Kurt stayed in his room for most of the following weekend. The confrontation of Karofsky that Blaine had suggested had gone less than smoothly, and although it had gotten Kurt a free lunch with Blaine, it hadn't in any way eased the anxiety Kurt was feeling - on the contrary. In addition to that, Kurt had wanted to avoid bumping into Mrs. Anderson or Kevin, and Mrs. Anderson �nd Kevin in particular. He hadn't said a word to anyone about what he had seen the other day - as shocking as it had been, it was none of his business - but now that he knew what to look for he had started to notice little things that made him wonder why he had never seen it before. Hands brushing, looks exchanged, ... it was clear he hadn't just walked in on an accidental kiss. It was almost embarrassing to watch, especially since Blaine seemed to be oblivious, and thus Kurt had tried to steer clear of both of them. But although he managed to evade breakfast and lunch, by Saturday evening he had no choice but to go down for dinner.

He found Mrs. Anderson running around in the kitchen as usual. She loved to cook, and especially during weekends she often went all the way out, spending hours on preparing the perfect dish. If there was one thing Kurt was sure of, it was that he wouldn't lose weight during his stay at the Andersons.

"Hi Mrs. A!"

Kurt had long decided that however much Mrs. Anderson protested, calling her by her first name was simply too weird. He had chosen 'Mrs. A' as an alternative, and although Mrs. Anderson herself still commented on it on a regular basis, she had more or less settled for it. Today, however, no comments passed her lips. In fact, she didn't give any sign that she had even noticed Kurt.

"Mrs. A? Are you alright? Can I help?"

Now Mrs. Anderson jumped, although she relaxed a little when she caught sight of Kurt.

"Oh. It's you. No, it's okay, I'm fi-," she paused, as if remembering something, "or maybe, would you mind slicing the bread?"

"Sure, no problem."

Kurt moved over to the counter and grabbed the bread knife. He glanced over to the older woman, who was now bent over her pots, stirring something that smelled delicious.

"It really smells wonderful, Mrs. A. I think you've outdone yourself once more!" He looked over the counter and into the living room where, as usual, the table was dressed for four. "If I didn't know any better I'd think we had visitors you wanted to impress!"

Mrs. Anderson didn't reply, but Kurt didn't mind. He really cherished these moments, when he would help Mrs. Anderson with her outfit, or assist her in the kitchen -although he hadn't been able to convince Mrs. Anderson of his cooking skills and never got to do more than cleaning vegetables- because he so rarely got to do this with his own parent. He remembered doing this with Carole as well, last summer. The memory stung and he quickly pushed it away. His dad and Carole had broken up and that was that, and as far as he knew they hadn't even spoken to each other since.

His train of thought was interrupted when the back door opened and Blaine entered the kitchen. He was smiling broadly, his hair flat against his scalp from being stuck under a helmet the whole afternoon, some curls stuck to his sweaty forehead, his horse-riding clothes spanning tight around his legs and chest. Kurt immediately turned his attention back to the bread in front of him. Ever since he had seen Blaine perform with The Warblers 2 days earlier Kurt had been feeling strangely nervous whenever he was around. Blaine was a really good singer, and although Kurt had said New Directions would kick The Warblers' asses, he found the thought of having to compete against his friend strangely unsettling.

"Hi mom!"

Blaine moved forward to give his mother a kiss, but to his surprise she backed away.

"Dear heavens, Blaine! You smell!"

She was right - a strong smell of horse mixed with sweat was surrounding Blaine like a cloud. But Blaine laughed.

"Come on, mom, you should be used to that already!"

He stepped closer to his mother, mockingly waving his hands as if to direct the smell coming off him in her direction. It brought a smile on Mrs. Anderson's face, but she still refused to hug her son, instead pointing at him with the spoon she had been using to stir.

"Blaine Anderson, now is not the time for mockery," Mrs. Anderson was clearly trying to be serious, and only barely succeeded, "so would you please go upstairs, take those smelly clothes off and have a shower? Your father's home and I doubt he'd want to see you like this."

The change in Blaine was instantaneous. He stiffened, taking a step back.

"I thought he wasn't supposed to come home till next week?"

Mrs. Anderson actually grimaced.

"Yes, well, plans have changed. Now please go and change?"

Blaine needn't be told twice, and he was out the door and up the stairs in no time. Kurt frowned - Blaine didn't talk much about his dad, and on the one occasion Kurt had asked about him to Mrs. Anderson, he had simply been told that Mr. Anderson was away for business and often stayed away for months. But right now there was something else that was bothering him.

"Mrs. A, shall I add another plate to the table for your husband?"

