Author's Note: So the last chapter got quite a few negative comments. People seem to think Rachel was behaving in a way that is very out of character and didn't believe she would do something like that with Lauren. I would like to point out that Rachel does kiss Santana after Finn outs her so it's not entirely out of canon character. But this is a fan fic and by its nature it will not follow canon. To me Lauren is very much a female Puck and I can see Rachel liking her for that reason alone; she's not in love with her, this was experimental and affectionate and won't be referenced much in the future. I can tell you from experience that if you like someone enough, if you genuinely care about them, expressing it physically to reassure them that they're attractive isn't unheard of. And if you don't like it, don't read. It's that simple. But don't leave me anonymous reviews complaining about what I wrote. Have the cojones to review under your account so I can respond and address the issues. Complain about how I write all you want, but what I write about? That's for me to decide.
For all those of you who reviewed and liked it, or didn't but at least had faith that I am going somewhere with this I really appreciate it. I've tried to respond as much as possible but when it comes down to respond with a PM or write more, I think I know which you prefer. Don't worry, this is still a Puckleberry story and they are End Game. We're just taking our time getting there. And now this long ass note is at an end. Thank God right? LOL
5 Chances Are
Rachel really wanted to kick Finn's ass at the moment. Not only was he still screwing around with Quinn, and not only had Quinn lied to Sam about kissing Finn but Sam was so silly in love with her he'd ignored everything Puck had said and was still with the blonde cheerleader who was, as far as Rachel was concerned, the undisputed queen of crazy bitch syndrome. And even as she thought it part of her wanted to laugh because it was such a Puck thing to think.
And honestly, Rachel shook her head as she pulled books out of her locker and headed to class, couldn't Quinn have come up with a better lie? Sucking a gumball out of Finn's mouth because he was choking was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. Frowning to herself as she took her seat Rachel didn't even notice Lauren sitting next to her until the other girl poked her in the shoulder.
"Givin' me the silent treatment B?" Lauren tilted her head curiously.
"Sorry, just thinking about the craziness that is glee right now…" Rachel shook her head. "Are you excited about your performance?" Lauren nodded slowly, as if she wasn't quite sure and Rachel grinned at her sympathetically, "Don't worry, I'll be on piano so we'll go at the pace we practiced. This is perfect for Mr. Schue's assignment."
"I'm worried about the high notes," Lauren shook her head, "And I don't wanna sound like an idiot."
"You're going to be great," Rachel rolled her eyes. "Have you ever known me to lie about this sort of thing?" Because seriously, she's incapable of being less than brutally honest about music and everyone in the whole school knows it.
"Come to think of it," Lauren pretended to consider for a moment and then grins. "No, you don't do ya? Probably why I like you, you say what you fuckin' mean."
"But with less profanity," Rachel told her primly, a sly grin slipping around her lips. "Seriously don't worry, that's why we're doing the song a half a pace slow, so you can hit those notes. It's all in your breath control. And we've certainly practiced that enough."
"Yeah," Lauren laughed, a lascivious look on her face that made Rachel blush a bit, she knows it's because Lauren is thinking of those breathing exercises and all that practice. Puck had been hanging out with them and he'd laughed and told Lauren that breath control was why Rachel was such an amazing kisser.
"Behave yourself Lauren," Rachel murmured. "I really don't need to be blushing all through history class."
"How about all through glee club?" Lauren teased and looked up as Puck and Artie came in. "Finally dudes thought you'd gotten lost."
"Almost forgot my damn book," Puck shrugged it off. "You guys ready for this afternoon?"
"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "I'm a little worried about Sam though," She admitted quietly. "I can't tell if he's just in denial or if he's pretending to believe her… or…"
"Or if he's really that stupid," Puck finished bluntly. "I think he's in denial. I also saw Santana talkin' to him and I get the feelin' that shit's over."
"Ah," Rachel really wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't much care for Santana and it was obvious the feeling was mutual. The girl had a wonderful voice, like smoke and whisky Puck had said, but she seemed intent on making everyone around her miserable.
"Hey Rache why is Brittany wearing an outfit that looks like yours?" Artie changed the subject with a confused look.
"I'm trying to fit in more, and everyone wears what Brittany wears," Rachel shrugged, "So I gave Brittany forty dollars to wear an outfit like mine. Everyone will copy her and then I'll look like everyone else."
