Puck doesn't know what to do around this new Rachel Berry.

Back in high school he'd evolved in his efforts to deal with her crazy. First it was the slushies, then the making out, before he'd simply reverted back to practiced indifference. He'd made the snide remarks when she'd hauled their asses over the coals before Regionals, and smiled alongside her when their lifted that trophy while those Vocal Adrenaline douches and their curly-haired leader pouted in the wings. Puck didn't miss the smug look on Berry's face as she'd paraded the big ass trophy in front of Jesse St James and Puck had watched as the asshole had bowed out with his tail between his legs. Back then she'd been all determination, high energy and crazy all wrapped into one. The sheer intensity of her want was enough to make Puck run for cover.

But this woman standing in front of him, with her short hair and slightly leaner face, was almost freakishly calm. Sure there was still her natural inclination to use ten words instead of just one, how she still sometimes placed her hands on her hips when she was launching into one of her lectures, and how she could still probably recite by heart anyone who had won a Tony the past fifteen years. And yet Puck couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that this was Rachel Berry.

'Noah, are you even listening to me?' She asks him, sounding exasperated and fisting on of her tiny hands onto her hip. Crap. He figured that he may as well be honest otherwise she'd rip him a new one.

'Man Berry, what the fuck happened to you? You're, like, all normal and shit. It's freaking me the fuck out.'

Rachel gives him this wry grin and simply heaves out a big sigh. 'Life happened Noah. You can hardly expect me to remain the same considering the fact that anthropologically speaking, human beings are extremely receptive towards the various-'

'I didn't ask for the Discovery Channel version, thanks.'

Rachel tilts her head to the side before shaking it. 'Mike and Matt really didn't inform you that I was going to co-direct the Glee club here at the studio.'

'It isn't a Glee club Berry,' he thinks he should correct her before she becomes too emotionally invested in the kids or something. 'They're paying us to help them sing and play better.'

'I think any talent we manage to unearth should be nurtured Noah,' she scolds him as if the entire capitalistic enterprise their vocal lessons are based on is his evil idea.

'Look Berry,' Noah says, running a hand through his shaved head. 'I'm going to give my all to these kids because they deserve it. Tell me the minute they start giving us bullshit and treat this as some kind of alternative teenage hook up joint, you're going to be there with me and lay down the law.'

'Honestly Noah, there is still enough crazy in here to manage that,' she says with a smile and Puck can't decide whether he wants to laugh or not. He settles with giving her a smirk.

'So how come you gave up the stage for this? Aren't you supposed to still be in your prime or whatever?' He asks suddenly because it just occurs to him that Broadway was supposed to be Berry's bitch, or at least that had been the plan before graduation.

Rachel's lips press together and she tenses, so slightly that if Puck hadn't been watching for her reaction he would have missed it altogether. 'Well, not that its any of your business-' Ouch. '- but I've decided to take a sabbatical.'

'Okay then,' he answers and wanders over towards her desk. Berry is pulling shit out of her duffle and arranging them on the wooden surface and a frame black and white of Rachel, with the wind blowing strands of hair against her face with a wide smile, catches his eye. Puck isn't a huge fan of photography but he can tell whoever took this knew his shit. The way the light caught against her cheekbones and dipped into her eyes made the subject enthralling in the sense that you wanted to know what made her so happy.

'Nice picture,' he comments, gesturing towards the frame. Rachel looks down and there is a fond smile that tugs at her lips.

'Thank you. It's one of my favourites,' she says and Puck can't ignore the sadness lingering behind there. It is then that Puck realizes he doesn't know if Berry's attached or not. Someone with a body like that and a heart as wide as a house shouldn't have any trouble scoring, Puck thinks. It's on the tip of his tongue to ask her if she's with anyone, seeing anyone, but then he stops because it might make him look too curious.

'Someone I…he loved taking pictures. It used to drive me insane that he'd carry his camera around with him everywhere,' she chuckles before stopping abruptly, flicking her eyes up towards Puck and fiddling with the paperweights shaped like stars with her fingers.

Puck notices how she used past tense but doesn't say anything.

'I'm going to go check in with Mike and Matt about when we start classes. I figure we can meet up later or something to work out our lesson plans or whatever,' Puck scratches the back of his head because Rachel is giving him this completely incredulous look. He knows she wants to sputter incoherently at this new, mature Puck 2.0 but instead she simply nods.

'That sounds acceptable.'

'I may as well swing by their place and we can just go from there or something.'

'Of course. Would you like to stay for dinner?'

'What're you ordering?'

She seems appalled by the suggestion. 'I refuse to order some overpriced, unhealthy substitute when I am more than perfectly capable of cooking Noah. Is this how the three of you sustain yourselves?'

'It's New York Berry,' he tells her as if that is explanation enough. 'But hey, you want to rock the barefoot in the kitchen thing I'm not going to say no.'

She mumbles something in response to his sexist remark that he can't hear. 'Be there at eight.'

'Catch ya Berry,' he salutes her loosely before wandering off towards Mike's office, glancing over his shoulder and seeing Berry toy with that necklace around her neck as she stare at the picture he had pointed out.

'Oh good. You're still alive,' Mike breathes out a sigh of relief through his nose. Puck can hear Matt correcting someone's step around the corner.

'Please. Like Berry'd deprive the world of this,' Puck waved a hand down his frame. Mike faked gagging.

'So you two are okay right? Because Elle needed a job and let's face it, if there's anyone who can whip your voice into shape-'

'The fuck does she need a job for?' Puck interrupts. 'Actually, why the hell is she staying with you two schmucks instead of with Quinn?'

Mike actually looks serious when he answers. 'Rachel wanted to crash with us okay. Kurt and Mercedes aren't getting back from Australia till later this week and she didn't want to stay with Quinn and Finn.'

'That didn't answer jack shit.'

'Look,' Mike darts his eyes around Puck to make sure there isn't anyone there. 'Rachel's had a tough year. And I know you've got questions. But if Rachel wants to tell you, she'll tell you. Until then quit hassling her okay?'

'Whatever,' Puck feels a bit hurt that everyone knows what happened to Berry except him. 'When do you need us to start this vocal thing?'

'Two months maybe? Gives us enough time to accept applications and go through the audition process.'

'Audition process?'

'Yeah, Elle said she didn't want people thinking this was some kind of joy ride. She takes this just as seriously as you man.'

'Dude, you realize you just signed off on Berry going all Simon Cowell on these kids right?'

'Don't worry Puck, I won't tell anyone you're Paula,' Mike sniggers. Puck flips him the finger.

'I'm coming over for dinner. So make sure there's beer.'

'Wait what?'

But Puck was already on his way out, his eyes lingering on the other end of the corridor. He could hear faint humming coming from Rachel's office.

Decision made he headed towards his Range Rover, deciding that he had enough time to see Quinn before dinner tonight.