Hello my dearies!
Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and your support! I'm so happy that you guys liked the chapter, it really makes me so happy! So, please, keep reviewing the story because it really means the world knowing your opinion!
Before I leave you with the new chapter, I have to tell you that this is a PURE WORK OF FICTION! I don't have idea on how the law works in the USA nor how police works. My knowledge on the topic only comes from "Murder, She wrote", "CSI" and "Criminal Minds" so...Just enjoy the ride ;)
Puck and Finn entered in the club, talking about the last baseball game, and greeted Mike, who was texting seated comfortable on one of the barstools.
The threesome was bickering jokingly when Schue came into the main hall and told them "Good night, gentlemen. Your clothes are in the dressing room so go change and we can go." Puck stopped in track and asked "We? The fuck you're talking about, Schue? You never come with us when we strip in private parties" but the owner interrupted him rudely by saying "Well, tonight I'll come. Period. So go get fucking dressed as we wait for JBI; he'll come with us".
"You must be fucking kidding me" Puck spat "Like hell the freak is coming too! Are you out of your damn mind, Schuester?" and he definitely didn't expect the angry reply of the older one "You shut your fucking mouth right now, you son of a bitch! I'm the one taking decisions in here so you just suck the fuck up and do what I told you to do".
Puck was breathing heavily from his nostrils, jaw and fists clenched tightly and, in a very angry tone, he asked "The fuck did you just call me, asshole?!" but, as he tried to take a step towards the curly man to rearrange his face, he felt himself be held back by Finn and Chang while being dragged away and behind the curtain. He tried to yell at them to let him go but they did it only when they were locked safely in the dressing room.
Puck looked at them unbelievably but Mike promptly told him "You have to calm down. We cannot perform with your hands bleeding nor do we want you to lose the job. So calm down, get in that policeman uniform and get ready to perform".
"Am I the only one who finds fucking strange that the asshole and the creep decided to come with us? I don't trust them and I don't want them there!" Puck said but that was met only by shrugs. Finn looked at him apologetically as he put his pants on and told him "I don't trust them either but if they say they're coming, then they're coming. I don't want to lose the job by picking up a fight with my boss: for the first time in years, I don't have money problems and I even managed to save a large part of my paystubs. I don't want to lose it".
So Puck closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down a bit before getting ready to become officer Puckerman, stallion extraordinaire.
They arrived at the party and the three strippers waited in the car until midnight, when their performance would start, while Schue and Jewfro went in immediately.
The building looked kinda old and it was near the NYU campus and they knew that it was mostly inhabited by students; it wasn't the first time they performed in one of those apartments and Puck definitely spent a couple of night in there, every time with a different type of girl.
The atmosphere in the car was still a little bit tense from before but Finn and Mike tried to cheer Puck up, goofing around the cabin and didn't stop until they managed to make their friend laugh at least one time. After that, they bickered and joked until it was showtime.
The three guys knocked on the door; Puck in front of the other two. A skinny brunette girl opened the door and her eyes grew wider when she saw the three man standing in front of her, sure that they were real officers.
Stuttering a little, the girl said "Go-good night, officer. H-how can I-I help you?". The three flashed their fake badges at her and Noah was the only one to talk "Good night, miss. NYPD. You live here?". The scared woman nodded frantically and uttered a shy "Yes" so Puck asked "What's your name?", at which the woman replied "Sugar. Sugar Motta. I-I'm so sorry if we were too loud. I swear, I'll throw everyone out and I will pay you lot of money for your inconvenience. My daddy is very rich".
Puck, still in character, said sternly "Sugar, can you move back for me, please?" and took a step into the apartment as the woman jumped back quickly and his two friends right behind him. The threesome checked the surroundings as real officers would do. The apartment was divided in two big rooms: in the one on their left, all the man were gathered around a round green table, probably playing poker, while others (and, in this group, there were Schue and JBI too) were talking in a corner and, in the living room, a group of women were talking and sipping at their drinks.
