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: Sectionals was amazing! I loved it! This story is mostly AU after Mash-up, but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes, I may sneak in a conversation or cover the same topic, but I will put my own twist on it.
A/N3: So part 27A&B on LJ was posted on FF as one part... I had this part finished, but needed to edit it, so after posting those parts, I started editing this one... After editing, I read through the amazing reviews it got, so I'm posting this as a thank you to all my wonderful readers! Please keep reviewing; it keeps me writing for all of you! :D 3
...
High on adrenaline from the night before, it took until midnight for everyone to really get to sleep, but Puck didn't care; he woke up after a solid eight hours of sleep to find he and Rachel were the only ones yet to wake up. His girlfriend was curled up next to him, one of her arms draped over his waist while his arms were wrapped protectively around her body. Shifting a little he glanced around and saw his dad was kicked back on a bed reading a newspaper, his mom was sitting on the edge of the same bed also with a section of the paper in her hand, Arin was across from them playing a game on her Nintendo DS, Finn was just getting dressed and the shower was running so he assumed Quinn was in there.
"Morning," Puck murmured rolling onto his back.
"Was wondering how long it'd take for you two to wake up," Deborah laughed.
"She's still asleep," Puck replied lightly, laughing as he realized his other arm was stuck under her body.
"What time is it?" Rachel murmured; not asleep anymore.
"Uh," Puck glanced around, not seeing his phone where he had left it.
"Eight-ten," Ethan replied glancing at his watch.
Rachel sprung up, "why didn't you wake me up?" She exclaimed, nudging her boyfriend for an answer, "the bus is leaving at nine-thirty and we're not even up!"
"I'm sorry, I was sleeping," Puck commented, "chill out."
"Chill out! Noah, this is the biggest performance for us! You should have set an alarm!"
"He did, we woke up to it," Deborah laughed, tossing Puck's phone to him.
Ethan was eyeing Rachel oddly, surprised at her outburst, especially when she got out of bed so quickly and began rushing around in the room. Deborah just patted his knee, "get used to it," she smirked.
Puck groaned and plopped back against the pillows, "wake me up when it's time to go," he murmured, rolling onto his side.
"Dude, I don't think that's a good idea," Finn commented.
"Noah Aaron Puckerman! Get out of bed this instant! You're not going back to sleep!" Rachel exclaimed, stomping her foot on the carpeting as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her hair was a mess, the top she had on was one of his and she had on a pair of baggy flannel pants on, but she still glared at him, ready to snap again.
Sighing dramatically, Puck rolled over and then slowly sat up, rubbing his face. "Why? So you can yell at me more? I think not," he commented, "and we can't shower at the same time either, so you might as well shower now and I'll shower after," he replied calmly, trying not to laugh at her antics.
Silence fell over the room as Quinn stepped out o the bathroom dressed for the day, seeing Rachel's state as she stood in the middle of the room, all eyes on her, "uh, what did I miss?" She asked curiously.
Puck stood up and moved over to Rachel, resting his hands on her shoulders, "relax, babe, we have plenty of time," he moved his hands up, the pads of his thumbs brushing gently along her cheeks as his hands rested against them and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
Rachel's arms were still crossed over her chest, but as he kissed her, her arms fell to her sides and the ice that had been building seemed to melt away as she leaned against his chest, her arms slipping around his waist, "alright."
Puck smiled and wrapped his arms around her small body and hugged her lovingly for a moment before pulling apart and pressing a kiss to her forehead, "now go shower so we can get ready," he whispered.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded and headed for her bag and collected clothes to wear that day and went into the empty bathroom.
With everyone in the room awake, Deborah didn't see a need for them all to stay in there while Rachel and Puck were getting ready, so she suggested they head down to the café, with a strict warning to her son to not go back to sleep.
Once he promised he wouldn't, everyone left the room and Puck got an idea. Stripping down, he headed towards the bathroom and heard Rachel singing, "figures that she would sing in the shower," he thought to himself with a laugh as he carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside, glad she hadn't noticed. Once her back was fully to him, he stepped forward and pulled the stall door open and slipped into the shower. She realized someone was in there with her, but he immediately reached out, stilling her from moving by wrapping one arm around her chest, holding her arms down, while his other hand clamped down on her mouth so she couldn't scream, "shh, babe, it's just me," he whispered in her ear, pressing a light kiss against her neck. Feeling her relax against him, he let go of her slowly.
Rachel whipped around, "Noah!" She gasped, feeling him so close to her, "you could have... I didn't know it was you! For all I knew you were a-"
Puck pressed a loving kiss to her lips, "how do you know I'm not?" he asked deviously, his hand brushing through her soaked hair.
Her mouth flew open, "that's not even funny!"
