AN: This is for my mom. She is awesome b/c she reads all of my stories and is always supportive of my creative endeavors. So, yeah, she pretty much rocks. lol Oh, and this is fluffy, like marshmallow fluffy. I hope you enjoy. :o) Please review! It means so much!
Makeshift Mother
Mother's Day was always a difficult holiday for Rachel Berry.
Rachel never celebrated this holiday, because Adonai did not see fit to give Rachel a mom; instead He blessed her with two dads. Sure, she loved her fathers more than anything, but sometimes a girl just needs a mom. She would kill to have just one day with a mother figure with whom she could talk to about boys, body issues, and the struggles of a young ingénue such as herself.
Mother's Day was one day of the year that Rachel's dads give her extra wide berth. They decided to take a long weekend trip to Cleveland every year around the same time in May. They knew the difficulties of raising a teenage daughter and how much a mom means to girls Rachel's age. So, they never pushed her to spend time with them on Mother's Day. It just wouldn't be right.
On this particular day, Rachel found herself at the grocery store, planning her homemade eggplant parmesan and Caesar salad complete with garlic bread and tiramisu for dessert. She picked up the French loaf to test its freshness when she heard a familiar voice nearby.
"Anna, just pick a damn bouquet!"
"But, Noah," the little girl whined, "it has to be perfect!"
Rachel glanced over surreptitiously to see Noah Puckerman and his little sister fighting over flowers. She smiled at the picture the two make; Puck was tapping his foot and repeatedly poking the tiny little girl who was staring down each bouquet with a keen eye.
"Anna, if you don't pick a bouquet now, I'm going to leave without you!" Puck threatened. "You'll have to walk home."
Anna gasped, "You wouldn't dare!"
The look on her face was almost enough to cause Rachel to burst into giggles. Anna's eyebrows were arched so high they were hidden by her bangs. Rachel let a soft giggle slip out, and Anna's eyes flickered toward her.
"Fine. I'll just ask her for help," Anna replied snidely, marching over to Rachel.
Puck looked over to where his sister was headed. Right over to Rachel Berry. Inwardly, he groaned. It's not like he didn't like Rachel or anything. Well, he didn't, not really; Rachel was annoying, loud, and too much of a diva for her own good. But, it had nothing to do with whether or not he liked Rachel, he just really needed Anna to hurry up and come home so they could cook something before his mom gets off work.
He watched Rachel's face turn from a sweet smile that makes her eyes light up to a look of horror as she saw Anna stomp toward her. He chuckled, knowing his sister was as much of a whirlwind as Rachel; in fact, they'd actually get along great if given the chance. Puck shuddered. Thankfully, they would never have the chance.
"Noah," Anna said as she approached him, dragging Rachel along, "this is Rachel. She is going to help us pick out flowers."
Rachel smiled hesitantly and shrugged. "Hello, Noah," she greeted.
Puck gave her a once over and a smirk of approval. She was wearing a more casual jeans skirt with a bright pink top. She looked good. Really good. "Hey Berry," Puck nodded, smirking at her obvious nervousness.
"Why did you just call her Berry? Her name is Rachel," Anna rolled her eyes.
"Berry is my last name, Anna," Rachel explained. "Your brother and I know one another from school, and he seems to think my surname is the proper terminology that he should use when he refers to me," she stated primly.
"Oh," Anna replied. She looked skeptically at Puck. "That's pretty dumb, Noah."
Rachel laughed, and Puck thought her laugh sounded like bells. "Yes, I think so too," Rachel said, grinning cheekily at him.
"Whatever," Puck shot back. "Just pick some flowers so I can get her outta here, OK?"
Rachel nodded in understanding as she began to spout out random information about each bouquet, right down to what each flower and its color symbolized. Puck didn't understand any of it. He just knew which flowers he thought were pretty. Well, studs don't refer to anything as pretty, but he wasn't about to call the flowers he's about to give to his mother hot or anything. That is just weird.
"I like this one!" Anna exclaimed, finally picking a large bouquet of pale pink roses.
"Those are perfect, Anna," Rachel commented. "Pale pink roses connote grace, gentleness, and gratitude. Perfect for a mother. "
"Great, Squirt, let's go," Noah said gruffly.
"Wait!" Anna cried. "Aren't you going to pick a bouquet for your mom, Rachel?"
Rachel swallowed hard as tears spring to her eyes. It was so sweet of Anna to think of Rachel's mother. Puck cleared his throat of the lump that was forming by Anna's innocent question. He knew Rachel had two dads, but how do you explain that to an eight-year-old? Turns out, Rachel knew just what to say.
"Well, Anna, that is very thoughtful of you, but I don't have a mother," Rachel explained carefully.
"No mommy?" Anna whimpered, lip quivering. "Did she, did she-"
"Oh, no, sweetie, she didn't die," Rachel quickly assured her. "I don't have a mother, because I have two fathers."
