HELLO everybody! It has been quite some time since I posted an update to this story. Life, per usual, has gotten in the way. It has been a long time coming, but I am happy to FINALLY be posting the long-awaited update to SEASON FIVE, STARRING CORY MONTEITH. I hope it's worth the wait. Enjoy!
Episode 5x12: 100
Synopsis: New Direction members old and new gather together for the last week of glee club... or is it? Mr. Schue recruits April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth) to help save the New Directions from Sue. Meanwhile, Puck (Mark Salling) tries to get Quinn (Dianna Agron) back, Santana and Brittany (Heather Morris) reconnect, Finn and Rachel meet again, Rachel goes at it with Mercedes (Amber Riley), and Blaine finally pops the question. So much going on! It's the 100th episode!
Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones were making their triumphant returns to McKinley High, just about the same time. They walked through the halls with their heads held high, proud of themselves and their accomplishments. It was almost like coming back home was a way to remind them of what they had been through, and to show everyone they did exactly what they set out to do. It was a full circle moment, truly.
Voiceover: Rachel and Mercedes
Rachel: Don't get me wrong. I know this is a sad day for McKinley, and that we've come back to reflect on everything the glee club has meant to us...
Mercedes: But still, I figured they'd at least put up a poster that says "Welcome Back, Mercedes!"
Rachel: I mean, look. No confetti!
Mercedes: No red carpet, even though I called.
Rachel: I'm the biggest Broadway star this school has ever produced. What the hell?
Mercedes: I'm the biggest recording star this school has ever produced. What the hell?
As Mr. Schue and Finn prepared their notes for the week, the old and new members of the New Directions mingled. Sam, Tina, and Artie surrounded Rachel, all in awe of Funny Girl's rapidly approaching opening night.
"I would be so excited," Sam commented on how he would feel if he was Rachel.
"I am so excited!" Rachel squealed.
"Are you nervous?" Artie asked her.
"I mean, like a little."
"Of course she is! It's her Broadway debut!" Tina fangirled for her old friend, giving her a side hug.
"I'm just the understudy, no big deal..." Rachel tried to hide her excitement.
"That's still such a huge accomplishment!" Tina insisted.
Rachel couldn't hold it in anymore, squealing. "I know, I can't believe it!" She hugged Tina and glanced over to Finn, who stood at the piano. He was organizing sheet music, but he stopped to look up at her and catch her gaze. He smiled at her, and Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She knew he was with Penny, and she told herself she was okay with that. But being back in the choir room with all of their old friends, seeing him there, she felt like she was right back in high school. All of her feelings began to swirl back to the forefront of her mind... and not just with Finn, either. She found her gaze drifting over to Mercedes, who was gushing over her own success with Unique.
"I cannot wait for that album to drop!" Unique snapped her fingers at the other side of the piano, giggling while speaking with Mercedes.
"Thank you!" Mercedes responded happily, rubbing Unique's arm as she winked and sat back down.
Rachel rolled her eyes. I mean, come on. She wrote a couple of songs. Big whoop. She thought.
Mercedes caught wind of this and scoffed. So what? She got cast in a play as an annoying Jewish girl. The only surprise there? She didn't throw a fit when she didn't get the lead!
Both of their gazes snapped to the middle of the choir room, where an empty chair sat between Unique and Quinn Fabray. There's only one way to assert my god-given superiority. Sit front and center in the Rachel chair! Their minds were connected in that moment, as they both bolted for the chair. However, Rachel was the first there, so she claimed the self-proclaimed throne. She sat and gave Mercedes a snotty look, fixing her hair as if she didn't know who was standing in front of her.
Kurt sat behind them and barked, "Greet each other!" He knew a thing or two about drama, but he knew a thing or two about timing, too. This was not the time, nor the place, for the clash of egos.
Mercedes, per usual, took the mature higher ground first. "Hello Rachel. I am so happy to hear about all of your... success."
"Well, thank you so much, Mercedes. You are looking... well!"
"Thank you!" Mercedes responded sassily before glancing up at an empty seat next to Santana. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll make my way to the back of the bus!"
Mr. Schue, once all the kids got settled, wrote the number "100" on the whiteboard. He turned to face them; almost every student he taught sat before him. All three rows were filled.
Finn, Artie, Sam, Quinn, Rachel, Unique, and Kitty in the first row.
Marley, Tina, Kurt, Blaine, Mike Chang, and Ryder in the second.
Jake, Puck, Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany in the back.
"100 lessons." Mr. Schue took a deep breath, looking at each of his students. "It means so much to me that so many of you came back on such short notice, to celebrate the past few years. Sit in this room one last time and sing. Your assignment? Sing one of the songs we sang in here, but reinvent it in some way." He began to slowly make his way to the door, which nobody really noticed. "Way back in the old days, when I started the glee club, I would give an assignment and give a little demonstration of what I was looking for."
The whole choir room burst into cheers and laughter, hoping to see what Mr. Schue would perform for them. Santana shushed the crowd, "See, you all cheer now... but just wait until he starts rapping," she said with loving sass and sarcasm.
"No hip-hop today, Santana," Schuester chuckled before diverting his attention towards his former student, now best friend and colleague. "Finn and I have asked a very special person to come join us. It seemed appropriate, since her contributions helped save the glee club- or, at least, the auditorium, way back when." Finn smirked as he looked at his friends, their faces lighting up as they realized who was about to join them. Tina tapped Sam's shoulder with excitement, clapping and smiling ear to ear. Mr. Schue continued, "All the way from Broadway... Miss April Rhodes!"
Will Schuester's small friend, a ball of energy, burst through the door to the choir room. "Hey y'all!" Her entrance sparked feelings of nostalgia for the glee club members who were there since the beginning. Even the newer kids recognized her from her work on Broadway! She skipped in and quickly gave Mr. Schue a hug, before waltzing over to Finn and pulling him out of his chair, hugging him too.
Tina, while clapping, leaned over to Marley and whispered. "You know, she once taught me how to shoplift meat in my vagina?"
April and the glee club crowded around the piano, with champagne poured, as she was in the middle of telling them a story. "So Mr. Money Bags says to me, 'April Rhodes, you sing like an angel and make love like a tiger. But, the old ball and chain's got your number, so I'm afraid I gots to set you loose.' So, you know what he did?" She looked around to see the kids faces before finishing, "He bought me an island!" She squealed before cackling.
Brittany gasped as Rachel put her hand to her heart, gushing with emotion. Everyone else just sort of chuckled or shook their heads. "That's right, I own my own island in the Caribbean called Santa Abrilrodeo," April continued. "It's not war-torn or or filled with landslides, or got destitute locals in it. Just me and my manservsant, Kadeem." Mr. Schue took a deep breath and contemplated cutting her off, but he didn't. Sam just stared at her in shock, as Finn and Puck shared a look of confusion.
