So I decided to go a little bit different route in terms of what's going to happen in glee club, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it but it should be interesting… I hope. Anyway, standard disclaimer, I don't own Glee or any of its characters.
"Quinn Singing" Fair warning, I did change a couple of the lyrics, just to fit Quinn a little bit better, nothing major though, just a word or two.
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Quinn lay back in her bed, wide awake as the conversation with Maribel ran through her mind. Quinn didn't know what to expect when she asked the older woman to explain the adoption process but she felt better about it now that she had. She would get to pick the family, she could make sure that they were perfect, that they would take care of it, that the baby would be loved and have everything that she would never be able to provide for it.
It wasn't like she had imagined it, although to be honest she imagined it to be something more along the lines of Annie, dropping the baby off at an orphanage and then basically wishing it luck. Quinn was grateful when Maribel hadn't laughed at her when she mentioned that, though she did see some amusement in her eyes that she had believed that. Basically she would get in touch with an adoption agency and then she would work out what kind of adoption it would be, open or closed, then she would be provided information on different families looking to adopt, applications, letters that sort of thing. She could even meet with the families, if she wanted to, that was the big thing for her, actually meeting them. She knew just how perfect a family could appear on paper, but her biggest concern for the child is that they would end up in a family like hers. However, as long as she met with them in person she could spot that kind of bullshit in an instant, and at the very least she could make sure that the baby didn't go to a family like hers.
Or she could let the adoption agency handle it, she could give them some criteria for what she wanted for her child and they would take care of it for her. She wasn't going to do that, she owed it to the child to get to know the people and make sure that they were good enough for it, that she wasn't just swapping one life of misery for it with another.
She had opted against telling people about the encounter with Terri Schuester, she probably should have, but she wanted to handle that on her own. She had been off kilter after the confrontation with Sylvester and not in a good place and then that woman had surprised her and hit her with every single insecurity that she was feeling.
But she had gained her bearings and the talk with Maribel had really eased her mind about everything. It wasn't ideal, ideally she wouldn't be pregnant at all or even if she was she would be in a position to keep the child, but at least she had some control over the situation. The baby wasn't going to be ripped away from her, she was going to be able to make sure that it had the best start in life possible. She would make sure that the child's family would be everything that hers wasn't.
Unfortunately for Terri Schuester that crossed her, and her husband, right off the list. She knew an ambush tactic when she saw one, and now that she was thinking clearly she could already tell that the woman wasn't the kind of person she wanted raising the child. The crazed look in her eye, the soft spoken but still harsh words that had come out of her mouth, all of it reeked of exactly what she was looking to keep the child away from. Honestly looking back on it, the woman reminded her of a more neurotic and less calculating version of her sister. And any resemblance to the Fabray family cut you from the list no questions asked.
As for Mr. Schuester… she didn't know him well enough to say whether or not he would be a good father. That being said, if he was okay with his wife coming and talking to her about it like that then it was probably not in the baby's best interest to go with him. And while there were times when he had been great with the glee clubbers he was a little too… selfish seemed harsh but she couldn't help but think it accurate. She may have forgiven him for the way he had talked to Brittany for trying to suggest things, but she hadn't forgotten it either. He just seemed like he just wasn't ready to be a father, any more than she was ready to be a mother.
When she thought about who she wanted for a mother for the child the answer was obvious. If it couldn't be her then she wanted it to be someone like Maribel. That woman ruled that house as benevolent dictator she had jokingly described it once. But there was nothing wrong with that. Maribel loved Santana with all of her heart, she was strict but not overbearing. She wanted the best things for her daughter but didn't force the girl into any role that she didn't want. She was also a good wife, her and Aiden were partners, all benevolent dictatorship jokes aside, they were two equals sharing a life together. To Quinn, Maribel was the picture perfect essence of what it meant to be a strong proud woman. And she wanted her child… the child to have that in their life, a strong woman figure, whether they were boy or girl, she wanted that strong female role-model for them.
