A.N: After months of no inspiration, I am back in the writing scene, this time in the fandom that I have been obsessed with since I first started watching the show: Glee. I simply adore the show (how awesome was the Sectionals episode, guys?) especially the Puck/Rachel pairing; after 'Mash-up', I feel that there's potential there, plus the chemistry is amazing. While my Life with Derek future fics have taken a backseat for awhile, I do hope to post something new in the LWD fandom soon, but for now, here's my first foray into the Glee fandom. This is my first Glee fic, and also my first multi-chapter story, so as always, constructive criticism is welcome! Read, review, and enjoy! :)

Jigsaw Pieces

Chapter One

The second time everything explodes, she goes to him.

No, not to Finn, although she wanted to, god knows she did. But after the latest altercation between Finn and Noah (that involved loud voices, chair kicking, curses and many other things she'd really rather not mention), Quinn had gone after him first. Though it hadn't been easy, Rachel had decided not to follow; considering her selfish intentions in telling him in the first place, she figured she owed Quinn that much.

So now she's in the bleachers, walking towards the mohawked teenager, still not quite sure what she's doing and more importantly, why (then again, if there's one flaw of hers that she's had yet to correct, then it's that she hasn't learned to leave things alone.) There's really no reason for her to be here, and she doesn't understand what compelled her to find him, but her rational side tells her that she's just doing her duty as group captain.

He has a scowl on his face and he doesn't say a word when she sits near him, and the fact that it's eerily reminiscent of their breakup (can she even call it that when they weren't even technically dating?) doesn't escape her.

It's silent and it's not the kind of quiet she'd call comfortable. He doesn't even acknowledge her presence, almost like she isn't there at all. Her first thought is that this kind of silence and stealth she's displayed will be incredibly useful in the event that she's cast in a role that somehow involves espionage, but then she realizes that he's most probably ignoring her on purpose.

"Are you okay, Noah?" she finally asks, almost tentatively, and it hits her how seldom she says this to someone else.

He makes a sound at the back of his throat and gives her a look that she can only describe as 'withering'. "Look, Berry, the name is Puck. And anyway, what are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be off in the sunset with Finn? Now would've been your chance to make a move."

His tone and words sting her, but the back of her mind tells her it hurts because it's true. Still, her tone is bristling as she snaps, "I'm merely trying to help here. I've been told far too many times how abrasive and unconcerned I can be of other people's feelings, and as a future star who will undoubtedly work with countless people, I have to rectify this flaw while early. I am trying, so just…" she repeats, suddenly feeling unsure. "Are you okay?"

"For someone so smart, that's a pretty stupid question." There's no missing the bitterness in his voice and while she's disappointed at him for getting his best friend's girlfriend pregnant, she can't help but feel quite sorry for him. She knows she's not adept at reading people, but something tells her that after everything that's happened, no one's really gone to check on him. And while he doesn't show it, there's….something that makes her realize that he's hurting too, just like Finn and Quinn. Possibly even more.

(She's not quite sure how she knows all this, but she just does. Don't forget: She's kind of psychic.)

"I'll ignore your verbal stabs because I know it stems from your present anger. But you really should treat people who just want to help with a little bit more kindness. We're a team, and after everything at Sectionals, I'd like to think we've become a stronger unit."

"Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?" The conversation's focus suddenly shifts, and while she's never been one to shy away from attention, this suddenly makes her feel uncomfortable. "Wake up, Berry—we won Sectionals out of luck. Finn's always looking like he wants to kill me, Quinn won't let anyone help her, and the rest of them still think you're an annoying diva and hell, so do I. We may be able to sing together, but that doesn't mean we're all friends."

She frowns at that and there's silence. The optimistic side of her is saying that his words are probably just cynical because of his mood but---sadly, he does have a point. When they sing, they're together, a unit, but outside Glee Club…usually, the Cheerios and the football players band together, Mercedes and the rest of the original members are together and as for the rest of them, as for her—she's still alone.

