Here's Chapter two, Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, Le Misérables, Man of La Mancha, or any other copyrighted work I may have mentioned below.
Chapter Two: The Impossible Dream
Blaine. Looked at the clock on his night stand, the clock set to New York Time. Blaine had been watching the clock since 5:45 and now it was 5: 55 and it felt less like ten minutes and more like ten years had passed since he'd gotten out his phone and sat down to wait. He'd wanted to call Kurt so bad last night it felt wrong not to call him. He always called him they would chat and slough their skin. It's what they always did. But Kurt had had a big day and Blaine made one of the hardest decisions of his life, and didn't call him. He'd skipped skin-care altogether – it's not like Kurt was going to be around to see the difference – and had spent five hours tossing and turning because it just wasn't natural to go to bed with-out calling Kurt. He hadn't slept so badly since the time they'd had that fight at Scandals. Finally he decided he would call Kurt in the morning. He knew not even New York would keep Kurt from taking care of his skin, something he would get up at six to do. He would just give Kurt a quick call as he was waking up, he didn't want to be a bother. After that decision Blaine set his alarm for five-thirty and was finally able to sleep. He pitied people who didn't know their boyfriend or girlfriend's schedule, it would make situations like this so much more difficult.
Kurt woke up to his alarm belting out Born This Way. Kurt reached for his nightstand so he could turn it off before the whole house woke up, but his hand met empty air. Then it hit him: His alarm was belting out born this way? He wrenched his eyes open and the previous day's events crashed over him. He also realized that the sound was coming from his pocket, of course. It wasn't his alarm it was his phone he hadn't set his alarm last night. Then he panicked. He hadn't set his alarm last night! What time was it? He scrambled to get out his still-ringing phone and saw it was 6:00 am exactly. Thank God. Or don't He felt like kissing whoever was calling, and then he saw who was calling. Well, duh. Was there ever a time he didn't feel like kissing Blaine? Kurt snapped his phone open.
"Blaine! Thank goodness you called! I forgot to set my alarm!"
"Forgot to set your alarm? Has that even ever happened before? I hope the reason for your forgetfulness isn't something to do with the guys being hotter in New York or something."
"Blaine! Don't be ridiculous. No, Rachel fell asleep while I was getting ready for bed and between getting her to bed and tidying up our dorm, I just sort of lost track of everything. Plus, well, not talking to you sort of threw me out of whack." Kurt climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.
"Tell me about it; it took me five hours for me to fall asleep." Kurt started doing his hair, cell phone clamped between his shoulder and his cheek so he could still talk to Blaine.
"Can, i. Can I call you tonight? I know our time zones are off, but it would be nice to have something normal, and I'd hate you to have any trouble sleeping…"
"Listen Kurt, I'll call you. I've, um, got a clock that runs on New York time." Kurt chuckled.
"Just so you can tell what time it is for me? That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard of." Kurt applied some moisturizer to his face as he spoke. "Now, have you ever watched Funny Face? 'cause I watched a little of it on the ride over and I was wondering what you thought of Audrey Hepburn's voice and Jo's wedding dress…"
The first couple weeks at NYADA sailed by. Acting class, vocal coaching, dancing lessons. Classes on how to look your best for an audition: What to put on your resume, what to do to look good on your resume, what kind of songs to sing depending on your range, dancing prowess, and what kind of part you wanted. Song writing classes, musical writing classes. Kurt was relieved to find they had French class and signed up at once. Before it seemed possible their audition for the NYADA Showcase came. Kurt made his way to the auditorium glancing about for Rachel. She was signed up for the slot before him. Where was she? Had she gone ahead without him? Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Rachel! I was worried; I thought you'd gone ahead without me."
"Sorry Kurt, but I was working on my audition for the Musical."
"But that's ages away."
"Exactly, I'll have an advantage if I start early." Kurt thought a minute. That would be true at McKinley, but…
"It's just, we have all these classes teaching us how to look good for an audition, and what to sing, don't you think it would be a good idea to get some advice first?"
Rachel sighed, exasperated.
"Do I look like someone who needs advice on auditioning? Please, I got every part I tried out for at McKinley, even if some of the shows were canceled." She waved her arms about for emphasis. Kurt still wasn't convinced. He worried that Rachel's confidence might be premature but he was distracted when one of her flinging arms knocked a passing student into the wall.
