!
Puck texted Rachel as soon as he woke up. He'd taken a shower and gone right to bed, sleeping for about six hours. It was evening when he'd opened his eyes and he could hear his mother downstairs preparing dinner.
He picked up his phone from his dresser and sent her a text. hey sleeping beauty, feelin better?
He was disappointed when she didn't text back right away but his phone buzzed after about five minutes. Noah, Rachel's not awake right now. We had an incident earlier and she went back to sleep.
He stared at his phone. An incident? What did that mean? He dialed her number immediately.
"Noah," her Dad answered, sounding exhausted.
"What happened?" he demanded. "Is she ok?"
He heard her Dad sigh. "She woke up earlier and had a panic attack. She kept saying we weren't real."
Puck swore, not even caring that her Dad heard him. "She told me she had dreams like that before," he said.
"Dreams like what?"
"She said when they were in the shack she dreamed I had come to save her but she woke up and realized it was a dream. She didn't want to sleep in the hospital because she said she was afraid she would wake up back in the shack."
Her Dad sighed again. "I'm not sure what to do for her," he admitted. "It took us a very long time to calm her down. She aggravated her shoulder injury trying to get away."
Puck closed his eyes, imaging a terrified Rachel. "Maybe I could help?" he suggested. "I mean, just come over and sit with her or something?"
"If you'd like to come sit with her, Noah, I certainly won't say no," her Dad said. "I just don't know how much good it will do."
"I'll be right over," Puck said. He hung up the phone and stuffed his feet into a pair of tennis shoes. He took the stairs two at a time and stopped in the kitchen. "Mom, I'm heading over to the Berrys for a little bit."
"But Noah, I'm making dinner."
"I know, Mom, but it's important."
She turned to the cabinet, pulling out plastic bowls. "At least take some with you," she said. "And some for Rachel's fathers, as well. I doubt they've had a decent meal lately."
He waited impatiently while she spooned enough food to feed an army into the bowls. He shifted his weight back and forth. "Mom, I really have to go," he urged.
"I'm done," she said, handing him the bowls. "Will you be home later?"
"I'm not sure," he said, already halfway to the door. "I'll text you and let you know."
He drove like a maniac to the Berry house and almost forgot to take the food in. He knocked on the door and thrust it at her Daddy when he opened it. "My mom sent dinner. How is she?"
"Still sleeping. Thank you, though, that was very thoughtful of your mother."
Puck waved him off, already climbing the stairs to Rachel's room. She was in bed, the lights were off, but he could make her out pretty well. She was sleeping, but from the looks of it, not restfully. Her forehead was creased, the way it gets when she's upset by something, and the skin around her eyes was pulled tight. He trailed his fingertips across her forehead and she sighed, turning her head toward him. He repeated the gesture several times until her forehead was smooth again. She looked a little more peaceful now.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there, just watching her sleep, but she began to stir after awhile. She made a cute little noise as she stretched before she noticed he was there.
"Noah?"
"Yeah, babe, just me."
She glanced around the room hesitantly. "Where am I? What happened?"
He raised his eyebrows slightly. "You're home, in your room. We came home from the hospital today."
She released a big breath of air. "I'm really home?" she asked.
He took in the fear in her eyes, his concern growing by the minute. "Yeah, you're home. We got home early this morning, you've been sleeping all day."
"Not all day," he heard her murmur.
He cleared his throat. "Your dads said you had a panic attack. Do you remember that?"
She nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I…I woke up and it was dark and I was alone and I thought…I thought it was all a dream, that we hadn't gotten away."
"Your dads were pretty worried," he told her.
"I didn't think they were real," she confessed. "I thought I was dreaming them. Like I dreamed you."
"I explained it to them," he said, linking his fingers with hers. "I think they understand."
"I didn't mean to frighten them," she murmured.
"They're ok," he assured her. "Just worried about you."
She nodded and he could see her biting her lower lip. "Could you turn on the light?" she asked quietly.
His eyes narrowed in concern, but he crossed the room, flipping her light switch. "Better?"
She blinked against the bright light but she seemed to relax. "Yes, thank you."
They sat in silence for awhile until he spoke again. "My mom sent dinner. If you're hungry I could go get you some."
She shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not really hungry."
He nodded, trying to stifle his concern. "Wanna make out?" he said suddenly. She sent him a dirty look and he held up his hands. "Kidding. Wanna watch a movie?"
She nodded and he noticed her trying to smother a yawn. "That sounds good. You pick," she told him.
