To Carole and Finn's relief (Burt was still at work), Kurt finally woke up just as the clock was nearing six in the evening. He walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes as Finn and Carole were eating dinner, and plopped tiredly into one of the empty chairs.

"Welcome back," said Carole.

"How long was I out?"

"All day, pretty much," she replied, glancing at the clock and adding up the time in her head. "Yeah, almost twelve hours."

"Damn it," Kurt sighed, resting his head on his forearms. Finn's eyebrows shot up. Kurt's language was peppered with profanities whenever the alters were around, but it was extremely rare to hear Kurt swear himself.

Carole patted Kurt soothingly on the back. "There's some mulligatawny soup on the stove if you want some."

"I'm not hungry," Kurt said. "Thanks, though."

"You look exhausted."

"You'd think that after sleeping for twelve hours straight, one would be wide awake," Kurt replied dryly, sounding almost like Robbie. "But nope, I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"You can go to bed if you want, honey," said Carole.

Kurt made himself sit up straighter, running a hand over his head. His hair was just beginning to get noticeably longer, but it was still not much more than a buzz. "No, I'll stay up," he said. "I'm already unconscious enough as is."

Finn swallowed the last of his dinner and stood up to dump his bowl into the sink. "Well, since you're staying up, you mind helping me out with some homework stuff? I want to get it out of the way so it's not hanging over my head during Sugar's party."

Kurt perked up at the thought of having something to do, and the two boys left Carole to clean up the kitchen. Upstairs, Kurt flopped backwards onto Finn's bed, letting his long-ish legs hang off the edge. "So, what do you need to work on?"

"I think I have the history stuff down," Finn said from where he was sitting in his desk chair, rummaging through his backpack. "It's the English and math I need help with."

Kurt nodded, knowing that Finn's class was reading The Tempest. He thought it was oddly fitting that they were studying works by a man who nearly always wrote about people going mad.

"Let's work on the Shakespeare first," he said. Finn nodded and pulled out his copy of the play. "And… Finn?"

Finn glanced up. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"…For what?"

Kurt propped himself up on his elbows to give Finn an impish look. "You don't care about getting this stuff out of the way; you're just trying to keep me occupied. Don't think I don't see right through you."

"Well, yeah," Finn admitted. "But I seriously don't get what's up with Prospero and Ariel. Are they gay?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Must every two men who like each other be gay?" he chuckled.

"Oh, come on!" Finn protested. "There's like five guys in this play that've said 'I love you' to another guy. Plus, Ariel's a girl name! What am I supposed to think?"

"Love was a different thing back then, Finn," Kurt replied patiently. "I can see we've got a lot of work to do."

It had been just after sunset when Kurt had first woken up, and now the windows darkened to black and the early winter night pressed against the panes. Kurt thought Finn was just beginning to make a breakthrough with understanding why the hell Prospero wanted revenge when Finn's cell phone buzzed on the desk, bringing the both of them back to the twenty-first century.

"Hey, Rach," said Finn. "…Just a sec." He held the phone away from his ear, turning his attention to Kurt. "Dude, where's your cell? Rachel says she's been trying to call you."

Kurt frowned. He hadn't used his cell phone in weeks. Then, remembering the last time he had it, he slapped a hand against his forehead. "I think I left it at Sebastian's house," he groaned.

Finn winced. "Uh, he lost it," he told Rachel. "…Yeah, okay." He handed the phone to Kurt. "Rachel wants to talk to you."

"Hey, what's going on?" Kurt said, unsure of why Rachel would be trying to get in touch with him. He should have braced himself for the inevitable Rachel Berry trademark long-winded response.

"As you may have heard from Finn, my dads and I are hosting a sort of Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow to celebrate the ever-growing relationship between the Hudson-Hummel and Berry clans."

"Uh… no, I hadn't heard that," Kurt replied. He didn't need to ask Finn to know that only Finn and Carole were going.

"Well, Finn told me you weren't coming."

"I'm not."

"I'd like you to."

Kurt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew Rachel always had the best of intentions, but it was frustrating just how clueless she was. "Rachel…" he started. "I appreciate it. Really, I do, but I don't think it's a good idea."

"But—" she started.

He continued, ignoring her attempted protest. "I wish I could come, and if things were different, I would."

He wasn't expecting Rachel to snap back. "You listen to me, Kurt Hummel. This dinner is not about Finn and I – it's about family, and you are part of that family. Don't keep hiding just because you don't want people to see you." She paused before thoughtfully tacking on, "We don't want you to be alone."

Kurt sighed again. He understood exactly what Rachel meant; she didn't want to give him the chance to go for the kitchen knives again. Still, he didn't comment on it. "Thanks, Rachel," he said diplomatically. "But I can't come. If I transitioned it would send your dads screaming for the hills."

"That is a ridiculous and mildly offensive presumption," Rachel said crisply. "For your information, they want you to come too. In fact, they're insisting on it."

Kurt stopped short, caught off-guard by Rachel's statement. "You— They know about me?" he stammered.

"Of course," Rachel replied, as if the answer should have been obvious. "They were talking with Figgins to try to get you back in school, actually. One of my dads is a lawyer – he was prepared to help your dad sue the school, but the court wouldn't have gone for it."

Kurt couldn't keep his voice from rising a little. "Because I'm dangerous, Rachel!" he cried. He didn't miss Finn's wince.

"Oh, Kurt…" Rachel sighed. "You're not dangerous."

"Well, Eleanor and Craig—" he started to argue.

"Just stop making excuses and come," she insisted. "We want you there."

Kurt didn't say anything for several seconds. Rachel had seen for herself how terrifying he could be when he wasn't in control, and yet she still didn't seem to grasp that there was more at stake than her perfect family dinner.

"And I'll never forgive you if you don't," she added.

Kurt chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, then exhaled very slowly. "Rachel, you couldn't hold a grudge to save your life," he said, smiling slightly despite the fact that he felt absolutely terrified. He kept his voice level. "But fine. I'll come."

"Yay!" Rachel exclaimed on the other end. "Okay, then, I'll see you tomorrow! Can't wait!"

The line clicked, and Kurt handed the phone back to Finn.

"What'd she want?" Finn asked.

"I'm coming to dinner with you, apparently."

Finn didn't smile, but he didn't look upset either. He looked worried. "Is that safe?"

"I don't know," Kurt answered softly. "I really don't, but…" He trailed off with a shrug.

"But what?"

"Never mind." Kurt flapped a hand. "It's dinner with my family and one of my best friends – how stressful could it be?"

Finn nodded, but he still seemed like he didn't quite believe it could go smoothly. And Kurt couldn't really blame him for that – the last few weeks had been an awful rollercoaster and terrifying most days. He didn't entirely understand why Rachel had sounded so excited once he'd agreed to come – she knew perfectly well he wasn't anywhere near stable – and then it hit him. She hadn't actually seen him since before the bloodstain had been formed on his bedroom floor.

"You okay, dude?"

Kurt's head snapped up. "Yeah," he said. "Sorry. Spaced out for a second." He sat forward on the edge of the bed. "Let's get back to Shakespeare."

It was by some miracle that Kurt was himself when the Berrys' dinner rolled around, and he nervously fiddled with the belt on his coat as he followed Finn, Carole, and his father up the brick pathway to Rachel's house, which had been cleared of snow. He was familiar enough with the place, but it felt different now, like the last time he'd had a sleepover with Rachel and Mercedes here was years before.

Finn hung back as Burt rang the doorbell, clapping Kurt lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much, dude," he said. "I'll keep Eleanor down if she decides to show up."

Kurt's breath fogged in front of his nose as he took a deep breath and released it. "It's Craig I'm more worried about," he admitted. Eleanor would frighten them, but Craig would manage to frighten and deeply offend them in the same sentence.

The front door opened, and Rachel and her dads were waiting just inside, bright white show smiles on all three faces. "Welcome, Hudson-Hummels!" Leroy boomed.

Kurt held his breath as he walked inside after Finn. As Leroy collected their coats, Carole gushed over the interior décor, and Hiram gossiped with her about Nate Berkus. Finn inquired as to where Sam was, and Leroy informed him that Sam had left early to help set up for Sugar's party later that evening.

"How are you doing, Kurt?" Leroy asked, his show smile not faltering for a second.

Hiram decided to interject before Kurt had a chance to reply. "Oh, yes, we're fully prepared for anyone that might make an appearance," he said.

Rachel gaped at her father and the Hudson-Hummels exchanged slightly startled glances. Even when people were aware of Kurt's alters, speaking so directly about them was unheard of. Still, if anyone were going to do so, Kurt supposed it would be Hiram Berry. Kurt had met both of Rachel's dads on multiple occasions, albeit briefly, and he'd seen that, while Leroy was the more flashy and musical parent, Hiram was even more blatant than his daughter. Although, Kurt really had no idea what Hiram thought 'fully prepared' meant in this case.

"Uh, good to know," he responded carefully.

Hiram grinned and Leroy quickly ushered them all towards the living room.

After being forced into watching a somewhat impromptu performance of You're The Top by both Hiram and Leroy, backed up by a cheery and excited Rachel, the group relocated once again to the dining room for dinner. For Kurt, the meal passed slowly and miraculously uneventfully – he wished he could be fully engaged in the conversation, but most of his energy was diverted towards worrying that he might transition. He really didn't want to mess this up for Finn and Rachel.

