Glee 1. Chapter 1

Maybe this time I'll get it right

A/N: Yay my first multi-chap which I hopefully will finish! I think this will last all summer and into the new school year (in the characters timeline).

A/N: This is AU. Just imagine in season one it was another girl hitting on Finn and making out with him so Puck still slept with Quinn and babygate happened but Rachel is only coming in now. Everyone in Glee is Juniors so they are all 16-17 and then after the summer they will be Seniors.

A/N: Rachel's style in this story is different from hers in the TV show. I am doing this because in my story Rachel comes from California so she is a little more stylish as opposed to on the show she is a girl trying to stand out in a small town also because in the story I want to give her a little bit of an angsty past so her character does not need the style that much.

A/N: I DON'T OWN GLEE!

….

Noah 'Puck' Puckerman was in his room. He'd been locked in there for days on end but he didn't want to go out. His mum had been nagging him to go out, have fun and see his friends. Didn't she know that he had lost all of his friends when he got his best friend's girl pregnant? That when the baby was put up for adoption everyone comforted _her_ and told _her_ that everything was going to be okay but they didn't even spare one glance in his direction? Actually Finn had, it was one full of disgust and hatred but at least it showed he hadn't been forgotten and that was better than anything he guessed. His mum and his sister had gone to see his Nana and after he had literally thrown a lot of furniture around so she got the message and left him alone so this incessant ringing and 11 in the goddam morning… Not cool. Who the fuck would even bother to do something like that? The neighbours all knew who he was thanks to the towns gossip hags but Puck could not deny that he was not curious even if he was angry and he opened the door roughly he did not expect what he saw. A petite brunette stared back at him with her deep brown eyes. His eyes raked over her body appreciatively and he saw she was wearing a skin tight denim playsuit and she looked… god it had been such a long time since Puck had got anything from the ladies. In between working extra-long hours for money and taking care of his baby mama this school year he hadn't exactly had enough time to go out there and look for some _lovin'_ and it turns out? Getting your best friend's girl pregnant is the best type of contraception out there.

"Yes" he asked gruffly. She looked taken aback for a moment then she blushed furiously "Oh umm… did you just wake up I'm so sorry I guess it was too early, my dad's said it was but I never listen and oh dear look I'll just um go now and you can get back to sleeping and all that" he was puzzled until he realized the reason behind her blushing… he'd forgotten to put some clothes on so he had opened the door wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and it looked like this girl could 't keep her eyes away from his chest _Yep I still got my mojo _his inner voice cried victoriously. "Just say what you've got to say woman" he said still kinda irked that his sleep had been disturbed.

"Hi I'm Rachel Berry, I'm your new neighbour nice to meet you…"

"Puck" Her face scrunched up in confusion

"what kind of name is that?"

"It's Noah Puckerman but everyone knows me as Puck"

"Well I'm not everyone it's nice to meet you Noah" She ignored the look of annoyance on his face "anyways I brought some of my home-made cookies for you to try and I hope you like them" he grabbed the bag from her hands and tried one of her cookies "Not bad" he mumbled. What? Everyone had always loved her cookies and raved about them now she was annoyed. "Well it was nice to meet you Noah have a good day" she said curtly and turned around "Nice ass" Puck said and she turned around looking scandalized after Puck's moment of letting his inner douchebag shine through. "You sir are absolutely despicable, I know your kind just because you look attractive you think you can stomp over everyone and say comments like that without getting your comeuppance well I know that's wrong! I hope I never have to talk to you again" she cried in frustration.

"You think I'm hot?" Puck said because that was the only thing he'd picked up from her entire monologue she growled at him and stomped off while he laughed and appreciated the view.

…

A/N: Reviews make me write faster! Honestly I need to know if you like the story or not so please review!

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: All important notices + Disclaimer is in chapter 1

A/N: Just a small note in season 3 of glee Chord Overstreet who plays Sam is leaving Glee and the warblers will not be on the show anymore as well since Blaine is moving to McKinley and Dijon Talton who played Matt Rutherford in season 1 is coming back.

A/N: Please don't get used to quick updates! I had a bit of spare time so I finished this off. This chapter is dedicated to all of you lovely people who reviewed, favourited and alerted my first chapter. Thank you all!

…..

Rachel Berry walked into her house with anger literally radiating off her. How dare that disgusting miscreant say something like that? She hadn't been lying when she said that she knew his type.

_Jesse _

Why did Noah have to remind him of her? Jesse had been attractive like Noah and he'd had the same cocky charm. As a few fat tears roll down her cheeks she wonders… would Noah have done what Jesse did to her? Her hand involuntarily landed on her flat stomach and she remembered a time when she had felt a small protruding bump in that same place and she asked herself _will it ever hurt any less?_ Her daddy Hiram came into her room and he said "Baby tonight we're having dinner with our new neighbour, she's a very nice lady and she was extremely eager to meet you darling."

"Of course daddy I'll start to get ready now okay" Her dad smiled and he went to his own room to get prepared. Deborah Puckerman had been such a nice woman. Usually he was used to so much prejudice because of his sexual orientation but she had literally welcomed him with open arms when he met her at a Jewish temple gathering being hosted by her mother. He chuckled she had seemed a little too eager to get to know his daughter and he had a sinking suspicion that she was trying to set Rachel up with her son but he guessed that maybe now was the time for Rachel to finally get over that awful St. James. The boy had seemed so nice but with him Rachel had changed and become more quiet and withdrawn, now he had his daughter back and he wanted it to stay that way. Rachel spent the day cleaning around the house and then she began to get ready for the dinner. Her daddy had said it would be semi-formal so she chose a _semi-formal dress_with Crumb Catcher Strapless neckline with a band at the bust and Orange Bubble Hem. She left her hair out and curled it lightly at the ends and put on her brown leather heels. All in all she looked and felt good but she got a very sinking feeling when her father told her that her neighbour's house was within walking distance.

_It couldn't be… could it?_

Sure enough they stood outside the same house she had visited earlier on that day inside she was fuming but she also thought how would it look to her fathers if she put up a fight_? _So begrudgingly she walked up the steps of the house and put her show face on as an older woman opened the door. "Hiram, Leroy it's so nice to see you again!" She smiled. She was very beautiful for a woman of her age with dark hair and light brown eyes. "Danielle! Noah! Come down right now out guest are here" She shouted and she turned smiling to Rachel "Why hello you must be Rachel, gosh you are very beautiful! And your fathers told me you can sing my Noah can too; will you sing for us later tonight my dear?"

"Ma you'll give the girl a headache!" Rachel turned her head and saw the boy she had been talking to earlier coming down the stairs thankfully, for her sanity, he had some clothes on. "Noah" his mum said in her very serious tone.

