Klaine Back-to-School AU Challenge: Teaching at NYADA and The Contest

by ericdooleyphone

Kurt, Blaine and Rachel are new teachers at NYADA. Thanks to my beta, Jessica for making this so much better.

Kurt:

Kurt walked into Carmen Tibideaux's office, after knocking on the door frame. "Mr. Hummel," she said in a monotone voice, looking up from the documents on her desk.

"I think by now you can call me Kurt," Kurt said, flashing her a smile.

"Kurt then," Carmen nodded, smiling back. "I have to say how pleased I am that you're here for this term, and giving back to the new rising stars at NYADA. I've followed your success with interest," Carmen said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity. NYADA gave me an amazing start - even though I almost didn't get in," he said a bit sheepishly. "But, thanks to second chances, I made it. I'm happy to take a break from the rigors of Broadway and mentor some students. Can you tell me anything about the students you've assigned to me?"

"Well, you know your TA, Brody, from the past I believe."

"Yes, I know Brody," Kurt chuckled. "He was naked too often around the loft, when he and Rachel dated. It made for a few uncomfortable breakfasts."

Carmen raised an eyebrow, before continuing. "Well, he's been a full time TA for a while now, taking breaks for occasional acting or modeling work. He'll be a good assistant for you. He knows the ins and outs, and where things are." She pulled out a list of students and handed the document to Kurt.

"As far as the students go, I've given you an assortment. A couple were in an Indie band, some are from Ohio; a mix of sweet, sassy, and salty you might say. A couple have real break out talent, I think. But I'll let you figure that out for yourself, I don't want to bias you. I am confident you'll be able to handle any attitude you're given." Carmen smirked.

"Oh trust me, Madame Tibideaux - they will be put in their place. I can be the queen of attitude, if you rub me the wrong way," Kurt said, getting a far away look in his eye.

"Yes, about that. Will you and Mr. Anderson be able to work together? I've heard some rumors and gossip, however, I understand you aren't the best of friends?"

"You understand correctly. But I can be civil. He burned his bridges years ago, without us ever officially meeting. But, this opportunity is important to me, so…I'll deal with him as necessary. I'll be on my best behavior," Kurt said, gritting his teeth.

"Mr. Anderson - Blaine, he seems to be a decent man. Oblivious most of the time, but he genuinely seems to care, and wants to help the students succeed. I wish he would get in touch with his inner demons; but apparently those only come out in his songs. I'm excited to see what you can do this semester at NYADA as an instructor and advisor."

Kurt nodded and got up to leave Carmen's office. Squaring his shoulders for his new job for the year.

"Thank you, Madame Tibideaux. I look forward to this experience, too."

Rachel:

Rachel Berry strode into Carmen's office later that same day. She seemed a bit unsure and nervous.

"Ms. Berry," Carmen said, looking over her eyeglasses taking in her demeanor. She was obviously uncomfortable with being in the presence of Madame Tibideaux after being away for so long.

"Madam Tibideaux…uh, Carmen," Rachel said nervously. "I'm…um…very excited for the opportunity you're giving me here."

"But?" Carmen asked.

"Why are you doing this?" She exhaled quickly. "I was a total diva before, and I walked out on NYADA thinking I didn't need it, thinking I was too good to be here…so why did you ask me to be here?" She blurted.

"Well, Ms. Berry. I know things haven't worked out as you might have hoped, especially after leaving your Fannie Brice role early," she said, giving Rachel a pointed look. "I know mistakes have been made. And I'm hoping you've learned some life lessons in the process. Lessons that you can share with your students, and inspire at the same time. You had a huge amount of chutzpah, badgering me for another chance after you blew your original audition. I'm hoping that Rachel will be able to inspire our students, while tempering things with a dash of reality."

Rachel shook her head. "Yes, I've learned, and I'm so excited for my chance to start rebuilding myself and my reputation," she said with such hope in her voice.

"I hope you succeed in doing that," Carmen said, nodding. She really hoped the close proximity to her former roommate, Kurt, would help her to succeed.

Rachel got up and left without even asking about her new students.

Carmen shook her head and went back to her paperwork, reviewing the class offerings for the semester; the classes were an eclectic mix her new teachers were offering.

Classes:

Confidence and Believing You're a Star – Rachel Berry, inst.

Do you have doubts about yourself? Your talent? You gotta believe before anyone else will!

Diva! – Rachel Berry, inst.

Walking the line between SuperStar and being a b**ch.

Bad Reputation – Rachel Berry, inst.

So you had a meltdown, but now it's happened repeatedly. How do you make it work for you?

Shaking it (Put a Ring on It) – Kurt Hummel, inst.

Beginners dance moves, hip shimmies and shakes, learning Single Ladies routine, along with a few other iconic dance numbers.

Gender: Finding the right role – Kurt Hummel, inst.

You want the leading role, but you don't fit the stereotype. Courage.

The Role You Were Born to Play – Kurt Hummel, inst.

Going for your dreams. What "no" really means - creative thinking and new ideas.

You Are Happy to See Me, Right – Blaine Anderson, inst.

You get a role you are passionate about, but fans or trolls have other ideas. Dealing with social media.

Positive Spins – Blaine Anderson, inst.

In the face of continued rejections, how to pick yourself up and keep going.

Put On A Happy Face and Sing – Blaine Anderson, inst.

Practice, practice, practice….The joy of music and singing, Voice 101.

Shifting your Focus (Seeing Others Impact/value) – Blaine Anderson, inst.

Are you clueless to others around you? A secret crush you've never really noticed? Living in the now, knowing your worth.

Duets – all 3 instructors

Are you a Katy or a Gaga

Taking your favorite songs/artists and pivoting to be more versatile.

Blaine:

Later that day, Carmen looked up from the contents of her desk, to see a smiling Blaine Anderson walking through her door. His smile beamed with excitement, making everyone think he was adorable and sweet.

Carmen didn't doubt he was a nice man, but his eyes seemed a little haunted to her. If he was her student, she would be pushing him to get in touch with his feelings, and push his limits a little more, express himself. Regardless of that, he was still a successful songwriter with a lot to offer, and very enthusiastic about teaching. He practically bounced into her office as he sat down.

"I'm so excited for this opportunity to work with students from your esteemed school, Madame Tibideaux!" Blaine gushed. "Thank you so much for this opportunity!"

"I'm happy to have you here, Mr. Anderson. You're a very talented songwriter, congratulations on your awards," Carmen said, nodding at him.

"I was so lucky, and surprised, to win for my original song in Fabulously Wicked. That production was full of talented performers. Kurt - Mr. Hummel…he really blew me away with his performances. His award was well deserved. It's thanks to him that my song won."

"I'm glad you brought up Kurt, there are a lot of rumors that you've been feuding for years and won't speak to each other. Do you think you'll be able to work together for the benefit of our students? I don't want any personal problems interfering in their education," Carmen looked at Blaine sternly over her glasses.

"Oh, uhm," Blaine hedged as he squirmed in his seat for a moment, visibly uncomfortable.

"To be honest, I don't know why Kurt won't talk to me. He scowls at me and avoids me any time we are around each other. I'm a big admirer of his looks…oh, uh, I mean, his…talents," he stammered nervously. "I promise I won't let it interfere with my students, or the job. We only have one class together. I'm confident we can both be professional."

"Very well, then. I'm going to hold you to that," she replied sternly.

"Can we talk about the students I'll be mentoring?" Blaine asked, trying to change the subject. Talking about Kurt always made him feel things - things he'd rather channel into his songs.

"Of course. I don't care about idle gossip, I just want to make sure our students are taught the right skills from our faculty, so they can be successful. The students you will be mentoring are a real mix. We have some wealthy family sons, with a very big sense of entitlement: Sebastian and Hunter.

"I've also given you some really talented students. Marley is probably the best. But what she lacks in confidence, she makes up for in sweetness. Santana has a huge handful of attitude and talent. Her girlfriend, Brittany, is a bit…strange, if I'm putting it nicely. Skylar is the last student, he's a huge fan of yours - nice kid. You'll be dealing with a fanboy this term," she smirked.

"Wow. That does sound like a real mix. I see you're not gonna go easy on me," Blaine chuckled.

"I'm sure you will be up for the challenge, the students will appreciate someone who is passionate about their craft, and willing to listen, and work with them." Blaine nodded as he got up to leave Carmen's office.

Kurt was on his mind as he walked down the hall. Not for the first time, he wondered what he ever said or did to make Kurt hate him. He wished he could fix things; he was enthralled by Kurt and always felt a pull to be closer to him; never mind that he was the hottest man he'd ever seen. Maybe he could figure some way to get Kurt to talk to him this term? Afterall, they would be working very closely together…

FLASHBACK SCENE (4 years ago, the theater of Fabulously Wicked):

Kurt walked into the theater lost in his dreams. He was still shocked he was playing Elphaba, it had been his dream since high school to sing Defying Gravity on Broadway. It was his first starring role too. Nothing could bring him down.

He entered the back of the theater, intending to take a shortcut, when he heard people arguing.

"Dammit Sam, but it's my song, my music! I don't want someone who can't even hold a note completely destroying my song. What will people think?!"

"I know man, but you legally signed a release wavering your rights to your songs, so they could be used for the show. This is your big chance!"

"Ugh, Sam," Blaine groaned. "I know I did! But that was before I knew someone with no talent would be singing one of my songs. I didn't sign up for that!" He yelled, flailing his hands in the air. "This is terrible," he continued to gripe.

Kurt gasped quietly as he hid frozen in the shadows. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

As he hid, the sounds of someone hammering, drilling, and sawing began to distract him from the conversation he was currently eavesdropping on.

"I'm telling you, Sam. That ice queen isn't going to bring half of the passion that's needed for the song. This is the type of song you have to feel deep down in your soul. And there isn't anything inside that body."

"Blaine, you're overreacting. And you're being dramatic."

The banging continued to get louder and louder where Kurt stood, beginning to block the conversation completely. Kurt was getting annoyed. He needed to hear the rest of this conversation.

"No"…

"Stiff and wooden"…

"How did they even get the part?"

Kurt couldn't hear the conversation anymore over the banging. He thought about what she should do after the conversation he just heard. He needed to get where he was going, he couldn't go back the way he came from. And he couldn't let on that he basically just eavesdropped on their whole conversation. So, he decided he would just barrel through, to get to the back of the theater.

He took a deep breath, and walked out of where he hid, running headlong right into the handsomest man he'd ever seen. He gasped in shock and stared at him for a moment.

The songwriter, Blaine Anderson, looked at Kurt in awe, cheeks instantly blushing red, eyes glancing down nervously at the floor.