"What do we have here? Underage drink, noise, gambling" the hazel-eyed man said and then, talking to the boys "Gentlemen, everybody here is 21?". After everybody in there nodded, he stated "I still have to check your IDs, unfortunately", before saying to Sugar "Can you come for me in here, please?". The girl immediately did what he asked to and looked anxiously at her friends as Puck queried the same question that he previously asked to the boys "Ladies, everybody here is 21 too? Are you sure?". In the meantime, Finn and Mike were circling the room, checking suspiciously the girls.
Sugar was walking backwards, not glancing away from the man, while Puck continued, pointing at one girl "You're definitely not 21. I'm sorry, miss". Then, he looked into the afraid brunette in front of him and questioned "When's your birthday?". Sugar answered "May 20th. I just turned 20", making Puck reply "Yeah, 20. That's what I thought. Put your hands on the wall".
The young woman turned while Noah intimated to the rest of the girls to sit down, telling them that they were going to stay there for a while. "Spread your legs for me, miss. Do you have anything sharp that I could stick myself with?" he asked, while patting lightly the girl and getting closer to her. Sugar shook her head so Puck, with a smirk on his face, said "Good. 'Cause I do".
At that, Mike turned the music up as Puck pull out his pants, action immediately mirrored by the Asian and Finn, who tore their shirts out. The girls went crazy and started to holler and yelling in excitement while the guys quickly lost all their clothes.
They were still dancing and grinding against some of the girls in there when the main door burst open and yells of real officers filled the house, intimating them to stay put and raise their hands in surrender. The rest was a blur: the only thing that he remembered clearly was being dragged out of the apartment, just in his briefs, and being put in a police cruiser with Finn and Mike, directed to the precinct.
The ride was silent since every time Finn tried to speak, he was shushed by the two officers who were in the front sits. Puck shut his eyes tight and let his head fall on his chest; his mind immediately went to Rachel: she would freak the fuck out. That's for sure. But he knew that, if there was someone who could help them out of that mess, it was his babe.
"We have one phone call, right?" Puck asked with an even voice and received a nod in response from the two New York's Finest. His two friends were frowning at him, eyeing him with curiosity and asking themselves how on earth he could be so calm in that shitty situation.
Puck tried to get comfortable in the seat (Well… As comfortable as he could get with his hands handcuffed behind his back) and said "Rachel will help us". Finn's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets as he replied "Are you out of your freaking mind? She will freak out! No! We're not calling her! We can call Sam, no?".
Mike opened his eyes wide in panic and shook his head quickly while Noah answered "Dude, are you listening to yourself? Sam fucking sucks under pressure! But Rach is a war machine when it comes to that. So, we're calling her. And do you remember how she was when we went out? I know she's still freaking out about it so I rather let her know we're fucking alive and where the hell we are!".
"Hey! Shut the hell up back there!" the officer, who was riding in the passenger side, told them. Finn sulked in his place in the seat but, as soon as the officer turned, he hissed "Fine, But you're calling her. I cannot deal with her freaking out, right now", at which Puck nodded; he wouldn't let the tall guy speak to her anyway, he wanted to reassure her himself.
The police station was absolutely hectic: Schue, JBI and some kids got arrested as well and there were other random delinquent and some prostitutes too, with officers walking quickly from one desk to another. To keep them quiet until the captain could interrogate them or set a bail, the threesome and everyone who was arrested at the party were thrown in several cells but, before the officer was able to drag Puck in the cell (that he would share with Finn, Mike, Schue and Jewfro), the mohawked man stated "I want to make the phone call right now".
The policeman looked at him right in the eyes before nodding and informing his colleague of where they were going. After a brief stop in the bathroom (where Puck could put on some clothes that were given to him), the police officer brought Noah to his desk (or at least, Puck assumed that much from some photos that showed the man with a cute redhead) and pointed at the phone, telling him that he would have just 5 minutes.
