Disclaimer: I do not own the 'Glee' world
No, you're not mistaken. This story has actually been updated. Hooray! I've wanted to write more of this fic for ages but I've had a supremely busy past couple of months and I didn't want to get into the story again and then have to go cold turkey for 2 months.
Thank you to all who've stuck with this story over the last few months, patiently waiting for me to write some more. Extra thanks to reviewers, favouriters, and alerters! :D
Let's get on with the story!
Chap 13: Six Days to Go
Puck yawned hugely as he held the bottle for Evie to feed from. He couldn't believe that she was already a month and a half old. The time was seriously flying by. Realising that another day was gone he walked over to the fridge and took a day off the countdown that he and Berry had set up. It now read '6'. Her Dads thought that it represented the number of part-time paternity leave days he had left and, in a way, it did show that. But to him and Berry it was counting down the days left 'til that fucking Operation Babywatch was over.
He always got a sick feeling in his stomach when he remembered how close they'd come to disaster a couple of weeks ago but, true to their word, Jewfro and Schue hadn't told anyone about the sight of a baby in the choir room. He and Berry hadn't told the rest of the gleeks what had happened and he knew that she was feeling guilty about it but it was for the best. It was probably selfish of him to think so but he was going through a pretty shitty time in his life and he thought it was ok for him to be selfish right now – he needed the gleeks to take care of Evie in the afternoons and after today there was only one week left. Telling them that they'd nearly been caught would make them pussy-out and that wasn't an option right now.
In between school, work and homework he and Berry had managed to find time to look into day care for Evie. There they'd come upon a problem – day care centres would only start taking on children when they were three months old at the very least and Evie would only be nearly two months old when his paternity ran out. Puck would have a normal week of school, a week of finals and then the last week of the year before it was summer break. He didn't really have a problem with taking the last week off because they normally did fuck-all that week and he could take the week before finals off if he really had to. The problem was finals week. There was no way in hell that he could miss those if he didn't want to be expelled from McKinley and then all this 'Babywatch' thing would've been for fuck all.
He heard feet approaching the kitchen and turned to see Berry taking a seat at the breakfast bar. It took him less than a second to realise that she looked miserable about something. She was normally a very bubbly, chirpy person in the morning, much to his annoyance because he definitely wasn't a morning person. He could tell that something was bothering her because firstly, she hadn't said a single word (very unusual) and she was sitting with her chin resting in her palms without the slightest trace of a smile on her face.
He was only slightly tempted to ask her what was wrong. He was a dude; he didn't particularly care about any of Rachel Berry's drama because she'd talk for hours and expect him to actually listen and he couldn't be bothered to pretend to do that.
Berry heaved a big sigh and, knowing that he was likely to regret this, he asked, "What's got your panties in a twist?" Ok, so he'd given in and shown a tiny bit of concern but that didn't mean that he had to be polite about it.
She fixed her miserable gaze on him and he thought about how he fucking hated seeing that. Of course, a year ago he would've relished it but now he actually, like, knew her, it made him feel bad and made him want to make her feel better. Fuck, he knew that admitting that he had a friend who was a girl was going to turn him into a pussy.
Berry blinked and shook her head. "You don't want to hear about my relationship problems," she muttered and Puck raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Trouble in paradise?"
Berry shrugged and started picking at the washcloth that was lying on the breakfast bar. "I didn't think there was any trouble," she mumbled.
"Do I need to go kick Hudson's ass? Cos I'd totally do it – you know, because I don't get to go to fight club anymore and I need someone to take my badass aggression out on, not because I'm, like, defending you or anything." Okay, that was a bit of a lie because if Finn had been a dick to Berry then he would be a bit pissed because she totally didn't deserve that.
Berry frowned at the cloth. "No, I don't…I don't really know what's wrong. Finn's just been acting slightly off with me."
Puck refrained from rolling his eyes. This was bound to be one of those chick things where Berry was reading way too much into every little thing that Finn did, like, only putting one kiss at the end of a text instead of three. Part of his brain told him to back out of the conversation before she talked his brains out but another part was strangely curious about what was troubling her. Curiosity won out. "Care to elaborate?"
"When he was here last night his body language was very negative; all slumped shoulders and he wasn't particularly loquacious –"
" – Lo-what?"
