Of Princes and Queens

Kurt and Blaine sat at a small, outdoor cafe the next day, waiting for their lunch, and people watching as they talked about what had happened at breakfast that morning. As the newly bonded pairs had trickled into the conference room for the buffet, they had shown the two boys their rings and told them about their wishes.

"I still can't believe Brittany wished to be able to turn into a unicorn," Blaine said, grinning at the memory of the girls showing their rings. While the rings had been simple platinum bands when they had put them on, Santana's now sported three bright orange carnelians, and Brit's had three citrines.

Kurt smiled indulgently at the reminder. "And the ability to to turn into a rainbow to travel isn't as unusual? But then again, that is just so Brittany. Although, her wish to be able to make plants and flowers grow is actually very practical. And Santana's ability to know who is an ally and who is an enemy will definitely come in handy if we encounter any more people possessed by Sidhe."

"What were her other two wishes? I was distracted by Wes and David showing me their rings," Blaine said, smiling politely at the older woman who brought them their food.

"To be immune to injuries, and strong in a fight. What were Wes and David's wishes?" He had admired the malachites in Wes' ring, and the tourmalines in David's.

"David wished to be able to process information faster than a computer, to be able to turn himself and others invisible, and to be proficient in every form of martial arts. Wes also wished for that last one, too, and also to always be able to find his way wherever he needs to be, and to be able to walk through walls or turn hard as diamond as needed."

"That could come in handy," Kurt said, taking a bite of his Shish Tawook. The simple chicken kebab was rich with flavor from the herbs and flames. "Didn't Thad wish to Fly?" he asked after he swallowed.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, but waited to swallow his bite of lamb before elaborating. "Yes, and the ability to withstand injuries. He also wished to be able to turn himself into a shield to protect people."

"He and Quinn compliment each other so perfectly," Kurt observed. "I only wish I had thought to introduce those two sooner. And her wishes were so practical, too. To always know where help is needed, to travel between two points in minutes, no matter the distance, and to be able to calm and soothe people. Those all are just so her. And the fact that their gems are pink and blue diamonds, respectively is just so obvious."

They ate in silence for a moment, before another thought came to Kurt. "You know whose wishes were probably the most unusual, but still so obvious? Sam's. Of course he'd wish to be able to mimic any voice or sound. And since he already used his coin wish to be able to be in more than one place at a time, it also makes sense that he'd wish to be 'whoever or whatever is needed in any situation,'" he quoted the blonde boy. "And with his need to protect people, it makes sense that he'd want to heal them as well."

Blaine nodded. "What about Mercedes' wishes? Her momma bear was both terrifying and adorable."

Kurt smiled at the memory of his best friend showing off her new ability to turn into various ferocious animals that morning, after she and Sam had shown them the Lapis Lazuli and ebony gemstones in their rings. She'd also wished for the ability to withstand injury, which seemed to be a common wish among their friends, and the ability to be strong enough, mentally as well as physically, to deal with any situation.

"Artie's wish to take on other people's injuries really makes sense, too," Blaine observed. "He wouldn't want others to be paralyzed, even temporarily by pain. And the ability to slow time for short periods? Genius! I wish I had thought of that when we were making our wishes."

Kurt grinned, remembering the aquamarines in Artie's rings, and the turquoise in Trent's. "He also wished to summon a flaming Bo staff as needed. Always practical in a fight. But maybe you can explain to me what Trent's deal with fire is?"

Blaine frowned. "He was in a house fire when he was seven. A neighbor kid had been playing with matches and caught the bushes outside Trent's room on fire, and the flames spread to the house. Trent got out, but he's had a little bit of a phobia about fire ever since. His wishes to be impervious to fire, and the ability to control it, are his way of conquering that fear, I think. I have no idea where the wish to be able to turn into a bird of prey comes from, though."

"I wonder what Paul and Maggie wished for?" They hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the older couple, as they'd had to leave to inspect the museum, but Kurt had noticed the chalcedony stones in Paul's ring, and the amethysts in Maggie's. They hadn't seen Peaches or Teddy at all.

