Kurt is faced with choices and opportunities.
After another fairly restless night, Kurt and Adam arrived a few minutes early at Mr. Edwards' office Tuesday morning.
He was waiting for them at the door to his office and ushered them in, closing the door behind them. Once they were all seated, he said, "Kenneth Barlow is asking to meet you. His lawyer says that Kenneth is prepared to accept a settlement."
Kurt shook his head slightly in confusion. "What is there to settle? I don't understand."
"He wants to avoid going to trial."
Adam chortled. "Of course, he does."
"I'll just tell you that his family is loaded. I would be willing to wager a whole year's salary that you can get anything you want out of this in order to keep Kenneth out of a courtroom. Settlements are private.
If we go to court, the case will become public knowledge, plus with Martin being willing to testify against him, Kenneth is looking at federal prison, with a term of up to life in prison. Kidnapping someone and transporting them across state lines is a federal crime."
"I didn't know."
"I figured not. Since we were facing an uphill battle with the case against the men who picked you having proof that it was all fake and that you were in on it, we hadn't really talked about it"
Kurt nodded.
"There is a 24-hour hold requirement for federal charges. But although you escaped, the plan included holding you in Maine until Sunday. I've seen Martin's statement. Kenneth is standing by the post he made to Craigslist, insisting that you were in on it from the beginning, which we know is false, but this case will be made on Martin's testimony that you weren't backing up your statements. But the fact that Kenneth's lawyer is asking to settle out of court indicates that he's pretty certain that Kenneth will lose in court, which puts things back to you to offer a settlement."
"I see. So by anything I want? Give me some ideas here. What are you referring to? Obviously, I can't ask for an island in the Pacific."
Mr. Edwards chuckled. "If they own one, you could ask for it to be relinquished to you."
"Oh, wow. They're THAT rich?"
"Yes. I did some research on the family last night."
"Alright." Kurt thought for a few moments, recalling overhearing Kenneth the previous week. "I would like enough money to pay off all of my school loans and to cover my tuition, books, and fees at NYADA for the next five semesters."
"And as a punishment, what?" Adam asked. "Because that's just his parents paying for his stupid choices."
"I'm assuming that Madame Tibideaux will expel him from NYADA, so he won't be around for me to deal with. I'd like Martin to pay in some way too, but since he's willing to testify against Kenneth, I'm not sure what I could ask for in that regard."
Mr. Edwards offered, "You could ask for him to voluntarily withdraw from NYADA in lieu of moving ahead with a trial of any sort for him."
"That works for me," Kurt said. "And the same goes for Kenneth—if NYADA does not expel him." He paused and reconsidered. "Actually, I'd rather just have him withdraw voluntarily as well."
"You're not very vindictive," Mr. Edwards said, clearly confused.
"Look. I've been putting up with this kind of nonsense for years. Kenneth is 19, nearly 20.. Martin is 19 or 20. I don't want them to go to jail for years on end because they're short-sighted, entitled little divas."
Adam chuckled.
"They've both clearly always gotten their way, just like other divas I know." Kurt's mind flashed to Rachel's many storm-outs.
"You seem to not be concerned about their motive."
"Kenneth was my understudy for Once Upon a Mattress. By having those two guys drive me all the way to Maine and leave me there, he would have been tapped to fill the role when I didn't show up to classes on Friday. And then, with no word from me, he would have performed in the other three shows as well. There's no love lost between the three of us. They've been dismissive of me since I refused their offers to be my bootlickers last winter."
He suppressed a chortle. "I see." He turned to his laptop and began writing up a settlement offer.
Adam took Kurt's hand. "You're being very magnanimous."
He turned to Adam as Mr. Edwards typed. "This is me. I'm not out for revenge. I never have been. All I've ever wanted was for this type of stuff to just stop. I'm actually relieved that this was over something so stupid as a role in a musical. You know that I had come to the conclusion that it was politically motivated because nothing else came to mind."
"Right. That was the only thing that made sense."
Kurt turned back to Mr. Edwards. "Oh, I've thought of something else."
"Yes?" He stopped typing and looked up.
"I want the cost of my lost wages, Adam's lost wages, the car rental, the gas, and the hotel cost added in cash to the settlement cost, plus whatever Vogue has spent on you working on the case and Mr. Patel's fees. Those last two paid to Vogue and Mr. Patel directly." He paused. "Today. Or as immediately as possible."
