It's the dream that freaks Ryder out more than anything. The one he has in the middle of Guilty Pleasures week in glee club. Sam and Blaine are still in charge and that feels good. It's way better than dealing with Mr. Schuester and Finn, who were never even focused on what they were supposed to be doing. Neither one of them really gave a rip about whether or not the club did well.

Anyway, the dream. It's one of those that's so real that Ryder woke up checking his own body for proof, terrified it would be there.

He's been thinking about Unique so often that even in sleep he can't forget about her. She's keeping a low profile. Singing Spice Girls and ignoring him. He's been trying to recover from the beating those assholes gave him, and keep his word to Unique. He wants to do everything he can to protect her. He means that.

All that must have been going into Ryder's subconscious mind because that dream? He can't shake it. The one where he'd opened his eyes and it had been like any other day, but it wasn't because his body…just…felt wrong. It wasn't until he went in to shower in the dream that it had really begun to sink in. His body. It wasn't really his. Because in the dream, he had breasts and hips. His hair was past his shoulders. And his parents were calling through the bathroom door to somebody named Jenny, telling her to hurry or she'd be late for school.

"I'm Ryder," he'd whispered, staring at his own reflection in the mirror, absolutely sure that despite the long hair, and the obvious, totally wrong body parts, he was.

It's been days, and Ryder still can't fully let go of the dream. He remembers getting up and stumbling into the bathroom. Getting sick. And checking himself over and over. Short hair. ("I'm Ryder.") No girl boobs. ("I'm Ryder.") He's fine. But the remnants of the dream are there. God, how does Unique live like this? With her whole body, her name, her world telling her she one thing, when she knows in her heart she is something else?

He lays low for a bit. Doesn't talk to her or push things. He's there, though. He meets her after each class and walks with her to the next one. If she notices a change in him, she doesn't say. Her face is healing, but Ryder knows her spirit is pretty wrecked. And he wants, more than anything, to fix that. But if his dream is any indication, Ryder knows he won't be able to.

The least he can do, though, is be here for her. Treat her like a human being, because she's that. Because she deserves that and so much more.

"I want you to meet my family," he whispers, after they perform the song from Mamma Mia.

"They know about me?" she asks, breathless.

"It doesn't matter. You're my girlfriend. That's what matters," he insists.

"Ryder, you crazy, of course it matters! If your family don't know and they find out by chance, what do you think they'd do?" Unique challenges.

"So…you want me to tell them?"

"Ryder, they gotta know. I wouldn't feel safe unless they did," Unique admits.

"Okay. What if we start small? Meet my sister. She's twenty-one. Her name's Rosie. She's awesome. I'll tell her. I'll make sure she's cool with it…which, she totally will be, so don't worry…and then you can meet her. What do you think?" he asks, keeping his voice low. Blaine walks by and nods a little at both of them.

"You really want this?" Unique asks.

"Yes. Okay? It's important to me, because you're important to me. Besides I need you to come over anyway. I got something for you," he bites his lip, nervous. His portrait for art had turned out to be so much more than he had thought. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Unique after she gave him that chilling permission to draw her, beaten, and dressed like a guy.

Ryder hadn't done that. But he wants Unique's approval before he turns it in. It's a risk, definitely. But his art teacher's cool. He hopes she'll see the necessity in what he chose to draw.

So, that night, Ryder does what he promised. He knocks on Rosie's bedroom door when their parents are out that night, so there's no chance of them overhearing this discussion.

"Hey, Ro?" he asks. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you know what trans is?" Ryder can taste his heart. Her reaction here will tell him so much.

"Yeah," she says, focused on the screen of her laptop. "Why? Do you?"

"Yeah… Listen… You know, Unique at school?"

"The one who helped you after those assholes beat you up? Yeah, she's sweet. Anybody who helps you out when I'm not there is awesome in my book." Rosie smiles a little.

"Unique is trans…" Ryder offers, taking a deep breath. This next sentence will decide everything.

Rosie laughs. "Unique's been in the news here, before we came. I know about her. I'm pretty sure everyone in Lima knows about her."

"So, you don't care?" Ryder asks carefully.

"No… Why would I care?" Rosie wonders.

"Because… Because she's my girlfriend…" Ryder admits, looking away. "Because I want you to meet her, but she didn't want that unless you knew who she was."

"Oh," Rosie stutters. "Okay."

"That's it? You don't, like, have any questions"

She hesitates before looking at him, apology in her eyes. "How serious is it?"

"What do you mean? It's not like I can get her pregnant," he says and then winces, remembering how sad it made Unique that she could never have babies.

"It's just kind of a shock. Of course I want to meet her, all right?"

"All right."

So, he calls Unique right then, because he doesn't know when he'll get the nerve up to invite her over, or when both his parents will be out again at the same time, for a long time. She drives over. Rosie and Unique meet. It's weird. When they get through with the total awkwardness of Rosie insisting that Ryder keep his bedroom door open, he and Unique are relatively alone.

"So, why didn't you tell me?" Unique whispers, her voice curious.

"Tell you what?" Ryder asks, eyebrows furrowed.

"Your sister's in a wheelchair and you didn't think that was somethin' I'd wanna know?" Unique insists.

"So?" Ryder challenges, his defenses rising. "What? You don't like her because of that, or what?"

"No, I just…didn't expect it…" Unique manages. "You always talk and she sounds so great. So normal."

"She is," Ryder insists, a little too intensely because if Unique's going to insult Rosie then there is no way this can work.

"Chill, Ryder. That ain't what I meant, okay? It just took me by surprise is all…so why's she got it?"

"Ask her."

"Rosie! Why you in a wheelchair? Unique is respectfully curious!" she calls.

"It's just how I was born. It's transportation, Unique, it's not me." Rosie insists from down the hall.

"Is she tellin' me to get over it?" Unique whispers at Ryder.

"Yeah, pretty much," he laughs.

"So…"

"So…" Ryder echoes.

"You said you had somethin' for me…?" she asks a little coyly.

"Yeah, I do. So remember how you said I could draw you last week?" Ryder speaks in a rush, opening his closet doors and moving aside clothes, his skateboard, and his old airsoft gun.

Unique's expression clouds.

"The assignment," Ryder continues, taking out the piece of paper, and keeping it rolled and secured with a rubber band, "was to capture what made someone uniquely them. So, I wanted to do that for you…" He hands her the paper and she unrolls it with shaking fingers.

The gasp that escapes her lips is the hottest thing Ryder's ever heard.

"You did this for art class?" she whispers. "You did this for me?"

"Yeah. Is it okay? If you don't like it, I won't turn it in," Ryder insists, because he knows what Unique is seeing. Herself, tastefully nude. Arms crossed over her perfect, unscarred chest, a blanket covering her lower half, her eyes staring right into him, face relaxed. In the drawing, she's happy. She's also completely female. "I got inspired for it watching old figure skating program. Based on a Rodin sculpture. It was amazing, and I wanted to capture you like that."

"It's beautiful," she says, breathless.

"So are you."

She blushes, but looks happy. Ryder leans forward and whispers in her ear, so soft that Unique will think it's just her imagination: "Can I kiss you?"

Unique nods and leans forward, and for a heartbeat, their lips touch.

There are sparks inside Ryder's mind. They bloom into fireworks. Huge and overpowering.

And absolutely perfect.

The End.