Mrs. Anderson looked confused for a moment before she realized what he meant.

"No dear, thank you, that's alright. Kevin won't be joining us."

"Kevin won't have dinner with us?" Kurt was surprised. Ever since he had arrived Kevin, although obviously an employee, had always shared meals with them.

"Why would Kevin have dinner with us?"

The voice coming from behind him had a familiar timbre, although it was heavier, and when Kurt looked up, he saw a handsome man in an expensive looking suit entering the kitchen. He looked like a taller, older version of Blaine, except for his eyes, which were not hazel but a greyish blue, like Kurt's. Mrs. Anderson went up to the man, giving him a chaste kiss, and Kurt assumed this had to be Blaine's father, the infamous Mr. Anderson. For a moment he couldn't help but wonder why on earth Mrs. Anderson would prefer small, old, balding Kevin over this man.

"Oh honey, I'm sure Kurt is just confused." She turned to Kurt, a strange look of urgency in her eyes. "Kurt, dear, you know Kevin never eats with us, don't you?"

Kurt blinked. He was smart enough to understand the delicacy of the situation, but he was unsure as to how to react to it.

"Of course, Mrs. Anderson," he smiled, "I just saw an extra plate and was not sure what to think of it."

The relief in Mrs. Anderson's eyes couldn't have been bigger, and Kurt could almost see her mouth a silent 'thank you' to him for playing along.

"So, honey, let me introduce you to Kurt, our foster son. Kurt, this is my husband, Michael Anderson."

Michael Anderson held out his hand, and Kurt took it. The handshake was firm, and Kurt felt the pressure increase slowly, as if the man was testing him. He didn't blink, and looked Mr. Anderson right back in the eye as he returned the pressure - you couldn't help your dad in the garage every weekend and not gain some respectable arm strength.

It seemed he had passed the test, because when they finally let go of each other's hands, the slightest of smiles was playing around Mr. Anderson's lips.

"Nice to meet you, boy."

-o0o-

With a thump, Blaine let the history book fall on his desk. The sound echoed trough the otherwise quiet library, earning him a number of indignant looks from his fellow students. He made an apologetic face, and silently slid in his chair to continue his essay on the European witch hunts between 1450 and 1750. He had barely started writing the first paragraph, when a small piece of paper fell on his desk. He looked up to see David, who was sitting across, wink at him.

Movie and popcorn at my place tomorrow?

Blaine smiled, scribbling his answer on the back of the paper before he threw it back.

Can't - having drinks with Kurt.

David pretended to pout as he read the answer so that Jeff, who was sitting next to him, shot him a questioning look. David leaned over, whispering something in Jeff's ear. A mischievous grin appeared around Jeff's lips and he immediately passed the message to Nick, who he was sharing a desk with as per usual. It wasn't long before another note found its way to Blaine's desk. Blaine frowned as he opened it.

B-boy's going on a date?

Blaine looked up at David, who shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the two boys sitting next to him, who were snickering uncontrollably, trying their very best not to make any noise. Blaine rolled his eyes. Jeff and Nick were the Warblers' youngest members, and while their usual state of enthusiasm and excitement was generally endearing, it could be extremely annoying as well.

It's not a date! His friend Mercedes is coming along.

The answer came swiftly.

A chaperone, damn, that'll kill the mood.

Blaine rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the two freshmen. Once they had an idea stuck in their heads, there was simply no point trying to get it out. He tried to get back to work, but he could barely concentrate, and he flicked through the history book absent-mindedly, not even trying to read what it was saying. His lack of focus was apparently clear to his fellow Warblers, because when Jeff got up to put back the book he had been studying, he casually shoved another paper under Blaine's note book.

Thinking of Kurt? ;p

Blaine sighed. He was indeed thinking of Kurt, but not because of the reasons his friends were apparently assuming. What was worrying Blaine was his dad, or better, the relationship between his dad and Kurt. Ever since he had come home Michael Anderson had been very welcoming towards Kurt, and the two seemed to get along pretty good. Too good even, as far as Blaine was concerned. He knew the mask his dad was wearing all too well, and last year he had experienced first hand what happened when it came off - much to his misfortune. He wasn't willing to put Kurt through the same ordeal, especially not after what he had already been through the last couple of months. The only question was... how could he convince Kurt not to get too close with his dad?

-o0o-

"Are you really sure you want me to come along?"

Mercedes was looking at Kurt questioningly. They had just finished glee club for the day and everybody was slowly packing their things. Nobody was leaving yet, though, as they were all still lingering around their substitute teacher, each looking for their own excuse to talk to her.

