"This is bad, this is bad, this is really really bad," Adalynn mumbled as she paced back and forth in the hotel room biting her nail. "Things can't possibly get any worse."
"Adalynn, breathe," Quinn said, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay."
"What's going on?" Mr. Schue asked as he came into the room. "How bad is it?"
"Her temperature is 101 degrees," Sue said as she took a thermometer out of Mercedes' mouth. "Given the fact that Wheezy's complaining about an upset stomach, it's either Amazonian dengue fever, or the H1N1 super virus."
"We're so screwed," Adalynn sighed.
"Or I have food poisoning," said Mercedes.
"We all wanted burritos for lunch, so we went to Chipotle, but Mercedes tried some dive called Señora Salsation," Santana told Mr. Schue.
"I told you we should've gotten pizza instead, but did anyone listen to me?" Adalynn grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat down on the bed with Tina and Bailey.
"Julian will be here any minute with some medicine," Bailey said as she checked her phone. "We just have to stay positive."
"Okay, I'm positive we're doomed and all our hard work this year was for nothing," Adalynn said, running a hand through her hair.
"Positive, Ada," said Tina.
"You be positive," the brunette scoffed. "I'll be realistic. We're fucked, and not in the good way."
"Adalynn Emilia," Quinn said, sending her girlfriend a stern look.
"What? I'm just being honest."
"So here's the plan," Mr. Schue said, getting everyone's attention. "Mercedes, you're on bed rest. Quinn, you're stepping in."
"No, no, no," Quinn shook her head. "I can't dance that number. I can't sing it either, not like–"
"The Troubletones need you, Quinn," said Adalynn. "You can do it."
"And you're better than you think you are," Tina added.
"Tina, you too," said Mr. Schue. "You're in the Troubletones."
"Mr. Schue, this is my last competition," Mercedes groaned as she sat up. "I don't want to miss it."
"Amen to that, sister," said Sue. "That's why I'm putting you on a vitamin B12 drip. We're flushing your system with Pedialyte. I'm gonna fill that bathtub with ice, and see if we can't get your ambient body temperature back down to normal. Worked on Jacob's Ladder."
"Alright, we all have our marching orders," Mr. Schue said, clapping his hands together. "Let's do it."
****
The New Directions were supposed to be rehearsing for the upcoming nationals competition, but, of course, it ended up turning into a screaming match.
"Would you all just shut the fuck up?!" Adalynn yelled, banging her head against the wall.
"Addie, don't do that," Quinn said, pulling her away from the wall before she could hurt herself.
"Guys, there are babies in the room!" Bailey shouted, hugging a crying Maya to her chest as Julian tried to calm down Ava.
"What's going on?!" Mr. Schue yelled over the noise as he ran into the room.
"He's studying for Geography while we're trying to rehearse!" Sam shouted, pointing to Puck. "It's bogus!"
"I already know the dance!" Puck yelled.
"Stop!" Maya cried, burying her face in Bailey's chest as the blonde stood up to take her out of the room. "Mama, no more! No more!"
"Shh, Maya it's okay," Bailey cooed, placing a kiss to her daughter's cheek as they sat down on the floor at the end of the hallway.
"Julian, you ducking idiot, get Ava out of here!" Adalynn yelled as she pushed her cousin out of the loud room and closed the door behind him.
"Mr. Schue, are you aware that while we're arguing about jazz squares, Unique is being handed a key to the city by Rahm Emanuel?" Kurt asked as he looked at his phone.
"Plus my blanket and my pillow fell in the pool," Brittany said as she looked out the window. "Disaster."
"What's a disaster is how you upset the twins, you fucking idiots," Adalynn scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Look, I think everybody's just a little tired," said Artie. "We've been rehearsing for three straight hours."
"The only straight thing I ever did," Adalynn mumbled as she leaned into Quinn, who wrapped an arm around her.
"Yeah, and we'll rehearse all night if we have too," Finn bossed. "We can rest after we've won!"
"Just because we lost Mercedes doesn't mean we can be anything less than perfect," said Rachel. "Perfect!"
"That's easy for you to say!" Artie shouted.
"No one likes you!" Adalynn yelled, sending Rachel a glare as everyone started yelling at each other again.
"You know what? Hey!" Santana yelled over the shouting. "I don't want to hear any of this, 'We can't do it without her.' Because guess what? We don't have a choice! So be warned, if you are not giving this everything you've got, I will go all Lima Heights on your sorry asses!"
"Listen to yourselves," Mr. Schue scoffed as Bailey came back into the room.
"I know, I'm sorry. I always go to the yelling place. I have rage," Santana said before turning to the younger Pierce sister. "How are the twins? Are they okay?"
"Julian's gonna get them out of here for a while," Bailey said as she rubbed her aching temples.
"There is so much passion in this room," said Mr. Schue. "Even with all your arguing, it's about the work. You guys really want this. Okay, so let's take a half hour break, and then we'll run it from the top."