"Loquacious, it means talkative, and I know that I can talk enough for both people in a relationship singlehandedly but Finn was particularly short and sullen with me. He left much earlier than usual and he refused to be drawn into a conversation about what we'll be doing on our Sunday date together this week."
Puck shrugged, careful not to disturb Evie's feeding. "It's probably nothing."
She was silent for a few seconds and he kinda hoped that that was the end of it. "Do you think I should ask him about it?" Berry enquired.
"Fuck, no! That's like suicide."
"Suicide, Noah?" She responded sarcastically.
"Yeah. Guys hate it when girls want to talk about their 'relationship'. Yeuch, even saying that word makes me feel nauseous. You start blabbering on about stuff like that and he'll break up with you, for sure."
Berry bit her lip, her eyes round and glassy looking. Aw, shit. He hoped she wouldn't cry. He could only just about handle Evie crying and there was no girly bullshit behind any of her tears. "Do you really think Finn will break up with me?" She whispered.
"I dunno. Probably not," he relented. He knew Hudson was crazy about Berry. He didn't know what the quarterback's problem was (or if there even was one) but he doubted that Finn would chuck Berry after only a few weeks. "He'd be an idiot if he did."
Berry gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Noah." And before he knew what was happening she was walking towards him with her arms outstretched. Having his arms full with Evie meant that he could do nothing to prevent her (and, to be honest, he didn't really mind, but shut the fuck up and don't dare tell anyone).
He suddenly became aware that part of her body was resting against his crotch and quite frankly he was that hard up that he needed to get her away from him because even that small contact was likely to cause an embarrassing situation. "Er, shouldn't you start getting ready or you'll be late for school."
She pulled away and looked up at him with twinkling eyes. "Wow, you're actively encouraging attending school on time. I have been a good influence on you."
He scoffed. "You wish, Berry. Once a badass, always a badass."
"Says the man with a pink pacifier tucked behind his ear." Berry said as she walked out of the kitchen, looking much more cheerful than when she had entered it.
Puck moved Evie to his shoulder to burp her and he couldn't help but glance down his body, even though he knew he'd gotten Berry to move away before his body had acted like a fucking thirteen year old's. He knew that his dick wasn't reacting to Berry in particular, probably any chick would have the same effect on him right now. He'd considered relieving himself of the problem but it just seemed so wrong to do that in someone else's house. He was just gonna have to take more cold showers and try and stop his brain from thinking about sex all the time (if that was even possible).
Once the Berrys had all left he had his cold shower and then prepared Evie for a trip to his mom's. He hadn't seen her in, like, a month and it was important that she keep seeing Evie so that she could get used to her. And, you know, he missed his mom. He hadn't gone two weeks without seeing his mom until now. He'd just been so busy with Evie, work and school stuff that he hadn't had the time. Unfortunately his mom hadn't exactly reached out to him either…
But when he'd called her a couple of days ago she sounded happy enough when he suggested he bring Evie over for a visit.
As he walked up the driveway with Evie he realised how nervous he was, which was really ridiculous considering that this was his fucking home!
He unlocked the door and called, "Mom?" There were a few beats of silence before his mom appeared. She was smiling but it looked strained and had she always looked that tired? He pushed that from his mind and returned her smile before letting her hug him tightly.
"Oh, my little boy," she said over his shoulder. He should feel offended or embarrassed by her remark, but part of him would always be that mischievous child, and 'little' was how he felt right now in this big scary world of being a parent.
She pulled away and appraised him. "You look well, Noah. Tired, but well."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that'd make sense."
"And how's Evie doing?" His mom asked, as she directed him over to the sofa. Puck sat down and retrieved Evie from the car seat. He was glad that she'd actually acknowledged his daughter, unlike the last time that he'd brought Evie here. "She's grown so much!"
"Well, it's been a while since you've seen her." He said and then instantly wished he could take the words back as the expression on his mother's face tightened. He wasn't criticising his mom; he knew she was finding this grandchild thing tough. "I'm sorry I've been too busy to bring her over for a visit until now." He added on quickly but her features didn't soften. "Did Jem tell you that I got a job?"
They spent a while filling each other in on what had been happening in their lives. Or, rather, Puck bent the truth slightly so that his mom wouldn't know about the babysitting of Evie.
"Jem misses you." She said.
"She comes over practically every weekend!" Puck exclaimed.
