His Perfect Partner (20/?)
Title: His Perfect Partner (20/?)
Rating: NC-17 overall, PG-13 this chapter
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through 3.18 is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2267
Summary: After five disappointing seasons on the show, professional dancer Kurt Hummel finally has his chance at ballroom glory. With actress and fan favorite Kim Schrodinger as his partner, Kurt vows to channel all his focus into winning that mirrorball trophy - distractions, including men, be damned. Enter Blaine Anderson, a gorgeous, confusing pop star who may turn out to be the biggest distraction of them all.
In This Chapter: Midway through the next week, the remaining cast members gather to talk before rehearsal. Kim gives Kurt an important deadline.
Author's Note: This is a Dancing with the Stars/Glee crossover AU, in which Kurt grew up dancing and became a professional on the show in his mid-twenties, and Blaine is a pop star with a very private private life. Other familiar Glee faces, some actual DWTS pros, and a couple of OCs appear to round out the cast of characters. I'll be posting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. I have a master glee post here, or follow my bff's tumblr for updates and some fun multi-media extras that will go along with many chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times. Extra thanks to those of you who checked in when I wasn't able to post yesterday; we're back on schedule now!
“So explain to me again why I’m carrying a giant platter of scones?” Kim asked as they walked into the rehearsal building on Friday morning. Kurt had found her in the parking lot on the way to cha cha dance-off rehearsal and had enlisted her to help him carry things.
“It’s tradition. The six pros who make it to dance-off week always bring breakfast for everyone, so we can all sit around and talk about our feelings now that we’re one big, happy family,” Kurt replied, frowning. He would have used air quotes if his hands hadn’t been full.
“Did you wake up on the grumpy side of the bed?” Kim asked, turning to study him. “You were all giddy and ridiculous earlier in the week, but you’ve been getting surlier and surlier. We rehearsed for almost 14 hours yesterday, and you spent an entire hour correcting my finger placement.”
Kurt shifted uncomfortably, knowing that Kim was right. She stared at him a little longer, her expression turning thoughtful.
“Either you’ve had a personality transplant, or…wait…are you sexually frustrated? How is that even possible?”
“Maybe because I’m not having sex?” Kurt replied.
“Oh, boy. This should be a good story.” Kim deposited her platter on a table in the hallway and motioned for Kurt to do the same. Clearly, she wasn’t letting him have breakfast until he’d explained. “Last I checked, you had a really hot boyfriend who couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself.”
“Um, well, yes.” Kurt fidgeted. He knew this was going to sound stupid when he said it out loud. “But things have been so busy and rehearsals make us both exhausted and we’ve kind of silently agreed to wait for an opportune moment but it hasn’t really appeared yet.”
“You two are idiots.”
“That’s probably true too.” Kurt ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Kim imploringly.
“Ok, so, solutions.” Kim propped her hands on her hips and looked him over. “Because you have to get laid before we perform.”
“Seriously? This is your concern?”
“I thought you’d be impressed by my focus and dedication,” Kim said, grinning. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Mmhm. That’s what this is about, I’m sure. Because you definitely don’t want details.”
“Now don’t go putting words in my mouth,” Kim said. She winked at him. “But seriously, I will take one for the team so you can have some time off and manage a sexy Saturday. Especially since you’re making it possible for me to have an actual night out tonight. I owe you. Just don’t have sex on my couch.”
“Oh my god, Kim!” Kurt covered his face with both hands. “I am just…I am not…your children will be home!”
“Uh huh, and don’t think that’s ever stopped us.”
“Ok, ew. Stop. Just stop. I promise not to defile your couch if you’ll promise to stop traumatizing me with mental images.”
“Deal.” Kim reached over to grab his wrists so she could see his face. “So we’ll rehearse today and tomorrow morning, and then you’ll take a much-needed break?”
“Ok.”
“Excellent. I’ll expect a full report!” Kim smirked at him. He was about to reply when he heard movement behind him.
“A full report of what?” Blaine asked, coming up next to Kurt and sliding one arm around his waist. Kurt tried not to look like he’d been discussing their lack of sex life with his partner.
