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: Alright, I had planned to make this completely AU after Mash-up, but now that I've seen Wheels, I've decided that depending on what comes up in the episodes, I may sneak in a conversation or cover the same topic, just put my own twist on it. I'll mention spoilers above if there are any.
A/N3: To all those who are reading this, I thank you! The feedback has been great and has kept me writing!
...
Puck sat on an exam table at the hospital, waiting for Dr. Steven's to come in. He was hoping to get released so he could go to back to school and in turn look for a job.
A light tap on the door startled him and he looked up as his doctor walked in, "hey Noah, how you doing?" He asked taking a seat on a stool.
"Hey... How am I doing?" Puck laughed, "I've got a lot of things going on," he admitted.
"I know," he said looking at him, "I've heard."
"Just how much do you know?"
"I know you're going to be a dad. And the girl you got pregnant is your best friends girlfriend."
"That pretty much sums it up," Puck admitted. "I take it my mom has talked to you."
Dr. Stevens nodded, "yeah. Doesn't hurt to get an outside perspective," he replied.
Puck had already gotten an x-ray done of his chest, so they got back to why he was there and Brad said he was showing signs of healing, but it could be a while before he'd be 100-percent, so even though he told him he could go back to school, he kept him on 'light duty' so no heavy lifting for a while longer.
The doctor checked out his incision and found it healed enough to remove the stitches, so with careful hands he clipped the soft strong and removed each one, covering the area up with clean gauze and a bandage.
He put his shirt on while Brad made a note on his file and then looked at him, "being a father of a teenager isn't easy, especially one as ditzy as my daughter," he laughed a little, "but I think you're doing the right thing. I know there are thousands of couples out there who want to adopt, and that's great, but keeping her is going to be the best thing you ever did," he told him. "No one ever really has a plan when they become a parent, but when you get the chance, take it. It's going to be rough, but it sounds like you've got a pretty great girlfriend and family support that you'll be just fine," he said.
Puck smiled at that, "thanks. It means a lot to hear," he nodded, "so I'm good?" He asked.
"Yeah, see you in two weeks," he told him picking up the folder. "I'll get your mom to make an appointment later," he added.
Puck moved towards the door, stepping out into the hallway with Brad right behind him. "You said you had a teenage daughter, do I know her?" He asked turning to older man.
The doctor laughed, "I'd hope so. You're in Glee club with Brittany," he commented stepping towards the nurses station.
"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," Puck admitted glancing around for his mom.
The doctor smiled at him and stepped away to his next patient, so Puck waited for a moment to see if he could catch his mom. She worked in the clinic in the hospital, but also worked in the ER and so did the doctors. During the afternoon she would be in the clinic where he was, and he saw her coming out of another exam room. "Hey mom!" He called to her.
She smiled, "hi Noah, everything okay?"
"Yeah, go back Monday," he nodded.
"Good to hear," she commented setting a file down on the nurses station.
Puck stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a big hug, "I love you, mom. I know I don't say it a lot, but I do," he whispered.
As they pulled apart, she smiled at him, "I know you do, honey, but it's nice to hear," she replied.
He nodded at her, "I should get going. You're coming over to the Berry's right?"
"I am, I'll see you later," she told him.
Puck nodded again and turned, walking away with a wave to her before heading to the elevators and then out to his jeep. Starting the engine he headed towards town, needing to make a few stops. The first one was to the mall to pick up a gift he had ordered for Rachel, since it was officially four weeks they had been going out; he wasn't one for big celebrations, but this was something simple; it meant a lot to him and he hoped she liked it. His only other stop was to the grocery store to get some things for dinner before returning to the Berry's.
Sitting on the island was a note from Rachel, "Happy Anniversary, Noah. Four weeks ago today we started dating and we've already dealt with a lot, but I'm so happy we're together. See you when I get home from school, love, Rachel," he read and smiled at the note, folding it in half and putting it in with his sheet music to keep it safe.
It was too early to cook dinner, so he got comfortable on the couch and set an alarm on his cell phone so he could take a few hour nap, waking in plenty of time to get dinner going before Rachel got home.
His nap was interrupted by the door opening and he expected it to be Rachel, but sat up to see Alan walk inside the house.
"Hey Noah, sorry if I woke you," he said.
"It's okay," he waved his hand and crashed back against the pillow he had been sleeping on.
Alan came into the living room and sat down on the chair across from the couch, "how did you doctor's appointment go?"
