Notes: Remember when Burt called and said he and Carole were planning a visit? Well, here they are!

-x-x-x-

Chapter 18 - The Visit

"Kurt! It's so lovely to see you again!"

"Hi, Buddy! How are you? Florida sure is hot and humid."

It was Friday afternoon and Carole and Burt were standing in the doorway of Kurt's apartment, smiling and fanning themselves.

"We've missed you," they both said as they pulled him in for a warm hug.

"I've missed you, too!" Kurt answered and hugged them a little tighter before inviting them into his apartment. He hadn't seen them since Easter, but it wasn't until now that he realized how long it had been and how much he'd actually missed them.

Kurt had worked overtime earlier in the week so that he could take this afternoon off. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with his dad and Carole during their short visit. They were staying at a hotel downtown but had only dropped off their bags and then driven straight to Kurt, equally eager to spend time with him. While Kurt made coffee, they filled him in on their road trip so far, the things they'd seen and the places they visited.

"My cousin George and his family send their hellos," Carole said when Kurt joined them around the coffee table. The couch wasn't big enough for three so Kurt took a throw pillow and sat down on the floor. "I haven't seen them since they moved to Charleston, but you should have seen their house, you would have loved it Kurt. It's an old Southern house, big and grand you know. And we visited the Plantation House from The Notebook, Kurt! The one Noah built. It's situated right outside of Charleston."

Carole was enthusiastic and Kurt loved it. It rescued him from his own thoughts for a little while. "It sounds amazing! I wished I could have been there with you."

"It was just wonderful! Their house was right next to a golf course, so when Anne and I sat on the porch and drank Gin Fizz in the sun, Burt and George went golfing. You can imagine how that went," Carole said and blinked at Kurt who laughed and pictured his dad, cursing while trying to make the golf ball fly in the direction he wanted it to.

"Okay, okay, enough about us," Burt said when their giggles about his golf adventures became too much. "I want to hear about you, Kurt. What's going on in your life?"

"Oh, nothing much," Kurt deflected, trying to compose himself but failing when he glanced at Carole. The giggles started again and he had to put down his coffee cup to not spill coffee all over his wool rug.

However, the deflection was not only because he couldn't stop giggling. He couldn't tell his dad and Carole about what was really going on in his life. He wouldn't know where to start. How did he tell them about Blaine and everything that had happened? Or that he was walking around with a constant feeling that something was wrong.

Since Kurt last saw Blaine on Monday, Blaine hadn't answered any of Kurt's attempts to contact him. Texts remained unanswered and calls went straight to voicemail every time, which had Kurt thinking Blaine had blocked his number. Kurt had gone back to the boat once and waited for Blaine to show up, but he never had. He had left Blaine a note, asking him to at least let him know he was okay, but Blaine had ignored that, too.

Kurt wanted to show Blaine that he meant what he'd said, that he'd be there for Blaine, as his friend, when and if he needed someone to talk to no matter what was going on between them. But Blaine wasn't interested, that much was clear. Kurt had hurt him. Sleeping with Nick had been a huge mistake but maybe telling Blaine had been an even bigger one.

Kurt was worried Blaine was so angry he wouldn't care anymore about what he did to himself. Or, and this was what Kurt mostly feared, that Blaine wouldn't care what those men did to him. That he would shut himself off completely and detached himself from all emotions. That he would end up in bad situations or agree to do things he wouldn't normally do to forget about Kurt. Forget how Kurt had hurt him.

Kurt kept picturing the worst scenarios and every day that went by with no sign of life from Blaine his gut feeling became worse and the lump in his belly grew. The look on Blaine's face when he had realized that Kurt had slept with Nick was unreadable and it scared him that he didn't know what Blaine was thinking. Had he pushed Blaine over some edge?

How did he tell his dad and Carole about any of it? He couldn't. Instead, he deflected and giggled some more.

