Find Yourself:
Thanks for reading again, double thanks to Beth who helped me answer a few questions regarding Pucks sister whom at this point wasn't named yet… creative liberties rock! Also my muse gives thanks to Haley Pullos who is a total scene-stealer everytime Molly popps up on cannon… still don't own eirther fandom just my obsession….
Ever since she had moved to Lima it had seemed to Kristina that her social calendar was always full of something. Glee rehearsals, study sessions, or simply hanging out.
The weekend before her first performance was no exception.
On Friday she was met by her lab partner's deep eyes as she slid into her lab stool.
"Kristina," he simply spoke.
"Noah," she replied in a playful tone back to him as she tossed her book and notes onto the table.
She watched as he let out a sigh, running a hand through his Mohawk.
--
He was McKinley High's resident badass, or at least he had been last semester before the whole baby bomb dropped. Now he really didn't know where he fit in the social strata. He was still a jock, but a jock in Glee club who was hopelessly in love with outta all the chicks in the school Rachel freaking Berry.
Swallowing his pride he gazed at his lab partners face where patience was wearing thin.
"Do you need more tutoring," he listened to her kind words speak.
"Maybe… what subjects are you good at… like I have to ask…anyways no it's about Molly."
"Molly."
"I'm ready to go to my last resort, if she's such an expert in love then maybe she can shed some light onto why Rachel won't give me the time of day outside of glee club."
"For starters Noah you need to know that sex isn't the basis for a real relationship."
He rolled his eyes not believing that he was hearing this from Kristina. Not that he thought she was a prude or something he just never talked about his sex life to her and could only imagine what Hummel and the rest of the gleeks brainwashed her with behind his back. Not enough to scare her away from him that was for damn sure.
"Really Kristina… you had to go there."
She shrugged trying to repress a laugh glad that they were doing an assignment as opposed to a lecture.
"So the great Noah Puckerman wants to take love advice from an eleven year old."
"Couldn't hurt…" he spoke before pausing, "in all seriousness though I have to baby-sit for my kid sister Sunday afternoon maybe you and Molly could accidentally meet us in the park or something…"
Kristina simply nodded thinking that if anyone could help her friend and his love life Molly could.
--
And that was the chain of events that had brought her and Molly to the park on that cool Sunday afternoon. It was a warm-ish day for a February in Ohio and there was only a light smattering of snow on the ground as the girls made their way further into the park.
It was soon that they approached the man they planed to see sitting on a bench playing his guitar haphazardly as a tall dark haired female approached him.
Said female thankfully wasn't the one of his affections, at the moment anyway. No, it was Santana Lopez, his ex.
She looked different outta her Cheerios uniform, which Kristina was accustomed to seeing. Motioning Molly to head over to the playground area which despite the elements was safe to play on she craned her neck to listen into Santana and Noah's conversation without looking conspicuous.
"So trying to make the quick buck panhandling in the park?" she snapped in her haughty queen B tone.
Flashing his trademark smirk he decided to put on his badass charm.
"It's better then male prostitution."
Santana let out a laugh as she totally thought that her ex would totally sway toward selling himself for cash if need be after all that's technically what he did with his beloved cougars.
Kristina however thought this reply was her perfect opportunity to intervene.
"Hey Noah," she said looking toward Puck, "Santana."
Tossing her hair she sized up the other brunette.
Kristina Davis seemed nice enough and was a definite step up from Rachel both in attitude and fashion sense though the company she kept totally lowered her rank on the popularity scale.
"So your dating her now Puck? I thought she was into that wheelchair kid."
Laughing inside Kristina began to wonder if everyone had realized that she was in like with Artie already or if it was simply due to the fact that she had went to the Cheerio the other day to buy her friend a rose-o-gram for Valentines Day.
"Ruthie is in the same class as Kristina's kid sister and so we decided to set up a play date."
Santana rolled her eyes before noticing two young girls hanging around on the icy swing set.
Ruthie Puckerman and another young dark haired girl who resembled Kristina.
Puck was telling the truth for once.
Santana simply smiled as she turned toward her ex's sister and waved.
The young girl waved back before continuing with her playing.
It seemed to Kristina and Puck that Santana wanted to engage in more conversation, about what they didn't know. However it was in that moment that her best friend and fellow Cheerio Brittany flounced over to the group.
"Hey guys, was there a party or something…"
She scratched her ponytailed blonde hair and scrunched up her face mumbling something about always seeming to loose invitations when Santana took her arm and looked over to the duo.
"Brittany and I were just about to go shopping…"
Pausing Santana glared at Kristina.
"We'd invite you too but it seems you're a bit preoccupied."
Puck looked from Santana to Kristina and decided to get a rile out of the trio and so he flashed his trademark smirk once more as he began to place his guitar into it's case.
"I can take care of Molly if you want to go shopping Kristina… though I will be charging you my usual babysitting rate."
He flashed a wink.
Kristina paused.
She really was considering taking him up on his offer though they had already decided to have Kristina take Ruthie off someplace so that Molly could have alone time with Puck to talk about Rachel. If he were stuck with both girls he'd never get anything done.
"It's ok Noah, I can take a rain check."
And then without another word the two cheerios headed along on their merry way leaving Kristina to take a seat on the cool wooden bench by Puck's side as they looked at the two kids play.
