Leroy Berry could remember with perfect accuracy the moment he found out his teenage daughter's plane was missing and she was presumed dead.

He'd just gotten back from his cycling class at the gym and was preparing to take a shower when he decided to check the messages—Hiram had left that morning for a business trip and wouldn't be back for a few days.

He'd only had one message—a very frantic Will Schuester had left a message instructing the Berry's to call him back as soon as possible.

Leroy assumed Rachel was panicking because the airline had lost her luggage or something, so he'd called Will, preparing to talk his daughter down from one of her legendary freak outs.

What he wasn't prepared for was the news he got.

Will explained the whole situation—the airline had messed up and sent his daughter and Noah Puckerman to New Zealand instead of New York.

Leroy was annoyed at that, but it would all be fine. They'd get on a plane to New York as soon as they landed and hopefully make it in time for Nationals—he knew his daughter would do everything in her power to make sure they were there in time for New Directions to perform.

Will Schuester's next words, however, cause Leroy Berry's entire world to collapse. The plane was missing. The airline didn't know where it was. Everyone on board, Rachel and Noah included, was presumed dead.

Leroy had muttered something before hanging the phone up, refusing to believe this was really happening. He turned on the television, and there it was.

A plane to New Zealand had disappeared with the presumption that it had crashed. No survivors were expected.

The months he went searching for Rachel were horrible, and when he finally got her back, he was determined to never let something like that happen again.

Unfortunately, something like that was out of his control.

Leroy was getting Nathan up from a nap when he got the call. At first, he figured it was Rachel or Noah telling them they'd landed, but they wouldn't have landed yet. Rachel had told him when they were due to land, and that wasn't for hours.

Curious, he answered the phone and was greeted from someone from the airline. She explained the whole situation—Rachel and Noah's plane had stopped answering their radio and they couldn't locate it on any satellites. She didn't sound hopeful.

Leroy hung up the phone, the horror he'd experienced once before flooding his body. He wanted to break down and cry over his daughter, but he had his grandson to think about.

So he brought Nathan downstairs, placing him in front of the TV and putting a movie on before searching for Hiram.

He found him in the kitchen reading his book without a care in the world. He didn't know yet.

"Hiram," Leroy whispered, clutching the wall for support.

Hiram looked up, concerned as he took in his husband's appearance. "Leroy? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Rachel's plane is missing. It's happened again."

xxxxx

Rachel followed Noah's instructions and got out of the plane as fast as possible. She stumbled over the unconscious bodies in the emergency exit row, blocking their faces out from her mind.

A woman and her young son had been sitting there, their hands clutching on another. The woman's face was all cut up, her shirt covered in blood. The son had a piece of metal piercing his chest.

Rachel was pretty sure they were both dead.

She pulled the door open, a huge burst of water coming through as she did so. Rachel fell to the ground as the cabin quickly filled with water.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel ducked under the water and swam out through the door, keeping her focus on the surface and the surface only. If there were sharks or whales around, she didn't notice them.

Noah's instructions kept playing in her head. "We're survivors, Rachel. You and me. We're strong, and we're going to live through this again. So, if we land in the water, you're going to take your seat cushion and swim like hell for the surface. Got it?"

Get to the surface, get to the surface. Rachel kicked with all her might before her head breached the water and she could breathe again.

Rachel looked around, realizing she was the only one out of the plane. The left wing was sticking out of the ocean as burning pieces of wreckage floated around her.

She grabbed her seat cushion, hugging it to her chest to stay afloat.

She didn't see Noah anywhere.

Noah hadn't told her what to do next. She didn't see land anywhere. She was in the middle of the ocean with no end in sight. She might be able to swim a little, but soon she'd grow tired and be shark food by midnight.

She didn't want to split up. Noah may have thought Rachel was strong, but she wasn't. She couldn't be alone like this. She didn't know how to be alone. The thought of Noah dead in that plane was something terrifying.

And this right here was what their problems boiled down to. Communication. Rachel wanted Noah to come with her, to forget the raft. Noah ignored her and did what he want with no regards to how she felt.

She wasn't blaming him for how they'd ended up, she just wasn't taking all the blame. Marriage was a partnership, and somewhere along the way they'd forgotten that.

Rachel was about to start swimming away from the plane when a yellow raft emerged from underwater, followed by Noah. He tossed something into the raft before climbing in himself.

"Come on, Rachel!" he called to her. She flanked at him, noticing a large gash across his forehead. She hoped he hadn't gotten that doing something stupid.

Rachel paddled over to the raft, tossing the cushion in before Noah pulled her out of the water. The raft was large—built for more than two, but Rachel and Noah were the only ones there.

