A/N: I have taken out the NYADA audition drama for Kurt and Rachel from earlier in the season. But, it does have a place in the story I'm telling, so I'm just changing how it all goes down. Enjoy a break from your usual Artie/Quinn focus while I attempt to share the wealth a little, leading up to Nationals and graduation for our seniors. As always, please leave me a review as feedback! Shout out to QuinnAbrams for supplying the inspiration for this chapter.

"Coming through, coming through!" Rachel screeched, grabbing Artie by the handles and sending him flying when he was just trying to enter the choir room for Glee club rehearsal that day. Mr. Schue luckily jumped in the way and stopped him before he went careening into the piano.

"Trying to decide if I'm really gonna miss that or not," Artie said, glaring back at her as he rolled himself into his spot next to Quinn, who now sat in one of the regular chairs, her walker positioned nearby.

"Carmen Tibideaux... is coming... to... Chicago!" Rachel choked out, between gasping for breath. As Finn stood by her and steadied her by the shoulders with a firm grip, she slowed down her breathing enough to launch into the long-winded explanation nobody had asked for.

"Carmen Tibideaux – she's the current Dean and Creative Director at NYADA – she was supposed to come here to see me months ago! Because you know, even if you get into NYADA, it's tentative until an in-person audition. Well, nothing was working out, she never made it here, and I've been getting so anxious all these months but now she's finally going to see me! In Chicago! At Nationals! And I'm singing one of Celine Dion's most powerful ballads, inspired by Wuthering Heights, 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now!'"

"Congrats, Rachel," Mercedes said. "For once, I'm happy to sing back-up for you. It sounds like this is going to be the start of an incredible future for you."

"Okay, congrats Rachel, we'll work extra hard on your solo," Mr. Schue said, looking eager to get practice underway. "But first let's run through 'Edge of Glory.'"

Quinn, who had been stretching in her seat, sighed in relief because that meant she got a break. She was sitting out on that one, while the rest of the girls, including the Cheerios who had joined them for Regionals, performed a complicated dance routine choreographed by Brittany and Mike. Otherwise, however, Quinn was in, at least for their third and final song. (With the second being Rachel's solo, that was all they had left.) Mike had worked out ways for her to avoid harder moves but still be very much a part of the routine for 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.' Still, at times, she was struggling just to stand on the risers. She always kept her walker nearby for taking breaks, even though she'd lately been trying to wean off of it.

Artie was always watching Quinn, every time the other girls rehearsed. She watched them dance intently, her eyes usually on one of the best ones, like Tina or Brittany. She'd perform the arm motions and mouth the words every single time.

"You know all of it by now," Artie finally said that day, giving her a gentle nudge. "I see you doing the moves off to the side in your seat. I hate that you have to miss out."

Quinn smiled sadly at that comment. "I'm just happy to be here at all," she said, with a deep sigh. "I've been thinking a lot about Mack lately, you know? About how that very well could have been me too. And I'm just... very grateful."

It startled Artie to hear her name brought up. It felt like no one had spoken it in months, not even Sheila or Ronnie, and he still hung up with those two periodically. Recently, Lauren Zizes had sort of become their new third, and though that kind of made sense, it made him sad. It was like she was being replaced. For a girl who had spent her life forgotten and discarded, it was even harder to see that happening to her in death.

He became aware of Quinn's hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." They shared a sad smile, as she knew he was thinking of Mack now and remembering what almost was that year.

"Okay, everyone!" Mr. Schue was saying. "I think that's all we have time for today. Rachel, rehearse your solo tonight because we all want to hear it first thing at tomorrow's practice. And just remember, guys, we aren't going to be one of those teams that relies on props or any other cheesy gimmicks to place in the top ten in this competition. We're going to do it on pure talent. That, and the killer red dresses for our ladies that Tina's been working on for months now."

"And if there's anyone here who is not up for trying and working their butts off," Rachel stood up and added, despite not having been invited to join Mr. Schue's pep talk. "You should just get up right now and leave!"

Tina chose this moment to stand up and storm towards the door. Something told Artie she wasn't just in a hurry to get to her sewing machine. Mike noticed, too, and jumped up to stop her.

