A/N - Not a lot to say about this one, except that this will have a slightly slower build than my previous stories. Hopefully this relatively quiet chapter will still be enjoyed by all.
Disclaimer - See Chapter 1, if necessary.
"And that's it for this segment of Idols of the Idols. Next week I'll be talking music with Lady Gaga. This is Quinn Fabray with Rachel Berry, signing off for Entertainment Tonight. "
Both Quinn and Rachel waited until the cameraman gave the signal that their segment had stopped, and then Quinn smiled at the cameraman and handed him the microphone back. "Thanks Trent. We'll see you for filming in a few days, okay? And make sure you grab something from the restaurant to eat before you head back to the truck!" He waved her off with a grin and shake of his head, and Quinn rolled her eyes to Rachel. "I've been dealing with him for three days and I swear he's only had one full meal that whole time."
The two ladies sat down at their table at Sardi's after filming the interview, and Rachel smiled hugely as she grasped Quinn's hands. "It's so good to see you again. I'm glad the interview is done so we can actually catch up!" Rachel opened her menu, as did Quinn, but the two were more focused on each other and their conversation. "So, what was it like working with Jack Black?"
"Oh, it was hilarious!" Quinn giggled as she spoke. "The man is in an almost constant state of funny unless you're actually talking about the script or the business side of the movie, but once the camera is rolling, it's like he can't contain himself. He'll change lines around and ad lib movements and dances right on the fly. It would probably have driven our director crazy except half the stuff was brilliant and wound up being pushed into the film somehow anyway. And then Kyle Glass came on set one day and they gave us a private Tenacious D concert, including unreleased songs."
Quinn laughed at the memory and Rachel smiled with her. It was so good to see Quinn happy; happy with herself, happy with her work, and just intrinsically joyful to be around. The angry, popularity obsessed and snooty cheerleader had been completely replaced with a warm hearted self-assured young woman who was making a real name for herself. The animosity that used to exist in spades between them was replaced by genuine friendship.
"So, Miss Berry, Miss Single-Handedly saving Wicked from closure, Miss Romantic Interest to Ashton Kutcher, Miss Devilish mistress seducer to Sam Worthington, Miss-I- have-a- film-set- for-Oscar-contention', tell me, what's your next project? Or are you still deciding? I heard a rumour that Michael Bay-"
"No!" Rachel waved her hand to cut off her friend's question, even though Quinn's eyes still gave her a teasing look. "I'm not interested in doing some dumb guy flick. No thank you."
Quinn shook her head and smiled prettily, even as she did read a few items from the menu. "Yes, I didn't think you'd want to involve yourself. It's a pretty poor script, which is surprising because after Transformers he did a few good ones with strong female leads." She nodded at her choice and then closed the menu and placed it on the table. "So, what are you considering?"
"Nothing right now, actually." Rachel replied. The stony silence that greeted her caused her to look up into the amused face of Quinn, that same, perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. The petite brunette rolled her eyes. "I just want some time to myself for a bit. I told my agent not to send me anything for a year."
Quinn shook her head and had a sip of her water. "Really? I never thought I'd see the day where Rachel Berry decided to take a holiday instead of work." The blonde leaned in closer. "So, where are you headed? Mexico? The Caribbean? Hawaii?" She frowned a bit. "You're not going to do one of those pathetically obvious volun-tour runs in a forlorn African nation like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie do, are you?"
"Those are all very worthwhile causes, I'll have you know." Rachel defended, despite Quinn's smirk. Her shoulders slumped a bit and she sipped her tea. "No, I...I 'm going home for a bit. Maybe even the whole year."
"What?" Quinn sat back and crossed her arms, her expression still amused. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one who boldly proclaimed at our graduation party that you'd be leaving for New York and never coming back? Never looking back?"
Rachel shrugged a bit. "It was a silly proclamation to make, and hindsight is always twenty-twenty." She sighed a bit, looking around at the restaurant and waving to a few former cast mates over at the other table before returning her attention back to her friend. "I just...I just need some time away from everything."
"You know, you shouldn't let Dmitri's engagement drive you away from your home city." Quinn said, leaning forward. "This town's certainly large enough that you two probably wouldn't see each other more than once or twice a year, even working in the same industry."
