Author's Note: This is the epilogue, which means the story is coming to an end. I am so thankful to fellow author, QuinnAbrams, for supplying me with reviews and encouragement throughout the writing of this story!
6 years later. (Glee's version of 2020, minus COVID-19, with Tartie-centric improvements and some stupid dialogue about Sam altered, plus Sam added back in, compliments of yours truly.)
"Mercedes!" Tina exclaimed, strolling down the street beside Artie, towards Rachel and Jesse's home, as their other famous friend got out of her own fancy towncar in front of the residence.
Six years after starting her career on Broadway, Rachel Berry was now nominated for her first Tony. A bunch of their friends would be meeting up at Jesse and Rachel's luxury condo. They'd be watching the Tony's from there, then greeting the couple when they returned home after the show. With any luck, she'd come back with a Tony in hand.
"We have amazing news," Tina went on, stopping in front of the front steps as Artie rolled a pace ahead. "Remember the autobiographical film project Artie's been working on for, like, six years? Well, it got into Sundance Film Festival."
"No, Tina, I told you," Artie gently corrected. "It got into Slamdance." Despite the similarities in their names, Tina knew the two festivals were very different, after listening to Artie go into great detail, as he often did when you got him talking about film-making. But she still got their names reversed.
"Did you go with Wheels for the title?" Mercedes asked, for the name had been her contribution. She'd also already offered Artie the rights to use any songs he wanted from her vast catalogue of material.
"I did, I liked it," he said.
Artie had basically told the story of his life in the chair, through a series of shots of himself navigating campus, mingled with clips from his old videos, placed throughout the film to look like memories. There was narration from Artie himself, plus background music, supplied by Mercedes. One of Tina's personal favorite parts was where Artie mixed in some shots of him doing modified water skiing, in the sit ski his family surprised him with one summer at the lake, with old footage of him water skiing before the accident. Several creative shots of Tina showed her sitting atop Artie's chair, in a slow dance with him, as the film explored 'a love story on wheels.' It was, by far, the most personal piece Artie had ever done.
It had taken fully six years to accomplish, due to their classes taking up the majority of their time. Graduate classes continued for both, but now they could go at a slower pace, if needed, and actually get paid for the work they did as lab technicians.
Oh, hey, guys!"
Kurt and Blaine climbed out of their taxi just then and the four friends hugs, happy to be reunited once again.
"C'mon, we're going to be late," Blaine said, as Kurt and Mercedes followed him up. "Oh, did you hear about Sam? He already booked a new modeling job. Can you believe that? Second one this month..."
Tina turned back to Artie, since they were taking the elevator up instead, of course. She straightened his black tie, appreciating how nice he looked in the 3-piece navy suit she'd picked out for him. She knew he also approved of the flared blue dress and black heels she was sporting. He'd told her it reminded him of the whimsical blue streaks that she used to have in her hair. Catching his eye, she smiled and leaned down for a long kiss.
"When do you want to give them the rest of the amazing news?" Artie asked, as they went around back to get in the elevator and go up. "Maybe later, after Rachel leaves?"
"Well, I don't think we have to worry about stealing Rachel Berry's thunder," Tina said, with a smile, as she stepped in behind him. "But we can play it cool for now." And, with that, she slipped her white gold engagement ring into her purse and stooped down for one more kiss before the doors opened to the second floor.
Blaine, Kurt, and Mercedes had graciously waited for them right outside Rachel and Jesse's door. When the group was all assembled, Blaine knocked and Jesse invited them in.
"She's in our room, getting ready," he said, stepping aside to let them in. "Welcome. We're so glad you're all here. She'll be thrilled to see you."
Jesse led them through the condo to the room where Rachel was preparing for her big debut.
"Knock, knock," Kurt said, slowly opening the bedroom door as the rest of the group followed behind.
"Come in!" Rachel called, from her seat in front of the vanity, as she fastened her earring. "Is it time?"
"It's time!" We're all here!"
