Glee 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: I know I really shouldn't be starting another fic but I'm about to be wrapping all of my other ones up and I'm really going to need something to do this summer since I'm spending most of it in Tennessee. Tomorrow is my first of three finals I have this week and then I'm officially done with my first semester. I've been really stressed lately and I've had this idea stuck in my head so I figured I'd start it.

This is a little different than my other fics. This starts out a little bit into the future but it'll go back and explain everything. This first chapter is more of prologue and it will be in Brittany's POV. I like Puckleberry best when it's mixed with some Brittana so those will be the two main couples. Other couples will include Bartie, Tartie, Chang-squared, Finchel, St. Berry, minor Samchel (maybe), Fuinn, Quam, Quinn/Artie (do they have a name yet?), Luck, Klaine, Mercedes/Matt (yes, I'm bringing him back), Quinn/Matt, Wemma, Pucktana, Brittany/Puck (mostly friendship but some sexual references), Quick, Mercedes/Sam (am I the only one that thinks they are/would be totally adorable?)

As you can see, I have about every pairing imaginable but this is going to span over years for our Glee-clubbers so I won't be jumping from couple to couple every update. If you have any suggestions let me know. Anyways, on with the story.

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><p>Most love stories start with a first glance, hands grazing, falling in love after the first date, or some guy saving the beautiful damsel in distress. It would probably be much easier if this story happened in one of the ways I said before but <em>this<em> story… definitely more entertaining, because this love story? It all started with an intervention. But we'll get back to that later. Or would it be earlier?

You see, I'm Brittany S. Peirce. I usually write the _little bitty_ article you see in the back of this magazine about some adorable animal I saw in the aquarium over the weekend – I love penguins – but I told my boss about this idea I had. It isn't really an idea per se, it's more of a condensed version of the epic romances my friends and I have been involved in over the years – some more epic than others. My boss loved my pitch so now you will get tidbits of my story in this blog, updated every week by me. This story involves me, my girlfriend, and my best friends from high school – some I still like and some I'd rather forget – and how we survived high school, college, and most of our adulthood. A lot of people think this story started with Glee club, and maybe to some degree they are correct, but I think it's a little more complicated than that.

It really wasn't until junior year of high school at William McKinley. Like I said before, it all started with an intervention. But I'm getting ahead of myself now. I need to back up a little while; several years actually. Back when Glee club was for losers and outcasts, I was going out with Artie, Santana was still in the closet, Sue was trying to destroy us, Matt still lived three hours away, but most importantly, back when Puck was with Lauren and Rachel was still in love with Finn, because after all, that's really how all of this started, with that intervention.

Signing off now. See you next week with the next installment of what I will now call _Rewind_.

Lots of love,

Brittany S. Peirce

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><p>Thoughts? Should I continue? I'm super nervous about how this will go over and honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm going to continue this. If I do get a pretty positve response from this I will continue but all reviews are welcome - positive or negative, I'm always looking for ways to improve. Let me know if I should keep going with this idea or not.<p>

I know this first part may seem a little out of character for Brittany but she works for a large magazine and I'm sure in real life these kinds of things have to go through editors and everything so I couldn't dumb it up too much. Plus, I think everyone kind of underestimates Brittany.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Wow. You guys are amazing! I haven't had time to reply to the reviews just yet but I plan on getting to those this weekend. Just to answer a few questions, this fic isn't going to be all from Brittany's POV. I hate writing from just one person's POV. It's limited and a little confusing for me so most of these chapters will be from the omniscient POV like I usually use. Every now and then I will add a chapter as if it's actually Brittany's blog - which will be her POV. The majority of the chapters - the one's telling Brittany's story - will go back to junior year and carry on through college and beyond. They won't be in any one person's POV, like I said, I'll use omniscient. It's easier for me to write that way and you'll get everyone's thought and feelings instead of just one person's. Each chapter will probably focus on one particular character though. Like this one for example, it's mostly Santana. Not all chapters will be like that but most will. Hopefully I don't confuse anyone. You should be able to distinguish pretty easily between the chapters that are in the 'past' and retelling Brittany's story and which one's are her actually blog postings.

Anyways, thanks to everyone that has reviewed and put this fic on your alerts and favorites.

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><p>Santana hated those eyes. Those stupid, clear blue eyes she could get lost in for hours. She hated that blonde hair too; the hair her fingers were itching to play with. Santana knew the second the blonde flashed that smile – the one that always made her chest tighten – that she was going to get sucked into whatever plan the blonde had cooked up over the weekend. She just didn't know how fucked up everything was going to be afterwards. If she had known she never would have agreed to it; she never would have been the culprit that almost ripped apart not one but eleven people's lives. But she didn't know the outcome so here she was, sucking in a deep breath as she agreed to the plan.<p>

"I'm only doing this because I hate Lauren." Santana clarified. "This isn't because you asked me to. I'm doing this to knock Zizes down a few notches. No one throws me around that easily and gets away with it."

Brittany's smile grew. "Okay."

"This is fucked up." Santana shook her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Here they come." Brittany grabbed the other girl's hand, the blonde clearly not hearing the sharp intake of breath on Santana's part when their fingers met.

"You remember what to say, right?" Rachel asked Tina and Mercedes as the three girls hurried down the hall, growing closer to Santana and Brittany. "It's very important that you use the correct wording."

"We understand, Rachel." Mercedes huffed. "You've made us practice the speech all weekend."

"I just want to make sure that we do this right. We might only have one chance and we have to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, Noah may never speak to us again after he hears what we have to say." Rachel sighed.

Santana pulled away from Brittany and stepped out to block Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina from going any further. "Listen up, Yentl. We want in." Santana crossed her arms when Brittany stood firmly beside her.

"What are you talking about, Santana?" Rachel rolled her eyes at the nickname Santana used for her. "Tina, Mercedes, and I are kind of in a hurry and we have to be going."

"We want in." Santana repeated when Rachel tried to side-step her. "Britts and I want to be in on this little meeting you have planned for Puckerman."

"It's called an intervention." Rachel corrected and then raised her eyebrows. "And why would you want to help anyways?"

Santana glanced over at Brittany and then narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "Zizes is a bitch and she needs to realize this thing with Puckerman is temporary."

Santana and Puck had a complicated relationship. Maybe last year they had kind of gone out but it was just for sex. Santana knew what she wanted and Puck knew how to give it to her – pun intended. She wasn't sure how to describe what they were to each other, but they definitely weren't like brother and sister, that made it sound way too much like incest. Puck and Santana were basically the same person – although that didn't sound right either. Santana and Puck had a bond or some shit. They understood each other. His dad ran out of him when he was young and Santana's mom had died of cancer when she was eleven. They both understood how shitty life could be sometimes. Santana saw right through this bad boy persona and he could see there was more to her than the bitch-face she put on in front of everyone. She hated Puck just as much as she hated Brittany.

"Look…" Santana sighed. "I know we hate each other but if teaming up with you will make him dump Lauren, I'll do it. Puck's my boy. I'm going to do this with you or without you. I just think it will be more productive if we teamed up."

Rachel looked back at Mercedes and Tina before meeting Santana's gaze again. "Fine. You can help. Mercedes and Tina weren't going to be great backup anyway."

"So we can go?" Tina asked hopefully.

Rachel sighed. "Yes."

Mercedes and Tina rushed off in the opposite direction leaving Rachel standing alone with Brittany and Santana.

"Let's do this shit." Santana turned on her heel and marched off towards the choir room with Brittany and Rachel right behind her.

"Noah usually practices on his guitar while Lauren is at wrestling practice." Rachel informed them. "I thought it would be best if we could catch him alone there."

"Why don't you let me do the talking and you can chime in with some long monologue afterwards, Man-hands." Santana shot.

"San." Brittany warned.

Santana's face softened. "Right, sorry." She aimed this at Rachel and the smaller girl was a little surprised, although she didn't say anything else because an apology from Santana Lopez was extremely rare.

The three girls walked into the choir room to find Puck doing exactly what Rachel said he would. He was sitting in one of the chairs in the front row, strumming lazily on his guitar. His eyes glanced up at the door when he saw Santana and Brittany walk in but then his eyebrow rose when he saw Rachel behind them.

"I didn't know you girls needed the room." Puck said. "I'll be done in a minute."

"Actually…" Rachel began but stopped short when Santana narrowed her eyes at her.

"We're here to talk to you." Santana told him. "About this whole Lauren business."

"What about it?" Puck asked.

"You need to dump her." Santana said simply. "Like… now. She's a bitch and she's… well, yea, I think bitch sums it all up."

"I'm not breaking up with Lauren." He shook his head and started to play his guitar again. "If that's all you wanted you can go now."

"This is an intervention." Santana glared at him. "Now listen to us. We're trying to help you here."

"We don't need her." Rachel spoke up, ignoring Santana's glare. "If you're going out with her so she'll stay on the team you don't have to anymore. We have Kurt back, we have twelve members; we don't need Lauren."

"I like Lauren." Puck looked up at the small brunette. "That's why I'm with her. Not so she'll stay in Glee but because I like her."

Rachel nodded and took a step forward, swallowing thickly. "Why?"

"What?" Puck furrowed his brow.

"Why do you like her? I think that if you told us why you have feelings for Lauren it might help us understand your attraction to her. I think that Santana, Brittany, and I are just concerned about your reasoning."

"I don't have to give you a reason." Puck narrowed his eyes.

"You're right." Rachel nodded. "I mean Lauren is pretty and she is an okay singer but she's horrible to you, Noah. She is constantly hurling insults at you."

"You mean like Santana?" Puck asked. "Santana's a bitch too and she insults everyone but I don't see you trying to kick her out of Glee."

"Lauren… she's not for you, Noah. Everyone sees that. Everyone but you, that is. I think even she sees that but… but you're like this little lap dog for her so she doesn't care. I don't understand why you like her. She's a terrible person and she doesn't deserve you." Rachel sighed.

"Fuck you." Puck sat his guitar down on the chair next to him. "You don't know what I deserve and you don't know shit about Lauren so why don't you go home and make another one of your stupid MySpace videos."

"Cool it, Puckerman." Santana stepped forward as well. "You don't have to be mean to Berry just because you know she's right."

"Why don't we give him some alternatives?" Brittany asked, chiming in for the first time. "My dad says that when you want to change something you need to come up with an alternative first."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"Well, if we don't want Luckerman, we should come up with some other pairings with Puck." Brittany shrugged. "Like Quick."

"Hell to the no." Santana shook her head. "Quinn and Puck are awful."

"Pucktana?" Brittany suggested.

"Gross." Santana mumbled under her breath and shuddered.

"Blow me." Puck shot a glare her way and she flipped him off.

"Oh, I know!" Brittany clapped excitedly. "Puckleberry!"

Puck raised his eyebrows, surprised that name was even brought up and glanced at Rachel, who was being oddly quiet right now, her eyes trained on the floor.

"I'm leaving." Puck stood up and started to gather his stuff.

"You two haven't had sex yet." Santana blurted out.

"What?" He turned back to face the three girls. "How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter." Santana shrugged. "Lauren's a big girl, and no I'm not insulting her weight, but she can get pretty mean when she wants to. What's going to happen when you two finally do have sex and she yanks on your junk? It's going to hurt. I've seen her at wrestling practice; I'm pretty sure she could rip your balls clean off. Right, Rach?"

Rachel's eyes snapped over to Santana and then slowly drifted to Puck. "Well, I'm not sure she could actually separate Noah's testicles from the rest of his body but she _could_ seriously injure him. I mean, if she gets a grip on you just right she bruise you and then you wouldn't be able to sex for a very long time." Puck's eyes widened and he looked over to Rachel to see if she was actually serious.

"Years." Santana nodded.

"Weeks, actually." Rachel corrected; she didn't want to lie to Puck.

"Long, sexless weeks." Santana sighed and shook her head dramatically. "That would be really rough on you, Puckerman. No guy wants a girl who can beat the shit out of them."

"But…" Rachel shrugged, deciding to play along. "If you really care about Lauren, I guess she would be worth it." She turned to Santana and Brittany. "It looks like we're wasting our time here. Let's go, girls."

Santana successfully hid her smile until she was out of the choir room and in the hallway with Brittany and Rachel. Brittany laughed with Santana and Rachel couldn't help the big smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

"That was great." Brittany hugged both Santana and Rachel, pulling them into a group hug. "It couldn't have gone any better." They finally pulled apart and Santana skin was burning. "Thank you so much, San." Brittany still held onto Santana's hard and Rachel noticed, taking this as her cue to leave.

"Thanks for helping out, Santana." Rachel smiled warmly. "I hope he takes our advice though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Santana waited until Rachel had walked off down the hallway before focusing her attention back on Brittany. "I…" Santana sighed and gripped Brittany's hand tighter. "Prom's coming up."

"It is." Brittany nodded and Santana stepped forward slightly.

"I was wondering…" The Hispanic girl trailed off.

"I've already got my dress picked out and everything." Brittany beamed. "It's really pretty and yellow. My Dad said I look great in it."

"I'm sure you'll look amazing."

"Artie's already made sure that his tie matches. He picked out the corsage; it's a carnation."

Santana felt her throat dry suddenly and then she was yanking her hand away from Brittany's.

"Santana." Brittany complained. "Come on. Don't be like this. Artie's my boyfriend, of course I'm going to go to Prom with him."

Santana shook her head. "You say that I'm denying who I really am? I admitted that I'm in love with you. I accepted that. But you? You pretend that you could be happier with Artie than you would be with me. You're wrong, Brittany. You love me… way more than you could ever love him or any other boy."

"I don't want to hurt him." Brittany sighed. "I've told you this."

The darker-haired girl stepped back and Brittany hated the pain she found in the dark eyes of the girl across from her. "Why do you have to hurt me to protect him?"

Brittany opened her mouth to try to answer but Santana was already running down the hallway, disappearing out of the school before Brittany could stop her.

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><p>Santana sighed loudly again and shifted, careful to avoid kicking the boy that was holding her feet in his lap. "Do you realize that we haven't had sex with each other in almost three months?"<p>

"Don't rub it in." Puck groaned. "If there isn't a chance for sex can I leave?"

"Shut it, Puckerman." She rolled her eyes. "You like our talks just as much as I do. I'd go crazy if you didn't let me talk about my Brittany problems and you'd do the same if I didn't listen to you drone on and on about how fucked up Lauren is."

"That shit was really fucked up last week. You ganging up with Berry for that stupid intervention. It was messed up." Puck told her, leaning his head back on her headboard.

"Sorry about that." Santana replied. "I should have just kept my nose out of your business."

"Yea… you should have." He scrubbed his face with his hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked, propping her head up on her hand. "You look weird… tired."

He shrugged and checked his watch. "I have to go pick up Lauren. She told me to be at her house by six so we could go to 'Stix. I'll see you later." He pushed her feet off of his lap and stood up, grabbing his jacket before leaving her room without another word.

Santana frowned, watching him leave. She rolled over on her back and thought about everything that had happened lately. She thought about National's coming up; she thought about Kurt coming back; but most of all she thought about Brittany showing up to Prom with Artie by her side and how wrong even thinking about it was.

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><p>Santana rounded the corner of the near-empty school to find Rachel sifting through her locker. "Hey, Berry." The Hispanic girl stopped beside her and Rachel glanced over, confusion spread across her face.<p>

"Did you need something?" Rachel asked.

"No…" Santana shrugged and then forced herself to smile. "Look… we're both lacking in the friend's department so I thought I would offer an olive branch."

"I don't know what you're up to but I'm not buying." Rachel sighed, shutting her locker quietly and walking off. She could hear Santana shoes rushing to catch up with her but she tried to ignore the girl walking beside her.

"Brittany's going to Prom with Artie." Santana said quietly and Rachel looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "I know you know."

"Know what?" Rachel feigned innocence.

"Cut the shit, Rachel." Santana huffed. "You have two gay dads. You knew Kurt was gay way before anyone else. You are probably the only person in this school with better gaydar than me. I know you've seen the looks and everything. _You know_."

"If you're pretending to be nice to me so I won't tell anyone, you don't have to." Rachel told her. "I would never tell a secret like that. I may have messed up a lot but that's personal and I would go that far to hurt someone."

"Finn's going with Quinn. To Prom. Their probably going to win Kind and Queen. I know it bothers you." Santana looked over at the smaller girl. "But you can't sit at home and mope because some asshole you're in love with is taking the Ice Queen. What you need to do is show Finn that you don't care; that you don't need him."

"What are you saying?" Rachel asked.

"Go with me." Santana suggested.

"Excuse me?"

"Not like a date. We'll go alone… but together. We'll dance and drink and have fun. Without Finn or Brittany. We'll _show_ them we're perfectly fine without them."

"And then they'll want us back." Rachel added and Santana nodded. "I don't… I don't know about that…"

"Just think about it." Santana told her and then turned to walk off in the other direction.

