Something always brings me back to you; it never takes too long...

Standing in the middle of the auditorium, Rachel was wringing her hands together in a nervous fashion as she waited for him. The past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions and confusion. He would string her along and give her a false sense of hope just to push her aside like her feelings were never accounted for. It was selfish on his part. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but today was the day she was going to put a stop to this. It wasn't fair to either of them. Not to mention Quinn. She felt horrible. Never did she imagine she'd have to deal with someone's "baby momma drama", as Mercedes so eloquently described it. For a sophomore without any previous relationships, she seemed to get herself in quite a mess romantically. He was a guy she could never really have, but when they were alone together, when they sang together, he was hers. No one else could come between them. They were a force to be reckoned with. It was undeniable and she knew that Quinn sensed this. The only thing they kept a secret were their weekly "rehearsals". All for the sake of the club, right? That was the excuse Rachel would tell herself to make it seem innocent.

No matter what I say or do, I still feel you here till the moment I'm gone...

Her gaze fell upon his figure as he stepped into the auditorium, the silence in the room broken by the sound of the door shutting behind him. He took giant strides toward the stage until he stood before her, his hands cupping her face gingerly. Anything Rachel had planned on saying upon his arrival had left her mind completely. Now that his lips were brushing over hers, all she could do was stand there and keep from falling apart. Tears stung her bright eyes when he took a step back from her, letting go of the hold he had on her. How could he muster all these emotions in her? With just one touch or kiss, he knew she was putty in his hands. He reached out; his hand settled on her cheek once more, his thumb tracing the shape of her lips. The contour of her perfectly, heart-shaped lips; he never noticed anything so inviting until he joined Glee. How did that ever escape him?

You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains. I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

Hand slipping from her face once more, she didn't dare move an inch. She didn't dare let the tears that brimmed in her eyes fall. His eyes were fixated on her and he still hadn't uttered a single word since he came in. There was an unspoken understanding in the air between them. He knew she had reached her breaking point, but she couldn't bring herself to vocalize how she felt. It was odd, since she didn't have a problem vocalizing anything she felt at any given moment. However, his mere presence silenced her. He hated doing this to her, but he knew he took her for granted. She was there at his beck and call. There were times when he didn't even have to mention it and she'd be there, waiting in the wings. It started off innocently enough with a few stolen kisses here and there. Eyes meeting each other during certain songs that spoke of what was going on between them before anyone could catch on. She could've easily left him standing there, but he knew she couldn't. His eyes bore into her more and she shifted self-consciously in the same spot.

Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.

"So, this is it, huh?" He finally spoke up. "You're sure?"

Rachel bit on her bottom lip as she mulled over his final question. Was she sure? Was she sure she could go back to living without feeling what it was like to be in his embrace? Those moments were so honest. Behind closed doors, he'd envelope her into his arms and she felt safe. No one could touch her. But then she'd feel remorse for Quinn, the baby. How could she be such a selfish person? Before he entered her life, everything was black and white. She knew what she wanted and nothing would stand in the way of that. Now that he was all that she ever wanted, Quinn stood in the way of that. She couldn't hold it completely against her; she certainly didn't get pregnant all by herself. He wanted nothing more to wish everyone else away so they wouldn't be in this predicament, but that was impossible. Her long, thoughtful pause gave him hope that she had changed her mind. Taking a step closer to her, she shook her head and backed away.

Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way that I'm supposed to be...

"I can't. We can't. Not anymore. This vicious cycle has to come to an end. We have to face reality here."

She took a firm stance and held her chin up. This would be the worst time to let her feelings take over. She couldn't waiver or show weakness. At the first sign of cracking, she knew he'd swoop in like an animal after its prey. He'd have that control over her and he'd know she'd never be able to tear herself away for long. She kept her arms behind her back, her fingers nimbly playing with the fabric of her pink sweater. Pink was such a typical, girly color, but it suited her. Underneath all of that self-importance and arrogance was a teenage girl who wanted nothing but to be normal. Feel genuinely loved. Why was that so hard? Why did he have to see beyond her carefully built facade? She almost wished she was still the weird, show tune obsessed girl she was a few weeks ago. That was how she was seen in his eyes, at least. She felt tightness in her chest, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his watchful stare. A breath left her mouth once she realized she wasn't breathing at all and her lungs urged her to exhale.

But you're onto me and all over me.

From there, her composure started to crumble. He didn't believe one word that had left her mouth and he now had his arms around her, pulling her in tightly against him. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, she shut her eyes tightly, hoping she'd wake up from this dream and that he'd be gone. He inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet aroma from her perfume. It was a mixture of light floral scents with hints of fruit. Something he couldn't never quite decipher, but it was now burned into his memory as her typical smell. It would be tied into his memories forever and he couldn't turn back. Anything remotely close to this smell would simply remind him of her and the times they had spent together. Laughing, singing, and even fighting. Sometimes the fighting was the best part because that meant they'd make up again.

"Noah..." she whispered, "Stop. Please, I'm giving you an out."

Puck didn't know how he quite ended up here. He could admit that he always felt a twinge of jealousy toward Finn. Albeit they were both fatherless, but at least he didn't have an asshole of a dad around growing up and leaving him and his mother voluntarily. Finn's father passed away. He didn't abandon him on purpose. And why did girls like Rachel or Quinn just swoon at one of his goofy ass smiles? Puck had to act like a sexist asshole to get his way, but everything just seemed to fall into Finn's lap without too much effort. Getting leads in Glee when Puck felt he was a much better singer. Hey, Finn only started playing drums because Puck wanted to play the guitar when they were ten years old. Couldn't Finn find his own interests? Getting Quinn pregnant was an accident, but when Finn was taking credit for that too, he snapped. Rachel was intentional to get back at Finn, but he ended up getting more than he bargained for. He really did care about her when all was said and done.

"No, you're giving yourself an out."

Before she could protest, she was hushed by a kiss. A very tender, slow kiss that felt like it could go on forever. Much to her disappointment, he ended the kiss abruptly.

"It was great while it lasted, Rach. You wanted an out, you got it."

He was surprised she stuck around as long as she had after the truth came to light. Now that Quinn had second thoughts about giving the baby up for adoption, he had to step up to the plate and try to be the father he never had. Sacrifices had to be made, he just hated that Rachel decided what to sacrifice for him. If nothing scared him more than being a teenage father, it was becoming involved with Rachel Berry and admitting that he had feelings for the girl he doused in slushies.

A/N: So, I'm undecided if I want to leave this as a one-shot or continue. Feedback would be great!