A/N Another chapter already? What is the world coming to? :) Huge hugs and welcome to all the new followers to the story. I seriously flail every time one of you shows up in my email as a newbie. By the same token, thanks to everyone still sticking around for updates! Love hearing from you all. Thanks for reading and making Crowded House part of your day!
And Christine, thanks for the idea...here's some Seb for ya! :)

CHAPTER 50

"Ok, so I shoved all my shit under the bed or in the closet in there in case he goes through room by room. Bed's made, looks like it did when I got here the other night. I'm gonna take off. See you in a little bit." Jeff said through the closed bathroom door to Blaine. As soon as Jeff got out of the bathroom, Blaine jumped in there for a shower as well.

"Thanks, man. I hate having to ask you to leave…" Blaine said, opening the door and waltzing out with his towel wrapped around his waist and another waving wildly around his head. "Shouldn't take long…I'll let you know when it's ok to come back, alright?"

"It's a plan….back later, dude!" Jeff said, walking out the door and closing it behind him. At the last minute he decided to bang on Kurt's door to tell him he'd be over when he got back and why he was leaving. It wouldn't do for Kurt to slip up when Nick was here and ask Blaine where he was today.

Kurt answered the door with his usual big smile. "You ready to work? There's plenty to do!" he said brightly.

"Actually, no, I'm gonna run some errands. Blaine asked Nick to come over for something and I said I'd make myself scarce for an hour or so. I'll be over after tha—" Jeff said, halting his sentence when he heard the front door open. Assuming it was someone going into the law office downstairs, he fell into a panic when he heard footsteps approaching on the steps and shoved his way into Kurt's apartment as quickly as possible. He stood on the other side of the door with his eye at the peephole and nearly whimpered when he saw Nick come up the steps. They were 6 feet apart and he couldn't say hello, couldn't touch him and couldn't even make eye contact. Kurt was squeezing his arm, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Nick looked awful, really, to the point that it brought tears to Jeff's eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and it looked like he'd lost weight. Gone was the spring in his step and the beautiful smile Jeff fell in love with. In its place was a resigned straight line where the beautiful grin used to live. Jeff's heart hurt. He hated David Duval more in that moment than he'd ever hated anyone his entire life.

"Oh Nicky…." He whispered, grabbing ahold of Kurt's hand and squeezing back. He let his head thump to the door and shut his eyes, unable to look anymore.

Nick knocked on Blaine's door, and Blaine yelled from inside "Knocking, really? Did you forget something?" When he flung the door open his face went white, seeing that it was Nick and not Jeff. Surely they would have had to pass each other in the hall, right? Jeff had just walked out the door for crying out loud. Blaine's eyes were a little wild, looking around in the hallway, then down the stairs for any sign of Jeff.

"I generally knock on someone else's door instead of just busting in. Stuck with me, some shit my mom went on about called 'manners' and whatnot when we were kids. You gonna let me in or….?" Nick said, unsure what Blaine's issue was. He looked like he'd been kicked in the balls or something….seriously caught off guard.

"Uh…yeah. C-come in. Just got out of the shower…I'll just be a second. You're early." He muttered out, still looking into the hallway when Nick wasn't looking.

"Yeah, I was walking out the door to get coffee when you texted me back, so I just came from there and….you ok? 'Cause seriously, you're acting all weird." Nick said, eyeing Blaine curiously.

"I…yeah, Kurt was…he was just here and I just thought you were…uh…him coming back for something. Sorry, just threw me off. Let me throw a shirt on and I'll show you everything we can get to. I haven't mentioned to Kurt why I want you to see the building. Can you make something up? Maybe that you're looking to buy a building in the neighborhood or…something? I don't want to tell him until it's a done deal." Blaine explained.

"Yeah, I can do that. No problem. You sure you're ok? You're white as a sheet, man. Do I even want to know what Kurt was doing while he was here that has you all worked up like this?" Nick said with a playful grin.

"Nope, I'm good. Just…shirt…yeah…be right there."

