It's funny, now that Rachel thinks about it, how the pieces of your life just seem to fall into place. There was a time in her life she never thought she'd have all she wanted, that she'd have to give up her dreams for love, or her love for her dreams.
Or worse, she'd end up with nothing at all.
But when it came down to it, she was never really forced to choose. The choice was already made for her.
Finn and Rachel dated all of senior year, and while things seemed blissful and perfect, there was always this looming dark cloud over them.
When Rachel had made it in to her first choice school she was ecstatic, and even if for a brief moment her stomach had dropped thinking about leaving Finn, it was nothing compared to the feeling that she was finally going to do what she always wanted to do.
She was nervous, and maybe a little bit scared, but determined.
She hadn't even meant to tell him first, it just happened. Her dads didn't even know yet. She'd saw the letter in the mailbox on the way to school and took it with her. She was terrified to open it.
In between second and third period she'd snuck out to the bleachers for some privacy. It was a place no one would see her if it was bad news and she became hysterical.
After she'd opened the acceptance letter she cried anyway…
And suddenly there was Noah Puckerman and he was asking if she was okay or if he needed to beat up Jewfro or something.
"Tell me its not Finn again", he'd said, and she'd laughed.
"No, silly." Rachel had giggled. "they're happy tears." And he'd looked at her like she was crazy and asked her how he was supposed to know that and who the hell cried when they were happy anyway.
She'd given him the biggest widest broadway smile and showed him the letter.
When he congratulated her she could tell he wasn't humouring her, or saying the polite thing.
When did Noah Puckerman ever care about being polite? He really meant it. He told her he wasn't surprised.
When she told Finn at lunchtime after pulling him into the choir room, his face had dropped.
He'd frowned and pouted.
Finn was going to OSU. It was set. He hadn't gotten the football scholarship he'd wanted, but he'd qualified for another one and he was going to be close to Lima so he could drive back on weekends and see his Mom and Burt.
Finn said he knew this was coming, but it still hurt that they weren't going to be at the same school or see each other everyday.
She doesn't remember exactly, but she doesn't think he ever said he was proud of her.
Noah told Rachel he wasn't going to college, but he wasn't going to stay in Lima.
After graduation, he headed off to California in search of a gig playing his music. Before he left that summer, in between his mother begrudgingly telling him to be safe and her almost bursting into tears on the street. he'd walked over to Rachel's house down the block.
He'd said his goodbyes with a serious look in his eyes, teased her about how much she was going to annoy her college roommate, and stole a picture stuck in the side of her mirror of the three of them ( Rachel, Puck, and Finn) on a school bus after they'd won Regionals. He'd pocketed it and left as suddenly as he'd came, and Rachel couldn't explain the emptiness knowing she might never see him again.
Finn and Rachel made it to Thanksgiving in Sophomore Year. Finn broke up with Rachel after dinner, and her dads and Burt and Carole and Kurt and Blaine were all in the next room, and Rachel had to force down her tears for the rest of the night so they wouldn't show.
But that doesn't mean she hadn't seen it coming.
As many times as Rachel had visited Finn on campus at OSU, he'd never once came to New York. Rachel had spent the summer in NYC at a theatre camp and had the time of her life except for the spaced out, strained, uncomfortable phone calls with Finn.
Honestly, she was surprised they hadn't broken up with sooner. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt any less.
Finn had explained it was too tough for him not seeing her, and that travelling to see her was just not doable. It just wasn't worth it, he had said. That he needed someone who was there for him.
"Me too." she replied.
It wasn't until February of her senior year that she saw Noah Puckerman again.
A friend of Rachel's had dragged her out to the bar after their production of Kiss Me Kate, saying they needed to have some fun after all that work, and Rachel had begrudgingly agreed.
Her stomach dropped when she saw Puck on stage playing guitar and singing with the band. It wasn't a big venue. It was a small pub type of thing, but it was pretty crowded.
The place was busy enough that he hadn't seen her until they'd taken a break in between sets and she'd snuck up behind him at the bar.
His immediate reaction was to pull her into a bear hug, and Rachel had squeaked.
"Noah!" She'd exclaimed.
"Rachel Berry." He had grinned at her and apologized for hugging her when he was so sweaty.
He seemed different, but the same and as he talked to her he had looked so good leaning up against the bar her breath caught in her throat.
She'd been attracted to this man since she was 16 years old, she wouldn't deny that.
Puck was on tour with his band he'd formed in L.A. after graduation with four other guys he'd met bumming around California. He'd told her he'd worked a couple jobs for awhile. He worked as a bartender nights and taught guitar lessons until his band had gotten enough cash to travel.
He'd listened to her babble on, and said he'd forgot how much she talked, but he missed it and then offered to buy her a beer.
College couldn't have been going better for Rachel. She was about to graduate, she'd made contacts in the business, and she felt she was on her way to stardom.
But when she saw Noah Puckerman everything finally fell into place.
He started texting her, and calling her. Once in awhile at first, and then more often and she started expecting it and looking forward to it.
She found it hard to admit, but she'd missed his crude sense of humour, and she knew he'd never admit it but she knows he thoroughly enjoyed all the theatre gossip she had to offer.
And then one day he showed up at her doorstep in Brooklyn, a duffel bag at his feet, and a vegan pastry in his hand from her favourite bakery.
"I can't stop thinking about you. And wanting to be where you are." He said. "I don't care if I live across the country, we can make this work. I want you in my life, Berry."
"Noah." She said. "I want to be with you too, but I don't want to choose between my dreams and you…"
"I would never make you give up your dreams." He said. "Maybe I'm just asking for a place in them."
See, Rachel Berry didn't have to choose. If the pieces fit, they'll come together perfectly.