“Rachel…” Kurt whispered.

At the same time Rachel said, “Kurt…”

They stared at each other for a moment, feeling totally lost and awkward. Rachel and Kurt had experienced a catastrophic, friend-destroying fight and for a few seconds felt like complete strangers. Funny how things can change in a flash from bad to good as both acknowledged simultaneously the need to change from bitter enemies to a more friendly level and or the very least, call a truce. 

Kurt ran his hand through his hair and mumbled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Rachel looked relieved that Kurt wasn’t going to yell at her. She really didn’t know he was on the other side of the door. She just felt the need to open it at that time, like a tidal pull from the moon. It was irresistible. She pointed to the bathroom and said urgently, “Excuse me, Kurt… I just need to…”

“Of course,” Kurt said politely and started to walk away. Rachel watched after him, wondering what the heck had just happened. She was about to head to the bathroom when suddenly Kurt spun on his heel and crashed into her, his arms wrapping around her tightly.

“Leave it to you to sing some Phantom of the Opera, Miss Berry,” Kurt said with his face in her hair. “I’d say it was appropriate for the present situation.”

Rachel was stunned. This was an unexpected and happy turn of events indeed. Rachel pulled away and looked at Kurt curiously. “It’s not that I don’t welcome a hug from you, Kurt, but I’m a little confused,” she stated.

Kurt smiled sadly and put a hand on her long brown hair. He attempted to explain, “I... I tried but I just can’t hate you, Berry. I did enough of that first year of glee club. We have some things we need to talk out, but for now I just want my Rachel back.”

“You have never lost your Rachel. Does that mean that I get my Kurt back?” she asked hopefully.

“Pending a really long talk about the future and your role in it, yes, I can say you have your Kurt back,” he answered tentatively.

A wide smile spread across Rachel’s face. All was right in the world again! “Oh, Kurt!” she exclaimed and suddenly started peppering his cheeks and forehead with kisses.

“Ewww! Girl kisses! Get off, Berry!” he complained while laughing and playfully pushing her away.

She laughed, grabbed his cheeks and planted a great big wet one right on the mouth.

He wiped at this mouth dramatically. “Seriously, ever since I became this goth sex god, as Santana so aptly called it, the women of New Directions are all over me!” he said, teasing her.

“Hey, you know that I appreciate a good dramatic entrance, Kurt. I can safely say you accomplished that feat with flying colors!” informed Rachel. She touched one of the black spikes on his head and smiled. “I do have to say that this new look is starting to grow on me, although I don’t know how it’s going to help you with auditions.”

“Rachel,” warned Kurt. He didn’t want this reunion to devolve into another argument. He had just gotten her back. “Let’s not do this right now, okay?”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m backing off,” said Rachel, who agreed that fighting would not be the most constructive way to spend their time. She rubbed his arm. “Look, Kurt, I just wanted to say how very sorry I am for everything. I am a selfish… witch. I never think of anyone but myself except for the most extreme circumstances. I promise you I’ll start looking past my own needs and think of others.”

Kurt brought her in for another hug. Rachel continued, “All I see is my name in lights, and I sometimes forget the more important things in my life.” She put her hand on his chest. “Like family. You and Blaine and of course Finn. You are my family as much as Daddy and Papa are.” She had tears in her eyes, but they were finally ones of happiness.

Kurt took his thumb and gently wiped off the tears on her cheek. “That’s all I ask, Rachel. I think we’ll be okay. I forgive you if you forgive me for saying those terrible things to you earlier. I’m having a hard time dealing with my emotions lately. Some old baggage is rearing its ugly head, I’m afraid. I let my feelings out in a very unproductive and explosive way.”

“Of course, Kurt. There’s nothing to forgive, and you made several valid points,” she replied.

“Hey, Blaine suggested that we sit down with him as a mediator. Would that be something you’re willing to do?” asked Kurt. It didn’t hurt to try it. He would try anything to save this very special friendship.

“That would be a wonderful idea, Kurt. We can ask him when he gets back from the airport with Finn and his mom,” she assured as she looked at the bathroom. “Um, Kurt? I really… gotta… go?”

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Rach,” said Kurt as he stepped out of the way. “Oh, and by the way, the term is bitch… not witch.”

“It’s witch to me,” she giggled. Kurt just rolled his eyes and grinned maniacally.

“Hey, when you’re finished, give me a few minutes and meet me in my room, okay?” Kurt asked.

“Sure,” she said uncertainly and excused herself.

