Jackson woke late the next morning in Patrick's house. It must have been all the driving because normally he doesn't sleep so late. Patrick's house was a modest, two-bedroom two-bath home in a decent neighborhood. Xander was happy to see him. Originally, Jackson was going to sleep with Patrick, but his alcohol-induced snoring was too much, even for Xander.

When they left the bar, they took Patrick's SUV, so Jackson would have to get his car sometime later today. After getting home, Patrick passed out on the couch. When Jackson picked his friend up to move him to the bed, Patrick mumbled, 'Mmm - Dave.' It was almost as if he was dreaming about having sex with this guy.

Who was Dave?

Jackson had no right to be jealous, but considering the motivation for this visit was an actual relationship with Patrick, having a third party around would only complicate or prevent things. He never heard Patrick mention Dave before. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, so he would just have to wait and see if Patrick mentioned him again. He could ask, but what if Patrick really was dating someone else? Jackson wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

After he showered and fed Xander, he wandered the home and happened upon Patrick's office in the basement. Patrick still had that Casio digital piano. They'd always had fun playing on that. It was hooked up to an old Mac the last time he was here, but now it was hooked up to a newer aluminum iMac. Patrick used to play accompaniment to Jackson's vocals. Patrick could sing, but he wasn't as confident as Jackson. Patrick never sang in high school or college; he played as many sports as he could, but Jackson played hockey and was a member of the Glee club as well as the debate club.

Sitting at the Casio, Xander laid on a dog bed near Jackson's feet. As he turned it on, the hum it made reminded him of that summer after college when they spent a lot of time together – before he moved to New York. Time when he had his whole life ahead of him.

He turned the volume down and quietly played a tune that had been on his mind since the previous night. Then the words came.

I've been watching your world from afar,

I've been trying to be where you are,

And I've been secretly falling apart,

I'll see.

To me, you're strange and you're beautiful,

You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,

You turn every head but you don't see me.

I'll put a spell on you,

You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you.

And when I wake you,

I'll be the first thing you see,

And you'll realize that you love me.

Yeah...

Yeah...

Sometimes, the last thing you want comes in first,

Sometimes, the first thing you want never comes,

And I know, the waiting is all you can do,

Sometimes...

I'll put a spell on you,

You'll fall asleep,

I'll put a spell on you,

And when I wake you,

I'll be the first thing you see,

And you'll realize that you love me.

XxXxX

Patrick woke up with a nagging headache and dry mouth. He remembered Jackson bringing him home, but Jackson wasn't in bed and from the looks of it, he never was.

Pulling his tired body out of bed, he expected to see Xander, but he was gone too. After relieving himself, he went to look for them. Passing the guest room, he could tell that Jackson had slept in there, but he wasn't in there either. As he walked through the kitchen he noticed there was no evidence of breakfast, so he grabbed some Advil and a bottle of water and wandered down to his home office. As he crept down the stairs, he heard music emanating from the Casio and Jackson singing.

You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,

You turn every head but you don't see me.

I'll put a spell on you,

You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you.

And when I wake you,

I'll be the first thing you see,

And you'll realize that you love me.

Xander caught Patrick, but before the dog could react, he put his index finger up to his lips and pursed with a 'shh' motion. Xander laid his head back down while Patrick crept back upstairs to his bedroom.

He sat on his bed and thought about what he'd just witnessed. Was the song was about them? He knew that they loved each other, but just figured it was more bromance than romance. He didn't know how to react to that. It's not like they had any real chance of getting together, not really. They don't even live in the same state. Sure, he visits Jackson in Chicago and Jackson visits here, but that's only a few times a year at most. Duluth was a happy accident, but an accident nonetheless.

Too many questions flooded his headache-riddled brain.

He couldn't deal, not with a headache and not without a shower.

He stepped into the master shower and turned the water on. It felt hot and good. After he was in the shower for a few minutes just letting the warm water pour over him, Jackson appeared - naked - in the bathroom. He stepped into the shower and joined him.

"How do you feel?" he said smiling.

"Like shit. I took some Advil and drank a whole bottle of water, so…"

Jackson was soaping himself up while Patrick watched. The shower was a double size, so he could actually sit on the shower bench and take in the view; Jackson didn't mind. The water was hot and it made their skin pink with warmth. Patrick stood at attention, in more ways than one. The sheer sight of Jackson soaping his body was enough to make his cock ache.

