Fic: Broken Road, Part 12/? by Sapphire (Rating: M/R)

[sapphireej]

Title: Broken Road, Part 12/?
Author: Sapphire (sapphiresfic)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Puck, Rachel, Puck/Rachel, Puckleberry
Rating: M/R
Word Count: 5,000
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: 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: Noah and Rachel get some time together to deal with what happened.
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.

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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.

~*~

Noah didn't even bother to close his eyes when Rachel did, knowing there was no way he could get to sleep anytime soon. Between the adrenaline that still pumped through his veins and the emotions of the day, his mind was still on overdrive. As a SWAT officer, Noah has dealt with a lot of similar cases to what had happened that day and usually he could just shake them off within a few hours, but this was the first time that someone close to him had been the victim.

"I hate to think she's been a victim of anything," Noah thought, looking at her as she snuggled against him, his arms draped protectively around her body, "she didn't deserve this. I know I'm not perfect, but I'd never force her to do anything she didn't want to do and I'll spend the rest of my life showing her how special she is," he smiled, reaching a hand up to brush some hair from her face, "I know we've got a lot of things to figure out, but we'll figure them out together, baby. I'm here, with you, forever," he promised, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

Carefully settling against the pillows so he didn't disturb her, Noah continued to watch her. He wasn't sure how her night would go and wanted to be there if she woke upset, but he could feel his body finally relaxing enough to close his eyes, so reluctantly he gave in to sleep, hoping Rachel would be okay or she'd wake him up if she needed him.

~*~

As Rachel drifted off to sleep in the comfort of Noah's arms, she knew she was safe, but that didn't stop her mind from flashing back to events of the day. Though the dreams were tough to deal with, Noah rescued her in them, just like he had in real life and that helped her from having severe nightmares, but she still spent some time tossing and turning. Most of the time was because she'd rolled away from Noah his warmth and was finding him again to stay close to, his body making her feel safe.

Noah woke a few times when Rachel was tossing and turning, expecting her to wake up, but she never did, always snuggling back against him and continued to sleep. He'd gently rub her back or brush hair from her face to help keep her relaxed so she could keep sleeping and it seemed to work.

As light began to filter into the room the next morning, Noah woke up and saw it was after seven. Rachel was laying, facing him with her right arm folded under her and her left hand resting on the mattress between them. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he carefully slipped out of bed and moved into the bathroom to take care of things, returning a few minutes later.

Feeling the bed shift when Noah returned, Rachel gasped and woke up in shock, sitting up quickly and looking around to get her bearings, "Noah?"

"I'm right here, babe," Noah said softly, realizing the movement had startled her, "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just came back from the bathroom."

"Oh, alright," she took a deep breath and laid back next to him, "I haven't been dreaming for a while, but was comfortable and then I felt the bed move; I wasn't expecting it."

"I'm sorry. I tried to be careful, I didn't want to wake up you or scare you," he told her honestly, wrapping his arms around her, "you're okay," he added, kissing her cheek gently.

She smiled at him, "don't worry about it and I know I'm okay, because I'm with you," she replied, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Returning her kiss, he relaxed, "good to know. I hope that doesn't change," he added, "I always want you to feel safe with me."

"I'll always be safe with you, that I'm sure of," she assured him, closing her eyes a little as she rested her head on his chest.

Noah brushed his hand through her hair gently and rubbed her back, "definitely makes me feel really good to hear that."

"It's the truth," she smiled, feeling her body starting to relax even more with his hands on her head, gently massaging it, "and you can give me a head message anytime you want," she murmured.

He laughed lightly at that, but continued what he was doing, gently running his fingertips along her scalp and through her hair, "I take it this feels good?" He wondered.

"So good," she replied, "makes me not want to get out of bed."

"No one said you have to," he told her.

"But you wanted to make an appointment with your doctor and don't we have to talk to you boss?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, but I can do that later. I doubt I'll get an appointment today, so I'll make one for tomorrow or Friday," he explained, "as for my boss, yes we do have to talk to him sometime today. He can come over here or we can go to the station."

