Hi guys, welcome to another chapter! Before we begin this chapter, I want to acknowledge my absence. Real life does get in the way of writing, so I apologize about that. I am still fully commited to finishing this story, but I obviously can't and won't post as regularly. Thanks everyone for their patience and continued dedication to this story!
I also want to address a review, which I don't typically do.
A guest review commented on February 5th that while they acknowledge how hard I work on these chapters, they feel it's lazy that I copy scenes from canon. Now, you might be thinking that I'm going to attack this review or be offended by their comment, but the truth is... I'm not, and to an extent, I agree. The concept behind Season Five Starring Cory Monteith was that it would be season five with Finn thrown into the mix.
There have been a TON of new additions to the pre-existing canon, even without Finn's direct involvement; Sugar and Joe continuing to appear, Bree and her expanded storyline, Sam and Tina being an item, Tina being in New York, an original character in Miriam Reign, Puck and Quinn's storyline continuing earlier, the Michael 2.0/Taylor Swift/other original "assignments" for the glee club, new songs... I could go on. Of course, there are aspects that DO include Finn too, such as his relationship with Penny, mending the relationship between Ryder and Unique, and his interactions with Puck, Blaine, Rachel, Mr. Schue, and Bree among others.
I'm not saying all this to defend myself, though. While there are original concepts, I can't deny that a lot of scenes are copy-pasted from the original series, and that is by design, as annoying as that is. It's not easy to adapt direct scenes word for word. Unfortunately for this reviewer, and those who share the sentiment, if you don't like that aspect of the story... you aren't going to like this chapter. It is going to be eerily similar to the original episode, barring changes such as Tina's involvement, the conclusion of the episode, and certain aspects of storylines. However, I will proudly say that moving forward, there will be large changes to the "status quo." I'll throw you guys a bone here:
Starting next chapter, Finn Hudson will be back and will be here to stay. Why, you may ask? You'll have to just read and see... if you pay attention, you'll notice that not everything is the same as the original show after all! ;)
Let me get off my soapbox. Long story short, I don't like how close to the show I've kept it, even with my own original flavor sprinkled throughout, but that was my goal with this story and I'm sticking to it. This has been my ideal "what if Cory didn't pass and Finn was in season five and six" scenario, and I'm proud of it. I hope it's something you guys can be proud of too. After all, this story is for Cory, and for fans like me who have wondered what if.
With all of that being said... ENJOY!
Episode 5x18: Old Dogs, New Tricks
Synopsis: Rachel continues to build her pre-Funny Girl image as she becomes a spokesperson for abused animals, with the help of her publicist Santana. Artie and Sam, still drowning in their post-breakup heartbreak, decide to indirectly help Rachel by adopting a dog to fill the void in their hearts. Meanwhile, feeling neglected, Kurt joins a production of Peter Pan, featuring retired Broadway star Maggie Banks (June Squibb)... until something happens to change the entire gang's lives.
Ever since the original iteration of the New Directions fully graduated and moved to New York, it wasn't often that Kurt, Rachel and Santana hung out with just the three of them. They were always accompanied by Blaine (obviously, being that he and Kurt were together), but often found a mixture of Sam, Tina, Artie and Mercedes hanging about. He wasn't complaining or anything, he loved having them in New York, but he missed the dynamic of just the three of them. Back when their only concerns were male hookers, college show choirs, evil dance teachers, and things of that nature. It was nice that the three of them were able to get lunch, just the three of them.
"Hey, do you guys want to catch a matinee tomorrow? I have a late shift at the diner, and since Funny Girl hasn't started yet-"
"It may not have started, but we're essentially in the pre-game warmups," Santana replied, motioning to Rachel, whose face was buried in her phone, looking at articles surrounding the firing of Miriam Reign and the promotion of her understudy. "I can't. I'm gonna be at the recording studio with Mercedes all day, since the album is near completion, and Rachel's still got some lessons with Shelby to tend to."
"Oh, my word," Rachel said to herself, continuing to torture herself. "Look at what they're saying!"
Despite the fact that she handed it to Kurt, Santana snatched the phone to read for herself, opting to read it out loud. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree; understudy Rachel Berry following in mentor Miriam Reign's diva tactics? Refusing to be in the room as Paolo San Pablo out of character? Is this the beginning of the end for the Ohioan?"
Rachel groaned. "This is terrible! And not true! Sort of. I've been speaking in-character a lot even when we aren't rehearsing. I might be ambitious but I'm not a bad person."
"You can't expect total strangers to know exactly who you are," Santana pointed out. "Look at Angelina Jolie! She used to be that girl with a vial of blood around her neck, who liked kissing her brother. Now she's Mother Earth."
Kurt blinked. "I love Angelina Jolie but I didn't know about the kissing her brother thing."
"I just assumed that's why you loved her so much, since you were kind of into that sophomore year."
Kurt kicked her under the table as Rachel didn't even react, hyper-fixated on Santana's previous comments. "How did she do it?" She asked.
"Two things. A publicist and a cause. I've already started work on the first half of that, since I've been doing such a phenomenal job of being your publicist. Now we just need to find a reason for people to give two craps about you."
"But I've always been my cause!" Rachel whined, rather loudly.
"Inside voice," Kurt commented, patting her leg.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Santana reassured her friends. "The experience I'm getting working with you and Mercedes, I'm a freakin' superhero. We all know I know how to cultivate an image. In high school I was a huge bitch, but also most popular. I was voted 'best shoulder to cry on' and 'most likely to poison someone.'"
Despite the fact that the entire conversation was about HER, Rachel's newest hyper-fixation came on a lady at an opposite table. As Santana gloated about how great she was, and Kurt listened for the millionth time, Rachel jumped from her seat and approached the woman, who was attempting to hide a dog in her purse. The nerve of some people! She fixed her hair and looked over the woman. "Excuse me, miss? I know that you have a dog in your purse," she said with snark, in a perfect Karen voice.
The woman moved the purse (with dog inside) behind her quickly, looked up at Rachel and sheepishly replied, "It's a service animal."
Rachel scoffed and pointed in her face. "I would seriously think that zipping a seeing-eye dog in your bag would hinder it from doing his job," she responded. "There are so many dogs out there that need good homes. You're just treating it like some fashion accessory! You should be ashamed of yourself!" She yelled before stomping back over to her table.
"Screw you, PETA..." the lady mumbled.
As Santana and Kurt giggled under their breaths at Rachel's outburst, their Broadway friend sat down in a huff. "People are just so unbelievable," she scoffed. She honestly wasn't sure what came over her; during high school she hated animals. She actively avoided them. When Finn wanted to get a dog the summer before senior year, she lied and said she was allergic to avoid having one in her life. But seeing that poor dog being muffled away by its owner, she felt enraged. Suddenly, then, a lightbulb popped up in her head, and she interrupted her friends conversation by saying, "I think I just found my cause."