"Come on," Burt said, his eyes telling them he didn't find their amusement over his mediocre golfing funny in the slightest. "There's never enough time on the phone to really talk about your job or your friends or your writing, but now we have the whole weekend to catch up and I want to know what's going on with you, Kurt."

"I like my job," Kurt said dutifully without going into details. "I've made a new friend, sort of. Her name is Santana and she's a few years older than me but she's a blast - sassy but with a heart of gold. My writing is not going at all. I've hit a wall and so I've put it on hold for a few weeks hoping my inspiration will come back."

His writing still reminded him of Blaine and wasn't the escape from reality it normally was. And now he was thinking about Blaine again wondering if he'd done enough to reach out. Maybe he should have called Nick, see if he could through Nick find out if Blaine was okay. But maybe the only reason Blaine didn't answer Kurt was because Kurt had hurt him. Maybe he was just fine, hanging out with his friends, having fun and not doing whatever to forget about Kurt. Maybe he was overthinking it, giving himself too much credit for how important he was to Blaine.

But what if he wasn't? Kurt needed to text Nick, no matter how awkward things were between them. He probably also should tell Nick that he'd told Blaine about their night...

"I thought interning at that publishing house would give you tons of inspiration and motivation," Burt said, putting down his coffee cup on the table and leaning back on the couch.

"It does," Kurt lied, "but writer's block is real, Dad, and I've been told to just let it be for a while rather than trying to force it and inspiration will come back." There was a second lump in Kurt's belly now. How long would he manage to keep up with this charade? At some point during this weekend he would have to tell his dad the truth, but not tonight. Tonight he wanted to enjoy having them there.

"So, what do you want to do this weekend?" Kurt asked instead.

"We want a tour of your new city," Burt started, "but no stuffy museums or something like that."

"We want to see the campus, and go swimming in the ocean," Carole filled in.

"And see where you work."

"And pamper you now that we finally get to see you again. The house hasn't been the same without you this year."

Kurt took Carole's hand and squeezed it lightly and offered her a gentle smile. He really had missed them, too. "Looks like we'll have a full weekend!"

"But first we're taking you out for dinner tonight. Carole has made a reservation at some famous restaurant and apparently we need to dress up," Burt said with an eye roll that would easily match any of Kurt's.

Kurt clapped his hands. "How exciting! I haven't had a reason to dress up for a long time!" This was perfect. Kurt loved dressing up, he'd spent way too much time in his work uniform or in sweatpants these past months, and the nice clothes in his wardrobe hadn't been used in forever.

"If you want to bring that boy I heard in the background the other week, we wouldn't mind," Burt said innocently, as if it wasn't premeditated, and glanced at Carole who smiled in cahoots with him. "In fact, we'd be excited to meet him."

"It never got serious," Kurt said, swallowing down the lump that arose in his throat when he thought about Blaine, and instead he put on a smile. "So you'll have to settle with me." Of course his dad wouldn't forget about the boy who spent the night...

"Which is perfect!" Carole said.

"Where are we going?"

They discussed the restaurant and a bit later Burt and Carole left to go to their hotel to get ready. Kurt jumped into the shower and got ready himself. He carefully selected his clothes and styled his hair to perfection. Even if he didn't feel great, he would most certainly look it.

He tried calling Blaine one more time, but this time, too, it went straight to voicemail. The knot in Kurt's belly refused to go away and Kurt was starting to feel the first notes of panic. He had to do something more because what he'd done so far wasn't enough. If he still hadn't heard from Blaine by the time the weekend was over and his dad and Carole had left, he would bring a chair and sit on that boat slip until Blaine got there. Or something.

Kurt took a cab to the restaurant. Even if he wasn't drinking, parking downtown on a Friday night was a nightmare and taking a cab was much more comfortable. He was excited about eating out, or he tried to be, but he couldn't let go of his worries. No matter how much he tried to.

