Love Will Find Away
Ok, so this weeks Glee hands down was the seasons best so far… I don't know who gave me chills more vocally… Lea or Chris… anyways here is chapter 3… I still have no clue how long this will be but I do know it won't be as long as Find Yourself… maybe only half that…. anyways again this chapter will flip flop back and forth from what Krissy and Artie are doing at this point in time which is Thanksgiving of their second year of college… lots of GH character cameos this chapter…. Also a heads up… I didn't intentionally plan that all the doctors at Artie's facility were gay it just happened that way (you'll see what I mean later) song used in this chapter is 21 Guns by Green Day (a song you may remember from the last book) as well as their song Know Your Enemy (because Michael totes would be a Green Day Fan and would be blasting '21st Century Breakdown' on random even in the fall of 2013)
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THANKSGIVING 2013:
Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?
Sure it wasn't the stage version of the song but as Green Day's voice filled the air of Michael's car a chill ran down her spine.
"Kristina," her brother said from behind the wheel, "is something wrong."
"It's nothing," Kristina said, "really."
From the front passenger seat Quinn looked into the backseat before turning to her boyfriend.
"She's lying."
"Am not."
"Yes, you are… Michael it's the song."
"Kristina I thought you liked Green Day."
Kristina didn't have a chance to respond as Quinn went on.
"We sang it at Regionals, Sophomore Year."
It was then Michael nodded fully understanding.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You didn't know," Kristina defended, as her dream of an Artie-free long weekend was shattered.
Do you know the enemy
Do you know your enemy
Well gotta' know the enemy, ohaooh!
Now that song was much better and the trio started to sing along to the music blaring from the speakers and nothing more was said about Kristina's moment.
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Artie took a deep breath as he exited the airplane that he'd taken back to Ohio with his mom. He never thought he'd say this, but he was definitely happy to be back in Lima, of coarse it could have been do to the fact that this was his first time outside of his rehab in Philly but still… it was great to be back.
Sure it was only for a week to celebrate Thanksgiving but things were definitely looking up for him. Once he returned back to the facility after the holiday he'd be gaining more freedoms while being taught life skills that would assist him in living on his own in Boston come summer.
He also was glad to be back home in the hopes that he could catch a glimpse of Kristina, not that he had any idea what to say to her when he saw her, in fact not speaking to her and just gazing at her from afar would be fine.
"I can't believe you're almost as tall as me," his father said with as he approached them at baggage claim.
A smile crossed the younger mans face as he embraced his father.
"It's good to see you too dad," he replied, "anyways so if you're here to pick up me and mom whose working on Thanksgiving dinner?"
His father explained that his aunt had things covered and that the rest of the family couldn't wait to see him and truthfully he couldn't wait to see them either.
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Carly Jacks opened the door and spotted the trio upon arrival. Instantly she tossed her arms around her first-born son.
"Michael, baby I missed you," she said tightening her embrace with every second.
"M-mom," Michael said, "I've only been gone for a few months."
"That's a few months too many," she said looking over to the two girls that stood behind her son as she pulled back smiling at the dark haired girl.
"Kristina," she said with a smile, "how are you doing sweetheart."
The young girl smiled.
"Taking things one thing at a time."
Carly reached out to place a gentle hand on the girls shoulder for although they weren't really close Carly did have a rather colorful romantic history.
"It'll be ok, your young, your beautiful, your smart…. There will be other guys."
"That's what I've been trying to tell her," Quinn said with a smile, "you got to kiss a few frogs to get your Prince."
"Quinn right?" Carly said as she looked over toward the blonde with a weary eye, "and what is my son… just another frog?"
Quinn wished she could turn back time as she thought that this was a great way to impress her boyfriends mother, to make a comment that in the wrong context would come off as insulting. Momentarily she thought about Noah Puckerman and Finn Hudson for the moment before nervously biting her lip. She could tell Carly was getting impatient.
"Well," the older woman said.
"At the moment Mrs. Jacks your son is leaning toward Prince Material."
Carly smiled obviously glad to hear it, as she looked the blonde over a bit more relaxed.
The girl definitely seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and she lead the trio of young adults into the home where presently Morgan was sitting in the den watching some football game along with an older man whom Carly explained to Quinn was her younger brother Lucas who was a Physical Therapist back in Philly and finally decided to come home for Thanksgiving instead of having their mother go to him. The mom in question, Bobbie was an older red head who looked like she had one too many plastic surgery jobs however neither of the teens would say as much.
