CHAPTER 60

"I know, Coop, and I'm sorry. I'll call and tell mom myself. It happened, and on top of all this stuff with Kurt, I just…Coop, I couldn't be there. He left. He left me, Coop. He wouldn't even speak to me, just…just said some harsh things and took off. He went home to see his dad, probably to shred me like nothing I've ever imagined. I just needed to get away."

"I get it, B, I do. I wish you were going to be here, but it's ok. Did you try and talk to Kurt before he left? In person, I mean? 'Cause I know you said you texted him, but B…things get lost in translation, right?" Coop asked.

"I did, but Finn was there and he was less than receptive and Kurt was angry and…Cooper, I feel like there's really something I'm missing in the big scheme of things. I don't want to say that he has no right to be angry with me, because he does. I grabbed him by the arm and said some terrible things, but I know…I know, Cooper, that I didn't leave a mark on him, I didn't bruise him, I surely didn't break anything, and I barely squeezed his arm at all. I was basically just leading him away so that we could talk privately. We'd become the center of attention and I needed to get us both away, so I led him by the arm. I shouldn't have, I'm not making excuses, mind you, but I did. I apologized so many times, but he's intent on making this a big thing and damn it, I can't understand why!" Blaine wailed. "Coop?" He asked, and when there was no answer, he asked again. "Coop?"

"Oh, sorry. I'd pulled the phone away from my ear when you began bellowing like a cow in labor!' He snarked at Blaine.

"It's been less than 24 hours since I've seen him and I miss him so much it hurts. I haven't touched him in almost 48 hours and it's killing me. He's mine…and I refuse to believe our relationship is over because of this. But what scares me…what really scares me, is that I'm beginning to get angry. I'm angry as hell that he's doing this to us. I'm angry that he won't talk to me face to face and I'm angry that I texted him to see if he got home alright and he hasn't replied. I love him, Coop…I need to know he's ok." Blaine said sadly, his voice hitching.

"Maybe Jeff's talked to him? You could call and ask him…see if Kurt's home safely. I'm sure if he wasn't you'd have heard something about it by now, right? Stay calm and think of a way to get him to talk to you, B." Coop advised. "I know this might sound weird, but why don't you call Maggie and see what her advice is? You know how women always know more about this shit than we do? She'd be glad to hear from you anyway."

"I might do that. She's easy to talk to and I feel like we haven't spoken in ages. She got this new boyfriend and he takes up every last minute of her damn time. I bet he's a douche….." Blaine snickered.

"I'm sure he is…or he will be at some point. We all mess up, B….I'll do it sooner or later and I'll be calling you with a broken heart." Cooper replied, a smile in his voice.

"And I will be here for you, Coop….like you've always been here for me. I'll call her later. Look, I need to get settled in here and go over the syllabus and all that jazz. I need to find my classroom and fill out some paperwork, too. I'll talk to you later, alright? Text me, because chances are, I'm going to just turn my ringer off and not answer anyone's calls. I'm not in the mood to be yelled at by anyone else and I have a ton of shit to do here if I want to make a decent impression."

"K, Blainey. Keep your chin up, man. This too shall go away…or whatever that saying is, alright?" He said sincerely. Blaine just chuckled knowing his brother was trying his best to be serious and sincere.

"K, Coop, and thanks. Please tell everyone I'm sorry I can't make it to dinner next weekend. If something changes I'll let you know for sure."

"He just…left?" Nick asked when he saw Jeff reading the note Blaine left on the counter.

"Looks like…Jesus, I'm such a horse's ass! Fuck…how many ways can I mess this up!?" He huffed, striding around the room, clearly upset with himself.

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything, Jeffie…you can see what he wrote plain as day, he needed space…he wanted to get away."

"Yeah, away from his friends who didn't bother to stand behind him and ask for his side of the story. He clearly had a reason for doing what he did, and I didn't even think to let him tell me what was going on. I jumped all over him right off the bat as soon as we got back here. And all this after the guy opens his home and everything else he has to me when I need him. I'm the worst fucking friend ever!" Jeff said, tossing the note aside and slamming his fist into the refrigerator. He immediately realized the error of his ways when his hand began to throb. "And clearly I'm an imbecile as well!" he yelled, angry now. The apartment door flew open without warning and Sebastian strolled in with his trademark snarky grin plastered on his face, an empty glass measuring cup in his hand.

"Not that I'm disagreeing, but I need you to not break the fridge until you let me borrow a cup of milk?" he said, happy as can be. Jeff gave him a wide eyed stare that said he was clearly out of his mind.

