-The Unholy Trinity-

With her back braced against the girls’ bathroom wall and her legs spread wide for the blond cheerleader kneeling between them, Quinn gasped in ecstasy as she dug her hands into Brittany’s hair. 

“That’s it, right there, oh god, I’m so close,” she moaned with her head thrown back. “Oh, Rachel,” she gasped.

“Rachel?” Brittany asked curiously pulling back from her task and looking around for the mentioned girl.

Quinn made an exasperated noise and tried to pull Brittany back between her legs.

“Why’d you stop?” she complained. “I was so close! Keep going; we haven’t got all day and I really need to come.”

Brittany shrugged and moved back in place. She lapped teasingly at Quinn’s hot wet folds then slipped a searching finger inside to the spot that Brittany liked to call the “magic sex button.”

Brittany was proud of her ability to always find it regardless of protests from girls and boys who claimed they didn’t have one. Boys were harder to persuade but she always prevailed. She crooked her finger and began to rub the spot that made Quinn grab her hair and thrust forward. She sucked and licked at the blood engorged folds until Quinn was lost in her pleasure. Brittany let her vampire aspect out to for a tiny nip.

“Ouch, teeth! Watch it!” Quinn gasped, but she forgot the pain immediately as Brittany started sucking in earnest, hot blood filling her mouth. Quinn cried out and began trembling as her climax overtook her, thrusting wildly against Brittany’s mouth. 

Quinn rested against the wall panting as she came down from her high. Finally, she pushed the kneeling girl away and reached down to pull up her panties that were bunched around her ankles. 

“Get your hair back in a pony and fix your makeup,” Quinn commanded as she walked over the sink and began touching up her own face. 

Brittany stood and dutifully pulled her hair tightly away from her face. She dug through her backpack and found some moist towelettes to wash her face. When she was done, she began expertly applying makeup without the use of a mirror.

Quinn stared her reflection in the mirror. Her lone reflection. She glanced over her shoulder, frowning in contemplation before shrugging it off, deciding Brittany must just be standing too far to the side to show up in the mirror. The thought then quickly evaporated from her mind.

“Let’s go,” she said impatiently. Brittany followed her out the door into the nearly empty hallway. “This doesn’t mean anything, do you understand?” Quinn said in a hushed voice. “It’s just like using a vibrator and nothing more,” Quinn instructed sternly, looking at Brittany for confirmation that she got the message. “I saving myself for my husband, that’s all; so this doesn’t count.”

“I don’t think Rachel wants to be the husband,” Brittany replied.

“Who said anything about Rachel?” Quinn snapped.

“You did,” Brittany said cocking her head curiously.

“You heard me wrong,” Quinn corrected. “I said ‘Ray’. He’s a very respectable boy at my church who might be boyfriend material,” she finished smugly. “Who is homeschooled so he doesn’t go here,” she added hastily. She looked at Brittany and realized from her vacant stare that she had already lost the girl’s attention.

Santana approached the pair, eyes locked on Brittany. When she reached them, she turned and hooked her arm with Brittany’s and the trio walked side by side for a few steps.

“Hey Britt,” Santana greeted brightly.

“Hey,” Brittany greeted with a smile of her own.

“Come on, I want to talk to you,” Santana said with a sly smile as she tugged on the blond girl, pulling her away from Quinn.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Quinn said as she pulled away. “Don’t be late for Cheerios,” she called over her shoulder.

Brittany watched the proud head Cheerio as she tried to shape the universe into her desired image; Quinn walked along with her head held high and her hands on her hips, bruising the air around her until it was an ugly greenish brown from the force of her will.  Unfortunately for Quinn, the universe shoved back much harder.  The vampire tried to puzzle out the bewildering behavior of her human friend, but with no success. Humans were strange in their beliefs about the world.

“So, what have you been up to?” Santana asked playfully as she leaned against her locker, running one hand down Brittany's arm and catching her hand in her own, drawing Brittany’s focus away from Quinn and back to her lover.

“Sucking Quinn's lady parts,” Brittany answered proudly. She was very good at sex.

“Brit!” Santana exclaimed in surprise. Her whole face collapsing in pain, shock, and confusion. “I didn’t know you were having sex with Quinn.”

“I have sex with everyone,” Brittany reminded her, face scrunched in confusion. “You know that.”

