A/N: Wow, everyone seemed to like the last chapter. I got the same response when I posted it on the other site, and have come to the conclusion that everyone liked it so much because there's no one in it but Finn and Kurt, and that's the first time that has happened. So, here's number 8!

Kurt POV

Mercedes was giving me that look again. That look that said 'Kurt, if there was a competition for being a dumbass, you would win hands down'. I hated that look, since had the unfortunate effect of making me feel about three inches tall. "Do I even need to tell you what a bad idea this is, or do you still have some sense in that oversprayed head?"

We were sitting together in the auditorium before school, safe in the knowledge that there were no dumpsters or slushies in the near future. "Come on, Mercedes, it will be fun. We never get together outside of Glee, and this could really bond us as a group."

Her dark eyes rolled. "The only bonding you want to do is the sort that involves Finn Hudson with his pants off, so don't even pretend it's something else."

"That is not true!" She glared again and I capitulated. "Ok, it's kind of true, but it's still a really good idea. We've never had a Glee party before, and I'm dying for a chance to try. Think about it, for once, we'll be the popular people there."

She was softening, I could tell. "Isn't it kind of short notice? I mean, it's already Friday. People to make plans, you know."

I snorted. "Please. How many times have I told you that we're in Glee Club? The only ones who could conceivably have something to do on a Saturday are Puck and the Cheerios. Well, Britt is more likely to have someone to do, but I'm sure her plans can change. "Please? I can't do this without you."

"So, you're telling me that you want to throw a party for the entire Glee club, at your house, tomorrow, with no plan or supplies yet, because you feel like it."

"That's the plan. We can ask everyone today, and get the stuff tonight." I laid my head on her shoulder. "What do I have to do to get you to agree?"

"Nothing. I'll do it because I'm your friend. But I don't have to be nice to Quinn or Rachael do I? I can just talk to Tina?"

Right at the moment, I didn't want to be nice to Quinn either. Actually, I didn't even want to invite her, but it would look suspicious if I didn't, and Finn had specifically asked me not to tell anyone. "No, you don't even have to look at her."

She looked down, then back at me. There was no trace of humor in her eyes, no smile. "Kurt, there's probably something you should know."

"Oh, God, what's wrong with my outfit?" She didn't smile at all at my attempt at a joke. "Alright, what is it?"

She shook her head. "Finn's not the father of the baby, Puck is."

All this time spent worrying about not blurting the truth out to her, and she already knew. "How did you know that?" My voice did that embarrassing thing where it shot way up.

"Puck told me yesterday. Wait, how did you know?"

"From Finn. Apparently, Puck was in a confessing mood yesterday, because he stopped by before I got there."

She whistled. "How did Finn take it?"

"Well, according to him, Puck has a broken nose and a broken eye, so not well. It as all over by the time I got there, but I think he was crying about it, too. You know, he had that look."

"So you think it's a good idea to put them together at a party? Do you want Finn back in the hospital? Not that I wouldn't want to see Puck get the crap beaten out of him, but Finn can't take him with only one hand."

Maybe my plan wasn't so great after all. I just wanted a chance to get Finn out of the house, and let him see his friends again. "Maybe we don't have to invite him."

"Then everyone will know something's up. We need a better plan."

She was right of course, but I couldn't help but feel irritated with her. Why couldn't this just be easy? "Maybe Puck will have other plans. You know, there are plenty of girls for him to deflower. Most of them are even dating someone else, which is apparently the icing on the cake for him."

"Kurt, if you tell anyone this, I will hide all of your hair products for the next month, but I actually miss having White Boy around. It just isn't the same without him. Plus, Rachael's so busy staring at him that she leaves the rest of us alone. But let him fight his own battles. You can't go all mama bear for him. Yet." The last word was said with a smile.

I knew that Mercedes really did like Finn, despite his clumsiness and constantly moving mouth. He listened to her and took all of her suggestions in mind. Plus, his sweet nature of evident to anyone he talked to. "So, we invite everyone, and start taking bets on the fight?"

She put her hands on her ample hips. "You leave Puck to me. I think that, deep down, he feels really bad about this, which is why he confessed to Finn. Ok, so it's really deep down, but it's there."