The next day, a miserable Kurt wiped down the counter at the Spotlight Diner, just beginning his late shift. You know that one episode of Spongebob Squarepants where Squidward moves into that neighborhood where everything is perfect, and then eventually gets bored? Well, that's what Kurt's life felt like at the moment... except for the perfect part. He was in New York with all of his friends, pursuing an education at NYADA and sometimes interning at , yet he still felt like a social outcast within his own circle, even after all of that time coming out of his shell throughout high school. While he absent-mindedly played that episode of Spongebob in his head, a woman approached the counter with a bunch of papers in her hand. Mentally pausing his show, he snapped back into work mode. "Welcome to the Spotlight Diner. Can I get you a menu?"
"I was wondering if your boss would mind putting up a poster," the sweet old lady said, slamming down an advertisement on the counter. The paper got a little wet, as Kurt hadn't finished cleaning that part yet, but she had plenty more to choose from. His eyes gravitated towards the big green text in the middle of the page, but his attention was brought back to the woman, who pointed in his face and said, "Tell him if he decides not to, I'm going to accuse him of elder abuse!"
He chuckled, and read aloud the contents of the poster. "The Lexington Home for Retired Performers presents Peter Pan!"
"Yeah! We thought we'd take a shot at it, in case NBC casts Clay Aiken and it's ruined for good."
For the first time in a while, Kurt felt a twinge of excitement corse through his veins. "You know what, I won't even ask him. I'll put it up in the window." That feeling quickly vanished, when he realized that he was getting excited over hanging posters at work. His smile faded as he returned to work, but he felt a presence still at the counter; the same woman.
"Hey, Pillsbury, why the long face?" She asked. Kurt looked up at her and felt his body freeze - he hadn't heard that name since he demanded Sue Sylvester stop calling him that. She must've felt his mixed emotions, but she doubled down. "You look like the saddest doughboy in the world."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you with any of my problems," he insisted. "I usually just file it all away... then wait for an episode of Long Island Medium to let it all out."
"Are you sure?"
Taking that as an invitation to trauma dump, and it indeed was an invitation, Kurt took his break and chatted with the woman in the booth about everything and anything on his mind. Finally, he had gotten to his situation with his friends. "It feels like everyone in my life has moved onto something except me. When did I become the mother in a Nancy Meyers movie?" He sighed. "All they need me for is to remind them how talented and beautiful they are. It's like they don't care!"
"I care!" The woman smiled softly.
"I can't tell you how nice it is to talk to someone without them texting in the middle of the conversation," Kurt chuckled. He felt comfort in this woman; it was like talking to his grandmother. She knew everything to say.
"I know exactly how you feel," she replied. "Most of my friends can't hear."
Despite feeling this level of familiarity, he realized they hadn't even exchanged proper introductions. He felt so rude. "I'm Kurt, by the way," he stammered, offering his hand to shake.
She shook his hand and chuckled. "Maggie Banks."
Oh. My. God. "Wait a second. Did I just have a therapy session with the Maggie Banks?" His jaw dropped. "You're a legend! You were in one of the biggest Broadway flops in history!"
Ignoring the backhanded compliment, since she knew he meant well, Maggie replied, "In my defense, Hellen Keller: The Musical was the talk of the town." She then recited the tagline. "She can't hear or see, but she has a voice of gold. Now that was a tagline." Unfortunately for Kurt, their time together was cut short, as two men in white nurses outfits entered the diner with humored smiles, approaching the table. "Looks like my ride is here," she said, pinching Kurt's cheek and exiting the booth. "How did you boys find me so fast?"
"You dropped a couple posters, Maggie," said Greg, one of the handlers. "We're just following the trail."
The second guy, Ben, chimed in. "Eighteen blocks, that's a new record!"
Maggie turned to Kurt with another cute smile. "Well, someone has to advertise." With the jig being up, Maggie got out of the booth with Greg's help, before turning back to Kurt and shaking his hand. "It was nice to talk to you, Pillsbury. If you don't have any plans, and it would seem that you don't, come and visit us in rehearsal!"
"I would love to, Maggie!" He replied politely. "Thanks!"
As Maggie was escorted out by the Lexington Home nurses, Kurt returned to work, the brief spark he had once now gone. Despite saying yes to Maggie just to be nice, he couldn't help but ponder and ponder what it might be like to get back into performing. Sure, he had NYADA, but he hadn't done much performing since he got kicked out of the Adam's Apples. It would be good practice, with their fall critique right around the corner. A simple "maybe" in his mind continued to morph into a "definitely." Was it weird that he wanted to check out this old people perform songs from Peter Pan? Maybe. But it gave him something to do!
Meanwhile, at a local dog shelter, Rachel and Mercedes spoke to one of the handlers while Sam and Artie patrolled up and down the aisles. The girls had been sent on business by Santana, obviously, to craft good images for their careers, but Sam and Artie tagged along for the ride for a much different purpose.
Companionship.
They had each other, sure, and they had their third roommate Blaine, but the sense of loneliness was ever present recently. With Artie screwing up things with Kitty, and now going from multiple women to zero, he had spent a lot of time by himself playing Call of Duty. At least now that Sam was single, too, he had some more guy time. He liked Sam and Tina together, but he was happy to not be going through things alone. Their situations were vastly different, but it was nice to have someone to talk to that sort of knew what you were talking about.
"You still haven't heard from her?" Artie asked as Sam pushed his wheelchair up and down the aisles, checking out the pups.
Sam shook his head. "She won't talk to me. She's seriously convinced that I cheated on her with Mercedes."
"I thought that she and Santana confirmed that wasn't the case."
Sam shrugged. "Yeah, well, I still kissed that modeling lady, sort of." Sam cut contact with Charlie Darling following their photo shoot and was now looking for business elsewhere. He hadn't really talked to Mercedes, either. That was an awkward car ride over to the shelter. "Anything with Kitty?"
"Blocked me on everything. So did Bree. Can't say that I blame them."
"Chicks suck," Sam sighed.
"Sam, it was our own faults."
"Not mine!" He cried. "I might go gay. I'll ask Blaine about it later."
"Dude, you can't just go gay... you know, what, never mind."
Artie motioned for him to stop pushing the wheelchair as they approached a kennel and began interacting with one of the dogs. Suddenly, their woes about Tina and Kitty faded as they found themselves enamored with the dog in front of them. A cute little border terrier mix. Sam put his face up to the cage and began cooing at the dog. Even Artie, who could barely see the dog up that far, loved what he was seeing. "I love you," Sam spoke in a baby-voice, before looking down at Artie. "Dude, we should get him."
"What?" Artie raised his eyebrows. "We can barely take care of ourselves."
"Come on, it'll keep our minds off of the women issue."
Artie sat, thinking for a moment before replying, "I'll take this into consideration."
While the boys continued to check out the animals, Rachel and Mercedes walked through the shelter with one of the shelter employees, getting all the relevant information they needed. "So they really just stay in these cages all day?"
