Marley: Marley Rose was completely and utterly screwed. That was all she could think as she headed for the Hummel-Evans apartment for their two year wedding anniversary. She hadn’t known Kurt and Sam then, but she knew them now and she knew that they were so in love it radiated. And wasn’t that what she wanted to? With Jake? No, she thought. Definitely not with Jake. If she had really thought about it in the two years they had been dating had she ever really truly loved him? Had she ever truly wanted to take the next step? She knew the answer was no but it still hurt when she replayed his words. He wasn’t going to wait forever. It was like she wasn’t worth waiting for, and maybe she wasn’t but insinuating he could find someone willing had made the brunette feel personally attacked. He had left their apartment, told her to figure out what she wanted and it hadn’t taken long. She had grabbed her guitar, a few sets of clothes and the precisely wrapped gift, a cotton covered picture album, left her key on the table and headed out. Only she didn’t know where she was going to go and it was going to make her sick if she thought too hard about it. She shook her head, shook the thought away and knocked on Kurt and Sam’s door. She was a bit early but hopefully they wouldn’t mind.

Kurt: Kurt was aware his anxiety about the party was probably annoying the hell out of Sam and Jesse, but he didn't really care. Sure, it wasn't as big as some of the fashion events he planned for vogue.com, but it was so much more important. It was a symbol of the last two years, two of the most amazing years in his life, married to the only person who was even more incredible than he was. It wasn't much to ask that there were enough chips, and that their apartment didn't look like three boys lived in it. Thankfully, with Sam and Jesse out on a grocery run and the apartment looking almost perfect, Kurt was feeling much calmer than he had when his roommates had left. He frowned at a knock on the door. It was far too early for a guest to arrive! Still, he walked to the door and looked through the peephole. If anyone was going to be unfashionably early, it was going to be Marley or Rachel. He sighed before putting a smile on his face and answering the door. "Hello! Come right in!" He exclaimed, then realized what she had brought with her. "Is everything okay?"

Marley: Marley plastered a smile on her face as she heard him opening the door and held out the wrapped box. “Happy Anniversary!” She said as brightly as she could. Her smiled faltered when he looked at her guitar and the small tote bag with a few of her things sticking out. “What...yea...I’m totally fine...just...” she sighed and looked down at the floor before looking up at him. “Jake and I are over...and I have no where to go...”

Kurt: Kurt smiled slightly as she wished him a happy anniversary. Two years with Sam, he still couldn't believe it! But he was concerned about his friend. His mouth hung open slightly as she told him part of what had happened. "Come on," He told her before accepting the present and picking up her tote bag for her. Once inside, he gingerly set the items down on the counter and looked at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Marley: Marley followed him in and sighed, setting her guitar up against the counter and running her fingers through her long brown hair. “What’s there to talk about? He told me he didn’t want to keep waiting for me...he said he could find someone today that wanted to be with him and that I needed to make my mind up”

Kurt: Kurt leaned against the kitchen island as he listened to his friend. It sounded like there was a miscommunication to him, like Jake equated sex and emotional intimacy. But there was something off about how long Marley and Jake had been together. Kurt wasn't insanely sexual, not in the way Jesse was. In all of his relationships, he never had the urge to rip off anyone's clothes until he'd been with them for a little while. But two years? That was too much, even for Kurt. It made him wonder if, somewhere deep inside, Marley knew she didn't really love Jake enough to want to give him that piece of her. "And you're sure about this?" He asked carefully

Marley: Marley chuckled and shrugged. “I didn’t even know I was packing until I was on my way here and realized what I had done...but it felt right...it felt like this weight had been lifted off of my chest...like I could breathe” she sighed and looked up at Kurt and shook her head. “But today is not about me,” she said taking his hands and squeezing them lovingly. “This is about celebrating you and your husband and this wonderful life you’ve created together” she said with a smile, forcing herself to not think about her own problems. Today wasn’t about her and that was a good thing.

