Chapter 20: Be my Valentine

Lima, OH, January 25, 2011

Kurt had decided to accompany his father and Finn to the PFLAG meeting the week before Blaine's seventeen's birthday so he would have a chance to talk to Blaine's mom. He just hoped the woman would be at the meeting.

Finn was asking all kinds of questions in the car because it would be his first meeting and Burt and Kurt tried to answer them to the best of their abilities. Kurt was thankful for the distraction because he did feel a little bad about going behind Blaine's back.

When they arrived at the community center, Burt took Finn with him to introduce him to some people while Kurt circled the room looking for Mrs. Anderson. He found the small woman at a table in the back where coffee and cookies were being served.

"Mrs. Anderson," he approached her cautiously. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Kurt, Blaine's boyfriend." Mrs. Anderson looked him over for a few seconds before she nodded. "You are still together?" she asked looking surprised. It was Kurt's time to nod.

Kurt thought that was the whole conversation because Blaine's mom just continued to stare, but when she spoke again there were tears in her eyes.

"Is he okay? Where does he live? I've wanted to call him so badly, but at first I was afraid my husband would find out and when I finally found the courage the number had been disconnected."

"My mom added him to our phone plan last year," Kurt explained, not sure if or how he should answer the first two questions. Blaine's mom looked relieved at that. "Oh, thank god. I know my husband gives him money, but I called Dalton and they told me he wasn't enrolled any longer and they didn't know where he transferred too. I was afraid something might have happened to him."

Kurt had to put her out of her misery. "Blaine's been staying with me and my family for nearly a year now. We go to school together and he is doing very well all things considered." Mrs. Anderson gave him a small smile. "Thank you for telling me that."

Kurt thought it was time to tell Blaine's mom the real reason for his visit. "My father met your husband in Cleveland and recognized you in a picture. He was the one who told me you came here too." Mrs. Anderson looked around curiously, probably trying to figure out who his dad was. "It's the man with the baseball cap next to the giant teenager," Kurt told her.

"Burt is your father?" Blaine's mom asked surprised. People always were surprised when they found out. "Well, at least now I know who to thank for punching my husband. He didn't say who did it and tried to convince me he walked into a door," she chuckled and Kurt couldn't help it but laugh too.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Kurt said after moment. "My father told me about your situation and I wanted to make you an offer. I have a house that's currently empty, so if you wanted you could move in there until you got back on your feet. It's close to where we live now, so maybe you and Blaine could try to build up a relationship again." Kurt handed her a card before he continued.

"That's where Blaine lives now, if you ever decide you want to see him." "Are you sure he would even want to talk to me? It's been nearly a year," Blaine's mom asked after she had put the card into her purse. Kurt shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. Blaine doesn't really talk about you, but I'll try and talk to him and see how he's feeling about you. Just think about my offer. I recently lost my mother and if there is a chance Blaine could have his back I'd do anything to make that happen."

"I'm so sorry. I promise I think about it." "That's all I ask for right now."

Kurt said goodbye to Blaine's mom after that and told his father he would wait for them in the car. He had to figure out a way to talk to Blaine about his mom without giving away too much too early.

Finn had wanted to ask out Sarah ever since his talk with Kurt, but every time they had been alone together he had chickened out. Luckily, Kurt had given him an out when he had come downstairs to talk about the upcoming weekend.

"I'm throwing a little party for Blaine's birthday on Friday. Mostly the Gleeks, but I think they'll understand that I can't just kick you out of the house for it. Why don't you invite Sarah to the party? Tina and Artie are both sophomores as well, so she would know at least some one apart from you and I."

"Really dude?" "Really, but if you don't stop calling me dude, I'll rescind my invitation," Kurt threatened. Finn looked at him puzzled. Why did Kurt always have to use such big words? "I'll take back my invitation." "Oh, right. Got it, du … Kurt."

Blaine's party the following Friday had been fun and after some liquid courage he had finally asked Sarah for a date for Valentine's Day. He had wanted to take her out earlier, but then he figured a first date on Valentine's Day would be more romantic. Whatever happened at the date he owed Kurt one and he should probably make good on his promise.

Finn knew that Kurt and Blaine wanted to spend the weekend in Columbus for Valentine's Day and so he went to his stepfather and tried to convince him to let them go. He just hoped he had helped them, instead of ruining their chances.

