Kurt sat in the auditorium alone for about 15 minutes before 10 guys came back in and sat down. The others had exited out side doors.

"Alright," Mr. Johnson said. "We have 10 people here still. We'll rotate you through the three roles and hear you read and sing again. We are looking to hire two swings, who will play Jared and Connor as needed and will be in the support cast as their regular role. We are also looking to hire an understudy for the role of Evan, who will also be in the support cast. To give you all an equal shot, I'm going to have you run through the musical number singing Connor's part with Eddie, our pianist. So, if the 10 of you could go back up on stage and work on 'Sincerely Me', we'll keep this moving."

While that was going on, several other people from the musical came in and sat about 5 rows back from the stage. Kurt stayed in his seat and sang his part of the song quietly while the others practiced on stage. When they finished the guys sat back down in the auditorium.

"After you've had the chance to sing with Kurt and run a scene with him, you can sit in the back of the auditorium and wait in case there's anything else we decide that we want to see you do. We'll let whoever we've chosen know this evening. So, if you could all go stand stage left and be ready to come out when we call your names, hopefully this will go smoothly and quickly."

They all moved, including Kurt. "Martin" and "Ron" stood to the side a bit where they could observe Kurt. Blaine moved up and stood next to Kurt.

"We've always sounded great together. It would be amazing to get cast in the same show."

He was wearing his mega-watt smile that used to get Kurt's heart beating fast. Now, it was just making Kurt feel sick.

"I've never known you to be interested in playing second fiddle."

"Oh, well, I have to start somewhere, right? Who knows whoever plans Connor could quit and I might be able to move up into the main cast. It would be like we had always talked about – you and me taking Broadway by storm."

"Just so you know, I have no say in who gets chosen. I'm not the one you need to impress."

"Martin, Blaine, and Kurt – you're up."

They came out on stage and sang the requested section of 'Sincerely Me' and ran through a section of dialogue.

"Switch it up. Blaine you sing Connor's part this time."

They ran through the portion of the song again.

Two more names were called. The process when on until everyone had participated. Afterwards, each of them sang the first half of 'If I Could Tell Her'.

Mr. Johnson stood up. "I want to thank all of you for coming in. You'll hear from us this evening."

Once they had all left, Mr. Johnson approached Kurt and spoke quietly. "I just want you to know that we are not considering Blaine for any of the roles. I kept him here to go through the rest of the process merely to keep him from being able to claim that you somehow sabotaged his chance. I wasn't overly impressed the first time I heard him, and I was less so the second and third times."

By then Mark and Rob had come up.

Rob said, "He pushes too hard to reach the high notes and it just sounds strained. He doesn't have the right range for any of the parts. And he's a scene hog. He over-emotes and tries to be the center of whatever is going on. He's still in school. Hopefully with more training at NYU, he'll learn to control his facial features better as he's singing and he'll either expand his upper range to reach those notes or he'll know his abilities better and not try out for parts that aren't suited to his range."

Mark looked at Kurt with a bit of curiosity in his eyes.

Kurt shook his head in frustration with himself. "In my defense, I was a junior in high school hand he was the first out gay guy I had ever met. He was the lead singer of a rival all-male a cappella choir that I had gone to spy on. He flirtatiously serenaded me with 'Teenage Dream' the day we met – in a key that did not strain his voice, I'll add. He sang lead, backed up by about 15 other good-looking teenage boys in prep school uniforms and blazers."

Mark smiled. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Kurt relaxed. "It's been over for ages. Although I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he suggests that you rescore the music when you tell him that he doesn't have the range needed for the parts."

"Seriously?" Mark asked.

"Did you ever know anyone who just lucked into everything? Someone who could talk his way into or out of everything? Someone who all of the teachers liked? Someone who was just handed everything he wanted?"

They all nodded.

"That's Blaine. He's not accustomed to anything other than having everyone around him accommodate him, all while somehow making everyone think it's their idea. I have no idea how he does it."

Mr. Johnson said, "I'd say it was boyish enthusiasm mixed with just enough pushiness to keep adults from wanting to deal with him having a fit when he didn't get his way, but that only works for so long and then everyone involved is an adult and no one wants to deal with an adult who behaves like an overgrown toddler. Enough about him. I'd actually like the three of you to sing 'Sincerely Me' together."

The three of them headed up to the stage.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

Kurt made it to Vogue on time to change and head out to the Fashion Week event that he and Isabelle were scheduled to attend. He was surprised when he got there and found that Sebastian was there as well, in one of the Givenchy suits.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Kurt said flirtatiously, as he scooted close enough to Sebastian to whisper in his ear.

"You are gorgeous and that suit looks fantastic on you."

Kurt preened under Sebastian's compliment. "Thank you."

Sebastian grabbed two flutes of champagne as a server came around.

"Hold that thought. I haven't had anything to eat since the granola bars I ate on the way to the theater after dance this morning.. I need to go look around a bit to find someone with a tray of cheese or something before I drink that." Kurt came back a few minutes later with a napkin with a variety of cheese cubes on it. He ate several and took his flute from Sebastian and offered him the rest of the cheese.

"Thank you." Sebastian ate them. "So, what are we doing here?"

"I think you're being eye candy in that tight Givenchy suit. And I'm supposed to be helping Isabelle, which I will go do. I'm glad you came and I got to see you sooner. It's been a long afternoon. I'll give you three guesses who showed up to audition."

"Blaine," Sebastian said flatly.

"Bingo. The good news is that his range isn't high enough for any of the parts that are available, so he will not be cast. I had nothing whatsoever to do with it. I have no idea who would say anything about it to you, but I just wanted you to know that I did not participate in the selection process."

"I'm sure that your 'selection process' would have been to just ask him to leave."

"Exactly, but I'm sure he won't take it well. He never takes being told 'no' well."

Sebastian's eyes flashed with rage, but he calmed himself with the knowledge that Blaine wouldn't be in the show.

"I'll find you again when I can." Kurt winked and walked away.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

They stopped by Kurt's office afterwards and picked up the clothes he had been wearing earlier. Isabelle sent them home in a car. The driver pulled into the parking garage to let them out. Kurt opened the door to be faced with Blaine, sitting on the bench outside the garage entrance to the building. Kurt stopped, which caused Sebastian to bump into him. Sebastian looked where Kurt was looking.

"Blaine," Sebastian said coldly.

"Sebastian."

Sebastian slipped to the side, leaving Kurt standing where he was. He met the driver in the back and removed their garment bag and the swag bags from the evening's events.

Kurt had regained the use of his voice by that point. "If you want to talk to me, it won't be here and I'd prefer to change first. I'll be quick since you've obviously been sitting out in the cold for a while. We'll take our stuff up, change, and come right back down."

Blaine nodded.

Kurt and Sebastian waited for the elevator and didn't talk for a few minutes.

Finally, Kurt broke the silence. "I'm going to take him to the Copper Cup. It's close by and it shouldn't be terribly crowded, but there should be enough people there to keep him from making a scene."

"I'm going with you. You can sit at a separate table, if you want, but I don't want him getting you alone. I'm 99% sure that he's been drinking."

