"Kurt?" called Burt from the bottom of the stairs, about an hour after he'd gotten home from school. "The phone's for you. It's your grandmother."

Kurt figured it was his nana, his dad's mom, so he hopped off his bed where he'd been reading the latest issue of Vogue and ran down the stairs to grab the phone out of his dad's hand.

"Hi, Nana!" Kurt said in a cheery voice. He saw his dad shake his head 'no.' It took Kurt a moment to realize what he meant by 'Grandmother.' He meant it was his mother's mother on the phone, the one he'd not seen since his mother's funeral nearly 10 years ago. "Oh, I mean, hello, Grandmother," Kurt quickly corrected.

"Kurt, dear," she said sweetly, in a British accent, she did live in Genovia, off the Northern Coast of England, after all, which was why they didn't see each other regularly. "I'm in town for a few weeks and I would like for you to have tea with me tomorrow at 3 in the Presidential Suite at the Pontmercy Hotel in Westerville. Is that all right?"

Kurt quickly went through his schedule for the next day in his head. He'd have to duck out of Math early to make it to Westerville by 3, but he was pretty sure Mr. Walgreen wouldn't mind.

"Of course, Grandmother. I can't wait to see you."

"Lovely. Oh, and do be prompt. I'd like the tea served no later than three-oh-five."

"Yes, of course."

"See you tomorrow, dear."

"Goodbye Grandmother."

"Goodbye."

Kurt hung up the phone as his dad peeked around the corner from the kitchen.

"So what was that about?"

"She wants me to have tea with her tomorrow."

"Really?" Kurt nodded. "Do you want me to come with you? I can close the shop a few hours early."

"No, dad. It's not that big of a deal. I'll be going straight from school anyway."

-X-

The next morning, Kurt took twice as long getting ready. He was torn between dressing conservatively, to appease his grandmother, and dressing in his usual designer duds, which he was pretty sure she'd be shocked to see. He eventually decided on skinny jeans with a light green dress shirt and his black leather tie as a compromise. He prayed to whoever was in heaven that he'd be able to avoid Karofsky and have a slushie-facial-free day.

Once at to school, the day seemed to drag on. Karofsky cornered him while he was at his locker after lunch, but thankfully he was slushie-less. He only shoved Kurt into the lockers as he passed on his way to class.

Kurt wasn't sure if he was dreading meeting his Grandmother, or if he was excited. He was worried about how she would handle his homosexuality. From what Kurt remembered, she was kind of uptight, so he was afraid that she might shun him.

He took a few deep breaths before entering the Pontmercy Hotel. He walked up the front desk and asked for directions to the Presidential Suite.

"Who you're looking for?" asked the guy at the front desk. His name tag said "Kevin".

"I'm looking for my grandmother, Eleanor Buckingham. I'm supposed to meet her for tea in about 5 minutes," said Kurt as he glanced at the clock behind the desk.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for the wait, Mr. Hummel, please follow me this way," said Kevin as he led the way to the elevators. The elevator ride was awkward. Both men just stood there silent. Kurt practically jumped out of the elevator once it got to the 15th floor.

He politely knocked on the door, which was answered immediately by someone he didn't recognize.

"Hello, I'm looking for Eleanor Buckingham. I'm her grandson."

"Hello, dear boy!" said the jolly man who'd answered the door. "I know who you are! I am Alfred. Please come in," he said as he ushered Kurt inside the lavish suite.

"Wow," said Kurt as he looked around. The walls were cream colored with gold accents, the wooden chairs were ornately carved; everything was almost too pretty to touch.

"This room is definitely fit for royalty," he said as he carefully sat on the cream and gold couch.

Alfred stifled a laugh before saying," Your grandmother will be here in just a minute."

"No, I'm here," said his grandmother from halfway down the staircase that he hadn't noticed. "Alfred, please check on the tea," she said as she walked over to Kurt. Alfred nodded at Eleanor as Kurt stood to hug her.

"Kurt, my dear, you look wonderful," she said as she released him from the hug, but held him at arm's length to look at him.

"Thank you. And may I say you look beautiful." She smiled at him.

"Tea is served, ma'am," said Alfred, as he poked his head in from the balcony terrace.

