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: Feedback keeps me writing, so keep it coming :D
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Special thanks to WillDoXTNA, elbbubniaevili and knkykty / KittyGoddess415 for inspiring some of the conversations in this chapter. I had a tough go at this one; lots of writers block, but with some helpful suggestions, I got a muse and this is what came out. So thanks for the help! Hope you all like!
...
After a mini-family reunion between Puck and his dad's sister, the couple settled into their evening. Over their dinner, they chatted lightly about school and Glee Club, especially about the showcase, choosing to keep their conversations less personal until they could be in the privacy of their own room.
As the server brought them their check, she set it down and walked away, without even waiting and Puck picked it up before Rachel could reach for it, "hum, that's odd," he said, giving it over to Rachel.
Rachel took it, "first you want to pay, then you don't?" She laughed, but as she looked at it, she also saw what he meant was 'odd.' The line that said 'total owed' was zero. She scanned over the receipt again and took one of the two copies out to reread it, "I suppose we don't owe anything, but why?" She asked curiously.
"Sorry to rush away like that, had to drop something off," their sever said, returning to pick up their empty plates.
"Could you explain our check to us?" Rachel asked.
"Oh yeah, it's paid for. You're guests here, so your first meal is on the house and you do know who you were talking to when you came in, right?" She asked. "Mrs. Olsen is the concierge manager here."
Puck nodded, "oh, I see. Guess we did something right," Puck laughed a little, handing her a twenty, "keep it, thanks," he smiled.
"Wow, thanks," she returned his smile and pocketed the money. "Have a nice stay," she replied to both of them before leaving the table.
Rachel looked at him, "that's a nice tip for her," she commented.
Puck shrugged and finished off his drink before looking at her, "you ready to go?"
"Sure," she stood up and shouldered her purse, "you going to explain that to me?"
"Wait a few minutes," he said slipping his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the restaurant and headed back to the hotel, "I didn't want her to know she's my aunt and I wanted to make sure she got the money and not the guys who clean the tables after we leave."
"Oh, I see," she replied, glancing at him as he pulled the door open to the lobby.
Puck stepped in behind her and glanced around, seeing his aunt over at the desk, looking at her computer. Walking over to her, he knocked on the counter and she jumped in surprise, "oh Noah, Rachel, you scared me," she laughed a little.
He smiled, "thanks for dinner."
"First meal is always on the house, but you're welcome; any room service or meals you have here will be paid for; just make sure you give them your room card," she explained.
"Must be a perk of being the concierge manager?" He asked curiously.
"She told you?" Bree asked with a blush.
"Yeah, it's cool though," Puck grinned and slipped his arm back around Rachel, "I think we're heading up to bed. Long drive and long day at school," he admitted.
Rachel nodded, leaning her head against his chest, "yeah, good idea," she replied. "Goodnight, Brianna."
"Night you two, and you can call me Bree," she replied.
"Night, Bree. Thanks again," Puck called as he and Rachel walked towards the elevators.
"We're here, Noah, no one around aside from your aunt," she smiled, leaning against him as they waited for the doors to open.
Puck pressed a kiss to her lips and stepped aside, letting the family on the elevator get off before he and Rachel stepped on, pressing the button for their floor, "we are here, all alone and honestly, with room service, I don't care if we leave the room again until we have to check out," he murmured, pulling her against him, his lips finding hers in a long and loving kiss.
Rachel melted against him, her arms tightening around him, reluctantly pulling away as the doors slid open on the third floor. With their arms wrapped around each other, Puck guided them down the hallway towards their room and slid his key card into the door. With it unlocked, he pushed it open and they stepped inside. Puck tugged the door hanger off the inside knob and slipped it on the outside, making sure they wouldn't be disturbed.
It was just after eight at night and though he had planned to go to sleep, dinner was a good pick-me-up, so he took her hand and guided her out onto their balcony overlooking Sandusky Bay, and leaned against the railing, watching the sunset. Rachel excused herself to get her camera and returned moments later, "I just don't want to forget this, Noah," she explained gently, almost an apology for taking so many pictures.
He'd gotten used to the pictures over time, and knew she would have a lot of downtime over the summer to scrapbook, which he knew she was looking forward to, "don't worry about it," he whispered.
Leaning against the rail next to him, she glanced at him, his eyes glazed over as he stared over the horizon. It wasn't like him to get transfixed on something, and he had been quiet more than normal, so she slipped one of her arms under his jacket and rested it around his back, "is something wrong, Noah?" She asked softly.