Rachel glanced over her shoulder to see Santana hurrying down the hallway. Rachel bit into her lip, considering Santana's plan and wondering if she was crazy for actually thinking it was a good idea.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

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><p>Puck was about to drift off to sleep when he heard the doorbell ring downstairs. He was glad he mom was working late and that his sister was gone for the night because it was nearly midnight. He rushed downstairs, already pissed that someone was rudely intruding.<p>

"What the hell…" The sentence ended on his tongue when he found Santana standing on his front porch, shivering and dried tears staining her cheeks.

"I brought Jack." She laughed bitterly and held up the booze, her teeth still chattering slightly.

"Come on." He stepped back, letting her in the house and she took the stairs up to his room two at a time.

He shut his front door, locked it, and followed her up to his room. He found her sitting on the edge of his bed, wiping her mouth after taking a big gulp of the alcohol.

"You wanna talk?" Puck asked.

"Fuck off, Puckerman." She spat. "I came here to get wasted and have some rough sex. I don't want to talk about feelings. That shit is for pussy's." She pulled on her coat and after a few awkward seconds, she finally got it off and threw it onto the bed behind her.

Puck moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside her and she looked over at him, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Wanna just sit here?" He asked quietly.

She pushed the bottle into his hands and buried her face into his neck, sobbing onto his shoulder. "Why aren't I good enough?" She asked in between sobs. "Why did she choose _him_?"

"I…" Puck sighed, rubbing comforting circles on her back. "I don't know, San."

Santana pushed herself away from him and looked into his eyes for a few seconds before mashing her lips against hers. He didn't fight her, but instead sat the bottle of Jack on the bedside table and leaned into the kiss. He knew it was wrong, Santana was his best friend, but he hadn't felt up a girl in a long time so you couldn't blame him when his hands jumped out to graze the side of her boobs.

It didn't go much further than that. They made out for a while and his hands groped her breasts for the majority of that before he finally pushed her away. She was moving to unbutton his jeans when he grabbed her wrists to still her movements.

"I broke up with Lauren." He blurted out.

She furrowed her brow and looked up at him. "Why…?"

"You and Rachel were right. Lauren's a total bitch." Puck sighed. "She texted me at almost three o'clock the other morning to tell me I needed to pick her up some cookies."

Santana shook her head and then started to laugh. She wasn't exactly sure why she was laughing. It wasn't funny, especially since Puck looked pretty upset by it but she couldn't stop laughing. She gripped his arm and soon enough the laughter turned right back into sobs that racked through her body.

Puck shifted on the bed, pulling them both under the covers, Santana still clinging to his chest. He tried to calm her down and eventually her sobs turned to hiccups. They both slowly drifted to sleep but not before Santana mumbled a soft 'thank you'.

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><p>"Enough pictures." Rachel groaned after about the seventeenth photo her dads' had taken with her and Santana. "Santana and I need to get to Breadstix for our reservations."<p>

"Just one more, bunny." Her dad pleaded.

"One more." Santana agreed and both girls moved to stand beside each other.

Santana was wearing this sexy red dress that showed off just the right amount of cleavage and fit her frame perfectly. Rachel on the other hand, was wearing this really cute, strapless light pink dress that Santana insisted looked amazing with the small girl's skin tone. They both agreed they looked amazing together and there was no way that Finn and Brittany wouldn't be jealous.

Santana was of course Santana, so Rachel wasn't surprised when a limo pulled up outside of house.

"We're sharing it with a few other couples." Santana told her. "My dad said it was dumb to rent a big limo for just two people. It's just a few."

Rachel nodded and stepped into the limo. Across from her was Tina, Mike, Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, and Sam. "Hey." Rachel smiled at all of them. "You all look amazing."

"You too." The replies came and the limo started to move again.

"We just have one more stop." Santana told Rachel and the others.

Rachel was talking to Mercedes and Kurt about their outfits when the limo pulled to a slow stop and then Puck was sliding in next to Santana. He was dressed in a nice suit and actually looked pretty nice – at least in Rachel's honest opinion.

His eyes scanned the limo and stopped on Rachel when he caught her staring back at him. They sat like that for a few seconds before Rachel finally moved her gaze to land on Santana.

Santana shrugged. "He didn't have a date. I told him he could go with us."

"Oh…" Rachel looked back at Puck. "So I guess Lauren isn't coming?"

"No idea." Puck replied simply and looked away from her, letting her know he didn't want to talk about it.

Santana shrugged again but then moved over to join the conversation Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt were having. Rachel caught most of what they were saying but it was hard to follow the conversation when she kept looking over at Puck.

The dinner before prom went by quickly and they were currently just pulling up to the school. Santana had this huge smile on her face and even though she would never admit it, she was pretty excited for this.

The couples slowly tumbled out of the lime. First Tina and Mike, then Kurt and Blaine, followed by Mercedes and Sam. It was an odd pairing but Rachel had to admit that Sam and Mercedes actually looked cute together.

Puck jumped out next and helped Santana out, dropping her hand as soon as she was planted on the sidewalk. Rachel slid her hand into his and he helped her out of the limo, shut the door after her and led her towards the school, Santana walking in front of them.

Rachel tried not to notice how he still held onto her hand but she tried to push the thought away.

"You look really nice tonight." His breath brushed across her cheek when he leaned down to whisper that.

Her face flushed slightly and then she smiled up at him. "You look rather handsome yourself."

"I'm a lot more than handsome, Berry." He smirked.

Once they were inside, Rachel took a second to stop and take in all of the decorations. She had been too busy with glee and everything the last few weeks to help with the planning but whoever had been in charge had done a great job. She giggled, dropping Puck's hand and rushed over to Santana who was smiling as well.

"Let's dance." Santana suggested and the two girls started to rush off when Rachel suddenly stopped.

"Come on, Noah." Rachel turned back to Puck and motioned for him to follow them.

He tried to hide his smile when he started off after the girls but he was sure that Santana had caught it resting on his lips. When they walked into the gym all three of them were a little surprised to find Blaine on the stage and behind him were Tina and Brittany.

Blaine started to sing an upbeat song by 'Black Kids' and Rachel laughed, pulling both Santana and Noah out onto the dance floor with her. They were having a great time. Most of the glee kids were dancing together. No one was really dancing with any certain person, they were just messing around and actually enjoying themselves.

After a while a slow song came on and everyone just kind of stood there awkwardly. Blaine was still on the stage singing but Tina and Brittany were currently dancing with their boyfriends. Kurt dragged Mercedes off to dance with him, leaving Santana, Sam, Puck, and Rachel all just looking at each other.

Rachel chewed on the inside of her cheek when she spotted Finn and Quinn dancing dangerously close to each other across the room. She felt a hand on her back and then Santana was pushing her into Noah.

Rachel looked up to meet his hazel eyes and she smiled tentatively. "You don't have to dance with me." She told him but his hands found her hips and her smile grew slightly when she reached up to place her hands gingerly on his shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Sam and Santana dancing together. Puck turned her around the floor slowly as the two of them just looked around, taking in all of the happy couples around them.

"It's not fair, is it?" Puck asked.

Rachel followed his gaze to Finn and Quinn. "No." She replied. "It's not."

"She is the mother of my child. She was supposed to be with me." Puck whispered and Rachel barely heard him above the music. "She was supposed to start a family with me."

"Noah." Rachel looked up at him.

"He's in love with you. He's just too much of an idiot to see that Quinn is using him. She's using him to get Prom Queen." He sighed. "She's supposed to be dancing with me."

Rachel smiled sadly and rested her head on his chest. She mumbled an 'I'm sorry' but she wasn't even sure if he had heard it. His grip on her hips tightened as he turned them around the floor.

The song was over not long after and then Santana was dragging Rachel off out into the hallway. "What would you say if I said I wanted to fuck Sam tonight?"

"I'd say gross." Rachel wrinkled up her nose. "Besides, he came here with Mercedes."

"Whatever." Santana rolled her eyes. "I haven't had sex in months. I need sex."

"I thought you loved Brittany."

"Of course I do, but do you really that her and McCripple Pants aren't getting it on. It's prom night, Rachel, everyone has sex."

"I'm not." Rachel pointed out.

"We're not all prudes like you." Santana huffed. "Maybe I'll talk to Puckerman. I'm sure he's down for some hot sex in the back of a limo."

"He's still in love with Quinn." Rachel blurted out, not really knowing why – it wasn't any of her business anyways – but then she blushed and ran off, leaving Santana to stare after her.

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><p>Rachel didn't see Santana again until after the prom. It was nearly midnight when everyone slowly started to file back into the limo. They dropped the couples off slowly and soon the only ones left were Rachel, Santana, and Puck.<p>

Rachel and Puck were sitting near the door while Santana was across the limo. The Latina girl soon moved to sit beside Puck and she began to slowly kiss his jaw. Rachel kept her eyes trained on the window and tried not to vomit when she heard what Santana was whispering to Noah.

Luckily, the limo driver chose that moment to pull up to Puck's house. Rachel wasn't in the least surprised when Puck got out and pulled Santana with him. Santana giggled and slammed the door behind them after saying a quick goodbye to Rachel. Rachel bit into her lip. She wasn't surprised when Puck invited Santana up to his room. It was prom and like Santana said, everyone had sex after prom. But the small brunette girl, sitting alone in a limo after prom in a pink dress her fathers' had helped pick out, was very surprised when she felt the pang in her chest knowing exactly what Santana and Puck were doing right now.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I've been trying to reply back to all of them but real life calls.

A lot of people want Puck and Rachel to get together sooner and I'm sorry to disappoint but it's not going to happen anytime soon. I've got several chapters pre-written and I haven't gotten around to adding Puckleberry yet. They will have a strong friendship coming to light in the next few chapters but anything romantic is going to take some time. Hopefully this doesn't make me lose any readers. Stick with me. It will happen and I'll try to make it worth the wait.

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><p>Hiram Berry was not a worried man. His daughter always told him everything that was on her mind. When she got her first period, she came straight to him because he was doctor and would know what was wrong with her. When she got her first crush, she sat both of her dad's down so she could tell them it was time for her to start noticing boys and she thought they should be informed. She came home one day after spending most of at the JCC to fill them in on the fact that Jacob Ben Israel liked her but she would rather not play with him anymore. His daughter told him everything so when she rushed into the house and ran straight up to her room after prom without even acknowledging her fathers who were sitting on the couch, waiting up for her, Hiram got worried.<p>

"We should go talk to her." Hiram suggested. "She's obviously upset."

"I think we should leave her be." Stephen sighed. "She must not want to talk to us about it or she would have been back downstairs by now."

"What if that Hudson boy hurt her again?" Hiram asked. "I swear I will rip that boy's throat out if he touched her. You know what happens at prom?"

"Hiram." Stephen warned.

"I'm going to talk to her." Hiram said firmly and, much to his partner's dismay, he marched right up the stairs to knock softly on his only daughter's bedroom door. He smiled fondly on the large gold star planted right in the middle of the door. It had been there since she was four and no one planned on taking it down. "Sweetie… Rachel? Can I come in?"

Rachel wretched the door open, already changed out of her dress and into a set of sensible pajamas. Her cheeks were stained with tears and it took Hiram all he had not to turn and drive over to Finn Hudson's house to beat some sense into the boy.

"Daddy." Rachel threw her arms around her father's neck and clung to him for dear life. "I had a horrid night. I can't go to school Monday. I should just transfer. I can't face any of them anymore."

"Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?" Hiram smiled softly, glad his daughter wasn't in hysterics.

"You're right." She pulled away and nodded. "I've always been very theatric… just like you."

He led her over to sit on the edge of her canopy bed. "You want to talk about what has you so upset? Did Finn do something to make you cry? Did I tell you that he's not worth it?"

"Yes, you did." She nodded and then gnawed on her lip. "But it's not about Finn. It's… another boy."

"Another boy?" Hiram raised his eyebrows. "Well how many suitor's do you have, Bunny?"

Rachel blushed and then snorted. "He's not a suitor, Daddy. He doesn't really even know I exist. He spent the entire night dancing with me, wishing it was the beautiful blonde princess across the room, and then went home with the sexy girl everyone wishes they were." Her eyes fell to the floor.

"Bunny…" Hiram patted her knee. "If this boy chose to spend his night dancing with you then you must be pretty special."

"Didn't you hear me? He was pretending it was someone else." She shook her head. "I can't even be one guy's first choice. It's always Quinn. She has everything and I just thought that for one night… for one night I could have just a taste of what that would be like." She laughed bitterly. "But I guess that's too much to ask for."

"It's just high school, Bunny." He told her. "One small milestone before you get to what you really want. Broadway. You're not going to let some boy get in the way of that, are you?"

"Broadway." She smiled. "You're right, Daddy. I want Broadway. Not Finn or any other boy." She hugged her dad one last time. "Thanks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Rachel." He kissed her forehead and shut her door quietly behind him after she was tucked in. He joined Stephen back downstairs, who was just getting into their bed. "She's okay now. Boy trouble again."

"Finn?" Stephen asked.

Hiram chuckled. "It's another boy."

"Another one?" Stephen raised his eyebrows. "How many of them are there?"

"Too many." Hiram mumbled before crawling into bed.

* * *

><p>Rachel walked hesitantly into the school on Monday. She hadn't talk to anyone since Friday except for Kurt and Mercedes. She spotted Santana down the hallway and her stomach twisted when she saw that the Latina girl was talking to Puck. Rachel held her head high and walked straight to her locker, trying to ignore the fact that it was located no more than six lockers down from where Noah was standing.<p>

"Hey, Rachel." Santana smiled over at her.

"Hello, Santana." Rachel replied coolly. "How was your weekend?"

"Same as it always is." Santana walked over to her. "Yours?"

"Uneventful." Rachel shut her locker a little too hard.

"Prom was pretty great, huh?' Santana smirked. "It's a good thing you decided to go with me or you would have missed out on a fuckload of fun."

Rachel snorted. "It's been nice talking with you." She stepped away. "Class starts in five minutes so I have to go." She rushed off, her heels stomping down the hallway.

"What's with Berry?" Puck asked.

"No idea." Santana shrugged. "Oh, before I forget. Thanks for Friday night. It was fun."

"For you maybe." Puck rolled his eyes. "I went down on you and you fell asleep before you could return the favor." He pouted slightly. "I had to rub one out in the shower while you drooled on my pillow."

Santana smirked. "Maybe I'll return the favor. _Maybe_."

* * *

><p>"Prom was fun." Mercedes mentioned to Sam as they walked down the hallway together.<p>

"It was." Sam agreed. "So uh, Mercedes…" He chuckled nervously. "Never mind." He turned on his heel and rushed off, leaving her to stare after him.

"Hey." Rachel fell into step beside Mercedes and all thoughts of Sam Evans were washed from the black girl's head when the smaller of the two started to talk. "I really liked you and Satan's performance at the prom. I really like ABBA and Dancing Queen was a great song choice."

"…Thanks." Mercedes was a little surprised by the compliment.

"Of course it wasn't the greatest vocal performance you've done, Mercedes, but I really enjoyed it." Rachel smiled over at Mercedes.

"I saw you dancing with Puckerman." Mercedes commented. "What happened after I got dropped off? Did he take you back to his room? Show you what you've been missing?" She teased.

"He took someone back to his house but it wasn't me." Rachel bit the words out. "I'm sure he and Santana had an excellent time."

"Woah, he took Lopez?"

"Yes." Rachel nodded. "It's only appropriate, I suppose. They both greatly enjoy sexual intercourse so it's only natural that they chose each other."

"There is nothing natural about that pairing." Mercedes shuddered.

"What's wrong with Santana and Puck being together?" Rachel asked.

"If you hadn't noticed, Santana's kind of…" Mercedes looked around to make sure no one was listening. "on the down low." She whispered the last part.

Rachel furrowed her brow and stammered. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Let off, Rachel." Mercedes rolled her eyes.

Rachel sighed. "You can't tell anyone."

"Who would I tell?" Mercedes asked. "I only talk to you and Kurt. There's no way I'm telling Kurt, it'd be halfway around the school by now."

"Obviously she's not as lesbian as she thought or she wouldn't have engaged in intercourse with Noah." Rachel quipped sharply and then marched off, heading for her first class.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Noah." Rachel walked into the choir room that afternoon, unusually late. "Santana." She nodded at the Latina girl who was seated right next to Puck.<p>

Rachel held her head a little higher and took her chair in the front row. Her bright smile only faltered when Finn and Quinn walked into the room. Quinn was still glowing from her Prom Queen win and Rachel forced herself to look away.

"Hey, Rachel." Brittany sat down next to Rachel.

"Did you need something?" Rachel asked.

"Nope." Brittany replied but didn't move from her chair. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows. Shouldn't Brittany be sitting with Artie or Santana? Or anyone that isn't Rachel? "I-I guess." She shrugged. "But… why?"

"You smell nice today." Brittany smiled and actually leaned closer to sniff Rachel. "Strawberries."

"Oh… my shampoo." Rachel stammered. "I started to use a new shampoo last week. That must be what you smell."