Kurt figured he was embarrassed at being caught. He wanted to bitch him out so badly - yell a few obscenities at him after what he'd just heard. But, as angry as he was, he was also afraid of bursting into tears, and he wasn't about to start crying in front of Blaine Anderson. So he hurried by, and vowed never to speak to Blaine.

Blaine was stunned for a minute by the gorgeous man, walking quickly right in front of him. He couldn't speak. Once glance of this man completely took his breath away.

The man was gone so quickly Blaine thought he might have imagined him.

Sam bumped his shoulder pulling him out of his trance.

"Why was Kurt in such a hurry?" Sam asked.

"Kurt?" Blaine replied puzzled.

"Yeah. That was Kurt Hummel. He's playing Elphaba, his first starring role. His voice is da bomb! He's going to really make your songs shine!"

"If only the other performer was just as talented. Honestly, Sam. I don't know how she even got the part!"

"Man, I thought I told you. Her dad is a big investor of the show. I heard she is pretty delicate and gets sick a lot. Thankfully, they have a really good understudy, so we can just hope for the best," Sam tried to reassure. "Don't worry dude, this is the start of your success, I just know it." Sam said, slapping him on the back.

Blaine's mind drifted back to the sexy man - Kurt - again. If only he hadn't been so dumbstruck when he saw him. If only he wasn't so awkward around very cute guys, maybe he would have said something…anything to get his attention, instead of just stupidly staring as he walked by. He was always getting tongue tied. This is why he stuck to songwriting. It was always so much easier to write his feelings than live them.

Kurt was settling into his new office, setting up some personal things when there was a knock on the door.

"Kurt! It's great to see you again," Brody said as he came into the room pulling Kurt into a big hug.

Kurt cringed inwardly, and tried to pull away quickly.

"Look, I know I wasn't honest about things in the past; I was afraid everyone would judge me, and I screwed everything up. I won't apologize for the work; but I will for lying about it. Let me show you myself, honestly, and see if we can be friends?"

Kurt looked him over, he looked happier and more settled into himself. "Ok, we can give it a try," he said pointedly. "But no sitting on my chairs naked though, okay?"

They both laughed.

"I'll only do that if I'm invited to," Brody said with a wink.

Kurt was surprised, and it must have shown on his face.

"Look, I'm a different person than the one you met before. I'm bi and comfortable with myself. I'd love an opportunity to get to know you better. I always thought you were a sexy man, I loved your attitude too, 'these are my vintage flea market chairs!'" Kurt groaned in embarrassment.

"Come on. Come have a drink with me, we'll catch up and talk about this working relationship we've found ourselves in." Brody gave him his best smile, looking so earnest.

Kurt sighed, "Okay, fine let's grab a drink. But be warned - I'm not making any promises. I do want to build a good working relationship between us too, and I want us to be a unit. A team. So, let's go have a drink and figure this out."

"That's awesome, I really appreciate it, and you won't regret it," Brody offered Kurt his arm and they walked out of NYADA and off to one of Brody's favorite local bars to catch up.

Brody is happy Kurt is giving him a chance, and figures he will work on being a flirty friend and see how that works out.

Rachel and her husband, Jesse St. James, brought the last boxes into her new office. Rachel had a poster of a gold star on the wall; her childhood symbol for success. She hoped to use it here with the students.

"Jesse, do you really think this will help get me back into the good graces of Broadway? What'll I do if I can't get my career back? I can't be a failure at my age!" Rachel blurted quickly, not stopping to breathe as her ranting continued.

Jesse grabbed her hand. "Rachel! Stop. Relax. I'm sure this will work. Once word gets around and people start hearing you're a teacher at NYADA, they'll think twice about you being a spoiled has been."

"S-S-Spoiled has been!" She shrieked. "Is that what people are saying? Oh my god! Am I pathetic? Is it hopeless?" Rachel said was working herself up again.

Jesse wrapped his arms around her. "It will all be fine, Rach. We just have to put in some work and show what we're made of."

Falling into Jesse's shoulders, finally letting the tension of the day seep out of her body, she replies, "Thank you for helping me through this." She squared her shoulders, looking up at her husband, and blotted her eyes. "I'll show them. I'll make them love me again, and make them never forget my name," she said with determination.

"That's the crazy woman I married," Jesse said proudly, laughing as he continued hugging his wife.

Blaine and Sam finished setting up the new office, they would be sharing for the term.

"Hey bro, so how are you feeling about playing teacher?" Sam asks.

"I'm really excited to work with the kids, show them how much I love the business and how cool it can be," Blaine says, glowing.

"Being close to Kurt will be… something," Sam smirks.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You know he won't talk to me," Blaine says sighing.

"I also know you've had the hots for him for years now, and you stalk his online stuff."

"I don't stalk him," Blaine scoffed. "I just…I haven't really seen him in a couple years, not after the musical took off and was fully successful; they didn't really need me for anything after that. I just wish I knew what I did to piss him off?" Blaine said with emotion.

"Everything I read about him says he's amazing, and he came from a small town in Ohio too, worked his butt off to get where he is; yet he won't even acknowledge me in the same room, besides the icy coldness radiating off him."

"It's weird for sure, he seems friendly to a lot of other people, I've never heard anything bad. He doesn't tolerate jerks, but you aren't a jerk. Maybe it's time you just confronted him and just…asked? What have you got to lose?" Sam says, shrugging.

"You know I don't do confrontations well," Blaine says, sighing again.

"Dude! You don't even look at most guys, you've got yourself all knotted up over him, that has to mean something. Talk to him. Maybe he just hates your raspberry scented hair gel?" Sam laughed, punching Blaine on the shoulder.

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right!" Sam said, laughing.

"More like ... .never right," Blaine stuck his tongue out at Sam.

"Ok, but who has more experience with the ladies?"

"No idea how that applies here but, alright mister man slut with all his girlfriends, I'll talk to him."

Sam smiled from ear to ear. "Finally!"

The first few days of school passed in a blur of students. All three new teachers weren't used to the energy levels students possessed, or the level of teenage emotions that poured out. They were all used to a busy life; but there was a frenetic energy in the air.

Immediately, there were clicks and a pecking order being established.

Not all the students were into that scene though; several wanted to forge their own way.

Today was the first day of advising, and each of them had 2 student appointments scheduled.

Kurt was meeting with Roderick and Unique. Rachel was meeting with Madison and Mason, and Blaine was meeting with Santana and Sebastian. They all had experienced a taste of the students from their classes already; but this was a chance to get to know them more personally. Kurt and Blaine were excited. Rachel was a bit apprehensive, as it's been a while since she's had to talk to strangers and get to know them on a more personal level. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle them, the students were all so different.

Blaine had just arrived at his office when he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey hot teach, I'm so excited for some one on one time with your puppy dog eyes," Sebastian said, leaning on Blaine's door frame leering at him.

Blaine sighed, this was going to be a long meeting. "Come in Sebastian, have a seat," he tried to say with some authority.

"Should I close the door so we can get horizontally acquainted?" Sebastian said, sauntering into the room.

"I think we'll leave the door open, thanks," Blaine shook his head, amazed at the balls on this student.

"Ooh, you like an audience, kinky, I'm down for that." He smirked.

Kurt was walking by, and heard most of the conversation, he couldn't help but laugh out loud at the antics. He'd put that snarky meerkat in his place before putting up with that for long.

Blaine saw Kurt laughing as he walked by; obviously at his expense. It was kind of funny, he guessed.

"Ok Sebastian, tell me about yourself. How can I help you?"

An hour later Blaine was exhausted, and had hardly gotten a word in edgewise with this student. He talked, and flirted the entire hour. He didn't know the meaning of boundaries, and kept trying to touch Blaine inappropriately. He was supremely confident, and thought he was a gift to the world too. It would remain to be seen if his talents were a gift to anyone else though. Blaine wasn't impressed so far. Blaine managed to get him out the door eventually; as he told him he had an appointment and rushed out to get a coffee. He wasn't sure how much of Sebastian he could stomach over the semester, maybe he could push him towards Sam?

At the coffee shop he almost knocked Kurt over trying to get to the counter. "Oh my God, I'm so-so sorry! I just had the worst student meeting and am desperate for coffee, and perhaps a shot!"

Kurt actually looked at him for a second and almost smiled. "I heard the start; an hour with him would tax anyone's patience. Sadly, he will fit in with lots of divas and queens out there, in the industry."

Blaine smiled at Kurt, eager to grab on to that very unexpected lifeline he had just been thrown. Just as he was hoping they might be able to have a conversation finally, Kurt seemed to realize who he was talking to and completely shut down. He nodded and walked out.

Blaine deflated as he ordered a medium drip coffee from the barista. He wished he could figure Kurt out. His interest in Kurt had led to several songs being written; but just once, he'd actually like to have the passion be in his real life, not in his head.

Blaine was done for the day, and mentally exhausted; how could 2 students be that stressful! Santana was more than a handful, and was full of critical quips all through their meeting, she even called him a boy scout at one point. She had a lot of talent, but not much focus, she was consumed with anger it seemed. He wasn't sure what he could offer either of them; their egos didn't leave a lot of room for mentoring. He trudged out the door intent on a glass, or three, of wine at home.

Kurt couldn't believe he had actually talked to Blaine for a minute, almost forgetting his hurt and humiliation from years ago. He walked back to his office, for his first student appointment, lost in thought. If only Blaine weren't so damn attractive. He walked up the stairs to his office hoping that his student meeting would be a lot better than Blaine's was.

"Child, you are a sight for sore eyes," Unique said, smiling broadly.

Kurt looked up and smiled. "Unique! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Your work in my classes so far has shown you have a lot of talent."

Unique blushed, "that's a high praise from someone like you Mr. Hummel."

"You know it's Kurt, for my students," Kurt said smiling, he genuinely liked her.

Kurt ushered her into his office as he put his nonfat mocha on the desk and got settled.

"I've been impressed with your voice and enthusiasm, tell me what you're hoping to achieve, and how I might be able to help you get there?" Kurt said after getting out a legal pad to jot down anything that might come up in their meeting.

Unique was very clear on what she wanted to do, she was a firm believer in hard work and pushing for change as a trans person and a person of color. She wanted to open the envelope for everyone, and her focus was on singing and acting.

The hour finished in no time and both of them had big smiles as they wrapped up.

"Kurt, I just want to thank you, your role as Elphaba was transformative, I never imagined gender bent Broadway until your show."

"I was so honored to get that part, the inner child in me had always dreamed about it, but thought it was out of reach. I hope in some small part it will open the door for other shows to try out."

"Small part," Unique snorted, "It's a big part of why I want to make waves too, your performance was breath-taking, not to mention award winning."

Kurt blushed, "thank you, Unique. It's an honor to be your advisor this term."