I doubted that. Maybe my emotions were colored by all the times Puck had oh so graciously hazed me for no reason other than I was small and I was myself, but I couldn't see many redeeming qualities about him. Yesterday was the only time he had actually been nice to me, and was only to try and assuage the guilt he was feeling towards Finn.

The bell rang, and we both climbed reluctantly to our feet. Mercedes smiled at me. "So, this party is basically to get you your man?"

Kind of. "Well, that and I really want to try my hand at party planning. This way, if I suck, no one's going to notice because it will still be better then anything this town has ever seen."

We paused at the doorway, carefully scanning for any overly testosteronized hockey players. The coast was clear, and we snuck out. Mercedes gave me a quick hug. "Alright, I see Quinn, Artie, Mike and Tina before lunch, so I'll ask them. You get Matt, Rachael, Britt and Santana. If you don't want to talk to Puck, have Matt ask him instead."

"Got it." I kissed her cheek, always thankful for her friendship. It was true that I didn't want to talk to Puck, but I was kind of curious to see what Finn had done to him.

As it turned out, I didn't have to wait long. Even before I saw him, the state of his face managed to displace Finn as the hot topic of gossip. Rumors flew; mostly centering on the idea that Puck had been jumped by a gang of guys that he had managed to somehow offend. I was willing to bet that he would do nothing to dispel those rumors. After all, he certainly wasn't going to admit that he had been beaten up by Finn using only one hand.

I managed to find Britt and Santana in the hallway after second period. They were oblivious to anyone but each other, which afforded me an opportunity to stare at them. Santana was fixing Britt's hair, a dreamy expression in her eyes. It looked…intimate. Far too intimate for them to just be friends, even though I knew that girls are allowed to be more affectionate with each other then boys are. Not for the first time, I wondered what was really going on between them.

"Hello ladies." I have more luck with girls then boys. I tended to threaten the masculinity of the boys I encountered, like gay was catching or something. Women, on the other hand, found me adorable and wanted to cuddle and fawn over me. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Britt's voice was devoid of sarcasm. Sweet and talented as she was, the poor girl didn't have much going on in her head.

Santana sighed indulgently. "Britt, let me handle this. What do you want, Hummel?"

I wasn't at all put off by her tone. Bitchy was Santana's default setting, and we just learned to deal with it. "I'm having a party tomorrow for the Glee club. My place, both of you are invited."

Brittany's smile could have lit up the room. "What are we going to sing this time? I really, really want to do Madonna."

Thank God for Britt, who was willing to try just about anything. "I haven't made any rock solid plans yet, but, sure, we can do some Madonna."

"What time, girly boy?" Santana was smiling slightly herself.

"About 2." That would give me plenty of time to not only get set up, but make sure I was looking my absolute best. After all, I might play football, but I didn't have to dress like I did.

"We'll be there, ok? Should I wear my unitard?" Britt's eyes were sparkling, no doubt filled with visions of 'Material Girl'.

Far be it from me to ruin her happiness. "Wear whatever makes you happy."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I'll help you with your clothes, Britt. Lady Man, we'll see you at 2."

Well, that had been easy. Matt was so easy going that I knew he would come unless he had other plans. Rachael might be a little harder, but I had a secret weapon to use against her: Finn. She would come if she knew he was going to be there.

I knew just where to corner her, too. If she wasn't in the auditorium, she would be in the library, looking up obscure show choir rules and regulations, mostly those that worked to her benefit. Or she might be in Mr. Shue's office, flirting up a storm. I barely repressed a shudder. If she was in there, she was going to have to find her own way to the party.

But, as luck would have it, she was in the library, her determined face inches from a computer screen. I popped my sunglasses on and strode towards her, trying to appear as confident as possible. Truth be told, I was always a little bit intimidated by Rachael, though I tried not to show it. She was just so confident. She knew exactly what she wanted, and what measures she was going to have to take to get it. I was beyond jealous. That, in addition to the fact that Finn was attracted to her and not me, made me more than a little bitchy towards her.

"Rachael." My voice was calm and slightly snotty, just how I had planned it. Perfect.

"Kurt." Her tone was an exact replica of mine. I knew that she hadn't quite forgiven me for my shortness the night Finn got hurt, but I stood by my assertation that there had been more important things on my mind. "What is it that you want?"

