Saturday afternoon found Kurt and Blaine standing side by side in the Hummel-Hudson kitchen, chopping vegetables in preparation for a lunchtime salad. The days plans included a light midday meal, followed by a few hours snuggling on the couch watching Real Housewives re-runs, and then possibly ending in friskier activity. As always conversation flowed comfortably and they worked around each other with casual ease. That is, until Blaine said something that came entirely out of left field, catching the other boy off guard.

"Im sorry," Kurt said, putting down his knife, "but can you repeat that, because I cant possibly have heard correctly."

Blaine continued to chop a carrot, not bothering to tear his eyes from the task before replying,

"I said that Jeff invited us to go camping with a few other Warblers, and I think we should do it."

Kurt stilled Blaines hand and removed the knife from it before forcing his boyfriend to face him. He swept back a few loose curls in order to place the back of his hand against the forehead currently furrowed in confusion.

"Are you feeling well? Or have you just lost your mind?"

Blaine batted the hand away.

"What? I think itll be fun."

Shaking his head in disbelief and resisting an urge to grab the thermometer from his bathroom, Kurt attempted to speak reason.

"Honey, its December and we live in Ohio. Did the snow and ice outside somehow escape your notice?"

"No, how could it? And I guess I should have clarified that its not really camping. Jeffs parents own a lakeside cottage a couple of hours away. They offered to let him and some friends to use it for a weekend during everyones vacation."

Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Kurt decided to abandon food all together for the time being in favor of leaning against the counter and crossing his arms. With challenge tingeing his voice, he continued the line of questioning,

"So youre telling me that Jeffs parents gave a bunch of teenagers permission to traipse off into the woods, unsupervised, for a weekend?"

"Of course not!" Blaine looked almost offended at the insinuation. "Wes, David and Thad are all flying home from college for break and volunteered to be our responsible adults. They are 18, after all."

At this, Kurt couldnt help but laugh.

"And our parents are expected to buy that?"

"Well, at least Wes will be a responsible adult. All of our parents have seen his supervisory skills in action. And what they dont know about David and Thads legendary penchant for mischief wont hurt them."

"Ok, fair point," Kurt conceded, "however as much as I miss all of them, the idea of staying in a confined space with a bunch of boys for a few days isnt really my idea of a good time. I may fit some gay stereotypes, but that is not one of them."

Now it was Blaines turn to chuckle.

"Oh no, its nothing like that. The place is actually pretty huge. Its more like a house than a cottage. There are a couple of bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large common space with an enormous fireplace, and a full size kitchen. They even have an enclosed deck with a hot tub."

Adopting a stern tone, Kurt pointed out,

"I am not sleeping on a couch or a living room floor. My back wouldnt be able to take it."

"Jeff promised us one of the bedrooms. Itd be just you and me behind a closed door for two nights."

Kurt felt himself slowly coming around to the idea, but on principle he was not yet ready to give up the fight.

"You know how anxious I get without constant access to technology. The wilderness isnt exactly an environment conducive to keeping me plugged in."

"Theres Wi-Fi, cable, big screen TV with a DVD player, and the nearest town is only ten miles away. It even has an outlet mall and a Starbucks. Now will you please just say yes?" Blaine pulled out the big guns and flashed Kurt the puppy dog eyes, but before this battle ended, one more vital issue needed addressing.

"Is HE going?"

Blaine expected this to come up and, fortunately, was prepared with what he knew to be the correct answer.

"No. According to Jeff, Sebastian is going off to some tropical paradise with his family for the entire winter break."

All resolve officially shattered, the older boy sighed before saying,

"Alright, it sounds like fun. But I have to convince my dad first, and Im not honestly sure how hes going to feel about it."

His boyfriend grinned slyly.

"Actually, I told him about it earlier this week. He said it was fine and wished me luck trying to convince YOU to go."

Kurts mouth fell open as he struggled to find a response.

"Blaine Devon Anderson, you, you..." He was at an uncharacteristic loss for words, finally choosing instead to pull Blaine close and kiss that triumphant smile off of his smug face.

******

The Friday morning of their departure arrived and Blaine showed up on Kurts doorstep at 9am. The boys agreed to take Kurts Navigator because of the ample space for luggage and the ability to carpool with some of the other Warblers. Everyone arranged to meet up at Dalton at noon and those with larger vehicles would take on passengers, because that seemed most practical. Jeff and Nick were riding with them, and even though each driver had an address and directions, general consensus was that the car containing Jeff would be best suited to lead the convoy.

Blaine and Kurt busied themselves checking and double checking that they had everything they needed. Kurt brought an obscene amount of luggage for a 48 hour trip, emphatically claiming, "I am not surrendering my moisturizers and fashion sense; not even out in the wild." They snagged a few DVDs from the shelf to toss in the mix and headed for the grocery store before making their way to meet the others.

They pulled in to Dalton a bit before 12pm to find that they were actually the last to arrive. Blaine immediately spotted Trents car and could make out the figures of Wes, Thad and David inside. Nick and Jeff sat nearby in another car driven by a woman he recognized as Nicks mom. As soon as the Navigator parked, all the boys poured out of their respective vehicles to tackle the couple into bone-crushing embraces.

"Its so good to see you guys!" cried Jeff as he nearly squeezed all the air from Kurts lungs.

"Hey, butt out, its been way longer since we saw them than it has been for you," said David as he pried the blonde away to claim his own hug.

Once everyone felt that enough love was satisfactorily spread, Nick and Jeff set to loading their things into the Navigator while the other boys jostled each other about in order to stay warm. With everything packed up, Kurt slammed the trunk shut and turned to face the group.

"So," he began, "if were all here, are we ready to move out?"

"First I want to go through the overall checklist to make sure that everyone brought the stuff they were assigned to get," Jeff bit his lower lip before continuing, "and not everyone is here yet."

Kurt startled a bit.

"Oh, I just assumed since were only taking two cars, and considering the number of available seats..." he trailed off.

"Theres one more spot in your car, isnt there?"

"Yes, but I thought you said it was just the eight of us going?"

"And until yesterday it was, but then..."

Jeff stopped speaking as all the boys attention was drawn to a sleek, black Porsche entering the parking lot. Only one person would drive such an ostentatious automobile.

Kurt whipped around sharply to face a guilty looking Jeff.

"Please tell me you didnt."

The Warbler gave a weak shrug and responded in a much quieter voice than before.

"Im sorry, Kurt. He called me yesterday to say he wasnt going with his family and asked if he could come with us. You know how much trouble I have saying ‘no to anyone."

"Remind me to work with you on that problem when we get back," Kurt snapped.

Much to his dismay but to no ones surprise, Sebastian Smythe emerged from the expensive vehicle, offering all of them a smarmy grin as he sauntered over. Blaines eyes were cast down while Kurts gaze pierced steady daggers into the approaching meerkat-like face. Trent, Nick and Jeff exchanged worried looks, while the three elder boys stood slightly confused, yet to experience the pleasure of meeting this new kid.

"Good morning, boys," Sebastian greeted smoothly, rewarded with a rather muted chorus of "hello" in response. "I do hope Im not late."

"Not at all!" piped up Jeff, determined to remain chipper in this midst of what was already a tense situation- one that showed little hope of improving any time soon. "I was just about to go over the group checklist before we leave." He cleared his throat, producing a pen and piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "Alright, Nick and I picked up a large variety of beverages and snacks." He made a mark on the list. "So, food for two breakfasts?"

"Got it!" chimed Trent and Thad.

Another mark.

"Food for two lunches?"

"Done!" sang Wes and David.

Check.

"Food for two dinners?"

"Ready to go," answered Blaine, as Kurt was still seething too much to trust his voice.

Check.

"Alcohol?"

"More than you can imagine," Sebastian said smugly.

At this, Kurt couldnt hold back a scoffing noise, which caused Sebastian to finally pay attention to him.

"Not all of us can live on Shirley Temples alone, Hummel."

Kurt bristled, prepared to retort, but Jeff cut him off,

"And last, but certainly not least, three responsible adults?"

"Here!" But Wess voice was the only one to ring out. He looked exasperatedly at Thad and David, who stifled giggles. "Oh come on," Wes pleaded, "Ive already taken care of you two for years. Isnt it time you pay me back?"

"Aw, but Wesley," David said, clapping Wes on the back, "youre so good at it. Why would you want to relinquish the spotlight?"

Now the two boys dissolved in to raucous laughter while Wes glared at them.

"I hate you both," he said with a trace of a pout on his lips. "No, seriously, I actually hate you."

"We love you, too," Thad managed to get out between gasps before he and David attacked their former head councilman in a patronizing hug.

By now even Kurt couldnt help smiling at the trio. He really did miss them after he left Dalton. Maybe he could find a way to ignore Sebastian most of the time and enjoy the limited days he had with the rest of the guys. Though, the odds of Sebastian allowing himself to be ignored were slim to none.

Suddenly, to his horror, Kurt finally realized who was going to be taking his extra seat. It occurred to him to beg one of the other four to switch, but he couldnt bring himself to sound so petty. He dealt with this jerk in the past and now he would do it again.

But maybe for the return trip he could find a tactful way to ask Wes to ride with him instead.

He was yanked from his thoughts by the sound of Sebastians voice.

"So whose car am I in? The sooner my possessions are packed, the sooner this party can begin."

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to begin taking the high road, Kurt squared his shoulders and spoke.

"Youre with me. Ill open the trunk for you."

Sebastians eyes widened in surprise, but the look left as quickly as it appeared and he regained his cool expression.

"Well then, lead the way."

Kurt eyed the Porsche suspiciously.

"Are you really going to let your car sit out here unattended all weekend?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Im not an idiot, you know"

As Sebastian opened the door to retrieve his bags, a man in a smart black suit that Kurt hadnt noticed stepped out of the passenger side. Sebastian tossed this man the keys and instructed him to be back here by 4pm on Sunday. The middle-aged looking man nodded and stood stoically aside as the car was emptied.

It turned out that Sebastian was not exaggerating about the amount of alcohol he brought along. In fact, there were so many cases of beer and bottles of liquor that they ended up playing Tetris in Trents car as well, just to fit everything in. All in all the process took longer than expected but, fortunately, interaction between the two rival teens was minimal. Too soon for Kurts taste everyone piled into their respective vehicles and began the two hour journey. He just prayed that they made it to their destination without the necessity of pulling over to murder one of his passengers.

Blaine sat up front while the other three squished into the back, Sebastian settled behind the drivers seat. The first few minutes passed in silence before Blaine, ever the polite one, broke the ice.

"So Seb, what brings you with us? I thought you were going on vacation with your family?"

In his rearview mirror the driver saw Sebastians shoulders twitch nonchalantly.

"Lets just say I managed to get myself un-invited."

Kurt snorted and, without thinking about it first, asked,

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to do that?"

Sebastians lips curled in to a wicked smile.

"If you must know, not that its any of your business, daddy-dearest went off on yet another of his charming rants about fags. I told him to go fuck himself and suddenly my Winter break schedule cleared. I remembered hearing about this little outing and called up Jeff, because what kind of Captain would I be if I didnt take time to bond with my team?"

"Wouldnt you rather be on a sunny beach, drinking yourself to death and chasing tan, toned, nameless men?" Even if he felt inclined to, Kurt couldnt end his tirade at this point.

"And be forced to endure the pleasure of my parents company for at least a few hours a day while they drag me to one insufferable tourist attraction after another? I think Im better off where I am."

"Oh Im sure that with your powers of persuasion you could talk some victim in to sneaking away with you during those dull outings," Kurt said, voice laced with sarcasm.

"Finally you acknowledge my skill. But no, Im content with an empty house to bring someone home to, no commitments and a key to the liquor cabinet."

"Its good to hear that you lead such a fulfilling and meaningful life, Smythe."

"Hey ‘Bas, is it true that you own four game consoles?" Nick interjected quickly before Kurt could go on.

"Yes, why?"

"Well," Nick stammered, clearly not having thought this diversion through before he spoke, "if you have the house to yourself, maybe Jeff and I could come over sometime and we could all play something."

"I guess," Sebastian answered dismissively before turning his attention back to the front seat. "So, Blaine, how have you been? You havent texted me in awhile."

Kurt tensed visibly and Blaine hesitated before answering,

"Fine. School is great and Glee club is fun as always. Of course Kurt and I," he reached over to pry one of his boyfriends clenched hands from the steering wheel and lace their fingers together over the cup holders, "are happy as ever."

"I still cant believe you chose public school over Dalton because of some boy," Sebastian drawled. "Getting laid would have been just as easy if you stayed with us."

Jeff felt the sour vibes intensify and figured it was his turn taking a stab at an intervention.

"Kurt, Blaine, what do you have planned for dinner tonight? I guess I shouldve asked earlier in case it requires some fancy device that we dont have in the kitchen."

It was a feeble attempt at best, but at least it forced the conversation in a different direction. Fortunately the deflection worked and led to a 15 minute chat about cooking, during which Sebastian stayed blessedly quiet. As the discussion tapered off, Nick suggested that they play music, effectively cutting off anyones ability to talk over the noise. Eventually the five of them settled into the most comfortable companionship possible, singing along and only occasionally bickering over song choices. Even Kurt seemed to relax a little, though clearly he remained on edge, prepared to pounce if provoked again.

They made remarkably good time getting to the lake house, Trent and the others arriving right behind them. During the flurry of unpacking and settling in, Sebastian was remarkably silent, which in a way only made Kurt more nervous. He didnt trust that little rich kid, knowing full well that, vile as he may be, he wasnt stupid. Kurt didnt generally consider himself a jealous person when it came to his boyfriend, but something about Sebastians entire manner made him want to glue himself to Blaine in an overt display of possessiveness.

Sebastian was a guy who knew how to get what he wanted and was accustomed to doing so with ease, expecting everyone to roll over in the wake of his so-called "charm." If he planned to crack Kurt and claim Blaine as easily as he managed to manipulate others, then Sebastian Smythe was headed for a sorely disappointing surprise.