Kurt had spent all day watching Rachel Berry because the girl was falling apart.
It had been weeks since Finn had started therapy, and the therapist wanted him to get a consultation with a psychiatrist. Burt had told him that the therapist thought Finn was depressed.
Kurt didn't know if he was, but if it was only depression, it sure didn't explain enough for him. What Finn had been doing to him was a manipulation that Kurt would have never thought was possible from Finn Hudson. Honestly, he would have never thought Finn was smart enough to plan it. He'd prefer to think that Finn wasn't even aware that he'd been doing it, but Kurt wasn't convinced.
Either way, Burt and Carole had agreed that Kurt could take the high-road of self-preservation this time. They didn't expect him to be there to support Finn, and they didn't require that he be added to Finn's family sessions. Maybe one day. But not anytime soon.
Those might be helpful for Finn, but they would just make Kurt's own counseling less beneficial. Kurt liked his counselor. She didn't give off any homophobe vibes, and she didn't get freaked out that he was an atheist. She thought maybe Kurt could end his sessions by the end of the school year. That was promising.
Kurt was sure doing better than Rachel.
Kurt whispered to Sam that he'd see him at lunch, kissed him, gestured to Rachel, and Sam nodded. They were so good at communicating it was scary sometimes. Scary but wonderful.
Kurt intercepted her in the hallway. Rachel looked up at him, burst into tears, and fell into his embrace.
"Come on, sweetie." Kurt led her into the choir room since it was the closest. Nobody would be in there at this time anyway.
"K-Kurt, you were so right about h-him!" Rachel sobbed into his shoulder.
"Sweetie, what is it?" Kurt held on to her tightly and rubbed her back.
"Finn. He asked me to marry him. And he keeps trying to make me answer him."
That asshole. He was in no position to take care of a wife, when he wasn't emotionally stable enough to take care of himself.
He was still doing it. Still trying to find someone who would worship him and make him the center of their universe. Because he didn't know how to live without that.
"Oh, Rachel. I'm sorry honey."
He was making her choose between her dream, NYADA and Broadway, and him. All because he was too scared to be alone. He didn't deserve Rachel. He didn't deserve Quinn. But he didn't care about that. All he cared about was having someone in his life.
"It's worse than that, Kurt. Last night. He…" Rachel took a deep breath and wiped tears from her eyes. "He said if I didn't marry him, he didn't have anything else to live for!" She sobbed back onto his shoulder again. "If I say no, what if he… what if he?"
Oh, dear god.
She felt her only answer would be to say yes because that's the only answer Finn would take. And he'd threaten her into it if he had to. That's what he'd forced her into with this.
"Rachel, you listen to me! You are not going to let him manipulate you into this! I will not allow it. He's done too much to both of us already!" Kurt felt tears fall down his face.
He had to help fix this. Finn could not be allowed to get away with this. Rachel would crack under the pressure of this, and it would destroy her.
"I don't know what to do!" Rachel cried and the sound was heartbreaking. "I need to talk to Quinn."
"Honey, we'll fix this. Give me some time. We have to talk to some people, and we have to warn them of what he threatened. You will get through this. I promise you, Rachel Berry." Kurt pulled back enough to look her in the face, but she didn't smile.
She probably couldn't smile, and a Rachel Berry who couldn't do that was one who was broken.
"Rachel, call your dads. You need to check-out and go home. I'll handle everybody here. Tell you dads exactly what you told me."
Rachel nodded and pulled out her phone to dial. He pulled her hand and let her talk while he dragged her through the hallways.
He was going to find Quinn and she was going to talk to them whether she liked it or not. He didn't care how much of a stupid grudge she had against him after that damn sleepover. "Hang on sweetie, we're going to find Quinn."
Rachel ended her call abruptly, "They're letting me check out on my own. Can you drive me? I don't think I can drive right now."
"Of course, honey. I'll let Sam and Dad know where we are."
"QUINN!" He shouted at her as she ducked into the girls' bathroom.
Quinn turned, saw the expression on Rachel's face, and held the bathroom door open for them, gesturing them to go ahead of her.
