Fic: Starlight, Chapter 27 by Sapphire (PG-13)

[sapphireej]

Title: Starlight, Chapter 27
Author: Sapphire (sapphiresfic)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Rachel, Puck, Rachel/Puck, the Glee clubbers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,476
Spoilers: Up to 1x22 ~ Journey; just to be safe
Series: 'Starlight' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Summary1: He's the star who just wants to be a high school student; she's the loser, who dreams of her name in lights on Broadway... When they meet at WMHS on the first day of a new school year; how will they take each other? ~ AU from the eps.
Summary2: Rachel discovers something she didn't know about Noah, they have a disagreement and more time in NYC with a musical and some downtime watching movies.
Disclaimer: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

 

~*~

A/N3: Keep in mind, within this AU... There is no Puck/Quinn, no Finn/Rachel, Quinn is NOT pregnant at all, Puck's dad never left when he was a kid and Puck will be OOC so yes, totally AU, though you'll see similarities to the episodes.

~*~

After dancing on the rooftop through several jazz songs that Noah had on his iPhone, the couple returned to the warmth of the condo and snuggled up together on the couch , "so do you have anything you'd like to do while we're in NYC?" Noah asked.

Rachel thought for a moment, "Finn, Quinn and Carole get here on Sunday, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, from what Quinn told me, she's never been to New York, so I was thinking we could save the tourist things for after they get here. As for what to do before then, I don't think they'd be interested in seeing a musical, and when dad, daddy and I are here, we try to see a show. Maybe our families could go see a musical," she suggested, "if you don't want to, that's alright, it was just an idea."

"It's a good one," Noah admitted, "I've never been to a show before, so it sounds like fun," he pulled out his cell phone and went online, "anything specific you're looking to see?"

"Is there a way to see what's playing in the next few days?" She asked.

Noah pulled up the Broadway website and skimmed through, "well, it looks like there isn't anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but there are a few playing on Saturday," he said, "Wicked, Mamma Mia!, Chicago, West Side Story, and The Lion King stand out as ones I've heard of or we've seen the movies of," he said, "well, I've heard of Mamma Mia!, but never watched it."

"Then let's see that. We've already seen the others," she admitted, "and I could go out and get the movie to watch, if you want to know about it before we see the musical," she explained.

"Not by yourself, but I like the idea," he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "let's go."

"What?" Her eyes widened and she sat up to look at him, "I thought it wasn't a good idea to go out right now."

"Things are open late and it's getting dark out now so I won't be seen as easily. I can go out without protection, I just don't a lot, that's all," he said, "and grocery shopping isn't fun."

Rachel giggled, but nodded, "if you're sure, then we can go, I just don't want you to get in trouble."

"I won't," he promised standing up and taking her hands, "besides, we gotta live a little, right? I can't hide forever."

"Noah, 'living a little' is eating extra chocolate. It's not putting yourself in danger just because you want to go shopping. It can wait," Rachel told him, standing up.

He pulled her against him, "just stay close, don't say 'Puck', don't wear my jacket and we'll be okay," he promised.

She took a deep breath and sighed, "alright, but why can't I wear your jacket?"

"It says 'Puckerman' on the back. The red and my name will stand out," he admitted, "I'm all for it if we had protection, but since we don't, you might want to wear something else."

"Oh, right, that makes sense," she agreed. "I have other jackets," she told him as they moved towards his room.

Getting ready to go out, Noah left a note that they were and mentioned they wanted to go see 'Mamma Mia!' on Saturday and asked if anyone else wanted to go and if Ethan could try and get them tickets.

Locking up the condo, they headed for the elevator and stepped on when the doors opened, "where are we going?" Rachel asked.

"There's a Best Buy on 5th Avenue that I usually shop at. They'll have it and it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few other movies to watch while we're here," he said.

Rachel nodded, "yes, that might be a good idea. I didn't even think to bring some of my movies along," she admitted, "it could have saved the trip, because I probably would have brought that along."

"I didn't either. I thought we'd be filming the video for a few days, so we wouldn't have had as long to hang around, but I didn't think it would only take a day," he commented as the elevator's doors opened, "and hopefully they'll have the three 'High School Musical' movies that I can get for my sister, since I told her I'd get them for her."

"You're a great brother," Rachel said as they stepped out into the cool evening.

"Thanks, I try to be," he told her as he slipped an arm around her shoulders.

Walking onto the main sidewalks of Times Square, they could see it was busy and the glow from the lights lit their path in the darkening sky. "The next few days might be a good time for us to get our homework done so we don't have to do it later," Noah suggested.

"That's a good idea. I'm sure many places close early on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day; not everything, but most major stores are," Rachel replied.

"Yeah. Not everything closes, but major stores do," he said, keeping her close to him so they didn't get separated in the mass of people.