He smirked, going to her DVD collection. He could be a real dick about this, he knew. She said it was his pick, after all. But he wasn't. He picked out a chick flick and popped it into her DVD player. She patted the bed beside her and he didn't hesitate, plopping down gently beside her.
She cuddled up to him and he glanced down at her when he heard her sharp intake of breath. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. "I hurt my shoulder earlier," she said. "It's no big deal."
He was pretty sure it was a big deal, especially with the way she was holding it close to her. "Do you want me to get you some aspirin or something?"
She shook her head and he recognized the stubborn look that passed her features. "It's fine," she said. He nodded and they settled in to watch the movie. Something about losing a guy in 7 days or something. He stroked her hair gently and the next time he glanced down at her, her eyes were closed and she was sleeping again.
!
When Rachel opened her eyes again, sunlight was streaming through her windows and she was enveloped in warmth. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was after 11:00. She yawned, stretching a little. She stopped when she encountered a hard object.
Her eyes travelled up a masculine frame and settled on Noah's face. He was sleeping and he looked extremely peaceful. She smiled softly as she studied him, his chiseled jaw, the relaxed set of his features, the stubble on his chin. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest, and felt him shift.
"Bout time you woke up," he mumbled. "You slept forever."
She smacked him lightly on the chest. "I'm supposed to," she told him.
She could practically hear the grin in his voice. "Oh, yeah."
She closed her eyes as his arm came around her back. "What day is it?"
She felt his fingers run lightly through her hair. "Monday."
"Monday? Shouldn't you be in school?"
He chuckled. "Mom gave me one more day. Said I have to go back tomorrow."
"Mmm." She ran her fingers absently down his chest, not noticing how he shuddered lightly at the touch. "I wonder how much longer I can get from my dads."
"You don't want to go back?" His hand started making lazy circles on her back.
"Yes and no," she sighed. "I miss everyone from glee club, of course. But you know how things are. The gossips hounds will be out in full force. Either that or a welcome back slushie to the face."
"Not gonna happen," he said confidently.
She scoffed. "You sound so sure."
"I'm positive. Trust me, it's not gonna happen. And if it does, it won't happen more than once."
His hand had found the bottom of her shirt and had slipped under. His fingers traced slow patterns on her warm skin and she lost her train of thought for a moment. "You know I abhor violence, Noah."
She felt his chest rumble with his laughter. "I don't know what that means, but it kinda turned me on," he joked.
She shook her head slightly. "You're horrible."
His hand moved up her back and he continued his caresses. "You know you love it."
"Whatever."
He laughed again before settling down. His hands continued to work their magic and she was so relaxed she didn't realize she was almost asleep until he spoke again. "By the way, I'm supposed to ask you if you feel up for company."
She pulled back slightly, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Why? You're already here."
He winked at her before responding. "The glee kids want to stop by after school. If you're up for it."
"Mmm," she murmured, curling back into him.
His hand moved up her back again. "Is that a yes?"
"Sure," she said, but was dismayed when it came out more a purr.
He chuckled. "Feel good?" he asked, voice husky.
"You have no idea," she told him. "I'm so completely relaxed right now."
"I can tell, you're practically asleep again," he teased. "Your eyes are even closed."
She forced her eyes open. "No they're not."
He laughed again and she thought this was pretty much the perfect moment, being here in Noah's arms, safe and warm, content and relaxed. His hand moved higher. "If you're sleepy, sleep," he told her. "The gleeks can wait."
"I want to see them," she said. "Later."
She could feel him laughing again. "You have a few hours," he told her.
She smiled, closing her eyes again. "Good. Just don't stop doing that."
He laughed loudly but his response was cut off by a knock on her door. "Rachel, can I come in?" Daddy asked through the closed door. Noah pulled his hand from under her shirt, resting it carefully on her back, and she sighed at the loss of warmth on her bare skin.
"Yes, Daddy, come in," she called out.
He opened the door slowly, as if expecting to catch them doing something they shouldn't be. "How are you feeling, honey?"
"Better," she told him. "I'm still tired, but that's to be expected, I think."
He nodded briefly. "Good, good. Do you need anything? I can make you some breakfast if you're hungry."
She smiled at him. "I'm fine, Daddy. Did Dad go back to work today?"
"Yes, he had a big case, and, unfortunately, it couldn't be avoided anymore."
Rachel nodded. "I'm glad. You can go back too, you know. I'm fine now."
He glanced down at her, then at Noah, noticing how neither of them had moved and were still entwined together. "Well, honey, to be honest I think I'd rather wait until you go back to school. You know, so I don't worry about you being home alone all day."
"I can be alone, Daddy," she said quietly.
