Hello :D The songs I used for this chapter are New York, New York by Frank Sinatra and Defying Gravity by the Glee Cast. Enjoy!
The flashing lights surrounded her, and the sounds of the city she loved so much were music to her ears. Elizabeth looked around, grinning from ear to ear while she took in everything that surrounded her. New York City, the place she had missed so much.
"I'm back." she said.
"Okay, everybody, listen to me!" Alma said, clapping to get the kids' attention "I know that you're eager to explore the city and everything, but we still have to rehearse and…"
"Aw, come on, Miss Schue, we rehearsed like a thousand times back in Ohio." Spencer said.
"Yeah, we just got here!" Lucy said "Can't we have a little fun?"
Alma looked at the kids, who were looking at her big puppy eyes. The teacher sighed.
"Fine." she said. The kids cheered and high-fived "But I want you right here in this place in an hour, okay?"
"Thanks, Miss Schue!" everyone yelled as they ran off.
Alma looked at them and her lips curled up in a smile. The kids deserved to have some fun, after all.
"Look at that!"
"Oh, my God, that's amazing!"
"This is the biggest hot dog I've ever seen!"
"I'm never going to leave this place! You're gonna have to drag me away from here!"
"This is so beautiful…"
"No, seriously, look at the size of this hot dog!"
"Spencer, stop putting that damn hot dog in my face!"
"But Sam, look at it!"
"I've seen your hot dog like a thousand times!"
"Oh, really?"
"If you wiggle your eyebrows at me like that again, I'm going to punch you in the face. Several times."
"Chill, girl, you're in New York City!"
While her friends ran around, pointing at everything, shouting and laughing, Elizabeth was sitting on a bench, looking around, breathing in the cool air of New York City while the breeze caressed her face.
"I really missed this place." Barbra said, sitting next to her cousin.
"Tell me about it." Elizabeth said, smiling.
The girl shared a look with Barbra before standing up to sing out loud, grinning broadly and looking at her friends.
Start spreading' the news, I'm leaving' today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York
Jake put his arm around her shoulders and sang.
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York
As Sam started the next verse, the kids exchanged excited smiles before running off, looking around and appreciating the beautiful view the city had to offer.
I want to wake up, in a city that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap
Everyone sat together on a long bench, smiling brightly while Spencer sang.
These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
When Lucy started to sing, they stood up and ran away again, jumping on benches, running around fountains and giving away smiles to every pedestrian that looked at them.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York
Elizabeth got on top of a small wall that surrounded a big fountain, and sang with her arms extended. The rest of the kids ran around the fountain, laughing and spinning around.
New York, New York
I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps
And find I'm A number one, top of the list
King of the hill, A number one
Everyone jumped on the wall with her, and they sang the last verse together, attracting curious looks from several passers.
These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it
In old New York
And if I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York, New York!
The kids laughed together when they finished. People around them began to clap, and they bowed, smiling even wider than before.
"The last one to get to the bedroom is a rotten egg!" Spencer shouted.
The boys ran to their room, screaming and hitting each other. The girls rolled their eyes and chose to walk in a civilized way to their room, chattering excitedly and looking around, pointing at the exquisite decoration of the hotel and giggling when they saw a cute boy.
Alma was about to join the girls in their room when she heard someone calling her name.
"Alma Schuester?"
She turned around, and her smile vanished when she saw Jesse St. James, standing in front of her, wearing his typical smug grin.
"Mr. St. James." Alma said, approaching him with an obviously fake smile. She shook his extended hand.
"So, you're staying at this hotel too?" Jesse asked.
"Yes, we are."
"Well, what an unfortunate coincidence." Alma raised her eyebrows at his statement, and Jesse's smile widened "Oh, don't get me wrong," Jesse continued "It's not that I don't want to stay at the same hotel as you and your kids. It's just that I don't want to hear New Directions crying loudly in their room when Vocal Adrenaline comes back with the first place trophy."
Alma felt the anger bubbling up inside her. But instead of punching Jesse in the face (and, believe me, she was dying to do it) she smiled and laughed with him. Jesse looked at her strangely.
"Oh, you won't hear us crying, don't worry." Alma said "But if you do, please remember that, unlike you and your group, we didn't sell our soul to the devil, and therefore, we still have feelings."
Jesse raised his eyebrows, a little taken aback by Alma's words. She smiled at him again.