"B, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Lauren began to say and then the teacher came in and no one was allowed to speak. Rachel sighed, it probably was stupid but she was tired of being the weird one. Even if it didn't work, she'd at least tried.
It definitely didn't work. And by the end of the week she was too irritated with the world in general to care. She didn't like Justin Bieber much, was angry with Sue Sylvester trying to horn in on the glee club while not so secretly plotting their downfall and to top it all off Mercedes had been mad at her for some ungodly reason. They'd had a 'diva off' in glee and it was all resolved and that had been fun but the drama of all of it was exhausting.
Lauren had done really well on her assignment and Rachel couldn't be happier for her newest friend. She'd sounded good and she'd started to relax about halfway through the song and have fun with it. Puck had been grinning through the whole thing. So she'd gone to hide out in the library reasoning that Finn hardly ever went in there so he wouldn't try his whole 'we can be friends' speech again like he had sophomore year. No one else besides Puck and Lauren and possibly Artie would care where she was and they'd text her if they started to worry.
So it was a little bit of a surprise when someone dropped into the chair next to her and she looked up to see Puck. "Hey," She greeted him quietly, closing the novel she was reading for English. She'd never liked Hawthorne's novels and forcing herself to reread this one was simply reiterating that fact.
"You okay Rache?" His arm slid around her shoulder affectionately and she sighed.
"Just…tired is all," She forced herself to keep her tone neutral rather than whiny. "It's been a long unproductive week."
"Yeah, Quinn and Sam are officially broken up, Santana's dating Sam now," Puck filled her in on the gossip. "I still think it's a big ole mess."
"We really are an incestuous little group aren't we?" Rachel looked at him, her smile tilting wryly, "What do you think of Coach Sylvester's song for the competition?"
"It's okay, not a bad song," Puck shook his head. "But writin' our own would really blow people away, you're right about that."
"Yeah, except for the whole, never written a song before," Rachel said dryly, "It's the perfect plan." She shrugged and looked up at him, "I just think that after having found us a good song Coach Sylvester will do something to pull the rug out from under us. It's what she always does."
"You're not wrong about that," Puck sighed. "We were gonna do our assignment, did you still want to?"
"You know I love singing with you Noah," Rachel smiled, happy for the first time that day. "Of course I'm coming to glee club." Part of her wondered what it would be like to date Noah again, to be his girl and just be happy, not pining after Finn, not worried about Quinn's pregnancy, to just be. But she wasn't there yet and trying to get there before she was emotionally ready wasn't fair to either of them. "We're going to piss Finn off you know," She warned him.
"I don't give a flyin' fuck if he's pissed," Puck scowled. "The best singer in the school is gonna duet with me, I'mma enjoy it." He looked at her defiantly, "The assignment was songs about chances, I think we've got a good one and nobody else has done it either."
"I'm not saying I won't do it Noah," Rachel reached for his free hand with hers and stroked his knuckles gently. "I just… it's been an exhausting week and between the drama with Mercedes, people wearing clothes like me but still looking down on me, and Sue Sylvester… I'm just hoping that we won't have anything more to deal with."
"Yeah, it'd be nice to actually stay to the end of glee for once, 'stead a gettin' pissed and it bein' a choice between walkin' out or deckin' Finn," Puck admitted ruefully. "I just… I like singin' with you angel, I wanna enjoy it."
"Then we will," She smiled. "Let's go to the choir room and get set up," She suggested, shoving her books in her case. "I really don't need to reread this stupid book anyway."
"You've read that shit before? How could you stand it?" Puck shook his head.
"I couldn't," Rachel rolled her eyes, "And please watch your language." She stood and grabbed the handle of her case. "Shall we?"
Puck grinned up at her and stood, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Yeah, this is gonna be great." Rachel really couldn't disagree with him.
Rachel smiled slightly as she sat at the piano and ran through the opening again, it had been an interesting week, Artie, Mike and Sam had gotten together to work on a Five For Fighting song that had been featured during the credits of a football movie or something like that. Lauren had sung an old song, Chances Are, by Johnny Mathis that had been perfect for her voice, slow and mellow. Santana and Brittany dueted on a Mary Chapin Carpenter song while Tina had done Sheryl Crowe, and Mercedes had credited her song selection to Celine Dion. Quinn had gone with a surprisingly upbeat number from ABBA and had done very well with it, Mercedes and Brittany backing her up. Finn had found and old Air Supply song which was typical of her ex. She and Puck were the last ones to perform which was just how she liked it.
