CHAPTER 40

Kurt was able to watch the whole set without issue. He had hoped that the crowd, being a distance away, would be manageable, and at this point, he figured it was. Blaine gave him a smile and a wink now and then, and the sound man, Ron, was easy to chat with. He gave Kurt headphones that made it easy enough for them to converse over the music on stage. Oddly, it was also comforting because it dulled the crowd noise a bit.

Kurt had forgotten how much he enjoyed live music. He'd forgotten how amazing Finn was on the drums as well, but what really got to him was Blaine. He'd seen Blaine play several times now, up in the attic, in his own music room at home, and at Aria's. But here….wow, Blaine was amazing. Everything else had been slow and somewhat romantic, pleasant and tame. This….this was fantastic! Blaine was full of energy and life and playing like his life depended on it. Kurt was in awe watching Blaine's nimble fingers fly across the keys so quickly they were sometimes barely a blur. Many songs he played without the help of any sheets of music at all, and although Kurt realized they probably played a lot of the same songs all the time, the fact that Blaine didn't need the music sheets was impressive.

They were almost through the second set after their break and a song had just ended. Puck was doing running commentary on some of the bar patrons antics while everyone readied for the next song, when Kurt heard the unmistakable sound of Blaine's voice saying his name.

"….Kurt, and he came here with me tonight. He's kind of shy, at first, but he'll get used to you all in time, I'm sure." The crowd laughed. "I don't know if he's up for it or not…" Blaine began, but was cut off by a shout from the audience: "I saw him earlier and he's HOT! I hope like hell he's UP for somebody!" he purred, and the crowd cheered and laughed. Kurt blushed 17 shades of red and Ron nudged him in the arm laughing as well. Kurt's heart began to hammer. What was Blaine up to?

"As I was saying, Davina," Blaine began again, snickering, absolutely used to his antics, "I was very much hoping that Kurt would come out here and sit with me for this song. I don't think I need to explain why it makes me think of him. Kurt?" Blaine said, turning his beautiful amber eyes toward the stunned man on the stool offstage. Ron nudged him lightly and nodded at Blaine, mouthing "go!" with a grin. Kurt wasn't sure his feet would move. Blaine wanted him out there? On the stage with him? In front of all those people? No way. His eyes wide and looking a bit like a deer in the headlights, he grinned and blushed further, but shook his head at Blaine playfully, saying no. "Awwww, c'mon Kurt. Please? For meeee?" Blaine whined. Oh God, those unbelievably adorable puppy dog eyes. That wasn't playing fair at all! The crowd took up a chant of "Kurt! Kurt! Kurt!" and Blaine's smile was enough to stop Kurt's heart.

He took a deep breath and slid off the stool slowly, standing in the same spot for a few seconds to get his bearings and then convinced himself to put one foot in front of the other head toward Blaine. As he cleared the curtain that obscured the offstage area, the crowd cheered and whistled and Kurt was pretty sure he was about to pass out. He felt himself break out into a cold sweat and his heartbeat was racing. He fought of the anxiety that was building inside with everything he had. Nothing was going to happen to him here. Blaine was here. Finn was here. It was ok, right?

Blaine had risen to meet him halfway across the stage, spinning him around as if to give everyone a good look at him, and led him back to sit on the piano bench with him. Speaking right into the microphone, so that everyone could hear, he said "Ok, Kurt….you doing alright?" with a big smile. Kurt just nodded and grinned. "Alright you guys, as I said, I think this one's pretty self- explanatory….Did you SEE the jeans on this guy? Pretty sure they're sprayed on…and my oh my does he fill 'em out well, right?" Blaine laughed and nudged Kurt, who was shaking his head and grinning like a loon. "He's probably mortified that I dragged him up here…that he's 'not properly dressed for going out tonight', but have you ever seen something as well put together as his 'lazy outfit'?" he teased Kurt further, and the crowd fed off of it. "So anyway, Kurt, because you're you, and …." He left off, and he began to play, just Blaine on the piano, and nobody else.

