Chapter Four: Flash-forward
Three weeks before sectionals:
Glee Club was in full swing with rehearsals and deciding who should get the solo. Holly had been at McKinley for about four months and she was firmly settled in. Her best friend was Isobella-Beth Puckerman, the blonde girl she'd met on her first day. Holly was also very close with the twins, Zoe and Bella McCarthy. They had been helping her improve on her dancing. Kurt told Holly she was about as good at dancing as her Uncle Finn had been when he was first in Glee Club! Holly didn't take it too harshly though, as she'd seen videos of Finn dancing in later competitions and it was actually quite good. Holly's view was that if Finn had done it, so could she. She wanted to make him proud. Although he'd died before she was born, Rachel had told Holly that Finn would have loved her and that he was watching her from heaven.
Holly Skyped Rachel daily and caught her up on everything that was happening in Glee. Rachel was encouraging and honest, if Holly rehearsed in front of her. Holly also gave her mum the latest gossip about herself and Caleb. They hadn't been on any dates, but he constantly texting her. Rachel said he was just playing hard to get. "All boys do it, cupcake! Don't stress!" she had told Holly on one call. Holly secretly hoped he'd ask her out after sectionals, but she didn't tell Rachel or her dads.
One Saturday night, Holly was sitting in the living room watching Moulin Rouge with her dads and Grandpa Burt and Grandma Carole. The movie was Kurt's choice, of course. It was his favourite! Holly's phone beeped and she smiled when she saw who it was. Blaine raised an eyebrow at Kurt, who was sitting on the sofa with him. Kurt elbowed him in the side, a sign for Blaine to stop teasing their daughter. Carole saw this and narrowed her eyes. She always wanted to know the gossip. Kurt pursed his lips, in an attempt to hold in a smile. Blaine didn't do as well as his husband, and burst into peals of laughter. At this point, Holly looked up from her phone in confusion. It was a sad part of the film! Why was he laughing? Blaine choked back his amusement at his daughter's puzzled look. Carole reached over to hug her granddaughter and squeezed her shoulder. "Who is he then?" She winked. Kurt couldn't hold back the laughter anymore. It burst out and before long; he had tears in his eyes. Burt was snoring peacefully in the armchair, completely unaware of what was going on. Moulin Rouge really wasn't his thing.
"A boy in Glee Club," Holly huffed. She couldn't keep secrets from her Grandma. "Do you like him?" Carole enquired. Blaine chuckled, as his daughter's cheeks flushed scarlet. "I'll take that as a yes!" Carole smiled as she gave Holly a hug. "Don't worry, baby. We've all been there!" Holly loved it when her grandparents visited. They were the sort of grandparents who spoiled her. Holly's other Grandma, Pam (Blaine's mum), had moved to Australia just after Blaine and Kurt's wedding. They'd never met, much to Blaine's disapproval, but had Skyped a few times. Uncle Cooper rarely visited as his work kept him busy and he and Blaine didn't get on well. He'd met Holly once, but Blaine said they were better off without him. Carole was sweet to Holly and made up for the fact that she'd never met her other grandmother. She liked to show Holly pictures of Finn, Kurt, Rachel and Blaine in competitions and home videos Carole had made of them singing. More than once Carole had cried watching her son. Holly comforted her and even cried a little herself. She wished she could have met her Uncle Finn. From the stories she'd heard, he sounded like an amazing person. One of her favourite stories about him was one that Rachel had told her. It had been an evening when Rachel was staying in the Anderson-Hummel household, whilst Jesse was away. Rachel had been lonely in New York, so Kurt invited her to stay. Holly and Rachel sat in the spare room in blankets and pyjamas, drinking hot chocolates with mini marshmallows.
"Mum, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, cupcake. Anything."
