It was like he couldn’t move, he wasn’t even sure if he was blinking it all or even breathing. There was suddenly a weight on him and he would’ve reacted in some way except he knew who it is, it was Rachel. Who else would it be? It could’ve been something from the woods, but he knew her weight well enough to know it was her. But even that didn’t make him move, he stayed still the entire time and just stared out in front of him. He wasn’t moving, not until midnight. Not until he had two legs and a mohawk again. He didn’t even move when Rachel left, not a noise or a motion or anything at all. He was frozen, he was sure of it. Even as the sun set in the sky and it became darker as time went on. He knew he had to move, but he didn’t want to. He was still a wolf, he said he wasn’t going back until…And that’s when he heard it, a blood curdling scream that had him on his feet and running in the direction it came from. It was Rachel, he knew it was. He skidded to a stop when all he saw was a wolf with a limp body underneath it, a growl escaping his lips before he bounded forward. His head came in contact with the wolf’s side, sending it flying while he instinctively stood over Rachel with his teeth bared in case he had to attack again. But a moment later, a gray, older looking wolf came through the trees and over to him. He didn’t even know who it was but it was clear it wasn’t the same wolf he just fought, so he relaxed. But he was still standing over Rachel, he wasn’t moving any time soon.
She’s going to die, Puck heard in his mind, startling him before he stood his ground and then looked to Rachel. Whoever this person was, they were right. He wasn’t sure what caused him to do it, but he leaned down and began licking at the wounds. He didn’t even know if it was doing her any good, but it felt right and he would blame that on the wolf inside him. That isn’t going to help, And soon enough the other wolf was standing in front of him, You have to change her. Its the only way to do it. Either she becomes like us or she dies. He had to choose? But he didn’t want Rachel to go through this, he didn’t want anyone to ever go through this. He shook his head at first, the other wolf bowing his head slightly as he began to walk away. A moment later, after Puck looked down at Rachel a final time, Tell me. Tell me what to do. He finally fond his voice, looking over at the other wolf as it turned around and came back towards him. Bite her, the juncture between her shoulder and her neck. Give it a few minutes and it should kick in, the wounds will heal and she’ll wake up. He looked back down at Rachel, not believing he actually had to do this. Is there any other- But when Puck turned around the other wolf was gone, it was just him and Rachel again. He looked back down at his wife, shaking his head and licking her cheek lightly. He pressed his nose against her neck, taking in the very faint pulse that ran through it, I’m sorry. He then positioned his muzzle just above the juncture when her shoulder met her neck and then sunk his teeth into the skin, squeezing his eyes shut before letting go and pulling away. He immediately began to lick at it, hoping that it would make things move faster.
Everything was in a haze. She was trying to look around or move but everything was blurred and she couldn’t feel her body. She was dying and she knew it. She was taking raspy breaths, hoping that Noah would arrive. She saw a collision of colors and the smell of dog shampoo hit her nose and she knew Noah was above her. She tried to reach for him but her body was so heavy. She was struggling to keep her eyes open so that she could see him. Noah… Noah, look at me. She wasn’t speaking though. She was trying, but she couldn’t. She felt something wet and she opened her eyes just enough to see a figure licking her wounds. Noah. But everything kept coming and going. Her babies. How was Noah going to take care of their daughters alone? They couldn’t grow up without a mother. She had promised herself she would never, ever let that happened and now… she failed her babies. She was crying, but she was not in her body anymore. No, she was having an out of body experience. She stood next to Noah while it looked like he was communicating with a much older wolf. “Noah, please, Noah. I can’t die. I can’t leave you. We’re supposed to have forever together. Please don’t let me die.” She was sobbing, trying to plead to her husband who couldn’t hear her spirit. “Our babies need me there. I can’t leave them either. I promised them I would never leave them.” She tried petting his fur, but her hand went right through him.
Her body looked so lifeless below him. She could see the slow, shallow breaths that were coming out. Her wounds were horrible. She wasn’t going to survive this. She couldn’t believe this. But then the older wolf looked right at her and she tried to not give him a teary smile, but she couldn’t. He left and she looked to watch Noah. He kissed her cheek, nuzzling his muzzle against her cheek before opening his mouth. She saw what he was going to do but before she could question it, everything went black. Her body felt like it was on fire, that she was fighting a fever she couldn’t put out. Not only was it hot, it was so painful. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she didn’t think it was death. She was screaming in pain before she completely passed out. When she finally came to, she was in bed. Her wounds were gone as she sat up, looking around. “Noah?” Her body was still sore, but she managed to get out of the bed. She was naked, probably so her husband could keep an eye on her wounds. Slipping into her robe, she went to the nursery first, finding it empty. She could hear the girls loud and clear. There was no baby monitor around, though. She leaned against the door frame, panting a bit. “Noah!” She just needed her husband to let her know what was going on.
Puck watched her expectantly, hoping that maybe whatever she was reading will tell him something more about what was happening to him. And whatever she found, hopefully there were all good things. His tail was practically wagging like a dogs as he watched her, but it stopped as soon as she said his name. He knew that tone of voice, he’s gotten used to it for almost a year when it came to him to her breaking news to him that wasn’t good. This was obviously not an exception. What she read was not what he was expecting, at all. He was hoping for a way he could turn back, not when he will. And its only early evening, he’s got hours to go before he’s back to normal. And the fact that he could be a wolf whenever he wanted now, except for full moons where he would be forced, it pissed him off. He hated what he was, he always has. Accepting and liking it are two different things. He’s accepted who he is, but he does not like it at all. This just made everything worse, ten times worse. Why the hell would he wanted to spend more time as a wolf than when he had to? No one would want to do that, the full moons are bad enough. He started pacing in front of her, his eyes set contently on the ground as his mind raced with what was going on. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening, this was him now. Forever. God, he hated it.
