Regardless of his aversion to nature, Kurt had to admit that his current location was rather breathtaking. An expansive lake lay before him, not entirely frozen over but with delicate ice crystals creeping inward from the shore. Snow clung to the tall trees surrounding him on all sides. The beauty overwhelmed him and, for a brief moment, he forgot all of his apprehensions about the weekend.

Then Jeffs voice rang out, pulling Kurt from his blissful moment of contentment.

"Welcome, everyone, to our humble abode!"

Jeff flung the door open and stepped inside with everyone else right on his heels, eager for their vacation to truly begin.

Despite Blaines initial description of the houses luxuries, Kurt hadnt dared get his hopes up and expect too much. Upon viewing the exterior he steeled himself further. Though considerably sized, the structure appeared to be constructed from roughly hewn logs, which he didnt figure boded well for the taste of whoever decorated the interior. However, he found himself pleasantly surprised after crossing the threshold.

The first thing to catch his eye was the gleaming hardwood flooring in the kitchen and visible hallways. Plush forest green carpet covered what he assumed to be the living room, in which sat multiple armchairs and an L-shaped couch, all upholstered in supple brown leather and piled with rich brocade throw pillows. A tall brick hearth was set into the far corner and a large TV sat a few feet away from the sofa. Shelves of books, movies and board games were placed on either side of a bay window overlooking the lake. Next he took a closer look at the kitchen, noting the granite countertops and modern appliances. Off to the side of the kitchen was a simple dining area with a lengthy oak table surrounded by a total of ten chairs. Finally he took in the soft cream curtains covering every window and the various gold-framed black and white photos hanging on the walls.

He unconsciously stopped only a few steps inside the door after removing his shoes and therefore stood smack dab in the middle of everyone elses path. Shaking his head clear he continued on into the house, waiting for Jeff to direct him and Blaine to their bedroom. A long hall branched off from the living room, but he didnt want to assume which doors led where.

Blaine snuck up behind him to wrap an arm around his slender waist and gently guided him sideways. Kurt startled slightly before relaxing back into his boyfriend. Standing a bit on tiptoe to set his chin on the taller boys shoulder, Blaine whispered,

"See? I told you it was nice."

Kurt merely hummed in agreement, reserving his final verdict for a time after seeing the promised hot tub as well as the room he would occupy for two days.

Everyone took turns carrying things in from the cars, not really paying attention to what belonged to whom, dropping everything in either the living or dining room to be sorted once the vehicles were empty. They were anxious to start a fire and settle in.

When the last of their food had been dumped on a kitchen counter and Wes worked at getting a fire going, Jeff clapped his hands.

"Alright! For those who have never been here, welcome, and for those who have, welcome back."

Blaine leaned over to Kurt and said quietly,

"Is it just me, or does this sound like the beginning of one of Dumbledores start of term feast speeches to you?"

Kurt giggled.

"First things first," Jeff went on, "I want to quickly cover the house rules."

The boys groaned in unison.

"Hey, hey, my house, my rules."

"Technically, its your parents house," Trent pointed out.

Jeff waved the comment away.

"Get over it, there are only three. Shut up and thisll be over quick." He flashed a cheeky grin. "First, absolutely no sex in any area shared by everyone. I saw that look, Nicky, and yes, that includes the hot tub." Nick pouted but Jeff carried on. "Second, dont be a douchebag and remember to run the overhead fan in the bathroom when you take a dump." Kurt wrinkled his nose but joined the general murmur of assent. "And third, if you get any kind of bodily fluid on the carpet or furniture, you will be cleaning it up on your own. Then if I see stains once youre finished, I will end you. Any questions?"

"Does that ‘no bodily fluids rule count in the beds?" It was the first time Sebastian said anything since they arrived. Jeff saw Kurts mouth open in preparation to respond and cut him off.

"Well its not like you have a reason to worry about that, Sebastian, so I suggest you drop it." "Before Kurt kills you," he added silently in his head.

Nick saw this as an opportunity to step in.

"How about we spend 20 minutes getting ourselves set up and squabbling over prime floor space, then get back together to figure out what to do next? The super perishable items are already put away, so the rest of the food can wait." 3:30pm hadnt quite hit yet, so there was plenty of day left.

Everyone nodded while Jeff led Kurt and Blaine down the hallway, opening the first door on the left. He and Nick were taking the master bedroom, but assured the couple that this second one was plenty spacious. Upon opening the door, Kurt saw no cause for complaint. The queen size bed was covered in luxurious looking pillows and a fluffy down comforter in a burgundy cover. The lamps and two nightstands had a rustic elegance to them. On the walls were the same kinds of photographs as in the main house. Kurt made a note to look more closely at all of them later.

"Its lovely, Jeff. Thanks for letting us have it." He and Blaine moved to place their luggage by the bed.

"No problem, it only made sense." Jeff grinned crookedly. "And just in case you were wondering, the rule about bodily fluids doesnt apply in the bedrooms." He winked as the other two blushed before closing the door and leaving them alone.

Not even bothering to remove his coat and scarf first, Kurt immediately flopped backward onto the bed. He sighed heavily, relaxing for the first time in hours. Blaine came to sit beside him, a worried expression marring his usually happy features.

"Hey, are you okay?" He lifted a hand to rub absentminded circles on Kurts chest. Obviously he knew exactly what was bothering his boyfriend, and he felt a bit lost as to the best way of soothing him. When Kurt didnt respond he added, "I swear nobody told me he would be here."

Kurt exhaled a deep breathe, still staring up at the ceiling.