The shelter employee, Roric, shook his head. "No, no. We give them five walks a day, take them to a dog run for two hours of exercise every other day. We do our best, given the limited funding we have." He walked through the shelter, aiding to the dogs as he discussed with the girls. "You gotta remember, these are rescue dogs. Most of these dogs have been living on the streets, or they were abandoned, or abused..."
Mercedes frowned. She was regretting getting that faux-chihuahua now. "So, you know, what happens to them eventually?"
"Depends on how old they are, really," he replied. "We try to get as many of them adopted as we can, but when we can't? Not much choice." Obviously, he was insinuating that the dogs would have to be put down. "Worst part of my job, really."
While Mercedes felt genuine sorrow, any feelings Rachel had for the dogs must've been left at the restaurant the other day, because she got right into her sales pitch. "That's why we're here! We want to arrange a very public and great event for a cause we are so passionate about. Animals."
"Yeah, you said something about Broadway, or..?"
Mercedes rolled her eyes as Rachel continued to gloat. "Yes, I am set to star in the acclaimed revival of Funny Girl. I don't know if you've seen the news, but-"
"Nah, I don't really get into the city much," Roric replied. "Not a Broadway guy, but I like Cats!"
Rachel covered up her cringe with a fake laugh. "Doesn't really matter! We just want to spearhead a benefit, guide it towards the Broadway community. AKA me..."
"AHEM." Mercedes elbowed her.
"Oh, right," Rachel said sheepishly. "And for my friend Mercedes here, who is currently finishing up her album Hell 2 The No. The show biz community, if you will-"
"Yeah, I got it," Roric replied again, obviously paying more attention to his work than to Rachel.
"Well, you know, we'll take care of everything!"
Now she had his attention. "Okay!" He said cheerfully.
"Really?"
"That's great, yeah! I'm in, for sure." Rachel squealed as he continued on, "I'll get the information together. Let's do it."
"Amazing. Thank you!" She clapped.
As Roric continued on with his work, Rachel and Mercedes found themselves at the same kennel as Artie and Sam. Not wanting to get too involved in the whole Mercedes-Sam-Tina love triangle, or whatever it was, she decided to steer Mercedes away from Sam. The two exchanged quick glances of acknowledgment, but nothing more. The tension was thin, so thin that a dog could pretty easily gnaw through it. Artie was on the same page as Rachel, though, as he indicated to Sam that he wanted to be wheeled elsewhere. Almost on cue, the dogs began to bark simultaneously, and the entire shelter became very loud, very fast. Rachel, the new big dog person, began to cover her ears obnoxiously.
"This happens sometimes, it's no big deal!" Roric came back out to yell to his guests. "When they get like this, I pipe music in through the PA system, but it's all busted now."
"Today's your lucky day," Sam piped up. "I just read John Mayer's biography, he said that you always have to have your guitar 80% of the time." He told them that the guitar would come in handy, but they didn't listen. As he opened up the case and began to strum, his friends joined in on the music, and the dogs eventually mellowed out as they listened to their impromptu performance.
[Sam]
Moving forward using all my breath
Making love to you was never second best
I saw the world crashing all around your face
Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace
[Rachel]
I'll stop the world and melt with you
[Rachel and Mercedes]
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
[Rachel]
There's nothing you and I won't do
[Rachel and Artie]
I'll stop the world and melt with you
You should know better
[Mercedes] (Sam and Artie)
Dream of better lives the kind which never hate
(You should see why)
Dropped in the state of imaginary grace
(You should know better)
I made a pilgrimage to save this human race
(You should see why)
[Rachel and Mercedes]
Never comprehending the race had long gone by
[Artie]
Let's stop the world
[Rachel and Mercedes] (Sam and Artie)
I'll stop the world and melt with you
(Let's stop the world, world)
I've seen some changes but it's getting better all the time
(Let's stop the world, world)
There's nothing you and I won't do
(Let's stop the world)
I'll stop the world and melt with you
[Mercedes and Artie]
The future's open wide
[Mercedes] (Sam)
Oh, woah
Hey (Let's stop the world)
[Rachel and Mercedes]
I'll stop the world and melt with you
[Sam, Rachel, Mercedes and Artie]
I'll stop the world and melt with you
"I've got it!"
As Rachel got to work on her new Broadway Bitches campaign from a graphic design standpoint, Santana walked into the living room with a dress in her hand. "I have got the perfect plan for how to get this thing off the ground," Rachel's new publicist continued. "Later today, you are going to take a couple of dogs for a walk around the block, where paparazzi will be conveniently waiting. You're gonna get snapped, get a quote, and BAM! Broadway Bitches is up and running."
Before Rachel could even get a word in, Santana handed her the dress. "I also snagged this designer number by a designer that is so fancy that I can't even pronounce his name!" She chuckled. "There's hardly any vowels in it." She motioned to the dress. "If you wear it and get photographed in it, you get to keep it for free," she concluded, bowing as if she was royalty.
Rachel's eyes suddenly perked up at the mention of free clothes. "How do we know they'll be there?"
"I made a couple calls... and tweeted from your account. I used the hashtag, 'living,' so everyone sees it."
"Oh, perfect!" Rachel squealed.
"Trust me, Berry, they'll forget who Miriam Reign even WAS when we're done with this scheme," Santana grinned.
As their conversation died down, Kurt walked into the apartment, looking exhausted. It wasn't often that the original Bushwick trio was alone together, since so many of their friends had moved to New York, so it was nice to have some form of peace. Although, when it came to Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez, moments of peace were far and few between.
"Oh my God, Kurt!" Rachel piped up, hoping to change his mood. "I have the best news that I've been wanting to tell you about."
"Is Liza off her meds and running around Central Park again?" His mood, briefly, did change, as he was intrigued.
Santana shook her head as Rachel continued, "I'm starting a dog-rescue charity! Santana, Mercedes and I will be doing a performance. It's gonna be great!"
"Could I perform too?" Kurt asked hopefully. "I've been itching to do something outside of school. One Three Hill has been on hiatus ever since Elliot went on his yoga retreat, and Dani's roller derby team became state champions. With the NYADA fall critique next week it would be good practice for me. For the both of us."
"Uh..." Rachel looked to Santana, who again shook her head. "I think we're gonna keep it to just us girls. We don't want the event to be, like..." She bit her lip and began doing weird motions with her shoulders, almost like she was trying to find the words that she wanted to say.
Kurt snorted, instantly feeling like the backup friend once again. "Amateur open mic night?" He attempted to finish her sentence.
"No, Kurt, okay?" Santana spoke up finally, ready to nip anything in the bud. "This is about Rachel and her image, this is not personal. You are so good that you would pull the focus from her, and besides, your gay school thing is a solo project." a hint of sarcasm thrown in there.
Kurt, like usual, saw right through his roommate. "No, no, I get it. I get that I haven't exactly made a name for myself like the rest of you have, but... gosh. You'd just think that after everything, someone would throw me a bone for once."
"Kurt, wait..."
He, in fact, did not wait. He rolled his eyes at the two women, grabbed his bag, and walked out the front door once again. They did feel bad, slightly, but not bad enough to chase after him. In fact, all they did was return to their work.
After his conversation with Rachel and Santana, Kurt found himself wandering through the halls of the Lexington Home for Retired Performers. It seemed like a nice enough place. It reminded him of where his grandmother, Burt's mother, stayed in the last few years of her life, only with a bit more of theatricality sprinkled in. He found a poster-board of Maggie and her fellow retirees, advertising the upcoming production of Peter Pan, and he smiled gently. They may have been old, but they still had the passion for the arts they had when they were his age. He didn't know Maggie that long but he admired that about her. He also admired how she and her friends, despite their age, maintained their bond. The smile quickly faded as, in that moment, he couldn't say that he felt the same about his friends. Trying to shrug it off, he walked into the ballroom, where he found the old folks rehearsing their lines.
As Maggie turned around and saw Kurt, her eyes lit up. "Pillsbury, you made it!"
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."
She shook her head. "Sit down."
He looked around for a seat, eventually settling down in front of an old woman who was knitting what was probably her thousandth sweater. He watched the old bunch continue their rehearsal as he smiled gently, reminding him of his time in the glee club during high school. Oh, what a time...
"Debbie! Rule number one, hearing aids on during rehearsal!" Kurt could only assume that this Debbie character was their Peter Pan, and she had missed her cue...
Until she swung in the windows, in her harness... lifeless? Kurt's stomach dropped as one of the older performers, Andy Collins, stood up to inspect the scene. "Uh oh. Peter's dead, folks."
As the nurses came in and rolled Debbie's body away on a crash cart, a frustrated Maggie complained. "Of all times, she chooses to die less than a week from opening night! She was always so selfish."
"We have to cancel," spoke one of the other performers, Marty Rogers. "Debbie was the only one with hips strong enough for the harness." Marty, Maggie and Andy took a seat at a table in the ballroom, next to and across from Kurt.
Maggie, sensing Kurt's shift in attitude, waved in his face. "Take a look down the halls here," she began. "Room after room of beds filled with people who won't get out of them anymore. Not because they can't, but because they can't find any reason to! This show, and getting in front of an audience again, was my reason."
Kurt frowned, feeling bad as he usually did for his companions, old and young. "When is opening night?"
"Monday at 4:00 PM," Marty replied. "Incidentally, it's also closing night."
A lightbulb went off in his head. "I could fill in!" Kurt spoke up. "Unless, you know, there's a rule about residents only being in the show."
"First of all, we only have two rules," Marty pointed in Kurt's face. "One, remember your teeth. Two, don't mix up your night pills with your day pills. Simple!"
Maggie chuckled. "Are you sure, Pillsbury? Peter Pan is a very vocally demanding role. For a woman. Can you handle it?"
"Oh, yeah!" You should've seen my NYADA audition, Kurt thought in his head. "I'm a countertenor and I practically have the score memorized. I was obsessed with my tape of Mary Martin's version when I was a kid. She was my childhood hero... which explains a lot now that I think about it."
Marty pointed back onto the set. "We have a piano. Could you audition with any music or anything?" He asked. "We can't just give you the part or anything. We have standards, right?"
"I do! I always carry sheet music with me, just in case." A piece of advice he picked up from both Rachel and Blaine. He handed the sheet music to the pianist, and stood in the center of the room, beginning to sing his audition, which moved Maggie so much that she eventually joined him in song.
[Kurt]
Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I musn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory, too
And a new day will begin
[Maggie]
Burnt out ends of smokey days
The stale, cold smell of morning
[Kurt and Maggie]
The streetlamp dies
Another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
[Kurt] (Maggie)
Of my days in the sun (Days in the sun)
[Kurt and Maggie] (Maggie)
If you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day
Has begun (Has begun)
Feeding off of each other's sorrows, Sam and Artie had gone down the Call of Duty rabbit hole. "This is an unusually violent game!" Artie said with the biggest smile on his face, as the two played on the split screen.
"Yeah. Remember when you were addicted to Halo in high school?"
"Puck, Finn and I used to play all the time," Artie recalled, reminiscing on older times. "Kitty hated it..."
"Sorry, we're on a testosterone kick. No girl talk," Sam slapped Artie's wrist before reaching over to pet... a dog! In fact, the dog. The dog that Sam and Artie saw at the shelter, the one that Sam had practically fallen in love with. "Hey, McConaughey!" He said in a baby voice once again, scratching the back of his ear. "Alright, alright, alright," he spoke in an always perfect impression of Matthew McConaughey, who he had named the dog after. The border terrier mix had gotten into their trash, and had a bag of candy in his mouth, shaking his head back and forth as Sam mimicked him.
As Artie paused the game and looked down at the two, he shook his head. "It's like Goofy teaching tricks to Pluto."
"Yeah, we're working on his impressions," Sam replied, not taking his eyes off the dog as he continued to play with him.
"You know, Blaine is going to freak when he gets home," Artie pointed out. He was right; their apartment was a mess. While the two had been playing with the dog and their video games, they failed to clean up after McConaughey OR themselves. There were candy wrappers, ripped up pillows, stuffing from said pillows, EVERYWHERE.
"No, he's gonna fall in love with him, like we did," Sam said, ignoring the obvious.
Have you ever heard of the phrase, Speak of the devil and he shall appear? Just as Sam and Artie were discussing the inevitable, the door unlocked and in walked their roommate. Being the germaphobe that he is, Blaine stopped dead in his tracks. "Did you... steal a dog off the street?"
"No, dude, we adopted one!" Sam replied, in a matter-of-factly tone. "Remember, we were telling you about the whole adoption shelter thing Rachel is doing?"
"I tried to stop him," Artie said, returning back to his game.
Even though he wanted to call Artie out for lying, Sam did not, electing to simply shooting him a glare and continuing onward with his explanation to Blaine. "Uh, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it first. When I saw McConaughey something just clicked, and I knew that we were meant for each other."
Artie chimed in again, not taking his eyes away from the television. "I blame Sarah McLachlan."
Twitching, Blaine put his satchel down. "I don't mean to patronize, but Sam, we have a room full of dead Chia Pets that you can't take care of." He motioned down to the dog. "This is a living, breathing creature."
"So is Artie, and I take care of him!"
Finally, his attention was claimed. "Hold up! Did you just-"
"I know I can take care of him," Sam objected, ignoring Artie now. "Give me a chance!"
Blaine sighed, putting his hand over his head. "Sam... fine. If it's that important to you, you can give it a try." He gave his friend a small smile until he walked in the kitchen, noticing the unopened mail on the kitchen table, and walked right back in. "Hey, did you pay your portion of the gas bill?"
