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sapphireejTitle: Returning Home, Part 6/?
Author: Sapphire (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sapphiresfic)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Puck, Rachel, Puck/Rachel, Rachel/Puck, Puckleberry
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,678
Spoilers: Up to 1x13 ~ Sectionals
Series: 'Returning Home' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Fic Table prompt: #36 - Return (table at my journal here).
Summary1: Before Beth is born, Rachel and her fathers move away abruptly. Seven years later, she returns to Lima, finding things really changed after she left. Mention of major character death... For fic table prompt #36 - Return.
Summary2: A big Thanksgiving
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, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
~*~
A/N3: AU after 1x13 ~ Sectionals.
A/N4: Puck and Rachel were Juniors in high school when Quinn was pregnant.
~*~
Puck really thought he would get caught in his 'lie', but he lucked out. He managed to get home and cover his rear, hiding the purchase from that day in his underwear drawer, knowing it only had to be a secret for a short time.
For the next three days, while Puck and Deborah worked their usual schedules and Beth and Arin were attending classes at school, Rachel spent time at her place. She didn't have any dance classes the week of Thanksgiving, so she got those days to clean and do laundry and other chores that she had been putting off since she'd been spending all her free time with the Puckermans and staying at their house at night.
~*~
Thanksgiving morning, once everyone was up and had eaten breakfast, Puck and Beth moved into the living room to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, while Rachel, Arin and Deborah began getting dinner going.
"Rachel, you don't have to help. You're welcome to go watch the parade with Noah and Beth," Deborah told her honestly.
"It's alright. I would like to help. It's... Dad and daddy have always done the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, so it'd be fun to really help out this year," Rachel admitted.
"You're more than welcome to, Rachel, but I'm not going to make you," Deborah added.
"It's the least I could do for you guys being so accepting to me being here."
Arin smiled, "having you around is freakin' awesome. I want you here."
"We all want you around, so it is no trouble to have you here," Deborah told her truthfully.
Rachel blushed, "thanks. I really like it here. The last few days being at my place, during the daytime, was so boring and cold compared to here at night. Here there are so many things to do and it makes me feel so happy and comfortable... To be honest, it feels like home."
Deborah smiled, "Noah, could you come in here for a second?" She called.
"What? Did... Did I say something wrong?" Rachel asked, confused as to why she was calling Puck.
"You didn't say anything wrong," Deborah promised her and when Puck entered the kitchen with a curious look, she motioned to the table, "have a seat you two," she said.
"What's going on?" Puck asked.
Though confused and now a little worried, Rachel sat down next to Puck, both silently waiting for Deborah to continue.
"Rachel just admitted that being here gives her the feeling of being home," Deborah started.
"You did?" Puck turned to Rachel, "really?"
Blushing even more, she nodded, "yes, I do. My place seems so cold, but being here gives me all the feelings of home, that I've always wanted."
Puck smiled brightly, leaning towards her to press a kiss to her lips, "I'm really glad you feel that way."
Relief washed over Rachel as she kissed Puck and when they parted she smiled, "home is where the heart is, right?" She asked softly.
"Damn right, it is," he agreed.
"The reason why I called you in here, Noah, is because I've been thinking a lot over the past few weeks and," Deborah paused, glancing at Arin and then back to Puck and Rachel, "it really doesn't make any sense for you, Rachel, to have your 'place' a few streets over, yet you're never there, except to switch out clothes. We love you around here and you're already part of our family and though I've only spoken briefly to Arin about this and never said anything to Noah yet, but what do you think about Rachel moving in here officially?" Deborah asked with a smile.
Rachel gasped in shock, looking at Puck, who had an equally shocked expression, "mom? Arin? Really?" Puck asked, and at their nods, he turned to Rachel, who had tears in her eyes, "baby? What do you think?"
Still stunned at the offer, she took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and nodded, "I'd love that," she admitted, getting up and moving over to Deborah to hug her. "Thank you," she told her, fighting her tears.
"Oh, sweetheart, no thanks needed. You're a part of this family now and it only makes sense," Deborah smiled, "and call me 'mom'."
Rachel nodded, "but still, thank you, mom," she smiled, turning a little to hug Arin, "little sis."
"This is awesome!" Arin admitted, grinning brightly.
"Yes it is," Rachel agreed, pulling apart from her and turning to Puck, "well, it looks like I'm moving in," she told him.
Puck pulled her into his arms and kissed her lovingly, "it's about time," he murmured against her lips, lifting his hands to wipe her eyes, "no more back and forth nights," he added, "this is going to be great!"
She nodded in agreement and hugged him tightly, her head resting against his chest as she soaked in the new step they were taking, unable to hide the excitement, "oh wow... There's so much to do! I need to call my landlord and see about my lease. Oh! I need to figure out how to move all my furniture and..."
"I have one more idea," Deborah said, cutting Rachel's list off.
"What's that, mom?" Puck asked with a grin.
"Well, Noah, you've lived in your bedroom since your sister was born and to be honest, you've grown out of it. Actually you grew out of it when you started high school, but now that Rachel will be moving in and it's obvious that you two will be sharing a bed, it's even smaller for two."
Arin smirked, "they'd never sleep apart."
"Arin!" Deborah glared at her.
"What? It's the truth," Arin replied.
Deborah blushed lightly, turning back to Puck and Rachel, "I get when you graduated high school and since then, it's just been you in your room and you've done okay, but you're the only man in this house and it only makes sense for you to have a private bathroom. Also, you need more space. With Rachel moving in, you two would not last long in that small room, so I'm offering to switch rooms and this time, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. You two will take the master bedroom. It has a lot more space for clothes, furniture and it does have a private bathroom, so you guys don't need to get dressed just to run across the hall in the middle of the night. Okay?" Deborah said, looking at them.
Puck thought for a few moments before he nodded, "yeah, I get it. You're right. We should have switched years ago, but I guess I never thought about it that way. Okay. We'll switch."
"Good," Deborah nodded, "now, with that settled, let's get going on dinner. We've got a lot to celebrate tonight," she said with a smile.
"Yes we do," Puck agreed, grinning at Rachel before moving to wrap his arms around his mom, "I love you, mom."
"I love you too, sweetheart," Deborah replied, kissing his cheek.
Hearing the commotion in the kitchen and curious what was being talked about, Beth got up and went to check it out, "what's going on?"
Rachel smiled at Beth, "guess what!"
"What?" Beth raised a curious eyebrow, an expression that made her look even more like her dad.
"I'm moving in," Rachel told her with a grin.
"You are?" Beth gasped, looking at her and then to her dad, aunt and grandma to see them nod, confirming what Rachel just told her. "That's awesome!" Beth exclaimed, moving over and throwing her arms around Rachel's waist.
Rachel hugged her, "yes it is," she agreed, feeling Puck slip his arms around her from behind.
"Welcome home," he murmured in her ear.
"Good to be home," she agreed.
~*~
For a long while, everyone remained in the kitchen, but as soon as noon chimed on the clock, Puck moved into the living room, ready to watch the first of several football games on TV that day.