Kurt unlocked the apartment door. He hung the garment bag in his coat closet along with the dress coat he was wearing. Sebastian hung his coat up as well and put all of the swag bags on the dining table. The two of them changed into jeans, boots, hoodies, and warmer coats. They added gloves and scarves because it was so cold out. They went right back down and outside.

"Let's go to the Copper Cup. Not that I want you to hang out in this neighborhood, but it's open and it's heated." Kurt led the way. He didn't talk on the way there. He opened the door and let them both walk through.

Sebastian got in line first. He ordered a decaf hot tea with milk and honey and waited for it. Kurt watched him sit down at a table, pull his Kindle out of his coat pocket, and start to read.

Kurt ordered next, paid, and stepped to the side. Blaine did the same. Once they had their drinks they sat down at a table on the opposite side of the room from Sebastian, but Kurt chose a chair that gave him a clear view of Sebastian's face. When Sebastian saw him look his way, he winked at Kurt, causing Kurt to relax just a bit.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Unless you object, I'm recording this conversation." He waited a few seconds and hit the record button on his phone. "Why are you stalking me? I asked you to leave me alone. What is it that you want?"

"You."

Kurt could tell that Sebastian was right. Blaine had been drinking. "Not happening. I've been over this, several times. I am not getting back together with you. How much have you had to drink?"

"Just a few beers. Mr. Johnson called tonight and told me that I hadn't been selected for one of the roles in the musical."

"I told you earlier today that I had nothing to do with the casting. I was required to be there today to sing and interact with the guys who came to audition, but I had no say whatsoever in who got hired." He drank a little of the hot tea with milk that he ordered after hearing Sebastian's order. He liked it, although it wasn't his favorite, but each drink made him think of Sebastian. "I'm not sure what gave you the idea that you were well-suited for the three parts available. The songs are above your comfortable singing range."

Blaine ignored Kurt's statement. "Everything was great while we were together, while you cared about me. Things went my way. It's like when we're not getting along, everything just goes wrong. I got washed out of NYADA and I ended up back in Ohio. But you came back for me and I got into NYU instead. But NYU is huge. I've auditioned for the plays and musicals and I haven't gotten a single part yet. Some of my NYADA credits didn't transfer. That's not true. Some of them conditionally transferred. Since I didn't have the first year of some of the courses, I had to take those at NYU and once I finish them this semester and makes a B or better, I will get the transfer credits for the second year courses or something like that. Anyway, at the end of the semester, I will be a junior. That means that I still have two more years of school."

"I don't understand. I thought you liked it at NYU."

"I did at first. Spring semester last year was pretty easy and fun. I couldn't audition for anything because I was technically a freshman still with that conditional credit transfer thing. I took a few electives and some general ed required classes since some of the classes are sequential, they're not offered in the spring. Anyway, the classes aren't necessarily easier, but there's no equivalent of Miss July, who berated every move I made. At NYU, the instructors have been less adversarial."

"Okay. So why did your statement of having two more years at NYU sound so despondent?"

"I need that part in Dear Evan Hansen. Maybe you could get them to just let me be in the support cast. I know I'm good enough to make it. You made it and I was always chosen over you. If you can make it, so can I."

"I'm not really sure how insulting me is helpful when you're the one asking me to do something for you. I'm not going to contact Mr. Johnson. He has the right to choose whomever he thinks will make the show a success."

"But Kurt I need you. If you can get him to change his mind, then I can drop a few classes or just quit. I need to get my foot in the door somewhere."

"What you need is help that I can't give you. Go to the mental health services office at NYU. You should be able to see a counselor there. My honest assessment from watching you today – you haven't improved since high school. From what I heard, your range is actually smaller now. I would discuss possible causes of that with your voice teacher. Watch videos of yourself performing. I realize that you must feel like you're putting the right emotion into the song, but you actually look uncomfortable and pained. Closing your eyes and grimacing doesn't make you look emotional, it makes you look like you're trying too hard. Try connecting emotionally to the lyrics and the story behind the song."

"Wow. I come to you asking you for help and you berate me, kicking me when I'm down."

"My intention was to point you in the right direction to improve your performances so that you will succeed on your own in the future, thus not needing anyone's help."

"Fine, I get it. You're not going to help me."

"Video self-feedback. It's super helpful. Not all emotions are big and bold. Some are very small and nuanced. Get an acting coach."

"You could coach me."

"You need to figure out how to make yourself a better performer. I already have too much to do and I'm not interested. The video self-feedback is helpful. I can tell you that today you came into the performances with the wrong mindset. Evan Hansen is shy and anxiety ridden. He did something stupid and the whole rest of the story is what happens because of the stupid thing he did. So, when you were singing 'If I Could Tell Her', you came across as very sure of yourself, like you usually do. But Evan isn't sure of himself at all. And that whole song is a lie. Connor never told him anything about Zoe because he and Connor were never friends. So, he was making all of those things up about Zoe based on his own romantic interest in her, yet trying to make his statements seem like something a brother would say."

"I didn't know that."

"I'm not sure it would matter. If we're having truth time, the truth is that you play yourself in every role. You haven't learned to become the character you're portraying. If you want people to flock to see Blaine Anderson, then you need to turn your focus back towards vocal and musical performance rather than musical theatre. You like to be the center of attention. Blaine as the leader of the Warblers. Blaine as the leader of the New Directions. That's the type of adoration that musicians like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift get. People pay big bucks to watch them be themselves, or what they're portraying as themselves, up on stage. In musical theater, people pay big bucks to be transported to another time and place and watch other people become someone they aren't. People pay big bucks to watch Lin Manuel Miranda and a bunch of other 20-somethings wear historical costumes and rap about the founding fathers. People are paying big bucks to watch another take on the Peter Pan story. People who love musical theater may really enjoy certain actor's performances, but it's the actor's ability to make them believe that they are someone else that draws people to watch them. I thought you had switched your major to music composition or vocal performance or something when you started at NYU last spring."

"Is this your way of telling me that you don't want me as your competition?"

"You are obviously too drunk to be having this conversation."

"I switched back to Musical Theatre after met with my advisor. It was the only way to keep most of my credits and not have even longer at NYU before I will graduate."

"So, you switched your major back to musical theatre just so you could get out of college sooner? You really aren't making much sense. You are aware that it costs over $50,000 a year to go to NYU, plus that flat you're in probably costs $2,000 a month, plus your living expenses. Somewhere around $80,000 a year isn't pocket change. You could drop out now and get most of the tuition refunded for your classes for this semester. You could go back to Ohio and enroll at Ohio State and start over next fall studying something you actually WANT to study and four years there would cost them less than one more year here at NYU."

"I don't want to live in Ohio. I don't want to go to school anymore. I just want to be in shows or perform"

"This is pointless. I'll simplify things. Open your phone and click on the voice memos app." Kurt waited. "I'm putting you in a taxi and you're going back to your apartment. You will not contact me again. Do not hang around outside my home, my school, my place of employment, or the theater where I will be rehearsing and performing. I won't speak to Mr. Johnson on your behalf or anyone else's. Get help. See a counselor. Take extra voice and acting lessons. Use video self-feedback. Attempt to actually portray the character rather than just saying the character's lines the way that you would say them. If you can't manage to convince people that you're someone else, reconsider the music performance career instead of musical theater. I wish you the best with your pursuit of self-improvement." He pressed the end button. "Let's go." Kurt stood up.

