Kurt and Piper were sitting together at the back of the room, talking about anything and everything as they tried to distract themselves from the fact that Sam and Quinn were closer this week than they were before because, apparently, their date had gone wonderfully. Unfortunately for them, of course.

"What do you mean you're not celebrating Halloween?" Kurt asked as Piper shrugged.

"Not in the mood." She said. "I don't want to go to a party and I feel like I'm a bit too old for trick or treating."

"You're never too old for trick or treating." Kurt argued. "Come on... Let's find something for us to dress up as. Maybe we can call Mercedes and be Alvin and the Chipmunks."

"And what? Swallow helium to sing high pitched serenades to everyone who opens the door for us?"

"Oh, my God, that's genius!" Kurt smiled excitedly as Piper scoffed.

"Kurt, shut up."

"Hey, guys." Brittany smiled as she approached the duo and sat down near them.

"Hey, Britt." Piper smiled back at her, as Kurt raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes, hitting him lightly as she looked at Brittany instead. "We're talking Halloween."

"So, what are you going to be this year?" Kurt asked, trying to involve the girl in the chat as well.

"I'm going as a peanut allergy." She said, as Piper nodded.

"Solid choice." She mumbled, as Kurt sent her a confused look.

Before any of them could say anything, however, Mr. Schue walked into the choir room, holding up some papers as he smiled.

"Great news guys! I've had a little inspiration." He said, as he stopped in front of all the kids. "This week's musical lesson isn't really a lesson. It's a musical."

"Please be Evita." Rachel whispered, apparently in silent prayer as Piper frowned at her. "Please be Evita. Please be Evita."

"Rocky Horror!" Mr. Schue announced, causing the kids to break into chatter.

"I've never seen it." Finn mumbled.

"Mr. Schue?" Rachel called, clearly a bit concerned as the teacher turned to look at her. "While I admire your choice of a groundbreaking 70's musical, aren't you worried that the adult themes might be a point of controversy?"

"Seriously, a school in Texas couldn't even do Rent." Kurt nodded. "It caused an outrage and they had to cancel the show."

"Isn't that the whole point of the arts?" Mr. Schue asked then. "Pushing boundaries? Doing things people say you can't do for the sake of self-expression? Look, I figured it all out. I cut out some of the more risqué sections and I'm sending home permission slips to all your parents to make sure they're okay with it. And we're going to charge admission and use the proceeds to help pay for transportation to nations in New York!"

And at that, everyone cheered. Mr. Schue smiled then, as he pulled out a pen and paper.

"Okay, let's talk about casting." He said and before Rachel could even open her mouth, Piper knew she was about to speak.

"Finn and I will play Brad and Janet." She said, and when Mr. Schue nodded his approval, Piper rolled her eyes quietly.

"And I'll be playing the guy in the wheelchair, right?" Artie asked.

"That's what I was thinking." Mr. Schue said. "And, I thought Kurt could play the role of Frankenfurter."

"No." Kurt shook his head then, before anyone could even react. "There is no way I'm playing a transvestite in high heels and fishnets and wearing lipstick!"

"Why, 'cause that look was last season?" Santana smirked, as Piper sent her a look.

"I'll do it!" Mike spoke up, surprising everyone, including his girlfriend.

"Really?" Tina smiled. "It's like the male lead."

"I know but I'm feeling a little more confident about my singing voice after our duets project." He said, as Tina nodded at him, proudly.

"Great! I have no problem with that!" Mr. Schue decided. "Now, we're a little short on female roles. So, we're going to have to double up on Columbia's and Magenta's."

"It's standard practice on Broadway." Rachel said, condescendently causing Piper to groan. "It'll preserve your voices."

"I'd like to preserve you." Mercedes said. "In a jar."

"In my basement." Piper added, as everyone laughed when Rachel pouted and Piper and Mercedes exchanged a high-five.

"Sam, I'd like you to play the role of the creature." Mr. Schue said, causing Sam to frown, confused.

"From the black lagoon?" He asked.

"Rocky." Quinn corrected him quickly. "He's like the Frankenstein character except blonde. You'll kill the part. He's cute just like you."

And when Sam smiled at Quinn, Piper rolled her eyes.

"Better start working on those abs." Santana teased.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam scoffed, surprisingly confident in himself. "You could cut glass with these babies. I have no problem showing off my body."

"Okay!" Mr. Schue clapped once causing everyone to stop and look at him. "Looks like we got ourselves a show!"

***

"Alright, places, Finn and Rachel." Mr. Schue called, as the couple made their way to the center of the choir room while Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn stood back in full costume. "I'm going to start with Damn It, Janet."

"Oh, I cannot wait until Finn takes his top off so we can all see the hot mess underneath." Santana smirked as Finn frowned, worriedly.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"You can't have sloppy-joe's every day for lunch and think you can get away with it." Brittany said, as Santana chuckled.

