Kurt was sitting in his room, rocking Holly in his arms. He had worked at his father's shop all day, coming home exhausted but eager to see his children. Quinn stayed with them most days and they were beginning to love her. Kurt hadn't gotten to know Quinn very well in the days after he got married. Santana had rushed them off to New York as soon as possible, having signed the recording contract just before their marriage. Finn stayed in Lima, working in Burt's garage and Quinn stayed home. Actually, Finn had just shared with Kurt that Quinn was pregnant and the baby was due in six months.

Quinn was very quiet, a little shy compared to how she was in school. Kurt still saw the beautiful but fragile girl she had been back then, and she was happy to be married to Finn now. Kurt wondered which one of them had applied for the marriage, but it wasn't something most people spoke about. It certainly wasn't something you asked questions about.

Levi was napping, but had been at the park later than usual playing with another little boy. Quinn had allowed him to do that and just put him to bed a little late. Kurt wasn't sure if he approved of that. He couldn't bring himself to confront Quinn, so he let it drop. It was only one day, after all.

Holly fussed a bit, pushing the nipple of the bottle out of her mouth and let milk drool down her cheek.

"Hey, now, little one. None of that. Let's finish our dinner, my pretty angel," Kurt cooed at her. She smiled up at her daddy and waved her arms, letting him wipe her face before he put the nipple back into that little mouth. He patiently sat rocking a bit as she finished the bottle and then put a soft cloth over his shoulder to prop her up to burp. He rubbed the tiny, warm back and she complied right away. "Good girl, Holly. Are you tired now?" he asked. As if in answer, she yawned.

Kurt put her down in her crib, checking to make sure she was still dry before pulling her bunny blanket up to her neck and tucking in the edges. He always put her on her tummy just as Santana had insisted. She had told Kurt that it was safer because the baby could not inhale if she spit up. Kurt smiled at the memory: Tana telling him what to do to watch out for their babies. He believed she must have been the best mother they could ever have had and it made him sad to think Holly wouldn't have any memories of her.

"Good night, my angel," he said, patting her little backside before turning out the lamp and leaving the room

#*#*#*#*#

Puck walked into the living room, having had supper with the family. He sat down next to Kurt and Kurt automatically folded himself in close to Puck's side, receiving a smile in return and a squeeze to his knee.

They had been getting together several times a week and Kurt felt stronger and less lost with each encounter. He realized on some level that Puck was not his dom, never could be, but it felt so right to tuck himself up close whenever Puck was in the room with him.

"Puck, can we...ah...do something tonight?" Kurt asked, which was something he never believed in a hundred years that he could do. A dom had the right to break a bond with a sub for less than that. "Oh, I am sorry, Noah...I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean for that to sound like a demand, just a gentle hint at something I was hoping for," Kurt said. Then he stopped altogether before he embarrassed himself any more. He hid his face in his hands and held back the shame of it.

"Kurt, it's only the two of us here, and given what we've been doing the past several weeks, I would think it would be okay for you to ask me. We are friends, Kurt," Puck told him. "Okay, have you asked Quinn if she can look after the children until morning?" Puck asked, stroking his hand down Kurt's leg in invitation. .

"Yes. I just left her room. She and Finn were staying the night, and she will watch them until I come to wake her in the morning. Levi was very excited to sleep with Auntie Quinn in her room, and Holly was already asleep," Kurt said, looking at Puck with wide eyes.

"Come with me, Kurt," Puck asked, but it was more than a question, it was a command. Kurt got chills as Puck stared at him.

Puck got up and walked to the guest room he had been occupying whenever he came to visit and dom Kurt. It had a lock, which didn't matter because nobody in the house would walk in on them. Everyone knew why Puck was there and knew it was what Kurt needed to be able to function.

Kurt followed behind, his eyes on the floor as he tried to calm his beating heart. While he loved Santana, this is what he had dreamed of as a child: a man to make love with. The masculine scent, the rough stubble on his chin at the end of the day, the deep voice moaning his name, the muscles that played across his chest and arms when he lifted Kurt into the bed, it all coalesced into what Kurt had pictured as he lay in his bed frantic with the desire to just bring himself to orgasm.