When Sebastian saw Kurt get up, he put his Kindle back in his coat pocket and got up and moved towards Kurt. Kurt put his cup and Blaine's in the dish bin and opened the door to usher Blaine outside. Sebastian put his cup in and followed them. Kurt moved to the edge of the curb to stop a taxi.

Blaine asked Sebastian, "Are you his bodyguard these days?"

"No. I'm his friend."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Friend, right. How about a roll in the hay? Obviously, I'm not attached anymore. You can come back with me to my place."

"I wasn't interested then. I'm not interested now. Meaning no. Not now, not ever." Sebastian stated matter-of-factly.

Kurt came back to get Blaine into the taxi. "Open your wallet so I can pay the driver."

"All I have is a $20."

Kurt took it. "Don't come back. If the security officers see you loitering again, they'll call to have you picked up. I have repeatedly asked you to leave me alone and I mean it."

Sebastian made sure Blaine stayed in the taxi. Kurt went around to the driver's side and gave him Blaine's address and the $20 bill. The driver shook his head. Kurt pulled out a $10 bill out of his own wallet. The driver took the money and waved as he drove off.

Kurt moved back to the curb. Sebastian opened his arms and Kurt walked right into them. They kissed chastely and Kurt moved to Sebastian's side so they could walk back to the apartment hand in hand.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

They stopped at the security desk on the way in.

"How can I help you tonight, Mr. Smythe?"

"There was a man sitting on the bench in the parking area. He's on our 'Not Allowed' list. If anyone sees him loitering on the building property, I would like him escorted off the premises. He has been repeated asked to leave us alone and he showed up here tonight partially inebriated."

"Yes, sir. If we see him on the security cameras in the parking area, we'll ask him to leave, and if he refuses, we'll call the police and have him escorted off the premises."

"Thank you."

"Yes, sir. You have a good evening."

"You too."

They took the elevator up and Sebastian unlocked their door and opened it. They hung their coats up.

"Let's shower and go to sleep," Kurt said. "I'm exhausted and we both have class in the morning."

About fifteen minutes later, the two of them were in bed. Kurt lay down on what was typically Sebastian's side of the bed. Sebastian went around and climbed in behind him and scooted up to be the big spoon. Kurt rolled back enough and turned his head to kiss Sebastian. He rolled back onto his side and snuggled into Sebastian's chest.

"What did he want?"

"Me to get Mr. Johnson to give him a part, any part. "I recorded our entire conversation. You can listen to the recording later."

"Okay. I took photos of him sitting in the parking garage when we got out. I also took photos of you talking to him in the Copper Cup and a couple of you putting him in the cab and paying for his fare."

"I told him not to come back. I told him to leave me alone. I recorded a message for him on his phone."

"Please tell me what you need. I don't want to guess or assume."

"I'm actually fine. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I was really upset while we were showering. I was just really in a hurry to get in bed with you and relax. It's been a really long day. I'm actually not upset, but I'd enjoy being held."

"Mmm. That's one of my favorite things to do." He kissed Kurt on the back of the neck and ran his hand down Kurt's arm before he slipped his hand underneath and slid it to where he could wrap it around the side of Kurt's neck.

"He pulled out all of his charm this afternoon and it didn't cause a single pitter-patter in my heart. Not one iota of interest on my part. It was completely different than meeting up with him a little over a year ago with Sam. Honestly, that day, just seeing him tested my willpower. I was so unsure of my ability to resist him and I was so aggravated with him that he hadn't left me alone like I had asked. By the time he showed up at the retirement home last spring, seeing him didn't cause any feeling other than frustration and some anger. You went with me in June. I didn't feel drawn to him whatsoever then, but I still had an emotional response, which was expected given the nature of our talk. This afternoon when he showed up, all I felt was the wish for him to leave because he wasn't right for any of the parts and he was just wasting our time. His presence didn't make me long for days gone by or make me wish we had worked things out. It actually made me all the more thankful for you. I have zero interest in him or his life. He's just irrelevant. "

"'Blaine the irrelevant.'" Sebastian chuckled. "I like it. He propositioned me while you were getting the taxi."

Kurt laughed. "Of course he did. I wouldn't expect anything different. I'm sure he's still 100% convinced that you wanted him back in high school. He always thought he was the desirable one." He turned back a little bit again, reached back, and wrapped his arm up behind Sebastian's neck and kissed him. "Mmm. I wish it weren't so late. I really want to kiss you."

He rolled more towards Sebastian and repositioned himself and started their kissing game of just barely kissing him, which lasted a couple of minutes before Sebastian pressed in for a kiss.

"What a coincidence. I really want to kiss you too," he teased back, as he pressed in and kissed Kurt again and again, with increasing intensity.

Kurt responded by running his hands through Sebastian's hair and kissing him passionately. When they pulled back to breathe, he said, "Your kisses are addictive. I'm convinced. We kissed once and then all I wanted to do was kiss you."

"That's ALL you wanted to do?" Sebastian teased.

"At first. And still all the time."

"Mmm." He reattached his lips to Kurt's, this time kissing him gently, despite wishing they could continue. When he pulled back, he said, "Turn back over. Let's get comfortable."

Kurt plopped over and fluffed the pillow and scooted it back enough that Sebastian's head could fit too. "I have one more evening of Men's Fashion Week duties tomorrow evening. Friday evening I'm all yours."

"Mmm." Sebastian kissed the back of his neck. He slid his arm under the pillow. "Can I plan our evening?" He wrapped his other arm around Kurt.

He slipped his hand up and laid it in Sebastian's near the edge of the pillow. "Sure. A surprise evening planned by you sounds perfect." He yawned. "I love you."

Sebastian nuzzled into Kurt. "I love you too."

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

Friday afternoon, Sebastian showed up right after Mamma Mia! rehearsal started. He sat in the back, keeping his distance so he wouldn't affect Kurt's concentration. He didn't know that they would be focusing on the songs, but he enjoyed getting to sit and listen to Kurt sing.

About 10 minutes before the rehearsal was scheduled to end, the director had the cast come down off the stage and sit in the front rows. Sebastian stood and moved closer and sat in a seat near the aisle. He winked at Kurt when he noticed him. Once the director finished talking to them, Kurt grabbed his bags and went to sit next to him.

"Hey, handsome."

"Ready?"

"For what?"

"My plans."

"Your plans start this early?"

"Unless you have something else you need to do."

"Nope. I just figured you had planned something for tonight after dinner."

"I did, but I have plans for us now too."

Kurt pulled his thermos out and drank the last of his tea. He got up and stood in the aisle. "Lead the way."

Sebastian stepped out and took his hand and walked next to him. "Nah. I'd rather walk alongside you than lead."

Kurt leaned into his shoulder. "What did you think?" Kurt pushed the door open and they headed toward the exterior doors of the building.

"I thought it sounded great, especially you."

"Now, you're just being biased."