"I'll add that in. I'll get the details on the cost from Mr. Patel."
"Can I add some sort of personal compensation from Kenneth himself? His family is obviously loaded and will end up covering the costs."
Mr. Edwards nodded.
Kurt took a deep breath and considered his idea. Did he really want to ask for even more? It made him feel like an extortionist himself, but at the same time, it seemed reasonable. "I'd like for Kenneth to be required to get a job and pay $5000 of the total settlement, which will be sent to me as he earns it." Kurt did some quick calculations. "That's like 600 hours of work. Maybe that's too much?"
Adam did his own calculations, then said, "Well, as long as you give him the summer to earn it, I think it's fine. You and I both work to earn our keep and pay our own bills during the school year. Working full-time for one summer won't kill him. And if he works 40 hours a week for the whole summer break, he'll make the $5000."
"Alright, but I'd also like to stipulate that he can't work for his family in any capacity. He needs to get a job where he actually has to work. He has such a pretentious attitude. He needs to learn that he can't just have what he wants because he wants it. He literally hired someone to remove me from the state so that he could play a role, not even the lead role, in a college production. He didn't get cast with a speaking part, so his solution to that wasn't to work harder, but to have me kidnapped. It's absurd. He clearly needs to learn the value of hard work, but jail won't be the place for that."
Mr. Edwards nodded again, adding it to what he was writing. "I'm not sure that you can press the issue about where he works, but we can try it. Maybe his parents will have had enough of a wake-up call to realize that your suggestion is a good one." He went back to work on the document he was typing up.
He looked up again. "I'd suggest that the cost of the tuition, fees, and books be paid directly to NYADA as well, in a lump sum, and set up some type of scholarship for you personally. Otherwise, you'll get taxed on the money if it's just turned over to you as part of the settlement."
"That's not something had even considered, but yes, please. I don't want to owe a ton of money in taxes over this."
Mr. Edwards went back to working on the settlement agreement. Kurt and Adam stayed until they had hammered out all of the issues.
Later that afternoon, Kurt, Adam, and Mr. Edwards were seated in a small conference room in the legal department in the Condé Nast building.
A middle-aged woman dressed to the nines opened the door, and behind her, filed in a man who appeared to be her husband, given the expensive suit he was wearing. After them, trailed in Kenneth and another man in a properly tailored suit that was nowhere near as expensive as the first man's. They sat down across the table.
Mr. Edwards was the first to speak. "I'm Luke Edwards. I work for Condé Nast Publications. I'm here representing Kurt Hummel, who is willing to offer a settlement, which I have here." He offered a file folder to the Barlows' lawyer.
The woman across the table relaxed visibly.
"Evan Phillips. Obviously, I'm here representing Kenneth Barlow," he said as he pulled the file folder towards himself. He opened it and read it.
While Mr. Phillips was reading, Mrs. Barlow said, "Thank you. We're eager to put this behind us."
"I'm sure," Kurt said dryly.
Mr. Barlow asked, "Why would an in-house Condé Nast lawyer be representing a college student?"
Kurt said, "I work for Vogue and I was kidnapped while on the job."
"I see."
As Mr. Phillips looked through it, his expressions were varied, and Kurt was unable to guess their meaning, other than surprise. "May I confer with my client in private?"
Kurt looked at Mr. Edwards, who just barely shook his head, then Kurt said, "I don't see any need for us to leave. The Barlows are welcome to read the offer and ask questions if they have any."
Mr. Barlow looked the settlement offer over, then looked up, clearly perturbed. "You want us to cover your college expenses?"
"Your son is looking at 25 to life in federal prison. I'm offering him his life basically. No criminal record. I'm even willing to let him finish out the next two weeks of school and withdraw voluntarily so that none of this will even show on his university records. He's getting off scot-free for a federal felony."
"For a prank?" Mr. Barlow replied.
"Perhaps, you missed a meeting with your lawyer?" Kurt said with a tinge of snark in his voice. "I'm willing to wait while he explains all of the laws Kenneth broke."
Mr. Barlow looked towards his lawyer, who nodded. "He's right. Kidnapping someone and taking them across state lines with the intent to hold them for more than 24 hours is a federal felony. And the length of incarceration that he stated is accurate."
"This is extortion," Mr. Barlow said as he looked over the settlement offer again.
