He was so anxious in the week leading up to Thanksgiving that even his friends at school had started to notice. Jeff even went so far as asking if he needed to take Ritalin when he hadn't been able to stay still at lunch.

But somehow he made it through the day, and then he was walking out of Dalton's grand halls for a much-needed four-and-a-half day weekend when a body ran straight into his.

He barely had a moment to take note of the bright red jacket or the wavy black hair or the high-pitched squeal of, "Kiddo!" before the breath was knocked out of him by the force of Sydney's enthusiasm.

And even though he hadn't been expecting it, he held on tight.

When they finally pulled apart from the embrace, he saw Cooper standing a few feet behind Sydney, grinning at the two teens.

"When did you guys get here?" he asked.

"Apparently both our flights got in around the same time, so Syd's parents decided that while they got comfortable in their hotel, I should show her around," Cooper said. "She insisted that we come surprise you at school."

Sydney was silently appraising him, and he suddenly felt very self-conscious in his uniform blazer and slacks.

"You look good, kiddo," she said.

"You too. I've missed you."

"You know, I hoped that in our time apart, you might finally hit your growth spurt. Oh well, there's always next time."

He laughed through the attempted glare on his face and happily bumped shoulders with Syd. He'd been growing more comfortable in the last several weeks, but Syd was like a warm blanket that just made everything better.

"Wanna show me around your swanky school?" Syd asked.

He looked to Cooper, silently asking if they needed to be anywhere.

Cooper shook his head. "I think mom's expecting you two to take some time together."

"Well, are we even allowed in the school? Don't they like, shut down for the holiday or something?"

Cooper rolled his eyes. "You have so much to learn, little brother, if you're ever going to live up to my legacy. As long as you're determined, Dalton is never truly 'shut down.'"

"And if I were trying to make it through high school without breaking any rules or laws?" he asked.

"Then you'd be bored out of your mind. Come on!"

Sydney waggled her eyebrows at him. "Come on, kiddo, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back home with all the other sane people…" he muttered, but they were already too far ahead of him to hear.

He joined them in the front hall, where Sydney positioned herself between the two brothers with a self-indulgent grin. "God," she said, "if only the girls at school could see me right now. I've got the most handsome man in North America on one arm, and his brother on the other. And no, I'm not telling you which one is which."

She sent him a quick wink while Cooper was looking at a bulletin board filled with school notices. He laughed quietly when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, that she then caught Cooper's eye and winked at him as well.

He was glad that Sydney was taking the lead, and that she and Cooper still got along so well. That they both were willing to pull him — even kicking and screaming — out of his shell. In a different life, he thought, maybe he would have been the kind of guy who jumped first and asked questions later. These two made him feel bold.

He and Cooper guided Sydney through the school, pointing out different classrooms and telling anecdotes about their adventures at Dalton. Cooper's stories all outshone his. Maybe the class troublemaker wasn't the best role to aspire to, but he hoped that he could maybe learn to take things a little less seriously. Whenever things started being less serious, that is.

"So, have you found yourself a boyfriend yet?" Syd asked. "This school must be, like, gay heaven or something."

He rolled his eyes at Sydney's comment. "No, I haven't. I'm pretty sure all the guys here think I'm some kind of circus freak or something."

"Oh come on," Cooper snorted. "There are plenty of guys who will be interested in you. I mean, did you see the way that one Warbler kid was checking you out the last time I was here?"

"You mean when they were gaping at me because they recognized my face from every news broadcast?"

"No, I don't. Squirt, he was checking you out. Believe me, I know all the techniques guys use to check out people they're interested in, and that's what he was doing."

"Whatever you say, Coop," he said, trying to put the topic to rest.

"And what a wonderful coincidence," Cooper said with false surprise. "We can test my theory now!"

Like his first tour of Dalton, this one ended at the Warbler's common room. He hadn't been here since, not even when auditions were announced or there was a surprise lunch-time performance.

They could faintly hear singing as they made their way down the hall. Cooper was obviously dead-set on sneaking into rehearsal, and Syd never backed away from anything, so he was dragged along with them.

When they entered the room, the fifteen boys in the choir and Mr. Hoffman, the director, were gathered on one side of the room rehearsing Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." He knew that they were planning to use the number at their next competition, based on lunchtime conversations, and he was glad to hear that it sounded really good. Cooper obviously agreed, because when the number ended he and Sydney both erupted into enthusiastic applause.

The boys turned around in surprise, but Mr. Hoffman's face seemed to light up the most.

"Coop!" he called.

"Hoff! Good to see you, man!"

The two men embraced each other briefly.

"You guys sound great," Cooper said. "I still can't believe that you came back here to teach!"

"They couldn't tear me away if they wanted to," Mr. Hoffman said. "Boys, I want to introduce you to Cooper Anderson. He and I were Warblers together back in the day."

"I hope you guys don't mind us barging in and interrupting practice," Cooper said, though there wasn't a hint of apology in his tone.

"Of course not, we always appreciate an audience. What d'you say, boys, want to put on a show for Cooper?"

The crowd of boys murmured excitedly before getting back into formation and launching into the opening notes of "Glad You Came."

Sydney looked over to him with bright eyes. "They're really good," she whispered.

He nodded. They were good. He felt proud on behalf of his friends who were in the group.

"Why aren't you up there with them? That looks like something you'd love to do!"

He shrugged, not wanting to get into an argument with Syd right now. Instead he put a finger to his lips and pointed at the side-stepping boys in front of them, hoping that Syd would drop the topic.

When the song finished, he, Cooper, and Sydney launched into another round of applause. The boys all looked pleased with themselves, and Mr. Hoffman instructed them to take a break while he spoke with the guests.

"Hoff," Cooper said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders, "I want you to meet my little brother."

He squirmed a little under Cooper's hands, but only because he felt like he should. The warmth and weight was comfortable — and comforting.

"We've met," Mr. Hoffman said. "Blaine's in my computer class. And I caught him on the phone and had to confiscate it on the first day of school. Seems like you've already managed to be a bad influence on him." Mr. Hoffman shot him a wink to prove he was joking, while Cooper reacted.

"I'll have you know that I am a wonderful influence! On everyone I meet!" Cooper said indignantly.

"There's that Anderson Ego I've been missing!"

"Anyway," Cooper continued, "Hoff, this is Blaine's friend, Sydney, from Sacramento. This is Gus Hoffman. He was basically my best friend when I was at Dalton. Kept me out of a lot of trouble."

"Not that you'd know," Mr. Hoffman said, "considering he and I still managed to cause enough chaos to keep things interesting around here."

"He's also a genius with computer stuff, so he's the one who helped me make the website for you," Cooper said, directing the words solely towards his brother this time.

"Oh," he said, blushing and looking down. It was strange to think that his teacher really knew so much about him — probably more than he did. "Well, thanks. I guess."

"Hey, we're all really glad you're back. Cooper was like a brother to me back then, so if there's ever anything you need at Dalton, don't be afraid to come to me. And, we'd love to have you in the Warblers."

"Uh, thanks, but I don't think so," he said.

"Why not?" Syd asked. "You were lead of, like, everything back in Sacramento. You'd kill it with these guys!"

He knew that she was trying to be supportive, but he couldn't take it. "Syd, not now."

"Seriously, why not, Pete - shit, Blaine - whatever your name is! Come on, kid, you can't just drop everything because your mom was a whack job -"

"Stop it! Shut up! You all think my mom was crazy because she took me, and maybe she was ... but she...she was everything for me for twelve years and I loved her, okay? She was my mom and I can't just - I can't… it's just that everything reminds me of her and I'm trying so hard to just be Blaine or whoever the hell you all want me to be, but I can't fucking do it if you keep trying to make me Peter again!" He turned on Cooper. "I know you're an actor or whatever, but can you imagine how hard it would be if tomorrow everyone started calling you, like, Bob and you had to completely uproot your life so you could permanently be Bob? Forever? I know you're my brother, I know James and Pam are my parents, I know you all love me, but I need space! I need you to stop trying to force this other persona on me."

"Kid…" Syd said, quietly, as if she was talking to a terrified baby animal. And maybe she was, because Peter felt like a trembling mess in that moment.

"I gotta get out of here," he said, and bolted from the room.

The silence in the room was louder than the boy's shouts had been moments before. Everyone stood frozen in shock. Gus jumped back into teacher mode, and gathered the Warblers together, instructing them in hushed voices to pack up and head home for the holiday.

"Well, that took long enough," Syd said, trying to inject humor and levity into her shaking voice. "I mean, I thought he was going to break down ages ago when you guys first brought him here."

Cooper looked dumbstruck. "I knew he was struggling at first, but he seemed so much better these last few weeks."

"Performing was really important to Peter, I guess that's why none of us noticed him struggling. And why he'd be scared to start again. Plus, I think he's had more of the limelight than he ever wanted."

Cooper nodded. "Should I go after him? Or do you wanna…?"

"I don't know if either of us are what he needs right now."

After everyone had cleared out of the Warbler's lounge and he locked the door, Gus Hoffman headed back to his office to pack up for the long weekend. Before turning down the tech hallway, though, he thought better and pivoted around.

Just as he'd suspected, he found Blaine Anderson, or Peter Walker, or whoever the kid was, sitting in the same empty alcove where he'd been speaking on the phone that first day of classes. He was breathing in unsteady, gasping sobs and furiously wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Want a piece of gum?"

The kid's head shot up in shock.

"I always find it easier to calm down when I can concentrate on something else, like chewing gum."

The kid nodded. "Thanks."

"Do you want to talk?" Hoff asked.

He shook his head.

"Okay, then how about you listen. I promise, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, I just want to tell you about your brother. About the guy who was my best friend in high school."

Hoff launched into stories about his and Cooper's troublemaking antics in school and old Warblers performances. "And after he finally found out that I knew about you, he was like another person entirely. Still the same fun guy, but so much less guarded. And once he knew he could talk to me about you, well… I joke about his ego a lot, but the one thing that he liked to talk about more than himself was his baby brother and everything they would do together once he came home. Once you came home."

Hoff paused, giving him a moment to think.

"I can't imagine how tough this is on you, but the Andersons are good people. Give them a chance and you'll be so happy to have them in your life."

"Thanks," he said, when it seemed like Hoff had nothing else to share. "For treating me like I'm normal. Again."

Cooper and Sydney waited by the car, allowing him the time and space to gather himself and put on the face he wanted them to see. Cooper had already called their mom to warn her about what had happened at school.

"Should I tell everyone not to come tomorrow?" she asked, and that's when Cooper realized just how much parents do for their kids. His mom had been working on this Thanksgiving for ages. Not just the cooking, but the planning, too. She'd wanted it to be the perfect family holiday now that the family was whole once again. But she was willing to throw all that away if Blaine wasn't comfortable.

"I think we need to leave that decision up to Blaine."

"Is he still in the school?"

Cooper was nodding before remembering that his mom couldn't see him. "Yeah. I don't know where he is, but Syd and I thought he could use some time alone to calm down."

"Let me know when he comes out, okay? You know how I worry."

"Of course, mom. See you soon."

"I love you, Cooper."

"Love you too."

He hung up the phone and looked around him. He could remember when he was a teenager and Dalton was a new, intimidating, and unknown place. It hadn't held any of the warmth or love that memories now afforded it. Was that what Blaine saw every day, or was he starting to build his own happy memories here? Would he ever?

Cooper was glad that Gus was there to keep an eye on Blaine. He was sure his parents were glad for it, too. But he was also looking forward to a time when they didn't have to worry, didn't have to wonder if Blaine would be coming home at all — or if he would be coming home as the person they all wanted him to be.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? Blaine had just shouted as much. Everyone so badly wanted him to be someone else that they weren't just letting him be him. He was going to be in town for a few days — maybe he should ask Mom to set up an emergency family therapy session.

He looked over at Sydney and thought he saw a tear traveling down the girl's cheek. She had been so strong for his brother but he had never stopped to think what impact this all had on her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked up in surprise. "Of course. I mean, I'm not the one..."

"I didn't ask if you're better than him. Are you okay?"

She paused and really thought for a moment. "Mostly," she admitted. "My life hasn't changed that much, and I'm not comparing, that's just a fact. But I spent so much time with them both and I feel a little betrayed by all this, like how did I not realize something was wrong with her? And to just see everything I know change so quickly is scary. I just wish that everything could go back… okay, maybe not 'back to normal,' but maybe just… I just want things to be okay again. I don't want to worry every time he calls me."

"You want to be a kid again."

"Yeah."

Silence hung between the two for a moment.

"Were there signs? Did you ever think that things weren't quite right?"

"No. I mean, she was way stricter than all the other parents, and she wouldn't let him go anywhere or get his license or anything, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, y'know? It's not like he was kept locked in a basement and spent every minute knowing he'd been taken."

Cooper nodded slowly.

"How did you know?" Sydney asked. "I mean, it can't be coincidence that we saw you and then suddenly the truth comes out."

Cooper chuckled. "No, it's not coincidence. Luck, probably. I'd been thinking about Blaine a lot because our PI had just sent me aged pictures of him. So when you guys took your picture with me, I thought, maybe that kid looks like the picture. That's why I told you guys to tweet it at me."

Sydney nodded along. "You really aren't just a pretty face, you know that? I mean, who really makes that kind of connection?"

"Someone desperate."

"Someone dedicated."

They were quiet again as the minutes ticked by.

"I'm really glad you guys are his family," she said. "Like if I were asked to imagine the perfect people for him, it would be you and your parents. I know he's struggling and everything, but he's also really happy."

Cooper felt something warm erupt inside of him. If Sydney, the person who inarguably knew his brother best, was saying this, well… it had to be true. Her approval meant more than he'd realized and he was so grateful that they'd gotten it.

They sat in silence for a few minutes longer. The grand front doors of Dalton finally opened and Blaine appeared, looking small not just in comparison to the large structure behind him. But he was coming back to Cooper and his family, and that was all that mattered.

Pam was cleaning up the dinner dishes in the kitchen, having sent her family to the living room after dinner. Usually, when Cooper was home, she'd ask him to help her. The familiar routine of doing dishes together was always comforting, and they loved being able to talk about their lives while doing the small, routine task.

