There was something about upstate that just didn't seem right. It may have been the overabundance of trees, or maybe the swarms of bugs that would ruthlessly attack anyone who wasn’t doused in bug spray.r32;       

But still, the air was fresh and cousin Liz's house was bigger than the Anderson's brownstone and Blaine's apartment put together. Plus, you could sit outside in the peace and quiet without horns honking and buildings blocking out the sun.r32;     

Blaine surprisingly arrived on time. He got to his cousin's at the same time as his parents and sister and Amelia immediately commented Kurt on making a good impression on her brother.r32;      

She walked in and before greeting Rose, pulled out $10, letting her know she had won. Sure, it wasn't the $50 Rose initially bet, but if she thought she was getting that much money she had another thing coming.r32;      

Kurt and Blaine followed behind her, greeting their family. Each member gave a each other a look after greeting Kurt. They too were surprised to see him again; three parties in a row was extremely rare.r32;     

Blaine's aunts all pulled then into tight hugs and kisses. Kurt did his best to politely wipe off the lipstick residue on his cheek without anyone seeing. The ladies greeted them with their loud high-pitched voices, each more excitable than the next.r32;      

The uncles and older male cousins were thankfully quieter, but Kurt thought that this many slaps on the backs and powerful high-fives should be considered abuse. The Anderson men were short but very strong. Most of the older uncles had round, plump beer bellies while Blaine's male cousins were either straight off the Jersey Shore or were straight off the Big Bang Theory. They all grumbled “hello” with a strange enthusiasm and handed them beers. Uncle Nigel invited them to sit, but before Kurt could accept, Blaine politely declined and motioned for Kurt to follow him.r32;    

They made their way around to the front of the house, being stopped six times to converse with various family members, but ultimately made it to the front porch. Much to Kurt's surprise they were the only two people in the front of the house. It was quiet, with only a faint sound coming from the back yard. The birds around them chirped and a small breeze blew a stray curl out of Blaine's eyes.r32;      

Blaine and Kurt sat outside on a porch swing. It was a nice escape from Blaine's over-zealous family and their constant interrogations in their loud New York accents. Kurt took Blaine's hand in his and sat back, sighing with content.r32;      

"I love New York City, but this is just beautiful. I don't think I've heard the sound of birds chirping since I came back from Ohio. You'd only find this in Central Park." He said, resting his head down on Blaine's shoulder.r32;      

"Yeah it's nice, but you'd get sick of it after a while." Blaine replied. Kurt's head shot up and he looked straight at him.r32;      

"Sick of it? Why? It's so peaceful! How do you know I'd be sick of it?" Kurt exclaimed, and Blaine snickered, rubbing his thumb against Kurt's.r32;      

"I know you'd get sick of it because I know you, Kurt Hummel. By your fifth day back in Ohio last month you were practically praying for a reason to come back to New York. You're a city boy, plain and simple." Blaine answered, and Kurt nodded in agreement.r32;      

"Yeah I guess you're right." He said, resting his head back on Blaine's shoulder.r32;       They sat there together in the sunset as the porch swing swung slowly back and forth.

The air was peaceful and quiet and Kurt let out a small sigh. He snuggled himself into Blaine's shoulder when suddenly the sound of a high pitched scream erupted from nowhere. Blaine's ten-year-old cousin Maggie ran up the porch stairs, followed by her little sister Alice and bounded into the house. Kurt sat up and watched them run by as if Kurt and Blaine weren't even there. They looked at each other and laughed.r32;     

"Don't worry, that happens all the time." Blaine assured him. Kurt shrugged it off and as he rested his head back on Blaine's shoulder, Amelia ran up the stairs and stopped short.r32;     

 "Hey you guys!" She said.r32;     

 "Hey Amelia!" Kurt chirped. "What's up?"r32;     

 "Rose started a game of manhunt. We were gonna be partners, but Liz and Noelle said it was unfair for the little kids if we're together. So I've been up and down trying to finally catch Alice and Maggie. Have you seen them?" Amelia explained.r32;      

Kurt looked at Blaine and smirked. He sat up a bit straighter and pulled his arm away from Blaine.r32;      

"Amelia, do you need a partner?" Kurt asked.r32;      

Amelia smiled back at him. "Sure!"r32;      

Kurt never imagined a game of hide and seek that could be described as “intense.”

