A/N: I'm slightly amused that two of the season 3 premiere episode's songs are in this fic - one used already, the other one planned. Still, can't wait for 3x01 - are you ready for it? Meanwhile, I'll just be happy with my own fantasy of Season 3 by presenting you a slightly more lighthearted episode here, although most of it ends in poignant moments... but enough of me jabbering, hope you enjoy it! (:
EPISODE SEVEN – "Powerhouse"
Sue found herself staring straight into the beaming countenance of Figgins.
It was disconcerting, to say the least.
"I hope the news you are about to break to me does not involve squawking giantesses having my Cheerio budgets for dinner, any tango gigs, or any recordings of that sexually-repulsive 'Toxic' number."
"It's even better," said Figgins, cheerfully. "I'm going to have the Cheerios perform the main show for the McKinley High Open House next week!"
Sue smirked. "My, my. That's the best deal you've given me all these years, Figgins. I will reconsider my plan of putting up that hair-growing product commercial you did over the last summer on my YouTube channel, which contains videos of the most ironic and irrelevant advertisements in the history of mankind."
Figgins stared at her. "How did you get your hands on that? It was only meant for distribution in Pakistani towns for aging populations! I can assure you it was all an enactment."
Sue raised her hand. "I think I've heard enough. I will get back to whipping my Cheerios into shape. I would just like to add that the salad bar needs a section for vitamin tablets, because that's all my boys and girls are going to ingest for the rest of their lives in this school."
"Hold it, Sue," said Figgins, just as Sue was about to leave. "I'm not finished yet. I would like to see more unity in this school following last week's 20 cases of bitchfights that have left me highly unsatisfied. I have informed Miss Santana Lopez of the new cheerleading quartet, provisionally named The Tuners, to join forces with your Cheerios to put up a combined performance." He leaned back in his chair. "The more colours, the better!"
Sue stared him in outrage. "You want my Cheerios to work with two Cheerio rejects, a freakishly bendable Asian and Porcelain whose gay poster boy role is going to turn the open house into a parents' association stampede? NEVER."
Figgins frowned. "There is no room for negotiation here, Sue. I want to see more cooperation, and it is a challenge to you as an educator to see that this happens."
Sue clenched her fists and glowered at him. Finally, she stalked out, slamming the door behind her, snatched a couple of papers off the scared receptionist's desk and tore it into shreds.
Figgins sat at his desk, the usual annoyed expression plastered on his face.
"This is travesty!" Sue yelled once she was back at her desk. "Sandbags will not have her chance of glory and no chance in hell to get anybody to join that little band of misfits of hers! Becky, you will find me the address of the Ohio Hispanic Association, and I'm going to break into their records and make sure that every single family member of her lineage will be removed, including that raving mad George Lopez! And that J-Lo woman too; I bet that's where Sandbags got her idea of putting extra cellulite, just desecrating another part of the body, that's all!"
"Right away, Coach!" Becky replied, getting out of her seat.
"Wait, hold on a sec, Coach," said Grace, pulling Becky back down again. "This is a golden opportunity."
"What is?" Sue glared at her.
"Don't you see? If we put up a great performance, the honour is only going to belong to the Cheerios, because we're the main cheerleading team. People seeing the four of them will just automatically assume that our Cheerios team costume just have a couple more colours. Or that we're promoting inclusivity by getting an Asian, a gay boy, a Latina, and a dumb blonde in. We'll score points with the parents for being inclusive and yet, making sure that the core of the Cheerios are still the face of McKinley so they don't get too outraged by any agenda from any particular community."
Sue's eyes narrowed.
Grace gave her an innocent smile.
Finally, Sue said, "You know, Gracie, you might just have a point."
Grace smirked, then exchanged high-fives with Becky.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"Hey guys, good news!" said Will, cheerfully as he entered the choir room.
"Mr. Schue, you need to stop being so bloody chirpy all the time," said Puck, grouchily.
Will ignored him. "Principal Figgins just told me that the glee club has been invited to put up a performance for the open house next week! This is a great chance to extend our appeal to kids who may potentially come to McKinley because of a musical programme, and definitely a great chance to add to our membership in the future."
The glee club members looked at each other with interest. Rachel fiddled with her hands, not sure whether to raise it or not.
"Rachel?" Will looked at her. "You have something to say?"
Rachel opened her mouth, then shut it and shook her head.
"Surprise," said Santana, smirking. "Thought your claws were all unsheathed, ready just to get that solo chance. Mr. Schue, if she's not up for it, then I am!"
