Welcome back to the final part! Everybody's here for the big finale. Same disclaimer as before, with an extra note: since this sorta/kinda follows my story Perchance to Dream, Finn is alive in this one, too. Just so no one is confused. Now on with the show!

Going Out With a Bang

As their newest members chatted excitedly, Mr. Schue finally unveiled the theme of the competition. "This year's theme is 'Stay True to Yourself,'" he said, writing it up on the board with a flourish. "There are a lot of directions we can take this, but I think our goal should be to inspire our audience. Who has an idea for a song?"

The room erupted as everyone started speaking at once. Mr. Schue waved his marker for attention, but the excitement of the crowd won out. Fragments of conversations filtered through the din.

"Who's more true to themselves than Ke$ha?"

"What about, like, Metallica or something? Can there be flames onstage?"

"Come on, no one finds T-Pain inspiring!"

"Guys, guys, one at a time!"

He pointed to a one of their new members, who had her hand raised.

"Do you guys ever sing country?" she asked hesitantly. The group exchanged glances.

"We have more of a pop/rock vibe," Tina said, and the others nodded. "With some Broadway thrown in every once in a while."

"There are country songs that are kind of pop, though," Sam said. "Like Rascal Flatts."

"Or Taylor Swift!" Blaine added.

"Or…hey, what about Lady Antebellum?" Marley asked, and several knitters cheered.

"I love them!" Taylor gushed. "Could we sing Compass? It's so good!"

Mr. Schue wrote Compass on the board, then turned back to face the room. "Excellent idea! Keep it going, guys! We need three songs for our performance. We'll give solos to our seniors for a couple of songs, and do a big group number for the finale. What else?"

Tina raised her hand. "I think Blaine should start us off with a solo, like Rachel used to do. Artie, Sam and I can sing lead on Compass." The others murmured their assent, and Blaine shot her a grateful smile.

Mr. Schue nodded and added their names to the board. "Who has another song idea?"

"What about an 80's song?" asked Ryder. "A big rock anthem."

"That could be cool," Chad said with a nod. "Would you guys do a Journey song?"

He frowned as the Seniors nearly fell out of their chairs. Jake patted him on the shoulder. "That's like their signature move, dude."

As the laughter subsided, Artie gasped out, "We've done all the big ones. We could sing, what, O Sherry? Doesn't exactly fit the theme."

Several members of the McKinley Textile Alliance had their heads together. One girl turned and faced the room. "What about a Disney song?" she asked. "Like The Little Mermaid or something."

Blaine perked up at that, but Kitty cut in. "Isn't that movie the opposite of the theme? She totally wanted to be someone else."

"Good Point, Kitty." Mr. Schue wrote Disney on the board. "What Disney movie has a song about staying true to yourself?"

Everyone started rattling off Disney titles.

"The Lion King-"

"Ooh, Tangled-"

"Sleeping Beauty-"

"The Jungle Book-"

"Hey, what about Hercules?" Sam asked. The others nodded thoughtfully and sent smiles his way. Tina grinned at Blaine, who was positively beaming.

"What do you think, Blaine?" Mr. Schue asked. "Want to sing Go the Distance?"

Words seemed to fail him. He nodded rapidly, looking rather starry-eyed.

Taylor twisted in her seat and peered at Blaine. "Is he crying?"

"No, it's…I'm fine, it's a great honor," Blaine said with a watery laugh. "That would be amazing, I won't let you guys down." He pulled out his phone with shaking fingers as Mr. Schue added Go the Distance to the board. "Just, just give me a second, I have to tell Kurt…" He jumped up and headed toward the door, texting furiously.

Tina and Artie grinned at each other. "I'll bet Kurt would have some good ideas for staying true to yourself," Artie chuckled.

Tina perked up, a thoughtful smile on her face. "Now that gives me an idea. Mr. Schue, I think I know what we should sing for the finale…"

~GleeGleeGlee~

The party still in full swing, Jeff threw himself down on the couch and pulled up Twitter on his phone. This impromptu Warbler Alumni shindig was to celebrate Wes heading off to Cambridge for a summer study program, and while they waited for the next wave of pizzas to arrive, Jeff posted some pictures he and Nick had taken of the guys congratulating Wes. While debating whether or not to post the shot of David dousing Wes in Silly String, he noticed a new tweet from Blaine.

"Guys, check this out!"

The others came over to see what the fuss was about, and Nick barely caught the phone Jeff threw his way. Rolling his eyes, Nick glanced at the screen and grinned.

"Singing Hercules at Nationals, can't believe it, really pumped! #GotheDistance, #BestDayofMyLife, #DreamComeTrue," Nick read, then passed the phone around to the others. "Well someone's excited."

