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 had planned to make this completely AU after Mash-up, but now that I've seen Wheels and Ballads 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. (11/25/09: Saw Hairography and most of the topics don't pertain to my fic any more, so the story will be AU; but we'll see what the next two episodes bring.)
A/N3: Feedback is loved! Thank you all so much!
...
Puck asked for a week of peace and he'd pretty much made it through without any major catastrophes. Kurt was true to his word and called Puck after talking to his dad. Burt Hummel 'interviewed' Puck Tuesday; Burt was shocked at Puck when he came in; not expecting a 200-pound football player to be in Glee club. Talking over cars and sports, Burt told him as soon as he wasn't under doctors orders to keep from lifting anything heavy, he had the job.
With the search started and finished with Kurt's dad, Puck thanked Kurt the next day and Kurt shrugged it off. Rachel was happy about it until she found out he'd be working after school and on the weekends. He promised her he'd spend as much time with her as he could, but she also understood that he needed the job for the baby, so she accepted it, once he told her that Burt was willing to let him have time off for family and Glee things.
Rachel and some of the Glee club members got into some tiffs during rehearsals Thursday and Friday, but thankfully it was quickly resolved, once Puck got in the middle; he seemed to be the only one to snap anyone out of their thoughts long enough to think.
After practice on Friday, Finn hung around and waited for Puck. Rachel was with him, but when Finn asked for some guy time, Rachel left them alone. Puck wasn't quite sure what Finn was up to, but once they sat down on the bumper of Puck's jeep, Finn asked for advice. He'd never met Quinn's parents before and they had invited him over for Sunday dinner. Puck didn't know what kind of advice he could give him, admitting he'd never met girls' parents before he met Rachel's dads. He told Finn to be himself with her family and things should go okay. He also reminded Finn that if anything did come up about Quinn being pregnant, to take her to Rachel's house. Finn accepted that and the two parted, heading home for the weekend.
Puck and his sister had spent most of Saturday at the Berry's again, but Sunday, he found himself kicked back on the couch at his house watching football. His mom had come home around four and his sister was at a friends house down the street, so he kept his phone nearby, hoping he wouldn't get a call, but was ready if it came.
Deborah was sitting in the living room with him over dinner and she noticed he kept looking at his phone, "is everything alright?" She asked, "you keep looking at your phone."
Puck shrugged and set his plate down on the couch next to him, "yeah, I guess. Finn's having dinner with Quinn's parents for the first time; he's never met them before."
"Oh, I see," she nodded slowly, the wheels turning, "and you're worried they'll find out she's pregnant? Did you warn Rachel?"
He nodded, "yeah, I told her yesterday. I'm hoping things go alright, but Finn chokes up around new people, so it's hard telling what will happen," he admitted.
After dinner, Puck settled in to watch the evening games and figured things must have gone well, but about ten minutes after kickoff, his phone beeped. He looked at the message from Rachel, "I need you. Finn and Quinn are here. I can't handle both of them. Her parents found out and you know my dads are gone."
Of all the days her dads decide to go out of town; he ends up at his house with his sister when he should have been spending time with Rachel; alone. With a sigh, he got up and headed up to his room, returning her message with, "be there in fifteen." He gathered up his backpack and homework and stuffed some clothes and necessities into his duffel bag. His mom heard him, "what are you doing?"
"Quinn's parents kicked her out. Her and Finn are at Rachel's and I'm going over there. Her dads went out of town this morning and won't be back until late. Probably will just crash there tonight, so see you tomorrow," he told her.
"Noah, be careful," she replied.
"I always am," he gave her a quick hug and headed out to his jeep, getting in and speeding off to Rachel's. Arriving at her house, he pulled into the empty driveway, since the street in front was full. He grabbed his bags and headed up to the house and opened the door, just as Quinn and Finn were yelling at each other.
"Puck told me to be myself!"
Quinn was sobbing, but kept screaming at him, "sure he did! Be a nice guy! Not sing a stupid song about me having your baby!" She exclaimed.
Puck shut the door and dropped his bags in his usual spot and stepped into the living room, surveying the situation. Finn was standing off in the corner, while Rachel and Quinn sat on the couch furthest away from him. Quinn had her head in her hands leaning over her knees and Rachel had her arm around Quinn's back, "what the hell is going on?" He asked glancing between the three.