Jackson smiled slightly at Patrick's reaction, but quickly changed the subject, "Hey – I'm meeting my niece at mall. Since I'm going to be here for a while, I wanted to get a pair of jeans and maybe a few shirts."

Without commenting, Patrick stood and joined Jackson; he leaned in for a kiss. They started to make out a little, but Jackson stopped it from escalating to anything more.

When Patrick bit his lip and reached down to Jackson's crotch, he was blocked by the taller man's hand.

"I know you want to do that. So do I, but you know how much it sucks with a hangover…besides, we have later…" He leaned into a kiss, so Patrick would stop pouting, "…and we have next week," he trailed kisses down Patrick's neck, "…and the week after…"

Patrick was reluctant but knew Jackson was right. The last time he and Jackson had sex the morning after Patrick had a hangover, it was brutal. His head throbbed for over six hours, something about all the blood rushing to his dick.

They finished showering, and Jackson got dressed for shopping at the mall.

XxXxX

Dave got bored of Nordstrom's in about five minutes. He didn't know what he was thinking, asking Blaine to help him shop for clothes. He hated shopping for clothes. The only thing worse was shopping with his aunt for clothes for his cousins. Thankfully, now Mitch could pick out his own clothes and help his mother with clothes for his younger brother and sister, if needed.

He walked around the mall a few times, stopped at a few kiosks and finally headed to the food court. He wasn't hungry; that protein shake after his workout had filled him up.

Dave was playing some random game on his iPhone when Blaine walked up.

He stood immediately, stuck out his hand and tried to sound casual, business-like, "Thanks for meeting me."

Blaine met his shake and said, "No problem…so…what's up?"

Dave nervously rubbed the back of his neck looking down and said, "I was hoping you would help me," he raised his head enough to meet Blaine's eyes and continued, "I don't know if Kurt told you…he probably did…but tonight is…we're going on a date…our first date."

Dave was not sure if Kurt had said anything or if he even wanted Blaine to know, but regardless, Blaine is a friend of Kurt's and Dave wanted to get along with him, to be able to be civilized even.

Blaine crossed his arms and a smile crept up, "He told me."

"So…I was wondering if you'd…if you'd…help me pick out some…I don't know…Kurt-approved clothes or whatever…I know I don't have anything he'll like, and-"

Blaine's eyes widened, "Wait – you want me to…help you shop for clothes?" His mouth was still slightly agape.

Shyly, Dave answered, "Yea." He did enjoy the shock value, but hoped Blaine didn't just turn around and walk out.

"Yes." Blaine said flatly.

"Yes?"

"Sure…it might be fun."

"I'm not sure what dots you connected to get to that, but…okay…thanks." Dave smiled appreciatively with a slight nod.

"Do you have a budget?"

Dave pulled his gift cards out of his pocket, "I have about…$500 in Nordstrom's gift cards…"

"Hmm…that might work," Blaine nodded in surprise.

"Dude, I just want one outfit."

"Okay. Define outfit."

"Uh…Shirt and pants."

Blaine continued the list, "…and a belt, and socks, and shoes, a watch, a jacket, cufflinks and…"

"Seriously?"

"Dave - I'm not kidding. You asked for my help, but if you don't want it…"

"No-no…I do, it's just sheesh…I never thought about buying all that as part of just one outfit."

"Okay – well, think about this. Have you ever watched women shop for clothes?"

"Uh, yea, I guess."

"…and they take for-ever right?"

"Yea - That I remember."

"See the reason isn't that they're just picky, they need to try everything on and see how it fits and make sure they have chosen something that won't just be worn with that one outfit. You have clothes, but you don't have a wardrobe."

"Huh…I never thought of it like that."

"Well, admittedly, it's easier for you in a way since you're starting from scratch."

"Yea…okay...cool, so it's off to Nordstrom's" Dave turns around trying to get his bearings, "it's uh…"

"Over this way," Blaine points, "and Men's is on the third level."

"Huh." Dave really had no idea. Malls were not really his thing. Well, anything involving stores and shopping really.

"Yea – not my first time."

"Oh – and no bowties…seriously." Dave smirked.