"Daddy?" Beth asked, sitting next to him on the couch.
"Yeah, sweetheart?" He glanced at her.
"If grandma is your mom and Rachel is gonna be like my mommy, does that mean that her dads are going to be like my grandpas?" She asked curiously.
Surprised at her question, but knowing she was smarter than many kids her age, he thought hard about how he wanted to answer. "They could be," he nodded, "but do you know how it's a big decision for you to start calling Rachel 'mom'?" He asked and at her nod, he continued, "well, it's kind of the same thing. It's a big deal and sometimes, it's not easily decided," he explained, looking at her, hoping she got it.
"Okay," she nodded, "I don't have a grandpa, so I think it'd be cool to have two," she admitted.
Puck smiled and pulled her into his lap and hugged her, "you just might get them. You're an amazing girl and once they get to know you, I'm sure they'll love you," he smiled.
"Really?" Beth looked at him, smiling.
"Really," he nodded, kissing her cheek.
"Thanks, daddy. I love you," she shifted a little and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Puck returned her hug, "I love you, too, baby girl," he smiled, "I always will."
Rachel hadn't meant to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she had just gotten off the phone with her dads, giving them directions from her house to the Puckerman's and was coming into the living room to let them know they were on their way over, when she heard Puck and Beth's conversation. Waiting until they pulled apart, she made herself known, moving over to them on the couch and took a seat on Puck's other side, "hey," she she said softly.
"Hey babe," Puck turned a little and kissed her cheek.
She smiled, "my dads are on their way over from my house. They should be here in a few minutes," she explained. "I also heard your conversation," she added, looking at Beth and Puck.
"You did?" Beth asked, "do you think your dads will like me?" She asked curiously.
"Actually, I think they'll love you," Rachel admitted, "just like I do."
Beth smiled brightly, "really?"
"Yep," Rachel nodded and reached over a little, hugging her.
Though they were hugging, as soon as someone rang the doorbell, Beth pulled away, "I'll get it!" She exclaimed, jumping up and running to the door.
Puck and Rachel exchanged glances and got up, following her to the door, "Beth, let someone else answer the door," Puck said, "you don't know who is going to be on the other side."
The young girl rolled her eyes and pulled it open, "I know, daddy, but see! It's Rachel's dads," she motioned outside, "hi!"
"This time it is someone you know, but next time it might not be. Don't be running to answer the door unless someone is with you," Puck replied looking at Alan and David, "hey guys, come in," Puck added.
The two men stepped inside and Rachel closed the door, "hey dad, daddy!" Rachel smiled, hugging each of them, "did you find the place okay?"
"Yeah, we did. Your car was out front," Alan admitted, "so it was really easy," he added.
She grinned, "I hope so, because I'm moving in."
"You are? When did this happen?" David asked curiously.
"Earlier today. Deborah brought it up and I agreed," she admitted.
"Mom beat me to it," Puck said, hanging up their jackets in the hallway closet.
Alan nodded, "yes, true, but you would have talked to her about it anyway, right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Puck agreed with a nod.
"Hey Beth, we have something for you," David said, holding out a Thanksgiving gift bag.
"You do?" Beth stepped forward and took the bag, "what is it?"
Alan laughed lightly, "open it and find out."
Beth grinned and pulled the tissue paper out that was covering the top and pulled out a large stuffed toy turkey, wearing a Pilgrim hat, with black and white striped wings, orange feet, a brown body and a brown and red tail fanned out behind him, "wow! This is so cool!" She exclaimed, hugging it to her, "thank you!" She moved to Alan, hugging him and then hugged David.
"You're welcome, kiddo. We thought you'd like it," David told her with a smile.
She nodded, "I love stuffed animals!"
Everyone smiled at Beth's comment and they moved into the kitchen so Alan and David could greet Arin and Deborah and soon the guys and Beth were in the living room watching the football game, while Rachel, Deborah and Arin continued to work on dinner.
Beth only lasted about thirty minutes into the game before she got bored, so she went up to her room with her new stuffed animal tucked under her arm and left the three dads in the living room and now the Berrys had a chance to talk to Puck.
"I take it you haven't asked," David said softly.
Puck shook his head, "no. After dinner," he replied, keeping his voice low.
"Are you nervous?" Alan asked.
"Yes," Puck nodded, "but not as much, now that I know she's moving in."
Alan glanced up to make sure Rachel wasn't in the room, "she'll say 'yes'," he told him.
"I hope so," Puck replied.
~*~
After David and Alan's arrival, time seemed to speed up and it wasn't long before dinner was ready and Deborah, Arin and Rachel were setting the table.
"I'll go get Beth," Puck said, getting up from the couch. Making his way upstairs, he moved down the hallway to her room, "hey sweetheart, dinner is ready," he said, peeking in and seeing she was coloring in one of her color books.
"Okay," she put her crayon down and stood up, moving towards the door, "I'm hungry."
"Me too," he agreed, "I'll be down in a second," he added, watching her walk towards the stairs. Once he was sure she was downstairs, Puck moved into his room and dug out the ring box he'd stashed in his drawer a few days prior and opened it, smiling at the ring. "I can't wait to see her wearing this," he thought, closing the lid and pocketing the box. Knowing if he was gone too long, someone would come looking for him, he headed back downstairs and when he reached the dinning room, he found everyone seated at the table, with a spot between Rachel and Beth, so he slid into it, "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," he said with a smile. "I have a lot to be thankful for this year," he added, looking at Rachel.
Rachel blushed, "me too," she agreed, leaning towards him to press a kiss to his lips.
Deborah, David and Alan exchanged glances, "would everyone like to do say something they're thankful for before we eat?" Deborah asked.
"I'm thankful we found Rachel," Beth smiled.
"Me too," Arin agreed, smiling across the table at Rachel.
Rachel ducked her head and blushed, wiping her eyes, "you guys are going to make me cry," she murmured.
"We're thankful to see our daughter so happy," David said.
"And to welcome new people into our family," Alan added.
"I agree with that. I'm thankful to see my son as happy as he is," Deborah replied.
Wiping her eyes again, Rachel smiled, "I'm really thankful to have found you all, too. This past month has been amazing and I know it's only going to get better the longer I'm here," she said, "I wouldn't change a thing about what has happened," she added.
"I would," Puck said calmly, a smirk on his face.
"What? You would? What would you change?" Rachel looked at him, confused.
Puck had wanted to wait until after dinner, figuring they'd have this conversation just before dessert, but as it turned out they had it before dinner, so he turned a little to Rachel and took her hand in his, "what I would change is how long it took for us to get back together. I should have never let you go when you left, or at least, I should have kept in touch with you. Sure, you can say that we were teenagers and it happens all the time, but I've loved you since high school, but I was too stubborn to admit it then. It's taken me a long time to find you and I'm not letting you go again," he paused, taking a deep breath and then stood up, pulling the box from his pocket and knelt down on one knee, "Rachel, I love you and I'm never letting you go again," he opened the box and showed her the white gold and three-stone diamond ring, "will you marry us?" He asked, glancing at Beth briefly, before returning his gaze to Rachel.
