Author's Note: Thanks to my wonderful and extra nice editor/beta Renae. Without your helping hand this would suck. You are the best! I am planning on updating weekly, but on some weeks there may be less of a wait. Thanks for reading and if you want to review that's cool too!

Chapter One: Moving on

Rachel Berry was not the easiest girl to get along with. She would drive most people crazy with her tunnel vision. To Rachel, becoming a star was the most important thing in her life. She had created steps to reach this goal. Get Glee club back on target by building it up; win Sectionals, Regionals, an Invitational, and qualify for Nationals. After this, she would get Finn Hudson to fall madly in love with her. Finn would propose to her the night after their high school graduation. Then Rachel would have everything she always wanted, including a full scholarship to Juilliard. If everything went well, she would plan her pregnancies around each Broadway venture while Finn took the male leads on her off time.

Nothing prepared Rachel for what was to come. Quinn Fabray was pregnant. Suddenly, her hopes and dreams of being with Finn were gone, shattered in one single moment. Since then, her life had been spinning out of control. It was not until she found herself substituting Noah Puckerman for Finn that she put a stop to it. It would have been a challenge to whip Noah into a Finn substitute. In fact, if Finn continued to be noncompliant that had been her plan. However, when Noah opened up to her in those real moments of genuineness, she could not do it. Her heart was still with Finn and she could tell Noah was the same with Quinn. If anything, they were fooling themselves. Sure when he touched her it felt like her skin caught on fire and he sure could kiss. But this was Noah Puckerman, who had a thing for Quinn. He was Finn's best friend and the guy whose sole mission in life, since junior high, was to throw things at her.

If someone had asked Rachel six months ago what she would be doing on a Friday afternoon, the answer would have definitely not been consoling Noah Puckerman. In fact, as Sectionals turned from hopeful to awful, Rachel was fully aware of the imploding group. Everything had been close to the wire. Ms. Sylvester had tried to trip up Glee club every step of the way. First by threatening the judges and then by leaking their set list. Despite this, when their name was called for first place, New Directions took the stage in triumph. It was the inevitable high that comes before everything crashes down. Rachel should have known, she was an optimist but things were just too good to be true.

She wasn't sure when it had happened or how. After a single night of happiness, Rachel walked into school to the smell of impending doom. There was a buzz in the air, gossip mongers clamoring to tell one another the latest. Rachel's heart sank imagining the worst. It wasn't like Rachel was expecting the whole school to acknowledge their win. Sure, other than the Cheerios, the winning record for McKinley High was dismal at best. When Jacob accosted her at her locker, she figured it was just another day.

"Heard the news my Jewish loveliness?" Jacob asked, his tongue emerging a little too far out of his mouth for Rachel's liking.

Rachel froze. As of two days ago, the Quinn/Puck story had stayed contained within Glee Club. With Jacob so close during sectionals, she wondered if he had picked up on the latest.

"That we won on Saturday? Yeah I was there."

"No, you clueless and hot thing, about the baby daddy drama. Here's the sitch: Quinn Fabray, not carrying Finn's baby. Seems Puckerman got to her first. I broke the news this morning. As Jacob finished his confession, a strong pair of hands pushed him hard up against the locker.

"You have a big mouth, Jewfro," Puck growled, not even noticing Rachel standing there.

"The masses demanded the news and I had to give it to them."

"Yeah, well, your face is demanding my fist and I have to give it to them," Puck snarled and quickly released Jacob, who started to shudder.

Noah turned noticing Rachel for the first time. He didn't say a word as her mouth hung open. She felt bad; her hand in outing Quinn and Puck had led to this mess. She shook her head saddened by the whole event, closed her locker, and left Jacob alone to compose himself.

Rachel started looking for Finn in the obvious places. First, she looked in his homeroom, then his first period class. She even went into the freshman science labs where Finn liked to feed the lizards. He was still missing and it was third period already.

