song and steel
a Supergirl / Glee crossover event
chapter two
National City wasn't exactly New York, but for most of the Glee Club kids from McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, it was still a place spoken about in awed, reverent tones. They had never imagined a place like this - "The City of the Future," the visitor's guide called it – all gleaming towers and soaring spires, polished metal and glass, dreams reflecting in every direction around them. As the bus carrying them, their coaches and one special chaperone (guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, who was not so secretly one of the coaches' girlfriend) finally rolled up to the hotel, they stood in front of their seats and stretched, cracking backs and groaning aloud in response to the four-hour ride. It was supposed to have been three hours, of course, but with all the rest breaks and some traffic getting into the city, the trip had gone from merely long to seemingly endless, and not without complaint from some of the less patient members of the club.
"We're finally here?! Oh, thank god – I was beginning to think I'd never be able to feel my legs again," one of them moaned, a beautiful raven-haired, tan-skinned, dark-eyed Latina in a cheerleader's outfit, who stood next to a taller blonde with pale skin and ice-blue eyes, also clad in the signature sleeveless top and short paneled skirt that made up the uniform of McKinley High School's championship cheerleading squad, the Cheerios.
"Hey!" came an indignant voice from the back of the bus. "I can hear you, Santana."
"I'm sorry, Artie, but honestly – this is one time you should be glad your legs have no feeling in 'em. I'm just keeping it real."
The owner of the offended voice huffed as the back door of the bus opened. Two boys seated on either side of him lifted him from his seat and carefully stepped down and out of the large vehicle to deposit him gently into his wheelchair.
"Be nice," the blonde standing next to Santana admonished, and the Latina, whose voice and manner had been so proud and defiant a moment before, actually bowed her head and murmured a low I said I was sorry.
"Ha! Brittany has you totally whipped, doesn't she," laughed a tall boy with a goofy, lopsided grin on his face, which earned him a slap on the arm from his diminutive girlfriend, yet another blonde cheerleader, this one glaring at him with a serious look of displeasure. "Ow! Kitty, what the hell was that for? You know it's true."
"Yes, Finn - and it's also true that you're equally whipped by me," Kitty replied. "So just shut up and let me out of this mobile version of hell before I climb up your back and over you."
Finn shuffled forward with his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans, looking sullen and not entirely chastened, but knowing better than to further anger the little hell-cat he called his girlfriend. The others – Rachel and Quinn, Blaine and Kurt, Mercedes and Tina, Santana and Brittany, with Sam bringing up the rear - followed him and Kitty in a slow procession out of the bus as Mr. Schuester, Ms. Corcoran and Miss Pillsbury, along with Noah, Mike and Artie, exhorted them from outside to keep the line moving.
The New Directions craned their necks to look up at the glass and steel magnificence of the city surrounding them, especially that of the Grand Hotel itself. No, it wasn't New York, but it was extraordinary just the same, particularly to a bunch of small-town kids, some of whom hadn't ever been to a large city, not even Cleveland or Columbus or Dayton. The hotel looked less like a building than a piece of modern art, seamless in its blending of form and function, elegant and beautiful. Even the three adults caught themselves gawking very much like the young people they were escorting, amidst the low whistles and murmured oohs and aahs heard among their charges.
"Wow," a tall boy with a dark complexion and a Mohawk haircut said. "This place is fancy. All this just for a show choir competition? Man, I bet I'd have to clean pools for a whole year to make enough money to stay here for a single night."
"Then it's a good thing that the National Show Choir Association is footing the bill for this, isn't it, Puck?" Mr. Schue replied, smiling as they filed into the expansive lobby of the hotel, with its gleaming floors and shining walls. Then he raised his hands to signal that the group should stop and gather around him and the other two adults. His expression turned serious when he addressed the clustered group of young performers once more. "Now, I suppose I don't have to tell you all that you need to be on your very best behavior while we're here – but I'll tell you anyway. We are here to represent our school as Regionals champions, so we need to act like champions. That means conducting yourselves with class and dignity. No fighting, no fooling around, and no taunting any of the competition. Understood?"
The group responded with solemn nods and a subdued but sincere "Yes, Mr. Schue."
Mr. Schue tilted his head in Ms. Corcoran's direction, and the intense, dark-haired co-director cleared her throat to speak.
"This is a really big deal, guys, OK? You've worked really, really hard to get here, and we just don't want to see anything get between you and that Nationals trophy. We know you can win this, so don't beat yourselves before you even get on the stage. All right?" Seeing the group shake their heads affirmatively once more, she gestured to Ms. Pillsbury, and the soft-spoken guidance counselor stepped forward.
"We're going to get your room keys now. Girls are sharing rooms with girls, boys with boys. I'm sorry, Kurt – your note was lovely, but you still can't room with Rachel or Mercedes. When we hand you your keys, we'll tell each of you who your roommate will be, and if there's any reason you wish to change your assignment, please let us know and we'll consider working something out to accommodate you."
Kurt grumbled something about how he knew he should have included a box of chocolates with that note as Mr. Schue and Ms. Corcoran strode across the floor to the front desk and presented their credentials to the hotel employees seated there. Mercedes laid a sympathetic hand on his arm, and the boy silently thanked her with a grateful smile.