"Thank you, Alfred," she said as she glided towards the door. Kurt followed behind.

Kurt noticed that the terrace was decorated with various flowers and trees as he and Eleanor sat for tea. Three waiters stood near the doors, ready to serve them whenever beckoned.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to me about something," said Kurt as he quietly stirred his tea before taking a sip.

"Yes, but first I'd like to give you something," she said as she waved one of the waiters over, who was holding a silver platter with a jewelry box on it. Kurt carefully opened the box, admiring the silver heart-shaped locket inside. "It was your mother's," said Eleanor, "and mine before her. I wasn't going to give it to you until your 18th birthday, but something important has come up and it is necessary for me to give it to you now."

Kurt looked at her curiously.

"Kurt, dear, do you remember your mother?"

"No, not really," said Kurt as he looked at his lap. "I only remember bits and pieces."

"She was a beautiful, kind-hearted, moral person with a smile that lit up a room," said Eleanor. Kurt smiled at the thought of his mother and the way she used to hug him when he got scared. "She was also a princess."

"I'm sorry," said Kurt, laughing, narrowly avoiding a spraying his tea all over her. "I thought you just called my mother a princess."

"Yes, I did. I am Queen Eleanor Leah Victoria Rinaldi Buckingham and you are a prince."

"Wait. What?" said Kurt as stared wide-eyed at his grandmother.

"You are not just Kurt Hummel, of Lima, Ohio. You are Kurt Robert William Buckingham Hummel, Prince of Genovia."

"You have got to be kidding me. I-I can't be a prince."

"But you are."

"No. I can't," said Kurt as he got up from the table. "People at my school already think I'm a queen."

"I'm sorry?" said Eleanor. "Why would people think you are a queen?"

Kurt took a deep breath.

"Grandma, I'm not like most boys. I like wearing nice clothes and getting manicures."

"Well that's quite all right, dear. It's one less thing we have to worry about. I still don't understand why people would think you're a queen."

"A queen is a term for gay men, usually in reference to drag queens, but it can be used derogatorily towards gays," said Kurt, who was becoming frustrated.

"And?"

"I'm gay."

With that, Kurt left, walking as fast as his legs would carry him to his Escalade; not looking back to see his Grandmother's reaction.

-X-

"How was tea?" asked Carole as Kurt walked in the door.

"It was interesting," said Kurt as he slipped his bag off his shoulder and on the floor.

"Have you seen dad?"

"He's in the garage. Dinner is in 10 minutes."

"Thanks," said Kurt as he slipped off his jacket and headed for the garage.

"Hey dad."

"Hey, kiddo. How was tea?" said Burt as he looked up from his work under the hood of a '67 Mustang.

"It was great until Grandma decided to tell me that mom was a princess." Burt dropped his wrench. "When, exactly, did you plan on telling me this?"

Burt sighed as he fished for the wrench. "Your mother wasn't supposed to be the next in line. Her brother, Alexander, was heir apparent to the Genovian throne. She'd renounced her title when she married me. We were supposed to live a quiet life here in Lima. We'd planned on telling you when you turned 18, just so you would know more about your heritage."

"So what happened to make me next in line for the throne?"

"As far as I know, Alexander just decided he didn't want to be King. Too much stress or something like that," Burt said with a shrug as he went back to working on the car.

"So that's it? Uncle Alexander decides he doesn't want to be king so now it's my job? I mean, just in case, I'm not enough of a freak already, LET'S ADD A TIARA!"

"Kurt, you're over reacting."

"Really? You try living for 16 years thinking you're one person and then, in one afternoon, find out you're prince of a small country and see if you don't over react," Kurt huffed as he headed back in the house.

"Where are you going?"

"To eat dinner in the royal kitchen."

Kurt barely spoke for the rest of the night.

-X-

The next morning, Eleanor made a visit to the Hummel-Hudson household.

"I can't wait until he turns 18, Burt," said Eleanor as Carole handed her a cup of tea.

"If he does not accept that he is a prince, then our family will cease to hold the Genovian throne."

"I understand that Eleanor," said Burt with a huff, "but I'm not gonna force Kurt to make this decision. He's got to do it on his own."

"So, the future of your country rests in the hands of a 16-year-old?" ask Carole who was still trying to process everything.