She talks and interacts and laughs but they don't share secrets with her and there are no trips to the mall or sleepovers. She doesn't have the close band of friends she thought she'd have, and more importantly, she doesn't have Finn. And maybe some of it is her fault (she's nothing if not self-aware), and maybe their personalities just don't mix but when it all comes down to it, the truth of the matter is that real life is not following the script she'd written up for herself a long time ago.

(When she thinks of the play and the glee club photo, she realizes that the phrase 'lonely at the top' has never been truer.)

"That was what you said to me last time," she tells him quietly, avoiding his gaze, which isn't difficult since he's avoiding hers as well. "'We weren't friends before'. Funny, isn't it, that we keep rehashing the same topics at this same spot."

"Yeah, well, you brought it up, so…you know what, just--whatever. Just stop talking, Berry. I can't hear myself think with you talking a mile a minute," he replies, his tone now frustrated and Rachel can't help but think, what a strange conversation this is turning out to be.

"Then why don't you just leave?"

That's when he looks at her, almost incredulous is his expression. "Dude, I was here first."

"You do have a point there," she concedes with a small laugh and honestly, this is the oddest talk she's probably had in a long while. Even the few moments when they talked during their brief romantic entanglement hadn't been this awkward. "Although I will have you know that I resent being called that. I am most certainly not, as you so ineloquently put it, a 'dude'."

"You don't need to tell me, Berry, I know that fact well enough." He grins, and while it's suggestive and shows quite well that he's thinking of those make-out sessions in her room, it's the first pseudo-smile he's given since the earlier fight and Rachel thinks that maybe, just maybe, something good might come out of this after all. "Even if you didn't let me touch your boobs," he adds as an afterthought.

"You're disgusting," she informs him primly, but the upturns of her mouth give her away. Her odd relationship with Noah had been…interesting, to say the least. It was a complete deviation from her life script to be sure, but she can't just forget that it happened; nor can she ignore it. "And I do have a first name, you know."

"Berry's shorter," he replies with a shrug. Rachel's eyes widen.

"My first and last names both have two syllables!"

"But 'Berry' has fewer letters." His look is devoid of emotion but when Rachel gives him a look she can see some amusement lurking in his eyes (and how strange that she hasn't noticed how green they are till now.)

There's another silence but it isn't quite as tense as before. "This is weird," he declares and she agrees. "We didn't even talk like this when we hooked up."

"We hardly talked at all," she tells him frankly. "Our relationship, though brief, was more of a physical one and we were in it for the wrong reasons. Hence, not much to talk about. And because you didn't accept my offer of friendship, we had no point in conversing. Besides, coming from different levels of the social strata, what reason would we have to talk at all? Apart from the slushies, if you hadn't joined Glee Club we might not have any interaction at all."

"Yeah," he says slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "About those slushies—I already said I was sorry."

"I know," she says and she's not even mad at him for that, at least, not anymore. He'd been sincere during his apology in the bathroom, and at the very least, she hadn't been doused with the cold beverage since. Besides, now that this pregnancy news had come around, the slushies he'd poured on her seem almost petty. And while she can't deny that she was shocked at the news, she's not one to hold grudges. She forgave Finn after she found out Quinn was pregnant, didn't she?

"I give up thinking. My brain hurts," he mutters, but loud enough for her to catch it and she can't help but smile. She's surprised when he stands and involuntarily, she does the same. "Look, Berry, I gotta jet. Thanks for the company, I guess—even if I didn't ask for it."

He doesn't even wait for her reply. Noah turns and leaves, and suddenly, she's standing alone in the bleachers, watching his retreating figure and wondering what on earth had just happened. It was without a doubt the strangest interaction she'd had. There was no sincere feelings talk, no heartfelt discussions; just random, disjointed words that didn't even qualify as a decent conversation—but then again, what else could she expect from someone who didn't even wait for her to give her parting words? Didn't friends at least stick around to hear their friends' 'goodbye's'?

Oh, wait. She forgot the one simple fact: Conversation or not, Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman are not friends. And maybe, she thinks almost dazedly as he disappears from her line of sight completely, that's the problem.