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sapphireejTitle: Broken Road, Part 11/?
Author: Sapphire (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sapphiresfic)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Puck, Rachel, Puck/Rachel, Puckleberry
Rating: M/R
Word Count: 7,545
Spoilers: Up to 1x22 ~ Journey; just to be safe
Series: 'Broken Road' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Fic Table prompt: #47 - Protection (table at my journal here).
Summary1: Rachel visits her dads in Lima for the holidays, gets pulled over, her ex from NYC stalks her, threatening her life and the cop who pulled her over helps protect her... For fic table prompt #47-Protection. (Story: T/PG-13. Ch. 10-12: M/R for content.)
Summary2: So close, yet so far... Noah works on rescuing Rachel.
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: Title comes from 'Blessed The Broken Road' a song by Rascal Flatts. I do not own it, just borrowing for the fic.
~*~
A/N4: A super-belated, but much anticipated, birthday fic for a good friend of mine, PKteach. I wanted to write her a birthday fic, and this is from an idea she gave me.
A/N5: The Gleeks were Juniors in high school when Quinn was pregnant.
A/N6: AU after 1x22 ~ Journey, but contains a relationship that began in 2x01 ~ Auditions.
~*~
Hearing Noah's voice, relief washed over Rachel, but watching Daniel rush over to the window with the gun in his hand, she began screaming again, afraid he'd use it on him. Panic filled her mind when he moved to stand behind the door and held the gun up to it, squeezing the trigger and shooting through the door, right where her fiancé would be standing. "No! Please don't! Oh, Noah! No! Noah, please be okay! Please!" She thought, sobbing and trying to turn away from Daniel, who was coming towards her.
Daniel forcibly rolled her onto her back again and this time, crawled on top of her, straddling her hips and holding the gun against her chest, "that should get rid of him. Now we have time to ourselves," he murmured.
Rachel tugged at her bindings and tried to squirm away from him, unable to stop crying as her ears continued to ache from the gunshots, still echoing in her mind.
"It's no use, Sarah. He's probably dead. Now you're all mine," he told her, "and I'm really gonna enjoy this."
Terrified at his words, she continued to squirm, refusing to let him get what he wanted. Hearing sirens outside, getting closer to their room, Rachel knew that more help had arrived, "please let Noah be okay, please!" She prayed, turning her head away from Daniel and wishing she could see outside, but the curtains blocked her view.
...
Matt rolled off Noah's back, but waited until he was sure Daniel had stopped firing before standing up and helping Noah stand. "Dude, are you okay? Are you hit?" Matt asked, looking him over.
"Damn it!" Noah exclaimed, clenching his fists together and ignoring Matt's questions, "I should have just broken the fucking door down!" Knowing for sure that Daniel had a gun scared the crap out of him; his fiancée was in there with a crazy ex-boyfriend and a gun.
Matt expected the outburst and rested his hands on Noah's shoulders, "no you shouldn't have. What if you'd gone in there and he had shot you? Would you really want Rachel to watch you get shot?"
At Matt's question, Noah thought for a moment, "no, I wouldn't," he sighed.
"Then relax and let us do our jobs. This is what we do, you know?" Matt commented, guiding them over to their SUV for a shield, in case Daniel decided to start shooting again, just as sirens began fill their ears and police cars and SUVs with flashing red and blue lights showed up and parked near them.
Leaning against the back of the SUV, Noah closed his eyes for a second to try to relax, but his heart was racing and his ears were still ringing from the gunshots and the loud sirens, but then opened his eyes and looked at Matt, "thanks for knocking me out of the way."
"No thanks needed; that's what friends are for, but I also didn't want to break in a new partner, so it was win-win," Matt winked, laughing lightly and trying to break up the tension, just as their boss came over.
"I take it that didn't go so well?" He asked, looking at the door of the hotel and saw eight bullet holes in it, then looked them over to make sure they were okay.
Noah shook his head, "no. Now we know he has a gun and she's definitely in there," Noah commented, beginning to pace.
Lieutenant Andy Cross stopped him, "just relax, Puckerman, we'll deal with this," he promised, holding up a bullhorn, "we'll try and talk to him. We can't just barge in there now that we know he has a gun."
Knowing he was right, Noah sighed, "alright."
Turning on the bullhorn, Andy began speaking into it, "Daniel Simon, this is the police. We'd really like to get this situation resolved peacefully, so could you please talk to us to help figure out how we can end this?" Andy then turned to his partner, who was on the phone, "any answer?" He asked, knowing he was trying to call the room's phone.
"Negative," he replied, "he probably cut the cord."
With no answer, Noah began to get sick, but moved to his boss, "let me go in there," he begged.
Andy glanced at the hotel door that had bullet hole in it, "not a chance. He has a gun," he told him.
"I don't fucking care! That's my fiancée in there!" Noah snapped.
"Settle down, Puckerman, or I'll send you back to the station," Andy replied quickly. He hated being harsh with him, but he needed to keep Noah calm, "look, I know your fiancée is in there, trust me, I'm not ignoring that, but Rachel needs your head clear and I can only imagine what you're thinking and feeling right now, but it's not helping the situation. Daniel has a gun and one wrong move by anyone could send someone to the hospital or worse and I don't want that on my hands."
Trying not to snap at his boss again, Noah unbuckled his belt that held his gun and unhooked the thigh strap holding it down, "then I'll go in unarmed. He'll have the power and I can try to talk him out of whatever he's planning. Please," he begged.
"I'm going with you," Matt said, doing what Noah had just done.
Andy pressed the bridge of his nose, and thought for a moment, knowing neither of the guys would give up until they got what they wanted, "alright, but your vests stay on and you have fifteen minutes. If you guys haven't come out of there with him in handcuffs by then, we're coming in with gas," Andy told them, "and keep your radios on so we can hear what's going on in there," he added.
"Got it," Noah nodded, looking at Matt, "are you sure you want to do this? Mercedes will kill me if something happens to you."
"She'll kill me if I don't help rescue Rachel," Matt added, "I'm going with you. I've got your back, remember?"
Noah smiled, "yeah, thanks," he replied, holding up his fist.
Matt bumped his fist with Noah's and turned to their boss for a final 'okay'.
"Don't make me regret this, guys," Andy warned them.
"We won't," Noah promised.
The two young officers moved back over to their SUV to put their gun belts into it, but neither were very trustworthy of Daniel, so they also slipped their guns under their shirts, in the back of their pants, 'just in case'.
Closing up their SUV, they went back to their boss and tested their radios and once Andy was convinced that they worked how he wanted them to, Matt and Noah moved around to the side of the SUV and quietly slipped back over to the door. Slipping on their gloves, in case they had to do any fighting, Noah held up a hand to the door and knocked, "Daniel. It's Noah. My partner and I want to come in and talk. We are unarmed and know you have a gun and are not afraid to use it. Please, let us in," Noah said slowly, trying to stay as calm as possible.
...
Hearing his voice, Rachel's eyes widened and she choked out a sob, "he's okay! Thank you, thank you!" She thought, squirming under Daniel's strength.
Daniel watched her for a moment and though he didn't like hearing Noah, he got an idea, "this will be great! I can have an audience when I rape you," he murmured, running the gun down down her chest slowly, before sliding off the bed and moving to the door. Taking a moment, he unlocked the door and removed the chain, "it better be the two of you. If I see any bullshit, I won't hesitate to shoot her," he said, stepping away from the door and moving back to Rachel and pointed the gun at her.
...
Hearing the clicking on the other side and then his voice, Noah glanced at Matt, who nodded at him. "Yeah, it's just us. We get it. No tricks," he replied, before putting his hand on the knob and pushing the door open.
Stepping in, both Noah and Matt held their hands up in surrender and Matt closed the door behind him, while Noah surveyed the room, but when his eyes landed on his fiancée, his blood boiled. "What the fuck are you doing to her?" Noah snapped, resisting the urge to rush to Rachel, in case that pissed Daniel off.
Daniel smirked, "I can do whatever I want to her. She's mine and I have a gun, remember?"
"You made your point. You have a gun. Now stop pointing that at her," Noah snapped.
"Why should I? She seems to answer better when I have it pointed at her. In fact, you guys are just in time for the show. We were just about to have sex," Daniel admitted, stepping closer and crawling back on top of her, straddling her hips. "She's a feisty one, too," he added.
"Get the fuck off of her, you son of a bitch!" Noah exclaimed, unable to hold back any longer and lunged forward, "don't you dare touch her!"
Just as Noah moved, so did Matt, stepping in front of him to stop him, pressing his hands on his shoulders, "settle the fuck down or you're gonna get someone shot!"
"You're partner's pretty smart," Daniel smirked, "you should listen to him."
Noah glared at Matt for stopping him, but knew he was right, so he reluctantly gave in and tried to settle down.
"That's a good boy," Daniel laughed, turning back to Rachel, this time reaching up with his free hand to run along her cheek, "I can touch her all I want. She really wants me, but she just doesn't know it yet."
