I got to thinking what would happen if Blaine doesn't realize the impact of his own songwriting prowess, until the show-stopping skill of Rachel's voice and the insightfulness of Kurt's understanding of all things Blaine show him differently….

This will be my first time posting chapters in installments one at a time, so I hope I can update each quickly.

As always, please criticize, suggest, review, edit, at will! Thanks! Oh and I will get to sending messages to everyone who has reviewed my other postings so far… I have incorporated changes based on your feedback and you are awesome!

(Disclaimer: I do not own nor write for Glee otherwise I would have to move to L.A., and change my whole writing style, so thank goodness for that. I also have absolutely nothing to do with the Darren Criss songs "Not Alone" or "Categories" as mentioned within this story.)

Chapter One: The Original.

Rachel was incensed. As she often is. Heads turned momentarily at the surrounding tables at Breadsticks as she raised her voice, "Kurt, you just think that the New Directions are going to win at Regionals and knock you out of the competition. My original song is an amazing idea and you just don't want to lose."

"Rachel. That is so not the case. Listen. I will even help you write a song. If you want, I mean. Just to show you that I'm not afraid anyone's going to lose to you at Regionals because of it. I am simply right when I tell you that it is a bad idea to perform an original song for a competition."

"Well I didn't ask for your help. I was simply informing you that I was going to perform an original song and that you'd better be prepared, because that is what will give us the edge that we need to set us above the competition!"

"No, Rachel… that is what would set you at a disadvantage from the start." Rachel did not look convinced, so Kurt found more words to talk her out of her foolishness. "Think about it Rachel. When people hear a new song on the radio, even from wildly popular artists, it takes them a while to warm up to it. It's only after hearing it a lot that they finally start to really like it. You almost never love a new song the first time you hear it! And the judges at a competition have to love the song first and then love the way you perform it. That's the art of choosing the right songs for competition; you know that."

"I still think that if we blow them away with an original song, they will be even more impressed with us in comparison to everyone else who are only doing covers of other people's songs!"

"I disagree. And it's only because I care about you that I'm trying to convince you of this. Well… that, and I wouldn't want to beat you too easily without the New Directions at least showing a reasonable degree of being actual worthy opponents at Regionals."

Rachel scoffed, looking off toward the door.

"OK listen to me Rachel. I strongly advise you not to try to talk the New Directions into doing this. You often underestimate your influence, and the infectiousness of your energy and passion. People will get behind you if you convince them that you truly believe you can win with an original song. I think you don't realize your own power of persuasion. So I feel I have to stop you for your own good. Because my true belief is that you can't win with an original song. The entire audience and the judges will have to spend most of the time taking in this new song and unknown lyrics, and deciding if they like the lyrics and the tune and even deciding if they can understand the lyrics in the first place… imagine them all worrying about looking like they are enjoying something before knowing what the message is, worrying that maybe the song is talking about something they disagree with or something controversial, and they don't want to have looked like they were condoning something until they know for sure that it's safe for them to approve of it. All of that will completely take their minds away from what they need to focus on in order for you to win, which is your skill and the level of your performance! Believe me, it will start you off at a disadvantage, and I don't know if there's enough time on that stage for you to get past that disadvantage."

They both suddenly became very involved in pushing their pasta around on their plates as Blaine returned to their table. With a little chuckle he asked, "What did I miss?"

"Rachel here is writing an original song. To sing for competition!"

"Ah." Blaine nodded with an understanding grimace.

"Oh I'll show both of you. What do you know?"

"I've even offered to help her write her song but she's not interested. Seriously, Rachel. Let me help you write a song. We'll write a fantastic song that is perfect for you and showcases all your strengths and you can perform it and knock people's socks off. Just not at Regionals. I really don't want to beat you at Regionals just because you're easy prey."

"Ha ha ha Kurt."