A growl escaped his lips when Rachel went to touch him, his head whipping around to look at her and stopping where he was, feet planted firmly on the ground. If he were human, it would’ve gone a lot differently, but he’s running on limited options here. But still, the look on her face nearly broke him. This was all too much, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle this all right now. Even as a wolf, he felt like he couldn’t breathe. All he wanted to do was run. He lifted his head to look at her again, shaking his head and started backing away from her. And after a few steps, he turned around and took off running. The woods were spread out in front of him and he didn’t stop until he was surrounded by trees, letting out a howl out of instinct before stopping in a small clearing. He noticed a few large rocks towards one side, walking over to them and just laying down. He was sure that if he weren’t a wolf right now he would be crying, which is something he didn’t do often unless he was so overwhelmed by everything that crying was the only thing left for him to do. And he couldn’t do much to begin with, so he didn’t have any other options. This was it. And even now he couldn’t cry, which made him frustrated. He just wanted to be himself again, he just wanted to go to the house and have dinner with his family. But he can’t. Things won’t be the same after this, and he doesn’t like that. At all.
Rachel was lost. He was shaking his head, backing away from her, before running off again. She let out a sob of frustration before packing all of the papers, putting them under her books so they wouldn’t fly away. Then, she ran after him again. She was really getting tired of this. She hadn’t worked out this much since before she got pregnant. She was running through the woods again when she cursed at herself for forgetting the gun. It was still with her books and papers. But she kept running anyway. She just needed to find her husband and take care of him. She stopped when she came to the small clearing, seeing him laying on the rocks, looking so broken. He might be currently a wolf, but she could tell. She slowly walked over before laying herself on top of him. “Hey… we’ll figure this out, baby. The book said you’ll be able to control it. You won’t have to change if you don’t want to. You’ll only change on the full moon like usual.” He didn’t move and she sighed a little. “I love you, no matter what you are. Our daughters love you no matter what as well, okay? It’ll be okay. I’ll do more research and… and maybe there’s a way to find out if there’s more like you out here. Maybe they can help us. You could have a mentor of sorts.” She bit her lip when he remained immobile. “I have to go feed the girls. I’ll make you something to eat and bring it back for you, okay?” Finally he gave her a small nod. She kissed the top of his head before getting off him and leaving.
She arrived back to the pasture, feeling emotionally tired. She grabbed the research and the gun before walking back into the house. Ava had the girls in their swings in the living room. Rachel poured out everything to her, about the fact that it was one year and he was stuck until midnight, that he could change whenever he want except on full moons when he was forced to. She cried a bit, not knowing how to make him feel better or how to solve this. Just be there for him. He needs you now more than ever. Rachel nodded and stood up to grab Arella who was whimpering for her. Looking down, she gave her daughter a soft smile before kissing the top of her head. “I love you,” she whispered, even if she couldn’t hear her say it. She fed the girls before moving to make Noah’s dinner. Ava offered to stay until Noah turned back and Rachel thanked her as she packed the basket to bring out to the woods. Grabbing her flashlight, she wandered out into the night. In one hand she held the gun. The other held the basket and flashlight. The woods were scarier at night. It was nearing midnight when she headed out, knowing that by time she got there, Noah would be ready to be normal. She even packed an outfit for him. It was quiet as she walked. She stopped for a moment, hearing a snap before the gun was knocked out of her hand and she was being attacked by a wolf. It wasn’t Noah though. She screamed for him, kept screaming until she passed out.
Puck was happy that Rachel didn’t fight to get him inside, he knew she would understand why he wanted to stay out here. It was pretty obvious. Even though he had control of his mind right now, he didn’t know if that lasted and when it lasted until. Rachel could defend herself, she had a gun, but his daughters had no way to defend themselves. He opted to lay down while he waited, laying on his side with his eyes closed as he waited for Rachel to come back. And when he heard the backdoor open, he assumed it was her so he picked his head up from the ground, surprised that he saw his mother there instead of his wife. He didn’t really know what to do or say, just gave her a look that hopefully let her know it was him and then laid his head back on the ground. He didn’t expect her to walk over to him and kneel down next to him, “Oh, Noah.” He lifted his head again so he could look at her, there was a smile on her face so he knew it couldn’t really be all that bad. It could’ve gone much worse, at least to him. He leaned up a bit more so he could bump his nose against her arm, sort of as a thank you since he couldn’t really talk. “I still don’t know what I’m going to do with you though,” He let out a huff at her words, letting his head fall. He didn’t expect her to start rubbing his stomach though, as if he were a real dog. But it felt so good, way better than he thought.
He was actually so caught up in how good it felt that he didn’t even hear Rachel come back out until she spoke, him getting up immediately and shooting a glare her way. He bumped his nose against his mother’s leg, looking up at her before walking behind Rachel towards the gated pasture. He walked through the gate and nodded, sitting down and waiting for her to start. Honestly, it was weird that when he was sitting down he was about her height. He didn’t even register just how big he was until in that moment, it was kind of surreal. The water was cold but he just closed his eyes and let her do whatever she had to do. He walked over to the sunniest part of the pasture and laid down, waiting until she sat down before laying his muzzle on her thigh so he could watch what she was doing. He watched as she flipped through books, papers and more, trying to see if his eyes caught anything. And that’s when he saw something, standing up and walking over so he was standing in front of her. There was a packet of stapled papers in the folder, grabbing the corner with his teeth and then dropping it on her lap. It was the line that said something about the year after a wolf’s very first transformation and how things changed, but he didn’t really catch all of it before Rachel was flipping through it.