I kept my chin up. "I've decided we're having a Glee party tomorrow at my place. 2 o'clock, you're invited."

Her dark eyes searched mine for any evidence of a trick. "Why?"

"Because I'm inviting everyone, that's why." She didn't look quite convinced, so I pulled out all the stops. "Look, Finn is about to start tearing down the walls at his place and, as wonderful as my company is, he needs to see other people. I'm doing it for him."

She stared at me so intently that I could almost hear the gears turning. "Oh my God." The words were barely above a whisper.

She knows, baby boy. Congratulations, you are officially screwed. Rachael Berry can't keep a secret to save her life, even if she wanted to. And let's face it, Kurt; she's not going to want to.

Even as Galinda talked, Rachael kept on going. "You want Finn. That's why you're being so nice to him. I'm right, aren't I?" There was a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

I tried desperately to salvage this situation. "I do not want Finn. He's my friend and he's lonely. Besides, my dad is kind of dating his mom, so he's almost like a stepbrother to me."

It was a good try, but she wasn't fooled. "He might be your friend now, but you want more. You want him to be your boyfriend. I have two gay dads, Kurt, I know that look. You do realize that you have zero chance with him, right? Finn's straight, but beyond that, he's mine."

Deep down, I was afraid that she was right. After all, what were a few looks and one strangely electric moment in his room when it was compared to 16 years of chasing girls? Not to mention Rachael had gotten to kiss him four times, three with tongue. Yes, I knew the number, since she had announced in so many times in Glee. "I wasn't aware that he was property to belong to anyone. Here I thought he was a human being."

I could tell that that particular comment had hit her hard. Hey, honey, truth hurts. Both Rachael and Quinn were guilty of treating Finn like the big teddy bear at Cedar Point. They didn't want him because of what he was; they wanted him for the status he would give them. Because having Finn was like carrying the big bear around the park: everyone saw that you had the very biggest and best. But then you got home and the bear ended up in the back of your closet, completely forgotten.

You wouldn't do that to him.

No, I wouldn't. I wanted Finn for his goofy, wonderful, somewhat stupid, but always caring self. He wasn't just a prize, the was the prize. I stared her down, my eyes locked on hers.

To my surprise, she backed down, at least momentarily. I wasn't foolish enough to thing this was the end of things, but I did appreciate the break. "Well, may the best woman win then. I'll see you tomorrow at 2." She spun sharply on a heel and left the library.

I left too, only I was headed for the bathroom with all possible speed. My breakfast was rolling around in my stomach, and I needed a few minutes to recoup. I wasn't ashamed of who and what I was, but I was about to be outed by Rachael Berry of all people. In an ideal world, I would leave Lima without giving anyone the satisfaction of confirming what they had suspected all these years, but if I was going to be outed, I had wanted to do it myself, on my terms.

I leaned back against the bathroom stall, careful to not wrinkle my clothes or let any part of my skin touch the trillions of germs multiplying on every square inch. No matter what happened, no matter how many people Rachael blabbed to before next period, I would keep my head high and act like I didn't care.

Hey, at least Finn's not here to find out this way. He's safely at home, unaware of either your sexuality or your perving on him.

For some reason, it was that thought that made the tears actually start. The slushies, and dumpster tosses, and name calling was bad enough, but once this got out, things were going to be even worse, and I might not be able to count on Finn to protect me. Shit, he might be so disgusted that he would be in on all of it.

"Kurt? Dude, you in here?" I only vaguely recognized the voice, and animal instinct had me freezing and going silent. Heavy footsteps entered the room. "Come on, I've checked almost every other boys room in the school, and your car is still here. Mercedes and Tina are freaking out."

The voice wasn't angry, just worried, and I forced myself to open the door. Matt was standing there, looking at me. "Oh, there you are."

It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that I had been crying, but he was nice enough to mention that. He just ran a paper towel under the faucet and handed it to me. "Wipe your face." His voice was gruff, but caring underneath. "I don't want people to think I hit you or something."

He waited until I was done, then moved away from the sink. "You ok, man?"

"Yeah." No. I have about 45 minutes until Glee practice, when Rachael will inform the entire class about my sexual preference, and ruin any chance of a relationship Finn and I might have. Actually, she'll probably ruin the tentative friendship we've struck up also. Other then that, though, I'm fine.