"Not really. You did sound great."

"So, which way?" Kurt asked when they got ouside.

"We are starting off the evening with an early dinner with Grandma. You've had work with Isabelle every evening this week and we haven't been over to her place yet. I went, yes, but that was mostly for business. We haven't been there for a meal yet."

"Alright."

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

They took the elevator up to the 6th floor. Sebastian knocked on the door, and then used a key to open it.

"Grandma, we're here," he called out as they stepped inside.

"Oh, good. I'm happy to see the two of you. Come on in." She stood from where she had been sitting on a sofa near the window to the left.

Kurt and Sebastian hung their coats and their bags on some fold-down wood hooks on the wall in the small entryway. Kurt surveyed the flat. It seemed to be divided in half in mirror images.

Running perpendicular to the front door was a hallway that spanned the whole flat. Four rooms encompassed a mostly open area, like a large great room. The hallway walls were half-height between the hallway and the kitchen to the right and a library area to the left. Past the half-height walls, nothing divided the dining area from the living room area.

The long wall they shared was almost entirely windows from about a foot from the floor to a foot from the 9-foot ceilings. The center was a glass door that led out onto a 4-foot balcony that ran the length of the great room.

Kurt walked to the end of the open hall area, stood in front of the door that led outside, and gazed out at the view for a minute or so before turning back around to face the entry door. Since the hallway walls were only half-height and there were no other walls dividing the rooms, only two walls of the kitchen and library were full height.

The kitchen, now to his left, had base cabinets around three sides. The side that ran along the half-height wall did not have cabinets. The entry point was through the dining area, a space between the cabinets to the left and the half-height wall to the right. From that viewpoint, the counters were in a C shape. The entry faced the refrigerator. To the left of it, there was door. From that point to the left and the whole left wall of the kitchen area had upper cabinets that extended to the ceiling. There were no upper cabinets above the section of lower cabinets separating the kitchen from the dining room.

The library had two walls of floor to ceiling built-in bookcases. The half-height wall also had built-in bookcases. In the center of the library area, sat the grand piano.

He saw doors near the windows along the far wall – one at the far right in the living room and one to the far left off the dining room. To his right, on the living room wall, she had had her large flatscreen TV mounted to the wall. He noticed the large painting that Sam had done for her was on the wall in the dining room. He also notice that she had brought the table and chairs and the furniture from her library rather than the larger, more stately pieces from her formal dining room and sitting room.

"Sam did a lovely job on my painting. It's the view from the formal dining room out into the formal gardens when they were in full bloom. My view will be perpetual spring now."

"You've been planning this for a long time," Kurt said.

She smiled, but didn't answer his question. "It's an interesting layout, isn't it? It doesn't have much in the way of square footage, but with these four rooms basically being one large room, there's no feeling of claustrophobia or of the rooms being small like there would be if all of the rooms were walled off. I liked the open feel that your place has and this fit the bill with the extra library area with room for the piano. The former owner had a pool table in that space.

"It is an interesting layout," Kurt agreed. I'm assuming the two doors lead to the bedrooms."

"They do. There's a very small half bath as you come in."

"Oh, I just assumed that both doors were closets," Kurt said.

"Each bedroom has its own full bath and a walk-in closet. I like the split layout. That way when I have guests, we can all still have our privacy. I've lived in such a big place for so long, I didn't think I would enjoy having my guest bedroom right next to my own."

"That makes sense," Kurt said. "I like it. It has very bright and open feeling."

"The door you can see off the kitchen, leads to the laundry room. Everything is very compact, much different than what I'm used to, but I like it here. If you two are ready to eat, we can go ahead and serve ourselves. I just made a roast, carrots, and potatoes in the crockpot. Nothing fancy."

Kurt said, "We eat simple meals most of the time. And we use our crockpot a lot. Sebastian puts the food in before he goes to his afternoon classes and then we can eat when I get home from work. But that's changing next week. I won't be able to come home between Mama Mia! rehearsals and Dear Evan Hansen rehearsals." He walked into the kitchen and washed his hands.

The other two got up and followed him. Sebastian washed his hands after Kurt. Grandma Smythe pulled out three places and some serving utensils and everyone served themselves. She had already set the table for three, so they sat down together.

"So tell me about your week, dears."

Kurt and Sebastian started with their modeling adventure and Sebastian ended it with talking about watching Kurt during his rehearsal that afternoon. Sebastian briefly mentioned Blaine showing up at the audition and their building.

"That boy needs help. I'm torn because I read things in those PI's files that are not public knowledge and were potentially gathered without regards to the legality of the method used. He needs to stay away from the two of you."

"I've asked him to numerous times and he hadn't interacted with me for seven months. In all fairness, as far as I know he had no way of knowing that I would be there, but I guess it's not entirely impossible that he could've found out somehow. But he appeared genuinely surprised to see me. Or maybe it was his genuine surprise to see me with a beard that gave him the ability to look truly surprised. Or maybe he used my beard as a way to interact with me in a way that made it look like he was surprised about seeing me there. I don't know. Hopefully, he listens and stays away. Like I told Sebastian that night, Blaine is irrelevant. I have no interest in interacting with him in any way"

"Well, I may just drop Mr. and Mrs. Anderson a short letter in the mail."

"Grandma?" Sebastian looked confused.

"I'll give him one last chance to do as he's been asked first. With what I saw, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't end up in some kind of trouble anyway. It's just going to take someone to piece the puzzle together."

Sebastian said, "What do you mean?"

"I did more digging of my own. I'm an old woman with little to do and a lot of time on my hands. I didn't break any laws. I got my information through legal, publicly accessible methods."

"So…" Kurt said, curiously.

"So, I'm not going to share what I know about him. Plausible deniability for the two of you. I will say though that if his parents quit supporting him financially, he'd be too busy working two part-time jobs 50 hours a week to be skulking around and following you around town."

"I can tell you that he doesn't want to go to school anymore. He wants to get a job performing and drop out. He liked it at first when it was new and fun and pretty easy, but now he's not enjoying not being the center of attention or working hard at something he thinks he's already good enough at. He's always seen himself as Rachel's equal and even though she screwed up Fanny and her TV show flopped, she's back in a lead role on Broadway. He wants the job without the schooling and he's seen Rachel get it."

Sebastian said, "You're right though, Grandma. If his parents weren't supporting him, he might leave town because he'd have to work really hard doing 'menial' jobs a ton of hours a week to stay in his flat. And it wouldn't give him much time to audition for stuff. He might leave and go live someplace cheaper."

"What got you interested in all of this anyway?" Kurt asked.

"I read the papers the PI had collected on the people that he had investigated. Reading about Lima, McKinley mostly, was like an addictive soap opera. The more things I would research, the less things made sense, until they started to make sense. But I don't think anyone else has come to the conclusion that I have. I know it's ridiculous, but it's kind of addictive and much more entertaining than TV soap operas."

Kurt laughed. "Alright, so tell me things about Lima."

"I'm assuming that you know that Sue Sylvester was charged for a long list of crimes, from intimidation to misallocating school funds to child endangerment. The list is quite long."

Kurt nodded. "I knew she had been jailed."

