Forever Isn't Always Forever Chapter 7, a glee fanfic

Thursday was a bleak day for Quinn. Beth had caught chicken pox from someone at the nursery and wouldn't stop crying. Quinn, who would have asked for this day off, knew she couldn't afford to not go to school, she had to do Glee. Mrs Turner was too old and Mrs Bremmer had never had chicken pox as a result she managed to find Mickey's older sister to baby-sit Beth, which didn't thrill her at all. She told her if something was even the teensiest bit wrong she'd have her locked up before she could blink. Mickey's sister Leah took it seriously because her best friend Nadia had been pregnant and had kept the baby and she had seen her get seriously protective of baby Lola.

When she arrived at school she found that Mickey and Laura's skirmish had turned into a proper fight and as she was not talking to Dan it meant that their chances were not looking good. Especially was her and Dan had to sing that duet together. All she could hope was that they could band together like they had in New Directions, before a performance and sing and dance like nothing was wrong. She wondered vaguely if they were having some sort of crisis too. She had a feeling they were, if they were anything like the New Directions she had known.

Quinn was quite right. Finn woke up to find that Rachel had left a load of angry texts on his phone, demanding he choose now or 'face the consequences'. He was greeted by a far too cheerful Kurt because he'd made up with Blaine when he went downstairs for breakfast. For once Kurt had no useful advise or even a sympathetic ear. He just told Finn he knew this day had been coming for a long time and continued humming cheerfully. This really irritated Finn because Finn had been there for Kurt yesterday even though it was Kurt's fault because he was his brother and he told him so. This caused their first full scale row since the 'f-word' incident.

Finns day did not improve. Having heard that Finn had yelled at Kurt the rest of the club had started blanking and Rachel really wasn't helping, popping up every second he left a classroom to ask him if he had made his decision. Now he wasn't really talking to any of the New Directions bar, possibly Puck, Finn found himself in a really difficult situation. How was he supposed to sing with them when all he wanted to do was shout at them, shout the truth, but still. He knew this was worse than ever if they didn't band together, they were going down.

Quinn had called off rehearsal, there had been no other option. The rows had caused friction between herself, Dan, Mickey and Laura meaning that, though they hadn't argued with them, Quinn and Dan found it hard to get along with Mickey and Laura and vice versa. This had quickly shown where the loyalties of the club lay and it was with their squad captain. Jeremiah and Ben banded with Dan, Dion and Leo with Mickey. The strange split had come with the cheerleaders. Nicola and Ellen had joined Quinn but Hannah and Fiona had gravitated to Laura because they saw her as head cheerleader and Quinn as coach.

Quinn knew that she was faced with two options, push through the fighting, go to nationals and see what happens or pull out because of it all. She leant over the bathroom sink thinking. Could they back out? No. They would never be respected in this school. That's what they'd worked all year for, to bring respect back to the clubs. All they needed to do was prove themselves once. She jerked upright. That was it! She pulled out her phone and sent out texts to everyone in the club telling them about the emergency meeting now. She hurried to the choir, trying to assemble her thoughts. She had to sort everything out before they came. She had to make them believe.

Mr Schue, for the first time, had called it off. He had called off rehearsal! It felt like he had committed some sort of crime but he couldn't work with the kids like that. Nobody was talking to Finn or Rachel and some people weren't talking to Kurt for 'fraternizing with the enemy'. The Glee club had been dividing for a while, it had started when Rachel had split back away from the rest of the girls and he guessed it was just escalating from there. Pretty soon they'd all be in ones or twos and at each others throats.

Will knew they couldn't back out of Nationals, that would destroy everything, completely derail everything he had been trying to teach them but at the same time this was just as bad, if not worse. You'd think after three years they would be able to work as a team. What Will really needed was a way to remotivate them, give them a bumper injection so to speak to carry them to and through Nationals. He had to find another way to show them to stick together. He looked out of his office for inspiration in the halls and, surprisingly, found it. The two people who weren't fighting. He was going to remind them of something.

"I have called you back to say that we need to stick together on this."

"What?" asked Nicola. "Is that all you say?"

