Season 1, Episode 5:  The Rhodes Not Taken

Ownership of Glee:  FOX, Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk

/ / /

Will is having the Glee kids rehearse 'Don't Stop Believing' with Finn and Quinn taking lead roles.

It's been a week since Rachel left to do Cabaret, and honestly, Angie felt a lot better now that the demon was gone.

[Don't Stop Believing by New Directions minus Rachel]

The Glee kids had just arrived to the chorus when Quinn stopped singing. Angie could see she was looking a little nauseous. Quinn ran out of the choir room and headed for the girl's bathroom to vomit.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Mr. Shue asks, but Quinn was already out the door.

"I think she just had a bad breakfast burrito." Finn defends Quinn.

"Can we please talk about the elephant in the room?" Kurt asks.

"Your sexuality?" Santana insults.

Angie rolls her eyes at Santana, and Kurt shrugs it off, continuing his thought.

"Rachel. We can't do it without her."

"Are you sure we can't do it without her? We seem to be doing just fine on our own." Angie comments.

"Kurt, that's not true. We may have to layer Mercedes or Tina over Quinn's solo but we'll be fine." Will says.

"Maybe for the Invitationals, but not for Sectionals. And certainly not for Regionals." Artie adds.

Angie rolls her eyes once more. A week ago, they were all complaining about Rachel. Now that she's gone, they want her back? Was that even possible?

"The wheelchair kid's right. Rachel makes me wanna light myself on fire, but she can sing." Puck agrees.

This may be the first time ever that Angie ever agrees with Noah Puckerman.

"Rachel left, guys. She's gone. Now, if we're gonna make this thing work, we can't look back. Take five, guys." Will sighs, walking over to the piano with Finn trailing behind him.

Meanwhile, Angie is talking with Artie. "I'm so sick of Glee Club turning into The Rachel Berry Show. God, she's been gone for a week, and we're still talking about her."

Artie sighs. "In all honesty, I want Rachel's talent back. I could care less about Rachel, and you know that. Besides... I know for a fact that you're much more talented than Rachel."

Angie smiles and chuckles. "That's a lie and you know it." She says stubbornly.

Artie just smiles. "I'm not lying about anything."

/ / /

The next day, Angie is walking with Quinn to the choir room.

Quinn had just come out of yet another morning sickness episode. She was scared that people would find out she was pregnant.

"Maybe you should start making excuses like Finn does. Say you've got food poisoning, a stomach ache, or even dehydration." Angie suggests. "You'll be over all this morning sickness by the time Sectionals comes up."

Quinn gives her a small smile. "You're right. I've just been paranoid that people will find out."

Angie slings an arm over Quinn's shoulders. "Q, it'll be fine. No one in glee club will bring you down because of it. And if they do I'll kick their asses."

Quinn smiles and laughs at Angie's determination to put someone in their place. "Thanks Angie. Now we gotta get going. Mr. Shue said he's got a surprise for us in the choir room."

"God, he better not start rapping." Angie jokes.

Quinn laughs as they walk into the choir room. Quinn takes her seat next to Finn, and Angie takes her seat next to Puck.

Will smiles when he looks at his students. "Great. Looks like we have everyone here now." He says. Standing next to him was a short, tan, blonde woman.

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to someone very special. This is April Rhodes. She's our newest member." Will announces.

"Wait, so old people can join Glee Club now?" Finn asks.

Angie gives Finn a dangerous look that says 'shut up or I'll kill you.'

"Old, huh? You guys look like the world's worst Benetton Ad." April comments.

"Mr. Schuester, this is a terrible idea." Artie states.

"April is a great singer. And she never graduated." Will tries, attempting to change their minds.

"We appreciate what you're trying to do, but she's no Rachel." Kurt states.

"Who's Rachel?" April asks.

"Sh-Sh-She's kind of our star." Tina answers.

April smirks. "Your star, eh? Well, where is she?"

Angie — who's wary of their newest member — answers. "She left so she could take the lead role in Cabaret."

"Hey, Tinkles, gimme 'Maybe This Time' in B flat," April orders Brad.

Brad just nods and starts playing the piano. The cue began and April starts singing.

[Maybe This Time by April and Rachel]

April ends the song on a high yet operatic note. The entire glee club is so impressed that Kurt has been brought to tears.

"Stick that in your pipe and smoke it." April says.

Even with April's stellar performance, Angie still feels uneasy about having her in Glee Club.

/ / /

Angie's suspicions about April have increased tenfold over the week.

She's noticed the strange behavior in her teammates, and hasn't seen Finn since this morning.

Angie finds the quarterback at his locker. "Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you since this morning."

Finn looks at Angie. "I've been trying to convince Rachel to come back to the glee club."

