A/N: Technically, April Rhodes is an adult, and so should get the same treatment every other adult has been given; being written out of the show. But we just adore Kristin Chenoweth and Micah wrote such a fun and quirky April back in The Rhodes Not Taken that we decided to keep her plot relevance.
And although this April is written by Oliver, we promise you won't be able to tell them apart.
Chapter written by - Oliver / upsettos (AO3)
Mercedes is about two seconds away from bashing Sue Sylvester's head in with her own megaphone. Why she feels the need to use when Mercedes is standing six feet away from her in her own office, Mercedes can't even begin to fathom. Still, she knows this is the only opportunity for a solo she's realistically going to get, so she painstakingly stows her temper and bats the microphone to the side with a hard won lack of force.
"I've told you, Coach, I'm not wearing one of those little skirts. That's just not my style."
"And I've told you, Little Miss Diana Ross, that I couldn't care less about what you do or don't find stylish." At least she's finally put down the megaphone. "Do you know what happens when you let children express individuality? You end up with a saxophone player in the White House and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Now, as I live and breathe, I will not allow that to happen again. In fact, I'm so against the concept of individuality that I now refuse to carry an Ohio State Photo ID. You know why?" She raises her megaphone back up. "People should know who I am."
"I don't really know what that has to do with anything, and I'm not sure that I care, but I'm not going to wear the skirt. So, you can either learn to love me as I am, or I can walk and you lose your vocal talent. Both of us."
Mercedes turns and stalks out of the office, not bothering to look back when Coach starts rambling into her megaphone about the history of the sex appeal of the gender-appropriate cheerleading uniform, whatever that means.
"So, what was all that about?" Kurt asks, smoothly falling into step with her as they head to English together.
"Sue wants me in a skirt. I told her no."
Kurt frowns at her, but doesn't stop walking. "I don't get why you can't just put on the skirt. It's not like it's a big deal or anything. Like, yeah, I miss my sparkly tops and my high tops, but I'm still wearing the uniform. It's all part of being on a team."
"It's not like that for me. I'm not doing it because I think the skirts look bad or anything. I'm doing it because I'm a sixteen-year-old girl, and I don't feel comfortable walking around in public in a mini skirt. Shouldn't that be my choice to make?"
"Listen, I'm totally on your side here," Kurt says, throwing his hands up defensively. "But you're never going to get Sue to change her mind. You're better just giving in now and wearing the stupid skirt."
"I threatened to quit."
This time, Kurt does stop walking. "You did what?"
Mercedes winces. She really thought Kurt would have her back with this one. "I kind of… threatened that we'd both quit."
Kurt's eyes widen and his mouth drops open. "You did what?" He starts walking again, this time at a much faster pace than before, and Mercedes almost has to jog to keep up. His words are coming out even faster. "What were you thinking, Mercedes? Don't you realize what an opportunity this is for me? I could end this year with three national championships. Which is probably the only thing that would actually give my resume enough weight to get me into a decent school and you're putting that in jeopardy because of a fight that has nothing to do with me?"
"Excuse me for thinking one of my best friends would have my back on something that really matters to me."
"I never said I don't have your back. I just think you're being completely unreasonable here."
They get to class and Mercedes shoots a glare at Kurt when he tries to sit down in his usual seat next to her. Sighing, he gets the hint and goes to sit with another Cheerio across the room, who smiles up at him when he sits down next to her. Mercedes feels nauseous.
Rachel has a lot to worry about right now, but she is choosing the blissful haven of repression for the time being, because Regionals is coming, and even with Jesse on their side, she can't afford to slack off for a single day. She's absentmindedly humming Journey under her breath as she hurries to the auditorium for rehearsal. In a rare burst of common sense, and with some prodding from Kurt, Mr. Schue decided they should start practicing there in order to really get a sense of what their numbers will look like on a stage.
She rounds the corner to the auditorium doors, and is reaching for the handle when a siren goes off, and the unmistakable voice of Sue Sylvester fills the hallway. "Attention, students of McKinley High." Rachel looks up at the source of the noise as the PA speaker continues to crackle out Sue's message. "As of this moment, I have rigged all of the auditorium doors with a 100 volt charge." Rachel immediately yanks her hand back, cradling it to her chest. "Anyone who attempts to open the doors will not be considered a liability of the school. This will be your only warning."
Needless to say, Rachel finds herself amongst a crowd of angry voices in the choir room not ten minutes later with an apologetic Will Schuester telling them that while he did get Coach Sylvester to turn off the electric current attached to the door handles, the auditorium is still not theirs to use for the rest of the year.
