Happy Wednesday!

I hope you all had a wonderful week.

Thank you for the great comments you've left on this fic so far. I'm glad you enjoyed the beginning.

A few people mentioned wanting to check out the book this is based on. I would advise you to wait until you finish reading the fic as not to get spoiled – plus, honestly, there's nothing gay about the book. I don't know if it's even worth reading :P

Thanks to Christine for her awesome beta skills.

Hope you enjoy the second chapter!

There was a really long pause. Blaine studied Kurt in the silence that followed his question, trying to gauge his reaction. But, as usual, Kurt Hummel was perfectly controlled. The only indication that he had heard him was the way his eyes seemed to harden, but it was just a flash, gone before Blaine could even wonder if he had upset him.

Kurt cleared his throat, and his eyes narrowed as he considered Blaine. "A marriage of convenience?" He repeated, as if he needed the confirmation.

There was a little voice in the back of Blaine's head, one that sounded a lot like Joanna's, telling him this was insane and he still had time to back out. But Blaine had made up his mind long before he had arrived at Kurt Hummel's impressive and monochromatic apartment today. "It's in the very definition of it – it's a marriage that's supposed to benefit both parties. It doesn't really have anything to do with love or affection. It's basically a business relationship in every sense, except, you know, the legal aspect of it."

"A business relationship," Kurt repeated quietly. It was unnerving, the way he could stay completely still, not show a single sign of what he was feeling. "That's the kind of marriage you're contemplating?"

Blaine nodded. "Exactly."

"You just want to marry someone who will manage Anderson Unlimited for you," Kurt said. "Someone who is capable of keeping the investors and providers calm and content."

Blaine smiled. It was a relief that Kurt understood what he wanted so quickly. It certainly made things easier to explain. "That's right. My husband would become a controlling partner as soon as we say I do. He can take charge of the business immediately. It needs to be someone with a reputation, who can bring a sense of comfort and stability to the investors, someone who exudes confidence, who knows what he's doing. That's the only way the investors will stop panicking and calling me every five minutes."

There was no change in Kurt's face. "I see."

Blaine was starting to wonder if Kurt was on the same page as him. His lack of reaction was making him doubt himself a little. "Do you understand how this would work?"

Kurt leaned back against his seat. "I understand how you think this will work," he said. He paused, and Blaine waited, realizing he was working through something in his head. "What would happen if Cooper comes back?"

"Oh, that's easy. I would just get a divorce," Blaine shrugged. It was the least of his concerns. "As soon as the divorce is final, my husband would stop holding stock in the company. That's how Cooper set up the company. Shares revert to family members in case of a divorce. And I plan to reinforce that with a prenuptial agreement, just in case I missed anything."

"Well, you certainly seem to have thought this through…" Kurt commented in a soft voice.

"Yes, I have," Blaine confirmed. "I talked it through with Joanna, too. We both think it might be our best shot at saving Coop's company." He didn't add that Joanna was vehemently against this plan, and Blaine had decided to go through with it anyway.

"It's probably the most creative approach to business I've heard in a while, I'll give you that," Kurt conceded, and he sounded almost amused, though it was hard to tell with him. "What's in this for your… husband?" He said the word as if it was an entirely foreign concept to him.

"Well, I hope he'll think it's the best way to protect his own interest in Anderson Unlimited. I don't think he wants to risk losing the money he invested in the company…" Blaine said, and he held his hands together to keep them from shaking.

There was a slight arching in one of Kurt's perfect eyebrows. "So you plan to marry one of Cooper's investors?"

"Yes," Blaine said. There was a knot in his stomach now. "And since he also says he's a friend of Cooper's, since he's offered to help me if I needed it, I'm hoping…" He paused. There was no easy way to do this, now that it was time. "Mr. Hummel…"

"Kurt," he corrected again.

"Kurt," Blaine echoed. "God, okay. This… this is a little harder than I thought it would be…"

Kurt leaned forward a bit, enough to study Blaine's face. "Blaine, are you by any chance proposing to me?"

He felt his face heating up. Saying it aloud in front of Kurt made it sound as ridiculous as Joanna had claimed it to be. "Yes."

"Ah," Kurt muttered simply.

