Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, in part or in whole. If I did, I'd rename it the Klaine show. And we all know what every episode would be.

Note: Please please please don't jump down my throat for how Emma handles things in this chapter. When I was in high school and having suicidal ideation, simply telling my guidance counselor that I didn't feel that way anymore (which was bull, but whatever) was enough to get her off my back. They called my parents, who laughed it off because I'm just that good an actress, but that was about it. So the way Emma handles this, while being crappy, is exactly the way most high schools would. And William McKinley has a worse track record than most high schools for dealing with this stuff. They are very reactionary, instead of proactive. Schools just don't have the resources to do any better. It sucks, but it's real. So please, keep that in mind.

The next morning, Carole made breakfast for the teens after arriving home from work. "Finn," she said once all three boys were seated at the table. "Next time you want to have Rachel stay the night, talk it over with us," she said, looking her son in the eye. "Just because Kurt and Blaine are sharing a room, it doesn't mean you can just break the rules without reason, without asking."

"Mom, it's not fair," Finn said around a mouthful of toast. "They're having sex! Which is just gross! Uh, cause you're my brother, and you're my friend," he said to each boy in turn. "Not cause you're both dudes. Because I'm okay with that. Seriously."

"We are not having sex," Kurt said quietly. "It's been just over a week since I was raped, Finn. Raped. I know you can't actually comprehend what it's like to have someone hold you down and…" he stopped, chewing on his lower lip. "You know what? Forget it." He stood, pushing away his plate.

"Kurt, wait," Blaine said. "You need to eat. Finn is just being Finn. C'mon, sit back down."

"I've lost my appetite," Kurt said. "We have to leave for school in fifteen minutes. I'm going to go brush my teeth." He spun on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Blaine sighed, but continued eating his breakfast. "I'll take a few granola bars to school for him," he said to Carole. "And Finn, just because you and your girlfriend are having sex and couldn't be responsible enough to buy your own condoms doesn't mean everyone around you is rutting like a bitch in heat. Excuse my language, please, Carole."

"Finn, you don't have condoms?" Carole asked.

"He does now," Blaine explained. "I gave them the box I'd bought a few months ago, to be prepared." He sighed. "Kurt's gonna be mad when he finds out about this conversation."

"Don't worry, Blaine. There's nothing for him to be upset about. Okay, Finn? This is part of the reason why Blaine and Kurt share a room, and why I'm not comfortable with you having a girl stay the night. They consistently act more responsibly. And you and Rachel break up regularly."

"We haven't broken up since before last June! That's like…eight months!" Finn exclaimed. "Or nine! Kurt and Blaine broke up last week!"

Carole sighed, and offered an understanding smile. "You're right on that. Finn, the point is, Kurt came to us and asked if Blaine could stay the night. Blaine came to us and asked if he could possibly stay with us short-term while he worked it all out. We invited him to stay with us. I know you normally live by the thought that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, but, Finn, honey, I just want what's best for you. Blaine, sweetheart?" She looked toward the door meaningfully.

"I'm going," Blaine said. He stood and carried his plate to the kitchen. "Have a good day, Carole! We'll see you after school." He almost ran out of the room and up to the bedroom.

"Finn, honey, you thought you actually got Quinn pregnant in a hot tub," Carole said gently. "You know now that isn't possible, right?"

"I always wondered," Finn said defensively. "But no. Now I know how it happens. Miss Holiday explained it. And me and Rachel are being careful. I promise. Look. I had condoms last night. I just told Rachel we were out because I was tired." He flushed. "So she got it into her head that she'd ask Kurt. And please don't get me started on how embarrassing that was."

Carole frowned. "Your girlfriend is pressuring you to have sex?"

"It's not like that, Mom. She's just…persistent. I didn't tell her I didn't really want to…I can't have this conversation with my mother. I just can't."

"Yes, you can," Carole said.

"I love her. And I, um, I do enjoy sex, it's just…" Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "I…I didn't tell her the truth because I thought it'd be easier just to tell her we needed to go shopping, okay? It's no big deal, I was just tired. And we're really careful," he said again. "I mean, she's on the pill, and we're using condoms. Honestly, mom. She's going to be on Broadway. She doesn't want a baby right now, and either do I."

