Media: Fic
Title: Solar Winds (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fusion, 38/?)
Rating: PG-13 for innuendo, swearing, violence.
Spoilers: None for either series that I am aware of.
Warnings: Mildly ablist jerkishness from one character.
Word Count: ~7200
Summary: Kurt Hummel, the current Avatar, finds a Firebending teacher in the young Prince Blaine. Is that all he finds? Or will destiny conspire to push them into becoming more, to the world and each other?
Author's Note: Songs are performed, and love blooms in the Fire Nation! Told you that would happen. :P The first 'song' in this chapter is actually an original song I wrote for this story. Well, more of an original poem, since I can't put music into this thing. ;) The second should be instantly recognizable to most. Some big, important moments in this chapter—some expected, some not so much. I hope you enjoy! :D
CHAPTER 38 – For Whom I Burn
Blaine is blown away. How wonderful of Rachel to stage all this for him! Sitting in the same chair, in the same building, hearing the same song that moved his father to tears… it just makes the story feel so much more real to him. It doesn't take long for him to pinpoint this part of the story—Kushi has been chosen by the village to be the sacrifice that Orochi takes back with him in exchange for sparing the rest of the village. He listens to Rachel's powerful voice as she begins to sing.
The song is a strong one, in which Kushi both accepts and defies her fate. She is willing to do what she must to save her fellow villagers, but at the same time, she berates them for their cowardice in bowing to Orochi and acquiescing to his evil wishes. She defies the dragon even as she walks willingly to his lair, refusing to cower before him.
Will none defy the dragon?
Will no one stand and fight?
How can you bow before this wicked beast
and call it right?
Are we not of the same fire
That bellows from his mouth?
And yet we lay ourselves down at his feet
To be put out?
Her voice rises to a crescendo as the song approaches its peak.
I will not be afraid,
Though the dragon shakes the heavens,
I will not turn away,
Though his fury snuffs the stars.
I will stand before him,
Though his breath could slay the legions,
I will not bow unto him,
For he cannot shake my heart.
I know for whom I burn…
She hits the note flawlessly, and holds it well.
I know for whom I long…
I know for whom I yearn…
For him, I will be strong…
I will be strong.
As the music fades, Blaine can't help but stand up and give the performer his most enthusiastic applause. The song was incredible, and she performed it perfectly.
His is a ray of sunlight to her, and like a mirror, she reflects his beaming smile to the rest of the world… or in this case, the rest of the audience.
Kurt is going to be sick.
"She's pretty good," Mercedes admits.
The Avatar rolls his eyes. "Sure, from a purely technical standpoint."
The earthbender gives him a sidelong glance. "Okay, so what's your standpoint?"
Kurt sighs. "She hit all the right notes, but her performance just felt… flat. Music, to me, is about passion and feeling. Great music captures something truly powerful and communicates it with everyone who hears it." The passion in his voice increases as he begins to wax poetic. "It moves you. For a brief moment, you feel exactly what the singer feels, as if you share a single heart."
"That was beautiful," Finn sighs, looking close to tears.
Kurt grins. "Thank you, Finn."
"Huh?" Finn asks, turning to Kurt as if he just realized he was there. "What'd you say?"
The Avatar gapes at him. "You are kidding. You were not just talking about her."
"Who else would I be talking about?" Finn asks.
He absolutely cannot take anymore of this. To the endless amusement of Mercedes, Kurt stomps over towards the stage, where Blaine has climbed up and is speaking to Rachel at that very moment.
"Thank you," Blaine says, putting his hands on her shoulders, trying to communicate through touch just how much this whole thing means to him. "Thank you so much," he says.
Rachel smiles at him. "It was my pleasure."
"No, really," Blaine says, pulling her a little closer, holding her a little tighter. "All the trouble you went through to prepare this for me, it… it paid off so completely…"
The girl's eyes light up like newborn stars at this point. "Really?" she asks breathlessly.
"Absolutely," Blaine says. "It just… it felt like…" His voice is suddenly clogged with emotion. "Like I was there… with him… in that moment…"
Rachel pulls closer to him. "Like… you felt what he felt?"
Blaine nods, closing his eyes. "Yes."
Rachel's heart feels like it's about to burst into a shower of sparkles and lotus petals. This is it! This is the moment where they kiss, and fall in breathless love forever. Where she becomes his everything, and he hers. Where fireworks are lit between them that burst into new stars and constellations, eternal candles in the night sky that spell out their love for future generations to read. All that's left is the perfect romantic kiss, the spark that lights the fuse. She closes her eyes, and leans towards him…
Kurt watches this in abject horror, increasing his pace while having a very heated internal debate on whether or not his firebending is precise enough to hit Rachel without burning Blaine. Even as he stomps towards them, he knows he will not make it in time to stop that freakish woman's fish-lips from assaulting Blaine's mouth and the whole thing just makes him want to explode. The second their lips meet, he's going to go into the Avatar State, and will likely wake up several hours later in a large, smoking crater where the city used to be.