The summer breeze made the Texas heat more tolerable in Rachel’s opinion. To be honest, she loved the heat and she loved being here. It was certainly different than Lima, where summers were clouded in humidity. Here, it was a dry heat. It wasn’t good for the horses, but Rachel made sure she kept them as hydrated as possible. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and put the gun besides her. While she knew Noah wouldn’t attack her right now, if anything were to change, she would need to use it. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would severely injure him. She bit her lip as she kept reading, hoping and praying that they would find something. They had to. Noah’s muzzle rested on her thigh as one of her hands ran through his fur. It was actually nice to do this, soothing even, but she couldn’t sit there and truly enjoy the moment because he was still a wolf. She had to admit, he was still her Noah in personality, right down to how he laid on her. He was gentle still. And he was huge. Far bigger than she had expected, but the last time she saw him like this, it was a brief glance in the dark before she was running for her life. She thought he would look more like Professor Lupin in Harry Potter rather than an actual wolf in larger scale. Maybe there were a lot of things she was wrong about when it came to this condition and she was beginning to feel like a horrible wife for not knowing the real thing.
Suddenly, Noah was up and pulling a packet from her pile of stuff. He dropped it on her lap and she instantly grabbed it, thumbing through it and reading up on everything that it had to offer. “Noah…” She looked up at him, letting out a sigh. “Since it’s a year after the curse is triggered, you are stuck like this until midnight, but you are able to control your wolf.” She looked down, finding a certain paragraph. “According to this, now you’ll be able to control your wolf, being able to transform whenever you want, except on the full moons, where you’ll be forced to no matter what. And the curse takes over then, so you’ll still have to chain yourself up.” She looked up at him and if he was human, she knew he would be cursing up a storm. The way he was pacing was how he got when he was mad and comprehending things. The last time she saw him like this was when Jesse egged her. “Noah, calm down.” She went to touch him and he growled at her, making her back off, tears filling her brown orbs. “I’m just trying to help…”
There was no possible way this could be happening, but there was nothing else he could come up with that explained what was happening to him. He was changing, he was about to become a wolf. He could feel it, just like he felt it during every single full moon. But this time it was different, there wasn’t any pain, just a lot of heat and he kept running. But there wasn’t much else he could do when he was suddenly crouched close to the ground and all he could hear was the sound of clothes ripping and a growl, but that was coming from him. When he opened his eyes a few minutes later, he knew he wasn’t human, he could just tell. He looked around and then down at himself, or the best he could. And he was right, he was standing in the middle of the woods as a wolf. But he was in full control, taking a few steps forward. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening, he was a wolf but one hundred percent aware of the fact and it didn’t hurt to become one. He felt something cold beneath one of his feet, uh, paw when he took another step, pulling it away to find his wedding ring on the ground. He took the band between his teeth, just in time to hear Rachel’s yelling in the woods. Damn, he could hear far away, like way more than before. He started walking in that direction, still getting used to the fact that he was a wolf. He was actually enjoying it.
Now he had to come up with a way of not freaking her out, but in the end, he realized there was no possibly way of doing that. And when he walked into the clearing, he saw her back to him so he walked up behind her, close enough so his fur would brush against her legs. And her reaction was expected, a scream and her jumping away from him. But he knew that she would realize it was him, the fact that he wasn’t attacking her and the fact he was bigger than most wolves. He sort of wished his eyes stayed hazel when he changed, that way she would definitely know it was him. He internally smiled as he dropped the gold band into her palm, wishing that he had some way of communicating with her. He just nodded and did little gestures he figured she would get. He let out a huff at her comment of him smelling, nudging her shoulder with his head lightly as they walked towards their house. He didn’t know what she had planned for him, but he was hoping it involved him getting his body back. He missed it already. And he sort of wanted to figure out why and how this happened to him, even though he had a pretty good idea. It was times like this that also made him thankful to be far away from other people, the closest neighbor they had was almost a mile down the road. He was good. As soon as she stepped inside the house though, he stopped, sitting just outside the door. He shook his head, not wanting to go inside while his daughters were there.
“I’m giving you a bath when we get to the house. In the field where I wash the horse.” She heard him huff and winked at him as they continued through the woods. The gun was back tucked into the back of her jeans, knowing that Noah was a better source of protection at the moment. She honestly had no idea how to get his body back, but she was going to grab all the research she had and they were going to go over it until they figured it out. They had to figure this out. She let out a sigh when the house came into view and placed her hand on the back of his head, her fingers running through his fur. When they got to the house, he refused to come inside. When she looked at him and he shook his head, she knew why he was refusing. “Let me get your mother and the babies out of the basement and I’ll be back out with my research and some dog shampoo.” She walked in, heading towards the cellar door. Once she convinced his mother it was okay, she let her go out to talk to Noah as she took her daughters back upstairs to their nursery for their naps. They looked so peaceful when they were sleeping. She loved them so much. After placing a kiss on each of their foreheads, she walked into the master bedroom and went through her bookshelf, searching for every book and piece of paper she had on his condition. She was Rachel Berry, well Rachel Puckerman, after all. She was the most prepared person in the world it seemed.