"I know, honey," he paused, "but that doesnt make it any easier."

Blaine nodded, even though Kurt wasnt looking at him.

"And you know that I dont want him like that, right?"

Now the horizontal boy sat up, giving Blaine his full attention.

"Yeah, I do know that, and I believe you. That doesnt mean his behavior is forgivable or any less annoying."

Blaine grabbed the back of Kurts neck and pulled them together for a sweet kiss. They sat for a few moments, slowly moving their lips together before separating. Exchanging smiles, they wordlessly set about unpacking. Little things like socks and underwear were placed in a small chest of drawers while larger articles of clothing were hung in the modestly sized closet. Toiletries stayed in their bags to be brought out as needed. Items of a more personal nature were set inside the nightstand drawer to the right of their bed.

When the 20 minutes were up they rejoined the group. Five unrolled sleeping bags strategically dotted the landscape of the carpet, clearly marking their owners territory. Nick and Jeff were molded together in one of the larger armchairs, Sebastian sat in a recliner, examining his nails with an air of boredom, and the other four boys took residence on the couch. Kurt claimed another armchair and Blaine clambered into his lap before they looked expectantly over at Jeff, assuming him to be their ringleader for the weekend. He did not disappoint.

"Excellent! Ok heres what I was thinking-we still have a couple of hours of daylight left and it goes without saying that tomorrow will see the most epic snowball fight in the history of mankind. So I thought we should divide in to teams now, then go outside and start building our forts."

"Sweet, I am totally on board with that idea!" exclaimed Thad.

The response from most of the group was enthusiastic, with only Kurt and Sebastian left out of the cheerful agreements. This didnt go unnoticed by Jeff.

"What do you think, Kurt?"

"Sorry, but Im going to put groceries away and explore the kitchen. I like to get to know my way around a new space before I try to cook in it. Anyway, Ill probably sit that fight out," Kurt said.

Jeff nodded in understanding.

"Blaine? You in?"

"I think Ill stay and help Kurt. But I feel bad because I want in on this epic battle, and it doesnt seem right not to chip in to the preliminary efforts."

Sebastians head perked up.

"Oh, dont worry about it, Blaine. Im more than happy to do all the work for you." His eyebrows rose suggestively while Blaines cheeks pinked and Kurts blood boiled.

Desperate to put out this fire before the flames rose any higher, Nick began talking about ways to fairly divide teams. After an extensive discussion about every participants skill level it was decided that the match would be Thad, Nick, Trent and Blaine against Jeff, Wes, David and Sebastian. Kurt felt relieved that Blaine and Sebastian were not placed together. He was still wary of leaving the two unsupervised, but tried to banish the feeling. Blaine could take care of himself, and Kurt trusted him. There was no need to worry.

Even in his own mind, Kurts rationalizing seemed feeble.

As seven of the boys slipped back into their boots and filed outside to begin what they were calling "the great construction," Kurt and Blaine moved any remaining bags from the dining room into the kitchen, cluttering all available counter space. It took them awhile to figure out some logical system as to where everything should be put away, but once they designated cupboards for certain types of food the process went by quickly. Satisfied that everything was in its place, Kurt began exploring, opening drawers and cabinets to investigate what they had to work with. He neednt have worried; the Sterling family obviously knew what they were doing when they accessorized their kitchen.

By the time 5pm rolled around the couple began preparing dinner. None of the other guys were back inside yet, though their voices and laughter filtered through the walls. Blaine suggested putting on some music, but Kurt found himself enjoying the quiet atmosphere. It was calming in a way, and he supposed that he needed to cherish such moments in order to survive the weekend. The silence between the two was punctuated only with requests to pass an ingredient or question about the recipe, but discomfort had nothing to do with this muteness. Cooking together was always a way for them to unwind, falling in sync with one another and moving effortlessly through the motions. One thing Kurt loved about this partnership was their knack for non-verbal communication.

The fragile peace was interrupted by the opening of the front door less than 20 minutes after Blaine sliced the first vegetable. They heard the sound of shoes dropping to the floor, followed by the rustle of a winter coat being hung on the coat rack. Much to Kurts chagrin, Sebastian appeared in their line of sight, pausing to peer in to the kitchen and observe their progress. As per usual, Blaine was first to speak.

"Hows it going out there?"

Sebastian responded indifferently,

"Good, I guess. Theyre all still super in to it and Wes is spouting crap he learned in his architectural engineering courses. I got cold and bored, so I decided to come in and take a hot shower." Now he looked directly at Blaine. "Doesnt that sound nice?" he asked with a leer.

Pretending to ignore this blatantly sexual comment, Kurt said tersely,

"Dinner will be ready in 45 minutes. If youre not out by then, you can reheat it yourself."

At this, Sebastian turned his focus to Kurt.

"I know how to use a microwave, Hummel. After all," his lecherous gaze fell back on to Blaine, "I am a big boy."

As Kurt fumed and Blaine flushed one shade deeper than scarlet, Sebastian pivoted on his heel and started down the hallway. Passing the couch he removed his shirt and flung it across the leather, revealing a muscular back colored unseasonably tan. Another few steps and the clink of a belt being unbuckled could be heard. Just outside the bathroom, without turning around, he dropped his pants. Sebastian bent down to pull them all the way off, wiggling his ass slightly in a manner clearly meant to be provocative, before slinging them over his arm and walking through the door. Both boys in the kitchen were equally guilty of staring after him. Kurt shook violently with anger, so wrapped up in thoughts of hatred that he didnt notice Blaine trembling beside him.