Talent Shows and Not so Lazy Sundays

Dalton and Crawford had hoped for a good turnout, but no one had anticipated the overwhelming response they received. The information meeting had been both a success and a headache, as Kurt and Kim - the ones in charge - had to field questions from students that wanted to perform and help out during the show.

Kurt entered their dorm rubbing at his forehead. Blaine and Zoe followed him in and watched as Kurt flopped on the bed and groaned into his pillow. Blaine stifled a laugh and after getting Zoe settled, sat down on the bed and slowly rubbed Kurt's back.

"I know you said that you didn't want this to just be American Idol: Dalton Edition, but just how are you planning on pulling this off?"

Kurt just groaned again before turning around to face Blaine. "I haven't the faintest idea. I never expected so many people to actually sign up, especially with the acts they want to do. I mean, I'm glad it's not just us in the glee clubs wanting to sing, but come on - even with the stage completely free and clear, how can a group of guys do tricks on bikes?"

"Or the crazy slam dunk contest some of the guys want to do?"

"Or the routine the cheerleaders want to show off? I want to say yes to everyone, but I don't see how we can."

Blaine could tell that Kurt was starting to get frustrated, so he started to comb his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. "Well, what did the Heads say? I think that's when Zoe started to get cranky and we stepped out for a minute."

Normally, Kurt would punch anyone touching his hair, but Blaine was always the exception and Kurt had to admit it felt really nice. "They're letting us decide how to handle it. They're okay with anything - as long as it's not dangerous to the audience or those that are actually performing. I almost want to say 'no - pick something safer' but they sound like fun and I for one would love to see those routines."

Blaine laughed at Kurt's pouting. "I'm sure you'll come up with something that'll make everyone happy. I do have to ask though...sai swords?"

"What about them?"

"What exactly are you planning on doing with them? I know you know how to use them, but ..."

"Oh - that. Well, some of the younger Warblers and Silvertones want to do an a cappella Nintendo medley, you know, like the one that got all of those hits on YouTube. Anyone that doesn't wanna sing is going to act out a bit from the games. They mentioned incorporating Mortal Kombat and thought my sai swords would be a cool and unexpected treat."

Blaine's hand stopped as he finished processing that thought. "That...sounds awesome. Hey, is Zoe gonna be in the show at all?"

"And what, pray tell, is our six-month old going to do, Blaine?" Kurt asked, amused.

"She doesn't have to do anything, really," said Blaine. "She could crawl on stage and shake her little booty like she does during rehearsals. She'll have the crowd eating out of her cute, little, pudgy hands."

Kurt lightly smacked Blaine's knee. "She does not have little hands."

Blaine just grinned. "But you didn't deny that they're pudgy. I know, I know," he stopped Kurt, who was about to protest, "I'm just teasing. But seriously - if she found her way on stage, she could just sit there and babble and I doubt anyone would really care."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I'll keep that in mind if we need a distraction between acts. Are you going to do anything for the show?"

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know yet. A couple of the guys thought it would be cool to show off the fencing team. There's a bunch of us graduating and they could use the publicity to at least get people interested."

Kurt suddenly had a thought. "What if a bunch of the extracurricular clubs had a chance like that?"

Blaine looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Warblers took care of this at the beginning of the year. We recruited enough newbies that once we graduate, they have enough to get them going next year. Some of the sports teams like the fencing team are going to be short-handed next season. What if we let them show off a bit? If nothing else, it'll help them come next year. Any of the extracurricular clubs that aren't necessarily something that can be acted out can have a few minutes to promote themselves."

"That's actually a really good idea, but how is this going to work? Having a duel on stage is easy, but the cheerleaders and basketball players need a little more space don't you think? I can't see the audience being on board with having to move to a different venue to watch a couple of groups when everyone else managed to stay in the auditorium."

Kurt sat up and stared at Blaine. "What if they didn't have to move, Blaine?"

Blaine just stared back. "You have that glint in your eye again...and that's either a good or a bad thing."

Kurt laughed, "No it's a good thing. Is there a projector in the auditorium like the one we used during Uptown Girl?"

Blaine stared off for a moment. "Yeah I think so, but I'm not sure what shape the screen is in."

