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.
...
Because Rachel went to sleep so early the night before, she was wide awake just after six in the morning; long before Abby would be up, her dads would be there or Puck would wake up, so she just laid in bed, content to relax next to her boyfriend, but her movements woke him up, "you okay?" He murmured.
"Yes," she nodded, "just woke up, that's all."
"Bad dream?" He opened his eyes to look at her, checking to see if she really was okay.
"No," she kissed him on the cheek, "I went to bed earlier than normal last night, so I'm just awake," she promised.
"Okay," he sat up a little, "go back to sleep, babe. We can sleep in today; well, at least until Abby wakes us up."
She shrugged, "I don't think I could fall asleep, Noah. I'm wide awake."
"Oh," he nodded, "alright, if you're up, I'm up."
"Noah, there's nothing wrong with us staying in bed a little longer, I just can't sleep any more," she explained.
"So if you can't sleep anymore, but want to stay in bed, just what do you plan to do?" He asked her curiously.
She smirked, "I bet if you thought about it, you'd figure it out," she commented, sliding closer and kissing him.
Puck wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, "if you'd like to, I'm all for it," he replied with a grin.
Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his neck by his ear and whispered, "make love to me, Noah."
...
Spending time sharing their love, the couple finally got up and showered before emerging from their room just before Abby woke up. Rachel went to check on her, while Puck continued downstairs to start making them breakfast. Once Abby was changed and dressed in clean clothes, Rachel took her downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table with her, kissing Abby's forehead.
Puck turned around and watched his girlfriend and daughter for a moment before moving towards them, kissing Abby on the cheek and then kissing Rachel on the lips, "how's our baby girl?"
"She's wide awake with a fresh diaper on and all ready for the day with mommy and daddy," Rachel replied with a grin.
"Sounds like a plan to me," he nodded.
She smiled and looked at Abby and then back to him, "are you going back to school tomorrow or Thursday?" She asked him curiously.
"Tomorrow, though I don't want to, but I think it's best. I can get our homework and everything, so when you come back next week you can be kind of caught up," he replied moving back to the stove to finish breakfast.
...
After breakfast, Rachel did the dishes while Puck fed Abby and soon they were settling into the living room for the day when Ethan came over for his second day off, "hey guys," he greeted them.
"Hey dad," Puck waved at him from the floor where he was stretched out with Abby on a blanket.
"Good morning," Rachel smiled.
"How are you feeling, Rachel?"
"I'm alright. No bad dreams during the night and my head doesn't hurt as much as it did," she replied, holding out her arms, "and my cuts don't look as bad either."
"That's great," Ethan nodded, "you're healthy, so I'm sure you'll heal pretty quick."
"Yes, that's true," she agreed.
"So, I talked to them at work and someone is coming over today to get your statement about the accident. I've already given mine and they need yours to finish the report, but I asked them to wait," he said.
"Okay. I was surprised they didn't come to the hospital and talk to me," she admitted.
"I wouldn't let them," he replied, "normally they would have, or as soon as you got home, but I asked them to hold off, so they did."
"Oh," Rachel smiled, "thank you."
"You're welcome," he nodded at her. "I didn't think you'd want to go through everything so soon."
"No, not really. I don't really want to talk about it at all, but I do know I have to tell them my side of the story," she said, moving to sit on the floor with her family.
"I'll be right there with you, babe," Puck promised, reaching across Abby to take her hand.
"I know you will be," she smiled.
...
David and Alan didn't come over until after lunch because they had spent the morning with the insurance company dealing with the accident, and just after they arrived, the female officer who had been on patrol with Ethan, Officer Lynn Ortiz, and another one of his teammates, Officer Greg Sims, came over to take Rachel's statement.
As promised, Puck was right next to her the whole time as she told them what she remembered, which was limited since she had passed out as soon as she hit the light pole, but it was what they needed and though she tensed up a lot and had tears fall from her eyes several times, she was able to hold off until after the two officers left with Ethan walking them out.
