Kurt was very hopeful. Hed gone to his callback and given it his all. Something had felt different this time. Hed felt different, more confident and sure of himself than he had been in a very long time. Despite his confusion over the extra several minutes, hed accepted the blessing and used it to his full advantage. He used it to calm himself down from his agitated state, really get into character, and embrace his inner power. He was Kurt Hummel and he wanted this role. He deserved this role. He would get this role.

Maybe hed begun to lose hope in his dream, just a little bit. Failure after failure can do that to a person. He persisted out of habit a lot of the time, but when had he last felt that true spark of hope that hed get a role? When had he last allowed himself to feel it?

Too long, came the whisper of his inner voice.

No wonder he hadnt gotten any callbacks recently. Even when hed woken up that morning, amongst the anxiety of auditioning and small amount of belief that hed get it, there was a stronger underlying feeling of defeat. Why would this audition be different from the last?

Hed been running his life on autopilot and maybe it was that wonderful confusion of those extra moments that jolted him awake from the normal humdrum that was his life. It didnt make sense because the moment shouldnt have been special. If Kurt were to tell Rachel that hed been knocked out of autopilot by realizing he had more time than hed thought, she would look at him like he was insane. Because it was insane. It wasnt uncommon for a person to find extra time on their hands and yet... Perhaps thats just what hed needed.

It didnt matter now anyway. Now all Kurt could do was wait on the call that would decide his fate for the next several months.

Shaking his head of his previous ponderings, Kurt walked into his normal coffee shop. He could see Rachel already heading towards their table, apparently having gotten there early as she had both of their orders in hand. It was their ritual to unwind after a final callback, first with coffee at their favorite cafe and then with a night of romcoms and hot chocolate. Theyd only broken tradition four times in their years of auditioning, always because of work obligations. It was a silent agreement that all dates be scheduled on other nights and all plans with other friends be put aside (within reason). If one of them had a callback, both of their days were booked.

He slipped past her, a skip in his step, and quickly pulled out her chair at their usual table with a small bow.

“Audition went well then?” Rachel laughed at him, handing off his mocha.

“Knock on wood,” he responded. He lightly tapped the wooden table with his knuckles, not one to tempt bad luck. “I dont want to jinx it, but I have a good feeling about this one.”

“Mmm. Thats good. You havent been this hopeful in a while.” Rachel sipped at her coffee, per the usual despite knowing that its still too hot to drink properly.

“I havent had a role in a while,” Kurt pointed out. “Hows that girl in your play doing? The one that was sick?”

“Bethany. Shes feeling better, should be joining me in the background again soon.”

Kurt could sense a bit of bitterness in her tone. “Hey, at least its on Broadway.”

“I know,” Rachel sighed. “Realistically, Im really not doing that badly. I just really thought Id catch my big break by now.”

Kurt hummed his agreement. Theyd both had unrealistic expectations for their lives in New York. It wasnt bad to dream big and hope for the best, but when theyd first come he and Rachel hadnt truly believed that it would take so long. Theyd thought that theyd known so much, knew everything about acting and singing, but theyd been so wrong. Rachels dancing skills were subpar and Kurt was too showy. She needed better control of her movements as she sang and he overplayed some of his emotions, underplayed others. Even their vocals, which had appeared so strong in high school, seemed average amongst the other talented individuals at NYADA.

“Well get there, Rachel, if not tomorrow than the next day.”

“Well,” she sniffed, “Id just prefer that it be today.”

“Me too.”

Rachel perked up, clearly remembering something. “Mike called me today and asked about going out this weekend while Mercedes is still in town. Chandler and Alexis are in. He hadnt heard back from Rob yet.”

“Going out where?” Kurt asked, skeptical.

“Yet to be decided. I think Mercedes just had a nice dinner in mind, but Alexis is hoping for a club.” Rachel pulled out her puppy eyes. “Itll be the last chance to see Mercedes for a while and shed miss you if you werent there.”

“Fine. Count me in,” he relented. Rachel smiled victoriously, looking far too happy with herself. “But,” he said sternly, “know that Im hoping for the quiet dinner.”

“Im not! Neither of us has had a guy to warm our beds in a while.”

Kurt raised his eyebrow. “Im not looking for a one night stand right now and neither are you.”

“True, but it doesnt hurt to flirt a little. I could do with some fun.”

“What about that guy you were with the other night? I thought you had fun with Pete.”

Rachel shrugged, looking down to where she was stirring her coffee. Ever since her relationship with Brody had dissolved, she hadnt really been interested in the guys she was dating. Some were definitely wrong for her, as Kurt was always willing to point out, but some were seemingly perfect. Rachel always said they lacked that spark, though, the chemistry that made a relationship. Apparently, Pete hadnt been any different.

“It was great, and I really thought I could like him, but...”

“No spark?”

“No spark,” she confirmed. “Maybe I just like that guys like me and I dont actually like them back.”

