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 49th cycle. Now cycle 50!

CYCLE 50 SPECIAL FAVORITES CHART - So I've done 'favorites' cycles before, and this is another one, but since it's cycle 50, I wanted to do something special for it. So instead of the usual top 16 with a 6-chapter Boston Britt installment for Brittany (who has always been and remains number one ;)), this is how it will be: It's shift days through the cycle. Shift B will be a 21-chapter/day Boston Britt. In shift A, after the first day's 'extra' dedicated to New Directions, there will be four Top 5 lists, working their way down (all the number 5 spots, all the number 4 spots, number 3, 2, and finishing with all the number one spots)

The Top 5's are as follows (all are my 'top 5 favorite...'):
* Top 5 Series (my series)
* Top 5 Friendships
* Top 5 Characters
* Top 5 Relationships

TODAY: Top 5 Friendships: #3 - Kurt & Rachel

This is a double shift day. There will be one more upload today: Those Are Wooden Wings, chapter 11.

"Remember Our Promise"
Kurt & Rachel

He was standing there at his locker, still with the letter in his hand, the letter that told him he had not been accepted into NYADA. She had a letter, too, as she stood across the hall, watching him, only her letter said yes. After they had opened their letters, she had hesitated to say much. But now here they were and… she had to say something. This was her best friend, and it was about so much more than a couple pieces of paper.

"Hey…" she spoke as she approached him. He turned and she smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm reassessing certain plans I'd started making, you know, events, shows…" he sighed.

"You're not going?" she asked, and he paused.

"I just found out I didn't get in," he reminded her. "I might need some time to find a back-up plan. I guess in all this, that's the one thing I didn't do. Maybe I should have."

"But you'll still come," she stated rather than asking.

"I guess I will, I mean… we did promise," he turned a smile to her, and she breathed, reaching to hug him. He hugged her back, taking a moment to take it for comfort. As much as he would keep a strong face, this had been a deception for him, a lost hope. It didn't mean that all hope was lost though.

"That's great, and you should be there," she nodded as they pulled back. "NYADA is just one way, and you'll find your own. You'll be the guy who showed up in New York with little to nothing to his name and turned the city on its head…" she set the scene dramatically, and it got a chuckle out of him.

"I don't know, I hear an export out of Lima is going to rock NYADA… Sure would love to team up with her…" he played right back, the better to amuse her.

"It'll be the act they'll talk about for years after…"

"Decades," he amended, and she bowed her head with approval.

"We can definitely work something out… And if you need a place to crash, I…"

"Yes," he cut her off immediately, and she beamed. "Hey, I'm not sleeping in some hostel bed… especially if I don't know where I'm headed," he kept his head high.

"Oh, I'll help you with that," she promised.

"Not going to make me your personal assistant, are you?" he frowned, and she shook her head.

"There's a place for you in New York, Kurt. It's been yours, waiting, from the moment you were born, and I'm going to help you find it."

"Okay, take it easy," he told her, though in this case, deep down, he was actually thankful for her determination. His own had been briefly defeated by the letter he had received. After a moment, he looked to her. "I did say congratulations, right?" he asked her.

"You did," she smiled shyly.

"Okay, good," he nodded. "I'd hate to think in all this haste I would have forgotten that. You'll be amazing… I don't think you're physically able to be anything else," he told her, and she laughed.

"You and I both know that's not quite true, but let's pretend it is," she told him, and he agreed.

"Has it sunk in yet?" he asked.

"It's starting to, I think," she nodded slowly. "Feels like yesterday, you and me, sitting there in the car, panicking…"

"The Gerber baby," he recalled, making her laugh.

"The Gerber baby, yes… And we promised…"

"You know this year, this whole NYADA thing, even if I didn't get in… It wouldn't have been half as good without you."

"Oh, are we going to turn into those weepy people?" she asked, smiling as she brushed off an errant tear.

"Hate to break it to you but I think that ship has sailed, disappeared into the horizon," he told her.

"Right," she bowed her head. "Three years ago it wouldn't have been the same…"

"Three years ago we were sophomores… babies… I mean have you seen pictures of me from back then lately?" he gave her a stare and she nearly snorted. "The phrase 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' comes up repeatedly."

"Got a few of those myself," she agreed. "But still…" she went on. "All these silly arguments… the diva off… We do much better being on the same side," she told him.

"Then we'll stay that way," he declared, decisive, and she nodded firmly.

"Let's make a deal," she thought. "Add to our promise, in a way."

"Alright, I'm listening," Kurt put the letter away, shutting his locker.

"It's very easy… I hope. You and me, no matter what happens, we stay you and me. We keep each other in check. No big heads, no going around like we don't remember what it was like being here… fighting just to get to go." He smiled.

"Works for me," he agreed, presenting his hand. She planted her own in his, and they gave a good shake. "One thing: when you win your first Tony, if you don't mention me, I'm never speaking to you again," he 'glared' and she laughed, nodding – deal.

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!