Rachel looked around, seeing the singular suitcase in the raft. It was hers and Noah's—they'd decided to share a suitcase instead of bringing two. They were only supposed to be gone for three days.

That was clearly different now. Who knew how long they were going to be gone this time. Last time it had been 128 days, and the only reason they'd been found was because they flagged down a ship. It was unlikely anyone would come looking for them this time—you only had so much luck before it ran out.

Rachel buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. She'd done this once before. She wasn't ready to do it again.

Noah looked over at Rachel, his heart aching for her. Just because he didn't want to be married to her anymore didn't mean he didn't care. He did care. He cared about her more than he wanted her to know.

"Hey, don't cry," he said, scooting close to her. Noah put an arm around Rachel's shoulders, holding her close to him. "It's going to be okay. They'll find us. We'll be out here two days. Three tops."

Rachel looked up at him, wiping an eye. "How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm when everything around you is a disaster? Even last time, you managed to stay calm enough to rescue me and get us to an island. And here we are again, and yet you're still so calm. You're not screaming or crying or even freaking out."

"Well what good's that going to do? Curling in the fetal position and moping over how life isn't going according to plan isn't going to help. Doing something is."

"You may think that's the case, but you also forget that you're not the only one here. I'm here too and you have to think about me when you decide to do something. Like when you decided to go searching for the raft and sent me to the surface, do you know what that's like? I didn't know what I was supposed to do. What if you'd drowned? What was I supposed to do then?"

"Survive, Rachel. You act like you're this helpless little girl, that you can't do anything unless someone tells you. But you and I both know that isn't true. You survived before and you'll survive again, with or without me there to help you."

"But I do need your help, Noah," Rachel said quietly. "You forget how you did everything last time. You even forget how you had to tell me how to save myself minutes ago. You assume all these things about me as truths when that's not the case."

"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about me leaving you to go after the raft anymore?"

Rachel sighed, pulling away from him. "Just forget it. It doesn't matter, anyways. Like you said, they'll find us soon. We'll be back home and you'll get your divorce." She scooted away from him, sitting on the other side of the raft. She curled into a ball, shivering in her wet clothes.

Noah fell silent, his arms over his chest. She was right. This would all be over soon and he'd only have to see her when dropping Nathan off or picking him up.

The fact that Rachel was no longer going to be part of his life made him a bit uneasy. Rachel had been everything to him since he was 17. Deep down, she still was, he just didn't realize it. He didn't realize how unhappy he would be without her.

Noah looked over at Rachel, who was silently crying as she attempted to fall asleep. There was nothing Noah hated more than seeing Rachel cry. She may have not believed she was a strong woman, but he knew she was. She'd survived so much. Even if she thought she needed him last time, he needed her just as much.

xxxxx

Rachel woke up as the raft gave a sudden lurch, coming to a stop on a beach. Noah had already climbed out and towed her and the raft ashore. Rachel sat up, looking around.

The sense of déjà vu was profound. It may not have been the same island, but the feelings were the same. The sense of dread, the possibility that she was never going to see her family again—she felt them then and she was feeling them now.

Rachel cautiously climbed out of the raft, carefully walking on the beach. She really wasn't dressed for an island—tight jeans, a tank top, and a sweater over it with a pair of black flats. It took her a minute to lose the shoes and another minute to ditch the sweater.

Rachel walked over to the raft, dragging the suitcase out of it and onto the sand. Noah was walking around, his sleeves rolled up as he dragged logs from the jungle and onto the beach.

Rachel sat on top of the suitcase, staring out at the water. Her stomach was growling and her throat was dry. She needed food and water, but so far they didn't have either.

"Noah," she called out hoarsely.

Noah was in the process of dragging a large log onto the beach when he heard Rachel's voice. "Yeah?" he asked, pausing for a moment to wipe his brow.

"I'm hungry. And thirsty. We need to find food and water."

"Then go find it. I'm doing something right now."

"But I don't want to go in there by myself," she mumbled.

Noah let out an annoyed sigh. "Look Rachel, I'm trying to help us. We need some kind of shelter, even if it's just for a few days. If you're so damn hungry and thirsty, why don't you go trek into the jungle and find it yourself instead of sitting on your ass and feeling sorry for yourself."

Rachel was taken aback. Noah never spoke to her like that. Even when they were fighting, he tried to keep things civil as to not offend her. Apparently, he didn't care anymore.

"Fine!" she snapped, rising to her feet. "I'll do something to actually keep us alive instead of playing Legos with tree trunks!"