Angie sighed. "Finn, she's not coming back. She wanted to be a star, so she got what she wanted. I don't even know why you're defending her."

"Because Artie was right. We can't win Sectionals or Regionals without her." Finn answered.

Angie rolled her eyes. "Have fun with crazy."

/ / /

The day after Angie and Finn's short conversation, everyone but Finn and Quinn are gathered in the choir room for glee practice.

The current topic was Quinn's change in behavior. Angie would've told them she knew, but that'd be betraying Quinn's trust in her.

"She is strange." Tina states.

"Maybe Quinn is lactose intolerant." Kurt offers.

"That doesn't explain all the crying." Artie butts in.

"Maybe she just doesn't like the group." Tina suggests.

Puck, annoyed, decides to put in his two cents. "Are you all that stupid? Seriously? I bet you thought Bert and Ernie were just roommates. Maybe Quinn's got one in the oven."

Shock is all around the choir room. Angie's feigning it, but she figures Finn told Puck about Quinn's pregnancy.

"Who's the baby's daddy?" Mercedes asks.

"Who do you think? Finn." Puck answers like it's obvious.

Rachel arrives happily, and it's the worst timing to have.

"Yes, you've heard right....I am returning to Glee Club. In lieu of flowers, please send all donations to a socially conscious charity of your choice." Rachel says.

"This is a hot damn mess." Mercedes whispers.

"Oh my God!" Santana exclaims quietly.

Rachel laughs awkwardly. "Uh, I'm sorry; I thought I'd be welcomed back with a tad more enthusiasm."

"Sorry, Glee Club has just been rocked with its first scandal." Kurt interjects.

"Quinn's knocked up." Mercedes announces.

"And the baby daddy? Finn." Angie informs.

Rachel's good mood is gone, and she storms out of the choir room in hurt and anger.

/ / /

Later that afternoon, Angie walks into the choir room on behalf of Will's request.

"Hey Mr. Shue. You wanted to see me?" Angie asked.

He smiles when he sees her. "C'mon in Angie." He invites.

"If this is your way of trying to get me to convince Rachel to come back, it's not gonna work." Angie says quickly.

Will chuckles. "No it's not. I was wondering if you'd be willing to be April's understudy for 'Somebody to Love' tonight?" He asks.

Angie lets her bag drop to the floor. "Are you messing with me?" She asks carefully.

Will chuckles again. "No, I'm not. Angie I meant what I said last week. Everyone deserves their chance to shine. But what I didn't realize was that I wasn't giving you a chance to shine yet. You've helped me a lot with the choreography for Invitationals, and I think you'd do very well with this song. You have an incredible range — you proved that to me when you auditioned." He explains.

"But what if everyone thinks I'm not good enough? I don't want to let them down." Angie asks suddenly.

That's something she'd never want to happen to her:  letting her friends down.

"Believe it or not, the entire club talked to me earlier this morning before class. They all told me that if anyone deserves to have a shot at singing lead tonight, it should be you. They see how tirelessly you work, and I realized that I've been giving April a second chance instead of giving you guys a chance. You truly deserve this Angie. Take your opportunity." Will encourages.

Angie's heart warms at the thought of the 11 kids of Glee Club convincing their teacher to let her perform a lead part.

"Mr. Shue... I'd be glad to be April's understudy."

/ / /

That night, the entire auditorium was packed for the Invitationals. The Glee Club was in the choir room, warming up before the performance.

Angie was still warming up, but she was dressed for 'Somebody to Love' instead of 'Last Name.' She was still uncomfortable about singing with April, so she opted out of the performance. Despite Will not liking it, he agreed to let her sit out.

Will smiles as he walks over to the kids. "The house is packed... you guys are going to kick butt tonight. Your first performance in front of a real audience. I can't wait. You guys are going to love it."

The New Directions smile at Will. Truly bright genuine smiles.

Will notices someone's missing. "Where... Where's April?"

April arrives, drunk off her ass. Angie rolls her eyes at April's behavior.

"Yee-haw!" April laughs. "Right on cue, as usual. Hey, roller-boy. Handsome. Oh, I like that color. Have you been working on the, uh, moves we talked... You've got something right there, on your... Will it back up?" April says as she looks at Puck. "Uh, oh... Honk! There's my boy." She laughs.

Will looks aghast. "Are you drunk? You promised me you'd sober up for this." He chides.

"When? Last night? Well, I was drunk. You can't hold me to that." April says, swaying a little as she talks.

Ms. Pillsbury enters the room. She clears her throat to get Will's attention. "Will." She calls him over.

With Will busy talking to the guidance counselor, and April being too drunk to care, Finn goes over to Angie and sits next to her.

