Teehee! Bet you weren't expecting this!
I was really disappointed that I hadn't managed to give you a whole day as I said I was going to do when I uploaded on Tuesday. I began working on this chapter straight away. And now here it is: you have the whole of Friday :D
Another HUGE reason that I wanted to upload today was, of course, Glee Season 4. I've been really bouncy all day, and I bet I have gotten on quite a few peoples' nerves. Sorry! Unfortunately I won't be able to watch tonight's episode until probably this weekend, as I live in the UK so will be watching it online and have time zone issues. But I can't wait to watch it. SERIOUSLY CAN'T WAIT!
A short note because I still idolise him: happy Roald Dahlday everyone!
The extract in this chapter is taken from the episode "On My Way" from season 3.
I hope you enjoy the rest of Friday. I am a lot happier with this than I was with chapter 12. However, it has been pretty popular and my views have just rocketed recently. This chapter could well bring my views to over 3,000 so get reading! ;)
Story so far...
Kurt and Blaine arrived in Lima for the reunion. The heard Rachel singing her newest song, and went to bed. In the morning they greeted all of the ex-ND members and went to BreadstiX, with a surprise guest of Santana Lopez, the girl who had stolen Britt's happiness...
-*T&C*-
"So, Finn. Where next?"
"Well, little bro, I managed to have a word with the school and we have the auditorium for the afternoon."
"I'm older than you!"
"So? I'm taller."
Kurt stuck his tongue out childishly.
Sugar grumbled. "As much as I love Furt, can we please get going? I can't stand in these shoes all day." She looked down at her bright yellow five-inch heels.
"Right. Yeah. Well. Shall we stick to the same cars?" The group nodded. "Right. Good. I'll lead? Convoy again? Maybe more successful?" Again, the group nodded. "Right then. Shall we, er, go?" He swung his long arms in front of his body, pointing his index fingers to their cars.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's just go. Maybe then we can get Frankenteen to talk some sense."
"Yeah, good ide- HEY!"
When the cars arrived in McKinley's carpark, Finn got out and opened the door for Rachel, Kurt doing the same for Blaine. Both parties giggled at the action, leaving everyone else "aww"ing at them. Mike offered Tina his hand and then went skipping towards the entrance of the school. Santana considered offering her little finger to Brittany, but then saw the younger girl storm off without her as the blonde ex-cheerleader linked arms with a perplexed Artie. Lauren waggled her eyebrows at Puck, who walked in with her, albeit looking a little scared. He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it bleeped at him. Joe stuffed his hands in his pockets, strolled over to Quinn, and the two were lost in conversation as they walked in, smiling warmly at Rory as he tried to join them, only to be dragged off by Sugar. Sam saw Santana just standing, and walked over to her, offering her his arm, which she gladly took, the thankfulness clearly visible in her eyes.
The sixteen young adults walked in the main entrance, where they were met with a smiling Mr Schuester, who apologized and said that he had to go to Glee rehearsal - along with the Warblers, Lullaby League (yes, Dave's intentions had been negative when he came up with the name, but Mr Schue couldn't knock the boy for originality) had got through to the National Championships (the two teams had managed to draw in both Sectionals and Regionals). He informed them that he'd definitely be attending the main party, just not the whole weekend. They hugged him and waved goodbye, heading in the direction of the April Rhodes Civic Pavilion.
"Just a small town girl." Finn sang out the first line of the song that started everything, letting his sound reverberate around the small theatre. It was a spur of the moment thing as he took his wife's hand in his and squeezed it, leading her towards the stage.
"Livin' in a lonely world." Kurt remembered the first time he had sang that song, standing on the very stage that they were now all walking towards. He smiled at his step-brother. Who would have thought that he could have gone from then to now?
"She took the midnight train goin' anywhere." Artie reminisced about their first performance as a group - he didn't count Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat. The feeling of power that performing gave him made him forget that he was in a chair. It made him feel accepted.