As for a father, she wanted them to be kind and gentle, everything her father wasn't. Someone like Hiram Berry. She remembered very well that first night she was here, how he had said that he was just up and just curious as to had been up that early. He had then proceeded to do everything within his power to make her feel comfortable and safe in this house. Even telling her of his own experiences to put her mind at ease, to let her know that someone around her understood what it felt like to be abandoned by their family and it wasn't just her. She had been here long enough now to know that it wasn't just a chance encounter, Hiram slept like a rock, he wouldn't be up unless he wanted to be, even at that first night he had been worried about her, a complete stranger, and so he had sought her out just on the off-hand chance that he could help to ease some of her suffering. That was the kind of man that she imagined raising her child. 'The child, theee child, not your child.' She reminds herself.
She wouldn't settle, the family that got the baby would have to meet her every standard. She owed the baby that, the chance to start their life with every advantage, so she would take this process seriously because there is no way that she would risk leaving the baby with just another version of the Fabrays. Another version of the Lopez's or the Pierces or the Berrys, you better believe it, but not the Fabrays, never them.
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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Brittany smiles when she sees Rachel and Quinn making their way over to her. Quinn especially seemed to be doing better than she had been yesterday and it was a relief to see a genuine smile on the other girl's face, one that wasn't trying to mask pain. Brittany wasn't under any illusion that things were magically perfect for Quinn but it was still really great to see her so, for the moment, carefree.
"Hey B." Quinn says as she comes up and wraps her up in a quick hug. "You ready for today?"
"Yes, yes I am, and hopefully today will be better than the last few."
"Of course it will be, the storm has been weathered, the sea is calm, and I foresee only clear skies and smooth sailing from here on out." Quinn says matter of factly and Brittany giggle.
"Aye aye captain." She teases the girl.
Quinn blushes but just laughs it off, "Shut up, you know what I mean."
"And you're okay with… you know… giving up the baby." Brittany asks hesitantly, not wanting to bring Quinn down, but worried about how her friend was handling things.
Quinn takes a second to consider the question. "Okay isn't the ideal word I would use, but I can accept the way things are and I can live with this choice. I need to think about what's best for everyone involved so…. Yes I'm 'okay' with it, I've already started working on the criteria that I want to see in the potential families and I finally feel like I have some control of the situation. It's still a little ways off and so for now I'm just going to work on what I want for the child and then later on I'll actually meet with the families. Now moving on, Rachel, Brittany?"
"Yes?" Rachel asks, while Brittany looks on curiously.
"Today is the day that I make my triumphant return to glee club, and I don't want to just show up, I want to make an impact, so at lunch today would you two be willing to come with me to the auditorium and help me prepare something. Now that I'm out of cheerios I can focus on glee club without any worry of conflicting issues coming up. I'm going to give this club my all and I want to help lead us to a National Championship," she turns her gaze serious as she stares from Brittany to Rachel, briefly holding eye contact with each of them to convey how serious she is.
"I may not be cheerios captain any more, or even a cheerio, but I am still Quinn Fabray and I am still a champion and I won't be part of a group that can't get on board with that. So how about it, can I count on you two to help me prepare the welcome back performance of a life time?" Quinn is grinning from ear to ear, for the first time in a long while things felt okay, she felt good, and knew she was pouring it on a little thick but she couldn't help it, she was feeling motivated and she had decided that since glee club was all she had left in high school she was going to throw herself into it one hundred and ten percent. Besides, there was no point in doing something if she wasn't going to give it everything she had.
Rachel squeals and claps her hands excitedly, glad to see another person as passionate about glee as she was and Brittany couldn't contain the huge smile on her face even if she wanted to. This was the Quinn that had been missing lately, the take charge, take no prisoners, ass kicker that she knew, admired, and loved.
"Oh this is so exciting! What did you have in mind, did you have something in mind? If not I understand, coming up with something on short notice can be difficult, but I'm sure that I can help you come up with an adequate number that will fulfill your every criteria!" Rachel says quickly and excitedly.
"Actually I do have an idea, I just need help with the arrangements and setting it up to have the greatest impact. It's definitely outside my comfort zone and probably pushing it as far as what I'm capable of but it's got a lot of heart so I want to use it." Quinn tells them.
"What do you have in mind Quinn?" Brittany asks curiously.