"Whoa, whoa, Tina?" Mike said, grabbing her by the shoulders and getting between her and the door. "Where are you going?"

"To see my dentist, I have an appointment." Tina lifted an eyebrow and looked at the rest of them staring at her. "What, did you guys think I was storming out?" And she crossed her arms and smirked at them. "Well. I should. And so should Kurt. Didn't he want a chance to audition for NYADA too? Yet I don't see him clamoring for a solo."

"No, I'm taking a gap year," Kurt said, his cheeks turning red as Blaine looked a little embarrassed for him, too. "Not that I expect any of you to get that, but it's... it's a perfectly valid thing to do. Anyway, for that reason, there's less at stake for me. But... thanks, Tina. I think."

"Tina, you don't understand," Rachel butted in. "I need this."

"Because you need an audition?" Tina asked, incredulously. "That's not a reason for you to get a solo at Nationals. Maybe the rest of us would like one, too."

Rory cautiously raised his hand. "I wouldn't mind getting one before I get deported."

"Tina, Rachel is a senior," Mike said, imploring her with a look that clearly said he didn't think she should be doing this right now.

"So are you, but you can bet the only thing you'll be doing is a dance break with Brittany," Tina shot back. "Other people matter."

"Tina, you may not always get all the solos, but you are a key player," Mr. Schue finally said, attempting to regain some semblance of control. "I put you in charge of costumes."

"Wow! Like that's some prize," Tina said, rolling her eyes. Artie exchanged a troubled glance with Quinn. As one of Tina's best friends – or at least, former best friends, before she started clinging to Mike – he'd heard this kind of rant from her before, but always in private.

"So, you say we don't need props?" Tina went on, when her retort to their teacher had been met with stunned silence. "Well, I'm a human prop, and I'm sick of it!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Coach Sylvester chose that moment to poke her head into the door, as she routinely did, just to mess with them. "Take a lap and cool down, Asian Number One."

"My name is Tina!" Tina yelled. "Tina Cohen-Chang!" And, with that, she really did storm out. Or maybe she was just late to her dental appointment, it was a little unclear.

"Isn't she the one who used to stutter?" Coach Sylvester asked, before shrugging and leaving, as she really didn't care at all.

There was a hush that fell over the rest of them for a few minutes. Mike quickly assured Mr. Schue that he would talk to Tina, but Artie knew that if Mike continued to defend Rachel and didn't try to at least hear Tina, it would do no good. But she was his girlfriend, after all, and so Artie wouldn't try to get involved there. He did, however, feel like Tina needed his support. Maybe more than the person most recently on the receiving end of all his support.

As they began to disperse, he turned to Quinn. "Hey, if it's okay, I need to miss your physio this evening," he told her. "I think Tina could use a friend, so I'm going to invite her over to swim. But you have Joe."

"Oh, actually I don't have Joe," she corrected him. "But I'm totally fine to go on my own. I mean, I always appreciate your support and his, but it's okay. I can go alone, really."

"No Joe?"

"Nope." And Quinn actually smiled as she said the next part. "Your match-making at prom kind of worked out better than you expected. He's taking Lauren out for coffee this evening."

"Okay, no offense to Lauren," Artie began, moving a little faster than usual alongside Quinn, who was very nearly ready to walk without any kind of mobility aid. "But I'm trying to rationalize going from you to her? Homeschooled kids really are weird."

"Artie!" she admonished him, as his sometimes-blunt nature reared its ugly head. "That really does sound terrible. Anyway, Joe knows I'm about to leave for Yale. There wasn't anything serious going on between us, you know that. I didn't want to get serious about anyone. I'm leaving soon."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," he groaned. "I think that could be why Tina's struggling. These conversations about you guys leaving are hard for us. It's hard to imagine Glee without you guys."

Without you.

Tina had her dental appointment but she agreed to come over later, when he texted her while she was in the waiting room. So, after dinner, he donned his swimming attire and headed out to the pool to wait for his friend. After about fifteen minutes, he heard the gate creak open as she headed out to join him, clad in a bright blue one-piece. All last spring and summer, anytime she had come, it was only when he'd invited the group. This was the first time she'd been over alone since they'd been dating, he realized.

