Assemblé
Assembled or joined together. A step in which the working foot slides well along the ground before being swept into the air.

Rachel Berry had no idea what New York held for her, but she knew that it at least had a coveted position in the corps of the New York City Ballet. She knew that it had a crowded company apartment she was going to share with three other girls and an appointment Monday morning for a costume fitting. They were starting "The Nutcracker" in just a few weeks, and the seventeen-year-old Ohioan would be one of nine ballerinas dancing in the background during the powerful solo featuring the Nutcracker Prince. She wouldn't be the star of the piece, but she didn't mind because she knew that good things were to come. It was already infinitely better than doing another season as Clara in the paltry version afforded by the JCC's minuscule budget.

She saw Noah Puckerman for the first time on Monday morning when they filed into the large studio for company class. Dress rehearsals were that afternoon, and their little group of nine was scheduled to dance his backup just after two o'clock. The twenty-four-year-old male principal was strong and bronzed, just like the image in the posters that littered the nearby streets for blocks. He stood off to the side talking to a tall Asian man that Rachel knew to be Michael Chang, one of the company's top choreographers, and Blaine Anderson, a shorter brunette that was typically cast as his understudy.

The three men seemed to be talking about the fresh group of dancers that had just arrived in New York for the winter season. She watched Blaine point across the room to a porcelain-skinned boy Rachel had met during her own audition. Kurt Hummel was from Ohio just like her and had already caught the eye of a few of the top decision makers at NYCB. Mike nodded toward Brittany Pierce, a statuesque blonde from Southern California who had been the only freshman dancer to land a solo piece. Puck, as he was known, seemed less than interested in the conversation. He was only staring at Rachel.

She blushed beneath his steady gaze, briefly daring to bring her eyes from where she was checking her extension to meet his in the mirror behind the barre. His eyes darkened visibly when she bit down on her bottom lip. Rachel was just about to return the smile when she felt the energy in the room change. Puck winked at her before he dragged his own stare to the front of the studio.

"Hello, my name is William Schuester," a curly-haired man announced as he took his place at the front of the room next to the piano. There was a nondescript man with glasses seated behind the keys. "This is our accompanist, Brad, and most of you should know our choreographer, Michael Chang, by now. Before we get started, I should remind you that if you have not yet seen our costumer, Mercedes Jones will be waiting in the room just down the hall so her team can get your measurements."

"I know that this is the first performance many of you, so let me warn you now. We will be working many long hours over the coming weeks before we go into previews. I expect every move to be flawless, and my team will be watching you with the most critical of eyes to ensure that we have exactly the kind of performance our company is known for," he told them. "And now, let me introduce the two key principals in this production of 'The Nutcracker.' Dancing the lead role of Clara is Quinn Fabray, and she will be accompanied by Noah Puckerman as the Nutcracker Prince."

The petite blonde bowed gracefully. She had a reputation for being a total ice queen. Puck seemed to balance that out next to her, full of fire and oh, so, hot. Rachel felt herself shiver a little when he caught her eye. "He seems to have taken an interest in you," a pretty Asian girl said from beside her. "You should be honored. He finds one every season, and they always end up climbing the ranks of the company. How do you think Quinn first got noticed? I'm Tina, by the way. I think we're dancing together this afternoon."

Rachel returned Tina's smile nervously. "I seriously doubt Noah Puckerman is interested in me," she replied softly as not to draw any attention. "Besides, isn't he still with Quinn?"

Tina shook her head as she lined up behind Rachel at the barre. "Haven't you heard? I figured the gossip had spread by now," she whispered. "Some big thing happened over the Thanksgiving break. They're saying that Puck can barely stand to be in the same room as her, not that anyone ever really could. Word has it that he's back on the prowl and Quinn is anything but pleased."

Several hours later, Rachel had made friends with not only Tina but also Brittany and a New York native named Kitty. The four of them were all slotted to dance in the group number with Puck. He was already on stage warming up when they filed in with the other girls. He looked powerful as he jumped up and down, the sound of his feet against the wooden stage surprisingly light. Mike stood nearby watching him, commenting every so often with a correction or a word of praise.

