February 22nd, 1919 - Düsseldorf, Germany

Blaine

Blaine jerked his face up, staring at the empty doorway, his eyebrows rising and disappearing under the dark fringe of his curls. He could hear Quinn's sharp foot falls and musical laughter as she made her way down the stairs and into the living room.

Blaine stood there lamely, stunned at this turn of events. He had clearly heard and understood Quinn having learned rudimentary French from some of the soldiers with too much time on their hands and not enough cigarettes. Suddenly, he got the strangest feeling that everything was going to change now that he had some way to communicate with the blonde. He would be lying if he said, based solely on how she made Kurt act, it didn't make him uneasy. This could be the beginning of an association detrimental to his health.

Turning his thoughts back to Kurt, Blaine couldn't help but be both curious and annoyed at just what Quinn had said to make the other man so angry. Not for the first time, he wished that he had stopped and thought this plan through; maybe actually taught himself something other than those appalling curses that had been spit out by restrained prisoners/patients. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so useless and worried that he was making things unnecessary difficult for Kurt.

Still standing far too close to Kurt, Blaine could practically see the heavy waves of annoyance that seemed to roll off Kurt's tensed shoulders as he curled and uncurled his long thin fingers, as if trying to stop himself from wrapping them around someone's throat. Blaine stayed quiet but slowly tried to inch away, fearful that Kurt might turn on him. Not that he could really blame the German man. If Quinn hadn't barged in Blaine was sure that he would have kissed Kurt forcefully and fully on the mouth like he had wanted to since that night in the shell hole. A hot flush rushed up the back of Blaine's neck as he thought of all the things he had wanted to do to Kurt since that night; of all the nights since that he'd woken up sweaty with Kurt's name on his lips and his sheets soaked in cum.

"I'm so sorry." Kurt was still fuming, if that squinty eyed glare he was throwing at the open door was anything to go by. He had, however, stopped twitching. "I swear, for a nurse, she has the most abysmal bedside manner."

Blaine couldn't help but snicker, now at a safe distance, over how impossibly endearing an irate Kurt was. Which earned him a tilted side look and a small quirk of the lips and for a moment, Blaine felt himself to be the luckiest man in the world to be able to see this side of the beautiful German.

"Yeah, I bet she's a real dragon. You can see it in her eyes." Kurt was full out grinning, a small bubble of laughter escaping as he hobbled over to the tall dresser. Sitting on top was a small crystal dish with a pretty ceramic top that Kurt pulled off.

"What can I say? Quinn... is Quinn." He started, riffling through the bowl. From what Blaine could see inside sat small, shiny bobbles, no bigger than a fingernail which Kurt pulled out and twirled between his thumb and forefinger, the light catching and reflecting on the ceiling.

 "She's like a lynx." Kurt started, turning his head to see Blaine standing there looking completely baffled. "It's like a large, wild cat with tuffs on its ears." Blaine nodded slowly, not really understanding but Kurt didn't seem to notice or care as he launched into his ramblings, pulling out a glimmering bob before shaking his head and delicately placing it back.

"Well in the zoo, they're these beautiful creatures. Graceful and sedated, just soaking in all the attention but in the wild they're damn terrifying. Like claw your face off and eat your intestines scary."

There was a pause where Kurt continued sorting through the bobbles in the bowl and Blaine took the opportunity to flick his eyes across the room before Kurt let out a gasp, jumping subtlety while holding out his hand triumphantly.

 "Yes, I think these will make that bowtie pop." He turned back, grinning widely, as if he didn't just scare the shit out of Blaine.

"Yeah, sure...What are they?" Blaine asked. In response, Kurt paused his limping and shot Blaine a look what could only be described as judgmental and Blaine couldn't but help flush darkly, feeling very dense.

"They're cufflinks." He said as if it was something that regularly came up in everyday conversation. "Here. Give me your wrists."

Blaine gratefully placed his right arm in Kurt's empty hand where the other man went about, diligently fastening the open cuff deftly with nimble fingers only pausing to stare expectantly, curling his fingers urging Blaine to give him the next arm.

"You're really good at this." Blaine started lamely, feeling like a small child as Kurt tugged the dark gray sleeves of the borrowed jacket. Kurt just smiled, turning back to reach for the ones he left out for himself on the bureau's top. The links that decorated Blaine's crisp cuffs were a brilliant shade of platinum with a sizable garnet stone embedded in the center. They were polished and looked more expensive than anything floating around in his own wrinkled canvas bag.

"Is it alright if I wear these?" He asked. Kurt was just finishing clipping his last one together, his head popping up at Blaine's question. He seemed to look deeply disturbed, even more so when he watched Blaine glance back down at his left arm, one of his fingers brushing against the glossy top of the cufflink.

"Of course it is Blaine." He reached out clasping at the lapels of Blaine's jacket, tugging them and drawing the Brit's attention back onto himself. "Don't worry about it. Please."

Blaine's lips twitched, his hazel eyes focused intently on Kurt's mouth but Kurt pulled back, reluctantly, so that he could pull the freshly pressed coat off the bed and slip it on. "W-we should hurry. If I'm late Lena will throw a fit."