"Rachel! Watch it!" He stopped and backed up a few steps. "Sorry about her, she's just a bit oblivious to others sometimes." The guy just stared at him He was wearing a green plaid button-up t-shirt with a collar over a white t-shirt, with green suspenders and dark belted pants. He also had a name tag that read:
Hello My Name is Will.
Usually Kurt would have made some comment about whether he was overdoing the green a little, or could he get a little more original? Where was the flair? Or the fact that wearing a name-tag was not improving his outfit, but he knew what it was like to get shoved so he bit his tongue. Kurt wasn't sure what to do so he just gave him a little wave. "Well, see you around." He hurried ahead to catch up with Rachel. He didn't see the boy watching him go, blinking rapidly as if he'd just looked into a very bright light.
Rachel and Kurt grabbed chairs and sat down amongst a small group of prospective Show Case members. Though while it seemed small, Kurt realized there were actually sixteen people, which is two more than were ever in Glee Club at one time. He began to really worry. How many people get in? What are they looking for? How do they feel about guys singing "girl" songs? Rachel was experiencing none of his confidence loss.
"What are you auditioning with? I'm singing Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh 's timeless The Impossible Dream" Kurt recovered a bit. He was proud of his selection.
"Nice choice, I'm singing L'un vers l'autre from the Les Misérables concept album. It was cut when they turned it into a musical and never translated into English, so hopefully whoever is judging us won't be bored of it." Rachel started,
"That sounds lovely Kurt." It sounded more than lovely, it sounded brilliant. For the first time in a while she felt scared. One by one their fellow prospective members filed out onstage and belted out their various songs. Finally a low, but decidedly female voice called:
"Next! " Rachel glanced around looking for a clock. Was it her slot? "Rachel Berry!" Well that answered that question. Trembling slightly, Rachel stood.
"Don't worry, you'll be astounding as usual, now go out there and bring the house down." Kurt gave her a quick hug and shooed her towards the stage. Taking a deep breath she strode swiftly to the center of the stage. A woman with dark brown hair and eyes and slightly tanned skin sat behind a desk in the middle of the auditorium.
"Hello, I'm Rachel Berry and I'll be singing The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha." The woman merely nodded. She took a deep breath and let the thrill of the stage erase her worries. She was Rachel Berry for heaven sakes! She had nothing to be afraid of. Right Miss Berry, you're spectacular. Knock the socks off her.
To dream, the impossible dream.
To fight, the unbeatable foe.
To bear, with unbearable sorrow.
To run, where the brave dare not go.
To right, the unrightable wrong.
To love, pure and chaste from afar.
To try, when your arms are too weary.
To reach, the unreachable star.
Rachel smiled when she said the word star. That's right: a star, a gold star.
This is my quest, to follow that star.
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far.
Rachel's eyebrows scrunched together, as she took a deep breath and belted out the final stanza. Believing in every word she sang.
And the world will be better for this:
That one girl, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with her last ounce of courage,
To reach, the unreachable star!
Rachel raised her right arm on the last note as if reaching for afore-mentioned star. She waited for applause, or some kind of approval from the woman, but she merely made another note on her clipboard and mumbled
"Thank you, Miss Berry. I'll post a list on the school board Friday to say who got in. Next!" But then she did hear applause, coming from backstage. Kurt stood in the wings clapping so hard he looked like he might break something.
"That was amazing Rachel, so inspiring!" Rachel smiled and hurried off the stage. At least someone appreciated her talent.
Kurt took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage, he could see Rachel taking a seat near the back of the auditorium. The auditorium. The April Rhodes Civic Pavilion was spacious. The auditoriums at Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals had been impressive. Nationals especially. But the NYADA auditorium was something else. Curved ceiling designed to help sound from the stage reverberate back to the far corners of the audience. Tiered seating, private boxes, and an orchestra pit. Taking another breath Kurt cleared his throat and addressed a woman sitting behind a desk that could only be who judged the prospective Showcase members.
"Ahem, my name is Kurt Hummel and I'll be singing L'un vers l'autre from the Les Misérables concept album." Kurt closed his eyes, it had been a long time since he'd felt the kind of heartbreak Eponine did in the song, but that didn't mean he couldn't remember the hurt. He pictured Blaine serenading Jeremiah and dancing with Sebastian, he blocked out the intervening months in which the issues had been resolved. His chest started hurting. Maybe they weren't quite as resolved as he'd thought they were. The music started.