They'd finished their lunch, and were enjoying a selection of fruits and pastries for dessert, when someone called out.

"Kurt Hummel!" Kurt turned at the sound of his name, looking for who had said it. The young woman who approached them looked familiar, but it took him a moment to place where he'd seen them before.

"Unique?" he inquired, and the girl smiled at him.

"Yes! I'm so glad I finally get to meet you as me! What are you doing here?"

Kurt offered the teen a seat before answering. "We inherited some property from my great grandmother, and part of the terms required us to inspect each of the properties and sign the deeds and leases over to our name. That's why we were in Tokyo, too. This is Blaine, by the way."

"Blaine Anderson! Lead soloist of the Warblers!" the dark girl exclaimed, looking at the other boy for the first time. "Unique Adams, at your service, darling!" She offered him her hand.

"Pleased to meet you," he said, taking the offered hand. "How do you know who I am?"

"Unique is a fan of the show choir blogs, apparently," Kurt offered. "She saw New Directions perform at Nationals in New York, and Mercedes and I met her in Tokyo, but she was still Wade then." He turned to smile at the girl. "I'm glad to see you as your true self, but I have to wonder what you are doing here? It's quite the coincidence that we should run into each other again."

"Oh, well, my dad is a diplomat, so he travels a lot, and since it's summer vacation in the US, mom and I are traveling with him. Last week we were in Istanbul, and tomorrow we fly to Spain."

"We leave for Egypt this evening," Blaine said. "I wonder if we'll cross paths again?"

"It's possible. I'm not sure where we're going after Spain." She smiled at Blaine before turning back to the glasz eyed boy. "I'm so glad I ran into you again, Kurt! I wanted to thank you for giving me the courage to stand up to my parents! I told them that if they truly loved me, they wouldn't try and hide who I really am. My mom cried and said it wasn't that they were ashamed of me, but that they were afraid for me. I told her I was a big girl, and that I could protect myself. They agreed to let me be me, and so far, no one has even batted an eyelash!"

"I'm happy for you, Unique, although I think Wade was just as strong as you are. I'm glad you stood up for yourself." He hugged the younger girl.

"Well, I need to go, I just popped out to buy a dress for the state dinner dad is taking us to in Madrid. Great seeing you, Kurt, Blaine. And thank you again for your encouragement!"

"I wish you all the happiness, Unique!" Blaine said, and Kurt knew he'd used another coin wish for the girl, and he smiled. Unique seemed like a special person, and she deserved to be happy.

…

They were almost back to their hotel when they spotted another familiar face. Kurt wasn't overly surprised, he'd been expecting her. "Coach Sylvester, you're late. The battle was last night."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Porcelain," the cheer coach said, leaning against the wall outside a shop as she sipped a cup of coffee. "I'm simply waiting for my contact to arrive and show me where to find a pair of twin fire dancers I want to recruit for the Cheerios. And I wouldn't call that little skirmish a battle. I am relieved, however, that you appear to have learned how not to draw attention to yourselves."

"Who are you?" Blaine asked.

The blonde woman looked him over. "Well, young Burt Reynolds, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you. Literally. And that would be such a shame, what with you just about to find your Queen and all. Besides, it's much more fun watching the little cogs in your head whirling, trying to figure it out. Now, I must go, I see my contact down the street." As she spoke those last words, a flock of crows swooped down and surrounded her, completely blocking her from their vision. When they flew away, Sue Sylvester was gone.

...

They flew out just after dinner, once again sleeping on the planes during the ten and a half hour flight, landing in Luxor, Egypt early the next morning. Very early. The sun hadn't even risen yet, and Kurt needed coffee. Thankfully, there was a Starbucks near the airport, and he was able to get his grande nonfat mocha.

Because it was so early, they couldn't check into their hotel just yet, so they set out all together for the first of six properties in the Memphis vicinity they were to inspect, in the Valley of the Kings. The sun had still barely breached the horizon when they arrived, and there was no sign of the person they were supposed to be meeting.