Kurt spoke up. "Actually, extortion is gaining of property or money by almost any kind of force or threat of violence, property damage, harm to reputation, or unfavorable government action. I looked it up myself. I'm not threatening Kenneth in any way whatsoever. He chose to commit a federal felony. Now, I'll grant you that he was just being stupid and petty, but I'm up to here—" Kurt put his hand slightly above his head. "With stupid and petty behavior. Perhaps, you've been unaware of your son's behavior until now, but this should open your eyes. I figured that if you used the money to pay my tuition instead of buying him the yacht or the vacation condo in the south of France or the new Aston Martin he wants for his birthday in a few weeks that he might think twice about kidnapping someone else in the future just so he can play a minor role in a production."
"How did you know about—"
Mr. Barlow's eyes flashed as he looked towards Kenneth.
Kenneth stopped himself immediately, quickly returning to his most penitent look.
Adam had to concentrate on maintaining a calm façade to keep from laughing.
Kurt just ignored Kenneth, having overheard him recently bragging to whoever would listen about his upcoming 20th birthday extravaganza over winter break while debating the merits of each of the three ridiculously lavish gifts he had on his wish list and facetiously suggesting maybe he would ask for all three and get them.
Mrs. Barlow briefly glared at Kenneth, then resumed her previous calm and collected demeanor as she looked over the agreement again.
The room remained silent for several minutes.
Mrs. Barlow asked, "What is this stipulation about Kenneth getting a job outside of our family businesses about?"
"That's because if he works for one of your companies, I think he'll get preferential treatment and be paid a higher wage than any entry-level job would actually pay someone else. He clearly needs to learn the value of hard work, as opposed to just eliminating those who have worked hard and taking their place."
"I see." She glared at Kenneth again. "This young man does have a point. We've obviously given into your demands far too often."
Kenneth was clearly struggling to look penitent while keeping his usual smug countenance under wraps.
"Do you want more time to consider the offer?" Kurt asked. "I actually have to work to cover my own expenses, which are high in this city. I'm missing work yet again, so if you need more time, I'd be glad to give that to you and go ahead and leave to start my shift. Otherwise, the longer I sit here, the higher the reimbursement for my lost wages is going to be. I'm sure that Mr. Edwards will allow the three of you to confer with Mr. Phillips to remain here in this room while the three of us can get on with our days."
"Mother, please" Kenneth nearly pleaded. "Don't let this end up with me in a cell. Federal prison?"
Mr. Barlow said, "And if Kenneth signs this settlement, then this is it? There will be no record of this."
"Exactly," Kurt said. "I'm willing to state that, while I was not in on the prank as is being posited by the other perpetrators, it was, in fact, just a prank and I won't file charges. And the ones that have been filed against the two men who picked me up will be dropped and their records sealed."
Mr. Edwards said, "The agreement stipulates that Kenneth is banned from speaking about this in the NDA portion, so providing that he abides by the NDA, no one will ever know besides the people who already know, but there will be nothing legally tying him to this case."
"I refuse to work all next summer to give him $5000," Kenneth said indignantly.
Kurt shrugged and stood. "That's fine. We'll see you in court in two weeks. I've done everything I can to keep this out of the press, but if you're not interested in the settlement agreement I've offered, you can make a counteroffer. I'll read it later."
"Out of the press?" Mrs. Barlow repeated. "Yes, of course, we'd like to keep this out of the press. No need to have the whole world see what a stupid thing Kenneth did."
Kurt sat back down. "Which is why I'm offering this out-of-court settlement. If we go to trial, there's nothing I can do to keep 'Congressman's Son Kidnapped' out of the headlines."
"Your father is a congressman? Why are you covering all of your own expenses, then?" Mr. Barlow asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"He believes in the value of hard work. I've been working a real job to pay for things I want since I was 14, which is how old you have to be to work legally. And before that, I did odd jobs like babysitting, yard work, tailoring, etc. to earn pocket money. My dad isn't big on handouts."
Kenneth spoke up again. "This is outrageous. I have plans for next summer. I'm not going to spend it working for money I'll never see. I'm not leaving NYADA unless Madame Tibideaux expels me, and I'll offer to pay to have the dance hall redone or have central air installed in the dorm building to keep that from happening."
"Well, that's your choice," Kurt said coldly. "I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to tell you this or not, but we have a signed sworn statement from Martin, along with evidence of your involvement. The request to reimburse the fees from Mr. Patel? He's the P.I. we hired. The two men you hired are absolutely willing to rat you out to walk free."