"Oh, no, don't strain yourself," Kurt said, coming behind her to help as she struggled to lift herself out of her seated position.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Please," she said. "I've been sweating my boobs off with Tracey Anderson's workout for the past nine months." She rubbed her hands over the bump, which looked very prominent into her super-fitted, low cut black dress. "This baby can have my body now. But then, after that, Mama wants it back."
"Well, we got you some organic juice," Blaine said, indicating the brown paper sack Kurt had just put on the table in front of her. "From this place in TriBeCa. It's supposed to help the baby's brain grow."
"Thank you," Rachel replied.
"Okay, hold on," Tina interrupted, running in behind them. "I've heard this story from Kurt and Blaine. But now I want to hear your side. What the heck made you say 'yes' to being their surrogate?"
"Well, obviously, there's a full-circle story, based on how I was raised," Rachel said, rising slowly to her feet and putting a hand on her back. Tina reached out to steady her as she walked over to greet her friends. "But these guys have just been so amazing. And, I figured, they've given up so much of their lives to make me happy. The least I could do was give them nine months of mine." After she'd hugged Artie, Mercedes, and Tina, she turned and smiled at Kurt and Blaine.
"Oh, I love you guys so much," she said, hugging them both. "You're gonna be the most amazing dads."
They were interrupted by Jesse St. James, Rachel's husband, coming in.
"I can't wait for that," Jesse said, as he entered the bedroom. "Because I'm ready to get started on a little co-production of our own."
"So romantic," Rachel said, leaning in for a kiss from her husband. Jesse then told her they needed to get going, or they were going to be late. They all wished her luck and said their good-byes, for now, and the next time the rest of them saw Rachel Berry, there was a strong chance she'd be Tony-Award Winner Rachel Berry.
"Jesse stocked the fridge for us," Blaine said, as they all headed into the open kitchen/living area after Rachel and Jesse had left. "And I just texted Sam. He's on his way, but he's going to grab some more beers and some wine before he gets here. A few of Jesse and Rachel's friends are coming later."
"Kitty and Roderick are on the way, too," Artie said, holding up his phone, indicating the text he'd just received. He turned his chair away from the group, then, to whisper something to Tina. "Wait until those three get here, okay? Then let's tell them all our news."
Blaine and Kurt busied themselves in the kitchen, setting out food for the watch party that they were hosting on behalf of the absent party hosts. Mercedes, meanwhile, joined Artie and Tina to talk more about Wheels and Slamdance.
"What about you, 'Cedes?" Tina said. "You just finished forty-two shows for your tour, I can't believe it. What are you going to do, now that you finally have a break?"
Mercedes laughed. "Oh, I'm not taking a break!" she said. "It might feel a bit like one, it'll be a bit more slow paced. Unique is going to come open for me, when she finishes her run with Once On This Island. We're doing a series of shows in Hawaii. Our fans buy tickets to the hotel and we do different shows every single night."
"I wish we could come," Tina said, wistfully. "We're kind of busy... more classes, working, editing films... but we definitely want to see you when you come to Providence in the fall for your next tour. Thanks for thinking of us when you planned it."
"We should go see Once On This Island while we're here in New York," said Artie, who never wanted to miss a chance to see a show, especially if it starred a fellow glee club alumni.
"Oh, now that sounds fun," Kurt agreed, bringing over a bowl of chips and some salsa to the table, as he joined them all in the livingroom. He seemed a little distracted as he joined them.
"You okay, Kurt?" Tina asked.
"Just nervous," he said, crossing and uncrossing his legs in a jittery manner. "The baby's not due for a couple of weeks but I worry about Rachel being out right now and on her feet all night. We had a little scare a few weeks ago, and she had to go on temporary bedrest. She's fine now, but..." he sighed. "The timing is just bad, that's all."
Mercedes reached over and patted his leg. "It'll be okay, Daddy," she said. "I've been praying for a healthy baby and a smooth delivery for months now. You guys are weighing heavily on my heart these days. Not a day goes by that I don't think about you."