Carole nodded. "That's good to hear. Well, I personally find it difficult to deny you what we're giving to Kurt and Blaine. I'll talk to Burt, but I'm certain we can work something out. That is, of course, as long as Rachel's dads are okay with her staying the night. No lying. Sneaking around isn't just disrespectful to me, and to Burt, it's disrespectful to Rachel and her dads as well."

Finn looked down at his plate. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just…"

"Oh, honey. I know it's hard to understand. Believe me, Burt and I aren't having any easier a time dealing with all of this than you are. But sneaking around behind our backs isn't exactly the adult way to handle it. All I've ever asked if that you be honest with me. Okay?"

"I'm really sorry, Mom."

"So am I. I should have made sure to explain this to you better. It's been a tough couple of days for this family, sweetie. But we'll get through it. And that's why I'm not grounding you. Because we do need to get through this together." She patted his hand. "Finish up your breakfast. I'm certain that Blaine is driving Kurt today, so you'll probably have to drive yourself."

Finn nodded. "Probably," he said. "They'll want to go to the Lima Bean after school, unless Glee club runs late. How can people just sit around a coffee shop for hours?"

Carole laughed. "I don't know," she agreed. "So. You'll talk to Rachel, I'll talk to Burt. But no more lying. And no pregnancy scares, alright? One is enough for your old mom."

"Yeah…I'm sorry, Mom. I never meant for you to think I was irresponsible. Cause I'm not. And I love Rachel. In fact, I kinda think I might want to be with her for a really long time. Like forever."

"Well," Carole covered her shock. "That's a big step. But if it's what you truly want, and she does, too, then I think that's good. In a few years, of course. After college. When you both have careers. Not before."

Finn nodded. "I get what you're saying," he said. "I gotta go. I'm gonna be late to school." He gulped down his milk and got up, racing away from the table.

Carole stood at the front door, giving each of 'her boys' a hug and a kiss before they left for school. "Be strong," she whispered to Kurt, hugging him tightly. "If you need me to come take you out of school, if it's too much, just call me."

Kurt smiled slightly. "I made it through last week," he said. "I'll make it through today. But thank you, Carole. Your support does mean a lot to me."

"I'm glad, honey. If you need anything at all, just call or text me. I can be at your school in fifteen minutes."

"I know. Thank you." He hugged her one more time. "Blaine's waiting. I gotta go." He shouldered his messenger bag, grabbed Blaine's favorite guitar in his free hand, and strode down the front walk, sliding into the passenger seat.

"You ready for this?" Blaine asked.

"Not at all," Kurt shook his head. "Why was this easier last week?"

"Because you didn't think you had to face it. And you know you have to talk to Ms. Pillsbury at some point today."

"Ugh. I forgot. Yeah. I have to talk to Ms. Pillsbury. And she's going to tell Mr. Schue, and I'm probably going to have to stand up and sing about it."

"Only if you want to," Blaine said. "I notice you brought my guitar."

"Thought we might need it." Kurt smiled. "And, we should find out the final set-list for Regionals today," he said. "Are you excited?"

Blaine shook his head. "It's going to be the Finn and Rachel show, more than likely. I'm still not used to not being the lead anymore, to be completely honest."

"You're an amazing singer, Blaine. And I'm sure that next year, it'll be all about you." In a way it had never been all about him.

"Maybe," Blaine allowed. "Did you want me to go with you when you have to see Ms. Pillsbury today?"

"Please?" Kurt asked, allowing the change of subject. "If whatever teacher you have that hour will let you."

"I'll make something up if I have to," Blaine said. "It's going to be alright."

Kurt took a deep breath. "I want to sing with you today in Glee. The song you sang to me Friday. Your Guardian Angel."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I have my guitar," Blaine said with a wry smile, flicking to the song on his iPod. "Let's run through it a few times." He drove them to the coffee shop, where they got their morning fix of caffeine. On the way to school, they ran through the song twice more, until they were reasonably sure they could handle performing.

They arrived at school with only a few minutes before the first bell. Blaine put his guitar in the choir room and walked Kurt to his first class, parting from him with a quick squeeze of hands.

Near the end of his first class, Kurt looked up when the door to the classroom opened. Ms. Pillsbury walked in, looked around, and walked up to the teacher. A moment of whispering followed. "Kurt, Ms. Pillsbury needs to take you from class," the teacher said with a kind smile. "Here's your homework assignment. It's due on Wednesday."