"Kristina," she said looking at the brunette teen, "wow look at you… your all grown up."
She smiled back at the older woman.
"So I hear you're at Yale now."
"Yes, I'm in my sophomore year, pre law and poly-sci, and not to brag but I've been making the deans list every semester."
"We wouldn't expect anything less," the older woman said as Michael excused himself to join his brother and Uncle while Carly, Bobbie, Kristina, and Quinn engaged in small talk while Carly's daughter Joss sat on the floor playing with her dolls.
It kind of hit Quinn hard watching the little girl as her own daughter was only five months younger…she wondered how Carly would react however that she thought would be a topic best saved for another day, or at least until dessert.
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As he arrived home he was met by his relatives who poked and prodded him like some science experiment making him feel uncomfortable. They asked him about his new found height and mobility which was still so surreal, they asked about what major he was planning to declare when he got back to MIT (to which he replied that he WAS leaning toward something technical like film making however now he was contemplating going pre-med.) it was then that they asked the dreaded question of if he had a nice girl in his life.
Ha, and when was he supposed to find a nice girl, when he was learning to walk again or when he was pining over Kristina?
Speaking of the girl in question his eyes soon fell on one of the many photos that sat on the mantle place.
It was taken the night of the Spring Formal their Sophomore Year.
He still couldn't believe Kurt had convinced him to wear a PINK tie to match her dress… however for Kristina honestly he'd of gladly let his entire suit be pink just to see her smile light up the room. They were so young and in love and in the moment he totally thought it would have lasted forever.
Letting out a sigh he realized suddenly he needed some air and so he excused himself, heading outside to where some of his cousins were now playing football causing him to smile as he secretly had always longed to play the game and even once during Junior Year almost talked Finn into getting him a spot on the team as he could of totally made himself into a human battering ram… however then Kristina would of probably felt the pressure to become a Cheerio and they'd fight and he'd dump her for Santana and….
"Hey," his cousin said, "Artie we need another man to be even….want to play."
He nodded as he ran into the front yard, a smile on his face.
However as he'd been playing with his cousins little did he know that a familiar face was watching him, doing a double take as she'd surely been going crazy at seeing Artie Abrams… WALKING!
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They were now sitting around the dining room enjoying a beautifully catered meal.
Everyone had welcomed Quinn with open arms as if she'd been part of the family all along. They talked about New Directions, or at least the fact that Kristina and Quinn were amazing singers. Bobbie made a comment about something called a 'Nurses Ball' and how if they still did it that the girls would have had to of performed.
Kristina smiled as her mom and Jax were talking about some woman named Lucy Coe always winding up in her underpants.
"Underpants," Lucas said, "so not what I pictured as normal dinner conversation."
"Well, who said we were normal?" Carly asked.
Lucas let out a laugh.
"True….anyway lets change the subject, I mean we have a child here," he said looking toward Joss, "and we definitely don't want to scare Quinn away, she seems like a keeper."
Quinn blushed.
Truthfully though, underpants would not freak her out.
"Well then son," Bobbie asked, "what is proper dinner conversation."
The young man blushed.
"Well, this being Thanksgiving and all maybe we can talk about a patient that I'm working with who is thankful this year for his new perspective on life."
Everyone looked on to the young man as he began to talk about a young man who had gotten into a horrific car accident at the age of eight causing him to be paralyzed to a degree that was most likely permanent.
Michael and Quinn just looked at Kristina's reaction to the story, they could tell it was hitting her close to home and so she casually asked to be excused to get some air.
The others nodded and Lucas continued to talk about how Dr. Lewis, had came up with this experimental surgery and how now at almost twenty the boy was standing on his own two feet for the first time.
Quinn silently wondered if Artie knew about this case seeing as how the patient's condition was eerily similar to his.
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As the conversation about Lucas's patient was going on inside Kristina had headed outside and ran right into someone whom she knew she'd inevitably see on this journey back to Port Chuck.
"Hey dad," she said with a smile.
Sonny looked at his little girl who wasn't so little any more.
"Your mom didn't tell me you were coming here."
"She doesn't have to call you, I'm a big girl you know….and besides I was going to come by before I went back to New Haven."
Sonny nodded and was about to ask her how school was going however he could see the glossy tear stained look in her eyes.
Sure, he knew he was never that much of a father to her, that when she got married she'd more then likely have Burt Hummel be the one to give her away, however he couldn't see her look the way that she did in that moment.
"What's wrong sweetheart."
"Artie."
"Artie," Sonny said pausing, "you mean the crippled kid from that glee club of yours?"