Kurt's other student, Roderick, was easy going and talented, but had been bullied in high school so didn't have a lot of confidence. They talked about their high school experiences and Kurt ended up guiding him to some books that helped him to gain insight and hopefully move away from the tragedy that was high school.

Rachel's office was on another floor from Kurt and Blaine's. She had just had the strangest meeting. The twins had decided they wanted to meet together to talk about their goals and future plans. They had seemed friendly to Rachel, and both had a good mix of talent from what she had seen in her classes so far. The sister, Madison, seemed to be the one in control though and Mason hadn't yet stood up to her or decided what he wanted to do with his life, beyond vague plans.

Although strange, they were probably the best option for her first student meeting. They weren't supremely talented to get her jealousy up, and they weren't as driven as Rachel either. She knew some of her other students would be a lot more challenging for her. She locked up her office and headed home to Jesse with a smile on her face, ready for the battles of tomorrow.

Kurt was surprised he was actually enjoying the new Brody, he was a huge help with the students. They had formed a tight working partnership so far. They had been out to drinks and dinner a few times now too. Kurt was shocked that he was actually thinking of maybe asking Brody to go on an official date with him. He never would have imagined that would be something crossing his mind a few years ago. Time, and people certainly change things.

Carmen had asked him to stop by her office this afternoon, once his classes were done. He was on his way down the corridor when he saw Rachel standing in a doorway; obviously it was one of her classes this term. Before he could decide what to do; Rachel squealed and ran down the hallway to embrace him.

"Kurt! I'm so happy to see you!" She said excitedly. "I've been hoping to run into you. I've been wanting to congratulate you on your success. You must be so excited with your Tony win!"

Kurt was shocked for a minute, was Rachel actually acknowledging his win and congratulating his success?

"Rachel," he replied slowly. "It's been a few years, you look good. I feel truly honored that people thought I was that talented in my role. How are you doing?"

A shadow floated across Rachel's eyes, but was gone almost as fast as it appeared.

"I'm doing great, so excited for this opportunity to start fresh with Jesse offering to help me out occasionally."

"Oh yes, congratulations. I heard you and Jesse reunited, and got married," Kurt said, patting her hand.

"We should get coffee and catch up soon," Rachel said.

"I'd love that. Right now, though, I'm on my way to Carmen's office. Tea with the queen so to speak," Kurt laughed as he pulled his hands free from Rachels.

"Great, we will coordinate something soon then," Rachel said, slowly walking back into her classroom. Kurt heard her yell at one of her students as soon as she walked in.

Kurt continued down the corridor to Carmen's office and knocked on the door frame.

"Kurt, come in, how are you settling in so far?" Carmen asked.

"I've only had a couple advising sessions, but they went well. I'm enjoying teaching, and feel very fortunate to have the students that I do. I heard one teacher start their advising session with a difficult student. I couldn't help laughing at their audacity."

"Hmmm, that must have been Sebastian or Santana I'd guess." Carmen had a Cheshire cat grin on.

"Carmen! I sense some plotting in giving them to Blaine."

"I'm sure I've no idea what you are talking about. I split the students up among the teachers. Why would I try to manipulate things?" Carmen said, chuckling.

"I remember a past Winter Showcase, where I was manipulated into giving an on the spot performance in front of everyone. Who could have arranged that I wonder?"

"You needed to break away from your props, I just nudged you towards your full potential." Kurt smiled.

"You were a favorite student of mine when you were here, and I have to confess I'm thrilled at your success so far. I look forward to a long distinguished career from you," Carmen said, beaming.

Kurt was shocked for a minute, and blushed. "Thank you for your confidence."

"It's my confidence in you that led to me asking you to stop by."

"Oh oh, sounds like you are looking for me to do something for you," Kurt said smirking. "I hope nothing to do with Sebastian or Santana," he winked.

"No, I'm afraid it's a bigger 'problem child' than those two," Carmen said, turning serious. "I'd like you to try and guide Ms. Berry to a better future, if you are up for the challenge?"

"Hmm, well…," he began with a nod, "that is a tall order. She didn't quite listen to me when we were friends in the past. I highly doubt she'll listen to me now."

"Well, I do agree, she wasn't very good at listening to people back then. I am, however, hoping her fall has allowed her to grow a bit. I don't expect miracles, but I was hoping over the term, you would be willing to talk about your success with her in a way where she can reflect and anticipate her future in a positive way. Maybe hearing what you have to say will help her listen to reason this time around, and make her realize that there are people out there that still want to see her succeed. She knows she's burned all her bridges with the community here, but Broadway is where her heart is. All I ask is that you try, you are a formidable man when you decide to do something."

"No need to butter me up, I'll do what I can with Rachel," Kurt said, sighing and thinking back a few years and their falling out when Rachel quit school and walked away. Maybe this time around she'll be ready to listen.

Blaine was shaking his head as his student, Brittany, left his office. He didn't understand anything she said, she called him a unicorn and got his last name wrong, calling him Blaine Warbler. She also talked about a lord and fondue too. Advising students was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Brittany was definitely an unusual one.

His next appointment was waiting in the hall. "Marley, come on in," Blaine greeted.

She locked eyes with him for a second before looking down and keeping her eyes on the floor. She really blossomed when she was singing, but otherwise seemed afraid of her own shadow.

"You've really got a lot of talent vocally and are an amazing singer," Blaine said, smiling.

Marley beamed at him. "I love singing, it's like being transported to another world."

They talked about music for a while and as Marley became more comfortable she brought up her songwriting. Blaine was very excited to hear about that, and they made an appointment for later in the week so Marley could show him some of her work. He suggested finding an empty classroom and practicing more with her voice and she left with pep in her step.

Blaine turned around, smiling in accomplishment. He finally made a connection with a student.

Kurt was meeting with Elliott today. Elliott and Dani (his friend and fellow bandmate) had been in an Indie band for a bit, when he had been turned down for the first try at NYADA.

Kurt had witnessed Elliott dressed in goth gear and singing Marry the Night recently.

"Elliott, from what I saw you have a talented voice and your outfit and make-up were flawless. Depending on what your goals are though you may need to turn things down a notch. But tell me, where do you see yourself focusing your talent?"

"I love glam rock, and the band was a lot of fun, but we were only two and couldn't get many gigs. Someone called me a glitter rock vampire at one point."

"I'll assume that was a compliment," Kurt laughed. "When I was a student here some of the other students put together singing groups via the notice board, or the online school chats. I'd suggest you advertise and see what you can find. I'd be happy to help you hold auditions in a room at the school here."

"Really? Gosh that would be awesome. What about you? Ever thought of being in a band?" Elliott asked.

Kurt looked at him dreamily for a second, "I did actually try to start a band when I was here, but it fell apart pretty quickly due to egos. I love Broadway though, so I think my heart is there. But I'd be happy to jam out with you sometime. Callbacks is also nearby, for practicing your performances. It's the place for us NYADA folk."

"Thank you, Kurt. I appreciate that. I feel like we could be friends, if you weren't my teacher," Elliott said, smiling.

"Well, I'd be happy to hang out some time and take off my teacher hat. You seem trustworthy. Plus, I'm only a teacher for this term before I head back to my career."

Brody walked into the office as Kurt wrapped up with Elliott and he walked out of the office.

"He's a cutie. So tall though!" Brody grinned.

Kurt laughed. "He seems like a genuinely sweet guy. Go for it, if you're interested."

Brody stared at Kurt for a minute before leaning back on Kurts desk. "I actually have my sights set on someone else, who's not only talented and successful, but handsome too."

Kurt blushed. "'Handsome huh, no idea who that could be."

"He's the handsome-est!" Brody leaned in and kissed Kurt on the cheek. "Ready for our dinner date?"

Kurt leaned in and whispered, "I'm almost ready," with a wink.

He turned to pack his briefcase as Brody sat there with his mouth open. Were they actually going on a date this time?

Kurt slung his briefcase over his shoulder and reached out to take Brody's arm. They headed off in a different direction from the restaurants they had been frequenting.

"What are you in the mood for tonight?" Brody asked, sensing Kurt had already decided where they were going.

"I made a reservation at this Italian place that was recommended."

"That sounds nice. So, tell me how your day was?"

Kurt laughed, "You were there for most of it, silly."

"You know what I mean, the advising, that's where you get the juicy stuff and find out what they want to be when they grow up," Brody teased.

"Ohhh, yeah. This one student wants to be a serial killer. He just wants to sing everyone to death."

Brody stopped in his tracks, "he what?!" He shrieked, eyes practically bugging out of his head.

Kurt bent over laughing, "You should see your face, I'm teasing you," he said catching his breath. "He wants to sing, and be in a band. I suggested the notice boards, and offered to help him with a room for tryouts. I also offered to jam with them."

"Really? I never imagined you in a glam rock band," Brody smiled.

"Hey, I wear plenty of make-up on stage," Kurt said, mock pouting.

"And during the average day too!" Brody quipped.

Kurt swatted his shoulder, "How rude!"

They both continued to laugh as they arrived at the Italian restaurant, called Mama's. Kurt had made a reservation, and they had an intimate table in the corner.

They were seated and Brody looked at Kurt.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Is this really a date? Cause it sure feels like it to me," Brody said, hopefully.

"Well, I always say go with your feelings," Kurt smiled and leaned in to kiss Brody on the lips.

They had a great intimate meal and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.

"Carmen asked me to stop by her office," Kurt mentioned as they spoke casually during dinner.

"Oh, is something wrong? I thought we were doing great with the students so far," Brody asked, worried.

"No, it's worse than that," Kurt said, sighing.

"She wants me to try talking some sense into Rachel."

Brody laughed. "Oh, geez. You aren't serious?"

"I am, actually. And then after I ended up bumping into her and she wants to make plans for coffee soon. But I don't know how I'm supposed to get her to listen to me of all people. She wouldn't listen to me when I was one of her best friends, we haven't spoken in a few years, I can't imagine her wanting to listen to me now," Kurt shook his head.

"Well, we both know she's talented and very stubborn, maybe her Hollywood failure made her rethink her life?" Brody said, smirking.

"Yeah, I don't think that's very likely, but I told Carmen I'd give it a try. She thought if I talked about my success and how I got there, maybe that would inspire Rachel somehow, and maybe see a path forward."

"Wow. Okay, well, let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out with that," Brody said flirtatiously.

"Well, I was thinking I would need someone to work the kinks out of me after dealing with her," Kurt smirked.

"I'll volunteer to work anything in, or out, of you," Brody said, with a leer and a smile.

Kurt looked at Brody coyly, "come back to my place with me?"

"Yes! I'd love that Kurt, we don't have to rush into anything, we can move as slow as you like," Brody said, genuinely excited.

"What if I want you to speed up sometimes?" Kurt grabbed Brody's hand and they rushed out to get a cab.