Blaine threw a shirt on and joined Nick back in the living room. They went over the layout of the building and Blaine told him he was unsure if Seb was home or if he'd let them in, but they'd give it a try. They started upstairs on the third floor and Nick was blown away.

"Blaine, this is huge! What are you going to do with all this space! Seriously, this could be two really great sized apartments or something." Nick said, surprised. "I mean, even when you take in the fact that you'll lose square footage under the eaves, it's still a massive space by New York standards!"

"Yeah…I know, but…." Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning. "I want to have plenty of room for my instruments, maybe a small recording space, and then all of Kurt's stuff as well….his work stuff, a sewing space, worktable, and from what I understand, his wardrobe makes department stores look understocked." He laughed.

"So you're not telling him that you're even considering buying the building he lives in, but you're planning on where to put his wardrobe?" Nick laughed.

"Shut it, just keep it to yourself!" Blaine said, slugging him playfully in the arm.

Jeff kept his eye glued to the peephole to see where Blaine and Nick were going first. When they hit the steps to the third floor, he reminded Kurt not to say anything if they came to his apartment, and he opened the door and sprinted down the steps. The heat of the day was setting in and he was glad he'd dressed in loose clothing, otherwise it would've been sticking to him. He wasn't a big fan of humid heat, and that's what he was dealing with today.

He stepped into a small consignment store a couple of blocks away and spent a few minutes inside enjoying the air conditioning and looking around. He bought a lamp after checking to make sure it did, actually, work, and then saw a short bookcase that would fit next to the bed nicely to keep some of his stuff on. He didn't know how long Blaine would let him stay, but while he was there, he planned on keeping his space tidy. The bookcase would help. He paid for everything and had them place "sold" stickers on each, telling them he'd be back to pick it up later, then strolled in the direction of the subway to head to the library.

On the way, though, he came across a small coffee shop with books of all shapes and sizes lining the walls. The sign in the window said "Borrow using the honor system. Please bring back anything you borrow when you're finished reading it!" Below that was another sign that said "Always accepting donations of new or used books! Thank you!"

He stepped inside, feeling the heat fade away once again, and began looking around at the shelves. Soon a short, brunette girl in her late teens approached him and asked him if he needed help finding anything, which he was relieved for. It seemed like nothing was really in any order.

"Um….the new Patterson book?" Jeff asked quizzically.

"Hmmmm, probably over on that wall somewhere. Sorry….we don't have a librarian, per se, but we try to keep genres together as best we can." She smiled. They made their way over to the wall in question when the bell above the door chimed again and she glanced over, smiling at whoever had come inside. "I'm Grace, if you need anything, just yell. I'll see if I can help, ok? Be right back." She said, then went to help the new customer who'd come in for coffee.

The shelves were neatly arranged, but she wasn't kidding when she said there wasn't really a librarian. Any librarian worth their salt would keel over dead at the sight of this lending institution. No stickers on the spines of the books. No card slot at the back and no bar codes to scan. Not a single thing anywhere near alphabetical order. He liked it though…it was quaint. And the decorations on the shelves along with the books were really cool, too. It was a mish-mash of things…an old clock here, a stack of old 45 rpm records there, an old butter churn in the corner and a vase with tacky plastic flowers on one of the tables. The one that got him was the stuffed cat that sat on the bookshelf seeming to watch over everyone. He was sure it was the most life-like thing he'd ever seen…and then it moved and jumped to the floor, causing Jeff to screech out like a little girl. Grace came running in time to see the cat weaving between Jeff's legs while the man in question clutched at his heart in a panic.

"Holy mother of God, that thing scared 10 years off my life!" he said, out of breath. "I thought it was stuffed!"

Grace fell into a fit of laughter and was all slouched over holding her stomach when the door chimed again and another customer came in for coffee or to browse the books. Shaking her head at Jeff, she turned back toward the counter and left him with the cat who was now trying his very best to trip Jeff as he attempted to walk to the next shelf. Clearly he'd made a friend as the feline stayed by his side during his whole visit.