Kurt: Kurt nodded. At least she was sure, and even felt better about it. "Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?" He wasn't ignoring her trying to put the attention back on him, but he wanted to make sure he didn't need to worry about her tonight and they could revisit the rest of this in a couple days.

Marley: “I’m just going to go to the office and stay in my cubicle for the night,” she said with a shake of her head and a shrug. “I’ll figure something out...”

Kurt: "What? You can't do that" He shook his head. That sounded neither comfortable nor particularly safe. "You can stay here for a few days. Sam and I are staying at a hotel tonight, and then we'll be at a spa for a couple days. You're more than welcome to stay in our bedroom while you figure things out."

Marley: “Are you sure?” She asked biting her lip. “I really don’t want to put you out!” She said worried though she couldn’t deny that the idea of having some place safe to stay sounded ideal.

Kurt: "It's not putting us out! The bed won't be getting use from us anyways, and I'd rather know you were somewhere safe while I'm getting my massage." He explained it from that viewpoint so Marley would be less likely to argue about inconveniencing him.

Marley: Marley couldn’t help but reach over and hug him. “Thank you so much,” she said pulling away. “I will be out of her by the time you get back I swear! I’ll look in the classifieds to find someone looking for a roommate”

Kurt: Kurt hugged her back. "Like Craigslist?" He pulled a face. "I know someone who's looking for a roommate, and she'll be here tonight. I was planning on talking to her and, if she's open to the idea, introducing you two."

Marley: “I mean maybe less creepy than Craigslist...” she said with a laugh. “Seriously?!” She asked shocked by it. “I’m so excited to meet her then!”

Kurt: "She's basically the female version of me, if I were always cranked to my highest intensity." He explained with a smile.

Marley: Marley laughed at the explanation. “Honestly...that’s the best description I’ve ever heard of someone in my life”

Kurt: "Are you saying my ardor is one of my best features?"

Marley: “I’m saying that I love you so much that the idea of there being a girl version makes me very happy” she teased with a laugh. “Do you need help setting up since I came so early?”

Kurt: "She doesn't dress as well as me, but she can sing circles around me. And that's not an insult on my singing abilities - my voice is one of my greatest strengths - but rather a reflection of how good she is"(edited)

Marley: “Really?” She said her interest piqued. Maybe this girl would want to listen to Marley’s music, maybe she would be willing to help Marley with her music.

Kurt: "She's a Broadway performer."

Marley: “Really?” She asked shocked. “That’s amazing...”

Kurt: "It shouldn't be too surprising. I only associate with incredible people." He smirked.

Marley: “Which is why I can’t figure out why you want to be friends with me” she teased with a laugh.

Kurt: "Because you're amazing too, Marley Rose."

 Marley: Marley blushed and looked down. “Thank you...you’re great Mr. Hummel-Evans”

Kurt: "I know." He grinned, jokingly

Yes, a lot of people probably thought it was weird that Kurt was so close to his future sister-in-law Marley. After all, Finn’s last fiancée was Rachel, Kurt’s best friend and Finn moving on from her was unacceptable, right? And wasn’t Finn her teacher?

Well, if anyone brought that up to Kurt, he planned on raising a very well groomed eyebrow at them. First of all, he and Rachel were not best friends. Nothing happened, they just drifted apart as Kurt started to pursue fashion and Rachel moved to LA for a TV show. They weren’t close anymore, but he would still call her a friend, just not his best friend. That title would go to Santana or Finn or, well, even Marley.

Because that was the second thing he’d bring up: Marley was awesome. She was sweet, funny, sassy, and the most gentle person he had ever met. Kurt knew she was talented since the moment he saw her audition for New Directions, but he never knew her personally until she moved up to New York for a degree in commercial music. She needed a place to stay and she needed it just in time for Rachel’s move to LA. Santana and Kurt both welcomed her with open arms and Marley quickly became Kurt’s new shopping buddy. 

