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.
...
A/N3: Chapter ends with a cliffhanger. Be warned! *wink*
...
"We're about fifteen minutes from Lima, do you want me to drop you off at home or somewhere else?" Keystone asked as they continued on their drive from Columbus.
"Um," Puck glanced at his watch and saw they'd be back about two-thirty, "actually I have Glee practice after school it gets out in about an hour. You could drop me off at McKinley; I can hang out in my mom's office until practice," he explained.
Jack nodded and glanced at him, "so I know you've got a lot going on with school, but you need to come into the office once a week. Even if it's just after Glee one night. You have to check in at least that often now that you've been sworn in," he told him.
"I can do that. I'll just make sure that every Thursday I leave by four-forty-five so I can be there by five," he explained.
"Perfect. Just keep up with what you're doing and make sure you study the manuals they gave you, and a helpful hint... I know you work out regularly because of football, but you may want to try to run at least two miles a day. It will give you a workout that you really don't get in football and you'll do a lot of running it boot camp, so it really helps out a lot," he said.
Puck nodded and relaxed for the last bit of the drive, but was excited to get back home. Keystone dropped him off at McKinley and once he'd gotten his overnight bag and the Navy's blue backpack they'd given him with all sorts of stuff to study and he'd put his paperwork in it, he thanked Keystone and promised he'd keep him updated on what he was doing and as the SUV pulled away from the school, Puck walked inside and right over to his mom's office not too far away. The door was closed, but he knocked and when she called 'come in' he pushed the door open and stepped inside, "up for visitors?" He asked with a grin.
"Noah!" Deborah jumped up from her desk and moved around it, throwing her arms around him, "what are you doing here? I thought you'd be home later," she admitted, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"We finished up and left about twelve-thirty, so Keystone dropped me off here instead of at home. Thought I'd surprise you guys and I'm dyin' to see my girlfriend," he explained, setting his bags in one of the empty seats.
She nodded, "she'll love to see you. I'm glad to see you, too," she rested her hands on his shoulders and stepped back slightly, looking him over and the only thing she noticed that was different or new was that he was wearing a navy blue t-shirt that had the generic Navy logo on it, "so...?"
He smiled and pulled out his ID, showing her his temporary ID that said he was in the military, but hadn't gone to boot camp yet, "it's official. You're now the parent of a sailor," he smiled.
"A proud parent," she said hugging him tightly, "I love you, Noah."
"I love you too, mom," he said, putting his ID away. "Keystone recorded me swearing in," he added, "it's on my camera."
"We should watch it soon; I know we all want to see it. How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing okay," he smiled, "things went well, I got the job I want, I'm happy. I'm going to miss everyone, but this is what I want to do."
"You have to do what you want and you know we all support you," she assured him, "and it will be tough, but as a family we'll make it through," she promised.
"Yeah, and then you replace me with another kid," he smirked, motioning to her stomach.
She glared at him, "you know that's not the case at all, Noah," she told him.
"I know," he nodded, "but I can still tease you about it."
"You may tease us, but that hurts that you'd even suggest it. We would never replace you."
The bell rang to end the school day as Puck wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, "I know," he assured her, "I'm sorry."
Deborah nodded and as they pulled apart, she wiped her eyes, "sorry, the hormones are throwing me for a loop."
"It's okay, you're allowed to be emotional. It comes with the territory of being a mom," he replied.
Hearing a knock on the door, they looked to see it push open and Ethan walked in with Ben. "Hey Noah! I didn't expect you until later on," Ethan admitted, moving towards him.
"Got back about two-thirty, so Keystone dropped me off," he said hugging Ethan, "you're now the father of a sailor," he added.
Ethan smiled, "congratulations, son. I'm proud of you."
"We all are," Ben admitted, "takes a lot of guts to do what you are. I wouldn't be able to."
"Thanks, dad, Uncle Ben," Puck smiled, "I'm feeling good about this. I'm not nervous or scared anymore. Sure, it's a big deal and I'm gonna miss Rachel, Abby and everyone, but there are things called phones and computers, so I'm not going to be completely cut off from them forever," he said.
"Not like I was," Ethan added.
"Oh trust me, I won't be repeating that mistake," Puck assured them, nudging his dad in the shoulder.
Ethan nodded and threw his arm around his son's shoulders, "I'm glad."
"I guess we should head over to the choir room," Deborah commented seeing it was getting closer to three-thirty.
"Oh yeah," Puck grinned and pulled her door open, "I'm leaving my stuff here, mom."
"That's alright. I lock the office," she replied.
Following Puck out of the office, Deborah locked the door and they headed down the halls to the choir room. Puck paused outside the door, letting his parents and uncle go in first and greet everyone and when he saw Rachel turn her back to the door, he grinned and stepped inside, slipping his hands over her eyes, "guess who..."
Rachel jumped in shock, gasping as she turned around, "Noah!" She threw her arms around him, "I didn't think you'd be back for Glee."
"Finished about an hour after I sent you that text and Keystone dropped me off here. Hung out in mom's office," he explained.
"I missed you!" She pressed her lips to his and kissed him lovingly.
