The long flight to Los Angeles was finally coming to an end. the rough turbulance and the overly-priced sandwiches were enough to make Kurt Hummel wish he didnt have to fly home in a week.

"This is going to be so much fun," his best friend, Rachel Berry, said. She stuffed a peanut in her mouth and smiled. "I cant wait for you to see the set."

"I know!" Kurt exclaimed. "Im really happy for you, Rachel."

She gave him an awkward hug from her seat next to him and grinned, "Im just so happy you can come. Ive been dying for you to meet the cast and crew. Theyre all so nice."

"Thats good. No one wants to deal with obnoxious co-stars," Kurt nodded. 

"Trash?" The flight attendant asked, holding out a bag.

Grabbing the contents off her tray, Rachel rolled her eyes at Kurts comment, "well, there might be one."

"Hopefully a minor character," Kurt followed suit, thanking the flight attendant.

Rachel hesitated, "I think youre going to be disappointed when you find out." She brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Since this is a story based off my life, we have characters similar to the kids from glee club. I really wanted to dedicate a character to Finn. Hes not tall and awkward like Finn was, but hes very well known. My producer wanted that to get the show going."

"Is the guy a jerk?"

Rachel nodded, "remember the Anderson brothers from that comedy show Better Brothers?"

"Yes, I used to love that show! I used to watch it with my mom every Friday. It was routine after family dinner," he said. If Rachel was going to tell him that one of the Anderson brothers was on her show, he was probably going to embarrass himself in front of them..

"Yeah, well, Blaine Anderson is a nightmare," Rachel shook her head. "And hes playing Flynn, my main co-star. Ugh. ive always been told Im a diva but - "

"You are," Kurt interrupted.

She narrowed her eyes at this, "yeah, well, hes worse."

Kurt faked a gasp, covering his mouth with his hand. He replied, "I didnt think that was possible."

Laughing, Rachel playfully slapped him, "shut up. Im not that terrible."

"Want me to confirm that with the kids from McKinley?" he asked.

"No! I dont. Theyll all agree with you," she pouted. "Im being serious, Kurt!"

Frowning, Kurt said, "thats a bummer. I loved Blaines character on Better Brothers. He was so cute when he was younger." He shrugged, "Who am I kidding? Hes still cute."

"Thats the thing," Rachel said, as the plane hit ground. "Hes an incredible actor. Even more than that, he sings like an angel."

"Its his attitude?" Kurt guessed.

She nodded, rising from her seat, the moment the seat belt light turned off..

Once they had gathered their luggage, Kurt and Rachel made their way to the exit, to find  a limo waiting for them. 

"You get your own limo?" Kurt had no idea Rachels needs had been met so well out here. "Ive only been in  a limo for my mom and Finns funerals... This will be a nice change."

She waved to her driver, the second he climbed out of the car,He was tall, with thin, blonde hair. His large build was slightly intimidating to Kurt.  Rachel called, "Hi, Marcus!" taking Kurts bags and handing them to her driver, Rachel added to Kurt, "my producers convinced this show could go far. He wants to make sure Blaine and I are comfortable."

"Well, thank you for letting me come out to witness the production of this pilot. Im sure youll be great," Kurt smiled. They climbed into the back of the car, making their way to the studio.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Rachel said, "yeah, well, I had a day off. Weve only been in dance rehearsals and recording studio so far. They wanted to give us a couple days to look over our scripts and prepare to shoot. I had to come get you."

"Youre gonna be great," he reassured her. "I just hope you can handle how busy that must be."

"Aw, thanks, babe," Rachel kissed his cheek. Settling back into his side, she said, "Its definitely a lot to take on, but its also therapeutic. Ever since Finn... Ive been feeling nostalgic about the glee club, and this has been such a treat. i made sure we used some of our favorite songs, like Dont Stop Believin."

"Good for you. I think you need that," Kurt said. He had been so worried about Rachel for months. She hadnt fully been herself since Finn had passed away, especially giving up Broadway for television.

Maybe she needed that fresh start.

Kurt knew he was ready for a fresh start as well. His life had been nothing but hell for years. He wanted to find that one thing that made him happier. He hadnt figured out what that would be, but the least he could do was support his friend. 