Pulling her against him a tight embrace, he felt her relax against his chest, "nothings going to happen to you, and besides, there's a cop downstairs," he whispered.
A small giggle escaped her lips as she realized everyone in their room had gone downstairs, also explaining why he was in there with her now.
Letting his hand run down her back and come to rest on her hip, he smiled, "Happy Valentine's Day," he pressed a kiss to her lips, "this is the first one I've ever cared about."
Looking up at him, she smiled, gently pressing a kiss to his chest above his heart, her hand reaching up to lightly draw the shape of a heart around where her lips had just been, "me too," she admitted, "Happy Valentine's Day, Noah," she finished, her smile never fading.
The two shared a long moment together before shuffling to finish what needed to be done; they had friends waiting and knew if they took too long someone would come looking, so alternating each other under the water, they washed and rinsed off. He stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, helping her out and throwing another towel around her shoulders.
Opening the door he peaked out to make sure the coast was clear and started out of the room, but Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards her. She was standing with the towel wrapped around her body, her wet hair dripping. Biting her lip nervously, she blushed, "have you ever, um," her hand motioned to the shower, "in the shower before?"
Puck's eyes widened at her question, but he slowly nodded, "yeah, once," he admitted, "why?"
A grin tugged at her lips, "well, if we weren't here... I mean... It'd be... At home," she sighed, unable to say what she wanted.
Puck knew she was inexperienced and he also knew she wasn't used to speaking those words out loud, so he stepped forward, their bodies close and he leaned forward, "you mean you wanna play in your shower when we get home?" He asked with a grin, now finding a benefit to her having her own bathroom.
She gasped, but nodded, knowing her body was turning red as his words sunk in.
Pressing a kiss to her lips, he stepped away, "consider it a date," he replied before stepping out of the bathroom to get dressed.
After getting on his boxers, his phone began to ring and he grabbed it, glancing to see Finn's name on the screen so he flipped it open, "yo, what's up?" He answered, curious to why he was calling.
"How much longer until you guys come down?" Finn asked.
"I don't know. I just got out of the shower, so like ten fifteen minutes. Rachel's still getting ready, too," he said. "Why?"
"Can you guys bring down our stuff? Everything Quinn and I need is in our costume bags and we don't want to make a trip up just to get them. Quinn tried calling Rachel's phone, but she's not answering," he said.
"She's probably got it on vibrate," Puck said moving to grab Rachel's phone, seeing she had two missed calls and several text messages.
"Oh, alright, well, can you?"
"Yeah, we'll bring them down with us, see ya," Puck replied closing his phone and glancing at Rachel who was standing in the bathroom doorway, now dressed.
"Who was that? And what do I have on vibrate?" She asked curiously.
"That was Finn. He and Quinn want us to bring their costume bags down so they don't have to make a trip up to get them. Finn said Quinn tried calling you, but you didn't answer, so I said you might have had it on vibrate," he replied, "unless you wanted me to tell him that we were in the shower together," he smirked.
Rachel blushed deeper this time, glad it had only been a phone call they missed and not someone walking in to find them in there together, "if you had told him that, Mr. Schuester would find out and I don't think he would like it very much," she whispered.
Puck rolled his eyes, "Schue was seventeen once, too," he commented, tugging on a t-shirt.
They finished getting ready, both keeping quite so they wouldn't get sidetracked, but as Rachel watched him throw on his Letterman's jacket, she stepped forward, her hands moving to rest on his upper arms, "you look so handsome in this jacket," she whispered.
Puck smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "maybe I should wear it more often," he murmured, "but you know what would even be hotter?" He asked and leaned forward, whispering, "you wearing it and nothing else." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and pulled away, glancing at her as he stepped towards the closet.
Rachel felt her heart flutter at the thought, her mind already enjoying the flashes she got of his suggestion, "Noah, must you do that all the time?"
"Do what?" He asked causally picking up all four costume bags in his hands and heading towards the door, "you ready?"
"Say stuff like that and just walk away! It's almost like you do it on purpose," she grabbed her phone and the room key and slipped them into her jacket pocket before following him.
Before opening the door he paused and smiled at her, "sometimes it's an accident, but most of the time it is on purpose, 'cause I want to see what you'll do," he said pressing a kiss to her lips.
Stepping out of their room, they joined hands and walked towards the elevator, meeting Mike and Brittany there, who joined them as they went downstairs, being the last ones down there. Kurt took their costume bags and immediately pulled Brittany and Rachel away to discuss hair and make-up.
It was only nine-ten, plenty of time, so Puck and Mike made their way through the lobby to the café where Matt, Finn and the adults were seated. Puck took a seat in the empty chair next to his dad.
"So Rachel has no idea about tonight?" Will asked looking at Puck.