Puck reacted by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, continuing the kiss, not wanting to let go; he had missed her and kind of wished he hadn't come to Glee, since they wouldn't have any free time for a while, but knowing they did have an audience, he reluctantly pulled back slightly and brushed a hand through her hair, "I missed you, too. To be continued later," he promised.
...
Rachel took Jessica home and picked up Arin and Abby, while Puck caught a ride with his dad and once they were home, he unpacked a little, but when the front door opened, he headed downstairs, "hey babe," he smiled kissing her as he took Abby's car seat from her.
At Puck's voice, Abby's eyes went right to him and she started reaching for him, "hey baby girl, daddy's home," he smiled, setting the seat down on the coffee table and unbuckling her. "Do you want me to hold you?" He picked her up and kissed her cheek as he settled her against his chest, "oh I missed you and mommy," he murmured, feeling her arms trying to hug him.
"We missed you, too, Noah," Rachel said softly, setting her bags down by the couch, "we're really glad you're home."
"I am, too," he agreed, sitting down on the couch and tugging Rachel to sit down next to him. "Last night sucked," he told her.
"It did, but you're home now. We'll have to get used to being apart, but at least now we have some more time to be together," Rachel said picking up Abby's blanket and laying it over her back as Puck held her, "as a family and as a couple."
"You're right. Do you know what Saturday is?" He asked curiously.
Thinking about the date, she smiled and nodded, "I do. It was one of the best days of my life," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his lips, "so much has happened this year, but it's only the beginning."
With one arm around Abby, he slipped his other around her and pulled her close, "only the beginning of the rest of our lives."
"I'm holding you to that, sailor," she grinned, shifting closer to him.
...
As it got later and dinner was done, Puck talked to David and Alan on the phone and they got some of their homework done. Abby was starting to get sleepy, so they gave her a bath and got her ready for bed and laid her in her crib and stayed for a few minutes longer than normal, so she could fall asleep and once her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly, the couple moved out of the nursery and into their room. Puck closed the door behind them and before Rachel could get too far away, he pulled her against him as he leaned against the door, "up for a little welcome home fun?"
Rachel groaned, but nodded, "always," she smiled, turning in his arms to kiss him. "I love you, Noah. Welcome home."
He smiled, "great to be home," he replied, guiding her over to their bed.
...
Puck and Rachel spent the night making up for the time apart and enjoying the quiet time they had together.
Returning to school on Friday, they got back to their routines and as the day came to an end, Puck was close to being caught up on the work he'd missed from the two days gone and knew by the time the weekend was over, Rachel would make sure he was caught up.
...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Just a little after seven-thirty in the morning, Abby woke them up, "I'll get her," Puck said kissing Rachel on the cheek.
"Are you sure?" Rachel sat up a little and looked at him.
"Yeah, babe, I'm sure. Happy anniversary," he smiled at her, "I'll get her; just stay in bed 'til I get back, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, "happy anniversary," she added settling back into the pillows, still half asleep.
Puck smiled and got out of bed, throwing on some clothes as he went and moved into Abby's room, "good morning, baby girl." Picking her up, he changed her diaper and her clothes, "there we go, all clean. Now, breakfast time," he kissed her cheek as she snuggled against his chest and headed downstairs, "and we're gonna surprise mommy with breakfast in bed, too," he told her.
Feeding Abby and starting to set up things to make some chocolate chip pancakes. He began moving around the kitchen, once he'd settled Abby in her bouncer and made sure she was content, so he could continue to make breakfast.
In less than thirty minutes he had almost everything ready and gathering up things that he knew they usually used on pancakes, he piled them together and then realized he couldn't carry everything with a baby in his arms, too, "I think we need to make two trips," he laughed lightly and picked up Abby and then got Rachel's coffee cup and headed upstairs.
Moving into their room, he saw Rachel still stretched out in bed, "hey babe," he said.
Rachel shifted and rolled onto her back, "hey," she smiled. "What took you so long?"
"You'll see, I just couldn't carry everything all at once," he handed her Abby and set her coffee cup near her on the night stand, "be right back."
"Okay," she eyed him and then settled into playing with her daughter, "good morning, sweetie. What is daddy up to? You've gotta tell me these things," she told her, tickling her tummy.
Abby giggled and batted at Rachel's hands, smiling at her mom.
Puck returned a few moments later with a large tray in his hands that had breakfast on it, "Abby and I made breakfast in bed," he smiled.
"Oh Noah, this is amazing," Rachel smiled brightly and shifted Abby so she could lay slightly propped up on her back with a pillow, giving her parents free hands. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Puck handed her a few things and then sat down next to her, under the covers, "I wish I didn't have practice today," he admitted.
"It's alright, sweetheart. Just getting to spend time together today will be wonderful," she assured him, "and we can make up for the time apart later on," she winked.
He kissed her, "I love how you think."
...
After an amazing breakfast in bed, as a family, the young couple got up for the day. Just before Puck left for practice, there was a knock on the door. Puck grinned, knowing what it was and insisted that Rachel answer it. As Rachel stepped over and opened the door, she gasped, seeing a delivery woman on the other side holding a large vase of long-stemmed red roses, "is this Rachel Puckerman's residence?" She asked.