“I know,” Santana replied. “But…I always thought you just meant boys. I thought what we do…” 

She lowered her voice and looked around, feeling paranoid though they were alone in the hallway. “I thought it was special. Our sweet lady kisses. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Brittany drew in a testing breath and tasted her lover’s passion and jealousy. The air around Santana smelled blue with her sadness and had a hint of purple anger. She stepped close to the dark beauty to hear her thoughts and found that they sounded like melting ice and rice pudding. Brittany cocked her head and tried to imagine how to fix Santana. She was broken with love and Brittany could barely stand the sound of the growing cracks.

“Not really,” Brittany answered still not understanding why Santana was so upset.

“I love you and only you, and I don’t want to be with Puck, Sam, or Finn, or any of those other guys. I just want you. Please say you love me back. Please,” Santana pleaded.

Brittany smiled with delight to discover that the solution was so simple.

“I love you,” she said with a bright smile. She pushed hard emotionally to reinforce her verbal message. It wasn’t something Brittany thought about as a separate activity from communication; her influence was instinctual and intuitive. Santana must have understood because her whole face lit up with a smile that reached her eyes. She gave Brittany the look that she hid from everyone else under veils of sarcasm and cynicism.

Santana practically threw herself into Brittany’s arms and held her close as she said softly,

“You’re everything that’s good in this miserable, stinking world, Brittany. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t love me back.” Santana pull away to look into Brittany’s eyes and smiled a little sadly.

“So,” Santana said carefully, licking her lips then giving Brittany a flirty look. “You won’t have sex with any other girls, promise me. Sweet lady kisses for me and no one else.”

“You want me to be your girlfriend,” Brittany said brightly. She was very proud to have found the perfect word that Santana wanted to hear. Sounded out with shiny curves and smooth lines. Too often, she failed to get her message across because everyone was so obsessed with the sounds and how they were strung together as if cadence could convey the entire meaning. Santana was the best at understanding Brittany’s meaning and intention, but she was still proud to have produced the perfect utterance.

She was rewarded with the brightest smile that she had ever seen on Santana. Then the smaller girl bit her lip in thought and took a careful breath.

“Brittany,” she said carefully, afraid that uttering the next words would forever label her, but she wanted it so badly. “I don’t want you to have sex with boys either. I want to be monogamous,” she finished quickly.

Brittany tasted the word and found it to be rather slippery before it evaporated like a cloud. 

“But what if I get hungry?” she asked.

“You mean horny, sweetie,” Santana corrected her. “Don’t worry, I can take care of you. Just come to me and I’ll be your everything.”

“I am so yours. Proudly so,” Brittany agreed with a smile. She worried a little that being her everything might be fatal for Santana but the proud Latina wanted it so much and Brittany couldn’t deny her.

Santana threw herself into another hug with her new girlfriend. “But it has to be a secret. We have to be secret girlfriends,” she insisted still clinging to Brittany.

“Why?” Brittany asked.

“I want to be with you. But, I’m afraid of the talks, and the looks. I mean, you know what happened to Kurt at this school,” Santana answered, pleading for Brittany to understand.

“If anybody were to ever make fun of you, you would  slash them with your vicious, vicious words,” Brittany assured her.  

Brittany sent her waves of courage until Santana tasted like fire and smelled like thunder.

Santana linked her pinky in Brittany’s and began walking down the hall with her.

“Just try to keep it secret; for me? Please?” she begged, resigned to the truth that it would all come out too soon but she hope to delay for a little while at least.

“There is no try,” Brittany said in a Yoda voice. “There is only do or do not!”

“Oh god,” Santana groused. “No more spending time with Trouty Mouth!”

-Stuff Happens-

The week of Thanksgiving, Kurt didn’t have to see much of Finn. His father had regretfully canceled their Thanksgiving dinner with the Hudsons. Kurt felt guilty, but he just couldn’t face the prospect of acting like they were a family. He wondered what his dad would do if he never could. He knew that his father was still seeing Carol, but he didn’t know how they intended to deal with the long term problem of two teenage boys who didn’t want to be part of the same family.

At one point, Kurt had heard his father and Carole arguing, so he had crept up the stairs to listen to their heated discussion. Much to his frustration, he could only catch snatches of the conversation and wasn't able to discern what they were talking about.

“…It wasn’t her fault…”

“…responsibility…nothing to stop it… ”

“It’s different now…”

“Finn…”

Almost as if they knew he was listening, they took the conversation outside just as he was managing to catch a few more words. 