Deux anges qui se découvrent
n'ont rien à expliquer
deux âmes qui se retrouvent
ont tout dit sans parler
j'ai souvent rêvé dans les bras de Marius d'être à sa place
devant ce bonheur d'un autre monde
la jalousie s'efface
In Kurt's mind's eye Blaine sang something about wanting Jeremiah "so bad". Tears sprang to Kurt's eyes.
Ils descendent des nuages
rayonnants de mystère
pour faire un long voyage
d'amour sur cette terre
A peine se sont-ils vus
qu'ils se sont reconnus
avant de se connaître
Le bonheur leur va bien l'un à l'autre
un aveugle en son cœur pourrait le voir
le bonheur ça fait mal chez les autres
quand on n'a pas de rôle dans l'histoire
The song ended, the music faded. Kurt wasn't sure whether he should dry his eyes, but he was sure he was supposed to stop crying. He let the events that had transpired over the last couple of years wash over him. Yes, Blaine had crushed on Jeremiah, and gotten a little too friendly with Sebastian. But he had also gotten the Warblers to let them sing a duet at Regionals, he'd sung Somewhere Only We Know when Kurt transferred, not to mention he'd transferred. They'd sung duets, and he'd taken that slushy for Kurt. He'd called Kurt at six this morning just to talk to him. Feeling a good deal better Kurt moved to exit the stage.
"Wait." The judge stood. Kurt froze. Was there something he'd forgotten to do? Some auditioning formality he'd neglected to perform? "That was some pretty impressive French, how long did it take you to learn that?" Okay, Kurt hadn't expected that.
"Um, well, about a week and a half, but I do speak French so that made it easier." The judge nodded and sat back down.
"You also have a rather high voice. It's been a while since NYADA has had a countertenor, what's your range?"
"Ah, well I can go as low as the A below middle C and as high as the F two octaves above middle C, though I have been known to go higher."
"Impressive. Next!" Kurt scurried away to join Rachel not sure what to think.
Parvati did know what to think. This Kurt Hummel was original. Sure there'd been other countertenors, and other guys who sang girl songs, and other people who could speak foreign languages, and other performers who emoted. But to have all these traits was rare. And There was something about the way he performed. Most singers tried to show their teeth. His pretty much disappeared, but somehow it worked. Other performers showed there pain by scrunching their eyebrows and closing their eyes, and occasionally they'd get dewy-eyed. This boy just looked hurt. Tears rolled down his cheeks his forehead contorted. It wasn't the usual kind of theatricality. Most performers didn't want to look bad they found ways to express what looked like emotion without their eyes getting red-rimmed and their faces getting blotchy like people's do when they cry in real life. This guy – what was his name , Kurt? – didn't seem to worry about that. And his voice was very distinctive. You would never mistake him for someone else. It was decided. Kurt Hummel was going to be a spectacular addition to NYADA Showcase.
But what about this Berry girl? She was more your generic talented singer. Her voice pushed a little but she could definitely belt, and with a little training maybe she could work through that pop-music quality. She had a nice stage presence and even I she hadn't picked a particularly fresh song, she'd certainly picked a powerful one. Yeah, Miss Berry would probably be a fine Showcase member too.
Will watched as the boy filled the auditorium with haunting French. He was sure he'd never heard anything so moving. The guy was extremely talented. Will wondered whether he could dance. He was obviously kind and chivalrous; most people wouldn't stop for someone who got slammed into things. And his name:
"Kurt Hummel." Will whispered to himself. Yeah, it was a pretty name.
So, what do you think? Dreadful? Decent? Anything you're hoping will happen? Sorry if I'm playing the Kurt Hummel's Fluent in French card too much, promise it won't happen again. Also I thought I'd list which songs I used in case anyone feels like looking them up.
Last Chapter's songs were:
A medley of L'amour Existe Encore, Le Monde Est Stone, Je Crois Toi, Je Danse Dans Ma Tete, J'ai Besoin D'un Chum, and Je Chanterai.
N.Y.C. from Annie
This Chapter's songs are:
The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha
L'un vers l'autre from the Le Misérables Concept Album