Five years later...

Puck hauled his guitar over his shoulder and waved to the producer through the double-paned window that separated the studio from the control room. "See you guys tomorrow," he called with a quick nod. "Rach has that thing tonight, so I got the kids. I should be back early though. We'll run through that last one again and hopefully get the backgrounds down for the other two."

"Sounds good, man," the producer replied over the speaker. "You tell your girl good luck for us. We'll all be watching her on Sunday."

The Tonys were just around the corner, and Puck knew how important it was to Rachel that everyone was behind her. They'd had a string of calls from all their old high school friends all week wishing her the best of luck, and her fathers had flown in with Rebecca and Sarah the night before so they could be there for the big event. After a successful stint in a revival of West Side Story two years ago, she had become a Broadway darling. Few had been surprised when her nomination for best actress in a musical for her current run as the lead in a musical written by Taylor Swift and Scott Wittman.

His first stop on the way home was by the private Hebrew primary school Joshua was enrolled in for kindergarten. The rambunctious five-year-old came ambling out of the classroom with his soccer gear and a half-completed art project that would require their attention later.

"Good day, buddy?"

"Yeah, I scored two goals in soccer!" he said proudly, pumping his little fists as he climbed into the back of the taxi beside Puck. They'd been in New York for four years now, and his son couldn't remember life before bright lights and yellow cabs. "Dad, can we order pizza for dinner? Mommy will be at rehearsal, so we don't even have to get any of that icky vegan stuff. We can get the real kind with pepperoni and everything!"

"I think that can be arranged," Puck grinned in return as he reached down to muss Josh's hair. "We just have to swing by to pick up your sisters, and then I'll order a pie on the way home."

Fifteen minutes, he was helping his twin three-year-old girls into the backseat next to Joshua. Grace Rebecca and Nava Quinn Puckerman had come just before Rachel had taken New York by storm and exactly one year after they had quietly married in the Berrys' backyard back in Lima. Joshua and Beth had been the only ones to stand up with them, and when it had come time to choose the godparents, Rachel and Puck had shared the love with the rest of their close-knit circle. Quinn had been named Nava's godmother, sharing the responsibilities with Artie as godfather. Grace had been lucky enough to land the interesting pairing of Santana and Kurt. Mike and Tina had pretty much insisted that they have another one so they could lay their claim to one of the Puckerman clan, so Rachel had put it in her five-year plan so that she could get her first movie in.

"Daddy, Gracie keeps pulling my hair!" Nava complained, staring up at her father with the same pleading brown eyes that made him a sucker for Rachel. Grace looked at him with the same exact gaze, her little lip pushed out in a pout. "Daddy!"

"Girls, enough fighting, this nice driver doesn't want to listen to you two rugrats fight for the next forty blocks," he ordered them evenly, turning slightly over his shoulder to give them a stern look. "Whoever behaves gets to go with me to the theater to see Mommy later. Whoever doesn't gets to stay with a babysitter and go to bed extra early. Got it?"

"Got it," the three grumbled in unison.

A few hours later, after he had adequately pumped them full of junk food and managed to help Joshua come up with some semblance of a family portrait made out of dried pasta and beans, he packed the kids back up in another cab and headed for 44th Street to where Rachel was headlining at Helen Hayes Theatre. He held each of the girls' hands on either side of him and made Joshua walk right in front of him so that he could keep his eye on all three at once, no easy feat when he was going it solo.

"Hey, Raul," Puck greeted the doorman. "Think we can catch Rachel at dress?"

"Go on in, Mr. Puckerman," the young man smiled politely. He reached down and slapped five with Joshua. "How you doing today, kid? Score any goals?"

"Two!" he said proudly. "You have to come see me, Raul. We have a game on Tuesday." Puck watched the interaction with a small smile. His son made friends easily and had a certain affection for the doorman at Rachel's theater. He had actually become somewhat of a family friend, even coming over to watch the Giants on the occasional Sunday afternoon. "You can even bring your girlfriend."

"We'll be there," Raul promised before tipping his hat toward the girls. "How are my favorite ladies doing?"

They both had a bit of a crush on the handsome Persian. "Fine, Mr. Raul," Gracie replied with a shy look while the braver Nava grinned widely and retorted, "Fabulous, Mr. Raul." They definitely were Rachel's girls.

Puck finally managed to get them into the theater and into their seats just as Rachel was mid-song in the middle of the stage for the closing number. It was an imagining of a modern love story in Nashville by way of New York set to the twangy pop-country songs that Swift was known for, but it wasn't exactly Puck's kind of thing. Rachel had taken a risk getting involved in the project, one that had paid off when the critics had fallen in love with her voice and given her the recognition of a lifetime with the nomination last month.

"Flash forward and we're taking on the world together, and there's a drawer of my things at your place," Rachel said as she sang to her co-star. "You learn my secrets and figure out why I'm guarded. You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes."