Puck pulled Rachel into his lap and held her against him, "you're okay, babe. You did great!" He murmured, rocking her gently as she began to sob into his shoulder. "You're okay, I promise."
As she cried, she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down as she listened to the calming words he was saying to her, "thanks," she choked out, "I thought I'd be okay, but then talking all about it, just brought all my fears to the surface again."
"I'm sure it did," Puck agreed, already feeling her calming down.
"I'm glad Abby is taking a nap," she said softly, between deep breaths, "I would feel even worse if she got upset because I was."
"She might have," he replied, "but just like you, we would have calmed her down," he added, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.
"You're so good to me," she smiled. "Thank you."
"No thanks needed, babe," he assured her.
...
As soon as the officers left and David and Alan were sure that Rachel was alright, they also left, saying they still had something to take care of at the bank with all the insurance paperwork, but promised they'd be back for dinner.
Around the time school would normally get out, Ethan left to go pick up Arin and get some things at the store that Puck asked him to get so he could make dinner for the family that night, which left Rachel, Puck and a still napping Abby in the house. "House all to ourselves," Puck murmured as he settled on the couch behind Rachel as she laid on it, watching TV.
Rachel smiled leaning back into his chest, "maybe if I take it easy the rest of the day, we can continue our morning events before we go to sleep," she smiled.
"We could, if you're up for it," he replied, kissing her cheek as he draped his arm around her front, resting his hand on her stomach. "How's your head?"
"It's okay. It doesn't throb anymore," she admitted.
He leaned over a little and pressed a kiss near the gauze bandage that covered her stitches, "it's a start."
"I just want to be back to feeling normal. I'm getting there, but this is not what I'm used to," she motioned to them laying together on the couch. "I'm used to picking up Abby and coming home from school, doing my homework, fixing dinner, so it's ready when you get home from practice, and then after, getting a chance to relax once we've finished our work."
"You're not going to be a hundred-percent for a while, babe. You went through a major car accident and thankfully you weren't hurt any worse, but you could have been. You're body has to recover and it's going to take some time," he told her softly.
She sighed, "but what about Glee? I can't be recovering forever! We have Sectionals in less than two months!"
"Don't worry about Glee, babe," he kissed her cheek, "you've got plenty of time. We'll be ready for Sectionals, I promise."
"But what if I don't recover fast enough and I can't dance? What then? We can't wait until the week before to change the songs and dance routines and it'll be all my fault."
"First off, you're thinking like six weeks from now, Rachel, you'll be back to your old self in two tops. That gives me, you and the club like four weeks to knuckle down and get everything perfect before Sectionals, so stop worrying. I promise things will work out."
"Really?" She asked hopeful, turning to look at him.
"Yes, really. If you couldn't tell from yesterday, we're all positive you'll be back to dancing and singing soon and we won't have to worry about finding a replacement, so the last thing on your mind should be Glee," he replied.
She took a deep breath and nodded, sighing as she exhaled, "okay. I'm sorry for worrying about this, but this accident was not something I ever thought would happen, so all my plans changed, because I hadn't factored in several weeks of recovery from it."
He smirked, "babe, of course this wasn't planned. It was an accident. They happen when we least expect them to, but we'll get through it," he leaned over her a bit more and kissed her lips, "now stop talking about this or I'll call David and let him come back over and he'll tell you the same thing."
Rachel giggled at his answer, but nodded, "you're right. Okay, I'll stop talking about it," she replied.
"Good."
...
When Rachel and Puck heard Ethan and Arin get back, the two got up from the couch and while Ethan and Puck started dinner, Rachel helped Arin with her homework, since Deborah was still at school for Cheerios practice.
"David and Alan didn't go to the bank or insurance office," Ethan said softly so his voice didn't travel into the living room where Rachel and Arin were.
"They aren't? Where are they?" Puck asked curiously.
"Buying her a car. David feels the sooner she is back behind the wheel the better, so she doesn't panic when she does have to drive and he's right," Ethan replied.