I tried to reassure him with a halfhearted smile. "Hey, you talk."

"Yeah, for 15 years now." He gave my shoulder a thump, wrinkling my clothes. "I didn't get to tell you Monday, but you were really great when Finn got hurt. It's good that someone knew what to do."

Being with Matt afforded me some protection for the other jocks, which did wonders for returning some self confidence. We were almost to the auditorium before I remembered what I wanted to ask him. "So, I'm having a party tomorrow for the Glee kids, and I wanted to invite you. Be there at 2." If you're still talking to me after Berry opens her big mouth, that is.

"A singing dancing party, or just the regular kind?" He stood close to me as we walked; shooting death glares at anyone who dared to go near me.

Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead. "Both, probably."

"And the whole Glee club is invited?"

"Of course." It was hard to do anything with just one guy, because he inevitably thought I was coming on to him. Please, have some of these guys looked in a mirror? I mean, I know we're in Lima, but I do require a minimum IQ and a full set of teeth, something most of the boys here are lacking. Broad shoulders, dark eyes, and a lopsided grin were bonuses.

"Awesome, Puck and I will bring the booze!"

Before I could tell him what a bad idea that was, he kept on talking. "Speaking of Puck, did you see his face today? Looks like he tangled with the entire hockey team."

No, just one very pissed of ex-best friend. I had promised Finn I wouldn't say anything about that, though, so I made a noncommittal noise. "No, I haven't seen him at all. Listen, if you see him, though, will you go ahead and invite him? If not, I'll do it at Glee."

"Sure." Anything else he might have said was cut off by Mercedes shrieking. "There you are!"

I barely had time to react before she was throwing her arms around me and kissing my cheek. "Where in the world have you been?"

I wiped ineffectively at the sticky lip gloss that was probably already clogging my pores. "Chill, Mercedes, I was in the bathroom. Do you really want details?"

"For an entire hour? Either you're lying or you seriously need to see a doctor."

It hadn't been an hour, had it? However, my watch told me it had. Apparently I had been crying longer than I thought. "I'm here now."

Tina appeared at my other side, giving me an affectionate pat. "W-What's wrong? You l-look like I killed your p-p-puppy."

Her words brought my confrontation with Rachael back to the forefront of my mind, and I had to fight to keep the tears from starting up again. Crying was absolutely horrible for the complexion. "It's Rachael. S-she…" My breath caught and I had to swallow before I could keep going. "She knows everything. She's going to tell everyone at Glee, then she's going to tell Finn and it's all going to be ruined."

Mercedes paled, her beautiful chocolate skin turning a sickly grey color. Tina just looked confused. "What is it that she's going to tell everyone, Kurt?"

Great, I had just outed myself, rather then waiting for Rachael to do it for me. At least it was just to Tina, who I knew wouldn't mind. "She knows that I'm gay. Even worse, she knows that I have a huge crush on Finn, and she's going to tell him and now he's going to think that I'm being nice to him just to get in his pants and I'm not!"

They both started talking, the words overlapping as their forms blurred through the fresh tears that I was too proud to let fall. "Oh honey what are you going to do?...You being gay was a secret?...Going to kill that bitch….Maybe Finn won't figure it out…C-come here, Kurt." Then Tina's arms were around me, squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe. I buried my face in her hair, smelling the sweet shampoo that somehow didn't smell as good as the stuff that Finn used.

"W-what are you going to do?" Her fingers ran up and down my spine, hitting all the right spots. I hummed appreciatively at her.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do. I vote we kill Rachael and bury the body in the woods. Problem solved, plus I get more solos. Perfect."

Much as I liked Mercedes suggestion, I had to admit that it was probably futile. If it wasn't Rachael right now, it would be someone else. I just had to suck it up and face the consequences. "We're going to do nothing to Rachael. We're going to go to Glee, and keep our heads high, and not react to anything anyone says. I won't cower and I won't be ashamed. Tina, if you want to go in separately, I'll understand."

"N-no. I'm with you g-guys."

"Ok, then. Come on ladies, we're all in this together." I delicately wiped the tears from my eyes and stepped forward. I might not be the most confident person in the world, but I could do a damn good job of pretending that I was.

