Find Yourself:
So I know this isn't an Artina piece but WOW just WOW. Kevin and Jenna simply kill it whenever they are on screen together (or apart for that matter) I don't know if it was Joss's direction but seriously. PS. Safety Dance was hands down my fave number so far this season (though who knows Bad Romance next week will most likely top it) anyways here's another chapter which is long and fluffy and my muse totally blames Kevin for… enjoy
April 6th 2010:
Quinn had thankfully been released from the hospital however she was put on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy.
Despite wanting to sit vigil by her bedside until her child came into the world Puck was told not to.
"You shouldn't waste your break on my account," Quinn had told him the previous evening assuring him that Sam and Miss Pillsbury would be there if she needed anything.
This was what led Puck to be where he was that early afternoon. At the Davis-Hummel home setting up the dining room table for a guy's day and by guys day he meant guys day just him, Finn, Ethan, Morgan, Kurt and Artie. Ok so Kurt thought of himself as a girl most of the times he was still a dude deep down inside, at least that's what Puck thought as he began to hum some stupid show tune Rachel had been playing on a loop. His girl was crazy but he loved her.
XXX
In one of the other downstairs rooms of the house at the very moment that Puck was setting up for his guy's day Kristina had been perched on Artie's lap while looking over at Kurt, a devilish smile on her face.
"So here's the plan," she said, "Rachel's not here so Ethan and Puck think they are going to wipe the table with you guys, Finn, and my baby brother but they are so wrong."
Artie gently kissed her cheek while she looked up into his soft blue eyes.
"You're a math wiz and lets face it Kurt and I didn't just watch 21 last night for Jim Sturgess."
Kurt let out a chuckle.
"Those boys aren't going to know what hit them… though I do hope Finn will forgive me."
"I'm sure he will."
"So how can you be sure the boys will even want to play Black Jack?" Artie asked.
"Call it women's intuition."
The guys glared at her as she playfully began to run her fingers through Artie's hair trying to repress a little laugh.
"Well that and I kind of made a comment to Puck the other night about Black Jack being more educational for Morgan and he bought it."
"Nice Krissy," Kurt said giving her a little fist bump while Artie gave her a kiss on her cheek.
"That's my girl," he said with the utmost pride just as Kristina's cell began to buzz.
Standing up from her spot on Artie's lap she smiled.
"It's Tina, I got to go," she said as she and the other girl had planed to head into town that afternoon to go shopping for outfits for the theme party Kurt was throwing on Friday evening unless Quinn had her baby.
"Can you wait a moment?" Artie asked grabbing her arm ever so gently.
"This looks like my cue to leave," Kurt said with a smile, "Artie I'll let them know that you're on your way in."
Artie nodded and soon the couple was alone.
"So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"I don't know, I was going to ask if you were free… maybe we could catch a movie or something?"
"It's too nice outside to sit in a dark movie theater…so I say picnic in the park… just the two of us?"
"You bring your guitar I'll make dessert and it's a date," she said as she leaned over to give him one final kiss before heading outside to meet Tina for their day out.
XXX
Getting into her friends car Tina caught a glint that was in her friend's eyes.
"Let me guess you were with Artie a moment ago."
Kristina let out a laugh.
"Is it that obvious."
"Yea huh."
Kristina flashed Tina a short sweet smile.
She had known all about Tina and Artie's life together before she came to town. The duo was seemingly inseparable and it seemed that they were the ones destined to become the power couple. This was until one day in late October when Tina's stutter mysteriously had vanished and they were on non-speaking terms.
But the past was in the past and there were some days when Tina would look at Artie making Kristina wonder if there was still some spark there.
She hoped not for sanity's sake. She had never had a real girlfriend before the way she had now with Tina and Mercedes and she would die if she lost either of them.
"You do know I'm alright with the two of you dating," Tina said after a long bout of silence, "in fact if you remember I encouraged it you know…Artie deserves to be happy and you make him that way."
Kristina smiled at that comment.
"And besides it's not like he's the only one that's moved on from what could of been," she added.
Kristina flashed her friend a stunned look wondering what that was supposed to mean.
"It's Matt isn't it?"
"Why do you assume its Matt."
"Well I'm with Artie, Puck's with Rachel, Mike is with Mercedes, Kurt's gay and Finn's confused….it's Santana isn't it!"
Tina rolled her eyes at the last one.
"Who said I was seeing someone in Glee."
Kristina nodded.
This was true.
"And by the way it's a guy thank you very much."
Smiling back at her friend Kristina sat in the car as it drove along, letting the wind blowing in through the open windows mess with her hair as she began to think of some of the other members of the McKinley High male population.
"It's not Jacob Ben Israel is it?"
"Ew…."
Another moment of silence before Tina spoke up again.
"It's Ethan."
"Ethan…" Kristina repeated as she scratched her head trying to think of a guy at McKinley by that name but came up with only one person by that name and she couldn't mean Ethan Lovett could she?
"Well I mean we're not officially a couple what with the whole long distance thing not to mention the age difference…."
"Whoa so you do mean Ethan Lovett…wow that's a lot to process."
Tina pursed her lips together.
"Your not mad are you."
"Mad no… in shock's more like it… but a good kind of shock…wow…Ethan…when… how."
"Valentines Day, Breadsticks, we kind of hit it off during that whole double date thing and we've been e-mailing and video chatting ever since."
So this was why he never talked about his love life with Kristina. It was all making sense now wasn't it.
"The age thing isn't too bad. I mean I read in Crimson…"
Tina let out a laugh.
"What."
"Nothing, I just never pictured you to be one to read a fashion rag."