"You've got a helluva lotta fucking nerve asking for anything over here, Smythe! What the hell, do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?

"Hmmm, actually, no, care to fill me in?" Seb said, wondering what they were blaming him for.

"Wipe that fucking smirk off your face before I do it for you, home wrecker!" Nick chimed in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa anddd WHOA! I'm a lot of things, boys, but a home wrecker is absolutely NOT one of them. What kinda bullshit nonsense are you spouting off about?" Seb asked, clearly taken aback.

"Please…seriously, Sebastian, be man enough to take responsibility for what you did. I don't care if Blaine flat out asked for it, you knew…you know it isn't right what happened at your place last night with Blaine. Now Kurt's gone home all pissy and broken and Blaine's left town because everyone's on his ass about it! I hope you're happy. I hope you got what you wanted because I, for one, will make sure it never, ever happens again." Jeff said angrily.

"You…wait…what?" Seb said, clearly confused. "I'm not sure I'm following. I tried to make sure he didn't get an infection and lose an extremity, what the fuck is wrong with that?"

"That's fucked up, man…" Nick said, shaking his head. "I think you should go. Get out…" he trailed off.

"Now just hold on a god damned minute! I don't know what in the hell you think happened at my place last night, but anything that happened is not only NOT your business, but it was absolutely consensual and because Blaine happened to be there for the festivities isn't something I'm willing to take credit for. Slow your roll, gentlemen…I think you need to realize Blaine's a grown man and he makes his own decisions! I won't be blamed for where he falls asleep!" Sebastian said, clearly angry now. "What the fuck does this have to do with Hummel anyway? Kurt told me himself they were already on the outs before Blaine ever ended up at my place."

"And you think that makes it ok?!" Jeff yelled, furious now.

"You know what, fuck you two! I've never seen such a fawning bunch of bitches in all my life! If Blaine saw something he didn't intend to, if his dick led him into the room after something that sounded hot, that's his issue, so pull your balls out of each others' purses and stop-" Sebastian began, but was cut off by a swift sucker punch from Nick with Jeff following shortly after, trying to pull the two apart.

"Stop it, both of you…" Jeff panted, trying to pull them apart, but instead he was hit by Sebastian, who was aiming for Nick. "…the fuck..?" he yelled, his jaw throbbing now.

The trio was rolling around on the floor, punches being thrown by all, Sebastian holding his own against both Nick and Jeff due to all of his self-defense training. When Nick hauled his arm back to land another hit to Seb's jaw, he was unceremoniously shoved back by a furious Hunter who hauled Seb back and stood between everyone, hands out to the sides and a ferocious look on his face.

"What in the hell is going on here?!" he roared.

Jeff wiped the blood from his lip and inched over to stand closer to Nick, who was adjusting his shirt that had been ripped at the collar.

"Your boyfriend needs to learn to keep it in his pants before he hurts someone else. Are you aware of all the shit that went down last night at his place? Have you told Hunter what you did, Sebastian?" Jeff taunted, wanting Seb to suffer as much as everyone else had. Hell, Hunter needed to know what he was dating.

"Oh he's quite aware of what went down…he was THERE, you assholes!" Sebastian yelled. "What the fuck do you think went down?"

At this revelation, the threesome quote from Blaine kicked in and Jeff sneered. No…no way would Blaine ever…

"You know what, you guys do what you want, but you need to leave Blaine out of it. I don't know what you did, what you slipped into his drink or whatever, but Blaine loves Kurt, and vice versa, and you can't just fuck him because he got into an argument with his boyfriend and you happened to-" Jeff began.

"Ok, this is…I have absolutely NO idea what the hell you're babbling about. I think you need to start from the very beginning and tell me why the hell you're accusing me of this bullshit because, God damn it, I'm about to lose my shit, and you do NOT want that to happen, boys!" Sebastian roared, so angry now that he was shaking. "You know what, no….no…you don't get to talk. Let me give you the real version of what happened and then you can take turns kissing my ass apologizing for being a couple of jackasses, how 'bout that?" he said, his tongue flicking out to wipe at the blood near the corner of his lip.

"Here's what went down last night. I was out of town basically all fucking week for work. I come home late, I'm tired as hell, and I run into Hummel in the hallway. He looks like he's been run over by a truck, eyes red, can't stop shaking, can't even get his keys into the fucking door, so I help him out, ask him what's wrong. He tells me he and Blaine had an argument at the bar and Blaine put his hands on him, yelled at him, whatever. Me, being me, well, that shit doesn't sit well, so I go down to The Dive to find out what happened and get Blaine's side of the story. I run into Blondie, here, who tells me what happened in his words…they were dancing, Kurt was a little too handsy or whatever, and Blaine was pissed, he hauls him out to talk in the hallway and Kurt ends up leaving, walking home alone…where he eventually runs into me in the hallway."

