Chapter 10: Journey to Regionals
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.
I'm slowly getting my muse back. With this chapter, the story is finished, but there is still more to come with it. I'd like to thank you guys for just reading it, which means you've taken an interest at the very least. Love you all!
Italics- Claire singing
Bold Italics- Felix singing
Felix had stuck to Kurt's whole 'half casual, half formal' instruction rather well just as Claire had also stuck to her instructions of using a little leather as a way to show bad-assness, or that was how Puck had referred to it. Now that the Brit thought about it, he should have gone to Kurt the moment said countertenor had pointed out his tendency to dress rather plainly. This time he wore a black slim-fit button-up shirt with the first two buttons undone and a pair of dark jeans and leather shoes to finish it. Another advantage was seeing Mike's utterly speechless expression that was followed by babbling to try and form a coherent sentence.
"Lookin' good, Brit boy" Mercedes said the moment she saw him and he smiled with a small blush.
"You and Kurt are the ones who made it possible. I just needed a little push" Felix said with a smile.
"Kurt?" Mercedes asked, looking past him and he turned to see that Kurt looked a whole lot paler than what he usually was. It was as though someone had told him that Gucci had ceased production of everything.
"You look as though you've seen a ghost. Is everything okay?" Felix asked, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder, though he received no reply.
"Sue" was all he said.
"What about her?" Mercedes urged.
"She's… she's a…." he couldn't get it out for a moment. "Judge" was the next word he said and the two of them looked shocked. Felix took him by his shoulders and shook him gently.
"Judge of what? Kurt, what is she a judge for?" he sounded desperate, praying it wasn't something major. "Kurt, my mind is going crazy, you have to tell us. What has the mega-bitch become a judge for?"
"Regionals" Kurt said and they both shut down as they processed it. It worked fantastically in Sue's favour to be on the judge panel. She could have them shut down officially through a single vote, and that would mean Glee would cease to exist. Such were the conditions set by Principal Figgins for the club to remain active.
"Bloody hell…" was all he could breathe out.
"We're screwed" Mercedes said.
"All that hard work… all that time spent listening to Rachel and having to pay attention to those God awful sweaters… all that drama and the Devil herself is going to flush it down the drain" Kurt said as he regained some of his composure. He was still as white as a ghost, however. "She's done it. She's won. If we're hanging on by a thread, then you can bet she will be the one to take the scissors and snip through it"
"What about everyone else?" Mercedes asked.
"They'll find out soon enough. Are you two going to Mr. Schue's for the nomination party?" Kurt asked and the two of them nodded.
"Yeah" was the soft reply for both of them.
Mike had met the Brit in the Auditorium to find him with his legs hanging over the edge limply and he looked to be in deep thought. The Asian had yet to hear about the developments regarding Sue been a judge for the competition, so he was in really high spirits, as he normally was with a spring in his step and a joyful grin.
"Deep in thought?" Mike asked brightly.
"I guess you haven't heard" Felix said with a rueful smile.
"Haven't heard what?"
"Sue is a judge for Regionals. Effective immediately" Felix said and the grin the dancer had been wearing faded in that instant. "Kurt came up to me and Mercedes this morning completely ashen, which is quite the feat for him, given his natural complexion" Felix explained to him as the dancer sat down next to him.
"Doesn't mean that it's over though" Mike said encouragingly.
"We have to please three other judges. And knowing Sue, she has material on the other three that she can use to manipulate them into passing the vote on to another group. I know you're an optimist, Mike, but she has finally done what she has set out to do and that was destroy us" Felix said, shoulders slumping.
"Hey. You missed the first competition we had. Sue had interfered before and got rid of our set-list by giving it to the two rival groups. We panicked, we thought it was over. Artie was constantly ramming himself into a wall as his 'we're doomed' mantra and Jacob Ben Israel, who was covering for Finn had actually wet himself. Finn came back and got us all up with a new set-list and we won. You were the one who used that to convince me that the school had something to be proud of when we were discussing joining tennis. In your words 'we wish you the best of luck in your endeavour, which we will face whole-heartedly as one.' This is that endeavour" Mike said and the other smiled.
"You actually remembered me saying that?"
"How could I not? It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen" he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around the Brit. "You are our lucky charm. Your name tells me that much. Felix is more than just a name, it's the truth" Mike said and Felix smiled, before placing a lingering kiss on Mike's lips.
"Perhaps I should slip into despair more often" Felix teased lightly when Mike's lips chased his.
"That shirt and how it clings to you does it for me"
If you could describe the atmosphere at Mr. Schue's apartment that night in one word, then you were in for a difficult time. There were many words that could some it all up, even the dancer and his boyfriend had lost a fair amount of his optimism to the sea of despair that had flooded into the room.
"No one wants any pizza? All right, well, uh, let's get started. Thank you for coming to the first annual New Directions' Regionals' set list nominations party" Mr. Schue said, still trying to raise spirits.