The kiss seems inevitable.
And then, something unexpected happens.
Blaine opens his eyes and sees Rachel coming towards him with her lids shut and her lips puckered. His reaction is instant, instinctual, and, in retrospect, kind of awful.
He dodges her.
As she tries to smash their lips together, Blaine spins to the side and releases her. By the time he realizes what is about to happen, it's already far too late to stop it. Rachel's forward momentum carries her past the point of no return, and her eyes open again just in time for—
(FLOP.)
—a face-first landing on the stage.
Everyone winces at the impact. Even the orchestra members. Even Mercedes. Even the tour guide. Even Kurt.
"Oh my gosh," Blaine says, kneeling beside her. "Rachel, are you okay?"
It takes a few moments for her to answer. "I'm fine," she says. "Completely, perfectly fine." The girl peels herself off the hardwood and looks at Blaine with red, blotchy eyes, and he honestly feels like the biggest tool on earth.
"Rachel, I'm so sorry," Blaine says. "I… I wasn't expecting… I didn't realize you… you wanted…"
"What," she sniffs. "That I wanted you? That I liked you?"
"Well, yeah," Blaine says uneasily, scratching at the back of his head. "I mean, it is kind of out of nowhere…"
Rachel looks appalled and even more upset. "Out of nowhere? So, when we kissed last night, that meant nothing to you?" By now, the discomfort in the room already has the orchestra slowly but surely filing out with slightly pained expressions on their faces.
Blaine's eyes go wide. "Rachel, I was drunk last night. I was so out-of-it, I would've made out with… with… anything with lips."
He doesn't realize how awful and insensitive it sounds until it's already out of his mouth, and Rachel's face crumples. "Anything with lips?" she says. "So I'm no better than a… a… fish to you?"
"No!" Blaine says. "That's… that's not what I meant…"
"I think your meaning was perfectly clear," Rachel sniffs, pulling herself up off the ground and mustering as much dignity as she can with a steady stream of tears ruining her stage make-up. "I have never been so humiliated in my life. I just… you seemed so nice… you were so sweet to me… and I thought… I thought…"
And she can't continue anymore. She turns and jumps off the stage, soaring right over the orchestra and running out of the room fast enough to flutter Kurt's robes as she passes.
"Rachel, wait!" Blaine calls out, but she pays him no attention. He leaps off the stage as well, and tries to go after her, but Kurt stops him.
"Let her go," Kurt says, gently guiding Blaine back towards the stage. "I have some… experience in this area. You are probably the last person she wants to see right now."
"What do you mean?" Blaine asks. "You have experience in falling flat on your face during an attempt to kiss someone?"
"Figuratively speaking… yes, that's pretty much it," Kurt says. "Suffice it to say the first boy I ever tried to kiss… did not take it well."
Blaine winces. "I'm sorry. I just… I feel so bad. I wish there was something I could do."
"You," Kurt says simply, "need to stay here with me. Believe it or not, there is something here that I need to show you. Don't worry, though," he says kindly. "I have some people who might be willing to help dear Rachel in her moment of need."
With that, he makes eye contact with Mercedes in the audience, motioning with his head to the door. Mercedes gives him the okay sign, and walks out.
Looking conflicted and miserable, the first boy Kurt ever tried to kiss walks out after her.
Yes, as much as it pains him to admit it, Kurt can't help but sympathize with Rachel now. You don't realize how vulnerable you are in a moment like that until you are completely and utterly rejected right in the middle of it.
And to think, just two minutes ago, he would have given anything for a nice, small, soundproof closet to lock her in…
The staredown is intense.
At any moment, Artie expects it to erupt into a throwdown, which he will summarily turn into a takedown because he's awesome like that. Sure, he's never had an actual, full-on fight with an airbender before, but he's reasonably confident in his ability to kick most any ass at most any time. Granted, being stuck butt-first in a trashcan puts him at a bit of a momentary disadvantage, but he can deal. He's ready and raring to go, just waiting for the first blow…
…which is why it shocks the crap out of Artie when that blow never comes.
Instead of attacking, the guy just rolls his eyes. "Man, you guys are creepy," he says, turning around and walking away for a moment.
Ummm… what?