Blaine's eyes didn't leave Kurt's face but he did nod, his right hand reaching up to rub at his stubbly jaw. "Yeah. I'm getting the feeling that is the last thing anyone would want." He joked.

Kurt smiled, turning around and fixing the sleeves and the thin lapels of his jacket while Blaine reached out to smooth the long creases running the length of his shoulders. Blaine couldn't help but give a closed-mouth smirk at the feeling of that slight intake of breath and jump of Kurt's muscles under his warm hands.

"W-we should go." Kurt stuttered, while a dark blush rose up the back of his neck. Blaine continued to grin, holding his arm out to the other man, watching with bright eyes as Kurt gave it a suspicious look before reaching out and lightly grasping it.

"If you just keep holding my hand, I'll get you there before anyone has to die." Kurt joked.

When Blaine started to lead them from the room and towards the stairs, being diligent as to not rush the limping man, Kurt relaxed. His hand loosened and he allowed it to slide up just an inch, towards Blaine's elbow. Blaine couldn't help but smile secretly at the image of them in the large oval mirror hang along the adjacent wall.  

As Kurt had mentioned previously the hall really wasn't that far away from the Hummel residence, a quick fifteen minute walk along cleared, stone sidewalks with a brisk February chill brushing at their backs. By now the sun had started to set and there was very little traffic to block their way.

The hall itself was an attractive building, obviously a little older than some of the small shops and homes situated around it. It sat in the corner lot of the street, the large doors facing out to the crosswalk where small clusters of well-dressed couples darted across, laughing and smiling as they made their ways up the large stone stairs and into the building. Some paused long enough to give Kurt a smile and a wave which the man returned in a much more subdued fashion. Blaine walked aimlessly alongside Kurt; his hazel eye's darting everywhere while his cheeks, already reddened by the cold, darkened when he extended his arm to help Kurt up the daunting stairs.

"As much as it's nice to know that chivalry isn't dead, I am a grown man so I think I can take on a set of stairs." Kurt was still smiling as the words left his mouth, making it clear that he wasn't exactly chastising Blaine but rather just trying to get across that he wasn't an invalid.

Blaine groaned loudly, running his hand down his red face before stopping to rub at the thick scruff stretching across his jaw.

"Please tell me I haven't been coddling you." He looked up at Kurt through his thick eyelashes clearly embarrassed by his actions. He hadn't wanted to give Kurt the idea that he thought the German man was as helpless as a little fawn.

"Oh yeah, like a mother duck." The German joked. Blaine groaned again and followed Kurt up the stairs and through the large doorway.

The inside foyer was warm and welcoming. There was very little decoration in the foyer but Blaine could see thin wisps of tulle connecting rows for white chairs through the open doors of the main hall. The front room seemed to be the designated waiting area were guests milled around, sitting on long wooden benches, talking and complimenting each other on their finery and Blaine instantly was thankful for the borrowed suit.

Both men stopped briefly to the side of the large doors, where there was a coatroom, to help each other out of their winter jackets. If Blaine's hands lingered on Kurt's shoulder a little longer then appropriate neither said anything about it.

"Well I think I should go check on the bride, make sure she hasn't seriously harmed or maimed anyone yet." He handed their coats over to the small, freckled boy standing by the coatroom door before taking off towards the hallway that continued down the side of the main ballroom. Blaine looked around, already feeling like an intruder as he stood there detached, eyeing everyone flitting about speaking excitedly in German. Blaine's eyes flitted back to the hallway where Kurt had reappeared waving with a hand for him to follow. Blaine couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and quickly march over.

"No running off or getting lost!" Kurt snapped, poking Blaine in the chest with every word just to make his point but it only made Blaine smile.

"Look who's the mother duck now."

Kurt rolled his eyes, a small grin play on his lips as he turned back to the door and knocked twice. Receiving a shrill response he looked back over his shoulder at Blaine with a very unimpressed expression.

"Brace yourself." Kurt murmured. Blaine cocked an eyebrow looking incredulously at the man in front of him.

"Kurt, you do remember I served, right? Nothing could be more terrifying then any of that." Kurt only shook his head, calling out something in German before pushing the door open, his left arm reaching back to snag Blaine's sleeve pulling him along behind.

"And where have you been!? You're late and the wedding is about to start! "

The room was very plain, just a side area with a couple of outdated chairs and a low coffee table, but in one corner a little salon had been set up with a white chair and a full length mirror. Nothing really remarkable except for the fuming woman standing right in the centre.

Both men paused in the doorway looking sheepish for a moment before Kurt moved in closer, wrapping his long, thin arms around the woman who huffed loudly and then seemed to sink into what Blaine could only believe was one of the best hugs in all of history.

"Oh, calm down, Lena. I'm here now and we still have half an hour." Kurt patted the back of who Blaine assumed was his sister. Her dress was a beautiful garment made of ivory silk and daring lines of ruffled lace with a wide silk brocade belt that tied into a decently sized train. It contrasted perfectly with the rich, dark colour of her hair.

"But what if something had happened!?" She cried, looking about ready to hyperventilate. Kurt sighed again finally letting go enough that he could hold her out at arm's length and stare pointedly in her eyes.

