AN: Onwards with the tying up of 'loose ends'.

Chapter 22: A New Direction

Kurt

"What are we going to do now? Regionals are in three weeks," Rachel moaned and Kurt patted her head when Puck spoke up.

"I know Shelby is back in the mid west and she isn't coaching Vocal Adrenaline right now. I could ask her if she'd coach us until Mr. Schue gets back, unless that's a problem for either of you?"

Blaine leaned in closer to whisper into his ear. "So, I know Shelby Corcoran is Rachel's biological mother, but what does she have to do with Quinn?" Kurt shrugged. "Did you forget that I didn't have any friends at this school until a few months ago?"

He caught Quinn's eye who had watched the exchange. "I didn't tell him anything, I don't know anything," he told the girl who could be scary as hell but she rolled her eyes.

"Alright, listen up newbies. Shelby is Rachel's mom and she adopted my daughter Beth last year. I think it's a great idea for her to come in to help us, and it wouldn't be awkward for me because Puck and I have been in contact with her. Now stop staring."

Apparently this wasn't news to anyone else in the club and it was quickly agreed to contact Ms Corcoran and ask her to replace Mr. Schuester while he was gone.

A few days earlier…

"Gather 'round guys," Mr. Schuster instructed them a few days after Cooper had gone back to L.A.

"I've recently been made aware that I haven't always been the best teacher and so I have decided to take some time off, maybe take some classes and reevaluate if teaching really is the right thing for me."

Kurt looked up in surprise, but Santana looked immensely pleased. "I can't believe principle Figgins finally listen to my complaints. No offense Mr. Schue, but your Spanish sucks. How do you expect us to learn anything if half of your students know more Spanish than you do?"

Mr. Schuester's face turned bright red. "This is not what this is about, but thank you Santana for pointing it out. Now, I'm sorry to abandoning you before Regionals, but Ms. Howell – Pillsbury has agreed to act as faculty advisor to keep the club going. I'm positive you'll do well at Regionals – in fact I have the perfect song for Rachel."

The club broke out into another argument over Mr. Schuester's blatant favoritism of Rachel – and apparently also Finn before Blaine had transferred – and Kurt moved to the back of the choir room, pulling Blaine with him, to get away from it.

"That's a surprise, isn't it?" Blaine asked once they were seated next to each other and Kurt nodded. "Seems like he took what the judge said to heart. To be quite honest, I'm glad someone else is going to be in charge for a while. I haven't gotten to sing a single song since my line at Sectionals, and maybe now that he is gone, all of us will have a chance to be appreciated," he replied, trying not to sound too judgmental.

It wasn't even that he had a problem with Rachel and Blaine singing a lot, but he felt that many others in the club were underappreciated and deserved more than just swaying in the back.

"I'd give you a solo if it were up to me," his boyfriend was quick to assure him, "because I love to hear you sing. You're amazing." Kurt's whole face lit up at the praise and after making sure the rest of the club was still involved in an argument with Mr. Schuester, he quickly leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to Blaine's lips.

"… so it's settled. We'll try to get Shelby and if she refuses to do it, we'll just have to do it like the Warblers do – decide on the songs together," Rachel explained before everyone packed up their bags and left, leaving Rachel with Kurt and Blaine.

"You sure that's not going to be weird for you either?" he asked his friend when they were walking toward the front door, but Rachel shook her head.

"I spent some time with my therapist last year when I found out about her, and he helped me realize that there is room for her in my life – just not as my mom."

"Our families are weird," Blaine chuckled and Kurt had to agree, especially now that he really was a member of the Hummel family.

They said goodbye to Rachel at Blaine's locker, but were stopped when they were getting ready to leave as well.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Finn called out to them and Kurt felt Blaine tense next to him.

Blaine

Blaine turned around slowly and tried to keep the scowl off his face. Finn hadn't really talked to anyone in the club since the Karofsky video had gone viral, probably to protect himself from Santana's wrath, so it came as a surprise he was trying to reach out now.

"What do you want Finn?" he asked, clutching Kurt's hand tightly. Finn shifted from one leg to the other. "So you know that my mom and your dad are kind of dating, and my mom got really sad when Burt wouldn't see her because of me. So I figured I'd talk to you so she would be happy again."