With a little help from the earth, Artie manages to tip his can and send himself sprawling onto the ground. He sits up and looks at the strange airbender, keeping his face carefully neutral. He has absolutely no idea what is going on, but that's never a good excuse to freak out.
The airbender has his arms crossed, and is glaring sourly at him. "You know, you could have just told me who you worked for. You didn't have to smack me in the face with the proof. I'm still a little sore about that, and I mean that in both the figurative and literal sense."
Who he… what?
Artie imagined any number of directions this confrontation might take, but this is not one of them. Why is this guy acting like he knows him?
Well, whatever. At times like this, there is only one thing to do, really. It's time for Artie to practice what he preaches.
He plays along.
"You struck first," Artie says simply, with a shrug.
"Because I thought you were trying to steal my shipment!" the airbender says, exasperated. "Which, by the way, wound up happening anyway. And now I am up shit tree without a paddle or… whatever the phrase is. And where were you when all this was happening?" he asks.
"Around," he says neutrally.
"Well, it's good to see that you people are up as ever on your 'cryptic asshole' game. Something stable you can cling to in such an unstable world; truly, you are a rock in the storm," the airbender deadpans.
Artie just gives him a smirk.
"So," the airbender says after a second. "What do you want? I assume you have orders or something."
Well, that's a little tricky. Given the circumstances, Artie decides to go with veiled honesty. "Nope," he says.
The airbender looks a little thrown. "Then… what do you want? Why are you still following me?"
Again, Artie decides honesty is the best policy. "Just keeping track of you," he says simply.
The airbender sneers at him. "Again, creepy. Your little collective's obsessive need to keep tabs on everyone and everything is just a little off-putting."
Artie raises an eyebrow at the guy.
He shrugs. "I'm just saying. You could at least offer to help."
He almost says 'help with what?' and blows his cover. Fortunately, his brain switches tracks at the last second and his 'cryptic, all-knowing asshole' disguise remains intact. "Oh, you call me creepy and obsessive, but now you want my help?"
The airbender cocks his head to the side, somewhat less than amused. "Hey, you guys are just as invested in the success of this as we are. Since you're already here and you don't seem to be doing much else, why not lend a helping hand?"
Artie has to tread carefully here. He has no idea what 'help' entails, but he doesn't want to shut the guy down outright. But he also needs to know what, exactly, is going on here. More specifically, he needs to find that out without revealing that he doesn't already know. He looks contemplative for a second. "And what, exactly, would my helping hand be doing?" he asks. "It's not my job to do your job for you."
The airbender looks profoundly miffed for a couple of seconds, before abruptly deflating, his defiant streak just dropping right out of him. "Look, all I need is some help getting back my sky bison. I've been looking all around the city, and I still can't figure out where they took him."
"They stole your sky bison?" Artie says before he can catch himself. Really. It just seems so outlandish.
But the guy doesn't seem to catch his slip-up. "I know, right?" he says. "I have no idea how they found him, let alone how they moved him. I knew they'd be mad, but I never imagined they'd stoop to animal cruelty. Honestly, the criminal element in the Fire Nation is just so… unrefined," he says, disgusted. "I guess not all cities can be as tightly run as Ba Sing Se," he adds, with a smirk. "Maybe you guys should expand your operations."
"Maybe," Artie says, steepling his hands in front of his face to mull it over for a second. He doesn't know this guy. From what he's seen, he doesn't even particularly like him. But Artie is generally against animal cruelty (to the good fortune of many cats), no matter what the animal. He isn't quite sure what he's getting into, but he is pretty sure that agreeing to help will give him an opportunity to find out, and information on illicit airbender operations could come in handy when Kurt finally makes it to the Air Temples to start the last leg of his training.
"Look, I don't have all day," the guy says. "Are you going to help, or are you going to act like a rock and just sit there?"
Artie graces him with a small smile. "Fine," he says simply. "I'll help you."
The airbender seems honestly surprised. "Well… this is an unexpected, but not unwelcome development. A helpful earthbender. Will wonders never cease?" he says sardonically.
"Watch it, flyboy," Artie says flatly. "I could always change my mind and leave you to sort this mess out yourself."
The airbender holds up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I apologize. Really, I do appreciate the help."
"That's better," Artie says with a smirk.
The guy steps towards him. "Since we're going to be working together, we may as well introduce ourselves. I know you guys are into the whole 'the collective over the individual' thing, but I assume you at least have a name. I'm Jesse St. James," he says, offering a hand.
He thinks about it for a few seconds, but eventually decides on his real name. "Artie Abrams," he says, grasping the hand and shaking it.
