DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee. Its probably even a good thing.

At first, he is on cloud nine. It is almost surreal; the thing New Directions has worked so hard to achieve has finally happened. They have won their sectionals. The original song ploy worked, and although he still finds Rachel quite trying t times, he has to admit she was amazing.

Then, the doubts start to creep in. At home, he lays in bed in his lightsaber pajamas, unable to sleep. He tries shifting positions, knowing he will only have to shift again in a few hours. He counts sheep. He's not actually sure what that is a recommended technique for falling asleep.

He counts girls.

One. Rachel Berry.

Boss Berry, he used to call her when they were in eighth grade together. For all her faults, Rachel has a voice, and a presence. He just wishes she would stop assuming that everyone else is there to sing backup.

Two. Tina Cohen-Chang.

Her name has a melody of its own. He doesn't think he will ever be able to get the blue-haired shy girl out of his head. She is, and will always be his first love. She holds a piece of his heart.

Three. Quinn Fabray.

Ice Princess. She doesn't seem to have any real substance to her, now that she's back on top. He sighs, and moves on.

Four. Mercedes Jones.

Diva. He thinks that she is more talented that Rachel, in his opinion, and more fun to sing with. He loves her the way he loves his little sister, Ceccy.

Five. Santana Lopez.

He's not sure how to view Santana. There has always been a part of him that was scared of the latina and her biting tongue. But, seeing her sing that song with Miss Holiday? He's starting to believe that the bitterness is just a front she's build up to protect herself, the way he's taken on a gansta personality to protect himself. If you hide behind a shield, the slings, arrows and slushies don't hurt so badly.

Six. Brittany S. Pierce.

Sweet Brittany, who has shown him whole new worlds which have nothing to do with her favorite movie, Aladdin. Wise Brittany, who sees what no one else does, and isn't afraid to ask about it. Funny Brittany, who locks the cat out of the room when ever Artie comes over, and who uses crayons to write with because pencils are too hard to break and share.

But, he knows that look on Brittany's face when she is with Santana. He recognizes that he will only every be a blue star, may a silver, in her book, while Santana will always be gold. It hurts a little, but he has come to accept the reality. The relationship was not meant to last forever. After all, the leggy blond has only recently decided that he and Wally are not cousins.

Seven. Lauren Zizes.

Lauren truly intimidates him. She is the athlete and the badass he sometimes wishes he could be.

He has not fallen asleep yet, so he starts reciting Beatles songs in order of release date. Sporcle may or may not be bookmarked on his computer.

His rest is uneasy. He makes frequent trips between his bedroom and his bathroom. He cannot decide if the feeling in the pit of his stomach is dread or simply too much to eat. He suspect he knows the answer.

He has never been away from home without someone there: his parents, a camp counselor, a nurse or physical therapist. He can do everything himself, he has been taking care of himself exclusively for the past three years. But, he's not sure he can do it away from home.

Part of him imagines that the trip will be impossible. No one, least of all him, wants to ride a school bus eight hours to New York City. No parent will have the extra money to spend on hotel rooms in the big apple during a national singing competition. And, despite anything Mr. Schue might say, bake sales are pretty sketchy. Just look at what Puck did last time they tried to raise money. The pot cupcakes were damn tasty, but they had him spinning in circles for days.

He sighes, and hauls himself back into bed. Long ago, he resigned himself to the future coming in whatever form it took. It was a philosophy that didn't prevent worry, but certainly helped alleviate it somewhat.

He starts reciting old Will Smith songs, and feels his eyelids drooping.

For the next few weeks, Artie finds himself wishing Nationals are in Miami, and not just because Rachel has put together a list of must-see Broadway plays for them to all review.