Rachel bent down and picked up her shoes, stomping away from him. Noah didn't even look in her direction as she marched into the woods, her shoes still in her hands.

Stupid Noah. Stupid plane crash. Stupid life. Rachel didn't even care about the hunger or thirst anymore—she just wanted to get off the beach and away from him.

Two steps into the jungle and Rachel put her shoes back on. They weren't exactly the best shoes for walking around a jungle covered in rocks and broken tree branches, but she didn't have the foresight to grab her sneakers out of the suitcase. Besides, they were probably still soaking wet anyways.

Rachel passed by a palm tree, letting her hand run over the trunk as she passed by it. She felt her stomach doing somersaults as she walked deeper and deeper into the jungle. During their previous crash, Noah would never let her go into the jungle on her own—he always claimed he was protecting her for Finn's sake, but Rachel realized eventually it was because he cared for her.

Now, however, that didn't seem to matter. She supposed their marriage really was over if he was letting her walk into a mysterious jungle without any sort of protection.

Noah heaved another log onto the beach before glancing around. Rachel was gone, and he instantly felt bad. He shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She was in shock.

She was in shock and he let her walk into the jungle alone. They didn't even know what lived here—there could be bears in there, and he was letting her walk to them like some kind of meal on wheels.

Muttering to himself, Noah headed into the trees. He really wished he had some sort of weapon, but that wasn't something he typically packed. Noah made a mental note to himself that the next time he flew, he was packing a set of knives in his suitcase.

Or a gun. Either worked.

Noah followed the path left by Rachel. She wasn't exactly quiet and she left an obvious trail, which made it easy to find her.

She was standing by a tree, looking very confused as if she were lost. She probably was.

"Need some help?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Rachel turned to face him, fury in her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you were doing something 'useful' while I was just sitting on my ass," she snapped.

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was out of line. I'm just stressed out, just like you are. Forgive me?"

Rachel huffed and refused to look at him before finally nodding her head. "Next time you talk to me like that, I kick you in the balls first, ask questions later."

"Noted. Found anything to eat yet?" he asked, starting to feel hunger pains in his stomach.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I just…haven't seen anything yet," she fibbed, not wanting to admit she'd gotten lost.

"You got lost," Noah teased, elbowing her in the side.

Rachel gave him a look. "I resent that, Noah. I am not lost. I'm just not quite sure where I am. Besides, it's your fault I got lost in the first place. You told me to go look for food and water without offering to help."

"Aw, I didn't mean that, Rach. You were being a pain and I was being a sarcastic asshole. I didn't really mean for you to go tromping through the jungle without me to help you."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't need your help to go through the jungle. I am perfectly capable of walking without help."

"I don't think so. You got lost after two minutes. Face it babe—you need me. Plus, I can't trust you to protect yourself from whatever's in here."

"I don't need protection!" she yelled, her voice shrill. That just caused Noah to laugh. "Stop laughing at me!" she whined.

The exchange was very reminiscent of their first crash. Rachel insisting she could take care of herself and Noah putting his foot in his mouth by saying she couldn't because she was a girl.

"Rach, let's look at the facts. You've said more than once that you wouldn't have survived last time or this time without me. Therefore, you need me to protect you."

Rachel scowled at him, clearly pissed. He loved how she looked when she was angry at him. The way her eyebrows creased—there was something inherently sexy about it. Though, if he said that right now, she'd probably slap him. Or throw a coconut at his head—whichever she thought would cause more pain.

"I still don't need you to protect me," she muttered, turning away from him.

Noah followed her, keeping his distance in case she found something to throw at his head. He didn't think he'd help their situation any by having a concussion.

Noah heard the waterfall before he saw it. Rachel pushed a branch out of the way, happening upon a rather large lake with a large waterfall emptying into it.

"See? I don't need your help," Rachel said, sticking her tongue out at him. Noah declined to comment that he was directing her where to turn during the whole walk.

Rachel rushed to the edge, dropping to her knees and scooping some of the water in her hands, emptying it into her mouth. The cool water felt wonderful on her dry throat.

Noah hunched over beside her, drinking some of the water as well. It didn't do anything for the hunger, but it helped the dehydration.

Noah looked over at Rachel before standing up, pulling his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground.

Rachel glanced up at him, a few drops of water falling from her lips. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Going for a swim, obviously. You're welcome to join me," he said, kicking his shoes off before loosening the belt on his jeans, letting them fall so he was left in just his boxers.

Rachel felt her face heat up. She hadn't seen Noah this exposed since she accidentally walked in on him stepping out of the shower. They hadn't been together in over a year. Yet here he was, disrobing like it was nobody's business.