"Yes. I know this is a lot for him to handle right now, but I have the utmost confidence in him to do his duties with grace."

Just then, Kurt came down the stairs.

"Oh, I've got to be dreaming," he said as he saw his grandmother in the kitchen. "I'm going back to bed." He turned to head back towards the stairs, but Burt caught his arm and pulled him back.

"I don't think so, buddy. The four of us need to talk about this."

Kurt slumped into the seat across from his grandmother.

"Why did Alexander give up the throne in the first place," asked Burt.

"Alexander had a tough time after the accident," said Eleanor, looking at Kurt. "He and your mother were very close. He was eventually able to cope with the loss of your mother. Then, your grandfather died last year. Alexander was supposed to take the throne, but he saw the stress that ruling a country caused your grandfather. He decided that he didn't want to be king."

"Grandma, I know that this is a big deal, but I really don't think I can deal with the stress of running a country when I can even handle the stress of public school."

"That is why I am proposing that you attend Dalton Academy from now on."

"So, you want me to not only rule a country, but leave my friends at McKinley?"

"Dalton is a very prestigious school and they have a strict Anti-Bullying policy."

Kurt took a deep breath. "I will think about it and get back to you. Right now, I have to get to school before I'm late," said Kurt as he got up from the table.

"A Diplomatic answer," said Eleanor. "Perhaps a little naive, but diplomatic."

Kurt picked up his bag and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Kurt," said Eleanor, "I'd like to see you again this afternoon at 3 at the Pontmercy."

"Could we possibly move it back to 4? I'd like to go to at least part of Glee Club today."

"Yes, but not a moment later."

Kurt nodded as he headed to his Escalade.

-X-

That day, school was awful for Kurt. Karofsky and Azmio slushied him twice before lunch and once more right before Glee Club. He ended up having to call Carole to bring him a change of clothes; walking her through exactly what he wanted her to bring him.

Unfortunately, Carole gave up half way through the conversation and just brought him nice, but generic clothes to wear to tea.

Kurt was relieved by the time he got to the hotel to meet his grandmother.

"Let's begin today's meeting with some Prince Lessons," said Eleanor as she walked over to the bookshelf just behind Kurt.

"I never said I was going to accept being prince," he said turning to face her.

"This is a precautionary measure in case you do decide to become prince," she said as she handed him 2 books. "Now let's see your posture."

Kurt stood and begrudgingly placed the books on his head.

"Good. Now walk to me."

Kurt gracefully walked towards his grandmother, spun ever-so-carefully on his toes and walked back to his seat.

"Good. Much better than I was expecting."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he sat in the chair, the books still on his head.

"Now, for dancing," Eleanor said as she pulled Kurt towards the open space in the foyer of the suite. "Have you danced before?"

"Yes, we dance all the time in Glee club."

"Good, what kind of dancing?"

"A little Gaga, hip-hop, stuff that Brittany and Mike make up on the spot."

"What style of dance is 'Gaga'?"

"Oh, um, it's like this," said Kurt as he began imitating the Bad Romance video.

"Oh, my. That's not what I had in mind when I said dancing. I meant something more like a waltz."

"I've seen waltzes on Dancing with the Stars."

"Oh, well it's a very basic dance. It's in 3/4 time, so you can't dance it to every song, otherwise you'd go around skipping beats and looking foolish."

Kurt nodded as she took his hands and placed one on her waist and held the other.

"Straight back, head high. Now, step back with your right foot. Step diagonally left with your left foot. Bring your right foot next to your left, shoulder width apart. Good. Now, do the same but switch feet. Back with your left, diagonally right with your right, bring your left foot next to your right."

They continued in a slow basic waltz pattern until Kurt could lead without Eleanor having to remind him which step was next.

About 20 minutes later, they stopped for tea on the terrace.

Once they were seated, Kurt noticed that the waiter who'd been holding the jewelry box the day before now held a silver platter with a red leather book on it.

After Kurt and Eleanor had halfway finished their tea, she motioned the waiter over.

She picked up the book from the platter and handed it to Kurt. "It was your mother's," she said as he carefully touched the smooth leather front, admiring the delicate pattern stamped on the front and across the strap around the middle. The strap also had two silver, heart-shaped cut outs on the front.

