"Who the hell does he think he is?"

Penny jumped at the sound of the kitchen door slamming open. She looked up to see a fuming Kurt, coffee in hand, looking irate.

"He can't possibly think I would be interested in a closet-case with a kid."

"Calm down babe, you are going to give yourself frown lines and then all the moisturizer in the world isn't going to help you.

"I just don't understand what he is thinking. He has a child, for Christ's sake."

Penny had gotten the full run down of yesterday's events in a long and late night phone call with a distraught Kurt the previous evening. He had gone through such an emotional roller coaster during their conversation and she had been supportive and listened through it all. First, he felt shocked. He couldn't believe that he had read the situation so wrong. Then came the anger. He was pissed. He felt misled and tricked. Was Blaine playing a cruel joke on him? Was he waiting for an opportunity to harm Kurt somehow?

Penny had spent a lot of time reminding Kurt that he wasn't in Ohio anymore and that they weren't teenagers. Kurt still had trust issues stemming from his time in high school.

When Penny had finally told Kurt she needed to get some sleep, he had settled into a bit of a depression. Kurt had gotten his hopes up (something he rarely does) and the world had once again disappointed him. He felt validated to keep his walls up and continue to not let people into his life.

Kurt had apparently landed on anger again.

Throughout Kurt's little tantrum, she had been rolling silverware for the night ahead.

"You look like you are winding up for a bit of a scene. At least help me while you do it, princess."

Kurt glared at his co-worker, but there was no heat behind it. He was so grateful to have her. She was such a great listener even if her brutal honesty was sometimes hard to bear. Ever since they met at work and learned that they both aspired to be on Broadway, they had clicked. Although he loved living with his step-brother and his fiancée, Kurt also needed someone else to center him and Penny was perfect at it.

Sitting down with a sigh and picking up two forks and a knife, he began rolling.

"He acted like nothing was different, almost like I was the one hurting him somehow. This is what I get for putting myself out there."

"For the record, you didn't actually put yourself out there. You never even asked him out or made a move."

"That's not the point." Kurt snapped. A little quieter, he added, "I was starting to think this would really turn into something good."

Penny could see the pain in his eyes. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him in high school in Ohio, but every now and then when Kurt let his guard down, she could see the fragile, damaged boy McKinley High had left behind. Kurt had walls up so high when it came to romance and love that she could only imagine how his formative years had been.

"Look Kurt, I'm sorry. I know it sucks having your heart played with, and you deserve so much better anyways.  I am sure one day you will meet your prince charming. Until then, you have me."

As an after thought Penny added, "and alcohol," accompanied by a mischievous wink.

***************************************************************

The dinner rush was just starting to die down when Kurt got sat a table of two businessmen who looked to be in their 40's. These two men were obviously trying to cling to their fading youth, with slicked back hair, dated suits, and gaudy jewelery.

"Hello gentlemen, welcome to La Grenouille. My name is Kurt and it will be my pleasure to take care of you this evening."

"I am sure it would." the darker haired man muttered, eyeing Kurt like he was trash.

Kurt kept a straight face. "Can I start you gentlemen with a glass of our house red or maybe a draft beer?"

He was used to dealing with rude people. It was part of the job.

"How about a new server instead?" blurted out the rude man.

"I'm sorry sir, but everyone else is full. Unless you would like to go wait for another table, I would be happy to take your order." Kurt's blood was starting to boil. Today was not the day to mess with Kurt Hummel.

After taking the men's drink orders and telling them about the nightly specials, Kurt escaped the table without any further incidents. Unfortunately, that didn't last long.

Kurt noticed that the second man had been pretty quiet so far. He wondered what that was about. As he was dropping off their drinks, the second man pushed his fork off the table and gave it a little kick.

"Well aren't you going to bend over and pick that up?"

He couldn't believe it. This man was trying to check him out while his friend bashed him. Kurt did as he was asked but made sure to crouch down and keep his front to the man.

"If you men are ready, I can take your order now."

"I know what I want, but you aren't going to be touching my food right? There are other people who do that?" Clearly this man was afraid of catching Kurt’s homosexuality.

"Correct sir, I just take your order and deliver your food," Kurt gritted out, having a hard time not fixing the man with his usual bitch glare.

He ran straight to Penny after leaving the table for the second time. He needed someone to calm him down and remind him that if he spilled hot food on his guest's lap, he would probably lose his job.

When the men's food was ready, Kurt asked Penny to drop it off but she was too busy with her own tables. Reluctantly, Kurt approached the table. He could see the rude man fixing his face into one of displeasure the second he saw Kurt.

As he set the plates on the table, he immediately started complaining.

"What the hell is this?"

"It is the beef short rib with black truffle potato mousseline and Brussels sprouts you ordered, sir" Kurt was getting exasperated.

"It is so small and faggy looking with all this green shit and sauces. I wanted something substantial; a real man needs actual food, not that you would know."

Kurt couldn’t handle it anymore. "I am sorry you can unhappy with what you ordered. Let me go grab my manager and hopefully we can find a way to fix the situation."

He could not get away from the table fast enough. For the second time that day Kurt slammed the kitchen door open.

Kurt took care of his other tables while his manager, Sam, dealt with the table from hell. He knew that he didn't do anything wrong, but Kurt hated that he had to run to Sam for help. A little while later, Sam came up to Kurt, letting his professional face fall and looking just as pissed as Kurt felt.

"I am so sorry about that Kurt. I took care of it. They just need to pay now, but don't feel like you have to do that. I will have someone else go pick up the check."

"No! I can handle it. I am not letting those two idiots control what I do." Kurt walked up to the table, keeping his face passive and his shoulders set.

"I am glad that my manager could help you gentlemen. I will get these checks out of the way and be right back with your cards and receipts."

Kurt was at the computer in the server's station, cashing out the table, when he felt someone come up behind him. He started when he felt unfamiliar hands on his hips, turning quickly to see the rude man's friend.

The man was way too close for Kurt's comfort and the look in his eyes definitely made Kurt uncomfortable. What did he want?

"I am so sorry for my friend's behavior," he slurred. Stepping even closer to whisper into Kurt's ear, he said, "Let me make it up to you."

The man's breath was hot on Kurt's face and he smelled on a combination of alcohol and cheap cologne. Kurt felt like he was going to be sick. Backed up against the computer, there was nowhere for Kurt to escape the man's roaming hands. He began to panic.

Then the man stiffened and his dark eyes shifted to a look of terror.

"If you would like me to not stab you with this steak knife, I recommend backing away from my friend Kurt here and leaving as quickly as you can."

Penny had come to Kurt's rescue.

The man jumped away from Kurt like he had been burnt. "I-I was. I was just trying to apologize," the man tried to explain. "He wanted it."

"I know for a fact that Kurt would never want anything from someone who dressed as poorly as you do. Didn't I say that I wanted you to leave as quickly as possible?" She began twirling the knife between her fingers.

"Alright, alright. We'll get out of here," the man said, raising his arms in surrender and backing up.

"And don't forget to tip Kurt!" yelled Penny to the man's retreating back.

Through the whole scene, Kurt hadn't moved or made a sound.

"Are you okay, babe?" Penny asked gently, eyeing Kurt with concern. She was clearly also shaken by what she had walked in on and was looking for reassurance that her friend was not harmed.

"Yes, yes I'm okay. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I can't believe I froze like that."

Both had seen Kurt deal with worse than that man with a sharp tongue and a seething glare. She pulled Kurt into a hug, waiting until he finally let his body relax into it.

As they pulled apart she said with a smile that she hoped was reassuring, "We need to get back to work, but drinks are on me tonight."

The two spent the evening spending the large tip left by Kurt's table from hell, bashing their customers and fending off suitors. Kurt ended up having to call Finn to pick him up.

As Finn was helping him up the stairs of their five-story walk up, Kurt couldn't help but think that he shouldn't have had that last drink. He hadn't eaten dinner and since he turned down Blaine's muffin, the last time he had eaten was lunchtime.

 Penny had taken them to their usual hole in the wall, Dublin House. It was just a small place with good music and better drinks. The two had spent the night drinking away Kurt's sorrows, leaving them both a little sloppy and very giggly.

"Kurt man, you got to help me out here."

Finn apparently felt that Kurt wasn't carrying enough of his own weight, as they made their way up the stairs. Kurt knew Finn had to be a little surprised to see him this drunk. He never drank that much, hating not being able to control himself.

When they finally made it to their apartment, Finn unceremoniously dropped Kurt on their couch. Rachel and Finn were exchanging worried glances when Kurt snapped.

"I just can't do this anymore. Why do guys suck so much? He has a kid! And I can't believe that guy touched me! I need a shower. And he has a kid."

Although he had started out yelling angrily, by the time Kurt ended his rant he felt only sadness.

Rachel rushed forward to give her best friend a hug and a shoulder to lean on.

"Everything will seem better in the morning. You need to just sleep it off. Let's get you ready for bed."

She pulled him up, dragging him to the bathroom to help him with his nightly routine. Rachel knew that if Kurt woke up and found out that she had let him go to bed without doing his moisturizer routine, he would never forgive her.

Once Kurt was clean and properly slathered in various creams and lotions, she helped into his bed, setting a small trashcan by his head and putting a glass of water and a few pain killers on his nightstand. She shut the door behind her, going to find her fiancé. As she slipped into her own bed beside Finn, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Kurt. She had been there in high school when Kurt had to deal with the bullying and crushes on straight boys. She knew why he had his walls built up, she just hoped that when the right person came along he would stick around long enough to break them down.