Puck didn't like to admit it, but he was nervous. He knew it was stupid to be. These were the same people he sang with every week. It's not like he wasn't comfortable around them. It's just that he really wanted to be a part of this. And not just a part – he wanted an important part. He wanted to play Rodger. He played guitar, he had an awesome voice for rock and he knew that he looked the part. Much more than Finn did anyway. Plus, he knew that it would impress his girl, which at this stage was still important. However, having so much at stake had affected his ability to play it cool. He was a wreck and he was trying hard not to show it.

"Puck, you're up," called Mr Schuester from somewhere in the auditorium. Puck nervously made his way from backstage and stood centre-stage.

"What role are you auditioning for?" asked Miss Pillsbury who was sitting next to Mr Schue.

"Rodger," said Puck, trying to keep the quaver in his voice down.

"Great," she replied as she took this down, "and what song will you be auditioning with?"

"One S-song Glory," Puck responded. God, did he just stammer? What was happening to the Puckasaurus?

"Awesome, take it away."

Puck, to his amazement, found that once the music started, there was nothing to worry about it. He tried to put as much of his own attitude into performing it as he could. After all, Rodger was going to be a part of him for the next few months; he might as well be as similar to the Puck-man as possible. As he sang, he really felt like he was another person and it was amazing.

When he finished, he noticed all the glee club standing and applauding. Some of the guys whistled their approval.

"Whoa, Puck!" said Mr Schuester, grinning. "I don't think we've ever seen you perform like that."

"Thanks, Mr S," said Puck, grinning. He knew that he had kicked ass. He looked to where Lauren was sitting and she winked at him in approval. Heart swelling with pride, he was about to jump off the stage when Mr Schue stopped him.

"We just need to know why you're auditioning for the role of Rodger," said Will.

"Well, he's a badass who's made some stupid choices in his life and is now trying to make them right, to the point where he doesn't want to do anything that might get anyone hurt. I feel like we've got a lot in common," Puck said, shrugging nonchalantly. It was a lot easier to be the old Puck now that it was over.

"Good answer. Well, we'll let you know about it at the end of the auditions," replied Mr Schuester and called for the next audition.

Sam followed Mercedes reluctantly onto the stage. He didn't really want to be auditioning at all, but Mercedes had asked him to sing with her, since the character she wanted to audition for pretty much only did duets. Plus, he couldn't afford to get the movie or the soundtrack, so the only way he could familiarise himself with the characters and music was to watch it at Mercedes' house.

He had to admit - he was really starting to like her, but he didn't know if he wanted those feelings. He didn't have a great history with girls and Mercedes was nice. He didn't want to hurt her. He told himself that she could carry one being the awesome friend.

Without him realising, he had zoned out while Mercedes had explained their situation and now the intro to 'Tango: Maureen' was playing. He didn't want to play any of the characters, but of all of them, Sam really didn't want to play Mark. He did, however, enjoy singing with Mercedes. The song was pretty awesome and Mercedes' mom had taught them some basic tango steps so that they could make their performance more believable. It had actually gone pretty smoothly, Sam found himself thinking as they finished.

Just like he did with Puck's audition, Mr Schuester asked the two of them why they wanted to audition for their particular roles. Sam was quick to say that he didn't want to play Mark or any other character part. He was just helping Mercedes out. Mr Schuester nodded and asked Mercedes. She explained that she connected with Joanne because Joanne was often taken for granted and that's how she felt sometimes.

"Plus, she has some killer solos," Mercedes added. Mr Schuester laughed thanked them and called Artie who was auditioning for the role of Bennie.

One by one the students sang. Will and Emma found that some kids were perfect for the roles they auditioned for while others seemed to be harder to place. They had a pretty good idea of who could play who and they just needed to finalise their ideas. So, once everyone had auditioned, apart from those that didn't want a part, Will and Emma asked them to wait outside while they made their final decisions.

It was a pretty easy process. The kids had really taken the auditions seriously and had done an amazing job. Some automatically got their part as they were the only people who auditioned for that role, but others required a bit more thought. They were just discussing the need for an actor for a certain character when Will looked up and saw David Karofsky walk across the stage.

"David, are you here to audition?" asked Will, pleasantly surprised.

"I think so," he replied, looking uncertain.