Kurt and his father were alone for Thanksgiving dinner unlike some years when other relatives stopped by – sometimes Kurt’s grandmother or aunt or both.  With the combined Hummel-Hudson dinner canceled, Kurt was determined to prove that the Hudsons were not needed in their lives. 

The turkey was basted to perfection - the meat practically melting off the bone. Every side dish was lovingly prepared using organic produce and recipes that Kurt had been experimenting with for months. Kurt knew his way around the kitchen and he was determined that everything about the holiday would be perfect.

Unfortunately, despite all of his effort, it was sombre and lonely affair,  rivaled only by the first one they had after Kurt’s mother had died. Kurt couldn’t help but think the delicious bird that had been cooked to perfection tasted an awful lot like the dry and undercooked chicken they had tried to eat that sad Thanksgiving so many years before. 

Burt talked awkwardly of slowing down the process of becoming a family, but used words like ‘get to know each other’ and ‘work out our differences’ so it was clear he wasn’t giving up entirely on moving Carol and Finn in with them. There was talk of Carol’s financial difficulties and how much easier it would be if she could be spared the cost of the tiny apartment she and Finn lived in. It was all so reasonable that Kurt wanted to scream.

When Kurt returned to school the following week, he debriefed with Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Shue. They slowly pieced together the puzzle that had been Holly Holiday’s diabolic plan. The worst part for Kurt was the revelation that Ms. Holiday had been behind Dave Karofsky’s descent into madness. Through a combination of interviews with students and tracking down the potion’s ingredients, Ms. Pillsbury finally crafted a narrative that seemed to fit the facts.

Dave Karofsky had been gay and so ashamed of the fact, that he had wanted to be cured. Unfortunately for him, Holly Holiday had convinced him that she could do just that. Ms. Pillsbury went into great detail about how the dark magic had corrupted Dave and turned him into a monster driven by rage and base desires. For the most part, Kurt didn’t listen; he only knew that beneath the monster that he had thought deserved to die there had been a frightened young boy that just wanted to be accepted. He had been innocent — his only crime had been to trust an evil woman.

The growing guilt plagued him and as much as he wanted to rebel against being the Slayer, Kurt was starting to understand that he had a responsibility to people like Dave. As the Slayer, he should have prevented Ms. Holiday from harming anyone. Even though the boy had been a bully and made Kurt’s life miserable, he had just been a boy and had been denied even the possibility of reform.

It was after all the tragedy of recent months finally began to solidify in Kurt’s mind that he made up his mind about Finn.

“Finn, we need to talk,” Kurt said sharply when he cornered the tall boy at his locker.

“I know,” Finn agreed shifting from side to side nervously. “My mom says I have to apologize to you. So, sorry. I’m sorry for what happened,” Finn said not sounding sorry at all.

“Happened?” Kurt asked sarcastically. “Stuff just happens sometimes and you’re sorry about that. Like how you happened to beat the living daylights out of me — oh,  you didn’t do that — it just happened. And now you’re sorry.”

“Geez, Kurt Let it go!” Finn exclaimed angrily. “That was a long time ago and we have more important things to talk about. Like what are we going to do about our parents. We have to break them up.”

“No, Finn, we don’t,” snapped Kurt, annoyed at Finn but determined to follow through for his father’s sake. “That’s what I came to talk to you about. You’re right about one thing - I do need to let it go. This is me letting it go for my dad’s sake. Why would you want to break them up? I thought you were bonding with my dad.”

“That was before. I know stuff now and he isn’t right for my mom.”

Kurt snorted.

“I don’t care what you think. My dad loves her and she makes him happy. So this is what’s going to happen — in public you and I are going to make nice. We are going to be the best of friends and happy to be step-brothers. As far as our parents are concerned, everything is just fan- freaking-tastic. In private, just leave me alone.”

“You got this all figured out - and what? You expect me to just go along?”

“Yes, Finn, that’s exactly what I expect.” Kurt said with a dangerous tone that made Finn backup. 

“And if I don’t? What then are you going to murder me too?” Finn asked defiantly. 

Kurt looked around then glared at Finn. 

“I didn’t murder anyone. I did what I had to do. I’m the Slayer and sometimes…” Kurt choked on the words because he just couldn’t talk to Finn of all people about this. He took a deep breath and started again. “I’m sorry that I had to do it, but he murdered two people and he was trying to kill me. Sometimes cops kill someone and later they find out they were mentally ill and maybe they could have been helped. They can’t think about that in the heat of the moment when the guy is literally mowing people down with a semi-automatic. It’s like that Finn - except I have to deal with monsters that have powers you can’t imagine.”