"My mouth still feels numb..." she said, touching her cheeks as she made her way over to the pool and stooped down to put her feet in. She smiled crookedly at him. "Does it still look weird?"

"Uh, I'm sure the swelling will go down soon," Artie answered her, as he paddled over and took a seat along the ledge. "You okay? I'm not talking about your mouth..."

Tina just sighed, as she lowered the rest of her body into the pool. "I will be," she said. "I've just been text-fighting with Mike while waiting for my appointment, because he told me I was being unreasonable and selfish. And then I got mad and stopped answering him."

"Oh, I see," said Artie, not sure how it was going to look now, since Tina and Mike were fighting and he, the ex-boyfriend, was now the one hearing her out over a private swim.

"How come when Rachel complains about not getting enough solos, she's 'claiming her stardom,' but when I do it, it's selfish?"

"Well, you're a junior," he said, hoping she wasn't going to bite his head off for agreeing with Mike. "You'll get your chance next year."

"And what if I don't?" she said, looking sadder. "What if a bunch of new kids audition who are ten times better than me? What if we wind up with a Rachel two-point-oh situation?"

"You think I don't worry about that, too?" Artie asked, knowing that he could do one thing Mike couldn't here, and that was to relate. "What about the fact that Blaine and Sam still make way better male leads than I do?"

Tina didn't disagree, but rather, just nodded as though he had a point. "I have sat, for three years, in the back of that choir room," she went on. "Holding Mike's hand or crying or smiling and swaying, while everyone else was out there singing solos. Maybe I say something, most of the time I don't, team player all the way. But I am tired of being silent. I am one of the original Glee Club members, and I was singing 'Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat' when Finn and Puck were still throwing Slushees at us. So, when is it my turn?"

"So much hate for 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat," Artie commented, though he knew he was missing the whole point. It made her smile, though. "Your turn is coming, Tee."

"So I've heard," she said, witheringly. Artie could tell he wasn't going to convince her of anything, so the less he said, the better. After a long pause, she changed the subject. "I just had a really weird dream while I was under anesthesia."

"You go under full anesthesia for fillings?" Artie replied, incredulously. He'd had his wisdom teeth out over the summer, which had required the anesthesia, and he'd had a colossally weird dream that involved Britney Spears and him playing football in his wheelchair. So he knew firsthand about the effects.

"I get really anxious," Tina explained. "So, it's necessary. But while I was under, I had the weirdest dream. I was Rachel Berry. Well, I looked like me still, but I dressed like her, and Finn was my boyfriend except that he was really Kurt, dressing like and talking like Finn."

"This sounds like some really good anesthesia," Artie commented. "Sign me up for some of that."

"You were Santana," she went on.

"Did I have her boobs?" Artie couldn't help the fact that his mind went there but he supposed he didn't have to say it. Tina rightfully swatted his arm.

"No, but you had her ponytail," she said. "You were still a guy in a guy Cheerios uniform. Um, and she was you. She dressed like you, sat in your wheelchair, had your glasses and your, uh, comb-over."

"This isn't a comb-over!" Artie said, indignantly pointing to his hair that was, okay, fine, kind of stringy and in need of a trim and kind of wrapped across his forehead for the time being. "Comb-overs are what old, bald dudes have. I don't have a bald spot that I'm covering. My hairline isn't receding."

"You are missing the whole point of my dream," Tina said, indignantly. "It wasn't a dream about your hair. I was Rachel, she was me, and I had the big Celine Dion solo. Only it was 'Because You Loved Me,' since that's my go-to shower ballad."

"And how did that feel?"

Tina paused. "Terrible. It was a ton of pressure. I think I'm afraid that, even if next year, if I do get the solos, I'll–"

"Tina, stop," he said, in the way that only he could do, as her best friend. "Remember, I watched your audition? Though your song choice kind of confused me, you absolutely killed it. You inspired me not to be afraid to audition right after you."

Her face began to crumble, like she might cry, which was always a strong possibility for her. "I've missed this Artie," she said. "I forgot what an amazing thing it is, to confide in you. I've really missed being your best friend."

"Well, we can go back to being close again."