April began to drift off into a fantasy. "Long, sensuous nights full of home-brewed poi and intimate massage..."
Finally, despite the club's giggles, Will cut her off. "Thank you, April, for that... wonderful lesson on female empowerment?"
"Amen!"
"Amen!" Artie echoed as she turned around to face him. "But why are we all holding these plastic champagne flutes?"
"Because we are about to pop the cork with some bubbly!" She said enthusiastically before turning and pointing to Ryder and Unique. "Don't worry; this Spumante is virgin. Probably like you will be for a long time!" She cackled once again. "Anyways, Will and I want you to raise your glass to celebrate the glee club by singing, hands down, the best song the New Directions ever did."
"Wait a second," Blaine spoke up as he leaned over the piano next to Quinn. "The New Directions never sang Raise Your Glass. The Warblers did."
April nodded her head in understanding. "I was wondering why it didn't annoy me every time I heard it in my head." While the rest of the New Directions weren't sure if they should feel offended, she continued by whispering to Blaine, "I always have had a soft spot in my heart for your prep school boys."
"Well-"
Blaine's comment was interrupted by April grabbing his nose and yelling, "Honk!" She jumped off the piano and turned to the band, yelling, "Hit it, boys."
[April]
Right right, turn off the lights
We're gonna lose our minds tonight
What's the dealio?
[Mr. Schue]
I love when it's all too much
5 AM turn the radio up
Where's the rock and roll?
Party crasher, penny snatcher
[April and Mr. Schue]
Call me up if you are gangster
Don't be fancy, just get dancy
Why so serious?
[April and Mr. Schue with New Directions and Alumni]
So raise your glass if you are wrong
In all the right ways
All my underdogs
We will never be, never be
Anything but loud
And nitty gritty dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and come on and
Raise your glass
Just come on and come on and
Raise your glass
[April]
Oh no, my glass is empty
That sucks!
[Mr. Schue with New Directions and Alumni] (April)
So if you're too school for cool
And you're treated like a fool
(Treated like a fool)
You could choose to let it go
(Choose to let it go)
We can always, we can always
[Mr. Schue and April]
Party on our own
[April]
So raise your
[Mr. Schue and April with New Directions and Alumni] (Mr. Schue)
So raise your glass if you are wrong
In all the right ways
All my underdogs
We will never be, never be
Anything but loud
And nitty gritty dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and come on and
Raise your glass
Just come on and come and
Raise your glass
Won't you come on and come on and
Raise your glass
(For me)
Just come on and come on and
Raise your glass
[Mr. Schue and April]
For me
The number ends as April takes a bow on top of the piano, the entire glee club old and new cheering for her and Mr. Schue.
{The scene cuts to Puck walking down the hallway}
Voiceover: Puck
I was the Saw. That's what they called me! I sliced through this school like... well, like a saw! Dude got in my way? Sawed him. Set my sights on a chick? Sawed her. It would be like a horror movie if I wasn't so awesome! But that guy's gone now. I've grown up, I don't look back. The past is dead to me. Except for maybe just one thing.
{Voiceover ends as Puck sees Quinn walk down the hallway towards him}
"Hey, Puck!" Quinn said as she approached him, grinning ear to ear.
"Hey," he responded back, smiling himself.
"You know, I wasn't kidding about what I said when you visited Yale," she said, swaying back and forth. "You're all grown up. You've got this newfound confidence about you." She bit her a lip a little and looked down. Last time they saw each other it was pretty clear Puck still had feelings for her, but she had to reject him, as she was in a new relationship. Actually, still is; her and Biff were going strong. She still loved Puck, and probably always would, but she was trying to move forward in her life. She quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, do you know what song you're gonna sing for the glee club?"
Puck was upset when he found out about her and Biff, but with some time having passed since their last interaction, and no Biff in sight, he decided to let that "newfound confidence" flow. "I'm not sure. Maybe we could go to Breadstix and mull some potentials?"
Puck's self-proclaimed "rizz" vanished in a split second as Biff McIntosh approached, tickling Quinn from behind. She squealed and turned. "You know that's my tickle spot!" She giggled, pecking him on the lips. "Hi!"
"Hi," he responded. "I got bored sitting in the hotel." Biff turned to greet Puck, extending his hand. "This is the Jewish fellow I met a while back, right? Shalom."
Puck took a deep breath. "Hey man, good to see you," he managed to spit out, shaking his hand.
"You didn't stay in New Haven long, huh?"
"Had a plane to catch." Puck responded, glancing at Quinn, who instantly looked away.
Biff looked around the halls of McKinley, in some kind of disapproving awe. "This is the famous high school where Quinn Fabray roamed, hm? You know, Quinnie Bear, as boring as your past might be, I just had to come and see it for myself."
Puck almost vomited in his mouth. "Quinnie what?"
"I have to show Biff the auditorium!" Quinn yelled quickly, grabbing Biff's arm and starting to pull him away. "Great talking to you!" She flashed a quick smile and dragged Biff away, leaving Puck to stand alone in his own jealousy and disgust.
Brittany sat in an empty classroom by herself, drawing mathematical equations on the board. She may have left MIT, but math became patt of her daily ritual. It was fun for her. Her moment of peace was interrupted when Santana walked in. "Hey! I've been looking for you everywhere..." she began as she examined Brittany's mathematical wizardry on the board. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to prove the Riemann hypothesis." Without looking away for her math, Brittany responded to Santana.
"Who's forcing you to do this?" Santana responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Nobody. My former colleagues at MIT told me I have the most gifted mind in a generation, and even though I don't go there anymore, I am going to use the pound of spoiled ground beef in my noggin for science." She said to Santana, matter-of-factly, putting down the chalk and taking a seat. "Although, being back at McKinley has made me miss my old life. You know, when I wasn't a mathematical genius, and all I wanted to do was scissor you and talk to my cat."
Santana, who had taken a seat on a desk in front of Brittany, quickly began to blush. She loved her new life in New York, and she was happy with Dani, but she would be lying if she didn't miss the old days, too. Being back at McKinley brought back all of her feelings for Brittany, which she had worked so hard over the past few months to bury. However, there was one way she could relive her past with Brittany in a platonic manner.
"Well, what do you say... you and I reunite a little threesome called the Unholy Trinity?"