“I turn into a monster once a month,” Finn said softly. “So did my father and it got him killed.”

“That’s not my fault,” Kurt interrupted angrily. 

“Ask your father whose fault it was,” Finn insisted vehemently.

Kurt stared in shock at first because Finn could only mean one thing by that remark. He took a sharp breath and tried to keep his voice calm.

“I don’t know what your baggage is, Finn, and frankly I don’t want to know. Let’s just stick to here and now,” Kurt said evenly.

“You want to talk about here and now? How about my friend Dave Karofsky? I knew Dave since the first grade. He wasn’t a bad guy, Kurt. I actually am sorry about what we did to you,” Finn added for the first time seeming sincere. “I know it isn’t any excuse but the pressure to be like everybody else is so high and everyone knew you had a crush on me. If I hadn’t done something they were going to start saying you were secretly my boyfriend.” 

Kurt gave him a glare that would have stopped a demon in its tracks.

“I know it isn’t an excuse but that’s how high school is,” Finn continued ignoring Kurt’s glares. “It’s cruel and confusing and we all do really mean stuff but I don’t think we deserve to die because of it.”

“Well, lucky for you, I don’t go around killing people for being jerks. I swear, Finn, I have no interest in revenge. Dave’s death was tragic and I’m torn up about it too. How many ways do I have to explain it? So can we have a truce? For our parents sake and for all of our mutual friends?”

Finn just stared at Kurt for a few seconds with a vacant look as if trying to understand something far too complex for his brain to handle. Kurt was nearly ready to sarcastically define the word ‘truce’ for the dull witted jock when Finn finally spoke.

“Truce,” Finn reluctantly agreed. 

Kurt walked away feeling like the conversation was only half finished but he just couldn’t take any more.

-Sectionals - The Warblers-

The Warblers sat in the green room after their performance sipping bottled blood. It was stale and dead tasting but it was better than starving. They kept it in expensive looking designer bottles with energy drink labels to quell suspicion - not that anyone was going around suggesting that a vampire show choir was in residence at the most prestigious boys’ prep school in Ohio.

“Here’s an idea - and I’m just throwing it out there - maybe we could win this year?” Blaine suggested.

“No, Blaine, we aren’t winning,” answered Wes tonelessly.

“Come on why do we compete if things are rigged for us to lose? What’s the point?” Blaine complained. 

“The point?” Thad asked incredulously. “The point is singing. We sing because we love to sing not for some meaningless human trophy.” 

“Well, speaking of loving to sing, wouldn’t it be lovely to sing at Regionals? Or even Nationals?” Blaine asked turning on the charm and flashing Thad a flirty smile.

Wes gave Blaine a stern look but didn’t silence him.

“The national competition is in New York this year so we could catch an evening flight after sundown and be there in just a few hours.”

“It isn’t going to happen, Blaine” Wes answered patiently. “The judges already have their instructions. The Warblers are to come in second place as they always do.”

“Who is to be first?” Blaine wondered.

“I told them to flip a coin for that,” Wes answered.

“Fine,” Blaine huffed. “I’m going for a walk if you don’t mind.”

Blaine left the Warblers and called to Brittany as soon as he was in the hall. 

“Daddy!” she cried excitedly when she saw him. She flung herself into his arms and planted butterfly kisses on his face.

Blaine was so happy to see her that he didn’t even complain about her use of the word. It never did any good for him to scold her for it anyway. 

He hugged her tight and asked, “How are you?” 

He was glad to see that she seemed to have completely forgotten their last encounter - forgotten or at least forgiven. That was often the case with Brittany. Fights were forgotten faster than they happened.

-Sectionals -New Directions-

“I think we’re going to win,” Rachel said confidently with a big smile. “Even though your duet was a little weak, Quinn. No offense.” 

“None taken,” the blond said with an eye roll.

“I, for one, know that I knocked it out of the park,” Santana added proudly. “We’s gonna win,” she said with a sassy head bob and finger wave.

“I don’t know,” Finn interjected, “those Warblers were amazing.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about the Hipsters,” Mercedes added trying to kept everyone’s spirits up.

“Maybe,” Santana quipped, “but old people are freaking adorable even if they weren’t very good.”

