A/N I totally embarrassed myself today at work, so I had to add it to this chapter (hint, how many boys does it take to kill a spider?)
Reviews are always welcome! (No, really, I won't bite if you post a review!)
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Facing Fears
Leonius was dead.
Stephanie couldn't comprehend what was happening. Though she hadn't seen him in so long, Leonius had been a huge part of her life for the last two years, and now he was dead. She was free. He no longer loomed around every corner. He no longer dictated where she could go, and who she could talk to. He was no longer a threat to her family.
She could go home.
She could see her mom and dad. She could see her brothers and sisters.
What about Artie? What if her parents wouldn't let her return to Lima for the next school year?
"Stephanie?" She heard the voice call out, but at first it didn't register. She turned and looked up at her sister.
"Dani? I don't know what to do! What do I do now, Dani? I-I'm so confused. What am I supposed to do now?" She broke down and started crying in her sister's arms. "I don't know what to do."
…
The shriek was high pitched, and loud enough to wake the dead. Finn wasn't dead, but he had been sound asleep. He tumbled off his bed, landing hard with an umph! He struggled up and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where the shrieking was still coming from.
What was going on? Had a rogue invaded their house? He knew all about rogues now. He didn't know what he could do if it was a rogue, but he had to try. He grabbed his baseball bat from beside the door before racing into the kitchen. And stopped in his tracks.
Kurt was standing on the counter, screaming and pointing at something on the floor.
"Kurt? What's going on?" Finn asked, confused.
"S-sp-spider! Huge freaking spider!" Another shriek emanated from him as the spider in question moved towards the counter the boy was perched on. Finn looked at him as if he was insane.
"You're immortal, and you are making this big of a fuss over a tiny little spider?" Finn said, moving around the counter to look at the offending creature.
"Don't laugh at me! Just kill the eight legged freak of nature!" Kurt sounded more like his bitchy diva self now that there was someone else there to deal with the matter. Finn sighed and moved towards the large wolf spider, intent on smashing the thing, but backed up with a screech himself as the fuzzy, gray, alien looking creature turned and advanced on him.
The taller teen jumped up on the counter beside Kurt, pulling his feet up to his chest. "Dude, that thing is friggin' huge!"
They both shrieked again as the thing reared back and raised it's two front appendages.
"Kurt?" The voice came from the hallway a fraction of a second before Blaine, Nick and Jeff stormed into the room. The two boys on the counter screamed again.
"Kill it! Oh Gaga, please just kill it!" Kurt sobbed. The other three boys came around the counter to see what had the other two cringing in fear.
Jeff's screech was even higher pitched than Kurt's had been as the blonde jumped up on the counter, which now was getting crowded. Nick blanched at the sight of the large arachnid, and backed away babbling. Blaine looked around at the other four boys, unable to contain his mirth at their reactions.
"It's just a wolf spider!" He laughed and took a step towards it, ready to step on it, when suddenly it lunged at him. The dark haired boy yelped and jumped back, ending up sitting in the kitchen sink. "What the hell, that thing is a freak!"
"What is going on here?" Carole asked, coming in from the garage with an arm load of groceries. "Why are you all on the counter? And Blaine, why are you in the sink?"
As she spoke, she walked towards the refrigerator to unload the bags she was carrying, unknowingly stepping on the spider as she went. The loud, sickening crunch had all the boys sighing in relief. The woman looked at the five boys in confusion. "Please tell me they didn't send us the wrong blood, and you all are stoned on High Times or what ever it's called?"
Finn gagged. "Eww! Besides, I don't drink blood. There was a huge mutant spider menacing us. You just stepped on it, see?"
She looked down at the crushed body on the floor, and then at each of the boys. "You're kidding me, right? All this fuss over a spider?" She rolled her eyes, and grabbed a paper towel to pick up the remains and throw them in the trash before going back out to the garage to get the rest of the groceries. The five boys looked at each other sheepishly, and went to help her.
After the groceries were put away and Kurt had disinfected the counter and sink, and mopped the floor to rid it of any trace of the bane of their existence, they had each gotten a drink and a snack and gone out to sit in the living room. "So, um, Kurt, you're afraid of spiders too?" Nick asked.
The pale boy shuddered. "There is no reason any creature on this planet should have more than four legs. It's unnatural!"
Finn looked up at that. "But you have those nano things inside you. You have to admit, that's not exactly natural either."
Kurt shrugged. He could have been offended by the other boy's remark, but knew Finn didn't mean it the way it had sounded. "I was born with them. They're natural to me."
"So, have you ever thought about asking one of the older immortals to mask your fear of spiders?" Nick asked. Kurt studied the other boy, and knew what he was getting at.
"I suppose I could have them lesson it, at least until I can work on getting over the fear altogether. Some fear is good, though. Fear keeps us from doing stupid things. Too much fear, though, can keep us from some of the best experiences of our lives."
Jeff looked over at his lifemate. "I know what you are thinking, even though I can't read your mind. I have been so afraid ever since spring break. I just hate the idea of you going through what you did. I'm afraid something else is going to happen to you."
Nick smiled and took his hand, kissing the knuckle. "I worry about you, too. You could walk out the door tomorrow and get beheaded by a bus. So should I keep you locked away in a tower to keep you safe?"
Jeff sighed. "I'm sorry if I've been smothering you. I didn't mean to. I love you."
"I love you, too!" They kissed each other. The other boys had to clear their throats loudly to break them up. They all laughed.
Nick glanced up at them. "So, when are you guys leaving for Toronto?"
Kurt leaned against Blaine's shoulder. "Day after tomorrow. We'll stay for the wedding, and then Blaine has to spend a week with his dad, and then he'll fly back up for Drina's wedding and the family reunion, which you two are coming to, by the way. All of New Directions will be there, too, to meet more of my family."
Finn looked a bit worried. "How do you do it?"
Kurt looked at him. "Do what?"
"Remember the names of so many relatives? I have six cousins, and I can never remember their names or how old they are. You have a huge family, and even though they are spread all over, and there are some you've never met, you remember all the names."
"They're your family now too, Finn. We're all family here in this room right now. Jeff is Stephanie's cousin, which makes him family to me through Decker. And Nick is his lifemate, so that makes him family too. And of course Blaine is my lifemate, which sort of makes him your stepbrother in law."
Finn looked like he might pass out. "I'm not sure I'm ready for all of this."
"Finn, if you are anxious about meeting the rest of the family, I can help ease your mind. They will accept you no matter what. That's what families do."
Finn smiled.
...
A/N Okay, so I'm arachnophobic, and today at work, I was finishing up my shift, and there's a commotion behind me, so I naturally turn around to see what's up, only to see this giant spider crawling straight towards me on the counter, and five of my coworkers all trying to kill it, but missing it. Yeah, my coworkers learned that I can't scream. My throat constricts and chokes off the sound and it comes out as a high pitched croak. While they are sitting there making fun of me, the damn spider escaped, and now I have to go back to work tomorrow and not only face them laughing at me, but not knowing when the eight legged freak of nature will return...Oh, joy!