And that would lead to the third point: Kurt was the one to suggest Finn ask Marley out when he moved to the city. Marley was nice and kind of dorky and awkward like Finn and the complete opposite of Rachel. Kurt thought they could make a good pair or, at the very least, a nice pallet cleanser after years of Rachel and Quinn on rotation. Finn resisted the idea at first since he sort of taught Marley, but, well, he finally gave in. Kurt was probably their biggest supporter from their decision to be official to meeting the parents in Lima to moving in together to, finally, them getting engaged. Of course, Kurt’s boyfriend Puck couldn’t be as public with his love of their pairing because Marley had also dated his brother once upon a time in high school, but that was a whole different story.

Anyways, Marley was just like the sister Kurt never had: funny, nice, and more than willing to try on new outfits he designed. In fact, a lot of people would assume they were brother and sister when they went out together, with two pairs of bright, blue eyes and brown hair and the pale skin that stuck out in the melting pot that was New York City.

Marley was even paler than usual when they finally went Christmas shopping. The lack of sun made her fade almost to Kurt’s shade, though her nose never turned quite as bright red as his did. “Ughhh, why didn’t I go to school in LA?” Marley whined when they finally got inside the shopping center, her hair tousled around her face and hat. “I bet it’s nice and sunny over there.”

“It maybe be warmer, but would you be engaged?” Kurt asked as he took off his gloves. 

“...Probably not,” Marley said as she unwrapped her scarf, “But that ring isn’t keeping me warm.” With a sly grin, she added, “I guess Finn does, though.”

Kurt wrinkled his nose and gave her a playful slap on the arm. “Gross.” Marley laughed and they made their way to the food court for some warm beverages to help with the chill of the weather.

They discussed presents they were planning on the way. Kurt had already bought stuff for most of his family and friends, but he needed some advice from Marley on a good gift for his brother. Marley needed approval on a skirt she had her eye on for Santana and, of course, something for Puck. Their conversation flowed easily until they ordered their drinks.

“Nonfat mocha, please,” Kurt said.

“Hmmm...peppermint white chocolate mocha,” Marley said after a split second of thought.

After paying, Kurt rolled his eyes. “I cannot believe you ordered one of the sugariest drinks in the world.”

“What? I basically got the same thing as you!” 

“A peppermint white chocolate mocha is not a nonfat mocha,” Kurt said. 

Marley took that as her cue to roll her eyes. “Come on! Peppermint is great and white chocolate--”

“Is not even real chocolate, like in a mocha.”

Marley shook her head and laughed. “I’m a basic white girl; what do you expect?”

“You are not basic,” Kurt said as their names were called for their drinks. He picked his up and said, “But your order definitely is.”

“Do you have something against peppermint?” Marley asked as she slipped a sleeve onto her drink. 

“I’d rather have chocolate.”

“It’s not an either or!” Marley exclaimed.

“Well, if it was, I’d choose chocolate and my nonfat mocha any day,” Kurt said before taking a sip. “Not too sweet, not too bitter. It’s perfect.”

“I’d choose peppermint. Sweet with the tiniest bit of a kick from the mint. That’s why Finn and I decorated our tree with candy canes,” Marley said with a grin, her arm swinging at her side.

Kurt stopped for a moment and looked at her smile. Then he shook his head and they continued down the way to Charlotte Rouse. “So, basically, you chose a drink that describes you.” Kurt gave her a playful nudge. “’Sweet but with a kick’? Totally the Marley Rose of flavors.”

“Look who’s talking,” Marley said, giving Kurt a nudge in return. “I’d use ‘cynical’ instead, but ‘not too sweet, not too bitter’ works for you.”

Kurt offered her his arm and she linked her free one with it. “I take that as a compliment, Miss Rose. Now let’s find that skirt before someone else manages to buy it.”

Kurt: , with his arms crossed over his chest, surveyed the dress from top to bottom, humming. While Marley may not have been enjoying herself, Kurt certainly was; he just couldn't see why Marley hadn't liked any of the dresses he had picked out. "This one really accentuates your curves, though. It looks fantastic on you." The dress (probably the seventh one Marley had tried on so far) was red, falling to her knees where it flared out. There was a burnt orange bow wrapped taut around her waist, hugging her body quite nicely. "What's bad about this one?"