"Good," he shrugged, "cleared me to go back to school, but still no lifting."
"It's a start," he commented looking at him.
Puck nodded and glanced over to him, "so today is a month Rachel and I have been dating. Didn't expect to spend two weeks of it down from a football injury," he said.
"I'm sure you didn't," Alan agreed, "but you won't be down too much longer. Besides, I don't think Rachel minds having you around the house," he laughed.
He rolled his eyes, but laughed at his comment, "I've heard. I like being here," he replied. The alarm on his phone started going off, so he turned it off and shifted to sit up, "time to make dinner."
"You know," Alan laughed, "it's going to be hard to go back to take-out when you're back to school," he admitted.
Puck shrugged, "I'm sure I could manage a few dinners a week," he replied making his way towards the kitchen.
Alan followed him into the kitchen, taking a seat at the island. "Rachel tells us that you're taking a criminology and forensics class at school. I didn't know you were into law enforcement."
"Uh, yeah," he nodded, "I guess. I mean I watch the shows on TV and think they're pretty cool. It wasn't until Rachel asked me if I wanted to be a cop that I thought about it," he laughed, "I was just taking it to learn about all that, but now I'm really thinking about it."
Puck still wasn't all too comfortable talking to Rachel's dad's when she wasn't around, but he was loosing the nervousness the longer he and Alan talked; he couldn't pinpoint why he ever was nervous about talking to them, except he never had a dad growing up and he was dating their daughter, but he was glad that it was getting easier. Alan and David were both helping him out and he didn't think he could ever repay them for that.
The front door opened and closed, Rachel appearing in the kitchen moments later. The two men were sitting at the island and Rachel went right to Puck. He turned towards her and wrapped her in a tight hug, "hey Rach," he murmured, "happy anniversary."
She returned his smile, hugging him close, "happy anniversary," she replied, stepping around the island to greet her dad quickly before returning to him, "how did your doctor's appointment go?" She asked.
"I guess I can go back to school on Monday," he sighed dramatically.
"Yes!" She exclaimed hugging him again, "it's not the same without you there. Everyone misses you," she replied.
"I'm sure you're just saying that," he told her.
"No, I'm serious. Everyone misses you around and can't wait for you to come back to school," she admitted pressing a kiss to his lips, "dinner smells great," she added.
Puck laughed at her topic change, "thanks, so what's up? You haven't complimented my cooking like that before, are you up to something?" He asked curiously.
"Why would you assume that I'm up to something?" She turned around to stare at him, her hands on her hips.
"Like I said. You've said you liked my cooking, but in the week that I've been here, you've never once said it smells great, and I know you," he replied a smirk tugging at his lips.
Rachel hands fell to her sides as her shoulders slumped, a blush creeping across her cheeks, "I've got news, something for you and a request," she said stepping towards him.
"I have something for you, too," he added, "what's the news and what's the request?"
"The news is that I spoke to Quinn today and though she is unsure, she said thank you for letting her stay here. Her parents are going out of town this weekend and she thinks this would be the perfect time to move some of her stuff that she wants to keep, so I told her it was alright if she brought it over. Also, Mr. Schuester was gone today and Ms. Pillsbury told Finn in class that he had requested a week off without a reason. This means if we want to start working on Glee stuff, we're going to have to do it on our own," she explained.
"Okay, that all sounds like news. What's the request?" Puck asked.
Rachel blushed, ducking her head for a moment, "tonight is the last football game of the season and everyone wants you to come, so I was wondering if we could go, like on a date."
That's not what he expected the request to be, but he couldn't say 'no' to that, "sure, we can go," he smiled at her, standing up and moving towards her. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips on his way past to check on things on the stove.
Rachel smiled, "excellent."
He was curious to why she wanted to go to the game, but he didn't care; it gave him some alone time with her, outside of their homes, "I'll just have to stop at the house for a second. If I'm going, I'm wearing my jersey," he told her.
"I thought they had to cut that off of you at the hospital," Rachel said.
"Yeah, my game one. You think we wear the same ones to school that we play in?" He laughed, "no, we don't."
"Or while you're making dinner, I could go over and get it," she suggested.
Puck raised an eyebrow to her, "yeah, that could work, too." He thought for a moment and then tugged his keys from his pocket and handed them off to her, "why do I feel like you are still up to something," he commented.
Rachel pressed a kiss to his lips and waved at her dad, "be back," she called swiftly leaving the kitchen, then the house before either man could figure out just what she was doing.
