Gleeboot (Season 1)

9. Shut Up And Dance

"How are you feeling?" asked Santana as she walked into Sam's office on a mid-November morning bearing hot coffee. "Three days til Sectionals. Are you nervous?"

"Not at all," he said, barely looking up from his laptop. "I think we have a great team. And I have great help."

Santana was about to smile and say she was flattered, until Gwen walked in from behind her carrying a crate from The Lima Bean. She handed a cup to Sam and said, "One very hot latte, half and half."

Sam set it down, getting out of his seat and walking around his desk to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. Santana watched with a horrified expression. "You two have gotten close," she noted.

Sam turned to her as though he had forgotten she was there. "She's been such a huge help to me with glee club," he explained. "Her work on the musical was just the start of it. She was helping out with our Sectionals rehearsals last week and she was a huge part of creating the setlist. She's just such a godsend."

Gwen blushed the entire time he was gassing her up, sheepishly shrugging and then saying, "I only helped a little."

Sam disagreed and as he went on about her, Santana pretended to listen but she was not liking the dynamic. She'd known from the moment they met Gwen that Sam was clearly attracted to her but there was some serious sexual energy between them now. It was more than attraction. He really liked her, she really liked him, and something about it just didn't sit well with Santana.

When Sam finally stopped talking, Santana asked, "Well, is there anything that I can do to help? With Sectionals?"

"Oh I forgot something, actually," he said. "I was supposed to check in with all the glee alum to find out who was going to come watch the competition. I need to reserve seats. Can you reach out to everyone and remind them that it's this Thursday?" Santana began to nod, but Sam was already turning to Gwen and saying, "I can't wait for you to meet my generation of New Directions. Hopefully some can make it."

Santana watched them continue to talk, narrowing her eyes and beginning to plot. She would be very glad to help out.

As soon as she left Sam's office, Santana got on the phone. When the call picked up on the other line, she said, "There is a Code Red. I repeat, a Code Red. I need you to get to Lima. Stat."

She hung up and smiled as she walked on.

***

The New Directions gathered in the auditorium for rehearsals on Tuesday. Mia and Dominic were on stage and Sam stood there with them. 

"Now, it's not terrible," he was saying as everyone else watched on. "It's lukewarm, though. We need fire. I need you both to step up this week. We're not blocking anymore. This is the real deal." 

The bell rang and the kids started to walk off. Mia and Dominic left in opposite directions without a word to each other. 

"See you all after school!" he called out to them. He watched them go and started to wonder if the lack of energy he was getting from his leads was gonna be a problem.

"Maybe they're just nervous," said Gwen when he brought up his concerns in the choir room later.

"That makes me nervous," he said. "I just feel like they're not really in it. And I don't know why or how to fix it."

"Sorry to interrupt," Santana walked in, "but have no fear because your cavalry is here." 

Sam turned to her, confused, until he saw Brittany, Mercedes, and Quinn walking in behind her. "Girls!" he exclaimed, running over to join them in a group hug. As they pulled away, he asked, "What are you doing here?"