As they waited, Kurt couldn't help observing the newest additions to their group. When he and Blaine had returned to the hotel the afternoon before, they had been greeted in the lobby by a pretty redheaded girl, and a rather homely black-haired boy. They both looked to be about sixteen years old, and had been holding hands, and smiling at each other. When the pair had spotted the two boys, they jumped up and rushed to greet them, showing the two boys the rings they each wore, hers with small chips of ivory, and his with bits of fossil. It had taken Kurt and Blaine a moment to realize the pair was Peaches and Teddy. They had each used one of their bond wishes to be able to take human form whenever they wanted.

Now the two were exploring the area, hand in hand, seeing everything from a new perspective. Kurt smiled as Peaches absently licked her right hand and swiped at her head with it, still more used to being a cat.

Kurt yawned and stretched, trying to wake up more, and wishing he had another grande nonfat mocha. Where was their guide? His dad had confirmed with the man last night the time of their arrival, and the gentleman had said it was no problem to meet them so early. He frowned. Something didn't feel right.

"Are your Spidey senses tingling?" he asked Blaine.

"No, why?" the curly-haired boy replied.

Kurt's frown deepened as he looked around. The sun had crept a little higher in the morning sky, just enough to leave long shadows that seemed to take on eerie shapes as they inched across the ground slowly. In the dark, they hadn't noticed the motor bike leaning against a wall nearby, but now that the sky was beginning to lighten, they could just make it out. It was almost hidden in an alcove among the ruins.

Granted, the motor bike could have belonged to anyone, but Kurt couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened. He slowly walked towards the bike, dreading what he was going to find. He stopped in the doorway, trying to see into the deeper shadows at the back of the structure. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he made out the form swaying gently back and forth, suspended from the roof beam.

"Dad!" he shouted, frozen to the spot. The others all rushed over to see what was going on. "No! Don't come any closer! The rest of you stay back!" Kurt cautioned.

"Kurt, what's going on, kiddo?" Burt asked.

"I think I found our guide," his voice cracked a little as he spoke. "He's dead."

Grandpa Chang moved forward to examine the scene. "It would seem the Sidhe beat us here. Everyone should be on guard."

They spent the next couple of hours dealing with the police, and speaking to the lawyers about the paperwork Kurt and Blaine were supposed to sign. Since there was no evidence of foul play, the death was ruled a suicide. By the time they were given permission to leave, it was almost nine in the morning, still too early to check into the hotel officially, but they decided to head there anyway, to eat breakfast in one of the hotel's restaurants.

"So," Trent asked, "what exactly were you supposed to be inspecting back there, anyway?"

Blaine shrugged. "Another series of underground tunnels, although The Society didn't have any specific information on why they owned them. They've been in The Society's possession for several hundred years, apparently."

"What happens now?" Thad asked, pouring a glass of orange juice for Quinn from the carafe.

"We'll move on to the next site after we check in," Kurt answered. "The lawyers are sending someone else out, and we'll go back tomorrow, after the sun is up."

"What's the next location?" was Artie's question as he sliced into his stack of pancakes.

Kurt couldn't stop the grin on his face. "We're going to go visit Carole's dad."

His stepmother gave him a confused look. "What?"

Blaine laughed. "We're visiting the Temple of Amun Ra, who is reported to have been the father of the goddess Bastet, which would be you."

"Oh," Carole blushed slightly. "The Society owns the temple?" she asked.

"Not the temple itself, no," Kurt informed her. "They do own some of the relics housed there, however. Including a staff rumored to have been owned by Bastet herself, which the lawyer informed me this morning, mysteriously disappeared a little over a week ago, only to reappear a few hours later. I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

She frowned at him. "Are you saying I somehow summoned the Bo staff I owned in a former life and used it on those robbers back in Hokkaido?"

"It would appear so," James said, entering the conversation. "As your memories of your previous incarnation grow, you will be able to summon any of her weapons and possessions that still exist."

"Most images of her portray her with a Bo staff," Blaine said, "but she was also proficient in several other weapons as well, such as slings, javelins, and the long scimitar-like bronze sword."

