Chapter 25

The following Tuesday evening, although not a full dress rehearsal, was an opportunity for Kurt to see the actors in costume. It enabled him to evaluate what had been completed thus far and determine if further alterations or changes would be required. Backstage, Kurt snapped pictures of each person, which would eventually be added to his portfolio alongside the original sketches.

The first act was well underway, and Kurt had already made some adjustments. Marley had originally worn a large lavender bow in her hair (that matched her nightgown). Kurt decided would not be believable as sleeping attire and had removed it, instead pulling the top part of her hair into a half-ponytail that cascaded over her softly curled, released tresses.

Noah's costume for the first act was relatively simple, a pair of black dress slacks, black shoes, and a tuxedo shirt with a wing collar, and his hair slicked back. His outfit, along with Santana's mauve gown and Sugar's cranberry-colored dress also passed inspection. Dave's dog suit was a rental, and he had taken on the part with good humor. Since this was his first time onstage in the costume, Santana had convinced him to "dry-hump" Noah's leg during his speech about putting the dog out for the night. Noah was taken completely by surprise; his initial shock gave way to mirth, and he joined the cast and crew in laughter at the former football player's antics.

"Dave," Artie choked out between peals of laughter, "if you don't behave, I'll have to hose you down!" Dave took off the dog head; he was laughing so hard, himself, that he needed more air than the costume accommodated.

"Geez, Karofsky," Noah exclaimed, "you've gone and gotten hair all over me. Bad dog!" He looked around (smirking all the while) and inquired, "Does anybody have a lint brush around here?"

Once Artie had everything under control again, he decided to press forward rather than redo the scene. There were further rehearsals scheduled, and the primary purpose today was to take a checkpoint on the costumes.

Rachel stood backstage with Tina, waiting for her cue while Kurt inspected their attire. Rachel was particularly happy with hers; she wore forest green knee-length pants that, although not snug, fit close to the body. One of the legs was torn about 2/3 of the way down and patched together with fabric leaves; they had gone to Michael's and purchased as many fabric flowers from the sale bins as they could carry, using the flowers to decorate the "Neverland" set and the leaves on some of the costumes. Over top of a lighter brownish-green shirt with the sleeves rolled up to elbow length was a vest that matched the slacks, also artfully patched with leaves. There were green and peacock blue colored sequins subtly attached among the leaves and on the shoulders, providing an iridescent shimmer in the light that helped to tie in with Tina's costume while not making the outfit appear feminine. It was belted in brown leather; attached were a faux suede bag for "fairy dust", as well as a scabbard and dagger. On her left arm was a leather wrist band with a slightly oversized compass attached, providing navigation to Neverland (and beyond).

"Rachel, aren't you glad I talked you into those suede boots last fall?" Kurt asked.

Rachel glanced down at her upper calf length (flat) brown Minnetonka boots covered in fringe. They were fun to wear with jeans and now served as a perfect compliment to her attire. "Yes, Kurt, they were a good choice," she admitted. "However," she said, glaring at him, "a less good choice was setting up a betting pool on the timing of Noah's and my progeny."

Kurt had the decency to look embarrassed, stammering, "H…how did you ever find out?"

"Santana told me, Kurt; indirectly, actually. We ran into your stepmom the other day with Mrs. Schue, and she invited them to pick a date. Apparently, Noah's even in on it." She looked at Kurt disdainfully, concluding "So not cool, Kurt. I thought you were my friend."

Before Kurt had a chance to offer either a rebuttal or an apology, Rachel heard her cue. "Come on, Tina," Rachel beckoned to her friend, "we're next." Rachel turned to face Kurt, reminding him, "Please pay attention to our appearance on the stage Kurt. And regarding the betting pool…trust me, this isn't over." Rachel moved toward her entrance and was hooked onto the wires and hoisted up so she could "fly" into the bedroom. Tina, whose costume was form fitting and wouldn't accommodate a harness, was supposed to climb in the through window, afterward, instead. On her way to join Rachel, as Kurt adjusted her wings, she whispered, "Don't forget, I have five bucks on six weeks."

While Rachel and Tina were occupied on stage, the "Lost Boys" (save Artie, who was in the auditorium, a better vantage point for directing) and "pirates" began to gather for their eventual appearances. Once changed into her pirate garb, Santana scanned the group, impressed by what Kurt had envisioned and how well their small team of seamstresses (Tina, Kitty, Mercedes, and Wade, with Emma's guidance and assistance) had been able to translate his concept into their costumes.

The boys were clothed in earth tones; primarily greens, khakis, and browns, and they were currently gathered around the tricked-out wheelchair jokingly referred to as the "Neverland Express". Kurt had found a discarded collapsible wheelchair at one of his resale excursions and had reimagined it to be part "Neverland" (with leaves and vines) and the remainder "Steampunk" (gears and elaborate appearing mechanisms). With Burt's help it had come to fruition, and it was now waiting for Artie, who was clad in a worn leather bomber jacket and an old fashioned aviator's helmet (complete with goggles), and would be carried to the chair shortly before their entrance onto the stage. As she glanced around, Santana had to chuckle to herself; even in this incarnation, Blaine was wearing a bowtie.