Her eyes widened and blushed, nodding, "yes, it is. That's me," she admitted, not wanting to confuse the woman, but hearing her name as Rachel Puckerman sent shocks all over her body, warming her senses.
"These are yours, then. You're one lucky young woman to have a man like yours," she smiled.
Rachel took the large vase and nodded, "he's wonderful," she agreed, "thank you."
"You're welcome. Have a good day," she nodded at her.
"I will. You, too," Rachel smiled politely as the woman waved and headed out to the company van, and once she was gone, Rachel closed the door with her foot and walked into the living room, holding the glass vase and the roses, "Noah?"
He smiled, "you like them?"
"I love them," she set the vase down on the coffee table, "they're beautiful," she told him, feeling the petals of a few of the roses and smelling them.
"Great," he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lovingly.
"Rachel Puckerman?" She asked softly as they pulled from the kiss.
"To be honest, it was to avoid confusion with the order, but I already see you as my wife," he said brushing his hand over her cheek, "we may not be legally married, but we already live together, we share our money, kind of, we have a child together, we make decisions together, so aside from the act of walking down the aisle and saying 'I do', we're married; at least to me we are; if you don't feel that way right-"
Rachel pressed her lips to his to quiet him and as he responded to the kiss she continued for a moment and then pulled away, "I feel the same way," she told him with a smile, "I've felt like a Puckerman for some time, but to hear someone outside of our family call me by my soon-to-be legal name, just surprised me, that's all," she admitted with a blush, "and I won't be able to sign my name as 'Puckerman' until we legally get married, but I don't mind being called that now," she told him, "and truthfully, I've seen you as my husband for a while now," she finished.
Thirteen-months ago, Puck was throwing slushies on her, and now they're calling each other husband and wife, without even a legal document telling them too, "thirteen months ago, do you realize what I was doing to you? And look at how far we've come?" He murmured against her lips, "you're the best thing that ever happened to me," he told her, holding her against him.
Abby didn't have a clue what they were saying, but at that moment, she made a cooing squeak that caught their attention, "okay, you're one of the best things that ever happened to me, too," he said playfully, pulling away from Rachel to pick up Abby from her bouncer and hold her, kissing her cheek and rubbing her back.
"I was first, though," Rachel commented, then paused, "wait, technically I was second," she pouted, looking at Abby in Puck's arms.
"You were first," Puck assured Rachel, kissing the pout away, "sure, Q was pregnant with her before we got together, but I didn't get an opportunity to have anything to do with Abby until after you and I got together; if it wasn't for you, Rach, everything right now would be different; who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been so supportive? And I never want to find out," he finished, kissing Rachel once more and hugging her as they stood together in the living room.
Rachel smiled and blinked away the tears, realizing just how far they'd come in the year they'd been together, "I don't want to find out, either," she told him, "I'm too content with my life with you and Abby to even fathom what could be different."
"Thank you for everything, Rachel. I couldn't have done any of this without you," he told her.
"No thanks needed, Noah," she promised him, "and you'll never have to be alone in anything again."
...
With Puck at football practice, Rachel and Abby went out shopping to pick up the things on a list that he'd left for what they needed so he could make dinner when he got home and just after twelve they returned; she put things away and ate a light lunch.
Just after two, Rachel heard the door open and glanced up from the couch, "Ethan? I thought you had to work this weekend," she said, seeing him.
"Nope, the next few weekends, though," he said setting a box down on the coffee table, "I'm under strict orders to bring this over and stay with it until Noah gets home so you don't peek," he smirked. "Happy anniversary," he added sitting down in the chair near the couch.
"Thanks," Rachel smiled, "and I wouldn't peek."
"I didn't figure you would either, but he asked, I comply," he replied with a laugh, "beautiful flowers," he motioned to them.
"They are. They were delivered this morning, addressed to Rachel Puckerman," she admitted with a blush, "it caught me off guard, but I loved being called that."
"You've been a Puckerman for some time, Rachel, and who needs a piece of paper to say your married?" He asked, "you two love each other and want to be married; it's not always about legalities; sometimes it's about feelings."
"It is," Rachel agreed, "I know we're waiting to get married until after we both graduate, but we already feel like we're married, so one day we'll make it official."
"Doesn't it seem kind of rebellious to be doing almost the opposite of what the 'norm' is?" He asked with a smirk, "Noah was eleven months old when Deb and I got married official. I thought it was fun; we had the kid already, the hard part was over, so getting married was a breeze."
Rachel laughed lightly, "I never thought of it that way. We have a child, we live together, yet we're not married, so we're not following the path that society sees as normal for a young couple; you're right, it is kind of rebellious and fun to do what we want to and not let society tell us how to be," she smiled.
"I'm a badass; no one tells me what to do," Puck commented from the doorway.
Rachel crossed her arms and looked at her boyfriend with a 'what did you just say' look, "excuse me?"