As Burt laughed at a joke Hiram had made at the Republican Party's expense, Leroy stood up and began to collect the dishes from the meal. "Dessert, anyone?" he asked over his shoulder as he brought the duck platter to the kitchen. "We have a decadentGerman chocolate cake laid out."

"—That Leroy made himself," Hiram finished, taking a sip of his wine. "He's something of a culinary genius, but only when it comes to sweets."

"I heard that!" Leroy called while the rest of them chuckled. He returned from the kitchen with an intricately decorated chocolate cake, setting it in the center of the table. He began to cut and distribute thick slices. "Kurt? Cake?" he offered, holding out a small plate.

Kurt shook his head, holding up his hand politely. "No, thanks, I'm not really a chocolate cake kind of person."

Leroy gaped at him in joking astonishment. "How is that possible?" he asked. "You've got to try this; it'll convert you for sure."

Kurt declined again, and Leroy shrugged and handed the slice to Finn. "I can't explain it, really," Kurt said. "It's weird, I know, but there's just something about chocolate cake in particular that puts me off."

"I didn't know that," said Rachel.

Finn looked surprised as well. "I thought you didn't eat it because of the sugar or something."

"Well, that too," replied Kurt. "In general, though, I prefer cheesecake, which is even less healthy but considerably lacking in chocolate."

Finn shook his head, muttering about his inability to understand people who didn't like chocolate.

The small talk continued, and Kurt fell quiet-ish once again, only taking part in the conversation when Rachel brought up the New Directions set list for Regionals. Inexplicably, he felt his anxiety levels slowly rising, and he twisted his fingers into his napkin under the table in an attempt to keep his nerves steady. He was fidgeting, too – he could tell, but he couldn't help it. Carole noticed and reached over to squeeze his hand.

As the conversation droned on, Kurt found that it was becoming harder and harder to concentrate, and it was damn near impossible to keep himself still. He dug his nails into his palms, hoping that the sharp pain in his skin would be enough to keep him in the present.

It was a relief to have a normal meal with Kurt present, Rachel thought, suddenly realizing just how much she'd been worrying about him over the past few weeks. As strong as Kurt made himself out to be, Rachel knew that that strength only went so deep – she'd known that even before she'd learned about his alters. Kurt was strong, but he was also human, no matter how many personalities he possessed.

During dinner, Rachel sat across from Kurt for the specific purpose of keeping an eye on him. Finn was beside her and she was pretty sure that he was doing the same. She was determined to make sure that it wasn't too much for him.

Unfortunately, she had no idea what to do once she noticed Kurt's fidgeting.

She saw Carole reach over and grab his hand without disrupting the conversation between herself, Burt, and the Berrys, and Rachel wished that she were sitting beside Kurt so that she could do the same. Ignoring the adults' conversation, she focused on Kurt, evaluating every small movement he made and trying to tell whether he was going to transition or if he had already.

Her heart skipped when Kurt reached up to nervously scratch at his temple – his fingers were trembling. Rachel swallowed. She didn't know what could be making him so anxious, and she had no idea what to do about it, so she kicked Finn's foot lightly to get his attention. It was unnecessary, though – Finn was already watching.

"What's happening?" Rachel whispered as quietly as she could to Finn.

"I don't know," he whispered back, never once taking his eyes off Kurt.

Kurt swallowed and rubbed a hand over his eyes, his fingers still shaking.

Then, they stopped shaking. Kurt's hand dropped to his lap, and Rachel couldn't figure out how on earth his face had changed so much in just one second.

Before Rachel or Finn or Carole had a chance to do anything, Kurt spoke, and it brought the conversation at the table to a screeching halt.

"Franklin's been a bad man…" he drawled, his tone disturbingly high-pitched and flattened at the same time.

All eyes turned to Kurt.

"Franklin's been a bad man," he repeated.

"Who's this?" asked Hiram.

Burt didn't answer him and stood up. "Eleanor? Why don't we go outside for some air," he said, and Rachel wondered why he sounded so calm when his face was so scared.

Kurt didn't hear him.

"Franklin's been a bad man. Franklin's been a bad man."

"Oh my god," Leroy said.

"Is this normal?" Hiram inquired.

"Franklin's been a bad man. Franklin's been a bad man. Franklin's been a bad maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan."

Burt hoisted Kurt up by the shoulders and began to guide him back towards the front door as Kurt rapidly repeated himself. Finn also got up and went to help Burt, and the three of them disappeared into the foyer, leaving the Berrys speechless at the table. Rachel sat back, feeling winded.

"I'm sorry," Carole was saying to Hiram and Leroy. "I'm so sorry."

Rachel pushed her plate away. Her appetite was gone.