Blaine Anderson had always been a romantic at heart. When he had imagined proposing, which he had daydreamed about too many times, he had never quite thought it would go like this. He had thought about flowers, about romantic music in the background, about doing it in a place that meant a lot to him and his hopefully future husband.

He had imagined he would be head over heels in love with the man he wanted to marry.

He was already tense and drained from having to go through this to be patient with Kurt Hummel's cryptic personality. "What does that mean?" He said.

Kurt shrugged almost imperceptibly. "It means I accept."

For a moment, Blaine thought his ears were betraying him. "What? You do? Just like that?"

Something in Kurt's eyes had definitely changed now. They looked so blue, no vestiges of the grey Blaine had found in them before, but there was also something else in them, something Blaine couldn't quite identify – if he didn't know Kurt Hummel better, he would have called it yearning.

"It looks like it's the only way I can protect my investment, since you won't sell the company," Kurt explained. "And, as you pointed out, I did offer to help, as Cooper's friend."

Blaine frowned. "But don't you want to think it over? Sleep on it?"

"There's no need. I have already considered all the possibilities, all the options we have left. If I don't marry you, you're going to hold onto the company tooth and nail, even if it means it'll go straight into bankruptcy." Kurt spoke as if it was the most sensible thing in the world, as if people proposed every day just to save businesses from impending failure.

Blaine hadn't realized he had been digging his nails into his palm until that very moment. He let go. He could let go. Things were going to be alright. He wasn't going to fail Cooper. "Wow. I don't know what to say. I was hoping you'd say yes, but… I knew it was a long shot, too." He smiled at him. "But don't worry. I don't think you'll have to be married to me for too long."

Kurt tilted his head as he watched him. "You're really convinced that Cooper will come back, aren't you?"

Blaine couldn't ignore the little pang of fear that went through him. He needed to trust his brother. But there were moments when he was so desperate for news, when he didn't know how to go on another day… "I have to believe he will. But even if he… even if he doesn't, I will still hold onto the company."

"Because of the potential of Cooper's technology and the profits it will bring?" Kurt asked.

"Because Joanna is pregnant," Blaine replied quietly.

There were times when he was overjoyed with the news, just like Joanna. And then there were times when it felt like another reason to feel miserable, because the only thing Blaine wanted, the only thing that mattered, was that Cooper wasn't here to be as happy as they were.

Kurt nodded slowly. "So what you really want is to keep the company for Cooper's child."

Blaine sighed in defeat. "I don't think I have an option. It's what Coop would want. What else can I do?"

"Nothing. I understand completely," Kurt said and Blaine couldn't look away when he added: "I once found myself in a similarly difficult situation. You do what you can, what you must, for your family."

Was that a hint of old pain Blaine detected in Kurt's face? But no, it was gone too quickly, covered perfectly by someone who had learned to mask everything he felt.

"I knew you'd understand. Cooper trusted you. And there's not a lot of people who would agree to do something like this, but I knew you would. You're different, Kurt. You're not like any other business men I've met while dealing with Cooper's associates and acquaintances…"

Kurt seemed to choose to ignore that last comment. "I feel like I need to ask something that's rather obvious, but… what happens with our agreement if your brother never returns?"

It wasn't exactly something Blaine was willing to deal with, but he knew he had to. "You want to know how long you're going to be stuck in a fake marriage."

"But it won't be fake, right, Blaine? It has to be very real, or your little plan won't work," Kurt pointed out.

"Of course, it'll be real in the legal sense," Blaine shrugged. "We can set a time limit, if that will make things easier for you. I really do think Coop will be back any day now."

But Kurt insisted: "If he doesn't?"

Blaine sighed. "If everyone is right, and Coop is gone forever, then… I think I will have to learn how to manage Anderson Unlimited on my own. I know I'm not exactly qualified right now. The only business I've ever managed is Extravaganza, and it hasn't been for that long, either. They're completely different businesses, too. I would need time to learn how to deal with a high profile company like my brother's. Plus, you know, the investors need to learn to trust me, too."

"Well, given your lack of experience in the field, it would take a while. Two years, I'd say, perhaps more, and that's assuming you're a fast learner…"

Blaine felt his eyes widen. "I would never dare to ask you to stay tied up in a fake marriage for that long. My goodness, I wouldn't want to be trapped in it, either."

