Hey everyone! Sorry its been so long since the last update. I can't believe how quickly time is passing! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. So much fluff, so I hope you don't mind.

Puck fidgeted with his tie as he and his mother drove over to the Jones' home, their gifts all in the trunk. He and his mother spent a beautiful morning together. They ate breakfast, and opened the presents they got each other. His mother got him a customized sign with his business name on it to stick on the sides of his truck. She said it was better advertising, and Puck just chuckled. It was an awesome gift though. He always found it too expensive to invest in. He got her a spa gift certificate for two, and since her sobriety she was getting into painting again, so he bought her new materials and canvases of varying sizes. Her eyes lit up as she took in the various acrylic and water colors, and the sketch book that came with a solid charcoal pen.

She loved her gift, and seeing the smile on her face was all the more worth it.

"Oh, they decorated their house, nice!" She exclaimed, and it pulled Puck from his thoughts.

"Yeah," He chuckled. "They have a lot of decorations for a small house." He mused, thinking back to when he helped them decorate. The boys were still in school and it left room for Puck to help take out all their christmas things. He was amazed at how many boxes they could fit in the tiny attic.

"Its nice."

"You should see the inside."

Her eyes widened when they walked in. The christmas tree was big, but not too big where it made their small home look smaller. White lights and thick grass garland adorned their nook, and their shelf near the television. Mercedes had a modest home, she lived in an area people may stick their noses up to, but they still took care of what they had. Their christmas tree looked like it been decorated by Macy's itself. Christmas lights hung artistically on the wall, and the soft holiday music in the background tied it in together.

"Your house looks, and even smells amazing!" Jamie complimented as she hugged Mercedes and her mother. The house smelled like baked cookies, and well, pine!

"Thank you, Jamie. Its good to see you!" Mrs. Jones greeted back.

"Same here. I actually made your family a gift, for being so kind to me and my boy." Jamie replied and handed her the largely wrapped canvas. By then they were joined by Michael. As soon as the gift was revealed, Jennifer's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Jamie painted a beautiful tropical flower. The colors and lines swirled cohesively together and Puck smiled proudly at his mother. The Jones's were praising her talents and Jennifer immediately sent Michael to get something to place the picture on the wall. Once they found a place and it was hanging, Jennifer put her hand over her heart.

"This is so beautiful. I can't believe you painted this! You could definitely sell your art!" She gushed and Jamie smiled sweetly at her. "I'm sorry we didn't get you anything this perfect."

"Oh, you've cooked for us! That is perfect on its own. I'm so thankful to be able to spend this day with you folks."

"Its our pleasure, really. But heres your gift, from our family." Michael said, handing her the box sized present. Jamie thanked them, and tucked the gift in her purse.

"Okay, dinner is just about served. Everyone take a seat." Michael's voice projected over all the chatter and everyone turned to him. "The past year has brought many of its ups and downs, but we owe it all to God that we're here. I'm so happy each and every one of you are here, and I can't wait to get into this delicious food my wife lovingly prepared for us this evening." Jennifer looked up and smiled at her husband as he brought her closer to him. "With that said, lets say grace."

Everyone bowed their heads, and Puck grabbed Mercedes's hand. He squeezed her hand as her father prayed, and he could feel her squeezing his back.

"Amen." They all said in unison and conversation erupted again.

"I'm so glad you're here." Mercedes smiled up at Puck as they made their food. He smiled back at her.

"I am, too. Thanks for inviting me." He managed to say before the JJ's flanked him, pushing Mercedes to the side.

"Rude." She mumbled. Her comment was ignored as they spoke animatedly about college and whatever sport it was they liked.

Their dinner passed by nicely. Everyone spoke over each other so the person they were talking to could hear. Jacob became distracted with something his brother said and it allowed Puck to take in his surroundings. The table was just big enough for all of them to fit, the nook held the food, but it was perfect. He looked over to his left where the twins were currently shaking hands in what looked like a deal. Mercedes sat close to Puck. They had to share the slightly rounded end of the table since it was pretty cramped, she was currently talking with his mother who was sitting next to her. Mrs. Jones sat beside her and Mr. Jones was of course on the end of the table facing them. Looking like a king sitting at the head of the feasting table. Puck couldn't help but smile as Mr. Jones set the JJ's in their place about gambling. That the were both crazy because America's sweetheart team, the Dallas Cowboys, were going to dominate the game that day.

Mrs. Jones turned to Jamie and they were both smiling as they spoke.