"Alright. I guess it doesn't matter where we are when we talk to him. We just have to tell him our side of the story, right?"

Noah nodded, "yeah. You just need to tell him the truth, same as me."

"I can do that," she agreed, "later... I wanna stay here right now," she admitted.

"No hurry," Noah grinned, tugging the blankets up over them a little more to relax.

~*~

It didn't take long for Rachel to begin shifting and getting restless, not used to staying in bed so long after waking up. "I think I'm going to take a shower."

"I take it you're not used to laying in bed all day relaxing?" He wondered, looking at her.

Biting her lip, she shook her head, "no," she replied, a blush growing on her cheeks, "if I'm awake, I usually don't stay in bed long."

"What can I say to make you change your mind?" He asked, shifting a little so he was now laying on his side facing her with his arm draped over her chest.

As Noah shifted, Rachel's mind flashed to the day before, Daniel straddling her body with his hands all over her. Trying to shake the memory from her mind, she gasped and sat up quickly, "I... I need to get up," she murmured, pushing the blankets off and turned to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Rachel?" Noah watched her, concerned about her complete change in mood. Gently reaching over and resting a hand on her shoulder, she flinched under his touch, so he quickly pulled his hand away, "baby, talk to me. What did I do? Did I say something wrong?" Now even more worried and confused about what happened in the last few moments.

She shook her head, "you didn't say anything wrong," she said quickly, tears filling her eyes as moments from the day before continued to flash through her mind.

Feeling his stomach tighten in knots, Noah realized what the problem was, so he got up quickly and moved around the bed to kneel down in front of her, "talk to me, Rach," he said, resting his hands on her thighs and rubbing them gently, "what's wrong?"

Blinking her eyes, tears slipped out, "I... when you... I just... I got a flash of him on top of me on the bed," she cried, "he... I couldn't..."

"Oh shit, baby," Noah reached up and wiped her eyes, his hands resting against her cheeks, "I'm so sorry, Rach... I should have thought about that before I moved like that."

"Don't apologize," she replied softly, her eyes closing as she tried to calm down, "I want you close... I..."

Moving quickly, Noah stood up and slid next to her, carefully wrapping his arms around her and when she didn't pull away, he pulled her close to him, "I'm right here, baby. You're safe, I've got you."

"I know," she nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to stay calm, "I just... I thought I'd be over this... That I could just pretend like it didn't happen and go on with my life. I just wish..." She clenched her eyes shut, "I wish you could make the memories go away," she choked out between sobs.

Noah bit his lip, trying to come up with ideas to help her and gently rubbed her back to calm her, "baby, I hate to say this, but you can't just 'pretend like it didn't happen'," he said sadly. "You need to remember, because you're okay now. You're safe and he didn't get to do what he was threatening to. I may have a way of helping you, too, but it won't be easy, either," he told her softly, unsure if it was really a good idea.

"What? How?" She asked, turning to look at him.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "you know the old cliché about if you fall off the horse you gotta try again?"

"Yes," she nodded, her mind trying to figure out what he was talking about, "do you mean you want to tie me up and do what he was trying to do?"

"Hell no!" Noah exclaimed, shaking his head, "I'd never do that to you," he said honestly, calming down for a moment, "what I mean is that you'd lay back like you were yesterday and I'll show you how a real man treats a woman in bed," he explained softly, "so you can replace the bad memories with good ones."

At Noah's suggestion, Rachel thought about her options and couldn't help the blush that grew on her cheeks. "I really like that idea," she replied softly, "but I... I think I just need some time to relax," she admitted.

Noah brushed his hand along her cheek, "understandable and there's no rush; when you're ready, I'll be there," he promised, kissing her cheek.

Rachel smiled and turned her head, leaning in to kiss his lips, "I love you, Noah."

