SEASON 5 Ep: 17: Opening Night

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Rachel's opening night on Broadway had arrived, and she had freaked out. Kurt had firmly put her on a technology lockdown, preventing her from reading any more negative reviews. Instead, he called the group to come and help cheer her up, and spread love and encouragement.

"Hello big fat Broadway star! These are for you!" Tina smiled handing Rachel flowers. "Oh no do you have laryngitis again?" She asked, as Rachel mouthed a thank you.

"Oh, no, she's just resting her voice." Kurt explained.

"Oh thank god! This would not be a good time for your tonsils to flare up again! Remember that? First year of Glee Club?" Tina gasped, as everyone sent her warning looks. "Hey, where is everyone? Rachel's opening night on Broadway is a big deal! And where's Artie? I was hoping to get to see him." She continued.

"Oh, his short film 'Bags in the Wind' got accepted into the Ft Lauderdale International Short Film festival." Sam said excitedly.

"Oh that's too bad, I mean, what about Quinn and Puck and Santana? Are they not being supportive?" Tina asked.

"Tina, Tina, Tina..." Haley muttered, sitting her down on the couch. "Why don't you catch us up on your experience so far at Brown University?"

"I love everything about it! Except my dorm room. My roommate, she's nice, but she's from Pakistan and she doesn't speak much English and she's always watching the Al Jezzara channel. And no, I don't have a boyfriend, I was dating this really nice guy but he turned out to be-"

"Gay." Sam and Blaine chorused in unison.

"Gay." Mercedes nodded.

"Asexual." Haley muttered.

'Homosexual." Kurt finished, loudly.

"No. Yes. Anyway, Rachel, I read this amazing story about you on BroadwayWorld.Com and they're predicting Funny Girl to be a big hit. And so is everyone else accept a few mornic bloggers-"

"Shut up!" Sam yelled, stopping Tina from going any further.

"It's fine. It's fine." Rachel assured Tina. "Frankly, the only opinions I care about are you guys and you love me so if I ever need any validation, I just turn to my buffet of people right in front of me. So if you don't mind, I'm going to go and take a nap."

"Tina, alright Tina! Get your bags, you're coming to my place!" Mercedes said getting up, and walking over to her.

"But I thought I was staying here? What if Rachel needs my love and validation from the buffet?'

"We'll call you okay?" Haley said, as Mercedes shoved Tina out the door.

----

Rachel had stayed up all night, reading every negative review under the sun. Following Kurt's orders, everyone had made an effort to try to talk and cheer her up.

"I've never seen her like this." Kurt sighed.

"I know, she's usually pushing people away to get on the stage." Blaine nodded.

"It's not fair that anyone can send a hateful tweet to anyone to have access to artists." Sam said, as he played with Haley's hair, while she sat on his lap.

"You know, I don't think it's the criticism that's got to her, I think it's the volume of it." Mercedes spoke up.

"I can't believe my note didn't work." Tina mumbled.

"Hello losers and shortstacks." A familiar voice echoed through the door.

"Sue..." Haley muttered.

"Well you live in the worst neighbourhood in Brooklyn and there isn't even a lock on your door, you might want to look into that. Unless of course, you think the rapist is just gonna move onto the next apartment filled with nubile nineteen year olds simply because your door is so damn annoying to open." Sue said, ignoring the looks.

"What are you doing here?" Tina asked, shocked.

"Ah, Asian number one, that is totally something you would say. I have come to watch Rachel Berry choke on her opening night."

"I heard that!" Rachel yelled from her underneath her bed covers.

"Sue, please, Rachel is freaking out!" Kurt whispered, angrily.

"Well she should because she's going to choke. Oh and to answer your question, I'm staying here overnight because I realized when I got to the hotel that Will Schuester is a big old perv, and has been trying to sleep with me this whole time."

"No, you can't just invite yourself to stay at someone's house. You can't stay here." Haley pointed out.

"It's fine, I'll stay in Porcelain's room. Thank god there are no weird sex toys lying around."

"Things could not possibly get worse."

"Alright where is she?" Santana asked as she opened the door. "Haley called me in the cab and told me what was up."

"She's been in there for houses, we don't know if she's peeing. And of course, she didn't give me a chance of talking to her...." Haley muttered, pointing at Rachel's bedroom.

"Okay give me four minutes." Santana said, hugging Haley quickly, before walking to go talk to Rachel.

As the group waited, while eating candy, Santana emerged out of the room shortly after. She sent them all a smug smile and a wink, as Rachel stood before them.

"What are you all moping around for? It's my opening night!" Rachel said, a small grin on her face.

Everyone cheered, and surrounded her for a big group hug, and began to prepare for her big opening night.

----

Everyone gathered in Rachel's dressing room after her show, popping open bottles of champagne and laughing and chatting together.

"You were incredible Berry. I bawled my eyes out during 'Who Are You Now?' I had to blow my nose on Sam's sleeve. Haley said, as Mercedes nodded.

"Yeah, and this is suede." Sam chuckled, letting Haley lean against him.

"I love you guys so much. I seriously couldn't have done this without you." Rachel said happily.

"And you've got flowers from Quinn and Artie and Mike Chang and Puck and Principal Figgins. Clearly you are loved by many." Kurt exclaimed in awe, looking through her notes and flowers.

"Tonight, you are a star." The producer said entering the room.

"Oh my god, thank you so much. You know what you guys? Let;s save all the praise until after the New York Times reviews come out." Rachel smiled.

"You're right, you're right. We have six hours of innocence left. And when the reviews hit the stands, we'll find out if we're the best thing since sliced bread or toast. But we are going to celebrate tonight. We're going to have an opening night party at Elio's Italian restaurant. Eggplant parmigiana always brings me good luck. Rachel, are these your friends?" The producer asked.

"Yes, yeah." Rachel nodded, taking Tina and Kurt's hands in hers.

"Bring everybody!" The producer smiled fondly.

"I can't believe it, a real Broadway cast party!" Blaine gushed, wrapping his arms around Haley and Kurt who smiled.

I don't really feel like going to the party. I just feel like they're only gonna be talking about the play and I dunno, I'd rather just celebrate with you guys." Rachel shrugged.

Nodding, in slight disappointment, the group understood. "I know just the place down in Greenwich Village. Trust me Rachel, they're gonna love you there." Blaine spoke up, excitedly.

----

After a lively night of partying, dancing, laughter, and singing, the group arrived back at Rachel and Kurt's loft.

Haley collapsed on the couch falling asleep in Sam's arms, him falling asleep shortly after.

Santana sat down on the arm of the couch, taking her heels off. "Who wants to rub my feet? I haven't danced this hard since nationals, two years ago." She groaned.

"I got the DJ's number!" Tina announced, excitedly.

"Tina, I told you, he's totally gay." Blaine laughed, amused, deleting the number.

"I'm gonna make some coffee, you guys. The reviews come out in thirty minutes and I want us all to go down to the newsstand together." Rachel said.

"Uh, I'll take mine black, thanks." A man said coming out from behind the curtain.

Haley woke up, and looked at him shocked. "Who the hell are you?" She asked, racking her brain for any self defense skills she may have.

"Who are you people?" The man asked.

"Oh my god. You're the guy that walked out of my show last night! What are you doing in my apartment?" Rachel gasped, pointing a finger at him threateningly.

"And my robe?" Kurt commented angrily.

"Well aren't you all so very, very rude." Sue said, emerging from the bedroom, pulling the guy into a deep kiss.

"Oh my god, Sue had sex in your bed!" Tina exclaimed.

"I'm gonna barf." Haley gagged.

"Actually we did it all over your apartment. And if I were you, I'd put something down on that couch before I sat on it." Sue said.

"Oh my god!" Haley exclaimed, pulling Santana and Sam off the couch. "I'm utterly and miserably disgusted, and I'll be scarred with that racy graphic image for years to come." Haley said, covering her mouth, to stop herself from barfing.

