"Flight 7934 to Ann Arbor now boarding. Repeat, flight 7934 to Ann Arbor now boarding. Please make your way to gate 3 at this time."
Mr. Schue sighed before getting out of his seat and clutching his fiancé's hand. "Alright, guys, let's get going. We have a flight to catch!" He smiled at his students.
"Schue's right, guys," Artie added, as he stood up, his legs still wobbly. Brittany ran to steady him. "Thanks, girl." He turned back toward the group. "Let's go."
The group of fifteen or so Glee-clubbers walked onto the plane, ready to embark on their third Nationals championship. They all wanted to win, and it was evident. Ever since Artie had returned, the winning spirit had come back to McKinley. Blaine and Sam were no longer at each others' throats, but now worked in a form of harmony.
Tina found her seat, put her bag in the overhead compartment, and sat down. She was happy that her boys had found a sense of harmony and cooperation. She wasn't sure how she would deal with her last few months of school if it meant having to listen to those two bicker to their hearts content every day. She spun the engagement ring on her finger around and admired it, not noticing a peppy blonde fall into the seat next to her.
"Tina!" Brittany yelled, even though she was five inches away. "Did you see those boys over there?" She pointed, very excited. "They look like the ones Blaine used to tell us about…those…Garglers or something…" She trailed off, trying to figure the name out.
"Brittany," Tina said, trying to pull her friend back into reality. "Do you mean the Warblers?"
"Yes! Oh my gosh yes!" Brittany pulled Tina into a huge hug to express her gratitude. "They're right back there!" She pointed again.
Tina giggled. Brittany may be the oldest person in the New Directions right now, but she definitely didn't act like it. She shot a text to the gelled hobbit sitting behind her before settling down to catch some shut-eye.
Blaine felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He was expecting a text from Kurt, letting him know when he would be arriving from New York. Nope. It was from Tina.
Warblers at 6 o'clock. *Brittany* just told me. – T
He glanced behind him and saw his brother's mane of messy brown hair. He sighed, then pulled his phone out.
"James! Stop it!" Shane was wrestling with his best friend, who had stolen his iPod. "Seriously, dude, I need that to sleep."
"What if I wanted to use it? Hmm? Ever think of that?" James held the player above his head, keeping it out of reach of Shane.
"Guys, really?" Sebastian's head popped over the seat as he attempted to calm two of his newer members down. "We're going to get kicked off this plane."
"They can't kick us off a plane, silly," James retorted. "We're 5 thousand feet in the sky!"
"Dude," Dwight leaned over toward Shane. "Is he high? He sure seems like it."
Shane shrugged. "I really don't know. It's his first time on a plane. That could have something to do with it." He felt his phone buzz so he pulled it out. "One new message, Blaine 'Freakin' Anderson."
"Did he put himself as that in your phone? Or did you?" asked James, who was now more calm than before. He resembled a normal person now.
"He did that," Shane answered as he opened the message. "Hey, bro, I'm kinda on the same plane as you. Look forward and in the aisle."
At once, the Warblers in earshot looked toward the front to find Blaine's gelled head smiling back at them. He was waving.
Shane waved back, checking to see if any of the passengers were asleep. He saw almost all of the New Direction group fast asleep, so he texted his brother instead of yelling across the plane.
Hey, dude, come back here! We want to see you! – S
Okay, dude! Just give me a second! – B
"Phew," Meredith sighed. "That's the last of that." She had been cleaning off the lamps in the University of Michigan auditorium. All of the Sunchildren were doing something to help get the auditorium and Arts Center ready for Nationals. She walked into the lobby to find the rest of her group.
What she saw in the lobby was a sight she didn't think was possible.
Some of the clubs competing at Nationals had already arrived, but instead of going straight to their green rooms, the groups were all in the lobby playing games. Yes, they were playing different ice-breaker games—such as the Human Knot, Big Booty, Truth Truth Lie, the Yarn Knot, etc.
"Wow, guys," Meredith exclaimed as she approached her friends. "This is crazy!"
"We know, Mere," Julia answered, gesturing toward the group of singers. "These people are so totally awesome!"
"How did this begin?" Meredith was curious.
"We're not really sure," Joe said. "It just kinda…happened."
A voice came over the intercom at that moment. "Sunchildren, please report to room 219 for final fittings and meeting with your director. Repeat, Sunchildren to room 219."
"Well," Dylan said to a few of the girls he was talking to. "I guess it's time for me to go. But I will see you soon, mon amour." He backed away, kissing each of their hands before he walked off with his teammates.