"Well not long after that, she was moved from jail to a psychiatric unit for observation and to undergo testing when her answers to questions were erratic. Sometimes she was very lucid and other times she was nearly nonsensical."

"That pretty much describes Sue perfectly. One year she served meals at the homeless shelter for Christmas and another year she completely destroyed our Christmas decorations and made slips so that all of the teachers drew her name for the gift exchange. My junior year, she stepped down as principal in protest of the school board allowing Karofsky to return to the school after three days. He was the one that threatened to kill me which was what made me flee McKinley to Dalton."

"Wait, dear. A fellow student threatened to kill you?"

"Yes, my junior year. He had been bullying me since well, ever since I had known him. But it got more intense towards the end of sophomore year. The beginning of junior year, it became obvious that he was targeting me personally, as opposed to targeting any loser. So, he did something and he told me that if I told anyone, he'd kill me."

"And you had reason to believe it wasn't just empty words."

"All of the bruises all over my body said it wasn't just words. He locker shoved me any time he could. That's where someone pushes you so hard when you're walking down the hall that you fall into the lockers along the sides."

"And the teachers?"

"Some saw. They all did nothing. Except Coach Sue and Coach Beiste. Pretty much the rest of the staff was afraid of the bullies themselves and weren't willing to get in the middle of it. Anyway, she resigned as principal over him being able to return to school in what ended being a 3-day suspension. Then later that same school year, she encouraged students to write half-truths and libelous things about each other in a rebooted school newspaper. An article was written that indicated that Quinn, who was dating my stepbrother Finn, and Sam and I were all involved. According to the article, Quinn was cheating on Finn with Sam and I was cheating on Blaine with Sam. Which of course made Sam bisexual. So, she allowed Sam to be fake outed in a school that was notoriously terrible to non-straight members of the student body. She was always completely unpredictable. She once made firing Brittany out of a human canon part of a cheerleading routine for a competition. Brittany and the two other best cheerleaders, Santana and Quinn, dropped out, causing Sue to lose. And then a year later, Sue got Santana a scholarship to college."

"Sue has a medical condition, which caused her to take some medication that caused her further problems – psychosis being part of the problems. I won't go into it. But under constant watch and with medication changes, she has stabilized. The problem is that her memory is unreliable as far as the psychiatrist has determined. She will be released to a group home or nursing home type living center for patients with medical and mental issues in a sort of house arrest situation. She won't be able to cause anymore trouble, but she's also not going to be released to live on her own again."

"Oh, wow," Kurt said. "That's actually really sad that she's not going to recover enough to live on her own. I'm not making any excuses for her behavior."

"I understand, dear. It's hard to see someone struggle with issues like that. It's sad for her little daughter too."

"Robin. I remember meeting her. Sue was thrilled and so happy to have her. Let me think. She'd be about three and a half now."

"Donna Jackson offered to adopt her a year ago. Sue agreed to keep her out of foster care."

"Donna Jackson. Jackson. Becky's mom?"

"Yes."

"Wow. This is more complex than a soap opera."

"It was Becky that tipped off the authorities about the hurt locker. Sue had a storage unit that was really creepy."

Sebastian laughed. "You are way too into this, Grandma. Creepy hurt locker? What even is that?"

"From the photos I saw it was like an anti-shrine, I guess you'd call it. It had photos and effigies and whatnot of people that Sue had a vendetta against."

"So, there were photos of like… Mr. Schuester?" Kurt asked.

"Yes. There were quite a few others as well."

"That is creepy," Sebastian said.

"There was also a shrine to Kurt and Blaine and a calendar delineating the timeline of getting the two of them back together before the wedding."

"Oh my God," Kurt said. "Way back – the day after Sam and Mercedes kidnapped the two of us to the hotels, I told the two of them that the only person I could think of that had the ability to set everything up was Sue and that somehow she pulled it off was with Blaine's help. You have evidence? Or someone does?"

"Plausible deniability, dear."

"I came up with this myself 15 months ago. I just didn't have access to any proof."

"There are pieces that when fit together look like proof to me, but someone else is going to have to figure it out somehow."

"I see," Kurt said. "A shrine to me and Blaine makes sense with what went on when I was in Lima. She tried to break Dave and Blaine up. She locked me and Blaine in a fake elevator and wouldn't let us out until we kissed, and not just a peck on the lips type of kiss. We tried that and the elevator doors still wouldn't open. After we had been in there for nearly 24 hours, we gave in. It was so hot and miserable in there."

"She what?" Sebastian was outraged.

"We had to sleep on the fake elevator floor overnight as it was. She gave us dinner, but no breakfast or lunch. I just wanted out of there." Tears streamed down Kurt's cheeks.

Sebastian reached out for his hand. "Mon feu, I'm not mad at you. That was… I don't know… Some kind of sexual assault by proxy or something. Forcing people to kiss to be set free from being kidnapped."

Kurt wiped his eyes. He nodded. "She was watching us. There was this compartment that a remote controlled old-fashioned ventriloquist-type dummy on a tricycle came out, kind of like the one in Saw but it looked like Sue. It came out and described to us what we had to do to escape. The last time it came in, it told us that the elevator was being filled with the aerosol version of tadalafil and that if we didn't cooperate that we were going to die. And we could see some gas being pumped into the space. It was beyond creepy. That's when we just decided to give in so we could get out of there. The dummy Sue on the tricycle watched us and once we had kissed to Sue's standards, the elevator doors started to open slowly and we got out. "

Grandma Smythe said, "Kurt, I'm so sorry, dear. I really had no idea about the elevator."

"I know." He wiped his eyes. "I didn't talk to anyone about it. You're the first two I've ever told any of the details. Who would have believed me anyway? That wasn't the only insane thing she did while I was there that fall. That was the thing with Sue – she did so many crazy and outlandish things that everyone who knew her would believe the crazy story, but everyone was too scared of her to do anything about it. And anyone who didn't know her would have thought I was high or drunk or just making stuff up."

Sebastian squeezed his hand. "I knew you said she was nuts, but I guess I never got a full understanding of what exactly that meant."

"Let's see. One day, she just decided that she was going to blast Madonna music over the PA system through the whole school. It was literally so loud no one could hear anyone else talking – all day long."

"My goodness."

"When Coach Beiste came to the school the beginning of my junior year, Sue made her a batch of welcome cookies made out of dog poop."

"That's disgusting," Sebastian said, as he looked like he might be sick.

"Our first Sectionals my sophomore year, she got Brittany to give her our set list and she gave it to the two schools competing against us. She made sure we were last to sing so that it would look like we stole their set list. We came up with a whole new set list in like a half-hour and won. There are so many things I could list. I'm sure that everything she was charged with is true. The fact that she decided to run for the congressional seat in our district is the reason that my dad put his name in the race. He absolutely did not want her to represent our district."

"Well, I am glad that did not happen," Grandma Smythe said.

"Me too," agreed Kurt.

"Well, as much as talking about the insanity of Lima appeals to my inner nosy-body, I do actually have another topic that I would like to discuss which most likely won't be to your liking."

"Not to my liking?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, dear."

