Kurt's week passed quickly and he was beginning to drag his feet by the end of the week because any chance he had to catch up on sleep was spent either talking to Vin about making plans for their upcoming move in trial run and going to Cabaret. Kurt had gone to Cabaret every day this week. He didn't know what he was thinking. He refused to believe that he was going there every night until closing because Blaine was there and he just liked being where Blaine was. Instead, he almost convinced himself that he'd missed singing and really enjoyed watching everyone else perform. He also really liked talking to Santana again. He especially liked excusing himself from his table with Rachel and whomever else was there when Blaine flagged him down from across the room to let him know that he was going on a break. Kurt would always smile and join Blaine in the bar with a drink and chat with him and Santana.

By Friday, Kurt had completely set up the box office and Sterling had been sending him on errands mostly, but other times he had lent Kurt out to the set director and Kurt was put to work painting sets and assembling them. Today Kurt was checking all the lighting fixtures and changing the light bulbs. Before he had a chance to make it outside to check those bulbs, Sterling stopped him. Kurt didn't know what time it was. He assumed it was lunch time because Sterling only came to find him if it were lunch time or he had a last minute errand for him.

"Hey, Kid," he called up to Kurt on a ladder. Kurt looked down at him, with dark circles under his eyes. "What are you doin' here?"

Kurt shifted his eyes confusedly. "Was there something else I was supposed to be doing? I thought this was on the list of things you wanted me to do. All the errands were done by yesterday."

Sterling huffed and showed what Kurt thought was almost a smile. "No, Kid. You're doing the right thing. In fact, I wanted to thank you for your hard work this week. I know I made you do all the things I could have done myself, and you stayed extra hours and shit. You never complained once. You're a hard worker."

"Thanks." By now, Kurt knew not to respond with anything longer than that when he was being complimented.

"I know you're graduation is tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir."

Sterling reached into his back pocket and took out an envelope. "So, here… I appreciate how hard you've been workin' since I hired you and, well, everyone probably gave you useful shit for your graduation gift. This is just for fun."

Kurt climbed down from his ladder and stood in front of his boss. He took the envelope and he thought he'd faint once he saw what was inside. He took out three hard paper slips and read them carefully to make sure they were what he thought they were. The color drained from his face in excitement. They were three vouchers for two tickets each to Wicked, Book of Mormon, and Seminar. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Sterling… Thank you so much!"

"Eh, it was nothing. I'm buddies with the owners of those theaters and they owed me a favor."

"This is incredible. Thank you so much." Kurt was milliseconds away from swinging his arms around the portly body of Sterling, but he thought he would probably get fired for doing that because Sterling didn't look like a hugging type of man.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get outta here."

"Huh?"

"I said get outta here. Go home, Hummel. You look like you're dead on your feet. Go home, rest up, enjoy your graduation, and I'll see you on Monday." Sterling gave what Kurt thought might have been another smile, but if he was smiling, it looked like it hurt. He obviously wasn't a man who smiled often, or naturally. Without another word, Sterling walked away.

Kurt was stunned and shocked. He stood in place for a few more beats then realized he was being released from work early. He suddenly felt like he got a second wind and started running to the time clock. He passed Sterling on the way and yelled "thanks" in passing. He faintly heard the man chuckling in the distance.

Once he left the theater, he pulled out his phone and called Vin. Vin was on his lunch break. "Vin! You will not believe what just happened!" Kurt exclaimed, not giving Vin enough time to finish saying hello.

"What?" Vin asked.

"Guess. Wait! No. You'll never guess. Sterling, my boss, just gave me a graduation gift."

"Oh yeah?" Vin didn't seem to think this was an exciting thing, but he didn't understand yet.

Kurt picked up on this and started to explain, making sure to take proper breaths because he was still in shock. "Babe, he gave me two tickets to three different Broadway shows. That's six! Six free Broadway tickets!" He had slowed his speech down, making an attempt at enunciating the words for emphasis. "Three shows! Tickets to all of them!"

Vin laughed on the other end and Kurt could practically see the smile on Vin's face. "You are too cute. That's great, Kurt."

"Great? Vin, it's amazing and fantastic and-and OH MY GOD! Why aren't you as happy as I am? We get to have date night on Broadway when you get here."

"I am happy! Believe me, I'm ecstatic for you. I just didn't want to assume that I was going to benefit from your gift."