Puck turned his head to look down at her, his arm going around her shoulders and pulling her against him, "no, babe," he whispered, a smile tugging at his lips, "nothing is wrong. In fact, everything is right," he paused, "I got the girl of my dreams, literally, and we're about to become parents. Though Abigail was created under not-so-good circumstances, she's coming into this world with us as her mom and dad, many aunts and uncles, three grandfathers and a grandma that will no doubt spoil her. We have pretty awesome friends, that I regret ever teasing, but I'm glad they've forgiven me for whatever I did to them. On top of that, I have a relationship with my real father and my parents are back together and are going to get married in a few months, I never thought I'd ever see that happen and no matter how much I hated him before, as soon as we started talking, it's almost as if the time he was gone never happened."
Rachel smiled against his chest and pressed a kiss above his heart before looking up at him, "and my dads are letting me move into your house, which in a few years will be our house and we're going to be a family. Yes, I agree, everything is right."
"Good. I'm glad we agree," he smiled, pulling her against him as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, the sunset forgotten. He wrapped his other arm around her body and felt her shiver against him, now noticing the the cool breeze coming off the bay, "lets go inside," he whispered and at her nod, he kept his arms around her and guided her backwards, through the doorway and onto the coral carpeting of their room.
Puck reluctantly let go of his girlfriend to shut the door and pull the curtains back, seeing the light go on behind him and turned around, finding Rachel had just turned on the lamp by the bed. He hadn't looked around the room too much when they first arrived; he was hungry and Rachel wanted to take pictures again, so he waited for her by the door, but now that he could really look, he noticed the wall where the bed was and the one opposite it was blue, the other two walls was a tan color. The carpeting was coral and the curtain and comforter matched the colors in the room. Near the balcony door they'd just come in from was a two person couch and small coffee table, instead of the typical table and chairs. "What would you like to do?" He asked, seeing Rachel was now digging through her luggage.
She stood up with something in her hand and tossed it to him. Puck reached out for it, "I thought we could start our time here, the right way," she explained, moving closer to him.
Puck looked down to see what he'd caught and found the very familiar foil wrapper. "Oh, baby, I like how you think."
...
Rachel woke first, just like normal, but instead of crawling out of bed when she saw it was after ten in the morning, she remained in her boyfriends arms, just watching him. Her hand gently rested against his heart and she sighed lightly, "I'm so scared, Noah. I know I've told you we can work this out, but how? I know why you plan to join the Navy, but isn't there some way you can stay? It's one thing to be gone a few weeks, but I've done the research. You could be gone six months or more... You'd miss birthdays, holidays, important events... Everything... My fear is that you're going to miss everything with us... Your daughter may grow up not knowing who her father is or hate you for always being gone..." Tears came to her eyes and she pulled her hand up to wipe her eyes, not seeing he was looking at her.
"What's wrong?"
His voice startled her and she looked up at him, "um," her head fell against his chest, "I'm scared," she whispered.
"Scared of what?" He asked gently, not fully awake, but needing to know.
"The Navy," she replied looking up at him.
Puck sighed, "you said you were alright with it... That we could work things out..."
"I know what I said, Noah, but that doesn't mean I can't be scared about it," she shifted from his arms and sat up tugging the sheet up to her chest, her knees coming up and her arms draped over them as she rested her forehead on them, "I've been looking online at forums for military families and... They all say the same thing... Spouses and kids are left at home for long periods of time, the spouse left with the kids, the house, the work, everything to keep their family together, while the military husband or wife is gone for months at a time... One woman I read about said her husband was on a carrier for seven months, came home for two weeks and had to go back out and was gone for another six months, leaving her with two young children; he missed all of their birthdays and special holidays... Isn't there some way we could find to keep you here," she choked back a sob as she looked at him, "I want to support you, but I'm scared."
Puck pushed himself up and tugged her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her body as she sobbed, his hands gently running along her back in soothing circles, "I'm scared, too," he whispered, trying his best to come up with a way to explain his choice a little more than he had before. "Scared that I'm making the biggest mistake in my life. That I'm throwing my life into the hands of something I can't control and will loose my family in the process... I've done the research too; long tours out at to sea, shore duty in foreign countries, not always able to have your family live with you... I know... I don't want to be apart from you or from Abigail anymore than I absolutely have to. I have a hard enough time being apart from you for more than twenty-four hours, that's with texts and phone calls, so I don't know how I could survive months at a time..."
