Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: This story is mostly AU after Mash-up (1x08), but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes and music used, I may sneak in a conversation, cover the same topic, or use the same song, but I will put my own twist on it and may use some of the music.
...
Puck parked in front of his house and jumped out, heading inside a little quicker than he normally did. His uncle let him out of practice early so he could go with Rachel to Abby's doctor's appointment and they just had thirty minutes to get there. "Rachel! I'm home!" He called out.
"Hello, Noah! We're upstairs. Are you ready to go?" She called back.
He climbed the stairs and found her in the nursery, "yeah, I am," he moved towards her, "hey," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips.
She smiled into the kiss, "hey back. How was practice?" She asked turning back to dressing Abby.
"It was okay. Now that we're working on plays and the game, it's funner than the first week was," he admitted.
"That makes sense," she agreed. "Arin is with dad and I think she's loving the father-daughter time," she added with a smile.
"Good," Puck nodded, "she needs some time alone with him and with her birthday this weekend, even better, though I think dad might spoil her," he smirked.
"There is nothing wrong with that," she giggled picking up a freshly dressed Abby and kissed her cheek before handing her to her dad, "every little girl needs to be spoiled by her dad once and a while," she added.
Puck laughed lightly as he took Abby and kissed her on the forehead, "alright, I give. You're right, I'll spoil Abby, too," he held Abby against him, "come on, we need to get going. Her appointment is in about twenty minutes," he said motioning towards the door.
Rachel's eyes widened and grabbed the diaper bag, nudging him towards the door, "go on, Noah, we can't be late," she commented, "all we have to do is get her in the car and go."
While Rachel got her bag, Puck buckled Abby into her car seat and headed out to Rachel's car and by the time he got her hooked in and ready, Rachel was coming out of the house after locking it. She got in the driver's seat and Puck slid into the passenger seat, "just take it easy and don't hurry, if we walk in at one-thirty, we do, but I don't think you want a speeding ticket," he told her.
"No, I don't want one," she agreed, backing out of the driveway, on their way to the pediatrician's office.
The office where Abby's doctor was located is not far from the hospital, so it didn't take too long to get there and they walked into the waiting area five minutes before the appointment and after checking in, they took a seat, but were called back moments later, so they followed the nurse into the exam room. As the nurse checked a few things on Abby, she left them alone to wait for the doctor.
"This brings back memories," Puck admitted, looking around the familiar exam room.
"How long did you go here?" Rachel asked.
"Um, until I was in middle school. I started seeing Brad when I started playing sports and mom thought I should see an adult doctor, but it was also because my pediatrician moved to a different clinic, so they got some new ones in and I didn't want a girl doctor," he replied.
"Why not?" She asked.
"I figured a guy could relate better to me growing up than a girl," he told her with a shrug. "Dr. Chow is cool, Arin likes her and she's great with Abby, but I was uncomfortable with a girl. Don't tell me you have a female doctor because she was the only one available to take new patients when you moved here," he grinned.
Rachel blushed, "you're right. I figure she could relate better," she agreed.
"My point exactly," he smirked, kissing her on the lips.
...
Abby's appointment went well. Dr. Chow said she was healthy and growing perfectly for a child her age, so her parents were thankful to hear that. Because of her age and now that she was starting to sit up, the doctor told them as soon as she could stay sitting without assistance, they could start giving her baby food instead of just formula, which was another step to show how much she was growing. Saving the worst for last, Dr. the doctor gave her a few shots she needed, which caused her to cry and while Puck helped calm Abby down from crying after it was over, Rachel started to tear up from hearing her crying because of the pain, but once Puck got Abby calmed down, Rachel relaxed.
After thanking the doctor and promising to make an appointment when she was around six months, Rachel and Puck paid and left the office and headed home, this time, Puck driving.
"I can't believe she's already four months old," Rachel said softly, "it seems just like yesterday she was born."
"It does," he agreed, "in someways I don't want her to grow up, but in someways I do, you know? I don't want to rush, because the more she grows, the closer I am to leaving, but," he paused, figuring out how to explain it, "she already has a strong personality, but the older she is, the more we'll see us in her. I'm really curious how much like me she will be or if she'll pick up your traits instead."