"How are we supposed to prepare ourselves for Regionals if we can't even practice on a real stage?" asks Jesse, and Rachel nods her agreement. "I mean, what kind of school gives their cheerleaders access to the auditorium, but not their show choir? It really makes me question the leadership skills of the faculty here," he says with a pointed look at Mr. Schue, who doesn't even seem to register the insult.
Finn steps forward, looking angry, but before he gets a chance to open his mouth Artie comes bursting through the doorway. "Guys, I think I found a place where we can practice!"
"There's this roller rink near my house that I've been to a few times. I see that look Kurt; don't even think about trying to judge me. Anyway, you'll never guess who just bought it. Rachel, we're going on a field trip."
Rachel has no idea what's going on, but Artie has already spun around, and is heading for the exit. Rachel looks helplessly around for Kurt, but he just shrugs and waves a hand towards the door, so Rachel follows Artie into the parking lot.
One incredibly awkward car ride with Mrs. Abrams later, Rachel and Artie are looking up at the decrepit neon sign brazenly christening the worn brick building in front of them 'Rinky Dinks.'
"Artie, can you please explain to me why you're being so cryptic about this?"
"So, I guess I should warn you. The reason I didn't want anyone else knowing is because I don't know how happy they're going to be about who we're getting to lend us this space. She's a little… unhinged?"
"Artie, I have no idea what you're talking about," says Rachel, tipping her head to the side, "but frankly, you're starting to worry me."
"Just, follow me. You'll see."
Rachel supposes she doesn't have much of a choice, unless she wants to be stranded here alone, so she follows Artie through the doors. The interior of the roller rink is dim and dusty and reeks of stale beer. "You come here willingly?"
Artie looks a little sheepish. "I play in the band sometimes. It's a little bit cathartic to watch people on wheels struggle to get around."
Rachel doesn't know what to say to that, so she doesn't say anything, and instead looks around to the stage along the back wall across from the bar. It looks big enough to accommodate their choreography if nothing else. She's about to ask Artie who the mysterious owner of this dump is, then she catches sight of a familiar head of blonde curls, and her jaw drops.
It seems the blonde has noticed her too, because suddenly she's got a mic in her hand. "My word, is that who I think it is? Everyone, give it up for McKinley High's own Rachel Berry and Artie Abrams. Get on up here, sugars. Let's sing a little song."
Rachel and Artie exchange panicked glances, but there's not really much they can do with the bar's few patrons all staring at them expectantly, so they slowly head up to the stage where April Rhodes is queuing up a song on the ancient karaoke machine. "Alrighty girls, I have got a great song for us to sing. A real crowd pleaser," she exclaims, shoving microphones into both of their hands.
Bruce Springsteen's Fire starts filtering through the overhead speakers, and Rachel opens her mouth to protest that maybe this isn't the most appropriate song for two high schoolers and a middle-aged alcoholic to sing together, but April has already launched into the opening chorus.
"I'm driving in my car, I turn on the radio
I'm pulling you close, you just say no
You say you don't like it, I know you're a liar
'Cause when we kiss…"
Artie and Rachel join in, and they take turns, making their way through the song, and it's still awkward, but Artie holds Rachels hand and twirls in place. By the end, they're both giggling and dancing around each other, and Rachel feels more relaxed around Artie than she thinks she ever has.
April stumbles over to them, margarita in hand, with a huge grin on her face. "Well ladies, color me impressed. That was beautiful!"
Rachel can't help but grin back. Artie is a bit more cautious. "So, Rachel, like I said earlier, April just bought this place and I think we could probably come up with a solution everyone would benefit from."
"Solution to what? What's the problem, honey?" asks April, already waving them off the stage and towards the bar.
"Well, we kind of lost our auditorium, and we need a place to practice for Regionals."
"Lost it? How do you lose an auditorium?" asks April, listing slightly to the side, even as she waves the bartender over. She pats the sticky barstool next to her, and Rachel grimaces as she smooths her skirt to ensure that not a centimeter of exposed skin actually comes into contact with the cracked pleather cushion. Artie gives her a smug look, and flips down the brakes on her chair.
"What Rachel means to say is that the school's not letting us practice there anymore. We were wondering if we could use the stage here? Just a few times a week? Before you open?" Artie talks slowly, as if April were a small child, but understanding bloom's on April's face, so Rachel doesn't judge.
