Episode 2, Chapter 2:
Quinn got tired not too long after checking on arrangements and went back to her room. Rachel, unsure exactly where she stood, followed her even though she had no idea why she was still there. In Quinn's room, the blonde began trying on dresses. She loved dresses but nothing she put on was formal enough for the occasion. She sighed after putting on a royal blue Nanette Lepore All American dress. [Cry] She had nothing to wear, she mused.
"That's beautiful," Rachel's voice pulled her out of her reverie.
"If you want it so much you can have it," she said pulling down the zipper. Rachel's jaw dropped. Quinn couldn't be serious. But she was. In her slip alone, she handed her the dress with her right hand.
"Blaine's going to flip when he sees this. He's my brother. He'll never believe," she put the dress up to her chin and looked in the mirror. The name 'Blaine' stood out to Quinn who took it upon herself to know her subjects.
"Who's Blaine again? Remind me," she asked, but it was more of an order.
"Oh, you saw him last night actually with…um," Rachel realized too late what she'd have to say. "Um, Kurt."
"Oh," Quinn's mind worked plans now that she knew this information and had Rachel eating out of her palm. She just needed to keep the short girl close, and she'd have a weapon. "You have nothing to worry about. I can't control who happens to know Kurt. This list is endless. As long as we're friends though, that's what really matters," she smiled her diplomatic smile that had shiny white teeth and savagery behind it.
Kurt was having a tough day. He'd kept up his face the short cab ride home hiding his red eyes and walking up to the building as quickly as possible. He didn't plan on stopping for anything. A good massage or some online retail therapy alone might have changed his outlook, but when he saw Blaine, his head whiplashed as he checked to make sure it was really him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize for yesterday. Some of the things I said could come off as very strange, and I didn't want us to leave off on that…"
"Me either, Blaine I think you're really great. You're different and normal and I need that. Yesterday is forgotten," Kurt put his hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you," Blaine smiled. He'd been tense, before but now could finally breathe under his touch. "Do you want to eat?"
"I was thinking of going for a massage, but comfort food would be even better after the day I've been having."
"I don't want to be presumptuous, but I'm a pretty good cook if you'd like that."
"That sounds—"
"Kurt, you're back. Are you getting ready for the brunch?"
"Mom, you remember Blaine," he ignored the question.
"Yes, I do. He was here when I left, and I assume he's been here since. Why are you waiting out here?"
"I may have gotten kicked out."
"By who?" Kurt looked appalled.
"I- I didn't realize that Noah Puckerman's father literally owns the building so..."
"He kicked you out?! I'll crucify him!" Kurt began to yell.
"Don't worry about it. You are welcome in the building. I'll talk to his father to confirm. Why would he do something like that?"
"It's nothing too serious," Blaine tried to smooth things over.
"I'll take care of that. Now Kurt, I need you upstairs getting ready for the brunch, hmm."
"I'm not going," he looped his arm with Blaine's. "We're going to eat. He's going to cook for me," he faced Blaine agreeing to their second date.
"That's great for you, but not right now."
"Quinn and I are not talking Mom so I'm not going. I'd rather be with Blaine."
"What if Blaine can come?" Carole thought quickly.
"I wasn't invited ma'am," the shorter boy inputted.
"I'm not talking about what you were. It's what you are," she replied.
This was not what Blaine had in mind. They walked together into the ballroom of the hotel that was set up for a demure classy brunch. He didn't recognize any of the people in the room as most were millionaires or diplomats. Kurt immediately spotted his table of ex-friends, who couldn't be happier without him. Quinn sat serenely until she caught his stare and hers turned to distaste. He could see her stiffen and hold onto Sam more. Blaine followed his date's gaze until he also landed at the table and found Puck ready to fight him.
Looks like Puck and Quinn showed up with quite some appetite... for destruction that is.
Kurt swept him away to the buffet line, and Blaine held Kurt's plate like a gentleman. He was putting out all the stops to ensure the second date made up for the first. He even came up with short conversation as they packed their plates, falling back on Kurt's love for Vogue. He thought he was doing well until Kurt needed to excuse himself. He didn't want to be left in a room filled with the uber-rich and a bright-colored jacket, but he had no choice. He held both plates guessing that salad would be a good option.
"You actually did it? You came into my hotel, and you expect me not to pummel you." Blaine wasn't worried he'd do something here because Puck couldn't be that dumb. He felt even more secure when he saw a head behind Puck that looked upset.
