The first time he'd spent the night was the night they were studying for finals. Her Daddy had come into her bedroom with mugs of hot coffee, and they graciously accepted them, turning back to the homework Noah had finished throughout the semester. They studied and talked for most of the night, cramming for the last test of the school year, the buzz of Regionals clouding their overstuffed brains.

Sometime during their cram session Noah had lay across the bottom of her bed, his long legs bent over the edge. She let him sleep, noting that she would wake him later, knowing that his mother wouldn't mind him staying late to do homework. In the midst of her own late night studying, she too fell asleep, half sitting up with books spread about her.

She heard her father open her door, shaking Noah at the bottom of the bed and telling him to sleep on the cot they had in the closet for visitors who they rarely had stay over. She sat up groggily, watching them set the cot up next to her own bed, lining it with sheets and blankets before her Daddy kissed her goodnight and left—the door left slightly ajar.

The next time Noah stayed over was the day after Beth was born. They were both down because they'd lost at Regionals, even though they found out that Glee would live to see another year. He came to her house unannounced, greeting her father at the door before running up the stairs as he usually did. He was sad, trying his best not to let on that he wanted to cry. She remembered hugging him to her chest, rocking him to sleep in her arms, not realizing the tears that stained her shirt until she lay down with him, falling asleep with his head resting on her stomach. Her Daddy probably came to wake them, but Noah was there the next day, eating breakfast with her Daddy like it was the most normal thing in the world.

This night he stayed over because it was the day before Alan's preliminary hearing. He'd come to her with a bag of Jesse St. James' hair in a little plastic bag. He'd promise not to assault the boy after the egging incident, but cleverly informed her that night that he'd gotten ample revenge by pulling him from the numerous summer shows he would have starred in. They had decided that night to celebrate Noah's passing math grade by playing some random first person shooter game that Noah had promised she would enjoy. Noah had gotten her into the habit of bringing his gaming system to her house, and that night they stayed up late to play on the big screen in her living room, falling asleep tangled in the blanket that usually adorned the back of her couch. Her Daddy didn't wake them up that night either.

She woke up the next morning; the sun streaming into the living room in slits threw the open venetian blinds, kissing her face with warmth. She got up, noticing that Noah wasn't next to her, finding him in slacks and a blue oxford talking to her Daddy in the kitchen.

"We didn't want to wake you up until it was time to get ready. Are you sure you want to do this, sweetheart? You don't have to be there for this."

She shrugged. She hadn't been anticipating the hearing, her testimony was in the police report they gave, and as she understood it, Alan already confessed to much of the past abuse. She didn't want to go—but she also didn't want to be home alone.

"If Noah can stay I'll stay home."

Her Dad looked to him, a smile quirking his worn face.

"Noah's always welcome. I'll bring you back details of his sentencing."

He kissed her on her forehead, walking past them to grab his suit jacket. They waited for him to leave before heading back to the living room, Noah loosening his tie and rolling up his sleeves.

"I wish you would've said something sooner, I wouldn't have brought the clown suit. How ya holding up?"

She hated when he asked her that question. She'd been fine since the whole debacle, her father pressuring her to go to counseling, Noah asking if she was alright all the time. She honestly just felt better that it was over. Given she did feel guilty about breaking up her little home, she felt better knowing that she didn't have to be afraid to be there anymore.

"I'm fine, I just want it all to be over."

Noah nodded. They'd been spending a large amount of their time together, never bothering to question why they felt so at ease around each other. She had to explain countless times to her father that they were just friends, especially after the sex talk he'd been trying to have with her lately.

She would love to admit that she wouldn't mind a relationship with him; she still had the shirt he'd given her, buttoned up around a pillow on her bed for when he wasn't there. She enjoyed their late night office marathons or their trips to the lake when it got hot. She knew better than to voice her opinions of their friendship—she didn't want to chase him away with all of her pesky emotions.

They lounged on the couch for most of the morning, her Daddy coming home with somber news. He handed her a letter, hugged her, and simply apologized before going to sit at the kitchen tabled.

"Rachel. Alan's being sent to a rehabilitation center for his … illness. If he completes the eight week program, he may be released on probation. I'm sorry.

A/N: I had to get back into the groove for this story. This is a filler chapter, I will catch up with the events of Alan's sentencing and Rachel's and Noah's relationship in the next chapter.