Blaine looked at Finn in surprise, but he was glad to know he really cared for his mother.

"So talk," Kurt told him, his glare less pronounced as well. He and Kurt both knew that his dad really liked Finn's mom and if Finn was willing to act less like a douche around them, he might get behind the relationship for his dad's sake.

Finn opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally told them what was on his mind.

"I wanted to apologize," he turned to Blaine. "I talked to my mom and she made me realize that I was jealous of you and so I took it out on you. Before you came along, I was the male lead in Glee and Mr. Schuester always gave me the male competition solos. I know I'm not the best dancer and shit but I knew I was one of the reasons we always won."

'Really, Finn?' Blaine thought but he kept his mouth shut though that was one of the most ridiculous things he had ever heard. The only reason, Finn had been the leader was because no one else had wanted the job when the club started out – according to Artie – and Mr. Schuester's apparent man-crush on Finn – according to the rest of the club. But now was not the right time to get into that, because Finn was talking again.

"And I didn't like that some guys on the team were listening to you instead of me, because I'm the quarterback."

Again, Blaine kept his mouth shut to prevent himself from insulting Finn, because the only reason he had spoken up in the first place was because Finn really wasn't the best at football either.

"I understand. But what about Kurt? What had he ever done to you?" he asked angrily, because that had always been his biggest issue with Finn.

Finn looked really uncomfortable when he turned to Kurt and Blaine wrapped his arm around him to keep him calm.

"I didn't mean for Karofsky to try and hurt you. I didn't know he was like that as well," he tried to defend himself but Kurt quickly interrupted. "You mean gay," he asked in a sickly sweet voice that caused Finn to shudder, though he still dared to nod.

"Well, isn't it ironic then that you always joined his side so people didn't think you were one of us."

Finn's shoulders slumped. "People wouldn't have respected me anymore if I went against him," he argued, but Blaine shook his head. "The people that really count would have respected you more. Who do you think you are going to stay in touch with when high school is over – the people who are nice to you because they think they have to or the people who like you because you act like a decent person? You already lost your girlfriend over this – do you want the only people who accept the real you to abandon you as well? Because there has been talk about kicking you out of the club now that Mr. Schuester is gone."

"You wouldn't do that," Finn cried out, looking afraid all of a sudden. You need me to be able to compete." Blaine just shrugged. "I'm sure Santana can force one of her Cheerios to lip sync and sway in the back for Regionals."

"I said I'm sorry, what else do you want from me?" Finn pleaded and Blaine shared a look with Kurt.

"I want you to make sure the team leaves Kurt and I alone. I want you to be on our side, like the rest of the Glee guys. And in exchange I'll tell my dad that Kurt and I support him dating your mom and tell the Glee club to lay off. Because I know you like singing as much as we all do, and I don't actually want to take something away from you you actually care about, if you can behave like a decent person around us. Do we have deal?"

Maybe blackmail wasn't the right way to go. But now that he knew that Finn cared about his mom's happiness as much as he cared about Glee, it was easy to use that knowledge to ensure Kurt's safety at school. So yeah, it wasn't the most honorable thing to do, but it was for a good cause and that was what mattered.

Finn seemed to contemplate the offer for a moment before he nodded.

"Great. I'll talk to my dad, when we get home," he announced before turning around and pulling Kurt with him.

"I can't believe you just blackmailed the quarterback into being nicer to me," Kurt chuckled, as they were driving back home. "For what it's worth, I didn't just do it for your sake. I was really getting fed up with how he was treating me for no apparent reason, and my dad did seem happy when he was going out with Finn's mom."

From the corner of his eye he could see that Kurt was studying him. "What?" he asked when he had to stop at a stop sign and turned to Kurt.

"I'm just wondering if it's weird for you that your dad is dating someone again?"

It wasn't really if he was honest to himself. After all, he was the one who had encouraged his dad to put himself back out there, because he didn't want his dad to be all alone once he left for college. He still missed his mother, but it had been ten years since she had passed away and both he and his dad deserved to be happy.

