Chapter 5 – Heaven

Author's Note: If you read Chapter 4 before 4/18/14, there is a new section after the final line break. I decided what was going to be the beginning of this chapter made more sense as an ending to that chapter. Thank you for your comments and feedback; they mean more to me than you'll ever know.

"Taaaaay Taaaaay," Blaine sings her awake. "C'mon Queen T, get up."

She rubs her eyes and finds Blaine sitting on the edge of the bed, dapper and bright-eyed as always. "What are you doing here? Where's everyone else?" she asks, noting the empty spot next to her in Mercedes' bed.

"Mercedes and Rachel are both busy with work stuff today. Sam and I were out late last night so I'm letting him sleep in while you get ready."

"Okay, I'll get in the shower, but what exactly am I getting ready for?"

"It's a surprise!"

Tina showers quickly and opens her suitcase to pick out her outfit. She's dismayed to see only two choices left; a purple and black dress for today, and jeans and a hoodie for the plane ride home tomorrow. The week has gone by so quickly, but in a way she feels like she's been in New York forever.

When she emerges from the bedroom, Blaine is waiting for her with two cups of coffee. He points at Sam. "Look at him. I just can't bear to wake him quite yet. Let's give him another twenty minutes?"

Tina agrees. Sam might be the only person she knows who could manage to look so adorable while sleeping with his mouth open, drool drying at the corner. His blond hair spikes in every direction against his pillow, creating the illusion of a mohawk. His body is bent at awkward angles that allow him to fit on the couch that's about a foot too small for his frame, yet he looks peaceful.

They sip their coffee and sit quietly at the table. Blaine reaches across for her hand. "I feel like I haven't really had a chance to talk to you alone since you've been here. How are you?"

The question seems so simple, but she has no idea how to answer it. A week ago, she might have burst into tears and confessed how awful a time she'd been having at Brown. But right now, she doesn't want to dredge up those feelings.

"I'm great! This week has been exactly what I needed. You guys are all so sweet to plan all this fun stuff for me when I threw my visit at you at the last minute. Honestly, it's meant the world to me."

Blaine smiles. "Of course, you know we'd-"

A low moan comes from the couch. Sam stands slowly, his eyes still closed. He stumbles zombie-like towards the bathroom without ever acknowledging Blaine and Tina's presence.

"Is he okay?" Tina asks.

She has her answer less than a minute later, when he emerges from the bathroom with every hair in it's purposely disheveled place, a bright smile on his face, and words tumbling out of his mouth a mile a minute.

"Alright, let's get this thing started! Blamtina day! Yes! Woo!" Sam pumps his fist enthusiastically.

Tina looks questioningly at Blaine. He clears his throat. "That wasn't quite how we talked about announcing it, but yes: Blamtina day! Everyone else had you yesterday, but today you're all ours." They hug her from opposite sides.

"So we were thinking," Blaine continues, "since we had an epic lock-in last year at school, this year what we need to do is have an epic lock-out. For the next twelve hours, we're not allowed to come back here or go to my apartment. We have to be out exploring and enjoying the city. Just one condition though: this is about all three of us, so no twosomes can run off together and leave the other one playing Twister like an idiot."

Tina and Sam exchange knowing glances, then both look apologetically at Blaine. "Deal!" Tina agrees, excited about the prospect of a day out with her two favorite boys. "Where to first?"

The threesome sit crowded around a tiny table at brunch, each picking forkfuls of food off the others' plates without needing to ask permission. As the waiter bumps into the back of her chair for the thousandth time, Tina scans the room. The tables are packed in so tightly that there's only one narrow pathway that extends from the bathrooms at the back of the restaurant to the front door. People sit in groups of six around tables big enough for two. Even though she's sure there are at least five fire code violations, no one else seems to notice or care. In New York, personal space is an alien concept. And even though Tina usually likes to keep strangers at arms' length, there's something about the close quarters here that makes it feel like a real community. A community that she wants to be a part of.

