Find Yourself:
Another chapter done. This one not as long and definitely filler compared to the last three EPIC chapters but I hope it's all right nonetheless. Still sadly don't own either fandoms.
It didn't feel quite like a Monday as Tina's car pulled up to the Davis house the following day. This was because it was a long weekend, which after the night before Kristina was defiantly glad about.
When Ethan dropped her and Tina off the previous evening at the Cohen-Chang residence the two teenage girls wound up spending the majority of the evening chatting about dinner and their respective dates while listening to Tina's eclectic catalogue of music.
"So, I bet the first thing your going to do when you go inside is crash right."
Kristina let out a little laugh as she picked up her bags. Gently reminding the other girl of her guest and the guys day that he had planed.
"I don't know who I feel more sorry for Ethan or Puck," Tina said grinning.
Kristina simply nodded. For as much as she knew Ethan was a shark when it came to cards partly from his travels abroad and partly cause well he was Luke Spencer's son after all, she also knew Puck was a pretty decent card player as well thanks to a couple of times when they played poker for gummy bears during study breaks.
"So, pick me up tomorrow T."
She shrugged.
"Are you sure, I mean Kurt may need to be filled in on all the gossip, or Ethan may want to spend one last moment with you before he goes back to the Chuckles."
Kristina couldn't help but giggle at Tina's usage of her hometowns nickname.
"The Chuckles, really Tina."
She just shook her head laughing before her lips curled into a sly smile.
Kristina was trying to read the young Asian girls tell but was doing a horrible job. It was no wonder that Ethan and Puck would always clean her out.
"Tell Artie I said hi," was the last thing Tina said before she turned her key in the ignition and drove away.
--
As she got closer to the house she noticed her mother car absent and assumed that Alexis and perhaps Molly were spending this day off doing some mother daughter thing. In the driveway however was another car besides Puck's old pick up. Recognizing it immediately as Finn's car Kristina couldn't help but smile.
She had heard all about the blow up Finn and Puck had before Christmas break about the paternity of Quinn's baby (Quinn tried to pass it off as her boyfriend Finn's despite only ever sleeping with Puck) and was kind of glad that in this time the two former best friends were on the path to recuperating their friendship.
Entering the house she saw the trio of guys sitting around the coffee table already immersed in a game of cards.
"Man," Finn said tossing his cards down, "I fold again."
Kristina from her spot in the doorway repressed a laugh.
Finn Hudson didn't stand a chance playing poker against the big boys.
The trio now noticed her and smiled.
"Morning Krissy, or should I say Afternoon," Ethan said with a slick grin, "should I be wishing that I were a fly on the wall of your little slumber party last night."
If Kristina was close enough to a throw pillow it would of met Ethan's head in that moment as she took a few steps closer to where the guys were playing.
It was then that Puck noticed a strain of pink in Kristina's hair and pointed to it grinning.
"Ethan man Tina was just giving Krissy some hair styling tips… the pink defiantly works on you though doesn't it Finn."
Looking from his new hand to Kristina's hair he simply nodded as he mentally was trying to focus on the game at hand.
Letting out a little laugh Kristina reached for the pink streak and pulled it about to tease the boys back that it was just a clip on when footsteps became heard from the Kitchen.
"Ethan, is Molly still here cause I know moms car was gone and…."
However that question was instantly answered as Rachel stepped out of the kitchen holding a plate of cookies with a smile on her face.
This scene caused Kristina to roll her eyes. She was about to comment when the brunette grinned her way.
"So our hostess finally arrives," she said in a snippy voice like Kristina had been offending her in some way by not being there when there were guests.
The boys had now stopped their game when they realized Kristina and Rachel's eyes were locked and ready for war.
"Care to take any bets," Ethan whispered.
Finn smiled.
"I think this is a contest I'll defiantly win."
Taking a step closer to Rachel, Kristina simply smiled before pointing to Ethan.
"First of all even though it is my house this is Ethan's little get together so technically he's the host not me."
Rachel began to open her mouth as Kristina turned to her friend.
"And Ethan, I thought this was supposed to be a guy thing… Rachel! Really?"
Puck looked to Kristina and guiltily raised his hands.
"I'm sorry Kristina, it's just we were riding back from the movie theater last night and Rachel asked what I was doing on our day off from school and I told her about the game and she was going on about how she learnt how to play at some summer thing at the JCC and one thing lead to another and…"
"She's good," Finn said deciding to speak up, "she's already cleaned me out of most of my money."
Rachel grinned hopping into an empty seat next to Ethan and Puck.
"I'm a high roller, what can I say," she spoke as Puck tossed her arms around Rachel.
Kristina just smiled not knowing what to think.
"It's just, if I knew Rachel were here I'd have invited Tina in… called up the rest of the club and we could have had a party going."
"You still can," Puck, said, "I've still got Santana's number on speed dial as well as Mike and Matt's… I'm sure one of them can call Brittany."
"And I'm sure you have the other's numbers seeing as you and them are lunch buddies," Rachel said in reference to Tina, Artie, Kurt and Mercedes.
"What about it?" Ethan asked with a grin on his face, "do you want to party."
Kristina rolled her eyes.
"First off shouldn't we invite Quinn if we were to have a little party, and secondly I was being sarcastic. I actually have plans for the afternoon."
The quad simply looked over to Kristina and nodded as they watched her head upstairs to her room before pausing to peek back down.
"And by the way, I'm going to need the downstairs so you're going to have to move to the upstairs guest room."
--
"Read it and weep boys," Rachel said as she tossed her hand on the coffee table.
Puck cracked a half smile before kissing his girl on the cheek. Ethan and Finn simply rolled their eyes.
This was when the doorbell rang and Ethan stood up to get it however he was cut off by Kristina, who had since changed her cloths and fixed her hair.
"I'll get it," she said making her way toward the door and smiling as she opened it and locked eyes with Artie.
"Does anyone else find it hypocritical that I get ridiculed for coming her with my boyfriend and yet Kristina can invite Artie over."
"Well it is her house babe," Puck said leaning over to kiss Rachel's neck. However she pulled back, locking eyes with him and pouting. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Noah," Rachel exclaimed, "it's just I prefer you to not call me babe as it's a moniker demeaning of my gender and…"
He leaned over and kissed her mid ramble.
"Noah's right, it is my house and Artie is my boyfriend and if I want to invite him over to watch a movie that's my business."
Looking from the gang sitting on the couch to Kristina a slight blush crossed his cheeks.
"I didn't know my presence would cause this much drama. I can call my dad back here and have him pick me up if you want."
Kristina shook her head.
"I don't want that."
Ethan got the message instantly.
"What do you guys…and Rachel say we take the game up to the guest room like Kristina asked us to?"
"Actually," Rachel said, "I'm going to quit while I'm ahead."
"Do you need a ride?" Puck asked.
She shook her long mane of dark hair and flashed him a smile.
"It's a nice day Noah, I can walk. Besides someone needs to stick around to finish wiping these two out."
She fluttered her eyelashes innocently at Ethan and Finn before waving goodbye to the group and heading out.
--
Moments later Ethan, Puck, and Finn had relocated to the upstairs and Kristina and Artie relished in the moment.
"So," Kristina said smiling, "what do you want to see? You've been here before so you know what we got."
Artie smiled.
He had been over to the Davis home a couple times in the rehearsal process for the Mash Up they sang and had browsed through the vast film collection that the ladies had.
The library mostly contained chick flicks though there were definitely a few interesting surprises.
Deciding on some old animated film that Kristina openly admitted to being obsessed with as a child, the duo settled down to watch the movie all the while singing along to all it's songs.
As they spent this moment together Kristina thought it was now or never. She needed to be open and honest with Artie before they got too serious.
About to open her mouth she heard some mild cursing coming from upstairs.
"Language boys," Kristina yelled.
"Sorry," the trio of voices rang out.
Smiling now she looked with Artie.
From this look the young man tensed up. He knew it was too good to be true, a girl as beautiful and smart as Kristina Davis couldn't possibly love him and the past 72 hours or so were simply a fluke.
"Before we get too serious I feel it's important to be open and honest with you."
Artie nodded.
He'd roll with that, he liked honesty.
"What is it Kristina," he spoke as he wheeled a few inches closer to where she sat, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
She sucked in a deep breath.
"The last relationship I had, the only other relationship I had…well it wasn't a good one."
Artie looked into her pained eyes as he lowered his tone into a soft whispery voice.
"What happened?" he asked though a part of him felt he already knew what she was going to say.
"He smothered me, wanted to know where I was at all times, who I was with. Wanted me to act a certain way, to do certain things and well if I didn't he…he'd hit me."
He watched the tears beginning to form in her eyes and it killed him. However on the flipside he wondered if it was wrong that he thought her damaged perfection to be a quality that attracted her to him more.
Leaning over he picked up one of the discarded, yet clean cocktail napkins that sat on the coffee table and reached over to dab her eyes.
"I would never lay a hand on you that way, you know that don't you, and if you need us to take a step back before we get too serious I'd understand."
"Thank You Artie," Kristina said as she took the napkin from his hand and cracking a sweet smile before she assured him that where they had been was a good place for the beginnings of a relationship.
He nodded as he flashed her his own sweet smile as if silently asking her if it was all right to kiss her.
Smiling back to Artie she allowed his lips to crash onto hers in a sweet and tender kiss. Just what she needed in the moment. She was definitely lucky to find a guy as sweet and genuine as Artie Abrams was.
It was in that moment that unbeknownst to any of the members of New Directions that wheels were beginning to turn and in a matter of hours the social stratosphere of McKinley High would be turned on it's end.
--
TBC
Ok so it wasn't half as long as last chapter but it defiantly invoked a mix of emotions and had a cryptic end don't you think? Anyways if your reading please click the little button to simply check in and tell me what you think as reviews help keep the muse's creative juices flowing