He keyed his girlfriend's number and waited for her to pick the phone up. When she did, he could feel just how anxious she was. "Hello?" he heard her say in a quivering voice so he hurried to reassure her somehow "Babe! It's me!". After that she asked with panic in her voice "Noah? What happened? Why aren't you calling me with your phone? Are you okay? Is Finn okay?" so he took a deep breath and replied "We're fine; it's just… Can you come here?". "Of course, Noah! Where are you?" she told him immediately and he closed his eyes tight as the words "We're at the 5th Precinct. We're under arrest".
"Noah, how… What…" Rachel's voice shakily said from the other end of the line but Puck had to cut the conversation short "Babe, I can't explain it right now. I just have 5 minutes. But don't freak out, please. We're fine, okay? Me, Finn and Mike are fine… A little bit shocked but fine. We haven't done anything wrong, you know that, right?" and he was glad to hear her reply immediately "Of course I know that, Noah! I know you! I'll be there in no time and with a lawyer for the three of you. Don't worry honey. And, please, tell Finn that I love him, okay? God knows how afraid he is right now…".
The officer tapped on his wrist, signalling that it was time to end the phone call, so Puck said "Babe, I have to go. Time is up. See you soon, okay?". She hurried to say that she will be there as soon as she could before adding "I love you, honey", at which he smile and simply said "Yeah, me too".
Noah got up and the officer walked him to the cell. The policeman told him with a playful smile "Your girl, uh? And here I was, thinking that you would had called your lawyer. That was pretty stupid from you" but Puck shook his head and replied "You don't know her. If you did then you would know that it was the best thing to do".
In fact, not even 20 minutes later, they heard a very familiar voice yelling "I demand to see them! The accusations they're charged with are just ridiculous and, I swear to God, if I don't see them in the next few minutes, I'm going to report you for hate crimes faster than you can say Burger King!". A deeper voice immediately replied to her "What are you talking about, crazy girl?! You're not even their lawyer!" but Rachel immediately rebutted "You're keeping them under arrest just because one is Asian, one's Jewish and the other one is the son of a gay couple, since the charges are absolutely preposterous. And, if you keep implying that I'm crazy, I have to add defamation in the pile!".
A mere seconds after that, the door that separated the cell section from the main hall burst open and a fat man in uniform with a big scowl on his face entered the section, immediately followed by the petite woman. As soon as Rachel saw them, she sprinted towards them and immediately grabbed her boyfriend's face in her hands, pecking hi lips. Then she went for her brother and hated the feelings of the bars between them: she knew Finn and it was certain that he was really scared by the whole situation. She just wanted to hug him really tight, just like he did when they were little and she was afraid of storms and thunders.
As she moved to check on Mike, she started to talk frantically "Oh my God, guys! Are you okay? Don't worry, I'm not going anyway. I'm going to stay here with you and Santana is already on her way so you don't really have to worry!". Puck frowned a little as he asked "Babe, why is Santana coming here? I though you said you were coming with a lawyer!" but, instead of Rachel, Finn answered that question "Dude, Santana is a lawyer. Well, not a real lawyer 'cause she's going to graduate in a couple of months but she's doing an internship for a pretty kickass law firm and she's really good at it".
Puck's and mike's eyes were wide in shock. How the hell didn't they know that?! They knew the woman for more than six months and they never knew this piece of information!
However, the deep voice of the police officer brought them out of their haze when he stated "Hey, doll! I told you that you can't stay for more than two minutes!". Rachel snapped at him "Should I add sexual harassment too, officer? And I'm not going anywhere, I made it pretty clear earlier!". The man was about to reply her when a familiar voice said "Tanaka, she can stay. I'll watch them; you can go". The fat policeman frowned at his colleague as he said "But, Beiste…".
Shannon patted his shoulder and tilted her head to the door, signalling him to get out. She waited for the door to be closed before turning on her heels and facing four sets of shocked eyes. Silence settled among the small group until Mike asked the masculine woman "Bestie, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing a uniform?". Shannon smiled guiltily at the men behind the bars and answered "I'm a cop".
