Started: Dec, 2012

Finished: Dec, 2012

A/N: This fic picks up right after Kurt and Rachel's meeting in the hallway in 3x03.

::

"I think we should talk, don't you?" Kurt confronted her at her locker.

"About the upcoming deadline for the NYADA applications?" Rachel asked.

"About you telling coach Beiste that you're running for senior class president, against me."

"Look Kurt, you saw Mercedes, ok. I'm not going to get the part. So I figured if I win I'll make you vice president and I thought if you win you could just do vice versa."

"Rachel, if you win president it will better your chances of getting into NYADA yes but if I win it could make a huge difference at this school. Not just for me but kids like me. Things could actually change for them. So whatever it takes, I'm winning."

"I just, I need something for my senior year that's going to make me special, that's going to make me stand out. I thought Maria was going to be that. You understand you're just as ambitious as I am and that's why we're friends."

"Rachel, in ten years when you look back at this time, you're not going to be thinking about the clubs you belonged to or the parts you had, you'll be thinking about the friends you had and the ones you tossed aside."

::

She woke up on an uncomfortable hard surface. Finding she couldn't move, she looked around desperately. "You're finally awake," said a familiar soft voice.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"My pretty, beautiful, perfect, smart, talented Rachel," he drawled in a mocking tone.

"Kurt," she swallowed. "What's going on? What is this?"

"Remember New York?" He began in a tone much lower then his usual. "It wasn't that long ago. I pulled you with me; we broke into the Gershwin theatre, and got caught. We were both so nervous that we were going go to jail, be sent home or be disqualified from Nationals, he lamented. But we were allowed to stay and we felt the lights of Broadway on our faces for the first time."

"Kurt what is this? What are you doing? Why am I wrapped in plastic?"

He brought his fist down on the table she lay on. "Say you remember!" He shouted.

"I-I remember," she said not yet having a full grasp on what was going on but she was getting quite an unsettling feeling. "What is this? What are you doing?" She asked again.

He put his hand over her mouth and answered. "I'm, talking and you're, listening."

"We went to the NYADA potential applicant's mixer, he continued while walking slowly around the table. To see the competition we would be up against. After being completely and totally blown away we sat in the car and cried, convinced we weren't good enough to be accepted. You talked about changing our names and us having to resort to community theatre. Rachel, I lifted you up. I made you a promise that I wouldn't give up on you, that I wouldn't let you give up on you…and you did the same for me." He smiled a little.

"And I said, you made me want to be your boyfriend," she recalled.

The smile left his face. "You're no one's friend, not really."

It was then that she realized what this was about. "You think I betrayed you."

"Think? No honey, you did."

"Could you take this plastic off me? It isn't necessary. I'm not going to leave. I'll stay here as long as you want to talk." He merely shook his head no. "This is all really very uncomfortable, please. I can't move."

"That's the idea." He hopped up on top of her lying on his stomach with his hands folded on her chest and his legs up in the air like a school girl. "You sabotaged my audition for West Side story. I was doing great."

"The judges where laughing at you," she said trying to take the focus off of her.

"You didn't let me finish. You humiliated me."

"It had nothing to do with me," she protested.

"You really believe that?" He asked disgusted. "You really believe it wasn't your fault?"

"No, it wasn't my fault. You were great but they where our friends and they are so used to seeing you in a certain way. If you performed in front of someone who didn't know you, they would be sold."

He stared off to the side. "No, here's the dope princess, you screwed up my audition." He grabbed her face. "I never did get that kiss." He leaned down and kissed Rachel's pouty pathetic face. He let her think for a few moments that the kiss was benevolent. So it came as a shock to her when she felt a jolt of pain as he bit her lip. She gasped and tried not to scream. She blinked away tears and tried to suppress crying. He licked his lips and looked down his nose at her. "I want, you to say, you're sorry."

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to help you. I thought your idea to re-audition by playing the role of Romeo was brilliant," she said shakily. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have pulled away."

"And then, getting the lead in the play wasn't enough for you. You got greedy and sought to take class president from me too." He sighed.