"You already have a chance with your little pseudo-Cheerio team," said Grace, coldly.
"Suck it up, woman, I know you're scared Kurt's little ninja skills are going to send you flying straight back into your Mommy Sue's arms," Santana replied swiftly and coolly. Kurt raised an approving eyebrow.
"Actually..." Will sorted through his sheet music. "Rachel, I think you've been a great team player so far. I think your attitude has improved vastly and I'm truly pleased with how you are being more accommodating and selfless towards your team-mates..."
Santana made a rude noise while Mercedes and Kurt exchanged amused glances.
"...so I was thinking I would like to give you the chance to sing lead, instead of you having to ask for it."
Rachel's eyes grew wide. "Really?"
Finn cracked a slight smile.
"Here we go..." Tina mused.
"I won't let you down!" Rachel cried. "Nor the glee club! Nor myself! Nor Barbra!" She squeezed her hands together. "I'm totally proposing that we do a showy Broadway number, there's no excuse for any musical theatre geeks not to fall in love with the kind of arrangement that I have in mind."
Will laughed, while the rest rolled their eyes. "Rachel, I was hoping for something more accessible to the general public. Musicals can be a little exclusive."
Rachel beamed. "No problem. My repertoire allows for the occasional tune that I'm sure would appeal to the mass crowd of young, excitable teens."
"What's that?" asked Mercedes, skeptically.
"A U2 song," said Rachel, beaming. Puck made an approving noise and gesture, while Mike and Sam exchanged excited grins. Finn did a fake drum-roll and Artie was nodding fervently. The girls just gave each other questioning looks.
"Trust me," said Rachel, assertively. "It will be perfect. But actually, I think it'll work better if I had a duet partner."
"Surprise," muttered Quinn.
Finn's eyes widened slightly, and a goofy smile came onto his face as he looked at Rachel from the corner of his eye.
Rachel could sense that Finn was looking at her, but she braced herself.
"I would love to duet with Finn, but..."
Finn's eyebrow twitched a little.
"But I thought it'll be nice to switch things up a little, you know, Mr. Schue's been encouraging that last week!" Rachel tried to sound convincing to Finn. "So... Blaine? Would you duet with me?"
Finn's face fell.
Everyone turned to look around the room, but Blaine wasn't to be found...
"Blaine!" hissed Kurt, as he nudged the bent figure beside him.
Blaine jerked up from his slumber position with a little yelp, creating a ripple of giggles all around the room. His pink sunglasses were lopsided, and he adjusted it back onto his nose and looked around. "What?"
"Are you allergic to light?" asked Brittany. "I only have pills for peanut allergies though."
Blaine realised what situation he was in. "Man, sorry, Mr. Schue, I must have just dozed off."
Will waved his hand, as if to understand. Kurt merely tapped on Blaine's sunglasses in amusement, and Blaine returned a smirk at him.
"I'm asking if you would like to duet with me on a U2 song for the school's open house next week," said Rachel, earnestly. "I'm sure it'll be a blast!"
Blaine grinned. "Sure."
Rachel clapped her hands together. "It's settled!"
Finn sank back into his seat once again, looking highly unhappy.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"Hey, hey!" The Cheerios on the football pitch yelled as they did a little routine which involved so much twirling that Kurt was finding it difficult to watch them without getting a headache.
"My eyes..." muttered Santana, shielding her eyes from the Cheerios as she, Kurt, Mike and Brittany walked out. "And are we seriously called The Tuners? It sounds like a batshit name!"
Brittany threw her a glare. "I like it. So does Lord Tubbington."
"The two of you need to like, chill a little," said Mike, uncomfortably. "This is our time to shine and we can argue over what we're called till we're done."
"No," snapped Santana. "If a parent comes over and asks who's doing the routine, it's us, our name, not those dumb Cheerios!"
"Hey, Sandbags!" Sue yelled through her loudhailer. "Get over here with your little Smurf ghetto, we've got to get the show going in an hour's time!"
Santana rolled her eyes as she sauntered towards the Cheerios, who were all giving the blue-outfitted cheerleaders cold, snooty glares. Grace was smirking, but Quinn was merely eyeing Santana thoughtfully. Santana met her gaze and for a moment, Quinn saw a flicker of a genuine smile. But it was gone the moment she noticed it, for Santana was now glaring at Sue, hands on her hips, her head cocked to the side. Sue's eyes narrowed into slits. She turned towards Grace, whose smirk merely deepened.
