AN: Had a different author note here; decided to change it for various reasons, in case you were wondering.
Good to see y'all. Thanks again for the alerts/reviews. Hope to see more...
Carole Hudson's eyes brimmed with tears. Her hand reached out and caressed the cheek of the man kneeling before her. "Yes," she choked as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Finn had left almost an hour early that morning on some mysterious agenda he refused to discuss. Kurt had left for school himself just minutes previous. So the couple was alone; Burt had been planning to propose when they met for lunch, but he found that waiting... That wasn't an option.
Burt leaped to his feet and pulled her tight into an embrace. "God, there's so much to do. We gotta tell the kids. And we'll have to find a new… Shit! Where the hell are we going to have the wedding…?"
"Shhhh! I don't care, Burt. Really. I don't care. As long as I have you and the boys, we could get married at the shop in the middle of business hours and I'd be happy."
Burt kissed her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "What did I ever do to deserve… Huh."
Carole turned her head slightly. "Something the matter?"
"No, not… It's just that car is back. First time I've seen it during the day..."
She turned, peering out the window into the slowly brightening morning. "Car?"
"Yeah, that Acura ZDX… It's gone now. But I've been seeing it drive by for a while now."
Carole shrugged. "What's so strange about that? Surely it has to belong to one of your neighbors."
Burt shook his head. "I notice these kinds of things. Hazard of the job. I'm almost certain no one in four blocks of us owns that car. And the way it passes by so regularly… It's just strange, that's all."
"Have you called the police?"
"No, no… Nothing's happened. It's just…" Burt laughed a little. "God, what am I doing, thinking about a fucking Acura? The woman I love just agreed to marry me." Burt smiled at her, eyes shining. "You're so beautiful."
"Ah, ah, Mr. Hummel," Carole said teasingly, touching her fiancée's nose. "Save some of that for the honeymoon."
As soon as he stepped into the halls of McKinley, Kurt could feel the tension washing over him in waves. He frowned, looking around him; everything seemed normal. But he couldn't shake the sense of wrongness that surrounded him.
Finn and Sam were talking quietly nearby, both taking oddly nervous glances at something nearby. Kurt followed their gaze straight towards Azimio Adams and Chris Strando, loitering on the other side of the hall. As Kurt continued his stroll, he noticed Puck and Artie near a water fountain. They were glaring across the hall, where Jason Richmond and Lonnie Waters, two of McKinley's offensive linemen, were hanging around with an exaggeratedly casual air.
Kurt's heart began to sink. He hurried on, hoping the pattern would be broken. It wasn't. Mike was being followed by Jermaine Andrews, cornerback. Even Mr. Schue was shadowed by Vic Lansford, tight end, although unlike the others, the teacher seemed oblivious to the presence of his tail.
Oh, God, Kurt thought. He was about to grab one of his friends and confirm his fears when a hand clapped on his shoulder.
Kurt was sure that if he'd been a cat, he'd be clinging to the ceiling by his claws. As it was, he felt like he jumped half the height of the hallway as he turned. His father stepped back a little, grinning, his left arm linked in Carole's right. "Whoa, there, son. Sorry if I startled you."
Kurt willed his heart rate to slow. "Just… just a little. Sorry, I kind of forgot you were on your way. So, what's this big news you had?"
"You'll see. Come on, let's find Finn."
Kurt forced a smile onto his face. He had a vague suspicion what was going on, and if he was right, he couldn't ruin this moment for his father and Carole. He just couldn't. "Let's do it!" As he followed the two adults, he caught a flashing glimpse of a pair of intense hazel eyes under a crown of curly hair. But in the next moment, it was gone.
Unfortunately, the first chance he had to talk to Finn after that was at rehearsal. He charged into the choir room; fortunately, his stepbrother-in-all-but-license was already there, pacing. The rest of the guys were sitting at their seats on the risers, in the middle of intense conversation. Finn turned towards him immediately, eyes wide. "Dude, I'm so sorry… We tried, we really did. But every time we got even close to Anderson…"
"His buddies were around," Kurt finished sourly.
"Yeah! They're freakin' everywhere! We can keep Anderson away from you…"
"But he wasn't getting close to me to begin with."
Finn's face brightened. "Dude! You're finishing my sentences! It's like we're brothers already!"
Kurt laughed, despite himself. He opened his mouth to speak when Quinn stormed into the choir room, a sour look on her face. "Tell me something: there are students at this school who aren't Cheerios, right?"
"Uh… Yes?" Artie ventured.
"Then why do I keep seeing them in my face wherever I go?"
"Oh, God, you too?" breathed Kurt. It should've been obvious, really, but hearing it drove the reality painfully home.
Mercedes and the rest of the female contingent of the Glee Club trickled in, all with angry and/or defeated looks. Santana in particular looked like she was just waiting for an excuse to cut someone.