"That was Rachel, right?" Puck asked looking at her dad.
He laughed, "yes, but I've never seen her act like that before."
Puck groaned, going back to fixing dinner. Something was up and he didn't know what, but he pushed his thoughts away to focus. David arrived home not much after Rachel had left, and he and Alan sat in the den, while Puck tried to keep dinner from burning. His mom called at five and said she was just picking up Arin and would be over shortly. He was starting to get concerned about Rachel when it was five and he realized she'd been gone almost an hour, but was thankfully relieved when she walked in the door with Arin and his mom just after five. He got dinner on the table as soon as they got there so he and Rachel could go to the game at a decent time and still find parking.
Sitting down, Rachel next to him, as they started passing around the dishes, he tugged out the jewelery box he had in his pocket and set it next to Rachel's dinner plate. She didn't see it right away because she had her head turned to her dad, but as she turned back to her plate, she saw it, "Noah, what's this?"
"Something I think you'll like," he admitted with a smile.
Rachel studied the velvet box a moment before picking it up and opening it, staring at the contents. Hanging from a gold chain was a small gold heart and filling up the heart was the number '20'. "Your football number," she said smiling brightly.
He smiled back, "yeah. Ever since I started playing sports, that's been my number. I got it to say that no matter where we are, you'll be in my heart and I'll hopefully always be in yours," he replied.
"Oh Noah, you always will be," she whispered, leaning towards him hugging him tightly before pulling away and taking the necklace out of the box.
Puck took the hint and helped her put it on, his fingers gently handling the delicate clasp as he hooked the two pieces together and let it it slip out of his grasp to land against her soft skin. He turned to her front and looked at it, "perfect," he murmured, glad he had picked the right length for the chain.
Her hand brushed over the charm briefly before getting up, "I was going to wait, but I think now is a good time," she disappeared and returned with several things in her hand, handing them all to him at once.
He took the items and looked over them. The first one was a blank movie case, the second one were a few sheets of paper and the last item was a photo frame with a picture of Arin, Rachel and him from the day before. He was sitting on the piano bench looking towards the class; Arin was looking around him towards the front of the class and Rachel was sitting on his knee just after she'd sung 'Defying Gravity' and the couple was looking at each other with smiles on their faces, "who took this?" he asked turning it to her and then showing everyone else.
"Brittany did. She showed me this morning and I got her to send it to me so I could print it out. That's why it took so long. I had to go get the frame," she admitted.
Puck smiled and set it on the corner of the table before looking at the other items. There were a few smaller pictures like the one she had framed, but the last few one stunned him. "An x-ray?" He asked squinting his eyes at the photos.
"Those are not x-rays," Deborah commented; from where she was sitting she could see enough of the black edging to know just what he was looking at.
His mouth fell open and he glanced across the table at his mom and then turned to look at his sister. He didn't want her to find out yet, but he wasn't sure he could cover it up.
"I thought you'd like to see pictures of Quinn's baby," Rachel said with a shrug, knowing just why it was an issue right now.
"Uh, yeah, cool. Finn never even showed them to me," he admitted, hoping he could keep cool long enough to get out of sight of his sister.
Glancing at the time, they realized it was cutting it close, so they dug in to dinner, Puck getting compliments from everyone about his cooking, which he sheepishly accepted. With the time getting short, the adults took care of the dishes, while Rachel and Puck changed. Puck had a t-shirt on, but took it off, replacing it with his red WMHS Athletics hoodie and then put his jersey on over it, tugging the hood out of the back of the neck. Rachel returned wearing the same top as earlier, but had put on some pants and handed him his Letterman's jacket.
"You don't want to wear it?" He asked.
She went to the closet and got out her winter jacket, "I didn't grab your jacket when I was at your place and I have this to wear, it's fine," she smiled, "you should wear it tonight. It's a big game; the end of the season and all," she said with a shrug.
"Alright," he tugged his jacket on, again pulling out the hood and letting it bulk up around his neck. "Where are my keys?" He asked realizing she never gave them back.
Rachel motioned to the small table by the door, where his keys were and he picked them up. He went into the dinning room and got the pictures and video from the table and put them into his bag before going into the kitchen. The two said goodbye to everyone and left quickly.
Once they were out of the house and standing at his jeep, Puck turned and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a loving kiss against her lips before whispering, "I love you, Rachel, thank you."