"If there's a problem with it, I'm sure we can just borrow one. We could either set it up with Skype like we did in the beginning of the year or see if there's a way to set up a feed from the gym and broadcast it to the auditorium."

"This is going to turn into one hell of a show, isn't it?"

Kurt smirked, "Oh yeah. It's going to be something all right."

Kurt brought up his idea to the rest of the talent show committee before including the Heads of the schools in on it. As it turned out, making it happen was easier than any of them thought possible. Dalton had projectors to spare, so it was no problem setting up a connection from the gym to the auditorium. After replacing one screen and finding another in good shape, they did a test run. Once everything checked out, the various students hoping for the go ahead to do their acts, got it.

While this made many people happy, it also meant more work. Both schools had a basketball team, so they decided to do a joint slam dunk contest that would showcase awesome free throws. The cheerleaders from Crawford were going to show off their winning routine from Sectionals. Some of the boys from Dalton brought and/or made ramps to use for their act, which was being considered as the 'most likely act to involve an incident'.

Kurt and Kim were the ones in charge of their respective school, and neither had anticipated the amount of people that wanted to be involved. For every act that was added to the program, two more people asked to be an MC during the show, or wanted to help backstage. The faculties were even more surprised at the cooperation between the schools. The adults had expected there to be more competition than anything else, as even during the more formal functions, there was usually one or two minor tiffs. All of this love that no one had expected, prompted the Heads to do something that none of the current students had ever seen happen:

A change in the rules.

Back when Dalton was founded, it was made clear that the school was for boys only, and that girls were only seen as a distraction. Then Crawford was established with the same principle, but in regards to boys. It would take a few decades before the idea that the schools could co-mingle came about. That of course, led to both schools dealing with students sneaking out to visit siblings and significant others after hours.

As a way to combat this, visiting hours were introduced, which allowed for couples to meet and families to catch up, with the stipulation that while on campus, there were only a few locations where this could be done. Couples were not allowed in the dorms and sleepovers with siblings could only take place in the family rooms, which at the time were located near the deputy headmaster's room. The amount of after-hours rule breakers dropped significantly and life went on.

The talent show was bringing many groups together that neither school had been aware of hung out together. The basketball teams had been the first surprise. Sure, the teams had shared buses before when tournaments were at similar locations, but it came as a shock to find out that they had made an unofficial after-school league with some of the other sports teams.

Whenever there was a break or they wanted to practice, teams met up on the fields of either school for games of their own. The tennis teams took this as an opportunity to mix and match partners. The Crawford softball team went at it with the Dalton baseball team, with an ongoing debate of which sport was better. The soccer teams would start out playing normally, which more often than not became rugby games. The Warblers and the Silvertones had met up on occasions to do shows off-campus.

So for the first time in both schools' histories, there was a temporary lift on the rule regarding when and where students could hang out. Until the end of the talent show, boys were allowed to have the girls in the dorms - and vice-versa - as long as either one: the door remained open; or two: you wanted to subject yourself to random spot checks by the faculty. While many groups still stuck to using classrooms, the gym, or the auditorium, there were some that used the dorms to work independently.

While Headmaster Dippet and Headmistress Derwent were slightly wary at first for breaking tradition, it became apparent after only a couple of days, allowing the students just a little bit more freedom than they were used to was going over better than they'd thought possible. By the end of the second week, there was a final listing of everyone that would be performing, as well as who would be hosting during the show.

"Come on, Zoe. Please do Daddy a favor and eat something." Blaine was getting frustrated because besides refusing her bottle, Zoe was also not going for her mashed fruit.

"She's still not eating?" asked Nick.

"No, and I'm really starting to get concerned."

"Are her teeth bothering again?" asked Sebastian, as he took her from Blaine. "Lately when she's gotten like this, it's because of that."

"Kurt checked this morning and there aren't any new ones, though now that I think about it, she was in a better mood before Kurt left for that meeting with Madame Moreau." Blaine stopping eating for a second as a thought occurred to him. "Actually, she hasn't been her normal self for the last couple of weeks."

"Now that you mention it, she has been really cranky lately, but only when Kurt's not around," Nick mused. "But that's never been that big of a problem before. Zoe's gotten used to not seeing him all day. What's changed?"

"You know, I think it's because of the talent show."

"What do you mean Seb?"

"Well, think about it. Zoe sees Kurt first thing in the morning and at night, yeah, but with classes, tutoring, rehearsals, and besides everything with the talent show, he hasn't been free for lunch since the beginning of the week. How much one-on-one time has Zoe had with him? "

"Not nearly as much as she's used to," Blaine answered. "You think that's why she's not acting like herself? Because she's missing Kurt?"

Nick and Sebastian looked at each other and shrugged.

"Maybe," said Sebastian. "I think Zoe is going through some separation anxiety. You said she was fine this morning, right?"

"Yeah. Kurt woke up with her like usual and got her ready to go, but he had to meet with Madame Moreau to return a batch of assignments he was helping her grade. Zoe was fine, but when Kurt went to put her down so he could leave, she started to cry and get upset. Once his attention was on her again, she calmed down enough for Kurt to check her teeth. As soon as he tried to leave a second time, she was upset again."

"Yeah I think this is from a lack of 'mama time'," said Sebastian, as he finally managed to get Zoe to eat, to Blaine's relief. "If you can hang on for another day, everything should go back to normal. The show is tomorrow, and once it's over, Kurt and Zoe need to spend some much needed time together. I'm sure she'll be back to her normal self in no time."

Nick agreed. "And if what Jeff's been saying is anything to go by, Kurt is in desperate need of some Zoe time too. Don't get me wrong - he's been having an awesome time getting this show together - but Kurt's mentioned that he can't wait for it to be over."

"He has been a little stressed out lately," said Blaine. "It's times like these when I wish he wasn't a perfectionist."

"He wouldn't be Kurt otherwise."

"Don't I know it."

"Hey, I forgot to ask," said Nick. "Did you ever get Kurt to agree to letting Zoe do something during the show? I think it'd be super cute if she did."

"You know, I asked him that a while ago, but he never gave me an answer about that. Come to think of it, I don't even know who's watching Zoe during the show."

"Dude, the show is tomorrow!" Nick exclaimed. "Last I checked, just about anyone that has ever watched Zoe is busy either performing or helping out."

Blaine glared at him. "I'm aware of that, Nicholas. I'm going to have to ask Kurt about that."

"Ask me what?"

The boys turned around to see their missing countertenor. Zoe of course was the happiest of the bunch and immediately started to babble and reach for Kurt, who didn't hesitate to take her and cuddle her against his chest.

"I was going to say that you must be a ghost, but since you're holding the baby, you must be the real thing," teased Sebastian.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Ha ha - that's hilarious. If you don't want me around, I'll just go somewhere else."

"Oh no you don't," said Blaine, as he pulled him close. "I've been seriously deprived from you lately, and I'm not letting you go until the bell rings. Where were you anyway?"

Kurt sighed. "You know how I needed to see Madame Moreau this morning? I had to ask her about those tests I graded for her last night because everyone failed it."

"What?" asked Nick. "How is that possible?"

"It turned out that the answer keys were labeled wrong - the ones that came with the Teacher's Edition that are supposed to be correct. When I saw her this morning, she gave me a revised answer key. We fixed most of them earlier, but I offered to come back during lunch to finish up. Now everything is fine and I'm hungry."

Blaine pushed his tray over to Kurt, glad that he had grabbed a few things in case Kurt managed to get to lunch on time. He offered to take Zoe so Kurt could eat, but she started to cry as soon as he tried. He put his hands up in defeat as he watched Kurt calm her down again.

"Has she been like this all day?" Kurt asked. "She was upset when I left this morning too."

"Let's just say that you two need to spend a day alone together as soon as possible. We were just talking about that before you showed up, as a matter of fact."

"Well, if you're not busy the day after tomorrow, the three of us could go out and do something. I know I've been busier than we're used to and even though we live in the same dorm, I miss you."

Blaine barely let Kurt finish talking before he swooped in and kissed him, to Zoe's utter delight. "Even if I was busy, nothing could keep me away."

Nick and Sebastian made gagging noises from the other side of the table before they stood up.

"Oh my god," Nick groaned, "you three are too damn sweet."