Puck nodded, "yeah, like the old saying about falling off a horse," he agreed, "I just hope she's willing," he admitted.
"She will. She knows she can't rely on others to drive her everywhere," he replied, "it's also kind of an independence thing, to be able to drive yourself, so the first few times she'll be nervous, but she'll get through that quickly," Ethan replied, "and we'll all be around, so it's not like she always has to go out by herself," he added.
"Yeah, that's true," Puck agreed, "I'll do anything I can to help her through this."
"We all will," Ethan smiled.
...
Just after five, Rachel was stretched out on the couch and Arin was in the recliner, both of them watching some Disney Channel reruns, now that Arin had finished her homework. "Do you feel better?" Arin asked.
Rachel nodded, "yes, I do."
"I'm glad," Arin got up and moved over to Rachel and gave her a partial hug.
"Me too," Rachel replied, accepting her hug.
"I bet it was scary," Arin replied.
"Very scary," she nodded, sitting up a little, "I definitely do not want to go through that again," she added.
"I don't want you to, either. I don't like seeing you hurt," Arin told her.
"Thanks, Arin," Rachel hugged her again, "I love you, sis."
Arin grinned brightly, "I love you, too, sis," she replied happily.
As the two pulled away from their hug, they heard a honking outside and at first they ignored it, thinking it was a neighbor, but as it continued and seemed like it was coming from right outside the house, Rachel sat up even more and looked out the window, seeing Alan's SUV parked along the street, with a bright blue car parked in the driveway, "oh my!" She gasped.
"What?" Arin looked outside, "wow! Is that a new car?"
"I think so. Go get your dad and Noah. I'm going to go see what's going on," Rachel said standing up.
Arin nodded and Rachel got up and moved to the front door, slipping on Puck's sweatshirt jacket hanging on the hook, then pulled the door open. Stepping outside, Alan and David were just getting out of the cars, "what did you guys do?" She gasped.
"Well, we knew you needed a new car, so we figured the sooner we got you one the sooner you could get used to it before you went back to school," Alan explained, "so what do you think?"
David held out the keys, "it's a brand new Toyota Corolla Sport."
"I see that," she admitted, looking at the car as she took the keys, tears filling her eyes, "you guys bought me a new car?" She quickly wiped her eyes, "are you sure?" She asked them and at their nods she turned and looked at her boyfriend, "are you... is it alright?"
Puck narrowed her eyes at her question, "yeah, babe, it is," he told her, "go check out your new car."
She smiled and then after a glance to her dads, she moved towards it, pulling the driver's door open and looked inside, seeing the same color interior as her previous car. Sliding into the the driver's seat she realized it was exactly the same inside, except for a few minor changes; the radio was different and there was a GPS built into the dashboard. Taking a deep breath, she noticed the traditional 'new car' smell and put her hands on the steering wheel, closing her eyes for a moment to soak in what her dads did, but her mind went right back to the accident. She could feel and hear the crushing metal as the truck collided with her, as if she was right there again, which caused her to jump in shock, gasping for air.
"I'm right here," Puck said, resting his hand on her knee. As soon as he saw her sitting in the car, he walked over to her, having a feeling and fear that she'd have a flashback and he wanted to be there if she did.
"I just..." She took a deep breath and turned so she was facing him, "I closed my eyes and the accident..."
Puck rested his hands on her cheeks, "you're okay. Don't be scared."
"I'm trying not to be," she admitted, "but it felt real," she murmured.
He nodded, "I'm sure it did," he agreed.
She was silent for a long moment, her hands still holding the keys, "I can do this," she took a deep breath again and looked at her boyfriend, "do you want to go for a test drive?" She asked softly.
"Sure," he smiled, "but are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes. I need to get over this. The sooner the better," she told him standing up.
"Alright. Now or after dinner?" He asked glancing over at their parents, his mom also there now.
"Now?" She replied, "we won't be long," she added.
