After that tease of a prologue, here's Chapter 1. Just so you know, all of the chapters will be short, but I'm planning to upload one per day until the premiere of Season 3, so that should more than make up for the length. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Dirty Little Secret

She was waiting for him outside on the bleachers, and he had a vivid flashback to their breakup sophomore year.

Shaking off that unpleasant memory, he approached her spot and laid his plate of nachos next to her. "Hey. Want some?"

She shook her head, and it was only then that he noticed her mouth was set in a thin line. She was looking out over the football field, eyes glassy.

He swallowed. Oh, shit. She was about to cry. This was the furthest possible thing from a booty call, not that that's what it would have been. She and Finn had broken up again about three weeks ago, so it couldn't be about him. Maybe something was wrong with one of her dads?

"You okay, Rach?" He reached a hand out and awkwardly patted her shoulder. She looked up at him, then broke into a tearful grin.

"What the hell?" He glared at her. "I thought something was wrong. Why are you crying?"

"I was trying not to!" she shot back. "But you'll understand why when you read this." She handed him an official-looking letter.

He read the letterhead and his eyes flew wide open. "Juilliard?" He looked over at her, and she nodded, eyes still brimming with tears as she grinned.

"We would like to offer you a special invitation," he read, "to audition as a Bachelor of Music candidate in the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. Out of thousands of applicants, we have chosen your demo as one of our finalist candidates. Please join us for an in-person audition on Friday, November 4, 2011, at Lincoln Center Plaza, 155 West 65th Street, New York, New York, 10023." The letter went on to list the details of how to confirm attendance, directions to the audition hall, and instructions on what to prepare depending on whether you were auditioning as a vocalist, musician, or composer. "Oh my God," he stared up at her, and she burst into tears as he wrapped her in a bear hug, almost knocking over the plate of nachos in between them. "This is amazing!"

"You can't tell anyone else, okay?" she said as they pulled apart. She wiped her tears on her sweater sleeve. "I don't want anyone else to know."

Puck eyed her in disbelief. "Are you nuts? Why not?"

"It's too much pressure. I would love to tell Kurt and Mercedes and everyone, but what if it doesn't go well? It would be humiliating to come back to school and have to explain that I didn't get in. I'd rather surprise everyone with the fact that I got in without them knowing about this extra step."

Puck tilted her chin upward and grinned at her. "You are a star, Rachel Berry, and you know it. You will get in."

Rachel blushed with pride and nodded, knocking his hand away from her chin. "Thank you, Noah, but still, I'd rather this stayed between us."

"Why tell me?" Puck couldn't help the stab of satisfaction he felt when he realized he was the only one she'd want to share this with.

"I was hoping you'd come with me, for moral support. Given our understanding about New York City, I thought maybe you'd be interested."

Puck swallowed. Hell yeah, he was interested. If he could swing the plane fare. "What about your dads?" It crossed his mind that he didn't actually know whether they were also in on the secret.

"They know about the audition. It didn't feel right to keep it from them. We talked about it, and they accepted the fact that I wanted to go without them. This is my first step toward independence, and I can't show up at Juilliard with parents. So they offered to pay for the flight and hotel for me and a friend. They assumed I'd bring Kurt, but as I said, I don't really want him to know. Especially since he has his own eye on Juilliard."

"Wow." Puck ran a hand over his face, trying to take in the news. Rachel was giving him an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC … and it was a secret? This was so, so hot. He grinned at her. "I'm in."

"Yes!" Rachel hugged him again, and this time he held her a little longer than was necessary. He didn't want there to be any mistaking it; if she was taking him to New York, it was not as just her friend. He had waited long enough for Finnchel to break up; he'd given her three weeks of mourning for their ridiculously failed relationship. Now it was Puck's turn. She finally twisted out of his grasp, a little breathless but otherwise looking happy and excited. He could tell her mind was already working overtime about what song to sing. He asked her as much.

"I'm not sure yet. I already used 'Get It Right' as my application song, so that's out. I think my best bet is to chose something from Barbra or Patti's catalogue, but I worry that musical theater might be a bit too obvious a choice."

"You have a couple weeks. You'll figure it out. And you're welcome to bounce ideas off of my rock-hard abs." He lifted his shirt up to his chest for good measure, and Rachel giggled. That was a good sign that she was on board with his more-than-friends plan. Rachel had gotten a lot more confident and relaxed this year, at least around him, and he felt completely comfortable joking around with her.

They spent the rest of lunch discussing the details of the trip, and when the bell rang, Puck could tell that he wasn't the only one who didn't want their time together to end. He'd been feeling that way more and more lately. He'd always known they were hot as hell together, but lately their growing friendship had made him sure that he was ready to take on her particular brand of crazy long-term.

He made a promise to himself then and there: By the end of their New York trip, Rachel Berry would be his girlfriend.