One thing was sure, Kurt was a lot more comfortable and confident in himself. Brody found that a huge turn on.

Today was a day Blaine had been dreading for a while now, it was the special combined class with Kurt and Rachel. He had no idea if Kurt would talk to him, or ignore him; he also had heard all about Rachel and her antics.

Blaine showed up a little early and overheard Kurt and Rachel arranging a meeting for coffee to catch up on their lives.

He walked into the room and said hello. Kurt looked over at him and nodded.

Rachel actually came over to greet him. "It's nice to meet you! I've heard several of your songs and they are lovely. Congratulations on your awards. I hope someday I'll get one for myself to sing."

Blaine looked at her shell shocked for a minute. "I'd be delighted to write a song for someone of your talent."

Blaine realized making that comment was a mistake as Rachel wouldn't stop talking about herself after that. Finally, the students were all in attendance and it was time to start the class.

"Everyone settle down. It's time for choosing sides and feuding favorites," Kurt said with excitement.

Rachel walked in front of Kurt and started talking about herself and what songs inspired her, acting like Kurt and Blaine weren't there.

Blaine looked over, shocked that Rachel would suddenly cut Kurt off from his speech and completely ignore him.

Kurt looked frustrated for a second, but then he recovered and threw a book on the floor. Everyone gasped at the sudden noise and Rachel jumped in fright.

"Thanks Rachel for that pep talk about you, you, you. But we are teaching a class together here, which means it's a collaboration. And we've already agreed on the first topic.

Kurt flipped the whiteboard over to show, 'Are you a Katy or a Gaga?' written out. He looked out into the class and started calling on people.

"Skylar, pick one."

"Katy," he said, blushing.

"Kitty?"

"Gaga."

"Elliott, I assume you're a Gaga?"

Elliott laughed and nodded.

Kurt rapidly went around the room writing the names under each singer as appropriate.

"Ok, now that we have that sorted, Gaga's on the left, Katy's on the right. You're going to come up with a song or songs that fits you and your personality best. Group or individual performance is fine. You're welcome to dress up too. Rachel, Blaine and I will split up and walk around the room for advice."

Rachel huffed and immediately walked to the Katy side and started talking to some of the students.

Kurt strode to the Gaga side and did the same.

Blaine wasn't sure what to do at this point. He looked out at the students and saw Skylar staring at him, so he went over to chat with him.

Seeing Sebastian walk toward him out of the corner of his eye, Blaine sighed in resignation. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Sebastian's antics, and quickly decided to initiate an impromptu song to save himself.

He sat on the desk at the front of the class and began singing 'Teenage Dream.' He ended up bouncing off the desk and doing a full acapella routine with the song. Unfortunately, he spent most of the song staring directly at Kurt. To anyone watching, it seemed that Blaine was singing with longing to Kurt. Kurt didn't notice at first, until some of the students started nudging each other and nodding heads. Kurt was stunned. What could Blaine be thinking? They've never spoken, since Kurt heard Blaine and Sam talking about him years ago. Blaine almost seemed to be in love with Kurt? How is that even possible? The song finally ended with a smiling Blaine not realizing what he had unconsciously done.

"Wanky!" Santana exclaimed.

Everyone went back to their conversations, and after an hour the class wrapped up, they would meet again in a week to go over ideas and give advice, and the contest would happen the following week. Kurt had free tickets to some shows as a reward for the winner(s).

Blaine tried to work up the courage to talk to Kurt, not realizing he had been staring at him.

Kurt looked over at him a couple times and seemed to hesitate about what to do. Finally, he grabbed his stuff and walked out, not looking back.

Sebastian made sure to tease Blaine about his crush on the 'ice queen'; and be inappropriate for a few minutes. Saying he'd have been all over Blaine if he sang to him like that, and asking why hadn't he.

The students began to spread out to their various classes, and the school rumor mill started to churn.

Was there some former romance between the two, a lover spurned? Is that what caused the rift? Everyone was curious.

Kurt sat in his office trying to grasp what had happened with Blaine. He was staring off into space when Brody came in. "What's up, you look a million miles away?" he said, smiling.

"You haven't heard already, from the rumor mill?" Kurt said, scoffing.

"You mean about Blaine giving you googly eyes, and singing to you?" Brody laughed, sitting in the chair opposite Kurt's. "Yeah, I heard."

"I don't know what happened, or what he was thinking. I've never given him the time of day before."

"What's the story between you two? I've never heard the cause of the legendary rift," Brody leaned in.

"You know Blaine wrote some of the new songs for 'Fabulously Wicked.' What you don't know is that I walked in on him and Sam trashing me as a queen with no emotion or talent." Kurt's knuckles whitened and he snapped the pencil he had in his hand.

"What? That doesn't sound like him. I mean, I've heard he's a bit clueless at times, but most people will say he's a good guy. Why would he say those things? Especially about you? You are so far from talentless and emotionless. You practically burn with all the emotion inside."

Kurt snorted. "So you're saying I'm too emotional?"

"What I'm saying is that you are a talented actor, and very passionate about things. I think it's hot! It certainly continues in the bedroom too," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Kurt was blushing. "Thanks for the compliment, what can I say you bring out the Dom in me."

Brody laughed, as he continued. "Are you sure he was talking about you, though? Because…wasn't there someone else performing some of Blaine's songs for the show? I vaguely remember a scandal about some actress?"

"Yes, an investors daughter was originally one of the leads; but her understudy was leaps and bounds ahead of her talent wise, so it wasn't long before she had to leave for some mysterious illness. She was only interested in being famous, not in doing any work for it. A spoiled rich girl, if you ask me."

"You don't think that could have been who Blaine was talking about?" Brody suggested. Kurt contemplated that theory.

"It was my first big roll, I couldn't imagine it would have been anyone else being criticized as talentless. I don't know what to think, to be honest. It's very confusing now, especially after Blaine's actions today," he shrugged.

Brody got up and started massaging Kurt's shoulders. "I think it's time we found a way to relax you," he leaned over and kissed Kurt on the lips.

"That sounds fantastic, no more thinking for a bit."

Brody pulled Kurt up from his chair and they headed out hand in hand.

Around the school, several students were in the hallway talking.

"I saw it with my own eyes, and I still can't believe it," Kitty said.

"But how could it be? They've hated each other for ages?" Elliott said.

"Sometimes hate is what gets the old libido going the best, it's the hottest sex," Sebastian said. "I'd sleep with both of them, and lap it all up."

"I hate to agree with slime ball here, but Blaine sure has it bad for Kurt. You could see it so clearly with the song," Santana said.

"Unicorns mate for life you know," Brittany said.

Santana smiled at her girlfriend, before leaning over to give her a kiss.

"I thought Kurt was going to blow a gasket at the end, but he just stormed out," Kitty said.

"Next class is sure going to be interesting," Elliott said. They all nodded as they split up for their classes.

Blaine was really struggling dealing with Sebastian. He had no boundaries, and just thought Blaine was playing hard to get. It had gotten to the point where Blaine was shuddering when Sebastian came near him; not with lust but with revulsion.

All the other students had noticed, and were trying to run interference, telling Sebastian to back off. Skylar had tried multiple times to protect his fanboy crush, but he wasn't very intimidating. So far, Sebastian wasn't listening, just pursuing what he wanted, without any thought for others. He'd seldom been turned down before.

Blaine had become desperate to unload Sebastian on Sam.

"But Sam, I need your help, I can't handle his constant come ons. He's cornered me multiple times in the halls and after classes," Blaine said, begging. "It's making me very uncomfortable."

"You've gotta start standing up for yourself man! This is so not cool," Sam said, finally getting angry with Blaine.

"You're a grown man, you need to take control of your life, instead of trying to skate by, and not ruffle feathers."

"You know I'm not good at standing up for myself," Blaine said, pleading.

"I know, I've helped you too many times in the past. You need to slam on the breaks with this kid and put him in his place. You also need to stand up and say something to Kurt, everyone here has heard about your love song to him. He's got to be wondering what the hell is going on with you," Sam said.

Blaine sunk into his chair and put his head in his hands.

Sam came around and squeezed his shoulder. "It's time for a change. You deserve a better way of living."

"My whole life, it's been easier to just go with the flow and not make any waves. I never wanted to upset anyone. Writing music allowed me to channel my feelings, that way I didn't have to interact with anyone. I don't even know where to start with making changes."

"I've said it before, talk to Kurt, tell him, once he knows, he can decide what to do. You're never going to get anywhere with your life if you don't start participating."

Rachel and Kurt were finally getting coffee together. Rachel sat down with a huff. After a few moments of awkward silence, Kurt decided to break the ice.

"So…me and Brody are hooking up," Kurt blurted. Rachel looked at Kurt with wide eyes. For a moment, Kurt thought he had made the wrong move in telling Rachel about Brody. But then an evil grin appeared on her face, and Rachel immediately said, "oh my god, tell me everything." So, he did. Although, there wasn't much to tell.

"I can't believe you're with Brody of all people," Rachel said, sipping her coffee.

"I'm not with Brody. Like I said, we kind of made amends. We went out for drinks to catch up and clear the air. He seems like a decent guy now. He apologized for the way he acted in the past. I moved on."

Rachel nodded with a knowing smile on her face.

"That, and you need the distraction when the stress gets too much," she teased.

"You still know me," he teased back. They both remained quiet for a few more moments.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rachel asked, breaking the silence. Kurt nodded.

"Why were you so mean to me in our joint class?"

"Rachel - you stepped in front of me and started talking about yourself. We'd already agreed on the topic for class, which, I'll add, had nothing to do with your favorite songs. You were trying to take over. I wasn't trying to be mean. Sometimes, you just get carried away and someone needs to step in." He looked at her pointedly.

"Look - neither of us are who we used to be, and I'm not going to let you walk all over me again. There is more to life than Rachel Berry. If you want to catch up and try to be friends, I'm all for it, but things are going to be different. If you're just looking for a cheering squad, I don't have time for that anymore. So what's it going to be?" Kurt asked, looking directly in her eyes.

Rachel teared up a bit, "I've missed you. My life hasn't turned out the way I planned it to, and I'm hoping to rebuild and sort of rise from the ashes so to speak. I could use your help. And friendship," she said honestly.

"Then let's start over," he said grinning, extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel, I'm taking a year off from a starring role on Broadway and very excited to mentor new talent."

Rachel giggled, before reaching out to shake his hand. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry, I want to be a Broadway star, but I lost my way with bad choices in the past."

They started catching up after that, Kurt talking about his role and the production. He could see Rachel start to get a little jealous.

"I would have had a long term starring role, but my friends didn't support me."