"Says the quirky punk chick who actually knows Crimson is a fashion rag."
Tina let out a laugh.
"Touché."
"Anyway one of the junior editors is a friend of Sam's and besides I like some of the articles… Kurt on the other hand reads it like it's the bible."
Tina just laughed at that line while Kristina got back on track.
"So anyway I read in Crimson that you take the guys age divide it and then add seven and that's the youngest acceptable age for a significant other."
Tina nodded.
"Ok so Ethan is what twenty three, twenty four…."
"Twenty three."
"So take that divide it by two is eleven and a half now add seven to that is…"
"Eighteen and a half….and I'm only sixteen."
Kristina bit her lip.
"I'll be seventeen in another month," Tina said shrugging as Kristina smiled.
If it was meant to be age would be nothing but a mare number and Tina and Ethan would make it work…she was sure of it.
XXX
Puck muttered a string of curse words as he looked over to Kurt.
"Winner Winner Chicken Dinner," Kurt said with an innocent smile crossing his lips.
This could not be happening to him. He was Noah Puckerman god damn it. Ok sure he joined glee and of all the girls in McKinley he was completely and irrevocably in love with Rachel Berry but he was still a bad ass. Albeit a bad ass that was being whooped in cards for a second time only this time instead of his chick he was being schooled by Artie and Kurt.
"From one gambler to another," Ethan said, "are you boys counting or what."
Kurt let out a laugh at this accusation while Artie innocently inquired as to what Ethan meant by the term.
"It's beginners luck," Morgan said in his naive little way while Finn patted him on the shoulder.
"Yea, beginners luck," he said winking across the table to Kurt thinking about how he'd make his boyfriend spill later that evening and if in fact Kurt was counting (which Finn was pretty sure he was) he totally wouldn't spill it to Puck.
XXX
"How about this one?" Tina asked stepping out of the dressing room modeling another outfit while biting her lip nervously.
She didn't usually shop like this, at least not when she wasn't without Kurt or Mercedes' expertise. When it was just her or pre-Kristina her and Artie they would just browse Hot Topic and a few other stores at the mall and call it a day.
"I love it," Kristina said with a grin modeling her own dress, "to bad Ethan leaves to go back to Port Charles in the morning."
Tina nodded making a comment to send him plenty of pictures while also gushing how much Artie would love what Kristina had on.
Her cell buzzed causing them to jump.
"Is it Quinn?" Tina asked as Kristina picked up her cell, "did she have the baby."
Looking at the text message Kristina shook her head while trying not to laugh.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner ;) See you tomorrow noon- Wheels.
"What?"
"Artie and Kurt just cleaned out your boyfriend."
Tina flashed a confused look to her friend before they changed out of their dresses and headed to check out. Kristina promising to tell Tina about the whole thing on the ride back.
XXX
The following afternoon at precisely noon she arrived at the spot in the park that Artie told her he'd be waiting in.
He had moved himself out of his chair and was sitting down besides a wicker basket on an oversized blanket, guitar propped up against his chair.
"See," he said, "so much nicer then a movie theater."
Letting out a laugh she took a seat across from him.
"Definitely," she said leaning over to kiss him.
"So, what did you and Tee do yesterday."
"Shopping."
"Anything special?"
"You'll see at Kurt's party."
His face lit up. He was intrigued.
"So, what did you do yesterday besides clean certain parties out?"
"Well for starters you'd be surprised to know that a small town like Lima has a gourmet grocery and so I had my mom take me there and…"
He reached to the basket to reveal a bottle of sparkling water, two champagne flutes, and a gourmet fruit and cheese trey.
He poured her a drink, she set the tray of food between them and the date began.
"So what are your hopes and dreams?"
Kristina's question took him for a loop.
"Well get out of Lima that's a start."
Kristina let out a laugh. It seemed that was the first thing any of her friends wanted to do therefore that didn't count.
"Ok so you get out of Lima…where do you plan to go?"
"I don't know…I think it all depends on what I decide to major in."
"Well what's your short list?"
"Music Theory, Film…. I'm not like you little miss Yale Law."
"Hey," she said tossing a grape at him, " I still don't know what kind of Law I want to specialize in yet."
"Still you know you want to go into law so that in it of itself is something."
Kristina nodded. She guessed Artie was right with that one.
"What else…I mean you must have a dream bigger then getting into university and leaving this town."
"I want to be able to dance at my own wedding…I know that's silly."
"It's not silly, I think it's romantic actually."
He smiled sweetly at her while he closed his eyes and for a brief moment pictured Kristina dressed in white while he was standing at the alter waiting for her.
He was snapped out of his moment as he felt her gently take his glasses off his face with one hand and gently stroke his cheek with the other.
"Why don't you wear contacts?"
He really didn't know how to answer that one so he simply shrugged while she stared into his blue orbs.
"Cause you have pretty eyes, not that I have a problem with your glasses cause I don't."
Taking the glasses back from her hands he wiped them on his shirt and smiled before picking up his guitar.
"So since you asked me to bring this I guess you want me to sing something."
Kristina nodded as he picked up his guitar and began to aimlessly strum a familiar tune:
If I don't say this now I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one I want to take
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
There now, steady love, so few come and don't go
Will you won't you, be the one I always know
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down…
Placing his guitar down when the song was over she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder while he began to play with her hair relaxing in the blissfulness of the afternoon.
TBC
Thanks for reading… as you can tell I was once again drawing on events on actual cannon and meshing them into my verse…. Sigh Song Artie sings this chapter is called 'Look After You' by the band the Fray. If you have a song request for this verse let me know cause as of now I may not be capping it at 50 chapters after all….