(AN: Thank you again for all your great comments! Sorry to have not updated sooner - didn't have internet for a while. Hope you like this chapter - a little less Cleo but just as intriguing :D )

Chapter 3

Rachel had just finished eating breakfast when the phone rang. She reached out and swiped the cordless off the island of the kitchen.

"Good morning, Berry residence, Rachel speaking."

"Goodness Rach, will you ever sound like a normal human being?"

"For your information Kurt, I do sound like a normal, polite human being." Rachel responded, rolling her eyes although she knew that he couldn't see her.

When Glee club had first officially started under the guidance of Mr. Schuester, Rachel had deemed herself the star of the club, the star that would back down for no one. The others had all seemed to get along with each other and, more often than not, she was considered out of the loop and not one of them. She had hardened herself against the unintentional rejection, focusing herself on the idea of becoming a star.

But after that weeklong fling with Pu- Noah and the shenanigans with Quinn and Finn and then the brief period spent with Jessie, she had started to realize that being more "chill", as Mercedes termed it, was not necessarily undesirable, and neither was having friends. A vulnerable part of her that wanted friends more than anything had opened up and she had begun to learn to become a part of the team, instead of singling herself out. When she had started criticizing less and complimenting more, she realized more and more how much talent all the people she shared the glee club with had.

She felt that she had established a semi-stable relationship with the popular half of the club (Brittany, Matt, Mike and Noah), although they didn't really hang out. Things with Finn were still slightly awkward after the whole mess with the Run Joey Run video and with Jessie and Santana. But it was heartwarming to discover that she got along like a house on fire with Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina and, surprise of all surprises, Quinn.

"Whatever. Listen, it's hot and I'm melting in the heat over here because the power's out at my house. Can we meet up at the mall?"

"Well, I was supposed to finish clean-"

"Do not continue that sentence. I demand you stop acting like a little old lady."

Rachel sighed but smiled as she did. It was nice to be friends with Kurt, because despite his frankness and odd sense of humor (and his issues with her perfectly nice clothing), he always had a way of reminding her that it was okay to be young and act like a teenager sometimes.

"Fine. I'll meet you there in…" Rachel twisted her wrist to check her watch, "thirty minutes?"

"Sounds good. I'll call Mercedes and Quinn. Can you call Tina?"

"I'll do it. See you later."

As Rachel hung up the phone and made her way upstairs, she mentally catalogued her outfit for the day. Normally she'd stick to her usual uniform of plaid skirts and collared shirts with her trademark knee socks (she believed in going for a preppy look) but the weather was exceptionally warm today.

Before she entered her room, she heard her mobile ringing and made a mad dash to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Now that is more normal than I've ever heard you sound."

Rachel thought that if she hung around Kurt, she would have to stop rolling her eyes or they would roll out of her head.

"What Kurt?"

"Just wanted to check what you were planning on wearing Rach. I can't have you bringing the style quotient of the entire group down."

Rachel sighed. "I'm wearing a skirt and a white blouse –"

"Stop. Just. Stop right there." Kurt interrupted, sounding as if he wanted to toss something at her.

Rachel did as he asked, pressing the phone to her ear even as she opened her closet door. She sorted through her clothes, suddenly tired of the stack of modest blouses, sweaters and skirts that met her gaze.

"Look, I'm coming over. I cannot allow you out of your house looking like –"

"Me?" Rachel interrupted slyly, although she wasn't offended.

"Exactly." Kurt said curtly into her ear.

"Fine." Rachel said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Give me ten minutes."

The line went dead. Rachel shut the doors of her closet and sat at her vanity table, dropping her phone on the table. She examined her features in the mirror – her sparkling brown eyes, her lustrous naturally wavy brown hair, her clear skin and her perfect smile. She didn't think that she looked that awful… Maybe she didn't dress the same way as most of the other teenagers but she refused to conform because fashion didn't matter all that much to her. It also probably doesn't help that I don't know my mom, she mused, resting her chin in her hands.

Snap out of it Rachel! You have it good – you've got your talents, you've got your dreams and now, you can even say you have some friends. Rachel shook her head and picked up her mobile phone again, dialing Tina's number.

Puck returned to his house to find an unfamiliar car parked in their driveway behind his pick-up. Cleo sniffed curiously at the car for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth her time. Puck followed behind her slowly, trying to figure out who it was.