Rachel nodded. "I know, but...but there's more to it than that. I just feel so...left out of everything. Did you know just last night I realized I hadn't talked to Mike and Tina since my first year of marriage? The last time I saw my birth mother was four and a half years ago. My fathers three years ago when Dmitri and I separated and they came to help me move out. And everyone else, well..."
"Since everything happened between you and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."Quinn chuckled and Rachel huffed out a derisive breath. The waiter finally came over to take their order, and after each of them had given him their selections, Quinn leaned forward on the table again. "You know, you-"
"I don't want to hear about him, Quinn." Rachel shook her head, having another sip of tea. "I know you warned me in senior year that to move ahead I'd have to cut ties and not allow myself to be dragged down. You don't need to say 'I-told-you-so'."
Quinn's features softened and she reached forward a hand to take Rachel's in a sign of respect and friendship. "I honestly wasn't going to, Rachel. In fact, it was you who was right. You need to remember your roots and stay connected because it's the only way you can gauge how far you've come." She gave Rachel's hand a squeeze before settling back into her chair. "You know, I was in Lima for a week last month visiting my Mom and Sister. If you like, I can give you a rundown on how everyone is doing."
Rachel mulled over her friend's words, and then nodded. "Okay, sure."
"Well, where do we begin? I guess with Mike and Tina. They're still together, happy as always, dancing through life. They're both finding lucrative work around the Mid-West doing contract choreography, sometimes hired as a pair but usually they each have their own shows to worry about. Artie is making quite the name for himself as an independent director, and he's even in talks to direct a music video for that new hip-hop duo next single; Heckle and Hide, I think. Brittany is somewhere in Chicago running a dance studio and Santana has just become a junior partner in a law firm there too. Believe it or not, through all their ups and downs, they still seem to be together. Rory is studying to get his doctorate in history and likely going to be teaching soon. Sugar has a home based event planning business, her specialty, of course, being themed parties and weddings. Her Dad set her up with her own little apartment and office, but she's doing surprisingly well. As you probably know, Mercedes is busting her chops as a backup singer on Beyonce's comeback tour, which made me laugh because she complained so much about being your backup in high school."
Rachel giggled at that as well, but then took on a look and tone of Mercedes herself. "Ah, hell-to-the-no am I Berry's backup. Beyonce, fine, but not some crazy diva wannabe."
Quinn burst out laughing at Rachel's imitation, but nodded eagerly. "Exactly! She didn't really appreciate it when I teased her by saying she was the new Kelly Rowland. I got an earful about how she was Beyonce's go-to girl whenever she needed a call-and-response singer for the new album. Honestly, I don't think it'll be too long before that record producer decides to push her for her own single. Sam, believe it or not, is busy plying his musical talents on cruise ships throughout the world for six months at a time. He's got an insatiable wanderlust and just loves the travelling.
"And 'TheBoys'?" Rachel asked. "I know Kurt's doing fashion now and-"
"And taking the world by storm, one designer jacket at a time, even if it is under another designer's name." Quinn laughed. "He's also doing costuming work for various playhouses in the big cities. And you already know about Blaine. I'm surprised you haven't kept in contact with him. Wouldn't he have been the easiest?"
Rachel shrugged. "I haven't spoken much with my fathers, either; maybe once every three weeks or so. They tell me they love having Blaine as their junior partner at the law firm, but that's about all I've gotten." Rachel and Quinn waited quietly as their respective salads were delivered to them. After a bit, Rachel swallowed and turned back to her friend. "What about McKinley High?"
Quinn shook her head. "Hasn't changed much, except that Sue Sylvester is the principal now and she gave control of the Cheerios to Coach Roz. Mr. Schuester is doing his best trying to bring the glee club up a notch to get back into Nationals."
Rachel nodded. "I saw a commercial saying that Nationals were coming back to New York next year. I didn't realize it had gotten that big, or that Vocal Adrenaline was the national champion again."
Quinn nodded. "Yeah, it surprised me too, but I saw some of their show from Regionals last year on Youtube when they beat out Mr. Schue and it honestly blew my mind...it was like watching professionals. Their National show was even better from what Tina told me." She sighed as she gazed seriously at Rachel. "Which leads me back to only one person I haven't told you about yet."
