Blaine watched, helpless, as Kurt followed his father out of the living room. This is not good, not good at all; this is bad, really, really REALLY bad… He was shaken from his thoughts by Carole's hand on his knee. "Kurt will be fine," she reassured him. "You know as well as I do that he can handle himself perfectly fine in nearly any situation."

Blaine smiled, hoping to convey his appreciation for her attempt to make him feel better. This cannot possibly end well, he thought.

Blaine's father led Kurt to another, smaller room of the house. "Have a seat, Kurt," he said, gesturing to one of the chairs. Kurt sat down carefully, and Mr. Anderson took the seat across from him. Kurt had dozens, hundreds of things he wanted to say, but he knew that allowing Mr. Anderson to take the lead would be the more prudent option.

"Kurt, I owe you an apology," Mr. Anderson began. "Your mother is right. I've made many assumptions based off…what I've heard second-hand about…people like you."

"People who are gay, Mr. Anderson," Kurt interjected. "You need to at least try to be comfortable with the word."

Blaine's father fixed him with a hard stare, but Kurt didn't look away. Kid's brave; I'll give him that.

"As I was saying," he continued, "I've assumed many things, and it would appear I am at least partially mistaken." He sighed, and Kurt saw his face relax for just a moment. His entire expression softened briefly, and then the mask was back. So that's where Blaine's "in-control" persona comes from, Kurt mused. "I would appreciate it if you would be willing to…give me the chance to get to know you before making any further judgements."

Kurt remained silent for a few moments, considering what he would say. Refusing would be absolutely ridiculous, but, at the same time, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to get to know this man better.

"I think…" Kurt said slowly. "I would be willing to give that a try, provided you are doing this with an open mind, and will do your best to set aside any pre-conceived notions you have." He laughed softly. "There are certain aspects of my personality that are incredibly stereotypical, but there is much, much more to me than the boundaries of a stereotype."

Blaine's father gazed at him steadily for a moment.

"Very well, then," he replied, extending a hand. "Do we have an agreement, Kurt?"

Kurt grasped the older man's hand.

"Yes. I believe we do."

Mr. Anderson and Kurt rejoined the rest of their families in the living room. Both of them looked significantly more relaxed, and Blaine stared hard at Kurt, willing his boyfriend to look his way. As if sensing Blaine's stare, Kurt turned to face him, a bright smile on his face. He reached across Carole to grasp Blaine's hand briefly before settling into the couch once more.

"Well," Carole said. "I think Kurt and I should head for home. Sunday is cleaning day, and the other men in the house won't do anything if we're not there to guide them." She rose from the couch. "Thank you for your hospitality, Victoria and William."

Kurt stood quickly, glancing at Blaine and then at his parents. "If it's alright with everyone here, I'd like to say goodbye to Blaine alone." Victoria and William nodded, and Blaine's eyebrows shot upwards, and he darted a glance at his parents. …They don't seem upset by this…what did Kurt do? He was pulled from his thoughts by a hand on his arm as Kurt tugged him out of the room.

"Will you show me your room?" Kurt asked. "That would be the best place for our chat, I think." Blaine merely nodded and led the way upstairs.

Kurt closed the door to Blaine's room gently before turning to his boyfriend. "I'll give you the details of my chat with your father later. What you need to know right now, though, is that he is willing to try, so give him a chance, okay?"

Blaine turned to face Kurt, shock in his eyes. "Kurt, what did you do? Nothing I've ever said has been able to convince him that I'm…" Blaine stopped.

"Normal?" Kurt finished. "Blaine, no one really is normal, and it's silly to try to label yourself in such a way. Besides, Carole did most of the work for us. I'm pretty sure her speech would have convinced anyone to see us differently. All I did was reinforce the points she made."

Blaine stepped forward, taking Kurt's hands in his. "I love you," he said, wonder in his voice.

Kurt smiled brightly. "I love you, too!" he replied, leaning forward to press his lips to Blaine's in a brief kiss.

"Hey, Kurt?" Blaine asked once they'd separated. He'd been pondering an idea that had struck him earlier that day and didn't want Kurt to leave before he'd asked.

"Hmm?" Kurt responded.

"Do me a favor?"

Kurt pulled back further, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"Name it!"

Blaine shifted his gaze to their intertwined hands, squeezing Kurt's gently before looking back up.

"The next time you wake up in the middle of the night…after one of those dreams…" Kurt's cheeks flushed scarlet as Blaine continued speaking "…I want you to call me, okay? No matter what time it is."

Kurt's eyes grew impossibly wide. Is he suggesting…does he really…we're going to…

"Well, uhhh…" Kurt found himself unable to form a complete thought. Blaine leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Please, Kurt?"

Kurt sighed. "Sure, Blaine. The next time I find myself awake in the middle of the night after a bad dream, I'll call you."

Blaine drew back, smacking Kurt on the shoulder as he did so.

"You know that's not what I mean, Kurt," he scolded.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, and I'll call you if I have one of those dreams, too."

Blaine's eyes lit up. "Excellent! Now, let's get you back downstairs before someone comes looking for us."

Blaine opened the door, grabbing Kurt's hand and dragging him along.

The road ahead of them may not be easy, but together, they would make it through.

"They can't touch us, or what we have."