Twenty-five minutes later, she had everything in her hands and walked out the back door. The scene she came across, had her fighting the urge to laugh hysterically. Noah was on his back as his mother baby talked him and rubbed his belly. “Oh, this is priceless!” Noah was standing in an instant and glaring at her. She nodded at his mother as they passed each other, wordlessly leading Noah into the gated pasture where she washed the horses. “We’re first giving you a bath because I doubt I can concentrate with the smell.” She shook her head, turning on the hose. Noah was really good about the whole thing, even if the water is cold. Once they were done, Noah laid in the sun to dry as Rachel sat down next to him, opening all of her books and folders. “If you see anything, let me know.” She then began to read, biting her thumb nail a bit, trying to figure out how to get him to transform back to his human body. There had to be a way. It was times like this where she wished they knew other werewolves so that they could help them out.
Puck got a hell of a lot more done than he thought he would, he cleaned up the inside and threw everything that needs to be thrown out near the back just outside the door so he could take it to the curb later on. And he also fixed a few of the holes on the roof from the outside, working his way to the inside. And that’s what led him to what he was doing right now, painting the inside walls of the small building. Rachel insisted on a lighter color, which he expected since she loves them and practically every room in the ranch was painted some sort of light color. And he liked it, seriously. The colors grew on him over time and he started to like them, even helped Rachel pick some of them out. Like the grayish color he was painting the walls at that moment, he picked that out. Because it was still light enough for Rachel to like it and dark enough for him to appreciate it, and he was sure Rachel was going to end up balancing it all out with different decorations and accent colors. He pulled his shirt over his head after a moment, realizing how hot it was out and finding himself sweating a little more than he would like to be. It was hot out, like usual when it came to Texas weather, but he literally felt like he was being put under the hot sun, but he wasn’t, he was inside. He wiped the back of his forearm across his forehead, clearing it of sweat before he started painting the next wall.
It wasn’t long before he heard Rachel make her way out towards the little shack, sucking in a deep breath to calm himself down. He knew he was still in a bad mood, despite his attempts to relax himself and get it together around her. He was surprised that when he went to answer her a growl came out instead of words, causing him to pause the movements of the roller he had in his hand and turn his head towards her. He could tell by the look on her face that something wasn’t right, there was something going on with him. Actually, he could sort of feel. There was something building up inside him that he couldn’t describe, but whatever it was wanted out, like it was fighting for a way out of his body. “I don’t know what’s happening,” He said after a moment, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping the roller back down on the tarp by the paint. And that’s when it clicked in his head, it was the anniversary. Its been a year since he triggered the curse, a year since he officially became a werewolf. “Rachel,” He said seriously, “You need to leave. Now.” The last word came out as more of a growl, him brushing past her and out the door. He immediately headed for the woods near the back of their property, wanting to get as far away as possible. He didn’t think it could be possible, it wasn’t a full moon and it was in the middle of the afternoon. There is no way he could be going wolf right now, hell no. But his body was telling him otherwise.
She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. She just stared at Noah as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. When he dropped the roller, she knew something was seriously wrong. She just didn’t know what. But then he was telling her to leave before bolting out the door. “NOAH! NOAH,” she screamed, running out after him. Ava swung the back door open, looking at her frantically. “Take the girls and go in the basement.” Ava didn’t move and Rachel gave her the most serious look she could give, given her state of panic. “NOW!” Ava immediately responded, running back into the house. Rachel grabbed the gun that Noah gotten, just in case she needed it and ran towards the woods, in the direction he took off in. She had no clue what to expect, but a major part of her knew she was going to be reliving the nightmare she had the night she saw him transform. “NOAH! NOAH!” She kept screaming his name as she got further into the woods, freaking out. He can’t transform out here. He couldn’t be chained up like this. She had to stop him from hurting someone if his wolf took over his mind. She felt tears running down her face as she kept going farther and farther into the woods, looking for any sign of him. She would even take him coming out from behind her and tackling her in this moment. Well, maybe not tackling her, but still.
It was then she found a trail of ripped up clothes, leading to a small clearing in the woods. It was clear that his uncle used this as his camping grounds when he wanted a break. However, there was no sign of Noah anywhere. The air felt weird, like something was off. She grabbed the gun from the back of her jeans, holding it with both hands in front of her. She held her breath, looking around for anything. Something brushed up against the back of her leg and she let out a blood-curling scream, jumping at least four feet from where she was standing. She turned around to find a huge wolf just sitting there, looking at her. “Noah,” she asked hesitantly. It was awfully well behaved for it to be wild. She bit her lip, holding her hand out. The wolf dropped Noah’s wedding ring in her hand and she knew it was him. She let out a huff, looking at him. “Well, you do look beautiful as a wolf.” He was this stunning black color with these bright, expressive, gold eyes, just like he had when he was human. “Seeing as you aren’t killing me, I take it that you have your normal brain, right?” He nodded and she walked up to him, slipping his wedding ring on her thumb. “Let’s go back to the house and get your mother out of the basement. You better not track in mud. I just cleaned the kitchen yesterday.” She wrinkled her nose, looking at him. “Noah, you reek as a wolf!”
