Hey Guys. I don't post my fanfiction, I write for myself. But- I guess it's important to put yourself out there and lately I've been feeling a bit like a leech, reading all these wonderful stories but being afraid to post my own.

I like constructive criticism- not just on whether or not you like my story- I'd also appreciate critiques on the writing itself.

I haven't decided when this takes place in the cannon. For now lets just say it's set after "Original Songs" and before Tuseday's new episode. I'm sure this will veer into a wild AU, but that's alright.

[Edit. I'm sorry, there was some formatting issues, but I've fixed them now.]


Ch1. Queen of California

Kurt's head jerked off his folded arms at the sudden soft sound. A hasty glance at his bedside clock informed him of the hour, 1: 15 a.m. It was the second night this week he had fallen asleep fully clothed and un-moisturized. He silently cursed every single contributor to the field of chemistry, holding them all personally responsible for the lizard like skin he was sure to have tomorrow.

The sound came again, a soft tinkle on his windowpane. Kurt watched as tiny pebbles hit the glass, sounding brightly before falling back into the dark. Curious, he put aside his textbook and padded to the window, pushing it open and letting in the night. It was early April, and while the air was still chilled, the patchy string section provided by a few early crickets spoke of the returning spring. From his window a square of light fell across the lawn, the only aid to the sickle moon and its spattering of stars in the early morning darkness.

"Hello?" Kurt cried softly, his voice tentative and surely lost in the night. There was no one to be seen, and no response. Slightly louder he spoke again, "Is anyone there?" Again, no word answered him, no sound but the soft, rhythmic strumming of an acoustic guitar that came floating from beneath his window. Kurt's heart compressed, his throat constricting. Could it be? Had Blaine finally…? But the thought was shattered when a voice began to sing, a deep tenor rough but sweet, practiced but untrained. A voice that could only be the antithesis of Blaine's.

"I was wasted in the afternoon,

Waiting on a train

I woke up in pieces and Elizabeth

Disappeared again."

Kurt quickly racked his brain, trying to think of who it could be and finding it hard to concentrate over the pounding of his heart. Which of the Warblers could feel this strongly about him? How could he not have noticed?

"Well I wish you were inside of me,

I hope that you're okay.

I hope you're resting quietly,

I just wanted to say-"

Perhaps that quiet blonde freshman- Sebastian? Or was his name Samson? Kurt's cheeks flushed, and he leaned gently on the sill, his long eyelashes fluttering to rest on his cheek.

"Good-Goodnight Elizabeth

Goodnight Elizabeth, goodnight.

Good-Goodnight Elizabeth

Goodnight Elizabeth, goodnight."

Idly, unbidden from the back of his consciousness, he wondered how this boy had known his middle name. Had he even told Blaine? But Kurt didn't really care; he was busy being enamored with this moment. This perfect existence.

"We couldn't all be cowboys,

Some of us are clowns "

At this the voice broke a little, though whether with uncertainty or emotion, Kurt couldn't tell.

"Some of us are dancers on the midway,

We roam from town to town

I hope that everybody

Will find a little flame.

Maybe I should say my prayers

And I just light myself on fire

And walk out on the wire once again.

And I Say-

Good-Goodnight Elizabeth,"

As the voice moved on to the chorus and gave away into the short, uncomplicated guitar solo, Kurt couldn't help but sigh, and lean further out the window desperate to catch a glimpse of his mysterious crooner. Whoever he was, he knew exactly what to do to get Kurt's attention. The boy stepped out of the shadow of the building, silhouetted now, but not quite visible. Kurt's breath caught as he realized that this man was too big to be Sebastian.

"I will wait for you in Baton Rouge

'll see you down in New Orleans

Wait for you while she slips into something comfortable

I'll miss you when I'm slipping in-between"

In fact he was far bigger than anyone in Kurt's close circle of friends. His heart beat faster, as he realized that this, this was a secret admirer. A boy too shy to approach him, clandestinely pining for who knows how long, comfortable only when expressing his feelings in this shadowy serenade. The delicate young man's hand found its way upon his chest, as if attempting to keep his heart from beating free of its organic cage, and flying down to its new owner, this thief in the night.

"If you wrap yourself in daffodils

Then I will wrap myself in pain"

The boy stepped finally into the square of light, his head still downturned but his voice swelling with a new found confidence as he sang-

"And if you're the Queen of California

Than I am the King of the Rain"

He was of average height but muscular, with the broad shoulders that only come from generations of selectively bred farm stock. The tight black tee-shirt clung to his muscular torso and defined arms, and his jeans were old and worn. His face was hidden by a low slung baseball cap, and his head was carefully tilted to maximize shadow as he sang the now familiar chorus. Oh Gaga, he was definitely swoon worthy.

"-Good night Elizabeth, goodnight.

The moon is a satellite, yeah

Now, won't you fall down on me now

Won't you fall down on me

Oh, f-f-fall down on me now

Won't you fall down on me"

Kurt was leaning further out the window now, so far that it was completely possible that he might topple out. When the mystery boy finished singing, Kurt would run down into his waiting arms, and kiss him breathless without even knowing his name. This was who he had been waiting for, this man, this moment. This was love.

"Cause I'm all alone

You ain't coming home

You just settle down, down, down into bone."

The singers voice broke again, and Kurt couldn't help but wonder why he had picked such a sad song. Sure it was beautiful and it did have his (middle) name in it but still…wasn't a declaration of love supposed to be happy? The voice continued to falter, and Kurt imagined he could almost hear the edge of a sob.

"Cause I'm all alone.

You ain't coming home

We just settle down, down, down into bone."

On the last strum of the final chord, the boy lifted his head, the shadows falling from his face to reveal-

Karofsky.

Kurt gasped, drawing back from the window, hands suddenly pressed against his mouth. His heart was plummeting, through his stomach, through his feet, far below the floorboards. The two boys stared at each other for moments, hours, days. Kurt couldn't help but notice through the numbness that had enveloped him how thin Karofsky's face looked. How tired and haggard and wan. How tightly his lips were pressed together, how his chocolate eyes seemed to glisten in the light. It was Karofsky who turned from Kurt, Karofsky who got into the beat up pickup truck and drove away. Kurt stood staring out into the nocturne, speechless, sightless, and aghast. On his bedside table the clock read 1:23 a.m.


When Kurt woke, it was as a dream. A perverted dreamscape of crystalline sights and sounds. Of feelings. The crisp starlight, the tepid breeze, the soft melody he couldn't help but hum. All of this was due only to his sleeping consciousness, a chemical imbalance, a visceral reaction to the café mocha he had been sipping before his body had decided that a surplus of caffeine simply wasn't enough. Because David Karofsky was an unfeeling, unapologetic Neanderthal, a coward with no talent for anything but being brutish.

A pleasant dream and nothing more. A descendant nightmare, easily forgotten.

Or it was. That was before Blaine brought in the box.


Disclaimer: Glee is copyright Fox Broadcasting Company. "Goodnight Elizabeth" was written and preformed by The Counting Crows. I claim no ownership of either.

I recommend listening to the song on youtube, especially if you have a habit of skipping lyrics. It's very beautiful, and the words are integral to the plot.

Thank you so much for reading, I would really appreciate any questions, comments or concerns.

*The Neverender*