Rachel held up a hand. "Spare me, please. I know he's off happy with 'what's-her-name' or whoever she is."
"Juanita."
"Whatever."
"You didn't expect him to pine after you forever once it was announced you and Dmitri were getting married, did you?"
"Not at all, I just..." Rachel blew out a breath and had another sip of now lukewarm tea. The young starlet looked up at Quinn's penetrating gaze and shrugged slightly. "I thought we'd both be happy moving on after...you know, all that stuff. Figured if we both had relationships outside each other we'd grow up a bit and be friends again down the road. But after I was married, even when I did find out about his engagement, he never tried to call or reconnect."
"Did you?"
"Once. I sent an email to him a few weeks after his engagement, asking if we could be friends, but he never responded." She hugged herself a bit. "I took it as a hint and didn't want to bother him again."
Quinn bit her lip and shook her head, causing Rachel to raise her eyebrows. "What?" She asked the blonde.
"Well, I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like you might have tried to email at a very bad time, maybe even around the same time Juanita broke it off and moved home to New Mexico."
"What?" Rachel gasped. "That's horrible. Only weeks after they were engaged? Why would she string him along like that?"
"I think she figured once they were engaged he'd follow her anywhere she wanted to go. He had other ideas, obviously." Quinn smiled a bit. "He told me his exact words to her were 'Been there, done that.' Besides, he's set up in his career teaching, and you know how close he is to his family." Quinn gazed back at Rachel. "Are you sure you don't want to know more?"
Rachel bit her lip a bit and then turned up to Quinn. "Just...is he happy now?"
Quinn shrugged a bit. "He's content. That's all I can vouch for. I know he loves teaching, loves his job and-"
"That's...that's enough for me." Rachel nodded, holding up her hand to stop Quinn. "I'm not going to barge in and disrupt his life if he's happy. He deserves it, especially after everything else."
"And you think you don't?"
Rachel shrugged nonchalantly before snapping her eyes up to meet those of her friend. "Hey, you missed someone."
Quinn's eyes shifted away from hers quickly as she looked back down to her salad. "No I didn't."
The smile that crept across Rachel's features obviously didn't go unnoticed by her blonde friend, and a very slight blush crept into her cheeks. Rachel gave her a knowing look. "Quinn?"
Her friend rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine! Puck's cleaning up as an entrepreneur. Not only is his pool cleaning business busy all summer, he also owns the biggest bar and nightclub in the area." She chuckled a bit. "It's called Puckerman's."
"Very original." Rachel responded dryly with a smile. "But why is that making you blush?"
"He...well, last time I was there, he asked if I could come out for some big celebrity night the bar was doing. Wanted me along with the new WOHN weather lady and a couple of other local celebs. He even paid me for my time, and since I knew celebrities always did this kind of stuff in Vegas, I didn't see the harm in doing it for an old friend."
"Mmm-hmmm." Rachel eyed Quinn slyly, giving her a sidelong glance that caused the blonde to blush a bit more. "So why does doing an old friend a favour cause you to blush? Did you by any chance do him more than one favour?"
"Rachel!" Quinn shushed her and swatted her on the arm with her napkin, but then looked around the restaurant a bit and continued with her salad. It didn't escape Rachel's notice that Quinn never denied Rachel's conclusion.
"Oh. My. God!" Rachel said in surprised and amused hushed tones as Quinn sank farther into her seat. "You...you actually hooked up with him again?"
Quinn huffed out a breath. "So what? I'm a grown woman with a healthy libido and I don't have time to pursue a real relationship while trying to get my career to the next level. And it's not like I indulge in one night stands all year long with various randoms. I hadn't, you know, been fulfilled in a while."
The smirk on Rachel's face never wavered. "Really? How long?"
Quinn chewed her salad slowly and picked at the remains after she swallowed. "Well...not since...not since the...last time I was in Lima last year and...Puck and I met up for drinks and...well..."
Rachel began laughing uproariously, causing a few heads to turn and Quinn's blush to deepen into her features. The blonde dropped her fork and covered her face with her hands as she stared down at her salad.