"Hum, that's incredibly rude!" Rachel was quick to defend his boyfriend and, for the first time, Piper found herself agreeing with her not really comfortable with the way that conversation was going.

"Is it?" Quinn scoffed then. "Guys whisper behind our backs about how we look every day! They objectify us all the time."

"She sort of has a point." Tina nodded.

"Yeah, earlier today, Artie asked me if he could make a gigantic omelet when I'm done with the ostrich eggs I'm smuggling in my bra." Santana said, as everyone turned disgusted at Artie who was clearly trying to look innocent.

"You know, how someone looks shouldn't be of anyone's concern but their own." Piper mumbled, causing Mercedes to send her a supportive smile.

"I'm super looking forward to seeing Sam in his gold bikini." Brittany said, clearly missing Piper's point.

"It's going to be abulous." Sam smirked.

"Can we get on with rehearsal?" Finn asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Yeah!" Rachel agreed.

"I agree, yes. Let's stay focused, guys." Mr. Schue nodded. "Alright, Riff Raff, Columbia and Magenta team one, take yours places. Let's rock n' roll."

***

"Hey, girl." Mercedes said, as she stopped by Piper as the girl rummaged through her locker. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" PIper frowned.

"Mike's parents didn't like the idea of Mike playing a man in thighs and stuff." Mercedes said, as Piper raised an eyebrow at her. "They pulled him out of the play."

"They what?" She asked, as Mercedes just hummed in confirmation. "But what now? How's gonna be Frankenfurter?"

At that, Mercedes fell silent. Piper frowned again, closing her locker as she placed her books in her bag before spinning around to stand beside Mercedes, leaning against her locker. As soon as she did, however, she kind of wished she hadn't because, not ten feet away from them, Piper could see from the corner of her eye as Sam stood beside Quinn by her locker, and, whenever she smiled at something he said, Piper sighed heavily. The girl wasn't entirely sure how long she had been staring at the duo, but it must have been a while because, soon enough, Mercedes snapped her fingers in front of Piper's face as the girl jumped a bit and turned to look at her best friend.

"I've been talking for the past five minutes and you haven't heard a word of it, have you?" She asked.

"Sorry." Piper smiled shyly at Mercedes. The girl just shook her head then, following Piper's eyes and sighing when she saw what she had been staring at.

"They've been closer since their duet last week, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah. I think they might be dating." She shrugged. "I mean, Brittany told me she saw the two of them at Breadstix last Friday and Quinn called it a date."

"Well, last I've heard, Quinn Fabray was still very much single."

"Well, they might not be official yet, but there's definitely something there." Piper sighed, looking over at them one last time before looking away as soon as Sam noticed her stare on them. Turning to look at Mercedes instead, Piper decided to give her best friend the attention she had been craving. "That's not important, though. Tell me what you were saying, please?"

Smiling a bit at her, Mercedes wrapped her arm around Piper's, far too accustomed to the girl's methods of avoiding confronting her feelings properly. So, choosing to help her this time around, Mercedes started to make her way with Piper away from Sam and Quinn as she talked, hoping to distract Piper, even if just for a little bit.

"I said I've been think about playing Frankenfurter."

"Really?" Piper asked then, opening a smile, happy to have something else to think about other than her missed opportunity with Quinn Fabray. "Oh, please, do! I need to see you in a leather bustier!"

***

The musical was a mess, much like everything that the New Directions decided to do. Mike had been pulled out of the play, coach Sylvester was co-directing the whole thing and now Dr. Howell was auditioning for a role? For what? Wasn't he an adult? Was any of this even allowed?

"I don't understand..." Mr. Schue mumbled.

"Well, you guys have a hole to fill and I'm just trying to help fill it." Dr. Howell said, as Santana smirked.

"Wanky."

"Santana!" Ms. Pillsbury squeaked.

"Well, you know, I can't just give you a role!" Mr. Schue protested. "You have to try out."

"Well, fair enough." Dr. Howell nodded. "But, I'll need a lady to sing to. Ems?"

"Okay." Ms. Pillsbury smiled as Dr. Howell turned to the band.

"Hot Patootie, B flat."

And as he started to sing, Piper widened her eyes slightly, never having even imagined that the man that had been to her house countless times for dinner and beer with her dad could sing — and dance — like that. She enjoyed the performance, though, laughing a bit when Mercedes pulled her up to her feet so the two of them could dance with everyone else.

They all clapped and cheered for Carl then, but before anything else could be said, coach Sylvester spoke up.

"Wait, wait!" She yelled. "This will not do!"

"Excuse me?" Dr. Howell asked.

"For this musical to continue we need a Frankenfurter, not an Eddie!" The woman said. "Eddie was eliminated in my rewrites!"

"Sue's right." Mr. Schue smirked then, clearly a lot happier with that fact than he should be. "You want to play in our sandbox? Sing a Frankenfurter number."