Life was surreal for Puck, there was no other way he could describe it. A little over a month ago he got married, which was probably one of the best days of his entire life. Scratch that, it was definitely one of the best days of his entire life. Rachel Berry was now officially Rachel Puckerman, which he was still trying to wrap his head around. They were each others, their forever started as soon as they got married. Well, it actually officially started when they had the twins. And he still couldn’t believe that even happened. It was nearing August, which meant they were gonna be two months old soon. He couldn’t believe its already been that long, and they’ve already gotten so big. They still aren’t sure how severe Arella’s hearing loss is, but it didn’t matter to him. He still loved his daughter more than anything, along with Caroline. They were both his world, Rachel included. Their family was his everything now, and Texas was their new home. A place that he fell in love with when they visited months and months ago, but can officially call it home when they move here a week after the wedding. They were on their own now and it felt really fucking good. Besides his mom and sister living a few blocks away, they were on their own. And its not like he saw them everyday like he used to, but he does see them quite often. Which he would never, ever complain about.
Today, however, was just not a good day. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on it but he just felt off and he was generally frustrated at everything really. He would blame it on the lack of sleep, except that didn’t effect him. He could go days without sleep and be fine, so he knew that wasn’t it. And it would never be Rachel or the girls, that wouldn’t be right at all. They were never his reasons for being upset or angry, that just never happened. And he was sure it was never going to happen, it just didn’t make sense. At all. He went to the gym earlier that morning, hoping that maybe working out would help him get rid of the tension and anger that was just built up inside him. It was weird, he never felt it like this before. The gym didn’t help at all, which was also very strange. It usually helped him with nerves or anger, even tension after full moons. But the most recent one was two weeks ago, so he had a little while until he had to worry about that. He opted to just go home, but then he started snapping at Rachel, which is something he never, ever did. And he of course apologized, not knowing what the hell was going on with him. He figured he would distract himself, playing with the twins for a little while before heading out into the backyard to work on a few things that needed to be fixed. Right now, he was working on the shed, something Rachel hoped they would eventually convert into some sort of music house or building. He didn’t mind the idea.
It’s been a chaotic month and a half. Just over a month ago, she and Noah got married. It was the most amazing day of her life, next to the twins being born. She was dressed in this stunning white gown as her fathers walked her down the aisle. They got married in Noah’s spot out by the lake in Lima. Kurt went a bit overboard in decorating, but the dresses he made for the twins made up for the amount of pink there was. And while they couldn’t have sex that night, it didn’t matter to them. They jumped on the hotel bed, laughing hysterically before taking a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub. They ended the night watching movies, one of them being The Time Traveler’s Wife. They had a scene in there that was similar to what they did earlier that night. And then a week later, they moved to that ranch in Texas, their new home. She remembers when she and Noah went down there for a weekend a month before the twins were born to look at everything and it was perfect. It was a genuine Texas ranch. And there was an outhouse far, far back in the fields where Noah can go to for his transformations, which was perfect. Ava and Sarah lived down the road and whenever Rachel needed them, they were just a phone call away, not that it stopped them from just walking in whenever they liked. She really had to change the locks on the door. Or take away their keys.
Today began like most mornings, the girls were whimpering for a diaper change at four am, so she got up and bathed them before putting new diapers on them. Then she fed them, hearing Noah get up because she was up. She would make them breakfast and then he would watch the girls while she showered. Of course, unlike the other days, Noah was in a fowl mood. It radiated off him like crazy. He almost made Arella cry when he picked her up that morning. When he came home from the gym, he went off on Rachel who shook the entire time, tears running down his face. All she asked him was how his workout went. So, she let him take the girls as she went out to the stables and grabbed Princess, the auburn mare that came with the ranch his Uncle Aaron gave them. She began to brush the horse, just wanting to relax a bit. An hour later, she walked back into the house to find his mother there, watching the girls. She found out that he was working on the little building next to the barn, so she headed out there, walking in to find him shirtless and painting the walls. “Hey.” She walked over to him, smiling softly at him. “Are you feeling better at all?” He seemed really antsy and she reached up to run her hand over his head when suddenly a growl escaped his lips that was not human. She pulled away, gasping at his eyes, which were their gold color when he transforms. “Noah?”
Puck sort of had a routine working here, where he would eat and while he chewed he would alternate between focusing on Rachel and then focusing on each of his girls. And then he would take another bite or a drink, depending on how he felt. But yeah, he liked it. He didn’t miss anything, but after a while, Arella and Caroline stole his attention as he came closer to finishing his meal. He just couldn’t take his eyes off of them, at all. And he had a feeling this is how it was going to be for a while, but he was looking forward to it. Way more than he would admit to anyone, ever. Probably Rachel and his family, but that’s about it. This moment was the start and he knew it could only just get better from here, how could it not? Seriously. Look at their life right now, its perfect. Or as close to perfect as anyone could get. He was still trying to figure out how he got so lucky, honestly. Eventually his eyes moved back over to Rachel, throwing his trash in the garbage and smiling at the fact she was asleep. He stood up and walked over to the rocking chair, not sure if he should move her or not, since she looked so peaceful. And then his mom said something, “I’m gonna take these two for their final check up before you two leave, and Rachel’s fathers are going to take Sarah to the cafeteria.” He nodded at all of them, his eyes following Arella and Caroline out of them room before turning back to Rachel.