"It sucks you're not performing with us for the first number." Finn said.

Angie shrugged. "I just don't feel comfortable singing with a drunken April."

Finn hums in agreement. "Doesn't mean I don't like it."

"Hey. Good luck out there tonight." Angie says and gives Finn a kiss to his cheek.

Finn stands up with newfound confidence. "I don't think we need luck."

/ / /

Angie stands in the wings of the stage, watching the performance of 'Last Name.'

April was a stunning performer, but Angie felt that April took too much away from the others.

[Last Name by April and New Directions minus Angie and Rachel]

After getting their very much deserved applause, Angie heads back into the choir room with the Glee Club. She congratulates them on their performance, waiting as they all change into their 'Somebody to Love' outfits.

Will walks in, a bit of a sad look on his face.

"They loved us! We're a hit." Artie says happily.

"Wh-Wh-Where's April?" Tina asks.

"You were right, Mr Shue. She'd massacre Mariah in a diva-off." Kurt states.

Will sighs. "April is amazing. But she's not in the glee club anymore." He reveals.

Everyone is surprised.

"It-I, uh... I screwed up bringing her here. It was about me and Glee Club is supposed to be about you guys. You don't need her to be great." Will says.

"But we need her for the second act." Mercedes says matter-of-factly.

"No, we don't. Because we have April's understudy... Angie." Will announces.

Angie beams sheepishly at her teacher. She's about to speak when lo and behold, Rachel Berry walks into the choir room. She hadn't heard the part of the conversation where Angie was given April's part.

"Excuse me? I think I might have a solution. In show business, when a star can't perform, her understudy steps in. I'd be happy to go in for April, if you'd let me." Rachel says meekly.

"Since when are you willing to be an understudy?" Angie asks calmly but loud enough for Rachel to hear.

"Since I quit the play." Rachel reveals.

"Really? Why?" Kurt asks.

"I realized being a star didn't make me feel as special as being your friend. If I'd let you down when you needed me the most, I'd never forgive myself. I know all the words to the song." Rachel explains.

"You don't know the choreography. And besides... we all agreed this morning that Angie should take April's spot." Quinn interjects.

Santana nods in approval of her friend's statement. Rachel acts like she doesn't hear Quinn.

"Then we're still going to have to give her a lot of help out there." Finn says as he gives Rachel a smile.

Will gives Rachel a smile. "Go get in your costume." He says. When Rachel goes to the bathroom to change, he looks at Angie.

"Angie? You ready?" He asks.

She inhales and exhales deeply to calm her nerves. "Ready."

When Rachel comes back in her costume, she walks over to Will. "So I get to sing lead with Finn?" She asks.

Will sighs. "Sorry, Rachel. But all of us voted that Angie would take April's place tonight. And it's final. Finn and Angie are taking the leads tonight. Be happy for her. Okay?" He says.

Rachel nods and gives him a fake smile. She goes to take her place... in the back.

Angie is behind the wings with Finn, pacing to try and calm her nerves. "What if I screw up?" She asks. "I should've let Rachel take my place."

Finn stops her pacing by putting his hands on her shoulders. "Angela Claire Abrams, don't think about yourself like that! You will not screw up. You know this song inside and out. This is just your nerves talking. Don't let them get the best of you. You'll be great." He says and then kisses her cheek.

"What was that for?" Angie asks.

Finn smiles. "A good luck cheek kiss," he says. "You ready to kill it?" He asks.

Angie nods. "Just don't step on my toes Hudson." She says with a smirk.

Finn smirks back. "Not a chance." He says. They all take their places on the risers set onstage, ready when the curtain rises.

[Somebody to Love by New Directions - Leads: Finn and Angie]

When Angie sings the first few opening notes for her part, the Glee Club takes a minute to take in their shock... well, those that joined after Finn.

Rachel couldn't help but feel jealous hearing her voice. It was angelic and had an airy tone to it.

When they finished, they got standing ovations. The group as a whole took a bow.

Side by side, Finn, Angie and Mercedes took center stage. They got the loudest cheers for their significant roles in the song.

Artie and Will had never been more proud of Angie than in that moment in time.

/ / /

2584 words

Songs Mentioned/Performed
1. Don't Stop Believing - New Directions minus Rachel
2. Maybe This Time - April and Rachel
3. Last Name - April and New Directions minus Rachel and Angie
4. Somebody to Love - New Directions (Leads: Finn and Angie)

Not as much Fangela content that I was hoping for.

Next update:  Vitamin D

2 episodes to Throwdown
3 episodes to Mash-Up
4 episodes to Wheels
5 episodes to Ballad
6 episodes to Hairography