"Spending time with you showed me what I've been missing in my life." - The Choice


"So, the flight was not that bad," Rachel commented as she and Puck walked through the airport, following the signs that pointed in the direction of the cab stands.

"Probably because you had my hotness to stare at the whole time," Puck teased, slipping an arm around her waist as he carried both their bags. He pulled her close, bending down and kissing the top of her head affectionately.

Rachel made a face at his comment, hitting him in the chest gently. "Would you shut up about that? Things I say when I am drunk do not count," she insisted, putting her arm around his waist as well as she leaned her head against his side, smiling at their close contact.

"Okay, except they do. Drunk statements are sober thoughts, babe. Face it, you totally think I'm smoking hot," he teased. Puck had been teasing her about calling him non-stop from the moment she'd woken up. She had freaked out, finding herself wearing one of his shirts, but Puck had promised her they hadn't had sex. He didn't remind her that she'd wanted to, though.

"I am not admitting to anything," Rachel said, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed, leaning down and placing a quick peck on her lips. She closed her eyes and smiled as his lips touched hers, sighing a little. "Well, maybe you are a little hot," she murmured, her cheeks pink.

"I knew it!" he laughed, dropping the bags on the ground as he fully pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground as he placed another kiss on her lips, this one much longer and deeper.

"Do not let it go to your head," she breathed once they finally separated. "I am only telling you that so you do not going around thinking you are ugly or something," she teased, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. He picked their bags back up and they continued heading towards the exit, preparing to grab a taxi and head back to her place.

Luck seemed to be on their side. The line for cabs was empty and they managed to grab one almost instantly. Puck slid into the backseat behind Rachel and gave the driver her address, relaxing back against the seat as the car started moving.

Rachel placed her legs across Puck's lap as he began massaging her thighs, smiling over at her lazily as she sighed appreciatively. "Mm, that feels nice, baby," she murmured as she closed her eyes, her left hand thumb massaging circles into his shoulder.

"Good, that's the intention," he laughed, rubbing her knee momentarily.

Rachel's smile faltered a little as she realized their weekend of fun was coming to an end. She would go back to rehearsals, he would go back to his job and she doubted she would see him again until Thursday when they left for the wedding. She had to remind herself that this was all fake, that maybe they'd fooled around a little bit this weekend but that was it. They'd go back to their lives, play pretend for another weekend, and that would be it.

Puck seemed to sense what she was feeling, so he leaned over and captured her lips with his, pressing her back against the seat as he placed a hand on her face, pulling her close to him. "You know," he mumbled in between kisses, his tongue slipping into her mouth with his next kiss, "we're all going out Tuesday to say bye to Elsa. I mean, she's here until Friday, but it's the only day we all can get together. You should probably make an appearance as my girlfriend again." He ran his hand up her bare thigh, his fingers under the skirt of her dress.

"Oh, I should definitely come to that," she agreed, smiling against his touch. "I would like to bid farewell to Elsa as well. She is quite lovely. She is coming to my rehearsal tomorrow, you know," she murmured, pressing her lips to his again.

"Mm, I recall you suggesting she come to one when you met her," he said, hitching her leg slightly so it was even with his waist. "She'll have a blast. She loves going to shows and shit like that. It drives Joe nuts," he chuckled.

I'll be there to protect you/With an unselfish love I'll respect you/Just call my name/And I'll be there

They were interrupted by Rachel's phone ringing from her bag. She immediately pulled away from Puck and fished it out of her purse, swiping across the screen before placing the phone to her ear, a smile on her face. "Hi Mommy," she greeted.

"Hey baby," Shelby said warmly from the other end of the phone. Sensing make out time was over, Puck leaned back against the seat in the cab, yawning and looking out the window at the heavy traffic they were stuck in. "I'm just checking in with you since you seem to have forgotten how to use a telephone," she chided.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized. "I have just been busy with rehearsals and getting ready for the wedding," she explained, feeling a little guilty. Rachel was Shelby's life. When she was in college, they used to talk every day, so she understood why her mom was a little snippy after not hearing from her for almost four days.

"Of course you have, baby," Shelby said warmly. "Well, I want to hear all about your first week of rehearsals. How are you costars? Any of the guys cute?" she teased.

