The Storm: Redemption

Chapter Eighteen

By Gayforkurt

Summary: Famous countertenor Kurt Hummel and billionaire entrepreneur Dave Karofsky must come to terms with the past but bitter feelings make a future for these two headstrong men highly unlikely. This is rated M.

Disclaimer: Messrs. Ryan, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favorite boys. Only the OCs belong to me, alas.

KHDK

Kurt huffed in annoyance as another person sidled up to him to ask who the hunk hovering over him was. It had been nearly a week since he turned up the first time with a member of his security detail in tow. Now he rolled his eyes before muttering that it was just another 'friend' who was giving him a lift home after that night's show.

The guy made some snide comment about how attractive all of Kurt's new 'friends' were, throwing an envious yet admiring look back at the dark-skinned man behind them. Kurt didn't answer, just continued striding towards his dressing room and beginning to loosen the top of his costume a bit.

Xavier smirked as he walked behind Kurt; his eyes took in everything that was going on backstage as intermission was a crazy time. There was controlled chaos backstage; performers and their assistants, the director, stage director, musicians and sundry others were busy dashing around getting ready for the second and last half of the performance.

Tonight, though, he just didn't know what it was but there was an itch at the back of his neck and though a part of his senses was tuned to Kurt and the other actor walking back to their dressing rooms, Xavier continued to monitor the surrounding area for anything that seemed even the slightest bit out of place.

As he walked behind Kurt, they passed several stacks of scenery and just as the diva moved ahead of the other actor, one of the stacks began to rock. Xavier rushed towards Kurt silently, intent on moving the singer out of the way without startling him unduly.

Suddenly, one of the performers milling about yelled: "Hey, look out!"

Xavier sprang towards Kurt, grabbed him and spun around, both men toppling over but with Xavier at the bottom.

Kurt cried out softly in surprise, a disgruntled expression taking over his face as he landed with an "oof!" on the hard body of the dark-skinned security agent. He stared down in shock at the other man who had the most lethal-looking gun out and pointing behind Kurt.

Thankfully he didn't fire it as he held Kurt with one arm and his gaze focused behind Kurt and the commotion that had broken out.

"Oh, my God, Kurt, are you alright?" Various people dashed towards the two men on the floor, some having to jump over or go around the stack of scenery that had fallen where Kurt had just been passing.

Kurt struggled to his feet, his eyes wide as they darted about, trying to figure out what had just happened. He whispered a quick and heartfelt "thanks!" to Xavier and straightened up, brushing down his costume with a shaking hand.

Xavier leapt quickly to his feet and holstered his gun before the crowd could get too good a look at it. He grasped Kurt by the elbow and moved him through the throng of gawkers still marveling at Kurt's near miss. They made it to the dressing room without having to answer any questions.

Xavier knew deep down this had been no simple accident caused by a backstage hand's careless action. He whipped out his mobile and pressed a button that would alert Puck that something had happened. The coded message would let Puck know that he had things under control but he knew the man would want to ascertain for himself that Kurt was alright.

Kurt stumbled into a chair, leaning forward and dropping his head between his knees. Xavier handed him a bottle of water and urged him to drink.

"You okay, mate?" His deep voice was professional enough but Kurt could still discern an undercurrent of concern. He nodded and smiled gratefully as he took a sip of the cool liquid, his throat unexpectedly parched.

A sudden knock at the door caused both men to look at it and then at each other. Xavier moved to the door but didn't open it as he asked who it was. When Kurt heard his director's voice he nodded to Xavier who yanked the door open to let the man in.

Rex hurried over to Kurt, lowering himself into a crouch as he peered deeply into Kurt's eyes, looking for signs of shock.

"Are you alright, luv?" His hand rubbed one of Kurt's consolingly. Kurt was one of his favorite performers, not to mention a huge box office draw and he needed to know if Kurt was good to continue.

Kurt smiled reassuringly, though it was a pale affair compared to his usual confident smirk. Rex nodded and grinned at him. "Good! It will take more than a stack of backdrops to keep you down, eh?"