"Babycakes, don't you worry about when we're open. I'm happy to support kids in the arts. You give me a schedule and I'll work around you."
"Isn't that bad for business?" Rachel asks, and she doesn't even need Artie to swat at her to realize that that was a stupid question to ask.
"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to worry about what's bad for business. This whole place is bad for business. It's a karaoke roller derby in central Ohio. We lose thousands a night," April cackles a bit before continuing, "I went and got myself a sugar daddy, is what I did. Oh, New York was fine, but Broadway wasn't ready for me, and I was sick of squatting, so I went and found myself a grumpy old tycoon and badda bing badda boom Buddy Leibowitz of Leibowitz Strip Malls gives me whatever I need to keep this place afloat. It's perfect!"
The looks Artie gives Rachel when they lock eyes is enough to confirm that she regrets this field trip just as much, but they have a practice space now, and Rachel supposes that's all that really matters.
Finn is already in a bad mood when he's woken up at nine in the morning on a Sunday by the sounds of heavy boots tromping through the living room. After Rachel and Artie left on their weird secret mission, Jesse just had to open his big mouth and spew some condescending bullshit that made him see red. If Santana hadn't stepped in and told him to shut up, Finn isn't sure what he would have done.
More thumping, louder this time, drags him out of bed and into the hallway. "Mom?" he calls, "What's going on?" He stumbles into the living room, where two men are trying and failing to fit a headboard through the door frame.
"Mom?" He pokes his head into the kitchen and finds her at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee."Why are they getting rid of your headboard?"
"I bought a new bed. Why? Is there a problem?"
Is there a problem? Finn trudges over to the coffee machine, ignoring his mother's pointed look, and pours a cup for himself. Just to give him something to do. "That's yours and dad's honeymoon set! I was conceived in that bed!" He curses when the hot coffee sloshes over the rim of his mug and onto his hand.
His mom just gives him another look before answering, "Finn, you were conceived on a pinball machine." Finn frowns for a second, but decides not to ask. "Anyway," she continues, "Burt Hummel and his son are coming over for dinner tonight. I know you two know each other, so I'm sure you'll be civil and behave like the nice young man I raised."
"Why did you invite your mechanic to dinner?" Finn asks as he snags a piece of toast from the plate on the table.
"Come on Finn. I know you're old enough to know that he's not just my mechanic."
"What do you mean?" Finn swallows the rest of the toast and really looks at his mom for the first time all morning. She's styled her hair differently, and she's got on a full face of make-up on a weekend. He also realizes she's wearing skinny jeans that he's definitely never seen her in.
"Finn… it's been sixteen years since we lost your dad. I'm ready to move on, and I've found someone who I'm ready to move on with."
He pushes his chair back with a loud screech and walks abruptly into the living room, ignoring his mother's calls for him to come back and talk to her. He walks straight past the movers, completely ignoring them, and grabs the urn off of its place on the mantelpiece. He's halfway to the hallway when his mom catches up to him.
"Finn, honey, where are you going?"
"To flush Dad's ashes down the toilet."
"Wha- Finn!" She rushes after him and squeezes her way between him and the bathroom door. "Have you lost your mind?"
"No, but clearly you have! You're erasing him, Mom. You got rid of his chair last week, now yours and dad's bed. Why shouldn't this be next?" he asks, gesturing with the urn clutched tightly in his hands.
"Finn. Listen to me." She holds her hands up in a placating gesture. "I loved your father so much. You know that. And I love you even more, but that chair was almost twenty years-old and no one ever even sits in it anymore because the cushion was so worn out. That bed was even older. I'm not trying to erase your father, but I need more than just ghosts." She slowly reaches out and takes the urn from his arms. "I haven't felt the way I feel about Burt since before you were born, and I need you to at least give him a chance. For me?"
Finn mumbles something incoherent before shuffling back into his room. He's angry and tired and he doesn't know what to do, so he just flops down in bed and resolves to sleep the day away.
Unfortunately, the hours pass much quicker than they have any right to, and he's still groggy and tired after he's showered and gotten dressed. He doesn't even think when he hears the doorbell ring, he just goes to answer it.
"Hi, Finn. Nice to officially meet you. I'm Burt Hummel," a man in a nice button down and slacks says, offering a hand, which Finn takes wearily. Behind him, a sullen-looking Kurt with a shimmery jacket thrown on over a nice shirt and tie makes Finn rethink the t-shirt and jeans he threw on just a few minutes ago.
