Author Note: I have decided to also finish this story. I have the entire story written out and now I need to type it up, which will take some time, so please bare with me. It has taken such a long time because last year I got pregnant and had a little baby girl, which tends to rearrange your priorities. Add to that my disappoint concerning the split between Mike and Tina, which was my favourite couple on the show, which has resulted in me not watching Glee anymore (plus the show is not on in the Netherlands). All this has resulted in me not updating this story until now.
I hope you like the new and following chapters. Please review them, I love getting reviews.
This is a nightmare
He had to be dreaming… no wait… this was a nightmare, a complete nightmare. How had this happened? How was his 'solving the problem'? This could not end well...
He and Tina had had a reasonably enjoyable weekend. After they had left coach Beiste they had driven to Mike's house, did some homework, danced and spent some time with Mike's parents and sisters. On Sunday there had been an emergency Glee meeting, to give everybody a report on what had happened. They had gone to the Lima Bean and quickly the conversation turned to more enjoyable subjects . The friendship between the Glee clubbers had been a nice warm bath after the game on Saturday. The Glee club then went to the arcade and bowling alley just to spend some time together. And up to now the Monday had been good. Glee was supposed to start soon and everybody accept Artie were scattered around the room, exchanging homework, gossip or ideas for Glee. Tina was showing him a dance step they could use in a choreography Tina and he were planning together, when she called out Artie's name, horror evident, but it was far worse than Mike had imagined, far worse. In the complete silence in which all Glee members took in the sight before them and realised the consequences to it, the slow dripping of ice chunks falling on the ground was obscenely loud. Suddenly several things happened, Artie covered head to toe in red Slushie wheeled forward, Brittany leapt to him, Santana and Rachel grabbed the towels and Finn dashed forward and like a general called his men to him. What had gotten into Finn? Seriously he never was on to lead, but now he took it up, first at the huddle and his comment to Karofsky and now this. Mike looked behind he and saw Tina's worried face. He simply guided her to a chair gave her arm a loving squeeze and nodded, silently telling her things were going to be okay, then he turned to is brothers, like a soldier called to fight.
Like the other guys he was focussed on Finn, fully expecting to be told the plan while roaming the halls in search of the others. They would of course be relying on their letterman's to have full access to the school. There were some admitted advantages to the uniforms, somehow you could get away with more, just look at Karofsky and Azimio, who got away with a lot, actually too much.
But there was to be no roaming the halls, because they were already in the choir room, holding the empty cups like trophies. Behind him Mike could feel the collective in breath of the girls and Artie. Mike made himself a little broader as he, Puck, Finn and Sam formed a barrier, protecting the girls from the rest of the football team and as he thought this, he realised how odd this must seem to an outsider: four young men in letterman's opposite a large group in letterman's. Clearly they were port of the same group, yet here they were, the animosity radiation of all included. Surely all letterman's had o be together, banded against the clear 'losers' in the choir room. But Mike knew he was in the right position: between the jocks and Tina, it was where he belonged and where he would always be.
Finn once more showed he was capable of being a leader: keeping Sam in check, keeping calm and asking the questions. Mike hadn't expected Coach Beiste had ordered them to the choir room and clearly none of the others had expected it either. What surprised Mike even more was Mr. Schuester walking in, ordering them to sit down as well. And as he sat down Mike couldn't fatom what would happen, which is why what Mr. Schue said next dropped like a bomb shell: "Please welcome the newest members of Glee Club!" Precisely what coach Beiste and Mr. Schue thought was going to happen no one would ever know, but in the next few seconds total disbelief and abuse were shouted through the choir room. Mister Schue and coach Beiste managed to get everyone silent again or at least respond one at a time. The things that were being said made Mike feel ad, ashamed and depressed, so he lamely looked down, trying to calm himself down. The thing was: he couldn't fault anyone from saying what was being said. Of course Rachel, with her two gay dads (everybody knew this as she didn't keep it a secret) objected to Karofsky's presence, and he could somehow relate to Azimio's comment ( he wouldn't like to sing songs which would remind him of the bad treatment of his Asian people), and once more Finn nailed it: no they didn't know what they did. And so Mr. Schue claimed also. In that the blame could be seen from both sides: the football guys never showed interest in wanting to know what Glee club was about, but the Glee guys had never really tried to explain it.
The next problem Mike had was that now the football team was here, the whole thing of the choir room being a safe place to express yourself was shot to hell. Mike was man enough to admit that because of the peer pressure of the team he wouldn't easily join in with a number and he probably wasn't the only one. Luckily for him Mr. Schue called on Rachel and Puck, arguably the only ones crazy enough to do it. Rachel because she would simply die and Puck because he was bad=ass and angry enough to not really care about making a fool of himself.
In the hallway and through the well oiled Glee rumour mill (his girlfriend being one of the two girls in charge of that mill) Mike had heard that Rachel and Puck had prepared something in another attempt of Rachel to get Finn back, this time through jealousy. But Mike highly doubted that the number would genuinely impress the football team. However the moment the music started their opinion even their presence didn't matter anymore.
The combined voices of Rachel and Puck made all the bad feelings, thoughts and tension melt away. Mike once again marvelled at the beautiful mix that was Rachel's and Puck's voices. The warmth in them was like a hot shower after a rainy day. Occasionally he would look sideways to Tina and he saw her sway, smile and moth the words, clear indications she liked the song and Mike felt himself smile in spite of everything. He listened to Puck's solo and saw how he got frustrated because he wasn't getting through to the football team and then..that moment, that little moment in which Mike saw what Glee club rally did for them: with one small touch and her music Rachel managed to calm Puck and made him smile. Rachel was the only one who could really manage that, who could make Puck melt away to reveal the real, good and gentle Noah. She could do that because she had shown him the music and how it could be used to express the real you. But mostly because Rachel had managed to get under Noah's skin, into his heart and with the tenacity she always had, stayed there. They weren't in love, God knows Puck loved Lauren and Rachel loved Finn, but they liked each other and were good and loyal friends.
Tina saw Mike's mood change during the song and she was thankful for it. She knew he found the situation in which he found himself difficult. She knew he was loyal to his teams and he expected the same from his teammates, so now he wanted to be loyal to the football team and Glee club and to have those teams opposing was difficult for him. She had seen how mad and disappointed he had been because of the behaviours of those around him, she had seen his frown and hunched shoulders and to see him so relaxed and smiling during the number was soothing to her. Tina enjoyed the moment, because she didn't want to think about what would or could happen after the song was over. For now the football jocks behaved but after... Tina had a bad feeling it wouldn't be pretty.
And it wasn't... after Azimio's derogatory remark on Puck's singing everybody held their breath, nervously watching Puck. All guys were on edge, Tina could feel it pulsing of Mike. She could see Rachel taking a small step back as Puck took off his guitar, that didn't bode well, since Rachel could see his face and read his body language better than anyone else. Puck remained silent and smiled, but Tina didn't like that smile. Then he rushed forward, raising the guitar above his head like and axe. And all hell broke loose. All the guys immediately stood and met in the middle. But not only the guys leapt into the brawl, the Glee girls sick and tired of their treatment by the football team and their treatment of Puck and Artie today, also got stuck in. Especially Santana, Mercedes, Lauren and Rachel. Tina felt quite safe as Mike moved in front of her and saw how Sam ht to literally lift Rachel from the ground to prevent her from actually going in. Coach Beiste and Mr. Schue had to block both parties and break it up. Afterwards no one would remember how they had managed it, least of all Beiste and Schuester.
