you' before the music began playing. This was it—the real apology song. Even she had to admit Kurt's choice of Hard to Say I'm Sorry by Chicago was perfect. Rachel closed her eyes as she started to sing.
Rachel felt a tear fall down her face and quickly wiped it away, knowing Kurt would yell at her if she messed up her makeup. She took a deep breath before continuing. She kept her eyes on Puck, who never looked away from her.
Fuck. She was crying over him. Puck saw her wipe the tear away and instantly felt bad. Even after everything that had happened between the two of them, he loved her. And seeing her up there singing directly to him just to apologize, he knew she loved him too. All he wanted was to hold her and kiss her until she knew he loved her as much as he did before.
Rachel took a few deep breaths to stop from crying once she finished the song. She looked over at Kurt, who was making his way up to the stage. She handed him the microphone before carefully walking off the stage.
"This dance is ladies choice," he said before a slow ballad started playing.
Rachel looked around for Puck, but she didn't see him. Finn was supposed to bring him over to her when the song ended, but she guessed he couldn't even do that simple task.
"Look, I know it's ladies choice, but I don't want you to ask anyone else to dance."
Rachel turned around to see Puck standing there, smiling down at her, his hand extended. "Please dance with me?" he asked.
Rachel smiled a little before taking his hand, allowing him to lead her into the crowd. She placed her hands on his shoulders while he pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her waist. "So, crashing a dance? I never took you for much of a rebel," he teased. "Seems I've been a bad influence."
Rachel couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, you've been a terrible influence on me," she agreed, looking up into his eyes. She couldn't believe she'd gone three months without seeing him. She'd spoken to Kurt countless times, texted almost everyone else in New Directions, but she hadn't even sent him a message on Facebook. Yet here he was, dancing with her like nothing had ever happened.
Puck reached up, running his thumb along her cheek lightly. "You look beautiful," he whispered.
Rachel blushed, her eyes looking down at the floor.
"Please look at me?" he asked. "You forced me to go three months without being able to look into your eyes. I want to stare at them for the rest of the night," he murmured.
Rachel smiled and nodded, resting her head against his chest while she stared up at him. She knew she'd have to apologize for everything and explain what happened, but not yet. She wasn't ready to leave his arms.
The song ended and a faster one started, but Puck and Rachel continued swaying, lost in each other's eyes. The only thing that made her look away was a tap on the shoulder. She turned her head, seeing Kurt standing there with a small envelope.
"This is for you," he said, handing it to Rachel.
"What is it?" she asked, opening it to find a plastic card with the word "Marriott" printed on it.
"A gift from your fairy godfather," he laughed. "We figured you might want somewhere more private to talk things over. And I don't expect to see either of you until tomorrow at the earliest," he said with a wink.
Rachel blushed bright red before looking up at Puck. He took the hotel key out of her hand and slipped it into his pocket before taking her hand. "Let's get out of here," he whispered in her hear. Rachel followed him, holding his hand tightly.
Puck led her over to his car and opened the door for her, helping her inside. He climbed in a moment later, leaning over and kissing her full on the lips.
Rachel was caught by surprise, but kissed him back, her arms wrapped around his neck. Puck pulled her onto his lap, his arms wrapped around her small waist as he kissed her, not even bothering to pull away for a breath of air.
When Rachel finally pulled away, she was smiling, her eyes closed. "I missed you," she whispered. "I missed you so much." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Puck hugged her back and buried his face in his hair, taking a deep breath.
"I missed this," he muttered. "I almost forgot how your hair smelled." He pulled back, looking at her. "I love you, Rachel. I don't care what happened in the past, I just want you to know I love you more than anything else."
Rachel couldn't help it—she started crying.
"Baby, please don't cry," he pleaded. He thought she'd kiss him again, not cry.
"I'm just…so happy," she said, resting her head on his chest while Puck wiped her tears away. "I thought you hated me. I wouldn't blame you if you did," she murmured.
"I thought I hated you, but I didn't. I was just mad about all that shit that went down before you left." He kissed the top of her head. "But I'm ready to hear your explanation." He helped her back into the passenger's seat before starting the car. He pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards the hotel.
AN: Songs used are Please Don't Leave Me by P!nk and Hard to Say I'm Sorry by Chicago