The Warblers hadnt been idle while Kurt and Blaine were zip-lining through the trees and kissing in the vineyard. They had taken in some tourist destinations including the Melbourne Zoo, Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, and the Melbourne Aquarium. Kurt wanted to see those, but he had such a great time at the Adventure Park with Blaine, he could hardly complain.

They were all up early on Christmas Eve. Everyone had an opportunity to Skype their parents and family the night before and were all in good spirits as they tumbled into the room Cooper was using. They sat around the beds and chairs, some on the floor, as Blaines brother got their attention.

“We are going to go window shopping down on Bourke Street at Myers Department Store. They have Christmas displays in the windows and it was a big part of my childhood – walking by the windows in the evening. Myers windows have been a family tradition since my mother was a little girl,” Cooper said.

“They do themes. I remember one year they did the Twelve Days of Christmas, and sometimes they do fairy tales: Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White. They did books, too: Wizard of Oz, Wombat Divine. I dont know the theme this year, but we can go see if everyone agrees,” Blaine told them. Everyone broke out in a united decision to go down Bourke Street to see the Christmas displays.

They took the Tram, the boys finding it a treat after the sketchy bus service in Westerville.

“It says here that the Melbourne Tram is the largest urban tram service in the whole world,” Jeff read from the brochure hed picked up at a display.

“Oh, come on...really? What about Paris or London?” Eddy asked, looking skeptical.

“Nope. It says here: The network consists of 250 kilometres of track, 493 trams, 25 routes, and 1,763 tram stops. It is the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the networks in St Petersburg (240 km), Berlin (190 km), Moscow (181 km) and Vienna (172 km). That kind of says it all,” he grinned.

They disembarked near the stores and broke into groups to peruse the different shops for things to take home to their families.

“Everyone meet back here in three hours, okay?” Cooper asked, looking at each Warbler to be sure they had all heard.

“Want to walk with us?” Blaine asked, stopping near his brother before going off with Kurt.

“No, Im going with David, Trent and Thad. They asked if I could stick with them and show them where all the best things are. Sorry, Squirt, but youll have to lay claim to my company quicker next time!” Coop said and was off with the three before Blaine could think of an answer. He shrugged and took Kurts hand, strolling down the street.

The two boys had been window shopping for a few blocks, not seeing anything they wanted to buy just yet. Blaine followed Kurt as he went from store to store, looking for the right thing to give his dad. He was walking down a busy street when he saw the opening to an alley and walked around the corner. There was a dingy little shop, dark curtains blocking the light from the sun into its interior. The sign above the door said, “Fortunes Told – Madam Shadira”.

“Ohh, lets go in and have our fortunes told!” Blaine said. Kurt frowned.

“No. They are all just charletans, Blaine. Dont believe in them, they just do it to trick you into giving them money,” Kurt warned.

“Lets do it for fun. I dont mind paying her a bit, its entertaining if nothing else,” Blaine countered.

“Okay...but dont believe anything she says and if we have to sit in a dark room, I am out of there.”

Blaine took Kurts hand and went inside. A small bell attached to the door jingled and a reddish brown dog came through the curtain. It was a furry dog, something like a mix between a cocker spaniel and a small husky. The dog sat down and balanced on her back legs, holding up a scrap of paper. Blaine took it and opened it, reading aloud.

“Please follow me!” the paper said. With a giggle, the boys followed the dog into a dark hall where she sat in front of a curtain. Kurt was dismayed at going into a darkened place like that and held Blaines hand in an iron grip, unable to stop a few nervous shivers.

“Hey, baby, we can leave if youre that nervous. I dont want to drag you into something you arent going to enjoy,” Blaine whispered as he gathered Kurt close to his chest and dropped a few reassuring kisses on his cheek and neck.

Kurt thought about it and just as he was going to beg that they leave, a voice was heard from behind the dusty velvet curtain covering the doorway.

“Come inside, gentlemen,” a voice said and Kurt jumped. He looked at Blaine and saw how much he wanted to do this. Kurt nodded at his boyfriend, wanting to please him.

Blaine held back the curtain. They entered, feeling their way in the dim light. “Please, sit,” came the voice from the other side of a gaudy beaded curtain.

When both Kurt and Blaine were sitting at the round oak table, the dim light brightened just a bit.

“Welcome. I am Madame Shadira. How may I assist you?”

“Tell our future?” Kurt asked, trying to sound a lot braver than he was feeling.

The woman sat still, looking at the two boys. She had on heavy make-up, purple eyeshadow that went up to her brows in shades of smoky lavender to deep violet. Her lips were red and plush, her cheeks an unnatural shade of rose, and her fingernails were painted a garish dark purple. She had a silk embroidered scarf wrapped around her head with dark red hair poking out, as if she shook her head a lot. The jewel colors of her dress didnt go together, causing Kurts eyes to water for a moment.

Madame Shadira looked first at Kurt and then at Blaine.

“Good you came in together, though it wouldnt be otherwise. You will be with each other for eternity.”

“How do you know that? I bet you say that to all the young couples that come in here,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes and still not believing. Blaine sat quietly beside him, now wishing they hadnt come. This woman made his spine tingle with trepidation.

“Kurt,” the woman said, “You need to hurry home after the new year and stay with your father. He misses you and it isnt good for him to feel so lost. He has a new love, but he needs to be reassured of your love. He has lost too much in this life to have to worry about someone he loves so very much.”

“I go see my dad every chance I get,” Kurt said, suddenly defensive. He was upset at what he saw as an accusation that he didnt care properly for his father and he resented the implication. His face was showing just how furious he was and Blaine felt a shiver as he looked at Kurt. But Kurt managed to calm himself and went back to sit in the chair by Blaine and glare at the woman behind the small card table.

The medium continued. “Yes, but he needs more for now. He craves your reassurance that you wont leave him. You can take my advice or not, it matters little to me, Buddy.”

“Buddy?” Blaine asked.

Madame Shadira looked a bit startled, but recovered quickly.

“Just a slip of the tongue. Kurt,” she corrected herself, playing with the bangle bracelets on her wrist, letting them clink together and sound like far-off bells tolling. “As for you, Blaine, perhaps your own parents could use a bit more communication, too. They cannot help being born the way they are any more than you can. They both love you, but knew that they would not make the best parents, so they gave you an education to make up for it. Be thankful, it was best for you.”

Blaines face lost its amused smile. How could a perfect stranger know about his feelings about his parents?

“They just thought I was in their way,” Blaine growled. He took Kurts hand and started to stand up from the small wooden chair.

“Blaine, dont blame them because they dont fit your idea of what good parents are. Dont blame the innocent because they have no control over how they are born. They can only do what their conscious tells them,” the woman told Blaine in a monotone, as if she were reading cue cards. Blaine grunted his displeasure and flexed the muscles in his hands, dropping Kurts hand in the process. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, a habit he had broken years ago.

Madam Shadira looked between the boys, a bit of confusion in her eyes. She held a hand to her temple and gazed first at Kurt, then at Blaine, settling on the place where Kurts hand was tightly gripping Blaines once more.

“Believe your dreams. You may not think they are anything but fantasy – yet they hold your lives in them. Pay attention. Dreams can be a conduit for information from beyond, from the other dimension if you will.”

“What do we owe you?” Blaine blurted suddenly, removing his wallet from his back pocket. This wasnt amusing and he was not in the mood to stay any longer. He wanted to leave before this woman started spouting off about Buddy and Andy, and she was getting closer all the time.

“Nothing. I did not make you happy and I take no money for a gift that has turned into a curse. You had best leave now.”

She got up from the table, standing there briefly as if to show them the way out. She froze, squinting her eyes as if she had a tremendous headache. She put a finger to her temple and shook her head, then turned to the taller of her clients.

