A/N: I'd like to take this moment to say I LOVE YOU GUYS! No, really… I'm actually a little gob smacked at how many reviews/alerts/hits this story has gotten. So, thank you so much!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, even thought it's a little shorter than usual. There's a little more light heartedness (at some points). And Warbler funtimes cause I love them so :).

Kurt blinked, and suddenly Christmas was upon them. He had absolutely no idea where the time had gone. But the Warbler's had just finished their last rehearsal for the year (a run through of several Christmas carols for the final year assembly the following week) and were in the middle of celebratory party.

Kurt wasn't actually sure what they were celebrating exactly, and had a feeling Jeff and Nick had just wanted an excuse to be throwing streamers at everyone. Loud music was playing, and Wes and David were in the middle of a dance off, while several other Warblers cheered them on. Kurt sat on a couch watching with a smile on his face.

"Hot chocolate?"

He glanced over to find Blaine had sat himself beside him holding two cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Thanks." He accepted it and sipped at it slowly. It wasn't cold inside by any means, but the warmth was still welcome.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

Kurt nodded. "I am."

"Good, that's good."

Kurt bopped his head, and tapped his thigh with his free hand in time to the music playing, laughing along with everyone else as Wes tripped and nearly fell to ground in a pile. He straightened up with a bit of a blush and went back to the edge of the circle to let someone else take the floor. He was having a good time just watching when something hit him in the face.

He turned to a green plant being held up by an arm that disappeared behind the couch. Blaine seemed to have noticed as well and was staring at the plant with a frown… and quite possibly the faintest blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, look boys," Jeff said, coming over to them wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders. "Mistletoe. Whatever shall you do?"

Kurt knew he was full on blushing now. He carefully avoided Blaine's eyes.

"Jeff…" Blaine said. "Go find someone else to harass."

"But everyone knows you want ki-" The rest of Jeff's sentence was cut off as Blaine launched himself over the back of the couch and tackled the blonde boy to the floor. "You know it's true!" He yelled. "I… no, don't, ow, Nick! Help me! Stop it. Stop!"

Kurt watched with amusement as Blaine began to tickle Jeff, who was yelling between his laughter. Nick stood up before behind the couch, dropping the sprig of mistletoe on a nearby table.

"Nick!" Jeff yelled. "Help me!"

Nick shook his head. "It was your idea. You need to suffer the consequences."

"But he-I… stop it… he's just as responsible!" Jeff flailed madly in a gesture that Kurt assumed was him trying to point in Nick's direction.

"Now we all know that's a lie." Kurt said glancing at Nick who was shaking his head madly. He hadn't been part of the group for very long, but had quickly realised most, if not all, the shenanigans the two got up were Jeff's idea.

The blonde boy finally gave up. "Fine, I surrender. I surrender."

Blaine stopped and sat up, he was now straddling Jeff's waist, who looked up at him and winked.

"This could be very suggestive." He said.

Blaine briefly thought back to the time he'd had quite a fierce crush on the boy beneath him and blushed slightly before slowly standing up. He tried to brush it off with a smirk.

"You wish Jeff." He said.

Jeff smirked back and winked at him, accepting Nick's hand as he was helped up off the floor. Blaine rolled his eyes, kind of amazed at how the small gesture didn't send his heart fluttering like it once would have. He looked over to Kurt who narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head. Blaine frowned, not too sure what Kurt was getting at and the boy jerked his head a little more in the direction of a small table… where the sprig of mistletoe now sat innocently.

Blaine bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling, his eyes suddenly lighting up with glee, and nodded as subtly as he could.

"I'll get you back for that one day." He said to Jeff.

"Yeah, right." Jeff scoffed. "That would require for you to be devious… which you are not."

"Maybe you're right but-"

"Oh look boys," Kurt said smirking, standing just behind Jeff and Nick, holding the mistletoe up above them. "Mistletoe. Whatever shall you do?"

Both Jeff and Nick glanced up and went bright red.

"Kurt is twice as devious than you could ever be."

"Touché Hummel." Jeff said. "You win."

"Nuh-uh…" Wes said, stepping forward. "I don't think you should get off so easily."

"What?" The colour from Nick's face drained completely.

"No one's going anywhere until you two kiss."

"For at least ten seconds." David added.

There was loud hooting and catcalls from the other boys as Nick remained looking white as a ghost and Jeff so red he might spontaneously combust.

"You shouldn't start games you don't want to play." Kurt said with a teasing smile.

"Fine." Jeff growled out before he grabbed Nick's face in his hands and roughly brought their lips together.

Nick flailed his arms about for a second before finally resting his hands on Jeff's shoulders. As the kiss went on Jeff's grip became noticeably softer, one hand moved to the back of Nick's neck, while the other remained cupping his cheek.

They both pulled apart looking quite flushed. Jeff looked confused, while Nick looked… completely mortified.

"I have to um…" and he left the room.

Jeff was left standing there scratching the back of his neck, looking torn between running out of the room himself and trying to act like nothing had just happened.

Blaine put a hand on Kurt's shoulder to get him to look at him. When Kurt did turn his head Blaine held up one hand and two high fived quietly to each other.

"Couldn't have done a better job myself." Blaine grinned.

"You're welcome."

x x x

Kurt pulled his car up in front of a small, two storey white house. He shut off the ignition and sighed.

Was this going to be a smart move?

There was no way to tell.

He glanced at the small box, wrapped neatly in red paper with a gold bow sitting on the passenger seat next to him. He had to do this.

Before he could change his mind again, Kurt grabbed he gift and got out of the car. He knocked on the door and waited.

A thin blonde woman answered the door. Her hair framed her face, which looked worn and tired, though it was obvious she was beautiful, and Kurt knew without a doubt she was Quinn's mother. The resemblance was uncanny.

He cleared his throat. "Um, hi. I'm Kurt Hummel, I'm a, uh, friend of Quinn's."

The woman smiled. "Come on in Kurt. Quinn's in her room, just up the stairs and first door on your left."

"Oh, um... ok." Kurt was a little stunned that she would just let him go up o Quinn's room... if she had any idea there was no way she would have so willingly let him go up there.

He knocked on the door, and five seconds later she opened it.

Kurt had never seen Quinn look so casual. She was in red sweatpants and a white, baggy jumper. Her hair was loose and damp, hanging at her shoulders and she had no makeup on. It wasn't fair that she still looked stunning. She stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Kurt?"

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I... have something I want to give you."

Quinn sighed and opened her door further. He took that as her invitation to come in and stepped inside her room. He'd had no idea what he'd been expecting Quinn's room to look like, but... it was bland. There was nothing personalising it whatsoever. No photo's, no little trinkets collected through the years... everything was very polished; whites and greys filled the room. He bit his lip, but didn't comment.

"So?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Oh, um..." he held the small box out to her. "Merry Christmas."

Quinn stared at him, then back up at him. "Why are you giving me a present?"

"I wasn't going to. But then I... I stumbled across this and I just had to."

She hesitantly took it and sat down on her bed, opening it slowly. Kurt watched with bated breath. He had no idea how she was going to react. If she was going to yell at him, or cry, or... not do anything and dismiss him. When she oepened the box, she gasped.

"Kurt..."

"It opens."

She pulled the heart shaped, gold locket from the box and held it in her hand, looking closely at the embossed design, before prying it open.

The photo Kurt had put in there was one of his favourites. Beth was looking at the camera with a huge, toothless grin on her face. Her sea eyes shone with joy and every time he looked at it he could practically hear her giggle. He watched as Quinn touched the photo delicately, almost as if she were hoping she could feel Beth through the paper.

"It's my favourite one of her," he said. "I thought that you should have a copy."

"She even better than I pictured." She said quietly.

Kurt slowly sat down on the bed facing Quinn, who looked up at him, her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"How can you stand it?" she asked.

"Stand what?"

"Seeing her, holding her... being so close to her, while knowing she can never truly be yours?"

"It gets easier." he said, and shrugged. "I don't know... I think about the life she's going to have, and the one she could have had... and... the opportunities she has now are far greater than what they would have been."

"I know... I know that."

Kurt nodded, but didn't know what else to say.

"I dream about her sometimes."

He looked at her.

"A little girl with blonde pigtails, calling me mom, begging to be picked up and carried. Laughing and giggling."

Kurt nodded.

"And every time I wake up from one of those dreams I regret it."

"Regret what?"

"Letting her go."

"Oh."

"But what could I offer her? She deserves so much more than some Lima Loser Mom who got pregnant at sixteen. She deserves more than living on minimum wage, never having a chance to go to a top college because her family doesn't have the money. She just... she deserves more than I could have given her."

Kurt reached out and took Quinn's hand in his. "She's getting more. She's going to have a life where every opportunity is available to her. But there's nothing wrong with missing her either. You're not a bad person for it Quinn."

She smiled. "I'm really sorry for what happened at sectionals. I was just..."

"Being the psychotic bitch we all know you can be?" he tried.

"I... no. What? I'm not..."

"Yes you are." he said. "Well, not all the time. But you can be."

She sighed. "It's the only way to survive in that school."

"You could always just transfer." he said.