"Then why can't you go to OSU in Lima like me? Just apply for grants and scholarships; anything," she looked up at him.
He sighed, "when I was a Freshman and a Sophomore, I just barely kept my grades at a 'C' average to play sports and was on football and basketball. Sure, this year my grades have been better; more like a 'B' average, and only did football and Glee... I took my SATs back in September, and got in the average range, so nothing special there and next year, if I play football and basketball, which is what I'm planning to do, and stay in Glee, and be a father, then my grades are not going to be straight 'As' and I've already talked to someone in admissions at OSU and they told me if I retook the SATs and tried for a higher score and maintained straight 'As' next year, I might have a shot to get in. Scholarships are out of the question because of my grades, so right now, baby, I've got nothing else to try except the military and the Navy seems to be the safest. I'm not advanced enough for the Air Force, I don't want to be forced to spend two years away in a sand-box, so the Marines and the Army are both out, so that leaves the Coast Guard and the Navy, but there are more Navy bases than there are Coast Guard, which is why I chose the Navy."
She was silent after he stopped talking, contemplating all of what he told her, "okay, I get the money issue and your grades and why the Navy would be the best choice, but how are we," she motioned between them, "going to work this out? You want me to stay in Lima with Abigail so she'll be raised around friends and family, but what about you? Where will you be?"
His hands gently brushed along her side and guided them back to lay down again, covering them up and his arms holding her against him, "wherever the Navy puts me. Whenever I leave for boot camp, I'll be just outside of Chicago for eight to nine weeks. When that is over, graduates usually have a week break to come home and be with family, before they go to 'A-school,' which is training for whatever job I'll be doing specifically. That could be two months or more depending on just what I'll be doing and after that is when I'll get my first duty station."
"The Navy means ships and boats, so does that mean you'd be along the coast? Because I know Ohio doesn't have any Navy bases," she commented.
He nodded, "yeah. There are a lot around DC and the East and West coast of the states, then there is Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines... And any other place in the world that has a Navy base, Japan, Italy, Greece, Panama... It all depends on what I test into and where they need it," he whispered sadly, "I'm sorry Rachel, this isn't helping your fears any and I'm sure I'm just making it worse, but I want you to be a part of this decision and if you don't want me to go, I need to know that, because once I get into this and sign those papers, there isn't a chance to say I change my mind... If I sign a contract, I have to go for however long my contract is for, unless they discharge me." Rachel's fears came to the surface, clear as day for her as soon as he mentioned where he could be stationed... Her sobs into his chest told him he should have kept with a short explanation, but it was too late and he needed to know what was getting her so upset, so he pulled her on top of him, her hair falling around her shoulders as she clung to him, a little surprised at what he did, but his arms pulled the blankets over them so they were still in the warmth of the bed and he looked at her in the eyes, "Rachel, tell me what you're scared of. I need to know, and I think I have a pretty good idea what it is now," he whispered, "but I want to hear you tell me."
Lifting her head a little, tears falling from her eyes, "I'm scared I'll loose you to someone prettier or has more to offer! I trust you, but I don't trust other girls," she sobbed. "Just look at your moms favorite move!"
Puck gently rested his hands on her cheeks to lift her head to look at him, locking eyes with her, "Rachel Marie Berry," he started, "aside from friendly hugs to close friends, I have not and will never touch any woman sexually other than the woman who is laying on top of me right this very moment. I have been faithful to you since the day we started dating and I will always come home to you, even if that means a long time apart, you will be the only woman I will ever touch in this way and I mean it, with every ounce of my being, I mean it. I wish I could give you more than my word and a ring on my hand to prove it, but it's all I've got, so please, if you're scared of me leaving because of the women in bars around the bases, don't be. I only have one type and if their name isn't Rachel Marie Berry and soon-to-be Puckerman, she won't get past a greeting with me."
Her sobs came back, but this time she wrapped her arms around him the best she could from her position, "I'm so sorry, Noah, I don't want you to think I don't believe you'll be faithful, but I'll be almost eighteen when you graduate and Abigail will just have turned one, so I'll be all alone to start my Senior year, knowing you're off somewhere in the world and can't come home for such a long time to see us and I know you'll be lonely and with all the girls... I believe you'll be faithful, Noah, I do," she pressed a much needed kiss to his lips, "I believe you, I really do," she assured him, kissing him again.