“Kurt, do not believe everything you see. Listen to what your heart is telling you, remember what you have always known and trusted.”

“Okay...” he said, confused.

“Blaine, you know when something is true and yet you hesitate to trust it. You lack trust in yourself. I would advise you to let yourself believe because it will bring you peace in times of stress. Search your dreams for the truth, you may know more than you think you do – all you have to do is trust yourself.”

“Trust myself?” Blaine muttered, looking at the fortune teller, wondering how she learned her trade.

She smiled at the boys, then turned and left through a beaded curtain.

“Ah...I guess our session is over,” Kurt whispered. Blaine took a few bills from his wallet and laid them down, setting an ashtray over them to keep them on the table. He pulled Kurt behind him, searching for the door back down the dark hallway. They left the building, returning to the main street.

Before they stepped back into the main thoroughfare, Kurt pulled Blaine to a halt by the deserted site of an empty department store. As they gazed briefly into each others eyes, Kurt could see the doubts and fears as they took root in Blaine. He took Kurts other hand, now holding both as he battled to keep the shivers from gathering in the muscles in his back. Why should he give in to the fear he felt when something seemed so mysterious? How had she known so much about them? He faced Kurt, seeking signs of his unease. Kurt had been distracted ever since they entered the building and now Blaine understood why. He tried to give Kurt an encouraging smile, but it turned out looking more like fear than bravado.

“Did she just tell us that our dreams about Andy and Buddy were...the truth? That the two of them are actually speaking to us through our dreams?” Kurt asked, trying not to sound too far out there. His thoughts went to the time he dreamed he was in the garden and was witness to the lovers having sex in the gazebo.

“That is exactly what I thought – does that make it true? Do Andy and Buddy have a connection with me – with us -- and they want to help us?” Blaine said as they began walking. It was a while before Kurt spoke again.

“I think maybe they do. Which means my biggest fear now is.....well, never mind. In any case I know that Buddy and Andy are not going to harm us, they feel friendly – right?”

“Of course, of course,” Blaine said, wanting to wait and think about the womans words before talking about it with Kurt.

They both felt a little strange after that, but soon put it out of their minds as they began talking about all the window displays and about Christmases when they were children.

As they turned a corner to walk into a store selling silk scarves and fancy hats, Blaine bumped into someone hurrying the other direction. The girl did a double take and then threw her arms around Blaine, kissing him while twirling the two of them around – apparently not even noticing Kurt as he stood with his mouth open in shock.

“Why didnt you tell me you were back?” the girl demanded, sounding upset.

Blaine just stood there, seemingly in shock.

“Ah, Blaine?” Kurt said, still staring at the spectacle in front of him.

Blaine blinked and turned to Kurt.

“I can explain. Really, I can....just give me a moment?” Blaine said, blushing first and then his face turned pale as he looked from Kurt to the girl and back. He took Kurts hand and gave it a squeeze before taking the girls arm and leading her a short distance away.

“Whats going on, Blaine? Arent you glad to see me?” she asked, studying his face.

“Of course Im glad to see you, Zoey. It was just a surprise. Whats it been...five years now?” Blaine said.

“About that. I know, you must have a dozen girlfriends by now, Italy is such a romantic place! But you came to see me, right?” she asked.

“Oh, Zoey. It has been such a long time and so much had changed. It would take an hour to tell you just the bare minimum!”

“I know one thing that I bet hasnt changed,” she said, smiling up into his hazel eyes. Zoey stepped forward and slid her arms quickly around his shoulders and kissed him. Blaine struggled to get away, trying in vain to stop her from trying to kiss him again. He stepped back, his arms in front of him, hands spread out as he fended off her amorous greeting.

By this time Kurt had come closer, wondering what on earth was going on. He watched as the girl kissed his boyfriend and alarms went off in his head.

“Blaine, can you spare a moment from your...a...friend here?” he asked. “Or if you want to stay and kiss her some more, Im sure I can find somewhere else to be.”

