"Oh, Pavarotti, today is a wonderful day!" Kurt skipped into his bedroom after he finished a good breakfast with his family, and he whirled around when he heard Pavarotti cheep at him, obviously wondering what all the fuss was about. Patting his fingertips together, he knelt by the edge of his bed and held a finger out for his tiny bird. "Do you know why?" Pavarotti cocked his head at Kurt, showing that he didnt have a clue why that day was so special. "Well, with your daddy playing Tony in the marvelous West Side Story, Ive had so many memories of my mom playing Maria. Pavarotti, she was a wonderful Maria! If only youd seen her. She always made me smile when she sang."

Pavarotti chirped again, pulling Kurt from his babbling, so Kurt paused in his chattering to take a breath, "I miss her voice so much. I was hoping I could find the tape of her performance in West Side Story in my keepsake trunk. I just have to hear her, Pavarotti." Pavarotti skittered underneath the bed, where Kurt was looking, and he looked around before flapping at a pink box. "Oh, Pavarotti, thats so kind of you to find it for me. Now, lets see about getting it out from under the bed." He tapped his chin while Pavarotti pressed his beak to the box and pushed, but to no feat.

Squirming underneath the bed, Kurt met the beady eyes of his bird, who chirped at him. He reached out and pressed his fingertips to the box, but found it much heavier than he remembered. "Oh, dear." Kurt huffed, frowning at the wedged box. "If only your daddy walked in... wed look like quite the sight, wouldnt we, Pavarotti?"

He gave the box another nudge, along with the help of Pavarotti, and he finally got it loose. "Oh, good! Just a few more pushes, Pavarotti." After scooting it a few more inches, he slid it out and wriggled after it, then reached for his bird again. "Thank you for your great help, Pavarotti. Youll get extra treats tonight." Kissing the side of his birds head, he put him down and got busy with unlatching the top of his chest. He flipped it open and smiled at the memorabilia within. "Oh, I had such good things when I was a child. My parents spoiled me silly, you know." Pushing aside a few of his moms old albums of her favorite artists, Kurt found a video of his parents wedding and cooed, "Oh, Pavarotti, look! This was when my mom married my dad. It must have been the most romantic wedding ever... flowers everywhere, kisses, beautiful dresses..." he sighed and touched his fluttering heart. "If only I could have such a lovely wedding. I do hope so... with Blaine." He giggled at that last, then he moved onto a fuzzy dress with a kitten on the front, and he squealed. "One of my baby outfits! Isnt it cute? My mom gave me the prettiest of clothes, didnt she?"

He set the little dress by his thigh so he could look through other things, and he smiled when Pavarotti scurried over to it and patted it with his feet. He sat down and tucked his head into his chest, making Kurt giggle, "Its very comfy, isnt it, Pavarotti? My mom would only give me the softest fabrics." When Pavarotti closed his eyes and tried to snooze, Kurt turned away from him and pulled out some other videos from when he was a baby, but he paused in his search when he saw a pile of pale fabric near the bottom of the box. "Oh... what a pretty color. I wonder what this is." He tugged the fabric out and smoothed it into a baby doll dress that he recognized very well. It was his favorite dress that his mom had ever worn. "Oh, dear... its more gorgeous than I remember. I can just see her in it. Im so glad we still have it after all these years... you see, Pavarotti, this was the dress my mom wore as Maria."

He only got a snore as an answer, and his smile widened as he bent to kiss the top of his sleeping birds head. "Silly, little bird... perhaps Blaine will appreciate such a beautiful dress. Maybe I should try it on to see if it fits." Laying the dress across his lap, he reached up to his blouse and unbuttoned himself from it, then worked on sliding his skirt down his hips. He boosted himself to his feet and slipped the dress over his head, relieved that it clung to his skin in all the right places. He straightened out the skirt so it didnt wrinkle at his thighs, then he spun to the mirror to check his appearance.

Giggling at himself, Kurt touched a hair that had fallen out of place and brushed it back. He returned his hands to his skirt and bunched it in his fists, swishing it back and forth. "Its a perfect fit." He whispered to himself, and a grin tugged at his lips, "Oh, I look just like her! I wonder if she felt so giddy in this dress. I feel so pretty..." Nipping his bottom lip, he shimmied again, moving his shoulders and hips from side to side. "I feel pretty... and witty and bright!"

He laughed at how silly he was being, but he was having too much fun to stop. Hopping on his toes, he clapped his hands and sang, "I feel stunning and entrancing... feel like running and dancing for joy..." He bounced again, unable to keep still when he was so excited. He wiggled his butt and tried to keep going with his song, but it was very hard to do because he was giggling too much, "For Im loved by a pretty wonderful boy!"

Twirling around in a circle, Kurt got very dizzy and bumped into something hard, and he heard a quiet, breathy laugh from his onlooker. Kurt gasped in surprise and looked up at Blaine, who slid one hand down to Kurts waist and pressed their fingertips together on Kurts open hand. Kurt had never seen such a loving look before. When Blaine shuddered, Kurt squeezed his palm, "My hands are cold..." He felt the coolness of Blaines fingers on the center of his palm as Blaine rubbed the spot, "Yours, too."

Shivering at the chill of Blaines hand, Kurt slid his fingers out of the spaces between Blaines and reached for his face. He stroked his jaw, cheekbones, and sideburns, "So warm."

Blaine smiled at the adoring attention he was receiving, and he ached to kiss the place just above Kurts furrowed brows, his mouth dry for a taste, "So beautiful..."

Kurt looped his arms around Blaines neck, and, unaware of Blaines longings to kiss him, he stretched to press his lips to Blaines, "Beautiful."

Laughing at that, Blaine rolled his eyes, "Its so much to believe. Youre not making a joke?"

Kurt shook his head, lowering his hands and twining their fingers, "I have not yet learned how to joke that way. I think now I never will."

Blaine froze on the spot, captivated by Kurts charm and loving affections. Taking Kurt against him, Blaine hummed into his shoulder and rocked them from side to side. "You look beautiful in this dress. Ive never seen such a lovely sight as you."

"Thats so sweet of you." Kurt gave Blaine a breathtaking smile that made him flush from his head to his toes, and he leaned closer to kiss his warm cheek. "Its my moms dress... she wore it when she played Maria. Oh, Blaine, do you really think I look darling in it? Thats all Ive ever wanted. You know, she used to tell me that I would make a marvelous Maria. She said that I was plenty pretty enough and that I was as talkative as Maria. And she told me that I had the same girlish fantasies as Maria... a handsome man sweeping me off my feet... she called me a flirt sometimes! But I didnt know what flirting was until I met you." He batted his lashes at Blaine to prove his point, and Blaine helplessly laughed at him.

"Youre a precious jewel, Kurt." Blaine mumbled to him, and Kurt cooed over him, but before their good moment could continue, Kurts eyes widened at something over his shoulder. Blaine glanced over his shoulder and frowned at Finn and Rachel. He didnt want her anywhere near his bedroom, or worse, Kurt, so he stepped in front of Kurt and blocked her view of him. "What?"

Finn immediately knew why Blaine was being so curt, and he gave Rachel an awkward look, but then he returned his attention to Blaine. "Hey, Blaine. I brought Rachel over because she wanted some extra play practice... but I wanted to know if you could help me with something." When one of Blaines brows shot up but he didnt make a move to get closer, Finn coughed, "Im looking for Kurts birthday present... and you know him better than anyone."

"Oh, Finn, please," Kurt pleaded, giving his brother a kind smile, "you know Ill be pleased by anything you give me. But Im sure Blaine would be able to help you... youre right, he knows everything about me." Touching Blaines chest, Kurt let him go when he moved closer to Finn and looked over the list in his hands. He raised his brows in distaste, and Finn quickly grabbed Blaines arm and yanked so they wouldnt discuss this in front of Kurt.