Rachel shook her head 'no' and then turned to look away from him, clenching her eyes shut as more tears flowed out, "I don't want him. I'll never want him! I just want Noah," she thought, turning her head again, this time searching for familiar hazel eyes. Locking gazes with her fiancé, she couldn't help crying and tugging at the bindings, trying to get free and wanting him to hold her.
Noah's heart broke as he watched her cry and try to get free, feeling even more helpless than he had before. "Baby, I'm trying. Just hang on a few more minutes," he thought, trying to convey the message with his eyes as his hostage negotiation training kicked in, "you know, Daniel, now that you have us here, shouldn't you give us something in return?" Noah asked curiously, knowing they were on a time crunch.
Daniel scoffed, "what the hell could I give you except a bullet hole in the head?"
"Maybe you could take the tape off of her mouth? I'd really like to know if she's okay and she can't tell me if you've got the tape covering her mouth," Noah explained.
"She'll start screaming as soon as I do, so no," Daniel shook his head.
"Can't you see she's terrified? Maybe if you show her a little compassion, she'll stay quiet. Rachel, if he takes the tape off, you won't scream, right?" Noah asked her softly and she nodded quickly, unable to do anything else.
Daniel eyed Noah and then turned to Rachel, seeing her nod again. "If I remove the tape, you better stay quiet," he snapped, sliding the gun up to rest against her throat. Nodding again several times, he took a deep breath and reached for the tape, getting his fingernail under a corner and ripped it off, the sound echoing through the room.
Everyone in the room flinched at the sound of the tape being removed, but Rachel was relieved to have it gone, even if her skin burned where it had been. Whimpering at the pain, she took a few deep breaths and slowly opened and closer her mouth, hoping it would ease the ache, "thank you," she whispered.
Noah glanced at Matt and relaxed a little, but knew they were running out of time, "Rachel, I know you're scared, but physically, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Noah asked quietly.
"I... I'm fine, but my hands are falling asleep because I can't really move them," she explained, "and I'm cold."
His eyes looked around the room and saw her sweater on the table, so he slowly stepped forward, "Daniel, could you put this on her, please?"
Daniel glanced around and then held out his hand, taking the sweater and threw it over her chest, "you happy?" He snapped at Noah.
"Yes, thank you," Noah nodded, then cleared his throat, "so what's your plan?"
"My plan?" Daniel grinned and sat back, turning to the guys, "you really want to know?" He asked, and at the nods of the guys, he continued, "I plan to take what belongs to me, then we'll leave and go as far away from here as possible, so she'll always be mine."
Rachel clenched her eyes shut and bit her lip at his words, tears falling from her eyes and choking out a sob as her mind raced with fears.
"Can't you see you're terrifying her? This is not the way to get what you want from her," Noah said as calm as he could.
"Yes it is. I own her. I gave her eight months of my life and I'm not through with her, so I'm going to take what belongs to me," Daniel replied.
"But you cheated on her. She found you having sex with your secretary. She broke up with you because you hurt her. She's not yours anymore," Noah tried again.
"I'm the one who make's that decision!" Daniel exclaimed, pressing the gun to Rachel's chest, "she doesn't get a choice!"
Noah flinched when Daniel went back to holding the gun against Rachel's chest, wanting to rush over and knock him out of the way, but he knew he couldn't without possibly hurting her, so he settled for locking his eyes with hers. "You hurt her, man. You cheated on her. That's no way to treat a woman."
"If she had given me her virginity, like I wanted, then I wouldn't have had to go find it somewhere else!" Daniel snapped.
"What about what she wanted? She wanted to share herself with someone special and you might have been that, but you weren't willing to wait for her. You ruined your relationship when you chose to cheat on her. You hurt her, so she broke up with you. It's over between you two and she just wants to move on with her life. Doesn't she deserve a chance to make her own choices?" Noah asked softly.
Daniel brushed his left hand along her cheek, his right hand slowly relaxing with the gun, but as if a light had been turned on, he held the gun up, this time pointing towards Noah, "I know what you're doing! You want her for yourself! You want to take her away from me!"
Though the gun was pointed at him, Noah remained calm, expecting Daniel to figure it out, "I want what she wants. I want her to be happy. If she's happy with me, then I'll gladly have her, but it's her choice. Don't you want what she wants? Don't you want her to be happy? Doing all of this is not doing that and you're only making her hate you more. Come on, man, let her go. Let her be free to do what she wants, please," Noah tried.
"Please," Rachel begged, sobs returning as tears ran down her face.
Daniel continued to hold the gun on Noah, but looked back at Rachel, "but I want her," he murmured, beginning to give up his fight.
"Dude, look at what you're doing. This is definitely not the way to get what you want. Please, give her a chance to make her own choices," Noah begged, knowing their time was getting shorter and if that didn't work, he and Matt may have to get physical with Daniel.
Looking between Rachel and Noah and then to Matt and back to Rachel again, Daniel's mind raced, as if the tunnel vision he'd had for Rachel the past few weeks evaporated and he realized what he was doing and lowered the gun, dropping it on the floor by the bed, "alright, you win," he replied.
"Oh thank God!" Noah thought, as he and Matt both sighed in relief and rushed to him; neither of them being very 'gentle' as they pulled him off her and threw him face first onto the floor.
While Matt dealt with Daniel, Noah rushed to the head of the bed and grabbed the knife that Daniel had left on the night stand, quickly cutting the rope by the wood, and Rachel's first reaction, was to sit up and lean against him, unable to hug him because of her bound hands, "oh Noah," she sobbed, burying her head in his neck.
"I've got you, baby, you're safe," he promised, tears filling his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, "I'm here. You're okay," he added, unsure who he was reassuring more; him or her.
Though he hated to interrupt them, Matt cleared his throat. "I'm gonna take him out. I'll tell them to leave you guys alone," he said.
Noah nodded, "alright. Thanks man. We'll be out in a few," he replied, reaching to turn off his radio.
"Wait," Daniel said, looking at Matt and then Rachel, "Rachel, I'm... I'm sorry."
Rachel looked up at him, "go to hell," she hissed, before snuggling back into the comfort of Noah's arms.
When Rachel said that, Matt took the hint and left the room, shutting the door most of the way so they had some privacy.
"Come on, let get this tape off you," Noah murmured, picking up the pocket knife again. Rachel held up her hands, her sobs slowing the longer she was close to him and Noah removed the extra rope from around her wrists and then began cutting the multiple layers of tape, being careful not to cut her. Rachel bit her lip and tried to ignore the stinging from the tape coming off her skin, but she couldn't help flinching a few times when Noah pulled too fast. After a few moments, Noah finally cut the plastic zip ties from her wrists and tossed the knife and the mass of tape on the bed and looked up at her, "I'm sorry if that hurt," he whispered.
Ignoring his words, she lunged forward and crushed her lips to his, kissing him lovingly, tears still falling, but this time they were from happiness, love and relief, not fear and anger like they had been earlier, "I love you so much," she sobbed as her arms wrapped around his neck tightly.
He smiled brightly, "I love you more than life itself, baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you when he first..."
Rachel's hand went up to his lips to stop him, "you're here now," she told him honestly.
"I am," he agreed, pulling back slightly to look at her, then shifted his hands from around her to between them so he could take his gloves off and slip them into a pocket on his cargo pants, "come on, let's get this sweater on you so we can get out of here," he said, reaching out to brush his warm hand along her cheek, wiping her eyes and feeling horrible that her eyes were red and swollen from crying so much.
Letting her eyes drift closed, she took a few deep breaths to help settle her nerves before looking up at him, "it won't cover anything. It's a shrug; it doesn't close in the front," she whispered.
"Oh, well, I can fix that," he shifted a little and began unbuttoning his uniform shirt, revealing his bullet proof vest and long sleeve undershirt. When his shirt was completely unbuttoned, he pulled it out from under his waist band and took it off, then draped it around her shoulders, "how's this?"
Rachel slid her arms through the sleeves and though the shirt was huge on her, she didn't care. As she worked her hands down the sleeves, Noah pulled it together and buttoned the top few buttons and when her chest was covered, she threw her arms around him and kissed him again, "it's perfect," she murmured against his lips.
Rubbing her back gently, Noah smiled lightly, trying to calm his own nerves and get his heart rate back to normal, "how about we get you out of here?" He asked softly, looking at her and brushing some hair out of her eyes, before resting his hand on her cheek, gently wiping her eyes again.
"Please," she nodded, not wanting to let go of him.
Shifting a little, Noah left one arm around her back and stood up, slipping his other arm under her knees and lifted her up, "I've got you," he promised.
"I know you do," she smiled at him, keeping her arms around his neck and relaxing as best she could.
The door wasn't completely closed, so as Noah carried her towards it, he was able to use his foot to open it. Glancing around, he saw Matt talking with their boss and then saw the waiting ambulance with a stretcher sitting outside of it, so he carried her over there and laid her down on it.
Before he could completely pull away, Rachel pulled him back in for a kiss and clasped her hand with one of his, not wanting to him to leave, "don't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, squeezing her hand in response.