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled back at the older man. He knew he was trying to help by pooh-poohing the incident and Kurt appreciated the effort. He still wanted to go on in the second half but he needed a minute or two to catch his breath a bit.

Rex looked up at the dark-skinned agent and nodded politely. Mr. Karofsky and his security specialist, Noah Puckerman, had come in the week before to let him know what was happening. He had agreed to keep quiet about the men who were Kurt's bodyguards and he had since then headed off all the questions that the nosy company members had plied him with.

Now he examined Kurt closely to see if he really was okay to go back onstage. The singer was a little paler than usual but his pupils were a normal size and there were no obvious tremors in his hands. He did appear to be fine so Rex nodded, satisfied, and rose.

Turning to Xavier he nodded again and excused himself, told Kurt to "break a leg" and left the two men alone. Xavier locked the door behind him and turned back to Kurt.

"Are you sure you're okay to go back on? You don't have to if you don't feel up to it. Frankly, I'd feel better if you didn't."

Kurt shook his head, gulping the last of the water and getting up to go over to the dressing table. Seating himself he proceeded to touch up his make-up and tweak his curls back into 'Oberon's' style. "I'm really okay, Xavier, nothing to worry about. Thanks again for being my cushion," and smirked at the other man's reflection.

Xavier huffed good-naturedly. "Yeah, well this coat is designer so you owe me one." Suddenly, his head tilted towards the door and he moved toward it. At the patter of knocks that came he opened it quickly and stepped back, letting Puck and Julian into the room.

Xavier nodded at Puck but looked vaguely surprised that Julian was accompanying him; he quirked his eyebrow but the blond just ignored him to stare at Kurt appraisingly.

Puck moved over to Kurt, standing behind him and staring at his reflection in the mirror. "Hey, princess," he smirked but Kurt could see it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Heard you had a little excitement."

Kurt turned on the stool to look up at Puck. "Yeah, but I don't think it was anything sinister. Scenery falls all the time, what with so many people rushing about backstage."

Puck nodded as if he agreed. "That's true, but we can't be too careful, okay? Julian will stay with you while Xavier and I go look around. You sure you're okay?"

Kurt huffed impatiently but he smiled reassuringly at the larger man. "Go, do whatever you macho types need to do and I'll see you after the second half."

Puck patted him on the shoulder and he and Xavier left to find the stage manager, George. They were muttering quietly at each other as they walked out but Kurt couldn't hear what was being said. He turned to look at Julian, taking in the other man's grim expression.

"What's up with you; why are you back anyway?" Kurt wasn't sure yet if he liked Julian; the Brit was unfailingly polite but they hadn't really warmed up to each other as yet.

Julian flushed and looked away from Kurt before answering in a clipped voice. "I was with Puck when he got the message. It seemed the right thing to come along with him."

Kurt hummed and then turned back to the dressing table, studying the other man while pretending to powder his face and reapply glitter. He remembered when he first met the other man and how he'd reacted to Kurt. Now, though, the blond seemed to be bending over backwards to show that he wasn't affected by Kurt at all. He was always very correct in his behavior but it was so pronounced that even the others had noticed.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, Kurt contemplated changing into Oberon's second costume of the night but with Julian's uncomfortable demeanor, Kurt didn't want to further discomfit the man. Making up his mind he turned to him.

"I need to change into my second costume and I need help. Will you call my assistant Esther for me, please?"

Julian was in a quandary; he couldn't leave Kurt alone to go and call the woman but if he didn't, he would have to help Kurt into the elaborate robes. He thought quickly and then looked at Kurt, a determined look in his pale blue eyes.

"I can't leave you alone; Puck would have my head." He took a deep breath. "I can help you with your costume."

Kurt, surprised, looked at the other man intently. "Are you sure? For some reason you don't seem very comfortable around me," and tilted his head as he watched the color flood the fair-skinned man's face.

Still, Julian was no coward so he nodded and came closer to Kurt who just shrugged and moved to where the costume was hanging. "Remove it from the hanger, please, while I take this off."