"Noah!" a stern male voice said behind Puck causing him to shrink two sizes small. Mr. Puckerman waited until his son had control of himself before stepping closer. "This is important. I invited as many friends as I knew to introduce you to the business. It's bad enough you're dressing a black eye. You want to take something up with the small guy wait until after you've wined and dined with the company."
"I won't embarrass you."
"You already have. Do not embarrass me anymore," he took the drink out of his hand. "Stop acting grownup and be an adult. I won't give this company to just anyone, even my son."
"How can you be dumb enough to tell Quinn? Without telling me?!"
"I had too. Can we talk someplace that isn't here," Sam looked over his shoulder.
"Where Quinn can't see you? She already hates me. I have nothing more to lose."
"I'm staying in Puck's room. Meet me there in ten minutes," he ignored Kurt's comment and went back to the party. Kurt stood there numbly, taken aback by how atrocious their situation was.
Sam found his father talking to Quinn pleasantly, but when he smiled at his son, Sam could see how fake that smile was. How did he get here? Getting back with Quinn so that his dad's business deal would go through…
"Excuse me Quinn," he said raising his eyebrows almost playfully at Sam. "So, everything looks better between you two. I'm glad you listened to my fatherly advice."
"I wouldn't call it fatherly advice. That would be something like 'follow your heart.'"
"You're too old for that nonsense. Let's go get a drink to celebrate."
Puck saw Quinn following her boyfriend with his father around the ballroom. It made him barf a little, but he decided he'd do his one good deed of the day. He walked up behind her.
"Puck, can't you read body language? What I was expressing was how much I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I'm a pro at reading the body and yours was not saying 'Leave me alone,'" he glowed.
"You're disgusting. What do you want?"
"I know you're upset about Kurt showing up with that loser so I was thinking maybe you need to stake a claim," he handed her a hotel keycard.
"What do I do with this?"
"Take Sam upstairs to a nice room. Make him forget all about his bad mistakes."
"What's the catch?"
"There is none. I'm tired of the back and forth between you. I'm doing this for him as much for you. I would like to hear some details back; that's all."
"Puck, get a life," she said to him but looked down at the card. Quinn left with a confident air. She picked Sam up and surprised him with what she whispered in his ear. Puck smiled and sipped his glass, which was now disappointingly water.
Quinn attacked him from the moment they were locked inside the elevator. The privacy meant they had a good twenty floors before the doors opened again and could be disturbed by anyone else. She got him out of his jacket and was nipping at his collar when the doors dinged opened and she walked them to the suite.
"Where are we?" Sam chuckled at Quinn's enthusiasm.
"I got us a room," she said taking him in the room without him ever seeing the number.
"Oh God!" Kurt shrieked so obviously in the middle of things and with no place to go.
"Kurt?!" Quinn pulled her lips from Sam, pushing him away from her. "What are you doing in here?"
Spotted: S and Q, hot and heavy in the halls of The Palace Hotel, only to find K already waiting. Sparks were flying for sure... but will it be a three-way? Or D-day?
"I can ask myself the same question," he said slowly working in his mind all the reasons he could be in Puck's room. None of them sounded good enough, considering it was common knowledge Kurt really didn't like him.
"Don't get mad Quinn, but I asked him to come." Kurt hung his head. In another two seconds, he could have come up with a better explanation that didn't admit to them sneaking around behind Quinn's back just to talk in a hotel suite.
"Sam!" he gave him a death stare.
"Why would you ask him here? I thought you agreed to never speak to him again!"
"You agreed to that? You made him agree to that?" Kurt asked them each.
"I had to because you're always around, and it's like I'm waiting for a time bomb and now that I know it makes it twenty times worse! You're a whore, Kurt! For doing what you do and never getting what comes to you," she cried angrily. "What would Blaine think?" The idea crept in her head and she had to do it. Quinn disappeared before Kurt could piece what she'd said together.
"God Sam! Why did you tell her anything?" he dropped onto the loveseat. His eyes closed and subsequently shot open when it clicked. "She wouldn't—," he already knew the answer and ran. He felt like he was moving in slow motion trying to get the next elevator down. She had a head start.
"I couldn't keep it from her," the blonde defended himself.
"For someone who says they're so smart, you can be really stupid. You lasted a whole year!"
"I never said I was smart."