"No, I'm happy for him," he told his boyfriend after getting his thoughts in order. "Do I wish, Carole wasn't Finn's mom – hell yes – but if she makes him happy, I'm not going to stand in the way of his happiness."

Kurt smiled at him fondly. "I love you," he whispered and Blaine was certain he would have hit the breaks hard if he were still driving.

"You do?" he asked, because he couldn't really believe that he had heard right. Kurt nodded. "But it's okay if you can't say it back. I understand."

Blaine's heart broke a bit for Kurt, who was trying to act all nonchalantly but wasn't very successful.

"But I do. I mean, I love you too. I've been wanting to tell you, but I wasn't sure if it wasn't too soon," he admitted and before he could say anything else, Kurt leaned over and pressed his lips against Blaine's.

Blaine lost himself in the kiss, until a car honking its horn behind them made them pull apart. Blaine scratched the back of his neck and put the car back into drive.

"Maybe we should continue this at home," he joked but when he dared a glance at Kurt, his boyfriend was still staring at his lips.

"I knew there was a reason why I love you. You have the best ideas."

Kurt

"Alright everyone. I want each of you to step forward and sing the first line of the National Anthem. Unfortunately your former teacher wasn't one for utilizing all the voices he had available so I have only heard a few of you sing before, but I need to know what you can do if we want to win Regionals. We have two and a half week, but if we work hard we should be able to beat those other choirs."

Barely five minutes into Glee rehearsal and Kurt already loved Shelby Corcoran. He knew Blaine had been sad at first when they had found out that the Warblers were their competition for Regionals, but after he had spoken with his friend David – who had told him that meerkat face had pulled some strings and was now in charge of the Warblers – the council abolished – he was as determined as the rest of New Directions to beat them at Regionals.

To be honest, Kurt wanted a different kind of revenge. He wanted to show Sebastian that Blaine belonged to him and that he would never get Blaine, no matter what he tried to do. But if he didn't get the chance to do that – he would gladly settle for beating his ass during the competition.

With Shelby Corcoran they had a former Vocal Adrenaline coach – a consecutive four time national champion – so he would say there chances were pretty good.

One after another they stepped forward and sang for Rachel's biological mom, who was scribbling notes into a notebook while they were singing.

"Alright, thanks everybody," she told them once the last one had sung. "I have some songs I've been wanting to do for a while. I'll go through my notes to see who I think will sound together best, and we'll give the songs a try tomorrow. I'm open for suggestions of course, but we don't have much time left for a big discussion."

Kurt practically skipped out of rehearsal that afternoon, because he had done quite well in his opinion. His good mood went as far as agreeing to split a cookie with Blaine at the Lima Bean and even finished his half this time. They'd have dance practice for the next two weeks anyway, which should help him get rid of the empty calories he had just consumed.

"Have you talked to your dad about Spring Break yet," he asked his boyfriend when they were walking hand in hand back to the car through the thankfully empty parking lot.

Blaine nodded. "He said he'll think about it and threatened to have another talk with us." Kurt shuddered. He really wanted Blaine to come with him when he visited his half brother in Los Angeles for Spring Break, but he wasn't too keen on another 'pseudo sex talk'.

He and Blaine were nowhere near ready to do anything like that anyway – not that he knew too much about it in the first place – and that wouldn't change just because they spent a week together in another state with little supervision.

Cooper hadn't struck him as the type who would be on their case constantly and he thought it would be nice to have a lot of time to spend with Blaine without any other people around. It was nice to have people who cared now, but sometimes Burt's constant hovering and needing bodyguards in school was exhausting. Los Angeles sounded like a more accepting place and it would be nice to walk hand in hand with his boyfriend on the streets without constantly having to fear people's reaction to it.

He sighed. "If that's what it takes to have you there with me, by all means. It sure can't be worse than last time."

This time Blaine shuddered next to him. "You have no idea, Kurt. He could bring pamphlets again. Pamphlets. I still can't eat toast without thinking about them."

Kurt chuckled. "Some day, you'll have to tell me the story. It must have been quite traumatic if it made you swear off toast completely."

Blaine was still nodding frantically by the time they reached the car and Kurt took Blaine's keys because he honestly wasn't sure his boyfriend should drive right now.

"You are laughing right now, but just wait until he does it to you. They we'll see who's laughing," Blaine muttered darkly.

Kurt promptly shut up, because he really, really liked toast.

Blaine

Before he knew it, two weeks had passed and Regionals was fast approaching. He hadn't been too happy when it was first announced that the Warblers would be their competition – though it wasn't really unexpected given that they had won their Sectionals as well – but once he found out that Sebastian was 'Captain' of the Warblers now, he couldn't wait to beat them.

He couldn't really understand how David and Thad had let that happen, especially David who knew what Sebastian had said to Kurt in the Lima Bean. For the first time since his transfer, he was actually glad not to be part of their group anymore and it saddened him to see what had become of the Warblers.

On a happier front he was ecstatic that Ms. Corcoran had okayed Kurt's song suggestion and had even given him the main part after Kurt had explained to her why the song was important to him. He couldn't be prouder of his boyfriend for taking charge and taking a stand against those who still saw him as a helpless victim. Those people clearly knew nothing about Kurt.

Kurt looked less pale than last time when they were waiting backstage, and Blaine suspected it was because he actually had permission to participate in the competition this time around. His dad was in the audience somewhere, having brought Finn's mom as his date after Blaine had upheld his end of the bargain and so far Finn had also been trying hard to uphold his own end.

"Are you ready?" he asked Kurt, when the MC announced them as the first show choir to perform tonight and Kurt nodded before he put on his show smile and stepped out on the stage, followed by the rest of the club. Blaine's eyes were trained on his boyfriend when he opened his mouth, so proud to be able to share this moment with him.

Kurt

This is a story about control, my control

Control of what I say, control of what I do

And this time I'm gonna do it my way

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do

Are we ready? I am? Cause it's all about control

And I've got lots of it

When I was 17, I did what people told me

Did what my father said, and let my mother mold me

But that was long ago

Quinn, Santana

I'm in control, never gonna stop

Control, to get what I want

Control, I got to have a lot

Control, now I'm all grown up

Quinn

First time I fell in love

I didn't know what hit me

So young and so naive

I thought it would be easy

But now I know I've got to take...

Santana, Brittany

I'm in control, never gonna stop

Control, to get what I want

Control, I got to have a lot

Control, now I'm all grown up

Artie

That's right, I'm on my own,

I'll call my own shots, thank you

Kurt

Got my own mind

I wanna make my own decisions

When it has to do with my life, my life

I wanna be the one in control

Artie

So let me take you by the hand

And lead you on this dance

Cause what I've got is because I took a chance

I don't wanna rule the world

Just wanna run my life

So make your life a little easier

When you get the chance just take...

Puck, Finn

I'm in control, never gonna stop

Control, to get what I want

Control, I got to have a lot

Control, now I'm all grown up

Puck

Free at last, out here on my own

Now control this

Mike

That's right, career moves

I do what's right for me

And me wants to groove

Is that ok?

Kurt

Got my own mind

I wanna make my own decisions

When it has to do with my life, my life

I wanna be the one in control

Blaine gave Kurt a little push forward at the end of the song, because no one deserved the spotlight more in this moment than his amazing boyfriend. He spotted his dad in the audience, giving them all a standing ovation and Blaine beamed at him, though he wasn't sure his dad could even see it.

The music changed then, and the rest of the club retreated to the back, leaving the stage for him and Tina. He had been surprised when Ms. Corcoran had suggested he'd duet with Tina on a mashup of Lady Gaga's 'You and I' and a song he had never heard before, but he had to admit that she was right after their first rehearsal – their voices really worked well together.

Rachel had been disappointed she hadn't been picked as his duet partner, but her bio mom had explained that she wanted to shake things up and give the judges performers they hadn't seen paired up before.

Luckily, their performance went off without a hitch as well and the rest of the club joined them again for their final number – a personal favorite of his.

The lights dimmed before each of them was covered by a single spot.

Ensemble

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes,

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Moments so dear

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights

In cups of coffee

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife

In five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes

How do you measure a year in the life?