As soon as he'd started talking, Rachel's stomach filled with nervous butterflies. When he asked the simple, yet meaningful four-word question, she gasped and tears fell from her eyes, especially because he said 'us', as in him and Beth; not using the traditional 'me'. "Yes, I will!" She smiled brightly and nodded, seeing the sparkling ring staring up at her.
With a happy grin, he pulled the ring from the box and took her left hand, sliding it onto her finger and then pulled her into his arms, "I love you so much," he murmured.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, "I love you, too. This is amazing," she pressed a kiss to his lips, but pulled back to look at the ring, "it's beautiful," she told him honestly. "I love it."
"I'm glad," he replied, "I saw it and knew right away it was the right one."
"It is," she agreed, turning to their family and seeing the smiles on her dads' faces, "did you guys know?"
"We may have known for a few days," Alan commented casually.
"I wanted their blessing," Puck explained, "thank you, guys," he said, moving towards them and holding out his hand.
"We're happy to have you as part of our family," David said shaking his hand, "and that goes for Beth, Arin and Deborah, too," he added, smiling at them.
"Really?" Beth asked, looking at them and then turned to her dad, "what did you just do? Was that a proposal?" She asked, remembering the conversation they had about it before.
"It was," Puck nodded, "it means that Rachel and I are engaged."
Rachel moved over to Beth and smiled, "it means that your daddy and I will get married soon and I can officially be your mom, if you want me to be," she told her.
"Of course I do," Beth replied, hugging Rachel.
"Me too," Rachel agreed, kissing her cheek.
"And Beth," Alan started, "that means we'll also be your grandpas, if you're interested."
Beth pulled from Rachel and smiled, "that'd be awesome!" She exclaimed, moving over and hugging the two men.
Puck smiled and looked at Rachel, then his mom and sister who were both smiling. Arin wore an 'I knew it!' smirk, while Deborah had tears in her eyes from the happiness of the situation. Deborah stood up and moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "I love you, Noah."
"I love you, too, mom," Puck replied, kissing her cheek.
She smiled and turned to Rachel, "and if we're on the topic of being parents, as I said earlier, you're welcome to call me 'mom' and you're part of this family. I see you as a daughter, so this makes it all the more official," she explained.
Rachel felt like another part of her was filled in; she never missed a female figure in her life until she hit her teens and really started going through the womanly changes. Her dads were familiar with them, because they had moms and sisters, but they didn't experience it the same way, so all three Berrys were learning as they went along. She always wanted a mom or an older sister in her life that could help guide her through some of the mysterious steps a woman takes, and even though she was in her twenties, she knew she had plenty of growing to do and experiences coming up that she was extremely happy to have Deborah be there for her, "I'd love that, mom," she agreed, smiling brightly as she hugged her.
Deborah returned Rachel's smile and as they pulled away, Arin hugged Rachel, "welcome to the family, sis," Arin said.
"Thanks, sis," Rachel replied with a grin.
~*~
With the excitement that happened before dinner, the actual meal was full of happy conversations and compliments for the excellent food. Not only did they have the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, they also made some familiar Jewish dishes that they loved, but only made for special occasions.
Rachel couldn't help glancing at her ring; she felt like she was dreaming and at some point, she'd wake up and it would all be gone, but every time she looked at it and saw the diamonds sparkling back at her, she knew it all was real and that made her smile.
As dinner ended, everyone helped clean up the dishes and soon they were sitting down in the living room letting their meal settle, before they moved on to dessert.
"I have a question for you guys," David started.
"What's that, daddy?" Rachel asked.
"Do you all celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or both?"
"Well, we, as the Puckermans, only celebrate Hanukkah, but Beth and I go down to Columbus on Christmas Day to have dinner with Quinn's family," Puck explained.
"What kind of time off do you guys get at the holidays?" Alan asked, looking at Deborah and Puck.
"I usually only take a few days off, but if I ask for it, I've got plenty of leave to take," Deborah said.
"Why are you asking about time off?" Rachel questioned, confused.
The two men smiled, "well, we were kind of thinking about a family vacation, as in over the Christmas Break, while the girls are out of school," David said.
Rachel eyed them, "what kind of family vacation?"
"The character theme park in California," Alan smiled, trying not to say the actual name, in case they weren't interested in going.
"Really?" Puck's mouth fell open in shock, "we don't have a lot of..."
"We wouldn't expect you to pay. We have enough points built up for all of us to fly free and the same with our hotels, so aside from food and souvenirs, most everything else would be covered," David told them.
"And we were going to offer this before we found out that Noah was going to propose, so it has nothing to do with that, but we thought it'd be a great way to get a chance for us all to go have some family bonding time. It is short notice and we are hoping we could take a week or so, but if this break doesn't work, we could always do it another time," Alan added.
"I'm in," Arin said with a grin.
The room laughed lightly at her eagerness and David continued, "we know it's a big decision and a lot of things need to be scheduled soon if we want to go over the kids' Winter Break, but it can happen, if you three will be able to get the time off," he said, looking over at Puck, Deborah and Rachel, "and you don't have to answer now, but we are here for the weekend, so if you guys do decide you're up for the trip, we can start planning out details now," he added.
"I'd love to go," Rachel said, "and I think it'd would be fun for all of us to go as a family."
"Me too," Puck agreed, "I'll talk to Finn and Burt. I'm sure they'll be okay if I took some time off. I never do."
Deborah thought for a moment, "I think it's a great idea," she admitted, "if we can figure out when we'd like to go, I can request the time off tomorrow when I go to work. I've got plenty of leave, so I'm sure they won't hesitate giving me the time off," she explained.
Rachel grinned, "the dance studio is closed the two weeks of Winter Break, since most of our students are on school's break, too, and many of them are not in the area for the holidays, so I know I'll have the time off."
"Well, it looks like we're going to Disneyland," Puck commented, looking at Alan and David to see them nod in agreement.
"Disneyland?" Beth gasped, "we're going there?"
"Yes, it seems like it," Rachel said with a smile, "do you like that idea?"
She nodded, "it's an awesome idea!" She said, hopping up on the couch, "when are we going?" She asked.
"I think we're going to figure that out right now," Rachel commented.
~*~
After some time talking about when Beth and Arin were out of school for the break, they looked at a calendar and since Christmas and New Year's Day both fell on a Monday and Hanukkah started two weeks prior to Christmas, they decided to go between Christmas and New Year's Day, giving Beth an opportunity to see her other grandma on Christmas Day and they still had a week in California before they had to return, and be back by the second so Arin and Beth could get back to school.
Since they were still talking, Arin took Beth upstairs to help her get a bath and get ready for bed, so they were out of the room, leaving the adults there, still talking about plans.
