"I wish that you, Sam Evans, will love me for the rest of your life!"

The group were together again for their weekly potluck dinner and Rachel was as excited as ever.

Raising his eyebrows as he chuckled, Artie shrugged at her sureness for this to turn into a tradition, "it's only week number two, the tradition will be falling apart in no time."

Holding up a flyer on the side of the kitchen, Mercedes furrowed her eyebrows as she read it over, becoming worried, "hey, who's this?"

"That's our neighbour's friend, Russ. He got beat up last week." Rachel informed her solemnly.

"That's the nice was of saying he got gay-bashed." Kurt whispered sadly.

"Apparently he was just walking down Bleecker Street when these guys jumped out of a pick up truck and decided to beat him up." Katy elaborated, shaking her head in distress, "it's awful."

"He's lucky to be alive." Blaine agreed, sitting himself down at the table besides Rachel.

Nodding his head in agreement, Artie let out a heavy sigh, "it's so depressing. Hate crimes in America are decreasing yet in New York, they're increasing."

"Yeah, why is that?" Sam questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well a few ignorant idiots just hate the idea that we're finally being accepted." Blaine told him, honestly giving them the harsh truth, "they hate the fact that we're marrying, they hate the fact that we're moving into neighbourhoods that are supposedly 'straight' so they lash out by trying to kill us."

Sensing the mood dip with the seriousness of the conversation, Kurt let out a deep sigh and started serving himself dinner, "let's change the subject before we all get so bummed we can't eat." He suggested, widening his eyes and flashing them a smile, "Well NYADA midwinter critiques are upon us and out fearless leader Madam Tibideaux has tightened her turban and given us the ultimate musical theatre challenge-"

"Sondheim!" He, Rachel and Blaine chorused with excited smiles, instantly chattering about what they were going to do for their performances.

Sighing loudly, Artie deadpanned and raised his eyebrows at Katy and Sam, "will you two stop playing footsie?"

Blushing bright red, Katy muttered her apologies as Sam smirked back at her, taking a sip of his water. She frowned as he continued to rub his foot against hers, resisting the urge to join in and gave him a sharp kick for the sake of her friends and helped herself to another spoonful of pasta.

　　　　　　　   ☆

Sam and Katy were walking hand in hand by the East River, talking about anything as they went along. Keeping his hand in hers, he began to walk backwards, so he could look straight at her as they strolled along, "I still can't believe we're here in New York together."

Giggling slightly, Katy tucked her other hand tightly into her warm coat pocket as she looked around at her surroundings, "I know. I'm still not used to being here if I'm honest with you."

Nodding in agreement, Sam shrugging his shoulders and flashed her an excited smile, "I know. We're adults now and we're in New York City. We can finally be the people we've always hoped we could be and do the things we've always dreamed about doing."

Scrunching up her nose in confusion as Sam dug around in his pocket, Katy tilted her head onto the side and watched whilst his face lit up as he looked down at his hands, "what are you doing?"

"I want to make a wish." He told her plainly.

"Are you gonna throw a coin into the East River?" She asked, with a bright grin.

Shaking his head, Sam held out his hands to show her the coins in his hand, "no, I'm gonna throw a bunch of coins in the East River, all going towards the same one wish."

"May I ask what that wish is?" Katy giggled as Sam threw away a screw he found amongst his coins.

Giving her a quick nod, he replied with a confident smile on his face, "I wish that you, Katy Puckerman will love me for the rest of your life."

Pouting happily at his sweet wish, she dig around in her pocket and plopped a few of her own coins into his hands, "well I would like to make a bunch of wishes myself. I wish that you, Sam Evans will love me for the rest of your life."

Turning around, Sam threw the coins out into the East River, blowing a kiss after them and putting an arm around Katy's shoulder as they gazed out after them. Their moment was ruined by a woman sat on a bench, shouting for their attention, "hey, you can't just throw things into the river!"

