CHAPTER 1

Brittany had begun her campaign for Senior Class President against Scott Cooper, Parker Williamson, Tessa Harktan, and, to her surprise, Amanda Packard. As the students cast their ballots, Brittany found that she had a satisfyingly long line of supporters. She wanted to thank Alexander, but she couldn't see him. She looked over at Amanda, who unsurprisingly had a much longer line. With her being the head cheerleader, it only seemed natural. Scott, Parker, and Tessa all had their own lines of supporters, and every other student was putting their ballot into the boxes.

Coach Beiste was overseeing the proceedings and would be counting the ballots later, and had Principal Cooper sitting next to her. Mr. Schuester was also around, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy watching how close Beiste and Lawrence were getting. The more he could sway her, the easier it would be for him to manipulate her into thinking that some things were not worth keeping around, like the Glee Club.

Sue, Emma, and Roz were discussing wedding plans between Emma and Mr. Schuester, and most of the New Directions were waiting their turn to cast their votes. Gina and Dina were in the bustle, going towards Amanda's table. Tina, Artie, Blaine, Matt, Joe, Rory, and Sugar were all in Brittany's line, though she could not see any of the other newcomers, and Sam was still suspended.

As the voting process came to a close, the gym became less crowded, and Brittany still had a few supporters who wanted to talk to her. Emily and Hannah had cast their votes for her, while Brittany saw Xavier planning to vote for Amanda. Brittany's last supporter came up to her, and she felt as if she had seen him before.

"I heard that if you win, you'll put a stop to pedophilia?"

"That's right. The way this country's run, the number of creeps out there will just keep on increasing. Someone has to take a stand, and I'm the girl to do it."

"That's great. I'm sure you'll do a fine job. I had an unpleasant encounter with the Glee Club's former director, which caused me to lose focus and ultimately repeat my Sophomore year."

This did not go unheard by Mr. Schuester, and he turned around the face the guy.

"Hey, uh, your name wouldn't by any chance be Hank Saunders, would it?"

"Maybe, why?"

"Well, it's just that no one really knew what happened to you after you left the club, so I'm just surprised to see you here."

"Well, like I said, I had to repeat a year. Mr. Ryerson's act did a real number on me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Hank. But listen, if you want to come back and help the New Directions out for Sectionals, that could be great."

"Thanks, but no thanks. There are too many bad memories in there. I'll show my support, though, help you guys with funding, and stuff like that. Sugar Motta and her dad can't keep footing the bill."

"That's just as fine. Hank, I wish you the best."

"Thanks, Mr. Schuester."

They shook hands, and Hank turned to Brittany.

"Brittany, you've got my vote. Please put it to good use."

Hank then left to cast his ballot, and they began cleaning the place up.

INTERLUDE

With Sectionals two days away, the New Directions were as ready as ever. They had no doubt that the Warblers had been hard at work, and had long since considered them to be the friendly enemy. Even with Sebastian at the helm, the Warblers were still the kinder competition. The Music Masters were an entirely new battlefield. The New Directions had stood dumbfounded after the Music Masters had performed "We Will Rock You", recognizing them as the best possible group they had ever seen. It would take everything they had to beat them.

Fortunately, the New Directions had gotten most of their strength back. Amanda and Xavier were back, and Sam had gotten his suspension lifted, allowing him to return. He was, however, still banned from Sectionals, so he assisted Hannah and Emily in creating the costumes. They had picked well-rounded songs, and they had been practicing their choreography to the point of exhaustion. This was especially problematic for Tina, who was experiencing an onslaught of pregnancy hormones, causing her to feel hungry, tired, and irritable. She had so far managed to keep everything a secret from the others, but they could tell that something was up. Brittany had been studying harder than ever for any upcoming tests, and the boys' first football game of the season was coming up.

As the New Directions headed home after rehearsals, Alexander approached Mr. Schuester.

"Mr. Schuester, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"I'm concerned about Tina. She constantly looks like she's going to be sick and hasn't been keeping up with the others lately, even with vocals."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too. Do you think that something is wrong with her?"

"I have a strong feeling that she may be pregnant."

"You can tell that?"

"No, it's just a sense of it. I don't know for sure, but I'm still concerned for her well-being. I know that she has been given the honor of leading lady, but for now, maybe we can have a change of cast until we're sure that she's better?"

"Well, I can't just take her position as lead female vocalist away."

"I'm not saying that you have to demote her, sir. Just temporarily have someone fill in for her until she feels better."

Mr. Schuester thought for a moment, considering that Alexander may be right.

"Okay, I think we can do it. How about for the opening number, I pair you up with Emily, and we go from there?"

"Sounds good. Thank you."

Alexander then left, unaware that both Tina and Emily had heard the whole thing from behind the door.

"Did you hear that? You get to do the duet with him", said Tina, half-excitedly.

"Yeah, but that means taking away the lead from you, and I can't do that."

"You can do it for now. I'm pregnant, and they're right. If I can't keep up with him, I don't stand a chance up front."

"Tina, you've worked hard for this position."

"It's just the opening number. Don't worry, I'll be okay. I would much rather you get closer to him doing this than doing it any other way."

Emily smiled meekly and nodded, and they hugged it out.