Julian busied himself while Kurt hurried to remove the layers of the first costume, muttering as he struggled with the hooks and ties that the wardrobe mistress, Barbara, must have added just to torture him. When he was finally free of them, he turned to Julian, moving forward with his arms sticking out so he could slip them into the costume's billowy sleeves.

Kurt moved swiftly so as to lessen Julian's discomfort at having him help a near-naked stranger into the heavily-embroidered robes. The performers didn't wear regular underclothes beneath their costumes, finding they disturbed the lines of the clothes quite unattractively. Period costumes required period underthings but because of the heat as well, most preferred to go commando beneath them. In Kurt's case, Barbara had allowed him to wear a skin-toned thong beneath the nearly transparent robes.

Julian struggled to keep his face professionally neutral as he assisted Kurt and when the singer turned around for him to do up the back of the costume, he relaxed only a little. Though Kurt's back was as attractive as his front, he did not have the singer's fascinating eyes staring up at him. He quickly did up the back of the costume and stepped away from the distracting man.

Kurt, who was very aware of what Julian was going through, had the grace to ignore it. He thanked Julian politely and went over to the full-length mirror to inspect the outfit. Humming in satisfaction, he started to the door as the quick knock came, indicating the second half would start in five minutes.

Julian hurried to open the door and step through first to check if the way was clear. He stepped through and waited for Kurt to come out, smiling slightly as Kurt rolled his eyes at the maneuver. He knew Kurt was finding the whole security thing tedious but it wasn't to be helped.

They turned towards the sound of Puck's voice and waited for him and Xavier to join them. Kurt looked up at Puck enquiringly who smiled back, relief showing in his eyes.

"Looks like a pretty harmless accident after all. One of the stage hands said someone had been hurrying past and tripped over cables. The guy apparently bumped into him and he stumbled against one of the stacks." His report was given in his usual relaxed manner and Kurt subconsciously relaxed as well. Okay, all's well, then, he smiled to himself.

He looked at Xavier and grinned at the other man. "My hero, and you damaged that lovely coat all for nothing, eh?" Xavier smiled back at him and shook his head.

"Hey, part of the job. At least it can be cleaned. If it had been bullet holes instead of just dirt, I would have been really pissed off," and laughed at the horrified look on Kurt's face.

Puck chuckled along but Julian remained noticeably silent, his eyes locked on Kurt who stood gleaming in the dim backstage light. Kurt, unnoticing, simply shook his head at Xavier and brushed past him.

"I'll see you gentlemen later. I have a paying audience to see to."

The three men watched him walk away; well, two watched, while one studied them. Puck had been noticing Julian's behavior towards Kurt and now he tapped him on the arm, indicating that he should step away with Puck to a quiet corner. Xavier watched them go with a faintly knowing gleam in his dark eyes.

Puck turned towards Julian when they'd reached a relatively quiet spot. He took a minute to study him before addressing the other man.

"Look, Julian, if this assignment is going to be a problem for you, you can say so, you know. No harm, no foul." Puck waited for the stunned man to reply.

Julian swallowed hard, faint embarrassment showing briefly before his professional mask slammed into place.

"I'm quite capable of carrying out my assignment, you know that. Have there been complaints?" He was a little worried that he'd given something away.

Puck reassured him, however, saying, "No, no complaints, but it's hard not to notice that you're a little tense when you're around the primary."

Julian stared at the ground for several seconds before looking back up at Puck. His shoulders relaxed a bit and he smiled sheepishly. "I, he's fascinating and I've never known anyone quite like him, really."

Puck's look was briefly sympathetic, given his own feelings for the diva, but he had to be professional about this. "I understand, really I do, but you can't afford to be distracted. You know what's at stake."

Julian hurried to assure his supervisor: "I'm not distracted! I'm just trying to explain why I can't be as chummy with him as the other chaps are, that's all."

Puck held up a hand and chuckled softly. "Yeah, I get it…" but Julian interrupted earnestly.

"It might sound rather melodramatic but I would take a bullet for him, you know," and Puck looked at him severely.

"Yeah, well let's all hope it never comes to that, man!"