"You think I'm pretty without any make up on, you think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong, I know you get me, so I let my walls come down…down…." Kurt felt his heart swell.

"Before you met me, I was alright but things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life, now every February, you'll be my Valentine….Valentine…..Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love, we can dance until we die, you and I will be young forever….." and then the band kicked in with him. Kurt's heart was racing now, watching Blaine play. He didn't watch the keys his fingers were tapping, he watched Kurt the whole time. Kurt was mesmerized.

By the end of the second verse the crowd was singing along and dancing crazily, gyrating around each other and partying as if they didn't have to work the next morning, when Kurt suspected many of them did. Eyeing the crowd, he also suspected many of them would clearly be a different 'gender' in the morning, but that just made him smile. He, of all people, knew what it was like to be uncomfortable around people who didn't accept you for what you were. He would never judge them.

When the song ended, Blaine leaned over and kissed Kurt's lips softly and sweetly, but he lingered there for a minute savoring Kurt, much to the appreciation of everyone in attendance. There were hoots and hollers and all around mayhem while Kurt stood to go back to his stool off stage with Ron, blushing brightly. Blaine's glances and smiles were more frequent now and they almost held a hint of pride in them that wasn't there before. It warmed Kurt's heart to see it, and he felt proud of himself as well for having pushed past a barrier he might have otherwise stood behind.

After closing, the boys strolled home, arm in arm, laughing and talking about the evening, Kurt giving Blaine twelve kinds of hell for putting him on the spot, but then a soft, long, drawn out kiss for singing to him, basically serenading him in front of the whole bar. He'd never felt so special and he told Blaine as much. Blaine, for his part, was euphoric. The most beautiful man he'd ever known was on his arm, they were laughing and Kurt was holding on to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Blaine didn't dare mention it, for fear that Kurt would tense up and let go, so he just went with it.

Kurt was casual with his glances around in front of them, and a few behind. The news he'd received from Finn this evening hadn't slipped his mind at all. He was hyper aware of his surroundings, as was his normal routine since everything had happened back in Lima, and he now knew he had to be extra vigilant. He was not, however, going to let Jackson get away with making him a nervous wreck everywhere he went anymore. Over the last few months he'd worked way too hard to push past some of the fear to let it creep back in uninvited. Regressing back into his irrational fear of everyone around him was unacceptable to Kurt. He wasn't alone. He had his family and his friends, and he had Blaine…..Blaine, who was chattering sweetly next to him, telling him how proud he was of him for spending time at the Dive and even coming out on stage for a song.

By the time they reached their building they were walking much slower, strolling actually, watching the stars in the clear sky and Kurt's head was resting on Blaine's shoulder. It was almost 3 a.m. and although New York was the city that never slept, many were, actually, sleeping and it was fairly quiet where they were. They climbed the stairs together and stood at the top on the landing whispering and laughing, light kisses shared and giggles traded. Kurt found his back against the door and had a fleeting thought that he should maybe be uncomfortable with that, but he wasn't. He had his hands in Blaine's hair and their kiss was becoming more heated as the seconds ticked on. Blaine pulled away for air and Kurt realized he was panting slightly. This, in and of itself, made him deliriously happy, as he'd always broken down before this point, and he'd forgotten what it was like to really, really want something...someone, the way he wanted Blaine right now. The question was, if he invited Blaine in, would Blaine think it was too soon or that Kurt wasn't ready? Would he seem easy? WAS he ready? All these things were swirling through his mind when he heard Blaine say his name.

"Kurt?" he said with a grin.

"Hmmm?" Kurt said, contentedly.

"Lost you for a minute there. Where'd you go?"

"Just thinking…" he giggled.

"About?" Blaine questioned with a predatory grin.

"Stuff…things….us." Kurt blushed.

"Oh….good stuff…things…us?"

"Very." Kurt smiled from under seductively half lidded eyes. "Come inside with me?"

Blaine wasn't sure he was still breathing. Somewhere back around "thinking" he'd caught on that Kurt was practically panting now, and his mind shut down for the most part. It's only function now was to scream at him "Kiss him again!", so he leaned in to do so. Kurt giggled again and fumbled with his keys unlocking the door to his apartment. After unlocking the last lock, he turned to find Blaine practically on top of him and he jolted, surprised, and dropped his keys.

