Kurt watched in silence as Finn and Sam picked up Lauren Zizes and carried her over to the couch. She was still unconscious. Two of the Warblers returned from finding a first-aid kit and rushed over to help. He wrapped his arm around Mercedes, who was standing next to him, scared and concerned. Rachel was pacing around the room, looking as though she was going to pull her hair out.

"I think she's going to be okay," Sam said to her, leaning over Zizes. "Unconscious for a while, but she'll be fine."

"What are we going to do?" Berry asked the room, looking as though she was on the verge of tears.

Finn's head shot up as he realized why his girlfriend was having a panic attack. "She was our twelfth member," he said slowly. "We can't go on without her."

The room silenced around him. They stood like statues, not speaking, until a loud thud brought everyone out of their own minds and back to the room.

Puck had punched the wall, leaving a considerable dent. "So, that's it?" he asked. "We just forfeit, just like that?"

Nick Davies of the Warblers spoke up. "There's no way you can explain the situation, and go on with eleven?"

Rachel shook her head, rattling off the rules of the show choir book she had memorized. It was at least twelve members, or nothing. No exceptions.

"What if we talked to the judges and said we don't care if you're technically disqualified? We want you to perform anyway," Blaine offered. Kurt felt Mercedes squeeze his shoulder and he turned to her, smiling despite the situation as she silently gave him her approval. Rachel refused the offer, and returned to pulling her hair.

"What if I called another Cheerio?" Quinn asked. "Maybe she'd get here in time, and we'll just tell her to sway in the back."

"Lima is over an hour way. We go on in thirty." Sam wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "Good idea, though. We just need someone from McKinley to chill in the back and be a twelfth member. Does anyone have their friends in the audience?"

Kurt felt vibrations against his leg. He pulled out his phone, reading a text from his father telling him how proud he was. He was about to put his phone away when he remembered the call he had gotten a few minutes ago. He looked from his phone to Blaine, who had been watching him. Looking into his eyes, Kurt knew the same thoughts were going through their heads.

"I'll do it," he said, startling the room.

"What?" Finn asked, clearly not following his brother's train of thought.

"All those phone calls we've been getting at home, and on my cell," Kurt said, trying to get Finn to understand. "From the school?"

Finn laughed dryly. "Yeah, they keep yelling at us, telling us if you miss any more school –" He stopped abruptly, realization dawning on him.

"The school still thinks you go to McKinley!"

"I'll be your twelfth member," his step-brother said, turning to New Directions. The room erupted with argument, both teams expressing their dislike for the idea.

"You can't perform with two different groups; we'll be disqualified!" David yelled, as Puck verbalized his agreement. "There's got to be some rule against that."

"Yeah, I'm all for good sportsmanship and letting these guys go on, but I'd much rather win by default than give up Sectionals to the Hipsters," another Warbler, Kyle, said.

All eyes turned to Rachel. She ran through the show choir handbook in her head, feeling the heat of thirty people watching her.

"It specifically states that you have to be a student in the school to perform," she said, speaking very slowly, a rarity for her.

"Which I am!" Kurt exclaimed. "Well, sort of."

"Does it say anything about performing in more than one glee club?" Tina asked, her hands gripping the handles of Artie's wheelchair so tight her knuckles were white.

As though in slow motion, Rachel shook her head. "Nothing. If you're a student, you qualify. I guess it's never come up before."

Kurt grinned. "I'll do it."

He turned back to see the Warblers in the doorway, each one wearing a different expression of anger, apprehension or admiration. Blaine took a step forward, and Kurt worried that his friend and crush would yell at him for turning his back on Dalton Academy. He was completely caught off guard when the older boy pulled him into a hug.

"Break a leg, Kurt," he said smiling as they finally separated. Kurt blushed furiously as seeing the unadulterated pride in Blaine's face. The captain looked at his team, shrugging. "We said we wanted some good competition, right?"

"Mike and I will teach you everything," Rachel said, pulling Kurt to the open space and showing him the song selection. Mike stood up and quickly ran though the dance steps as the Warblers started making their way back down the hallway. Halfway through teaching Kurt the first number, the Asian paused.

"Wait, I have to teach you the girls' part, don't I? Isn't that going to throw off the whole choreography, if Kurt's with the girls?"

"He's almost a girl," Brittany said, ever-present vacant expression on her face. Kurt laughed and nodded, and began learning the new steps.