Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: Not beta'd; all mistakes are mine. Please mention them if you find any.
A/N2: I've seen so many people say that Puck would have a truck, and I even started out that way in my previous chapter, but I think he'd more of a Jeep guy. I'm a Jeep person, so I'm going with that.
...
...Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes to meet the same strong gaze as moments earlier and he finally gave in for the second time to admit his secret. "Rachel, the baby; the girl that Quinn is carrying... She's not Finn's. She's mine."...
The words fell from his lips, breaking the barrier he'd held for so long; confiding in her with one of his deepest kept secrets. He blinked his eyes at her silence and remembered earlier she had been 'processing' so he gave in and waited. This time he wanted to hear her response; hear her call him every name in the book; tell him she never wants to see him again. He wanted her to tell him something and the blank look on her face actually concerned him, so he took it upon himself to break the silence, "Rachel, look I -"
She was quick like a hungry snake; her right hand came up and slapped him across the cheek, the sound echoing through his ears. As quick as her hand was there, it was gone again; balling into a fist at her side.
He stood strong; he knew he deserved it and plenty more, but he took it like the man he was trying to be, all the while, his heart shattering into pieces at the realization that the only person he felt something for would never want him. "I deserved that," he said softly stretching his jaw out a little, curious at just how red his cheek was. He knew he'd be feeling it for a few days.
Rachel had yet to say anything, but slapping him hurt more than she expected and her hand actually stung just like her heart did. She was torn. She really couldn't be mad at him for something he had done before anything between them was there, but how could she part of his life if he was having a child with someone else? 'Wait! Wasn't Quinn giving the baby up for adoption?' Her mind screamed. "Finn told me Quinn is planning to give the baby up for adoption," was the first words she spoke to him.
Puck stared at her; shocked when she finally spoke, but nodded, "yeah, only 'cause she won't let me have anything to do the baby. I really hate her," he said calmly.
Her eyes drifted shut as his words, her mind still clouded with words and visions, but she looked to him, "why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to have something to do with the baby and not Quinn?"
"I don't like Quinn. Sleeping with her was a mistake, but I'm not like my father. He's the deadbeat; not me. If she wants nothing to do with the baby, fine, but I do. The kid she's carrying is mine and I'm not letting her go just because Quinn doesn't want to keep her," he said studying Rachel's face, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. "But I don't have much to say about it since she's determined I'm a 'Lima Loser'. I don't care if I have to be a single dad; I'll do it."
"You're not a Lima Loser," Rachel defended, "you're not."
"Yeah right," he scoffed at her response, this time stepping around her to finish his trek to his jeep.
Rachel caught up to him before he stepped off the curb and grabbed his arm, "wait."
He turned to look at her and saw her face at softened from the ice look she had moments ago.
"Noah," she paused a moment to collect the words she needed to say, "I am upset that someone is carrying your child, but it's not something I can change. What I can say is that I still like you, even more now that you've been honest with me, and I'd like to still be part of your life, your daughters, too, if you'll have me," she spoke, her words getting lighter until the last few were just above a whisper.
It was Puck's turn to be stunned to silence, but he quickly shook out of his daze, "after all of this, you still want to be in my life?" He asked disbelieving her.
She stepped closer to him, looking into his eyes, "yes, Noah. You were honest with me. How can I walk away from that?" She asked, her voice shaky and soft.
Puck never cried, but he was starting to think that Noah was going to break that for him. His heart skipped a beat as she spoke those last words and his emotions were starting to get the best of him. Feeling a single tear fall from his eyes, he reached for her, pulling her into a tight hug, finally letting go of the emotions that had been building.
Rachel rested her head against his chest as his shoulders shook. His head rested on her shoulder, where she could feel a small wet spot growing, but she just stood there, holding on to him, silently promising him she'd be there with him for everything.
'Get a grip, Puckerman!' Puck heart and head didn't seem to agree, but he took a few deep breaths before lifting his head and using his free arm to wipe his eyes on his shirt sleeve, "thank you," he murmured, looking down into her eyes.
"Anytime, Noah," she smiled lightly.
He looked around at where they were. He was next to his jeep; still on the sidewalk in front of her house. Both of her arms were wrapped around his back and now his arms were slung around her shoulders. His hand still held his Letterman's jacket tightly, but at that moment he felt like things were finally going right for him.
"So we're together, right?" She asked looking at him.
He nodded, "if that's what you'd like," he murmured, a smile on his lips.
She returned the smile, but the sound of a car nearby startled them. Puck studied her, to see if she was worried, but her casual demeanor surprised him, even as the car pulled into her driveway. She slowly took his hand, "come on."