"Hello Mr Berry and Mr…" He seemed unsure how to continue so the tall African American man continued for him "Just call me Leroy and my husband's name is Hiram it saves a lot of confusion don't cha think" He laughed and Puck laughed nervously and hoped that these two weren't like Kurt at his school because he could only handle so much talk about whether or not pearls are sutiabke for everyday wear. The smaller of the two men stepped forward "It's nice to meet you Noah this is my daughter Rachel she's going to be a senior just like you and she'll be going to William McKinley" her daddy smiled and hoped that today Rachel could make a new friend. "Hellooooooooo!" A girl of about 7 years old with dark hair like Deborah's and hazel eyes like her brothers comes running down the stairs and straight into Rachel "Oh hello I'm so sorry it's just I'm so excited to have guests and mummy was talking about having you over all day, she said that your picture was pretty and that it would be nice to set Noah up with a nice Jewish girl and that you could sing please sing for me Rachel Noah never does!" By the end of this Deborah was red in the face but Rachel pretended to ignore the whole setting up part "Of course I'll sing for you but how about we wait until after we've eaten the lovely meal that your mother cooked" Noah looked as the appreciative look on his mother's face turned into full blown adoration and thought _oh shit_ if his mum found out how he'd treated Rachel earlier that day he would get a guilt trip of epic Jewish proportions. "But why don't you two go on upstairs to Noah's room, we wouldn't like to bore you down here" Deborah added

"Okay Mrs Puckerman" Rachel smiled politely

"Call me Debbie" Rachel nodded and walked quietly up the stairs to Puck's room. She walked in and surveyed her surroundings. It wasn't as dirty as she'd expected but she smelt flowery air freshener which proved her suspicion that his mother had cleaned his room for him. She sat down on her bed and sharply said "look I don't like you, you don't like me I'd rather we passed all the you trying to be nice to me because I know your type okay and I really am trying to avoid guys like you" Puck felt a burst of anger, how could she judge him without even knowing him? He felt like he'd felt with Quinn all over again. "Look okay I was going to apologize but you're being a complete and utter bitch, where the fuck do you think you're getting off by judging me like that! God you must think you're Ms Perfect don't you? I know girl like you, you're used to getting things you're way and not caring who you have to step over, who you have to hurt? God you know what let's just sit in fucking silence until my mum calls us and we can act nice at dinner coz I don't want to upset my mama and have her realize that the new perfect Jewish girl is just a judgemental bitch" He spat the words out violently and he saw Rachel had a look of remorse on her face but he quickly stopped any apologies she had by saying "Save it! Damage has been done Berry" A look of annoyance passed over her face when he referred to her by her last name but she quickly covered it up with a stony facial expression. After what seemed like hours of awkward silence Puck's little sister came up and told them both to come down Rachel immediately put on her fake smile and came down the stairs to the dining room where the adults were enjoying each other's company. Sadly though Puck who didn't have Rachel's impeccable acting training looked like he was a mix of angry and conflicted.

They sat down at the table and Rachel acted like the perfect guest and complimented Debbie's food and laughed at Danielle's jokes. Then as soon as they had finished eating Danielle literally pounced on Rachel and begged her to sing. "Of course sweetie" Rachel smiled at the persistent little girl.

"Why don't we move to the living room it's so much more comfortable" everyone nodded in agreement at Debbie's suggestion and they all moved to living room and occupied the chairs. Rachel spotted a guitar in the corner and she pointed to it "Who plays the guitar?" she asked.

"My Noah does and he plays fantastically would you like him to accompany you? He knows practically every song" Puck was about to protest when he saw his mother's facial expression towards him. He grabbed his guitar "Oh Darling by the Beatles please" Rachel asked and Puck began playing. When she began to sing he almost stopped her voice was melodic and smooth. She hit every note with perfection.

**Oh! Darling, please believe me  
>Believe me when I tell you<br>I'll never do you no harm**

**Oh! Darling, if you leave me  
>I'll never make it alone<br>Believe me when I beg you  
>Don't ever leave me alone<strong>

**When you told me you didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly broke down and cried<br>When you told me you didn't need me anymore  
>Well you know I nearly fell down and died…<strong>

Everyone was astounded except Rachel's dads who were used to people's reactions to their daughter's voice. Danielle was the one to break the silence by jumping up and down "wow Rachel you're almost as good as Noah!" Rachel raised an eyebrow though she let the comment pass because obviously the girl would think her brother's voice was better. "Your voice is beautiful Rachel how long have you been singing" Debbie asked.

"Well I won my first singing competition when I was three months old but I think I started singing pretty much from when I was born I plan to be a star on Broadway one day" Rachel smiled and Puck watched as his mother gushed over Rachel. God why was she so perfect? And beautiful… hell to the no he was no crushing on this major bitch! Nope no way in hell! But then why would he get that fluttery feeling in his tummy when he looked at her. Maybe it was the meat his mum cooked it had looked a bit off…

Soon enough his mum was saying goodbye to the Berry's and she turned to him straight away. "So did you like her?" Puck growled in annoyance.

"Mum when are you going to understand I don't want a relationship, not now not ever god I just gave my little girl up mum give me some time before you start planning for your perfect Jewish grandbabies, oh and by the way Rachel hates me so no chance she'll be your daughter in law okay?" He shouted and then he stomped up to his room and his mother let a few tears fall from her cheeks as she watched another emotionally unstable man self-destruct in her house, the first had been his father and she would rather die than watch her son go on the same path as that good for nothing idiot!

Rachel came home and she was quietly walking up to her room when she heard her father's whispering.

"But he was so well-behaved all the women at the temple told us he was a womanizer of epic proportions and especially with that baby"

"What baby?" she asked "Are you talking about Noah?" She carried on.

"Yes cupcake see Noah doesn't exactly have a nice track record he got a girl pregnant last year and they gave the baby away for adoption" Rachel was dumbstruck as she realized just how badly she had treated Puck when maybe he was the one person who could understand her right now.

_He lost his child too_

She thought and she resolved that she would go to him the next day to apologize and hopefully strike up a friendship because this secret she was carrying was hurting her from the inside and out.

….

Rachel's dress: remove the (dot) and put in dots:

www (dot) posmode (dot) com/semi-formal-dresses-by-terani/semi-formal-dresses-by-terani-details/

Review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to SassyBR and KlaineBrittanalove for their lovely reviews. I'm loving the response to the story with all of your favourites and alerts but I hope you all take a minute to review. I accept smiley faces too!

A/N: I am feeling that I'm not getting my characters right, hopefully with time I'll be able to improve so Puck and Rachel may be OOC. Please review and tell me if you think I am doing it right or wrong.

A/N: The other glee members will come into this story at some point I just don't know when but they will be in the story and they may have a large part in it I also will incorporate Sam too but those are all the spoilers I'm giving away.

A/N: School had started and I am beginning my GCSE's for those of you who don't live in the UK GCSE's are like the most important exams ever for 14-16 year old (they are mostly 2 year courses). I picked some of the hardest ones out there and I am going to be suffering a lot with studying so I will try to update monthly.

…**GLEE/IS/EPIC…**

Rachel was nervously pacing. She really hoped that today's meeting with Puck went well and she really didn't like it when people hated her so she needed to have this sorted out. Gradually, as if willing time to go slower she walked to his house with a batch of her I'm sorry cookies, she'd named these ones _I'm-sorry-I-was-a-total-bitch-to-you _cookies. Nervously she knocked on the door and saw Debbie standing there. "Hi Debbie I was wondering if I could talk to Noah for a few minutes" Debbie nodded and smiled. "Yes darling he's in his room go on up" Rachel nervously went up the flight of stairs and thankfully she found the room straight away due to the Puck's room label that was written outside in childish scrawl which Rachel assumed was his sisters. She knocked at the door and heard Puck say "Come in" she entered the room and Puck looked shocked to see her. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked gruffly but Rachel had already prepared for this kind of demeanour.

"I came here to say sorry, I bought cookies?" She said hesitantly and he grabbed the cookies from her. "Look Noah we got off on a wrong foot but I don't know anyone else in town and I would like us to be friends so are we okay?"

