Fic: Smoldering Ruins - 1/?
Series: The Rebuilding Series
Title: Smoldering Ruins - 1/?
Genre: Drama / Angst / Fluff
Rating: R
Word Count: 1500
Pairing: Puck/Kurt, Rachel/Finn
Summary: The past is a powerful entity, even as the future becomes brighter, better and stronger. Part Three of The Rebuilding Series, Following The System and Disaster.
Kurt glanced into the kitchen, grinning as he saw Beth helping Carole roll cookie dough out onto a cookie tray. “Cutest thing isn’t it?” his father asked, when Kurt returned from his spying mission. “Carole and Beth have been working on cookies for awhile now. That daughter of yours is going to be a Master Chef, you know that?”
Kurt grinned.
"She’ll be a Master Chef after she’s an acrobat, a musician, a Broadway star and the President of the United States,” he teased lightly. His family had a lot of ambitions for the five-year-old and he supported them one hundred percent. Beth was destined to do any and everything that she wanted.
“How’s life been Kurt?” Burt asked, smiling. Kurt could see that his father’s eyes were still full of dreams for Beth. He understood that completely.
“Nothing if not hectic,” he said, shaking his head from side to side and just breathing because he could for once. “There’s work, school and getting Beth through her day to day. I’m just glad our kindergarten baby is off school for two weeks. That takes a heavy load off.
“She’s just so big and beautiful Kurt. I can’t believe how much she’s grown since you two last brought her over.” “
Kurt grinned brightly.
“She’s growing like a weed, I do admit,” he said. “We’re always shopping for new clothes for her.”
“How’s she enjoying kindergarten?”
“She loves being a big girl,” Kurt said softly, happily. “She’s one of the smartest kids in the class, according to her teacher. She loves writing and makes these really elaborate storybooks in class. She’s…quite animated and a total drama queen in class too.”
“I never expected less of your kid,” Burt mumbled.
Kurt smiled proudly. “What was that Dad?” he asked. “Are you saying I’m dramatic or something?”
“Yes, I am.”
Kurt was still beaming as he continued speaking. “She’s doing so well in school and they’re going to have a pageant later this year. She cannot stop talking about that. She’s just…she’s perfect you know?”
“Oh trust me, I know. How about you, Kurt? How’s work going?”
Kurt winced a little. Beth was a bit more of a pleasant subject.
“Well,” he said. “I am little more than a glorified receptionist at the moment but I am breaking into the theater business. I’m doing a school production of Les Miz, so the job is really some nice supplemental income but at the same time, it’s annoying.”
“Just keep working Kurt; you’ll make it down the path you want.”
“I know I will,” Kurt said. “I’m a little tired of being a lowly assistant but hey, getting there.”
“What about Noah?”
Kurt beamed as the conversation became a little more positive. “He’s doing great,” he said. “He’s a manager now and has been steadily working toward that business degree he’s always talked about getting.”
“Fantastic. I can’t believe how far you’ve come for Beth and for yourselves. You boys floor me every time I get to talk to you.”
“Oh neither can I…” Kurt said quietly. “We’ve made it far.”
While Kurt discussed the way life had changed, Finn and Puck were watching Beth and Carole work, very interested in the little girl’s excitement. They leaned back against the kitchen counter and started catching up, because it had been so long.
"How's fatherhood treating ya?" Finn asked, as he watched Beth and his mother work on the cookies.
Puck smiled at his best friend, looking away from his daughter and her work for only a split second, before his eyes returned right back to her. "It's amazing Finn," he said. "Beth is just so bright and more amazing every day. I don't know how Kurt and I ever got so lucky."
He forced himself to look away from his daughter and looked to Finn. "Dude, can I show you something?" he asked.
Finn nodded, so he got up his courage and took out the engagement ring. It wasn't anything fancy, because money was still undoubtedly tight, but it was beautiful, a silver band with a tiny stone. "I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me tomorrow morning," he said quietly.
Finn's mouth hung open.
"You and Kurt are...you're so young dude, and...I...wow..."
"We are," he said, closing the box and slipping it back into his coat pocket. "I can't deny that we are but we've been dating since I was seventeen, we have an amazing child together and it's just time."
"I...I do agree."
"Do I have the big brother approval?" Puck asked, nervously.
Finn gave him a nod.
"Cookies are done!" Beth yelled.
Finn’s mother waved both boys over. Puck and Finn were quick to come to that call. “Our first batch of cookies just came out and Beth wants her daddy and her uncle to try some,” she explained. Beth eagerly held out a plate with a cookie split in half on it. Finn and Puck both took a piece.
“Oh wow Beth,” Finn said, after taking a bite. “I think these are the best cookies that I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.”
“I agree,” Puck said, glad that his best friend was playing it up for the little girl. “Oh wow these are awesome. You did really good Beth. Grandma taught you good.”
The little girl was positively beaming because of the cookies. Finn swooped her up and she burst out in hysteric giggles. “Look at this!” she said, showing him a tiny silver colored necklace that she wore around her neck. “Auntie Quinn gave it to me.”