Puck grinned at her and continued to tune his old acoustic guitar, as Lauren walked in. The girl wrestler was the only one they'd performed for so far, as Rachel had been working with her on her breath control and music while he'd learned the guitar chords for the song. "You're gonna blow 'em all away," Lauren predicted. "Can't wait to see the look on Hudson's face when he realizes you two are doing one number not two. Shit's gonna be epic," She cackled a little evilly and took her seat on the back risers.
Puck chuckled and nodded his agreement while Rachel allowed herself a small smug smile. "Finn should know better than to assume anything about me by now...but he keeps making the same old mistakes. Of course to be fair…so do I," She shrugged as the rest of the club began to enter the choir room and moved towards her seat, Puck doing the same and sitting next to her with his guitar. Finn walked in and glared at Puck and Rachel but when he sat down and saw Quinn entering he smiled in what he must have thought was a charming fashion. Rachel rolled her eyes and pulled out her book again, letting her knee fall against Pucks casually as she scanned the text.
The rest of the club filed in slowly, chattering and laughing, and Puck's hand brushed against her knee casually. Rachel was extremely conscious of Santana flirting with Sam, Quinn delicately encouraging Finn and sighed slightly as she closed her book and stuck it back in her case. Puck leaned towards her, "Angel, ya okay?" His voice was a murmur, pitched for her ears alone beneath the hum of conversation.
"If I started to flirt with you or Lauren, or anyone, he'd throw a fit," Rachel murmured back. "But he seems to think I should be alone and he can have Quinn and just expect me to wait? I know I..." She sighed. "I know I still love him in some ways, but sometimes I don't like him very much."
"I know just what you mean angel," Puck nodded and Rachel saw him cast a glance over his shoulder at Lauren. "Schue's here, let's do our song an' then grab our pals to hang out...hit the mall or somethin'."
"That sounds like fun," Rachel nodded with a smile. "Can you give me a ride?"
"In every way," Puck gave her a mock leer and she couldn't help grinning at him.
"Bad, bad man," She whispered as Mr. Schuester began to wind down from his talk about the songs so far.
"You know it," Puck grinned back at her.
"Puck, would you like to go first?" Mr. Schuester gestured towards the center of the floor, "Or would you rather go first Rachel?"
"Same time," Puck said easily as he rose from his chair and snagged Rachel's hand to help her up. He took his place on the side of the room opposite of the piano and Rachel smiled as Brad moved off the bench and she took his place. Meeting Puck's eyes she waited until he gave her the nod and began the deliberate notes that began Bob Seger and Martina McBride's song from Hope Floats. It was up to Puck to start the song out, the male's part coming before the female and she smiled as his gorgeous baritone filled the air. The longing of a simple man who felt more than he wanted, more than he'd ever believed and was convinced he'd never have the woman he loved.
"Chances are you'll find me
Somewhere on your road tonight
Seems I always end up driving by
Ever since I've known you
It seems you're on my way,
All the rules of logic don't apply
I long to see you in the night
Be with you 'til morning light..."
Rachel took a deep breath and kept her gaze on Puck as she began her part, a woman overwhelmed by a love she never thought she'd feel again. Passion and despair and hope all twined together in words that showed just how deeply she felt and how lost she truly was.
"I remember clearly how you looked
The night we met
I recall your laughter and your smile
I remember how you made me
Feel so at ease
I remember all your grace and your style
And now you're all I long to see
You've come to mean so much to me..."
Their voices merged on the chorus, and Puck began to move towards her, his pace as deliberate as the music.
"Chances are I'll see you somewhere
In my dreams tonight
You'll be smiling like the night we met
Chances are I'll hold you and I'll offer
All I have
You're the only one I can't forget
Baby you're the best I've ever met..."
Puck began the next verse and Rachel joined him on the second line, their voices overlapping, eyes meeting over their instruments as they sang through the last lines of the song.