One hour later, the parents had begun streaming in onto the stands. Santana, Kurt, Mike and Brittany were all drenched in perspiration, for while they had had longer practice sessions than the Cheerios, they were definitely less intensive without a slavedriver like Sue Sylvester. As a result, Santana found herself heaving slightly, while Kurt was so breathless that he was swaying slightly. Only Mike was looking steadier, for Brittany's eyes were threatening to shut on her as she yawned. Mike gave her a nudge that nearly sent her tumbling in a moment's lack of concentration.
"Santana?" Kurt whispered, breathlessly. "This is - not a good idea."
"Shut up, fancypants," said Santana, fiercely. "We're owning this hands, feet and boobs down."
"I lament the fact that I don't have a male retort to that," said Kurt, while Mike looked amused.
"Does Coach Sylvester have a twin?" asked Brittany, groggily.
Sue blew the whistle before Santana could reply.
Grace sashayed out as the music began, with the rest of the Cheerios behind her doing sassy moves.
Tarzan and Jane were swingin' on a vine
Candyman, candyman
Quinn danced her way to the front, singing,
Sippin' from a bottle of vodka double wine
Sweet sugar candyman
The Cheerios did a formation, but Santana pushed her way through with Mike, Kurt and Brittany sauntering out behind her as she sang,
I met him out for dinner on a Friday night
He really got me working up an appetite
Kurt then danced along, spinning a little sceptre, as he added,
He had tattoos up and down his arm
There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm
Quinn and Grace twirled out to join Santana, Brittany, Kurt and Mike to pose in the front as they all chorused,
He's a one stop shop, makes my lil' jaw drop
He's a sweet talkin' sugar coated candyman
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candyman, ooh, yeah
The two cheerleading teams began their own little routines, and it really magnified the misery of the quartet, as Santana could see how professional and overwhelming the Cheerios were compared to them. The bitterness flickered on her face for a second before she transformed her expression into that of a smirking one.
Candyman, candyman, candyman, candyman
Candyman, candyman, candyman, candyman
Grace and Santana both danced to the front and ended the song in sultry whispers, singing,
A sweet talkin' sugar coated candyman!
The stands erupted in applause, while Sue stood smirking by the side.
"Why are there different-coloured uniforms?" asked one man.
Santana opened her mouth to answer, hoping to elevate the status of her cheerleading quartet, but another woman in the stands added, "I think the red ones are better! Well done!"
Santana's face coloured.
Kurt and Mike both looked mortified, while Brittany just blinked to steady herself.
"I'm going to join the red ones when I grow up!" added a young girl.
"We're the Cheerios," said Grace, loudly as she threw a mocking side-eye to an outraged Santana. "And they're just extras."
"Excuse me..." Kurt began, affronted.
Santana couldn't take it anymore; she ran towards a startled Sue, heading straight for the loudhailer. Sue handed the loudhailer to Becky, who ran off before Santana reached Sue, and before she could make after Becky, Mike and Brittany had already run forward to hold her back. With some effort, they dragged her to under the stands, where Santana was ranting in full-blown Spanish, most of which Mike was highly certain was highly acidic in terms of vulgar content.
"Santana, it's okay!" cried Brittany.
"Shut. UP!" Santana screamed, startling Brittany. "This is so humiliating! Why does my life suck so much? Why doesn't anybody give a damn?"
Kurt had come up, and then backed away slightly with wide eyes as Santana yelled.
"I do!" Brittany declared.
"No, you don't!" Santana cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you did, you wouldn't... oh what the HELL!" She broke out of Mike and Brittany's grasp and pushed them aside. Brittany tried to hold her back again, but Santana put her hand out to make them stay away from her.
"It's over," said Santana, bitterly. "This team's over. I quit. You all quit."
"But..." began Mike, but Santana was already stalking off, away from the stands, away from all of them.
Kurt and Mike gave each other bewildered looks, while Brittany just sank to the ground, looking confused and hurt.
Up on the stands, Finn was watching the whole performance in his football attire. He shook his head, then made to leave the stands when he was faced with Rachel, who was staring rather intensely at him. He stared at her in confusion, then sat down without a word.
Rachel waited till the crowd had left before she sat down beside Finn and fiddled with her hands once again. "Are you mad at me?"
Finn didn't reply. He merely flicked an insect off his knee pads.
"Finn..."
"Look, if you don't really have anything substantial to say, I kinda have to go for practice," said Finn, in the low voice Rachel knew he used when he was trying to control his temper. "You're asking the obvious, Rachel, and you're not doing anything to put it right, so I don't feel like we should be having a conversation at the moment."