But then the sun went down.r32;      

It must have been something about the moon that drove the Anderson family wild, or maybe it was the surplus of orange soda. Children ran rampant through the house and through the woods outside. The game turned into a wild manhunt war and even Blaine joined along the insanity, running around with his partner, Rose, with a crazed, competitive look in his eye.r32;     

After running straight from the big willow tree that hung over the pool to the upstairs of the house with Amelia, the two swung into Liz's sister, Tara's room, and slammed the door shut. They both collapsed on her bed, panting after the long run.r32;     

"Not the Anderson you expected to be lying on a bed with panting, huh?" Amelia asked, and then let out a breathy laugh through her wheezing. Kurt let out what was supposed to sound like a gasp and playfully slapped her arm.r32;     

"Amelia! That is none of your business!" Kurt let out through breaths and laughter. He didn't know her well, but he knew Amelia Anderson was sharp as a knife. Amelia shook her head laughed.r32;      

"Yeah I don't know why I even said that. It sounded funny in my head, but I guess I forgot my filter. Shit, that was disgusting I don't need to know about you guys doing… that."r32;      

"It was hilarious, though." Kurt said quietly with a small laugh. "Pretty fucking hilarious." Before they knew it, the two of them were clutching each other in fits of laughter, trying not to fall off Tara's bed.r32;     

"You know, I like you." Amelia said once they finally calmed down.r32;      

"Well, that's good cause I like you. But you'll have to just keep it at that though, because I love your brother. I know I can be quite the charmer, but he has my heart." Kurt responded in a sarcastic voice.r32;      

"Oh man!" Amelia giggled; then she stopped and looked into Kurt's eyes. She bit her lip and looked down. "You know, I really love my brother, he's really important to me and I just have to know: do you love him? Or are you guys just messing around with each other? Because it may not seem like we're the closest of siblings, but I can't see him hurt."r32;      

Kurt smiled at her and took her hand. He gave it a quick squeeze.r32;      

"Amelia, I am so in love with your brother. We've only been dating a few months, but I love him. I don't intend to hurt him any time soon. Okay?"r32;      

Amelia smiled and squeezed his hand back.r32;      

"Good." She said. She was about to get up when Kurt stopped her.r32;      

"Wait, Amelia!" He pulled her arm back down. "At the communion Rosie said something about being surprised to see me again, and all of your aunts and uncles gave each other these strange looks when I walked into the party. Is there something wrong? Does your family not like me? I feel like I'm missing some big inside joke."    r32;     
Amelia's mouth gaped open. Shit! She thought. What the hell am I supposed to tell him?

She looked into his eyes. The glorious blue color of his irises were filled with confusion. He honestly looked hurt. She knew it wasn't his fault; he couldn’t help the fact that his boyfriend was an ex-player. Everyone loved Kurt; it was obvious. He was charming and gorgeous and got along with everyone. Kurt was easy to talk to and he made Blaine's golden eyes shine like they never had before. He wasn't a one-party stand like the rest. How could Amelia explain that without bringing up the truth about Blaine's past?r32;      

She realized she had left Kurt hanging, staring at him with her mouth gaped open for an uncomfortable amount of time.r32;      

"Oh, Kurt…" She started when suddenly the door slammed open. They both jumped, falling off the bed and screaming. They looked up to see Blaine running in, jumping around and screaming. He honestly looked like a psychopath just released from a straight jacket. Or like a baby monkey.r32;      

"I FOUND THEM I FOUND THEM! ROSIE I FOUND THEM!" He yelled, laughing and jumping. He lunged himself forward and landed on Kurt, knocking him to the floor. He giggled and gave him a menacing look as Kurt laid pinned underneath him, shocked.r32;      
"Found you." He said in a low voice, and then pressed a loud kiss on his lips. Blaine jumped up as Rose ran in.r32;      

"AH! We got you guys! We WIN!" She yelled, high-fiving Blaine. They hugged and laughed then finally high-fived again.r32;     

 "Damn it! Alright, yes, yes you win." Amelia admitted, bowing down to her brother and cousin. She held Kurt's arm and shrugged. "It was a good try, especially for your first game. We'll get them next time."  r32;      

Kurt just nodded his head and breathed out a "yeah" still shocked at how quickly this all unfolded. He did think Blaine and Rose would be so sudden, and he also didn't think he'd ever see Blaine inhibit the actions of a monkey.r32;      

Blaine and Kurt left Tara's room hand in hand and Rose held Amelia back for a second. She pointed at their hands and giggled. Amelia looked down, smiled a small half smile, and then let out a soft laugh. She nodded in understanding. Getting used to her brother having a serious boyfriend wasn't very easy, but it sure was nice.r32;r32;      

Amelia and Rose sat at a small table on the wrap-around porch at the side of the house. They both took sips of the glasses of sangria they had snuck and talked quietly so they wouldn't get caught. It was dark and the house and yard were illuminated by small twinkling lights strung up around the trees and porch. The DJ had finally decided to play songs made after 1990 and the whole family was dancing.r32;      