"Mr. Schue, is it okay if we keep going?" Tina asked. "We've got the first slot, which is the death slot."
"We have to be amazing," Bailey agreed.
"Yeah, Edge of Glory's a bitch," said Quinn. "I said I'd be dancing by nationals. I'll be damned if I don't."
"Okay, then let's keep going," said Mr. Schue. "Mike, help the guys out with the choreography. Artie, help Puck with his Geography. Ladies, Edge of Glory. Brittany, run us through it."
"From the chorus?" Brittany asked as she went over to the group of girls.
"Yeah, let's do it."
"Ready? Five, six, seven, eight."
Brittany counted the eight counts as they ran through the choreography. Quinn stumbled a bit on one of the turns, and Adalynn was quick to steady her. She sent her a small smile and a nod.
"You can do this," Adalynn whispered as Quinn smiled at her.
The room was quiet again, the only sound being that of the quiet chatter as Artie helped Puck study and the counting as the New Directions went through choreography.
****
It was the day of the competition, and the Glee Club sat in the greenroom getting ready. To say they were nervous would be an understatement. For many of them, this was their last competition, and the underclassmen wanted to make sure they won so the seniors had something extraordinary to remember when they graduated.
As Bailey sat at a vanity doing her make-up, Tina came up and hugged her from behind. She smiled at her in the mirror, the usual butterflies filling her stomach as their eyes locked.
"Nervous?" Bailey asked as Tina sat down next to her.
"A little. Well, more like a lot," Tina admitted. "How are you feeling? I know these past two years have been a bit crazy."
"I'm actually really happy about everything that happened, even if it wasn't what I had planned," the blonde said. "I have two beautiful one year olds, the greatest friends in the world, an amazing big sister, and two parents who make my day so much brighter just by being their goofy selves. Life is awesome. I wouldn't change anything."
"I wouldn't change anything, either," Tina agreed with a small smile. "Especially because I feel like we grew closer this year because of the twins."
"It means a lot that you've helped out with them as much as you have. You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to," the brunette said, smiling softly. "I like spending time with you, and I love getting to hang out with the twins."
"You have no idea how much I appreciate all your help," Bailey smiled. "It's made this whole thing so much easier, and I know Julian appreciates it, too."
"Is there any chance that you two are going to get back together?" Tina asked.
"I don't think so," the blonde shook her head. "I care about him, but as a friend, you know? At the end of the day, we both love each other, but there's no point in trying to force a relationship for the sake of the babies."
"I understand that," Tina nodded.
"Alright, gather around everyone," Mr. Schue said, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "I just wanted to say a few words before we go out there."
"Hold on, Mr. Schue," Finn said as everyone grouped up in a show circle. "Hold on. You've given us a lot of pep talks over the years, but I remember you told us once that you know a teacher's job is done when his students don't need him anymore."
"Okay. Finn, the floor is yours," said Mr. Schue.
"Last night we all sat around in a circle after you went to bed, and we told stories. But then we went around the room and everybody said what they wanted to win this thing for, and we all said the same thing. We want to win this for you. And I know every year at school Figgins gives away the teacher of the year award. But I don't think any of us have to wait to see how we feel about that. You're, like, our teacher of a lifetime."
"Thank you, Finn. All of you. I love you guys so much," Mr. Schue said as a light went off the greenroom and a bell dinged. "Alright, that's it. Showtime. Hands in, everyone."
Everyone cheered and put their hands into the middle of the circle as the door opened.
"Now I know you weren't planning on doing a chow circle without me."
"Mercedes!" Adalynn gasped.
"You're alive!" Tina smiled.
"Yeah, thanks to Sue," Mercedes said as she joined the circle. "She's a miracle worker."
"Oh, well, it's amazing what a little TLC, some cortisone, and a witch doctor will do," said Sue.
"Thank God you're okay," said Quinn. "That means I'm not gonna have to fall on my face during that Troubletones number."
"Oh, screw that," said Mercedes. "This is our last time performing together. You're doing it, and so are you, Tina. I'm not taking no for an answer. Plus I have so many steroids going through my body right now, I may turn into the Incredible Hulk if you piss me off."
Everyone laughed as the lights in the greenroom went off again, followed by another bell.
"Okay, if we don't get out of this greenroom soon, none of us will be performing," said Mr. Schue. "Let's go."
Everyone put their hands into the middle of the circle and threw them up as they shouted, "Aaaamazing!"
****
Adalynn was pacing backstage as the New Directions waited for their group to be called. She usually doesn't get nervous, but there's something about how much this competition meant to everyone that caused her nerves to be worse than usual.
"Addie," Quinn said as she approached her girlfriend and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Relax. Everything's going to be fine, okay?"
"Quinn, I-I can't do this," Adalynn panicked. "There's so many people out there, and the Lindsay Lohan is out there, and this is your last competition, and-and-and–"
"Hey, hey, Addie, breathe," Quinn said, pulling the younger girl into a hug. "Breathe. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna go out there, and as soon as the music starts, you're going to forget about the people and have the time of your life on that stage."