Kurt smiled and went to his room, going to his drawer and pulling out his dark blue silk pajamas. Luckily, they weren’t the victim of his fashion purge. Besides, these were super comfy and he always wore them for Hummel-Berry weekend sleepovers. He sent off a quick text to Blaine:

I’m ok. I have a surprise when you get home.

After changing, he went down into the kitchen. There was going to be no diet or low fat anything for this sleepover. He pulled out a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream and a huge bottle of cola. He also grabbed a couple spoons and some glasses and carefully made his way upstairs. Rachel was still in the bathroom, so he put everything on his bedside table and pulled out his Sound of Music Blu-ray Disc. He sat on his bed with his back against the headboard and surfed the television for anything interesting while he waited.

Rachel knocked on the door. She looked at the junk food and asked, “What’s this? Are you trying to steal my heart with ice cream and musicals? Does that mean I’m your boyfriend again?”

Kurt laughed and said, “I’m sure Blaine might have something to say about it, but sure, you can be my second boyfriend.” He patted the bed. “Get over here, Berry! It’s time to commence a Kurt Hummel/Rachel Berry sleepover extravaganza.”

“But where is Blaine going to sleep?” she asked seriously.

“Oh, he can sleep with Finn,” said Kurt offhandedly. At the look of horror on Rachel’s face, he laughed. “Okay, let’s amend this to the Kurt Hummel/Rachel Berry/soon to be Blaine Anderson sleepover extravaganza. Should we add Finn into the mix, too? The bed is big enough if we really squish in! Actually no, I think we’d be on the floor by the morning. I had to temporarily share a room with him, remember? I know how he sleeps.”

Rachel gave a “get outta here” gesture and jumped onto the bed. “I’m sure Finn will appreciate the bed to himself for one night. After all, once we’re married, we’ll be sharing the bed all the time!”

“Of course,” Kurt said and tried to change the subject. He really didn’t want to talk about Rachel and Finn’s upcoming wedding. “Now let’s get our nosh on! I have hardly eaten all day and I’m starving! Screw the fat free and organic food.”

“For once I agree,” said Rachel, grabbing the tub of ice cream and two spoons.

Kurt’s phone vibrated with a message, and of course it was from Blaine.

Carole is almost here. Surprise? Don’t keep me in suspense… spill!

Kurt chuckled and typed out a response:

Not till you get home. Oh, and bring home a pizza. We’re pulling an all-nighter.

Kurt took a spoon and was about to dig in when he got another message.

All-nighter? Ooooh… sexy times! ;)

This time Kurt laughed out loud and responded:

Get your mind out of the gutter, pervert. See you in a bit. Love you.

Kurt turned his attention back to Rachel who was wondering why he was laughing like a loony. He just shook his head and took a big spoonful of ice cream. “Rachel, we’re going to learn how to indulge ourselves. This is part of my body and mind makeover. There’s nothing wrong with indulging as long as it’s in moderation,” he said and put the entire giant spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. After a moment he grabbed his head. “BRAIN FREEZE!” he yelled. Rachel laughed and gave him a smack on the arm.

“What?” cried Kurt. “I’m in excruciating pain, and now you compound it with more pain? Some boyfriend you are!” Rachel just laughed harder and grabbed a bigger scoop of ice cream.

After gorging themselves on entirely too much chocolatey goodness, they sat back and basked in a sugar-induced coma.

“When we move to New York, Kurt, we’re going to have to make a point to do this monthly. Who needs men with Ben & Jerry’s,” she said happily. She snuggled against Kurt and he put his arm around her so she could get more comfortable. She just sighed blissfully and burrowed closer.

“Rach, there IS no New York. At least not for me,” Kurt said, annoyed that she had to bring up New York, again.

“Nonsense!” she exclaimed. “There are other ways to become a star than stupid ol’ NYADA! You can always try auditioning while working at a cute coffee shop! Many of the great Broadway stars didn’t have a lick of formal training. We can do this, I promise!”

“As much as I appreciate your encouragement by putting down the one school you applied to,” Kurt said and Rachel looked at him, offended, “I don’t think I have the energy anymore to do this. I think it’s time to re-evaluate my priorities and goals. Besides, it’s obvious I can’t compete with the likes of one Rachel Berry.”

Rachel angrily pulled from his arms and sat facing him, sitting on her feet. “Kurt Elijah Hummel! Don’t you DARE give me those sorry excuses. You are fabulous and talented and you are going to go far. I’m going to make sure of it!”

Kurt just stared at her. All of a sudden he started laughing. “I love you, Rachel, do you know that? And while I agree that I am FABULOUS and talented, there are many ways to be famous other than the stage. I think at this point, I just want to be successful. I want to make enough to support myself and Blaine and have it all.”

“Like a Rolls with a chauffeur?” joked Rachel.

“Absolutely!” Kurt cried out in agreement. “A really cute driver who can also double as our pool boy. I’ll let Blaine hire him. Now come here. I haven’t gotten entirely enough cuddling.” After she nuzzled closer, he said, “And I’ve told you several times that my middle name is Elizabeth, after my mother.” He kissed the top of her head.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Rachel exclaimed. It did feel freeing to curse like that. Maybe Kurt was right. She needed to let go a bit.

Kurt looked shocked and said, “Good one, Berry!” He put up his mummy wrapped hand for a high five. She returned it a little too enthusiastically and missed his hand by several inches. He laughed and hugged her tight.

“Thank you,” she answered primly. “I know for a fact your middle name is Elijah because Burt showed me your birth certificate. So there!” She accented the point by sticking out her tongue at Kurt.

“Oh THAT’S mature,” quipped Kurt and rolled his eyes. It wasn’t out of annoyance because he had a huge grin on his face.

“Kurt, can I re-bandage your hands? They look a little silly,” Rachel asked.

Kurt looked at his hands and said, “What? Blaine did this. He’ll be so hurt if I change them.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and promised, “I can make your hands a little more comfortable.”

“They are a little bulky. Go ahead, then,” Kurt agreed.

Rachel went out to the bathroom and grabbed some regular Band-Aids. She brought along a topical antiseptic just in case.

Kurt eyed the antiseptic and asked, “Does that sting? Cause the alcohol Blaine poured on my cuts burned like hell.”

“He put alcohol on your wounds? Was he trying to kill you? Ouch! No, this should be much better,” Rachel promised. “Your hands don’t look too bad at all,” she added after she finished.

Rachel was very gentle and his hands did look and feel better. Kurt sighed, “Thanks, Rachel.”

“Rachel, I’m in dire need of some quality musical movie time so let’s just watch the movie until the others get back, k?” Kurt asked. This was the way things were supposed to be; his boyfriend and his best friend. This is what life was about.

“To quote Miss Holly Holiday, ‘I thought you’d never ask,’” said Rachel, gently kissing Kurt on the cheek. He wiped off his cheek, made a face and picked up the remote. That was how they remained until everyone returned an hour later

******

It was a long day and Blaine was tired, but he was also curious about the texts from Kurt. What in the world could have happened to make him announce good news? On top of that, he wanted to pull an all-nighter? Maybe they would finally get some alone time after all the drama of the last couple days.

Once they reached the airport, Finn instructed Blaine to wait at the gate and he would meet them both at the baggage claim once Carole arrived. She entered the terminal looking tired but happy to see a familiar face.

“You poor thing. Come here, sweetie,” she said, dropped her carry on and opened her arms. Blaine accepted the hug gratefully. Carole was always so nice to him. Ever since he and Kurt started dating, she had always treated Blaine like a third son. Just for a moment, Blaine could stop being an adult and let Carole take care of him. For once, he didn’t have to be the strong one.

She pulled away from the hug and looked at Blaine with sincere concern in her eyes. His mom never looked at him like that. The only time she ever cared was when Blaine’s actions reflected badly on her or her husband.

“How is Kurt?” Carole asked with genuine interest in her stepson’s well-being.

Blaine sighed and said, “Better now. It was pretty scary, though. I’ll explain in the car. Kurt is a very damaged man right now. There have been a lot of things he hasn’t been telling us.”

“Don’t worry, Blaine. We’ll work through this together. Thank you so much for being there for him. I feel terrible we had to go back to DC, but Burt’s business couldn’t wait,” she explained.

“Don’t worry about it, Carole,” Blaine said as he picked up the handle to her carry on. “Finn is waiting for us at the baggage claim, and I’m sure you want to get home and rest.” He offered his arm for Carole, who took it with gratitude.

“I do have to admit I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. It feels like it has been too long,” Carole said tiredly.

They made small talk until they reached the baggage claim and Finn gave his mom a bear hug. Finn might have been a burly man, but he turned into a little boy around his mother. “Hi, Mom!” he exclaimed. “Please don’t kill me! It’s Kurt’s fault, I swear.”

Blaine gave Finn an exasperated look as if to say, “Don’t you dare!”

Finn ignored him and continued, “It’s like he snapped or something. He turned into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and went off on Rachel and Schue. He got drunk and started smoking. He wrecked his room. The dude scared the shit out of me, really.”