He steps aside as his mom bustles in to greet Burt, and Finn makes a point of looking away as she kisses him on the cheek before ushering them all into the cramped dining room. "I'm sorry if it's a bit tight. Normally, Finn and I just eat in the kitchen, so I've been using this room as more or less a home office." She grabs the chair sitting at the computer desk and pulls it back to the table so that all four of them can fit. The table is covered in a full spread: pork chops, potatoes, green beans, biscuits. Finn temporarily forgets that he's supposed to be upset about this whole thing.
He snaps out of it when Kurt elbows him in the side. "You're drooling."
He quickly wipes at his chin as his mom brings in a pitcher of iced tea and they all begin to serve themselves. "So," Burt begins between mouthfuls, "you're on the football team with Kurt, right?"
"Uh. Yeah. I guess." Finn doesn't lift his head from his plate as he rips into his third biscuit.
"You know, I used to play when I was your age. That was before I busted up my knee. But I've been to your games; you're really good, you know? If you keep that up, you could really get somewhere with that."
"You think so?" Finn actually looks up this time to see Burt smiling at him.
"You know," Kurt says, clearing his throat, "they weren't actually winning any games until I joined as a kicker, Dad."
Burt mutters for Kurt to be easy but Carole jumps in with an, "Oh yeah, I don't know too much about football, but you've got one hell of a kick, son."
"Don't call me son." Kurt's voice is lower than Finn has ever heard it, and the whole table goes silent for a moment as he and his father glare at each other from across the table. Burt seems to win whatever silent argument they were having because Kurt just sighs and goes back to his green beans.
"As I was saying, Finn, I sell tires to one of the assistant coaches of the Browns. I could try to swing us some tickets if you'd be interested."
Finn's fork drops. "You mean like a live NFL game?"
Burt smiles, nodding. Finn flashes a look at his mom but she's smiling encouragingly too so he turns back to Burt. "I'd love that."
Mercedes is still wearing pants when she shows up to Cheerios practice for the upcoming pep rally. They're in the auditorium now, because according to Coach Sylvester, the gym needs to be completely remodeled in her image before she's willing to hold another pep rally there.
Mercedes is, unsurprisingly, benched, and is sitting sullenly watching as Kurt is given the duet they were supposed to be sharing, who is paying absolutely no mind to how miserable she is. She's so caught up in her spiral of self-pity that she doesn't even notice Quinn stepping up to take a seat beside her on the bleachers. "I heard you got benched."
"Was it Kurt? He has no business telling other people my problems."
"No, it wasn't Kurt. Becky Jackson, Coach Sylvester's freshman protege, ran into me on the way to practice. Told me there must be something wrong with the choir room air if we're all so willing to risk our spots on the best competitive cheer squad in the country."
"Oh. I guess she would do that. Those two really are exactly alike. It's scary." Mercedes shivers just a little at the thought that Becky is being trained to become just as much of a monster as her idol. "Aren't you going to ask me why I didn't just suck it up and wear the skirt?" She gives Quinn a bitter look, but Quinn has eyes only for her ex-teammates.
"No." Mercedes doesn't actually think she's going to continue. She pauses for so long. "I get it, you know. I may have been one of the hottest girls in school, but I was also the president of the Celibacy Club. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of wearing a mini skirt twenty-four seven at first either."
"But you decided to anyway. And you owned it too." Mercedes tries a tentative smile, and is surprised to see Quinn return it.
"I didn't really have a choice, did I? Cheerleading was my only real shot at being somebody. And yeah I got used to it. I'd kill to be back in one right now, but that doesn't mean you should have to. You've got the whole Glee Club at your back."
"I wouldn't be so quick to say that." Mercedes looks back down at Kurt again as he practices his high kicks and stretches his leg as far up as it will go against a wall. "Kurt thinks I should just suck it up and do what Coach says."
"I know you're a lot closer with Kurt than with me, I hope you won't mind me saying that Kurt's an idiot. I know Sue Sylvester better than anyone, and if you give her an inch, she'll take a mile. She'll break you down until she's all that you have left. And then, when you step out of line, she'll dump you." A bitter smile twists at Quinn's lips as she almost unconsciously puts a hand to her stomach. "I don't even know why I'm still here, watching these practices. I'm far enough along now that I wouldn't be out there by now anyway. Kind of hard to toss a girl in the air when she's thirty pounds heavier than she was at the start of the year."
"So what you're saying is, Coach is gonna cut me no matter what I do."
