"Alright, do you realize, standing before you are legends?" Finn asked, as the graduates stood by the piano in front of the group.

Everyone except the new kids cheered. Haley sighed, as she looked at Quinn and Santana, she was annoyed they never responded to her calls or texts. Sam sensed her upset mood, wrapped him into his arms.

"Any single one of those guys could be President of the United States one day." Finn continued.

"Oh god, please no, I beg you, no." Haley muttered.

"And lucky for us, they've agreed to help us."

"Hang with the new chumps and see if some of our sheer awesomeness doesn't rub off on you." Puck said, finishing Finn's sentence.

"It will." Mike added.

"When you hear your name, pair up. "Finn directed. "Puck, you're with your brother. Mike, you're with Ryder, Marley, you're with Santana. Kitty, you're with Quinn. Wade, Mercedes."

"Mercedes was cloned." Brittany gasped.

"Now, your mentors are here to help you with whatever you need: singing, dancing..."

"Birth control." Joked Quinn, as Kitty laughed.

"You're so funny and self-deprecating. We're so much alike."

"Wanky." Smirked Santana.

"You aren't even like Quinn, Kitty." Haley said aloud. "She really doesn't and will never gain status or the personality. She can't live up to the Fabrayness." Haley muttered. Sam chuckled beside her.

"The worst mistake that we can make is to underestimate our competition. The Warblers are ruthless this year." Finn said.

"Don't forget about the Rosedale Mennonites. Any show choir that can raise a barn in five minutes deserves mad respect." Artie commented.

"Sam and Haley, you two are handling our duet. And for the showstopper we're doing Gangnam Style."

"Okay, Lumps, let me just say out loud what everyone is thinning: you finally got an okay haircut, you're not doing that annoying half smirk as much as you used to, but you're still an idiot." Santana said. "No one in this room can tackle a massive dance number except for Britt and Haley, '' is a fair second. And considering that she has a lead duet with Trouts, I expect the dance solo will obviously be given to Britt right?"

"Is there any way Mr. Schue can come back for this?" Joe agreed with Santana.

"Listen to me, we have never lost Sectionals before, and there's no way we're gonna do it under my watch. We can and we will succeed! We need an ambitious number with a strong dance element. That's the Warbler's calling card, and we need to blow them out of the water. And Mike said he could easily show one of our guys how to do the dance number." Finn decided.

"Wait, I did?" Mike asked.

"Crap. I, hum, I kind of forgot to ask you about that." Finn muttered. "But one of our guys is gonna have to take the lead with Britt. So who's it gonna be?"

----

Haley was walking down the hallway when Quinn and Santana joined her.

"Hey, Hay." They said in unison. "It's been awhile."

"You think?" Haley asked sarcastically, as she turned to face them. "I called, I texted, I wanted to make sure you guys were safe. I was merely doing a friendship obligation. You couldn't spend a minute to reply with 'Hey Hay, we are good, how are you?' God it was annoying."

"Well, sorry, we've just been busy."

"As if that is an excuse."

"No listen, you sound like my mom." Santana said, before continuing. "I'm sorry, but I had cheerleading competitions and all that in Louisville. I just broke up with Britt a few months ago, and I'm dealing with that."

"And I'm busy settling in at Yale, my classes are time consuming, homework and extra clubs." Quinn rambled.

"Fine.. I'll let it go for now, but we are going to settle this later." Haley sighed, as the girls smiled.

----

"Along with being beautiful, the four of us are National Showchoir Championship goddesses." Brittany said during Glee the next day. Santana, Haley and Quinn stood beside her.

"We are winners. Which is why Finn has asked us to come and show you with the inspiration that is the Unholy Squad." Santana explained.

"Santana, Brittany, Haley and I knew each other so well that I could tell by the slightest quiver in Santana's upper lip which way we were gonna move or with the smallest wink from Haley whether our hips were gonna shake or shimmy." Quinn said.

"You girls have to be tight up there, okay? The judges love the feminine quality, and the Warblers just don't have it." Santana continued.

"It's about being individuals. You know, we're all different. But it's also about synchronicity."

"Can you give us an example?" Marley asked.