Jeff found that he'd be staring at the spines of the books for nearly an hour by the time it dawned on him to check his watch. He reached for his phone to see if he'd missed a text somehow, but realized he didn't have it in his pocket. Had he dropped it? Set it down somewhere? Left it at Blaine's? Left it at Kurt's? He let out a long sigh. Either way, he was screwed. He had no way to know if he could go home or not.

When he'd picked out four books, he carried them up to the counter and found Grace wiping down the stainless steel backsplash and humming an old Indigo Girls song to herself, so he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh! Hi! Can I get you a coffee, or…?" she asked with a smile.

"Huh? Oh, no, just the books. Do you write down what I take with me or what?" Jeff smiled back.

"Nope, but we ask nicely that you bring 'em back when you're finished, pretty please." She laughed.

"Wow…ok. Um….this feels weird. I feel like I'm stealing something." Jeff laughed. "I'll bring them back as soon as I can, I promise."

"We look forward to seeing you again, then!" Grace chuckled.

"We?" Jeff said looking around. He hadn't seen anyone else the whole time he was there.

"Yes, we!" she grinned, nodding at the cat who sat on the counter now. "Bowzer and I. He obviously likes you…but he flirts with all the pretty boys." She said, winking in his direction.

Jeff's chest seized for a brief second before he closed his eyes and got his heart rate under control. Attempting to remain calm and not make an ass of himself, he said "You know, I've changed my mind. I think I will have a drink….caramel latte, whole milk, no whip?"

"Coming right up, Mr…?"

"Jeff…just Jeff, please." He said, attempting to smile back as if he hadn't just had the air ripped from his lungs. He paid and moved down the counter to wait.

She grabbed a cup and wrote along the side of it and began making his latte. He stood patiently, watching Bowzer wander all over as if he owned the place.

"Here you go!" she said with more pep than was absolutely necessary, handing him the steaming cup. "We'll see you soon 'just Jeff please'". Jeff nodded his thanks and walked out into the heat, wondering what the hell he'd been thinking ordering a hot drink on a day like today and then leaving the air conditioned shop to drink it.

He approached Blaine's building cautiously, staying on the opposite side of the street and keeping to the buildings so he could duck inside quickly if necessary. This made him think of Gram and all the rolling around the living room, and he made a mental note to call her when he got back. After waiting a few minutes and seeing nothing, he figured he'd have to bite the bullet and go inside…carefully. He sprinted across the street and up the steps to the building, quietly opening the door and peeking inside. The hall was empty, so he went for the steps. He was at the top of the stairs when he heard the door to the law office open and voices filled the hallway. Every hair on his body stood at attention when he heard Nick's melodious voice wafting up the stairs toward him.

"Oh…oh shit!" he whispered to himself, tip toe-ing at a sprint down the short hall to Blaine's door. He whipped it open and slid inside hurrying for his bedroom. In the meantime, he spilled the hot coffee down his hand and arm and nearly burst out with expletives at the top of his lungs. Setting the offending cup on the kitchen counter next to the fridge, he grabbed the towel on the sink and wiped the hot liquid from his arm, tossed the towel aside and nearly dove into the spare room as the two men approached the door. He clicked his own door shut quietly and sat down with his back against it, listening, praying to all known patron saints that they'd already gone through this room.

"….dunno, man, it looks like a good, solid building. I'll do some comps in the area and let you know what they're asking and ultimately going for. I can probably have that to you tonight if you want? I'll bring it to work?" Nick said.

"Sounds good. I can't thank you enough for coming to look at it for me. I don't want to offer too little, but I don't want to over pay either. If we can reach an agreement before she has to go to a lot of trouble, I think it'll be better for all parties involved. But you're my realtor, right?" Blaine laughed.

"Absolutely. At your service!" Nick laughed back. "Taking off. I'll see you tonight!" he said, turning and walking out the door. Blaine followed him over.

"Thanks again, Nick. I appreciate it!" Blaine called down the steps.

"No, really, thank YOU, Blaine….I appreciate it more!" Nick said with a huge grin before he disappeared into the hallway, skipped down the stairs and floated out the front door.