Kurt's expression didn't waver at all, but Blaine would have sworn there was a slight change in the air between them. "No, I don't imagine you would."

Blaine bit his lip as he tried to come up with a solution. "Okay. How about this?" He said. "Let's say we give it six months, and when we get there, we'll reassess the situation. If Cooper isn't back and you want out, I won't force you to stay."

Kurt nodded slowly. "That seems reasonable to me."

"I'm sure it won't have to come to that, though," Blaine said with a little smile. "Coop will come back. You'll see."

"I really do hope he'll come back, Blaine," Kurt said, a lot more softly than usual, his voice almost like a caress.

There was so much gratitude and relief inside of Blaine that he felt about to burst. He smiled at him again. "You're being so incredibly kind about all this. I know it sounds a bit insane, but I'm confident it will work." He hesitated then, as he suddenly thought of something. "Well, I… I'm sorry if I'm prying but… are you, uhm, romantically involved with anyone at the moment?"

Immutable, Kurt simply said: "No."

"Oh god, that's a relief. It would have been too complicated to explain this to another man," he stopped. "Or woman. I don't know if you…"

"Man," Kurt replied. "I'm very much gay, Blaine."

"Good, good. Me too," Blaine said, and he didn't know why he was suddenly nervous too. "I just mean that it would have made everything so much more complicated if we had to include someone else in the decision… though, of course, if that were the case, I would never ask you…"

Kurt interrupted his nervous rambling. "What about you?" He asked, and it seemed to Blaine there was a certain note of interest in Kurt's tone. "Is there anyone for you?"

"No," Blaine shook his head. "Haven't had a boyfriend in a while. I've been so focused in my boutique that there's been hardly time for anything else…"

"Good," Kurt said, and for some reason, that simple word sent a shiver down Blaine's spine. "Then it's just you and me."

"It is. But I want you to know…" Blaine leaned a bit closer. "If this drags on for a while, I don't want you to have to sacrifice your personal life for it. You can feel free to, uhm, date," he said, and hesitated because it was a little hard imagining Kurt Hummel on a date. "This is not a real marriage. I don't want you to feel like you can't do what you please when it comes to your personal life."

Kurt stood up and went towards his desk. He touched the teapot with the tips of his fingers, as if trying to determine whether it was still hot enough for another cup. He seemed to have decided it was, because he refilled his own before turning to Blaine. "If word gets out that our marriage is a fraud, your brother's creditors will panic again. They could think we won't be married long enough for Anderson Unlimited to be safe."

Blaine groaned and let himself fall back in his seat. "I hadn't thought of that. We'll have to make this look as real as possible, won't we?"

"I'm afraid so," Kurt said. He lifted the teapot, a silent offering to Blaine, who shook his head.

"There'll be questions, too. Some people might be shocked at how quickly we decided to get married," Blaine pondered, thoughtful.

Kurt sipped his lukewarm tea for a moment, as he considered this, before he said: "Well, we could say we have been seeing each other for a while now, though we wanted to keep our privacy until we were ready to make any sort of announcements. But with Cooper gone, we had to move fast and formalize our relationship to make things easier for everyone."

"I guess it will work," Blaine said. "After all, you're already kind of a mystery. People won't be surprised you kept a relationship private." He paused and looked around the office as he finally came to a realization he, stupidly, hadn't come to so far. "There will be a lot of little things we'll have to consider, right? Lots of little changes…"

Kurt seemed to read Blaine's face and concern perfectly. "Yes, Blaine. You'll have to move here," he said. "If we don't live together, people won't believe we're serious about us."

Blaine ran a hand down his face, suddenly understanding some of Joanna's worries that he hadn't even had time to consider until now. "God, this is a lot more complicated than I thought."

There was a little smile on Kurt's face then, barely a lift of the corner of his lips. It wasn't exactly a happy expression, but it was certainly a change from his serious, impassive behavior.

"Don't worry, Blaine. I'll take care of everything," he said. "That's why you're marrying me, right?"

Once more, a shiver ran down Blaine's spine.

He didn't know what to attribute it to, this time.