With Mercedes still muttering death threats at my side, I stepped inside to face the music. The entire club was there already, minus Finn of course, mostly milling around in pairs as they warmed up or worked on their ballads.

"Finally. Damn, Mercedes, if we're stuck with each other, you could at least show up on time." Puck's words were slightly slurred through a still swollen lip. Normally, I wouldn't have looked at him at all, considering how far beneath me he actually was, but I was so shocked by his appearance that I couldn't help but stare.

Finn hadn't been kidding when he said he had broken Puck's face. The jock was sporting two black eyes, one of which probably resulted from his broken and hideously misshapen nose. The other eye was swollen shut, even an entire day later. Finn had beaten the crap out of him.

Yet, by all appearances, Puck hadn't fought back. Finn's knuckles had been scraped, but there hadn't been a cut or bruise on the rest of him. Even when he had taken his shirt off, his chest and stomach had looked ok. Well, they had looked more then ok from where I was standing, but definitely no bruises. Maybe Mercedes was right, and Puck had accepted the beating because he felt terrible, and, deep down, he knew how much he deserved it.

Still, I needed someone go at right now, and this might by the only chance I ever got to get back at him. "Oh, my God, what happened, Noah? It looks like Sue set all of the Cheerios on you."

I knew what had actually happened. He knew that I knew. But he wasn't going to announce any of that in front of the entire group, and lose any of his macho man credibility. Instead he threw me one of his patented Noah Puckerman smirks. "Listen up, girly boy. There's only one part of me that those Cheerios are interested in getting their hands on, and it's below the belt, if you get my drift."

Let it never be said that Puck was lacking in the ego department. Let is also never be said that he wasn't more than capable of backing that statement up. I could only name three female Cheerios that he hadn't slept with, and that was only because he claimed he wanted to save something for his senior year. "That's disgusting."

"Kurt, when you start getting women of your own, come back and we'll have a talk. Until then, enjoy the sandbox."

At any other time, I could have come up with a million different retorts to that, but his words threw me for a loop. Puck still thought I was chasing women, which meant that Rachael hadn't blabbed the truth. What was going on?

She hasn't blabbed the truth because you weren't there. What's the fun in revealing the big gay secret if she can't see your face when she does it? Then she can call Finn and tell him before you have a chance to recover. Which, naturally, will lead to sexual confusion on his part, and a need to reassert his masculinity. Conveniently, Rachael will be right there to show him just how straight he really is. Then, she'll probably leave him for Puck.

That thought, and the accompanying mental images, were nearly enough to back me down. Don't get me wrong, Puck a body that I'm totally attracted to, but his personality is enough to sour anyone with more than a room temperature IQ. That may or may not be why he has such good luck with the Cheerios.

I looked over, but Rachael was deep in conversation with Matt, who had become her new partner. She was paying me absolutely no attention, which was starting to creep me out. Mercedes gave me a nudge and a confused look, which I returned.

Mr. Shue allowed fifteen minutes or so for work on the ballads, before shutting that down to pass out new music for sectionals. It was a conglomeration of songs from the musical version of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and nothing I had ever seen before. I was tracing a finger over the notes, trying to sound them out in my head, when Rachael made her move. "Mr. Shue? I have something I would like to say to the entire club, especially Kurt."

Mercedes started to rise, but I shook my head at her. Honestly, I was so tense worrying about when Rachael would out me, that it would almost be a relief to actually have her do so. Tina's hand came down to rest on my knee, squeezing lightly.

"Alright, Rach, let's hear it."

She took a deep, steadying breath, and looked me right in the eyes. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've come to a difficult decision. I no longer want the solo in Defying Gravity. Kurt, it's all yours." She sat with a flourish, crossing her legs to avoid flashing us due to her obscenely short skirt.

Everyone froze, then started talking at once. Never once, in the entire history of Glee club, had Rachael Berry given up a solo without a fight. I supposed I should have been more suspicious, but I was unable to hear anything or formulate a single thought over the rushing of blood in my ears.

"That's very nice of you Rachael, but-"I cut Mr. Shue off before he could complete the thought.

"I can't hit the high note." Of course I could, but there was no way she could know that.