Blaine turned to Kurt and took him in his arms.

“No, Kurt, dont leave. I can explain. This is Zoey Maitland,” Blaine introduced, “She and I were – well, we were young and foolish and it was so long ago and I was confused...” Blaine babbled.

“Oh, so I was some kind of experiment to you? Well, no wonder you never wrote!” Zoey said. Blaine was just grateful that she wasnt the type to screech out when she was upset. No, she stood still, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her toe tapping very quietly. He could tell she was just holding on to her temper by a thread. One wrong word or movement and she might blow.

“No, Zoey, I never thought that. You know me better than that,” he said.

“I thought I did,” she said, her voice filled with anger.

“Okay, when I was in sixth grade, Zoey and I were pals,” Blaine told Kurt. “We had known each other for a few years and we got...ah...closer. She was my girlfriend?” Blaine started. He had no idea what either of them would do, but he was determined to get the truth out in the open. He had hidden his secrets away for too long.

“What Zoey didnt know was that I was....I am...gay.”

Blaine paused to gauge what she might do, but she flipped her long, beautiful black hair behind her and looked at him with her brown eyes.

“I didnt tell anyone here...I came out to my parents and the next thing I knew, I was on my way to Italy to board at a school there. I barely got time to say goodbye to my friends and it was done. I didnt write to anyone for a long time, Zoe. I was sad and lonely and thought my parents had shipped me off because they couldnt handle a gay son. I am sorry if you thought I led you on, I didnt mean to. I was so confused...” he said, his head down.

“Oh, Blaine. Im sorry. Oh...and I kissed you! I really am sorry!” she said, her face red. She looked at Kurt and her face changed into a smile. She looked at their entwined arms, their hands gripping each other, and understood.

“Introduce me, Blaine?” Zoey asked, nodding at the tall boy with blue eyes and chestnut hair.

“Zoey, this is my boyfriend, Kurt,” he said, tightening his hold on Kurts hand.

“Pleased to meet you,” she said.

“You, too.”

“There, Blaine. If you had bothered to write, we wouldnt have had this awkwardness between us,” she scolded.

“Sorry, Zoe,” he told her, still in a bit of shock from her earlier kiss.

“Were just going into the chocolate shop. Would you like to join us?” Kurt asked, smiling at the girl.

“If I wouldnt be intruding...”

“Of course not, would she Blaine?”

“Come with us, just for old times sake?” Blaine asked.

“Okay.” she agreed, following Blaine into the shop and sitting at a table between the two boys.

They drank their chocolate and talked about Kurt and Blaine going tree surfing and then about Zoeys plans to go to college. It turned out to be much less awkward than any of them thought and they parted with addresses and emails exchanged.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

Kurt and Blaine caught up with the rest of the Warblers at the appointed time and all started out together to see the Christmas tableaus at Myers store. The theme this year was The Nutcracker and they walked along the sidewalk, looking at the puppet dancers: Russian, Arabian, Spanish, Danish, and Chinese. Under the tree were brightly colored packages with children opening them. In another window were soldiers, drummers, and the Mouse King – all surrounding the Sugarplum Fairy as she danced around the tree.

“Oh, how beautiful!” was heard from the Warblers, everyone loving the animated dolls as they depicted the Tchaikovsky ballet.

They stayed for a while watching each window and the scenes in them. It made Kurt – and probably most of the boys – think of home. They had skyped home last night, but for most of the boys, this was their first Christmas away from home.

“Lets get going. We need to be at our next destination soon,” Cooper said, smiling.

They gathered around him, waiting for the tram cars to arrive at their stop and take them to Blaine and Coopers parents apartment.

Arriving at the apartment building, Eureka Towers, they entered and rode up on the lift to the 88th floor where they got out.

“Welcome to The Edge,” said Cooper, grinning as the boys looked out the windows to view the whole city of Melbourne from over 300 meters in the air.

