Summary: Everyone is in LA and ready for Nationals…to be a gigantic mess.

The New Directions stood in the lobby of the auditorium getting ready to take their seats. Unlike last year, they would be performing second to last with the Warblers finishing the competition. Sam felt something was off about the seating, figuring the Show Choir Association would want the two groups separated as much as possible but Mr. Martinez assured him it was literally how the ping pong balls bounced.

Even though he was no longer Captain, there was one member of the group he was paying special attention to. "Sugar, you ok?"

"Yeah, I just wish Blainey was here. It's not fair."

"You're right. It's not."

"Cooper!" Sugar jumped into his arms, excited to see her older cousin. He had said all along he wasn't going to play favorites but once Blaine was banned from performing, all his attention was focused on him...as it should have been. To be fair (his words) he had Holly work with her on her anxiety because for some reason she had not one but TWO duet sections.

If Cooper didn't marry that woman soon, she was going to smack him.

"Happy Birthday Baby Girl. We brought you something."

"Thank you, but we're getting ready to go in."

"You're going to want this" Holly told her, handing Sugar her phone.

"Happy Birthday, Sugar Bear!"

"Blainey! I miss you so much. I wish you were here."

"You'll see me later. Pinky Promise."

The rest of the New Directions tried to give them some privacy by people watching. They had already seen a surprising amount of celebrities considering this was a high school show choir competition. However, the person who just entered the lobby was someone Sam had to stop himself from running to and fanboying over.

"Isn't that Nicole Kidman's husband?" Ryder asked.

"That..." Sam responded sounding both disappointed and offended "...is Keith Urban, multi-platinum selling, Grammy winning country artist and a guitar god...and yes, he's married to Nicole Kidman."

"And headed straight for us" Tina added.

When Keith reached the group, he offered his hand to Sam. "You're Sam Evans, right? The video of you performing Broken Road was really good."

"Thank you, Mr. Urban…sir."

"Keith, please. We should jam sometime. You know Jackie, right?"

On cue, Beat's mom approached them. "Keith! Darling! There you are. Thank you so much for coming. I see you met Sam."

"I did. Is everything ready?"

"Just as you like it. Let's head backstage."

Keith nodded as he left but then turned back. "Oh, Sam. Blaine said to tell you Game On."

Artie began to laugh as Sam was left speechless. "Sam and Blaine have a bet" he explained. "Not saying what we had to do until we're done but the Warblers had to put something country in their set."

"So, the Warblers brought in multi-platinum selling, Grammy winning country artist?" Marley asked.

"And guitar god" Jake reminded the others. "How does that work?"

For the first time in days Sam felt a genuine smile cross his face. "I don't know but I can't wait to find out."

In the excitement no one saw Brittany step away after she caught sight of Santana and Rachel arguing yet again. She loved Santana but she needed to get over the fact that Rachel had worked with the Warblers this week. Mercedes sang with the Warblers at the Diva-Off and no one had a problem with that. Once she was close, she decided it was best to eavesdrop because every time she tried to find out what was going on, they would change the subject.

"Listen Hobbit, I understand you were sworn to some super-secret Hogwarts' blood oath of silence but you've got to tell me what's going on. Blaine is my person. I love him the same way I love Brittany…without all the fun girl parts."

Brittany had to try very hard not to giggle. That was a totally Santana thing to say. And she wasn't jealous at all, especially after the way Blaine dropped everything to comfort her girlfriend when her father said all those mean things to her.

"Santana, I promise, Blaine is fine. He just wants everything to be a surprise."

Blaine's here? Then why didn't he come to Sugar's Happy Birthday Breakfast?

"Rachel…"

"I can't. I'm sorry, I know you love Blaine but I'm just getting my relationship with Sebastian back together. I really missed him, San."

There must have been something on Rachel's face she couldn't see but Brittany knew from Santana's there was a deeper meaning behind her words.

"I know how much Seb means to you and I promise I won't do anything to jeopardize what you have with him…but please."

Rachel paused and shook her head. "Are you sure? Because once you hear this, you can't unhear it."

"That doesn't make senses."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

Brittany listened in horror as Rachel detailed everything Mr. Schue had done then began to explain how the Warblers could have stopped him if it wasn't for her.

"There you are. Brittany…" Tina became instantly worried seeing how upset her teammate was. "Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not ok!" Brittany knew she'd have to work fast. She wasn't as dumb as people thought she was. "My spirit animal told me I can't go in with the rest of you or it will be bad luck. I have to stay out here for 15 more minutes, by myself, and practice my Narwhal calls…or find a chicken and cut off its head. Do we have a chicken?"