"Not necessarily. If there's one thing I lacked that could have made a difference in Coach's mind, it's know, big gutsy moves that will call her out on her crap. I think I have an idea, but it's risky. How well do you know Christina Augilera's Beautiful?"
Kurt is exhausted by the time he gets to Rinky Dink for rehearsal after school. This is ridiculous; they shouldn't have to be practicing in a bar that's basically one match away from spontaneous combustion. It's got to be some kind of liability, but Mr. Schue jumped at the idea, so here he is.
He's not exactly looking forward to seeing Mercedes, whose performance of Beautiful at the pep rally was absolutely breathtaking. He tried to go up to her afterwards, but she was gone before he got the chance to talk to her.
He's really not looking forward to seeing Finn. Sunday had probably been the worst dinner of his life, and Finn just had to go and jump sides on him. He figured they could at least find common ground in hating each other's parents. It's not even like his dad's bribe was remotely subtle.
He wraps his letterman jacket tighter around the thin material of his cheer uniform and steps through the sliding doors, almost gagging in the process. The place reeks of alcohol, and even the thought of ever drinking again is enough to give him a phantom hangover. Rachel, ever oblivious to anything that isn't her precious Glee Club, runs over to drag him up to the stage. Is he really being fair with her right now? No. But he's moody and she didn't even stop to think that Kurt might not want to rehearse in a bar owned by April Rhodes, so he thinks he's allowed to be a little bit of a bitch as long as he keeps his thoughts to himself.
"Come on Kurt! Everyone's putting on skates!" Rachel has him dragged halfway to the counter before he can wrench his hand away.
"Thanks Rachel, but I think I'll sit this one out. The, uh, the smell of alcohol still makes me pretty light-headed."
Rachel falters and her face kind of crumples a bit. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I didn't even think."
"It's fine." He waves her off before adding, "Go have fun; I'll start organizing the sheet music."
She hesitates for a moment, but Jesse calls her name from the rink and off she goes. Some country pop song that Kurt doesn't recognize blares through the speakers as the rest of the club filters through the doors and joins in the fun. At one point, Rachel ducks and skis straight between Jesse's legs before he grabs her hand and twirls her up to press against his chest. Ew. At some point Rachel and Artie hold hands and spin in a circle, both with their heads thrown back laughing. Kurt wonders absently when that happened.
At some point, the karaoke machine gets turned back on, and somehow Kurt finds himself dragged up on stage. He really has no idea what possesses him to pick the song that he does, but he's really not in the mood to sing anything upbeat, so he programmes in his choice and steps back.
"A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight
And no one there you can kiss good night"
A couple of people stop skating to give him funny looks, but then Lauren grabs Puck and they begin a slow skate, and everyone else just plays along. Kurt takes that as his cue to keep going, and he finds by the end of the song that he actually feels a little better. A little indulgence really does do wonders for the mood.
By the end of rehearsal, Rachel's actually gotten him out onto the rink, and he's smiling as she grabs his shaky hands and leads him in a slow circuit. His legs wobble, but he doesn't fall, so he takes it as a win. He grabs the railing and brings them to a stop when he sees Mercedes watching them. "Hey, I'm going to go talk to Mercedes real quick. Cheerios stuff."
He gives Mercedes a small wave as he heads over to her and then immediately falls on his ass. So much for playing this cool. "Hi," he says, pulling himself up onto the bench and unlacing his skates.
"Hi," she clips, but he can hear the laugh she's trying to supress.
"I uh, I tried to come and find you after the pep rally."
She goes to sit next to him and hold out a hand for him to take. "I know you did. That's why I disappeared. Maybe I shouldn't have pulled you into my battles, but you need to understand how much this meant to me."
"I do. Or, at least, I'm trying to. Either way, it wasn't fair of me to completely turn on you. I've been stressed lately, which I know isn't an excuse but, I don't know. I don't want to lose the few constants I have left."
"Well, I'm one of those constants," she says, squeezing his hand, "and I'm not going anywhere. You need a ride?"
"Nah." Kurt's stomach turns a little. "My dad's picking me up. I think we need to have a serious conversation, and he always likes to do those in the car."
She wishes him luck and he heads out into the parking lot where his dad is idling by the curb. "Hey kiddo. How was practice?"
"Rehearsal was great, dad." Kurt grabs the slingshot handle and uses it to haul himself up into the truck. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Kurt, you know I love you more than anything in this world. And all I want is for you to be happy. But, I think I deserve to be happy too. And Carole, she makes me happy. Why can't you just give this a chance? Do you really hate her so much?"
