Hello to all of you beautiful people!
As usual, I want to thank you for reading, favouriting, following and REVIEWING the last chapter! It really means a lot knowing what you think of my story and I'm always so happy to find a new review! Thank you for supporting me and my story: you are unbelievable and totally awesome!
Now, I leave you to the new chapter of "Welcome to New Directions!". See you at the end! ;)
A/N: Veggie95 made me notice that Noah's mum has two names here: Dianna and Sarah (I didn't know how to name her at first and I changed my mind when I already finished writing the chapter) . I'm so sorry! I'm looking for the mistakes and I'll fix as soon as possible! :) Thank you very much, my dear Veggie95! - Ok, now this problem should be solved. If anyone notice some other slips, please let me know -
The life seemed going smoothly for the couple after their time off.
Rachel started the rehearsal and she loved every single minute of it. They started with some readings, so the cast would get to know each other better and become acquainted with the script. Her cast mates were rather lovely: she got along very well with everyone, especially with Holly, who was casted for Fantine. She was amazing, sometimes a little bit patronizing but she gave some wonderful tips to survive in the musical theatre world and to improve her Broadway carrier and she always congratulated Rachel on her vocal prowess and extension.
The director was really demanding, asking a lot from the performers, and Rachel couldn't agree more with him, since she was a perfectionist herself. But that meant that, by the end of the day, Rachel was exhausted because, in addition to the tiring rehearsal, she still had to go to her morning classes and prepare for the finals and the graduation showcase.
She was honoured to be invited to perform at the NYADA final showcase (as well of some of the best the academy seniors – included Kurt) and she was trying to find the perfect song and the time was running out since she had just a month an a half.
The only time she let herself take a breath was when she was with Noah who was wonderful and always remind her to take it easy ("You're going to have a fucking meltdown by the end of the month if you keep this shit up so put those damn papers down and bring your sexy ass here with me" – classy, uh?).
One night, after a relaxing evening with two of her favourite men, she and Noah were laying on her bed and chatting quietly. She was on her side with her legs around one of his and her head on his arm. His hand was drawing invisible soothing pattern in the small of her neck and she felt herself being dragged into sleep with his voice as a lullaby.
At one point, while she was struggling to keep her eyes open, he asked her "Are your dads going to come here for Passover next weekend?", at which she shook her head in response and said "No, we decided that, since they're going to come here for my graduation anyway, it was only logical that they save more days off for that period so we can spend more time with them and we can celebrate both my graduation and Finn's birthday".
Puck looked at her as she wiggled herself until she was perfectly tucked under his arm and sighed deeply with a content smile on her face and closed eyes. "So" he trailed "You could come with me to my hometown, if you want" and he watches as her eyes flew open when she finally understood what he was asking to her.
She looked at him in the eyes and said "I would love to but I have rehearsals… I don't know if Mr. Cole will give me time off this soon; we just started with rehearsals" but Noah shrugged and replied "You could always ask. Why wouldn't he give you days off for a religious festivity? And it's going to be just for four days at least. From Thursday to Sunday: two in my hometown and two in Boston with Beth and her family. I'd really like for you to meet her", speaking while looking at the way their hands seemed to perfectly intertwine.
She studied his features before smiling broadly and kissing him sweetly on the cheek. They stared into each other's eyes while she answered "I'll ask to Mr. Cole if I can take those days off… I would be more than honoured to come with you and meet your family and Beth".
He smiled back at her and kissed her on her lips before saying "Ok, then it's settled. Now sleep, babe. You look exhausted", at which she nodded against his chest. She fell asleep with him humming "Sweet Caroline" against her crown and a smile on her face.
After the green light by her director, the couple spent their time getting ready for their little trip.
Rachel found herself getting a little antsy at the thought of meeting the women that meant the most to Noah; she really wanted to be liked by them and make a good impression to them.
As soon as she let her mind wander, visions of Sarah Puckerman yelling at his boyfriend because she found his girlfriend an absolute disaster keep appearing and they were scaring her to death. But, when Rachel told Noah about her concerns, he laughed out loud and told her "Rach, calm the fuck down! She'll love you just because you're Jewish. She will shit a happy brick as soon as she'll see you! And this is the reason why I didn't tell her anything about you until yesterday. But I kept it quite blurry so don't worry. She barely knows your name".