She knew what he meant, so she nodded as they hugged, "you're welcome," she replied with a smile as they pulled apart.
Puck opened the door for her, allowing her to get in before he went around to his side and slid in, starting the engine and driving off towards the school, "I can imagine Brittany sent you the photo of us, but how did you get the pictures of the baby?"
"Well, after I knew that Quinn was okay with you having her, I sent her a text and asked if she could bring any pictures or video of the sonogram with her to school today. She wanted you to have them anyway, but I thought you'd like to meet your daughter," she replied glancing at him.
"I did," he smiled, keeping his eyes on the road, "I'm just glad we played it off so Arin didn't find out yet," he told her.
She nodded, "that's why I was going to wait, but I couldn't; not after you gave me this," she brushed her hand up to the necklace and smiled.
Reaching the school, he parked his car near his normal spot and cut the engine, glancing at her, "I take it you like it," he smiled.
"More than like it," she admitted, leaning forward and resting both her hands against his cheeks before pressing her lips to his in a gentle, yet loving kiss, "I love it," she whispered as she pulled away.
Puck closed his eyes briefly to savor that moment, soaking in just what he was feeling, before they both slipped out of his car into the cool night. He met her at the front of the jeep, slipping his arms around her in a brief hug before taking her hand in his and walking towards the stadium.
"It's about time you two got here!" Mercedes' voice bellowed from the sidewalk in front of the gates.
"The game doesn't even start for another half an hour," Rachel replied as they reached Mercedes, Tina, Artie and Quinn.
Puck saw Quinn last, his eyes lingering on the sight. She was once again at a game in normal clothes and Finn's jacket. He never thought he'd see the day when she would be in the stands cheering the team on with the rest of the school and parents who came to see the game; that was until two weeks ago when he'd seen her there with them. He wanted to thank her for the pictures, but the three others standing there didn't know yet and he wanted to keep it that way, so he just kept his greeting to, "hey guys."
Filing through the gates of the stadium, he glanced out over the field and then turned his head back to the stands. Reaching the first row of the bleachers, several people from the track started screaming and he turned to see the Cheerios holding up a '2' and a '0' in their hands. He waved at them, and took a seat in the front row since it was empty, the rest of them joining him. Rachel sat next to him and Quinn sat next to her, Mercedes and Tina next with Artie in the end, where the wheelchair spot was. Puck really thought that time sped up because the guys were already running out onto the field. Before he could get too comfortable, the announcer asked everyone to stand for the National Anthem and once the band played an off tempo version, the stands went crazy; hoping for a great game.
"Welcome McKinley fans! Tonight's the William McKinley Titians are taking on the Klahowya Eagles!" The announcer called.
Rachel groaned, sinking against Noah's shoulder. He instinctively put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close.
He kept his eyes on the field, watching his teammates file out to the center of the field, when he noticed something on every single guys helmet. The 'M' on each side was covered in a black 'X'. "That's odd," he said.
"What is?" Rachel asked.
"Look at their helmets," he said as the coin toss progressed.
The game started and Puck sat helplessly on the bleachers as his team was getting squashed. Before the first quarter over, he was yelling at Finn for calling plays that wouldn't work and Rachel finally tugged him down into his seat, "Noah, relax. This is not taking it easy," she snapped.
Puck glared at her and then scrubbed his face with his hands, "he's using plays that aren't working! I don't know what he's thinking!" Puck had never seen the game from the stands before, but now he was starting to see why they lost so much.
"Relax, dude, it's just a game," Mercedes commented from where she was.
He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and shook his head, trying to keep his eyes off the game for a few moments to cool off. He felt Rachel lean her head against his shoulder and he slipped his arm around her, resuming his hold on her. Mercedes' camera flashed and she took a picture of the two of them, before going back to her seat and watching the rest of the half. At the end of the second half, Puck groaned, "thank God," he murmured.
His eyes landed on the field and noticed that the players were not going into the locker room like they always did. Instead they were forming a shape on the field and it didn't take long for him to figure out what that shape was; '20.' Coach Tanaka and Finn were standing in front of the team and a microphone was given to the coach.
"The guys behind me are the 2009-2010 William McKinley High School varsity football team," he motioned behind him and then turned back to the crowd. "You may notice the team is wearing an 'X' on their helmets. Tonight, it's to honor a teammate that is not on the field with is right now. In the history of McKinley, there has never been an injury as serious as the one we dealt with two weeks ago. Number 20, Wide-Receiver Noah Puckerman almost died on this field from an injury he received during the game. Thankfully he's still with us, recovering and screaming at us from the stands..."