Rachel's mouth was agape until a thought crossed her mind. "Do you have something to do with the three of them being arrested?" she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest while looking at the bigger woman with a mix of anger and hurt in her eyes.
Beiste pinched the bridge of her nose and grimaced before replying "Yes, I do. But they weren't my goal; they were just caught in the middle. A couple of months ago, we arrested Karofsky for armed robbery and drug possession but we reduced his sentence after he gave us information about the fact that Schue and JBI were in touch with some pretty big drug smugglers and that they met up with them at the club sometimes and during some of the external events. So, I took Karofsky's place as bouncer, monitored the situation and gathered evidences to arrest some of the drugs dealers, Schue and Ben-Israel. And, when I found out that tonight they would have met some of the pushers at the party, I knew that it was the perfect occasion to catch them. I seriously didn't want you guys to get involved but it's just kinda happened".
Rachel was absolutely shocked but she still managed to asked in a strangled cry "But why are they still in a cell if you know that they are not guilty of any of the charges they're accused of?! Why on earth didn't you let them go and arrest only the other ones?!". Puck extended his arm between the bar until he was able to reach for his girlfriend's hand and dragged her nearer to him so he could try to calm her down. She was basically shake in anger and was glaring at the bouncer (pardon… officer).
Shannon took another deep breath and told her "My boss doesn't believe that they're not guilty and that they had nothing to do with what was happening at the club. He already took samples of their bloods to see whether they use drugs or not and, after he's done with Schue and JBI, he will probably interrogate them".
Rachel looked at Puck with a sad expression and Puck was afraid that the petite woman could think that they really knew of Schue and JBI's connection with the dealers so he immediately said "Babe, we didn't know shit! Believe me!". Rachel's hands caressed sweetly his cheeks, feeling his smooth skin under her palm, and reassured him "I know, honey. I know the three of you. You're good people. It's just not fair that you have to go through all this".
As he wiped a angry tear from her cheek, the door burst open again and Santana entered in the section, followed by Tanaka, whose eyes wouldn't leave the Latina's ass that was perfectly wrapped in a pencil skirt.
"Fellas, hello. You okay?" Santana asked them, speaking particularly to Finn (even if she really enjoyed make fun of him, she really cared for the tall man and loved him; he stood by her when she needed someone to lean on – along with all the Berry family – and she would do anything in her power to help him out).
When they told her that they were okay but really wanted to forget that night, Santana started to talk about their situation "So, I talked with the captain and he told me that you're charged of alleged drug possession and use along with being connected to the drug cartel they're after. Of course, I told him that is just a bunch of bullshit and denied the allegations. We're waiting for the medical results to prove that you're clear. They also said that you're going to stay in cell for a couple of more hours, until they're done turning the screw on curly-fairy and the creep. Then, they're going to interrogate you singularly and I'll be right by your side, making sure to save your ass so all you have to do is do what I'll tell you to do or say. And since they haven't a damn thing to keep you here, you'll be out of there in no time". The black-haired woman looked into the men's eyes, asking "Everything's clear?", and nodded in satisfaction when all the men bobbed their heads.
During the whole speech, Rachel didn't let go of Puck's hand, clenching at it between the bars and glancing between her best friend and the three men behind the bars. She started to move her fingers across Noah's knuckles and, when Santana stopped to talk, she whispered to him "You'll be out in no time, honey. Trust Santana; she knows what she's doing".
They waited at least a couple of hours before they were called into the interrogation room and the only time Rachel left Puck was when Finn went out the cell so she could hug him and whispered to him reassuring words as well.
Puck was the last to be called in. When he entered in the room, he took in the environment. The room was dark grey and the table in the centre was illuminated by a lamp; on one side, a big window showed the street, lighted by the soft light of dawn and the streetlights.