He had given up on all of those dreams when he married Santana. He was satisfied that this was as good as his life was going to get, and he knew he could live with it. Forever if need be. He was sad beyond words that his Tana had died, and felt guilty for craving Noah now. But he just couldn't help it. He needed to be dommed, like he needed food and water. It was the strongest drive inside a person, and although he knew that, he also knew it wouldn't last. Noah had a wife on the way, and when she got here Noah would leave, and then what would Kurt do?

All of this was on his mind as he entered the bedroom. Puck smiled a little, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"Kurt, you know that we are at the far end of the house, right?" Puck asked. Kurt had no idea what this was leading to. Of course he knew that, he grew up in this house. He nodded his head.

"The other bedrooms are on the other side. That is why I picked this one. Everyone else is in bed. And not one of them can hear what goes on in here, okay? I checked it out this afternoon. I just wanted you to know," Puck said.

Kurt shivered. Quinn had explained that the first night, Levi had gone in search of his daddy and she found him curled up in front of the door where Puck had taken Kurt. Other than that he had no idea why Puck didn't want anyone to hear him, or maybe it was for his benefit? So he wouldn't be self conscious if he was loud during sex, not wanting his father to hear what he was doing? Yes. That must be it. Puck was keeping him safe, was taking the best care of him.

"Kurt, take off your clothes. All of them."

Kurt complied, then stood in front of Puck, waiting.

"Kurt, did you tell me it was time for me to come in here with you?" Puck asked, tapping his foot on the floor.

"No.." Kurt started to say, but then remembered he had done just that. "Yes, sir."

"Do you know that doms have ended a bond with subs over less?"

"Yes, sir."

"I cannot end this bond because we have no bond, Kurt, so I will have to punish you," Puck said, a frown on his face. He wasn't actually angry with Kurt at all, but to keep up the dom/sub walls that must be there, he had to do something. He had asked Finn earlier in the day what the best thing to do was, and Finn had shared a phone number of a counseling service that dealt with this type of problem. It was mainly for subs looking for doms and having to accept the domination of friends or hired doms to regain strength to live their lives until they were in a marriage again.

The man on the phone was very helpful and even gave Puck advice on where to go to get the proper equipment. Puck hoped this would be the right thing. He'd gone home and practiced on a leather chair until he felt his stroke was right.

Kurt stood trembling, but it wasn't just with apprehension, and certainly not with fear. He knew and trusted Puck. Santana had never once punished him. He didn't know if that was because he was unbelievably good or if she was afraid to go too far. He thought he had earned a lot of punishments in the early days, but she never administered any. It made their marriage difficult, and it had been difficult before without the mixed messages of her domination looking a whole lot like submission sometimes.

"Kurt, bend over and grab your ankles. Close your eyes and do not open them until I tell you to," Puck said in his best dominant voice. Kurt complied immediately.

Puck wasted no time, he went to the closet where he had put the things and removed a riding whip. It was made of bullhide and sported three tails and a braided leather handle with golden wire wrapped tightly around for a better grip. It looked scary and made a slick whistling sound as it hissed through the air. Puck had practiced until he could snap it and make a really loud sound, but the strike was very minimal. It might sting, but not really hurt. He would never hurt Kurt.

He took the whip and cracked it in the air and Kurt jumped a mile. Puck grinned. This was going to be fun.

"Don't move, Kurt. I want you still like a statue," Puck said in a deep voice and Kurt froze.

Puck snapped the whip so it barely made contact with Kurt's buttocks, though he was sure it must have stung a bit by the way Kurt leaped in the air, but his dick was now rock hard. He continued to whip Kurt, just barely making contact with the whip, until Kurt looked ready to collapse. He stayed bent over, quivering in every inch of his body, holding his stomach muscles taut and letting his head fall limp on his neck. He held his eyes closed as commanded, so he didn't know when the next blow would land except for the eery whistling sound of the whip cutting through the air. He had never felt so aroused in his life.

"Come here, Kurt. Open your eyes and come up here on the bed with me," Puck said in a firm but kind voice. He laid Kurt face down to look at the marks across the backs of his thighs and his ass. There were a few red streaks, nothing that broke the tender skin, but Puck was sure he had felt it.

"I hope that's the last time I have to punish you. Can you try harder to behave yourself?" he asked, showing no mercy.

