About a week later, Blaine still hadnt heard anything from Kurt about his whereabouts. Mercedes and Santana were still there, since they had a few weeks before their flight home, but Blaine had assumed that once Kurt collected himself, he would at least tell one of the girls about what he had been doing. If either of them had heard anything though, they definitely werent rushing to tell him. Blaine felt absolutely horrible about everything, he hated that he even been lying in the first place. Looking back now, he wasnt even sure what he was thinking. He remembered something he and his fellow Warblers used to say, “it's always better to tell the truth, than to lie and dig yourself a hole so deep, it's impossible to get out.”

He wished he had followed his own advice.

To make matters worse, Max had been cracking down on him to finish the songs that were supposed to be on the album faster then expected, and Blaine found himself sitting in his basement for hours at a time trying to get some words on the paper. At that very moment, it seemed impossible. That wasnt to say that he didnt have anything to say, believe me, he did, but he really only had one thing occupying his mind. Not to mention, everyone seemed to be very aware of what was going on. At this point, millions of people knew that some kind of the scandal had happened his life. At the very least, they knew that he had been somehow involved with Kurt, although most people could only make speculations. He had only later realized that paparazzi had been following them during their date just a little over a week ago. He had seen the pictures, and if he had been on the outside looking in, he himself would have clearly seen that there was something there. The people closer to him saw how much this was affecting him, but none of them really knew how to help him, so they continued as normal and pushed Blaine to get back to work. They made their efforts to help him move on somewhat until Kurt came to terms with the situation.

Early Monday morning, almost a week after the incident, Blaine was sitting out on the steps leading to the patio, watching the sun rise over the backyard of his gated community when he heard the sliding of the glass door open behind him. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see Santana in sweatpants and a tank top, the most casual clothing he had ever seen her wear. She sent him a smile, walking over to him with a coffee mug in each hand. She carefully sat down the next to him on the stop, handing him one of the mugs.

“Morning,” he said, taking a sip of the hot liquid.

“Morning B,” she replied. "How's life?”

He threw her a unamused glance. “Sorry, not a good choice of words.”

He hummed in reply, looking back at the sunrise that was already starting to give the sky an orange glow.

She was silent for a moment, staring off into space. Blaine could only assume she was thinking about something. “Care to share?” he asked.

“I don't know if I should.”

“Why not?”

“Because he asked me not to say anything.”

This comment seemed to wake him up more than the coffee did. “Kurt? Did he contact you?”

“Yeah,” she said. “He wanted to know if I was in on this whole thing. I told him I only figured out what was going on after I got here and Mercedes made me swear not to say anything.”

“Oh.”

“He's in Lima, visiting his parents and his brother Finn.”

The name was familiar, Kurt had mentioned him to Blaine quite often. He had also heard lots of stories about Lima, some good, some not so good. “Why did he come to you and not Mercedes?”

“I probably looked like the only one who wasnt deliberately keeping a secret from him, which, I guess, was half true,” she said, sipping her coffee as she glanced back at the sky.

The silence returned as Blaine looked back towards the the now rising sun. It was a golden orange, slowly brightening the world around them. He smiled at how wonderful the sight was, and he wondered if Kurt saw something similar when he woke up this morning. He sighed sadly, taking another sip of his coffee and turning back to Santana.

“What should I do now?”

The question left Santana quiet for a moment. But she seemed to collect her thoughts and she looked back at him. “Look, Kurt can be a snobby, stuck up, annoying little brat. Sometimes hes as bad as Rachel Berry. They both throw a fit when something goes wrong in their perfect little world, they go off on their own for a while, and then they come back with a new attitude and a new outlook on life.”

“But…?”

“... But the thing about Kurt, is that despite how similar they can be, he's different. It takes a lot for him to getting really upset and to stay that way. But when he does, it's because it meant a lot to him, that it was really personal. Kurt cares a lot about you, I can vouch for that, but you've really hurt him. As sick as your puppy love is, it means something to both of you. Kurt cares about you too much to let you go that easy, but hes waiting for you to give him a reason to not give up whatever this thing is between the two of you.”

“So what you are saying is-.”

“What I am saying is, you need to do something amazing to show lady Hummel youre worth fighting for,” she finished, staring at him intensely. “Are you worth fighting for?

He stared back at her, thinking long and hard about his decision. “Yes.”

“Then do something about it, lover boy,” she said, smacking him reassuringly on the arm before getting up and heading back inside the house, to leave him alone to think. Blaine smiled to himself as he reviewed the conversation. He knew exactly what to do. He was going to win Kurt back- no matter what it took.

                      ~

Early Monday morning, Kurt was already awake and making breakfast for the members of his family, who were still fast asleep upstairs. He assumed that they would be getting up soon, seeing as it was nearing 6am and everyone in the household had a job that needed to be tended to soon. Kurt was just setting a pot of coffee on the table when he heard big feet clomping down the stairs. A fully dressed and sleepy looking Finn stepped into the kitchen.