Puck shook his head, "nope, well she knows we're going to dinner and something else, but I won't add that something else is until later," he said not wanting to explain anything further. Looking between the adults, he sat back, "what you guys told us last night, that really happened?" He asked; the images he had seemed real, but he had a hard time believing them.
"Afraid so," Ethan commented picking up his coffee cup and taking a drink.
Puck started at the table a moment before looking at his teacher, "how come you never said anything about knowing who my parents were?"
Will shrugged, "well, at first I didn't know. When I first saw you in class I thought you looked like Ethan, but you didn't have his last name, so I didn't think about it... I didn't realize you were their son until I took Rachel and Arin to the hospital when you got hurt at the game. After that I guess I never figured I needed to," he admitted. "I mean, sure, Puckerman isn't a common name, but it didn't register that she was the same Puckerman. I thought she might have had an older sibling or something."
Puck accepted that answer for the moment, the draw of coffee strong at the moment, so he silently got up and ordered two coffees, the second one for Rachel. Once he got them, he headed out into the lobby and found Artie, Kurt and the girls talking. He silently handed Rachel hers and returned to where the adults and the footballers were sitting, "I guess I'm having a hard time getting my head around you guys going to school together."
Ethan glanced at him for a second and then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, digging around between folded papers and credit cards he pulled out a stack of worn photos and flipped through them. Puck watched the colors flash by, recognizing the photo he carried in his own wallet was among them. Ethan kept flipping until he got to one that was folded in half. Handing it off to him, "that should be proof," he smiled setting the photos on the table.
Puck unfolded the photo to see a large group standing in front of a school, that Puck realized with WMHS. His eyes scanned over the faces until he landed on a pregnant brunette in the middle. He quickly realized it was his mom and the guy next to her, dressed in a WMHS Letterman's jacket with one of his hands on her stomach, was his dad. The date in the corner said '6 1992' so he knew it was June of their senior year, and as he scanned the other faces, he landed on a much younger Will Schuester.
"It was taken the last day the seniors were at school that year," Ethan commented, "some of them are other members of the club."
Not recognizing anyone else, Puck passed it across the table to Will, who looked at it and grinned, "I remember this," he admitted with a smile, passing the picture around to everyone who wanted to look at it, "seems like ages ago."
Rachel's arms slipped around his neck, "what are you all looking at?" She asked softly.
"Taking a trip down memory lane with dad's pictures," he said motioning towards the photo Will had.
Will handed it to her and she took it, looking at it for a second. "Wow, is that you guys?" She asked. She knew right away Deborah and Ethan, happy and full of smiles and then she saw Mr. Schuester, "I guess things have a way of coming full circle," she smiled. "And I wonder who's in mom's stomach," Rachel grinned pressing a kiss to her boyfriend's head.
Puck smiled, "yeah, full circle or close to it," he admitted.
Rachel handed the photo back to Ethan and he put it away with all the other pictures, "oh yeah, you guys remember this?" He asked holding up a picture of two boys about five or six years old, both covered in blue and green paint.
"Who is that?" Finn asked.
Ethan cleared his throat and read the back of the picture out loud, "Finn and Noah finger painting, kindergarten, six years old."
Puck and Finn turned a shade of red that matched their Letterman's jackets as everyone leaned closer to look at the picture that Ethan was holding up.
"Look at the time, it's nine-thirty," Puck commented glancing at his phone and standing up.
"Now you're concerned about the time," Rachel laughed.
Giving in, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the bus that was now waiting outside the hotel for them. Arriving at the convention center, it was close enough to ten that their room was ready and as they walked up to the same room as last time, there were two girls and four guys waiting outside the door.
"What the fuck? Are you guys seriously asking for round two?" Puck snapped seeing the same four guys as the night before, this time, dressed and ready for their performance.
The four guys stepped back shaking their heads as the two girls stepped up, just as Rachel realized who they were, "Angela! Kelly!" She exclaimed rushing over, hugging both of them.
The three girls began squealing and talking a mile a minute, and 'New Directions' seemed to be exchanging confused glances, all of them looking at Puck for an answer, but he had none; he didn't even know Rachel's friends aside from the group and the few she had at McKinley. Wanting answers, Puck stepped up a little, clearing his throat, "care to enlighten the rest of us?" He asked curiously.
"Oh my God, is that Noah?" Kelly exclaimed looking at Rachel.
Rachel nodded, turning to her boyfriend, "Noah, everyone, these are some friends from the dance competitions I went to when I was a kid, Angela and Kelly," she said, then passing around everyone's names as she introduced them.
The two girls exchanged glances and nodded at everyone before turning and motioning towards the four guys. The taller one that accused Rachel of sleeping with the judges stepped forward first and Kelly slipped her hand into his, "this is my boyfriend, Steve."
