Hi everyone! If you haven't read my one-shot Not By A Long Shot (which I highly recommend you do), you'll know that I intend to write a reimagining of season 5 (and maybe 6) of Glee. In this story, if you couldn't tell by the title, Finn Hudson will be present! I always wondered what the last two seasons of Glee might've looked like if Cory was involved, and I intend to solve that question for all of us with this story.
To clarify, seasons 1-4 of Glee (and Not By A Long Shot) are canon to this; from here on, everything else is new (and some rehashed from the real S5) material!
I wanted to start this story with a quick prologue to get familiar with the characters we all know and love. Plus, who doesn't love checking into Jacob Ben Israel's vlog series, right?
Any ideas and/or feedback are much appreciated! Without further ado, here is the prologue to...
Season Five, Starring Cory Monteith
"Greetings, Earth! JBI here with a mid-year update." Jacob Ben Israel spoke to his cameraman in the halls of William McKinley High School, microphone in hand and afro once again intact. "After winning at Regionals, the New Directions look to return to Nationals for the third year in a row and come away as champions for back-to-back titles. Where are their heads at? Will they prevail once again? We've got the answers."
With that, JBI took his backpack off and unzipped it to reveal a small blue glass. Wrapping it neatly with a napkin, he placed it on the floor and stepped on it with his right foot before roundhouse kicking in the direction of the camera with his left.
"Shalom, glee-atches!"
"Sam Evans!" JBI yelled as he approached the blonde at his locker. "Brittany S. Pierce broke up with you and gave a final farewell to the New Directions at Regionals before leaving you for MIT and Santana Lopez. Is this true?"
"Brittany and I broke up, yes, and I'm super excited that she got into college," Sam responded, looking at the camera awkwardly, "but no, she and Santana aren't back together... are they?"
"Reports say they were last seen embracing in the auditorium." JBI inched closer to Sam as he turned to face the camera. "Will your next impression be of a sad puppy? Will you be covering Marvin's Room by Drake at your next glee club meeting?"
"Drake is so sensitive and relatable to listeners..." Sam whispered to himself softly before remembering the camera was on him. Locking eyes with the camera, he cleared his throat and quickly shook his head. "No comment."
JBI's next interviewee was Marley Rose, who walked happily down the hallway. He jumped out at her, asking candidly, "I hear you're into Jewish guys. On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it that you'll do the wanky with me?"
Being as nice as she can be, Marley laughed awkwardly and put her hand on JBI's arm. "That's really sweet, Jacob, but I'm with Jake!" As she touched his arm, JBI's eyes began to widen. As Marley noticed this, she instantly removed her hand.
"I can grow an afro and he can't!" JBI shrieked in desperation.
Suddenly, Jake Puckerman walked into the shot, putting an arm around Marley, and kissing her cheek. Marley instantly blushed. "Sorry, Ben Israel, but Marley Rose is off the market."
The camera zoomed in on Jake's face, who was noticeably freaked out. "Have you given any thought to fully embracing either your Jewish-ness or your black-ness?"
JBI's camera zoomed in on Blaine Anderson, who had just walked out of the restroom. The Jewish "reporter" and his crew ambushed Blaine and asked, "What are your thoughts on lighthouses?"
Blaine's heart dropped. Instantly, he realized JBI was referencing Eli, the guy he had cheated on his boyfriend Kurt Hummel with; Eli has a lighthouse profile picture on Facebook. "How do you even know about that?" Blaine asked in a panic, adjusting his bowtie nervously.
"With Nationals taking place in Los Angeles this year, will you have enough hair-gel to make it through the four-hour flight?"
"How much hair-gel do you think I use?" An embarrassed Blaine turned as red as a tomato, beginning to walk away as Jacob trailed behind him, holding the microphone to his face.
"There's an entire forum on my blog dedicated to 'Helmet-Hair Anderson.'"
"Are you a sex offender?" JBI asked glee club coach William Schuester, as he organized sheet music in the choir room. Mr. Schue quickly looked up, looking to JBI and then to the camera.
"I'm sorry, what?"
As Wade "Unique" Adams sat down to eat her lunch, Jacob sat beside her. "As someone who also catfishes, I applaud you. Game recognizes game. Want to share tips?"
Unique pushed Jacob out of the camera's frame, with a sad look in her eyes. In the background of the shot, Ryder Lynn was seen watching the two. He hurried off before the camera could catch him.
On the football field, JBI sat on the bleachers with head Cheerio, Kitty Wilde. "Is it true that you model your ponytail after cavatappi pasta?"
With a prompt eye-roll, Kitty folded her arms and responded, "Is it true you get turned on by Rachel Berry's nose?"
"Yes."
With that response, Kitty began to awkwardly scoot away from Jacob.
JBI now walked beside Tina Cohen-Chang, who pushed Artie Abrams in his wheelchair down the hallway. "Artie, Tina. The two of you have been in glee since the beginning, and I've got to ask; how does it feel that the club has gotten progressively worse since its formation?"
In true diva fashion, Tina snapped. "Is THIS your idea of journalism, Jacob? We won a national championship LAST YEAR. We're RETURNING to Nationals in a few months. How could we have possibly gotten WORSE?"
JBI simply blinked.
"If you're going to interview me, without checking with my assistant first, at least make your questions worthwhile." Tina scolded, pushing Artie off down the hallway.
As Jacob followed the two, he poked Tina on the arm and asked, "Will you please rub Vick's on MY chest?"
Jacob did not get the chance to ask Sugar Motta any questions; instead, she jumped on his back and began to pull his hair. "This is for Brittany!" She screamed as JBI cried in agony. Eventually, Joe Hart walked by and pulled the two apart.
"Sorry! Asperger's!" Sugar panted as Joe pulled her away from the scene. Jacob himself was out of breath on the floor of the hallway; however, this didn't stop him from looking up from the camera and giving a thumbs up.
"To conclude our mid-year check-in, we've got an EXCLUSIVE!" JBI proclaimed as he stood by the front doors of McKinley. "Sources tell me that the glee club's fearless leader is approaching. And no, I'm not talking about Schuester."
The doors swung open as the camera slowly panned up to reveal a man wearing black shoes, black jeans, and a buttoned-up plaid blue shirt. As he walked in the door, he looked at Jacob, and then the camera, before flashing an iconic smirk.
"Finn Hudson!"
Finn nodded to the camera, shoving his hands in his pockets, and laughing awkwardly. "Uh, nice to see you again, Jacob."
"What can we expect of you and of the New Directions on the road to Nationals?"
Finn simply blinked and looked to the camera. "Well, uh..."
glee
Season Five, Starring Cory Monteith
STARRING
Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson
Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
Matthew Morrison as William Schuester
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez
Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang
Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose
Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman
Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde
Alex Newell as Wade "Unique" Adams
Blake Jenner as Ryder Lynn
GUEST STARRING
Vanessa Lengies as Sugar Motta
Samuel Larsen as Joe Hart
Josh Sussman as Jacob Ben Israel