"I think I'll pass," she muttered.

"Suit yourself, princess," Noah said with a shrug before diving into the water.

Rachel watched him with fascination, unable to pull her eyes off his body. She couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful he really was. Noah was handsome—she'd always known that. But it was more than his looks that caused her to originally fall in love with him.

Noah had a good heart, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. He proved it today. He talked her through getting out of the plane and saving herself, got her to safety once they were out of the plane, and even came after her in the jungle because he didn't think she'd be safe without him. It was a sweet gesture, even if it was mildly insulting at the same time.

Noah kicked to the surface, spitting some water out of his mouth as he ran his hands over his head, wiping the water from his face. He turned, finding Rachel staring at him. "See something you like?" he teased, a smirk on his face.

He couldn't help but laugh at Rachel's reaction to his statement. Her face went bright red and she turned her face away from him as if she were ashamed.

"Oh come on. The water won't kill you," he laughed, splashing water in her direction.

Rachel gave him a look that said she was going to kill him. At first he thought she was going to storm off again and he'd have to track her down, but she surprised him by pulling her shirt off, leaving her in her black bra and jeans. She pulled the jeans off before jumping into the water, splashing him in the process.

Rachel swam to the surface, pushing her hair back. She suddenly became aware of how close Noah was to her. She looked up at him, the memory of their last crash coming back as clear as if it had happened yesterday.

Rachel looked up at Puck as he looked down at her. Their eyes met before his lips were pressed against hers, consuming them in an intense kiss.

Rachel had lost all sense of reason. She was sad. She wasn't thinking. Puck was there. She was lonely. Those were all excuses running through her mind about what she was doing. But she knew they were all a lie. She knew the real reason she was kissing Noah Puckerman.

She wanted him.

Puck let his lips continue to meet hers, his one hand resting on the small of her back while his other reached up to tangle in her hair. His tongue traced along her bottom lip before it pushed through her lips and met with hers. She let her hand trail down the defined muscles of his abs before reaching the waistband of his boxers, hooking a thumb into them.

Instantly, Puck pulled away. "Rachel, wait," he said. "We can't do this. Not here. Not now."

Rachel pulled back as well, frowning a little. "Why not?" she asked, the hurt clear in her voice. Did he not want her? Not in that way at least?

Puck shook his head, hearing her disappointment. "No, Rachel. It's not that I don't want this. Really, I do. But you deserve more than a quick fuck in the lake. You deserve romance. Courting. You need to make me work for it. Because you're worth that and so much more."

It had been where he first kissed her so long ago. This was a different lake, but she still associated it with their first kiss. Rachel felt her face heat up as she remembered what their kiss had felt like, the way his lips had meshed perfectly with hers.

"What's on your mind?" Noah asked softly, bending down in the water so he was eye level with her.

Rachel looked up, her brown eyes meeting his. "Do you remember our first kiss?" she asked quietly, looking away a moment later as if she were ashamed for even bringing the subject up.

Noah chuckled, floating on his back in the water, propelling himself so he was circling her. "Of course I do. That's not something people tend to forget. We were in the lake on our old island. And you looked so sad and so beautiful at the same time. I couldn't help myself. I had to kiss you. So I did."

Rachel watched him circling her and was struck with a sudden impulsive feeling. She stopped him, pulling him to his feet. Noah watched her with an arched brow before she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his.

Noah's eyes opened wide, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that. Rachel hadn't kissed him like that in months. It wasn't the fake kisses they shared in public. This was a real kiss—both he and Rachel knew it.

Noah wasn't sure how to react. He could put his arms around her and kiss her back, he could push her back, he could pull her close—there were so many options.

Before he had a chance, Rachel pulled back, sensing his hesitation. Horrified, she covered her mouth, her face on fire.

She took one look at him before letting out a pained noise, backing away from him. She swam for the edge, pulling herself out. She quickly pulled her clothes into her arms, sprinting away from him.

Noah saw the look in her eyes. Embarrassment. Shame. Humiliation. She'd put herself out there just then and he hadn't done anything. He'd just stood there like an idiot.

He knew he should go after her and make her feel better, but right now, he was probably the last person on earth she wanted to see.

Instead, Noah gathered up his clothing, heading back to the beach. Rachel needed her space, and so did he.

He resumed assembling a shelter for the two of them, using braided palm leaves to bind everything together.

As he assembled a roof for them, his mind kept drifting back to the kiss. He didn't know what it meant for her, but he knew what it meant for him. The way his body reacted to her. His heart had sped up and he felt the blood course through his veins the moment her lips touched his.

He was still in love with her.