Steve used his other hand to rub his neck nervously, unable to meet her eyes right away, "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't know you were the Rachel they always talk about, not until last night," he looked up, "I'm so sorry for what I accused you of."
Angela nudged the brunette forward that had called Quinn a 'pregnant slut,' "and this dumb ass is his best friend, Andrew," Angela commented .
Andrew glared at her, but turned back to the group, "um, I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it," he murmured looking at Quinn, "if you're a friend of Rachel's then you must be pretty cool."
The other two boys, though hadn't done much other than be strength in numbers, mumbled similar apologies to everyone. Quinn nodded, "it's okay. I've been called worse, but thank you," she replied still guarded protectively by Finn's arm around her shoulders.
Andrew and the two other boys stepped back and Rachel looked at Steve, before looking at her two friends who were waiting for her to say something. "You don't even know me and you accused me of something as degrading as that! How could you? And your girlfriend's friend no less? What were you thinking?" Rachel snapped, her finger pointing at him.
"I wasn't," he ducked his head, "I'm sorry."
Rachel sighed, "I'm going to accept your apology because you're Kelly's boyfriend, but I hope you know that if the confrontation hadn't broken up last night, my boyfriend would have beat the shit out of you," she commented calmly.
Puck cracked his knuckles for the best effect he could and the guy's eyes widened, nodding quickly, "yeah, I got it," he admitted letting go of his girlfriend's hand and leaving with the four other guys.
"So we should probably go," Angela admitted, hugging Rachel again, "we're on at ten-thirty and we still have to finish warming up," she added glancing up to see the time was just ten am.
Rachel pouted slightly, but the three shared hugs and giggled about something Angela told her until Rachel calmly said, "hands off."
Puck raised a curious eyebrow at what they were talking about and as they started to walk away, Kelly turned around, "good luck. We hope you do beat us," she said with a wave.
Filing into the room, Puck and Finn exchanged glances, "alright, that was fucking freaky. Rachel, why didn't you tell us you had friends at Carmel?" Puck asked.
"I didn't know," Rachel admitted, "Kelly, Angela and I went to elementary and middle school together, but my dads and I moved to Lima when I started high school. We grew apart in middle school, when they stopped competing, so we haven't seen each other for almost two years, but we do talk in e-mails and sometimes text or talk on the phone. I never cared where they went," she shrugged. "They said they didn't know I was going to McKinley, either, so I guess that's fair in some ways."
Puck plopped down in a seat, "dude, we could have beat the crap out of them last night."
"I guess it's a good thing dad was there to stop you guys," Rachel bit her lip looking up at Ethan. She was just starting to call Deborah 'mom,' but she realized Ethan never told her she could call him that.
Ethan noticed her hesitation, "it's alright," he promised, "gotta start sometime," he smiled.
With the events of the night before mellowed out with apologies, the kids ran through their number. They kept most of the choreography the same except switched Finn and Puck, since Puck would be singing lead now. When they first started working on it back in January, it took the boys a few tries to get the hang of the new steps, but now they were so used to those steps they wouldn't be able to go back to the old ways without issues.
After a third run through, Will was assured they had everything down and let the kids change. Puck and Mike were the first guys done and Rachel and Tina were also finished changing; Puck now getting a glimpse at Rachel's costume. He'd forgotten the short black skirt that was just long enough to meet with the school's dress code. Moving up behind her, he slipped his arms around her body, "nice skirt," he murmured.
Rachel turned in his arms, "I figured you'd like it," she giggled leaning up to press a kiss on his lips.
"Now you can kiss me?" He asked with a laugh.
"No make-up yet," she replied.
As soon as she said that, Kurt appeared and got to work on her and Tina then as the rest of the girls emerged he and Mercedes worked on hair and make up, the guys huddling as far away from Kurt and his eyeliner as possible.
Walking down to the stage closer to their time, they waited behind the curtains, nervous energy building as the clock ticked by, noon getting closer.
As they were introduced, once again they filed onto the stage, taking their places. The guys sat down on the risers, while the girls stood behind them. Seeing as everyone was ready, Rachel nodded at the band and they began to play the opening bars of the song, her feet turning her to look at Quinn as she sang the first words, "you're not alone, together we stand, I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand." Puck was between them and he also looked at Quinn, "when it gets cold, and it feels like the end, there's no place to go, you know I won't give in," Rachel joined him with the last line of the verse, "no, I won't give in."
The choreography mixed Puck and Rachel into the middle of the rest of their friends as they all sang the chorus, "keep holding on, 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong, 'cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth, so keep holding on, 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through."
Puck and Rachel kept glancing at each other, their voices mixing together beautifully, "hear me when I say, when I say I believe nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny. What ever is meant to be will work out perfectly," they sang as the rest joined in to sing the end o the bridge, "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. La de da da, la de da da, la de da da da da da da da."