"Look Rachel I don't know what you've heard about me but I do not need your friendship out of pity, Kay? So now that you've cleared your guilty conscience you can leave the doors open" Puck growled nastily. "Well I have heard some things but I don't care, I understand". That was it another burst of anger rippled through Puck's body "The fuck do you mean you understand? How to fuck can miss pretty n' perfect understand how it feels to have lost your little baby girl? To feel her in your arms then like some sick joke from god watch her get taken away by two people you know will be better for her, provide for her? So don't you dare say you know how I'm fucking feeling! Coz you don't and the one girl who does is probably with my ex friends right now whining about how the messed up Lima Loser ruined her life" Rachel looked sympathetic "Can you just leave? I have enough on my plate without becoming a charity case to Miss Crazy" Rachel simply sighed and left him. She knew how it felt to have lost something and to feel isolated from the world and if he was anything like her she knew that if she didn't get out of the room fast things would have been thrown. She walked to her house feeling disappointed but not discouraged and sat on her bed. Suddenly she slid of her bed and on to the floor then she took out a box labelled school stuff and reached into a small envelope beside it she pulled it out and stared at the picture, it was an ultrasound of a baby. One that once lived in her belly ate the same food as her and breathed the same air she did. A baby that had died that she would never be able to get over. She sobbed quietly hoping her dads wouldn't hear her. They knew nothing and she wanted to keep it that way. She put Funny Girl on and quietly cried because not even Barbra could save her from her emotional dark abyss. She remembered the first time she met Jesse.

_Rachel had just walked out of her audition for her school's rendition of the iconic play West Side Story and she turned to see someone calling her name. It was Jesse St. James the most popular boy at their school and the most talented. He was the boy every girl wanted to date and the boy every guy wanted to be but he had never settled preferring rather to jump in and out of girls beds. He was certainly attractive with his curly brown hair and beautiful blue eyes and his toned physique. "Rachel Berry, right? I'm Jesse St. James I'm playing Tony to your Marie" She shook his hand _

"_But they still haven't revealed the cast" she said uncertainly. He snorted_

"_Please me and you were the only to people to even compare to Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer and also the only people with a sliver of talent" she smiled _

"_So you know West Side Story" she said. He glanced at her shocked_

"_And you don't? In my opinion it's the greatest musical to grace Broadway only rivalled by Wicked and Spring Awakening" Rachel grinned happily surprised_

"_Of course I do Broadways always been my obsession, I'm going to be a star one day you know" _

"_Me too I'm glad I met you Rachel Berry, would you like to go on a date with me?" she drew a breath. No one had ever been so forward with her but she figured why not? She certainly wasn't attached as her previous boyfriend had dumped her for not putting out. Was it so much to ask for her first time to be with someone she loved? "Okay Jesse I accept your offer"_

It had seemed so nice in the beginning. So new but it had turned so dark after. Rachel decided she had spent enough time wallowing in her room and she wanted to see Lima. She tucked the ultrasound into her back pocket and walked out. She surveyed herself in the mirror and smiled approvingly she had chosen short denim cut-offs and a light pink halter top. She decided to start with the mall and revved up her car. She drove to the mall and walked around. The Lima mall was kind of pathetic compared to California but it would do she walked past a few boys and they wolf whistled. Rachel blushed and walked away. She got very bored easily and decided to head home but was shocked so much because when she came home there on her doorstep was…

…GLEE/IS/EPIC…

Puck had just come back from the local grocery store where he had stocked up on some extra Jack Daniels (beer). He was about to walk into his house when he saw that Rachel chick from earlier screaming at another. "Jesse why are you here?" he saw the boy she referred to as Jesse come closer to her and was she flinching? "Rachel I want you back, I've missed you I know things have been hard with you but we can overcome it together" the Jesse guy was almost down on his knees begging Puck almost felt sorry for him.

"Hard? Jesse you left me alone to deal with the worst thing in my life, I still have nightmares every night and you think sorry will cure everything? That one apology makes everything better! Are you insane?" Rachel was hysterical she was breathing unevenly and tears were streaming down her face. Suddenly Jesse's whole demeanour changed puck could see it from hear. He lost the sad look on his face and his expression was menacing. "Listen up you spoilt diva, you are coming back to LA with me because you're _mine _I have fucking grovelled and now you will do as I say" Puck couldn't watch this anymore in fact looking at Rachel and Jesse he remembered a scene from his own childhood much like this

"_Eli! Don't please don't!" Deborah Puckerman begged as her husband raised his hand again. _

"_Bitch I saw you flirting with the shopkeeper don't lie to me!" He lowered his hand sharply and a loud thwack was heard as Eli began laying into his wife "You're mine understood? Mine!" 5 year old Noah Puckerman heard this from under his bed where he held his teddy and cried. He was so ashamed. Why could he not help mommy? Because he was a __**coward**__ and a __**loser**__ and he was __**weak**__… Another scream reverberated around the house and Noah tried in vain to block it out._

Well he could help Rachel now as he saw her struggling to get away from this Jesse guy. He quickly dropped his beers then ran across. "Rachel, this guy bothering you?" He casually laid his hand over her shoulder. "Who the fuck are you?" Jesse shouted at him. "And why the hell have you got your hands all over my girlfriend" Rachel was still shocked and just stood there.

"Well it didn't look like she fucking wanted you here so I suggest you leave before I call the police!" Puck gave Jesse a threatening look and Jesse left but before he walked away he turned around and said –quietly but eligibly- "You're mine Rachel all mine". Rachel stood sobbing and Puck stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do but he finally decided to help her enter her house. He silently walked her up to her room all the while she cried. He took her to her room and felt the awkward silence begin to strangle him internally. After what seemed like hours she turned to him. "I know about you, about the baby you lost" Puck felt himself become angry as was his signature response when someone mentioned Beth. "No please don't go I need to show you something" Rachel said but her voice sounded strained because of the crying she pulled out a picture from her back pocket and handed it to Puck and he looked at her in disbelief it was an ultrasound picture of a baby. "That's my baby I lost mine too" she took a deep breath and waited for his reaction.

…GLEE/IS/EPIC…

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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Disclaimer on chapter 1

**A/N: **In chapter 3 I said that it was a 5 year old Noah Puckerman who watched his father abuse his mother this has been changed to 10 years of age.

**A/N**: OMG I just realised on my first chapter I wrote that Puck slept with Finn (I totally changed it) instead of Quinn I didn't even realise. Sorry but just to clarify its Quinn

**A/N: **Response to reviews at the bottom of this chapter.

**A/N: **Not happy with this chapter but I can't make it better so…

**A/N: **The last episode of Glee was kind of angsty… what do you guys think about it?

…**GLEE/IS/EPIC…**

_**Previously on Maybe the time:**_

"_I know about you, about the baby you lost" Puck felt himself become angry as was his signature response when someone mentioned Beth. "No please don't go I need to show you something" Rachel said but her voice sounded strained because of the crying she pulled out a picture from her back pocket and handed it to Puck and he looked at her in disbelief it was an ultrasound picture of a baby. "That's my baby I lost mine too" she took a deep breath and waited for his reaction._

**Chapter 4**

"What do you mean?" He asked shocked. He had honestly believed that she was Miss Perfect, kind of like Quinn before she had Beth. She held that proud air around her and Puck couldn't believe it!

"I had a miscarriage Noah" She told him breathily between her tears.

"Beth's not dead"

"But you still feel it don't you?" she asked him and he looked at her puzzlingly "You still feel the emptiness inside you, you still feel like your heart is burning every time you see a little baby on the street and you wish that it was your baby but it can't be it will never be, you still feel the pain that you wish will go away but it doesn't, please Noah tell me you feel that way I can't be the only one please…" She cried and Puck felt unsettled and disturbed he could feel himself agreeing with her but years of closing himself off to people caught up with him and he did the only thing he knew how to, he ran. Well more like walked he just got up off the bed and walked straight out of Rachel's house he heard a gut wrenching sob from Rachel and he couldn't bring himself to look back and see this girl that was feeling the same way he was so he walked out of her house and straight into his car. He drove aimlessly for ages until suddenly he felt himself stop almost against his own wishes and he looked around to see the forest and he got out of his car and walked until he reached the lake he and Finn used to play in when they were young. This lake represented everything in his life.

"_Noah gimme back my ball!" Finn had shouted to his 9 year old friend with an extremely red face._

"_Why don't you come get it?" Noah asked teasingly as the other boy began to chase him and Noah began running up and down but he didn't count on Finn's long legs helping him catch up. Then the two boys began fighting, nothing serious just both of them roughing each other up. Suddenly Noah heard Finn cry out and saw that he had a scratch, instantly he began calling for his father who was with them and his dad began to inspect Finn's knee. "Is he gonna be okay?" Noah asked worriedly and his dad looked up "Course he is it was just a scratch" his dad reassured him and Noah gave Finn a wide grin. "'So dude we cool?" he asked Finn and Finn had just smiled at him _

"_Course we are we're bros right?" and he held up a closed fist and Noah hit it with his fist._

"_Yeah now get up I feel like a bloody girl" Puck said, even at 9 years of age Noah had a very potty mouth inherited from his father. _

Puck wiped a few angry tears from his eyes and he wondered why things could not be like they were then. No girls, no drama, no complications and definitely no babies. His dad was still at home then and they were happy. Suddenly he noticed a thin figure sitting on the edge of the water and he realised with extreme guilt that it was Finn. He didn't know what to do until Finn turned and saw him. He gave him a look with his bloodshot eyes and it literally conveyed everything. _I hate you, we we're bros, how could you do this to me? What happened?_ He could almost hear Finn screaming these things at him and he knew that to go forward would only cause more damage so he drove away.

The next day Puck woke up with only one thought on his mind. _Rachel, _he'd dreamt about her. No not _that_ kind of dream. He'd dreamt that he walking on a dusty road covered in bones and it seemed endless and torturous but then another road appears to what seems like a city but it's all blurry so he can't be sure and there with her arms outstretched is Rachel and she wants him near her but he doesn't go closer instead he decides to carry on walking the road of bones. He had no idea what it meant but he thought it meant he should move on and face his demons and know he knew what he wanted to do and for the first time he felt a little hopeful and apprehensive. How would she react to him after yesterday he'd left her? He felt guilty but fuck! Rachel had just thrown that at him and then it was like she was psychic she knew what he was feeling. Truth be told… He was lonely. Sure his old friends would maybe accept him back and _yeah_ he knew a few co-eds that wouldn't hesitate to jump into bed with him but he needed a friend (and no he wasn't a pansy for admitting it, cut him some slack he just had a kid). Someone who got him and he thought that he may have found it in Rachel if she's accept his apology. He got out of his house and began the walk to Rachel's house. He kept thinking about what he was going to say but when he was standing there in front of Rachel's house he realized that he just needed to say what he felt and winced inwardly, damn this was gonna be painful. He tried to remember the last time he'd had a heart to heart with someone and realized that it had been when his dad left and he was ten and his mum had been crying. He stood nervously and knocked on the door and Rachel opened it. She was wearing a pair of purple silk pyjamas, a sleeveless purple vest and trousers of the same colour. Her hair was unruly and Puck couldn't help thinking she looked beautiful _NO! _He thought he was here to be her friend not anything else.

'_As if you could be friends with a girl' _a voice in his head whispered making him doubt himself.

'_You tried being friends with Quinn and look how that ended up' _the voice continued but before he could argue back Rachel spoke "What are you doing here?" her voice was harsh and he felt even more guilty but he knew he had to say this

"I'm sorry I left yesterday"

"Huh?" She said she'd not been expecting that.

"Yes it was too hard"

"So you ran" She deadpanned.

"Look Rachel I don't even know you but yesterday… fuck you knew how I've been feeling and I never tell anyone how I feel ever and even though I tried to ignore everything I still feel this bond with you and I know that I'll probably upset you or mess things up because let's face it I am a shitty friend, but I'd like to try so?" He felt so pathetic but he saw a faint smile flicker onto her face and she opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in. "Noah I don't expect you to come in here and tell me everything" Her breath caught "I just need someone who understands you know? What it feels like and you do! Because yesterday when I was saying all that stuff the look on your face told me that you do and no one else understands and I can't be bothered to pretend that I'm okay around people because I'm not! It hurts" Puck nodded and then a heavy silence fell upon both of them when Puck abruptly broke it "Rachel are you allowed to go out I want to show you something"

"What?" She asked

"Surprise" She huffed but nodded

"My dad's aren't here, I can go but wait for me to get dressed" he nodded and she went upstairs and he looked around the living room. There were 2 cream sofas with red and red a whited striped pillows. The walls were cream as was the carpet the table was white with a bowl full of dried rose petal. There were shelves with sets of books on them and a huge 50 inch TV. The berries were loaded from the looks of it. Suddenly Rachel came down; she was wearing a dark green based playsuit, completely covered in miniature flowers, short playsuit. She had sunglasses on and was wearing brown gladiators. Her hair was out and she looked breath-taking. _No Puckerman stop having these thoughts, Rachel is a friend, a friend! _He reprimanded himself. Then Rachel smiled at him and said "Why don't we get a move on!" and he smiled back. Like legit smiled, Puck does not smile he smirks or grins but he smiled at her. He buried the feelings deep in him and quickly smirked at her "Of course hot stuff" she blushed lightly. He drove and Rachel chatted animatedly to him on the way there. He was surprised about how fast they had moved past the initial awkwardness of the situation. "Noah… Noah! Are you even listening to me?"

"Course I am babes you were going on about how you'll die if you don't get Tony by the way who is that guy?" Rachel looked at him in shock

"You're joking right?" she looked so serious Puck felt a little worried "You don't know what a Tony is?" Puck nodded "You've been depraved! If you ever come to my house I'm giving you a musical theatre education"

"Translation: you want me to watch a load of chick flicks that'll make me grow a mangina" Rachel thought for a moment then nodded "You could say that" She grinned at him.

"No! Never! Friends don't make other friends writhe in pain as they watch the worst made movie musicals on earth" Rachel looked really angry.

"I resent that!" She said and pouted at him. _Damn her and her cute pout_ Puck thought as he looked at her sitting next to him. And he decided that he would try to resolve the situation.

"How about a compromise" Rachel's eyes lit up.

"Like we watch one musical then one of your films that has a whole load of violence, obscene amounts of blood and female nudity and very little plot with a side of comedy? I agree!"

"I resent that" He said in a whiny voice trying to imitate her and she smacked him on the chest. They finally arrived she looked out of the car window "Where are we?" Rachel asked Puck

"We're not there yet" he said getting out of the car. The lake was situated deep inside the deeper woods of Lima. It was open to the public and a lot of people visited it but there was an area that was further up the woods that was really hard to get to and most people didn't know about it had been him and Finn's secret place since they were 10 and climbing through the forest. He opened the door for Rachel and helped her out. When she jumped out she ended up almost nose to nose with Puck and blushed before moving forward and telling him to lead the way. He took her hand and ignored the tingling sensation he felt when they touched and led her through the forest. They walked through the trees. Rachel and Puck walked side by side until they reached a little area. Rachel was breathless for a second. "Noah this place is amazing!" Suddenly Rachel saw two figures, one was a thin pale boy with black hair the other was a short girl with brown hair and she was wearing an enormous amount of plaid. They were both looking at Puck and Rachel in disgust "Come on Amanda we've got to go, there's too much filth here" She saw the taller boy say as he pushed past Puck. She was surprised to see that he did nothing in retaliation. Puck just looked very guilty and sad. When the tall boy had gone she asked quietly "Who was that?" she asked but then she noticed the sad look on his face "No you don't have to tell me don't worry" He gave her an unreadable look then he said

"No I want everything to be open with us" He said "I don't want something to come back to you that'll make you lose your trust in me or runaway"

"I won't" She replied firmly.

"Then let me tell you" She nodded and he began his story.

"When I was ten my dad left home, he'd been going off the rails for a year because he'd lost his job and he began hitting my mother" he ignored her gasp and he carried on "I felt so helpless and weak, he finally decided to leave us when he found out that my mum was pregnant with my sister! When he left I took up a lot of responsibilities, I started a newspaper round so that I could get more money for my mum while she worked 3 jobs. I felt like the whole world was on my shoulders and I needed a fucking break so I lost my virginity when I was 12 to a girl, I didn't really know what I was doing but it felt good so I carried on banging girls all the way through middle school. When I was 15 I started a pool cleaning business so I could rope in some cougars too"

"Cougars?" Rachel questioned confused

"You know desperate housewives whose husbands have left them alone" He said she winced but said nothing as he carried on "Finn always said it wrong and how I should find a girlfriend but I never listened"

"Who's Finn?" Rachel asked

"The guy that just left" She quickly silenced herself "Finn was my best friend since I'd been about 5, I guess you see that I screwed that up but that parts for later" he said bitterly Rachel sat there silently looking out to the water's edge but every few seconds she would turn and stare at him signalling that she was listening. He stared at her for a few moments she was so peaceful and serene. He began again "I guess you can say that it all changed last year, our Spanish teacher Mr Shu started the glee club, a show choir" He added when he saw the confused look on Rachel's face "the glee club in the school were losers in face they still are, I used to slushy them all the time"

"Slushy?"

"Yeah throwing slushys on people, losers in my school it's pretty common" he grimaced when he realised how much of a jerk he had been "So anyways Finn joined the club and at first we were all wondering why but then we realised that he had the hots for the lead Amanda, thing was Amanda was the biggest loser of them all, everyone hated on her coz she's a bit obsessive and crazy about being on Broadway, thing was Finn had a girlfriend at the time, her name was Quinn she was head cheerleader hot blonde I couldn't understand why he would want Amanda over her" Rachel sat quietly listening "Then one day me and Quinn were at a party and Finn had said he couldn't come because he had a glee club, me and her felt like he was picking them over us so we spent the whole time trashing them then me got up to a room and Quinn kept saying this like how she was fat and how that was why Finn was picking Amanda over her then she kissed me and I didn't push her away" Rachel looked shocked as she comprehended what it meant but she held her silence, Puck knew she wanted to say something to ask him why but she was silent and for that he was grateful "I guess I'd always had the hots for Quinn, she had this appeal you know? Chastity queen, Head cheerleader and most beautiful girl in the school but the thing was I just wanted to bang her but Finn had wanted her as his girlfriend, the keep forever and get married to girlfriend so I backed off but that night I was drunk and she was there and willing and I know I'm a jerk but that's just who I am"

"No Noah that's who you used to be, can you honestly tell me that you would do the same thing again even if Quinn hadn't ended up pregnant?" she asked and he considered it but carried on speaking "The next day Quinn was gone and we never spoke of it again, it was taboo we both had to pretend it had never happened but when Finn told me that Quinn was pregnant I knew it was mine, see Finn and Quinn hadn't even had sex"

"I'm not following" Rachel said puzzled

"He thought he got her pregnant in a hot tub! She picked a guy who thought he got her pregnant in a fucking hot tub over me!" Rachel grimaced how stupid did people get? "Anyways I confronted Quinn and I tried to step up she called me a loser, a Lima loser and she said I was never going to get out of this town!" Rachel put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder "I kept trying to step up but she kept shooting me down until Amanda, the girl that was with Finn just now, found out. She'd always wanted Finn and now she could have him so she told him the truth I knew i should have been pissed or guilty but fuck I felt relieved I could finally claim my baby girl" Tears began rolling down his cheeks "but then Quinn told me that she was giving the baby up for adoption and how I had no choice at all! I tried to convince her but in the end she convinced me, we weren't ready for a baby Rach but when I saw my little girl Beth all I wanted to do was to take her away and raise her to be the perfect little girl I knew she was gonna grow up to be but her adoptive parents were perfect, they had a house a car all they wanted was a kid but I guess I got lucky it was an open adoption, Beth's gonna get to know me one day but not as her daddy, as Noah" Rachel turned to him

"And that's why Finn is still angry with you" She said and she clasped her hand in his realising that he had just bared his soul to her and she resolved to do the same with hers but she needed time, just a little more…

…..GLEE/IS/EPIC…..

**A/N**: Thank you for all your kind reviews here are some responses for all of you:

**SassyBR**: Thanks for all of your kind remarks!

**Klainebrittanalove**: Your review was epic and long. I'm happy I could help you feel better about your day. Your reviews are so nice. I especially liked this one and I will try to take your comments into account.

**sheerlynn**: Thanks! :D

**twilight2892**: I feel sorry for Rachel too! Hopefully you like Puck's reaction.

**SuzyQQ**: Sadly I have some more Jesse planned for the story, I am still deciding what role he'll play, but I am a sucker for happy endings *hint hint* so don't worry too much. I wanted a unique storyline because the amazing writers in fan-fiction have written all the coolest ones.

**tomfeltonlover1991**: Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: KlaineBrittanaLove** you are becoming my fav reviewer ever! I loved the fact that you felt last chapter had no criticisms.

**A/N:** This story will not have a crazy stalker for Rachel. I know it seems like it with Jesse but there are already amazing stories to do with Rachel and stalking so the Rachel-Jesse storyline might end a little tamer than people were expecting. I needed to say this because I don't want people to think _oh! Another stalker story_. I want this story to be different.

**A/N: **I am sorry for the long wait I just did 2 GCSE exams in the last few months and I have been swamped with homework and essays I really have had no time until today I was sitting in Chemistry when I got a bout of inspiration for this chapter and the next one so hopefully you won't have to wait long for the next one.

**A/N: **OMG 2000+ hits. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far!

**A/N:** Look I know this will come as a huge shock to all of you but I don't own Glee. I'm sorry if this revelation caused any of you to faint or die of shock. I offer my condolences :P

….GLEE/IS/EPIC….