"A pleasure," Jesse says. "Now, come on. Let's get to work." And with his hand still clasped around Artie's, he does something the other boy does not quite expect.
He tries to pull him to his feet.
It works about as well as you'd think.
Which is, you know, not at all.
(FLOP.)
"Uhhhh," Jesses says. "Are you okay?"
"Peachy," Artie replies, pulling his face up out of the dirt and propping it on his elbows. "But I think before we move on with this little venture, there are a few things we should discuss, first…"
"So, what did you want to show me?" Blaine says, still carrying that tone of guilt that Kurt worked so hard to get him to drop. Granted, his new guilt is from a completely different place than his old guilt, but still.
"Ummm…" Kurt trails off, because he's not entirely sure how much Blaine knows about this particular aspect of Avatar-ism. Truth be told, Kurt isn't entirely sure how much he knows about it. "It's kind of hard to explain. Better that I show you."
"Okay," Blaine nods. "I'm ready when you are."
And then… Kurt has no idea what to do. Groban said he'd know what to do. Groban lied. Fucking Groban.
Okay, so… Kurt needs to channel Groban's spirit somehow. Generally speaking, that's easier to accomplish around a solstice, but there's nothing he can do to change the time of year. Other options include maybe getting a hold of a few of Groban's possessions, or finding Groban's very secret diary and reading it out loud, or… just… something that will bring their spirits closer together.
In any of those casse, his best bet is probably that tour guide. He seems to know his stuff, even if he doesn't necessarily like said stuff.
"Why don't you go have a seat?" Kurt asks. "There are some… things that I need to take care of."
Blaine smiles at him. "Oh? Am I going to get another performance?"
The statement hits Kurt like a blast of semi-frozen slush to the face. That's it! What better way to channel the spirit of a born performer than to perform? "Blaine, you are an accidental genius!"
Blaine's eyebrows shrug in confusion. "…huzzah for me?" he says.
"Huzzah indeed!" Kurt smiles. "Now go. Have a seat. I'll be back with you shortly!"
And he prances off to find that poor, miserable man and force him to give an even more detailed tour. Fortunately for Kurt, he doesn't have to travel too far to find him. The fellow is leaning against the doorway, snoring softly. "Wow," Kurt says to himself. "He wasn't kidding about his sleep schedule."
He hates to do disturb the man's slumber, but destiny is calling, and if the Avatar can do his part, this guy can do the same. "Excuse me," he says gently.
No response.
Kurt gently nudges him with his foot. "Excuse me!" he says with a little more oomph.
The guy jumps. "She fondled me first!" he blurts in shock, before making an effort to shake and blink himself into awareness. "I… uhhh… wow. Must have dozed off there. What do you want?" he asks tiredly.
"I was wondering if you could give me a slightly more… detailed version of the Avatar Groban Experience," Kurt says simply.
The guy closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. "Look, I already told you—we usually only give these tours in the evenings. I'm incredibly tired, and I don't feel like—"
Kurt produces a gold piece from within his robe. "I'll make it worth your while," he says, flashing it at the guy's face, holding it so the light glints off of it just enough to emphasize its shine.
The bleary eyes of the guide suddenly widen dramatically. "I… feel so much more awake now for some reason," he says simply. "Come with me!"
The tour guide marches off, and Kurt takes a moment to wave at Blaine, who is staring off into space. It takes a couple seconds to get his attention. Kurt simply nonverbally assures him that he will be back, and Blaine promptly nods and goes back to staring.
"So, what exactly would you like me to show you, most esteemed sponsor of the arts?" the tour guide says happily.
Kurt grins. Oh, how a little gold can affect such a remarkable change in attitude. "Well, now that you mention it, I'm looking for… a song…"
"…I'm just saying," Jesse continues, pushing Artie's newly acquired wheelchair down the walkway. "It's shockingly egalitarian. I didn't think you guys recruited… ummm… is there like a politically correct term for cripples?"
Artie rubs his forehead with his fingers. Most things in life get easier with repetition. But somehow, this conversation actually manages to suck worse every time he has to have it. "'Paraplegic' will work for me."
"Paraplegic. Alright then," Jesse says, and the conversation tapers off (finally!).
After explaining why Jesse's attempt at a helping hand ended with Artie in a human heap, Jesse decided to be 'nice' by fluttering off and fetching him a wheelchair. Of course, it would have been nicer if Jesse had actually asked instead of assuming he needed one. And even nicer if it wasn't stolen.
Which brings up an interesting thought…
"You didn't steal this from some little old lady who actually needs it to get around, did you?" Artie asks.