Blaine wasn't sure what that last little comment was about, but he waited until he heard the door close downstairs before he texted Jeff. When he hit send and heard a buzzing sound behind him, he turned to find Jeff's phone on the counter and cursed. He'd forgotten his phone! How was he going to get in touch with Jeff now?

"Don't bother, I'm here…" Jeff said, causing Blaine to startle and turn around quickly.

"Shit…holy shit, Jeff! Where were you?" Blaine asked.

Jeff told the whole story and they both went on about close calls and how lucky they'd been. Jeff coerced Blaine into helping him retrieve his things from the consignment store, and then went to Kurt's to sew for a bit, missing Nick so much it hurt.

Later that afternoon, all of Jeff's boxes arrived at Blaine's door and he silently thanked the gods that it hadn't happened while Nick was there that morning. How the hell would he have explained that?!

Blaine called Kurt later that afternoon to see if he wanted to go out to dinner, but Kurt had to decline, stating that he was just so far behind and he didn't want to anger David. The man in question was coming over the following day to check on their progress and Kurt wanted to talk to him about Jeff. At this point, if David didn't want to pay Jeff under the table, he'd pay him out of his own salary. He was so glad for the help, he wouldn't even gripe about the money at all. For the most part, Jeff was amazing with a needle and thread. His attention to detail surprised Kurt, and he admired Jeff for flat out asking how to do something he wasn't familiar with. Most people wouldn't…or at least the people he'd dealt with in the past.

Later that afternoon Kurt got a text from Blaine telling him to expect a call or a visit from Maggie. A few minutes later the text came through, Maggie in a panic and asking for Kurt's help. A minute later she was at the door, tears threatening to fall.

"It's just that her recital is tonight and I should have had this done ages ago but I've been so busy and I feel like I've let her down. She's so afraid it won't be done, and now I've gone and broken my last needle and I don't have time to go get a new one, and the bobbin thread is all bunched up under here and ….and it's a mess and I'm just SO angry!" she said throwing the offending leotard with semi attached tutu at the sofa.

Kurt stood, speechless, and Jeff's eyes were big until he averted his gaze back to the machine in front of him in fear of Maggie's wrath.

"Ok..ok, you need to sit." Kurt told her.

"I don't have TIME to sit, Kurt!" she said loudly, and Kurt raised his eyebrows at her, giving her his best bitch glare.

"I don't recall that being a request. SIT!" he said, pushing her down into a nearby chair. She huffed out a long breath and gave Kurt the snake eye.

"Ok, so the top of the tutu is attached here, and then this part has to be pressed under the seam before it's sewn up, right?" Kurt asked her.

"Yeah…but…yeah. I can do it." She said lamely.

"I'm well aware that you CAN do it, but right now you're too wound up and that's why this whole bobbin debacle underneath happened. I'll rip all of this extra thread out and get it done. Take a break, sit down and just breathe. Where are the kids?" Kurt asked her.

"Blaine's, hanging out. They love him, and I think they're terrified of me right now. I was yelling at everything…not them, but inanimate objects and whatnot…" she trailed off, having the good grace to look ashamed.

"What's gotten you so upset, and don't even tell me it's this tutu, because I know there's more to this…am I right?" Kurt asked. Jeff stayed silent, but listened intently.

"I'm just…I'm so." She let out a long sigh and dropped her head. "Ok, so I've been dating this guy for a little while now, and…" she began, but Jeff cut her off.

"Yay, juicy stuff, let's hear it!" he blurted out without thinking. Maggie gave him a look that said she couldn't believe that he'd interrupted her in her current state of mind. Jeff immediately looked back to his sewing machine and grinned.

"As I was saying…." She began again. "I'm dating this guy, and it's really just got me all messed up because I really like him…I mean I REALLY like him. He's not like anyone I've ever dated before….he actually has a job…a good job, and he's handsome and fun and sweet and generous and I just….I just adore spending time with him."

"Yeah, sounds awful. I don't know how you're getting by." Kurt snarked. Maggie chuckled and smacked his arm.

