I finally got the second chapter done! Well, as of a Night of Neglect, my story is no longer canon. *sighs* I know I said there would probably be Dave in this chapter, but the story evolved without him, and I'm trying to keep the chapters relatively the same length, and this one is still longer than the first; if I keep going, he is coming back.

I really appreciate the favorites, alerts, and reviews I have gotten. It's amazing to me that my story is being read! I would love it if everyone who read my story reviewed (whether they liked it or not; really, soul-crushing input is better than none at all), but I know that's really unrealistic of me. I'm glad that anyone's read it at all. Virtual, vegan cookies of love go to PJO-Fan-Of-The-Year , Murgy31, and ocean101996 for reviewing; you people make me smile. I really don't think I would have had the heart to continue without getting some sort of feedback, and ocean101996, I really got down to business and decided to work on this after your review.

Disclaimer: Glee is not mine; neither is You'll Be In My Heart nor Seasons of Love. The pamphlet names all belong to the show, except for the one on suicide. I do proudly claim ownership of my gangsta janitorial squad of OC's (but if the writers of Glee ever felt inclined to use them at all, I would melt into a puddle of happy compliance).


It was a mess of arms on the living room couch. Kurt was on top of Blaine who for once was wearing normal clothes instead of his Dalton uniform. Blaine had surprisingly been wearing less and less of it lately while out of school even though he had always been so proud of it. Kurt and Blaine were locked into a passionate kiss. Kurt broke away and began pressing his lips on Blaine's jaw line, starting to work his way down Blaine's throat.

"I wish you didn't leave. We had just figured out the janitors' schedule; we could be in one of the many closets doing this in between classes," Blaine gasped.

"Mmm. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder because I know you would never do that if I was still there," Kurt chided, pulling himself from Blaine's throat and moving to his ear.

"Not–" Blaine gasped as he was cut off by Kurt kissing his ear.

"Liar," Kurt whispered gently in to his ear; then, he pressed his lips to it again. At this, Blaine suddenly pulled away and sat up, looking straight into Kurt's eyes.

"You don't believe I would embarrass myself with irresponsible, impromptu bursts of romance? I thought I made it perfectly clear that that is pretty much what I do," Blaine said.

"You wouldn't dare lose favor with the janitors," Kurt returned lifting his chin up and holding Blaine's gaze, "The only reason we figured out their schedule is because they gave it to you, completely trusting. They love you. You have so much power over them that the Warblers' constant paper-throwing goes completely unresented by them, but when a single piece of gum gets stuck under a table, they go KGB on everyone, interrogating anyone caught in possession of what might be the flavor. I hear that they even have a chart set up with– "

"Our Dalton janitorial squad is pretty gangster," Blaine admitted with a smirk, starting to toy with Kurt's hair, "I mean Mr. Hepfers let us install stereos into the walls of the dorms. Fluffy always has tissues in his pockets in case he smells a nose-bleed. And Mr. Carson – I swear they're all ninjas."

"Which one is Fluffy again?" Kurt asked, bemused.

"Ah; so you don't find Dalton completely boring," Blaine noted, "He's the one who I taught how to breakdance– Mr. Jemaine Grispin."

Kurt put his head on Blaine's shoulder, turning his face up at Blaine's, and smiled; remembering the graying, African American, jovial, yes - overweight (hence Fluffy – or perhaps it was the hair), janitor with a voice quite similar to James Earl Jones very well now, "You know, I can't see why they love you. You have not one redeemable trait. I don't know why anyone would feel the sudden impulse to love you." Blaine nuzzled Kurt's neck, and a beautiful peal of laughter escaped from Kurt that made Blaine smile.

"Liar," Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's collar with both hands, falling back-first onto the couch cushions, and pulled the other boy down on top of him, pressing his lips onto Blaine's. Blaine suddenly lost interest in talking and kissed back. Kurt's eyes were fluttering between open and shut. He let go of Blaine's collar with one hand and put it on the small of his back, pulling him in even closer. Blaine's eyes snapped open as he felt them brush together. His whole body was getting excited. Kurt's lips on his, Kurt's hand on his back stroking him, and the other moving from his collar to his cheek – Blaine was getting too excited. Not good.