[Brittany, Quinn and Santana]
Ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah
[Quinn]
Baby, can't you see
I'm calling
A guy like you
Should wear a warning
It's dangerous
I'm fallin'
[Brittany]
There's no escape
I can't wait
I need a hit
Baby, give me it
You're dangerous
I'm lovin' it
[Brittany, Quinn and Santana]
Too high, can't come down
Losing my head, spinning round and round
Do you feel me now
[Brittany and Santana]
With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slipping under
With a taste of a poison paradise
[Brittany, Quinn and Santana]
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic
Oh, o-oh, ah-ah-ah
Oh, o-oh, ah-ah-ah
With a taste of your lips I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slipping under
With a taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic
[Brittany and Quinn] (Santana)
Intoxicate me now (Ooh)
With your lovin' now (Ooh)
I think I'm ready now
[Quinn]
I think I'm ready now
[Brittany and Quinn] (Santana)
Intoxicate me now (Ooh)
With your lovin' now (Ooh)
I think I'm ready now
[Brittany, Quinn and Santana]
Ah-ah-ah-ah
The whole choir room burst into cheers for three of the most iconic Cheerios to ever put on the uniform. "That's what I'm talking about, kiddos!" April clapped, leaning against Will with a red solo cup in hand, before pointing drunkenly over to Biff, who sat at the piano with Puck and Mike. "What did you think, Mr. Preppy McDimplebutt?"
"Oh, I thought it was, um... very energetic!" Biff responded, taking the moment to adjust his tie as he spoke.
Nobody bought it. "Dude, you were texting the whole time." Mike pointed out in an annoyed tone. Rachel gave him a look from across the room as well.
"You know, he's very busy!" Quinn came to his defense quickly, still standing in the center of the room with Santana and Brittany. "He's, um, president of a secret society, and also captain of the water polo team!"
As the bell rang and everyone dispersed from the choir room, Puck rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness that was Quinn and Biff, and then scoffed at their kiss before they themselves left.
Santana pulled Brittany to the side before they exited the choir room themselves. "You were amazing, as usual."
"No, I wasn't," Brittany groaned. "During the bridge, I was out of sync 1/16th of a seventh step."
"What are you talking about?" Santana asked in shock. "You're the most amazing dancer I've ever met!"
Brittany shook her head. "There's a reason this in the past. I need to focus on what I'm good at now, which is quantitative algorithms." She stomped out of the choir room, before Santana awkwardly followed.
As the classroom cleared out after Toxic, only two people remained. Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry. Just like old times.
"You know, I never really got a chance to see you in your element, Finn," Rachel admitted, pursing her lips and swaying back and forth. "You're going to be a wonderful teacher."
Finn smiled and looked away, feeling himself blush. "Thank you, Rachel, but I've got a ways to go before that."
"Hey, I'm serious! I see the passion you have for this," she continued, walking over to him and taking a seat on the piano where he stood. "This is the same passion I saw on the football field and as a student of glee. It's done you good... and I know one day you will return the favor."
He nodded, smiling. "It is a lot of fun, even if Sue's constantly at your neck."
"Well, nobody said this was going to be easy," she teased, kicking her feet.
Finn shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, uh, how's Funny Girl? I know we haven't really talked since I was in New York, and even then we didn't really talk since you were busy with rehearsals."
"It's going well," Rachel looked at her feet grumpily. "I just wanted to be a star. The star." She was obviously referring to her dream role, Fanny Brice.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy," Finn reminded her in a teasing tone.
"Shut up," she rolled her eyes, pushing him playfully. Being here in the choir room with just him, alone, felt right. She didn't want to leave this moment, ever. She wanted time to freeze, so she could soak up her time with Finn before they parted again. "Have you considered a song to sing for this week's assignment?"
Finn's mind began to travel at light speed as he weighed out his options. "I'm not sure. I thought about Don't Stop Believin'."
"As a solo?" Rachel giggled. "That's an iconic number, with extreme importance to this group, Finn. You can't do that alone."
Finn felt extremely comfortable as he and Rachel slipped right back into their dynamic. "Yeah, you're probably right. What about you?"
"Can't say!" She jumped off the piano. "You'll have to tune in to find out." She began to skip out of the choir room, as butterflies floated around in Finn's stomach, watching her go.
"Wait, tune into what?"
Fondue for Two! Fondue for Two!
That's some hot dish!
Fondue for Two!
"Hello, America," Brittany sat in her bedroom as the camera panned up at her, flashing it a smile. "Fondue for Two has been on hiatus because, as it turns out, I'm a genius." The camera panned out to reveal Rachel and Mercedes sitting on either side of her, smiling wide. "Tonight's guests are two of McKinley's most famous non-mathematical geniuses... Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry. Question, Rachel."
"Yes?" Rachel adjusted her skirt.
"You're currently rehearsing for a Broadway musical, working full-time as a singing waitress at a diner, and enrolled full time as a NYADA student."
"That's correct." Rachel leaned towards the camera and grinned. Mercedes' eyes did a backflip into her head.
"Would you agree that it's slightly irresponsible for you to leave New York, for an entire week, for no other reason other than the glee club's been cancelled?" Brittany inquired, looking puzzled.
Mercedes snorted. "Well, since she's the understudy, it's no big deal."
Rachel gasped. "Uh.. no, I just-"
"When are the lies going to stop?" Brittany wondered aloud. "You don't even live in New York! I'm not even sure you've been to New York..."
"Brittany, we went to New York together," Rachel stated in confusion. She clearly forgot their Nationals competition two years back was held there.
"Don't change the subject."
Rachel did indeed change the subject, but only when she saw Lord Tubbington and Lady Tubbington going at it. "Are your cats making out?" The two cats were licking their tongues.
"Yes, they are," Brittany said, beaming with pride before moving the show forward. "Mercedes, how would you respond to the rumors that you're a really good dancer-"
"HA!" Rachel interrupted, scoffing as Mercedes glared.
Brittany continued, "But you hid the fact the entire time you were in glee club so Mr. Schue would allow you to, quote, 'park and bark'?"
Mercedes smirked into the camera. "No comment."
"Good. Last question, do you know what song you're going to sing for Mr. Schue and Finn's last assignment?"
"Yes. Defying Gravity." The two divas spoke in unison, their shared answer shocking them both.
"What?" Rachel gasped. "No! You can't sing that song. Kurt and I are singing it, but we're switching parts so that I can belt out the high note at the end."
Brittany's jaw dropped.
"That's not reinventing a song!" Mercedes argued. "You belted out a high note last time, anyway. You can't do that!"
"Can and will."
"Why, because you and a certain one of the glee club coaches still mess around?" Mercedes snorted. "Please."
Brittany continued to gasp.
Rachel, ignoring that comment, glared right into Mercedes' soul. It was truly like they were back in high school, all over again. "You know what, Mercedes? Why don't we settle this the old-fashioned way?"
"A diva-off?" Unluckily for Rachel, Mercedes was back like she never left, too. "Oh, hell to the yes."
"I never really noticed, because I haven't spent that much time around them, but poor people are generally less attractive than rich ones!"
Quinn sat in a booth at Breadstix with Biff, nauseated at his stupid comments, but as he looked at her and chuckled, she put on a face. "It means so much to me that you came back here. You know, it makes this feel so much more real?"
Biff smiled. "Well, we are very real. I love you, and I wanna really get to know you."
Quinn thought Biff was handsome, and of course the money he and his family equipped was great, but boy, was he an asshole. She gave him a genuine smile, thinking she caught him in a brief moment of genuineness. "Well, what do you wanna know? I can tell you so many things, like the time that I-"
She thought too soon.
