A/N: Well I'm coming in a few hours ahead of tonight's show, so I must admit that a) this is all spec. I don't really follow spoilers overly much (I don't avoid but I don't look for them either) so yeah… b) it will probably all or almost all be canceled out in a few hours. Either way, I hope you enjoy it and I HOPE there is some positive Kurtchel friendship tonight. As I said before, I adore them. And I'm glad you all agree. Click and let me know what you think, mmkay? Thanks for previous reviews and I will get to the individual thank yous as soon as the site will let me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its associated products. This update was heavily influenced by the Mumford & Sons album Sigh No More. Good stuff, but other than the copy I bought I don't own that either.

Chapter 2 – Keep Your Guard Up

Kurt paces around in front of the door to the bathroom. It's not like he's loitering; he just finished faster than Rachel did. Given the circumstances earlier in the evening, he felt it best to accompany her. He even gave her some privacy, which he had been loath to do for the most of the week with Jesse St. James sniffing around. He rolled his eyes at his own thought process. Why must he think of that stupid boy with both a first and a surname? It seems rather impossible to think of him as anything other than an ass, and anyone other than his entire title. Regardless, Rachel was abandoned by her date just before the prom court announcements so Kurt feels only right taking over custodial duties. Besides, it isn't as though she is an interruption to his date with Blaine; Blaine loves her just as much as Kurt does and the other boys have stepped up to dance with her a few times each and it seems she is managing to have a decent time with her showy, slightly gaudy smile firmly in place. He hates that smile but he hasn't seen anything else all week, not since coffee.

At least she's removed her face from that pink notebook a few times and she's been participating in Glee rehearsals. And he absolutely, completely, and totally refuses to acknowledge that has been while Jesse St. James was filling in for Mr. Schuester.

There he goes again with the proper names. Ass.

Rachel comes flying out of the bathroom, not even stopping as she passes him and continues on down the darkened hallway. He frowns and starts walking in the direction she fled, trying to figure out all the possible reasons she would be storming out of the bathroom of all places. He's about halfway down the hallway, having just watched the pink cloud she makes up turn the corner, when he hears the creak from the poorly-maintained door hinge of the ladies restroom and he sees Quinn come out. Even from his spot halfway down the hall, he can see her hands shaking as she slides them over the top of her dress' skirt. She blows out a breath and then heads with evenly metered steps back toward the gymnasium, the opposite direction from him.

What in the name of hell?

He shakes his head. This (being Rachel) has got to somehow be related to that (being Quinn). He smirks for just a second when he remembers he's labeled Quinn that same way for the last two weeks, really ever since his return to McKinley to see how much she has changed in addition to the way Rachel has changed. The two are whatever would be the opposite of complimentary toward either girl. Finn has asked him several times to just stop it, but being a brother becomes him and harassing is way, way easier than ceasing.

He rounds the corner and sees Rachel tucked down, crouching into a doorway in front of the closed door. Her eyes are squeezed shut and her hand is pressed to her mouth, turning the sobs into squeaks instead of wails. He frowns again. Yes. This is most definitely related to that.

Now, normally when she cries, it's on a stage. She cries for an audience. For her to seek out a dark doorway, for her to shrink into it like she's wishing she could disappear—it screams louder to him than she does when she's pissed off. If he was concerned before, if he has been concerned all week, he's flat out worried sick now.

Rachel heard him coming; she's upset but she isn't deaf, even though her ears are still ringing. Her cheek stings, that slap was hard, and she's never slapped anyone like that so what did she do to deserve it? Okay, there was the once she slapped Finn; she would like to think she slapped him harder than that because she'd actually felt like ripping his head off then, but either way it feels like someone whipped her skin and the sting is fading into a dull ache that is rapidly attaching itself to the headache she already had. The skin feels slightly swollen against the protective palm of her hand. She just can't talk to him right now because the lines are fading, the compartments are falling apart, and the breach has created a flood. Now it won't be song lyrics if she opens her mouth, it will be sobs. She's been accused of overdramatics for far too long to allow that now. She wouldn't want anyone to think she's blowing this out of proportion and she certainly does not want to give Quinn Fabray the satisfaction. No, she just has to find some way to get rid of Kurt so she can get home on her own. Her dads are quite likely in bed, but they would come and get her if she asked.

And then they would call the police. If there is one thing they understand, it's starting due process.

