Perchance to Dream

Disclaimer: I only own Glee in my dreams : )


A normal Tuesday afternoon at the Vogue offices was interrupted by Maroon 5's Payphone playing somewhere in the vicinity of a certain intern's desk. Isabelle Wright set down a handful of fabric swatches and moved toward the source of the song, where a frantic Kurt Hummel was dumping his satchel out on the floor in search of his phone.

"Everything okay over here?"

"I am so sorry, Isabelle, I thought I set it on mute…ah ha!" He thrust the offending phone into the air and jabbed at the screen, and the office was silent once more.

"Oh, no worries, Kurt, it happens to the best of us," Isabelle said as Kurt shoved everything back into his bag. "New ringtone?" she asked casually.

Kurt's expression became more guarded. "What can I say, it speaks to me," he said lightly as he set down his bag and began shuffling papers around on his desk.

Isabelle smoothed her skirt and said carefully, "It has it's merits. It's a lot better than Love Stinks, anyway. Isn't that what you had at the end of last quarter? Never really took you for a J. Geils guy. That's a big change from, what was it…Firework, right?"

Kurt stiffened, but looked up calmly as he said, "I have many eclectic tastes. And I'm not really feeling Katy Perry these days."

She smiled and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. This is America, Kurt. You can have whatever ring tone you want. I'm just looking forward to the day that you pick something a little more cheerful."


~*~KB~*~

Kurt felt anything but cheerful as he threw himself down on his bed at the end of the day, ignoring the countless unread texts on his phone and the unfinished homework in his backpack. Why had he thought the pain would just go away? In the big city living his new life, he thought that ignoring Blaine and pressing forward would allow him to heal. He found himself pulling away from boys at NYADA even as he tried to keep Blaine at a polite distance. Blaine still sent him messages every day; it was obvious he was still torn up inside, but Kurt had his own feelings to think about. This whole 'moving on' thing was harder than he thought it would be.

Because as much as Kurt tried to push him away in real life, Blaine would still be waiting for him in his dreams…

He was wandering barefoot through a hedge maze filled with stunning flowers, fountains, and sculptures. Night was falling, and lanterns flickered to life along the path ahead, drawing Kurt toward the center of the garden. Music drifted toward him from somewhere in the distance. As he turned a final corner, he found himself at the edge of a square lawn with a white gazebo in the middle. Instead of a band, Blaine stood at its center, dressed in white, stock-still beneath the ornate wooden roof. Kurt's steps faltered; he gazed up at the boy in white, whose eyes were filled with an intensity Kurt wasn't yet ready to understand. He moved slowly toward the gazebo, finally picking up on the tune that seemed to be coming from the very air around them.

I never felt nothing in the world like this before
Now I'm missing you and I'm wishing you would come back through my door

Dream Blaine is into R&B, Kurt thought wryly as he walked up the gazebo steps. They stood a few feet apart and stared at each other, lanterns shining all around, as Blaine continued to sing.

Baby why can't we just
Just start over again
Get it back to the way it was
If you give me a chance
I can love you right

But you're telling me it won't be enough

The garden seemed to swirl and fade as Blaine closed the space between them, taking Kurt's hand in his. His eyes were filled with such intense sadness and determination they took Kurt's breath away.

So baby I will wait for you
Cause I don't know what else I can do
Don't tell me I ran out of time
If it takes the rest of my life

Baby I will wait for you
If you think I'm fine it just ain't true
I really need you in my life
No matter what I have to do
I'll wait for you

Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and backed away, the lantern light dimming. Kurt, still rooted to the spot, reached blindly into the growing darkness, but grasped only air. The last thing he heard before he woke was Blaine's voice in the distance.

I'll be waiting…


"Rachel, do you ever dream about…someone singing to you?"

Their study session was not going well. After reading the same sentence six times, Kurt was ready to throw in the towel. Rachel shrugged and continued flipping through her Music Theory notes. "It's mostly me and Barbara, but Finn dream-serenades me at least once a week." She rolled her eyes and smiled wistfully. "I'm almost starting to miss the real thing."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

"Shut up!" She tossed her notes aside and crossed her arms. "So who was it? In your dream?" She grinned. "Was it –"

"Nothing! No one! I shouldn't have asked." He grabbed his textbook and flipped to a random chapter. "This is purely hypothetical."

Rachel shook her head and returned to her notes. "Sure it is."


~*~KB~*~

It had been a week since his run-in with Dream Blaine, and school had proved a blessed distraction. Kurt threw himself onto his bed and was out within moments of closing his eyes. But instead of being back at the Vogue office, struggling to fix a jammed copier, as he had dreamed the night before, Kurt found himself somewhere even more familiar. He walked slowly down the aisle toward the stage, wondering where everyone was. He wrapped his arms around himself as he reached the front row, peering into the shadowy wings. The McKinley Auditorium had never felt so empty.