Crossing streets and making it to the Best Buy he was talking about, they stepped inside and relaxed in the warmth of the store, even if it was pretty busy. "What section would that be under?" He asked curiously.

"I'm thinking there should be a section for musicals," she replied, taking his hand and guiding him towards the aisles of movies.

Noah followed her and as they walked down the aisle with the Disney movies, he glanced over them, finding a box set of the three 'High School Musical' movies. "Awesome. They have them. Well, got what I came for," he said with a grin.

"Your sister is going to love you," she smiled.

"I hope so. I'll pick up the soundtracks if I can find them," he added following Rachel down the next aisle. A few movies caught his attention, so he paused to look over them, "babe, wait up," he called out.

Rachel turned back to see him picking up a movie to look at the back of it, "what are you getting?"

"I don't know right now, but I figured we should at least look at some," he said showing her the movie he was looking at.

"I haven't seen this yet," she admitted, looking at the cover of '17 Again' staring Zac Efron, "but do you think it's okay for Arin to watch? It's 'PG-13' rating."

"She's seen it before. We don't let her watch movies that are over 'PG' without one of us around, but this is okay," he promised.

"Okay, let's get it. I just want to make sure the movies we get she can see," she said hanging on to the movie he had handed her and skimmed over the names of the movies nearby, wondering what else to get.

Going up and down the movie aisles, they looked through some and picked up a few more; some they'd seen before, some they hadn't and made their way over to the CDs, picking up the three 'High School Musical' soundtracks for his sister before getting in the long line and Noah read over the back of the 'Mamma Mia!' movie, "isn't she in something that's coming out in a few months?" He asked, pointing to the main character.

"Yes, she is going to be in 'Dear John'. It comes out in February, I believe," Rachel replied, leaning her head on his shoulder as they waited.

"You tired?" He asked curiously.

"A little bit. It's been a long day. I... I didn't sleep well last night," she admitted with a blush.

He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead, "why didn't you say something? We didn't have to go shopping now. We could have waited."

"I know, but I wanted to," she replied, "it's New York!"

The line was moving pretty quick and before he could respond they were walking up to a cashier and setting the movies down on the counter. Noah paid once things were rung up and soon they were outside walking hand-in-hand, down the sidewalk, "we're here for another week and a half, we have plenty of time. What kept you from sleeping?" He asked concerned, picking up the conversation they were having inside.

"It was just uncomfortable and cold," she replied, "usually I am okay when it's cool, but this time, there was no warmth to snuggle against."

He smiled and nodded at a few people who were pointing in his direction along the street, "I promise you tonight there will be."

She let go of his hand so she could slip her arm around his waist as they walked, "I'm looking forward to it."

~*~

Returning to the condo, their families had been back from shopping for a little bit and Ethan was already working on getting tickets to the show for the seven of them.

Rachel pitched in to help make dinner and after eating and dishes were put away, they all sat down to watch 'Mamma Mia!', since no one had seen it, except Rachel.

Noah laid on the couch and kicked back, and Rachel joined him, snuggling against him as their families found spots to sit in the living room. Ethan set up the DVD and sat down next to Deborah and hit play.

'Mamma Mia!' the movie, comes from the musical of the same name; using many songs of the 1970s pop group ABBA and a few of the members of the group worked as composers for both (1).

The story is set in Greece, on a small island called 'Kalokairi', where a twenty-year-old girl named Sophie, lives with her mom, Donna. Donna owns a villa on the island and Sophie is about to get married to her boyfriend, Sky. Sophie has never known her father, but found her mom's journal from when she was pregnant with her and finds the names of three men who are potential fathers, Sam, Bill and Harry, so she invites all three of them to her wedding, without telling her mom, because she wants to surprise her and is sure that once she sees the men, she will know who her father really is and they can walk her down the aisle (2).

"Wow," Noah murmured, "this is already good."

Rachel smiled and kissed him, "I knew you'd like it. It's a great movie, just sometimes hard for me to relate to, because I know who my dads are," she commented.

"But you don't know your mother, so it's just switching parents," David told her.

"True, but I wouldn't look for my mother," Rachel replied with a shrug, turning back to continue watching the movie.

Sophie hides the three men when they arrive on the island and explains that she sent the invitations, not her mom, and begs them to stay hidden until the wedding so Donna can be surprised, at the wedding, to see the men she always reminiscences about. It doesn't take long for their hiding spot to be found by Donna, seeing all of them and sings 'Mamma Mia'. When the guys get a chance to talk to her, she immediately wants them to leave and she then tells Tanya and Rosie that one of them is Sophie's father, but she isn't sure which one, which brings the three women to sing 'Dancing Queen' (2).

