Hey! Thanks as always for your support of Chapter 5. I appreciate it. As I'm sure you can guess, Rachel's incident with the director and producer is based off what happened in Season 5 - because I thought they were being ridiculous. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and review if I should keep going!
Chapter 6: A Dream Come True - Or Not
Rachel arrived at rehearsal. Ever since she told Rupert she wouldn't do the tour, things had been awkward. Rupert and Sidney had both been especially short tempered with her lately, and many of the other cast members hadn't been especially friendly to her either. Jean and Taylor continued to be nice to her, but they'd always been her friends.
Rachel had an exam today at school, so she hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for being late. Just yesterday Sidney had reprimanded her for bumping into a piece of scenery.
As Rachel arrived, Rupert and Sidney were talking as Paolo and Marissa were singing You Are Woman, I Am Man. When Rachel came in, both the director and the producer glared at her.
Rachel looked at her watch. She wasn't late. What had she done now? "Is something wrong?"
"What did you do to yourself?" Rupert asked.
"What?" Rachel asked.
"Your hair?" Sidney asked. "Anything you'd like to share about that? Why you didn't ask for approval?"
Rachel gulped. Then she remembered... this morning she'd gotten her hair done.
x
"Is there anything specific you want today?" the hairstylist asked Rachel.
"No," Rachel said. "Just trim the dead ends off."
"Where's your sense of adventure?" the stylist asked. "Every time you've come in, all you've wanted is the dead ends trimmed off."
Rachel remembered last time she'd made a drastic change in her appearance. Kurt had called her a slutty barbie. Since then, she'd avoided the clothes from Vogue and hadn't worn any makeup. She'd also dyed all her hair back to her natural color, and she'd grown out her bangs.
But maybe it would be safe to do something a little different. "Maybe put in a few highlights of a little lighter than my regular color, and take a few inches off."
x
"Oh," Rachel said. "Well, I wasn't planning to do anything..."
"What do you mean you weren't planning?" Sidney asked, getting angry. "The point is that you did."
"That's probably four or five inches you took off," Rupert added "You can't just do that!"
"Why not?" Rachel asked. "It's my hair. It's my life."
"This may be your hair and your life, but it's our show," Rupert snapped. "We need to pre approve everything, and you going behind our backs and doing this is not right."
"It's not like I'm the star of the show!" Rachel said. "I'd only be going on if Marissa got sick and it was one of my nights."
"Yes, and we didn't approve for you to go on that stage looking like that," Sidney declared.
This was ridiculous. "Well, I'm sorry, but I think you're overreacting," Rachel said.
"Between this and the tour, you should think long and hard about whether not you really want to be in this show, Rachel," Rupert said.
Rachel sighed as she went to sit down. Maybe they were right. Maybe she shouldn't have changed her hair. Sure, there were parts of it that were different colored highlights, and it was to her shoulders now rather than to her mid back, but it wasn't like she'd gotten a pixie and dyed it blond. Someone who didn't see her regularly probably wouldn't have even noticed that it was different. She thought that the director and producer were being a bit ridiculous.
x
"So, this was the costume we had in mind for Maria," Kurt told Finn as he showed him a sketch. "I'm going to need to get Caitlin's measurements, but I think this would look good."
"Well, you know more about this than I do," Finn said. "Thanks Kurt."
"No problem," Kurt said. "Some of my Vogue friends are helping, too."
"Great," Finn said. The apartment door opened and Rachel came in. "Hey!" Finn said, going over to give his wife a hug and a kiss.
Finn noticed that Rachel looked upset. "Babe, what's wrong?"
"I can not stand my director and producer!" Rachel snapped.
Finn hadn't heard Rachel talk this way about them before. "What happened..."
"Oh my God!" Kurt said. "What happened to your hair?"
Finn looked at Rachel's ponytail. She had her hair in a ponytail, but he could tell that it was noticeably shorter and that there were streaks of it that were a little lighter. "Did they want you to change your hair against your will?" Finn asked.
"No," Rachel said, taking down her ponytail. "I had an appointement this morning and I was getting a trim, but the girl who does my hair suggested we do something different, and I thought that was worth a shot. They acted like I'd set fire to the theatre!"
"Okay, that's insane!" Kurt said.
"I think so too," Rachel agreed. "Ever since I told them I wasn't going on tour, they've been finding fault with everything I do."
"That's not okay!" Finn said. "If you want to do something different with your hair, you should be able to."
"Yeah," Rachel said. "It's none of their business."
Finn hated to hear that Rachel was being treated like this. "I'm sorry, Rachel. For what it's worth, you look gorgeous."
"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "And if they can't see that, that's their problem."
Rachel smiled. "Thanks guys." She gave Finn and Kurt both a hug. "So, how's the musical planning going?"
"It's going well," Finn said. "Kurt was just showing me the costume designs he has in mind."
"Oh, can I see?" Rachel asked.
"Of course!" Kurt said, handing the drawings to Rachel.
"These are great!" Rachel said.
"Well, I'll take your word for it," Finn said. "I'm useless with this stuff, so I'm glad I have Kurt."
Rachel laughed. "I probably wouldn't be very good either."
"So, when will the kids be here?" Kurt asked.
"It should be soon," Finn said. "Rachel, I was hoping you'd sing with me to demonstrate epic musical chemistry."
"Really?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Finn said. "I'm pairing you with the female lead as the one for you to mentor. Sam's getting paired with the male lead."
"Okay," Rachel said. "And what song did you have in mind for us to sing for them?"
"Falling Slowly," Finn said. "Do you know that song?"
Rachel giggled. "Of course."
"I thought you would," Finn said. He really had no doubt that Josh and Caitlin would sound good on the romantic duets. He just wanted an excuse to sing with Rachel.
Eventually, Artie wheeled back into the room. "Finn, I was just talking with the stage crew about lighting for the show."
"Great!" Finn said. "The kids are probably going to be here soon."
"Well, we do have to wait for the other alumni to get here," Rachel said.
"That's true," Finn said. As if on cue, the door opened as Blaine, Sam, Mercedes, Santana and Tina came in.
"Just don't do to them what Rupert did to me..." Rachel began as she was interrupted by Santana. "Holy crap, Rachel! Another New York makeover?"
"That's a bit of a sore subject," Finn said, not wanting to get things going again for Rachel. She'd been pretty upset about how Rupert acted earlier. "Rachel decided to cut her hair shorter and highlight it at the spur of the moment, and Rupert and Sidney acted like she set the theatre on fire."
"That's so stupid," Tina said.
"I agree," Finn said. "Where's Harmony?"
Harmony came in. "Sorry I'm late. I heard through the grapevine that they might be reviving Evita and I was trying to find a way to audition."
Finn sighed. "Good for you. Now that everyone's here, let's go over who's going to be working with who."
"I get the NYADA hopeful," Harmony said.
"We talked about this already," Finn said. "Rachel's working with her."
No one else had a chance to say anything. The door opened, and some of the members of the glee club started to come in. Once everyone arrived, Finn spoke. "All right! Who's ready for rehearsals to start?"
Everyone cheered except Ariana. "I hope you're going to give me the part."
Finn sighed. "The parts have been decided. However, since you do want a larger part, you will still get to have a very special guest as a coach. As you can see, I brought my friends along. Those of you with larger parts are each going to work with one of them on being the best you can for the musical. So, when you hear your name, pair up. Rachel, you're working with Caitlin, who plays Maria. Sam, you're with Josh, who's playing the Captain. Mercedes, you're with Miranda, who's playing Liesl. Kurt, you're with Scott, who's playing Max. Blaine, you're with Mark, who's playing Rolf. Santana, you're with Bridget, who's playing Mother Abyss. Tina, you're with Rebecca, who's playing Elsa. And Harmony, you're with Ariana."