All of the New Directions had been on the end of one of the blonde's superstitious rants, so Tina didn't think anything of this one…although they usually didn't involve animal sacrifice. "Fine, but I'm sending Sam out here in 15 minutes to get you so don't go far."

"I'll be by the big plants." She didn't actually know where she would be but the two people she had to talk to, Brody and the guy who sounded like he belonged on that doctor show Sam use to make her watch when they were dating, were there. So, that was where she headed. "Take me to Blaine."

The two men looked at each other then Brody said very softly, but sternly "Blaine isn't here. It was too hard for him…"

"Cut the crap. Either take me to Blaine or I am going to start doing a striptease to the Single Ladies Dance and tell Madame Tibideaux you two dared me to do it. I know she's here."

There was a stand-off which seemed to take an eternity (Brittany knew she was on the clock) but finally Brody sighed in defeat. "Adam, keep a look-out but Brittany, you can't tell anyone you saw him, not even Sam or Santana."

She crossed her heart and made the lock her lips sign. Brody looked around to make sure they weren't followed then took her through a twisty-turvy maze of backstage hallways, so confusing she would never find it on her own. When they reached a door that was either two or three floors below the stage, he knocked a code that sounded like a song but she couldn't figure out which one. But it must have been the right one because a person inside unlocked the door.

When Brody opened the door the only person in the room was Blaine and he was NOT happy to see her. However, before he could start yelling, she ran into his arms crying and Brody shut the door mouthing I'm sorry. "Brittany…"

"Is it true? Is it true Mr. Schue is the reason you can't perform with the Warblers but you could if it wasn't for me?"

"Where did you hear…?"

"Is it true?"

Blaine pulled back and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Yes"

"Then go tell the Show Choir people. I don't care, go fix this!"

"No" She tried to escape but he was able to move her to where she was sitting on a small couch with him. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"I need to know Blaine. What does this have to do with me?"

Huh? "I thought you said..."

"I just heard that Mr. Schue made sure the Warblers couldn't use anything you produced and that you could have stopped him but I did something so you couldn't. What did I do?"

Shit! He couldn't leave her with half a story like this. It was unfair not only to Brittany but the New Directions for her to have this kind of distraction. Once again, he tried to protect someone and it blew up in his face. "When Mr. Schue was fired, his license was suspended. He can't get another teaching job but he could get one directing a Glee Club. Unfortunately, the ones that pay good money, like Vocal Adrenaline, require someone with a winning record and a cut-throat reputation."

"But Mr. Schue wasn't like that, unless he was secretly taking lessons from Sue and was only pretending not to like her."

Blaine smiled and chucked her chin. Oh, to be that trusting again. "Maybe, but the easiest way to get the reputation he needed was to go after me since I was the highest profile performer coming into the competition. If he wasn't pushing people, and possibly blackmailing some, the association probably would have accepted that the single being released was an accident. They would have allowed me to perform with the Warblers."

"So, how could you stop him?"

"With the other part." Blaine took a breath and grabbed her hands. "We could have told him to let it go or we would have told the world he technically doesn't have a winning record."

"But we won last year's Nationals."

"Technically, no, we didn't. The New Directions have technically only ever won one competition, last year's Sectionals."

"Blaine, I was there…except last year's Sectionals. I was on The TroubleTones." It took her a minute then it hit her. "The New Directions won that competition because I wasn't on the team. How did we lose the others?"

Damn, he hated this. "Technically lose. No one is ever going to take away how you…we performed. However, when we found out you had a 0.0 grade point average and weren't graduating, I realized you were ineligible due to grades and had been since you joined. Competing with an ineligible member, by Show Choir bylaws, results in an automatic forfeiture."

Brittany dropped her head and started crying again, everything Blaine didn't want to happen. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Blaine took a handkerchief from his back pocket, lifted her chin, wiped her eyes and then gave it to her to blow her nose. "I've seen a lot of bad things in my life, I need good to balance it out. It's why I'm so protective of Sugar. To me, you're a lot like her." He grabbed the sides of her face and put their foreheads together. "Brittany S. Pierce, you are sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and if there is ever anything I can do to see you never cry tears like this again, I will do it every time. Even if that means I can't perform with the Warblers at Nationals."

She pulled back and the tears he thought were gone came back in full force. "The Warblers! We beat them the last two years at Regionals! They should have gone to Nationals!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. Yes, they technically should have gone to Nationals. But Britt, they know what happened. They're smart and when you talked about not graduating and my arranging tutoring for you, they put two and two together."

"They should have…"

Blaine put their foreheads back together "Brittany S. Pierce, you are sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and if there is ever anything the Warblers can do to see you never cry tears like this again, they will do it every time. Even if that means they can't perform with me at Nationals. We all took vows as Dalton Boys. Which is why…"

There was the special knock at the door, only this time it was Adam. "The New Directions are beginning to become quite concerned over Brittany's absence."

Blaine helped her up and smoothed her skirt. "You're going to want to come up with a story so you can fix your make up. And remember, you can't tell anyone I'm here."

"Because you have something planned?"

He didn't say anything, just gave her a wink before locking the door behind her. He definitely had something planned.

And now so did she.

Ten minutes later Brittany was back with the New Directions but the first thing she did was make eye contact with Sebastian and give him a little wave. "Brittany knows" he said to those surrounding him.

"About Schuester, Blaine or us?" Trent asked.

"I'm guessing Schuester and Killer" Sebastian answered before feeling a hand on his shoulder and looking up to find the man it still surprised him to see standing with his sister. "Dad, Sierra, you should go take your seats."

"We know, we just wanted to wish you luck."

Sebastian stood to give them each a hug…then Shelby and Beth showed up.

"I'm supposed to tell you good luck but the New Directions are going to win because my mommy helped them. Mommy, can we go say Hi to Quinn, now?"

Shelby looked mortified. "Beth, that was rude. What do you say to Sebastian?"

"Goodbye, Crab."

"Goodbye, Brat."

Sierra said a few words to Shelby then when the mother and daughter left, turned back to her younger brother. If looks could kill, and Sebastian knew that look. It was the same one she gave him when he was 7 years-old and he told her date she was running late because It was the time of the month when she was a total bitch and he should run while he could.

"Just because Beth is a 4 year-old doesn't mean you have to act like one. And stop calling her Brat."

"She calls me Crab."

"Because she can't say Sebastian and Sebastian is a crab in The Little Mermaid. If you let her call you Bas like Isabella then…"

"Hell no. The only people who can call me Bas are Blaine and Izzy."

Xavier stepped between his children, facing his daughter. "Go find Shelby and Beth. I'll meet you at our seats in a minute." Sierra didn't say anything as she left but did give her brother one last death glare. "Give your sister a break. This is all very new for her and you of all people should be more understanding."

"Why? Because I'm gay?"

"Quite frankly, yes. Plus, she's beginning a new relationship while her soon-to-be ex is still causing problems. Now bring children into the mix. I know you're on edge, especially with Schuester running around, but don't take it out on your sister and especially, don't take it out on a little girl."

Well, when he put it that way. "Fine, Beth can call me Bas but I refuse to sing any crab songs. Blaine is in charge of all things Disney."

Xavier hugged him again but as he left Sebastian caught his arm. "Dad, thanks for being here. With Mom and Paris so far away…"

"Hey, no place I'd rather be. Break a leg."

Five minutes later the lights flickered to let the audience know the show was about to begin followed by the President of the Show Choir Association getting on stage and welcoming everyone. He then explained the theme of Divas through the Decades including how only one song of the routine had to come from an established Diva.

After that he introduced each of the 10 teams (in the order they would perform) and said something "nice" about them. When he got to the Warblers, he talked about the fact how in the months since the theme was released they had convinced the committee Boys/men could be Divas too which expanded their list of acceptable, so-called established Divas.

He left off the part of how they did so by hacking the association's website.

The President then had the balls (Sebastian's term) to announce Blaine wouldn't be performing due to an issue with his record label. He was surprised when what he thought was no more than a minor house-keeping announcement was met with a deafening wall of Boo! from the audience…the much fuller audience that he was just now noticing.

They had had to change to a larger venue at the last minute due to a rat problem but they chose not to sell the extra seats. Where did all these people come from?

Flashback…Last Monday

"Ok, we've got our change of venue. I can't believe Cooper knew someone who could shut the place down so quickly."

"Seriously? This isn't Free-Credit Cooper Anderson, it's I took over Al Motta's mob businesses Cooper Anderson."

"Right, silly me. Now, the association told the new venue they didn't want to open more seating but the venue gave Beat's mom 10,000 additional tickets."