"LA might have more answers for you than New York. You could move out here with me," she offered. "I could use a roommate."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves," Kurt shook it off. 

Pulling up to the studio, Marcus let Rachel and Kurt out, telling them hed leave their luggage in the car until he picked them up later. Kurt thanked him and they were on their way.

"Rachel! so good to see you," she was greeted by a tall, skinny man with short, untidy hair. "I see you brought a friend." He eyed Kurt suspiciously. 

"Tim, this is Kurt. Tim is a part of my makeup team," Rachel beamed at him. "I suppose you were waiting for me?"

Tim nodded, "were getting ready to shoot in an hour. You and Blaine need to be in the auditorium for your first scene."

"Why are we doing that first?" Rachel asked. "I thought we were opening with Rachelles audition."

He shrugged, "change of plans. I think Brian wants to test your chemistry with Blaine." He leaned closer to her and quietly said, "I know rehearsals were a little tough the other day."

"What about me?" Kurt asked timidly.

Pointing to a table near the corner of the room, Tim said, "grab a snack, have a seat in the auditorium. You can watch, as long as youre quiet."

"See you," Rachel gave him a quick hug.

"Good luck!"

With a plate of food, Kurt took a seat in the auditorium. He waited. the crew had been setting up. A blanket and picnic basket had been laid out. The stage was fairly empty of equipment, but Kurt guessed that there was not going to be music.

A small figure appeared on the stage. He wore a red sports jacket, with a large letter L in the corner. His hair was gelled back, and he stood like a statue, absorbing his surroundings.

It was Blaine Anderson.

Kurt almost jumped out of his seat. He dumped his plate on the ground and blushed. He ducked down, quickly trying to pick up the mess he made.

Kurt heard Blaine say, "What school in Ohio has an auditorium this nice? No ones going to believe this."

"Whats wrong with it?" a woman standing next to him asked.

"Its too much," Blaine continued flatly. "Ohios a dump. How do you expect this to be possible?"

"Mr. Anderson, you realize this is television. We have to be a little bold," someone else in the crew told him.

"Was this her idea?" Blaine snapped, crossing his hands over his chest.

"Ms. Berry came from Ohio. She said her school had one similar to this. Not quite as nice, but she was pleased."

"And we all know this is her show," Blaine rolled his eyes.

Kurt sat bolt upright in his chair. Was this guy serious? There was nothing wrong with the auditorium. It reminded him of McKinley. It felt like home. How could people not believe it? It was shocking. Blaine Anderson had always been so formal in interviews. He his his attitude very well. Kurt couldnt believe the sweet boy he had watched growing up had turned out to be such a pain.

"Whos the loser in the stands?" Blaine pointed at Kurt. "Are we supposed to have other people in the room while we have a picnic? How romantic is that?"

Kurt slouched in his seat, barely making himself visible.

"That is a friend of Ms. Berrys. He will not be in any of the shots," the woman explained.

"Whatever," Blaine sat down, waiting to start.

"Im here!" Rachel called, appearing from the wings. She looked out of breath but beautiful. Kurt couldnt help but smile at her. She had come a long way since high school. No one deserved this more than her.

"Perfect," lets get started," the director called. "places, please!"

It was a long process from there. Rachel and Blaine, or in this case, Flynn and Rachelle sat down to discuss glee club, and how nice it was to get to know each other. Blaine stopped the process several times, claiming that Rachel wasnt doing something right. Kurt could tell that the crew was getting tired of his rude comments. "How am I supposed to work off of that?" 

Things continued, and Rachel looked very uncomfortable. 

It wasnt until Rachelle told Flynn, "you can kiss me if you want to," and Blaine leaned in to kiss her that Rachel backed up and said, "no, Im sorry. I cant do this." She stood up and raced out of the auditorium without another word.

Kurt quickly stood up to run after her, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard Blaine say, "clearly, shes realized shes not doing a very good job."

That drew a line. Kurt stormed down the stairs and made his way to the stage. "Hey!" he shouted at Blaine. Every head turned to face him.

"What do you want?" Blaine smirked, looking Kurt up and down.