"Just a city boy." Rachel remembered how she had felt when she had first heard Finn's powerful voice taking the first verse, her spirits lifting, and a knowledge that one day, he'd be hers. She smiled. She had lost a lot since that day, but she has gained a hell of a lot more.
"Born and raised in south Detroit." Tina may have not got many solos in her first three years in the singing group, but the final year had certainly made up for that. And now she was engaged to the man of her dreams, and life couldn't be much better.
"He took the midnight train goin' anywhere." Will had poked his head around the door quickly, knowing that the line would have been given to Mercedes if she had been there, as she had been the other member who had been there during that original performance. He gave a hasty wave to the ND alumni before leaving again, smiling as he remembered how hearing his kids coming together and singing that song had prompted him to stay at McKinley and tutor them, eventually leading to their Nationals win.
"A singer in a smoky room." Finn, holding both of his wife's hands, sang directly to her.
"The smell of wine and cheap perfume." Rachel remembered seeing Finn singing for the first time, and it made her heart ache with happy memories.
"For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on." Quinn, Brittany and Santana had automatically taken the line. Although still not unsure as to how they stood, they smiled tentatively at each other. Unholy Trinity was healing.
"Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard." Puck and Mike had joined New Directions together, and now they stood together, smiling at each other, thankful for all the time they spent with the group, thankful that they had become a part of such an amazing team.
"Their shadows searching in the night." Sam had joined near the beginning of New Directions' second year. He was so thankful that he had. The group a people now surrounding him had become his best friends over the years, and he knew he'd never say goodbye to any of them.
"Streetlight people." Lauren had joined the Glee club for a bit of a laugh, if she had to be honest. And she'd never admit it to anyone, but it was one of the best decisions of her life.
"Livin' just to find emotion." Blaine didn't regret transferring to McKinley. Sure, there has been times when he has wanted to go back to his Dalton family, but that was before he realised how much of a family he had in New Directions. Kurt wasn't the only person in that room who he loved.
"Hiding somewhere in the night." Rory had been the next jolly addition to the clan. He had been bullied for his nationality (and his love for the colour green), but he didn't regret a second of it; well, perhaps spending hours picking through a box of Lucky Charms...
"Workin' hard to get my fill." After all of these years, Sugar still didn't have a highly musical voice, but now, it worked. It didn't jar as it used to. She may not have been the most welcome vocal addition, nor personality, but she made them all laugh, and after that, what else mattered?
"Everybody wants a thrill." Joe was the most recent addition to the group before their Nationals win. But he didn't feel like an outsider. He may have been in the club for the shortest time, but he was still treated like family. He was the last new member of New Directions before Mr Schue changed its name to Lullaby League, wanting to keep the legacy of his fantastic group of children.
"Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time." Nobody else seemed to know who should have sung that line, but Santana was pretty sure. Her eyes fixed on Britt, she sang with as much emotion as she could put into her voice. She hoped, more than anything, they she could get her message through. She hoped she could be forgiven.
"Some will win." The voices of the entire group sang out this line. They had all gained something from being a part of the team. Apart from the obvious trophies they won together, they had all gained each other.
"Some will lose." Only a few voices sang out, identified as Rachel, Quinn, Joe and Santana.
"Some were born to sing the blues
And now the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on." The whole group joined together in a circle. Each person holding hands with the next. There was no childish bickering, no reshuffling. Couples ended up not next to their partners, but it didn't matter. They were a unit.
"Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night." They walked around in a circle, not confident enough for proper dance moves.
"Streetlight people
Livin' just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night." A few people broke off to dance by themselves, or with a partner.
"Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'." Now everyone was doing some sort of dancing, be it active and professional like Mike and Brittany, casual and intimate like Blaine with Kurt, sweet and simple like Rachel and Finn, or generally having fun.
"Street lights people." Lauren, the only one of the group present to have not won at Nationals, having left the previous year, let her voice soar above the others. She needed her moment to shine too.
"Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'." Again, the group relaxed and did whatever they wanted, all dancing to the music in their own way.
"Street lights people." The boys took the line while the girls sang the "whoa o ahhhhh" part, remembering the numerous boys vs. girls competitions that they had taken part in.
"Don't stop!" The imaginary music playing in all of their heads stopped sharply and a mutual cry of joy was sent out. They hugged the people nearest to them, happiness levels rising as they reached a young-time memory-high, several people whooping in excitement.
"Oh, I've missed this," Rachel sighed and sat down where she was standing. The rest of the group sat down in a circle next to her. Memories of sitting in a similar ring with Mr Schue, talking about what they were looking forward to in the future, was at the forefront of most people's minds.
"Mr Schue, why do you have a jar of peanut butter with one spoon?"
"Yah, there are fifteen of us here and I'm only comfortable sharing a spoon with about… half of you."
"Well it's come to my attention that our good friend Rory Flanagan… has never tasted peanut butter."
"What?" "Boo!" "Are you serious?" "No way, that's impossible."
"Rory! If you don't mind?"
They stood and walked to the middle of the circle. Rory took the spoon.
"Oh my God. That's the best thing I've ever had!" He laughed, and the group clapped.
"Mr Schuester, while that's incredibly moving, umm, it's kind of been an emotional week for some of us."
"Yeah Mr Schue, what's… the point of all this?"
"The point is, Rory just had a brand new experience; something as simple as peanut butter. You guys are young. I want you to promise me, that no matter how depressed you get, no matter how hopeless or alone you feel, you'll try your best to imagine all of the amazing experiences you have ahead of you."
"Mr Schue. Look I know we're a little dramatic sometimes but… I don't think any one will ever consider taking their own life."
A long pause followed.
"I did. Junior year. That was a tough year. Huhm. I er, I cheated on my math midterm. Peeked at the answers of the guy next to me and… the teacher saw me do it."
"Just cos you got caught cheating? I get caught cheating all the time!"
"They called my dad at his office and he was coming to pick me up. I mean how was I supposed to look him in the eye? I just kept… picturing my dad; so disappointed in me. So… I walked up to the roof, I went right to the edge. One step and all the pain and humiliation would be over."
"Is that true?" Kurt's whisper was broken, disbelieving.
"That day, I promise you, felt like it was the end of the world. But you know what? It wasn't. You know for some of you getting caught cheating isn't a big deal. But there's something. Everyone has something that might take them up to that edge. And look at all of the things I would have missed out on; I would have never met you guys, or Emma. I would have missed out on everything. So right now, I want you all to think of something that you're looking forward to. Big things."
"Some day I wanna… earn enough money to buy my folks a new place so they don't ever have to go through losing their home again."
"Yeah I'm most looking forward to meeting Rachel Berry's children." A nervous laugh followed Mercedes' dream.
"Jeez!"
"I want to be there to see my kids' first steps."
"I wanna be there to see Sex and the City part three."
"Wow…" "Huh!"
"I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it but, I really do want to graduate high school."
"I'm gonna petition the army to change my dad's dishonourable discharge status to an honourable one."
"I'm looking forward to graduating from Yale at the top of my class."
"I'm looking forward to the day when my grandmother loves me again."
"I want Lord Tubbington to kick his ecstasy addiction."
"I'm looking forward to marriage equality in all fifty states."
"I'm looking forward to the first time I dance at Carnegie Hall."
"I just want a song." Everyone laughed at Tina's statement.
"I'm looking forward to watching my dad make a difference in Congress."
"I'm looking forward to being friends with all of you for the rest of my life."
"I know it sounds silly but - the peanut butter really is amazing Mr Schue - do you know what I'm looking forward to? Winning at Regionals."
"That's true." "Yeah." They cheered and clapped, celebrating.
"Can you remember sitting here just before Regionals and we told everyone about what we wanted in the future?" The group nodded at Finn. "Well how about we go round again now? Say what we have done since then. It will sort of bring it round in a circle, plus it'll be beneficial for Rory and Santana who obviously don't know what we've been doing with ourselves."
"Beneficial?" Kurt mocked.
"Uh, yeah. Was that the wrong context?"
"No, but since when did youknow words like 'beneficial' or 'context'?"
"Hey, I'll have you know that I've learnt a lot from my job."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You learnt vocabulary by playing football?"
Finn grinned. "Okay, so maybe I have been reading more so that when I saw you I didn't sound like an idiot. Did it work?"
Kurt giggled, leaning across the circle to grab and squeeze his brother's hand. "I hardly recognise you," he teased.
"Oy, you. Anyway, good idea?" There was a sea of nodding heads.
"Good idea dude. Want me to go first?"
"Sure, Puck."
"Okay, so. I graduated, as I had wanted to do, and went to California to start up my pool business. It was great to start with, and actually I found the maths bit easy. There were all of these women there, just like I told you, Finn. But one of them made all the difference. Business had just reached a dip, and I was feeling down. My life didn't have a direction and I realised that I might be cleaning pools for the rest of my life, not being successful at anything. Then this girl; she… she turned my life around. None of you guys know this, but I'm telling you all now: I stopped pool cleaning. I stopped before a year had passed, even before our first reunion. But I didn't want to tell you in case I failed at something else. I enrolled at UCLA. I studied music and, last week, I was told that I had graduated. I'd done it. You're now looking at someone who has made their way through college."
"Wow. Dude…" Finn stared at the man who had kept his teenage Mohawk. "That must have been a pretty special woman."
"Oh, she was. She is. And before any of you make a comment that I know I would have been the first to make, no, we haven't slept together. She's single, and so am I, but she is more than that to me. Besides, her job keeps her from doing anything for herself. She was also at UCLA. In fact, she was accepted based on a video of her that her then-boyfriend had uploaded to YouTube. She hated leaving her past life behind, but not a day went past when she didn't think about the people she had abandoned. She hopes that one day, she can go back, and they can forgive her."
"That's really sad." Sugar, always the exaggerated one, had tears running down her cheeks. "I hope her friends do forgive her."
"Me too." Everyone turned to the auditorium door, for the voice hadn't come from any of them. A girl was standing in a chink of light. No one had seen her come in. Now she stood, hands clenched together, wearing a simple dress that contrasted beautifully against her dark skin. "Hey guys."
"Mercedes?"
"Yeah Boo, it's me." She walked up the steps and arrived on the stage, eyes alighting on Kurt, who had been her best friend for so long. "Can I explain later? Now, I want to hear what everyone else has got up to since I saw you all last."
They nodded at her, solemn. She sat down in the gap between Quinn and Joe that hadn't been left intentionally.
"The lady says get on with it, so that's what I'm going to do." Lauren, always one to diffuse an awkward situation, decided to go next. "I know I wasn't there when you had your chat, nor when you won Nationals, and… I regret that. I left you because I wanted a change, not because I wanted to get away from you guys. As you know, I sort of invited myself to that first reunion. I wanted to see you all again, to be part of this group again. If I had been asked, I'd've said I was looking forward to representing my country at wrestling. I've won medals here in Ohio, but let's be honest, that isn't really hard. I've won national competitions and was a reserve for the Rio Olympics that we've just had. Unfortunately I wasn't required, and that is why, for me, the next four years will be dedicated for my training so that I reach the Madrid 2020 Olympic Games, and win us a medal."
"Here here." Artie smiled at her. "I had surgery a few years after leaving Lima and not long after, I took my first proper steps. For those of you who were there that year, you saw me walk down them basement steps like a dude! I was in the music industry doing a bit of producing, but as soon as I got my legs back I started my dancing again. I have been into schools, giving talks, telling them that they can do anything they set their mind to. I've done my fair share of directing too; I even directed some of Mike's shows, although dancing with him gets a bit embarrassing. I prefer giving spontaneous performances in the middle of the City. I haven't seen my kids' first steps, but I'm still looking for the right woman to watch with me."