One of the EMTs was a woman, and Rachel was thankful she was the one checking her out, because she wasn't sure how she'd do around a strange guy right at the moment, even with the protection of her fiancé. While she was laying back, the EMT asked her some questions and Rachel answered them, talking for a few moments while she took some vitals and then got her to sit up, hanging her feet over the edge, "I knew you'd find me," Rachel said softly, looking up at Noah.
Noah smiled and stepped closer to her, kissing her gently, "always, baby. It is going to be hard to get married if you're not there," he added, reaching up to brush his hand along her cheek.
"I can't wait to be your wife," Rachel told him, wanting to crawl into his arms for warmth and security.
Moving closer to her, he rested his other hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb over her soft skin, "I love hearing you say that," he smiled.
"Puck, Rachel," Matt said walking up to them.
"Matt!" Rachel jumped a little not expecting him, but smiled, "hey!"
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he commented, "or interrupt, but I wanted to check on you."
Rachel shrugged, "I'm still pretty shaken up, but I'm getting better," she replied.
Matt nodded, "understandable. I'm glad we got there when we did," he said, holding up a black fleece jacket with 'SWAT' written on the back, "anyone want a jacket?"
"I'm perfectly fine with what I've got on," Rachel admitted proudly, patting Noah's uniform shirt that she had on.
Noah smiled and took the jacket from Matt, releasing her hand long enough to slip it on and once it was zipped up, he retook her hand, "thanks, man, for getting me out of the way when that asshole started shooting, for backing me up... For everything," Noah said looking at his friend.
"No thanks needed," Matt replied, patting Noah on the shoulder, "I've got your back. That's what friends and partners do," he added.
"But still, thank you, Matt. You saved Noah's life and for that I'm grateful," Rachel said, reaching out to hug him.
Matt leaned in and gave her a friendly hug, then pulled away and shrugged, "you're welcome, but like I told him earlier, now I don't have to break in a new partner," he grinned.
Rachel giggled lightly at his comment, "Matthew, that's not nice. We're trying to be serious."
"I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood," Matt replied, "and I'm really glad to see you smiling and laughing."
"Me too," Noah nodded in agreement.
She took a deep breath and relaxed a moment, "I'm not saying I'm perfect, because I'm far from it, but as long as I have my fiancé and our friends and family around, I'll be okay," she explained, turning to the female EMT, "may I go now?"
"I think so. Your blood pressure is a little high, but it's expected and you don't have any physical injuries to warrant a trip to the hospital, so if you feel you can go home, I won't stop you," the woman replied honestly.
"Thank you," Rachel nodded and hopped down off the gurney, wrapping her arms around Noah's waist, "will you take me home?"
Noah smiled, nodding, "gladly," he kissed her gently and hugged her and then guided her towards his and Matt's patrol SUV, "we will have to stop at the station to get my car though. Is that okay?" He asked, "because once we get back, I don't want to leave you again."
"Of course that's alright. As long as I'm with you, I'll be okay," she admitted.
"Good to know," he commented, leaning down and kissing her lips.
"I'll drive. You two can get mushy in the backseat. Just don't christen it until I'm out of the car," Matt replied as they reached the SUV.
"Hang on, guys," Andy called out, jogging over to them.
"Yeah, boss?" Noah asked.
"That's your boss?" Rachel murmured, biting her lip nervously.
"Everything check out okay?" Andy asked.
Noah nodded, "yes, it did," he glanced at Rachel, "babe, this is our boss, Lieutenant Andy Cross. Andy, this is my fiancée Rachel," Noah said, smiling as he introduced her.
Andy held out his hand and nodded at her, "it's a pleasure to meet the woman who has snagged one of my officers, Rachel, though I do wish it was under different circumstances," he admitted.
Rachel reached out and shook his hand, nodding in agreement, "yes, sir, I feel the same way," she looked up at Noah and back to Andy, "I'm definitely not letting him go, that's for sure," she added with a smile, "but I am sorry if I caused any trouble today."
"Please, call me Andy," he said waving off her 'sir', "and do not apologize for anything. You did not do anything wrong. I'm just glad we were able to get to you before things got worse," he said honestly.
"Me too," she nodded, biting her lip, "but I'm embarrassed over how I was found," she added softly.
"I noticed you came out in Noah's shirt," he replied, "and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. You couldn't control what he did and we're all adults here."
"I'll admit I saw, but I respect you enough to look away," Matt told her.
She bit her lip and nodded, a blush growing on her cheeks, "thanks Matt."
"No problem," he nodded at her.
"Matt, Puck, you guys did good," Andy said, glancing at the two officers.
"It was all Puck," Matt admitted.
"I heard you stop him from doing something stupid. He kept his cool because you had his back. It was a team effort," Andy replied. "I'll need to talk to all three of you, but for now, go home and relax," he glanced at his officers and then looked at Rachel, "none of this is your fault. Talk to your dads, Puck, your friends or family; anyone, if you need to, okay?"
Rachel nodded, "okay, I will. I know it's not going to go away, but I'd like to think I'll be fine, once I've had a few days to process what happened and can relax in the safety of my house with my dads and fiancé," she explained.
"Hopefully you will," Andy agreed, "and you'll have plenty of time with Puck. How about the rest of the week off and come back to work Monday?" He glanced at Noah curiously.
"What? Really?" Noah gasped in shock.
Andy nodded, "yeah. You've got a ton of vacation days; use them. Your fiancée is more important than work," he told him.
Still shocked at the offer, Noah looking at the girl who still had her arms wrapped around him, "yeah, she definitely is," he agreed, "thank you."
"You're welcome," Andy nodded at them.
Excusing himself, Andy stepped away, letting Noah and Rachel climb into the backseat of the SUV, while Matt slid into the driver's seat and soon they were on their way back to Lima's Police Department.
"Rach, you wanna call your dads?" Noah asked, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket.
"Yeah!" She nodded and took the offered phone, dialing the familiar number
"Noah? Is everything alright?" Alan asked, as he answered the phone after the third ring.
"It's me, dad," Rachel said, trying to keep calm, "Noah and Matt got there just in time."
"Oh thank God! Sweetheart, we were so worried about you," he admitted, putting the phone on speaker so everyone there could hear.
Rachel couldn't help the emotions surfacing again and leaned against her fiancé, tears beginning to fall, "I love you guys so much," she cried.
"Oh, we love you, too, Rachel. We're so happy to hear your voice," David told her.
"Daddy," Rachel sighed in relief, already feeling better, "it's great to hear your voices, too."
"We're so glad you're okay, Rachel," Arin commented.
Rachel smiled, hearing Arin's voice, "hey Arin. How did you know what happened?"
"Your dads called Arin and I, so we came over right away," Deborah replied.
"How are you doing, Rachel?" Mercedes chimed in.
"Mercedes? Okay, I get why Deborah and Arin are there, but what are you doing there?"
"We called to tell her that Matt may not be home like normal and also passed on what happened," David explained.
"And I decided to come over to keep them company and see if you were okay," she added.
"Thank you," Rachel smiled, putting the phone on speaker, because Matt was driving and wanted to talk to Mercedes.
"Hey babe, how long are you going to be over there?" Matt asked.
"As long as necessary, but I'm not sure if Rachel will be up for company," Mercedes admitted.
"I just need a shower and then as long as I'm with my friends and family, I think I'll be okay," Rachel replied.
"Good, because Quinn, Finn, Tina, Mike and Dave are on their way over, too," Mercedes added.
"What?" Rachel gasped.
"Well, I thought you might need to be cheered up, so I called for reinforcements," Mercedes explained, "and they're bringing dinner."
Rachel clenched her eyes shut and nodded, smiling brightly, "I love you guys."
"We love you, too. Are you on your way back home?" David asked.
"Sort of. We just got back to the police station. Noah just wants to get his car and his things, then we'll be on our way back," she explained, "and I'm sure Matt will be doing the same thing."
"I will be," Matt agreed as they pulled into their parking spot.
"We'll be there soon," Rachel promised, saying 'bye' to them and then hung up, handing the phone back to Noah, "thank you."
"No problem, babe," he replied, kissing her gently, "love you."
"Love you, too," she replied, relaxing for a moment before sliding out of the SUV with him.
Noah and Matt opened the back end and pulled out their bags, and then Noah held out his hand to her, "come on."
Rachel took his hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing it gently and loving the feeling of his larger hand wrapped around hers, "is it alright, though? I'm not a police officer," she said softly.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," he told her, "so fuck 'em if they have an issue," Noah commented honestly.
"Okay," she said softly, wrapping her other hand around his arm and felt his bicep flex as they walked and tried to stay as close to him as possible; his strength keeping her calm.
Noah glanced at his arm and saw how close she was to him, "hey, you okay?" He asked, stopping just as they walked inside the building.
"Yes," she nodded, "just want to be close to you, that's all," she admitted softly, "I also look horrible," she murmured.
"You look beautiful," he told her, not caring that her hair was a mess, her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much, "you're safe. I've got your back in good times and in bad," he added, pulling her into his arms for a hug.
Rachel relaxed against his chest for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then looked up at him, "thank you."
"Don't mention it," he assured her.
Noah and Rachel continued on their walk to the guys' locker room; they'd gone in a side door, that usually is just used for officers and headed through the halls until they reached the locker room for the SWAT team. "You guys have your own locker room?" Rachel asked, following them inside.