"ABBA does have some good music," Noah commented as 'Dancing Queen' ended.

"Yes they do," David agreed, "music we grew up listening to," he added looking at Alan.

Alan nodded, "you two probably don't remember them," he added looking at Deborah and Ethan.

Ethan laughed, "we were like what, five, six years old when they were popular?" He asked, looking at his wife.

"Something like that," Deborah agreed, giggling lightly.

"Now I feel old," David groaned.

"It was bound to happen sometime," Alan laughed.

Sophie never told her fiancé of her secret because she didn't want him to talk her out of it and when she tries, she doesn't have the guts to, but in their conversation, they end up singing a duet, 'Lay All Your Love On Me', and he is then taken to his bachelor party (2).

"I'm not sure I want a bachelor party," Noah commented.

Ethan coughed loudly as he looked over at the two teens while Deborah patted his back with a smirk on her face, "discussing a bachelor party usually comes after an engagement and last time I checked you two weren't engaged, right?"

"Right," Rachel commented, knowing her boyfriend could easily draw out that conversation, but the last thing she wanted was someone getting upset or overprotective on their first night in the city.

"Aw, babe, you took the fun out of that answer," Noah sighed.

Rachel nudged him playfully, "I know. That's why I did that. The last thing I want is anyone going into overprotective mode and I'd like to enjoy the movie," she motioned to the TV.

The following morning, the day of the wedding, Sophie and Donna's best friends try to separate the men from both Sophie and Donna until the wedding. Donna and Sophie have a discussion where Sophie admits she doesn't want to make her mom's mistakes by never getting married and then storms off. Sam confronts Donna because he is concerned about Sophie getting married so young and they realize they still have feelings for each other. Sophie is completely confused and tells her fiancée everything, but he gets mad and storms off, so as the wedding draws closer, Donna helps Sophie get ready and both are very nervous (2).

When the wedding begins, Donna admits to Sophie that her father is there, but she doesn't know who it is, which is when Sophie says she invited them. Sam, Bill and Harry all agree that they did love Donna and would be willing to be one-third Sophie's father. Overwhelmed by everything, Sophie realizes that getting married isn't what she wants right then, so she suggested that she and Sky wait to get married and travel first. Sky thinks it's a great idea because he never wanted a big wedding and then Sam proposes to Donna, so even though Sky and Sophie are not getting married, Donna and Sam do (2).

The final scene of the movie, after a huge reception is when Sky and Sophie are saying their final goodbyes to everyone as they sail away from the island (2).

"Wow, I didn't expect that ending," Noah commented, "I really thought Sky and Sophie would get married."

"At first, I did, too, but I realized that they are using it for a metaphor. They're young, they have all the time in the world, so they don't have to rush into marriage just to be together. Many couples live years together before they get married," Rachel explained.

"Good point, but, I don't know, I guess it depends on the situation. I mean, if you want to be together, then why wait to get married? Sure I hear that after you get married things change, but it doesn't have to," Noah replied, "if the couple wants to be with each other and love each other, then it shouldn't matter the status of their relationship. Sure if she ends up getting pregnant, that's different, but if children aren't something they want right away, there are precautions to keep that from happening until they're ready."

"You do have a valid point. I guess it does depend on their relationship, too. Are you meaning that any couple should get married soon or just ones who want to get married?" She asked curiously.

"Just the ones who want to get married. I mean look at us. We're dating in high school and have expressed that we want to get married when we're out. Think about it... When get out we'll probably end up living here, so you can go to school and I can work, and though we don't have to rush into marriage, I would think getting married within a year or so of getting out would be the best idea because then we have all that time to be young and married before we decide to 'settle down' and have a family. I don't want to bring a kid into all this," he motioned around the condo, "and my sometimes crazy life until I've had more of a chance to enjoy it, but I know who I want to spend the rest of my life with; so why prolong us getting married? I'd just wanna hold off on kids, but still get to spend part of my young adult life with you as my wife," he smiled at her, "I don't want to be one of those couples who are together for like five years, unmarried, and you end up getting pregnant and six months after the baby is born we split because it's too much. If we get married first, have a chance to see if that's what we want, and we decide it's not, we can divorce without putting a child into that life, and I'm not saying we would, because I'm not letting you go for anything, but I'm just trying to explain my point."

Rachel smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I get it," she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, "good. I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied settling her head against his chest.

The four parents in the room exchanged glances, all in varying stages of confusion, but they still somehow were okay with the conversation. The topic came from the events in the movie, and they knew their children were much more mature than other kids their age; Noah having grown up quickly, experiencing a business that was mostly populated with adults and Rachel being an only child with an independence and determination for what she wanted since she was very young.

Noah and Rachel sat up on the couch and blushed lightly, realizing they had a very deep conversation in front of their parents and sister. "Uh, hi," Noah murmured.