"I was myself! I like to sing, is that a crime?"
"Whoa, hold on a second, I tell you to be yourself and you sing? What did you sing?" Puck asked glaring at his best friend.
"It's '(You're) Havin' My Baby' by Paul Anka," Finn explained.
"Dude, where the hell did you get that song?"
Finn ducked his head, rubbing his neck nervously, "I didn't know what to wear, so I asked Kurt for advice; you know since he seems so into fashion. We were talking and I told him I was still nervous, but he told me I'm more myself when I sing, so he suggested that song."
Puck was pissed on several levels, but moved towards Finn and grabbed him by the arm and tugged him towards the front door. Once they were both outside and off the porch, Puck slapped him on the back of the head, "what the hell were you thinking?"
Finn rubbed his head and looked at his friend, "I don't know, it sounded good at the time!"
Lowering his head, he shook it several times before looking back up, "dude, you fucked up. We all knew this was coming, but seriously? Of all the loves songs out there to sing, you choose one about a girl being pregnant? Come on! You just met her parents for the first time!"
"I know! I screwed up! I don't know how many times I can say 'I'm sorry,' but I will! She just keeps yelling at me!"
"She's got ever right to be mad at you, Finn, you just uprooted her life!"
Finn's shoulders fell as everything from the evening came crashing at him and he started pacing back and forth on the pathway. "Dude, I'm not ready for this! I can't be a father at 17. Now she's not sure if she's giving it up for adoption," he told him.
Puck nodded, "I know, I heard the same thing last week; I was there, remember?" He commented crossing his arms over his chest.
"Maybe you and Rachel could talk some sense into her."
"Don't you see. Quinn is pregnant and the last thing she needs is everyone telling her what to do! She's got to make that choice on her own! Two weeks ago all you could talk about was being a dad; what the fuck changed?" Puck snapped.
Finn stopped at Puck's question, "that was before... Before she said she wanted to keep the baby. I can't handle all this if she keeps it."
"What about her? Did you ever think that she might be having a tough time with this?"
"Why the fuck do you care so much?" Finn hissed.
Puck took a deep breath, "fine, lets put all the cards on the table! Guess what; you're off the hook because you're not the father!" Puck kept his voice low, but made sure Finn heard every word.
"How can you say that?" Finn yelled at him, "If I'm not the father then who is? That's not possible; Quinn would never cheat on me!"
Puck put his hands on his hips and glared at Finn, "so you really think that hot tub water is great for sperm? Dude, it kills sperm," he replied, his voice calm.
"But Quinn -"
"Quinn told you that so she didn't have to break the news to you that she made a mistake when she was drunk and slept with someone else!"
Finn's strong appearance fell when he finally put things together in his head, "who is it? Who slept with her?" He snarled.
"Me," Puck said calmly, standing facing his friend.
Puck saw the fire flash though Finn's eyes quickly, "you son of a bitch! How could you?" Finn yelled as his fist connected with Puck's jaw.
He knew it was coming, but stood strong, holding in his anger for the time being, only turning his head after the initial blow snapped through him. Finn's fist came again and this time, connected with his eye. From the momentum, Puck stepped back so he didn't loose his balance, and saw Finn's fist going lower and though he knew he deserved some pain; he wasn't going to let him go for his ribs, so he reached out and grabbed Finn's wrist and used his own strength to twist him around, so his arm was behind him as Puck wrapped his other arm around Finn's chest, "it was a mistake. We both know that. I'm taking responsibility for my daughter and keeping her, giving Quinn the freedom. And don't even try to go for Rachel because she's known," his voice was harsh, but strong, holding his friend until he stopped squirming.
"Let go of me!" Finn exclaimed.
Puck let go and stepped away from Finn. His back was still to him and though he looked shaken, Finn calmly pulled his keys from his pocket and walked towards his car, stopping once to turn around, "you're a fucking asshole!" He hissed at him.