Finn smiled and touched the tiny charm, a crown. “Pretty and very fitting,” he said, glancing at Puck. “It’s too bad Quinn couldn’t come down. I would have liked to see her again. Did you write Santa, Beth?”
The girl nodded enthusiastically. “Papa helped me with the hard words but I wrote it!”
“That’s awesome.”
Carole leaned up over Finn’s shoulder. She smiled at both of the boys and then down on her granddaughter.
“Can you boys take Beth out to join the others for dinner? It’s all ready now and we can have Beth’s excellent cookies afterward.”
They took Beth into the dining room where Kurt and Burt had set the table.
“Rachel will probably be late,” Finn said, as he straightened out his place setting and took a seat. “She told me that she would. Planes have been delayed all over the country because of the weather but she promised that she wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“I’m just glad she agreed to come,” Burt said, smiling at his stepson. “It’s been too long since any of us have seen that girl since she headed out to the city. I have to admit that we’ve even missed hearing her voice around here.”
“Seriously dad?” Kurt teased, but it was all in good nature. He absolutely loved Rachel Berry and could not wait to see her again.
“I wanna sing with Aunt Rachel,” Beth piped up, sitting at her chair. It was a little more padded then the rest as Beth Puckerman was still a very small child, even at five years old. “She promised we could sing.”
“Oh there will be singing,” Finn assured his niece. This made her break into a smile.
Dinner was amazing. It was nice, everyone being together as a family. Rachel didn’t end up arriving until halfway through the dinner, but when she did, she apologized profusely, hugging Beth tightly to her and greeting everyone with a ton of enthusiasm. “I am so sorry that I missed so much of dinner,” she said, as Carole rushed to make her a plate too. “Things have been so crazy I was about ready to cry but then I remembered I was going home to my favorite people in the world.”
“We missed you too, Rach,” Puck teased.
“Look at how big you’ve grown Beth!” Rachel said, fussing over the tiny little princess. “I can’t believe it. What have your daddies been feeding you?”
Beth looked down at her plate. “Carrots?” she said.
Rachel burst into giggles.
They all finished eating, Rachel a little slower than the rest, and Beth brought them their cookies. “I helped Gramma make em,” the girl declared as she made Rachel pick out a cookie. “These ones are vee-gan so that you can eat them too, Auntie.”
Rachel smiled and took a cookie. “Thank you Beth.”
The entire group fussed over Beth and the cookies. Puck smiled and looked to Kurt. It was the perfect family Christmas Eve. It was what they had dreamed it would be and neither of them could wait for the next morning.
Title: Smoldering Ruins - 1/?
Genre: Drama / Angst / Fluff
Rating: R
Word Count: 1500
Pairing: Puck/Kurt, Rachel/Finn
Summary: The past is a powerful entity, even as the future becomes brighter, better and stronger. Part Three of The Rebuilding Series, Following The System and Disaster.
Kurt glanced into the kitchen, grinning as he saw Beth helping Carole roll cookie dough out onto a cookie tray. “Cutest thing isn’t it?” his father asked, when Kurt returned from his spying mission. “Carole and Beth have been working on cookies for awhile now. That daughter of yours is going to be a Master Chef, you know that?”
Kurt grinned.
"She’ll be a Master Chef after she’s an acrobat, a musician, a Broadway star and the President of the United States,” he teased lightly. His family had a lot of ambitions for the five-year-old and he supported them one hundred percent. Beth was destined to do any and everything that she wanted.
“How’s life been Kurt?” Burt asked, smiling. Kurt could see that his father’s eyes were still full of dreams for Beth. He understood that completely.
“Nothing if not hectic,” he said, shaking his head from side to side and just breathing because he could for once. “There’s work, school and getting Beth through her day to day. I’m just glad our kindergarten baby is off school for two weeks. That takes a heavy load off.
“She’s just so big and beautiful Kurt. I can’t believe how much she’s grown since you two last brought her over.” “
Kurt grinned brightly.
“She’s growing like a weed, I do admit,” he said. “We’re always shopping for new clothes for her.”
“How’s she enjoying kindergarten?”
“She loves being a big girl,” Kurt said softly, happily. “She’s one of the smartest kids in the class, according to her teacher. She loves writing and makes these really elaborate storybooks in class. She’s…quite animated and a total drama queen in class too.”
“I never expected less of your kid,” Burt mumbled.
Kurt smiled proudly. “What was that Dad?” he asked. “Are you saying I’m dramatic or something?”
“Yes, I am.”
Kurt was still beaming as he continued speaking. “She’s doing so well in school and they’re going to have a pageant later this year. She cannot stop talking about that. She’s just…she’s perfect you know?”
“Oh trust me, I know. How about you, Kurt? How’s work going?”
Kurt winced a little. Beth was a bit more of a pleasant subject.
“Well,” he said. “I am little more than a glorified receptionist at the moment but I am breaking into the theater business. I’m doing a school production of Les Miz, so the job is really some nice supplemental income but at the same time, it’s annoying.”
“Just keep working Kurt; you’ll make it down the path you want.”
