This is a shift day [see above]. There will be another upload this afternoon: The Ties That Bind, chapter 8.

"Showcased"

3. Those In The Club

It was strange at times, amusing at others, for them to see how the others handled these developments. As far as those of them who were in Glee Club went, even Sam who was still relatively new, it was just part of business. The showcase was an inconvenience, but they didn't fret on it, only saw it as a chance to bring things in focus. There was still an 'us and them' kind of vibe though, so it almost didn't surprise them when a bunch of them didn't show up to practice that day.

But then the next day Puck and Rachel weren't there, and they began to think of the possibility of these new guys having wrecked it all. They didn't know if this meant a complete stop to activities or not, but they were running out of time already, with the showcase coming…

When Artie received the phone tree message, the very first on the list, he would assume like all others that it was Rachel who'd sent it, as usual. It wouldn't be until much later they'd know it had been Puck with Rachel's cell phone.

He was in class when he got it, and his posture shifted, resisting the urge to fist pump the air. He liked that they were doing this, didn't want to stop. And he was very happy with his role, though having to let Mike handle the tango was a bummer, it wasn't like he expected otherwise. He had tried to figure out a way to work around it, but it wasn't working, and the way he saw it this was for the sake of the production. But if Mike thought he'd get "La Vie Bohème" away from him then he had another thing coming.

So on the message went, out of McKinley and to Dalton Academy. Blaine sat in the library when his phone jerked about from the vibration. He looked up and seeing Artie's name on the screen he blinked… Kurt had already called him to say rehearsal was off today… But he read the message and saw this was for a rehearsal the next day. He smiled at that. He was not a student at McKinley, he didn't know all its inner workings, why they'd had to hide the musical, but he didn't question it. He'd been both surprised and touched when they'd offered him Collins, and it was definitely a chance to branch off… maybe spend more time with Kurt… So it was never an issue, he just sent the message on to the next in line, Cheerio Alicia Beckett.

After the Beckett twins the message would land on another pair who shared a last name, though with no blood relation here. Mike got it first, though as Tina was sitting at his side at the time she found out at the same time he did. Both saw his phone light up on the table and looked to it before looking up at each other. Mike opened the message and they read.

Mike was thankful for the role, though it was kind of prominent, which concerned him. He still had certain issues with his singing, but Artie had offered to help him, since they were sharing Mark. The tango with Santana was going to be interesting… His part in that was secure, and so was Santana's – Mercedes didn't want the tango – but then there was the Maureen issue…

Mike had picked up his phone to send the message on to Tina, in plain view of her, but she would play like she hadn't expected it, 'surprised' by its arrival. She had been taken slightly aback at first, to learn Brittany already had the role of Maureen and she was sharing her, but she'd gotten over it. Now though there were other problems, like who got what parts of the musical. The most heatedly bargained points were the tango and 'Over the Moon,' and while Santana had called for a tango off, Tina had come up for a compromise. Brittany could have the tango, but she got 'Over the Moon.' Brittany had agreed. And with that, 'the Maureens' had found their middle ground. The showcase wasn't even an issue, she wasn't letting go. So the message went on, to their newbie…

Sam wouldn't see the message until lunch. He was getting something for himself and Quinn when he checked his phone and saw it. He'd been a bit apprehensive at first, having already seen how Rocky Horror had gone, but he'd spent enough time with them all to at least consider it. At least there were no gold shorts in this one. And he was sharing Roger with Puck, so he supposed it wouldn't be too bad. Plus there was the Quinn part… That had certainly made him more willing.

Quinn had been sitting at their table waiting for Sam to return and then two things happened in quick succession. Her phone vibrated, but before she even had time to pick it up there was a loud clatter, followed by applause. She looked over and managed to catch a glimpse of Sam crouching to pick up the fallen tray, and… his phone? She looked to hers and saw the message was from him, just sent… It made her laugh, couldn't help it, to imagine him balancing the trays while trying to text her and then…

Then she saw the message – phone tree… Last thing she had expected. Not that she didn't want to keep doing the musical, she did. Of course she'd been one of the last people cast among the club, but then to know Rachel had been willing to share her role, Mimi, with her, it managed to convince her of how serious they were about the production, so she was in. The secret wasn't really an issue, nor was the showcase. So she passed the message on, just as a slightly… battle-stained Sam returned with two new trays.

It would pass through three people before reaching Finn. There was no moment's thought with him on this, even with the Rachel factor. They had been broken up for weeks now, and he hadn't seen it at first, but finally he had. He saw how close she was getting to Puck, and him to her, and he didn't even know if they realized it themselves yet. He wasn't going to quit for that. He was part of the team, wouldn't let them down even if she was moving on. He sent the message to Kurt.

When Mercedes had informed him about the absences that morning he'd turned right around and called Blaine to tell him. He would see him around Dalton, but any reason was a good reason. Apparently Blaine had been holding a piece of information in, because when the phone tree reached him, Kurt was absolutely surprised, in a good way. He may have been unsure about it at first, with the trouble it could cause his old club, but at the same time it would be so good to be back amongst friends…

One more stop later, the message would reach Mercedes. She had taken a bit more coaxing at first, primarily for being brought in so late in the game, but also for having to share her role with Santana. She wasn't about to sit it out though, so she'd accepted. The other people had given her pause, and their bailing out the day before barely surprised her. The fact that today the message had reached her though, it gave her reason to be confident again. So she'd passed it on.

One more hop and the message would find its next New Directions target. Santana had been busy tuning out the teacher, much more interested in watching the back of Brittany's neck flex as she sat there, listening to the lesson. So when she felt the phone's vibration, Santana startled, which got all eyes back on her. "Sorry," she breathed. "Got a little carried away… on learning…" she made it a point to pick up her pen. Slowly the others had turned their attention back to the lesson, though Brittany still looked to Santana as though to ask what had happened. She shrugged it off. When Brittany looked back ahead, Santana let out a breath and looked to the message. Like others before she was surprised to see it was about Rent.

She had long abandoned any attempts to pretend like this wasn't the part of her day she looked forward to. When Puck had extended the invitation for her to play Joanne, and once she'd gotten over the fact that Rachel had the reins, she'd been on board. Add in the fact that Brittany would be playing her Maureen and she was good to go. The two of them and Mike had been preparing for the tango for a while now, and they weren't going to let go just because of a hiccup like the showcase. She wouldn't say it, but Rachel and Puck were doing good with it. So she passed the message on. Knowing who it was going to next, she didn't worry about it getting to Brittany soon; she was right after that one.

And then a few minutes later Brittany's hand carried her phone under her desk to read a new text message: from Ellie – the phone tree. She looked back to Santana, who gave a smirk. Brittany had been game, anxious about the musical, right from the start. After Rachel had gone, the day she'd been asked, Brittany had scoured the halls until she found Santana. At first she tried to play discreet, unsure as to whether she'd been approached, but Santana was quick to make her. Luckily she had been approached, so they were able to talk, especially over the weeks it took before things started happening with the project again. She didn't want it to fail, so she'd been worried when Schuester had found out, even more when people had bailed. Now they would be okay, she could feel it. She sent the message on.

A few stops later, the message would reach Puck's phone, completing the chain and confirming everyone's commitment to the next day's rehearsal, the showcase, and the musical. They would have to regroup, polish away some scratches, but then they were on their way.

THE END