Puck smiled into her kiss and tightened his arms around her, tugging her closer to him before pulling away, knowing he had one more question for her, "so knowing what we've discussed in the last little while, my not-so-good grades, no money and why I chose the Navy in the first place, do you want me to stay in Lima or do you want me to join the Navy?" He asked honestly. If she said 'no,' he'd forget he ever thought of it.
Pressing a finger to his lips, she pushed off him, "hang on a second," she whispered.
"What the-" Puck felt like he'd just been hit in the head with a basketball; she'd gone from an emotional wreck to walking around their room completely naked as if she was happier than ever, disappearing into the bathroom with a small bag from her suitcase. He heard water and figured she was brushing her teeth, but when she came back in just seconds, she crawled up to where she'd just been and shifted a little, kissing him again, "didn't brush her teeth," he thought, then groaned as he felt her shift against him, "Rachel, what are you-?"
She pressed a kiss to his lips again, silencing the question until he joined into the kiss, his arms tugging her against him in a tight hug. Pulling away gently, she ran a hand through her hair and then leaned forward, "we need to make the most of what we've got, Noah, so when you're gone for months at a time, we'll have something to remember," she whispered and at his questioning look, she continued, "I'll stand by you joining the Navy."
His mouth fell open in shock; he fully expected her to say she wanted him to stay in Lima, but by her saying she'd support him and feeling the position they were in, he understood why she said they needed 'to make the most of what we've got.' Before he could ask if she was sure, she shifted again and nodded. "As you wish, my Rach," he murmured.
...
Waking up for a second time that day, Rachel found she was the one being stared at. "Morning, Noah," she greeted him, a smile on her face, feeling great compared to her last wake up.
"More like 'afternoon,' babe. It's almost one," he responded, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.
She returned it and gently pulled away, resting her head back against the pillows, "I'm sorry about earlier," she whispered.
"I thought it was pretty awesome, myself," he admitted with a sly grin.
She blushed, slightly surprised she had been so willing to make love to him without protection, but she wasn't talking about that and she figured he did, too, "Noah, I'm not talking about that, because that was amazing, but I mean the conversation before."
He shrugged, "I've been expecting it. I knew you needed to be honest with me and I was going to let you come to me, I wasn't going to push it," he whispered.
"But I-"
He gently silenced her by pressing his index finger to her lips and shook his head, "you were concerned because of the distance that could be between us and you finally admitted the one thing you've been most afraid of, me cheating on you. I'm not mad at you at all for being honest and we talked about it. I made you a promise I intend to keep and unfortunately that's all I can give you, but I hope it's enough."
She smiled and nodded at him, "it is, Noah," she whispered snuggling close to him.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead he smiled, but then looked at her, "that doesn't mean your off the hook," he told her.
"What?" She looked at him confused.
"We talked about my future, now we need to discuss yours," he murmured.
Her mouth fell open, but before she could answer, a knock on the door startled her. He moved to get up, which is when she realized he was in sweats and a t-shirt. She tugged the sheets over her and he went to answer the door, returning moments later with a cart, "while you were playing sleeping beauty, which I might add you do very well, I called for a really late breakfast," he smiled.
Realizing dinner last night had been the last time they had eaten, she felt how hungry she was, so she got up and moved to her luggage, taking out her long silk robe from many months ago and wrapped it around her, tying it loosely as she moved to sit on the couch. He set their food on the table, a variety of pancakes and syrups along with scrambled eggs, orange juice and fresh fruit. "This looks so good," she admitted taking a plate and getting a pancake.
Puck moved around to sit next to her and did the same, filling his plate with food before sitting back on the couch, "so talk," he wasn't letting her out of that conversation; food or no food. He saw her pause what she was doing, and then continue on, "maybe I should start by explaining. Every time I go into your house, or your dads house, I see all these winning medals, trophies and pictures of you in all these competitions. You've told me Broadway will be there in a few years, but will it? Or are you giving up everything for us? I don't want to be that guy... The guy who ruined his girlfriend's chances to be somebody famous... You've wanted that your whole life, and now... I don't want you to regret us and in five years hate me because I ruined your chances at being the next Broadway star. You always wanted that and now you're taking on the responsibility, at sixteen, of a child that isn't even yours biologically and are willing to accept her as yours because she's my daughter and we love each other, so if you're scared of me being gone... I'm scared you're going to hate me for ruining your chances at Broadway," he admitted softly.