"Mom!" Rachel laughed. "You know how I feel about getting involved with a fellow actor. Terrible idea. I will never do it again after the debacle when Jesse and I parted ways.

"I know honey, I'm just teasing you. Besides, I hear you have a new leading man in your life, anyways."

"I am going to kill him. When did Kurt tell you?" she asked, fuming. Kurt was always spilling her secrets and ratting her out to her parents. They found out from him that Rachel was dating Finn before she was ready to tell them, and she got a call from her father about her and Sam's break up before she'd even called them to tell them.

"Now baby don't go all medieval on him," Shelby cooed over the phone as Rachel sat in the back of the cab, seething. "He was just so excited on the phone and I asked him why, so obviously he had to tell me," she explained.

"Well, I wanted to tell you myself," she whined while Puck laughed under his breath, earning him a glare from Rachel. He instantly shut up while Rachel went back to her phone call. "You know how I like to break big and important news on my own terms!" she complained.

"Baby, it's really not a big deal. What is a big deal is you finally moving on from Sam. I was getting worried about you there. I mean, you were barely going out and having fun, and you hadn't dated anyone since you two parted ways."

Rachel made a face. "Mom, can we talk about something else? I really do not want to talk about Sam more than I have to. You said you wished to hear about how my rehearsals went?"

"Um, obviously I do. Tell me all the gory details!"

Rachel giggled a little. "Well, they are going really well so far. My Christian is wonderful, and quite cute between you and me." Puck jerked his head towards her, frowning a little. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him before taking her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. "Of course, not as adorable as my own leading man," she added with a laugh.

"Of course," Shelby laughed. "Well, how about the rest of your costars? Are they all great or weird control freaks like that guy from your senior year?"

Rachel giggled. "No, they are all wonderful. I have not had any issues with anyone yet which is good. I do not need a repeat of the Chicago incident," she muttered a little bitterly. Chicago was the show Rachel had been starring in when she and her ex Jesse broke up. Most of the other actors had been very good friends with Jesse, and once they broke up, they all refused to talk to her unless they were acting. It had been hell for Rachel.

"Well good. I hope this works out for you, honey."

"Me too, Mom. The script is amazing and the director is wonderful, even if he is a little insane," she laughed as the cab came to a stop outside her building. "Mom I just got home so can I give you a call tonight instead?" she asked.

"Of course, baby. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye." Rachel ended the call and put her phone in her bag while Puck paid the driver, grabbing their bags and climbing out of the car. Rachel followed behind him, fishing her keys out of her bag as they walked through the front door of the building.

"You sure you don't mind me coming up?" ha asked as they made their way to the elevator, Rachel giving a small wave to Spencer at the front desk.

"For the tenth time, no. I need some help unpacking, after all," she teased.

"Like I said before, don't start something you can't finish," he said as they stepped onto the elevator, Rachel pressing the button for her floor.

"I thought I proved I know how to finish it last night," she giggled, leaning against his chest as she grinned up at him.

"Mm, that you did," he agreed, placing his left hand at the nape of her neck as he pulled her face close to his, letting his lips brush against hers in a tender kiss.

Rachel would have been content kissing Puck until they reached her floor, but almost as soon as their lips touched, a "Hmpf!" interrupted them. Rachel pulled her lips away from Puck and peered to the other side of the elevator, her cheeks a light shade of pink. Mrs. Hotchner was standing there in a black Chanel suit, her dog Peppermint in her arms.

"Ma'am," Rachel greeted with a nod of her head, feeling the elderly lady's judgmental eyes on her.

"Don't 'ma'am' me," the woman snapped as her dog let off a few high-pitched barks. "You and that roommate of yours have been nothing but trouble since you moved in. The parties, the noise, and now turning the public elevator into your own personal lover's lane! Disgraceful," she said with a click of her tongue as the elevator began rising.

"Ma'am, it was just a kiss," Rachel tried to explain.

The old woman let out a huff. "A likely story. I'm watching you heathens. One step out of line and I'll have you and that blonde temptress tossed out on the street before you can say Oliver Twist." The elevator dinged and the doors opened on Mrs. Hotchner's floor, much to Rachel's relief. "And another thing," she said, turning on her heel once she was halfway through the door. "Tell that blonde stripper to cover up when she walks through the lobby. I don't need my teenage grandsons corrupted by her scantily clad bosom."

