Kurt swung their clasped hands slightly as they approached the club with its glowing neon sign over the door. "You know what you have to do, don't you?"

Blaine nodded, his eyes on the club. "Get George to stand near where you're talking to Seth and then go and make some excuse and leave him there and hope that he overhears you."

Kurt nodded, looking satisfied. "Let's just hope this works."       

They reached the doors of the club that George had suggested they meet at when Blaine had called him yesterday. After giving Kurt's hand a quick squeeze, he pushed open the door and entered, tugging Kurt after him into the lively club, which was crowded with talking, laughing, and dancing people. Some modern dance track pounded through the speakers, making the shouts of other people and the clinking of ice and glasses almost inaudible.

They were intercepted almost immediately by George, who grinned widely at them, looking delighted that they were there. "I knew it was only a matter of time until you guys ditched the boring life!" he shouted over all the noise.

Blaine fought down the urge to just yell at George there and then and demand he confess what he had done. He kept himself in check, knowing there was no way George would admit to it here; he needed to follow Kurt's plan. He forced a smile at his drummer. "We thought it was time we went out with you guys after turning down your offers for months."

Kurt scanned the crowded bar. "Where are the others?"

Waving a hand behind him, George took a gulp of his drink. "They're over there somewhere."

"You two go back over there, I'll go and get drinks and join you in a minute." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand once more before heading over to the bar and getting drinks for himself and Kurt. Winding his way through the groups of people dotted throughout the club, he headed in the direction George had indicated and easily found Kurt again. He was engaged in a conversation with Seth and George which - when Blaine was close enough to hear it - was about the upcoming tour in Europe.

"It sucks that you have to work right through most of December," Seth was saying just as Blaine joined them and handed Kurt his drink.

Kurt gave a noncommittal hum in response. "I might be able to work something out to join you guys at some point," he said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.

"I hope you can," Seth told him genially.

George just grunted, his eyes scanning the length of the bar.

It took them a while before they were able to put their plan into motion. The other guys kept pulling them into different conversations whenever they tried to separate George and Seth from the group. They also kept offering to buy them drinks, most of which Kurt and Blaine turned down, neither of them wanting to get drunk and forget their plan. It was over an hour later when Blaine finally found himself standing alone with George. The drummer was going on and on about something he had forgotten, he was too busy staring at the man who he had thought was one of his close friends to pay attention to what he was saying. He was wondering, yet again, what had driven George to do that to him: money? Jealousy? Something else entirely? He had never dreamed that George would do something like that and he was determined to call him out on it and discover the answer to his biggest question: why?

Tonight he was more angry than upset at what his friend had done, but he knew the pain would come soon. Kurt had been watching him closely since they had heard the news and had even asked him to join him in a Skype call to his family where they discussed their Christmas plans. He knew why Kurt had done that, even though it was a month until Christmas and they didn't need to start planning this early: to let him know that not everyone in his life would toss away his love and friendship like it was nothing; there were people who cared about him. He felt so grateful for Kurt; they may have had some problems in the past, but he knew he would always have his boyfriend's love and support.

He glanced over George's shoulder and spotted Kurt and Seth leaning against a table nearby. He caught Kurt's eye and his boyfriend nodded.

Drifting casually towards the table Kurt and Seth were standing by, Blaine kept his gaze trained on George and nodded every now and then as if he was still listening to him. He set his empty glass down on the table, smiling internally when George stepped over to join him by the table, still talking. "Sorry," Blaine apologised, interrupting George mid-speech, "I'm just going to the bathroom." He sidestepped George and worked his way through the crowds to the opposite side of the club where the bathrooms were. He stood just by the doors to them and gazed across the room at Kurt, George, and Seth, shifting around the crowds a little so he could get a clear view while also being well-obscured in case George was to look over.

Kurt was standing closer to Seth than he had been earlier and was saying something to him with a small smile on his face. George was still standing where Blaine had left him, swirling his drink around his glass and staring down at the dark liquid; it was impossible to tell if he was listening to Kurt and Seth's conversation. Seth was speaking now, waving his hands animatedly as he spoke and George was still swirling his drink.