"Leave her alone. Shes going through a rough time right now, and youre not making things easier. Stop being such an ass to her," Kurt jabbed a finger in Blaines chest. "Youre not superior to anyone here."

"Like you have room to talk. Seriously, who do you think you are in your designer boots and scarf?" Blaine started walking away, and Kurt grabbed his arm. 

"You need to apologize to Rachel right now," Kurt growled.

A hand landed on Kurts shoulder and he turned around to see the director. The mans eyes were narrowed, his expression hard. He said, "I dont care whos friend you are. Keep a hand off my stars or youll be escorted from the building."

Blaine smiled triumphantly.

Scowling, Kurt made his way back to his seat. All he could do was hope that Rachel would work up the courage to come back out. Someone had to prove Blaine wrong.

Five minutes later, she slowly made her way back on to the stage. Rachel apologized for running our and said, "Im ready to try that again." Her eyes found Kurts and she silently pleaded with him to understand. She needed to know she wasnt alone.

He simply nodded. He knew what had happened. Trying to reenact out her first kiss with Finn must have been hard. It had only been a few months since he had passed away. 

Blaines attitude did nothing to lighten that sorrowful mood.

When they finally finished the scene, Rachel and Blaine stood there talking for a moment. Kurt was curious to hear the quiet conversation and moved closer. He noticed the director watching him, but Kurt simply smiled in reassurance. 

"All Im saying is you made the scene too heavy. You finally got it in the last take though," Blaine was telling her. 

The crew began shifting things around them. Rachel stepped off the blanket and said, "just let the director decide that, okay?"

"Seriously, Blaine?" Kurt stepped in. He put an arm around Rachel and shot him a dirty look.

"If you must know," Blaine crossed his arms over his chest,  "I already apologized. I was explaining why I thought she was in the wrong. Take it as constructive criticism. Were a team, right? My input is important."

"You are so full of sh!"

"Kurt, stop," Rachel grabbed his arm. /"Im fine."

"See you tomorrow, Berry," Blaine called over his shoulder, as he walked away.

Kurt turned to Rachel and said, "are you okay? He gave you quite an earful today."

Shaking, she took his hand, Rachel said, "Yes. Its just been a long day. Blaine is... definitely not Finn. It just made me miss him that much more."

"He would be proud of what youve done," Kurt gave her a watery smile. "I know I am."

As tears of her own fell, Rachel quietly responded, "thanks, Kurt."

"You did great today. I dont care what that jerk says," Kurt said, as they made their way out of the auditorium. 

"I learned during rehearsal to let go of everything he tells me," Rachel nodded. She pulled out her phone and sent a text message. "Marcus is on his way."

"I cant believe hes that self-absorbed," Kurt shook his head. "I really thought you were exaggerating. 

"Nope," Rachel let out a chuckle. "he really is a nightmare. Its probably why no ones hired him since his show ended a year and a half ago."

"I wonder if his brother Cooper is any better," Kurt pondered the idea. "He is shooting a movie these days. People might like him."

"Probably not," Rachel said. She began typing on her phone again. 

"What are you doing?"

"Im curious to see Blaines public reaction to todays session. Im sure his front is much different than what he showed today," she replied.

Glancing over his shoulder, Kurt noticed a tweet on her timeline. 

@BlaineAnderson Had such a great first day shooting! its gonna be a fun season with my new cast. Great job today @RachelBerry 

"Is he serious?" Kurt gaped at the phone.

"Hes such a fake," Rachel set her phone in her purse.

Puling out his own phone, Kurt replied to Blaines tweet. He had it with Blaines rude comments. He wasnt going to stand for this phony act.

@KurtHummel: @BlaineAnderson It sure was a treat watching what really happened between you two today.

"Kurt, dont start anything! You could get me in trouble with my producer," Rachel tried reaching for his phone and Kurt dodged away from her.

"He has, like, a million followers. Hes never going to see my tweet," Kurt led Rachel out to the car. "it just made me feel better doing that. Maybe itll stop the urge to punch him next time I see him." 

Kurts phone made a loud Ding! and he started laughing.

"What?" Rachel asked curiously.

"He just sent me a private message. Between forcing him to give an apology earlier and this message, I think Ive made quite the impression on your co-star."

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