Finn was looking at his mother with a peculiar expression on his face. "Wow, mom, I never knew you could be so badass!"

"Thanks, Finn," she said, "but watch your language!"

…

After they finally checked into their hotel, Kurt, Blaine, Burt, Carole, Paul, Maggie, Wes, and David drove to the temple. Carole had felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of visiting a place that supposedly had ties to her previous life, but once they arrived, she felt a sense of rightness fill her. Something inside her settled, and she finally accepted that this was what she was meant to be.

As Carole was having her epiphany, Kurt and Blaine were having a private mental conversation.

"She could be the Queen of Summer," Blaine said. "She's definitely a mother."

Kurt wasn't convinced. "So is your mom, and Maggie, even though her daughter died. And what about Lizel? She may not have given birth to Tina, but she's still her mom."

"True," Blaine conceded. "I don't know, I just keep thinking about how Dave said he sensed that he was getting close to Rowenna, and, well, I kind of feel like that now. Like it should be obvious, like I'm staring right at them but not seeing them. Do you know what I mean?"

Kurt frowned. He did understand what the curly-haired boy was saying. Brittany's words from his dream kept playing through his mind. Autumn falling before Summer, and Spring singing of hope. A memory kept trying to work itself into his head, but he just couldn't grasp it.

David's voice cut into his thoughts, effectively breaking his concentration.

"Um, hello?" The dark skinned young man said, and Kurt and Blaine turned to look at him. The older boy was looking at an old man who was staring at the former Warbler councilman with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Bakhna Rakhna!" The old man exclaimed, studying David intently.

"I'm sorry," David replied, "I don't speak whatever language that was." He glanced around for Maggie, to see if she could interpret, but she and the other adults had stopped to use the restroom.

"Bakhna Rakhna!" the old man was saying, pointing at David, and then at himself. The strange man stood up straighter, and suddenly a pair of black moth wings sprouted from his back, and his form seemed to lengthen. A pair of feelers protruded from his head, and his eyes had turned completely black. "Bakhna Rakhna!" he said again, making a gesture towards David, one that Kurt interpreted as 'I showed you mine, now you show me yours!'

"I think he wants you to transform, show him your other form?" he said to David.

The older man seemed to understand what Kurt was saying, and nodded excitedly. David frowned. "I don't understand, he thinks I am like him?"

"It appears so," Wes said. "Why don't you concentrate on shifting, and see what happens?"

David didn't look too convinced, but glanced down at the ring on his finger. After everything else that had happened in the last couple of weeks, who was he to question the fact that he might be some kind of winged creature. He studied the older man for a moment more, then closed his eyes and thought about the black wings and antennae. He felt something rise within him, and heard Wes' indrawn breath. The older man's excited chattering had the dark-skinned boy opening his eyes to find the old man bowing before him.

David looked around at his friends in confusion. Kurt and Blaine were looking him over in awe, while Wes had a thunderstruck look on his face. "You're so beautiful!" The Asian boy said in awe. Kurt pulled out his cell phone and turned the camera on, letting his friend use the feature to study himself.

David's eyes were completely black, with no white showing at all. The feelers protruding from his head were more feathered, longer, and seemed fluffier than the other man's. The black butterfly wings that sprung from his back were longer, and looked more like a cloak than anything else. Around his head was a wreath of banyan leaves. The old man was speaking rapidly in a language that Kurt was certain was not the local Arabic dialogue.

"It's Wolof," Maggie said as she and Paul joined them. "It's one of the languages spoken in Senegal."

The old man glanced up at her, and spoke again, and she replied in the same dialect before turning to David. "He says he did not realize you were the prince when he spotted you. He was just happy to see another of his kind for the first time in almost a hundred years. He meant no disrespect."

"Prince?" David said.

Maggie spoke with the older man again for clarification. "He says you have the royal wings and you wear the crown of the Bakhna Rakhna prince. Apparently Bakhna Rakhna are sort of cousins of the Fairies," she glanced at Kurt when she said this.