"You are so busted, Quinn." Rachel beamed at her friend. "You told me in high school to sever the anchors, and now you're sleeping with Puck again? Twice? "
"It's not like it was totally intentional either time. It just...it felt so good to have someone be with me and talk to me and touch me because it was me he was with and not because I've been in films or am part of the industry or working with big celebrities. And honestly, he's matured, Rachel. He can hold a decent conversation now about topics other than video games. He actually reads a bit, even if it is mostly newspapers and spy novels. He's seen all my films, even those weird independent ones I did right after Yale. And unlike high school, we were careful. We were careful several times, actually.
Rachel began laughing again, but Quinn continued unperturbed. "I know, I know. But he's always there on email or texting when I need to just vent or get an encouraging word and he doesn't make demands on my time in any way no matter where I am and...and yeah, I have no clue what the hell we're doing."
"Well, at least you didn't go get married and divorced in the span of six and a half years." Rachel sighed a bit and chewed another bite of her own salad before pushing the remaining food around on her plate a bit. "Do you ever wonder 'What if?', Quinn?"
The blond smiled and sipped her water. "I think we all do to some extent, at least, and it's probably why I'm in this crazy 'W.T.F. state' with Puck right now. Do you?"
Rachel shrugged and smiled wanly. "I have a bit, honestly. Despite the critical acclaim, Broadway applause, recurring television spots and leading movie roles, at the end of the day I always come back to that single question. 'What if?'"
Quinn returned her sad smile. "You're going home for a year, Rachel. Maybe you don't have to wonder so much anymore. Maybe it's time to answer that question for yourself, one way or another."
XXXXX
September, 2025
Knock knock knock. Will Schuester stuck his head through the door to the principal's office. "You wanted to see me, Sue?"
Sue Sylvester looked up from where she was filling out some paperwork and nodded. "Yes, come in and have a seat, Will." After motioning to the chair, she returned to her paperwork.
Will walked through the office and closed the door behind him before settling into one of the comfortable guest chairs, straightening his sweater vest a bit so it didn't bunch up behind him. He leaned back and patiently waited for Sue to begin their meeting. Unlike Figgins, Sue rarely got to the point right away as principal. She had mellowed quite a bit since assuming a role not requiring her to constantly critique the form and balance of teenage girls. Will knew the psychological game being played was to make sure the guest in this office understood she was in completely control and would address issues whenever she deemed herself ready. Anyone who might be busy or need to get other things accomplished in their day were just out of luck or be scrambling later. But Will was used to the tactic, so he smirked a bit at being forced to wait and simply crossed his legs, getting more comfortable in his chair.
Abruptly, Sue pulled off her glasses and looked up at him. "So, how's married life, Will? Emma still polishing all her fruit before tasting it? And are you still using the same concrete solution in your hair, or have you switched brands? Do you go through many jackhammers when you bathe yourself?"
"Hello to you too, Sue. I'm surprised to see you so comfortable in your chair. I understand sitting can be a painful experience after requiring surgery to remove large objects stuck in the rectum."
Sue smiled genuinely at him. "Outstanding, Will! Okay, down to business." She leaned back in her chair and regarded him. "I need a winner, Will."
"I'm sorry?"
The principal scoffed at him. "C'mon, Will. It's not like you didn't see this coming, right? When was the last time you made a trip to Nationals?"
Will sighed. "Four years ago, when we placed fourth overall. But Sue, you know what happened that year. We'd lost a whole bunch of senior students and had to basically start from scratch afterwards."
"Which is why I gave you leeway the two years after that." Sue said pointedly. "And when in the last three years have you gotten past Regionals?"
Will rolled his eyes. "I can't help it that the Show Choir Committee re-zoned the Mid West Region and put us back into the same division as Carmel and Vocal Adrenaline, nor can I help it that they've had crazy talented kids over there."
"Is it the crazy talented kids who keep kicking your derriere, Will, or their crazy talented director?"
Will remained silent, biting the inside of his cheek. He had had enough conversations to know exactly where Sue was heading, and it was the same circular argument she used for just about everything. Carmel had a very talented director in Finn Hudson, who encouraged and guided the kids into routines that featured all of their abilities and in turn blew away the competition. In addition, he was proving to be one hell of a mash-up arranger, song writer, and visionary about how he wanted to execute his performances. But all the abilities of Finn to teach and motivate were no doubt inspired by his own time with McKinley's Glee club, and thus, Will knew that Sue was going to say-
"You've no one to blame but yourself for what's happened, Will."