He watched the car drive off, moving to sit on the steps of the porch. He didn't want to go inside right away; but the sting at his eye and jaw told him he needed ice, so he got up and silently walked back into the house, slamming the door and stalking towards the kitchen. He opened the freezer and dug around for something to use as an ice pack and found a bag of frozen corn, so he quickly placed it on his face and shut the door, turning to see Rachel standing in the door frame; Quinn right behind her.
"You better pass on the message to everyone that Finn knows," he muttered, sliding onto a stool at the island.
"Oh my God, Noah," Rachel rushed forward and tried to look at his eye, but he held the 'ice pack' in place.
"I'm fine," he brushed her hands away, "just get my pain meds from my bag, please," he murmured.
Rachel waited a moment, but gave in, disappearing.
Quinn moved closer to him, "why? Why did you tell him?"
Puck was silent for a moment before turning to Quinn, "because he screwed up your life, so I figured I'd return the favor. Be pissed at me, but its better this way; now he knows everything," he told her taking the bottle from Rachel when she returned. He used one hand to open the bottle and tugged out a pill and headed for the sink to get some water.
The two girls were silent, watching him move to the sink to fill a glass with water, neither knowing what to say, but Rachel had heard what Puck told Quinn, so she knew what was going on. Puck's words about telling her to pass the message on clicked and Rachel pulled her cell phone from her pocket and quickly sent a message to the rest of the Glee club. She hated breaking the news to them this way, but at least they would know. Her message was simple. "Quinn got kicked out. Noah is the father, not Finn. A mistake, Q & N both know it, but I hope you all will still be there for them, like I am."
Quinn had taken a seat at the island and Puck was leaning against one of the counters, looking at the two of them. Rachel's dad's had come home and when they walked into the kitchen, were stunned at the sight; especially when they saw Puck holding the frozen vegetable bag to his face. Neither man knew just what had taken place in their house, but quickly figured it out.
"What is going on?" David asked looking around. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I had it coming," Puck muttered motioned towards the girls.
Rachel took a deep breath, "Finn had dinner with Quinn's parents tonight and he started to sing a song about a girl being pregnant and they got the hint and her parents kicked her out. Finn and Quinn came over and I asked Noah to come over. Finn and Noah went outside and apparently he told Finn the truth," she motioned towards her boyfriend.
Alan had moved towards Puck and tugged at the bag covering his face, "lets take a look. You really should call your mom," he added.
Puck reluctantly pulled the bag away and everyone gasped. His cheek was turning purple and his eye was half closed from the swelling, "I already took a pain pill," he commented motioning to the bottle on the island. "I can't call my mom because she'll come over, which will mean Arin will come over and I really don't want her to see me like this."
"Noah, your mom is a nurse. Just call her," Rachel told him.
"Dude, I can handle a few bruises and a black eye," he slid away and went into the living room, sitting down on the couch. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he tugged it out, finding several messages. He scrolled through them, seeing them from those he knew Rachel had sent messages to.
From what he gathered from the messages, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina were shocked, but were were fine with it since Rachel was. Santana and Brittany didn't care who the father was, they were concerned about Quinn. Matt and Mike, though his friends, were also concerned about Finn, but told Puck they'd have his back. He quickly replied to each one with a 'thanks' before turning off his phone, not ready to deal with anything else.
Rachel slid onto the couch next to him and snuggled up against his chest. "How are you?" She asked softly.
Puck sighed, but tugged her against him, "I'm fine. I think I had prepared myself enough to know that things between Finn and I would be destroyed the moment he found out, but it still sucks. We've known each other since kindergarten. I've never seen him so pissed before and when he went for my side, I had to fight back," he replied.
"You didn't hit him, did you?" She asked, glancing at his hands.
"No, just restrained him until he calmed down enough to not hit me again," he admitted.
Quinn had entered the living room, looking worn out, but calmer than she had been. She had taken a seat on another couch and was typing on her cell phone.
A few moments of silence passed and David walked in to the living room with a bag of frozen peas. "I hate peas, but we do like corn, so trade you," he commented.
Puck laughed a little and traded him for the colder bag of peas and left again. The two fathers came into the living room again, and Alan was the one to speak up, "so, given that Finn is also a member of the Glee club, has anyone thought about what this will do to the group? I mean how are the rest of the kids going to take it?"
Puck and Quinn both silently shrugged, off in their own worlds.