"I didn't choose Blaine because I wanted to make you unhappy, or that he's a better singer or anything..." Rachel said, miserably. "I only chose him because he fit the song better."
Finn couldn't argue with that, but he was still quite sore inside. "I don't know... maybe the next time you make a decision – and in front of everyone else, spare a bit of thought for my pride. Maybe you might want to consider that I'm actually trying to make an effort to be a whole lotta better than before, that I'm actually trying to be good at something so that you're not the only one fighting for your dreams. That... we could actually, you know, fit in terms of that."
Rachel was quite taken aback by Finn's candid words. Instantly, she felt so ashamed of herself, but before she could say anymore, Finn had already left her alone in the stands.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Finn looked into the mirror as he fumbled with his necktie. The boys were getting ready for their little performance, and Rachel had insisted all of them wore ties loosely around their necks - including the girls - for a casual feel. Sam walked over and gestured to the tie. Finn let go of it and looked slightly embarrassed as Sam helped him to tie it.
"Bruised ego?" Sam asked quietly.
"What? No." Finn tried to look at ease.
"Hey, Evans," said Puck, combing his mohawk at the other sink. "I think dating Mercedes has boosted your E.T. skills a lot."
"E.T.?" Artie stared at Puck. "It's been a while since he spoke Na'vi, you know."
"That's what they call the sixth sense, don't they? The one that can sense your emotions and all."
"E.S.P.," said Kurt, drawing out every letter sarcastically as he helped to straighten Blaine's shirt at the shoulders. "And Blaine, two things. Your collar..."
"I'm pretty sure that was a runway thing for Vogue," said Blaine, seriously, as he straightened his collar up to his chin. "The stiff look coupled with a loose necktie? It's serious and casual all at once. Come on, I'm sure you'd dig that idea of complementary styles."
"...okay, you got me there. But as much as I love how you can wear hot pink like nobody's business, those shades have got to go."
"No!" Blaine held onto his sunglasses protectively. "I need some fashion autonomy here!"
Kurt made a face. "Seriously, why doesn't my fashion influence extend to everybody else the way it works wonders on you?"
"Gee, it's just an open house performance," said Mike, laughing. "Take it easy, dudes."
"Well, it's more important than it looks," said Sam, and the other guys looked at him questioningly. "I heard Figgins is out to attract some of the best talents from the middle and high schools, so you'll never know if a powerhouse might wanna transfer in 'cos we've got what it takes."
"They can come after I leave," Rachel said, in the opposite girls' bathroom, as Mercedes related what she had heard from Sam. "Too many divas in a group can cause a lot of tension and that's bad for team spirit."
"Oh, I think one's enough for destruction," said Grace, as she applied lip gloss. Santana made a face behind her back.
Rachel glared at her. "I'm trying to build team spirit here!"
"I'm being realistic."
"You're being a bitch," said Brittany, in the most matter-of-fact tone ever that left everyone except Natalie gaping. Santana looked completely shocked while Grace opened her mouth to say something extremely cutting back.
"Girls," said Quinn, as though she were addressing a bunch of kindergarten children. "All that Cheerio dancing just now has just drained me of my strength, so can I just have some quiet time so God can grant me a little bit more energy to sing something on tune?"
"Amen," said Mercedes.
The New Directions walked out of their respective bathrooms and converged in the hallway, beaming. Will came along, high-fiving some of them, but the little pre-performance routine was interrupted by Sue arriving with Coach Beiste. Coach Beiste had a rather grouchy look on her face, and when Will looked at her questioningly, she merely rolled her eyes.
"Oh hi, glee clubbers, I see you're all decked out for a spot of carolling," said Sue. "Pity it's not Christmas yet, so Figgins decided it wasn't appropriate to showcase your teeth-decaying songs of love - and loserdom."
"Wait," Will stared at Sue, "what?"
"Oh, you didn't get the memo, Will? Too busy macking out with the ginger cat, eh? Well, Figgins has decided – thanks to a brilliant suggestion on my part – that there's this star football catch he wants, and wants bad. So he's up for a football match instead because the only time the boy can come is in–" She looked at her watch. "Ten minutes' time. Oh, and I was supposed to inform those who are in the Cheerios, and I mean my Cheerios," –Santana gave Sue a murderous glare– "and the footballers that they need to go get ready for the match."
"You can't do this!" Rachel gasped.
"Coach Beiste, this is unfair!" Finn added.
