Author's Note: the first chapter of a multi-chap fic attempting to flesh out what the hell happened on summer break (which is a bullshit plot device to change plot points.) first I'm addressing Artie and Tina's relationship that went from strongest on the show to break up hell. Tina and Mike's sudden chemistry, Finn and Artie's sudden bromance and several other things that weren't explained well enough or pissed me off (the sudden inexplicable break up of the Muppet babies?). What I'm really try to get at is that the character all must have been at some point in the summer, incredibly disconnected as a group and lonely and the show pretty much glosses over that.

This story is set in the 'completely irrelevant tales' universe so if you don't understand something chances are I've written a drabble about it (Artie's relationships with Puck and Mike are fleshed out there.) on a side note I'm thinking of doing a part two of that series for season two- would anybody actually want to read that?

Finn ended up staying at home a lot the first week of the summer, sometimes he went on dates with Rachel but other than that he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. In glee they all spoke like they were great friends but they weren't really, and the people that he used to be close with… well they had a baby together and now he couldn't stand the thought of being more than a glee buddy with either of them.

Rachel was great. He hadn't realised how much he really liked just being with her until this summer when it was just the two of them. That said she still had ballet, and violin and piano. Plus she volunteers down a town over at the music for the disabled program and has family over for two weeks. She makes time for him, but it doesn't feel like enough, and it's not like he wants to be 'that guy' who does everything with his girlfriend anyway. But still…

He hadn't realised he was so lonely until he was actually alone. He saw Kurt, but things were still weird. His Mum was so happy but Mr Hummel still looked like he wanted to yell at him some of the time, anyway Kurt was working his summer job at their garage so he couldn't visit even if he wanted to. Because Finn had been banned from there since he accidentally set part of it on fire. Not a big part of it, just small enough that they didn't need the fire brigade just big enough that he had a life ban.

He might call Mike or Matt, but Mike's parents had made him be a camp counsellor at an arts camp his parents donated to, and Matt's sister had gotten into some prestigious school in California and his whole family had to move. They still spoke but Matt was never much of a talker, and he doesn't want to take away from Matt making new friends before school. Though he seems to be having separation anxiety from being away from Mike, which does makes sense since they're best friends, he just hoping neither of them is as bummed out as he is about this whole separation thing.

He checks through his phone, scrolling down the numbers. Hell he doesn't even like half of these people anymore let alone talk to them, he scrolls very quickly over Puck's name making sure not to stop for a second before resting on Rachel's name. He wonders how co-dependant it would be to put her on speed dial- after all he has nothing but space for her there now.

"Hello" she answered when she finally picked up, "hey Rachel," he perked up his voice a little, no need to sound super depressed or anything in front of his girl- well not in front- well you know. "Oh hey!" he could almost hear her smile, he wondered if that was possible to feel a facial expression "I was just thinking of calling you, my cousin Stacey is throwing this major tantrum that I don't spend any time with her, normally I wouldn't give in to this kind of terrorism but my two gay dads are making me take her to the movies."

Finn tried not to snort with laughter, he wondered if she even realised she used the term 'two gay dads' even when she wasn't trying to make a point. "That's fine; I'll guess I'll just play video games or something." There was a lot of background noised now and he could hear Rachel yelling- not that she yelled Rachel said she doesn't yell but rather sternly reprimand for everyone to be quiet. "Oh you should go do that with Artie he's spent the last week moping that Tina's away on vacation, the reception must be terrible over there because she never answers her phone."

Artie! Why hadn't he thought of Artie, though not a particularly good friend, he was still someone he could totally hang with, right? "That's a great idea babe, have fun with Casey," he rushed "it's Stac-" Finn hung up, it took him a second to realise he hadn't actually said goodbye- oh well she couldn't be that mad could she? Finn scrolled through his phone book, and then again, and then again before he realised he didn't have Artie's number. Well hell, how did that happen?

00000

Tina checked her phone and sighed, another missed call- why did Artie always have to call in the middle of her music class when she couldn't answer it? It was so typical Artie, he was so doing it on purpose, just because he hated talking on the phone, what kind of person doesn't like talking on the phone? hell she talked to Mercedes more on the phone than she did in real life.