"What's going on?" Quinn leaned against the nearest sink.
"Has Finn ever? Does Finn? Hell, I don't even know how to ask it." Kurt paced back and forth in front of her. "Tell her, Rach."
"He's pressuring me to marry him, and he told me last night that if I didn't say yes, he didn't have anything else to live for."
Everybody in Glee knew how Finn had fallen apart, so there wasn't anybody that would take that for less than the threat that it was.
"Oh, my god! That selfish bastard! I'm so sorry, Rachel!" She pulled Rachel into a hug, and Rachel started sobbing again. Quinn rocked her back and forth and soothed her.
"What am I supposed to do? What if he kills himself if I say no? I can't say no like that!" Rachel cried.
"He's doing it again. He can't stand not being the fucking center of somebody's world so he'll guilt her into marrying him? What the fuck is wrong with him?" Kurt shouted.
Kurt pulled out his phone and hit the contact button for his father. "You two stay here. I'm going to talk to someone about this." He stepped outside once Burt answered.
"Dad. Finn has crossed the line now. I'm checking out. Rachel's losing it. She's already called her dads and they're letting her go home. What did he do? He proposed to her and then suggested to her than if she didn't marry him, he didn't have anything else worth living for. Yeah. I'll bring her. She's scared to death that if she says no, he's going to kill himself. Okay. We'll meet you and Carole there."
He disconnected and then pulled up Sam's number.
From Kurt: Baby, Finn has gone off the deep end. Rachel's losing it. I'm checking out with her and taking her home.
From Sam: K whr will u be aftr school? ill kum to u.
From Kurt: At Rachel's.
From Sam: K luv u. give her hug frm me. ill get puck to bring me
From Kurt: I will. I love you too.
Kurt warned Principal Figgins that he was checking out and taking Rachel home. Not that the man was very useful in these situations. Kurt had been disappointed to find out that Figgins had only agreed to oust Finn from Glee because Sue had pulled out the big guns against him and forced him to throw Finn out. He wasn't surprised, but still disappointed. It would be nice to have a principal who actually backed students up occasionally.
He had another reason to be thankful to Sue Sylvester. Maybe he'd take her up on that position with the Cheerios after all. When all this Finn drama died down.
He also gave Ms. Pillsbury a heads up on the situation. It wouldn't be very helpful because she was involved with Mr. Schuester, and that man would defend Finn until he was on his deathbed. But as the school counselor, she should at least know what was going on with Rachel.
Then he, Quinn and Rachel left for the Berry home.
Hiram and Leroy were waiting for her, and she burst into tears again when she spotted them. She told them the whole story, the heartbreak and concern pouring from her unchecked once she was with her fathers.
Kurt stood by, listening and watching out the window for Burt and Carole to get there. Quinn was sitting with Rachel and rubbing her back gently, supporting her quietly. Quinn had a look of determination on her face. It probably matched Kurt's. They would not let Finn do this to Rachel.
Quinn seemed to be the only one to get away from Finn somewhat unscathed, unless she was just hiding her scars inside. She'd had been through too much to put up with Finn, too. Maybe after all this, maybe he and Quinn could sit down and go over everything that happened over Sam. Rachel, Quinn and Kurt needed each other right now.
When Burt and Carole arrived, Kurt met them at the door and told them everything he knew and had heard Rachel spill to her fathers. And then the four parents took over. It was nice knowing that they didn't have to struggle on their own to deal with Finn's insecurity.
Carole looked devastated, and Kurt pulled her into a hug. "None of this. None of this has anything to do with you. You are an amazing mother." he whispered in her ear.
Carole hugged him back but she didn't respond. It broke his heart to think that she might not believe that. She truly was amazing, and Kurt couldn't bear it if she blamed herself for Finn's behavior.
Kurt went back to his post at the window, and pretty soon he saw Sam get dropped off by Puck. Sam waved him away and headed inside. Kurt met him at the door with a quick kiss, and they walked into the living room. Kurt addressed the parents who were huddling together and formulating a plan to deal with this latest problem.
"I'm taking Rachel to her room. She's had enough today, okay?"
They all agreed, and the four teenagers headed upstairs.
