Ending 2 – Home
Tina can't help herself. As usual, tears come pouring out, preventing her from forming intelligible words. Unlike lately, though, these tears are happy ones.
"You guys, that was so… When did you have time to... Are you asking me to…"
"We want you to stay," Blaine answers.
"Yeah, please don't leave," Sam agrees.
Tina pauses to wipe her tears away. "I've been thinking about it all week. I love it here so much and I love being around everyone again. It's just that I don't want to run away from my problems at Brown."
"You wouldn't be running away from anything," Blaine corrects her. "You'd be running towards something different."
"Are you sure it's not kind of pathetic? Would it make me like the kid who goes to her first sleepover party but ends up coming home because she misses her mommy?" Tina sniffles.
"It's not like that, though." Sam says emphatically. "Yes, you'd get to be around people who remind you of home. But you'd also get to be doing things that you love in a city that can give you more opportunities than anywhere else in the world. Can you say any of that about Brown?"
"No," Tina responds with certainty.
"So?" Blaine raises his eyebrows expectantly.
"So," Tina says slowly as a smile creeps across her face, "I'm going to finish this semester at Brown and apply to transfer to Columbia in the fall."
The boys swoop in to hug her. Sam calls out, "Ok, you guys can come out now!"
Artie wheels onto the stage as Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt enter the auditorium from all different entrances. They rush towards the stage and join in on the group hug.
"What are you guys doing here?" Tina asks, overwhelmed.
"We're here to celebrate, obviously!" Rachel cheers.
"Yeah, but if you'd needed a little more persuading, we were also here to back these two fools up," Mercedes laughs.
Kurt pulls out a bottle of champagne as Artie hands out glasses.
"Here's to aged bubbly and fresh starts, old friends and new directions," Kurt toasts. Everyone clinks glasses and downs their champagne. The boys start to whistle as Sam picks the guitar back up.
Tina laughs, "I should have known you'd have a song ready for the occasion." The group forms a rotating circle around her.
Kurt fakes a southern drawl.
Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa,
Not the way that I do love you
Sam bows the neck of the guitar towards her as he sings.
Well, holy moly, me-oh-my, You're the apple of my eye,
Girl, I never loved one like you
Blaine takes her hands.
Man, oh, man, you're my best friend, I'll scream it to the nothingness
There ain't nothin' that I need
Mercedes wraps one arm around her back.
Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
Ain't nothin' please me more than you
Everyone grasps hands and moves the circle in closer to Tina.
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Tina breaks into the circle, joining hands with Rachel and Mercedes as she sings.
La, la, la, la, take me home
Mama, I'm comin' home
Artie pulls her into his lap for his verse.
I'll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark
Girl, I never loved one like you
Rachel yanks Tina out of Artie's chair and spins with her.
Moats and boats and waterfalls, alley ways and pay-phone calls
I've been everywhere with you,
Tina laughs. "That's true."
Kurt and Blaine form a rectangle around Tina with their arms, bouncing her back and forth between their locked wrists as they sing.
Laugh until we think we'll die, barefoot on a summer night
Never could be sweeter than with you
Rachel, Mercedes, and Artie push her out of Kurt and Blaine's arms towards the front of the stage.
And in the streets you're runnin' free, like it's only you and me
Geez, you're somethin' to see
They all stand in a line with Tina at the center, singing out together towards the empty theater.
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
La, la, la, la, take me home
Daddy, I'm comin' home
Sam takes Tina's hands in his to parody the spoken word part of the song.
"Tina?"
"Samuel."
"Do you remember that night you fell into the choir room window?"
"I sure do, you came falling in after me."
"Well, you drank some energy drinks and looked hot playing Twister, and we wanted to make out so I rushed you off to the astronomy room. You remember that?
"Yes, I do."
"Well there's something I never told you about that night."
"What didn't you tell me?"
"While Blaine was freaking out and you thought that conversation with him would be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you and I never told you until just now."
"Awwww!"
Blaine gives them a funny look, then throws his hands in the air in surrender as everyone joins back in.
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Home, let me come home
Home is when I'm alone with you
Tina turns to face her friends and sings the rest of the song to them, showing her gratitude without having to speak it.
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Oh home, yes, I am home
Home is when I'm alone with you
Alabama, Arkansas
I do love my ma and pa
Moats and boats and waterfalls
Alleyways and pay phone calls
Home is when I'm alone with you
Home is when I'm alone with you
As they gather for yet another group hug, Tina whispers to Sam, "Was that true? What you said in the song?" He winks in a way that doesn't really answer the question, but she decides it doesn't matter what he felt about her back then. All that matters is what she feels now. And she feels like she is home.