"Yeah!" He paused. "Uh, no. We're just really into this video game."
"What about the recycling?" Blaine asked, standing in front of the TV, blocking their views.
"Artie was gonna do it."
"How? I'm in a wheelchair-"
"Blaine, why are you acting like my father? Like, lay off," Sam grumbled.
"I'm not," Blaine scoffed at his comment. "But I am your roommate. Artie, you too. You guys, we all live together which means we are responsible for each other, and you need to meet and handle those responsibilities before worrying about a dog like McConaughey. Not to mention that this apartment has a pet fee." He was annoyed, sure, but then he noticed something. The dog had chewed up his candy-cane striped bowtie, the one that he got for Christmas as a gift from Rachel their senior year of high school. "Is that..."
"Oops." Artie grumbled.
"Okay, you know what? You guys need to clean this up, and just because McConaughey is cute, doesn't mean you can keep him. You can't even take care of yourselves. Don't let this dog suffer because you two are wallowing around in your self-pity over losing your girlfriends."
And with that, Blaine stomped up the stairs and slammed his door shut. Sam and Artie, clearly upset by his comments, just looked at each other, and then back down at the dog. Maybe Blaine was right... but they wanted that dog.
"Okay, okay, easy..."
Rachel wasn't the biggest or strongest person you'd ever seen, which became evident when she walked down the streets of New York City with not one, not two, but five dogs in tow. She had multiple leashes, probably jumbled up into multiple knots at this point, but who cares? She looked good, not only physically, but looked good because of the publicity scheme that Santana was about to pull off.
Across the street stood Mercedes and Tina. As Rachel entered their line of vision, on cue, Tina leaned over into the newspaper stand and practically yelled, "Oh, my God. Is that Rachel Berry, star of Broadway's upcoming revival of Funny Girl?"
"I love her!" Mercedes squealed, as the masses rushed over to take photos and see it for themselves. Frankly, they were surprised people cared about Broadway that much, but hey, they were getting the publicity they needed. The crowd cleared and Mercedes stood alone with Tina, for the first time since the music studio confrontation over Sam. Mercedes pursed her lips and swayed side to side. "We always did make a great team."
"Mercedes, save it."
She frowned. She and Tina were two of the original six members of the New Directions. Old friends. They were roommates, for crying out loud. Something had to give at some point. "Tina, I'm sorry, but I swear to you I'm not a homewrecker. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize you and Sam."
Tina simply ignored her comments and kept it moving. With a sigh, Mercedes followed, as they still had a Rachel Berry scheme to pull off, and the show must go on. Clearly having memorized her script, Tina rushed over to Rachel and the dogs. "Miss Berry, what on Earth are you doing walking all of these beautiful dogs?"
Rachel beamed brightly, showing off her pearly whites to the camera, with publicist Santana creeping in the background. "Well, someone has to!" She sang cheerfully. "Did you know that New York shelters are the most overpopulated in the state?"
"What?" Santana spoke up, with a fake gasp. "I didn't know that, that is such a shame!"
Rachel nodded, looking into the soul of the photographers. "Mhm. That's why I'm starting my own dog-rescue charity, Broadway Bitches!"
"AHEM." Mercedes shot her a death glare.
Rachel, slightly flustered, cleared her throat and continued. "Broadway Bitches will also be represented by Sony Records recording artist, Mercedes Jones."
"The girl who sang Hell 2 The No?" Santana gasped again. "I love her!"
The crowd murmured in agreement as Mercedes walked over next to Rachel and smiled into the cameras with her. Tina rolled her eyes in frustration.
Rachel continued to speak, as she struggled to keep the dogs at bay. "We will be holding our event at the Spotlight Diner," she managed, giggling nervously.
She looked down at the dogs and felt her heart stop, as every single pair of eyes was focused across the street on a guy with a chopped cheese sandwich. The guy looked equally as nervous to see five hungry dogs looking at him. Did the girls think to feed these dogs? Of course not! However, they were greatly surprised when the group of animals started barking and raced across the street to get that sandwich, dragging Rachel along for the ride. They knocked her over like bowling pins and dragged her across the street, tearing her dress and probably giving her road rash, as the photographers flashed photos and her friends watched in horror.
Santana, Tina and Mercedes gathered on the side of the road, not sure what to say or do, until Santana spoke up with a nervous chuckle. "I guess all publicity is good publicity?"
Back at the Bushwick apartment, the girls gathered themselves. Santana had her laptop on her lap and was typing away, while Rachel fixed her hair. "At least you were wearing underwear..." Santana grumbled.
"I got dragged four blocks, and now I have to pay for this dress!" Rachel whined, stomping her feet in aggravation. "Is this even a good idea anymore? I feel like I look worse now!"
"Yes, this is still a good idea," Santana replied, turning to look at her, having confidence that her voice lacked at the end of the incident. "Everybody's talking about your activism. In fact, out of the 500 Broadway Bitches evites that I sent out this morning, over half have committed. I even have a reporter from ready to do a piece on it!" Rachel slowly smiled and calmed down, but Santana was not finished. "Just stick to the plan, Berry. Don't go soft on me."
Rachel sat up a little and sighed. "Okay, but-"
"No buts. This also impacts Mercedes. I'm trying to get her tour some legs here."
The two continued small talk as Santana worked, when Kurt walked in, tossing his satchel onto the couch and grinning ear to ear, teeth and all. "Guys, good news. I landed a role!" Out of his back pocket he unfolded a flyer for the show, and held it up for them both to see. "Ta-da?"
"The Lexington Home for Retired Performers presents Peter Pan?" Rachel asked, confused, as she held an icepack to her head.
Kurt nodded rapidly, obviously excited to share with his friends. "And I'm Peter! They needed an emergency replacement because the woman playing him... dropped... out. She dropped out."
Rachel gave a small smile, trying to hide her confusion. However, Santana wore her emotions on her face, as she always did, rolling her eyes. "You cannot possibly be serious," she said as she failed to hide a chuckle.
Kurt's enthusiasm slowly faded away. "I am, actually, and I'm very excited about it." He folded the flyer up and put it back in his pocket as he said, "Opening night is Monday and I'd love to have you."
"No, sorry. Can't make it," Santana apologized, although you could tell she didn't really care. "As much as I'd love to watch 'Homochio' and the geriatric puppets put on a depressing sub-community theater show, Mercedes and Rachel have their event that night."
"That shouldn't be a problem, because the show starts at 4:00."
Rachel chimed in now, her apology a bit more sincere. "I'm sorry, Kurt. Santana has me doing all of these photo ops and interviews, and my reputation is at stake here." She sighed. "You know, I could be a one-and-done on Broadway if I don't clean this up."
You know what? Kurt had enough. Ever since he and Rachel became friends he did any and everything for her. He did the same for Mercedes. Blaine. Finn. Tina. All of his friends. Where was the mutual respect? "I bend over backwards for you every time you need something. Well, I need you now, so please support me on this."