"How are we supposed to fill 10,000 seats in 5 days?"

"OMG, you are a bunch of boys. Doug, go to Blaine's fan sites and the Seblaine ones on Tumblr and offer the tickets. We'll have them gone in an hour."

"The Seblaine what on the what?"

"Come on, Sebastian. You know since the release of the Promposal video and your appearance at the Met Ball, Crawford Day's little Seblaine shipfest has gone global. Think of Tumblr as a network to all the Fanfic smut written about the two of you. Santana likes to read them and leave comments."

"Satan does what?!"

End of Flashback

The first group performed a middle-of-the road Katy Perry song for their first number but the second number caught Sebastian's attention. This blonde bitch stood in the middle of the National's stage and caterwauled Mirrors…HIS Mirrors…the Christmas song Blaine wrote for HIM! Hopefully, this was one of the NYADA students for next year Rachel was keeping tabs on and Carmen Tibideaux cut her ass for butchering HIS Mirrors!

At least he could say there was no way he would ever associate the word Mirrors with a safe word again.

Then things got weird (Sebastian's new favorite word). The next five groups also used a Blaine original (but never the same one) in their sets. Poor fools, if they thought this would impress the Show Choir people. More likely it was for Carmen Tibideaux. There was no video, but the story of the NYADA Director's love for Her Tony was already legendary, especially after he accepted enrollment in the Dramatic Art's Department AFTER being accepted to Julliard as their Face of the Future.

The seventh act would test this theory. While a future NYADA student was in the choir, Jean-Baptiste was the undisputed leader of Throat Explosion and he was going to NYU. He had no reason to impress Madame Carmen Tibideaux.

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Mata ah-oo hima de
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Himitsu wo shiri tai...

You're wondering who I am (Secret, secret, I've got a secret)

The Warblers looked up and down the rows at each other, knowing they had dodged a bullet. A small portion of this song had been in their original plan. Blaine had taken Divas through the Decades a little too seriously and had lined up fragments of songs beginning in the 60's and going to present day. This was their early 80's with Thad taking the lead.

Thad who needed to pay attention and stop staring at Kitty (and Jake) over in the New Directions section. Sebastian nudged Trent, who nudged Nick who smacked Thad in the back of the head.

With that taken care of, Sebastian wondered what Blaine was thinking watching on a livestream. Since they couldn't win, they were all of course rooting for the New Directions. However, Throat Explosion was everything the Show Choir blogs had been touting. This was big and theatrical, then suddenly two choir members danced to JB and ripped off the industrial overalls he had been wearing. Underneath was a shocking blue tux that the rest of the guys came out in along with the girls in powder blue dresses.

Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be (Oh)

Baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be, we'll be counting stars

The audience was on its feet dancing to what Sebastian assumed they thought was a Throat Explosion original. They were wrong. This also wasn't a Blaine original. It was a BLAM original.

They had begun writing it after Sam signed with both Abercrombie and Calvin Klein (the Time Square billboard should be up when he got back from Paris). Sam had said something along the lines of now that his family was taken care of, this life he was chasing wasn't about the money but the high he felt from chasing the achievement.

Blaine understood that all too well.

But something didn't fit. All of Blaine's songs that had been performed, there were videos of Blaine performing them on his YouTube channel. Some of them were so popular, lyric videos had been put out. This song wasn't out there. In fact, Blaine told him he and Sam just finished it right before all hell broke loose.

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive! (Ooh ooh ooh...)

Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be, we'll be counting stars

Sebastian looked over to the New Directions section to find Sam smiling at him. Looked like the Warblers weren't the only ones with something up their sleeves.

Take that money
Watch it burn (Ooh!)
Sink in the river
The lessons I learned (Ooh!)

Take that money
Watch it burn

We'll be, we'll be counting stars!

Notes:

Mr. Roboto: Deyoung, Dennis 1983/Counting Stars: Tredder, Ryan 2013

I made the decision to not put my commentary/thoughts in these final chapters but I had to say something about the Brittany "storyline". As someone who has worked in education in the US, weekly grade checks are required for sports and competitive clubs such as Glee. Brittany should have never been allowed to compete.

And yes, I do remember she was on another team (technically 2 since she competed once with the Mathletes but that's too much). I will address the first team later.

And yes, yes, I put sunshine in "sunshine and rainbows and unicorns" as a nod to the Sunshine Twins. I must be a bad Gleek because I hadn't heard the term until recently.