Santana looked down at her own apparel, pleased with what she saw. In contrast to the earth tones, the pirate costumes were primarily black and white with bold accents in primary colors. She'd been inspired by Rachel's wig to purchase one of her own, temporarily masking her raven locks with wild deep-auburn curls, further concealing her "real world" persona. As opposed to Kitty and Sugar, who wore skirts that were raised to knee length in front, she had been given a pair of black gaucho pants. The red leather boots she had purchased as a "souvenir" from her trip to New York, although not historically accurate, complimented the overall effect. Over her white "cold shoulder" blouse was a red faux leather bustier that appeared to be fastened with chains (but actually zipped up the back). To complete the look, a (relatively) realistic-appearing holster with a gun (that had originally been a toy) adorned her hip.

As the troops gathered backstage for Kurt's evaluation, he remained in the auditorium watching the scene unfold onstage and taking notes on the costuming. The act was about to conclude when his focus was abruptly stopped by Santana, who called out from the wings, "Hey, Kurt, you'd better get back here before these assholes stage a mutiny!"

Kurt scrambled up from his seat, making his way backstage. Walking to join the others, he was stopped by Noah, who had held back from revealing himself to the group. Kurt initially gasped, exclaiming, "O.M.G. Puck, you look like the ghost of Douglas Fairbanks come to life!"

A puzzled expression on his face, Noah responded, "Huh? Who?"

Kurt chuckled, shaking his head over his friend's cluelessness about an American cultural icon (in his opinion, anyway). "Never mind, Puck; you look amazing."

Noah flashed Kurt one of his characteristic high school smirks and replied. "Thanks, Kurt. If ya' see Rachel, please send her back here. I'd kinda like to surprise her, first".

Kurt rejoined his friends backstage, finding Rachel stretching to release some of the tension from being suspended off the ground, as well as regain her bearings. He pulled her aside, smiling slyly, whispering, "Puck wants to see you," and pointing in the general direction where Noah was secluding himself.

Rachel grinned in thanks and left unnoticed while the others checked out each others' outfits and Kurt began his review. She found Noah standing off to the side with his back to her, and she smiled playfully. She approached him quietly from behind, tapped him on the shoulder, and greeted him, "Well, hello there sailor boy, new in town?" As soon as Noah turned around to face her, her smile intensified, her eyes reflecting both admiration and lust, and she softly exhaled, uttering one word, "Whoa".

Noah was wearing a pair of slim black jeans that he had purchased for the upcoming fall semester; from the stage, they wouldn't appear to be denim as they were not yet faded from wear. His "pirate-styled" boots, which Rachel had found online, were the perfect compliment. Over top of long-sleeved a white shirt with ruffled cuffs (that was unbuttoned to the breast bone) was a weskit constructed of a rich black jacquard and, although presently open, fastened with silver buttons. His eyes were rimmed with press-on eyeliner and he had the replica of a slim moustache and short Van Dyke styled beard gracing his chiseled features. His forehead was wrapped with a bright scarf, emphasizing the hair that he had let grow out and that had temporarily been coaxed to curl. He had a saber at his side, encased in its sheath, and, to Rachel, he looked…beyond sexy.

She tentatively caressed the hook with the tip of her index finger and looked up flirtatiously as she continued in a seductive voice, "My, my, what a big hook you have…"

Noah tipped her face up with said hook, replying (with a twinkle in his eye), "Avast, me boy-o; I usually prefer a saucy wench, but I've been a'sea for a long time and I'm feelin' a might lonely…" Rachel's mouth turned up impishly as she suppressed a giggle, while Noah bent his head down slightly and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips were about to meet when they were jostled back to reality by the sound of cameras being used accompanied by cat-calls and good-natured laughter.

"Hey, guys," Santana quipped, "I think we should send this in to 'To Catch a Predator'."

Noah took Rachel's hand as the group encircled them, everybody talking at once, excited that their play was rapidly coming to fruition. "Come on, guys," Artie announced, bringing the group to (at least some semblance of) order. "We need to get through these next few scenes tonight. I don't know about you, but I have to go to work, tomorrow. 'Cedes?" he inquired, looking at Mercedes.

"Yeah, Artie?" she quickly responded.

"If you would, please go onstage and read your intro to the next act. 'Lost Boys'…Tina, please get ready… 'Darlings'…'Pirates'? You're up soon, too…'Indians'?" Artie looked around, and seeing no "Indians", pulled out his cell phone and called Brittany: "Hey, Brittany…yeah…can you guys come down to the stage, now?...Well, your entrance is in a few minutes, and Kurt wants to look over your costumes…Yeah…What?...No, you may not bring Lord Tubbington, not unless he's in his carrier…OK, thanks…Yes, 'Sammy' is here…OK, Britt, see ya' soon." While he hastily replaced the phone in his pocket, the boys congregated onstage before the curtain opened.

Author's Note: For those who don't know, Douglas Fairbanks (Senior) was one of the first, if not the first, action/adventure movie stars. He appeared in silent film versions of "The Mark of Zorro", "Robin Hood", and "The Thief of Baghdad" (among others), performing most (if not all) of his own stunts. He was married for a time to silent screen actress Mary Pickford.