"I love you, too, Rachel, so much," he returned her kiss and then shifted a little, patting the bed, "why don't you relax and I'll go make us some breakfast," he suggested.

"I'd rather go shower," she admitted, "is that okay?"

"Yeah, totally," Noah nodded, "whatever you wanna do is fine by me," he kissed her forehead and stood up, "up for pancakes?"

"They sound lovely, but you don't have to go to that much trouble," she replied.

"It's no trouble," he kissed her again, "you're worth it."

Rachel's blush continued as she nodded, "thanks," she stood up and wrapped her arms around him, "I'll be down in a bit."

Noah nodded, "take your time and if you need anything just holler for me," he said, his arms slipping around her waist and holding her close, kissing her gently.

~*~

Slipping a pair of sweats on over his boxers, and leaving the t-shirt on he'd slept in, Noah grabbed his cell phone and went downstairs to find the fixings for brunch, when he realized it was almost eleven-am.

The house was quiet. Rachel had insisted that David and Alan go to work, because Noah would be with her and she'd call them if she needed anything. They were hesitant, but trusted Noah to take care of her, so they did agree to go.

Digging out what Noah needed to make pancakes, he began to mix the batter up and while one of his hands was free, he called his boss to find out when he wanted to talk to them. "Hey Puck, how's Rachel doing?" Andy asked.

"As good as can be expected," Noah admitted, "she slept okay, but had had some flashbacks that bothered her. I don't think everything has quite hit her yet, but maybe she's through the worst of it."

"Maybe. How are you holding up?"

Noah took a deep breath, "I'm alright. She's all I care about right now."

"I get that, but you're no help to her if you're sick or emotional. You gotta take care of yourself, too, Puck," Andy said.

"I know. I'll be okay. She's back home safe; that's what's important. We'll get through the rest together and take things one day at a time," he replied, flipping the pancakes he had in the pan, "we're just getting up now and I was wondering when you wanted to talk to us about what happened. Do you want us to come down to the station or you wanna come over?" Noah asked him, getting back to why he called.

"She'd probably feel more comfortable at home, so I can stop over. How about two?"

"Sounds good. Gives us time to get up and all. You remember where she lives?"

"Yeah, I have her address. If I need help I'll get Rutherford to come along," Andy added.

"Alright, cool. So I'll see you around two," Noah replied.

The two said 'goodbye' and Noah pocketed his phone when he hung up, returning his focus back on breakfast. While each batch of pancakes cooked, Noah gathered together some fresh fruit and things they'd eat with what he was making and set the items on the island in the kitchen. Hearing footsteps, Noah glanced up just as Rachel was walking into the kitchen, "hey babe, have a good shower?" He asked, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"I think so," she replied, smiling as she relaxed against his chest, "it smells so good in here," she added, glancing around to see what he was making.

"I was going to make plain pancakes, but then found some chocolate chips, so I added them to the batter," he explained, "also found some fruit and other things to have."

Rachel smiled, standing on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, "it all sounds amazing."

"Good," Noah returned her smile and kissed her once more before guiding her over to a stool by the island, "I'll finish setting the table. I also threw on some coffee. It's almost ready," he admitted, "want some?"

"Sure," she replied, watching him move around the kitchen, "you're spoiling me, Noah," she said after a few moments.

Noah took a serving tray, piled with pancakes that he had staying warm in the oven, and moved over to set it on a potholder on the island, "what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," she blushed, smiling at him, "I'm just not used to it. I've been doing most of the cooking while I've been here and in New York I'm almost always doing the cooking," she explained, "unless I go out to eat."

"Well, that's gonna change," Noah told her, setting coffee cups on the table for them and then took the seat across from her, "I'm not a fancy cook, but I will do anything I can to chip in."

"Thanks," Rachel smiled, reaching across and taking his hand, squeezing it gently, "that means a lot."

Noah lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the top, "you're so worth it."