Arin giggled, "I think they need a drink after hearing that," Arin said getting up and moving towards her brother. "Good night. I'm going to bed."

Hugging his sister, Noah nodded, "night sis."

Once Arin had said 'goodnight' to everyone else, Deborah went with her to help unpack and get ready for bed, "that was an interesting conversation," David commented.

"Daddy, don't look into it so much. We were just having a discussion," Rachel told him.

"I know, but it's a little shocking to listen to you two talk about getting married; not that I'm opposed to the idea, but it's just..." David trailed off and looked at Alan for help.

Alan nodded and rubbed his husband's back, "you're our little girl and we're having a hard time seeing you grow up. We knew this day would happen; you've always been more mature than kids your age, but being faced with a discussion like this makes us realize you are growing up quicker than we thought."

"Oh, dad, daddy," Rachel got up and moved to the other couch where they were sitting and squished down between them, "I'll always be your little girl," she assured them, slipping her arms around their backs, "but I am growing up, and someday I will get married, and you'll give me away, but right now, we're just having a conversation; no proposals, no plans for us walking down the aisle tomorrow, but someday," she said, kissing each of their cheeks.

"We know sweetheart," David smiled at her and then looked at Noah, "and if Noah turns out to be the one, your dad and I will gladly walk you down the aisle to him," he finished turning back to his daughter to hug her.

Noah blushed lightly at David's comment, but smiled happily, "thank you, David, Alan. That really means a lot to hear."

Alan smirked, "Noah, you're family already, but that would make it official."

Rachel got up and moved over to her boyfriend again, sitting down and hugging him, "maybe one day we will," she murmured.

Noah kissed her gently, "maybe," he agreed.

~*~

The following two days were Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the two families took the time to relax and enjoy their break. They all agreed they'd save sight seeing for when Carole, Finn and Quinn arrived, and Noah and Rachel did their homework, so it was done, but they kept getting sidetracked watching movies and TV. Even though they didn't celebrate Christmas, Rachel always loved to watch the Christmas movies on TV; usually they had a great storyline and a happy ending.

On Christmas Day, Ethan and Alan, though not born Jewish, do honor those traditions, so their family's Christmas traditions are not celebrated, but they, along with their families contacted their relatives in Ohio and other parts of the states to pass on Christmas wishes.

As the day came to a close, Rachel and Noah were in their room, she was sitting at his desk and he was on his bed; both were working on homework and as Rachel finished her math homework and closed the book, she turned around, "may I have your science book?" She asked.

Noah looked up from his own math book, "uh, I didn't bring it."

"What?" She gasped, jumping up and moving towards him, now seeing he was working on his math, too. "You said you were going to bring your science book and I would bring my math book. We were going to share since we have the same classes."

"No, you suggested I bring my math book and you would bring your science book because it was lighter than our math book, since you also had to bring your history and Spanish books along, too," Noah said.

She shook her head, "no, I specifically remember saying I'd bring my math book, if you'd bring your science book."

"Well, that's not what I heard," Noah stated, "I brought my math and Spanish books because the only other homework I have is a research paper due at the end of January," he commented.

Rachel gasped, pacing back and forth, "Noah! Now what are we going to do? You were supposed to bring your science book and I was bringing my math book so we could share; not the other way around and now neither of us have our science book! We have two chapters to read, questions to answer and almost thirty words to get definitions for to turn in the first day back!"

"Whoa, chill the fuck out, it's just a book," Noah's eyes widened at her outburst.

"Excuse me? How can you just say that?! Noah, our test is the Friday after we get back! That work is all of our grade for those two chapters aside from the test! We need to study!" She began taking deep breaths as she paced, trying to figure out what to do, "and then you just say 'chill out'... We can't!"

"Yes we can," Noah commented, marking his math book so he didn't forget where he was and set it aside, standing up and moving towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing, "we'll figure it out. Stop or you're going to have a panic attack."

Rachel glared at him, "I can't believe you're so calm about this!"

"We'll figure it out," he said again, "just relax. Breathe in and out."

Taking his hint, she did take a few deep breaths and exhaled, then her eyes widened when she got a great idea, or so she thought, "I know!" She moved from him to her laptop and sat it down on his desk, "we passed a bookstore on the way to Best Buy the other day. I can go online and look up the book we have for school, then get the serial number and we can go to the store tomorrow when it opens and have them order it for us and it should be here in a few days," she explained, already pulling up Google.

Noah stared at her for a moment and laughed lightly as he sat on the end of the bed, "or I could call Finn and ask him to go get my book from my desk at home and bring it with him when he, Carole and Quinn come on Sunday," he suggested.