Rachel gasped at his last sentence and looked at him, realizing now why he'd think that, but she shook her head, "it's not going to happen."
"What isn't?"
"I'll never hate you, us or our daughter for not being on Broadway," she sat back against the couch, but turned a little to face him, needing to eat as much as talk to him, "Broadway didn't come up until seventh grade," she started, "it wasn't my whole life. When I was a child and my dads put me into competitions, I liked to dance because it's fun. They told me as long as I wanted to continue, they'd let me. When I won, it felt great! In elementary school, I met Angela and Kelly, the ones from Regionals. They were taking lessons from the same dance teacher I had and we became good friends, even though we competed against each other. When we started sixth grade, Kelly lost interest first and dropped out of dancing completely because she wanted a life aside from that. Angela continued on through sixth grade and through the summer before seventh, but Angela quit for the same reasons, but I kept on. Just after we started seventh grade, Angela got a boyfriend, a few weeks later, so did Kelly, so I was left with what? Dance... I had a few crushes on boys at school and they tried to set me up with a few of their boyfriends' friends. We tried a triple date, but he and I... I could tell he didn't like me because he was always rolling his eyes or talking with the other guys and I felt... I don't know, I guess left out and I kind of realized that I wasn't as pretty as Angela or Kelly, but I had the vocal and dance talent, so by the end of seventh grade I made my mind up to focus on becoming the next Broadway star because I thought that might get me some attention; that guys would like me because I wanted to be something... I know it sounds stupid now, but I was thirteen," she paused taking a breath. She didn't want to get emotional before she had a chance to finish. "Angela and Kelly thought I was crazy for Broadway, but we stayed friends, I guess I just didn't care what anyone thought of me and my choices. I continued with dancing through eighth grade, but dad got a job offer he couldn't turn down in Lima, so we moved because daddy knew he could find a psychology job anywhere. Over the summer before Freshman year, we moved to Lima and by moving, it would be a long commute to and from practices, so I gave up dance and all the competitions. I loved winning and I'll never forget those fun times, but I had a drive and I also thought the move would be a way to start over, but on my first days at McKinley as a Freshman, I realized I was still the crazy geek who had big dreams when this sophomore jock threw a slushy on me," she stopped, looking at him.
Puck ducked his head, blushing as he rubbed his neck, "um, sorry about that, that first one was an accident, actually. I really didn't see you coming around the corner, but when the guys saw it, they thought I had done it on purpose and they kept on me to do it again..."
Rachel nodded, "I know you're sorry about it, Noah," she replied. "When I got into the Glee Club with Mr. Ryerson I thought I had a chance to prove not only that I could sing, but I could dance and it would give me a chance to have something to take to Broadway. When I saw him touching one of the guys who'd been in the club, I went to Principal Figgins and he fired Mr. Ryerson, but then I realized, Glee was over for ninth grade, and Figgins didn't know if anyone would take it over, that is, until Mr. Schuester chose to take it over at the beginning of this year," she explained, "and you know the rest with that," she said softly.
Puck eyed her. He had listened to every word she said, wanting to know, "alright, so you did the dance thing through eighth grade, and when your friends got boyfriends and you didn't get one, you felt that no one liked you unless you had drive for something bigger, so you focused on Broadway?" He asked, and at her nod, he continued, "alright, I get that, a little off, but I get where thirteen year old logic could come in, but this isn't really answering my question about why you're not pursuing it now," he commented gently.
"I know, but I figured it'd be easier to explain if I started from the beginning," she replied before continuing, "the day you accidentally started the whole slushy thing, I realized that I was just the same girl I had been in middle school, a crazy girl with big dreams that no one understood, but I pushed on with my dream of Broadway, because I thought it would be the only way to be seen for my real talents and not just by how I looked. Do you know who my first kiss was?" She asked softly.
"No, who?" He asked, curious.