Rachel's mouth flew open and screeched "WHAT?! You didn't say anything about me to your mother and sister? Are you kidding me right now? I told my fathers about you the day after we became a couple!". Puck understood that his spitfire of a girl was this close to lose her shit so he put his hands on her shoulders and spoke slowly "I did it because I love you".
She frowned and mumbled "What on…" but he stopped her shaking his head and adding "You don't know my mother. She takes the crazy to a whole new level! She's like the queen of all the bat-shit yentas all around the world. If I would had told her that I found a Jewish girlfriend: first she would had cried for a least a couple of hours and then she would had started to plan our wedding".
Rachel narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms, replying "Noah, I'm sure she would had not done anything like that" and frowning a little deeper when her reply was met but a booming laugh. Puck tried to calm down a little before continuing "Babe, she told me that I wasn't better than the Nazis because I wasn't with a Jewish girl and, as soon as Becca made the huge mistake to talk – just talk - to a guy at Temple, she was already looking through wedding magazines. She stopped just because Becca burnt them while my ma was sleeping. So, believe me, babe, when I say that I didn't tell her anything about you because I love you. You're already going to spend two, and I say two, days with the crazy woman and that's more than enough, believe me babe! I'm going to give you a piece of advice to survive until Saturday: keep a low profile. The less you talk, the better and do not look at the beast in the eyes: she's going to turn you into stone".
Rachel scoffed and walked away from Puck: she would not believe that his mother was a psycho. She. Would. Not. (Even for her own mental health).
A couple of days later, it was the date of the departure. Right after lunch (and after Rachel, Finn and Santana exchanged big ass chocolate eggs and she left for them to eat some matzo soup since the two couldn't spend Eastover together) the couple was on his pick-up truck, which would usually rest in his garage.
It was a an almost 4-hours ride and the peace in the cabin lasted exactly three minutes since they started bicker almost the whole ride through.
"B, like hell I'm going to listen to some pop shit for the whole trip. My truck, my rules so get your hands off the radio and let a true man decide"
"I won't let my ears be damaged because of your poor tastes in music! At least, my songs' choices have words. You could put in this compilation I made of Barbra's greatest hits… Noah, what are you doing? Noah! I swear if you throw it out of the window you have to get acquainted with your right hand for a very, very long time!"
"Honey, I have to pee"
"Me too so, as soon as I can I'll pull over and we can pee there, in the bushes"
"Noah Puckerman, I won't pee outdoors for everyone to see and neither are you!"
"Babe, pass me another nutty chocolate matzo crunch you made. Shit's delicious. I'm hungry, woman! Feed me!"
"Honey, You ate them all. The others are in the trunk"
"WHAT? Babe, I'm hungryyy! I'm still growing up, I need to eat something! But, hey, I can always pull over so I can eat you first and then more crunch… OUCH! My arm. When did you learn to slap like that? I can feel the bruise forming, kiss it better?"
"Honey, look at me and say cheese! I want to send it to Tana so she knows that we're still alive"
"Oh, hell no I'm posing for a picture to send to Satan so she can say that I handed you my balls again"
"Don't worry about that, she will always say that but I defend you every time!"
"Are we there yet?"
"Berry, it's like the three thousandth time you asked me that and nothing changed from 30 seconds ago! Still an hour and a half so stop it!"
The last hour was quiet. Rachel fell asleep with his tight as pillow while he played with her hair absent-mindedly, his main attention still on the street. The radio was low so it wouldn't wake her up; she looked so peaceful with her lips slightly parted and her cheeks a little bit rosier than when she was awake.
When he saw the sight that said 'Entering Clinton', he pulled over and gently shook her awake, whispering "Wake up, Sleepyhead. Look where we are". Rachel blinked a couple of time before rubbing her eyes. He smiled fondly while she yawned, making high-pitched sounds, and sat up, taking in the new surroundings and smiling brightly when she saw the sign.
"You stopped!" the woman said excitedly, before getting out of the pick-up with her bright pink camera in hand and starting to take pictures of the sign.