In the backseat of the cab Kurt took out his phone. Even if it was awkward and an unpleasant reminder of what had happened between them, something Kurt rather not think about, he had to text Nick. If Nick could tell him Blaine was okay and ease his mind, he could relax and enjoy the weekend with his dad and Carole to its fullest.

Kurt

Hi Nick. I'm sorry to reach out to you like this but I'm worried about Blaine and didn't know who else to turn to. Have you heard from him in the past days? He doesn't answer any of my texts or calls and I'm worried something has happened to him. I confronted him about what I saw that night and you were right in your assumptions. He's not well, his self-esteem is super low, and he says he has no other option. I tried talking to him, but he won't listen. I also told him about us… and he freaked out. He was so angry and now he won't talk to me. I'm really worried he's done something stupid or hurt himself in some way. I hope I'm wrong and the only reason for him not answering me is because he's angry with me. Please let me know if you've seen him or talked to him. /Kurt

Kurt put his phone back in his pocket and stared out through the cab window. The lump in his belly eased a little bit when he had pressed send. He wasn't alone with his worries anymore, he had reached out, sat the ball rolling and it would all work out now.

The city outside the window was buzzing as always. Streets were perhaps not crowded but people were out, moving around and getting to places. Neon signs were lit and outdoor seating areas were occupied with people enjoying food and drinks. Kurt met up with his dad and Carole outside of the restaurant. They were shown to a table by the window overlooking the bay and Carole was in awe of the view.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed and happy. There was a buzz of conversations and laughter and light background music, and Kurt fell right into the same mood. He laughed when Carole told more anecdotes from their trip south, and he told them about his college life in return. He showed them the most Floridan options on the menu when they wanted to eat something local. Burt filled him in on his latest recruitment to the auto shop, a young guy with lots of potential.

It was in the middle of their main course that Kurt felt his phone vibrate. He ignored it at first but the more he ignored it the more it felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. It could be a reply from Nick. Or perhaps Blaine had finally decided to answer him. It could also be any of his other friends he tried to tell himself, but it did little good and five minutes later he excused himself to go to the restroom.

He zig zagged between tables, bumped into a waiter by accident and stumbled on a threshold before reaching the men's room. Once safely behind a locked stall door he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. It was from Nick. With a pounding heart Kurt read the text.

Nick

I thought we agreed not to tell him.

That was all it said. No information about Blaine or even an acknowledgement of Kurt's worries. Kurt's heart dropped and with slightly trembling fingers he texted back, hoping Nick was still close to his phone.

Kurt

We did, but I had to. I'm sorry about that, and I should have checked with you first but in the moment I had to tell him. Have you heard from him?

It took exactly three minutes for Nick to answer, Kurt knew because he kept staring at his phone hoping for Nick to text back.

Nick

No. I tried calling him but it went straight to voicemail. I doubt he wants to talk to me now though… I really wished you hadn't told him

Kurt wrote an answer but before he pressed send another text came from Nick.

Nick

I can't believe he's actually selling sex… I know I suspected it but I hoped I was wrong… I will ask the other guys if they've heard from him. I'm worried Kurt

Kurt deleted what he had written and started again.

Kurt

Thank you for checking with your friends. I hope that it's only us he's not answering, but I'm scared that's not the case. Let me know as soon as any of you hear from him, okay? I'm worried too...

Nick

I'll let you know

Kurt put his phone back in his pocket and left the bathroom stall. He washed his hands on routine without thinking about what he was doing, his mind on Blaine wondering what he was doing at this moment. The pictures his brain painted weren't the kind Kurt wanted to think, but his brain paid no attention.

After drying his hands, Kurt returned to the dining area and sat down opposite his dad and Carole. He began to eat his food but his mind was still miles away.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Burt said.

"Yes," Kurt said and snapped out of it. "Yes, there was just this terrible odor in the men's room," he added and waved his hand in front of his nose as if to wave off the smell. Then he smiled at them, his most genuine smile. "It was awful, really. Don't go in there."