Blaine felt the panic rising in him as Kurt deepened their kiss. He had promised Burt that he would not pressure Kurt into anything. Blaine would have to pull away soon, or Kurt would realize to what extent he was enjoying this make-out session, which would be extremely awkward; he didn't know how to suddenly excuse himself though, and he definitely did not want Kurt thinking that he wasn't into him.

Fortunately, Blaine was saved by the opening of a door. "Finn and I are home!" Burt Hummel's voice happily rang out.

"They won," Finn announced excitedly into the room.

Blaine and Kurt broke off their kiss at the same time, Blaine rolling off of Kurt and straightening up into a sitting position. Kurt sat himself up as well, adjusting his hair and taking Blaine's hand. He shared an oh well look with Blaine before turning his head back towards the door.

"Hey, dad, Finn; sounds like the game went well," Kurt greeted them cheerfully as Finn and Burt walked towards the couch.

"It did. They were down 18 to 21," began Finn, his voice excited,"Only 15 seconds left – oh; hey, Blaine." Finn was a bit surprised by the curly-haired boy's presence on their couch.

"Hey, Finn," Blaine brightly replied, "So, was it Casiano who scored the winning touchdown, or did they take him out second half for Gristoff?"

"They actually had Gristoff start off, and then they switched Casiano in," Finn replied, thankful that the situation had lost some of its awkwardness.

"Carole was home the entire time with you, right, boys?" Burt questioned, his gaze lingering on Blaine's slightly messy hair.

"Yes, sir," Blaine responded as he straightened his posture and tried to fix his hair.

"Yes, Dad, she just ran into the kitchen to put your dinner back in the oven; she expected you would get back about twenty minutes from now," Kurt explained.

"Yeah, no overtime at all today; we are back early," Finn remarked.

Burt immediately started off towards the kitchen just as Carole's voice was ringing out, "Kurt, honey, do you think the macaroni needs to be put in the oven or could we just use the microwave when they get home, and if we do use the microwave, does it have to be covered before it goes ba–," she stopped as Burt entered the kitchen, tipping his hat to her before removing it, "Burt, you're home! I must not have heard you come in. I don't have anything ready. I just put the chicken back in the oven, and I don't know what to do with the macaroni..."

"Calm down, honey," Burt told her, "It's just us; you don't have to worry so much."

"I know; it's just I- I wanted to make something good, and now there's nothing ready for you to eat," Carole sighed.

"Honey, I'll be happy to help you any way you need," Burt told Carole with a smile, but she still looked panicked.

"I'm coming, Carole," Kurt called sensing her about to go into distress over this simple matter. He squeezed Blaine's hand and went off to the kitchen. Burt and Carole watched and listened as Kurt began examining the situation and firing off directions.


"They'll probably be a good half hour at least before it's ready," Finn sighed offhandedly, looking towards the kitchen.

"Does this happen often?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, it does, actually," said Finn as he moved to sit next to Blaine on the couch, "My mom has this whole thing about trying to make meals perfect for my stepdad, and then sometimes she freaks about how much butter or salt she's using; I wish wasn't such a big deal to her. I worry about her sometimes. I'm starting to have flashbacks to her head-over-heels desperation with Darren. I know Burt's a great guy, though, and I hope he can make sure she holds it together."

"Oh. I think Kurt told me about some conversation he had with Carole about Darren... A real douche bag, and she threw milk at his truck when he left?" Blaine asked trying to find something to talk about.

"Yeah. I don't know if any guy is good enough for my mom, and she still has a lot to work out, especially after being alone for so long, but I think it's going to be okay for them," Finn said looking back at the kitchen where Carole was smiling as Burt took out the tinfoil and put it in front of her face as he tried to hold a dead serious look, but the light of a smile cracking through his eyes gave him away, and they both started laughing.

Finn turned back to Blaine who had also been looking at the kitchen and still was, but his attention was on Kurt who had just finished adjusting the dial on the oven, and was now smiling happily at Burt and Carole with his hands together and eyes lit up.

"So... uh, is it strange not having him around anymore after going to school together?" Finn asked awkwardly.

Blaine still looking towards the kitchen said, "Yeah. It is," then turning to Finn he continued, "I miss him everyday." Wanting to change to a less depressing subject, Blaine said, "So Kurt told me you and Rachel are back together."

"Yeah," Finn jumped onto the subject happily, "I thought that I was happy with Quinn; I really did. But when regionals came rushing through, I just – I knew I was still in love with her when she sang her ballad. We have our skeletons, but I think that we might actually be meant to be."