"Of course I do! You wanted to meet him, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, but... I don't want to interrupt anything that's going on between the two of you."

"There's nothing going on between the two of us!" Kurt tried to look indignant, but Mercedes smiled knowingly and nudged his shoulder.

"Oh come on... I see the stars in your eyes when you talk about him. Well, that and his picture inside your locker."

"It's not like that! It's just nice to have someone to talk to. Someone like me." Kurt added the last statement quickly, as he saw Mercedes' eyes darken. "But anyway, you need to come, I owe you."

"Damn sure you do!" Mercedes's inner diva showed. "You bailed on me twice this week for that guy."

"Who are you two talking about?" Rachel interrupted them before Kurt could apologize.

"Blaine. Kurt and I are having drinks with him tonight at Breadstix."

"That's The Warblers' captain, right?"

"No." Kurt felt the familiar annoyance that seemed to be his standard reaction to Rachel Berry sticking her nose in his business. "But he's the lead soloist, yes."

"I see. Well, as co-captain of our glee club, I feel it is my duty to know who our competition is. Finn!" she shouted at her boyfriend, "We're going to Breadstix with Kurt tonight to meet Blaine!"

It was hard to say who was most baffled: Kurt or Finn. But they barely had time to react, because the whole glee club had heard Rachel's comment and their reaction was immediate.

Santana decided she couldn't pass on the opportunity of trying out all the gay jokes that had been running around in her head ever since they found out they were competing against The Warblers, and of course Brittany had to be her wing-woman. Artie refused to let Brittany meet an apparently hot guy (even though he was gay), Tina refused to let anyone else push Artie's chair, and Mike was glued onto Tina. Quinn didn't want to be the only girl left behind, and Sam didn't want to leave her. Which only left Puck who by now had no choice but to follow his fellow glee clubbers. And so Mercedes and Kurt were left standing in the choir room as they watched the others took matters into their own hands and went ahead to Breadstix.

"Shouldn't you two get going? I hear you have an important date."

Miss Holliday winked at them as she was collecting the sheet music. Kurt looked at Mercedes, who was chuckling, and rolled his eyes.

"How on earth am I going to explain this to Blaine?"

-o0o-

From: Blaine A.
To: Kurt H.
Sent: November 18 2010 17:54:19
Almost there. Looking for a parking spot. B

From: Kurt H.
To: Blaine A.
Sent: November 18 2010 17:56:07
Okay, I'll come out to meet you. K

It was drizzling outside so Kurt was standing close to the door, waiting, when he saw Blaine's car turn onto the parking lot. He followed Blaine with his eyes as he got out of his car and hurried towards Kurt.

"Hey Kurt!"

They shared an awkward moment when Blaine leaned in to greet Kurt with a kiss on the cheek, while Kurt held out his hand, and an equally awkward moment one second later when they switched roles, Blaine trying to take Kurt's now disappeared hand and Kurt leaning in. They finally settled for hands, and Kurt looked at Blaine as he turned around to push the door.

"Eh, Blaine? It's not just gonna be the three of us..."

Blaine didn't seem disturbed. "Did Mercedes bring a friend? Cause that's fine, Kurt, don't worry, I d-"

The lead Warbler stopped mid-sentence as they arrived at the boot occupied by the entirety of New Directions. They were collectively looking at Blaine, who felt a sudden sympathy for the monkeys in the zoo as he slowly turned to Kurt.

"Mercedes brought... a... friend?"

Kurt smiled apologetically. "Blaine... meet the New Directions."

.

Blaine sat squeezed between Santana and Rachel, slightly taken aback by the collective energy of Kurt's fellow glee club members. If Nick and Jeff had cloned themselves and brought their twin sisters, it would have been a quiet evening compared to the chaos he was now the center of, he was sure. Each and everyone of the New Directions seemed to want a piece of him, with the possible exceptions of the guy in the wheelchair (Artie, was it?) and a platina-blonde kid who made Blaine's gaydar go crazy - both of whom were trying very hard to keep two of the girls from talking to him.

"So you have no girls at all at Dalton?"

"Who does the song selection for the Warblers?"

"I don't understand how the teachers tell you apart if you all wear the same clothes."

Kurt slowly let himself slide down in his seat, feeling so much second hand embarrassment for his friends he wasn't quite sure how he would ever recover. This was definitely not the way he had imagined his evening with Blaine and Mercedes, and he was almost glad when Puck started sharing the story of his latest conquest.

"Seriously, so I took this girl on a second date, I mean, how much more serious can I get? And she still refused to put out! So I was like, what's the problem, baby?"

Santana snickered. "What's the problem-"

"I don't know", Brittany replied.