"I won't," Burt said skeptically.

"Tell me more about Dad golfing," Kurt said and turned to Carole whose face instantly broke into a wide smile.

-x-x-x-

The next day Kurt woke up with a headache. Not only that, his stomach was in knots. He hadn't slept very well, he'd been tossing and turning the first few hours after he went to sleep. Nick had texted him back to let him know that none of the other guys had seen or heard from Blaine the past week. It was like he had disappeared from the face of the earth. Or at least from the city.

Kurt hoped Blaine had, left the city that was. Left the men, the harbor master and everyone else behind. He hoped Blaine had taken the money he'd saved up, got on his motorcycle and driven far, far away. But he feared that wasn't the case...

Kurt sighed and pulled himself together. He had a full day ahead of him, showing his dad and Carole around the city, and he couldn't have Blaine occupy his every thought. Nick and the other guys were looking for Blaine and they knew better where to look. Kurt would let it go for now and if Blaine wasn't found by the time the weekend was over, he would make up his own search party.

Kurt met up with his dad and Carole outside the entrance to their hotel and started the tour of the city there. They skipped the museums but stopped by some historic buildings to look at the architecture.

By lunch time they had ticked off the top 5 sights of the city and enjoyed a much needed break from all the walking at a small, cozy sidewalk café. They sat outside under a sunshade and chatted while their waitress brought them their lunch. Kurt was having a good time and loved the quality time he got to spend with his family. When they talked about life in Lima, Kurt missed not being there for the summer.

After lunch a campus tour was on the schedule. It was a modern college with new, exciting architecture which Burt was happy for. He had grown tired of all the 'old buildings' they'd seen that morning. Kurt showed them the English Department where he spent most of his time. Carole was amazed by the area and said she could easily understand that such a place created a lot of creativity.

"And now that we've seen where you get to learn and practice writing, we want to see where you get to work with it," Carole said excitedly.

Kurt's spirit and his good mood dropped significantly. This was the moment he knew was coming, the moment he had dreaded. He had put this off for too long, and there was only one thing to do.

"Okay," Kurt said, "let's take the bus there."

The diner was situated east of the city center in an area of old and slightly worn buildings, and the bus ride there took nearly thirty minutes. When they stepped off the bus, Burt looked around with a confused look on his face. This was obviously not where he expected a big publishing house to be located.

"Although I enjoy the idea of a cup of coffee," he said and looked at the diner in front of them, "I thought we were going to your place of work."

"Let's go inside and I'll explain after we've had some coffee," Kurt said and felt the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

"Explain what?" Burt asked.

"Let's just go inside," Kurt said and started to walk towards the entrance of the diner.

Burt and Carole followed Kurt inside. Behind the counter stood Santana and another girl Kurt hadn't met before. He greeted them both with a hello and a friendly smile and was met by a somewhat confused expression from Santana.

"You know you're not working today right, Lady Hummel?" she said, and her answer made Kurt's nerves jump.

"Yes, I know," Kurt said in a low voice. He wanted to break the news to his dad and Carole in his own way. "We're just stopping by for some coffee." He looked around the diner. It was half full of the usual patrons and some other guests. "Will you bring us some of Earl's blueberry pie as well? We'll take table five."

"Okay," Santana said, still seemingly a bit confused.

Kurt led Burt and Carole to table five, which was a booth with two sofas. Burt and Carole sat down on one sofa, looking more confused than Santana, and Kurt sat down opposite them.

"What did that girl mean by 'you know you're not working today' and how do you know the table numbers?" Burt asked. His head tilted a little to the side, in the way it usually did when all the puzzle pieces didn't fit.

Kurt took a deep breath. "I'm not interning at a publishing house this summer. I work as a waiter at this diner. The girl over there with the black hair is Santana, the new friend I told you about." He tried to hold his eyes steady on his dad, but his gaze flickered between him and the girls behind the counter.