"Uh, Rachel, I tried to support you, and give you advice, and you walked away from me and our friendship, along with your Broadway dream role," Kurt said, with anger in his voice.

"Did you? I'm sure you and Carmen could have convinced me not to go to Hollywood."

"Seriously? Are you delusional? Rachel Berry has a strong personality and doesn't like to take advice from anyone. Perhaps you've heard of her?"

Rachel looks long and hard at Kurt. "Maybe…maybe you are right," she says quietly, shoulders dropping in shame.

Kurt is shocked for a minute. "You have a lot of talent, and a huge amount of drive, but you have to learn to be a team player to be a success. You have to make a new start and show people you've changed, otherwise, no one is going to take a chance on you again."

Kurt gets up, takes his nonfat mocha and walks out of the coffee shop at that point, leaving Rachel with a lot of thinking to do.

Rachel is teaching a class when a scuffle breaks out between a couple of students.

"I'm way more talented than you," Myron says, haughtily.

Sunshine sighs, "this again? You're a talentless hack, I can sing circles around you."

Rachel snaps, "I'm tired of listening to both of you, you've got talent! But there's always someone out there with more talent. We're going to have a sing-off. Right now. Myron, you're up first. Class lets move to the back of the room."

Myron is very confident and talented; but Sunshine blows him out of the water. In fact, she is so talented Rachel starts to feel threatened by her. She busts out a performance piece to 'show the kids' about talent and performing.

The class ends with everyone voting for Sunshine, and Rachel walking out in a daze.

Rachel:

Sunshine arrived for their advising session acting bubbly and alive.

"Sunshine, good to see you," Rachel says, welcoming her into the office.

"How are you settling in with school? You're one of my most talented students," Rachel beams.

"Uh, it's good so far, nice to perform and get the spotlight so to speak."

"Your application paperwork for the school says you want to be on Broadway someday."

"I've already been on some tryouts," Sunshine says, casually.

"What! Wow, that's amazing, but don't you think you should focus on honing your craft here at NYADA first, before venturing out there?" Rachel says, a hint of jealousy in her words.

"I'm sure I can juggle both, no sense wasting time," Sunshine says, kind of smugly.

Rachel gulps and takes a deep breath. "You know, I used to go to school here. I'd gotten a lead on a Broadway show, and was poised for success, everything I had dreamed of. I got an offer for a show in Hollywood, shortly after my Broadway debut, with a starring role, and I foolishly threw everything away to chase that. Now, I'm trying to come back from that," Rachel said, a little choked up.

"Oh, I won't make those mistakes," Sunshine said, confidently.

Rachel looked shocked for a moment.

"Well, I'm here if you want to talk about anything, even your tryouts and how they are going."

"Thanks, I know I'll be successful, just need to make sure nothing pulls me off my path. I've had people try tricks in the past to make me lose my way."

Sunshine walked out of Rachel's office and Rachel turned to look in a mirror; she was sure she just had her twin in the office for a minute there. She hoped she could help Sunshine not repeat her mistakes.

Blaine:

Blaine was meeting with Skylar today.

"Mr. Anderson," Skylar said.

"Skylar, you know you can call me Blaine," Blaine smiled and offered him a seat.

"Oh, uh, I know. But you're such a legend, it seems disrespectful."

Blaine laughed and blushed, "I'm just a regular guy, not royalty."

Skylar looked at his hands for a moment then looked up at Blaine. "I'm so sorry about Sebastian, I've told him to back off and that it wasn't cool what he's been doing, but he insists he'll wear you down."

"Well, thank you, but you know it's not your job to protect me?"

"But, he's horrible. I mean you're amazing, as everyone already knows, but it's obvious he's being inappropriate, and it's pretty much all the time," Skylar sighed.

"I appreciate you looking out for me, but I want you to focus on your learning and growth, I will take care of myself, and Sebastian. I just need to figure out how to do that," Blaine said, looking contemplative.

Brody was just finishing up some dance moves with the students, he taught extra sessions for the ones that were having trouble keeping up with Kurt. He remembered Kurt in dance classes years ago, and how awkward he had been at first and laughed.

Kurt wasn't far from his mind most of the time. He was so happy that Kurt had given him a second chance. He hadn't liked the person he was back when they first met. Some therapy and a hard look at what was going on in his life made him make some changes though.

He was so excited when Carmen had told him Kurt was coming back for a term and she was partnering them up. He had hoped Kurt would be open to forgiving him, but he was truly surprised they had ended up dating in the end. He really liked the man Kurt had become. He had no plans for things to last long term though, after all, Kurt would be going back to Broadway and back to his busy lifestyle. He wouldn't have time for a TA who never found success. A part of him did yearn for something more though. Kurt was sweet and stunningly good looking. As he thought that, he realized all the students were gone and he decided to look at himself in the full length mirror. Time to stop mooning and get on with the day, he laughed as he picked up his bag and towel.

Blaine was lecturing the class about vocal performance in between student practices. He had gotten to the middle of the room when he suddenly felt a hand on his lower back. He repressed a shudder, figuring it was Sebastian yet again. He felt his hand drifted down to his ass inappropriately…he'd finally had enough. This is not what he signed up for, it was making him dread coming to classes. He needed to put a stop to this now.

"Sebastian!" Blaine snapped, turning towards him.

"I don't know how you are with your other instructors, but with me, there will be no more physical contact, understood?. He said angrily. "I expect you to keep six feet of distance between us at all times."

"What!? Don't act like you don't want it…I know you want me," Sebastian said, truly shocked.

"This will come as a shock to you, but I am not Interested In you! I am tired of your harassment and I demand it stop. If you don't, I will go to Carmen, and the police, and make sure you are expelled," Blaine was huffing in big gulps of air as he stared at Sebastian.

Suddenly, the entire class started clapping and cheering. Sebastian grabbed his stuff and walked out of the room, head held high and face burning.

Everyone came up to Blaine to congratulate him on standing up for himself.

Blaine went back to his office and opened a bottle of wine after class. He was still shaking a little, but he had done it! He decided it was time to talk to Kurt and finally sort things out between them, before he lost his nerve.

Blaine had a few glasses of wine before he got up and went to look for Kurt. He was determined not to lose his nerve.

He found Kurt in a room with Elliott and Dani, and some prospective band members auditioning. Once the person auditioning was done, as he didn't want to cause any disruption, no matter how eager he was, Blaine stormed into the room to talk to Kurt. Kurt didn't notice him at first, as he was concentrating on making some notes on the student.

"Kurt, I-we need to talk," Blaine stammered, losing a little of his confidence.

Kurt looked up at him for a moment, "I don't have anything to say to you," his gaze looking stony.

"Well - I have a lot to say to you, so you can just stand there and listen."

Everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing, and stood shell shocked at what was developing right before their eyes. They were all stunned to see Blaine being so forceful.

Kurt looked at Blaine, you could almost see the fumes coming out of his ears.

"Look, I don't know why you hate me. We've never really spoken, even when you were performing my song, we never really worked on it together. So, I don't know what you can possibly have against me to make you hate me so much?" Blaine said, trembling a bit. "Please tell me. I've got to know,"

"You have some nerve confronting me like this!" Kurt said, anger rising. "You want to know why I dislike you? Why I avoid you at any given opportunity? Why I don't give you the time of day?" He huffed. "Let me ask you this…why would I ever speak to someone who said I was talentless and an ice queen before even meeting me?" Blaine looked at Kurt confused.

"I was there, I heard you and Sam talking about me, and how upset you were that I was performing in Fabulously Wicked. I almost ran into you after that, and you couldn't even look me in the eye, embarrassed at getting caught."

Blaine looked shocked for a moment, not really understanding what Kurt was talking about. He'd never spoken badly about him before. If anything, he'd always said nothing but good things about Kurt whenever he or someone else brought him up. Blaine thought he was absolutely electrifying. Why would Kurt ever think he would say that about him?

Then, it clicked. He remembers the day Kurt was talking about, and the conversation he and Sam were having. But he wasn't talking about Kurt. He was talking about…oh my god!

Blaine startled Kurt as he began to almost laugh in his face. The wine was definitely loosening him up.

"Kurt - the conversation you walked in on was about the talentless young woman whose father forced production to hire. I hadn't even met you, or heard you perform at that point. I'm not sure if I mentioned her name. From the sound of it I probably didn't if you thought this whole time I was talking about you. But I'm also pretty sure as hell I didn't mention your name, either."

"If that's true, why couldn't you look me in the eye then, huh?"

"Ugh," Blaine groaned in frustration. "If you must know, I couldn't look at you when you ran into me, because…because I thought you were the hottest man I'd ever seen before. I didn't know what to say to the beautiful vision in front of me. I've been too chicken to tell you ever since, although I've written a few songs about my feelings for you."

"And - you know what?! I resent that you think so low about me. I've done nothing but try to be nice, and civil with you. It's not my fault you clearly misunderstood a very private conversation. And you know what else? I'm sure you've heard this already in the industry, Kurt, but I'm gonna tell you again. Not everything is about you, so get over yourself and your huge ego," Blaine said, pointing in Kurt's face.

Blaine turned around and stormed out of the room as Kurt's face went from angry, to shocked, and back to angry. How dare Blaine confront him and then walk away!

Kurt walked out of the auditions and out of the school. Elliott and Dani weren't sure what to do, looking at each other in shock. What the hell had they just witnessed?

By the next day, it was all over school. Both Kurt and Blaine had called in sick. Carmen heard about the incident eventually, and shook her head at the silliness of show biz people sometimes.

It was time for another one of the group teacher classes and everyone was on pins and needles, along with taking bets, on what would happen today.

Rachel was talking to some of the students when Blaine walked in. He looked embarrassed, and tried not to make eye contact with anyone.

Kurt, on the other hand, came storming into the room like he was taking the stage for a big number.

"With the permission of Rachel, I'd like to talk about humiliation today," he began with determination. "We're all going to have moments in life, and in live theater, where things are going to get out of our control. They will spiral, and you will be forced to improvise on the spot. How you handle that can possibly make or break your career."

Kurt pauses and looks everyone in the eye before pivoting to look at Blaine. "For those who don't know me well, I loathe having my personal information exposed out in the world. I love performing, but my personal life I like to keep a bit quieter. Recently, someone here cornered me and proceeded to dress me down, tell me I had an ego and laugh in my face. After that, they stormed out without allowing me to respond. Today I'd like to rectify that."

He walks over to Blaine and pokes him in the chest. "You, songwriter, I'm not very happy with you, and I've been stewing about it for a few days now. The entire school now knows about something very personal to me, and this is how it ties into todays' lesson. I was humiliated early on with my first major role on Broadway, I heard people gossiping and trashing what sounded like me. I immediately took it personally and was affronted. I also started doubting myself again. It took a lot for me to continue to work on the show and prove to myself, and others, that I had talent. From that, I learned to internalize my fears and bottle them up. I spent years angry about it, and I shut out Blaine and Sam because of it."