"Searching for Finn?" Kurt asked, matching strides with Rachel as she rushed down the hallway.

"I'm just worried that's all."

"Worried that you'll miss your opening before the body is cold?" Kurt asked, looking at his cuticles before back at Rachel.

Rachel had thought they had an understanding. Sure they had hurt one another. She had hoped they had buried the hatchet. Although he had rejected the idea of being friends with her months ago, she still hoped for something.

"It's not like that. I'm just worried about a friend that's all. I'd look for you, too," Rachel finished, leaving Kurt there to stew.

The day went by quickly and Rachel was the first to get to Glee rehearsal. They were supposed to start planning for Regionals. This was supposed to be a good day. Instead, Rachel found herself praying for no blood shed. It was a fruitless hope, however, she tried nonetheless. When the other students began to file in, they peeked in the room first hesitant about who was already there. They breathed a sigh of relief, ignored Rachel, and started to whisper amongst them.

Quinn was the first to walk into Glee. Mercedes, Tina, and Brittany were the first to surround her. They provided a protective shell that made Rachel want to scream. Next was Noah. He walked into the room quietly with his head down. A few watched him enter the room. Santana had her eyes on him like a hawk.

"Great," she spat under her breath. If Noah heard her, he ignored it as he took a seat next to Rachel on the other side of the room.

Mr. Shue was the next to enter; he was so full of happiness that it was obvious the rumor hadn't reached him yet.

"What is up with all the doom and gloom guys? I might be wrong, but I think we just added a new trophy to the case." He motioned to the back trophy case. The Sectionals trophy was small; still it had its own spot.

"Sorry, Mr. Shue, we're just a little occupied. The school knows," Artie replied, raising his eyebrows towards Quinn, letting Will in on the latest gossip.

Rachel winced. Five days ago she had to break it to Finn that Quinn's baby wasn't his. The scene that followed was still fresh in her mind.

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"I'm going to kill you!" screamed Finn as he tore into the room, lunging for Noah. The mohawked boy stood up as Rachel stayed frozen, watching as Finn pushed Puck to the ground and wailed on him.

Mr. Shue, Matt, and Mike had to pull the tall boy off of Noah, who just laid there taking it. It was weird and heartbreaking at the same time. Quinn burst into tears as Mr. Shue looked confused.

Rachel shook her head as Kurt accused her of telling Finn. Her first reaction was to deny it but Finn acknowledged her part in the story. She had never seen Finn so angry. He lashed out at the group kicking a chair over on his way out the door. They stood in silence as Mr. Shue looked to Puck.

"Puck, go to the nurse."

Noah moved slowly. He looked at Quinn, who just kept crying, then finally to Rachel. He looked so sad and defeated. With spirit lacking in his step and his head down in shame, he walked out of the room.

Rachel followed Noah out of the room, leaving the Gleekers clueless as the storm died down. At first she tried the nurse's office, but the new nurse shook her head indicating Noah never made it. She smiled wondering if he was where she thought he may be.

"I thought I'd find you here," Rachel smiled. She sat behind Noah, shivering on the bleachers, in the cold. "I brought you an icepack from Nurse Johnson."

"I don't know why you followed me. I'm just a loser, right?" he protested. "Some Lima loser?" He hung his head down as the blistering cold wind rushed by.

"You're not a loser; I never said you were a loser," Rachel protested as Puck looked up at the grey sky. He snorted in protest his shoulders easing from the tension.

Rachel smiled moving to sit next to him, trying to cheer him up.

"You know if this was a musical I'd start singing, 'When you walk through a storm' right now," Rachel smiled trying to garner a response from the boy.

"Please, don't. I know you're just trying to cheer me up, but I'm not in a Rodgers and Hammerstein mood right now, Rachel," he pouted, looking up at the clouds that had mired the sky.

"You remembered," she laughed, moving closer to Noah as the cold air blew through her leg warmers.

"Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be comforting Finn? I'm the jerk, remember?" He spat, staring Rachel down with anger.

