Thanks to you all that helped with this chapter! And to all those who reviewed and alerted, I would name you all but alas poor Hemmy is really tired tonight. But you all know who you are and that you are extremely important to me! This part wrote itself and I mean that literally. I simply sat down with the email and the rest just came about of its own accord. A special thanks to Rain who helps me make sure there aren't too many mistakes in my writing style. And to my ValBabe that inspires me to write Puck with different characters other than Kurt, all my 3's babe. And you should know what that means now! LOL So on with the chapter and please review. To my Demons and Wolfies Thank you both so much! Hemmy

Chapter 9

Words Can Hurt Just As Much

They are sitting on Dave's bed as Noah takes out the white folded paper and stares at it for a few moments before opening it. He reads the hateful words in bold black letters; his hands begin to shake, his breath becomes shallow. He finally drops the letter running into Dave's bathroom retching. He barely makes it to the porcelain basin before the food from Marcy's makes a reappearance.

Dave grabbed the paper before following Noah into the bathroom. He lays it on the tile counter top of the vanity before pulling a wash cloth from the cabinet by the shower wetting it and placing it on the back of Noah's neck.

"Babe it was just a piece of paper. He can't hurt you. They are just words." Dave tries to calm the shaking, retching jock kneeling on the floor. He rubs soothing circles on Noah's shoulders.

Noah has empties his stomach contents and is dry heaving the only thing left which is bile. He can't stop the memories that are flooding his mind. He can feel everything that happened that afternoon.

"He he knew why my father left? He can't know." Noah gasps out between retches. When he looks up Dave begins to gently clean his face of the tears, vomit and spit. There is such fear in the almost solid amber eyes that Dave feels his own tears threatening to fall.

He grabs the email off the vanity and reads it.

OMG Cedes!

Puckerman showed up with Dave Karofsky to pick up his truck at my house, Santana and Brittany were there too, yet he wouldn't even talk to me! He kept pushing me away!

Then he starts screaming at me how I cheated on him and how I broke his heart! He was crying all over that ape Karofsky! I knew he was cheating on me, but I would never have thought it was with that dirt bag!

Then my Dad comes out and he believes that lying human reject, that I was cheating on him with Blaine! And my dumb step brother, thank Gucci we aren't related by blood, backs up every single word the worthless Neanderthal was accusing me of! Finn even told my Dad about me bringing Blaine home on the weekends that they had their over night dates.

My Dad took my baby, because of what that Lima loser said! I now have to ride with Finn to and from school every Friday afternoon and be up at an un-Godly hour Monday morning to ride back to school. He took my cell, my laptop, and all forms of communication while I'm at home and school! I am having to use a public computer in the library to send you this email! All because that walking STD carrier couldn't do what I told him and that was to go to Mike's to play stupid video games! If he had done that then none of this would have happened!

I don't know why I ever agreed to date the deadbeat and I never felt anything when he touched me! And the way he kissed me made my stomach turn and not in a butterfly way either. I had to pick out his clothes if we went out. Don't even get me started on his manners. I know why his father left and never came back! I guess I just wanted to see what it was like to slum for a little while. Ugh!

I'm so glad that I am over that and I have Blaine who is everything that stupid loser could never be. Blaine is amazing! He's educated and knows how to treat me. We go to the local Art Galleries and then to the little Bistro around the corner from campus. And OMG! The sex is FABULOUS! I am so glad I didn't have sex with Puck, it wouldn't have been special considering I would have had to tell him what to do and how to do it! I don't see how he is considered a sex god.

I sent Quinn an email asking for her help. I am going to destroy him and Karofsky! She is around them more than you and I know you wouldn't be comfortable helping me to destroy Puck. I asked her to catch them together and to take pictures for me. I am going to out them to the entire school! I am going to send the pictures to Jacob Israel to put on his blog! The jocks will turn on their own and make their lives physically a living hell! And I may transfer back to McKinley just to watch the show!

Thanks for listening to me Cedes! I will check my email everyday at lunch. I have to head to Modern Lit now.

XXOO

Kurt

The words worthless, stupid, deadbeat, Lima loser cause Dave to slam his fist against the floor making Noah jump. He puts the paper down and pulls Noah against him.