"Finn, just a week after he joined Glee. I thought it might be something, but he took off after because he had Quinn and I thought I'd lost my chance, and then along came his best friend with a mohawk and a badass attitude; didn't give a shit about anything, but could sing and dance, play guitar and piano and after everything that happened with Finn lying to me to get me back into Glee, I was thinking Finn was just like every other guy, and I was upset... I admit," she blushed, "when I first saw you, I was drawn to you and every time I saw you, I felt a little crush growing, but I pushed it away because I knew of your reputation, but then you came up to me one day with a grape slushy, my favorite, and asked me if we could work on music together... I was shocked and surprised, but knew I couldn't turn down a chance with you, so I took it... When you asked me if I wanted to make out, I wanted to, and I felt sparks, but when you told me 'we're a couple of good lookin' Jews,' I got upset thinking you were using me because you found out I was Jewish, and I finally stood up for myself, by asking if you were. When you kind of told me yes and no, I accepted that and as we talked and you told me about the baby being yours... I don't know, something clicked in my brain... Like you were who I was waiting for all along... Someone who liked me for me and was honest with me. You're the only person I've kissed aside from Finn and he never made me feel like you make me feel. I feel life and everything when we kiss, Noah, and I realized that what I wanted wasn't so far away as Broadway; that all I really wanted was someone to tell me I'm beautiful and love me for me, crazy girl and all, and you are that person. You make me feel special, you tell me I'm beautiful even when I don't agree, you call me 'babe' and 'baby' and love me," she set her empty plate down on the table and took his from his hands, setting it aside to crawl up into his lap, "I found the life I want right here with you and I could never hate you for telling me you love me and that I'm beautiful. Broadway will be there forever and I'll continue to sing and dance at OSU, so maybe someday, but right now, all I see is right here with us and soon, you and I with the small child we've been waiting months to meet," she whispered, "I want us and our daughter more than Broadway," she finished.
He couldn't speak; he was stunned at her explanation, but with her on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips to hers, hoping their kiss conveyed just how much what she said meant to him. One of his hands rested against her cheek briefly, then gently brushed through her hair and down her back to rest on her hip, while his other arm was wrapped around her body.
She felt his tongue brush against her lower lip before his teeth gently nipped at it, causing her to groan, but she needed air, so she reluctantly broke their kiss, gasping as she caught her breath, her forehead pressing against his, "I take it you get it now?" She asked softly.
"Oh yeah," he nodded, pressing a short yet loving kiss against her lips, "I get it," he took her left hand in his and lifted her hand up, gently kissing her ring, "I get that I found myself the most beautiful and amazing woman in the world," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "I love you."
She blinked her eyes, feeling the tears escape, but as she opened them she kissed him gently, "I love you, too, Noah," she replied wrapping her arms around him in a hug.
The couple remained in each others arms for some time, before they slowly untangled themselves to continue their meal; even over cold pancakes and food, it was perfect. They both knew in a few short weeks, time alone would be interrupted by the crying of a newborn and though they were nervous, they were also excited to finally meet her and be able to hold her in their arms.
"You know, in less than six hours we've had two very major conversations, made love after one of them and took a nap," he murmured, "I say the trip was a success," he added, smiling at her.
Rachel blushed lightly as she leaned back against him, "yeah, I think it was. We needed to talk and needed a chance to be together," she agreed resting a hand on his knee, "sorry if I freaked you out earlier when I took off to the bathroom," she whispered.
He smirked, draping his arm around her shoulders, "you confused me, but when you kissed me and I realized you hadn't brushed your teeth, but your lips were wet, so I knew you'd taken your pill," he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "though after you returned, you shocked me. I didn't expect that."
Turning to face him she pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I'm on a new one that is ninety-nine percent effective and though my doctor recommends that we don't do that all the time, he told me we'd be pretty safe if we did once and a while," she explained.
Puck nodded, "nothing compares to how good that feels, but I understand," he agreed.
She relaxed for a long moment against him before sighing, "we, um, should really try and get some of our homework done."
With a reluctant sigh, Puck nodded and got up, clearing the table off and putting the empty plates back onto the cart and wheeling it outside their room before returning to her. "It's like two-thirty; it shouldn't take us that long to do our homework and I really don't wanna do it tomorrow, which is why I'm not putting up a fight, so after we finish, wanna go to dinner again?" He asked.
She smiled, "yeah, I'd like that," she replied, getting up off the couch to get her bag.
Puck grabbed his stuff and plopped down on the couch while she sat on the bed. It was kind of their agreement when they did homework at the same time that they wouldn't sit too close because they didn't want their teachers to accuse them of copying each other.