"I just needed something to make me stand out," she reasoned.

"Funny you should say that. I have everything that makes you stand out right here," he unfolded the piece of paper.

"What?"

"Your resume," he hissed. Chills ran though her body. "Seems you had a lot that made you stand out. You have the lead in the musical, all the clubs and wanted class president too. You said you needed something to make you stand out as if you had nothing and I believed you! You lied to my face."

"I did and I'm sorry. There's no excuse but When Britney sang that song about changing the world it got me thinking that maybe I can change the world. I wanted senior class president because I thought I could make a difference."

He looked at her indifferently. "What good are you going to be in this world when you discard people you claim to care about? "

"I'll drop out of the class president race."

"Liar," he interjected.

"No, I'm not lying. I am dropping out of it and I will help you. Anything you want, anything you need. That was our deal, that we'd help each other. I-I am your friend Kurt, but my quest to excel, I lost sight of you but I regret that and I know you need it on your application. We both know you'd win."

"I had a glimmer of hope but then it was destroyed. Damn Britney and those flamingly gay unicorn posters! I told her not to use them."

"Maybe she did it on purpose," she said trying to take the focus off of herself.

"No. Britney's stupid. Sincere, but stupid. 2 things you are not. Stop trying to lessen your sins." He hopped up off her and stood. "You even tried to take Blaine from me."

"But you two weren't together."

His eyes flashed. "How dare you?" He slapped her hard across the face. "You knew I had eyes for that boy ever since I met him."

"What would he think if he saw you now?"

"You!" he said furiously sticking his finger in her face causing her to flinch. "Do not get to talk about him."

"I'm sorry," she whispered and tried to control her breathing. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"That's the scariest part huh?" He smiled. "The not knowing? Now you know how it feels to fear, like I did. You manipulative, narcissistic and remorseless harpy."

"Listen, I know your mad but-"

"Infuriated," he interrupted. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He started to walk around the table. "The truth is, I haven't decided yet. Maybe something to do with this." He took his belt off and draped it around his neck. "Or this, he took out a pocket knife. Or maybe this, he showed her a simple clear plastic bag."

"What, what are you going to do with those?" She asked.

"What do you think Rachel? What are you most afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," she lied. "I know, I know you just want to talk to me. Tell me how you feel. I, I've been wanting to talk to you too."

He hopped up on the table and straddled her hips. "Maybe you can help me decide, hmm?" He said as casually presenting the items as if he where showing outfits to her.

"You, you want me to choose how you're going to hurt me?" His face remained unmoved. "No, you won't do this."

"Choose," he said forcefully, "or I'll choose for you."

"Don't," she said.

"Fine," he said as he quickly put the bag over her head and sealed it at her neck with his hands. She was shocked and couldn't believe this was happening up until she became dizzy with lack of oxygen then it became horrifyingly real. He watched her form struggle though she was bound tight in his saran wrap cocoon. Then his eyes settled on her face, his favorite part, the part that showed her suffering. She saw stars. Seeing that she was about to pass out he took the bag off. "One down, 2 to go," he said smiling crookedly as he hopped off her.

She gasped in air several times. "Kurt, you don't know what you're doing," she panted. "Think about what you're doing. You have to stop. Just stop. Listen to me Kurt, this isn't you," she began carefully. "Don't do this. You're always so sweet and kind. That's why that why I love you."

"You love me?" He gripped her hair at the back of her head hard. She held her breath to keep from crying out. "The only person you love, he hissed, is yourself."

"That's not true. That's not true," she cried.

She flinched away as he leaned down into her face and said, "It is true." He stood straight. "Oh Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," he said as he rounded her once more. "When I announced that I was transferring to Dalton Academy, the first words out of your mouth I believe were, he cleared his throat and did his best Rachel impersonation; Does this mean you're going to be competing against us at sectionals?"

"I'm sorry if that's the first thing I thought of, but then I thought of how much we would all miss you."

"Oh please, all you could think of was how all of you handed me over to the Warblers thus dashing any hopes of winning at sectionals."

"It's because you're good."

