Author note: and another chapter up. Enjoy!

Welcome to the team

"Even if it means forfeiting the game." Mike heard coach Beiste's words, looking down at his hands he thought: 'So this is it. All those hours work, the bruises and tackles for nothing. It's all the fault of Glee. Because of Glee the others quit. Because of Glee you won't get to play.' A nasty little voice said. 'No' thought Mike: 'No, without Glee I would never have found the happiness I feel in dancing. Without Glee I would never have found Tina.' Mike looked at Tina's small hand lying on his knee and with that everything was all right. As long as Tina was there to support him, Mike's world was fine.

"So this is it?" Finn said. Mike still couldn't quite believe it, bet there it was: No championship game.

"Maybe not." Normally Mike would tune out whenever Rachel started talking, but now something told him to pay attention. And so Mike saw Rachel walk to the front and said: "We want to join the team." Mike could just suppress a groan, from the corner of his eye he saw Finn bury his face in his hand. This couldn't be good. Sam asked what all the guys were thinking: "We who?"

"All of us Glee girls." Mercedes said walking to Rachel and Mike felt Tina rise and walk forward. This couldn't be happening, this had to be a joke, and not a funny one. Tina knew how much this whole experience had hurt him, she knew how important it was to him. How could she joke about this? He let his disappointment shine through his eyes as he stared at her an said: "Stop screwing around. It's not cool." He saw her shoulders lower in defeat, but she remained standing. As Lauren called him out he started to realise the girls were serious. This gave Mike another problem: Tina out there with those football players?! He didn't want to think about, let alone see it. Mike prayed for someone to say something remotely sane, because he could already see coach Beiste seriously starting to consider the option. Luckily mr. Schue started to talk about the tackles on the football field. It didn't help at all as Mike thought about Tina getting tackles, he felt his chest tighten, breathing was getting herder. He didn't want to see Tina getting tackled. And then the most horrifying thought: what if something happened and Tina would be seriously injured? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself, her father would kill him. No this couldn't happen. He heard Puck's grunt, struggling to get his attention back to the choir room. The choir room where they were safe, where no one was likely to get seriously injured, the choir room where Rachel was explaining how the girls wouldn't actually play, except Lauren, how they would simply lay down on the field and just lie there. Mike felt air fill his lungs again, Tina laying on the field not playing, he could do that. He would be fine with that and slowly he felt himself hoping, seeing the possibility, maybe they would get to play. When Tina solved the problem of het looming father, with the consent forms and she looked at him directly telling it was important to them, Mike felt like jumping up and hugging and kissing her right then and there. But he restrained himself hoping coach Beiste would allow this. He could feel the tension coming from the other guys. And finally coach Beiste's words: "I say welcome to the team." All the guys rushed down high-fiving the girls and Mike could only marvel at their luck, that they had friends like Tina, Rachel, Lauren and Mercedes, who would stick their necks out for them. After giving all the girls a high five (Tina was first, of course) he gathered Tina in his arms and hugged her: "Thank you." He sighed, closing his eyes and just feeling her.

"It's for you. I know it's important and we want to help." Mike nodded and then released her. Coach Beiste made everybody sit down. "Will, you run through the half time show with them. In an hour I want all of you in the locker room. In sportswear." Everybody simply nodded or said: "Yes coach."

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