"But she's not biologically mine," Rachel told him, "so she might be like Quinn."
"Maybe, but she doesn't live with Quinn or call her mom. You're her mom. One of your dads isn't biologically yours and you act like both of them. In later years, Abby might look more like Quinn, but I seriously think she's gonna have my hair color and look more like me," he explained, "and she's going to pick up habits and things from the people she's around the most... Which will be you and our families. I'd say me, but well, I won't be for a while... I just hope she doesn't hate me for being gone a lot."
"She won't, Noah. She'll understand and you'll be just as close to her as if you were around all the time," she took his hand and squeezed it, "and you're right about her picking up the habits from the people she's around, but she still is part Quinn and I just can't help wondering if she's going to have this mean streak like Quinn had," she told him.
"I don't think she will," he replied, "I think a lot of the way Quinn acted was because she thought she had something to prove and was the top of everything, because everyone put her there. We, as Abby's parents, will teach her that she has to be who she is and if someone doesn't like it, that's not her problem and she's not out to make anyone but herself happy, as long as we approve of what she's doing and she doesn't date until she's thirty," Puck commented.
Rachel giggled a little at his final comment and nodded, "you're right. She'll learn it doesn't matter if she's the star or the freak everyone picks on if she's being herself."
"Anyone picks on my little girl, the will be fucked up," he replied.
The young couple looked in the backseat at their four-month old daughter and exchanged glances before Rachel smiled, "I think we have a few years before we have to worry about that," she admitted.
"Yeah, we do. Right now we just need to take things one step at a time," he replied.
...
Pulling into the driveway at home, Rachel got out and picked up the bags while Puck got Abby and as he pulled her car seat out of the car, his phone began to ring with a tone it usually never used, "who is that?" Rachel asked.
Puck pulled his cell phone out, "my recruiter," he replied clicking the answer button and putting it to his hear, "hello?"
"Hey Puckerman, it's Keystone," he replied.
"Hey Keystone, how are you?" Puck asked following Rachel into the house.
"Pretty good, hey, so guess what?" Jack said.
"You got my application back?" Puck questioned.
"I did, and it was approved, and I know you start back to school on Monday and have football practice, and school stuff, so is there anyway you can get down here today so we can talk about the next step, because I need to get your measurements as soon as possible and we need to figure out when we can get you to MEPS," he explained.
"Uh," Puck looked at Rachel, and then at his watch, "I can get down there now. I have football practice tomorrow and we have something going on after so I won't be free until after you close tomorrow," he said.
"Okay, that works out. Come in any time before seventeen-thirty," he said.
"That's five-thirty, right?" Puck laughed, still not used to military time.
"Yes, it is," Jack laughed with him, "you'll pick that up quickly."
"I know, soon," Puck replied, "so I'll see you in a while."
"Alright, see you when you get here," Jack replied.
Saying their 'goodbyes', Puck hung up the phone and looked at Rachel, "they accepted my application," he told her.
"Really? That's wonderful, Noah!" She moved towards him and gave him a hug.
He returned her hug and kissed her as they pulled apart, "thanks. It's... it's real now," he told her softly, "I'm really doing this."
"Yes, you are," she replied with a smile, "we're going to be okay," she added looking at him. "All three of us," she finished, picking up Abby and slipping her free arm around his waist.
Puck smiled and kissed her lips, "we are," he agreed, hugging his girls and kissing Abby's forehead.
The three stayed together for a long moment as the realization sunk in, "I gotta tell my parents, but I have to go meet him before they close, so I need to go," he told Rachel.
"It's alright. I've got Abby. Your parents and Arin are having dinner at home tonight, so it's just us. I'll have dinner ready when you get home," she replied.
"Sounds like fun," he grabbed his keys and moved back to kiss her once more, "see you soon," he replied.
As he walked towards the door, "just think, a year from now you could be with a sailor," he grinned, before walking out to his jeep to leave.
...