But tonight, she'd needed time to think on her own, so she'd fussed until everyone had gone away. Until she heard a timid tap on the doorframe.

Blaine was standing there, looking nervous. She caught herself before saying his name, and instead said, "Hi hon. Need something?" She was proud that she'd been able to keep the emotions out of her voice.

"I - uh - I wanted to help," he said. "You've been working so hard on everything for tomorrow. I didn't want you to do this alone."

He picked up a dish towel, and just like at the aquarium, they were silently together, enjoying the moment.

"I know Cooper called you about earlier," he said after a few minutes of silence. "And I'm sorry about that. Really. I know you guys have had a lot to deal with too, what with moving me in and starting me at Dalton and everything, and it's not that I'm ungrateful - it's just… hard. This wasn't something I asked for, you know? But… but I'm still glad. To be with you guys. Because even though with her I was happy and everything, I was still missing a lot that I didn't even know was gone. So thanks."

Pam couldn't speak for fear of crying, so instead she wrapped him up in a tight hug. He stiffened at first, but after a moment, Blaine fell into her embrace. It felt like home.

Meeting the relatives wasn't nearly as awkward as he thought it would be. There was the initial uncomfortable silence that followed each introduction, as he tried to memorize each name, face, and relationship. Really, it seemed like a sort of speed-dating type thing, but instead of prospective partners, he was meeting family.

The kids, both older and younger than him, stared at him in awe, which made sense. For so many years, he had been both a cautionary tale — "Don't go outside alone or you'll end up like Cousin Blaine" — and a fairy tale, like Santa Claus — they were always told stories about him, but he seemed imaginary.

Luckily, he was able to hide out in the kitchen with Cooper and Sydney for most of the day. Relatives milled around the home, catching up with each other, and had either been warned not to make him feel too called out, or were too uncomfortable themselves. Sydney's parents and his got along famously, and for that he was grateful.

His two sets of grandparents had fawned over him like he was the four-year-old that had gone missing, but they left him alone after twenty or so minutes each. He figured that James and Pam had given everyone a very strict talking-to before allowing them in the door.

Perhaps the most awkward interaction of the day was when his uncle Vince walked up to him and placed a large, meaty hand on his shoulder. ("Vince, uncle, Dad's younger brother," he cataloged).

"So is this your girlfriend, Blaine?" he'd asked with a wink and a grin, while not-so-subtly pointing at Syd, who occupied her usual, supportive place at his side.

"Wha - um, Syd?" he asked incredulously. "No, no. God, no," he added, and they both laughed. "She's my best friend," he elaborated, "although we did both make a pact that if we didn't find decent husbands by the time we're thirty, we'd marry each other."

"Oh," Vince had said, stiffening slightly. "So you're…"

"Gay? Yeah."

"Is that a problem?" Sydney asked, voice hard. Sacramento, being so close to San Francisco, was incredibly open-minded, but she'd still helped Peter deal with a few homophobic encounters in the past. Now she was helping Blaine with the same.

"Not-not really," he said quickly, backing away from the small girl's fierce stare. "Just… not what I expected is all. Anyway, nice talking to you two."

"You didn't have to scare him off, Syd," he said.

"What? Your family doesn't deserve you if they're going to be assholes, kid."

"I know, but … Look at how happy she is," he said, pointing to Pam. She was chatting with a woman who he was almost positive was her sister and the smile on her face was just like the one he'd seen at the zoo. "I messed up yesterday. I just want today to go smoothly. If they have a problem with me being gay, we can deal with that later. Maybe my dad can talk to him or something, I don't know."

"Just because they're your family doesn't mean you have to compromise for them," Sydney said.

"No, but with how much she's compromised for me, I can let it go for now and give her a happy day."

Once the football games started, things definitely calmed down. Stereotypically, all the men were glued to the TV, as were most of the kids, too. The grandmothers were fawning over two of his youngest cousins (or a cousin's kids? He couldn't remember) and Pam was taking a much-needed rest at the kitchen table, which was weighed down with platters of food that other family members had brought with them.

The scene seemed so familiar and yet so entirely alien to him. He and Marilyn had usually celebrated Thanksgiving just the two of them. She usually had to work, either on Thanksgiving day itself or early in the morning on Black Friday, so the celebrations were never elaborate. He'd gone to Sydney's once or twice when he was really young when she had to work.

But this was his first Thanksgiving with family. This was the first time his Thanksgiving looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. It was totally overwhelming and definitely seemed like more stress than it was worth for Pam, but he loved every second of it. Even the uncomfortable seconds, when he could feel cousins staring at him like he was an attraction in the zoo. Even when he got uncles and aunts and grandparents and other random relatives totally confused.

Especially when his mother wrapped a warm arm around him at the end of the night, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, "Sleep well, sweetie."