A/N: Every Shana scene was written by its-nom-nom (and slightly edited by me) so hooray for her and her awesome idea! It was a great fit and I'm excited to add in more of what y'all have sent in as the story wraps up!
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"Ugh!" Harmony cried, kicking the door for the tenth time in a row. "For how long have we been stuck here? It feels like hours!"
"Calm down, drama queen," Marley grinned. "It's been less than ten minutes."
"We wouldn't be stuck at all if someone hadn't pushed me into the door," Bree hissed in Julie's direction. The latter rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she tossed herself onto one of the couches.
Mandy sighed and said, "Ok, I think this will all be easier if we all just try to get along and—"
"Nobody asked you!" Bree and Julie snapped at her in unison, before turning on each other again.
"Cut it out, you guys," Marley looked up at them pleadingly. "Mandy's right. We should just—"
"You're taking her side?" Julie asked in disbelief.
"There's no sides," Marley continued. "You're both my friends and I don't understand why you're fighting."
"It's probably because Sam's supposedly in love with Julie," Bree said. "But what do I know?"
"You're right," Mandy said suddenly, nodding at Bree. Julie's face reddened until she added, "You don't know anything."
"Your jawline is so perfect!" Harmony exclaimed out of nowhere, staring at Mandy in awe. "Seriously, you're a model, right?"
"I am," Mandy said with a modest nod. "I, uh... I'll be touring on a few runways this summer but after that I'll be officially unemployed."
"What about Breadstix?" Harmony asked her curiously. "Don't you own it?"
"Co-own," she responded. "Not for long though. Sam and John want to move the band to Los Angeles permanently after their tour is over so I'm handing over full ownership to Terri Del Monico."
"And you're just going to follow Sam around while he chases his dreams?" Bree raised a brow. "You know, if you're looking for work, I may be able to help. I'm taking a fashion internship in New York. In the meantime, I'm going to open up my own fashion line. I already have countless of designs ready and the internship will only help me network to fast start my career. If you're interested, I'd love to have you be one of the faces for my company once I start it."
"That would be—" Mandy began, a smile on her face.
"Are you serious, Bree?" Julie interrupted. "I get that you're mad at me but—"
"This is strictly business," Bree rolled her eyes, turning back to Mandy. "If you gave me your details, I bet we could get—"
Julie stood up in a rash movement and stepped into the back room, slamming the door behind her. The other girls watched in silence before Bree began to shift the conversation to fashion and all of the ideas she already had.
***
"Guys, it's been an hour," Rory said, looking down at his watch. "It's getting pretty dark and the girls aren't back yet... What if something happened to them?"
"They're fine," Sam insisted with a soft chuckle. "You've been watching too many slasher films. Let's just enjoy the time away from them."
"Dude, your girlfriend's a model," Ryder told him. "If I were you I'd be spending as much time with her as I could."
"Pretty soon he'll have that..." John muttered, taking a small gulp.
All of the other guys looked up. "Wait, you're going to ask her to marry you?" Jake asked curiously.
Sam turned to them and sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small little box. "I carry it with me everywhere," he explained softly. "Waiting for the right place... The right time... The right moment..."
"Congrats, man," Ryder said, patting him in the back.
"Yeah," John said, lifting up his bottle. "Cheers." The guys all watched as he continued to drink, not even bothering to fake a smile for his pal.
***
With Julie's strumming getting louder in the backroom, Bree stopped midsentence and turned around to shout, "That sucks even more than the last one!"
Julie strummed more so Mandy turned to Bree and said, "That sounds pretty good."
"It sounds amazing," Bree agreed. "But I'm mad at her."
Marley smiled, rolling her eyes. Then she suddenly had an idea. "Julie?" she called out.
The strumming stopped. "Yes, Marley?" Julie responded.
"Can you come out here?" she asked.
Harmony turned to her and whispered, "What are you doing?"
Marley nodded reassuringly and called out, "Bring your guitar."
The other girls stayed quiet for a moment, waiting, until Julie finally came out of the room. "It's like you have secret powers," Harmony whispered to Marley.