"Alright, ladies, we're going to need you all to just line up and go through the number a few times," Mike instructed them after Puck had cleared off and joined him in the front row of velvet seats. "Once we see what we're working with, I will arrange you in your final places. Brad will play you in."

Rachel closed her eyes and allowed the warmth of the house lights to wash over her. This was how she got into her moment. Second laters, the familiar piano tune guided her movements, and she danced on automatic. She didn't look down at Puck for fear of missing a step. She just watched the other girls out of her periphery to make sure she kept proper spacing and pasted her best serene show smile on her face. And when the song drew to an end, she returned to the starting position so she could do it all again.

Mike stopped them after a third run-through. The girls held in their places as Puck and Mike bent their heads to talk. A third person, a curvy Latina she'd heard someone call Santana once, came over to join them with a small video camera in her hand. The final arrangement called for six girls to line the back with one flanking each side more toward the front. The ninth dancer would be center stage with the Nutcracker Prince. It was a new piece of choreography that Mike had just introduced this year. Getting prime placement would really help her get noticed, but with Brittany among her competition, she knew the best she could hope for was one of the side positions.

"That's what I want," she heard Puck demand. "I don't care, Lopez. I'm dancing up there, and I know what's going to work for me."

The woman glared at him, but Mike nodded understandingly as he scribbled some notes down. "Okay, ladies, in the back row from left to right, we will have Harmony, Sugar, Tina, Marley, Danielle and Sunshine. The front left position will go to Kitty, and Brittany, honey, we want you to take the right side. That leaves Rachel down in front to dance with Puck. Everyone got it?"

Rachel tried not to be too nervous as they took their places. Puck stopped to thank each of the girls before he finally came to her. "Why me?" she asked in a soft voice. "I mean, surely Brittany would do a better job."

"Because I chose you," he told her in a low voice. "And my choices are never wrong."

She knew they had chemistry from the very first time they danced together. He lifted her higher than she had ever been, and her movements felt stronger, more confident, than she had danced in such a long time. Whenever she felt lost for even a moment, she could look to him and he'd bring her right back. It felt like they had been partnered for years as they worked through the first run of the pas de deux. Despite the fact that he had done three seasons in the male lead of "The Nutcracker," she couldn't imagine him ever dancing this particular piece with anyone else. It felt like it was made just for them.

"Wow," he exhaled after they were done, bent slightly so that his hands rested on his knees. "That was...you were incredible."

She could tell by the surprise in his voice that it was genuine. "It's not usually like that for me."

"Me either," he admitted. He reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Mike has a few things he wants to change to up the degree of difficulty. We could start now if you wanted."

"Sure, just let me grab a drink and we'll get back into it," she grinned. Rachel genuinely loved ballet and would spend every waking hour dancing if she could. She jogged off toward her pink bag to take a long pull off her water bottle. Tina and the others were gathering their stuff to go.

"You surprised Puck," she praised her new friend. "No one ever surprises Puck. And he's actually excited to dance. I haven't seen him like that for so long."

"You've known him for awhile then?"

"Yeah, Mike and I used to have a thing when I first came to the company," she explained dismissively. Rachel would have to get that story later. "He's usually so cool about everything, never lets it show that he actually cares. But with you, just now, that was all gone. It's kind of cool to see. We were all starting to worry that he was losing his drive. Puck's our leader, you know? Blaine's great, and there's a guy coming up, Sam Evans, that has potential. But they're nothing like Noah Puckerman."

Rachel looked across the stage to where Puck was waiting for her. He was talking to the tall guy from the front office, Finn Hudson. "You ready, Rach?" Puck called out. She nodded and took one last swill from her bottle before hugging Tina quickly. "Rach, this is Finn Hudson. He's my best friend. He has a guy from publicity that needs to take a few stills so they can send out an update to donors. You don't mind being my co-star, do you?"

"Shouldn't Quinn do that?"

"I chose you, remember?" he grinned. She blushed and nodded.

"Good girl."

Author's Note: This originated from a one shot I wrote last year as part of my "Turtle Doves and Golden Rings" series.