She really didn't like the tone of her father's voice as he said this and yet she softly nodded.
"I've seen pictures, he makes you happy doesn't he."
She shook her head.
"He broke up with me."
"Wh-when?"
"Well it depends on how you look at things. At mom and Burt's wedding he told me that we should take a step back and just be friends while we were at college…. You know the whole if you love someone set it free speech…"
Her father nodded.
"Then last January I came back to school after Christmas Break to receive a letter saying that he still loved me and always would but was going off the radar and didn't know when he'd be able to contact me again."
The look on her father's face meant business.
"I'll get Spinelli to track him down and have Jason….."
"Dad, no…if I wanted to track Artie down I'd get Noah to do it."
"Noah… Sam's boy toy?"
"He's not her boy toy," Kristina mumbled as Michael stepped outside obviously wanting to check to see how his kid sister was doing however upon seeing his father he flashed a half smile.
"Dad."
"Your mom said you were coming for Thanksgiving with that new girlfriend of yours… Quinn right."
Michael nodded as Kristina looked from her father to her brother.
"You guys can go inside…I'll be okay."
They nodded and entered the house as Kristina picked up her cell…dialing a highly familiar number.
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She didn't plan on approaching him, really she didn't. In fact she would have been most content just watching from afar while silently wondering if Will's mother spiked the Apple Cider when a football flew in her direction almost hitting her square in the nose.
"I'll get it," a voice that matched the one of the boy she'd thought she'd seen seemed to echo in the crisp November air.
She watched now as the figure dressed in a cranberry and brown argyle sweater vest moved in her direction… his bispected eyes meeting her large doe ones as he stood back up after retrieving the ball.
They stood in silence for a brief moment before the nervous red head stammered:
"A-artie? Is that you?"
He waved to her.
"Happy Thanksgiving Miss Pillsbury," he said as a confirmation.
"W-wow…I mean, Happy Thanksgiving."
"It's ok, I know your curious as to how this happened," he spoke as he motioned toward his feet that were now shuffling on the pavement.
"W-well, yea, I mean the beginning of Junior Year when you went to talk to me about possible treatments and I told you the odds were stalked against you…"
Artie nodded remembering that conversation. He went to ask the counselor about his odds as he had this dream of shocking everyone by getting out of his chair come graduation, or even better being able to twirl Kristina around in his arms by senior prom.
A smile crossed his lips as he explained about how Dr. Lewis had approached him about the experimental surgery and how he'd been mobile now for almost nine months now.
"I'm so proud of you," the counselor said, "so what does Kristina think of the new you?"
"She doesn't… I mean I haven't told her…I haven't told anyone."
Emma nodded.
"Well, I know I'm not your guidance councilor anymore but I promise to keep this meeting completely confidential however you do know that if I could easily run into you, the others…"
Artie nodded.
"I know," he said secretly wishing that Kristina would see him and run into his arms.
Emma smiled making a comment about how 'Will' was waiting for her and he replied about how his cousins were probably waiting for the ball.
"Good luck Artie," were Emma's final words as he headed back toward his home thinking that this year he definitely had something to be thankful for.
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"Krissy… THANK GOD," a familiar voice rang in her ear.
"Happy Thanksgiving to you too Kurt," she said, her voice no longer full of sadness and instead carried a sarcastic edge.
"Happy Thanksgiving," he spoke in a rush, "now pleasantries aside this is shaping up to be like one of those awesomely bad romantic comedies that practically litter your mother's DVD collection."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Diane and Max are having a baby."
"That's great news…although be prepared to help her shop for maternity couture."
"Oh, I anxiously await doing that…anyway so now she's going on about how our parents should try for a kid of their own."
"For real.
"For real… I mean I get that mom and Diane are the same age but really… Molly is a sophomore, she'd be a junior by the time the baby came into the world…"
Listening to Kurt's rant she couldn't help but laugh and smile a genuine smile.
"I don't know," she said to her brother, "a baby brother or sister might not be such a bad idea.."
TBC
Ok so I am toying round with adding an Alexis and Burt baby if only for the pure amusement of listening to Kurt and Molly talk baby names….
As far as Michael goes in this cannon vs. GH cannon. He was in the coma for a year, he did kill his step monster Claudia (but didn't cover it up and came right out in saying that it was self defense leading him to getting community service and NO prison time hence no rape) he graduated in 2011 however he took a year off before talking his step-father Jasper Jacks into helping him get into Yale where he currently studies business….