Rachel sighed, "I don't know what will happen, but the kids seem fine with it. Santana and Brittany are concerned about Quinn, Kurt, Tina, Artie and Mercedes are okay with it as long as I am and I haven't gotten a response from Matt or Mike yet," she explained.
"They're cool with it," Puck commented.
"So that's a total of eleven, didn't you say you have to have twelve?" David asked.
Rachel and Quinn exchanged glances, "oh no," Rachel muttered.
Puck sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, his left hand still holding the 'ice pack' to his face as he thought, "if I can play the piano and count as part of the club, and Artie plays the guitar once and a while, why can't we count the rest of the band members?" He asked. "I mean we're not just going to go to competitions with music and hope there are musicians there to play our music, right?"
Rachel's eyes widened at his words, "that's brilliant, Noah!" She exclaimed throwing her arms around his shoulders. "We will need to discuss is with Mr. Schuester tomorrow."
"Why has Mr. Schuester been gone?" Quinn asked.
"I think it might have had something to do with what I told him after Glee the day I came back," Puck commented, "I told him about his wife."
Quinn nodded, "I figured that was why."
"I hope he's kicking her to the curb, but that's just me," Puck stated.
"Noah, I'm sure he's had a lot to deal with. He is a very forgiving person," Rachel replied.
"You kids should probably get some sleep," David said, "it's getting late and it's obviously been a stressful day."
Quinn was the first to agree, glad that most of her stuff was already in her room except for a bag she'd packed before she left and her school bag. She picked them up from where they were on the floor, "um, goodnight," she said climbing the stairs.
"Noah, you're welcome to sleep in the extra guest room," Alan commented, "I know you've been sleeping down here, but that room is open for use."
Puck nodded, "considering I'll probably be spending a lot of time around, I guess it wouldn't hurt," he admitted.
Rachel stood up and headed for Noah's bags, "come on, I'll help you take your things up."
Standing up, he took one of his bags and nodded 'goodnight' to David and Alan, before following Rachel up to the room they were talking about. He set his bag on the floor and dug out some clothes to change into before looking at Rachel, "how are you doing?" He asked her, realizing in all this, she'd been trying to stay strong.
Her shoulders fell and she went right for him, wrapping her arms around his chest and began to cry, grabbing onto the back of his shirt tightly. Puck tossed the iced bag to the top of the dresser and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close, "hey, it's okay, Rach," he whispered.
"No it's not, Noah," she cried, "I can't believe Finn hit you! I really thought he was a better person than that."
He sighed, "it was a reaction. Did you expect him to just cuss me out and be done with it?" He laughed a little, but quieted, "it was his reaction."
"Everything is changing!" She exclaimed looking up at him.
"Whoa, Rach," Puck put his hands on her shoulders, "yes things are changing, but we can't think about six months from now, we have to take care of things right now. One step at a time," he told her.
She blinked her eyes a few times, but nodded, "alright."
Puck smiled and wiped her eyes with his thumbs before pressing a kiss to her lips and hugged her again, "good night. I'll see you in the morning," he whispered.
He felt her nod against his chest, "good night, Noah," she replied, pulling away after a moment and stepping towards the door.
Once she was out of his room, he closed the door and changed clothes, catching a glimpse of his face in the small mirror on the closet door. His left cheek and eye was a deep purple, and his eye was swollen, but it still was open enough to see out of. Thankfully the pain medication had started to kick in, so he quickly threw the clean sheets on the bed and then the comforter before setting the alarm on the bedside clock for six am and sliding under the covers with the bag of peas on his face.
Waking up at her normal time, Rachel went right to her elliptical and worked out for forty-five minutes, finishing and going right in for a shower. Her mind wondered to the events of the previous night and sighed as she stepped out, hoping school would be at least manageable. She knew Noah's face would be the talk of the school and she also figured that most of the school would know the truth by the time they got there, so she hoped Quinn was ready for the backlash. She finished dressing and stepped out of her room, finding Quinn's door was still shut, but Noah's was open, so she glanced inside and saw his backpack was gone and the clothes he'd slept in were tossed on the bed. Assuming he was downstairs, she collected her things from her room and headed downstairs, setting her bag next to Noah's by the door and went into the kitchen.