"Dalton's all boys though." she sighed.

"I can tell you now, most of those boys wouldn't mind at all if you were in their classes." he smirked at her.

"I can imagine they'd be a little starved for the company of girls. But, what I'm trying to say is that, I am sorry for yelling at you like I did. I just... I freaked out and, became a psychotic bitch." she said, smiling a little at her last words.

"It's alright," he said. "Unfortunately I've experienced much worse."

"Quinn?" her mother was suddenly standing in the doorway. "Is your friend staying for diner?"

"Um," she looked at Kurt who shook his head.

"No, I told my dad I'd be home. I should probably get going anyway." he jumped up off the bed. "Thanks for letting me over though."

Quinn walked him down the stairs and to the door. Just before he left he stopped.

"If you ever want to... know more, or, meet her or anything, just um... don't be a stranger."

"I won't." she said, and then unexpectedly threw her arms around him tightly. "Thank you."

"Anytime Quinn."

x x x

It was a few days later and when Kurt had finally gotten home (after the weirdest shopping trip of his life) he struggled to keep the smile off his face. He'd re-lived singing with Blaine several times already in his mind, not wanting to forget a second of it.

There had been a moment. Kurt couldn't explain it, and he wasn't even going to try to. But at one point in the song Blaine had leant over the couch and looked right in his eyes as he sang and Kurt's stomach had somersaulted all over the place.

He'd tried so hard…

Been so careful guarding his heart and had denied it to himself more than was probably healthy but he couldn't any longer.

He was in love with Blaine.

Not a small, harmless crush. But… head over heels, he'd marry the boy tomorrow if he could, in love.

And that revelation, while exhilarating, was not good. At all.

He walked into the house, ready to grab a quick snack and head off upstairs to start his moisturising routine when in the kitchen he found Finn leaning across the kitchen counter, resting his chin against his fists staring at the cage when he returned from a quick trip to the bathroom. He watched him for a moment with mild curiosity.

"Finn?" he asked.

"Yeah?" he didn't look away from the cage.

"What are you doing?"

"Do you think animals can read our minds?"

Kurt raised his eyebrows. Finn had said some fairly idiotic things in his lifetime but this…

And he'd actually had a crush on Finn in the past?

"No. They can't."

"But how would we know?"

"I think we'd have figured it out by now if they could." Why was this conversation even happening?

"I still think she knows more than she's letting on." Finn said, standing upright, but not looking away from the cage.

"She?"

He gestured to the cage.

"Finn, Pavarotti's a boy."

"But, she's… it's fluffy, and kind of cute."

"So?"

"So… boys aren't fluffy. Or cute."

Kurt didn't bother to point how that he begged to differ on the cute thing and instead just rolled his eyes.

"Where'd you get her… him, I mean, from anyway?"

"It's apparently a Warbler tradition for all new members to be given a real warbler." Kurt said, making his way over to the other side of the kitchen. "Did you want some milk?"

"Yeah sure, thanks dude." Finn grinned enthusiastically and Kurt returned it. He'd transferred right after the wedding, it felt like since they'd all moved in together, he and Finn had barely seen each other, let alone had any time to talk. As bizarre as the conversation had been… he still quite liked it. He wondered if this was what it was like to have a real brother.

"They really give you a pet when you join?" he asked.

"Yeah, they really do."

"That's… weird."

Kurt nodded in agreement and pulled the mug of milk from the microwave and put it in front of Finn.

"Um… what is that?"

"Warm milk." He said.

"Uh…" Finn looked at the mug as though it were a completely foreign object to him.

"Just drink it. You'll like it."

"If you say so…"

"So…" Kurt leant against the opposite side of the counter facing Finn. "How are things at McKinley?"

"Uh… good, I guess."

"Really? There's no drama?" He found that hard believe because, well, there was always drama.

"Well, Rachel and I kind of, broke up."

"What? When?"

"Tonight." Finn sighed.

"I can't… I mean… are you ok?"

Finn shrugged. "I fine. Or at least… I will be. I just… I'm sick of people lying, and cheating and not giving a crap about anyone else's feelings while they do it." He looked at Kurt. "I swear you're like, the one person who hasn't stabbed me in the back."

Kurt didn't say anything. His mind was flashing guiltily to a tiny baby girl with his eyes and a smattering of Quinn's blonde hair on her head.

"I need to be alone for a while." Finn stood up. "Goodnight Kurt." And walked out of the kitchen.

Pavarotti whistled and hopped from his perch down to the bottom of the cage. Kurt sighed.

"I know… I'm going to have to tell him aren't I?"

A/N: If you review I'll love you even more ;)