"I stick around, have a few drinks with Blondie and when the music stops, everyone leaves and I have a couple of drinks with Blaine, ask him what happened. The dude is seriously sad…totally upset about what happened. He doesn't know what came over him, but the more we talk, the more I think he realizes that he's so fucking in love with Hummel that the mere thought of Jackson Hardy on the streets is making him a raving lunatic. We head home when the bar owner kicks us out and we talk about the fact that Jackson could be anywhere…even walking right behind us, so B turns around and starts walking backward, ranting about being the bad guy and not the spy or some shit, paying no mind where he's going and tripping off the curb. He cuts his hand, but it's dark and we can't tell how deeply it's cut, so at home, I tell him he needs to clean it out. Who the hell knows what the fuck he fell on, right? So he goes into his bathroom and realizes he's got nothin'…no bandages, no peroxide, nothin'. So I tell him to come over, we clean it out, put some shit on it, wrap it up so it doesn't get infected, we grab a beer and sit down to rehash my failing love life with Hunter and what a douche I've been to the most amazing man in my life…." He trails off, throwing a wink at Hunter now. Jeff is beginning to feel sick to his stomach. The infection comment is making more sense…..

"So we're talking one minute and the next minute Blaine is passed out on my fucking sofa, not moving, so I throw a blanket over his tiny ass and head into my own room to go to bed. Come to find out that the love of my life has been eavesdropping on the whole conversation from my bedroom and has come to deliver his own declaration of love…much to my extreme happiness." He said, fondly watching Hunter blush. Nick is now pinching the bridge of his nose and hating life, feeling like an absolute piece of shit for believing anything without hearing the words directly from Blaine's mouth.

"Now you have to understand, Hunter, here, is a grade A, top of the line lover, and there is absolutely no way, NO way, Blaine on the sofa or not, that when he offers up this amazing body that I'm saying no. Enter the wall next to Hummel's place where I proceed to pound the hell out of his perky ass until he's begging for mercy, spewing all over me and the wall…enter Blaine, who is awoken by…hmmmm…I can't imagine, who is standing at the door being a cute little voyeur and probably enjoying the show. I don't even know how the hell long he was standing there, as I was otherwise occupied. But, instead of joining in, he asks us to be quiet and not to wake Kurt since he's had a bad night and he needs his rest, and he leaves. He goes home, gentlemen, to his own apartment, alone. That's the last I've seen of Anderson since then. I did NOT fuck Blaine, end of story. "

"Now, I don't know what part of that is me wrecking anyone's home, but when you pull your heads out of your asses, you just let me know, capice? Until then, I'm going to take the love of my life home and make brunch, after I take your milk. So fuck you, gentlemen, and you can grovel at a later date for my forgiveness." Sebastian said, and strode from the kitchen to the door, milk in hand, Hunter shaking his head and following closely behind.

"Hunter!" Jeff says sternly. The man in question turned and gave Jeff raised eyebrows in anticipation of his questions. "You were there, in the apartment, the whole time?"

"From the minute they walked in at some ungodly hour last night until I walked over here to break up the fight."

"You agree with everything he said? He's on the level? As Kurt's friend, I'm asking you for the truth." Jeff said solemnly.

"I was there when they came into the apartment. I listened to and watched Seb clean Blaine's hand, put something on it, wrap it up and then sit down to have a very enlightening conversation about him and I. I heard every word, and not one thing was said by either that would constitute flirting or anything at all like it. Blaine fell asleep, Seb tried to wake him and when he couldn't, he covered him up and came into his room to go to bed…that's where I was the whole time. Seb and I talked and ended up…celebrating…our mutual idiosyncrasies….against the wall facing Kurt's room, unfortunately. Honest to God, I tried so hard to be quiet…even broke the skin on Seb's wrist biting it to muffle everything…I guess it wasn't enough. But no, boys, at no time was Blaine involved in anything other than taking up space on the sofa. You've got this all wrong, and apparently so does Kurt." Hunter said, then turned and left.

Nick and Jeff stood silently in the living room for a bit, then managed a glance at each other, sadness in both of their eyes.

"We seriously fucked up." Jeff mumbles.

"Unfortunately, you're absolutely right." Nick agrees.

"Whose going to tell Kurt?"