Puck didn't do well with meeting parents; he usually avoided that like the plague or broke-up with a girl before it got that far, but Noah, on the other hand, was trying to be a gentleman, or at least a normal person, so he reluctantly followed her to where a dark skinned man got out of the car, dressed in a suit.
"Hello, sweetheart, who's your friend?" The man greeted her with a hug before looking at Noah again.
"Dad, this is Noah Puckerman, he's in Glee club with me. He's also on the football team at school," she explained. "Noah, this is my dad, Alan Berry."
Puck extended his hand, "it's nice to meet you, sir," he told him calmly.
Alan shook Puck's hand, "you as well, Noah," he paused and looked at the two of them, "do I have to ask, or are you going to tell me what I just saw?" He asked.
Puck wasn't sure what to say, but thankfully she jumped in, "well, Noah and I kind of agreed to start dating," she explained.
Alan's eyes widened at her admission, turning to Puck, "this is a little out of the blue," he commented. "Noah, why don't you stay for dinner. David should be home soon and we'd love to get to know you," he smiled.
Puck glanced at Rachel, sending daggers her way; he was no way ready for this, but he was stuck, "um, sure. My sister's at a babysitter until eight and and my mom's at work."
"Excellent," he smiled and motioned to the house before making his way towards the front door.
Rachel and Puck followed hand-in-hand, but Puck was walking slowly, "you owe me," he murmured.
"What? Why?" She asked stopping to look at him.
"I don't do meeting the parents," he muttered.
"Oh come on, they'll love you! Just give them a chance," she gushed, tugging him towards the front door.
Puck groaned, but followed her into the house, this time going right into the living room. "Huh," he paused and looked around, seeing a normal looking living room. When he'd arrived at Rachel's earlier, they had gone right to her room to 'practice,' so he hadn't gotten a chance to see the rest of the house. The fireplace mantle had family photos set on top, a few paintings hung on various walls and there were two couches and a love seat making a seating area in the middle of the room with a coffee table between them.
"Not what you expected?" Rachel asked from behind him.
He shrugged, "I don't know what I expected... This is so... normal," he told her, laying his jacket over the back of a couch.
"Contrary to what people say, we are a normal family, so our house is normal," she replied, stepping around him.
He turned to her, but his eyes landed on a wall with photos and medals hung in shadow boxes. He moved over to them and realized he was looking at the 'Rachel Wall.' There were pictures of her in various costumes, at different ages, holding trophies or medals, most of them first place.
"Those are only some of them," she admitted proudly.
"Why am I not surprised?" He commented, a smirk tugging at his lips. "It's easy to see why you're so pigheaded and stubborn."
She gasp, her fist punching him gently in the arm, "Noah! There is nothing wrong with wanting to win."
He laughed, tugging her into his arms, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't like that about you," he responded, his lips brushing against hers.
"Nice save," she whispered before connecting their lips for a brief yet meaningful kiss.
Someone clearing their throat startled them, finding Rachel's other dad standing in the foyer, "um, hi," he said.
Rachel smiled, "hi daddy," she walked over to him and gave him a hug as if he hadn't caught them kissing in the living room, "how was work?" She asked nonchalantly.
"Just fine," he returned her hug, his eyes still on Puck, "who is your friend?"
"Daddy, I'd like you to meet Noah Puckerman, my boyfriend. Noah, this is my daddy, David," she smiled.
Puck moved forward and extended his hand, "nice to meet you, sir," he commented, sticking with respectful.
The man hesitated, glancing between the two before shaking Puck's hand, "likewise. Did this just happen?"
"We discussed it today, yes," Rachel smiled.
"I see. Are you sticking around, Noah?" David asked.
"Yes sir, uh, Alan asked me to stay for dinner," he told him.
"Excellent," David smiled, "I look forward to getting to know you," he responded. "I'm gonna go say hi to your dad," he told Rachel before he set his things down and disappeared into another part of the house.
Puck exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and plopped down on the closest couch.
"Don't worry, Noah," she assured, sitting down next to him and taking his hand in hers.
He looked at her with fear in his eyes, "you've gotta understand this is like a first for me. I usually don't stay with girls long enough to meet their parents," he explained, his voice quieter than usual.
Rachel's eyes blinked a few times at the realization of his relationships, "oh," she blushed, "but I promise they're great. You'll like them," she added pushing aside the other comment for a later discussion.
Puck's mouth opened at the same moment his phone began to ring, "damn it," he hissed tugging it from his pocket, "hello?"
"Dude, Puck! Where the hell are you? Tanaka is gonna to blow a gasket!" Finn's voice exclaimed through the phone.
Puck glanced up at Rachel who had stood to give him some privacy, "I told you I wasn't coming to practice today. I had some things to take care of. Look, can we talk at practice tomorrow?" He asked, "I'm a little busy." Puck was now starting to regret the Saturday football practices.
