They spent the rest of the day keeping the kids occupied.

While Blaine played game after game of Mario Bros with Quinn’s nine year old twins, Ethan and Evan, and let them win each time, Kurt couldn’t keep Colbie from helping Carole bake in the kitchen. He watched, amused, from the kitchen island, as the two year old ended up getting flour and then icing all over the place. Usually, Carole was very house-proud – as was Kurt – and was not keen on mess. However, for Colbie, they didn’t care. 

One thing Kurt refused to let slide was bedtimes. So, when Colbie was sat down at the dinning room table with her cousins, eating her dinner that evening, Kurt made sure that both of his parents knew when to put her to bed before he and Blaine headed back to the hotel to get ready for the reunion.

Rachel had put on the invitation that it was informal, but Kurt knew that most people would be making an effort. They’d been a very competitive group, so on their first official get-together, of course they’d want to show off how we’ll they’d been doing. Well, most people. Puck would probably turn up in a t-shirt and jeans. That was, if he turned up at all.

The more Kurt thought about it, the more nervous he became. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was nervous – he had nothing to prove to them, not now he had Blaine on his arm, an amazing job and a beautiful daughter. But, faced with Rachel’s glamorous life, he would be forced to boast. He knew what she’d been up to, but what about the rest of the group. What would they be like? What were they doing? What had they achieved?

‘I’m kind of regretting missing Dalton’s reunion last year now,’ Blaine mused aloud, twirling a breadstick with his fingers, reminiscing.

Kurt rolled his eyes. ‘We were on holiday in Europe when it happened.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ he remembered, sighing. ‘We should go back to Paris…’

‘One day,’ Kurt promised as the familiar sight of his step-brother caught his eye.

He watched them enter, and then be directed over to the large table Blaine and Kurt were already sat at, in the corner of the room. Quinn, Kurt noticed, look more put together than she had that morning, dressed in a casual patterned sundress; but, then again, Quinn had always tried to at least look her best when it came to her archenemy, Rachel. Finn had tried to dress up, throwing a suit jacket over his usual jeans and t-shirt combo.

‘Hey, Kurt! Long time, no see!’ he greeted as he sat in the seat next to Blaine.

‘Yeah, I’ve missed you, too, Finn,’ Kurt replied half-heartedly, smiling a little.

‘Sorry we’re late,’ Quinn gushed as she slipped into the seat beside her husband, explaining, ‘We couldn’t get the twins to sleep. I doubt they’re in bed now.’

Blaine smiled sympathetically at her. ‘I know that feeling only too well.’

Quinn lent her head on her hand, intrigued. ‘How do you get Colbie to sleep?’

‘Singing.’

‘Wait,’ blurted Finn, slow as always, looking up from the menu that was already in his hands. ‘Who the hell’s Colbie – your puppy or something?’

‘No,’ Kurt told him pointedly; clearly he still remembered the trouble Kurt was going through two years ago trying to convince Blaine that owning a puppy was not a good idea.

Finn frowned. ‘So who is she?’

Blaine caught Kurt’s eye and that decided it. Finn, his brother, ought to know, especially as their parents and his wife did. With a nod of encouragement from Blaine, and a weak smile from Quinn, Kurt took a deep breath.

‘She – ’

‘Yo, guys!’ came Puck’s familiar voice as he joined them, dressed in exactly what Kurt had predicted; a shabby hoodie and a pair of jeans. ‘What’s up?’

At the sight of him, Quinn sighed and stood, stepping back so Finn wouldn’t squash her as he stood and moved to greet his best friend. Blaine smiled sympathetically, and patted the seat next to him, which Quinn took willingly. Kurt guessed she still wasn’t Puck’s biggest fan, but that was to be expected. It looked like he hadn’t changed a bit; he spoke the same, acted the same – and, yeah, the mohawk was still there. Puck had definitely not changed.

‘Where’s my hot Jewish Princess?’ he asked, looking around as he sat next to Finn, who took Quinn’s empty seat.

‘Rachel’s not here yet, Noah,’ Kurt told him simply, already bored of this whole thing, sighing as he looked down at his watch, adding, ‘Although she should be. It’s twenty-five to eight. She said half-past. She’s late.’

‘Which gives us time to get this party started!’ Puck declared, gesturing a waitress over to their table.

‘Oh, God,’ Kurt found himself muttering, as he leant his head in his hands, remembering the last time Puck had been in-charge of “getting the party started”.

Under the table, Blaine squeezed Kurt’s leg, reminding him that he was there for him, no matter what was exposed that night, by both the nosiness of their friends and the amount of alcohol Puck had just ordered. 

And Kurt knew there was a lot that could be exposed.