~*~

Talking lightly over breakfast, neither were in a hurry to finish. They were enjoying the quiet, alone time they had, something they'd had little of because most of the time others were with them; her dads, his mom, his sister or their friends, so they took the opportunity to just them.

Noah mentioned he'd talked to his boss, letting her know the plan and making sure she was okay with it. Though she wasn't in a rush to talk about what happened to her in details, she knew she had to eventually, so she was fine with the visit that afternoon.

"Did you call to make that appointment yet?" She asked softly as they slowly finished and began to clean up the kitchen.

"No, not yet. I was going to wait until I knew when Andy was going to come over," Noah explained.

"Oh, alright," Rachel nodded, "that makes sense. I was just curious when you were going to."

"I'll call right now," he told her, "then I'll help with dishes."

"No, I've got them, Noah. You made breakfast, I'll take care of the dishes," she replied, passing off his offer to help.

"Are you sure?" He asked and when she nodded, he continued, "okay. As long as you're sure. I'm gonna go shower after I call," he said, reaching for his phone.

"Okay, I'll be here," she smiled at him.

Noah moved over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lovingly, "I'll be back in a few," he promised.

"I know," she assured him, soaking in his warmth for a moment before watching him walk out of the kitchen.

~*~

Getting up to Rachel's room, Noah made a quick call to his doctor's office to make an appointment. They had a few openings for the next day, so he took one at noon and wrote a note on his phone to remind him so he didn't forget to tell Rachel, then set some clean clothes on her bed and headed for the bathroom.

Not needing to be in there too long, he took a quick shower, washing and rinsing, then got out and dried off. With the towel still in his hands, he continued to dry his body as he pulled the bathroom door open and heard typing, so he looked around and saw Rachel sitting at her desk, typing on her laptop, "oh, hey babe. I didn't realize you'd be in here," he commented, wrapping his towel around his waist; unsure if seeing him naked would scare her right now.

Rachel turned around, "sorry, I figured I'd just stay up here and work on stuff, instead of taking everything downstairs," she admitted, smiling at him, "better view up here, anyway," she added.

Noah smirked, "nothing to be sorry about. It's your room," he moved over to her and pressed a kiss to her lips, "you like what you see?"

She nodded and stood up, unable to resist the temptation to run her hands over his bare chest, "makes me feel even safer," she replied, pressing a kiss to the skin over his heart.

Feeling her touches, Noah let his eyes drift closed for a moment, enjoying the feeling, but was also trying to keep his body from reacting, "I'm glad you feel that way. I just don't want to scare you," he told her softly.

"You can't scare me... Well, I'm sure you could, but not in the sexual way," she replied, "I know you're not rushing me and I'm totally okay with this," she motioned to him, "I don't want to be a complete stranger to you when we make love the first time," she explained, "give me some time and I'll be open for more, if you are."

"Rachel, when you're ready for something more, I will be, too. I want it to be your choice," he told her truthfully, "and if you told me to stop, I would," he added, looking at her. "I'm not just saying this because of what happened yesterday. A big part of it is, but I would be telling you the same thing if that hadn't happened, too."

"I know, thank you," she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him, her head resting on his chest, "you're an amazing man, Noah. Not many girls can say they have a knight in shining armor," she grinned, looking up at him, "I'm so lucky to have you back in my life. I never want to let go."

Noah grinned, leaning down and kissing her lips, "good thing you don't have to," he murmured, "and I'm the lucky one," he added, reaching for her left hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her ring, "it won't be long before we're officially husband and wife."

Shifting her hand so she could lace their fingers together, she looked at the sparkly ring on her hand, "I'm so excited to finally be Mrs. Noah Puckerman," she admitted, smiling brightly at him, "to be honest, I had this really good feeling inside of me when I was packing to come home. It wasn't just because I could spend the holidays with my dads; it was a different feeling. Like subconsciously I knew something amazing was going to happen to me while I was home," she explained, moving over to her bed and taking a seat, patting the edge for him to join her.