Xavier watched the exchange from his post several feet away. He had a pretty good idea what they were discussing and Julian's body language only confirmed his suspicions. The other members of the team suspected, too, the reason behind Julian's outwardly cool behavior towards Kurt but none of them knew him well enough to rag him about it. None of them wanted to be distracted at a crucial moment and if they got into the sort of brutal teasing that guys usually fell into, they ran the risk of pissing off Noah 'Puck' Puckerman… and none of them wanted to do that. No, sir!

The rest of the night passed without incident and Xavier's shift ended when he delivered Kurt to his hotel suite. With a quick wave and another heartfelt though teasing thank you, Kurt watched the dark-skinned agent head towards the elevator.

When he stepped into the master bedroom of their luxury suite, it was to the sight of David waiting for him, a somewhat grim expression on his face.

"David?" Kurt shrugged out of his coat but stopped as David surged towards him and wrapped him in his long arms. He buried his face in Kurt's neck, inhaling the scent of his beautiful lover gratefully.

"Hey, it was just a silly accident, sweetie. Okay?" Kurt's arms were trapped in the coat and when Dave helped him loose, he hugged Kurt again, kissing him deeply, hungrily and with just a touch of desperation.

Kurt moaned into his lover's hot, sweet mouth. He shuddered as David's large hands dropped to his ass, squeezing the cheeks firmly while he rubbed his groin against Kurt's.

Kurt pulled back and smiled breathlessly up at his lover. "Baby, that's the kind of welcome home I like, but there really was nothing to worry about, seriously."

Dave stared at him as he nodded, his eyes roaming over every feature of Kurt's face. "I heard everything from Puck but it's just the thought that it could have been something serious, you know?"

Kurt led him over to the bed and they kicked off their shoes before settling back against the heaps of pillows. He took David into his arms, pulling the older man's head down to rest against his chest. He kissed the curly hair and assured him lovingly that nothing was going to happen.

"Hey, you got me a kick-ass team to protect me, right? My very own guardian angels with some big-ass weapons and machismo up the wazoo!"

Kurt smiled as David chuckled at his wording. He was glad he could get a laugh out of his worried lover. Since this thing started, David had become very clingy; not that Kurt minded at all. He loved and was in love with David. He hadn't told the man as yet in so many words but he never held back his love, whether they were making love or just hanging out with each other.

The two men stayed there for a while just basking in each other's presence and chatted desultorily about their day. Dave kept it light and Kurt regaled him with the prima donna antics of his fellow performers; after nearly an hour, they got up to get ready for bed.

Puck returned to the hotel suite as Kurt was preparing his bedtime chamomile tea, and he filled the two men in on that night's meeting with the team.

It was part of his team-building strategy to meet with and debrief his team last thing each night, thereby being able to ascertain if there were any holes in their rosters or the security net they had in place. It was also a good time to check on the morale of the team; disgruntled employees did poor jobs so any issues that came up were dealt with at the meetings.

Now, as Kurt sipped his tea, he caught Dave's eye. "Oh, by the way, some new data came in from the Dubai office. I think I left it in my room. We can check it out there."

The two men got up and with a quick smile at Kurt, Dave followed Puck to the bedroom. When Puck locked the door behind them, Dave's eyebrow rose enquiringly. Puck put a finger to his lips and cocked his head towards the door. When they heard Kurt moving around the small kitchen area as he washed up the tea things, Puck turned to the other man.

In a whisper he confided: "Xavier said he felt a tingle just before the stack of scenery fell towards Kurt."

Both of David's eyebrows rose but his face showed confusion. "A tingle… meaning?"

Puck looked a little grim when he answered. "I trust Xavier's tingles, okay. It means that though the stage hand may have been innocent in this, the person who rushed by and bumped into him may have been a hostile."

Dave thought about it and nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean. So, do you think it's safe enough for him to continue performing?"

Puck nodded, though a little reluctantly. "Yeah, I spoke with both the stagehand and the stage manager. The stage hand is someone who has worked with the company for a couple of decades. The person who shoved past him, though, wasn't someone they could recall seeing around there before."