"Everything is going to be fine!"

Blaine stood awkwardly by the door, eyes darting to the windows, while his fingers twitched for something to do even though he refused to fiddle with the shiny cufflinks Kurt had lent him. This seemed like a very close family moment and he couldn't help but feel like an intruder, but still happy that Kurt hadn't left him out there to fend for himself.

Voices drifted into the room, loud and exultant as if someone had already dipped into the alcohol stash Kurt had promised would be here. He reached out and shut the door, realizing that he had forgotten to in his discomfort of being the odd man out, and the sound seemed to draw the attention of the two siblings.

Kurt blinked owlishly, almost surprised that Blaine was still standing there but his expression softened into an easy smile which Blaine returned. Blaine stood like an uncomfortable statue in a suit that wasn't his and was just a little too tight in some places with an expression so uneasy it looked like Kurt felt bad for him. At this point, Lena seemed to finally take notice of Blaine's presence. Blaine had never seen anyone's eyes go that wide without popping out of their skull.

"WHAT IS THAT!" The screech echoed around the room making the mirror and a few makeup brushes rattle. Surprisingly no one came rushing in to see if someone had died, but Blaine figured that either this was a commonplace happening or they were all just too scared to come closer. Lena had been obviously stressed up to this point but still had some semblance of control. That seemed to rush out the window as she eyed Blaine with an appearance of someone who had just eaten something fowl.

Kurt turned on his sister. "Lena, stop that!" He hissed. "He's a guest and you are being extremely rude!"

"I can't believe you brought a homeless person to my wedding. What am I supposed to tell everyone about this?" She waved out a hand in Blaine's direction, turning only once to glance at the other man and scrunch her face. Kurt made this small strangled growl in the base of his throat that automatically made Blaine's gut tighten and his mind made a brief detour to what other noises could be drawn from that pretty mouth.

"Lena." Kurt warned his voice dangerously low, and Blaine quickly wished that Kurt would stop as it risked making this encounter even more uncomfortable. However, Lena sighed loudly and stomped a foot signalling her defeat.

"Fine. He can stay, but if he's going to be in my wedding you have got to do something about that hair."  Kurt nodded and turned his head to give Blaine a small reassuring grin. Blaine tried to return it with an easy one of his own but it ended looking strained and tight as he shifted nervously from foot to foot. He knew there wasn't much Kurt could do for him without drawing attention to their strange situation. Instead Kurt reached out, fingers skimming the lace sleeve of the wedding dress as he went about adjusting the neckline and train. 

"Couldn't you have least shaved him?" Even though Lena didn't look overly ecstatic about the turn of events her voice was light, almost joking as nodded in Blaine's direction. Kurt masked his chuckle with a cough.

A small knock at the door cut off Kurt's answer, and Blaine, who had been feeling completely useless, reached over and opened the door. Standing there in a pretty dress was a petite girl with a smile on her face, which only grew when a half second later a little she launched herself across the room and into Kurt's arms.

"Bruder!" She laughed, pulling back to show him that infectious smile.

"Anna, shouldn't you be guarding the hallway, making sure Noah doesn't sneak a peek at his bride before the ceremony?" Kurt asked, smiling widely as he smoothed down the top of the girl's wavy, auburn hair. She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion while pouting.

"That got boring. All they're doing is drinking and stealing snacks from the kitchen. Besides they told me you were here and I was sure you would want to see my dress." Anna hopped back a few steps so that she could give him a decent spin; the skirt of her dress flew out around her in a circle wider than the radius of her thin arms. Her light hearted giggling covered up the hissing noises coming from the seriously angry looking bride.

"What do you mean drinking!?" She snapped. "We are getting married in forty-five minutes!"

Kurt looked about ready to pull his hair out and for the most part, Blaine could sympathise. No matter how cool and distant the Anderson family could be towards each other they were still a family, and no one drives you crazier than family.

"Hey, who's that?" Anna moved away from her two older siblings and closer to where Blaine was standing next to the half open door. She seemed to be carefully scrutinizing the older man; it was a little unnerving for Blaine, to say the least.

Kurt jumped to intervene. Turning away from a fuming bride, he smiled weakly at Blaine before reaching down to grasp his younger sister's shoulders, pulling her back against himself. "This is my friend, Blaine. He's just visiting so be nice, okay?"

Anna just looked up at her brother and gave him another wide smile before nodding. Kurt sighed, letting Anna go and turning to Lena to fuss at the sleeves of her dress.

"Hallo."

Anna raised her hand in a small wave as she stood there looking up at Blaine, who though considerable shorter than most of the men in her life, still towered over her. A small, sweet grin crossed Blaine's face as he raised his own hand to give her a small wave of his own.

Blaine had always been the youngest in the Anderson Clan. He was their precious baby boy, Cooper had always joked. His father would chime in, saying how constantly spoiled and indulged he was by their mother, barely even a man. But a few years at war had quickly changed that. He had always wanted a younger sibling growing up, someone he could place the blame on for once, but Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, who had never really been cut out for parenthood, had decided on a maximum of two children. Still, looking down at the darling look on little Anna's face, the way she seemed to light up when Blaine returned her greeting, he wished more than anything that she had been his little sister.