Kurt looked around the room at his fellow glee-clubbers and noticed Sam had his arm slung casually and comfortably around Quinn’s shoulders. Then he realized the Finn and Rachel were holding hands. 

Kurt looked at Mercedes and whispered, “When did that happen?” pointing to the two couples.

Mercedes rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

“Boo, you really need to check everyone’s Facebook updates more often.”

“I’ve got more important things to do,” he grumbled. 

 The idle chatter continued for some time then Brittany mysteriously stood up and walked out of the room without a word.

“Where is she going, I wonder?” Kurt commented idly. 

“Maybe you should go check on her,” Mercedes answered sounding a little worried.

“I’m sure she just went to the bathroom,” Kurt dismissed. “Santana doesn’t seem worried.”

“Santana doesn’t know all the dangerous things that could be lurking around,” Mercedes insisted.

“I’m the Slayer,” Kurt whispered, “not a babysitter. I can’t escort everyone in the world to the bathroom.” 

Even as he said is guilt tugged at his heart and he decided that it couldn’t hurt to check on her. He quickly excused himself and when looking for her.

-Cut-

Kurt pressed himself against the wall gasping for breath. The pain in his chest was like nothing he’d ever felt before but he managed to look around the corner again to see the sight that ripped his heart to shreds.

Blaine and Brittany were together and looking very cosy. Kurt fought back the tears and bit his lip in frustration. I’m such an idiot. Of course he was never interested in me. 

Kurt thought back to all the time that he had spent with Blaine. Every moment seemed perfectly friendly and non-romantic now that he could see it in light of this new information. They were just allies. It was silly to think they were becoming more. Blaine was affectionate at times - always willing to touch his shoulder or hug him but that apparently hadn’t meant anything.

Kurt looked at the pair again and was shocked to see Blaine literally nuzzling Brittany’s neck. Then it hit him. What if Blaine was looking for a snack? Brittany was naive enough to let a vampire bite her. Kurt’s gut twisted with fear at the idea. He had trusted Blaine but what did he really know about the vampire? Kurt had never seen him attack anyone but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t.

Kurt strode determinedly toward the couple shoving all of his pain and heartache deep inside himself. He was the Slayer and he was going to act like it.

“Brittany? What are you doing?” Kurt called as he approached the pair. “I know you like to flirt with everyone but this isn’t safe. Come back to the green room with me now.”

“Kurt,” Brittany exclaimed with a bounce and a smile. Kurt didn’t miss the fact that she was now holding hands with Blaine. Something was very wrong with this picture.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Blaine started.

“Oh? What do you think it looks like?” Kurt asked. 

“I was just telling Blaine about Santana,” Brittany enthused. 

“I saw her on stage,” Blaine commented. “She’s lovely and talented. I’m sure New Directions will win.”

“I wish we could both win,” Brittany exclaimed.

“We can’t both win,” Kurt scoffed. 

“Actually, Brittany, you are a genius. That is a brilliant idea.”

“I know, Santana tells me that all the time. Everyone else tells me I’m stupid - even you Kurt,” she said pointedly. “Kurt, just because you don’t understand it, that doesn’t make it wrong. The square root of four is rainbows. The answer is always rainbows.”

“Brittany, go tell the judges, now,” Blaine suggested.

“About rainbows?”

“No, about New Directions and the Warblers tying for first place. It’s a brilliant idea and I’m sure they’ll want to hear it right away. They’ll especially like it coming from you.”

“Care to tell me what is going on Blaine?” Kurt demanded when Brittany skipped off to find the judges.

“Brittany is my progeny.”

“Brittany is a vampire? How is that possible? I’ve seen her during the day many times. She attends high school!” 

Kurt was numb as the words came out of his mouth unbidden by conscious thought. The anger and surprise in his voice seemed to be coming from another boy as Kurt felt like he was watching the scene in a dream.

“In the sunlight?” Blaine prompted him.

Kurt thought about it and realized that he hadn’t actually ever seen Brittany in the sun. She hadn’t ridden with them to Sectionals. Her parents had driven her and she had already been in the building when the rest of New Directions arrived. And the Cheerios always practiced indoors which, when he thought about it, was strange.

“You turned her into a vampire?” Kurt asked incredulously. He was in shock at the news and was still having trouble processing it.

“Yes, about two hundred years ago.”