“Rachel–”

“No, no,” she protested, putting her hands up in a grand gesture, as if imagining some great scene playing out before her. “I can see it now. Ill be doomed to an existence of wanting love but not actually loving anyone. Guys will throw themselves at two-time Tony Award-winning Rachel Berry, and Ill go on plenty of first and maybe even second dates only to find each as dull as the last. Ill be forced to retire in Florida and die an old maid.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “With that drama, I dont know how you havent gotten your big break yet.”

“Kurt!” Rachel admonished. “This is nothing to joke about. By the time I die, only your kids will remember to visit me.”

“My kids?”

“Yes, your kids. You and your husband will be in a tragic Notebook-esque situation by then. Your son will barely have time for me between you guys and his kid. Your daughter? Forget her. Shes too busy with her four kids and second divorce.”

“Rachel, I think youre taking this a bit far, and Im going to leave before this gets any crazier.” Kurt got up, tossing his coffee in a nearby trash bin. “I think were out of popcorn, so Im going to run some errands before our movie night. Do you want anything?”

“Im good. Ill probably head back soon,” she responded. Kurt gave her a thumbs up and began walking out. “Oh! Kurt?”

“Yes?”

Rachel adopted a very serious expression. “I just want you to know that your daughter meets another guy at my funeral and they end up being very happy together,” she said, barely containing a smile by the end of it.

“Goodbye, Rachel.”

*~*~*~*~*

Blaine approached the school with a bit of doubt. It had been a few days since hed decided on becoming a teacher and after some research on schools in the area, hed found one with a rather elderly music teacher. It would be much easier to explain an older teacher leaving just a few weeks before school started than a younger one. Hed have her make a call about her health failing and needing to retire, so sorry for the inconvenience. Then hed just make sure the poor woman was financially stable and let her live on her days.

Unfortunately, she worked at a public high school, which he had been hoping to avoid. Blaine much preferred younger kids to older and wasnt sure he had the patience to deal with whatever shenanigans theyd dish out at him. While he was normally a good-natured individual, baiting his temper seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. The last thing he needed was to deal with the consequences of turning someone into a ferret again.

Before he decided anything, though, he wanted to see what the school was like.

When he walked into the building, he was greeted by a women in the front office. He hadnt even gotten his name out before an overly friendly middle-aged woman came from one of the connecting rooms.

“Ah, you must be Mr. Hamilton,” she remarked, offering her hand. Blaine gave it a firm shake before discreetly wiping his own on his pant leg. Apparently, the woman was nervous. “Im Julia Stevens, the superintendent. I must say that we dont often get donations. Most arent even happy with paying the taxes that fund the district.”

“What can I say? I just want to see the next generation educated.” Blaine flashed a smile at the woman. “I thought the principal would be joining us.”

“Oh, he will. Bill must be running a bit behind. I dont know what could be keeping him.”

Soon, the principal did arrive and they didnt waste any time in showing him around the building. They bragged about the schools well-behaved students and academic success while dropping hints about how much better they could be with the money to buy tablets for every student. Then the books would be so much cheaper and they could use better programs to assess students more efficiently. When asked about the arts at their school, they were quick to assure Blaine that they emphasized the importance of a creative outlet and nurtured those looking for a career in the field. They were able to get artists works in a small gallery every so often and had a thriving chorus that performed concerts every year.

They finally ended their tour in the music room, where Blaine went to the front of the room and leaned against the teachers desk.

“Now,” he started, clicking his tongue. “I want you to tell me the truth about your music program, no fibs or embellishing.” Both nodded, looking far away from the present moment as his magic took hold. “Is it as good as you made it out to be?”

“No,” Bill said immediately, and then continued, as Blaine moved his hand in a slow rhythmic motion in front of the principal, looking like he was physically drawing the words from his lips. “The chorus is a class that kids take in order to earn easy music credits. Very few take the actual music theory class. The concerts are mandatory in order to pass the course and really only require attendance. Kids with a serious interest in music tend to be brushed off. Its our attitude that if they want to pursue such a career, they should do it with their own training on their own time.”

“And are the kids as well-behaved as you say?”

“Bullying happens, were sure, but were not aware of anything serious and most dont give the teachers a hard time. The few that do dont attend enough classes to worry about them.”

“Would additional funding actually be used for something to help benefit the kids education?”

“Yes,” Julia spoke up. “The money would go to tablets, which have been shown to help aid the teaching process.”

“Alright then,” Blaine nodded, satisfied. With another click of his tongue, they were released from their honesty. “It was a pleasure meeting with both of you. Expect a hefty check to come soon.”

Julia was the first to recover from her befuddlement, not clearly remembering what had happened in the last several minutes to bring them to that point. “Thank you. Anything you could spare would be greatly appreciated.”

When Blaine left the building, hed made up his mind. He wasnt overly impressed with the school, but he thought that the intentions were good and that his help would be appreciated there. Hed give the school some money as promised to make up for the time spent on him and alter their memories so they didnt remember his face. After that, Blaine would “accidentally” bump into the music teacher and get her to retire, maybe even have her suggest him as a possible candidate to fill the position. Then it would just be a matter of materializing credentials and getting them to hire him. It was settled. The next time he walked out of that school it would be with a teaching position.