"Excuse me?" Rachel scoffed. "I am doing something good for the animals!"
"No," Kurt snapped back. "You're doing it for yourself. You treat me exactly like the world treats these dogs... you just cast me aside! I'm done being a friend when it's only convenient for you."
"Seriously, Lady Hummel, this is Rachel's career we're talking about here. It's also my career, and Mercedes too. This little hobby of yours doesn't matter," Santana rolled her eyes, not in the mood for Kurt's theatrics.
But were they really theatrics? He hadn't asked for much since moving to New York, even though he constantly found himself dealing with everyone's lives and being their shoulder to cry on. The fact that they weren't able to do it for him this once spoke volumes, and he was officially over it.
"It matters to me," he said angrily, before leaving the apartment and slamming the door behind him.
Sam and Artie found themselves outside their apartment, with McCounaghey in tow. "Sam, do you seriously think we can train this dog? I had to teach you how to use Velcro." In front of them stood an elaborate, dog-sized obstacle course, almost like an immunity challenge from Survivor in their backyard.
"Well, Velcro is hard. It's like black magic," Sam began, placing a boombox down on the ground. "But look, we can do this, okay? Doggies crave discipline. We'll just run him through the doggy gauntlet of doom - it's a working title - and then once Blaine gets home tonight he'll be groomed, trained, and ready to melt his heart with those big, beautiful, puppy dog eyes that he gets from me."
Artie totally thought this idea was stupid, but he was tired of feeling bad for himself for what he did to Kitty. He knew Sam needed help dealing with the Tina situation, too. What did they have to lose? "Let's do it!"
{A montage begins of Artie and Sam training and taking care of McCounaghey}
[Sam]
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein
[Sam and Artie]
Werewolves of London
Werewolves of London
Werewolves of London
[Artie]
If you hear him howling around your kitchen door
Better not let him in no, no, no!
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
[Sam and Artie]
Werewolves of London
Werewolves of London
Werewolves of London
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
[Artie]
I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's
[Sam]
His hair was perfect
[Sam and Artie]
Werewolves of London
Draw blood
Werewolves of London
"Boys, I've returned from Neverland!" Kurt found himself back at the home with Maggie and her friends, bursting through the set doors on his harness. It was amazing how this retirement home somehow had any and everything you needed to put on a production, although he guessed it wasn't that shocking. Everyone wants to relive their youth. Ever since he met Carole, his father would force them to play a family football game on Thanksgiving and, despite the fact that Finn was currently a quarterback at McKinley, Burt would take the helm. This was basically the same thing, and probably what Kurt would do with his kids one day.
"Peter, we killed a giant bird while you were gone," Andy said as he read off his script lazily.
The next part of the scene was supposed to be Maggie laying on the floor, but she remained in her seat. Marty grew frustrated. "Maggie, you're supposed to be on the ground!"
"If I get down, I'm not getting back up," Maggie responded.
Andy groaned, tossing his script to the floor. "We look ridiculous! What were we thinking when we chose to do Peter Pan?"
"We wanted to show our families that we were still energetic and young," Marty pointed out, confirming Kurt's theories. "Right, Freddie?" Freddie, dressed up as Captain Hook, was passed out in his chair, behind Maggie.
Kurt frowned, deciding to step in and boost their spirits, as he typically did. "But you guys are still energetic and young!" He insisted. "If you want to seem young, you've got to feel young."
"I don't know about all of that..." Andy mumbled.
"I-I was thinking of changing up the music, you know? Maybe update it a little bit? I always wanted to be in a Madonna cover band and that got vetoed, so maybe she'll work for this? Right? She kind of represents wanting to recapture your youth nowadays. Have you seen her kiss Drake?"
"Who's Drake?" Maggie asked.
Andy was still not pleased. "I still think that we should do The Importance of Being Earnest."
Maggie rolled her eyes. "Ever since you were a question on Jeopardy, you have been such a know-it-all!"
Kurt sighed, stepping between the two elders, even though clearly nothing was going to happen. "Why don't we just take five?"
"How about thirty?" Marty asked. "It's almost nap time."
Everyone dispersed before Kurt could really answer, so he guessed it didn't really matter what he said. He took a seat to check his phone, although he had zero texts from any of his friends. They were all probably too busy for him - shocker! He did look up to see Maggie receiving flowers from a nursing home attendant, however. Maggie hurried over, and before Kurt could wonder where they were from, she told him with excitement.
"These are from my daughter, Clara," she said. "She's a defense attorney. She left me a note that said she can't attend opening night, because she needs to be in Reno for a deposition." She placed the flower down on the table. "She is so thoughtful, isn't she, Pillsbury? She spoils me!"
Kurt smiled. "That's sweet, Maggie." Since meeting the retired performer, he knew how important Clara was to her, as Maggie talked about her constantly. She did seem like quite the busy girl, but despite how successful she was in her career, she always made time for her mother. He was a little jealous, obviously, given his current situation. Envious. "It's nice having someone like that in your corner."
"Well, you know, we didn't always see eye to eye. We both made mistakes. I'm just glad we were able to mend fences." Maggie noticed the gloominess that shadowed Kurt, and reached out, putting his hand in hers. "Everything okay?"
"I just have a lot of friends here in New York, friends from home, that I feel like our friendship is one-sided," Kurt explained. "It feels like I'm always there for them, but they're never there for me. Seeing you and Clara's relationship, makes me wish that mine were a bit different."
Maggie smiled in a grandmother-ly way. "Oh, Pillsbury. I'm just sure you have a lot of people in your life who love you. Real friends will come through, always!"
That's just it, Maggie, Kurt thought. I don't think they will.
To avoid his own feelings, he stood up and clapped. "Places, everyone!"
Blaine returned to the apartment and saw his roommate Sam laying on the couch, with the cute and cuddly McCounaghey being cute and cuddling against Sam's chest. When Blaine walked in, he whimpered. Sam looked up and saw him standing there behind him, and turned back to look at the dog before a comment could be made. "Before you say anything, you should know that Artie and I tamed the beast that is McCounaghey." He scratched behind the dog's ear. "He's not barking, he's been off his leash for the few hours and didn't poop anywhere he wasn't supposed to, and he didn't eat anymore of your Pee-Wee Herman bowtie collectables."
Blaine took a seat on the loveseat across from the couch. "That's great, Sam, but we agreed that you can't take care of a dog."
"Really? It looks like I'm doing a pretty good job of it right now."
"For the moment," Blaine tried his best to remain calm in this situation. "What'll happen when you have a 20-hour shoot, and you can't walk the dog or feed it?"
"I have Artie!" Sam retorted.
"And what about when he's busy on set?"
"Maybe you could help?"
Blaine snorted. "I mean, I would and could, if I was even consulted about bringing an animal into my home. Besides, I don't want this dog to become my responsibility when you inevitably get bored of it. Sam, I'm just trying to help you understand-"
The dog whimpered once more, as Sam gently picked him up off his chest and placed him on the ground. "I didn't get this dog just because I felt like it, okay?"