"It's locked," said Kurt as he gently pulled on the leather strap.

"Yes," Eleanor said with a chuckle. "The locket I gave you yesterday becomes the key."

"Thank you," said Kurt as he placed the journal in his bag.

"Is something bothering you, dear?"

Kurt sighed. After how awful today had been, he was really considering going to Dalton.

"I just had a really bad day. I had a slushie thrown on me three different times, I was shoved into the lockers before and after lunch and no one said anything about any of it."

Eleanor was about to say something, but Kurt continued before she could.

"After today, I am seriously considering going to Dalton."

"Good."

"Good? What is good about anything I just said?"

"I'm glad you are considering Dalton Academy. A prince needs the best education possible."

"I didn't say I was going, just that I was considering it."

Eleanor just nodded as she finished the last of her tea.

-X-

Kurt stopped by his dad's garage on the way home so he could talk to him about going to Dalton.

"Dad?" Kurt shouted as he entered the garage. He heard the metal thunk of someone hitting their head on the hood of a car.

"Ow," said a voice from the middle of the shop.

"Sorry," said Kurt as he got closer. "I was just looking for my dad."

"I gathered that much," said the curly haired guy as he turned around. "Is Burt your dad?"

"Yes, I'm Kurt."

"Blaine," he said as he wiped his hand on his coveralls before extending it to shake Kurt's hand. "I'm the new part-time mechanic."

"Nice to meet you," he said as he looked over Blaine. He was definitely younger than all the other mechanics in his dad's shop. "So do you know where my dad is?"

"I think he's already left for the day. Something about Finn's game?"

"Oh, well I guess I'll just have to talk to him about transferring later," said Kurt, accidentally aloud.

"If you don't mind me asking, what school do you want to transfer to?"

"Um, Dalton Academy. I've been having some difficulties with other students at McKinley."

"I go to Dalton. I could give you a tour of campus some time, if you'd like."

"That would be great," said Kurt, his day suddenly getting much better. "I'll have to talk to my dad about it, but thanks."

"No problem."

"I guess I'll see you around," said Kurt as he headed out of the garage. Blaine nodded as he turned back to the car.

-X-

After Burt, Carole and Finn got home from the game, Kurt pulled his dad aside.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Um, grandma mentioned something about wanting me to transfer to Dalton Academy in Westerville."

"Uh Huh."

"And I was wondering if we could go check it out sometime."

"What's wrong with McKinley?"

"N-nothing. Grandma just said that a prince should have the best education possible."

Burt looked at his son, trying to decipher the slight waver in his voice. "I'll think about it," he said after deciding that he'd probably just imagined the slight stutter in his son's voice.

Kurt nodded and went to help Carole with dinner.

-X-

It was another week before Mercedes cornered him one morning with a determined look in her eyes.

"Where have you been?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why have you been missing so many glee rehearsals?"

"My grandmother's been in town and she's wanted to see me every day," said Kurt, trying to avoid eye contact. He's also missed an entire day of classes to spend the day touring Dalton with Blaine. He'd gotten to sit in on Blaine's classes and he was even allowed to attend Dalton's glee club practice. Everyone was extremely nice to him, even though he was from a rival glee club. He'd even made plans with Blaine and some of the other Warblers to go see RENT.

"Are you sure that's it? You've been on edge mores that usual."

Kurt gave a non-committal shrug.

"Kurt, I know something's up. Why aren't you telling me? We're best friends."

She had a point. The only people who knew about Kurt being a prince were his grandmother, his dad and Carole. Finn didn't even know. He'd always told Mercedes everything and now shouldn't be any different.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" he asked, fully knowing she wouldn't.

"You know I won't."

"Ok," he said as he pulled her into a nearby empty classroom and shut the door.

"This must be really juicy if we've got to hide."

"I'm a prince."

"A what?"

"A prince. My grandmother is the Queen of a small country I'd never even heard of until 2 weeks ago and my mom was a princess. I wasn't supposed to be a prince, but my uncle decided he didn't want to be king of Genovia so now it's up to me," he said with word-vomit-like speed.

"Shut. Up. You're a legit prince? I knew we were friends for a reason."