"You know what?" A protective Santana yelled. "I am not-"

"No, it's koay. I got this. You know what Sue? You made my life in high school a living hell." Rachel got up crossing her arms.

"Why thank you."

"It's like you had a mission to keep us underwater, never coming up for even a breath of air. And you said it was to push us, but I really don't think that's what you wanted because if we actually felt how wonderful and amazing and loved we were, then we would know what you really knew all along which is that you're a rotten and awful person, who finds joy in other people's misery. Well let me tell you something. Something amazing happened tonight, a group of friends rallied together to make a dream come true, and never, ever, in your sad empty life will you feel the kind of love I felt tonight. And I would feel sad for you, but I don't! Because I just want you to get the hell out of the apartment because I want to be with my friends." Rachel ranted. Sue blinked at her outburst.

"Wow. Well, Marioi, I'm sorry you had to see that. Let's go, suddenly I don't feel so welcome here anymore." Sue stammered.

"Hey where did you get this robe?" Mario, asked awkwardly.

"Just keep it." Kurt sighed, scarred with the image of Sue having sex in his apartment.

"Huh, thanks bro!"

"Bravo Rachel, I couldn't have said it better myself." Santana clapped proudly, as Haley smiled.

"Poetry!" Mercedes nodded, as everyone engulfed Rachel in a celebratory hug.

----

The group made their way down to the newsstand. Haley ran ahead of the group, beaming. "Sir, do you have the New York Times?" she asked excitedly.

"How old are you? They're gonna email you the New York times in three minutes." The guy said, looking at her and the group.

"Just give us the paper." Haley insisted, as he handed her the paper, and she reluctantly handed him the change.

"Give me this. I don't mind being the bearer of bad news." Santana snatched paper out of Haley's hands.

"One might ask themselves, why? Why revive Funny Girl? An iconic show with an iconic star. Why, when there are so many other wonderful new playwrights, would Sidney Green choose time dust off this tired old girl of a show? Well frankly, I can only come up with one answer and that is Rachel Berry!"

"It takes chutzpah to be willing to step into the great one's knee-high lace-ups and make Fanny your own and Rachel has plenty of that, clearly. But she also has something else in spades - talent!" Kurt said, as he continued to read the review.

"Talent! And mountains of it! And I'm not talking about the Appalachians, Berry is the alps!" Blaine read.

"I'm sure I could find fault in this green actress's but shame on anyone who'd have the audacity to point out the bold mistakes of a supernova exploding before our eyes!" Mercedes continued.

"I just pray to god that no one saw me secretly wiping my tears during the show stopping 'Who Are You Now? I don't know where inside that small frame Berry went to find the emotion she delivered with that song but she melted the icy heart of this reviewer!" Haley read out.

"I hope this show runs for a long time, not just because I need to see 'Don't Rain on My Parade' again, or the producers found a way to get a real tugboat on stage but because I want to have time to enjoy Rachel berry as she is now. I know I will be going back for a second heaping bowl of Rachel Berry!" Rachel finished as her phone rang.

"It's Mr Schue! Mr. Schue I'm putting you on speaker!" She said excitedly, as everyone gathered around to talk to him.

"I made it back just in time to see the last few pushes. Emma's doing fine, and so is the baby." Mr. Schue chuckled.

"Okay, shut up and tell us what we need to know. Boy or girl?" Mercedes asked, excited.

"It's a boy. We're naming him Daniel, Daniel Finn Schuester." Everyone looked around and smiled at each other. "Hey how was the show?" He asked after a few seconds.

"It was amazing." Rachel said. "How do you feel?" She asked, wanting to hear more about the baby.

"For the first time in my life, I feel completely happy. How about you?"

"Same. I feel the exact same." Rachel grinned.

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I'll be replacing Back-Up Plan, Old Dog, New Tricks and The Untitled Rachel Berry Project with The Wedding and One Week (an extra chapter-where their preparing for their wedding):)