Puck ducked his head blushing as he did, listening to the coach talk about him.
"...so in honor of him, from this day forward, number 20 will never be worn by anyone else, but him. If he chooses to play next year for his senior year, it'll be his number, but after that, no one at McKinley will ever wear '20' again," he said and next to him, Finn held up a framed red jersey. The back was showing and it looked just like the one he had on, but 'Puckerman' was written above the number.
Puck's mouth fell open at the meaning of what the coach said, his eyes staring at the jersey that would hang in the school forever. He saw the flashes and Mercedes was busy taking pictures of his shocked expression as he sobered, hearing the whole stadium chant 'speech.'
"Go on, Noah," Rachel smiled next to him.
Puck shook from his daze to stand up and quickly jogged down the stairs to the field, going out to join the guys. He looked at the framed jersey up close and then Finn handed him one for him to keep. Puck was still shocked, but turned to the coach who shook his hand and then took the microphone, realizing that the entire stadium was waiting on him. He took a deep breath and stared at Rachel, who was smiling, and it all clicked. "Thank you," he started, "this is a complete shock! I did not see this coming," he turned around to the guys who had moved from the field and were now behind him, "who would have thought a couple broken ribs and a punctured lung would do this," he shrugged, laughing lightly, "I don't know if I'll be playing next year, but it's an honor to know that no one else will every wear this number," he smiled glancing at the frame still in Finn's hands. "Thanks again, go Titians!" He finished, handing off the microphone to the coach.
The guys around him started chanting his name and circled around him, "thanks guys," he called feeling out of place because of what he was wearing.
Finn tried to talk him into going into the locker room with them for the rest of half-time, but Puck declined to return to the other half of the Glee club in the stands. Hopping up the stairs, he reached the five club members and he shook his head at the, "you knew all about this, didn't you?"
"We might have been told the faint details of said honor," Artie commented with a grin, shaking Puck's hand as he passed.
"You think we like freezing our asses off?" Mercedes joined in laughing as she stood up and hugged him.
Puck shook his head and in turn gave a hug to Tina and Quinn before reaching Rachel. "I knew you'd been up to something," he whispered before pulling her against him and kissing her lips.
"I was asked to get you to the game," Rachel grinned as the two took their seats again.
Puck held up the jersey and looked at the back of it, "I never thought I'd see the day when my name was on a jersey," he admitted. He turned it so the back was facing away from him and looked up at camera-happy Mercedes, "just what's with all the pictures?" He asked knowing she'd gotten a few while they were kissing, too.
"I asked her to take some," Rachel commented with a smile. "Other than the one Brittany took, I didn't have any of us, so I asked her to take some throughout the night," she added.
He nodded, folding up the shirt and draping it over her shoulder, "you could have asked," he told her as the teams filed onto the field, ending halftime.
The score was tied at fourteen and he knew the game would continue to be intense, but he kept his cool. The clock ran down to zero for the third quarter and at the start of the fourth, Klahowya snaked ahead with a field goal, bringing the score to 17-14. There were ten minutes left, and somehow the Titian offense was able to drag the clock down to only a minute left, when they scored a touchdown. Kurt came out on the field for the kick and with only thirty seconds on the clock, he kicked the ball and Puck froze, waiting to see if the ball would fly right through the goal posts. Just as it crested the middle of the posts, the entire stadium when crazy, as the score was now 21-17; McKinley just won their third game of the season.
"Third game," Puck commented looking at the rest of them as the teams filed off the field.
Tina was usually quite, but she turned to him, "you never heard? The game you got hurt in; they won," Tina said.
He wasn't sure what to be more surprised about; shy Tina speaking, Tina not stuttering or the fact that the team won three games that season, compared to the previous years zero wins.
Rachel's hand stirred him from his thoughts and he followed her and the rest of them down to the sidewalk. "So are you glad you came?" Rachel asked him, her arm slipping around his waist.
Puck laughed a little, but nodded, "yeah. Not how I expected to spend tonight, but yeah, I'm glad we came," he told her, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away.
"Well, we'll see you all on Monday. Artie's dad is here," Tina said.
"Bye guys, see you then," Puck called as Tina, Mercedes and Artie walked towards where Artie's dad's van was. "Is it just me or does Tina not stutter anymore?" He asked once he knew they were out of ear shot.