"I understand you're struggling with this Tina situation..."
"No, you know what?" Sam snapped. "You don't. A-And you don't understand Artie with his Kitty situation, either."
"Sam, Artie is in the wrong."
"Who cares?" He argued back. "You were in the wrong when you cheated on Kurt, and we all sat around and took care of you."
Blaine stood up. "Excuse me?"
Sam stood up himself. "What are you gonna do about it?"
The two stared at each other with anger in both of their eyes, until Blaine realized what was becoming of him and his best friend. Sam was right; he was being insensitive. Sure, he was a germaphobe and liked his things a certain way, and yes, Sam was rather impulsive. But, that didn't excuse the fact that he wasn't being a great friend. He took a deep breath. "Sam, I'm sorry. I just-"
"No, you just didn't think I could do it. You couldn't even imagine me being able to take care of him, okay?"
"That's not true."
"Yeah, it is. And guess what? Sure looks like I proved you wrong."
Blaine suddenly didn't feel as bad anymore. "Is that what all of this was about?"
"No!" Sam insisted, before pausing. "Maybe. Partly, yes. I took care of my whole family when they had nothing, okay? W-when they were as poor and homeless as McCounaghey. I made sure they ate and had a roof over their head. I made sure my brother and sister got to school on time. Me."
"So you're doing this to prove a point to me?" Blaine snorted.
"I'm doing this to fill the void. Tina is gone, and I don't know if she's coming back."
Blaine paused, not really sure how to react. He did feel bad for their previous argument, but he wasn't sure how to proceed moving forward. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sam grabbed the leash and connected it to the dog's collar. "Where are you going?"
"Mercedes and Rachel's thing."
"But what about Kurt's performance?" Blaine asked. "Tina will be there."
Sam paused in the doorway, contemplating going to the Peter Pan show for a slight moment, just to see Tina, but he stood firm. "I'm going so McCounaghey can say goodbye to his friends."
Blaine followed him out to the doorway. "Sam, this is not good for this dog, okay? Our schedules are crazy, and your schedule is about to get worse. What's the point of having a dog, even one as cute as McCounaghey, if you can't take care of him and enjoy his company?"
"You know what they do with the pets they bring back to shelters, right?"
"Then we can find a home for him. You and me, man," Blaine promised, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder.
However, Sam was not hearing him. He pulled away from his friend and left, leaving Blaine to stand in their doorway, the two's friendship on the rocks.
Backstage at the Lexington Home, Kurt prepared his Peter Pan costume with Blaine's help. "Thanks, Blaine. I just don't want the harness to show. I mean, the show's tacky enough." He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror, a rush of excitement flowing through him as he was able to get a chance to perform. The same rush that flowed through quickly vanished, when he realized that it wasn't everything he hoped and dreamed of. He glanced over at Blaine and gave him a soft smile. "You don't wish you were helping Rachel Berry save animals?"
Blaine chuckled and kissed his boyfriend's cheek. "There's no place I'd rather be," he reassured him. "Besides, with Sam and I's blowup I don't think it would've been a good time anyway."
Kurt pulled away from the mirror and looked over at his partner. "I'm just happy to have you in my corner. I know we're all in a weird place, but I'm hoping things will blow over."
Blaine nodded. "How are you feeling? Pre-show jitters?"
"You know, since the first time I moved here, I feel like I'm doing something with a purpose. Besides school, of course."
"Well, it's nice to see the spark in your eye again," Blaine replied, standing up as he prepared to exit the dressing room. "Should I save some seats?"
Unfortunately, the answer to that would be no. With most of the friend group at the Spotlight Diner, Kurt had nobody else to invite. He did reach out to both Dani and Elliot, but with One Three Hill on hiatus due to their other commitments, even they couldn't show. It also didn't make sense for his dad and Carole, or even Finn, to fly out for something overall as silly as this. Kurt shook his head.
"Well, Tina is here!"
"Is that simply because she can't be in the same room as Sam or Mercedes?"
Blaine blinked and elected not to answer that question, pecking Kurt's lips quickly. "I love you. Break a leg!" He went to rush out, before Kurt shouted behind him.
"Don't sit in the first row! I don't trust the harness."
Blaine nodded and left, leaving Kurt alone backstage with his thoughts. God, what a week, he thought. He hadn't really spoken to Rachel or Santana since their spat in the apartment, and Blaine filled him in on what had been going on with he, Sam and Artie. Not to mention the Sam-Tina-Mercedes love triangle. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the Contacts app, scrolling through and staring at the Rachel Berry contact. No matter what had happened between them recently, she was still his best friend. He decided to give her a call before he went on, to see if fences could be mended.
Unfortunately, she didn't pick up. A voicemail would have to do.
"Hey, it's me. Um, my show is about to start and I just wanted to wish you good luck at the benefit. I know things have been really tense between us this week, but I don't want you to think I'm not proud of or supportive of you. I'm very glad you're doing what you're doing, because my life would certainly be dull without friends like you to inspire me every day. Uh... that's all. Love you, see you at home."
Be the bigger person, that's what his dad always said. Kurt took a deep breath, tossed his phone into his pocket, and made his way out onto the stage. The show must go on!
[Kurt]
You must be my lucky star
'Cause you shine on me wherever you are
I just think of you and I start to glow
And I need your light and baby, you know
Starlight, star bright
First star I see tonight
Starlight, star bright
Make everything all right
Starlight, star bright First star I see tonight
Starlight, star bright
Yeah
[Maggie]
You must be my lucky star
'Cause you make the darkness seem so far
And when I'm lost you'll be my guide
I just turn around and you're by my side
[Kurt and Maggie] (Maggie)
Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight
Starlight (Star bright) Yeah
(Uh) Come on
Shine your heavenly body tonight
('Cause I know)
You're with the Elderly: Gonna make everything all right
[Maggie] (Kurt)
You may be (You may be) My lucky star (My lucky star)
But I'm the luckiest by far (What you do to me baby?)
You may (Baby) Be my lucky star (You know)
[Maggie]
You know
[Kurt]
I'm the luckiest by far
[Kurt and Maggie] (Kurt)
Starlight, star bright (Baby)
Starlight, star bright (What you say to me baby? Stay by my side tonight)
Starlight, star bright (You know, you know)
Starlight, star bright
But I'm the luckiest by far
Starlight, star bright
The song concluded and the entire home, their families, Blaine and Tina erupted into applause. As Kurt bowed, he forgot about everything that had been happening recently. He did it!
Over at the Spotlight Diner, Rachel stood on a table with a microphone in one hand, dog in the other, and flashed a bright smile. "Hello, everybody! Thank you so much for supporting Broadway Bitches. You know, as New Yorkers, we get so wrapped up in our careers and making it, that we forget the importance of really creating a legacy that we can be proud of. What better way, and what's more rewarding, than giving back to man's best friend?" She motioned down to the dog in her arms, who promptly licked her nose. Was Rachel disgusted? Slightly, but she powered through. "Please join me in giving a warm welcome to some of my very special friends, who are here to help us out!