"Pffffffft," Jesse scoffs. "No," he says in a way that clearly means 'yes.'
"Dude!" Artie says. "That is a major karmic misstep! Put it back!"
"What is the big deal?" Jesse asks. "You need it, too!"
"No, I don't!" Artie says. "Did you see a wheelchair under me while I was chasing your ass around town? Hills no you did not."
"Look," Jesse says, "I'll give it back when we're done, alright? I promise."
Artie turns to assess the airbender for a few seconds. "You're not gonna take it back, are you?" he says simply.
"…probably not," Jesse admits with a shrug.
Artie's hand returns to his forehead. Douchebag, his brain mutters.
"Well, here we are," Jesse says, coming up on a slightly decrepit looking building near the edge of town. "This is where I put him when I'm in town. It's an old stable. Nice and roomy."
Finally, it's time to start the investigation. Artie looks at the old building carefully. "So this was the last place you saw him?"
"Yup," Jesse says simply.
"First off, how do you know he was kidnapped? Or… bison-napped, or whatever?" Artie asks.
Jesse produces a small note from his pocket, which Artie unfolds and scans.
WE HAV UR BYE-SUN. BRNG US MUNNEEZ N DURGZ OR WE KILLS HIM 2 DETH.
"Man," Artie says, shaking his head. "The education in this country is really slipping."
Jesse shrugs. "The criminal element in any society generally tends to be the least educated among them."
Artie looks up at him. "Yes, I can see that now," he deadpans.
The insult flies right past him. "Anyway… I don't exactly have 'munnee' or 'durgz.' At least, none that I am allowed to give to these bozos. If I could just find out where they're keeping him, I could go in and clean house, but… I'm stumped," he says, running a hand through his hair. "Man… this week. You don't even know."
Artie cups his hands on his chin. "Let's think through this logically. How would you move a giant, flying animal the size of a small house?"
"Well," Jesse says, "I'd just hop on and ride him."
"You think that's what they did?" Artie asks.
Jesse shakes his head. "No," he says with certainty. "Mr. Duck would never obey the commands of a stranger."
Well, that's a head-tilter. "Mr. Duck?" Artie asks with a skeptical eye.
Jesse blushes slightly. "It's… his name," he mutters. "I didn't pick it out," he adds.
"…right," Artie says neutrally. "So, they couldn't ride him out. They'd have to find some way to take him by force. Any signs of a struggle?"
Jesse pushes Artie into the stable's interior. They don't see much of interest. "I'm guessing if a multi-ton airbending animal got into a fight with someone here, we'd know about it," Artie says. "So they must have subdued it somehow."
"I wonder how?" Jesse mutters.
Artie shrugs. "Doesn't matter. If he was subdued, that means they pulled him along on the ground somehow. That's a lot of weight, so I'm guessing whatever they used made some pretty deep impressions."
"I didn't see any tracks," Jesse says. "And yes, I looked. I'm not an idiot."
The earthbender just grins. "They probably tried to cover them from prying eyes. But they didn't count on the guy who can see with his hands."
At this, he thrusts himself out of the wheelchair and places his palms on the ground, sending out vibrations and seeing what pings him back. "Ha," he says after a few seconds. "Amateurs. There's a very distinct area of recently disturbed earth that leads northwest, out of town. They tried to cover up, alright, but they didn't try hard enough."
"Well, well," Jesse says. "I knew you'd come in handy." He looks down at the earthbender assessingly. "You know," he says carefully, "we'd make a pretty good team…"
"Yeah... "Artie says with a small grin. Then he drops it completely. "…how about 'no?'"
Jesse snaps. "Curses, foiled again."
Artie smiles and promptly earthbends himself back into the chair. "Come on. Let's get your bison back."
"Well…" Jesse says as they exit the building. "Technically, he isn't actually mine, per se."
Artie looks back at him. "Then whose is he?"
Brittany sticks her nose into the air, her face scrunching as she sniffs.
"What's wrong, Brit?" Santana asks, looking back at her rhino-mate.
"It's Mr. Duck," Brittany says, sounding seriously worried for what has to be the first time, ever, in the entire time Santana has known her. "I think he's in trouble!"
Santana isn't quite sure how to reply to that. "Ummm… okay?" she tries.
"We have to go help him," Brittany says seriously. "He just got out of rehab. He has so much promise."
Well… that doesn't leave much room for argument. Unfortunately, here lately, any room for argument is enough for Quinn… Santana looks over to the Chi-Ryu Captain. "Hey, Quinn," she says.
"What," Quinn says sharply.
Santana doesn't even flinch. "Britz wants a word with you," she says.