The four girls looked at each other before Quinn spoke up. "It's been a few months, but I'm sure the four of us could put together something on the fly."

Haley and Quinn stood centre with Brittany on Haley's side and Santana on Quinn's side.

{COME SEE ABOUT ME-SUNG BY QUINN FABRAY, SANTANA LOPEZ, HALEY ALDRIN & BRITTANY S. PIERCE}

The other girls clapped and cheered when they finished.

"Hey, are you... Are you feeling okay? You look like you're gonna hurl." Santana asked as Marley shrugged.

"Um, I think I'm just really tired from all the rehearsing." Marley lied, running out of the room.

"We have to do something... But I'll tell you later." Haley whispered as Santana nodded.

----

"Hey, Sam, you wanted to see us?" Finn asked, as Sam was pacing back and forth in the choir room.

"Trouts, what is it? I don't have all day." Santana added.

"Well, have a seat." Sam said, gesturing to the chairs, as the two graduates sat down, to look at him.

"Okay, although you aren't her parents, I wanted to ask your permission about something important." Sam began, hoping he'd remember his little speech.

"Before i begin, I wanted to state that I really genuinely, love Haley, we've been together for almost 2 years. And...I was wondering if I could have your guy's permission to ask her to marry me?" He asked, but quickly continued. "I know you aren't her parents, her parents aren't really around, but I'm asking Burt and Carol soon, and I wanted to get your thoughts and permission. Finn you're like her older brother, and Santana you are her best friend."

Finn and Santana looked at each other before looking back at Sam.

"Well. Thank you for asking us. It means a lot." Finn began. "What you guys have is genuine and honest. You really love her huh?"

"I do man. Even in a choir room full of people, or the auditorium, wherever we are, she's the only person I see in the room. She lights it up with her smile, her wit, her beauty, her words, and personality." Sam smiled. "That's love."

"Trouts, I really do appreciate you coming to ask us for permission. I've known Hay for a few years now, and I can tell that you guys have true love. It can never be broken. She struggled so much, she didn't believe in love, merely because of what she endured, and then when you came along, she began to believe in love, and heal. I just feel very honored to be included in this." Santana said, surprisingly kindly, and emotional.

"So...your answers?" Sam asked, anticipation laced in his voice.

"I say yes. I give you permission. As long as I can be there." Finn agreed.

"Assuming you both discussed marriage and all of your future life hopes and dreams..Absolutely, but if you hurt her, and break her heart, I'll go all Lima Heights." Santana commented, smiling.

"Thanks guys." Sam sighed in relief.

"So dude, do you have the ring? Proposal plans?" Finn asked, out of the blue.

"Yeah, I do. I'll share them." Sam smiled, as he went on to explain how and when the proposal was going to happen.

----

"Look what I found in Marley's bag." Santana said, approaching Haley at her locker.

"Oh, god, it must've been Kitty. She's terrible and would easily be the person to force someone to take laxatives." Haley muttered.

The two sighed before walking into the choir room, where Quinn was standing by the piano.

"Where did Kitty go?" Haley demanded.

"Kitty just left."

"That bitch is pure evil." Santana muttered.

"I think she's sweet." Quinn commented.

"Really?" Haley asked, going to stand on the other side of the piano across from Quinn. Santana by Haley's side.

"Well then why did we discover that she's been giving Marley laxatives? Santana found them in Marley's bag earlier and I'm 100% sure McCurly Fries has been constantly giving them to her." Haley stated.

"See, this is what my psych professor calls projecting. You're projecting Kitty onto me. Hay, Santana, look, I love you both, but I've graduated. It's really time to get over this." Quinn said.

"Get over what?" Santana demanded.

"You two being jealous of me." Quinn answered.

"And why would we be jealous of you?" Haley asked, annoyed. "What an accusation."

"Look, I think it's great that you're thriving in your senior year, but, really, I'm just in another level of my life, girls. It's college, you know? Yale?"

"Believe me I get it." Haley answered.

"Look, Homecoming weekend, I went to Jodie Foster's clambake, and a professor... Well, he's 35, smokes a pipe. Well, he's divorcing his wife who hasn't touched him for three years. I'm dating him."

"Wow, y'all, everyone." Haley waved her hand in the air sarcastically. "Twitter update! Quinn is all excited about another guy defining her life."

"And what are you excited about? Valedictorian? Almost getting back on cheerios? Sam still loving you, the prospect of NYU? You project yourself as a confident bitch...but in reality, I mean you are just a really scared little girl with a low self-esteem who's too frightened to accomplish anything by herself."

Haley scoffed. "Did Professor Patches teach you that one in between quickies on his office couch?" Haley asked. "Does he get so turned on by teen moms who barely visit their kid and hide themselves from the past? Because you may think that I'm clueless, but I'm not dumb. The only reason you aren't answering my calls or texts is because you don't want your Yale kingdom to know about your trashy Lima life." She accused, as Quinn rolled her eyes.

Quinn slapped Halye across the face, as Haley reciprocated the action.

"Not Hay." Santana said, slapping Quinn, only to be returned.

"What's going on?" Brittany asked, as her and Sam stood watching in the doorway.

Haley sighed, before smoothing her clothing out, and storming out of the room with Sam by her side.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Quinn Fabray snapped. Plus I have a gorgeous slap mark on my face now." Haley added as Sam sighed, grabbing her face gently, so he could see it. Part of him was sorry for her and the other half of him was figuring out the proposal thing.

----

"Show circle!" Finn called.

"What's show circle?" Marley asked.

"Come on!" Haley smiled, bringing Marley to stand to her right while Sam was on Haley's left.

"It's a tradition before every competition. It's' something Mr. Schue made up." Finn explained. "And today I want to add to it. Joe, how about you lead us in prayer?"

"Whoa, dude, Old Testament. There's Hebrews here." Puck said.

"Yeah, okay. This is one of my favorite Bible verses from Isaiah. Considering that the Warblers are so good, and that it's the first competition for a lot of you, I think it's appropriate." Joe explained.

"So do not fear because I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

"And our righteous dance moves, amen." Added Artie, as everyone cheered.

"Alright! Man, I-I remember our first Sectionals like it was yesterday. We came together as a team because we had to. Because no one outside our circle knew how much we'd been through, and how much it mean to us to win it. This is our house. Look into the faces of these graduates. They've been to the mountaintop. This is just the first stem in your climb to meet them there. On three?" Finn said.

"One, two, three! A... Mazing!"

----

The Warblers were currently on stage.

"God...how the hell did they learn to dance like that?" Haley muttered.

"They weren't that good when they competed last year." Sam pointed out.

Haley just rolled her eyes...as Sam chuckled.

----

Soon it was time for The New Directions to perform.

Haley and Sam waited behind the closed doors for the music cue.

"This really brings you back to two years ago, huh?" Haley asked, as Sam smiled, at his hopefully soon to be fiance.

"Yeah, Hay it definitely does." He replied, as she blushed and looked down.

"I remember being so freaking nervous, and you telling me it was going to be okay. You also told me I was beautiful, which flustered me even more." Haley said, as she reminisced about the memory.

"I remember that, but look where we are two years later, in the same spot. I love you so much Haley."

"I love you too, Sam." She said as she leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss and a quick hug, before the music began.

{PART OF ME-SUNG BY HALEY ALDRIN & SAM EVANS: A SLOWED VERSION IN SPANISH}

Throughout the song, if you were an audience member, you could see that Sam and Haley loved each other. Their chemistry was also undeniable.

All Sam saw was Haley's beautiful smile, that he had fallen for, her beautiful eyes, her genuine and honest personality that showed through the song, and her love that she gave him, and let him give to her. He smiled at her, as she grinned back at him.

She saw a boy who loved her unconditionally, who put up with her stubbornness, her brashness and her struggles. He saw her for who she was, not her looks, and she was grateful. She loved him with her whole heart.

As the song came to an end, they rested their foreheads against each other, as the lights dimmed.

"You were amazing as always." Haley whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before they got into their places for Gangnam Style.

The New Directions got the audience cheering, as the confetti fell. However, before the song reached its climax, Marley collapsed.

••••

Thoughts!?