Puck wasn't at the recruiter's office for a long time, just enough to look over some paperwork, pick a date to go to MEPS in Columbus and get his height and weight, finding he was right where he needed to be, so as long as he continued to work out, he wouldn't need to go on any diets, which he was glad for, and he picked a date for MEPS about a month and a half away, giving him a chance to get into school before he missed two days of it to go.
Stopping at the florist, he picked up a bouquet of roses for his girlfriend and couldn't help getting a pink stuffed teddy bear for his daughter, "okay, so I love my girlfriend and our daughter, nothing wrong with that," he thought as he drove home and pulled into the driveway behind Rachel's car. Grabbing the paperwork he'd gotten at the recruiters and the gifts for his girls, he headed inside, smelling dinner and followed the scent into the kitchen, "hey sexy," he grinned, seeing her dressed in a tank top and skirt.
Rachel jumped a little at his voice and then turned around, smiling at him, "hey handsome," she replied, noticing what was in his hands, "who's all that for?" Rachel asked.
He stepped closer to her and smiled, holding out the flowers to her, "for the most amazing girlfriend in the world."
"They're beautiful," she took them from his hands and felt the tears in her eyes, "thank you," she smiled, standing up on her tip toes to kiss him.
He returned her kiss and nodded, "you're welcome," he said, hearing Abby trying to get their attention, "and I didn't forget you," he moved towards where she was and picked her up from her bouncer and held her against his chest and with his other hand, picked up the stuffed teddy bear and held it up to her. Her hand closest to it reached for it and was trying to grip on to it, "yep, I'm going to spoil you like crazy," he admitted, watching her react to the toy.
Rachel grinned, "like father, like son," she thought.
...
As the time ticked closer to Puck returning from football practice Friday afternoon, Rachel was getting excited. They'd finally reached the day of Abby's conversion and while some of their family was going to be at her and Puck's house to set up for a mini-party to celebrate, Rachel, Deborah, Puck, Ethan and David were going to take Abby to Temple for the mikveh, a ritual bath used in the Jewish faith for several things, including the conversion to Judaism (1) and after would be a naming ceremony.
Rachel was going into the bath with Abby, and one of the requirements was that anyone entering the bath needed to be clean of anything artificial on their bodies that could keep the water from reaching their skin (3, 4), so Rachel bathed Abby just before Puck got home and when he arrived, she set out her bathing suit and clothes to wear, along with some underclothes to change into after the bath, and then went to take a shower.
After showering, she went to get dressed and Puck watched her putting on her bathing suit from the doorway and grinned, it wasn't something he got to see her in often, but when he did, he enjoyed the view, "have you ever thought of a bikini?" He asked curiously, seeing the one piece.
Rachel blushed, "I don't think that's a very appropriate thing to be wearing to Temple," she told him.
He laughed lightly, "I didn't ask you that. I get that part, but I think you'd look amazing in a bikini," he told her, moving further into the room to wrap his arms around her, "then again, I like you naked, so the less you wear, the better."
"Noah!" She gasped, swatting him in the chest playfully.
"It's the truth babe," he kissed her lips, and rested his hands on her hips.
"I can't believe you'd want others to see me in a bikini," she told him. "Wouldn't you want me to cover up?"
Puck honestly thought about it and shrugged, "as much as I want to say yes, I'm not gonna be some overprotective controlling asshole who won't let you wear something that makes you look hot. I know who you come home to every night, so it'd be showing off what they can't have. They can look, they just can't touch," he told her.
Rachel smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips, "thank you, Noah. That really means a lot to hear. It means you trust me and I will never do anything to break that trust," she assured him, "but what about when you went off on Kurt for suggesting the Sandy outfit for 'Your The One That I Want'?" She asked with a grin.
He blushed, but shrugged, "that's not a normal outfit for someone to wear and I didn't like the idea of a bunch of guys our age watching you, and I didn't think it was the right thing to wear for a school performance. Also, I never said I'd like the fact that other guys would get to see you in something sexy, like a bikini, because I won't at all, but I'm not going to forbid you from wearing one," he explained, "but that means you have to own one first," he added with a grin.
"Who said I didn't? The last two times we went somewhere with a pool, we never made time to use it," she smirked, moving over to her dresser and tugged out a two piece suit from the drawer and held the top up against her chest.