"Good morning," she smiled giving Noah a brief hug as he sat at the island before going around to greet her dads.
Puck raised a hand at her in a wave and went back to his cereal; he wasn't a morning person.
"Noah, I was wondering who would be driving to school today. Quinn doesn't have a car and with your eye, I didn't know if you'd be able to," she commented.
Puck shrugged, "my eye is fine, but your car is easier for three people," he said, glancing at her from his cereal.
Rachel stepped up to him and placed a finger under his chin and lifted it up, so she could look at his face. The swelling had gone down a lot even in just a few short hours, "does it hurt?" She asked.
He shrugged again and got up from his seat, pressing a kiss to her forehead before moving to dump his milk out, "only when the pain meds wear off," he admitted.
She sighed and glanced up as Quinn walked into the kitchen, looking around. "Good morning Quinn," Rachel smiled at her, "what would you like for breakfast? I usually make a fruit smoothy with yogurt and fresh fruit," she said, "I can make you one, too, if you'd like."
"Uh, sure," Quinn shrugged, taking a seat at the island. David slid a piece of paper over the table to Quinn, "what's this?" She asked picking it up.
"It's our address and phone number. I figured you might want to call your doctor's offices and change your address so you can get your bills here," he explained.
"Oh yeah, that's probably a good idea," she folded the paper and slid it into her pocket, "I'll do it at school."
It was after seven and David and Alan both had to go, so saying goodbye to their daughter and house guests, the two men left, leaving the three kids to themselves.
Rachel had thrown together a smoothy for her and Quinn, passing off a glass to her and sitting down next to her at the table.
Puck had been silent since Quinn came into the kitchen, but finally spoke, "I hope you two are ready for today because it's going to be hell," he muttered.
"I don't think it will be as bad as you think. Though I'm sure the school will most likely know the truth, I can't believe anyone would be mad enough to really say something," Rachel commented.
"It's what we'll be called that will be bad," Quinn said.
Rachel focused a moment, "what do you mean?"
"Every bad name for a girl, cheater, and I'm sure I'll get a few good ones, too," Puck told her.
"Oh," Rachel hadn't through about the verbal torment the two might get.
"We should probably go," he told them, heading for the door.
The girls followed right behind him, the three gathering their things and going out to Rachel's car. Quinn got in the back seat and Puck sunk against the passenger door, once he was inside.
The ride to school was silent and as soon as Rachel parked, Quinn got out, but waited for them. Rachel got her bag and her and Puck slid out of the car and closed their doors. Puck took Rachel's hand and she squeezed it as the three walked towards the school, finding Kurt and Mercedes outside waiting for them. Though they were waiting to talk to Quinn, Puck's appearance startled them both, "oh my God, what the hell happened to you?" Mercedes exclaimed.
"Finn," was all he said.
Kurt gave Quinn a hug before looking at Rachel and Puck, "are the three of you ready for this? I mean this is a big deal; and Rachel, I don't get it," Kurt commented.
"Noah was honest with me from the day we started dating that he was the father," she explained, "so I've known all along. I promised him I'd be there for him and I will be," she said.
"I don't know how things are going to go, but we talked to everyone and we've all got your backs," Mercedes said hugging Quinn and glancing at the other two.
Puck took a deep breath and nodded, "thanks."
Together, the five of them walked into the front of school heading towards the lockers. Quinn and Mercedes walked ahead a little and Kurt lagged behind Puck and Rachel. Stopping by Puck's locker he got his first class things and then walked with them down to their lockers, finding the rest of the club there, minus Finn. Tina, Santana and Brittany were hugging Quinn and Artie, Matt and Mike were commenting on Puck's appearance; surprised that Finn lashed out like he did.
Brittany stepped up to Rachel and put her hand on her shoulder, "I know this is probably a stupid question, but how are you doing? This can't be easy for you," she said.
Rachel zipped up her bag and turned to Brittany with a smile, "thank you for asking and I'm doing alright. It's not easy, but I've had a little more than a month to figure things out. I've known since we started dating, so it wasn't a shock to me, but what Finn did last night; to Quinn and to Noah, that's going to take some time to get over," she admitted.