"It's called being nice," the latter responded. She turned to Julie and said, "You were working on something? Play it. Maybe we can help."
Julie began to strum hesitantly until Bree stopped her. "Ok, let's just get one thing out of the way," she said. "Who is it?"
"Who is what?" Julie asked, confused.
"Who is the song about?" Bree asked. "Your boyfriend, her boyfriend," she pointed at Mandy, " or Marley's maybe? Mine?"
Julie looked down at her guitar so Mandy cleared her throat and said, "It's ok, you know? If it's about Sam... I know you two had a history and—"
"You don't know anything," Julie snapped at her.
"Julie—" Marley began, beginning to think her idea wasn't that good. She thought maybe if they all worked together they could get along. But they hadn't gotten to the first line without the claws coming out.
"No," Bree stopped her. "Let her run her mouth. I'm sure something interesting will come of it."
"Yeah, unlike the garbage that comes out of your mouth," Julie retaliated.
"Do I need to kick your ass again?" Bree retorted.
Julie laughed harshly and said, "I'm not the one that ended up on the floor."
"Ok, enough!" Marley exclaimed. "Seriously, this was supposed to be a fun trip! We ditched school only to end up stuck in an RV fighting it out? Why do you all have to tear each other down? If you would take a moment to breathe and think, just a little, you'd realize how alike we all are and maybe even learn to appreciate each other a little more."
"I appreciated Bree," Julie said, her voice much calmer. "Until she didn't get one stupid solo and decided to tear everyone else down because she was booty hurt."
"Booty hurt?" Bree asked, crossing her arms. "The only one bitter here is you, Julie. Bitter because Sam's asking her to marry him and not you."
"Wait..." Mandy said, her head suddenly spinning. "What?"
The other girls stayed silent. At this point everyone had found out about the planned engagement, so they'd forgotten that Mandy didn't know and wasn't supposed to know.
"He's proposing?" Mandy asked, excited anxiety preventing her from talking correctly. "Does he—Is he—How do you know?"
"He told her," Bree said, pointing at Julie, "and also said it outloud in front of a few other people, including me."
"Wow..." Mandy said, looking at the ground and then turning to Julie. "I guess I should apologize to you then."
"Why?" Julie asked, her arms crossed.
"For feeling so threatened by you," she sighed. "I thought that he was going to leave me for you because I saw him acting weird any time we ran into you. But I guess now I know why. You were helping him surprise—"
"Oh no," Julie shook her head, smiling even though she felt like punching something. "Don't misunderstand. I was not helping him with this crazy idea of marrying you. In fact, go ahead and un-thank me because I tried to talk him out of it. We all did."
Mandy turned to Marley in surprise, so the latter said, "That's not exactly true. I think you—"
"Stop trying to make her feel like she belongs around us," Julie said to Marley. "She may have fit in with Sam's friends in New York but... She's never going to be a part of this group." Harmony grabbed a water bottle from the mini-fridge, her throat dry, and awkwardly looked at Marley, the two nervous at the sight of Mandy losing her patience.
"Ok," Mandy said, putting her hands down on her lap forcefully. "I was trying to be nice to you. I realize we didn't get off to a great start and that was my fault. I admit to that. But since we met, you've done nothing but insult me and try to drive a wedge between Sam and me on some ridiculous notion that you two will get back together and relive your high school romance but—"
"What?" Julie exclaimed incredulously. "I have not! My behavior towards you has had nothing to do with Sam, other than me looking out for a friend. Ever think that maybe I just don't like you?"
"You know what?" the blonde exclaimed, standing up, "I knew you were a bitch from the moment we first met."
"Likewise," Julie grinned, turning away and staring at the white inner walls of the RV.
Harmony took a deep breath and said, 'Well this is fun... But we should probably talk about something else. Maybe not related to Sam. Like Marley! Marley, how are things between you and John?"
Marley looked up, trying to hide her total frustration at the arguing, and said, "Uh, fine... I guess. We haven't really had a chance to talk about what'll happen now that he's going back to L.A. and I'm moving to Boston."