"As you all know, recently, that assumption I made was refuted, in an insulting way, yet again. I'm not sure about anyone else' but being screamed at, and laughed at, certainly didn't do my ego any good. So today, I am here to rip you a new one, Mr. Anderson!" Kurt said, raising his voice loudly.

"You need therapy. You had to get drunk in order to confront me?" Blaine raised his eyebrow in question.

"Yes, it was obvious," Kurt replied. "You also need to learn how to interact with people. There is a time and a place for private conversations."

"Kurt…", Blaine tried to interrupt.

"Oh, no, you didn't let me say anything the other day, so you can shut up and listen to me, right here and right now!" He demanded.

"I am so pissed off at you. The logical part of me actually appreciates you telling me you weren't dissing me all those years ago, but the rest of me is boiling. If you ever talk to me that way again, I-I I don't know what I'll do, but I guarantee you won't like it. We are going to take some time to cool off, and then I expect you to talk to me like an adult, civilly and without yelling or getting drunk again." Kurt took a moment to breath and calm down before continuing.

"So class, what I'm trying to demonstrate is a different way to handle uncomfortable or awkward situations, as you progress in your careers. There is always going to be someone that you can't get along with or push your buttons. For a lot of you, I'd think that would be Sebastian." Kurt said, trying to break the tension he was clearly creating.

The class tittered timidly, not sure what to make of what was going on in front of them.

"I'd like to offer a time out, so to speak, to you Blaine. You and I will take time to calm down and think about the way we've behaved. Then I'd like to take you to coffee and try to get to know you, without the baggage of the past. In the meantime, no moony songs that are obviously directed at me please."

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, a slight smile on his face. He was terrified they were going to end up throwing things at each other today.

The students, while stunned, had questions to ask about facing rejection, jealousy and rivalry, and all three of them were able to jump into teacher mode with their experiences and thoughts.

Kurt and Blaine had been summoned to Carmen's office. Neither of them were looking forward to being schooled by her; but of course, both knew they needed to accept their medicine.

They arrived at her door and knocked timidly.

Carmen looked up sternly at them for a moment. "Gentlemen, have a seat."

She went back to the file on her desk and pointedly ignored them for a few minutes. Neither of them wanted to start the conversation so they sat looking at their fingers, and down at their laps.

Finally, Carmen cleared her throat and looked up at them. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I distinctly remember having a conversation with each of you before classes started, do either of you recall that happening?"

They both nodded, and finally said, "yes Carmen."

"In those two very similar conversations, I asked each of you if you would have a problem working together. I was told most assuredly that it would not interfere with the students, or cause any issues. Imagine my surprise, when I heard about a shouting match in front of our students. One which aired dirty laundry, and where one of the instigators was obviously drunk," she questioned, eyebrows raised in disappointment.

Blaine cringed and sunk lower into his chair wondering if he could hide under the desk for a moment.

"I heard directly from a number of students shocked at the behavior of their instructors. I hadn't even decided how to deal with that, when I heard of another incident. Involving the same two instructors, again. What exactly am I supposed to do with the two of you? Your behavior and manners have been unacceptable during these incidents. I understand the second appeared to resolve some of the issues, but seriously gentlemen. There is more than enough drama awaiting our students in their chosen fields, they don't need to experience it from their instructors. I thought I had taken care of this sort of thing with Ms. July years ago," she exclaimed, staring angrily at Kurt and Blaine.

"I'm here with a warning, regardless of any personal feelings I may have. I will throw both of you out of this program if anything, and I mean anything, happens again. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Oh, um, yes, yes Ms. Tibideaux," they both said in unison.

"I apologize for my indiscretions," Blaine added on.

She stared at both of them for another minute, "get out!"

They both scurried to get out of her office and almost knocked the chairs over on their way out.

"Oh my god, I thought I was going to piss myself in fear!" Blaine said as they walked back to their offices.

"I've known Carmen for several years now, her bite is definitely worse than her bark! She can be terrifying," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"Hey look-," Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's arm in the middle of the hallway to stop him. Blaine looked at him warily, not knowing what to expect. "Hmm…can I buy you that coffee now? I kinda wanna get out of here. And I think it's better if we aren't in school right now," Kurt said, a smirk on his face.

Blaine looks at him for a long moment, "I'd really like that Kurt."

Rachel was talking to Jesse in one of his rare free moments where he could help out. "Oh my god, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife between them. Honestly, I hope they manage to sort things out, they'd probably be good together."

"I thought you were mad at Kurt after your coffee meeting?" Jesse asked.

"Oh I was fuming. But the thing about Kurt is, he does make me think about stuff…he makes me want to be better. I'd never tell him that, though. He's also right a lot of the time. It's just so frustrating to see his success, and realize if I'd made different choices I could be there with him," Rachel sighed.

"I'm sure you will be even more successful in the future, you're putting your time in, you're even enjoying working with the students, right?"

"Yes, well…. Mostly, some of them are too talented for their own good. I feel a bit competitive with them, like Sunshine for example. She makes me want to send her to a crack house or something, just to get her out of the way at times."

"A crack house?" Jesse asks.

"Something from my high school days. It's silly," she says nonchalantly. "I just worry that maybe she'll outshine me."

"Rach, in this business there's a lot of competition. We just have to show everyone what we are made of and our talent will give us the opportunities we need. You just have to have some faith and patience," Jesse said, reassuring her as he hugged her.

Carmen:

"You want to do what exactly?" Carmen raises her eyebrows in question as she looks up at the visitor standing in front of her.

"Use the school's resources to stage a contest, you know - to look for that next star or stars for our new production. The student's will love it. We'll have competitions between the students and advisors and pick the best ones. They will earn their roles in the musical and we'll get some publicity. Besides I know you have Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry and Blaine Anderson here. We'd be lucky to get one, or all of them, for the production."

"Are you here for my students, or to take half my teaching staff?" Carmen looked down her nose at him, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Look, we can film the competitions, which will be good publicity for everyone; once we choose students, it will only enhance NYADA and its prestige. We are planning on reviving a classic musical and modernizing it. I've also had my eye on Mr. Hummel for some time now, to be honest."

"And which one of the classics are you planning on reviving?" Carmen asked.

" 'Mame'! It will be amazing, it hasn't been around in years now, we can potentially have Blaine write some new songs for it, and there are several roles for a variety of actors to perform."

"Interesting, and may I ask why you chose this one Mr. Jackman?"

"You can call me Hugh. And I've always fancied playing a little Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside," he said with a huge grin. "After all, I'm a showman."

Ultimately, Carmen decides the contest would be a good opportunity for the students; and it might just be the thing to get Ms. Berry back on stage again too. Not that anything would be guaranteed for any of them; but how to break the news without causing a full fledged war?

Kurt and Blaine are summoned back to Carmen's office a couple days later; both of them aren't sure what they could have done wrong this time. They weren't expecting her to talk to them for a bit longer yet. As they approach the office, they run into Rachel hurrying there too.

"Any idea why we're all being summoned?" Kurt asked.

"No, you?"

"Nope."

Carmen has her head up and greets them all with a smile today. "I have news that will interest you all. Mr. Hummel and Mr. Anderson you can take the worried looks off your faces, it's good news."

They all sit and get comfortable, Carmen's secretary brings them coffee.

"I, and NYADA, have been approached to host a contest. One for a new musical production that will be coming out very soon. They want to have a competition between students and faculty for the starring roles in the show.

"A competition?" Blaine asks.

"Starring Role! Oh my god, this is my chance! Finally, I can get back into the spotlight," Rachel says, almost screaming, and bouncing in her seat. "Kurt, Blaine, you boys won't mind stepping aside so I can get my big break, right?"

Kurt and Blaine look at each other with stunned expressions.

"Rachel! You've got to be kidding me, Carmen said this was a competition, if, and I mean if, you win, then I'll be very excited for you. But some of my students deserve a break too," Kurt says, remembering how competitive Rachel can be.

Blaine looks at both of them before speaking up. "I wish success for everyone, but I also have students that deserve a chance here, I'm not throwing the contest!"

"Ahem, may I bring you all back to earth here for a moment?" Carmen said, a bit frustrated. "It's a contest, some of it will be filmed and used as promotion for the show, and the school. I expect each of you to work your asses off to impress me. I want you all focusing on your students first, of course, and make sure you've got them in tip-top shape. My understanding is there will be a few individual competitions and then a group number. My suggestion is to work with the students you are counselors for. I'll leave it up to you how you manage that. The first solos will be in three weeks. You will need to pick your top student for performing, and also, each of you will perform as well."

"Oh my god, this is so exciting! I can't believe my chance is here. I'm - we're going to blow you out of the water!" Rachel yells as she gets up and runs out the door.

Carmen looks after her retreating form, "perhaps she hasn't changed that much from her fall."

"You've let the demon back out of the bottle," Kurt says, smirking.

"Be that as it may, I expect you two to work in an adult manner with mutual respect."

Kurt looks at Blaine and reaches out his hand, "may the best man win."

Each of the teachers gathers their students, to tell them about the contest.

Kurt had Roderick, Unique, Kitty, Elliott, Dani and Brody gather in the room that they had been using for band auditions. They were confused as to why Kurt had called this meeting.

Blaine had Sam gather Skylar, Santana, Brittany, Marley, Sebastian and Hunter. Blaine was excited for all of them and this opportunity.

Rachel immediately called Jesse and made him drop everything to come down to the school. They gathered with Myron, Sunshine, Madison and Mason, and Jane. Rachel was looking for a clear win, and expected them all to perform as if their lives depended on it.

Each of the teachers explained they would all get a week to pick a number and practice and the best would be part of the solo competition. Everyone else would regroup for a group performance. Kurt and Blaine thought it best everyone get a chance to do a solo. Rachel was already sure who her winners would be, but decided she would go along with what the others were doing. The students scattered to figure out what they were going to do and who would end up on top. The film cameras would be set up around the school to get reactions and practice sessions over the coming days.

Blaine and Sam sat around after the students left. "Wow, so you're going to perform a number too?" Sam asked.

"Evidently, the instructors get a chance at a spot and number too. I've no idea what I'll perform, I'm a songwriter, not a performer," Blaine said.

Sam started laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Blaine asked, mystified.

"I've known you for a long time, you've always been a performer, you just don't even realize you're doing it most of the time. You're a natural."

"Me? You really think so?" Blaine said amused.

"Duh, yeah I think so," Sam said, shaking his head. "It might be time for you to think about some therapy dude. You're my best friend and you really don't see your worth. It's not cool anymore."

