'Well, hello housecat…' The cat stepped in his path and Sebastian froze. 'It's a pleasure to see you again.'

Sebastian's reply was terse. 'Jesse.'

Jesse St James was the residential tomcat of the neighborhood bordering the one that Sebastian inhabited. He had lived on the streets since being kicked out of his family home and found solace as the leader of a gang of cats that harassed anyone, be they human, feline or animal, for food. While Sebastian was free to venture outside of his neighborhood as he pleased, he made sure that he made himself scarce when the Russian Blue came in his line of sight. He made it a point to avoid crossing paths with Jesse for the simple reason that he did not trust the other cat.

'So,' Jesse said, ignoring Sebastian's obvious discomfort. 'I thought you were only on the prowl for fresh blood at night.'

Sebastian scoffed. 'They don't just come out at night. Besides, I wanted some fresh air.'

Jesse laughed sharply. 'Of course you would, housecat. I bet it's no fun being smothered with cuddles and generic pet food, hmm?'

Sebastian's response was fast. 'I bet it's no fun trawling the dumpsters for your next scrap of a meal, either.'

A grin spread across Jesse's face. 'Touch�.' Sebastian turned around and walked back from where he came, cursing under his breath for having his day out cut short. It wasn't long before he could hear paws hitting the pavement behind him and he looked over his shoulder to find Jesse following him.

'You know, housecat,' Jesse said, after Sebastian sighed and continued walking. The other cat jogged up to meet him. 'We're not all that different, really. I appreciate my neighborhood and you appreciate yours. I like chasing tail, you like chasing tail, though you prefer the male variety and I like mine to be expressive and vocal. And we both know that we can get that anywhere.'

'Not quite everywhere.'

'How do you mean?'

Sebastian continued walking, despite knowing he had been hooked into continuing the conversation. 'There are some places I wouldn't be caught chasing a rat in. Take Lima Heights Adjacent as an example.'

Both cats shuddered at the mention of the name.

'Ergh,' Jesse said, a look of distaste playing across his features. 'Let's not go there. Ah…' Sebastian had stopped in front of his home, and was eying Jesse warily. 'The humble abode. I'm sure you can lend an old friend a bite to eat?'

Sebastian opened his mouth to say that he was not an old friend or a friend at all for that matter, but Jesse walked past him and up to the front door.

'Hey, wait a second…' Sebastian called, but Jesse had already disappeared through the cat flap. Cursing quickly, Sebastian sprinted up to the front door and through the cat flap. He found Jesse in the middle of the hallway.

'I'm ravenous,' Jesse said, ignoring Sebastian's glare as he trotted through to the kitchen.

'Yeah, well, get what you want and hurry up,' Sebastian hissed, surveying the area around him. Burt and Carole were out but he didn't know long they would take to return. He stood by the stairs and watched as Jesse stalked over to the kitchen table and hopped up on to a chair. He was about to jump up on the tabletop but he stopped as he looked back at Sebastian.

'You aren't going to join me, housecat?'

'I've already been fed,' Sebastian replied, watching with unease as Jesse leapt down and approached him. 'I thought you were hungry?'

'What are you up to?' Jesse attempted to pass Sebastian but he was sidestepped by the other cat.

'Nothing,' Sebastian replied, firmer this time. 'I'm looking out for my owners.'

'I know that look,' Jesse said, and gazed up at the stairs behind Sebastian. 'What are you hiding?'

'What? Who said I was guarding anyone?' His mouth closed shut when he realized what he had said.

'Nice try,' Jesse remarked, smirking. He stared at a spot below Sebastian's ears. 'You have something on your fur.'

'I have-' Sebastian began, trying to look up at his ears just as Jesse sprinted past him to climb the stairs.

'Hey!' Sebastian hissed, sprinting behind him. 'C'mon, you can't go up there!'

He had lost control of the situation too fast and he felt a cold dread seep into his blood when he reached the top of the stairs to find Jesse stalking across to Kurt's room. He couldn't let the other cat see Blaine or it would be the end of all three of them.

'Take it easy, housecat,' Jesse drawled in front of the doorway. 'There's no reason to be so-'

It was that moment that Kurt chose to walk out of his room and stop short when he took in the sight of the unwelcome guest. Sebastian had never been more thankful to see him than at that moment.

'What on earth…' Kurt began, before advancing towards Jesse, who shrieked in surprise and stumbled in his effort to move towards the stairs. 'Get out! Shoo!'

Jesse sprinted down the stairs as Kurt and Sebastian raced after him. He managed to fly through the cat flap before Kurt opened the door to see him out.