"I'm sure you can make the long-distance thing work," Harmony nodded reassuringly.
Bree scoffed and said, "Only fools tell themselves that. No, seriously, check the score. Sugar and Rory broke up after she graduated. John and Kitty broke up because he was graduating. Same with Julie and Sam, when it came down to it. Bree and Joe also broke off because of the distance. You can try and I'm not opposed to giving it a shot but—"
"Wait, so what are you and Joe going to do if you're going to New York?" Marley asked curiously.
Bree shrugged and said, "He's going with me."
"Seriously?" Julie asked, shocked. Her friend nodded nonchalantly.
"We talked about it and we'd rather be with each other," she said. "He's working as a part-time delivery boy right now and his real job is the volunteer work he does so... We figured he could easily start over in New York."
"Wow..." Harmony said slowly. "That takes commitment." She turned to Mandy and said, "You know, we never really talked but... I've got to say, I really admire you moving to Lima for Sam. I don't think I could've done that."
"Well, you kind of did," Marley shrugged. "I mean, not for a guy but for your career and your future. You moved to Lima for the New Directions. That must've been hard."
"Not really," Harmony sighed. "Except maybe knowing I wouldn't become the star of the group, though that didn't keep me from trying. But other than that... I didn't have many friends or boyfriends or anything to leave behind."
"What about now?" Mandy asked her, empathizing with her tale. "I see you've made friends in the glee club but... You seeing anyone?"
"I dated someone but it didn't work out," Harmony explained. "And then... I did sort of start liking someone else but... He's turning out to be less and less of what I was hoping for. And he has a girlfriend."
"Ugh," the girls groaned in unison, knowing that was one of the biggest obstacles in dating.
"Who is cheating on him, by the way!" Harmony exclaimed. "And he knows, but he's playing some game right now. And I don't know if it's... desperation or—I don't know—vengance or something... But it's really helping the disillusionment of my crush."
"You don't need someone like that," Julie shook her head at her. "Whoever he is, he can't be worth your time. Besides, you're going to NYADA or Juilliard or somewhere that's going to make you bigger and brighter than you already are. You have an amazing talent and a big heart. Some guy isn't going to take that away."
"Yeah," Marley nodded. "You know, I've always admired your confidence on-stage. You're so brave and bold."
"Not to mention beautiful," Mandy nodded, making Harmony smile as this was coming from someone whose looks were unbelievable. "Seriously, your eyes are gorgeous and your hair is so dark and lucious..."
"And you're annoying," Bree spoke up. "But only because you have so much more to say than the rest of us. Which isn't a bad thing. At all."
"Aww," Harmony gushed. "You all are making me blush!"
"No, this is good," Marley nodded excitedly. "We're already stuck here so we may as well have some good come of it. Let's do Bree next. Bree, we had a rough start. More than rough, you took my boyfriend, sort of. But... In doing so, you did more for him and his personal growth than I ever could have. I think that's true for everyone you spend time with. They just become better people."
"Yeah," Harmony nodded. "When I met Joe he was shy and too modest for his own good. Now he's unafraid to go after what he wants."
"You're outspoken, from what I've seen," Mandy added. "It takes courage to stand up to people, especially your friends."
"And without you, I'd probably still think I wasn't good enough," Julie said, surprising Bree. She had expected this exercise to backfire when it got to her after how much they'd fought, but Julie earnestly said, "Marley's right. You bring out the best in people, even when you or they are at their worst. And you've never left a friend behind. You were right, I... I should've stood up for us before Regionals. Even if I didn't agree, it was still something you asked me to do and I should've come through."
Bree sighed and shook her head. "No, I was wrong," Bree shook her head. "It was never about the stupid solos... I guess I just started to feel alienated from everyone else and after what I'd been through with the musical, I was afraid of being singled out. And it was the same for Kitty. Sorry we took it out on you. You're just so talented and so much kinder and good things always seem to happen to you. All the bad things... You didn't bring any of them onto yourself; you never do. You're a great person, Julie."