"Thank you," Kurt said. He gathered his things and followed Emma from the room. "I need Blaine," he said.

"You do?" Emma asked, surprised. "But your father's email stated that I needed to speak to you, Blaine and Finn separately."

"I'm not talking to you unless Blaine is there."

"I see. I wasn't expecting that. Well. Do you know what class he's in this period?"

Kurt nodded. "He has English right now." He led the way down the hall. Emma walked into the indicated room, retrieving Blaine.

It was during class, so Blaine and Kurt walked with Ms. Pillsbury to her office, hands tightly entwined. "I must say," Emma said as she gestured for them to sit down, "I wasn't expecting you, Blaine. Congressman Hummel said I needed to speak to each of you, but didn't mention anything about together."

"It's still strange to hear people call him that," Kurt said. "At any rate, Blaine agreed to come with me. This is a difficult subject for me to talk about."

"Well!" Emma exclaimed. "Go ahead. I'll do my best," she said. She hoped this wasn't going to turn into an uncomfortable conversation on intimate relations.

Five minutes later, she wished the boys had come to her to talk about something as simple as sex between two men. Instead, she was faced with a teenager suffering from suicidal ideation.

"Kurt, I must say, this is far beyond what I normally have to deal with from your peers. I really think you should see a professional. I can recommend a wonderful woman." She pulled a card out of her desk drawer.

"I don't want to see anyone else," Kurt said firmly. "I promised my dad, Carole, and Blaine that I would tell you that I'd been having suicidal thoughts. Not that I don't think they were fully justified."

"Kurt, I've seen you go through so much in the past four years," Emma said. "Bullying, death threats, more slushies than anyone should ever have to deal with, bruises, being thrown into dumpsters and porta-potties. What could possibly have pushed a strong young man like you over the edge?"

Kurt swallowed. Blaine squeezed his hand. "Go ahead," Blaine murmured. "I'm here."

"Rape," Kurt said simply. "A little over a week ago. A stranger." He gave a quick, sanitized version of the events of the previous ten days. "I can take slushies. I can take body checks into every locker in this school. I even handled being kissed by Karofsky. But when that man touched me, attacked me, when he did what he did to me, I didn't want to live any longer."

"Did you call the police?" Emma managed.

"I went to the clinic on Saturday, they called the police. But it had been a week. So there wasn't any physical evidence. But they still think they might catch the guy. We'll see. But my real worry now is, since you pulled me out of class in front of everyone, well, Ms. Pillsbury, I don't want this to get out to the whole school."

"Of course not!" Emma exclaimed. "I'm would never share anything told to me in confidence. With anyone. Including Mr. Schue."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Well, actually, I think I'd like it if you told him," he said. "He's probably wondering why his biggest star has been out of sorts this past week." That statement brought smiles to all three faces. "I know you two live together, and this won't be easy for you to keep."

"If that's what you want, I'll tell him. We planned to have lunch off campus today, just the two of us. I'll tell him then."

"Thank you, Ms. Pillsbury," Kurt said. "I appreciate it."

"Now, is there anything else either of you boys needs to talk about?"

"Now that you mention it," Blaine said. He smiled at Kurt. "Time to change my address with the administration," he said. "My father kicked me out on Saturday. Kurt's family took me in. His parents are letting me live there until I graduate next year."

"How are you handling that?" Emma asked.

"Better than I thought," Blaine said. "But I do need someone to talk to about this. Can I make an appointment for a little later this week?"

"Of course. I'll schedule you in during your study hall later this week, or perhaps the beginning of the next week, after Regionals?"

"After Regionals would be great," Blaine confirmed. Emma wrote neatly on a card and handed it to him. Smiling, Blaine pocketed the thin piece of cardboard. "Thanks."

Emma looked back at Kurt. "I want you to promise me something," she said. "If you have the slightest thought of harming yourself in any way whatsoever, you will come to me. I don't like the idea of you refusing professional help, but if that's really how you feel, I'm not going to force you."

"I promise," Kurt said. "Can we go back to class now?"

"You can, but, Kurt, will you at least take my colleague's number? In case you change your mind?"

