AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi everybody! I hope you enjoy this story! This is my first attempt at writing Glee fanfiction, so bear with me! This story will be pretty short- probably no more than 2 or 3 chapters.

This story is pretty much canon with season 2 of Glee up until 2x16 "Original Song", except Quinn and Artie are a couple instead of Brittany and Artie!

I hope you enjoy it and that you please leave me some reviews letting me know your thoughts!

*I don't own any of the characters that Glee created, only the ones that I have developed for the purpose of this story. All rights for Glee and its characters are owned by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and FOX.*

Chapter 1

"And it looks like tomorrow will be a snow day for the Lima Public School District," Rod Remington reported on the evening news.

Sixteen year old Artie Abrams and his younger sister Brynn cheered with excitement from where they were parked in front of the television. The snow, which had started around the time Glee Club had let out that afternoon, was already coming down quite heavily, making it difficult to see the roads.

"No school tomorrow!" Artie called to his mother, who was making dinner.

Artie released the brakes on his wheelchair and strolled into the kitchen just as Nancy was placing the pizza on the table. Artie's eyes lit up seeing that his favorite meal was prepared.

"I figured as much, so I felt as though it was the perfect night for a special meal," she smiled.

As if on cue, Artie's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the small granola bar he had during his study hall period. Artie headed towards the drawer where the Abrams family kept the placemats and silverware and began his chore of setting the table for his family.

As he set the four placements at the table, the door to the mudroom from the garage opened and a chilly draft could be felt in the kitchen.

"The roads are terrible!" Art Abrams exclaimed as he hung his jacket and briefcase on their designated hooks.

"At least the pizza will help you feel better!" Artie said, glancing up at his father as he used his pointer finger to push up his glasses.

"Mmm, you're right!" Art replied, rubbing his palms together and licking his lips.

Out of nowhere, Brynn came barreling around the corner leaping into her father's arms.

"Daddy! Daddy! We have a snow day tomorrow!" the eight year old informed her father, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Ooh! Now we have ample time to build a snowman!" Art told her, lifting his daughter in the air as she squealed with delight.

"That's enough you two, dinner is ready," Nancy told them, before addressing the girl, "Brynn, honey, can you please fill up everyone's water glasses?"

Brynn nodded as she climbed on the countertop to retrieve the glasses.

After he placed the last knife, Artie maneuvered himself into his designated spot at the table where the chair had already been conveniently pulled away to accommodate his wheelchair.

As Artie waited for his family to take their own seats, he glanced at his cell phone, which was already blowing up with messages from his group chat with the other members of the McKinley High Glee Club:

PUCK: No school!

KURT: I know. I heard Finn shout from the other room and it was so loud that he nearly gave me a heart attack. I think I died for a second.

BRITTANY: I knew we wouldn't have school. I prayed to Santa Claus and the snow angels last night.

SAM: We should do something fun tomorrow to celebrate!

TINA: Isn't the whole point of calling off school for a snow day so that nobody is driving because the roads are deemed too dangerous?

SANTANA: Yeah, let's do something fun!

MIKE: Sledding?

RACHEL: Don't you think that could be kind of dangerous? We can't lose another member. Regionals is right around the corner!

PUCK: Yeah, sledding sounds like it could be cool.

FINN: And we could all do it together as a team! We can call it "team bonding". Who wants to host?

SANTANA: Artie, you've got a hill in your backyard, right? Why don't we come to your place?

"No phones at the dinner table," Nancy warned, raising an eyebrow at her son. "You know the rules."

Artie glanced between his mother and the phone in his lap where his friends were waiting for his response. He quickly typed "I'll ask" and hit send before slipping his cell phone in the side pocket of his wheelchair.

Slowly but surely, Brynn shuffled over to the table where her parents and brother waited, struggling to hold the four glasses at once. As she crossed the kitchen, water sloshed around in the glasses, some spilling onto the hardwood floor. Eventually, she returned to the table with (mostly) intact water glasses and distributed them to each member of her family before sliding into her own seat at the table.

The Abrams family began their meal and participated in their usual routine of going around the table and each sharing interesting parts of their day.

"I met with my client today regarding his malpractice case," Art shared. "This is gonna be a tough one to win, but I think we have it in us."

Artie's dad was one of the most sought after medical lawyers in the country, let alone the state of Ohio. His father's hefty salary made it possible for the family to pay Artie's mountain of medical bills after the car accident that crushed his T-11 and T-12 vertebrae, leaving him completely paralyzed from his belly button down. Art's income (and Nancy's expertise in her profession as an interior designer) also allowed the Abrams to be able to afford to remodel areas of their home in order to make them handicap accessible. Their home's open floor plan, wide entryways and stylish, yet comfortable, furniture made it the perfect place for hosting gatherings of family and friends.

"I went to Maddie Jones' house after school for a playdate," Brynn told her family. Artie couldn't help but smile at the fact that his sister was best friends with the sister of one of his closest friends dating back to the early days of Glee Club, Mercedes. "We played house, and American Girl Dolls, and we were about to play Just Dance on her Wii before Mom picked me up because she said it was too snowy outside."

"That's nice, sweetie. I'm glad you had fun," Art smiled at his little girl before shifting his focus to his son. "Artie, what about you? How was rehearsal?"

Artie's head shot up from where he had once again glanced at his phone in his lap. He quickly swallowed the bite of pizza he was chewing and wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin before replying.

"It was good. We started to write some original songs to perform at our upcoming Regional competition."

"And how's that girlfriend of yours?" Art asked with a wink.