"You are none of those things baby. He isn't worth you making yourself sick. Please baby, try to calm down." Dave can hear Noah mutter.

"The court said that no one knew except me, my Ma and the lawyers. No one else was suppose to know. How did he find out? BEAR HOW DID HE FIND OUT?" Noah screams at Dave clutching his knees to his chest.

"Noah what/who are you talking about? No one is suppose to know what?" Dave looks at Noah who is shaking his head closing his eyes tight. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Let me in baby, please." He watches as his boyfriend opens his eyes, they turn cold, like he was dead. There is no light shining out of them as he looks at Dave and starts speaking, his voice a monotone. He looked like he was in a trance. Dave becomes frightened for his boyfriend.

"Do you remember when I missed a month of school in the fourth grade? That was when my Dad left. No one was suppose to know. They said I had an accident. But it was my Dad.

My Dad could be a real asshole sometimes, yelling at my Ma or me, hitting us sometimes, but I never thought he would react the way he did. I just wanted a friend. A best friend that I could have fun with, I didn't even know I was gay back then. I just wanted a friend of my own.

I wanted Finn to come over and spend the night. I had never asked for anyone to sleep over and I really wanted to be friends with Finn. I told him that I liked hanging out with Finn and that I really liked him. I never had a best friend before and I thought he would be proud of me. My dad asked me if I liked girls and I said no. I was eight years old, girls were gross.

The first punch was so hard that I hit the wall behind me and slid down it. I thought my head was going to explode and I started crying holding my hands up in front of me. I could feel the blood running down my face. He started screaming at me that no son of his was going to be a faggy homo, that he would should me how to be a real man. He grabbed me off the floor and threw me into the china cabinet, God it hurt worse than his fist, the glass doors broke when I hit it.

When I landed on the floor he started kicking at me. I remember pulling my knees against my chest, like this," Noah wraps one arm around his knees and one around the back of his head. "I tried to protect myself. I begged him to stop, told him that he was hurting me, that I was bleeding. He told me to shut up that he wasn't having a queer for a son. That he would beat the evil out of me. He jerked me up off the floor and started punching me in the face, the stomach and that is when I blacked out.

Ma came home and saw what that bastard was doing to me. She tried to pull him off but he wouldn't stop, so she hit him with the coffee pot. She grabbed me up and took me to the hospital. That is what I heard her tell Nana Connie at the hospital.

If my Ma hadn't got off work early that afternoon I would have died, that's what the doctor told her. They thought I was asleep, but I could hear them talking about me. I had broken ribs, cuts, internal bruising, a concussion, and my face looked like it had been through ten rounds with a boxer. I couldn't see that good and I couldn't breathe without hurting. The punches to my eyes did something to them and that's why I wear contacts or glasses, without them everything is a little out of focus.

The hospital called the police and they arrested my dad. My Ma testified against my dad and I told the lady from the court what happened and he got ten years in a maximum prison for trying to kill me. He gets out sometime this year but he isn't allowed any contact with me, my Ma, or Sarah. I think he isn't allowed to be in the same state, but I don't know. Since I was so young and he almost killed me, it was never made public; they sealed the records. Ma wouldn't let me go back to school until all the bruises were gone from my face so no one would ask any questions." Noah looks at Dave tears falling from his dark lashes. "My Ma blamed herself and started drinking. She said she would look at me and could still see what he did to me and it was her fault. I tried to tell her for years that it wasn't her fault. She finally stopped drinking a couple of years ago and we both went to therapy for a few months.

You are the only person besides Santana that I have told the truth about it. I trust you Bear. A part of me keeps telling I am wrong for it but I do. I never told Kurt. I never said anything to him about my father except that he left when I was little."

Dave pulls Noah onto his lap, stroking the dark stripe of hair and pressing his lips against the dark teen's forehead. He doesn't know what to say. All he wants to do is beat the shit out of Noah's abusive father and Kurt for hurting his love. How could someone try to kill their own kid? He almost died because his fucked up father thought he wanted…Fuck he was only eight years old, Noah didn't even know what sex was or what it meant to be in love with a guy!