Puck felt so much fullness in his heart, he thought it would overflow. Maybe that was what he should do in life, have the joy in his life pour over into someone else's. Everyone deserved to be happy, they all deserved to feel as loved as he did.

"Hey, what you thinking?" Came Mercedes's soft voice, her breath warm against his cheek. Puck pulled back slightly to get a better look at her face. She looked gorgeous in her deep red dress, her make up complimented her features rather than made them, and of course her smile always captivated him. There were a few loose strands falling in her face and he wasn't having that. He wanted nothing blocking her beautiful face. Gently, he tucked her soft hair behind her ear.

"Just that I'm so blessed. This is the happiest I've felt in my whole life." He admitted just as everyone quieted down to listen to them. He kissed her on the forehead and looked up to find everyone staring at him.

"Today is about family." Michael spoke up, "And I'm grateful for every single one of you here." He held up his apple cider and made a toast. Everyone else followed his lead.

"To family." He announced.

"To family!" They repeated.

Mercedes was curled up on the floor in her room with Puck, their backs leaning against her bed. She had her legs tucked under her as she placed her head against his shoulder. She was twisting the charm Noah got her. The sterling silver bracelet hung loosely around her wrist and the tiny diamonds of the heart shaped charm caught in the light. The colors danced and he watched as she grabbed the other charm to look at. He also added P and M charms, along with a lightning bolt. Their parents were downstairs, speaking about anything and everything, while the JJ's were challenging each other on the XBOX in their bedroom.

"I love 'em." Mercedes noted softly after twirling each charm. She glanced up at him and smiled. "They're perfect. Though, I don't really get the bolt."

"I just wanted you to look at that and be reminded of what you mean to me." He replied, and she looked up at him curiously. "When I first started falling for you, I remember feeling unworthy of your love. I always thought that you were full, beautiful, and complete, just like a lightning storm. Bringing light and impact on my world that only knew drizzle. I wanted this to be a reminder of how much I love you." His gaze was on the lightning bolt. Nervousness built within him when finally Mercedes pulled his face close to kiss him hard. Her lips were soft yet firm against his own and he kissed her back. He kissed her with all the feelings he had, counting his blessings on how his life was turning out to be. Puck wasn't one to show feelings, let alone cry, but didn't care when he felt a pool of tears build between his eyelashes as he kissed the only girl he'd ever love.

When they slowly pulled apart, he kept his eyes on hers. She was smiling to herself but didn't meet his gaze. When she finally did meet his gaze, Puck's heart swelled at the sight in front of him. Looking intently at one another he knew she felt the depth of his love.

"I love you, too." Tears welling in her own eyes. It wasn't the first time they said it, obviously, but his love for her was growing stinger every day. It was almost to the point where it hurt.

After everyone was done cleaning, Puck took Mercedes to go ice skating. He always had a hard time, which is why he hated the winter activity, but Mercedes loved it. She made it look so easy as she twirled in circles around him. How she did that, he'd never know, even standing without wobbling was a problem for him.

"Will you hold my hand? You're distracting me, I'm gonna fall." Puck said just as he lost his balance. Quickly throwing his arms out to the side to find his center of balance so he wouldn't hit the ground. Mercedes' chuckles got lost in the midst of the noises coming out of his mouth, but he still heard her. "This is funny to you?"

"I just don't understand. How're you still so bad at this? We used to go ice skating when we were younger. The JJ's used to drag us here just about every year."

"Sorry not everyone is a natural like you." He deadpanned, feeling slightly annoyed that she was right. Why didn't he have it down yet? Concentrating on his motions, Mercedes eased next to him and slipped her hand in his which he gripped like a vice.

"Follow my lead, baby." She said softly. "I was never really allowed to guide you like this before, but now I can, and I need you to relax." Without letting go of his hand she swung around stand in front of him.

"What're you doing?" He inquired.

"We're gonna take a few deep breaths and just let it out." She answered as she raised their twined hands. "Ready?" He nodded and together they took a few calming breaths. He was feeling sort of better. The anxiety of being out on the ice was still in his chest, but he felt it slowly slip away as he looked at the girl in front of him

"Okay," She gently moved beside him again. "Lets move in sync." Mercedes suggested as she swung her left leg out. "It might feel a bit unstable, but it works better to swing it out like this as opposed to that chomping, sliding forward thing you were doing earlier." Puck listened to her instructions, and felt like his foot was gonna slip from beneath him. He used his back foot at a slant to stop it from moving anymore. "Okay, that… that was a good first step, so lets move now with the right foot." Puck followed her lead and this time it was a little more stable. "Okay, that was better. Lets keep going." She ordered and moved further away from him so their arms were completely outstretched between them. Puck's smile began to widen as he was getting the hang of it.