"It's not that, it's just that...he wants to meet the kids. He's actually already met them, but just once, as a friend of a friend, and I don't want them to be dragged into another of my relationships if it's bound to fail eventually. This thing with Josh just really threw me off and….I dunno…he's great and all that, but from what I've heard, I should expect him to be done with me and out the door here anytime." Maggie said, almost dejected.

"Ok, wait…he's great, wonderful, kind, has a lucrative job, etc etc and now he wants to meet your kids and you're freaking out…why?" Kurt asked her, a bit confused. "Do you think it's too soon, or…?"

"Maybe, I don't know. It's not even just that it's…he isn't….he hasn't…we don't…" she stuttered out, but then just stopped, embarrassed.

"Yep, totally confused, too." Muttered Jeff.

"I listened to too much of what I should have ignored from people who know him, I think. From what I heard, he's a major player and should have been in and out of my bed more times by now than I have…but he hasn't said word one about any of that. I don't know if I should be relieved or insulted. And this stuff with the kids…even if I wanted them to meet him, I can't yet. They'd be horrible at keeping a secret and—" she stopped, cutting herself off midsentence.

"And he's a secret…why?" Kurt prompted.

"I can't say…yet. That's part of the problem."

"Ok, wait. Mags, if you're dating this guy and he doesn't want you to say anything or be seen with him then I'm screaming adultery right here and I'm NOT ok with that. You're too good to be the 'other woman' anyway." Kurt said angrily. "Something's fishy!"

"It's not that. I know he's not married. Whether he has other girlfriends, well, I don't know that, but I don't know when he'd be out with them. He's out with me all the time and he works long hours, so….not really any time for that. And he's very attentive, very affectionate, just…he's amazing and I'm falling hard and fast. I'm terrified to feel this way, and even more terrified to tell him! I want to talk about it, but it's hard because I can't say anything, especially…." She trailed off again. "There's one person I could probably get a ton of answers from, but he's the one person I can't talk to about this. It's very frustrating!" she groaned.

"Mags, I don't know what to say. On one hand he sounds like a great guy, all but for the 'player' part, you know. But I don't understand the secrecy part. I think it's making it very hard for me to offer suggestions." Kurt said, his mouth twisted up in a grimace. "Besides, I'm no good at relationship advice anyway. Look at my history…pathetic."

"Nope, don't look at me!" Jeff said with conviction. "I'll probably have a major breakdown on you and cry my eyes out. I can't even talk about it without losing it." Jeff said sadly. "You should talk to Blaine. He's good at that kind of stuff. He'll know what's up with this guy and how to handle him. He'll probably demand to meet him and read him a list of rules to date you, and all that good stuff!" he smiled.

"No, I can't. I can't talk to Blaine about him…it wouldn't work out…" she said nervously.

"Why not? What the hell is so big and amazing about this guy that makes him such a big secret? And one that you can't even talk to Blaine about? I thought you guys were pretty close?" Jeff threw out.

"I can't, really…" Maggie said, twisting her hands in her lap.

"You can, just don't tell him the guy's name or—" Kurt began, but she cut him off.

"I can't, ok?! I can't tell Blaine because I'm dating Cooper, alright?" she bellowed. Kurt and Jeff were dumbfounded and sat there speechless. "Oh God, oh God I said it…out loud. He'll be so angry with me. He wanted to tell Blaine himself…he said Blaine only saw the crazy side of him with women and he'd tell me all kinds of stories and warn me away. Oh shit…" Maggie said, clearly upset again now.

"Ok, wait…hold up. It's ok, we won't say anything if you don't want us to, ok? Just calm down. What the actual hell do you mean you're dating Cooper?" Kurt said, trying to keep his tone even.

Maggie closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head, resigned to tell them the whole story.

"…so then he asked me out and I said yes. Since then I've been happier than I've ever been in my whole life, and I'm terrified it's going to be ripped out from under me. I really didn't expect him to still be around, and I don't know how long it'll be before he's bored with me. Like I said, he hasn't even suggested…anything….romantic other than kisses here and there. Ok, lots of kissing….wow, LOTS of kissing…." She mused.