"Oh, no, not you," he scoffed at the thought, turning his head as Puck walked in with Santana, Artie and Mike. "Hey guys, come here!" They all looked shocked. "Yeah, you, come on!"
Quinn shared an equal expression of confusion as her friends approached the table. She started to panic inside. "Hey guys!" Puck said as he sat down next to her.
"Hi! Santana Lopez." Santana took Biff's hand and shook it. "Word on the street is that you're old money. I'm a lesbian, but, totally into that!" She said cheerfully, flashing Biff a smile.
"Mike Chang, Asian dancer," Mike spoke confidently, shaking Biff's hand. A few years ago Mike wouldn't dare to admit his passion for dance, but with the help of Tina and the glee club, he was now going to The Joffery Ballet in Chicago to pursue his dreams.
"And I'm Artie Abrams," Artie greeted Biff as he leaned over the table. "I may look like a dweeb in a wheelchair, but my girlfriend's a cheerleader."
Biff flashed everyone a smile before getting down to business. "So, what about Quinn? How would you describe her in one sentence?"
Mike sat up, eager to recall old times with his friends. "She's constantly surprising you. Like, one year she showed up to school in the fall and decided that she wanted to be a skank!"
Santana nodded in agreement. "She dyed her hair pink, got a Ryan Seacrest tattoo, and then lit a purple piano on fire."
Quinn's eye began to twitch as Biff looked around in bewilderment. Before he could get a word out she began to burst into what was obviously fake laughter. Her friends noticed, but Biff did not. "They're messing with you!" She said, her voice silky smooth, as she cupped Biff's face. Artie laughed nervously as he observed this. She leaned in to whisper, "Honey, I forgot my purse in the car. I'd really like my lipstick and some lady things."
"Oh, absolutely!" Biff said as he began to exit the booth, Santana and Mike moving out of the way for him. "I'll go get them for you, sweetheart. No worries!"
Biff exited the restaurant. Artie and Puck looked at each other before Artie looked back to Quinn and asked, "What was that?"
"I'm trying to present myself in a particular way here," Quinn said in a snotty way.
Puck rolled his eyes, already hearing this crap before. Quinn continued repeating herself from when Puck visited Yale, "Biff's family is Philadelphia mainline society. If I get in with that, my life is set!" Mike looked at her with disappointment, which Quinn ignored.
Santana, never having a filter, wonders aloud, "How do you cover up the tattoo, you know? With what, magic?"
"I pay my roommate to apply three coats of cover-up makeup to my lower back before I see him."
Artie stared at her in disbelief, exchanging a look with Puck. Since he knew Puck visited before, his eyes indicated his curiosity of whether Puck knew or not. Puck, sensing this, confirmed Artie's suspicions. "Have you told him about us since last time we spoke? About Beth?"
"I told you, I'd tell him when I'm ready!" Quinn tried to reassure her friends, but in all honesty, she was trying to reassure herself. Mike's jaw dropped as Puck shook his head in frustration. Santana shrugged; she called Quinn out earlier in the year for letting guys define her, and even after a lesbian hookup, nothing had changed.
Sue Sylvester browsed through a contract, presented to her by April Rhodes. Mr. Schue and Finn stood behind her, looking on as Sue read the details. April spoke up, "The agreement clearly states that the provider of the funds - in this case, the April Rhodes Charitable Foundation, independent LLC, is quote, 'solely responsible for the maintenance and operations of this facility until such funds are no longer provided.'"
"Which means?" Sue looked up with her reading glasses.
"Which means, as long as I'm paying for that auditorium, I get to say who performs there!" April smirked. "If you'd like to start paying for it..."
"Can't do that, school doesn't have the money," Sue said in an unfortunate tone. As she became principal she slowly realized how fiscally irresponsible Principal Figgins was.
"So that means glee club is saved, and we're moving full time to the auditorium!" Finn said, shrugging his shoulders and flashing his signature smile.
Sue glared at him. "I will have my team review this and get back to you tomorrow." She looked to Mr. Schue. "Since you are the only one with some actual authority here, William, I ask you to hold off on any official announcement until then. Agreed?"
Will nodded, but high-fived April and began chuckling with her. "Let's get some boxed wine to celebrate!" April cheered as she skipped out with Will. Finn followed, but not before turning around and pointing some finger guns at Sue, firing them off and leaving.
Losing to Will Schuester and Finn Hudson boiled her blood. "Becky!" Sue barked, as her assistant marched into the office. "There's something fishy going on around here. We're gonna get to the bottom of it."
"All right, everybody!" Mr. Schue cleared his throat as he addressed his former and current students. "I wish I could say that this week wasn't about competing against each other, but it's time for one last diva-off!" He patted Finn's back.
Finn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and our participants will be singing Defying Gravity. The only song we can sing in a diva-off, apparently."
Santana, leaning up against the wall in the back of the choir room, suddenly sat up, her face full of confusion. "Wait, so we have to listen to Kurt shred that note again?"
Kurt sat by Rachel and Mercedes at the piano, rolling his eyes at her. "For the millionth time, I did it on purpose!"
Rachel, in typical Rachel fashion, cut him off and took the spotlight. "After we're done singing the song, there will be a secret ballot where you guys can finally answer the age-old question: who is the true star of the glee club? Me, or Mercedes?" She motioned to her competition, who faked a smile and rolled her eyes as she looked back to her friends who watched on eagerly.
Rachel stood in the middle of the room, and suddenly she felt like a sophomore again. Staring at the faces of those like Quinn, Santana, Puck, even Finn, she started to get deja vu. All I've ever wanted in here was to feel chosen.
Mercedes, too, had similar thoughts. It's funny. Even now, all of the success in the outside world doesn't feel as important. These two divas could definitely agree that this glee club, and those who were apart of it, molded who they became, and it was somewhat scary to return to that world.
[Mercedes]
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
[Kurt]
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
[Rachel]
Too late for second chances
Too late to fall back to sleep
[Mercedes]
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!
[Kurt]
It's time to try defying gravity
[Mercedes]
I think I'll try defying gravity
[Rachel]
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
[Mercedes]
And you won't bring me down, no...
[Rachel]
I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
[Mercedes]
Some things I cannot change
But till I try I'll never know!
[Rachel]
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
[Kurt]
Well, if that's love
It comes at
[Rachel]
Much too high a cost...
[Mercedes]
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
[Rachel]
Kiss me goodbye
[Mercedes]
I'm defying gravity
[Rachel]
I think I'll try defying gravity
[Mercedes]
And you won't bring me down
[Rachel]
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
[Mercedes]
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
[Rachel]
I think I'll try defying gravity
[Kurt]
And you won't bring me down
[Rachel] (Mercedes)
Bring me down (Down)
The audience cheered for the two talents, as well as the guest appearance from Kurt. "That song should be on the Broadway!" April cheered, nudging Will, who simply shook his head.