"Shit…" Nick says, shaking his head as well.

The heat in Ohio is something that's hard to explain. Although the thermometer may only say 85 degrees, its' still oppressive. It's just plain hot in the summer, and it's wet. Not that it's raining or anything, but it's wet heat. One can break a sweat simply from brushing their teeth too vigorously, and it's something Kurt didn't miss. Stepping out of the airport, he felt suddenly blanketed with warm, moist air and he wanted nothing more than to slip into his dad's truck and crank up the A/C. Thankfully, Burt and Carole were waiting for him at the curb.

Burt jumped out first, grabbing Kurt's wheeled suitcase and threw it into the back of the truck. Carole followed closely behind, hugging Kurt and reveling in the feel of Kurt's arms. He gave great hugs, and she missed them. Burt hugged him as well, holding on a bit longer than necessary. Kurt's face was the portrait of angst and pain, his eyes glassy.

"C'mon, kid, let's get you home." Burt said, helping Carole, then Kurt, into the truck.

Nobody said a word for most of the nearly two hour drive back to Lima from Columbus. Kurt sat at the window, his head leaning on the glass just staring for most of the drive. He was glad he hadn't bothered to do anything with his hair that morning and that it was laying limply across his eyes. He hoped it looked like he was sleeping. It must have worked, as nobody said a word to him.

Approaching home, Kurt decided he wanted it all out now, instead of waiting until they were at home, so he began to speak.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm dead tired, and I want to sleep when we get home. I need to tell you, though, and I realize this, so here goes. Please…just let me get it all out. Last night, Blaine asked me to come to the Dive, so I did, with Jeff there, knowing that I'd feel much safer if he were there…." He began, then told them the whole story. Every last detail, from dancing with Jeff to the conversation in the hallway at the bar…..right down to the noises coming from Sebastian's apartment. He told them about seeing Blaine go inside, about not hearing him leave, and then the agonizing words he'd heard, despite the rain pounding on his window and on the roof.

"It was like a nightmare…the wind, the rain, the words….and I know I wasn't dreaming, because Jeff heard it all, too, and then this morning…we tried talking about it, but every time he'd text me back, it was as if the hole was getting deeper and deeper, and I couldn't stand there one more minute waiting to fall into it. His attitude toward sleeping with someone else 10 feet from me was just so callous…so un-Blaine like…it was awful. I know being there with him…having him up in my face with all of his nonchalance about the whole thing would have killed me. I needed to leave…to come home, to be here with you guys. I'm sorry I'm dumping all this on you…but I want you to know. He's not the man I thought he was."

"Kurt…." Carole said, such tenderness and sorrow in her voice that it broke his heart all over again. "We're so sorry….I just…I can't even believe he'd do such a thing! That doesn't sound like the young man we met at all, honey. I'm so sorry you're hurt." She said, rubbing circles into his back….just like Blaine did all the time to calm him. A new wave of tears began and Burt just held onto him in the driveway, falling apart on the inside as his broken boy sobbed into his shirt.

"C'mon, bud, let's get you inside and you can sleep all you want. Apparently there wasn't a lot of sleeping going on anywhere last night. The storm tore through here as well." He said, motioning with his head at some small branches that had fallen from the trees in their yard. "You get some rest and we'll talk when you feel like talking. Go on. I'll bring your things in and up to your room." Burt told him. Carole had her arm around his shoulder and led him up the steps and into the house. He leaned over and kissed her cheek and walked up the steps to his room, shed his clothes and climbed under the covers, hoping that sleep would take it all away, even if just for a few hours.

"Hello, handsome." Maggie says as she grabbed her ringing cell phone.

"Hello, most beautiful woman I know…" Cooper purred into the phone.

"Uh oh, what do you want?" Maggie laughed.

"Nothing much…dinner with you next Saturday night? Please? There's someone I'd like for you to meet coming into town and I thought…well, I'd like for you to meet her."

"Her?" Maggie said, a little taken aback. "Um…I'll have to see if I can get a sitter, I suppose, but if I can, I… Cooper, who am I meeting?" she said, still uncertain.

"No need for a sitter. I'd like for you to bring the kids along if you would?"

"Ok, this is weird, honey. Please fill me in?" she said, anxious now.

"Mmmmmm, did I mention I adore that? When you call me honey?" He smiles into the phone. "Ok, my mom's coming into town and I want her to meet the woman I love, is that so bad?" he asked, a smile clear in his words.

"Are you sure? I mean, she'll probably just confuse me with the 100 others that came before me!" Maggie teased him.