He laughed a bit that Sue's statement came at the exact same moment he thought of it himself. Of course, Will's philosophy was decidedly different than Sue's. "A fate I'll happily accept, Sue. There's no greater accomplishment for a teacher than to watch his own student eclipse him."
"Aw, thanks for that trite bit of educational philosophy, Confucius, but in the real world we expect our teams to do well, especially when they're as heavily funded as Glee is now. Haven't you received generous donations from your alumni lately?"
Will shifted in his seat a bit. "We have more money, yes, but we're not swimming in it like Vocal Adrenaline is. And we don't have a super active Booster Club, either. I can't get cars for all my students."
"My point, William, is that New Directions is on a downward trend, and other clubs and activities at this school are starting to rise in popularity and are establishing their own reputations in tournaments and competitions. We as a school don't have enough money to hand over to those who can't at least make it to Nationals." She leaned back in her chair and regarded him with resignation. "You have this year, Will; this year to make it back to Nationals. Do that and I'll keep you budget as is; fail and I'll be diverting half your current financial allocations to other clubs and activities."
"Half?" Will rose out of his chair in protest, shock written on his face. "You can't be serious, Sue. If we lost half our budget, how are we even going to have a chance next year to get to Regionals?"
Sue smiled sweetly at him. "Well then, I guess you better deliver the goods this year, right?"
XXXXX
Will stalked into his office in the choir room and tossed his jacket on his chair while shaking his head in disbelief. Half his budget if he didn't make Nationals? It was the worst thing that could have been thrown at him right now. Even last year when Vocal Adrenaline had defeated them at Regionals, he knew he still had a special group of kids when the group had enthusiastically gone into 'Plan B' mode of taking a trip to Florida and performing at both Disney World and Universal Studios. Their performances at both theme parks were massive crowd pleasers, to the point where one of their contacts asked if they could cram in one more show the morning before their flight left (which they managed, somehow, of course).
Those were the kinds of dreams and experiences these kids needed; they had to know that you should always try to achieve your dream, but be prepared if after your best effort it doesn't work out. Life wasn't always about winning and losing, and sometimes (more often) it was the losing experiences that helped to mould who you were later in life. He was so proud of his kids when, after a weekend of feeling disappointed, they pulled their shoulders back with confidence and began figuring out how to give their best performances in Florida. Without the constant pressure of other show choirs around them, the shows they gave there were astounding, even to himself.
He loosened his tie and pulled up his set lists on his laptop computer, wondering if his initial groupings of songs could somehow be changed or re-arranged to make a theme of some sort. He perused the list, clicking on a few options to highlight them as pieces for the homecoming assembly, when suddenly he noticed a new email in his inbox. He clicked on it quickly in the hopes of reading, responding and deleting it so he could get back to his song selections.
{ I don't think Whitney Houston and Bob Dylan songs would work together in the same set. Might I suggest Joni Mitchell instead? R.B. * }
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment over this email before he realized two things. First, the person who had just emailed him was watching him through the windows of his office. Second, only one of his students had ever put a star after his or her name. And the initials for the student he was thinking of matched those from the email's sender.
He turned around quickly towards the chairs in the choir room. Sure enough, there sat a short, petite brunette in a loose fitting black blouse, designer jeans and expensive sunglasses sitting on her head. Though she looked like a movie star (and now was, pretty much) she still held the same bright, brown eyes and infectious wide (if slightly maniacal) grin that she always did. And he had always been one of her biggest fans.
"RACHEL!" Will yelled in delight and came out of his office, only to sweep up his former student in a massive hug as she leaped into his arms, laughing with joy. After sharing a fond embrace for a few seconds, he set her back on the floor and stepped back with his hand on her shoulder while regarding her fondly. "What a surprise! I never would have expected to see you back here in this choir room. I figured you'd forgotten about all of us by now, and rightly so considering some of the abuse you went through at this school."