"Alright!" An antsy Mercedes put a hush over the crowd. "Let's stop playing around. It's time to vote."
Finn raised his hand. "Actually, why don't we just take a second to recognize how amazing you both were!"
Mercedes pointed at Finn and growled. "Don't push me, Finn Hudson."
Mr. Schue stood up. "You know, I have to agree. Let's sleep on it and vote tomorrow. Today, right now, you're all winners!"
Rachel and Mercedes glared not only at Mr. Schue, but at Finn and each other. The battle still went on strong.
"Knight takes pawn!"
Brittany sat in the courtyard as she yelled into a megaphone, ordering people dressed in chess costumes to move around a lifesize chess board. She saw lots of kids playing chess at MIT, so she assumed this was something smart people did in their free time.
"Kiki, your move!" She took her phone and held it to the megaphone. Pawn to A6. "Clever, for a pinko communist," she responded dryly to her phone. "Knight to C-3!"
As the pieces continued to move, Santana walked across the board, looking utterly confused. "Brittany, what the hell is this?" She sat next to her, concerned.
"The chess club is helping me re-create the historic 1972 world championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky." She stared out into the courtyard. "It's the only creative outlet I have now, after my brain has become wired for the smarts, not the arts."
"This is freaking me out," Santana whispered, looking very uncomfortable. "This is not you! You love to dance. I know that you think that you're a little rusty right now, but you'll get it back!" She smiled gently as she watched Brittany's mind clearly go to work. She could practically see the steam coming from her ears. "I'll prove it to you; let's do a number together."
"No!" Brittany groaned. "Those days are over. I may have performed at Nationals, but that was my swan song. This is my life now." She motioned to the chess board before calling out another move. "Bishop to E-3."
Santana rolled her eyes. She was going to get the real Brittany back, even if she had to force her out of the closet, like it was her senior year all over again.
"It all comes down to how cool you are," Mercedes spoke as she addressed Artie, Jake, Ryder, Marley, Unique, Sam and Kitty in a classroom, trying to sway their vote. "Rachel Berry represents Broadway, the past. "I'm the future. A pop diva!"
Rachel's response: "She may be a pop diva, but the fact is that this song is a hit from one of the longest running Broadway musicals of all time!" She scoffed.
Sam raised his hand. "Question. Why do they call it Broadway when most of the actual theaters are not on broadway?"
"This vote asks the question, 'what is glee club'?" Mercedes asked a clearly bored crowd of students. Ryder was playing with his hoodie string, and Jake and Marley both were slouched over in their chairs. "Is it a training group for theme park and cruise ship performers, who can't wait to get on some outdoor stage and belt out Pippin?" She looked around. "Or, is it a place where stars are born? You know, the kind of stars that you actually hear on the radio?"
Rachel continued with a smile, "I beat Kurt singing this song in our first diva-off."
Mercedes came right out and said it. "I am better than her."
Rachel, with a crazy look in her eyes, did the same. "I have always been better than her. Just vote for me!"
"Let's settle this once and for all! time" Mercedes finished. "Amen!"
"Alright, guys! Our ballot will be tomorrow, but in the meantime, we have some other performances to get to." Finn began, clapping his hands and motioning to the back of the choir room, where his best friend and roommate stood. "Puck, you had a number you wanted to perform?"
Jake, who sat next to him, patted his back. Puck stood up, "Yes. I was actually hoping we could all go to the audi-"
Santana waltzed in late, shaking her head and addressing the class. As she walked in, she lightly pushed Finn down into his chair. "Hold up, Puckerman. I'm gonna let you finish, but first, I would like to uphold the tradition of hijacking this glee club, and making everyone sit through what is basically an intervention." She looked up and locked eyes with Mr. Schue. "Mr. Schue, you said we could redo some of our favorite numbers, right?" He nodded as her eyes fixated towards Brittany. "Well, then, I want to do a dance duet with Brittany!"
Everyone began to clap loudly, except Brittany, who turned away and tried to ignore Santana's request. Santana glanced over to the band and commanded them to "hit it," as she finally caught Brittany's attention, who tried not to smile.
[Santana]
Well, sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture
[Brittany and Santana]
Cause since I've come on home
Well, my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over?
[Santana] (Brittany)
Stop makin a fool out of me (Out of me)
[Brittany and Santana]
Why don't you come on over Valerie?
Valerie
Valerie
Valerie
[Brittany] (Santana)
Well, sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water (Oh, yeah)
[Santana] (Brittany)
And I think of all the things, what you're doing
And in my head I paint a picture (I paint a picture)
I paint a picture (I paint a picture)
[Brittany and Santana] (New Directions and Alumni)
Cause since I've come on home
Well, my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
(Won't you come on over)
(Stop makin' a fool) out of me (Me-eh-eh)
I said (why don't you come on over) Valerie?
Valerie
[New Directions and Alumni]
Why don't you come on over (Santana: Valerie)
Why don't you come on over (Brittany and Santana: Valerie)
Why don't you come on over? (Santana: Mh, Valerie)
Why don't you come on over (Brittany and Santana:Valerie)
Why don't you come on over (Santana: Valerie)
Valerie
[Brittany]
Why don't you come on over?
[Brittany and Santana]
Valerie
Everyone cheered for the clear chemistry Santana and Brittany constantly expressed in song and dance. "See?" Santana insisted, taking her hand. "This is who you are. This is what happens when you don't think about it."
Mr. Schue, still standing, continued to clap as he spoke. "I wouldn't want to follow up that number, but if you're still up for it, Puck..."
He nodded. "You know what? For my number, I think we should all move to the auditorium."
[Puck]
You're not alone, together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know, I'll take your hand
When it gets cold and it feels like the end
There's no place to go, you know, I won't give in
No, I won't give in
[Puck with New Directions and Alumni]
Keep holding on
[Puck]
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
[Puck with New Directions and Alumni]
Just stay strong
[Puck]
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
[Puck] (New Directions and Alumni)
There's nothing you could say (nothing you could say)
Nothing you could do (nothing you could do)
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
[Puck]
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Hear me when I say, when I say, "I believe"
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever is meant to be will work out perfectly
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Puck with New Directions and Alumni]
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
[Puck] (New Directions and Alumni)
There's nothing you could say (nothing you could say)
Nothing you could do (nothing you could do)
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
As the number concluded and the glee club began to disperse, Puck remained seated next to Quinn, who was softly crying in her own arms. "I guess I can still saw your heart," Puck said gently.
Quinn shook her head as she wiped her tears. "I loved the song... but I'm not crying over you. I'm crying because until you sang that song, I had actually forgotten about it." She looked up and around the auditorium. "In the next couple of years, we'll forget all of this."
Puck took this as a moment to speak honestly. "That's why you've got to keep holding onto your past, and not be ashamed of it."