Coach Beiste sighed. "I'm sorry. Principal Figgins's orders. And that boy's definitely someone I've had my eye on for a while."
"Let's just face it, William, your glee club isn't the star attraction of this school. Heck, it's not even an attraction, it's like the toilet break people get at the circus."
Will threw her an annoyed look.
Sue chuckled. "Aw, look at all your faces. I'm not that mean, you know, I even put in a word about how desperate you all are for the spotlight. So Figgins said you all can perform at the night celebratory performance for all the hard work the staff and senior students put in for the open house. I'm sure that just channels 'glee club' like nobody's business." She emphasised 'glee club' with a suitable amount of sly venom.
Grace immediately broke through the glee club and stood with Sue, eyeing them with a smirk. Quinn rolled her eyes and sighed, walking forward. Mercedes gave her a parting pat on the back, then leaned a little into Sam before he broke away with Finn, Puck and Mike. Santana folded her arms and exchanged a furious look with Tina.
Will ran a hand through his curls and looked terribly disappointed.
-.-.-.-.-.-
The Cheerios got into action to rev up the crowd as the footballers did their stretches. Finn watched as Figgins shook hands with the 'star catch' boy and his parents.
"You know him?" Finn asked Sam, who was doing some light jogs.
Sam was about to say no when Karofsky jogged up to say,
"Sure, that's Shawn Reilly. He's an all-rounded sportsman who captained just about every kind of sport his middle school had."
"That's insane."
Karofsky shrugged. "That's why we want him, and we want him bad. If he's our driving force, we ain't losing a match again. Ever."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Finn asked, frowning, but the whistle blew soon after, and the boys fell into formation. Rather unfortunately, Azimio had already decided that they should be split into 'real dudes' and 'wussy dudes', which meant that the friendly match was really about the glee club boys against four others from the team, which included Azimio, Karofsky and Strando.
"I think I should move to the right, though," Sam whispered as he bent down. "I can provide a good diversion; Mike's better on the left."
"Finn knows best," said Puck, but Mike cocked his head to the side and whispered, "You think?"
"Stick to the plan, guys!" Finn hissed from the backline.
Coach Beiste blew the whistle again, and the football went flying into oblivion as the boys collided.
Ten minutes into the game, and the scoreline read 5-0 - in favour of the non-glee clubbers.
"This is painful," said Kurt, in the stands. "Like, really, really, painful."
"It's only ten minutes, man," said Blaine. "I'm sure they'll buck up."
"Finn's easily discouraged when there's an early disadvantage," said Rachel, miserably. "Why do I feel like I'm responsible for this?"
"Erm, because you are?"
Rachel turned behind to stare at Natalie. "What?"
Natalie didn't say anymore; she merely continued to look at the game while Rachel looked back at her hands woefully.
"It's just a friendly," Josie piped up from the side, surprising all of them. "I'm sure it'll be okay."
"No, it's not," snapped Rachel, startling Josie.
"Erm, who are you?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.
"She's Josie Riverson," said Rachel, curtly, before Josie could reply. "And I have a game to watch, thank you very much."
Josie had no idea what she had done to get Rachel's response, but she didn't look too happy as she focused back on the game.
Another ten minutes passed, and Figgins was looking a tad uncomfortable as Shawn leaned over to his parents and whispered, "Which team is the McKinley team?"
Azimio slammed into Finn so hard that the latter went rolling over. Rachel let out a gasp, but Finn had bounced back up again. Still, it was too late, for Karofsky had easily wrestled Puck aside to catch the ball and run ahead. Sam threw his hands up in frustration as Puck clenched his fists. Strando bumped past Mike, who just stared back in fury.
"The way Finn is playing?" Tina whispered to Mercedes. "I think I could stand in."
Coach Beiste was in a very bad temper as she called for timeout. Finn eyed Sam as they took off their helmets; they all knew what Coach Beiste was going to say. But before Coach Beiste got her chance to unleash a ferocious tick-off, Figgins raised his hand for silence. The Cheerios stopped their routine, the audience stopped chattering and the football boys all stood in a line on the track before the stands.
"I just wanted to thank the McKinley High football team for putting up a great performance!" Figgins led a round of cheers and claps. "We will now proceed for another Cheerios' performance, and then for the hockey team!"
Coach Beiste threw down the towel in her hands in a rage, while Azimio smirked as he saw Shawn flip a thumbs-up towards him. He then looked at Karofsky, who smirked. Azimio's smile faded shortly as he turned to fist-bump Strando instead. Karofsky's grin was wiped off instantly.