A couple of tall guys walked across Blaine's line of vision just then and by the time he scrambled around several people until he could see again, George was gone, but Seth and Kurt were still talking. As it had been a believable amount of time to have gone to the bathroom, Blaine wound his way back over to his friends, spotting George over at the bar talking to an unfamiliar man. A few of the other guys had joined Kurt and Seth by the time Blaine reached him. Kurt stepped away from the group and bent close to Blaine to be heard over the loud music and chatter. "I told Seth, but I have no idea if George heard or not."

Blaine glanced briefly over at the bar to where George was laughing at something the brunet man he was talking to had just said. "I was watching from across the room, but I couldn't tell if he was listening to you or not." He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "We'll just have to wait and see tomorrow."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully and then suddenly grinned at him, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. "Seeing as we're here," he said in a low voice, tugging Blaine closer by the front of his shirt, "we might as well dance." He grabbed Blaine's hands and led him over to the packed dance floor with a smirk on his face.

Huddling up inside his thick winter coat, Blaine hurried down the street towards the coffee shop where Rachel and Kurt were meeting. The beanie and scarf he was wearing were doubling as a way of concealing his identity from George as well as keeping him warm in the freezing temperatures. He paused just outside the doors of the coffee shop to tug at his scarf so that it covered more of his face, then he pushed open the door and stepped gratefully into the warm café.

The last of his shivers died down as he approached the counter, keeping his head low to make sure that George - if he was there - didn't recognise him. As he placed his order for a medium drip he spotted Kurt and Rachel out the corner of his eye just sitting down at a table nearby.

He grabbed his coffee when it was ready and thanked the barista before heading over to a table tucked away in the far corner of the café, snagging a copy of the New York Times on his way. He had a good view of the rest of the café from the table and as it was tucked away in the corner, George was less likely to spot him there. He opened the paper and pretended to read, his eyes scanning the coffee shop instead of reading the printed pages in front of him.

Kurt had chosen this café as their meeting place because it was fairly small and never really busy, making it easier to spot George if he showed up. Blaine ran his gaze over the other customers again - none of them were George.

He began to fret over their plan as he sipped his coffee and pretended to be absorbed in reading the newspaper. He really hoped George didn't have a friend who was an accomplice in this and was here today instead of George. He scanned the customers again over the rim of his coffee cup. Or maybe he hadn't heard Kurt and Seth last night and wasn't coming. Or maybe he just wasn't coming. Or maybe they were wrong. Or...

His gaze suddenly landed on a tall man wearing a grey hoodie underneath a coat, standing by the short counter where the napkins, sugar, and stirrers were, right by Kurt and Rachel's table. He had his hood pulled up and it was hiding most of his face and he had his phone pressed to his ear, but he occasionally inched a little closer to Kurt's table and Blaine was sure the man's eyes kept flickering over to Kurt. Blaine frowned slightly as he carefully watched the man, suspicion prickling inside him. The man turned slightly as he shifted a little closer to Kurt's table and Blaine could suddenly see his face better: blue eyes, tanned skin, straight blond hair flopping over his forehead - George.

Getting to his feet, Blaine made his way across the coffee shop and approached his drummer from behind. George was focusing so much on what Kurt was saying that he didn't notice Blaine and he wasn't speaking into his phone, just holding it up to his ear, like Blaine suspected. He was right behind George now and he could hear Rachel's voice. Loosening off the scarf around his face, Blaine reached up and tapped George on the shoulder.

George spun around to face him, his expression a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Blaine.

"Hey, George," Blaine greeted him in a falsely cheery voice, "fancy seeing you here!"

George glanced around the café quickly, his eyes lingering on Kurt and Rachel for a moment. "Blaine!" he said with a strained smile, "what- uh, what a nice surprise. I didn't-"

"Didn't think Blaine would be here? Didn't think someone would recognise you?" Kurt finished.

Kurt and Rachel had joined them after noticing Blaine and George's confrontation. Kurt watched coolly as George opened his mouth and then closed it again. He glanced between Kurt and Rachel, who was frowning darkly at him.

"What's going on?" he asked, trying to feign innocence.

Blaine folded his arms across his chest. "We know," he said in a voice full of meaning.

George blinked at him and flashed a brief, weak smile in an attempt to look confused, but his frantically darting eyes and the stutter in his words gave away his guilt. "Kn- Know what?"