She slammed her phone shut. Not talking to Artie was difficult, because she loved talking to him. He would smile up at her, sort of half desperate for her attention- sure he'd usually ramble on about himself for like twenty minuets before he'd ask her about her day- but that was really just because he didn't really know how to talk to people. She had always found it sort of endearing and useful since it ensured he never kept anything from her.

She texted Kurt but got no response. Shit! Why was no one calling her anymore, it's like she dropped off the face of the earth instead of going a state over to supervise a bunch of kids at music camp- or Asian camp as Artie was affectionately calling it as it was sort of prestigious and had a high amount of Asian kids due to her parents influence. Her parents were trying to push her to meet a 'nice' Asian man, ever since they had been home long enough to meet Artie and strongly disapprove.

Artie, who still hadn't called her back! She would call him but her credit was dangerously low and she could text him for 1 cent since they were both on the same plan. There was a knock on the door and Mike walked in hesitantly.

Mike was the only person she liked at camp, Artie, Mike and Tina had all sort of become friends since they had to perform in these hideous red pants- sort of like how men at war are friends, survivors of great trauma. Still they didn't really have much to say, Artie was sort of great at including and keeping her in conversations with people who weren't in her core group of friends. Without him, neither one really knew what to say.

"hey Tina" he said awkwardly, it wasn't like Mike was shy or anything but he had been quiet and moody ever since they had gotten to camp because he couldn't spend the summer in California with Matt saying the world's longest goodbye like he had planned.

Her phone beeped and she checked it quickly. A quick message from Artie saying he couldn't call her today, that Finn was coming over. "Who is it?" Mike asked curiously laying out on one of her roommates beds, boys weren't supposed to be in the girl's cabin but that rule was pretty lax during the day for counsellors.

"Artie, he's hanging out with Finn for the day," his eyebrows raised, "I didn't know Finn and Artie were friends, that must be weird."

"Why?" it's not like Artie couldn't have friends right? Well friends outside of their little group she could see how that was weird, "oh nothing but I mean Finn used to lay into Artie in middle school, it's pretty big of him to be over it." She crossed her legs on her bed, dropping off her shoes, "he's friends with Puck," she pointed out, even if that was more Puck breaking into his room and kidnapping him so they could hang out, "yeah, but Puck was never like Finn."

They both dropped it, Artie didn't really mention the football team bullying him to her, and she didn't mention what some girls wrote about her on the locker room wall or how she had to change her email account six times last year because some persistent girls in her class use to spam her accounts.

"What do you want Mike?" She asked, it was a bit more forward that her style usually dictated but he tended to beat around the bush unless she asked point blank questions. "I- I just wanted to see how you are."

It hadn't struck her before that Mike Chang the football star, expert dancer, social butterfly might had just been feeling lonely and shut out. Yet here he was.

00000

Artie answered the door after the very persistent knocking, Finn grinned at him holding his x-box and a bag full of stuff. "Hey Finn" he grinned, he had never been so happy to see someone other than his family. He usually wasn't desperate enough to hang with the good natured slow-too-catch-on-jock, but he was a week into Summer and Tina was at camp, Mercedes had joined Quinn and her mum on their reconnect road trip, Kurt was either up to his elbows in grease or sleeping off exhaustion (having decidedly a way more manly summer than Artie.) And Puck had a strict 'don't call me I'll call you rule to their friendship.

Finn was cool though, they'd never really spoken much one on one since Finn saved him from Puck and the port-a-potty. They'd never needed too, until now really. Finn showed Artie halo. Artie admitted he had never played and Finn had thought this a travesty (well not in those words). He also brought his x-box because Artie's had met the red-ring-of-death and he hadn't worked enough hours at Bunches of Bunches to pay for a new one yet.

Halo turned out to be surprisingly easy to get the hang of, Finn was doing a running commentary in the background, and Artie was more than happy to take direction for once. They sort of made a good virtual team.