"Can we not… not talk about it anymore?" Rachel asked quietly.
"Of course sweetie," Kurt hugged her. "Can I fill Sam in later?"
Rachel nodded at him, "Yeah, I'm fine with that, Kurt."
Sam nodded and winked at her, and then he threw his jacket and backpack down on the floor next to her bed. He relaxed on Rachel's bed as if he'd done it a thousand times. Which he probably had, since he'd been living with the Berrys since he came back from Kentucky. He looked comfortable, and Kurt wanted nothing more than to lounge right there with him and ignore the entire world. Sam gestured to show Kurt that there was room for him, and Kurt climbed onto the bed and leaned up against his chest. Sam wordlessly wrapped his arms around Kurt and sighed.
Rachel lay down at the foot of her bed, her legs brushing against Sam's. She was almost in a fetal position, and her head was on Quinn's lap. Quinn was brushing Rachel's hair out of her face, but she was staring off at the wall, lost in her own thoughts. Nobody seemed to be willing to talk about anything at all. It was a strange but comfortable silence that nobody wanted to break.
Quinn's phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to check the incoming message. "It's Mercedes. Wondering why we aren't in Glee."
"What are you doing now that Shue is out of Glee?" Sam asked.
"Coach Sylvester actually convinced Figgins to let us run it ourselves with a council. They decided on five members. Three are seniors and two juniors. All of us voted on the council members, and the majority out of the five rules. It was surprisingly easy to set up," Quinn answered without looking away from her phone. She was probably texting Mercedes on behalf of Rachel as well.
"So who did you vote in?" Kurt held Sam's hand and idly played with his fingers as he asked.
He would have loved to have that on his NYADA application. Being a council member would have looked good. Not that it mattered now since he hadn't gotten a finalist spot anyway. It was just a matter of what could have been.
"Actually, we only filled four spots. Rachel and I are two of the seniors. Artie and Tina were the juniors elected."
"I'm surprised Santana didn't get a spot," Sam shared a glance with Kurt.
"Actually, she did. But she turned it down," Rachel's voice was scratchy, but that was to be expected due to how much she'd been sobbing earlier.
"Why?" Kurt asked.
"Because she says that spot belongs to you," Quinn smiled at him.
Kurt felt like his throat would close up on him. "She said that?"
It was nice having Santana on his side. She could be an amazing ally when she cared enough about a person. She and Britt made an incredible pair, and he already knew Britt would always be behind him.
"Yes, she did. And everybody else agreed. So, you know, you may have to come back. With only four members, we'll be deadlocked on every decision," Quinn laughed wryly. "You really don't have much choice. Nobody else will take the spot."
Sam's chest rumbled beneath him. "She's right, you know. You deserve that spot, Kurt."
"Will you come back with me?" Kurt looked back at him. "I can't do it without you, you know."
"Of course, baby."
"Okay, I'll come to the next meeting and see if they still want me there. Now is there any other good news to share?"
"I got into Yale. Early admissions," Quinn smiled shyly.
"Quinn!" Rachel shot up out of her lap. "That's amazing!" She hugged her somewhat awkwardly, thanks to the limited space of having four people sprawled out on the bed.
"That's wonderful Quinn!" Sam agreed.
Kurt smiled at her, "Go You! That's awesome."
"I'm still in a little bit of shock, I think. My mom is supportive of it. Dad's still. Well, he's still Dad." She shrugged. Mr. Fabray hadn't been supportive of Quinn since her pregnancy in her sophomore year.
Sam nudged him. "Tell them your news."
"Well, you both know I didn't get into NYADA."
Rachel's face fell again, but he kicked her ankle gently.
"Hey, I'm okay with it. I'll admit that I wasn't at first. But I have other plans now. Kent State awarded me a scholarship that is funded by a private design foundation. A full four year scholarship. They haven't awarded it in three years. They were majorly impressed with my design portfolio. The last recipient of the scholarship got a two year internship in New York after graduation."
"Kurt, that's wonderful! I didn't know you were considering design schools, too!" Rachel smiled.