"And I'll be dreaming of the future
And hoping you'll be by my side
And in the morning I'll be longing for the night
For the night…
Chances are I'll see you
Somewhere in my dreams tonight
You'll be smiling like the night we met, oooohhh,
Chances are I'll hold you and I'll offer
All I have..."
The instruments died away until it was only their voices, poignant and melancholy but still filled with love.
"You're the only one I can't forget
Baby you're the best I've ever met..."
Rachel let her fingers play the last few notes and took her hands away from the keys as Puck did the same. Letting her breath out in a sigh she looked at him anxiously when the club, including Mr. Schue was silent. Puck raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her before tilting his head towards the rest of the group. "Ya'll gonna say somethin'?" He asked finally, "Or you just gonna sit an' stare?"
Rachel groaned and rose from the piano bench. "Obviously not the hit we were hoping for," She agreed dryly and began to move towards her seat.
"Actually..." Mr. Schuester began, "It was great...I think we're all just stunned."
"Yeah, damn," Mike grinned and Tina nodded. Finally the rest of the club started to offer their opinions, with Finn being the only one remaining silent.
"Still tryin' to say you aren't messin' around with Rachel?" The quarterback spoke finally after everyone else had finished speaking. "'Cause if you're stickin' to that story, ya might wanna pick a different song."
"Shit Hudson," Puck rolled his eyes. "Get over it would ya? Lauren an' me are goin' out. I don't cheat on the girls I date." Unspoken was the 'unlike you' that everyone knew Puck was thinking.
"He's right," Lauren stood up with a shrug, "Me an' him are datin' and he hasn't even been alone with B." She walked down the risers to stand next to Rachel, "Wanna hit the mall? We can make Puck buy us pretzels."
Puck laughed and put his guitar in the case before he snagged his backpack while Rachel grabbed the handle of her case. "The mall sounds good; maybe you can stop by Victoria's Secret, gimme a few ideas." He grinned as Lauren smacked his arm, "Anybody else in?"
Rachel smiled slightly as everyone else began putting in their two cents and making plans for the mall, Artie and Brittany wanted to go, and Mercedes whipped out her phone and called Kurt to see if he and Blaine were interested. Puck finally whistled sharply and pointed at Rachel who grinned, "Everybody who's going to the mall meet us in front of the main entrance at four. We'll go from there."
The mall had been surprisingly fun, though Puck had really disliked the whole idea of Rachel covering up her legs with blue jeans. He'd kept shaking his head when she and Lauren would come out in different pants and finally Kurt had gotten fed up with it, "Seriously Puckerman, you can't keep telling her no on the jeans." The delicate boy had rolled his eyes, "I mean I get you think Rachel's legs are epic but tell her that, don't just say you don't like the jeans on her."
"I can't tell her I don't want her to hide her legs because it'll get back to Finn and he'll give her shit and then he'll give me shit and then I'll go nuts and kill him and I really don't think being a convict is on Rachel's five year plan for my future." Puck shook his head vaguely aware that sentence had been very Rachel influenced in both style and length.
"And this just is making Rachel feel like she doesn't look good in anything," Kurt pointed out with a prissy tone to his voice that, contrary to Rachel's prissy tone, just made Puck want to smack him.
Deciding it'd be fun to mess with the male diva Puck told him just that, "Ya know Rachel gets that prissy prim tone to her voice too, but I don't get the same urge with you as I do with her, I just wanna smack your face to make you shut up."
Kurt blinked at him and before Blaine could stop him asked the million dollar question, "If you don't want to smack Rachel what does that voice make you want to do?" Puck was aware of Blaine groaning and looked at the other Warbler as if to ask 'was Kurt really that clueless' and Blaine just nodded.
"Don't wanna gross you out or anything dude," Puck tried to give Kurt an out but the kid wasn't having any of it.
"I have to live with Finn Hudson," Kurt retorted, "I seriously doubt your ability to 'gross me out' with anything."
"Blaine tell him that he should let this go or I'll go into detail," Puck suggested leaning back against the wall with a sigh.
"Really Kurt, you don't—"
Blaine tried, he really did but Kurt wasn't having it, "No, I want to know. It's a challenge now."