"Putas," she muttered darkly. "They'll do anything for that cutie." She said that last word in a high, mocking singsong.
"Can't someone talk to Coach Sylvester?" Mike asked. "Tell her that the Cheerios are..."
"Doing what?" Quinn sighed. "Walking in the hallways? Even if she tried, they'd just figure out a way around it. If it's a fight between their fear of Coach Sylvester and their stupid crushes on Anderson... I'm really not sure which wins."
"They're circling the wagons," Puck growled. "Anderson's got 'em all protecting him like a herd of fucking African buffalo." There was a silence as everyone stared at him. "You know. When they all get into this circle facing out to keep the lions away from their kids?" The staring continued. "Hey, I watch Animal Planet."
"We'll think of something else, Kurt," Mercedes said soothingly, touching Kurt's shoulder. "He won't get away with this."
Kurt sighed. "He gets away with everything, 'Cedes. He always has." Then he glanced about the room. Everyone had this… look on their faces. This scary, scary look that, even though he knows it wasn't directed at him, still chilled him to the spine. But at the same time, it was kind of… heartwarming? Because he knew it wasn't directed at him, but for him. Even if their efforts were futile, they were going to try. By God, they were going to try.
"Not this time," Mercedes replied in a low voice. Kurt smiled, hoping he looked more confident than he felt.
After rehearsal, Kurt returned to his locker, his head swimming. Dave… Wedding… Anderson… Like a warm and cold front colliding to create storms, everything happening all at once was threatening to rip his mind apart. A warm bath… Yes, that's what he needed. Maybe with some scented oil, definitely bubbles…
As he opened the locker door, Kurt frowned. Where was the cake topper? It had been right there, atop his books… He reached in and felt behind the stacks of stuff. Nothing. He removed everything from the locker, piling it on the floor until there was nothing but bare metal, with nary a hole, or a wedding cake topper, to be seen.
Kurt's heart pounded. His mind racing, he could only reach one conclusion. He was in my locker. Anderson was in my locker… His eye went immediately to the edge of the door. There was no damage, no sign of prying. He knows the combination to my locker!
His breath became shallow and wheezing. His heart pounded, and it felt as though something was squeezing at his chest. He nearly sank to his knees at the weight of it.
"Kurt?" He turned; Mr. Schuester was standing there, a concerned look on his face. "Are you all right?"
Kurt opened his mouth to tell him everything, but a dark thought tugged at him. Anderson has almost the entire faculty fooled. What if Mr. Schue is one of them? He tried to reject the very notion, tried to tell himself that Anderson had no contact with the Spanish teacher, that he knew who Mr. Schue would choose if push came to shove. But when his lips started moving, he found them forming the words "No… Nothing's wrong. I just lost something."
"Oh. Well, I hope you find it." Mr. Schue smiled. "Hey, I heard from Finn about your dad and his mother. Congratulations. He said you wanted New Directions to perform at the wedding?" Kurt nodded dumbly. "Great! If you need any help with song selection, just ask, okay?"
Kurt forced a smile. "You can count on it." He watched as Mr. Schuester walked off, his breathing slowly returning to normal. That was probably the biggest mistake you've ever made in your life, Hummel. He sighed deeply, turning back to his locker. On the inside of the door, there was taped a small picture of Dave Karofsky, handsome and smiling in his Dalton uniform. Underneath, two simple words written in colored pencil: "Stand strong."
Kurt's mouth set, and he nodded to himself. He would stand strong. For himself, for his father, for Dave. He had to. He had to…
"I am coming down there right now, Kurt."
"Dave, don't…"
"You hear me walking outside? I am getting into my car, and I'm coming down there. Then I'm going to find Anderson, and I'm going to kick his ass, football friends or no football friends."
"And you don't think he'd love that? You don't think he wants to play the innocent victim while you get arrested?" There was a silence on the other end of the line. Kurt nodded to himself in satisfaction. "I'm standing strong, Dave. I'm handling things. I really am." He prayed that Dave couldn't hear the lie in his voice. "Besides, the Glee Club's looking out for me. Give me a chance to stand strong. Please."
The silence continued. Then: "Okay. But if he ever tries anything more direct…"
"Then you have my full permission to start the ass-kicking."
Dave laughed, a warm, welcome sound. "Good. And congratulations on your dad. Family should be the best thing in your life."
Kurt nodded. "It is. It really is…"
Blaine turned the wedding cake topper over in his hand. It was cheap, of course, and silly. God only knew why Hummel had it.
But then, he wasn't quite sure why he had it either. There was a hundred different ways he could've warned Hummel off. Why this one seemed so important, and why he hadn't thrown the damn thing away as soon as he had it, was puzzling him. And he hated puzzles.
A knock came at his bedroom door. Blaine shoved the topper into a drawer just as his father entered the room. "How's the studying going?"
"Just fine, sir."
"Good. Remember, Mr. Langley and his daughter are coming for dinner on Friday night. I expect you to be on your best behavior." He smiled in a way that told Blaine exactly what that "best behavior" was expected to be. Blaine's stomach churned. Which was just indigestion, of course, not the idea of entertaining his father's business associate's daughter for an evening. Certainly not.
"I will, sir."
"Perfect. 'Night, son." Roger Anderson was gone, leaving Blaine alone with his thoughts, with his fears, with a wedding cake topper that Blaine imagined was already burning a hole in the bottom of his desk drawer.
Kurt groaned. "No, no! First forward, then back with the other foot! Do you want to put Carole in the hospital during her own wedding?" He loved Finn (though no longer in that way), he really did. But if he'd remembered just what he was getting into by agreeing to teach him a dance for the wedding, he'd have probably run for the hills and never looked back.
His father, thank the heavens, was a much better student. The three were gathered in the McKinley choir room, practicing their moves. Or in Finn's case, the flailing. But he was at least starting to learn, though he still had a ways to go. And for Carole's sake, not to mention for the sake of her feet, Kurt was determined to see it through.
He sighed. "Let's try it again." He took Finn into his arms, an action that bore none of the heat and want that it would've had mere months ago. "And one and two, one and… Careful! These are new shoes! Are you paying attention, Finn?"
"I am! Really!"
"Well, you sure have a funny way of…" Kurt turned pale. From his vantage point facing the doors, behind Finn's back, he saw Blaine Anderson stroll casually by. He glared at Kurt with that look, those eyes infused with all kinds of hate and anger and something else entirely that made him even more uncomfortable, if that were humanly possible. The gaze turned startled for a moment when it flickered to Burt, who stood off to the side, then quickly turned neutral. Anderson scurried away.
Burt frowned. "Who was that?"
Kurt swallowed. "Just one of my classmates."
"He had this funny look on his face," Burt persisted. "I don't think he noticed me at first, but there was definitely something about the way he looked at you that…"
Finn turned wildly towards the door. "Was it Anderson?" He turned back to Kurt with a serious expression. "Dude, I thought you were gonna tell your dad. You promised."
"Will you stop calling me…"
"Tell me what?" Burt stepped forward, glaring. "Tell me what, Kurt?" he repeated.
"He's… been giving me some trouble these past few weeks."
"'Some trouble'?" Finn echoed incredulously. "Jesus, Kurt, the guy's practically stalking you!"
"He's what?" Burt started turning an alarming shade of red. "What's he been doing? How long has this been going on? And what does Finn mean by he's stalk…" His face suddenly twisted into a strange, thoughtful look. "Kurt," he asked in a low, quiet voice, "what kind of car does the kid drive?"
"What kind of car…?"
"Answer my question. You're my son, so I know you can tell. And if he's been causing you trouble, I know you've noticed what his car is, if only so you could avoid it. Don't make me ask again. What kind of car does he drive, and what color is it?"
Kurt swallowed. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he knew something was going to happen the minute he spoke his next words. "A 2010 silver Acura ZDX," he said slowly. "Why?"
He didn't get his answer. Burt seemed to have disappeared between eye blinks. Kurt's wide eyes met Finn's, and both raced out of the choir room. The hallways outside seemed empty, but they could hear Burt's shouts echoing from around a corner. "You've been driving by my house? Terrorizing my kid?"
"Please… Mr. Hummel…!" Anderson's voice, sounding pained. Kurt and Finn ran towards the source of the sounds. They practically skidded around the corner, and were treated to the sight of Burt buttonholing Blaine Anderson against a wall. The teenager's feet were actually dangling off the ground, his face pinched and pale as his hands gripped at Burt's wrists, probably the only thing keeping him from choking.
"What the hell have you been doing to Kurt?"
"I… don't know what you're talking about…"
"I've seen your car! Answer me!"
"Dad! Your heart! Dad!" He grabbed his father's arm. "Please! Put him down!" Burt turned to his son as if he didn't recognize him, rage shaking his entire body. Slowly, painfully slowly, the intense color drained from Burt's face. His grip loosened, and Anderson crashed to the floor, coughing.
Burt turned his baleful gaze onto the teenager in front of him. "Be grateful. Kurt here just saved your life." He took a shuddering breath. "I'm going to have a nice long talk with your principal. Don't think for a second this is over." He stalked away. Kurt took one last glance at Blaine, then followed his father. Finn was the last; he lingered with a strange expression on his face. Then he too was gone, leaving Blaine on the floor, rubbing his neck.
AN: As an aside, the first scene is my attempt to explain why Carole and Burt decided to tell the guys about the engagement at school, as opposed to any of the myriad times when all four were, y'know, under the same roof.