"That's why I've been missing so many glee rehearsals. My grandma keeps making me go to 'Prince Lessons' in the afternoons. Even though I told her I don't really want to be a prince."

"Why not?"

"Mercedes, I just want to survive high school and get the hell out of this po-dunk town. Everyone here already thinks I'm a freak so why would I want to call more attention to myself?"

"How do you not see that being a prince will get you the hell out of here? Plus, you'll have the power to affect change; to make people listen. What more could you want?"

Kurt paused. He hadn't thought about what he could do for the world as a prince. "Well, it's not all said and done yet. Grandma said that I have to formally renounce my title at the annual Genovian Independence Day Ball at the end of the month. And yes, you're invited."

The bell rang, signaling them to get to homeroom.

"But what will I wear?" asked Mercedes as they walked out of the classroom.

-X-

Kurt frequently visited his dad's garage after Prince Lessons to chat with Blaine. They'd talked about his friends in glee club, especially Mercedes and Rachel. Blaine talked more about his friends at Dalton.

They both opened up to each other, since Blaine was usually the only one in the garage, so they didn't have to be afraid of who would hear them. It was nice to be able to spend time with someone who was not only gay but could also maneuver their way around a car. Kurt occasionally ended up slipping on his coveralls and helped Blaine with the cars.

They'd been listening to Kurt's iPod while working when the music for the Genovian waltz started playing.

"Is that classical music?"

"Um, yeah," said Kurt as he rushed to switch the song. "My grandma's been trying to teach me how to waltz."

"I could help you if you want. My mom forced me into ballroom dance classes with my cousin when I was 5."

"That would be great," said Kurt as Blaine wiped off his hands on a rag and walked over to Kurt.

"Am I leading or are you?"

"I've always led with my grandmother."

"That's fine. I know both parts."

Kurt re-started the song and Blaine firmly, but gently, grasped his hand and placed his other hand on Kurt's shoulder. As they moved, Kurt could feel Blaine's back muscles tense and flex beneath his hand. Kurt tried not to look Blaine in the eyes. As much as he'd tried, he developed a crush on Blaine over the past couple weeks and he was still having a hard time grasping the fact that Blaine was gay and could possibly also like him. Kurt ended up stumbling a few times before Blaine said something.

"You should probably look at me instead of your feet," he said as he gently pushed Kurt's chin up with his finger. "They're great shoes, but I'm pretty sure you don't want them to get scuffed."

Kurt smiled as they started again; staring into Blaine's eyes almost the entire time. They kept dancing after the song ended, but neither boy bothered to stop the iPod. They tried to ignore the new music, but soon it confused them both.

"I think we're skipping beats," said Kurt.

"That's probably because we're dancing a waltz to a song in 4/4 time," said Blaine.

They started laughing as Kurt walked over to turn off the iPod.

"Thanks for helping me," said Kurt once the laugher had subsided.

"No problem. I'm here every day if you want to keep practicing."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kurt as he started to help Blaine clean up the shop for the night. He waited while Blaine changed out of his coveralls and walked out to their cars.

"See ya tomorrow?" asked Blaine.

"You bet."

-X-

When Kurt and Mercedes arrived at school the next day, the building was surrounded by camera crews.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Kurt as he weaved his Escalade through the crowd of reporters in the parking lot.

"I have no idea. I guess the Cheerios won a competition or something."

"Probably," he said as he parked and got his bag from the back seat.

Once they got within 50 feet of the front door, Jacob Ben Israel spotted them.

"There he is! That's Kurt Hummel!" Jacob shouted to the reporters.

They descended on him like a pack of wolves.

"Is it true that you're the prince of Genovia?" yelled one reporter.

"Why keep it a secret?" yelled another as the group crowded in closer.

He was separated from Mercedes and had no place to go. He tried to answer their questions as he attempted to get away from them but it was no use. They were on every side.

"Hey losers," yelled Puck from somewhere in front of Kurt. "Here's a story for ya!" he yelled as he rolled a port-a-potty at them. The reporters turned long enough for Finn and Sam to pull Kurt out of the throng of reporters. The three boys ran to the school, not stopping until they were safely inside the choir room.