"You know it's not the same," his mother said, quietly.
Puck sighed. "Yeah, I know. Do…do you want me to come home?" He held his breath as a variety of emotions flickered over his mother's face.
"Noah…," she began with a pained expression on her face and he knew what was to come, "I…this will always be your home –"
"Mom, Rachel's Dads says I can stay for as long as I need." He cut in because he could tell that the conversation was upsetting her. "I don't mind living there for longer until we're all ready."
She clutched his hand tightly, looking distressed. "But, Noah, I don't want you to feel like I don't want you and Evie here."
"I know that, Mom. It's okay, we're doing fine at the Berrys'." Puck reassured her.
He didn't know exactly how to feel right now. He did know that his mom wanted him back but he understood that she wouldn't be able to cope with Evie yet and this made him feel pretty low. However he seriously didn't mind staying with Berry and her Dads. They looked after him well and none of them seemed to be close to some sort of break down due to Evie's presence (unlike his mom). And he'd totally struggle without Berry's help – she was like Superwoman with all the things she did for him.
His mom raised his hand and kissed it, before giving him that strained smile again. "What would you have done without Rachel, Noah?"
He laughed. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"And the Daddy Bear, Mommy Bear and Baby Bear all cuddled up and went to sleep." Rachel heard Finn say as she entered Evie's babysitting room at school. Finn glanced in her direction as he closed the book he'd been reading. "Hey," he said softly, the smile he gave her was not exuding its usual warmth and her heart sank a little.
"Hey. How's Evie been for you this afternoon?" She enquired, coming to stand over his shoulder to look down at her favourite little girl.
"Yeah, fine. Lucky Uncle Finn got to change her nappy though," he replied, wrinkling his nose.
"Oh, sorry about that."
"It's not your fault," he pointed out, getting to his feet.
"Well, no…" Rachel trailed off and her toes curled at the awkwardness of this conversation. Things with Finn were definitely not right and she didn't know how to act around him now. Noah had advised her not to draw attention to the change in dynamic between them but that just wasn't Rachel Berry's style. She liked to know where she stood and ignoring a problem wouldn't necessarily make it go away.
And if Finn broke up with her?
Her stomach writhed in anguish. Remain in an unhappy relationship with Finn or be heartbroken and single? Or clear up Finn's odd behaviour and have things back the way they were before. She had to run that risk, didn't she?
"Do you want Evie to go in the car seat so you can take her home?" Finn asked.
Caught momentarily off guard due to her thoughts, Rachel simply mumbled, "Yes, thank you."
Only the rustle of clothing and the click of the clips on the car seat were heard in the room and Rachel could stand it no longer.
"Finn, what's going on?" she asked quietly.
He turned around with a puzzled look on his face. "What d'you mean?"
"You're behaving strangely with me, different to how you normally do – and don't tell me you're not." She added on quickly as Finn opened his mouth.
He sighed. "Look, it's nothing. Just leave it, will you?"
Rachel felt a shiver of dread run through her at his admission that something was wrong but did he really expect her to just drop it? "Finn, our relationship will only work if we are honest with each other and share any grievances that we have."
Finn frowned, possibly at the word 'grievances'. "No, I don't want to. It'll just make me seem like an ass."
"I want to be the best girlfriend for you and if there's something that I could do, or stop doing, to make you happier then I want to know what it is." Rachel spoke, earnestly. Finn leant his head back against wall and sighed again. "I'm not going to let this go, Finn."
His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes briefly. "It's just…I'm getting fed up of playing second fiddle to Evie when it comes to spending time with you." Finn mumbled, his voice getting quieter and quieter.
Rachel opened her mouth and closed it again, stunned by his admission. "But you come over practically every day after school –"
"Yeah and we're always babysitting Evie."
"And we go out on Sundays for a few hours. Evie's not with us then." Rachel pointed out.
"Exactly. A few hours a week when we're on our own, just being normal. As much as I care about Evie, I don't want to be watching over her all the time when I'm trying to spend time with my girlfriend."
Rachel couldn't believe how selfish Finn sounded! "And who would be looking after Evie if I wasn't, Finn? I'm the only one that Noah's got at the moment. In a few days his paternity leave is over and he will be employing someone. There's one week left, Finn. Are you telling me you're not capable of thinking of someone else for one more week?"