Puck eyed the dark green garment with interest and stepped forward, imagining the triangles covering her instead of the lavender one-piece that she had on at the moment and grinned, "you owe me a show when you get home. I wanna see you in it, so I can make sure my imagination is working correctly," he commented, wrapping his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her lips.
"I might be able to find a few moments to show you," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him, this time not letting him pull away.
Holding her against him, his lips remained locked with hers as his tongue darted out, tasting peppermint toothpaste on her lips.
"Are you guys almost ready to-" Deborah stopped in her tracks from the open door, not expecting to see them that way.
Rachel gasped, breaking their kiss, "mom!"
"Sorry, I, um, you guys left the door open," she said turning around a little to give them some privacy, and to shake the image from her mind, not really wanting to know what they were doing.
"It's okay, mom," Puck reluctantly letting Rachel go, "should have closed the door, sorry."
Rachel was a deep shade of red as she moved over to their bed to put her clothes on and grab the small bag she had put her dry things in that she could change into later when they were done with the bath. "I'm sorry, mom," Rachel said, slipping her flip-flops on and moving towards her boyfriend and her.
"It's alright," Deborah assured them with a light laugh, "I just didn't expect to find you guys busy," she admitted, her cheeks slightly pink.
...
The family members got out of their cars and Puck got Abby out, while Rachel gathered her bags, before they moved into the doors of the temple. Deborah led them into the main part of the temple where the rabbi was waiting for them, and when she saw Deborah, she smiled, "hello, Deborah! I finally get to see you instead of just get an email," the woman greeted her.
"It has been a while since we've seen each other, but it is a nice change," Deborah admitted shaking her hand, then turned to the others, "this is David, Rachel's dad, my husband Ethan, my son, Noah, and well, not necessarily daughter-in-law yet, but one day, Rachel," Deborah said with a smile, "everyone, this is Rabbi Anita David."
"It's so nice to meet you all, or meet again," she said with a smile, shaking David's hand, then moving on to Ethan, and Noah, "you've grown up since I saw you last, Noah," she admitted.
Puck rubbed his neck nervously, "uh, yeah, it's been a while," he agreed.
She smiled, "it has, but you're always welcome," she turned to Rachel, "Rachel, I've heard a lot about you," she added.
Rachel blushed, "you know of me?"
"When Deborah started posting pictures of you on her Facebook page and all of them were with Noah, I asked," she admitted, "and I'm impressed. I never thought he'd let anyone in," she explained, glancing at Puck.
"Yeah, well, I was waiting for the right person," Puck replied, slipping his free arm around her shoulders.
Rachel smiled, a light blush growing on her cheeks, "he's himself around me, and he's finally seeing he doesn't have to be the bad boy anymore and being a dad has really opened his eyes, too," Rachel explained looking at him, "I admit I'm sure I helped, but I think he would have grown up on his own, at some point, but I'm glad things worked out the way they did, because we've got our daughter and there's nothing he wouldn't do for us." Rachel's eyes widened, realizing she wasn't quite sure how good that was to mention.
Anita noticed Rachel's reaction and she waved her hand in a 'don't worry about it' motion and shrugged, "I know about everything that has gone on and how you two became parents, and while I would prefer that couples be married when they have children, I'm not blind to the current times, nor am I going to judge you guys for the path you are taking, because from what I hear, it's already decided that you two will be married."
Rachel nodded, "yes, that is the plan," she assured her.
Abby, who had been quiet through most of the conversation, started fussing, but as Rachel looked down, she saw why; her pacifier had fallen out. Swiftly reaching down to help it back into her mouth, so smiled once Abby settled down.
"She's beautiful," Anita smiled, bending down a little to look at her and as she did Abby turned her head towards her, contemplating if she should like her or not, but still grabbed onto her finger when she offered it.
Rachel smiled, "this is Abigail Marie Puckerman," she said.
"It's nice to meet you, Abigail," Anita smiled at her. "A beautiful Hebrew name, and I bet you live up to what it means. I'm sure you are a joy to your father," she told the small child, gently tickling her stomach.
"She is," Puck smiled.