"Alright. How about you let us clear the table and we'll go sit in on the sofa and talk afterwards?"

"That's fine, dear." She got up and went into her bedroom for a few minutes and came out and sat on the sofa.

They washed and dried all of the dishes quickly, including the crock. Sebastian took Kurt's hand and squeezed it on the way out of the kitchen. They sat down next to each other on the other part of the sectional.

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out quietly. "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

She handed him the two sheets of paper that she had in her hand. He took them and looked at them. They were two breakdowns of loan repayments. The first was a typical amortization repayment schedule and the second was a repayment based on a simple interest of 5%.

"Obviously there is a large difference in the final numbers. I think it's criminal the amount of money that is charged to go to college these days, but to strap young professionals with a lifetime of debt definitely is. I would like you to consider letting me pay off your school loans."

Kurt pushed back his innate response to immediately say 'no' and tried to listen.

"You can repay me using the second schedule. You can prepay at any point in time and pay the loan off as quickly as you can. So, if the show you're going to be in runs for a year and a half, you'd be able to pay it off in that length of time. Or if you go back to working for Isabelle and get a second job you'll be able to contribute to the cost of living in the apartment, as well as make the monthly payment. I just hate to see you repay so much more than you borrowed."

"Can I take these with me and think about it?"

"Sure, dear. You can put the numbers in and do the calculations yourself to make sure they're right. Just let me know when you've come to a decision."

"I will. This is a very generous offer. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. When you have some time, have Sebastian show you the paper I sent home with him the other day about the expenses on the apartment. I will give Sebastian some time after graduation to find a job to start to cover the expenses."

Kurt nodded. "I have no idea how the show will go. If it's a big hit, it may move to Broadway, but I'm not sure how long that takes. It took about four months for Adam's play to move to the West End once it was picked up. And there's always the chance that if it moves to Broadway, they may recast my role with someone who is already a well-known performer."

"We'll just have to wait and see on all of that, dear. I know a performing career isn't set in stone. I know that Sebastian has more plans for the two of you this evening, so I won't keep you. He said that he's working on a way for all four of us to get together, so I know he'll get that figured out eventually."

Sebastian said, "Thanks for dinner. And I will definitely get that figured out. I just need to get Isabelle's schedule from her and compare ours with hers." He stood up.

Kurt followed. "I'll think about this," he said, indicating the papers in his hand. He put them in his school bag. "One question though. Won't you lose money on this?"

"No. I have some money invested that is earning a lower interest rate than I offered you. So, if I loan you the money instead, I'll get a higher return on my investment than I'm currently getting on that money. In some instances the answer would be yes, if I pulled money from a higher yielding investment, but if I reinvest right now, interest rates are low. So, the short answer is no, I won't be losing money."

Kurt nodded, still thinking. "Alright. I look it over and let you know."

"That's fine, dear."

She followed them to the door and hugged each of them after they had put their coats on.

"We'll see you soon, Grandma," Sebastian said, as she closed the door behind them. He took Kurt's hand and they headed back to the elevator.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

"I like her place," Kurt said. "It really does feel open and roomy, even though it's actually quite small."

"I think it's about 85m2, which makes it huge by Paris standards. Georges and Letti's place is like 22.5m2 or so."

"But compared to Smythe Manor, it's really tiny. I think it's a good layout and the windows help a lot too."

Sebastian pulled him into a hug before the elevator door opened. "I had no idea about how bad things were. I'm glad you're not part of that nonsense anymore."

"Me too."

The doors opened and they got in.

"I want to make a phone call soon, if that's possible in your plan."

"Sure. We're going home. You can do it when we get there. I have things planned, but not down to the minute or anything. And tomorrow morning, you don't have anything early, so if things run a little late tonight, we can just sleep in a little."

Kurt stepped closer and leaned into him. Sebastian wrapped his arm around him.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

"So, what do I owe the honor of a call from the ice bitch who blocked me over six months ago?"

"Can it, Santana. I just need to ask you a few questions."

"Give me a minute. I need to move from where I'm sitting."

Kurt heard a door close.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"Why did you really let me and Blaine get married that day?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Can you please just answer me?"

"Fine. You know I didn't want Sue there, but she showed up with my abuela. I found out later that she had gotten it out of Brittany that I really wanted my abuela to be there. Sue took it upon herself to go guilt her into realizing that she was in the wrong to some degree and she agreed to come. Brittany wanted Sue to stay. Sue cornered me after I talked to my abuela. I guess when Brittany had told her about how much I wanted my abuela to come, she also talked about how much she wanted to go to Atlantis, which I knew but there's no way that we could afford since I wanted to use what was left of the money my parents had given me for graduation to put down on a place for me and Britt to live. Sue offered me a month-long stay in the Bahamas at the Atlantis resort in exchange for being all magnanimous about letting you two get married with us and somehow letting it all be Brittany's idea? I don't even know. All I know is that she had the tuxes and the rings and offered me the trip to the Bahamas as an incentive."

"Did you invite Blaine's parents to your wedding?" Kurt moved to his desk and turned his laptop on.

"No."

"How did they get an invitation then? Where did those four mom's dresses come from?"

"You know, I never thought about it, but I have no idea. We worked on the song for like 10 minutes before we did it. We'd already been drinking some by then. I have no idea about how his parents got an invitation."

He typed in Atlantis resort to get the cost. "Did you know that Mrs. Anderson and my parents had never met before that day?"

"Wait, seriously?"

"I had only met her once. I never met his dad. So, they ended up with an invitation to your wedding – two people they had never met. That's super weird. It's like whoever sent it to them KNEW that Blaine and I were going to get married that day and the person didn't want his parents to miss out on being there."

"Sue?"

"I don't know who else besides Blaine himself that would have had their address in Columbus. No one else's parents were invited. It's not like someone invited Mercedes' parents or Artie's parents."

"You got me there."

"I just sat down and looked up a vacation at Atlantis on my computer while we've been talking. I didn't have the details to put in, but a moderately priced room with the minimum food plan is $20,000 for a month. Plus, airplane tickets and whatever else was part of the all-inclusive package. Why would Sue spend over $20,000 just so that Blaine and I would get married that day? And where would she even get that kind of money?"

"I never priced it out like that. I had looked it up and saw that it was expensive and just told Brit that we'd have to save up for a while to go there some day. I have no idea where Sue would get that kind of money, but this IS Sue we're talking about. She got a human canon from who knows where to shoot Brittany out of. I learned that the words 'Sue' and 'logical' do not belong together. From my perspective, it was a last-minute thing. She showed up with my abuela. We made up. Sue approached me about letting the two of you get married with us and going along with it like it was Brittany's idea in exchange for the honeymoon to Atlantis, which was totally worth it. I love Brittany. I didn't care one way or the other about the wedding really. That was all her. I gave her what she wanted. We all know that a barn wedding would not have been what I would have planned. But it was one day. She loved it. I'm good with that. I love her and that's what I wanted out of the deal – her. Are you up for some questions yourself?"

"I may not answer."

"Why wasn't Blaine in your birthday photo? Was he taking the picture? And when did you and Sebastian become friends? I just can't envision him being friends with Adam and Sam. And I didn't foresee Adam and Blaine getting along."