"-well, maybe I'm in love."

"LOVE!"

Brittany squealed, and Rachel took over, singing now.

"Thinking 'bout it every time, I think about it, can't stop thinking 'bout it."

Puck sat dumbfounded, but Finn and Mike finally understood what the girls were trying to initiate and jumped up, singing alternately while taking their respective girlfriends by the hand.

How much longer will it take to cure this
Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love - LOVE
Makes me wanna turn around and face me
But I don't know nothing about love, o-oh

Santana and Brittany had jumped on the table of the neighboring boot and were now grabbing hands, twirling around each other.

Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
'Cause everybody's after love

By now, all New Directions (well, all except Artie) were on their feet, dancing on couches and tables, while Blaine remained in the boot, eyes wide open, looking at the spontaneous performance unfolding around him. Artie pulled Brittany in his lap and Sam wrapped his arms around Quinn as they belted out the next verse.

So I said "I'm a snowball running"
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love - LOVE
Melting under blue skies belting out
Sunlight, shimmering love

Well baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this LOVE
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love, o-oh

Kurt was singing the last verse to no-one in particular, but his eyes caught Blaine's as he sang the last phrase, and he felt his stomach drop.

These lines of lightning mean we're never alone
Never alone - no, no

Blaine looked away, to Puck and Finn who were jumping from table to table, trying to escape an angry waitress, but Kurt was still staring at him.

Come on, come on
Move a little closer
Come on, come on
I want to hear you whisper
Come on, come on
Settle down inside my love

It was the smile that wasn't limited to his mouth, but lit up his whole face. It was his hair, curly and untamed under the mass amount of hair gel. It was his uniform, that hugged him tightly, accentuating his shoulders and waist. It was the kindness he had shown Kurt when he had felt lost and alone. It was everything he was.

Come on, come on
Jump a little higher
Come on, come on
If you feel a little lighter
Come on, come on
We were once upon a time in love

And Kurt realized what Mercedes had seen for weeks now: Blaine was more than a friend to him.

We're accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love

Accidentally
I'm in love, I'm in love
I'm in love, I'm in love
I'm in love, I'm in love

He let himself be dragged away by Tina, spinning around as the whole of the glee club was now jumping around, singing.

Come on, come on
Spin a little tighter
Come on, come on
And the world's a little brighter
Come on, come on
Just get yourself inside the
Love, I'm in love

A round of applause rose up from the customers around them. All New Directions members were now returning slowly to their own boot, apologizing to the people on whose tables they had danced, but all the while smiling and patting each other on the back.

"How many times do I have to tell you kids not to dance on the furniture!"

Sandy pretended to lash out with her towel at Puck, who easily evaded getting hit, and blew her a kiss instead. And although Blaine was sure the waitress would deny it when asked, he could've sworn a small smile was playing around her lips.

-o0o-

"You didn't think The Warblers were the only ones throwing impromptu performances, did you?"

They were walking to their cars, getting ready to head home.

Blaine grinned. "No... although I have to admit I didn't think you'd do it in a restaurant."

Kurt smiled sheepishly.

"We don't have the luxury of supportive school mates so we-"

His voice faltered as he caught sight of something -or someone- behind Blaine. Blaine turned around, and saw three tall, broad-shouldered guys wearing the red jacket of the McKinley High School football team heading towards the entrance of the restaurant they had just left. One of them stayed behind a bit as he caught sight of Kurt, and Blaine recognized him as Dave Karofsky, the jock he had tried to confront about kissing Kurt the week before. He had turned around just in time to see Karofsky put a finger against his lips and then draw an imaginary line along his throat with his thumb.

"Kurt?"

He looked back at the countertenor who had turned white as a sheet in a matter of seconds, looking terrified as he stumbled back.

"Kurt? Kurt, what's going on?"

"Nothing." It came out too fast, too high-pitched, and too frightened.

"That wasn't nothing. Kurt, you're shaking!"

"No. I have to go home, We have to-"

Kurt turned to leave but Blaine grabbed his elbow, pulling him towards him. Kurt winced painfully, but Blaine ignored it, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes.

"Kurt! Don't lie to me! That guy was threatening you!"

Kurt looked up at Blaine, his eyes begging for mercy, but Blaine didn't waver, waiting for his answer. And Kurt gave in.

"Last week... after..."

"After he kissed you?"

Kurt nodded, but seemed hesitant to continue.

"What didn't you tell me, Kurt?"

A deep breath.

"He told me... if I would tell..."

Kurt paused, unsure, looking in himself for what he had lost but finding it in Blaine's eyes instead. Courage.

"... he threatened to kill me."