"You work here?" Burt said, scrunching his nose. "But why did you tell us you were working at the publishing house? You've been talking about it for months."

"I was going to work for the publishing house, I had a recommendation and a promise I would get the job, but I screwed up. I missed the application date," Kurt said and looked down at his hands, hands that were nervously fidgeting in his lap. "I thought it was the 17th of April when it was the 7th. Even with my recommendation I didn't get the job. I was too embarrassed to tell you."

"So you kept lying to us," Burt stated.

Kurt could only nod, still embarrassed and feeling like a young teenager who'd gotten caught sneaking out past curfew.

"I'm disappointed in you, Kurt," Burt said.

"I know you are, and I've learnt my lesson. Next time I will double check everything to make sure I have all the information and not assume I already know it. Next time I will get the job."

"I'm not disappointed that you missed the opportunity of a job you really wanted," Burt said. "I'm disappointed you didn't feel you could tell us about it. You've always been able to tell me everything and I've always listened without judging. That's the kind of relationship we have."

"I know," Kurt said looking up at him. "But that first little lie came the same day I found out I didn't get the job and I was so angry with myself. Then it just snowballed, and I didn't know how to tell you that I'd been lying to you. I'm sorry, dad."

Burt was a little red in the face, a sure sign he was upset.

"You could have been at home all summer, helping me in the garage instead of staying down here," Burt said and Kurt knew it was his dad's way of saying that he missed him back home.

"But this diner is nice," Carole added just as Santana brought them their order.

"Here you go, three coffees and three slices of Earl's famous blueberry pie. Can I get you anything else?" Her smile was wide and genuine.

"Thanks, I think we'll be alright," Kurt answered and smiled back, feeling much lighter than when he walked into the diner. "Santana, this is my dad and my stepmom Carole. Dad and Carole, this is Santana."

"Is Kurt a good waiter?" Burt asked after they'd shaken hands.

"Oh, Kurt is the best. Always a kind word and a friendly smile to our guests. Sometimes a little too friendly," Santana added and winked at Kurt.

"Okay, thank you, Santana," Kurt cut in before she had the chance to explain what she meant by that. "We'll let you know if we need anything else."

"Okay then, enjoy your coffee." Santana could be direct, but she could also take a hint when needed. Like now. She left with a final smile and returned to her spot behind the counter.

"Too friendly, huh?" Burt said with a knowing look.

"Don't mind her, she's just trying to embarrass me. There's nothing wrong with being extra friendly, it usually brings more tip." Though, the one customer Kurt had been extra friendly towards had never left him any tip at all.

Kurt didn't want to think about Blaine, but now he inevitably did. He discretely fished out his phone from his pocket to see if he had any missed texts. It was probably the fifth time he'd done that today even if he'd told himself he'd leave the worry for Blaine to Nick today. None of the times there had been a text. Where was Blaine? It was one thing for him to avoid Kurt, Kurt could accept that, but it had been almost twenty hours since Kurt contacted Nick and still there was no sign of Blaine. The uneasy feeling Kurt had been able to suppress all day now grew.

"It seems like you have a good atmosphere here," Carole said. "It's so important to have co-workers you can joke with. It makes the day go by so much faster."

"That's what we have in the shop too," Burt said, a bit grumpily. "We always laugh, especially since the new kid started. You would have liked him, you share the same humor, and I think he might be gay but it's still undetermined. If you had come home you could have seen it for yourself and maybe found someone interesting."

"Burt, don't be like that," Carole said. "Kurt is an adult now, he makes his own decisions. And I'm sure he doesn't need his old man to set him up on dates." She patted his arm fondly.

"Do you like it?" Burt asked then. "Working here?"

"Working at the publishing house would have been better," Kurt admitted, "but I like it here." It was a sentence Kurt didn't expect to hear himself say when the summer started, but the place and his colleagues had grown on him. "I get to drink all the free coffee I want."