"No hear me out because our arguments may be about us but Glee isn't. We're not going to Nationals for ourselves, though it's fun. We're doing this for the school. Come on we're all on the teams this is about respect. Not just for us as individuals but for our school. It's for when our children come back and the school's the best in the region because there are some people, just a few, who are prepared to put the school first. When we go out there and sing we may not think we're united as friends but we're united by our school. I guess what I'm trying to say is that when we go out there in two days time we will be friends because it will be a front but why but on a front when the real thing is so much better? I spent nearly all my time at McKinley living a lie, putting up a front and it's hard." She sighed "Dan, I'm sorry I shouted at you, it's stressful being in charge, having people looking up to you. Having to do things like this." Dan smiled.

"Sorry, too, for blowing up." he got up and they embraced. Mickey and Laura hugged and soon they were all hugging each other, laughing and apologising.

"Right tomorrow. Friday. See you."

Mr Schue had managed to grab the glee club back in the choir room before they all disappeared. "Right I think you can guess why you're here." There were some nods and a couple of people opened their mouths to start speaking but Mr Schue held up his hand. "I don't want excuses or reasons or promises or anything. I want you to look at Brittany and Santana." Everyone turned to look at them "Those are two people in love and I think love is something you have forgotten."

"Er no." said Finn "That's what we're all arguing about, we've hardly forgotten it."
"Not that kind of love. The love you have for each other. You look after each other, the fact you may as well be a family that love. The love I have for you kids, like you're my children. Now the best thing about love is that it generally means you are able to forgive each other."
"What? I swear that's like the opposite." said Puck "If you love someone then they hurt you it hurts more. You don't want that pain again, so you don't forgive them. Therefore loving makes you less likely to forgive." Quite a few people looked shocked by this logic from Puck but nodded with what he was saying.

"No it's not that it's-" but he'd lost them. One by one they stood up and walked out of the choir room, leaving him on his own to panic.

On Friday Quinn was sick with worry. She'd been having some horror moviesque nightmares about meeting up on Saturday with the New Directions, when she'd been confused and leaning over her toilet bowl being sick for one crazy, stomach-churning moment she thought she was having morning sickness again but then mentally and physically kicked herself for being so stupid. There had been had been maybe 30 seconds when she had been considering calling Lima. She had actually unlocked the drawer where she kept her old phone and diary and other stuff, and had had her phone in her hand before she had got a grip. They were miles away and they probably wouldn't believe it was her if she just rang them.

Instead she made a cup of very strong tea and watched the headlines to wake herself up. She needed her wits about her. Leah had actually been very good with Beth and had told her about Lola, who coincidentally was Beth's age except Nadia her mother was three years older than Quinn. They agreed they could maybe think about getting them together as Nadia frequently haunted Mickey's house. She sung softly to her daughter as she waited for Leah, this morning she was neglecting her run to keep an eye on her daughter. She felt awful leaving about leaving her sick child at home under the care of someone else whilst she ran some club, but then again this club could get her a scholarship so wasn't an entire waste of time.

Lessons were impossibly slow. Her and Mickey sat watching the clock tick, both waiting for Glee club, it seemed that this past week their life had revolved around Glee club which revolved around tomorrow. It seemed impossible that Nationals were tomorrow! She could not concentrate, luckily the teachers seemed to know and so left her and Mickey their own devices. They passed notes mainly quizzing each other on lyrics and the move to go with it. Lunch was a tense affair until Quinn decided to take the edge off it. She climbed onto the table

"Hey we are Living Chorus and tomorrow we're going to Nationals! So if you don't mind we'd like to pull a quick number to keep us on our feet so we can win!" There was a great deal of cheering then someone shouted

"Can you do some actual pop not like show tuney stuff."

"Sure." She turned around and looked at them giving them a quick nod. They knew the song they were going to do.

Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live
Oh, take, take, take it all but you never give
Should've known you was trouble from the first kiss
Had your eyes wide open, why were they open?

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked
'Cause what you don't understand is

I'd catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I'd jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya

I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for you, baby
But you won't do the same

No, no, no, no

Black, black, black and blue, beat me 'til I'm numb
Tell the devil I said, hey, when you get back to where you're from
Mad women, bad women, that's just what you are, yeah
You'll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, yes, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked
'Cause what you don't understand is

I'd catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I'd jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya

I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for ya, baby
But you won't do the same

If my body was on fire
Ooh, you'd watch me burn down in flames
You said you loved me, you're a liar
'Cause you never, ever, ever did, baby

But darling, I'd still catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I'd jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya

I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for you, baby
But you won't do the same

No, you won't do the same
You wouldn't do the same
Ooh, you never do the same
No, no, no, no

The lunch room applauded appreciatively, not rapturous, but good enough. They took a swift bow feeling better and ate their lunch in relative peace.