"Yeah," Sebastian agreed, "I think I need to go throw up now."

Blaine rolled his eyes at their theatrics, while Kurt just threw a fork at them as they walked away.

Even though Blaine knew that his boyfriend was awesome, Kurt had amazed everyone with how well the talent show went.

There had only been a handful of students who needed to change or modify their acts in order to go on, but essentially anyone that signed up was in the show. David and Michelle volunteered to take care of the big acts once they had gotten the okay to do part of the show in the gym. Since he was part of the basketball team and she was a cheerleader, they were already going to be there, which left Kurt and Kim in charge in the auditorium.

Well, Kurt, Kim and Zoe.

Blaine did eventually remember to ask Kurt where Zoe was going to be during the show and was surprised at what she would be doing. Kurt had admitted that he had initially forgotten about her in the grand scheme of things, but once he realized that he couldn't leave her with any of their friends, he had found several substitutes among the faculty. However, after seeing how clingy she had been at lunch the day before, Kurt couldn't bear to have her out of his sight for that long.

So instead, Zoe was going to help him and Kim keep everyone on schedule.

Just as David's ringtone had come to the rescue all those months ago, Zoe made sure everyone around knew that she wasn't the type of girl that could be ignored. Blaine had brought Zoe to some of the practices over the last few weeks, and whenever things got out of hand, all Zoe needed to do was clap her hands or start crying to get all eyes on her. Only then could adjustments be made and disagreements taken care of. And really - who could ignore such a pretty face?

Zoe inadvertently became the distraction the audience loved in the gap between acts, just as Blaine had suggested early on. Kurt eventually allowed whoever was the MC at the time to bring Zoe on stage so that she could look at the audience and wave when the next act was introduced. Everyone involved was convinced by the end of the show that no matter who won, Zoe had stolen the show. In the end, no one in the gym was badly hurt, the sound system worked flawlessly, and the amount of money that had been raised surprised even the faculty.

The scoring method had been something that Kurt in particular had been very adamant about from the start. Yes, they had judges who would pick the best acts - though it was hard to find one that didn't meet expectations - but Kurt was convinced that it was only fair to have the students' input as well. This had led to an unorthodox voting method that none of the adults had ever seen before.

Each act that went on received a bucket labeled with their name. From ten minutes before the show started to ten minutes after it ended, anyone and everyone was free to throw change into the bucket or buckets of their choice. The act with the heaviest bucket would receive bonus points during the final tally. The best part was that all of the money collected would be added into the Emergency Transfer Fund. It was thanks to the fund's existence that Kurt had been able to attend Dalton in the first place, and no one was against the idea.

After everything was said and done, the mixed group of the younger Warblers and Silvertones won with their Nintendo medley. Besides Kurt's cameo with his swords - which surprised the hell out of just about everyone present - they had also gone all out with costumes and props. Their act had been one of the longest, but judging by the cheers and applause, no one had minded.

There had been several acts that went on that were considered freebies - they were not eligible to win. The Warblers reprised their Sectionals win, while the Silvertones put together something simple and sweet. The cheerleaders showed off their winning routine, the basketball teams held the slam dunk contest, and Blaine and Thad showed off their fencing skills with a duel.

The talent show was declared a tremendous success by both schools, with the promise to consider making it an annual event. Considering there were a lot of coin buckets, everyone would have to wait a few days to see how much money was raised for the fund. There had been some groans at that, but when Professor Dippet had asked for volunteers to manually count it out, he had to hold in a laugh as some muttered that patience was a virtue.

Blaine had to laugh as he watched Kurt sprawl onto the bed the same way he had several weeks ago. He and Kurt had hung back with a bunch of the students to clean up what little mess there was, as the visiting Crawford ladies had temporarily kidnapped Zoe for their entertainment. Once they had left, the boys of Dalton were free to enjoy their freedom from the girls, as some were claiming they'd had enough bonding time to last them a while.

Zoe was once again knocked out for the time being, exhausted from all the attention she'd gotten over the last few hours. Blaine tucked her in and made his way over to Kurt and contemplated how much trouble he'd get into if he happened to just jump on the bed.

"I can hear you scheming from here, and I promise that nothing good will come of it."