"My turn?" Mike cleared his throat. "I moved to Chicago to take up that sponsorship with the dance school. A year later my gorgeous girlfriend followed. I've been in just about every big musical that Chicago has held, but, as Artie said, you can't beat the rush of adrenaline from a street performance. I haven't danced at Carnegie Hall yet, but when I do I'll be sure to get you guys front row tickets to come and watch."
"And I'll be there with him." Tina smiled across the circle at her fiancé. "When I followed him to Chicago, I didn't really have many dreams of my own. I was struggling as to what line of work I could go in to. And then I realised; I didn't need to chose just one. I've been working as an assistant teacher in our local elementary school, which Mike has often come to to perform. If he gets a show, I'll go with him and work on costumes backstage; I need to thank Mr Schue for introducing me to the wonders of helping others. My dad thinks I've been foolish to follow Mike's dreams, but he's wrong. Because in following him, I got my song. Onstage in Chicago. The night before he proposed."
"And I was there," Sam said, smiling. "Chicago seemed a cool place to go, especially as these two were there. Sharing an apartment with them got a bit awkward after a while, but I'm glad that I did, as it allowed me to start my life there. I'm now a talent scout and spend my time listening to buskers. It ain't a bad career path. I'm currently working with a girl called Chloe. She's only eighteen, but has so much potential."
"I started in New York as a busker," Santana interjected. Sam motioned that he was finished and she should continue. "I went to New York, just as I had always wanted to do. I was singing on the streets, not getting very far. Then I met Paul and we began to busk together. He played guitar and sang with me on duets. We started to get more attention, and we got talent scouted. My grandmother contacted me and asked to see me, telling me to bring the 'handsome young man' that I'd found my fame with. We had a meal together, and she apologised to me and told me she loved me. I got all I had ever wanted. And then a couple of weeks later Paul made a move on me. We'd finished recording for the day and he kissed me. I pulled away, telling him I was taken. He got angry, saying I led him on, and asking to know the name of the man who had my heart. When I told him I was gay, he broke. His fist met my face before I'd even realised I'd said the words. And I woke up, a week later, in a hospital bed. There was no Paul, and I had no job. So much for New York being more accepting."
She looked around the group. The eyes of every member were upon her, shocked. She continued. "When I got out of hospital, I went for an audition at a small local theatre. Luckily a couple of my songs had made that CD that Paul and I had been recording. They had heard of me, and said that I was perfect for the role. I've been there ever since, also doing the odd impromptu performance in the street. My Maria in West Side Story brought the house down. And even if it wasn't Broadway, or a record contract, it worked. But I couldn't tell anyone about my past life. I couldn't tell them about being gay. I couldn't lose everything again. And I couldn't risk coming to see you all, to see you Britt, and not being able to say goodbye to you at the end of it."
Brittany stared at the woman who now had big tears slipping down her cheeks. Her own face showed no emotion. She was thinking. Suddenly, she reached her hand out and Santana shrank back, fearing being hit. But instead she saw Britt's little finger poking out of her fist. Santana smiled at her, wiping her face. She took the finger in hers and let out a nervous giggle. A small smile played on Brittany's lips as she told everyone what she had been up to.
"I graduated. People didn't think I could do it but I did. And I got Lord Tubbington off the drugs. And I went to the pet refuge centre. They like me there. When I go in for work I say hello and they say hello back. The other volunteers are nice too, and they say hi to me when I go in as well. I like it there. And I like Florida and the nice weather and all the new pets that Tubbie has."
"I moved to Connecticut after graduation." Joe began to tell his story. "I got a job at the church. Sunday school is always fun as I can bring my guitar in and play for the kids. They like 'Jesus Jazz' especially, and the church are even thinking about getting me to make a CD, which I never thought I'd be doing. If I had had to say what I was most looking forward to, it would have been finding a gorgeous woman and marrying her. And I have done that. No one else comes close to her. She's the love of my life and she makes moving out there worth it."