Quinn turns to Brittany. "What is it now?"
Brittany shrinks slightly at her tone. "Mr. Duck needs our help. He's too young and fluffy to die."
"Who is Mr. Duck?" Quinn asks, exasperated.
"He's my life partner," Brittany says simply.
Santana's head practically breaks her own neck spinning around to look at Brittany. "Say what now?"
"It's true," Brittany says with a sage nod. "Our bond is super profound."
Santana is slightly flabbergasted. Life partner? So is Brittany like… in a relationship with this guy? What the fuck is she doing with Santana, then?
"We can't afford any more detours," Quinn says simply. "We've already lost a ridiculous amount of time going back to investigate that stupid fake Prince those idiots caught."
"Hey," Puck adds. "At least we got some more rhinos out of the deal. Hungover rhinos, but, you know, still rhinos."
Quinn's head snaps around to glare at him. "What did I tell you about speaking to me? Or looking at me? Or being within fifty feet of me?"
Puck scratches at the back of his neck. "Ummm… don't?"
"Exactly," Quinn says, swiping a small arc of flame at his head. "Back up!" she orders.
The armored assassin and his loyal rhino sheepishly comply. Even Kilgore seems a little terrified of Quinn at the moment. Santana can't exactly blame him—since Fenghuang, Quinn must be taking a daily dose of Ultrabitch or something. She throws everything from fire, to supplies, to vicious, vicious words at anyone who pisses her off.
And by 'anyone who pisses her off,' Santana mostly means Puck.
"Anyway," Quinn grits. "As I was saying, we can't afford anymore detours. We need to stay on task."
Brittany looks sad for a few seconds, but eventually nods. "Okay. I get it."
Quinn looks relieved. "Good. I'm glad."
"Sorry," Santana says putting a sympathetic hand on Brittany's shoulder. Of course, truth-be-told, she's kind of glad that they aren't going to help Mr. Dick or whatever his name is. The last thing she wants is to see Brittany getting all starry-eyed over some dude. Brittany is hers.
"It's okay," Brittany says with a soft smile. "I understand. I had a really great time with you guys. Bye!" And suddenly, Brittany is leaping from her rhino to the treetops, bounding gracefully through the forest away from them.
"Hey, wait!" Santana shouts, but Brittany is already too far to hear.
Santana starts to go after her, but Quinn lets out a frustrated growl. "No!" she says. "Let her go."
"Say what now?" Santana asks. "Call me crazy, but isn't she, like, our best bet at finding Curl and the Gang?"
"No, she isn't," Quinn grinds through her teeth. "She was a helpful for a little while, yes, but we don't need her for anything. She can do what she wants. We have a job to do. Or do I need to remind you what's at stake for you personally should we fail to secure the prince?"
Santana glares at the blonde who happens to be her boss.
"Or do you have some personal reason to go after her?" Quinn asks snidely, with a mirthless smirk. "Something completely unrelated to the mission? Some kind of attachment to the little airhead?"
Santana's teeth grind hard enough to turn rock into gravel, but she doesn't say anything.
"I'll take that as a 'no,'" Quinn says. "Good, then. We'll keep going."
So they do. And Santana doesn't care. Really, she doesn't. Brittany was fun while she was around, but now she's not, and Santana has shit to do. They all have shit to do. Brittany has her own shit, Santana has her own shit, so they will all just go and roll around in their separate piles of shit and everything will be shitty for everyone.
…
She's pretty sure she intended to go somewhere else with that.
Fuck it. Whatever. The point is… Brittany is the one who left. The one who chose Mr. Dick over her. Which is just fine and fucking dandy. Santana doesn't give a fuck. Never has, never will. So if she has to keep going and leave Brittany behind, that's exactly what she'll do. She'll move right on, and she won't even look back. Not even once.
And definitely not twice.
Finn and Mercedes split up to look for Rachel. She totally books it, like, way faster than either of them can follow, so they have no idea where she went. Mercedes looks around the inside of the building, so Finn goes outside.
He looks around, having no idea where to even start looking. After a few seconds of this, he turns around and decides to go back inside and ask Mercedes where he should start looking.
That's when he sees her.
Standing on the freaking roof. Like, near the very edge. His heart jumps up and cuts and flip and gets stuck sideways in his throat for a couple of seconds causing him to choke a little bit. "No!" he shouts up at her. "Don't jump!"
And then he dashes back into the building. "Don't jump!" he shouts as he runs through the lobby (getting a few weird looks from the remaining orchestra members as they file out).
"Don't jump!" he shouts as he dashes up a staircase, nearly knocking over Kurt and that really depressed guy who showed them around the place.