"Is it ok if I ask about Uncle Finn? I want to know more about him. What's your favourite memory of him?" Rachel laughed. "Is that all?" She sighed and thought for a minute. "Well, I'd have to say it was the first time we sang together in Glee Club. Mr Schuester had assigned us 'You're The One That I Want' from Grease." Rachel had smiled as she remembered this. "Finn was terrified. I was so excited because I had a massive crush on him! I was determined to make the most of our duet! I think I went a little overboard though!" Holly had joined her mother's laughter. "I remember his face as I grabbed his hand and tried to make him dance with me. He was terrified! Finn kept singing though."
"Do you still think of him?"
"All the time, sweetie. All the time."
Two weeks before sectionals:
Sam knew how hard the Glee kids had been working on their routine for sectionals. The group number had been chosen and practised consistently. He had decided against a soloist. Sam thought none of them were ready for that. Izzy was a senior, so it was her last year, but Sam wanted to save her solo if they got to regionals or even nationals. Instead, he'd given a duet to Holly and Caleb. He could see the chemistry between them in rehearsals and Glee Club meetings. Sam knew it wouldn't be long before they started dating. Knowing Caleb, he wouldn't ask her out quietly either. It would have to be a big theatrical number.
As a reward for all the hard work they'd put in, Sam wanted to organise a party. Upon hearing this idea, Kurt and Blaine automatically volunteered their basement party room. Neither had met Holly's friends, or knew much about them. This party would be the perfect opportunity to do that. Plus, Kurt had a few surprises up his sleeve.
The party was planned for a Friday night, with two weeks to go before sectionals. Holly had her outfit planned out. Izzy was coming early to get ready with her. Holly was wearing a dark blue glittery dress with straps and a low back. It came to just above her knee. She also had black heels, a present from Kurt. Izzy wore a short pastel pink dress, with long sleeves. She was much taller than Holly and was head cheerleader. In comparison, Holly felt a bit inferior to her best friend. Despite the fact that Izzy was two years older and very popular at McKinley, she and Holly got on incredibly well. Izzy's boyfriend was Joshua. He was also in Glee Club, but was the kicker on the football team, a position that had surprisingly been held by Kurt for a while when he was at McKinley. Josh was tall and muscular, with short dark hair and piercing green eyes. Izzy and Josh were perfectly matched. Their voices complimented each other when they sang and they were McKinley's top couple. Josh, like Izzy, was a senior.
The party room was set up, with disco lights and a sound system. Holly and Izzy were both excited, as they picked the playlist for the night. Blaine had linked up the karaoke machine to the speakers as well. He knew that would defiantly be made use of later.
Sam arrived first and was given an extremely warm welcome by Blaine. Blaine had clearly had a considerable amount wine already. He hugged Sam tightly and kissed him on both cheeks. Kurt took his husbands shoulders and pulled him away. "Hi, Sam. I apologise for Blaine. He found the alcohol a little early!" Sam laughed. "It's ok; just show me where the party's at!" Kurt pointed him in the direction of the party room and took Blaine to the kitchen for a glass of water.
Sam became door duty, whilst Kurt sobered Blaine up. A familiar face was the second guest to arrive. As Sam opened the door, he saw a short brown-haired woman get out of a car. She was followed by a taller man. It took Sam a minute to register that it was Rachel and Jesse! Beaming, Sam welcomed Rachel into a huge hug. They hadn't seen each other for at least a year. Jesse cleared his throat behind them. "Jesse," Sam exclaimed. "It's so great to see you both! I didn't know you were coming!" Rachel grinned. "Kurt has a few more tricks up his sleeve tonight than just us!" She winked and walked past him, making her way to the basement. Jesse followed, making awkward eye contact with Sam as he passed.
Just as Sam closed the door, the bell rang again. Standing on the doorstep were the twins, Zoe and Bella. Behind them stood their dad, Mason McCarthy, and their mum, Jane. Jane and Mason were both former Glee Club members. They had become a couple in Glee and had been together ever since. When Sam had first discovered who the twin's parents were, he felt very old! He couldn't imagine how hold Will must feel!
Kurt returned with a more sober Blaine after the twin's arrival. "Sam, can you take him downstairs please? I'll do door duty for a while." Sam took Blaine's arm, laughing at his best friend's clumsy behaviour.