"It was a pleasure to see you, Mr. St. James." she spun around and walked down the hall to her room. She stopped mid way to take something from her purse. She threw it at Jesse who caught it in his hands. The man looked at the box of tissues and looked at Alma, confused.
"What is this?"
"You're going to need it after we win Nationals." Alma said.
Jesse's eyes remained fixed on the tissues as he heard Alma's retreating footsteps. He smirked and put them in his pocket before heading to his own room.
Barbra fiddled nervously with the hem of her dress. Rachel gently placed her hand on top of hers.
"Barbra, stop moving, would you?" she said "The function will begin shortly."
"I know." Barbra said, smiling.
She hadn't seen her boyfriend since he left Ohio. Kurt, Blaine, Finn and Rachel had met them at the airport, but Adam couldn't come because he was busy getting ready for that night's show. Barbra missed him terribly, and she couldn't wait for him to appear on the stage.
"Be quiet!" Elizabeth exclaimed silently.
"But it hasn't even started yet!" Hannah said.
"I don't care! Just shut up!" Elizabeth said.
She sighed. She shouldn't have invited everyone to watch her brother's play. But Kurt and Blaine had insisted on taking everyone with them, and, as much as she tried, Elizabeth couldn't make them see that it was a terrible idea to take every member of New Directions with them.
"Relax." Sam said when she heard another annoyed sigh escaping Elizabeth's lips.
"But they're so noisy!"
"You're overreacting. You're just anxious to see your brother, that's all."
"You're right." Elizabeth admitted, a little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Sam was right. She couldn't wait.
Finally, the curtain was opened, revealing two figures standing on the stage. Barbra recognized Adam, and her heart fluttered. The boy began to speak, and the girl hadn't realized how much she had missed his voice until then.
When it was Crystal's turn to say her lines, Adam looked briefly at the audience. He saw Barbra right away and gave her the smallest of smiles. The gesture went unnoticed by everyone but Barbra, who grinned broadly and kept watching him as he played his character perfectly.
Since she could remember, watching people performing on a stage was one of Barbra's favorite things. She had grown up watching her mother performing, and watching Kurt as well, during the time he was a Broadway actor.
Barbra remembered the first time she saw Adam performing. He played Peter Pan when he was nine in a school play. When Barbra saw Adam acting, the girl fell in love with the way he said his lines with the perfect amount of sadness, anger or happiness, the way he moved around the stage like it was his, the way the other actors were eclipsed completely by him.
Adam had told her that when he heard the sound of applause for the first time, he had decided he wanted to be an actor. And now, while she watched the boy performing, becoming someone else, even if just for a moment, Barbra had made a decision too. She wanted to perform too. She wanted to stand on a stage and feel the emotion, the adrenaline, and the small tingle of jitters. That way, she could be whoever she wanted to be, and no one could tell her that it was wrong. She wanted to hear people clapping for her, and she wanted to feel the happiness, the pride of knowing that she had made them feel the same way she felt when she watched Adam, Rachel or Kurt performing.
As Adam left the stage, Barbra looked at Elizabeth. The girls exchanged a look, and Barbra could see in her cousin's eyes, that she had made the same decision.
Barbra looked around, trying to distinguish Adam among all the other actors who were running backstage, congratulating each other for that night's show, removing their make-up or drinking coffee. Finally, she saw him, striding towards her with a big smile on his face. They embraced, grinning broadly.
"You were amazing!" Barbra said, without letting go of him.
"I'm so glad you came."
Adam brushed his knuckles against her cheek before kissing her lips gently. They pulled away slowly, and Barbra pressed her forehead against his, looking intensely into his eyes.
"Get a room!" Mark shouted at them, before being hit on the head with one of Crystal's shoes.
Adam laughed at their friends and looked at Barbra again.
"Adam, I've made a decision." she said, taking his hands.
"What?"
"I want to be a performer."
"That's wonderful!" Adam's face lit up.
"It's just… watching you on that stage…" Barbra struggled to find the words to describe what she was feeling "It was a moment…"
"You moved her, Adam." Blaine said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Exactly!" Barbra exclaimed.
"Dad!" Adam said, hugging his dad.
"You were amazing, son!" Blaine said.
"Adam!" Kurt exclaimed, hugging his son tightly "Oh, son, that was beautiful!"
"Thanks, papa!"
"Adam!" Elizabeth jumped into his arms. She pulled away from the hug, grinning and bouncing excitedly on her feet "I have to tell you something. I decided I want to be a performer!"