"Speaking of Finn," Puck turned his eyes to Kurt, "what the hell were you thinking? Telling him to sing 'You're Havin' My Baby' to her in front of her parents?" His voice was low, but the glare was giving Kurt proved he was pissed.
Kurt's eyes widened at the question and Puck's tone, "I never told him to sing that song to them! I told him about it and said if he was nervous still, do what he knew and sing what he felt; I didn't think he'd sing it in front of them," Kurt sunk against his locker, "I swear!"
Rachel's hand on his chest calmed Puck's nerves as Kurt spoke. "Are you just saying that so I don't get pissed at your or is it the truth?" Puck asked calmly.
"I swear I'm not just saying that," Kurt said firmly.
The conversation died as Quinn gasped, looking up to see Finn walking down the hall. Matt and Mike nodded at Finn and said hi. Finn just looked at all of them and walked past them like he didn't even know them.
Quinn started crying and took of in the opposite direction and Santana and Brittany took off to catch up with her as the bell rang to start the day.
The group slowly broke apart, walking off for their classes. As Puck walked Rachel to her class, he kept his head down and avoided the gaze of students, but one of the guys make a sick joke about he knew that a real man knocked up Quinn and not Finn. Puck just walked away, not sure how to take it. Stopping at Rachel's classroom, he hugged her tightly, telling her he loved her and slowly walked towards his own class.
In the middle of second period, Puck got a note from Ms. Pillsbury to come down to her office, so his teacher let him go. He stopped at his locker and headed for her office, finding Rachel walking in the same direction, "Rach," he called.
She paused and turned around, smiling at him, "hello Noah."
"What are you doing out of class?" He asked slipping an arm around her shoulders.
She held up the pink note from the office, "Ms. Pillsbury called me down, and looks like you, too," she said noticing he also had a folded piece of pink paper in his hand.
"Yeah," he nodded and the two stepped to the woman's door, finding Quinn sitting in there.
"Mr. Puckerman, Ms. Berry," she smiled, "please have a seat," she motioned to the two empty seats.
Puck sighed and slid into the empty seat, Rachel sitting between him and Quinn.
"It has come to my attention, the events of yesterday," Emma started, all of them looking up as Mr. Schuester walked into the office, "I hope you don't mind, but considering that you are all in Glee club, I figured he should be here."
Puck looked at Will and then turned back to staring at the corner of her desk.
"You told Finn," he said, closing the door to the office.
"You knew?" Emma asked.
"Yes, he told me after Glee club; the last day I was here," he replied sitting down on the corner of the couch. "And I spoke to Finn this morning."
"Oh, um, well, alright," she nodded, "Quinn and I have been talking for a while, and she has explained the 'plan' you three have come up with," she looked at each student. "Now that it is understood that Noah is the real father, then I understand the reasoning behind him wanting to keep her."
Puck glared at her, "you think you've got me figured out, don't you?" He asked.
"What I'm saying is, when Quinn first told me that you were planning to take the child, I thought she meant as a friend; I didn't realize until we discussed it more that you are the biological father," Emma replied. At Puck's silent nod, she continued, "though honorable as that may be, Noah, you're only seventeen and I want to make sure that you're thinking this through," she told him.
Puck glared at her, standing up and moving across the room to stand against the wall, "did you grow up with two parents?" He asked.
"Well, yes, but that -"
"No! Don't you get it? You can't possibly know what it's like to grow up without a father! My mom worked her ass off for my sister and I. Finn and I bonded quickly because neither of us had fathers. I'm keeping my daughter because she deserves that much; I don't want her to ever think that I abandoned her; which is exactly what my father did to me! I've thought this through and as I have said numerous times; I will fight for her."
Emma could tell that he was serious, "very well," she nodded softly and sat back, "please, Noah, sit down," she said.
Puck stayed in his spot for a moment, but slowly slid back in his seat, Rachel taking his hand in hers.
"I must ask, you say that you don't want her to feel abandoned because you gave her up, but what about what she will feel when you tell her that the woman in her life she thinks is her mom, turns out to not be?" Emma asked, glancing at his and Rachel's joined hands.
