This is my first fic. This is a redo of season 2, so everything up through the finale of the first season is canon. Some things in season 2 annoyed me and some other fans, so this is my own personal take of it. Some elements from the season may still show up, but might be altered a bit to accommodate this fic.
Chapter 1
As Rachel strolled into the choir room for the first time as a junior, a wave of relief swept over her. All summer she had planned what solos she would sing, what dance moves the group would do behind her, what they would wear, and what set list they would need to take Nationals. She had spent all summer dating Finn, and they were close as could be. She was ready to buckle down and make this year great. She took her seat in the front row next to Finn. She scanned around the room and took in all the familiar faces: Puck was listening to Quinn complain about something, Tina was sitting on Artie's lap, playing with his hair, Kurt and Mercedes sat in the back, exchanging fashion advice, Santana and Mike made out in the corner (Rachel was fairly certain they weren't dating) and Brittany was staring at something probably only she could see. Just as Rachel realized that Matt was no longer there, Mr. Schue entered the room. "Welcome back everyone!" he cheered. He was met with applause and cheers from the club. "We had a great year last year," he began, but before he continued Santana scoffed from the back. The club looked around at each other, slightly upset, but mostly in agreement with the snicker. They wouldn't call losing Regionals a good year. "I know you aren't all that pleased with how we ended things last year, but I'm confident this year will be better," he continued. "We have experience now; we've been through a Regional, and this year will be easier." He looked around and saw nods of agreement. No one was laughing now; he could see the determination in their eyes. "Matt moved out of state, so we already don't have enough members. If possible, I would like to double our numbers, which is why your assignment for the week is a non-musical one. I want each of you to find someone new for the club." The club looked shocked. Will knew this might be his most difficult assignment yet, but he also knew they were capable.
OOO
Puck had made one too many cracks about Finn's speed during practice, and he was stuck in the locker room inflating footballs after practice. The other guys slowly left, until Puck thought he was alone. He looked at the full bag of footballs he still had to inflate. He was about to forget about his duties and leave, but he heard the shower turn on. He thought he was by himself, and he suddenly felt a little scared. He told himself that he was being a wimp, that there was no need to be scared of a shower, but he couldn't help but get a queasy feeling in his stomach. Just when he was about to leave, he heard a voice singing from the stall. He chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe that he had been afraid of someone that sang, but then he remembered he was in glee club. He was about to go in the shower and show the kid who was boss, but he remembered his assignment. If someone was brave enough to sing in a football locker room, they would have no problem singing in front of a sold out crowd! Puck poked his head around the corner and looked at the kid. He was tall and muscular, and his wet blond hair covered his ears. He didn't have a half bad voice, either. The kid noticed Puck staring, and he jumped. "Can I help you?" he asked. "Sorry," Puck replied. "I was drawn in by your voice." The blond kid raised his eyebrows and grinned, but Puck shot him a dirty look. "I was just wondering if you would want to join the glee club." The kid opened his mouth to respond, but Puck continued before he could. "The glee clubbers are like rock stars here." He was a bit disappointed that he embellished the truth, but he was even more disappointed to be using Rachel's "glee clubbers" term. "Sure, I guess," he replied. "I'll try it out. My name's Sam, by the way. Sam Evans."
OOO
Tina pushed Artie down the hall on their way to homeroom. They had been dating all summer long, but things were starting to get dry. They hadn't been alone together in two weeks, and both suspected the other of losing interest in the relationship. "Artie," Tina said, "I'm wondering where this relationship is going. I know you care about me, and I care about you too, but I feel like we've stalled." "You know I only have eyes for you," Artie retorted a little indignantly. "This isn't a question of fidelity!" she barked. "I just want to know that you need me, and this isn't just a short term thing. Where is this going?" "This doesn't sound like you Tina," he replied. "I don't know," he finally answered. "I want to be with you, but I feel like we're running out of things to talk about. I'm getting bored." He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. The bell rang, but Tina was too angry to leave now. "You're bored?! Well maybe if I bore you so much, we shouldn't be together." "Fine," Artie said. "There are plenty of girls who would love to go out with me." "Oh are there?," she replied with a grin. "I'll make a deal with you. You have one week to be free from our relationship. And if at the end of the week you're still 'bored' with me, have fun with whomever you find." Artie was a bit shocked at this idea, but he seized the opportunity. "Fine. You can do the same. And at the end of the week, for an added bonus, we'll see who was more successful. Deal?" "Deal," she replied without any hint of hesitation. They shook hands and parted down the hall.