So that's how Rachel ended up sitting beside Brittany during practice with the blonde running her fingers through the brown hair and telling Rachel how shiny it was. Rachel found it a little odd but she honestly didn't mind. It took her mind off of everyone else in the room.

* * *

><p>"You wanna come over tonight?" Brittany asked, walking over to Santana.<p>

"And why would I want to do that?" Santana questioned. "Is Artie too busy?"

"I… don't know what Artie's doing. I didn't ask him. I'm asking you." Brittany smiled brightly. "It'll be fun, San. It'll be me, you, and Lord Tubbington. We'll watch that movie you love. I caught my microwave on fire last week after I tried to bake a potato so we'll have to make that popcorn you do on the stove."

"Britt…" Santana sighed. "I already made plans for tonight. I can't drop them just because you decided I'm good enough to hang out with again."

"I've never said you weren't good enough." Brittany furrowed her brow.

"Like I said… I have plans. Puckerman and I are totally getting it on tonight." Santana quipped. "So why don't you go call Artie. I'm sure Wheels doesn't have anything to do. Go lead him on because I'm done being your second choice." She turned on her heel and stomped off, leaving a very confused blonde standing at her locker.

* * *

><p>"What the fuck are you doing here, Lopez?" Puck asked, opening his front door to find Santana.<p>

"Repaying the favor." She shrugged innocently, grabbing his hand and leading him up to his room. "Your mom is working late and I'm sure that your sister is asleep already."

"San." He groaned when she shut his bedroom door behind them. "As much as I love watching you go down on me… I'm really not in the mood tonight."

"Please." Santana rolled her eyes. "You're always in the mood, Puckerman."

She dropped to her knees and yanked on the button of his jeans, successfully getting them undone and then her hand was wrapped around him.

"Stop." Puck grabbed both of her elbows a little too hard and yanked her up to her feet. "I said to fucking quit it, Satan." He ground the words out.

"I knew it." Santana glared at him and he quickly fastened his jeans back. "You're an idiot, Puckerman. What's wrong? Am I not the right girl? Let me guess, if I was a certain blonde you'd be a little more willing to have my lips around you."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about?" Puck shoved past her.

"I see you looking at her in Glee." Santana shook her head. "You finally break up with Lauren and then you decide to go after the only girl that could possibly be worse for you." She laughed bitterly. "Did you learn nothing from last year? Quinn is not the girl for you."

"The fuck do you care?" He asked.

"Believe it or not, Puck, I care about you." She stepped towards him.

"Whatever." He glared at her. "Why don't you go be lesbian somewhere else?"

Santana stumbled back a step. "You… I told you in confidence."

"I didn't mean it like that." Puck ran his hand over his mohawk.

"I told you because I thought you were the one person that wouldn't throw it back in my face. You're just like the rest of them." She yanked his bedroom door open. "You make it sound like I have some disease."

"Santana." Puck sighed but she was already rushing out of his house, slamming his front door in the process.

* * *

><p>Brittany was watching 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' when she heard someone knocking lightly on the front door. She called back to her parents that she would get it and then rushed over to the front door, Lord Tubbington in her hands. She had a hard time getting the door open but when she finally did, she was faced with Santana.<p>

Santana offered Brittany a small smile. "Got any of that popcorn left?" She asked softly.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: A lot of things are going to be happening in this chapter and in the next one. This one covers Nationals and the summer before senior year. The next chapter will sum up their senior year and graduation. I'm trying to fast forward a bit to get to where I want this fic to be. Just about everything important happens when they're in college and beyond. I just added the rest of their junior year and senior year to build some foundation for the relationships. Hope you guys are enjoying this.

P.S. Thanks for all the reviews. They're _awesome_.

* * *

><p>"I'm nervous." Rachel admitted, pacing around the small corner Santana has dragged her to seconds ago. "This is huge." She took a deep breath to steady herself and met Santana's eyes.<p>

"Calm down, Rachel." Santana feigned calmness but Rachel saw right through it. Santana was just as nervous as she was, probably even more. "You're going to get up on that stage and rock this shit with me." She smirked and pulled Rachel back to where New Directions were huddled nervously near the stage entrance. They were on next. "And try not to show me up too much." Santana added, gaining a smile from Rachel.

They had been in New York for two days. Rachel had probably dragged Kurt and Santana to every possible place in New York City. She had even got to sing _For Good_ with Kurt in the Gershwin Theater. She was standing on the same stage that Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and all the greats had stood on. They had visited Time Square; she had even walked down the sidewalk and had pastry's right outside of Tiffany's with the two of them. It was magical, New York, better than Rachel could ever imagine.

New York was mesmerizing in the daytime, the attractions boundless, but at night, it was spectacular. The lights, the noises, everything attracted Rachel and she couldn't seem to get enough.

"Rachel?" It was Noah's voice that brought her out of her New York haze and back to the task at hand. Nationals. They would be singing in ten minutes and she needed to get in her mindset.

"I'm not ready, Noah." Rachel shook her head, her voice shaky.

"You were born ready." He smirked and she met his eyes, seeing the confidence she found there. Confidence in her.

She pursed her lips and then hugged him hard. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Berry." He replied.

They were both confused about what they were to each other. Rachel still seemed a little hung up on Finn and ever since Quinn had broken up with Finn right after prom, Puck had been following the former Cheerio around like a puppy dog. Rachel and Puck were friendly enough, giving each words of encouragement when needed but they were more careful around each other now, careful not fall together onto her bed like they had so many times before.

Rachel wasn't sure how to feel about Noah. She tried to stay away from him, she knew Finn didn't like them hanging out together, but she felt this odd need to seek acceptance from the mohawked boy. Looking back, she probably should have taken that as a warning sign and cut all ties with him. It would have saved everyone, not just Puck and Rachel, a lot of heartache. She wanted him to like her, not romantically, but as a friend. She enjoyed listening to Noah ramble on about Super Mario Brothers or whatever stupid stunt he had pulled over the weekend with Mike and Sam. He always seemed to be able to brighten her day, if only a little bit. She really needed it since Finn still didn't seem to forgive her just yet.

Santana walked over to Rachel and pulled on the small girl's hand. "Let's blow this shit, Berry."

Santana had insisted that they sing the original version, uncensored, but Rachel pointed out that the judges may not take to kindly to that so they went with the censored lyrics. Rachel had assured everyone that it would be just as good, maybe even better.

(Rachel, _Santana_, **both**)

_Made a wrong turn, Once or twice  
>Dug my way out, Blood and fire<br>_

Bad decisions, That's alright  
>Welcome to my silly life<p>

_I've been mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood  
>Miss knowing it's all good, It didn't slow me down<br>_

Mistaken, Always second guessing  
>Under estimated, Look, I'm still around<p>

**Pretty, pretty please  
>If you ever, ever feel<br>Like your less than, less than perfect  
>Pretty, pretty please<br>If you ever, ever feel  
>Like your nothing<br>You are perfect to me  
><strong>  
>You're so mean,<br>When you talk, About yourself, You are wrong  
>Change the voices in your head<br>Make them like you Instead

So complicated,  
>Look happy, you'll make it<br>Filled with so much hatred  
>Such a tired game<p>

_It's enough, I've done all I can think of  
>Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same.<em>

Oh…

_Pretty, pretty please  
>If you ever, ever feel<br>Like your less than, less than perfect_

**Pretty, pretty please  
>Don't you ever, ever feel<br>Like your nothing  
>You are perfect to me<strong>

The dance hadn't been difficult, just a few simple turns, spins, etc. The girl's ended up in the center of the stage facing each other as the last note faded out and then the curtain behind them rose, revealing the rest of the glee-clubbers. Rachel smiled brightly as Santana took her hand, leading her towards the rest of the group and they only dropped hands when Santana moved to stand on the left of Puck and Rachel on the right. They sang two more songs, both group, but vocals leaned heavily on Rachel – not surprising – and Artie, something Finn was still a little bitter about.

All of New Directions stood in a huddle afterwards, watching as Mr. Schuester read off the list of names of the top ten. Rachel could feel Santana basically bouncing up and down beside her but Rachel couldn't blame her, she was doing the exact same thing. Rachel's hand reached out to grip Artie's shoulder and her other clasped the hand next to her. She was too excited to even notice that it was Noah's hand until Mr. Schuester announced that New Directions hadn't placed in the top ten and instead recieved the twelth place spot.

Everyone held their breath's as Vocal Adrenaline cheered from beside them, happy with their fourth place. Everyone half-expected for Rachel to go off on one of her rants about how the judges were biased but instead, she launched herself on the closet person – Puck – and clung to his neck. The rest of the club broke into smiles as well, happy for their win. It may only be twelth place and they were officially out of the competition but it was more than most of them were over going to receive. They couldn't all be Rachel Berry's, guaranteed to get Tony's in the near future, so they were happy for what they could get.

"You were so fucking great." Rachel could recognize Puck's gruff voice in her ear but then she was being pulled away, into another hug with Finn.

Rachel was pretty sure her face was stuck in a permanent smile as she laid her head down on the pillow of the hotel that night. They may not have gotten into the top ten like they really wanted but in Rachel's mind they had won. They beat the odds, Sue, and even their non-existent budget. They made it to New York, sang their hearts out, had more fun than any of the other show choir's and snagged twelth place. She couldn't be happier. New York better get ready because Rachel was determined to make something of herself in this town someday soon.

/

Arriving back in Lima was a big adjustment for Rachel. She missed New York already and they had only gotten back a few hours ago. She stayed up all night telling her dads everything, and she meant everything, right down to what the other teams were wearing for their performances. Her fathers were glad to have her back but sent her to bed when she could barely keep her eyes open.

Rachel was antsier than ever about getting out of Lima. She shifted away from the other glee-clubbers, wanting only to focus on her new goal. The end of the year came quickly, finals went by easy enough and soon the summer arrived. She kept frequent contact with Santana and Kurt that summer but that was about it until July.

Kurt has insisted they start a tradition between all of the friends, so Santana came up with the plan for a Fourth of July party. Puck suggested they have it a Rachel's house since she had an in-ground pool and two hot-tubs so that's how it started. The glee-clubs tradition of spending every Fourth of July together at the Berry household started that summer, the summer before senior year.

Everyone slowly drifted into Rachel's backyard. Finn and Quinn showed up together – they swore they weren't together again but almost as soon as they arrived, they occupied one of the hot tubs, making out for the majority of the night. It hurt Rachel more than she let on. Mike showed up with Tina; Kurt, Blaine, and Mercedes appeared in her back yard not long after. Puck and Sam arrived up a few minutes late, separate but around the same time. Brittany and Santana were already there, having helped Rachel with the decorations so when Artie's parents finally dropped him off, the party was in full swing.

Rachel's dads were out, deciding to go watch the fireworks in town instead of staying home to a house full of rowdy teenager. Rachel had promised no one would drink so they trusted her.

"Try not to get pregnant this time." Brittany said to Quinn in all seriousness. She frowned when everyone started to laugh – except for Finn, Quinn, and Puck. "That's how it happened last time. Quinn said the hot water made sperm swim faster."

Rachel seemed to be the only one that caught the look between Quinn and Puck. It made her stomach twist. It was still the same Quinn, leading both boys on. Rachel wasn't oblivious; she had seen the glances Puck and Quinn had been sending each other for weeks now. She could understand that they had history but she didn't get why Quinn felt the need to have two boys. Quinn could have Finn or Puck but the blonde chose to keep both. It wasn't fair. Rachel didn't even have one suitor – and no, Jacob didn't count.

The brunette narrowed her eyes when Puck and Quinn both walked into the house. Finn had abandoned the hot tub and was currently jumping into the pool, splashing Santana in the process, sending the Latina in a rant in Spanish. Finn was barely pulling a C in that class but he was beet red because he knew everything Santana was saying was vulgar and derogatory.

Rachel slipped away from her friends and headed into the house, intent on finding out what was going on with Quinn and Puck. She found them in the kitchen; Quinn had her arms crossed and Puck was pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a headache. Rachel stuck close to the shadows so as not to be seen.

"I just don't understand why you can't tell Hudson." Puck spat.

"I'm popular again. I may not be the head Cheerio but I'm still on top. It's just expected for me to be with Finn." Quinn said as if it was obvious. "We've had this talk before."

"So you're going to get back with Finnessa?" He asked. "This is bullshit. I've been doing everything you asked for the last month. You said we were going to let everyone know we're together when senior year started. You can't get back with Finn."

She raised her chin defiantly. "Finn and I are together. That's how it should be and that's how it is."

"You know this isn't about popularity." Puck ground the words out. "This is because of your insecurity and the fact that you're a jealous bitch."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Berry." He said simply and Rachel's eyes widened when she heard that they were talking about her. "We all see the looks, Quinn. All of us." He leaned towards her, his voice harsh. "No matter how many times you blow him, he's always going to look at Rachel that way. You aren't anything compared to her, not the way he sees it. He wants her. You may be fun to play with but you know at the end of all of this, he's going to pick her. You can fight it all you want but you lost him the second you decided to let me get you out of that Cheerio skirt." Rachel's breath caught and then there was a loud smack when Quinn's hand made contact with his cheek.

"I'm with Finn. He wants _me_." Quinn's voice was shaky. "You know how this plays out. You knew you'd never have me. You're just the Lima loser, Puckerman." The last part made him flinch more than the slap did and Rachel knew Quinn had gotten exactly what she wanted. The blonde marched right past Rachel without even noticing her. They heard the sliding door slam shut, letting them know Quinn was back outside.

Rachel pursed her lips and peered into the kitchen from her hiding spot to see Puck rubbing his cheek. He blew out a shaky breath and gripped the countertop. She cleared her throat quietly as she stepped out from the shadows to let her presence be known. His head snapped up and met her gaze.

"How long have you been there?" He asked roughly.

She walked towards him and let her fingers run over his reddened cheek that would no doubt have a huge bruise on it tomorrow. "I'm sorry." She wasn't exactly sure what she was apologizing for but she felt like she needed to say it.

"Don't be." He stepped back and her hand fell back to her side. "I just came in here to see if your dads left any beer in the fridge.

She didn't try to stop him when he pulled a can from the refrigerator and downed the beer. "She didn't have the right to say all of those things. You're not a Lima loser, Noah."

"Really?" Puck narrowed his eyes at her. "What makes you so sure?"

"I don't know." She whispered.

"No." He stepped towards her, leaving the empty can on the counter. "Tell me. Why do you have this insane confidence that I'm going to be someone? Everyone thinks I'm a loser and that I'll never make it out of Ohio." He paused and Rachel could see the vulnerability in his eyes. "What makes you any different?"

Rachel took a breath. "Because I'm just like you. I look around and I hate this place. I hate how small this town is and how close-minded some people can be. I want to get out of Lima so that I can make it on Broadway. I want to see my name in lights and I want my shows to be sold-out weeks in advance. That's my dream. I want to make it in New York. That's what pushes me to excel." She smiled softly at him and his eyes searched hers. "You want to get out of Lima because you need to prove something. You need to make Beth proud of you, because even though you may never see her and she may never know you, you have this need to make her proud. That's what is going to push you. It's going to push you out of Lima and I don't know where you're going to land but… it'll be great, Noah. _You'll_ be great. Everyone needs someone to believe in them." She shrugged innocently. "I'm your someone." He watched her for a few seconds before she slowly turned to go. "Be cool, Puck, be nice." She added the last part quietly before slipping out of the kitchen.

He smirked after her. "I'll stay away from the fire extinguishers."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Or the song I used in this. It's Wherever I go by Miley Cyrus (or was it Hannah Montana?)

A/N: I plan to have a really short chapter posted by the middle of the week. It's going to be a small chapter written in the present tense by Brittany. It'll give some hints into the future of our beloved glee clubbers and it will also serve as a transition between high school and college. I'm thinking I'm going to jump forward a year after this but everything will be explained in detail. Let me know what you guys think.

/

Senior year went by quickly for the glee-clubbers. They were all bombarded with college applications, touring campuses, deciding on majors, breaking in the newbies for Glee, throwing last minute parties, and, of course, graduation. You can probably guess, but they all cried that day. Graduation was hard on all of them. That day was the last day they all sang together, but they didn't know that just yet. If they had, they would have hugged each other a little harder and sang a little longer.

"Are you excited, Santana?" Rachel giggled the morning before graduation. "We have been working so hard for this and now it's finally here." She turned to the mirror and fixed her cap on top of her head. Her hair was in perfect place, soft curls framing her face and rolling down her back.

"I can't wait to get out of this town." Santana smiled, applying another layer of lip gloss. It was light, barely shining on her full lips. "New York is going to be so fucking amazing. I've been thinking about it since Nationals last year. I still can't believe we lost."

"But we won this year." Rachel smiled brightly. "It was only eighth place but that's still great. I mean, out of all of the show choirs in the nation, we were eighth."

"I still say we were robbed of first." Santana smirked. "But the other teams were good, I guess." She added the last part half-heartedly.

