This is an alternate take on Kurt's reaction to the Blaine/Rachel kiss. This is also my second shot at this story. I posted it, realized it was awful, and took it down. Now I have fixed it and hopefully it's a bit more in character. Let me know what you think of this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Kurt sat on a stool in his father's auto shop. He had come in a huff. He couldn't believe the nerve that Rachel Berry had. He had met her for lunch to discuss the events that happened at her party. She had claimed that it was just a drunken, innocent kiss. She claimed that she meant no harm to him and that in her drunken state she thought a game of spin-the-bottle would be fun. She claimed that she didn't realize that she had her tongue down Blaine's throat. Then it gets better. She tried to say that he was over reacting. He had left the café in a rage and come down to talk to his dad about it.

He told his dad the story. How Rachel wanted to become a 'natural woman' and had thrown a house party. How she expected everyone to get buzzed on two wine coolers. How she had then let Puck break into her dads' liquor cabinet and then proceeded to get drunk. How she then made out with Blaine… his Blaine. His dad listened as he rambled on about her.

"She's infuriating dad. I thought she was my friend but I guess I was wrong," Kurt finished as he let out an exasperated sigh. His dad seemed to be thinking hard about what he had just been told. "So we are talking about Finn's ex right? The little brunette?" His dad asked. His son had so many female friends; it could get difficult to keep up. Kurt nodded. "Yes, little Miss Sunshine." His dad nodded slowly. "And throughout this whole exchange between the two of you, you didn't say a word?" His dad said as he came up to his son, wiping his hands on a towel. "How could I? She didn't stop blabbering and by the time she was done I couldn't stand her. I had to get away," Kurt said. "So you just up and left her alone?" Burt asked. "Yes," Kurt answered.

Burt thought hard. He had never had to worry about this before. His son always got along with girls. Now he had to give his son advice. He bit his lip and sighed. "Well, Kurt, that wasn't necessarily the best thing to do either," Burt said as gently as he could. "What do you mean?" Kurt asked, surprised that his dad wasn't agreeing with him yet. "Well, now it's up in the air. People do stupid things when they're drunk. If I remember correctly both you and Finn said she didn't have a lot of friends. You accusing her of these things doesn't help the situation. Maybe she really is innocent," Burt said. He took a swig of his Pepsi and looked up when a customer walked in. He sighed and put his drink down. "All I'm saying is don't lose a friend over something stupid," he said as he walked away to tend to the customer. Kurt just rolled his eyes and looked down at his text book.

*Glee*

Kurt sat in his room at Dalton. The weekend was over and he was forced to return to school. It was during lunch that the text messages started. He had been joking around with a few of the Warblers, screwing around just for fun. As he laughed as they exchanged pointless jokes, his phone beeped. He flipped it open and rolled his eyes when he saw who it was. One new message-Rachel Berry. He rolled his eyes but opened it. Hi Kurt. Can we talk? I understand that you're upset but we need to work out this… disagreement. Disagreement? How dare she even call it a disagreement. He deleted the message.

Blaine and he decided to run to a Starbucks that was close to campus before class started. As they walked into the restaurant, they chatted. Then the conversation got onto the party. "I wasn't that drunk," Blaine denied as Kurt told him what he did. "Blaine, you spent the night sucking Rachel Berry's face," Kurt laughed then grimaced. Rachel… he never responded to her. He sighed. "What's wrong? I was drunk… and from what I've gathered, so was she. What's wrong with a friendly kiss," Blaine asked. Oh Blaine… always the clueless one. "I would be fine with it if she could just accept that she kissed you and hurt me. She is the most stubborn girl I know. She said that she is not at fault. Can you believe that?"

Blaine was silent for a moment. "Oh my gosh. You think that she's right," Kurt accused. "No, not necessarily right Maybe you're over reacting. It was a little bitty kiss. It didn't mean anything. You know she wouldn't hurt you like that on purpose," Blaine tried to reason. He didn't know Rachel very well but what he did know, she seemed like a sweet heart. A bit odd and obnoxious but a sweetheart none the less. Would she do something that cruel? Would she make out with her best friend's love interest?

Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Blaine was siding with her. There was a chance that he was right. Rachel was good at heart. She was also manipulative and would do anything to get what she wanted. He thought for a long moment, and sighed. "You might be right. I've known Rachel for a long time though. She'll do anything to get what she wants," Kurt said. Blaine rolled his eyes. "Alright, Kurt, think what you want. Just try to think about this logically," Blaine said. The two then began the walk back to Dalton, a tense silence between them.

*Glee*

Kurt was walking to Chemistry when the next text came. He flipped his phone open and groaned. Kurt, please, if you can, text me back. We need to figure this out. He ignored it and continued down the hallway. He took his seat and took out his folder to fetch his homework. He had just pulled it out when his phone went off again. Kurt? Are you there? Please answer me. He shook his head and continued to get ready for class. He turned his phone off and waited for class to begin.

After class, he turned his phone back on. He smiled when he saw a text from Mercedes. He opened it up and began to read it. Hey white boy. You free this afternoon? I miss my diva. He quickly typed out a reply and they scheduled to meet that night at Breadsticks to have dinner and chat.

In the mean time, he went online to check his status. He smiled when he saw that Santana was on. He quickly opened up a chat box.

Kurt Hummel: hey girl, what's shaking?

He waited only a few seconds for a reply,

Santana Lopez: I'm having the best day of my life! I swear to good, Kurt its amazing!

She must have been in a really good mood. She even called him by his name, not lady lips.

Kurt Hummel: care to share what is oh so amazing?

Santana Lopez: Berry wore an outfit that was normal!

Kurt Hummel: By normal you mean…?

Santana Lopez: She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No crazy patterns. Just a normal, green t-shirt.

Kurt Hummel: this has you in a good mood because…?

Santana Lopez: because then she got slushied and it turned her into a rainbow! It was hilarious Kurt. People got it on video! They're sending it to everyone. I'll send one to you.

Kurt's eyes were wide. Santana could be a bitch but still that seemed a little bit mean. Rachel was slushied to look like a rainbow. That was humiliating enough but for it to be on the internet was painful. Soon enough he got a new message. Attached to it was the video. He began to watch it and he bit his lip as it played. Sure enough he saw the football players corning Rachel against her locker. She held her head up defiantly and looked them in the eyes as they held the cups tauntingly. That move was stupid on her part. The first slushie hit her right in the eyes. She shut them quickly and tried to wipe it from them. The attacks continued and she took each one, shielding her eyes from more. When it was over she straightened up and wiped the slushie from her face. She bit her lip and brought herself to her full height. She turned and walked down the hallway with as much pride as someone could. Then the video cut to an end with the football players laughing.

Kurt looked at the screen in horror. She had been covered from head to toe and she just took it. She didn't even shiver. She just took it lying down like a dog. That wasn't the Rachel Berry he knew. He looked at the corner of the screen where a new message had popped up.

Santana Lopez: Ain't that something!

Kurt Hummel: it's something alright…

Kurt Hummel has gone offline.

*Glee*

That night he met up with Mercedes at Breadsticks. The chatter was easy. She had gotten the newest copy of Seventeen and it had an entire section on Anne Hathaway's style evolution. As they looked at her outfits and judged which were Fab and which were Drab. Usually, this was something that Mercedes loved to do but today her heart just wasn't in it. When their dinner arrived he finally questioned her on it.

"What's wrong with you? You seem down," Kurt said. He had a feeling he knew the answer though. Mercedes sighed. "It's Rachel. She had a rough day and I just feel bad," the girl said. Kurt nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "Is it the slushie attack?" He asked although he already knew the answer. "Yeah and she's really upset about your fight. What happened anyway?" Mercedes asked. "She didn't tell you?" Kurt asked. "No, she didn't. Little Miss Broadway said it was private and she had to find a way to apologize on her own," the girl said. She was becoming impatient as she looked at Kurt expectantly.