"Sure, as long as you're up for it," he nodded.
"I am. Can we?" She looked at her dads.
"Of course. Just be careful," David replied.
"Just bring your license," Ethan added with a grin.
Rachel giggled lightly, but nodded, "I'll go get it," she said moving into the house quickly to get her purse and when she returned, she hugged her dads, "we won't be gone long."
"Take your time. We'll be here when you get back," Alan told her.
Puck smiled at them and held the door open for Rachel and once she was in the driver's seat he moved around the car and got in the passenger's side and waved at their family as they moved back into the house, then turned to Rachel who was adjusting her seat and the steering wheel, "are you sure you're alright to do this?" He asked.
"Yes, Noah. You're with me. Remember me last year when I freaked out because of the drive in the snow? You helped me through that and I know if I have problems now you'll do the same thing," she explained buckling her seatbelt and starting the car.
"I will," he promised, smiling at her as he buckled up.
...
Their 'test drive' didn't last too long; Rachel wanted to take her new car out, but she was still hesitant to drive too far, but with her boyfriend in the passenger seat and knowing she was safe, she was able to drive around the quiet parts of their area, but the longer they were in the car, the more uncomfortable she got, so Puck suggested they go back and she agreed.
When they returned to the house, Rachel went right to her dads, "the car is amazing!" She exclaimed, "thank you!"
David smiled, "you're welcome, sweetheart," he told her, hugging her tightly.
"I'm just so surprised you guys went out to get it so soon. I thought it would be a while," she admitted, moving to hug Alan.
"Don't worry about the how," Alan told her, "we knew you needed a car, so we got one."
Though she was used to being involved with large decisions, like the purchase of a new car, she did understand that the details were not necessary. She was thankful her dads were okay with her relationship status, parenthood and living arrangements, so she nodded, choosing to accept the gift and not look too much into it, "but still, thank you."
...
As dinner ended and the family was sitting down in the living room, they heard a knock on the door and Alan got up to go answer it, finding Kurt, Finn and Quinn on the other side, "hey kids, come on in," Alan said.
"Hey Alan," Quinn smiled and stepped inside, giving him a quick hug and moved aside to let Kurt and Finn in.
"Hey Finn, Quinn, Kurt. This is a surprise," Rachel admitted from the couch where she was holding Abby.
"We know. Sorry," Finn commented, rubbing his neck, "I told them we should call first."
"What's up?" Puck asked curiously.
Kurt grinned, "we got talking over dinner and realized that Halloween is Sunday and it's not that often that it falls on a weekend, so Quinn and I thought it'd be fun to throw a costume party for the Glee Club. Since the new school year has started, the new members haven't been included as much as the rest of us are; obviously because the original members are closer, but this would be a great way for all of us, new and old members, to come together, have some fun, get the drama off our minds, listen to some music, play some Halloween type games and get to know each other outside of Glee Club," Kurt explained.
"Yes it would be," Rachel nodded, smiling, "that's a great idea! Where would it be held though?"
"The Hudson's," Quinn said, "Carole says it's okay, as long as it's just the Glee members and families. You guys always seem to have the party here, and with all that's been going on, you guys need to be able to come to a party without worrying about the preparations, too."
Rachel smiled at the blond, "thanks. I love planning parties, but I don't think I'd have the energy for it, with it happening in just a few days," she admitted, "but since I'll be off until Monday, I could help out a bit."
"It's okay, Rachel. We got it. You need to relax and take care of yourself," Quinn told her, taking a seat on the couch next to her.
"Alright," Rachel nodded, realizing it would be nice to go to a party where she didn't have to plan anything or play hostess. "And I know exactly what we'll be as a family," she said, looking at Abby and then to her boyfriend.
Puck groaned, "oh crap."
...
Rachel refused to tell her boyfriend what she wanted them to be for Halloween. Puck wasn't a huge fan of the holiday, now that he was older, but as an after thought, he realized it was his first Halloween as a dad, and his daughter's first, even if she wouldn't remember it because she was only six months old. He also knew that he'd miss the next several Halloweens, so he gave up asking and decided to just go along with her plan.