He figured the bed would be more comfortable for her, so he carefully lifted her up and headed for the bed. He didn’t quite make it there before she was waking up with a jolt in his arms, himself automatically stopping so she could get a grip on what was going on before he did anything else. He explained to her where everyone went, then moved over to the bed and laid her down on one side. He walked over to the other and pulled back the blankets and laying down next to her, pulling the blankets back up over both of them. “You’re allowed to sleep, baby,” He said as he held her close, pressing a light kiss to her temple. He knew she was tired, who wouldn’t be after everything she went through in the last twenty four hours? He gave her a lot of credit for doing what she did, because he would never be able to do that. Ever. He honestly thinks he might choose going through one of his transformations rather than that. That looked terrible. “Technically, I don’t even really have to sleep, so…” He shrugged a shoulder, looking down at her, “You’re gonna be getting more sleep than you think probably. The only time I ever really need sleep is after full moons.” He chuckled a bit and nodded, “Bring it.” The phrase bringing him all the way back to sophomore year, causing a smile to appear on his face because of the memory. “I’ll be happy with anything, Rach, you know that. It doesn’t have to be a boy,” Even though he would love one, seriously.
“Lucky bastard,” she said with a smirk. She knew he didn’t need much sleep. He was, after all, a werewolf. “You do know that even though you are fine with little sleep, you can’t feed them unless I make bottles for you to use ahead of time.” She saw his face fall a little and giggled. She just put a hole in his plan. She knew that he wants her to get as much rest as she possibly could, but she was fine. She would get used to this. She had to. She was a mom now. She closed her eyes for a moment before sighing happily. “I actually kind of look forward to the sleepless nights. We’ve been preparing for this for so long it seems and now that it’s here, it’s all I want to do.” She looked up at him, smiling as his arms tightened around her. She laughed when he said ‘Bring it’, because it was the phrase that always seemed to start their new chapters with each other. Their first try together, the time they decided to become closer friends, the time they decided to give their relationship the proper shot, and now, with them starting their new life with their newborn baby girls. “We’ll get to have that big family we always wanted. Thank god the ranch is huge.” She smiled, meeting his eyes. “We’re waiting, of course. And next time, I want drugs.” They both chuckled a bit as she let out a happy sigh. “We did it. We proved them wrong.” Her hand rubbed his chest as he kissed her forehead, them settling into the bed more.
Ava walked back in holding the twins, smiling at the two of them curled up together on the bed. Rachel sat up and took Arella while Ava made Noah run out to the car to get the car seats. The twins and Rachel were formally discharged. Sarah walked back in, announcing that her fathers would meet them at the house. Apparently in their haste to get to the hospital, the parked in the wrong spot and now, they had to talk their way out of a ticket. She snorted a little, shaking her head with a smirk on her face. When Noah walked into the room ten minutes later with the car seats, she looked down at Arella, giving her the best goofy faces she could make. Taking her tiny hand, she put it on her chest. “We’re going home now, Ari. Are you excited?” The little girl just stared at Rachel and she chuckled, putting her in the car carrier. Caroline was being taken care of by Noah as Ava came in with a wheelchair. Rachel raised her eyebrows, looking at the older woman. “Hospital policy. Besides, it’s a fun ride.” Rachel chuckled a bit, sitting in the wheelchair like she was supposed to. Sarah and Ava grabbed the carriers as Noah pushed her in the wheelchair. She was honestly so excited to be going home.
It might have been considered weird, but he was busy watching Rachel with Caroline and Sarah with Arella while he ate. He just didn’t want to miss too much, even though they’ve only been here for less than a day, he still didn’t want to miss anything. He couldn’t but let his mind wander to Beth, thinking about where she was right now and what she was doing. And if she even remembered him from their short time spent together, he was hoping that she did. Even though he didn’t want anything to do with Shelby, ever, he still cared about that little girl. That little girl was part him, and he was never going to forget that. He missed so much of that little girls’ life, so much that even that little time spent together couldn’t make up for. Nothing was going to be able to make up for the time that Quinn took away from him, not only when she didn’t tell him about the baby but by just putting it up for adoption without even asking him. That’s why he was hell bent on making sure he didn’t miss another moment of either of his daughter’s lives, this was his second chance and he was taking advantage of it. Honestly, he didn’t even really consider it a second chance since the situations were completely. This was obviously way better than the first, so he just likes to think of it as a new chapter or something. A fresh start, a new beginning. Because the whole Beth situation was over, long over. Arella and Caroline were his now and his future.
Puck was brought out of his thoughts by a knock, assuming it would be a doctor checking in on them. What he wasn’t expecting was both of Rachel’s dad standing in the doorway, putting the rest of his food to the side and immediately getting up to stand next to Rachel. His jaw was clenched so tight that his teeth actually started to hurt, but he didn’t let up. He needed something to distract him enough so he wouldn’t go after her dads, that would be the last thing she wanted. Even though their relationship wasn’t the best, he knew she still loved them and always would. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze as he looked from her to the two men stepping further into the room. He didn’t want to cause a scene, which is why he sucked in a deep breath through his nose and tried to will himself to came down. The little noises he heard Caroline making with his mom made him feel better, but he wasn’t saying anything. This wasn’t his conversation or business. And even though they weren’t his favorite people in the world, he’s happy that they’re here, for Rachel. And he’s happy to see that she’s happy they’re here as well. That’s all he wanted, so maybe he could give them a second chance. Maybe, he wasn’t sure yet. He bent down a little after a moment, whispering to her, “I love you.” He squeezed her shoulder one more time before going back to his seat to finish off his food.