"Apparently she never did," Rachel explained, "she only did it when she was younger to get out of a speech and she kept it going for a while. We heard her talking to Artie without it and we kind of asked her."
Puck nodded, immediately wanted to apologize to Tina for ever teasing her about her stutter, but pushed it aside to look at Quinn, "so, you need a ride home, Quinn?"
"Huh? Oh no," she shook her head, "thanks, but I have my car. Finn's car is in the shop, so I'm giving him a ride home," she replied.
He glanced around to see just who was around and then turned back to her, "thank you for the pictures," he said softly, his arm still around Rachel's shoulders.
"You're welcome," she nodded briefly, "you of all people should have them," she admitted, a light smile tugging at her lips before they were startled by cheering coming from the school.
Some of the players were filing out of the gym, the adrenaline of just winning still pulsing through their veins. The four Glee club members walked out together, Santana and Brittany also joining them, as they walked towards where Puck, Quinn and Rachel were standing.
After a brief conversation, Brittany, Mike, Matt and Santana left to go to one of the guys' houses for an after-game party, leaving the two couples still on the sidewalk, since Kurt had already taken off to his car.
"Come on, Finn. I gotta get you home so I can get home before eleven," Quinn commented.
"Uh, yeah, okay. See you guys later," Finn said throwing his gear bag over his shoulder.
Puck and Rachel watched the two walk towards a different parking area before they made their way back to his jeep. Getting in, he silently started the engine and backed out, glancing at Rachel, who was leaning forward in her seat, her hands rubbing together over one of the heat vents that was kicking out warm air.
"Are you cold?" He asked turning up the heat and heading in the direction of her house.
"Um, just a little. My hands mostly," she admitted.
"You could have said something," he smirked, reaching over with his free hand to take her hands in his, "I know how to warm you up," he admitted.
The short distance from the school to her place ended as he pulled up behind her car, "mom and Arin must have left," he said seeing his mom's car wasn't in sight.
Rachel nodded and the two slid out of his jeep, Rachel shivering as she stepped outside, "I'm so glad that tonight is the last game," she murmured, "I don't think I could have been outside for another one as it got colder."
Puck instinctively wrapped his arms around her body, rubbing her back a little to help warm her up before pulling away partially so they could walk up to the front of the house. Using his key, they went inside, finding the house dark, save for the hall light between the kitchen and front door. Puck shut the door and Rachel moved into the kitchen to find a note from her dads, "Went to be around 9. If Quinn is coming over, you might want to pick which room will be hers and make sure it looks halfway decent before she arrives. Hope you two had fun at the game, dads," she read out loud, tugging her arms from her jacket.
"Probably the one closer to your room and the bathroom; the one I stayed in," he murmured wrapping his arms around her body.
She turned in his arms and slipped hers around his waist, under his jacket, using his body heat to warm up.
He wasn't up for moving, content to help her, "take a warm shower," He murmured, "that will help. I'll get my stuff out of that room, if you want to use it for Quinn," he whispered.
Rachel sighed, but nodded, "that will work. I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a shower."
He pressed a kiss to her lips before shifting from her grasp, "go on, I'll take care of the room," he told her again.
She smiled at him and headed for the stairs, "wait," she said going back for her jacket and taking out the camera from her pocket.
"Isn't that Mercedes'?"
Rachel shook her head, "no, it's mine. I just gave it to her before the game, so she could use it," she paused and took his hand, guiding him into the living room and made him stand by the bare cream colored wall.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
Rachel posed him with his hands on his hips and his Letterman's jacket open to show his jersey number, stepping back, "now smile," she said.
Puck groaned, but gave in, smiling as she took a picture. She had him take his jacket off and stand the same way, as she snapped another picture and nodded in contentment as she set the camera aside, "okay, now I'm going to go shower," she commented.
He laughed at her, watching her climb the stairs. He tugged off his jersey, but left his hoodie on, heading up the stairs. He opened the door across the hallway from Rachel's room and flipped on the light. He'd left a few things in there in the few days he spent pretty much in bed, so he quickly collected his things and set them by the door. He made the bed with the fresh blankets that were sitting on the bare mattress, and stepped towards the door, just as Rachel's bedroom door opened. "I'm out," she smiled.
"I see that," he commented seeing her wet hair hanging down while she dried it with a towel.