Artie rolled his eyes. He had only started dating Quinn Fabray a few weeks ago, but she had been over to his house a few times and his family already adored her. Artie and Quinn had grown closer last year after Coach Sylvester had kicked her off of the Cheerios when she had gotten herself pregnant with Noah Puckerman's baby. The duo had many honors classes together, and Quinn had always been kind to Artie, even before they were both a part of the New Directions. Quinn was a very smart and driven girl- something Artie noticed long before they became close friends. Even though Quinn had rejoined the Cheerios, she still made time to hang out with Artie, often studying or watching reruns of their favorite guilty pleasure show, Full House. Artie had finally built up the courage to ask her on a date to Breadstix about a month ago, and the two had been going steady ever since. Art still couldn't believe that his self-proclaimed "Angry Birds obsessed" son was actually dating the captain of the Cheerios.

"She's good. Great, actually," Artie said, blushing at the thought of Quinn.

"Can she come over soon, Artie? I want to do makeovers with her again! Pleaseeee?" Brynn begged her big brother from across the table. She made her signature puppy dog eyes that she knew he couldn't resist.

Artie laughed, smiling at the fact that Quinn always made time to play with his kid sister when she came over their house.

"Actually, I was just about to ask Mom if it would be okay if everyone in the New Directions came over tomorrow during the snow day," Artie replied, glancing hopefully in his mother's direction. "We want to go sledding."

Nancy and Art exchanged a look. Art shrugged and took the last bite of his slice of pizza. Nancy looked unsure.

"I don't know, Artie… Sledding is dangerous, and you know how the extreme cold is not good for your circulation," Nancy reminded him.

"I know, but I'll be extra careful, I promise! I'll wear a whole bunch of layers and come inside if I get too cold," Artie offered, thankful that his parents never found out about all of the chill-you-to-the-bone slushie facials that he has received in the hallways at school. Talk about extremely cold…!

There was an uncomfortable silence as his parents began to clear the table. Nancy hesitated before answering her son.

"It just doesn't seem like the smartest idea to me. I think the risks outweigh the benefits in this situation."

Artie's heart sank. He understood that his mother's points were coming from a place of concern. And sure, he hadn't been too keen on the idea originally himself, but as time passed, he realized what he wanted more than anything was to just do something spontaneous and thrilling with his friends.

"Think about it this way- if we don't host, then somebody else probably will. At least if we have everyone over here, we don't have to worry about accessibility or me having to pack a duffel bag filled with extra catheters or warm clothes in case something happens. It's all already here!" Artie added, respectfully arguing his side.

Nancy shrugged as she began to wash the dishes. Artie left his spot at the table and wheeled over to the sink, showing that he wasn't done talking about this just yet.

"I just want you to be safe. I'm sorry, Artie, but I don't think-"

Artie cut her off mid-sentence.

"This is the only group of people that have ever treated me like a normal teenager. Not just some… dweeb in a wheelchair," Artie couldn't believe he was admitting this in front of his whole family. "High schoolers are cruel, Mom. But the kids in the Glee Club… they accept me for me. Can't I just do something fun with them that doesn't require meticulous thought and planning on my part for one day? Can't I just be a normal sixteen year old boy for one freaking day?!" Artie pleaded with an exasperated expression on his face before pivoting his chair and pushing off in the direction of his bedroom.

…

After his Rachel Berry-esque storm out, Artie had retreated to his room to begin his time consuming multi-step night time routine. When he was all showered and ready for bed, he hooked up his PlayStation to his TV and inserted his favorite game, Halo, before transferring from his chair to the mattress.

After about ten minutes of playing, there was a soft knock on his door. Artie paused his game and removed his headset as his mom opened the door and entered his room. The silence between the mother and son was uncomfortable, as neither party knew how to react; it was so unlike Artie to reach his breaking point and snap like he did just then in the kitchen. Artie shifted his position on the bed so that he was sitting up straighter against the headboard, and used his hands to move his legs over a couple of inches to make room for his mom to sit on the edge of his bed like she always does when they have time to talk alone.

"Listen, Artie. I respect your point of view, and I do acknowledge your wish to just be like any other teenager. The reality is, though, that you will never be a normal teenage boy," Nancy began, taking the seat he offered to her and putting her hand on Artie's leg sympathetically. "You and I both know that."

Artie tried to hide the disappointment he was feeling inside from displaying on his face.

"However, I took what you said to heart, and after talking it over with your father, we have decided to allow you to have the Glee Club over tomorrow for all of the snow activities you'd like."

Artie's face lit up with surprise. He thought for sure that she was entering his room to tell him that he was grounded for talking back to his mother that way. In reality, though, Artie's words had struck a chord with his parents. "This is the only group of people that have ever treated me like a normal teenager. Not just some… dweeb in a wheelchair." Nancy and Art weren't quite sure about how Artie's disability had been perceived by his peers over the years, but to hear that his differences are not only accepted, but embraced by Mr. Schue and the kids in the Glee Club… that's all a mother ever wants to hear. How could she not give in to her son when all he wanted was to be normal- something that was stripped away from him at such a young age.

"Thank you so much, Mom! You won't regret this! Thank you!" Artie exclaimed, reaching forward to envelop his mom in a huge hug to express his gratitude. "I promise I will wear a bazillion layers, and be careful, and even include and watch after Brynn if she wants to come outside too! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Nancy laughed as she hugged her son. "And I will see that you do all of those things!"

Nancy stood up and kissed Artie on the cheek. As she left, closing his bedroom door behind her, Artie reached for his cell phone to send a text in the New Directions group chat:

ARTIE: Snow day sledding extravaganza at my place. Tomorrow at 1:00. It's on!

I hope you are all enjoying this story so far! Please leave me any reviews, thoughts, messages, and suggestions you have on this story! Reading your feedback really motivates me to continue writing! Thank you!

xoxo QuinnAbrams