Within an hour, he had finished his English and his Criminology work, noticing Rachel was reading and writing from her English text book. He smirked, knowing she was making notes as she read the four page story they needed to read and discuss on Monday. Shaking his head, he slid his books back into his bag and tugged out his math book, glancing over the lesson they'd talked about the day before before starting the homework. As usual their teacher gave them all the even numbered problems because the answers to the odd numbers were in the back of the book, but there typically was an odd number and even number problem similar, so if they could work through the odd and get the answer in the back, they knew they did it right. Glancing back at his girlfriend he noticed she was now looking over her math notes and glancing into her book, so he figured she had been waiting for him to start his. "You doing alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, you?" She replied.
"Of course, save the best for last," he smirked, "and if you tell anyone that... I know where you live," he laughed. "Are you taking Calculus next year or Statistics?"
"Statistics," she replied, "why?"
He shrugged, "just curious. I am, too. We'll probably have the same class, since there is only one Stats class a year."
"I hope so," Rachel admitted, "I like having a few classes with you."
He smiled at her, "yeah it's nice, I like it, too," he agreed.
Continuing on, they talked back and forth helping each other on problems they got stuck on until they finally finished the last one and Puck stashed his stuff in his bag and put it by their luggage, "alright, no more school work," he replied moving to lay down on the bed next to where she was sitting.
She put her things away and moved off the bed to set her bag near his before returning, laying down next to him. He tugged her close to him, "what time do we have to check out by tomorrow?" He murmured.
"Noon," she replied, turning in his arms to look at him.
He nodded and pressed a kiss to her lips, "shower then dinner?" he asked.
Rachel shook her head, "after," she whispered, sliding from his arms and standing up, untying her robe and letting it fall to the floor before crawling back onto the bed with him.
Puck's eyes widened, swallowing in shock as he stared at her, "are you sure?" He asked softly.
"Yes, Noah, in less than twenty four hours we'll be back home and won't have much time alone," she whispered.
...
Stepping off the elevator, they joined hands and walked through the lobby, Puck seeing his Aunt, so they stopped by the front desk to say 'hi' before they headed off to dinner. The restaurant was pretty busy for a Saturday night, but with only the two of them, it was easy to find a place to seat them, so they didn't have to wait too long.
"Noah, can I ask you something?" Rachel started as she looked across the table at him.
"Sure, what's up?" He glanced at her before going back to the menu.
"How do you feel about your mom and dad getting married again?" She asked slowly.
Puck arched an eyebrow at her, "it's great," he told her.
"That's what you say, but I just want to make sure," she whispered.
He shrugged his shoulders, "I won't admit it was a dream come true to have dad come back in our lives, because it wasn't. I wrote him off as gone and never coming back, but when I started emailing him, things changed. He had changed; grown up. If he hadn't left, he wouldn't have become a cop and I wouldn't be who I am because of it," he explained, "so in some ways, I thank him for leaving, in others, it still hurts that he missed so much of our lives. When I found out my mom had been speaking to him, I was more upset that she'd been keeping it from me. When I realized they'd been seeing each other and had discussed getting back together, I was shocked, but with just the emails and the few phone calls we'd had prior to Regionals, I had changed my opinion on him completely and gave him a second chance. He asked me if it'd be alright to marry her again and I only had one answer, yes. I've never seen my mom so happy as she is with him and I wanted him back in our lives, so I'm really glad he is and that they're getting married," he smiled, reaching across the table to take her hand in his.
Rachel smiled, "good, I'm glad," she squeezed his hand and looked at him.
"For once in my seventeen years, I'm happy with my life. My dad's back, my mom and sister are happy, I've got an amazing girlfriend and we're going to be parents," he explained lacing his fingers through hers.
...
After chatting about anything that came to their mind over dinner, they stopped in the hotel gift shop to get some gifts for their family and friends before returning to their room.
"It's been quiet," Rachel admitted as they sat out on the balcony to watch the sunset again.
Puck nodded, "that's 'cause I turned our phones off," he replied.
Rachel's mouth fell open, "you did what?" She gasped, not realizing she hadn't had her phone with her.
Smirking, he nodded, "turned them off. Look, you called your dads when we got here, so they know we're safe; you left our hotel information with my mom so if they had to get a hold of us, they could call here; and my dad's sister works here, so if there was an emergency they could just call her and she'd get us the message," he explained, "and with Kurt knowing we were going away this weekend, I'm sure the whole club knows, and expects us not to answer," he grinned slipping his arm around her shoulders.
Rachel blushed, "that does make sense," she agreed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I have a few good ideas once and a while," he commented with a laugh before pressing a kiss to her lips, "and we can turn them back on in the morning, I just figured we could have one day of no interruptions from our phones," he whispered.