“Morning!” Kurt greeted happily as he hummed a song he had begun rehearsing yesterday. He was quite happy with the progress he had made with memorizing the songs, as well as the lines. It gave him a sense of accomplishment to know he had done something right this past week.

Finn sent him a grumpy look as he slouched down into a kitchen chair and looked sadly down at his empty mug. Kurt rolled his eyes and poured some hot coffee into the cup, as he watched Finn's face light up for a moment. “How are you so cheerful right now? I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“I'm used to being up early. NYADA loves to drive us insane with early classes,” Kurt replied, pouring a mug for himself before setting it down on the table and checking on the bacon that was frying on the pan.

“Something smells wonderful!”

Kurt turned to see Carole entering the room, dressed in her uniform with a smile on her face.

“Thanks! Theres waffles on the table if you want some.”

“Well, don't mind if I do,” Burt said as he entered the kitchen, eyeing the bacon that Kurt was pealing off the pan and setting onto a plate. Kurt pulled the plate away from Burt's grabbing hands, the action leaving a grumpy look on his face.

“Only one piece for you dad, you know its not good for you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Burt mumbled, taking a seat at the table with the rest of the family and pouring himself a cup of coffee. “What are you up to today?”

“Nothing much,” Kurt said. “I just thought Id spend the day reviewing.”

“C'mon Kurt, youve barely left the house this whole time youve been here!” Burt said. “Go out and do something for gods sake! Maybe you should pay the new Glee club a visit.”

The thought enticed Kurt. It wasnt a bad idea, maybe he could pay a little visit to his old school. After a moment of thinking, he answered, "Sure, why not?"

After he finished breakfast, Kurt grabbed the keys to his father's truck and left the house. He let himself go into auto pilot, remembering his old morning drives with the girls on the way to school. They would catch up on new gossip and sing obnoxiously loud to songs that were popular on the radio at the time. As hard as it was for him in high school, the morning drive was one of the few things he actually enjoyed. By the time he pulled into the parking lot of the school, the memories of his past were already coming back to him. He caught a glimpse of a trash bin in the corner of the parking lot. The one in which, ironically, his stepbrother and his friends used to toss him in every morning after the slushie facials. Looking back now, it was almost funny how everything seemed to have inevitably led him to the success he had now. He was almost thankful for it, but, to say he wouldn't change the past if he could, would be a total and utter lie. He parked in the nearest available parking spot, making sure it was away from any teens that might feel the need to do something stupid, and climbed out of the car. The parking lot was already starting to fill up as kids began to arrive at school, some were already standing around outside and talking to their friends. Once again, he was greeted with stares from countless teens. Whether it was because he wasn't known here or because EVERYONE knew who he was, he wasnt sure. He suddenly wondered if this was really such a good idea after all.

He glanced up at the sign that was proudly hung above the school doors. Big, bold words spelled out "William McKinley High School for the Arts". Kurt smiled, the school had clearly undergone some major changes. After pulling though with yet another big victory at Nationals, despite almost not having enough people to join, the school board had decided that this group of kids had potential and created what people around the country were calling "the best damn preforming arts school in the country”. He was be proud to say he went to McKinley, even if it was back when the glee club was only five people singing show tunes (and not very well, he might add). He was one of the founding members, and when he looked back at his time here, he found it was worth it to be able to stand there and reminisce.

After spending a considerable amount of time just staring at the sign, he finally entered the school. The hallway was already considerably busy with students hurrying to get everything they needed to get to class. Most of them had sheet music and small instruments in cases, while others were leaned against the lockers getting math books and other core class materials. He descended down the hallway, returning glances from the students who stared and sending them small nods and smiles. Once he turned the corner, he was met with the doors that enclosed the original choir room. There was a small plaque on the side on the wall that read “New Directions Choir Room”. Above it was a picture of his original Glee club, and he smiled as he locked eyes with his younger self, who was smiling into the camera. He remembered the day it was put there. He and everyone else had been called in for a send off since most of them would be leaving that year. That was one of the best memories of his senior year, aside from winning Nationals, of course. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see his old glee club coach standing behind him. His smile grew wide as he was engulfed in a huge hug.

“Good to see you Kurt!” Mr. Shuester said as he pulled away to get a better look at Kurt.

“Its good to see you too Mr. Schue! Or should I say, Mr. Principal?” Kurt said, emitting a small laugh. When the school was turned into a preforming arts school, Mr. Schue had been offered the job as the head of the school. Though he wasn't teaching any of the show choirs, he was happy in his position and made sure that groups were put with amazing teachers.

He laughed in response, clapping his hand on Kurt's shoulder. “I see New York has been treating you well, Mr. Broadway star! I heard from Rachel that you were cast a lead!”