Noah got out of the vehicle as well and smiled at her, leaning on the door. Rachel turned towards him and jumped on the spot, squealing "Let's take a picture together, Noah". He walked to her and took her camera from her small hands. After pushing some buttons, he put the camera at the top of the pick-up and ran to Rachel, lifting her in his arms.
As the first photo was taken, Rachel was laughing out loud in his arms with Puck laughing along with her and looking at her girlfriend. He definitely wanted a copy of that picture.
They took several photos in different position before getting in the car to resume their trip. Rachel checked herself in the mirror and whined "God, Noah, I look awful" while she tried to fix her hair and the make-up. She put so much effort trying to look perfect and all it took was an hour nap to destroy everything.
He shoot a quick glance at her and said "Calm down, Rach. You're beautiful". The petite woman smiled at him but rebutted "You're saying this just because you love me and you have to say that", making him scoff and say "I wouldn't have a problem to say that you look like shit, B. You're hot so relax". Rachel closed the sunshade and pecked his cheek several times until he started to laugh and dragged her next to him, resting his free hand on her hips while she rested her head on his shoulder.
In a couple of minutes time, Puck cut the engine of the vehicle in front of a lovely light grey terraced house with a white porch and fixtures and a well-kept front yard. She was starting at it with growing curiosity and taking in every single detail: from the outside you could see little white curtains tied at the bottom with a bow and, on the side of the walkway that leaded to the front door, small purple flowers were blooming. In the driveway, a blue sedan was parked.
Noah looked at her and asked "You ready to face the beast?", which drew a laugh out the petite woman. The two barely set foot on the ground that the door bust open showing a woman that could had been around her 50s. She was very skinny and had dark straight hair that fell on her shoulders and Noah definitely took his nose from her.
She trotted towards her son and wrapped him in a big hug. Rachel could hear him mutter, muffled by her mother's shoulder, while he reciprocated the embrace. Rachel knew that he was a momma's boy at heart: he really cared about her and his sister. He told her everything about his childhood and how he tried to help her mother from a very young age with the bills or how he basically raised his sister since his mother would work double-shifts at the hospital and they couldn't afford a baby sitter. Life hadn't been kind with them but, because of that, they were a very close family.
As soon as they broke the embrace, Noah's mother started to fuss about how skinny he was and about the fact that he barely called her. Puck rolled his eyes and shook her by the shoulders, saying "God, woman! I'm here from a couple of seconds and you're already going crazy on me?!". Then he turned to his girlfriend and added "Told you she's bat-shit! Remember, babe: don't look at her in the eyes!".
Noah's mother's eyes fell immediately on Rachel, who was standing a few steps behind since she wanted to left to the two of them a moment to greet each other, and zoomed on her nose before studying her entire figure.
The young woman squirmed a little bit uncomfortably before deciding to introduce herself to his boyfriend's mother. "Hello Mrs. Puckerman. I'm Rachel Berry, it's a pleasure meeting you" kindly stated the petite woman, extending her hand, which the other one took still a little bit surprised.
Rachel panicked at her silence and looked at Noah for help, which him immediately provided saying to his mother "Ma, you're freaking her out! Say something, crazy lady!". That seemed to snap the older woman out of her trance. In fact, she narrowed her gaze at her son and chastised him by saying "You watch your mouth, young man. Remember that I created you so I can destroy you too!", before smiling at the girl "Hello Rachel, I'm Sarah Puckerman, Noah's mom. Are you Jewish, honey?".
Puck growled and started to unload the truck: he didn't want to be there when Rachel would making his ma's dream come true, so that she would start to throw at him not-so-subtle glances that meant "marry her and give me beautiful Jewish grandchildren!". He would already have to deal with all this shit for two days and it was more than enough for him to handle.
When he rejoined the women, Rachel was saying "I baked the Apricot Torte, my family's favourite, and I really hope you'll like it s well! I asked Noah if you or Rebecca had any type of allergies but he told me that you two didn't have any so…".