"Well, it looks like we're almost ready. Anna, go tell dad that we should be starting soon." Kurt paused to look pointedly at Lena. "I'll go look in on Noah and make sure that things aren't getting out of hand."

Kurt shooed Anna out of the room before grabbing Blaine's arm and moving them out the door and down the hallway further from the main entrance.

"You know the whole ‘I've been to war and I don't think your sister is going to scare me' thing?"

Kurt nodded, a smug smile crossing his lips as he pulled Blaine along the hallway.

"I stand corrected."

They marched their way into a standard, fairly clean men's washroom, where Blaine caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"Oh sweet lord. Is that what I've looked like this entire time?" The words came out high and slightly cracked as Blaine ran over to the mirror and placed his hands on his head. His dark hair was a mess of puffy curls standing out at odd angles and deciding to just do their own thing across his head.

"Is this what I looked like getting off the train?" Blaine asked, sure that he really didn't want to hear the answer. Then again it would explain a lot, like why on the last leg of his trip no one would sit next to him or even make eye contact. He thought it was because he was British, but no it was because he looked like a wild vagabond.

"It's not that bad." Kurt murmured, raising a hand to pet some of the loose curls springing out between Blaine's fingers.

"Not that bad! I can't believe you actually let me come home with you. I look like an escaped crazy person!" Blaine dragged his hands back down his head, holding the back of his neck and sighing at the sad picture he made in mirror.

"Really, it's not that bad. It's actually...kind of adorable."

Blaine looked away from his hair and met Kurt's eyes in the mirror. There was a long moment where they held each other's gaze before Kurt blushed and looks down to his wrists where his fingers fiddle with his cuffs. And that little slip up just started making things very uncomfortable.

"Are you kidding me? No wonder your sister freaked out." Blaine continued as if he hadn't even heard Kurt or could see that the other man looked about ready to faint from how red his face was.

"Damn. I just...wanted to make a good impression for them." He whimpered miserably.

"Well, I'm sure your reputation can still be salvaged. I mean, you're attractive enough that if we just fix your hair I'm sure no one will even remember." Kurt reached into his pocket pulling out a small jar of petroleum jelly.

"Except you!" He pointed out, reaching out for the tiny container of product but Kurt beat him to the punch and started to unscrew the cap, lying in on the counter.

"Well, yeah. Except me." Kurt smiled, dipping three fingers into the goo. Blaine sighed again and moved just that little bit closer when he realized that the other man had no intention of giving up the jelly, letting Kurt run his gooey fingers through the tangle of curls.  It had been a very long time since anyone had done this for him. He had been only thirteen when Cooper sat him down and taught him the finer points of male grooming. But Kurt's hands were soft and moved with deft precision, massaging the gel back and forcing the curls down.

"I... I don't know how you style it." Kurt was blushing, his fingers still twisted in the mass.

"That's okay. I can take over from here." Blaine said, smiling up awkwardly at Kurt, wishing that he could just close the distance but, to Blaine's utter disappointment, Kurt pulled back.  

Kurt

Kurt was relieved that Lena had asked him earlier in the day to confiscate the petroleum jelly from Noah and the other men, for two reasons. One, the men had a tendency to over use the product much to Kurt's disgust. Some of the men had an unhealthy relationship with it, especially Bryan Ryan, and Lena and Kurt were in complete agreement that the men should be cut off from applying any extra during the day. Secondly, having confiscated the jelly meant that he had some handy to use on Blaine's head.

He found the curls to be endearing, and he hated that he had to contain them in the slick helmet that was now Blaine's hair, but he didn't want to face the wrath of his sister if he didn't do as he was asked.

Quickly washing his hands of the remaining petroleum jelly on his fingers, he watched Blaine from the corner of his eyes. The man was turning his head this way and that looking at himself in the mirror, placing some lose strands in the right places.

Blaine seemed focused on fixing his hair into its usual style, which Kurt realized, he hadn't had the pleasure of seeing yet, since the last time he had seen him his head was under a helmet.

Jerking his gaze away from the man beside him, Kurt turned to look at his reflection in the mirror. He still looked put together; his hair was all in place and perfectly coiffed, his shirt was still ironed, his tie was centered and the knot was tied with a precise hand.

Honestly, he looked fantastic and it bothered him. Kurt wanted a distraction, anything really to keep his wondering eyes away from Blaine for a few moments so he could gather his wits. But oh no, Kurt had to look handsome in his three piece suit, with not a god damn thing to distract him from the gorgeous man standing beside him in a dark grey suit and burgundy bowtie.

So he just busied himself with moving his tie around, pretending that he was fixing his appearance when really, he was ready to crawl out of his skin and try to find some sort of relief for the awkward tension that was radiating from both of them.

A rap on the bathroom door startled Blaine and he knocked the jar of petroleum jelly off of the counter. Kurt smiled and turned his attention away from Blaine as a man with horribly bushy hair (that could truly rival a caveman) peaked around the door.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt turned his attention back to the mirror to ‘straighten' his tie. "What do you need, Jacob?" He asked, with annoyance dripping from his voice.