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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Brittany and Rachel could barely contain their excitement. They were waiting in the choir room as patiently as they could for the rest of the glee club to show up as well as Mr. Schuester. They had worked it all out at lunch and while they had missed their meal, all three girls felt that as a one-time thing it was okay.
Matt and Mike were the last two students to arrive followed closely by Mr. Schuester.
"Alright guys, take your seats and we'll get started." He looks around the room. "I know that the last few days have been rough, we're currently down three members, with two of them out for another week and a half and our third member not quite ready to return yet. But we'll just have to carry on the best we can for now."
"Where is Quinn, I mean I know that Finn and Santana are suspended, but I saw her here today, so where is she?" Mercedes asks Brittany and Rachel.
"Yeah, we could really use her right now. Is she doing okay? Does she still need more time, she knows that we're here to support her if she needs us right?" Tina says as the rest of the club throws in their agreements. None of them had forgotten how Quinn had stepped up and helped this group in its earliest stages.
"Yeah, how is she?" Puck asks, his voice showing some concern.
Brittany forces herself not to sneer at him, really wanting to tell him where he could take his "concern" and where he could shove it, however she instead chooses to ignore him, but she does answer Mercedes and Tina. "Quinn's just taking care of some things, she's got a lot to deal with but she does miss this place and you guys, and she's eager to return."
"Alright guys, Rachel, Brittany, let Quinn know that we all miss her and that she's welcome to return at any time, now does anyone have anything prepared, anything they wish to share?" Mr. Schuester asks, getting the group back on track.
Brittany raises her hand. "Alright, go ahead Brittany."
Brittany goes over to Brad and hands him the sheet music and then goes and sits back down by Rachel. Both girls grinning from ear to ear. When the music starts playing everyone is looking at the blond cheerleader in confusion until all of their heads snap to the door in surprise as a new voice starts singing.
Return of the Queen
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Quinn steps into the choir room with the cockiest grin she can muster and struts to the center of the room, all eyes are on her.
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Get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed
Instead of getting on the Internet and checking a new hit me, get up
Thrift shop, pimp strut walking
Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby
Sweater game nope nope y'all can't copy
Yup, Bad, moonwalking, this here, is our party
My posse's been on Broadway, and we did it our way
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones
Into everything I record to it and yet I'm on
Let that stage light go and shine on down
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style
Money,
stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds
But, I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town
Trust me, on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit hustlin'
Chasing dreams since I was fourteen
With the four-track, bussing
Halfway cross that city with the backpack
Fat cat, crushing labels out here, nah, they can't tell me nothing
We give that to the people, spread it across the country
Labels out here, nah they can't tell me nothing
We give it to the people, spread it across the country
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By this point everyone had been bopping along as she sang, and she was surprised and pleased when everyone began to join in for the chorus. She had been nervous about doing this song, but it seemed like everyone was into it, so she poured her heart and soul into the performance.
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Can we go back, this is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
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Can we go back, this is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
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Now can I kick it, thank you
Yeah, I'm so damn grateful
I grew up really wanting gold fronts
But that's what you get when Wu-Tang raised you
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Mike and Brittany had both jumped up and joined her in the middle of the room, dancing alongside her, going along with her impromptu moves, she lets Mike give her a twirl, before she playfully pushes him back into his seat and leans over and sings to him the next line.
.
Y'all can't stop me
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Quinn moves back to the center of the room where Brittany had provided a standing mic for her and so she begins to sing using that in the style of the old, rat pack style singers. Using it more as a prop and dance partner than a microphone.
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Go hard like I got a 808 in my heart beat
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed
To a great white shark on shark week, raw!
Tell me go up, gone, deuces, goodbye, I got a world to see
And my girl, she wanna see Rome, Caesar'll make you a believer
Nah, I never, ever did it for a throne, that validation comes
From giving it back to the people, now sing a song and it goes like
"Raise those hands, this is our party
We came here to live life like nobody was watching"
I got my crew right behind me, if I fall, they got me
Learn from that failure, gain humility, and then we keep marching, I said
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Just like the previous time, the rest of the club joined in for the chorus, however instead of just singing along the majority of the club jumped up and began to dance around her. Quinn could feel her heartbeat pick up in excitement at the energy in the room.