Ethan got up and smirked, "I think you might want to rephrase that," he said patting his son on the shoulder, "happy anniversary and have fun," he finished, leaving the house and closing the door behind him.
Puck moved over to the couch and sat next to her, "no one, but you, babe," he corrected.
Rachel grinned and crawled into his lap, straddling his hips, "that's better," she kissed him, "welcome home."
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him, "so glad to be home. I couldn't stop thinking about you during practice. Wish I didn't have to go."
Slipping her arms around his neck, she kissed him again, "I'm sure Ben would have let you miss practice," she told him, kissing his cheek and then down his neck to his shoulder.
"I'm sure he would have, too, but I already missed one practice this week to go to MEPS, or I would have asked, and I knew you'd understand," he added.
"Of course I do," she agreed, "and now we've got the rest of the day to spend together; doing anything we want."
Puck grinned, "you know, dinner only takes an hour or so to make," he replied, "and it's about two-thirty..." He trailed off and kissed her lips, "if you'd like, we could pass some time doing something fun," he added in a whisper as his lips brushed along her cheek and down her neck.
"I'd love to," she nodded, "and Noah?"
"Yeah babe?" He paused in kissing her soft skin to look at her.
"I'm going, I believe you call it, 'commando'," she winked at him, batting her eyelashes in an innocent look.
He groaned, "I love you, babe," he smiled, his mind racing in happiness.
...
The couple had gone up to their room and after enjoying their time together, Abby woke from her nap, "why don't you get Abby and meet me back here?" He suggested, patting the bed they were still laying in.
"Where are you going?" Rachel asked as they both sat up.
"To get the box dad brought over that I wanted to make sure you didn't peek in," he replied.
"Oh, alright," Rachel reluctantly got up from the comfort of their bed and wrapped herself in a silk robe as he put his boxers on and the two left the room at the same time, "even though I wouldn't have peeked, I am very curious what's in it," she commented.
He kissed her on the lips, "you'll find out in a few minutes," he promised, "and I'll bring up a bottle," he added as he parted from her and continuing downstairs.
Rachel got Abby changed and carried her into their room and sat back down in bed, "did you have a good nap, sweetie?" Rachel asked her, seeing Abby still waking up and knowing the only reason why she had woken up was from a dirty diaper, "daddy's bringing up a bottle for a snack and then we'll have dinner later. What should we try next? We've done carrots this week, so how about green beans?"
"As long as it's not peas," Puck commented, returning to the room with the box and a bottle for Abby. "They're disgusting," he added sliding into bed next to her and Abby saw her bottle and reached for it. He laughed lightly, but handed it over and once she was settled in, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, "love you, baby girl," he smiled at her, brushing his thumb over her cheek, "and you too, babe," he said, kissing Rachel on the lips.
"We love you, too, Noah," Rachel replied with a smile, "now what's in the box?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
Puck laughed lightly, "well, in reading my books on the Navy and all the uniform regulations, when I go to boot camp I won't be able to wear any jewelery until graduation, but after, we're allowed to wear one ring on each hand, and I know we'll be wearing these, but I was wondering if you'd like to wear these also," he opened the box and took out the ring boxes and opened them up, showing her the man and woman's rings, a Claddagh ring with an Emerald in the center of the heart. "I was kind of hoping these could be another promise ring for us," he admitted with a smile, watching her face lighten up.
"Oh, Noah, they're beautiful," she gasped, "but don't you wear them on the same hand?" She moved her left hand a little, while cradling Abby.
He picked up her ring and then her right hand, "there are four ways to wear these. If it's on the left hand it's either an engagement or wedding ring, but if it's on the right, it can mean a promise ring or friendship. With the heart facing you," he slid it on her right hand ring finger so the heart was facing her and the crown was pointing at her finger tip, "it means it's a promise ring or that your 'heart has been captured (1)'."
She smiled brightly and stared at the ring, "I love it," she told him, "it's beautiful," she said again.
"I'm glad you like them. I figured when we get engaged and you have your engagement ring on, you won't wear one of these, but it's up to you. I thought of doing our birthstones; you know, mine for your ring and yours for mine, but I thought Abby's went better," he told her, pressing a kiss to her hand.
"She's our daughter; it makes perfect sense," she assured him, wrapping her free arm around him as they kissed, and then she pulled away picking up his ring from the box, "I love that you're willing to wear a promise ring. Many guys won't."
"I'm not most guys," he replied truthfully, "because most guys don't humiliate a chick and then start dating her a few months later," he said.
"That is true, but I think they make the best relationships; the bad boy and the good girl; they balance each other out," she smiled reaching for his hand, and slid the ring on just like he had for her. "I wouldn't change a thing about what we've got."
Looking at the ring on his hand, he nodded in agreement with her "neither would I," he promised, wrapping his arms around his girls and kissed Rachel and then Abby, "I love you both, so much. How was our anniversary, so far?" He asked curiously.
Rachel smiled, "it's been all I could ever ask for and more."
...
