A/N: strong puckleberry friendship and I want Q/R to become friends before they realize their feelings...unbeta'd since my all my beta's are either at work or at school

Some dialogue taken from Special Education.

"Well, I have to agree, Noah. This is certainly more interesting than making out."

Puck made a noise of agreement, eyes squinting as he stared at his television screen and roughly pounded down on the controller buttons. He huffed and exhaled harshly before throwing the controller down and growling when the screen lit up and FATALITY flashed in bold, red letters.

"Goddamn you to hell Scorpion!"

Rachel smiled sympathetically as she pated his arm with her free hand, a coy smirk playing on her lips, "I guess I forgot to mention that I dominate at Mortal Kombat and Scorpion is my main character."

The mohawked boy grunted as he glared at the screen, lying down from his sitting position and leaning his head on his outstretched palm. His eyes flickered up towards the smirking diva, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were a video gaming boss? If I had known, we could have been doing this months ago."

The brunette's smirk dimmed until a small smile was left in its wake; she set her controller on her knee as her shoulders drooped and her eyes dulled, "I was going to tell you but whenever I mentioned it to Finn, he would get irrationally upset and spend the rest of the day sulking. Then I would have to console him and explain to him that I didn't want you and-well, you know how Finn is."

Puck rolled his eyes as he shook his head, "Yeah, a giant baby," he mumbled under his breath before laying his head in Rachel's lap.

He stared up at her with a light smile before fluttering his eyes shut; "So…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm sort of into school this year."

Rachel's eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened in surprise, "Really? That's quite un-expectant, Noah. Can I inquire as to why?"

Snorting, the mohawked boy reopened his eyes as he smirked up at her, "Well, duh, have you seen how much hotter the girls have gotten this year? Total babes."

Smiling in amusement, Rachel hummed in agreement as she ran her fingers along his Mohawk before leaning back against his bed. A calming silence passed through the air, peace washing over them like a pervasive smell; soothing, reassuring.

Brown orbs flickered shut as the brunette relaxed, the stillness calming her racing heart until a dull, steady beat took its place.

"Noah," she began, her voice just under a whisper as she gazed down at her ex with narrowed eyes, "If you could go back in time, what would you change?"

At first she thought he didn't hear her; Puck's features were unresponsive as he stared up at her blankly. His eyes scrunched up as he turned away, moving his head halfway out of her lap before tightening his fist and hunching his shoulders.

She was just about to drop the subject and move on when he answered her, "I would…I would make Quinn's first time special," he started, his voice cracking halfway through the middle. Rachel could tell he was holding back tears, "I-I would make it special and not just some drunken hookup. I…I love B-beth. I love her so much, Rachel. I never knew I could love someone as much as I love her. But I would have used protection instead of feeding Quinn pretty words and half-truths. I would have made it special…" A soft sniffle resounded in the air as he trailed off before falling silent.

Rachel bit her bottom lip as her eyes sparkled with compassion. Though she loved Noah, she couldn't help but relate to Quinn a bit more in this situation. From what she gathered, the boy had gotten the ex-now reinstated head cheerleader drunk and then irresponsibly partook in sexual intercourse with the quasi-conscious Quinn.

She felt a sort of kinship with the blonde due to their slightly similar situations; they had both lost their virginities to people who could care less about them. At least Noah understood his faults and attempted to make up for them…for the most part.

Glancing up at the ceiling as Puck softly cried on her leg, she couldn't help but wonder if Quinn was afforded the same chance as her, would she take it all back to regain what she once had? Would choose to focus more on the Cheerios and disregard the Glee club once she knew the ramifications of her actions?

Rachel bit her bottom lip as she closed her eyes.

Would she and Quinn have ever looked past their differences and began their tentative, fragile and yet strong friendship? Would the other girl have ignored their bond that was deeper than any high school romance in favor of staying on top?

