AN: So this second chapter is sort of a stand alone in as it doesn't come right off the first chapter, but it is about the same theme. It would take place shortly after "Original Song" as I do have Kurt and Blaine referring to the other as boyfriend. This was written for peanutmeg, my wonderful beta, who I hope enjoys it!

Kurt paced the length of the living room, his path taking him between the coffee table and the TV. He had been pacing for the last fifteen minutes, ever since he realized that giving the time Blaine had said he was leaving his boyfriend was five minutes late. That in itself wouldn't have worried him too much. There were plenty of minor, insignificant reasons that could've delayed Blaine those few minutes. What had started him pacing at that point was the thunderstorm that had been rolling into the area - from the direction that Blaine would have been coming from.

All kinds of scenarios had started running through Kurt's head at the first rumble of thunder. Pacing had given his body something to do though it hadn't quieted his racing thoughts. He hadn't called, not wanting to add another distraction if Blaine was driving in the storm. Calling Blaine's parents and asking when he had left the house had also crossed his mind but he decided that he didn't want to alarm them.

Reaching the wall, Kurt turned on his heel and started walking in the other direction. He listened for the sound of a car pulling into the driveway but all that he heard was the soft murmur of voices from the direction of the kitchen where Carole and his dad were starting dinner. At least he knew they were both safe. And Finn was upstairs in his room. His family was accounted for but not his boyfriend and in the short time that Kurt had known him, Blaine had become just as important to him as his family. If something happened . . .

Kurt tried to banish that thought from his mind. He couldn't lose Blaine. He just couldn't.

Glancing down at his watch he saw that Blaine was now twenty minutes late by his calculations. He had been pacing for fifteen minutes now. How did that saying go? Quit pacing or you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. If that was ever going to happen these were the perfect conditions for it.

Kurt heard quick footsteps on the stairs which meant that Finn was venturing out of his room. It wasn't until he heard his stepbrother's voice though that Kurt halted his steps.

"Hey, Kurt, any idea when dinner is going to be ready?"

Slowly turning, Kurt saw Finn enter the room from the hallway. "Is food all you can think about?"

"No. Geez, it was just a question. There is no need to . . ." Finn let his voice trail off as he took in Kurt's pale features. "What's wrong?"

"There's a thunderstorm," Kurt replied, as if that explained everything.

The simple response didn't register with Finn, who still had no idea what Kurt was so worked up about. "I know. I heard it. I was hoping it didn't knock the electricity out as I was doing really good on Halo," he replied.

Kurt gave an exasperated sigh, and continued his pacing.

"Dude, relax. The storm is moving out of the area and Mom and Burt are home," Finn said reassuringly, recalling Kurt's confession soon after they had moved in. "There is nothing to worry about. We're all accounted for."

"Blaine isn't," Kurt murmured softly.

"What?" Finn asked, still not understanding the problem.

"Blaine was on his way over. He said he was on his way out the door when we ended the call," Kurt explained, his voice a higher pitch than normal. The teen was still pacing as he spoke. "He should have been here twenty minutes ago if he left then and the storm came from the direction of his house. He was probably driving in it and now he's late getting here, and it's my fault because I asked him to come over! If I had known there were storms in the area, I wouldn't have asked! I should've checked the weather channel before hand."

Finn, who had started walking toward his stepbrother during the speech when he had finally made the connection, stepped in front of Kurt. He placed his hands on Kurt's shoulders and looked down at him.

"He's just running late, Kurt. Stop beating yourself up over this."

"If I hadn't invited him over for dinner he would be safe at home, but no I decided that I just had to see him tonight, despite him saying he had a lot of homework, and now-"

"Blaine is going to come walking through that door shortly with a completely reasonable explanation of why he is late," Finn stated, not letting Kurt finish his worst case prediction.

Kurt let himself be led the short distance to the couch and sat down. His posture was stiff as he sat on the edge of the middle cushion. Finn sat down next to him.