After a wonderful rest of the day for Puck and Rachel, their life in Lima returned to a normal pace. School and Glee Club kept the teens busy and a week after the couple's anniversary, the Glee Club performed four songs at their Invitational, in front of family, friends and classmates who came to support them. This gave the new members an opportunity to see what it's like to sing and dance in front of an audience, without the added pressure of competition. The club did amazing and Will, Ethan, Deborah and Ben were all proud of the kids and now everyone was excited and looking forward to Sectionals.
...
Friday, October 22, 2010
"You know what I just realized tomorrow is?" Rachel asked, looking at her boyfriend as they met at their lockers after school.
"No, what?" Puck asked, shifting books around in his locker, "and I know it's not our anniversary, because that was two weeks ago," he winked at her.
Rachel laughed lightly and nudged him playfully, "Noah, I'm being serious."
"Serious about what?" Jessica asked walking up to them.
"Tomorrow will be one year since Noah got hurt playing football," Rachel explained.
"Whoa, and we have a game tonight," Finn commented from his locker, "let's not repeat that again, bro," he told him, patting Puck on the shoulder.
"Trust me, it ain't gonna happen," Puck promised, wrapping his arms around Rachel.
...
McKinley had an away football game that night, so Rachel was on her own; it was too far away to drive by herself and even though she could have gone with Susan, Jessica, Hannah, Ethan and Arin, she decided it was a good night to go over to her dads and have dinner.
"Oh, Rachel, sweetie, before you go," David disappeared into the den and came back with a stack of envelopes, the size of magazines, "these have come for you in the past few weeks, but we keep forgetting to give them to you."
Rachel took the stack from him and looked through them, "it's alright," she shrugged, "I don't need them anymore. I can't believe they remembered to send them to me, but I'm not going to New York for school anymore."
"We know, but we figured we'd at least let you know they arrived," Alan told her.
She nodded and stuffed them into Abby's diaper bag, "I'll get rid of them when I get home. Thank you, though."
The two fathers walked her out to her car and both gave her a hug and waited until she was down the street before they went inside.
Arriving at home just a few minutes later, she headed inside and once getting Abby from her car seat, she sat down at the coffee table with the large envelopes in her hand, one from Columbia University, one from New York University and a few others from large schools in the New York City area where she had once thought of attending, but those days were behind her; she'd put her name on a waiting list to be sent the information when she was a Junior, long before she and her boyfriend had ever gotten together and she never expected them to send her the packets, but now she had other goals in mind and New York was not one of them anymore; at least not to live in, only to visit.
Even though she had no interest in going to those schools anymore, she couldn't help open each packet up and glance through the pictures of the campus and the scenery of New York City.
Seeing that Abby was beginning to fall asleep, Rachel got up and after a bath and quick bedtime snack, Rachel took Abby to the nursery and kissed her cheek, "goodnight sweetheart. I'm sure daddy will come say 'goodnight' when he gets home," she told her as she laid her down in the crib. "I love you," she brushed her finger over her cheeks and forehead before pulling up a light blanket to keep her warm and turned on the mobile above her, "sweet dreams."
Watching Abby relax and focus on the circling animals above her bed, she slowly fell asleep, so Rachel stepped out of the room and closed the door, heading downstairs to find her boyfriend sitting on the couch where she had been a good hour prior, looking at the books on the table, "you're home. I didn't hear you come in," she said.
"What the fuck are these?" He snapped, looking at her with a fire in his eyes that she'd never seen before.
Rachel gasped and jumped at his tone, "they're college information packets," she replied, standing frozen in her spot.
"I don't see a damn one for Ohio State University, but there are several for New York schools. Are you having second thoughts about our relationship? Is this too much for you?" He stood up and motioned around, "because two weeks ago you were promising yourself to me and not wanting to change a thing about our relationship and then I come home and find this?"
Her eyes widened and could see the hurt and fear flash across his face, "Noah, it's not what you think... I don't want to change anything about our relationship," she swore, stepping towards him.
He picked up one of the large white envelopes with the address printed on it and threw it at her, "then why the fuck were you having them sent your dads' house?"
"I wasn't hiding anything!" Rachel exclaimed, her senses picking up, as she begged herself to not cry.
"Like hell you were! What is it? Shelby filling your head with ideas of New York and you're back to dreaming of that?"
"No, Noah, it's nothing like that..."
"Nothing like that? Bull shit! I know exactly what it is! You were just playing house until something better comes along and now that you know I'm going into the Navy you don't want to deal with the stress that will come with being a Navy wife, so you'd rather get out now!"
Feeling the tears well up in her eyes at the huge accusation he was making without knowing anything, she stepped closer to him and let her hand fly across his face, feeling the sting, "I swear, you are being a stubborn asshole! You won't even let me explain! I don't know what has gotten into you, but you are not my boyfriend! I'll come back later when you are!" She exclaimed, grabbing her purse and jacket.
Pulling the door open and stepping outside, she slammed it behind her and could faintly hear him calling her name, but she continued down the stairs and out to her car, getting in and taking off as fast as she could, seeing him now coming outside to try and catch her.