Up in the greenhouse, it was easy to forget you were in the middle of Manhattan, on top of one of the tallest, most expensive buildings in the city. Even though the lights of New York, the skyline, the shine of the last few rays of sunlight on the river sneaked past the glass, it felt as if this could be a garden anywhere else in the world.

Kurt grabbed a pair of small scissors and gently cut a few leaves that didn't look very healthy. Then he buried his finger in the soil to check the level of moisture – it was perfect. He inspected his work before grabbing the orchid and returning it to its place.

No one who knew Kurt in the business world would have expected him to love orchids. He had no idea what they expected him to enjoy, actually. Apparently people thought he was some sort of monster, a cold-hearted snake who only cared about making money. And maybe at some point, back when things had been so hard for his family, he'd had to become that in order to survive. But this, the man he was when he was alone in his greenhouse, resembled a lot more the person he used to be before everything was ruined.

Sometimes he wondered if his father would recognize him if he saw him now.

The greenhouse was a large, state-of-the-art enclosure. He had automatized it to make it perfectly functional – there were different temperatures set up in different areas of the greenhouse so the varied species of orchids he grew could thrive in their own preferred environment, as well as an irrigation system, all of it monitored from a panel located right outside his glass-walled garden.

It required patience, tending to his orchids, but if there was something Kurt had in spares, it was patience. He would spend hours and hours working up here, taking in the sweet scent of the flowers, lettings their bright colors and the softness of their petals fill his senses.

He felt it was a little reward after every day at the office – so many hours staring at computer screens, so many hours talking about numbers and money, so many hours dealing with incompetent idiots… Kurt certainly needed a splash of beauty in his life, and the greenhouse had been a perfect solution.

And now there was Blaine.

There was no denying that Kurt had been struck by him when he had first met him at Cooper's engagement party. Seeing him felt like discovering a new species of orchid – something gorgeous and one of a kind. He had been standing there, so handsome in his dark suit, the cute bowtie at his throat, and had looked up at Kurt with big, golden eyes and slightly parted lips, like he too was discovering something he hadn't expected.

He hadn't stopped thinking about him since.

It wasn't like Kurt to obsess – he was proud of how much control he could exert in every aspect of his life, even the things he thought about. But that night, after getting home from the party, he had sat in his office, not bothering to turn on a light, and had tried to come up with a way to approach Blaine once more, to get to know him better, to find out if he wanted him just as much as Kurt suddenly wanted him, with a heat and a desire he hadn't felt in years.

But he hadn't had time to put any of his ideas in motion. Cooper's plane disappearing in the middle of the ocean was a shock – Kurt was sorry about it, he had truly liked Cooper, and that wasn't something he would say of many people. He had called Blaine, hoping to offer some comfort and help, but in the end, it had been Blaine who had taken the most daring step.

Kurt certainly hadn't expected a marriage proposal.

Even though Blaine insisted it was a temporary solution to a business problem, Kurt was secretly confident he could find a way to make it permanent. He hadn't imagined he would ever consider marriage again – not after what Jordan had done to him, to his family – but something about Blaine told him he could trust again, which was one of the hardest things to do, in Kurt's opinion.

He had always thought he would get married. It had been one of his biggest dreams as a child. After Jordan had ran away, bringing nothing but pain and ruin to his family, he realized those dreams had been nothing but naïve. Thinking of starting a family with a man seemed incongruous when the family he had, the one he loved more than anything, fell to pieces because of those childish, absurd dreams. What was the point of finding a man he could love, if that love was going to become treason?

But Blaine, Kurt thought as he misted the blooms of a white orchid, he was different. There was just something about him that made him think he could have everything he needed. It didn't have to be about love, not really. Love was a fairy tale, and Kurt didn't believe in them anymore. But it could be about lust, about desire, about getting from each other everything they could possibly need. It was about Blaine's obvious loyalty – if he was so faithful to his brother, so earnest in his pursuit of fairness, so eager to do the right thing no matter the cost – then he could trust that Blaine wasn't going to run away and betray him.

Or maybe he was so desperate to have him that he forced himself to believe that.