"Noah!" His mom's happy greeting startled him and he looked up to find her waving at him from the front door.

"Mom, what's going on?" He asked, not too worried since she didn't seem to be in any sort of trouble.

"We have a visitor." His mom said, her eyes sparkling mischievously at her son.

Puck was barely registering her words as he was too surprised by the joy in her tone. Who in the world could have shown up to make her this animated?

As if in response to his thoughts, a face suddenly appeared above his mom's right shoulder. He realized it was a girl with long black hair, dark brown eyes and pale skin – a moment later, he realized who it was.

"ALEXA?" His incredulousness caused his voice to come out as more of a shout.

"Hello Puck, it's been quite a while." She smirked in that soft, musical voice of hers before she smiled openly at him.

"Fuck me, it really is you!" Puck just stood there, staring at her.

"Well, I would prefer not to "fuck you" as you so delicately termed it but yes, it's me." Alexa responded, rolling her eyes at him.

"What the he-ck are you doing here?" He asked, walking up towards his mother and Alexa.

"I'm-"

"She's transferring to McKinley because her parents are moving back into the district." His mom cut Alexa off, looking adoringly at the young teenager at her side.

"Your mom's right." Alexa shrugged helplessly, her eyes still lit up with happiness.

"You're going to McKinley?" Puck repeated, still unable to control his shocked reaction.

"Well, um, yeah." Alexa mumbled, suddenly nervous.

"That's fucking awesome!" Puck suddenly yelled, earning a startled bark from Cleo, who had been watching the whole interaction with some semblance of interest.

Alexa smiled at him again, all her worries dissipating into thin air. "I thought so too."

Puck's mother watched them with interest, the matchmaking gleam suddenly appearing in her eyes. Puck tried not to laugh at her manic expression.

"Mom, are you making any breakfast?" He asked smoothly, stifling the laughter that threatened to bubble up in his throat.

"Oh! I left the eggs on the-" His mother suddenly twitched and was hurrying off towards the kitchen before Puck could say anything more.

Alexa bit her lip, effectively stopping a giggle. But when Puck's amused gaze met her own, they both burst into laughter.

"Your mom still hasn't changed, has she? Still looking for the perfect wife for you?"

"It's a hell of an annoying habit." Puck said dismissively, eager to hear Alexa's story.

"Aww. Is this Cleo?" Alexa suddenly said, stooping down to pet the puppy. Cleo, for her part, sniffed Alexa's hand before she licked it appreciatively, making Alexa laugh.

"Yeah, this is Sara's dog." Puck answered nonchalantly, avoiding her gaze.

Alexa let out a loud, long laugh. "Whatever Noah Puckerman, I know you're a softie so you can stop pretending now."

Puck let out a slight hiss through his teeth but cracked a grin. "I knew I should never have become friends with you."

"Whatever Puck", Alexa grinned, up for their usual round of sparring, "you're in desperate need of some vulnerable Noah time."

By this time, they had both entered the house so Puck shut the door behind them before letting Cleo off her leash. Cleo immediately disappeared up the stairs, heading for Sara's room.

"If I didn't love you…" Puck growled playfully, pulling her into a warm, spontaneous hug.

"But you do." Alexa laughed, hugging him back.

"I've missed you. Emails aren't the same, you know." She continued, stepping back and meeting his gaze.

"I know." Puck agreed, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Why wasn't I told about you moving into the district and attending McKinley in the last email?" He asked pointedly, leading her into the living room.

Alexa took a seat on the couch, slipping off her ballet flats and curling up her legs beneath her, before she answered.

"Because Puck, I wasn't sure what my parents would choose – this district or moving to DC. And it wasn't a sure bet either way until yesterday."

"I still can't fucking believe that you're here." Puck said, taking her tiny hand in his and squeezing it affectionately.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to be in your hair every day now Puckerman." Alexa teased, although she squeezed his hand in return.

Puck clutched his heart in mock dismay. "There goes my badass reputation. If I'm nice to you, the new kid, I'm dead meat."

"Whatever Puck." Alexa grinned, releasing his hand.

"Noah! Alexa! I've got breakfast on the table." His mom called out from the kitchen.

"Shall we?"

Puck stood up, offering his hand to Alexa on the couch. She grabbed it and he tugged her up, allowing her to link her arm through this.

"I could get used to this." She laughed, letting him lead her into the kitchen.