Burt had been surprised when Finn had approached him to convince him to let his son and boyfriend spend the weekend in Columbus. He knew Carole would let them go because they had been together for over a year and weren't kids any more, but he wasn't so sure. What if something happened there? Logically he knew that they had spent the night there before and nothing or a least nothing bad had happened, but he was a father. It was his right to worry. It was time to talk to the Berrys again.

Hiram picked up after the phone had only rung one time this time and immediately asked Burt what was wrong.

"Kurt and Blaine want to spend the night in Columbus for Valentine's Day. I told them no when they wanted to go for their anniversary in November, but my wife thinks I should let them go. Would you let your seventeen year old daughter?" Some day soon he really had to trust his own instincts when it came to his son and not always rely on others.

"I guess that depends on how long she has been dating the person she wants to go with. But we'd definitely sit her down for a talk to make sure she doesn't come back pregnant. Kurt will be eighteen in May if I remember correctly so it won't be long until he can make all decisions on his own and Blaine already is an adult, legally speaking." Burt could hear some shuffling on the other end and then LeRoy picked up the phone.

"Listen Burt, you should be glad they are asking for permission instead of just sneaking off together. You've been a teenager once too. You know where there is a will there is a way." Burt knew that too well. There had been a reason why he had liked his pick-up truck so much.

"I wouldn't even know what to tell them," Burt admitted. "My wife made me sit through that Broke Mountain movie and all I gathered was something went down in the tent." Yep, they were definitely laughing at him now.

"The free clinic should have some pamphlets on that. They also give out condoms," LeRoy told him. "I don't want to give them condoms! I don't want to encourage them!" Burt immediately exclaimed. "If they really want to do that they can buy their own. But thanks any way. I'll probably do that … I mean go to the clinic." They both hung up after saying goodbye and Burt tried to psych himself up to go to the clinic. Maybe he could ask Carole if she could go.

Carole of course had just smirked and told him she couldn't go because she had class. Don't get him wrong, he was glad she was doing something that made her happy, but she'd been using that excuse a lot lately whenever he had asked her to do something he didn't want to do himself.

Fortunately he was in and out of the clinic without being seen by anyone he knew and he had quickly stuffed the dreaded pamphlets into his pocket without looking at them. He didn't need to know what they said as long as the boys read them.

Kurt and Blaine were in Kurt's room trying to come up with new arguments to convince Burt to let them go to Columbus. His father had said he needed time to think about it and talk it over with Carole, so there was still a tiny glimpse of hope. There was also the talk he needed to have with Blaine about his mother, but he decided it could wait till after Valentine's Day. He didn't want to ruin the mood.

He was still pondering when and how to do that when Burt called for them. So he walked down the stairs with an apprehensive look on his face, because he couldn't imagine anything good to come out of a talk with Burt. He should have trusted his guts.

Unfortunately, what his father had called them down to talk about had been far worse than Kurt had originally assumed.

"So, I talked it over with Carole and we decided that you could go." No, that hadn't been the bad part. Kurt had been ecstatic to hear this. "You knew Carole and I are going to Austin for Valentine's Day and still asked for permission instead of going any way and we thought you should be rewarded for that." Kurt would have been content to just sneak off and let Finn cover for them – after all, Finn owed him one - but Blaine had insisted they'd ask for permission because he didn't want to anger Kurt's father. For once, Blaine's goody-two-shoes nature seemed to have paid off.

"But before I let you go, we have to talk about something," Burt had announced. Anything, Kurt had thought, as long as I get my weekend with Blaine. It was probably his own fault that his father pulled out pamphlets next.

"I, uh, understand that you have been together for a while and Valentine's Day is a special occasion, I guess a little like prom, but you should know that that isn't a good enough reason to do things, do you understand?" Burt had mumbled. Kurt and Blaine had both shook their heads. No, they didn't really get what Burt was talking about. They should have just said yes and left it at that.

"Just because you have the opportunity doesn't mean you have to be intimate. That's a big step and you shouldn't do it because I allow you to spend the night together," Burt had soldiered on. Blaine had paled next to him, while he himself had probably turned tomato red. His dad wasn't, right? But oh he was.

"Now, I don't know much about these things, but I talked to the Berrys and they told me where I could get some information." Dear God no, not again. Last time Rachel had teased them for weeks. This was even worse.

"I picked up some pamphlets for you at the free clinic that I'd like you to read. I haven't read them myself, but the lady at the clinic assured me they are quite informative." Kurt had a hard time imagining his father talking to anyone about gay sex.