"And I'd kill for your vocal range," Marley added. "Seriously, if I could do those runs you do during your songs, I just—"
"You're also so well-rounded!" Harmony exclaimed. "I've been so threatened by you since I met you because you can do everything. Sing, dance, act, tumble. And you're an amazing writer, too."
Julie smiled at her three friends gratefully and then the girls fell silent as Mandy began to speak. "Sam wrote a song," she said. "He finally wrote a song."
"Really?" Marley asked, surprised.
Mandy nodded, not seeming too excited. "I don't think he's done," she continued, "but I overheard him working on it a few days ago and... I could tell it wasn't about me."
Her green eyes looked up at Julie hesitantly as the latter looked back and then turned away, not sure she wanted to hear the rest.
"I knew because it was about someone with talent," she continued. "A beautiful voice. And I guess I was always jealous of you because of that connection you made with him, so long ago... The fact that it's still there every time you two sing together... And everyone who I've met from his past has said he has never gone back again and again to anyone—except you. So I was always worried it was only a matter of time before he went back again."
"Well, I guess you can stop worrying about that now," Julie said, her voice cracking softly. "He wants to marry you." She stood up and began walking towards the backroom.
"Where are you going?" Marley asked, though she realized it was a stupid question as they were trapped.
"I want to finish my song," she said, grabbing her guitar and disappearing.
Marley began to stand up, but Bree stopped her. "I'll go talk to her," she said. As soon as she stood up, however, the front door opened.
"What are y'all—" Sam began, stopping when he saw the broken handle. "What happened here?"
Mandy rushed up to him and threw her arms around him. "It's a long story," she said, her head resting on his shoulder. "But I'm just so glad you found me."
***
LIMA, OHIO
"It's not okay, babe. I still feel really bad." Shana exclaimed as she walked her girlfriend to her front door, explaining to her what she had felt over the argument she'd had with Kitty and Bree via Tumblr.
"Shana, if you feel that bad about it then do something to fix it. Apologize or-" Unique started but was cut off by Shana.
"I already did that." she groaned then gestured for Unique to continue. "Send a gift basket?" Shana shook her head. Unique kept stating ideas but Shana had already zoned out. She had the perfect idea and it needed to be passed on to the New Directions and fast.
***
"Thank you for coming by," Kitty said with a smile as Bree met her outside of the choir room upon returning to Lima. "How was the trip?"
"Awful, for the most part," she sighed. "But I did make up with Jules, so... Maybe you should, too."
"I'm more worried about being a bitch to Shana," Kitty admitted. "But that's for later. Right now, I just need my rock."
"Here I am," Bree smiled. "You know, it's kind of weird being here on a weekend when there's no practice, no game, no performance. All alone."
Kitty pulled her hand into the choir room and revealed the jazz band. "Not entirely," she told her. "Bree, I've been finding it harder and harder to maintain control lately, but singing with you always seems to make it better, somehow. And it's nice, knowing that my 'someone to lean on' is a good friend and not some flaky guy or, I don't know, a doctor or something. So... Let's sing."
["I Feel a Sin Comin' On" by Pistol Annies.]
Kitty: I feel a sin comin' on. I feel a right that's about to go wrong. I got a shiver down to the bone. I feel a sin comin' on.
Bree smiled and nodded, thankful that she could actually be a positive influence on someone, even though she was terrible to herself.
Bree: I gotta buzz in my brain. Drunk on a love goin' down like champagne. I got a feelin' it's gonna leave a lipstick stain. And I'd be the only one to blame.
Snapping their fingers and softly stomping their feet, the girls began to lose some of their anxiety while singing together.
Both (Bree): And you can see it... All over my face. Sweet temptation... All over the place. Give me tall dark and handsome. Mix it up with something strong. I feel a sin (I feel a sin) comin' on.
Kitty (Bree): And you can see it (and you can see it). All over my face (all over my face). Sweet temptation. All over the place.
Both (Bree): Give me tall dark and handsome. Mix it up with something strong. I feel a sin (I feel a sin) comin' on. I feel a sin (I feel a sin) comin' on.