"Well, who else am I going to take?" Kurt was reminding himself not to start skipping from excitement.

"I don't know. Rachel? Blaine maybe? Aren't your parents coming up today?"

"I would take Rachel, but why would I take her when I could take you?"

"Didn't you say Blaine was a composer? I'm sure he wouldn't say no to going with you." There was a certain tone in Vin's voice that made Kurt curiously confused.

"Are you trying to get out of going to a Broadway show? If you don't want to go with me, I can take someone else. Please say you want to go because if you don't, you're going to destroy about half of my excitement right now."

"No! I'm happy! I'm sorry, Sweetie. I'm just having a bad day. I'm very happy and I would love to go with you. I'm thankful and beside myself with joy that you want me to share in your gift."

"That's better." Kurt smiled. "Although, I'm sorry you're having a bad day. What's wrong?"

"I had to make phone calls to a couple parents to tell them that their child isn't going to pass my class and that's always tough."

"There's more. What's wrong, Babe?" Kurt was walking down the stairs of the subway.

Vin paused. Kurt could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. He always did this when he was frustrated. "It's Lee. I couldn't follow him around today."

Kurt recalled the story Vin told him about a student that reminded him of Kurt. "Did something happen?" He knew the answer to that already.

"Yeah, Kurt. Something happened." He didn't need to explain or go into any detail. Kurt already knew. It was the miserable fate of a lot of gay teens in small towns. Lee had been beaten up by ignorant bullies who were afraid.

There was silence over the line for a few moments. They could hear each other breathing. "I'm sorry, Vin."

"Me too. I should have been there. It shouldn't have happened."

"It wasn't your fault."

"But if I'd been there, like I always am-"

"It wasn't your fault. They did this, not you. It sucks, but Lee will get through this and end up better than those who tried to beat him down."

"How do you know?" Vin sniffled. "How do you know that next year, when I'm gone, it won't get worse and he'll let them defeat him?"

"You said he's like me, right?"

"Yeah. I notice that more so every day."

"Then he'll get through this with incredible wit and style. He won't let the bastards who did this know that they hurt him. When they realize that he's stronger than they'll ever be, they'll stop. It will take some time, but it will happen."

"How do you know?"

"Because I went through it and I know plenty of people who did the same. You just need to let Lee know that he's not alone and he's not weak. He's brave and better than any and every ignorant, idiot kid in that school. You know it and I know it. You just need to make sure that he knows it."

Vin took a breath. Kurt could hear the catch in the intake. "You're so good at this. I wish I had someone like you around when I was his age. How did you do it?"

"I was raised by my dad. My dad always said 'No one pushes the Hummels around.' I come from a long line of bad asses."

Vin laughed quietly. He couldn't picture Kurt as a stereotypical bad ass. "Bad asses with impeccable fashion, I bet."

"Well, not everyone can be perfect. I'm a pretty rare breed." Kurt was glad to be back to laughing. Vin's story about Lee really put a damper on his Broadway Ticket buzz. "Alright, I have to let you go because I'm about to get on the train and I'll probably lose service."

"Okay. Call me after your graduation tomorrow? I want to be able to say congratulations."

"I will."

"And Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I really am happy for you." He paused. "And I'm really proud of you."

Kurt smiled and his face softened as if he was looking at Vin in person. It felt good to hear those things. "Thank you."

"Talk to you tomorrow."

"Talk to you tomorrow."

Kurt went home and immediately stripped his clothes off and crawled into bed. He was just about to fall asleep when his phone rang. There was a text message from Blaine.

B- you said your boss was a guy named Sterling, right?

K- Yeah. Why?

B- The orchestra just got a tour of the theater we'll be in. It's run by a guy named Sterling.

K- Our coincidental crossing paths is beginning to get a little creepy. : P

B- I know. It's almost as creepy as me running into you EVERY night this week at Cabaret. : P

K- When do you start practicing at the theater?

B- Monday.

K- What a coincidence… I work that day : )

B- You busy Sunday? I'd like to cash in that rain check for dinner.

K- Dinner might be a possibility. My family flies in tonight, but they're leaving Sunday at ten-ish in the morning.

B- Perfect. I have band practice at two, but that'll be over at four. We can meet up somewhere at six?

K- Sounds great! I'll see you then. I'm going to take a nap now.

B- Enjoy your nap.

K- Enjoy your theater.