Rachel went home in a daze. Noah had told her so much. For other people it may not have been a surprise but for him. She'd only known Noah for a few days but she was quite a good judge of character… well most of the time anyways. Noah seemed to her like the kind of guy who held his heart close to his chest _scratch that! _He seemed like a guy who pretended he didn't have a heart at all and he'd told her. She'd tried to come into this friendship without any serious expectations but he had confided in her, the thought brought a smile to her face.

She felt a little bit guilty thought that she couldn't confide in him. She tried but telling him her story would be like giving him a part of her that he could use for good and evil. Noah was slowly breaking down her barriers but she still felt like he had a long way to go before she could entrust him with her deepest secrets. Rachel's phone beeped and she saw that she had a text message

**You're mine**

**Jesse**

Two words. Only two but they managed to make Rachel shiver in fear. She brushed it off though what could Jesse do? Noah would help her she smiled. Ever since she and Noah had gone to the lake their friendship had grown. They talked to each other about everything… well in Rachel's case it was almost everything but Noah didn't mind.

….GLEE/IS/EPIC….

Rachel and Noah had just settled down on the sofa to watch **Die hard**. Ever since their meeting at the pool Rachel had been tentatively reaching out to Noah. The speed that they had become friends was amazing. They could talk for hours about random subjects and argue all day and sometimes if one of them was having a bad day and they were thinking about their pasts. They would just go to the lake and sit there in silence. Rachel didn't know what it was about the place, it might have been the fact that Noah had all his happy memories there or just the sheer beauty of it but the lake was like a place where people's sorrows washed away. They hadn't seen Finn since that first day but she didn't particularly want to see him again. He seemed very bitter and angry. Her dads were very happy that she had made a new friend in Noah but she had a feeling that they thought it was more… and it wasn't like she didn't get bubbly feelings every time she saw Noah or that when he touched her she felt like she was on fire but those feelings could be ignored right? Yes Rachel her inner voice told her _you will not have any romantic feelings AT ALL for Noah even if he does have the greatest abs ever known to man… _Damn! "Rachel are you even listening to me?" Noah asked her "yeah you were talking about the movie?" she said guiltily

"No I was telling you that earth had just been invaded by Martians wearing my little pony costumes" Noah said sarcastically

"Huh?" was all she could reply

"Actually I was saying that the best part of the movie was coming up but you missed it!" he looked a little angry "I'm so sorry Noah" Rachel apologized "My heads a little up in space that's all" Puck smiled at her "No problem, I just wanted to see if this part would gross you out, that's all" she punched his shoulder playfully. "Damn babes you pack a punch!" Puck whined as he rubbed his shoulder "Oh is the little baby sad?" Rachel asked teasingly.

"You could kiss it better?" he suggested but all he got was a pillow in the face suddenly the doorbell rang and Rachel stood up to answer it "It's probably your mum" She said and walked to the door and she opened it and was surprised not to see Puck's mom but two boys. One was tall, Asian and lean while the other was mixed race with a slightly bigger build. Both were wearing very casual jeans and T-shirts. "Hello is Puck there?" the Asian one asked

"Puck" Rachel wrinkled her brow in confusion "Oh you mean Noah! Yes he's here who shall I tell him is here?" Rachel asked as the two boys gave her strange looks

"Matt and Mike" The mixed race one said gesturing to himself when he said Matt and to the Asian when he said Mike. "Rachel what's taking you so…" He trailed off when he saw the two boys

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He asked them both angrily. Both boys were a little scared but Matt stepped forward "Look bro we both know that we did a shitty thing, okay? We bailed on you when times got tough but we're sorry" Mike nodded in affirmation.

"okay you got your sorry out of the way now go back and have fun with Finn 'golden boy' Hudson and leave me the fuck alone like you guys have done after Regionals and all goddam summer" Rachel sensed Noah was on the verge of an extremely violent outburst so she put her hand on his elbow and he looked at her in surprise, rage fading away. She came closer to him "Listen to them Noah, they care about you don't let your anger control everything" Puck felt his head become clearer as he absorbed Rachel's words "you guys want to go outside?" He asked them both and they nodded both shocked into silence by what had just occurred. This was mind-blowing! In all the years they had known Noah Puckerman they knew that once he became anger he was like a bulldozer destroying everything in his path but this girl he called Rachel, with one simple touch, had effectively tamed the beast.

"So what the brings you here?" He asked them both bitterly with a look that had made lesser men cry.

"Dude didn't you hear us we're here to apologise!" Mike started

"Why s'not like I care if you guys want to fuckin go watch Q or Hudson blame me for ruining their _perfec_t lives"

"Well we care even if it makes us sound like pussies" Matt argued and Noah was taken aback at the firmness in his friends tone. Matt was always very silent around people but when comfortable he was always very funny and humorous so this seriousness was quite new to Puck. "So dude we cool?" If Puck had been alone he would have thrown them out on their asses but he considered Rachel's words they were his friends, they had never been as tight as him and Finn but they had always been there for him ignoring the days after Beth's birth"Yeah we're cool" Mike grinned at him

"Then can you tell me the hottie in the living room is? Coz that was just confusing "

"Rachel's just a friend, she's really cool and don't fucking speak about her like that Chang" Again Puck managed to make Matt and Mike speechless. When it came to objectifying women Puck was like the king of all objectifiers. The words women and respect rarely fell out of his mouth at the same time Matt and Mike quickly realized that Rachel was off-limits. Matt tutted silently to himself, He spent literally 5 minutes with Puck and he could see right through him (and this is Puck were talking about, former sex-shark the fact you could see that he even had emotions was an accomplishment).

They walked back into the living room and Mike proposed they play a game of COD. Rachel was waiting for him and she looked like she was ready to leave she walked until the door and he followed her "Rach you goin?" He asked a little confused as to why she'd leave

"Yeah Noah I figured you'd like to spend some time with Mike and Matt bonding" Puck laughed at her "Babes dudes don't bond, we play really violent games and smack talk each other but we don't bond that shits for pussies"

"Noah!" He rolled his eyes at her

"Okay Princess then that excrement is for effeminate dudes, Happy?" She frowned at him but laughed a second later and kissed him on the cheek "Have fun" and she walked out of his house back to her own and Puck walked into the living room where Matt and Mike had already set up the PS3 and were getting ready for their first games they both looked up at him and gave him a strange look "What?" he asked

"Dude your face, your smiling" Matt said and Puck gave him the signature Puckerman smirk trying to throw Matt of his trail.

"I don't smile dude, shut up, you're just trying to delay my epic win against you fuckers!" the thought of a smile forgotten the boys proceeded to spend the rest of the day and well into the night playing PS3 games and dissing each other. In other words bonding (though they would never admit to it)…

…**.**

**A/N: I know this chapter is all about Matt/Mike/Puck friendship but trust me it is important and you'll see why in a few chapters ok?**

**Reviews please? I will reply to any questions or criticisms you have!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N:** Replies to some reviews at the end of this chapter.

**A/N:** Yay for the first time in ages I have some free time. I swear to god my teachers are driving me mad. I am exhausted and they just keep piling on the work. Basically I am stealing half an hour so I can begin this thing.

**A/N:** So the end of the Jesse-plotline is coming soon… I would like you guys to know that even though I have an outline of where this story will go I am open to ideas but no Teen/Preg.

**A/N:** So yeah I know I'm dragging out Puckleberry getting together but here's my explanation. This story is the first story I haven't planned in extreme detail and I just go with the flow of the characters and the plot, I write what I think should happen next. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't feel _right_ putting them together at this point in the story when there are all these other issues going on in their lives so if you guys are willing to wait and see then I promise that there is a lot more to come.