When the song ended, the girls laughed and hugged it out. "You and me against the world, huh?" Bree said softly.
"Yeah," Kitty nodded. "But maybe we should let a few people in to help every once in a while." Her phone buzzed, so she pulled it out and said, "Speaking of..." She held up the screen for Bree to read and the two exchanged curious looks.
***
"I thought I might find you here," Sam said as he walked into the auditorium carrying his guitar.
"What gave it away?" she asked, sitting at the edge of the stage. "Was it the alert Shana sent down to everyone telling them to meet up at school or my response telling them I was already here?"
"Both?" Sam smiled. Seeing that she didn't return it, he took a seat next to her and set the guitar down. "Mandy told me that she heard me working on a song and that she told you it was about you."
"Was it?" Julie asked curiously, looking up at him.
He nodded and reached into his jacket pocket for a folded piece of paper. "Want to give it a go?" he asked, picking the guitar back up. Julie hesitantly took the sheet in her hands and spread it out, smoothing out the crumbled edges as he began to play the song.
["It Ain't Yours to Throw Away" by Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio.]
Sam: That same road that brought you here will sure as hell take you home. The life you left behind will have you back. You're tired of paying dues in worn out shoes and Broadway blues. And any fool will tell you the damn ol' deck is stacked.
Julie looked from him to the words on the paper and took a deep breath.
Sam (and Julie): What if you're just a (vessel)?
Julie: Vessel.
Sam (and Julie): And God gave you something (special). It ain't (yours) to (throw away). It ain't
Both: Yours to throw away. Every time you open up your mouth. Diamonds come rolling out
Sam: It ain't yours to
Both: Throw away
Sam: Oh...
It wasn't a bad song, not at all. But when Mandy said Sam had written a song about her, this wasn't at all what Julie had imagined.
Sam: And all of the players, the movers, and shakers. The star maker suits have gone home.
Julie: You drew the last slot. You thought it was your shot. But now it's just one more chance blown.
Both: What if you're just a vessel? And God gave you something special?
Sam smiled as he strummed. When he'd played the song on his own, it felt like something was missing.
Both: It ain't yours to throw away
Sam (and Julie): It ain't (yours to throw away) Every time you open up your mouth (Diamonds come rolling out) It ain't (yours to throw away)
Sam: No...
Julie: Oooh...
It was her voice. Without it, the song just wasn't right.
Both: And our town is cold as January. Life comes true, and dreams get buried. Every day...
Sam: Just so they won't be denied
Both: It ain't yours to throw away. No, it ain't yours to throw away. 'Cause every time you open up your mouth. Diamonds come rolling out. It ain't yours to throw away...
Sam: It ain't yours to throw away...
Both: Throw away
Sam strummed a few more notes as Julie put the lyrics down on the stage floor.
"That was great," she told him. "The song, I mean."
"Thanks," he said. "I, uh... I wrote it when I heard you'd said no to Juilliard. I think that was stupid."
Julie looked up, shocked, and responded, "I'm sorry?"
"Yeah," Sam said softly, carefully considering his words. "You've got all this talent and I'm glad you're going to be a songwriter but I was hoping you'd realize that it needed 'singer-slash' before it to make it right for you. You have an amazing voice and it won't be the same if someone else is singing your words to the world."
"I made up my mind," Julie shook her head. "I don't want that life, Sam. The loneliness of the stage... The pressure of the spotlight. It's fun now but... I want something more for myself some day. I want a home and a family and—"
"Why can't you have both?" he asked. Before she could have an opportunity to respond, they were interrupted by Rory, Unique and Alex, who had arrived.
"Don't worry about it," Julie told him as she stood up. "You should go on and try to have both for yourself." The rest of the New Directions began to file in, except for Kitty and Bree.
"Wait, so why are we here again?" Rory said slowly as he sat next to Julie in the front row.
"Not a clue," Julie shrugged, getting up to take a seat in the front row. "Shana's text just said for all of us to meet here."
"And you're all about to find out now!" Shana spoke in a sing-song voice and made her way to center stage.