"Martin wouldn't do that to me. You're lying."
Kurt shrugged. "I have better things to do than to sit here and be called a liar when I'm offering you your freedom along with keeping your record clean." This time, Kurt stood and walked towards the door without looking back.
Adam and Mr. Edwards stood.
Kurt turned back as he held the door open. "Should you decide you'd rather settle before two weeks from now, you have Mr. Edwards' contact information." He waited for Adam to walk out, then followed him.
"As Kurt said, the four of you are welcome to use this room for a while. If you decide you'd like to sign, just let my secretary know. I can return and call Kurt to come back to finalize everything." He stepped out as well, pulling the door closed behind him.
After they were back in the hall, Mr. Edwards left the two of them to talk and headed back to his office.
Once they were in the elevator, Adam said, "How long do you think it will take before he signs the settlement?"
"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "He seems pretty determined not to have to work."
"Are you willing to die on this hill?" Adam asked.
"I don't know. That's why I got up and left. I knew that if I stayed, I might be swayed to just take the tuition money from his parents. The only thing I can think is that he somehow thinks his lawyer can get the charges dropped if I go through with a case, or that he can somehow persuade a jury to find him not guilty and he'll walk free."
"Well, he has had four weeks to feel like he had gotten away without getting caught. And he clearly didn't think that Martin would testify against him."
"Obviously not." He sighed. "I'm going to go back upstairs to work and I know your shift starts soon. I'll see you later." Kurt stopped the door from closing after it opened on the ground floor. "I'll bring a sandwich and meet you outside the coffee shop so we can go to NYADA together for our last rehearsal before we perform tomorrow evening."
Adam squeezed his hand, then let go. "I'll see you then."
Kurt pressed the button for the 25th floor.
Late the next afternoon, Callie threw her arms around Kurt's neck as soon as she could reach him. "I'm so glad you saw that contest announcement. This is so exciting."
"Well, Aileen and Ben being able to create an a cappella arrangement of the song so quickly made it all possible with most everyone leaving town for Thanksgiving. They're just incredibly talented."
"They really are, but without you on the lead we wouldn't sound so amazing."
"I agree wholeheartedly," Adam said. "No hugs for me anymore?" he asked Callie as he fake-pouted."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Of course, I have a hug for you." She stepped closer and hugged Adam. "I'm glad you're performing with us. Since it's not an official school event, no need to follow any rules." She saw a few more members of the group approaching. "Let's move closer to where we're meeting up."
An hour later, the whole group, decked out in all black with the addition of the matching red scarves and gloves they had ordered to give the group a unified look, were standing ready to perform. They moved to the center of the stage with their heads tilted down. As they each came in, they looked up.
Once all of them were singing, they began to do the very minimal choreography that helped them look like they were enjoying themselves without distracting from their vocals. They stayed on pitch and in sync, and when the song ended, they bowed their heads in unison, then left the stage. They moved down into the crowd and watched the rest of the show.
After the lighting of the tree, they met up at Callie's loft for hot chocolate and cookies.
Kurt and Adam stood at the stove warming up milk for everyone, claiming that it tasted better that way than being microwaved, although a few people got impatient and microwaved theirs anyway. Callie took her cup of hot milk, added the cocoa and sugar mix that Kurt had made plus a dash of cinnamon, and stayed nearby, helping everyone else to get theirs mixed right.
Once everyone had what they wanted to snack on, they all moved to the large open area in the loft and sat in a circle around the pile of Secret Santa gifts that were all wrapped in repurposed brown paper grocery store bags, left undecorated with just a number written on each one. It was earlier in the season than they typically held their holiday party, but they decided that since they would be together already, it would be the best time to do it.
After they opened the gifts, they played several party games. Kurt sent everyone home with a half-dozen homemade cookies, the outcome of his stress baking the evening before, which made everyone happy.
Kurt and Adam stayed back to watch the movie Callie's Secret Santa had given her.
Callie took Kurt by the hand, pulling him away from Adam, who was cleaning up still, and playfully pushed him onto the couch and snuggled up to him, still not letting go of his hand. "Kurt Hummel. I have known you for nearly a year at this point. Did I do something to upset you?"
"What makes you think that?"
"You're shutting me out. Maybe no one else can see it, but something is really eating at you."
He stopped himself from saying "Nothing". He took a deep breath and thought about the song he had sung. He needed to be brave and say what he wanted to say instead of always holding everything back.