"I'd love to see what kind of song the two of you come up with, actually. I think you should do it," Blaine stated, glancing at Kurt and adding "not for competition of course… that is a bit unwise I'd have to agree."

Back at Dalton the next day, Blaine was getting worried that Kurt hadn't picked up his phone or replied to his text after a couple hours. He'd gotten used to Kurt being the one person who answers a text from him almost immediately. Of course he'd become a total slave to his phone any time it buzzed ever since he met Kurt….

Well it was Sunday and he could have been napping or something, so he sent another text just to check. "Have you had lunch yet? You up for something?"

When there was no reply after 15 minutes, he headed out for Kurt's dorm.

Kurt came to his door at the first knock. You know, there's something about that first split second when someone looks up and sees that it's you. Before they can put on the look they choose, there is an infinitely short "tell" that is gone almost before it appears, when what they truly think of you shows in their eyes. Ah well, you can't go by that, Blaine thought, casting his almost-realization from Kurt's eyes aside. We decided on Valentine's Day that we will remain friends and I'm sure he's sticking to that just like I am. That's what's safe and best for now.

"Blaine. How is your Sunday?" He stepped back from the door and gestured to the scruffy and unshaven -oh my goodness is he trying to kill me looking like this while maintaining we must be just friends- boy at the threshold. "Would you like to come in?"

He entered the room and saw the keyboard out and what seemed like a hundred crumpled up pieces of paper on the floor. "Heh, it looks like a classic movie scene with a struggling author suffering from writer's block!" Blaine laughed. "I didn't know people actually do that! Crumpling up paper?" More laughter. Kurt looked entirely unappreciative. "Ah, this is why you haven't picked up your phone all morning?"

"Oh, you called? Oh my goodness, where is my phone… I bet it's off! I hope scads of people and Dads and Caroles and such haven't been trying to reach me…"

As he searched his desk and bookbag for his phone, Blaine checked out the notebook on the keyboard with the one bit of writing that had escaped crumpling thus far. "Rachel's song, is it?"

"Well, no. Not yet. It seems neither one of us can come up with anything interesting. You should hear the stuff she emailed to me last night after midnight! Oh for sophomoric blather! Well at least I guess the crisis is averted for now, and the New Directions will have to stick with some time-tested show-stoppers at Regionals after all. Phew."

"I kind of like what you have here, Kurt… can you play me what you were thinking for the music to it?"

"Yeah, I know… sorry… I can't write music, unfortunately. I usually just record myself once I have something I want to remember. And I warn you… I only play a little bit because of forced piano lessons as a child."

Kurt played pretty darn well actually, if you asked Blaine, and his song was quite pretty. "Not really an anthem to fit the theme of Regionals… but it's the beginnings of a nice song, Kurt. You just might have a talent for this after all!"

Kurt pushed him jokingly, "After all?" Blaine caught Kurt's shoulder as an automatic reaction but quickly turned it into shoving Kurt playfully right back in response, then coming up close right into his face with "After all these papers all over the floor! That's what."

Keeping his face in proper gangster-movie-style confrontational closeness with Blaine's, he said, "Maybe that's my process. Hmmmm?"

"Hmmmm!" came the reply from Blaine's gorgeous smirk, but failing to be very gangster-like, it sounded to Kurt a bit like something… kinda… um… sexy. And Blaine must have felt that a bit too, because he quickly broke away and looked back at the notebook and took to the keys himself, adding a little bit of embellishment to the tune Kurt had played, singing the song softly and making it sound actually a bit more like an anthem.

"Wow how did you do that?"

"I just changed a couple of the words…"

"Blaine, you totally changed the whole tone and meaning of the entire chorus… and the chorus is everything I've written so far! You did it in like 40 seconds flat. How did you do that? Do you write?"

"A little bit. Hey, do you want to get some lunch? I'm starving and I think you'll need some sustenance if you hope to come up with anything Rachel would want to belt out!"

A/N - Feel free to criticize, suggest, comment at will! Thanks!