Rachel giggled. "Well, I never did have slushie facials after moving to New York, but the criticism and harshness of the real world of show business definitely surprised me. I can honestly say if I hadn't learned to deal with the treatment I'd received here, I wouldn't have even continued to try after some of the more brutal auditions and critiques I faced. "
Will beckoned with his head for her to follow him into his office and then motioned towards the guest chair. "You look fantastic, Rachel. How's life treating you? I mean, I don't want to pry, but I know Fox Studio is about to release your new movie that claims you'll be up for Oscar nomination, and I know you divorced Dmitri two years ago. None of that really tells me how you are yourself, though."
After sitting down and setting her purse on an empty space on Will's desk, Rachel shrugged. "I've been busy trying to keep my mind off the divorce, which is why I think my name got out there so much lately. I have to admit, though, it's nice to be recognized more for my own talents than to always be seen as someone's spouse. "
"It was just a matter of time before people saw your talents, Rachel. I never doubted that." Will sat back down in his own chair. "Did it end amicably?"
Rachel shrugged a bit. "More or less. We're not trying to claw each other's eyes out if we're in the same room, and we're polite and friendly when need be, but we don't hang around together either. Besides, he's engaged now. I'm happy for him that he's obviously moved on."
Will eyed his former student closely, noticing the tell-tale signs of an unguarded Rachel not telling the whole truth as her mask of stoicism set itself firmly in place. It was a mask he saw through a few times when she was interviewed on television and someone brought up something that was bothering her. She was always gracious and polite, but that didn't mean she was telling the truth. "Are you?"
Rachel turned back to face him. "Am I what?"
"Happy?"
"Of course! Well, okay, let's say I'm content." Rachel smirked a bit before leaning back a bit more comfortably in the guest chair.
"And have you moved on?"
Rachel smiled. "I'll always have fond memories of Dmitri and our time together. I loved him, but things didn't work out. Too many show business pressures, too much time apart...you know, all those standard clichés. Last time we saw each other we both agreed it was the right decision." She swallowed a bit and then almost sprang over to the coffee maker on the side table in Will's office. "Do you mind if I have some? I skipped my normal breakfast routine this morning."
Will raised his eyebrows as she began to make some coffee. Diversion was another classic Rachel Berry tactic when the conversation became too intense for her. "You really haven't moved on, have you?"
"I'll be okay. Besides, Jennifer Ville used to be my understudy, and she really is a sweet girl. She'll make Dmitri quite happy, I'm sure."
Something in her voice and the shiftiness of her eyes gave away her real emotions. Will hadn't taught this girl in two classes for three years without being able to read her, especially when she let her guard down. But the talk of her ex-husband wasn't, it seemed, what was bothering her, so Will took a stab at another subject.
"It's not Dmitri I'm talking about, Rachel." Will shifted in his chair to look her in the eyes.
The reaction was immediate. Rachel stilled, the hand holding the coffee scoop still halfway into the container of coffee. Bingo! And just as I thought. She hasn't ever gotten over him since she met him, I don't think.
Her eyes closed and Will could see her breathing stop for a moment as she swallowed and shook her head a bit. "It's not like I never moved on. I had a marriage and career to think about. He..." Her stoicism crumbled under Will's gaze, and she sighed deeply while continuing to make the coffee. "I...I met Quinn a few days ago for an interview. She told me she and Puck were kind of in this on-again, off-again thing, but that they were both enjoying what time they had together when they had it."
Will nodded. "Puck told me that the other night when I stopped by his bar for a beer."
Rachel switched on the coffee maker and frowned a bit before turning to regard her former teacher. "I guess the 'What if?' question has been running through my mind quite a lot lately since then, that's all." Rachel shook her head. "I'm probably just being a silly, romantic, stupid girl instead of the mature woman I need to be."
"Not necessarily, Rachel. I mean, it's understandable to think about it and wonder. You and Finn were extremely close for a long time. Engaged even."
She nodded, swallowing again. "I really was very happy with him. If things had just had gone a bit differently, maybe..." She trailed off wistfully and Will felt a pang of sympathy for her as she brought her hands up to wipe her eyes. After checking the coffee pot was brewing right, she walked back over and collapsed back into the chair. "What's done is done, though. We can't go back and change history. But I also regret is how I fell out of contact with everyone I used to know. One time I remember saying I was looking forward to being everyone's friend for the rest of our lives, and then when the chips were down, I failed everyone and lost contact with so many," she glanced at him, "including you. I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch."
