A/N: Chapter title - "All That I'm Asking For" by Lifehouse. It's off the deluxe edition of their new Smoke & Mirrors CD. Seriously, go listen to this song. Like, do it now. It's so beautiful and it's my absolute favorite song right now (it's been on continuous loop while I wrote the last couple chapters of this story because it fits the story so freakin' perfectly that it's scary.)

The wind blew past Puck as he walked along the beach, swirling the smell of the ocean around him and lifting his shirt up slightly. The sun was beginning to set but the shallow parts of the ocean were still full of swimmers and snorkelers trying to get in the last bit of recreation before night fell. Puck strolled for a few minutes, glancing between the water and the sand as he looked for a particular spot on the beach. He paused momentarily to watch two small children fight over a sandcastle before chuckling and moving on toward his destination. The dilapidated awning of one hotel jogged Puck's memory and he realized that it was the one he'd stayed in the last time he was there. So I'm getting close. The sand squished up between his toes, sticking to his bare feet and ankles, as he continued to walk. Finally finding the familiar spot he'd been seeking out, he dropped down and sat in the sand. Pulling one leg up, he propped his arm over the knee, leaning back with his weight on the other arm. As his hand sunk into the warm sand, he closed his eyes and turned his face toward the waning sunlight.

Where the fuck is Rachel?

He reclined slightly, eyes still closed, and thought about his need to return to this exact spot on the beach. This is where he'd made the decision to find Rachel. It was where he first really realized that life without her was not possible. He liked to think that this spot represented the ending of his old life.

Puck opened one eye at the sound of a bird cawing nearby. Closing his eyes again, he smirked at the fact that just fourteen months ago, he'd been sitting there feeling exhausted. Kinda like now. And he'd been wondering where Rachel was then, too.

As the sun sank further, Puck stretched out completely, flipped to one side, and propped his head up. He dragged his finger through the sand, making indiscriminate designs with the pad of his index finger over and over again.

Seriously, where the hell is Rachel?

Down the beach, Puck saw one of the hotel workers walking along the edge of the sand, lighting tiki torches for those who wanted to spend the evening along the beach. It sounded like a fucking great idea to him – watching the darkness settle over Cozumel in the sand.

"Noah?"

Puck turned his head and grinned at Rachel's voice.

"Hey, babe…took you long enough. C'mere." Puck motioned for her and she walked around him, dropping down beside him in the sand. She settled her flowing, summery pink dress around her legs as he sat up, dropping his arm across her shoulder.

They sat in pleasant silence for a few minutes, watching as the last rays of the sun disappeared and darkness overtook them.

Rachel sighed dreamily, laying her head on Puck's shoulder. "It's really gorgeous here. I think I could stay here forever."

Puck quickly popped a kiss to the crown of hear head and pulled her closer to him as he watched wave after wave crash into the beach.

"It's much better this time around. The last time I was here fuckin' sucked. I think that's the main reason I wanted to come back…to make it right. Can't live my whole life thinking Cozumel is a total shithole."

Turning to look at him, Rachel presented him with the Puckerman trademark of one raised eyebrow. "How could you possibly think this place was bad? It's breathtaking."

Puck shrugged. "Last time I was here was under very different circumstances, you know. I'd just jilted her and you were nowhere to be found. The only parts of Cozumel I ever saw were the liquor store, the hotel restaurant, my room, and this very spot on the beach."

Rachel looked down at the sand, as if searching for some sign that he'd been there before. "Why'd you come to this spot?"

Puck let out a small, throaty laugh. "It was right before I left to go back to Cincinnati. I'd decided I was going to find you, somehow, while I was here. I hadn't figured shit out yet except for the fact that you were gone and I wasn't sure I could live without you."

Rachel shivered, more from his words than from the cooling breezes blowing in from over the ocean. Stretching her neck, she gently laid a kiss upon his jawline.

"I love you," she whispered to him before dropping her head back onto his shoulder.

"I love you, too, babe." Puck slid his hand down into the sand and laid it atop Rachel's, intertwining their sandy fingers.

For a few minutes, they watched the beachgoers. Families with children, couples like themselves, and a few lone wolves here or there all scurried back towards their respective hotels as nightfall totally overtook Cozumel.

"So did you get all the phone calls made?"

Rachel sighed, nodding against his shoulder.

"I thought your mother would never let me off the phone. She wanted to know about the flight and Customs and the hotel and the food and if we'd had painful gastric explosions from drinking the water yet. She asked me if I'd met any exotic men since our arrival. I informed her that we'd only been in Mexico twelve hours and had spent most of that time sleeping, so we hadn't really seen much of it yet."

Puck snickered at her choice of words. Sleeping. Riiiiiiiight.

"Anyway, I assured her we would only drink bottled water. And I had to promise to bring something back for her and your sister. Oh, and to take as many pictures as possible. Oh, and if we could grab her some seashells because she'd love to have a few for her coffee table."

A rumbling laugh left Puck's throat. "Did she request anything else?"

Rachel thought for a moment, cocking her head and biting her lip. "Not yet, but I'm sure she will. And that's why you're making the next call. I've done my job for this trip!"

Puck smiled into Rachel's hair. "You're right. I'll make the next call. It's only fair. Did you talk to your dad?"

"Yes. He's back in Ohio now. Glad to be home, I think. He flew back with your mom, as you know, so I think he was more than a little exhausted. According to him, she…uhh…had a "disagreement" with the stewardess and sent most of the flight glaring at the woman whenever she walked past."

"Poor guy." Puck had sympathy. A flight of any length with his mother was painful. But from Cleveland to Seattle with a layover in between? Fred deserved a fucking medal. Or may a cash prize.

"Talk to anybody else? You were gone long enough."

"I called Tina. She's still in Seattle!" Puck looked down at Rachel quizzically, considering Tina had explicitly told both of them that she could only stay for two days. Rachel caught Puck's look and agreed. "I know, right? Well, she called the school and requested a few extra days off. Apparently, her plans changed."

Puck watched a smile play across Rachel's lips. "Annnnnd?" he prodded.

"You know how I pointed out how flirty she and Nick were being at the reception?"

Puck nodded, thinking back to Tina's short silver dress and sexy heels. She'd looked hotter than he'd ever seen her and he'd known her for half his life. So he wasn't surprised when he'd noticed Nick checking her out several times over the course of the evening. He was even less surprised when he caught them dancing and Nick's hand was on her ass.

"Nick looked like he was into her that night," Puck offered.

Rachel snickered at his choice of words. "Well apparently, he's been into her in the biblical sense for nearly the past day…like the minute we left the reception, she hopped in the sack with him."

Puck's eyes widened, meeting Rachel's gaze, and then let out a belly laugh that mixed in the Cozumel breeze with Rachel's giggle. He watched the twinkle in her eye and could tell she was happy with the developments between their friends. Moving his hand to cup Rachel's face, he turned it towards her and brushed his lips against hers gently at first before kissing her more deeply. Pulling away, she put her head back on his shoulder as they stared out at the now-black ocean.

"I'm glad they hit off," Puck offered. "Re-introducing them was the least we could do after what all they did for us."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "Don't I know it? If it wasn't for first Tina and then Nick, I'm not sure we'd be here now."

"Fuck, babe, as stubborn as you are? If it weren't for the two of them, I'd probably be a homeless drunk in Cincinnati by now, still wondering where the fuck you were. Because, honestly, without Tina, I'd never have figured out you were in fucking Seattle!"

"And I'd still be angry and pretending that I didn't love you," Rachel thought, remembering the sadness that had ruled both their lives for months. "But that's why people who saw that we were being difficult stepped in and helped make a difference."

"That's what awesome friends are for," Puck said, thinking about the friendship that had developed between Nick and him in the past year. Once Puck realized that Nick was no threat to his relationship with Rachel, he'd actually found a great friend in him. They played basketball a couple times a week and went out for a beer every once in a while. And Tina, even from Ohio, had proven to be a wonderful friend to Rachel. She never hesitated to call Rachel out on her shit (which came in handy the first time Rachel and Puck got into a huge fight after officially getting together. He still owed Tina for that help she'd given him.) They'd be lost without the two of them.

Another breeze rolled across the ocean waves and Rachel shivered again.

"C'mon, babe. Let's go back to the hotel, grab some dinner, and try out that hot tub."

Puck stood up, pulling Rachel up after him, and yanked her toward him. His arms snaked around her waist and he pressed his lower body against hers, grinding into her.

Rachel swatted at him. "Noah, don't be lewd! We're in public!"

Pressing himself against her again, he whispered, "Nobody's around, babe." Rachel shot him a withering glare so he relented, letting her go. Throwing an arm around her shoulder, they strolled back the way they'd come. "I'm glad you're here with me this time," he said softly. "Cozumel is a helluva lot better with my wife as a companion instead of Jack Daniels."

Rachel stopped walking to push up on her toes and press a kiss against his neck. "Let's go try out that hot tub first, Noah. Room service can feed us any time."

Puck growled, nipping her lip with his teeth. "I fucking love the way that brain of yours works." Grabbing her hand, the two continued their retreat from the beach. Rachel locked her fingers with Noah's as they walked. She could feel his wedding band pressing into her fingers and it made that mega-watt smile take over her face. They'd been married for two days now. They'd had a very tiny wedding on the ferry in Elliott Bay. They'd both agreed that the ferry was the most fitting place because it was, after all, where everything had come out and where they finally admitted that they needed each other. Puck's mom and sister, Rachel's father, and Tina and Nick were in attendance. Later that evening, they'd held a small reception with many of Puck's co-workers, Rachel's cast mates from her current production, and Mrs. Bernbaum all in attendance. Mrs. Bernbaum spent the evening telling anyone who would listen that she set Rachel and Puck up, completely ignoring the fact that they'd known each other for years. They both had a soft spot for their batty old neighbor, even if she did drive them crazy and had interrupted some hot sex on more than one occasion by knocking on the door.

Once they made it back to the Honeymoon Cottage, which sat on a secluded spot of beach near the main hotel, Puck unlocked the door and pushed it open to let Rachel walk in first. Snagging her around the waist again, he kissed her shoulder and stealthily reached behind her to untie the back of her dress, sending it plummeting to the ground. Rachel shrieked, jumping away from the door to hide her nakedness. With an audible groan, Puck realized Rachel had been sans panties and was now walking toward the hot tub naked. Puck quickly locked the door, pulling his shirt over his head as his eyes tracked her every movement. Rachel glanced over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes at him, and Puck felt himself instantly get hard. I fucking worship that woman. Walking up behind her, he slid his hands around her and palmed her breasts in his hands. Flicking her nipples with the tips of his fingers, he peppered her neck and shoulder with kisses. Rachel moaned, leaning back into his broad chest, melting in to his embrace.

When the jets of the tub were going, Puck let go of Rachel and pushed boxers down before turning to look at Rachel. His eyes roved over her naked body, then he quickly captured her lips, suppressing her moan in his mouth. He guided her body toward the tub and stepped in, pulling her in after him. Settling her on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Noah," Rachel whispered. "It's amazing." Puck nodded at her and licked a drop of water from her collarbone, his hands sliding down into the water between them. When his thumb pressed against her clit, Rachel whimpered against him. His thumb made soft, sweeping circles around her sensitized bud until she trembled against him. He chuckled at her heated response as his hands settled on her hips, lifting her up just enough to slide himself inside her. Groaning, he pushed her down on him and they both shuddered when he was sheathed fully inside her.

Puck guided Rachel's hips up and down, sliding his length in and out of her with lazy, unhurried strokes as his lips and tongue stroked her neck, her shoulders, the tops of her breasts – everywhere he could reach. They had all the time in the world and he intended to enjoy every moment. Her hips rose and fell at an achingly slow pace. Rachel's hands were in Noah's hair, her arms resting on his shoulders, as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the exquisite feeling of him moving inside her. Wet fingertips danced up and down her spine, leaving cold trails of water across her body.

Puck's sopping hands slid up into Rachel's hair, where he fisted her tresses and pulled her lips down to his. Rachel cried out as his fierce kiss assaulted her already heated senses and she ground herself against him. The water from his hands and arms dripped down onto her body, running over her puckered nipples. As her movements became quicker and more frantic, Puck locked his eyes with Rachel's.

"Love you," he whispered, his lips slipping to bite down her nipple, erect and dripping from the water. Mewling loudly, Rachel's eyes fell closed as the familiar burn or desire that only he could cause began to race through her.

"Love you, too," she whimpered as her core pulsed around him. As he felt her throbbing muscles squeezing and caressing him, Puck arched his hips up, driving himself deep inside her, and let himself go with a grunt as his release sucked the wind from his lungs.

Both shaking, the couple leaned against one another as the warm jets continued to swirl around their fulfilled bodies. Puck gently kissed Rachel's lips again and then slowly slid himself out of her. Standing up, he hopped out of the tub and toweled himself off. Rachel watched appreciatively as he rubbed the towel over his naked body. She never got tired of looking at the body he worked so hard to keep in excellent physical shape. Puck motioned for her to come to him so she stood up next and he helped her out and then tenderly, almost reverently, toweled her body dry. Her eyes drifted closed and her head lulled back at his light, soft touches. With a quick dip of his head to nip at her breast with his lips, he grabbed a big fluffy robe, holding it open so that Rachel could slip into it.

They walked over to the table together and Puck pulled out the room service menu. As they perused it, Rachel slid her hand into his. Puck's eyes never looked up from the paper as he squeezed her hand in his.

"Noah, your mother did ask for us to bring her back one more thing."

"Oh yeah?" What else did she want?" Puck's eyes zeroed in on the T-bone steak. He was starved. Sexing up his wife three times already today had totally drained him, he thought with a satisfied leer.

"To quote her exactly, 'A cute, dark haired, green-eyed Jewish grandbaby.' Oh, and it must have my talent and your cheekbones."

Puck sputtered at her words, the menu fluttering from his grip as his head swiveled toward Rachel. "Wh…what'd you tell her?"

Rachel laughed, smacking him in the arm. "I told her I'd just refilled my birth control pills and to ask us again on our third anniversary."

Puck closed his eyes, exhaling loudly. "Thank fuck. I knew from the second I proposed that she'd be hounding for grandkids but seriously? We're on our fucking honeymoon!" Puck reached for Rachel, his hand settling on her ass and squeezing the firm globe roughly in his hand. Rachel's eyes widened as he pulled her to him and bent his head down toward her ear. "And honeymoon sex ain't about baby-makin'," he said with a lecherous grin.

Rachel laughed, lifting her head to kiss him. When he withdrew, she raised their joined hands to kiss his ring finger. Puck watched her lips move smoothly over his ring and felt his heart clench at the gentle, intimate act. The love she had for him, even all those months after everything between them was finally out in the open, never ceased to amaze him. He still felt like he didn't deserve it half the time but she was his and that? That made his life fucking perfect.

Pealing his eyes from his bride and turning back to the menu, he asked, "So what do you want to eat, Rach? Seriously, pick something."

Rachel's eyes skimmed over the menu. "I don't know, Noah. Nothing really looks good."

Puck's stomach chose that moment to growl. "Fuck, we gotta eat. We can't do stuff like that again," he nodded his head toward the hot tub, "until I get some food in my stomach. Keeping you satisfied takes energy, ya know. Pick something, please."