As the sun sank below the horizon and the cool night air began to hit them, the returned to the warmth of their room. "What time should we get up in the morning?" She asked softly, heading for the alarm clock by the bed.
Puck shrugged, "don't care. I guess about eight so we have time to shower and pack," he admitted.
Rachel nodded and set the alarm for eight, before kicking off her shoes and sitting on the couch next to him. Puck wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close to him, "thanks for suggesting this, Noah," Rachel smiled up at him.
"You're welcome, baby, I enjoyed it. We'll have to do this again over the summer before we got back to school," he suggested.
"Our birthdays are only two weeks apart; I'm sure we could go away after yours and before mine," she replied.
Puck nodded, "yeah we could; if your dads let us."
"What do you mean if my dads let us?" She asked confused.
"Well, when I turn eighteen you won't be seventeen yet; I'd be legally an adult and you'll be a minor still," he replied.
Rachel bit her lip, "I can't believe that it would be an issue; they're letting me live with you now and know when you turn eighteen," she commented, "but I guess I should ask dad," she admitted, making a mental note to ask him.
"Our birthdays are only two weeks apart and I thought that was cool, but you know what? My dad is only four days older than my mom."
"Really? When are their birthdays?" She asked.
"May Twenty-Sixth and May Thirtieth," he answered.
Rachel smiled, "really? More May birthdays? We should really throw them a birthday party, it'd be pretty special," she explained. "Maybe mix it into a 'Happy Birthday Ethan and Deborah' and a 'Meet Abigail' party so his family could come down at meet her, you know?" She suggested. "Do you know when Finn's birthday is? I know Quinn's is in late-September."
"Finn's is August Second. He's like 2 weeks older than I am," he replied.
Rachel nodded, looking at him, "do you think Finn and Quinn will still hang around us like they have been or do you think they'll pull away after Abigail is here?" She asked softly.
He shrugged, "I guess I haven't really thought much about it. Obviously if Quinn plans to be babysitting Abigail while we're in school she'll be around, but after that, I don't know," he replied, "we should probably talk to them about that this week, ya know? Get it taken care of while we are thinking about it and before Abigail is here."
"That is a good idea," she agreed, relaxing again, just content to listen to his heart beat as they sat together.
Puck pressed a kiss to her forehead and relaxed for a long moment, before he suggested they relax in bed, so if they fell asleep, they would already be there. Rachel didn't want to move, but agreed with his suggestion, so they both got up and after changing, snuggled up in bed together.
...
A/N4: Please read... Noah is joining the Navy; it is the only plot point I am sticking with. It has been my plan since I started this that if I continued, he would. For those of you don't know, I work on a Navy base in their Commissary, which is like a grocery store. Specifically, I work in their deli/bakery, so I deal with men and women in uniform on a daily basis and while they stand at the deli counter waiting to be helped or while I make their sandwich for their lunch, myself as well as my coworkers tend to chat with them, find out what they do and just get to know them, because most of them are not from this area and are far away from home and it helps to talk to friendly faces, especially because we see them almost daily. Some of the guys that I have talked to are in a similar situation to what has been covered in 'Out of the Blue' involving Rachel and Abigail remaining in Lima and not living wherever Noah get's stationed. A lot of time it's because they just can't because of limited housing space or it's just more comfortable for their family to remain in their hometown near family and friends while their husband (or sometimes wife) gets sent somewhere for a while. I'm not just picking the Navy at random; in a way, this could be seen as a 'nod' to the guys I know from just talking to them at work and learning what it's like to be apart from their families. I have the utmost respect for the men and woman of the military and though it is tough, it works. I know many of you have made comments about not liking the idea of Noah joining and I understand completely, because I don't want him to leave either, but with how I've discussed his life, the military is a good way for him to get the skills he needs to have a career, since he doesn't have the money or grades to go to a university. Someone once told me, and a friend recently reminded me, that a writer needs to write what they know, so in this case, I know the military, I know what it's like. With that said, I appreciate all the comments and concerns you have for him joining and really hope I don't loose readers because of this choice, but I am sticking with my plan. Thank you all for reading! :)
A/N5: Ethan's birthday (5/26) and Deborah's birthday (5/30) is in honor of my cousin and his wife. My cousin's birthday is 5/26 and his wife's birthday is 5/30 (she is the one who just committed suicide).