"Who the hell told them that I'm a prince?" demanded Kurt once he could breathe normally.

"Don't look at me," said Mercedes. "You know I wouldn't tell a soul."

"You didn't even tell me and I live with you," said Finn.

"Well somebody had to tell them," said Kurt as he flopped into one of the chairs.

"You're right, Porcelain," said Coach Sylvester as she casually walked into the choir room.

"Do you know who told?"

"I did."

"How did you find out?"

"I have every classroom bugged so I know everything that goes on in this school before Figgins. Just another way for me to destroy the glee club."

"That ain't right," said Artie.

"Well, thank you for ruining my life," said Kurt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to homeroom." He headed for his locker.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he stepped in the hall. He'd gone from being invisible to being the center of attention and it was a little unnerving. He quickly walked to his locker, got his books and went to class. He'd barely noticed Puck and Sam walking behind him acting as body guards.

"I don't need you to babysit me."

"We just don't want anyone to hurt you," said Puck. "If anyone touches you, let us know. We'll bring the beat down."

"No. I'm tired of needing protection."

"Look, if you need anything, I-we're here for you," said Sam, putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Just say the word and we're there."

"Thanks, but I've survived 2 years of high school without assistance. I think I can manage," said Kurt as he walked into class and left the two boys standing at the door.

-X-

Sam was increasingly nice to Kurt after the whole reporter incident. He walked him to every class, ate lunch with him and sat next to him during Glee, much to Quinn's dismay.

"Why aren't you sitting with Quinn?" Kurt finally asked after the 3rd day Sam was glued to his hip. "Aren't you dating?"

"I'm, uh, not sure if I'm exactly in to girls," he said with a slight nudge to Kurt's side. Kurt's eyes went wide. Did Sam just tell Kurt he was gay?

"W-what's that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"It means that I'd like to take you to Breadstix sometime. Does tonight work for you?"

"Uh, sure."

-X-

Kurt sped to the garage after his Prince Lesson.

"Blaine! You'll never guess what Sam just asked me!"

"Lemme guess. 'Can you dye my hair?'" he replied with a laugh.

"What? No. He asked me out on a date! Tonight!"

"Oh," said Blaine as his face fell. "I thought we were going to see RENT tonight."

"I know, but it's running for the next two weeks, so I was hoping I could get a rain check?"

"Sure."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said as he turned back to the black jeep he'd been working on. "I hope you have fun."

"Oh, thanks. I-I guess I should get going. I have no idea what I'm going to wear," said Kurt has he slowly backed out of the garage. "Bye, Blaine."

"Bye."

Kurt could have sworn that he heard the metal clang of a wrench being thrown to the ground as soon as he was out of the garage door.

-X-

The dinner went well enough. Kurt tried on 6 different outfits before settling on his grey button up with a light blue tie, white skinny jeans and his white Doc Martens. Sam had opted for a polo and khakis. They laughed all through dinner and Sam had taken Kurt's hand as they left the restaurant.

Unfortunately, they were greeted by a mob of photographers and reporters as they stepped out the front door of Breadstix.

"How did they know we were here?" yelled Kurt at Sam over the noise the photographers and reporters were causing.

"I don't know! I swear I didn't say anything!"

"Are you dating?" yelled one reporter?

"Wha-?" said Kurt before he was cut off by Sam crushing his lips down on Kurt's. The reporters got even louder and more pictures were snapped.

Kurt pushed Sam off. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I kissed you. You're my boyfriend. That's what boyfriends do."

"No. You are not my boyfriend. My boyfriend would have gotten me away from all these crazy reporters instead of trying to suck my face! You are an attention whore who wants to be popular," said Kurt as he shoved Sam into the door of Breadstix.

Kurt weaved through the mass of reporters and to his car, thanking God that they'd driven separately.

By the time he got home, tears were streaming down his face. He'd been excited to actually have a date, with a boy who was gay. But now he realized that it was all a ruse for Sam to make himself popular by dating a prince. Kurt was mad at himself for not noticing the moment Sam ignored Quinn.

His phone beeped as he walked through the front door of his house.

From: Mercedes
Quinn told the reporters

To: Mercedes
Why would she do that?

From Mercedes
Said it was the only way for u 2 realize that Sam was using u.