Rachel took a few steps out into the middle of the stage, turning her gaze out over the empty audience. "But we got bills to pay. We got nothing figured out," she wailed to the rafters. "When it was hard to take, yes, yes, this is what I thought about."

"Do you remember we were sitting there by the water? You put your arm around me for the first time," Rachel sang, lifting her arms above her head as she stomped her boot heel a little. "You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine."

Wild applause from three very proud children and a prouder husband greeted her when she finished up the song. Gracie was the first to run down the aisle, followed closely by Nava. Joshua looked back at his dad for permission before jetting down to meet his mom at the foot of the stage. Puck was content to hang back for a moment to watch his beautiful wife with his beautiful children before finally sauntering down to join them. Rachel smiled against his mouth when he finally greeted her with a kiss.

"This is a nice surprise, I wasn't expecting you," she whispered as they pulled apart.

"Just missed you," he smiled in return. "And we wanted to get a preview of this Tony performance. You guys sound great, Rach, you're gonna kill it. And then the rest of the world is going to fall in love with you like New York already has. I'm just glad that I got to you first."

The next evening it's Rachel's turn to pick up the kids and meet Puck at the studio so they can all head out to dinner together. The three of them play in the control room while Puck finishes up a song in the recording booth. The producers are used to having them around since this is their second go around with Puck as a recording artist. His first album had been pretty successful, giving him a little more creative control. He was currently working on an original piece but took a break to come out to talk to Rachel and the kids.

"I want to get through one more song if you guys don't mind hanging out for fifteen minutes or so," he asked with a slightly pleading look. Rachel could sense that he was in the zone and wanted to oblige his simple request. Once she agreed, he kissed her cheek eagerly before swooping down to pick up Joshua and tickle his ribs. "How'd our project do?"

"It was totally the best one," he bragged. "No one else had different colors of pasta."

"Awesome, buddy," Puck said genuinely. Rachel was so glad that Puck never showed a single ounce of favoritism when it came to his kids. It didn't matter that the girls had his DNA and Joshua didn't. They were all three every bit their father, and she couldn't have been prouder. "And how are my girls? Are we getting along a little better?"

"Yes, Mommy said we had to or we wouldn't get to come back here anymore because we make too much noise," Nava said. "Daddy, will you sing now?"

"Yeah, Daddy, sing the sunshine song!" He had been working on the cover at home for a few weeks now and had only decided to put it on the album after Gracie had fallen in love with it. It was her preferred lullaby now, a constant request when it came to bedtime. "Pleeeease!"

"You heard her, Mac," Puck told his producer before dropping a kiss on both girls' head and bumping fists with Joshua. He then turned to his wife and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll get it in one take, Rach, and then we're out of here."

Puck readjusted the microphone in the booth as the backtrack started. "Your dark hair draped across my pillow says I finally got it right," he sang soulfully, his eyes falling closed as he got lost in the simple melody. "And as I watch you dreaming, twisted in the sheets, I can't stop thinking about last night."

"Well, I've waited so long, so long, so long, for someone like you," he continued, finding Rachel's eyes through the window. She blushed prettily under his watchful gaze. "And as the morning breaks through the window pane, it reveals the truth. Baby, you're my sunshine, first light, find your way to places that only know lies, failed tries and bruised skies. With hardly time to hold on or to be strong, now I'm strong. 'Cause like the dawn, you push it all away. I tell you, you're my sunshine. Everybody needs a little sunshine."

He comes through on his promise and finishes the song in one take. They head out to dinner and then take a walk around Central Park before heading back home. The kids take turns bathing and Joshua does a little reading at the kitchen table with Puck while Rachel fixes lunches for the next day. It's hardly the glamorous life that people imagine for the noted actress and recording star, but they are in love with the ordinary. Rachel smiles to himself later when she's reading in the den and hears Noah leading three little voices in a quiet rendition of Janis Joplin's "Maybe." Only his children would ever know a song like that.

Two days later, it's Sunday, and Rachel is a nervous wreck. She has been through her song a million times that morning, and she is starting to drive Puck crazy. "Babe, you're gonna kill it," he promises her as she sits in the middle of the living room, a pair of stylists working on her makeup and hair. "You know the song."

"Did you get your tux..."

"Your dads got it when they picked up mine," he answered her. "They will be here in like twenty minutes to go with us to the theater. Sarah is going to stay with the kids here so that my mom can go with us. Relax a little, Rach, I got this." She smiled at her husband gratefully as he handed her a glass of champagne. "Seriously, enjoy this moment. It's yours."

"You should listen to him, Rachel," Rebecca announced as she came into the room. She was busy trying to get a pearl earring through her lobe. "He's actually kind of smart when it comes to these things."

"Gee, thanks, Ma," he said sarcastically. "By the way, you look beautiful."

"Yeah?" she asked with a pleased smile. "Sarah picked it out."