Santana was sitting with her legs crossed while leafing through a file, looking like she was bored out of her damn mind. When she felt Puck coming in, she raised her head from the file and smirked at the captain, who was leaning on the wall right in front of her. "Very well. Mr Puckerman is the last so let's end this farce. This light is doing nothing for my complexion" stated the Latina, signalling to Puck to seat next to her.
The captain looked at Puck in the eyes and, after pushing the recorder's button, said "Noah Puckerman. Born August 17th, 1987 in Clinton, Massachusetts. Am I correct?" the captain asked. Puck nodded but the other man, who was blondish and has a quite large frame, told him sternly "You have to talk out loud, Puckerman" so the hazel-eyed man reiterated "Yes, it's correct", staring intensely into the other's eyes.
The captain sat down and asked him "What are your connection with Jacob Ben-Israel and William Schuester?". Noah answered curtly "Schuester is my boss and Ben-Israel works as DJ at the club" but the captain immediately rebutted accusingly "They're not simply your boss and your colleague! You're involved with them in the Lancini drug cartel!", which drew out two different responses from the people in front of him.
Where Puck spat "This is fucking bullshit! I've nothing to do with the shit Schue and the creep are into!", Santana laughed out loud and, after calming her friend down by placing a hand on his forearm, said calmly "Captain Menkins, I would be very careful with your accusations. You have no proofs against my client; so, would you be so kind to get to the point where you show us what evidences you actually have against Mr. Puckerman?".
Menkins grabbed the file from the Latina's hands and opened it up in front of Noah, tapping on a sheet of paper to indicate a document. The captain raised his voice and uttered "Don't play goody-goody with me, Puckerman! I'm sure you're involved. You have criminal record". Puck frowned and looked down t read the file, realising that it was from the time he was arrested in high school.
Noah's nostrils flared a bit and hissed "I'm not doing that shit anymore. I paid my dues with the law; I spend two months in juvie and then social work. That was it. I didn't do shit since then!". The Latina was looking at the captain with boredom in her eyes and cleared her voice before speaking. "Wait a minute. You're saying that you base your accusations on something that my client did when he was…" she took the sheet of paper in her hands and searched the piece of information she needed "17? Really? It wasn't even a drug-related crime! He drove his mother's car into a convenience store and stole an ATM! This is ridiculous. I don't even know why we're still talking if you have nothing against him".
An officer knocked on the door and went in, giving to his captain some papers and telling him "The blood results of Hudson, Chang and Puckerman, captain". Captain Menkins thanked the subordinate and read it; the more he read, the more he sulked. The three men's blood were clean from any kind of illicit substances.
Santana extended her hand and stared at the man until he gave her the documents, which she read carefully. As soon as she finished reading, she grinned at the captain and stated "So now can we put an end on this nonsense and let my clients go home? I really don't have time to waste and neither have they. And I fully expect that all the accusations are dropped right now for all the three of them".
Santana got up, immediately followed by Noah, and the two went out of the room, leaving a quite frustrated captain behind. The couple looked out for their friends until they found them sitting in the main hall on some plastic chairs: Mike had his head tilted back and his eyes were closed while Finn was staring down at his feet while playing with his sister's locks, since her head was resting on his shoulder.
Rachel was the first to see them and stood up quickly, walking very fast until she slammed her body against Noah's. She held him tight and asked "Are you okay, honey?". After Puck nodded and kissed her crown, the petite brunette turned to her best friend and asked "Now what will happen, Tana?" as they walked towards the desk where the men could take back their possessions. "Nothing at all, B. The department will drop all the accusations and the guys won't have to think about it ever again. The only thing that can happen is for them to testify at the trial that Schue and JBI will probably have to face, but they're free to choose whether they want to or not. That's it".
Rachel hugged the Latina as tight as she could and whispered in her ear "Thank you so much, Tana. I owe you so much. We would had been lost without your help", which made Santana smile affectionately and squeeze her a bit before saying "Hey, you and Finn are family. You don't owe me absolutely nothing, B".