"Why don't you call him?" Finn suggested.

Kurt shook his head in response.

"Why not?"

"If he's driving, I don't want to distract him."

Finn didn't reply because it made sense. However, he didn't know any other way to ease his stepbrother's worry. Beside him Kurt checked his watch again. Another five minutes had passed and still Blaine wasn't here.

Finn was about to suggest watching something on the TV when they heard the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway. Kurt was instantly on his feet, catching his leg on the corner of the coffee table in his rush to get to the door. Finn winced at the sound, but other than a slight limp for a few steps, Kurt seemed to not even notice it.

Reaching the door, Kurt flung it open and stepped out onto the front steps. The moment he saw Blaine getting out of his car, Kurt felt all the worry slip from his shoulders. Blaine was all right.

Getting over his relief at seeing Blaine, Kurt suddenly bolted from the steps. Meeting Blaine halfway, he threw his arms around his boyfriend, hugging him tightly.

"Ah, Kurt you're going to get your clothes all wet," Blaine said, surprised by the ferocity of Kurt's hug.

"I don't care," Kurt replied, his voice slightly muffled as his face was buried against Blaine's neck.

Feeling confused as Kurt was always conscious of his clothing, Blaine hugged his boyfriend back. Continuing to hold Kurt tight, Blaine's gaze found Finn, who was standing on the front stoop.

"Is everything okay?" Blaine asked by mouthing the words.

Finn nodded in reply, knowing that Blaine deserved a more detailed explanation but aware that their driveway was not the place to have it. Not to mention he was curious as to why Blaine was soaked from head to toe.

"What happened to you? Did you drive over here with the windows down?" Finn asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Not exactly. I had stopped to help a lady change a flat tire when the skies decided to open up. It was such a sudden start to the rain that I was soaked instantly so I just finished the job. By the time the storm was letting up, the tire had been changed. Not exactly my ideal conditions to change a tire in, but I'm kind of glad I wasn't driving when the storm started as fast as the rain was coming down."

"I was so worried," Kurt replied, still not releasing his death grip on his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," Blaine replied, his right hand making a circular motion on Kurt's back. "I would've called except I forgot my phone at home. I think I put it down on the counter when I was helping my mom get something from the top shelf in the kitchen and left it there."

"I thought you had been in an accident and it would have been my fault for inviting you over."

"Shh . . . it's okay. No accident and I'm glad you invited me. It wouldn't have been the first time I've driven in a thunderstorm."

"Well, perhaps it needs to be your last."

"You're overreacting, Kurt."

Kurt pulled away at that comment. Taking a step back, Kurt leveled his gaze at Blaine.

"I'm overreacting because I'm worried about your safety. Accidents happen during thunderstorms all the time."

Over Kurt's shoulder, Blaine noticed Finn shaking his head slightly. Not sure exactly what Finn was trying to tell him but figuring it had something to do with Kurt's reaction to his comment, Blaine decided his best bet was to try to smooth the situation over.

"Kurt, I'm flattered that you care enough about me to be worried, but I'm here now. I managed to accomplish a good deed today and other than being a little wet, I'm fine," Blaine said, reaching out and taking each of Kurt's hands in his own. He rubbed his thumbs up and down the top of Kurt's fingers. "Let's not get in an argument over it, okay?"

Kurt nodded. "I'm just glad your okay."

"And I'm glad I get to spend the evening with my wonderful boyfriend and his family," Blaine said, smiling at Kurt as he tried to ingrain this moment into his memory.

Kurt smiled, the first smile he'd worn since the thunderstorm had come through the area.

"Now that is the expression I like to see on that beautiful face of yours," Blaine whispered, not really want Finn to overhear him.

"Let's get you out of those wet clothes. I'll find something for you to wear," Kurt said, feeling the heat creep into his cheeks.

"You won't get any argument from me," Blaine told him, dropping one of Kurt's hands but keeping a firm hold on the other one as they turned to finish walking toward the house. Though he still wanted to know the reasoning behind Kurt's intense worry about his safety, Blaine knew that it could wait until they were somewhere a little more private. Like when they were somewhere they could cuddle and Blaine could hold Kurt close as he gave his explanation. Recalling the fierceness of the hug he had received, and the fact that Kurt hadn't waited for him to reach the house, Blaine knew whatever the explanation if was going to take an emotional toll on his boyfriend. "Kurt are you limping?" Blaine asked, as the two of them walked toward the house.

"I'm fine. My leg is just a little sore."

"What did you do?"

"I honestly don't know."

"You mean you don't remember walking into the coffee table in your mad dash for the door," Finn supplied from his spot near the front door.

"No. Did I?" Kurt asked.

Finn nodded.

"How did you not notice something like that?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of the incident.

Blaine leaned closer to Kurt as he spoke. "Do I need to kiss it and make it feel better?" he asked.

"Okay, I've heard and seen enough," Finn said, having overheard the comment as Kurt and Blaine had reached the bottom of the steps. Turning he opened the front door and entered the house, the other two teens close behind him. "I'm going to go see how close dinner is to being done," he added, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

"Did I get too personal?" Blaine asked, concern in his voice. Kurt's family was accepting of him, and the idea of him and Kurt together, but Blaine was still self-conscious about how far he took things in front of them. There was no need to make the few people who did accept them uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it. After some of the make-out scenes we've walked into between him and Quinn around this house you and I are tame," Kurt said, pushing the front door closed behind them. He immediately reached out and reclaimed Blaine's hand once he had done so. With a little tug, he started to lead Blaine toward the steps. He wanted Blaine in dry clothes before they all sat down to dinner.

Later that evening, Blaine still dressed in the sweat pants and T-shirt Kurt had given him to wear, he and Kurt sat side by side on Kurt's bed. As Burt insisted, the bedroom door was wide open, though that didn't stop the two of them from cuddling close. Though they had retreated to Kurt's room under the pretense of starting their homework together, their school books lay abandoned near the foot of the bed.

Blaine was propped up on the pillows and the headboard, legs stretched out in front of him. Kurt was laying next to him, his head resting on Blaine's chest. Blaine's fingers idly stroked Kurt's hair, which for once Kurt wasn't fussing over it being mussed up. The fingers of his other hand were interlaced with Kurt's.

Now that he could hold Kurt in his arms, Blaine found himself thinking about his arrival at the Hummel-Hudson residence. He wanted an explanation to Kurt's reaction simply because he wanted to be able to understand Kurt. Wanted to know even the little things about him so that he could protect him as much as possible and comfort him when it wasn't.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah."

"What had you so upset earlier this evening? I've been late before and I've never gotten bombarded with a hug halfway up your driveway before."

"It's not important."

"Anything is important to me when it involves you, Kurt," Blaine told him, placing a kiss on the top of the sandy-haired head that was leaning against him.

"You'll think it's silly," Kurt said.

"Did Finn?"

Kurt sat up upon hearing that question. "How do you now I told Finn?" Kurt asked, surprised.

"Silent communication while you were clinging to me in the driveway," Blaine told him.

"I wasn't clinging!"

"You were clinging but it's okay it was . . ." Blaine paused as he looked for an appropriate word to use, " . . . endearing."

"Why does everyone like to use that word to describe me?" Kurt grumbled softly, even as he laid his head back down on Blaine's chest.

Recognizing the rhetorical question for what it was, Blaine simply resumed stroking Kurt's hair. He waited a few minutes before speaking, "so, are you going to tell what that was all about earlier."

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before he began to speak, telling the same story he had told Finn not long ago. The words came easier this time and though it could have been because it was the second time he was opening up to someone, Kurt chose to believe it was easier this time because it was Blaine he was talking too.