“Of how insane my children are tonight,” Kim said smoothly. “I’m hoping you’ll both still be my friends tomorrow.”
“I’m sure they’ll be great,” Blaine replied, his fingers moving lightly against Kurt’s hip. Kurt had to will himself not to think about anything untoward. They were in public, and Kim would enjoy it way too much.
“I guess we should get to rehearsal, or breakfast, or whatever this is,” Kim said, reaching around to pick up her tray of scones. “C’mon, Kurt. Time’s a’wasting!”
Blaine looked curiously at him, but Kurt only rolled his eyes and hefted his own tray. Then he stopped, turned around, and waited for Blaine to catch up so he could get a good morning kiss.
When he walked into the rehearsal studio a minute later, Kurt was smiling.
***
Twenty minutes later, all six couples had arrived, along with their designated breakfast foods. Lacey passed out coffee before sitting down next to Puck, who was deep in conversation with Lauren and Mike. Bitsy had recruited Maks, under severe protest, to help with plating the food, while Santana and Kim surreptitiously poured champagne into everyone’s juice. Quinn and Mark were working on their mambo steps while they waited for their breakfasts, which left Blaine and Kurt to their own devices.
Kurt was propped up against the mirror, legs splayed, while Blaine sat in front of him, his head tilted back to rest on one of Kurt’s shoulders. Kurt’s arms were wrapped around Blaine’s middle, holding him close, and Blaine was idly toying with the hem of Kurt’s shirt sleeve while he rambled about the late samba rehearsal he’d had with Bitsy the night before.
“It’s definitely fun,” Blaine said, “but the weird bounce thing is weird. I feel like a dork when I do it.”
“You are a dork,” Kurt said affectionately. “What you showed me at lunch yesterday looks good, though. Give it another day to settle, and you’ll be fine.”
“You think?” Blaine blinked up at Kurt.
“I do. You’re good at this, Blaine.”
“Thanks.” Blaine sat up to kiss Kurt’s cheek, and then cuddled closer.
“So speaking of rehearsal,” Kurt began, “what’s your schedule tomorrow? Kim wants to take a break tomorrow afternoon, so I thought maybe we could do something together. Maybe go to the open air market and then make dinner?”
“Like a proper date? Whoever heard of such a thing?” Blaine teased, bringing his hands up to tangle his fingers with Kurt’s at his waist.
“I know, it’s a novel idea, but I’ve heard that people who are dating occasionally do things like that,” Kurt replied, rolling his eyes and grinning.
“Then I suppose we have to try it.” Blaine said. Then, more quietly, he added, “That sounds really nice. I’d like that.”
“Me too.” Kurt rested his head against Blaine’s, smiling softly. A minute later, he heard heels approaching and looked up to see Santana standing in front of them, hands on her hips. “Yes?”
“If you’re done being nauseating, can we get this train wreck over with?” she asked, gesturing around the room with a half-empty bottle of champagne. Maks walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck.
“Stop being a bitch just because your little blonde isn’t here, Tana. You’ll see her in a couple of hours,” Maks said, smirking when she turned her glare on him. Kurt thought idly that they really were ideal partners for one another.
Maks raised his voice to get everyone’s attention, and then made everyone sit in a circle so he and Bitsy could hand out breakfast. Once they were all settled and eating, he waved one hand in the air for attention.
“Ok, so, as the elder statesman of this motley crew, it falls to me to explain what the hell we’re up to. In about half an hour, the camera people are going to get here, and Hummel and Marky Mark are going to start arguing about cha cha choreography and couple placement. Before we get to that fun experience, though, we get to eat and drink and talk. Because trust me when I say that, though you’ve made it more than halfway, the show only gets crazier from here.”
“Yep,” Lacey said from her spot across the circle. “And the twelve of us are the only ones who get just how insane it is. So think of this as a chance to spill your guts without judgment. We know what you’re going through, and we can commiserate.”
“Well,” Puck spoke up from next to Lacey. “This is insane. That’s for sure. But really, it’s cool. I didn’t know what awesome dudes you would all turn out to be.”