**A/N:** I feel like a broken record apologizing for the long wait between chapters but life is so busy. I have Biology, Chemistry and Physics exams coming up after this so you guys probably won't get an update till after January. Thank you all for being so understanding.

**A/N:** Happy Christmas! I personally don't celebrate it but I hope every one of you has a great time.

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

"Oh yeah you got owned by a girl" Matt laughed as Mike commiserated as Rachel beat him once again in Call of Duty.

"This is unreal how the fuck did you learn that?" Mike asked perplexed

"Back in Cali I had a friend who was obsessed with these games, he told me that if I didn't learn them I was breaking the rules of our 'brotherhood'" Rachel giggled at the thought and Mike and Matt smiled but Puck was just wondering who her friend was.

"Well I'm gonna beat you this time watch me!" Mike said and him and Rachel begun another epic battle. Puck looked around him and he was happy. He was so glad he had finally got all the people he wanted surrounding him. Rachel had been hesitant to meet Matt and Mike. She'd thought that she would be imposing but once they got to know Rachel they both realized how cool a chick she was. Well he didn't want them to realize exactly _how_ cool she was. The idea of Rachel liking and dating… _well anyone _made his stomach clench and his eyes go hazy and red. He was brought back to reality by Rachel shouting "I won, I won!" and dancing around the room.

He followed her with his eyes and smiled but his smile faded when he saw Matt smirking at him. It was a mocking smirk and he realized that shit _Matt knew! _Well he just smirked right back at his friend and turned back to watch Rachel whoop Mike's ass repeatedly and if he smiled again when Rachel did another cute victory dance well you can't _blame_ him! That shit was cute!

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

Rachel had come back from shopping for dinner that night. She was feeling really happy and she couldn't wait to try out a new vegan dish. Maybe she'd even invite Noah over and show him that vegan food wasn't bad at all. She was brimming with excitement when suddenly she felt a bony hand wrap itself around hers.

"Rachel baby I'm so happy I caught you that idiotic imbecile wasn't around" Rachel's heart stopped

"Jesse?" she asked even though she knew the answer she just hoped against all hope that it wasn't him

"Yes baby girl and you know why I'm here? To take you home"

"This is my home Jesse" Rachel stuttered nervously her heartbeat going ten times faster as adrenaline rushed through her.

"No it's not" Jesse said quickly growing angry and pinning her to her car while bringing his hand up to both her cheeks and squeezing them in painfully as tears streamed down her red, blotchy face.

"Your home is with me in LA then New York where we'll live together as starving artists and then we'll win Tony's and Grammy's isn't that the life you wanted" Rachel looked at him in horror and realized with a fright that Jesse had a manic expression on his face, she knew she'd have to use her acting skills to get out of this.

"Yes" Rachel said breathlessly and Jesse let his guard down for a second his face contorting into a slight smile as he leant in to kiss her. Rachel let him lean in closer when she shouted

"But not with you!" And she kicked him in the groin rendering him useless and opened her car door and she locked herself inside. Jesse began hammering on the windows until Rachel pushed the keys into the ignition and drove away. She could hardly drive through her tears but she needed to see the one person she felt completely at peace with.

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

Puck was out with Matt and Mike when his phone rang. He saw it was Rachel "Sup Berry" he said nonchalantly since Matt though that there was something going on between them and answering the phone with 'Hi babes' would only fuel the fire. Seriously though he was sure that Matt and Mike were like old yentas when they wanted to be and he was not up for them 'helpfully trying to hook him up with Rachel' yeah it _had _worked in the past but Rachel wasn't like that. So back to the phone call

"N-noah where are you?" her voice was thick and laced with tears

"I'm at Breadstix Rachel what happened?" he asked worriedly and his friends gave him looks of alarm because they both knew that nothing stupid could get Puck worked up like this. "I'm…" She paused to take a deep breath in between her sobs "I'm coming there Noah wait for me" As if she had to tell him.

"What was that man?" Mike asked

"Rachel just called me crying, she's coming here I'm really worried about her, do you guys mind waiting for her to get here?" he asked them they both agreed and walked outside. After what felt like hours Rachel's car drove into the parking lot. Puck could tell something was wrong just by looking at her, she had her hands tucked into her armpits as it trying to make herself smaller and her make-up was smudged. As soon as she saw him she launched herself into her his chest and cried. Matt and Mike looked at her awkwardly as they had no idea what to do.

"J-Jesse came over" In that sentence Puck saw rage he knew Jesse must have done something to upset and he wanted to kill the fucking bastard that touched his Rachel! "What the fuck did he do?" Puck asked

"I was just coming back from the shops when he was just there he kept on harassing me and I couldn't stop him and I just didn't know what to do!" She said panicked and Puck had to listen really close to make out any of her words.

"Rach calm it, tell me from the beginning" he was well aware of Matt and Mike in the background but he figured that if Jesse was harassing Rach then he'd need some extra muscle to pummel the fuckers face in and Matt and Mike were just the kind of guys you could depend on.

"Jesse was… He was outside my house Noah and he was waiting for me, he kept saying he was going to take me back to LA and he pushed me against the car Noah and I was so scared" Rachel broke down sobbing

"Who's Jesse?" Mike asked tentatively laying his hand on Rachel's shoulder

"My ex" Rachel cried and Puck held her.

"And he hurt you?" Matt's anger was barely concealed as his face drew into a snarl "Puck let's beat this idiot up"

"NO!" Rachel said forcefully and Puck looked at her quizzically he wondered if for a second that Rachel had that weird thing where beaten wives got all over-protective of their husbands and shit.

"Jesse's dad is a well-respected lawyer in LA and he will press charges, your futures will be over and I'm not having that on my conscience" Puck's heart was warmed to realize that Rachel didn't give two shits about St. James and that she was just looking out for them but anger quickly replaced his relief as he realized that there was nothing he could do.

"Then what the fuck can we do!" Puck shouted as the four stood in the parking lot.

"Noah let's think about it tonight okay?" Rachel begged him and she looked up at his face with tear filled eyes "Please Noah, promise?" she asked and her voice was thick with tears

"Promise" she then turned to look at Matt and Mike

"Guys I know Lima's a small town and it won't be hard for you to find Jesse but please don't do anything to him today or tomorrow" The boys looked sheepish as they had planned on using their connections in Lima to track this asshole down and get their revenge but the look on Rachel's face made it hard to resist her and they realized that no epic-Jesse-beating was going to happen anytime soon.

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

A while later when Puck was driving Rachel's car to her house she looked at him suddenly

"Noah?" she asked

"Yes Rach?" he asked softly trying to drive while holding her hand tightly for support.

"My dad's… they've gone to visit my aunt in Akron and I just… can't be alone, could you stay with me?" She asked him nervously

"Rach you don't even have to ask, with that mother fucker around someone needs to be with you at all times" **a**_nd I want to protect you _he mentally added.

As soon as they got out of the car she launched herself on him and hugged him with all her might.

"Thank you" she whispered in his ear

"I'll always protect you Rach, you're my best friend" Rachel's heart dropped when he said best friend but she couldn't figure out why

"You too Noah" Noah felt sad, Rachel only really considered him as a friend anyway not that he WANTED anything else from her. _Denial _the little voice in his head said. For some reason it sounded strangely like Matt. He shook of all his feelings and followed Rachel into her house.