"I don't want this year to end," Adalynn choked out a small sob and buried her face into Quinn's neck. "I'm not ready to lose you. I'm not ready to be all alone again."
"Adalynn, listen to me," Quinn said, pulling out of the hug and lifting the brunette's face up so their eyes met. She used the pad of her thumb to wipe her tears away before placing a kiss to her lips.
Adalynn's tense body relaxed as the older girl wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer. After a moment, they pulled away, and Quinn rested their foreheads together, both their chests heaving as they panted for air.
"You're never going to be all alone, sweet girl," the blonde whispered. "Not as long as I'm here."
"I love you so much," Adalynn said as she hugged Quinn again.
"I love you so much more."
"Quit making out and get to your places for the number," Santana bossed as she went out on stage.
The couple laughed as they pulled out of the hug. Quinn held her hand out for Adalynn and said, "Come on. It's our last time performing together. Let's make it count."
****
The New Directions stood on stage with the two other teams as they anxiously awaited the announcement of the winner. Adalynn held on tightly to Quinn's hand as she scanned the audience for her cousin. She spotted him a few rows back with the twins, and Ava smiled and waved when she caught her eye.
"Hi, Ada!" Ava shouted from the audience.
Adalynn winked at the baby before turning her attention to the judges as they came out on stage.
"The winner of this year's individual show choir MVP award... from Vocal Adrenaline, Carmel High's Wade 'Unique' Adams!"
Everyone clapped as Unique went to get her award.
"And now, a round of applause to your top three finalists for this year's national show choir championship. In third place... all the way from Oregon, the Portland Scale Blazers!"
More applause sounded as the Portland Scale Blazers accepted their trophy. Bailey let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and took Tina's hand. The brunette gave it a small squeeze as the announcer continued speaking.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, quiet, please. Congratulations to both teams standing with us on stage. But now it's time to announce a winner."
Adalynn chewed the inside of her cheek and held tighter onto Quinn's hand. Julian took a shaky breath, and even Maya and Ava seemed to be anxious.
"Mama," Maya whispered. "Pweeze mama."
"Dada, Ada win?" Ava asked, looking up at Julian with nervousness in her eyes.
"We don't know yet, sweetie," the young father whispered. "They're about to say."
"The 2012 national show choir champions..."
Bailey and Tina exchanged a nervous look, and Adalynn was biting down hard enough on the inside of her cheek to draw blood. The suspense was unbearable. Everyone wanted to win, but there could only be one winner.
"From McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, the New Directions!"
Bailey screamed as she turned to wrap Tina into a hug. Adalynn put a hand over her mouth, happy tears filling her eyes as Quinn pulled her into a hug and lifted her feet off the ground.
Confetti fell to the ground as the crowd went wild, screaming and cheering for their friends and family that had just won the award they've waited for three years in the making.
****
The New Directions walked into William McKinley High School with their nationals trophy in hand. Two jocks approached them with slushies, and Quinn instantly pulled Adalynn close to her chest to shield her from the icy drink.
They waited for the cold to hit, but it never came. Instead, they opened their eyes and saw confetti. Lot's of confetti.
****
After a party with all their fellow Glee Clubbers, Bailey and Tina sat curled up together on the porch swing outside Santana's house. The blonde held the shorter girl in her arms as they enjoyed their quiet moment together on the warm May night.
The front door opened, and Quinn came out with a drunk Adalynn. The older girl had an arm wrapped securely around the brunette's waist as she led her down the front steps.
"Do either of you need a ride?" Quinn asked, looking over her shoulder at the two girl's on the swing.
"That's okay," Bailey said, sending the older blonde a small smile. "We're gonna sleep over once everyone leaves."
"Make sure Adalynn drinks some water," Tina said as she cuddled closer to Bailey.
"I will," Quinn said, chuckling lightly as she led Adalynn to her car. "We should've known a Santana Lopez party would end in disaster."
"I'm not even that drunk, Quinnie," Adalynn whined as she hugged the older girl's waist. "There was a fluffy cloud with a puppy and a unicorn. I was trying to get to it, but you dragged me away."
"What I'm I gonna do with you?" the blonde sighed as she opened the door to the back seat of her car. "Okay. Lay down, Addie. You're less likely to throw up that way."
Bailey and Tina couldn't help but laugh as they watched Quinn try to get Adalynn into the car.
"Oh, we're horrible people," Tina chuckled.
"No we're not. This is funny," Bailey laughed. "I'm the horrible one for leaving my kids so I could get drunk with my friends."
"You're a great mom, Bails," the brunette said, looking up at her with a smile. "An amazing mom. Seriously, you're a natural. So, don't you dare for one minute think that you aren't. And, besides, the twins are fine. You deserve a break every once in a while to let loose and be a kid. You've had to grow up faster than the other kids our age. It's okay, don't worry."
"You're the best, T," Bailey smiled.
"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome."