A.N.: How can I thank everyone who reviewed, I thought to myself? And then, I realized, I could write another chapter! Yeah, I should be updating "The List", but I haven't been able to fully listen to the song that I want to incorporate into the chapter, so it'll take a while. But, I know how to make things up as I go, so here it is! Also, thanks to everyone who favorited and added this story to alerts (I didn't realize how many people had even read this)!

Kurt finally settled down into the hospital chair, his heart still moving a mile a minute. He looked down at his cell phone, checking to see if anyone from New Directions had texted to talk about the after party. He and Blaine had been invited, of course, but the Warblers meant just a bit more (considering he sang a duet and, subsequently, made them lose).

The countertenor's eyes scrolled down the list - one from Finn, one from Tina, eight from Rachel, two from Mercedes, and one from . . . Blaine.

Looking over, Kurt saw Blaine hold up his own cell phone, a smirk playing on his lips.

Courage. -Blaine

Kurt smiled lightly and felt a bit of stress rise from his shoulders. He hated to think, if he were in Jeff's position, what would happen if it were Blaine. Then again, Nick and Blaine were nothing alike. Blaine was short, yes, but he was broad-shouldered and strong; Nick was slight in both height and weight and looked as if, in a gang fight, he'd get beaten easily.

Trying. -Kurt

Blaine's face softened in sympathy.

Wanna make a bet? -Blaine

How so? -Kurt

The two teens (Wes and David, otherwise known as those evil Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp), now seemed interested in the conversation. They looked over at Blaine's phone with raised eyebrows, whispering something into their friend's ear.

I bet that Jeff and Nick'll get together by the end of today. -Blaine

Kurt bit his lip to keep from chuckling too loudly. Trent and Thad glanced over at the countertenor, telling him to ask for a money wager. It was, after all, common knowledge that Kurt Hummel never lost bets; he made certain of that.

Ten dollars? -Kurt

David and Wes nodded their heads fervently, seeing the prospect of an easy ten dollars a joyous thing indeed. The curly-haired Warbler himself seemed quite invested into the wager, typing something quickly.

Sorry, babe, but I'll win. -Blaine

Apparently, Kurt thought, Blaine wasn't aware of his secret power of winning every bet he ever made. Now, that didn't mean that he betted often, but when he did (and it was usually against Finn), he usually managed to make a small lump of cash.

And everyone knew that Blaine was thoroughly loaded.

Taking a chance to look outside, Kurt frowned. Snow was falling freely, as if it didn't realize that it had nearly made quite a lovely mess. Then again, he supposed, snow couldn't really realize anything, but it wasn't making things any easier. He wondered how long it would take his father to get there, if he got there.

Then, another thought.

What if something bad happened? Burt was, after all, always known as an aggressive driver. Suppose he got some of his famous "road rage" and then simply slipped off the road. Into a dark pit. With an ocean at the bottom. Filled with alligators. And piranhas. Then again, that was such a silly notion. There were no oceans in Ohio. There were definitely lakes, though.

"You okay?" Blaine asked, finally breaking the long silence. Everyone (including the receptionist), turned their heads to stare at the lead Warbler as if he were infected with something.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about lakes," Kurt answered nonchalantly.

Trent stared quizzically at the countertenor's answer but chose to say nothing. Wes, on the other hand, was not as quiet. "A lake? Where did that come from?"

A part of Kurt really didn't feel like explaining his impossibly crazy thought pattern to the Warblers, and he looked to Blaine for an explanation (though he wasn't quite sure why).

"Nick can't swim," Blaine explained. "Jeff told me that he's pretty sheltered and never got around to learning how." The lead Warbler folded his arms across his chest. "And I would prefer that you not mock my boyfriend. He was the only one, if I remember correctly, that didn't freak out under the situation."

The way he said that, so matter-of-factly, warmed the countertenor's heart. He couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face - especially not when Blaine referred to Kurt as his boyfriend.

"Sorry," Wes apologized.

"My mom's gonna kill me for being out so late!" Trent complained. "She thought that I'd only be there until midnight!" He checked his watch, groaning again. "It's already eleven!"

Was it really that late? Now Kurt was certain that his father had driven off a cliff. If he had known that it was that late, he might've just smudged the truth a little and said that he was simply spending the night at Wes' house. Without Blaine, naturally. He hadn't even told Burt about Blaine yet.

Well, that was going to be something of an interesting conversation.

Luckily (and Kurt couldn't really believe that he was even thinking this), his father had driven off the road and could say nothing about the relationship affectionately known as "Klaine." All Kurt would have to worry about was telling Carole and Finn. Carole wouldn't mind because she'd be happy that Kurt was happy; and Finn would eventually just get over himself, the countertenor figured.

Wait, was it a cliff or a road that Burt happened to fall from? Kurt rested his chin on his hand to work through his confusing question.

The door rolled open, and Burt walked through, looking every bit as imposing as he usually did, standing tall and large. The Warblers all looked around with surprised, not quite realizing that Kurt (that beautiful, songbird of a boy), could have came from Burt, who was . . . none of those things, actually.

"Dad!" Kurt called in a chipper voice that was seriously against how he was really feeling at the moment, Blaine realized. And, this would probably end up being bad judgment on his part, Blaine stood up to join Kurt. Much like a boyfriend would. The older gentleman paused to furrow his eyebrows in the slightest bit of confusion, the way that Kurt usually did when he couldn't quite wrap his mind around something. The lead Warbler began to feel very out of place, now that he was fully aware of his actions.

"Hey, kiddo. Rough time getting here?" Burt asked, not taking his attention off Blaine, as if to say "Why are you standing?"

Blaine cleared his throat and outstretched a shaky hand. "Mr. Hummel," he greeted in his best gentlemanly voice.

"Call me Burt."

"Or Dad," David coughed out, sniggering lightly; Wes punched him in the shoulder, laughing lightly himself. Actually, Trent and Thad were, too. Traitors. All of them.

"Yeah, it was pretty slick, but I did really well!" Kurt chirped, seeming very relieved after his father had come. Why he seemed so relieved was a mystery to Blaine; then again, one could never really tell with Kurt Hummel. That was the amazing thing about him.

Burt frowned. "Why is he smiling?"

It was then that, in his reverie of being completely enamored with the thought of Kurt, Blaine realized that he had adopted his usual goofy grin often accompanied with daydreaming. He mentally slapped himself and returned to his sober expression. "I'm glad that you had a safe ride, Mr. Hu- Burt." It just felt so odd saying an adult's name so carelessly!

"He's glad that you're safe," Kurt supplied, shooting his boyfriend (the fact of which was still hidden from Burt), a sideways smile.

"Kurt!" Finn Hudson, that awkwardly tall football player that tended to trip over his own feet came stumbling through the door, managing to get snow everywhere and subsequently tripping on the already melting snow. The countertenor laughed at his stepbrother's stupidity and attempted to help him up.

Unfortunately for poor, helpful Kurt, Finn was in a bit of a jovial mood and pulled Kurt down with him. Blaine's eyes widened as he desperately tried to reach for his boyfriend.

Oh, right. The whole 'boyfriend' thing.

"Finn Hudson! If we don't die on the way home, you certainly will be gone by tomorrow!" Kurt hissed, though he couldn't keep a light smile from his face.

Burt couldn't peel his eyes away from the amusing sight of two high school kids practically wrestling on the floor. It was especially funny when his son was the won currently winning.

"Blaine, kick him!" Kurt called, managing to peel Finn's hand from his face.

"Dude, get him off me! He just got a manicure!" Finn countered, struggling to flip his stepbrother.

If Blaine helped Kurt, it might make it painfully obvious that the two were in a relationship; if he didn't and helped Finn, it would look as if he really didn't care about Kurt anymore. And there could be nothing more wrong about that statement.

"So, these are the Warblers?" Burt asked, motioning towards the group of teens staring at Finn with a mixed look of pure shock and admiration. Never, in the short time that Kurt had attended Dalton, had he ever consented to a friendly wrestling match.

"Yes, sir," Wes stood up, taking charge. "I'm Wes; this is David," he motioned to his best friend in the chair beside him. "That's Trent and Thad, and Jeff and Nick are in the hospital room."

Burt nodded, not looking too impressed. "So, what possessed you idiots to drive in this weather?" he asked, including his son in the group of morons. Kurt slid off Finn and looked slightly guilty.

"Well," Wes started, speaking for the group because he (besides Blaine), was the most articulate speaker. But Blaine was probably closer to a bumbling mess much akin to Trent. "When one is a Warbler, you can't leave another Warbler in distress without making sure that they are properly safe and cared for. We figured that a hospital was a safe environment, but we just wanted to make sure. It was pretty much my fault that we're here in the first place, anyway." Wes had never stated that he felt responsible for the whole fiasco, and, while he did host the party with the dreaded walnut cake (and work the boys to the point of exhaustion, but no one dared make a scene out of that), the thought of blaming Wes had never come to anyone's mind.

"Alright. Who needs a ride home?" Burt asked, changing the subject. He wasn't the type to dwell on a matter, even if it was to make someone feel better.

"Me!" Trent all but screamed. "My mom wants me home, I bet!"

Thad raised his hand shyly. "My parents won't want me out in this weather."

The "Siamese cats" seemed to mull over their thoughts for a while. "I should probably be getting home," David said finally, Wes nodding in agreement.

Now, Blaine had to make his decision. Obviously, Kurt would be going home with his father, but he didn't really feel to keen on the idea of leaving Jeff alone with Nick. What if something went wrong? Who would Jeff be able to turn to for help. Certainly not his own shadow. What could a shadow do if nobody else was around? "Um, I want to stay with Nick and Jeff, but I doubt that I'll manage getting a ride home after that," Blaine said with as much tact he could muster under the watchful gaze of Burt Hummel.

"I could stay and then drive you home!" Kurt offered, "besides, I have to be able to get my car home, anyway." He looked hopefully at his father, seemingly forgetting why he had called him in the first place.

"Or you could leave it here, and you and Burt could get it back in the morning!" Finn said, not quite understanding that Kurt was merely trying to get alone with his boyfriend. "Besides, do you want to spend so much time with Blaine?"

The countertenor gave one of his famous death glares, promising a swift and painful smack in the back of the head if Finn continued with his rabbit trail. He did. "It's not like you two are going out or anything, right?" the tall boy asked with an innocent expression that perfectly hid his ulterior motives. A part of Kurt wondered if Rachel or Mercedes had demanded him to do this.

"Are you?" David prodded, causing Blaine to wonder why he had even befriended him.

Burt had said nothing this entire time, only watching with raised curiosity at the scene unfolding in front of him. He figured that, if nothing, Kurt would be the one to start chattering about the question at hand. Not even for a moment did he think that this group of "idiots" would be the ones to clear up the whole situation.

"Well," Kurt started softly, trying to find a simple way to fall into his words. He soon realized, however, there was no easy way to put it gently. "Yeah."

Burt only made a grunt in recognition; he would have to talk about this with those two later. But for now, he knew, the main problem was how to get all these boys home. And, on that matter, where were some parents? And, it was known that Burt Hummel was not a man of gentle words and was also not a silent man. "Where's the kid's parents?"

"We're not sure," Blaine said softly, not quite certain if he should even be talking after Burt had found out about their new relationship. "Jeff said that they probably wouldn't be showing up. But we don't really know why." He ran a hand through his curly hair, just then noticing that he had promptly gotten all the gel out of it. Blaine stopped and instinctively looked around. "I have to, er, check my bag for something."

Kurt giggled, something so novel to Burt Hummel; his son hadn't laughed in ages, not like that. "It looks cute, Blaine. Keep it like that."

Blaine stopped, hand retreating from opening his backpack.

"Whipped," Finn mentioned slowly, grinning.

"What about Quinn?" Kurt retorted, looking every bit as smug as he talked. He didn't mince words, much like his father.

"She's different! She'll hurt me!" the tall boy yelled back.

Blaine got a half-worried, half-joking expression. "And he won't?" Well, it was kind of a quarter joking; he knew very well that Kurt would in fact hurt him if the situation called for it. And he wouldn't be gentle about it, either; it was not Kurt's way.

As funny as the slight spat between them was, Burt figured it was time to get going; he really didn't want the storm to get any worse because he had for sure spent enough time in the hospital for a lifetime.

"Alright, let's get going," he said in his usual gruff tone (which, if one didn't know him, one would think that he was being harsh; but when one got to know the softie behind the intimidating face, one would realize that Burt Hummel just normally talked like that.

Wes looked up from the amusing argument. "Can we check on Jeff before we leave, just to let him know where we're going?"

There was no harm in that. "Go on," Burt motioned for the group. "But then we have to get on the road 'cause it's going to be a pretty bad one."

Kurt led the group into the stark room, each teen making a feeble attempt to refocus their eyes at the sharp intensity of the room. After all, the lobby was dimly lit; it was only natural that they'd have a rough time adjusting their eyes to the scenery.

And, once the crowd did eventually get used to the light, they ended up meeting a very pale and very surprised Nick looking up at an equally surprised Jeff.

A.N.: Okay, so I just HAD to bring in my little dosage of Klaine. Trust me, Jeff and Nick will eventually get their moment alone and will eventually get their feelings sorted out. Also, I'm not quite sure if Nick will get better immediately (I'm just warning you guys so that you can't blame me for keeping the drama up to eleven. As usual, I don't own GLEE, and I hope that you all enjoyed!