Kurt's next two guests were part of his big surprise. He had wanted Holly and her friends to get a real sense of how Glee should be. To do this, he had to invite some old friends. Kurt had recently discovered that his daughter's best friend had some familiar parents. Without telling either of the girls, he had invited Izzy's parents to the party. They got out of their shiny silver Volvo. She had on a knee-length green skater dress and tan coloured heels. He wore his Air Force uniform, as always. Quinn and Noah Puckerman, or 'Puck' as he had been known in McKinley. Kurt beamed as his old classmates made their way towards him. Both Puck and Quinn's faces reflected Kurt's excitement. "I can't believe this!" Quinn grinned. "This is insane! How could Izzy not tell us that she was best friends with Kurt and Blaine's daughter?!"
Puck shook Kurt's hand. "It's been too long, my friend." Kurt nodded in agreement. He hadn't seen 'Quick' since Holly was born. The original Glee kids had drifted apart, once they were married and had children of their own. Staying in contact became increasingly difficult.
Kurt let them in and directed them towards the party. He heard squeals of excitement from Rachel, indicating that she had seen Quinn and Puck. Music was blasting from the speakers already. Holly and Izzy's favourite band was One Direction, so their music dominated the playlist.
The next to arrive was a ginger-haired boy, Kurt assumed to be Caleb. Unbeknownst to him, Kurt also knew his parents. Spencer Porter and his husband Alistair were former Glee Club members at the same time as Jane and Mason. Kurt shook Caleb's hand. He could see why Holly liked him. Caleb looked a lot like Spencer, so was very muscular, but had Alistair's hair. Spencer smiled when he saw Kurt. "It's been a while Mr Hummel!" Kurt laughed. "Please, call me Kurt!" He shook both men's hands and showed them to the party room. "Jane and Mason will be surprised to see you!" Kurt called after them.
A few more of Holly's friends showed up next, including an extremely tall and muscly boy Kurt assumed to be on the football team.
Kurt waited nervously for the last guest to arrive. This was the one he was most concerned about. It was his biggest surprise. He hoped it would go smoothly and wouldn't cause too much drama. Finally, a car pulled up. It was extravagant to say the least; perfect for its owner. The car was a large white Volvo, with huge wheels and blacked out windows. When she got out, she looked just as Kurt remembered. Kurt's final party guest: Mercedes Jones. She wore white jeans and a black leather jacket; classic Mercedes style. Getting out of the passenger side next to her was a teenage boy, about the same age as Holly. The boy had jet-black hair and olive skin. His eyes were hazel coloured. There was something familiar about his face that Kurt couldn't put his finger on. Kurt had only invited Mercedes. He didn't know who the boy with her was.
Mercedes approached Kurt, grinning from ear to ear. "Kurt!" she cried, pulling him into a hug. "I've missed you so much!" Kurt hugged her back. Mercedes and Kurt hadn't seen each other since Holly's birth, because Mercedes was always touring. It was a stretch as to whether she would make it to the party. After her singing career took off, she lost most contacts with her McKinley friends, and she deeply regretted this.
"Who's this?" Kurt gestured to the boy behind Mercedes. A nervous look crossed her face. "I'm so sorry. I know you only invited me, but I couldn't find anyone to look after him! This is my son, Rue." Kurt's mouth hung open. Her son? The first thing that came into his mind was: who was his dad? "I know you must have a billion questions, Kurt. I will answer them all at some point. But, I'm pretty sure you can work out who is dad is." Rue looked embarrassed. "Don't worry, Rue knows who his dad is. He also knows he's here tonight. Please don't say anything though, Kurt. I'll tell Sam when I'm ready." Sam! Kurt realised why the boy had looked familiar. He had exactly the same face as Sam. Aside from skin colour, they looked like the same person.
Kurt welcomed Mercedes and Rue and led them to the party room.
"Tonight is going to get interesting," Kurt muttered to himself.