"Yes, but what if you needed something?" he said. "I'd be worried all day about you, I wouldn't be able to focus anyway."
"I'll go back soon," she said quietly.
"Oh, I don't mean to push you, sweetheart. You'll go back when you're ready, I know that. Don't push yourself too hard, darling. Give yourself time if you need it."
"I have to go back eventually," she said. "I'm missing classes and the sooner I get back into things the easier it will be, I'm sure."
"Probably," Daddy admitted. "Just know that Dad and I will give you as much time as you need. No pressure."
She nodded. "Thanks for understanding. Oh, Noah said the kids from glee club want to come over after school. Is that ok?"
He nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course. I need to run out to the grocery store, though, we're out of….well, everything," he said and she giggled lightly. "Is there anything in particular you want, sweetheart?"
"No, Daddy, anything's fine," she said, stifling a yawn.
He nodded, moving towards the door. "Ok, honey, you just get some rest. I'll be back in a little bit. I have my cell phone if you need anything," he said, making eye contact with Noah.
"We'll be fine, Mr. Berry," Noah assured him. "But I've got my phone here if we need anything."
Her Daddy nodded again and closed the door behind him as he left. Moments later they heard his car pulling out of the driveway.
Rachel sighed, rolling slowly onto her back. "I hate that they're so worried," she said.
"Why?"
She sighed again and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I'm not going to break," she said. "I mean, I know after last night they don't really have any reason to think that, but I'm ok. Mostly. You know?"
He ran a hand down her arm in a soothing gesture. "I know," he said. "But they were worried, Rach. We all were. You were missing and no one knew where you were. It makes sense that they don't want to let you out of their sight for awhile."
She turned on her side to face him. "Is that what you're doing?" she asked quietly.
He grinned and ran a finger gently down her cheek. "Partly," he confessed. "And partly I just like being here. I like being with you."
She grinned at him. "Since when?"
He shrugged. "Don't know, really. Since before all this stuff happened, for sure."
She looked into his eyes and found they were serious. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I don't know when but something's changed, been changing for awhile. Remember that night we were studying downstairs and you threw your chem book across the room?"
She blushed a little. "Don't remind me," she muttered.
He chuckled. "I was going to bring it up that night," he said. "But you got frustrated and threw your little tantrum and it was hysterical," he teased.
"You almost kissed me that night," she remembered.
"You almost kissed me back."
"So this isn't just because of what happened?"
He heard the uncertainty in her voice and reached for her hand. "No. I mean, kind of, I guess. I knew what I was feeling before, kind of, but this just made it more clear. I don't want to lose you, Rach, and I almost did. I didn't tell you what I was feeling and I was so angry that I hadn't."
"Why?"
"I wanted you to know what you mean to me," he said. He laughed a little. "Schue and I even had a conversation about it. He kept telling me I would get a chance to tell you. Turns out he's an optimist."
Rachel giggled. "Who knew?"
He grinned at her. "So, yeah, I guess you could say this brought everything out, but there feelings were already there, have been for awhile."
"Same here, Noah," she said quietly. "I feel the same way."
He winked at her. "Suddenly I can't wait for you to feel up to this date."
She smiled, glancing down at their joined hands. "This won't be easy," she warned. "Just because we're different doesn't mean everyone else will be. You might get slushied every day."
"Bring it," he said, repeating the words he'd used the first time she'd expressed her concern for his image. "Doesn't matter as long as I have you."
She grinned at him, a warm feeling spreading through her stomach. "Awww, Noah."
He rolled his eyes but squeezed her hand. "We've got a second chance," he said. "After I was such a dick to you for so long, after you were taken away, after everything, we've got another chance. I plan to make the most out of it."
She couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face. "And people think you're so badass."
"I am badass, Berry," he retorted.
"Yeah, but you're soft and mushy too," she teased.
"Shut up and go to sleep," he said. "I think you're overtired, you're talking crazy."
She laughed and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek. She felt his breath hitch and smiled. "I'm not so tired anymore," she said. "Can we watch another movie?"
"My pick?"
"Nope. You picked last night. My pick."
"Yeah, but I picked a chick flick," he pointed out. "That was for you."
"Well, it was still your pick," she said, eyes twinkling. "My turn."
He groaned but raised himself up and headed toward her DVD shelf. "What do you want to see?" She didn't answer and when he turned around and saw her devious smile, his stomach dropped. "What?"
"Phantom of the Opera," she requested. "The new one, please. Fourth shelf, third over."
He shook his head but popped the movie in. Joining her back on the bed, he pulled her close again as the movie opened.