Author's Note: Still writing, still job hunting, still not pleased with spoilers for Season 2. Here, have some fic.

Tina wakes up early on the bright January morning, feeling something different hanging in the air. As she stretches and resists the urge to slam the snooze button and curl more comfortably into her nice warm blankets, she thinks instead to the day ahead.

Tomorrow's my birthday, she thinks to herself. Another year older… and who knows what will happen. She glances at the calendar with a small smile. Tina isn't exactly the sentimental type, but January holds special meaning for her these days.

First, there's her birthday, of course, on the twenty-eighth. At the tail end of the month, well after the fun holiday festivities have come and gone. Tina isn't sure how she feels about a late winter birthday, but she does admit that being an Aquarius has its perks.

The second good thing about January is that she and Artie made up then, as part of an ill-fated Madonna frenzy that cultivated in a "blade of equality" and a second kiss, all on a whirlwind day just a week earlier. Artie had smiled at her and shyly presented her with a new sketchbook.

And the third good thing about January is well, their second first date, as Tina jokingly refers to it. On the very last day of the month, they'd had that, and in a roundabout way, she supposed they'd call that their "official" anniversary, after it crashed and burned so brilliantly just a few months earlier on a dreary late October afternoon.

So, Tina was harboring good feelings about January on the day before her birthday. She hummed her way into the shower, and waved at her mom as she strolled into the kitchen for coffee.

Christina Cohen-Chang handed her daughter a mug with a smile reserved only for the perkiest of morning people, a fact which Tina often did not appreciate at all.

"Hi," grunts Tina blearily as she adds a generous amount of sugar to the cup before inhaling it in three successive gulps.

"Morning, Tina. Taste your coffee sometime, please. Your father was up late writing, and with all the snow, I'm going to have to give you a ride today," replies Mrs. Cohen-Chang with a smile. "Do we need to get Artie as well?"

"Nope," says Tina as she pours herself a second mug full of coffee. "Artie's dad gives him a ride on crappy days like this. I'll see him at school and after. You said we could go out on my birthday together."

Christina Cohen-Chang nods. "Right. The last thing I'm sure you want is your mother meddling, especially now that you're too old for big extravagant birthday parties. "But be home for dinner, since it's a school night, honey. You can have the big fancy to-do this weekend."

"Ice cream cake after dinner?" asks Tina hopefully.

"You're the only girl I know who wants a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake in January," says Mrs. Cohen-Chang with wry expression upon her face. "But yes, we'll have your cake. Ask some of your Glee friends over if you want. We can make it a little party. I'll order pizza?"

Tina nods. "Okay. Sure."

"I'm glad you have them," continues Mrs. Cohen-Chang. "I know the past few years have been… well, rough. It's nice to see you smiling for once."

"Yeah. Me too." Tina reaches for her messenger bag and heads for the foyer. "We gotta go if we don't want to be late, Mom."

At school, it's business as usual. Mercedes updates her on the latest gossip in study hall. Kurt threatens to burn Tina's clunky black boots in History. Brittany asks about dogs when they're discussing Pluto in Science. Before their last class of the day, Artie manages to corner Tina in the hallway.

"Hey birthday girl," he says, grinning up at her playfully.

"Tomorrow," corrects Tina with a shy smile. "No big deal, really. Just another birthday. I'm more excited about this weekend."

"Which will be awesome," says Artie. "But your birthday is important too, Tina."

"You already got me the sketchbook," says Tina. "I really don't need anything else. Honest. Your presence is a present?"

"That's really corny." Artie rolls his eyes up at her. "And anyway, the sketchbook was more of a 'Thanks for forgiving me and giving our relationship a second chance last year' present. But Hallmark doesn't make cards for that. Yet."

"I mean it." Tina shrugs. "I'm happy. We've been dating for almost a year now. What more do I need?"

"How sweet," he replies, genuinely touched. "However."

"However what?" she asks.

"In my family, we celebrate birthdays. And I intend to extend the favor to you," says Artie, handing Tina an envelope. "Instructions are inside."

Tina stares blankly at the plain white paper. "What's this for?"

"You'll see," says Artie mysteriously as he wheels off down the hallway to his next class. "Talk to you later, Tee," he calls, over his shoulder.

Tee-

Tomorrow you already know what we're doing. But as for Saturday? Wake up early (yes, I know, a hardship for you) and be ready by nine. Dress nice. Not that you uh, don't usually, but um… dress dressy? Wear a dress? Wear something like you'd be going out. 'Cause we erm, are going out. But you knew that already. OKAY MOVING ON. We have to take your car, 'cause I uh, don't have one, but I got everything else under control. But it's gonna be epic, for realz.

-Artie

Tina reads the note for the umpteenth time, grinning foolishly every time she studies Artie's familiar neat scrawling handwriting. She knows it's ridiculous of her to get so worked up over a note of all things, but it's so uniquely Artie and a testament to everything that she likes (loves) about him so much.

So later that evening, she's ignoring messages from Kurt and Mercedes, who mean the best, but are not allowed within a foot of her wardrobe. Some of their "helpful" suggests are well, …a bit (a lot) not helpful. Instead, she pours over her entire wardrobe, lamenting the fact that despite a closetful of clothes, she feels like she has nothing to wear.