"Okay, wait a second," Puck groaned, taking a swig of his beer. They'd been discussing the trip for a while and he had a great idea, but he hadn't had a chance to say it yet, "you guys keep making this sound like Beth and I, or Beth, Rachel and I have to go to Columbus on Christmas Day," he started.
"Well, you've done it every year, since she was a year old," Deborah said.
"I'm not saying we wouldn't go at all; we just wouldn't go on the actual day. Look," he took a deep breath and looked around, "if Hanukkah is over in the middle of the week and Friday is the last day of school, I think I have an idea," he said.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
"Usually the last day of school is spent in parties and nothing much else and you guys live in Columbus, so I think, Arin and Beth should miss that day of school and we load our cars with what we're taking to California and Beth, Rachel, mom, Arin and I, drive down Friday. Then I'll make plans for Beth and I or, Rachel, Beth and I, to go to Judy's place to have a small gathering with Quinn's family, for their gift exchange and all that and then we fly out of Columbus on Saturday. That puts us in Cali before Christmas, we have at least a week to spend there and can get back before New Year's Eve. I really don't want to get back here the day before they go back to school," Puck explained, looking around to see what everyone thought of his idea.
"That's a really good idea," David agreed, "do you think Judy would be alright with making plans like that?"
Puck shrugged, "she just wants to see Beth at the holiday and if she knows it's because she's getting a chance to go to Disneyland on Christmas, I don't think she'll care and if she does, I don't give a shit. If we make plans, we're sticking to them and if she doesn't like it, then tough. She'll just have to deal with it," he commented.
"Noah!" Rachel snapped at him, "that's not nice."
He rolled his eyes, "look, I'm still pissed that they, as in Quinn's parents, tried to take Beth away when she was born. Judy needs to understand that I make the rules and she will never have my complete trust because of what they pulled. If Quinn's family wants to see Beth, then they'll have to deal with my terms. We are making plans, as a family, to go out-of-state for a week, so we can't just fly back here on Christmas Day to have dinner with her grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins. We can do that before we leave, or after we get back," Puck explained. "They know that Beth is being raised with the Jewish faith, but we respect Quinn's non-Jewish religion so she can share that part with Quinn's family and they also accept that Beth is being raised that way. Beth is also getting to an age where she can make her own decisions and she doesn't want to see Judy that much, either, so I'm respecting Beth's wishes, too. I'm not going to force my daughter to go see her grandma, just because Judy wants to see her."
"When you put it that way, it does make sense," David said, "Beth is at that age and if she doesn't want to see Judy, then you can't force her to."
Puck nodded, "exactly. I don't want to make her do something she doesn't want to do. I mean, she doesn't see her a lot, but has asked to see Beth around Christmas. We always went on Christmas Day because mom, Beth, Arin and I don't do anything special, but it's just a few days difference, so it's not going to be a big deal," he told them, "and like I said, if it is, they'll just have to deal with it," he added, wanting to get off that subject before Beth came back downstairs and heard them talking about that.
Rachel thought for a few moments, "alright. You are right, but I guess... I don't want Judy to blame me for the change in schedule," she murmured.
"She won't," Puck promised, "she may be a little shocked to find out I'm engaged after only starting to date someone, but when she actually meets you and has a chance to talk to you, she'll understand," he assured her. "Don't worry about this."
"Okay," Rachel nodded, leaning over to kiss him, "I still can't believe you proposed. I was so not expecting it," she said, looking at her ring again.
"Good, I didn't want you to," he replied, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
~*~
Agreeing on the dates that Puck suggested, Deborah promised to ask for the time off the next day, and Arin and Beth finally came back downstairs, both dressed in their pajamas. Beth was tired, so she said 'goodnight' to Deborah, Arin, Alan and David and Puck and Rachel headed upstairs to help tuck her into bed.
Rachel pulled the blankets back on Beth's bed, "alright, kiddo, crawl on in."
Beth climbed into bed and laid back, "will you sing to me tonight, Rachel?"
"Of course," Rachel laid the blankets around her as Puck tucked her favorite stuffed animal and the new one she just got from Alan and David next to her, then tucked her blankets around her as Rachel sat down, "the usual?" Rachel asked, feeling Puck sit down behind her on the bed.
"Yes please," Beth nodded.
Rachel sang 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' to Beth, and as she finished, she leaned over and kissed her forehead, "goodnight, Beth. Sweet dreams. I love you," she whispered to her.
Beth smiled, "love you, too, Rachel. Goodnight."
When Rachel stood up and moved to the door, Puck slid closer to Beth, leaning over to kiss her forehead and adjust one of her stuffed animals, "goodnight baby girl. I love you," he smiled.
"Love you, too, daddy," Beth replied, snuggling down in her blankets and pillows.
Puck got up and moved to the door, turning off the light and letting her nightlight fill the room, "see you in the morning."
"Okay," Beth said softly.
Reaching for the doorknob, he pulled the door closed, and he and Rachel headed downstairs to find her dads getting ready to leave, "leaving so soon?" Rachel asked.
"Well, we had an early day and the long drive up, so we're going to head back to your place and get ready for bed, too," Alan said.
"Oh, alright," she hugged both of them, "you're coming back tomorrow, right?"
"Of course," David told her, "we'll be over before Deborah goes to work."
Saying goodnight to to everyone, Alan and David left the Puckerman's and then Deborah got ready for bed herself, since she had to work the next day, leaving Puck, Rachel and Arin up.
"I think we'll head to bed, too," Puck commented.
"Yeah, okay. Some how I don't think you two will be sleeping," Arin smirked.
Rachel's cheeks warmed with a deep blush, but didn't really respond to that, "goodnight, Arin," she said, taking Puck's hand and led him to the stairs.
"Night!" Puck called out, letting Rachel guide him and once they reached their room, he closed the door and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, "about time I can get you alone," he murmured.
Rachel kissed him deeply, "I know the feeling," she agreed. "We're engaged!" She exclaimed happily.
"We are," he nodded, guiding her to the bed, "you do not know how nervous I was to ask you, but then when mom asked you to move in and you agreed, it seemed so much easier; I guess because I knew you wanted to move in, so getting engaged was the next step," he told her honestly.
She brushed her hand across his cheek, "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she replied.
"I love you, too," he said smiling, "wanna celebrate?"
Rachel grinned and nodded, "oh yes I do," she agreed.
~*~
Beth's gift from Alan and David:
Found at: http://www.stuffedark.com/turkeystar.htm?source=ssdf
Rachel's engagement ring:
Found at: http://www.kay.com
~*~
A/N5: Yay! An update! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I promise it won't be as long before the next update. I'm still jobless and have been working on about six different stories, my four WIPs and two new ones, that will be posted after 'Returning Home' and 'Broken Road' have been completed. I do apologize for the lack of updates. I have gotten an update to 'Out of the Blue', 'Starlight' and 'Broken Road' out, so this is the last of four and hope to update again soon. Thanks for sticking with me in all this! Love you all!
A/N6: Happy Glee day! For those of you that live in the US, Glee returns tonight (4/19).