"Don't jump!" he shouts as he dashes around the upstairs hallways, looking for a way to get further up. Mercedes pokes her head out of one of the side rooms she is checking as he passes.
"Don't jump!" he shouts as he scrambles up the ladder like the worst koala crab ever, banging his arms and hands and knees against, like, every rung because he sucks at climbing.
"Don't…" he gasps as he finally reaches the roof, his lungs practically flat from all the not-air that Finn has forced into them. "Don't…" he pants, "…jump…" he wheezes, stumbling towards Rachel and bending over double to try and, like, inflate himself again.
Rachel is looking at him, slightly mortified. "Your concern is touching," she says carefully, "but I never had any intentions of jumping."
Finn nearly falls over at this announcement.
Wait, no, he totally falls over.
It just takes him a couple seconds.
"Oh my gosh!" Rachel says, running to kneel beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Finn somehow says in the weird squeaky voice he had before he turned 13 and transformed overnight into a giant whirlwind of awkward, flailing limbs.
"Did you run all the way up here?" Rachel asks.
Finn shakes his head. "No… I had to stop running… to climb the ladder…" he pants.
She just tilts her head at him.
"So…" Finn asks after a second or two. "If you weren't gonna jump… why are you up here?"
Rachel turns to look off at the horizon. "I just… like it up here. My hair billowing in the breeze makes everything seem much more significant and meaningful."
And then there is a little breeze that makes Rachel's hair swoosh out behind her, and Finn totally gets what she means. "Oh," he says, finally catching enough of his breath to sit up. "Well, that's good. I'm really glad you weren't gonna jump. 'Cause you're a really pretty singer."
Rachel turns to look at him, a little surprised.
Finn takes this the wrong way. "I mean… not like, you're just pretty and you're a singer, but you sing and it's pretty…"
Her eyes widen, and Finn kind of panics just a little.
"I mean… not that you're not pretty, because you totally are! You're totally very, very pretty, but I wasn't talking about your prettiness, I was talking about your voice-prettiness. You're a person who sings pretty. A pretty person… who sings pretty. You're very pretty," he finally finishes, blushing slightly and looking down..
Fortunately for Finn, she sounds happy. "Well… thank you," she says. She's totally smiling, just a little bit, when he looks up. "I only wish I could agree with you. I am feeling decidedly unpretty at the moment."
He looks at her and… "Well, yeah, you've got all this weird blotchy make-up stuff running down your face from all your cries, but that's just stuff. It comes off."
She smiles a little bigger. Score! "I suppose it does, doesn't it?" she says.
"Yeah. We should—you should… clean up," he finishes lamely. "You'll feel better after."
"Good idea," Rachel says, standing up and offering him a hand. He isn't sure why, cause he is totally eight times her size and would just pull her down on top of him if he took it. But he takes it anyway, and gets up on his own.
"Sorry you got all… embarrassed, and stuff," Finn says as they head over to the ladder.
Rachel sighs. "It's my fault, really," she says sadly. "I have to stop getting so invested in these things. I can't just keep falling in love with every boy who is just a little nice to me."
"Oh, totally," Finn agrees. "I mean… not the 'your fault' thing, but… you should… umm… you should only fall for guys who are, like, a lot nice to you."
Rachel spins around to look at him, a really weird smile on her face. "Oh?" she says. "Do you have an example of such a guy?"
Finn becomes like some kind of human thermometer, getting all hot and having his face turn red from all the stuff rushing up to it. "Uhhhh… I'm… I… I don't know… you know… the guys that you know, so… I can't really say," he finishes lamely.
She actually looks a little disappointed. "Oh," she says. "Well… it's good advice, nonetheless. I'll remember it…" she trails off, tilting her head. "I'm sorry… what was your name again?"
"Finnhudson!" he says, way too fast like it's one word.
"Well, Finn Hudson," Rachel says. "I'll remember that. Thank you."
"No problem," Finn says, hopping on the ladder (he should totally go first, cause if she falls on him, she'll just bounce right off, but if he falls on her, he'll totally crush her flat). He starts climbing down.
"And for the record," Rachel says. "I think you are a very nice boy."
He kind of hits his head on the next rung, but he doesn't even care.
Blaine sits alone in the quiet theater, reflecting on… well, basically everything.
This entire day has been an emotional rollercoaster of unreal proportions. All these huge chunks of his own past that he never even knew existed, suddenly unearthed and presented to him like he is supposed to know what to do with them. He's immensely thankful that he knows his mother better now, but in a way, this just makes him feel her loss all over again. The portrait in the lobby… they'd looked so completely smitten with each other. In a way, he understood a little better now, why his father had shut down when she died. He understood, even if he still didn't like it.