"I said you're kind of a jerk, not that you are a jerk, and Finn has half the school trying to comfort him. I told you I want us to be friends and friends don't let friends sit alone on the bleachers after they just got punched." She looked at his eye as it began to swell. "We should probably get that looked at." She tried to poke the swollen pillow that was bruising. Noah flinched trying to put on a brave façade. "You know at least the truth's out now. Not that it makes any of this better."

Rachel hands Noah the ice pack, "Here at least ice it." She watches him tend to his wounds. "You love her? Quinn?"

Noah shrugs as Rachel looks out to the empty football field. "I love the idea that I'm going to be a father. That this little person can love me unconditionally."

Rachel nods smiling, she puts her hand on Noah's shoulder and this time he doesn't shrug it off. "You know, being human sometimes, showing Quinn you have feelings, isn't so bad. For instance, what you just told me. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Noah grunted turning towards Rachel with his left eye covered, "Don't get used to it. I don't do mushy. You just, whatever."

Rachel laughed and that was the first time it felt real with Noah. The first time she felt like she really had a friend. It was funny. If someone asked her who would be her first real friend in Glee, the answer Noah Puckerman would have never crossed her mind, not in a million years was this possible, and yet, it made the most sense.

Rachel had to make things right. While her intentions had been wrong, the outcome was a huge mess. She found Quinn sitting by herself and couldn't help but feel the guilt rush over her. She wanted to hug the girl. Rachel, after all, was the hugging type. But instead, she listened and offered her face as a punching bag. When Quinn asked to be alone, it made sense. What Rachel didn't expect was to run into Puck in the hallway. He took a deep breath when he laid eyes on her. His bravado was waning and he knew if he didn't talk to Quinn now, he never would. Rachel had given him the courage and seeing her now was just what he needed.

They didn't speak to one another. It was odd for Noah; he felt there was no need for words. She looked at him like she could see right through him. He regained his composure. She filled him with ease and strength. In a blink of an eye, she turned from him and he was on his own. Her encouragement fading as she walked away from him. He kept the vision of her chocolate eyes on his as he approached Quinn.

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Rachel sighed pushing the memory of that day away. It was Jacob's turn to deal with the consequences. She didn't stop when Puck threw the boy into the dumpster, or bat an eye when Finn gave the boy a wedgie outside of the science hallway bathroom. Jewfro, as they called him, was due for some penance.

Rachel wasn't sure what the correct protocol was to start dating after a huge break-up. She watched and waited while Finn went through his day with no vigor. She wanted to shake him awake, to bring back the old goofy Finn. Instead, he sang mechanically in Glee club and only grunted once and a while to Kurt. With basketball practice starting, Rachel could only hope that Puck and Finn could maybe mend some fences in a sport that McKinley High didn't completely suck at. While the football team had been merciless about Glee, the basketball team was a bit more understanding.

One day after practice, Rachel waited outside the boy's locker room, feigning nonchalance. She smiled brightly when the door opened; it soon faded when Noah Puckerman walked towards her.

"Expecting Prince Charming?" Puck asked, a smirk on his face as he looked up past Rachel and then back down.

"He did that to your face?" Rachel asked, pointing towards a nasty purple bruise that was marring his chiseled features.

"No, that was another after school activity."

Rachel looked confused as Puck left her there alone waiting. She felt conflicted and ended up leaving before Finn could show up. Maybe she was being pathetic. Maybe it was too soon to try and work something out with Finn. Either way, after seeing Puck she lost her nerve. She walked aimlessly down the hallway, thinking to herself about the past semester.

There were a few days before winter break and she still felt like the odd man out. Glee had not provided her with the social standing that she had hoped for. She was still the social pariah. Even for Glee standards, people like Kurt and Mercedes looked down on her. She watched as they formed cliques around her, leaving her on the outside looking in.