He stayed downstairs so he could Rachel some time to change and then she called him up. She was wearing a silk pyjama set that consisted of long trousers and a short sleeved button up shirt. She looked gorgeous. Rachel threw some track suit bottoms at him that he presumed were her dads and he quickly put them. He took off his shirt and joined her in her bed as she nestled into him. It felt so right, like it had never felt before with all the other countless women he'd been with. Only one thought crossed his mind as he held Rachel and they both fell into a peaceful slumber.

_Home _

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

**Replies to your lovely reviews:**

**SuzQQ****: Thank you for your review. There will be no teen pregnancy in this story. Noah and Rachel are too teens whose lives have been changed by pregnancy so even if they did get to that part in their relationship then they would be really safe about it.**

**Madi3196: Thank you!**

**Sarasidle3: Here's an update I hope you like it. Thanks!**

**Klainebrittanalove: Thank you! Seriously though your reviews are well appreciated and I am very thankful to have such a sweet reader. **

…**.….GLEE/IS/EPIC…..**

**Reviews please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: If you guys want to know how I'm getting along with my writing go on my profile and check for my updates in my bio. January's one is already up but February's one will be posted soon.**

**A/N: So this chapter has been a long time coming. I could tell you the billion different things that have happened but suffice to say I have been overflowed with work and have had no time to update but if you're still reading this know that you guys are always in my thoughts and I try to get chapters out as fast as possible.**

**A/N: I guess in this chapter I want to touch on Rachel's miscarriage. I don't know why but I feel like I've treaded very lightly on it and only skimmed the surface. Someone who is very close to me and dear to my heart had a miscarriage and it destroyed her emotionally and I guess that's when I realised that in my story Rachel's miscarriage was only really skimmed lightly on so I tried to convey some emotion hopefully I didn't suck ;)**

…

When Rachel awoke Noah was lying beside her wearing a peaceful expression on his face. He rarely wore one when he was awake and Rachel smiled carefully reaching out and touching the side of his face.

Ever since she met Noah she felt _different. _She was happier and calmer she hated to use the term on living people but he had fixed her. Her mind was whirring as she realized what that meant. She needed to break down the last wall between her and Noah. She needed to tell him her story and that scared her more than anything Jesse could do…

…

Puck had been awake for a while and he could sense that there was something wrong with Rachel. She was acting very nervous and shaky.

"Rach, something up?" He called nervous she just shook her head "Are you sure? Did Jesse come over while I was sleeping I swear to god I'll kill him!"

"No Noah, Jesse hasn't done anything wrong I'm just a little preoccupied that's all" she waved him away and went back to cleaning the kitchen. Noah wasn't having any of that he knew something was wrong so he stood up and took the wet towel she had in her hand. "I repeat what's wrong with you?"

"Noah you've been completely honest with me" She blurted out

"Yeees" Puck said unsurely

"I mean you told me everything about you, everything"

"Rach, you're acting really weird" He said

"Noah I want to tell you what happened with Jesse" He opened his mouth as if to speak "No, Noah what I've realised is that I trust you completely and because of that I want to tell you"

"Are you sure you're ready? Rach, you know I don't want to pressure you"

"As I'll ever be" She confirmed. Calmly they both walked to her living room where she sat on the sofa faced towards him and he sat beside her. He held her hand as a calming gesture and Rachel took a few deep breaths in.

"When me and Jesse met it was like we were the perfect match, he was like the male me… obsessed with performing and his life's goal was to be on Broadway too, we even met at the audition for a play we we're both doing, I'd never really had much luck with guys so I really thought we were a match made in heaven it just it seemed that way for so long until it just didn't" Noah gave her a puzzled look and she tried to elaborate

"I just, I never realised but Jesse, he was controlling and he didn't like me being friends with anyone else or spending too much time with any of my dance partners, I never noticed really because I was convincing myself that I was happy that I was complete but I reality my dad's and my friends all saw me pulling away" A few stray tears fell across Rachel's cheeks and she rubbed furiously to wipe them. "Anyway so I'd convinced myself this was the perfect relationship and I slept with Jesse" She noticed Puck silently wince and gave him a puzzled look before continuing.

"Everything was fine until one day I couldn't finish my lines onstage and I ran out to puke, I didn't even consider pregnancy… it wasn't even a possibility in my head but when the puking and the fainting carried on happening I, I got suspicious. I went to the doctor and she confirmed it, I was 8 weeks pregnant. I wasn't showing so I hid it from everyone. I was so scared Noah there was a baby inside me, a real living breathing creature even from the beginning when I first knew it existed I wanted it so much"

Her voice cracked and tears began falling at a rapid speed but she struggled on and spoke through them. "I told Jesse a week later and his first question was when are you going to abort it?" Noah felt anger rise up. Even at first when he'd found out Quinn was pregnant from Finn he had never, ever felt the urge to blame or kill the little baby inside Quinn's stomach. His first impulse ad been to care for her and love her even right till the end he'd kept on loving her by giving her to her adoptive parents. Rachel's demeanour had changed to one filled with anger and bitterness

"I told him no, never this was my baby, my baby and it was his too and he just, he just wanted to kill her. I couldn't do it and I told him that, Noah he told me I was on my own if I kept the baby, that he would chase stardom and Broadway and leave me to my own little version of 16 and Pregnant!" A wave of emotion came over Rachel and she held on tightly to Noah until she had regained control

"On opening night he came over and told me that he was changing his mind that he wanted to be a dad then he said that the next day he wanted us to go out together as a couple, I was so happy Noah I finally thought he was accepting responsibility until, until we reached our destination" Rachel's eyes were filled with hatred

"we came to the door and I realised we were at the abortion clinic, he'd booked me an appointment without me knowing, he tried to convince me Noah, that living a life without the thing inside me would be better for us that we could reach our dreams and I just couldn't stand it, we screamed and screamed until I felt light headed and felt the earth around me begin to twist and swirl, I suddenly felt the most awful pain in my stomach and I knew something was wrong, when I woke up I was at a hospital a private one, Jesse had paid just so his _dirty little secret___didn't get out" Her voiced was laced with pain and bitterness.

"I knew something was missing, it's like I felt like a part of me had gone and then when the doctors told me that my baby was dead I felt empty, I didn't cry I wasn't relieved or upset just nothing, it was my baby Noah, my baby and it died, I wanted it so much Noah, I just wanted to it breathe, to see the world at least once" Heavy sobs racked her body and Puck own eyes were filled with tears that fell silently and he held Rachel a close and he could in his arms and whispered soothing word in her ears. He knew one thing for sure now. Jesse St. James wasn't just a cowardly bastard he was sadistic and sick too and Noah would do anything to stop Jesse from getting near _his_ girl ever again.

…

**A/N: So… how did I do? I really, really hope you guys choose to review as I really need some convincing that this chapter was at least okay. Did the emotions come out well enough? Or were they forced, I thought they were a little forced but to each his own opinion.**

**A/N: In regards to the whole Rachel tricking herself into thinking she was happy. In season one before Finn dumped her for Brittany and Santana Rachel convinced herself that she and Finn had the perfect relationship so I therefore thought that since my Rachel has elements of her TV show persona she would be capable of this too.**

**A/N: No fear everyone the drama will come out in full force next chapter.**

**A/N: And finally I love you all for reading, reviewing, putting this on story alert and favourites!**


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