Sarah was looking at her as if she hung the moon and the stars, making Noh snicker next to them. Sarah hugged Rachel sideway and said "You're a sweetheart, Rachel. Let's go inside; Noah will bring your things" as they started to walk towards the door, leaving a shocked Puck behind. "It's nice to know how you treat your firstborn, ma!" he yelled, picking up his duffel bag and Rachel's trolley, along with the bag with the cake and the rest of matzo crunch.
He entered in his childhood house and winked with a smile when his eyes met his girlfriend's chocolate one. His mother was talking a mile per hour and he could tell that it was too much even for Rachel so he decided to save her by saying "Ma, let her breath! I'm taking her upstairs so she can see where we're sleeping and go to the bathroom. In the meantime, calm down. You have two days to wear her out. C'mon B, follow me". Rachel shoot an apologetic look at Noah's mom, who smiled at her and sign her to follow Puck.
They entered in his old bedroom and she could presume that Mrs. Puckerman left it just how it was during Noah's adolescence. The walls were white and, taped on them, there were posters of rock bands and Victoria Secret's models along with some other personal pictures. She went a little bit closer to take a good look at them: some of Noah with his teammates, one with a little crying baby wrapped in a pink blanket (Rachel supposed she was Beth the day she was born) and several of a younger Puck with his mother, an older woman and a girl with black hair tied up in two pigtails. In those last pictures, Noah didn't have the Mohawk yet and Rachel found herself giggle a little.
She felt his arms slide around her waist and his chin rest on her shoulder before she heard his voice say "What are you looking at?". She tapped at one of the picture where he was with his family and replied "You had your head fully cover with hair back then. You were so cute!".
She started to laugh when he growled and buried his face on the crook of her neck "I was a badass still then" but she turned in his embrace and took his face in her hands, squeezing it a little, stating playfully "You were really, really cute. You were adorable so stop with all that and just admit that I'm right".
She pecked his lips but, as soon as hers touched his, he held her tighter and kissed her more passionately, gently pushing his tongue inside her mouth. When they broke the kiss, he smiled against her lips and whispered "Fine, babe. But that will cost you something", which she just raised an eyebrow. He was about to continue when he heard the front door shut forcefully and his sister's loud voice yell "I'm home!".
He groaned at the interruption but he pecked Rachel's lips another time and grabbed her by the hand, dragging her down the hallway and downstairs.
A young girl was sat on the couch comfortably and was nipping at one of the numerous snacks Noah's mom prepared for Rachel. She was beautiful: long straight dark hair framed an tan face. She had the same deep hazel eyes of Noah and a really cute small nose.
The girl smirked at her brother and got up, jumping in his arms and squeezing him tight in her arms.
"Hey Noah! You've been missed around here!" Rebecca said still hugging him and kept holding him until he said back "I've missed you too, squirt".
As soon as they broke the embrace, Puck put an arm around Rachel's shoulder and introduced her to his sister "Becca, this is Rachel, my girlfriend. Rach, this pain in the ass is my sister Rebecca". "It's really nice to meet you Rebecca. Noah said wonderful things about you" Rachel told Becca with a bright smile but Rebecca stared at the brunette at Noah's side for a couple of seconds before going off on her brother "Are you fucking kidding me? You found a Jewish girlfriend? Do you know that my life will turn into a fucking nightmare because of that, right? Rachel, no offence, really . You seem like a great and lovely girl and I don't even know why you're with my pig of a brother". Becca came closer to her brother and pointed menacingly at him seething "We had a deal, lame-Puckerman! You knew that she would set as her life's goal to find me a Jewish boyfriend as soon as you would find a Jewish girlfriend. I don't want to date them! They're just…" the youngest shuddered at the mere thought, making Sarah roll her eyes and question "Why are my children so disrespectful to me? Are you so disrespectful with your parents too, Rachel?".
"Did your parents say that going out with a non-Jewish guy is like betraying your roots and the memory of all those who lost their life for our religion, even if you barely go to the temple and don't even know some of the prayers?" pointed out Becca but Mrs. Puckerman simply scoffed at her.
Rachel was looking at the whole scene with big doe eyes and felt like a deer in lights but answered anyway, even if a little bit tentatively "No to both of your question. My family is not completely Jewish and we don't like prejudices and labels; if you're a good person and have a good heart, you're okay in our book".