Kurt felt his entire world collapse around him as the reality finally sank in. The news was worse than he could have imagined. Brittany wasn’t just a snack or even Blaine’s girlfriend. He had made her a vampire and they had been together for hundreds of years. The gravity of it was overwhelming. Every interaction, every word exchanged between the two of them suddenly had a different meaning to Kurt.

“How could you keep this from me?” Kurt accused, his voice sharp with hurt. 

“It’s not something that just comes up in casual conversation,” Blaine answered neutrally.

“She goes to school with me and I’m the Slayer,” Kurt retorted trying to sound reasonable but his voice sounded shrill to his own ears. “You should have told me, Blaine! What if she attacked someone?”

“That’s not going to happen. Brittany has excellent control. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. How long have you been going to school with her without knowing she was a vampire?” Blaine prodded. 

“That’s not the point, Blaine. How many other progeny do you have running around?”

“How is that any of your business?” Blaine retorted angrily. “For the record, only Brittany, but why do you even care?”

“Because I trusted you. Because I thought you were different…Because I thought we…” Kurt broke off at a loss for words. He couldn’t really explain to Blaine what he was feeling without explaining that he was in love with the vampire. He felt stupid and childish for having imagined they were in some sort of relationship. It was all he could do to keep up the wall of righteous indignation that kept him from sobbing openly and making an utter fool of himself.

The lights started flashing signaling that the show choirs should return to the stage for the announcement of the winners.

“Kurt, can we talk about this?” Blaine pleaded.

“We need to be on stage,” Kurt declared coldly with tight lips and head held high. He strode away with his best bitch I’m better than all of you walk that he had spent so many years perfecting.

-Cut-

The Warblers stood straight and faced the front of the stage as if they were not the least bit interested in the outcome of the contest. The New Directions, in contrast, gave each other little looks and bounced up and down in anticipation as they each prayed for the outcome that seemed like an impossible dream. Mr Shue had warned them to keep their expectations low since the it was their first year of competition.

Ms. Pillsbury sat in the first row and gave an encouraging wave and smile to Will. 

When the judge announced, “in third place - The Hipsters”, the excitement level was taken up a notch and Mercedes grabbed Kurt’s hand. He smiled fondly at her trying to keep his inner turmoil from showing.

“And now the winner of this year’s West Central Sectionals is …it’s a tie! Congratulations you’re all going to the Regionals” the judge announced and handed the trophy to Will Schuester.  The Warblers looked completely shocked except for Blaine who had a smug smile on his face.

Blaine walked over to Will and shook his hand saying, “Congratulations. See you at Regionals.” Will mumbled something in reply, looking completely shell shocked.

Kurt headed off the stage with his throng of friends feeling elated by the victory despite his knowledge of Blaine’s cheating. Then it hit. Blaine had asked for a tie - why hadn’t he asked for the Warblers to win? Kurt cocked his head thoughtfully and looked back at the Warblers who were surrounding Blaine and having some sort of heated discussion. He was going to have to research the whole compulsion thing again. Mr Shue had assured him the vampires couldn’t hypnotize people like they did in the movies but he didn’t think Brittany had just asked the judges.

Ms. Pillsbury joined them as they headed to the parking lot to their waiting van. Brittany disappeared with her parents before Kurt had a chance to speak to her. He wasn’t sure what to say so it was probably better that he hadn’t had the chance.

“Oh, Will, congratulations,” said Emma as the teenagers piled into the van. 

Standing facing Emma in their moment of triumph, Will took the chance that he had been wanting to take since their brief interrupted moment in his apartment. It seemed like every time he tried to get close to her, something interrupted them. He closed his eyes and leaned in.

Emma threw up her hands and cried, “Oh no. No, I can’t kiss you. Not ever,” shaking her head emphatically with wide eyes and a nervous tremor in her voice.

“Oh,” Will replied flushing red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” he continued planting his face in his palm. “I misread the signals, Emma, I’m so sorry that I took such an uninvited liberty. Please forgive me.”

“No, Will that isn’t what I meant. I didn’t mean I couldn’t kiss you. I can’t kiss anyone,” she admitted in a small voice. “Germs,” she said with a small shrug. “Many, many little germs in your mouth and I just…I just can’t.” She looked apologetic and sad but her eyes pleaded with Will to understand.

“I understand,” Will said trying to be encouraging.

Emma awkwardly stuck her hand out and repeated her congratulations. Will took her proffered hand and shook it firmly with a thanks. He couldn’t fail to notice that she surreptitiously wiped her hand with handy wipe when they were done.