For the final chorus, they continued some of the same choreography as before, but Puck spun Rachel around as everyone sang the first part, "keep holding on, 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through," as those words ended, the band continued to play, the group of performers drawing closer together, Puck between Rachel and Quinn, Finn on Quinn's other side and Kurt beside Rachel. The friends all joined hands, singing the next words together, "keep holding on, there's nothing you can say, nothing you can do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth, so keep holding on," the members slowly began to step apart, moving to line up again, but Finn, Quinn, Puck and Rachel, on the middle step, stayed where they had been, their hands still held firmly together as Rachel and Puck sang the final words, " 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through." Lowering their heads, they all waited for the band to finish before breaking from their stance enough to bow to the audience. Quinn and Puck's hands broke apart quickly as the two couples hugged before waving to the audience and jogging off stage.
Will laughed, "you guys could have warned me about the end there," he commented.
"It was the plan all along," Kurt replied. "We just wanted you to think it was a surprise."
"Considering everything that has gone on, it was perfect," he admitted knowing those four were going through the most and were leaning on each other to get through it.
The shuffle back to their room was uneventful and Puck hoped they could get to the bus without any hassles, which they were lucky for and by one that afternoon they were back at the hotel; everyone picking Ethan's brain about activities in town, since he lived there.
"What are we doing tonight?" Rachel asked as they were on the elevator going upstairs.
"Going to dinner," Puck smiled, "and something else."
"I know that, but what is that something else?" She eyed him curiously.
Puck shrugged, "you can find out later."
"That's not fair, Noah! Quinn and Finn know and so do you. Why can't I?"
Walking down to their room, he silently slipped the key into the lock and pushed the door open, going inside and right over to his bag, opening the pocket he had put the tickets in and handed her the envelope. "What is this?" She asked confused.
"Open it and you'll find out what we're doing tonight," he smirked.
Rachel opened the envelope and pulled out the four tickets, seeing the row and seat numbers. At first she thought they would be going to a concert, but as she scanned the next few lines it said, "Fisher Theater, 7:30pm, February 14, 2010. Admittance to 'The Wizard of Oz' Final Performance."
"Noah!" She gasped jumping up into his arms, "how did you get these? I didn't even know this was playing here! This is going to be amazing!" She exclaimed.
Puck hugged her tight, even if she was still shaking from being excited, "I had some help getting them, you know, since I don't live here and all," he commented casually.
Rachel's eyes widened, a smile staying on her face as she moved over to the unnamed, but obvious person he was talking about and hugged Ethan, "thank you!" She grinned.
"You're welcome," Ethan laughed, but returned the hug before she pulled away.
Walking back to her boyfriend she wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," he smiled, "now you know why I told you to make sure you brought something nice to wear," he added.
"The car will pick you guys up at four-thirty," Ethan commented from where he was, "take you guys to dinner and then pick you guys up at like six-thirty and have you guys at the theater by seven so you don't have to rush," he told them.
"A car?" Finn asked.
Ethan nodded, "yes, I was going to give you guys mine, but I figured it'd be easier for you all to have someone drive you, since you don't know your way around and we're going out tonight," he replied, motioning towards Deborah and Arin.
Puck originally wasn't going to tell Quinn so he could surprise her also, but on her insistence to find out just how nice she had to dress, he gave in and told her, so when she and Rachel went shopping, Quinn had an idea of what both of them should get.
By two that afternoon, the four teens started to get ready. With one bathroom, Quinn showered first and then Rachel, both needed more time to get their hair and make-up done than the guys did, so while Kurt and Mercedes worked on them, Finn and then Puck had a chance to shower.
Puck was the last to shower, and had brought his black pants and boxers in to put on, not thinking he should have grabbed a shirt to throw on, until he stepped out of the bathroom to find the room packed with most of the Glee Club, minus Santana, Brittany and Mike. "What the hell! It's like grand central station in here," he muttered.
Ethan glanced up from his sanctuary on the bed he was on, "pretty much," he admitted, his eyes not missing the metal against his chest.
Puck looked at his dad knowing just what he'd seen, "hey it's my choice," he commented.
"I wasn't going to say anything. Your choice, if you wanna put holes in your body, go for it," he shrugged, a laugh escaping his lips.
"Alright, ladies, I think you're done," Kurt commented, "just remember, when you come back tonight, don't forget to bring back the scarecrow and the tin-man tonight, these two, I mean, not the stage actors, alright?" He laughed.
Puck ignored Kurt's comment while he tugged on a white undershirt and turned around, seeing everyone was leaving except for those who were staying in the room, now getting a view of his girlfriend for the first time. She was in a strapless lavender dress that hit her just above her knees and her hair was pulled back loosely with curls falling down. He smiled at her, also noticing the dark purple shall wrapped around her shoulders, "beautiful," he whispered.