"So how did Quinn take it?" Blaine asked, curious.

"She took it pretty well actually," Finn answered, "It was a lot like the first time we broke up, but it was also harder... I accused her of using me to become Prom Queen, and she accused me of leaving her for Rachel. I admitted to her that I still had feelings for Rachel, and told her she probably still had feelings for Sam. She stood there unable to say anything, and I tried to put my hand on her shoulder, but she turned away and said, 'Fine. I was an idiot for thinking I could keep you.' The next day, when Rachel and I got back together, Quinn actually went up to Rachel and apologized for keeping us apart, saying she hoped that they could be friends."

"Wow," Blaine marveled, "That's great that she isn't mad."

"Well she is; I can tell. She has little signs that show how hurt she still is, but she tries her best to stay strong," Finn corrected.

"It sounds like it's Quinn you're in love with, not Rachel," Blaine observed.

"No; I'm definitely in love with Rachel," Finn told Blaine. With a smile creeping onto his face, he continued, "So, how are things with you and Kurt? We all saw those flowers you sent him."

"Things are great," Blaine said, "I just... Is it okay if I ask you something kind of... embarrassing and really personal? Please promise not to tell Kurt."

"Um sure," Finn said with a hesitant smile,"What is it?"

Please do not ask about Kurt's old crush on me, Finn pleaded silently.

"When Kurt and I make out," Blaine started, looking to the floor kind of uncomfortably; Finn involuntarily blinked," I start to get excited and in danger of... arriving early. I don't want to pressure Kurt into anything. I mean, I'm not even sure if I'm ready for that yet. But anyway, I know that Rachel is still a virgin," Blaine looked down at that and blushed slightly,"so, I was wondering how you keep from you know, an awkward situation in... the lower region from ruining a moment."

"That's what you wanted to ask about?" Finn asked in relief, "Well, man, you just need to find something to be your buzz kill. How did you know Rachel was a virgin?"

"She told me after the party, right before we went on our first date. She also said she would be ready for children when she was twenty-five, and that if we did have them, they would probably be the shortest children out of all their friends," Blaine explained, "It was kind of scary, actually. I'm actually... really glad that there was nothing there when we kissed sober. And something to be my buzz kill?"

"Oh yeah Rachel can be really... enthusiastic sometimes," Finn admitted, "By 'buzz kill', I mean something to calm you down. Something totally not hot. I think about the time I almost ran over a mailman."

"Okay. That really helps," Blaine said, thankful that he now had a solution and that Kurt's brother had been so easy to talk to.

"You like football, right?" Finn asked Blaine, grabbing the remote and flipping on the television.

"I love football," Blaine smiled right as a burst of laughter came from the kitchen, and he turned around to see that Burt was holding Carole, as if he had stopped her from falling, and Kurt was holding a bowl, eyes twinkling at them.


Emma Pillsbury-Howell was in her office late again. Her pamphlets were already perfectly organized, but she had decided that they could use a dusting, so she was going over each one, and then putting them back to their previous places. Ouch That Stings, Divorce: Why Your Parents Stopped Loving You, and I'm Too Depressed to Even Open This Pamphlet were already done. She moved to her stack of Suicide: You Can't Take It Back No Matter How Much You Want To. She picked up one of the pamphlets and dropped it, a sob escaping her, as she sunk into her desk chair, placing her face in her hands.

"Emma," a voice called out, etched with concern.

She looked up, but it was not the man she wanted to see.

"What do you want, Carl?" Emma asked through her tears, trying to maintain some sort of pride.

"I couldn't do it, Emma. I couldn't sign the anullment," Carl said, tearing up.

"Why? You're the one who asked for it," Emma said quietly looking down at the desk, "You're the one who left me; remember?"

"I love you, Ems. You're not perfect. I'm not perfect, but I tried living on my own, and I never got you out of my head," Carl explained, walking over to the desk, "I wish we went to see a real couples' counselor. I was frustrated and jealous when I left."

"Carl," Emma started, looking up at him, "you left me when I needed someone. I've been a mess since you went away. You want to know why I could never have sex with you? Well I don't know! I have all of these emotions fighting inside of me," she through her hands up, "and the minute that I start to talk about how confused I am, you walked out the door," she turned to him, looking up through tearing red eyes, "You want me to just forgive you now?"