Sarah Puckerman was taken aback by her statement: what did she mean with 'not completely Jewish'? (she wouldn't count the fact that Rachel basically told her she was racist because she kinda was… Not in her general life, she would treat everyone equally and kindly no matter what their religion and skin colour was, but what's wrong with wanting your kids to date people that share something so important as their religion?!) She frowned a little and disappeared in the kitchen.
The other three were still standing in the living room when Sarah's yell pierced their ears "Dinner will be ready in 20. And then, I want to know what is with that nonsense of 'My family is not completely Jewish', got it?".
Rachel gulped, put her head in her hands and started to whine "Oh, Noah. She hates me! I'm so sorry; I wanted everything to be perfect because I know how much you care about your family but I ruined everything".
She felt herself being dragged outside by her boyfriend while he growled to his sister "Go tell her to cut the crazy or, I swear to God, we're out of this house faster than she can tell 'Oy vey'" but this made Rachel stop and fist his shirt "No, I don't want to cause you trouble between you and your mother. Please, honey, don't be mad at her".
Rebecca put a hand on the petite woman's forearm and smiled at her saying "Don't worry, Rachel. She just her crazy usual self and, if she keeps that act up, you're more than entitled to walk out that door and never come back. I just hope that this bump in the road won't stop us from get to know one another better and be friends". This drew a sincere smile out of Rachel, who told her, before going out on the porch with Puck "Thank you, Rebecca. It really means a lot to me and I would love to become your friend".
As soon as they were outside, Puck held her tight and rested his chin on her head while she breathed deeply and tried to relax thanks to the way his hands were moving up and down her spine.
"I'm sorry I messed up, honey. So, so sorry" she started talking but he hushed her immediately and grabbed her chin with one finger, lifting it gently until their eyes met "You didn't. Don't worry, babe: everything is going to be just fine and I really hope that my ma comes back to her senses and starts to act like a normal person. I told you she was crazy".
She hugged him tighter and the two simply breathed, standing there in each other's arms and finding, for the first time since they arrived in Clinton, a little bit of peace.
He was the first to break the long silence "I love you, you know that, right? None crazy mother of mine would change that, okay?". She rose on her tip toes and pecked his lips before saying in a whisper "I love you too".
The two smiled at each other and were about to kiss again when a throat-cleaning cough made them turn abruptly, almost as if someone caught them doing something wrong. Becca was looking at them with a smug smile on her face while leaning on the door. "Dinner's ready and I calmed ma down. It's safe to come in now" the girl informed before entering back in the house.
Puck put his hand in the small of her back and tugged her lightly towards the door, always staying by her side. When they went into the kitchen, Sarah was standing next to the kitchen counter and immediately said in a regretful tone "Rachel, I sorry if I overreacted a little. I don't want you to think that I'm a crazy woman as my children always say. So, what about we sit around the table, eat dinner and start anew?". Rachel nodded and smiled a little, taking the seat Noah moved for her to seat.
The dinner was lovely and Rachel told Sarah and Rebecca her family's story: how her dads were high school sweethearts and when, 15 years into their relationship, they decided to extend their little family. She told them the struggle her parents faced to find a suitable woman who was willing to carry their baby and the happiness they felt once Rachel was born. She also told them of the prejudices of the closed-minded town people that always spoke on their back and how they thought they were immoral.
Her voice soften when she talked about Finn's biological parents: his dads' first friends in Lima who cared for them and always stood by their side when someone went too far with their hurtful comments. She continued telling the women of their deaths, how Finn became part of the family and why her dads decided that it was only fair for them to support Finn's Christianity. They owned it to his parents, their best friends, and to him too.
The last part of her long speech was about her high school's years (or, at least, a polished version of it – she didn't want anyone's pity), her glee club experience and about when Santana was welcomed in her family after her parents kicked her out because she came out to them.
The Puckermans (Noah too, even if he already knew all of that) listened to her story, basically were hanging off Rachel's words. When Noah's girlfriend finished talking, the two other women remained silent until Becca said "Holy fuck! You're a national show choir champion?! I'm in a glee club too but we never made it past Regionals! Have you any good tips for me?".