"Baby, I am never going to let someone hurt you like that again. I promise! You were too little and there was something wrong with him not you! You only wanted and needed a friend! You did nothing wrong Noah!" There is a hardness to the compassionate tone of Dave's voice as he tries to make Noah realize that he did nothing wrong and that he didn't deserve what that bastard did to him. "When we are alone is that when you are Noah and not Puck?"

"Yeah. I feel safe with you Bear. I trust you and I am falling in love with you." Noah looks at the green hazel eyes widen in shock. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Noah looks away to the floor.

"I am falling in love with you too Noah. And I promise I won't tell anyone what you told me." Dave says nuzzling the soft dark hair.

Noah jerks his eyes back to Dave's face and can see the big teddy bear really means it. He can feel Dave kissing the stripe of dark hair murmuring that he would always protect him, that he loved him too much to allow anyone to hurt his Elmo.

Noah snuggles into the broad warm chest feeling a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He just told the big guy his greatest secret and that he was falling in love with him without Dave pushing him away or laughing at him.

Mr. K had been listening outside the door. He had been on his way to bed and just meant to check on the boys when he heard Noah yelling about his father. A sudden realization hits Paul. Puckerman, Noah Puckerman. Oh My God! It's him, it's the kid from ten years ago! It's not possible, is it?

Paul was familiar with the case, it was his first child abuse case when he worked for District Attorney's Office. It had been an extremely sensitive case at the time. The father was yelling to anyone that would listen that his son was a fag and deserved what he got. Paul could feel no sympathy for the man especially after the doctor's report and the pictures of the injured little boy.

The pictures of the child and the home showed in graphic detail the powerful rage of Mr. Puckerman's temper. A small eight year old body covered in dark blue and yellow bruises on his back, chest, arms, legs, and his face was barely recognizable as human. A kitchen with blood spatters on the wall, a destroyed cabinet, the linoleum littered with bloody shoe prints. Paul remembers going home that night and hugging Dave for almost an hour. He wasn't allowed to explain anything, he just kept telling his son he loved him.

The case was open and shut considering the confession from the father and the testimony from the mother and child. A deal was reached in a matter of hours between the DA's office and a public defender, ten consecutive years with no parole or time off for good behavior. The judge warned all parties involved that this case was never to be discussed with anyone that was not directly linked to the case and that the case was to be sealed indefinitely. Mr. Puckerman was told that once his sentence was served that he was not allowed to have any contact with the mother or the two children and if he broke said order he would be sent back to prison to serve an additional ten-twenty years.

Mr. Puckerman was led from the closed court room shouting he was only being a good father, that someone had to save his son's soul from being a cocksucker. Paul remembers the chill that ran down his spine looking at the eyes of the terrifying man, he reminded him of Charles Manson. He just wasn't crazy, clinically crazy anyway, that was what the court appointed psychiatrist had determined, "the fucker is just scary mean" was what the doctor said off the record.

Paul snaps out of the memory when he hears his son say that he is falling in love with Noah. He smiles at the honesty in Dave's voice and peeks around the corner to see his son holding Elmo tenderly kissing the stubble on top of his head. The love he sees between those two young men makes his heart swell with pride. He accidentally bumps the door against the wall causing the boys to break apart at the noise.

"Uh, hey Dad. Noah got sick and I was just trying to make him feel better. We weren't doing anything…I mean we weren't making out or…." Dave stops rambling when Noah pokes him in the side looking like 'SHUT UP'!

"I think I ate something bad from Marcy's earlier Mr. K." Noah blushes down to the top of his tee shirt.

"I don't think you were doing anything wrong boys. You can relax for a minute, but I do want to talk to the two of you out here. Okay?" Mr. K looks at both boys with a soft expression.

"This isn't going to be a safe..uh…sex talk is it Dad? Cause that would be really embarrassing in front of Noah." It's Dave's turn to blush. That is the only reason he can think of why his dad wants to talk to them.

