The stress was getting to Kurt, Blaine maintained a positive attitude vowing they would find someplace. Kurt on the other hand, was at his wits end trying to think of an option they hadn’t explored yet. They couldn’t do anything else with the wedding until they had a space. It was affecting everything he did. He was short with Blaine, who patiently soothed Kurt in any way he could. Still Kurt found himself increasingly distracted at rehearsal, a fact that was not lost on his fellow cast members or the directors.

If he was going to be called out on it, he was just thankful it was Nick who approached him after rehearsal one Wednesday. He knew that he had missed several lines and a few dance steps in the scenes they ran that day, something that was unusual for him, he just hated that he couldn’t concentrate fully with this worry in the back of his mind.

“Hey Kurt, can I talk to you for a few minutes before you leave?” Nick asked once he was close enough. Kurt noticed Celia and a few other cast members shooting him apologetic looks as they packed up and left. Kurt nodded, stuffing his script in his bag. Once it was slung over his shoulder, he followed Nick to his office.

Nick was quieter than Wes in general, but always seemed more laid back of the two. Before Nick could bring up the subject, Kurt started talking, “I’m sorry I have been so distracted lately. I’m just so stressed with the wedding, and I have been trying to leave it at the door… it’s just… it seems to be all I can think about lately and things are such shit..”

Nick cut him off quickly, “Are you having doubts?” His worry was clearly etched on his face, after all he knew Blaine since high school.

Kurt was quick to correct him, “No, never. It’s not marriage that is stressing me. We can’t find anywhere to get married, at least not when we want to. We have looked into everything we can think of and nothing.”

“Get married here.” Nick told him with a smile.

“Here?”

“Yeah, you want to get married after Cabaret closes, by then the set will have been cleared, we won’t have started construction on the new set yet. I don’t see why you can’t just have it here. It may take some creativity to make the space what you want it, but isn’t that what a theatre is for: to transform itself into anywhere you want it to be?”

Kurt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It almost seemed too good to be true. “Can we really? I mean how much would it cost us?”

Nick laughed at Kurt’s flustered state. “Of course, and consider it a wedding present from me and Wes. I’ll talk to him and have everything squared away.”

“Oh my god! I have to go talk to Blaine. Thank you so much Nick. I promise I will be more focused from now on in rehearsals.” Kurt stood to leave, clutching his bag to his chest.

“Wait, that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.” Nick told him quickly before he could dart out the door in excitement. Once Kurt retook his seat he continued. “Wes and I have been talking to a man named George Masterson. He, along with his partner Greg Simms, have written several musicals that have opened in Dallas. We approached him about writing an original show for us.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Kurt asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“They are flying into town Friday. We have been telling him about you in particular. I don’t think they believed us honestly. What we would like to do is have you put together a showcase to show off your range. Just four or five different songs so that they can get a feel for what you can do. Really this is something that could benefit us all. He wants to break into New York Theatre, we want to put ourselves on the map as theatre, and it could get you at least nominated for a Tony.”

“Tony, really?” Kurt squeaked, “I mean, sure, of course. What time?”

Nick’s boisterous laugh filled the room. “Seven Saturday night. You can bring Blaine too.”

Kurt doesn’t remember how he got home that night. There was so much stuff going on in his head, the largest of which was they finally had a possible wedding location if Blaine approved. If Kurt stood back and analyzed what he was feeling, he might have been surprised that he wasn’t really even thinking about the fantastic opportunity that lay ahead, he was focused on his future with Blaine. A year ago, if faced with the idea of marrying a handsome guy or possibly starring in a Tony worthy show, he would have jumped at the later. Now, he just wanted to marry the Blaine, then the rest could come as it will.

Kurt threw the doors open, when he arrived at the apartment. “Blaine!” he called into the space several times, until the man himself appeared.

“What is it, what’s wrong Kurt?” he asked rushing down the stairs.

“How would you feel about getting married at the theatre?” Kurt asked before rushing to tell him about the conversation with Nick. After celebrating (with a fair amount of kissing) they started planning.

Saturday found a much more focused Kurt in his dressing room preparing for an important performance. He was offered the chance to meet the men before singing for them, but declined, instead he sat at his dressing table steadying his nerves. It seemed like no time before DeAnne came down and told him they were ready for him.