Blaine startled as he saw that Kurt had rolled over onto his side and was staring with his head propped on one hand. "Okay, seriously, how do you do that? It's like a superpower or something."

Kurt just grinned in reply. "It's a gift that I inherited from my mother, or at least that's Dad's take on it. Apparently, she was pretty good at doing that as well."

Blaine laughed as he got on the bed and copied Kurt's position. "Yeah, I think I remember Burt mentioning that once or twice. So, are you glad that the talent show is over?"

"Don't get me wrong - it was an absolute blast - but yeah, I'm glad. It was a lot of fun, however I think it was easier to plan a wedding in a week, than to plan the talent show in a month."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I had no idea that it would be this insane and dramatic."

"...Aren't weddings usually insane and dramatic?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. " I don't consider weddings a success without insanity and drama. This was a talent show - something that was meant to be fun. Kim and I didn't realize just how many wannabe divas we have between the two schools."

"Well, considering how many of us fall into the typical 'only child from a rich family', it shouldn't have been that surprising."

"It wasn't that, really. It was more of the sibling rivalries and apparently bad break-ups and high school drama that drove us crazy. Putting the show in order was an absolute nightmare. We wanted to alternate the performances and not bunch them up. That's why we had one or two musical acts before one that had nothing to do with it - to break up the monotony. But we couldn't put a recently broken up couple back-to-back, nor could we have siblings who did not want to work together be featured in the same part of the show because that was a bad idea."

"But there were a lot of happy people who wanted to perform together. James and Daniel were awesome during their Guitar Hero battle. I would've never thought to use the projector so that everyone could see the game. If only I could get those two to sit still long enough to learn how to play a real guitar..."

Kurt laughed at Blaine's pout. "Honey, maybe you should quit while you're ahead. Just think: you can teach Zoe if she's interested - before she's corrupted by video games."

"But that means I still have to wait a few years."

"You could always teach me in the meantime. I know the chords, but not any songs. I didn't get very far before holding a guitar was too awkward for me."

Blaine stared in surprise. "Too awkward? Kurt, when did you start trying to play?"

Kurt shrugged. "I always wanted too, but Mom wanted me to learn how to play the piano. Once I found out you knew how to play, I figured I could just borrow your guitar until I either got the hang of it or gave up. I didn't see the point of investing into buying one unless I really felt I could get somewhere with it. When I had that bad chest cold last year, I borrowed your guitar one day while you were in class and just started strumming."

"That explains why it was never exactly where I left it. I thought I was going crazy."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was intrigued, so whenever you weren't around and I was bored, I'd practice the chords. Unfortunately by that point, I was - what, six months? - and Zoe was taking up a lot of room already, and I couldn't get comfortable enough to hold the guitar properly. I wanted to surprise you by playing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', but that kinda fell to the wayside."

Blaine was still staring at Kurt like he was an alien. "I had no idea you wanted to learn. Do you still want to?"

"If you'll have me as a student, although I'll leave the songwriting to you. I have no problem reading or singing it, but writing it - that's all you. By the way - did I mention how much I loved your performance during the show?"

Blaine smiled as he pulled Kurt into his arms to snuggle. "Hmm...I think so, but I wouldn't mind hearing you say that again."

Kurt curled into his arms, sighing as Blaine lazily massaged his back. "You were amazing, and I loved the song you wrote; it was breathtaking. We should do one of your songs for Regionals. Original songs go over well with the judges."

"I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, we should take advantage of a sleeping baby."

"Hmm..."

Blaine smiled as he realized that Kurt was slowly falling asleep on him. It didn't bother him, as he wasn't far behind, but it would've been nice to just relax and talk for a little while. But then Blaine remembered how tired Kurt truly was, and since they were already spending the following day together, he could wait to get his fill of family time in the morning.

"Aww...I wanted to go too."

"So did I, but those three need a family day. They're stuck with us often enough."

"But Kurt's been so busy lately and I miss him."

Nick rolled his eyes at his pouting boyfriend. "Jeff, you do realize that you've probably seen him more in the last few weeks than his daughter, right? I'm sure you can handle one day without Kurt. You hang out during class every day."