She doesn't want that either. She just wants this night to be over.

She feels a body settle into the doorway next to her and without a word, he pulls her against him. She goes willingly enough, not even sure if she wants to pretend his chest belongs to someone else or if she wants to make believe it's her bed. She really just wants it to be her bed. Her hand falls away from the side of her face and he gasps.

"Honey, we probably ought to get some ice on that. It's starting to bruise."

His fingers trace the angry mark on her damp skin, but she doesn't move other than to shake her head and shrink into his jacket a little more. He awkwardly maneuvers to get his phone out of his right-side inner jacket pocket. His left arm is tucked firmly around her and he only has one hand. It's going to take him a minute to get a text message off—so he needs to decide who he's notifying first.

He probably ought to tell Blaine so they can get her home. There is no one else here who can do that now that he's witnessed what he has. Her pride will not allow it and even if her pride is silent and shaking at the moment, it always comes back with a vengeance eventually. He throws his legs out from his body, settling onto the hard floor a little better before he sends a quick message to Blaine.

HELP ME. Down the hall and around the corner from the bathrooms.

He thunks his head back against the closed door and sighs. At least he can't hear her crying anymore. That's a start. A start that leads to where, exactly? He double sighs. Even if he's her friend, this is not his problem. This problem belongs to someone else who quite likely has larger concerns at the moment. While he's trying to organize these thoughts, finding a way to categorize and prioritize, his impatience gets the better of him and he fires off another text message to the first person he actually thought needed to know.

You have a HUGE problem. Call me ASAP. 911. NOW.

"Will you please take me home?" Rachel finally asks, pulling away from him enough to sit up and wipe at her cheeks and dry the tears. Her hand brushes over the sore spot unintentionally and her face twists a little.

"Yes," he says. "I've already asked Blaine to come find us." He holds up his phone even as it buzzes in his hand. He lowers it with interest, half hoping it's a promise to call. It's not; it's Finn responding to the 911.

I know but later.

Kurt shakes his head. Of course Finn is in the middle of drama. That's what happens when your fist lands in the middle of Jesse St. James' face. But he needs to realize the importance of what Kurt is dealing with here.

No. Not later. NOW. It's about Rachel.

As he finishes putting the phone back in his pocket, Blaine comes almost flying, half running around the corner and then slams to a stop when he sees them both sitting in the doorway, even backtracking a couple of steps. Rachel has turned away from him to rest her forehead, almost tiredly, against the metal doorframe. Blaine's eyes shift back and forth between the silent pair.

"What happened?"

Rachel pulls her head up from where it's rested and Kurt watches her move. He can't really control his worry now. She still hasn't actually answered that question and now she's moving slowly and he isn't sure he's ever seen this whirlwind of a girl slow down. At least while she's been writing and hiding in her notebook, even her words were scribbling down on the page quickly. Now she's…she's catching up and he is dead certain she isn't going to be happy when she realizes what happens and when she catches up and then reacts, her reactions are terrible and stupid and knee-jerk. But she kind of looks like she doesn't even have the energy to get mad. She just looks small and tired and slow and it's wrong.

Kurt's phone rings out, Bruno Mars slicing through the thickened air around the threesome and he gasps out. He didn't expect Finn to actually call him. He is reasonably sure Finn landed in it hard when Schue dragged him home after the pseudo-fight. Carole is going to have something to say, having kept a lid on her reaction to Finn's reaction to Jesse for far too long. It's all blowing up in his face, and Kurt has to admit he doesn't feel bad.

Well…okay. He feels kind of bad for Rachel. If Finn weren't so good at denial and so oblivious to actual action versus consequence, none of this would be happening. Neither here nor there at this point, and he stands up while he whips the phone to his ear. He tries to show Blaine he's sorry with his eyes and he can't even look at Rachel right now; the best he can do immediately is to alert Finn.

"Hello," he hisses, sounding a little more urgent than he actually means to in his effort to speak quietly. He's walking quickly with his head down, trying to distance himself from Blaine and Rachel so Rachel won't hear. Even if she knows who he's talking to, it isn't like she showed any sign of awareness.

"What the hell, Kurt? I really don't…I just don't…I can't do this right now."

"I don't even know where you are," Kurt says quickly. Finn's usual bumbling, even when mixed with the amount of frustration and whatever else, is just tiresome. Never moreso than when there is urgent news—so Kurt bypasses it and just drops the bomb as quickly as he can. "I just thought you would be interested to know that I'm pretty sure Quinn bitch-slapped Rachel."

