Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eigth cycle. Which MEANS cycle 9 is here, which MEANS... GLEE IS BACK!! YAY!

"My Girl in Blue"
Sue & Brittany
Sequel to "The Sylvesters", "With My Little Eye", and "The Smell of Failure"

Sue Sylvester was not immune to motherly pride. Her admirations were self-serving, for the most part, but the something had happened that caught her completely by surprise, so far as to almost make her reconsider her offensive on Glee Club… almost.

She'd been hearing about this day for a while now, both from the posters plastered all around and from home, from her daughter.

Brittany knew her mother didn't seem to care for Glee Club, for some reason, and so she would try not to discuss it around her, not unless she asked about it. Still, she could tell when she was thinking about it, working on it… she knew that look.

It made her think of the days when she was little. It was all so different back then… no one would believe it if they hadn't seen it, she knew that, and that was fine by her. She remembered it, and she knew Brittany would remember it.

She had finally had her fill of all those posters staring at her as though to say 'So are you going to attend your daughter's show? Are you?' She was not going to stand being guilt-tripped by sheets of paper. Eventually she just got up and started picking them off, little by little clearing the halls of those things.

She looked at the clock for a second as she stuffed the posters into a trashcan, and… she'd looked at the pages long enough to know: the show had started now… not far from where she stood, Brittany was off there, performing with the rest of them. She turned to head back to her office… She wasn't… She…

She stopped, sighing… There was that part in her, speaking with frustrating loudness, telling her 'Get over yourself, Sylvester, and go watch your girl!' It wasn't going to let her go…

She crept into the back of the auditorium, keeping as low of a profile as one could, donning one of her track suits. The stage was empty; they must have been between numbers. After a moment, she thought she might just leave. She had no respect for the whole endeavour, she didn't belong…

There was a hush and she looked back up as twelve shadows took their places on the stage. Her feet lost their flight-envy when she recognized one of them. She breathed out, and she resumed her post, watching from her own covering darkness.

There was so much of Joe in her, as much as she tried not to see it, like it would taint her to her eyes. She wasn't looking for that. She tried to focus on the good parts of having had Joe in her life, the happy years, the love… and then Brittany… But then all it ever came down to was that he'd gone and left. She was almost glad he'd never known about her. She wouldn't have wanted him to stay for that reason alone, and keep her unknowing to what was really going on in his mind.

She was… kind of amazing. There was no denying it. She could feel that pride glow in her, even as she remained hidden, no intention in her to reveal herself.

She didn't know how to 'reveal' herself, and that was one problem. If she didn't know that Brittany knew how much she cared for her, loved her, she'd worry. At the same time, the fact that she was so ready to accept this, despite the way she would sometimes treat her… It was like she didn't have to worry about their relationship.

But in that moment, she did. She looked at her, up there on that stage, so happy, so motivated… And she wasn't Coach Sylvester, she was Sue, the mother. She tried to keep it to herself, made easier by the darkness, but it was hard… Of all the motivations not to come and watch, being put up against the fact that her daughter was so happy in something she wanted to destroy, it made her feel… rotten.

But it was in her convictions to see the club fall. If that made her selfish, so be it, she could deal with that. This had never factored in that Brittany might be saddened by the club's loss. She'd had inklings that she was starting to like being there, but as far as she'd known, she was still her eyes on the inside, a free agent among Schuester's so-called club. But watching her now, it was as though someone had slapped her in the face with the truth she either hadn't known or hadn't wanted to know. Brittany was no free agent, she was one of them. No… She couldn't let Will Schuester take her away as well.

When the show ended, she held as she was for a moment, but she made her exit before the lights could come on. She went back to her office, picking up a folder and opening it to read whatever was inside, putting her glasses on. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. She made as though she didn't know who it was, calling for whomever to enter. She looked up from the file as the door had opened and then closed. Brittany stood there, back in her Cheerios uniform and in the process of pulling her hair back in the signature ponytail. She looked to Sue as she did so, as though to say 'alright I'm ready.'

They'd driven home in silence. Sue wasn't able to tell her she'd been at the show, and Brittany wasn't able to tell her how much she'd loved being in it. So no one spoke. When they arrived home, Brittany was about to run off to her room, but Sue called her back.

"What is it?" Brittany had asked.

She stared into her curious eyes for a moment. But then she stepped up, and she embraced her daughter. Deep down she felt like a coward, like she was destroying the club at the expense of her daughter's joy, and somehow this hug was supposed to make up for it.

As she pulled back, Brittany only barely looked confused by the gesture, and for the most part she just looked happy, grateful. She sighed and indicated for her to go on up to her room as she'd been meaning to before, and off she went, while Sue went to sit in her home office.

She couldn't forget about Glee Club, and what she felt about it. But now she had another task set on her. She had to make sure she wouldn't lose her girl in the process. As forgiving as she was about most things, she feared this might be different.

THE END