Kurt nodded. "I appreciate it," he said, knowing it was better to take the card without arguing.

"Kurt, one more question, and I'll leave you two to get back to class," Emma said. "What does Finn know about all this?"

"He knows I was raped. He knows Blaine is living with us. He doesn't know why. And I don't think he knows about the suicidal thoughts," Kurt said. "He thinks Blaine is living with us because the commute is just too far."

Emma nodded. "Alright, boys, let me write you hall passes, and you can go to your next class."

Blaine and Kurt walked to their next classes, silent but not uncomfortably so. They parted with a smile, Blaine leaning in and kissing Kurt gently in the empty hall. "I'll see you at lunch," he said.

"Lunch," Kurt agreed. He slipped into the classroom, handing his hall pass to the teacher.

"Will? Emma asked, sliding into the passenger seat of his car. "We need to talk about something really serious, and we have to do it before Glee Club today."

"What's wrong, Em?" Will asked.

"I had a very emotional appointment with a member of the Glee Club today, well, two members, and they gave me the okay to talk to you about it. In fact, they asked that I tell you."

"What is it?" Will asked, driving to the park they'd planned to have lunch in. "Does this have anything to do with Kurt and Blaine not speaking to one another last week?"

"Will, honey, Kurt was…" Emma bit her lower lip. "A little over a week ago, Kurt was raped."

Will looked shocked. Tears were streaming down Emma's face. "That's horrific," he said quietly. "Please…Em, tell me it wasn't one of the other kids."

"No," Emma sniffled. "It was a stranger. He has no idea who. Kurt wanted me to tell you, and I quote, why your biggest star has been out of sorts for the past week."

"He would say that," Will said. "Dammit! Hasn't that kid been through enough?"

"I quite agree," Emma said. "But, Will, he doesn't want the other Glee kids to know. I mean, Blaine knows, he was there when Kurt was telling me, and Finn knows, I have to talk to him later today, but we have to keep this from the other kids until Kurt makes the decision to talk to them. So, don't treat him any differently, but be there for him? The next few weeks are going to be emotionally and physically so difficult for him."

"Is he okay?" Will asked. "I mean, I'm sure he's a mess, but do you think he'll be alright?"

"Will, he was going to kill himself," Emma said flatly. "After Regionals on Saturday. He was going to commit suicide. Blaine's snapped him out of it, apparently, and he swears he isn't going to do anything, that he doesn't feel that way anymore, but Will….do me a favor?"

"Of course. What can I do to help?" Will asked.

"You spend more time with him, with them all, than any other teacher at that school. If you notice anything else out of the ordinary, anything at all, let me know right away? If you think he's having any sort of trouble at all, send him to me?"

"Emma, you're a guidance counselor," Will said. "Are you sure you're equipped to handle suicidal teens?"

"I'm all he has, Will," Emma said. "He took Gabrielle's card, but he doesn't want to talk to her or anyone else. And I agree with Blaine, I don't think he's actually going to do anything, at least, not right now. But I want you to keep an eye on him anyway."

"Of course. Do you think I should call Burt and talk to him about all this? Does he know what's going on?"

"Burt is the one who asked me to talk to all three boys," Emma said. "He's in Washington this week, but I'm sure he has his cell and would welcome a phone call from you. Oh, and there's one more thing. Blaine's dad kicked him out over the weekend. Blaine is now living with the Hummel-Hudson family. I'm going to talk to him more about that next week after Regionals."

"Wow. A lot of shake-ups right before Regionals."

"It wouldn't be a New Directions competition if there weren't all sorts of angst and trouble," Emma said. "But focus on the songs, not on the kids. If you take their minds off their troubles, they should be able to get through it all."

"I'm calling a late Booty Camp tonight," Will said. "Are you alright taking the car home yourself?"

"Of course," Emma smiled. "But remember, this isn't some little thing. The boys are going to need your support."

"I know, Em, I'll do my best," Will squeezed her hand. "We only have about five minutes to eat now…"

Emma smiled. "I'll just eat at my desk," she said. "But you should eat quickly, and I can drive us back to school if you need time to finish."

"I'll be fine," Will said. They nibbled their sandwiches, and then in only moments, he turned the car around and headed back to McKinley.