Rachel stopped her typing and looked at him, contemplating his idea, "oh, yes, well that could work." She saw his 'no, it's a great idea!' look and sighed, "yes, you're right. It's a better idea than mine is."

"I'll call Finn right now," he reached for his phone, "and for the record, I do care about my work, I just know that having a panic attack isn't going to solve the problem. You just have to stay calm and work it out," he said before leaving the room to go call Finn.

As he left the room, Rachel immediately felt horrible for snapping at him and making it sound like he didn't care; she knew better, but she still sometimes has panic attacks over little things that she shouldn't be so concerned about. She knew her book was at home, so if she couldn't do it while they were in New York, she'd have time when they got home before school started to get the work done.

Noah went out into the kitchen to call Finn, who was just getting home from a family Christmas dinner with his grandparents. They didn't talk long, since it was getting late and he had a lot to do the next day, but Finn promised to stop by the Puckerman's to get Noah's book for them. Hanging up his phone, Noah grabbed a bottle of water for him and Rachel and returned to his room surprised at what he saw. Rachel had cleaned his things off the bed and set them on his dresser, she had pulled the blankets back and was curled up in bed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of boyshorts, "um, babe?"

Rachel sat up on the bed, "I'm sorry," she started, "I should never have snapped like that."

He shrugged, "it's okay, I get why you did it---"

"No, it's no excuse. It was a misunderstanding and an accident. I should have remained level headed and not jumped to conclusions or panic without thinking things through," she explained crawling over to the edge of the bed. Sitting back on her heels, she tugged her hair from the bun it was in, "I was hoping to make it up to you."

Noah's heart skipped a beat, seeing her bare legs and what got him was the black v-neck t-shirt of his she had on; so much bigger than her that the 'v' came down to her chest showing off pink lace, "um," he gulped, "how?"

She reached out and took the bottles of water and his cell phone from him, setting them on his night stand before wrapping her arms around his neck when he got closer to her, "how about second base?" She whispered in his ear.

~*~

'Second base' was a huge step for them. Noah never touched her in intimate places; he did want to, but respected her enough to let her be the one to bring it up; he never wanted to force her into anything, so for her to offer the chance to take a step, he gladly accepted and after an intense make-out session, she was left in her shorts and pink lace bra and he'd stripped down to his boxers and both were snuggled together under the covers, taking deep breaths to recover.

"You do know that all you had to do was say 'I'm sorry'; you didn't have to do this," Noah murmured, letting his hand brush over her shoulder and arm.

Rachel sat up a little and nodded, "I know," she reached out, letting her hands trail patterns over his bare chest, "I've wanted to take another step in our relationship and I was going to talk to you about it tonight, but our discussion changed and I thought I'd surprise you."

Noah shifted to sit up, staring at the pink lace bra she had on, "and what an amazing surprise it was, but I just want you to know that this wasn't necessary to talk me into accepting your apology. I respect you and never want to do something to you that you're not ready for, so I'm letting you come to me when you're ready. Intimate acts like this is your call and don't need to be used as a way to make-up for other things. We had a misunderstanding. You're allowed to be upset and we worked it out," he added pulling her into his lap as he reached for the t-shirt she'd had on, "and as much as I'd love to stare at you all day like that, I don't think we want our parents or Arin finding us like this," he said sadly.

"Yes, you're right," she agreed letting him hold it up for her as she slipped her arms into it, "and thank you, Noah. You always have been a gentleman and I feel safe with you."

He pulled her hair out from under the shirt and smiled, "good. I hope that never changes. I always want you to feel safe with me," he told her, running his hand through her brunette locks.

"Was I... I don't know what I'm doing... Is that really second base?" She asked, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"I don't know what I'm doing either," he replied truthfully, sitting in the middle of their bed, her in his lap, looking at him, "I believe that is what is referred to as 'second base'," he said kissing her gently as he let his hand trail up her stomach to rest between her breasts, "you were amazing and beautiful, don't be embarrassed."

Relaxing against his chest she nodded, "thank you, Noah," she kissed him, "I love you."

"I love you, too, babe."

~*~

The teens slept amazingly that night, but when Rachel woke up the following morning, she was caught off guard by her boyfriend; everything from his suitcases, carry-on and toiletries bag was scattered across the bed, the floor, the dressers and any other flat surface in the room, "damn it! I fucked up big time! I can't believe I forgot to put those in my luggage!" He exclaimed as he kept digging through clothes and other items.

Sitting up to look at him, Rachel raised a curious eyebrow, "Noah? What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Noah jumped a little when he heard her voice and turned around, "oh, sorry baby, did I wake you?" He asked, looking at her and rubbing his forehead.

"Um, not really, but when I woke up I heard you," she then saw his eyes and noticed how red they looked, "what's wrong?"