Rachel scowled. "Don't play dumb." She grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him after her across the coffee shop to the small table in the corner Blaine had been sitting at earlier. "You know exactly what we're talking about," she said, pushing him down into a chair. She sat down next to him and Kurt and Blaine took the remaining chairs opposite them.

George had one last attempt at pretending to be completely clueless. "I still don't know-"

But Blaine had had enough and he cut him off angrily. "We know that you're the one who has been providing the media with information on our private lives: where we're going to be and when, and details of our relationship. You were also the one making up stories about Kurt and giving them to the media."

George had gone pale beneath his tan. "I-"

"We know it was you who took those pictures of us in Central Park so you could let the world know about our relationship," Kurt said coldly. "We know you followed us through the park and spied on us from behind a tree - I almost caught you at it."

George had regained some of his arrogance while listening to Kurt. "You've got no proof," he sneered, his face twisting up into a snarl as the colour returned to it.

Blaine just stared at him levelly, his face set. "We have nothing solid enough to go to the police or anything, that's true, but we still know it was you. You always wanted to know all of our plans and the details of our relationship. You would call me or come over to visit and we would end up telling you about upcoming plans or something that had happened recently and within the next few days an article would appear that included those details we had given you."

George's expression shifted slightly as he listened.

"You phoned me the morning of the day Kurt and I went to Central Park," Blaine continued, "and I told you we were going there. You were the only person who knew we were going. You told the paparazzi where to go so they could pester Kurt, you told the media we were going to Lima for Thanksgiving, you told them that I'd had a disagreement with my parents when Kurt and I visited them."

He shifted his chair closer to the table, his eyes still fixed firmly on George's narrowed blue ones. For a second he was reminded of his father, glaring at him with his similar icy-blue eyes. "And then you came here today to try and eavesdrop on Kurt and Rachel after we made sure that you overheard Kurt's plans last night."

George's scowl deepened. "All you have is your own speculation," he said triumphantly. "I'm just here to get coffee," he told them with a smarmy smirk.

"Then why were you hanging around behind our table and trying to hide your face?" Rachel shot at him. "Why were you so jumpy and shifty when Blaine approached you? Why haven't you bought any coffee yet when you've been here for over ten minutes?"

They all glared at him as George floundered for a moment, his jaw working.

Blaine met his gaze once again. "I just want to know why you did it. We've been friends for years, why did you suddenly betray me like that? Was it for money?" He fought to keep his voice from rising into a shout, aware that they were in a public place.

George shook his head, his hands clenching into hard fists on top of the table. "This had nothing to do with money," he said through gritted teeth.

"So you admit you did it then?" Kurt demanded sharply.

"Yes, I fucking did it!" George admitted loudly, finally losing his poise. He threw Kurt a dark look. "Yes, I followed you through Central Park that day! Yes, I took those pictures outside the hotel! Yes, I've been telling the papara-"

Blaine leant forwards and rested his arms on the table, his frown deepening. "Wait, what? What pictures outside the hotel?"

Kurt's eyes widened in realisation and he looked like he was only just barely restraining himself from hitting George. "You took those pictures of Nick and Blaine together and sent them to the media with that bullshit story?"

Rachel gasped softly and Blaine just stared at George, frozen in his seat.

"You made up all that shit about Blaine cheating on me?" Kurt finished.

Blaine shook his head at George; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I can't believe this," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "What did I ever do to you to deserve being treated like this?" His voice rose into a shout, beyond caring about the other people in the coffee shop. "What the fuck did I ever do to you? I was your friend! You were the drummer in my band!" He gave a short, unamused laugh when he caught sight of the look on George's face. "Yeah, that's right - were. You'd better start looking for another job, unless, of course, you've made enough money through selling people's private lives to the media."

George's jaw was working again, the tendons in his neck standing out in thick chords, and his hands were still clenching and unclenching into fists. "Fine!" he burst out suddenly. "You want to know why I did it?" He jabbed his finger in Kurt's direction. "Him!"

Kurt's face creased in confusion. "What?" He glanced at Blaine and Rachel as if appealing to them for an explanation, but they just shook their heads at him; they were just as confused as he was.