"Great," said Will, smiling. He knew that David was a good performer. He looked a nervous wreck, though. Emma noticed the same thing.

"Look, David, there's no pressure," she said, with a smile. "Just take a deep breath, tell us who you're auditioning for and what song you'll be singing."

"I, uh, I'm going to be auditioning for Collins with "I'll Cover You". The reprise." He said nervously. Brad nodded and began to play the intro. As the piano died away, Dave began to sing, his strong, clear voice carrying beautifully through the auditorium.

"Oh my God, Will," said Emma, her eyes wide, grabbing Will's wrist in surprise. Will felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. David was amazing. He had thought he was good when they were doing the Thriller mash-up, but this... this was unreal.

When he had finished, he looked nervously up at them, unsure of what to do. Will was speechless for a second or two, but remembered to ask him why he wanted the role.

"I'm tired of hiding, Mr Schuester. I haven't come out to my dad yet and I want to after the show. I need to be Collins."

Will nodded, thanked him and told him to go join the others while they made their final decisions. It wasn't necessary. Will and Emma looked seriously at each . Their casting was decided.

...

"Before I announce who got what role, can I just say how incredibly blown away I am by all of you? Some of you really came out of your shells today," said Will from the stage. They all gave small smiles, clearly wishing him to just get on with it.

"Without further ado," he continued, "your cast: Angel will be played by Kurt." There was a smattering of applause and Kurt nodded a thank you, with a huge grin on his face.

"Bennie will be played by Artie," Will said, reading off of the list in his hand pausing for applause after each one. "Mark will be played by Finn. Joanne will be played by Mercedes. Maureen will be played by Rachel. Mimi will be played by Santana. Rodger will be played by Puck and Collins will be played by David."

Everyone turned around to look at him in surprise. Nobody was sure why he was there, but the last thing they suspected was that he was auditioning for a main part. All of them, apart from Kurt (who beamed at him), looked at him as if he had just beamed in from another planet.

"Could the cast please meet me in the front?" Will asked, trying to take from the awkwardness of the situation. "Miss Pillsbury wants to talk to the rest of you about things you can help with in the show."

While the others gathered around Emma, the main cast all made their way onto the stage. He looked at them properly and found himself completely satisfied. They were all strong singers and not one of them was shy. Admittedly, he was worried about Finn having to do a tango, but that would be something for Brittany, Mike and possibly Mercedes' doctor to sort out.

The cast themselves, however, looked far less happy with the situation. Rachel looked practically homicidal and everyone else was still staring at David. Only Kurt seemed perfectly satisfied and ready to get on with the work. Will decided he would have to work with the group dynamics – have them spend time together and get to know each other. They would have to at least get along if they were going to be playing best friends.

"Okay, guys," said Will, handing out scripts, "from this point on, we work. You are going to make or break this for us, so I need you focussed on being the best you can be. This week will be RENT boot-camp. We will be picking each of your characters apart, discussing them and trying to help each other fully discover what their character is about. I don't want this to be a carbon copy of any other production, because this is ours. We need to make it ours."

The group nodded seriously back at him.

"So can I count on you?" Will added in a deadly serious voice. They needed to know that he wasn't joking around. They had to be committed. All of them nodded and murmured their "yes".

"Great, well, I'll see you all tomorrow at nine for our first workshop. Go get a good night's rest and come ready in the morning." The cast left and only Rachel stayed behind. Will, guessing what was going to happen next, took the preemptive strike. "Rachel, I know you're upset that you're not Mimi, but I need you to be Maureen. Maureen's vocals are some of the toughest in the musical and there's no way Santana could pull them off." Rachel glared at her shoes.

"It's an ensemble cast. No one is more important than another. I chose you for Maureen because I know that's where you'll shine brightest. If I'm wrong, I give you full permission to tell me so. But only after the play."

Rachel looked up. "Fine," she said, before storming off to go look for Finn.

As Will looked over to where Emma was discussing minor characters, stage hands and AV needs, he caught her eye. Emma blushed and carried on with what she was talking about, now with small smile playing on her features. The last time they had attempted to put on a musical it had been to impress her. This time was no different.

And this time he actually had a chance.

A/N: I can't tell you how long I spent thinking about which character would be perfect for each part, but I can tell you that I had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. What do you guys think?

As always, thanks for reading! :D