He sighed and moved towards her, plopping down on the bed, "I left my contacts in overnight," he said rubbing his dry eyes.

"You wear contacts?" Rachel's eyes widened, feeling horrible for not knowing.

Noah nodded, "yeah, it's not a big deal. I'm not nearsighted or farsighted, but my eyes don't focus together completely, so when I read, do something on the computer or play video games I get headaches without them from eye strain. I always wear contacts, and I have disposable ones so I just throw them away once I've worn them, but last night I got sidetracked, so I didn't go to the bathroom like I normally do before bed to take care of them," he explained.

"Oh Noah, I'm so sorry; it's all my fault---"

"Don't blame yourself, babe, this isn't the first time I've done this," he admitted, "and it won't be the last," he laughed lightly, leaning forward to kiss her, "none of this is your fault," he assured her, brushing a hand along her cheek, "I promise."

She smiled, "okay, I get it," she replied, "but... How come I didn't know you wore contacts?" She asked, "I mean... Shouldn't I have noticed?"

"Not really," he shook his head, "they are clear, so unless you see me take them out or put them in you wouldn't know. It's not a secret, I just never told you because I'm so used to doing it that it's just natural and I don't think to say something to someone I meet, but I'm going to have to," he glanced back at the mess he'd made, "because I forgot to pack my contacts."

Rachel's eyes widened, "what?"

"My contacts are made to be worn for a whole week, even to sleep in, but I don't like doing that because they still dry my eyes out. I take them out every night and it gives me about two weeks I can wear a pair before I throw them away. Since I slept in them last night, which I'm not used to doing, my eyes are red, dry and itchy, so I took them out and threw them away because I was going to rinse my eyes out and change them, but when I went to get my stuff, I realized I had my drops and the contact solution, but not the box with my contacts in them. I put new ones in the morning before we left, so I'd be good for the trip, but the box never got from my bathroom sink to my bag before we left, so I'll have to wear my glasses from now until we get home," he explained.

"Oh, Noah," Rachel leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, "that's terrible that you forgot them, but you do have your glasses, right?"

He nodded and hugged her back before getting up and moving to his desk and picked up the black glass case and returned to the bed, sitting facing her as he opened up the case and revealed the black frames. He picked them up and slid them on, looking at her to see what she thought, "how bad do I look?"

She shook her head and leaned forward, kissing him lovingly, "I think you look very handsome," she said truthfully, then moved to whisper in his ear, "and very sexy."

He groaned lightly as he held her against him, "you really think so?"

"yes, I do," she nodded lifting the frames off his face briefly to look at him and then put them back on, "you're very sexy and handsome already, but these add just another level of sexy and handsome to you. In a way, now you're like Superman. Clark Kent always wore glasses, but Superman never did, so Puck is like Superman and Noah is Clark," she explained.

"I'm Clark Kent and Superman, will you be my Lois Lane?" He asked hopeful, but he knew the answer.

"I'd love to be," she replied, kissing him. "Couldn't you have Finn stop by your house and get your contacts?"

He smirked, "yes, I could, but my eyes will still be like this for a few days, so it'll just be easier to wear my glasses for the week and by the time I get home my eyes will be fine and I can go back to contacts... Besides, hearing you think I'm sexy with them on, I might wear my glasses more often," he winked at her.

She smiled and tugged him back to bed, "come back to bed for a bit."

"Love to," he told her, crawling over her and joined her under the blankets for a little longer before they had to get up for the day.

~*~

Everyone was surprised to see Noah in glasses, but they all agreed that the glasses made him look older.

The rest of the morning was spent much like the last few days had been, doing homework and relaxing, but by noon they, along with their families were having lunch and getting ready to go to the show.

'Mamma Mia!' the movie, was a lot like the musical on Broadway, yet the stage performance did have a few more songs that wasn't in the movie, and to Noah, the movie seemed more realistic because for stage, there was more imagination needed to tell the story, where as in the movie, the locations came to life.

They had walked to the theater, so when the show ended just after six, the two families went to a nice restaurant between the condo and the theater, and after dinner, they walked back to the condo and turned in early, wanting to get up and have some time in the morning before Finn, Quinn and Carole arrived.

~*~

As Sunday's sun showed itself that morning, the cloudless sky was bright blue, even if it had a crisp air to it with the cold temperatures of late-December, but inside the condo, everyone was comfortably warm.

Doing laundry, making beds and cleaning, the time slowly got closer to Finn, Quinn and Carole's arrival. They decided with holiday travel that it wouldn't be safe for Noah to go, so Rachel and Deborah left just after noon in the limo and went to meet their friends at the airport.

"I feel so..." Rachel looked around the spacious sitting area of the limo, "I don't know... Important? I still don't think it has hit me that this is all because of Noah... He's... He's a normal person to me."