Anna sighed in relief and listened to Rachel tell her how she was made, and Noah snickered at mentions of beauty and IQ and turkey basters.
"So, what are you doing today?" Anna asked curiously.
"Well, my fathers are out of town, and so I am just going to make myself a nice, Italian meal and watch a movie," Rachel explained to Anna and Puck.
Anna shot a look to Puck that he could not define. But, he saw the wheels in her little head turning, and he knew for a fact that was not a good thing.
"Anna…" he warned. "What are you thinking?"
Anna bounced on him to get to his ear. She whispered, "We have to do something. Rachel doesn't have a mom. It's Mother's Day, Noah," as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
Puck glanced at Rachel who was gently gliding her fingers over the rose petals in Puck's buggy. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that the sheen in Rachel's eyes was from unshed tears. His heart clenched a little for Rachel. He knew what it was like to not have a parent, but he was mad at his deadbeat father for leaving them. Rachel didn't even know what it was like to have a mom. And that, Puck thought, was kind of a shame. Puck loves his mom; he couldn't imagine not having her. No, he's not a mama's boy; he just loves her. Shut up.
Puck shifted his gaze from the tiny brunette beside him to the other tiny brunette in front of him, the one who was currently looking up at him with a puppy dog stare that would melt any weaker man. Including him. What? He's a sucker when it comes to two people in his life—Anna and his mom.
He sighed because he knew what he needed to do. "Berry," he got her attention.
Rachel turned to see the Puckerman siblings staring her down. "Yes?" she asked, wiping quickly at her eyes before any tears could fall.
"Anna and I have decided that you should come over and have Sunday lunch with us," Puck invited.
Rachel blinked continuously as she bobbed her head between Anna and Puck. "Excuse me?"
"Please, Rachel," Anna begged. "It would be so much fun!"
"Why would you want me to spend Mother's Day with you all?" Rachel questioned curiously.
"Look, Berry," he rolled his eyes, "just come on. You can help me, and maybe this year, Ma will actually have an edible meal."
Rachel giggled. "Well, my recipe for eggplant parmesan is to die for," she boasted.
"Great, then it's settled," Puck exclaimed. "Let's go!"
He rushed the two girls around the rest of the store, quickly grabbing the ingredients for the meal Rachel had planned. Anna insisted on riding with Rachel who followed Puck back to the Puckerman home. They lugged the groceries inside as Puck peeked at his phone to see the time. Good. They still had time before Nora Puckerman came home from work.
Rachel and Anna prepared the meal while Puck cleaned up after them. They worked swiftly and easily as a team. Rachel sneaked glances at Puck when he interacted with his sister, and her heart flopped a little. She smiled at their obviously close relationship; she liked that seeing Puck like this made him a little more human. Her stomach fluttered as she thought about the circumstances that brought her to their house. She never expected Noah to offer his family for the day. It's the kind of thing she would imagine Finn or Tina doing, but Noah? It was the kindest thing he could ever do for her.
Puck felt Rachel's eyes on him most of the afternoon. He couldn't place the feeling, but it was kind of weird knowing that he was under such intense scrutiny. He didn't know what had gotten into him in the grocery store. He just saw those tears in her eyes, and he knew that the right thing to do was to ask her to join them. His mom wouldn't mind; heck, she'd love the fact that Puck brought a beautiful, Jewish girl home, and she wouldn't care what the circumstances were. He watched as Rachel and Anna laughed and cooked together. He came to the conclusion that in this setting, Rachel wasn't so bad after all. In fact, all of the times he'd spent alone with Rachel, he thought she was cool. It was just at school, she put on this whole different persona: a star-thriving diva. But then again, he put on his Puck persona at school too, so he guessed they were even. But still, if Rachel could be more like she was today, she'd be a lot more liked.
"What smells so good?" a voice called out from the front door.
"Mommy!" Anna called out. "Happy Mother's Day!"
"Well, hello, my Anna!" Nora Puckerman exclaimed as she turned the corner into the kitchen. She then spotted Rachel at the sink. "Oh! I didn't realize we had company."
"Mom, this is Rachel," Puck introduced.
"Hello, Mrs. Puckerman," Rachel said, politely extending her hand for Nora to grasp.
"Call me Nora, sweetheart," Nora smiled, subtly glancing at Puck after noticing Rachel's Star of David necklace.
"Thank you, Nora," Rachel complied. "Happy Mother's Day. I hope I'm not intruding on your special time with your children."
"Of course not, dear," she said bustling around the kitchen grabbing plates and napkins. "I was just surprised to see company, that's all."
"What have I told you before, Ma?" Puck asked, gently pushing his mom toward the living room. "Stop helping. This is your day."
Nora's booming laugh resounded through the kitchen. "All right, if you say so."
"I hope you like Italian, Nora," Rachel said checking the oven.
