Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs in this story. No money is made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I write about these characters with the intention of entertaining other glee fans.

Author's Notes: Thank you to my wonderful beta reader - Tanya, who helped me out with this chapter. Enjoy!


"But what if I choke? Oh God, I'm totally gonna choke! It's Carmen Tibideaux - she's gonna watch me choke again and I'm gonna get kicked out. I can't do this Kurt; I'm going back to the loft."

Kurt barely looked up from his copy of Broadway World Magazine to give his friend a well-deserved eye roll.

"Rachel, would you please relax? You've got this in the bag. It's only a college production of West Side Story, and you said it yourself - other than Fanny Brice, Maria is a roll you were born to play."

This appeared to ease her nerves a little as she attempted to compose herself and began adjusting her dress for what must have been the tenth time since they'd been waiting.

"You're right. I know you're right. OK," she took a deep breath in and then out, "I'm calm."

"Of course I'm right. Now, would you stop messing with your call card? You're making me nervous and I'm not even trying out."

Rachel looked down at the crumpled call card that was in her hands - the one she had subconsciously been folding and refolding - and attempted to smooth it out before starting up yet another speech about why Kurt should have auditioned as well. However, fortunately for Kurt, her lecture was cut short as, just then, a voice was heard through the overhead speakers, "Would Rachel Berry please make her way to The Round Room?"

Rachel was suddenly overcome with nerves again and she only sat there with a look of terror on her face.

"OK, that's you."

She did not appear to have heard him, so Kurt grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her right in the eyes and said, "Go and prove to Tibideaux how much you deserve to be here and how much you deserve that lead."

Rachel nodded and swallowed hard before standing up and adjusting her dress one last time. "How do I look?"

"Like a girl who's about to kill her audition. Go get 'em."

She smiled like she believed every word and then proceeded to march confidently out of the waiting room. Kurt smiled to himself before going back to his magazine. Of course she was going to get it, he thought, she was Rachel Berry.

Kurt sat in the waiting room for another half an hour before he started to get restless. Surely Rachel's audition should be over by now. Where was she? He put the copy of Broadway World back on the magazine rack and took out his phone. No new messages.

With nothing else to do, he observed his surroundings - eyeing up everyone else in the waiting room. He tried to guess the part each person would audition for; he thought he spotted a lot Marias and Tonys and maybe a couple of Riffs and Anitas - one guy was frantically singing through Something's Coming, as if paranoid he would forget the lyrics if he didn't keep singing. They all appeared to be involved in a pre-performance ritual of one kind or another. After fifteen minutes of this, Kurt couldn't take it any longer. The nerves of everyone else in the room were getting to him. He decided to go and see if he could find Rachel, or failing that, wait outside The Round Room until her audition had finished.

It was weird walking around NYADA on a weekend when no classes were going on. Sure there were plenty of people practicing in various dance studios; either for personal training or for an upcoming performance, but the school just had a different feel to it. There wasn't anyone rushing to class or anyone singing in the hallways.

Before Kurt reached The Round Room, he noticed a busy classroom with a sign on it that read "waiting room two - West Side Story auditions". He stood at the doorway and scanned the room for Rachel. The room was packed and if he thought the people in the first waiting room were nervous, they were nothing compared to the people in this one. Most people looked pale and petrified and in the far corner of the room, one girl was crying hysterically. School Musicals were a big deal at NYADA.

"Kurt!"

Kurt turned to see Rachel waiting in a line just outside the door of The Round Room.

"Hey," he said, making his way over to her, "have you auditioned yet? How did it go? Did they cry? I bet they cried, I mean I did the first time I heard you sing that song but I guess that was just because-" Kurt stopped abruptly when he realised he was rambling and gave her a chance to answer his questions.

"No, I haven't auditioned yet." she answered in a calmer tone than Kurt was expecting.

"What? Why? You've been gone for almost an hour. What's taking so long?" he implied.