"When are we going to meet her?" Sugar asked.
"Soon," he promised.
"Well. Anyway, I live in Toledo, and 'Sushi' is doing good business. When I started, my dad was the only one who supported me. Everyone else said that I could never make a sushi and sweet shop work, but I have proved them wrong. I did some volunteering for a while but it just wasn't my thing. I am still single but looking to change that. Rory?"
The Irishman mistook her attempt at flirting for an invitation to talk. "I went back to Ireland as my visa expired and had a second childhood. Life shouldn't really be this fun, but it is. I'm, em, still living with me parents, and I got together with some of me lads back home and we started writing songs based on films we liked. YouTube have a great couple of lads called Charlie and Alex, who live in the UK and who are part of the band Chameleon Circuit. We got with them and are part way through creating "Time Warped" as a tribute to Doctor Who and Rocky Horror. The Titanic one we did was the most popular so far, but our fans are really excited about this one."
"If I may?" Kurt sensed that Rory had reached the end. "Isn't about time we left?"
Finn glanced at the watch on his wrist. "God! Yeah… we should, um…"
"Leave so they can lock up?" Blaine offered.
"Yeah. Let's go back to the house."
Much later, after eating and laughing themselves silly, they decided it was late enough and they should get to bed. Burt and Carole had gone to bed many hours previously, and now the group had the job of setting up the basement for sleeping in. Finn brought down blankets and pillows as everyone else wrestled with mattresses. Finally, the room was fit for sleeping in, and everyone got into their pyjamas. Santana and Mercedes fell asleep almost instantly, exhausted after seeking their friends' forgiveness. Finn took Rachel upstairs, and Kurt and Blaine soon followed. Although everyone else had to make do with the floor, they had their own bedrooms.
The four said goodnight to each other at the top of the stairs, and Blaine pushed open the door to his and Kurt's room. He collapsed on one of the beds and Kurt could hear his gentle snoring within five minutes.
Kurt stayed awake for slightly longer. It had been nice to see Rory again after so long, and the others after a year. Santana arriving had been a great shock to him, but most of all he couldn't believe that Mercedes Jones was there, sleeping, downstairs. He wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming it, but feared that maybe she had an ulterior motive for being here. He wouldn't make any judgements until she explained what she'd been doing all these years.
Softly, Kurt followed Blaine to sleep. That was for tomorrow. For now, his boyfriend was waiting for him in dreamland…
Well, I hope you enjoyed that :) I really wanted to be a part of the spirit of today, as well as completely Friday this week. Next Tuesday I shall be posting Saturday, as originally planned, and I shall begin writing that as soon as possible. I promise we'll be back to Klaine fluff in no time!
I need to say a HUUUUUGE thank you to Coatsy. Your parade for me was incredible and made me cry for ages. You have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know, and I'd give you the world if I could. Nothing I say can explain how truly amazing you are, so instead I am dedicating this chapter, and all future ones, to you. Without you, I wouldn't have even heard of this site. I'd still be a shy schoolgirl, wanting a crazy girl to come along and make me laugh. You have changed the way I look at the world and I am sorry for not sending you this chapter before uploading it, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you. You are incredible, and please don't forget that, not ever.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
I never feel like I do enough for charities. Sure, all my old stuff goes to Cancer Research and I am always in the charity shops in my town. But I want to just go up to collection pots and put money in. So, for every review I get for this story, I will donate 10p to a charity. If you have a favourite, please let me know in your review and I'll see what I can do. Let's see how much we can donate, eh?
What did you think about Santana's reason? Would you forgive her?
If you have read to here, please include the name of your favourite New Directions song in your review, and I shall try and include it in the next chapter :) I am also still looking for a chapter title for chapter 12 if any of you lovely people can think of anything.
Thank you for being amazing and for reading this. I love each and every one of you. Oh, and one last thing... GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!