Blaine was going to kill him!!! He had planned on explaining everything to Carole in the car, but Finn just gave the most dramatic and overblown explanation possible. He had a feeling there was going to be an ass-kicking tonight and Finn was going to lose. Maybe he would pull out some of the skills he got from Dalton Fight Club. That would show him!

“Finn, seriously?” asked Carole, rolling her eyes. “I think your fiancée’s tendency for drama has started to rub off on you. Be the gentleman I raised you to be and grab that bag from Blaine.”

Blaine snickered behind her back at Finn. When she wasn’t looking, Finn gave Blaine the finger. Unfortunately, she turned back a little too soon and got a middle finger to the face.

“Finn Edward Hudson, if you weren’t a high school graduate, I would ground you this second!” she hissed at him. Finn looked down contritely. Blaine tried to keep from laughing, but he let out a quiet snort. She turned to Blaine and said, “Like I said before, dear, we’ll figure this out.”

Finn’s head snapped up. “Okay, THAT is not fair! Kurt trashed his room and all I did was give the finger to my friend, and I’m the one getting in trouble? Well… well… Kurt gave the finger to Rachel!!” he complained. He was pissed at this obvious favoritism.

By this time, the luggage carousel started and the bags started arriving. Carole turned her attention to the revolving conveyor belt and Blaine gave Finn a dirty look. Finn returned the look and pushed Blaine.

“I saw that, Finn. Cut it out right now!” Carole reprimanded. “Or ELSE!”

Finn muttered under his breath and Blaine taunted him with a silent laugh and finger pointing.

“You too, Blaine,” Carole added without turning around. Finn and Blaine looked at each other. Parents could be so spooky.

They got Carole’s bags, and as they were walking away Blaine whispered to Finn, “Way to look out for your brother, dickhead!” Finn looked at Blaine, shocked. Blaine never used such language. Usually, he was the definition of dapper. Finn was about to apologize, but Blaine interrupted him. “Talk to the hand, Hudson,” he said as he shoved his hand into his friend’s face.

Finn looked appalled. “Artie wannabe,” he snapped.

Blaine gave Finn a mischievous smile and caught up with Carole. He waited until they reached Finn’s car before letting Kurt know that they had his step-mom and were on their way home. He didn’t want to catch hell from Quinn about walking and texting. It was weird how she found out about stuff like that. As he got in the car, he asked, “Hey guys? Would you mind if we stopped to get pizza? Request from Kurt.”

“Score!” exclaimed Finn.

“Kurt wants pizza? There MUST be something wrong,” mused Carole.

After getting a couple pizzas (a vegetarian pizza for Rachel, of course), they made their way home. The light was out in the backyard, so they figured Rachel must have gone to bed. The two men grabbed Carole’s luggage, insisting that she go rest. Finn offered to make her a cup of nice hot chamomile tea.

“My boys are so amazing,” she said to the two men. Blaine blushed, feeling honored that he was always included in this great family. Finn just gave a crooked smile and clapped Blaine on the shoulder.

They let themselves in, and Carole made her way over to the couch to kick off her heels with a sigh of relief. Finn went into the kitchen to make the tea. It was one of his specialties along with grilled cheese sandwiches. Blaine made his way upstairs to Kurt’s room. The door was closed, but it sounded like Kurt was watching some movie, The Sound of Music from the sounds of it.

Blaine knocked on the door and heard giggling. He didn’t recall any part of the movie that was giggle worthy, so he was a bit confused.

“Come in!” Kurt said happily from behind the door.

Blaine was really confused now. It seemed like all Kurt wanted to do an hour or two before was to be left alone and allowed to wallow in his own misery. Now he was giggling and watching movie musicals! This up and down mood was going to take some getting used to.

Blaine opened the door to find Kurt and Rachel cuddled on the bed, watching the Sound of Music. Kurt had on his dark blue Hummel-Berry sleepover pajamas. “My Favorite Things” started playing, so they were enthusiastically singing along. Blaine just stood there with his mouth agape. What in the hell happened while he was gone? Last time he saw the two of them, there appeared to be a permanent rift developing. Now they were cuddling and eating ice cream?

Rachel looked over, squealed loudly and jumped off the bed and ran into Blaine’s arms. “Blainers!! Guess what? I’m Kurt’s boyfriend again!”

“Really now?” asked a very confused and amused Blaine as he hugged Rachel. He looked over to his boyfriend who just smiled and shrugged as he paused the movie. He was happy at this joyous turn of events, of course, but he felt like he had a case of whiplash with the events of the past couple days.

“We made up,” said Kurt simply. He moved to the edge of the bed and stood up, making his way to Blaine for a kiss. He barely made it to the two of them before Rachel opened her arms and roughly brought Kurt into the group hug.