...
Puck returned to school on Wednesday and came home that day from football practice with a ton of homework for them, which they started on immediately so she could stay caught up with the entire week off.
By Thursday morning, Rachel was going stir crazy. She wanted to go back to school with her boyfriend and get back to her life. She was feeling a lot better after a few days of just laying around the house and relaxing, but she didn't see Brad again until Friday, so she had another day to sit around and all she wanted to do was go out and do something.
Her dads had been off work on Wednesday, also, but both returned on Thursday after Rachel assured them that she was fine and could be left alone.
When Friday finally arrived, Rachel was excited to get to the doctor's and hopefully go back to school the following Monday. She and Puck had been taking extra care of her cuts and scrapes and her head was healing well. Brad was quite happy with her healing and agreed the stitches could come out, so he and a nurse removed the four small strands, covered her head with a bandage again and after a little more discussion, he told her she could go back to school, but still should take it easy and not jump right back into dancing in Glee; she should gradually get back into it.
Leaving the hospital, she called Susan to check on Abby and after finding out Abby was doing okay, Rachel decided since she had some time, she'd go get their costumes, not wanting to wait until the next day, since it was the day before Halloween.
Walking into the Halloween store, she hoped she'd find what she was looking for and felt bad that she had waited so long to look, but with everything that had happened, Halloween was the last thing on her mind.
Looking up and down the aisles, seeing costumes ranging from different eras, jobs, cultures and characters, she skimmed through them and landed on the female character she was looking for. Finding it in her size, she moved over to the guys section and did the same thing, excited to find the husband to her female character and then crossed her fingers as she began looking through the kids and baby section and was relieved to find they had what she was looking for.
Paying for her items, she returned to Susan and Ben's place and picked up Abby and then went home, taking some time to relax a little with Abby, and then realized that it was Friday and Puck would have a football game after school. She moved into the kitchen to look at the football schedule and found that it was a home game, so after some thought, she smiled, "I think we're going to go see daddy play football tonight," she said to Abby, curled up in her arms.
Ethan and Arin were also going, so Rachel and Abby caught a ride with them and as they arrived and paid their admission, they met up with Carole, Burt, Susan, Hannah, Jessica, TJ, Ryan, Tina, Mercedes and Artie.
"Rachel! We didn't think you'd come tonight," Tina exclaimed, moving to greet her, hugging her tightly, being careful not to squish Abby in her arms.
"Brittany's dad gave me the all-clear to come back to school on Monday and I needed to get out of the house," she admitted, returning her hug before adjusting Abby in her arms.
"And for Glee, too?" Mercedes asked, sharing a hug with her.
"Yep. He wants me to take it easy, but I can still dance. Just have to be careful for a while," she explained.
Greeting the rest of their friends, the large group took seats in the stands and chatted lightly. Rachel was glad she was wearing a knit cap on her head, hiding the still bandaged gash; she didn't want anyone to see it.
Rachel was not taking any chances that Abby could be cold, so she was dressed in several layers of clothes, a warm jacket, a little cap, mittens and several pairs of socks. Rachel also had a fleece blanket wrapped around her, but as Abby was passed around to Carole, Burt, Mercedes, Tina, Artie and her grandpa, Rachel held onto it, but once Abby was back in her arms, she put the blanket around Abby, just as an extra way to keep her warm.
...
Puck was surprised to see Rachel and Abby in the bleachers, but was happy they were there. As the game played out, he waved at his family when he could, but tried to stay focused on the game.
The opposing team got ahead of the Titans in the third quarter and unfortunately McKinley was not able to overcome the touchdowns, so they lost the game, but at least this time Puck felt better about it; totally different than he had the week prior when they lost at their away game.