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Can we go back, this is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
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Can we go back, this is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
.
With one voice the entire club sings the next part. Their energy and excitement at being here higher than it had been in weeks.
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Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
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Na na na na, na na na na
Hey-ee ay-ee ay-ee ay ay-ee ay-ee, hey
And all my people say
.
Na na na na, na na na na
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And all my people say
The rest of the club falls back at this point to allow Quinn to finish up her song.
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Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh- ooh
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Can we go back, this is the moment
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us
Like the ceiling can't hold us
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When Quinn finished the song she immediately found herself surrounded by the members of the club, telling her how much they missed her and how great the song was, and a large smile, a real smile finds its way onto her face, because she really did miss coming to this room and singing with these people.
"That was great Quinn." Kurt tells her as he claps her on the back.
"Damn girl, how long have you been practicing that, what a way to make your come back!" Mercedes cheers.
"That was really cool Quinn." Tina's soft voice reaches her eat.
"Q-Fab-bu-Ray! Holla!" Artie says, lifting his hands in a raise the roof motion."
"That was great Miss Fabray." Mr. Schuester says smiling. "And welcome back."
"Thank you, all of you, I'm glad to be back." She says smiling at the people around her.
"Wait hold on a second." Mercedes says and then turns and looks at Rachel and Brittany with narrowed eyes, not really angry or even annoyed, while both girls trying to hold and maintain a look of innocence but failing miserably. "Did you two know about this?"
"Who? Us?" Brittany says in mock surprise.
"Don't you think we would have told you guys rather than, oh I don't know let Quinn surprise us all with that fantastic performance?" Rachel asks with a cheeky grin on her face.
"Alright guys, lets settle down, Quinn it's great to have you back and now it's time to get to work." Mr. Schuester says, motioning for everyone to take a seat, and Quinn figured that this was the perfect time to step up and really commit to the glee club. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right and she was going to help lead this group to a National Championship victory, so it was time to whip their asses into gear.
"I couldn't agree more Mr. Schue, so what's on the agenda, have we decided who's doing what for sectionals? When is sectionals, by the way? I know we're down two people right now and I'm a bit out of the loop but what kind of prep work and practicing have you guys done to prepare for competition?"
The rest of the room look around at each other kind of awkwardly, except for Rachel who quietly huffs because she has been pushing for this since the beginning and Brittany who other than backing Rachel had stopped putting suggestions forward, tired of being shot down and deciding she would just enjoy the singing and dancing.
"We've got plenty of time to worry about that later Quinn, sectionals isn't until the end of November." Mr. Schuester tells her a little patronizingly, like has just said something cute but naïve and she bristles under it. "Now guys-"
"Excuse me Mr. Schuester, but shouldn't we be prepping for it now, I mean it's already October, and time is going by really fast. I can understand not having anything down pat yet, and to really be able to practice we'll need to wait for Santana and Finn to return, but we should already be narrowing down song choices, deciding on group numbers and holding auditions for solo's."
"Well we have been doing some work, I mean I do a weekly assignment. You know expose you guys to different ideas and different genres and things. But you know, it's not just about the competitions, this is supposed to be fun-"
"And I agree it should be fun," Quinn intercedes, using the opening he inadvertently gave to her to make and drive home her point. "But this is a show choir competition group and I don't know about you guys but I want to win, and to win means that every single performance, every number we do should be done with the goal of perfecting our voices and ironing out the kinks in our routine. Sure, we should have fun and this 'ballads assignment,' sounds like fun," Not really, "But how is it helping us to prepare for Sectionals, or Regionals or more importantly Nationals. I mean we all want that right, to be a part of a winning team, to be a part of something special, to show off our talents and you know," Quinn turns her attention to the rest of the club who are hanging on her every word, and she gives them a smirk, "rub it in the faces of everyone who has tried to keep us down."
