Artie

"Here they go," Amy grabbed both his hand and Sam's as she squeezed her eyes shut. "My babies are singing at Nationals! I can't look!"

Artie smirked at his dramatic older sister. It was still weird to see her as an actual teacher, not to mention a soon to be wife and mother. She was doing so many adult things now, and it felt like just yesterday, she was complaining that she was sad that she couldn't just have one more year with her college gal pals and that she just didn't want a real job yet.

To his left, Kitty was scanning the program for the set list. "They're doing a medley of songs from 'Frozen,'" she commented.

Yes, Kitty was sitting by Artie again. Yes, she knew he was single, even though they hadn't dared to talk about it during the brief time they'd spent chatting in the hotel lobby the day before. No, he wasn't in any rush to talk about it, because he wasn't trying to be in a relationship right now.

"I know," Artie said, keeping his voice low so Amy wouldn't overhear. "It could go one of two ways. Either the audience goes crazy over it, because that movie soundtrack is so popular, or everyone's sick of it and they don't do it justice..."

Kitty gritted her teeth. "Well, it couldn't be worse than that ridiculous Ariana Grande mashup we just watched," she said. "Who tipped them off about the celebrity judge?"

Artie didn't have time to speculate about that with her because Leah and Samantha (cousin of New Directions' own Jane) were making a big entrance from the back, singing 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?' Leah had the Anna role in the song, which meant that Amy had obviously decided Samantha (a mid-year recruit) had what it took to pull off Idina Menzel's big hit at the end. Artie was already holding his breath for this one. He'd be shocked if any middle school girl could hold her own, performing that song. But the opening number was definitely cute, and the audience was loving it. Amy had dared to open her eyes, but now she'd let go of Artie's hand and was chewing her nails.

Before Samantha could belt the biggest number in the movie, Myron and Leah were pretty hilarious doing 'Love is an Open Door.' Amy had shortened the song a bit, to allow for Gregory Meeks to sing part of 'In Summer.' (As long as all the total time of the performance didn't exceed twelve minutes, the show choir rule book allowed for that kind of thing.) Finally, Samantha Hayward did not disappoint, when she took on 'Let It Go.'

"That's my cousin!" Jane yelled, in a manner most uncharacteristic of the poised and sophisticated sophomore.

"And that's my baby sister!" called a second voice.

Artie spied Puck over his shoulder. He didn't know when the guy had gotten there, as he didn't meet them in the hotel lobby the night before and no one knew for sure if he'd be there. In true Puckerman fashion, he kept everyone guessing until the end.

It was time for intermission, which was probably lucky for Next Direction, as it gave the judges more time to meditate on their performance before the next group was up. At least that was what Amy told him.

Artie didn't much want to watch any more middle school glee clubs compete, as he suspected was the case for Puck. He really wanted to see the guy, so he found himself navigating his chair through the sea of people, calling out "Puck!"

It worked, as the other guy turned around and waited long enough for Artie to finish excusing himself until he'd finally caught up with the other guy. "Hey!" he said, grinning up at him. "Long time, no see!"

"Yeah, a lot's happened," Puck said, with a nod to someone over Artie's shoulder. Artie glanced at Sam and his sister, holding hands, her belly pretty obvious now.

Beside him, Kitty smirked.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Artie continued to wheel into the lobby, to get out of the way of the crowd, as the other two followed him. "I had to be okay with it. I mean, there's a baby now, you know?"

Kitty touched his shoulder, subtly, and just that touch was reassuring. It had been so long since her touch that he'd almost forgotten what a comfort it could be.

Puck just nodded. "Trust me, I know," he said, a faraway look in his eyes then. "I have a bit of experience there. Anyway," he shrugged. "So, I wasn't planning on watching anymore of the little kiddies today, but I guess I'll come back to see the New Directions tonight."

"We're up first," Kitty interjected. "Basically sealed our fate, that we've got no chance of winning this year. Your sister's team might though."

Artie looked at her in alarm. "Does that mean glee club's on the chopping block again, if you don't take first?"