At the end of the game, the teams returned to their locker rooms as the stands began to empty. Fans and spectators, who were not there for someone on one of the teams, quickly headed towards the parking lot, while families and friends waited for the bleachers to clear out before they started their walk towards the exit. Moving out to their usual spot to wait for the guys and girls, Ethan held out his arms to Rachel and she passed him Abby, stretching her arms once Abby was safely in her grandpa's arms, "Abby did awesome tonight," Ethan commented.
"Yes she did," Rachel agreed, smiling, "a few little fits, but nothing like I expected."
"She know she's safe. She just didn't like the noise," he replied.
Rachel smiled, "I hope she feels safe."
Ethan nodded, "she wouldn't have stayed as calm all night if she hadn't felt that way," he told her.
Hearing voices nearby, they looked in the direction of the locker rooms and began to see some of the football players exiting, Kurt and Puck were a few of them. The guys, both wearing their Letterman's jackets, headed towards their families and as they neared them, Rachel jogged up to meet her boyfriend and threw her arms around him, kissing him lovingly, "sorry you lost, sweetheart."
He held her close and returned her kiss, "it's okay. I've still got my girls to come home to," he told her, guiding them the rest of the way towards the group.
"Yes you do," Rachel agreed, leaning against him.
Puck kissed her forehead and then reached for his daughter, "it was definitely a nice surprise to see you and Abby here tonight," he admitted, taking her from his dad when he handed her over, "hey baby girl," he kissed her cheek and she smiled at him.
"We wanted to see you play," Rachel replied, rubbing Abby's back with her hand.
"You guys can come any time you want," he grinned kissing Rachel on the lips.
...
Like every Saturday, Puck had football practice, so while he was gone, Rachel continued what she'd been doing the past week; relaxing around the house and doing homework. When Puck got home from practice, he joined Rachel and Abby in the living room and started doing his homework. As it got closer to dinner time, Puck closed his math book and set it aside, having just finished the last of his homework, "hey babe?"
"Yes?" Rachel looked up from the book she was looking at, "what's up?"
"Um, I haven't asked anything for a while, because, well I guess I don't really care, but don't we need to go get our costumes for the party tomorrow?" He asked curiously.
She smiled, "no. I already got them. I went yesterday after my appointment," she explained.
"What? Really?" He asked shocked.
Rachel got up and moved to the closet and pulled the shopping bag out and walked over to him. "I wanted us to be a family," she admitted, pulling out Abby's costume and handed the package to him.
Puck took the plastic bag and looked over the picture, then started laughing at the choice, but also because he'd been racking his brain for the past few days, trying to figure out who she had been thinking of, "I didn't even think of them!" He admitted, smiling. "If Abby is Pebbles, does that mean we get to be Fred and Wilma?"
"Yes," Rachel smiled, "I know I didn't ask you and I should have, but when they told us they were having a costume party for Halloween, I knew I wanted us to dress up as a family for Halloween and I loved watching the Flintstones when I was a kid."
"So did I," Puck admitted, "and this is a great idea, babe. I've been trying to figure out who you were thinking of all week and I didn't even think of the Flintstones."
"Really? You're okay with this," she held up the packages for them.
"I am," Puck got up and moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her, "to quote Fred, 'Yabba dabba doo!'"
...
Puck watched Rachel from the doorway of the nursery, smiling. She was dressed in her Wilma Flintstone costume, and was dressing Abby up as Pebbles. He was already in his Fred costume, except he wore jeans and shoes; it was too cold to not wear something on his legs. "You need help?" He asked, moving towards her.
"Nope," Rachel grinned and picked Abby up, "all done," she added.
Abby had a little hat on her head that looked like Pebbles' hair with a bone in it and then had the little green shirt with black spots on it, and the shorts; and with Rachel wearing the Wilma costume, Puck felt like he was in the Flintstones movie. "You look great," Puck smiled, moving in and kissing Rachel on the lips and then Abby. "I'll take Pebbles and you can finish getting ready."
Rachel giggled, but handed over Abby and kissed her, "be good for daddy," she said, then kissed Puck, "dad and daddy should be over soon," she told them.