"Hey, me too!" Barbra said.
"It's a family thing, I guess." Rachel said, appearing behind Kurt "The Berrys and the Hummels are natural performers."
As Kurt and Rachel high-fived, Alma poked her head trough the doorway, smiling shyly.
"Um, girls? We need to go."
"We're coming, Miss Schue." Elizabeth said.
Before joining their friends outside the theater, the girls made their families promise that they would watch them at Nationals the next day. Once they were out, they began to walk down the street.
"So," Elizabeth said, taking Barbra's hand "I've already been thinking about roles I want to play, and I think we should play Elphaba and Glinda."
"And that decision has anything to do with the fact that your father and my mother played the exact same roles when they were younger?" Barbra asked.
"Actually, my father played Guylinda." Elizabeth said, smiling. The girls laughed and followed their friends down the street.
"Barbra, wake up!"
"Why? I want to sleep…" Barbra slurred, burying her face in her pillow, refusing to open her eyes.
"Come on, wake up!"
She opened her eyes. Elizabeth was sitting on the bed next to her, completely dressed. She smiled at Barbra, who yawned and sat up.
"What do you want?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"We're having breakfast at Tiffany's!" Elizabeth announced, clasping her hands together.
The girls walked down the street, coffees in hand. Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped walking, and, slowly, a smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, no, you're making that face." Barbra said "What are you planning?"
"Come with me."
Elizabeth took her cousin's hand and she started to walk the opposite way, dragging Barbra with her.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." Elizabeth said with a smirk.
No matter how hard she tried to figure it out, Barbra could have never guessed that Elizabeth was taking her to the Gershwin Theater. After convincing the guard to let them be there for a while, the girls were standing on the stage, looking around with bedazzled smiles.
"One day," Elizabeth said, taking her hand and looking at the empty seats "We'll be standing here, performing together in front of an audience."
Barbra nodded, smiling. She closed her eyes and sighed before she began to sing.
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Elizabeth stepped forward, singing with a smile.
Too late for second guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
Barbra took Elizabeth's hand, and they shared a smile before they sang the chorus together.
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
And you won't bring me down
Barbra let go of Elizabeth's hand and began to walk around the stage, singing.
I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Elizabeth walked towards her, singing her lines with passion and feeling.
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know
Barbra took a step towards her cousin.
Too long I've been afraid of
Elizabeth closed the distance between them, and sang without breaking eye contact with the other girl.
Losing love I guess I've lost
They held hands again, and let their voices harmonize together in a beautiful way.
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost
They turned around to face their invisible audience, still holding hands as they belted out the chorus.
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you won't bring me down
Elizabeth and Barbra shared a look and smiled even wider before they sang the chorus again, even louder than before.
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
Bring me down!
Ohhhhh
The girls stood there, panting, still smiling widely. Barbra laughed breathlessly, and Elizabeth joined her. Barbra stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cousin's cheek.
"Thanks, Lizzie. That was wonderful."
"You're welcome." Elizabeth said with a wink.
Jonathan walked down the hotel hall, looking at his phone. The boy bumped into someone, and he heard a surprised yelp followed by the sound of several things falling to the floor.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. Jonathan crouched down and began to pick up the things.
"Oh, it's okay, don't worry." a gentle voice said.
Jonathan looked up. He had bumped into a girl who was around his age. She had short black hair and black eyes, framed by long eyelashes. The girl was smiling toothily at him, and Jonathan couldn't help but appreciate how pretty she was. When they stood up, the boy realized that she was really short.
"I'm Jonathan St. James." he said, extending his hand. The girl shook it, still smiling broadly.
"Nice to meet you, Jonathan. I'm Dolly Corazon."
Jonathan's smile slowly vanished from his face. 'You have to be kidding me.' he thought 'This girl is Vocal Adrenaline's new soloist?'
"Um… are you alright?" Dolly asked.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Jonathan said.
"Um, you said your last name was St. James?" she asked, furrowing her brow "Are you related to Jesse St. James?"
"Actually, I'm his son."
"Oh, you're that traitor son he's always talking about!"
Jonathan raised his eyebrows. Traitor?
"Traitor?" he said.
"He says that you betrayed him and joined New Directions." Dolly said.
"I didn't betray him!" Jonathan exclaimed, frowning "I couldn't stand his inhuman methods of coaching, that's it!"
Dolly burst out laughing, and Jonathan shot her a confused look.