Just like you thought there was no way Finn could know? My God, Kurt, Finn's dumber than a box of rocks and he figured it out, what makes you think Rachael "knows everyone else's business better then they do" Berry couldn't do the same?

She shrugged. "You came really close, close enough that you could do it if you worked really hard. Or set it in a slightly lower key. If you really want it, you'll figure something out."

I did want it. Suddenly, I wanted it more than I thought possible. My father, my pride, even Finn all faded into the back of my mind as I saw myself performing the piece perfectly at Nationals. I was getting a second chance.

Mr. Shue clapped his hands. "Well, if that's what both you and Kurt want, and the rest of the club agrees, I have no problem making the switch. Kurt, is this what you want?"

I nodded dumbly, unable to make my mouth work. Not only had she not revealed my secret, she had given me the most amazing gift. I gave myself a quick pinch, to ensure that this wasn't a dream. Of course, the lack of Finn Hudson with his clothes off was a tip off that this was real, but I had to be sure. Yep, this was real.

"Then we've switched Kurt for Rachael on Defying Gravity. Both of you please speak to me after practice. Now, let's run through this number. "

For the first time since joining Glee, I barely put forth any effort. The music washed over me, but I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on. Rachael was never this nice to me, never. What was she up to?

Practice flew by, and before I knew it, everyone was packing up to go home. Mercedes touched my arm. "Do you want me to stay? I've been dying for an excuse to take Rachael down."

"No, I've got it." Mr. Shue had run back to his office, which would give Rachael and I a few minutes alone together.

"Alright, call me."

Once everyone else had left, I turned to Rachael. She was slipping each new piece of music into an individual holder, then filing them in a special Glee binder. I stalked over to her, sitting heavily in one of the chairs. "What was that?"

She was nowhere near as good at playing innocent as I was. "What do you mean? I thought you wanted the solo."

"I did, but why would you give it to me? Why would you be nice to me at all, when I know you're just waiting for your moment to embarrass me in front of Finn and the entire Glee club!" My voice rose in anger, but at least it didn't do that horrible squeaking thing that it usually did when I got upset.

"What do you…" She stopped there and looked deep into my eyes. "Did you actually think I was going to tell all the Glee kids that you were gay?"

Actually, that was exactly what I thought she was going to do. "Yes." It came out a dejected whisper.

She leaned towards me. "Kurt, let me tell you something. I don't like you, and you don't like me. You and I are competing for Finn, a competition which I will win, because I'm a girl and you're not. You're bitchy and nasty to me most of the time. But, like it or not, we are team mates, and we do have to show a modicum of support for each other."

Now I knew I was hallucinating. Everything she was saying was true, but she wasn't screaming or acting hysterical about it. In fact, there was something gentle in her eyes, something I have never seen before. Not to mention she was making me feel a little bad for my behavior, something that very rarely happened.

"I could out you in front of everyone, but that would be beyond cruel. I have two gay dads, and they would disown me if I ever did something like that. When you come out, or if you do, it's entirely up to you. I would never push you into something you weren't ready for."

Well, knock me over with a feather from my overstuffed down comforter. Had Rachael Berry just agreed to keep a secret that would exponentially increase her popularity if she told? I stuttered for a second, then forced myself to speak. "Thank you, Rachael." If it had been anyone else, I would have hugged her. Then I thought again and tossed my arms around her neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." The words were barely audible.

"No problem. I just hope you'll remember this moment the next time I ask you for a favor."

Honestly, I would never forget it. "But why did you give me your solo? I know how much you wanted it." Almost as much as I had.

She smirked, and she looked just like the old Rachael again. "Well, two reasons. First of all, you don't have my talent, so you're going to have to work pretty hard to get to where you can hit the high F. That will give me plenty of time to work on Finn. Plus, once I actually get him, I figure you won't have anything, so I let you have the solo."

Once she was acting like her old self, instead of a gentle, compassionate stranger, I found it a lot easier to react. "Well, I'll let Finn know that you thought he was roughly equal to a single solo. I'm sure that will make him feel good and ready to date you."

To my surprise, she laughed a little. "Game on, Hummel."

It shouldn't be a game, and really it wasn't, but I couldn't help but grin back. It felt good to dispel the tension I had been carrying since the library "Game on, Berry."