"Yep," Noah nodded, "we have more gear than the regular cops wear and use, so we have our own," he explained, moving right over to the one with 'Puckerman' engraved on the locker's plaque.
Rachel took a seat on the bench near him, watching as he sorted out some things, taking off his bulletproof vest and putting it into his bag with a few other things before zipping it closed and picking it up, "okay, ready to go?"
"Yes," she nodded and stood up, "ready to go home and burn these jeans," she murmured.
"Why?" Noah asked with a grin, "you're fuckin' hot in them. Or maybe it's because you've got my shirt on."
She blushed, "you really like them? Even if he was crawling all over me," she shuddered, slipping her arms around him, "I can still feel his hands on me."
Noah held her close, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "I promise I'll make you forget that," he told her, "by giving you something you'll really want to remember."
"I know you will," she smiled, knowing he'd definitely be able to replace those memories.
~*~
When Rachel, Noah and Matt arrived at the Berry's, everyone was there that Mercedes said was on their way and they all welcomed Rachel home with hugs and promised to be there during her recovery.
Rachel thanked everyone and promised she wouldn't be long, but she wanted to shower and change before she joined them, so she and Noah went up to her room. She stripped her clothes off as soon as she was in the room, kicking off her shoes and piling everything in the corner before moving right into her bathroom and getting into the shower.
Noah stood stunned in her room for a moment, surprised she had completely stripped in front of him, but then quickly realized that she trusted him, so he smiled and tried to focus as he changed clothes. When he was done he moved over to her bathroom door, which was still open, "babe, you okay in here?" He asked softly, "need anything?"
"I'm okay," Rachel admitted, standing under the hot spray, "you can come in here if you want," she added.
"Rachel, I love you and I want nothing more than to see you without clothes on, but didn't we kind of agree to wait until our wedding night to make love?" He asked softly.
She smiled, nodding at what he said and picked up the bottle of shampoo, "just because I'm letting you see me naked, doesn't mean I'm expecting us to have sex, Noah," she admitted softly, "I'm doing it because I trust you, I love you and want to share everything with you."
Noah groaned, his body reacting to her words, "that's hot," he murmured, "and I know that. I just don't want you thinking that you owe me for what I did today," he admitted, stepping into the bathroom, "because you don't and I'm so happy that you trust me enough to expose yourself to me, and I'll gladly take in the amazing view, but I just want to make sure you want to do that; not feel obligated to," he explained honestly.
While washing her hair, she listened to him and as she rinsed her hair out, she smiled, "I want to, Noah. It has nothing to do with today," she admitted, "it is something I've been thinking of. I thought maybe we could test the waters, you know, so on our wedding night everything isn't all new to me. I..." she blushed, "I don't have the experience like you do and I want to be able to enjoy our first time; not wonder about everything we're doing or feeling."
Taking a deep breath to calm his senses, then smiled, "I think that's a great idea, Rach," he agreed, "but will you give me a few days before we take that step?" He asked softly.
"Um, uh, yeah," Rachel nodded, immediately feeling nervous, "did I say something wrong?"
"No! No," Noah shook his head, "nothing like that, just, could you finish your shower first?"
"Sure," Rachel took a few moments to finish washing and rinsing her body and hair, and once she was satisfied she was clean, she stepped out, smiling when her fiancé was holding a towel, "thank you."
Noah stepped towards her and wrapped the towel around her, kissing her on the lips, "you're welcome. Feel better?" He asked, slowly rubbing her back to dry her body.
"Much better," she agreed, "now talk."
He smirked, but guided her into her room and got her to sit on the edge of her bed and knelt down in front of her, his hands resting on her towel covered hips, "when I joined the police department, I was tested, but since then I have been with a few girls and even though it's been some time since I've slept with someone, I haven't been retested," he explained.
"Tested?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion and then it dawned on her, "oh... oh!"
Noah nodded, "so I didn't mean to worry you, but I would like to be tested before we go much further," he admitted, reaching up to wipe away a few water droplets on her chin, "I was going to do it before we got married anyway, but now that I'm off for a few days and with what has happened, I figured I'd tell you; especially if we want to go a little further than we have been," he winked.
Rachel smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips, "that would mean the world to me, Noah and when you make an appointment, I'd be happy to go with you."
"I'll call tomorrow," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her, "why don't you get dressed so we can go down and visit with our friends."
"Good idea! I feel bad they've been waiting this long," she admitted.
"I think they understand, but I'm hungry," Noah smirked, standing up and stretching.
Getting up, Rachel moved over to her dresser and closet, collecting some clothes to put on and after towel drying her hair and body, she got dressed and slid her feet into some comfortable slippers, "okay, ready."
Noah held out his hand and when she took it, she gasped, "wait!" She let go and dashed to the other side of her bed and grabbed the shiny ring off the nightstand, "I feel horrible! We got this beautiful engagement ring and I took this off to put lotion on and then I kind of got comfortable in bed and then he showed up and I... I never got it back on," she admitted. "I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, babe," Noah walked towards her and took the ring from her hands and lifted her left one to him, sighing in relief, "I noticed you didn't have it on, but I thought he'd taken it and that's why he had shot at me. I'm actually glad you weren't wearing it, because I don't even want to think about what he would have done if he'd seen it," he admitted softly, sliding the ring back onto her finger, then pressed a kiss to her ring and finger, "but I'm glad it's back on your hand."
She nodded, "me too," she took a deep breath, "you're right. I hadn't thought of that, but I'm glad, too. I never want to take it off again. I swear I won't."
"It's okay, babe," he kissed her lips, "I understand why. Lotion and rings don't mix well; just make sure you put it back on next time," he winked at her.
"Deal," she promised.
He nodded and with her left hand in his, he led them downstairs and they joined their friends and family. Most everyone had a plate in their hands, eating on a variety of foods that they'd picked up on their way and both Noah and Rachel gathered up their own plates and sat down in a free space on the couch.
"Everything alright?" David asked, moving to sit next to Rachel.
Rachel nodded, and leaned against his shoulder, "I'm okay right now. Ask me in the morning," she admitted.
Though still concerned for her mental state, because they could tell she was physically okay, her dads and friends left the 'are you okay?' questions for a later time, knowing she didn't want to relive the events of that afternoon.
Spending several hours together, Rachel was happy to have her friends and family around and thanked them all for being concerned about her. They all, in their own way, told Rachel that she was their friend and would always be on her side, no matter what happened. She appreciated hearing that and was happy to know she had been right all along; her friends in Lima were her true friends.
Knowing her dads always supported her, she was extremely glad to hear that Deborah and Arin saw her as family, too. Rachel now had a mom and a sister, two people she'd never had in her life before, but happily welcomed the addition and knew everyone in the room would help her recover from what she'd been through.
~*~
As the night wore on, Rachel began to get tired, so everyone insisted she go to bed, so she and Noah said 'goodnight' to their friends and family and headed upstairs to get ready for bed.
"I apologize for anything I may say or do while I sleep," Rachel commented as she slid into bed with a pair of shorts and one of Noah's t-shirts on.
Noah joined her, dressed in boxers and a t-shirt and shrugged, "it's okay. I expect you to wake up. Just don't punch me. Black eyes don't go well with my skin tone," he winked.
She giggled lightly, but shook her head, "Noah, I'm being serious. I don't know what I'm going to dream about and I know he didn't do what he was planning, but he was so close that... I don't know," she admitted.
"I know, babe," Noah wrapped his arms around her. "but I wanted to see you smile," he admitted, "and I wish I could take all the bad dreams away, but know that I'm here and hopefully in every dream you have, I swoop in and rescue you."
Rachel smiled, "you did in real life; that's better than any dream," she replied, kissing him lovingly.
"Well you know, dreams do come true," he added, giving her another kiss.
"They do," she nodded, snuggling closer to him, then lifted her left hand to show him her ring, "because this is."
"Oh, it is? You dreamed of marrying me?" He wondered, smirking.
"I may have had a dream where I walked down the aisle and met you," she replied casually, "but no dream can replace how happy and excited I am really do that and to be your wife," she explained.
Pulling the blankets up over them, Noah kissed her lovingly, "and I can't wait to be your husband," he replied, smiling at her, "and to share the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman in the world."
Rachel felt tears in her eyes from his words, "I love you, Noah, so much."
"I love you, too, Rach," he murmured, his hands rubbing her back gently, "let's try to get some sleep. I'm here if you need me," he promised.
"I know," she smiled, resting her head on his chest as she clung to him, hoping for good and happy dreams about her future with Noah and not flashbacks about what happened or what could have been happened.
~*~
A/N7: Definitely an emotional chapter, but I hope you guys liked it! Review and let me know!
A/N8: So sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but this time I did it on purpose. One of my awesome readers, who has become a best friend to me, has her birthday on 9/26, so as a birthday present, I wanted to wait and update all my fics for her birthday... Happy Birthday, PKteach!
A/N9: Still making bracelets and other crafts. If you're interested, let me know!
