Face it and don't let it get you down Chapter 38, a glee fanfic

First of all, I apologize for such long delay! It wasn't planned and neither was the dissapearence of my pen-drive =/

Now, as promised, you'll get the whole rest of this fic at once! I hope you enjoy and forgive me!

And as a later note, let us remake their Nationals and whatever followed suit!

Chapter 38

The thirteen members of New Directions were sitting in Will's living room for the second time, this time with a lighter mood and actually partying. But then Rachel and Kurt put one worry they hadn't discussed yet into light, the set-list.

They were all sitting relaxed when the question was thrown, so they all tensed up instantly.

"Well, that is something I've been thinking about too" Will said and sat next to Artie on the chair arm. "And I think that because of the last events we've been through Mike should do the solo ballad."

Most of them looked at the man strangely, many kinds of 'strangely' but none exactly reproving. But the one most shocked was the referred guy. Mike froze at the spot as his mane was spoken. He made a face then turned to their teacher.

"Mr. Schue, with all due respect, are you nuts?"

"Why would I be, Mike?" Will asked calmly and with a smile on his face.

"Um, because I don't sing?" he suggested incredulous.

"Mike, I disagree with you" the man replied calmly. "Because I know you have everything we need for our Nationals' ballad."

"You are saying I can live it up to Rachel's 'Get it right' song from Regionals? What have you drunk, Mr. Schue?" the boy asked still incredulous.

"Mike, I know you can do it. I've seen it before" and before he could stop himself, Will said what he promised himself he wouldn't say. He put a hand on his mouth just as the words left his mouth, but the damage was already done.

Processing what was just said, Mike frowned in thought. "Wait. Did you just admit that you eavesdropped on me the same week I made up with Matt?" he asked slowly.

"When you played 'Total eclipse of the heart'?" he asked and received a pointed look from Mike, which was enough to answer him.

It was then that the others went back to the conversation and realized what exactly they were talking about.

"Wait! Mike, did you actually sing that music?" Tina asked surprised.

"Isn't it like, not exactly easy?" Finn asked frowning.

"Yep. But despite that, what really impressed me was the feeling in the class during and after it" Will commented and turned to his group. "By the way, what do you say, guys? We give the solo to Mike and let him release his bottled up emotions" everyone smiled and nodded in agreement. He turned to Mike with a grin. "What do you say, Mike? You agree with it?"

Mike side-glanced at him then closed his eyes breathing deeply and slowly. "Okay, I'll do it. But then I'm supposing you want me to make another link to sing?" confused faces stared at him and he added. "That time Mr. Schue eavesdropped on me I was linked with Matt through a bond we have since we first saw each other. To put it simply, I kind of went to another dimension parallel to this one where I met him and we sang together. In consequence our emotions flew out of our bodies and with it our voices kind of shut and what you heard, Mr. Schue, was our souls singing."

The group still stared at him like he was crazy. Will blinked and shook his head to clear his thoughts and decided to think about that later. "So you'd have to do that again?" he asked simply. Better let the complicated things for those who understand.

"If you want anything near what you wasn't supposed to see, yes" Mike answered nonchalantly leaning against the back of the sofa he was sat between Kurt and Brittany.

"Can you do that?" Sam asked still trying to understand and believe what his friend just said.

"Yeah, and that also means I'll have another breakdown…" he grunted and threw his head behind.

"Why would that happen?" Mercedes asked in the same situation as Sam, which was also the most of the others.

"The bond is something really deep" Santana said giving Mike a slight smile he understood as his change to relax a bit. "It's like you are opening yourself to the world. For example, if I had a link with Britt when we sang 'Landslide', I would have broken completely there and you all would be able to feel my emotions like a fog. It's more or less like this. But since Mike has far more emotions bottled up, his reactions are very different from me."

"How do you know that?" Kurt asked frowning.

"Santana asked them" Brittany shrugged then turned to their teacher. "So, what music will Mike sing?"

Taking that as their cue to quit the topic, their focus was on the blonde's question. That was a good one.

"Well, since it will have 'special effects' some love song?" Puck asked in his simple way but surprising them all.

All heads turned to the Asian as he thought. "I don't think it would fit. I'd need him on stage and it wouldn't work" he said frowning then changed expressions to one totally thoughtful. "But… If you let me, I think I have the right song to this work."

One week later, New Directions was in New York getting ready to their performance.

Earlier, they met Vocal Adrenaline and had a little discussion. Their coaches and another team in the competition separated them and things were a little tense afterwards. Some more provocations were made but one sharp comment from their favorite Asian guy shut everyone up and now they were at the green room.

Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt were on backstage watching Vocal Adrenaline perform. And truth to be told, they were really good, but as always, they were soulless machines and Sunshine turned out to be one of them. Also, Dustin Goolsby didn't live up to Shelby Corcoran. Back in the room, each of them was trying to relax, but of all of them, Mike was the most stressed. Again, why did he agree to do this?

