The Ballad of Kitty and Artie
by Wilde Abrams
Author’s Notes:
Artie and Kitty are an epic couple in the sense that their relationship was built by the writers over the period of a year before bringing them together officially on screen. How much of that was preplanned and how much of it was their writing to the characters obvious chemistry we may never know. But to we the viewers it does not really matter, because its just as enjoyable.
Unfortunately, despite what Ian Brennon said in an interview back in February 2014, the producers chose not to keep them together after he graduated, nor did they give the characters relationship real closure. We the viewers are left to just assume that they broke up off screen. I personally don’t accept that, and have been inspired to write about this amazing couple.
Glee has been criticized because the new characters supposedly didn’t gel as well as the original cast. I don’t really agree, but if there is any truth to it, it is because of the producers tendency to come up with any excuse they could to bring back the alumni, and downplay the new cast. Often they just sat there, or in one case, several of them were completely written out of an episode (“I Do”). I’m not going to make that mistake here and the Alumni will be used only when the story really calls it (or they actually appeared in the episode). Otherwise the stories will center on the McKinley set group.
Glee has had so many story lines that were started and then dropped inexplicably, or were not given a proper resolution. I think it’s a shame that the writers seem intent on doing the same with this one, even though this one is one of the few that actually makes sense long term. You would need to be blind not to see the mutual attraction between them long before Love Love Love.
Then the producers chose to abandon the Lima cast. Kitty was seen crying at Artie’s graduation. Why? Did she and Artie break up? Did she just know that they would grow apart? We don’t know, so it is our duty as fanfic writers to answer them for our own enjoyment as well as that of others. I’m trying to weave some of these things together and provide some answers and resolutions. Here and there you will see things connected for other people as well.
For the record I saw Artie and Kitty happening long before the Guilty Pleasures episode and honestly I think before Dynamic Duets. There was a connection of sorts all the way back in The New Rachel. On the surface they don’t seem to fit, but as you look at their histories and what happened during Kitty’s Sophmore year they make a lot of sense.
This is the first of three parts of my my WildeAbrams fanfic. It covers Kitty’s and Artie’s back stories, and tells how she and Artie met and gradually fell in love and started dating during seasons four and five of the show. It is a work in progress, but expected to be about 35 or so parts when complete. It will run until just after graduation (New Directions). The second story, In My Arms Again (Somewhere, Somehow), which is complete, was my first WildeAbrsms story, and is the goodbye for Kitty and Artie that the producers were lazy, or didn’t care enough to write and film. It also serves as a bridge between the others. The third part, entitled Glee: A New Beginning, is a multiple-part, all new, collection of stories chronicling the fictitious 6th and 7th season (Kitty and the others junior and senior years) which the producers don’t care enough to do. Parts 1 and 3 are being written simultaneously so you will see additional chapters in both parts appearing on here as inspiration hits and I feel they are ready for publication. From time to time you may also see stand alone stories, and alternate versions as well.
This story will cover every major and most minor things that happened to Kitty during her sophomore year and beyond, filling in a lot of holes and attempting to answer a lot of questions. As I write this the story is not yet done but large parts are, and I have a detailed outline. If you have any suggestions or feedback pleased leave them in the comments and I will see what I can do about incorporating them.
The third part of the story is going to be mostly AU (Alternate Universe), but refer to the New York people and what they were doing to promote believability. I’m glossing over and ignoring most of Tested, because I don’t find it believable. I’m also ignoring the last story arc do season. 5 where Rachel walked away from her lifelong dream of Funny Girl on Browdway to take a chance on a TV show, something we never knew she wanted. Also out is everything in season 6 since it’s completely incompatible with everything else I’m writing.
So when you are ready, go get something to drink and settle in as we journey together back to back to the New Directions’ victory at Nationals..
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There was no doubt in her mind that Kitty Wilde was in love with Artie Abrams. As she stared deeply into his eyes, her mind went back over the roller coaster last several years, the significant time she had spent with him, and how it had changed her life .