"I don't think you have to worry about that at all. Is that a yes? Please say yes, Mags?"

"Well, since you asked so sweetly…I think I can make arrangements for you, my love." She grinned.

"I'm so glad. Thank you…I just…I want you to meet her. I'll call you back with details about when and where, and of course, I'll pick you guys up." Cooper explained.

"Alright…can I tell you that I'm already really, really nervous? And I'm a little freaked out about taking the kids to dinner with your mom, babe. Are you sure she won't mind?"

"She won't mind at all. She adores kids. I was going to have Blaine go with us, but he's out of town for a little bit, so that's a no go." Coop told her.

"Oh? I was hoping he'd help me pick something to wear. I'll have to ask Kurt, then!" she laughed.

"Yeah, um…look, those two, they're kind of on the outs. Kurt went back to Ohio for a little bit and Blaine got a call this morning at that school where he applied for the job, then declined it? Anyway, they needed someone due to some emergency and he took a temp job for 6 weeks upstate. They're currently not speaking…at all, apparently." He said, somber now.

"Well that won't do! Those two…Cooper, what happened?" she said worriedly.

"It's not my story to tell. I don't really even think Blaine knows what happened. He's confused and upset….hurt. Apparently he and Kurt had an argument…he thought they'd work it out without any issues, but that doesn't seem to have been the case. I told him to call you about it, actually, because I honestly don't know what to tell him…I don't know how to handle stuff like that. Stuff like this always seemed like a good reason for me to walk away and start over. Never really found a reason to stay around and fight for it, I guess." Cooper explained to her.

"Oh…ok. And now?" she asked tentatively.

"Now, I'd move heaven and hell to make you forgive me for anything stupid I did because I can't be without you." He said, a loving smile in his voice.

"God I love you so much, you big doofus!" she said laughing, tears evident in her voice.

"Which is why you need to meet my mom, because I want her to meet the woman I love."

"Are you sure you want the kids to come along? That could get overwhelming." Maggie asked.

"I want them there. They're your life, and now they're my life, and I think she's just going to love them, Mags…really."

"O-Ok then. Alright…Saturday it is. You'll tell me where we're going so I know how to dress, right?"

"I will…and I have an idea. What are you doing tomorrow?" Coop asked.

"I was thinking of coloring my hair…brightening it up a bit? It's been a bit too 'dishwater' for me lately. Why?"

"Go shopping with me? I need a few things and I thought we could all go and maybe grab some lunch?"

"Sounds like fun." Maggie smiled. "But Coop…I really….do you think it would be ok for me to call Blaine? I don't want to interrupt him, but I don't want him so far away with nobody to talk to either. That can't be good. I don't want him to think I'm prying, though."

"Please do call him. He tried really hard to sound ok when we talked, but he's not. I can tell."

"Ok, I'll do that, then. And um…do you think we might start tomorrow early?"

"No plans here. What time were you thinking? It's Sunday, so nothing will open until a little later." Coop asked.

"Uh….I was thinking starting Sunday early as in maybe Saturday night?" she said, her voice silky and alluring. "Unless you have other plans?"

"I…no…no plans…I'll be there as soon as I can be there….you have my word." He grinned into the phone, everything below his belt already gearing up.

"Good. I'll talk to you soon, love." Maggie said softly, disconnecting the call.

Jeff and Nick had ordered food that evening and just sat down in the living room to wait for it when there was a knock at the door. Always leery, Jeff got up and looked through the peephole, smiling brightly and yanking the door open as he did.

"What's UP!?" he yelled, yanking Trent through the door and into a hug, then doing the same with Thad. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he said, bubbling over with excitement to see his friends. "Look at you, man! God, you're a sight for sore eyes!" he said to Thad, shoving him in the shoulder like guys tend to do. "You idiot, I've missed you so much!" Jeff exclaimed to Trent, hugging him again and then throwing his legs around Trent's waist causing him to stumble forward laughing at the blonde overgrown child.

"We've been calling you and Blaine all day trying to get in touch with someone…either one of you. B's not answering and I keep getting a stupid recording telling me your line is no longer in service or some shit. The only thing left to do was to just show up, so here we are!" Thad explained. "Where is the hobbit with the golden pipes, anyway?" he said, looking around.

"Ugghhh…big mess. It's a long story, you should come in and sit down. Did you eat, we just ordered food, I can call and add another pizza!" Jeff nearly shouted, reaching for his phone to do just that. "Same as always?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"You know it." Trent smiled. "And I suppose you'd be the other half of 'we' and that would make you Nick, am I right?" he smiled, extending his hand to a wide eyed Nick, standing by the sofa and a little taken off guard at Jeff's exuberance.