Kurt walked out on the bare thrust of the stage, the red curtain behind him. One nod of his head a music began playing through the sound system. Something has changed within me, something is not the same. Kurt sang, forgetting the men in the audience, losing himself in the music. As Defying Gravity ended he caught Blaine’s proud face in the crowd, smiling at him in awe. The five men in the audience applauded politely before the next track began playing. The tone of his second song was vastly different from his first. Kurt launched into Tire Tracks and Brocken Hearts from Whistle Down the Wind. Kurt began moving, letting the music dictate what his body did. From that point on Kurt lost himself in the performances, taking the break in between songs, not to soak up the applause but to switch gears as the he sang through the varied songs he had selected. Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts led into Close Every Door, which turned into Le Jazz Hot. Next was Me and Bobby McGee, originally by Roger Miller, but most known now as Janis Joplin’s song. Kurt closed out his review with Firework, a special nod to his fianc�, but showed the own power of his voice. The last note rang out and he finally let his eyes scan the small audience again. He saw Blaine beaming at his with such pride and joy, his eyes seemed to sparckle as they looked up at him. Next to him were Nick and Wes looking almost equally as proud. To their right sat two men, Kurt was surprised to see how young they were, they looked not much older than their early thirties.

“Kurt, come join us.” Wes called up to him. Kurt walked down the stairs into the audience and he continued. “Kurt, This is George and Greg. Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Kurt Hummel.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Kurt told them, shaking each of their hands in turn.

George smiled at him, “Tell me is there a style of music that you can’t do?”

“I’m not much of a rapper.” Kurt laughed, “Honestly, I have been lucky enough to be exposed to a wide range of music, so that helps.”

The conversation flowed from there, Kurt just tried not to think about what this meeting was really for. They were here to consider writing a show for him, while Nick hadn’t come right out and said it, it seemed fairly clear to Kurt. The six men stood in the beautiful theatre talking for about half an hour before the subject was breeched.

“Wes, I was thinking,” George began, “What about a love story, you know boy meets girl, there is a barrier, they overcome it, and live happily ever after. But with a modern musical soundtrack.”

“Why does it have to be boy meets girl?” Kurt asked, seeing the confused looks he elaborated. “I’m not saying we need to broadcast it as the gay love story, with a moral to it. What I mean is wouldn’t it be neat if the gender of the cast was not important. I mean, now race doesn’t really matter in casting, but gender still does. Why not make that the important aspect of the show. You could have two men as the leads when we do it, the next cast could be a man and a woman in the same roles, or two women. You know where the gender doesn’t matter, just the story.”

“How would you suggest we do that?” George asked.

Kurt shrugged, “Just tell the story, pronouns could be used as appropriate. I don’t know I just thought it was a neat idea.”

Kurt and Blaine left not long after, leaving Wes and Nick to talk to the two men alone. Kurt tried to forget the meeting, which with wedding planning and the final weeks of rehearsal, proved easier than he could imagine. With the venue nailed down, they went over reception menus with Abby, found an officiant, discussed the ceremony and music. Kurt asked Finn and Rachel to stand with him, glad they were on better terms now, and Blaine asked Elise and Micah.

Meanwhile, Kurt was finally having fun with the Emcee, without the stress looming over him. He was busy with fittings, both for his exquisite wedding outfit and his costumes for the show (some of which were just as revealing as some of his stripper clothes). Kurt’s life was once again a whirlwind of activity, and he couldn’t be happier.

When Cabaret opened in April, Kurt was a bundle of nerves, more so even than for the last show. He sat at his dressing table once again, this time applying heavy makeup. Never before had he been required to wear this much makeup for a show, but he found himself grateful, it proved to be a great distraction as he waited for the theatre to fill. He sprayed his hair in the floppy middle part that just helped to accentuate to him that he was playing a character. He looked at himself in the mirror. His tight black pants clung to his legs, leaving nothing to the imagination, instead of a cummerbund there was a red corset cinched around his waist. Red bands crisscrossed around his chest, accentuating his pale skin and muscles. A black bowtie was his only other costume piece. This wasn’t even the smallest of his costumes either, later he got to perform in little more than his underwear, although he did have suspenders then, or something like them anyway. Before he knew it places were called.

The only thing that could compare with the thrill of performing for Kurt, was being with Blaine. Nothing else set his heart racing the same way. As he bowed, Kurt searched for Blaine in the audience, his hands red from clapping so hard. Kurt blew a kiss to him before the final curtain fell.

Outside the stage door, Kurt rushed through the signing of the programs, spying Blaine waiting for him. The roses he held out, paled in comparison to the kiss they shared that night. This was what made everything seem so right. He would trade in the fame, the career, anything, if it meant he could still have this at the end of the day.