Friday morning, they all slept in until 8:00. Kurt and Sebastian made a big breakfast for everyone while Marley and Jillian got ready. They bundled up and headed out to the New York Aquarium for the day. Their classes were over and Kurt had gotten the day off. They had saved it for last because none of them had ever been and they wanted to get to see everything.
As her Christmas gift, Isabelle got the five of them tickets to go see First Date that evening, so once they finished their day at the aquarium, they went back to the apartment and got ready. Isabelle picked them up in a car. They ate dinner before they went to the show, which they all enjoyed.
The next morning, Kurt tried to slip out of bed, but Sebastian wrapped his arms around him.
"Stay."
Kurt rolled over to face him. "I need to get some things ready. We're leaving for the airport in two hours and we're bringing my parents back. I need to go straighten up the living room. And I want to clean the bathroom as soon as Marley and Jillian finish in there, while they're eating. I want to get the pie cooked first, so it's cool enough to go in the fridge before we leave. And I want to get their sheets in the washer as soon as they get up."
"Babe, let me help you." He scooted closer and kissed Kurt. "God, I missed doing that." He kissed Kurt again. "You don't have to get up and do everything by yourself."
Kurt kissed him back. "It's not your issue. It's mine."
"I love you. I'll help you – after a few more kisses. 'Many hands make light work', as the saying goes. "
"How about we kiss in the kitchen after I get the pie in the oven? That's the part of the plan that's not flexible. The pie can't be rushed."
"Okay." He squeezed Kurt and pecked him on the lips before he rolled over to get out of bed.
Kurt looked around one last time while everyone else started down the stairs. He locked the door and followed them down. When he got downstairs, Sebastian was standing right inside the door.
"Come on, babe. The car's waiting."
"Who called for a car?"
"Jillian. Well, Isabelle, of course. But Jillian asked her last night." Sebastian kissed him. "Just go with it. It's what she's used to. She's taken the subway and buses a lot while she's been here."
"She has." He pushed the door open and walked out to the car. He opened the door and Sebastian climbed in first. Kurt pulled it closed once he was in.
They talked all the way there.
When they got there, they said their goodbyes and hugged when they had to go separate ways.
Once they were away from the girls, Sebastian said, "The driver is waiting for us. Isabelle hired him for a round trip."
"Oh, that was really nice of her."
They met up with Burt and Carole and led them back out to where the driver was waiting. He loaded their overnight bags in the trunk while everyone got inside.
"What's with the fancy car?" Burt asked.
"Isabelle," Kurt answered.
"She's something," Carole said.
"She's a force of nature," Kurt agreed. "In a good way, of course."
"We're glad you could come stay with us for a couple of days," Sebastian said.
"So are we. It's so hard to get things to work the way we want with Burt's schedule in DC sometimes."
"We're having the shop Christmas party tomorrow evening. But it's a pitch-in like usual. I ordered a ham from Sam's Club and Cassius is going to pick it up and put it in the oven tomorrow afternoon, so it will be cooked even though we're going to get there right before it's time for everyone to arrive. We decorated back after Thanksgiving, so that's done."
"Tell everyone I say 'hi'."
"I will."
"So, what's been going on in DC. I try to keep up as best I can, but with school work and working, I don't always do a great job of it."
"Mmm," Carole said when she stepped inside the apartment. "It smells good in here. Cinnamon and nutmeg."
Kurt followed Carole to the spare room. "Yep. I made Dad's favorite pumpkin pie this morning." He spoke louder as he got farther away. "It's in the fridge chilling."
"Now, we're talking," Burt said. "When do we get to eat it?"
"For dessert after dinner," Sebastian teased.
"That's a really long time from now," Burt stated pathetically.
Kurt came back around the corner. "I heard that. Nice try, though, Dad. Sebastian is wise to your trickster behavior. We have egg white egg salad for you with homemade bread to make sandwiches and a fruit salad."
"It sounds delicious," Carole said. "Did you sleep last night?" she asked as she hugged him.
"I did. We got up a little early this morning and made the pie and got things ready for you."
"Well, everything looks beautiful. I like your trees and the garland along the top of that wall unit is really pretty."
Sebastian preened a bit upon the compliments. "Kurt showed me how to spruce up the plain evergreen garland and we worked on it together."
"He's a quick learner," Kurt said sincerely. "Just like when we made the shell jewelry and spruced up our bathroom with the shells we brought back."
Sebastian blushed a bit.
Carole stepped closer and hugged him next. "Well, I really like it. I like the skinny tree too. It's just the right size with the taller 9-foot ceilings. It reminds me of some of the trees you see out in the woods where a bunch of them grew up side-by-side and they all stayed slim and grew up instead of out."
Kurt nodded. "We did a lot of looking before we found one that looked so realistic. It was about twice what I wanted to pay, but then we talked about how it's not a once-a-year purchase, and we decided that since it would last for quite a while it was worth the investment. We can store it under the bed in the spare room to keep it out of the way during the year." Kurt paused when he realized how much of what he just said showed his hand rather than keeping his feelings close to the vest like he had previously. He glanced at Sebastian who was practically grinning like a loon.
Sebastian said, "Here, let me get your coat, Burt." He reached out and hung it in the closet.
"I left mine on the bed. I'll go grab it."
Sebastian took Burt's suitcase and pulled it to the spare room, following behind Carole.
Kurt and Burt were left alone in the kitchen.
"You're serious about him. I've never seen you so openly admit how you feel about someone."
"If I have anything to say about it, he's the one. We've worked hard for what we have and he means everything to me."
Burt nodded. "Good. I knew you were in love with him, but this is more than that. You're past the infatuation stage. You're yourself around him. You're open. You're happy."
"I am."
Sebastian heard what they had said, but didn't let on as he came around the corner carrying Carole's coat. He put it in the closet and stepped back into the kitchen. "Should we go ahead and get the stuff for brunch out?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah." He turned to Burt. "If you want, you and Carole can pick out a Christmas movie from whatever's available on Netflix or Amazon. We can watch it while we eat or we can just put some Christmas music on."
"Music's fine, bud. It doesn't feel right if there's no music for Christmas."
Kurt started a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD and went back to help Sebastian with the food.
After they cleaned up from brunch, Kurt brought out Blokus and a deck of cards and their poker chips.
"I've never seen that game before," Carole said. "Is it complicated?"
"Not at all. The rules are super simple." Kurt said.
"Alright," Burt said. "Let's give it a try."
Sebastian opened the box, got the board out, and distributed all of the pieces while Kurt explained the rules.
"Oldest can go first," Kurt said, looking at Burt.
"Fine by me." He placed his biggest, least-likely-to-fit-somewhere piece out on the board.
An hour later, Kurt and Sebastian had each won one round and they moved on to playing Poker. After about an hour of Poker, Carole picked out Scrabble. Burt was the last to choose a game and he brought out Monopoly. Kurt and Sebastian got up and worked on dinner a few times when it wasn't their turns. By the time, Burt had beaten all of them, dinner was ready to serve. Burt and Carole put the games back. Sebastian and Kurt set the table. They served themselves buffet-style and sat back down.
"I didn't say anything earlier, but I really like this tablecloth," Carole said.
"Kurt picked up all of the different fabric pieces on our trips to the flea markets. I can't say that I remember when he got each one, but seeing it reminds me of all the times we've gone. That was a long-winded way of saying that I really like it too."
Kurt winked at Sebastian, who smiled in return.
"Fabric wide enough to make a table cloth isn't that easy to find. A lot of the fabrics that come in 58-60-inch widths are designed for upholstery, so it's not washable or it's denim or fleece. I decided to buy pieces of vintage fabric and piece them together. It was fun looking for it and I enjoyed making it too."
"It's unique and fun," she said.
"Thanks for making all of my favorites," Burt said, as he took a bite of the sweet potato dish he loved.
"You're welcome."
Carole asked, "Why don't you two tell us about the classes you'll be taking next semester?"
By 5:00, they had put up the leftovers, had desert, and were bundled up to go out. They walked to the subway and went to Rockefeller Center and then over to FAO Schwarz to see the decorations.
They met up with Santana, Dani, Chandler, and Elliott at Vibes. Elliott's mom and Dani's parents came as well. They were the last to arrive. The others had managed to move a few tables together to make room for everyone. It took a few minutes to get through all of the introductions. By the time they had gotten their coats off and sat down, Santana's name came up.
