Author's Note: This is part of the same universe as my story I Wish I Was Special but can stand alone (Go read it anyway if you haven't. Very angsty but there's a plethora of Puck/Rachel friendship and interaction). It takes place in the future. Written for a prompt on the puckrachel drabble meme.

She remembers there was this time that she was so depressed and down on her luck that she actually tried to end her life. It seems like a lifetime ago when really it was only 7 years ago.

The whole thing seems silly now in some aspects. Sadness is very different to her now. She used to be sad all the time that she's somewhat apathetic to the feeling of being sad. It takes a lot to make Rachel Berry sad now.

What she can't take is when other people are sad. Especially her fathers and Noah.

She's sitting in her apartment in New York one afternoon rehearsing some lines for tonight's show. She has a supporting role in an Off-Broadway piece and quite frankly she's excited about it. There were times she didn't think she would get here. But she did by sheer force of will and passion.

She gets a call as she's humming her part in the big group number at the end (there's this one note in the harmony that's not sounding right you know) and she sees that it's Noah. Usually she refuses to answer the phone when she's practicing but it's Noah, and if she doesn't he'll bitch her out for hours on end after the fact. "What the fuck Berry what if I was dying in a ditch in the outskirts of Chicago and you were my last hope of some type of survival? What use is that stupid bedazzled blackberry if you don't answer it!" Plus he's her best friend.

"Noah I'm practicing. This better be important."

"You should know everything I say is important Berry I thought we were over this."

She scoffs. "You're lucky these kind of responses make me laugh. What is it what's up? Did one of your student try and break into your truck again? This is what you get for teaching in the southside of Chicago-"

"Damn no. Those little punks know better after the last time. But are you psychic or something about the truck cause well...Miranda crashed it."

She's not surprised. Miranda's a little psychotic bitch after all but she made Noah happy. Well...her breasts did anyway.

"Is she ok?"

"I don't really care about that at the moment-"

"Noah!"

"What? She did it on purpose. And she's fine. But it's totaled! That's my baby. You know how I feel about that truck. You know what we've been through."

"If you're talking about that time you came to visit me and we were driving in the rain, got stuck in the mud, and it almost went down that hill you need to get over that already."

"Yeah yeah whatever but those memories can't be replaced Rach. And I didn't really do anything to deserve it!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Look we've been arguing a lot more lately and I told her we might need to think about taking a break. Shits just not healthy. But you know I love Miranda right? I mean she's bitchy and kinda hates but loves you which is not kosher but her tits are fantastic, she actually knows how to cook like my mom, and like...she gets me I guess."

She kind of hates when he talks about Miranda like this but she can't figure out why.

Well she can but she'll deny it until the day she dies. Therapy with Dr. Damon all those years ago didn't fix everything now did it. Especially not her habit of denial.

"So you told her you wanted a break and now she crashed your baby. How do you feel about that?"

"Are you seriously trying to pull a Damon on me right now? I'd call him if I wanted to be psychoanalyzed without it actually happening cause he's that good. But I'm pissed! I'm fucking angry!"

"And you're sad."

"No i'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not. Ok maybe I am. I'm sad alright! My girl is gone and she took my truck with her. I've got nothing left but a job teaching a bunch of asshole delinquent teenagers and a shitty apartment."

"You're so melodramatic."

"I hate being sad."

"It's okay. I hate when you're sad too."

He's silent for awhile and she sighs. She really does hate when he's sad. He's been a rock for her before when she was beyond sad and she never knows what to do when he's sad. He's a lot harder to crack than she was.

"Do you need me to do anything?" she asks

"Well...I do kind of want some cupcakes."

"Of course you do."

"Please Rach? Banana peanut butter? Please?" he pleads with her.

He already knows she'll say yes.

She sighs. "I'll make them tomorrow morning. You're welcome."

2 days after the phone call Noah gets home from a terrible day of school (as usual...little bastards putting crap in his desk...actual crap) when he finds a package left for him. He already knows what it is and quickly opens it up.

She seriously makes the best cupcakes. She could open up a bakery if the broadway thing gets boring. God these are so fucking good.

He gets a call from Miranda and also from his auto insurance company and not even that can bring down the euphoric feeling in his chest. He can't really say he's sad anymore. Rachel always knows what to do.

It's because she'll do anything for him when he's sad, just like he did anything he could for her when she was.