Blaine stared at Sam for a moment. "Actually, after everything with Sebastian and Kurt, I was thinking it could be a help to me sorting things out. I've already had an appointment with someone," Blaine smiled slowly.

"That's Awesome News!" Sam gave him a big bro hug.

Some of the students went to Kurt and Blaine for opinions on their ideas and choices, and time went by quickly for everyone.

Kurt wasn't too sure about this contest. He didn't know the musical yet or the people involved. He really wanted his next show to be something special. Something to continue inspiring LGBTQ+ people to reach for the stars.

Brody found him sitting in his office staring off into space. "What's going on inside that beautiful head? I can hear the gears turning from outside," he laughed.

Kurt smiled, "I wish I knew a bit more about this mysterious musical and contest, I don't want to get roped into doing something I am not 100% behind."

"Well, you do know you can always say no if they offer you something you don't want. Besides that, I imagine someone, who admires your work, would have more information you might be able to pry out of her hands."

"Carmen!"

"I knew you were a smart boy," Brody said, winking.

Kurt picked up a giant bouquet of Carmen's favorite flowers and walked down to her office at the end of the day. Her secretary just nodded Kurt through, smiling.

As Kurt navigated the doorway Carmen looked up and gasped. "My, those are a lot of flowers, did you mow down a field?"

"Only the biggest bunch would do for you Carmen," Kurt said from behind the flowers, his face partly hidden.

Carmen stared at him for a few moments. "Okay, put the flowers on the sofa and tell me what you want."

Kurt winced. "I just wanted to bring some beauty into your life and apologize again for the whole Blaine incident."

"Mr. Hummel, while that is a nice gesture, I think I know you well enough that you are trying to soften me up for something. What is it you are looking for?"

Kurt finally got all the flowers put down, as they kept trying to spill onto the floor. Carmen smiled. "Okay, down to business, you've seen through me. I'm concerned about the contest and whatever mystery musical it is. I'm not a big super star, but I'd like to continue to be a role model for people who don't fit the perfect stereotypes. I don't want my reputation ruined for some cheap scheme for a crappy show. I thought you might have some more information that you haven't shared."

"As a matter of fact, I do have additional information. Information I will not be sharing with you; however, I will say the person that approached me has played a showman before, and seems genuinely excited about the project. He also said he's been watching your career for a while now. So I don't think you have anything to worry about," Carmen said, smiling.

"A showman? Oh my god, my original audition piece to NYADA!" Kurt said excitedly.

"Exactly," Carmen said, with a wink.

Everyone thought a majority vote from each group was only fair in the performances. There was a secret ballot after each person performed and Kurt was keeping a tally of everything. He was enjoying the performances so far. Elliott had gone all out doing 'Marry the Night' by Lady Gaga in full costume and make-up, and had been a big favorite. Unique had blown everyone away with a heart tugging 'If I Were A Boy'.

Rachel already knew her two strongest singers were Sunshine and Myron and so far that had shown through in the performances. She was excited to move on to the next phase of things soon.

Blaine didn't understand Santana, or her relationship with Brittany, but god that girl could belt the emotion in a number.

His favorite student, Marley, was able to really tug on the emotions with her singing skills, as well. It would be hard to pick one over the other. He was glad that wasn't his decision to make. Sebastian was really good too, but his attitude detracted from his standing and he was not as popular as the girls had been.

Rachel had roped her students into checking on the other teams and their performances as much as possible. They needed to stand out from the competition. Of course, Rachel knew they weren't really competition for someone of her skills, but it didn't hurt to check things out.

Kurt and Blaine were having coffee again, finding they had a lot in common and really clicked.

"My students are so excited, I'm glad I'm not the only one voting on winners though. It would be so hard to break one of their hearts," Blaine said, a bit wistfully.

"Not to be cruel, but that's part of what we're doing as teachers, showing them a taste of the reality they are going to face as performers, to make them as capable as possible. Besides, I think Santana could handle rejection just fine if she didn't win."

"She's got armor around her, like Tony Stark." Blaine said.

"Who?" Kurt said, puzzled.

"Iron Man, you know the Avengers, Marvel!?"

"Oh, those movies, I don't watch them. I'm not interested in comic books and popcorn summer films really," Kurt said, dismissing them immediately.

"Oh no, now we have to watch one, some of them have a lot of character development, and there are gay characters too. You never know, someday you might play one," Blaine said, imagining Kurt in a tight spandex costume, focus fading out.

"Ahem, I'm not sure where your mind went, but close your mouth and wipe the drool there buddy," Kurt smiled, chuckling.

"I can't help that the thought of you in something skin tight is hot. It's your fault for having such a great body," Blaine said, blushing furiously, but managing to say it.

"Why Blaine, are you flirting with me?" Kurt said, smirking now.

"You never know, Mr. Hummel." Blaine said with a twinkle in his eye.

Kurt found himself more and more interested in Blaine, and what he had to offer.

Rachel was talking to her students about Sue, the old cheerleading coach in her high school and all the dirty tricks she did to students and other teachers to stay on top. How she had even pushed someone down the stairs so she could get their job. She was hoping some of the students might take the stories to heart, and sort of injure the competition, nothing too severe. Just to weed out competitors a bit. She was bound and determined to win, and get herself a starring role.

After some intense competition each team had their top 2 performers to face off against each other.

Kurt's Team:

Unique vs. Elliott 'Starchild'

Blaine's Team:

Santana vs. Marley

Rachel's Team:

Sunshine vs. Myron

From now on the performances would be taped, and all the students would get a vote. The investors in the musical could hardly wait to see what kind of talent was hidden in the school.

Brody was meeting Kurt at the coffee shop so they could grab take out and watch a movie. He walked to the front door and immediately spied Kurt and Blaine gabbing away, looking very intimate and friendly. He opened the door to the shop and walked over to their table.

"Kurt, I'm here," he said, a little unsurely.

"Brody! Just in time, I'm starving, you know Blaine, of course," Kurt nodded at them both.

"Of course, we've never talked much, but I've heard all about Blaine. From the students, they really like your classes."

Blaine looked up at Brody, "that's great to hear, I feel like I come alive when I'm teaching. Well, except when Sebastian is hounding me," he said, frowning.

"I heard you put him in his place finally. Didn't that make him stop harassing you?"

"For the most part, but he's always pushing the boundary though. He's kind of annoying to be honest," Blaine said, looking down at his hands.

Brody started laughing, "I think we all know that already," he winked at Blaine and smiled.

Blaine watched Kurt grab Brody's hand and get up. "Time to go, I'm dying for some of our favorite Chinese." He hugged Blaine and then was off.

Blaine sat there wondering how serious Kurt was about Brody. He kept on flirting with him, hoping they could become more than friends. He was a bit jealous he wasn't going back to Kurt's, instead of Brody, but he would bide his time and see where things went. After all these years, he wasn't going to give up now without a fight.

Kurt and Brody walked hand-in-hand down the street. "So, are you interested in Blaine?" Brody asked Kurt, trying to sound casual about it.

Kurt looked in surprise at Brody. "Well, now that the feud is behind us, we do have a lot in common and connect well. Are you jealous? Is my spending time with him over coffee bothering you?"

"Well, to be honest, it seems like you two have a really strong connection going, and you do talk about him a lot. I like you Kurt, but we've never talked about a future together, I don't want to stand in the way of your happiness," Brody said, trying to smile.

"Brody, taking this teaching gig was just a way to get a break from the pressure and stress of Broadway for a year. I'll never complain about my luckiness with Fabulously Wicked, but I kind of wanted a year to have a break from big decisions and life altering events. I'm not a casual relationship kind of guy, but you are right about a couple things - one, I hadn't thought much about the future and us, and two, I do like Blaine more than just as a friend. With that said, I wouldn't cheat on you. If I felt things were becoming too serious with Blaine I would talk to you about it. What are your thoughts on us, what are you looking for?"

"I'm not looking to put pressure on you Kurt. I've been coasting with NYADA for a few years, I enjoy the work and the students are ever changing. I guess I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up, so to speak. I just wanted to be up front about what I was seeing, and of course the school is full of rumors."

Kurt reached over and pulled Brody into a hug. "We'll just take things one day at a time and keep communication open. Now hurry up, that movie isn't going to watch itself," he said, teasing.

"Who said we're going to watch the movie?" Brody smiled, wiggling his eyebrow.

Kurt laughed as they got on the train.

The students were working on ideas and practicing for the next phase so the teachers figured they would give them a break and do their own performances next.

They didn't need a vote, but decided they would keep the voting tradition going, so each student from all the groups could vote for one teacher, whoever they thought had the best performance.

They all picked a day and decided they would all perform with breaks in between. The investors and Mr. Jackman were really excited to record them and see what they might make of things.

Kurt dug out his shiny gold NYADA audition pants and performed "Not the Boy Next Door.' He wasn't supposed to know Mr. Jackman was involved, but thought it would be fun and would show his range.

Rachel decided to play it safe and did her normal standby 'Don't Rain On My Parade', pulling out all the stops.

Blaine decided to do something fun and performed 'It's Not Unusual.' He had several of the students, all in the same outfits, performing as background dancers as a special touch. While he enjoyed performing, he was also a little nervous being alone on stage.

The students were stunned at the talent being displayed for them that day. It was a hard vote for many of them. The students voted Kurt as the most flamboyant performance, and although the voting was close, they chose Blaine as the winner because he didn't normally perform in front of an audience and he blew it out of the park.

Rachel was furious, but tried to be as good of a sport as possible about the outcome. She only screamed and ranted for a few minutes before coming out to congratulate Blaine, red faced.

Kurt had a hug and hearty congratulations for Blaine, he was really impressed, he was a born performer.

The investors were also impressed, and were thinking they had roles for all of them already. Rachel was lining up as the main character, Mame. They were thinking Kurt could be older Patrick Dennis, and that Blaine could be their Beau, or possibly Kurt's love interest if they made his character gay. They had some ideas for modernizing the show. Of course, nothing was decided, they still had the students to watch, but there were plenty of roles in the musical to cast.

Kurt, Blaine and Rachel decided to meet and discuss moving forward with the contest, and decided to meet at the local coffee shop.

Kurt ordered their drinks. "You know my coffee order?" Blaine said in surprise.

"Of course," Kurt replied, with a smile.

"When my students win, this will be so exciting!" Rachel said, smugly. "I hope you boys won't be too disappointed."

"Uh, I think our students are also tremendously talented," Kurt said, pointing at Blaine.

"If it's a musical, there are probably more than one or two parts available you know," Blaine said, calmly.

"Oh my god, I didn't think of that, but you are totally right!" Rachel screamed.

Kurt rubbed his hand over the ear Rachel had just screamed into.