"He was the reason I did it!" George continued. "Do you know how much I hated seeing you two together?" He directed his question at Blaine with eyes narrowed in anger. "How much I loathed seeing you act all loved-up together? I've been your friend for years, yet you go on his shitty show and talk to him for an hour and suddenly you're panting after him and then just a few weeks later you're dating!"

People at the surrounding tables were staring at them, but George was beside himself and didn't seem to notice or care.

"He doesn't deserve you!" George snarled. He waved a hand at Kurt, his mouth twisted in disgust, like he'd just eaten something extremely sour and unpleasant. "Look at him! He's just some pretty boy who got famous through luck! He didn't have to work hard for it like you did! He wasn't with you through all the tough times at the beginning, but I was. I was always there for you, Blaine, yet you chose him," he spat. "Even though he doesn't trust you and believes a stupid article that says you're cheating, even though he can't handle all the paparazzi and reporters that come with your life, you chose him."

Kurt and Rachel were staring at George, slight shock evident beneath their rage.

Blaine was fuming. "You caused him to feel that way! All problems in our relationship were caused by you, not Kurt! You trying to drive us apart! Did you think I'd come running to you if Kurt and I broke up?"

George's mouth twisted up into a tight smile. "Yes, I did, actually. When the talentless fucker ditched you because he couldn't handle all the shit you brought into his life or because he thought you were cheating I would have been there for you to offer you comfort - again! Maybe then you would have realised that I was better for you."

Blaine just shook his head. "Maybe in your weird, twisted mind you thought there was a chance for us to be together, but there never was. I never saw you as anything more than a friend. For me there is only Kurt."

George seethed in silence and Blaine just stared at him. Not a shred of affection lingered for his old friend and there was no way he would ever forgive George for what he had done. He had almost lost Kurt thanks to him, thanks to someone he had trusted and truly believed was a good friend. He was a bit frustrated with himself for not noticing what George had been up to sooner, but the other man had hidden the truth well. All those friendly phone calls and conversations had been an act. Anger bubbled up inside him as he looked at George; the only thing holding him back from punching his ex-drummer in the face was the fact that he hadn't succeeded in splitting him and Kurt up.

Kurt broke the tense, angry silence. "One last thing I want to know is how you managed to convince my old publicist to allow all those negative articles about me to be published."

George blinked as if he'd forgotten all about that. "Oh, that was easy to get him to do," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I was sleeping with him."

There was another short pause, during which Rachel, Kurt and Blaine stared at George in disgust and anger and George scowled darkly across the coffee shop.

"I can't believe I didn't see what kind of person you are earlier," Blaine said, getting to his feet. He shook his head as Rachel and Kurt stood up as well. "See you around, George," he said and they turned and left the coffee shop, leaving George staring after him.

The three of them walked down the street away from the coffee shop in silence. Rachel was the first to speak.

"I never guessed he did it because he was jealous of Kurt," she said. "I know I barely knew him, but I thought for sure it was money."

Neither Kurt nor Blaine said anything to this. Kurt took Blaine's hand and linked their fingers together in a silent gesture of support.

Rachel was building up steam for a long rant. "And the nerve of him to call you talentless, Kurt! You don't just get a-"

"Rachel," Kurt held up a hand to stop her and she broke off, "can you please save that for another day?"

She eyed Kurt and Blaine for a moment, and then nodded. "Ok," she said, sounding a little disappointed. "I should be going anyway," she announced. "I'll see you both later." Stepping up to the curb, she flagged down a cab and was gone.

Kurt and Blaine continued to walk along in silence, both of them thinking over what had just happened, but neither wanting to discuss it just yet. That would be something to talk over later, lying in bed or on the couch together where they could hold each other as Blaine let his painful emotions spill out. Kurt would be there with his unwavering love and warm embrace to remind Blaine that not everyone in his life was like George and his parents.

"I've just realised a slight problem," Blaine said after several minutes of silence. When Kurt looked at him curiously, he continued, "I go on tour soon and I no longer have a drummer." He said it surprisingly calmly considering how big of a problem it actually was.

They came to a stop near the entrance to a subway station and stared at each other for a moment. Then Kurt smiled. "I have a solution to that."

A corner of Blaine's mouth tugged up into a smile - of course Kurt had an answer to his problem. "What?" he asked.

"Finn."