Harmony gave Finn a look, but Finn ignored it and instead continued talking. "Now, Artie and I gave those of you with large parts - or want large parts - each a coach for a reason. These are National show choir champions and they're here to help you with anything so we can do the best production we possibly can."
"Yes," Rachel added. "And we know you guys can do it. I've heard you all, and you're all so talented."
"She's a Broadway understudy, so listen to her," Kurt said.
"I'm going to be the real thing," Harmony interrupted.
"Now, there are several romantic scenes in this show," Finn said, hoping to lead into his song with Rachel. "And when you sing a romantic song with someone, it's important to really show passion. Now, these people standing in front of you can tell you, Rachel and I were pretty famous for our romantic duets, so we're going to show you an example." He handed the sheet music to Kurt, who sat down at the piano and began playing.
Finn: I don't know you
But I want to
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Finn and Rachel: Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
Finn: You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won
Finn and Rachel: Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
Finn: One, two, three, four
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Finn and Rachel: Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly, sink your melody
I'll sing it loud
At the end of the song, the kids were clapping. "So you see, that's how you do a romantic duet," Finn said. "And I'm sure you can do that with your romantic partners for the show. Now, everyone with a coach, you can meet with your coach now, and the rest of you, let's go over some of the other songs with me and Artie."
Ariana came storming over to Finn. "So, you're still not going to give me the part?"
"I'm sorry," Finn said. "You're just not ready."
Ariana jumped up and slapped Finn across the face. Finn didn't know how to react to that. Before he had a chance, Santana pulled her off Finn. "Hey! What was that for?"
Ariana looked at Santana. "He can't recognize my talent."
"Let me tell you something," Santana snapped. "Finn knows talent. And Caitlin got this part because she has talent. She's the most talented person in this club. And I'm sorry, but that's how it is. So either you're going to shut up and sway in the background, or I'm going to go all Lima Heights on your ass."
Finn knew this wasn't a good way of dealing with it. "Santana, calm down."
"What is Lima Heights, anyway?" Ariana asked.
"Oh, you don't want to know," Santana said.
"And she's not going to," Finn said. "Santana, you've got to work with our Mother Abyss. Ariana, get back with Harmony."
Maybe Finn shouldn't have taken Ariana into the glee club. He knew that Mr. Schue had always accepted everyone, but this girl was trouble. He was already having trouble managing her, but at least right now he had help from the other alumni who were helping with the musical. After the musical he'd be on his own...
Finn decided to put those thoughts out of his mind. He instead asked the club members with minor parts to start singing their parts of the songs.
x
"Can we go into another room?" Caitlin asked Rachel.
"Yeah, sure," Rachel said. "Let me just text with Finn." She nudged her husband. "Finn, Caitlin wants to practice in a private room."
"Okay," Finn said.
"Since you're my mentor for the musical and you go to NYADA and you're an understudy on Broadway - I want to sound the best that I possibly can for the musical," Caitlin said as they walked into the room next door.
"Well, I'm glad to help," Rachel said.
Caitlin got out a folder. "So, we're going to start with the Maria classics. "I want you to listen to me sing them and tell me how good I am."
Rachel didn't know what to say. "I love your enthusiasm, but you said you want to be the best you can, right?"
"Right," Caitlin confirmed.
"So, I'm going to tell you how you can get even better," Rachel said.
"Sounds good," Caitlin said.
Rachel looked at the sheet music. "You know, this is a really iconic role," Rachel said. "Julie Andrews made it one of the most well known roles of her generation. She's still famous for it."
"I know," Caitlin said. "The opening number... I could listen to it all day."
"Can I hear you sing it?" Rachel asked.
"Let's see if you sound as good as I do on it," Caitlin said.
Rachel was reminded of her early self. "Okay, I'll give it a try." She began singing the song, letting Caitlin know when she wanted her to take over.