Rachel noticed the woman seemed to be very familiar with children, so she was curious, "do you have children?" Rachel asked.
Anita nodded, "yes, my husband and I have two boys," she replied, "never a girl, but we still have time," she admitted. "And this one is awfully adorable, so we might just have to try harder," she grinned, standing back up straighter, "shall we get started? Someone isn't going to be very happy in a few minutes, but the sooner it's over, the sooner she can relax."
"Probably a good idea," Rachel nodded, "she still doesn't really like her face getting wet."
"We'll wait out here," Ethan said motioning around.
Puck passed Abby's car seat to Rachel with a kiss on her lips, "have fun," he smirked.
Rachel blushed, "I'll try," she replied before she and Deborah, with Abby, followed Anita towards the preparation room for the bath. "Do I have to say the blessing in Hebrew or can I do it in English?"
"Either one, as long as it's said," Anita replied, pushing open a door that led into a bathroom like room, "are you okay that I'm here or would you rather me wait outside?"
"You can stay," Rachel told her, "I'm okay with it."
"Okay," Anita nodded, "I'll be in the other room waiting. It looks like you've already rinsed off at home, right?"
"Yes, I gave Abby a bath at home and showered myself," Rachel replied.
"Okay. Come out when you're ready and we'll get stared," Anita said.
While Rachel removed her shirt and skirt, leaving on her bathing suit, Deborah undressed Abby, so once Rachel was done, they moved into the room with the ritual bath. Deborah had Abby in her arms and as Rachel stepped up to the stairs to the bath, she kicked off her flip-flops and started down the stairs that lead into a small bath with water about chest deep (3) and once she was a few steps in, she turned and took Abby from her grandma and handed her camera to Deborah. Once Abby was settled in one of her arms, Rachel used her other hand to hold onto the railing and carefully continued down the steps, but paused a few steps from the end, knowing if she went any further in, Abby would feel the water and would probably start fussing.
"Rachel, you don't have to fully get under the water, but Abigail needs to, so just pinch her nose when you're ready and immerse her once, then when she comes up, say the blessing. I'll help you out if you get stuck, and then after, you'll immerse her twice more and then you'll be done," Anita told her gently.
"Okay," Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled, knowing Abby was not going to like it, and with her free hand, she carefully pinched Abby's nose. Slowly Rachel sunk down into the water, so she went down deep enough so Abby was completely under the water once and then stood back up and as soon as Abby reached the surface, she started crying. Biting her lip, Rachel tried to ignore her fussing and recited the blessing, "blessed are You, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us regarding the immersion (4)."
"Great job, Rachel, you knew it all. Okay, now two more times," Anita said over Abby's crying.
Taking another deep breath, Rachel bit her lip as she pinched Abby's nose, but this time, Abby tried to shake her head away and was still fussing, but Rachel knew if she did it quickly it would be over and she could comfort her, so she did it once more, and with Anita assuring her that she was okay, Rachel did it one final time. As soon as Abby came up and out of the water, Rachel pulled her against her chest and kissed her, "it's okay, sweetie, you're alright, it's all over," she cooed, trying to calm her down, as she rubbed her back.
As Abby's cries turned into light whimpers, Rachel carefully stepped out of the tub and passed Abby to Deborah, who was waiting with one of Abby's fluffy towels, gently wrapping her granddaughter up in it to warm her up and help settle her down while Rachel accepted her towel that Anita handed her.
Rachel slipped her feet into her flip-flops and used the towel to dry off a little and then wrapped it around her. Deborah handed Abby back to Rachel and then she took a picture of them together, and one with Anita, to add to Abby's baby book.
"Okay, I'll go out and wait with the guys while you change. Come out when you're ready," Anita said.
"Thank you," Rachel smiled at her.
"You're welcome," Anita returned her smile and then moved out of the room to give them some time to change.
...
Rachel and Deborah joined Anita and the guys in the Sanctuary of the Temple, where prayer services are usually held and the guys stood up when they walked in. Rachel had Abby against her chest and Deborah was carrying the car seat with their bags in it. Puck moved over to them, "hey, you okay?" He asked softly.
Rachel smiled, "yeah, but I hated hearing her crying," she admitted.