"We're going to stick together, right?" Rachel asked, suddenly. "I know that you and I never really got along but we've grown close in the last year. When we get to New York… we'll still be friends, won't we, Santana?" Her voice sounded a little unsure.

"Like I could get rid of your crazy ass." Santana rolled her eyes but there was amusement in her voice. "Now let's go get our diplomas." The Hispanic girl led Rachel out of the bathroom and to where the rest of their friends were making last minute adjustment to their caps and gowns.

"Everyone looks so great." Mr. Schuester beamed. "Everyone gather around so I can get a picture." He motioned for the glee-clubbers to huddle together.

"Come on, Mr. Schuester." Tina smiled. "Let's have one of the newbies take the picture."

"Yea." Mike agreed. "It wouldn't be the same without you in the picture with us."

They were all tangled together with Mr. Schue in the middle as Stephanie, one of the new glee-members, took the picture. Everyone had the brightest smiles, happy and sad that they were leaving and starting their lives after high school.

/

"You look beautiful." Finn found Rachel after the graduation ceremony was over. She was standing in the middle of the choir room, running her fingers over the piano top. "What are you doing in here by yourself?" He asked.

"I…" Rachel smiled softly and sighed. "There are so many memories in this room. Artie, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and I sang our very first song right here." She drifted around the room and took a deep breath. "I didn't think it would be this hard."

"This hard to what?" He wondered, a lop-sided grin on his face.

"Saying good-bye." She felt the tears springing up in her eyes. "Two years ago I wouldn't have thought twice about leaving this town and not looking back. But two years ago I didn't have you guys. I didn't have glee or friends." She walked towards Finn and reached up to brush her fingers against his cheek. "I didn't have you."

"You'll always have me." He smiled, taking her hand with his own. "I love you, Rachel."

"I never get tired of hearing that. Or saying that." She smiled fondly. "I love you, too."

Quinn and Finn had broken up at the beginning of senior year when Finn finally got his head out of his ass and realized that Quinn was just using him to boost her popularity. He had never felt so used in his life so when Rachel found him moping in the choir room, she gave him a big speech about how he didn't need Quinn. She told him that he was special and great and that if Quinn didn't see how amazing he was, then he didn't need the blonde. Suffice it to say, Finn kissed her that day and they'd been back together ever since.

"I found them, Mr. Schue." Tina called from the doorway.

Rachel turned to find all of the graduation glee-clubbers and Mr. Schue falling into the room.

"We want to sing." Kurt told everyone. "This is our last summer together and we need to sing. We'll be going off to college in August and I know that a lot of us are going to be seeing each other but I feel like our family is breaking up. I mean, after this, do you really think Puckerman would ever talk to me?"

"You really think you'd let me get rid of your Beyoncé ass?" Puck rolled his eyes, teasing in his voice.

"I know the perfect song." Rachel smiled brightly. "We don't have any music but I think I can make it work. I'll start and you guys can join in if you know the lyrics."

Here we are now  
>Everything is about to change<br>We face tomorrow as we say goodbye to yesterday  
>A chapter ending but the stories only just begun<br>A page is turning for everyone

Rachel smiled when she felt Kurt come over to throw his arm over her shoulder and then his voice was mixing with hers to belt out the lyrics. She wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed him into a small hug.

So I'm moving on  
>Letting go<br>Holding on to tomorrow  
>I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be<br>We might be apart but I hope you always know  
>You'll be with me wherever I go<br>Wherever I go

Rachel and Kurt stopped singing to let Santana and Brittany take over the soft lyrics. The two girls harmonized together, clinging tightly to each other's hands, and soon everyone was drifting around the room to give tight hugs.

So excited I can barely even catch my breath  
>We have each other to lean on for the road ahead<br>This happy ending is the start of all our dreams  
>And I know your heart is with me<p>

So I'm moving on  
>Letting go<br>Holding on to tomorrow  
>I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be<br>We might be apart but I hope you always know  
>You'll be with me wherever I go<p>

This time all of the glee-clubbers, even Mr. Schue, joined in on the song. Rachel laughed softly and felt herself being pulled into a hug with Finn and Kurt.

It's time to show the world we've got something to say  
>A song to sing out loud, we'll never fade away<br>I know I'll miss you but we'll meet again someday  
>We'll never fade away<p>

So I'm moving on  
>Letting go<br>Holding on to tomorrow  
>I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be<br>We might be apart but I hope you always know  
>You'll be with me wherever I go<p>

So I'm moving on  
>Letting go<br>Holding on to tomorrow  
>I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be<br>We might be apart but I hope you always know  
>You'll be with me wherever I go<p>

Wherever, Wherever I go

The song ended quietly and afterwards everyone just kind of stood there, looking at each other. No one wanted to be the first to say they had to go and no one wanted to be the first to leave. It was a bittersweet moment to say the least.

Mr. Schue finally broke the silence. "We should get back to the gymnasium. Your parents are probably looking everywhere for us." He smiled and everyone nodded in agreement.

/

Rachel opened her front door to find Puck standing on the other side. "Hey." She smiled warmly at him and stepped back to make room for him. "Everyone else is already downstairs so you can go ahead. I just have to get some more ice from the freezer and then I'll be down."

"I can help." He offered.

She nodded and led him into the kitchen. They stood there awkwardly for a minute before Rachel finally opened the fridge and held out a coke to him. "Everything's changing, Noah." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You're with Quinn." She replied quietly. "You love her, don't you? I can see that she cares about you. It's so weird, you know. I feel like we're in the same place as we were sophomore year. Except, you're with Quinn..."

"And you're with Finn." He finished her thought.

She shrugged. "Two years ago we were all trying to figure out who we were and where we belonged. Now we're all about to go off to college and it's going to start all over again." She blew out a breath and looked up to meet his gaze.

"You'll figure it out, Rach. It's New York, isn't that where you belong?" He smiled teasingly.

"I guess." She nodded, a small smile pulling at her own lips. "Do you think Finn really loves me?"

"Why the hell are you asking me that?" He frowned slightly.

"I…" She sighed, and leaned back against the fridge. "He asked me to stay in Lima. I applied to Case Western because he asked me to. I've always wanted to go to New York so I never really gave it much thought, but then I got that acceptance letter and Finn thinks I should here in Ohio to be near him." She shrugged half-heartedly. "He expects to put my dreams on the back burner because he can't afford out-of-state school. I mean, I love Finn with my whole heart but I can't stay here. I can't pass up New York for a _boy_."

"What did you tell him?" Puck felt his throat tighten. Rachel couldn't seriously be considering this.

She shook her head. "I told him I'd think about it."

"Rachel." Puck sighed. "You can't pick Finn. It wouldn't be right. Do you remember how you felt in New York last year? You can't really tell me that Finn makes you feel like that. You love New York and Broadway. Finn's just a guy and you're going to meet hundreds of guys in New York, Rach. You're going to fall in love with someone else and start family. That's what happens when you grow up. I mean, who really marries their high school boyfriend?"

"I don't know how to tell him no." She chewed on her lip. "I'm supposed to be leaving for New York with Santana in a month. I don't know what to do. He loves me so much."

He straightened up and stepped towards Rachel. "If he really loved you, he wouldn't have asked you to stay in the first place. He thought for a second that you would even consider staying in Ohio, then he doesn't you at all." He shrugged. "He's being selfish, Rachel. He knows you're the best he's ever going to get and he's just trying to hold onto you."

She smiled softly and snorted. "He had Quinn. He could do a lot better than me."

"No…" Puck shook his head seriously. "He can't."

"Thank you." Rachel whispered, feeling him step closer to her and she met his gaze once again. His fingers came to brush the hair out of her face and she sucked in a breath when the pad of his thumb ran across her cheek.

"Where's that ice?" Santana asked loudly and froze in the doorway, making both Puck and Rachel's heads whip around to look at her as they tore apart. "…The ice, Rach?" She mentioned, carefully studying Rachel. The small girl was blushing as she stumbled to turn around, bumping into Puck a few times as she struggled to get the bowl full of ice. "Finn's asking about you, by the way." She told Rachel.

"Right." Rachel pushed her hair back from her face and smiled at Noah. "I should get back downstairs. This is my party after all." She brushed past Santana and Puck could hear her shoes thumping against the steps that led to the basement.

"What was that?" Santana asked, crossing her arms and raising her chin slightly. "This room is screaming sexual tension. Did something happen before I came in here?"

"No." Puck shook his head honestly. "But something might have happened if you hadn't walked in when you did."

"Oh…" She sighed and then walked over to the lean against the counter beside him. "I know we haven't been as close since last year but you're still my friend, Puck. One of my best friends so I'm here… you know, if you want to talk or something."

"Yea." He nodded and then glanced over at her. "I belong with Quinn." Santana sensed he was saying this more to himself. "I mean, we have child together, I love her. She belongs with me. She's going to go to Ohio State and I'm going to Case Western. We'll graduate and I'll ask her to marry me. We'll be happy and start a family back in Lima. Quinn and I can get Beth back. We belong together."

Santana smiled sadly. "The Noah Puckerman I knew never would have planned all of that out. And he never would have settled for a girl that's in love with someone else."

"Quinn loves me." He said firmly.

"She does." She agreed. "But is she _in_ love with you."

"What's the difference?" Puck demanded.

Santana squeezed his forearm before moving away from him. She was almost to the doorway when she turned back to face him. "I think you know the difference, Puckerman. You just don't want to accept it." Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before she finally drifted back downstairs.

He screwed his eyes shut for a few seconds, still leaning against the counter, thinking over Santana's words. Did he know the difference? He knew it was a yes but like Santana said, he'd rather pretend than face the truth.

When he walked downstairs to join the party he found Rachel and Finn talking heatedly in the corner and instead of going over to eavesdrop he made his way to Quinn.

"You made it." She smiled and kissed his cheek.

His arms automatically wrapped around her waist and he kissed her hard, earning catcalls from most of the room. Quinn kissed him back half-heartedly and he felt his heart clutch. This was how they always were. When he kissed her, he always felt her holding back a little bit. He hated the way her hands always stayed at her sides instead of wrapping around his neck or clutching his neck. He dug his fingers into her hips and she finally moaned. At least it was a reaction, right?

He tore his lips from her and she was breathless, but as soon as they were apart her eyes darted to Finn. Puck squared his jaw and took a shallow, uneven breath. Was Quinn playing him like Santana had implied? Was he Quinn's second choice?

His eyes drifted over to Rachel who was smiling weakly and clinging to Finn's hand as the tall boy kissed her neck lightly. Then again, was Quinn _his _second choice?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I should have a normal one up this weekend.

/

Hello loyal readers,

Can I call you loyal yet if you've only read a few parts of my story? Oh well.

It's me again. Brittany S. Pierce: Journalist. I love the sound of that, don't you? It has a very nice ring to it. Anyways, back to what I need to tell you. I'm sure you were all expecting another little part of my story but I had to interrupt this story to tell you that a new member of our little family has just arrived in the world. Yesterday at 4:07 pm to be exact. I would tell you the happy parents of the adorable little baby but that would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it? For now I'll just tell you that we have a brand new healthy baby boy. The parents couldn't be happier about the tiny 7 pound bundle of joy.

And since you readers are leaving the most awesome reviews on this blog, I'll tell you that the little baby has the prettiest brown eyes, just like his mother. Have you figured out who it is yet? Don't worry if you haven't guessed it correctly, you'll find out soon enough.

Now for the sake of getting on with the story and not boring all of you to death I'm going to skip ahead a little bit. One year. Twelve months. Fifty-two weeks. That's how long we're skipping ahead. I'll catch you up since the last you read was the summer after Graduation.

Before we knew it we were all packing up for college. It was pretty much split evenly between the Glee club. Puck, Finn, Quinn, Sam, Artie, and I were all back in Ohio while Santana, Mercedes, Kurt, Rachel, Tina, and Mike were heading off to New York. Mike, Tina, Kurt, and Rachel were accepted into Julliard; Mercedes and Santana decided to take NYU by storm.

Rachel was, of course, at Julliard for singing, and so were Tina and Kurt. Mike got a dance scholarship that paid for most of his tuition and he covered the rest by working on campus as much as he could with his spare time. Mercedes went into fashion and Santana decided to study business. The pair had decided to team up to run a small boutique at the end of our junior year. Their stores are pretty successful. They have one in New York, another in Chicago, and a few in Florida.

Puck got a music scholarship that covered most of his tuition to Case Western in Cleveland. Sam got a scholarship for Case as well. Luckily it was basically a full ride because we were all worried he would have to stay behind in Lima and go to the Ohio State campus there. A few hours away, Finn and Quinn were studying at Ohio State in Columbus. Finn wanted to be a teacher and Quinn stuck with her plans to go into real estate. Artie got into Kent State and so did I. Artie for computer science and I decided to go with their music program. Not singing, but for dancing. At the time I wanted to be a backup dancer for some big musician. That didn't turn out too well. I ended up switching my major to journalism at the end of my freshman year. You'll hear more on that later.

The distance – me being stuck in Ohio and Santana in New York – put quite a damper on our relationship. We Skyped constantly and texted every few hours but it we could both tell the honeymoon period of our relationship was winding down. We were getting into serious territory and I think that scared San quite a bit. She was jealous that I was around Artie so much – we lived on the same campus and still remained pretty close friends – but I assured her time and time again that it wasn't anything to worry about.

Mike and Tina's relationship hit a rocky patch too. Distance was a problem for them too but it wasn't because they were far apart. They were constantly getting in each other's way, resenting each other after a while so it wasn't a surprise to any of us glee-clubbers when we heard of their breakup. It was a good thing, in my opinion. They needed their time apart to realize what they really wanted. Don't worry though, I promise everyone will get a happy ending.

Rachel and Finn talked pretty much once a week but they found themselves drifting apart. Rachel was too caught up in the magic of New York to maintain a relationship with Finn. They never brought it up but their relationship was pretty stale. Even when they did talk it was usually about some play Rachel saw or some term paper Finn was having trouble with. She knew something was going on with Finn and that he was keeping something from her but wasn't sure what it was. The distance was killing their relationship. Rachel had never liked nor had she ever wanted a long-distance relationship. But when she told Finn that she was definitely going to New York and suggested they break up then, he insisted they could make it work. She made up lists to tell him all of the reasons why they wouldn't work being so far apart but he just told her he couldn't even think about breaking up with her because he loved her so much. A part of her knew she was being played but she had swooned at his words.

Puck and Quinn were still on good terms. They were happier than ever – or at least that's what everyone thought. Puck wanted to experiment in college but Quinn didn't like him being so far away. I think it was only because she couldn't keep an eye on him constantly. They were slipping apart and they both knew it. For the time being, though, they were together and it stayed like that for a while. I will tell you that the fall-out between the two was huge and it hurt a lot of people. Rachel included.

Of course Kurt and Blaine were still together. They were the only couple in our group that didn't seem to be having problems. Blaine had joined Kurt in New York and they talked constantly, even though Blaine went to a different college. The two were so cute together it was sickening. At least that's how everyone else felt at the time.

Mercedes and Sam still talked. Everyone thought those two would get together after junior prom but it didn't happen. Sam told us he still pined for Quinn and Mercedes insisted she was better off single. Well, that is until Mr. Matt Rutherford showed up. He used to be in glee with us until he transferred the summer before junior year. Now he was back, living it up in New York, and going to NYU with Santana and Mercedes. He and Mercedes hit it off and they got together not long after. Sam's smile wasn't as bright after that.

It seems like the only glee-clubbers that still remained constant friends and had frequent contact were Puck and Rachel. Even though Puck was in Cleveland and Rachel was in New York, they both somehow managed to stay a constant in each other's lives. Rachel always got the news first about those of us in Ohio and Puck got the dirt on the New Yorker's. It was an odd friendship, Puck and Rachel, but they seemed to fit.

Our first year of college was hectic and boring. It was filled with long class lectures, term papers, finals, all-nighters, study groups, busy weekends, and very few parties. Puck, who was the self-proclaimed campus stud and adamant party-goer, found himself lacking a social life when college slapped us all with a reality check. It wasn't high school anymore. Our teachers weren't going to hold our hands along the way anymore. We had to push ourselves and make sure we succeeded. We were on our own and trying to find our place in the world. For some it was easier than others but we were still a family and we stuck together no matter what.

That pretty much tells you everything you need to know. The next post will continue with all of us meeting back up in Lima for the summer before our sophomore year of college. In the next few posts relationships will end, friendships will be tested, surprising romances – and affairs – will flare, accidents happen, a death will occur, life-altering decisions will be made, college will end, our lives will finally begin, proposals will be made, and I'll even throw in a pregnancy just for the heck of it. This story wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't drama filled!

Auf Wiedersehen

Brittany S. Pierce

/

A/N: I dropped a hint about the baby: brown eyes like his mother. That narrows it down to four glee-clubbers. Rachel, Santana, Tina, and Mercedes. I've already decided who the parents are but you guys can guess anyways.