"Oh yeah?" Noah grinned, moving towards the bed, but grabbed his boxers and put them under his towel, then tossed it aside to continue getting dressed, "you never mentioned it before," he added.

"I didn't need too," she replied with a shrug, "besides, I didn't think anyone would believe me. The feeling was what kept me going over the break-up, you know? Like somehow I knew it didn't matter that I'd broken up with him, because I was coming home to you."

Noah finished getting dressed and took a seat next to her, "I definitely think your subconscious knew something amazing was gonna happen," he agreed, returning her smile.

"You do?" She asked, surprised that he believed her.

"I admit I didn't have the same feeling the day we met up again, but I know what it's like to have gut feelings; I've had them before. So yes, I definitely believe you. It's one of the things that keeps us cops on our toes," he explained.

"Oh, I never thought of that before," she admitted. "I'm glad you believe me. I honestly didn't think anyone would."

Noah smirked, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips, "figured people would think you're crazy?"

"Well, yeah, a little," she blushed, nodding at him.

"Baby, if anyone thinks you're crazy for having feelings, there's something wrong with them, not you," he told her honestly.

She smiled at his response and nodded in understanding. Shifting a little, she slid back on the bed, now made and settled against her pillow, "join me," she murmured.

Remembering that morning, Noah raised a curious eyebrow at her, "are you sure you're okay with that? I don't want you to freak out," he admitted.

"I need to work through this, Noah, the metaphorical horse and all," she said, reminding him of what they'd talked about earlier that morning.

"Alright," he smirked, crawling over her to lay on the side he'd been using, but she stopped him, "what?" He asked concerned.

"Stay here," she said softly.

Noah looked at how he was, kneeling on the bed, straddling her thighs, "babe, I'm all for helping out, but are you sure you're ready for this right now... When I said that, you seemed to agree, but in a few days; it doesn't have to be today."

Rachel reached out, taking his hands in hers and then sat up a little to press a kiss to his lips, "I know. I'd like to start out gradual, and this is the perfect way," she replied, laying back again.

Letting her guide his hands above her head, he had to lean over her and since he was much heavier, he released their hands and pressed his into the mattress next to her head, so he wasn't putting his weight on her, "gradual is good," he agreed, leaning in and kissing her gently, "if anything gets too much, tell me and I'll stop," he added softly.

She nodded in response and already felt the memories returning, but this time she was prepared for them. "It's Noah, Rachel, just remember that," she told herself, letting her eyes drift closed as she felt the safe warmth of Noah's body over her and his lips on her face and neck, "he's not going to hurt you... Oh, that really feels good," she couldn't help the light groan that escaped her lips when she felt him kissing her lower neck. When their lips connected again, the memory of being kissed with her mouth covered in tape came back to her and she gasped, pulling from the kiss.

"What? What is it?" Noah asked quickly, pulling back to study her expressions.

"I just..." she blushed, hating the mixed feelings, "he kept kissing me when my mouth was taped shut," she murmured.

Noah rested his hand against her cheek, his thumb gently brushing over her lips, "I'm not him," he promised, leaning in and kissing her softly once more before pulling away, "you're lips are too beautiful to hide like that," he added, smiling at her.

Rachel returned his smile and took a deep breath, "thanks. This was definitely a good idea."

"I'm glad you think that," he replied, returning his lips to her skin, pressing kisses along her neck and jaw for a moment before he pulled back, shaking his head, "I wish I could have been here when he showed up so I could have protected you. You didn't deserve any of what happened to you."

"Part of me wishes you were here, too," Rachel agreed, "but the other part knows that he had a gun and if you had been here, he might have shot you and I don't want to think about what could have happened if he had. You saved me from what he was planning; you did protect me," she told him honestly.

"Well, when you put it like that, it does make me feel better," he admitted, still pissed at himself for not being there to keep her from harm in the first place, "but I'm still upset," he added, shifting to lay on his side next to her, "in some ways I feel like I failed you," he said softly, finally admitting what he was most upset about.