"That shouldn't matter," he told her, "it takes a heck of a lot more than being pregnant with a child to make a woman a mom. Quinn doesn't want to be one, so she won't have to be, and she will always be able to be in her life as an Aunt if she still wants. As for the person I choose to let my daughter think is a mom; well, if that person has been there for her and takes care of her as her daughter, then that's what is important," Puck squeezed Rachel's hand and glanced at her.
Rachel smiled at him before returning her gaze to the small sign that sat on Emma's desk.
"See, I told you," Quinn spoke up for the first time since Puck and Rachel had come in.
Emma sighed, "Rachel, are you sure you are ready for this? How are you dealing with all of this?" She asked. "It can not be easy to know your boyfriend is going to be a father to a child that isn't yours," she told her.
Rachel's shoulders fell and she shook her head, "I don't like it," she admitted, glancing at Quinn and then Noah, "but all of this happened before he and I were even together. He chose to be honest with me when we started dating and for that, I couldn't and will never turn my back on him, or his child; and if he does want me to be a mom to her, then I will be," she explained.
"What about Quinn?" Emma asked.
Rachel glanced at Quinn, "what about her? Her and I have had our differences, but when I first found out, as much as I was shocked, I told her I'd be there for her and I still am. My fathers are letting her stay with us because her family kicked her out and I hope we can become friends during this time," she admitted.
Quinn nodded, "yeah."
Rachel looked at Emma, "Ms. Pillsbury, I appreciate you trying to do your job, but my dad is a psychologist and my other dad is a lawyer. We have everything under control. My family, and Noah's is well aware and supportive of his decisions and we've welcomed Quinn into our family, as well."
Though Rachel's words quieted the room, as soon as there was a knock at the door and Quinn looked up, she saw Finn standing on the other side of the door. She immediately started crying and moved to the corner of the office furthest away from the door and Rachel wrapped her arms around her.
Puck was glaring daggers at Emma as Mr. Schuester opened the door. Finn stepped inside, standing right next to the door as Will let the door close and he took his seat back on the couch. "What the hell is he doing here?" Puck snapped, standing up to lean against the wall again.
"I asked Mr. Hudson to join us; this is not something that can just be let go. It needs to get taken care of now; not later. You four, if anything, are part of the Glee club and it's important that you can get along for the clubs sake," Emma explained.
"Well he should have thought of that before he knocked up my girlfriend!" Finn exclaimed.
Puck shook his head and just leaned against the wall, looking over towards Rachel. Quinn was clinging to her for support as she shook from crying.
"I wish I could take everything back, Finn, but I can't. We both know this was mistake and now we have to live with the consequences. Rachel has chose to support me and be there for me, Quinn and the baby, because that's what friends do," Puck told him, "and you may never forgive me, but I don't care. What I do care is what you're doing to Quinn. She loves you and now every time she sees you she starts this!" Puck hissed, motioning towards the two girls. "Just days ago you were telling me how much you loved her and were nervous about meeting her parents. She's lost her parents because she made a mistake, and now she feels like she lost you, too. She needs you right now and if you can't see past her making an honest mistake to at least be a friend, then you might as well just leave now." Puck stood strong; he was not going to spend the next seven months listening to Quinn cry over Finn.
Rachel listened to Noah's words and she smiled to herself at them, realizing he'd probably been saving up that speech for just this moment. She turned her eyes towards Finn. He'd been stock still the entire time he'd been in the room, his eyes staring hard at Noah, but once Noah's words ended, she watched Finn's eyes dart in her direction, then his eyes seemed to loosen and his whole face fell, as if in slow motion, his mind and his body was reacting to what had just been said. His final movement was to step forward and place a hand on Quinn's shoulder.
Quinn hadn't expected the touch, so she jumped quickly, turning to look at him, on the verge of another bout of crying.
"Look," Finn rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm so pissed at you for lying to me," he admitted, "and I don't know how I'll ever be able to trust you again, but," he paused, taking a deep breath, "I'm willing to try, because I do love you, Quinn, I just need some time to cool off, okay?"
Biting her lip, Quinn nodded quickly, unable to really speak without breaking down again. Finn took another step forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him in a hug, giving Rachel the chance to step around them and towards her own boyfriend. He was leaning against the wall, his hands behind him and his head down, but as soon as she slipped her arms around his waist, he responded by returning the hug, holding on to her as if she was the only one keeping him standing at the moment.