"Be right back…" he said, laughing, and bent down to pick up his keys, which put him at eye level with Blaine's…right at the…um…where…his mind went blank. He lost his balance and started to fall backward but reached out and grabbed Blaine's hips to steady himself just in time to avoid crashing to his ass into the door. At the same time, his apartment door was wrenched opened to reveal a rather large man standing there, clearly unhappy, with a menacing scowl on his face. The fact that Kurt had his face practically in Blaine's fly while he crouched on the floor surely didn't help matters.

"I know you're not sleeping, Jeff." Nick whispered.

"Yes I am, shhhhh…" Jeff whispered back. Nick let out a long sigh.

"I'll go back tomorrow and straighten things out. I know this is heavy on your mind and you're worried about your mom and Gram, so I'll take care of it. I should have told you this earlier, I know, but….." Nick began. Sentences that started this way always set Jeff on edge.

"But?" Jeff asked.

"I um….when the thing with the tires happened, I called a friend of mine. He's in New York, but I knew he'd be able to help me out. He runs a security company up there….well, he uh…he runs security in my…in the….where I live. Anyway, as of Burt's declaration that the tires were, indeed, slashed on purpose, your mom and gram have had security around the house 24/7. Your mom's been escorted to work, and then home again without her even knowing it. I don't want you to worry about them, Jeff. Joseph won't allow anything to happen on their watch. They're safe, ok?"

"Nicky, I appreciate that, and I'm sure if mom and Gram knew, they would, too, but I can't afford that…and I know mom can't. We need to fix it…put an end to the threat itself. If he won't accept us…me…..then…." he began.

"I'm going to ignore that babbling about 'affording' it. You know damn good and well that I'd never, ever ask you to pay me for anything at all. They're important to you. That makes them important to me. There's no limit to their safety and I'll see to it that whatever needs to be done is done. I'm going back, tomorrow, and I'll fix it, no matter what I have to do, ok? If I have to pull out the big guns, then I will. Will you feel better then?" Nick asked.

"Maybe, I don't know. I don't think anything you say is going to make him back off. It's going to be more a matter of pride. He's not going to back down until he gets his way I'm afraid."

"You might be right…." Nick said, trailing off quietly.

"I hope you don't mind that I detest your father. I mean, I hope that won't ruin anything around the holidays and whatnot?" Jeff said, lightheartedly. "If I get him in the family gift exchange, I'm getting him coal for sure." Nick giggled at this.

"At some point he will have to come to his senses, Jeff. Either that, or…." He paused, and Jeff waited for him to finish the sentence, but he didn't.

"Or?" Jeff prompted. "Nick, I know this is hard on you, and it's taking its toll on your family if he's to be believed. I don't want to be the cause of that. I can't stand to see you unhappy." Jeff said quietly. "Think about this long and hard before you do anything, or say anything, to him. I don't want you to have regrets because of me. If you need me to back off, then I need for you to say so…and I will."

"NO…absolutely not!" Nick said with more vehemence. "That's not an option unless you want out?"

"No, I don't, but I can't see you like this…I can't have mom and Gram in danger because of it. Somehow we need to come to some understanding with him." Jeff stated.

"And we will. I'll head to Chicago tomorrow and talk to my mom about things. Can you come with me?" Nick asked.

"No, Nicky!" he grinned. "You know the kids have their performance this weekend! I'd hoped you'd be able to stay to see it, but I understand if you can't. They're so excited, and they've worked so unbelievably hard on this!" Jeff said, grinning like a little kid. "They're going to be absolutely amazing! I'm having it filmed, so I'll bring you a copy of the dvd and we'll watch it together when we can."

"Look at you, all excited. You know what, I think I'll stay to see it, if that's ok with you? I'll have to go shopping for some clothes tomorrow, though. Although I dig your style, it's not mine, and I can't rock those tight as hell skinny jeans the way you can!" Nick laughed. "Ok, Pretty Boy, get some sleep now. We'll work this out tomorrow…or over the weekend, ok?"