“Ooof...” grunted Kurt. “Rachel, dear, would it be asking too much to show at least a little bit of restraint?” he added as he joined in on the hug. He was trying his hardest to affect his nonchalant tough guy attitude, but Blaine could tell that he was beaming inside.

They were standing in the middle of the room in a great big knot of arms when Finn knocked on the doorframe. “Uh… what?” he exclaimed, as confused as Blaine.

“It seems we’re experiencing a group hug,” informed Blaine. “I suggest you join in,” he invited, opening one arm for Finn to join.

“Ooookayyy?” said Finn slowly as he wrapped his arms around the entire group and squeezed hard. The other three protested painfully.

After Finn broke away, Kurt said as he rubbed his side tenderly, “Finn, was that really necessary? I think I’m going to have a couple of bruised ribs.”

“Sorry, little bro, but the pizza is going to get cold. Mom also wanted to say hi before she went to bed,” he said as he left the room.

Kurt looked at Blaine with panic in his eyes. Carole was home. The ass-kicking was about to commence. “She’s not mad, babe. She just wants to say hi,” assured Blaine.

Rachel grabbed Kurt’s hand and started pulling. “Let’s go, Kurt. It can’t be that bad!” she commanded. Kurt just stood in place stubbornly and gave Rachel a hard look. “Please?” she added, realizing she was starting to sound bossy again.

“That’s better,” he said quietly and let Rachel lead him out of the bedroom. Blaine just shook his head and followed everyone downstairs.

After resting on the couch for a few minutes, Carole decided to get the plates ready for the pizza. She was opening the boxes when Rachel entered the kitchen first. “Hello, dear,” she said warmly and gave Rachel a hug. Although Carole thought that Rachel was good for Finn, she felt their planned wedding was rushed and hoped it would be postponed. 

Finn came into the kitchen next and automatically made his way to the pizza. They made sure to order an entire pie for him as he could easily polish off one by himself. Blaine followed and looked back into the hall.

“Where’s Kurt?” Carole asked.

Blaine walked over to Carole and whispered, “I think he’s a bit embarrassed.”

“The poor dear,” she sighed and made her way into the hall. Kurt was sitting on the bottom step, picking at his nails again. The first thing Carole noticed was that his beautiful hair was gone. What was left was dyed jet black and chopped short and spiky. “Burt’s not going to be thrilled with this,” she thought. “Good thing he stayed in Washington.”

Kurt looked up and quickly back down to his hands. “I’m sorry, Carole,” he almost whispered because he was scared of his stepmother’s reaction. Kurt’s ever-present bravado had all but disappeared. He wasn’t sure if it was ever going to come back. The last two days had changed his entire worldview and he was worried if he would never find himself again.

Carole sat on the step beside Kurt and put her arm around him. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said soothingly. Kurt wrapped his arms around her, reverting to a small boy. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. The last two days have been the worst of my life, and that includes those months of being bullied by David,” he said, burying his head into her shoulder. Blaine returned to the hall, worried for Kurt, but Carole waved him away as if to say that she could handle it.

Kurt started crying again. He wasn’t sure when the crying was going to stop, but it was making him want to cry more. “Sometimes I’m fine, but most of the time I feel like I’m slowly losing my sanity. If it wasn’t for Blaine, I might have already. I’m so sorry I wrecked my room. I swear I’ll pay for it,” he sobbed.

Carole wrapped her arms around her stepson, who she thought of as her own. She kissed his forehead. “It’s fine, Kurt. I feel terrible that I couldn’t be around for you. I promise that I’ll talk to your dad before he comes home in a couple days. You and I can have a good talk about it in the meantime, okay?” Kurt nodded against her and she rubbed his back, letting him cry.

He was just getting more incoherent. “I just don’t know what to do! I’m pushing people away, then pulling them back in. One second I feel so happy, the next I feel like I want to hurt someone or something… anything! Part of me is glad that I’m taking a year off of college, and another part of me hates myself for not getting into NYADA.”

“The Hudson-Hummels are a strong family, Kurt. We’ll figure this out. Once Burt gets home, we’ll have a family meeting and help you figure out your future. Blaine is more than welcome to join us as well,” she said, holding him tight. She felt so bad for this special young man who had unexpectedly found his way into her heart.

Finn and Rachel joined Blaine at the kitchen door, looking at the mother and son sitting on the step. Rachel grabbed Finn’s left hand and Blaine’s right hand. The two men squeezed back because that was the only thing they could do. They stood there feeling helpless.