Will smiled at her warmly, waving his hand. "You're here now. You didn't have to come. And there's nothing wrong with coming home now and then. For you, it's probably long overdue."
Rachel smiled a beam at him. "My Dads agree with you completely." She breathed in deeply and sat back in her chair again. "So, I hear you guys are having trouble with Vocal Adrenaline again, right?"
Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the Show Choir Committee did us no favours by re-zoning the regions and placing us back with Carmel High. Did you know Shelby is the President, now?"
Rachel nodded. "I just found out, which reminds me I have to call her soon, too. There was an interview a few nights ago on New York local news. It also said Nationals were heading back to New York."
"Well, I petitioned Shelby to change the rules so that the National champions from the year before don't have to go through all the levels of competition to ensure they return the following year. That way it would actually give the other choirs in those regions a chance to get to Nationals themselves. Although she loved the idea, the rest of the committee shot it down. So any groups in the same region as Vocal Adrenaline right now are pretty much hooped for trying to get past Regionals. "
"They're really that good?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow going up in surprise.
Will nodded. "Broadway worthy, I'd say. Well, maybe not quite that level, but about as close as high school students can get." He shook his head as he leaned back in the chair. "And now Sue, as principal, is on my back by insisting that I get us back to Nationals if I want to keep our budget at a decent level. I'm wondering right now if I should just kiss that cash goodbye, because I really don't know how we would come close to matching what Carmel can do. Part of the problem is that they aren't just talented kids with good routines, anymore. They've got a lot of heart and emotion in their songs and shows, too."
"So, they pretty much have everything a perfect performance needs?" Rachel asked, her eyes taking a faraway look and a small smile starting to form on her lips.
"Well, yeah, basically." Will said before catching the look on Rachel's face. His eyes narrowed. He knew that look on her face. It was a look that said she was up to something. He'd seen it before when she ambushed him with Push Itduring their first assembly performance, only at the time he didn't know her well enough to clue in. This time he knew differently. "Something you want to share, Rachel?"
Rachel shrugged and got up from her chair to go pour them each of cup of coffee, but the small smile on her face was now turning into a huge grin. "Well, I'm off for about a year, or at least that's how long I've asked my agent to wait before sending me new scripts. And I wanted to spend time at home, but I'm sure with my drive and ambition I'll need some sort of project in which to expend my energy and talent." She finished pouring the coffee and then walked back over to Will and handed him a cup. "How about I offer my services to New Directions as your official vocal and choreography consultant?"
Will's jaw dropped. Was his former student actually aware of how huge this offer was? To have a Broadway / show business star assist the Glee club against Vocal Adrenaline? It was like a dream come true. With her talent and experience, Rachel would not only be able to help them with their performances, she could be an actual idol to all of his students. How many other show choirs had a person with years of experience in the industry offer to help simply out of the goodness of their heart?
"Well, obviously I'd love the help, Rachel. If you're sure, that is." Will took the cup of coffee from her, and Rachel was already practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Oh, it'll be fun! And what better way to connect to my roots than to come back and help the glee club that set me on the path to all the successes I've had. And it'll give you something Vocal Adrenaline doesn't have...a person with practical show business experience." She held out her hand. "You don't even have to pay me. What do you say?"
Just as he was about to leap out of his seat and take her up on the offer, his conscience spoke up. Will, this isn't fair! She's already all but admitted she had no closure with Finn. She doesn't know he's Vocal Adrenaline's new coach. Are you really going to lead her blindly into this endeavour and leave out such crucial information?
Will knew it was wrong; wrong to accept this offer of hers considering what she'd revealed regarding her unresolved feelings. Wrong to accept her without warning her first, and wrong to let her go head first into a situation that might bring up old memories. It was also wrong not to tell her that despite their professional rivalry, he and Finn were still fairly close friends and occasionally met up with each other.
As he was about to open his mouth, though, he heard and saw a bunch of students come into the choir room and remembered that his job, as a teacher, was to provide the best possible instruction and guidance for his students. That, combined with the threat Sue had just hung over his head about his budget possibly being cut led him to keep quiet and hold out his hand to take hers, sealing the pact.
"I'd love to have you aboard, Rachel. Thanks."
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