The guys chuckled and crowded around the screen, scanning their old friend's twitter feed for more music updates. Jeff smirked up at Wes, who was leaning against the couch holding an empty champagne flute, bits of Silly String still clinging to his hair.

"The implied message there is, #Suck it, Wes," Jeff said sweetly, and the others laughed. Wes twirled the flute in his fingers and smiled.

"I stand by my decision," Wes said, adding, "A Mulan medley wouldn't have flown at Regionals that year. Disney songs just didn't fit with the Warblers' aesthetic."

David snorted. "Whatever. You didn't have to make him cry."

Wes threw up his hands. "If I had known he'd start sobbing, I would have phrased my response a little differently! I'm not a monster!" he cried, but could barely be heard over his friends' laughter.

"I bet he kills that song," Nick said, tossing the phone back to Jeff, who grinned.

"What are you guys doing next weekend? We could go to L.A. and hear it for ourselves." The others cheered.

"What do you say, Wes?" David asked. "A big final send-off in California, show Warbler Blaine our support? Sounds like a road trip is in order!"

A buzzer sounded somewhere in the distance, and the boys cheered again, chanting, "Road trip! Road trip!" as they sped down the hall to snag some fresh pizza. In the ensuing silence, Jeff, Nick, and David smiled expectantly at Wes, who rolled his eyes. "Fine, we can swing by for a couple of days and hear Blaine's Glee Club, but no cross-country mayhem. Seriously, we're taking the jet."

~GleeGleeGlee~

After greeting some of his former students in the concession line ("I'm not sure they have real food in California, Mr. Schue," Finn had warned him. "What the heck's a kale chip?") Will Schuester paid for his bottled water and pita pocket and moved back toward his section, only to stop short at the sight of a tall, blond woman leaning against the wall, eating a bag of lentil chips with gusto.

"Sue? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to see the show, William. The passes to these things are surprisingly easy to counterfeit."

"How did you get to California so quickly?"

"I took Air Force Two. Biden owed me a favor." She dusted off her hands and steered a perplexed Mr. Schue down the hallway. "Truth be told, I knew I had to come the moment I found out the Lima Volunteer Firefighters were involved with a school-sanctioned trip. Those men cannot be trusted."

Mr. Schue shook his head to clear it and said in what he hoped was a pleasant voice, "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you're getting a chance to hear the kids sing. They've worked really hard to get here, and I know it'll be a great show."

Principal Sylvester sighed. "That's the other reason I came today when I would rather be literally anywhere else. Your glee club has absolutely no chance of winning this competition, and the club is virtually guaranteed to be cut from the school roster next year. I thought the polite thing to do would be to tell you to your face."

Mr. Schue frowned. "This is a talented, determined group of kids-"

"You're down to two or three talented kids, a handful of determined ones, and a whole bunch with a decidedly 'I just walked in off the street and know nothing about music' vibe. Did you see that group from Reno? Those maniacs installed a trapeze onstage for their Elton John number. You don't have a chance."

His fist clenched around his lunch, Will ground out, "So that's it? You came all the way here to insult us and tell me the club is over?"

"Pretty much. Although," she added absently, "After those girls from the Future Cat Ladies of America tell their parents how much fun they had over the last couple weeks, and the Jazz geeks talk to the Band geeks and get those families involved, you might actually have some community support for once." She crossed her arms, and he could've sworn she was practically smiling. "By bringing in all of those talentless misfits to add to your original collection, you may have doomed their chances today, but I'll bet the club will be reinstated and making terrible music again by Hanukah."

Mr. Schue opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, and said, "Thank you, Sue, we-"

"No time." She pointed at her watch. "We better get back to our seats. Intermission is almost over, and our misfits are up next."

~GleeGleeGlee~

As the lights in the auditorium flickered on and off for the two-minute warning, Kurt, Rachel, and Finn headed back to their seats, their hands full of intermission snacks, followed closely by their parents.

"That group from Nashville was a bit over-the-top, don't you think?" Kurt asked as they settled into their row. "Why were all of their songs about partying in barns and driving trucks through mud? McKinley has this in the bag."

Finn shrugged. "I don't know, bro, those kids from Brooklyn did a killer job with those Michael Jackson songs."

"Don't call me 'bro,' Finn."

"You're just mad 'cause you know I'm right."

"While not as good as ours was, they did put together a solid medley," Rachel said diplomatically. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"They need to get this show on the road before Blaine has a heart attack," Kurt muttered, checking his phone before shoving it in his bag. "He's been texting me all day, he can't wait to sing his Hercules song," he said fondly. "And did you guys notice who's in the audience? He'll be thrilled!"

He pointed towards the floor section, where a dozen guys were cheering and throwing snacks at each other. The others laughed.

"They're kinda hard to miss, kiddo," Burt said dryly.

"His Dalton friends must follow Blaine online. They probably know about his solo on Mars by now," Finn laughed. "I haven't heard what else they're singing, though."