“Yeah, I have! It's been a crazy couple of days- weeks to say the least. That's why I'm back in Lima. I figured it would be a good idea to get back to my roots for a while before I returned to the craziness that is my life now.”

“Well, while you're here, would you care to give the New New Directions a pep talk? Theyre leaving for Nationals tomorrow, and I hear theyre a little nervous,” he said, gesturing to the closed doors. Through the closed windows, he could see that the group was already in the room, sitting in their chairs and doing various things.

“I would be honored,” Kurt replied. He let Mr. Shue push the doors to the room open and allowed Kurt enter before him. He was once again greeted with a flood of stares as he made his way into the room. Upon entering, however, he made eye contact with a familiar face. It was of one of his old friends, Sam Evans, the new coach of the New Directions. When he saw Kurt, he smiled and got up to hug him.

“Kurt Hummel, good to see you man! It's been too long!”

“It really has. How have you been?” Kurt asked as they broke the hug.

“Great! Ive been coaching the best glee club in the country! What about you?”

“You know, crazy here and there, the usual with me.”

“Glad to hear it,” Sam said. “Here to give us a pep talk before we head out tomorrow?”

“Yes actually,” Kurt replied with a smile. “It wouldn't hurt to pass on some old wisdom to the newbies."

Sam chuckled in response and clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. “Alright everyone! Weve got a very special guest here today! This is Kurt Hummel, one of my buddies who was a member of the New Directions before glee club was cool. He's here to say some words to get us ready for Nationals. Whenever you're ready Kurt.”

Kurt smiled and nodded at him in response before walking towards the center of the floor. The room went quiet. “Hey everyone! So, I stand before you as an alumnus and a brother of this amazing group, created by the hard work and dedication of one Mr. Will Schuester,” he said, gesturing to the corner of the room where Mr. Shue was standing. “Now, most of you might not know how this Glee club came to be. You see, before McKinley was an amazing preforming arts school with amazing facilities and connections, we were a tiny little normal public school in the middle of nowhere. The Glee club barely existed, and it was being run by a creepy teacher who later turned out to become a drug dealer. But then one day, something amazing happened. A student reported that teacher for inappropriate touching, and he got fired. Now, despite how that sounds, it opened up the chance for an underpaid Spanish teacher to step up and decide that he wanted to take over the barely-existing Glee club. There was a total of five of us who signed up for auditions, and six of us in the club by the end of that first day. I'm not going to lie, we weren't exactly great. But as much as we all doubted it would work out, Mr. Shue never let us give up. And after a lot of failures and lessons, our group got bigger and better, and eventually the New Directions reached the point that its at now.

“My best memory from my time here was from my senior year, when I was standing up on that stage in Chicago, holding a first place trophy with my teammates at Nationals. It was the crowning moment of all of our hard work that finally paid off. It was magical,” he said, looking around the room at each person. "And you guys are going to know exactly what Im talking about. Youve got the best principal you could ask for, and a killer coach whos gotten you past sectionals and regionals. Youve got this." He had a smile on his face when he finished, and a silence fell over the room.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when a small girl spoke up from the back.

“What if we don't win?”

He sent her small smile and repeated her question. “What if you don't win?”

She nodded with an intense look in her eyes. He thought for a moment before pulling up an empty chair from the front row, sitting down. “One of the many things I learned here, probably one of the most important things, is that it doesnt have to be about winning or losing. To quote of of my best friends, Rachel Berry, ‘Being a part of something special doesn't make you special, something is special because youre a part of it.' Winning Nationals was special to me because I was a part of something extraordinary, and because I was doing something I loved with the people that mattered the most to me. Yes, winning would be amazing, but either way, in the end, you did something amazing with people who youll remember for the rest of your life."

No one said a word as they listened intently to everything Kurt said. After a moment of everyone exchanging glances, he began to speak once more. “My best advice to you going into Nationals, dont worry too much. I know for a fact that you have been working like crazy to prepare an amazing set. You guys have gone through a lot to get here, and youve all felt the ups and downs of winning and losing. You guys are tough, and all you have to do on stage is be confident. Through everything, you have to put your trust in each other and know that the others will be there to catch you if you fall. You to have put aside any of your differences to work together and really become a team with a strong bond. I know youre going to do well, and if you believe you can do it, you can. And with that, Id like to do something thats been a tradition since my days a McKinley High glee club member. You guys should be well acquainted with it. Everyone gather around here.”

Everyone did as he said, climbing down from the risers to huddle around Kurt, even Mr. Schue and Sam. “Okay everyone, hands in and shout ‘AMAZING' on the count of three, okay?” They all nodded, and everyone put a hand in towards the middle of the circle.

“One… Two… Three! AMAZZZINGGGGG!