"Listen up," the curly haired director of McKinley High School Glee club called attention to the students. "We have a new member transferring in tomorrow." Whispers broke out amongst the teens as he continued, "I know this is sudden, but I was hoping that we do a number to welcome the student."
A dark-haired girl cried out, "But Mr. Schue, you know and all of us know, our Glee club isn't capable of learning a number that fast. Well, excluding me of course. And I don't want to give this person a bad impression on our club by sounding terrible. They might not even want to join anymore because of it."
"Yeah," the captain of the football and lead male singer of the club added. "Plus, Coach has been drilling us a lot in football recently and I just don't have enough energy to learn a song today."
Several others agreed and nodded their heads.
A blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well it's not like you're the one carrying a baby," she whispered to herself.
"I am disappointed by the lack of pride you all have for this club. Our purpose is to be inviting and open to all, which means pushing aside our personal fatigues for the moment and putting together something amazing that will blow this student away. Are we clear?" Mr. Schuster finished. The students all groaned but nodded their heads. "Good. The song I've chosen is The Climb by Miley Cyrus. It describes the struggles of life and pushing forward to get past them. I think this song best represents our club right now. And if she doesn't mind, I would like Quinn to sing the lead." He turned to Quinn, "I feel that this song will speak out to you more than anyone."
"I'd love to sing the lead, Mr. Schuster." The blonde smiled kindly.
"Thank you Quinn. Now then," he handed parts out to everyone, "let's take it from the top."
---
"I am beat. And this whole country-style singing is not my scene," Mercedes shook her head as she pushed open the door leading out of the choir room.
"I agree. My throat is dead from the constant pitch changes and yodels. I wonder who this new student is," Kurt furrowed his brows. "Mr. Schue didn't even tell us if it is a boy or a girl."
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll see you tomorrow, Kurt," the two hugged then walked separate ways.
---
"Quinn, I'm trying. After they found out I wasn't handicapped, they told every other store in town so no one will hire me," Finn tried to catch up to his girlfriend who continued to walk fast to her car.
"Oh yeah Finn? Well you've been trying for two months. All these bills are up to my neck and I have the feeling that my aunt won't be able to keep me in her house much longer. You're a great guy, but having you in my life is just adding more stress." Quinn finally stopped to look at him.
"W-What are you saying?"
"Finn, I don't want to drag you down anymore. And I know that you like Rachel. So just...be with her."
"N-No, I can't just leave you and our baby. I promise to-"
"Finn, please. I can handle this baby by myself. I want you to be happy. So, just go out with Rachel. I know how much you like her. You've always liked her. It's fine. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Quinn got into her car and drove away.
---
Quinn was absentmindedly rubbing circles on her belly while patiently waiting for everyone else to finish their Spanish test. What am I supposed to do with this baby? Mr. Schuster is a really good father, but I've grown attached to her. I know she won't have a father, but maybe having a mother is enough.
Quinn's musings were interrupted by Mr. Schuster calling attention. When she looked up she met the most strikingly beautiful sapphire blue eyes. "Class, this is our new student Vallen Walker. He's transferred all the way from London. Please let him feel like he's at home." He turned to Vallen, "You will be sitting in the empty seat to the right of Quinn Fabray. Quinn, can you raise your hand?"
Quinn raised her hand and saw all the glares she received from her female classmates and Kurt.
Vallen slowly made his way over to the seat, giving everyone a perfect smile as he passed them. He took his designated seat and nodded his head at the teacher as a silent "thank you."
"Alright class, back to your tests," Mr. Schuster quieted everyone down until there was almost complete silence.
Quinn glanced over at her table partner's head. He had short black hair that swooped up a little in the front, lightly colored skin, and perfectly aligned teeth making his smile all the more irresistible. She looked further down at his clothes and the muscles defined by them. He wore a vest and tie combo with an Oxford shirt underneath. She took a quick glance back up at his face and found him smiling at her. Quinn blushed, "I-I'm so sorry for staring. I'm Quinn Fabray as Mr. Schuster said before." She stuck out her hand.