After Tina finishes telling the boys about her day at the Spotlight Diner, Blaine changes the subject. "So, there's something I've been wanting to talk to both of you about," he says, looking earnest. "You know senior year started out kind of rough for me. After Kurt left, I felt so alone and confused about what I was even doing at McKinley without him. I made the worst mistake of my life because of how lonely I felt. I hit rock bottom, and becoming so close to you guys is what turned everything around for me. When I think of last year, I don't picture crying alone in my room over Kurt or huddling in silence in the choir room when we thought there was a shooter in the school. I don't picture losing sectionals or nationals." He pauses, looking towards the sky. "I don't even picture Finn's funeral. I picture running around that auditorium stage like an idiot with you guys by my side, singing and dancing and swinging on vines and playing on a merry go round and stomping on balloons. I've never felt more alive than I did in those moments."

For once it looks like Blaine might be the one to start the waterworks, but he pauses briefly to compose himself and continues. "Aside from Kurt, you're my best friends on the planet. And so, there's nothing I'd like more than for each of you to stand by my side when I marry him. Will you-"

"Yes!" Tina and Sam both cut him off in unison and throw their arms around him.

Blaine's eyes light up and he begins animatedly, "Ok, so Kurt and I decided we're keeping the wedding party small. He's having his cousin Trevor, plus Rachel and Mercedes. Of course, I'm having Cooper and you guys. Sorry, Tina, buy Kurt is in charge of the bridesmaids' dresses. I, of course, am the expert in all things bow-tie so I get to choose the tuxes." He beams at Sam, and both Tina and Blaine giggle at the thought of Sam in one of Blaine's signature preppy ensembles.

"Speaking of fashion, there's something I thought we could do today. It's something I've been wanting to suggest for a long time, but I needed back up," Sam says. "Now that Tina's here, Blaine, I think it's time for a fashion intervention."

Tina's eyes light up. 'Yes, and hair, too. I've literally had dreams about how good it would look without all that gel."

Blaine looks appalled. "What are you guys talking about? Everyone loves my style, and it's totally evolved into a more mature, subdued New York look."

Tina groans. 'No offense, Blainey Days, but it hasn't evolved as much as you think. I'm thinking more of a hipster chic vibe will let your personality shine through while highlighting your good looks. As it is now, most people are probably too distracted by the bow-ties and mismatched patterns and vomit-inducing colors to ever make it to your face."

"Yeah, and she's totally right about your hair, man," Sam pipes up. "I mean, look what happened when you convinced me to finally get my hair cut. I turned immediately from couch potato slob into employed butt model!"

"You guys aren't going to give up until I agree to this, are you?"

"Nope!" Tina and Sam say in cheery unison.

Blaine reluctantly smiles and agrees, "Then let's go!"

Tina is holding a blue dress in front of herself in the department store mirror when a hot pink baseball cap suddenly materializes on her head. Sam appears behind her in the reflection, grinning. "Not really your color, but you look cute in hats." He pushes the brim down in front her eyes.

She blushes as she pushes it back up and turns around to face him. "How long is he gonna be in there?" she asks, motioning towards the dressing room where they sent Blaine with at least forty different items to try on, despite the signs prohibiting more than twelve.

"I don't know, I thought he would come out and show us stuff. That's what I always used to do when my mom took me shopping, unless I hated something so much that I didn't want to come out."

"Uh oh," Tina says. They both march down the narrow hall of dressing rooms, calling out for Blaine.

There's no response for a moment, other than an elderly voice calling from within one of the rooms, "What did you say? Beverly, is that you? I'm down here on the right." A wrinkled foot appears from under one of the doors. Tina stifles a gag.

Just as she's about to work up the courage to pull Sam into an open dressing room and steal a kiss, Tina hears quiet footsteps behind her. She spins around and drops her jaw.

"What do you guys think?" Blaine asks, uncertain. He's wearing dark jeans, red Chuck Taylors, and a navy V-neck sweater over an untucked plaid shirt. His gelmet is obscured by a dark gray beanie, and his gorgeous eyes are framed by thick black rims.

"Blaine, you…"

"Whoa…"

"I..." After several moments, Tina finally accesses the part of her brain that has words. "You. Look. Amazing!"

"Yeah, and you still look totally like yourself, dude. Like your pants and your shirt are still super tight. It's just that now you look 19 instead 89."

"I don't know, I feel less… polished."

"That's ok!" Tina assures him. "As much as it seems like it sometimes, you're not actually perfect. You don't have to dress like every grandmother's fantasy to convey how awesome you are. This makes you look just a little less preppy and a little more urban. Also super, super hot."

Sam looks quizzically at Tina, then nods in agreement at Blaine's reflection.

"I have to admit," Blaine sighs, "it's really comfortable. Like you said, it's similar to my old clothes, but a little more relaxed." He looks at himself in the mirror for a few moments. "I like it," he finally declares confidently. "I'm not sure what Kurt's going to think, but I really do feel like this could be the next stop in the evolution of Blaine Anderson."

"Perfect! When we're allowed to go home, we're washing that gel out and Sam and I get free reign over your hair. But for now, the beanie will do." Tina and Sam throw their arms around their transformed friend and usher him back to the dressing room. He ends up with two large shopping bags worth of new clothes and a little more maturity in his gait as they leave the store.

Sam looks at his watch. "Um, we still have seven hours to kill. Any ideas?"

They agree to just wander around the city for a while. Blaine and Sam point out some points of interest along the way, Tina ducks into a boutique to pick out a few new accessories, and they stop to rest their feet at a small café. They each order a different flavor smoothie and share sips with one another.

Tina flips through the photos on her phone, smiling as she recalls each moment that she captured from the last week in reverse order: Blaine's new look, the gang piled onto Kurt's couch in pajamas after they watched competition videos, a blurry group shot taken by a very drunk girl at Callbacks, her selfie with Sam, several artistically framed candids taken by Artie's friend while they filmed the vampire movie, a cute shot of Mercedes kissing Tina's cheek at Target, pictures from her performances at each of the classes she attended at NYADA, and multiple combinations of the group from last weekend's excursions. When she gets to the first one that she took with Rachel in the limo a week ago, her stomach drops. She only has about twenty precious hours left in this amazing city with her amazing friends. She wants to hold onto this feeling forever.

A mischievous smile creeps across her face. "I have an idea."

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Tina Cohen-Crazy!" Blaine yelps in pain as the needle enters his skin. He squeezes her fingers so hard that they begin to turn blue.

"Oh, come on, I've done it twice before: once when I got 'Mike Chang Forever' and another time to change it after we broke up. It's not that bad." Tina strokes Blaine's shoulder with her free hand. Sam stands silently in the corner, his face ashen and his eyes blazing with fear.

Air hisses through Blaine's teeth. He winces, but eventually seems to release some of the initial tension. His grip on Tina's hand relaxes a bit. "Kurt did it twice with his tattoo, too. I can handle this." He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. "I am one with the needle." He looks almost peaceful.

"See, Sam, it's no big deal!" Tina encourages him.

"Easy for you to say! I have a healthy, lifelong fear of needles. If I go through with this, it means I really, really love you guys."

"Hey, you let Nurse Penny give you a shot in the butt and I'm pretty sure whatever fleeting feeling you had for her only counts as infatuation," Blaine teases.

"This is way different, man. Plus, I'm a model. My body is my money-maker and I can't afford to mess with this perfect canvas," Sam insists as he points at his chest.

Tina groans. "That's the beauty of this tattoo. You can put it anywhere and it will still be just as meaningful. So put it somewhere the camera will never see."

The confusion on Sam's face quickly gives way to understanding. "You mean like my butt?"

"I mean like your butt," Tina nods.

After the three take turns holding each other's hands through the pain, they stand in front of a mirror and admire the new markings that signify their common lifelong bond. Blaine's left pec, Tina's right ankle, and the side of Sam's right butt cheek are each adorned with a tiny arrow. Blaine's is rainbow plaid and points down. Tina's is purple with a musical note on the head of the arrow, which points up along the main artery in her leg. Sam's resembles comic book art and wraps around just enough to point up and towards the front of his body.

"I love them!" Tina smiles.

"Me too," Blaine agrees. "There's only one problem. It shouldn't just be for us."

Sam snaps a picture of their reflection. "You're right. Let's tell everyone."

They huddle around Sam's phone composing an e-mail. After Tina and Blaine correct Sam's spelling and grammar one too many times, he thrusts the phone at Tina in frustration to finish. When they are done, she reads it aloud one last time before hitting send.

Dear Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Mike, Matt, Lauren, Sugar, Rory, Joe, Unique, Marley, Jake, Ryder, Kitty, and Mr. Schue,

Once upon a time, in a magical place called Ohio, twelve lost teenagers and one lost teacher found each other. Together, they charted a course towards their destinies. Along the way, others came to join the journey. Some left too soon. Over time, their destinies took them to different places. But no matter where any of them are physically, their hearts will remain forever entwined.

If you choose, we invite you to join us in symbolizing this lifelong connection with a tattoo of an arrow pointing towards your heart. Whenever you feel lost, you can look at it and find the strength to seek your new direction.

With love and gratitude,

Tina, Sam, and Blaine

"Too corny?" Tina scrunches her face in uncertainty.

"Just corny enough," Blaine smiles.

Sam attaches the photo and hits send.

"Alright, are you ready for our final stop of the evening?" Blaine's eyes widen in excitement.

"Absolutely, but what are we doing on the NYADA campus?" Tina asks.

"Well, Sam and I were talking about how long it's been since we've done one of our celebratory end-of-the-week auditorium freestyle numbers together. And we've been so nostalgic having you here, so we thought we could sneak into the NYADA auditorium. It's no April Rhodes Pavilion, but it's next to the building where Cassie July's office is, and I know where she stashes her booze."

"Excellent," Tina says as she drums her fingers together. Sam gives her a smile that says "you're such a nerd, and I adore it."

After pilfering a fifth of vodka and two nearly empty bottles of Peach Schnapps, the trio arrives at the auditorium. Sam ushers Tina to a seat in the front row.

"I thought we were gonna 'run around the stage like idiots' together," Tina protests, looking pointedly at Blaine as she air quotes his phrase from earlier in the day.

"We are," Sam assures her, "but Blaine and I wanted to ask you something through song first. We need you to sit this one out, and then we can spend all night here recreating New Directions' greatest hits afterwards if you want."

Sam disappears behind stage and returns with a guitar wrapped around him. He begins strumming as Blaine taps his foot to the rhythm. Blaine starts to sing a song by The Walkmen.

Our children will always hear
Romantic tales of distant years
Our gilded age may come and go
Our crooked dreams will always flow

Tina bounces along in her seat to the catchy tune. Sam takes over the next verse.

Stick with me
Oh you're my best friend
All of my life
You always been

Blaine pulls a small device from his pocket and pushes a button on it. Suddenly, an image of the three of them in their Ed Sullivan suits and 60's fan-girl clothes from Beatles' week is projected onto the massive screen at the back of the stage. As the boys alternate lines and harmonize for the rest of the song, the slide show continues. It feels like a lifetime of happy memories all wrapped up in four glorious minutes.

Remember, remember
All we fight for
Remember, remember
All we fight for

Don't leave me
Oh you're my best friend
All of my life
You always been
Don't leave me now
You're my best friend
All of my life
You always been

Remember, remember
All we fight for
Remember, remember
All we fight for

Tina doesn't know the song, but she loves it. She can no longer resist the urge to jump onto the stage and dance along. Blaine spins and twirls her. As they pass across center stage, larger-than-life smiles and group hugs from their younger days are projected onto their bodies. The final image of everyone huddled around their Nationals trophy remains on the screen as Sam finishes the song.

Author's Note: I originally had a certain ending in mind for this story, but when I got to this point, something different ended up happening. I decided to present both options as alternate endings and let you decide which one you like better. The next two chapters each pick up immediately after this moment. I hope you like at least one of them!