Pearl

"You girls wanted to see me?" The gruff voice of Shannon Beiste breaks the silence in the choir room.

The girls in question turn around to face the football coach. Although the main girls who had caused offense were Santana, Mercedes, and Tina, Brittany and Sugar decided to join the trio in remorse as well.

"We wanted to say we're sorry," Tina begins to explain. "We shouldn't have joked around like that. Domestic violence is not even remotely close to funny and we're sorry we ever though that way."

"We just wanted to let you know that we regret our actions and we're proud of you for being able to get out and leave that situation," Mercedes spoke next.

"We know that not everyone is as lucky as to just pack up and leave. The truth is that we probably wouldn't have realized just how serious this situation is if it hadn't happened to someone we know and love. That being said, we have a song for you." Santana wrapped up the compassionate speech.

"Come sit down." Tina walked over to the coach, grabbing the other woman's hand and leading her to sit on the chair facing the stools.

The rest of the girls sat on the stools that were placed in front of the piano. Sugar sat to Mercedes' right and Santana to her left. Britt had decided to leave the spot next to Santana for Tina and sat on the last stool. Tina released Beiste's hand once the burly woman sat down before sitting down at the empty spot.

Brad, recognizing all the cues by now, started playing the recognizable melody.

After their disastrous performance in the auditorium and a lecture from both cheerleading coaches, the girls did their own research on domestic violence and the effects it can have on the victim.

The girls were shocked, to say the least. They were disgusted with themselves at the prospect of making fun of such a grave thing. After an exhausting afternoon filled with tears and remorse, the girls decided to stick to their glee roots and find a song to sing to Beiste as an apology.

Since both Kurt and Rachel – mainly Rachel – had been stuck practicing for their NYADA audition, Mr. Schue had decided to give them a break. Instead of coming up with a weekly glee assignment, the glee director told them to rest up for Nationals. This left the girls with ample time to choose a song.

It was Mercedes who found the song after an outing with Kurt.

The best friends had rekindled their friendship after Mercedes and the rest of the Troubletones rejoined glee. Over the past few months, the duo had stuck to a schedule they had set up in Sophomore year. Every Thursday after Glee, Kurt and Mercedes would go to the mall for an afternoon of shopping, relaxing, and spending time together. They would finish off the evening with whichever Broadway bootleg they were craving to watch.

The two had decided to grab lunch after spending two hours in multiple shops when Kurt gave Mercedes the brilliant idea.

"Oh my god, she follows me everywhere!" Kurt joked, pointing to the mall speaker that was currently blasting Katy Perry's Firework. Mercedes shot a confused look at Kurt, urging him to elaborate. "Blaine's obsessed with her." Kurt picked up on the hint and Mercedes picked up on the slight blush that the mention of Blaine gave Kurt.

"That boy has you wrapped around his finger, doesn't he?" Mercedes teased him, reveling in the way Kurt's blush deepened.

"It's not my fault I can't listen to Teenage Dream without thinking of him!" Kurt defended himself.

At the time, Mercedes thought the boy was referring to the album and not the song. Although Katy Perry wasn't exactly her cup of tea, the sassy diva decided to give it a listen anyway. She was halfway through the album when she got to the song she thought was perfect.

After talking the girls into her idea, they had rearranged the song in a key that was comfortable for the three of them. Wanting to get everything right, the trio practiced the song religiously before deeming it perfect.

They had decided that today was the day, seeing as Coach Sue had broken the news to them that Coach Beiste was staying with her sister only a few hours earlier.

"She is a pyramid, but with him she's just a grain of sand," Santana's rich voice rang out as she sang the opening lines. They had decided that a slowed down version of the song would be more impactful and listening to Santana, they knew they made the right decision.

"She was a hurricane, but now she's just a gust of wind. She used to set the sails of a thousand ships, was a forced to be reckoned with," Tina took over, singing into the pre-chorus.

"Oh, she used to be a pearl," Mercedes launches into the chorus, "Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh. Can't believe she's become a shell of herself cause she used to be a pearl."

The girls were putting their all into this performance and it showed. The curly haired coach had never heard something so powerful. Beiste was struck with how much these girls were truly sorry and her heart swelled.

"She was unstoppable. Moved fast just like an avalanche but now she's stuck in deep cement wishing that they never ever met," Santana's voice rang out once again.

The girls had never collaborated on a song like this before, but they were proud of how it turned out. It was easy to arrange who was singing what. Santana had a beautiful rich tone with a lot of emotion behind it, and although Tina never got any solos, her talent was undeniable. Mercedes could no doubt bring the house down with her impressive belts so assigning the chorus to her was easy with Santana and Tina splitting up the verses.

"Did you know that there's a way out, there's a way out, there's a way out, there's a way out," Santana takes over the first part of the bridge.

Tina immediately follows, "You don't have to be held down, be held down, be held down, be held down."

"Cause I used to be a shell, yeah I let him rule my world" Mercedes sings softly, getting stronger with the next line, "My world, oh yeah. But I woke up and grew strong, and I can still go on. And no one can take my pearl."

Beiste overcame her emotions as she listened to the words. She knew it would take time and a lot of therapy before she'd be able to move past the memories, but the song was a start. The words were reaching into her heart and letting her know that leaving her husband is the best decision she can make. She needs to put herself first and leaving that man is a step in the right direction.

"You don't have to be a shell," the other two voices joined in with Mercedes, creating a powerful harmony. "You're the one that rules your world, oh. You are strong and you'll learn that you can still go on. And you'll always be a pearl."

Tears were flowing freely down Beiste's face as she heard the final line.

"She is unstoppable."