“I love you too,” she whispered back, watching him walk off to finish eating. Ava was taking pictures of everyone and the twins. It was actually sort of amusing, especially seeing that she didn’t even care about her appearance. She fixed her shirt, buttoning it back up before taking the blanket off her shoulder. “Princess, you should be proud. They are perfect.” She smiled softly at her papa, nodding. “I am. They are tiny and beautiful. I feel like a mom now.” Her papa kissed her forehead as she let out a happy hum. “You are a mom. Best one I’ve seen in a while,” she heard him whisper. Looking up, she could see how proud he was of her. It was amazing to see, especially since it has been a long time since she saw it. A very long time. It would take time for her to completely forgive them, but this was a start. They were admitting to making a mistake. She leaned back in the rocking chair, letting out a sigh as she relaxed. She was tired, but unbelievably happy. Sarah was talking animatedly with her papa while Ava and her daddy were talking. Noah was eating, staring at the little girls, almost to make sure that he didn’t miss a single thing. Despite the excitement in the room, Rachel shut her eyes, promising herself it was only to rest them. It was broken in a matter of minutes. Sleep took over her, and she welcomed it.
She woke up with a jolt, seeing herself in Noah’s arms and everyone else out of the room. “The twins. Where are my babies?” She looked at Noah, her eyes widening as he explained to her where everyone was. Ava took the twins to get a final work up while her dads took Sarah to the cafeteria. She let out a sigh of relief, rubbing her face as he placed her on the bed. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I merely went to rest my eyes. Everyone was so busy with their own things, I figured I could do that.” She covered her mouth a bit as she let out a tiny yawn, seeing him smile at her. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.” She looked up at the clock, seeing that she had only taken a fifteen minute nap. She laid her head on his shoulder, grabbing his hand. “I just realized that we’re not going to sleep for the next six months.” She looked up at him, chuckling a bit. “Are you ready for all the crazy, Noah? I swear, the next child we have will be a boy so that you aren’t completely surrounded by estrogen.”
If he had it his way, Rachel would constantly be wearing his clothes. He really loved it when she threw on a pair of his basketball shorts too, that was his second favorite. The first obviously being his plaid shirts. Hell, all his shirts look good on her, seriously. She could probably wear a paper bag and he would think she looked sexy, but that’s because she was. No matter what. “Guess that means I’m gonna have to stock up on these before we leave, huh?” He said as he bounced Caroline lightly on his knee while Rachel ate. She was still in his arms, but he could tell she liked the movement so he just leaned one of his elbows on his knee while he bounced it. He looked over at Sarah, making sure she was doing okay and he couldn’t help but smile at the fact she was doing the same exact thing he was doing before, making faces at Arella. And it was funny to see Sarah laughing, since Arella couldn’t really smile or react to anything yet. But he knew Sarah could tell she was enjoying it by the look in the baby girl’s eyes. He looked back over at his mom and Rachel when he heard something about going home, still continuing with Caroline. He smiled at Rachel when she said she wanted to go home, happy because he wanted to too. He wanted this to feel completely real, being in a home with his two daughters and Rachel would make this seem less like a dream and more like reality.
Once Caroline was securely in Rachel’s arms, he grabbed the bag of food. He didn’t even realize he was hungry until his mom walked in with the bag, he was lucky he had Caroline in his arms to keep him distracted or he would’ve demanded it right then and there. He hasn’t eaten anything since before the full moon the night before, so he was practically dying. But he didn’t show it, he ate at a normal pace which surprised him actually. He watched the interaction between his sister and Rachel, smiling in between bites He literally couldn’t tell you how much he loved the fact his sister wanted to get involved with the twins, it meant so much more to him than she will ever know. He really doesn’t know where he would be without his sister, she might be young but she’s definitely mature for her age. She had to be since his dad wasn’t around, but now he thinks its because of Rachel being around. And he is completely okay with that. He would rather Sarah have Rachel as a role model than himself, considering his track record in the past. And he has changed, everyone knows that, but still, she was there for all of that and he was constantly afraid she was going to end up like him because of witnessing it all. But he didn’t have to worry now, he knows she’s going to be this amazing girl, just like Rachel. And he’s looking forward to being there for it.
This was better than anything she had ever dreamed about. She had imagined what it would be like when the twins arrived, but nothing compared to this. This was perfect. She moved Caroline onto her shoulder to burp her, seeing Ava come over. “I’ll burp her, sweetie. You feed Ari.” Rachel nodded, chuckling a bit as she leaned forward to take Arella from Sarah. “You do know that it’s going to be impossible for you to get her back, right?” Rachel nodded at Sarah, smirking a bit. She already knew Ava was going to be one of those grandmothers who was always there. It was really going to be helpful when both her and Noah begin school. She was still taking the first semester off, but even then, she would be prepping. As she put Arella under the blanket, feeling her latch on, there was a knock on the door. All four of them looked up and standing there were her fathers. Noah was by her side in an instant as she stiffened, hearing Caroline coo in the quiet room. They all remained in their spots, silent, each waiting for someone to break the silence. Then her papa took a step into the room, towards Rachel. “I…we- we brought flowers and a gift. Ava mentioned how you two hadn’t gotten a stroller yet.” Rachel looked behind him to see her daddy pushing a stroller that had two carriages side-by-side.