Marley turned to face the mirror again and swallowed, giving herself another look over. Curves? What curves? she thought. It was a lovely dress, all of them had been, but none of them seemed to fit right. Marley knew that she was torturing herself coming here with the larger mirrors making all of her flaws painfully obvious to her. She wasn't about to let Kurt on though. No, she needed to keep up the act that she was completely comfortable in her body. She was awkward enough at parties as it was. Marley turned to look at Kurt again. "C-could we just try another one?"

Kurt: would have been blind if he hadn't noticed the grief stricken face Marley made every time she looked at herself in the floor length mirrors around them. Kurt's brow furrowed and he frowned, tight lipped with concern. Kurt had dealt with girls before, many of them insecure, but not one had ever been as sweet as Marley, and surely none as beautiful. So he had to wonder what the problem was, really. Still, because he didn't feel that it was his business to pry, Kurt acquiesced, and nodded curtly. "Sure. But maybe you should pick one yourself this time? Maybe if you find one you like, I can just give you my opinion on it. That might work better since none of my choices match your interests."

Marley hesitantly nodded and made her way to the dressing room, needing to get out of that dress as quick as possible. She needed to put her regular clothes on for a while, so she actually feel like she could breathe, though not by much more. Because she had slipped out of many parties and therefore the dresses she would end up shoving in her closet before retreating underneath her covers or to the library, Marley got out of her dress fairly quickly and sat down on the chair in the dressing room, feeling completely overwhelmed. She wouldn't be having this problem if she were her sister. Em could wear sweats and be breathtakingly beautiful.

Kurt: waited for a while outside of the dressing room, perusing the racks of dresses quietly. He thumbed at some of the fabrics, pulled gowns out to look at, swept up and down rows of dresses just looking for lack of much else to do, and waited for Marley. And waited. And waited. Kurt realized that something was wrong when Marley hadn't emerged from the dressing room after roughly ten minutes. Kurt went back to the changing rooms, gently rapping at the door he knew his friend to be behind. “Sweetie, are you okay?” He asked softly. So he definitely hadn't just been imagining something off with Marley, then. “You've been in there an awful long time.”

Marley was too absorbed in her thoughts to realize how much time had actually passed. She was taken out of her thoughts when she heard the knock on the door. Letting out a slight sigh, Marley got up and took the dress off the hook before opening the door. "Sorry... I got distracted," she mumbled before brushing past Kurt to hang the dress up on the rack and start to act like she was genuinely interested in looking through the nearby dresses.

Kurt: wasn't stupid. There were a lot of things he was – but stupid was not one of them. He watched Marley, and as an actor, he was able to discern genuine interest and interest that was forced, and this girl was certainly doing some serious forcing. Kurt followed her out with arms crossed, eyes narrowed just slightly. “Thinking about something important?” He implored, determined to get to the bottom of Marley's strange behavior. Kurt wasn't one for prying, but he had this inkling of suspicion that something really bad was going on in that pretty little head.

Marley ran her fingers along the hangers and let out a slight sigh. With her back still to Kurt she replied, "The only thing I'm thinking about right now is finding a dress for the gala." She pushed a few of the dresses aside so she could look at one that was a light shade of blue. However, when she saw the size she retracted her hand and bit her lip, trying to refrain from making some sort of noise of displeasure. Marley turned to look at Kurt. "Um, shouldn't my dress match whatever you're wearing?"

Kurt: tried to keep the displeased look off of his face, but he was sure that he failed miserably. He reminded himself that it was not his right to pry, no matter how badly he wanted to know what was ailing Marley, and with a sigh, he nodded. “You could, yes, but it isn't entirely necessary.” Kurt rifled through some more dresses to busy himself before remembering, and adding on as an after thought, “Oh, and I'm color coordinating with your sister. Just so you're aware.”

Marley raised an eyebrow slightly in Kurt's direction. "You're matching with Em, yet you're going with me? That's kind of..." She wracked her brain for the right word. "I don't even know, honestly," she said after a moment. "Welllll.... can I at least know what colors you're wearing?

Kurt: smiled and looked over at her. “Well Emilia asked me if I wanted to color coordinate before you asked me to go with you, and who am I to turn down the opportunity for something related to high fashion?” With that, Kurt let go of the dress he was holding, allowing it to swish back into its place on the rack, and he dug his phone out of his pocket. He messed around with it for a second before extending it to Marley. On the screen Kurt's suit was displayed, and he grinned rather smugly. “Pretty nice, right? Cost over seven-hundred dollars, and it was specially made. For me.” Kurt beamed as he pulled his phone back and turned it off, dropping it right back into his pocket. There were some perks to being royalty.

Marley walked over to Kurt and stood next to him, leaning in a bit to see the picture on his phone. Once Kurt gave her the phone, she was able to see the picture of his suit better. Glancing up for a moment when Kurt mentioned he price, she only nodded and gave it another look before handing the phone back to the boy. Marley wasn't one for spending a lot on her clothes if she could help it. She didn't really like all of the glitz and glam with being royalty, prefering the simpler things. "It's really nice, Kurt. You're going to look fabulous in it as always. Now if only I could find something for me to wear..." She let out another sigh. They seemed to be occurring more frequently, but she supposed that it was better than the groans that she so eagerly wanted to let out.

Kurt: gave the girl a sympathetic look, cooing. “Sweetheart, you're going to look good in anything you pick out, I promise.” Some part of Kurt didn't find it fair that Marley was stressing out over this so much. He plucked at another dress, pulling it out for the girl to look at. “What about this one? It's simple.”

Marley gave Kurt a slight smile. She knew that he was only looking out for her best interest. "That's awfully sweet of you to say," she said. It was something that didn't hurt too much to say, since she didn't exactly have to agree with it. Marley looked at the dress that Kurt pulled out. She shook her head and turned back to the racks of dresses.

Kurt: closed his eyes in his best attempts of not getting angry, but this proved easier said than done when Marley was, in his opinions, being difficult. There were hundreds of dresses – and Marley didn't like any of them. Kurt was starting to get frustrated, but he took in a breath, released it, and calmed himself down. “Okay, I'm going to go sit down over near the dressing rooms. Just come get me when you've found a dress that you like.” Kurt smiled at her as sweetly as he could manage, because he didn't want her to know how agitated he was getting, and it really wasn't her fault – Kurt just didn't have much patience when he wasn't shopping for himself. He rubbed a hand over Marley's shoulder in a friendly gesture and walked over to the couches situated just outside of the dressing rooms.

Marley could sense that Kurt was getting agitated. She knew that it was her fault, that she couldn't find anything that fit right on her. She wasn't about to let Kurt how much she felt like she was struggling with... well, everything. After all, she was Marley Rose: the one that seemed to be able to conjure up the wisdom to solve a thousand problems. She couldn't let anyone see how bad she was with dealing with her own. Marley bit her lip and nodded, watching as Kurt left to go and sit on one of the couches. She let out a small breath, for whatever reason she had been holding in.

Kurt: was doing his very best to not look up every second to see if Marley had made any progress, busying himself with his phone. Angry Birds had never seemed so riveting. There was an unease about Kurt though, because he knew something was bothering Marley, and though he was admittedly frustrated, he wasn't... really mad at her. It was, in some way, him being worried. Kurt had dealt with girls and their slow shopping habits, but this was -- definitely different. Kurt remembered the looks of discomfort on Marley's face when they had been in the dressing rooms, and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was some serious underlying issue there. No, that wasn't how normal girls, even insecure ones, looked when they tried on beautiful dresses. Kurt sighed, and bit his lip. The only thing he could do now was wait on her to find the dress she wanted to wear. He could ask questions later. Maybe.