With that, the dinner took a lighter tone and, in the end, everyone had a great time and ate Rachel's cake on the couch while watching some TV show Rebecca loved.
After awhile, Rachel started to yawn so Puck sent her to change and go to bed, promising her to be right back. As soon as she was upstairs and out of earshot, his mother started to fawn over her and how beautiful, polite and talented she was. She was like a mother's dream come true (He wanted to laugh so bad: that was the same woman who snapped at his girlfriend and walked out of the room just a few hours earlier!). His sister, on the other hand, only said "She seems great".
He kissed both goodnight and found Rachel already under the blankets, looking at him with sleepy eyes from under her long eyelashes. He sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed her before saying "They fucking love you. I told you not to worry", at which she nodded happily and replied "They're great too. Lovely". He caressed her still dump hair and moved out of the way some locks that fell on her beautiful face.
Noah smiled at her, pecked her forehead and told her "Sleep, babe. I'm going to take a quick shower and then I'll come back". Rachel yawned, covering her mouth with one hand, and nodded again, saying "Goodnight honey. I love you". He flicked his bedroom's light off after he said those three words right back at her and grabbed his pyjamas' pants, heading to the bathroom. After a long day like this, a hot shower was what Puck wanted the most (well… Sex in the shower would be fun-fucking-tastic but it had to be postponed for another time).
By the time he came back in the room, Rachel was sound asleep and the only thing he could do was slide under the quilt, drag her gently next to him and follow her in a more-than-deserved sleep.
The next morning, Noah got up quite early because he promised his sister he would had taken her to school were she had some extra rehearsals with her glee club. When he went downstairs, the girl, who was already fixing their breakfast, smirked at him and greeted him by saying " 'Morning lazyass! I thought that you were still sleeping… I was about to come up and haul your fat ass out of bed!".
"My fat ass?! Did you look at it recently? My ass is fabulous!" he replied and laughed out loud when she gagged in response. She set the plate with the scrambled eggs in front of him and the two munched their breakfast, bickering like they always did when he was back at home.
The two siblings were in the car when Rebecca said "You really love Rachel, uh?" but he rebutted "What the hell are you talking about, squirt?". She rolled her eyes and punched lightly his arm before saying "Oh, don't play all badass with me, Noah! I heard you two on the porch and you were all cute all evening long, so cut the crap and tell me everything".
"What do you want to know, Becks? That she's one of the best fucking things that ever happen to me and that I still don't have a clue on why she wants me when she could have less fucked up dudes around? Because that's what Rach is to me. So…" he just shrugged and glanced at his sister sideway, seeing her with a thoughtful expression on her face. She wiggled a bit in the seat before stating " She's ass over heels in love with you, that's pretty clear… And the same goes for you. I never saw you like that with a girl. Think you're finally growing up. Rachel is great but don't forget that you're pretty great too when you're not being an asshole, so she's just as lucky. So, if she ever break your heart, let me know and I will kick her butt. Us Puckerman have to stick together, right?".
He just pulled over her school. He took a good look at her little sister and nodded with a real smile on his face. She kissed his cheek and got off the car but, as soon as she closed the door, Rebecca tapped on the window, signalling him to lower it. "You tell someone that we had this conversation and I kick your ass too. Got it?". He just laughed out loud and started the truck to come back home to his mum and girlfriend.
Puck found Rachel and his ma talking happily around the kitchen table once he arrived at his childhood home. He sat next to her, kissed her forehead and ate a piece of her waffles, moaning. His ma's waffles were the shit! It was one of the things that he missed the most now that he was away from his family. A plate of waffles appeared in front of him too, making him grin at his mom and digging at them merciless.
Rachel laughed at his behaviour and caressed his back while sipping at her cup of tea with honey. Being there with his family was easier than she thought. Once they overcame that initial misunderstanding, Becca and Sarah were really fun and nice to be around.
When Puck polished his plate, he gulped and, licking the chocolate syrup from his fingers (he was like a big baby when he ate that kind of stuff!), he looked at her and asked "You ready to go out? We have the day full". Sarah smiled at them and questioned "What are you kids up to?". Rachel shrugged at her since she didn't have a clue but Puck replied "First we're going to visit Nana Connie then I'll show her around the Reservoir and I think we'll grab something somewhere for lunch before going to take Becca at school".