I also hinted at the blow-up between Quinn and Puck. I've got some plans for that and I can tell you it will be HUGE. I can also tell you that the final break-up between Puck and Quinn will be after they get out of college. Until then, Quinn and Puck are just going to suffer in a miserable relationship together. Sorry.

As for everything that's coming up, we're going to be moving a bit faster and I'm thinking I'm going to be posting longer chapters because I'm bringing in the other pairings I told you about in the first chapter. Don't worry, I'll still focus on Puckleberry, the other couples will just be side stories that will help shape the Puckleberry future.

One last thing and then I'll shut up: Besides Puckleberry and Brittana, what other couples do you guys want to be endgame. I'm having trouble deciding who Quinn and Mercedes should end up with. Also, about the death I mentioned: Thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Glee.

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter is nothing like I had planned. I like to dabble in angst but this was a little much, even for me. It may be because I'm going through a breakup but either way, this chapter kind of sucks. The ending greatly alters all plans I had for this fic so I'm switching things up. You may or may not get all pairings I mentioned in the first chapter. The main ones – Puckleberry, Brittana, Klaine, and Mike/Tina – will remain because they're favorite couples and I couldn't imagine not having them be endgame. Our Quick breakup might happen a little sooner than expected but some major events will have to occur before that happens so be prepared for those. The death and affair will be arriving shortly and so will the resurrection of one, Jesse St. James. As for the death, I've only had one person even touch on who I was planning to kill off. I can say it is one of the main gleeks and that the death is going to rock several of our beloved couples – one, in particular. I was planning for a short-lived St. Berry romance but I may just stick to a friendship since it will drag out Puck and Rachel finally getting together.

Okay, super long A/N aside, I truly hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

><p>Santana's fist pounded into the bathroom door and she groaned in frustration. "Hurry up, Mercedes. You have one minute to get out of the bathroom or I'm breaking this door down!" She whirled on her heel and blew out a breath while Rachel and Kurt laughed from the bed. "She does this every morning. She spends almost an hour in the bathroom and uses all of the hot water." She turned back and pounded on the door some more, Spanish expletives spewing from her mouth. "We're going to be late!"<p>

Rachel shook her head when Mercedes finally emerged from the bathroom.

"You're the one that wanted to share a dorm room so you wouldn't get stuck with someone you hate." Mercedes pointed out, brushing past Santana, a big smile on her face.

"Apparently, I'm screwed either way." Santana bit back.

"Our flight leaves in three hours. We have plenty of time." Rachel mediated between the two. "Everyone just needs to calm down. Santana, go get your shower and finish getting ready. Mercedes and I are going to call the cab and load our luggage. You have 45 minutes to get downstairs or we'll leave you here."

"What about me?" Kurt asked.

"You…" Rachel smiled down at him, where he was lying in the middle of Mercedes bed. "You can call Finn and Blaine to tell them that they better be waiting at the airport for us or we're going to be pissed."

"Right." Kurt nodded, pulling out his cell phone.

"Oh, call Matt, too." Mercedes smiled. The two had started to officially date a few months ago. It was going pretty well and they were happy.

"And Brittany." Santana yelled from the shower.

Matt actually went to NYU as well but he had gone home to Lima last month with Tina and Mike. The only reason Kurt, Mercedes, Santana, and Rachel had stayed behind was because Rachel had scored an audition for Belle in Beauty and the Beast. The only downside was the auditions were in June. Rachel knew she wouldn't get the part because she wasn't experienced enough to be on Broadway just yet but she could at least get familiar with the audition process. Mercedes, Santana, and Kurt stayed for moral support and all four friends decided that Lima could just wait a few weeks.

Luckily, everyone had decided to head back to Lima this summer. Even though Rachel loved New York and wouldn't even think about moving back to Lima after graduation, it didn't mean she didn't miss her hometown. She missed her fathers and Finn. Maybe even a few of the other gleeks.

* * *

><p>The plane ride was long and by the time the four landed in Columbus, Rachel was itching to get off the plane. It's not that she hated flying but she would definitely have enjoyed a long car ride instead. Rachel practically shoved past Kurt and Mercedes to get to Finn.<p>

"Finn!" She shrieked, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's neck, and he swept her feet off the ground easily. "I've missed you so much." She peppered kisses on whatever skin she could reach.

Someone cleared their throat loudly from behind them and Rachel craned her neck to see Sam standing behind her.

"Hey, Rachel." Sam grinned and Rachel untangled herself from Finn to hug Sam.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling away to nestle herself back under Finn's arm.

"Well, after Kurt called Matt, Matt called Mike, who brought me, and then I called Artie. He called Tina." Sam shrugged. "She called Quinn." He pointed to blonde talking to Brittany and Santana. "Quinn brought Puck."

"So everyone's here." Finn told Rachel but she was already moving towards Puck.

"Sup, short-stack." Puck smirked at her and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly.

"I missed you, Noah." Rachel whispered into his shoulder as she reciprocated the hug.

"We just talked on the phone yesterday." He pointed out and chuckled.

"I don't care." She replied seriously. "I'm so glad you came. I didn't think Quinn would want to come since she still kind of hates me."

"We're in college now. I think Quinn's done with being a bitch to everyone for no reason." Puck pulled back and looked to see that Quinn was glaring at the brunette. "Or maybe not." He chuckled again and Rachel rolled her eyes, smile planted firmly on her lips. "Don't worry about her. She's probably just…" He trailed off.

"I should get back to Finn." Rachel stepped back, realizing this was getting quite awkward. She had been gone for a year and had spent more time today with Noah than with her own boyfriend. "Everyone's coming back to my house, right?" She asked.

"We always do." Puck nodded. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

It took Rachel a second to realize by 'we' Puck meant him and Quinn and not him and Rachel. She pushed down the feelings of jealousy and told herself it was only because Puck deserved better than Quinn. He needed a girl like… her. _No_, she _wasn't_ going to go there.

"Yea." She nodded and watched him walk back over to Quinn, where the blonde already had a long lecture for him about staying away from other girls.

It wasn't Rachel fault she could hear the fight between Puck and Quinn. Quinn was basically yelling and Puck just crossed his arms after she dragged him to a small corner. Everyone in the airport could probably hear Quinn telling Puck to 'keep away from that creature.' Rachel tried not to let it get to her so she just forced a smile on her face and pretended she couldn't hear what Quinn was saying as she suggested Sam and Finn help her with her luggage.

* * *

><p>The small party at Rachel's house was pretty awkward but it was a tradition for the gleeks so everyone just sucked it up and pretended to have fun. Puck and Quinn were on one side of the pool. Quinn was clinging to his hand but the two still weren't talking. Tina was desperately trying to talk to Mike but he was adamant about ignoring her as he helped Finn and Sam at the grill. Matt and Mercedes actually were having fun while they lounged around, trying to get tan, with Kurt and Blaine. Sam kept stealing glances towards Mercedes, while Santana was getting pissed about the fact that Brittany had decided to hang out with Artie the whole night.<p>

"This party blows." Santana huffed, sinking onto the double lounger with Rachel, who was people-watching. "We need some alcohol or shit is going to hit the fan."

"Everyone's having fun." Rachel countered.

"I want to castrate Artie, Puck keeps trying to get away from Quinn to come talk to you but the Ice Queen threatens him with no sex, Finn's burnt his hand on the grill four times since he started the fire, Tina's practically offering to blow Mike if he forgives her for breaking up with him, Sam looks like he's ready to beat the shit out of Matt if he doesn't keep his hands off of Mercedes' thighs, and you…" Santana shook her head and lowered her voice for the next part, "You keep looking at Puck in a way that you should only look at Finn."

"What?" Rachel's eyes widened.

Santana shrugged. "Secret's safe with me, Berry, but don't lie to me. You've been looking at Puck that way for a while now."

"And what way is that?" Rachel asked.

"Like you want him," Santana smiled weakly. "But you can't have him. You've never given Finn that look." She shook her head. "Come on, Rachel, I think we need to talk."

Santana pulled Rachel into the house and, soon, the two girls were sitting on Rachel's bed. They were both quiet for a while but Santana finally spoke up.

"How long?" She asked.

Rachel knew what she was asking but decided to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"How long have you had these feelings for Puck?"

The smaller girl squared her jaw and sighed. "To be honest… since our junior prom."

"Holy fuck, Rachel, that's over a year." Santana gasped.

"I know." Rachel pursed her lips. "And I don't want to have these feelings. I love Finn and he loves me." She shook her head. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Rachel, listen to me, there is a huge difference between loving someone because you care about them and loving someone because you _think_ they're what you want." Santana looked around the room nervously.

"So which situation is Finn and which one is Noah?" Rachel asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Santana smiled sadly. "I think you know, Rach." She gripped the smaller girls hand and then there was a knock on the bedroom door. "I'll be on your side and I'll support you with whatever you choose, but please… choose the right guy. I can't tell you which one but I think you've already decided. It's easier just to pretend."

Puck poked his head inside and looked relieved that he finally found Rachel. "Brittany's looking for you, Santana." Puck stepped into the room fully and made it known that he wanted to be alone with Rachel.

"Choose." Santana whispered before leaving the room.

Puck shut the door quietly behind her and then slowly made his way over to sit on the bed beside Rachel. "What was that about?" He asked but Rachel didn't respond. "Quinn finally let me off the leash when I told her I had to take a piss." He chuckled, just trying to make her smile.

"Why are you with Quinn?" Rachel asked suddenly.

He was silent for a few moments. "Beth." He replied honestly. "I love her so much."

Rachel wasn't sure if he was talking about Quinn or Beth. Her heart pounded in her ears as he went on, telling her all of the reason he was still with Quinn. She felt her stomach flipping around when she realized what she had to do. Santana was wrong. Neither choice would be easy.

"…and I just know that we can get her back, eventually. I mean, Beth belongs with her real parents. I've almost got Quinn to agree. She wants us to wait until we're out of college, though. I think I can wait three more years. Beth will be about six or seven." He smiled warmly. "I need my daughter back, Rachel."

Rachel nodded stiffly and her fingers jumped out to brush across his cheek. He stopped talking and his eyes met hers. Tears were filling her eyes as she leaned forward to press a light kiss to his lips.

"I can't choose." She murmured against his lips and shook her head. "I just… I don't choose you, Noah."

She stood up then and rushed out of the room, leaving a stunned Puck to figure out what exactly had just happened. If she picked Noah, she might ruin any chance he had to get Beth back. Beth meant a whole lot more to him than Rachel ever did. She wasn't about to step in and try to mess up Puck's 'family' with Quinn and Beth.

She made her way back outside and her eyes met Finn's. He could see she had been crying and instantly walked over to her.

"Rach, what's wrong?" He asked.

Instead of answering him, she gripped his shoulders and pressed her lips to his. He just stood there, too surprised to do anything. Everyone around them was silent as they watched the scene play out. Rachel finally pulled away from Finn and pursed her lips.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I don't choose you, either."

"Rachel." Santana furrowed her brow and stepped towards her.

Rachel shook her head. "I'm sorry." She repeated and turned to rush back inside the house. She brushed past Puck, who was standing in the doorway and ran up to her room.

She hated to be a rude hostess but she was sure Santana would take care of it. She knew she was right when Santana slipped into her bed on one side of her while Brittany chose the other side, the two girls sandwiching Rachel between them.

"Everyone's gone." Santana whispered. "Your dads called and they should be home in a little while. I told them Britt's and I are sleeping over."

"Finn looked sad, Rachel." Brittany told her. "So did Puck."

"I had to explain to Finn what happened." Santana said and Rachel tensed. "Don't worry, I didn't tell him about the Puck part. I just said that you didn't want a long-distance relationship. I said that you wanted to break up with him and that you were really sorry."

Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't choose, San."

"I know." Santana rested her cheek on Rachel's shoulder. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm proud of what you decided to do. I talked to Puck before he left and he told me what happened up here. It was very… noble, Rach." She laughed slightly. "Listen to me, now I sound like you."

"I think I just want to sleep now." Rachel mumbled.

Brittany snuggled closer to Rachel and Santana smiled, her fingers tangling with Brittany's.

* * *

><p>The summer had gone by quicker than Rachel had expected but she was excited to be packing up for New York again. She was going to get a fresh start this time. Finn hadn't talked to her since that night at the pool and although she still cared about him, she was glad she didn't have the baggage of a boyfriend. She needed to solely concentrate on her dreams of Broadway. She couldn't let anyone stand in the way of that.<p>

"You ready?" Santana asked, shoving her last suitcase into the backseat of the car and slamming the lid shut. "We need to hit the road if we're going to get at least halfway to New York before it gets dark."

Rachel nodded and looked at Santana. "I'm not coming back." She told her friend and Santana just offered her a blank look. "To Lima, I mean. Next summer I'm staying in New York. I don't ever want to see Lima again."

"…Okay." Santana nodded. "Can I ask why?"

"There's nothing here for me anymore." She shrugged. "My dads can visit me in New York when they want. I have no reason to ever come back to this town." Rachel slid into the passenger seat to let Santana know she was ready to leave.

"I guess you're right." Santana sighed, copying Rachel's movements in the drivers seat.

Rachel slid further down in her seat after she buckled her seatbelt and watched the scenery pass her by outside as Santana made her way out of Lima.

"Do you want to make any stops before we leave?" Santana asked quietly. "Kurt and Mercedes left this morning but I don't think you've said goodbye to anyone else. I can stop at someone's house if you want."

"No." Rachel shook her head. "I don't want to stop anywhere."

Rachel knew Santana was doing it on purpose when she went the long way out of Lima, the way that went right past Puck's house. Rachel pursed her lips when she saw his house out the window. It took all she had not to tell Santana to slam on the breaks when she saw Puck and Quinn loading up Puck's truck outside of his house. But she didn't because like Rachel said: There's nothing here for her anymore.

/

A/N: Alright, after the hints I left in my first A/N, let's see if you guys can get any closer to the character death. Thoughts on the affair coming up? What about the surprising pregnancy I mentioned in last chapter?

Your reviews make me smile so keep them coming!


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Glee.

A/N: Okay, so I hope I'm making progress here. I've added a bit of Puckleberry into this so you readers might like that.

I've had a few people guess the death. Another hint I can give you is that the affair doesn't have anything to do with the death or the pregnancy. BUT, the pregnancy and the death kind of go hand in hand. I'm sure you'll all guess the affair after this chapter; I've been leaving tons of hints about all three of the surprises.

Let me know what you all think of this chapter.

/

"Your dads are going to kill you, Rachel." Tina shook her head as she dropped a box labeled 'clothes' onto the floor of the small studio apartment. She still wasn't sure why she was helping Rachel moved across town anyway.

"They'll understand. It's only for a year, Tina, and then I'll be back at Julliard. What if I never get a chance like this again? I know it's not Broadway but I'm _so_ close. I have to take this role. College can wait." Rachel pursed her lips.

Tina nodded slowly. "I guess it is pretty awesome that you scored a leading role in a musical... even if it is off-Broadway." She grinned. "Have you told anyone else yet? You know, besides me?"

"Just you, Santana, Mercedes, and Kurt." Rachel sighed. "I'm calling my dads later this afternoon. I have to tell them I'm dropping out from this semester. I just have to think of a way to get them to understand how huge this is."

"That's the last box." Santana blew out a breath and tossed the box into the small bed in the center of the room. "You sure about this, Rachel? This place is a piece of shit. I'm sure Julliard will take you back if you beg."

"I'm doing this, Santana." Rachel nodded and looked around. "I'm halfway through with rehearsals and the show will be starting soon. This is my big break. I can feel it, guys."

"I'm still not comletely on board with this." Santana shook her head. "Isn't a little suspicious that you get a call out of know where from this producer who says you're perfect for his lead female and the actor playing oppsosite you for the male lead is Jesse St. Dickface?"

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Rachel shrugged half-heartedly. "Besides, I've tried dating Jesse... twice, and I'm not about to go down that road again. My heart is perfectly safe locked away in a box that is only for the Broadway stage. I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now or anywhere in the near future."

Santana shared a look with Tina and both girls knew some major drama was going to down in two months when the show started. Especially since Santana had kind of acidentally invited some of the former gleeks to the show.

/

Brittany was crying... again. Puck was actually tempted to kick the blonde of the Artie's van and make her walk the rest of the way to New York. He had only agreed to come on this damn road-trip to see New York and possibly Rachel. Now, he's packed into Artie's handi-capable van with Brittany, Artie, and Matt.

She's crying for the third time since the four left yesterday morning because Santana thinks she's sleeping with Artie. Puck thinks the whole thing is stupid. Santana's probably whored her way through NYU so he doesn't understand why the Latina is so upset. Probably because Santana has genuine feelings for someone other than herself and she's scared shit-less. It's not like Brittany is sleeping with Artie. Apparently, Artie's with someone else anyway. Artie's being bery tight-lipped about it but Puck just knows it's someone they all know.