Kurt burst out laughing. "Oh, my God. That's the funniest thing you've said in a long time. Blaine and Adam, friends? " Kurt took a deep breath. "Elliott took that picture. I ran into him a couple of weeks before that. Blaine and I haven't been together since the day after the wedding. I guess it was officially Monday when I broke up with him."

"Wait, what?"

"Between when I broke up with him in May 2014 and now February 2016, he and I were together for about four days. I went back to him a couple of days after he broke up with Dave. We participated in the wedding ceremony with you a few days later on Saturday, and that Monday, I broke up with him. That's it – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I'm not sure where to put Sunday. I had decided to break up with him already, but I didn't call him until Monday when I wasn't in Ohio."

"He posts stuff about the two of you."

"I reactivated my Facebook and created a couple of other social media accounts last summer after my birthday. I know I blocked you because of your snide remark, so you haven't seen anything else I've posted. There's no mention of Blaine anywhere because he is not part of my life. He hasn't been in a long time and he won't be ever again. I'm happy, so just leave it at that. I know that you and everyone else I knew in Lima think Blaine's the perfect guy, but he's not the perfect guy for me."

"I still don't get it."

"Before I answer anything else about him. What happened between me and you? You blackmailed Karofsky to get me to come back to McKinley. I still don't know why. I didn't get featured at Nationals or get anything more than a few lines at Sectionals the next year. You came to New York and moved in with us. I thought we had become friends. I thought we had left the past behind. We hung out around the loft together. I got you a girlfriend pillow and put a nightgown on her and we watched The Facts of Life and other things. I stuck with you when Rachel diva-ed out. I thought when everyone left New York late that spring that we were all in a good place with each other. I went back to Lima when none of you showed up like we had agreed to and it was like everything had reset back to high school. You were cool and I was back to dumpster fodder. Rachel was the focus of everything again. It was like some weird funhouse mirror. I was the one doing well in school. You had quit and Rachel had completely bombed her show after quitting school and Funny Girl. But we all had to be there for her and help her put her life back together, which she had destroyed of her own free will, I'll remind you. Blaine was with Dave. I was alone, which was my choice. I was the one who had called off the engagement. But you could have been supportive of both of us. You utterly TRASHED me in the hallway, in public. Why did you side with him? I can't think of a single time when he was supportive of you in any way. I had been there for you for ages. You lashed out at me because I said that I thought you and Brittany were too young to get married. I didn't even actually interrupt what your proposal. She had the ring on and everything before I even stood up. You had been in Lima for months. Not a single one of you kept in contact with me. It was like always, if I didn't put in 95% of the effort, there was no friendship. Whenever I gave what you all needed, we were friends, but if I needed something there were crickets."

"I'll grant you that. We went our separate ways and we didn't give New York a second thought after we left. And with you there, you were out of sight, out of mind as well."

"That's fine. I'm not asking to be a part of anyone from Lima's life anymore."

"We don't even live in Lima."

"Well, I hope you're happy wherever you are. I still don't know why you sided with Blaine. Or why you felt the need to take sides. Tina and Mike broke up. You didn't lash out at one of them for being utterly intolerable. Hell, you're decent to Artie and he broke Brittany's heart way back. What did I ever do to you to make you treat me like trash?"

"Fine. Nothing. You never did anything. You were always stronger than me. You put up with more crap than anyone I've ever seen and didn't crumble under the weight of all of it. You lived your life out and proud while I hid. I was HBIC. I could have kicked anyone's ass that was stupid enough to come at me. I could have been with Brittany from freshman year. She would have been faithful to me. She only ever slept around because she likes sex. If I would've agreed to be her girlfriend, she would have just slept with me and no one else. To be honest, all I heard come out of your mouth that day in the choir room is 'You can't have her.' I wasn't listening to what you said about us being too young. I just heard you telling me 'No!'. My abuela still wasn't talking to me. My parents weren't thrilled about me not going to school or finding a steady job."

"So you lashed out at me, bringing up all of that very personal stuff in a public hallway because you didn't want to be told 'no'?"

"I was finally in a good place. I had worked through a lot of things and I finally felt like I was good enough for her and when you stood up and said something negative, every negative thing about myself flashed back through my mind and I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I know I overreacted. I'm sorry."

"You didn't answer me about why you wanted to get me to come back to McKinley so badly when you had enough people to compete without me since it obviously wasn't for what I could add vocally."

"Dalton was killing you. What the bullies at McKinley had never managed to do to you, Dalton did. I saw you up on stage at Regionals and you were this pod person. You didn't look right without a neckerchief or your bitch boots or even a damn brooch. Where was the guy who did 'Four Minutes' with Mercedes? Where was the guy that split the lead on 'Bad Romance' with me, Tina, Quinn, and Mercedes? He was nowhere to be seen. I just told you a few minutes ago that I had been jealous of how out and proud you were, that you just kept on being yourself despite how everyone treated you. And then, there you were looking like a clone. I hated it. So, I started watching Dave to see what I could get on him so I could blackmail him. I was thinking something like copying someone's homework. I was not expecting to catch him staring at Sam's ass."

Kurt laughed. "He does have a nice ass."

"Yours is better and you know it."

"Why, thank you," Kurt sassed.

"So, it worked. You came back dressed in a top hat and a bondage jacket and your white Docs."

"Dalton was stifling, but I brought a lot of that on myself. I've learned a lot about myself since we've spent any time together. I wanted what everyone else had so badly that I was willing to give up parts of myself to get it. And once I had it, I kept our issues private, which also contributed to all of you thinking that Blaine was a Disney prince."

"So, why did you break up nearly two years ago?"

"The night I called it off, he was late to meet me at the restaurant we were supposed to have dinner at. You know how infrequently we went out to real restaurants."

"Right. Beaucoup bucks. Reserved for rare treats."

"So, I had been there for ages, on the veranda under the awning with it pouring down rain. He sat down and started talking about how he stopped by a place we had been considering for the wedding. It just set me off. Why didn't he text that he was going to be late? I smarted off asking why I was always having to wait on him and he just repeated himself as if I hadn't heard him."

"So, you broke up because he was late again?"

"No. I had just sat there for so long unable to think of a time when he had showed up on time or was completely ready to go on time. After everyone left and we were alone in the loft, we fought all the time. I sat there thinking about the last fight we'd had. It went on for three hours."

"Over what?"

"I got toothpaste on the hand towel in the bathroom after I brushed my teeth."

"Wait, what? You got toothpaste on a towel that could have been washed or rinsed off and you fought for three hours?"

"Yes, because every instance of my lack of concern for Blaine's wishes about how something should be done or what purpose a towel in the bathroom had was covered during the argument."

"It's a towel. Throw it in the laundry. Hang a clean one up. End of problem."

"You'd think, but no. I don't want to air our problems now any more than I wanted to back then. I only mentioned the towel because it gives you an idea of just how petty things had gotten. I know I played a role in everyone thinking he was perfect because I never complained about him, but why wasn't the same thought of me? Did he complain about me behind my back? That is a question I don't want the answer to. I just know that no matter how much I gave back then, one of you wanted me to give more or to take your side in an argument. I became irrelevant. I became an extra in everyone else's lives and I gave up having one of my own, but I'm not doing that now. I'm going after what I want. I'm doing what makes me happy. And I am happy and content. My life is crazy busy, but I love my life now."