He had sort of an out-of-body experience, saying this, because there were still times when he wasn't certain he was over Tina or okay with 'Tike.' She was still his first love.

"Just to be clear, Mike and I aren't breaking up," she said. "Even though I'm currently mad at him."

Artie screwed up his face. "Tina, when I said we could go back to being close, I meant as friends."

"Oh, right." For a moment, neither knew what to say, so Tina launched right back into telling him about her dream. "So, anyway, in my dream, Joe was Mike and Mike was Joe. Sugar was Quinn and Quinn was Sugar..."

The next day, they were practicing in the auditorium, having finally secured permission from Figgins. You would think a Nationals-bound club might get more respect, but that just wasn't how things worked at McKinley. Anyway, they finally had it, which was good, because the routines were a lot different onstage than they were in the choir room.

First, they all sat and listened to Rachel positively fill the auditorium with her voice, as she belted out her Celine Dion power ballad with all the conviction of someone remembering their lost love. Finn had this hilarious, intense expression on his face as he watched Rachel perform. Artie was about to turn to the person next to him, who happened to be Kurt, and make a joke about it when he realized Kurt was busy texting.

"Hey, man," Artie said, elbowing the other boy lightly, causing him to look up. "I'm curious why you didn't demand a solo, or at least get Rachel to make this a duet or something, so that it could be your NYADA audition, too. Didn't you want to go there?"

"I was never going to get in," he said, shaking his head sadly. "And before you say it, I still don't hold it against you for not doing a spring musical. It wouldn't even have mattered, even if I had a few more extra-curriculars. I still can't go."

"Look, I'm all for love," Artie said. "Love is love and all that, but you can't give up your future for–"

"Dad's sick," he interrupted, causing Artie to fall silent as Kurt drew in a shaky breath. "I haven't told many people, besides Blaine and obviously Finn. Dad's got cancer. We-we caught it early but..." he shook his head. "I just can't leave. Not now. I'll wait a year and then see. Maybe I'll find another way to go to New York."

"Kurt, I'm really sorry..." Artie said, as Rachel was hitting her last big note, getting that standing ovation from the rest of the club, even those who weren't typically her biggest supporters.

"Thanks," Kurt said, getting to his feet and joining in on the applause. "Just don't mention it to anyone, please, it's kind of a private matter."

"Of course." Artie realized there were lots of reasons to take a gap year, to give yourself extra time to figure it all out. And dammit, he just might have done the same thing, if he wasn't already a year older...

Mr. Schuester summoned them all up to the stage just then, so that they could refigure all the choreography to 'Paradise.' The song was wildly fast-paced, because it had to be, given that Rachel had the one and only ballad. Because of that, the choreography was downright insane. A few times, Quinn had to practically try to run, even though Mike deliberately placed her at the perimeter each time. All the rushing about posed a bit of a problem for Artie, too. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite push his way across the entire stage fast enough. Finally, Mike ended up giving him a push, picking up his knees in that animated way of his as he ran across the stage pushing Artie, and Mr. Schuester stopped them to happily proclaim that it worked. As for Artie, he was always pleased anytime they worked out a way for his chair to add something to the performance.

Practice came to an abrupt halt, however, because of what happened next.

Quinn lost her footing, during one of the faster moments, as they all tried to spread themselves out more on the stage. She fell in a heap on the middle of the stage as everyone froze around her. Slowly, they all gathered around her as Quinn pushed herself up off the stage, laughing at first. But soon her laughter dissolved into tears. For all the times she'd tried to laugh during her recovery, this wasn't one of them.

"I'm not gonna be able to do this," she sobbed. The first person she looked at was Artie, as his heart shattered into pieces. "I'm s-sorry, Mr. Schue, I'm sorry everyone. Just count me out."

"Absolutely not." Everyone turned to look at Rachel, who surprised them all with her outburst. She crossed the stage and helped Quinn up, taking both of her hands in hers and meeting Quinn's gaze in between sobs and sniffles.

"Why?" Quinn asked. "What if I fall? If I fall, that Madame Tibia, or whatever her name is, won't remember your solo. She'll just remember that losing team with the girl who tripped over her own feet. I can't do that to you." She looked around at the rest. "Not to any of you. Please. Just count me out."