"Dyl, Dyl, Dyl," Joe tsked. "You sure do know how to impress the ladies—even our competition!"
"I'm just being friendly, dude. Maybe you should try it." Dylan ducked to avoid Joe's swatting hand.
Just as they were rounding the corner to room 219, a short person dressed in all red came swooping into the hallway.
"Dun duh nah NAH!" she yelled, ripping her mask off. "I am SUPER LAUREN!"
This display caused the Sunchildren to laugh at their teammate.
"Um, Lauren?" Joe asked. "Are you wearing that on stage?"
Lauren looked appalled that he would even ask a question like that. "Of course not! This is my pre-nationals attire. If we'd made it to Nationals at any other time, you'd know why I wanted to wear this. But since this is the first time you've seen me in it, I look a little strange. I don't care. Off to change!" She put her hands up like she was flying and ran off.
"Alright, that was strange," Meredith sighed. "Let's go."
Three hours later, the auditorium was packed. People had arrived from all over to watch their respective Glee clubs perform. The New Directions had arrived alongside the Warblers. They mingled on the bus from the airport. Many new friendships were created among both groups.
"Alright, boys," Sebastian said to his group behind the stage. "We're next. Let's go out and KICK SOME BUTT!"
The boys whooped and yelled their enthusiasm. There was not a group on stage, so they weren't interrupting anything.
"Next up, from Westerville, Ohio, the Warblers! Their word for this Nationals competition was Brother."
Sebastian led his group to the stage, egging the crowd on for applause. He lived for cheering and applause. It fueled him.
The Warblers got in place for their first number. They were all wearing plaid coats and bowties with black vests underneath. They were attempting to create the scene exactly as they'd seen it on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe. This was going to be a performance to remember. Sebastian stepped forward and sang the first few lines, addressing the Warbler down front who had dawned a beard and fat suit to play the part of Womper.
Now you may join the Oaks my friend
And I may join the Shriners
And other men may carry cards
As members of the Diners
Still others wear a Golden Key
Or small Greek letter pin
But I have learned there's one great club
That all of us are in
There is a brotherhood of man
A benevolent brotherhood of man
A noble tie that binds
All human hearts and minds
Into one brotherhood of man
Your life-long membership is free
Keep a-giving each brother all you can
Oh aren't you proud to be in that fraternity
The great big brotherhood of man
They bounded around stage while singing the next few lines and the chorus a few more times. Their new counter-tenor (a boy named Frank) ran forward to take Miss Jones's lines.
You, you got me
And me, I got yooooooooooooooooooou – yoooou
He held out those two last notes so long that the audience burst into applause. He was amazing—almost as good as Kurt. The rest of the song went off without a hitch. The last chorus was coming up, and the Warblers were prepared to finish it with a bang. They lifted Sebastian up and flipped him over to the front of the triangle, just like had happened with Daniel Radcliffe, as they ended the song.
Your life-long membership is free
Keep a-giving each brother all you can
Oh aren't you proud to be in that fraternity
The great big brotherhood of man
The Warblers ended with a flourish and bowed feverishly to the audience. Sebastian stepped forward and away from the group and started the next song.
Ooh, Ooh, oh
Ooh, Ooh, oh
The 'music' had picked up, but fell silent as Sebastian stepped back into the group and pushed James forward to sing the first verse. "Sleep now, under my skin; Make sure you try to; Conjure the wind; And ease my mind."
Sebastian joined the new Warbler as the music picked back up again for the chorus. "Ooh, Ooh, oh; Ooh, Ooh, oh."
Shane took the second verse. It was a powerful song, and he wanted to sing it right. "Somebody call out to your brother; He's calling out your name; oh, oh; Hiding under the covers; With no one else to blame; oh, oh."
Dwight stepped forward and joined Shane. "You couldn't help out your own neighbor; You couldn't tell it to his face; you were jacked up by the blame."
All four Warblers harmonized during the next part. "You cower in the corner; Confide in your father; Let it out and say; Let it all pass away."
James sang the first part again, making some changes to it along the way. "Sleep now under my skin; make sure you try to; Conjure the wind; And ease my mind."
Sebastian stepped forward and sung the chorus. "And I said; Ooh, Ooh, oh…"
Dwight took the next part, adding soul to his words. "Wait there; Put yourself out of this state dear; Acknowledge you were a fake here; From there on you might just grow; Oh, oh, oh."
All four finished the song, almost bringing the audience to tears. "Somebody call out to your brother; He's calling out your name; oh, oh; Hiding under the covers; With no one else to blame; oh, oh; You couldn't help out your own neighbor; You couldn't tell it to his face; you were jacked up by the blame."