XxXxX

After Patrick dropped him at his car, Jackson headed to the mall. He would have invited Patrick, but he knew that was almost a fate worse than death. While Jackson kept up with fashion, Patrick was more of a jeans and tee shirt kind of guy. Of course, he had suits and sport coats for work or that special occasion, but in general Patrick mostly wore clothes out of comfort. Sure, he could fill out a tee shirt like you wouldn't believe, but Patrick wouldn't buy something because it was in fashion.

Previously, he tried to get Patrick to wear clothes that were more fashionable, but after months apart, Patrick reverted to his old habits. However, when Jackson was in town, he noticed Patrick sometimes would wear the clothes that Jackson thought were more stylish. It was a nice gesture, and Jackson appreciated it.

It was one of the reasons Jackson loved him. He was willing to adjust and mold a bit just because it made Jackson happy. To his credit, Jackson made adjustments too. Patrick loved scruff, so Jackson grew a nice, shortly cropped beard, slightly longer than scruff. He'd never admit it to Patrick, but he'd received more compliments on his beard than he thought he ever would. Apparently, beards were super-hot in the gay community, well society in general right now, and he had Patrick to thank for that. Who was he kidding? His beard looked freaking hot.

He pulled up to the Nordstrom's entrance for the mall. He had tried shopping at Macy's in the past, but found their materials subpar. Walking in, he headed for the third floor Men's department, and had to pass through the Perfume counter to get to the escalator. He stopped and smelled a few scents, but decided to move on. His niece was meeting him and he didn't want to keep her waiting.

He was about to step on the first set of escalators when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Uncle Jackson?"

A cute, blond teenage girl squealed and ran up to him. She had short, spiky hair and a Lima East jacket on.

"Chloe! God you've grown."

They hugged and they caught up while making their way to the Men's department. He told her that he would be in town for a few weeks. She glowed about her new position as lead Eagle and her new boyfriend.

She nudged him and asked about Patrick. She actually hadn't seen him much since she'd been in high school. When Jackson was in town for only a few days, he'd spend pretty much all of it with Patrick, but the holidays were usually spent separately with their own families.

He told her that he hoped he and Patrick would be spending a whole lot more time together but didn't give her any details. He just wanted to spend some quality time with his apparently grownup niece.

After perusing a few racks, Jackson found a few items he wanted to try on. They headed towards the fitting rooms, and she waited outside. She had a pretty good eye for style even though her boyfriend couldn't care less about it.

Jackson had been in the dressing room for less than a minute when she saw Blaine walking toward her carrying a royal blue dress shirt much too big for Blaine's smaller frame.

"Blaine! Hi – how are you?" She rushed to give him a hug, and he had to move his arm quickly in order to save the shirt he was holding from being caught between them and getting wrinkled.

"Um-"

"Oh – who is this for? It's really cute. I love this color."

Before he could get a word in edgewise, Dave popped out of the dressing room in a chestnut colored dress shirt, dress jeans, and a charcoal blazer.

"So, how does this look?"

Chloe squealed and moved quickly to Dave, who put his hands up in defense.

"Chloe – These wrinkle – be careful."

She stopped just shy of a hug and gave him a double pat on the back.

"Wow – you look fantastic. I never would have guessed you for a fashion whore."

"Actually…" Dave began, but Blaine cut him off with a raised hand.

"That would be me. He's just getting some…pointers."

Chloe nodded and gave a thumbs up, "Nice pointing – I like."

Dave stood up a little straighter and smiled, "Tonight's my first date with Kurt, so…"

Chloe couldn't contain another squeal, albeit a bit muted. She knew that her personality was a little too 'bubbly' for some people, but she just loved being there for a budding romance.

"Aww – you guys…"

Jackson emerged from the dressing room a moment later and stepped past Dave, who he assumed was just another customer – although not without checking him out first. Jackson's clothes were back on the hanger since he knew they were keepers and didn't need advice. He knew that Chloe could appreciate them either way.

"Uncle Jackson – This is Dave – he plays hockey at my school" She motioned from Dave to Blaine, "…and this is Blaine – he goes to McKinley. Guys – this is my uncle Jackson. He's in town visiting his boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend – we're close friends." Jackson corrected, but Chloe just rolled her eyes.

Dave seemed a little surprised, but didn't let it show. This guy didn't seem gay to him, and in a way reminded him of Patrick, but he dressed a bit more like Kurt or Blaine. He glanced at Blaine, but he just had his usual happy-go-lucky smile on his face. Dave figured he'd better get used to not being able to tell. For a gay man, Dave had terrible gaydar. Maybe he needed to hang out with Santana more.