A soft piano melody cut through the silence as a spotlight revealed a familiar face: Tina stepped into the light and moved toward the lone mic, her black skirt swirling around her knees. She wrapped her pale hands around the mic and began to sing, her voice strong and clear as it filled the empty room.

I know there's something in the wake of your smile
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah
You've built a love but that love falls apart
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark

Listen to your heart when he's calling for you
Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do
I don't know where you're going and I don't know why
But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye

Tina closed her eyes as Kurt watched, mesmerized, her words filling his heart.

Sometimes, you wonder if this fight is worthwhile
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems
The feeling of belonging to your dreams

Listen to your heart when he's calling for you
Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do
I don't know where you're going and I don't know why
But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye

And there are voices that want to be heard
So much to mention but you can't find the words
The scent of magic, the beauty that's been
When love was wilder than the wind

Listen to your heart when he's calling for you
Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do
I don't know where you're going and I don't know why
But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye...

As her final words echoed around him, Kurt sat frozen in his seat, filled with sadness, regret, pain, fear, anger... and the smallest glimmer of hope. A tear slid down his cheek; he made no move to wipe it away.

She glanced down at him and smiled. He blinked, and she was gone.

The stage didn't stay empty for long. Dark shapes separated themselves from the shadows and came forward, lining up behind Mercedes, who took center stage. She, like Tina, wore black, with a red band at her waist. Kurt was dimly aware that she and the girls had worn the same dresses at their first Sectionals competition. The old Glee club was all there, stepping into formation as new music began to play.

Ever wonder 'bout what he's doing
How it all turned to lies
Sometimes I think that it's better to never ask why

Kurt leaped to his feet as Mercedes geared up for the chorus, the rest of the club flowing around her. There was a determined glint in her eyes as she squared her shoulders and belted out the chorus.

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try try try
Gotta get up and try try try
You gotta get up and try try try

The dancers crossed the stage and twirled around each other, before parting to allow Mercedes to move toward the edge of the stage, Santana at her side.

Ever worry that it might be ruined
And does it make you wanna cry?
When you're out there doing what you're doing
Are you just getting by?
Tell me are you just getting by by by

As they geared up for the finale, the group sang and danced with such power and grace it made Kurt's head spin, all twelve of them moving together as if...wait, twelve? Kurt knew the group only had twelve members when he was there. Who was the final member, standing in the back behind Mike and Britney? It couldn't be...

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try try try
Gotta get up and try try try
You gotta get up and try try try

He rushed onstage as the group began returning to the shadows, leaving Mercedes to sing the final chorus alone. She looked at him as she sang, as he spun around frantically, searching until he caught a glimpse of dark hair and hazel eyes.

You gotta get up and try try try
Gotta get up and try try try...

"Blaine?"

But even as Kurt reached for him, Blaine backed into the darkness with the others, leaving Kurt alone on an empty stage.

He woke with a gasp, struggling to untie himself from a tangle of sheets before snatching up his phone. He hoped Mercedes would answer before checking to see what time it was...


Finn walked cautiously into the Lima Bean, wondering for the hundredth time what he was doing there. The moment he walked through the door, he saw a blur of curly hair as Blaine Anderson rushed over to meet him. Finn met him halfway and gestured stiffly toward the table Blaine had just vacated.

"I shouldn't be talking to you, out of respect for Kurt, but I'm here. What did you want to talk to me about? You said it was really important."

Blaine sat back down and fiddled with his coffee cup. "It's about Kurt," he said, choosing his words carefully, "and Rachel. What's more important than them?"


~*~KB~*~

Part 2 soon to follow!

The stage is set! What are the boys scheming about? Any guesses as to what songs might be involved? Will Mercedes pick up the phone?

This story is a very self-indulgent version of how Klaine and Finchel could get back together through the power of music (Alternate title: The Make Up). Have you ever heard a song on the radio, and thought, "This would be so perfect for *blank* to sing on Glee!" I do that all the time (not that I'm obsessed or anything) and that's how this story came together, one song at a time. I hope you enjoy it! Any and all feedback is appreciated. Feel free to check out my other Glee stories: Dueling Divas and Taking Chances, one-shots about Kurt and Rachel, and A Shot At Redemption, a three-part tale of the New Directions joining forces with the Warblers (spoiler alert: chaos ensues).

Hope you enjoy! As always, thanks for reading!

Songs in this chapter:

Payphone (Maroon 5), Firework (Katy Perry), Love Stinks (J. Geils Band), and most importantly, Wait for You (Elliot Yamin), Listen to Your Heart (DHT), and Try (Pink). For the musical numbers, feel free to play the song in the background to really bring the moment to life : )