'And then what happened?' he eventually prompted, keeping his voice to a whisper and gripping his comforter as he stared at Blaine, who had just told him what had sounded like the birthday from hell.

'My father didn't really know what to do with me. He fed me crumbs off his plate and I stayed in my pajamas for two days until he decided to leave me at Dalton.'

'Oh, Blaine…'

'I guess it was kind of a last-minute decision, but it turned out to be the best one he ever made. Everyone at Dalton's been really great and supportive.' He sighed and looked down at his sock-covered feet. 'I still miss my Mom, though. There's always something that I see or smell or hear that reminds me of her every day. I think it was the curse that killed her, because she didn't have a nasty bone in her body. I don't blame her for being so angry towards my father. But it all happened such a long time ago. Please don't cry, Kurt.'

Kurt hadn't realized his eyes had watered until a tear began to fall down his cheek. He hastily wiped it away with the back of his hand.

'It's just that my struggles seem so insignificant compared to yours,' Kurt said, sniffing quietly. 'After what happened with your mother and your father practically dumping you without saying goodbye.'

'They're not insignificant, Kurt,' Blaine replied. 'Just different. You've been through a tough time and so have I. But time has a way of healing a lot of things, sometimes for the better.'

Kurt sniffed again and nodded. Blaine was right and Kurt couldn't help but wonder if time had given Blaine such a mature perspective on dealing with his misfortune.

'Do you…' Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt could see Blaine hesitate slightly. 'Miss your Mom?'

'I do. I still think about her,' Kurt replied. 'She passed away when I was really young.'

Blaine nodded, looking pensive. Kurt wanted to tell Blaine how sorry he was and how difficult it must have been for him, but he was too caught up in his own whirl of emotions. He thought how strange it was that instead of offering reassurance to the other boy, Blaine was the one comforting him.

'Life has a way of dealing you some hard cards when you're least equipped to deal with it,' Blaine said gently. 'You just have to believe that things will get better. At least now you're out of harm's way. And you get to spend more time at home with your family.'

'That's true.' Kurt had never thought of it that way. He was actually looking forward to spending his first Christmas with more than just his father and a few distant relatives.

'Now, I know the best remedy for a little cheering up, or getting some Christmas cheer,' Blaine said as he hopped down from the alarm clock. 'Can you guess what it is?'

Kurt shook his head.

'Singing!' Blaine exclaimed, opening his arms out wide. Kurt had to stifle his amusement at the smaller boy's exuberance by biting down on his lower lip. 'I know you haven't sung since being in your school's glee club, but from what I've gathered from Rachel, she's got some serious competition in the singing stakes.'

'Blaine, I…I don't know.'

'But I'm going to sing it with you. It'll be our duet. Have you heard of Baby, It's Cold Outside?

Kurt sat up a little straighter. 'I know the lyrics.'

'Great! I know it would sound better with backing music but I think we can manage without.' Blaine made a hand gesture towards Kurt. 'Would you like to start?'

Kurt let out a deep breath. He was a little nervous to start singing after avoiding it for so long, but he couldn't deny that to Blaine, not after what he had told Kurt that afternoon. It was far too difficult to resist when Blaine stood patiently on his bedside table with eagerness shining in his eyes. So he opened his mouth hesitantly and began to sing.

'I really can't stay...'

He looked over to Blaine for the other boy to continue. He was startled to see him with his mouth gaping open and Kurt wondered if it was because of how rusty his voice sounded. But then Blaine shook his head and that seemed to snap him out of his bewilderment to sing his part in return.

'But baby, it's cold outside...'

Kurt felt his cheeks flush a little at the use of the word "baby", but he managed to sing his part back to Blaine. They sang back and forth like a game of cat and mouse, singing it a little slower than Kurt knew the tempo of the song to be, but he didn't mind so much. During the final verse, their voices blended together in perfect harmony. They were both panting slightly by the time they had finished. Kurt had ended up with his chin resting on his arms that were folded across the edge of his bedside table. Blaine was sitting cross-legged in front of him.

'Wow,' Blaine said, after long pause. 'You do have an amazing voice, Kurt.'

'Thank-you,' Kurt replied, his gaze wandering off to the corner of his room. He felt such warmth inside him that he hadn't felt for a long time, but it was much more than that. Kurt could only describe it as joy. He lifted one arm up and rested his cheek against the palm of his hand, feeling pleased with himself.

'Kurt?'

'Mmm?' He looked down at Blaine. There was such a fondness in the smaller boy's eyes that it made Kurt forget to take a breath. Blaine tilted his head and observed him with a curious but somewhat delighted expression.

'It's nice to see you smile.'

They had stayed up late that night singing other festive songs and turning them into duets. Unlike Rachel, Kurt listened to every song suggestion that Blaine made and did not interrupt him with tips to improve or suggestions while singing. Kurt had blushed a little when Blaine had pointed out his smile, but he knew Kurt couldn't hold it in for longer, even if he tried. He continued to smile throughout and Blaine definitely believed it suited him much, much better than a frown.

But there was something in that smile that he couldn't quite place. It was almost as if Kurt had a secret to tell that was meant only for him. Blaine quickly put the thought out of his mind. Whatever it was, it was nothing compared to any of the smiles he had received before.

He was still lying awake and mulling over the events of the day. Kurt had fallen into a deep sleep some time ago. He thought of going out on the roof to check the time but he knew it wouldn't help him with falling asleep. At some point, cold air began to drift through the upstairs hallway of the dollhouse and it wasn't long before it began to bother him. Blaine pulled his blankets closer to him but the cold wasn't stopping. Having an excuse to get out of bed, he climbed downstairs and walked out the front door.

The draft was coming through the gap under the closed door of Kurt's bedroom. Blaine looked behind him to Kurt's bedside table and noted the time. It was a few minutes after one o'clock. He reasoned that Kurt had felt the change in temperature too, for he mumbled something in his sleep and turned over, burying himself further under the covers of his bed. Blaine walked over to the door and slid under the gap to investigate.

It was much cooler in the hallway and it caused Blaine to clutch his hands close to his elbows and shiver. The open window wasn't the first thing Blaine noticed. It was the Persian cat that sat atop the window sill with his back turned to him. His paws were pushing down on the edges of the window slowly and after a moment, the window slid closed, blocking the night air and the draft that was flowing through. The moonlight streaming through the window gave enough light to illuminate the cat as he hopped down from the ledge.

Blaine couldn't deny that Sebastian was a gorgeous cat to behold. His fur was soft and plentiful and glowed bright in the light of the moon. His striking green eyes always seemed to be trained on Blaine whenever he went. Right now, Blaine was content at not being seen, but he knew it wouldn't last long as Sebastian began to look at his surroundings, checking to see if the coast was clear. The green eyes found him swiftly. Sebastian froze for a moment, but he composed himself just as quickly and wandered over to where Blaine was standing.

'Hey…' Sebastian purred, moving closer with a predatory look in his eyes. 'Didn't see you there, sugarpuss.'

'I'm kind of hard to spot, sometimes,' Blaine replied warily, smiling a little when the cat snorted. 'What are you doing out so late at night?'

'Everything happens at night, sweetheart,' Sebastian replied, sitting down in front of him. 'Feline get togethers, wanderings in the park…and wanderings elsewhere,' he continued, his ever-present smirk beginning to materialize on his face.

Blaine felt his smile falter a little. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, I don't think it would be appropriate for the ears of a little schoolboy like yourself,' Sebastian said, looking Blaine over. 'But I do get a lot of action at this hour. I would be happy to spell it out for you.'

'No, I get it,' Blaine said quickly, not really wanting to hear details. 'Don't you have a curfew?'

'Curfews mean nothing when you've got pretty little pussycats out there that want to f-'

'Okay, okay!' Blaine cut him off, heat rising to his cheeks.

'I was going to say fraternize,' Sebastian replied, his eyes glittering in mirth. 'But I see you get the point. It's just so easy to spot a lonely kitty that is desperate for my company. So I give them what they need. They can't help themselves the next night from coming back for more, but by that time I've moved on to the next pussycat in the neighborhood.'

Blaine gasped. 'You get together with a different one each night? You really are a tomcat!'

'Oh, don't be such a sourpuss,' Sebastian chided, but it verged on friendly. His tail curled around to rest somewhere behind Blaine, close enough to touch. 'I'm providing them a good and thorough service, free of charge.'

'But you can't go around with different cats each time!' Blaine said, his voice rising a little. 'What if they haven't been vaccinated?'

'Relax, they all have. They've made it law here.'

'What if they get pregnant?' Blaine continued, ignoring Sebastian's comment. 'What are they going to do once their owners find them with a litter of kittens?'

Sebastian stared at him for a little while before answering with a wide smirk. It did nothing but unnerve Blaine.

'Oh, that's cute,' Sebastian chuckled. Blaine could feel his tail brushing very close to his back. 'Who said anything about female cats?'

It took a moment for Blaine to realize what he meant.

'Oh,' Blaine said, slightly embarrassed. 'So…'

'Yes,' Sebastian replied, answering for him. Now Blaine could really feel the tail brushing up against his back. 'Pity you were born human.' He stood up and let his tail curl around Blaine as Blaine stood stock-still, holding his breath. 'Because if you were a cat, I would have had my paws all over you before you would have even a chance to purr.'

Sebastian let his tail unfurl from Blaine slowly and it brushed up against every part of Blaine's body as he turned around and stalked away.

Blaine shivered again, but it wasn't from the cold this time.