"You did good," he said to his sister as she came in after their mom.

"Obviously," she rolled her eyes. "By the way, the kids of a little something for Rachel."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Mommy," Gracie called as the three of them came running into the room. "We worked on this real hard with Daddy. We wanted to surprise you!"

"Daddy, get your guitar!" Nava ordered him. "C'mon, you're supposed to be ready."

"Yeah, Dad, come on," Joshua joined in with his sisters. "You better not mess up either."

Puck mumbled something about having four monkeys on his back as he grabbed his guitar out from behind the sofa. Rachel turned in the chair toward where the kids had lined up in the middle of the floor. A delighted smile played on her beautiful face as Puck began to strum. Rebecca stood in the doorway, her hand pressed to her chest proudly, while Sarah rested her head on her mom's shoulder.

"Oh, I could hide 'neath the winds of the bluebird as she sings," Nava sang.

"The six o'clock alarm would never ring," Joshua continued. "But six rings and I rise..."

"Wipe the sleep out of my eyes, my shaving razor's cold and it stings!" Grace sang.

The three of them joined hands as they sang in unison. "Cheer up, Sleepy Jean. Oh, what can it mean? To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen."

"You once thought of me as a white knight on a steed," Josh sang solo.

"Now you know how happy I can be," Grace chimed in. "Oh, and our good times start and end."

"Without dollar one to spend. But how much, baby, do we really need?" Nava sang.

"Cheer up, Sleepy Jean," they sang together again. "Oh, what can it mean? To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen..."

When they had finished up the song, Rachel applauded with tears in her eyes. "That was the best present I've ever gotten," she said as she held out her arms. "Come here and give me a big hug."

"Can I get in on that one?" Noah said as he sat his guitar back down and came over to join them.

"Aw, family moment!" Hiram called as he came through the front door with Leroy just behind him. He grimaced as his husband, a perpetual photographer, snapped yet another picture with his ridiculously expensive digital camera. "Save it, Leroy, you're going to kill the battery before we even get to the theater. I will not miss my daughter's award-winning moment!"

"Don't worry, Hiram, I have a backup in my bag," Rebecca announced.

"Mommy, you look like a fairy princess," Grace announced as Rachel finally stood up, revealing the intricate details of her one-of-a-kind crimson dress. "Doesn't she look like Cinderella?"

"No, Rapunzel!" Nava argued. "Or Belle. I don' t know. Daddy, what do you think?"

"She is prettier than any of those princesses," he said, getting lost in his wife's eyes. "Your mommy is the prettiest woman in the whole world. Absolutely beautiful." The kids joined Sarah in a chorus of protests when Puck leaned over to kiss his wife. "Alright, alright, enough from the peanut gallery. Rach, we should probably get going. I'm going to go change real quick while you say your goodbyes."

"Okay, you guys be good for Sarah and make sure to watch me on TV."

"You're going to win, Mommy, I just know it," Grace told her confidently.

"Yeah, then you can put it on the mantle by my soccer trophy," Joshua added.

"Yeah, cause you're the best singer in the whole world just like Joshie is the best soccer player in all of New York," Nava reasoned.

Rachel thinks later that this is all the praise in the world she needs, but it doesn't hurt to have the Broadway community on their feet in applause as she takes the stage to accept her statuette. She thanks her fathers and Rebecca, Carole and Burt, Kurt and Blaine, and Sarah. She thanks her co-stars and everyone in the production and all of her supporters back in Lima. She thanks Mr. Schue and all of her friends from New Directions, with a special shout out to Brittany since she had promised to dedicate her entire webshow tomorrow to Rachel if she won."

"And I have to thank my kids who are at home watching me on TV," Rachel told the crowd as she lifted her Tony slightly. "My son, Joshua, told me that I got to put this on the fireplace next to his soccer trophy, so start making room, kids! I love you three so much!"

"But finally, I want to dedicate this to my husband," she said as she caught his eye. "Noah, I would have never made it to New York without you. You are an amazing partner in music and in life. I love you."

Later on, she cries when she finally makes it back to him and he sweeps her off her feet. She had been backstage when the award was announced since it was only a few minutes after she had completed her musical number. "You did it, baby," he whispered as he kissed her, their foreheads pressed closely together. He can sense her fathers and his mom wanting time with her, but this was their moment. "I am so proud of you, Rach."

When the show is finally over, Puck sends his family home in the limo and takes Rachel around the park in a carriage ride so that they can have a little time alone together. She is tucked in close to him, her head on his shoulder and their hands entwined together between them. She smiles as she hears him start to hum a familiar song.

"Where it began, I can't begin to know..."

FIN.

Song Credits: "Mine" by Taylor Swift, "Sunshine" by Steve Azar, "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees and "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.

Thank you to all of you that have followed me on this journey. I have loved this story unlike any other I have written in a very long time. No sequels will be written on this one, but I might return to the fandom someday. You're the best!