Chapter Fourteen
Tina frowned as they pulled into the hotel behind the Tucson Convention Center, more commonly known as the TCC. Wes was waiting for her as she stepped off the bus.
"There's not a lot of time, so I've made arrangements for you to meet with the counselor now, she's waiting for you in the conference room here at the hotel." He began leading the way inside.
"Is this really necessary, Wes?" Tina asked. "I mean, Mike is a nice guy, and you're right, I was lonely. Do I really need to talk to a therapist?"
Wes sighed. "Look, I know it's hard to talk about some things, but I really think this will help you resolve some issues you may not even realize you have. Just talk to her this once. If you get nothing out of it, I won't force you to continue. If you do get something out of it, I'll make arrangements for you to skype with her twice a week for the rest of the tour."
Tina let out a sigh, but followed him into the conference room, where a redheaded woman in a floral print dress and yellow cardigan was waiting for her. "Tina, this is Emma Pillsbury. I'll leave you two alone."
…
So far, the show seemed to be going as well as it could. Despite welcoming her back, everyone kind of felt like they were walking on eggshells around Tina a little bit. It was kind of hard to figure out exactly how to talk to her and what to say. It was easier to let her start the conversation and give them something to go off of.
"No, really, I think it's great that Blaine wants to try this one again!" Tina was saying to Quinn, the latter of which was in a frilly dress you might see on a little girl. Her blonde hair was curled and held back on the sides by two clips.
"I still think we should have taken the time to run through it first. We haven't really performed any of my regular illusions since I broke my hip," Quinn replied.
Tina was really trying at this point. She knew she had a lot of ground to make up for. Especially if she wanted to stay on the cast. "Look, Quinn, it's like muscle memory. We've practiced all the routines enough that we can do them in our sleep," she said. "You'll be fine, I promise."
Quinn took a deep breath and nodded her head, taking her place at the side of the stage as the curtain rose to reveal a small cottage in the middle of a forest. The blonde took a second deep breath and skipped out onto the stage.
Quinn made a show of peering in the window and sniffing the air as though she were smelling something and then she rubbed her belly like she was hungry. With a childlike smile on her face, the assistant slipped into the cottage and shut the door.
A few moments later, three bears came marching onto the stage. There was a tall one, a medium sized one, and a small one. They stopped in front of the cottage and the medium bear placed a basket full of berries on the window sill. The small bear rubbed their tummy and made a growling face. The audience laughed.
Just then, Blaine entered the stage dressed like a hunter. The tall bear and medium bear were pretending to converse when the small bear tugged on the medium bear's arm and pointed. All three bears startled and disappeared into the cottage.
Blaine the hunter crept across the stage, peering around for the bears he thought he'd just seen when Quinn popped her frightened face out of the window.
Blaine hurried over and opened the door, where Quinn rushed to the other side and then a tug of war began between the hunter and the bears. The bears wanted to punish Quinn for breaking into their home. The hunter wanted to rescue her from the danger. Back and forth they went while the tempo of the music climbed until Quinn popped free of the bears' grasp and out of the cottage door she came, toppling both herself and Blaine to the floor.
Quinn made a show of crying to the hunter to do something, and Blaine made a show of scrambling back to his feet. An idea struck him then, and he set his gun aside, moving to grab a cord that was hanging down by the side of the cottage. He pulled it down and a curtain the audience hadn't noticed before fell over the entire cottage.
Blaine stood back and raised his hands up. The cottage began to lift off the ground and raise into the air. Higher and higher it went until suddenly, the hunter snapped his fingers and the curtain fell to the floor. The cottage with the bears inside had vanished.
The audience cheered, giving the first standing ovation of the night.
…
Kurt was preparing for his next scene when Tina came up to him. "Hey Kurt, can I talk to you for a second?"
The blue eyed man pushed the giant bear's head aside on the table and turned to look at her. "Okay," he said. He, like everyone else, was walking on eggshells around her. Wes had told him that he'd told Tina it had been Kurt's idea to bring on Mike, both because he could and because he knew Mike was a fan of hers.
"So, as you know, Wes made me see that counselor today, and she brought up a very valid point. I haven't really been fair to you." She shifted and looked at her feet. "Wes seems to think that part of it is because you and Blaine didn't really get along at first, and maybe that had something to do with it, but today, while talking with the therapist, I realized there was more to it. I was jealous of you from the first moment we met, because for the longest time it was just him and me, and I got all his attention.
"And then you came along, and his attention was divided between us, even if the two of you were constantly bickering. Even negative attention is attention that he wasn't paying to me. And then he brought on Quinn and Elliott, and his attention was divided even more. Maybe I knew down inside that it was never meant to be between him and me, but the jealousy I was feeling made me think I was in love with him, in a twisted sort of way. Emma, the therapist, and I are going to work on that more when I skype with her later this week, being able to separate my emotions and decipher them.