"Well, I'm sorry, bro." Dr. Howell said. "I think it's fine to wear that Franken-bustier in the privacy of your own home – I'm freaky like that. But, don't you think it's a little inappropriate in a high school musical? At least if I play Eddie, I won't have to grind up against the students. You know Eddie's an important role. If I did it, I'd be showing my support for the arts."

"Are you telling me how to direct my show?" Mr. Schue asked, suddenly growing very aggressive.

Before a fight could ensue, Piper remembered the talk she had had with Mercedes a few hours before — because, yes, she was paying attention — and turned to her, pushing her forward a bit.

"There's your chance, Cedes." She said, as the girl turned to her wide eyed. "Don't dream it, right? Be it. So... Go be Frankenfurter."

Looking at Piper one last time for reassurance, Mercedes smiled when her best friend nodded at her.

"Mr. Schue?" She called, causing everyone to stop and look at her. "I'd like to play Frankenfurter. I was re-reading the script yesterday and it said, Don't dream it, be it. And it's my dream to play a lead role so, I figure, why not me? I mean, I'd be all kinds of crazy sexy in that outfit. And, I can reinterpret the number a little bit, making it more modern. I'd really like the chance Mr. Schue."

Piper could see Mr. Schuester was hesitant, but before she could even start to try and figure out why, coach Sylvester smirked, hitting Mr. Schue in the back.

"Well, there you go, Will." She said, as Mr. Schue grimaced a bit. "You killed two birds with one stone here today. Congratulations! Look, you got yourself a Frankenfurter and an Eddie. This is outstanding!"

***

"Okay, guys." Mr. Schue yelled into the microphone as Piper fixed her glittery red hat atop of her head in preparation for the number. "Places!"

"Hum, Mr. Schue?" Finn called, as soon as the curtains opened. "I know I'm supposed to be in my underwear for this scene and I'm totally down with that but, hum, I thought I'd save it for the opening, if that's okay?"

"Hum, also, Ms. Pillsbury?" Sam said, as he walked out onto the stage in some very tight golden shorts. "Is there a way I can wear some gold board shorts or something? These are really short and I'm afraid I'm going to show off some nuttage."

"Well..."

"We'll take a note." Mr. Schue said. "We can't stop guys! It's a dress rehearsal. C'mon, keep going! And action!"

"Oh, Brad!" Rachel whined, getting into character. "Let's get out of here. I'm cold and I'm wet and I'm just plain scared!"

"Well, I'm here and there's nothing to worry about." Finn said, as Mercedes came down from the elevator looking as flawless as ever.

And as the kids performed Sweet Transvestite, they ended up having a lot of fun, smiling when Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury clapped after they were done. Piper barely had time to enjoy it, though, jumping a bit, alarmed, when the fake wall was destroyed by Dr. Howell riding into the stage in his motorbike.

"Now, that's an entrance!" Ms. Pillsbury smiled as Mr. Schue looked less than pleased beside her.

"Mr. Director, did I take that wall out right?" Dr. Howell asked, pulling his helmet from his head.

"You're two acts early, Carl!" Mr. Schue sighed. "You're supposed to bust through the dinner party scene!"

"Well, I was sort of feeling my entrance in this scene." Dr. Howell shrugged.

"Such good, good interesting impulses." Ms. Pillsbury clapped excitedly as Piper shook her head at the scene, exchanging a glance with Mercedes as the two girls giggled quietly.

"Bravo, Carl!" Mr. Schue spat sarcastically. "Bravo."

***

Apparently, what had taken Mr. Schue to realize that maybe Rocky Horror wasn't the best musical for a high school production was Finn walking into school in nothing but his underwear and his and Dr. Howell's confrontation in front of all of the kids over Ms. Pillsbury. And now, there he was, apologizing to the kids after the hot mess that had been that week.

"I want to apologize for putting you guys through all of this, particularly, Finn and Sam." Mr. Schue said, as both boys shrugged a bit.

"It's cool, Mr. Schue." Finn said. "I'm sure all the teasing will die down by the time our tenth reunion rolls around."

"And I got asked to be June in the men of McKinley High calendar." Sam said.

"I'm happy for you but we still can't do the musical." Mr. Schue said, slightly confused, but choosing to ignore it. "I was wrong. Rocky Horror isn't about pushing boundaries or making an audience accept a certain rebellious point of view. Those were my reasons for doing it and they aren't worth risking what we have here. When I was younger and they started midnight shows of Rocky Horror it wasn't for envelope-pushers. It was for outcasts. People on the fringes who had no place left to go but were searching for some place, any place where they felt like they belonged. Sound familiar? The truth is, with that perspective Rocky Horror is the perfect show for this club."

"Well, then why aren't we putting it on?" Santana asked.

"We're still going to perform Rocky Horror, we're just not doing it for an audience." Mr. Schue said, as all the kids smiled and cheered. "We're doing it for ourselves."