Rachel was standing backstage after the opening night of her first starring role on Broadway. People were showering her with roses and praise, and friends, family and fans were rushing toward her to hug her. They descended upon her all at once, hugging her tighter and tighter until she was suffocating. Oddly, someone seemed to have pushed their hand under her shirt, and was cupping her breast…

It took several seconds for her dream world to dissolve into reality, and even when it did, she was still concerned she might be dreaming. She found herself lying almost face down on a bed that was not her own, with sunlight pouring into a room that was also not hers. The events of the previous evening slowly came to her one by one, and she deduced that the heavy weight pressing down on her was actually Noah Puckerman. Turning her head carefully, she came face to face with him. She didn't remember falling asleep, but it appeared that at some point he had gotten her under the covers and crawled in beside her. Their heads were sharing a pillow, and his body was covering hers. Her legs were tangled in his, and his left arm was snaked around her torso. She was still wearing his T shirt, but it was pushed up and his left hand was firmly trapped between the mattress and her right breast. She eyed him carefully, but he appeared to be sleeping, and the smile on his face made her wonder what he was dreaming about. On second thought, she realized she probably didn't want to know.

Suddenly he moved against her, and mumbled something she couldn't quite make out, but he didn't wake up. A quick glance at the clock on the dresser told her that it was eight thirty, and as much as she wanted to indulge in the moment, she knew she had to wake him up.

"Wake up sleepy head."

Puck groaned and kept his eyes firmly shut.

"Noah, come on, wake up…"

No response. She kissed him lightly on his smiling lips.

She felt him respond to the kiss and his left hand slid down to her hip. The next thing she knew, he had managed to roll over on his back, and pull her on top of him. Ending the kiss, she placed a hand on either side of his head, and pushed herself up. He looked up at her with a lazy grin, and hooded eyes.

"Now that is worth waking up for."

Looking down she saw that his shirt was still tangled up in her pearls, and pushed above her bra. Puck slid his hands up the sides of her bare waist, and she shivered at his touch. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, before swinging her leg over him and sitting on her knees next to him. She carefully untangled her pearls, and pulled the shirt down firmly. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand.

"Come on Berry, live a little."

She laughed. "Considering everything that's happened in the last twenty four hours, and that fact I may very well be grounded for the rest of my natural life when I get home today, I'd venture to say that I've 'lived' quite enough for now."

The look on his face clearly said he didn't agree with her.

"C'mon, get up," she said, poking him in his side.

He looked like he was in pain. "Give me a sec, Berry."

She climbed off the bed, and walked over to the desk. Picking up her jeans, she was glad to see that they were mostly dry. Her sweater, on the other hand, was still a damp mess. She straightened it out as best she could, and hung it over the chair where her pants had been.

"Your mom's gone, right?"

Puck nodded, his eyes closed and the pained expression still on his face.

"Can I use your bathroom, then?"

He nodded again. "Across the hall."

In the small bathroom, Rachel splashed her face with water, and tried to repair the damage the rain and sleep had done to her hair. She traded his shorts for her jeans, and used her finger and some of his toothpaste to try and get the morning taste out of her mouth. She longed for a hot shower, but at least she felt a little better.

Walking back into his room, she saw he hadn't moved from the bed.

"Seriously, Noah, get up… I need you to take me home."

He reluctantly got out of the warm bed, and stumbled past her to the door. Moments later she heard the sound of the shower running. She nervously made the bed and folded the shorts and sweatshirt she had worn, trying not to imagine him in the shower. After nearly thirty minutes, Puck entered the room again, looking refreshed and clad only in a towel. He opened his dresser and started pulling out clothes.

"What took you so long?" Rachel asked, annoyed.

Puck flashed a grin at her. "You really want to know?"

"No," Rachel said quickly, "never mind." Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Turn around Rach," he said.

"Huh?" She was lost in thought, contemplating what he had being doing in the shower. When she looked up she saw that his hand was tugging on the towel, and she spun around and stared at the wall.

"Really, Noah, you couldn't do that in the bathroom?"

"Nope."

Several moments later, he reached past her, fully dressed and picked up the plate on the desk.

"Grab your stuff."

Rachel picked up her coat, sweater and purse and followed him into the kitchen. She watched as he carefully rinsed the plate and forks and placed them in the dishwasher. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a soda and offered one to her. She shook her head and he shrugged and walked into the entryway. He grabbed his letterman jacket from the hall closet, and grabbed his keys off a hook.

"C'mon, I'll drive you home."

She quickly put her coat on and buttoned it all the way to conceal the fact that she was wearing his T-shirt. They walked together into the cool morning air, and he helped her into the truck. She was silent for most of the drive to her house, her stomach in knots.

"You really think you'll get in trouble?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure… hopefully not, but my dads are very observant, and they'll be concerned if they've tried to call me."

Her heart soared when she noted that one of their cars was missing from her driveway. Her dads were rarely apart on the weekends, and this meant she could shower and change before she faced them. She glanced over at Puck, who was downing the last of the soda. He looked exhausted.

"Come inside," she offered, "I'll make you some coffee and breakfast."

He perked up instantly at the mention of caffeine and food.

"Good breakfast?" he asked, "or like, pop-tarts breakfast?"

She glared at him.

"Right, stupid question, I'm sure preservatives are bad for your voice or something."

She nodded.

He laughed, and they got out of the truck, and entered her house.

In the kitchen, a note explained her parent's absence.

Rachel,

We've gone to Akron for the day to go antiquing. We should be home no later than 8pm. We left $30 on the counter, in case you'd like to order out for dinner. No driving, please.

Hope you had a wonderful visit at your friend's house, but please call us when you arrive home. We tried your cell phone, but the battery appears to have died. In the future, please remember to take your charger with you if you plan on being gone for an extended period of time.

Love,

Dad and Daddy

Rachel let out a sigh of relief, and picked up the cordless phone to call her dads.

"Hi Daddy!" she said, when he answered the line.

Puck moved behind her and started kissing her neck.

"Hi, Princess, did you have fun?" her father asked.

"Yes, I had a great time, sorry about my phone," Rachel responded, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Its okay sweetie, just try to be more responsible next time."

Puck started to nibble on her ear, and Rachel tried to control her breathing.

"I will," she said quickly.

"We're glad you had a good time, and proud of your effort to be more social. Did you enjoy the football game?"

"It was… uh.. it was great. Really neat. We won." She was having trouble forming a complete thought.

"Are you okay Princess?" her father asked, clearly concerned by her brief answer.

"F…Fine Daddy, just tired, I was up really late," she stammered.

Puck's arms had snaked around her waist, and he whispered in her other ear, "Doubt your Daddy would approve of why you were up so late."

Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she shushed him.

"Rachel?" her father said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Really, Daddy, I'm fine. I think I may take a nap later though, I know how important proper rest is for a girl my age."

"That sounds like a good plan, Princess," her father said, "Call us if you need anything, okay? We'll be home around eight."

"Okay Daddy," she chirped, "have a good time. I love you."

"Love you too Princess," he replied, and the call disconnected.

Rachel whirled around, and glared at Puck.

He smiled down at her. "So, Berry, how about that breakfast you promised?"