"I told you to put me on the right," said Sam, gritting his teeth as the crowd continued cheering for Azimio and gang waving their hands about.
"Dude, we've been doing fine with you on the left," Finn protested, but Sam just threw up his hands and left for the locker room. Puck patted Finn on the shoulder and followed suit, while Mike gave him a sympathetic look.
As the Cheerios got ready, Grace watched as the football boys left the stadium, and her eyes narrowed. How they were able to suck up all the crap they got for being in glee club was beyond her comprehension. They had just embarrassed themselves completely in front of the guests and made to look even more like wimps to the rest of the football team. Finn Hudson in particular was just losing it, and Grace couldn't imagine herself being subjected to the same kind of humiliation as Cheerio captain.
Rachel and her fellow glee club members had already left to catch up with the glee boys, but Josie remained in the stands staring at the Cheerios getting into formation. Her mind, however, was on Finn. Somehow, there seemed to be a sense of resignation in him while he played, like he knew he was going to lose. That seemed rather odd to Josie, even if she had only known him for a short while. Perhaps, she could catch him after school and see if there was anything she could help him with.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Mercedes, Kurt and Tina were tinkling with the piano when Sam walked into the choir room just after his post-game shower. Upon seeing Sam's black face, Kurt nudged Tina, and the two of them sensibly got up to leave. Sam flashed them a slightly grateful look as they walked off with nervous smiles.
"Hey," said Mercedes, closing the piano. "You sure look terrible."
"I looked like an idiot out there," said Sam, gruffly, as he sank into one of the chairs. "I mean, there's some talented dude whom we're trying to impress and we get our asses kicked in front of him. And this was just a damn friendly!"
Mercedes waited patiently.
Sam sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Why should you be? You have every right to be mad, you guys were just plain sad, no offence."
"I just don't understand why Coach Beiste is still sticking with Finn as the quarterback," said Sam, angrily. "Seriously, dude's been captain all this while, and he's achieved nothing. He's always pulled back and forth between football and glee club because he never knows how to prioritise. And then he has all this crappy girl problems going on for him because he doesn't know how to prioritise, again! So what if this is his last year? Maybe somebody else needs to step up because they've got a totally better game than he does."
Mercedes raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying that somebody is you?"
"Do I suck that bad?" Sam folded his arms. "I think I'm more than qualified."
Mercedes got up and went to sit beside Sam. "Look, Sam, you've got what it takes in terms of ability. But I just feel like sometimes you always want things so badly when you haven't really figured out what you'll do when you have them."
Sam scrunched up his face. "I don't get what you mean."
Mercedes put her hand on his. "It's easy for us to point out faults others have, but it's not so easy when we're in their position. To straddle both glee club and football? You need to have respect on both ends, and I don't just mean people liking you. They've got to trust that you are the one they can depend on."
"Well, the boys aren't respecting Finn, that's for sure."
"Will they respect you?"
Sam kept quiet.
"They don't hate Finn, they just hate the fact that you guys have another priority in your lives."
"Well, I have a third," Sam said, eyeing Mercedes in such a serious way that she giggled. "How's that for prioritising?"
Mercedes sobered. "You have to think through this, Sam. If this is really what you want, and if you're willing to give up many things along the way for what you believe in. Honestly? The reason why Finn seems so screwed up sometimes is because he couldn't bear to give it all up."
"Of course I'd stand up for what I believe in. I always have," said Sam, and he leaned in to give Mercedes a sweet kiss. When they broke away, Sam was grinning and Mercedes was blushing, but there were tears in her eyes. Then he grabbed a guitar by the side and leaned against the piano, strumming and singing,
It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money, but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
Mercedes had to smile.
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show
I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song, and this one's for you
Sam walked closer to Mercedes.
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
Then he knelt down as he strummed and sang,
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
Sam ended with his goofy grin again, but Mercedes was in tears, holding her hand to her chest. There really were no words to describe the mixed feelings within her, but for the moment, she couldn't help but feel that she was the luckiest girl in the whole world.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"Hey!"
Finn jumped back from his locker, startled by the sudden beam radiating from Josie's face by his side. "Oh, hey, Josie!" He grinned. "Thought you might have dance practice at this time."
Josie turned pink. "You know when my dance practices are?"
Finn shrugged. "Rachel's in your dance class, right?"
"Oh." Josie mentally gave herself a shake. "So, you pretty okay about the match?"
Finn's smile disappeared. "Not really. But it's just one of those days, I guess."