Puck groaned and looked to be sure no one else was around and the girls in the dressing room couldn't hear him speak, "You cannot repeat this to anyone, not even 'Cedes, you got me? Finn gives me an' Rache enough shit as it is."
"All right…" Kurt's tone indicated that he was already second-guessing his insistence on knowing what Puck had meant but he'd asked for it and Puck was going to give it to him.
"When Rachel gets that tone to her voice, her mouth gets all tight like she's trying to control herself; keep from going nuts," Puck murmured with a smile. "She's usually trying to put the smack down on someone."
"Yes we all know that," Kurt rolled his eyes and Puck fought the urge to smack him anyway.
"When Rachel talks like that…" Puck knew the grin on his face was wicked bordering on lascivious and he really didn't care. "I wanna make her ride my tongue," He told the two gay boys. When Kurt blinked and didn't seem to get it, Puck smirked. "She sounds all proper an' prim an' mannered an' all I wanna do is get her to lose her shit. She sounds like that an' all I can think of is how she'd sound with her thighs draped over my shoulders and my mouth buried in her pussy." He looked at Kurt, "Get it now Hummel?"
"Uh…" Kurt was pink and nodding slowly.
Puck looked at Blaine who was simply tilting his head thoughtfully, "Do you have this reaction to other girls lecturing you?" The senior Warbler asked curiously.
Puck shook his head and wrinkled his nose, "It ain't a fetish dude, it's just Rachel."
"What else do you want to do with her that you wouldn't other girls?" Blaine was frowning and thoughtful and Puck glanced at him curiously.
"Why're you interested in this shit anyway?"
Kurt chuckled, "I've explained to him how annoying most people find Rachel, including my step-brother. I think you being out of the norm confuses him. If it's just attraction it's easily explained."
Puck ran a hand over his Mohawk, "She gets stressed and I wanna just put an arm around her and watch stupid movies until she relaxes." He shrugged, "She ain't my girlfriend anymore, but she's my girl, just like Kurt's my boy." He pointed a finger at Kurt, "That don't mean you get to use the prissy tone on me because I am so not dealing with your shit. That's a Rachel only zone."
"You have a lot of those?" Blaine wanted to know, "Rachel only zones?"
"Kinda yeah, kinda not," Puck shrugged. "She's my best friend you know? And her family's really tight, like she's always gettin' hugs and kisses from her dads. And at school she's kinda isolated so I try to help with that. Lauren's been gettin' into that too which is cool. Finn can't freak about Lauren."
"He would if he knew Lauren's gay," Kurt muttered.
"Hey she ain't out yet so don't spread that around," Puck glared and then looked up as the girls came out in yet another set of jeans. "I hate 'em." He said promptly.
"Why?" Rachel stamped her tiny foot, "You've hated every pair of jeans I've put on and Lauren's getting ready to kill me. I can't go skating in a skirt and tights Noah, I'll freeze to death."
"Why didn't you tell me they were for skating?" Puck wanted to know, "I was worried you'd start wearing baggy jeans to school."
"Why shouldn't I wear jeans to school Noah," Rachel had her hands on her hips, which meant he was in for it now.
"Uh, Rachel, we need to talk," Kurt got between the two of them before Puck said something that would cause trouble. He tugged Rachel and Lauren back towards the dressing rooms while Blaine regarded Puck with that disturbingly thoughtful gaze.
"Does she know?" Blaine asked finally, just when Puck was on the verge of telling the dude that a) he doesn't cheat and b) he wasn't gay.
"Does who know what?" Puck sighed, this was why he fuckin' hated talking sometimes. Shit always got deep or complicated or messed up when he talked.
"Does Rachel know you're in love with her?" Blaine's question was simple and quiet as if he hadn't just exploded the biggest bomb in the history of William McKinley High School.
"Ain't time for her to know," Puck shook his head. "If I, hypothetically, was in love with Rachel, I would still be her best friend and know that she's not quite over Finn and that she needs to be over that before she starts anything with anyone else." He sighed and softened his tone, it wasn't Blaine's fault, "Look man, she an' I, we got chemistry in spades, and we're friends and we both know she needs time. Finn did a number on her and she needs to get him out of her system and her head on straight before she gets into a relationship with anyone else."
"Ah," Blaine nodded and smiled. "That's…not what I would have expected based upon Kurt's stories. But it does seem as if you're just as good an actor as Rachel is an actress."