Kurt watched in the mirror as Jacob moved further into the room, noticing how he was staring at Blaine interestedly. Blaine leaned down and retrieved the dropped petroleum jelly before leaning against the counter to size up Jacob. It was obvious that Blaine didn't like what he was seeing.

"I was looking for you." Jacob said slowly as if he was talking to a small child that didn't understand.

Trying to contain the years of anger and irritation with the other man, Kurt turned his full attention on Jacob. "Alright then, you were looking for me. So, what do you want?" He replied impatiently. "And if you are here to get the petroleum jelly from me for the others you can tell Bryan that if even thinks about adding a drop of any gel substance to his hair I will light his precious hair on fire."

"I'm not here for that." Jacob snapped, giving Kurt the most pitiful glare he had ever seen. Kurt was sure a baby could do better. "I was sent to find you, they're starting soon."

"Oh. Well, thank you, Jacob." Kurt sent the man a cold smile, as he waited for him to leave, but Jacob didn't move. Instead he stared at Blaine, who returned his stare with cold glare of his own.

After a few minutes of intense staring, Jacob nodded towards Blaine. "Who's he?"

Kurt glared at Jacob for a moment. He could feel Blaine tense beside him and knew that at Kurt's notice, Blaine would only be too happy to rip Jacob's throat out.

"Not that it's any of your business, but he's a war buddy of mine." Kurt finally spat, flinching at the word buddy.

"Whatever you say, twinkle toes." Jacob smirked, turning on his heel and leaving.

Kurt slumped back against the counter releasing a breath he wasn't aware he was holding as he glared at the closed door. "Twinkle toes?" He muttered, shaking his head. "That's a new one."

Blaine looked at Kurt with concern written all over his face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Kurt whispered, giving Blaine a small smile. "It's just been such a long time since I have had to put up with the likes of him. I forgot how much he annoyed me."

Blaine nodded. "So, who was he?"

"Jacob. An old classmate."

"Obviously not a good classmate." Blaine chuckled, his eyes searching Kurt for any hints.

"No, we never got along- he was- well, it really doesn't matter who he is." Kurt smiled at Blaine quickly, trying to change the subject. "We need to get going, though. The wedding is going to start soon."

Blaine pushed himself off of the counter, glancing quickly to the mirror to see how his hair was doing before flashing a bright smile to Kurt. "Well," He said, holding his arm out. "Shall we?"

Grabbing his cane, Kurt tried to beat down the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks, smiling as he linked his arm through Blaine's. "Of course."

"You should maybe lead though. I have no clue where we're going."

Chuckling, Kurt tugged on Blaine's arm. "Let's go mister. I have a wedding to keep from falling apart."

The walk to the hall didn't go quite as smoothly as Kurt would have liked. He and Blaine were continually stopped by guests milling about waiting to be ushered into the main hall for the ceremony.

Kurt had been caught by his great aunt, Elsa, who was smothering him with hugs and kisses, and Blaine was not helping at all with getting him out of this situation.

Oh no, the charming man was all smiles as he watched Elsa pinch Kurt's cheeks and go on and on about how Kurt was such a brave young man. However, to Blaine's credit, whenever Elsa would turn to him to speak he would smile charmingly and nod at all of the appropriate times, but he was no help in escaping.

"Aunt Elsa-" Kurt tried to interrupt for the umpteenth time to make an escape, but he was having no luck.

"-I was so worried when we had lost contact with you." She turned to look at Blaine, hoping to fill him in on the events. "He was lost, well he was in the hospital, but we didn't have contact with him for days-"

Blaine smiled, looking intrigued even though he had no clue what Kurt's aunt was rambling about. For all Kurt knew Blaine could be thinking she was talking about bats riding bicycles, or about an embarrassing rash Kurt had as a child. To Blaine's credit, he didn't let it show how uncomfortable this was likely making him. Kurt tried once again to pull Blaine and himself away but Elsa had a surprisingly strong grip on Kurt's arm, especially considering her age.

Aunt Elsa was a petite woman of seventy-eight, with long peppered hair that was put up in a bun with a large navy hat pinned onto her head. She was spry for her age; it was one of the things Kurt loved most about her, other than her obvious love for fashion. She was always in the middle of everything, and was known as the family gossip; if you wanted information on anyone she was the woman to go to. But, at this moment, Kurt didn't need to know his own life story.

Rolling his eyes Kurt sent Blaine a pleading look, which the man had the gall to just return with a slight wink. He was enjoying this far too much, especially for a man that didn't understand a word coming at him.

"Kurt!" A familiar voiced called. Turning towards the voice, Kurt caught a glimpse of Quinn's blonde hair.

"I've been looking for you." She smiled as she made her way towards them, and Elsa gave Quinn an appreciative glance before turning back to Kurt.

"And who is this beautiful girl?" Elsa asked, winking at Kurt.

"Aunt Elsa." Kurt blushed, giving her a look. "You know-"

"Yes, I know." She scolded, hitting his arm for emphasis. "Can't an old woman make an observation?"