Throwing her a handful of coins in consolation, Sam turned back round to Katy whilst rolling his eyes, smiling as she giggled. Sighing happily, she leant her head against his arm as they continued to walk slowly along the side of the river, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." She smiled, "as crazy and weird as it's gonna be."

"Me neither." He agreed, "however insane things get, it's okay because we're perfect for each other."

"So perfect." She repeated in a whisper, letting out a cold breathe of air.

Feeling her shiver slightly against him, Sam furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "are you cold? Here, take my jacket."

Katy declined this offer immediately as he began to take his jacket off, "no, I'm alright. If you take that jacket off you'll freeze and turn into freaking Jack Frost."

"For you, that's a risk I'm willing to take." He said, insisting that she at least wore his scarf to warm her up.

Her smile widening as she gave him a slight shove, Katy giggled to herself, "what a sap you are!"

"You love it." Sam chuckled, giving her a small shove back.

"I love it." She confirmed with a wide smile as he pressed his cold lips against hers in a deep kiss.

　　　　　　　   ☆
Rachel and Blaine's duet at the midwinter critique had been a disaster, and after hearing about her failed conversation with Madam Tibideaux, Kurt and Katy had called her for an intervention dinner.

"We know what you did." Katy said immediately, eyebrows raised in concern.

"you're crazy." Kurt insisted, shaking his head.

Eyes widening instantly at their serious faces, Rachel scoffed loudly as she sat down, "oh my god, are you serious? You heard that already?"

"The gossip chain at NYADA is the most efficient part of the school." Kurt shrugged, "and I told Katy because we're your two closest and best friends."

Letting out a heavy sigh and resting her head on her hands as she felt a lecture ahead of her, Rachel shut her eyes and spoke, "okay, look, don't judge me. It was the right thing to do."

"How can you say that?" Kurt disagreed, "two years ago you would've done anything to force your way into that school."

Katy nodded, elaborating on his point, "you literally got Madam Tibideaux to come to nationals to get in. And now you're just gonna quit?"

"Oh my god, that was before Fanny, okay? Everything changed from that moment on!" Rachel burst out, her irritation growing by the minute, giving Katy a thankful glance as she nodded in understanding.

"I understand that, but an education from NYADA will give you options in the future." Kurt told her desperately, "Broadway is a fickle business. What if this is the last role you'll ever get?"

Scoffing loudly, Rachel took this the wrong way and was fuelled with frustration, "last role? Wow! You're worse than Carmen! Is that really what you think of me?"

Intervening quickly, Katy placed a calmly hand on top of Rachel's, "of course not. We just want you to really think about what you're doing."

"You've got to be smart Rachel." Kurt agreed.

"Okay look, I'm not interested in spending huge sums of money on a school whose classes I can barely attend and a dean who doesn't like me or support me." Rachel argued passionately, "I have the opportunity of a lifetime staring me in the face right now and I can't let anything whether it's school or Carmen or the diner or you know, even my friends stop me from accomplishing my dreams."

"For the last time, I am begging you. Please don't do this!" Kurt pleaded with her desperately as Rachel became more cross, standing up from her chair and putting her coat on ready to leave.

"You know, I am so hurt right now! That you're standing in the corner with that failure Carmen Tibideaux and not your best friend!"

Snapping, Kurt resisted the urge to slam his hands down on the table as he felt Rachel completely disregard everything he was trying to say to her, "I'm not on Carmen's side! I'm on your side!"

"Okay, everyone calm down." Katy said slowly, rubbing a hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"No, you're afraid, okay?" Rachel called out, ignoring her, "you're afraid to venture out, you need a place like NYADA where it's just one big safe group, where no one takes any risks!"

"Rachel." Katy warned, giving her a stern glare.

"That way, you guys can just ignore the fact that you actually have to grow up and become an adult!" She finished, breathing heavily.

"Screw you Rachel." Kurt whispered, calmly, shaking his head in disappointment at her outburst.

Offended by this, Rachel turned on her heels, snatching up her handbag and storming out of the restaurant. Sighing deeply, Kurt turned to Katy, clearing his throat quietly, "you better follow her. You always seem to know how to calm her down."