"I'm sorry." she said "You're right, he's kinda inhuman."
"Tell me about it." Jonathan said, and this time, both of them laughed.
"So… this means we have to compete against each other today, right?" Dolly said.
"Yeah."
"Well, don't expect any mercy from me." the girl said with a smile.
"Mercy is the last thing I expect from a Vocal Adrenaline member."
Dolly chuckled, and Jonathan smirked. She was really cute…
"Well, I gotta go." she said "See you at Nationals!"
"See you!"
Jonathan watched the girl leave the hotel. He smiled sideways. He thought it was impossible, but he had found a nice member of Vocal Adrenaline.
"Here we are, guys." Alma said.
The kids looked around with dreamy smiles, already dressed in their Nationals outfits.
"I can't believe we're here." Barbra said, looking beautiful in her black dress.
"Okay, guys," Alma turned around to look at them "We've made it this far, and now we can't back down. So you're going to do your best!"
"We're going to blow their minds, Miss Schue!" Spencer said, and the rest of the kids nodded.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" their teacher said, giving them a big smile "Let's go, the first group is about to start."
As they walked together to the auditorium, Jonathan found Dolly in the crowd. The girl waved at him, and the boy found himself smiling and waving back at her.
"Who's that girl?" David asked, putting his arm around Jonathan's shoulders.
"Oh, just a girl I met yesterday at the hotel."
"She's cute." David wiggled his eyebrows.
"Yes, she is." Jonathan said with a little smile.
"I'm going to get some water, I'll be right back." Barbra said.
Once she had her water bottle in her hand and was walking towards the auditorium, she heard a familiar voice behind her back, calling her name.
"Barbra!" She turned around "It's nice to see you again!"
"Mr. St. James!" Barbra said, surprised "Hi!"
"How are you doing?" Jesse asked, stepping towards her.
"Fine."
"That's good to know."
They were immersed in an awkward silence for a while, until Jesse spoke again.
"Jonathan told me you dumped him for your own cousin."
Barbra nearly choked on her water.
"Uh… I…" she spluttered.
"Do you have a problem with that?" someone said, placing his arm around Barbra's shoulders.
The girl looked up, surprised.
"Adam? What are you doing here?" Barbra was surprised at first, but then she remembered that Adam, Rachel, Finn, Kurt and Blaine had promised they would watch them perform at Nationals.
"Oh, no there's no problem at all." Jesse said, still smiling "Excuse me, you are…?"
"Adam. Barbra's boyfriend." the boy said coolly "And who are you?"
"I'm Jesse St. James, coach of Vocal Adrenaline."
Adam and Jesse glared at each other for a moment, before Barbra clasped her hands together, smiling broadly.
"Well, it was a pleasure to see you, Mr. St. James, but Adam and I need to go." she said "My parents and his are waiting for us."
She dragged Adam out of there. When she was about to walk out of the room, Jesse called her again.
"Hey, Barbra! Do you know why I'm so confident that we will win?"
"Why?"
"Have you ever heard of Sunshine Corazon?"
"Of course I have. She's a famous singer. Why?"
"Well, her daughter, Dolly, is our main singer." Jesse smirked "Believe me, when she sings, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. I don't think you can't compare to her."
Barbra frowned and let go of Adam's hand. She strode furiously towards Jesse.
"Have you ever heard of Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson?" she asked "Well, their daughter Elizabeth is our main singer. And when she sings, she does it so wonderfully that even God would fall at her feet to worship her. She puts every fiber of her being into what she's singing, and you can hear everything's she's feeling. And I don't think no one could compare to her."
She glared at him for a moment before turning around and stomping towards Adam. The boy watched her enter the auditorium and smirked.
"Damn…" he mumbled. Then, he smiled at Jesse "See you later!"
Jesse frowned and Adam winked at him before joining his girlfriend inside.
Barbra sat next to Elizabeth, furious.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, noticing her cousin's anger.
"You better sing your ass off, you hear me?" Barbra said "Show everyone that you can kick their asses whenever you want."
"Okay…" Elizabeth said, confused. Just when she was about to asked Barbra what had happened, the announcer entered the stage, microphone in hand, and greeted the audience.
"And now, for our first performance tonight, Vocal Adrenaline!"
The kids of New Directions stiffened in their seats, while the members of Vocal Adrenaline entered the stage and took their positions. It was going to be a tough competition.
Thanks for reading! Please review :D