Rachel: The hills are alive,
With the sound of music
With songs they have sung
For a thousand years
The hills fill my heart,
With the sound of music
My heart wants to sing
Every song it hears
Caitlin: My heart wants to beat
Like the wings of the birds
That rise from the lake to the trees
My heart wants to sigh
Like a chime that flies
From a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook
When it trips and falls
Over stones on its way
To sing through the night
Like a lark
Who is learning to pray
I go to the hills
When my heart is lonely
I know I will hear
What I've heard before
Rachel and Caitlin: My heart will be blessed,
With the sound of music
And I'll sing once more.
"You were good," Rachel said to Caitlin at the end of the song.
"You think?" Caitlin asked.
"Yeah, you were," Rachel said.
"You're pretty good too," Caitlin admitted. "Now can we do My Favorite Things?"
x
Finn listened as the members of the glee club finished up singing Do Re Mi, then dismissed them for the day. As the glee club members started to leave, Josh came up to Finn. "Hey."
"Hey," Finn said. "So, how did it go with Sam?"
"Sam's cool," Josh said. "I just... I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course," Finn said.
"You and Rachel, you sound so good together, and you really play the romantic thing when you sing together," Josh said. "I don't know if Caitlin and I can do it."
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"Well, I like Caitlin," Josh admitted.
This wasn't a surprise to Finn. He would notice Josh looking at Caitlin during rehearsals. "Well, if you like Caitlin, then getting to sing romantic songs with her should be fun."
"Yeah, I guess," Josh said. "It's just... last year I dated another girl, and I'm worried about what she'll think if she sees me singing with Caitlin."
"Who is this girl?" Finn asked.
"She graduated," Josh admitted. "I don't know if she'll even come to the musical, and I don't even have feelings for her like that anymore, but she's been texting me and calling me nonstop and if she sees me with Caitlin she'll lose it."
"Let me tell you something," Finn said. "When I first started to fall in love with Rachel, I was actually with another girl. I really wanted to be with Rachel, but there were issues with this girl that kept us from being together. But the more time I spent with Rachel, the more I knew that we were meant to be. It was as if no one else was there. When you're up there with Caitlin, just - let it just be the two of you. Let you two be the only people in the world. I know you guys have it in you."
"Thanks Finn," Josh said.
"No problem," Finn said.
x
"Thanks so much for having us come help with the kids today," Finn said to Rachel as they walked home.
"No problem," Rachel said. "You know I'm glad to help."
"And our duet was pretty good for one we were just throwing together as we sang it," Finn said.
"Yes!" Rachel agreed. "Quite frankly, you and I sound better together than me and any of the guys in Funny Girl."
"Well, thank you Rachel," Finn laughed.
"You're welcome," Rachel said. "Thanks for not breaking up with me for cutting and highlighting my hair."
"Why would I do something like that?" Finn asked. "You know I love you no matter what you look like. And I must say, I like this look."
"Thanks," Rachel said. "I just couldn't believe how they acted at rehearsal. I don't want to go on tour. Why can't they accept that?"
"I don't know," Finn said. He wasn't sure if he still wanted Rachel to be part of the production if this was how people would act, but he also knew that this was her dream role and it had been since she was little.
Then Rachel's phone started vibrating. Rachel looked at it. "Speak of the devil."
"Who is it?" Finn asked.
"It's one of the ensemble actors in Funny Girl," Rachel said. "Maybe they're telling me they overheard Rupert and Sidney saying that I'm fired."
"I hope not," Finn said.
Rachel sighed and opened her phone. "Finn, Marissa's going to be going on the tour... do you think this means that I might have a chance at getting the main part?"
Finn hoped Rachel would. He knew no one deserved it more than Rachel did. But with everything going on with her and the crew, he didn't know.
Chapter 7 preview: More work on the musical with Finn's glee club - and more drama. The New Yorkers find out how things are going at McKinley, and Rachel contemplates whether not she should try out for the lead role.
SONGS: Falling Slowly from Once and The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music
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