"This was the kind of secret you keep to your grave. It all could have just gone away if you hadn't spilled at the first opportunity."
"What if I'm not happy with her anymore?" he asked. This sent Kurt on a loop.
"I can't even talk to you right now!" Kurt yelled at him.
Blaine had wanted to mind his own business, but there was only so long he could go before he felt abandoned. He left his plates on the table and went out to look for Kurt. Instead of finding him, he spotted Carole talking to Mr. Puckerman—did he even have a first name? —pretty intimately, and Blaine wondered if Kurt even knew they were seeing each other.
Carole didn't look happy when she saw him. Blaine didn't have the best relationship with her as it was always his fault Kurt wasn't doing what she asked. He ducked back into the building hoping the boy would reappear finally.
"Blaine," she called. He turned around as innocently as he could. "I don't know what you saw or heard, but I'd prefer you didn't admit to seeing or hearing anything."
"I didn't see anything ma'am, I was just looking for your son."
He felt more and more like an outsider the longer he was there. Everyone in their tight suits and fake smiles seemed to belong here, but this wasn't something he was used too. This might have been the world where Kurt came from, but just because he liked him didn't mean he had to like it. Quinn running up to him was even more awkward.
"Blaine, I'm Quinn Fabray. There's something I need to tell you about our dear friend Kurt," she said almost nobly.
"Uh okay… did he have to go or something? I haven't seen him."
"Oh no, he didn't leave. He went upstairs to a suite to talk to my boyfriend because that's the type of guy he is. He's vile and dishonest. He betrays even his close friends so I thought I'd warn you before you fell in deep with someone like him."
"Quinn!" Kurt shouted sprinting to them.
"I've said my piece. I wonder what explanation he'll give you, just know it's all lies. Kurt is incapable of being truthful," she spat as Kurt made it to them and saw the light go out of Blaine's eyes.
"What she told you—it's all in the past. I regret everything I did to hurt her."
"Which is why you continued it even today when you were supposed to be on a date with Blaine here? Just know that everything I said, he can't deny."
The boy felt like an idiot. He could not hear more. He'd mentally prepared himself for standing next to Kurt in a room full of rich strangers, but now he was on his own. Even Kurt wasn't real. He'd hoped he was different, but it turned out he was wrong.
"Blaine, come back!"
Some might call this a fustercluck. But on the Upper East Side we call it Sunday afternoon.
"I can't believe I wasted my time coming here today…for you."
"It wasn't a waste," Kurt tried to save Blaine from walking out of his life. "I wanted you to be here. I just had no idea all of this would happen. I didn't plan this."
"You didn't plan for your secret rendezvous with Sam to come out? Was I really just a cover up for you? Bring a date so you look less suspicious then do things with your friend's boyfriend," his thick eyebrows crumpled.
"She emphasized where she didn't need to. We were only going to talk."
"About continuing to lie to her? And me? I feel like all I've done since we started talking is tell you the truth, even if it hurt me, and all you've done was lie. You could have told me before what was going on. Instead, I get dragged into this world I want no part of because I think you might like me." Kurt stopped his ministrations to regain Blaine's trust.
"This is the world I'm a part of."
"I wish you weren't. I don't want to go into it, and I know I can't take you out of it. It's time for me to stop dreaming and start getting real. We'd never work even if you cared. I'm done."
"Blaine!" Kurt called stunned, but he walked away resiliently with hands thrown up in defeat. He couldn't compete in this world; he wasn't hardened like Kurt was. When he got home, he found his sister striking her myriad of poses in the mirror in a dress she couldn't afford and he found a quiet place to sit silently. He wished he had another option, but it was all he could think of. He picked up a boxing magazine, something that wouldn't remind him of Kurt.
Well, Kurt's mystery man is a mystery no longer. His name is... oh, who cares. Now that he and K are over... so are his fifteen minutes. But his sister Rachel was spotted with a new dress... gifted from Quinn herself. Everyone knows a Nanette original is the uniform of Q's private army. But will R be a loyal soldier? Or will she side with K's rebel forces? And as for K himself: We hear he left today's brunch with... no friends, no boy and nowhere left to run. It looks like the ultimate insider has become a total outsider. It's your move, Kurt. And you know who'll be watching: Gossip Girl
~A.N. Do you think the characters sound believable? I do my best to ensure they're very close to what they'd say in the show.