Watching… waiting…
--
It seemed that hours upon hours had passed though it could have been due to the cold weather and the even colder reception that they had received from their glee-mates when Ruthie and Molly approached the duo complaining about the sudden chill in the air.
Kristina and Puck looked at one another thinking that this was a perfect moment for their plan to take action.
"Tell you what,' Puck said, "how about I take you lovely ladies to get some hot chocolate."
"With the little marshmallows Noah," Ruthie asked.
The young man nodded as they made their way toward the coffee shop, which was also within walking distance, which was good seeing as it would have been hard for the foursome to squeeze into the truck.
Sitting in the coffee house being true to his word Puck procured four hot cocoa's from the barista. One for each of the ladies in his company and one for himself.
Sitting down at the table the foursome made mild conversation.
Ruthie was interested in the showcase and wanted to hear about every number that they were doing.
"Noah has a great voice, when I was younger his lullabies were the only thing that got me to sleep."
He tried to hide a blush from Kristina.
Why did Ruthie always have a way of embarrassing him like this?
Noticing one of the small shops across the street Kristina smiled.
"Hey Ruthie, I was thinking of doing some shopping want to go."
She paused for a moment to think this through.
"But don't you want to shop with your own sister," she simply asked.
"I really don't like shopping," Molly confessed.
Ok so she did like to shop she just was telling a little white lie to get a one on one with the only male member of their party who as Kristina confided in her.'Totally needed help in the relationship department'
"Noah, can I go?" Ruthie asked.
Puck grinned as he read Kristina and Molly's expression.
"I don't see why not," he replied as he watched his sister flash an elated grin across the table to him as she began to toss on her jacket.
--
And just like that he was alone with Molly and he felt kind of intimidated.
His mind raced.
Did he do the right thing… deciding to talk to her about Rachel?
There was no going back now.
"So," she spoke in an overly enthusiastic tone as she began to sip her cocoa, "tell me about this Rachel girl. I mean I know she's in glee club with you and Kristina and all but it's not like the two of them are friends."
Puck simply shook his head.
No, it wouldn't be like they were friends. Rachel Berry didn't have any girl friends, maybe a frienemy or two but no friends.
"She's…"
He paused thinking of a word to describe Rachel Berry.
"…Complex."
"Complex," Molly matter of factly repeated him.
He nodded.
"I mean she's beautiful, smart, a hell of a singer…her fashion sense is debatable but those skirts and the way they accentuate her…."
He watched Molly's gaze and forgot he was in the presence of an eleven-year-old girl and not Mike or Matt or some other guy on the team.
"..Legs," he continued.
She simply nodded not breaking a sweat.
"I mean she drives me crazy and yet."
"It's this same craziness that has captivated your heart."
He nodded before thinking about what else to say to her.
"She wasn't the reason that I joined glee but she was the reason I stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight."
Thinking that last bit sounded like too much cheese for a bad ass like he was he watched her face light up.
"So Rachel Berry is your muse."
"Excuse me."
"Your muse… you see in Greek mythology muses were the goddesses who inspired the creation of literature and arts."
Puck nodded.
That defiantly made sense to him thinking back to that October afternoon when he had first sang Sweet Caroline to the glee club. The same song he had volunteered to sing for the showcase.
"She once told me she couldn't be with someone who was afraid to sing a solo."
"So then serenade her, you know music is one of the more classic declarations of love."
He let out a laugh.
"I did that already, in fact I'm re-singing the song that I sang to her the first time we almost dated at our showcase on Friday."
Molly's face lit up.
"What song if I may be so bold as to ask."
"Sweet Caroline."
Molly bit her lip.
That Neil Diamond ditty was a decent song but wasn't the type of love song that would woo someone.
"What's wrong with that song."
"Nothings wrong, though next time perhaps you should try something romantic…maybe even try to write her a love song all your own."
"I'm not a songwriter, I'll stick to something already written thank you very much."
Molly nodded as an idea smacked her in the face.
"You said you were doing Sweet Caroline for the showcase right…why not switch it up at the last minute."
He had no clue as to what song to sing and he wasn't sure if Schuster would go for it but then it sank in.
Changing songs without telling anyone would defiantly take Rachel off guard, and it would be a little bad ass, which was a bonus. Now all he had to do was pick a song and the young romantic was eagerly ready to help him along.
--
Re-entering the coffee shop with Ruthie and a couple of shopping bags in hand Kristina rolled her eyes.
"She gets her stubbornness from out mother," Molly was speaking with a sigh as Kristina shot her daggers.
"I don't want to even know," Kristina spoke before looking to her friend, "so was Molly a help Noah."
He smiled.
"I hope so, we shall see on Friday."
Simply nodding back at him she told Molly to get bundled up as it was getting late and the darker it got the colder their walk back home would be.
With a sigh Molly tossed on her coat and gloves and flashed a goodbye smile to the young man.
"See you in school tomorrow Ruthie."
The other young girl nodded and waved goodbye to Molly before she began to pull out the trinkets from her shopping bag to show her older brother.
"So, what did you say to Noah."
Molly sheepishly grinned.
"It's for us to know and you and Rachel to find out."
And that was that.
The following week couldn't pass by fast enough that was for sure.
--
TBC
And there you have it. Another fillery chapter all leading up to the Showcase/Valentines Day segment of this piece…. I do plan to drag this piece out till its AT LEAST April in this verse and right now it's only February 7th and chapter 21…song ideas for Puck to sing to Rachel are loved…