"Hey, guys, Sam's here," Blaine opened the door to let Sam in, and following closely behind were two more of their crowd. "And Roderick and Kitty!"
Thanks to her experience dating Artie, Kitty had learned to look past her "usual body type" and to look at what was more important. She'd walked in with her arm tucked in Roderick's, making it abundantly clear to anyone who didn't already know, that she and Roderick were together. And if anyone had anything rude to say about that? Kitty would have a few words for them. She and Tina had texted back and forth a lot, over the course of this budding relationship. It had taken sometime for Kitty to fully realize the feelings she'd had for Roderick, that started way back when she'd returned to Ohio for her senior year. They'd been paired for a duets project, and the rest was history.
"We just missed seeing Rachel before she left, huh?" said Kitty, who didn't look all that disappointed. Tina knew she was more eager to see everyone else. As Kitty hugged Artie, Tina took an opportunity to turn away from the group and slip her ring back on, now that the whole group was assembled at last.
"Sam, what's this new modeling gig Blaine's been telling us about?" Mercedes asked, as she hugged him. "I know you just finished doing one for the North Face. What's this one for?"
Sam bit his enormous lip, looking around the room as he let the anticipation build for just a moment. "Guys," he said. "It's happened. It's so much better than modeling winter clothes. I got Calvin Klein! I got my dream modeling job. Next time you all see my junk, it'll be on the side of a bus."
"As long as it's an accessible bus, I'm good with that," Artie quipped, exchanging a high five with Sam. "Congrats, man, on achieving your dream."
"Dude, speaking of dreams," said Sam, grinning down at Artie. "You drop out of film school and you still manage to get a movie into Slamdance. Let me know when it's gonna be, okay? So I can come."
"Not until January," Artie replied. "And it's in Park City, Utah, so it'll be a long trip. But I'll be sure and give you the details."
"We all wanna be there," Kitty added, coming up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Although..." her eyes dropped down to Tina's left hand. "I think you have even bigger news than that, am I right?"
As Tina proudly displayed the bling on her left hand, their friends formed a circle around them both, enveloping them in a group hug. "Congratulations!"
Artie caught Tina's eye and mouthed I love you. She smiled and mouthed it back, blowing him a kiss.
"A wedding, a baby, a tour, a Tony award," Kurt hurried into the kitchen, selecting a bottle of champagne for the fridge. He found some champagne flutes and began pouring some for everyone. "And, uh, Sam's... exciting news. Much cause for celebration."
Blaine began to help hand out the champagne, but when he got to Tina, she passed it back to him. He raised one triangular eyebrow at her, then looked at Artie. "Why isn't Tina drinking?"
Tina licked her lips, nervously, and then looked at Artie, who smiled and gave her a small nod. "Because... I can't for the next nine months?"
Artie and Tina had always assumed that, when the time came to decide to start a family, it would require intervention. They'd never concerned themselves much with protection, seeing as everything Artie had ever read told him they had less than a 10% chance of conceiving without said intervention. It was something they intended to address later on, when the time came. Artie referred to their surprise pregnancy as a miracle. Tina called it... a complete reversal of all her plans for the next nine months and beyond. But, as they both knew, changing one's plans could yield amazing results.
"We... may have gotten a little carried away, celebrating our engagement," Artie added, ducking his head. "The engagement came first, though!"
"Well then," Kurt poured Tina some ginger ale in another champagne flute and brought it over. He raised a toast to her. "To Artina, or Tartie, or whatever you want to call them. To more glee babies!"
Later that evening, the group sat around talking with the various friends of Jesse and Rachel who'd come over for the watch party. Just moments ago, they'd all witnessed Rachel's big win together. They'd watched together as Rachel waddled her way onto the stage, accepted the award of a lifetime, and made sure not to forget to thank their beloved Mr. Schue, who was undoubtably having his own watch party, back in Ohio.