"Well, good for you. Seriously. I don't know what you put up with all of our crap. You're right that we all went to you. You were the stable one. How, I'm not sure. But if you love your life now, I'm glad for you and if you unblock me at some point in the future, I'll mind my manners and not insult the people that are part of your life."

"Thanks."

There was a long pause before she said anything else. "Do you really think that Blaine gave Sue the money to pay for the honeymoon?"

"I guess the possibility exists that she had over $20,000 that she couldn't think of anything better to do with, despite the fact that she was over 50 and had a one year old to take care of."

"Right." Santana's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I have no proof that Blaine gave her any money, so please do not start any kind of rumors. Until this conversation with you, I didn't even know about the honeymoon."

"Look, it doesn't look good on me if people find out that I let someone I don't like bribe me into letting two people get married with me, no matter where the money came from."

"Got it."

"As far as I know, Britt and I are the only ones who knew about the honeymoon being from Sue. And half of what Brittany says goes over people's heads, so her talking about going to Atlantis, I doubt anyone would believe her, especially once she started to talk about Wonder Woman's lasso."

Kurt laughed. "Exactly. After the wedding, did you just say 'Surprise, Britt! We're going to Atlantis?"

"Actually Sue called the four of us in to meet in the auditorium on Monday. Brittany and I showed up, as did Blaine. When Sue showed up, she asked where you were and Blaine told her that you had driven Mercedes to the airport in Columbus and weren't back yet."

"Well, that was true. I did drive her to the airport. I just kept driving from there. What did Sue want?"

"Oh, she pulled out two handmade sparkly envelopes and called it her 'Honeymoon Showcase Showdown'. She handed our envelope to Brittany. Brittany was ecstatic. I even hugged Sue with her."

Kurt laughed. "What was in the other envelope?"

"A weekend at someone's cabana in Providence? Andrew Something, maybe. I didn't really catch it completely and that was a while ago."

"Andrew Sullivan in Provincetown."

"Sounds right."

"Blaine and I used to talk about retiring in Provincetown. Homemade envelopes and cards sounds like Blaine, not Sue. I don't recall Sue being in to arts and crafts or spending time on something expendable like an envelope. Blaine is big into scrapbooking and crafts. Remember the puppets?"

"Oh, God. Enough about Sue and Blaine. I take it that you're still in New York."

"I am. I graduate in three months."

"Good for you. I think you and Quinn are the only two that stuck it out."

Sebastian came into the room and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I have to get going. Thank for answering my questions. I have plans for this evening."

"Hot date?"

"Could be. Might be a cold date if his idea is to go ice skating."

"You nerd."

"Well, we're making progress I guess. You've gone from 'ice bitch' to 'nerd'."

"I'm going to think about some of that stuff. Now, you've got me curious."

Kurt laughed. "You do that, but if you do any looking into it, leave my name out."

"Got it."

He ended the call.

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

Sebastian moved in swiftly and wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind and pulled him close. "Your surprise is ready, although you are not dressed appropriately." He kissed along the part of Kurt's neck he could get to with his shirt collar blocking his way

"I must have missed how you said to dress." He tilted his head to the side to give Sebastian better access to his neck.

"Well, I didn't actually say because I wanted the fun of dressing you myself."

"Alright. Are you going to undress me too, or should I do that?" He reached for his collar button.

"Oh, no. That's part of the fun." He moved his hands up to Kurt's collar and removed his scarf carefully and then unbuttoned Kurt's shirt. He kissed down his neck and shoulders as he slid Kurt's shirt off his shoulders.

"I'm not sure that this is going to lead us to the surprise in the other room."

"It's in no danger. I'm not in a hurry and deviating from the plan is okay. As long as we get to spend the evening together, that's all that matters to me."

Kurt turned and began to unbutton Sebastian's shirt. "You're so sweet to me." He kissed Sebastian and continued working on his buttons.

"I think there's mutual sweetness going on. You spoil me a lot. The guys in my French class saw the post-it note you stuck in my notebook yesterday."

"Did I embarrass you?"

"Au contraire, mon feu." He kissed Kurt on the nose, teasing him. "I preened and left it right in plain view. I moved it to the next page each time as I took notes during class."

"You were showing off my love note?" Kurt slipped Sebastian's shirt off and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I was." He kissed along his neck. "An amazing man loves me and put a love note in my notebook. I was definitely being a show-off about it." He kissed him on the lips this time and wrapped his arms around his lower back, holding him close. "How about a quick shower?"

"How about a relaxing shower," Kurt wiggled his eyebrows and winked at Sebastian.

"An even better idea."

{]:[} {]:[} {]:[} {]:[}

"Keep your eyes closed." Sebastian stepped away and pulled his surprise out of the refrigerator and put it on the table. Everything else was on the table already. He walked back over to Kurt. "I'm just taking you to the table."

"Okay." He walked with Sebastian and he reached out for the back of a chair.

"You can open your eyes now."

"It's a chocolate chip cheesecake."

"Not just a chocolate chip cheesecake. It's a chocolate chip cheesecake with a fudge brownie crust."

"Mmm. Totally decadent. And looks homemade. You made me a cheesecake?"

"I did. This afternoon."

"You are the sweetest. Let's try it. It looks so good. Wait. Can I take a picture of it?"

"Do you want your phone or your camera?"

"Phone."

"I'll be right back." He kissed Kurt on the back of the neck and handed him his phone when he came back with it.

Kurt took a photo of it whole, and then sliced a piece, plated it, and took another picture. He silenced the phone before handing it back. Sebastian took it back to their room and came back quickly.

"Thank you. It looks fantastic. Let's eat it!"

Sebastian chuckled. He picked up a fork, sliced a bite, off and waited for Kurt to open his mouth.

"You're going to feed me?"

"Just the first bite."

Kurt opened his mouth. He chewed a few times and moaned. He finished the bite and swallowed. "That is definitely as amazing as it looks." He slipped the fork back in and offered the bite to Sebastian.

"It is really good. My idea was to slice it up and freeze the pieces. We can get one out each weekend and share it. It will be something quick that we can really enjoy together in the limited time you're going to be home."

Kurt leaned forward and kissed him. "Cheesecake kisses. Mmm." He kissed him again. "You are so good to me. Thank you."

"It's definitely my pleasure." He sliced off a bite and put it in his mouth.

Once they finished the piece and packed the rest away in the freezer, Sebastian led Kurt over to the sofa, where he already had the ottoman, throw pillows, and a blanket for them. He turned off all the lights, climbed into the space behind Kurt, and started the DVD.

"Oh, my God. You didn't."

"I did."

"And you say I spoil you." He leaned back against Sebastian. "You got the sixth season of Downton Abbey. This is going to be great. I gave up because I had missed so many episodes."

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Kurt and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm excited too. I like this as much as you do, you know."

"The snuggles or the show?"

"Yes."