"Yes, sir. I'll behave. I won't ask inappropriate questions again, Noah. I'm sorry," Kurt said, his face down.

Puck leaned over Kurt's naked backside and licked the length of the whip mark on his left buttock. Kurt gasped. Puck continued to lick and kiss across all of the scant marks until Kurt was trembling. Then he rolled Kurt over and put his mouth over his cock, sliding down as far as he was able, sucking slightly as he felt the hard muscles with his tongue. Puck continued administering the blowjob for a few minutes, but pulled back as soon as Kurt started to moan.

"Open your legs, let me stretch you out," Puck directed as he slicked his fingers with a lot of the lubricant he'd purchased that morning. He wasted no time on nice seductions, but he was gentle as he pushed his finger into Kurt. In high school he would have kicked anyone's ass if they dared to say he would one day have his fingers up Kurt Hummel's bum, but here he was. Enjoying it, even.

"Can you take me, Kurt? All of it, right now?" Puck demanded.

"Yes, Noah," Kurt replied and got into position, hands and knees on the bed. Puck looked at Kurt in this vulnerable position, the pale creamy skin of his ass right in front of him with his pink puckered hole relaxed and waiting in anticipation of Puck breeching the rim and pressing down inside of him. He quivered with anticipation, but tonight he decided he might want something different.

"Lie down on your back, Kurt." Puck demanded and Kurt flipped over quickly. Puck pushed Kurt's heels up close to his buttocks and spread his legs wide. He saw Kurt wince as he adjusted his back on the bed and wondered if he'd been too rough with the whip – but each time Kurt moved and winced, he got a look in his eye of inner strength that Puckerman had never seen before. This was working.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked Kurt, who nodded and spread his legs just a tiny bit wider.

Puck took his cock and set the head just on Kurt's opening, then began to press forward. Kurt gasped. It felt different when he was lying in bed, facing Puck as his erection slid very slowly into Kurt's body, drawing a Hallelujah! from his lips. As good as penetration with Puck felt, this added an intimacy that Kurt wasn't familiar with. Of course he had been close to his wife, but that was very different. This was a man, and all kinds of bells were going off in his head. He waited to be kissed, not able to bring himself to lean forward those last few inches to initiate the kiss, but his mouth was burning with the desire for Puck's lips on his, for Puck's tongue deep in his mouth.

The steady pushing, in and out, in and out, was building friction and heat and fire in Kurt's belly. He could feel that the orgasm he was craving would be there, and he would not have to wait long for it as long as he stayed focused and Puck didn't slow down. Kurt was almost panting when Puck closed the gap between their lips and kissed him - all soft lips, scratchy stubble, masculine scent, and Puck's eyes, too close to Kurt's face as he got sensory overload and pushed himself back.

Puck stopped abruptly. Kurt gasped as he realized that he had pushed Puck away from himself and he sat up, shaking as he thought over what he had just done and why Puck stopped.

"Oh, Puck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, to push you back like that. It was a reflex."

Puck rolled so Kurt was on top, and he didn't push Kurt off of him.

"What happened? I didn't hear a safe word," Puck stated, looking at Kurt with concerned eyes. Yes, his friend seemed better, but he was visibly upset.

"I don't know. I didn't mean to push you back, Puck. I was overwhelmed," Kurt mumbled.

"Okay, I have no objection to that – only to the lack of communication. What happened?"

"I'm..not used to that level of intimacy, Noah. If we were married, it would be fine. Or even if we had a claiming contract, but this is not the same thing and I'm afraid I might fall in love with you," Kurt said, shaking at having to speak to Puck this way. Standing up to a dom like this, it wasn't in his nature.

"Kurt, I did that deliberately. I needed to know how strong you've become. Now, let's get back to fucking and we can talk about it later," Puck told him. He pushed Kurt gently back on the bed and pulled his legs apart, burying his cock inside Kurt's ass as soon as he was settled. Puck made no move to kiss Kurt again, understanding the how sensitive he was and not wanting to break down the careful walls they had built. Kurt not only needed to be dominated, he needed to feel safe. With his hand stroking Kurt with each thrust, he had Kurt screaming an orgasm in a few minutes and he himself came as the vibrations and clenching of Kurt's muscles provided stimulation.