"Well," Rachel began in a hushed voice, "the guy who was meant to audition before me has been in there for forever. From what I gathered, his audition was supposed to be a duet, but his partner is a no show."

"Oh that's unfortunate," Kurt said, but he didn't sound all that sympathetic. "Why don't they just get on with the rest of the auditions for now and see him after his partner has shown up? I mean, I feel bad for the guy, really, but it seems like he's wasting everyone else's time. "

Rachel nodded in agreement, "I was thinking the same thing, but I don't think they'll let him get a later slot, it's now or never I guess."

"Hmm, well I hope for his sake they show up soon. I doubt Tibideaux will take this waiting for much longer." Kurt stated.

Rachel nodded again knowingly, for she for one knew just how impatient their Dean of Vocal Performance and Song Interpretation could be. They stood in silence for a few minutes - attempting to hear what was going on in the next room until the door swiftly flew open, making both of them start, and revealed Carmen Tibideaux herself.

"Is anyone here familiar with the song Come What May from the musical Moulin Rouge?" she asked to the line of waiting students.

Well that's a bizarre question if ever there was one. Kurt thought before raising his hand. Because of course he was familiar with the song; Moulin Rouge was only one of his favourite films of all time. But why did Carmen Tibideaux want to know that?

"Ah Hummel, wonderful. Would you come with me please?" Tibideaux asked. Except it wasn't as much a question as it was an instruction.

"Wh-why?" Kurt asked, a little bemused.

"Because there is a student in need of a duet partner with whom he needs to audition - a duet partner who can sing that song."

She wanted Kurt to sing? Right now? With someone he'd never met before? In front of her and some of the harshest teachers at NYADA? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

"Oh nonono," Kurt stated hurriedly, "I'm not even auditioning for the musical, can't he just sing it solo?"

Carmen Tibideaux did not look impressed. "No he cannot. The song can only be sung as a duet. And who said you had to be auditioning? In fact, that makes you even more suited for the part as you won't be distracted from your own audition. Now, follow me."

She obviously wasn't expecting any further discussion of the matter, because she turned on her heel and walked back through the door, clearly expecting Kurt to follow. Kurt shot a pleading look at Rachel who only shrugged in a "what have you got to lose?" kind of way. Kurt groaned before rushing after his professor, talking fast as he went.

"Yes, but Ms. Tibideaux, I haven't warmed up or anything, and I can't really perform without having time to prepare, I-"

"Relax Hummel, do you know the song?" she almost sounded sincere as she sat down in a chair next to a few other NYADA teachers, at what appeared to be a judging desk.

"Yes, but-"

She cut him off again, "Then you have nothing to worry about. Last semester you proved to me that you don't need weeks of preparation or outrageous props and costume to perform, when you sang Being Alive at the winter showcase. I accepted you into this school because I believed you were ready to commit and step outside of your comfort zone. Now, do I need to rethink that decision?" She gave him a questioning look. Almost daring him to contradict her.

"No Ma'am." Kurt said.

"Good. Now you may have a few minutes to discuss with Mr. Anderson how the song will be divided up. Off you go." she ordered, and then gestured to someone over Kurt's shoulder before she began shuffling through some of the papers that were on the desk in front of her.

Kurt sighed yet again, completely defeated. When he woke up this morning, he was under the impression that his day would consist of supporting his best friend at an audition. He had no idea that he would need some support himself. How did he always end up in situations like this?

"Hi," said a voice from behind him, effectively bringing him back to his excruciating reality.

Kurt turned to see a boy standing in front of him. A boy, Kurt assumed was Mr. Anderson who was in need of a duet partner.

"My name's Blaine," the boy said.

"Kurt."

"Kurt," Blaine stated, "listen, I'm really sorry that you have to step in and sing like this on such short notice. I'm going to kill Danielle when I next see her. I mean, I knew she was nervous about auditioning but I never thought she'd stand me up."