Once outside, the group parted: Santana and Mike took a cab (Rachel offered Mike to stay with them for the night if he didn't feel like being alone after a night like that but the Asian politely declined the offer – he really couldn't wait to be in his own bed- and shared the car with the Latina, since they lived quite close to one another) while Finn, Noah and Rachel waited for another taxi. The petite brunette was afraid that Puck would prefer going in his own house but, when she asked, he said "I just want to be with you after a shitty night like that", making her smile broadly.
The car ride was silent and the first words where uttered by the tallest man inside her and Finn's apartment. "Guys, I'm going to sleep. Bye" he simply said before disappear behind his bedroom door. Rachel was staring at it a little bit worried so she told Puck "Noah, do you mind if I check on him first? I'll be back soon". The mohawked man looked down at her before saying "Sure, babe. Don't worry" but, as soon as he tried to walk away, she grabbed his hand, making him turn, and kissed him deeply, rolling her tongue with his and smiling when he moaned lowly. When she broke the kiss, Puck whined loudly but Rachel just giggled and pushed him gently away before heading to the kitchen.
10 minutes after, she was knocking lightly on her brother's door and opened it, her head sneaking from behind the door only to see Finn laying on his back, eyes wide open and hands intertwined on his stomach. "Can I come in? I brought you hot cocoa with marshmallow. Just like you like it" she told him sweetly. He turned his head so he could see her and smirked goofily before patting at the spot next to him and sitting up against the headboard. Rachel paddled her way to the bed and sat next to him, passing him the mug. She watched him blow on the hot beverage before taking some tentative sips and then she asked "How do you feel, Finnie?".
Finn stayed silent a little bit longer before saying "I'm fine, I guess. I'm just a little bit shaken up. It was the first time I was in a police department and I was in jail so, let's say it wasn't a very nice first time". He took another sip at the cocoa and kept going "But the worst part was when they arrested us. I was just in my undies. I mean, how embarrassing was that? And I just kept thinking 'Thank God Rach and Marley can't see me like that'".
Rachel hugged him sideway and rested her head on his shoulder, whispering "I'm so sorry you had to feel that way". Finn gave her a small smile and continued "Thanks. And now I'm jobless. So, I would probably return to work two jobs or something like that to not be as penniless as before" but Rachel shove it lightly and stated "That's not going to happen, Finn. My salary is way higher than before and you'll be paid for playing with Noah and Sam so you just have to find a regular job. Don't worry for the rest. We're not in the same situation than before and finally we can say to dad and daddy what your real job is!". The two laughed amused and Rachel felt like her job was done there so she kissed his temple and ruffled his hair before getting up and said sweetly "Everything is going to work out for the best, Finnie. Believe me. Now I leave you to rest; sweet dreams".
"'Night Rachie" he managed to say before she closed the door behind her and walked to her room. The only light that brightened up the room came from the bedside lamp (he rolled down the shades so they could sleep in without being bother by the sunlight that was already starting to illuminate the city) and she could see Noah laying on her bed, eyes close and even breath. She changed quickly in her pyjamas and crawled next to him, snuggling against his side and hugging his torso after switching off the lamp. She loved that her boyfriend started to sleep with his shirt off, since the weather definitely got better and the temperature raised, so she could feel every line, every muscle and his warm skin under her palm and be lulled by the beat of his heart.
Like a reflex, his arm went around her and dragged her even closer to him, tightening his grip on her before sighing deeply. She smiled and kissed the spot right on his heart, murmuring "Love you, honey".
The only thing she remembered before falling asleep was his babbling and the way he murmured "Rach" sleepily. Just when she thought she couldn't love the man anymore, he proved her wrong.
Did you liked it? I really, really hope so! Please, tell me your opinion by writing me a review! I can't wait to find out what you guys thought of it! See you soon!
P.s.: So, so sorry about the delay but my grandma is in the hospital so I'm barely at home. I'll try to be more punctual in the future.