"Dunno what you mean man," Puck shook his head. "Berry's in a league all her own."
"She is," Blaine nodded his agreement. "Maybe it's simply that you wear an unrelenting mask while hers slips now and then. But you're both naturally honest people. It's easy to see how you two are friends."
"That's a new one," Puck shook his head, "Most of the club and the entire school really don't get Rache and me. They figure we got shit in common 'cause we're both Jewish."
"Idiots," Blaine shrugged off the opinions of an entire high school like they were nothing. For a moment Puck envied him that ease. "Everyone forgets that high school isn't the rest of your life unless you want it to be. It's only four years filled with hormones and angst and everyone thinks it's the be all end all."
"Yeah, I keep tellin' Rache that when New York is bowing down before her and everyone in Lima is sayin' 'I knew her when…' that it'll be worth all the crap she's goin' through now," Puck shrugged back. "But it's easy for me to say you know? At least I fit in on the surface. Nobody gives me shit for what I wear."
"No, they just call you a Lima Loser and treat you like crap," Rachel's voice was like iron. "And don't bother to visit or call or write when you're in juvie." She was wearing her skirt again and holding several pairs of jeans with a firm grip. "And while I appreciate your opinion on my purchases Noah, I am buying these jeans and you cannot stop me."
"Damn," Puck felt his jeans get slightly tighter at her prim little tone and took a deep breath. "Just tell me you're getting the tight ones, the ones you said had lycra in 'em?"
"Why does that matter?" Rachel frowned and Puck saw Kurt roll his eyes behind Rachel only to have Lauren smack the back of his head in a light reprimand.
"Because if you're gonna cover up those legs at least if the jeans are tight I can still see how they're shaped and they'll show off that sweet ass of yours," Puck told her bluntly.
"That's why you didn't like the jeans?" Rachel blinked and turned to look at Kurt, "I apologize for not believing you." Her dark brown gaze spun back to Puck and he felt his belly clench in apprehension. "And I am buying the 'tight' jeans. They're more comfortable and will be better for skating, not because you can appreciate my derrière in them."
"You're my friend Rache, how was I supposed to say it without soundin' like an ass? You know like I just did?" Puck protested, "Seriously?"
"It's all right Noah," Rachel rolled her eyes. "After all, I don't mind shopping, you're the one who had to stand here and wait so you're the one who suffered."
"Yeah because waiting around for hot girls to twirl around in front of me is a real hardship," Puck snorted. "Go pay for your stuff, I'm starvin' and I demand a trip to the food court and the music store."
"Boys are so whiny," Lauren commented to Rachel with an exaggerated eye roll as she followed the diminutive girl towards the sales counter.
Puck shook his head and looked at the two gay boys in front of him, "And that is why I don't go shoppin' much. Always say the wrong thing."
"You made Rachel's day," Kurt contradicted him. "You know she doesn't think she's pretty. She used to, but…"
"Yeah," Puck growled. "Fuckin' Finn," He tilted his head towards Blaine, trying to ease the tension out of his voice. "Did you give him the whole story about Rachel or just this year's saga?"
"The whole thing, he's got the history of New Directions, including how you didn't sleep with Rachel when you had the chance," Kurt told him. "He's up to speed."
"Musta been a borin' afternoon hearin' all that crap," Puck muttered as he watched the girls moving towards them. "Let's just…get somethin' to eat for now."
Blaine nodded and nudged Kurt when it looked as if the male diva would try to continue the conversation, "Later." He murmured quietly, "Give her a break." Puck was reminded again of why Kurt was his boy when the kid just nodded and began to tease Rachel that if she really wanted to show off her booty that she needed some heels to wear with the jeans.
Puck just groaned and slung an arm around Lauren's shoulders, "You gonna wear heels too?"
"Only if I'm trying to break someone's instep," Lauren laughed. "C'mon, I'm starvin'."
Author's Note: I know everybody is rooting for Puckleberry and I appreciate it. I hope Puck's talk with Blaine clarifys things some as to why Puck isn't making a move. I never thought he was as immature as he was painted in season 3. I always thought Juvie would have scared the hell out of him and made him think a little more. So what did you guys think? Worth the wait?