"Oh, Noah," Rachel turned to face him, realizing she wasn't the only one dealing with their feelings, "you didn't fail me," she replied firmly, "you saved me. Don't beat yourself up about this; you protected me," she promised, "okay?"

Listening to what she said, he nodded and slid his arm around her back, pulling her closer to him, "okay," he blushed, "I, uh, guess you're not the only one dealing with issues."

"I understand that being a cop you have to be able to keep your cool under pressure, but given the situation, if you still kept calm and nothing bothered you about this, then I'd be worried," she admitted, "it's okay to have feelings or 'issues' about what happened. It shows you care about me, which makes me feel really good and tells me I've made the right decision to marry you, because I've finally found someone who loves me as much as I love them. I know we'll help each other through this," she explained, smiling at him as happy tears dripped from her eyes.

Noah brushed away her tears, "you're right. We will get through this together and I definitely do love you as much as you love me," he smiled, kissing her gently.

Rachel returned the kiss and snuggled against him, not caring that it was the middle of the day, but just as she got settled, she heard the front door open, causing her to jump, "what was that? Who's there?" She gasped.

Getting up, Noah moved over to the window and glanced outside curiously, seeing David's car sitting in the driveway, "David's home," he said.

"Oh okay," Rachel relaxed, "I'm glad it's not something else," she admitted standing up, "we should go say 'hi'. I don't know why he's home this early," she added.

"Maybe he wanted to see how his daughter's doing after what happened yesterday?" Noah suggested, following her out of her room.

Rachel blushed, "yes, I suppose you're right," she agreed, heading downstairs, "daddy? Are you home?" She asked, glancing around.

"In the kitchen, sweetheart," David replied, from the fridge.

"Why are home so early?" She asked, entering the kitchen and moving to give him a hug.

David wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, "besides wanting to see how you're doing with what happened, Lieutenant Cross called and asked if I'd be here when he came over," he explained.

"My boss, really?" Noah asked surprised.

"Yes. When he remembered that I said I was a psychologist, he called to ask me to be here. I told him you had insisted dad and I go to work today, but he asked me to get off early if I could. I want to be here for you. It's not going to be easy and the more familiar faces you have around, the better you'll feel," he told her.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "yes, you are right," she agreed, returning his hug before pulling away a little to reach for Noah's hand, "I've had an okay day, but there were a few issues... Noah helped me through them."

"I'm glad I can help and I'll always be here for you, too," Noah said honestly, lifting their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her's.

David smiled at them, "I know yesterday was rough for a while, but Noah, you saved our little girl and I don't know how Alan and I will ever be able to thank you enough for that."

Looking at Rachel and then to David, Noah smiled, "you're welcome, but you really don't need to thank me. Having her home safe and sound and knowing we have your blessing to get married is all the thanks I need," he explained truthfully.

Tears fell from Rachel's eyes at his words and she smiled at him, "Noah, that means so much to me. I love you," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

Noah gladly returned her hug, his eyes drifting closed, resting his chin on her shoulder, "I'll always love you, too, Rach."

~*~

A/N7: Hope you guys enjoyed. I thought Noah and Rachel deserved some alone time. Review and let me know what you think! In the next chapters: Lots of summary, the wedding and Noah and Rachel's future.
A/N8: Out of the Blue just had it's second birthday in mid-October, which was my first ever Puckleberry fic written and I have many more to come. To all of my readers, thank you for everything! For supporting my writing, for reading, reviewing, praying for my family when we were going through rough times, your words of encouragement; all of it! I honestly can't thank you enough for how you guys have helped me out these past few years! You all are amazing, I love you and I hope you all will continue this journey with me!
A/N9: Any Terra Nova watchers out there? I love it and am shipping Reynolds and Maddy, Reynon. I just wrote and posted a short one-shot called 'Alright' and am going to continue to write fics for them, too, but I promise it won't take away from my Puckleberry fics; I just love them enough to write fics for them, too.

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