"I know," Puck nodded. Once Rachel was out of the room he grabbed the diaper bag and headed downstairs with Abby just as David and Alan arrived, so he pulled the door open and waited for them to come up the front steps and as soon as they got to the door, David and Alan both looked at him and laughed lightly, "hey, laugh all you want, but Fred Flintstone is pretty cool," he commented with a grin.
"Oh we remember. I just didn't expect you to dress up like him, that's all," David admitted.
Puck shrugged, "I don't do the whole Halloween thing anymore, but it's Abby's first and probably my last here for a few years, and our first as a family so why not? Rachel came up with the idea and I love it," he admitted, handing off 'Pebbles' to Alan.
"It's a great idea, just a surprise," Alan commented, "I take it Rachel's Wilma?"
"Yep," Puck nodded.
It didn't take long for Rachel to come downstairs; a red wig on, matching Wilma's from the show and smiled, "I'm ready," she commented.
"Wow!" Puck whistled as she entered the living room, "you look amazing," he admitted.
Rachel blushed, ducking her head as she looked up, "really? The wig isn't too much?"
"You look just like Wilma Flintstone," David said with a smile.
"Thank you," she curtsied and moved over to them, "why are you two not dressed up?" She asked her dads.
"We are," Alan replied.
Rachel looked at them and shook her head. Alan was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks and David was in a button up dress shirt and a tie, "no you're not."
"I'm dressed as Alan and he's dressed like me," David commented with a grin.
Puck laughed lightly, "that's a great idea!"
"We thought so, too," Alan agreed as the front door opened again, this time, Deborah, Ethan and Arin coming inside. "Though, I think that's an even better idea," he added, motioning to what Ethan was wearing - an orange t-shirt with the word 'Costume' written in black across the front.
"Thanks!" Ethan grinned, "I think it's pretty clever myself."
"It is," Puck agreed, looking between his sister and his girlfriend and back to his sister, then groaned, "I knew she was a bad influence on you," he muttered, plopping down in the chair nearby.
Arin laughed, "no she's not! Rachel's awesome!"
Rachel blushed, the realization hitting her that Arin dressed up like her for Halloween, from purple stockings, and ballet flats, to a plaid skirt, purple sweater with a white teddy bear on the front, her hair down and a headband holding it back; a mini-Rachel. "You dressed up like me?" Rachel asked, holding back tears.
"Yes, I did. I hope that's okay," she told her.
"More than okay," Rachel replied, wrapping her arms around her, "no one has ever done something like that."
"No tears on Halloween. Let's get some pictures, because I know you're dying to get some, and then let's go and help out before everyone shows up," Puck said, handing Rachel her camera before it got too mushy.
...
After some family pictures and pictures of Rachel and Arin together, the large family walked down the street to the Hudson's, about an hour before anyone else would begin to show up. The party would officially start at three in the afternoon and would continue until everyone left, but with school and work the next day, no one planned to stay forever.
Knocking on the door, it took a few moments, but Finn answered the door, "hey guys!" He smiled.
"Nice dreads, bro," Puck said with a grin.
Finn rolled his eyes, "Quinn talked me into Jack Sparrow," he blushed, then looked over their costumes, "I don't think there were more perfect costumes for you three," he admitted, recognizing Rachel, Puck and Abby's costume right away, then looked at Deborah, "mom dressed like a nurse I see," he added.
"Every year; it's easy," she admitted with a grin.
"And I want your shirt, Ethan and David dressed up like a businessman and Alan a golfer?"
The two men laughed and shook their head, "no, Finn. It's more of a joke, but I'm dressing up more like Alan dresses for work, and he's dressing up more like me when I go to work," David explained.
"Ah, I see. It makes sense now," Finn agreed, closing the door. "Arin, are you dressed like Rachel?" He asked, but he knew right away who she looked like.
"Yep, I am!" Arin grinned.