"It's nice to keep some things a surprise," Rachel said with a secretive smile. Finn raised an eyebrow, but was quickly shushed by Kurt as the lights dimmed for the second half. "Singing right after intermission is good, they'll stick in the judges' minds," Rachel muttered absently as the crowd applauded. She took Kurt's hand as they watched the curtains open, revealing a lone performer with dark, curly hair. Kurt squeezed her hand and settled back to watch.

A single spotlight revealed Blaine sitting near the edge of the stage, one knee tucked up under his chin. He gazed thoughtfully out at the audience as the gentle piano intro began to play. Blaine sang with a voice filled with hope and determination, standing up halfway through the first verse and strolling across the stage, his million-watt smile firmly in place. After the final chorus, he stood triumphantly center stage to thunderous applause. Blaine grinned and bowed as the Warblers leaped from their seats, cheering wildly, while Kurt and his family waved from the balcony.

"What an opening number!" Rachel cried as she hugged Kurt and Finn slapped him on the back.

"That was epic!" Finn pointed at the stage. "Look, everybody's coming out now! Man, Artie wasn't lying; they found a ton of new people."

"Say 'field trip' and everyone comes running," Kurt laughed as the singers formed their rows for the next number. "Just make sure all of the doors are locked before you say 'Glee Club'."

The group clapped and swayed as the music started, Tina taking center stage. "Yeah, it's been a bumpy road," she sang with a grin, with Artie and Sam chiming in on the harmony. "Roller coasters high and low…"

The rest of the club jumped in on the chorus while doing some very loose choreography in the background. While they weren't always perfectly on key or totally coordinated, the audience couldn't resist getting swept up by their enthusiasm, and everyone cheerfully clapped along. In the end, they stepped to the side as Tina sang the final line.

When it's all said and done, you can walk instead of run

'cause no matter what you'll never be alone…

She and the other Seniors took their bows as the crowd applauded once again. "That was pretty cool," Finn said as they clapped along, "especially for rookies. The dancing was kinda wild, though. Did you see the dude in the fedora doing the robot?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they did their best. Tina sounded lovely, anyway. I hope they encouraged the new members to fake it if they had trouble with the music."

Kurt nodded. "Blaine says they found out the kid with the crew cut over there is tone deaf. Unique spent a week teaching him to lip-sync."

"So what's with all the secrecy, guys?" Finn turned to Kurt with a puzzled smile. "Was that the big surprise? That Sam finally got to do a country song?"

Kurt shook his head and pointed toward the stage. "Wait for it…"

As everyone on stage darted back into position, with the Juniors lined up in front, a very familiar tune began to play. Finn's eyebrows shot up; he glanced at Rachel and Kurt, then looked over at his parents. They were all smiling at him. As the Glee Club began to 'ooh' and 'ah', Jake Puckerman stepped forward to sing the first line. Kurt squeezed his brother's shoulder, his eyes shining.

"They're playing our song."

Oh, her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday…

Finn shook his head, at a loss for words. Each Junior took a couple of lines as the others sang gently in the background, while Ryder and Marley, Jake and Kitty, Sam and Unique, and Blaine and Tina paired off to dance. Their row sat in silence, remembering their own rendition of the song, as the group went all out for their final number. As Ryder stepped up to sing the last line, Rachel reached over and took Finn's hand in hers.

And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause, girl, you're amazing
Just the way you are
Yeah!

As they joined in the standing ovation, Rachel called out over the crowd, "Tina called me when they found out about the theme, and said this song would be perfect. She remembered how wonderful it was to sing it at the wedding and asked if Kurt and I minded if they added it to their set list."

Kurt nodded. "I told her it was really sweet. We thought it was a great idea, and we all thought it would be fun to make it a surprise."

"Guys, that was…" He shook his head. "Amazing. Thanks."

Burt clapped Finn on the back. "Happy early birthday, big guy."

"My birthday's in August."

Burt shrugged. "Really early."

Everyone laughed as they filed out of their row and headed for the lobby.

Kurt hustled them along. "Move it, people, we still have a chance to sneak backstage and congratulate the club!"

Finn grinned. "You just want to tell Blaine how great he was."

"Your point?"

Smiling and laughing, they rushed on, absently humming a familiar melody as they made their way to the wings.

~The End~

And there you have it! I hope it was half as much fun to read as it was to write. This was my final big Glee idea, and I wanted it to have a little bit of everything (and everyone). I thought it would've been funny to end the season bringing in completely random people to have enough singers for Nationals, but since the Cheerios on the show were more willing to humor the Gleeks, I made up my own ending. Thanks so much for tuning in! As always, feel free to check out my other Glee stories and one shots, they're lots of fun, too.

Happy Reading!

-MA