Yes or no - Book 4 - S.E.

Epilogue III: The Finn Hudson auditorium

Summer of 2020

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States."

Mr. Schue, Carole, Burt, Figgins, Ms. Pillsbury and coach Beiste reunited in the auditorium that afternoon and clapped when no one other than Sue Sylvester in her usual red tracksuit came out onto the stage to stand behind the mic.

"Fantastic." She smiled, before noticing Becky Jackson, her faithful assistant, holding Sam Evans pretty much hostage against the wall to inspect him up and down. Oh, how he wished he hadn't gotten there five minutes late, lost in his mountain of work after the summer camp thing he had done with the glee clubs. Though he wasn't entirely sure Becky Jackson wouldn't have taken the opportunity to feel him up even if he hadn't been late to that meeting. "Becky? Becky?! It's okay, honey. He's clean."

Sam Evans was never so thankful to Sue Sylvester before. Nodding awkwardly at Becky when she finally let him go, he stood off to the side of the auditorium, watching the former cheerleading coach as she spoke up.

"You know, a great big fat person once stood on this stage and told a group of a dozen or so nerds in hideous disco outfits that glee, by its very definition, is about opening yourself up to joy." She started. "Now, it's no secret that for a long time, I thought that was a load of hooey. As far as I can see, the glee club is nothing more than a place where a bunch of cowardly losers go to sing their troubles away, and delude themselves that they live in a world that cares one iota about their hopes and dreams, totally divorced from the harsh reality that out in the the real world, there's not much more to hope for than disappointment, heartbreak and failure. You know what? I was exactly right. That's exactly what Glee Club is. But I was wrong about the cowardly part. What I finally realize — now that I'm well into my late thirties — it takes a lot of bravery to look around you, and see the world, not as it is, but as it should be. A world where the quarterback becomes best friends with the gay kid, and the girl with the big nose ends up on Broadway. Glee is about imagining a world like that, and finding the courage to open up your heart and sing about it. That's what Glee Club is. And for the longest time, I thought that was silly. And now, I think it's just about the bravest thing that anyone could do. I'm honored to be here to rededicate this theater the Finn Hudson Auditorium."

Clapping along with everyone else in the room, Sam sighed a bit, trying to hold back his emotions, suddenly feeling very nostalgic about this whole thing. Mr. Schue was pretty much on the same boat and, as Sue looked at him with a small smile to continue her speech, he smiled when she nodded at him.

"William, it is with your hard work, in his memory, that you managed to accomplish something unimaginable." She said. "The William McKinley High School has become an overwhelming success, a model for public schools that showcase the arts so well, now being replicated all across the country. Congratulations, Will Schuester. You and your little Glee Club have accomplished something quite remarkable. And now, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce the New Directions!"

I owned every second that this world could give

I saw so many places, the things that I did

Yeah with every broken bone

I swear I lived

And singing with every single one of his friends up on the stage — the ones who were there before he arrived, the ones who came after he left — Sam realized there was nothing else in the world he was prouder of than having been part of this group of misfits in that stage.

So giddy with the company of his old friends as he chatted away with Puck and Mike, Sam didn't even notice how, after their number, Mr. Schue quietly approached Emily as she talked to Quinn, Santana and Brittany, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her aside a bit.

"Em?" He called, as the girl — the young woman now, really. Wow... William couldn't believe that little girl he met at fifteen was 25 years old already — turned to look at him with a small smile. "Would you come and talk to me in my office for a minute?"

And beaming up at him, Emily nodded, her eyes very briefly finding Sam across the crowd as he did one of his many impressions to the amusement of the small crowd that gathered around him before turning back to her former teacher.

"Yeah." She nodded then, excitedly. "Yeah, of course I will."

A/N: And here it is! The last installment of this book!

As usual, a last note is coming right up. Please, take a second to read because it's really important and, if you've enjoyed this story so far, it will interest you, I'm sure.