He touched the petal of the orchid he was tending to with his thumb, feeling its silky smoothness. He wondered if Blaine's skin would feel like that when he touched it…

Steps echoing from the entrance of the greenhouse made him look up from the flower. Santana appeared behind a group of baby pink orchids. Her dark hair was pulled back tight in a ponytail, and the only signs she showed that the end of the day was approaching and that she was tired was in the jacket she had removed, leaving her only in a white shirt and black pants. She always looked professional, no matter what, and Kurt liked her.

She had come work with him soon after Kurt had started growing his now impressive fortune. He needed someone he could trust for his daily affairs, and Santana had proved worthy of it. Kurt wasn't eager to have an apartment full of people, so he was more than satisfied with her managing all the daily things he couldn't quite bother with, from driving his car, to cooking his dinner, to being an extra pair of eyes when he was out and about. She was an incredible asset, and probably the only person Kurt trusted with his life.

She was usually serious – he knew someone had broken her heart and made her harden, something Kurt could absolutely relate to – though she could throw a sassy comment here and there, like a breath of fresh air that reminded Kurt of a younger version of himself, when he still hadn't been hurt, when his view on life hadn't been affected by how ugly the world could be.

"Mrs. Hummel-Hudson is here to see you," she announced.

Kurt had guessed Carole's visit was just a matter of time. He stepped away from the orchid and wiped the dirt off his hands. "I'll see her downstairs. Thank you, Santana."

She simply nodded before turning away to return to the apartment.

Kurt stood in the middle of the greenhouse and allowed himself ten deep breaths. He knew exactly why Carole was here and he would need to be as patient as he could to discuss matters with her. He knew she wouldn't understand.

It had been a long time since his family had understood him.

He left the greenhouse and crossed the terrace, the sky darkening as he walked. Winter was just around the corner, and the wind, so high up, seemed to bite at Kurt, who was only wearing an old black Henley and designer black jeans. He was in casual clothes when he worked on his orchids, and just because no one saw him. No one would disrespect a man in a suit – there was something powerful about the image it presented, and Kurt had clung to it in the beginning, needing a shield until he stopped pretending to know what he was doing, and truly learned what it took to succeed.

Carole was sitting in the living room, already with a cup of tea in her hand as she waited. She was wearing a tasteful lavender dress and had a fresh haircut. Long gone were her acid-wash jean days. She was one of the richest women in Manhattan now, and she looked the part.

As soon as she saw him, she put the cup down and stood up. She walked towards him with her arms already open and stretched him close – Carole was probably the only person who had hugged him in years. She was always generous with her touch and her affection. Kurt couldn't remember a time when he had been like that, not anymore.

"Oh, honey, aren't you cold?" She asked in greeting. "It's getting colder outside. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her automatically. "How are you, Carole?"

She pursed her lips, like she always did when she asked Kurt a personal question and got a standard reply in return. It was likely that, since his father's passing, she was the person who knew him the most now.

Or she had, at least, until he had become a completely different person.

"I'm okay, Kurt. I keep busy," she shrugged as she sat back down. "I'm organizing a new fundraiser for the children's hospital…"

"I'll write you a check," Kurt said at once.

There was something sad in her eyes. "I'm not here to ask for money, Kurt."

Kurt sat down on the couch opposite to hers. "I'll write you a check anyway. What are you raising funds for?"

"They need a new MRI machine," Carole said. "I'm putting together a dinner party and an auction. You're invited, of course, if you're interested…"

Kurt didn't hide his reluctance. "You know I prefer not to attend any events, if I can avoid it."

"It might be good for you. Going out, meeting people, relaxing for once…" Carole studied him carefully, her gentle eyes filled with concern. "You work too hard, Kurt."

"I'm fine," he repeated. "I know you enjoy those events, but I just feel…" he shook his head. Discussing his feelings wasn't exactly something he was used to. He let her fill the blanks. "Anyway, what can I do for you?"

Carole sighed. "Can't a mom see her child without a reason anymore?"

He didn't mind that she called herself his mother. That's what she had been for him all those years – he had had her in his life for longer than he'd had his own mother, after all.

"Of course," Kurt conceded. "But the timing of your visit suggests this is not what that is."