Later Finn sat through Artie bitching about Tina being so far away, he figured Finn would get bored or distracted or make up some reason to leave after the game was off, but he actually seemed interested. Artie had always assumed the nice guy transformation was more of an act than genuine, but here in Artie room on summer vacation Finn was listening to him whine about missing his girlfriend and let him steal some of the Oreos he brought over.

God Finn Hudson was actually a fucking nice guy! How had he missed that?

He steered the conversation off himself quickly, hearing a voice in his head that sounded more than a little like Kurt's saying 'that his self evolved rambling is only cute to Tina and only because she loves you.' Artie smiled widely at that thought, because what right did he have to complain- things with Tina could only be more perfect if they were in the same state. Finn is the one who he should be complaining after all god-love her he was dating Rachel Berry. And as much as Artie had grown to like Rachel she would still be a terribly annoying girlfriend.

"So what about you then? I bet you and you're friends are having loads of fun." Finn made a hesitant look Artie would later learn meant he was about to lie, "yeah loads of fun."

00000

Mike was following Tina, not on purpose or stalker-y-ish-ly or anything like that, just well… he had never gotten around to learning to tolerating any of the counsellors. He wasn't particularly fond of Tina, she was so much more difficult to talk to without Artie, who defiantly knew how to fill up space, even if it was innocuous or irrelevant. He wasn't sure Tina actually knew how to maintain a conversation without the prompts from Artie or Mercedes.

But there was something about her, like he was seeing her for the first time, without someone standing next to her to wash her out. That why he thinks she must be dating Artie, not that he's not a great guy, just he thinks the attraction wouldn't have come so naturally at first. From what he can gather the first time you meet Artie you can't form any sort of opinion on him, just feel the general sense of unease and wondering that the chair provides you.

In fact you can't not look at him with that chair, you're eyes are trained to him which means you're defiantly not looking at the shy wallflower next to him. He can see to a degree of that working with a loud mouth black girl or an out and proud gay guy. Huh, when he thinks of it that way the more, he's not even sure if Tina even likes them, in the time at camp that he's talked to her he's found out when she speaks about her friends she complains.

That's not all he know now though, he also knows; she likes dancing and singing, she likes her eggs scrambled, she likes her music Broadway, she likes her movies romantic and she likes her books sad. When she talks about her family she looks miserable, she has four different kinds of laugh, and three different colours in her eyes. She doesn't stutter anymore and she wont say why, she doesn't actually like anything goth except the clothing and she's a non-practicing Jew.

It's not like she's opened up or anything, but he seeing her new here, a whole new her where all she has is to be herself and not have a stutter or crippling shyness or even a paraplegic boyfriend to fall back on. He kind of likes her this way, totally herself. He feels kind of special that he knows her this way.

Not that it means anything, she's dating Artie. Who's in glee, and in a wheelchair and who is a totally nice guy. It would be super amoral to even look at her that way, and if Artie ever found out he would never give Mike a massage for when he strains a muscle in his leg again! And that would just be totally wrong!

Mike calls Matt again, they talk every day; they've worked out a time schedule so they're both free at the same time. Mike misses Matt like he misses an arm, Mike's always been part of a team, and he doesn't know how to be his own person. Matt tries to reassure Mike the best he can but Mike can tell he doesn't like being a half anymore than Mike does.

When there not acting like star-crossed lovers listening to each other breathe over the phone, Mike talks, because really Matt's not going to do it. So Mike talks about Tina, and then he feels compelled to talk about Artie and what a great guy he is and Matt gets confused about which one of them Mike has the crush on. Which is neither because Mike doesn't have a crush, thank you very much Matt!

But something is happening he can feel it, Tina's almost a real person now, and she can almost complete a full conversation now even if it is just to complain that Artie hasn't called because Finn introduced him to halo. Or she just sits and watches him dance for ages with a funny look on her face which makes Mike think that sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes she wishes she had a boyfriend who could dance with her.

She's smiling more, and Mike pretends he doesn't notice because he doesn't like her. Not at all.

Well maybe a little. Not enough to hurt right?