~*~
Author: Sapphire (
sapphiresfic)Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Puck, Rachel, Puck/Rachel, Rachel/Puck, Puckleberry
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,678
Spoilers: Up to 1x13 ~ Sectionals
Series: 'Returning Home' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Fic Table prompt: #36 - Return (table at my journal here).
Summary1: Before Beth is born, Rachel and her fathers move away abruptly. Seven years later, she returns to Lima, finding things really changed after she left. Mention of major character death... For fic table prompt #36 - Return.
Summary2: A big Thanksgiving
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, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
~*~
A/N3: AU after 1x13 ~ Sectionals.
A/N4: Puck and Rachel were Juniors in high school when Quinn was pregnant.
~*~
Puck really thought he would get caught in his 'lie', but he lucked out. He managed to get home and cover his rear, hiding the purchase from that day in his underwear drawer, knowing it only had to be a secret for a short time.
For the next three days, while Puck and Deborah worked their usual schedules and Beth and Arin were attending classes at school, Rachel spent time at her place. She didn't have any dance classes the week of Thanksgiving, so she got those days to clean and do laundry and other chores that she had been putting off since she'd been spending all her free time with the Puckermans and staying at their house at night.
~*~
Thanksgiving morning, once everyone was up and had eaten breakfast, Puck and Beth moved into the living room to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, while Rachel, Arin and Deborah began getting dinner going.
"Rachel, you don't have to help. You're welcome to go watch the parade with Noah and Beth," Deborah told her honestly.
"It's alright. I would like to help. It's... Dad and daddy have always done the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, so it'd be fun to really help out this year," Rachel admitted.
"You're more than welcome to, Rachel, but I'm not going to make you," Deborah added.
"It's the least I could do for you guys being so accepting to me being here."
Arin smiled, "having you around is freakin' awesome. I want you here."
"We all want you around, so it is no trouble to have you here," Deborah told her truthfully.
Rachel blushed, "thanks. I really like it here. The last few days being at my place, during the daytime, was so boring and cold compared to here at night. Here there are so many things to do and it makes me feel so happy and comfortable... To be honest, it feels like home."
Deborah smiled, "Noah, could you come in here for a second?" She called.
"What? Did... Did I say something wrong?" Rachel asked, confused as to why she was calling Puck.
"You didn't say anything wrong," Deborah promised her and when Puck entered the kitchen with a curious look, she motioned to the table, "have a seat you two," she said.
"What's going on?" Puck asked.
Though confused and now a little worried, Rachel sat down next to Puck, both silently waiting for Deborah to continue.
"Rachel just admitted that being here gives her the feeling of being home," Deborah started.
"You did?" Puck turned to Rachel, "really?"
Blushing even more, she nodded, "yes, I do. My place seems so cold, but being here gives me all the feelings of home, that I've always wanted."
Puck smiled brightly, leaning towards her to press a kiss to her lips, "I'm really glad you feel that way."
Relief washed over Rachel as she kissed Puck and when they parted she smiled, "home is where the heart is, right?" She asked softly.
"Damn right, it is," he agreed.
"The reason why I called you in here, Noah, is because I've been thinking a lot over the past few weeks and," Deborah paused, glancing at Arin and then back to Puck and Rachel, "it really doesn't make any sense for you, Rachel, to have your 'place' a few streets over, yet you're never there, except to switch out clothes. We love you around here and you're already part of our family and though I've only spoken briefly to Arin about this and never said anything to Noah yet, but what do you think about Rachel moving in here officially?" Deborah asked with a smile.
Rachel gasped in shock, looking at Puck, who had an equally shocked expression, "mom? Arin? Really?" Puck asked, and at their nods, he turned to Rachel, who had tears in her eyes, "baby? What do you think?"
Still stunned at the offer, she took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and nodded, "I'd love that," she admitted, getting up and moving over to Deborah to hug her. "Thank you," she told her, fighting her tears.
"Oh, sweetheart, no thanks needed. You're a part of this family now and it only makes sense," Deborah smiled, "and call me 'mom'."
Rachel nodded, "but still, thank you, mom," she smiled, turning a little to hug Arin, "little sis."
"This is awesome!" Arin admitted, grinning brightly.
"Yes it is," Rachel agreed, pulling apart from her and turning to Puck, "well, it looks like I'm moving in," she told him.
Puck pulled her into his arms and kissed her lovingly, "it's about time," he murmured against her lips, lifting his hands to wipe her eyes, "no more back and forth nights," he added, "this is going to be great!"
She nodded in agreement and hugged him tightly, her head resting against his chest as she soaked in the new step they were taking, unable to hide the excitement, "oh wow... There's so much to do! I need to call my landlord and see about my lease. Oh! I need to figure out how to move all my furniture and..."
"I have one more idea," Deborah said, cutting Rachel's list off.
"What's that, mom?" Puck asked with a grin.
"Well, Noah, you've lived in your bedroom since your sister was born and to be honest, you've grown out of it. Actually you grew out of it when you started high school, but now that Rachel will be moving in and it's obvious that you two will be sharing a bed, it's even smaller for two."
Arin smirked, "they'd never sleep apart."
"Arin!" Deborah glared at her.
"What? It's the truth," Arin replied.
Deborah blushed lightly, turning back to Puck and Rachel, "I get when you graduated high school and since then, it's just been you in your room and you've done okay, but you're the only man in this house and it only makes sense for you to have a private bathroom. Also, you need more space. With Rachel moving in, you two would not last long in that small room, so I'm offering to switch rooms and this time, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. You two will take the master bedroom. It has a lot more space for clothes, furniture and it does have a private bathroom, so you guys don't need to get dressed just to run across the hall in the middle of the night. Okay?" Deborah said, looking at them.
Puck thought for a few moments before he nodded, "yeah, I get it. You're right. We should have switched years ago, but I guess I never thought about it that way. Okay. We'll switch."
"Good," Deborah nodded, "now, with that settled, let's get going on dinner. We've got a lot to celebrate tonight," she said with a smile.
"Yes we do," Puck agreed, grinning at Rachel before moving to wrap his arms around his mom, "I love you, mom."
"I love you too, sweetheart," Deborah replied, kissing his cheek.
Hearing the commotion in the kitchen and curious what was being talked about, Beth got up and went to check it out, "what's going on?"
Rachel smiled at Beth, "guess what!"
"What?" Beth raised a curious eyebrow, an expression that made her look even more like her dad.
"I'm moving in," Rachel told her with a grin.
"You are?" Beth gasped, looking at her and then to her dad, aunt and grandma to see them nod, confirming what Rachel just told her. "That's awesome!" Beth exclaimed, moving over and throwing her arms around Rachel's waist.
Rachel hugged her, "yes it is," she agreed, feeling Puck slip his arms around her from behind.
"Welcome home," he murmured in her ear.
"Good to be home," she agreed.
~*~
For a long while, everyone remained in the kitchen, but as soon as noon chimed on the clock, Puck moved into the living room, ready to watch the first of several football games on TV that day.