"No, you gotta hear this now," Finn snapped.
"Whoa, chill out, what's the emergency?" Puck sat up and tried to remain calm; curious as to why his friend was acting like this.
"Tanaka gave us an ultimatum."
"Who's us? What kind of ultimatum?"
"I kind of got into a fight with one o the guys and now he's pissed. He told us that he's making a mandatory practice on Thursday at 3:30. We don't show up, we're off the team."
"Wait, we have Glee practice at that time."
Rachel's attention jumped to his conversation as soon as she heard 'Glee' mentioned and sat back down next to him. Puck couldn't help smiling at her response, even though it was silent.
"Yes; he said we have to pick; Glee or football... Which means that if we don't go to practice we're all off the team, Kurt, Matt, Mike, me, you, but if we can't stay in Glee, then we can kiss sectionals goodbye."
Puck sighed, rubbing his forehead with his free hand, "Dude, I can figure that out myself... Look, I'll talk to you tomorrow at practice," Puck pulled the phone from his ear and ended the call quickly.
"What's going on?" Rachel demanded; her arms now crossed over her chest.
Puck knew he wouldn't be able to keep the news from her, "Coach gave Mike, Matt, Finn, Kurt and I an ultimatum. He's making a mandatory practice on Thursday at 3:30. He's making us choose," he leaned back against the couch; trying to figure out what to do.
"But he can't do that! Mr. Schuester and Mr. Tanaka talked and made up a schedule so you guys could be in the club!" She exclaimed, jumping up and beginning to pace. "We need you guys for sectionals! We need 12 people! I know Kurt will stick with us, but what about you, Finn, Matt and Mike?"
"Look, I'm sure Coach is just pissed. Finn got into a fight with one of the guys. I'm sure he'll change his mind by tomorrow," he told her.
"What if he doesn't?" Rachel asked sitting down next to him again.
"Then we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, because I really don't want to deal with it right now," Puck admitted.
"But -"
Puck leaned forward and held a single finger against her soft lips to still them, "you've gotta give me some time to think about it."
She blinked for a moment and finally gave in with a heavy sigh, "alright."
Puck's mind was lost. For missing one Friday practice, everything went to hell. He was torn between football and music; both important to him. Giving up football meant giving up the 'bad ass' image he'd worked so hard to keep, but he was finally seeing that being a jerk and dumb jock wasn't really his life any more. On the other hand, giving up Glee, would mean he'd give up his music, where he truly felt like himself for the first time in his life. If the ultimatum stuck, he'd really have a tough decision to make.
"Noah!" Rachel snapped her fingers in front of his face.
Puck snapped from his thoughts, "huh, what?" He looked at her.
"Dad said dinner is ready. You spaced off," she told him, standing up and taking his hand.
"Oh, yeah," he shook his head and took her hand, standing to follow her into the dinning room where four plates were set up on the table.
"You okay?" She asked as they sat down next to each other at the table.
"I think so, just this whole football thing is going to be tough," he admitted.
"Yes it will be," Rachel admitted, choosing to keep her opinions to herself; for the time being.
Her dad's joined them, moments later with dinner in hand, salad, spaghetti, sauce and chicken. Casual conversation ensued as the food was passed out. Puck learned that Alan was a lawyer and David was a psychologist, before they all quieted down to eat.
Alan finally broke the silence with, "So, Noah. How long have you been in the Glee club?"
Puck had to think about this, finally responded, "about a month," surprising himself with an actual length of time of how quickly things had changed.
Rachel jumped into the conversation, retelling what she knew of Mr. Schuester teaching the football team to dance and helping them win a football game, which in turn got Puck, Matt and Mike to join.
"He's got a great voice; who knew under that football exterior, Noah would have a beautiful singing voice and he plays the guitar," Rachel added.
"You do? How long have you played?" David asked.
"Since I was a kid. Just started plucking away and got a few 'teacher yourself how to play' books and before long I was picking up songs," he shrugged.
"That takes some dedication," Alan commented, "not many can do that."
With every question asked, Puck seemed to relax only slightly, as long as they kept on topics he was comfortable with, like school, football, music and Glee club. When asked if they knew each other before Glee club, Rachel jumped in with a story that they'd only passed in the halls, but never spoke until he joined. Puck was thankful for that save; glad she didn't add in the daily slushy attack.
"Noah, you're a junior?" David asked.
"Yes, I am," Puck nodded looking towards him.
"Have you thought of where you want to go to college?"
Puck tensed up and even Rachel noticed him almost freeze as if shot with a stun gun. The 'C' word wasn't one he ever wanted to deal with; how could he? His mom worked practically two jobs just to support him and his sister and his pool cleaning business barely paid for his football gear and clothes for school, "uh, well. No," he shook his head, "I'd be lying if I told you I had."