"I think I'm getting it." She eyed him skeptically. "What? Do I look weird?"

"No, you're doing fine. Your face just looks like you're constipated."

"Oh." Puck answered, dropping what he thought was a smile.

"You're doing great babe. Now lets move a bit faster." Faster? Weren't they already skating at 50 mph? He swore they were. "Relax, Noah!" Mercedes reminded him, a smile in her voice.

They kept going, and the further they went the better he felt. Puck began to trust Mercedes as she expertly lead him around the rink, becoming more confident in his movements and eventually he could stand up straighter without feeling like he was going to fall backward. "See? Thats it! You got it. You almost look like a natural." She cheesed and he smirked at her.

Mercedes moved closer to him again and placed her head on his shoulder as they strolled at a pace Puck found comfortable. He was glad that the slight weight she put on his shoulder didn't send him toppling over.

"My, you're a very good teacher, Mercedes." He said as they turned the corner of the rink. She turned her face to his but kept her chin against his shoulder.

"Or you're not as bad at learning as you think." She said before resting her cheek against him again. Noah watched as she turned back to look ahead of them. The christmas music was playing in the air, and Puck looked around himself again at all the beautiful christmas lights. Suddenly, he stopped and Mercedes was quick to halt as well.

"Whats up?" She asked as he moved in front of her. He didn't answer her, instead Puck pulled her in for a long kiss. He couldn't kiss her as deeply when they were at her house but he could now. Cupping her face, he tilted his to deepen their kiss and he gently slid his tongue along her lip. She responded as she separated them and his tongue immediately found hers. Pulling her closer, he ran his fingers through her gentle waves. Her hair was soft, and her skin, and her lips. Puck slid his hand down her back and stopped just above her round ass, it lingered there a moment before he slowly began to move his hands lower. His actions were immediately stopped when she firmly pushed him back.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, and hoped his face wouldn't display the utter disappointment he felt.

"Nothing. Its just, there are children and families here." Puck looked around himself and realized she was right. Of course she wouldn't want to display PDA inappropriately like this. He nodded and took his place beside her once again. They continued on in silence and when "Winter Wonderland" came on, he placed their twined hands against his chest as he began to serenade her. Mercedes was a giggling mess and he moved as swiftly (and as smoothly) as possible. He got behind her and swayed with his arms closed around her. They continued their rounds along the rink. She laid her head backward so that it was resting against his chest and he continued to sing in her ear. Mercedes closed her eyes, a content smile gracing her face.

"We'll have fun with Mr. Snowman, until the other kids knock him doooowwwwnnnn." He dragged it out the same way Johnny Mathis does in his version. The silly sound made Mercedes laugh and Puck continued on with a goofy grin on his face.

When the song ended they kept skating. Mercedes in Puck's arms, and Puck in her heart.

"Wanna get some hot chocolate?" She asked and he obliged.

"Yeah, lets go." He said as he grabbed her hand to lead them out.

They took off their skates and covered their blades when they got back to the locker. After changing back into sneakers and grabbing their belongings, they headed to the concession stand. The hot chocolate was nice and warm as it went down their throats and walked down the road to head back home.

"Tonight was really nice." Puck said and Mercedes scrunched her nose adorably at him.

"It was perfect." They walked down the street hand-in-hand, Mercedes's arm looped through his, her head against his shoulder. Puck was never get over this, he would never grow tired of the familiar weight of her head against his left shoulder, or how she rubbed his arm with her free hand. There was something so homey about it, something so domestic and mature. He couldn't explain it exactly, but whenever she did that, he felt comfortable.

"What're you thinking about?" Came Mercedes quiet voice. "You got a goofy smile on your face." Noah looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I figure there are a few things I can keep to myself. So you won't have so much power here."

"What're you talking about?"

"Man, I gotta keep some cards off of the table. If you knew how much I fully felt for you, you'd have the upper hand." He said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. He didn't know how, but Mercedes finished hers so fast, he asked if her mouth was burned but she said no, she simply asked the man to put a few ice cubes in them so they weren't so hot.

"You know, I think you think you feel stronger for me than I do for you. I hope you don't think that." Puck felt his heart rate pick up and felt like a dork.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I love you so much Noah Puckerman. I would follow you to the ends of the earth." Her voice was shy and looked down at the ground just as shyly. He stopped them both. They were near a park and he pulled her to the bench close by. He sat down after she did and put an arm around her.

"You mean that?" She nodded slowly. Puck didn't know what to say. Sure, they both proclaimed their love for one another, but this was somehow different. It made his stomach flutter like something he's never felt before. Telling someone you love them was one thing and actually expressing the depth of that love was another.

"You know, I've loved you since we were little. And I've been in love with you for, oh man, if I'm being honest, since we were in New York. Remember that trip?" Her eyes widened as she nodded.

"All this time?"

"Yeah, I was just dumb and ignored it for years. I told you, I didn't feel like I was worthy of your love, so I tried to stay away.

"What made you change your mind?" Mercedes asked softly, and Noah met her gaze.

"I couldn't be away from you anymore. Life kept throwing us together no matter how much I tried to avoid it. But I couldn't ignore how I felt, and I thought that I may not have been worth it before, but I'll grow into the man that is."

"Noah, you're always worth it. And its not just your fault. I know I wasn't the easiest person to read. We both played that silly, childish game. I'm glad its not like that anymore. All that hurt, all that fighting, it was dumb and probably avoidable… but I don't think it would make us the people we are together. I think those things grew us into the couple we are now. We had to live and go through those stupid fazes to realize we can't ignore what can't be ignored forever. And you? I don't mean to sound naïve, but you're my soulmate. I don't care if people tell me I'm too young to know what that means, or too young to declare something so strong, but its true. How else can you explain our relationship in the past?"

Those were the same thoughts that ran through his head for years. Mercedes taking partial blame said a lot about where they were now. Somewhere good. They both had their share of hurt and heartbreak. And now, it was time to move on.

Puck leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips and she allowed the kiss to linger.

"Do you know what you do to me?" He breathed and rested his forehead against hers. Puck heard her breath catch and it made him smile in satisfaction to himself. "I'm still thinking about that night we spent together…" She blushed beneath the street light, a small smile playing at her lips.

"I think about it, too." She admitted softly.

"You do?"

"Yeah, and it still makes me blush, I can still feel how I felt…" He couldn't help the self-satisfied smile he flashed her.

"Me too. I can still see your face." He recalled as he closed his eyes and felt himself getting hard. "Mm, man. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Oh gosh." She mumbled before covering her face. Puck moved her hands down to her lap, his hands covering her own.

"Don't hide from me. I want to see you."

"You want a lot of things." She countered with a grimace and he shrugged.

"I do, and they all have to do with you."

Mercedes looked around herself then back at her boyfriend before speaking up. "Noah, I want you, too. I want us to have sex, to give myself to you and yourself to me, but I'm torn. Its a constant battle between what I want now and what I want for my future. I know people say its unrealistic, but I want to wait till I'm married to have sex. Its something that I would want to share with my husband, in the context of marriage. But for right now? I wanna go to your room, throw you on the bed, and make you pull at the sheets again. I want to feel you fill me, I want it all, but I can't. I have to choose. And once we cross that line, theres no going back."

"You're it for me." He said.

"I know, and you for me… but its also the fact of what if that changes? Or what if I turn into some sex crazed monster? I heard that people have a hard time stopping once they start, and I don't know if you've seen you, but you're like crazy hot. So to have a willingly sexy boyfriend, who you're completely taken with, and that its possible we'd do it multiple times… theres really not going to be any turning back for me. Plus, other… surprises… could happen."

"Yeah, I hear you. I respect that, babe. I'm sorry if I'm pressing this too much." She placed a hand on his and smiled reassuringly.

"You don't, and I like it, it shows that you're attracted to me and thats a good thing. Now, if it was some random creep, that would be disgusting, but you're my boyfriend, and we're in love… so it makes me feel some kinda way." She clarified as she winked.

"You're crazy sexy too, babe. You're right though. If we do start I don't think I'd be able to stop."

Mercedes patted Puck lightly on his leg before standing up. She reached down to grab his hand as he stood up too. They walked down the street and spoke animatedly as they recalled the events of their day.

Mercedes woke up to the smell of french toast lurking in the air, one of her favorite foods. After getting washed up for the day she skipped down the stairs and kissed her mother in greeting. Mrs. Jones was currently standing over the stove, cooking bacon, eggs, and of course, french toast.

"Wow, whats all this for?"

"Your father was in the mood for it."

"Lucky for the rest of us, then huh?" Mercedes said joyfully as she tried to grab a piece of toast but her mother smacked her hand away with the spatula.

