I officially am pissed at the Warblers for not falling down in utter and complete devotion at Kurt's feet after that solo on "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." Sure, it's a male acapella group, which is more about harmony than standout performances. And yes, its better that Dalton's not perfect, so the writers can work in Kurt coming back to McKinley eventually. But in the short term, screw them. They made Kurt kinda sad and I'm after changing that, at least in my own little world. :-P BTW, in this universe, Finn and Rachel didn't break up, though that's a minor detail.
P.S. This is dedicated to my fellow Wicked gleeks. If you're not familiar with the song "What is This Feeling", just look it up on YouTube. It's awesome.
Kurt Hummel stood off in the wings, waiting for the previous act to complete. He saw Ms. Nalick, his music teacher and glee coach, making her way across the stage behind the curtain to him. She was wearing a grey caftan robe with that zipped up the front She took in the look on his face, expression concerned. "You look nervous, Kurt. Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, not really." he replied. "I just…I invited some of my friends from New Directions tonight. I hope you don't mind."
"Why would I mind?" she shrugged. "It's not like we're doing this at Regionals. And even if we were," she smirked, "it wouldn't matter. We'd still kick their butts."
"Yeah." said Kurt. "That's what I'm supposed to want to do. Kick their butts." He smiled, but it didn't quite make it to his eyes.
Sarah came a little closer to Kurt, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I'm your coach, Kurt. It's my sacred duty to encourage you to kick the competition's butt's." Her eyes softened fondly. "But that's not what tonight is about. This is an exhibition, for fun. Right?"
Kurt's smile became more genuine. "Right."
Sarah's hand moved to the zipper of her cover-up. She unzipped and shrugged it off, revealing a sparkly tiered pink dress. "You ready?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kurt removed his black hoodie and discarded it. Underneath, he wore all black as well; boots, tight trousers, and mock turtleneck. He raised an equally arched eyebrow in return. "Oh, it's on." He replied.
Teacher and student grinned at each other, then moved to the chairs that had been set up behind the curtain. They heard the applause for the previous performers, and straightened up as the curtain rose.
Sarah had the first lyric, speaking as she pretended to write on a pad of paper. Dearest, darlingest momsie and popsicle.
Kurt pretended to write in response. My dear father.
They sang together. There's been some confusion over rooming her at Shiz…
Each acting their part, they sang of loathing each other forever. Sarah played it bubble-headed and annoyingly perky, and Kurt responded with dry sarcasm and wit. They tried very hard to stay in character, but broke into smiles and near laughter often. They circled each other as they sang the last lines of the song. Loathing for forever, loathing loathing, truly deeply. Loathing you, my whole life long! Sarah pretended to flirt with the Warblers who had come onstage to provide the chorus, then turned towards Kurt. Boo! he shouted, and she responded with a shriek. She stamped her pink Vivienne Westwood pump loudly on the floor and glared at Kurt. The lights went dark, and a huge round of applause echoed through the theater.
As the lights went back up, the chorus singers took their bows, then gestured to Kurt and Sarah. They joined hands and did a deep curtsey together, then Sarah turned and enveloped Kurt in a hug, giggling madly. Kurt hugged her back tightly, and the curtain dropped.
An hour later, Kurt, still in his stage clothes, was standing with his dad, Carole, Finn, Rachel, Mercedes and Mr. Schuester at the after-exhibition reception in Dalton's Great Hall. They were chatting animatedly when Sarah breezed by, also still in her cotton candy pink dress. She slung an arm around Kurt's shoulders and squeezed. "There's my shining star!" she exclaimed.
"That was really awesome." said Mercedes to the two of them.
"Oh my God, it was so much fun!" replied Sarah. She looked at Kurt. "We've been trying to figure out how to do that number together since what, your second day here?" Kurt nodded happily.
She turned and looked at Burt and Carole, smile still on her face but eyes becoming serious. "I am so proud of your son, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel." she said. "It's a true privilege to work with someone this talented, and at such a young age." Kurt tried to demure, but Sarah would have none of it. She turned to Kurt and put her hands on his shoulders. "You are going to do amazing things someday, Kurt Hummel. I just know it." Kurt's eyes got a little watery, and they hugged. Most of the group looked delighted, but Will Schuester's brows were knit.
They separated, and for the first time Sarah noticed the good-looking, curly haired guy standing next to Rachel. He had a weird look on his face. Kurt suddenly spoke. "I'm so rude, sorry, I haven't introduced you to everyone. You know my dad and step-mom. But this is my step-brother Finn, his girlfriend Rachel, and my best friend, Mercedes. And this is my former glee club coach, Mr. Schuester."
Sarah's eyes widened. "Will Schuester! Oh wow, it's so great to finally meet you." She reached out and grabbed his hand, smiling and pumping it vigorously. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Will found himself smiling back.
"Oh!" exclaimed Kurt. "Blaine just walked in with his parents." His eyes darted to Burt and Carole, then back to Sarah. "We're supposed to have the first official meeting of the families tonight." He smoothed his hair with a suddenly trembling hand. "Oh God, I'm so nervous!" he exclaimed.
Sarah sent him a disbelieving look. "Oh please!" She said. "You've got nothing to worry about. They're going to love you!" She patted him on the back and gave him a little shove. "Good luck, Kurt. Not that you'll need it or anything." She watched as everyone but Will made their way across the room. He'd lost his smile, and looked seriously at Sarah.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
Will sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Not really." he said. "It's just…you make me realize how little I appreciated and praised Kurt when he was my student. It's obvious the two of you are really close."
Sarah gave Will a small smile. "I love all my students, Will. You know how that is. But sometimes teachers will take a shine to a particular one from time to time." She looked over to where Kurt was introducing his parents to Blaine's. "I felt connection with Kurt almost immediately. I was him, in high school." Will looked at her. She shrugged. "Well, not a guy, and not gay, but in just about every other way. I was lucky, I had a lot of people back then supporting me and telling me how amazing I was. He deserves the same, especially considering what went down at McKinley with that bully."
Will looked at the floor, and Sarah took pity on him. She touched his forearm. "Tell you what, why don't we get some punch and share a few war stories. Truce for tonight, okay?" Will looked up and smiled at her, and they made their way to the punch bowl. As he handed Sarah a cup, she held his gaze for a beat. "Just to be clear," she said, "this does not mean you're getting into my pants."
Will nearly snorted punch out his nose. "Excuse me?" he said.
Sarah smiled knowingly. "Look, Will. This might be the first time we've met, but your reputation precedes you on the show choir circuit. Shelby Corcoran, Will? Really?"
I'm sorry, I just had to plop that "Man-Slut-Will" bit in there at the end. I wanted him to meet Sarah, and every time he interacts with a new female on the show I expect him to try and nail her, so it kinda slipped in. I have one more idea for this universe, so if you'd like to read more, please let me know in the review section.