How about love? How about love?

How about love? Measure in love

Seasons of love

Seasons of love

Rachel

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Journeys to plan

Five hundred twenty-five thousand

Six hundred minutes

How do you measure the life

Of a woman or a man?

Puck

In truths that she learned

Or in times that he cried

In bridges he burned

Or the way that she died

Ensemble

It's time now to sing out

Tho' the story never ends

Let's celebrate

Remember a year in the life of friends

Ensemble, (Mercedes)

Remember the love

(Oh you got to, got to)

Remember the love

(Remember the love)

Seasons of love

(You know love is a gift from up above)

(Share love, give love, spread love)

(Measure measure you life in love)

Seasons of love

Seasons of love

Mercedes finishing off the song made his breath catch in his throat like it had every time in rehearsal because she just sounded amazing and he could easily imagine her in actual performance of 'Rent' on a Broadway stage.

The crowd cheered when they took their final bow, most of them up on their feet and Blaine pulled Kurt into a tight hug, because regardless of whether they won or not, this was one of the most enjoyable performances he had ever been part of. They had truly become a team in the past few weeks, focusing on their performance as a group and the result had been great in his opinion.

The rest of New Direction hurried out into the audience to watch the performance of the second glee club, but he and Kurt took a detour to their green room for a few bottles of water for the team, when they were stopped by a familiar but not at the least welcome voice.

"Hey killer."

Blaine felt Kurt tense next to him and he quickly took his boyfriend's hand into his own to show him there was nothing to worry about here.

"Still hanging out with your little charity case, I see," Sebastian remarked and Blaine had to fight the urge to punch him again.

"I see they let you back into the country. People got fed up with you in France as well," he shot back and for a moment Sebastian actually looked uncomfortable. Apparently he had hit a nerve.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't say stuff like that about my boyfriend," he added and from the corner of his eye he saw Kurt smirk when Sebastian's face fell.

"You are dating him? You told me repeatedly you weren't interested in a relationship."

Blaine chuckled darkly. "Turns out I just wasn't interested in a relationship with you. Now if you excuse us, we'd like to get into the audience to see my friends perform. I'm just hoping you haven't completely destroyed the group."

They left Sebastian standing there, gaping after them, but suddenly he was pressed against a wall, in Sebastian's full line of sight, and kissed senseless.

"What was that for, not that I'm complaining?" he asked once he got his breath back under control and they were picking up bottles in the green room.

"Oh, just a little reminder for Sebastian what he is missing out on," Kurt smirked and Blaine gave him a fond smile. If they hadn't already exchanged I love yous he would have probably blurted it in that moment, because Kurt had come so far from the shy teenager who wouldn't let anyone come close to him.

They only caught the tail end of the choir on stage before the Warblers but they both shared a look at the weird costumes and song choice as they settled into chairs close to the rest of ND.

The Warbler's performance was surprising to say they least – it was overly sexual, though Blaine was glad the dancing was taking the focus off Sebastian's singing. It was clear he had been the one who decided which songs they were going to perform and who would perform them and Blaine felt bad for all his talented friends who still didn't get a chance to really shine even though he was gone now.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur and before he knew it, they were gathered around their trophy in the green room, taking turns taking pictures with it.

Ms. Corcoran took them out for a celebratory dinner afterward and immediately launched into discussing their strategy for Nationals, but for once Blaine didn't pay any attention, keeping his eyes on Kurt, who was celebrated and praised by his friends. He gladly took a step back and let Kurt bask in the spotlight for once, because this time it was good attention he was receiving.

He always wanted to keep the smile on Kurt's face and so he knew what his next mission was – get his dad to agree to let them both visit Cooper in L.A for spring break.

AN: I'll spare you my usual Glee rant, but if you are interested in my thoughts about the episode or some speculations find me on tumblr :)

Oh and, what do want the boys to do if Burt gives his permission for spring break in L.A? And another thing ;) You know how in canon Blaine always says I love you first, so I wanted Kurt to be the one here. What I want for down the road in canon - Kurt being the one to say it first when they do get back together...