Kurt flopped down on his bed face first and screamed into his pillow. His phone beeped again.

From: Mercedes
Want me to come over?

To: Mercedes
yeah.

Mercedes was there in 10 minutes. They curled up together and turned on Phantom of the Opera to watch. It wasn't long before Kurt was crying into Mercedes' arms as he recounted the night's events while she hugged him.

"I feel so stupid for not realizing it sooner."

"Boo, I would have done the same thing if I'd been in your position. He's just a stupid boy who doesn't understand that you're not just a piece of arm candy."

"Thanks," he said, hugging her a bit tighter. They fell asleep long before the movie finished.

-X-

The next day, Eleanor was at breakfast.

"What on earth were you thinking?" she scolded as she slid that morning's newspaper at him. "A picture is worth a thousand words. Do you know how much damage control we're going to have to do?"

Kurt sat in silence as she continued, unsure if she was upset because Kurt was kissed by another boy or because reporters had caught them.

"Who is this boy?"

"His name is Sam. He goes to McKinley with me."

"Just another reason for you to go to Dalton."

"Hey, it's not Kurt's fault," said Finn. "Sam used him."

"Do you have anything to say?" asked Eleanor of Kurt

"I am sorry and I will try not to disappoint you again." Kurt was on the verge of tears as he stood to leave the table.

-X-

Kurt didn't want to go to school that day. He knew the halls would be buzzing with gossip about his date with Sam. But he didn't want to spend the day with his family either. What he wanted to do was spend the day with Blaine at Dalton, but he was pretty sure Blaine was mad at him for blowing him off for Sam.

He eventually went to school and avoided Sam for the whole day. He skipped Glee club, too, just so he wouldn't have to be in the same room as Sam.

"You're early," said his grandmother when she saw him sitting in the foyer.

"I didn't feel like going to glee club today. What are we doing for today's prince lesson?"

"First, it has come to my attention that I may have been a bit harsh when I spoke with you this morning," she said as she led him into the sitting room. "I wanted to apologize. I understand that you were lured on that date under false pretenses and it is not your fault. Though I must ask you to be more careful with whom you associate."

Kurt nodded.

"I'm sorry. I thought that I knew Sam better than I did."

She hugged him.

"It's quite all right. Now, let's see how your waltz is coming along."

They'd only gone through the dance once when Eleanor stopped them.

"Have you been practicing?"

"Yes," said Kurt as a blush started to crawl across his cheeks. "I practiced with my friend Blaine. He goes to Dalton and took ballroom dance lessons when he was younger."

"How did you meet him?"

"He works at my dad's garage."

"Ah. Shall we go through the dance again?"

Kurt paused.

"Grandma, would it be all right if I brought Blaine as my date to the Independence Day Ball? I know it's not standard for royalty to bring a date of the same sex, but I'm not willing to change who I am."

"Kurt, dear, I may be old, but I am not old fashioned. As long as you don't bring that Sam fellow, you can bring who ever you'd like; male or female."

Kurt's entire day turned around in a matter of seconds.

"Thank you," he said as he hugged his grandma tightly.

"You're quite welcome. Now, let's continue."

-X-

The next week flew by for Kurt and his Grandmother. They were busy getting ready for the Independence Day Ball. The entire Glee Club, for the exception of Sam and Santana were attending. The only person Kurt couldn't get a hold of was Blaine.

Kurt decided that he needed a little time to himself before the ball where he would have to address a room full of people he'd never met. He still wasn't sure if he was going to accept being prince and he only had a matter of hours to decide.

He was in his room when he decided to finally open his mother's journal. He took off the locket, which he'd been wearing since his grandmother gave it to him and opened it, pressing it into the two heart-shaped grooves in the journal's lock. He carefully opened the front cover and noticed an envelope with his name on it. He opened the envelope and began reading the letter:

iKurt,

Sweetie, today is your 18th birthday. Congratulations. Your father and I have so much to tell you. I want you to know that whatever you do in life, I am proud of you. You've always been a bright boy and I know you will grow up to be a smart man.

I'm sure you've had tough times through your high school years, but know this: Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. I have lived by this my entire life and I hope you will do the same.