Jeff just threw him a look. "Did you forget we go to this magical place called Dalton, where 'hanging out in class' is a mythical thing?"

"Why are you such a drama queen?"

"I'll show you drama queen," Jeff replied as he tackled Nick onto the couch.

"Sometimes I really don't get those two," said Thad, as he and the other boys looked on.

Since it was still the weekend and no one was in the mood to do any work, the Warblers were spread out in the room and lounging. Jeff and Nick had been their entertainment for the last ten minutes or so, as Zoe had been taken away with Kurt and Blaine. Someone would suggest an activity, only to be voted down because no one really wanted to move.

"Yeah, we all feel the same," said Trent, "but at least they're adorable when they fight."

"I concur," said Beatz, as he met Trent with a high five. "So while the two of them go at it, what should we do with the rest of the day? And David - mention our project for English again, and I will beat you with a pillow."

"I'm just saying that we have a lot of work to do on it and we're not doing anything productive anyway. Why don't we take advantage of that?"

"Because it's not due until APRIL! It's the beginning of FEBRUARY!" exclaimed Beatz.

"And what's wrong with getting it done and over with now? Why do you insist on procrastinating?"

"And we've lost two more," commented Thad, as they watched another mini-fight break out on the floor.

Sebastian laughed as he cuddled up to Thad, who had a point. Kurt and Blaine were out for the day with Zoe; Jeff and Nick had stopped fighting just long enough to sneak back to the dorms; Beatz and David would probably keep beating one another up until they got tired; and Trent was just lounging in the chair next to Sebastian and Thad.

Trent sighed. "I almost wish I went with the others to paintball, but I have a feeling I'm gonna be thankful I didn't."

"Paintball is fun, but after seeing how dangerous the younger guys are with water guns and nerf guns, I'd have to agree with you," said Thad.

"What about laser tag?" suggested Sebastian. "There's that place up by the mall. If we can grab Niff, separate those two, and find another body, we can go four-on-four."

"I'm all for that," said Trent. "Maybe we can ask Nick to text Robbie and see if he's interested. His house is on the way."

"Works for me," said Thad. "If you two don't mind getting Beatz and David, I'll risk my eyes to separate the lovebirds."

Sebastian gave him a kiss. "My hero."

"Our hero," said Trent. "I'm still scarred from the last time I had to find them."

Kurt, Blaine and Zoe made it back to Dalton in time for dinner with the rest of the Warblers. The trio spent the day roaming around Westerville, stopping at the mall for a little shopping and lunch, before heading to the park to enjoy the warmer than usual weather. Zoe hadn't been this happy in a while, and by the time they were heading back, had fallen asleep from all of the excitement.

The boys dropped off their stuff in their room before heading downstairs. Kurt had grabbed a bottle for when Zoe woke up, leaving Blaine to grab the snacks they had bought while they were out. They made their way to the common room, where they were meeting the guys for pizza, and were shocked at the state of the Warblers, some with fresh bruises, some with bandages.

"What in the hell happened to you guys?!" Kurt half-yelled. "When we left, half of you were all lounging in here, and the rest of you were already out." Blaine left the questioning to Kurt, as he knew the boys would have no choice but to answer the brunette.

Of course getting them to talk was going to be a bit of a challenge.

Kurt just stared at them all one at a time, waiting for someone to crack. It didn't take long for James and Daniel to start pointing fingers first - surprisingly not at each other.

"It's their fault!" James and Daniel said as he pointed to the Juniors on the floor.

"Oh no you don't," said Rich. "You agreed to fight fair if we put you on opposite teams, but no, you two decided to go rouge with each other."

"Oh please," Jimmy drawled, as he rolled his eyes. "I told you making teams was a joke in the first place. And you're one to talk; it's partly because of the four of you that we had to leave early in the first place."

Blaine looked on as Rich, Peter, Anthony, and Paul flushed in unison. "Now what did you do? Please don't tell me they had to kick you guys out. Whose crutches are sitting against the wall?"

"Mine," said Thad. "We had an issue that resulted with me getting a sprained ankle."

"Wait a second," interrupted Kurt. "You didn't go to paintball, did you?"

"No. The rest of us went to play laser tag."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in confusion. "What?"