“I agree with Puck, or what I think he’s trying to say,” Quinn said. “I thought this would be a fun and interesting thing to do, but I didn’t realize I’d get to make all these great friends. It’s hard, of course, but it’s a great experience.”
Around the circle, other people were nodding their heads.
“I mean, I know I have a lot of reasons to like being here,” Blaine said, grinning and touching the back of Kurt’s hand. A ripple of laughter traveled around the circle as he shrugged. “But besides the obvious, being a part of this show is really changing my life. I didn’t know I could push myself like this, or that I could care so much about something that doesn’t come as naturally as singing does.”
“It sucks you in,” Santana said. “I came on the show because my publicist insisted, but I don’t actually hate it.”
“Bold words of happiness from my partner,” Maks quipped, earning himself a poke in the side. “I know what you’re saying though. By this point, if you’re still here fighting through two dances a week, you’ve caught the bug, and now you want to win.”
“And how!” Kim said. “I’m a bit of a competitor naturally, but this just makes me want to leave you all in my glittery, sequined, high-heeled dust. And I’m not even exaggerating. I will crush you all if I have to.”
“Oh, bring it, lady,” Santana said, and the two women grinned at one another.
“So anyway,” Mark said, trying to bring things back under control. “Remember that we’re here for you over the next few weeks, when things get too crazy. Work hard, but take breaks and have some fun too. After rehearsal, of course.”
Kurt took that as his cue to get up and start clearing plates away so they could get ready to work through the dance off. He and Mark, the designated choreographers for each team, had met the night before to listen to the music and sort out the basics of timing and positioning. Today, they’d be walking the group through the whole thing, teaching the group portions, and assigning solo spots so that couples could work on their parts individually later that afternoon.
The six couples still in the competition had been split into two roughly equal groups by their ability. Blaine and Bitsy were dancing with Quinn and Mark and Lauren and Mike, which meant that Kim and Kurt ended up with Puck and Lacey and Santana and Maks. The other pros had been perfectly happy to let Mark and Kurt deal with the group choreography, and were on duty to dance in the next results show instead.
Kurt and Mark gathered the other pros for a quick run-through of the staging and then taught them the group choreography, which would come at the end of the dance. They were dancing to We Found Love, a great, upbeat cha cha number that gave them room for a lot of flourishes. The judges had even said they could do small lifts, so the couples were all excited to try some new moves.
When they’d gotten the basics, the teams broke into two groups to talk through the progression from one couple to the next. Mark’s group would take the first third of the song for their solo spots. Quinn and Mark were leading off, followed by Lauren and Mike. Blaine and Bitsy would go last and then be joined by the other two couples for the long transition between verses.
Kurt’s group decided to let Santana and Maks lead off and put Puck and Lacey in the middle. Kim and Kurt would go last, before their team’s group section. Kim gave Kurt a thumbs up, obviously realizing that going last was the best place to be competitively.
After another fifteen minutes of sorting out entrances and exits, everyone took a few minutes to talk through the ideas they had for their solo sections with their partners. Kurt pulled Kim to the far side of the room, suddenly sure about what they were going to do.
“I have two words for you, partner of mine,” he said. “Triple turns.”
“Triple? Oh, god. That sounds dangerous,” Kim said, concerned.
“Nah. You’re great at spotting and your balance is way above average. No one else can pull off a series of turns, and it’ll set you apart.” Now was the time to make their mark; Kurt was sure of it.
“Well, if I throw up on your shoes, you’re cleaning it up,” Kim said, and Kurt knew he’d won.
“Don’t worry - we have all afternoon to work on it, and then two days after that.”
“Oh, yes, because two days of rehearsal will make me an expert.”
“On this show it will!” Kurt smiled at Kim, who eventually smiled back.
“Why do I let you talk me into these things, Kurtsie?”
“Because you adore me and I’m babysitting your children and I let you call me revolting things like ‘Kurtsie.’”
“Oh. Right.” Kim grinned sheepishly at him. “I guess you’re alright.”
“And you’re going to be awesome. Trust me.”
“You haven’t steered me wrong so far.”
“Exactly,” Kurt replied.
If his luck held, that would continue to be true. Only four performance shows stood between them and victory. All their hard work was paying off - if they could just keep up their pace for another month, the trophy could be theirs.
