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 24th cycle. Now cycle 25!

It's cycle 25! If you'll recall, back in cycle 10 I did my top 15 of favorite things (characters, ships, friends..) in Glee, with a ficlet for each of the numbers, and a chapter fic for number 1 (stories 190 to 210). Now this time around, in order to schedule in a friend's birthday, it's a top SIXTEEN, and the number one's six-chapter fic will be split in three blocks... (5 ficlets-2 chapters-5 ficlets-2 chapters-5 ficlets-2 chapters) It's less confusing than it seems, I promise ;) Here we go!
Coming in at number three!

"Know the Right People"
Beiste (+ Artie, Brittany)

When she got home that night, after her star turn as Santa for Brittany, Shannon Beiste changed out of the costume and turned on her television before sitting on the couch. She had let them down; that was what it felt like, right then. It was for the girl's sake that she'd done it, put on the suit, the beard… But she hadn't done what they'd asked her to, and even if she'd had good reasons to deviate on the plan, now she had to consider where to go next. As valuable of a lesson as she hoped it would be for Brittany, she didn't want to take magic from her completely, if she could let her hold on to something.

And it wasn't just about Brittany… If she wanted to make Brittany's wish come true, she would be touching on something a whole lot bigger for Artie. Giving him this chance, it wasn't a game, so if anything was going to be done, it had to be done right. She wasn't sure when she'd decided that she would do something; she wasn't sure which thought came first. Either way, she had her mind made up.

It was late, but she knew with Art it was never too late. She reached for the phone, dialled his number, and heard his booming voice within two rings. He laughed, happy to hear from her. Art was an old friend, a physical therapist she'd met years before. He had always been there for her and could always manage to find anything that could be found, as far as these things went. So she told him about this kid, Artie – he approved of the name – and his situation. Then she told him about Brittany, and her wish. Almost immediately he told her he might have an idea, that he'd make some calls and get back to her as soon as possible.

She went to bed that night, still thinking about the whole thing. She knew, first off, that she was probably looking at a steep price tag, but it would be worth it… Besides, it was Christmas…

She was woken up by the phone, and when she saw the clock she knew it was Art… 2:30am. He didn't sound any different than he did at any hour of the day… of course. And then he told her the news.

He had something, 'a lucky strike', he called it. The fact was that he had tracked down the one place that currently had one of these things, close enough and willing to sell. They had been on the verge of shipping it back, according to the man he'd woken up, another friend of his. Shannon laughed and thanked Art, saying she would gladly take it off their hands.

She'd have to drive to Cleveland to get it. After she'd hung up with Art, good and awake now, she paused to think. If she headed out now she could get to Cleveland, get the Rewalk, and drive back in time to make a Santa pit stop by the Pierce home, no one the wiser. The smile was fixed to her face, so her mind was made up. She dressed, grabbed some coffee, and she was on the road. She was waiting outside the building when Art's friend arrived for work that day. She shook the man's hand and he escorted her inside to show her just what it was that she'd be buying. It was perfect. She paid him, and she loaded the thing into her car, no help required. She'd already had breakfast, at a nearby diner, before she met with the man; she didn't want to just leave this thing in her car, unattended. So she drove back to Lima.

When she arrived to Brittany's house, she saw the car in the driveway; someone was still there. From what she'd been told, to aid her first 'allowed break-in,' this had to be her father, and no one else. She could have rung the bell, but something in her, maybe some of this Santa spirit leftover, told her to use the hide-a-key, like she had the night before.

It was hard not to look conspicuous, approaching the house carefully as she did. But then she saw, through the window, how Mr. Pierce walked by. She saw his face, and she knew that face… she knew where he was going, and where he would be for the next little while… yet another Christmas miracle. So she pulled the car up and unloaded the Rewalk before carrying it up to the house. She got the key, and carefully let herself in. She listened for a moment, making sure the way was clear. Once it was, she carried the box into the living room. She heard a noise and she froze, almost dropping the box but catching herself. She turned, looking for a quick explanation to give to… the cat. She sighed and put the box down before crouching to pet the little guy that walked up to her. He purred and went on his way… no more bother.

She took the Rewalk out and placed it by the tree, reaching in her pocket for the bow to put on; it was a present, after all. She stepped back, picking up the box; it was ready, now Brittany just had to find it.

She thought she heard flushing in the distance, so she hurried on her way out, leaving things as she'd found them, key included, before getting in her car and driving off. She made it to McKinley with hardly anyone noticing her absence that morning. Now she just had to wait, and wait, and…

She was lucky enough that she was in the hall, when she spotted Brittany and Artie… with the Rewalk. They both looked giddy and happy as they headed into the Glee room. She stood back and watched as Brittany helped Artie into the contraption. The blonde looked like she could barely contain herself, contain the sudden rush of joy that had come back to her all of a sudden. And Artie, well he still looked like he didn't quite understand how they had ended up with this thing, although he was also anxious and ready to overlook small details like that. From the words she could hear, from her distance, he seemed to know about the Rewalk already, from research he'd done; he had the sheet of instructions she'd left, too. And then just as he went and stood, on his own two feet, in came the Glee Club, and Will, to witness his first steps, and for all of them to watch two dreams come true. With a smile, the Coach walked away.

They didn't need to know it was her. No, it was better that they didn't… then they could all get a little magic back.

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!