"Oh dear, you didn't cook, did you?" Nora asked, sniffing the air and grinning from ear to ear that Rachel (her hopefully future daughter-in-law) was a seemingly excellent cook.
"Yes ma'am," Rachel smiled. "And it's just about ready."
The four of them shared a lovely meal together. Nora and Rachel chatted happily about school, Glee, and Rachel's ambitions. Anna inserted comments along the way, but Puck mostly kept quiet, watching Rachel interact with his family. She looked at home here, which kind of freaked Puck out a little, but not as much as he thought it should. Rachel, on the other hand, was having one of the best days in her life. Even though Nora was just a makeshift mother for the day, Rachel felt completely whole for the first time.
Later that day, while Rachel was playing Trouble with Anna, Puck and Nora washed the dishes.
"Rachel is a very nice girl, Noah," Nora hinted.
"Sure she is, Ma," Puck groaned, knowing where she was aiming.
"I had no idea you were dating anyone," she said absently.
"We aren't dating," Puck insisted, wiping down the corner with more force than necessary. "Sorry to burst your bubble."
"I'm just saying that you could do a lot worse," Nora nudged her son. "Besides, it's not every day that you willingly bring a girl by for no reason."
"Don't look too much into it, Mom. I hate when chicks cry, and she was about to turn on the waterworks," Puck said gruffly. "I didn't have much of a choice. I had to do something."
Nora smiled knowingly at her son's words. She had seen the chemistry between the two of them from the brief moments they shared. She saw the glint in Puck's eye when he teased Rachel. She noticed the blush covering Rachel's cheeks every time she looked at Puck. Those two were on the brink of something and didn't even know it. Still, she wasn't going to push it. She was a meddlesome mother, yes, but she wasn't stupid.
"Noah, thank you so much for inviting me today," Rachel said honestly as she walked to her car later that afternoon.
"No problem, Berry," Puck shrugged. "Mom had fun, and Anna adores you."
"Your family is lovely, Noah," she complimented. "You're very lucky to have them."
Puck didn't know what to say so he just flashed a hesitant smile. Then Rachel impulsively wrapped her arms around Puck's waist and laid her head on his chest. He was startled at first, but then he returned the hug, holding her close and smelling the citrus fragrance of her hair. He didn't know why, but he liked the way she fit in his arms. And he wasn't sure what to do about that.
Rachel withdrew from his arms and made her way to her car. "Tell Anna I'll take her to the movies sometime next week," she called to him just before pulling out from his driveway.
Every Mother's Day after that particular one, Rachel Berry sent a card to Nora Puckerman, her makeshift mother.
Ten years later, Rachel made her way to the mailbox on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Flipping through the bills and advertisements, she stopped on a handwritten envelope. As she walked back to the tiny home she shared with her husband of four years, she slipped a finger under the lip of the envelope. Once she was inside the house, she opened the envelope to find a beautiful card that said From One Mother to Another.
Smiling as she glided her hand over her swollen stomach, Rachel opened the card she found a nice note:
Dearest Rachel,
For you, as a mom-to-be, I hope this Mother's Day brings you every happiness and excitement for many Mother's Days to come.
I love you,
Mom
"Babe?" her husband's voice rang out.
"In here, hon," she smiled.
"Hey you," smirked Noah Puckerman as he came around the corner to find his beautiful wife smiling at some silly greeting card. "What are you looking at?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissing her firmly on the mouth.
"A Mother's Day card from your mom," Rachel answered. "My very first."
"Mmm," he hummed against her skin as he nuzzled her neck. "That it is, baby."
Rachel giggled at the sensation of Puck's hot breath on her exposed neck. He still knew how to leave her breathless from the tiniest touches. Puck slowly turned her around so that her back was leaning against his chest as he began to knead the muscles in her shoulders. Rachel immediately relaxed under his ministrations. Puck smirked at her tiny moan of satisfaction. She still knew how to get his blood pumping from the tiniest sounds.
"You know, I was thinking about how all this," he said, motioning between the two of them and encompassing Rachel's expanding waistline, "can pretty much be pinpointed to that day," referring to that very first Mother's Day they spent with Puck's family.
"I think you may be right," she agreed. "You want to know something?"
"What?" he asked.
"I love you," she said honestly.
"I love you too," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her neck. Then, he moved to stand in front of her and squatted down as he pressed a kiss to her baby bump.
"You want to know something else?" she asked, running her nails gently over his shaved scalp as Puck straightened himself to gather her in his arms.
"What?" he repeated, smirking at her sneaky grin.
"I think Mother's Day might be my new favorite holiday," Rachel said as she brought his lips to meet hers in a passionate kiss.
AN2: Now go love on your momma! But first, please hit the green button and tell me if you liked it! Even a smiley face works (or a sad face if you didn't like it, which I hope isn't the case!) Remember, R&R=Love :o)