You Saved Me

Striding to her car she hoped to keep her illusion that she was fine and strong upheld. Clearly someone forgot to teach her that illusions can only last as long as someone can hold them up.

Digging into her pocket, she pulled out her keys quickly. The keys rattled in her hand not being able to stay still.

"Come on, open…please." She whispered anxiously as she poked and prodded at the keyhole. Every time she tried to put it in, it kept missing. Desperate she took her hand and tried again, and again…

"Rachel… Rach…" Kurt replied realizing what she had been doing in there, and quickly grabbed her hand. She jumped and shrieked looking at him with terror filled eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, just please give me the keys." He pleaded with sincerity in his eyes.

His heart broke at the hidden horror that he was sure his little diva was thinking; he would hurt her, that he would etch yet another word for her to remember. Perhaps, she worried he would take her away and harm her already shattered self.

Looking at him and the keys she slowly brought out her hands, but paused above his open palm.

"Y—you're not going to hurt me? I need you to swear… I don't want to feel pain anymore." She told him in a squeaky terrified voice like that of a child.

"I promise." He earnestly told her.

With that she reluctantly dropped the keys in his hand. Silently Kurt unlocked the door and she moved to the passenger seat.

As Kurt drove his way to the Berry household, Rachel looked outside of her window. How fitting for the day to be as dark, dreary, and depressing as she had felt.

It was dead silent, and the tension was growing thick, a knife could have cut it. Sighing, he let out a breath of relief when he pulled into the Berry's driveway, knowing the drive was over with.

"Hun… we're here. You're safe now." He told her stilled and frozen body, and it seemed his words were enough to take her away from whatever land she had driven her mind to.

"O—of course, let's get inside I need to make a phone call, so you can take a look around." Rachel replied as she pulled herself together and got out of the car, unlocked her house, and Kurt followed diligently.

When he saw the inside of her house, he had to stop himself from dropping his jaw in awe. It was decked in diamonds, crystals, and was that designer furniture? He never knew that her family had money, from the outfits that she wore to school. He would never tell anyone, but he had seen her buying her outfits at a Goodwill store at midnight. He figured she was embarrassed, so it was never mentioned, and well…it wasn't like she had seen him.

No, it wasn't just the fact that she was extremely rich that bothered him. No, it was the fact that it looked like no one lived there. Nothing in her house looked worn, and he walked into the kitchen and saw Rachel on the phone. Taking in Kurt's surroundings it was noticeable that only one chair and one part of the table looked used. There were no pictures of the family she claimed always loved her. There were no memories of her family anywhere in her house. Even when it was just Kurt and his dad, they had some memorabilia of their tiny family. It had then expanded when Carol and Finn joined. Rachel? She had none, and he began to wonder where her fathers were at the Glee performances. How long had she been living alone?

They had always bullied her, but they knew she had support at home. It's why the club never cleaned her up after she was slushied; it's why they thought she never wore the same outfit again. How wrong they were.

"I called the police, apparently Sue had a camera in her office, so they have everything they need." She told them.

"That's good."

"Would you like some water?" Rachel asked meekly holding up a crystal cup.

Shocked at the little gesture he nodded his head, and she smiled and got out a bottle of Evian and some ice, and put it in the cup.

"Here you go." She whispered, and he drank.

"How long have your parents been gone?" he asked bluntly, noticing how she became tense, and put on what he deemed her show face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She told him.

"Cut the crap Rachel. You're going to need someone, and I doubt your parents haven't been there for you in a long time." He told her.

"First day of the school year." She blurted before looking at the ground. Kurt looked at her wide-eyed.

"B—but? What about Christmas? You were bragging about how the three of you were celebrating Hanukkah this year." He asked shocked. Sure he knew that they weren't there, but that far back?

"I'm an actress Kurt, I was acting, and that's what I do. What I was telling you, god…that's what I wish I was doing, but my precious daddies decided that they had better plans. A photo shoot in Honolulu was much more important than their daughter." She spat bitterly as if the words burned her tongue.

"Then why did you lie?" he whispered curious and hurt.

"I don't want your pity. I get enough pity money from my parents I didn't need any from you too." She replied and Kurt couldn't help but agree. He would have done the same thing too.

"I understand." He told her as he put his hand out and she hesitantly took it.

"Glee was the first time I actually felt like I was something. It was the first time; I wasn't hidden in the shadows. Someone was listening to me, and I was heard. You may have called me a diva, crazy, or whatever name you call me behind my back… but it was the first time in my life I wasn't ignored. They tell me I'm self-centered, that I don't care about anyone but myself…I don't care. I learned a long time ago the only one you can count on is yourself. "She told him

Everything made sense to him now. The outrage of the solos, the storm outs, the obsession with Finn. It was all to be heard. If she couldn't be loved and noticed normally, she was going to give them something to talk about. It had given her a reason to know she was still alive, that someone knew she was there.

"Rachel… I love you for telling me the truth, but why?" He asked her cautiously.

Rachel looked up at him with a small smile and a bit of love in her eyes that he thought would be lost to her forever.

"You saved me."