"You seemed distracted."
"A lot on my shoulders lately, I guess," said Finn, lightly. "Senior year's tougher than I expected."
"I'm behind you," said Josie, unexpectedly. "All the way. You're a lot more than what you showed on the pitch, and I'm sure a little adversity's not going to knock you down."
Finn stared in surprise at Josie, then a flicker of a smile came back on. "Thanks, Josie. It's nice to know somebody's so supportive of you."
Josie nearly wanted to blurt out, "Isn't Rachel?" but she held her tongue. God, she had to stop thinking that Rachel Berry was bad for Finn, or else she'd say something totally rude like the last time and make Finn get all defensive.
"So, I'll see you around," she managed to say, "I heard you have a show tomorrow night? For the staff and senior students."
"Yeah, that," said Finn. "One of those times when we have to remind the school of our existence."
"Good luck for that."
"Thanks."
As Finn turned back to busy himself with his locker, Josie walked away, her mind conjuring up many scenarios of what-could-have-been that she wished she could stop thinking about, but to no avail.
-.-.-.-.-.-
"So, tonight's the night we finally get to showcase something to the school after some time," said Will, trying to sound chirpy.
The rest of the glee club were seated in various positions around the choir room, some still staring into the mirrors of the makeshift dressing tables rather than looking at Will.
"Come on, guys, I think we've got a very good number to please everyone!"
"The problem is, the male soloist is missing," said Santana.
"What?" Will stared in slight panic.
"He wasn't even in class today," said Mike.
Rachel bit her lip, then shot a side-glance at Finn, who was focusing on combing his hair.
Kurt walked into the room, throwing his hands up. "Blaine's been having stomach pains the whole day. It's a no-go. I'll step in."
"Kurt, you may be an excellent Guylinda, but you're no Bono," said Rachel, as nicely as she could sound.
Kurt gave her a haughty look. "I could manage any genre as long as it doesn't involve any cross-dressing! Or rap. Or breakdancing. Or..." He trailed off, looking rather annoyed.
"Finn?" Rachel asked, quietly. "Would you sing with me?"
Finn stopped combing his hair, but continued to stare into the mirror. He had met with Will earlier, who had been encouraging and made him feel at least one percent better, but it still didn't erase the humiliation or the hurt.
Grace opened her mouth to say something once again, but Santana was quicker and stuffed a powder puff into her gaping mouth, eliciting a muffled squeak and a furious glare.
There was a knock on the door and everyone looked up. Grace spat out the powder puff and was about to make many cutting comments when she saw who it was, and shut up.
Figgins walked in, smiling. Will stood up and quickly accosted him, whispering,
"I'm so sorry about just now. The boys - they're usually really good at handling both football and glee club. I think it's really a one-off thing, Figgins..."
"No, no, no..." Figgins replied, his voice loud enough for the rest to hear. "I'm not blaming them, Will, I can understand. I was in high school once! Always had to juggle my sixteen different commitments with the one hundred percent committed spirit I had... divided into sixteen. It's not easy. Besides, I used their sub-par performance to convince Shawn Reilly that he has to come here to make the team better! I'm almost certain he'll transfer within the next few months or so, once he's done with his first examinations." Figgins lowered his voice. "Although I had to say those few boys were the reserve team. I think Finn Hudson needs to step up his game if Mr. Reilly finds out that he is the quarterback!"
Sue, who had been listening outside the door, grew highly furious and stalked off.
"Sure, Figgins," said Will, half-relieved and half-worried. "I'll see to that."
"Very good," and Figgins raised his thumbs to the glee club. "See you all later!"
The glee club waved slightly as Figgins left.
Finn was looking even more upset than earlier, but Puck nudged him and gave him a gesture that insisted that he stepped up to the plate. Sam cast him a thoughtful glance, while Mike was giving him an encouraging grin. Finally, he looked at Rachel, whose expression of guilt was so hurtful that he couldn't bring himself to say no.
He always couldn't bring himself to say no. Damn it.
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you
Finn had been watching Rachel from behind as she sang on centrestage. Slowly, he walked up towards her to sing,
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
Together they sang,
With or without you
With or without you
Rachel sang as the drum beats started up and the rest of the glee club did simple dance routines behind her.
Through the storm, we reach the shore
You gave it all but I want more
Tears were welling up in her eyes as she sang,
And I'm waiting for you
The glee club's humming grew louder as they sang out loud with the rising sound of guitar and drums,
With or without you, oh!