~*~
Author: Sapphire (
sapphiresfic)Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Puck, Rachel, Puck/Rachel, Puckleberry
Rating: M/R
Word Count: 7,545
Spoilers: Up to 1x22 ~ Journey; just to be safe
Series: 'Broken Road' (List of all the parts on my LJ)
Fic Table prompt: #47 - Protection (table at my journal here).
Summary1: Rachel visits her dads in Lima for the holidays, gets pulled over, her ex from NYC stalks her, threatening her life and the cop who pulled her over helps protect her... For fic table prompt #47-Protection. (Story: T/PG-13. Ch. 10-12: M/R for content.)
Summary2: So close, yet so far... Noah works on rescuing Rachel.
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: Title comes from 'Blessed The Broken Road' a song by Rascal Flatts. I do not own it, just borrowing for the fic.
~*~
A/N4: A super-belated, but much anticipated, birthday fic for a good friend of mine, PKteach. I wanted to write her a birthday fic, and this is from an idea she gave me.
A/N5: The Gleeks were Juniors in high school when Quinn was pregnant.
A/N6: AU after 1x22 ~ Journey, but contains a relationship that began in 2x01 ~ Auditions.
~*~
Reminder: The rating of this story as a whole is 'T/PG-13'. Only chapters 10-12 are considered a rating of 'M/R' due to content.
~*~Hearing Noah's voice, relief washed over Rachel, but watching Daniel rush over to the window with the gun in his hand, she began screaming again, afraid he'd use it on him. Panic filled her mind when he moved to stand behind the door and held the gun up to it, squeezing the trigger and shooting through the door, right where her fiancé would be standing. "No! Please don't! Oh, Noah! No! Noah, please be okay! Please!" She thought, sobbing and trying to turn away from Daniel, who was coming towards her.
Daniel forcibly rolled her onto her back again and this time, crawled on top of her, straddling her hips and holding the gun against her chest, "that should get rid of him. Now we have time to ourselves," he murmured.
Rachel tugged at her bindings and tried to squirm away from him, unable to stop crying as her ears continued to ache from the gunshots, still echoing in her mind.
"It's no use, Sarah. He's probably dead. Now you're all mine," he told her, "and I'm really gonna enjoy this."
Terrified at his words, she continued to squirm, refusing to let him get what he wanted. Hearing sirens outside, getting closer to their room, Rachel knew that more help had arrived, "please let Noah be okay, please!" She prayed, turning her head away from Daniel and wishing she could see outside, but the curtains blocked her view.
...
Matt rolled off Noah's back, but waited until he was sure Daniel had stopped firing before standing up and helping Noah stand. "Dude, are you okay? Are you hit?" Matt asked, looking him over.
"Damn it!" Noah exclaimed, clenching his fists together and ignoring Matt's questions, "I should have just broken the fucking door down!" Knowing for sure that Daniel had a gun scared the crap out of him; his fiancée was in there with a crazy ex-boyfriend and a gun.
Matt expected the outburst and rested his hands on Noah's shoulders, "no you shouldn't have. What if you'd gone in there and he had shot you? Would you really want Rachel to watch you get shot?"
At Matt's question, Noah thought for a moment, "no, I wouldn't," he sighed.
"Then relax and let us do our jobs. This is what we do, you know?" Matt commented, guiding them over to their SUV for a shield, in case Daniel decided to start shooting again, just as sirens began fill their ears and police cars and SUVs with flashing red and blue lights showed up and parked near them.
Leaning against the back of the SUV, Noah closed his eyes for a second to try to relax, but his heart was racing and his ears were still ringing from the gunshots and the loud sirens, but then opened his eyes and looked at Matt, "thanks for knocking me out of the way."
"No thanks needed; that's what friends are for, but I also didn't want to break in a new partner, so it was win-win," Matt winked, laughing lightly and trying to break up the tension, just as their boss came over.
"I take it that didn't go so well?" He asked, looking at the door of the hotel and saw eight bullet holes in it, then looked them over to make sure they were okay.
Noah shook his head, "no. Now we know he has a gun and she's definitely in there," Noah commented, beginning to pace.
Lieutenant Andy Cross stopped him, "just relax, Puckerman, we'll deal with this," he promised, holding up a bullhorn, "we'll try and talk to him. We can't just barge in there now that we know he has a gun."
Knowing he was right, Noah sighed, "alright."
Turning on the bullhorn, Andy began speaking into it, "Daniel Simon, this is the police. We'd really like to get this situation resolved peacefully, so could you please talk to us to help figure out how we can end this?" Andy then turned to his partner, who was on the phone, "any answer?" He asked, knowing he was trying to call the room's phone.
"Negative," he replied, "he probably cut the cord."
With no answer, Noah began to get sick, but moved to his boss, "let me go in there," he begged.
Andy glanced at the hotel door that had bullet hole in it, "not a chance. He has a gun," he told him.
"I don't fucking care! That's my fiancée in there!" Noah snapped.
"Settle down, Puckerman, or I'll send you back to the station," Andy replied quickly. He hated being harsh with him, but he needed to keep Noah calm, "look, I know your fiancée is in there, trust me, I'm not ignoring that, but Rachel needs your head clear and I can only imagine what you're thinking and feeling right now, but it's not helping the situation. Daniel has a gun and one wrong move by anyone could send someone to the hospital or worse and I don't want that on my hands."
Trying not to snap at his boss again, Noah unbuckled his belt that held his gun and unhooked the thigh strap holding it down, "then I'll go in unarmed. He'll have the power and I can try to talk him out of whatever he's planning. Please," he begged.
"I'm going with you," Matt said, doing what Noah had just done.
Andy pressed the bridge of his nose, and thought for a moment, knowing neither of the guys would give up until they got what they wanted, "alright, but your vests stay on and you have fifteen minutes. If you guys haven't come out of there with him in handcuffs by then, we're coming in with gas," Andy told them, "and keep your radios on so we can hear what's going on in there," he added.
"Got it," Noah nodded, looking at Matt, "are you sure you want to do this? Mercedes will kill me if something happens to you."
"She'll kill me if I don't help rescue Rachel," Matt added, "I'm going with you. I've got your back, remember?"
Noah smiled, "yeah, thanks," he replied, holding up his fist.
Matt bumped his fist with Noah's and turned to their boss for a final 'okay'.
"Don't make me regret this, guys," Andy warned them.
"We won't," Noah promised.
The two young officers moved back over to their SUV to put their gun belts into it, but neither were very trustworthy of Daniel, so they also slipped their guns under their shirts, in the back of their pants, 'just in case'.
Closing up their SUV, they went back to their boss and tested their radios and once Andy was convinced that they worked how he wanted them to, Matt and Noah moved around to the side of the SUV and quietly slipped back over to the door. Slipping on their gloves, in case they had to do any fighting, Noah held up a hand to the door and knocked, "Daniel. It's Noah. My partner and I want to come in and talk. We are unarmed and know you have a gun and are not afraid to use it. Please, let us in," Noah said slowly, trying to stay as calm as possible.
...
Hearing his voice, Rachel's eyes widened and she choked out a sob, "he's okay! Thank you, thank you!" She thought, squirming under Daniel's strength.
Daniel watched her for a moment and though he didn't like hearing Noah, he got an idea, "this will be great! I can have an audience when I rape you," he murmured, running the gun down down her chest slowly, before sliding off the bed and moving to the door. Taking a moment, he unlocked the door and removed the chain, "it better be the two of you. If I see any bullshit, I won't hesitate to shoot her," he said, stepping away from the door and moving back to Rachel and pointed the gun at her.
...
Hearing the clicking on the other side and then his voice, Noah glanced at Matt, who nodded at him. "Yeah, it's just us. We get it. No tricks," he replied, before putting his hand on the knob and pushing the door open.
Stepping in, both Noah and Matt held their hands up in surrender and Matt closed the door behind him, while Noah surveyed the room, but when his eyes landed on his fiancée, his blood boiled. "What the fuck are you doing to her?" Noah snapped, resisting the urge to rush to Rachel, in case that pissed Daniel off.
Daniel smirked, "I can do whatever I want to her. She's mine and I have a gun, remember?"
"You made your point. You have a gun. Now stop pointing that at her," Noah snapped.
"Why should I? She seems to answer better when I have it pointed at her. In fact, you guys are just in time for the show. We were just about to have sex," Daniel admitted, stepping closer and crawling back on top of her, straddling her hips. "She's a feisty one, too," he added.
"Get the fuck off of her, you son of a bitch!" Noah exclaimed, unable to hold back any longer and lunged forward, "don't you dare touch her!"
Just as Noah moved, so did Matt, stepping in front of him to stop him, pressing his hands on his shoulders, "settle the fuck down or you're gonna get someone shot!"
"You're partner's pretty smart," Daniel smirked, "you should listen to him."
Noah glared at Matt for stopping him, but knew he was right, so he reluctantly gave in and tried to settle down.
"That's a good boy," Daniel laughed, turning back to Rachel, this time reaching up with his free hand to run along her cheek, "I can touch her all I want. She really wants me, but she just doesn't know it yet."