OOO
Santana was putting on fresh lip-gloss in the bathroom when a small, dark-skinned girl walked in. At first, Santana thought she was Tina, but she was a bit too short and had no blue dye in her hair. The girl had her earbuds in and walked to a sink. She smiled briefly at Santana and went about her business. The girl started to sing to herself, and Santana noticed immediately how good she was. For someone who was just casually singing, she sounded incredible. Santana thought she might have even been better than Berry. Suddenly she got an idea. "Hello, I'm Santana," she said in an overly nice voice. "Hi, I'm Sunshine." "Fantastic. I was wondering if you would be interested in joining the glee club." Yes, Santana may have figured out how to finish her assignment for the week and destroy Rachel at the same time.
OOO
Puck was in Quinn's bedroom, listening to her complain about something he really didn't care about. He guessed that it probably had something to do with either Rachel or Santana, as it usually did, but figuring that out would take more effort than he was willing to put in. "Maybe I can get one of the ex-Cherrios to join glee club," Quinn started. "They would probably join just to get back at Coach Sylvester." "I already found my new recruit," Puck said proudly. "How were you the first one to find someone?," Quinn replied. "You don't even want to be there most of the time." Puck didn't bother to answer the last comment before he segued into what he really wanted to talk about. "Speaking of things we don't really want to do," he began, "When are you getting back on the Cheerios?" "I already told you," she countered, "after what Coach Sylvester did to me last year, I'm never joining again." "Look, you had my baby, and that's awesome, but if you want to stay with this, you need to get back on top, in more ways than one," Puck said with a wink. She threw a pillow at him. "You're disgusting," she said as she left. Puck snickered to himself; he thought it was a solid joke. He never wanted to be with Quinn for the long haul. All he wanted was a quick bit of fun, but this defeated the purpose of cheating. If you get caught, it's just a mess that is fun for no one involved. He really wanted out of this relationship, but Quinn was one of the few people in the world he was afraid of; the only other might be Santana Lopez. If he could find a way for her to dump him, he would be home free.
OOO
Rachel was frantically making her way down the hall, asking anyone who would listen to join glee club. "You don't even have to sing! You just need to sway behind me!" she yelled. Finn rounded the corner and saw her. "Rachel," he said. He walked up to her and put his huge hands on her shoulders. "Rachel, what's wrong?" She had tears welling up in her eyes. "Why is this such a big deal?" "It's just I've never failed a glee club assignment before," she replied. Finn could think of a few examples, particularly Bad Reputation, but this was no time to bring that up. He knew there must be something else going on here. "What's really the matter?" Rachel hesitated, but finally spoke. "Jesse called me last night. He wasn't at UCLA, he stayed in Ohio. He's going to Oberland." She gulped. "He came by my house and picked me up." "Oh no." "Nothing happened, I promise. It just brought up old feelings." Finn kissed her. "Come one. I'll walk you to glee club." She had been withholding some of the truth, however. He hadn't come over in a platonic way; he was trying to get her back. She made it clear that she wasn't interested, but he told her everything. He told her how he really had loved her the whole time, and how the team had made him break up with her. He told her how he wasn't going to stop until he got her back. She knew she couldn't let Finn know what Jesse wanted; he had tried fighting with Jesse several times before she and Finn were even dating.
OOO
Mike was leaning against the wall in the hall when Mercedes came to talk to him. "Hey," he grinned. "You're never going to believe what just happened to me," she said with a chuckle. "Artie just hit on me." Mike burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Mercedes asked. "Tina hit on me this morning," he said. "I thought she and Artie were dating." "I did too. Speaking of which, what are we doing? I know you don't want to be exclusive just yet, and I understand that, but it's been all summer and Santana still thinks the two of you are dating." "To be fair, I don't think she thinks we're dating. She just likes having someone to make out with," he replied. The two of them laughed. "If you want me to tell her that I'm done with her I'll go do it right now. I just want you to be ready for her wrath." "It's worth it," Mercedes replied. And they kissed.
OOO
Tina was putting some books into her locker when Artie rolled up to her. Both looked at each other for a minute, then apologised at the same time, followed by giggles. "I'm sorry," Artie began. "Everyone in glee has gotten so close that it almost felt like I was popular. And then when I went out into the world, I realized you were the only one who really understands me. I'm sorry for taking you for granted." Tina smiled. "Come on. I'll push you to glee." She wheeled him to the classroom to find the rest of the club already sitting down, and Mr. Schue followed them in. "Alright guys! Who has found new members?" he asked the group. Only two hands rose. Puck and Santana led their new recruits to the front of the choir room. "This is Sam Evans," Puck said. "And this is Sunshine Corazon. She's filipino and a better singer than anyone in the group. Thoughts, hobbit?" Rachel glared up at Santana, and Mr. Schue planted himself between their gazes. "Alright, let's have a hand for the heros of the week, Santana and Puck," he said, trying to hide the surprise in his voice. "And now, let's start brainstorming songs for sectionals!" The club groaned and took out their notebooks.