Puck fell into Kurt's arms for a few seconds while he regained his balance and breath, then he got up and reached for the warm washcloth he had ready.

Cleaned up, Puck lay down in the bed and motioned for Kurt to cuddle next to him. While this was all done for Kurt's benefit, it had been pleasurable for Puck, too, and educational. He was about to get married for the second time and she was his age – but had never been married and he would be expected to teach her everything he assumed. He pulled on Kurt a bit to see if he needed to come closer and was not surprised when he felt a warm bundle of nervous boy paste himself to his side. His arms went around Kurt automatically and he pressed a kiss to Kurt's head. His hand went down to caress across Kurt's ass, just to check on any damage done by the whip – but Kurt didn't even flinch. Good. It wasn't meant to hurt him.

"Kurt, we need to talk. Are you going to be okay with that now or do you need to rest?" Puck asked quietly.

In spite of the subdued tone, Kurt got a shiver that went up his spine. This did not sound good at all and he tried to keep any fear at bay, but it wasn't easy.

"Okay, Noah," he replied.

"Kurt, I know I've been pushing you these last few times we've been together. I needed to see how strong you've become because I won't be able to do this for much longer. But I need to know that you can be okay if I stop," Puck said. Kurt curled into a ball and got even closer to Puck. He started to shiver, unable to speak for a few minutes. In his mind, he knew this would happen. He had known since the first day that Puck was a short term solution and they had taken precautions so Kurt did not fall in love. But in the end he found he was attached to Puck.

Puck ran his hands down Kurt's back in an attempt to be gentle and soothing.

"Puck? I understand. You never presented yourself as anything else. It's me, I didn't want to believe it would come so soon, and I let myself hope. But the bottom line is that I know you are not gay and would never be fulfilled in a marriage with me. Santana and I loved each other, but I am not so naïve as to believe our marriage was fulfilling for either of us. Oh, I loved her, don't get me wrong, but the reality was that neither of us was born the right person – or at least in the right bodies to be perfect together.

"I know what you did for me, you did out of love. I appreciate it more than I can express, Noah, and I will be forever grateful. You gave me enough strength to carry on to be a father to my children, Noah, and how can I ever repay that? You are truly my best friend," Kurt said, and kissed Puck on the cheek.

They lay together for a while, just breathing in and thinking about what the next step might be.

"Puck?"

"Yeah, Kurt?"

"Are you scared about getting married again?"

"No. Well, yes and no. I'm not afraid to get married. It's who I'm marrying that scares me a little. I have a contract with her parents, so it isn't exactly a love match, but I think I can make it work," Puck said with a lot more confidence than he felt. "She's never been married so I assume she's a virgin."

"Oh, is she young then?" Kurt asked, imagining a young high school graduate and how afraid she would be – especially with a large and gruff man like Noah Puckerman.

"No. Our age. She went to McKinley with us, but her parents sent her to relatives in Israel to avoid the May Day Pairings. She's been there ever since, but she wants to come home, and her folks wanted her to have a Jewish husband. They spoke to me and I agreed. I think her dreams didn't come true, Kurt, and she just doesn't want to come home in shame. So they found me and we wrote a contract. But that doesn't mean I won't love her. If I can. Even if I don't love her, I can be a good husband. I didn't leave my marriage to my former wife, she left me." Puck looked away, not wanting Kurt to see his vulnerability.

Kurt understood, and he put his cheek down on Puck's chest and slipped his arms closer around Puck's ribcage to try to comfort him. He had heard rumors that his wife had left because she thought he was too low on the social scale for her. She was quite a bit older than Puck, had been one of his pool cleaning clients. Supposedly she thought a younger man might be able to impregnate her. But it was found to be her body that was at fault, so she had no more use for Puck and filed for divorce. Kurt didn't know how much of that was true, but he did know Puck had been devastated when she left. Kurt hugged his friend tighter and tilted his head up to kiss Puck full on the mouth, making him smile.

"Your new wife? She's going to be a lucky girl, Noah. You might be a mighty dom, but you still have a heart of gold," Kurt said as he kissed Puck's chest. Puck's fingers found their way to Kurt's hair and carded through the silky strands in a comforting motion.

"So, do I know her?" Kurt asked. "I mean, that would be likely if she went to McKinley?"

"Yes, you know her. It's Rachel Berry."