"I'll explain it to you," offered Sebastian.

"Please do."

"As it turns out, the place they went to play paintball is in the same complex as the laser tag; it's all in one facility. There is a common area where people that are playing multiple games can go to in order to swap gear for a different venue, or just to take a break. Nick, Jeff, Beatz, Trent, David, Thad, Robbie, and I went in with the idea to play two rounds. We were taking a break when we heard yelling over at the paintball counter. Low and behold, there these guys were with one of the security guys and the complex manager.

"Apparently, James and Daniel went rouge from their teams and joined up. Peter and Anthony got mad and roped Rich and Paul into helping them get back at the other two. Unfortunately, there was a case of mistaken identity and Peter and Anthony hit these other guys that were there. They went to apologize but they started shooting at them in retaliation. Rich and Paul were trying to diffuse the situation, but then Nathan and Dace were hit in the face and all hell broke loose."

"The two guys that were hit - we'll call them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - are apparently not allowed in the complex because they used to start fights, often when they're unwarranted," said Mark. "When we saw them hit Nate and Dace, me and Curban retaliated. But then a third guy showed up and pushed James into Jimmy and that's when one of the security guys showed up."

Sebastian picked up the story from there. "So Thad being Thad went to the counter to get the story and to find out if our guys were going to be in trouble. The manager said that he had called the cops because Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and Jackass were being charged with trespassing and misconduct, or something like that."

"So I asked the manager if it would be alright for us to take responsibility for the guys and to pay for any damage. He said we needed to wait and make a statement, since most of them showed signs of cuts and bruising that shouldn't be there for a normal game of paintball. I said that was fine and told these guys," Thad pointed at the younger boys, "to take their gear off and return it because we were leaving as soon as we were allowed to."

"Well, Jackass didn't like that and before they could do that, he pushed Mark, who fell into Nate, and they both landed on the floor. Beatz then gets in the guy's face and tells him to back off. Jackass punches Beatz and Tweedle Dee jumps in to help. The cops showed up as Tweedle Dum - who still had the paintball gun - started to shoot at us with what ammo he had left. He got Thad in the leg - which would have been okay - but he fell badly over a chair."

Blaine and Kurt were having a hard time believing all of this. "So then what?" asked Blaine.

"The cops arrested the three idiots and we all had to make statements. One of the medics at the complex looked at us and patched up what he could. He said that Thad's ankle would be fine as long as he takes it easy. We got the crutches from Nurse Cara when we got back."

"Besides Thad's ankle, are the rest of you alright?" asked Kurt, as he adjusted a slowly-awakening Zoe in his arms.

The group looked at each other and shrugged. "Just bruised and annoyed, I think," said Beatz. "The manager did give us passes to come back...but not for a little bit."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "So you're all kinda banned?"

"Just temporarily," murmured Trent.

Kurt and Blaine shared a look, while Zoe started squirming in Kurt's arms. "I guess this means we can't leave you guys unsupervised anymore, huh?" said Kurt.

There was a general consensus of "Apparently not."

Zoe finally managed to convey that she wanted to be put down, so Kurt let her down on the floor. He watched as she crawled her way over to James and Daniel. The almost seven-month-old moved in front of the two of them and stared at them for a second before slapping a hand on each of their legs.

"Ba!" she squealed. "Ba!"

Kurt stifled a laugh while Blaine didn't bother to, especially at the looks on the boys' faces. Daniel and James were shocked and confused because even though Zoe had been babbling for a little while by now, she didn't usually direct it at anyone like she just did.

"Ba!" Zoe proceeded to do the same thing to Rich, Peter, Anthony, and Paul.

"Um, Kurt?" Daniel eventually asked. "A little help?"

Kurt gave in and laughed. "I think she's scolding you guys for being bad."

"Babies can do that?" asked David.

"Zoe seems to think she can," said Blaine.

"And this?" Thad asked, as Zoe curled up to his leg.

"You have a boo-boo and she's trying to make it better," Kurt said.

"That is too freaking cute," said Sebastian, as he swooped in to tickle Zoe. Her giggles caused the rest of the room to finally lighten up completely, and they enjoyed the remainder of the evening with an impromptu movie night.