Amelia tapped her cup to the beat of the current song and sang the words she knew quietly.r32;      

"So, how was Kurt?" Rose asked, as if Kurt was some dangerous taboo topic she felt dirty talking about.r32;      

"He's my brother's boyfriend, not some top-secret CIA hooker, Rose." Amelia answered dryly.r32;      

"You know what I mean Amelia." Rose rolled her eyes. "Like, I mean, did he have much to say?"r32;      

Amelia pondered for a second. The first thing she though back to was Kurt asking her why he family acted so strange around him. She thought about thanking Rose for helping her get out of that one, but she decided she'd keep that part of their conversation under wraps.r32;      

"Um, not much. I told him a dirty joke and he laughed, so we know he has a sense of humor. Oh, and he does love Blaine, he told me so himself. But, I don't know, I could already kind of sense that one." Amelia shrugged and took another sip of her drink and sat back. "It wasn't that big a deal.r32;      

"No!" Rose scuffed. "That's…a big deal. You know, at least we know they're serious."r32;      
"Please! I already knew that from the second I saw them walking into the party. I can just…tell. You know?" Amelia replied and Rose nodded.r32;      

"I'll tell you one thing; it doesn't take a sixth-sense to know Blaine is head-over-heels for Kurt." Rose said, sitting back in her chair.r32;      

"That doesn't really make much sense but okay, what do you mean?" Amelia asked.r32;      
"He wouldn't stop. I swear, he spent so much time talking about Kurt that I actually got sick of Kurt, and I've only seen him for a cumulative five minutes. I swear, he's gone insane."
 
"Rosalynd Josephine Otto! Why didn't you tell me this earlier! This actually is a big deal. You best tell me every detail right now or I'll rip off you testicles." Amelia almost yelled. How could Rose have kept this from her until the last minute? Knowing Rose, it's shocking this wasn't the first thing she said when she burst into Tara's room.r32;      

"Woah! Let's not be too hasty! I need those testicles." Rose held her hands up jokingly. "Anyway, he was going crazy. I mean, I know everything about Kurt. I swear. First, he was born in…um…Somewhere in Ohio. Limeaid? Limbo…No! Lima! Lima, Ohio and it's a really small town and it sucks supposedly. He was in the best show choir in the country and that's how they first bonded, because you know, Blaine never shuts up about his Warbler days. Also he's been in New York at NYU for the past four years and just graduated with his BFA in Musical Theater. Very impressive. They met at a bakery in the East Village, Kurt was getting a cheesecake and Blaine was getting a crumb cake and they accidentally switched the orders and Kurt realized and found Blaine down the street. So, now they make it a thing to have cheesecake or crumb cake at least once a month. Also Kurt loves fashion. The rest I tuned out because it was all 'ooh I looooove him! He's sooo cute! He's soooo perfect!' and blah blah blah…" Rose divulged, throwing her arms around as she imitated Blaine.r32;      

Amelia sat with her mouth gaped open. Rose just laughed at her own impression of Blaine and took a big slug of her sangria.r32;      

"Rose! I can't believe this! This is ground-breaking! Blaine is in love, like real love! Like, jumping on Oprah's couch proclaiming it to the heavens in love!" Amelia promulgated a bit too loudly. Rose jumped up and shushed her, afraid the adults would see and catch them.r32;     

"I know I know! Now be quiet! Jesus, do you want the whole party zoning in on this very spot!" Rose commanded. Amelia jumped up and squealed quietly one more time before nodding and sitting back. "It really was great though. He sounded like a twelve year old girl at a boy-band concert or something. He's so in love, it's actually adorable."r32;     

Amelia laughed with joy and raised her nearly empty cup. "Well, here's to Blaine finally finding someone and maybe settling down."r32;      

Rose lifted her drink and knocked it into Amelia's, pronouncing 'cheers!'  They both took their final sip of sangria and 'ahhh'-ed with satisfaction. The music seemed to get louder and the sound of old ladies cheering erupted when CeeLo Green's 'Forget You' started playing. They looked over at their family dancing and singing along loudly.r32;      

"You wanna go join?" Amelia asked, seeing how Rose looked over her shoulder longingly at her family.r32;      

"Absolutely." Rose jumped out of her seat and raced Amelia to their family.r32;      

Once they finally got to the dance floor the song changed to a slower tune and Blaine pulled his sister into his arms. He danced around with her and smiled down at her. Something about Kurt just made Blaine's bright eyes look happier. Kurt took Nana Matilda and spun her around, obviously pleasing the whole family, but still looking like he was having the time of his life.r32; Blaine dipped his sister, making them both laugh loudly.

As they danced under the stars, Amelia knew, absolutely and indubitably that Kurt Hummel had changed her brother’s life.