"Daddy?" Beth asked, sitting next to him on the couch.
"Yeah, sweetheart?" He glanced at her.
"If grandma is your mom and Rachel is gonna be like my mommy, does that mean that her dads are going to be like my grandpas?" She asked curiously.
Surprised at her question, but knowing she was smarter than many kids her age, he thought hard about how he wanted to answer. "They could be," he nodded, "but do you know how it's a big decision for you to start calling Rachel 'mom'?" He asked and at her nod, he continued, "well, it's kind of the same thing. It's a big deal and sometimes, it's not easily decided," he explained, looking at her, hoping she got it.
"Okay," she nodded, "I don't have a grandpa, so I think it'd be cool to have two," she admitted.
Puck smiled and pulled her into his lap and hugged her, "you just might get them. You're an amazing girl and once they get to know you, I'm sure they'll love you," he smiled.
"Really?" Beth looked at him, smiling.
"Really," he nodded, kissing her cheek.
"Thanks, daddy. I love you," she shifted a little and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Puck returned her hug, "I love you, too, baby girl," he smiled, "I always will."
Rachel hadn't meant to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she had just gotten off the phone with her dads, giving them directions from her house to the Puckerman's and was coming into the living room to let them know they were on their way over, when she heard Puck and Beth's conversation. Waiting until they pulled apart, she made herself known, moving over to them on the couch and took a seat on Puck's other side, "hey," she she said softly.
"Hey babe," Puck turned a little and kissed her cheek.
She smiled, "my dads are on their way over from my house. They should be here in a few minutes," she explained. "I also heard your conversation," she added, looking at Beth and Puck.
"You did?" Beth asked, "do you think your dads will like me?" She asked curiously.
"Actually, I think they'll love you," Rachel admitted, "just like I do."
Beth smiled brightly, "really?"
"Yep," Rachel nodded and reached over a little, hugging her.
Though they were hugging, as soon as someone rang the doorbell, Beth pulled away, "I'll get it!" She exclaimed, jumping up and running to the door.
Puck and Rachel exchanged glances and got up, following her to the door, "Beth, let someone else answer the door," Puck said, "you don't know who is going to be on the other side."
The young girl rolled her eyes and pulled it open, "I know, daddy, but see! It's Rachel's dads," she motioned outside, "hi!"
"This time it is someone you know, but next time it might not be. Don't be running to answer the door unless someone is with you," Puck replied looking at Alan and David, "hey guys, come in," Puck added.
The two men stepped inside and Rachel closed the door, "hey dad, daddy!" Rachel smiled, hugging each of them, "did you find the place okay?"
"Yeah, we did. Your car was out front," Alan admitted, "so it was really easy," he added.
She grinned, "I hope so, because I'm moving in."
"You are? When did this happen?" David asked curiously.
"Earlier today. Deborah brought it up and I agreed," she admitted.
"Mom beat me to it," Puck said, hanging up their jackets in the hallway closet.
Alan nodded, "yes, true, but you would have talked to her about it anyway, right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Puck agreed with a nod.
"Hey Beth, we have something for you," David said, holding out a Thanksgiving gift bag.
"You do?" Beth stepped forward and took the bag, "what is it?"
Alan laughed lightly, "open it and find out."
Beth grinned and pulled the tissue paper out that was covering the top and pulled out a large stuffed toy turkey, wearing a Pilgrim hat, with black and white striped wings, orange feet, a brown body and a brown and red tail fanned out behind him, "wow! This is so cool!" She exclaimed, hugging it to her, "thank you!" She moved to Alan, hugging him and then hugged David.
"You're welcome, kiddo. We thought you'd like it," David told her with a smile.
She nodded, "I love stuffed animals!"
Everyone smiled at Beth's comment and they moved into the kitchen so Alan and David could greet Arin and Deborah and soon the guys and Beth were in the living room watching the football game, while Rachel, Deborah and Arin continued to work on dinner.
Beth only lasted about thirty minutes into the game before she got bored, so she went up to her room with her new stuffed animal tucked under her arm and left the three dads in the living room and now the Berrys had a chance to talk to Puck.
"I take it you haven't asked," David said softly.
Puck shook his head, "no. After dinner," he replied, keeping his voice low.
"Are you nervous?" Alan asked.
"Yes," Puck nodded, "but not as much, now that I know she's moving in."
Alan glanced up to make sure Rachel wasn't in the room, "she'll say 'yes'," he told him.
"I hope so," Puck replied.
~*~
After David and Alan's arrival, time seemed to speed up and it wasn't long before dinner was ready and Deborah, Arin and Rachel were setting the table.
"I'll go get Beth," Puck said, getting up from the couch. Making his way upstairs, he moved down the hallway to her room, "hey sweetheart, dinner is ready," he said, peeking in and seeing she was coloring in one of her color books.
"Okay," she put her crayon down and stood up, moving towards the door, "I'm hungry."
"Me too," he agreed, "I'll be down in a second," he added, watching her walk towards the stairs. Once he was sure she was downstairs, Puck moved into his room and dug out the ring box he'd stashed in his drawer a few days prior and opened it, smiling at the ring. "I can't wait to see her wearing this," he thought, closing the lid and pocketing the box. Knowing if he was gone too long, someone would come looking for him, he headed back downstairs and when he reached the dinning room, he found everyone seated at the table, with a spot between Rachel and Beth, so he slid into it, "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," he said with a smile. "I have a lot to be thankful for this year," he added, looking at Rachel.
Rachel blushed, "me too," she agreed, leaning towards him to press a kiss to his lips.
Deborah, David and Alan exchanged glances, "would everyone like to do say something they're thankful for before we eat?" Deborah asked.
"I'm thankful we found Rachel," Beth smiled.
"Me too," Arin agreed, smiling across the table at Rachel.
Rachel ducked her head and blushed, wiping her eyes, "you guys are going to make me cry," she murmured.
"We're thankful to see our daughter so happy," David said.
"And to welcome new people into our family," Alan added.
"I agree with that. I'm thankful to see my son as happy as he is," Deborah replied.
Wiping her eyes again, Rachel smiled, "I'm really thankful to have found you all, too. This past month has been amazing and I know it's only going to get better the longer I'm here," she said, "I wouldn't change a thing about what has happened," she added.
"I would," Puck said calmly, a smirk on his face.
"What? You would? What would you change?" Rachel looked at him, confused.
Puck had wanted to wait until after dinner, figuring they'd have this conversation just before dessert, but as it turned out they had it before dinner, so he turned a little to Rachel and took her hand in his, "what I would change is how long it took for us to get back together. I should have never let you go when you left, or at least, I should have kept in touch with you. Sure, you can say that we were teenagers and it happens all the time, but I've loved you since high school, but I was too stubborn to admit it then. It's taken me a long time to find you and I'm not letting you go again," he paused, taking a deep breath and then stood up, pulling the box from his pocket and knelt down on one knee, "Rachel, I love you and I'm never letting you go again," he opened the box and showed her the white gold and three-stone diamond ring, "will you marry us?" He asked, glancing at Beth briefly, before returning his gaze to Rachel.