Kurt blushed harder, tightening his hold on his cane in embarrassment. While Quinn stifled a laugh with her hand and Blaine gave a quizzical look, a smile still plastered on his face.

"Quinn- This is Quinn." Kurt mumbled, as Quinn shook Elsa's hand. "She was the nurse that took care of me in the hospital."

"Oh, well, bless you my dear for taking such good care of our Kurtie." Elsa praised, giving Quinn a beautiful smile.

"It was my pleasure, but I can't take all the credit." Quinn smiled, glancing in Blaine's direction.

Elsa's eyebrow rose, and Kurt saw the wheels turning in her head as she looked between the three young people standing in front of her. Kurt prayed to anything that would listen that she didn't figure out Quinn's meaning, but when she grinned broadly at Quinn with that twinkle in her eye, Kurt knew she had figured something out.

She turned to a silent Blaine a broad smile on her lips. "So, tell me about yourself, young man."

Blaine just stared at Elsa for a moment then turned to Kurt nervously.

"Blaine doesn't speak German." Kurt supplied for Blaine giving the man a reassuring smile while he fought in vain to keep his blush down from the intense stare his aunt was giving him.

"Blaine, this is my great aunt, Elsa." Kurt introduced, noticing Blaine relax a bit from the change in language.

Blaine beamed, taking Elsa's hand. "A pleasure." Blaine said, before placing a quick kiss on her wrinkled knuckles.

Kurt was sure that he saw Elsa's eyes pop out of her head, as a dreamy look crossed her face, but it fell quickly when Blaine let go of her fingers.

"Oh, you need to keep this one, Kurtie." She said, fanning herself and clutching at her chest. "He's a charmer."

Quinn giggled. "I told him the same thing."

"A woman's intuition, it seems." Elsa grinned at Quinn, giving her a small wink.

Elsa looked over at a fascinated Blaine. "So, dear boy, why didn't you mention that you don't understand German?"

Blaine gaped at Elsa, his air of charm vanishing in an instant. "I didn't-" He floundered, looking briefly at Kurt for some aid. "I wasn't-"

"Oh, calm down, my dear boy." She grinned. "Now, Kurt, don't you have somewhere to be?" She asked pointedly.

"Well, yes, but I was going to bring Blaine to his seat-"

Elsa smiled wolfishly, an expression that Kurt had seen on many occasions in his life and he knew she was up to something. "Oh, don't worry your sweet head, Kurtie. Quinn and I will keep him safe."

Kurt blanched. Elsa had some sort of maniacal plan and Kurt was not going to leave Blaine to his impending slaughter. "As wonderful as that would be, I should really say with him."

"Stop being such a worry wart." Elsa wined.

"I have every right to worry!" Kurt exclaimed, getting a subdued look of terror from Blaine. "I know you too well, Aunt Elsa. I know you are going to give him the third degree and I would much rather you do that when I am present." Kurt grinned. "So that I can hear all he has to say as well."

Blaine smiled slightly at Kurt and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I promise not to tell any good stories without you present."

Kurt was sure his knees would have given out if he wasn't using his cane to keep himself upright. Blaine could get away with anything by just flashing that smile at Kurt, and Kurt was sure he would give Blaine a puppy or something just as sickeningly cute if he had asked.

Fighting to keep himself from swooning, Kurt looked over to his aunt and saw that her whole demeanor had changed from their interaction. Her lips were pressed into a fine line, her hands were pressed tightly together and a corner of her mouth was curling up into a smile. He knew this woman was going to milk this for all it was worth and, likely, make Kurt miserable in the process.

"You are a horrible boy, Kurt Hummel." Elsa gasped as she regained her composure, glaring at Kurt. "Honestly, you are so coy."

"I learned from the best." Kurt mumbled, earning him a slap on his arm. He glanced towards the clock on the wall and continued. "Excuse me, but I really need to head back to Lena." He smiled apologetically. "Otherwise, my sister may kill me for delaying the wedding."

Kurt put a gentle hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Do you mind taking care of them for me?" Kurt asked giving his Aunt a charming smile, and his best puppy dog eyes.

Swatting at him, she let out a shrill laugh that caused everyone in the room to turn and stare at her. "You are so lucky you are my favorite!" She smiled, pushing him away and trying to hold in her laugh again. "Now get going before I change my mind."

Kurt placed a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you." He whispered, giving her an impish smile. "Behave yourself now, Aunt Elsa."

Elsa looked appalled at the notion. "I would never!" She exclaimed looking to the others reassuringly. "You, my dears, are in good hands. Now, get going Kurtie, before I make you."

Nodding, Kurt turned on his heel to make his way back to Lena's secluded dressing room.

Lena stood in front of the mirror turning her body back and forth to get a better look at the back of her dress.

"Lena, stop it! I'm going to stab you with a needle." Kurt scolded, through the pins he had gently sitting between his lips, as he fixed the hem that Lena had ripped in her anxious pacing while Kurt was gone.

"I am so nervous." Lena mumbled, wringing her hands. "Oh god, I'm getting married."

Kurt hummed tying off the thread and smoothing down the fabric of the dress. He looked up at his sister from his spot on the ground. She looked beautiful in her gown of silk and lace with her hair pilled on her head. She was fussing with a stray lock of hair, mumbling under her breath and obviously working herself up more than was necessary.