That finally brought a smile to Burt's face. "As long as you're happy, I guess I am too. But next time don't lie to me."

"I won't, I promise," Kurt said. "I'm truly sorry." He reached out his hand to his dad as a peace offering. Burt placed his on top of Kurt's and squeezed lightly, accepting the apology.

"This blueberry pie is amazing," Carole praised, having just taken a large bite of her slice of pie. "Is it homemade?"

"Yes, it's made by our chef Earl," Kurt said as his dad let go of his hand to taste his pie too.

"You have to compliment him from us," Carole said, "and maybe ask for the recipe?"

"Maybe you can ask him yourself, let me see if he's in the kitchen."

Kurt stood up and went behind the counter and through the swing door into the kitchen. He had an ulterior motive for his trip to the kitchen. A thought had occurred to him.

But first he found Earl and explained to him that his parents were there and wanted to compliment his blueberry pie. Kurt promised to stay in the kitchen to make sure nothing got burnt. A few seconds after Earl left the kitchen Santana entered, which was exactly what Kurt had anticipated.

"Has Blaine been here?" Kurt asked, flipped two burgers, and added some cheese. It was a long shot, of course, but maybe Blaine had come back for some reason. Maybe he'd lost his phone.

"Have you talked to him? Confronted him about cheating on you?" Santana asked. "What did he say?"

Kurt didn't have time for her questions or explain what had happened between them since Blaine was last there. "Just tell me if you've seen him in the past few days or not," he urged. "He's missing and we can't find him."

"No, can't say that I have, but what do you mean by 'he's missing'?"

"He doesn't answer my texts or calls and none of his friends have seen or heard from him this past week," Kurt explained. "It's like he's just packed his bags and left, but I think something has happened to him." He placed the burgers onto two buns together with lettuce and tomatoes and added some fries.

"Something like what?"

Kurt was about to answer when Earl returned. Kurt had hoped he would be gone longer, but Earl was a man of few words and it wasn't a surprise he hadn't stayed and chatted with Burt and Carole. Kurt had hoped to explain to Santana, maybe get her to help out somehow - how he didn't know - but now Kurt felt he needed to get back to his family.

"I'll call you later," Kurt said instead and returned through the swing door to the diner. He rounded the counter and walked back to the table. But not before checking his phone one more time.

-x-x-x-

The remaining hours of the day Kurt, Burt and Carole spent on the beach, according to Carole's wish, and at a restaurant close to Burt's and Carole's hotel. Kurt was relieved now that his secret wasn't a secret any longer.

They said goodnight after a delightful dinner and Kurt invited them over for breakfast the next morning. In the cab ride home, he called Nick but got no answer. The uneasy feeling he'd been able to suppress most of the day returned mixed with a little bit of annoyance. What was Nick doing that was more important than finding Blaine and keeping Kurt updated? He called Blaine too but expected nothing but the voicemail he got.

Trying to fall asleep was difficult, almost impossible. Kurt was caught between thoughts of what Blaine could be doing to harm himself or what horrible things that could have happened to him and thoughts of that he was overreacting, that Blaine was perfectly fine just rightfully angry with Kurt for sleeping with Nick and therefore ignoring him. It was long after midnight when he finally fell into a restless sleep.

The following morning Kurt woke up with dark circles under his eyes and the same uneasy feeling he'd felt the night before. The dark circles he hid under layers of concealer and the queasy feeling in his belly he suppressed with a smile and chipper small talk over coffee and homemade pancakes. They were making plans for the day when Kurt's phone suddenly rang and Kurt, jittery as he was underneath, jumped up to answer, knocking over his cup of coffee in the process.

His phone was on the kitchen counter and when he reached out to grab it he saw Nick's name on the display.

"We found him," Nick said with a voice sounding as exhausted as Kurt felt. "It's bad."

-x-x-x-

Notes: Kurt will have to tell Burt about Blaine now, right?