Vallen chuckled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Quinn Fabray, I'm Vallen Walker as Mr. Schuster also said before," he said in a strong, deep voice with a British accent.
Quinn blushed again and turned facing front.
---
"Oh my gosh, I'm in love," Kurt told Mercedes as they walked to their next class.
"Kurt, you haven't even talked to the guy," Mercedes laughed. "But, I've got to admit, he's pretty fine."
"Fine doesn't even begin to describe him. He's amazing. Did you see what he was wearing? He was wearing the outfit from J. Crew's Fall-Winter catalog. That vest is three hundred dollars alone-"
"Excuse me," the pair turned around and found their conversation subject looking at them.
Kurt's eyes went wide, "Hmm..H-Hi."
Mercedes laughed at Kurt then turned to Vallen, "Hi. I'm Mercedes Jones and this is Kurt Hummel. Is there something that you need?"
"Pleasure to meet you both. I'm Vallen Walker. I think I saw both of you in my Spanish class. I was just wondering if you could help me find my next class," he flashed Kurt a smile and handed him his class schedule.
Kurt's hand shook when he looked down at the paper, "O-Oh, we-we're headed their now if you want to come with us."
"That would be very appreciated. Thank you," the three walked quietly to their next class. When they reached the door, Vallen thanked them and took an empty seat.
Mercedes couldn't help but laugh at the love-struck expression on Kurt's face. She quickly dragged him over to his seat before the teacher came in.
---
It was finally lunch time and news about the new transfer student was all over the school.
"He's a really cool guy. He's in my math class and helped me with some equations. I just didn't understand it. He's also a really fast runner," Matt told his best friend Mike as they gathered around the designated Glee table.
"We should get him to try out for running back," the tall Asian said to his friend.
"Who are we talking about?" Santana asked as she sat down. Brittany sitting down beside her.
"That new guy, Vallen," Matt explained.
"He is so hot. Do you think he's the new Glee person?"
"I doubt it. He looks too cool for Glee," Mike shrugged.
"Well, we're all in Glee and we're the coolest people in school. It's possible," the Latina defended.
"What's possible?" Artie's voice entered the conversation.
"That the new...hey," Matt stopped when he saw that Vallen was the one who pushed Artie's chair to the table.
"Hello, I was just bringing Artie here after he showed me where the rest of my classes were. You probably have more people coming, so I'll be-"
"Dude, sit here with us." Matt moved some trays over to make more room. "It's no prob really."
"Thank you," Vallen took an empty seat.
"Like I said, no problem dude. So let me refresh you on names. I'm Matt, that's Mike, Santana, Brittany, and Artie," he said while gesturing to the rest of the people at the table.
"Nice to meet you all. Is there any one else that sits at this table usually?"
"Yeah. There's Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, Puck, Rachel, Finn, and Quinn. I'm not really sure where they are right now," Artie answered before open his bottle of water.
"Are you talking about Mercedes Jones, Kurt Hummel, and Quinn Fabray?"
"Yeah. Have you met them?"
"Yes, they were very helpful in helping me find classes. Miss Fabray sits next to me in Spanish class."
Santana glared for a brief moment, but quickly recovered and asked, "So, you've lived in England your whole life?"
Vallen smiled at her and answered, "Actually no. Before I moved here, I came from California. Lived there for about a year, but that's it."
"Why'd you move? California is so amazing. Much better than this loser town."
"My parents didn't like the constant hustle of California. They wanted a peaceful place. But, I love the beach and everything, so we still have a beach house there."
Five pairs of mouths dropped.
The Englishman looked at them, "Why the...uh...expressions?"
"Dude, so you're like, loaded or something?" Matt asked.
"Loaded? I'm sorry, I don't quite know what you mean."
"So you're like ri-" the bell rang, stopping the football player's words.
"It was nice meeting you all, but I have to go to the counselor before my next class. So, I'll see you around."
"Bye," the Glee members said in unison.
---
"He is so hot," Santana stated again before Glee rehearsal.
"Yeah, and he helped me understand how to balance chemical equations," Brittany added.
The rest of the Glee members looked at each other, mouths opens and eyes wide.
"What?" the blonde asked cluelessly.
"I haven't met him. He's not in any of my classes," Tina spoke.
"Girl, seriously? He's got a little something. Like I told Kurt earlier, he's pretty fine." Mercedes nodded her head.
"Who are we all talking about?" Rachel asked as she entered the room holding hands with Finn.
"The new guy. We're hoping that's he's our new Glee member...wait, what's with the hand holding?" Santana questioned.
The rest of the members in the room stared at the pair.
Finn quickly dropped his hand, "Uhm...we-we're kind of a couple."
Mercedes stood up from her previous sitting down position, "Boy, you better have a good reason to leave Quinn all by herself to take care of the baby."
"Quinn broke up with me," Finn replied quickly.
"It's about time," the African American said under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. So, have you two met the new guy? He's in our Spanish class Finn."
"Nah. I was at the nurse the whole day. I had a killer headache," the quarterback said as he took a seat.
"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting this new student either," Rachel answered as she took a seat next to Finn.
As the rest of the Glee members filed in, Santana spoke, "How can you not have met him? He's like, impossible not to meet."
"Uhm, what's everyone talking about?" Quinn asked and took a seat.
Santana rolled her eyes, "We're talking about the majorly hot British guy who has to sit next to you in Spanish."
"Oh," Quinn blushed and quickly took a seat, not before taking a quick glance at the new couple. She sat as far away as possible from her ex-boyfriend.
Everyone settled in their seats as Mr. Schuster entered the room. "Alright, so the mysterious new member will be here in ten minutes, so I want to have a quick run through of the song."
Rachel cried out, "Mr. Schue, I don't think that we should strain our voices. Can't we just sing it when this person comes?"
"Now Rachel, you said so yourself that you don't want to sound terrible. So what better way to sound better than practicing?"
Rachel crossed her arms and muttered out a, "Fine."
The curly haired teacher looked at Quinn, "You ready?"
The former cheerleader nodded. Brad played the beginning chords on the piano. And Quinn began,
"I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high"
The rest of the Glee members began,
"There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on
'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa"
When Quinn finished the song, tears fell from both of her eyes.
"You okay Quinn?" Artie asked as he rolled up next to her.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I got too caught up in it."
Mr. Schuster nodded then asked, "Do you think you can sing it again when the new member comes?"
"She doesn't have to. It was amazing," came a smooth British accent from the doorway.
"Vallen! You were able to find your way here, good," Mr. Schuster led him into the room. "I know that most of you have already met him, but for those of you that haven't, I'd like to introduce to you, Vallen Walker."
Vallen slightly bowed his head and smiled at everyone. When he saw familiar faces he said, "Let's see if I remember your names. Kurt, Mercedes, Santana, Matt, Mike, Artie, Brittany, and of course, Quinn Fabray. And over here, although I haven't met you, it's Tina, Puck, Finn, and Rachel. Am I correct?"
Mr. Schuster laughed, "That's amazing. Good memory on you."
Kurt whispered to Mercedes, "Oh my god, he said my name first."
Mercedes shook her head and laughed.
Rachel spoke, "What training have you had Vallen? I've been singing and dancing since the first day I was born. My fathers made sure to put me in every performing arts classes as possible."
The rest of the Glee members rolled their eyes at Rachel.
"Well, my repertoire isn't as astounding as yours, but I have had some lessons with Madonna, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, and Michael Jackson. There are a few others, but they seem irrelevant."
All mouths were dropped and eyes wide.