And as sad as it made her, could Rachel really blame the other girl for staying away? Glee has held a dual combination of the best and worst experiences of her life. At one point in her life, she would have sworn up and down that glee was her family and that she finally had people that cared about her.

But if she really thought about it, did she?

In the future, Mercedes was so quick to dismiss her and their friendship; not only that, Santana and even Brittany were still unnecessarily cruel to her. Finn treated her like, excuse her language, shit. Puck was too busy chasing tale to notice her. And Quinn…Quinn was too broken, to distorted to have the time or energy to take an interest in Rachel Berry.

So what did she have? Sure, she semi had Kurt's friendship, but only when she was giving him what he wanted. She and Blaine had never particularly been close, especially since the spin the bottle incident.

Rachel held in a sigh as her shoulders sagged and her eyes drooped. She may have ended things with Finn but that didn't change the fact that everyone hated her.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, the brunette's heart ached as one clear thought developed in her mind.

'And one year from now…everyone will still hate me.'

Rachel walked into the glee room late with her arms out in front of her, her textbooks clutched in her palms and a distant look in her eye. She briefly glanced up to see if Puck was there already before remembering that he was probably convincing Lauren Zizes to join right at this moment.

Sighing to herself, she avoided her ex's gaze and settled in on a seat off to the side, ignoring everyone's questioning looks towards her and focused on Mr. Schue.

A flicker of unease settled in her heart and she briefly wondered, would Mr. Schuester still yell at her even though she wasn't acting as overdramatic this time around? She had a feeling he would.

Clearing her throat, the brunette settled back into her seat and let her bangs fall across her eyes, exhaling deeply through her mouth. It must have been loud because before she realized what was happening, Mr. Schue was slamming his folders down and spinning around to face her.

"ENOUGH! I am sick and tired of this Rachel-

"What, Mr. Schuester, I didn't even-

"You have a terrible attitude, you're a lousy sport and it's not okay anymore."

She recoiled back; it stung much more the second time around. But then, something amazing happened. A flare of anger sparked up in her heart and she stood, her chair clamering to the ground with a clang, "And I'm sick of your attitude, Mr. Schuester. I didn't do anything, I didn't make any complaints when I found out Santana would have my solo and Quinn and Sam would be singing a duet together for sectionals. I didn't say anything. I get that you're angry about Ms. Pillsbury and I'm sorry but you are a teacher and you are not allowed to take out your anger on your students."

Everyone gasped in surprise. Even Santana, who always had a quick retort ready to sprout stayed silent as Mr. Schuester visible deflated right in front of them, "Rachel, I-

"You know, I am making the choice to be happy," she interrupted quietly her fist clenching as her eyes flickering to Finn briefly before returning to their instructor, "And you know why, Mr. Schue? Because I'm a part of a glee club that's just bursting at the seams with talent."

She stepped down off the risers, moving to stand next to Will and turn to address all of them, "Each and every one of you is wonderful. And I'm, I'm so proud to be apart of this group, even if you all do hate me. Santana," The Latina's head rose, pausing in filing her nails to glare down at the brunette. Rachel smiled gently as she took a step towards the seething girl, "Santana, the raspy quality of your voice is alluring, dare I say it, even sexy. You are going to kill the judges with your solo and I for one am excited to hear it."

The shock on everyone's face, but the Latina's especially almost made Rachel giggle but she resisted, turning her attention to the two blondes in front of her. Her eyes softened considerably; she was very thankful towards Sam. Though she was sure Puck would have been able to take all on his own , it was nice knowing that other people semi-cared about her well being. And then there was Quinn…

"Your duet will be amazing. Both of your voices will mesh together to create a wonderful blend of sweet yet soulful music and I cannot wait to listen to the final product," this time Rachel did giggle, her eyes flickering over to the blonde head cheerio. A gentle smile played out on her features; "Quinn, your voice…it's like listening to angel's sing," Hazel orbs eyes widened in puzzlement at this. Rachel bit her lip when she saw the tips of the blonde's ears turn red from embarrassment. She raised her hand to her heart as she stared into Quinn's eyes, "It's soft, delicate…sweet. I know you feel a bit uneasy at the prospect of singing because your voice is so delicate but don't, okay? Don't. Because you are going to be amazing and we're all here to support you and Sam."