Kitty chuckled. "Actually, no," she said. "Now that the superintendent's nephew is going to be a freshman next year, there's no way it's going down anytime soon. Four more years of security."

"Oh, I didn't think of that," Artie commented.

"Yeah, but still, it would be nice to place."

"Well, I came to see the kid sister's show, I saw it, now let's eat," Puck interrupted. "How 'bout it? I didn't come to Chicago to not eat a deep dish pizza."

As it turned out, Puck had something of an ulterior motive. He wanted Artie to come along for the parking. Artie tried not to take offense. He knew Puck genuinely liked his company, even if he sometimes used him. Old habits died hard, or something. Kitty, after checking in with Will, also joined them for the lunch break, as did Marley and Jake.

"You can use me for parking if you want, Puckerman," Artie was saying, twenty minutes later as he watched like a hawk as Puck unloaded his chair from the trunk. "But don't expect me to dine and ditch."

"Dude, those days are over," Puck assured him, with a knowing smirk as he recalled their little double date with Santana and Brittany, too. "Besides, I have plenty cash. Matter of fact, lunch is on me, kids." He deposited the wheels in a heap beside the door. "You'll have to do that. I can't figure out how to get the wheel on your new, little space chair. Your old one was better."

Artie smirked. "Might be a little simpler," he said. "But this one was a little, uh, cooler. If you can describe a wheelchair as cool."

"Well, it looked like that little brunette thought it was cool," Puck said, shutting the car door for Artie after he'd hauled himself back into his seat. "What happened, Wheels?"

Artie was glad Kitty was already standing in front of the restaurant with Marley and Jake, waiting on them, safely out of earshot of this conversation. "She ended it," he said. "But I wanted to end it, too. She was really great, she just wasn't..."

"Kitty, do you think deep dish pizza is too heavy right before our competition?" Marley was asking her.

To which she nodded. "Not about to puke my guts out or be a bloated mess on that stage," Kitty replied. "I'm getting salad."

Marley nodded seriously as they went in. "I also really have to watch what I eat because prom is next week." And she shot Artie a meaningful look, as though to remind him of their last conversation as they assembled in front of their hostess to request a table for five with one less chair.

Kitty scoffed. "I don't."

Sensing this was an opening Marley wanted him to take, as they followed the hostess, Artie asked the innocent question that he'd just been properly set up to ask as he rolled into his place at the table and locked the break. "Why not?"

Now it was Kitty's turn to give the intended response, as Marley watched intently. "Oh, because Ryder found himself a real date."

"Oh." Artie fell silent just long enough for Marley to silently gesture, using nothing but her wide, doe-like eyes, at Kitty. "Well, uh..."

"I could offer my services," Puck interrupted, smoothly, and for a fraction of a second, Artie silently thought that this was a good idea. Why not? Jake and Puck were brothers, after all, and the four could double date.

"I appreciate it," Kitty said, but it was obvious there was a but coming. "But given that we have a little bit of history, Noah, I'm not completely comfortable with that idea."

"Fair enough," said Puck, with a shrug.

"Well, if history is an issue, then you and I definitely can't go," Artie joked, before really realizing what he'd said.

Kitty cocked one eyebrow and leaned forward. "I didn't think you were offering," she said, coolly. "But if that's how you really feel..."

"What?" Artie knew he must have been blushing now. He could feel the heat in his face. "N-no, I mean, you don't actually want to go with me, do you?"

At which point, Kitty leaned back and pretended to examine her nails. "Well, I don't recall being asked by you."

"Well, it's not my prom," Artie said, pointedly. She looked up from her nails. "But, okay, if the part where I do the asking is important, then yeah, I'm asking. You want to go to your prom with me?"

Kitty smirked. "Let me think about it."

She was still "thinking about it" by the time they'd finished lunch and met back at the hotel with everyone. They had a couple of hours before it was time for the New Directions to get into their costumes and head back to the theatre for their performance.

"Well, I think it's a perfect opportunity," Mercedes commented, from the second twin bed where she stretched out, as Artie did the same. "For you two to reignite the flame."

