Glad to have you all back again! I can always count on ya'll to leave me such sweet reviews, and I appreciate those so much! This story is probably a little more angsty than You Can Always Come Home (yes, its possible) so keep reading and reviewing, thanks again!
Quinn stood awkwardly in the driveway, watching as Puck yelled at his father.
She could tell he was uncomfortable, keeping his distance while he ripped him from one end to the other. Puck never spoke about his dad, the only thing Quinn knew about him being that he was a deadbeat. She had often tried to bring it up but Puck would shut down, changing the topic or just growing silent.
She guessed they were finally done, as his dad reached out and offered his hand. Puck just shook his head, turning away while his father called out for him. He made eye contact with Quinn and nodded for her to get in the truck, starting the engine and revving the gas. As Quinn opened her door to climb in, she noticed his father staring at her and nodding before climbing into his own vehicle. His presence made her uncomfortable, and she wanted to know what the hell he was doing back.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as they headed to school.
"Nope," Puck answered casually while clenching his jaw.
"Ok, will you talk about it? For me?" Puck looked over at her and groaned, a complete sucker for her every time.
"Look, there's nothing to talk about. That was my dad, he left when I was nine. He came home every now and then, but the visits got shorter and the absences got longer until he…" Puck paused as he grew frustrated at the thought of his dad, "He was an alcoholic and he cheated on my mom, who he owes so much back child support that there's a warrant out for him. He's a liar and thief, and I don't want him in my life." He stopped at the red light and finally faced Quinn, pulling down his sunglasses and staring her dead in the eyes.
"Anything else you wanna interrogate me about?" Quinn shook her head and turned to face the window, feeling guilty and sorrow all at once. They rode in silence the rest of the way, Quinn trying not to cry while Puck clenched the steering wheel tightly in anger. When they finally arrived Puck got out of his truck and left Quinn and his schoolbooks behind, heading towards the football field alone. She watched until he disappeared, finally crawling out and heading to class.
She knew she couldn't begin to understand what he had gone through as a child, but Quinn hoped that maybe Puck would let her in just a little so that she could.
"Ms. Puckerman?" Quinn had borrowed Finn's phone during Glee practice, her concern finally peaking when no one had seen Puck all day.
"Quinn? Honey is everything alright?" she asked panicking.
"Yes ma'am, everything's fine but…"
"But what sweetie, what's going on?"
"Well this morning before we left for school, Puck's dad showed up at your house." The other end of the line was silent, Quinn calling out to make sure they were still connected.
"Oh God. Did Puck see him?"
"Well yeah, he actually yelled at him and now he didn't show up for class or practice. I'm just wondering if you know where he is or what's going on?" She could hear Ms. Puckerman muttering on the other end of the phone, shuffling around and making noise.
"Quinn I'm coming home. Do you need a ride after practice?"
"No ma'am I have one, is everything ok?"
"Yeah sweetie, things are fine. I'll see you later ok?" Before Quinn could respond she heard a dial tone and hung up, having more questions and no answers.
"Everything alright?" Finn asked taking his phone back.
"I don't know, she just said she'd see me later." Finn shrugged while grabbing his backpack and heading for the door.
"Come on, I'll take you home."
Finn and Quinn pulled into the drive to find no sign of Puck or his truck. She sighed while she unbuckled her seatbelt, knowing something bad was going down in the Puckerman family.
"Thanks Finn, I appreciate it," she smiled while grabbing the handle.
"Anytime, let me know if you need anything."
Quinn and Finn had managed to repair their relationship. While it had taken some time, Finn had been able to forgive her for baby gate and the two had become good friends again. Puck hadn't liked their arrangement at all, seeing as Finn had yet to forgive him or even speak to him. Puck swore the only reason Finn had forgiven her was because he still loved her, but Quinn ignored him and called him paranoid.
She opened the door and headed to the fridge, exhausted from stress and starving for a snack. She was just about to grab the ice cream when the door burst open, Ms. Puckerman walking in while shouting.
"You don't just go off and miss school Noah, you know better!"
"Mom you don't even understand!"
"Don't you raise your voice at me Noah! I am still your mother and you will show me respect!"
"Well I wish you'd show me a little and just back off!"
Puck flew past Quinn, stomping upstairs and slamming his door shut. Quinn turned to Ms. Puckerman, seeing her flop down at the kitchen table with tears in her eyes. She walked over and sat by her, wrapping her small hand around hers. She didn't know what to say, so she just offered her comfort and a friend.
"I don't know when he got so angry," she said softly. Quinn rubbed her hand while handing her a tissue, hoping maybe she would shed light on what was going on.
"Ms. Puckerman, what's going on with Puck and his dad?" His mom looked up and shook her head, wiping her face and sighing.
"They have a complicated past sweetie, and a lot has happened between them…too much." Quinn didn't quite know what she meant, seeing as she was his mother and all.
"I mean, I know his dad left and that hurt, but did something else happen?" The tears continued to fall down her face as she rested her head in her hand.
"When you have your baby Quinn something is gonna happen to you," she said as she pulled her close, "something inside you shifts. Suddenly the only thing that matters is your child and you'll do whatever you have to do to protect them, no matter what. You'll walk through fire and turn yourself inside out before something bad ever hurts them." Quinn nodded, trying to follow along as she continued on.
"So when something bad does happen, and you cant stop it, it breaks your heart like no boy ever could. You ache because of your mistake and it's the one thing you wont ever forget when you lay down at night." Quinn was becoming more and more scared of where she was going, wondering what had happened to Puck that was so terrible.
"Ms. Puckerman," she said but his mom quickly shook her head again.
"I cant do this sweetie, I'm sorry." She got up and headed to her bedroom, leaving Quinn alone at the table. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, comfort Puck or his mom, so she decided to draw a truce and let them be. She grabbed her flats and headed outside, going for a walk to clear her head.
Quinn made her way down the sidewalk, watching the cars go by and picking cute flowers she passed on the way. She was just about to bend down for another when the screech of brakes stopped her. She looked towards the street to see a familiar truck reversing, making its way in front of her and stopping. Her stomach fell when she realized who the man behind the steering wheel was, stepping out and flashing her a smile.
"You're Noah's gal right?" Quinn contemplated running away, wondering if she could make it to the house without him catching her.
"Y-yes," she whispered, the uneasiness from earlier settling in.
"Well hi there, I'm Noah's daddy." He stuck out a huge and dirty hand, smiling as he removed his sunglasses. The resemblance was uncanny, every detail of Puck's face belonging to his father, down to his chiseled jaw and furrowed brow. Quinn stuck her hand out skittishly, only shaking his hand for a moment before pulling it back quickly.
"So you two having a baby I see," he smiled while pointing to her belly. Quinn could only nod, wishing he would get to the point so she could go back home.
"Well how about that?" He edged closer to Quinn, making her back step towards Puck's.
"So uh, so what are you doing back?" she asked nervously, watching his every move and wondering what he wanted.
"Well I uh, I need to see Noah," he said sighing, "something uh, something just came up and I wanted to see him." If Quinn had been confused before, this moment had blown it out of the water, her mind so confused by the Puckerman boys.
"What?" she asked gaining courage, "I mean is everything alright?"
"Well," he said sighing, "I just…when you see Noah, tell him I still want to see him, can you do that for me darling?" Quinn agreed and he turned to leave, flashing her a wink before climbing in his truck.
"Thank ya sweetie, see ya around."
Quinn just stood there as he drove off, trying to make some sense of her day. She didn't know what had happened to Puck in his past, but whatever it was she needed to know before it tore him apart any more.