With that, she left the elevator and strolled down the hall her dog yipping as she walked. Rachel began giggling as the door closed while Puck's eyebrows were raised. "Is that lady for real?" he asked Rachel, climbing out of the elevator when it stopped on her floor.

"Unfortunately. She is always calling the management on us. She thinks we are immoral sinners because we happen to enjoy a good time. Between you and me, I think she needs a boyfriend. Or at least a good lay. She probably has not even been touched since her husband passed three years ago," Rachel said as they made their way down the hall, stopping in front of her door.

Rachel pulled her set of keys out and unlocked the door, pushing it open and walking in. She was expecting to find Kitty making lunch or on the phone with her mother. Instead, she found disaster.

There was a half-empty box of pizza sitting on the kitchen counter with an empty 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew sitting on top of it. Empty bags of chips and half-eaten candy bars were strewn about the kitchen, and Kitty was lying on the couch, a blanket resting over her body while she ate out of a family-sized bag of Doritos and watched Forrest Gump.

"Uh, Kitty?" Rachel asked, having never seen their place look like this. Kitty was obsessive about keeping things clean, yet in a weekend she'd managed to let the whole place turn into a disaster."Everything okay?"

"Shh, this is my favorite scene," she called from the couch, waving her arm. Rachel got a good look at Kitty, stunned by her appearance. Normally, Kitty was dressed impeccably, always giving Rachel a hard time about her fashion choices. Now, she was dressed in a pair of sweats with her hair up in a messy bun. Her face was devoid of all traces of makeup, and she'd chosen to wear her glasses instead of putting her contacts in.

Rachel looked at Puck and frowned a little, wondering what was going on with her roommate. In all the years she'd known Kitty, she had never seen her behave like this. With a finger, she beckoned Puck to follow her and headed down the hall to her bedroom. Puck followed behind her, carrying Rachel's bags with him.

Once they were in her room, Rachel shut her door, hearing the distant sounds of the TV coming through the crack in the door. "She has lost it," Rachel said as Puck set her bag down and took a seat on her bed. "I am serious!" she vented, her hands twisting together nervously. "I have never seen her act like this. I think she does not know what to do now that she quit her job so she has chosen to become a couch potato instead. It just does not make any sense."

"I agree that it's weird, but what are you supposed to do about it?" Puck asked, leaning back on Rachel's bed and staring at the ceiling.

"I do not know. Maybe I could call her mother," she mused, her arms crossed over her chest. "Or maybe her dad. He lives here in New York. Maybe he could talk some sense into her." Rachel shook her head. "Maybe I am just blowing everything out of proportion and she is just enjoying her unemployment for a bit."

Puck watched her with amusement as she talked over everything to herself, pacing back and forth. "I just do not have time to deal with worrying about her right now. I have rehearsals, work every night after them this week, I need to pick up my dress from the bridal shop at some point, and I still need to pack everything for Ohio before Friday." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I am sorry, I doubt you want to hear about my stress right now," she added, giving him a sheepish smile.

"What you need to do is relax," Puck said, patting a spot on the bed for her to take a seat. Rachel obliged and Puck sat up, pulling her close with his hands resting on her shoulders. "Just relax. No need to panic. Everything's going to be fine. You'll get through this week without any issues and come Friday morning, you'll be on your way to Ohio." His hands moved over her shoulders, working into her tense muscles and helping to alleviate some of her stress.

Rachel made a small sound as his fingers dug into her flesh, the knots in her muscles disappearing at his touch. Maybe he was right, maybe she did just need to relax a little.

Of course, with her life, she never seemed to be able to relax for more than five seconds. Just as she was starting to mellow a little, a sharp knock at her bedroom door interrupted her calm, making her sit upright and pull away from his touch. "Hey you horny fornicators, I'm coming in so make sure all your nasty bits are covered." Without waiting for a response, Kitty pushed open the door to Rachel's room and surveyed the scene, grinning a little at Rachel's pink complexion. "Okay so I'm fucking starving."

"I do not know how that is remotely possible with all the empty boxes and bags in the living area," Rachel replied.

"Whatever bitch. Like I was saying before the rude ass diva interrupted me, I'm fucking starving and haven't eaten all day. And, since Rachel has to work the late night rush tonight because she's a fucking crazy person, she can't make me dinner. So she needs to get dressed for work so we all can get something to eat at that bistro around the corner before she has to leave." Both Rachel and Puck stared at her. "What, am I speaking Latin or something? Get your damn uniform on so we can get food before I devour the damn sofa."

"I thought you were watching a movie."

"Yeah well I changed my mind when my stomach woke up and demanded something that's not pizza. Chop chop, bitch. Puckerman, come wait with me while Rachel takes ten hours deciding how to wear her hair."

Puck rolled his eyes and rose to his feet while Rachel insisted it did not take that long for her to do her hair. She shut the door behind them, leaving Puck and Kitty alone in the living room.

Puck stared at the closed door for a moment before following Kitty into the kitchen. Puck assumed she was heading to her room to change out of her Cheeto-dusted clothing, however she hopped onto the counter instead, making no effort to make herself look more presentable.

"So, what did you think of Rachel's douchetwat ex and his skank bitch fiance?" she asked, pinking up a half-eaten Snickers from the counter, taking another bite out of it.

"Douchetwat's the perfect description of him," Puck muttered, making a face at the memory of his fake-girlfriend's ex boyfriend. He had no idea what Rachel had seen in him or how she'd managed to date him for as long as she did. "He was the world's largest asshole all weekend, and when his fiance wasn't trying to flirt with me, she was spending the rest of her time making Rachel feel like shit."

"Yeah Chelsea's a bitch. Aiden doesn't even like her, and he somehow likes me."

"She spent all her time tearing Rachel down and making fun of everything she wore or did. It's a shame she didn't walk in on Rachel blowing me in the bathroom. That might have shut her up."

Kitty almost choked on the candy bar she was eating, coughing loudly. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Rachel went down on me in the men's bathroom at some club," Puck said, a large grin on his face. "Her douche ex walked in just as I was about to return the favor."

"Aha! I knew you two would hook up this weekend!" Kitty laughed, poking him in the stomach with her foot. "And seriously, didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude not to return the pleasure when a girl sucks your dick?"

"Sorry, my childhood wasn't fucked up enough that I had family lessons about sex etiquette," he joked.

Kitty's face paled and she opened her mouth to tell him to fuck off, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door to the apartment. Confused since her father hadn't said he was stopping by and no one had buzzed up, she hopped off the counter and headed to the door. She peered through the hole in the door and spotted Isabelle Wright, her former boss as of a week ago.. "Holy shit!" she gasped.

"What is it?" Puck asked.

"It's my old boss from the job I just quit, the one where I didn't even give two weeks notice."

"So what does she want?"

"Do I look like a fucking mind reader? I don't know. But there's only one way to find out." Kitty looked down at herself and sighed before unlatching the chain, unlocking the door and pulling it open.

In the doorway stood a statuesque blonde who appeared to be around 35-years-old. Her platinum locks were curled and piled on top of her head. Her thin frame was covered with a red, off-the-shoulder skintight dress that fell a few inches below her backside. On her feet were a pair of sky-high Louboutin stilettos. Puck, who was still standing in the kitchen, seemed to have lost the ability to speak as he gaped at her.

"I-Isabelle," Kitty stuttered, staring at the glamorous woman standing in her doorway. "Please, come in." The blonde obliged and made her way into the messy apartment. Kitty was silently regretting not cleaning up all weekend. "Sorry for the mess," she apologized. "I've been...busy." Her cheeks flushed as she turned to face her former boss. "To what do I owe this visit?"

What exactly Isabelle had come to her apartment for, Kitty didn't get to find out. Instead, Rachel chose to emerge from her room at that moment, dressed and ready for work. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her uniform was on, her lean legs covered with dark stockings.

"Alright bitch, you interrupted my much-needed massage earlier and now I am starving. This place better be on point or I am pouring your favorite body wash down the drain. She stopped as she caught sight of Isabelle. "Oh, I did not realize we had company."

Isabelle smiled at Rachel and extended her hand. "It's quite all right. I apologize for interrupting your dinner plans, but there is something I need to discuss with Katherine. However, since it appears you all are hungry, would you mind terribly if a senior like me crashes your meal plans?"

"Isabelle, you're maybe five years older than Puck. Of course you can come. We'll chat once Rachel leaves for work and Puck goes back to his own apartment instead of mooching off me."

"Bite me," Puck replied, grabbing his bag off the floor before throwing his free arm around Rachel's shoulders. Kitty turned her head towards the door, not letting the two of them catch sight of the large grin on her face.

"Come on, I'm starving," Kitty complained, sliding her bag over her shoulder as she tossed her keys inside.

Rachel waved her hand at Kitty, indicating for her to start moving. The group of four headed out of the apartment, Rachel closing and locking the door behind her before allowing Puck to place his arm back around her shoulders once more. The climbed onto the elevator, luckily not running into crabby Mrs. Hotchner again. Instead, they were joined by Miles Granger, their neighbor from down the hall.

Miles was a writer who had penned the screenplays for Prisoners and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He would stop by every so often and bring Kitty and Rachel extra food. Kitty was pretty sure he had a crush on Rachel and that was his excuse to see her.

He gave Kitty a wave and looked over at Rachel who was in the corner of the elevator, giggling at something Puck had whispered into her ear.

"New boyfriend?" he asked, a slight frown on his face. "How have you guys been? I stopped by this weekend but no one was home."

"Rachel was down in Florida doing pre-wedding crap for her bestie's nuptials next weekend, and I was probably home but too focused on not being a productive member of society to realize someone was at the door. I apologize for that."

"It's no big. I was just going to bring over some extra mac and cheese my mom gave me since I know Rachel loves it. If you guys still want some, I have a little bit left in my fridge. Just stop over tomorrow anytime and I'll get you some. Though stop over later if you're going to. I might be out late tonight," he chuckled.

"Big date?" Kitty asked.

Miles shook his head. "Yeah right, like a nerd like me could get a date. College roommate's having a party so I'm heading over there for the night." The elevator dinged as it stopped on the ground floor. "Have a good night, gals," he said with a wave. Rachel glanced up and smiled at Miles as he left.

"Yeah, have fun at your party," Kitty called as he headed out of the elevator, she and the rest of their group following suit. Kitty headed out of the building with Isabelle to her left while Puck and Rachel followed behind, his arm still wrapped tightly around Rachel.

They only had to walk for a few minutes until they came to a small restaurant called The Gotham Bar and Grill. There were a small amount of people inside while a few waiters and waitresses walked around inside.

"Hurry up lovebirds!" Kitty called to Rachel and Puck while she and Isabelle headed inside, getting them a table. Rachel and Puck, who seemed to be giggling about something, walked in shortly after and took a seat at the table Kitty had gotten for them. Puck placed his bag on the floor and pulled Rachel's chair close to him, his hand resting on her knee while their waiter, a kid who looked like he was just out of college, handed them a stack of menus.

"So, how long have you and Katherine been living together?" Isabelle asked Rachel.

"Oh, well we lived together back when we were younger, but then I left to go live with my boyfriend at the time."

"Yeah, because that was such a great idea," Kitty muttered, earning her a glare from Rachel. "What? It's the truth."

"I am not even addressing that. I just finally got away from him, and I would rather not spend my dinner talking about him again. Anyways, after we parted ways, I needed somewhere to live on short notice, and Kitty was gracious enough to allow me to move back in with her. So we have been roommates for the past eight months."

"That sounds lovely. Your place is beautiful."

"Well, that is all her. Well, technically her mom, but either way I did not pick out the place at all."

"And this is your boyfriend then?" she asked, gesturing to Puck who was flipping through the menu, trying to find something to eat.

Rachel nodded her head. "Yes, this is Noah."

"Though don't call him that," Kitty added. "Only Rachel gets to call him that. Everyone else calls him Puck. Like seriously, he'll kick your ass if you try to call him Noah."

"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Puck," Isabelle said as their waiter came back to take their drink orders. Isabelle ordered a glass of wine while Kitty just asked for water. Rachel and Puck both ordered water as well as their food in to-go boxes since Rachel needed to get to work.

"I am so sorry we are going to have to skip out, but I need to get on the subway soon if I have any hope of making it to work on time."

"Are you a nurse or something?" Isabelle asked.

Rachel let out a laugh, taking a sip of her water. "Gosh no. I am an actress, actually, though I work as a waitress to make money since I just started rehearsals on my show. I am going to be playing Satine in the Broadway version of Moulin Rouge!"

"How exciting," Isabelle gushed. "I just love that movie. I'll have to start slipping hints to my husband that we should see that for our anniversary this year, though I may have to buy them myself since he's so clueless half the time," she laughed.

"It is going to be a great show, and not just because I am in it," Rachel joked as Puck rubbed her thigh. The waiter brought their food over, and Rachel rose to her feet. "It was lovely to meet you. If you would like, let Kitty know when you would like to see the show and I can get you great tickets for it." Rachel waved to the two of them and grabbed Puck's hand, the two of them walking out of the restaurant.

Kitty turned to Isabelle once it was just the two of them alone, a curious smile on her lips. "So Isabelle, let's talk."


A few hours and two bottles of wine later, Isabelle and Kitty were still deep in discussion at the restaurant.

"So let me get this straight," Kitty said, pouring herself more wine, her food finished long ago. "You quit your job?" Isabelle nodded her head, swirling her wine around in her glass. "But why? You love your job!"

"To be perfectly honest, I really didn't. No one there ever respected me. They all thought I was some dumb ex-model who went into the corporate side of fashion because I couldn't make it on the runway. That's not true, by the way," she added. "Anyways, I'm sick of it, Paul is sick of me coming home and complaining about everyone I work with, my daughters are sick of me always traveling and not being a mom to them. Plus, after realizing a pervert works for me, that was the final straw."

"What?" Kitty asked, her face paling.

"After you left Paris so suddenly, I went back and acquired the security tapes from when you were there. And I saw what Tyler did to you. I thought that by leaving the runway I'd be free of that kind of shit, but I was wrong. I don't want to deal with that anymore, so I quit."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I have a proposition for you. I don't want to work for another company. It's going to be the same kind of stuff that I want to leave behind. You, my dear, were always the most talented person who worked for me. I want to work with you."

"I don't think I understand."

"You don't have a job, and neither do I. I'm not the best designer, but I have some ideas, plus I have more contacts than a lot of other people my age. What I'm proposing is we create our own line. I understand that you might not have a lot of money to help fund it, but I do. You know how to dress women, and I know people would eat up your clothing. I know the right people that we could get those clothes on the runway for the spring, and we could even get your roommate to wear the clothes out and get some free publicity."

"Wait, you want to work with me?" Kitty asked, almost choking on her wine.

"Of course. You're a very talented young lady, plus you have a good head on your shoulders. I hope both my girls turn out like you when they're older."

Kitty's cheeks burned red. No one every gave her any compliments with the exception of Rachel. "I...I don't know what to say," she stammered. "I've always wanted to start my own line, and what you're offering is so generous."

"But...?"

"I feel like I would be taking advantage of you if I say yes. You're a mother. You have a family and kids who could use all the money it would take to start a fashion line. Plus with all the time it takes, I would feel guilty saying yes."

"I'm going to stop you right there. I have more money than I could ever need. Plus, most of the work I could do out of my home, meaning I would get to spend all day with my kids. Please say yes, Katherine. I'm not one to beg, but if you want, I'll get down on my knees and do it."

"I have one thing to add before I say yes."

"Anything!"

"Call me Kitty. Only my mother calls me Katherine."

"Deal!" Isabelle laughed, waving over the waiter. "This calls for some champagne."

Kitty turned her head in the direction of the bar to look for their waiter when her eyes fell on a guy sitting at the bar, his attention on her. Even though he was seated, it was obvious that he was much taller than everyone else in the restaurant. He had brown hair that fell just above his shoulders. A small amount of stubble on his shin accented his gentle facial features.

He noticed Kitty looking at him and smirked, sending a wink in her direction.

The reaction was instantaneous. Kitty leaned over and heaved, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor. She let out a pained cry as she continued heaving even after there was nothing left to throw up. Isabelle gasped and moved around so she was seated beside Kitty, rubbing her back as she kept heaving. "Kitty, what's wrong? Are you feeling ill?"

Kitty looked up at her with red eye and managed a weak nod. "Yeah, I think so," she said, her voice hoarse. "It just...came on all of a sudden," she fibber. She glanced back at the bar and saw the guy had disappeared. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize for getting sick, you can't help that. Why don't you go home and go to bed. I'll take care of all this and call you in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Kitty asked, still feeling her stomach churning. "I feel awful."

"I'm positive. Go home and get some rest. I can handle this. Feel better darling. I'll start making some phone calls tomorrow, and when you're feeling up to it, give me a call and we'll start figuring everything out." Isabelle leaned over and gave her a warm hug.

Kitty rose to her feet, looking around the restaurant for a moment before leaving. The sky was now dark, the streets lit with lamps on the sidewalk. She turned to the right, heading back to her apartment building.

"Kitty!" she heard a voice call. Kitty froze, her skin turning cold. She felt the bile in her stomach moving up again as she turned. Instead of seeing the guy from the bar, she saw Artie, Puck's friend from the other night, wheeling down the street towards her with a smile on his face. "I thought that was you. Small world, huh?" He took a good look at her and frowned a little. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I, um...I'm fine," Kitty lied. "Just heading home after dinner. What are you doing here. You don't live in the Village."

"You're right, I don't," he laughed. "I was giving some private music lessons to a kid who lives here. I was heading home now when I saw you and thought I'd say hi. You sure you're okay? You look like you're about to pass out."

"Really, I'm fine. I just...would you mind walking home with me? I don't like walking by myself at night," she muttered, her face turning pink.

Artie laughed a little. "Not at all. It would be my pleasure to walk home with you." He waited for her to start walking before wheeling beside her. "So, based on the sweats, I'm assuming it wasn't a date you were getting dinner with."

"What?" Kitty asked, a little dazed. "Oh," she said, looking down at herself. "No, I was grabbing a bite to eat with an old boss. I ended up being there a lot longer than I planned to, but at least I got a new job out of it."

"You did? Congrats," he said with a smile. "You must be excited."

Kitty smiled to herself. "I am, actually," she said. She didn't know what it was, but she found it easy to talk to Artie despite not knowing him very well. Just walking with him was making her feel calmer after the debacle in the restaurant. "I'm finally going to be able to design my own fashion line with a great mentor. It's what I've always wanted."

"I'm really happy for you, Kitty," Artie said as they reached her building.

She looked up at it before looking back at Artie. "Thank you for walking me back," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "It really means a lot to me. I know I'm not a friendly person, but I really do appreciate it."

"Really, it was no problem. I'm glad to help. Besides, it was nice getting to spend some time with you. I'll see you around." He gave her anther smile and started to wheel away, heading home.

"Hey Artie?" Kitty called after him. He turned around and looked at her, his left eyebrow arched. She opened her mouth, ready to spill out everything that was bothering her but she closed her mouth. "Get home safe."

He laughed a little. "I will. Feel better." He waved after her and she turned and headed inside, not even giving Spencer a wave as she walked to the elevator. Luckily, no one else joined her on the elevator and she was able to ride up in peace. She stumbled down the hall to her door and unlocked it, heading inside and quickly closing the door behind her, locking it right away.

She headed into her room and climbed into bed, pulling her phone out. She considered calling her mother, but she almost immediately decided against it. Her father wasn't even an option, neither were any of her few friends.

She looked at the number she'd highlighted in her phone which read JENNY-NSAH before hitting send and pressing the phone to her ear. The phone rang a few times before there was a pause. Kitty heard something in the background before there was a voice. "Hello?" a soft voice asked.

"Jenny? It's Kitty from the hotline. You said I could call if I was ever having a crisis."

"Of course. Hold on just a moment. I'm at my in-laws and everyone is talking very loudly. Let me just step outside." Kitty heard the laughter in the background growing quieter before there was the sound of a door opening and closing. "Okay Kitty, remember that everything you say to me is confidential. What's wrong?"

Kitty closed her eyes and felt the nausea starting to return as she pictured the guy at the bar once more. "It's Nathan. I saw him tonight. He's here in New York. I don't feel safe anymore."