Unsure at first, she tentatively got out of her seat, putting on her coat, "what about you?"

"Go, I'll be okay." He assured her with a small smile, standing up to give her a last hug before she rushed out the restaurant to find Rachel.

　　　　　　　   ☆

The call from Sam was still ringing in her ears as she waited nervously in the hospital waiting room, clutching tightly onto Rachel's hand. Katy was trying her best not to cry out of fear for her friend, feeling a huge amount of emotions that she'd only felt once before in her life, and never wanted to feel again.

The presence of Mercedes, Artie and Sam bursting through the door came as some reassurance. Jumping up to meet them, Katy pulled her hand out of Rachel's and flew into Sam's waiting arms, hugging each other tightly and comfortingly.

"Is he okay? Is he awake yet?" Mercedes asked, anxiously as she pulled Rachel in for a long hug.

"I don't know, they won't tell me. I'm not family." Rachel replied with a sorry shake of her head.

After quite a while of waiting, the group were huddled up in the corner of the waiting room whilst Blaine was stood restlessly at the desk, trying to get out any information he could. Eventually, a doctor came out and Blaine rushed over to him, with the rest of the group in close pursuit.

"Is he okay?" Blaine asked, his voice cracking slightly, reaching round to grab Katy's hand for the smallest bit of comfort.

"He has a hairline fracture above his right eye socket and some other cuts and bruising but he will be okay." The doctor told them, being met with seven relieved sighs, "he's sleeping now from the morphine but you can see him."

Frowning as he looked down at Kurt's bruised face, Sam was the first to speak as the group around him stayed solemnly silent, "hey Kurt, I know you're on a lot of painkillers buddy, but you can wake up any time now."

"Sam, just leave him be." Katy whispered over to him with a small sigh, wrapping an arm around his waist as he walked over to where she was stood.

"I feel so responsible." Rachel admitted quietly, "we had this huge fight and I just left him."

"Me too. God if only I'd stayed with him." Katy said, fiddling with her promise ring, full of guilt.

Quickly putting them at ease, Blaine broke his gaze away from Kurt for a second to give them a very small smile, "if you'd have been with him he would've done the same thing."

"I want to kill whoever did this to him."
Sam said, his anger clear in his voice as he clenched his jaw tightly.

"Don't say that Sam, you don't mean that." Katy whispered, squeezing tightly onto his hand.

"I just wish he could hear me." Blaine choked out, sadly, "so I could tell him I was here."

Nodding quietly, Mercedes put an arm around Artie's shoulder and let out a sigh, "he knows we're here. He does." She assured him, leading the rest of the group out to leave Kurt and Blaine alone together.

　　　　　　　    ☆

With Kurt home from the hospital and recovering, after making up with Rachel, it was Monday night potluck dinner again. Coming through the door with massive smiles on their faces, Mercedes, Artie, Sam, Blaine and Katy held up their contributions to the dinner and ran over to greet the pair.

"Monday night potluck yo!" Artie called out happily.

Taking their seats at the table, Rachel sent them all a smile and held her hands down on the table, "I have an announcement to make." She started before being interrupted by Sam.

"Yes we know, Funny Girl starts in two weeks, you've been tweeting about it everyday." He teased, as she rolled her eyes playfully at him.

"No..." she said slowly, rubbing her hand across Kurt's, "so Kurt is singing tomorrow at NYADA for his midwinter critique and it's really important for his grade and although I won't be attending the school anymore, I will be there in support to witness what will undoubtedly be an incredible performance. So I'm hoping you guys will join me."

Smiling immediately, Mercedes flashed Kurt a small wink, "well I don't know about the rest of you fools, but I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I mean, who would want to miss seeing Kurt freaking Hummel sing?" Katy added, a large smile spreading across her face.

Holding up his glass and urging the rest of them to do so too, Blaine took Kurt's hand in his as he made a toast, "to Kurt."

"To Kurt."