Choking back sobs as she drove, Rachel returned to her dads' house and as she parked, she began shaking, fear flooding her system when she realized that they had just had their first fight and it was the first time he'd ever yelled at her. Her phone began singing next to her and she shook her head, knowing who it was and immediately hit the ignore button, not wanting to deal with him at the moment. The logical side of her brain saw the hurt and scared look on his face and yelling and acting the way he did was his reaction to seeing the school catalogs and thinking they meant the worst, that she was leaving him, but what hurt her was that he, being so stubborn, wouldn't even give her a chance to explain.
Her phone beeped and she saw she had two missed text messages from him. The first one said 'Rach, I'm sorry. Come home so we can talk. I love you!' and the second one was, 'baby, I messed up. Come home, please!'
Turning her phone off, she slid it into her bag and pushed her door open, "I can not talk to him right now!" She thought, taking a deep breath and locking her doors and heading up to the house, "we both need time to cool off. I'll just stay here tonight and let him deal with Abby, by himself, in the morning and then I'll go home before he gets home from practice and we can talk then."
"Rachel, sweetie, what's going on?" David asked from the doorway.
Rachel gasped and jumped at her daddy's voice, "Noah and I had a fight," she choked out before falling against him.
David guided her inside as she cried against him, "hey, it's okay, sweetheart, everything's okay," he whispered.
Hearing the commotion, Alan joined them and closed and locked the door, "what's wrong?"
Between sobs, Rachel tried to tell them what happened, and then said she knew she shouldn't have left, but they both needed time to cool off and for once he should have to be the one to take care of Abby, by himself, and figure out who's going to watch her for the morning and they can talk in the afternoon when he gets out of practice.
"No offense, but I'd rather not talk about it anymore," Rachel admitted, standing up from the couch where they had moved to sit, "I just want to go to sleep and I will discuss it with him tomorrow," she murmured, heading for the stairs.
David and Alan both felt bad that they'd given Rachel the mail, not realizing that Puck might freak out without knowing the whole situation, but agreed the teens did need some time apart to relax before they talked about what happened, so they said 'goodnight' and let her go to bed, knowing that things would work out and it was just a misunderstanding between them.
...
Watching Rachel walk out the door, and feeling the sting of her hand still on his cheek, Puck realized his mistaken and chased after her, but by the time he got outside, she was already in her car pulling away from the house, and his feet drew him closer to the street, but it was too late, she was already gone, "damn it!" He snapped, heading back inside. "You stubborn asshole!" He told himself, "why didn't you let her explain?" He ran his hands over his face and sent her two text messages and after a few moments he called, figured she'd have just pulled up in front of her dads place and as it rang, he heard her voicemail, "hello, this is Rachel. I'm sorry I missed you call. Please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can."
Ending the call without leaving a message, he tried again a few moments later and this time it didn't even ring, it just went right to her mail, so he let her voice flow and then he cleared his throat, "babe, I'm so sorry! I love you and I should have given you a chance to explain. Please come home so we can talk about this," he begged, ending the call and throwing his phone on the couch, knowing her phone was turned off and she wouldn't be calling back that night, "you scared her, that's why she left, Puckerman, good job!" He sighed and and moved upstairs to check on Abby; she was sound asleep and her mobile was going, so he knew that it had kept her from hearing him yelling and Rachel slamming the door. He kissed his finger and brushed it gently over her forehead, "I love you sweetie. Mommy and daddy got into a fight, but we'll make up, I promise," he told her.
Moving into their room to get the baby monitor, he headed downstairs and grabbing his phone, left the house and walked across the street, knowing it would work that far away and knocked on his parents door, hoping they hadn't gone to sleep yet.
"Noah? What's going on?" Ethan asked, surprised to see him standing there.
"I just made a big fucking mistake," he murmured, walking inside.
Noticing that Rachel was nowhere to be seen and he had the baby monitor, it told him all he needed to know, "you and Rachel got into a fight, didn't you?"
"Yes... I was so fucking stupid," Puck plopped down on the couch and saw his mom looking at them oddly from the hallway, having just gotten out of the shower after the game that night, "hi mom."
"What's going on?" She asked moving to take a seat on the couch near him.
Ethan joined her and the two waited for him to speak.
"I came home from the game and I was already pissed that we lost. She was upstairs putting Abby to bed and I saw pictures of New York on the coffee table and as I looked through them, I realized they were college information packets for schools in NYC. They were all addressed to her at her dads' place, so I yelled at her and accused her of playing house until something better came along and I figured she wanted to get out before it got stressful with me going to boot," he commented softly.
"Noah!" Deborah gasped.
He held up his hands in defense, "before you start lecturing me on what I did wrong, I know what I did. I was pissed, I overreacted and didn't give her a chance to explain. Trust me, my cheek still hurts," he murmured, rubbing his cheek where she'd slapped him, "and I tried to chase after her, but she took off to her dads' before I could catch up and I messaged her twice and called, but her phone's off now, so I can't get through to her and I'm not calling the house, because I doubt she'll talk to me anyway," he rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "I can't believe I did that... I yelled at her for no reason!" He shook his head in frustration and slouched back against the couch.
"This is the first time you've raised your voice to her, isn't it?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah. I probably scared the crap out of her," Puck replied.