There is a brief round of hushed conversation around the room as people listen to and agree with what Quinn is saying. And Mr. Schuester takes notice, "Okay, I can see where you're coming from and since you seem to have an idea of what we should be doing and everyone here seems to agree with you, where do you suggest we start Quinn?" Mr. Schue's voice holds no malice or resentment in it when he asks the question, just sincere curiosity.
"Well… first off we should be holding… not auditions, this club hasn't turned anyone away so far and I don't think we should, but we should definitely hold trials. You know, see where everyone stands like what range of notes each person is capable of reaching and where they are strongest at, and then we help them smooth out areas where they are weakest in. Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt, as well as Santana all have incredible voices, and they can hit any note they want from here till Sunday, I think that they should work with us on a group basis and one on one basis to help us reach their level. I know that Rachel has taken to helping you a bit Tina and from what I've been told you sound incredible, you just needed some help, and I know that I could definitely use some vocal training."
Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt all look at each other and then everyone else, fine with the idea of helping everyone improve.
"And then there's our dancing, I know this has been an issue in the past and that we'll never be Vocal Adrenalin as far as capabilities go, but we don't have to be. We just need our choreography to enhance our performance, not define it. And we have a great advantage there, Brittany is the most talented dancer I have ever seen, don't be embarrassed and don't blush, you are," Quinn says sincerely to Brittany who was shaking her head shyly, "So we should all do dance trials as well, see where each person stands as far as that goes and then we can let Brittany, and whoever else is up to her level, handle the choreography."
Quinn looks around the room and tries to gauge how everyone is feeling about her ideas and is pleased to see that they're going over well. "And finally I think we need to elect a captain, someone who can lead this club and get everyone to work together. Someone who can take charge and do what needs to be done, things like acting as a liaison between everyone and who will help coordinate everything and who will work with Mr. Schue on choosing who gets to do what parts, what we need to work on, and anything else that needs to be done. Someone who can be impartial and doesn't mind the extra work. Somebody who's passionate about the club-"
"Someone like you Quinn." Mr. Schuester says smiling and it gets a loud cheer of approval from just about everyone in the room. However Quinn is taken aback, she hadn't been thinking of herself at all, she had been thinking more along the lines of Rachel, or maybe even Kurt, both of whom had probably forgotten more about show choir than she would ever know.
"Wait no-"
"It makes sense, I mean, normally I would nominate myself, ya hear, but I also know myself well enough to know that I would try to hog the spot light." Mercedes says.
"Me too, and really, you've been back what, ten minutes? And you've already got us more fired up and organized than we have been in a long time." Kurt adds liking the idea more and more as he considers it.
"Plus you were the cheerios captain, so you know what it takes to be on a winning team." Tina throws in.
This gets just about everyone on board with the idea and they are all speaking up, throwing in their support for her to be captain. Finally Mr. Schuester holds his hands up to quiet everyone down, before he turns to her with an excited smile on his face. "I think the club has spoken, so how about it Quinn are you up for the job, you and I can stay after school tomorrow and get things set up and ready to go first thing next week. We'll finish the ballads assignment this week and then we can get to work whipping this club into shape."
"I… guys I don't know, I mean there has to be someone more qualified and…" She looks around and she sees she is surrounded by hopeful and encouraging faces, "well… if you're sure then… yeah, sure… okay, yeah I'll do it." Quinn agrees, she had, after all, decided that she was going to throw herself into glee club and give it a hundred and ten percent. It doesn't get more involved than being team captain. Yeah this could work, this could be just what she needed to get her life back on track, and give her something to focus on. Plus it seemed to make everyone happy if their cheering was anything to go by, she was actually starting to get a little excited at the prospect until she caught Rachel's eye who was looking at her with such a look of hurt and betrayal that it brought Quinn up short and she felt like her heart had just dropped into her stomach… damn it.
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So the song used is Macklemore's- Can't Hold Us. Usually it's Rachel and Finn, or Rachel and Kurt or Mercedes, or any combination of those four who end up being Captain of the glee club. I figured I would try switching it up a little bit. I'm not sure how it will turn out and I was a little leery of doing it but, oh well too late now lol. I hope you enjoyed, it was definitely a more light hearted chapter than the last few. Next chapter should be up next Friday.