"I am…Nick…that is." He smiled, and Trent put his hand to his heart. "Yep, there's that smile that jumped right out of the little tiny phone screen and smacked our Jeffrey in the head, knocking him silly!" he laughed. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Nick." He smiled. "This is my fiancé, Thad. Thad, this is Nick, who has swept our Jeffie off his feet." Nick blushed.

"Yeah, well, I think it's the other way around. He came flailing into my life and it's never been the same since then!" he grinned. "But I wouldn't change a thing." He said, watching Jeff on the phone with a smile so big it lit the entire room.

"Ok, large with pineapple and bacon added and on its way!" Jeff yelled, launching himself over the back of the sofa and sitting next to Nick. "So what's up, what are you guys doing in town? I thought you had some time left before you had to be here?"

"We do, we're just looking for apartments, but it's been rough. There's nothing out there that isn't dingy, on the 27th floor with no elevator, so overpriced it's insane, and what we're finding close to where his office will be is either so small we can't turn around in the same room without knocking each other down or it's so expensive we'd have to consider selling internal organs to pay the lease for a month or two." Thad said, straight faced. Jeff paled, for a minute considering that he might be serious. "Dude, I'm joking…no selling of organs!" Thad laughed.

"You weren't laughing!" Jeff said, blushing. "Asshole…" He laughed.

"So anyway, we thought we'd ask you guys if you'd seen anything in your neighborhood. If we're going to be here in the same city, we may as well be close to our friends, right?" Trent asked.

"That would be amazing! Except…" Jeff said, excitedly, but then trailed off, his eyes downcast, a confused look on his face, yet still grinning.

"Except?" Trent said, prompting him to continue.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be here." Jeff muttered quietly. All eyes were on him now. "With any luck, I'll be…um…not living here…in this apartment…eventually." He smiled shyly, but with a bit of sadness as well, glancing at Nick from under his eyelashes.

"You're not fighting with Blaine are you? You guys have always gotten along, and if anyone can live with you, it's him!" Trent smiled.

"I'm not his favorite person right now." Jeff said sadly. "Some shit went down last night with him and Kurt, and things were said and done that didn't sit well with everyone….it ended badly. Text messages were exchanged and it really screwed up everything…they were unclear and conclusions were reached that weren't right. It's a mess, like I said. And he's not speaking to me at the moment. I tried to call him, too, and he won't answer." Jeff explained.

"So you think he's going to kick you out?!" Thad asked.

"NO, oh no, he wouldn't…no. He uh…he took a temporary job for 6 weeks upstate. He just left a note and took off this afternoon. And Kurt went home. He said I was welcome to stay, that this was my home now and all that. I'm comfortable here, but…you know…" he trailed off, uncertain if what he wanted to say was too forward. Nick saved him.

"I hope like hell what Jeff is trying to say is that he's hoping to move in with me soon….I really hope that's what he's implying." Nick grinned. "Because I really would like that." Jeff just leaned into him and kissed his cheek.

"I'd like that too….soon." Jeff replied, his cheeks pink.

"Too bad that won't leave an empty apartment when you move in with Nick!" Trent laughed. "I love this building!"

"No, not when I leave, but when Blaine moves in with Kurt-" Jeff said, coming to an abrupt halt. "OH MY GOD! Why didn't we consider this!" he almost yelled. Nick just smiled, having been thinking the same thing.

"Blaine's moving?" Thad asked.

"No, well yeah, but no. He bought this building! Just recently, actually, and he's tearing the whole third floor apart for him and Kurt…but who knows how that's going to go now." Jeff said sadly. "Those two really need to work this out! If that happens, there will be two empty units in this building and you could just pick which one you wanted!"

"Oh my God, that would be fabulous!" Trent crowed. "This one might be a bit too much room for us. Is Kurt's a bit smaller? I thought B said it was two bedrooms?"

"It is. You know what, I have to go feed Brian anyway, why don't you come with me and look at it. Kurt wouldn't mind. Oh, but hey, he doesn't know. He has no idea Blaine owns the building now, or anything about the 3rd floor. Blaine wanted it to be a surprise."

"Our lips are sealed!" Thad said, smiling. They went out the door to Kurt's place, Nick staying behind to wait for the food. As Jeff was opening Kurt's door, Seb's door flew open and he and Hunter stepped into the hallway catching everyone's attention.

"Gentlemen…" he said, his smirk firmly in place. "Oooh, more eye candy! This building just keeps getting better and better!" he grinned. Hunter smacked him on the back of the head and rolled his eyes.

"How's it goin'?" Thad asked, a little taken aback.

"C'mon, Romeo…let it go." Hunter said, his hand on the man's shoulder urging him along.

"I'll be home later on tonight and all day tomorrow, Jeff, if you and your psychotic boyfriend want to come on over and grovel for my forgiveness." He laughed, descending the stairs.

"Jeeez…" Jeff said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "He's so damn pleasant…." He mumbled.

"Is that the sex on the steps guy?" Trent asked.

"The one and only…and right now he's gloating, so ignore him." Jeff answered.

They went through Kurt's apartment quickly, noting how things seemed haphazardly thrown around. Jeff knew this wasn't like Kurt, and that it was only because of the state he was in when he left that it looked more like a crime scene than his usually tidy space.

"Do you love it or what?" Trent asked Thad, bouncing on his toes with a wide grin on his face.

"I do…it's perfect, and I can tell you want it." Thad smiled at his fiancé.

"I love it…it's amazing! So ok, it's settled…..Operation Get Those Two Idiots Back Together is ON! If they're together, they move in together upstairs and this apartment is empty!" Trent giggled like a little girl. "When's this renovation supposed to be done? We have to be here in like three weeks, tops."

"Oh…well, shit. I don't think they're aiming to be done until the middle to the end of August…that's when B's due back anyway. Nick's doing all the work while he's gone….I mean, not doing the work, but supervising everyone. I'm really surprised B just up and left like that with all of this crap going on here in the building. Trying to keep it from Kurt, before this, was going to be a chore. It'll be easier now, with Blaine gone, but harder just the same. If he's in class, he can't stop and check his phone or answer questions right off. It's gonna be a little crazy! Who knows if it'll slow the progress down or not?" Jeff said, rolling his eyes. "And I don't know if I'll be working from Kurt's or from the loft, either."

"You found a job up here?" Trent asked.

"Man, it's been too long since I've talked to you, dude…we have a lot to catch up on…a Lot with a capital L for sure. Let's head back over and get some food. Can you stay for a little bit?" Jeff asked.

"Nowhere to go, yet, man. We were going to check into a hotel close by and spend the day tomorrow looking for somewhere to live. Hopefully we can get all that settled? Someone's gotta get in touch with B. I don't want to assume he's ok with this and waste tomorrow if he's got someone else already lined up, or if Kurt ends up not moving up there, ya know?" Thad told them. "And even in the best case scenario, we still have to find somewhere to live until one of these apartments is empty, and the sooner the better."

"Well, if we bombard Blaine with texts and phone calls maybe he'll take pity and call one of us back?" Jeff smiled. As they sat and ate, they did just that. Blaine's phone was blown up with calls and texts. He wasn't up for talking, but from what he could tell, Trent and Thad were at his place and they wanted to talk about the apartment that might be coming open. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it…he hadn't thought that far ahead yet, but he had some time.

8:37p from Trent: B, I'm at your place, and you're not! What kind of friend leaves town when I'm coming to visit? Call me. I need to talk to you!

8:38p from Thad: Chillin' on yo' couch eatin' yo' food, playa! Ok, no, really, totally bummed you're not here, man. Got a proposition for you. Can you spare a minute to call one of us?

8:40p from Jeff: I'm renting out your bed for the night. This could be a lucrative deal for me. How long will you be gone? *smiley face* Seriously, though, man. I've tried to call you several times now. I know you're angry with me and you have every right to be. Let me make it right. I think there are things going on that you need to know about, and it's important shit, so please….call me, B.

9:10p from Jeff: I'm not fucking around dude, I need to talk to you, and it has to be before you talk to Kurt. I found out some stuff….I can't believe what an ass I was, B….I couldn't be more sorry for yelling at you. Seriously, please call me. *sad face* Kurt really has no idea what went on…and he thinks stuff happened that didn't. CALL ME.

"I feel bad, Seb." Hunter said, out of the blue, as they ate dinner at their favorite restaurant. They'd been there several times together in the past, but every other time it looked more like a business dinner than a date. Hunter made sure of it. Now, he was relaxed and smiling, for the most part, enjoying just being there with Sebastian, who was grinning like a love sick fool.

"Doesn't look like you feel bad. Looks to me like you feel fine…just fine." Seb said, giving him a sexy wink across the table.

"You know what I mean." Hunter smiled, blushing. "I didn't know Kurt thought all that…I feel sick over it. I need to talk to him. Can you imagine what's going through his head, Seb? Would it be too terribly rude of me to text him real quickly to try and get him to call me? He needs to know it was me, and not Blaine. But I don't want to ignore you, either."