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[ Backstory: Kitty Wilde ]
Katherine Wilde was born on September 21, 1996 to Andrea and William Wilde, an evangelical Christian family. William was a powerful attorney, and Andrea was a successful realtor. Andrea was a former Miss Ohio, so appearance was something that was always stressed to Katherine as a child. She’d been entered in several beauty contests when she was young, and won a couple of them. Along with her parents, she had been active in her church from a young age and had attended Bible Camp every summer as a child, winning several awards. She took dance lessons starting at age 4, and started gymnastics at 6. She also did horseback riding until her horse Mr. JoJo broke her hymen.
Her parents had taught her that popularity, power, and money were necessary to succeed and prosper in life. Wherever she was, she did whatever she had to do to gain the popularity, because with it came power, and in time that would lead to wealth and success.
She was one of the most popular girls I’m her elementary school class, until sixth grade when a conflict with her best friend Julie turned all of her former friends against her. Years of cultivated relationships gone in an instant, with little or no hope of recovery.
Then the bullying began, and after a while it got so bad that it was decided that she would switch schools and make a start fresh.
This time she would be more careful and kept her “friends” at arms length; careful not to trust anyone enough to give them enough information to hurt her. Julie had only been able hurt her because they were on the same level in the socisl structure. She would need to make sure to keep everyone else below her. Her parents told her that this was necessary to prevent what had happened with Julie from happening again.
She lived this reality after her fresh start. In middle school she spent time with her classmates, but she didn’t have any she really considered friends. She needed to maintain the upper hand in every relationship. None of her friends could be her equal ever again, so that she would win any conflict. People needed to want to be friends with her, she did not need to be real friends with anybody else.
After some of her previous experiences with so called friends, she knew how fleeting friendships could be, and how painful it could be when they ended. She wanted to avoid that feeling at all costs, so she did everything in her power to avoid getting too close to anyone. If she felt that things were crossing a line she would lash out and push them away by whatever means necessary.
Because of this, she had no close relationships, and the few she did have were more acquaintances than friends. None of them really knew her, and those that thought they did really didn’t. It was the same way with guys, so as a result she had never had a real boyfriend before, just friends and guys to manipulate and have a little fun with. As a result, Katherine lived a fairly lonely existence.
Things changed a bit in high school because it was a whole new environment. During her freshman year Katherine Wilde kept to herself at school a lot, observing. She was a member of all the right clubs, and paid close attention to the popular students at school, planning her move to gain popularity and power. But she really didn’t socialize much outside of club meetings.
By the spring of her freshmen year she had hatched a plan to cease what she wanted. The most popular group at the school were the Cheerios, and in particular one Cheerio, Quinn Fabray. They were as close to school royalty as McKinley High had.
She paid extra special attention to Quinn, and began to idolize her. But the more she paid attention to her the more of a mystery Quinn became. She was the on-again-off-again head Cheerio. She’d been pregnant as a sophomore by a guy who wasn’t her boyfriend. She’d gone off the deep end and gotten a Ryan Seacrest tattoo. She’d dated football players. But she’d also been a members of the school glee club, also called New Directions, and dated several of its members, which didn’t make any sense, because glee club members were by definition geeks. This should have sunk her popularity and cool factor, but didn’t. Despite everything she maintained her popularity. Even when it slipped a bit she always bounced back. This made no sense to Katherine.
Katherine decided that she needed to become a member of the Cheerios, and more importantly she neede to be like Quinn.
In order to do that, Katherine had to change her image and convince Coach Sylvester to put her on the squad. At her old school she had been on the gymnastics team and she had started taking dance lessons as a little girl, so once she had put in some practice and gotten back into shape, it had been a relatively simple thing to try out for and win a spot on the next year’s squad. Most of the prominent members were graduating so there were several open slots. She drew her long blonde hair up into a ponytail and shy, quiet, Katherine Wilde, became Kitty Wilde, the Quinn Fabray heir apparent … in more ways than she would realize at the time….
Kitty hadn’t really paid much attention to the glee club beyond its existence, let alone specific members. But she knew that one of them was in a wheelchair and had been seen hanging out with Quinn after she had been in a car accident and temporarily lost her ability to walk, but that was about it.
The most interesting thing about them was that three of that most prominent members of the Cheerios: Quinn, Santana Lopez, and Brittany S Pierce, were also members of the glee club. With those three exceptions, the glee club was apparently nothing but a bunch of losers and she did not understand why Quinn and the others had anything to do with them. Most of the rest of the school seemed to share this view.