Carole pursed her lips again and bought herself some time by sipping her tea. "You have been missing Friday night dinners lately. If I want to discuss something with you, I need to drop by when I can."

Kurt didn't tell her that Friday night dinners, a tradition started by his father, were still too painful a reminder, even after all these years. "I'm a busy man."

Carole rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I know you are. I know you carry a heavy load. I've told you a million times that we don't need you to take care of us anymore. We're all doing okay, Kurt. You can relax, have some fun, have a life of your own…"

He didn't say anything, simply waited for her to say what she had come to say.

"Okay, fine, you win," she huffed. Behind the expensive exterior, there was a lot of the Ohio soccer mom in her, still. "I've been hearing some rumors and I just want to know if they're true."

"And what rumors are those?" Kurt asked, calmly.

"Well, I've heard that you're getting married," Carole said, and it sounded like it was the most insane thing she had ever heard.

"Yes, I am," Kurt muttered, and she simply blinked at him. "You and Finn are more than welcome to attend the ceremony, though it'll be a short one. It's this Thursday."

Carole gaped at him in confusion. "You… you're not joking. You're serious. You're really getting married?"

"Yes, I am," he repeated.

"You can't just…" There was certain indignation in her face now. "You can't just drop a bomb like this! Why didn't you call us? Why didn't you tell us? I had to find out about this from one of the nosiest people at the club."

"I'm sorry. There just wasn't much time to spread the news," Kurt said.

"I can't believe this is how we're finding out…" Carole pressed a hand to her face, before she looked up at Kurt. "We don't even know his name, how you met…"

"His name is Blaine Anderson," Kurt replied, and before he could say anything else, Carole interrupted.

"Anderson?" She frowned, deep in thought. "Anderson. That rings a bell… wait! Anderson Unlimited, that company you helped start a couple of years ago… it was on the news last month. Didn't the founder disappear in that horrific plane accident?"

"Cooper," Kurt confirmed. "He was Blaine's older brother. That's how we met, actually, at Cooper's engagement party."

Carole's frown only deepened. "Didn't you just say, five minutes ago, that you prefer not to attend any events?"

"I went to that one," Kurt shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal.

There was a long pause as Carole watched him. There was something in her eyes, some sort of bitterness, some sort of sadness that Kurt didn't quite understand.

"Honey, you know I love you, but I need to ask you this…" She took a deep breath, like she was about to throw herself into a wild river. "Are you marrying that poor boy to get your hands on his brother's company?"

Although Kurt's expression didn't change at all, there was a small pang in his chest. He knew that his actions in the past few years might have required that kind of question to be asked – but he had never expected Carole, the person who was supposed to know him, to love him, to know exactly who he used to be, why he had done the things he had done, to be the one to ask it.

Didn't she trust him? Had she started believing what people said about him?

It felt as if everything that had been good about his life had died along with his father. He loved his family, but in the process of saving them, he had become a stranger to them. Not for the first time, Kurt realized he was so completely alone in the world.

Well, maybe not anymore. Maybe Blaine was here to change that.

"I'm marrying Blaine because I want to marry Blaine," Kurt said impassively, not showing how much her question had bothered him. "It's pretty simple."

"Honey, nothing's ever simple with you anymore…" Carole commented slowly. There was a hint of distrust in her face that made the pang return to Kurt's chest, like a thorn she was pushing deeper and deeper.

"You're free to believe whatever rumors go around about me," Kurt said, looking down at his intertwined hands, resting on his lap. There was a bit of dirt under his thumbnail. He removed it. "But if you want the truth, then you'll have to believe me instead. I'm thirty four, Carole. Maybe I just want to settle down, start a family."

Carole's face showed she wasn't convinced.

"That poor boy must already be hurting so much, after what happened to his brother," she said carefully. "Don't give him any more grief, Kurt. If what you are really after is the company, why don't you just buy it from him?"

"It's not the company I'm after," Kurt forced himself to remain as calm as he could, but he was not pleased with the course of the conversation. "And even if I was, Blaine's determined not to sell. He believes Cooper is still alive and that he'll return soon."

She shook her head, full of pity. "There's just no way. No one can survive that long…"

"That's what I told him, but he's the steadfast, loyal type, you see?" Kurt commented, and his lips tried to tug upwards in a smile. "He'll be a perfect husband."