"It's obvious it's in the early stages if they want to record the performances, it will be great publicity for them. I just wish I knew which musical it was." Kurt said.

"Just imagine if you two got to perform together! That would be so cool," Blaine said, excitedly, beaming at them.

Kurt looked at Blaine and smiled, "it would be very cool if you got a chance to perform too, instead of being behind the scenes."

They decided to do the team contests on consecutive days, so two performances a day, then the 3 winners would move on to Winter Showcase with Kurt, Blaine and Rachel performing numbers too. The rest of the students would start working on fun group numbers. Those were kept secret from each other though.

Mr. Jackman was meeting with Carmen after hours again. "What do you think of things so far? Has it been going as you expected?" Carmen asked, curiously.

"Oh yeah, the investors were so excited at the performances of Mr. Hummel, Mr. Anderson and Ms. Berry. It's very likely they will all be offered roles in the musical. They each have a TA, are they anyone we might be interested in?"

"Blaine's TA is Sam, a model. He also sings, but I don't think he has any interest in being on Broadway. Rachel's TA is her husband, Jesse St. James, but he's already busy with producing another show. So although he is very talented, he's not likely to be available."

"What about Kurt's TA? Brawny? Broney? Something…."

Carmen smirked. "Brody is his name, I'm not honestly sure. I do know Kurt plans to include him in the group number, so you will get a taste there. He's been a TA for a while now, since he was a student here, I don't know what he wants to do with himself though."

"Once the mystery portion is over, I'm excited to talk to Mr. Hummel and the rest."

"Kurt is a personal favorite of mine, but may I ask, why has he drawn your interest so strongly?"

"He's not your typical leading man type, but his range and talent are phenomenal. I really want to see him succeed in this business, so if I can assist or connect him to the right people for that to happen, I'll be very happy. Confidentially, someone showed me his NYADA audition piece years ago and I was blown away. He sang that song better than I did, yet he still didn't get in. That always surprised me."

"He had a lot of props going on, and while his talent was undeniable, I wanted something more from him - more emotion and less performer. I hoped he would blossom and apply again. Once I saw him growing, I made that happen and the rest is history," Carmen said, with the hint of a smile and touch of pride in her tone.

Each group had decided on their numbers and were practicing choreography and moves as much as possible. None of them wanted to disappoint their mentors.

Kurt had decided they should do something funny and outlandish as their piece. So they were doing 'Time Warp' from Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with crazy outfits.

Blaine loved Grease and his group were doing 'Beauty School Drop-Out' but spreading the lyrics out over a few of the group instead of one main singer.

Rachel had decided to do something different. Back in high school they had done mash-ups of a variety of songs. She had picked 'Start Me Up / Livin on a Prayer' as she had a great time performing it back in the day. She figured the others would do something more traditional, instead of thinking outside the box. She wanted her students to stand out from everyone else. They all needed the spotlight firmly on them.

Finally, it was time for the battle for number one spot for each group. Everyone was excited and the school was abuzz with who was going to win?

Rachel's students were up the first day, and performed like their lives depended on it. Their numbers were:

Sunshine - All By Myself

Myron - Break Free

Both of them really gave it their all and Rachel was very proud of them. In the end though, everyone thought Sunshine really nailed the emotions in her song and she was declared the winner of the day.

Kurt's students were the second day. "Ok, I'm so proud of you both and your tremendous talent. I see success in both of your futures. Just do your best and show everyone how it's done."

Unique - Boogie Shoes

Elliott - Rockstar

Unique and Elliott exchanged hugs and Unique was off and running. Her song was a cute one and everyone loved her energy on stage.

Elliott's voice was in perfect form as he belted his song out, jumping and dancing around the stage. Kurt knew he'd be a great lead singer in the future. He couldn't be happier with either one's performance. The voting was tense and several people had a hard time deciding. Unique won by one vote! Everyone was clapping and stamping their feet in excitement after the results were in.

Finally, it was Blaine's students day, being last, and seeing how the others performed they were understandably nervous. Blaine gave Santana a hug before turning to Marley. "Marley, I know you can do this, your voice and emotional range… you're so talented! Try not to let your nerves get to you and show everyone what you've got."

Santana -Don't Rain on my Parade

Marley - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

Rachel was shocked to hear Santana sing the song she had done; but the more she listened, the more worried she got. Santana really had a lot of talent and Rachel hesitated to think it, but she might be more talented in the end. Some tears fell from her eyes as she thought about what Jesse had told her before. She cheered the loudest when Santana finished her number, surprising everyone.

Marley took the stage like gangbusters, putting out a lot of energy and making the song her's. Blaine was so happy when she didn't let her nerves slow her down one bit.

It was another tense voting session after that; but in the end Santana won. Brittany rushed to give her a big kiss and a rose after the voting was done.

Everyone was spent after the three days of competing. Carmen had watched all of them, and figured all six of them would find success in their futures. She had no doubt. She knew they were all very talented individuals.

The sponsors were stunned at the performances and were seriously impressed with Elliott and Santana especially. They felt they already had found the majority of their cast and that the musical would be the next big Broadway show.

Everyone wanted a break after the tough competition, but it was almost time for the Winter Showcase. So they all had to hunker down and figure out final songs and prepare.

Everyone was dressed in their finest and nervous for the performances to start. The Winter Showcase room was full to the brim with people, the lights were low and it was too dark to make out the mystery investors, or anyone for that matter.

It had been decided that each of the students would perform individually and then the teachers would go, then they would end with the group numbers.

Carmen gave a brief speech about the unprecedented event of NYADA partnering with an upcoming musical production; and the honor that some of the performers would have to be offered starring roles in it.

The final student performances were met with thunderous applause from the gathered luminaries. The three students were impressive.

Sunshine - As Long as You're There

Unique- I Know Where I've Been

Santana - Rumor Has It/Someone Like You mash up

After a brief intermission, it was time for Kurt's performance. He had decided one of the songs that was part of his breakout role would be what he performed. Of course, the fact that it was one of his favorites had nothing to do with it. Kurt stunned everyone with a powerful performance of 'Defying Gravity', even wearing his costume and makeup from the show. He got a long standing ovation after he finished up.

Rachel being a Barbra Steisand die hard chose to perform 'People' which earned her a lot of cheering and clapping.

Finally, it was Blaine's turn, he was a songwriter and pianist, so he decided 'All of Me' was what he would perform at the piano. His voice was perfect, and if he occasionally looked over at Kurt while singing, who would say anything. Everyone that knew Blaine as just a songwriter was stunned with his voice and performance that night. He seemed to embrace his feelings and pour them out for everyone to experience.

After those performances, there was an intermission which Kurt, Blaine and Rachel took advantage of to change and get ready for their group student numbers.

The evening wrapped up with the group performances, everyone had fun with them and the night wrapped on a lighter note after the individual more emotional numbers earlier. A bit of comedy to round out the evening; full of props and costumes. Carmen had everyone waiting backstage with uncertainty after they were done. She came back finally with Hugh Jackman, much to most everyone's surprise.

"It was a delight to see all of your efforts and performances. We started this up as a contest to try and find a couple bright lights to be in our new musical, but you've all done some stunning work tonight. I'll talk to each of you individually later about roles we'd like to see if you'd be interested in. Right now, I'd like to speak to Ms. Berry, Mr. Hummel and Mr. Anderson for a bit."

Kurt, Blaine and Rachel all looked at each other excitedly before stepping aside with Mr. Jackman and Carmen.

"You three were amazing in your performances. We knew you all had oodles of talent, but seeing you perform twice tonight, and with your previous performances, you all have amazing chops. We are reviving the musical 'Mame'. We'd like Blaine to write some new songs for us to incorporate. We plan to make it a bit more modern. With that said, I've been authorized to offer you all starring roles."

Rachel was bouncing up and down, totally excited. This was it, her chance to get back onto Broadway. She would make sure she didn't mess this up.

Blaine was stunned about writing some songs for the show, but to be offered a starring role, and his first at that, he was in shock.

Kurt knew the musical, but wasn't sure what role he'd be best suited for, or what they had in mind for him.

Hugh, let them absorb things for a minute before clearing his throat. "We'd like to offer Rachel the role of Mame Dennis, the starring lead."

Rachel screamed and threw herself at Hugh enveloping him in a huge hug. "Yes, yes, yes! Thank you!" she said tearfully.

Hugh smiled at her, before turning to Blaine. "We think you'd make a great Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, her love interest."

Blaine was stunned. A leading role?! Beau was a big part of the musical. "Wow, thank you!" He said gratefully. But I've never performed on stage before. Are you sure you want such an important role to go to me?"

Hugh laughed. "Yes, we're very sure you'd be great in the role. We'd like to talk to you about ideas for other numbers, especially for the talent on display here. We'd like to try and spotlight a few performers with songs."

"Thank you. I'm in shock over the opportunity," Blaine said, mind spinning.

Hugh turned to Kurt, "and you, Mr. Hummel, I've been watching you for a while now. I've been very impressed with your work so far. We'd like to offer you the role of adult Patrick Dennis, but we are planning on him being gay or bi, and looking at one of your students to play your boyfriend currently - Elliott."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you for your kind words, I'd like to hear more about what you plan to do before making a commitment. I'm honored, but I had hoped to focus my career on spreading inclusiveness. I'm not sure Patrick is the best way to do that."

"I totally understand, and support you with whatever you decide. I'd also like to talk about a role in a franchise I've been in off and on for a while. How do you like wearing spandex?" Hugh clapped him on the back and drew him away to discuss things further.

Blaine got a faraway look in his eye at Hugh's last comment. The X-Men, oh my god, would he be playing Ice Man, mostly naked, for all to see?

Carmen snapped her fingers in his face. "Blaine. Blaine…are you okay? You zoned out and, *ahem*, you seem to be drooling."

Blaine smiled at Carmen, "I was imagining Kurt in spandex, to be honest." He laughed and blushed as Carmen smirked at him.

"Keep at it, he's worth the effort," Carmen said, smiling and patting him on the shoulder.

"He definitely is," Blaine said, with a big grin on his face.

Mame, the musical (set in the hippy period of the 60s)

Mr. Babcock - Sebastian Smythe

Mame Dennis - Rachel Berry

Vera Charles - Santana Lopez

Butler - Ito - Skylar

Nanny - Agnes Gooch - Marley

Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside - Blaine Anderson

His cousin, Sally - Sunshine Corazon

Mother Burnside - Unique Adams

Young Patrick Dennis - ? (Myron?)

Older Patrick Dennis - Kurt Hummel

Eccentric teacher - M Lindsay Woolsey - Brittany Pierce

Snobby boyfriend or girlfriend - Upson- Hunter or female?

Parents - Upson's - Roderick and Kitty

New valet/later boyfriend - Elliott