Deborah smiled, "that's a good thing. I know he loves you for that, and Ethan and I do, too. I'm really happy that he found someone who accepts him for who he is and doesn't see him as some celebrity," she paused glancing to see they were close to the airport, "I heard part of your conversation the night we watched 'Mamma Mia!'," she said.

Rachel thought back to the discussion and nodded, "okay. What part?"

"The part where your dads see Noah as part of your family and you two getting married would make it official," Deborah smiled.

"Oh, that," Rachel blushed.

"I hope you know that you are part of our family, too," Deborah smiled, "and I already see you as a daughter, so having you two get married would be amazing."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to hear," Rachel smiled looking at her.

"If you ever want to talk and don't feel comfortable talking to your dads, you're welcome to come to me about anything," Deborah told her.

Rachel looked at the woman sitting by her and smiled brightly, "thank you. I appreciate the offer and I will. I trust you and in the few months knowing you, I feel more comfortable talking to you than I have with any other woman I've ever known, so that means something, mom... Uh, can I call you that?"

"Of course you can, if you'd like," Deborah nodded, "and yes it does mean something."

Deborah slid closer to Rachel and gave her a quick hug as the limo came to a stop outside the pick-up area for the airport.

When the driver opened the door, the two slid out and walked inside to wait for the three and headed for the TV screens that were listing the flights and checked on the one from Columbus, "looks like they just landed. Perfect timing," Deborah said.

Rachel nodded and looked around; she'd been to New York before, so the airport was familiar with her and the two moved towards their flight's baggage claim and it didn't take long for Finn to appear; towering over everyone else, "I see Finn," Rachel said, motioning in his direction.

Rachel and Deborah walked towards them and Rachel grinned, "welcome to New York!"

"Hey Rachel," Finn said moving to give her a hug first, as Carole and Deborah greeted each other with hugs.

"Hello Finn, Quinn," Rachel pulled from Finn's hug and moved to Quinn, giving the Cheerio a quick hug.

"Hi, Rachel," Quinn smiled, "I saw some of the city from the air and it's huge!"

Rachel nodded, "yes, it is," she agreed, "oh, I have so much to tell you about the last few days! And we're going to have to much fun! We saved a lot of the sight-seeing until you three arrived because we want to show you around town, Quinn," Rachel explained.

Quinn nodded, "thanks. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Thanks for inviting me," she said looking at Deborah and Rachel.

Deborah smiled, "you're welcome, Quinn. We're happy to have you. Let's get your luggage and we'll head back to the condo and you guys can relax," she added, noticing the luggage began to fill the conveyor belts.

Collecting their bags once they saw them, they went out to the loading area where the limo was waiting and Quinn reacted much like Rachel had when she first saw it. Rachel giggled lightly and moved to Quinn, slipping her arm around her shoulders, "I had the same reaction. You're in Puck's world now."

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right, but wow," Quinn blushed, "Finn warned me, but I guess it didn't click," she admitted moving into the limo while Finn and the driver put their bags in the trunk.

Once Finn slid into the limo, the driver closed the door and soon they were off to the big city, amazing Quinn with the sights she'd never seen before.

~*~

Arriving at the condo, they gathered their bags. Deborah paid and tipped the driver and the group piled into the elevator and headed up to their floor, "I'm not sure if anyone has spoken to you about the sleeping arrangements, but we have a room with two beds in it; usually Finn and Carole use that room, Quinn, so you're welcome to sleep in Finn's bed, or if that is uncomfortable for you, Arin has another bed in her room you're welcome to use," Deborah said.

Quinn nodded, "thank you for the offer. Finn and I discussed it and I'll be alright with staying in his bed; I trust him," she smiled.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure," Deborah smiled in reply as the elevator stopped on their floor and the doors opened. Heading for their door, Deborah pushed it open and could hear the TV, "we're back!" She called out.

"Hey everyone, welcome to New York!" Noah greeted them as he walked out of the kitchen and over towards them.

"You wear glasses?" Quinn blurted out, seeing him in glasses for the first time ever; not counting sunglasses.

Noah laughed, but nodded, explaining his mistake, "and I know I could have had you pick them up at the house, but I have my glasses, so I'm good for now," Noah explained.

"Oh yeah, speaking of picking stuff up," Finn said, pulling open his carry-on and digging out their science book, "I figured I should probably pack it in my carry-on just in case our luggage got lost."

Rachel took the book since she was closer to Finn, "thank you for getting it, Finn," she said.

"Welcome," he smirked, having heard the whole story from his brother.

"Yeah, thanks man," Noah replied slipping his arm around Rachel's shoulder.