Rating: NC-17 overall, PG-13 this chapter
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through 3.18 is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2267
Summary: After five disappointing seasons on the show, professional dancer Kurt Hummel finally has his chance at ballroom glory. With actress and fan favorite Kim Schrodinger as his partner, Kurt vows to channel all his focus into winning that mirrorball trophy - distractions, including men, be damned. Enter Blaine Anderson, a gorgeous, confusing pop star who may turn out to be the biggest distraction of them all.
In This Chapter: Midway through the next week, the remaining cast members gather to talk before rehearsal. Kim gives Kurt an important deadline.
Author's Note: This is a Dancing with the Stars/Glee crossover AU, in which Kurt grew up dancing and became a professional on the show in his mid-twenties, and Blaine is a pop star with a very private private life. Other familiar Glee faces, some actual DWTS pros, and a couple of OCs appear to round out the cast of characters. I'll be posting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. I have a master glee post here, or follow my bff's tumblr for updates and some fun multi-media extras that will go along with many chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times. Extra thanks to those of you who checked in when I wasn't able to post yesterday; we're back on schedule now!
“So explain to me again why I’m carrying a giant platter of scones?” Kim asked as they walked into the rehearsal building on Friday morning. Kurt had found her in the parking lot on the way to cha cha dance-off rehearsal and had enlisted her to help him carry things.
“It’s tradition. The six pros who make it to dance-off week always bring breakfast for everyone, so we can all sit around and talk about our feelings now that we’re one big, happy family,” Kurt replied, frowning. He would have used air quotes if his hands hadn’t been full.
“Did you wake up on the grumpy side of the bed?” Kim asked, turning to study him. “You were all giddy and ridiculous earlier in the week, but you’ve been getting surlier and surlier. We rehearsed for almost 14 hours yesterday, and you spent an entire hour correcting my finger placement.”
Kurt shifted uncomfortably, knowing that Kim was right. She stared at him a little longer, her expression turning thoughtful.
“Either you’ve had a personality transplant, or…wait…are you sexually frustrated? How is that even possible?”
“Maybe because I’m not having sex?” Kurt replied.
“Oh, boy. This should be a good story.” Kim deposited her platter on a table in the hallway and motioned for Kurt to do the same. Clearly, she wasn’t letting him have breakfast until he’d explained. “Last I checked, you had a really hot boyfriend who couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself.”
“Um, well, yes.” Kurt fidgeted. He knew this was going to sound stupid when he said it out loud. “But things have been so busy and rehearsals make us both exhausted and we’ve kind of silently agreed to wait for an opportune moment but it hasn’t really appeared yet.”
“You two are idiots.”
“That’s probably true too.” Kurt ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Kim imploringly.
“Ok, so, solutions.” Kim propped her hands on her hips and looked him over. “Because you have to get laid before we perform.”
“Seriously? This is your concern?”
“I thought you’d be impressed by my focus and dedication,” Kim said, grinning. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Mmhm. That’s what this is about, I’m sure. Because you definitely don’t want details.”
“Now don’t go putting words in my mouth,” Kim said. She winked at him. “But seriously, I will take one for the team so you can have some time off and manage a sexy Saturday. Especially since you’re making it possible for me to have an actual night out tonight. I owe you. Just don’t have sex on my couch.”
“Oh my god, Kim!” Kurt covered his face with both hands. “I am just…I am not…your children will be home!”
“Uh huh, and don’t think that’s ever stopped us.”
“Ok, ew. Stop. Just stop. I promise not to defile your couch if you’ll promise to stop traumatizing me with mental images.”
“Deal.” Kim reached over to grab his wrists so she could see his face. “So we’ll rehearse today and tomorrow morning, and then you’ll take a much-needed break?”
“Ok.”
“Excellent. I’ll expect a full report!” Kim smirked at him. He was about to reply when he heard movement behind him.
“A full report of what?” Blaine asked, coming up next to Kurt and sliding one arm around his waist. Kurt tried not to look like he’d been discussing their lack of sex life with his partner.
“Of how insane my children are tonight,” Kim said smoothly. “I’m hoping you’ll both still be my friends tomorrow.”