"What's the point, Mr. Schue? Sue's one of the judges. She's gonna crush us" Artie said.
"Artie, you don't know that" the Spanish teacher tried.
"Yes we do. She told us at Cheerios practice" Santana piped up.
"Yeah, she said, 'I'm going to crush Glee Club'" Brittany said simply.
"A whole freaking year. All that hard work for nothing" Puck said, adding to the sullenness of the whole thing. Tina was in tears whilst everyone else was close to it, well except for the more manly members.
"I'm sorry. I just really love you guys. You know how many Facebook friends I had before I joined Glee Club? Two. My parents. Rachel was right. Being a part of something special— it made me special. I just can't believe it's going to be over in a week" she said and Finn was quick to try and lift their spirits.
"Wait. Who says it's going to be over?"
"Please. Do you think Puck or Santana are going to even acknowledge my existence once we're not in Glee Club anymore?" Mercedes asked.
"She's got a point" Puck replied to that. Felix spoke up then.
"I know I'm not normally the one who gives the pep talk for this group, but if this carries on then I will drown in the sea of despair that you lot are giving off. Since I've been here, I have faced nothing but hell from the other students and Sue. The moment she found out that I was gay, she was ready to out me, which was probably one of the worst things I could ever go through at that school. Yet I persevered, I stood up to her. Something that only Mr. Schue has ever done" he said and Quinn smiled sympathetically.
"We are, or in my case, were on the Cheerios, a group she's devoted to. She only cares about that. The Glee Club is an obstacle to overcome, she don't care if some of her own are a part of it, or if someone was brave enough to stand up to her" the pregnant girl said. "She's got the very advantage she needs now" At this, he remained quiet. It was something he should have given some thought to. With his optimism now shot, as was Mike's, who was beginning to accept what was been said.
That night was perhaps one of the worst that Felix had to sit through. He didn't break down in tears, didn't let one escape, his sister did, but he didn't, he wouldn't. There were flickers of hope inside of him, as he thought about all of the adversity he had gone through, not only at the hands of Sue but at the students, at the adversity he faced against Jesse St. James once before. He'd won then, with Mike at his side and the support of the club. On his own, he had managed to get Sue to leave him alone regarding his sexuality and she in turn admitted something that was deeply personal to her. Perhaps they still had a chance.
Regionals required them to spend a weekend in a hotel, with the first day used for last minute prep and the second was the day of the competition. They go back home the day after and then return to school the following day. After Mr. Schue's pep talk and Rachel's dramatic change in demeanour, the morale was higher and it was noticeable as Felix and Claire went through an essential checklist of things packed.
"Both got our toothbrushes, both have toothpaste…" they recited in bored unison to their mother.
"Mike?" Annette asked.
"He's gone to the school to wait for us there, but he made sure he had everything that he was going to need as well" Claire said as she slung the larger backpack over her shoulder.
"Good luck and have fun!" their mother said, kissing them on the cheek as they walked out of the door.
When they got to the school, they had some encouragement off of the regular students, indifferent looks from the Cheerios, but that could be classed as a win, and the jocks merely sneered. The soccer team was a little more supportive considering Mike's place and the fact that they weren't single-minded bigots which did help from time to time.
"Just got a text from 'Cedes. 'Loading the bus, get your asses out here!'" she read aloud.
"Never one for pleasantries"
He sits next to Mike, as is expected, on the bus trip and whilst he's reading a book for his own pleasure this time, instead of one of the God awful assigned books, Mike is sleeping, head resting on his shoulder, angle awkward, yet oddly comfortable for the dancer. Mike shifts, hand placed on his stomach and the Brit smiles, placing a kiss in Mike's hair before going back to reading, noticing his sister had looked through the gap in the seats.
"He's going to wish he stayed awake" she pointed out.
"Yep. He'll have a crick in his neck for a while"
"Do you think we'll win?"
"I don't know what to tell you Claire-Bear. I can tell you that we are going to give our damnedest and even if we don't win, we tried. That's all we can do" Felix said with a small smile.
"Still, if we fail, we're done. Glee is finished and I really don't want it to be. I mean it was what had you singing again, where you met our greatest friends, where we fit in. I just… I want to feel as though I do have somewhere in that school in which I belong" Claire said and stood up to lean over the seat to gently stroke her long red hair.
"We do belong. We still have friends even when this club is over. We still have Mercedes and Kurt to stay over, Quinn to do her fashion checks as back-up, Santana to make sarcastic remarks and Brittany's innocence. We have it all around us" he said and she sighed.
"I suppose we do"
"Besides, we could always get Sue back" he said and Quinn, who was sat next to her perked up as well.
"And how do you intend to best her?" Quinn asked in interest.