"I don't hate Carole. I wish you hadn't picked the mom of the quarterback, but I don't actually hate either of them." His dad keeps his eyes on the road, and so does Kurt. It's easier this way.
"So, what was with the attitude at dinner, then?"
"You know, you could have invited me to that Browns game. Or any game. I would have said yes."
His dad actually does look over at Kurt for a second. "Come on Kurt, it was just a little guy talk. I was trying to bond with him."
"You do realize I'm a guy, too, don't you? You can talk to me about football Dad. I mean, Jesus Christ I'm literally on the football team." Kurt does his best to keep his voice level and keeps his eyes trained on the road.
"You're right," he says, pulling into the driveway, "I should have asked you to come too. I could still probably get another ticket if you wanted."
"It's fine Dad. I have Regionals to worry about." He swings down onto the driveway and leaves the front door open behind him as he goes.
Rachel tries to duck behind a dumpster when she spots a head of blonde curls running at her through the parking lot, but it's too late. "Rachel!" shouts April Rhodes, skidding to a stop in her four inch hot pink stilettos. Rachel absently wonders how she does that. "Rachel, you'll never guess what happened!"
"Aren't you not supposed to go within one hundred feet of a school building anymore?"
"What? No silly, that was my identical twin cousin," she says with a very over exaggerated wink, "I would never give alcohol to minors."
"Right," says Rachel. "Listen, I really appreciate everything you're doing for the Glee Club, but I really don't want to get in trouble if I'm seen with you here. Suspensions can result in disqualification from competitive show choir, and I absolutely cannot risk that."
"Oh, no sweetface, I'm allowed to be here on account of I now own part of the building." She throws her hand haphazardly into the air, but Rachel has absolutely no idea what the gesture is supposed to mean.
"You… what?"
"Come with me," April squeals, dragging Rachel behind her into the building. "Look!" They come to a stop in front of the auditorium doors and Rachel sees the plaque that has been installed above them.
"The April Rhodes Civic Pavilion?"
"Well, sugarbean, you remember I told you about Buddy Leibowitz of Leibowitz Strip Malls?" At Rachel's confused nod, she continues, "Well, his wife calls me up the other day. Turns out, he's suffered a massive stroke and now he's dead as a doorknob." Rachel begins to offer her condolences, but April waves her away. "Don't you see what that means? His wife gave me two million dollars in hush money so I wouldn't try to sell our affair to the press or something ridiculous like that." She claps a hand over her mouth. "I think telling you that violates my contract, but you won't tell anyone, will you?" She doesn't even wait for Rachel's nod this time before barreling on. "Anyway, I bought you guys this auditorium so it's yours to use forever, and I'm using the rest to go to Broadway and open the first ever all-white production of The Wiz!"
"Wow, Ms. Rhodes, thank you so much! I can't even tell you how grateful I am."
"Oh, I've got an idea. How about you gather all your little friends and we can do a farewell number together, hmm?"
Rachel doesn't exactly feel like she can say no to that, so she does her best to round everyone up before homeroom ends. They all head to the auditorium where April arranges them in a line for the finale number.
"When I think of home
I think of a place where there's love overflowing
I wish I was home
I wish I was back there with the things I been knowing"
Somehow, Rachel has allowed herself to get sandwiched between Quinn and Lauren, and she takes a tiny step closer to Quinn. Lauren has threatened to break the kneecaps of anyone who steps on her toes and Rachel needs her kneecaps if she ever wants to play Fanny Brice on Broadway.
"Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaning
Suddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaning
Sprinklin' the scene, makes it all clean"
Quinn shoots her a sharp look, but doesn't make any move to widen the miniscule gap between them as they sway and step in place. Rachel hadn't even noticed how much tension she was holding in her shoulders until she felt them relax.
"Living here, in this brand new world
Might be a fantasy
But it taught me to love
So it's real, real to me"
Everytime Rachel feels like she's finally wrapped her head around where she stands with Quinn Fabray, she is violently proven wrong, and she has no idea what to do with that except to shove it all down and focus on who sounds pitchy in the final notes of the harmony.
"And I've learned
That we must look inside our hearts
To find a world full of love
Like yours
Like me
Like home…"
A/N: April's next appearance in the show is in Season 2's Rumors. It's too early to say how we'll be handling her then, but it's also safe to say she'll be making another appearance in our canon as well.
Burt and Carole met during Regionals, where they watched their sons perform together. Kurt did not set them up. He does not have a crush on Finn.
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