"I didn't realize you spoke any African languages," Kurt said. "You gave my dad a list of languages you spoke when we hired you, but you didn't list any languages from Africa other than Arabic."

She smiled and flashed her ring at him. "My linguistic skills have greatly improved."

"Pop?" a new voice cut in. "Oh my gosh, pop, you can't just wing out like that!" They all turned to see a younger man with a strong familial resemblance to the older man rushing towards them. He stopped when he spotted David, his eyes going wide. "Oh my gosh, Prince Radnu!" The younger man bowed in front of David as his father had. "We've waited so long for your return!"

The man stood and glanced at the others. "I'm assuming one of you is Kurt Hummel? I apologize for not greeting you sooner, I was not aware that you would be traveling with Prince Radnu. I am Ousmane, your guide."

"I'm Kurt Hummel, nice to meet you," Kurt said, shaking the man's hand as Burt and Carole joined them. "And we didn't know he was a prince."

"I didn't know I was a prince," David added.

"I did," Wes said, softly enough only Kurt and David heard him.

Both David and the older man, whom Ousmane introduced as Tomas, returned to their usual forms, and they began the inspection. They were nearly finished when the sky began to darken, despite it being early afternoon.

"Looks like a storm is moving in," Carole observed.

Tomas frowned, studying the horizon. He began speaking rapidly in that language Kurt didn't understand, and both Ousmane and Maggie went on alert.

"That's not a normal storm," Maggie said. "It's a sandstorm. We need to take cover quickly!"

Ousmane directed them to a small structure on the outskirts of the temple, but the sandstorm overtook them, blinding Kurt, who stumbled as the wind slammed into them, bringing the stinging pain of billions of tiny sand particles scraping along his skin. He heard Carole and Maggie cry out, and Paul's muttered curse, and then suddenly there was a piercing cry from somewhere close, and something wrapped around them, cutting off the wind and allowing Kurt to blink his eyes open.

His vision was still blurred by tears, but he could just make out the shape of a large creature that seemed to be part lion, part eagle, and part dragon. Whatever it was, it had spread its wings, which must have had a span of at least twenty feet, and was using them as a barricade around Kurt and the others, protecting them from the dangerous storm.

"Kurt!" Blaine shouted over the howling of the wind. "Use your powers to control the wind!"

At first the pale boy didn't understand, but then he recalled Brittany saying that he could also control air, and that was all wind was, really, a strong air current. He concentrated for a moment, not exactly sure what he was doing, but made himself visualize the wind settling, calming, and after a moment, the sand began to settle as the wind abated.

Kurt got to his feet, shakily, trying to blink his eyes back into focus. "Where's my dad?" he asked, looking around. He saw Ousmane and Tomas helping Carole to her feet, as Wes and David helped Paul and Maggie.

"He's right there," Carole answered, nodding her head at the large beast that was now sitting, cat-like, in the sand. As his eyes cleared, Kurt got a better look at the creature. The head and wings were definitely those of an eagle, the chest and forelegs were very lionesque, while the hindlegs and tail were scaled, and looked a lot like Grandpa Chang's back quarters in dragon form.

"Dad?" Kurt said, surprised. "What is he?"

"Akhekhu," Blaine said, his enhanced intellect supplying the knowledge. "Often mistaken for the griffin of European folklore due to its similar appearance, although the griffin doesn't have scales, and its tale is that of a lion. Akhekhu is actually considered to be a member of the dragon family."

"My dad is a dragon, too?"

"Apparently," Carole said, smiling. "And a very handsome one at that."

Both she and Kurt approached the magnificent beast, which was huge. It stretched out it's wings, and shook its head in a manner not dissimilar to a lion in the wild, and then leaned its head down for them to pet. Kurt had to stifle a giggle.

"Well, I always knew you were just a big, protective dragon, but I never imagined this!"

The creature used one wing to swipe out at Kurt for teasing him, knocking him off his feet again, although not hard enough to hurt him, and then changed back into Burt. "Smart alec!"