"But anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I've treated you, and I hope you'll give me a second chance to be friends."
Kurt listened to her, his arms crossed over his chest. He shut his eyes for a moment and breathed in deep. "Did you know that I used to follow you and Blaine before I became a part of the team? You guys were a prime example of something I wanted to be. A potential star who didn't let anything stand in their way of reaching the top. I think one of the reasons why you and I haven't gotten along is because I was expecting to meet the Tina I saw in those days, and then Blaine and I didn't get off on the right foot and all hell broke loose." He sighed and gave his head a shake. "I never wanted to be enemies, Tina."
She nodded. "So, truce?" She held out her hand.
"Truce," he agreed, taking her hand to shake it. He turned back to his preparations for his next scene. "Oh and by the way, you're welcome," he said.
She didn't ask what for, just smiled. "I really like him. He's kind and sweet, and has abs for days!"
"Mike's a really good guy. I've known him for quite a while now. I know he'll never do anything to hurt you, and I know you've seen his Twitter account before all this. IDanceforTina?"
She giggled. "My one and only twitter stan, who didn't ship me with anyone. I remember seeing him in the audience in New York."
"Speaking of those stans, you might want to personally reach out to IShipBlina. She's gone off the deep end because of you and Blaine not being real, and criticized Blaine for it. Her friend said her boyfriend had just dumped her."
Tina frowned. "I'll send her a message after the show. You might want to hurry and finish getting ready. Your cue is coming up in just over a minute."
…
RajasRagina: Great show tonight, KingRaja. Hope you got the bouquet of dried fish Lord Tubbington sent you!
BlaineKurtElliott: Saw a clip of tonight's performance. Not sure what went on during the down time, but it looked like the assistants were having more fun tonight. Glad things are going better for all of you!
AsianMagic: IShipBlina, I'm sorry to hear about your boyfriend leaving you, and I'm sorry if I in any way added to your emotional distress, but I promise it will get better. I had my very first session with a counselor today. Maybe finding one would help you, too. Sending you lots of love!
KingRaja: RajasRagina Mmna Mmna Nam Gnu hung hung (Translation; Tell Lord T thank you, it was delicious!)
lestersbonnet (Formerly Kina4eva): Tina seems much happier, and that makes me happy for her. You should be happy for her too, IShipBlina
RainbowsandRibbons: The entire crew looked happier, but Kurt still seemed a bit tense. I wonder if that creepy disillusioned person has anything to do with it.
BlackbirdTears: Please, do not bring up that name lest ye summon the devil!
Thattireguy: Someone making threats again? Damn it, kiddo, do I gotta follow you everywhere now? I'm packing my flamethrower and catching the next flight out!
IShipBlina: I'm sorry, I know I've been kind of childish lately. I just wanted one nice thing in my life, but nothing ever seems to go the way I hope. I am happy for you, AsianMagic. And maybe I will look into finding a therapist, too.
datshitrandom: Hey guys, I'm new to twitter, but I just posted some awesome fan art of BBlackwell, AsianMagic, GlaszandPorcelain, and KingRaja on my ao3 page and Tumblr. Please check it out and let me know if you like it!
666DisillusionBlackwellsDevil: You think I'm the devil? You haven't seen anything yet. When I am through with Kurt Hummel, he'll wish he was in hell!
…
Kurt and Blaine were both pacing the former's hotel room as Elliott and Quinn sat on the bed, watching them like they were watching a tennis match.
"How long will it take for Wes to get here?" Kurt said, biting his lip. He finally came to a stop and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I don't know what's keeping him," Blaine said. "I sent the 911 text. Usually he's here in less than five seconds."
On cue, Wes strolled in, using the spare key he'd insisted on getting when they'd arrived. "Sorry, I was on the phone with Beiste. He's tracking those threatening posts on SM, which is what I assume you summoned me about."
"Someone keeps making a new account to continue to threaten Kurt," Quinn said.
Kurt bit his lip even more. "My dad tweeted that he was flying out here with his flamethrower. I don't know if he's really coming, but he does have a flamethrower."
Wes glanced at him. "I called Burt a short while ago and convinced him to stay home, that we'll handle it, and keep you safe. I also asked him where he got that flamethrower, in case Blaine ever does decide to attempt that burned alive illusion."
Kurt sort of slumped and Blaine wrapped him in his arms, throwing a concerned look at the other three. "You guys know that Kurt usually lets this stuff roll right off his back. But it's definitely starting to get to him. We need to figure out who this person is, and fast. There's no way of knowing if they're all talk, or actually planning something."
"I think they sent me that meat," Kurt mumbled, his face in Blaine's neck.
Wes looked confused. "What meat?"
"Someone delivered a flower box to Kurt's room containing dead roses and rancid meat a few shows back," Elliott said.
"What did you do with the box?" Wes asked. "And why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"When it first showed up, I thought that Blaine might have been being romantic. And I don't know what happened to the box, as Blaine took care of it. But we didn't tell you about it because you already had enough to deal with and at the time we thought it was a one off thing. That was before the threats started."
Wes looked at Blaine. "What did you do with the box?"
Blaine let out a sigh. "I paid a bellhop to get rid of it, discreetly. Now I realize I should have kept it in case there was any evidence on it, like fingerprints."
Wes frowned. "That may not have been entirely easy. At least, there could have been three sets of prints. Or whomever had it delivered never touched the box themselves at all. Fingerprints could have led to where it was bought, but again, whomever had it delivered may have called or emailed in the order. If they're smart enough."
Blaine was frowning. "Who would accept an order for rancid meat to be added to dead flowers to be delivered anonymously?"
Kurt pulled his head out of Blaine's neck and sighed. "The flower shop may not have been aware of it. It's possible someone was paid off to collect the meat after they picked up the flowers."
Wes was shaking his head. "This is getting too complicated. From now on, every delivery goes through Beiste, no matter who it's from and what it is. I'm doubling security on everyone. Oh, and Kurt, Elliott told me about your concerns about that KelliottStalker persona on twitter. Beiste is having someone look into them as well." Kurt just nodded his head. "As for the rest of you, I want you all back in your own rooms in fifteen minutes. I'll be posting guards to watch the hall through the night."
"Does that mean me too?" Blaine asked. "And before you think it's because I don't want to leave Kurt, my first thought is that I don't think he should be left alone right now at all."
Wes let out a sigh. "I agree with you, but I'm not sure it's in your best interest to be seen coming out of his room alone at any point right now. You said you don't want your relationship made public yet, and so far you've been lucky not getting caught sneaking around. But with a potential stalker lurking around, and someone making threats, perhaps it would be better for someone else to stay with Kurt."
Kurt frowned. "Great, that means I won't be able to sleep at all. Blaine is the only one who can get me to sleep when I'm stressed like this."
Elliott grinned. "I have a solution that will solve both Wes' requests and Blaine's need to stay with Kurt."
All three men turned and looked at him.
"And what is that?" Kurt asked.
"You know how when I get bored I tend to do historical research? Well, this building used to be a brothel years ago and many of the rooms had connecting doors." He got up and walked to a door beside the bathroom door. "This leads into a short hallway that connects to my room next door. Blaine can always just slip through to my room and leave that way."
Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look, and then turned to Wes for his opinion.
"Fine, but Blaine needs to be seen leaving Kurt's room first. You can pretend to ask him to stop by your room to talk about an idea you had for an illusion."
…
"Dad, Wes was right. He'll handle it!" Kurt was saying sometime later that night as he paced his room, cell phone to his ear.
Burt grunted. "You're still my kid and it's my priority to look out for you!"
Kurt rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed. "There you go, getting overprotective again," he muttered.
"I'm overprotective? Who's the one who won't let his old man have a nice juicy steak once in a while?"
"Dad, you know red meat isn't good for you!" The very thought made him cringe because it reminded him of the rancid meat, which made Kurt suddenly consider asking Rachel for all her best vegan recipes. He shook himself off though. No way was he going to let rancid meat turn him into that kind of paranoid.
"A well done steak every once in a while won't hurt me, Kurt," Burt replied.
Kurt tutted. "Right, and how am I supposed to know that you won't just go and order rare because I can't see what you're actually eating?" Burt was quiet at the question. "I know you dad. And I have eyes everywhere. Don't forget Carole."
"When did this turn into a conversation about my eating habits?"
"When you insinuated that I was overprotective. You need to stay healthy, dad. I want you to be around for a long time."
Burt's voice softened. "Kurt, I'm not going anywhere. I'm strong as an ox. No one pushes the Hummels around, that includes health issues."
Kurt sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. "I just worry about you. Carole's amazing and I love her, but you will still be more important to me and I feel like I'd be lost without you. You're all I have left of mom."
Burt let out a sigh. "I know I'm important to you, but I also know Blaine is very important to you, too. And someday he'll be more important to you than me, if things go the way I'm pretty sure they are going. And that's the way it's supposed to be. I know you love him, Kurt. And I'm pretty sure he loves you too. And we're both worried about you right now."
The younger Hummel squeezed his eyes shut tight. He knew that his dad was right. "I love Blaine so much," he admitted. "He's my rock right now. But that doesn't mean that I don't still need my daddy, too."
"You know I'll be there in a heartbeat if you need me. Hell, I'd be on a plane already if Wes hadn't talked me down."
"Wes is the best damn manager in show business. He actually cares about us. And you can count on him. When he says we'll handle it, he means it, dad."
Burt let out a gruff huff. "I know, I know. Okay, fine. I'll stay here. For now. But if anything happens to you, no one will stop me from taking someone down."
Kurt felt a small grin bloom on his face. "I wouldn't expect anything less."