"Sounds like a plan…" Jeff said with a yawn. "Sleep well, Nicky…I love you."

"I love you, too, babe." Nick answered before kissing Jeff goodnight and snuggling up closer with his man.

"Kurt! Where the hell have you been?!" the man screamed. "I've been so goddamned worried I thought I'd have another heart attack! Don't you answer your phone these days?" he went on.

"D-Dad? What are you doing here? Carole!? What's going on! And why didn't you tell me you were coming, I have dirty laundry all over the place!" Kurt squeaked.

"Yes, well, I would have told you we were coming if you'd answered any one of my 12 phone calls this morning, this afternoon, or this evening!" Burt roared. "I got a text message from Finn when we got off the plane that only said 'Kurt knows' and then he didn't answer his phone or texts either after that! What is WRONG with you kids nowadays?!" he bellowed.

"Burt, uh, perhaps we could allow Kurt to get up off the floor and he and his friend could come in? This is his home, after all." Carole said sweetly.

"Oh..uh…." Kurt reached for Blaine's hand and Blaine hauled him up unceremoniously. He hadn't said a word yet. "Blaine…come in." Kurt said, dragging Blaine in behind him before closing the door.

"Doesn't he speak?" Burt asked, still looking at Blaine as if he wanted to behead him. What the hell was Kurt's head doing that close to the guy's zipper anyway!?

"Well, geez, dad, when he snaps out of the trauma you've caused him, I'm sure he'll have a load to say!" Kurt chided him. "Blaine?"

"Hi…" was all Blaine managed to mumble out. 60 seconds ago he was lip locked with Kurt, having waited what felt like a lifetime for the carefree kisses he was getting. Kurt was turned on. Kurt was panting. Kurt invited him in…..and then BAM! Angry dad. "Clearly I'm karma's bitch" Blaine said.

"What?!" Kurt blurted out, a hysterical giggle bubbling out of his chest.

"I said that out loud, didn't I. Oh my God…." Blaine said, clearly mortified. "Kurt, I'm going to um…to uh…just…." Blaine muttered, hitching his thumb over his shoulder toward his own apartment.
"I sincerely hope I can come back and meet the two of you tomorrow morning under more lighthearted circumstances, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. It was good to…uh…to see you!" he said quickly, and then slipped out the door before Kurt could utter a word.

"Dad! Oh my God, you scared the hell out of him! How could you do that!?" Kurt huffed, plopping down on the sofa, aggravated. Burt had the good grace to look ashamed for a split second.

"I have the feeling we all need a good night's rest, Burt. Kurt, if you'll just move to the chair I'll pull out the sofa…" she began.

"No, you guys…..you sleep in my bed. I'll take the sofa. I don't have a sleeper sofa, those things are SO uncomfortable. NO! Don't argue, please, just….I need to clear my head. It's been a hell of a day." Kurt said, and dragged himself off to the bathroom. When he was finished, he knocked on the bedroom door and said "your turn!" and headed into the living room to settle in. The breeze coming in the windows was heavenly as it was almost too hot not to have his a/c on. Soon, he'd be using it, that was for sure, but he wasn't looking forward to it. When that happened, he'd have to keep his windows closed, and that would mean he couldn't hear the beautiful music that was currently being played softly on a guitar next door. Moving to the window, he saw a dim light on in Blaine's music room. He was strumming Kurt's song lightly and Kurt could see he was clearly lost in thought, his head hung low.

"He's quite handsome, your Blaine." Carole said, shuffling up behind Kurt at the window.

"He's stunning." Kurt whispered. "and so unbelievably talented."

"I can hear that. I don't know this song, though."

"It's my song….he calls it Kurt's song. He wrote it for me before we actually met…he wrote it about the guy outside the coffee shop…..about me." Kurt said dreamily. His eyes fluttered shut and he smiled, listening to Blaine play.

"He's a keeper then?" Carole questioned.

"Absolutely."

"Does he know he's a keeper?" she smiled.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"Kurt….look at you. You have hearts in your eyes. You love that boy, don't you?" she smiled again, all motherly in her tone.

"I don't think I've known him long enough to love him, have I?" Kurt said, curiously.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot…and just exactly how long is that span of time before you can accurately say yes or no to that?" she said, giving him a nudge in the back, smiling.

"I do, Carole." Kurt said, never taking his eyes off of Blaine in the window. "I've fallen for him, and I feel like I should be scared….really frightened by my feelings and I'm not. I'm so in love with him and I'm terrified to tell him. It's too soon." Kurt said, misty eyed.

"You'll know when the time is right, Kurt. Don't rush, don't stress yourself out over it. It's good that you know, though. I'll keep that information to myself for now." She said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Kurt."

"G'night, Carole." He said quietly. "Um…." He began. Carole turned around and gave him a questioning look. "I'm going to..um…." Kurt said, motioning to Blaine's apartment with his head. "I'll be back in a few, ok?"

"You don't need my permission, Kurt. You're a grown man now." She laughed.

Kurt opened the door and slipped out quietly. He knocked lightly on Blaine's door, but there was no answer. He could still hear the music, though, so he figured Blaine couldn't hear him. Turning the knob he found the door unlocked and stepped inside.

Carole watched for a moment at the window as Kurt entered the room where Blaine sat playing his guitar. Blaine's head snapped up when he realized Kurt was there, and he gave the boy a half smile, seeming unsure. Carole's heart fluttered in her chest and she felt a surge of happiness for her step son. The boys exchanged a few words, smiles, laughs and then Blaine set the guitar down in its stand and held out his hand to Kurt. Kurt took his hand and was pulled into a loving, warm embrace. Carole bounced on her toes when she realized that Kurt wasn't flinching. He didn't seem tense in the least, and she had to grab a pillow and shove it over her face to keep from squealing with happiness out loud.

With a light heart, she returned to Kurt's bedroom and slipped into bed beside Burt, a radiant smile on her face.

"I bolted. I'm so sorry, Kurt. I don't' know what I was thinking!" Blaine said quietly.

"It's ok, I totally get it. My dad's a bit intimidating at first, especially when he's already upset at me for something else entirely." Kurt said, soothing Blaine's ruffled feathers.

"I'm sure he thinks I'm some coward now. I'll have to do things right in the morning. I'm sorry, Kurt. I was just….we were…in the hallway and it was so….and then all of a sudden…WHAM!"

"Blaine, it's ok. Once he gets some sleep and some food in his stomach he'll be much more sociable." Kurt laughed. "I promise. If not, I'll send him home!"

"I sort of panicked, Kurt. My mind was screaming 'No! Not now. You may never get this again!' and I was momentarily struck stupid." Blaine said, hanging his head again.

"Oh….well, I can pretty much guarantee you that you will…..um…get it again. If you want it, that is." Kurt said, shyly.

Blaine's head shot up and he looked Kurt straight in the eyes. "Not if you're not ready. Kurt, I don't think I can get that far in and have you pull away. Twice in one night might kill me!" he joked.

"I won't pull away, I promise." Kurt said softly. Blaine lifted his hand and reached for Kurt's, pulling him into a warm embrace, sighing with the perfect feeling of Kurt in his arms once again. Slowly they swayed around the room without music, just enjoying being in each other's arms. Kurt felt the tension he was used to by now, but he made a superhuman effort to shove it down, to make it listen to him when he said things were ok. This was Blaine. Blaine would never hurt him, and by God, he felt amazing right now being held by this loving, adorable man that he cared for so much in such a short span of time.

"Tonight isn't probably the best night to ask you to stay with me, is it?" Blaine grinned.

"Yeah….probably not." Kurt laughed lightly. "Maybe once he realizes how wonderful you are he won't be so grouchy….and that won't take long. A few minutes with you and you'll have him charmed and wrapped around your little finger like I am."

"I've charmed you?" Blaine asked, smiling, eyes wide.

"So much, Blaine….so, so much." Kurt said, then leaned in and kissed him again before settling his head on Blaine's shoulder.

Jeff drove to work, rehashing his morning, having kissed Nick goodbye at the door. Nick was dressed, again, in a pair of Jeff's track pants and a t-shirt, along with a borrowed pair of Jeff's Nike's that were probably a size too big.

"Can you have lunch with me again?" Nick asked.

"Sure…same time if you can. It's Friday, so I don't have a class the period after my lunch break today. We'll have a little extra time. Think about where you'd like to go…or at least what you want to eat." Jeff grinned.

"Will do. I'll see you around 11:40 then, baby." Nick smiled at him. Jeff started to walk away, but stopped, turned on his heel and walked back to Nick, grabbing him and pulling him into a deep kiss right on the doorstep leading outside. He didn't give a damn who was looking.

"Stay home. Please. Call in, stay home with me, Jeffie?" Nick nearly panted when Jeff finally let him go. Jeff's grin was sinful.

"As much as I'd like to, I have dress rehearsal this morning, and they need me more than you do." Jeff said, grinning.

"Oh, I highly doubt that right now." Nick growled, adjusting his hips awkwardly. "Go, before I grab you and haul you back in here bodily." He said, his voice low. Jeff winked and headed off for work.

When Jeff arrived at school he was still grinning madly. The simple fact that a mere kiss could turn Nick on the way it did made him heady with satisfaction. He strolled up to the front of the school and through the doors, and was halfway down the hall when Ms. Inselmann called his name from the office door.

"Mr. Sterling? A word?" she said. Jeff turned around and headed back to the office.

" 'morning!" he said cheerily, but she didn't smile, and didn't return the sentiment. It struck him as odd, because although they were around the same age, she was always friendly as far as bosses went. She never gave an air of superiority because of her position. If he were straight, her German accent would probably make his heart beat double time, but right now, he was concentrating more on her stern countenance.

"Have a seat, Jeff." She said quietly. He had a He said, his voice unsteady. Something was wrong, and he just wanted to know what it was.

"Jeff, this morning I received an email. I'm not at liberty to say who it's from, but there were….allegations of impropriety with a student." She began calmly. Jeff closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to concentrate on her words.

"Ok, so, you obviously have to check the story out, right? Is there anything I can help with? I mean, talk to the student or anything? I can't imagine anyone….." he began.

"Jeff…" she said, cutting him off. "The email accuses YOU of these allegations."

His vision swam and he felt nauseous. "I'm sorry….what?" he managed to get out.

"The email…..Jeff, please understand that I don't think, for even one minute, that these allegations are true. I have known you now for quite a while and I know that this is not you…it's not in you. But please know that…..Jeff, I have to act on it. It's my job as the principal of this school, as the person in charge, to act on this as if it were truth until we can find out what happened and straighten things out. My top concern has to be the safety of these students, and if there's a threat of any kind, I'm obligated to put them first….even when it's my friend and colleague that's being accused of something I know he'd never do. I'm sorry, Jeff." She said, her eyes clearly showing that she was sincere, that she was devastated by having to tell him the news.

"But….I haven't….I didn't…..you know I would never…." He stuttered out, failing to find the right words. His chest hurt now, and he was immediately aware that he was probably going to be sick. Lunging out of his seat, he grabbed her trash can and heaved up his breakfast with enough force to have him feeling that much more lightheaded. She immediately rounded the desk and steadied him, her hand on his back, moving his messenger bag away from his knees. He was coughing and felt the sting of tears when he heard the door open and Marge came barreling in.

"Oh my goodness, Jeff! Here, you poor thing, let me get you a towel!" she said, heading for the principal's restroom. She returned with damp, cold paper towels and handed them to Jeff, who wiped his forehead, his eyes, then his mouth and tried to sit up. He was dizzy and disoriented for a minute, but made it into his chair again after a moment. When he felt in control again, somewhat, he spoke to Ms. Inselmann again.

"So….you're saying, in essence, that someone…." But she cut him off.

"Marge…would you step outside for just a minute?"

"No! No, really, there's no need. I have nothing at all to hide, here, and I'm not embarrassed about something I didn't do!" he said, a little too loudly. Ebony, who had just stepped into the outter office rounded the door upon hearing his tone and took in the scene before her.

"You're saying that you received an email that accused ME of inappropriate behavior with one of my students?!" he said with a little more strength. "Can you define inappropriate for me here, because I'm a little unclear right now." He managed to choke out.

"Um….it alleges that you were…um….sexually inappropriate with a male student, Jeff." She said softly, unable to meet his eyes.

"I….I see. And you said you're not at liberty to at least tell me who made these allegations?" he asked, calmly.

"Even if I wanted to, Jeff, I couldn't. The email was sent anonymously. I have our IT team tracking the IP address as we speak. I….Jeff, I'm sorry. I know this will come to nothing, but while it's being investigated, I have to….I have to place you on administrative leave. You're not allowed on school grounds at all, Jeff." She said softly, apologetically.

Jeff took a deep, steadying breath, before standing and nodding. "I hope it's not too much to ask for you to keep me updated at all times?" he asked. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, assuring him that she would do just that. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door before he turned back, a stricken look on his face.

"The play…it's tonight...this weekend!" he said sadly. "The kids have worked SO hard on this!"

"Jeff, I'll be here. I'll do it." Ebony said, stepping into the office. "I won't let all of your hard work, and their hard work, be in vain. We'll do the show and it'll be spectacular and you can watch the video later when this is all a horrible memory." She said, trying to soothe him in any way. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, giving him every little bit of strength she had. All he was able to do was hang his head.

"Thank you…..thanks, Eb. Ok, um…." He began, clearly not knowing what to do with himself now. "I'll um grab a few things from my office before the kids get here and I'll be on my way I guess…" he began.

"Jeff…" Ms. Inselmann called after him. She looked sickeningly sheepish when she told him he wasn't allowed in his office for anything until the investigation was through. It would be seen as her giving him time to "remove any evidence." He nodded his head and walked out the door with a sad smile for Ebony. Getting in his car, he tried to back up, but couldn't see a thing through the blinding wetness in his eyes. He made it to the end of the parking lot before giving up and calling Nick.

"Nicky?" he choked out when Nick answered the phone.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Nick said, clearly concerned.

"Will you….can you just come and pick me up at school? Please?" Jeff asked as calmly as he could.

"I'll be right there. Just….give me one minute, ok?" he said, and Jeff heard the apartment door slam and seconds later, the car door slam as well. Nick muttered soft words over Jeff's choked sobs the whole way there, and when he finally pulled into the parking lot, he found Jeff in his car, his eyes red and bloodshot, his hands shaking uncontrollably. He was out of his car and pulling Jeff out of his before he ever took another breath.

"Baby, what's wrong? What's happened?" he asked, holding Jeff to him as tightly as he could.

"I don't know who would do this to me. Never in a million years would I ever hurt one of these kids, Nicky….never!" he nearly howled.

"Jeff, tell me what happened, please. Let me help you." He pleaded.

"The school received an anonymous email accusing me of sexual misconduct with a student. I've been asked to leave for an undetermined amount of time. The play…..their play is tonight…." He said, breaking off into choked hiccups again. "Who in the world hates me enough to do this? I would never, ever hurt one of these kids, Nicky….never!"

Nick's arms stiffened when it all fell into place. In that moment, he could have killed his father with his bare hands and not felt an ounce of remorse. He was furious, he was shaking, and he was going to ruin that man if it was the last thing he ever did. Nick helped Jeff into the rented car and drove off heading to Jeff's apartment. Across the lot, unnoticed by Jeff and Nick both, a man made a phone call to his boss.

"Mr. Duval? Yes, it's done. It seems to have worked perfectly. Yes sir. I will, sir." He said, then disconnected the call.

A/N - I ask only that you keep your hatred to a manageable level and don't throw rotten food at me :(

As always, thanks to the girls for their beta help. Without them, you'd just be reading gibberish sometimes :)