Author's note: this is the beginning of the fallout. This story has another two chapters left easy, and will conclude when summer. I'm not sure on the time line- but a fair bit of the summer as meant to have passed by now, but I'm not sure how long summer camps go for- having no idea what a summer camp is besides tv. Does it take up the entire summer? I hope not because I need proper space for everyone to be in Lima at the end….

Anywho- I'm not sure I captured everyone correctly but it was a really hard chapter to write. I'm trying not to let my general dislike of Tina affect what's happening to the story but she might come off as a little bit of a bitch seeing as she has just cheated on her boyfriend. Artie is very absent from this chapter and there is a reason from that- but since their all talking about him anyway it's not like you can't feel his presence.

Also I'm trying to get this done in a timely matter so I can start drabble set season 2. Anyway enjoy and review!

Mercedes had been in a particularly good mood for several days since her return to Lima. She had reacquainted herself with her family by going to 'Breadsticks,' and she had even convinced her dad to invite Kurt and Artie.

Both were in good spirits and had in fact spent three nights at her house catching up, but she sensed something underlying all of their conversations. Kurt was lonelier than she'd ever seen and there was an unexplained riff between Kurt and Artie which she couldn't quite explain. They were usually so close, but they almost seemed alkward like they had forgotten how to speak to one another.

Mercedes didn't voice it, though she expected it had something to do with Artie and Finn's new friendship. Artie clearly didn't see Kurt was threatened by their relationship, having been Artie's only close male friend for over a year.

On Artie's part he also seemed unnerved, while oblivious to the tension between him and Kurt; Mercedes return had reminded him of the other girl who was missing. Over the week he had called three times daily and countless texts but the girl wasn't picking up. Mercedes assured him that it was probably just the reception, after all Artie and Tina were perfect for each other. Either if they did bitch about each other constantly.

She had a free night, finally. Not that she didn't love her boys now military attention too her but she needed a night off to breath. Kurt and Finn were having that dinner thing they did every Friday which seemed to have stretched out to a all day event and Artie was picking up an extra shift at his Aunt's flower shop to do inventory and had to baby-sit his sister all night.

That's when she got 'the phone call' to be only dubbed as 'the phone call' for the remainder of the year. Mercedes picked up on the sixth ring, she had been fumbling with some mascara- she was test running a new look before going to Kurt for approval.

"Who diss be?" Mercedes answered and then kicked herself for obviously spending to much time partylining with Artie and Kurt this week, Artie's mannerisms were clearly rubbing off.

There was a stunned silence and then a "Mercedes?" in a small voice, "Tina!" she responded excitedly, "where you been at girl, you haven't called in weeks I thought you had taken one out of wheels playbook."

There was a strangled laugh and so far this non-conversation was very off-putting, "Tina… are you okay?" she could hear a rustle of hair that presumed nodding. "I'm fine; tell me how the trip was?" Mercedes grinned and started off on a tangent "God girl, it was straight up awful! Quinn's mother is like a tyrant what with her 'do this' and 'do that' and 'don't put that there's. I can see why Quinn was such a bitch her whole life."

"you should tell A-A-Ar-Ar-Artie, he and Quinn were tight when they were little," Mercedes ignored the stutter for the gossip though in retrospect probably shouldn't have, "no way! Cheerleader barbie and wheels were friends?" there was more sound on the other side of the phone and another low voice and Tina laughed, "yeah, I think they sort of dated, like you know how six year olds do- he wouldn't tell me." Mercedes burst out laughing before she could stop in, should they give them a name, Quarter maybe or Quartie?

"yeah…" Tina's voice went quiet, "do you- do you think he could still like her?" Mercedes laughed again before she realised Tina wasn't joking. "nah girl, you know his got all his four eyes for you."

"yeah" Tina said sounding a little like her usual lovestruck self them abruptly stopped herself. "Mercedes" she said sharply, "I need you to do something for me" her voice sounded serious, "I need your advice and you can't tell anyone not even Kurt!"

Mercedes promised, she doubt she'd keep it though, "now you cant get made…"

00000

The kiss that occurred was not as passionate as Artie's furious mind would later conceive it. It had been almost accidental if Tina hadn't leaned in so far or Mike hadn't gripped her back tightly, and the series of quick succession of kisses following certainly didn't build a strong case.

It ended abruptly as it started as Mike pushed her away in shock as if he had come in contact with something very hot. "i…I" he stuttered, a really honest to god stutter and backed out of the room at such speed he knocked over several inanimate objects and small children on the way out.

Tina looked up from her position on the floor where Mike had tossed her like a rag doll. She blinked hard like she was trying to will what had happened away, or at least make some kind of sense out of it. She brushed herself off and turned to the uninterested kids on the floor, it had been a closed practice session but some of the kids had shown up to watch anyway to get out of making doorstoppers.

"Okay everyone back to art class" there was a loud unanimous moan from the kids but Tina did her best to ignore it, pointing to the exit as the grumpy under 13s filed out. She sank down on the floor.

"This is not good" she moaned and doubled over, what was she doing? She wants to feel bad about it, feel sick with herself but a smile slips on her face without her noticing.

That had been a week ago, and she still had no idea what she was going to do.

Mike kissed her back with reverence like her, it mirror the feeling of her first kiss with Artie, it had been a wholly pure experience- but like with Artie that feeling had been fleeting.

Artie would be upset, probably- she didn't know how she was meant to feel about that, probably not indifference. She was supposed to love Artie after all. And she did… but that kiss- well it hadn't felt wrong, she didn't want to say sorry.

She didn't want Artie to know either. It would hurt more, it would be real more if he ever knew and she was at this point ready to write the whole thing off as a mistake not to tell him until they were thirty years married.

She scrolled down her phone. Six messages from Artie, she couldn't open them, Mercedes must be back. She would tell Artie to call; he probably had looked up at her with honest surprise like the thought hadn't occurred to him.

She'd leave the unread. As soon as she read them she'd be old Tina again, back to being madly in love with her boyfriend, no doubts, and no hesitations. But for this second she wanted to be…

She had to work out whatever this was, quickly.

00000

Mercedes had come over and smashed a good part of Kurt's room within the first five minuets of the visit. The Hummel/Hudson dinner had finished and the others had cleared out for ice-cream- which Kurt had flat refused to be apart of.

"Mercedes!" Kurt yelled in surprise, shooting up from where he had been dozing on the bed. She ignored him, tears silently poring down her face as she half heartedly knocked over a lamp lightly enough that it bounced instead of smashing.

"I need to tell you something" she murmured sitting on the bed, "oh do, does it have something to do with the state of my room!" he shrieked before bringing it back down at the look on her face. "Mercedes? What's wrong?"

"Have you ever broken a friends trust" she asked him seriously, he bit his lip not liking the sudden sharp turn of the conversation, "I- I don't know" which was a lie, he could count the times on his fingers. "No I mean really, something you can come back from" he shook his head with a furious no, "not even to save someone else pain?" it was still no, which she seemed to expect, Kurt wasn't big on sparing feelings. Not really for anyone.

"Tina's cheating on Artie" she told him, and it was like the word stopped if only for a second, "with- with who?" he twisted his blankets so tight he thought they might rip. "She kissed Mike Chang last week" Kurt threw a pillow and then another one.

"What did she say" he voice felt uneven, like his whole world was tilting slightly to the right and he hadn't come to grips. He couldn't fathom how much this was hurting, how much it would change everything. Everything that he wanted to stay the same.

"she said she didn't mean to- but Kurt, I have to tell him!" Kurt grabbed her wrist sharply, "no!" and they sat in shock until Kurt's fingers eased off her wrist and she could feel the circulation return.

"I mean its Tina and Artie, they're not going to break up" his voice broke, "Tina will fix it" the end of the sentence 'she has before' hung silently in the air. "We just have to wait for her to come back"- or call, or write, give a message via blimp or Morse code.

"but Kurt-" Mercedes anger clear on her face, not directed at him though, "no Mercedes, I think for once we better but out."

00000

Mike had been surprised when Tina started talking to him, no anger, no sadness, just the way it was before. The same painful tension dragging through the air like there had been no moments reprieve of it all.

Until she kissed him again. "I" he started between kisses, "I like you" another kiss "so much." She didn't respond she just kissed him more thoroughly. She grabbed his hands and moved them so he could feel a contact of skin on skin. He wasn't sure what to do, so he let himself be kissed- until he had a thought.

"But Artie?" he asked as she slipped her hands under his shirt, he didn't really want to know, "I'll break up with him" it sounded as sincere as he wanted it to be, and right now he really, really wanted it to be true.

He pulled back "then I'll wait," she groaned but looked guilty, "I really will" she pulled back off him, "I- I don't love him" that was a lie if he heard one but he didn't say anything. "I like you too" she said softly and pulled right back off him.

"I'm an awful person, aren't I?" she asked eyes closed, seated next to him on the bed. "No" he told her, "its awful timing" he amended, "but I wouldn't love you if you were" her eyes opened with a start. He smiled weakly at her, and she just stared shell shocked, se lifted her and traced the contours on his face as if trying to memorise it.

"I didn't think it was possible" she murmured just low enough that he knew she hadn't meant to say it out loud, just like he hadn't meant to say certain things out loud. But he had, and where had that left them.

"I can't promise you anything" she warned pulling her hand back remorsefully, "I have to see him before I can…" he nodded; camp was over soon, summer over soon after that. Would this feeling outlast that?

"no matter what" she told him standing up off the bed, "I can't say I don't care about either of you" it hurt more than he could conceive, hearing that she still cared for Artie, but there was hope it that statement. "I don't want to make this worse."

She got up to leave but he grabbed her wrist, they couldn't be anything more than friend right now. Anything more would ruin everything…

But what were a few kisses between friends anyway?