Hey :) I hope everyone's doing okay. I know this isn't an easy time for us Cory fans, with all the spoilers of Season 5 coming out and him not being there :( Thanks as always for all your support of my writing, I appreciate it more than I can say, and it's helped me through the past month. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews if you want me to continue!

Chapter 49: Stage Debut

The second grade year was almost over for Allie, but one big event was left - the school orchestra spring concert. She was excited to finally be making her stage debut, as her parents had performed on stage multiple times, especially her mom. The first show would be during the school day, and the second would be in the evening. Rachel was taking the evening off to go to the evening show, and Kurt, Blaine, Brittany and Santana would be going as well. Finn would be bringing the kindergarteners to the afternoon show.

"Do you like my dress?" Allie asked as she came out of her room for breakfast that morning. The kids in the orchestra had to wear nice clothes the day of the performance, and Santana and Brittany had helped Allie pick out a pale blue dress with flowers on it.

"It's very nice!" Rachel said. "I wish I could have come along to pick it out."

"It's okay, Mommy," Allie said. "I know you're busy with being back on Broadway."

"I'll be at your show tonight though," Rachel said.

"And I'll be at both of them," Finn said.

Allie looked at Caylie. "Will you come?" She was hoping to get her little sister to start talking.

Caylie didn't say anything. "Of course, she'll be there tonight," Finn said. "And so will Uncle Kurt, Uncle Blaine, Aunt Brittany, Aunt Santana, Bryan, Julia and Emily."

"I want her to talk!" Allie giggled.

"We do, too, Allie," Rachel said. "Though I doubt her first word can top your first word."

"Yeah, Mommy," Allie said, laughing. Her mom was pretty proud of what her first word had been.

"So, your first performance with the orchestra today," Finn told his daughter. "Are you excited?"

"Duh!" Allie said. The truth was, she was worried she might make a mistake with so many people there. The crowds were always big at her mom's shows. "Do you think there will be a lot of people there, like at Mommy's shows?"

Finn and Rachel both laughed and shook their heads. "Allie sweetie, people come from all over the country to see Broadway shows," Rachel said.

"It'll just be the kids at the school at the school day show, and the parents at the evening show," Finn added.

"How many kids go to my school?" Allie asked.

"Only about 300," Finn said.

Allie nodded and turned back to her breakfast. That didn't sound too bad.

x

Later that day, Allie was backstage with the other members of the school orchestra. She was the only second grader in the orchestra, most of the kids in it were fourth and fifth graders. There were three other viola players, and the four of them were sitting together as they waited.

"Are you excited for your first show, Allie?" asked Amanda, one of the viola players. She was in fifth grade, and Allie really liked her.

"Yeah," Allie said. She was nervous that there might be too many people there.

"Your mom's on Broadway, right?" asked Travis, a fourth grader who also played the viola.

"Yeah," Allie said.

"Then I'm sure you'll sound great," said the last viola player, a fifth grader named Isaiah.

"How many people do you think will be here?" Allie asked. She'd been to the concerts before with the school, and it was a big crowd from what she remembered.

"Not as many as your mom's shows," Amanda said. "My mom took me to one once, and it was the most people I ever saw!"

"Violas, stop talking and get to your seats," the orchestra director said. The kids took their seats, and the principal made an announcement. Allie tried to calm herself down by reminding herself how much she wanted to be in the orchestra, and that part of it was being in concerts. She loved playing her viola. As the curtain opened, Allie looked at the kids sitting on the floor. She couldn't perform in front of all these people.

As the music began, Allie was afraid to join in. She moved her bow against her viola to make it look like she was playing, but she wasn't. She didn't think the other kids would notice. She couldn't make a mistake in front of all these people.

At the end of the first performance, a few of the older kids would be performing solos. As the first kid got up to start his solo, Allie whispered to the other viola players that she needed to use the bathroom and exited the stage.

She wasn't really going to the bathroom though. She was going to find her dad. She found him in the sea of people and nudged him. Finn turned and looked at Allie. "Allie! Why aren't you on stage?"

"I'm scared, Daddy," Allie whispered.

"What's wrong?" Finn whispered.

"There's so many people," Allie whispered back. "I don't want to make a mistake. Not in front of the whole school."

"You won't make a mistake," Finn whispered. "You are the best viola player I've ever seen."

"Amanda, Travis and Isaiah are all better," Allie said. She admitted that was true.

Finn sighed. "Allie, just pretend that nobody's in the audience but me, okay?"

Allie gave her dad a hug. It was worth a try. "Okay." The solos would be over soon anyway, so she went back up to the stage and took her seat.

"Are you okay?" Travis whispered to Allie.

Allie looked at him. "Yeah." Soon, the last solo finished, and it was time for the group numbers again. Allie tried her hardest to take her dad's advice. She just pretended that she was in the living room, playing for her family. And she had to admit, she thought she sounded pretty good.

At the end of the performance, the auditorium was applauding, and Allie smiled wide when she looked into the audience and saw her dad clapping for her.

x

"So she was nervous this afternoon?" Rachel asked Finn as they sat in the audience for the evening show.

Finn nodded. "She was, but then I told her to pretend that nobody was there but me, and she seemed to be enjoying the rest of the show and being on stage."