"You should have. I've only been working on this portfolio for years," he laughed. "I've always planned to apply to both design and musical theatre schools. I only got into one of those, and it's in North Carolina. I really think I'll be happy in the KSU program," he added.
Sure, Broadway was a dream, but so was designing. As far as he was concerned, as long as he had a life in New York, preferably with Sam, either field would make him happy.
"How is your NYADA audition going?" Kurt asked Rachel.
She blushed, but he could tell she'd been dying to tell someone about it. "So far, it's going okay. I don't know if I'll get in, but there are other schools in New York that have accepted me if NYADA doesn't. So I'm content for now. I'm a finalist for Tisch, too."
"Rachel, that's wonderful! You'll get accepted for sure." Kurt felt genuinely happy for her.
"What about you, Sam?" Quinn looked up at him.
"Actually, I have been meaning to tell you this, Kurt."
Sam was applying to schools to study psychology. He wanted to study the field of learning and cognition with emphasis on learning disabilities. And Kurt couldn't be prouder of him. He wanted to apply what he knew about learning problems into a lifelong goal of helping others. It was a very Sam thing to do. He also wanted to minor in art because he wanted to continue to explore his creative side. He wanted to teach kids with spelling and language based learning problems how to communicate more easily through art. Kurt had cried when Sam had first explained his passion to him. He could combine his love of drawing with his desire to help children.
"Did you get the letter?" Kurt turned in his arms with excitement.
"Yes. I'm in. Kent State University. Department of Psychology. Research focus in Cognitive Psychology. I got enough financial aid and grants to cover almost all of my tuition and room and board. I'll only owe a few thousand dollars per semester, and I've already saved up about half of that for the fall semester. Mom and Dad are going to help as much as they can."
Kurt squealed loud enough that he was sure the parents could hear it downstairs. He wrapped his arms around Sam and kissed him soundly.
Sam had kept the application to Kent State quiet for the longest time, but he'd surprised Kurt a little while ago when he told Kurt where he'd applied. He'd also applied to a lot of Ohio schools because in-state tuition would be more affordable for him. He also added that he hadn't told Kurt he'd applied to Kent State on purpose. He didn't want it to be a factor in Kurt's own decisions.
He'd mentioned that he'd been able to get some assistance for Ohio State as well, but he admitted that he'd rather be closer to Kurt. And the psychology program at Kent State was wonderful. Kurt hadn't dared to hope that Sam would get in. It wasn't that he thought Sam wouldn't be accepted on his merits. It was because so much always seemed to go wrong for the two of them, and he wanted so badly for Sam to get to be with him at Kent State.
"That's wonderful, guys." Quinn beamed at them.
"Now I know why you aren't so heartbroken over NYADA," Rachel teased with a smile.
"Actually Berry," Kurt smirked and stuck out his tongue at her. "I accepted the Kent State scholarship before this stubborn blonde even told me he'd applied there."
Both girls laughed, and Rachel settled back down with her head on Quinn's lap.
A knock on the door preceded the voice of Hiram Berry. "Honey, you doing okay?"
"Yes, Dad. I'm okay." Rachel got up and hugged him.
"You all can come downstairs for dinner. The Hummels are staying for a little bit, and then they have to get back home." It was unspoken that they'd be going home to Finn.
"Can Kurt and Quinn stay?" Rachel looked at both of them a little unsurely. Quinn nodded, and Kurt was willing. He'd been trying to avoid family dinners as much as possible since the incident with Finn.
"If they want to. We'll have plenty." Hiram smiled and left the room.
"I better go help. It's my turn to assist Leroy." Sam kissed Kurt quickly and got off the bed.
"Why didn't you tell me your family lets him cook?" Kurt looked at Rachel in astonishment. "I'd have been over here for dinner every night! He's an amazing cook."
"I know," Rachel nodded. "And he has mastered a lot of vegan recipes."
"I so need to marry him someday," Kurt sighed, as he stared at the now empty doorway.
Both girls agreed and erupted with laughter.
Uh oh.
"Did I say that out loud?" He asked, and he was sure he was blushing harder than he ever had before.
"Yes, you did." They answered in unison.