"It's because I can be used by you. I'm not a person to you, I'm a thing. Then when I came back to ask for your help for my audition for my solo," he put his hands up in the air dramatically. "You accused me of spying on you to get a leg up for sectionals."

"But I helped you. I look up to you."

"How can you look up to me and be paranoid that I'm out to cheat at the same time? How could you think that of me? Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?" He looked at her desperately.

"No," she answered and started to cry again.

He sat next to her looked down at her. "I thought we had the same dream," he cried. "You and I!"

"I did! We still do."

"You say one thing and then do another," he lamented.

"Remember when we sang that duet last year. I reached out to you. I had no ulterior motive. Only that we share the same passion for show tunes. We sang Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland's Happy Days Are Here Again. That was real. You don't know how real that was to me. This isn't you. The Kurt that I know is full of kindness, empathy and truth."

"He, like Elvis," he said while using his teeth to open the folding knife. "My Ruthless Rachel, has left the building. "All that's left," he stated as he ran the knife up and down her wrapped form, "is this."

She struggled to gather her thoughts, finally feeling like she was in real danger. "Think about what you're doing Kurt," she reasoned. "The consequences of what ever horrible things you're thinking about doing, ok? You'll go to prison. Do you hear me? You'll be throwing your future away."

"I know my future will eventually be bright. I can't say the same for yours though."

"Remember the Barbra-vention you gave me, she forced a smile. I really appreciated that. You made me feel so good about myself. You're amazing. No one could've convinced me the way you did. And the way you danced," she recalled and laughed a little.

He bit his bottom lip and smiled. "That's right honey. It was my very best my beak nosed Maleficent but now I wish I could take it all back. In fact," he leaned on his elbow and traced her face with the flat of the blade. "I could do my own reconstruction." Her eyes grew wide and she didn't move or breathe.

He lingered over her keeping the agonizing suspense.

He giggled you should see your face right now. He shook his head. "You are a sociopathic cold hearted bitch." She started to cry again when he stood straight.

"When we where at the Gershwin in New York," she began another attempt at reaching the good in him. "We sang For Good from Wicked. Do you remember? Because I knew you, I've been changed for good. You've changed me for the better."

"Poppycock," he interrupted. "I refused to think I've had that dreadful of an influence on you."

She continued to recite lyrics to the song, "and just to clear the air I ask forgiveness for-"

A sock was unceremoniously stuffed in her mouth. He leaned on his elbows and rested his face atop his hands. "I've wanted to do that for so, so long." He stared down at her. She blinked tears away. "I want to remember this. You, just like this." He sighed. "As much as I enjoy the sight of you with a sock in your mouth, this will be all over soon and I like to hear you plead your case, no matter how thin and weak it is." He took the sock out of her mouth.

She could think of nothing else to say in her defense. Imagine that, Rachel at a loss for words.

"You're such a thorn in so many people's sides. You weren't even nice to me," he played with the belt around his neck like he was modeling it. "You were jealous, rude, insincere, paranoid and full of motives." He stood right behind and above her above her head. "I hate motives," he seethed. He wrapped the belt around her neck.

"Wait, what are you doing? No no no don't please," she cried. "I understand why you're doing this. I know you're angry but I don't think you really want to do this. Stop this let me go right now and I won't say anything. Stop."

He paused, looking down at her. "Really? You'd do that for me? Well, I'm glad you understand," he sighed. "This is wrong in so many ways. Calm down, ok?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Just relax, ok?"

Rachel tried to catch her breath. Her sobs turned into sobs of relief.

"Geeze, I'm glad you stopped me before I did any thing I'd regret. Who would think I'd get away with it anyway and prison isn't anyplace for a guy of my…stature. Ok, its ok," he soothed. "Rachel, Rachel look at me." She looked at him. You're ok right?"

"Mmhmm," she squeaked.

"That's good. No," he suddenly said, turning on her. He grabbed the belt again and started choking her slowly. "I do," he said. "I say I'm going to get away with it." She could barely talk let alone breathe. He watched her struggle grinding his teeth and sneering down at her. "It's always been the Rachel Berry show," he said. "That ends here."