"Another reason I love you…always looking out for someone else." Seb grinned. "Call him…make sure he's aware of what happened. The longer he doesn't know the truth the worse it'll be."

Hunter tried calling Kurt's phone several times since the episode at Blaine's, but got his voicemail repeatedly. Over dessert, he decided maybe he'd text Kurt instead.

9:15p from Hunter: Kurt, I need to talk to you about last night. Please call me. I've left you 3 messages today and I haven't heard a peep back. It's imperative that we speak sooner rather than later. No joke, man, it's heavy shit. Please call me.

9:20p from Kurt: Hunter, I can't talk to you about last night. I think it's better if you talk to Seb about it. Maybe not. Shit, I don't even know anymore. I'm sorry…really sorry for what might come out about it. I wish I had the nerve to tell you myself, but rehashing all that might just kill me. I'm teetering on the edge of some serious depression. And we're out of ice cream, and I can't say how much that sucks. I'll be back soon. I'll talk to you then.

9:23p from Kurt: If you have time, please get the key from Jeff and visit Brian. He wasn't looking so good when I left. I think he's having sympathy pain.

9:25p from Hunter: Kurt, seriously. I'm not doing this through text messages, and there are things you need to know. Shit's seriously screwed up, and I think you need to know NOW, rather than later.

9:27p from Kurt: It doesn't have anything to do with me anymore. Blaine and I are done. What he's done is beyond something I can forgive. I could have…maybe…but his attitude toward it is a deal breaker.

9:29p from Hunter: Fucking hell, KURT! God damn it, Blaine didn't sleep with Sebastian last night, I DID! Now fucking call me! I'm NOT doing this through text messages!

Kurt sat at the kitchen table in Burt's kitchen, his drawings scattered everywhere, just staring at his phone. Panic had begun to set in and his heart rate was through the roof. Hunter was there? Hunter wouldn't lie to him…he wouldn't. He had no reason to. If Blaine had slept with Sebastian, Hunter would have been absolutely furious, not trying to make Kurt see the opposite had happened. Oh God…

9:34p from Kurt: But he told me…the text messages about it…he said things. I saw him go in there!

9:35p from Hunter: He fell on the way home from the Dive, cut his hand kinda bad. He didn't have any antiseptic, so Seb cleaned it up for him…then he passed out on Seb's couch. I was already there, waiting for Seb to come home! Kurt…please listen. Please call me!

Carole walked in and gave him a curious look, then called for Burt. She wasn't sure she liked the way he'd gone completely white, and with Kurt's coloring, that was saying something.

"Burt? Can you come in here for a minute?" she yelled into the living room. Before she could even move in his direction, Kurt crumbled from the chair onto the floor, to his knees, then curled up like a child, eyes wide and shaking. "BURT! Oh God, Kurt…BURT!" she yelled again. He came running in, seeing Kurt on the floor, and went into a panic. His son looked distraught, almost catatonic, totally out of it.

"Kurt…buddy. Hey…sit up here. KURT!" Burt said, trying to stay calm. Kurt's eyes were glazed, his breathing shallow and he had dropped his phone. "Carole, can you help me get him up and back into a chair?" he asked. The younger man was like a wet noodle, his body having shut down due to what was probably shock, but they managed to get him into a chair. The whistle on the kettle sang out, and Carole set to making Kurt a cup of tea since he'd clearly started to do so himself, and she thought the warmth might help him.

"Oh, honey, here, please drink this. You're scaring me, Kurt." Carole said softly, then whispered in his ear while Burt paced the floor, "You're scaring your dad, too, Kurt, please….please say something."

"What have I done? He'll never forgive me….." was all he was able to get out before he burst into tears at the table, Carole and Burt both wrapped around him.

A/N As always, big thanks to Christine who goes over everything with a fine tooth comb for me...sometimes several times...before this ever gets posted. Hugs, lady! :)

Also, there have been more than a few guest reviews, and as most of you know, if you review, I answer you. If you're commenting as a guest, though, I'm unable to do so. Please don't think this means I don't appreciate the time you took to throw me your two cents! Log in, let's chat :) Thank you, really, to all of you guys for reading and letting me know what's going on in your head while you peruse the words :) I often get the best laughs from some of your comments and they warm my heart knowing you've connected with the characters and you care about them as much as I do!

Last, but not least, shout out to Jen who listened to me rant and rave last night over unrelated messes while I was writing the next chapter. :)