We'll always be here to support you, Quinn, she thought to herself, her smile falling a bit as she remembered the pain she saw in the blonde's eyes in the year to come. She just hoped she would be able to do something to change it. The pain in those beautiful hazel orbs was almost enough to make her break down and start crying. She could only imagine how it felt for Quinn.

Nibbling on her lower lip, she held the blonde's eye until Quinn ducked her head and looked away, a small twinge flickering through her heart as she glanced away and back towards her teammates.

"We are going to win sectionals guys, because all of us, together? We're something special. And even if we don't win, we're still going to be 'good sports.' We'll cheer on the Hipsters and we'll support Kurt and the Warbles. And if they win, we'll congratulate them because that's who we want to be, ok?"

She smiled when some of her teammates grumbled in agreement and others grinned at her in encouragement. Rachel looked up at Mr. Schue briefly before taking a seat and crossing her legs, staring off towards the side with her arms crossed. Will looked as if he wanted to apologize but didn't get the chance as Puck and Lauren walked in before he could say anything.

"Dude, where have you been?"

Lauren answered for him; "I found him in a Porta-Potty."

Rachel sighed once more as her shoulders hunched and she tuned out the conversation, a frown marring her delicate features as she allowed herself to think about the thing she had been avoiding since she was sent back.

Who was the man in black and was he a friend or a foe? She nibbled on her bottom lip as her eyes became hazy.

Why was she given the chance to go back in time and fix her mistakes? What made her so special?

Brown orbs shuttled shut as she released a despondent breath.

And more importantly, what price did she have to pay for this chance?

The auditorium had always been her solace. Her one place of comfort. Perhaps the only place where she felt she could truly be herself without the backlash of her peers. The piano was her muse; many a time she sat in this same exact spot, playing the same three notes over and over again as her mind wandered and lyrics sprung up into her head. Sometimes she would make up her own chords, humming along to whatever tune came to mind and simply basking in the stage lights above her. Other times she would play; play long notes of recognizable music from her favorite all time musicals and bands.

But this was a time for thinking; and waiting. She knew Kurt would come for her for advice and though their relationship had become quite strained in the future, Kurt was a very dear friend to her and he would forever be etched into her heart.

A soft smile played on her lips as she stared down at the cool ivory pieces. Sometimes she felt as if she were a piano. Everyone could drop a steady beat on her heart but few truly knew how to play her. Few knew how she carefully and modestly ticked. Outside her fathers, only two had cared to learn and both were gone for her. At least, for a little while.

"Hey, Rachel. I've been looking for you."

Rachel glanced up in surprise, though she wasn't sure why. Like stated before, she knew Kurt was coming. An idle thought trickled through her brain. Perhaps her soul were the only things to come back from the future. Maybe her body was still set in the present and therefore reacted to situations as if they were brand new.

But that sounded ridiculous, time travel notwithstanding.

She smiled politely, "Hey, Kurt. Not that I'm not happy to see you but what are you doing here?" her eyebrows scrunched together as confusion passed through her eyes, "How did you even get in?" she questioned softly, the thought just occurring to her. It was during school hours and Kurt was still in his uniform, meaning he must have skipped class and somehow got into the school.

There was no way that he could have just walked into McKinley without someone noticing…right?

Kurt ducked his head and grinned bashfully, "Oh, well. Mercedes snuck me in. I was sitting in my car for over an hour waiting for Karofsky to make a Mickey D's run…anyways, what are you doing?"

Rachel hummed lightly, a pang of sympathy for the boy flowing through her as she splayed out her fingers across the ivory pieces. She forgot about the Karofsky debacle; "Just playing a little. You say you've been looking for me? What can I do for you, Kurt?"

The coiffed boy took a step around the piano, drumming his fingers along the planes and smiling sardonically, "Actually, I was hoping you could help me. I've been invited to audition for a solo and even though we hate each other, we've had our moments and I could use your expertise."

Inwardly curling in on herself at Kurt's admittance of hate, Rachel's eyes flickered downwards as her shoulders hunched and her lips twisted up into a small smile, "Contrary to popular belief Kurt, I don't hate you. Even though you'll probably never regard me as such, I do think of you as a friend. Therefore, I'll be happy to help you out."

Blue-gray eyes widened in surprise at the softly spoken words. He certainly didn't expect to hear that from Rachel Berry. Clearing his throat, Kurt fiddled with his tie as he glanced down before running his hand down his uniform, "No one knows how to kill a ballad quite like you, Rachel. You are exceedingly brilliant and talented, not to mention exceptionally wonderful to watch perform. I'm hoping you could give me some pointers."

Something clicked in Rachel's mind when a memory of how this conversation went before was thrusted to the front of her consciousness.

You are as brilliant and talented as you are irritating.

Her smile grew in size when she realized that her past was changing already.

Rachel's eyes softened as she flattened out her skirt before sliding out off of the piano bench and standing and facing Kurt; "Thank you. So, what did you have in mind? And please don't tell me it's something like Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On. "

The brunette held back a smirk when she saw her soon to be best friend pale a bit before shuffling uncomfortably in front of her, "Uh, and what would be wrong with that?"

"Nothing, Kurt. It's just…don't you think your first audition for a solo should be more personal than that. I mean this is your chance to really wow your fellow Warblers. Celine Dion is wonderful but I would choose something that's a bit more you."

Kurt frowned as he leaned against the piano, his eyebrow raised in interest, "Oh? Like what?"

Rachel could only smile.

Rachel stared out the window on the long bus ride despondently. She had ignored Finn's blatant attempts to gain her attention and chosen to sit way in the front, near Mr. Schuester but still far away enough so she didn't have to deal with his apologetic face either. Puck was sitting in the back near Lauren, perhaps trying to coax the brown haired girl into sleeping with him, she really didn't know and to be honest, she didn't really care. As long as he was semi-happy with his choices, he could do whatever he wanted. She knew no one else would sit by her, even after her heartfelt and true speech she gave to the club and to be honest, she kind of liked it that way.

What was the point in getting her hopes up when she knew that everyone was still going to hate her no matter what she did. Perhaps indifference was the way to go? Now that she didn't have Finn to deal with, she had a lot more free time which would most likely be spent in solitude.

Finally, boredom got the best of her and as she was letting out a shaky breath, she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her IPOD and headphones, growing irrationally excited at the prospect of watching one of the three illegal downloads of Spring Awakening for the remainder of the bus ride.

Her plans were deterred, however, when someone settled into the seat next to her. Holding in expletives, the brunette steeled herself for another confrontation with Finn only to be pleasantly surprised when she peered up into amused hazel eyes.

"Oh! Quinn…?" she mumbled, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she took in the sudden appearance of the blonde head cheerleader. This never happened; the first time around, everyone avoided her and Quinn had sat next to Sam and…well, she was basically left alone.

"Don't sound too excited now, Berry," Quinn started with a roll of her eyes, "Sam is too busy talking about video games with Mike and well, I didn't want to listen to that and the only seat open was next to Finn so I just chose the lesser of two evils."

Rachel gazed at her sympathetically, a small smile working its way up her lips as she patted the blondes arm; "Understandable. Are you still nervous about the competition?"

Quinn glanced down at the hand on her arm, raising one perfect eyebrow questionably before sighing and relaxing against the seat; "Yeah, I mean, I guess a little…." The blonde trailed off, sighing and crossing her arms and legs as a small frown adorned her features.

The brunette hummed softly as she glanced down at her IPOD and fingered the chord of her headphones. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Rachel angled her body so that she was facing the blonde more and held out one of her ear buds.

"As I said before, you have nothing to worry about, Quinn. You're wonderful," she breathed, beaming when hazel eyes flickered over to her face and lingered there for several seconds before glancing away. The brunette giggled lightly as she placed one of the buds into the blushing girl's ear, "You should watch this with me. I'm quite sure it will take your mind off of everything, it's such a wonderful love story."

Biting her bottom lip to fight back her normal defense mechanism, Quinn swallowed and leaned in a bit closer to the brunette, smiling bashfully when the little songbird held up her IPOD so she could see.

Rachel gazed at the blonde happily, a gentle smile playing across her lips before she looked back down towards the device in her hand.

She hit play.

They tied, not that that was any real surprise. After all, Rachel already knew the outcome long before they even went on stage. She stayed after a bit to congratulate Kurt before calling her dads and asking one of them to pick her up.

The thought of being around any of her teammates hurt her head Even though she had been nothing but cordial to the Latina, Santana still skulked past her with a sneer, outright telling her that they didn't need her and that they could win without her so she might as well do them all a favor and leave.

It hurt. It really did; she couldn't understand why the other brunette was full of such contempt towards her. But once she stopped to think about it she couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the other girl. Santana was just a scared, lonely teenager, much like her, though their situations couldn't be too different.

She knew that Santana was struggling with her feelings towards Brittany and Artie's relationship; knew how hard it must be for the Latina to watch them be together and deny who she really was because of fear. Her fear of her friends and family's reactions towards the fact that she was a lesbian.

It was heartbreaking and that's why Rachel would forgive Santana, no matter what the other brunette said to her. She was just hurting, and Rachel Berry understood hurt.

When she got home, she kissed both fathers on the cheek and changed into her comfy pajamas before settling on the floor in front of her couch with a stack of movies and a batch of vegan friendly peanut butter cookies.

Rachel was just about to turn her phone off in fear that she'd receive a flurry of annoying texts from her ex when it buzzed and an unknown number appeared. She frowned as she opened and read the message.

4198123543:

Hey.

Her brows furrowed further at the simplicity of the statement, weighing the pro's and con's of answering this unknown number before sighing and typing out a reply.

Rachel:

Hello, I'm sorry to say that I don't know who this is.

The brunette fiddled with her phone for a little bit before setting it down and picking up the remote. It pinged soon after she pressed play for her movie.

4198123543:

It's Quinn.

Rachel gasped as her eyebrows widened passed her hairline. How strange, this was the second time today that Quinn had sought her out. It didn't make any sense. Instead of voicing her concerns, she squeezed the device gently before typing out another reply.

Rachel:

Hello Quinn! Did you need something?

Quinn:

No. I just wanted to say thank you. and that, uh, you were great today.

The brunette chuckled softly at the words, her lips twisting up into a gentle smile at the blondes response.

Rachel:

That's very sweet of you, Quinn. though I don't understand considering all I did was sway in the backround.

Quinn:

I just meant you-you made me feel better about singing and that's really cool. You were even nice to Santana, even though she was a major bitch to you. You were just-you were just great today.

Rachel bit her bottom lip as her eyes softened.

Rachel:

You're welcome then, Quinn. but there really is no need to thank me. I was only doing what any leader would have done in my situation.

Quinn:

If you say so. Well, I have to go to dinner right now. I'll see you Monday, Rachel.

Rachel:

Bye, Quinn! have a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to see you Monday.

Quinn:

…bye

Rachel flipped her phone close as she bit her bottom lip harder.

Maybe everyone didn't hate her after all.

"When can we tell her?"

"Soon, Iblis. Soon."

A/N: I don't own Mortal Kombat and I definitely don't own Spring Awakening.