"I'd rather look forward," she responded, staring at her feet.
"We all love you for who you are!"
"And I'm in love with Biff," Quinn looked up and turned to face Puck coldly. She knew what he was getting at with performing this song, trying to remind her of when Finn and Rachel sang it to her regarding her pregnancy. But, she also knew he was trying to remind her of them. "Quick." She wasn't ready to address the feelings she knew she still had for Puck, so she stood up and walked away, leaving Puck alone once again.
Rachel entered the library to find Finn, as he browsed through the school's musical catalogue. She tip-toed up next to him and tapped his shoulder. "That number really brought me back," she whispered, referring to when she and Finn initially sang Keep Holding On as a duet their sophomore year.
He nodded and motioned down to the music. "Yeah, it gave me some flashbacks too. I'm just trying to find a song that I have an emotional connection too, you know?" He continued to flip through. "Like, every song thus far has meant a lot to the people singing it. Or, at least, someone in that room."
She nodded. "Obviously Defying Gravity hits pretty close to my heart." She looked down and grumbled, "Although I don't see where Mercedes connects to it..."
"What are you, trying to recruit my vote or something?" He teased. "Classic Rachel."
She shook her head as she stopped him from shifting through the records, their hands touching. "No, actually. I came to sing a song. With you!"
Finn instantly stopped, not moving his hand. "Are you sure that's okay?"
Rachel quickly nodded her head. "Absolutely. Everyone understands that our musical chemistry was a major part of the first era of glee club," she spoke fast. "Think of it as showing the new kids the power of a dynamic duo."
He smirked, finally moving away, walking towards the doors. "And what were you thinking?"
"Well, our Madonna week was groundbreaking for lessons to come. Britney, Fleetwood Mac, Michael, Whitney..."
"Yeah, we even did Britney and Michael twice."
"Right!" She smiled brightly. "And you eventually did Billy Joel, and Taylor Swift... our Madonna week paved the way for that. So why not pay it some homage?"
[Rachel]
Something in the way you love me won't let me be
I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
Stop playin' with my heart
Finish what you start
When you make my love come down
If you want me let me know
Baby, let it show
Honey, don't you fool around
[Finn]
Don't try to resist me
Open your heart to me, baby
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
[Finn and Rachel]
Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key
[Rachel]
Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me
[Finn]
You're making me, you're making such a fool of me
[Finn and Rachel]
I see you on the street and you walk on by
[Finn]
You're on the street I see when you're walking by
[Finn and Rachel]
When you hold me in your arms
You love me till I just can't see
So you choose to look the other way
Well, I've got something to say
Open your heart to me, baby
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key
[Finn]
Open your heart, I'll make you love me
[Finn and Rachel]
I'll hold the lock and you hold the key
Open your heart to me, darlin'
I'll give you love if you, you turn the key
Ohh ohh ohh
Open your heart with the key!
As the number concluded and the two held each other close, just as they did last time they performed this number, their moment was quickly interrupted by the absolute last person Rachel wanted to see.
"Finn?"
Their two heads whipped to see Penny Owen standing in the doorway of the choir room. Finn instantly pulled away, breaking the sexual tension and the hard eye contact. "Penny!" He said in a flustered tone, walking over to her and giving her a hug. He turned to Rachel, who stood and stared at the two. She knew she said she was happy for Finn, finding someone else and being happy, and she was. But being back in glee club, high school Rachel Berry mode, he dominated her thoughts and her heart more than usual. Seeing her, in the flesh, hurt. Hard.
"You must be Rachel!" Penny said happily, waving to her. "I'm Penny. I've heard so much about you."
For some reason, that hurt even more.
"Nice to meet you, Penny," she mumbled, looking at Finn, who knew how bad this probably felt for her. "I've gotta go meet Blaine about the thing later."
"Rachel-"
"I'll see you later," she said, quickly running out of the choir room.
Mercedes entered the bathroom to find Rachel crying. As Rachel leaned up against one of the sinks, Mercedes took the one next to her, waiting calmly and patiently for Rachel's tears to subside. Once she calmed down, Mercedes spoke up, "Do I need to go smack him?" Like Santana, Mercedes was psychic about these things.
Rachel laughed, trying to hide the tears. "I-it's not because of Finn." Mercedes gave her a look. "Well, it's not just because of Finn. I thought coming back here would give me a chance to prove myself. That I became exactly who I set out to be. But, being here, a-and finding myself going at it with you, and following him around like a sick puppy... it's like I never left high school, you know?" She sniffled. "And I talk a big game about Funny Girl, but I'm just the understudy. Miriam Reign is a sweet lady, but nothing will let me get to her level. My biggest dream, Fanny, gone before I even get a shot." She pulled her hair back and leaned over the sink, taking a deep breath. Finn's words, Classic Rachel, rang through in her head.
Mercedes took a deep breath herself. "You know, every time a producer or an agent tells me I'm not good enough, or that I'm not ready... god, it's like Santana's saying it. Or Puck, or Quinn, or anyone that's been here that's ever made me feel small." She glanced over. "Sometimes, it's even you."
"I'm one of your high school ghosts?" Rachel asked with a sniffle.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing... I just use all of that stuff, and I let it motivate me," Mercedes replied.
"It just makes me sad that you would think that I'm one of your tormenters..." Rachel admitted, turning to face Mercedes and wiping her tears. "I just.. had this feeling that it was always you and me against everyone else."
"You were never like them," Mercedes admitted. "You were just always the best damn singer that I've ever heard." That comment made Rachel tear up again, because she felt the same way about Mercedes; it felt great to get that compliment from her more than anyone in the world, even more than Finn. "I want you to be all big and rich and famous, Rachel. I just want to be bigger, and richer, and more famous!"
Rachel laughed. "Don't you think Beyoncé and Barbra feel that way?"
"Girl, I don't know. Ask me when I get my first gold record, okay?" Mercedes responded with fake coldness.
The two old friends shared another laugh. "Well, I mean, I will have won my first Tony by then, so..."
"Come here!"
Mercedes and Rachel shared a hug, and a tight one at that. When they pulled away, Mercedes held her by her shoulders. "So when you're in New York and you're wishing that was you as Fanny, don't get down on yourself! Broadway isn't McKinley. Don't focus on the bad memories here... focus on the good ones. And if you do think of the bad ones, let them fuel you. Besides, you know you got damn near every solo here?" She chuckled. "You shouldn't have a lot of bad ones."
"Point taken."
"And as far as Finn, you know that boy loves you... just give it time."
Rachel nodded, smiling quickly before sighing. "I love you, Mercedes. I can't wait to see you front row at Madison Square. I'm sorry for the tension between us this week."
Mercedes nodded. "I'm sorry, too, and I love you too."
The two hugged one last time, before walking out of the bathroom together, arm around each other.
"What are you talking about? A tattoo?"