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking uncomfortable. "You said that you never wanted to get married, not after Jordan. So if you can't bring yourself to trust someone, if you can't see yourself falling for someone enough to let your guard down, it has to be about the company. Anderson Unlimited is a small, but growing business. It can't survive long without Cooper Anderson, and you have a very sizeable investment to protect…"

"Carole, like I said, you're free to believe whatever you want," Kurt cut her off, because he was finally losing his patience. "If you want to be at the courthouse for the ceremony, you'll be welcome. Finn, too. How is he doing, by the way?" The question was more a way to distract her from the current topic than anything, even though he really cared about his brother.

She hesitated, like she didn't want to let him get away with anything, but finally sighed and gave up. It looked like she didn't have the strength for it at the moment. "He's fine. He's…" the way she was avoiding his eyes told him there was something she didn't want to say. "He's okay."

"What's going on, Carole?" He asked sharply. If there was something wrong with his brother, he needed to know immediately so he could figure out a solution.

"He really is okay, Kurt. He's happy. He's actually met someone…"

Kurt relaxed and allowed himself to fall back. "Well, if she's important to him, he'll introduce her to me at some point…"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Carole said, biting her lip. "Look, I know you have your issues with some people from our past. I know you like to hold grudges and you're not very forgiving, but this is your brother's happiness, so if you could…"

Kurt didn't like the sound of that. "What does that mean, Carole? Who is he seeing?"

"Rachel Berry."

Kurt inhaled abruptly, the only sign that he had heard the name. Carole waited, looking resigned and a little scared that she had ruined her son's happiness by telling his brother about it.

Was his family scared of him? Kurt didn't have time to ponder that now, to analyze the way his chest tightened at the thought. Not when the Berry family seemed to be back in his life…

Rachel had been one of their closest friends back in Ohio, when they were still in high school. They had kept in touch after graduating, and Kurt had even lived with her during his first year in New York, while they were trying to make it in the big city. She had always been in love with Finn and Kurt knew it, but for some reason, they hadn't managed to find a path to each other, whether because Finn was dating someone else through most of high school, or because they ended up living in different cities.

But Kurt and Rachel had been great friends. Jordan had won her over too – he had been so charming, so easy to trust. When he started approaching people with his big business idea, she had convinced her parents to invest in it. But once things went wrong, once Jordan had run away with everyone's money, once Burt had ended in the hospital, once Kurt's whole life was suddenly in pieces before them, Mr. and Mr. Berry were the first ones to come knocking at his door, and not to offer their condolences or their help, but to reclaim the money that Jordan had stolen from them.

Kurt had expected them to have a bit more mercy, but they were scared the same thing that had happened to the Hummels would happen to them, and they had been a constant pressure on Kurt's back. He had promised to pay them back, and realized that the people he thought would be by his side as he tried to rebuild what was broken had abandoned him. Even Rachel turned away from him, worried about her parents.

Kurt was alone, and he was supposed to figure out how to get rid of all the debt Jordan had left behind.

Within a year, he had paid back every cent Rachel's fathers were owed, but that relationship had been ruined forever. Kurt was never going to forget or forgive the people who turned their backs on him when he needed them the most.

And now Finn was dating Rachel Berry.

"It's a bit like a Romeo and Juliet story, isn't it?" Carole said with a quick chuckle, trying to make light of the situation when Kurt remained silent. "But maybe they'll manage to put an end to the feud that's separated the Hummel-Hudson and the Berry families all this time…"

"The wedding's this Thursday, at two o'clock," Kurt interrupted as she stood up. "I hope to see you and Finn there. I'm sorry I have to cut this visit short, but there's still some business I need to take care of…"

"Kurt…" Carole said, a little desperately. "Don't do anything your father wouldn't approve of."

"Santana will see you out," Kurt retorted. "Thanks for coming, Carole."

He walked down the hallway and towards his office, taking deep breaths through his nose. It was important to remain calm. That was the only way he could take care of things.

He had never really liked the Romeo and Juliet story.

Hope you liked it! Please comment and let me know what you thought of it!

See you next Wednesday!

Love,

L,.