Rachel knew to get ahead didn't mean making friends. In fact, she had made it a point early in her life to not make friends. Yet, after this first semester of her sophomore year and with the new Glee club, she felt herself changing. She started to care what others thought of her. She put herself out there, her heart sometimes on her sleeve, and they stepped all over it. They squashed her semblance of self esteem, until she felt two inches tall. All her hopes of becoming friends with Kurt, Artie, Mercedes, or even Tina, were thrashed the moment she got too comfortable. It was odd that the newbies in the group seemed to be the ones opening up. Rachel had to admit that Noah hadn't thrown slushies or made obscene gestures in a while. Not since they went out briefly.

"Hey Rachel," Finn's voice awoke Rachel from her stupor as she looked up into the tall boy's eyes. His goofy smile was spread across his face but it didn't reach his eyes. This was the face Finn put on to pretend he was okay. The real Finn was inside, hiding out of fear.

"Finn, hey. I was just…"

"Staring at the notice for the new chess club?" Finn asked pointing towards the board that Rachel was standing in front of as she had been lost in thought.

"Exactly. The second semester yearbook pictures are in three months and you can never be in too many clubs."

"Right, that's your thing," he frowned, looking down the hall before Rachel moved to walk towards the back doors that led to the parking lot.

"So, do you have any plans for the winter break?" Rachel asked as Finn followed her towards the double doors.

"Nope, play 360, get some movies, and hang out for a while. You?"

Rachel hesitated; she had a list of things she had planned that would take a good half an hour to explain. The look in Finn's eyes told her he had no real interest in what she was doing over the break. This was just a friendly formality. If Rachel was going to change, she had to acknowledge that and follow along.

"Pretty much the same."

"Well, see you around. Have a good holiday if I don't see you."

That was the last thing Rachel had heard Finn say before the holidays. It wasn't like she was obsessing or anything. Yet, she had cleaned her room at least twenty times when the last Sunday of the break came by. Rachel wanted to fit in this semester, start anew. She had asked for a new wardrobe for Christmukah. Her fathers, always wanting to keep her happy, had left no stone unturned, or no rack unscathed, in this case.

Rachel had jeans, skirts, blouses, and jackets strewn about her room. Her cleanliness over the holiday was for naught. As she frowned in the mirror the brunette contemplated wearing a pair of designer jeans to school on Monday. She had not worn jeans, well, not since her farmer jean disaster in seventh grade. People mooed at her while she walked down the halls. She swore never to wear the blue material again. For the last three years Rachel had gone jean-less. She wondered if she could pull it off this time, without the farm animal noises, of course.

"Dinner's ready, sweetie," her father peeked his head in the room, his large brimmed glasses shining with all the light.

"Coming, Daddy," Rachel sang as she overanalyzed her reflection.

"You have clothes under the bed, too, sweetie. Better pick them up or you'll have to wash them again."

Rachel frowned as she jumped on the bed looking underneath. Her hair was loose and fell towards the ground as she pulled skirts and blouses back onto her bed. A grey pullover sweatshirt sat in the middle of the pile as Rachel spotted the foreign object and winced. She pulled the shirt throwing it towards her hamper. It was a McKinley Athletic Department sweatshirt. On the back, the number twenty and Noah Puckerman's last name were written. Another left over reminder of a make out session gone nowhere. Now Rachel had the awkward responsibility to return the sweatshirt.

"I won't think about that now," Rachel replied to herself, channeling Scarlett O'Hara.

It was a tradition in her house to watch Gone with the Wind and Scarlett on New Year's Day. Her daddies were big on the old classics. Between that and ordering food in, her holidays were like any other year. She was excited to get to school. If she wanted to start fresh and brand new, that meant changing her strategy and outlook on life. Her first mission was to make more friends with everyone. That meant she had to compliment someone at least once per hour. On Monday, Rachel would focus on Mercedes. During sectionals, she felt a moment that they had shared. She had complimented Mercedes and her face lit up. If there was ever an in, it was through Mercedes. Because the girl was ever the diva that Rachel was, it meant that they had some common ground.