Marley spent her time carefully walking past the different dresses, stopping ever so often to look at a dress or two. Maybe she shouldn't have even gone dress shopping with Kurt. Of course it didn't have anything to do with the fact that it was with him; Kurt was a great consultant when it came to picking out things to wear. It just seemed like the longer Marley spent in the store, the more she felt like she was going to be sick or something. But Marley knew that she had to suck it up and pick something out so she could finally get out of there. If she was going to go to the gala, she knew that it didn't have to be for a long time and that she was really making a mountain out of a molehill, or at least that's what she told herself over and over again in order to move forward and continue looking at the dresses. Finally she came across something that might actually work. Of course, she wouldn't know until she tried it on and by this point the way it fit on her was more important than how it actually looked. Marley hesitantly reached forward to grab the hanger, tentatively curling her fingers around the hook. With a release of her breath, Marley walked back over to where the dressing rooms were and gave Kurt a slight nod toward the dress before locking herself in one of the rooms.

Kurt: occupied himself for as long as he could, poking around on his phone, watching funny Youtube videos -- biding time until Marley would find something. It seemed like -- like years had passed at this point, if he was being honest, but finally Marley came trekking his way with a dress in tow. Kurt could swear that the heavens had split wide open and the angels were singing in the hallelujah choirs. He breathed a sigh and smiled happily at her, giving her a thumbs up as she disappeared behind the dressing room door for what was hopefully the last time. From what Kurt had seen, the dress was quite pretty. Fairly simple, but nice. Not to mention that Marley had picked it out herself, which was definitely a good sign. Or so Kurt hoped, anyway.

Marley had slipped out of her clothes and yet again put on another dress, doing her best to not catch a glimpse of her bare body in the mirror. Once she had gotten the dress on, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. It was a nice dress, fairly simple in the fact that it was grey-blue in color and had a lace overlay. It wasn't designer, but that wasn't something that bothered Marley. She turned to see what she looked at from different angles, trying to make sure that she didn't look extremely bad in one light or another. Marley let out a sigh and opened the door, peeking her head out. "Kurt?"

Kurt: perked up the second Marley poked her head out of the door. In an instant he was up, pushing the door open gently to get a better look at his friend. She was, as usual, gorgeous. The dress looked so good on her, better than all the rest, even. With a smile, he walked around her in a surveying circle, and then his smile just grew and grew and grew. "I think we have ourselves a winner, miss Marley Rose. It's stunning." Kurt put his hands on his hips as his eyes raked over her from head to toe. "Do you like it?"

Marley watched Kurt as he looked her over. She didn't like the way that his eyes raked over her, but she wasn't about to protest. He was merely just getting the information he needed to give her his valid opinion. "It... works."

Kurt: nodded and hummed, like he often did when he was in thought. The dress would definitely be a perfect match to his own suit, that was for sure. But he tasted a hint of dissatisfaction in Marley, like maybe she didn't really like the dress at all. But he didn't want to press. Okay, yes he did, it just wasn't really his place to. So rather than asking any more questions he just dropped his arms to his sides again and nodded once more. "Lovely, because it looks fantastic on you."

Marley smiled slightly at Kurt. "Thank you." She bit her lip and took another look at her reflection in the mirror. "I think I'm going to get this one. Um, could you leave now, please?" She didn't want to seem like she wanted him to leave, but then again she was pretty sure that neither of them would be comfortable if she started to undress then and there.

Kurt: snorted, eyes rolling. "No, I am going to stand right here and watch as you strip down to your lady garments." Kurt teased, already making his way to the door. But he stopped with his hand on the handle, looking at Marley over his shoulder, pausing to think for a moment. This seemed like a good a time as ever. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything. I know that it probably seems like you're all by yourself, but I'm your friend, okay?" A soft smile graced his lips as he extended his offer, hand coming down on the door handle to pull the door open. "Just, you know, fyi. I figure that since we both have that loner quality, it might be good to know you have someone who understands." Then Kurt was gone, right back to waiting for Marley to change.