Kurt had been ready to show no mercy towards the boy with whom he was being forced to sing. But after taking one look at Blaine, he just didn't have the heart. He was clearly more distressed than Kurt was with the situation and he seemed genuinely apologetic towards Kurt's involvement in the matter. Plus, Kurt couldn't help but notice, he was really rather good looking.

"Don't worry about it," Kurt reassured him, in an attempt to hide his own worry, "you're just lucky that I can sing this song in my sleep."

Blaine laughed, evidently relieved that Kurt didn't appear to hate him. "I do not doubt it." Blaine grinned.

The pair spent a few minutes discussing which parts they would sing; which didn't take very long since the song was already a duet. Even though Kurt had only just met him, Blaine made him feel a lot more relaxed about the whole "singing in front of a lot of important people after zero preparation" thing. It soon became clear how much Blaine loved both the song and the musical as his eyes lit up and his hand gestures became more and more erratic whilst he described how they could perform the song. Kurt couldn't help but smile at the boy, for he had never met anyone who shared his extreme adoration for Moulin Rouge before. Just as Blaine had finished giving a rough description of how the choreography would be, Carmen Tibideaux spoke from where she was sat at the judging panel.

"OK, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Hummel, whenever you're ready."

Kurt breathed in sharply, suddenly very nervous again. Blaine noticing this, leaned in and whispered, "Hey, you and I are gonna kill this thing. You can sing it in your sleep, remember?"

Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was looking at him intently, and nodded, before making his way to his starting position on the right side of the stage. From where he stood, Kurt spotted Rachel, whose face was pressed up to the glass window of the door. She gave him a big thumbs up when she saw him notice her, and then mouthed "he's cute" whilst pointing at Blaine. Kurt didn't have a chance to mouth anything back or even roll his eyes because at that moment, the music started and Blaine began to sing:

Never knew I could feel like this

Like I've never seen the sky before

Want to vanish inside your kiss

Kurt had been so worried about how he would sound to Carmen Tibideaux and the rest of the people in the room, that he hadn't taken a minute to think about how Blaine would sound. But when Blaine sang… well Kurt couldn't think of any words to describe how Blaine sang. It was mesmerizing - watching him perform. Blaine had seemed nervous too. But watching him now, Kurt had no idea why.

Seasons may change

Winter to Spring

But I love you

Until the end

Of time

Come what may

Come what may

I will love you

Until my dying day

After the first chorus, Blaine turned to face Kurt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kurt registered that it was time for him to join in:

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace

Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste

It all revolves around you

As they sang, they walked towards each other from either side of the stage. Even though this was the choreography on which they had decided, Kurt noticed that it didn't feel staged at all. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

And there's no mountain too high

No river too wide

Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side

Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide

But I love you

I love you

Until the end of time

By this point they were less than half a metre away from each other. They sang the remainder of the song staring intently at one another, the sound of the music and their voices filling The Round Room.

Come what may

Come what may

I will love you

I will love you

Kurt was vaguely aware of applause breaking out all around them as the music died down. But he was looking at Blaine, and Blaine was looking right back at him. Kurt wished he could read the emotion on Blaine's face. Had he felt it too? Kurt wasn't even sure himself what the feeling was, but it was something. Something had happened between them as they sang to each other just a few moments ago.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Hummel." Carmen Tibideaux said, forcing the two to look away from one another and at her. "We shall get back to you later in the week regarding your part Mr. Anderson."

Blaine stepped forward and nodded towards Tibideaux and the other teachers, "Thank you very much for your time."

Kurt nodded in farewell at the teachers and then joined Blaine as they proceeded to make their way out of The Round Room. At the door, Kurt passed Rachel who was about to enter the room.

"You guys were incredible!" she squealed excitedly.

Kurt smiled at her and gave her a hug for good luck (not that she needed it), and watched as she entered The Round Room with the same confidence he had seen earlier. He then turned to Blaine, who was still standing next him.

"So," Blaine smiled, "I think we killed it."

"I think we did." Kurt agreed.