There is a big, huge, really long pause. "What? Are you serious?" Kurt can hear Finn's super annoyed exhale and then he makes this other little noise that just sounds painful. Kurt frowns. How are his friends so screwed up? And why, why does it have to be his newly-acquired brother who messed up so that he's right in the middle of it all? He presses the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Sympathy headaches are totally the worst kind. Finn's words help just a little, though. "Is she okay?"

"I hope to hell you're asking about the right she," Kurt murmurs, shaking his head a little.

"Rachel," Finn clarifies. His voice is so tender, so…so…something right out of an epic romance. Kurt kind of fights the urge to swoon. Of course, it's easier when that urge is balanced with one just as strong to lay Finn out in a way Jesse failed to do; if he condoned that sort of violence, anyway, which he doesn't. Of course. Usually. Generally, he can handle whatever he needs to armed with nothing more than vicious wit and wicked fashion sense, but Lord knows his dear brother has neither of those.

"Undetermined," Kurt finally says. "Me and Blaine are trying to get her home now."

"Look, I…I can't meet you there. I know what you're thinking. In fact, I have to go."

"Finn…"

"No, Jesse is pressing charges. The copsare here. I…I can't. Please take care of her."

"Oh, Finn." Kurt gasps. He can't help it, even if Rachel would roll her eyes and tell Kurt he's being too dramatic. Like it's supposed to be chastising instead of just ironic coming from her. "Do…" he wonders what to do here. Support the brother or support the friend? "Do you…"

"Just go with her, please," Finn says and it sounds kind of like he's begging. "I can't… I just…tell her…I have to go."

"Okay," Kurt asks. He hears the line disconnect abruptly and his heart falls. He turns around and sees Blaine approaching and he's carrying Rachel. Her face is pressed into his neck and Blaine is just walking and watching Kurt from far away like there is some major explanation necessary. It's an explanation Kurt doesn't feel like he can give.

For her part, Rachel can only really cling to Blaine. He doesn't smell right, but it doesn't matter because all of her carefully drawn lines and the compartments she built have all blurred together and it just doesn't matter. He smells clean, maybe more like Calvin Klein something but that's okay. And he's warm and steadier than Kurt. Kurt pats when he hugs and she doesn't want pats, she wants something, just something that doesn't feel broken like she feels. She wants something steady so she can use it to brace herself while she redraws and rebuilds and while she goes back. She's kind of ashamed—okay, utterly humiliated—that they've seen her so very broken. Blaine is steady enough he can hold onto her while she cries and she'll feel like she's at least hidden. And she can only hope Kurt will keep it to himself. If he can keep it to himself, she'll at least be able to face everyone on Monday.

She doesn't know why it's embarrassing, exactly. She knows what Quinn is like. She never thought Quinn was so…so nasty, honestly…but she'd caught glimpses before and tonight was certainly her biggest peek. She wishes she could just pretend she didn't know because now she really doesn't understand how Finn could choose Quinn over her. She's learned her lessons about being nasty. She's learned those lessons painfully. She has a compartment for each lesson and the person she is now is so far from the person that needed to learn all that. He deserves someone who isn't so hurtful and so hurting because she hurt him badly enough. It isn't fair for Quinn to hurt him again and she knows that's what will happen.

She's vacillating back and forth for the entire drive home between wanting to tell Finn and wanting to keep it secret. There is no way she could come out of telling Finn without looking like a total shrew, and that's the last thing she wants. She also doesn't particularly want his concern because she doesn't want him to think she's playing victim. She just…just wants him to go back in time and make it so that doesn't happen. But an eyes-closed wish like that never did anyone any good and she knows, she has learned she can't go back, it's just that the lesson is lost somewhere in the wreckage and she needs to find it.

Blaine carries her once again, and leaves Kurt to search through her small purse for her house key. It works and she doesn't say anything, hasn't said anything, because Kurt is the one who picked the purse and put her 'accessories' in it, so Kurt is the one who knows where the key is. Once they're up in her room, Kurt begins an obsessive cleanse of her face while Blaine searches, discomfort seeping from his posture, for her pajamas. He finally manages to set them next to her, Kurt manages to choke back his disapproval at the multi-colored square patterned pants that look like a cotton version of a stained-glass window, and she finally brushes Kurt off with a promise she can at least dress herself.