"Awesome. I guess I never realized just how alike you and Rachel look," he commented.
"So who's all here?" Puck asked, changing the subject before Rachel and Arin began talking about their tastes.
"Right now, aside from me, mom and Quinn, Burt and Kurt are here. Quinn is upstairs changing and the rest of us are setting up stuff."
"Finn, before we forget, would you take a picture of the eight of us. I want it for Abby's baby book," Rachel said.
"Just go with it," Puck commented.
Finn laughed, but took the offered camera and the eight of them stood together as a family, making sure that Abby was looking towards the camera and Finn snapped the first picture. After looking at the picture, Rachel was satisfied, so she smiled and let everyone move move further into the house.
Going into the kitchen, they found Kurt, Burt and Carole; neither adults were dressed up, but Kurt was dressed as a male Cheerio, thanks to Deborah ordering it for him. After greetings, Quinn appeared, dressed as Pirate Elizabeth Swan, from the same movie as Finn's character was from, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Rachel's camera got a workout with more pictures taken and as they helped finish setting up and guests began to arrive, taking pictures of those dressed up. Ben and his family were the next to show up and Hannah was dressed up like Hannah Montana and Jessica was dressed up as a female referee, and after pictures, everyone continued to help set up.
The closer it got to the start of the party, more people arrived. Tina and Artie were dressed up like a cowboy and cowgirl and TJ showed up in a basketball jersey. Ryan came dressed as Harry Potter, a costume he'd had since he lived in the UK, Mike showed up as a ninja and Brittany dressed as Tinkerbell. Mercedes was going as Cleopatra, and Matt dressed as a SWAT team member, which were the final two original New Directions members to arrive and the new members were trickling in throughout the next few hours.
Even though the party guests had some awesome costumes on, Abby seemed to be the show stealer; everyone thought she looked adorable as Pebbles and she spent her time looking around in curiosity. She recognized the voices of many of their friends, but some of them looked different than what she was used to, so she got fussy when someone tried to hold her who wasn't her parents or grandparents, and a few times she got fussy with Rachel because she didn't look the same with the wig on.
...
With music playing in the background, the TV showing Hocus Pocus and a few Halloween themed games were played, the party continued until after eight, but slowly the crowd began to thin out as classmates left to go home to get ready for school the next day or go trick-or-treating before it got too late.
Hannah and Arin were not interested in trick-or-treating that year and their parents didn't force them; the two girls were content to hang out with their older siblings' friends and their family members.
Rachel had been doing her best to stay focused, but as the night wore on, she began to get tired and by the time everyone left except the ones who lived nearby and Burt, Kurt and Ryan, she was almost asleep on her feet, so though she wanted to stay to help them clean up, Quinn insisted she go home and get some rest, so the large Puckerman family, including her dads left the party.
Deborah, Ethan and Arin said 'goodnight' to everyone and went home, while David and Alan went inside with Puck, Rachel and Abby. The grandpas helped get Abby ready for bed while Puck and Rachel changed and she laid down and fell asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, so Puck walked Alan and David out, thanking them for the help and promising to see them soon.
...
A/N3: Wow! I updated... I'm so sorry it's been over a month since I last did. I bet you guys thought I fell off the face of the Earth! So sorry! It's been a rough couple of months. The ankle sprain I had... Well, it's in both ankles (one is from when I was 12) and my doctors told me there is nothing they can do for it. It's something that will continue to happen as long as I work in a job where I'm on my feet for long periods of time, so at the end of January, just after I posted updates to all my fic, I quit my job. Since then, I've been looking for a new job, with no luck, working on crafts (I'm turning my hobby into a business), and well, I've been having a rough time staying focused on any one thing, so it's taken me a lot longer than I wanted to update anything. I'm so sorry! I was able to update 'Broken Road' and 'Returning Home' and I finally got to a point where I could update 'Out of the Blue' and 'Starlight'. Again, I am really sorry that it has been so long, and I promise that I will do better about updating again, sooner than a month.
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