Carole Hummel-Hudson was a woman on a mission. The moment the boys left the house, she walked into the laundry room, hoping and praying that in his lethargy of the previous week, Kurt hadn't bothered finding out what had happened to his clothing from that fateful night.

Sure enough, the blood-stained undergarment was still where she'd left it, and Carole breathed a sigh of relief. She placed it into a plastic bag, and called the number on the business card Kurt had handed to Burt on Saturday evening.

"Officer Hannigan, my name is Carole Hummel-Hudson," Carole said once she'd been connected to the officer at the Lima Police Department. "My step-son, Kurt Hummel, spoke to you about a sexual assault on Saturday?"

"Of course! What can I do for you, Mrs. Hummel?"

"I should have thought of this sooner, but I just this morning realized I have Kurt's clothing from the night of the attack. Specifically a blood-stained undergarment. It hasn't been laundered, I was going to treat the stains, and then forgot."

"Your forgetfulness may be our gain," Officer Hannigan said. "I'll send a car over to pick up the clothing as soon as I can. We're going to catch this guy, and every little bit of evidence we can glean will make it easier."

"Good. I'm at our home, 415 Whitman Avenue. I had to touch it, of course, because I thought I was just doing laundry, but…"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Hummel. What we're looking for is quite a bit different than fingerprint oils. I'm going to let you go, but someone will be there soon."

"Thank you, Officer."

"So I know we weren't going to have a lesson this week," Mr. Schuester said at Tuesday glee club rehearsal. "But something has come to my attention. And I know we've done it before, but really, it bears to be stated again. In addition to our rehearsals for regionals, this week, we're going to work on self-acceptance."

"Mr. Schue, really?" Rachel asked. "Wasn't Born This Way and those t-shirts enough?"

"We have a few members who weren't in glee at the time. So I'm going to try to teach this lesson without song, and then you guys can work on the musical side. Understood?"

The teens nodded and sat back, waiting for whatever Will had to say to them.. Blaine and Kurt held hands, nearly inseparable.

Will Schuester pulled a crisp ten dollar bill out of his pocket. "Who would like this ten dollar bill?"

The glee kids exchanged glances, and then, as a unit, every hand in the room went up. Except Sugar's. "I don't put out an effort for less than a hundred," the spoiled rich girl said.

Will continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "I am going to give this ten to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple up the ten dollar bill. Then he asked, "Who still wants it?" All the hands were still up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Is there anyone who still wants it?" Not one of the kids had put his or her hand down. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "There's the lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth ten dollars. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are special. Don't ever forget it."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand as slowly all the raised arms were lowered. "You think Ms. Pillsbury told him?" he whispered in Kurt's ear.

Kurt nodded. "She said she would. She also said they wouldn't be bringing it up in front of other students."

"So, Mr. Schue, who gets the ten?" Puck asked, eyeing the crumpled bill in Will's hand.

Will's eyes met Kurt's, and the boy nodded, resigned. As he'd discussed with Finn, and now, knowing the case would likely be tried in court if the man were found, he knew everyone would find out.

"Kurt does," Will said simply, walking over and handing it to the teen. "Don't spend it all in one place."

Kurt smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Schue," he said quietly.

"Kurt, is there anything you wanted to say?" he prompted quietly.

"No, but they're going to hear rumors, so I need to," Kurt offered a slight smile as he took a deep breath.

"Courage," Blaine whispered as Kurt stood up. The taller teen walked slowly into the center of the room.

"Normally, I would have had a song prepared for something like this, but there's no way to sing about something…so horrific," Kurt said. "Just over a week ago, driving home from Blaine's house, I was…attacked. It was a…a hate crime," he said. "Which is why I was…a little out of it last week."

"Oh, hell to the no!" Mercedes exclaimed, standing up. "You are not serious. I thought we were through with all this crap!"

"Who was it?" Rachel asked. "Who had the audacity to do such a thing?"

"I don't know," Kurt said, holding his head high. "It wasn't anyone we know. And that's all I'm willing to say until he's caught and brought to justice. I dealt with it alone from Saturday night until last Friday, when, thanks to Rachel, Blaine confronted me and walked me through everything." He smiled at the brunette diva.

"Why thank you, Kurt," Rachel said with a smile. "And may I just say…"

"No!" everyone chorused together.

"Well!" Rachel said down in a huff.

Mr. Schuester smiled at Kurt. "At least you're okay. You are okay, aren't you?"

"I will be," Kurt said. He retook his seat. "At any rate, Regionals is this weekend, let's get to it!"

"And we have a lot of work to do. Booty camp, this afternoon, until six p.m." Will looked at Blaine. "You are able to stay that late now, right?"

Blaine nodded. "I'm staying in town now, so no worries about the long drive home."

"You're staying in town, man?" Puck asked. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Blaine said nonchalantly. "Parents decided the commute was too long and I needed to find somewhere closer to Lima to live. So I'm here for duration. And Kurt asked me to sing with him today, so Mr. Schue, can we have a few minutes before you finally reveal our set-list?" He still couldn't believe he was in a show choir that got its set-list five days before the performance.

"Absolutely. The floor is yours."

Blaine picked up his guitar, checked a few chords automatically for tuning, and smiled at Kurt. I love you he mouthed. Kurt nodded, and Blaine began the intro.

With an ease borne of being best friends, practically able to read one another's minds, regardless of Blaine's protests to the contrary, they slipped into the song, trading off the verses and coming together with beautiful harmonies. It wasn't perfect, but it was close.

Two minutes in, Finn wordlessly got up and walked over to the drums, taking a seat on the stool. Blaine nodded to him, and he came in at the appropriate time, keeping rhythm through the rest of the song for the boys.

Breathless and smiling, Kurt did his customary little half-bow/half curtsey. "I'll be there for you through it all," Blaine whispered, before putting his guitar back into its case. He squeezed Kurt's hand as they took their seats.

"Wow, guys, that was…powerful," Will said. "I'd almost want to use it for Regionals…"

"But the stigma of two boys singing about true love won't send us to Nationals," Kurt said. "It's okay, Mr. Schue. Why don't you tell us which songs we'll be providing background vocals for, so we can get started on the choreography?"

Will Schuester blinked twice. "Well!" he exclaimed. "Actually, Kurt, I was going to tell you that while Your Guardian Angel is a little more risk-taking than I'm willing to allow, Defying Gravity isn't."

"What?" Rachel exclaimed. "Mr. Schue, you can't be serious!"

"Be quiet, Rachel. Kurt, go to the piano. Brad's out sick today, so you'll need to do your own chromatic warm-up. I want to hear that high F. Your dad told me what happened two years ago." Will gestured to the piano.

Blaine raised an eyebrow, but Kurt shook his head. "Knew those piano lessons would come in handy again sometime," Kurt joked. He walked over to the piano and began playing the chromatic scale just as he had two years previously, when he'd fought for hours to bend his voice to his will, to coax that high note out of himself.

And this time, unlike in the purposefully botched diva-off, he hit the note. Eyebrows raised throughout the room, all except Will, Blaine, who wore a look of pure pride and adoration, and Rachel, who was obviously steaming mad.

"Very nice," Will said. "Rachel?"

"What?" the diva snapped.

Will held out a sheaf of papers. "Your verses," he said simply. "I've arranged it as a duet. You and Kurt will be sharing the spotlight. Literally."

Rachel's eyes went wide as she snatched the pages from Mr. Schuester's hands. She read them over, murmuring under her breath. "Alright," she said. "This is acceptable."

Kurt took the offered pages and smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Schue. Rach? Shall we?"

"We don't have a piano player," Rachel protested.

Blaine stood. "I'll take it," he said. "Mr. Schue? Give me two minutes, and we'll have it."

Will handed over the sheet music for the piano. Blaine sat down, tracing fingers over the keys as he read through the music.

"Alright," Blaine said. "Let's go." He led in with the piano beginning, and by the end of the first chorus, he'd found his stride and the three of them, accompanied by the jazz band and strings, put on a beautiful performance.

"Oh my God!" Rachel squealed, wrapping her arms around Kurt. "That was incredible!"

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I give the jazz band and strings the music two weeks before I reveal the set-list," Will smirked. "You three were fantastic. Blaine, I had no idea you had that kind of talent."

"I've been playing the piano since I was tall enough to see the music from the bench," he said. "Would you, I mean, is it possible to play on Saturday?"

"I don't see why not."

"I've only been a member of an a capella show choir," Blaine said. "I don't know what the rulebook says about accompaniment.

"Well, Jesse St. James from Vocal Adrenaline played piano during Bohemian Rhapsody sophomore year," Rachel said, "and went right back to singing. So they can't have too much of a problem with it."

"I for one, am glad," Will said. "If Brad wasn't better, I wasn't sure what I was going to do."

"What's wrong with him?" Puck asked. "It's not like he needs a voice. Does he even have a voice?"

"He has the chicken pox," Will said. "Highly contagious, and very very dangerous for an adult to contract. It's best if he just stays home for the week. At any rate, that's just one song. We need to go through the other two."

"What else are we singing, Mr. Schue?" Rachel asked.

"Well," Will looked at Mercedes, Sugar, Brittany and Santana. "Girls? What number did you decide on for the Troubletones?"

"Stronger," Mercedes said. "We've been working on it for more than a week." She walked over to the stereo and pressed play on the CD player. All four girls took their spots and ran through the Kelly Clarkson number. It was met with applause and excited murmurs throughout the group.

"And third," Will looked to Rachel. "You're going to bring us home," he said. "By yourself."

"What?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"If things don't go as well as we want them to, this will be your last competition at McKinley," Will said. "And throughout it all, even through your tantrums and hissy fits, Rachel, bottom line is, you're the one most likely to drive us through to Nationals. So, harkening back to Don't Rain on My Parade, I'm giving you a true solo. Here's to Us. I'm envisioning the girls joining you on stage after about a minute, while the boys are up in the balconies, providing harmonies. It's a powerful song, we will, of course, be editing for content…"

"Right," Rachel said. "Do you have the arrangement?" she asked.

"Of course. Give it a read while everyone goes to change into work out clothing," Will said. "We've got a long, hard practice ahead of us."

Rachel took the music, picked up her bag, and walked out of the choir room, not watching where she was going as she made her way down to the locker room, still reading. It was by sheer luck that she made it to the girls' locker room without running into anyone or anything.

"Hey," came the soft voice when she set the music down, reaching for her gym clothes.

"You shouldn't be in here," she smiled.

"Like any of you have anything I'm interested in," Kurt said. He sat down on the bench. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"For what?" she asked. "For throwing a fit when Mr. Schue handed you Defying Gravity? For interrupting what was clearly a romantic night between you and Blaine? For forcing you guys to give up your secrets before you were ready?"

Kurt smiled. "It wasn't a romantic night, per say," he said. "Just relaxing. But thank you…for being there. I know that, despite our differences, if I need a girlfriend to talk to, you're there. And I know that, when I need to talk about what happened to me, to someone other than Blaine, that you'll be willing to listen. So, yeah. Thank you."

"You couldn't have said that over the phone tonight? You had to come find me in the changing room?" Rachel asked, unabashedly slipping out of her dress and pulling on her gym shirt. The rest of the girls were on the other side of the gym, unable to hear the quiet conversation.

"That and I don't really trust myself to be in the same room with Blaine while he's changing," Kurt smiled. He quickly changed into his own gym clothes, and then pulled Rachel close for a tight hug.

"Let's go to booty camp," Rachel said.

It was probably the easiest booty camp ever for the non-Troubletones members of New Directions. There was simple, ballroom type choreography for Defying Gravity, and Here's to Us was mainly the girls dancing simply behind Rachel. The boys were merely standing in the balconies.

But for Kurt, it was exhausting. Not the physicality of the dancing, but the pressure of being 'on'. Of maintaining his showmanship when all he wanted was to curl up and sleep.

Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist and led him out to the car. "You were fantastic," Blaine murmured, handing Kurt into the car.

"Thanks. So were you," Kurt responded, letting his head fall back against the head rest. "Ugh. Home. Shower. Food. Bed. In that order."

"Your wish is my command." Blaine pulled out of the McKinley parking lot and drove the short distance to the Hummel-Hudson household.

NOTE: I chose Defying Gravity before On My Way aired. Had a full head canon on the songs they would have done, but I liked Stronger and Here's to Us so I stuck with them. This story is turning out to be so much longer than I'd anticipated. But, I've been convinced by some of my loyal readers to keep it going until it reaches a natural end, which saved you all from my April Fool's Joke of "I quit". Be thankful.