You will succeed in all that you do, I have no doubt in that. Enjoy your special day, my dear.

OXOX,

Mom/i

When Kurt finished the letter, he was crying. He knew that he needed to go visit his mom's grave, even if he only had 3 hours before he was supposed to be at the Pontmercy hotel. He called the Lima Bean on his way to the cemetery, to order Blaine 5 lattes spelling out S-O-R-R-Y with caramel and chocolate syrup in the foam to apologize for ignoring him over the past week. He dropped them off at Blaine's house, rang the doorbell then ran back to his car before Blaine could open the door.

He'd stopped and bought flowers between Blaine's house and the cemetery.

He weaved his way through the gravestones until he found his mom's. He sat on the ground facing the headstone and started talking.

"Hey mom. I miss you. I got your letter today, even though my 18th birthday's not for another 2 years. I've met someone. His name's Blaine and I think you'd really like him, even though I think I may have royally screwed up with him.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle being a prince, mom. I know I was never supposed to be prince of Genovia, but Uncle Alex renounced his title so now it's my turn. But your letter sparked something in me. I know that if you were here, you'd have

the confidence in me to be a great leader."

Kurt's tears were streaming down his face again.

"I love you, mom. And I really wish you were here right now."

Kurt sat there for another hour, telling his mom about Mercedes and Artie and Glee club and anything else that he thought of.

His phone started buzzing in his pocket.

"Where are you?" asked his dad on the other end. "You were supposed to be here 10 minutes ago."

"Crap. I went to see mom. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Ok, just hurry. Your grandmother is losing her mind."

Kurt hung up, told his mom goodbye and ran to his car.

He managed to make it to the hotel in record time. Thanking God that his clothes for the evening were all ready at the hotel. Alfred met him in the lobby and they dashed toward the Ballroom.

"Mr. Hummel," said Alfred. "You've got to change!" He was pointing to a Men's bathroom, only a few yards from the ballroom. "We've brought everything down for you."

"No, he'll have to change later," said Carole as she walked towards them. "Eleanor is just about to speak."

Kurt ran to his stepmother who snuck him around to the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to tonight's celebration," said Eleanor.

He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh, my," she said when she noticed him. "I would like to introduce my grandson, Kurt."

"Hello," said Kurt as he stepped up to the podium. "When I was told 6 weeks ago that I was a prince, I had every intention of renouncing my crown and continuing to be plain Kurt Hummel, though many people would argue that I'm far from plain." Kurt heard his dad chuckle. "Up until tonight, I still planned on renouncing my title. However, after a little chat with my mom and some encouragement from my best friend, I've decided that I will be known from now on as Kurt Robert William Buckingham Hummel, Prince of Genovia."

Eleanor stepped up next to him and presented him with a crown.

"But Grandma, you had it all ready. How did you know I'd even show?"

"Because I recognized the same spirit in you as someone else I knew."

"Who?"

"Me."

Kurt smiled as he bent down so she could place the crown on his head. His family, friends and Genovian officials applauded.

"I think it's time for you to get into some more appropriate attire."

"Definitely."

He quickly changed into his tuxedo pants and tails and Alfred helped him put on the royal Genovian sash.

As he re-entered the ballroom with his grandmother, he was finally able to see his friends. Artie and Brittany were right at the front, Mike and Tina were just behind them to the left, Finn, Quinn, Puck, Lauren, and Rachel were spread out around the Genovian officials and Mercedes was standing next to his dad and Carole. The only person missing was Blaine. His grandmother had let go of his hand to dance with the Genovian Prime Minister, so Kurt began to walk around the circle of people again.

He was still looking for Blaine when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" asked Blaine as he presented his hand to Kurt. He was wearing a black suit that hugged his body just right. Kurt smiled and took his hand. They danced around to the first few songs before Blaine led Kurt away from the crowd and outside.

"One question," said Blaine as he and Kurt made their way into the gardens. "Why Me?"

"Because you saw me when I was invisible."

"What do you mean?"

"You knew me and liked me without me telling you that I was a prince. And that's what won my heart," said Kurt as he looked at the ground, his cheeks flushing.

Blaine lifted his chin with his index finger.

"You should probably look at me instead of your feet," he said as he kissed Kurt.