"Just, if you do decide to do something, make sure you use protection. I know neither of you can get pregnant, but there are other things like STDs you could get," Burt had continued. Kurt had thought it was time to intervene.

"That's really not necessary, we learned that in school." "Oh, okay, good. I just wanted to know you knew these things." Burt had looked relieved when Kurt had told him that. "So yeah, don't do anything just because you can." Both Kurt and Blaine had frantically nodded their heads.

"Alright, now that we covered that can we please adopt a don't ask don't tell policy when it comes to that. You are my child, so I really don't want to know about it."

Kurt and Blaine had quickly agreed and as soon as Burt had told them they were free to go, they had escaped upstairs to Kurt's bedroom with their new pamphlets.

Blaine was sitting on Kurt's bed rifling through the pamphlets. "Can you believe your dad tried to give us a sex talk," he chuckled. Kurt didn't look as red anymore as he had before, but he still blushed.

"Nope, I'm still trying to convince myself that was a bad dream," Kurt said as he sat down next to Blaine and picked up a pamphlet himself. Blaine loved that he could still make Kurt blush after all the stuff they had done together since December.

"Maybe there has been an alien invasion and they have switched Burt and Finn's brains with someone else's." Blaine suggested. "I mean Finn didn't even say anything when he caught us with our shirts off and my pants unbuttoned." There was the blush again.

"Who knows? All I care about is spending a weekend with you at a nice hotel without any nosy siblings or parents," Kurt said before cupping Blaine's jaw and pulling him in for a kiss. They kissed for a bit, all the while listening through the half open door for anyone coming upstairs.

When they broke the kiss Kurt chuckled. "I can't believe my father thinks we're still virgins. We've been together for over a year, I thought they must have at least assumed." "Yeah, well. In this case I'm actually a fan of don't ask don't tell." Blaine told Kurt before they went back to kissing.

Whatever was going to happen this Valentine's Day it would be so much better than last year's that was certain. He could deal with a little awkwardness.

Carole pushed away her empty plate and smiled at Burt. The food he prepared had surprisingly tasted better than expected. Luckily, Lou and his wife had agreed to let them have the house for the weekend so they didn't have to stay in a hotel and could relax without having to take care of their kids for the first time in forever.

She had of course missed Austin at first, but now she couldn't really imagine her life anywhere but Lima anymore.

"Remember what we talked about before we moved to Ohio," she asked her husband later when they were sitting on the couch watching a romantic movie. Burt nodded.

"I know it's still going to be a while until Finn and Kurt graduate high school, but what would you think about staying in Ohio for good. We don't have to decide right now, but I think it has been doing wonders for you and Finn."

Carole chanced a glance at her husband. "You know I would never have left if it hadn't been for the divorce. My parents move to Lima when I was in 6th grade because my dad got a job here and I met Lizzy at McKinley. She didn't like me that much at first, but she got accepted into OSU and I went to junior college in the same area. We somehow made it work when we met again and we moved in together in Columbus. I thought that was it, but then we had Kurt and had to move back to Lima because houses in Columbus were too expensive and I couldn't find a job there."

Carole nodded. Burt barely spoke about the time before she met him and she was grateful he was opening up to her. "But you are right. The kids aren't even done with their junior year, we still have time to think about it."

Burt was playing absentmindedly with the blanket that covered both their laps. "Do you think I made the right decision letting the boys go to Columbus," he suddenly asked her.

"They are growing up whether we want to or not. The best be can do is make sure they are prepared for whatever they come across and hope for the best. We were both barely older when we had them and we managed some how. They are good kids, even Finn when he tries, so I'm not worried."

She leaned over and kissed Burt on the cheek. He turned to face her and smiled. "I'm so glad I found you. I have no idea how I would have survived the past couple of months if it hadn't been for you," he told her with an earnest expression on his face.

"You would have managed if you had to. You are not a bad person Burt, you may have been misguided, but when it mattered you stepped up to the plate. I know how hard it was for you to admit you were wrong but you still did it and that proves that you aren't all bad. I wouldn't be still with you if you were."

She knew it and Burt knew it. There had been moments when the only reason she stayed with Burt was because Kurt needed someone on his side. But they were past that now.

She snuggled up closer to her husband of four years. Things still weren't ideal but they had all come a long way since last June.

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