"No, I think you both are old enough to know about….that. No this is something I need to say to both of you." Mr. K steps back towards the bed as both boys walk out of the bathroom and sit on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't mean to eaves drop on the two of you. I was coming up to say goodnight when I heard Noah yelling about his father." He holds his hand up as both teens start to say something. "Noah, I was the prosecuting attorney on your father's case. Son, I am sorry that ever happened to you. I heard you saying how someone could know about him, they can't the records were sealed and a court ordered gag was placed on anyone that had been involved in the case. So I don't want you worrying about something that can't happen. I will check with the records department but as far as the court is concerned no one knows and they never will unless you tell them." Mr. K looks at the tears that are slipping down the tanned cheeks and how his son pulls him to his side.

"Are you sure Dad? I mean it was a long time ago. Could someone get the records or talk to someone that knew?" Dave holds Noah with one arm around him and his hand interlacing with one of Noah's.

"I don't want anyone else knowing about my…about him. I dealt with it with a shrink a couple of years ago. He said that I have to face it, that I have to face that it happened to me. And I know he is getting out this year. I had kept it locked away until the email. I'm sorry Mr. K but I need to know if anyone else has found out and I want to know when he is getting out." Noah looks at Paul with tear filled eyes. "I don't want him trying to hurt my family or Dave. It doesn't matter if he comes after me. I can take it. I survived it."

"I will make sure no one comes after you, Dave or your family Noah. No one is going to hurt any of you. I will make some calls in the morning and find out what I can. I want you to remember something Noah; you matter to Dave, to me, to your mom, your crazy friends, and your sister. We all need you to be okay. If he does try to contact you tell me or your Mom, so we can help stop him." Paul kneeled in front of the young man that was in love with his son. The words he spoke he said in truth, they all needed him in their lives. He pats both their knees and stands to leave. "You boys get ready for bed and if you do anything just be safe that is all I ask. Goodnight."

"Dad!" Dave turns four different shades of red, he looks at Noah seeing he has the same reaction. "Sorry about that Noah."

"It's okay. You have a really good Dad." Noah smiles at the embarrassed Dave.

"Yeah he' pretty cool." Dave smiles back at Noah thinking about his father. He knew his Dad had dealt with bad cases before, domestic assault, murder and stuff like that but he never thought about his Dad being the one that sent Noah's monster away. He felt proud knowing his Dad was there for Noah even back then.

The boys get ready for bed in sweats and undershirts. Dave jokes about putting drool pad on his chest as they are brushing their teeth but Noah knows better and he really does not drool. Not that much any way. Noah and Dave climb into the big bed with Dave promising that everything would be better in the morning and he mattered to him. After kisses that were filled with love and comfort instead of passion and lust, Noah claimed his spot on Dave's chest laying his head so that it rest against Dave's chin.

"Goodnight Bear. Iloveyou." The last words spoken in a rushed whisper from Noah as he wrapped his arm around his teddy bear.

"I love you too babe. Goodnight." Dave says the words louder and clearer than Noah, no longer afraid of the feelings in his heart. He knew Noah meant the words, it was just that he was still afraid of being hurt and after hearing what happened Dave understood why.

Xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paul didn't go to bed after he walked out of the Dave's room. He headed back downstairs and logged onto the data based used by the county and state for criminal offenders. He searched until he found Isaiah Puckerman at the Maximum Correctional Facility in Columbus. He used his State ID to access the prison's personal records to access the file on Isaiah. He did not like what he read.

Numerous assault investigations, but there was never any witnesses.

Was a prime suspect in a knifing incident. Again no witnesses.

Is a strange type of religious leader to some of the inmates. Cult like following.

Combative with guards and the warden.

Everything that Paul read made him more determined to find a way of stopping the man when he was released in a few months. At least the boys and Noah's family have a little while longer before he is released from prison. Maybe I can talk to the judge and see if he can't order the man to live in another state.

Paul logs off and makes sure the house is locked up before heading back upstairs. He stops at Dave's room and peeks inside the open doorway. He thought he would be grossed out by his son loving another guy but strangely he isn't, maybe it is because he can see that both of them care so much for each other. He looks at Elmo laying across Bear's chest, arms wrapped around each other.

Where in the world did his son come up with Elmo as a nickname for the young man in his arms was a mystery to Paul, but he had a feeling it had to do with a red fuzzy ticklish creature from Sesame Street. Paul shakes his head at the thought and smiles as he closes the door heading to his own room. Everyone was safe tonight.