~*~

Once their friends had an opportunity to put their things in their room and Noah and Finn gave Quinn a quick tour of the condo, they realized they had time before it got dark, so the four teens dressed warmly and headed out to the streets of New York City. They caught a cab to Central Park and wondered around the southern area of the park where there was a man-made pond and many things to see, taking in most of the view from the Gapstow Bridge, over the pond (3).

"This is absolutely amazing," Quinn admitted, pausing a moment with her camera to really take in the view they had. "I know I keep saying this, but I really appreciate you inviting me. I know we've had our, um, issues in the past, but it really means a lot to spend this time in New York with Finn and you guys," she said looking at Noah and Rachel.

Noah nodded, "you're welcome, Quinn, and we're happy to have you. You're my brother's girlfriend and we're all friends and this," he motioned around to where they were, "is a great place for us to hang out; there is so much to see and do," he explained.

Quinn smiled, "you're right, there is," she agreed.

~*~

References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamma_Mia!
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamma_Mia!_The_Movie
3. http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/pond.html

~*~

A/N4: Noah's eye problem is the same thing I have wrong with my eyes. The type of glasses I had to wear (I don't wear them any more because with the glasses, over time the problem corrected itself), I couldn't wear them in contacts, but this is fiction, so anything is possible. I also looked up some information on contacts and you can get disposable ones that you can wear for a week straight and even sleep in or you can wear them during the day and take them out at night and they last about two weeks, so I went with something kinda in the middle. (Don't laugh, lol, but I made a quick manip of Mark with the glasses I want Noah to have. It's not the best, but you can see it here: http://pics.livejournal.com/sapphiresfic/pic/0001tfh6/)

A/N5: I hope you enjoyed. I'm sooooo sorry it's been almost three weeks since I updated last. I feel really bad. I've just been so busy and working on other fics I have going that time just got away from me. I'm only updating 'Starlight' right now and hopefully in a few days I'll have 'Out of the Blue' ready. I promise I didn't forget you.
A/N6: I've been watching the Glee episodes, even though the Finn/Rachel scenes makes me gag, but tonight's episode 'Never Been Kissed' was really good. I so knew that about Karofsky! I never said anything because I figured people would think I'm crazy, but I'm so glad I was right! I'm happy that Puck is back; that whole storyline is BS and I felt bad for him when he was in Figgins' office with Will and his probation officer, but I hope things work out so we can have Puckleberry in season 3. Puck/Rachel and Mark/Lea need to make beautiful babies together and Puck and Rachel NEED SCENES TOGETHER and Mark/Lea need to be PHOTOGRAPED TOGETHER!!! Okay, lol, enough Glee rants from EJ, lol. Mark's album 'Pipe Dreams' is AMAZING and there will be a few songs of his featured here in 'Starlight' and also in 'Out of the Blue'.
A/N7: I'm on Twitter as EJ8302. When I go to Seattle I tweet the SCCA and also post pictures of places I go, so add me and let me know you're following me so I can add you to my 'reader' list and it's also a way for you to write me. I sometimes tweet about fics or well real life, so add me!
A/N8: I'm thinking about setting up my own website; mostly to post my fics on: an archive that works if LJ or FF is down (which seems to happen about once a month). I'd still post them here, too, but I'd love to have my own website, but I'll only start one up if people would be interested in checking it out. Let me know what you think.

Note about my mom: October 29th, mom finished her last external radiation locally and on the 5th of November we went to Seattle for her first internal radiation treatment. It's a long process; the first day longer than normal, about 5 hours, so while she was at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), I drove out to Ballard 'Ethan's Town' and went to the locks, Golden Gardens and did some stuff I wanted to do; giving me a chance to relax; sight-seeing and driving relax me, so I had fun even if it was overcast and kind of raining. She had her next appointment on the 8th and it wasn't as long, but I still had about three hours, so I got some neat pictures of the Space Needle and went back out to the Golden Gardens in Ballard and got some awesome pictures. She's been feeling ill, still like she was before, but after Friday it was bad; enough that her doctor on Monday (the 8th) told her they didn't have to go through with the treatment if she didn't feel up for it, but she did go through with it. She's on some new meds to help settle her stomach and is feeling better. Her doctor is still looking at a 100% recovery and her tumor is an eight of the size it was when they started, so it's almost gone! That is amazing news! I'm doing alright. I am writing (I have two more Puckleberry fics in the works to post soon) and with work and taking care of errands for mom, I'm keeping busy. Your comments, prayers, thoughts, everything, mean so much to us! I am really sorry that it's been so long since I last posted, but I hope that will change, soon... When you guys see teal, think of us; that's the color for cervical cancer and January is cervical cancer awareness month, so I'm trying to come up with ways to celebrate; the SCCA wants to know. Do you have any? Hugs to all! Thank you and love you!

~*~