"Give me a hand." Kurt said gently breaking Lena from her trance.

She smiled weakly, extending her hand for Kurt to take to help him struggle to his feet.

"Thanks." Kurt smiled, brushing at the dust on his slacks, glancing over to the lace veil across the room.

Lena sighed, drawing Kurt's eyes back to his frantic sister who was twisting the stray lock on her finger.

Limping over to the chair where the veil was waiting, Kurt carefully lifted the piece and ran the soft lace through his fingers. He looked back to where Lena was waiting in front of the mirror. Their eyes met in the reflection and they both smiled as Kurt moved back to Lena's side with the veil still firmly in his grasp.

"You ready for this?" Kurt asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper, tears prickling at the backs of his eyes.

Lena nodded, giving him a watery smile in return.

Kurt looked at the fabric in his hands. "This was mom's." He whispered, looking into Lena's hazel eyes. Holding back his emotions, Kurt gracefully draped the fabric over Lena's shoulders, securing the lace in Lena's hair with some pins.

"Well?" Lena asked, a look of worry showing on her face.

Kurt rearranged some of the lace, smiling as he perfected her ensemble. "You look stunning."

Lena sighed, looking at Kurt with her big doe eyes. "God, I am so scared."

Kurt felt his protective instincts for his little sister kick in. "Oh, sweetie." Kurt cooed, pulling her into a hug and being careful to not wrinkle the silk of her dress. "I have the feeling everyone feels this way when they get married... I think it is in the job description." Lena let out a soft laugh at Kurt's quip. "Honestly, if it was me I would be lying on the floor in the fetal position."

Lena stiffed a laugh into Kurt's lapel, smacking his arm lightly. "Stop it. You're making my makeup run."

Chuckling, Kurt held Lena back looking over her face for any issue with the makeup. "Well it's true." He said, wiping at the small smudge of liner under her left eye. "You know how I am with stress."

She hummed in agreement. "Yeah, you really are horrible with dealing with stress." She laughed turning in Kurt's embrace to look in the mirror. "Do you remember when I got my first period?"

"Oh god, don't remind me." Kurt shuddered. "I did research for you."

Lena laughed, "You were so stressed. You went running around to find someone to help us because Dad was in the shop, and we didn't want to disturb him."

"God, I completely embarrassed myself in front of Mrs. Braun for you." Kurt shook his head at the memory. "I was so scared to tell her what was happening to you, so I said it was me that was having..." he paused looking for the right word. "Issues, but instead I made myself look like I was diseased. She was about to drag me to the hospital before I told her it you bleeding. I got a scolding for scaring her so."

"You didn't?" Lena asked, fighting back a gale of laughter.

"Oh, I did. I don't think she has ever looked at me the same again." Kurt chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure I was more horrified then you when I got a through talking with Noah's mother afterward."

Kurt smirked. "Oh, no, I think Dad was the one that may have been most horrified when Mrs. Braun told him."

"Oh, I remember that! He was so red!" Lena giggled. "Poor Dad."

"What did I do?" Burt asked as he walked into the room, his eyes immediately drawn to Lena in her dress.

"Jesus, Dad!" Kurt scolded holding a hand to his rapidly beating heart. "Knock, will you?"

Burt chuckled. "I did but I'm sure you couldn't hear me over the cackling in this room. It sounded like a bunch of witches were brewing in here."

Lena was taken aback. "I do not cackle!" She protested, putting one hand on her hip and gesturing to Kurt with the other. "Kurt on the other hand-"

"Oh, please," Kurt said haughtily, scowling at Lena. Glancing around Burt, Kurt looked for his youngest sister whom was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Anna?" Kurt asked his father.

"She should be here soon; Elsa caught her in the hallway." Burt explained, his smile becoming a bit more anxious as he looked from Lena to Kurt. "So, I saw a young man with Elsa...He looks kind of like a well-dressed homeless man."

Kurt froze at the mention of Blaine, chancing a quick look at Lena for some backup.

"Don't look to your sister for help." Burt chastised. "Who is he?"

Kurt looked down at his polished, black leather shoes, avoiding his father's eyes for a few split seconds hoping to find the right answer. "He's a...friend?"

"A friend?" Burt asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice becoming stern. "You aren't sure what he is?"

Repressing his fears Kurt looked his father in the eyes. "He's a friend." He said with more conviction. "We fought in the war together."

"He was speaking English."

"He was with me when I was in translation." Kurt lied through his teeth, knowing he was going to regret it later but now he just needed to get his father off of his back, so he could get Blaine ready for the interrogation later.

"Translation?" Burt asked, looking to Lena for any further information.

Kurt sighed. "Yes, Dad, translation. I'm sure I mentioned that I was transferred to translation, before I went to the trenches..."

Burt grimaced at the mention of the trenches. It was a subject the family chose to ignore, more on Kurt's part than anyone else's. Kurt refused to talk about it and Burt hated to hear about it since he felt that he was responsible for him going.

"So, did you invite him?" Burt asked cautiously, worried he was going to set Kurt off.