"Emma," Carl said getting down on one knee, "I made a mistake. Probably the biggest one of my life. I miss you every day. I want you back. I don't care if we never get further than cuddling, because I just want you in my arms again. I miss driving you around, and messing your hair up. I miss telling you how beautiful you are after you're worried that you're not fixed perfectly. I miss unloading all of my Rocky Horror love onto the woman I love who shares my strange obsession. I miss your smile and your smell. Singing with you in the morning before we say goodbye - you're my soul mate. I've never felt the way I do about you before with any other woman, and it's never hurt me so much to be away from someone before. Please forgive me, Emma. Please."

"I've been blaming myself for what happened, you know?" Emma spewed out pitifully, her voice cracking. Carl wrapped his arms around her.

"It's gonna be okay," the dentist told her softly.

"No it's not," Emma responded, tears falling, "I miss you too, but I can't forgive you." She got up out of the chair and out of his grip.

"I..." Carl faltered, not knowing what to say. He felt the world was crashing down around him, "Emma, I love you. I don't know if I can live without you for much longer, and I don't want to try," he explained, pleading for her to understand.

"Just go, Carl," Emma said turning away.

"Please," Carl pleaded touching her on the shoulder.

Emma jerked away, "I said go! Don't you see what you do to me? What a mess I am! I don't want - I don't want to feel - to - to..." she trailed off, unable to continue through her own sobbing. Carl moved up to her and held her, patting her on the back. He opened his mouth and sang into her hair quietly.

Come stop your crying; it'll be alright.

Emma's sobs began to slow down, and she looked up into Carl's face, but turned away. He nodded sadly in understanding, and began his way to the door.

"I love you. I don't think I'll ever stop," he said before closing it gently. Emma choked back a sob before vigorously going back to work on her pamphlets.


"What is this about, Mercedes?" Kurt demanded. His friend had stopped him from getting up and leaving with the rest of the club after rehearsal, which Mr. Schue was finally present for. Their new assignment was to sing about something they've realized this year, something that's really helped them to grow and move forward.

"We are singing Seasons of Love at nationals," Mercedes told him proudly, "Just you and the girls. We're all getting a solo part."

"Seasons of Love?" Kurt gasped, "Are you trying to kill me?"

"What?" Mercedes demanded, "I thought you would like it."

"Like it?" Kurt asked, "You're going to give me a heart attack. I have a deep, passionate love affair with this song. I can't believe I get to sing this, and with the girls. Mr. Schue's not forcing me out of the group! The world must be going insane."

"Easy now, Kurt. I know I said we're doing this at nationals, but we haven't actually talked to Mr. Schue about it," Mercedes explained. Kurt's face dropped into a pout, "But," Mercedes went on, "All of the girls are completely for, except Lauren who told us to give you her spot, and Mr. Schue would be crazy to say no to all of us, when we are so in love with doing this."

"Mercedes, if I wasn't gay, I'd ask you to marry me," Kurt exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.

"You can still marry me if you want, white boy," Mercedes told him, "As long as it means you not leaving me again, I'll look the other way when you're screwing the pool boy, who'll probably resemble a very fine-looking hobbit." Kurt punched her on the arm and blushed.

"While we're on the subject of your love life, whatever happened with you and Anthony Rashad, anyway? I've been thinking about trying to set you up with a Warbler, but I'm still confused about what happened with the last guy I tried on you; did I fail completely?" Kurt asked.

"Oh Anthony, well..." Mercedes looked uncomfortable, "I never really followed up on going out with him."

"Mercedes, why?" Kurt asked, "He's gorgeous," he added turning to look Mercedes right in they eye.

"I figured if he wanted me, he would go after me, but he never tried to ask me out, and I am not going to chase after a guy again, no matter how gorgeous he is," Mercedes explained.

"Mercedes, it's different when a guy is actually interested in you," Kurt told her, gently shaking his head, "You deserve to be happy."

"I- I don't think he was that interested in me, Kurt," Mercedes said quietly.

"Mercedes, you have to stop selling yourself short," Kurt told her, "You are amazing, and no; you don't need a man, but there's nothing wrong with having one."

"Oh, Kurt," Mercedes said, pulling her best friend into a hug, "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you deserve it," Kurt said honestly.

"I told you I missed you, right?" Mercedes asked. Kurt just laughed and hugged her tighter. I missed you too, he thought.