The song ended with yet another round of thunderous applause. Some of the audience stood up. Blaine looked up at his old friends in amazement. They're actually really good. He smiled and clapped with all his heart. I wonder what their last song is... He got his answer soon enough as a big bass beat resounded across the auditorium and the boys began dancing around. Leave it to them to sing a Fatboy Slim song. He laughed.
Shane and James began the song. Apparently Sebastian wasn't taking over the group as much this year. The song only had a few words, but the boys were KILLING it with the dance moves and flips.
Right about now
The funk soul brother, check it out now
The funk soul brother, right about now
These words were repeated about twenty times, in a different form every now and then. Halfway through the song, the entire Warblers group removed their jackets and danced around in black tuxedo vests and bowties. It was quite a sight. They finished the song with a difficult trick that could have landed Shane in the hospital, had he not been such a good dancer and through his rehab. The Warblers ended the song and bowed for a good five minutes to the applause.
Blaine left the audience with the New Directions. They were to perform in a little while, and he needed to be ready. He was singing an entire song by himself—something he hadn't done on stage since his time in the Warblers. Blaine walked away from the group and put in his head phones. He blasted the song he was about to sing, preparing his brain.
"Come on, guys!" Mr. Schue said to his students. "Let's get ready for this!"
"So, our song list is…" Sam started before smacking his forehead in remembrance. "Nevermind."
"Wait," Brittany wailed. "I don't remember it."
Sam told her the set list. He finished just seconds before the light flickered.
"Time to go, gang!" Mr. Schue yelled. "Hands in."
They put their hands in and screamed, "AMAZING!"
A few moments later, the New Directions were backstage. They were adjusting their costumes—snap-up black slack and white shirts, with another costume underneath.
The announcer spoke the words to call them on. "And now, we have the New Directions from Lima, Ohio, last year's Nationals champions! Their word this year is War." The New Directions ran onto stage and got in place.
The music began as Artie started singing. "My mind is racing but my heart it beats faster; I'm in control commander and master; Lady Fate, creating disaster; But she ain't the boss of me."
The group began dancing around Artie as he kept singing. "Head-on collision with a catastrophic setback; Makes you either want to get lost or get back; I choose the latter let's not for get that; We hold the cards this time; So there's no need to bitch or whine."
All of the New Directions came together and started snapping during the first chorus. "There's no way; I'm gonna take another option; No way I am gonna settle with a loss; No way I'm gonna sit around and watch; There's no no way."
Sam began harmonizing with Artie, the blonde's strong baritone voice fitting nicely with the brunette's tenor style. "There's no way; You're gonna find me in the background; No damn way you're gonna see me satisfied; No way they're ever gonna make me back down; No no way."
Tina stepped forward to sing her part. It was a different line, but she hit every note perfectly. "Home field advantage; The upper hand is ours; So the game is on."
Brittany and Blaine stepped up to join Tina and seemed to sing the next lines to her. "The clock ticks; But we've got our tricks; To fuss with and fix what's wrong."
Artie sang the next part by himself. "So let's wake up and go guys; take out the bad guys; wake up your mad eyes."
The whole group answered, "Yeah; We'll take it on together; We're stronger and we're better; and if there's a problem…WHATEVER!"
All of the New Directions began dancing around like they were preparing for a war. It was one of the best opening performances they'd done to date. "There's no way; We're gonna leave it up to chance; There's no damn way we're gonna go without a fight; No way you're gonna see us on our ass; There's no no way."
The ending of their song was quite hectic and crazy, but amazing at the same time. "There's no way we're gonna settle with sorrow; Leave right now if you think this ain't real; Today not waiting for tomorrow; No no way; There's no way; No no way; There's no way; No no way; There's no way; There's…No…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY."
They ended the song to a wonderful standing ovation. The main singers stepped forward and took a bow together, then got ready for the next song. It was a slow song, but very powerful. Blaine was nominated to sing it, with Tina, Artie, and Joe singing backup. He was not singing the normal version, but a revised version.
A warning to the people
The good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
The warning, to the prophet
The liar, the honest
This is war
Oh! To the leader, the pariah
The victor, the messiah
This is war
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight!
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world from the last to the first
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world
A brave new world
I do believe in the light
Raise your hands up to the sky
The fight is done, the war is won
Life your hands toward the sun
Toward the sun (The moment of truth and the moment to lie)
Toward the sun (The moment to live and the moment to die)
Toward the sun (The moment of truth and the moment to lie)
Toward the sun (The moment to live and the moment to die)
The war is won (The moment to fight, the moment to fight)
To fight, to fight, TO FIGHT
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world
A brave new world
The war is won
The war is won
A brave new world
Panting, Blaine looked into the applauding audience and smiled. I did it. I actually sang that song. Wow. He acknowledged the backup singers, resulting in a louder applause from the audience. Blaine thought he spotted his brother's messy dark hair shaking in the audience, but he wasn't sure. Before he could actually figure out if it was Shane, the music for their final song came on. The New Directions pulled their over clothes off to reveal army fatigues. The girls had cute, sexy fatigues and the boys had baggy, normal fatigues. Sam was wearing an officer's uniform, as he was leading parts of this song.
Sam and Tina were the first to walk out for the final song, but they were joined by the rest of the group soon enough. Their dancing was similar to a step-show, and it was quite amazing.
(Tina)
War...huh…yeah!
(Sam)
What is it good for?
(Tina)
Absolutely nothing!
(Sam)
Uhuh…uhuh
(ND)
War…huh…yeah!
(Sam)
What is it good for?
(ND)
Absolutely nothing!
(Sam)
Listen to me—AAH!
War I despise
'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives
(Artie)
War means tears in thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go out to fight and lose their lives
(Sam)
I said:
(ND)
War…huh…
(Sam)
Good god, y'all!
What is it good for?
(ND)
Absolutely nothing!
War!
(Sam)
It ain't nothing but a heartbreak
(ND)
War!
(Sam)
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy to all mankind
(Artie)
The thought of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest within the younger generations
(Blaine)
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die?
(ND)
War…huh…
(Sam)
Good god, y'all!
What is it good for?
(ND)
Absolutely nothing!
(Sam)
Say it, say it, say it
(ND)
War…huh…yeah!
(Sam)
What is it good for?
(ND)
Absolutely nothing!
(Sam)
Listen to me—AAH!
(ND)
War…huh…yeah!
(Sam)
What is it good for?
(ND)
Absolutely
(Everyone)
NOTHING!
The New Directions looked into the audience and smiled. They'd done it. They'd finished a whole song set without killing each other. It was a big accomplishment. Blaine looked into the wings and caught Mr. Schuester's eye. He smiled.
Lauren glanced around her fellow Sunchildren. They were all giving the New Directions a standing ovation. She caught Brian's eye and mouthed to him, "How are we ever gonna do better than that?"
Brian shook his head, mouthing, "Don't think like that. We'll do wonderful." He made his way through the aisle and down to Lauren to scoop her in a comforting hug. "Let's go to the green room."
Lauren followed Brian out of the auditorium, not thinking twice when he grabbed her hand. This was the first time they'd been in this Arts center, even though it was so close to their school. She was surprised Brian knew the way to the green room, especially when she had already gotten lost twice.
As if he knew what she was thinking, Brian chose that moment to speak. "I was sweeping this hallway yesterday and found this amazing green room. I spoke to Mr. Darcy and asked him if we could take this one. He agreed." Brian smiled at Lauren before opening the door.
Lauren gasped when she saw what was on the ground. A single blanket lay across the floor, with red rose petals leading to it. A picnic basket was sitting on the blanket, ready to be eaten.
Brian broke the suspense with a single sentence. "We best hurry. The team will be on their way."
Lauren giggled at his use of a Harry Potter quote. He always made her laugh, and that was why she liked him so much. She never knew he felt the same way. "Let's sit down."
The two sat down and enjoyed their inside picnic of ham sandwiches, Redvines, and Squirt.
Before they'd finished the last few twists, Brian took one and placed it in his mouth. "Have you ever seen 'The Lady and the Tramp'?" He smiled slyly.
Lauren was confused as to why he asked this question. "Yes…why do you ask?"
"Let's play a game. I'll be the Tramp, you can be Lady, and this Redvine—" he pointed to the twist "—can be our spaghetti noodle." He waggled his eyebrows.
Lauren cocked her head to the side, considering this. "Alright. Let's do it." She leaned in and took the other side of the twist in her mouth.
They each ate a little off each end until they met in the middle. Once the middle piece was cut in half, all hell broke loose in their mouths. The first touch of lips set off a flame that didn't go out for quite a while. They kissed hungrily for quite a while.
After what felt like an hour (but was really a few minutes), a voice sounded in the door.
"What the devil is going on here?"
The two looked up and saw their entire group standing above them, some giggling, some shocked, some nonchalantly handing dollar bills back and forth.