"Bring the instruments yourself," she teased. "It was a pain to get those things here. Elliott came to help because we had Dani's guitar to bring as well."
"We bring them every week," Kurt said. "We know it's a pain. But we sound so much better with them." He grabbed the electric cello and followed her up.
Everyone else followed behind them. Kurt, Dani, and Santana stood up front in front of the mics.
Kurt stepped forward. "Hi everyone. We're Phoenix Ascending. We sing original music. We typically come and play on Monday nights, but we have family in town for the holiday, so we're here on a new night for us. We hope you enjoy our songs."
Dani played the intro and they sang "Workin' on it".
The audience was receptive and began clapping along. There were a few people from their Monday night crowd because Kurt saw a few people singing along. They got a good round of applause when they finished.
Burt clapped Kurt on the shoulder when he sat back down. "That was something, bud. You all are really good."
Kurt smiled. "Thanks."
Elliott's mom, Charlotte said, "I'm impressed, El. This is something special, like you said."
Elliott nodded. "I told you. Dani's amazing on guitar. She's the one that did the arrangement for that song, well for most of our songs."
Dani said, "You do a lot too, El. Don't let him act like he's not a big part of this."
Phillip said, "It was really good. You're going to do that bones one, right?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah. That one's a little later. Santana put all of our names up on the list separately so we wouldn't hog a lot of time all at once. We want whoever came to get a chance to sing too."
Nancy directed the waitress where to put what they had ordered. When she finished, she said, "I really like 'Wrong Direction' I think it's called. I think it really speaks to a lot of people. We've all trusted people we shouldn't have. It's kind of a sad song, but at the same time listening to it makes me feel like less of a screw up, like going through it is such a normal thing."
"I can see that," Kurt said. "At the time I was writing it, I wasn't really thinking about that, but I can totally see that. I've heard songs like that."
"Me too," Sebastian. "It's like you feel really alone about something, and then you hear a song that just feels just like you do. And you just feel a lot less alone."
"That's how I felt about 'You Don't Even Know Me'," Charlotte said. "It just hit a nerve, in a good way. Are you going to sing the one you sang for me the other day, Elliott?"
"We are," he answered. "We're doing it next, actually."
A few minutes later, Elliott's name came up. He took center stage. They rearranged the extra microphones so that one was at the keyboard for Dani and Santana. Kurt and Sebastian stood up to the other. Chandler had a mic at the drums as well.
I am not a stranger to the dark.
Hide away, they say,
'Cause we don't want your broken parts.
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars.
"Run away," they say.
"No one'll love you as you are."
But I won't let them break me down to dust.
I know that there's a place for us,
For we are glorious.
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down,
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out.
I am brave. I am bruised,
I am who I'm meant to be. This is me.
Look out 'cause here I come.
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.
I'm not scared to be seen.
I make no apologies, this is me.
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
Another round of bullets hits my skin.
Well, fire away 'cause today I won't let the shame sink in.
We are bursting through the barricades,
And reaching for the sun.
(We are warriors.)
Yeah, that's what we've become.
(Yeah, that's what we've become.)
I won't let them break me down to dust.
I know that there's a place for us,
For we are glorious.
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down.
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out.
I am brave. I am bruised.
I am who I'm meant to be. This is me.
Look out 'cause here I come.
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.
I'm not scared to be seen.
I make no apologies. This is me.
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh.
This is me.
And I know that I deserve your love.
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
There's nothing I'm not worthy of.
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.
(Marching on, marching, marching on.)
I'm not scared to be seen.
I make no apologies. This is me.
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down.
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out.
This is me.
They crowd cheered and clapped when he finished.
When they got to their seats, Charlotte was up on her feet waiting to hug him. "Oh, my God, El. That was amazing." She let him go and sat back down. Once everyone else was seated, she said, "It was great when you sang it for me the other day, but with everyone singing behind you it was like an anthem. Big and bold and amazing."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Charlotte's right," Isabelle said. "That was really amazing."
Burt sat quietly, but was listening. Kurt scooted closer. "Is something wrong, Dad?"
"What? No? It's amazing. You've found a place where you belong. That song fits you so well."
"It fits all of us. We've all struggled to find a place where we can be ourselves," Kurt said.
Burt nodded. "I know I've been fighting for equality, but it's just–. I don't even know. Seeing the eight of you together. It's like this sudden revelation to me. I'm sorry. Can we talk when we leave?"
"Yeah, sure, Dad."
Martin walked up to the table and approached Kurt. "We met briefly a couple of weeks ago," he said vaguely. "Martin."
"Mmm hmm. I remember."
"Your band is really amazing. You've got to come to Spins. I promise you won't be disappointed in the outcome." He handed Kurt a card.
Kurt took it from him. "Thanks." He handed it to Sebastian, who put it in his wallet. He refocused. "Sam, tell us about your photo shoot. I know you let Andrea do a full shoot after we all did the mini shoots with her. How did it go?"
"Well, Isabelle helped out. She loaned Andrea a bunch of clothes and shoes for me to wear in the photos. It's kind of weird looking at them myself, but they all came out really good. I mean Andrea's really good at it. She sent me a link to the photos."
Isabelle said, "I have my iPad. Why don't use it to pull them up and we can all take turns looking at them." She pulled it out, unlocked it, and handed it to Sam. After he pulled them up, he passed the iPad down to Kurt since he had been the one to ask. From there, they others looked at them.
"I think they're great," Isabelle said. "I really think you should consider submitting a few of these. I'm sure I can get you some work."
Sam nodded and smiled somewhat shyly. "I'll think about it."
They all stayed for another hour and the group sang "Nightingale", "The Bones", "Wrong Direction", and "You Don't Even Know Me". They switched out others for the last two because Nancy and Charlotte mentioned how much they had liked them.
When they got back to the apartment, Burt went into the spare bedroom to retrieve something and went back out to the living room where Kurt was waiting for him. Carole got ready for bed and stayed the spare bedroom to read and Sebastian showered and went to bed to read as well.
Burt took a deep breath and sat down on the opposite side of the sectional, but as close to Kurt as he could get. He put the item he had brought out next to him. "These are the recordings I've made. I've been working on it since we talked in Florida, so for about three and a half months, I guess."
Kurt was surprised by what he saw.
Burt saw it in his expression. "Before I started, I pulled out the oldest photo album I had with photos of your mom in it. After we got married, she made a scrapbook out of the photos we took early on – Polaroids, shots from those little photo booths at the fair, stuff like that. A flood of memories came back. This time I let myself cry until I ran out of tears. I drank a real beer, very slowly. I flipped back to the beginning and turned the tape recorder on and I just talked. I was surprised 45 minutes later when the tape ran out. I turned it over and started where I had left off."
"Thank you."
"I'm glad I did it. I ended up going through one photo album each time we were in Lima this fall. There aren't cassettes in the box. Carole looked up how to transfer cassettes to CDs and ordered a little device to plug into the computer. She bought another one to transfer old VHS tapes to DVDs. And she bought a scanner. While I was gone to DC when she didn't come with me, she did the digital transfers and she scanned all of the pages in the photo albums. I bought a gun cabinet and locked all of the originals in it at home. I've brought you the digital copies of everything. Everything is on DVDs in this small binder." He pushed it towards Kurt.
He opened it and saw that each disc was numbered and there was a small slip of paper in a sleeve underneath the DVD sleeve that listed what was on the DVD. "This is really amazing, Dad. Carole put a lot of work into this."
"She did, bud. She loves you something fierce. She's a force to be reckoned with in therapy sessions. She keeps me on my toes. After I started being less stingy with my affection, she really opened up. We've worked through issues I didn't even know we had."
Kurt smiled. "I'm glad."
He sighed. "Tonight at that place–"
"Vibes," Kurt supplied.
"Yeah, Vibes. Seeing the seven of you together. Seven LGBTQ+ people – it was this revelation."
"You said that there, but what do you mean? Sam is straight, so six LGBTQ+ people."
"Right. Anyway, it was this absolute revelation of nothingness. Like you all just were."
Kurt tipped his head and he looked at Burt so confused.
"You were all just there."
"Yeah."
"There was nothing extraordinary about it."
"Okay."
"I'm not making myself clear."
"Not at all."