That all changed near the end of the year when the glee club, had won the National Show Choir competition. After that, everybody paid attention to them and suddenly their popularity had skyrocketed, almost, but not quite to the level of the Cheerios,
She stood in the back as the New Directions were welcomed home amid great fanfare after their win and was mystified to see people she had seen torment them in the halls with slushie facials in the past, now throw confetti at them instead. She resolved to figure out what the deal was with this club.
[ Backstory: Artie Abrams ]
Arthur “Artie” Abrams was born April 28, 1994 to James and Nancy Abrams in Lima Ohio. When he was eight years old Artie and his mother were Involved in a car accident which resulted in him being injured and being paralyzed from the legs down, and having to use a wheelchair. He had only slight use of his thigh muscles but fortunately retained his sexually functionality.
Artie’s parents were divorced and he lived with his mother, although his father remained in his life and attended his school events and transported him to events as needed. Artie’s mom dedicated a significant portion of her life and energy to taking care of his needs, something he felt a great debt of gratitude toward her for.
At first glance Artie seemed like a sweet quiet nerdy boy who was simply trying to get by just like everyone else. However Artie was very sensitive and could be a surprisingly defensive person when either provoked or when he was passionate about something. Although he had always tried not to let his disability define him, at times he had little choice because of how the people around him treated him.
Because of his unique challenges, he sometimes felt like an outsider and that only people with similar disabilities could truly understand him. While he had reached a point where he was comfortable with his wheelchair, there were times when he felt frustrated because of the ways that it limited him. However, he was more than just the wheelchair kid. He was an amazing friend, strong singer and a key member of the new directions and had helped hold the group together on more than one occasion.
One of his talents was teaching and guiding individuals, however there were times when he came off as being judgmental and bossy. Artie was instrumental in getting additional handi-capable ramps added to McKinley high. When he started there was only one ramp at the entrance and now they were several throughout the building making it much more accessible to he and other future students in wheelchairs. Artie liked all kinds of music, but was particularly fond of Michael Jackson.
Artie refused to let his disability get in the way of his ambitions, for example he was a member of the football team for part of his sophomore year, and he was a founding member of the Glee Club entitled The New Directions which he joined with his best friend Tina Cohen-Chang. He was also a member of the McKinley High Jazz Ensemble in which she played the guitar.
Artie was an amazing singer and performer, however his true passion was directing movies which he has wanted to do since he was very young. His dream was to attend film school after he graduated from high school. During his junior year Artie was the student director of McKinley high production of West side story and directed a Christmas special starring members of the glee club for local TV station.
For a time he also dreamed of a cure for his disability, and the day when he would be able to get his ability to walk back and actually dance again, however the reality of such a thing eventually set in and he resolved to making peace with the fact he was in his chair, possibly for the rest of his life.
The first girl that Artie dated was his friend Tina Cohen-Chang, however he ended that shortly after they shared their first kiss, and he found out that the stutter that she had was fake. The two of them did date again sometime later but that also ended during the summer between their freshman and sophomore years when Tina fell in love with someone else. He also dated Brittany S Pierce for a time during his sophomore year, and it was Britney who took his virginity, in an attempt to help him get over his feelings for Tina. Sadly this was a very traumatic experience for him and did not mean very much to her because he was one of many sexual partners for her. They continued to date for part of that year, and experience a brief pregnancy scare. Their relationship ended after it became apparent that Britney was cheating on him with Santana Lopez; although she did not believe it to be cheating at the time because Santana was a woman. During his junior year, Artie had it on-again off-again relationship with glee club member Sugar Motta, but they were never that serious. He also went on a single date with Becky Jackson a classmate with down syndrome who was also on the Cheerios and has a hard time accepting that while he enjoyed their time together, he saw her as more of a friend.
As a member of the 2012 National High School National Show Choir Champions, The New Directions, Artie along with the other glee club members achieved a newfound popularity going into his senior year. He could now be seen having lunch with Cheerios being interviewed by Joseph Ben-Israel, and his days of getting a slushy in the face appeared to be over.