"We're pretty good on our feet, got some good balance. Don't suppose we could join the Cheerios do you?" Felix asked with a mischievous grin. "At the very least, we could surprise her just with the audition if she doesn't let us in"
"When did you become so devious?" Claire asked and he chuckled softly.
"You have to in order to survive in McKinley" Quinn supplied, knowing what he was going to say.
"But enough of all this 'if we fail' lark, okay? We are going to go out there and give our best. They can't ask for much more than that" he said, taking her hand and squeezing it before sitting down and placing Mike's head back on his shoulder gently.
The hotel had three rooms booked, each one with two double beds, so that meant that four would be sharing a single room. Mr. Schue wanted at least one room where there wouldn't be any chaos, giving that one to Mike, Felix, Claire, and Quinn, to which they smiled. So they had gone up and left their stuff before heading back down for dinner in the hotel restaurant. It was lovely at first, everyone seeming to get along for the time being, but then again, it took one bit of drama to destabilize that peace, but no one knew what else could be lurking up anyone's sleeves. Midway through the meal, Claire had excused herself, though Felix had spotted a tell-tale trait that was exclusive to his sister like he had a small blush. She had a small tear.
"I shall see you two back in the room" he said, wiping his mouth and getting up where Mr. Schue stopped him for a moment.
"Everything alright, Felix?"
"I'm about to find out" he said and the teacher nodded.
"See you in the morning" the teacher said before he headed out.
Using his card key, he unlocked the door to the room and went in to see that Claire was already changed and sat on the large window sill which provided a view of the town at night. Her body was wracked with silent sobs and he raised a brow, grabbing his own night wear and getting changed in the bathroom before sitting next to her.
"Everything okay?" he asked as she relocated to a corner of the room and he did so, sitting next to her.
"Just wishing that dad was here to see this" she said, leaning her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Wherever he is, I know he's watching us. He always has been and I will tell you this now Claire, I'm sure that he is bloody well proud of you. Of the both of us" he said, leaning his head against hers.
"Do you remember that song that he and mum loved?" she asked.
"There were many, Claire" he pointed out with a smile.
"That Celine Dion one, I'm Alive" she said and he smiled.
"He and mum used to dance together whenever it came on. He'd pick you up in his arms, swing you around. I've never seen him smile so much" he said and she chuckled.
"Mum would try to get you to dance" she said and he blushed.
"I was never much of a dancer. I remember stepping on mum's foot the one time"
At that, she began to hum, just like in the very beginning of the song and he smiled as he simple hum washed over him, and he soon joined in with the lyrics.
(Brackets in this song will be Mike and Quinn singing in the background. Carry on)
I get wings to fly
Oh, oh ... I'm alive ... Yeah
When you call on me
When I hear you breathe
I get wings to fly
I feel that I'm alive
When you look at me
I can touch the sky
I know that I'm alive
The door unlocks again and both Mike and Quinn enter, looking at the two with a small smile which they returned whilst singing. Mike sat on the sill and Quinn in a chair just to listen to the two of them enjoying the beautiful song.
When you bless the day
I just drift away
All my worries die
I'm glad that I'm alive
You've set my heart on fire
Filled me with love
Made me a man on clouds above
I couldn't get much higher
My spirit takes flight
'Cause I am alive
When you call on me
(When you call on me)
When I hear you breathe
(When I hear you breathe)
I get wings to fly
I feel that I'm alive
(I am alive)
When you reach for me
(When you reach for me)
Raising spirits high
God knows that...
That I'll be the one
Standing by through good and through trying times
And it's only begun
I can't wait for the rest of my life
(Both main singers are now together in their singing for the rest of the song)
When you call on me
(When you call on me)
When you reach for me
(When you reach for me)
I get wings to fly
I feel that...
When you bless the day
(When you bless, you bless the day)
I just drift away
(I just drift away)
All my worries die
I know that I'm alive
I get wings to fly
God knows that I'm alive
The two of them look to one another and smile, with Felix pressing a gentle kiss to his sister's forehead and tightening his arms around her. Mike headed for his bed with a small smile on his face whilst Quinn grabbed her nightwear and went to go get changed.
"No more tears, Claire-Bear. He may not be here with us in person, but he's always with us in here" he said gesturing to his chest above his heart.
"I know"
"We need to get some sleep ready for tomorrow, guys. We have a competition to win" Quinn said with a small smile.
They finished performing 'Don't Stop Believin' and they rushed off the stage, enthusiastic despite the odds stacked against them, first with Sue and the fact that Aural Intensity decided to try and kiss-ass their way to the top. It didn't take down Claire and Felix's optimism though as they looked at the smiles on their friends faces.
"That was awesome!" Finn said.
"Oh my God!"
"We've got second place in the bag!" Tina said optimistically.
"Screw that! We're going to win this!"
"Told you that we've done our best" Felix said to Claire and she hugged him. Quinn was talking to her mother so they moved away to allow them some privacy. "Dad would be proud of us today and I can't wait to hear mum when we get back home" he said with an excited grin that dropped the moment they all heard Quinn utter four words.
"My water just broke"
Mercedes went through with Puck and Quinn's mother whilst the rest waited in the hospital room for a while. They would go back once Vocal Adrenaline finished their performance in time to for the result, but they were missing one. Rachel had stayed behind at the competition to get an idea of how good Vocal Adrenaline were, although everything knew differently. She was tied to this rather personally, through her mother and through Jesse.
It was absolutely silent for a while. Felix was sat on one of the chairs, Mike on one arm and Claire on the other looking at the story in the old magazine they were reading. Finn was wearing a hole in the clinically clean floor with his pacing, Santana had a flicker of worry in her eyes whilst Brittany remained blissfully ignorant to it all. Tina was sat next to Kurt looking at a fashion magazine with said fashionista and Matt had come to join the Brits and Mike in reading the magazine. Artie was also flicking through an old magazine whilst Mr. Schue sat there. All of the concern of losing was now shifted to Quinn and how she was doing.
It wasn't long before they had to head back, but they made sure to get Mercedes to send their love and that they would be keeping her informed on the result. Rachel met up with them just as they went on stage and Sue stood up, bringing some of the fear of losing back, but not as bad as it was when they first found out.
"Thank you all for coming. As you all know, glee club is such an important… And I honestly can't even finish that sentence. So let's just get to it. The 2010 Midwest Regional Runners-up from Fort Wayne, Indiana, the not-at-all stupidly-named Aural Intensity!" she announced and the crowd cheered. With bated breath, they waited for the Cheerios coach to announce the winner overall. "Very good. And now, your 2010 Midwest Regional Show Choir Champions. Vocal Adrenaline!" she said and said choir cheered with the crowd.
"We didn't even place" Artie said sullenly.
Felix wrapped his arms around Claire. He was still a little sore about it. They had all worked so hard to do it, to try and go on to Nationals and beat Vocal Adrenaline, but they had been shot down. All that drama, the slushies, the locker shoving, and for what? They had nothing to show for it all. With that, they made their way off stage when they had received a ribbon.
Despite their loss, Rachel had suggested that they do something to lift Mr. Schue's spirits and sing a final song together as a group. For once, everyone happily went along with that plan instead of giving their characteristic groan every time she opened up her mouth. With that, they sorted what they needed to out in the auditorium whilst Rachel brought the Spanish teacher to them.
"So we have something we need to say to you" she said when he looked at them.
"In the beginning of the year, I was just another football player" Matt said, much to their shock as they were unsure if he wasn't capable of speech.
"I had a stutter" Tina chipped in.
"I was a closeted diva" Mercedes said, but they didn't believe it.
"I used to be captain of the Cheerios" Quinn said.
"I was afraid to dance outside of my room" Mike said, before taking Felix's hand and giving him a warm smile. Said Brit took his sister's hand and spoke for the both of them.
"We were the new kids"
"I hated everyone in this club" Santana said bluntly.
"So did I" Brittany said, but they didn't believe that either. Brittany was too sweet for that.
"I wasn't honest about who I was" Kurt said.
"I was tossing kids into dumpsters" Puck chipped in.
"I had never kissed a girl" Artie.
"And I was getting slushied" Rachel said.
"I didn't-I didn't have a father. Someone I could look up to. Model myself after. Someone who could show me what it really meant to be a man" Finn said lastly.
"We don't care what the judges say. We won. Because we had you as a teacher" Rachel said with a small smile.
"And Glee Club will never end, Mr. Shue, because… you are Glee Club. And you're in all of us now" Mercedes said.
After their performance of 'To Sir With Love' they all headed back to the Choir Room for their last meeting when Mr. Schuester walked in with a completely blank look on his face. He took the floor and kept this emotionless look.
"We've got another year" he said casually.
"What?" Artie asked, shocked.
"Come on, we've got another year!" the teacher shouted enthusiastically.
"What?!" Finn exclaimed as they all cheered.
"Bloody hell" Claire and Felix said at the same time, which earned a chuckle off of Mike which they got rid of by punching both arms.
"Told you it wasn't going to end" Felix said, wrapping an arm around both of them.
With the last performance done by Mr. Schue and Puck, the Summer holidays could begin. Mike wouldn't be spending it with them though. He was a counsellor at an Asian camp alongside Tina and he promised to call and text, in fact the both of them did. So once he walked out of the door of his first year, he reflected.
It was worth it. The slushies, the drama, the locker shoving and the name calling. All of it was worth it because he had made some of the most important friends he would ever have, is now with his amazing boyfriend, his sister is at his side and he contributed to winning a tennis trophy for the school. And he would do it all over again… and again, until he left for college.