Kurt felt a pang of guilt at the worry coating his father's voice. "Well I did, after I saw him at the station." Kurt smiled shyly at the recent event. "He was looking for me, Dad."

Raising an eyebrow, Burt looked at his blushing son. "He was looking for you?"

Glancing at his sister, Kurt saw her smile widen and as a twinkle grew in her hazel eyes. "Yes." His smile broadened as he looked back to his father. "He came to Düsseldorf to find me."

Burt was silent, surveying Kurt's face. Something Kurt had learned in his nineteen years was that when his father became silent you had to tread carefully otherwise you could come face to face with a beast like no other.

The air in the room was tense, as Kurt and Lena exchanged glances waiting for any movement from Burt.

Kurt was starting to worry about what Burt was going to do when, suddenly, Kurt saw a trace of a smile tugging at his father's lips. "Well then, I guess I'll meet him later." He smiled. "But right now, we have a wedding to start."

Glancing over to Lena, Kurt saw her face pale. "I'm not ready for this." She whispered to their father, tears gleaming in her hazel eyes. "I'm scared."

Moving swiftly to Lena's side, Burt engulfed her in a tight hug rubbing small circles into her back while he murmured soft words of encouragement and love.

Feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, Kurt grabbed his cane and slipped out of the room as quietly as he could.

Taking a deep breath, Kurt leaned against the wall closing his eyes for a moment to think. He lied to his father, something he had never really done before, (at least not to such an extent). But now was not the time for Kurt to go into the whole story of how Blaine had, in fact, on first meeting Kurt held a blade to his head in the intention of running the metal through his skull. No, that was definitely not a story to tell your father on his younger sister's wedding day. No, that was more of a dinner conversation, one where soup was being served and knives where nowhere to be found.

Heaving a sigh, Kurt pushed off of the wall. He should really go and check on Noah and the rest of the boys. He had already put it off too long. He walked briskly past the washrooms to the second room, in which Noah was to be held.

Kurt knocked softly on the door, waiting for the okay to enter.

"What's the password?" A male voice asked.

For a split second, Kurt thought of what the password could be, before he remembered that honestly it really wouldn't matter. He had the best weapon to get them to open the door. "I don't know, but let me in before Lena has any more of an aneurysm from you idiots."

The door swung open so quickly it smacked into the wall, revealing Bryan, looking vaguely worried, but standing behind him was a horrified Noah.

Kurt sighed as he walked into the room, looking into the corner where two small girls sat eating some sort of pastry. "What are you eating?" He asked the girls and their heads swiveled to look at him.

He was sure his eyes bugged out of his head as he saw the traces of strawberry strudel on both Anna's and Sara's faces, and on closer inspection crumbs were scattered all over the laps of their wine coloured dresses that Kurt had painstakingly constructed just a few weeks ago. "Is that strudel?" Kurt exclaimed, rounding on the two grown men standing on the other side of the room.

Noah, at least, had the decency to look sorry for his actions but Bryan looked quite proud of himself for snatching the strudel from the kitchens.

"It was Bryan's idea." Noah mumbled, pointing to his friend.

"We were bored." Bryan supplied, a smile playing on his lips.

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself before he said anything he might regret. Bryan had always had a way of testing him, ever since they were children, and now seemed to be no different. If anything, this was a true test of Kurt's control over his anger. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't contain it.

"Forget Lena having an aneurysm, I might have one! Do you know how much time I have put into the wardrobe for this wedding?!" Kurt screeched. "For the sake of my sister's sanity, I am not going to maim you for potentially getting yourselves dirty before her wedding, which, I might add, she has been having a mental breakdown over for months. So why either of you thought this was a brilliant idea, I have no clue."

Kurt paused his rant to take a deep breath and look at the two men, who, he had to admit, looked appropriately horrified by Kurt's threats. "So, are there any strawberry stains on your white shirts? Or are you safe from any impending screaming?"

Noah and Bryan looked down at their chests to ensure they hadn't spilt any of the syrup on their clothing. The looks on their faces after having not found a single speck could only be described as pure relief.

"You two are so lucky." Kurt mumbled as the two men gave each other pats on their backs for being able to eat without making a mess.

Turning his attention to the two girls, and noticing that the two of them had discarded their treats, he moved to stand next to the small table. "Now you two," Kurt began, looking them over for any damage to their dresses. "You need to go and wipe all of the syrup off of your faces and, shake the crumbs from your dresses."

The girls nodded, standing and brushing at their dresses to scatter the crumbs. Kurt stilled them to ensure that nothing remained on the dresses and at his nod of approval the girls darted from the room.

"Oh, girls." Kurt called waiting for their heads to pop into view again.

Anna stood in the doorway fully, not in the least bit scared of her brother's earlier outburst, while Sara hid behind her friend, her big brown eyes looking down at her cream shoes. "Yes, Kurt?" Anna asked, one of her eyebrows raised.

Kurt smiled at the girls, getting Sara to move out of hiding. "Don't mention any of this to Lena. It will only get us all in trouble." The girls grinned and Kurt continued. "Now finish getting cleaned up, and go over to Lena's room. We have a wedding to start."