Deborah took a deep breath, "you may have and she probably just wants both of you to cool off before you two discuss what happened," she commented. "I'm sure by tomorrow after football practice you two will be able to talk."
"But that doesn't make me feel any better now. I'm an asshole for what I said," he sighed.
"You saw the books and thought she was having second thoughts and you, yourself, got scared, didn't you? You thought she was going to leave you," Ethan said looking at him.
Puck bit his lip and nodded, "yeah. I know I shouldn't have assumed something like that, but I was pissed about the game and then I saw those books and I just... I can't lose her."
"You're not going to, Noah," Deborah slid closer to him on the couch, wrapping her arms around him, "you just had a misunderstanding and both need to just cool off. Rachel isn't going to leave you."
Puck hugged her back, "thanks. Sorry for barging over here like this," he added.
"Don't apologize," Ethan said, "you know you're welcome here any time."
"Yeah," he nodded and sighed, "I should probably get back to the house... Ah, crap, who's gonna watch Abby tomorrow?"
"I'm sure Susan wouldn't mind," Deborah told her, "call them in the morning. Go home now, check on Abby and then go to bed and get some sleep; tomorrow is a new day and you and Rachel will be okay."
"Your mom's right. I wish I could watch Abby, but I have to work the weekend, but Susan will. Arin's staying the night there with Hannah, so she'll be there until mom gets out of practice for Cheerios," he explained, "and once you and Rachel talk you two will make-up."
"Okay, yeah, you guys are right. Thanks," Puck stood up and they did too, and he hugged them both, "love you guys. See you tomorrow," he told them, grabbing the baby monitor and headed for the door.
"Goodnight, Noah, love you, too," Deborah called out.
"See you tomorrow, Noah, love ya," Ethan told him as he walked him to the door, "night."
Puck waved at him and walked outside, returning to his and Rachel's house and once he had a chance to lock the door, he took his parents advice and checked on Abby and then went to bed, "tomorrow's a new day. Things will be better," he swore, closing his eyes and begging himself to get to sleep, but the empty bed already made it hard to get comfortable, missing her already and wishing he hadn't done what he did.
...
Saturday, October, 23, 2010
Rachel stared at the red numbers on her alarm clock just after nine-am and sighed, "I guess I should get up," she thought, reluctantly pushing herself up to look around her room. It was pretty plain now; not many of her belongings were left, so she knew she'd have to go back to her and Puck's house to shower and change clothes, but she was going to wait until at least ten to make sure that he was really gone to practice.
Getting out of bed and putting her clothes back on that she'd had worn the day before, she brushed her hands through her hair and headed downstairs to the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when she saw was was sitting on the island, a vase full of pink, purple and red roses. Sticking up from them was a card holder, so she stepped forward and picked up the card, seeing the envelope that said 'Rachel Puckerman'. She blushed and opened it up and pulled the card out and written on it, in his writing was, "I was an idiot and I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I love you so much, Noah."
Biting her lip as tears filled her eyes, she took a deep breath and nodded, "I love you, too," she whispered, smelling the roses.
"Good morning, sweetheart. I see you found your gift," David commented, walking into the kitchen from the den and moving to her.
"Yes, I did," she agreed, hugging him, "when did they come?"
"Noah dropped them off about twenty minutes ago," he admitted.
"He did?" She gasped.
"Yes, he did," he nodded, "he asked us to give them to you and apologized for what happened. He really is sorry for what happened and wants to talk to you after practice today. Susan is watching Abby until later so you two can talk before you get her," he explained, rubbing her back.
"He didn't want to wake you up since you were sleeping and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to rush through, so that's why he didn't stay," Alan added, joining them in the kitchen.
"As much as I want to make-up, I didn't want to discuss it with him as soon as I got up, so I'd rather talk after practice, too," she told them, taking a seat and relaxing. "I have some things I need to go get at the store, so after I eat breakfast, I think I'm going to go back to the house to change and shower. Then I'll go out and be back just before he's home for practice."
"That sounds like a good idea, sweetheart," Alan agreed.
Content for the moment, Rachel found something to have for breakfast and sitting with her dads and talking to them while she ate, they passed the time and as it got closer to ten, she promised to let them know how things went and after gathering her things, the flowers, her bag and jacket, they walked her out to her car and hugged her, "don't just give in. Make sure you tell him how you felt before you go forgiving him," Alan told her.
Rachel blushed, "trust me, he can't just say 'I'm sorry', send me flowers and expect me to forgive that easily. He will hear my side of the story and let me defend myself," she assured them.
Alan kissed her forehead, "the make-up sex is great, too."
"Dad!" Rachel gasped, the blush on her cheeks growing.
David blushed, having experienced that a few times, "just don't be too hard on him, he seems really hurt by what he did."
She nodded, "I'm sure he is and I know we'll work things out, but part of me feels that he got upset because he didn't trust what I've been telling him all along. He should have, but I do understand he probably just got worried," she shrugged and slid into her car, turning it on to roll down the window, "I guess I'll find out," she said.
"You will," Alan nodded. "Call us if you need anything."