Puck just wants to get through the last few hours in this van without killing someone but Matt seemed to be driving as slowly as humanly possible. Puck rested his head back against the seat and let his eyes fall close, trying to block out the sound of Brittany's sobs.

He wasn't even sure why he'd agreed to come to New York when Santana called. The Latina kept rambling on about some play and Jesse St. James. He had finally caved and promised to come up during winter break.

_"She got a part, Puck! This producer guy called a few weeks ago and told Rachel that he heard about her audition for Beauty and the Beast a few months back. Long story short, he offered her a part for this brand new musical he's doing. It's off-Broadway but it'll get Rachel's foot in the door. I sat in on one of her rehearsals last week and she was amazing." Santana gushed over the phone. "So you're coming right?" _

_"Did she ask me to?" He replied evenly. _

_"Well, not exactly but I could tell she wanted to. I'm not exactly sure what happened between you guys but she misses you, Puck, she's just too stubborn to admit it. She's afraid she'd be stepping on Quinn's toes if she called you or anything. Rachel doesn't want to screw up what you have with Quinn. What exactly do you and Quinny have because you two are the strangest couple." Santana arched a brow and Puck rolled his eyes. _

_"Quinn and I are fine." He countered half-heartedly. _

_"What does your mom think about you two being together?" Santana asked. "I'm sure she's praying every night that you find a nice Jewish girl to woo you away from the Ice Queen." _

_"If I come to New York will you drop it?" He snapped. _

He should have known it would be a mistake the second Santana told him he would be driving up with Artie, Brittany, and Matt. He's trying his hardest to find that happy place his ma was always talking about but Brittany's still sniffling in the background and talking into the phone to Santana. How the Latina is understanding a word Brittany's saying Puck will never know. Her words her wet and make no sense as the tears stream down her face.

He wonders what Rachel's doing right now. Her show starts tomorrow night so he can just picture her pacing around her bedroom, reciting the lines with Santana or Tina. He just knows she's freaking herself out and it almost makes him chuckle.

He can hear Brittany start to calm down in the back but he's sure the blubbering will start back up again in about an hour. Luckily, they're only about two hours from the hotel.

Santana helped them book a decent room for the next few nights. He'll be sharing the room with Artie and Matt while Brittany will bunk with Santana and Mercedes. He's trying to think about anything else but Rachel but the more he tries not to the more excited he gets about seeing her for the first time in almost four months.

They haven't really talked much since she left for New York in August. Well, if he's being honest, they haven't talked much since that night in her room when she kissed him. He never told Quinn about that. He knew it would cause more problems that he didn't have time to deal with. He had invited his girlfriend to accompany him to New York but she said she was going to head back to Lima for Christmas. He tried not to think too much into it but he was sure he heard Finn in the background when he called her earlier today.

His heart speeds up when he hears Brittany's phone ring. He knows it's Rachel's specialized ring tone when 'My Headband' sounds throughout the van. He cranes his neck around to see Brittany talking brightly with Rachel over the phone. He wonders for the second time what Rachel's doing. Puck frowns slightly when his mind keeps drifting back to that night she had kissed him on her bed. When she pulled away she looked so sad but he hadn't had time to ask her what was going on before she was mumbling an excuse and rushing out of the room.

He was only slightly ashamed to admit he convinced Quinn to sleep with him that night. It was the first time she had spread those tanned legs to him since that night sophomore year when she was with Finn. He couldn't enjoy it too much, though, because everytime he rocked into Quinn he had envisioned a certain brunette keening his name instead. He tried not to let it get to him but after he went back to Case and Quinn to Ohio State he found his fantasy's were filled with Rachel Berry instead of his own girlfriend. It was wrong and he knew it. That's why he stopped replying to Rachel's infrequent emails and soon, the emails stopped completely and so did her phone calls. The only reason Rachel and Puck knew what was going on with each other was because of Santana.

/

They get to the hotel and it's barely dark but everyone's yawning from the long trip. Mercedes, Kurt, Blaine, Tina, Santana, and Rachel are all waiting at the hotel for them. They decide to go out for something to eat at this diner Santana suggested so that's how Puck ends up sitting right next to Rachel in a tiny booth he's sharing with her and Tina. Everytime he raises his fork to his mouth he's brushing her arm and he's trying not to notice but it's hard since she keeps stealing glances towards him.

"H-how have you been?" He asked when he noticed the rest of their friends were paying them no attention. "You look good, I mean. I bet you'll do great at the opening tomorrow night."

"I've been great." She nodded. "I hope Ohio is still the same. I heard you and Quinn got closer over the summer." She tries not to let her bitterness show but the way he swallows lets her know he understands what she's hinting at.

"It's not a secret that Quinn and I are sleeping together, Rachel." He replied calmly. "Just like it's no secret you fucked Finn senior year." He's glad he's sitting on the outside because now he can make a speedy exit, heading straight for the bathroom.

He had tried not to care when he heard Finn bragging about Rachel finally giving it up last year. They had been at Finn's house - Mike, Sam, Finn, and Puck - playing a marathon round of CoD when Finn just blurted it out.

_"I'm out." Sam frowned, tossing his controller to his feet and opted to watch his other three friends battle it out. _

_"Where the fuck did you come from, Chang?" Puck dropped his controller as well. _

_"Told you... I'm a ninja." Mike laughed, successfully winning the round. _

_"So, uh... can I tell you guys something?" Finn looked slightly nervous as he wiped his hands on his jeans and glanced around at his friends. "It's about Rachel." He smirked but it looked awkward on his face._

_Puck knew what was coming. He'd seen that look on Finn's face the night the tall boy had admitted to losing his virginity to Santana. Puck had seen that look dozens of times. He'd _owned_ that face. Finn had sex. Puck felt the bile rising up his throat when he realized Finn was dating Rachel. _

_"She uh... she decided she didn't want to wait until she was 25 after all." Finn grinned widely and Puck just wanted to punch him. _

_The mohawked boy stood quickly, mumbled an excuse about taking a piss, and stalked upstairs. He thought he was finally calming down but then he lurched over the toilet and threw up. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so upset about Rachel losing her virginity to Finn. The only excuse he could come up with was that he thought Rachel deserved better. She could have lost her virginity to anyone and she chose Finn. It was always Finn. _

He gripped the edge of the sink in the small diner restroom and ignored the swinging of the door. It didn't matter that the door was clearly labeled 'men' because he knew Santana was standing behind him.

"I knew this would happen, you know?" Her voice was quiet, almost like she was pitying him. He wanted to hit her now, too. "I tried to talk Rachel out of sleeping with Finn but she wouldn't listen to me. She wouldn't listen to anyone because the only thing she could think about was the fact that you and Quinn had just gotten back together."

"What does this have to do with me and Quinn?" Puck squared his jaw, trying to keep his voice even but it was hard.

"God, you really are a dumbass, Puckerman." Santana rolled her eyes. "You and Rachel have this sick twisted game going on between you two to see who can hurt each other the most. You get back with Quinn and Rachel sleeps with Finn. Rachel rejects you and you sleep with Quinn. Don't you understand how fucked all this is?" She took a menacing step towards him. "You two are so damn frustrating sometimes! How are you two so fucking oblivious?"

"What the fuck is your problem, Lopez?" Puck asked, whirly around to face her.

Santana shook her head and said the next part softly, "She's falling in love with you, idiot."

She walked out then, leaving him standing in a bathroom by himself. He swallowed thickly and his chest swelled at the thought of Santana's words being true. He wondered if it was that easy. If Rachel really had fallen in love with him. But then he thought about Quinn and Beth and he knew there was nothing easy about this situation. Especially since he thinks he's falling in love with her, too.

/

He didn't understand why so many people enjoyed sitting in a stuffy room just to watch some people dance around and sing on stage. But then Rachel appeared on the left side of the stage and opened her mouth to sing. She was wearing this worn and dirty blue dress that came to her ankles. The material was ripped and even though Puck had no idea what was going on, he knew Rachel was playing her part perfectly. Her voice: flawless.

He's sitting in the audience, right near the stage, tucked between Matt and Santana. Brittany and Santana are fighting again so they're sitting as far apart as possible and he really wants to smack them both because they're distracting him from watching Rachel. He hasn't talked to her since yesterday. He's been too afraid to look her in the eye because he keeps thinking she'll realize he feels the same way about her.

She moves gracefully on the stage and it takes Puck a few seconds to realize the male lead is Jesse St. James and suddenly, Santana's rant on the phone a few months ago makes sense now. She was warning him that St. Doucheface was in the play with Rachel and not to freak out when a particular part of the play took place. Santana hadn't told him exactly what was going to happen between Rachel and Jesse's characters so his hands clenched into fists when Rachel started to unbutton the top of her dress. This time she's wearing a green one and it's pretty, sitting on her frame perfectly.

He swallows thickly, a little distracted by her bare chest, but then he realizes if he can see it then the whole audience of people can see it. She's half-naked on a stage with Jesse and the shit's not kosher. He about two seconds from storming the stage and ripping Jesse's eyes out but then he figured Rachel woudl be pretty pissed if he messed up her big show. He tenses visibly when Jesse's hands grope her boobs and he has to look away or he's going to do somethign he'll regret. He also has to remind himself of the girlfriend he has back in Lima. He's sure he wouldn't get this upset if it was Quinn up on the stage. It's only then he realizes Santana was right. This whole situation is fucked up.

/

Rachel in her dressing room with Santana after the show. The smaller woman is still on a stage high, the adrenalin pumping strong, as she rambles about how amazing everything was. A knock on the door makes Rachel pause but then Puck is stepping inside and the room is silent save for the click of Puck shutting the door behind him.

"You were pretty great up there." He told Rachel and Santana backed up a few steps because she knew shit was about to go down. "Why didn't you tell me Dickface was going to be groping you up there on that stage?"

Rachel licked her lips but stayed silent. She shook her head and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

"What would your dads think about you getting naked for a part?" Puck asked just because he needed Rachel to say something and he knew this would get a rise out of her.

She didn't disappoint and whirled around to glare at him. "I did nothing of the sort. I got this part based solely on my voice and my talent. The part called for some nudity on stage and I'm okay with that."

"You two basically had sex on stage." Puck bit out, referring to Rachel and Jesse's scene together.

"Why do you care? It was staged and completely fake." Rachel countered. "You're not my boyfriend!"

Puck sucked in a breath then and Rachel's eyes widened when he took three long strides to close the distance between them. His lips captured hers forcefully and she gasped when his tongue forced its way into her mouth. His fingers dug into her hips, pleading with her to stay pressed against him and she complied, gripping his biceps with her small hands. Her heart beat faster and she knew it had nothing to do with the adrenalin from the show. This was all because of Noah and the way his mouth moved on hers.

He broke away from her finally and she stared back at him through hooded eyes. Her breath was ragged as her chest heaved. There was a voice at the door then, telling Rachel she needed to meet with the producer before she left.

She nodded and stepped back. "I..." She chewed on the inside of her cheek and took another step back. "I have to go." She rushed from the dressing room and Puck swore under his breath.

Santana cleared her throat from the corner and Puck looked at her as though he was just remembering she was in the same room. "That was either the smartest thing you'll ever do or the biggest mistake you could ever make."

Puck let her words sink in and once his breathing was back to normal he asked, "Why?"

"Because," Santana's brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend everything that had happened. "She kissed you back."


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Glee.

A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest but I promise the next one will be longer. Things are happening quickly in the next few updates so be prepared for some major events. Our Quick breakup may be happening a lot sooner than anticipated.

* * *

><p>Rachel's watching Santana and Brittany bicker over coffee the next morning and she lets her thoughts drift to Puck. Who the hell did he think he was by kissing her like that? You can't just walk up to someone and kiss them for no reason. Especially if you have a girlfriend.<p>

"Are you even listening to me, Santana?" Brittany rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why you're so threatened by Artie. _Nothing_ is going on!"

"Please," Santana rolled her eyes. "You two are on campus together all the time. You can't tell me nothing has happened!"

"Oh, my, God, San, he's dating Tina!" Brittany blurted out and then she shrank back when she realized she wasn't supposed to say that.

"What?" Santana raised her brows and Rachel tuned back into the conversation.

"What?" Brittany forced herself to keep her voice calm. "I didn't say anything."

"Tina and Artie?" Rachel turned to Santana. "Since when?"

"They have been acting strange lately," Santana shrugged. "Maybe that's why Tina and Mike broke up. Do you think Tina cheated on him with Artie?"

"I don't think she'd do that," Rachel shook her head. "But I was wondering why she hasn't been so upset lately. She was really tore up after breaking up with Mike. I'm glad she's happy, though, even if I do hope Mike and Tina get back together."

"Neither of you can say anything," Brittany pleaded. "I promised Tina and Artie I'd keep their secret. They trusted me and now I broke my promise. They're going to hate me."

"Relax, Britt," Santana smiled. "Rachel and I won't say anything. We'll keep our mouths shut. It'll be a little secret between the three of us. Don't you like secrets?"

"I guess," Brittany nodded and didn't look as upset as she did two seconds ago.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I've been yelling at you for weeks about sneaking around with Artie," Santana sighed. "You could have just told me what was going on. I would have understood."

"Well..." Brittany lowered her voice. "Don't tell Tina but I actually have been sneaking around with Artie."

Rachel shrank back into her seat and decided hanging out with Brittany was better than watching daytime television in her crappy apartment.

"You what?" Santana was back to pissed again.

"He's been helping me," Brittany grinned, completely oblivious to how mad Santana was. "I switched my major, San, to journalism."

"Why?" Santana questioned. "I thought you wanted to dance."

"I do and I can but... you said you like my stories, right? The stories I tell you over the phone when you can't sleep."

"I love your stories," Santana nodded.

"I can still dance but I like to write and I like that you like my stories. I want everyone to hear my stories and not just you," Brittany shrugged. "So I talked to Artie and he suggested journalism. I switched at the end of last year and I'm finishing out this semester with some of my pre-reqs. Then..." Her smile grew. "I'm transferring up here. To be with you."

"You're coming to New York?" Santana asked.

Rachel grinned and slid from the booth to let the two girls have some time alone. Rachel had a feeling there was about to be some groping and neither Brittany nor Santana cared if they were sitting in a coffee shop.

She was more than a little surprised when Puck showed up by her side. She'd been trying to avoid him but here he was, standing next to her in the line about to order their coffee.

"Hey," He didn't look down at her.

"Hi," She pursed her lips and cradled her elbows.

"We need to talk," He told her simply and she nodded in agreement. "I wasn't thinking that night but I don't regret it. I don't regret anything I've ever done with you."

"You have a girlfriend," She whispered harshly. "You're with Quinn. You can't just go around kissing other girls."

"You're not just another girl, Rach," He rolled his eyes. "I think everyone knows how I feel about you. Everyone but you."

"Noah," Her voice sounded like a warning and she looked to Santana for help but her two friends were no longer in the booth. She assumed they just left and she hated both of them right now. "Don't do this."

"Or maybe you do know and you just want pretend that you don't," He pressed the issue and now she hated him, too. "Maybe you feel the same way about me."

"No," She shook her head fiercely and was grateful when the long line started to finally move. "Just drop it. Can't we just forget about what happened the other night? Let's just go back to how it was before."

"I can't," He voice was weird and she finally looked over at him. She'd only seen that look on his face once before and that was when he told her Beth was gone, that someone had adopted her. Her heart clutched when she saw the sadness etched on his face.

"Can't we just go back to being friends?" She asked softly.

"We could," He nodded. "If I hadn't kissed you."

"But you did," She bit into her lip and braced herself for the words coming next.

"I care about you, Rachel, and I don't want to hurt you but..." He sucked in a breath and his face went back to being blank, expressionless. "You may be able to forget about that kiss but I can't. I don't want to," He walked away then and Rachel's eyes followed him out of the coffee shop and up the sidewalk where he was surely going back to his hotel room.

She willed away the tears and moved out of the line. Her arms wrapped around her protectively when she stepped out onto the New York sidewalk. Suddenly, she didn't want coffee anymore. Noah's frame retreated down the street and she waited until he was out of sight before turning to go the opposite direction. She was doing the right thing by turning Noah down, she was sure of it.

/

"New York's great, Q; you should have come with me," Puck sank onto the edge of the bed and pushed the phone closer to his ear so he could hear his girlfriend better.

"I missed my mom and I hate spending Christmas without her," Quinn sighed. "It's just me and mom this year so the Hummel's invited us over. Finn and I are hanging up the mistletoe now. I wish you were here so you could kiss me under it," He could hear her smile over the phone and he offered her a noncommital grunt. "You're going to bring me a present back, right?"

"I'm Jewish," He replied. "I don't give presents for Christmas."

"Yea, but I'm your girlfriend and I'm Christian so you have to buy me something," She told him. "Not anything expensive, though. Just get me something you think I'll like."

"Okay," He caved. "I think I might cut this trip short, you know. I might take a plane back to Columbus. New York's great and all but I miss you."

"Oh," Quinn giggled. "Then in that case, get back here as soon as you can."