“I got each of you a ticket to the Skydeck. It is a cube that projects from the building so you can see all around,” Blaine told his friends as they walked down the hall to the plexiglass cube.

“Wow!” Several of the Warblers shouted as they looked out.

“There can be 12 people in the cube at a time,” the guide told them. The Warblers wanted to all go in at once and have their picture taken together to send to their families.

Cooper stopped to talk to the guide. The Skydeck wasnt usually opened at this time on Christmas Eve, but the Andersons had been long-time residents of Eureka Tower and so a special arrangement had been made.

“Look!” Trent said in a stage whisper. “Thats amazing!”

The boys all walked slowly to see all of the views from the cube, and talked about how scary it was to see 300 meters below their feet. They were comfortable after a short time, but not enough to make noise and jump around.

When the cube was brought back inside, they all thanked Cooper and the guide for giving them this special gift.

They spent the rest of the evening with the Andersons, eating Christmas turkey and then delighting their hosts with carols. It was a wonderful evening and they were sad to leave, but the Warblers were returning to Ohio in the morning.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

The plane landed and Kurt reached over Blaines shoulder to tap Cooper on his shoulder. He jerked awake, looking around to see what was happening.

“Hey, Coop. Calm down, I just wanted you to know we landed,” Kurt said.

“Is Squirt still asleep?” he questioned, stretching his arms.

“Yeah, he is. He must have been really tired, hes been asleep for at least five hours,” Kurt said, running his hand gently through his boyfriends hair.

Cooper leaned back, yawning once more before nudging his little brother.

Kurt ran a gentle hand around Blaines waist and gave him a squeeze.

“Wake up, Blaine. Were back in Ohio, baby,” he said. Kurt was excited to be home. He had missed his father and wanted to hug him so badly.

“Were home?” Blaine mumbled, blinking his eyes open and searching for Kurt. His eyes fell on the rosy-cheeked boy and Blaine hummed in contentment. “Hi, baby. Was it a good flight? I think I fell asleep just out of New Zealand,” he said, yawning just like his brother.

They disembarked and walked down the corridor to customs. It went faster than usual, probably due to this being just after Christmas and the airports were all crowded with travelers returning from vacation. The Warblers all got through in record time and waited until all of them were ready to go before going to meet their families. Cooper and Mrs Sterling checked off each boys name as they were picked up by parents or guardians until it was just Blaine, Kurt, and Cooper.

“We can take a taxi over to where my car is,” Cooper offered. Kurt was just about to accept when he looked down the concourse and saw the best sight in the whole world: Burt was walking quickly towards him, a huge grin on his face.

“Daddd!!!” Kurt shouted and threw his arms around his father, burying his face in Burts neck. “I missed you so much!” Kurt said, his voice muffled in the wool of his dads pea coat. Burt patted his son on his back, smiling through his tears as he held on to Kurt as if hed been gone for years instead of a week.

“I missed you, too, buddy. We saved Christmas to share with you and Blaine. Nobody opened presents or anything,” Burt said, waiting patiently for Kurt to lift his head. The words of Madam Shadira echoed in his head, and Kurt hugged his dad even tighter, two tears threatening to slide down his cheeks.

“You did? Oh, thank you, Dad!”

They began walking out of the airport and Burt turned to Blaine.

“Youre coming with us, right? I should have asked, but I assumed you and Cooper are coming home with us?” Burt inquired of the two brothers.

“Sure, wed love to come,” Blaine said, grinning. Cooper nodded his head, too. Christmas was going to be wonderful for the second time this year.

*******

A/N  I might be taking a small break with this story for a few weeks. I need to get past a health concern (those who have read my stories before probably know I have to do this from time to time when my body is not behaving). I wont abandon the story, just delay it a teeny bit. Hopefully I will be doing better by Christmas and will have many chapters ready to go! Thank you to all who sent messages, I appreciate them.