Rachel shook her head 'no' and then turned to look away from him, clenching her eyes shut as more tears flowed out, "I don't want him. I'll never want him! I just want Noah," she thought, turning her head again, this time searching for familiar hazel eyes. Locking gazes with her fiancé, she couldn't help crying and tugging at the bindings, trying to get free and wanting him to hold her.
Noah's heart broke as he watched her cry and try to get free, feeling even more helpless than he had before. "Baby, I'm trying. Just hang on a few more minutes," he thought, trying to convey the message with his eyes as his hostage negotiation training kicked in, "you know, Daniel, now that you have us here, shouldn't you give us something in return?" Noah asked curiously, knowing they were on a time crunch.
Daniel scoffed, "what the hell could I give you except a bullet hole in the head?"
"Maybe you could take the tape off of her mouth? I'd really like to know if she's okay and she can't tell me if you've got the tape covering her mouth," Noah explained.
"She'll start screaming as soon as I do, so no," Daniel shook his head.
"Can't you see she's terrified? Maybe if you show her a little compassion, she'll stay quiet. Rachel, if he takes the tape off, you won't scream, right?" Noah asked her softly and she nodded quickly, unable to do anything else.
Daniel eyed Noah and then turned to Rachel, seeing her nod again. "If I remove the tape, you better stay quiet," he snapped, sliding the gun up to rest against her throat. Nodding again several times, he took a deep breath and reached for the tape, getting his fingernail under a corner and ripped it off, the sound echoing through the room.
Everyone in the room flinched at the sound of the tape being removed, but Rachel was relieved to have it gone, even if her skin burned where it had been. Whimpering at the pain, she took a few deep breaths and slowly opened and closer her mouth, hoping it would ease the ache, "thank you," she whispered.
Noah glanced at Matt and relaxed a little, but knew they were running out of time, "Rachel, I know you're scared, but physically, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Noah asked quietly.
"I... I'm fine, but my hands are falling asleep because I can't really move them," she explained, "and I'm cold."
His eyes looked around the room and saw her sweater on the table, so he slowly stepped forward, "Daniel, could you put this on her, please?"
Daniel glanced around and then held out his hand, taking the sweater and threw it over her chest, "you happy?" He snapped at Noah.
"Yes, thank you," Noah nodded, then cleared his throat, "so what's your plan?"
"My plan?" Daniel grinned and sat back, turning to the guys, "you really want to know?" He asked, and at the nods of the guys, he continued, "I plan to take what belongs to me, then we'll leave and go as far away from here as possible, so she'll always be mine."
Rachel clenched her eyes shut and bit her lip at his words, tears falling from her eyes and choking out a sob as her mind raced with fears.
"Can't you see you're terrifying her? This is not the way to get what you want from her," Noah said as calm as he could.
"Yes it is. I own her. I gave her eight months of my life and I'm not through with her, so I'm going to take what belongs to me," Daniel replied.
"But you cheated on her. She found you having sex with your secretary. She broke up with you because you hurt her. She's not yours anymore," Noah tried again.
"I'm the one who make's that decision!" Daniel exclaimed, pressing the gun to Rachel's chest, "she doesn't get a choice!"
Noah flinched when Daniel went back to holding the gun against Rachel's chest, wanting to rush over and knock him out of the way, but he knew he couldn't without possibly hurting her, so he settled for locking his eyes with hers. "You hurt her, man. You cheated on her. That's no way to treat a woman."
"If she had given me her virginity, like I wanted, then I wouldn't have had to go find it somewhere else!" Daniel snapped.
"What about what she wanted? She wanted to share herself with someone special and you might have been that, but you weren't willing to wait for her. You ruined your relationship when you chose to cheat on her. You hurt her, so she broke up with you. It's over between you two and she just wants to move on with her life. Doesn't she deserve a chance to make her own choices?" Noah asked softly.
Daniel brushed his left hand along her cheek, his right hand slowly relaxing with the gun, but as if a light had been turned on, he held the gun up, this time pointing towards Noah, "I know what you're doing! You want her for yourself! You want to take her away from me!"
Though the gun was pointed at him, Noah remained calm, expecting Daniel to figure it out, "I want what she wants. I want her to be happy. If she's happy with me, then I'll gladly have her, but it's her choice. Don't you want what she wants? Don't you want her to be happy? Doing all of this is not doing that and you're only making her hate you more. Come on, man, let her go. Let her be free to do what she wants, please," Noah tried.
"Please," Rachel begged, sobs returning as tears ran down her face.
Daniel continued to hold the gun on Noah, but looked back at Rachel, "but I want her," he murmured, beginning to give up his fight.
"Dude, look at what you're doing. This is definitely not the way to get what you want. Please, give her a chance to make her own choices," Noah begged, knowing their time was getting shorter and if that didn't work, he and Matt may have to get physical with Daniel.
Looking between Rachel and Noah and then to Matt and back to Rachel again, Daniel's mind raced, as if the tunnel vision he'd had for Rachel the past few weeks evaporated and he realized what he was doing and lowered the gun, dropping it on the floor by the bed, "alright, you win," he replied.
"Oh thank God!" Noah thought, as he and Matt both sighed in relief and rushed to him; neither of them being very 'gentle' as they pulled him off her and threw him face first onto the floor.
While Matt dealt with Daniel, Noah rushed to the head of the bed and grabbed the knife that Daniel had left on the night stand, quickly cutting the rope by the wood, and Rachel's first reaction, was to sit up and lean against him, unable to hug him because of her bound hands, "oh Noah," she sobbed, burying her head in his neck.
"I've got you, baby, you're safe," he promised, tears filling his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, "I'm here. You're okay," he added, unsure who he was reassuring more; him or her.
Though he hated to interrupt them, Matt cleared his throat. "I'm gonna take him out. I'll tell them to leave you guys alone," he said.
Noah nodded, "alright. Thanks man. We'll be out in a few," he replied, reaching to turn off his radio.
"Wait," Daniel said, looking at Matt and then Rachel, "Rachel, I'm... I'm sorry."
Rachel looked up at him, "go to hell," she hissed, before snuggling back into the comfort of Noah's arms.
When Rachel said that, Matt took the hint and left the room, shutting the door most of the way so they had some privacy.
"Come on, let get this tape off you," Noah murmured, picking up the pocket knife again. Rachel held up her hands, her sobs slowing the longer she was close to him and Noah removed the extra rope from around her wrists and then began cutting the multiple layers of tape, being careful not to cut her. Rachel bit her lip and tried to ignore the stinging from the tape coming off her skin, but she couldn't help flinching a few times when Noah pulled too fast. After a few moments, Noah finally cut the plastic zip ties from her wrists and tossed the knife and the mass of tape on the bed and looked up at her, "I'm sorry if that hurt," he whispered.
Ignoring his words, she lunged forward and crushed her lips to his, kissing him lovingly, tears still falling, but this time they were from happiness, love and relief, not fear and anger like they had been earlier, "I love you so much," she sobbed as her arms wrapped around his neck tightly.
He smiled brightly, "I love you more than life itself, baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you when he first..."
Rachel's hand went up to his lips to stop him, "you're here now," she told him honestly.
"I am," he agreed, pulling back slightly to look at her, then shifted his hands from around her to between them so he could take his gloves off and slip them into a pocket on his cargo pants, "come on, let's get this sweater on you so we can get out of here," he said, reaching out to brush his warm hand along her cheek, wiping her eyes and feeling horrible that her eyes were red and swollen from crying so much.
Letting her eyes drift closed, she took a few deep breaths to help settle her nerves before looking up at him, "it won't cover anything. It's a shrug; it doesn't close in the front," she whispered.
"Oh, well, I can fix that," he shifted a little and began unbuttoning his uniform shirt, revealing his bullet proof vest and long sleeve undershirt. When his shirt was completely unbuttoned, he pulled it out from under his waist band and took it off, then draped it around her shoulders, "how's this?"
Rachel slid her arms through the sleeves and though the shirt was huge on her, she didn't care. As she worked her hands down the sleeves, Noah pulled it together and buttoned the top few buttons and when her chest was covered, she threw her arms around him and kissed him again, "it's perfect," she murmured against his lips.
Rubbing her back gently, Noah smiled lightly, trying to calm his own nerves and get his heart rate back to normal, "how about we get you out of here?" He asked softly, looking at her and brushing some hair out of her eyes, before resting his hand on her cheek, gently wiping her eyes again.
"Please," she nodded, not wanting to let go of him.
Shifting a little, Noah left one arm around her back and stood up, slipping his other arm under her knees and lifted her up, "I've got you," he promised.
"I know you do," she smiled at him, keeping her arms around his neck and relaxing as best she could.
The door wasn't completely closed, so as Noah carried her towards it, he was able to use his foot to open it. Glancing around, he saw Matt talking with their boss and then saw the waiting ambulance with a stretcher sitting outside of it, so he carried her over there and laid her down on it.
Before he could completely pull away, Rachel pulled him back in for a kiss and clasped her hand with one of his, not wanting to him to leave, "don't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, squeezing her hand in response.