“I’m sure they’ll be great,” Blaine replied, his fingers moving lightly against Kurt’s hip. Kurt had to will himself not to think about anything untoward. They were in public, and Kim would enjoy it way too much.
“I guess we should get to rehearsal, or breakfast, or whatever this is,” Kim said, reaching around to pick up her tray of scones. “C’mon, Kurt. Time’s a’wasting!”
Blaine looked curiously at him, but Kurt only rolled his eyes and hefted his own tray. Then he stopped, turned around, and waited for Blaine to catch up so he could get a good morning kiss.
When he walked into the rehearsal studio a minute later, Kurt was smiling.
***
Twenty minutes later, all six couples had arrived, along with their designated breakfast foods. Lacey passed out coffee before sitting down next to Puck, who was deep in conversation with Lauren and Mike. Bitsy had recruited Maks, under severe protest, to help with plating the food, while Santana and Kim surreptitiously poured champagne into everyone’s juice. Quinn and Mark were working on their mambo steps while they waited for their breakfasts, which left Blaine and Kurt to their own devices.
Kurt was propped up against the mirror, legs splayed, while Blaine sat in front of him, his head tilted back to rest on one of Kurt’s shoulders. Kurt’s arms were wrapped around Blaine’s middle, holding him close, and Blaine was idly toying with the hem of Kurt’s shirt sleeve while he rambled about the late samba rehearsal he’d had with Bitsy the night before.
“It’s definitely fun,” Blaine said, “but the weird bounce thing is weird. I feel like a dork when I do it.”
“You are a dork,” Kurt said affectionately. “What you showed me at lunch yesterday looks good, though. Give it another day to settle, and you’ll be fine.”
“You think?” Blaine blinked up at Kurt.
“I do. You’re good at this, Blaine.”
“Thanks.” Blaine sat up to kiss Kurt’s cheek, and then cuddled closer.
“So speaking of rehearsal,” Kurt began, “what’s your schedule tomorrow? Kim wants to take a break tomorrow afternoon, so I thought maybe we could do something together. Maybe go to the open air market and then make dinner?”
“Like a proper date? Whoever heard of such a thing?” Blaine teased, bringing his hands up to tangle his fingers with Kurt’s at his waist.
“I know, it’s a novel idea, but I’ve heard that people who are dating occasionally do things like that,” Kurt replied, rolling his eyes and grinning.
“Then I suppose we have to try it.” Blaine said. Then, more quietly, he added, “That sounds really nice. I’d like that.”
“Me too.” Kurt rested his head against Blaine’s, smiling softly. A minute later, he heard heels approaching and looked up to see Santana standing in front of them, hands on her hips. “Yes?”
“If you’re done being nauseating, can we get this train wreck over with?” she asked, gesturing around the room with a half-empty bottle of champagne. Maks walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck.
“Stop being a bitch just because your little blonde isn’t here, Tana. You’ll see her in a couple of hours,” Maks said, smirking when she turned her glare on him. Kurt thought idly that they really were ideal partners for one another.
Maks raised his voice to get everyone’s attention, and then made everyone sit in a circle so he and Bitsy could hand out breakfast. Once they were all settled and eating, he waved one hand in the air for attention.
“Ok, so, as the elder statesman of this motley crew, it falls to me to explain what the hell we’re up to. In about half an hour, the camera people are going to get here, and Hummel and Marky Mark are going to start arguing about cha cha choreography and couple placement. Before we get to that fun experience, though, we get to eat and drink and talk. Because trust me when I say that, though you’ve made it more than halfway, the show only gets crazier from here.”
“Yep,” Lacey said from her spot across the circle. “And the twelve of us are the only ones who get just how insane it is. So think of this as a chance to spill your guts without judgment. We know what you’re going through, and we can commiserate.”
“Well,” Puck spoke up from next to Lacey. “This is insane. That’s for sure. But really, it’s cool. I didn’t know what awesome dudes you would all turn out to be.”
“I agree with Puck, or what I think he’s trying to say,” Quinn said. “I thought this would be a fun and interesting thing to do, but I didn’t realize I’d get to make all these great friends. It’s hard, of course, but it’s a great experience.”