There was some noise on the line, more of Quinn laughing, and then Finn was talking into the phone. "Hey, man, how's New York?"

Puck knew Finn was asking more about Rachel than New York. Finn could pretend to hate Rachel because of the break-up all he wanted but everyone knew he still cared about her.

"It's good," Puck yawned. "You're taking care of Quinn, right?"

"Of course," Finn replied and stifled a yawn of his own. "What's going on up there?"

_I kissed Rachel two nights ago. _"Nothing," He said instead. "It's pretty boring, actually, I don't get all the excitement about this town. Santana wants me to go out with them tonight but I think I'd rather watch crappy hotel porn than get mugged walking to the bar she's talking about."

Finn chuckled and Puck took solace in the sound. "Get home soon, Puck. Lima isn't the same without you."

"Yea," Puck was quiet for a few seconds. "Kiss her, okay?"

"What?" Finn asked.

"Quinn... kiss her under the mistletoe. She's loves that. I'm not there to do it so I want you to." Puck ran his hand over his face. "Tell her I said it was okay. Just... keep your tongue to yourself."

Finn cleared his throat and for a second Puck thought it almost sounded nervous. Or guilty. "Okay."

"Rachel asked about you, by the way," Puck's stomach clenched. "The first night I was here. She asked if you were doing okay. I just thought you'd like to know."

"Yea," Finn replied. "Thanks."

/

"You're coming out with us tonight, right?" Matt scratched his stomach before pulling a clean shirt over his head. "Mercedes said that Rachel sings at this dance club sometimes for extra cash."

"I think I might stay here," Puck replied. "I'm pretty tired."

"Come on," Matt pleaded. "It'll be fun. Maybe you can find a girl to hook-up with while we're there. When has Puckerman ever turned down an oppurtunity for sex?"

"I have a girlfriend, remember? Quinn?" Puck stood up.

"Right," Matt rolled his eyes. "How long do you think that's really going to last? Come on, man, she's hot and it's Quinn. You really think she's not fucking her way through the upperclassmen at Ohio State?"

"Quinn's not like that," Puck shook his head. "She'd never cheat."

"She cheated on Finn," Matt countered. "With you. You remember how easy it was for you to get her to say yes? A few wine coolers, compliments, and she was parting her legs in her bedroom with a picture of Jesus above your heads. Now she's on a campus surrounded by alcohol and horny guys," He raised his brow. "You're the one that said it was the good girls in high school that always turned into sluts in college."

"You think she's cheating on me?" Puck clenched his jaw when Matt nodded. "Finn said he's looking out for her. He promised me. He's not going to let her go around fucking random guys."

Matt sighed and hoped Puck didn't punch him for this. "Maybe Quinn's not screwing random guys."

"What are you saying?" Puck's brow creased because he already knew what Matt meant.

"I'm saying I think she's sneaking around with Hudson," Matt shrugged.

"She wouldn't..." Puck trailed off because he couldn't finish that sentence.

He'd noticed the way Finn and Quinn had been acting together lately but he'd let it slide. He hadn't given it much thought because he never thought Quinn would do that. But Finn had been a bit too happy when Puck asked him to kiss Quinn earlier today.

"Wouldn't she?" Matt pressed. "I mean, we all know how she feels about Finn, how she's always felt about him. You think those feelings disappeared just because she's screwing you? Come on, man, I thought you were smarter than that. It's never been Quinn for you and it's never going to be Quinn."

"Quinn and I are together," Puck shook his head. "It's more than just some fling, Matt. She told me she loves me. She said we were going to get Beth back. She said we were going to be a family."

"And I'm just saying what I think," Matt raised his hands in a surrender. "I may be wrong. Hell, I hope I'm wrong, Puckerman; I just think you should talk to the both of them."

"Let's just go, okay?" Puck slipped his jacket on.

"You're coming to the club with us?" Matt asked, already pulling the hotel room door open.

"I need a drink," Puck replied gruffly.

/

"Did you do it?" Santana walked over to Matt when she saw him walk into the club with Puck.

Puck went straight to the bar and Santana had a feeling Matt did.

"Did I tell one of my best friends that I think his girlfriend is fucking another one of my best friends?" Matt bit the words out. "_Yea_, I told him."

"He's taking it pretty hard?" She frowned. She assumed Puck was trying to talk to bartender into giving a minor beer. Knowing Puck, he'd find a way to get drunk tonight.

"Fuck yea, he is. You better be right about this shit, Santana. If I just told him a sack of bullshit lies about Quinn and Finn, I'm going to be pissed at you," Matt shook his head. "I hate this."

"I am right," Santana told him. "And it's not like I wanted to be. I know how he feels about Quinn but he deserves the truth."

"God, you're such a bitch," Matt squared his jaw.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Rutherford. You know I'm right."

"Puck was painfully oblivious to this shit and I basically just slapped him in the face with it. Quinn's the one girl he's ever talked about marriage with," He frowned. "And I feel like I just ripped that away from him. Fuck, why'd it have to be me to tell him?"

"I would have but I didn't want to take the chance of getting punched," Santana shrugged.

"But it's okay if I do?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're a big guy, you could have taken it," Santana sighed. "But if he really loved Quinn as much as you think, don't you think he would have been a bit more wary of believing you when you said she was sleeping with Finn?"


	11. Chapter 11

Hello,

You were probably expecting a new chapter of this fic but we have some bad news. Amber, or as you know her, acaudill0068, has been in a very serious car accident. She was driving back late Saturday night from Tennessee where she was visiting her grandparents when she was struck by a drunk driver. The driver was fine but Amber wasn't so lucky. She is currently in the ICU and was put into a medically induced coma due to brain swelling. The doctors aren't sure how long she's going to be in the coma but it could be days, weeks, months, maybe longer. She's in critical condition right now but everyone is very confident she's going to pull through.

Our names are Crista and Elizabeth and we're close friends of Amber. We know how important her current fics on this site are to her so we were planning on working on them in our spare time to keep them updated while she's still in the hospital. We weren't sure if this would be okay with her readers but we know she doesn't want to make you guys wait for an update. They may not be as often as hers were - weekly - but we'll work on them as much as we can. She's got most of the fics planned out and outlined so we'll stay as close as we can to her ideas.

We'll work to keep everyone updated on her condition and we hope she'll be waking up any day now. As soon as the swelling goes down the doctors plan to awaken her but it's just touch and go right now. She's pretty beat up but she's a very strong and stubborn girl so she won't give up without a fight.

It would be great if you could just leave a review letting us know what you all think about us keeping up with her fics. We'll post as frequently as we can but it may be about a week before we get anything up on the site.

Amber wasn't a very religious person but please keep her in your prayers and, at the very least, send good thoughts her way. She's recovered quite a bit from that trauma of the accident and it only happened last night so that's a great sign. Unfortunately, the swelling hasn't gone down any but we're staying positive! We'll definitely keep you posted on her condition when we do update so there's no need to worry. Her family is by her side and she'll pull through this. We plan to visit her daily or as often as we can to read her the reviews you guys leave.

We know how grateful she is to have such amazing readers so Lizzy and I will work our hardest to keep up with her writing style. Hopefully we won't stray too far from her storylines!

Thanks for reading,

Crista and Elizabeth


	12. Chapter 12

AN: There hasn't been much change since the other day so I don't really have much to say. Amber coded once on Monday and then again on Wednesday because her blood pressure kept bottoming out. In the past few days she's been pretty stable so hopefully she stays like that. The doctors said she may be able to hear everything around her so we've been talking to her a lot. I read most of the reviews you guys left and then Lizzy brought in a stereo. Another of Amber's friends, Derrick, made up a neat playlist with all of her favorite songs. Most of them are by Lea Michele or come from Broadway and the doctors were pretty impressed because a few minutes after the songs started to play her BP started to rise dramatically. We took that as a great sign since it's been pretty low since she was admitted, even with all the medicine the doctors are giving her.

The swelling has gone down quite a bit but the doctors think it's still going to be at least a week before they're able to wake her. They're slightly concerned because they were only anticipating for her to be in the coma for a few days and now it's been almost a week. While there isn't a reason to be worried just yet, the doctors are concerned about cognitive impairment if the swelling doesn't go down sooner.

She has several broken bones - a fractured hip, two broken femurs, a broken ulna, a few cracked ribs, and a broken clavicle - a few bruised ribs, some internal bleeding, and burns covering most of her arms, stomach, and right leg so you can tell she's pretty beat up. Even after all this, we're remaining positive. She _will_ pull through this. We just have to hope it is soon.

When she does wake up, she's still going to have some major problems. The doctors say she'll need a physical therapist because she'll most likely have to learn how to walk again. She also may need a speech therapist if the brain damage she got from the accident is severe. Once she wakes up, her road to recovery is going to take some time. It may be months before she's able to return fully to her life.

I'm not trying to upset anyone by this news but I think everyone needs to know the risks of her condition. There's really no reason to worry at this point. Amber has the best doctors and nurses caring for her so she'll be perfectly fine.

The doctors think the reason it's taking so long for the swelling to go down is because body is working so hard on healing her other wounds. She has 3rd degree burns and those are hard to heal, especially in Amber's state.

Now, I've gotten several messages asking about sending flowers or cards to Amber. While I really appreciate the sentiment I'm going to have to politely decline for three reasons. One, the hospital doesn't like a lot of deliveries, especially in the ICU. Two, Amber does like her privacy so I'm sure if she'd like me giving away her location or anything.

Amber has this unnatural ability to make anyone and everyone like her. She's insanely kind and would go out of her way to help just about anyone. This brings us to my third reason and that is her room is already overflowing from flowers and get-well-cards, and even stuffed giraffes - she love giraffes. Lizzy and I have even decorated her room a bit more to bring in some positive energy.

So, the gifts, though much appreciated, aren't necessary. She's got plenty of friends sending her flowers and such but you all can keep sending good thoughts and keep her in your prayers. All her family and friends, me included, are so thankful for all your kind words and thoughts. They're keeping us all positive so thank you. Her parents really appreciate it, especially her mom.

I'm sure a lot of you were expecting an actual update to these fics and Lizzy and I are both trying really hard to work on them. We both work full-time so it's hard to find time to write on them between work and visiting Amber. I have no idea how Amber found time to keep so many fics going at once because she goes to school full-time and has two full-time jobs. Plus, Lizzy's married and thirty-seven weeks pregnant so she's trying to get ready for the baby. I actually have worked on a few of the chapters but I'm afraid I'm going to go in a different direction than Amber wanted. Hopefully, Amber will be awake soon and then maybe she could tell me what to write since she won't be able to type it up herself.

Also, a lot of people are asking about the drunk driver. To be honest, I really could care less what happens to him. I did hear that he had some internal bleeding that wasn't caught at first so I think he was in the hospital for a few days - luckily, not the same one as Amber - but I'm pretty sure he's still okay. I do know that he will be charged and I think he's even awaiting a hearing now.

I will definitely keep everyone updated on her condition if it dramatically changes or she wakes up. Again, thanks to everyone that has shown their support. I haven't had time to reply to each and every review that has been left but we all really do appreciate it. If you have any other questions about her condition just let me know and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Crista


	13. Chapter 13

So, good news everyone, Amber is awake! The swelling went down faster than the doctors were anticpating and they woke her up Monday afternoon. I meant to let you all know sooner but it's been pretty hectic. There were doctors coming and going from her room all day yesterday and most of the day today. It doesn't seem as though she had any major damage cognitively but her memory is a little fuzzy. She doesn't remember anything about the accident and she keeps mixing up words. Her sentences don't always make sense but the doctors say that's normal after this kind of accident and that it's probably temporary.

She had barely been awake 24 hours before she was asking the doctors when she could go home and, of course, that made us all laugh because it was the first time she actually sounded like Amber since waking up.

She's having a bit of a hard time with all the burns and the broken bones. She wants to get up and get back to work, school, etc. but she's basically on strict bed rest right now. They can't fit her into hard casts right now because of the burns so the healing process is going to take a bit longer than normal but she should start her harder physical therapy in about six weeks.

A main reason it took me so long to get you all updated is because I spent all day Tuesday trying to find a PT for Amber. The one the hospital referred her to kind of clashed with Amber as soon as they met. Amber wanted to set up harder goals than the PT was comfortable with. Luckily, I found a great therapist that will keep her motivated and who will push her like she wants but still be sure to not push her too hard.

But like I said, her memory is a little shot right now. She didn't really even remember who Lizzy was at first Monday. The doctors assured us it's only temporary but I think it's frustrating Amber. She tried to ask for water yesterday and she couldn't remember what a straw was called. She's doing better today and she does have a speech therapist coming to work with her tomorrow afternoon so hopefully Amber will be getting back on track quickly.

I'm not exactly sure what else I can tell you about Amber's condition right now other than she's stable. I just wanted you all to know what was going on with her. Again, thanks to everyone that has shown your concern and hopefully the next time you all get an update it's from Amber and not me!

Crista


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own Glee.

*/*

"When are we going to tell him?" Finn questioned and glanced over at the naked blonde beside him in bed. "He comes home later this week. Puck's is my best friend; I can't lie to him anymore, Quinn. He deserves to know the truth."

Quinn took in a breath but seemed oddly calm for the current situation. "If he tries to start anything when we tell him, just remind him how he slept with me when I was with you in high school. He can't exactly punch you for doing something he did years ago."

"Doesn't that kind of make it worse? I remember how it felt when I found out Drizzle wasn't really mine." Finn stared up at the ceiling.

"Don't call her Drizzle," Quinn told him softly.

"All I'm saying is that I've been in this situation before. We all have, you, me, Puck—"

"And Rachel," She added quickly.

"–and he kind of has the right to get in a few good punches..." Finn furrowed his brow. "What does Rachel have to do with anything? She's not even involved with this situation."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Who do you think Puck is going to go running to when he finds out his girlfriend is sleeping with his best friend? Who does he always go running to? He's going to run straight into Rachel's arms just like she always goes straight to him when something bad happens to her. It's been like that since high school, Finn; why would it change now? Why do you think he's been spending every available minute he has in New York? I can tell you it's not because he likes the sights."

"I don't understand," He frowned.

She turned over onto her stomach and smiled softly at him. "It's always been Rachel and Puck just like it's always been Quinn and Finn. You might not have realized it yet, just like those two emotionally-stunted idiots haven't either, but we're meant for each other, Finn. I don't love Puck and he doesn't really love me. He loves the idea of me. The idea that me and him could somehow get Beth and be a family. And Rachel doesn't love you. Not really. She may care for you but she will never give up her dreams to be with you. It's just not who she is. Puck knows that; it's the reason he's been talking with some music producer about a record deal with his band. He's trying to go on tour so he can spend some extra time in New York. You would be doing the same if you really, truly loved her. But you're here with me. What does that mean, Finn?"

Finn turned his head away from Quinn and let out a breath. Was Quinn right? He knew Rachel and Puck had always been in each others lives; it was something he didn't like but could never control, either. It was something that had always caused problems between Finn and Rachel. He mulled over Quinn's words and she traced circles on his bare chest. Finn had thought he was supposed to be with Rachel. When she was adamant about leaving Lima behind, Finn had decided to give her some time and space. He would let her get New York and Broadway out of her system before she came back to him, back to Lima. He frown deepened as all these thoughts swirled around in his head and when he glanced down at the mess of blonde hair lying on his chest he couldn't help asking himself the same question he'd been asking since high school: Why_ was_ he with Quinn?

*/*

"I feel horrible," Puck gripped the sides of the toilet, preparing him for the next wave of nausea. He'd been doing this since he woke up around noon. "I can't believe you let me drink so fucking much last night," He complained to Matt behind him. "Aren't you supposed to keep me from getting so wasted that I can't see straight?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I tried to get you away from the bar after about your fourth shot but you actually growled at me, Puckerman."

"I fucking hate New York. I hate Lima. I hate every_fucking_body. Especially Quinn. I don't ever want to see her again. Or Finn. If I see his Jolly Green Giant ass I'll fucking kill him," Puck groaned and spit into the toilet. "And you. I hate your ass, too."

"What the fuck did I do?" Matt frowned but already knew the answer when Puck just shot him a glare over his shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry, man, okay, but it's better to learn the truth now than have her keep this affair up behind your back. You really think I'm the only one that knows about that bitch of a girlfriend you have hooking up with Hudson? I only heard about it because of Santana."

"Lopez knows?" Puck groaned. "Fuck, half of New York City ought to know by now. Please tell me Rachel doesn't know. I don't want her to get pulled into this and I definitely don't want her to feel sorry for me."

Matt let his gaze fall to the floor and Puck clenched his teeth tightly. "I'm pretty sure she already knows, Puckerman; San shot me a text about fifteen minutes ago saying that Berry's on her way over her."

"Shit," Puck let his head fall into his hands and he slid across the floor, away from the toilet, to lean his back against the cool bathroom wall. "I don't want her to see me like this."

"Too late." Matt stood up when someone knocked on the hotel room door. "Do you want me to tell her to leave? I'll just say you aren't here or something."