Jackson shook their hands, and he thought they were both cute, but was drawn toward Dave more.

"Nice to meet you both."

"Yea – Dave's here picking out clothes for his first date with his new boyfriend." She beamed.

Dave still didn't think that word fit, boyfriend. He could get used to it, but they hadn't even had one date, so how could he have a boyfriend? He figured that it didn't matter though; Jackson would get the point.

Jackson motioned to Blaine, "So this will be your guys' first date, huh?"

"Me? Oh – no…um…Dave's going out with Kurt. I'm just here for fashion advice."

Jackson took the opportunity to look Dave up and down. He was actually very attractive and about as tall as Jackson was. His chest filled out the shirt pleasantly, nice broad shoulders. Dave had what was probably a day's worth of scruff that undoubtedly made him look a bit older than he probably was. Like Jackson, he thought the scruff suited Dave's face. He leaned back and glanced at Dave from behind before putting his finger and thumb on his chin.

"Hmm…" motioning from Blaine to Dave he said, "I'd say – try on the blue one."

Dave took the shirt from Blaine and appeared a few minutes later.

After seeing it on Dave, everyone agreed the royal blue shirt was the one.

Dave thanked Jackson and said goodbye to Chloe.

The bill was about $100 over the initial budget, but he'd just started a wardrobe, and he felt like it was really only a fraction of the cost it would have been without the gift cards.

Dave needed to get home and get ready. He didn't want any chance of being late, and he still needed to shave. He hoped Kurt would appreciate a freshly shaven face.

XxXxX

After shopping for a while, Chloe and Jackson headed toward the food court. They decided on sushi, and after getting their orders, they sat and talked in between bites.

"I didn't know you had so many gay friends." Jackson started.

"I didn't really…well I have one on my squad, and there's another on the hockey team, but he's not out…"

"Besides Dave?"

"Yep…well, this guy hasn't told me yet, but I know."

"Chloe – how can you be sure?"

"I don't know…I just can."

"Well, just be careful. Closeted jocks tend to stay closeted; I'm surprised Dave's out."

"Oh, he's not out to the team exactly…well…not yet. I get the impression that he's just not going to deny it, more than actually 'come out'." She said using air quotes at the end.

"So – he's a hockey player, huh?"

"Yep," She said before poking a whole piece of sushi in her mouth.

"He's a senior?" She nodded, and he continued, "He looks like a college student."

Chloe smiled, "Yea – he's a hottie, but Kurt – he's hot, but more in a designer way. He's got a great fashion sense. I'm guessing that's why Dave wanted to buy new clothes for their first date."

After chewing a bite, Jackson asked, "What was with that Blaine guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought he was Dave's boyfriend and he…I don't know…almost acted offended, but not quite."

Chloe giggled, "He's Kurt ex-boyfriend."

"Huh…that's kind of an odd thing…clothes shopping with your boyfriend's ex."

Chloe added, "Yep – and they just broke up like a month ago, too."

Jackson winced, "Ooh – I hope Kurt is ready to Date. Dave seems like a nice guy, okay a hot, nice guy, and I'd hate to see him get hurt."

Chloe smiled as she chewed, but her eyes gave away her thoughts.

Jackson knew she had information she wasn't telling, "Okay – spill it."

She put her chopsticks down and just looked at her uncle.

"Kurt and Dave? They're crazy for each other. I can tell; it's only a matter of time." She said it in a light tone.

Jackson was suspicious. He knew she could pick up on body language, probably better than a lot of police detective's, but he wanted evidence more solid than that.

"How can you be so sure?"

Chloe dropped her smile to a small grin to indicate her seriousness.

"Because they look at each other like you and Uncle Patrick look at each other."

"Now Chloe-"

"You can fight it uncle Jackson, but it's inevitable…trust me."

Oddly enough that gave him more hope than he thought.

They hugged and Chloe said she needed to go meet up with Jack, and later hit the books. She had a study date with Dave in the morning. She figured that if he was still in bed, she'd either hang out with Dave's dad or wake his ass up. She'd want details for God's sake.

XxXxX

A/N Song is "Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung.

I'm hoping to speed up the chapter releases, since I have to keep my mind busy with all the actual Kurtofsky canon happening.

Please review.