"I know," he replied kissing her, "but it's done and over with," he added, kissing Abby's forehead.
Moving towards where the rest were standing, Anita smiled, "one more thing to do and then you guys are all done," she said, "may I?" She asked, holding out her arms for Abby.
Rachel carefully handed her to Anita, hoping that she wouldn't start crying because she didn't know her.
"Noah tells me you guys have picked Abigail Jo as her Hebrew name," Anita said, glancing at Rachel as she gently bounced Abby to keep her entertained.
"Yes, we did," Rachel nodded, slipping one of her arms around her boyfriend's waist.
Anita nodded, smiling lightly as she began to say the traditional prayer, "our God and God of our Fathers: Sustain this woman in the Almighty's Torah and in His commandments and may her name in Israel be [Abigail Jo bat Noah v' Rachel], the daughter of Abraham, our Father. May she rejoice in the Torah, and exult in the commandments. Give thanks to God, for He is good and His kindness is to all eternity. May [Abigail Jo bat Noah v' Rachel], the daughter of Abraham, our Father, grow to become great. So may she enter the Almighty's Torah, with His commandments and good deeds (5)," Anita finished and smiled at the small child, "welcome to the Jewish faith, Abigail," she said before gently passing her to her father.
Puck took his daughter in his arms and kissed her on the forehead before looking at Anita, "thank you for everything today," he said.
"You're welcome," she smiled, "and congratulations on your beautiful baby girl."
"Thanks," Puck replied glancing at Abby, "she is beautiful. Just like her mom," he grinned, pressing a kiss to Rachel's lips.
...
After the party was long over and their family and friends were gone, when they laid Abby down in her crib, Rachel looked at her boyfriend, "I'm really glad we did the conversion," she said softly.
He kissed her cheek, "I think I am, too," he admitted, "at first I kind of rolled my eyes, because I didn't think it was a big deal, but it is," he murmured.
Rachel nodded, "it is," she agreed, taking his hand in hers and guiding them out of the nursery and closing the door softly, "we agreed to raise her Jewish and I know that she's not old enough to give consent, but hopefully when the time comes, she will choose to continue to be Jewish," Rachel replied.
"She will," he grinned, "cause her parents are a couple of hot lookin' Jews," he winked as he slipped his arm around her and guided her into their room.
"Noah!" She gasped, a blush growing on her cheeks.
"Hey, it's the truth. You can't deny that we are," he told her simply.
Rachel laughed lightly, "I won't deny that, because you're right," she agreed.
He grinned and kissed her, "could I interest you in finding what else I'm good at?"
"You don't have to ask, Noah, because you know I enjoy it, just as much as you do," she replied, guiding him into their room.
...
1. ( en . wikipedia . org/ wiki/ Mikveh )
2. ( www . convert . org/ Conversion_Process . html )
3. ( www . chabadofseattle . org/ templates/ articlecco_cdo/ AID/ 278930 )
4. ( www . myjewishlearning . com/ life/ Life_Events/ Conversion/ Conversion_Process/ Mikveh . shtml )
5. ( www . myjewishlearning . Com/ life/ Life_Events/ Conversion/ Conversion_Process/ Selecting_a_Hebrew_Name . shtml )
...
A/N3: A huge thank you to Elisheva ( WillDoXTNA ) for putting up with all my questions about the conversion. I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without her help and I'm also sure that I might be missing something, but I hope it does the conversion process justice.
A/N4: I have some specific scenes I plan to write for the school year in 'Out of the Blue', but the school year is going to progress a lot faster. Since I focused very detailed on Sectionals, Regionals, Nationals and Christmas and Hanukkah, I don't plan to do it again, so I hope that's alright.
A/N5: To pass the time between 'Out of the Blue' and 'Starlight' updates, I also have two newer one-shots posted if you're interested and I'd love to hear what you think of them... 'Fly Me to the Moon' and 'Good Directions', and 'Good Directions' will have a sequel chapter posted soon.
A/N6: Happy 08.09.10!
A/N7: Please review to let me know what you think... Anything you'd like to see happen?
Up next: The last few days of summer and the first day of school.
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