"No," Puck forced himself to stand up and he leaned over the sink, trying to make himself see straight. "Just make yourself scarce, okay?"

"Yea, sure." Matt nodded. "I'll let her in when I go."

Puck took a few minutes in the bathroom before wiping his face off with a towel and walked out to find Rachel sitting awkwardly on the foot of the bed. She was wringing her hands and he could tell she was nervous but he didn't know why. Maybe it's because they haven't had a real conversation since that day in her dressing room. He stalls for a few seconds in the doorway but goes to sit by her despite the awkwardness in the room. He kind of already knows how this conversation if going to play out anyway. He really doesn't want to screw it up, though.

"You didn't have to come," He told her. "Satan shouldn't even have told you in the first place. It has nothing to do with you. Quinn cheated on me. I was kind of expecting it anyway."

"It has everything to do with me, Noah." She looked up at him sadly and he knew she could see right through his facade. "It hurts, doesn't it? Not the cheating part, that you can deal with, but the part that any chance of ever getting to know Beth is gone. The part where you'll never meet your daughter even though it's all you've ever really wanted since you were sixteen."

He ran a hand down his face and moved to sit next to her on the bed. "We had a plan, Rachel. Quinn, she promised me. It's like she just wants to forget Beth ever happened. Quinn thinks she can just pretend Beth doesn't exist and everything will okay. I can't do that. I can't forget what it felt like to hold Beth in that hospital or feel my whole damn life being ripped away from me when I had to sign those papers."

"It's Quinn's loss," Rachel whispered. "Really, Noah, you would have been a great father to Beth. And I know you'll be an amazing dad to the children you'll have in the future. I think Quinn is just scared. She's trying to run away because that's the only thing she can do. She wants to pretend because she can't face the fact that she messed up. She got pregnant and she had a baby, but it wasn't in her plans, and now she thinks she can just forget. The only problem is it's kind of hard to forget someone you love so deeply. I know Quinn's loves Beth, just like you do, it's just harder for Quinn to realize that."

"Do you think she'll ask about me? When Beth is older, do you think Shelby will tell her about me?" He asked. "I mean, did you ever want to know who Shelby was when you were younger? Even though she wasn't in your life, she _was_ your biological mom."

She sighed. "I didn't even know I was adopted until I was nine when a group of girls made fun of me for having two dads and I realized that wasn't normal. I can't promise that Beth will ask about you. But I can tell you that even through everything Shelby has put me through coming in and out my life, a little part of me still really, really wants know my mom. Even after all of this, I'd like to meet Shelby, like really meet her and get to know her because she's my mom, Noah. I love my dads, just like I'm sure Beth loves Shelby, but she's my mom and I love her, too. Even if it's just a little bit."

"It hurts you, too, doesn't it?" He looked down at her. "Knowing that Shelby is out there and she knows about you but she walked away anyway. Knowing that she picked Beth over you."

Rachel sucked in a ragged breath and nodded. "It did, for a long time it really hurt, but not so much anymore. I've grown up, Noah, and you can't dwell on the past. I don't blame Shelby for adopting Beth and I don't see it as Shelby picking Beth over me. Shelby knew what she wanted and, unfortunately, I wasn't it."

Puck didn't say anything else, afraid to push the subject any longer because he could tell Rachel was on the verge of tears. "About the other day," He began but she cut him off.

"I didn't know you knew about me and Finn," She told him quietly. "I didn't know he was going to run all of Lima telling everyone he had finally slept with Rachel Berry."

"Santana said you were mad at me. She said that's why you did it."

"I may have been a little upset about your reconciliation with Quinn. I wasn't thinking and it's not like I planned it," She sighed and looked over at him. "It wasn't planned at all, Noah. If I could take it back, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I was mad at you, yes, you were my friend and it was like you were picking her over me. And I know that's selfish because I was with Finn and I had no right to even question your feelings for Quinn, but it's always been like you've had to choose between us. When you got back together with her, it was like you were choosing her. So yes, maybe you getting back with Quinn in some small way influenced my decision to sleep with Finn."

"Santana was right," He admitted. "We're fucked up."

She gripped his hand and leaned over to kiss him softly. He was a little confused by the small gesture but let his eyes fall shut to savor the moment nonetheless. She seemed hesitant to pull away and he was tempted to pull her back in for a much more heated kiss just so he could feel her warmth again. "Go back to Lima, Noah. Deal with Quinn and Finn and whatever else you have to do."

"Then what?" He asked.

She stood slowly, letting him know she was going to leave. "Then we'll see."

*/*

"She's on her way," Santana said casually over the lunch she was having with Brittany in their favorite diner.

"Do you think this is such a great idea, San?" Brittany asked, poking a grape with her fork. "What if Puck gets mad? I don't like it when he yells at me."

"Puck won't be mad. Actually, I'm hoping he might cry. Which means I need to make sure I bring my phone with me so I can tape that shit." Santana shrugged and bit into her burger. "Besides, Rachel knows what she's doing. This is all her plan, remember?"

"I wish Rachel could be here," Brittany sighed.

"She wants to be." Santana nodded. "But she's not ready, Brittany. Rachel wants us to get everything set up and then maybe she'll arrange some kind of meeting."

"I hope so. I don't like it when Rachel is sad and she looked really sad earlier today when she got off the phone." Brittany looked up at Santana. "Do you think she'll be happier once Puck is happier?"

Santana smiled softly at her girlfriend and nodded. "She'll be ecstatic, Britt."

"Is that her?" Brittany questioned suddenly and both girls turned their attentions to the door of the diner. "It is!" She practically squealed when a tall woman walked through the door holding the hand of a small, fragile looking little girl.

"Hello girls," the woman smiled when she reached the table Santana and Brittany were sitting at. "I was surprised to get a call from Rachel this morning but I was happy to her from her. I just wish it was under better circumstances and that she could have been here today as well."

"Have a seat, Shelby," Santana crossed her arms, still a little wary of the woman's presence. "Like Rachel said over the phone, she's not ready for that just yet. Not after everything that's already happened. But she did say that once everything was more concrete she' be happy to discuss things further."

"Of course," Shelby's smile faltered. "May we sit down?"

Brittany grinned widely when the little girl chose to sit next to her and Shelby watched the interaction curiously when the little girl introduced herself to the blonde.

"I know who you are, silly," Brittany giggled. "I was there when you were born."

"You were?" The little girl asked with wide eyes.

"Beth," Brittany gave the girl the best serious face she knew and the words spilled from her mouth before Shelby or Santana could stop her. "I'm your Aunt Brittany."


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own Glee.

*/*

"What do you think she's telling here?" Shelby asked warily as she eyed Brittany helping Beth pick a cookie through the glass at the counter.

The older of the two women didn't really like the idea of Brittany putting any more thoughts in Beth's head. Beth had asked a few too many questions after Brittany introduced herself as the little girl's aunt.

"Relax," Santana told her. "Brittany isn't going to tell her about Quinn or Puck. She knows you're Beth's mom, not Quinn. But Brittany also knows that Beth deserves to know about Puck. A girl needs to know her father, Rachel's words. And Rachel also said it's up to you, Shelby."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Shelby shook her head. "Are you sure Rachel doesn't want to meet with me. I think it would be easier if I spoke with her face-to-face."

Santana pressed her lips together. "I can give you her number, but I can't promise anything after that. Shelby, I know you want to reach out to Rachel, I understand, but if you hurt her_ again_, I will come after you. She's my friend, my _best_ friend, and she's very naïve when it comes to you. She gets her hopes up just so you can walk away. If you meet, she'll have her guard up so it won't be like the times before when she sings some sappy song with you." Santana shrugged and sipped her coffee. "You're her weak spot, Shelby. You know that and you use that to manipulate her. You've hurt her far too many times for her to just forgive you. Not this time. "

"I know," Shelby nodded. "And I truly am sorry for any heartache I've caused Rachel. Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"

"If I were her," Santana raised a brow and crossed her arms, "hell no, I wouldn't forgive you. But it's Rachel, so yea, she will. But don't expect it to be anytime soon. She's tougher now, because of you, but that's not necessarily a good thing."

*/*

Rachel wasn't expecting this call anytime soon, but Shelby's voice was in Rachel's ear and the woman was actually asking Rachel if she wanted to meet for lunch tomorrow. In all honesty, Rachel wanted to say no so badly the word was on the tip of her tongue; but then she thought about Noah and how he was leaving in a few days. Besides, lunch couldn't be that bad. Rachel would show up, make small talk, miraculously convince Shelby to let Puck into Beth's life after all these years, and leave. It'd be easy.

She rattled off some restaurant and the street it was on to Shelby and they both agreed to meet there at noon tomorrow.

"I'll see you then," Shelby said quickly.

"Yea, we'll be…" Rachel struggled with a way to word what she was trying to say. "We'll meet… _alone_?"

"Oh," Shelby seemed to hesitate and Rachel was close to backing out of this whole thing. "Yes, I think I can arrange that. I'll be there tomorrow, Rachel. Thank you so much again for agreeing to do this."

"Yea, tomorrow," Rachel said quietly before hanging up. The less she has to talk to Shelby, the better.

*/*

"Beth is with the sitter," Shelby explained once Rachel was seated across from her at the diner. "You expressed concern about meeting her so I thought it best she didn't come tonight."

"Thank you," Rachel replied, not able to hide the quiver in her voice. "I'm going to get right to the point, Shelby, because honestly I don't want be here. Not with you and I know that sounds harsh, but you can't blame me. I was surprised you called yesterday afternoon, but I'm hoping this means you're considering what Santana told you."

"Yes," Shelby agreed and pressed her lips together. "It's about Noah, correct? Santana told me yesterday about what you had planned."

"I don't have anything planned, Shelby," Rachel shook her head. "I just want to talk. After that, it's out of my hands. The decision is yours. You're Beth's mother, not Quinn or anyone else. And as much as Noah wants to be, he's not Beth's dad. But she _is_ his daughter. You can't deny that."

"I know," Shelby nodded, sighing softly.

"Do you?" Rachel questioned quietly and gripped the glass of water in front of her.

"I know how he feels. I've been in his situation, Rachel. Twenty years ago I was feeling the exact same thing he felt when he gave up Beth. I'm still feeling that way," Shelby leaned forward, but Rachel quickly shook her head.

"This isn't about me. This isn't about _us_. This is about Noah and Beth." Rachel pressed her lips together. "You say you know how he feels, yet you're still neglecting him of his rights."

"He doesn't have any rights, Rachel, not after he signed those papers."

"You didn't either!" Rachel's voice rose to a sharp level. "But you still forced yourself into my life, knowing full well you wouldn't go through with it. That's the difference between you and Noah. He actually wants to be in Beth's life. And once he's in, he'll do everything in his power to stay in. He won't run like you did. No. He'll fight to be something, _anything,_ in Beth's life."

"Is this what you came to do tonight, Rachel? Berate me? Make me feel worse about this whole situation?" Shelby's back straightened and she gripped her own glass of water before taking a few long sips.

Apparently, Shelby drank water when she was upset, too. Rachel wasn't sure why it hurt so much to know that little piece of information, but her chest tightened all the same.

"I'm asking you, Shelby, not as my mom and not even as my friend, but as someone who knows how it feels not to know your daughter, to let Noah in. I'm not saying he has to meet Beth, not if you aren't comfortable with that, but send him a picture or an email saying how she's doing. That all he wants, Shelby, just something to let him know she's doing well and that he did the right thing giving her up four years ago. Because knowing he has a daughter out there and not being able to be with her, it kills him. You, of all people, should be able to relate to that." Rachel sucked in an uneven breath and leveled her gaze with Shelby. "Reach out to him, Shelby; that's all I'm asking."

Shelby nodded stiffly. "You've given me a lot to think about, Rachel."

"Beth deserves to know where she came from. She does, and if you don't tell her about Noah… when she finds her she's going to feel so betrayed," Rachel told her. "But knowing she was adopted won't make her love you any less. Yes, she may want to know Noah, but that doesn't mean she's picking him over you. She just wants to meet him and see what he's like. No one can replace you in her life, Shelby. Noah realizes how delicate this situation is."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Rachel knits her brows together. "I told you this isn't about me."

"You spoke like you knew from experience."

Rachel sniffled and sipped on the water in front of her while avoiding Shelby's gaze. "When I found about you, I couldn't figure out why you had left. I didn't know why you didn't want me. You don't want Beth feeling like that. You don't want her thinking Noah didn't want her because that's not true at all. If he could have figured anyway to keep her and take of her and give her the life she deserved, he would have."

"I know he loves Beth," Shelby whispered quietly.

"And when I brought you up to fathers, you should have seen faces. I felt so guilty even thinking about wanting to know you. Because I did, Shelby. I wanted to know you and I just needed someone to tell me what I was feeling was normal. My dads didn't understand that I needed to know you. I needed a mother and you weren't there. Beth needs to know Noah. You can give that to her."

"You make some valid points, Rachel, but I think you can understand why I'm still a little wary of introducing Noah into Beth's life." Shelby squirmed a bit in her seat.

"I do," Rachel nodded. "I should go. You have a lot to think about."

"Wait," Shelby smiled softly and dug through her purse, handing over a little wallet size picture. "I took her to some photographer last week. She loves the camera."

Rachel's fingers slid over the shiny picture, taking in the sight of the small girl smiling widely back at the picture. "She's really pretty. She looks like Quinn, but those are Noah's eyes."

"And the smile, that's all Noah," Shelby's grin widened and it reminded Rachel of how her dads look when they're bragging about her. "I want him to be in Beth's life, Rachel, I do, but I think I should talk to Beth first. She's only four, but she deserves to be involved in this decision. I won't tell her he's her father. Not yet, not until we know how this going to work. I don't want to bring him into her life if he's only going to be around a few days a year. That isn't fair to any of us."

"I'll give him the picture," Rachel nodded and stood up. "It's been nice meeting with you, Shelby."

"We can do it again. I'll arrange a sitter for Beth and we go out somewhere," Shelby said quickly and Rachel paused at the table. "I mean, if you're comfortable with that."

"Okay," Rachel said the word quickly and swallowed, not really believing she just agreed to do this. "I have your number, Shelby. I'll call sometime and we can figure out a time we both have free. Maybe we can check out one of the matinees."

"That'd be great. Thank you, Rachel."

"Like I said," Rachel took a slow step backward, "a girl deserves to know where she came from."

Without looking back, Rachel turned and walked out of the small diner, her fingers still gripping the picture of Beth.

*/*

"You're all packed?" Rachel questioned when she walked into Puck's hotel room.

"Yea, my flight leaves early in the morning." He patted the spot beside him on the bed, but Rachel chose to sit on the edge, blocking his view from the TV. When he realized she wanted to talk, he flipped the TV off and turned his attention to her. "I really need to talk to Quinn about all this shit. I still don't even know what I'm going to say about it. I mean, how can you bring up that your girlfriend is fucking your best friend? It's some kind of mind-fucked karma, huh?"

She pulled the picture of Beth gingerly from her purse. "I have something for you," She smiled over at him and he sat up a little straighter, always ready to receive a present.

"What is it?" He asked. "Fuck, I feel bad 'cause I didn't get you anything. Wait, is it one of those foam hats from the Statue of Liberty 'cause I have like six of those already."

"It's not that kind of gift, Noah," She said and held the picture out towards him. "Here."

Rachel watched Puck swallow as his eyes took in the picture. He's quiet as he studies it and Rachel doesn't really like him being this quiet. She squirms a little, afraid she did something wrong by bringing Beth back up. Maybe he had forgotten about her, or at least wanted to. Maybe he didn't want to be in Beth's life anymore. But Rachel mentally scoffed at that because being in Beth's life was the one thing Puck truly wanted.

"D-did you meet her?"

"No," She replied quickly. "Shelby met me earlier today. She gave me the picture then."

"You met with Shelby?" Puck asked. "I thought you didn't want to be involved with her right now."

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it closed again. "I met with Shelby to talk about you, Noah. I gave her a lot to think about and while she isn't completely convinced that letting you meet Beth is a good idea, I have a feeling she's going to be contacting you shortly. I gave her your email address so she can send you some pictures."

Puck finally ripped his eyes away from the picture and met Rachel gaze. "I fucking love you for this."

Rachel smiled genuinely and laughed. "You deserve this, Noah."

"I'm serious, Rach," He said and looked back at the picture. "Rachel… fuck, I don't even know what to say right now." She saw him swallow and she smiled as he asked, "Do you think she looks like me?"

"She has your eyes," She nodded. "And Shelby says she has your laugh and your smile."

Puck took in a shaky breath. "It doesn't feel real, you know."

Rachel grinned, twining their fingers together and lifting his hand to press a soft kiss to his knuckles. "You would have been an amazing father, Noah Puckerman."

When Matt walks into the hotel room that night, Puck's still awake with one arm under Rachel, holding her close while she snores against his chest and the other holding tight to the picture of his daughter.


End file.

Glee, Angst, Romance