"Mike, how are you feeling?" Brittany asked calmly. She was sitting beside him on the couch with Santana at the other side, both caressing his arms.

"Like my head will crack any minute. I still haven't find them" he murmured with his head thrown back and eyes closed.

"Relax, Mike, you'll link with them soon" Santana said in her calming tone. Mike exhaled and seemed to relax but then Mr. Schuester walked in the room.

"All right, guys! It's show time!" he announced energetically and the Diva trio entered the room behind him. "Everyone's ready?"

Mike groaned loudly and let everyone notice his frustration. No one commented but they all were concerned.

They had rehearsed another ballad just in case something went wrong, but still that was their main shot. And if things didn't work as they were planned, they would perform with only twelve members again.

Then the Asian sighed and opened his eyes standing up. "Damn. Let's get out of this room, it's creeping me."

"Mike, are you sure? We don't want you passing out again" Quinn commented concerned.

"Don't worry, Quinn. If anything happens, it'll happen before we start. Now let's go. This room is seriously affecting me" he led the way out of the green room.

Within minutes they were all positioned in their places behind the curtains with some minutes to spare. Mike bent his head down and breathed slowly. The others looked at him concerned. They met eyes when he raised his head and noticed his eyes had a different glow in them.

"Mike?" Brittany asked.

He just shook his head lightly. "It's OK. We'll do it just fine" he murmured and breathed in again. They shrugged and accepted his word.

For Mike, that time was hard to live. Just a minute ago, he found the people he was looking for and instantly opened their bond and linked their minds and hearts. That was dangerous, but was also a very good opportunity to end some things for once and for all.

The holster announced the last performance, New Directions, and things became a blur to him.

The curtains raised and Rachel and Finn stood at the center of the stage. He was hugging her from behind and both had their heads down. All the others were crouching around them except for Mike.

Rachel's voice then echoed in the theater.

[Rachel] If you look closely, the eye can tell more than you think

A simple blur becomes something

A light becomes a shade

A world becomes colorful

[Finn] Look into my eyes

The violins started and the others began to move slightly in a wave like form on the stage floor.

Rachel and Finn parted and Mike entered the stage making a beeline towards the front, eyes staring intently ahead, at the back row focused on a couple. His mouth moved but what echoed next in the room wasn't his voice, that was very clear. It was something deeper, far deeper; something like one's soul? A soul full of emotions, frustration, declined love, sadness, disappointment and the most noticeable a kind of love that you know is there yet you can't reach it.

[Mike] When I'm nervous I have this thing

I talk too much

Sometimes I just can't shut the hell up

It's like I need to tell someone anyone who'll listen

And that's where I seem to fuck up

I forget about the consequences,

For a minute there I lose my senses

And in the heat of the moment

My mouth's starts going the words start flowing

The rest of the group rose to their feet and joined together into a choreography with Brittany and Santana joining him in the singing.

[Mike, Brittany & Santana] But I never meant to hurt you

I know it's time that I learnt to

Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved

This is a lesson learnt

[All] I hate that I let you down

And I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around

Cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah

And I hate that I made you think

That the trust we had is broken

So don't tell me you can't forgive me

Cause nobody's perfect, no!

[Girls] No, no, no

No, no, no, no, no, no, no

No, no, no, nobody's perfect

[Mike] If I could turn back the hands of time

I swear I never would've cross that line

I should've kept it between us

But I just went and told the whole world how I was feeling

So I sit and I realize

With these tears falling from my eyes

I gotta change if I wanna keep you forever

I promise that I'm gonna try

I'm not a saint no not at all

But what I did it wasn't cool

But I swear that I'll never do that again to you

[All] And I hate that I let you down

And I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around

Cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah

And I hate that I made you think

That the trust we had is broken

So don't tell me you can't forgive me

[Mike] Cause nobody's perfect, no!

With the final note, the enchantment-like feeling started to dim in the theater and there was a giant roar of applause from every corner. Sam and Puck helped Mike to the back of the stage hidden by the others while he recovered, which happened strangely fast, and the next song started.

[All] Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

[Rachel] I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us

How we met and sparks flew instantly

People would say

[All] 'They're the lucky ones'

[Finn] I used to know my place was a spot next to you

Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat

'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on

[Quinn] And this kicked in got your tongue tied in knots, I see

Spit it out 'cause I'm dying for company

[Santana & Brittany] I notice that you got it

You notice that I want it

You know that I can take it to the next level

[Girls] Ba-by

[Santana & Brittany] If you want this good shit

Sicker than the remix

Baby let me blow your mind tonight

[Girls] I can't take it, take it, take no more

[Boys] Never felt like, felt like, felt like this before

[Girls] Come on get me, get me on the floor

[All] DJ what you, what you waiting for?

[Rachel & Finn] And now I'm standing alone in a crowded room