Rachel rolled her eyes at his dramatic plea because they both knew that he was the one with an infinite sexual appetite. Sighing, she pointed at an item on the menu and Puck picked up the phone. Rachel went to stretch out on the chaise while she waited for him to order. As she reclined against the big, plush chair, she looked over at him. He mouthed that he was "on hold" and rolled his eyes. She blew him a kiss before settling into the cushions of the plush couch and sighing contently. If she were any happier, she was afraid she would burst. She fell in love with Noah years ago but at that moment, she'd never loved him more. And she knew that, ten minutes from now, she'd love him even more still. That's just the way it seemed to work for her. Even when he was an asshole – which was quite frequently because he was Noah, after all, and a leopard can't change its spots – she still loved him so much that she felt breathless. For a moment, she wondered what everyone from the their days back at William McKinley High School would say if they knew that Miss Priss future starlet Rachel Berry had married badass manwhore jock Noah Puckerman. They'd definitely be surprised, that's for sure.

Once Puck was finally done ordering, he hung up the phone and joined her on the chaise. Pulling her into his lap, he kissed her slowly, coaxing her lips open to allow his tongue inside. His hand slid inside her robe, his fingers gliding and plucking their way over her breasts. She shivered at the warmth of his touch and pulled he mouth away to kiss his neck. He pulled her tight to him and they both stared out the glass patio door towards the ocean. As they watched the moonlight dance over the waves, Puck's stomach rumbled again and she giggled into his shoulder.

"Hey, babe?" He asked softly.

"Yes, Noah?"

"You think they have an Applebee's here in Cozumel? If they do, we can totally cancel the room service and get dressed."

Rachel rolled her eyes at the mention of his beloved restaurant that still made her stomach revolt. "I hate you, Noah Puckerman," she whispered.

Puck laughed, looping his arms tightly around her and interlocking his fingers. Tucking his head against her shoulder, he spoke into her hair. "Yeah, uh huh, babe, surrrre. You've loved me for years and you know it."

Rachel nodded her head, unable to disagree with him, as they watched a moonlit Cozumel night play out from their vantage point inside the darkened honeymoon cottage.

Puck sighed in mock defeat. "I guess we have the rest of our lives to eat at Applebee's. So I'll give you this as a freebie. But as soon as we get back to Seattle, we're going."

Rachel lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "Deal. We'll go there as soon as we land." If she had to eat Applebee's every day for the rest of her life, at least he'd be by her side while she did, she'd decided. And that made even the worst crap Applebee's could throw at her completely worth it. Well, that and my huge stockpile of Rolaids, she thought wryly with a silent laugh.

He seemed content with her answer and went back to watching the foamy tops of the white waves as they crashed against the beach, his index finger stroking gentle, nonsensical patterns against the back of her hand.

Rachel shifted against Puck, her backside unintentionally rubbing against him. Puck let out an involuntary moan at the contact. With an evil grin, Rachel "accidentally" rubbed against him again, her butt coming into contact with his rapidly hardening shaft.

Puck grabbed Rachel around the waist, flipping them so that he was on top of her. She laughed when he growled, "You're gonna pay for that," and flipped open the bottom of her robe. Glancing up at the clock, he realized that they still had 15 minutes before room service would be there.

He looked down at Rachel, whose lips were already swollen from the events of the day, and then back up at the clock. Groaning, his lips descended on hers for a rough, insistent kiss.

Totally time for a quickie.

So usually, at the end of one story, I talk about my next story. I can't do that this time because I don't have one. I'm taking a break from fanfiction to work on an original novel idea that's in my head and won't leave. I will probably do some Puckleberry one-shots/two-shots here or there to help appease my insane love for Noah Puckerman but this is my last multi-chapter fic - at least for a while!

On that note – watch my LJ account because I WILL be posting a one-shot in the next few weeks. It was the ORIGINAL sex scene intended for Chapter 21 but it turned out entirely too raunchy for what I was going for so it got scrapped. I saved it, though, and am turning it into a one-shot since Puckleberry smut helps save the whales…or something like that!