"Let's see. Junior year involved me having to switch schools over a death threat because someone revealed to me that they wished they hadn't. Senior year, Rachel stabbed me in the back several times. Last fall, the guy I had loved for nearly two years cheated on me within two weeks of me moving here and blamed me for it, which I initially accepted, but later realized was not my fault. My ability to trust isn't all that great, but I do trust you. It's nothing you've done Callie. I swear." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
She squeezed back.
"I hadn't allowed myself to trust anyone in a long, long time, and when I did I got burned." His mind flashed back to his conversation on Monday with Madame Tibideaux. "Oh, and I just found out two days ago that I didn't get into NYADA originally because my choir director tanked my recommendation letter. I'm really trying. I just don't know how to open up." He looked across the room to where Adam was washing mugs. "Adam managed to love his way past my defenses."
Callie smiled at that. Seeing her best friend so happy with Kurt made her happy too.
"Besides Adam and Sam, you're my best friend here in the city. Other than this particular issue, you know more about my life since I moved here than anyone other than Adam. You're like the sister I always wished I had."
"Adam chose well this time," she teased, then went back to what Kurt had said. "That's pretty fucked up. The changing schools over a death threat thing. And the recommendation letter too."
"Mm-hmm."
"Shouldn't whoever it was have been expelled?"
"He was, but it was overturned when his parents appealed. I don't really want to rehash it."
"Your dad isn't sick again, is he? I know you didn't want people to know, and I swear I never told anyone."
Kurt remembered Callie overhearing a phone call Kurt had made after one of Burt's treatments. "I know you didn't. And no, he's not sick again. I know that you've figured out that something has been going on with me. I really just can't talk about it. And I don't mean because of something you've done that makes me distrust you. It's not like that at all. Even if I were the type to tell my business to the whole world, there is an NDA potentially involved in this. I can't talk about it."
"Oh ... OH! An NDA. Like a legal thing when you're legally not allowed to talk about something."
"Yes."
She scooted closer and leaned into his side. "God, that's messed up. I'm sad to hear that you're going through something else that's bad enough that lawyers or whatever have been brought into it." She sighed. "I won't ask anything else. You're going to be okay, though, right? This doesn't involve you going to jail or something, does it?"
"No. I wouldn't be the one going to jail."
"Wait. This has something to do with why you missed the murder mystery dinner, doesn't it?"
Kurt didn't respond.
"Okay. I get it. I'm just worried about you."
"And I appreciate that. More than I can explain."
"Good. Then that's settled. I'll quit being a mother hen and just hope that whatever is going on ends soon and in your favor."
"I'll second that," Adam said as he plopped down on Callie's other side.
"I do have something new to tell you."
She perked up. "What?"
"I'll be singing in the Winter Showcase."
She squealed. "That's so exciting. Congratulations."
"Thanks. I still think it's unfair that the non-performance majors can't be showcased somehow."
"Well, I agree, but I doubt it will change any time soon." She changed the subject again. "When is one of you going to find me a guy as nice as the two of you?"
"Sam's a sweetheart," Adam said. "He likes girls. He just texted that he's on his way up the stairs. AND he has popcorn."
She laughed. "Isn't he like 18?"
"Nope. He's 19," Kurt said.
She laughed. "Like that's so much older."
"Callie, you're 21, not 51," Kurt said. "Adam is two years older than me. Don't discount options that might be good just because they're a couple of years younger than you."
"You're right. Not all 18- or 19-year-olds don't know how to take care of themselves. I'm just having flashbacks of Nolan living here in the loft. God, what a horrible roommate he was. Toilet seat up, dirty dishes in the sink, molding food in the fridge, and wet towels on the bathroom floor, among other annoying things. It was just gross."
Kurt shook his head. "That is gross. Sam's story is his to tell, but I can promise you that he knows how to take care of himself. I know you've only seen his silly and goofy side, but he's not immature. He's a hard worker." He got up to open the door, which he did right as Sam was reaching up to knock.
Sam jumped a bit, then laughed. "Who else ready to watch Hugh Jackman be awesome?" He asked as he came in and hooked his coat on the coat tree. He plopped down on the end of the sofa, leaving room for Kurt between him and Callie.
"Me," Callie said. "I missed this when it was in the theaters last summer. I've been waiting for ages to see it. And obviously, my Secret Santa knew that." She looked at Adam and then at Kurt.
"Nope, not me," Adam said.