They all laughed, as Burt helped Kurt to stand back up.

...

When they arrived back at the hotel, they found Thad in the lobby, trying to comfort Quinn, who was crying.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

The former Cheerio wiped at her face. "Shelby called. She'd taken Beth to the park this morning, and almost as soon as she set her down, Beth took off running, right in front of a kid on the swing set, who couldn't stop himself and crashed into her. She has a mild concussion, and had to have ten stitches put in her cheek."

"Oh, Quinn, I'm so sorry," Kurt said, hugging her. "Is she going to be okay?"

The blonde girl nodded and smiled as Thad handed her a tissue. "Yes, she's going to be fine, I'm just being all weepy. Shelby said that Beth cried all the way to the hospital, but stopped as soon as the nurse offered her a cherry popsicle."

Kurt grinned. "That's good, I'm glad she's doing fine."

As Kurt and Blaine rode the elevator up to their floor, the shorter boy was lost in thought.

"I forgot Quinn was a mother," the hazel eyed boy murmured as the doors opened and they stepped out into the hallway.

Kurt paused and turned to the shorter boy. "You think Quinn is Megira?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Blaine said. Kurt just looked at him for a moment, and then turned and started walking towards their room once more, without speaking. He didn't say anything once they were in the room either, just gathered his things to take a shower.

It wasn't until after Blaine had taken his own shower and they were getting ready to go down stairs to meet the rest of the group that he finally spoke.

"It makes sense," was all he said.

"What's that?" Blaine asked, straightening his bow tie.

"Quinn as the Queen of Summer," Kurt clarified, fastening the zipper on the ankle boots he wore. "You're right, she is a mother."

Blaine just nodded. "But she's not a weaver."

"True," the taller boy admitted. "Not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. But what if 'weaver' doesn't mean what we think it does? Like crone. We all thought it meant an old woman, but it just meant a woman who is wise. What if weaver has another meaning we don't know about?"

Blaine looked at him in surprise, even as Kurt's phone made a chirping sound. The auburn haired boy picked it up and read the screen. His techno magic had once again prodded the phone to provide the information he needed. "'Weaver, a songbird, known for intricately woven nests.'"

The two boys looked at each other, and both felt that little click in their mind that told them they were on the right path. They both hurried to finish dressing and rushed down to the conference room where they were meeting for dinner.

Looking around, they spotted Thad carrying a plate in each hand as Quinn served them from the buffet.

"Should we wait until after dinner?" Blaine asked, sounding nervous.

Kurt just shrugged. "Why put it off?"

Blaine nodded, and took a deep breath before crossing the room. "Quinn, may I speak to you for a moment?" He glanced at his friend. "If you'll excuse us just for a moment?" Thad smiled and nodded, and kissed Quinn on the forehead before carrying the plates to a pair of open seats between Wes and David and Burt and Carole.

Once they were alone, Blaine escorted Quinn to a private corner. "So, Quinn, I know we don't really know each other that well, and I really don't know how to say this but…"

Quinn smiled at his hesitation. "You think I'm the Queen of Summer, don't you?"

The curly haired boy looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Thad pointed out after you and Kurt went upstairs earlier that it was quite a coincidence that the Queen of Summer was a mother, and that I was a mother as well, and that I 'glowed like the summer sun.' At first I thought he was just being poetic, but it made me wonder."

Blaine blushed. "So, if I called you by the Pixie Queen's name, you wouldn't freak out like Santana briefly did?"

She laughed. "Only one way to find out. Speak, Lord Jovan."

"Megira, Mother of Glory, The Queen of Summer, Queen of Pixies, I call you to reveal thyself." The words seemed formal, but they felt right as they left his lips. He knew he was right when he was briefly blinded by a flash of gold and silver sparkles.

When they cleared, Quinn stood before him in a floor-length gown of various shades of shimmering green, that flared around her legs. A pair of gossamer wings unfurled from her back. Her delicate ears were pointed, and her hair was shorter, cut in, well, the only way to describe it was a pixie cut. A halo of pure light encircled her head, with tiny stars and comets seeming to whirl around it.

