A/N: Hey guys, how's things?

So I know it's been a little while since I last updated, but this is quite a long chapter, so hopefully it will make up for it. The next chapter will probably only be a really short one, so that may be up tomorrow or the next day :) The good news is, I have two weeks break, so I should be able to get a fair amount written for this story in that time so Yay! :D

Alright, I'm going to shut up now lol Reviews are welcomed and much appreciated!

love,

xoloveJBox

Chapter Seven.

"This is coming along great guys!" Will exclaimed as the New Directions finished running through their dance number. "And Nikki, I think that's the first time you've got the whole way through without falling over."

"I had a good teacher," she replied modestly, her cheeks flushing light pink while a spattering of applause began.

"Yeah you did." Puck agreed with a wide, cocky grin as he held up a hand for a high five.

"Puck?" Rachel marvelled as Nikki reciprocated his outstretched palm.

"Yes, a couple of times a week." Nikki explained as she walked back over to her dance partner, Rory. She looked back at Puck and smiled, as he threw her a wink. However, there was something in her grin. It was almost invisible, a passing shadow of a deeper feeling she was trying to hide. No one else could see it, and although he didn't know why, Puck could. Her clear eyes were foggy with another feeling, but before Puck could identify it, it was gone.

"I'll tell you what; since the two of you obviously work well together, why don't you trade partners?" Will suggested. Sugar, who had been Puck's partner, and Nikki switched places in the room. However, as they got ready to start the music again, the bell rang to signal the end of the day. The group gathered their things and left, but just like any other day, Nikki and Puck remained. When it was just the two of them again, Puck turned to her.

"Nikki, what's wrong?" her asked, his face full of concern.

"Nothing." Nikki murmured, inspecting her feet.

"Don't lie to me Nikki Winters." Puck warned, looking at her expectantly.

Suddenly, and completely without warning, Nikki burst into tears. It took Puck a few seconds to fully absorb the scene unfurling in front of him, but when it did, without thinking, he crossed the room and wrapped long, solid arms around her. For a couple of minutes he let her sob on his chest, holding her tightly as he whispered soft encouragements into the crown of her head.

After a while, only small sniffling remained, and Nikki gently pushed away from Puck, wiping her face on her sleeve. Her eyes and cheeks were pink and puffy, her glasses slightly speckled with dark mascara that had run.

"What's wrong?" Puck asked again, softly.

"My, err... My house caught fire last night?" she explained shakily.

"Oh my god." Puck gasped "Is everyone ok?"

"Yeah, everyone's fine, it wasn't a big fire, and there's no structural damage. But pretty much everything that had been decorated already needs doing again."
"What's the problem with that?" he asked, slightly confused.

"We've been here almost four months now. The very little decorating that had been done has now been destroyed. We only came here, to Ohio, because my brother wanted to come to university here. Since he's never lived in America before, my parents didn't want to leave him alone, but if it had been up to my mum, we'd have gone straight to Alabama. She's gone away for the weekend, but she's told Dad that if there isn't a noticeable change by the time she gets back, she's phoning the estate agent in Alabama on Monday morning."

As she spoke, Puck could see fresh tears welling up behind Nikki's glasses, and he wanted to say something comforting, but he couldn't find the right words, so he stayed quiet and let her carry on.

"Puck, you've seen our house, and now it's worse. Dad's not going to be able to make a difference by Sunday afternoon, and I don't want to go to Alabama."

Sensing that she was about to cry again, Puck pulled her close and hugged her tightly, feeling ragged breaths leaving her body as she tried to keep herself composed.

"It's going to be ok," he told her "I promise."

It was early the next morning when Nikki padded down the stairs in slippers, pjs and a thick, fluffy robe to respond to the knocking on the door. Yawning, she poked her head into the living room to check the clock. It was eight fifteen. She hadn't even realised that there was more than one eight fifteen on a Saturday.

Sighing, she grabbed the keys and unlocked the door, squinting in the bright morning sun as she pulled it open.

"Surprise!" came a brigade of voices, and Nikki's eyes widened when she was greeted with the faces of New Directions in its entirety.

"What are you guys doing here?" she stammered out in shock.

"Puck told us what happened to your house." Rachel told her.

"We don't want you to go to Alabama!" Artie exclaimed.

"So we thought we'd come and give you guys a hand." Mercedes added, and the whole group, including Mr Shuester, held up tins of paint, brushes, rollers and other DIY tools.

"And we figured that we could hold a paintbrush and sing at the same time, so it's the perfect opportunity to get in some extra rehearsal." Concluded Quinn.

"I...I don't know what to say." Nikki breathed.

"You don't have to say anything." Puck told her, grinning wildly "Just let us in and tell us where you want us."

Within twenty minutes, Nikki was dressed in old jeans and a baggy jumper.

"Where's your bed?" Quinn had asked when she entered Nikki's bedroom, seeing the mattress on the floor "And the wardrobe?"
"In boxes, underneath the dining room table." Nikki had replied simply, as if it were nothing unusual. She shrugged casually "Dad hasn't had chance to put them up yet, and they were too big for me to do it myself."

"Then it's a good job we bought plenty of big, strong guys." Mercedes laughed.

They all got to work straight away, and Nikki was amazed at how quickly everything seemed to take shape. In less than an hour, the kitchen had been painted, drying ready for a second coat; the stairs had been carpeted; both Rosie and Kyle's room had been painted and arranged, and other rooms were well on their way to being completed. They each took turns in keeping an eye on the two young children. Being the only one who could sow, Nikki adjusted the curtains to the right sizes for each room- a task that took up a great chunk of the morning. Despite the fact that they were all in different rooms, doing different things on different floors of the house, they still managed to practise their songs.

"You know," Mr Winters told Puck and Will as they put together the cabinets for the kitchen wall. "It's really nice to see her so happy. I'd never imagined that she would ever have the confidence to do what she obviously loves." Nikki's father smiled warmly as Nikki walked past the doorway, completely unaware of their conversation.

When the cabinets were assembled, Puck wondered off in search of Nikki; finding her in would end up being the laundry room with Artie and Quinn. Nikki was totally immersed in her conversation, and didn't notice him when he came in. Silently, he dipped a brush in the tin of white paint besides the door and snuck up behind her. When he wiped the brush over the end of her nose, leaving a thick white trail on her face, Nikki squealed and shoved him playfully. She could feel him very close to her as he took the roller from her hand and helped her reach the top end of the wall she was painting. He couldn't understand why he felt an intense need to be near her, but he did, and all he knew was that he enjoyed the proximity. He could feel the heat radiating from her back, her hair tickling the bottom of his face.

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, his chest against her shoulder blades. One of his hands was reaching up with the paint roller, and the other was edging towards her waist. This didn't surprise Nikki; what surprised her was the fact that she didn't mind.