"Well be in my room." Finn told Kurt, almost shoving on Blaine to get him out of the room. "Well be back in a few minutes. Rachel, will you stay up here with Kurt?" Before he got an answer, he turned around and pointed at something on his list, "Wait, Blaine, I thought he liked pink. You think this idea is bad?"

Blaine nodded and went on to explain why, but he looked over his shoulder before he left the room. He frowned at Kurt, then his eyes flashed over to Rachel, who must have come closer to him because she patted his arm. Reluctantly looking away from Blaine as he disappeared around the corner, Kurt blinked at Rachel, who had her hands on her hips. She was staring at his dress with narrowed eyes, making him uncomfortable. He tried to manage a smile, as he always did, but he found it harder and harder to do with every rude thing she said about Blaine. "Hello, Rachel." He said, and her eyes finally lifted to his face. "Its so good to see you."

Her brows shot up to her hairline, "Is it? After you left my sleepover and didnt speak to me after that, I was starting to think you didnt like me. But... whatever... its not like I need your approval. Im here to practice with Blaine. I think youre just jealous that I get to kiss Blaine in the play."

Kurts eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he took a step away from Rachel, "Oh, dear."

She went on as if he hadnt made a sound, and she poked his chest hard enough to make him sore, "Speaking of the play, havent I seen that dress before?" She answered her own question. "Yes, I have. Youre wearing Marias dress... but yours looks like a rag!" She stamped her foot, making Kurt stumble away from her, "Kurt, youre not playing Maria! What, you think youd make a better Maria than me? Is that it? You think you can buy this rag and pull off Maria better than I do?"

Kurt ducked away from her flinging hands, trying to hide the wetness in his eyes, "Rachel, please! This is my moms dress... I just wanted to wear it to be close to her." When Rachel grabbed his sleeve and yanked, he gasped. "Please... youll ruin it!"

"Just because your mom was on Broadway doesnt mean youre better than me!" Rachel almost screamed at him, and Kurt couldnt help the tears bursting from his eyes. "Youre not that good, Kurt! And this fabric is cheap... just like you!" She pulled at his sleeve again, and Kurt shrieked when he heard a rip. "Everyone knows that Im the best singer! I wish I had never told you about glee club! You think you can take over the club? You cant!" Without pausing to take a breath, Rachel raised her hand and slapped him across his cheek, making him cry out. He heard Blaines name come out of his mouth because he wanted him to rescue him, and that must have made Rachel furious. "All you care about is Blaine... singing means nothing to you!"

Kurt kept crying as Rachel yelled at him, but she finally stopped when, from downstairs, there was a cracking sound. Someone shouted something incoherent, and Kurts eyes widened at the sound of stomping feet. Within seconds, a huge body took over the doorway, and it rushed over to him and collected him in a pair of strong arms. "Im here, Kurt. Im right here. Hush... everythings alright." Pinning him to his chest, Blaine whipped around and snarled at Rachel, whose eyes were huge, "What did you do to him?"

Finn appeared in the doorway a moment later, out of breath and panting, "Hey... what happened up here? Kurt, are you okay? Rach, why is he crying?" Kurt must have had a mark on his cheek, and he hoped it wasnt a bruise. "Kurt, did you hit your cheek?"

Blaine stared at the mark on his cheek for what felt like a long time, and then he growled, "She hit him!" Shooting a look that could have killed at Rachel, Blaine said very lowly, "Finn, take Kurt to the bathroom. Take care of his cheek." He handed Kurt over to Finn, whose jaw was hanging down as if he was shocked that Rachel didnt get along with Kurt.

He wrapped his arm around Kurt, pulling him against his chest, and he shook his head at his girlfriend, "Rachel, hes my little brother. You cant hurt him."