"Black dress, black skirt, black and white dress," she mutters. "Maybe I should've let Kurt take me to the mall. I could have ignored all of his advice, slipped off to Hot Topic, and bought something awesome. Only, uh, I don't have any money after Dad took my allowance for the next six months to pay for Adam Lambert concert tickets."

Tina shrugs and reaches for her sewing kit and a cardigan that she outgrew when she was thirteen. She has no idea why she still has it around, but she does, and now's the perfect opportunity to modify that too-tight in the shoulders and too-short in the arms sweater into something much more awesome. (She's thinking corset or cincher.)

By midnight, she's fallen asleep at her desk, midway through threading zebra-striped ribbon through the rivets she's just pounded into the modified, cut, and now corseted former cardigan.

At three, Tina wakes up with a puddle of drool on the ribbon and a serious crick in her neck. She barely manages to pull on her pajamas before falling asleep for another four hours before her alarm goes off. In her sleepy-daze, it doesn't quite register that it's her birthday yet.

In fact, she makes it into the shower and down to the kitchen for breakfast before it dawns on her that she's now seventeen. And that's only because her father has set a platter of French toast at her usual place on the dining room table, covered in powdered sugar and complete with a single white wax birthday candle in the center of the stack, already lit and just waiting for her.

Tina grins and reaches for the coffee cup next to the plate. "Thanks, Dad."

Abraham Cohen-Chang nods at his daughter from the kitchen, where he's pulling a platter of sausage out of the microwave. "Happy birthday, Tina-Turner. I know you're not a big breakfast person, but…"

"It's sweet, Dad. Thanks." Tina settles in at the table.

The tradition and the exchange were as traditional as the birthday breakfast, and it went back for as far long as Tina could remember. Every year, on her birthday, her father would make her breakfast, then apologize, because Tina's idea of breakfast was coffee and a granola bar or pop-tart on her way to school (running late, as usual). And every year, Tina would thank her dad and dig in, appreciating the gesture.

Christina Cohen-Chang, Tina's mother, presents Tina with a single small wrapped box. "You'll get the rest of your presents at dinner tonight, with your friends. We'll order pizza. Pineapple and mushroom, right, sweetie?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Mom." Tina pulls the paper from the box with gusto, eager to see what is inside the box. She opens the box to reveal an antique Victorian cameo choker.

"This is amazing!" says Tina, surprised and pleased.

Abraham generously adds sausage to Tina's plate. "Your aunt found it in an antique store in St. Louis and mailed it up for your birthday."

"Great-Aunt Millie?"

"That's the one," says Christina, reaching for a coffee cup of her own.

Tina beams. "It's still really pretty. I'll text her and thank her on my way to school."

"Want a ride to school?" asks Mr. Cohen-Chang.

"Yeah. thanks, Dad."

At school, Tina grins when she realizes her friends have decked out her locker with a 'Happy Birthday' banner and a small mylar balloon. Normally, she doesn't like so much attention placed on her, but she knows that her friends mean well, and it's her birthday, so she'll go with the flow today.

She pulls away the wrapping to see that a birthday card has been stuffed in her locker. It's signed from Kurt and Mercedes and contains a gift card to Hot Topic. Tina makes a note to thank them during homeroom when she turns around to see Artie wheeling up to her.

"Hey, birthday girl," says Artie. He hands her a card once he manages to make it to Tina. "You can have your present Saturday, but so I don't look like a bad boyfriend who totally flaked, here's something to tide you over."

"Thanks." Tina accepts the card and rips the envelope open. "You didn't have to you know. But thanks."

"Wanted to. Read the card."

Tina shrugs and opens the card. It's Emily the Strange. She's about to kiss Artie for that alone, but then she reads the note.

Tee-

Can't wait for Saturday. No. I'm not telling, but you'll like it. Unless you uh, don't, but at least I tried? Er. You'll like it. A lot. Anyway. Happy birthday, Tina. And happy anniversary too, uh, early and stuff. Unless it's weird for me to wish you that two days early? I hope it isn't because hey, I remembered! I get points for that, right? Right? Shuttingupnow.

-Artie

Tina laughs because Artie can't seem to stop the word vomit, even in card form, and she leans down to give him a quick kiss before heading off to homeroom. It's going to be a good birthday.

"So what do you want to do?" asks Artie as he wheels up to her after school. "The afternoon is ours."

Tina shrugs and grips her hands on the familiar bars of Artie's chair. "Well, we've got dinner and cake with some of the Glee kids later."

"Yes. But what do you want to do this afternoon? Birthday girl's treat," says Artie, shifting in his seat slightly to look at her.

Tina has to think about this for a few minutes. Normally on a weekday afternoon, she's doing homework or rehearsing for Glee or what seems like a million other things. But finally, after a few minutes, she comes up with the perfect suggestion.

"Let's go to the arcade. We both like it, and we haven't been there in ages." Tina smiles and pushes him away toward the student parking lot, where here car is. "I'll let you beat me at skee-ball."

"You don't have to let me win. I can beat you on my own, Tee."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You're on."