She smiled, "thank you, Noah," she replied getting up from where she had been sitting and took a seat on their bed.
"Anytime, babe," he smiled at her and sat down to put his socks and shoes on, going with solid black Vans instead of anything dressy. Standing up again he pulled on a dark gray shirt, buttoning it up, but left the top few buttons open as he tucked the ends of the shirt into his pants before putting his black belt on. Going to the closet he dug out his black suit jacket and slipped it on, heading back to the bed to grab his a few things.
"You guys all look amazing," Deborah smiled.
Puck stuffed his phone, wallet and room key into his pockets and then picked up the envelope of tickets, slipping them into his inside chest pocket on his jacket to keep them close and safe. Now that all of them were ready, Rachel wanted them to get pictures together before they left so she wouldn't have to carry her camera with them all night, so Deborah took a few photos of the couples and one of them together with Rachel's camera.
"Did you see what else I put in that envelope?" Ethan asked his son.
"What do you mean?" Puck took out the envelope and looked inside, flipping through the tickets and found four hundred dollars, "there's no condoms in here, right?" He asked with a laugh, "David and Alan pulled a fast one one me at Sectionals."
"They did what?" Rachel exclaimed looking at her boyfriend in disbelief.
He laughed, "yes dear, I believe your dads expected us to have sex that night. They gave me some money in case we had time to go out and I didn't realize until that night that they put a condom in between the bills."
Rachel's mouth fell open, "you must be mistaken... They did what?" She gasped, totally shocked and the red on her face was a sign she was embarrassed.
Puck moved to her and rested his hands on her shoulders, a smile on his face, "ask them," he grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead before replacing the envelop into his pocket and turning to his dad, "thank you," he nodded at him.
"Anytime," Ethan replied.
Rachel pushed her boyfriend to his dad and held up her camera, "oh do we have to do this now?" Puck groaned, glancing at his watch.
"It'll only take a second, don't you guys want a family picture?" She asked motioning for Deborah and Arin to get into it.
Rachel took the photo once they'd gotten situated, "you're part of the family, too," Quinn said taking the camera so Rachel could join them for another photo.
It was close enough to four-thirty that they needed to leave, so Rachel and Puck shared hugs with the parents and Arin before the two young couples went down to the lobby, finding out the 'car' Ethan had mentioned was actually a limo. Meeting the driver, he held the door open for them and he told them he knew where they were going that night and to not worry about the drive because they wouldn't be late. Rachel and Quinn were both very excited for the night out and though Puck and Finn remained 'cool,' they also were excited to spend the night out with their girlfriends.
They arrived just in time for their five o'clock reservation at a very popular and busy Italian restaurant, which was a good sign. As the driver opened the door, Puck slid out first, holding his hand out for his girlfriend to help her out before Finn and Quinn got out.
"See you guys at six-thirty," the driver said.
Finn opened the doors for the girls and the guys followed them in, Puck mentioning his name and they were quickly guided towards an open table for four. The guys were pulling out all the 'gentleman' charms they had been taught, but never used, shocking the girls when they held their chairs out for them.
"Did we misplace our boyfriends?" Quinn asked Rachel, looking at Puck and Finn.
"I was wondering the same thing. You are both being so chivalrous," Rachel said looking at her boyfriend as he sat down.
"And every other time I'm not?" Puck asked with a grin.
"Well, you usually don't pull my seat out for me and the only thing I've ever seen you do is carry my bag a few times and hold doors open for me," Rachel admitted.
"Hello, welcome to... Wow, you guys do look a lot alike," the server commented, walking up to the table, her eyes going right to Puck.
"Uh, hi," Puck commented nervously, "I take it you know my dad?"
"My husband works with him," she shook her head, laughing lightly, "I'm sorry, I'm Lisa," she said, "can I get you kids started with drinks and an appetizer before dinner?" She asked.
"Go for it, Quinn, I know you've been craving Italian for a while," Puck laughed.
Quinn blushed, but didn't hesitate to mention a few things, before they gave her their drink orders and she left to get them.
"Damn, does he know the whole town," Puck shook his head, "I almost hate for him to move back home," he said.
"What?" Finn and Quinn gasped, "what do you mean back home? To Lima?" Finn asked.
"Yeah," Puck grinned, laughing, a little, knowing news they didn't. "He asked me last night if he could propose to mom."
"Dude, what did you say?" Finn questioned.
"I told him yes, but that I wasn't moving here. I don't know how long it'll be before he does move, but Lima is his home and he wants to come back," he explained.
"By the end of the summer, I've heard," Lisa said setting their drinks down, "didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the guys on the team gossip more than us woman do sometimes," she laughed.
Puck nodded, "it's alright, um, thanks," he looked at her nervously.