[Artie]
Woah-oah-oho
[Artie and Santana]
Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light
Take me home tonight
[Rachel and Sam]
Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang
Be my little baby
[Artie]
Uh-oh-ooh
[Santana] (Santana and Rachel)
I get frightened in all this darkness
(I get nightmares, I hate to sleep alone)
[Mercedes]
I need some company, a guardian angel
To keep me warm when the cold winds blow
[Sam] (Mercedes)
I can feel you breathe (I can feel you breathe)
[Artie and Sam] (Mercedes)
I can feel your heart beat faster (Faster)
[Artie and Santana]
Take me home tonight
[Artie and Rachel]
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light
[Artie and Santana]
Take me home tonight
[Rachel and Sam]
Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang
Be my little baby
Be my little baby
[Santana]
Yeah
[Sam]
Just like Ronnie sang
I said, just like Ronnie sang
[Rachel]
Be my little baby
Baby, my darling
[Artie and Sam]
Uh-oh-oh-oh-oh
[Santana] (Mercedes)
I feel the hunger (I feel the hunger)
It's a hunger (Oh-oho)
[Rachel]
Oooh
[Artie, Santana, Rachel, Sam and Mercedes] (Artie)
Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Take me home tonight
[Rachel and Santana] (Artie)
Listen honey, just like Ronnie sang (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
[Mercedes]
Be my little baby
[Artie, Santana, Rachel, Sam and Mercedes]
Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light
Take me home tonight
Listen honey
Take me, take me home tonight
As the entire diner cheered and began claiming dogs as their own, Santana pulled Rachel over to speak with Beverly Stevens, a reporter from NY Theater News, who Santana had arranged to arrive. Santana snapped for Mercedes to come along, too. "Rachel, that was inspired, to say the least," Beverly applauded. "What an amazing cause. Where did you get the inspiration to put on an event like this?"
"It's funny that you ask, because I have an amazing publicist..." Rachel squeaked as she motioned to Santana, who took a bow.
"Santana Lopez, public relations," she introduced herself to Beverly. "My motto is, 'if I can make Berry work, I can do anything.'" She and Beverly shared a chuckle. Santana then motioned over to Mercedes and said, "I also represent Mercedes Jones, who had a large hand in making this event possible as well."
Mercedes nodded as she and Rachel side-hugged. "Guilty as charged."
"That is terrific," Beverly continued. "I'm curious, will we see some kind of collaboration between your two clients? Broadway meeting the pop scene?"
Before either of them could reply, Santana put a hand up in front of the camera. "No comment! Rachel is focusing on Funny Girl and Mercedes is prepping for her tour. Nothing more, nothing less."
As the interview concluded, Rachel looked down at her phone and saw the missed call from Kurt. She sighed, also regretting their previous interactions. She listened to the voicemail and smiled gently, comfortable knowing he was still supportive of her, despite her actions. He always was. She mentally prepared to call him back tomorrow after her NYADA critique. Besides, she had to wrap things up for their charity event, anyway.
After the production of Peter Pan had concluded, the workers finished cleaning up the set as the performers visited with their families and turned in for the evening. Kurt watched Maggie as she hugged her daughter, Clara, tight. Clara, despite her busy schedule, was there front and center. Thank God the harness didn't malfunction.
"Oh, Clara, seeing you in the audience makes this the best performance of my life," Maggie said with tears in her eyes, embracing her daughter. The two hugged, and Maggie caught Kurt's glance across the room, mouthing Thank you. This is what Kurt did; he was a beacon, someone who was always there for others, putting their needs above his own. He gave Maggie, Marty, Andy, and everybody else their spark back. He was so happy he did, too.
Kurt walked over to Blaine and Tina, who hugged him happily. "Tina, I'm so glad you made it."
"Well, it was either that or shoot daggers over at Sam," Tina said in a somewhat rude tone. Blaine elbowed her sharply in her side. "OW!"
"What she meant to say is that she's glad she made it, too, and that you were great," Blaine corrected her.
Tina nodded. "It was pretty magical to say the least, Kurt."
"Thanks guys." He smiled, hugging them again.
Blaine put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm about to take Tina home. Do you need a ride?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm good. I have to finish up some things here."
Blaine nodded, kissing his boyfriend goodbye as he and Tina left. Kurt, feeling fulfilled, made his rounds and spoke with the families of his co-stars to thank them for coming and to help clean up.
Later that evening Kurt found himself walking down the streets of New York, alone. It was dark, and probably not the best idea in the world, but he needed some time to think and some time to himself. It was a long week, and he was just happy it was over. But, of course, things weren't over just yet.
He heard cries from a nearby alley, where he found a man beating beaten mercilessly by two drunks, shouting homophobic slurs at the man on the ground, really going to town on this guy. All the peace and happiness that Kurt felt faded away quickly as rage and anger filled his body. He was not one for bullies; not in high school, not now. He wouldn't let this stand.
He rushed down to help the man, pushing one of the drunks to the ground in an attempt to save the victim. As the victim rushed away and Kurt got into a scuffle with the first basher, the second one picked up a brick from the side of the alley and smashed it into Kurt's head. Kurt quickly fell to the ground, taking the first guy down with him, however the two quickly got the upper hand on Kurt, beginning to beat him to a pulp as well. Once they got bored, they ran off, laughing and shouting at him, calling him numerous things. Queer. Faggot. You name it.
It was a random act. This was not supposed to happen. And, yet, it did. Some people just have hate in their heart, and they take it out on others without hesitation.
Kurt had just experienced his highest of highs, the first sense of accomplishment in a long time, and suddenly was at the lowest of lows, as he lay in the alley, slowly drifting out of consciousness.
glee
Season 5B: New York
STARRING
Lea Michele as Rachel Berry
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez
Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson
Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones
Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang
Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams
GUEST STARRING
Mary K. DeVault as Restaurant Patron
June Squibb as Maggie Banks
Greg Bryan as Jack
Marcus Brown as Ben
Sean O'Bryan as Roric
Tim Conway as Marty Collins
Billy Dee Williams as Andy Collins
Brittany Renee Finamore as Beverly Stevens
Melinda McGraw as Clara Banks
SONG(S) PERFORMED:
Modern English - I Melt With You: Performed by Sam Evans, Rachel Berry, Mercedes Jones and Artie Abrams
Cats Cast - Memory: Performed by Kurt Hummel and Maggie Banks
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London: Performed by Sam Evans and Artie Abrams
Madonna - Lucky Star: Performed by Kurt Hummel and Maggie Banks
Eddie Money - Take Me Home Tonight: Performed by Artie Abrams, Santana Lopez, Rachel Berry, Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones