Because She Cried
PG-13 for brief language
A/N: I miss that Kurt/Stephanie element in a story. Sorry, but you know, I thought I'd break away from the usual pairing. :|:P. Review if you want to.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, sadly.

Because she cried.

Stephanie and I were friends, best of friends. Her world was surrounded by turmoil and discrimination, everyday being judged by her onscreen character. The best I could do, was be there for her.

"Kurt," she'd come to me with that distraught look in her eyes, "I can't take it anymore." Those were the very few moments that I automatically opened my arms and took her in for her to find comfort and solace in. I'm the big giant teddy bear to the toddler. Candy to the kid. She's the diamond, I'm the freaking thief. But I'm getting out of point.

Her problems were lowering her self-esteem and causing her to disintergrate slowly. Quite soon, if she couldn't hold on, it would be the end, for the both of us.

"Well, I've divorced him," Stephanie told me in a sharp breath. "I can't believe I just did." I could just hear the little tinge of pain in her voice, but she was trying so hard to hide it. Too hard. "He never said anything. I don't think he actually felt anything."

"...You know what a bastard he is," I said, wanting to reach out and hold her, comfort her. And to think I was once part of her problems. But then again, this was so much like the autumn of the year 2000, when she was going through a period of time recovering from the devastation she faced when she caught Hunter... experimenting.

"But why does it hurt? ...Is it because I'm a failure?" Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm a failure," she repeated, "I can't even keep my marriage together. I'm a failure. I'm nothing, I'm---"

"You are who you are," I interrupted, grabbingher by the sides and giving her a good shake. Her tears were coming down her cheeks freely in streaks by then. "You are an angel without wings, Steph, trapped on earth, misunderstood. After all," I continued, "you'd really be misunderstood if you were to fall from the sky nude and lying on the floor." She gave a slight giggle. I sighed. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever met. And woman, you are as beautiful on the inside, as you are on the outside." I hunched and cocked my head forward to search for emotion in her eyes. They were cast downward with the liquid beads clinging onto the tip of her chin, her hair, shiny brown tresses shielding her face in locks. Her sobs remained prominent when we engaged in the golden moment of silence.

Then she ran into my rams.

Her eyes were bursting in full flow again, and I could feel it soak through my shirt, the dampness reaching my shoulder. "Thank you so much," she cried, "I'm so sorry I'm putting you through all this."

"Anything for you." The words escaped my lips. "I love you Steph."
She stopped and lifted her head, her face flushed from crying. I was just waiting for an answer. She bit her lip and a smile played on them. "Me too."

Suddenly, it all felt so incredibly different. I was lightheaded, probably with joy... With love. It all came down to this, after so long, why I was always there for her, why it all happened, why it all changed.

Because she cried.