"Don't be rude. You're gonna wait till I'm done cookin' then we're all gonna eat together."

"Sorry mama."

Mercedes walked into the living room and slumped onto the couch. Graduation was fast approaching and she still felt like she didn't have an impressive application. Mercedes wasn't going to let it worry her tonight, because it was New Year's Eve! There were new rules to be implemented, new goals to achieve. Mercedes decided to take a walk over to Brittany and Tina's house. Brittany was back from school for winter break and Mercedes was so glad! She missed the dancing blonde and they had been making the most of their time together before she had to leave, which wasn't much because Artie had been hogging her like crazy. She got that he missed her, Mercedes would miss Puck, but damn!

"Be back soon!" She called over her shoulder before heading out the door.

Mercedes walked over to Brittany's house first, and was surprised to find Artie outside of her house. "Hey. What're you doing here?" She inquired, but a small part of her knew by the smile he was flashing.

"Brittany and I are going out to breakfast, then I'm taking her shopping. After we're going to the park to watch the fireworks. We have a whole day planned." Mercedes nodded. "What?"

"No, nothing. Its just, of course you have the whole day planned." Artie looked perplexed at her statement. She sighed before giving in to his unasked question. "Its just, I've missed her too, I wish you wouldn't be so selfish."

"Hey hey! Easy for you to say, you have Puck here. Would you give him up if he were gone?"

"Yeah, I'd like to think so."

"You'd 'like to'. Doesn't mean you will, so quit judgin'."

"I'm not judging." She replied softly and something in Artie's expression softened.

"Hows about we make it a glee reunion? Mike is back, Britt's back, Kurt has a new boo thang now. Lets make it a date at the lake. Under the fireworks, it'll be both fun and romantic. It can also be a last 'hoorah' for the glee alumni." Artie suggested and Mercedes beamed.

"Yeah! I'd love that."

"Cool." Just then, Brittany came out of the house with a huge smile.

"Cedes!" She announced before running over to her and swinging her around in a hug. "What brings you here?"

"Just wanted to see what you were up to, but turns out you're busy."

"Cedes is meeting us at the lake with the other glee kids." Artie said and Brittany smiled in excitement.

"Thats a wonderful idea! And I'm sorry you had to walk here. You could've called."

"Nah, it feels like the good 'ol days, doesn't it? When we would walk down the road to call each other?" Brittany sucked in a breath as she took in the buildings around her, her eyes landing on Mercedes's home. "Yeah, like nothing's changed really."

"Well, you two have fun today, I'll see you tonight!" They both nodded and after kissing them both 'goodbye' she headed over to Tina's.

Tina opened the door with a sly smile on her face. "You hear to get tips on a good New Year's kiss?" She asked as she leaned against the door frame and Mercedes pulled her eyebrows together.

"Girl!" She yelled. "You have no shame."

"I'm just observing that this is yours and Puck's first New Year's together. This kiss is not just another kiss. Its the kiss that'll set the tone for you both!"

"Okay, you've always been crazy superstitious. I just needed to get out of the house, weirdo. I don't even know why you'd think I'd come here for that." She explained. Tina pulled the door shut behind her and the friends walked along the sidewalk together.

"How's Mike?" Mercedes asked and Tina shrugged.

"The same. He's studying right now, always the procrastinator." She joked and Mercedes released a chuckle.

"I just ran into Artie and Britt. They're going to the lake to watch fireworks later and they want us to go. Kinda like a last get together for all the alumni in our group." Tina was already nodding before she finished.

"Mike and I were planning on doing that. Sounds good to me!" Mercedes was satisfied that the plan was slowly coming together. Tina was already making her way to her patio to pull out chairs and blankets to load in her car.

"My cousin can buy us some booze, we'll go a little early and save a spot, and-" Tina was cut off by the ringing of Mercedes cell. It was her mom, she needed to be home for breakfast. After asking Tina if she wanted to join, and she declined, Mercedes walked back completely excited for the night ahead.

A/N: Okay, sorry if that was a weird ending but the next part is long so it had to cut somewhere. I hope to have an update soon and to really have this finished at least by the time the year ends (haha setting "realistic" goals.) I've also written a few chapters for a new Puckcedes story that I like but due to how long its taking me to finish this, I don't think I'm going to start publishing it until I've written at least 8 chapters (which I am literally half way to).

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it, and please please PLEASE leave a review. They help to motivate me to get things done, whether its an encouragement, a critique, or a question that you have. Either way, I want it all!