"Me neither." Kurt shook his head.
"That doesn't mean that one of you didn't tell someone."
"You do get what 'secret' means, right?" Adam teased.
"So you do know. You just won't tell me. Fine."
Sam said, "It's worth the wait," Sam said. "It's great. You'll love it."
After Kurt turned the remaining lights off and sat down, Calle started the movie. Sam opened the bag of popcorn, took a handful, and passed it to Kurt.
Thursday morning, Kurt nearly missed a call as he bustled through the crowd exiting the subway, heading to NYADA. "Hello?" he said, not having taken the time to see who was calling.
Mr. Edwards said, "Kurt, can you make it here an hour before your shift today? Mr. Barlow senior is asking to speak with you here."
"I have class, but I'll get someone to take notes." He paused, not continuing with what he would need to do to make it happen. "I'll be there."
"Thank you."
"I just want this to end."
"I understand. I'll see you this afternoon."
Four hours later, Kurt entered the same small conference room to find that Mr. Barlow was waiting for him, alone.
"Kurt. Please come in and sit."
Kurt closed the door, put his satchel down, took his coat off, put it on the back of the chair, and then sat down.
"I did some digging."
Kurt waited for him to continue.
"Kenneth has become the very epitome of a spoiled brat. He met Martin the summer between the eighth grade and freshman year in high school at a summer acting camp. He was such a timid boy. We thought that getting him away from the pressure of schoolwork at his private school could possibly help him come out of his shell. And it did. Martin attended the same high school that following fall. They became inseparable." He paused for a few seconds, clearly remembering the past. He looked up and refocused.
"The rave reviews of his acting skills do a bit to assuage my guilt for not seeing through his charade. I checked with the office I set him up to work in last summer for a month to give him 'real-world life skills' before he spent a month in Europe. He showed up dressed to impress, then made it known that he was there to do work that didn't involve any of them and that he would be in his office and wasn't to be disturbed."
Kurt chuckled. "Very creative."
"Oh, it gets better."
"Do tell."
"He would show up around 10, leave at noon, and when questioned, he would tell them that he had meetings to go to after lunch and that if anyone called for him specifically, to take a message, then text it to him."
"So when you would call to check up on him, he called you back nearly immediately."
"Yes. And instead of working, he was going out to art exhibits and matinée shows, both movies and Broadway or off-Broadway shows with Martin usually, or just goofing around going shopping or whatever."
"Why are you telling me this? It's certainly not going to help Kenneth's case if he's named as the mastermind when we go to trial on the 18th."
Mr. Barlow ignored Kurt's question and went on. "I also looked into your father. He's a blue-collar guy from a small town in Ohio. A mechanic. Born and raised there."
"Yes, sir."
"And despite your talent for auto repair, instead of a son who will take over the family auto shop, he got a son with Broadway aspirations."
"Mm-hmm." Kurt couldn't figure out what Mr. Barlow was getting at.
"He supports you in every way except paying for what he can't afford. He turned a small tire shop into a full repair shop, lost your mother, has battled serious illness twice, and lost his stepson."
"All true."
"I've been negligent with Kenneth. I've done the opposite. I've given him all of the money and bought him the things he has asked for, but I can't honestly tell you the last thing I went to watch him perform in or the last time I had dinner with him or spent time with him that wasn't an extended family event or a holiday. It's been a couple of years. He would tell me that he knew I was busy and didn't need to attend. I don't know my own son." He looked out the window for about a minute, seeming to regroup. "Kenneth is refusing to sign the settlement. He insists that it was just a silly prank and he's convinced that he can persuade a jury to side in his favor."
Kurt sighed.
"But I'm not interested in seeing that happen."
"What?" Kurt's shock was evident on his face.
"I don't want him to sway the jury to let him walk for this. I also don't want him in federal prison if he's unsuccessful."
"Alright. I don't understand."
"I'm willing to cover your lost wages and the other expenditures you requested, and I'll pay your tuition, fees, and books as you've requested. I'll need details on the exact cost that isn't covered by whatever grants or scholarships you might already have and what your family can't cover. I will not pay Kenneth's tuition for next semester. He will have to drop out whether he wants to withdraw willingly or not. Without the family's financial support, he cannot afford to attend NYADA. He will be taking a gap year or a gap semester. He can apply to other schools and begin someplace else next fall, or he can return to NYADA a year from now. At that point, he would be behind you a full academic year and shouldn't be in your classes any longer."