Her phone rings from inside the same small purse while she's in the bathroom. Kurt figures he's interfered enough tonight anyway, why stop now? He answers it without checking the number. He hopes it's Finn, but knows that hope is in vain because the ringtone is not Journey-based. He thinks it's a Lionel Ritchie song, but he isn't positive.

"Hello?"

"Um…" The voice says. "Is this Rachel Berry's assistant?"

Kurt scoffs, knowing immediately it's Jesse on the other end. "Lord no. Maybe her stylist, but that's it."

Blaine rolls his eyes and shakes his head. It's about then Rachel emerges from the bathroom, the hair Kurt spent two hours on completely undone and pulled back into a ponytail with a headband. Her face is scrubbed clean, and the deepening purple on her cheek is more obvious than it was before. Blaine still doesn't know what happened, but he has a feeling it's somehow all intertwined with the fight that erupted between Jesse and Finn earlier and resulted in both being escorted out of the gym, never to be seen again.

"Who is he talking to?" Rachel asks, her voice weak but still clearly dismayed. "Kurt!"

Kurt just holds the phone out to her. She can hear the voice coming through the speaker and she scowls as she yanks it out of his hand.

"Hello?" Pause. "Hi, Jesse." Her cheeks flush a little bit and her hand clamps on her hip. "You most certainly…no." She looks up at Kurt, and Kurt decides now would be a fine time to go look for the ice pack he feels certain will be in the freezer. Rachel is so paranoid about puffiness she must have something on hand. Blaine is far more comfortable with Rachel than he is wandering around her house so he claims a seat on her bed and watches her while Kurt excuses himself. He rethinks this about ten seconds later when she lets a vicious string of words out.

"You most certainly will not or I will ask Noah Puckerman to conjure up something worse than slashing your tires. Do you understand? There is no way Finn attacked you entirely unprovoked and quite frankly, your repeated declarations of innocence are annoying and probably untruthful." Blaine's eyebrows go up. Rachel is pacing now, tucking her thumb into her mouth. He kind of hope she moves the nail away from her teeth before Kurt returns because the ensuing lecture is just…it's just too much for a night like tonight. "Mmm-hmm." She sighs and shakes her head. He's still watching carefully. "No, I…I understand that much. I am sorry for how it all turned out." She's pacing and still nibbling at her thumb. She looks up at Blaine, but he can tell from her eyes that she doesn't see him. "Thank you, Jesse."

Blaine's eyebrows go up in surprise and Kurt comes in right about the time Rachel pulls her thumbnail from her teeth and the phone from her ear. One crisis averted.

"So…" Blaine begins, but he's cut off with Rachel's gentle question to his boyfriend.

"Kurt, did you know Jesse called the authorities?"

Blaine's eyes widen just like Kurt's. Kurt steps toward her, reaching out to extend the ice pack. "Please put that on your cheek, Diva."

She smiles in a quick flash and presses it to her skin, hissing just a little bit on her sharp inhale. Her eyes never leave Kurt, waiting for his reply.

"Yes," Kurt admits. "It was Finn who called while we were still at school."

"Did you tell him about this?" She asks, her voice a little more forceful. The force is only diminished by her anxiety. She sits on the edge of the bed and, again, waits. Because she can't just sit and wait, she begins unmaking the bed so she can climb under the covers at long last.

"Y-yes," he says. "He needs to know."

Rachel shakes her head. "No, he doesn't." She drops back into her bed, looking tired all of a sudden. "I wasn't planning to tell him. There's…"

Kurt sits down next to her, pulling the covers up over her arm as her eyes plead with him to undo the information leak. "He does. But you didn't tell him so you don't have to worry about it. You should consider telling your parents, though."

"No," she protests. "I just want to go to sleep and I want it to be over. I'll be fine," she insists. "Just please…"

"Rachel, you can't just make all this go away. At some point…at some point you have to open up and share and…I'm not above using spa treatments as a bribe."

She gives a small smile and briefly wonders how she contained all the water when nothing is rebuilt and she still feels so shattered and exhausted. She's at least managed to draw and line and push everything away because now all she wants is to sleep and to be left alone and…and her dad to magically appear with a glass of water.

Kurt's phone chirps and he retrieves it from his jacket pocket quickly to see a text from Finn.

Is she okay?

"What else is going on?" Rachel asks sleepily, reading his more paler than usual face.

He raises his hand from her arm so he can type out a reply with both hands.

No. I don't know what else to do. She won't say anything of value.

"Nothing," he says. He snaps his phone closed and looks up at her. "So start talking."

Before she can obey his command, though, Kurt's phone full-out rings and she knows its Finn's ringtone, but Kurt just jumps up and out of the room before anyone acknowledges any of it. Blaine moves over to where Kurt was sitting on the bed and as Kurt leaves the room, he hears Blaine gently ask to look at the bruise on her cheek.

"Hi," Kurt says, speaking softly because he's in the hallway and he knows that by now it's midnight and Rachel's dads are both long since in bed and totally oblivious to the drama. Maybe they shouldn't be. They need to at least call Quinn's mom. Right now, though, he has other priorities and he'll deal with that himself later.

"Hey," Finn says. His voice is low and quick, his words uncharacteristically certain. "Look, I don't have a lot of time. I don't know what Rachel said to Jesse, but make sure you tell her I said thank you. He's gone, but Mom's still grounding me for the rest of my life and she's trying to take my phone away. You need to get the glass on Rachel's bookshelf that has a star and some ropey thing on it. Get her some water from the pitcher in the fridge, not from the fridge door, only in that glass, and then let her go to sleep. That's all you can do for now."

Kurt's face collapses in confusion. "How.. what…"

"Look, I gotta go. If I can borrow your phone when Mom's not looking tomorrow, tell Rach I'll call and check on her then, okay?"

There is little else for Kurt to do or say, even though he isn't entirely sure he understands the reasoning behind all the orders he was just given. "Of course you can."

Finn's next words are rushed and choked and now Kurt realizes he has two people shutting down on him and two friends he needs to really worry about because of they mess they have made. "Thank you. Just…I can't go and I'm glad you're there if I can't. I gotta go. Bye."

Kurt just blinks, lowering his phone and staring at it for a second before he snaps into action. He goes into Rachel's room and, although the light is on a dim setting, he easily locates the glass Finn mentioned, and then goes down to the fridge and follows the other directions to the letter.

Rachel is watching with wide, liquid brown eyes as Kurt sets the glass on the coaster that resides permanently on her nightstand for nights like this.

"How did you know?" She asks, watching him move. He flips the lamp off and then leans over to kiss her forehead in an unusual show of affection.

"Magic," he says. "I know you still believe in it, so don't try to pretend otherwise."

"Thank you, Kurt," she breathes.

They both know she isn't going to sleep anytime soon, but Kurt and Blaine leave her in the darkened room all the same. There are so few people who know about the odd brand of comfort she prefers; she knows Finn told Kurt what to do, and knowing that Finn's influence is there with her somehow, even if he chooses not to be or he can't be… well, it makes it easier to restructure, to rebuild…to survive.

As Kurt softly closes the door, Blaine watches him in amazement.

"Okay, you have to explain to me everything that happened."

Kurt tries not to smile. "Well, as much as I believe I'm a masterful Rachel Berry handler, Finn proved useful." He clears his throat as they move down the hallway and out of the darkened house. "I have strong evidence that Quinn put the bruise on Rachel's cheek. I notified Finn and he told me what to do."

Blaine raises an eyebrow as he reaches for the passenger side door of his car to let Kurt in. "That's just kind of adorable."

"I know, right?" Kurt gushes. He puts his hand on Blaine's shoulder before he drops in the car seat. "And more than that, it just sort of proves that Finchel is alive and well. I told you so."

Blaine just nods, not saying anything, waiting until Kurt is securely in the car before he shut his door. Kurt may be a horrible interloper, but as it turns out he's also kind of a matchmaker. And Blaine thinks that's pretty adorable. He kind of hopes Kurt's friends, rapidly becoming their friends, agree.

Blaine gets into the driver's side of the car and backs the car all the way out the driveway before he looks at Kurt with a grin. "So…if they're Finchel, and we're Klaine…what are we as a foursome?"

"Besides a total disaster?" Kurt admits with a wry little smile. "Maybe Klaininchel? I don't know. I'll work on it."

He'll have to play with that portmanteau because now more than ever, it looks like a certainty for the upcoming summer and he is not uttering that awkward word again if he can avoid it.