Broadway, Here We Come (Anything Can Happen, A Really Long Epilogue - Russet and Cognac)

A week after Darren returned to California following our drive back to Madison from Pennsylvania, I was waiting for him to call me as planned. Initially I wasn't worried because shooting regularly ran late, but as a half hour became an hour became two hours and he still wasn't answering my texts, my concern was starting to run rampant.

Intending to call Chris to see if he knew where Darren was, I had just picked up my phone when its "Teenage Dream" ring tone started, making me smile in relief.

"Dare? Are you okay? I kept telling myself that shooting just ran over, but..."

"Rhi. Rhi! I'm so sorry I didn't contact you, but I couldn't. I'm fine, but I have to tell you something. Are you sitting down?"

My knees gave out, and I dropped gracelessly onto my couch. "I am now. Tell me, Darren. Is it something bad?"

"No, Rhi, it's something...to think about, but I need to discuss it with you before I...decide what to do."

"Darren, the suspense is killing me! WHAT IS IT?"

"Rhiannon, I was offered a part in...a play."

"Oh my god, Dare! That's fabulous! Wait, what play? Did you audition for something without telling me?"

Chuckling, Darren explained, "You know I'd never do that, Rhi. Honesty, remember? My agent called me at lunch and basically ordered me to stop by on the way home. I thought it was weird because of how late it would be, but he said he didn't want to talk about it on the phone, and time was of the essence."

"Soooo..."

"You know the musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying?"

"Sure, Daniel Radcliffe's run as J. Pierrepont Finch is almost over, but they haven't announced who is...taking...his...place... Darren, are you telling me that you...that they..."

Darren now sounded strangely calm. "Rhiannon, they want me to fill in for the three weeks between when Daniel is done and Joe Jonas takes over. Something about a scheduling conflict."

"They just ASKED you...no audition...no...nothing? THAT IS UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE! No...it's perfectly believable because you're capitalized DARREN CRISS, the triple threat. He can dance, he can act, he can sing, and he ain't bad to look at either. OH MY GOD! Darren, you must be so excited!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Dare? Darren? What's wrong?"

In a very small voice, my fiancee replied, "I can't do it, Rhiannon."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, DARREN EVERETT CRISS? Of course you're doing it! It's the chance of a lifetime! Why WOULDN'T you do it?"

"Rhiannon, it would mean working constantly - and I mean CONSTANTLY - from next week through the end of March. That's almost three months! I'm not sure I could handle it physical..."

"Darren..." I interrupted him. "We both know you can sing and dance forever on very little sleep. What's the real reason? Honesty, remember?"

He sucked in his breath, as if the prospect of answering was actually painful. "Rhiannon, three months of very little contact with you is the reason. You thought it was bad between when you left LA and Thanksgiving? This wouldn't be just a lack of PHYSICAL contact. What with working ahead on Glee - assuming they go for it - and rehearsing here in LA, then rehearsing in New York, then eight shows a week for three weeks...I won't have time to...brush my teeth, let alone spend more than a few minutes a day - if we're lucky - talking on the phone! Rhi, I love you too much to do that to us...to you."

"Darren, you would be doing this FOR you, not TO me. And I love you too much to let you refuse." I heard my fiancee sniffling. "Please don't cry, love. Listen to me. Yes, three months is a long time, but it's not forever. I should have told you this before, but I think part of the problem back then was that I was still...uncertain about us. I needed the physical affirmation that we were together and would stay together. I don't need that now, because I know it's true - forever! I'm not saying it will be fun, but we can...well...make it work, as Tim Gunn says."

Darren chuckled quietly.

"You can text and email during breaks, and I'll answer as soon as I can so you'll have something to look forward to. You'll call when you have time, and not worry about waking me up. Besides, I'll be busy too, preparing my thesis."

"Are you absolutely sure, Rhi? I need you to be sure," Darren asked shakily.

"I've never been more sure of anything, Dare. Except you."

"I love you so much, Rhiannon."

"I love you more, Dare. When do you have to give them your decision?"

"Uh...by noon...tomorrow..."

"Oh my god, Dare! What about Glee?"

"My agent's talking to Ryan, Ian, and Brad right now. I told him there was no point, but he seemed to think that you were the one person who could make me change my mind." I could hear that a hint of a smile had returned to his voice.

"You should go then. I know you can convince them. Call me when you get done, honey. No matter what time."

"No matter what time. Rhiannon Abigail Harris, you are...the best thing that's ever happened to me," Darren declared in an emotion-filled whisper.

"You know I feel the same about you, Dare. Broadway, here we come!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After negotiating with both shows' producers, Darren worked literally almost 24/7 on Glee for the month before to make his absence as unnoticeable as possible there. Then, from mid-February through the end of March he was in New York either rehearsing like mad, or performing eight shows a week. Needless to say we leaned heavily on our old texting/emailing/snail mailing routine until it was all over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

My parents and I stepped from our limousine - Darren had insisted - onto the red carpet. When I could see again after dozens of camera flashes blinded us, I looked in the direction of a familiar voice calling, "Rhi! Over here!"

Chris and Lea were hurrying towards us with huge smiles on their faces. "Can you believe it? Dare is a Broadway star!" Lea exclaimed, clapping her hands like a little girl while Chris gave me a hug. They switched places and Chris introduced himself, then Lea, to my parents. Darren and I had hoped that our folks could meet in New York, but unfortunately his dad was on a business trip, so they wouldn't be able to see the show until the following week with Chuck, whose band's tour was coincidentally passing through then as well.

My mom and Lea bonded immediately, admiring each other's dresses and jewelry. As usual, my wardrobe choice didn't matter much to me, but with Mrs. Donovan's assistance, I had chosen a velvet pantsuit in what she assured me was a flattering shade of burgundy.

At Lea's urging we headed inside to find our seats - about ten rows back right in the middle, the perfect spot to see everything. I couldn't stop my knee from jiggling with nerves until my dad stilled it gently with his hand, reassuring me, "Rhiannon. He's going to be great." I nodded stiffly. Of course he would be great, but anything could happen. He could slip, or someone else could flub a line, making him lose his place, or...

Thankfully, the house lights went down, bringing my internal monologue to an abrupt halt. And it was all for nothing anyway, no surprise. Darren was BRILLIANT! There was a technical problem with his microphone (don't they test them beforehand?), but it didn't matter because we were close enough that we could hear him even before they replaced it. He sang and danced flawlessly, and he brought his boyish charm and enthusiasm to the role with a gleam in his eye.

After the show ended, Darren got two curtain calls, topped off by a standing ovation, no one clapping harder than his very proud fiancee.

His adorable grin blossomed when he opened his dressing room door for us after Lea knocked, but he seemed to see only me, kissing me long and hard, until Chris poked him in the side. "Dare! Darren! Olks-fay in the oom-ray!"

We broke apart, breathing hard. "Sorry, everyone!" Darren laughingly apologized. "It's just that we haven't...seen each other in..."

"Eons, honey," I finished, twining my fingers with his. I was amused that he looked very Blaine-esque, except his gelled hair was slightly longer and his suit was a different color.

My dad offered his hand in congratulations. "Excellent job, son! Although it appears prudent that Rhi got her own room at the hotel."

Shaking my dad's hand firmly, Darren replied, "Sorry, sir. Thank you, sir. Yes, sir. My roommate's in the chorus, so he probably wouldn't appreciate...another show tonight."

We all laughed, and while Darren accepted accolades and hugs from everyone, he never let me get too far away before pulling me in for a quick kiss.