Rachel threw her hands up as if Finn was being ridiculous, "He wasnt being nice to me, Finn! Hes trying to steal Maria... just like he stole Blaine!"

Finns mouth fell open at the mention of Blaine and his brows lowered, then he shook his head when he heard Kurt mewl over his stinging cheek, "I have to take care of my brother now." He guided Kurt out of the room, letting him cling to his arm as he shut them in the bathroom across the hall.

As soon as they were gone, Blaine whipped around toward Rachel, but he kept his distance from her. He was sure that if he didnt, hed hurt her, and he didnt want Kurt to see him like that. "You put him through pain!" His voice raised with every word, and Rachel flinched at how noisy he got. "How could you do that? Ive always thought it was impossible to hurt him... but you must not have a heart-!"

"Thats coming from you, you heartless asshole!" Rachels own voice got very loud, "I bet you dont really love him. Youre probably not even fighting with Karofsky... youre just planning the meanest prank with him. So, lets both not care about him. Its not like he cares about either of us... hes just in it for himself... to hurt me! First he steals you from me, and now Maria! I wont let him, though."

"You never had me!" Blaine tried convincing her, but he was starting to think he never could. "I was never yours! I never loved you... but Finn does. Why cant you be happy with him? Im happy with Kurt. And Im not Karofskys anymore... dont ever bring him up again." When Rachel rolled her eyes and turned her head from Blaine, her eyes caught on the trunk sitting on the floor. Blaine sighed because he was tired of fighting, and he went over to the trunk and put the scattered things on the floor back in it and shut the top. "Its just a dress, Rachel. He was having fun... I saw him... He was just dancing and singing. He wasnt doing anything against you."

Rachel sniffed, "Its just... hes mean to me. He gets all the solos now, and that was my thing before. And we did have something, Blaine. But then he comes in and youre obsessed with him now. I get that hes pretty, but arent I pretty, too?" She took a step toward Blaine, but he backed up and found himself pressed to a wall. Lifting on her toes, she took his head in her hands and pressed her mouth to his before he could pull away. He instantly shoved her back.

"Get out!" He yelled at her, spitting and wiping his mouth. "Stay away from Kurt!" Running away from her, Blaine darted out of his room and across the hall. He burst into the bathroom, where Finn had Kurt perched on the counter. He was holding a cold cloth to the mark on his cheek. "Kurt."

Kurt gave Blaine a weak smile, and he held his arms open, "Im okay, Blaine."

Blaine hurried over to Kurt and took him into his arms, breathing in his sweet smell that Rachel didnt have. After he kissed the top of Kurts head, he lifted his head to Finn, who was biting his lip. He frowned at him, knowing how he would feel if he was in his place, but, luckily, he was with Kurt and not Rachel. He knew Kurt would never hurt him. "Finn..." Blaine said quietly, and Finn blinked at him, "Rachel kissed me. I didnt kiss her back... I pushed her away."

Finn didnt seem shocked in the least, "I thought she might try." He muttered, reaching back to rub his nape. "Im sorry she did. Okay... Ill talk to her... soon." Scooting away from Kurt, Finn walked toward the door, but Blaine quickly stopped him.

"Finn..." he cleared his throat, "you deserve better."

Finn nodded, but he didnt look convinced. He kept going out the door, and he shut it behind himself. After he left, Kurt wriggled a little and cooed, "Oh, poor Finn. I just hate that Rachel didnt appreciate him... hes so nice, isnt he? But, are you okay, Blaine? You poor dear." He stroked his cheek, and Blaine turned his head into his hand and kissed his palm. "Dont be too sad. I know youre far too hopelessly devoted to me to kiss someone else. Oh, Blaine, everything around us. I feel like... someones always trying to take you from me."

Blaine flicked Kurts nose, then bent to press his lips to the pointy tip, "As if I dont feel the same about you. Ill take you away where nothing can get to us, not anyone or anything."

He knew that hed be safe from getting hurt as long as he stayed with his precious jewel, his Maria.