Artie twisted his mouth in thought. "Except that's not what I want," he said. Mercedes knew where this was coming from, for he'd caved and asked her for her prayers as the surgery date drew nearer.

"When Julie and I broke up, I decided it was a good time to be single anyway," he went on.

"Be honest with yourself, Artie," she urged him, gently. "If you weren't so worried about this surgery and what she'll think of you while you're laid up, you would be thrilled by the idea of getting back together, wouldn't you?"

Artie didn't immediately have an answer. At which point, Mercedes sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Sometimes, when you let someone go, they don't come back, Artie. Sometimes it's really over."

Artie didn't know what to say to that either, but he was fairly sure Mercedes meant Sam. He was spared the awkward task of carrying on conversation about that situation, though, as someone knocked on the other side of the door. Mercedes hopped up to see who it was, as Artie propped himself up on his elbows.

"You ready to see them win this thing?" Rachel Berry asked, dressed in her best black dress and carrying several of those foam fingers that they'd used once in a competition. Artie laughed, wondering how exactly she'd managed to stash them for so long.

Even though Unique brought down the whole house and the surrounding areas with her rendition of 'Mama Will Provide,' it may not have been everyone's cup of tea. Artie thought it was a bit risky to choose such a random Broadway standard.

Even Rachel, the seasoned Broadway ingenue, had leaned over and whispered, "I know this song but I can't remember the show it's from."

The club, in a rather daring and bold move, had served up not one but three Broadway standards, ensuring that their show contained nothing from the Top 40 and not even a throwback to Mr. Schuester's personal playlist. The girls brought a high-energy performance to the stage with 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) from 'Mama Mia,' Kitty taking front and center. Maybe the boldest and most unusual choice was having Joe Hart take the lead on 'Let the Sunshine In,' complete with bright lights and big wigs.

"It's total hairography," Artie muttered, as Mercedes and Rachel, who were seated on either side of him, just nodded in silent agreement.

It was a good thing the superintendent's nephew would be on the team next year, ensuring that they would have a team for at least four more years. Because it was clear they would not be winning this year, and not just because theirs had been the first performance of the show.

"I'm just glad it's over," Kitty said later, with a sigh as she clomped along in boots and her performance dress, having taken off the dance shoes and stowed those in her bag. She said this to Artie, as she walked alongside him, back to the hotel to rest up before the results of both the middle school and high school competitions would be announced at the end. Neither of them really wanted to watch all the other teams.

"I thought you were great," Artie said, honestly. "I'm just, uh, not so sure that everyone, you know, knows all of those songs. Some of them, for sure. Not the first one..."

"Unique picked it," Kitty said, gritting her teeth. "And yeah, she killed it, it's like, her favorite song and her favorite show. But the problem is like you said, nobody knows it..."

"Yeah..." There was definitely an elephant in the room. He waited until they got back to the lobby, stopping her before the elevators. "Hey, um... so did you think about it? Because I'd be honored to go with you, if you want."

At which point, Kitty laughed. "Artie, I was joking," she told him. "Of course I'll go with you. And I know that Marley called and put you up to it. Or tried to, because you didn't ask me."

"You knew about that?"

She smirked. "Marley never was very good at lying or even just keeping a secret," she said. "She caved and told me the next day that she'd called you. But then you didn't ask."

"I was going to," Artie said.

"When?" Kitty was laughing though. "It's next week. I was about to tell Noah Puckerman I'd go with him, even though he's just about the last person I'd take."

"I thought I was the last person you'd take," Artie said, deadpan.

"Next to last," Kitty shot back, without missing a beat.

"Well, then," Artie spied a bellhop walking about the swanky lobby with champagne. Since the chair added a year, he figured he now passed for twenty-one. Sure enough, he was able to wheel up to him and score two glasses. Kitty had followed him over and was now laughing as she accepted her glass.

"Here's to always having someone amazing to roll with," she said, raising her glass for a toast.

"And, as we know, no one rolls better than me."