"Oh my god!" Kurt exclaimed. "She looks like a living, breathing Tinkerbell!"

The rest of the group gathered around as she turned to face the mirrored wall that stretched one side of the conference room. She burst into laughter when she realized it was true. "I do look like Tink! I used to dress up like her when I was younger and pretend to be a fairy."

Santana frowned. "What, no antlers? That's not fair!"

They all laughed, as Quinn returned to her usual form, and sat down to eat.

"This is marvelous!" Pam exclaimed. "Two Queens found, and only one left to discover!"

"And it looks like the probability of the third being one of the girls here is pretty high, which makes things simpler," Lizel added.

"Wait, what?" Kurt said.

"Well, Santana and Quinn were part of our group, so it makes sense that the third will be as well."

"Don't look at me!" Rachel said. "I don't want to be one of the Queens!"

"Why not?" Finn asked.

The girl looked sullen. "Because the only one left is the Queen of Spring, and from what Kurt and Blaine have told us, she's not allowed to fall in love! I don't want that!"

"Actually," Carole said, trying to soothe the girl, "They just said that she had to remain a virgin, they never said she couldn't fall in love."

The brunette didn't look mollified. "But what guy in his right mind is going to stay with her if she can't have sex with them? Isn't that what all guys really want?"

Thad frowned at her. "A physical relationship is nice, but if that was all a guy wanted, why would he marry at all? Granted, some guys are looking for a woman who will tend to his other needs, such as cooking and cleaning, but those marriages usually don't last, because they aren't equal."

"And even if Carole and I never had sex again, doesn't mean I wouldn't still love her," Burt added, even as Kurt cringed at the thought of his dad having sex.

Finn also looked uncomfortable as he spoke. "We haven't had sex, Rach, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

Rachel blushed, and smiled at the tall teen. "Thanks, Finn."

"Besides," Quinn said, "you aren't the only virgin left in the group."

Everyone turned to look at Mercedes, who just shrugged. "This is true, but I doubt I'm this Queen of Spring they're looking for. I'm just way too fabulous for that! Besides, Kurt and Blaine are also virgins."

Kurt choked on the sip of diet coke he'd just taken. "We're not the Queen! We can't be!"

Blaine patted his back. "I don't think that was what she meant, sweetie."

"Sorry, Kurt," the dark skinned Diva said. "I'm just pointing out that there is nothing wrong with being a virgin."

There was a lapse in conversation after that as they ate, until Quinn asked the question that had been on her mind since Blaine had spoken her former name. "What did you mean, Mother of Glory?"

Blaine frowned in confusion for a moment, and then the memory came to him. "Megira had a daughter named Glory. I remember she had blonde hair and huge hazel eyes."

Quinn gasped. "That's Beth!" She pulled out her cell phone and showed him a picture of her daughter.

"Oh my gosh!" Blaine said. "That is her!"

"I knew your description sounded familiar," Kurt said.

…

They returned to their room shortly after dinner, and decided to go to bed early. It had been a very long, eventful day, and they still had five properties to inspect in the next thirty six hours. Kurt fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down, and dreamed.

...

His friends all laughed and clapped, patting Blaine on the back and wishing him happy birthday. Blaine sang Teenage Dream next, with help from the other Warblers in attendance. Mercedes followed with Aretha's Respect. There was almost a riot when Elliott was persuaded to sing for them, and he performed Marry The Night.

Rachel was finally allowed to sing, and it was halfway through her rendition of I Hope You Dance that all hell broke loose.

Both Kurt and Blaine had gone on alert, their senses warning them of pending danger, but it was Santana's scream as something grabbed her leg that notified everyone else that something was wrong. The dark haired girl fell, landing in front of the chair Quinn was sitting in, causing the blonde to jump to her feet. She screamed as well when she saw the creature that had sharp teeth buried in her friend's boot.

...

Kurt woke up with a gasp.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, startled awake by his boyfriend jolting up in bed.

"I know who the Queen of Spring is!"