Biting her lip, she nodded silently for them to fully come into the room. Her papa walked up to Ava, looking at Caroline. “Who’s this one?” Rachel sat up a bit, letting out a sigh. “That’s Caroline Ava. She was born at 2:45 am. The one under the blanket here is Arella Delilah. She was born at 3:01 am.” Her daddy walked over to her, crouching down so that he was eye level with her. “We’re… sorry.” He sighed, shaking his head a bit. “We never realized what we were doing to you until it was too late. Our little Princess was growing up before we knew it and we missed everything.” Tears stung her eyes as she listened to him speak, feeling Noah’s hand on her shoulder. “We don’t want to continue missing out on things. We especially don’t want to miss getting to know our granddaughters, so if you can find it in you to forgive us, we’ll do whatever it is to make it up to you.” The tears escaped as she nodded, finding herself to finally be relieved. Her daddy instantly dried her tears as Ava gave Caroline to her papa. “Would you like to hold her? She needs to be burped, though.” Her dad smiled at her grabbing a burp rag from Ava. “I believe I remember how to do it.” Rachel handed her to him, smiling softly. “She can’t hear. Um, it’s too soon to tell if it’s permanent or not, but she’s happy.” He nodded, looking down at her. “She looks like you, Princess.”
Caroline was still staring up at him with wide eyes while he rocked her, hoping that maybe it would get her to sleep. But she just kept her eyes on him, bright and shining as she watched him. He then turned to singing softly, maybe that would work or something. But she still remained unphased and stared up at him with the same awestruck expression on her face. “Stubborn, just like your mother,” He chuckled a bit before pressing a kiss to her forehead and then laying her back down where she just was and picking up Arella, he could hear the water running in the bathroom so he figured Rachel opted to take a shower before she changed. He was completely okay with that, he had a feeling it would help her relax more since she went through a lot in the past twenty four hours. He did the same for Arella that he did to Caroline, just rocking her. And for a moment, he could’ve sworn he saw her eyes close but a moment later they were open and staring up at him, with the same expression that Caroline had on her face. He began to sing to her softly, hoping that maybe that would be the key to getting her asleep but she still continued to watch him. “You’re stubborn too,” He said with a smile, shaking his head and then setting her down next to Caroline where she was before. And now he had two little girls looking up at him, their eyes telling him everything.
A grin spread across his face when he came up with an idea of entertaining them and just making them happy, since it didn’t look like they were going to sleep anytime soon. He started making faces at them, mostly funny ones. And no, they couldn’t smile or do much yet, but they didn’t have to. You could read their expressions and how they were feeling through their eyes. So, he continued until he heard a noise from behind him, that he knew was a mixture of a laugh and a snort. He smiled as she walked towards him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder while she wrapped her own around his waist, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “They are,” He said in reply to her question/statement about their daughters. He let his arm fall from around Rachel as she went to pick up Caroline, following her lead and picking up Arella. “You know, Rach, if you need to sleep or anything, let me know,” He said, flicking his eyes from the little girl in his arms to Rachel, smiling a bit. He knows he got more sleep than her, that much was obvious considering she was up already when he woke up. “I can watch them for an hour or two and then I’ll wake you up or something, before they need to be fed.” And that’s when he noticed her shirt, holding Arella in one arm and tugging on the sleeve with his hand, “Looks good on you.” He turned his head towards the door when his mom and sister walked in, handing Sarah Arella and reminded her of what she did yesterday before taking Caroline from Rachel so she could eat.
Rachel smiled, shaking her head at Noah. “I’m fine, Noah. The books say that I should sleep when they sleep so it will make things easier in the long run.” She looked down at the shirt, smirking back at him. Of course he would like it. “I remembered since that I’m breast feeding, it’s easier to wear something like this. Plus, it’s smells like you which is always great.” She could see Caroling snuggling closer to her, which made her smile even more. “And it seems that the girls love it as well. Then they get mommy and daddy at the same time.” She was so in love with these two beautiful children. She watched as Noah handed Arella to Sarah, who instantly sat down with her, then he took Caroline from her. She got back onto the bed, pulling the bedside table over and opened the bag to see what Ava brought. She saw eggs and sausage for Noah and for herself, a fruit salad and orange juice. She instantly dug in, realizing that she was in fact, rather hungry. “I was talking to your doctor today and she said you guys could go home today if you are feeling up to it, but he would recommend you staying for one more night.” Rachel nodded, looking over to where Noah was with Sarah, both of them holding the twins. Smiling softly, she looked at Ava again, swallowing. “I want to go home today.” Ava chuckled, nodding her head. “I figured you would say that. Besides, I know what to do as well.”
As soon as she finished eating, she held her arms out for Caroline so that Noah could eat. As soon as Caroline was in her arms, she began to whimper and Rachel knew what that meant. Already, she could tell what their cries meant. As she unbuttoned the shirt a bit with one hand, she grabbed a blanket, throwing it over her shoulder, covering Caroline’s face. Sitting down, she exposed herself under the blanket so that she could eat. Rocking in the chair, she looked over at Sarah, smiling. “Rae? Am I going to be able to help you with them?” She nodded, letting out a happy sigh. “Of course, Sarah! You are their aunt and Caroline’s godmother. I will really be needing your help with them. Especially when Noah is busy with other things.” Like all the packing they still needed to do for all of them to move. Ava found a condo near the ranch where her and Sarah were going to stay at in Texas. She couldn’t believe they were moving in a month, maybe sooner seeing that the girls were now here. “So, how will Arella know what we are saying to her?” Rachel bit her lip as she straightened up a bit in her seat. “Well, it depends on how bad her hearing is. If she just needs hearing aids, as long as she’s wearing them, she’ll know. If she’s completely deaf, we’ll learn sign language and teach her how to lip read. Remember what I told you about enunciating?” Sarah nodded and Rachel smiled. “Well, it’s not just good for singing. It’s good for lip reading.”