Around the circle, other people were nodding their heads.
“I mean, I know I have a lot of reasons to like being here,” Blaine said, grinning and touching the back of Kurt’s hand. A ripple of laughter traveled around the circle as he shrugged. “But besides the obvious, being a part of this show is really changing my life. I didn’t know I could push myself like this, or that I could care so much about something that doesn’t come as naturally as singing does.”
“It sucks you in,” Santana said. “I came on the show because my publicist insisted, but I don’t actually hate it.”
“Bold words of happiness from my partner,” Maks quipped, earning himself a poke in the side. “I know what you’re saying though. By this point, if you’re still here fighting through two dances a week, you’ve caught the bug, and now you want to win.”
“And how!” Kim said. “I’m a bit of a competitor naturally, but this just makes me want to leave you all in my glittery, sequined, high-heeled dust. And I’m not even exaggerating. I will crush you all if I have to.”
“Oh, bring it, lady,” Santana said, and the two women grinned at one another.
“So anyway,” Mark said, trying to bring things back under control. “Remember that we’re here for you over the next few weeks, when things get too crazy. Work hard, but take breaks and have some fun too. After rehearsal, of course.”
Kurt took that as his cue to get up and start clearing plates away so they could get ready to work through the dance off. He and Mark, the designated choreographers for each team, had met the night before to listen to the music and sort out the basics of timing and positioning. Today, they’d be walking the group through the whole thing, teaching the group portions, and assigning solo spots so that couples could work on their parts individually later that afternoon.
The six couples still in the competition had been split into two roughly equal groups by their ability. Blaine and Bitsy were dancing with Quinn and Mark and Lauren and Mike, which meant that Kim and Kurt ended up with Puck and Lacey and Santana and Maks. The other pros had been perfectly happy to let Mark and Kurt deal with the group choreography, and were on duty to dance in the next results show instead.
Kurt and Mark gathered the other pros for a quick run-through of the staging and then taught them the group choreography, which would come at the end of the dance. They were dancing to We Found Love, a great, upbeat cha cha number that gave them room for a lot of flourishes. The judges had even said they could do small lifts, so the couples were all excited to try some new moves.
When they’d gotten the basics, the teams broke into two groups to talk through the progression from one couple to the next. Mark’s group would take the first third of the song for their solo spots. Quinn and Mark were leading off, followed by Lauren and Mike. Blaine and Bitsy would go last and then be joined by the other two couples for the long transition between verses.
Kurt’s group decided to let Santana and Maks lead off and put Puck and Lacey in the middle. Kim and Kurt would go last, before their team’s group section. Kim gave Kurt a thumbs up, obviously realizing that going last was the best place to be competitively.
After another fifteen minutes of sorting out entrances and exits, everyone took a few minutes to talk through the ideas they had for their solo sections with their partners. Kurt pulled Kim to the far side of the room, suddenly sure about what they were going to do.
“I have two words for you, partner of mine,” he said. “Triple turns.”
“Triple? Oh, god. That sounds dangerous,” Kim said, concerned.
“Nah. You’re great at spotting and your balance is way above average. No one else can pull off a series of turns, and it’ll set you apart.” Now was the time to make their mark; Kurt was sure of it.
“Well, if I throw up on your shoes, you’re cleaning it up,” Kim said, and Kurt knew he’d won.
“Don’t worry - we have all afternoon to work on it, and then two days after that.”
“Oh, yes, because two days of rehearsal will make me an expert.”
“On this show it will!” Kurt smiled at Kim, who eventually smiled back.
“Why do I let you talk me into these things, Kurtsie?”
“Because you adore me and I’m babysitting your children and I let you call me revolting things like ‘Kurtsie.’”
“Oh. Right.” Kim grinned sheepishly at him. “I guess you’re alright.”
“And you’re going to be awesome. Trust me.”
“You haven’t steered me wrong so far.”
“Exactly,” Kurt replied.
If his luck held, that would continue to be true. Only four performance shows stood between them and victory. All their hard work was paying off - if they could just keep up their pace for another month, the trophy could be theirs.