One of the EMTs was a woman, and Rachel was thankful she was the one checking her out, because she wasn't sure how she'd do around a strange guy right at the moment, even with the protection of her fiancé. While she was laying back, the EMT asked her some questions and Rachel answered them, talking for a few moments while she took some vitals and then got her to sit up, hanging her feet over the edge, "I knew you'd find me," Rachel said softly, looking up at Noah.
Noah smiled and stepped closer to her, kissing her gently, "always, baby. It is going to be hard to get married if you're not there," he added, reaching up to brush his hand along her cheek.
"I can't wait to be your wife," Rachel told him, wanting to crawl into his arms for warmth and security.
Moving closer to her, he rested his other hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb over her soft skin, "I love hearing you say that," he smiled.
"Puck, Rachel," Matt said walking up to them.
"Matt!" Rachel jumped a little not expecting him, but smiled, "hey!"
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he commented, "or interrupt, but I wanted to check on you."
Rachel shrugged, "I'm still pretty shaken up, but I'm getting better," she replied.
Matt nodded, "understandable. I'm glad we got there when we did," he said, holding up a black fleece jacket with 'SWAT' written on the back, "anyone want a jacket?"
"I'm perfectly fine with what I've got on," Rachel admitted proudly, patting Noah's uniform shirt that she had on.
Noah smiled and took the jacket from Matt, releasing her hand long enough to slip it on and once it was zipped up, he retook her hand, "thanks, man, for getting me out of the way when that asshole started shooting, for backing me up... For everything," Noah said looking at his friend.
"No thanks needed," Matt replied, patting Noah on the shoulder, "I've got your back. That's what friends and partners do," he added.
"But still, thank you, Matt. You saved Noah's life and for that I'm grateful," Rachel said, reaching out to hug him.
Matt leaned in and gave her a friendly hug, then pulled away and shrugged, "you're welcome, but like I told him earlier, now I don't have to break in a new partner," he grinned.
Rachel giggled lightly at his comment, "Matthew, that's not nice. We're trying to be serious."
"I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood," Matt replied, "and I'm really glad to see you smiling and laughing."
"Me too," Noah nodded in agreement.
She took a deep breath and relaxed a moment, "I'm not saying I'm perfect, because I'm far from it, but as long as I have my fiancé and our friends and family around, I'll be okay," she explained, turning to the female EMT, "may I go now?"
"I think so. Your blood pressure is a little high, but it's expected and you don't have any physical injuries to warrant a trip to the hospital, so if you feel you can go home, I won't stop you," the woman replied honestly.
"Thank you," Rachel nodded and hopped down off the gurney, wrapping her arms around Noah's waist, "will you take me home?"
Noah smiled, nodding, "gladly," he kissed her gently and hugged her and then guided her towards his and Matt's patrol SUV, "we will have to stop at the station to get my car though. Is that okay?" He asked, "because once we get back, I don't want to leave you again."
"Of course that's alright. As long as I'm with you, I'll be okay," she admitted.
"Good to know," he commented, leaning down and kissing her lips.
"I'll drive. You two can get mushy in the backseat. Just don't christen it until I'm out of the car," Matt replied as they reached the SUV.
"Hang on, guys," Andy called out, jogging over to them.
"Yeah, boss?" Noah asked.
"That's your boss?" Rachel murmured, biting her lip nervously.
"Everything check out okay?" Andy asked.
Noah nodded, "yes, it did," he glanced at Rachel, "babe, this is our boss, Lieutenant Andy Cross. Andy, this is my fiancée Rachel," Noah said, smiling as he introduced her.
Andy held out his hand and nodded at her, "it's a pleasure to meet the woman who has snagged one of my officers, Rachel, though I do wish it was under different circumstances," he admitted.
Rachel reached out and shook his hand, nodding in agreement, "yes, sir, I feel the same way," she looked up at Noah and back to Andy, "I'm definitely not letting him go, that's for sure," she added with a smile, "but I am sorry if I caused any trouble today."
"Please, call me Andy," he said waving off her 'sir', "and do not apologize for anything. You did not do anything wrong. I'm just glad we were able to get to you before things got worse," he said honestly.
"Me too," she nodded, biting her lip, "but I'm embarrassed over how I was found," she added softly.
"I noticed you came out in Noah's shirt," he replied, "and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. You couldn't control what he did and we're all adults here."
"I'll admit I saw, but I respect you enough to look away," Matt told her.
She bit her lip and nodded, a blush growing on her cheeks, "thanks Matt."
"No problem," he nodded at her.
"Matt, Puck, you guys did good," Andy said, glancing at the two officers.
"It was all Puck," Matt admitted.
"I heard you stop him from doing something stupid. He kept his cool because you had his back. It was a team effort," Andy replied. "I'll need to talk to all three of you, but for now, go home and relax," he glanced at his officers and then looked at Rachel, "none of this is your fault. Talk to your dads, Puck, your friends or family; anyone, if you need to, okay?"
Rachel nodded, "okay, I will. I know it's not going to go away, but I'd like to think I'll be fine, once I've had a few days to process what happened and can relax in the safety of my house with my dads and fiancé," she explained.
"Hopefully you will," Andy agreed, "and you'll have plenty of time with Puck. How about the rest of the week off and come back to work Monday?" He glanced at Noah curiously.
"What? Really?" Noah gasped in shock.
Andy nodded, "yeah. You've got a ton of vacation days; use them. Your fiancée is more important than work," he told him.
Still shocked at the offer, Noah looking at the girl who still had her arms wrapped around him, "yeah, she definitely is," he agreed, "thank you."
"You're welcome," Andy nodded at them.
Excusing himself, Andy stepped away, letting Noah and Rachel climb into the backseat of the SUV, while Matt slid into the driver's seat and soon they were on their way back to Lima's Police Department.
"Rach, you wanna call your dads?" Noah asked, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket.
"Yeah!" She nodded and took the offered phone, dialing the familiar number
"Noah? Is everything alright?" Alan asked, as he answered the phone after the third ring.
"It's me, dad," Rachel said, trying to keep calm, "Noah and Matt got there just in time."
"Oh thank God! Sweetheart, we were so worried about you," he admitted, putting the phone on speaker so everyone there could hear.
Rachel couldn't help the emotions surfacing again and leaned against her fiancé, tears beginning to fall, "I love you guys so much," she cried.
"Oh, we love you, too, Rachel. We're so happy to hear your voice," David told her.
"Daddy," Rachel sighed in relief, already feeling better, "it's great to hear your voices, too."
"We're so glad you're okay, Rachel," Arin commented.
Rachel smiled, hearing Arin's voice, "hey Arin. How did you know what happened?"
"Your dads called Arin and I, so we came over right away," Deborah replied.
"How are you doing, Rachel?" Mercedes chimed in.
"Mercedes? Okay, I get why Deborah and Arin are there, but what are you doing there?"
"We called to tell her that Matt may not be home like normal and also passed on what happened," David explained.
"And I decided to come over to keep them company and see if you were okay," she added.
"Thank you," Rachel smiled, putting the phone on speaker, because Matt was driving and wanted to talk to Mercedes.
"Hey babe, how long are you going to be over there?" Matt asked.
"As long as necessary, but I'm not sure if Rachel will be up for company," Mercedes admitted.
"I just need a shower and then as long as I'm with my friends and family, I think I'll be okay," Rachel replied.
"Good, because Quinn, Finn, Tina, Mike and Dave are on their way over, too," Mercedes added.
"What?" Rachel gasped.
"Well, I thought you might need to be cheered up, so I called for reinforcements," Mercedes explained, "and they're bringing dinner."
Rachel clenched her eyes shut and nodded, smiling brightly, "I love you guys."
"We love you, too. Are you on your way back home?" David asked.
"Sort of. We just got back to the police station. Noah just wants to get his car and his things, then we'll be on our way back," she explained, "and I'm sure Matt will be doing the same thing."
"I will be," Matt agreed as they pulled into their parking spot.
"We'll be there soon," Rachel promised, saying 'bye' to them and then hung up, handing the phone back to Noah, "thank you."
"No problem, babe," he replied, kissing her gently, "love you."
"Love you, too," she replied, relaxing for a moment before sliding out of the SUV with him.
Noah and Matt opened the back end and pulled out their bags, and then Noah held out his hand to her, "come on."
Rachel took his hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing it gently and loving the feeling of his larger hand wrapped around hers, "is it alright, though? I'm not a police officer," she said softly.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," he told her, "so fuck 'em if they have an issue," Noah commented honestly.
"Okay," she said softly, wrapping her other hand around his arm and felt his bicep flex as they walked and tried to stay as close to him as possible; his strength keeping her calm.
Noah glanced at his arm and saw how close she was to him, "hey, you okay?" He asked, stopping just as they walked inside the building.
"Yes," she nodded, "just want to be close to you, that's all," she admitted softly, "I also look horrible," she murmured.
"You look beautiful," he told her, not caring that her hair was a mess, her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much, "you're safe. I've got your back in good times and in bad," he added, pulling her into his arms for a hug.
Rachel relaxed against his chest for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then looked up at him, "thank you."
"Don't mention it," he assured her.