As soon as he'd started talking, Rachel's stomach filled with nervous butterflies. When he asked the simple, yet meaningful four-word question, she gasped and tears fell from her eyes, especially because he said 'us', as in him and Beth; not using the traditional 'me'. "Yes, I will!" She smiled brightly and nodded, seeing the sparkling ring staring up at her.
With a happy grin, he pulled the ring from the box and took her left hand, sliding it onto her finger and then pulled her into his arms, "I love you so much," he murmured.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, "I love you, too. This is amazing," she pressed a kiss to his lips, but pulled back to look at the ring, "it's beautiful," she told him honestly. "I love it."
"I'm glad," he replied, "I saw it and knew right away it was the right one."
"It is," she agreed, turning to their family and seeing the smiles on her dads' faces, "did you guys know?"
"We may have known for a few days," Alan commented casually.
"I wanted their blessing," Puck explained, "thank you, guys," he said, moving towards them and holding out his hand.
"We're happy to have you as part of our family," David said shaking his hand, "and that goes for Beth, Arin and Deborah, too," he added, smiling at them.
"Really?" Beth asked, looking at them and then turned to her dad, "what did you just do? Was that a proposal?" She asked, remembering the conversation they had about it before.
"It was," Puck nodded, "it means that Rachel and I are engaged."
Rachel moved over to Beth and smiled, "it means that your daddy and I will get married soon and I can officially be your mom, if you want me to be," she told her.
"Of course I do," Beth replied, hugging Rachel.
"Me too," Rachel agreed, kissing her cheek.
"And Beth," Alan started, "that means we'll also be your grandpas, if you're interested."
Beth pulled from Rachel and smiled, "that'd be awesome!" She exclaimed, moving over and hugging the two men.
Puck smiled and looked at Rachel, then his mom and sister who were both smiling. Arin wore an 'I knew it!' smirk, while Deborah had tears in her eyes from the happiness of the situation. Deborah stood up and moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "I love you, Noah."
"I love you, too, mom," Puck replied, kissing her cheek.
She smiled and turned to Rachel, "and if we're on the topic of being parents, as I said earlier, you're welcome to call me 'mom' and you're part of this family. I see you as a daughter, so this makes it all the more official," she explained.
Rachel felt like another part of her was filled in; she never missed a female figure in her life until she hit her teens and really started going through the womanly changes. Her dads were familiar with them, because they had moms and sisters, but they didn't experience it the same way, so all three Berrys were learning as they went along. She always wanted a mom or an older sister in her life that could help guide her through some of the mysterious steps a woman takes, and even though she was in her twenties, she knew she had plenty of growing to do and experiences coming up that she was extremely happy to have Deborah be there for her, "I'd love that, mom," she agreed, smiling brightly as she hugged her.
Deborah returned Rachel's smile and as they pulled away, Arin hugged Rachel, "welcome to the family, sis," Arin said.
"Thanks, sis," Rachel replied with a grin.
~*~
With the excitement that happened before dinner, the actual meal was full of happy conversations and compliments for the excellent food. Not only did they have the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, they also made some familiar Jewish dishes that they loved, but only made for special occasions.
Rachel couldn't help glancing at her ring; she felt like she was dreaming and at some point, she'd wake up and it would all be gone, but every time she looked at it and saw the diamonds sparkling back at her, she knew it all was real and that made her smile.
As dinner ended, everyone helped clean up the dishes and soon they were sitting down in the living room letting their meal settle, before they moved on to dessert.
"I have a question for you guys," David started.
"What's that, daddy?" Rachel asked.
"Do you all celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or both?"
"Well, we, as the Puckermans, only celebrate Hanukkah, but Beth and I go down to Columbus on Christmas Day to have dinner with Quinn's family," Puck explained.
"What kind of time off do you guys get at the holidays?" Alan asked, looking at Deborah and Puck.
"I usually only take a few days off, but if I ask for it, I've got plenty of leave to take," Deborah said.
"Why are you asking about time off?" Rachel questioned, confused.
The two men smiled, "well, we were kind of thinking about a family vacation, as in over the Christmas Break, while the girls are out of school," David said.
Rachel eyed them, "what kind of family vacation?"
"The character theme park in California," Alan smiled, trying not to say the actual name, in case they weren't interested in going.
"Really?" Puck's mouth fell open in shock, "we don't have a lot of..."
"We wouldn't expect you to pay. We have enough points built up for all of us to fly free and the same with our hotels, so aside from food and souvenirs, most everything else would be covered," David told them.
"And we were going to offer this before we found out that Noah was going to propose, so it has nothing to do with that, but we thought it'd be a great way to get a chance for us all to go have some family bonding time. It is short notice and we are hoping we could take a week or so, but if this break doesn't work, we could always do it another time," Alan added.
"I'm in," Arin said with a grin.
The room laughed lightly at her eagerness and David continued, "we know it's a big decision and a lot of things need to be scheduled soon if we want to go over the kids' Winter Break, but it can happen, if you three will be able to get the time off," he said, looking over at Puck, Deborah and Rachel, "and you don't have to answer now, but we are here for the weekend, so if you guys do decide you're up for the trip, we can start planning out details now," he added.
"I'd love to go," Rachel said, "and I think it'd would be fun for all of us to go as a family."
"Me too," Puck agreed, "I'll talk to Finn and Burt. I'm sure they'll be okay if I took some time off. I never do."
Deborah thought for a moment, "I think it's a great idea," she admitted, "if we can figure out when we'd like to go, I can request the time off tomorrow when I go to work. I've got plenty of leave, so I'm sure they won't hesitate giving me the time off," she explained.
Rachel grinned, "the dance studio is closed the two weeks of Winter Break, since most of our students are on school's break, too, and many of them are not in the area for the holidays, so I know I'll have the time off."
"Well, it looks like we're going to Disneyland," Puck commented, looking at Alan and David to see them nod in agreement.
"Disneyland?" Beth gasped, "we're going there?"
"Yes, it seems like it," Rachel said with a smile, "do you like that idea?"
She nodded, "it's an awesome idea!" She said, hopping up on the couch, "when are we going?" She asked.
"I think we're going to figure that out right now," Rachel commented.
~*~
After some time talking about when Beth and Arin were out of school for the break, they looked at a calendar and since Christmas and New Year's Day both fell on a Monday and Hanukkah started two weeks prior to Christmas, they decided to go between Christmas and New Year's Day, giving Beth an opportunity to see her other grandma on Christmas Day and they still had a week in California before they had to return, and be back by the second so Arin and Beth could get back to school.
Since they were still talking, Arin took Beth upstairs to help her get a bath and get ready for bed, so they were out of the room, leaving the adults there, still talking about plans.