"But with your talent and skills as a football player, you'd be a shoe-in for a scholarship," Alan told him.
Puck took a deep breath before explaining, "yes, but our team is nothing special. We loose more than we win. Not much of a chance for a scout to see a game here. There's no way I could afford it either; not with my single mom working two jobs to keep up on the bills. I clean pools, but that just covers what I need for school, there's no way to save any money," Puck explained, hoping that would end the discussion.
The three Berry's sat silently at the table, and it was easy to see that they were a little shocked. Rachel didn't know much of his family life, but she didn't expect what he said. David and Alan exchanged glances, but chose not to press that conversation any longer, realizing that it was a sore subject.
To Puck's relief, the two men began to collect the dinner dishes and disappear into the kitchen. He exhaled and stood up, moving into the living room. He leaned over the back of the couch, hoping to clear his head, but Rachel appeared next to him. "We didn't get very far on our mash-up ideas," she started.
He shrugged, "guess not."
"You almost left your guitar in my room," she added softly, trying to get his focus onto something else.
"Can you get it for me?" He asked, "I don't think you're dads would like us being in your room alone," he told her.
She was about to ask why when it dawned on her, "I'll be right back," she replied, disappearing upstairs.
Puck looked at his Letterman's jacket and smiled. Digging in the pockets he stuffed the crumpled up notes and pack of gum into his jeans, turning as she returned with his guitar in it's case.
"Are you leaving?" She asked, noticing he had his jacket in his hand.
"Oh um, well yeah, I should. I have to pick my sister up before eight, but I was going to ask if you wanted to keep this."
"Your Letterman's jacket? Why?" She asked curiously.
He rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, his cheeks turning slightly red, "well, it's kind of tradition for a guy to give his girl his jacket."
Rachel stepped forward, "I'm your girl," she said softly, not needing a reply from him.
Puck silent slipped it around her back and she slid her arms into it. He laughed at how big it was on her, the sleeves several inches longer than her arms and it hit her almost at her knees, but for Noah, it was perfect.
Rachel pushed the sleeves up enough to free her hands, "it smells like you," she told him, getting a whiff of a mint.
"Probably the soap I use," he murmured, "you look beautiful," he added.
Rachel looked down at her and blushed. She was still in the pink plaid skirt from earlier and the white top, but his jacket added something to her, she didn't just see; she felt. His jacket felt like his arms around her all the time. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled and moved towards his guitar case, "um, I really should go," he admitted reluctantly.
She nodded, "I'll walk you out, but you need to say bye to my dads."
"Oh, yeah," he followed her through the kitchen and into the den, finding them both working on paperwork.
"Dad, daddy. Noah needs to leave," she said.
The two men looked up, "so soon? Everything alright?" Alan asked.
"Yes," Puck started, "I just need to go pick up my sister before eight and have football practice tomorrow," he told them.
"On a Saturday?" David asked curiously.
"Unfortunately," Puck muttered.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Alan stood up and moved towards him, extending his hand.
"You both, also," Puck nodded shaking Alan's hand.
"Don't be a stranger," David added as he reached out for a hand shake.
"I'll try not to be," Puck assured them as they shook. "Goodnight," he nodded before following Rachel to the front door.
He stepped into the living room to pick up his guitar case before heading out the door on Rachel's heels, slipping his arm around her shoulders as they reached the bottom of the porch steps, "so see you Monday at school?"
"Yes, I'll be there," she told him, "do you have plans this weekend?"
"Babysitting," he groaned. He loved his sister, but loosing his weekends to babysit so his mom could wasn't his idea of fun.
"Will you be online?" She asked hopeful.
"I don't know. Do you want me to be?" He removed his arm from around her shoulders to unlock his jeep's passenger door, stuffing his guitar case in the back seat.
"We could talk," she nodded, "about music or anything."
Shutting the door, he rested his hands on her shoulders, "I'll text you when I get home from practice," he murmured, brushing a stray hair from her eyes.
She smiled up at him and in the dark of night, he swore he saw her eyes sparkle as they stood there. Her arms reached around his shoulders, and her lips pressed firmly against his. He was caught off guard, but quickly recovered enough to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her close as they shared a long, but needed kiss; soaking in the feel of her lips against his. His thoughts of their kiss were quickly clouded with words, that shifted into a song, but his concentration was easily broken as she pulled away with a whispered, "goodnight, Noah."
His lips curled into a grin, "goodnight Rachel."
He turned from her and walked around to the other side of his jeep, unlocking the door and getting in swiftly. As the engine roared to life, his mind wondered back to the song he'd just thought of as he pulled away from her curb, turning back to wave at her. 'It's perfect for us; I just wonder if the Jazz band knows it. Guess I'll be calling Artie tomorrow.'