She smiled at him, "well, I can take your orders if you're ready or you can wait until your appetizers are here," she said, wanting to give them some privacy.
The four skimmed through the menus a little more and placed their orders, handing her the menus before she left again. Puck glanced over at Rachel and smiled, "so, what do you think?" He asked slipping an arm around her shoulders.
"About what?" She asked looking at him; loving the feel of his warm hand on her shoulder.
"Tonight," he replied.
Rachel smiled reaching out to take his other hand, "it's already been a wonderful day, but tonight is so much better. Thank you," she looked across at Finn and Quinn who were leaning against each other, "I'm surprised you guys were able to keep this all from me," she admitted.
Puck smirked, "that's why I was glad dad didn't send me the tickets like he suggested. I was afraid you'd find them."
During a pause, Finn jumped in, "okay, so back to what you were talking about before," Finn said, "I thought you just like started talking to your dad, but he's talking about getting married to your mom, uh, isn't that kind of soon?"
Puck shook his head, "no, apparently when mom went to a seminar for work up here in July they met up and have been, I guess dating since, but kept it quiet until they could tell us and now they're ready for that."
"Wow," Finn murmured, "so, he's like gonna propose and everything?"
"I'm guessing so," Puck admitted, not really sure what was going to happen.
As their appetizer arrived, Quinn sat up and looked at them, "um, I don't mean to put a damper on tonight, but I overheard Mr. Schuester talking about Nationals," she said softly.
"What about them?" Finn asked.
Quin took a deep breath, "they will be over our Spring break, the first full week in April and they will be on Seattle, Washington," she commented.
"Oh that's so cool! I've never been there! I wonder what the Space Needle is like," Rachel grinned, but then noticed Quinn wasn't smiling, "what's wrong?" She asked.
"I can't go," she whispered, "we have to fly and I won't be able to, not unless you want Abigail born on an airplane," she said calmly, looking at Puck.
The table fell silent for a moment, no one moving or saying anything, until Puck looked at her, "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She shook her head, "don't apologize. It's done and over with, we've discussed it, it's just bad timing, but look, I'm not going to be able to dance anyway, so it works out, but now we just have to find a female replacement as soon as possible," she looked at him and then to Finn and Rachel.
"If you're not going, then I'm not," Finn said.
"Yes you are," Quinn eyed him harshly, "I'll be fine. David and Alan will be there so I won't be alone and I was going to offer to watch Arin so Deborah could chaperone again," she explained.
Finn sighed, but nodded at her request, looking around at his friends, "alright, look, as soon as we know if we placed to go to Nationals this year, we can mention this on the bus ride home and we'll have almost three hours to discuss ideas. Lets just leave it for now, have fun tonight and enjoy it," he held up his glass, and the three others agreed, tapping their glasses to his before taking a drink.
Pushing the information Quinn gave them aside, they enjoyed light and fun conversation over dinner and promptly at six-thirty, their limo returned, picking them up and taking them across town to the Fisher Theater. Lights were lit up and 'Wizard of Oz' was written on the sign above the doors. Getting out of the limo, they stepped towards the entrance and showed their tickets at the door before going inside. The large lobby was buzzing with activity, but Rachel guided them towards the theater so they could get to their seats.
At exactly seven-thirty the lights went down and the play started. With a large cast of familiar characters; Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch of the West, plus a variety of musical numbers, the show ended just after ten. The two couples made their way outside and slid back into their limo that was waiting for them.
As soon as they were seated, Rachel slid into her boyfriend's lap and pressed a loving kiss on his lips, "I love you, Noah, thank you for tonight," she whispered.
Puck grinned, his hands slipping around her waist, "you're welcome, beautiful," he replied, his hands moving up to pull her against his chest, "I love you, too," he added.
The two couples, though together in the limo, seemed to be lost in each other, but when Quinn pulled one of Puck's hands from resting against Rachel's hip, he started to protest until she pressed it against her stomach, allowing him to feel the kicks of his daughter. "She got more active as soon as you two started talking," she whispered.
Rachel reached over and pressed her hand against Quinn's stomach for a moment, smiling at the blond before turning to her own boyfriend, "she must know who we are."
Puck nodded, "I'm sure she does. She probably also knows that she's going to be one spoiled child," he laughed a little before moving his hand from Quinn's stomach, nodding a 'thanks' to her.
The normal drive from the theater to their hotel shouldn't have taken more than twenty minutes, but with the traffic leaving the theater, it was closer to ten-forty-five when they arrived. Quinn and Finn were the first to get out, finding the night air cold, so they went right inside after thanking the driver. Puck and Rachel got out next, Puck slipping the driver a large tip for his work that night, before he took Rachel's hand and they headed inside, finding Quinn and Finn waiting for them at the elevator.