"Why?"
"Because I want my son to be a man of integrity. And men of integrity do not kidnap their competition just to get ahead. Whether he stays in the performing arts or at some point decides to become a businessman like me, I don't want him to see the world as a place that he can manipulate, which is exactly how he sees it now. His response about offering to redo the dance hall or put air conditioning in the dorms just popped out like the answer to everything is throwing money at it."
"He's not the only person who sees the world that way."
"That's true, but I plan to spend quality time with Kenneth once this is all settled and the semester ends. Talk to him, get to know him, and help him understand that what he's been doing is the wrong way to go about things. I'm going to have him join me at work, like my shadow for a while, then have him work alongside other people. Anyway, I would like to submit this counteroffer." He slid a folder across the table to Kurt. "I realize that it does not contain the proviso of Kenneth covering $5000 of the expenses himself. But he absolutely will not sign if that clause or the clause about him withdrawing from NYADA is left in. But I'm willing to go with you to NYADA to set up the scholarship and sign the paperwork to show that I am a man of my word. Once that's done, I'd like you to sign and Kenneth will sign as well once you do. I've also included the offer to pay off whatever loans you have already taken out for last school year and this one."
Kurt was surprised by the offer of more money than he had originally asked for. "May I speak with Mr. Edwards first?"
"Of course. I've also cleared my schedule for tomorrow so that I can be at NYADA whenever you are available. I apologize for requesting to see you today while you should be in class, but I'll need the afternoon to get the financial issues arranged to be able to have the funds to provide the school tomorrow, should you decide to move forward with the settlement in lieu of the court case."
Kurt nodded, collected his things, and left the room.
Two weeks later, Kurt walked out of his last final exam of the semester. Kenneth and Martin had been avoiding him, but no more so than usual. He followed them out of the classroom and was glad to see them walk out of the building together, knowing that they wouldn't be returning the next semester. He still felt bad about how glad he was to see them go. Their class was down to 16 members since one other student didn't return after the summer and Rachel had quit early in the semester.
He turned down a different hall to check his score for the French placement exam he had taken on Monday. Thinking of Rachel and walking past the room where he had bested her at Midnight Madness nearly a year prior brought his most recent conversation with her back to mind. He had convinced her not to shoot herself in the foot by leaving Funny Girl before her 6-month contract was up. He later heard that she had yet again managed to stay on top by persuading the TV network to start filming the pilot in March. Santana was offered the role of Fanny but turned it down.
Moving on, he reminded himself and refocused as he opened the door to the building.
When he stepped outside the building, he pulled his scarf up tighter and looked around at the large snowflakes that were starting to fall. Just as he started down the stairs, he caught sight of Adam coming towards the building. He descended the stairs quickly and practically threw himself into Adam's arms.
"It's snowing."
"That it is, darling," he said, holding Kurt close.
"And we're done. Finally done for the semester and nearly done with this year."
"It's been a rough year for you especially. We need a break." He let go of Kurt and wrapped his arm around his waist and turned them towards the subway station.
"We've gotten several. The settlement. I won the Winter Showcase. Your first draft was accepted by your advisor. Oh, I stopped by and checked on my French score. I'll be getting 12 credits for that, plus the one for keyboarding, so I'm officially a junior now. I'll be able to audition for lead roles this spring."
"That's amazing, darling."
"And I'm playing Friedrich von Trapp starting tomorrow evening for three weeks because the director of the community theater program was desperate to replace the original actor after he came down with pneumonia, and Madame Tibideaux recommended me." He repeated himself, still not quite believing it. "She recommended me."
"She did, which will mean you going to the barbershop every afternoon for an extremely close shave to make you look 14 again."
Kurt chuckled. "If I looked like I did when I was actually 14, I'd get cast as Kurt, not Friedrich. Letting my hair hang down over my forehead will help me look younger too. Let's see. In cheerful news, there's the fact that I won't have to be in class with Martin or Kenneth ever again."
"There is that, but I know you're still feeling torn about that."
"I am, but hopefully they've both actually learned a life lesson. Mr. Barlow seemed sincere about reconnecting with Kenneth, so that will be good hopefully."