Kurt pulled back and looked at Carole, fresh tears forming. His eyes looked so sad. “I just feel so lost. Mom, please tell me what to do?” he asked then realized what he had just called Carole. He covered his mouth and whispered, “Carole, I mean Carole.” He tried to stand to run up the stairs, but Carole held him down.

Finn, Rachel, and Blaine looked at each other, shocked. “Can you guys excuse us for a bit?” asked Carole to the other three.

“Of course,” said Blaine. He turned to Finn and asked, “Why don’t we try another round of that game? Rachel can surf the internet and look for apartment options in New York.”

Rachel nodded sadly and Finn said, “Good idea, Blaine. Maybe this time you won’t try to blow yourself up.” He was trying to inject humor into the situation, but no one laughed. Finn sighed and maneuvered himself around the two sitting on the stairs, but not before giving a comforting pat on Kurt’s shoulder. Rachel followed after giving Kurt’s hand a squeeze.

Blaine was last and followed the couple, but not before giving a tender kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead and mouthing, “I love you.”

After the three friends disappeared behind Finn’s bedroom door, Carole tried to get Kurt to look at her. He was looking everywhere but into her eyes. She gently grabbed Kurt’s face and turned his head towards her. “Kurt,” she said, “you may not be my biological son, but you are as much a son as Finn is. I know I can’t replace Elizabeth, but I would be honored if you choose to call me Mom.”

Kurt sniffed, starting to calm down. Carole pulled a clean tissue from her jeans pocket and offered it to her son. He blew his nose and said with a shaky voice, “You are an incredible woman, do you know that?”

Carole laughed and asked, “Why do you say that, Kurt?”

Kurt put his arms back around Carole and explained, “Well, you have to deal with three of the weirdest men in Lima. I’m sure it’s a thankless job.”

“Don’t be silly. I feel like I found something I lost when I found you two. Finn has a brother and a father and things couldn’t be better!” she said, giving him another hug.

Kurt squeezed back and looked at Carole. “So… you don’t mind?” he asked shyly.

“Of course not,” she replied, knowing exactly what he was asking.

Kurt smiled through his tears. “Okay then… Mom,” he said, trying out her new name. It would take a while to get used to, but it felt cozy.

Carole smiled and squeezed Kurt’s knee. “Why don’t you take the rest of the pizza up to the others? I’m going to turn in. For breakfast tomorrow, I know Blaine likes pancakes. Egg whites for you as usual?” she asked.

Kurt shook his head. “No way! Pancakes for me, too. I want to have a real breakfast for once.” He stood up and offered his hand to Carole. She accepted and he pulled her in for another hug. “Thanks, Mom,” he said quietly.

“Goodnight, Kurt,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. She turned and made her way up to her room.

Kurt wiped the tears from his eyes and could feel a grin on his face. “Nothing like a mom to make one feel better,” he thought. He made his way into the kitchen to grab the remaining pizza for his friends. Hunger pangs hit him, so he grabbed a slice and sat at the kitchen table. However he didn’t eat. He just sat and thought about what had just happened.

“I had always called Finn my brother, but I never really called Carole my mother,” he thought. “I always thought that maybe calling her the M word would somehow make me forget my real mom. But you know what? I can have both women in my heart. It’s not a competition. And Carole… Mom was so good for Dad. She really did make him happy, and more important of all, healthy. Maybe someday Blaine and I will start our own family, and I hope we can be as happy as they are.” He then started daydreaming about his future.  

He was startled from his musings by arms gently wrapping around his chest from behind. He was sure it wasn’t Finn, because that would just be uncomfortable and gross. He scolded himself for having such stupid and disturbing thoughts. Rachel had put it in his brain. He thought back to the argument earlier that day, when she accused him of still having feelings for Finn. What in the world was she getting at with that? “Probably just trying to throw me off my game,” he thought to himself. All that drama was ancient history, and Rachel knew it.

“Hi, Blaine,” Kurt said, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and giving it a kiss.

“Hey, babe,” said Blaine, moving around to sit on Kurt’s lap. “I heard Carole going to bed so I thought I would come down and check on you. Everything okay?”

“For now, yes,” answered Kurt and started to play with Blaine’s curls. “Car… Mom said she was going to make us all breakfast in the morning. I assume pancakes are okay?”

“Pancakes are perfect,” said Blaine and gave Kurt a gentle kiss. “So, Mom, huh? That’s a pretty big step.”

Kurt shrugged. “It seemed like the right time. Of course, I’ll always miss my real mom,” he explained and Blaine nodded. “But Carole is Mom now. She’s here and my real mom isn’t.” Kurt rubbed his face. “This is all so confusing. I think I’m getting a headache trying to keep it straight.”