Dave nodded, knowing he had more to impart. "The stage manager, George, said sometimes they hired casual workers and maybe the guy was one of them. We'll see if he turns up tomorrow; we can keep an eye on him to see if he looks suspicious. We don't want him to go to ground if he's really a hostile. It's better if we know where he is; we can also increase the number of agents with Kurt, if you want."

They sat in silence until Dave realized he had to actually answer Puck with words. This whole situation was taking a toll on him and he was seriously thinking of spiriting Kurt away from all this to keep him safe. Given their past, however, he would have to tread very carefully. Kurt may have forgiven him but he doubted he'd completely forget.

"Okay, increase the numbers to two and double the length of the shifts."

Puck nodded, pleased; that's exactly what he'd planned to do. The two men told each other good night and Dave headed out to join Kurt in bed. He had a bad feeling that things would get worse before this whole thing was over.

KHDK

Emma screamed as she threw the snifter against the wall, shards of glass and brandy splattering and splashing everywhere. The scruffy, unwashed man stared at her warily, wishing she'd just pay him so he could bugger off and find a drink somewhere.

She turned to stare at him, a sneer on her chapped lips as she looked him up and down. "Do you expect to be paid when you failed at a simple task?"

The man looked her up and down, a cold and frightening gleam in his eyes. "You don't pay me what you owe, I can always take it out in kind. No skin off my nose, wot."

Emma stared back at him, unfazed by his not-so veiled threat. Her hand moved to rest casually on the little gun that he hadn't noticed resting on the mantelpiece. He stepped back and raised his hands, a slimy little smile revealing rotting teeth.

"Hey, come now, didn't mean nuffin', just sayin', y'know!" He backed away from her, certain she wasn't all there in the head.

She pointed with her chin to a small envelope on the hall table close to where he was standing. "There's your money. Now get out and remember, if you say anything to anyone, I will deny it." She smirked coldly at him. "Who do you think the magistrates will believe?"

The ruffian grabbed the envelope on the way out the door, not even bothering to reply. She was right. People like him didn't mess with people like her and expect a fair shake. He stopped outside the door of her flat and looked back at it. Still, he hadn't appreciated the way she'd just spoken to him. He'd have to find some way to pay her back. Knock her down a peg or two, Miss High-and-Mighty.

Emma watched him leave and the tension eased from her but the anger only increased. Damn and blast, that son of a bitch must have a guardian angel, she fumed. She opened one window a crack to let a little air into the room, hoping to get rid of the stench the man had left in his wake.

Flinging herself on the couch, she ignored the mess she'd made on the floor. Her cleaning woman was due today, anyway; she'd leave it for her to handle. In the meantime, she had to find another way to make that usurper pay. Maybe, when he was out of the picture, preferably in a very permanent way, she'd have a chance again at Davey. He would welcome a bit of sympathy then, she didn't doubt, and maybe she'd be on hand to help put himself back together again… after a short space of grieving, of course. She was civilized, after all.

She smiled as she daydreamed, weaving her plans for a rosy future with her erstwhile fiancé, even while trying to block the pain of Elliot's betrayal. Frankly, he had no right to take the high road with her. She'd never pretended to be the blushing virgin with him, the hypocrite, and her heart bled a little at the thought that he would no longer be a part of her life. He had not returned her calls and neither had he been at any of his usual watering holes. She'd been too proud to ask any of their mutual friends of his whereabouts as that would only have started a round of rumors in that crowd of barracudas.

No, everything would be just fine again, once she got Kurt Hummel out of the way. The diva would soon be singing his swansong and then Emma Smythe-Heffley would get her own back. That was the natural order of things and she'd die before any little tart mucked it up any further, she swore silently.

It was just a pity that Elliot… oh, well, she sighed, Elliot had chosen his path and she would just have to follow her own. A billion dollars would go a long, long way to easing all kinds of hurt, wouldn't it?

TBC

A/N: Come on, guys, please, review and let me know what your thoughts are. I'm having a problem deciding how evil to make Emma or if she should be redeemed, somehow. Let me have it, okay?