I learned something about my muse this morning. She's a whore for reviews. A regular two-cent gutter slut (thank you Dreaming-of-a Nightmare, for that turn of phrase). See, I read all your wonderful reviews and PMs when got up this morning, then took a shower. During said shower, my muse not only showed me what I should do with the next chapter, but the rest of the remaining ones. I've never known this far in advance before what I'll be writing about next; it's kinda awesome! So I can tell you that there'll be 4 more chapters (which includes this one), and the last 3 will really earn that M rating.

I am trying to get as much of this story cranked out as I can before my return to corporate America on Monday. I probably won't be able to get the whole thing done over the weekend, but I'll be writing as much as I can.

Chapter 4

"So, I completely kicked everyone else's butt in glee this week," Kurt told Daisy.

"Well, that's no surprise," she grinned. The receptionist just loved hearing about Kurt's glee assignments; she enjoyed music and theater, but with no talent for either, she was relegated to simply being an enthusiastic admirer of those who did. "What did you sing?"

"'My Junk', from Spring Awakening." Kurt put his hands on his hips and lifted his chin. "I was brilliant, if I do say so myself. Rachel Berry was positively green, it was hilarious."

The intercom next to Daisy beeped. "Oops, there's Dr. Vetter. I guess she's all set for you."

Kurt nearly sashayed down the hall to his therapist's office, his leather messenger bag bumping against his hip. He opened the door, smiling brightly. "Hi, Dr. Vetter," he said.

The older woman looked at him. "My goodness, you seem happy today, Kurt," she said. "Great day at school?"

Kurt tossed his bag onto the couch and flopped into his favorite chair. Dr. Vetter noticed that his body language was completely relaxed; back resting against the chair back, leisurely slouch to his posture, and legs slightly open. He smiled beatifically and looked at the ceiling. "The best."

"Well, that's good to hear," she replied. "What was so great about it?"

Kurt told her about his amazing glee performance. "But that wasn't the best part," he said.

"Really? What was?"

"I when I opened my locker this morning, there was a small flower arrangement in there," he said. "Nothing big, just a couple of roses with some baby's breath and greenery," he flushed slightly, pleased beyond measure at the memory. "I looked at the card, even though I was pretty sure I knew who they were from. It said, This time around, I am trying flowers. Better, huh? xoxo, Dave."

"I can see why that would brighten your day," she said. "So things are still going well with you and Dave, it seems?"

Kurt's smile became dreamy and a little silly. It took all of Dr. Vetter's training to keep a neutral expression. She was delighted to see Kurt so unreservedly happy, and it was hard to not grin back at him. "Oh, they're wonderful. He's so romantic, and thoughtful." He momentarily forgot who he was talking to, blissed out on his favorite subject. "And hot. So very hot."

Dr. Vetter couldn't help it, she let out a little snort of laughter. It was totally unprofessional, but she'd been Kurt's therapist for nearly two years and had come to be very fond of the young man. His expression was simply adorable, there was no other word to describe it.

At the sound, Kurt straightened up in his seat, blushing. "Sorry about that," he said, chagrined. "I think I drifted off there for a minute." Dr. Vetter hummed non-committally, her face giving nothing away. Kurt grew more serious. "You probably think it' so weird, hearing me all moony over Dave, considering everything we've talked about in here."

"It doesn't really matter what I think, Kurt," she replied. "What about you? Do you think it's weird?"

"Sometimes, yeah." Kurt shrugged. "Gaga knows my family's still processing. I don't know if they'll ever really accept Dave, but at least they love me enough to not stand in the way of something that makes me so happy. I'm really grateful to them for that. It can't be easy. I've put them through a whole lot the last couple of years."

"You're talking mostly about your family, Kurt. What about you? Why do you find it weird sometimes?"

Why does she have to be so good at her job?, he thought. "Just when I think about how much everything has changed. I used to be scared to death of Dave, and now, I can't be around him enough. He used to be so deep in the closet he was having adventures in Narnia, and now he and I are making plans to drive to Columbus for the Pride Parade together," he shook his head. "It just doesn't seem possible that I could fall in love with someone I hated so much, and for so long."

"How do you think it happened?"

Kurt considered. "Well, obviously, Dave's changed a lot. He's not even the same person he was back then." He thought about a conversation he and Dave had had a while ago on the same topic. "That's not really accurate, though. He is the same person, but without all the pain, and the fear, and the anger. Those things overwhelmed all of his good qualities, at least where I was concerned. Now that all that crap is out of the way, he can be…Dave. The real Dave."

"And how about you? Do you feel like you've changed too? In a way that makes this relationship possible?"

"Sure. I mean, I'm just a deeper person in general now. I feel like I can look beneath the surface a lot better, and see things that I never could before. I was a pretty superficial person before all of this happened, always so concerned about my clothes, my hair, my solos, my sexuality…me, me, me. It probably sounds crazy to say this whole thing has turned me into a better person. But it has."

That's the least crazy thing I've heard all week, thought Dr. Vetter. She remained silent, though she smiled encouragingly.

"And the whole situation has just changed. Like you said before, I'd spent so much time talking about Dave, thinking about him, trying to deal with all the anger and sadness I felt because of what he did. Those feelings went away, but by that time I was just so used to thinking about him all the time, I couldn't really stop. It was like he'd taken up residence in my mind, and wasn't going anywhere. When we started being civil with each other, and then friendly, I started to associate that place he had in my brain with good feelings instead of bad ones. And it just kind of snowballed from there." He smirked a little bit. "I have to be honest, it helped that he came back looking so good. And even though I always said he wasn't my type, that's so not true. I crushed on Finn and Sam because they were big, strong jocks. That's exactly my type. Good-looking as he is, Blaine is actually as far away from my type as you can get. Although the fact that he was actually gay more than made up for that."

Kurt paused for a minute to collect his thoughts. "You know what the craziest thing is, though?" he asked Dr. Vetter.

"No, what?" Kurt seemed reluctant to say what was on his mind, a very unusual thing in session these days. "What is it, Kurt? It seems like whatever it is, it's hard for you to say."

"I'm almost ashamed to say it, and shame's not something I'm used to dealing with much these days," he said. He looked at Dr. Vetter. "I'm so happy with Dave now. I'm so happy with my life, now. It's better than I could have ever imagined it, at least while still living in Lima and attending McKinley High." He swallowed, and he felt the prick of tears in the corners of his eyes. "If all of that terrible stuff had to happen - Dave almost killing himself, me getting PTSD, all the nightmares and therapy and shit that we both had to go through - to make our lives what they are today? I'm glad it happened, then. It was all worth it in the end." A single tear spilled over his cheek.

Dr. Vetter reached over for a tissue to hand to Kurt. She had to do something, or else she was going to totally break protocol and hug the stuffing out of her patient. He took it, and she thought of what she wanted to say while he blew his nose. "Kurt, not only should you not be ashamed of saying that, you should be proud." Kurt gave her a surprised look. "I think that might be one of the most insightful and healthy things I've ever heard in session, particularly from someone as young as you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." She took a deep breath. "In fact, Kurt, I've been meaning to approach this with you for a while now. My professional opinion is that there's probably no reason for us to meet on a regular basis anymore."

"What?" said Kurt, eyes wide.

"We went from weekly to bi-weekly, and we've been doing monthly for a while now," she said. "I think it's time we move to an 'as-needed' basis. And considering how great things are going, I have a feeling you're not going to need sessions much. If at all."

Kurt looked at the floor, then back up. "You're probably right," he said. "I just…I'm going to miss you. I couldn't have done any of this without you. You saved my sanity. You saved my life. I can't thank you enough."

Sharon Vetter stood up and walked the few short steps over to Kurt. She motioned for him to stand, and he complied. "Thank you, Kurt," she said. "I'm going to miss you too. You're an amazing young man, and I wish you nothing but the best." She put her hands on Kurt's shoulders, and pulled him into a quick hug.

Screw protocol, she thought.

Okay, now I think *I* need a tissue. I couldn't let this universe go without saying a proper goodbye to Dr. Vetter, and I hope you enjoyed the bird's eye view into Kurt's last session with her. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!