A/N: With permission from my lovely friends, I'm posting my contribution to this week's prompt a little early. I wrote this at 2:30pm on August 6 (I even sent a tweet to my writing pals about how I finished the prompt in the car). You may be wondering why all this matters to me...I promise it will all make sense once you enjoy my one-shot and then check out my note at the bottom :) xoxo

Prompt #6: Most memorable moment with your best friend.

Character(s): Rachel Berry and her best friend

Words: 616

Date: August 6, 2012

Missing Piece

Two weeks into her new life in New York City, Rachel couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. At first she tried to ignore the ache she felt in her heart. When the pain failed to dull, she started to wonder if it was a result of her break-up with Finn, until she realized a week later that she could think about him without crying. Her heart did not ache for him. So she chalked it up to general homesickness and hoped that meeting new friends and starting classes would fill the empty space that rang hollow in her chest.

Rachel found it easy to make new friends. She was finally surrounded by people who respected her drive for stardom and weren't intimidated by her talent. And even if she wasn't the most talented person at NYADA, like she had been at McKinley, she never doubted that she belonged.

Plus, her roommate, Stacy, shared her love of Barbra, lemon balm tea and cute mod dresses. They were a match made in musical theatre heaven. Rachel knew their friendship would be strong and she took comfort in that each night as she lay awake in bed. The edges around the hole in her heart were less ragged, and she knew she had Stacy and her other new friends to thank for that. But it didn't stop the hole from being there and it didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon.

Days later, as she walked out of her first meeting with her advisor, which had been disastrous to say the least, and she reached for her phone, her hand froze in mid-air. The one person who could understand exactly what she was feeling, the one person she wanted to share this moment with, wasn't here. A text or a phone call wasn't the same as curling up together on a single bed while Funny Girl played in the background and their hands met in the popcorn bowl. Rachel didn't know why she hadn't realized it before, maybe it was because everything else was going smoothly. It was in the moment when her self-confidence was at its lowest, when she felt the most vulnerable, that she needed him. And that wasn't being selfish, she had and always would be there for him during those same moments, it was what best friends were for.

So Rachel sent the text anyway, because he was her best friend and any response from him was going to be more meaningful right now than anyone she could physically touch. But the text she got in return was so unexpected, she sat down on the nearest bench, not caring who could see her, and cried tears of joy.

To Rachel: SURPRISE! I'll be there tomorrow! xo

Giddy with excitement, she walked as quickly as she could, careful not to spill the coffees she was carrying in a to-go tray. When she turned the last corner, she saw him standing there with his hair coiffed and his clothes tailored to perfection, leaning against Tiffany & Co. as if he'd been here is whole life.

He pushed off the wall when he caught sight of the radiant brunette bouncing toward him. They simultaneously broke out into giggles, his nose crinkling adorably. As Rachel handed her best friend his coffee and bagel, the hole in her heart filled with love at finally being able to share this moment together. Because unlike last time, they weren't standing here as hopeful high school students, but rather as determined college students already living their dreams.

They leaned back against the wall together with their shoulders touching. Fighting back her tears, Rachel whispered, "Welcome to New York City, Kurt!"

A/N: Needless to say, I may have freaked out a little when Ryan Murphy released the deleted Rachel & Kurt yearbook scene and the sentiment was so similar to what I had written only hours earlier. I was on a HummelBerry high from my last prompt because I adore their friendship and ironically, thought we didn't get enough of it in Season 3! I was so thrilled to see that I had interpreted their friendship accurately, as Rachel writes in Kurt's yearbook that she "doesn't think she could survive [New York City] without her best friend and soulmate." Had that scene aired in the episode, I wouldn't have written this one-shot, at least not with Rachel so oblivious as to what was missing. So I really hope that you enjoyed my version of Rachel & Kurt needing to take on New York City together :)

And please don't forget to check out GleekMom, StarGleekBelle, Different Child and Melissa Motown's one-shots as well. It's amazing to see the different directions we all go in from the same starting point!