Kurt woke up five hours later to his phone ringing. He groggily looked at the screen. "Dad," he said into the phone.

"We just checked into the hotel."

Kurt groaned and rolled over onto his back. "Okay."

"Get dressed and be down here in an hour. Bring Puck if he's available. We're going to take you out for dinner."

"Mm-kay."

"Were you sleeping?" Burt asked.

"Yeah. My boss let me out early and told me to enjoy my graduation. I'm just catching up on some sleep."

"Well get up. We haven't seen you in months."

"Yup. I'm up already." Kurt inhaled and eyed his ceiling.

"No you're not. You're lying in bed."

"Am not."

"Kurt, get up."

"I am up."

"Roll out of bed and get your butt in the shower."

"Ugh! Fine." Kurt heard Burt chuckle on the other end.

"You've been out of the house for seven years now and I still know you."

"Bye, Dad!"

"See you soon, Kurt."

Kurt dragged his feet, but he made it to the shower and got ready. Dinner was to die for. Burt and Carol tried to take Kurt, Puck, Finn, and Rachel to an upscale restaurant, but Kurt insisted and begged his father not to because he knew his father really had no idea what an upscale restaurant in New York City costs. Also, he was positive that the majority of the items on the menu would be in a different language that none of them spoke. Burt finally caved and let Kurt pick where he wanted to eat.

Kurt picked a quaint little French eatery that was tucked in a random part of the city. It really didn't look like it belonged there, but Kurt knew the food to be delicious and very reasonably priced. The only downside was that, to Kurt's amusment was that the menu was in French.

"You know, this was one of your arguments not to go to the other place," Burt pointed out.

"I said that it probably be in a language that none of us could read. Both Rachel and I can read this menu."

"Honey, I can help you," Carol comforted. "All that cooking with Kurt when we got married and I picked up a thing or two." She winked at Kurt.

"I just want a steak. What the hell is the French word for steak?"

"Biftek," Rachel quickly answered.

Kurt smiled into his menu and found the meal he wanted. It was a simple French dish that Kurt loved. The way this particular place made it, however, was more Americanized and had a home-cooked feeling to it. It always made Kurt feel warm and happy when he ate it. Not to mention it was easily the most delicious thing he ever ate.

After some more grumbling from Burt and Finn pretending he knew what he was doing just so he didn't seem stupid, everyone picked what they wanted. To everyone's surprise, Puck had no problem choosing what he wanted he didn't need any help with the translation at all. Later, he confessed that he just chose the same thing Kurt chose because he knew it would be good and really had no idea what anything said. "If Finn was smart, he would have done the same thing and not looked like an idiot," he snickered.

Everyone toasted to Kurt and his new achievement and every bit of food on the table was consumed. They all gave each other hugs and parting words and Puck left with Kurt to go back to their apartment.

"So, why isn't Vin here? I'd imagine you'd want your boyfriend to be with you for your big day," Puck asked on their way home.

"Because it's an important day and I want the people who mean the most to me to be there. I want to be able to look at the pictures later in life and be happy."

Puck squinted in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. Vin is moving in, a pretty serious step in a relationship, and he's not important enough to be in a picture with your family?"

"No. That's not what I meant. Of course he is. It's just that he and I have only been together for a number of months and if he and I don't work out, I want to be able to look at the pictures and not feel awkward that there's a person in the photos that isn't important any more. It's like looking back at Prom photos. Take junior prom for example. Finn went with Quinn, Rachel went with Jesse, and you went with Lauren. None of you are will people that you were with back then. Finn and Quinn ended horribly and Rachel and Jesse ended horribly. I don't think they even have pictures of junior prom anymore. But they do have pictures of senior prom when they went together. I have pictures of both because I went with Mercedes and I love her. Senior year I went with Karofsky as friends and we had a blast. See the difference?"

"That sounds like you're anticipating your relationship with him to fail."

"I'm not though. I'm happy with him and he is important to me. I'm just trying to be objective about it. If we're still together when I get my doctorate, he'll be there, but, for now, I just wanted my family there."

"I'm not family."

"Puck, come on. Of course you are. We've known each other since preschool and we've been friends for a decade. You're like a brother to me."

"Really?" Puck looked both happy and surprised at the sentiment.

"Yes."

"Cool."

Kurt smiled and turned the radio one, blaring the music, hoping the talking was done for the night. His bed was calling him again and that was the only voice Kurt wanted to hear for the rest of the night.