Going upstairs, Puck wasn't sure what to expect when they walked into their room, but using his key, they went inside to find the room dark; his sister and parents gone. Realizing his phone was off, he turned it on, and headed towards his and Rachel's bed, finding a piece of paper with 'Noah' written on it. Picking it up, he recognized his mom's handwriting and read the note out loud, "Noah... Arin's in Emma's room with Mercedes and Tina, but go get her when you guys get back. Dad and I are going back out for a little while, but if we're not back before eleven, don't wait up. Text Will when you get in so he doesn't freak out, love you, mom," he set the paper back down on the bed and groaned, "don't wait up... Great," he shook his head and turned to his girlfriend, pressing a kiss to her lips, "I'll be back," he whispered.
Leaving their room he padded down the hallway to Emma's room and leaned against the door frame, knocking lightly. Kurt pulled open the door open moments later, a grin on his face, "well hello there handsome, what can I do for you?" He wiggled his eyebrows a little, seeing a still dressed up Puck on the other side of the door.
Puck rolled his eyes, holding back a comment to respond with, "hi, is my sister here?"
"Yep," Kurt stepped aside, "come on in. We just finished a movie," he said, "how was tonight?"
"Great," Puck smiled stepping inside to see Matt, Mercedes, Tina and Artie in there also.
Arin saw her brother and jumped up running over to him, "Noah! Guess what, guess what!" She exclaimed.
Puck laughed, "I have no clue, tell me."
"You won't tell us," Kurt commented with a huff, "and you'll tell him?" He asked looking at Arin. Turning to Puck, he sighed, "she's been excited about something all night, but won't say anything."
Puck smirked, "I think I know," he shrugged, looking at his sister.
"He's my brother!" She laughed, "I wanted to tell him first," she looked at Puck, "Noah! Dad proposed to mom and she said yes! They're getting married again and he's moving back to Lima!" She hugged him.
Puck smiled, "thanks great kiddo," he said glancing up to see the looks on his friends faces, "he asked me if that was okay last night," he added.
Arin grinned, "I can't wait to tell Rachel!"
"Congratulations," Artie said looking at Puck, "seems like things worked out."
Puck nodded, "thanks man. Well, they've been seeing each other since July, so it had been coming, telling us was the last hurdle before they took the next step," he admitted.
"And you're okay with it?" Mercedes asked.
"I think so, I guess we'll see. As long as I don't have to move to Detroit, I'm cool," he replied, "how long has she been here?" He asked motioning towards his sister.
"Just since like eight-thirty, nine," Tina said.
Puck nodded, "thanks for watching her," he smiled at all of them, "come on sis, get your stuff so we can go to bed," he said rubbing his eyes, surprised he was tired.
"I don't have anything," she said looking at him. "Goodnight everyone!" She waved and headed for the door, pulling it open.
Puck waved, and said goodnight to his friends before following his sister out, finding her frozen in the hallway. Looking up, he groaned, "this is going to take some getting used to," he murmured, seeing his mom with her back against the wall right outside their door, his dad standing close to her while they're kissing, "seriously, get a room," he commented, "children present," he added shaking his own head, hoping to rid himself of that image.
His parents pulled apart, his mom blushing deeply, "Noah, hi, I didn't think you'd be back already."
He laughed, heading for the doorway, "got back about fifteen minutes ago," he said pushing the door open.
Arin skipped inside the open door, "Rachel, Quinn, Finn! Guess what!" She exclaimed.
Puck glanced at his parents, "congrats," he smiled at them before following his sister's trail into the room, seeing her sitting next to Rachel already passing on the good news as the two adults walked into the room.
Quinn and Finn were already in bed, but Rachel jumped up and hugged both of them, all three congratulating them as Puck changed into something to sleep in.
Things were going well in the Puckerman/Ballard family, but as soon as Puck slid into bed and glanced over to where Quinn and Finn were, he got a gut feeling that a storm was brewing. He couldn't place where it was coming from, but he just knew something was going to happen soon and he silently prayed that his daughter would be safe.
...
Music: 'Keep Holding On' ~ The song is originally sung by Avril Lavigne on her 'The Best Damn Thing' album, but I used the words as they were preformed by the Glee Cast during 1x07 ~ Throwdown. I didn't mention their costumes much because they are the same as they wore in the show.
...
A/N4: Sorry for not explaining the play; I've never seen it, or the movie. I played a few songs when I was in junior high school band, but that's as close as I've ever really been to it. I chose that, because at that specific theater, Fisher Theater, in Detroit, it happened to be playing, the last day being Valentine's Day 2010, so it worked out.
A/N5: The next part may be pretty short, but I'm not sure. We'll see where the words take me, but I'm off for a few more days, so I hope to get it posted before I go back to work on Tuesday afternoon.