Puck picked up the magazines, shirts and the other things he'd left, "what do you want me to keep her?" he asked.
She looked over the items, "it's up to you, though I really don't have any need for a motocross magazine," she commented.
He laughed and handed her the few clean shirts he'd left in the dresser, "wouldn't hurt to have a few shirts here," he said.
Rachel smiled and nodded, moving into her room, while he headed downstairs to put his things in one of his bags so he could get them home at some point. He took a seat on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back, stuffing his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. He closed his eyes letting his mind relax from the days events.
"Noah, I -" Rachel had stepped into the living room after hanging up his shirts in her closet and saw him kicked back on the couch. He didn't acknowledge her, so she stepped around the side of the couch and got closer, seeing his eyes closed and his breathing even. She debated on waking him up, but chose not to, throwing a blanket over him and carefully stepping out of the living room to return to her room.
The weekend was coming, which meant Deborah would be working and Noah usually watched Arin on the weekends, so Rachel, even though it was almost midnight, called Deborah and after apologizing for waking her up, she told her that Noah had fallen asleep on the couch and if he wasn't home by morning, to bring Arin over.
Rachel felt herself giving into the need for sleep, so she changed and slid into bed, hoping for a good weekend ahead.
He shifted his body, expecting to turn over in his bed, but his feet fell from something, which startled him. His eyes snapped open and he looked around, realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch at the Berry's, "shit," he hissed to an empty room, digging his cell phone from his pocket to find the time was just after 4am, "I gotta get home," he murmured, standing up and folding up the blanket someone had thrown over him.
Debating on leaving a note, he trudged up the stairs half asleep and stepped into Rachel's room. She was asleep to one side of her bed, on her back with one of her arms hanging off the edge of the bed. He smirked a little and stepped closer to her desk, looking for some paper, but not finding any right away, he moved towards her, carefully put her arm back on the bed and tugging her blanket back over her.
Her eyes snapped open, seeing him standing by her bed, "Noah," she said trying to sit up.
He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "it's okay," he knelt down closer to the bed, "just woke up down stairs. I'm gonna go home. Gotta watch my sister," he whispered.
Rachel turned to her side to look at him, "I called your mom and told her to bring Arin over if you weren't home," she replied quietly.
He smiled at her, "thanks, but for now I'll go home, we can come over later. Quinn's coming over, right?"
She nodded, "yeah, and Arin knows Quinn is pregnant, just not who the father is," she said, knowing that he was probably concerned about Quinn and Arin being around each other.
Puck nodded, "we'll be over later," he whispered, "go back to sleep," he added, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She smiled and reached out with one arm to hug him, "don't be long."
Puck laughed a little at her response, but nodded, "I won't be," he replied, kissing her cheek before standing up. She shifted back into her bed and he tugged her blankets back up and smiled at her before he quietly made his way from her room, pausing in the doorway to glance back, seeing she was already asleep again.
Laughing quietly to himself, he headed for the front door, carefully opening it and hoping it wouldn't creak. He turned the knob to lock the door behind him and slowly shut it, glad that it didn't latch too loud as he did.
Stepping out into the cool, crisp morning, Puck noticed the signs of a light frost on the ground as he got to his jeep. He slipped inside quickly to get the engine started so he could turn the heat on, letting his windows thaw out. The bad thing about having a jeep was the back windows couldn't be scraped to remove any ice so he was left to let his car idle a few minutes before they started the melt. Pulling away from the curb, he made his way home, hoping he didn't wake his mom or sister up when he finally walked inside the house.
The house was dark, so he quietly closed the front door, set his keys and cell phone by the door and headed upstairs. He glanced in his sisters room to see she was still sound asleep, so he walked further down the hall, pushing his bedroom door open and headed for bed. He kicked his shoes off and laid down on top of the covers, letting his eyes drift shut, hoping to get a few hours more of sleep before he had to get up for the day.
...
A/N4: What a weekend! After I posted chapter 11, I started writing chapter 12 on Thursday; then life hit me on Friday. There was a medical family emergency and though they are okay now (Sunday) it was touch-and-go for a few days. My head has been a little out of it, but writing has helped, so I wrote; and kept writing, LOL. I'm now working on chapter 13 and 14, so it's coming along. I'm sorry for those I told that this would be the chapter that Finn would find out, but it didn't work out that way. It's not in 13, but I've built up to it, so chapter 14 I'm sure will have that in, this time, I'm 100% sure.