“I know I will,” Kurt said. “I’m a little tired of being a lowly assistant but hey, getting there.”
“What about Noah?”
Kurt beamed as the conversation became a little more positive. “He’s doing great,” he said. “He’s a manager now and has been steadily working toward that business degree he’s always talked about getting.”
“Fantastic. I can’t believe how far you’ve come for Beth and for yourselves. You boys floor me every time I get to talk to you.”
“Oh neither can I…” Kurt said quietly. “We’ve made it far.”
While Kurt discussed the way life had changed, Finn and Puck were watching Beth and Carole work, very interested in the little girl’s excitement. They leaned back against the kitchen counter and started catching up, because it had been so long.
"How's fatherhood treating ya?" Finn asked, as he watched Beth and his mother work on the cookies.
Puck smiled at his best friend, looking away from his daughter and her work for only a split second, before his eyes returned right back to her. "It's amazing Finn," he said. "Beth is just so bright and more amazing every day. I don't know how Kurt and I ever got so lucky."
He forced himself to look away from his daughter and looked to Finn. "Dude, can I show you something?" he asked.
Finn nodded, so he got up his courage and took out the engagement ring. It wasn't anything fancy, because money was still undoubtedly tight, but it was beautiful, a silver band with a tiny stone. "I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me tomorrow morning," he said quietly.
Finn's mouth hung open.
"You and Kurt are...you're so young dude, and...I...wow..."
"We are," he said, closing the box and slipping it back into his coat pocket. "I can't deny that we are but we've been dating since I was seventeen, we have an amazing child together and it's just time."
"I...I do agree."
"Do I have the big brother approval?" Puck asked, nervously.
Finn gave him a nod.
"Cookies are done!" Beth yelled.
Finn’s mother waved both boys over. Puck and Finn were quick to come to that call. “Our first batch of cookies just came out and Beth wants her daddy and her uncle to try some,” she explained. Beth eagerly held out a plate with a cookie split in half on it. Finn and Puck both took a piece.
“Oh wow Beth,” Finn said, after taking a bite. “I think these are the best cookies that I’ve ever tasted in my whole life.”
“I agree,” Puck said, glad that his best friend was playing it up for the little girl. “Oh wow these are awesome. You did really good Beth. Grandma taught you good.”
The little girl was positively beaming because of the cookies. Finn swooped her up and she burst out in hysteric giggles. “Look at this!” she said, showing him a tiny silver colored necklace that she wore around her neck. “Auntie Quinn gave it to me.”
Finn smiled and touched the tiny charm, a crown. “Pretty and very fitting,” he said, glancing at Puck. “It’s too bad Quinn couldn’t come down. I would have liked to see her again. Did you write Santa, Beth?”
The girl nodded enthusiastically. “Papa helped me with the hard words but I wrote it!”
“That’s awesome.”
Carole leaned up over Finn’s shoulder. She smiled at both of the boys and then down on her granddaughter.
“Can you boys take Beth out to join the others for dinner? It’s all ready now and we can have Beth’s excellent cookies afterward.”
They took Beth into the dining room where Kurt and Burt had set the table.
“Rachel will probably be late,” Finn said, as he straightened out his place setting and took a seat. “She told me that she would. Planes have been delayed all over the country because of the weather but she promised that she wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“I’m just glad she agreed to come,” Burt said, smiling at his stepson. “It’s been too long since any of us have seen that girl since she headed out to the city. I have to admit that we’ve even missed hearing her voice around here.”
“Seriously dad?” Kurt teased, but it was all in good nature. He absolutely loved Rachel Berry and could not wait to see her again.
“I wanna sing with Aunt Rachel,” Beth piped up, sitting at her chair. It was a little more padded then the rest as Beth Puckerman was still a very small child, even at five years old. “She promised we could sing.”
“Oh there will be singing,” Finn assured his niece. This made her break into a smile.
Dinner was amazing. It was nice, everyone being together as a family. Rachel didn’t end up arriving until halfway through the dinner, but when she did, she apologized profusely, hugging Beth tightly to her and greeting everyone with a ton of enthusiasm. “I am so sorry that I missed so much of dinner,” she said, as Carole rushed to make her a plate too. “Things have been so crazy I was about ready to cry but then I remembered I was going home to my favorite people in the world.”
“We missed you too, Rach,” Puck teased.
“Look at how big you’ve grown Beth!” Rachel said, fussing over the tiny little princess. “I can’t believe it. What have your daddies been feeding you?”
Beth looked down at her plate. “Carrots?” she said.
Rachel burst into giggles.
They all finished eating, Rachel a little slower than the rest, and Beth brought them their cookies. “I helped Gramma make em,” the girl declared as she made Rachel pick out a cookie. “These ones are vee-gan so that you can eat them too, Auntie.”
Rachel smiled and took a cookie. “Thank you Beth.”
The entire group fussed over Beth and the cookies. Puck smiled and looked to Kurt. It was the perfect family Christmas Eve. It was what they had dreamed it would be and neither of them could wait for the next morning.