"yeah yeah yeah, tmi. I can't think of Coop like that. It's just gross…no offense!" Jeff laughed.

"None taken." She smiled. "I really like him, guys. I'm just scared of him meeting the kids, getting all involved in their lives and then remembering that he has a little black book with hundreds of names in it that probably don't have the baggage I have…younger, better bodies, make more money…" she said, sighing, resigned. "Seriously, I think I should just break things off before I get in over my head and end up heartbroken."

"I don't think that's the answer." Kurt told her honestly. "Have you talked to Coop about it? Told him how you feel and what your fears are?"

"No, I feel like it's too soon for that and I don't want to be that clingy, needy girl that nobody likes. I don't even know if we're exclusive or not. I can't just say 'ok, you can meet my kids, but only if you plan to stay around for a lifetime…and you don't date anyone else….'. He'll think I've gone 'round the bend! It's only been a short time, you know?" She let out a long sigh of frustration and finally realized that Kurt was no longer sewing. "I better get home and get that done. Can I just borrow a needle? I'll replace yours when I get to the store…"

"No need, it's done." Kurt said, smiling. "And may I say, madame, that your work is superb! Most people would say "oh, this will be hidden under layers upon layers of tulle, it doesn't need to be straight', but your stitches are consistent and even. You just yell if you ever want a job with David and I! I'll take you on in a heartbeat!" Kurt grinned at her.

"Don't tempt me. I'd sooner sit home and sew all day than go to my stupid job. If I didn't need the health insurance, I probably would!" Maggie grinned. "Thanks guys. Thanks for listening to me ramble and rant. And please don't say anything to Blaine. I know Coop has wanted us all to get together several times, but it hasn't worked out for whatever reason, and I can't help but think there's a good reason for that. In his own time, ok?" she asked.

"Your secret is safe with us, but I really think that if Blaine KNEW, he could help you out with these feelings and questions. Just a thought, ok?" Kurt told her. "Oh, and for what it's worth, if you guys wanna go out, you can bring the kids over here to hang out if you want? I'd be happy to have them around for a little bit."

"Thank you, Kurt. That's very kind of you. I might take you up on that. They've been spending a whole lot of time with Helen….which is just something more for me to feel guilty for." Maggie sighed, then grinned at him as she walked to the door. "And thanks for this…really. Thank you." She said, holding up the costume.

"It's no problem. Happy to do it."

"Bye, hon." She said to Kurt, surprising him. "Bye Jeff, it was good to see you again, although I've been told you were never here and I saw nothing of you." Maggie smiled.

Well, it was time. It had to be done. His apartment looked like a small bomb had gone off and he didn't really care, but he also didn't want bugs, so Seb found that it was time to get it done and over with. Not really giving two shits who was awake yet and who wasn't, he cranked up his iPod and shimmied all over the apartment straightening as he went. Laundry in a pile, hang up this jacket, cups to the sink to be washed later on. Bathroom….holy moly, what the hell happened in here? Had it really been that long since he'd given it a good scrub? Hunter hated a dirty bathroom. He would always….. Seb sighed and went back to cleaning, removing stubble from the sink and wiping the counter down. He picked up the toothbrush holder and ran a disinfecting cloth under it, setting it back down again only to realize that there were still two brushes in there. Two. One his, and one Hunter's.

"Enough of that…no time for getting all sentimental." He said, throwing Hunter's toothbrush in the trash can. He immediately felt guilty for doing so, and he walked out of the bathroom leaving it only partially scrubbed down. Dishes….dishes needed to be done as well. He methodically placed them in the soapy water in the small sink, then set them aside when they were all washed. Draining the soapy water, he began rinsing off the plates, then the cups, then the...Hunter's favorite coffee mug. "God damn it!" he said, scrubbing his hands over his face and pushing his heels into his eyes. "You can't give him what he wants, Sebastian. Don't be a dick. Don't pull him back into something you can't fulfill!" he yelled at himself.