"I will," she nodded at them and once her belt was buckled, she waved at them, "love you."
"We love you, too, Rachel," David smiled, waving back as she turned her car around and began to pull away from the house.
She drove the short distance to their house and parked in the driveway. Gathering her things, she headed inside, setting her bag and jacket in the living room and then went right to the kitchen to refill the flowers' vase with some more water, noticing there were dishes piled in the sink and Abby's breakfast was still on the table, "he must have been busy this morning," she smirked and took the flowers into the living room and set them on the coffee table, seeing his XBox controller sitting the coffee table, an empty bag of chips and four grape soda cans scrunched up on the floor, "oh, Noah, you played XBox all night because you couldn't sleep, didn't you?" She asked the empty room, picking up the items and taking them into the kitchen to throw away.
Returning to the living room, she paused and saw one of Abby's blankets on the floor, so she bent down to pick it up, lifting it to her nose and took a whiff, taking in the fresh scent she was so used to smelling, realizing she messed up big time. Biting her lip, she took a deep breath and exhaled; she was pissed off at her boyfriend, and while leaving to cool off seemed like a good idea at the time, she realized she couldn't just think of herself anymore; she first had to think about Abby. She knew Puck was a great dad, and he'd take care of her, but she was a mom first, and a girlfriend second and she shouldn't have left; even if it meant sleeping apart and not speaking all night and morning, for Abby's well-being, she should have stayed in the house.
Taking a deep breath, she stored that information in her mind and headed upstairs, going into their room and found the bed unmade, clothes and towels scattered around the room, "don't bite the hand that feeds you, Noah," Rachel thought, taking her clothes off and heading for the bathroom, not bothering to pick up his mess as she started the shower and stepped in.
Letting the hot water massage her tense muscles, she took a relaxing shower and once she was out and dressed, she made a list of things they needed and grabbed her purse, "might as well go and get all this, so I can be back here before he gets home," she thought, heading out to her car and getting in, backing out and heading down the street.
Getting past the streets of homes in their area and coming closer to town, she found more traffic on the road and as she came to a stop under one stoplight, the first one in line, she waited for the light and when it changed from 'red' to 'green', she put her foot on the gas and accelerated. When she was in the middle of the intersection, she heard several cars laying on their horns, but before she could figure out why, she felt a heavy jolt, thrusting her to the left and heard the screeching sound of metal scraping on metal.
She froze in shock, terrified of what was happening and as the horrible sound continued, she glanced to her left to see the pole holding the stoplights coming closer and she clenched her eyes shut just as more crunching was heard, this time from her other side as her car was pushed into the pole, mostly in the passenger door on the driver's side, but it blocked the driver's door from opening.
On impact her head whipped back and forth like a bobble-head, hitting the driver's window, which was now shattered glass, and then her airbags from the steering wheel finally deployed, thrusting her back in her seat as she heard honking, and people yelling, but she couldn't make anything out as pain shot through her head and body, unable to really tell where it hurt more. Closing her eyes, she groaned when she realized that the wet stuff running down her neck was blood. "Noah, I love you," was her final thought before the pain got to be too much and she passed out.
...
1. ( en . wikipedia . org/ wiki/ Claddagh_ring )
You can see the ring I picked out for them at my LJ post for this chapter, here: ( sapphiresfic . livejournal . com/ 38726 . html ) (remove spaces)
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A/N4: As I post this, I'm already working on the next chapter, so please don't hurt me! *wink* Aside from the major cliffhanger, what did you guys think? Review and let me know!
A/N5: Who remembers Nationals? You know, when Terri kidnapped Quinn and Ethan when New Directions was in Seattle? Anyone remember the songs they sang? One of them was 'Umbrella'... I put that song in the fic in like January... AHHHH Glee 2x07 - The Substitute, they did a mash-up of 'Singing In The Rain' and 'Umbrella'... AHHH You guys do not know how freakin' awesome this was! I called in 10 or 11 months ago!
A/N6: In the next few days, I will be posting two new fics. They are currently WIPs, but won't be very long; I'm thinking 5-10 chapters. I have 3 chapters written for each and hope to continue writing them soon so I can have an idea of how long they will be. One is called 'Returning Home' for my fic table prompt #36 - Return. The other is for my fic table prompt #47 - Protection and is called 'Broken Road'. I was going to wait to post them after I was done writing them, but decided not to wait that long, so keep an eye out on FF or LJ for when I post them, and I hope you enjoy them.
Family news: Since I last posted, there hasn't been been too much change. We were supposed to go back to Seattle on the 22nd for mom's 3rd internal radiation, but about 2am that day the snow started and we got about 6 inches on Monday, so we didn't make it over to Seattle. Mom is starting to feel better, slowly, but surely, and things are looking up. I've been off work since Monday, because of the supposed Seattle trip and then Tuesday, my boss called and told me that I didn't have to come in because of how bad it was out in town with the snow, then I couldn't get my car out of the driveway on Wednesday, so I didn't go to work that day. Thursday was Thanksgiving and it's now Friday and I'm posting. We're getting there, guys; one step at a time. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! They are loved!
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