"Now you can say your baby helped her birth mom accept a Tony award before she was even born," Mercedes told Blaine and Kurt.
After a couple more hours, Jesse and Rachel returned home to their friends, having passed on the many after-parties, in favor of being with those they truly loved. Also, Rachel was in favor of slipping into something more comfortable and putting up her sore feet. When she'd rejoined the party, Mercedes handed her back the Tony award that everyone had been carefully passing around.
"Thanks," Rachel said, a bit breathless as she propped her feet up on the couch ottoman. "Here, Jesse, put this someplace? I'm not moving from this spot for the rest of the night." Jesse took the Tony from her and put it next to the two he'd won in years past, for directing.
"Good idea," said Blaine, sitting near her protectively.
"What was it like?" Mercedes wanted to know, perching on the ottoman next to Rachel and helping her take off the sandals that were leaving marks on her swollen feet. "Seeing all those famous people from all the shows on Broadway?"
"Here, Rachel, drink this," Kurt interrupted, bringing her a glass of water. "You need it for the swelling."
"It was incredible," Rachel said, going on as if Kurt hadn't said anything but honoring his request and drinking the water all the same. "I was seated near the cast of Mean Girls. And, of course, they're all actually very nice. And, oh, I saw Unique! I saw her right before she and her cast performed Mama Will Provide. I was so excited when their show won Best Revival."
"You missed some pretty exciting stuff here, while you were gone, too," Sam said, indicating Tina and Artie. "Tell Jesse and Rachel what you told us."
Tina went with showing off the ring first, taking a seat next to Rachel and holding out her left hand, as Rachel fussed over her rock and complimented Artie on his choice.
"And, go on, there's more," Kitty urged.
"And, maybe you could loan me some clothes when you're done with them," Tina added, gesturing to Rachel's belly. "Because I'm about to find out what that's like. I'm pregnant."
More hugs and celebration ensued. Rachel started to get off the couch to go to Artie, but he quickly wheeled his way over to her so she could hug him, too.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Rachel said, rubbing her belly. "I have no idea how Quinn danced at Regionals when she was this far along. I could barely make it across the stage. But it'll all be worth it when we all meet this beautiful baby girl." She punctuated her statement by gazing up at Blaine and Kurt.
"We can't wait," Tina said.
"Tina, you okay?" Artie asked, looking over at her as they took a quiet ride on a nearly-empty subway car, headed back to their hotel in Brooklyn for the night.
"I'm okay, just tired," she said, smiling and reaching for his hand. "I was a little nauseated before, but it's pretty much passed now. Although, to be quite honest, I need to get off the subway because the smell is getting to me."
Artie smiled. "Well, that too," he said. "But I meant, are you okay after sharing the news with everyone? I know we weren't really ready to become parents..."
"Hey," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "We still have... some time... before we have to be ready. I was proud to share our news, all of it. I'm proud to be yours, Artie."
"Likewise, Tee," he said. They'd arrived at their stop, so they unloaded, Tina taking her usual place beside him as they located the elevator back up to the surface.
"I'm just hoping we can still make it to Slamdance in January," Tina added, as their elevator opened to ground level. "We might be a little, uh, busy."
Artie smiled. "Well, I'd much rather have a baby than a movie," he told her, reaching for her hand, briefly, before returning to pushing his wheels. After they'd gone a few block, he stopped, so they could admire the view from where they'd paused by Brooklyn Bridge Park.
"I'm so glad I left this place, Tee," he said. "I'm so glad I abandoned my original plans."
Tina took a seat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Artie Abrams," she said, kissing him. "I always have and I always will. Thank you for changing your plans for me."
"Fate had better plans," Artie said, as they looked on the lights of the city together. The city he'd love and given up, all for her. "I stopped trusting fate for awhile, but I think it's time I start again. Just look where it's brought us."
"I wouldn't change a thing," Tina said, kissing his lips softly under the city lights. And she wouldn't. Everything, even the chair and even the baby that would be arriving early next year... was perfect.
The End.