And why? Why couldn't he be what Hunter wanted? What he needed? Didn't he want to settle down eventually, as well? Maybe, but it was a long way off, right? Right?

"Oh my God, I have to get out of here…." He growled when a certain favorite song of Hunter's came on and he felt all the hair on his neck stand up. Goosebumps rose on his arms and he thought he was possibly going crazy. He swatted at the offensive iPod, knocking it off the side table to the carpet, swearing as he did. Grabbing his phone, he headed out the door into the growing heat of the day. It was time to find someone to take his mind off of Hunter once and for all.

"So, Kurt, can you get away for a while and hang out…do something…go somewhere? I miss being with you." Blaine said, a hint of longing and sadness in his voice. He kept his voice low, and he edged up behind Kurt where he sat at his sewing machine working tirelessly, it seemed. In fact, Kurt was exhausted. Since the Tonys and the red carpet, David had been all up in his grill wanting things done yesterday….and last week….and he was working non-stop. Jeff was a very welcome addition, and was really adding to his "finished" rack with record speed, but Kurt was still amazingly busy, and it seemed David wasn't anywhere near finished. Word had gotten out about Kurt's creation and "the suit", as it was known around the apartment, was popping up on fashion blogs all over the place.

To say that Kurt was thrilled would be an understatement, but they hadn't planned for this. They hadn't anticipated the public seeing one item and going a little crazy for it. They were clamoring for more, and Kurt was just trying to keep up with their original set of designs. On top of that, his office furniture was back ordered and he wasn't able to work in the new loft space yet. Everyone else was moving into their space nicely, but unless he wanted to work on the sawhorses with a door propped on top, he figured it was easier to hang at his apartment where everything was already set up.

"Um…I can probably swing lunch today, if you want?" Kurt said distractedly. He never raised his head from the machine, and Blaine scrunched up his face in irritation.

"Yeah? Well, that'd be nice. What time can you—" Blaine began.

"I don't know. I'll call you when I have a minute, ok? I have to at least finish this pair of pants before I even consider leaving. Jeff do you have the brown thread? It's called 'autumn leaf' or something like that?" Kurt mumbled, still not paying any attention to anyone or anything around him.

"Under that plaid sash there…" Jeff said, pointing across the work table.

"Ok, then, I'm just going to head out. I can tell you're busy…." Blaine trailed off, heading for the door.

"Alright….I'll call." Kurt said, finally looking up with a smile for Blaine. Before Blaine ever reached the door, though, Kurt was immersed in his work yet again.

Blaine ran into Sebastian in the hallway…literally. The man nearly ran him down in his haste to get away from everything that reminded him of Hunter.

"Whoa….hey, where's the fire?" Blaine laughed as Sebastian smirked at him.

"No fire, just need to get the hell outta here for a little bit." He answered. Blaine raised his eyebrows in question. "It's getting a little…stuffy…in my place. Feeling like the walls are closing in, and I haven't properly pounded anyone in a few days. I'm going hunting…" he smirked again, "unless you're bored and willing? Lord knows you're not getting a damn thing from Hummel."

"And you would know that how?" Blaine asked, a smile teasing his face. "Is this one of those things that's going to show up on the news later…you have cameras in everyone's apartment and a bank of monitors in your place so you can watch everything that's going on?" he laughed.

"I don't need cameras. I watch, I pay attention. I'm trained to do so. I know he's not giving it up, and I know why. I also know you're going to get real tired of waiting after a while, and guess who's going to be ready, willing and able when that time comes? Face it, Blaine, you know I'm hot as hell, and I know you're hot as hell, and we both know we'd be great together. When you figure out when, you give me a holler, ok?" Seb said confidently and walked down the steps. "Oh, and Blaine? One night with me and you won't even remember why you wanted him to begin with."

"Pretty confident, aren't you?" Blaine replied casually.

"All the confidence I need is between my legs and it never disappoints. Never. Tick tock, Blaine…." He trailed off down the stairs, then the hallway, and the front door slammed shut.