Trying to climb up the social ladder in high school was like planning an attack. You had to prepare for any outcome. Every clique had their weakest link, as well as leader. Kurt, Tina, and Artie followed Mercedes. There was no getting in on their good graces unless you softened the leader first. Also there was some sort of alliance between Mercedes' group and Santana's. If Rachel could penetrate just one of their defenses she had an in.

"Are you listening to us, sweetheart?" her dad asked, handing her the bowl of pasta. Rachel had been strategizing in her head. She wasn't listening to her fathers at the dinner table.

"Of course, Dad," her father smiled, his white teeth stark against his dark skin. Her daddy smiled, his glasses falling from the brim of his nose.

"Good, then we'll discuss it later." Rachel nodded retreating back into her head.

Her fathers always planned family meetings at the dinner table. She had no time to think what new trip or scheme her dad had dreamed up now. Rachel was about to embark on one of the toughest semesters of her life. She realized if this worked, all her experiences would help her with further roles. She already could cry on cue. However, she had no idea what it felt like to just hang out with friends and joke about nothing. Things she had read about in teen novels in elementary school, that's what she wanted to experience.

When Rachel went to bed that night she had the weirdest dream. Maybe it was because she had washed Noah's sweatshirt hours before. In the dream she was running naked clad only in his football jersey trying to return his sweatshirt. Puck kept turning the corner and he wouldn't turn around. When Rachel finally turned the last corner, she ran into Finn who looked so upset. She startled awake in bed just as her alarm clock went off. It wasn't a nightmare, but Rachel was hesitant to return the sweatshirt. Instead, she left it on her desk chair that morning.

As Rachel rode to school in her Father's Mini Cooper, her mind began to wander. What was that dream about anyway? She had read that dreams were a way for your subconscious to sort out your thoughts. Consequently, she wasn't thinking about Noah Puckerman. Sure, she had his sweatshirt still, but why was she wearing just his jersey in the dream? And why was she chasing him, upset that he wouldn't look at her, and still upset when she ran into Finn. Rachel shuddered at the thought of it. Sure, she was a bit psychic and had read a book on prophetic dreams, still, this couldn't have been anything like that.

The car pulled up to the corner of the parking lot as usual. Rachel kissed her father goodbye before stepping out into the cold Ohio air. She was wearing jeans and a pair of insulated flats that she picked up from the mall. She had a nice long grey sweater that dipped below her new Pea Coat. She was trying to conform and look like the other kids; she still managed to stay a little off.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel pulled her book bag and slung it over her shoulders. She had left her pink wheelie bag at home. Standing out was a bad thing; this was a new era. She waved to her father before walking towards the center of the lot. Kids were parking their cars and things were going to be good. Rachel had to think positive as she held her head up high and headed straight towards the front doors.

"This is a brand new day," Rachel sung silently to herself as she walked past her peers. A few more steps and she would be inside the school where she could get to her locker and…

She stopped, looking up at a red letterman's jacket; her heart skipped a few beats as the number twenty became visible on the sleeve. It was just a dream; there was nothing to be afraid of. Still, Rachel made a point of walking the opposite way avoiding Puck at all costs. It was one thing to dream about him; she didn't have to fuel the fire. She ran into Finn and almost screamed.

"Rachel, hey," Finn smiled, he looked better now. Not completely back to normal but definitely better.

"Hey, Finn! You look well rested," the brunette blurted, wincing that her first compliment was spent on Finn. Way to show your stalker tendencies, Rachel thought.

"Uh, thanks. So I'll see you in Spanish?"

She nodded with a fake smile until Finn was out of her sight and then her face fell. Rachel took French. Finn was still in his own world. Things were going to be harder to change after all. At least Rachel thought the dream was about this morning. There was no hidden meaning behind it at all. She would see Puck then run into Finn. She smiled hoping that it was the truth.