Noah and Rachel continued on their walk to the guys' locker room; they'd gone in a side door, that usually is just used for officers and headed through the halls until they reached the locker room for the SWAT team. "You guys have your own locker room?" Rachel asked, following them inside.
"Yep," Noah nodded, "we have more gear than the regular cops wear and use, so we have our own," he explained, moving right over to the one with 'Puckerman' engraved on the locker's plaque.
Rachel took a seat on the bench near him, watching as he sorted out some things, taking off his bulletproof vest and putting it into his bag with a few other things before zipping it closed and picking it up, "okay, ready to go?"
"Yes," she nodded and stood up, "ready to go home and burn these jeans," she murmured.
"Why?" Noah asked with a grin, "you're fuckin' hot in them. Or maybe it's because you've got my shirt on."
She blushed, "you really like them? Even if he was crawling all over me," she shuddered, slipping her arms around him, "I can still feel his hands on me."
Noah held her close, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "I promise I'll make you forget that," he told her, "by giving you something you'll really want to remember."
"I know you will," she smiled, knowing he'd definitely be able to replace those memories.
~*~
When Rachel, Noah and Matt arrived at the Berry's, everyone was there that Mercedes said was on their way and they all welcomed Rachel home with hugs and promised to be there during her recovery.
Rachel thanked everyone and promised she wouldn't be long, but she wanted to shower and change before she joined them, so she and Noah went up to her room. She stripped her clothes off as soon as she was in the room, kicking off her shoes and piling everything in the corner before moving right into her bathroom and getting into the shower.
Noah stood stunned in her room for a moment, surprised she had completely stripped in front of him, but then quickly realized that she trusted him, so he smiled and tried to focus as he changed clothes. When he was done he moved over to her bathroom door, which was still open, "babe, you okay in here?" He asked softly, "need anything?"
"I'm okay," Rachel admitted, standing under the hot spray, "you can come in here if you want," she added.
"Rachel, I love you and I want nothing more than to see you without clothes on, but didn't we kind of agree to wait until our wedding night to make love?" He asked softly.
She smiled, nodding at what he said and picked up the bottle of shampoo, "just because I'm letting you see me naked, doesn't mean I'm expecting us to have sex, Noah," she admitted softly, "I'm doing it because I trust you, I love you and want to share everything with you."
Noah groaned, his body reacting to her words, "that's hot," he murmured, "and I know that. I just don't want you thinking that you owe me for what I did today," he admitted, stepping into the bathroom, "because you don't and I'm so happy that you trust me enough to expose yourself to me, and I'll gladly take in the amazing view, but I just want to make sure you want to do that; not feel obligated to," he explained honestly.
While washing her hair, she listened to him and as she rinsed her hair out, she smiled, "I want to, Noah. It has nothing to do with today," she admitted, "it is something I've been thinking of. I thought maybe we could test the waters, you know, so on our wedding night everything isn't all new to me. I..." she blushed, "I don't have the experience like you do and I want to be able to enjoy our first time; not wonder about everything we're doing or feeling."
Taking a deep breath to calm his senses, then smiled, "I think that's a great idea, Rach," he agreed, "but will you give me a few days before we take that step?" He asked softly.
"Um, uh, yeah," Rachel nodded, immediately feeling nervous, "did I say something wrong?"
"No! No," Noah shook his head, "nothing like that, just, could you finish your shower first?"
"Sure," Rachel took a few moments to finish washing and rinsing her body and hair, and once she was satisfied she was clean, she stepped out, smiling when her fiancé was holding a towel, "thank you."
Noah stepped towards her and wrapped the towel around her, kissing her on the lips, "you're welcome. Feel better?" He asked, slowly rubbing her back to dry her body.
"Much better," she agreed, "now talk."
He smirked, but guided her into her room and got her to sit on the edge of her bed and knelt down in front of her, his hands resting on her towel covered hips, "when I joined the police department, I was tested, but since then I have been with a few girls and even though it's been some time since I've slept with someone, I haven't been retested," he explained.
"Tested?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion and then it dawned on her, "oh... oh!"
Noah nodded, "so I didn't mean to worry you, but I would like to be tested before we go much further," he admitted, reaching up to wipe away a few water droplets on her chin, "I was going to do it before we got married anyway, but now that I'm off for a few days and with what has happened, I figured I'd tell you; especially if we want to go a little further than we have been," he winked.
Rachel smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips, "that would mean the world to me, Noah and when you make an appointment, I'd be happy to go with you."
"I'll call tomorrow," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her, "why don't you get dressed so we can go down and visit with our friends."
"Good idea! I feel bad they've been waiting this long," she admitted.
"I think they understand, but I'm hungry," Noah smirked, standing up and stretching.
Getting up, Rachel moved over to her dresser and closet, collecting some clothes to put on and after towel drying her hair and body, she got dressed and slid her feet into some comfortable slippers, "okay, ready."
Noah held out his hand and when she took it, she gasped, "wait!" She let go and dashed to the other side of her bed and grabbed the shiny ring off the nightstand, "I feel horrible! We got this beautiful engagement ring and I took this off to put lotion on and then I kind of got comfortable in bed and then he showed up and I... I never got it back on," she admitted. "I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, babe," Noah walked towards her and took the ring from her hands and lifted her left one to him, sighing in relief, "I noticed you didn't have it on, but I thought he'd taken it and that's why he had shot at me. I'm actually glad you weren't wearing it, because I don't even want to think about what he would have done if he'd seen it," he admitted softly, sliding the ring back onto her finger, then pressed a kiss to her ring and finger, "but I'm glad it's back on your hand."
She nodded, "me too," she took a deep breath, "you're right. I hadn't thought of that, but I'm glad, too. I never want to take it off again. I swear I won't."
"It's okay, babe," he kissed her lips, "I understand why. Lotion and rings don't mix well; just make sure you put it back on next time," he winked at her.
"Deal," she promised.
He nodded and with her left hand in his, he led them downstairs and they joined their friends and family. Most everyone had a plate in their hands, eating on a variety of foods that they'd picked up on their way and both Noah and Rachel gathered up their own plates and sat down in a free space on the couch.
"Everything alright?" David asked, moving to sit next to Rachel.
Rachel nodded, and leaned against his shoulder, "I'm okay right now. Ask me in the morning," she admitted.
Though still concerned for her mental state, because they could tell she was physically okay, her dads and friends left the 'are you okay?' questions for a later time, knowing she didn't want to relive the events of that afternoon.
Spending several hours together, Rachel was happy to have her friends and family around and thanked them all for being concerned about her. They all, in their own way, told Rachel that she was their friend and would always be on her side, no matter what happened. She appreciated hearing that and was happy to know she had been right all along; her friends in Lima were her true friends.
Knowing her dads always supported her, she was extremely glad to hear that Deborah and Arin saw her as family, too. Rachel now had a mom and a sister, two people she'd never had in her life before, but happily welcomed the addition and knew everyone in the room would help her recover from what she'd been through.
~*~
As the night wore on, Rachel began to get tired, so everyone insisted she go to bed, so she and Noah said 'goodnight' to their friends and family and headed upstairs to get ready for bed.
"I apologize for anything I may say or do while I sleep," Rachel commented as she slid into bed with a pair of shorts and one of Noah's t-shirts on.
Noah joined her, dressed in boxers and a t-shirt and shrugged, "it's okay. I expect you to wake up. Just don't punch me. Black eyes don't go well with my skin tone," he winked.
She giggled lightly, but shook her head, "Noah, I'm being serious. I don't know what I'm going to dream about and I know he didn't do what he was planning, but he was so close that... I don't know," she admitted.
"I know, babe," Noah wrapped his arms around her. "but I wanted to see you smile," he admitted, "and I wish I could take all the bad dreams away, but know that I'm here and hopefully in every dream you have, I swoop in and rescue you."
Rachel smiled, "you did in real life; that's better than any dream," she replied, kissing him lovingly.
"Well you know, dreams do come true," he added, giving her another kiss.
"They do," she nodded, snuggling closer to him, then lifted her left hand to show him her ring, "because this is."
"Oh, it is? You dreamed of marrying me?" He wondered, smirking.
"I may have had a dream where I walked down the aisle and met you," she replied casually, "but no dream can replace how happy and excited I am really do that and to be your wife," she explained.
Pulling the blankets up over them, Noah kissed her lovingly, "and I can't wait to be your husband," he replied, smiling at her, "and to share the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman in the world."
Rachel felt tears in her eyes from his words, "I love you, Noah, so much."
"I love you, too, Rach," he murmured, his hands rubbing her back gently, "let's try to get some sleep. I'm here if you need me," he promised.
"I know," she smiled, resting her head on his chest as she clung to him, hoping for good and happy dreams about her future with Noah and not flashbacks about what happened or what could have been happened.
~*~
A/N7: Definitely an emotional chapter, but I hope you guys liked it! Review and let me know!
A/N8: So sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but this time I did it on purpose. One of my awesome readers, who has become a best friend to me, has her birthday on 9/26, so as a birthday present, I wanted to wait and update all my fics for her birthday... Happy Birthday, PKteach!
A/N9: Still making bracelets and other crafts. If you're interested, let me know!
~*~
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