"But it's not going to be one more week, is it?" He said, stepping forwards. "Puck doesn't finish work 'til eight. So are you really gonna leave Evie at some day care place until that late?"
"Well, no."
"Admit it, Rachel, you're committed to looking after Evie for way longer than one more week."
"Well of course I am!" Rachel cried. "I'm not just about to stop volunteering to take care of her, Finn!"
Finn took a deep breath. "Look," he began, quietly. "I thought that I was going to have to give up enjoying my life as a normal teenager when Quinn told me she was pregnant and then it turned out I didn't. I've been given a second chance to live my life the way I want and I don't want to watch over a baby every night with you. I want to go out and have fun with my friends and girlfriend."
Rachel stared and him coldly. "If you're asking me to choose between you and Evie then I think my answer is abundantly clear, Finn."
"I know, but…I don't want this to be it for us." Finn said, scuffing the floor with his shoe. "I thought that when Quinn had the baby and she was adopted, the past would just get left in the past and you and I could, you know, be together. I thought it was going to be our time."
Rachel's eyes watered over and some of the animosity she felt towards Finn dissipated at the tone of his voice. "Maybe we weren't ever supposed to have a time?" She suggested.
"No, I guess not." They stared at each other and Rachel wiped a few tears from her eyes. Finn opened his arms slightly and Rachel gladly stepped into his embrace for the last time as his girlfriend.
So they were to break up after all. She knew it had been a possibility when she'd questioned his behaviour but she hadn't expected it to be because of Evie. She could understand Finn's feelings, (even if she thought he was being selfish) because she knew that most boys wouldn't want to spend most of their time with their girlfriend babysitting a child that wasn't even theirs.
She'd truly believed that she and Finn were meant to be…
The sound of the door opening made them pull apart to see Noah coming into the room. He took one look at their upset faces and glared at Finn.
"Noah, what are you doing here? Why aren't you on your way to work?" Rachel asked, cuffing away the tracks of her tears.
"Burt's sick. The garage is closed today." He replied, shortly, still looking hostilely at Finn.
"Um, I'd better go," Finn muttered, grabbing his things. "Bye, Rachel, Puck."
"Goodbye, Finn," Rachel said softly as he disappeared out of the door. She turned away from Noah and checked that Evie was all ready to go home.
"What happened, Berry?" Noah asked, coming to stand next to her.
"What you said would happen," Rachel responded, dryly. He said nothing in response and although she didn't want to look at him for some reason, she couldn't help but glance at his face. He didn't look smug, like she'd considered he might. He looked concerned for her! She was so touched by this that it set her off crying again.
"Okay, I'm gonna go kick his ass," Noah said turning to follow Finn out of the room.
"No, Noah! Don't!" Rachel cried, grabbing his arm. "I'm fine," she finished, weakly.
"When we get home, you need to look up the definition of 'fine' in the dictionary, Berry, because you're certainly not it."
Despite the despair in her heart, she couldn't help but smile slightly. "No, I suppose not."
"Do…do you want to talk about it?" Noah asked, but the expression on his face showed that that was the last thing he wanted to do. Besides, she didn't think it a particularly wise decision to inform Noah that the reason she and Finn broke up was due to her commitment in helping him with Evie. It wasn't necessary for him to know.
"No, Noah, but thank you for the offer. Let's just go home." Rachel said, picking Evie's car seat up.
"Tell you what, I'll actually let you pick a musical for us to watch tonight and I'll sit through it with minimal scoffing and swearing." Noah suggested as he took Evie from her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"I'll hold you to that," Rachel warned, leaning slightly into his embrace. She opened the door and they went into the choir room, coming face to face with one, Sue Sylvester.
A/N Ok, that is one of the meanest cliff hangers I've ever given. It's not turned out to be a good day for Rachel, huh? And yes, Finn's a bit of an ass in this chapter. But honestly, I think Finn is quite a jerk on the show anyway.
Now, I know in the last chapter I said I'd be updating more frequently and then I didn't update for eight months. Well, I seriously don't think you're going to be waiting anywhere NEAR that much for chapter 14.
Please let me know your thoughts on the new chapter. It probably doesn't read quite the same as the other chapters due to the big gap. Ooh, and your thoughts on the new series!
Lots of love,
Lil Drop of Magic
xXxXx