The two adults in the room exchanged relieved glances. Will had been the one to bring the situation to Emma's attention; Finn had come to him that morning before school to tell him, and as much as Will didn't want to get into the middle, he knew as a teacher and coach of the students involved he would have to; if anything, in hopes to save the Glee club from a terrible break-up.
Emma cleared her throat and looked at the two couples in the rooms, "Finn, you have made steps with Quinn to resolve the issues between yourselves, but what about the other two in the room?" She asked.
Finn's back had been to Rachel and Puck, and as Rachel heard Emma speak, she turned slightly, her arm around Puck's waist as she looked at Finn, waiting to see what he would say. Finn pulled from Quinn's embrace and looked at Puck and then Rachel, sighing, "Rachel, why didn't you tell me when you found out? I thought we were friends," he said.
Rachel shook her head at Finn, "it wasn't my information to tell. I'm not a gossiper. Noah told me in confidence and I chose to accept it and when he told me he wanted to keep her, I supported him, because that's what someone does when they are in a relationship; they support their partner," she told him.
Finn's eyes drifted closed and his head sunk, nodding at what she said. He had no reason to be mad at her; she was right. He slid into the closest seat and put his head in his hands; he'd been on an emotional roller-coaster all weekend and it didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. The loops had turned into smaller hills, now that he'd kind of made up with Quinn and had heard Rachel's reasons for why she never said anything, but the 'coaster seemed to be on a long set of up and down hills; he knew there was one other person there he hadn't spoken to yet and he didn't even know where to start.
Having gotten a moment to regroup, Finn stood up and stepped towards Puck, Rachel quickly stepping in between them, "Finn, you've injured him enough."
Finn shook his head, "move Rachel," he said calmly, "I'm not going to hit him."
Rachel eyed Finn and then turned to get an 'it's alright' nod from Noah, before she reluctantly stepped aside, her eyes on both of them as she crossed her arms over her chest. She could see the height difference between the two, but it seemed like Finn was towering over Noah at that moment.
Finn's hands were on his hips and he was staring down at his friend, but he stood firm, "brothers fight, they compete, they even fight over girls, but there is one rule that has been solid for long before we've been around; 'bros before hos,' and you shattered that. Not only did you sleep with your brother's girlfriend, you got her pregnant," he shook his head, but met Puck's gaze to continue, "The past few weeks I swear it's a whole new you. We've been brothers for twelve years and it's like I didn't even know who you were. I now see that this whole time was to prove that you can take care of your daughter and you're willing to step-up and be her father; like we never had," Finn paused, taking a deep breath and glanced at Quinn and Rachel before turning back to Puck, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget what you did, but you two have made it clear that it was a mistake and if I'm willing to try and trust Quinn again, I feel it's only right to give my brother the same chance," he finished, holding out his hand to Puck.
Puck was frozen in his spot; he'd listened to every word Finn said, waiting hear him say 'get lost' or 'forget it.' He never expected Finn to offer him any chance of redemption, but just as soon as the shock hit him, he extended out his hand and shook Finn's firmly, accepting the chance to prove that he deserved to be trusted again.
The four others in the room all relaxed as the two boys shook hands. Will had stood behind Rachel, watching the scene unfold, but ready to jump in in case fists began to fly, but everyone was thankful that the guys had been able to come to an agreement.
As soon as the guys hands broke apart, Rachel rushed forward to wrap her arms around Puck, thankful that he and Finn had worked things out.
Quinn and Finn also shared a hug while the two adults exchanged successful smiles; glad they'd agreed to pull the teens in for a long talk.
It was lunch break by the time their talk had ended, and the four walked out of Ms. Pillsbury's office with smiles on their faces. They knew that just talking and a handshake would work for the moment, but they would need time process and accept what was going on around them; as a single strand of rope may break under pressure, four strands twisted together will support the other ones and remain strong, and that clearly defined the four young adults about to embark on an emotional journey that would last a lifetime.
...
A/N4: Thank you everyone who sent messages with thoughts and prayers for my family. It means so much! My dad is doing better, but still is in the hospital. My head's a little out of the game, but writing is helping.