Tina stuttered out, "Y-Y-You met Beyoncé?"
Vallen nodded, "She's a very nice person. Taught me some killer dance moves and helped me with my vocals, to give it an edge of sorts."
"How'd you meet?"
"Funny story. I was on a plane and I started singing 'Halo', busting out some moves in my seat. Then I hear a giggle from the person sitting next to me. It turned out to be Beyoncé. We talked throughout the rest of the ride. And, she's a family friend now."
Mr. Schuster broke everyone's trance as he began speaking, "So, here's our new number for Regional's. It's-"
"Excuse me, Mr. Schuster. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I've prepared a song for all of you."
The curly haired teacher smiled and nodded for Vallen to begin whenever.
He whispered the song to Brad and took his place. The began started and he began,
"As if you didn't know
As if I could ever hide what I'm feeling
You've got me reeling, I'm just so in love with you
Like some sort of fairy tale
Or a coin in a wishing well
This happy ever after- it feels like it's comin' true
From the first to the last
Every moment we'll ever have
I'll be there- you be sure
'Cause I have been, I am and I always will be yours
Every dream- every hope that I had – you're so much more
'Cause I have been, I am and I always will be yours
From the first word you said to me
I knew I was meant to be in your arms
Heart and soul, baby I give my whole life to you
From the first to the last
Every moment we'll ever have
Ill be there- you be sure
'Cause I have been, I am and I always will be yours
Every dream- every hope that I had – you're so much more
'Cause I have been, I am and I always will be yours
Every dream- every hope that I had – you're so much more
Every smile, every tear
Babe, this heart just wont beat without you being here
'Cause I have been I am and I always will be yours
Looking back through all of this time
I've been waiting for your love to find me"
The piano died away and Vallen finished. "What do you think?" he smiled.
All the girls in the room, plus Kurt, had huge smiles on their mouths. Then, Kurt fainted.
Vallen rushed over to help him out. As Kurt opened his eyes, Vallen asked, "Kurt, are you alright?"
Kurt nodded an "Mhmm" and took his seat. Mercedes was cracking up in the seat next to him. "That was really good," Kurt said after calming down his heartbeat.
"Thanks. But, are you sure you're okay? Do you normally faint?"
The rest of the Glee members clapped and cheered. Quinn looked at him and found him staring at her. She blushed.
He caught her staring and asked, "What does the beautiful Quinn Fabray think?"
Quinn blushed even more, "I-It was good."
"Nothing compared to yours though, right?" he winked.
Before Quinn could reply, Santana cut her off. "That was amazing Vallen."
"Thank you. Though, I'd love to here you sing sometime Santana," Vallen smiled.
Mr. Schuster settled everyone down and handed out sheet music.
---
Kurt couldn't help but stare at the new male lead. Sigh. My prince is finally here. Goodbye knight in shining armor, hello Prince Charming.
Santana glared at Quinn. If Miss Prego over there believes that she has a chance with Vallen, then she really is a dumb blonde.
Mercedes shrugged. That boy is fly for a white guy. Mhmm.
Rachel eyed the new student. He's good. This just doesn't seem right.
Mike. I wonder if he knows how to pop-and-lock. Maybe we can convince Mr. Schue to add that as a dance.
Matt. Beyoncé is so hot. He said she's a family friend, right? Maybe he has her number.
Artie. Tina's really pretty. Maybe I should give her a second chance.
Tina. W-Why do I still s-stutter? S-Strange. M-Maybe I really d-do have a stutter.
Brittany. If the square root of four is rainbows, how do I find the square root of a rainbow? I'll ask Vallen later.
Puck. This commando thing is giving me rashes. Damn it.
Finn glanced at Quinn. She's not mad right? I mean, she told me to go after Rachel. Girls are so complicated.
Quinn stared intently at Vallen. Am I really falling for someone again?
Vallen smiled. Hello McKinley High. I can't wait for tomorrow.
---