Kurt thought for a long time. "We had an argument about Blaine. She said some things and I left," Kurt said. "Well what did she say?" Mercedes asked. "She said that I was overreacting and then she claimed it was just a drunken kiss," Kurt said and winced when he heard what he said. The more he used this excuse, the weaker his argument sounded. Mercedes was silent for about a minute as she thought this over. Then she leaned closer to Kurt and said, "Alright, look here. You're both my friends and I don't like to see you guys fight. In my opinion, you're both being dumb. I don't care what you two do but make sure it's nothing dumb. Don't lose a good friend over this okay?" Mercedes asked. Kurt nodded.

This was the second time he was getting that kind of advice from someone. Maybe he really was overreacting.

*Glee*

He was in the mall with Quinn the next day. He was helping her find a dress for prom. Apparently she already had a date in mind and wanted to get ready early. As they moved along the racks, she talked about this so called date. "He's tall and handsome. He's a bit of an idiot though. I can look past it," she said with a quick shoulder shrug. He pulled out a royal blue dress and held it up against her. He judged it for a moment then decided to have her try it on. "He sounds like a real catch. Tell me darling, do I know this strapping man?" He asked as he kept flipping through the clothes. She was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "You've seen him around. I'm not sure how well you know him though," Kurt smiled. "Well if this works out you will have to introduce me to that catch you have," he said.

He flipped through a few more racks before he brought up the question he had been waiting to ask. "So has Rachel been acting… different lately" He asked with as much nonchalance as he could muster. Quinn stopped from looking at the pale purple dress she had been eyeing and looked at him. "Well… I haven't noticed much. She's a little bit quieter but I guess she got in a fight with her dads over her texting rates. Why?" He mentally cursed himself. Now she would be suspicious. "We had an argument," he said. Quinn just 'hummed' in the back of her throat. "Do me a favor," she said. Kurt nodded. "Fix this. I don't always like Rachel but she's been hurt enough. I know what it feels like to feel alone and your one of her closest friends. She looks up to you and values you more than you know," Quinn said as she picked up the purple dress and held it up. Kurt nodded. "I'll keep that in mind… and you're trying that on."

*Glee*

He was with Tina, Blaine and Mike the next day. He and Blaine were asking them to choreograph a routine for the warblers. They were going over basic 'Need-To-Have" and "Never-dos" when they brought up Rachel. "So Rach has been off lately," Mike said, using the pet name he had adopted for the tiny girl. Blaine perked up a bit at this. "Really? What's wrong with her?" Blaine asked, concerned for her. Mike looked at Tina. "I thought we agreed we would wait to tell them," his girlfriend said a bit pissed off. She hated when he went back on pre-made decisions. "Well, honey, it's kind of weird. I think it should be brought to their attention," Mike defended.

Kurt sighed. If he wanted to see a couple argue he would put Puck and Quinn in the same room. As the argument began to heat up he cleared his throat. "Just tell us what happened for goodness sake!" He exclaimed. The couple stopped mid sentence and looked at him. Mike straightened and cleared his throat before speaking. "Well, Britney was out sick and we needed to choreograph a routine. Since Rachel's had so many dance classes I figured she would have something good. I asked her to help me and she told me, and I quote, 'while I appreciate the offer of getting to work with you I must decline. I have far too much to worry about at the moment.' I don't know her very well but it just seems odd of her you know," Mike rambled on as Tina rolled her eyes.

"I think Mike might just be over exaggerating. What if she has her period or something? Mike stop with those faces. Every girl gets it. It's no big deal then. Or maybe she's just got a big paper coming up," Tina tried to reason, glaring as her boyfriend looked at her with a look of utter disgust. "But what if it is something important? What if her dads are sick? She could use friends then. I think we should be a bit more concerned about her," Mike said back.

Blaine was looking at Kurt with raised eye brows. "Well, if her weird attitude keeps up, someone should talk to her about what's wrong," he said. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yup. I suppose so," Kurt answered back. Maybe these people were right. Maybe he shouldn't have accused her of those things… but then again, maybe she really was just on her period or something. He sighed and brought the conversation back to the choreography.

*Glee*

Finn was the next to ask about Rachel. They had sat down for the annual Friday dinner and his dad and stepmother were asking both boys about school. Finn got a B+ on his chemistry test and Carole had all but burst into tears. Coach Beiste was working him hard on his throwing and his knees were bugging him since he was always jumping for lay ups. Burt told him to use Icy-Hot on it to take away some of the pain. When his dad asked him about what was going on at Dalton he answered honestly. His classes were harder but he was enjoying Dalton. Their parents talked the rest of dinner. They talked mostly to each other though so that left Kurt and Finn in an awkward silence.

Kurt cleared his throat and asked, "Any new girlfriends?" Finn just shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to get Quinn to go out with me again," Finn said. Kurt nodded his head and took a sip of his water. "Have you been talking to Rachel lately?" Finn asked and Kurt nearly spit out his water. He recovered quickly and coughed before answering. "No, I haven't talked to her," Kurt said. "Oh…" Finn said dejectedly.

Kurt looked at his step brother. He had seen him look lost before but this look of concern was new. "Is something wrong with her?" Kurt asked. Finn's brows were furrowed with agitation as he tried but failed to find out what was wrong with her. "She's been weird lately. I asked her to come over to work on a song and she said she couldn't… because she would see you," Finn said looking at Kurt pointedly.

Kurt sighed knowing he had to explain. "We had an argument. She thinks that she can blame her being drunk on Blaine's kiss," he quickly explained. Burt looked at his son with a look of shock. "You're still upset with her? I thought you two patched things over," he said. Kurt sighed. "Yes. I don't want to listen to her reasons on her innocence," Kurt said as he played with his food. Burt sighed. "Look, Kurt, I know I've already told you this but you need to fix this. Don't lose a good friend over a stupid thing," he said. Kurt sighed. Maybe he should listen to his father if so many people were worrying about it.

*Glee*

The next two were Britney and Artie. He had been walking down the block to clear his head when he saw Britney pushing him down the street. He waved to them and they smiled. He approached them and was crushed in a hug by Britney. She let him go and he patted Artie on the back. "How are you two on this fine day?" Kurt asked happily. Britney said, "I'm pretty sure my cat is still reading my diary." Kurt looked at her before shaking his head and looked over at Artie. "And you?" He asked. Artie shrugged. "I'm honestly not doing so well. We're all sort of worried about Rachel," he said as he shrugged.

Kurt sighed. He was getting sick of people telling him about Rachel's issues honestly. "What's up with the diva?" Kurt asked. "Mr. Shuster sent her to Ms. Pillsbury. Apparently, he thinks she has unhealthy habits that are affecting her. I think he's just upset by the fact she fell asleep in his class. She does look tired though," Artie rambled. "I really want to touch Rachel's boobs even if they are small," Britney said. This gained a strange look from both boys to which they both shuddered and ignored it.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Kurt asked. Artie pushed his glasses up his nose. "I tried once and she seemed… odd." "Odd?" Kurt asked. "Well she still talked the same and acted the same but it seemed weird. It was like she was forcing it," Artie explained. "So what so you think?" Kurt thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll talk to her and see how she is," Kurt said. Artie smiled and looked at his watch. "Well Brit and I have to go so that we can make our reservation. Bye Kurt," Artie said as Britney began to wheel away. He waved back and bit his lip. Maybe it was time to settle his differences with Rachel.

*Glee*

Puck was the last person Kurt expected to see in his bedroom door on a Friday night. He had rapped his knuckles against the door and Kurt had turned expecting to see Finn in the doorway. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Noah Puckerman standing there. "Puck? To what do I owe this pleasure?" Kurt asked as he swiveled his chair around. Puck took a few slow steps in. He sat down on Kurt's sofa and looked at the ground for a minute. He kept that position for a long minute and then looked up.

"Tell me how to make a girl feel better. None of my usual stuff is working," Puck said, as he raised his gaze to look at Kurt. Kurt smirked. "The womanizer's skills are lacking?" He said smugly. Puck just rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to seduce her, I could have her wrapped around my finger within minutes. I just need to know how to cheer her up without sending the wrong message," he said. Kurt nodded his head. "Alright I'll bite," he said as he began to brain storm ideas.

