AN: Final Part! Thank you so much to everyone who alerted, reviewed, favorited and read this story!
It takes Puck nine months to record his debut album. Nine months of looking through songs that other people had written; nine months of perfecting songs he'd written himself. And each one of them was like ripping open an old wound until the blood poured and formed lyrics, melodies, and harmonies. He's got a publicist and she gets him booked on different television shows and he's met all the major media personalities this week alone. The first time he hears his first single on the radio, he's on the way to some meeting with some big shot and he calls Rachel, but it goes to voicemail and instead of celebrating this moment with her, he just closes his phone without leaving a message. The truth is they've been more distant that ever over the last nine months. Puck spends so much time in the studio and doing photo shoots and interviews that he's barely home anymore. Rachel finally landed a role on Broadway. It wasn't the lead, but it was a start and both Rachel and Puck knew that. But the job still kept her at rehearsals for hours and she had so many other things to do to prepare for opening night. So long story short, they've become distant, and not on purpose; it's just they don't have the time to connect.
Which sucks for Puck a lot and he knows its going to get worse when he gets a phone call from his manager (he has one of them now) and he (Andy) tells Puck that he's going on tour, to open up for Daughtry. He's excited; he's actually going fucking nuts inside. He's going to be gone for four months, with a couple breaks here and there. And while Puck is so happy because he's finally realizing his dreams and he's going out on tour with one of the most popular rock bands; but at the same time he realizes that it's going to drive a bigger wedge between him and Rachel.
When he tells her that he's going, she puts on a great big Rachel Berry smile (that Puck can see right through) and tells him she's proud of him (and she's not lying), and that they'll talk on the phone and text all the time.
And they do, for a few weeks. But there are days when Puck is just so busy doing all these things because really his CD is selling, but he's still a new artist and he needs to promote himself with the one hundred different things Andy has him doing. Radio interviews, television interviews, and they're in the talks to do Jay Leno or some talk show next month. And Puck knows from the few emails and texts from Rachel (because she seems unable to ever answer her phone or return a phone call lately) that she's been doing recordings and appearances for her show. She says she's happy and Puck hopes that she's telling the truth, but there is this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that she's not being completely honest with him.
He's home for three days and he goes to see her perform and they spend the time together (she actually asks for a couple days off). It's perfect and it's nice to wake up with her in bed again, and smell her perfume around the apartment. Those three days are spent like nothing is wrong, like the last couple of weeks haven't been horrible on both of them. And when he leaves he knows that there were unshed tears in her goodbye.
When the tour is over Puck can't wait to get home. He wants to see Rachel, to be with her before the record company comes calling for something else that will take him away. He calls her when he gets to the airport and gets her voicemail but he leaves a message telling her that he'll be home soon and that he can't wait to see her and that he loves her. When he gets to their apartment things look a lot different from the last time he was there, but the sense of home washes over him. He's got a ton of bags and he just throws them near the front door (even though he knows it'll piss Rachel off) and rushes into the bedroom because he can hear her in there. When he walks through the door there are clothes everywhere and a couple of suitcases on the bed.
"Where are you going?" Puck says startling Rachel.
"Noah. I wasn't expecting you home until later."
"I got an earlier flight. Where are you going?"
"I was hoping to be gone before you got here."
"Where are you going Rachel?"
"I'm leaving Noah."
"Rachel you've got to cut the cryptic shit."
"I'm leaving Noah. I'm leaving this apartment," Rachel says and then pauses for a moment, "I'm leaving you."
Puck knows that he shouldn't be shocked that it's come to this, but Rachel's words still hit him hard in the gut.
He has a million things to say but the only thing that escapes between his lips is "No."
"I have to Noah. You can't tell me that you're actually happy with the way we've been lately. We're like strangers most of the time."
"I know. But we can fix that; we can get things back to normal Rachel."
"I don't think we can. Is it really fair to either of us to continue living like this? Do you know that Richard, that's the guy that plays the lead, asked me out the other night? Do you know that I told him no even though I wanted to. Not because I was interested in him, because I'm not, but I was going to say yes simply so I could have someone give me some kind of attention. It's selfish Noah but I just needed to feel wanted by someone other than an audience full of people who don't even know me."
"You could have called?"
"There's only so much you can do over the phone Noah."
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
"I don't want you to go."
"This isn't about what you want Noah."
Rachel continues to fold her clothes neatly into her suitcase. Puck is just standing there watching her; the only sound in the room is the sound of Rachel's feet shuffling back and forth from the dresser to the bed, the closet to the bed over and over.
"What about what I need?"
"What?"
"What if I need you?"
"You seem to be doing just fine."
"Well I'm not. Come on Rachel none of this would have happened with out you."
"That's not true."
"Yes it is. You started this all in a bar in Lima Ohio. It was you who showed me what I had to do to get out of that crappy cow town"
"But you don't need me anymore Noah."
Puck closes the distance between the two of them, grabbing a firm hold of Rachel's waist and pulling their bodies together. He hates to admit it but he's glad yet surprised when she doesn't pull away.
"Yes I do. It doesn't matter if I'm on tour in Idaho or California or winning awards or appearing Ellen, I'm still going to need you."
"I just don't want to feel so alone anymore Noah."
"I know baby," Puck says brushing the hair from her face, "But I promise we will figure it out. Can we at least try?"
Rachel nods and Puck kisses her with need. The need to make up for all the lost time and the need to fix them, even if he knows its going to take a lot more than kissing. He thinks that he's unbelievably happy that he's in his New York apartment and was able to convince his girlfriend not to walk away from him. He came to New York because he wanted to. Because he knew that that was the only way he was going to become the star he wanted to be. But somewhere during that journey he discovered something else. He discovered that sure, wants made you happy, everybody wants things. But it's the things that you need that are the most important. It's your needs that are going to be there when you get everything you want.
AN: Thanks again for reading!