Blaine stood up and grabbed the pizza boxes. “Let’s go upstairs and continue this sleepover. I’m sure you’re hungry, and I need to change into something more comfortable if we’re going to stay up all night.”

Kurt took the boxes from his boyfriend and gave him a kiss. “Thanks, Blaine,” he said softly.

“For what?” asked Blaine. “For being devastatingly handsome and the world’s best boyfriend?”

“Don’t push it,” said Kurt with a low voice. He chuckled. “Just thanks. Again. I’m terrified to think where I might be right now if you weren’t there to ground me. Maybe in jail… or worse,” he said with a dramatic shudder.

“That’s my job,” explained Blaine with a smile. “If our roles were reversed, you would do the same, right?”

“Of course!” Kurt said.

“There you go,” Blaine said simply. “Let’s go before Rachel sends Frankenteen down for us.”

They made their way upstairs and Kurt put the pizza on his bedside table while Blaine changed into a pair of jogging pants and a Dalton t-shirt. Rachel and Finn were in Finn’s room, so Kurt marched across the hall and pounded on the door.

“Come on you lovebirds! I don’t want to know what disgusting things you’re doing in there, but I swear I’ll bust the door in if you don’t get your asses in my room in two minutes!” he called.

As Kurt turned to return to his room, Carole opened the door to her bedroom and stuck her head out. “Everything okay, Kurt?”

“Everything is fine, Mom. Sorry, I’ll keep it down,” he said sheepishly.

Carole just laughed, happy to see Kurt grinning. “See you in the morning,” she said, closing the door.

Kurt returned to his room and grabbed a slice of pizza and started nibbling. Blaine grabbed a piece and sat on the bed. A minute later, Finn opened the door and crossed the hall with Rachel. Her hair was disheveled. Blaine grinned at them, knowing what they were up to.

Kurt looked at Finn with one eyebrow raised. “Finn, we can’t have a sleepover if you don’t have your PJ’s on,” he scolded.

Finn said, “Well, since Rachel is going to be sleeping in your room, I think I’m going to go over to Puck’s for the night. He just called kinda freaking out about something. I’ll hang here for a bit longer, though.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Kurt, concerned for his tough mohawked friend.

“Dunno. He said something about a Jake. I couldn’t catch it all. I think he was a bit wasted,” Finn said and shrugged. “Figured I better go make sure he’s okay.” He turned to Kurt. “Little bro, did you just call Mom ‘Mom?’”

Kurt crossed his arms. “Yes, I do believe I did, Finn. Do you have an issue with this?” he asked.

Finn grabbed his brother and gave him a bone crushing hug. “No! That’s awesome! Does that mean I can call Burt ‘Dad’? You don’t mind, do you?”

Kurt struggled to get free. “Finn, any ribs you missed last time are now bruised. Get the hell off!” After he got free and made sure there were no broken bones, he continued, “That’s up to you. I don’t care one way or another. I’m sure Dad will be thrilled.”

Rachel clapped her hands and moved over to where all the men were standing. “This is so amazing! What a great night! All three of you, my best friends!” she cried.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, smirking. All of a sudden they started to sing together:

“Ooh you make me live.
Whatever this world can give to me.”

Rachel and Finn caught on to what they were singing and joined the two men:

“It's you you're all I see.
Ooh you make me live now honey.
Ooh you make me live.”

Kurt moved around to each of his best friends, singing and giving them one-armed hugs. While one was singing the solo, the other three sang harmony and background:

“Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had.
I've been with you such a long time.
You're my sunshine and I want you to know.
That my feelings are true. I really love you.
Oh you're my best friend. Ooh you make me live.”

While Kurt was singing, Rachel grabbed a hairbrush on Kurt’s dresser and began singing into it when he was finished. She was very cute in her pink jammies and fluffy slippers:

“Ooh I've been wandering round.
But I still come back to you in rain or shine.
You've stood by me boy.
I'm happy at home. You're my best friend.”

Finn was enjoying all this bonding with his closest friends. He started dancing with Rachel as he sang:

“Ooh you make me live.
Whenever this world is cruel to me.
I got you to help me forgive.
Ooh you make me live now honey.
Ooh you make me live.”

Blaine, not one to be outsung, grabbed Kurt and spun him around as he sang:

“You're the first one when things turn out bad.
You know I'll never be lonely.
You're my only one, and I love the things,
I really love the things that you do.
You're my best friend.”