A few minutes later, the co-directors returned to the group with electronic key cards in hand. Mr. Schuester cleared his throat to get the kids' attention, and Ms. Corcoran's tone and demeanor were all business as she said, "Okay, this is how it goes: Quinn and Rachel, come get your key." The two girls smiled at each other as they walked up to Ms. Pillsbury and happily accepted their key. The process continued in the same way, with each set of roommates stepping forward to claim their keys from the wide-eyed counselor as their names were called.
"Mercedes and Tina. Santana, Kitty and Brittany. Mike, Sam and Artie. Finn and Puck. Kurt and Blaine."
When the last two keys were claimed, Ms. Pillsbury smiled, and Mr. Schue clapped his hands. "All right. Ms. Corcoran, Ms. Pillsbury and I are going to make sure that all of your luggage gets brought up to the right rooms, so go on up and relax for a bit. We will all meet back down here for dinner in one hour, so don't be late."
Chattering excitedly amongst themselves, the kids hustled off to the elevators to find their rooms while the three adults smiled softly after them, watching them go. They were immensely proud of their little group, which had gone through a great deal to get to this place, and each was determined to do whatever they could to make their young dreams come true.
They were about to go back to the bus to check on how the loading of all the luggage onto the baggage carts was going when they were startled by the approach of a pretty young woman in glasses and casual business attire, whom none of them had seen enter the building even though they'd all been looking towards the doors.
"Um, hi. Excuse me, but I – I'm Kara Danvers, from CatCo Media. I've been assigned to cover your team and the competition for the National City newspaper and web site." She awkwardly stuck out her hand for someone – anyone – to shake, a nervous expression on her face.
Mr. Schuester took the offered hand and shook it gently, missing both the jealous scowl on Ms. Pillsbury's face and Ms. Corcoran's amused smile.
Kara's super-hearing picked up the ginger-haired woman's accelerated heart rate as she shook the man's hand. Oh, honey. He's very handsome, but so not my type.
"Will Schuester. Very nice to meet you," he said. Then he gestured to the two women standing slightly behind him. "This is Shelby Corcoran, our co-director, and Emma Pillsbury, one of the school's guidance counselors and our team's official good luck charm."
Shelby stepped up beside Will and flashed a winning smile. "Hello. It's a pleasure. So I guess you'll be spending a lot of time with us over the weekend? That's wonderful," she said in a honey-smooth, yet slightly husky voice as she grasped Kara's still-offered hand. Kara heard this woman's heart rate increase too, but while the other one had clearly been experiencing a flash of jealousy, she couldn't quite figure out the reason for Shelby's sudden spike.
Then Kara caught the glint in the woman's eye as she looked her up and down. Oh. Oh!
A throat cleared, and Shelby was forced to release Kara's hand. Emma stepped forward, pointed at the young reporter's hand and shook her head no. "Nothing personal, it's just – germs -" she all but whispered the word. " - you know? I have sort of a...a thing about them." The momentary grimace that crossed the woman's pretty face as she said this told Kara all she needed to know.
"Of – of course. I understand," Kara said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you all," She looked around and, frowning in disappointment at not seeing the group of young people she had come to observe, asked, "Where are the kids?"
"They all went up to their rooms to relax and freshen up a bit," Shelby answered. "After we get their luggage all sorted out, we're meeting back down here to get some dinner. You're welcome to join us and meet the kids then if you like. In fact, I insist. After all, it's not every day that a small town team like us gets interviewed by a reporter for a major media company. Right, Will?"
"Of course! I'm sure the kids would love to meet you," came the man's enthusiastic response. Kara was sure that 'enthusiasm' was his default setting.
"Will, don't you think the kids might be tired after the long ride? Maybe it would be better for them to get a good night's rest before they start getting grilled by some big city reporter," Emma protested.
She doesn't trust me, Kara thought. I guess she's a little shy, a little guarded. Maybe she's right. Lima's not exactly right next door, after all. "Um, perhaps I should go," she offered, uncertain as to what she should do. "I don't want to create any kind of additional stress for the kids or anything -"
Shelby cut her off, waving away her concerns with a flick of her hand. "Nonsense. They've gotten through a lot worse just to get here. A few minutes of introducing themselves and chatting a little bit won't hurt them."
Before Kara could respond, a tall, fit-looking young man in a crisp Grand Hotel uniform came through the door pushing a large trolley laden with bags and suitcases, grunting with the effort. Without thinking, Kara said, "Hey, let me help you with that." The young man stepped aside, bewildered, as the shorter, smaller woman pushed the heavy cart in front of her with one hand, as though it weighed nothing at all.
Will caught the disappointed look on the young man's face, realizing that he probably thought he had just been deprived of a good tip. "Hey," he called, drawing the hotel employee's attention, and when the young man stepped forward with a questioning look, he pressed several bills into his palm. "Sorry about that."
"No problem at all, sir," the guy said, a bright smile of appreciation quickly replacing his previously dejected expression. "She probably just saved me a couple of visits to the chiropractor's office." Then he shrugged, pocketing the money. "You all have a nice night, and don't hesitate to call down to the front desk if you need anything." With that, he took his leave to await his next summons.
Will, Shelby and Emma all turned to watch Kara glide across the floor with otherworldly grace, pushing the cart as though it were a child's toy, and if the young reporter had looked back to catch their gazes, she would have seen that Will's eyes held wonder, Emma's held unease, and Shelby's, fascination.