"You're so smart," Rachel said as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek.

Finn smiled at Rachel. "I'm so glad that you're here." He was worried that the directors wouldn't have let Rachel take the night off.

"My understudy could take my place for tonight," Rachel said.

Finn looked at Caylie in Rachel's lap. "Are you excited to see your sister perform?"

Caylie giggled as both Finn and Rachel laughed. "What time do you think Allie's aunts and uncles will get here?" Finn asked. He and Rachel had saved some seats for Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany and their three kids.

"They'll be here soon," Rachel said.

"You'll be so proud of her," Finn said.

Rachel giggled. "You already told me that!"

As they waited, Finn saw Kurt, Blaine, Brittany and Santana coming in with their kids. "Thanks for coming," Finn said to their friends.

"We couldn't miss this!" Kurt said.

"Hi Caylie," Blaine said.

"Say hi to Uncle Blaine," Rachel said.

Caylie didn't say hi, but she wrapped her arms around Blaine.

"Hi!" Emily said.

"She's talking," Finn said with a smile.

"Yeah, Julia said 'food' earlier today," Brittany said.

"Why didn't you call us to tell us?" Kurt asked. This week, the kids were living with their moms. They alternated between a week with their moms and a week with their dads.

"Sorry, we must have forgotten," Santana said. "Shortly after Julia talked, Bryan made a big mess."

The music teacher came on stage and announced that the performance was about to begin. When the curtains opened to reveal the student musicians, Bryan giggled and pointed at the stage. "Allie!"

Finn smiled at his nephew. "Right, there's Allie."

Finn was relieved that Allie didn't look nervous at all while on the stage with the other kids. Rather, she looked like she was having a great time. All the songs sounded great. At the end of the concert, Allie ran off the stage and up to her family, viola in hand.

"I am so proud of you!" Rachel said, picking up her daughter. "You are so talented!"

"Thanks, Mom!" Allie said. She looked at her aunts, uncles and cousins. "Thanks for coming."

"We wouldn't have missed this!" Kurt said.

"I didn't think it was possible, but the orchestra sounded even better tonight than they sounded in the afternoon performance," Finn said.

"We did!" Allie said.

"You're all very talented," Blaine said.

x

"You don't mind that I like playing my viola and not singing, right?" Allie asked Rachel when they were home that evening.

"Of course I don't mind!" Rachel said. "You're so talented, and I want you to do whatever makes you happy."

"Good," Allie said with a smile.

"I wonder if Caylie will be a vocal or an instrumental musician," Allie said.

Rachel looked at her two-year-old. "We'll see."

"Did seeing me today remind me of when you were on stage?" Allie asked.

"Oh, yes it did!" Rachel said.

"Hey Allie, since we saw you perform, want to see one of my favorite performances with your mom?" Finn asked.

Allie smiled. "Sure!"

Finn turned to Caylie, still trying to get her to talk. "What about you, Caylie?"

"I'm sure she'd like to see it, too," Allie said.

Rachel turned on the computer and pulled up a video. Finn, Rachel, Allie and Caylie watched as Finn and Rachel performed the song wrote about their relationship at Regionals their junior year.

Finn and Rachel: Face to face and heart to heart
We're so close yet so far apart
I close my eyes I look away
That's just because I'm not OK
Rachel: But I hold on
Rachel with Finn: I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong
Finn and Rachel: Will we ever say the words we're feeling?
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending?
Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be pretending?
Finn and Rachel: How long do I fantasize?
Make believe that it's still alive
Imagine that I am good enough
And we can choose the ones we love
Finn: But I hold on
Finn with Rachel: I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong
Finn and Rachel: Will we ever say the words we're feeling?
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending?
Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be
Keeping secrets safe
Every move we make
Seems like no one's letting go
And it's such a shame
'Cause if you feel the same
How am I supposed to know?
Finn and Rachel with New Directions: Will we ever say the words we're feeling? (Rachel: Oh, oh!)
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls (Rachel: Tear down all the walls)
Will we ever have a happy ending?
Or will we forever only be pretending? (Finn: Only be pretending)
Rachel with New Directions (with Finn): Will we al-al-al-al (-ways)
(al-al-al-al) -ways, (Finn: al-al) al-al-al-always be
Rachel: Pretending? oh! (Finn: Pretending?)
New Directions (with Rachel): Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-al (-ways be) (Finn: al-al)
Rachel: Pretending? (Finn: Pretending?)
Finn and Rachel with New Directions: Will we al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always, al-al-al-always be
Finn and Rachel: Pretending?

At the end of the song, Finn and Rachel were taken back in time when they saw themselves kiss on that stage. Both Allie and Caylie started giggling hysterically.

"That was great!" Allie said.

"I'm still pretty proud of it," Finn said, putting his arm around Rachel.

"We'd better get Caylie to bed though," Rachel said.

"Bed?" Caylie said.

"You talked!" Allie said, tickling her little sister.

"That's right," Rachel said. "Bed!"

"Bed," Caylie said again.

Finn gave Caylie a kiss. "That's right. Let's get to bed."

Chapter 50 preview: Finchel, Quick, Klaine and Brittana have a combined second birthday party for Caylie, Bailey, Julia and Emily. Allie is preparing to start third grade.

SONG USED: Pretending by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry