Find Yourself:
So how did everyone like the last chapter? I'd love to here from you. Anyway plot is about to get so thick you'll have to cut it with a knife! Song used in this chapter is Ten Minutes Ago from the musical Cinderella…Enjoy…
Wednesday March 17th 2010:
"Ouch, what was that for," Tina exclaimed as Kurt pinched her arm.
"It's St. Patrick's day," Kurt bluntly said.
"I'm not Irish."
"Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's day," Kristina commented back deciding to defend one friend's motives over another.
"Though Green so doesn't flatter everyone," Kurt mumbled as Tina smiled. Pulling back her hair she reviled a pair of green colored earrings before leaning over to Kurt to pinch him back.
He definitely deserved it.
They were definitely personifying Schuster's assignment that week. To simply have fun.
The morning quickly ended and the bell to signal homeroom rang.
Puck was at an appointment that morning but needless to say grades were posted nonetheless and Kristina was simply impressed. She had aced it...ok so she got a 98% but still. Looking at 83% her friend got a smile spread across her face as she snuck out her cell phone to flip him a contraband text while switching classes.
83 in chem…congrats
Seconds later she felt a vibration and looked at the reply.
SWEET!
Giggling a bit she began to walk through the rest of her day thinking she was on top of the world until the incident happened.
-
In one moment she was heading out of Math class with Quinn who seconds ago was gushing to her about the latest sonogram (saying she was kind of reconsidering the adoption being closed on her end) and in the next she saw him out of the corner of her eye. Though it couldn't be him… not in Lima, Ohio of all places could it? As she stared at the male figure in the hall thoughts began to flood in her mind.
She visioned herself at the Lake House clutching her side after being slammed into the side of the couch.
"K, I'm sorry, I didn't know my own strength," his voice had rung out to her though she knew this was not the case. Things like this had happened before and she knew she was going to have a bruise. However instead of being proactive she played the part of apologetic girlfriend while she listened to him continue to degrade her brother and his 'condition'.
--
"K," she heard a voice speak getting closure to her.
No it wasn't in her head. Kiefer Bauer was standing there in the flesh. Her whole body tensing up as he approached her, to scared to back away.
"W-what are you doing here? How did you find me?"
He didn't answer questions…at least not directly.
"After you called me out on what I did my parents sent me away to help me work out my anger management and I have these steps."
"Steps."
"My therapist says that I need to confront you..To apologize."
The warning bell rang.
"I don't want to here it."
Out of instinct he reached over to grab her wrist to gain back her attention.
'So much for being a changed man,' she thought taking a step back.
"Let go of me," she screamed while struggling…then it all went black.
-
Kurt watched Kristina's face as the strange boy approached her. He could tell this boy was bad news and as he took a step closer and recognized him from one of the few photos of her abusive ex she still had he felt a rush of adrenaline.
He promised her sister he would protect her at all costs and he would take the vow to the grave, and as he saw Kristina fall to the ground..well..
"What are you doing here you bastard," he shouted to Kiefer shocked that those words in that tone were flowing from his lips.
"I-I just wanted to apologize."
"Apologize?" that's not what it looked like to me."
"And what are you exactly…I mean obviously your not her boyfriend."
He felt slightly offended cause if he were straight he'd totally would have been in Kristina's league.
"Then again K is so naive she probably thinks you two are a thing when clearly she's your beard."
He bit his lip. This guy was a grade A douche bag and that comment was highly offensive and before he knew it he sucker punched the guy and from the degree of contact realized he probably just broke something.
Listening to Kiefer make some comment that he wasn't man enough to try that again he did just that and soon there was a scuffle going on…and he was on the loosing end but not for long.
-
Maybe it was glee, or perhaps it was their mutual friendships with Kristina but Puck and Tina in the past few weeks had grown close together. That could of also been do to them being in the same History class (which they only just figured out almost three fourths of the way into the school year). When they arrived on the scene Kristina was slumped on the ground in a ball by the lockers while Kurt had just tossed the first punch.
Puck made a remark about back up while Tina slumped to her friend's side thinking of the fun playful moment that had just happened a few hours ago.
"Kristina….Kristina can you here me."
--
She thought she heard Tina calling her name…thought she could see a blurred image of Kiefer in a scuffle with Noah and Kurt?…however she had been lost in her own little world for the time being.
It was more like an out of body experience. It looked all too vivid to be a dream. She was standing in the center of the choir room at what looked to be a glee rehearsal. Mr. Schuster and the other students looked over to her as music began to play and Artie's voice rang out from behind where she stood….
Ten minutes ago, I saw you I looked up when you came through the door,
My head started reeling you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor.
Ten minutes ago, I met you, and we murmured our how do you dos,
I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and sing out the news.
I have found her; she's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes.
We are dancing, we are flying, and she's taking me back to the skies!
In the arms of my love, I'm flying, over mountain and meadow and glen.
And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again.
I may never come down to earth again.
In this state she watched him as he moved into her eyesight. He was standing, actually standing as he took her into his embrace looking her dead on in her eyes.
They began to waltz around the room and suddenly she began to sing as well.
Ten minutes ago, I saw you. You looked up when I came through the door.
My head started reeling you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor.
Ten minutes ago I met you and we murmured our how do you dos.
I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news.
She was lost in this dreamlike state for a few more moments when she suddenly heard her mother's voice.
"Kristina," Alexis said.
"M-mom…what happened."
Looking at her surroundings she clearly wasn't at McKinley anymore and was in a hospital room.
Her mom explained it all to her. Apparently she was struggling to get away from Kiefer when she lost her footing and fell backwards hitting her head. She had slipped in and out of consciousness but she was assured that at worst she had a mild concussion and would probably have a bit of a headache.
She then went on to tell her all about the situation.
Kurt and Puck had indeed run to her rescue.
"Miss Pillsbury and Tina took you here while I went to see Figgins,"
Alexis explained some more.
"What did the Principal say?"
"He said that Kurt and Noah should be suspended for the rest of the week and then be banned from any extracurricular for the rest of the year."
Kristina teared up and broke down.
"But if Kurt and Puck can't go to Regionals we'll be disqualified and if we don't place then New Directions is over."
"Which was why after seeing the check that Nikolas wrote out to Mr. Schuster, Figgins decided to let the boys off with just the suspension and not the loss of activities."
Kristina grinned.
"And he said if you'd like to take the rest of the week off it wouldn't count against your records."
--
Meanwhile in another hospital room sat Kurt who had just gotten his hand wrapped up in a cast.
"Can I come in," Finn asked.
Kurt smiled as he looked at his classmate and crush.
Taking the smile as a yes Finn entered the room taking a seat on the chair by Kurt's bedside.
"I heard what you and Puck did for Kristina. I wish I was there I'd kick his ass."
Kurt nodded. He had no doubt in his mind that Finn would defend Kristina.
"Though something tells me you didn't show up in my hospital room to talk about Krissy."
Finn shook his head.
"No…I didn't."
He sucked in his breath thinking that the best way to do this would be the quick and painless approach. What was the worst that could happen? Kurt rejecting him?
"I think I kind of have feelings for you…like the more then friends kind of feelings."
"Do you mean to tell me Finn Hudson that you are into guys now or something."
He was trying to read Kurt's face as he bit his lip.
"Or something…I am confused."
"Well then baby steps."
"Baby steps," Finn repeated as he reached out to hold Kurt's good hand.
--
"Can I come in," a sweet voice spoke from the doorway of her hospital room.
"I'll leave you two alone," Alexis said smiling as Artie wheeled himself into the room and to her bed.
He gently grabbed her hand as he looked at her fragile figure in the bed.
"I dreamt about you," he listened to her mumble in a soft breath.
"Can you tell me about this dream."
"We were doing a duet for glee and we were waltzing around the choir room, and it was the strangest thing."
"Go on," he said as he entwined his fingers in her hair.
"You were not in your chair."
He let out a little laugh.
"Man you were dreaming weren't you…though I'll let you know despite being in this chair I am more then capable of waltzing."
"Really Wheels?"
"Really Yale."
He bent over to gently kiss her.
She felt a sense of home in his kiss and as they pulled back she smiled.
"Friday Night…my place…dinner."
He grinned.
"It's a date."
"What's a date?" Kurt asked from the doorway.
Kristina and Artie grinned.
"I'm cooking dinner Friday Night."
"Cool, can I invite Finn?"
Kristina and Artie looked over towards their friend. Artie's look more confused then Kristina's.
"Well it's about time!" Kristina exclaimed while Artie still looked dumbfounded.
"I'll tell you the details later, right now I'd appreciate some alone time with my psudo sister."
Artie smiled and acknowledged Kurt's request giving Kristina one last kiss before leaving the room.
--
School the following day was filled with mutters and murmurs as to why Kurt, Kristina, and Puck were missing that day and some of the reasons were downright outrageous however when push came to shove the members of New Directions knew the true story. They also knew that the principal would have kicked the two boys out had it not been for a check sent to their adviser for an amount with far too many 0's to count.
"So, I know yesterday not everyone was here because of all the drama," Will said bluntly putting it, "but today's another day and your assignment still stands. What are some songs that are fun."
Rachel shot up her hand and maneuvered her way to the center of the room to sing another number. No one minded, no one complained.
She knocked it out of the park as usual.
After she was done Artie raised his hand.
"Yes Artie, do you want to sing."
He smiled and shook his head as he wheeled over to the teacher with sheet music. The sheet music to the song that Kristina had told him that they had 'waltzed' to in her dream.
Taking the music Will simply smiled and soon practice ended and another day soon with it.
--
Friday afternoon Kristina was busy working in the kitchen, Kurt even with one functional hand assisting her.
"I talked to my dad."
She tried to read the tone in his voice to no avail.
"About?"
"Tonight."
She still had no clue as to why he would be talking about that evening with his dad. Burt had tasted her cooking before so she knew the conversation wasn't about that.
"I talked to him about perhaps taking your mother out just the two of them. After all if it weren't for her who knows what kind of trouble I could of gotten into on Wednesday while my dad was gone picking up some parts for the shop."
Kristina nodded.
"And there is a basketball game so I can take Molly to that to cheer on my new 'boyfriend' then the three of us can go for pizza or something."
Kristina's smile brightened.
"You and Artie deserve to have a good time."
Leaning over she kissed Kurt's cheek gently before watching the young man make his way towards the stairs.
"You continue to concoct your culinary magic while I pick out your ensemble for the evening."
And so he did.
-
After spending some time with her mother and sister after school she took a shower and slipped into the dress Kurt had picked out. A dusty rose number with a 1950's influence (or so Kurt had said when he picked it out for her in Cincinnati the previous weekend).
The doorbell rang.
Artie had arrived.
A smile crossed her lips as she headed to the door and opened it for him.
--
TBC
Again a cliffy (only cause I wanted to update tonight) next chapter will be the rest of the ArK date…after that it will be mindless filler while I figure out if Regionals should be before or after Spring Break/The Birth of the baby… comments, reviews, and ideas are loved and encouraged and since you made it this far I want to give love and thanks to hrtbreaker, NewFace, Blake Van Der Woodsen., lalalauren1336, jayhogartismyangel, Gina, Sarah, and all my other reviewers on Soap Fan Fiction where I cross post this piece.