'Don't try coming back!' Kurt shouted from the doorway as Jesse hastened down the driveway to the sidewalk. 'Stay away from our family!'

'You heard him, stay away from our family!' Sebastian called, laughing when Jesse tripped over himself in his haste to get away before stumbling out of sight. He glanced up happily to find a furious Kurt glowering back at him. His moment of joy faded into a scowl.

'Not my problem,' Sebastian quipped, walking away before Kurt had a chance to reprimand him.

In the week after the new year, Kurt had begun his research on fairy curses, with Blaine assisting him. They read books together and watched more than a dozen children's movies (though it was more for entertainment purposes and a better way to spend the day than going outside in the cold) but there had been little in terms of progress. Despite Blaine assuring him to take his time, Kurt found himself searching the internet at night while Blaine was asleep. By the end of the week, Kurt had exhausted all hope of finding a solution. He couldn't tell Blaine this or let his frustrations show but it did lead him to think of other options.

What we need is a second opinion Kurt thought as they sat in the living room and watched an animated adaption of Peter Pan. Kurt fixed his gaze to Blaine on the armrest and contemplated the smaller boy as he watched the movie. Blaine was wearing a vest and a green bowtie with grey pants and a long-sleeved shirt underneath. He sat there enthralled by the characters on the screen, his long, thick eyelashes resting above his rosy cheeks. Kurt flushed a little when Blaine caught him staring for a little too long and turned his attention back to the movie on the screen and his musings. He needed someone who knew about fairies, or at least had the childlike disposition to believe in them.

His brain immediately conjured up the face of Brittany S. Pierce.

The real Brittany turned up a day later after a text message from Kurt and a plea not to tell anyone else about Blaine's existence. Kurt received the blonde-haired girl before evening who was wearing a faux-fur ski beanie with ear flaps and clothing that did little to protect her from the elements. She crouched down near the bedside table and examined Blaine for a few seconds.

'I'm Blaine,' the smaller boy said, after a beat.

'Hi, I'm Brittany,' the girl replied, her eyes unblinking. 'Kurt tells me you're only half-fairy.' When Blaine nodded, she continued. 'That's good. Because the fairies that live in my closet have been eating holes in my clothes. And I suspect they've been stealing my pop tarts.'

Kurt met Blaine's eyes and he shrugged. Clearly he didn't expect anything else from the girl. 'Blaine used to be as tall as we were, but he was hit with a curse when he was younger. Do you have any ideas on how to break a fairy's curse?'

'Hmm…' Brittany said, casting her gaze up to the ceiling. 'What I've learned from fairytales is that a kiss can be enough to break a spell or lift a curse.'

'We've…kind of tried that,' Blaine said sheepishly, and Kurt stared at him. 'With the Warblers.' Blaine ran a hand across the back of his neck. 'But, I suppose it didn't work.'

Kurt suddenly found himself picturing Blaine being passed around the group of boys while they received him with kisses and whispered I love yous, but he shook the thought away. 'Any other ideas?'

'Maybe you need to do the opposite of what was said in the curse,' Brittany replied, shrugging. 'And maybe that could be enough power to reverse it or something.'

The idea had sounded promising until Blaine responded. 'I just remember my Mom being really angry. She did say a few choice words but they were directed towards my father, not me. I don't think we should base the answer on what my mother said in the heat of the argument.'

Kurt blinked down at him. 'But…won't remembering back to what your mother said before be more likely to break the-'

'Kurt.' The way Blaine said his name made it sound like a resignation. 'I'm sorry, I just…I'm not even sure of what she said, and I really don't want to remember my mother that way. She was worth more than that.'

Kurt acknowledged Blaine's response with a silent nod while Brittany frowned. 'If it makes you feel any better, I can introduce you to some leprechauns,' she said. 'But you have to be careful not to wear anything gold-colored and sparkly because they can turn vicious.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' Blaine replied, giving Kurt a hint of a smile. Kurt sighed; he had wanted to help Blaine with restoring him to his previous size but with Blaine's new resistance he knew the search had proven futile. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice told him that the whole exercise had been to prove to Blaine that he was a useful friend, and he couldn't dismiss that it wasn't part of the reason for helping Blaine. At the same time, a part of him had wanted Blaine to stay as he was and not return to Dalton; he wanted to keep him as his confidant and dearest companion. But he couldn't force that will upon Blaine. As Blaine and Brittany launched into a serious discussion on creatures that would be considered to be mythological to anyone else, Kurt decided that, above all else, he wanted the other boy to be happy. And judging from Blaine's easy smile and enthusiastic conversation, Kurt knew that it was something that Blaine didn't need help with.