I can't live... with or without you
Altogether, the glee club stood in a line to raise their hands and sing out to the crowd of teachers and senior students seated around little budget tables,
Oh... oh... oh... oh...
Rachel and Finn then sang together, with Rachel singing 'And you give yourself away' intertwining with Finn's 'Oh...'
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away
Finn then sang quietly,
My hands are tied, my body bruised
She got me with nothing to win
And nothing else to lose
Together they sang the chorus once again,
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you
I can't live... with or without you
Rachel was singing with all the passion in her heart as she looked at Finn with regret and hurt, wishing that he could forgive her for all her insensitivities. But as she sang and watched him, she could tell that he was struggling to reconcile all the events that had happened. They hurt each other time and again, and sometimes it was too painful to bear. But somehow, Rachel knew that she truly wanted to be with Finn, no matter what the odds. It just needed a lot of negotiation, adjustments and understanding.
Or so it seemed.
With or without you
She sang softly as the music died down, with Finn joining in to harmonise the last line.
With or without you...
There was a moment's awkward pause as Rachel and Finn stared out to the crowd. Then all of a sudden, Emma burst into frantic clapping, and so did Coach Beiste, followed by the rest of the audience - all except Sue, of course, who was fuming in the corner.
Slowly, but surely, a steady cry of "Encore!" began to surface from the audience.
Sue yelled, "Are you all a bunch of imbeciles?", but nobody was paying attention to her.
Rachel looked to Finn, her eyes shining, but Finn's eyebrows were furrowed as he met her gaze. He took the mike, surprising her, and said,
"The glee club would like to dedicate the next song to our teacher, Mr. Schuester," said Finn, looking at Will in the audience, who was surprised. Emma looked happy beside him. "Mr. Schue, you always were there for me whenever I had trouble balancing glee club and football. I'll just like to thank you for keeping me going all this while."
Will, having felt that he played no part in the previous day's fiasco, looked slightly awkward.
"I just thought it'd be nice if you came up to sing with us the piece we prepared sometime back. The Lionel Richie song."
Rachel watched with a hint of pride as Finn backed away from the mike, the applause rising to greet Will as he made his way to the stage.
"This is a travesty," muttered Sue, to no one again.
The AV crew brought out stools for all the glee clubbers, and Will took centrestage, flanked by Puck and Sam playing guitar.
Say you, say me
Say it for always, that's the way it should be
Say you, say me
Say it together, naturally
Emma held her hands together, watching with a mixture of pride and sadness as Will sang.
I had a dream, I had an awesome dream
Finn had taken over, his voice carrying so much emotion.
People in the park, playing games in the dark
And what they played was a masquerade
And from behind of walls of doubt a voice was crying out
All of them sang in harmony, swaying as their voices backed Will's,
Say you, say me
Say it for always, that's the way it should be
Say you, say me
Say it together, naturally
Figgins had closed his eyes and was doing his signature sway while Sue got up to leave, disgusted.
Mercedes's sweet voice piped up next,
As we go down life's lonesome highway
Seems the hardest thing to do is to find a friend or two
She held out one hand to Sam, who took it instantly, then she held out her other hand to Quinn, who took it with a smile.
A helping hand - someone who understands
That when you feel you've lost your way
You've got someone there to say "I'll show you"
Grace watched the little exchange and looked away as she hummed, while the glee club sang the chorus together once again,
Say you, say me
Say it for always, that's the way it should be
Say you, say me
Say it together...
Artie sang next as he grinned at Natalie beside him,
So you think you know the answers - oh no...
'Cos the whole world has got you dancing
Natalie rolled her eyes while Artie casually looked to his other side, only to meet Tina's gaze.
That's right - I'm telling you
It's time to start believing - oh yes
Believing who you are - you are a shining star
Tina looked away as she sang along with the chorus of,
Say you, say me
Say it for always, that's the way it should be
Say you, say me
Say it together, naturally
Will looked around at his glee club, then at Emma, who was smiling encouragingly.
Naturally
-.-.-.-.-.-
Songs:
Christina Aguilera – "Candyman" (Santana, Kurt, Mike, Brittany, Quinn, Grace)
Elton John – "Your Song" (Sam)
U2 – "With Or Without You" (Rachel & Finn ft. New Directions)
Lionel Richie – "Say You, Say Me" (Will ft. Finn, Mercedes, Artie & the rest of New Directions)
A/N: Episode 8 will bring us straight to the core of school - academics! How will New Directions manage oncoming exams with their glee club shenanigans? We'll find out soon ;)