Quinn was finally coming clean. After a long couple of months of putting on a facade, she decided it was time to admit to Biff the truth about who she was, and her past. He was clearly not taking it well, evident by the rage in his voice. "It's not that bad. I mean, it was-"
"On your lower back? It's not that bad. Ryan Seacrest?"
"I can get it removed!" She insisted.
"There's not a laser big enough," Biff argued. "It's the size of Texas."
"We're in the 20th century, that doesn't even make sense..."
As Biff and Quinn continued to argue behind the buses, Puck happened to be walking by. Hearing their familiar voices he approached, with concern. "Is there a problem?"
Quinn knew shit was about to hit the fan, so she put her hand up in between the two men. "Puck, go away, okay?"
"Was she always this big of a liar?" Biff spat. Puck stared angrily at him, daggers in his eyes.
Quinn took his hand. "I'm coming clean now. Doesn't that mean something?"
"A baby?" Biff exploded. "What happens if we get married and this kid shows up, looking for money?" He pointed over to Puck, who still stood close by. "Was this the loser who knocked you up?" As someone who was called a Lima loser his whole life, the word triggered something in Puck, who balled his fist up. His eyes began to twitch.
Quinn sighed. "Yes. Puck is the father." She got deja vu to when she admitted the truth to Finn back in sophomore year. "I'm looking for acceptance here, okay? This is how I love!" She insisted, grabbing Biff's arms.
He pulled away. "That may be how you and your loser friends love, but where I come from, you carry your past with you." He rolled his eyes. "You are the worst type of hypocrite. You walk around like you're some Snow freaking White, but you're really just a dirty little slut bag."
And suddenly, something was triggered inside Quinn too. "You shouldn't have said that," she growled as she grabbed his nose, twisting it. As Biff shrieked in pain, Puck came closer, looking even more concerned.
"Am I bleeding?" He whined as Quinn finally let go of his honker.
"Not yet."
Puck grabbed Biff by his coat and threw him against the bus, punching him in the face. As the two began to scrap, Quinn cried, "You're hurting him. Stop!"
"Kind of the point," Puck was able to gasp as the two continued to throw punches at each other. In classic Puckerman fashion, he threw Biff against a nearby dumpster, and as Biff weakened, he picked him up over his shoulder and tossed him into the dumpster.
Quinn rushed over, in horror, panting as she demanded to Puck, "Help me get him out of here."
"Do you have any idea how much better you are than this guy?" Puck asked, pointing back towards the dumpster. He looked at her, recognizing the pain in her face. "Look. You can crawl into the trash and help him out, or you can come be with your real friends. We're headed to Dalton for Blaine's surprise... I'll be waiting." He stomped off as Biff emerged from the dumpster, Quinn looking at him in disappointment. But, she wasn't disappointed in Biff, no; she was disappointed in herself.
Mr. Schue, April and Finn sat in Sue's office, as she paced back and forth behind her desk. Becky sat behind the desk, holding a handful of papers. "After the unpleasantness of our last encounter, I decided to do some deep background to investigate your claims, conducted in an intensive Wikipedia search that took all of 25 seconds." She took the papers from Becky and put on her reading glasses, glancing at what she found. "You, April Rhodes, were the mistress of local strip-mall magnate Buddy Leibowitz, whose wife offered you two million dollars to keep the affair quiet after her husband's untimely demise. It was that money that you placed into an annuity to fund the auditorium in perpetuity." She finished, handing the documents to April.
"That's right!" April grinned.
Finn looked at Mr. Schue. "Okay, these are a bunch of big words that I don't understand."
He replied, "It means she set up a way for the auditorium to be paid for once a year, for as long as the money is there."
"Thanks for proving me right again, Hudson!" Sue smirked at the trio. "April's money didn't last. In fact, that money ran out six weeks ago."
The three all looked at Sue in confusion. "How?" April questioned.
Sue motioned her attention to Will. "Will Schuester's profligate spending, and his penchant for staging elaborate private bacchanalia, replete with extravagant scenery and costumes not seen since the reign of Caligula." Becky handed Sue yet another document. "I have here a line-item budget of the jungle set you constructed onstage a few weeks back, so the glee club could perform a Katy Perry song just for you."
"Let me see that," Will scoffed in disbelief, snatching it from Sue and skimming through it with Finn.
April didn't care about the whole Roar thing. "I don't know what the problem is, but whatever money the glee club needs, I'm good for it!" She gave Sue a thumbs up and a smile. "April Rhodes is rich!"
Almost on cue, Becky handed Sue another stack of papers. "No. April Rhodes is under indictment from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in violation of her three million dollar bail that forbids her from leaving the state of New York!" The realization made April's ear-to-ear smile vanish.
"Oh, snap!" Becky shrieked, snapping her fingers.
"Wait, what?" Will's jaw dropped, putting the Roar budget down and looking to his former classmate.
"What April may have neglected to mention is that her most recent john was none other than the disgraced financier, Bernie Madoff," Sue explained as Will sat there, dumbfounded. Finn slouched back in his seat, staring at the sky in defeat. "All of April's assets, including her private island, have been frozen."
"Is this true?" Finn sat up, glancing over to her.
"Sure sounds true, doesn't it?" April admitted in shame.
"I'm sorry, gentleman," Sue made her way to the door. "It does appear that the glee club is indeed over."
Will stood up and stormed out of Sue's office, with April rushing after him, as Finn stayed put, still processing everything that happened with April. Eventually, he stood up and looked at Sue, prepared to say something, but instead he walked out with his head hung low, defeated.
"Will, wait, I can explain!" April cried, as she and Will walked in the direction opposite of Finn.
"Explain what, April?" Will asked with anger in his voice. "You're a pathological liar who we should've never trusted?"
"Yes, exactly!" She replied, clutching her bedazzled flask.
"You did the worst thing you possibly could've done... you gave us hope." Will walked away in heartbreak, as April stood in the hall alone, dumbfounded by the news.
On the other end of the hallway, Finn speedwalked, hoping to make it to his car and calm down before the big event Blaine had planned. However, he sped straight into Rachel.
"Sorry Rachel," he spoke in a flustered tone.
She wanted to scream at him, wanted to beg to know why they weren't together, and why after being with her all week that he didn't come to his senses and realize the two of them were endgame. But, she didn't. Rachel had grown emotionally intelligent in her older age, noticing something was off. "Finn, are you okay?"
"Yeah, my head hurts from colliding with you, but I'm fine." Finn replied as he rubbed his head in agony.
Rachel giggled; she couldn't stay mad at Finn. He was so cute, and the innocence in his voice made her miss him even more. "N-no. I mean, you seem upset about something."
He motioned back down the hallway. "April doesn't have enough money to fund the auditorium anymore, so glee is dead. For good."
She gasped. "Sue can't-"
"Sue is the principal now. We're at a dead end. We're done for." He sighed. "I just... I thought we'd be able to save it, for the kids. Marley, Jake, Kitty-"
"We'll figure something out."