"Okay, wait a second," Puck groaned, taking a swig of his beer. They'd been discussing the trip for a while and he had a great idea, but he hadn't had a chance to say it yet, "you guys keep making this sound like Beth and I, or Beth, Rachel and I have to go to Columbus on Christmas Day," he started.
"Well, you've done it every year, since she was a year old," Deborah said.
"I'm not saying we wouldn't go at all; we just wouldn't go on the actual day. Look," he took a deep breath and looked around, "if Hanukkah is over in the middle of the week and Friday is the last day of school, I think I have an idea," he said.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
"Usually the last day of school is spent in parties and nothing much else and you guys live in Columbus, so I think, Arin and Beth should miss that day of school and we load our cars with what we're taking to California and Beth, Rachel, mom, Arin and I, drive down Friday. Then I'll make plans for Beth and I or, Rachel, Beth and I, to go to Judy's place to have a small gathering with Quinn's family, for their gift exchange and all that and then we fly out of Columbus on Saturday. That puts us in Cali before Christmas, we have at least a week to spend there and can get back before New Year's Eve. I really don't want to get back here the day before they go back to school," Puck explained, looking around to see what everyone thought of his idea.
"That's a really good idea," David agreed, "do you think Judy would be alright with making plans like that?"
Puck shrugged, "she just wants to see Beth at the holiday and if she knows it's because she's getting a chance to go to Disneyland on Christmas, I don't think she'll care and if she does, I don't give a shit. If we make plans, we're sticking to them and if she doesn't like it, then tough. She'll just have to deal with it," he commented.
"Noah!" Rachel snapped at him, "that's not nice."
He rolled his eyes, "look, I'm still pissed that they, as in Quinn's parents, tried to take Beth away when she was born. Judy needs to understand that I make the rules and she will never have my complete trust because of what they pulled. If Quinn's family wants to see Beth, then they'll have to deal with my terms. We are making plans, as a family, to go out-of-state for a week, so we can't just fly back here on Christmas Day to have dinner with her grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins. We can do that before we leave, or after we get back," Puck explained. "They know that Beth is being raised with the Jewish faith, but we respect Quinn's non-Jewish religion so she can share that part with Quinn's family and they also accept that Beth is being raised that way. Beth is also getting to an age where she can make her own decisions and she doesn't want to see Judy that much, either, so I'm respecting Beth's wishes, too. I'm not going to force my daughter to go see her grandma, just because Judy wants to see her."
"When you put it that way, it does make sense," David said, "Beth is at that age and if she doesn't want to see Judy, then you can't force her to."
Puck nodded, "exactly. I don't want to make her do something she doesn't want to do. I mean, she doesn't see her a lot, but has asked to see Beth around Christmas. We always went on Christmas Day because mom, Beth, Arin and I don't do anything special, but it's just a few days difference, so it's not going to be a big deal," he told them, "and like I said, if it is, they'll just have to deal with it," he added, wanting to get off that subject before Beth came back downstairs and heard them talking about that.
Rachel thought for a few moments, "alright. You are right, but I guess... I don't want Judy to blame me for the change in schedule," she murmured.
"She won't," Puck promised, "she may be a little shocked to find out I'm engaged after only starting to date someone, but when she actually meets you and has a chance to talk to you, she'll understand," he assured her. "Don't worry about this."
"Okay," Rachel nodded, leaning over to kiss him, "I still can't believe you proposed. I was so not expecting it," she said, looking at her ring again.
"Good, I didn't want you to," he replied, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
~*~
Agreeing on the dates that Puck suggested, Deborah promised to ask for the time off the next day, and Arin and Beth finally came back downstairs, both dressed in their pajamas. Beth was tired, so she said 'goodnight' to Deborah, Arin, Alan and David and Puck and Rachel headed upstairs to help tuck her into bed.
Rachel pulled the blankets back on Beth's bed, "alright, kiddo, crawl on in."
Beth climbed into bed and laid back, "will you sing to me tonight, Rachel?"
"Of course," Rachel laid the blankets around her as Puck tucked her favorite stuffed animal and the new one she just got from Alan and David next to her, then tucked her blankets around her as Rachel sat down, "the usual?" Rachel asked, feeling Puck sit down behind her on the bed.
"Yes please," Beth nodded.
Rachel sang 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' to Beth, and as she finished, she leaned over and kissed her forehead, "goodnight, Beth. Sweet dreams. I love you," she whispered to her.
Beth smiled, "love you, too, Rachel. Goodnight."
When Rachel stood up and moved to the door, Puck slid closer to Beth, leaning over to kiss her forehead and adjust one of her stuffed animals, "goodnight baby girl. I love you," he smiled.
"Love you, too, daddy," Beth replied, snuggling down in her blankets and pillows.
Puck got up and moved to the door, turning off the light and letting her nightlight fill the room, "see you in the morning."
"Okay," Beth said softly.
Reaching for the doorknob, he pulled the door closed, and he and Rachel headed downstairs to find her dads getting ready to leave, "leaving so soon?" Rachel asked.
"Well, we had an early day and the long drive up, so we're going to head back to your place and get ready for bed, too," Alan said.
"Oh, alright," she hugged both of them, "you're coming back tomorrow, right?"
"Of course," David told her, "we'll be over before Deborah goes to work."
Saying goodnight to to everyone, Alan and David left the Puckerman's and then Deborah got ready for bed herself, since she had to work the next day, leaving Puck, Rachel and Arin up.
"I think we'll head to bed, too," Puck commented.
"Yeah, okay. Some how I don't think you two will be sleeping," Arin smirked.
Rachel's cheeks warmed with a deep blush, but didn't really respond to that, "goodnight, Arin," she said, taking Puck's hand and led him to the stairs.
"Night!" Puck called out, letting Rachel guide him and once they reached their room, he closed the door and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, "about time I can get you alone," he murmured.
Rachel kissed him deeply, "I know the feeling," she agreed. "We're engaged!" She exclaimed happily.
"We are," he nodded, guiding her to the bed, "you do not know how nervous I was to ask you, but then when mom asked you to move in and you agreed, it seemed so much easier; I guess because I knew you wanted to move in, so getting engaged was the next step," he told her honestly.
She brushed her hand across his cheek, "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," she replied.
"I love you, too," he said smiling, "wanna celebrate?"
Rachel grinned and nodded, "oh yes I do," she agreed.
~*~
Beth's gift from Alan and David:
Found at: http://www.stuffedark.com/turkeystar.htm?source=ssdf
Rachel's engagement ring:
Found at: http://www.kay.com
~*~
A/N5: Yay! An update! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I promise it won't be as long before the next update. I'm still jobless and have been working on about six different stories, my four WIPs and two new ones, that will be posted after 'Returning Home' and 'Broken Road' have been completed. I do apologize for the lack of updates. I have gotten an update to 'Out of the Blue', 'Starlight' and 'Broken Road' out, so this is the last of four and hope to update again soon. Thanks for sticking with me in all this! Love you all!
A/N6: Happy Glee day! For those of you that live in the US, Glee returns tonight (4/19).
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