“Do you know what he wants with me?” he asked. Isabella Anderson shook her head and walked into his father’s office.

“Have a seat Blaine.” He sat and watched his parents sit. “Son, you are now 18 years old. You just finished Eton and are scheduled to start studying law at Cambridge this fall.” Blaine wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say anything. His dad was looking at him expectantly so he said, “That’s right.” He really was at a loss. He hoped his dad would get to the point. His cousin William’s birthday dinner was in a couple of hours and he still needed to get ready.

“As you know your cousin was photographed drunk and half naked at a club in London on Friday night, and your mother and I just want to make sure you understand how important it is for you to make sure you never find yourself in such a situation.” Blaine held back a smile – he was just thankful the photographers had not immortalized him on Friday. He had just wandered off to the restroom when Louis had decided to impress a group of girls by jumping on a table and dancing with his shirt hanging open. One of the girls had stuck �10 into the waistband of his trousers which is why the paparazzi snapped the picture.

“Your aunt was mortified when she opened the newspaper to find her son prominently displayed on Page 6,” added his mother.

“I also want to remind you that until you get over your “phase” we don’t particularly want to see pictures of you in “certain situations.” Blaine gaped at his father. “Phase?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Dad, I’m gay. It is not a “phase.” I’m not magically going to wake up one day and decide I like girls. I am attracted to men. I like kissing men and I especially love having sex with men!” Blaine heard his mother gasp in shock but he didn’t care. He was tired of having to justify his life to his parents. He hadn’t meant to sound crude but he had had enough of his parents unaccepting behavior.

“Blaine, you are the Earl of Clare. When I die you will become the Duke of Newcastle. You are 20th in line to the British throne. You will not dishonor this family by being a homosexual!”

“I’m pretty sure the Queen, Uncle Charles and the 19 other people ahead of me plan on being around for a long time so I’m not exactly getting the crown jewels tailored to my needs!” yelled Blaine as he looked at his parents, shook his head and walked out of the room. He had come out to his parents when he was 16 years old and he was not shocked at how they had responded. After two years of dealing with his parents trying to convince him that he was going through a “phase” he had decided to live his life on his own terms. He had a party to attend and he would be damned if his parent’s ignorance ruined it for him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kurt Hummel was sitting on a bench reading his Rick Steve’s London 2012 guidebook. He wanted to make sure he highlighted all of the things he wanted to see once he got inside the Tower of London. It was early Sunday morning and the Tower opened at 10:00am so he had about an hour to plan his visit. The book said to allow three hours but Kurt had always dreamed of visiting the Tower of London and figured he could easily spend all day just absorbing the history behind the thick walls.

His phone buzzed and he just knew it was his dad calling to make sure he was alive. He quickly reassured his dad that he was being safe and that he would check in with him once he got safely back to his hotel room no matter the time difference. His father had surprised him by giving him a 2 week stay in London as his graduation gift. He was scheduled to stay at the Savoy Hotel in downtown London but once Kurt researched it and found out how much his father was paying for the accommodations he quickly canceled the reservation and found a cheaper hotel.

The 2012 Summer Olympics had driven the costs of lodging almost sky high but Kurt was able to find a Holiday Inn in Colliers Wood which was about 30 minutes away from downtown London. It was right across the street from the London Underground so he was set as far as transportation was concerned. He could jump on the tube and take the Black Line into London in no time. He was able to extend his vacation from 2 weeks to 6 weeks by changing hotels and still have enough money left over for sightseeing and eating.

His dad had originally planned on sending Finn with Kurt but since Finn joined the Army Kurt was on his own. While Kurt was fascinated with English History he balked at accepting such an expensive gift, especially because he was starting school in the fall.

His dad had explained that when Kurt’s mother passed away he had put aside some of her insurance money for Kurt’s education and invested the rest. There was enough money set aside for Kurt to complete his Master’s degree and Burt had invested wisely. The trip was being financed by some of the interest that had accumulated on the principal of his inheritance. Kurt had been saving money working part-time at his father’s garage for the past four years so he was planning on seeing as much of London as he could in the next six weeks.

He had arrived at Heathrow yesterday morning and had made his way to the hotel. He had fallen asleep for about 12 hours and now was ready to start his summer vacation. He wished he had someone to share it with but he had no close friends. It was difficult being the only out gay boy at his school and he had been relentlessly bullied by the jocks. He had joined the Glee Club and while he made some good friends there everyone was either paired up and unwilling to leave their significant other for a whole summer or busy planning to head out to college in the fall.

Kurt was used to being alone. He didn’t necessarily like it but he had learned to deal with the loneliness. He needed this trip. His father had had a successful run in Congress these past few years and had been approached to run for President of the United States. His support of the Arts and Gay Rights had earned him a steady following and he had decided to accept his party’s nomination.

Kurt and Finn had still enjoyed anonymity since they had been underage and living in Lima, Ohio and Burt had commuted to Washington DC. Kurt turned 18 in May; right before graduation and Finn was scheduled to turn 18 next week. Finn had joined the Army so he was safe from the paparazzi but Kurt was considered fair game which was another reason he was glad to be out of the United States. The elections weren’t until November but everyone considered Burt Hummel a shoe-in for the Presidency so he was a popular media staple. The fact that his son was gay and out was enough to get the media all riled up. Kurt had traveled to London under his mother’s maiden name so that he could remain incognito.

Burt had a Secret Service detail assigned to protect him and his family as the Democratic Presidential Nominee but Kurt had managed to talk his dad into releasing his detail while he was in London. His father had finally agreed on the condition that he was to check in with the American Embassy and report his whereabouts to the Ambassador on a daily basis by phone plus his father expected to receive a morning and nighttime call from Kurt daily. Kurt had agreed. He actually had an appointment with the Ambassador tomorrow morning but had decided to start his sightseeing today.

He looked at his watch and went to go purchase his ticket. He was still familiarizing himself with the British currency but the staff at the Tower of London was used to dealing with tourists and waited patiently while Kurt gathered the correct amount and purchased his ticket.

As he followed the line he happened to notice a gorgeous male specimen about his age a few people ahead of him. Kurt was fascinated with how his curly hair was all over the place and how good he looked in his skinny jeans. He was still staring when he looked up and saw that the guy had noticed him checking him out. Kurt blushed and looked away embarrassed that he was caught gawking at a stranger. He turned around slowly hoping that he could just blend into the crowd so that he could continue checking out the stranger with the rebellious hair without being noticed. He waited patiently in line for the famous Yeomen Warders tour hoping the stranger would be in his group.