And then Rachel had tried to re-enact his parents' love story, with him completely oblivious to her the entire time. Had she really fallen for him so quickly? Was he really that blind to her advances? He felt so bad for her… her performance was definitely good, but it just didn't make him want to… you know… love her. He couldn't even imagine falling in love with someone because of a song…
When I am down
And oh, my soul, so weary…
Suddenly, a voice fills the air. Blaine's entire posture immediately stands at attention, and he leans forward in the seat. He recognizes the voice instantly, and at the same time, he feels like he's never heard it before in his life.
When troubles come
And my heart burdened be…
Kurt stands alone on the stage. He sings with no orchestra, no accompaniment, not even a single instrument playing along with him. His voice rings high and clear from every corner of the massive theater, like it was meant to fill the space. And he looks directly at Blaine the whole time.
Then I am still
And wait here in the silence…
Blaine can't breathe. His lungs seem to have seized up, his chest clenching at every note from the beautiful boy on stage. Kurt's singing voice is like nothing he has ever heard before—so light, but carrying such immense weight, so agile, but so stable and strong.It resonates within him, echoes in the empty chambers of his heart. Kurt sings the song to Blaine and Blaine alone, and every word rings with absolute truth.
Until you come
And sit a while with me.
And then he starts the chorus.
You raise me up
So I can stand on mountains.
You raise me up
To walk on stormy seas…
His entire body responds to the song in ways completely outside of his awareness—he leans forward, wanting to be closer. His hands grip the seat in front of him, wanting to feel the music as surely as he hears it. His jaw clenches, his eyes mist over, and he is completely unaware of all of this. Every iota of his attention belongs to Kurt.
I am strong
When I am on your shoulders.
You raise me up
To more than I can be…
And there is a small part of him that balks at the words. It says 'no, this can't possibly be true, he can't mean this.' It says that Blaine should be singing this to Kurt, not the other way around… and yet, Blaine cannot question the honesty of the song, the honesty on Kurt's face, the honesty in every perfect word that rings from within him…
Rachel sang to him, and Blaine was impressed.
Kurt is singing to him, and Blaine is… Blaine is moved.
And then, Kurt closes his eyes and launches into a second, higher chorus, and it almost seems like there are other voices singing right along with him.
You raise me up
So I can stand on mountains.
You raise me up
To walk on stormy seas…
It takes Blaine until about halfway through this chorus to realize that it isn't his imagination—there are multiple voices singing the song now. And they are all coming from Kurt.
I am strong
When I am on your shoulders.
You raise me up
To more than I can be…
The voices gradually taper off, and only one voice remains when the song finishes.
You raise me up
To more than I can be.
It isn't Kurt's.
Suddenly, every lamp burning in the theater seems to dim. A wind from nowhere stirs within the room, incredibly powerful, yet somehow not violent at all. The flames within the lamps are not extinguished by the winds, but rather leap from their wicks and ride it, jetting through the air in a steadily smaller orbit around the Avatar. Kurt stands on the stage, his expression neutral, his eyes remaining shut as all the light in the room concentrates around him.
And suddenly, Kurt is the light.
His eyes open, and from within him bursts a haunting, unearthly glow unlike anything Blaine has ever seen. The sight of it is both beautiful and terrifying—it speaks of something older and deeper and far grander than he can grasp at. It tells of the stars and the planets, the sun and the moon and the cosmic order that extends so far outside of their tiny world, to past, future, and beyond.
At that moment, Blaine glimpses eternity.
The flames encircling Kurt grow larger and stronger, burning brighter and brighter until they obscure him entirely, and Blaine has to shield his eyes to protect them from the light. Gradually, the fierce and powerful winds die down, and the firelight fades.
The other light, however, remains.
Blaine's eyes return to the stage, and the sight that greets him momentarily stops his heart
Kurt is nowhere to be seen.
Standing in his place, complete with the unearthly glow in his eyes, is a figure Blaine recognizes instantly. The figure from the statues, from the murals and carvings, in the flesh right in front of him.
Avatar Groban graces him with a benevolent smile.
"Hey there, Blaine."
A/N: Coming Up Next – Avatar Groban has a little chat with his descendant, while Mercedes has a little chat with Rachel. Meanwhile, Artie and Jesse continue to track down Mr. Duck, unwittingly putting them on a collision course with Brittany. What will happen when they collide? What wisdom does Avatar Groban have to impart? You'll find out… eventually! :D
As always, reviews and comments are loved.