"Okay so I was thinking I don't want to over work today. We can do two run through and then maybe another song this time a musical I think and then home. I want everyone to relax. No one got homework, or no one should have got homework so just chill out go to bed earlish and get a good amount of rest. Competitions at three in the afternoon this year. We can arrive anytime after one so we eat lunch together at 12 and then we can just relax together get there for oneish run through, if no one else is around maybe we can do a little random number to get used to it then we just have to wait to find out when we are and then. Show time! So any song we've done.""Under the Sea." said Jeremiah

"Got it." said Quinn with a relaxed grin.

Ariel, listen to me
The human world, it's mess
Life under the sea
Is better then anything they got up there

The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea

Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who's gon' be on the plate

Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spiritYou got to hear it
Under the sea

The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
(Yeah)
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow

Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me
What do they got?
A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea

Friday made Finn's stomach turn over. For a worrying moment he thought he was going to be sick but he just sat up and swallowed his nerves. He had his case packed because they were leaving as soon as they could from school. It was worse than New York, he'd sung Last Kiss to try and gain some closure but it had just complicated things. This year he was missing Quinn and he had absolutely no friends, boy was his duet going to be interesting. He barely acknowledged Kurt when he went down but he did notice the giant suitcase at the bottom of the staircase. Finn knew Kurt made sure that he had spare clothes wherever he went and just lots of general stuff that Finn didn't get the point of like thousands of creams that looked the same.

Finn couldn't concentrate. He just couldn't, he noticed he wasn't the only one. In his maths class that he shared with Brittany she was staring at the clock with more attentiveness than Finn had ever seen her show in class like everyone she was counting the hours. As he did whenever he had nothing better to do Finn tried to imagine what Quinn was doing right now. Would she be sitting ram-rod straight in class in a cheerleading outfit or keeping a low profile in normal clothes? Would she be counting the hours? Was she nervous for them? For him? Did she, as Rachel said, have a boyfriend? No guy in their right mind wouldn't think she was beautiful, was she so heart broken that maybe she was still on her own? Or stuck in Finn's situation?

Mr Schue came to them all at lunch and told them they were once again going to perform in the courtyard. What was the point? Finn thought as they wondered out there, no one noticed except for Sam and that had been a over a year ago, and Sunshine. Mr Schue said it didn't matter what the reception was it mattered because it would take the edge off the nerves.

Puck: Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
Lauren: I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tina: Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

All: I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Artie: Who has to know?
When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Sam: Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

All: I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

All: Who has to know?
Boys: The way she feels inside
Girls: (Inside)
Boys: Those thoughts I can't deny
Girls: (Deny)
Boys: These sleeping dogs won't lie
Girls: (Won't lie)
And now I try to lie
It's eating me apart
Trace this life back

All: I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret)
I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Dirty little secret

Who has to know?
Who has to know?

Finn was surprised, along with the rest of the club that the courtyard had actually stopped and watched them perform. Okay they didn't applause and they acted as if it had been an interruption but still they were being noticed, that was definitely progress. Maybe by the time they left McKinley the Glee club would be becoming cool again. That was a strange thought. A lovely thought but a strange one all the same.

When they gathered in the choir room for the last time before the left Mr Schue looked resigned to the fact that they weren't going to become friends before they left.

"Alright, before we head off I want to say how proud I am of you all, you've had a hell of a year and you've shown your support for Glee club more than anything else. No matter whether we win or lose I think that we can safely say that when you come back from that we'll have learnt something. This is going to be an interesting experience for us. I think we can have a run through and then a practice for our co-ordination and remind us of something important."

"What?"
"Oh, I had a good idea."

We go together
Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong
Remembered forever
As shoobop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop
That's the way it should be, wha oooh, yeah

We're one of a kind
Like dip dadip dadip doowop da doobee doo
Our names are signed
Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy shooby doowop shebop
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop
We'll always be like one, wa wa wa wah

When we go out at night and stars are shinin' bright
Up in the skies above
Or at the high school dance where you can find romance
Maybe it might be love

Rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong
Shoobop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop
Dip dadip dadip doowop da doobee doo
Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy shooby doowop shebop
Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip de doom

We're for each other
Like wop baba lumop a wap bam boom
Just like my brother
Is sha na na na na na na na yippity dip de doom
Chang chang changitty chang shoobop
We'll always be together wha oooh, yeah

We'll always be together
We'll always be together
We'll always be together