"And if we don't?"
Rachel sighed. "Look, glee has meant a lot to all of us. They'll never forget their time in there, whether this is the end or not. That's what makes you such a good coach, and what will make you a good teacher, Finn. You've impacted so many lives in that choir room, more than you'll ever realize."
He looked at her and tried to muster up a smile, but couldn't. "I just wasn't ready to say goodbye." He walked away, still hanging his head low in defeat, as Rachel watched him trudge off down the hallway.
Kurt sat in the passenger seat of his father, Burt's, car, as they left McKinley. "Sorry about glee club, buddy. I know it meant a lot to you," Burt spoke, turning down a road Kurt knew wasn't the way home. "I'm sure Finn's bummed so we're gonna meet him, Carole, and that Penny girl at Breadstix. I'm just taking a back route, heard it's faster."
"Dad, you can stop it. I know you're driving me to my surprise proposal." Kurt said, staring out the window, looking like he saw a ghost. Paler than usual.
Burt couldn't help but chuckle. "I should've known you knew. Hell, you're the kid who planned his own surprise party for his 10th birthday."
"That Justin Timberlake piñata was a perfect likeness!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't know," Burt admitted, staring down the road before glancing over at his son. "You okay? You look like I'm driving you to your execution."
"I can't tell..." If there was one person in this world Kurt knew he could trust, and be 100% honest with, it was his dad. "I mean, I really love Blaine. He makes me feel so connected, and safe, and loved. I don't think I'm ever gonna find someone else who's gonna make me feel like that. But, I mean, we're both so young!"
Burt sighed, turning down the street towards Dalton. "Your mom and I met when we were 22. I asked her to marry me six months in. We were just kids... it was really hard at first. You go in with all these fantasies of what your life together is gonna be like... nothing but laughing, dancing around in your underwear, cooking pasta... sex. A lot of sex." He chuckled to himself, and moreso at Kurt's face of disgust, as he parked the car near the entrance, getting out as Kurt did the same. "It's hard being married, though. It's hard enough being in your 20s."
"Do you wish you waited?" Kurt asked, as wide-eyed and curious as he was when he was younger.
Burt leaned up against his car. "Not one second more. I wish I met her ten years earlier. I didn't know then that I was only gonna get so much time with her, you know? That she was gonna leave us so soon?" He looked around before looking back to Kurt. "I'd take 50 more years of late night fights about me working late, or the gas bill, or her letting the milk go bad, for just ten more minutes with her next to me. We only get a few days when you come down to it, Kurt. You know that better than anyone." He could tell his words were not helping, so he approached his son. "Totally being honest here? Blaine asked me what I thought about this, and I gave him my opinion. From what I understand, he asked your brother, too."
"And your opinions were?"
"Our opinions don't matter here," Burt put a hand on his son's shoulder, looking at him with pride. "You're your own man now. But, giving you a choice means you've gotta make one. So, relax, and hear what the guy has to say!" He smiled. "I mean, all you've gotta do is say yes, no, or maybe."
"Is there another option?" Kurt gulped.
Burt chuckled and shook his head, stepping out of the way and motioning to the entrance to Dalton Academy, where Kurt could hear music slowly begin to play. He left his dad at the car and made his way to the spectacle that awaited him.
[Blaine]
You think I'm pretty,
Without any makeup on
You think I'm funny,
When I tell the punchline wrong
I know you get me,
So I let my walls come down, down
Before you met me,
I was alright, but things,
Were kinda heavy
You brought me to life
Now every February,
You'll be my Valentine, Valentine
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, we'll be young forever!
You make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream
The way you turn me on
I can't sleep
Let's run away and
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back
My heart stops when you look at me
Just one touch
Now baby I believe this is real
So take a chance and
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, we'll be young forever!
You make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream
The way you turn me on
I can't sleep
Let's run away and
Don't ever look back, don't ever look back
I'm a get your heart racing
In my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me
In my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
As the cheering subsided and the last of the rose petals fell, Blaine waved around for everyone's attention, looking up at Kurt as he stood a few steps ahead.
"We met right here. I took this man's hand, and we ran down that hallway. For those of you who may know me, I'm not in the habit of taking people's hands I haven't met before, but I think that my soul knew something that my body and my mind didn't know yet. It knew that our hands were meant to hold each other, fearlessly and forever, which is why it never really felt I was getting to know you. It's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if, in every lifetime that you and I have ever lived, we have chosen to come back and find each other, and fall in love all over again. Over and over, for all eternity." Blaine stepped a step forward, tears in both his eyes and Kurt's. "I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime, because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do... is spend my life loving you." Without breaking eye contact, Blaine reached behind him, taking the ring from Sam's hand.
"Kurt Hummel..." He got on one knee. "My one true love. Will you marry me?"
As the entirety of the New Directions and their alumni, Sebastian Smythe and the Warblers, Vocal Adrenaline, Dalton Rumba and the Haverbrook School for the Deaf, Jan and Liz, Burt and Carole, April, Penny, Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury looked on, they could see the emotions swirling on Kurt's face. He may have preferred a more private moment, but nothing in this world could stop him from loving Blaine. Not now, not ever. "Yes." He whispered, tears streaming down his face, as everyone in the halls of Dalton Academy roared with applause. The couple kissed, and Blaine placed the ring on his finger, before they kissed once again.
It was a moment of peace. A victory. But, there were two people in that room who knew the truth. Will Schuester and Finn Hudson shared a look; they would enjoy the positive news of Kurt and Blaine's engagement for now, but they knew when they returned to McKinley, they had to accept the fact that the New Directions were over. Nothing they could do would change Sue's mind.
But, that didn't mean that April Rhodes didn't have one last trick up her sleeve.
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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
Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones
Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray
Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
Mark Salling as Noah Puckerman
Heather Morris as Brittany S. Pierce
Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes
Chace Crawford as Biff McIntosh
Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson
Phoebe Strole as Penny Owen
Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel
Grant Gustin as Sebastian Smythe
Michael Hitchcock as Dalton Rumba
Patty Duke as Jan
Meredith Baxter as Liz
Romy Rosemont as Carole Hudson-Hummel
Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury
SONG(S) PERFORMED:
P!nk - Raise Your Glass: Performed by April Rhodes and Will Schuester with New Directions and Alumni
Britney Spears - Toxic: Performed by Quinn Fabray, Brittany S. Pierce and Santana Lopez
Cast of Wicked - Defying Gravity: Performed by Mercedes Jones, Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry
Mark Ronson - Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse): Performed by Santana Lopez and Brittany S. Pierce with New Directions and Alumni
Avril Lavigne - Keep Holding On: Performed by Noah Puckerman with New Directions and Alumni
Madonna - Borderline/Open Your Heart: Performed by Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream: Performed by Blaine Anderson