"Yes, but when I said 'We need a break', I was referring to a vacation or, in our particular case, a stay-cation. You were reimbursed for overpaying next semester's tuition from winning the Winter Showcase, and I was reimbursed for paying Mr. Patel, so we finally have both the money and the time. When we get home, I want us to pull out our bucket list of New York City destinations that we worked on back a month ago. I'll warm up our leftover soup from last night and we can see how many of them we can fit into the next four weeks. You can pick the one you think your parents would most like and we can do it on one of the days they're here. And I can send the list to Meri and ask her to pick three or four to do while she's here."
"You're sure Meredith won't mind sleeping on the futon?"
"Not at all. She's excited to come. She's been looking forward to it for ages. You know how annoyed she was that her Ph.D. program ended up drawn out for an extra semester, leaving her unable to come last summer as she had planned."
"But she's finally done."
"Yes. And she's coming to stay with us as her gift to herself for finally finishing while she's not yet employed."
"Not yet employed. Does that mean that she got that job wanted?"
"She did. She called this morning after you had already left. She'll be starting the third week in January, so she'll have a week to get things settled in London after she gets back."
"Perfect."
Adam looked at Kurt and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "I agree."
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"None of that, darling."
"As you wish," he teased.
"Oh, that is an excellent idea. Let's watch our movie while we work on our itinerary."
Kurt looked through his list and the calendar again after he finished his soup. "I didn't really think about how taking the role in The Sound of Music would interfere with Meredith being here."
"It's just the first week she's here. She's not going to be upset. It's not like she's being forced to go every night or something. She'll want to go watch one evening anyway, then she and I can just do whatever she wants the other evenings." Adam pushed his empty bowl back and slid Kurt's calendar and the list of places they wanted to see closer and began to read through the list. "MoMA, The Met, the New Museum, the Guggenheim, the Rubin Museum, the Museum of Art and Design, the Morgan Library and Museum, The Museum at FIT, the Museum of Broadway, Merchant House Museum, The Frick Collection, Tenement Museum, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, New York Aquarium, the New York Hall of Science, and the Hayden Planetarium." He counted. "So, we have 17 places on our list and 31 days before classes start again, but one of those is Christmas, so nothing will be open. And quite a few of these places aren't open on Mondays. You've put in the one that your parents would like this Sunday. That works. I think we'll have to visit places two days in a row, then we'll stay home for a day, then visit two places again. Let's see if we can fill in the gaps."
"I'll clean up while you look, then we can move to the sofa and start the movie while we decide."
A few minutes later, they were snuggled up with the movie playing low in the background.
Adam gently turned Kurt's face towards him and gently kissed him, which made Kurt smile.
"As many times as I want."
"Hmm?" Adam intoned.
"That night after we watched this the first time, you said I could kiss you as many times as I want."
"Mm-hmm."
"And not quite four weeks ago, I told you that I never wanted to let you go."
"Yes, darling. And I said that I do want to marry you."
"We hadn't talked about it since, but was that a hypothetical, future yes or a current yes? Are we engaged? You haven't said anything to anyone, not even Callie."
"Oh, darling. Yes. A million times yes. With everything that has been going on, I just wanted to wait until the stress of all of that had passed. I figured we'd tell your parents when they're here this weekend and we'd Skype my parents once Meri arrives the next week and tell the three of them at the same time. And once our families know, we'll tell our friends."
"Okay. I hadn't said anything to Sam because you hadn't talked about it since then."
"I'm sorry, love. I never considered that not saying anything made you doubt my answer."
"Well, I didn't ask you in a traditional way, so that's on me too. Do you want to get rings? I've always felt that it was kind of old-fashioned for the woman to wear a ring to show men that she's taken while the man doesn't wear a ring until the wedding."
"It is lopsided that way. I"m certainly not opposed to wearing a ring, but I think we should just keep wearing the same ones. I don't see any reason to buy different ones at some point in the future unless you'd like to have an everyday ring and a fancier one for special events."
"I hadn't really thought about that since girls usually wear their engagement rings with their wedding bands."
"We can table that discussion for now and go back to planning our break. I added the Christmas baking with the kids this Saturday already. Jennessa and Benny and the other kids are really looking forward to it. Benny told me that he already bought his bag of chocolate chips."
"I think your idea of assigning each of them an item that costs around $3 was a good one. It will make all of them feel like they contributed, even if some of them just watch The Santa Clause instead of baking."
"Mm-hmm. I looked while you were washing dishes to see which places are open on Mondays, and the MET, MOMA, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Tenement Museum are, so let's pencil three of those in first."
Kadam Week 2023 Day 7 Prompt
We need a break. (aka a vacation)