"Before I help you, I must know who this young lady is," Kurt said as he stood up to get a pad of paper and pen. Puck fiddled with his hands for a moment before he answered. "It's Berry." Kurt's jaw dropped. Puck quickly began to explain. "The Jewish Community isn't all that big so our parents are friends. Her dads invited us over for dinner and as always I'm either stuck with her or my brat little sister. I chose her this time around and I went up to her room. You've been in there. It's usually all lit up and bright but she was sitting in the dark staring at her laptop. She just kept muttering 'gotta find it. I need to find it.' She didn't even realize that I was in her room until I touched her. The rest of the night she seemed weird. She looked exhausted and right after dinner she went back up there. Something is up with her. You need to help me Kurt. She's a fellow Jew. It's natural for me to worry about her," he said.

Kurt was a little shell shocked. That was the most he had ever heard Puck talk all at once. He sighed and said, "Take her out for dinner. Some place cheap so it doesn't seem like a date. Compliment one of her features. Just try to make her feel good," Kurt said. "And nothing sexual! You don't want to send the wrong message," Kurt said. Puck nodded and then looked confused even though it wasn't a lot of information. "So telling her that her ass looked good wouldn't be useful?" He asked. Kurt just rolled his eyes. "Go for something above the waist," Kurt advised. "Do I tell her that her boobs look bigger?" Puck asked. Kurt smacked his hand against his forehead. "This whole nonsexual thing is weird to you isn't it?" The young soprano asked. Puck just bit his lip. Kurt sighed and said, "Just compliment her hair. Tell her it looks like it should be on a shampoo commercial. Use that and you'll have her feeling six feet off the ground," Kurt said. Puck still looked confused. Kurt sighed and ripped off a piece of paper. On it her wrote:

Do: compliment her or hair. Only one time though! Two seems like you have romantic motives. Take her to dinner

Don't: compliment anything below the neck. Don't try to kiss her. Don't talk about her lips. Don't take her to a fancy place.

Kurt ripped off the sheet and handed it to Puck. Puck looked it over and nodded. "Thanks man. I owe you. He slapped Kurt on the shoulder and walked out the door. Kurt sat back down. If Puck noticed that she was being weird, something was going on. Kurt bit his lip and got his lap top out. He quickly opened the internet and looked for her Myspace browser. He clicked on the latest video, which had been loaded 4 hours prior, and began to watch.

Rachel was on the screen sitting at her desk. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on her head and she wore no makeup. She always just sang a song on her videos but this time she began to talk. "I have spent the past few weeks trying to find the accompaniment to this song. It got deleted off my computer and I needed to find it in order to apologize. I did something cruel to him and I couldn't think of a good way to say I was sorry. I thought about it and I really can't make up for my actions. Kurt, if you're watching this, just know that I do regret hurting you. I really hope that I haven't lost a valuable friend. This one is for you," she said. She fiddled around with something for a moment and then music began to play. He recognized Elton John's Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. As the opening finished she began to sing.

What I got to do to make you love me?
What I got to do to make you care?
What do I do when lightning strikes me?
And I wake to find that you're not there?
What I got to do to make you want me?
What I got to do to be heard?
What do I say when it's all over?
Sorry seems to be the hardest word.
It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation.
And it's getting more and more absurd.
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over?
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word.
What do I do to make you want me?
What I got to do to be heard?
What do I say when it's all over?
Sorry seems to be the hardest word.
It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation.
And it's getting more and more absurd.
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over?
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word.
Yeah. Sorry
What I got to do to make you love me?
What I got to do to be heard?
What do I do when lightning strikes me?
What have I got to do?
What have I got to do?
When sorry seems to be the hardest word

She wiped a tear from her eye and said, "I'm sorry Kurt" and then the video screen went black. Kurt sat looking at the screen for a long while. She had driven herself insane over a song? Why in the world would she do that? Then again, Rachel lived for music and if anyone could find a way to apologize through song it would be her. Kurt sighed knowing what he had to do. He grabbed his car keys and walked outside to his car.

*Glee*

When he arrived at her house, he took slow steps up to the door as he tried to gather his thoughts about what he would say to her. When he reached it, he knocked on it and waited for someone to come and open it. Her father, Hiram, opened the door. He smiled upon seeing Kurt. "Hello there Kurt. It sure has been a while since we've seen you around here. Rachel's up in her room but beware; she's in a mood," the small man said in a rush before ushering Kurt in, closing the door, and walking away. Kurt forgot how laid back the Berry dads were. He began to walk up the stairs. When he reached the top he tried to remember which room was Rachel's. He bit his lip and decided try knocking on the closed door. When nobody answered it, he opened it and blushed when he realized it was a bathroom. He then walked further down the hallway and had his memory returned. He knocked on the door on his right before he entered the room.

The room was very dark. The only light source was the moonlight streaming in through the window. Rachel was curled up on her side, her comforter wrapped around her. Her little monkeys were clutched to her chest, which was rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Although another person would think she was asleep, Kurt knew she wasn't. He found out the painful way. At one of their sleepovers, he had been sleeping soundly when he felt a sharp pain in the thigh. He woke with a start and looked around to see Rachel's brow wrinkled as her leg kicked him. He thought it had just been a bad dream but after several more sleepovers, he discovered it seemed to be a habit. Some people snore. Some people drool. Others like to kick at things like pillows, blankets, air, friends; the works. He shook his head to shake away the memory. The point was, this still, sound Rachel Berry was one who was conscious.

He walked the length of the room towards the bed. Once he reached it, he hesitated. He then decided to just go ahead with it and he lay down next to her. She didn't roll over. She didn't even look at him. She kept her back to him and was silent.

The moments ticked by and Kurt waited for her to do something. Finally she spoke. "You're here." She said. He smiled and said, "You bet I am," Kurt said. He watched her and soon enough she began to shiver and shake. A sob ripped out of her throat and she quickly flipped over and buried her face in his chest. He quickly put a hand behind her head and held her to his chest. He rubbed her back and attempted to soothe her. "Now, don't cry darling. It'll make your easy puffy. What's wrong?" Kurt asked. She sniffled and looked up so she could make eye contact. "I thought I lost my best friend," she said and Kurt's heart broke a little. "Darling, we're two divas. We're going to fight, but you can never, ever get rid of me," he said, a smile playing at his lips. She grinned and snuggled up to him.

"Can I ask why you were so mad at me?" She asked a bit timidly but she did seem a great deal happier. "I suffered from what Mercedes said we both do. I was blinded by love and the instinct to protect him from anyone who threatened our chances. I didn't even think about the fact that you're a girl and he's well gay. I never should have accused you of all those things," Kurt said. Rachel snorted. "I'm not innocent either. I made some ridiculous claims didn't I?" she asked. Kurt sighed and said, "Let's put this whole thing behind us and put on a good movie. I can hear Julie Andrews already," he said as he got up and walked to her small movie collection that was in her room. He pulled out The Sound of Music and put it into the DVD player. He got back in the bed and put a pillow between their legs before they returned to their cuddled up position. She rested her head against his chest and he used a pillow. She kept her monkey against her chest and they relaxed as Julie Andrew's voice filled the room.

*Glee*

At around 10:45 pm, Hiram walked up to Rachel's room expecting to see the two teens gossiping. What he got made him smile. The two were cuddled up together. Rachel's legs were kicking every few seconds but the pillows protected Kurt from her attacks. The monkeys were now squished between them but Kurt and Rachel were huddled up close to one another, sleeping soundly. Hiram couldn't resist it. He walked to his bedroom, got out the camera and took a picture of the two. It was adorable.

He turned off the DVD player and television before making his way down stairs. He walked into the kitchen and dialed the number that was posted on the refrigerator. He waited for about a minute before the person picked up. "Hello?" Burt Hummel answered. "Hi, Burt. It's Hiram. Kurt and Rachel were watching a movie and they fell asleep. Would you be against letting him spend the night? They both just look so tired," he tried to reason quickly. "It's fine with me. I take it they made up then?" Burt asked, a hopeful hint to his voice. "Yeah, they made up," Hiram said with a smile. "Alright then. Just tell Kurt it's family dinner night tomorrow. Goodnight," Burt said. Hiram repeated the farewell and hung up the phone. For the first time in a long time, everything was right. With that thought dancing in his head he walked upstairs to go to bed for the first good night's sleep in a long time.

Author's note:

I like this version a lot better. Thanks for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated.