Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 31st cycle. Now cycle 32!

Hear that little bird twitter! Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!

"Meet the Cast"
Puck/Rachel, New Directions & Blaine
Project No Day But Today #6 (sequel to 'Double Casting')

She was beginning to regret offering up her house for this gathering. On the one hand she'd done it both because this was where all the decisions had been made so far, and because of course they were still hiding their production… It wasn't all they were hiding, and this was where the problems entered the equation.

Everything was set, waiting for the others to arrive, and this left them, just them, and nothing to do… Since that day the week before, a lot had changed, though this wouldn't show in public. As far as anyone could see, they remained what they had been before, just class and Glee Club mates who only barely tolerated one another on most occasions.

Except this had been changing, for weeks, inching toward something that had finally come to pass one week ago… sealed with a kiss, not their first generally but what could be said to be their first officially… And it was followed by a second officially, third officially… lost count officially. These happened in 'secure' locations like her house and his, or anywhere isolated enough that they couldn't be seen, or if Puck managed to trump her insistence that they'd get caught, in empty classrooms or in isolated corners. This tended to end with her fidgeting away, trying to look inconspicuous, which only made him want to pull her back in… which he sometimes did.

They weren't saying, and it had been a mutual agreement, though originated by Rachel. For the sake of their project, not even properly off the ground yet and which featured a few of their respective exes, they couldn't risk it. They knew how volatile it could get, and this would absolutely light some kind of flame. No, when the time was right, they would reveal everything. Until then, despite the lying and the sneaking around, the secret made things just a bit more fun for both of them. It called for creativity – which she burst with – and daring – which he could always be counted on to have – to make something of a relationship out of this. They had done some growing over the last year, both of them, and it showed… This wasn't the same as before.

Except now there they were, all of this in mind, yes, but also an empty room, waiting… They could arrive any moment… and he was giving her those eyes… She only forgot about them by looking at his lips, and that could only be more trouble… If it was humanly possible she would be floating over to him from her seat across the room; she had to at least put some kind of resistance in the way of temptation… Oh, but he was very good, he…

The doorbell rang, releasing her to spring to her feet and move to answer, throwing him a look that screamed 'Shame on you!' He just sat back with a wicked grin. Rachel reached the door after a few deep breaths, hoping not to look so flustered.

They all arrived in the next five minutes or so, some on their own but some in pairs, trio… Eventually they were packed away, the thirteen of them, in Rachel's living room. For some of them it had been a while since they'd heard of the project, a while they'd kept that secret. For others it had not been long at all.

Sam had hesitated when they'd made the pitch to him. He was still fairly new to all of this, and after Rocky Horror and the gold shorts, it was almost too normal for him to be nervous. This was anticipated, which was why Rachel had suggested they made sure they had Quinn, too. She had revealed how she knew something had to be going on and – finally – she had agreed. And when they'd told Sam this, he had finally agreed as well. This only left three. They wanted to make the pitch to Tina and Mercedes together, and since Mike had been by Tina's side when they found her, they'd ended up making the pitch to all three at once. Mike was more than happy to do it, understanding his practicality. Tina and Mercedes, finding they were to double for Maureen and Joanne respectively, had to pause and consider what was being asked of them, but it was quickly met with a yes from each. This made it official, the thirteen of them were in.

For some of them though, it would be the first time as they sat in the Berry living room that they found out they were sharing their roles. Artie had kind of figured it, knowing there was the tango. It was more of a surprise to Santana and Brittany, though they had both shared their Rocky Horror roles with Quinn and Tina. They had known from the start with that one, but here they'd spent weeks thinking the roles were all theirs. They were to be the primary team, with the other two as secondary, or it wouldn't work out. It took Puck calling their bluff to settle things down again, allowing Rachel to speak up.

"We really appreciate all of you keeping this under wraps," she began. "While I see no problem in us doing this, I know some others would let the smallest of things get in the way and keep such an important piece from reaching new and old audiences alike. But I know we can change that. Now who's with me?" she asked, hoping to sound rallying, encouraging. The response was slower to come than she'd have hoped, and it took Puck lifting a hand from across the room to get the ball rolling until everyone had a hand in the air.

"So what's next?" Kurt asked, once the hands could go down.

"We're going to be holding auditions to cast the supporting roles, whatever isn't covered by us. And, who knows… we could end up convincing new people to join New Directions. We wouldn't always be right on the margin between twelve or less members."

The rest of the 'meeting' was spent over things like questions on stage versus film, division between doubled up roles, and ways to communicate without drawing attention to themselves… Finally the others left, once again leaving Rachel alone with Puck, something he realized before she did, as she was rearranging the chairs.

"I'm starting to think we should use the film, but then it would be such a shame to lo…" She stopped, abruptly, when she returned for the next chair and found Puck sitting on it, staring at her. "My fathers will be home soon," she reminded him. He slowly got up, towering over her the way he did, making her weak at the knees. She was lost for words, which was saying a lot in her case. But before long, she smiled… Yes, they were alone. "This is so unfair…" her last words disappeared into a kiss, and he had to keep his arms around her, like he was afraid that from her height she'd fall away. But for all she was bringing to his life, he couldn't ever let her go…

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!