Kurt was laughing. He missed singing with his friends so much. This would be one of the things he was going to miss the most after leaving school. No matter what shitty things happened in his life, he knew these three would have his back. He pulled them all over to the bed as they finished:

“Ooh you make me live.
I'm happy at home. You're my best friend.
Oh you're my best friend.
Ooh you make me live. You you're my best friend.”

They all landed on the bed laughing. Kurt was surprised that they hadn’t broken the thing, or worse, woken up their mother.

“Man, I miss doing that,” said Finn. Kurt giggled as he was thinking the exact same thing.

“And we will again, as soon as we all share a house in New York!” exclaimed Rachel.

“Rachel, will you PLEASE drop New York?” asked Kurt, annoyed that she had to bring it up again. “We’ll get there when we get there! Let’s just get through the summer first, okay?”

“Kurt’s right,” said Blaine, trying to go into negotiator mode. The last thing he wanted right then was another fight. “We have a couple months to enjoy being kids before we have to grow up.”

“Says you,” said Rachel, pouting. “You still get a year at McKinley. I’m sure you’ll get all the solos and lead the New Directions to Nationals. No pressure or anything.”

Blaine put his chin in his hands. “Don’t remind me,” he said. “It’s going to suck without you guys there. How are we supposed to get anywhere without three of the best singers in the group?”

Finn checked his phone. “Guys, I gotta get going. Puck is threatening to drive over, and he is most definitely wasted,” he said as he kissed Rachel and waved at the two men.

After Finn left, Kurt turned towards his friends. “Boyfriend? Check,” he said as he took Blaine’s arm. “Best friend? Check,” and took Rachel’s. “Pizza? Check. Big comfy bed? Check. Sound of Music in the Blu-ray player? Check! I think what we have here is a sleepover.”

“Kurtsie, Blainers, there’s one thing missing! We need popcorn,” Rachel said seriously and put her hand on her hip.

“Kurtsie. Really, Rachel?” asked Kurt with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, Blainers, let Rachie go get her popcorn. Sheesh,” he added sarcastically and rolled his eyes. “Next thing you know, she’s going to start calling me Schmoopy or something.”

As they were waiting for Rachel to return, Kurt said, “Let’s get into bed and wait for her,” and climbed into bed.

“Okay, Schmoopy,” snorted Blaine.

When they were both in bed, Kurt grabbed Blaine and put him in a headlock. “Call me Schmoopy again and you’re cut off for a month, Anderson,” he said and laughed.

“Okay, okay! Uncle! I give up!” cried Blaine, also laughing. Kurt held on, trying to kill his boyfriends with tickles when they were interrupted by Rachel.

“If I’m interrupting anything, I can go sleep in Finn’s room,” she said from the door. In her hands were two huge bowls of popcorn. She grinned wickedly. “Not sure what sort of kinky stuff you men are into, but I don’t want to hear about it.”

Kurt chuckled and let go of Blaine’s head. Blaine’s hair stood up as Kurt was giving him a noogie before Rachel arrived.

“Hey look, it’s Broccoli-head!” Kurt said and looked at his best friend. “Rachel, is my new attitude starting to rub off on you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hummel,” said Rachel innocently. She suddenly had an evil glint in her eye. “Now scootch your ass over so I can join you assholes.”

“Badass Rachel kinda scares me more than Badass Kurt,” said Blaine in mock horror. He moved over so Kurt could be in the middle.

Taking a small running start, Rachel hopped onto the bed, spilling popcorn everywhere. Blaine grabbed a handful, yelled, “FOOD FIGHT!!” and stuffed some popcorn down the back of Kurt’s pajama top, causing Kurt to scream. Kurt stood up and shook out the crushed bits of popcorn before grabbing a handful and trying to stuff it down Blaine’s pants. Rachel sat on the bed and laughed at the two boys’ antics.

Blaine desperately tried to avoid Kurt to no avail as Rachel moved in to help pin him down on the bed. “Mission accomplished!” Kurt yelled with a laugh as his handful of popcorn found its intended place on his victim. Blaine got up and walked around the room shaking the popcorn out of the bottom of his sweat pants and with a grin grabbed a bottle of cola and started to shake it.

“Truce! Truce!” yelled Rachel.

“Don’t you dare!” cried Kurt, grabbing Rachel and using her as shield. Blaine laughed and put the bottle back down. He climbed in the now slightly crunchy bed and started the ritualistic pigging out on popcorn, pizza and cola. The movie never resumed because they spent the rest of the night talking about everything and anything except New York and college. 

To quote Rachel it was remembered as the “Best Sleepover Ever!”