Sarah nodded smiling and went out of the room, happy to see how cute her baby boy and Rachel were together.
They arrived at the retirement home where Nana Connie lived almost an hour later and, as soon as Noah entered, he was greeted by some of the employees and nurses who immediately indicate where they could find the old woman. They found her in the common hall, playing bridge with three other elderly ladies.
"Nana!" he said excitedly (he really loved his bubbe… she was like a mother figure to him, since she took care of him when her mother was at work and she always supported them, disowning her only son after he took off and left his wife and children behind), making the woman turn in surprise. She had the same hazel eye that Rachel loved so much and she had grey short hair. Her wrinkled face was reassuring and it lit up when her eyes met the ones of her grandson.
She got up and, with arms wide open, walked to them, hugging Noah as soon as he was at arm's length. "Bubbeleh, it's so nice to see you. How are you?" she asked sincerely, listening closely to what he had to say. "And" he continued "I wanted you to meet my girlfriend, Rachel".
Rachel took a step forwards and extended her hand and timidly said "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Puckerman. Noah always talks about you with upmost respect and affection." The old woman looked at the hand and told her "What's with this non-sense of shaking hands? Come here and give Nana Connie a hug!". Rachel was engulfed in the hug as Connie Puckerman squeezed her tightly. When they broke it, Puck's grandma looped her arms into theirs and directed them towards the table where she was first seated, telling them that they absolutely had to play Bridge with her and Madge because Judith and Dorota were plain awful.
They spent almost all morning playing with her while she asked Rachel everything that came up in her mind: she wanted to know if she was worthy of his Noah because even if his boy fucked up many times (her words precisely), he had a very good heart and not all the people knew that. The older woman was very funny and bubbly and she was one of the most requested people in there. In fact, they left the retirement home because she promised Arthur that she would have played badminton with him.
It was lunch time so they grabbed something to eat in a drive-thru and eat it in the picnic area of the Reservoir before starting to walk around it, across the several walking trails that surrounded the lake. The lake was his favourite spot back home: it was calm and there were some trails that were less used by tourists so it was easy to be alone and just think about everything. He went there quite often in his high school's days and usually the centre of his thoughts was Beth.
Rachel was having the time of her life, taking tons of pictures and enjoying the company of her boyfriend and his warm hand wrapped around hers. He pointed to her the most important things around the lake: it was the perfect day for scenic views because the sky was clear and the temperature mild. All around, flowers were blooming and birds singing and, in the lake, they saw some fishes swimming.
"Noah, it's beautiful here! Thank you so much for showing it to me. I love it! Can't wait to show all these pictures to Finn and Santana!" she happily said, making him laugh out loud "Poor guys! Why do you hate them so much?". She pouted and slapped his arm before turning on her heels and looking at the water under them, resting her elbows on the wooded bridge barrier.
He slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin o her shoulder, looking at the water as well and whispering "I'm happy you're with me".
She turned her head and pecked his cheek, lingering there a little bit longer than usual before taking a picture of the two like that.
They kissed deeply for a little while, his strong arms boxing her, until he broke the kiss and stated "Come on, little nature lover, we've got a teenager to pick up from school and I don't want to hear her whine about us being late. She can be annoying as fuck", talking her hand and walking away.
The rest of their stay in Clinton went smoothly and soon came Saturday morning, their time to say goodbye to Sarah and Rebecca Puckerman. Rachel was very happy to have found a friend in his boyfriend's sister and the two exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses to be sure to keep in touch. Sarah wept a lot when she had to say farewell to her son and her (hopefully) future daughter-in-law (she would be a lovely winter bride, in Sarah's opinion) and made them promise to come visit soon.
After a while, Puck's truck drove away from the driveway. Direction? Boston and Beth.
So, what do you guys think about it? Do you like it? Hate it? Let me know by reviewing it, writing in the white box below! You would really make me euphoric! So... Please, pretty please? :) See you soon with another chapter of "Welcome to New Direction!"!