She took a deep breath and scanned the room. No Kitty or Bree, just as planned. All Shana could imagine in the moments before she spoke was Bree and Kitty sobbing into each other's arms because of her and that was enough to throw anyone off of their game. She wanted—no—she needed to fix this, and she needed to fix it now.
"Okay guys," Shana began, feeling uneasy. "As you know, there was an argument the other day, that I may have blown out of proportion. It made Kitty and Bree feel really bad and I want to fix that. So, if you guys can keep a secret, I've come up with a number to make them feel better." She finished with a sigh and then smiled again.
"Um, if you're the one who pissed them off, why do we have to be in the number?" Stefan scoffed with an eye roll following it. Everyone was silent.
"No, she's right." Julie interrupted the silence. "This isn't just about Shana fixing her mistakes. It's about making sure we let Kitty and Bree know that we are here to help them through what they're dealing with." Julie had meant that last bit for Kitty, even though she wasn't here. She still felt a little hurt that Kitty let Bree know what was wrong with her, and not herself. "Although we all can say they haven't exactly been the easiest to deal with lately, we would do this for any of you. Any of us. Because we... We're like a family, and even though a lot of us are going off to college, we've been like a family for long enough to remember each other for a long time. So, yes, this is a great idea. Let's do this. Shana, what song were you thinking?" Julie sat back down and handed the spotlight back over to Shana who was smiling much brighter now.
"Well when I had this idea," Shana began. "I immediately formed a small committee that would select a song that was perfect but also upbeat because, trust me people, we have had enough sadness! Oh, and by committee I really just mean Amity and I. So... Let's get on it!" She clapped excitedly and the group began to rehearse.
***
"Hey!" Will exclaimed, walking into the choir room to find Bree and Kitty impatiently waiting. "Where's the rest of the group?"
"We have no clue," Kitty shrugged. Will sighed, unsure of why they kids would plan a rehearsal during the weekend and not show up. There were things to do, things to be planned.
He opened his mouth to ask yet another question about the missing remainder of the group but Bree spoke up, "I just got a text from Julie. She wants us to meet her in the auditorium." She and Kitty walked out of the room and headed to the auditorium as Will followed.
When they reached the others, they were confused by the fact that they all stood in front of them with meaningful looks on their faces. Kitty and Bree slowly walked down the center aisle and sat in the front row while Will took a seat in the back row, hoping to go unnoticed. He realized now that this call had nothing to do with him, so he hoped it was of good intention.
["Come Together" by Echosmith.]
Shana: Here we are with our backs against the wall. We've got big city dreams, but we don't move from the asphalt. We run away, from our own imagination. But at the same time, we've got this amazing fascination.
She stepped back and joined the synchronized dancing as Amity began to sing.
Amity: We've got hopes on the horizons. We can't stop from the climbing the mountain. We're sick and tired of keeping silent. We are, we are, we are...
Bree scowled when the group joined in, all singing together in a cheesy manner.
New Directions: We are gonna come together. We're gonna come together now. We are gonna run together. We're gonna turn it upside down. 'Cause with the smoke in the mirror, I can see your face. So, let's run to the fire escape. Come together, we're gonna come together now.
When the guys stepped forward, Kitty's knees trembled in place. They all looked so kind and sincere.
Alex, Ryder and Dan: Just let go, it's a free fall. We're almost home, it's a free fall.
Bree looked over at her friend and wondered whether she was really buying into all of that. Sure, they seemed to really care but they still didn't understand. They didn't know anything. She was willing to play nice but not to pretend that any of them knew a thing about them.
New Directions: We are gonna come together. We're gonna come together now. We are gonna run together. We're gonna turn it upside down. We are gonna come together. We're gonna come together now. We are gonna run together. We're gonna turn it upside down. 'Cause with the smoke in the mirror, I can see your face. So, let's run to the fire escape. Come together, we're gonna come together now.
The girls didn't get up and they didn't clap. However, Kitty sat in the front smiling with tears in her eyes. But Bree, didn't look at all impressed.