Author's Note: Hi there. So, Blaine and Burt finally meet in this chapter! It's really fun writing Burt… he has always been one of my favorite characters, so I hope I do him justice.

If you read my posts on Tumblr, I know I mentioned including some ND characters, but this chapter seemed long enough already. They'll be around soon, though, so no worries. ;)

Enjoy! Reviews are loved.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee.

~Chapter 10: Turning Point~

"Dad?"

Burt looked up just as Kurt padded sleepily into the kitchen. It was still relatively early in the morning, and Kurt's face looked drawn and pale, like maybe he hadn't slept much. Burt set down his mug of coffee and frowned in concern. "What's up, kid? You're up early for a Saturday."

Kurt shrugged. "I wanted to make sure I could talk to you in the morning, in case you had plans for the day." He bit his lip, pausing to sit beside his father. "There's something… something I should tell you…"

Burt looked rather taken aback, his expression a mixture of mild panic and suspicion. "Okay…" he answered uncertainly.

Staring down at the table to keep from losing his nerve, Kurt explained. "I made this… friend, sort of. He goes to the school I volunteer at- you know, Dalton?"

"Wait, isn't that the place where people send teenage criminals?"

"Blaine is not a criminal, Dad! Well, okay, there's a reason he's there, but it's not-"

"Right." Kurt looked up hesitantly to see Burt giving him a doubtful stare. "So, this Blaine kid. What is it you wanted to tell me about him?"

Kurt dropped his gaze again, feeling instantly nervous. He hoped his father would be willing to keep an open mind- especially when Kurt had to confess that Blaine was asleep in his bed at the moment. With any luck, Burt would listen through the whole story, and help Kurt determine the right thing to do next. His father was a man with a good heart, after all; surely he wouldn't stand for the way Blaine's father had treated him. "He's in some trouble. His dad sent him to Dalton so he wouldn't have to see him anymore. Blaine decided that he wanted to transfer out because he really doesn't fit in. But when he went to his dad about it yesterday, he just… he hit him and kicked him out."

"What?" Burt looked appalled. "What kind of father does that to his own son?"

Kurt swallowed hard. This was where things could potentially become awkward, and he knew he would have to explain very carefully. "Blaine's gay," he admitted softly. "His dad is… not so accepting."

Burt frowned angrily. Kurt noticed his fists tightening at his sides, his knuckles almost white against the pressure. "That's it? He beats his kid and sends him to that school with a bunch of screw-ups just because he's gay?"

Kurt bit his lip and nodded slowly. "Pretty much, yeah," he replied. He paused, unsure of how much he should explain. The incident with the staircase was obviously significant, but it had all happened in a matter of self-defense. Kurt didn't want to put Blaine in a negative light if doing so wasn't necessary. "He's actually… um, Blaine's here now," he added in a rush. Burt's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise, but Kurt hurried on before he could question anything. "He couldn't go home, obviously, and his dad threatened him, so he's afraid to go back to school, and-"

"Threatened? What do you mean?" Burt's expression was lost between worry, rage, and confusion, and he continued to stare at Kurt in shock. "Do I have to call the cops to take care of this guy?"

Kurt sighed wearily. He had known the police would have to get involved eventually, but he was also relatively certain that they would make Blaine uncomfortable. Telling strangers about your most painful secrets could never be easy, after all. "Probably," Kurt answered finally. "I let him stay here last night because he was so hurt and he had nowhere else to go… please don't be angry."

"I'm not, Kurt. Not about that, anyway." Burt glared at the wall distractedly. "I don't care who this guy is or who his son is. No parent has the right to do that to their kid."

Kurt's eyes stung and he blinked quickly to hold back the sudden urge to cry. He was so, so lucky. His father was caring and big-hearted and unprejudiced, willing to stand up for the rights of a boy he had never even met. Blaine probably couldn't even imagine growing up with a father like Burt, despite the fact that he clearly deserved one. It just wasn't fair.

"So, you said he's here, right?"

Kurt looked up to meet Burt's eyes and nodded slowly. He knew that his dad probably had more than a few suspicions; Kurt didn't usually keep secrets, and bringing home boys wasn't exactly a part of his routine, no matter what the reason. "You want to meet him?"

"Well, if we're acting as his safe-house for a while then, yeah, I do."

Kurt nodded again, standing from the table. He paused for a moment, debating, thinking over the truth about the connection he shared with Blaine. He didn't want to hold things back from his father, and he knew he could trust Burt to be accepting. Still, it wasn't like he and Blaine were a real couple… for the most part, their relationship was just a confusing rampage into unexplored territory. Perhaps it would be better not to get anyone else involved at this point. Kurt left the room without another word.

Upstairs, he found Blaine already awake and dressed in one of the outfits Kurt had set aside for him to borrow. He watched for a moment from the doorway as Blaine stood in front of his bookshelves, eyes scanning titles curiously. "You have so many magazines," he commented.

Kurt chuckled softly. He was glad, at least, that Blaine seemed to be feeling well enough to focus on ordinary things, not just the troubles he was facing. "Hey, there's a reason my fashion sense is so impeccable," Kurt retorted. "I take my research very seriously. Don't underestimate."

Blaine smirked. "Oh, trust me, I won't." He paused for a moment before dragging his eyes from the shelf and turning to face Kurt. "So… any plans for today?"

"I already talked to my dad," Kurt admitted, biting his lip. "He's waiting for you to come downstairs, actually. He wants to meet you."

"Oh." Blaine shifted his weight slightly, mirroring Kurt's nervousness. How much of the story had Kurt told his father? And what if he wasn't so fond of letting a reform school toss-out stay under his roof?

"He really wants to help, I think," Kurt assured him. "I mean, it's a lot to take in all at once, but he feels pretty strongly about the way your dad treats you. He'll get the police on your side… you know, if you're ready for that sort of thing."

Police. Of course they would have to get the law involved… Blaine clearly wasn't going to be able to stay hidden at Kurt's forever. Still, even the thought of calling out his own flesh and blood as a criminal made Blaine feel a little sick.

Kurt took a small step closer, tilting his head to meet Blaine's gaze. "Hey," he said softly. "It's going to be okay. There might be a lot of questions but at least in the end you'll be safe."

With a slow nod, Blaine hummed a noise of agreement. "I know," he sighed. "Was your dad upset that I spent the night here?"

Kurt shook his head. "No… he seemed more concerned with the fact that this was the only place where you could spend the night. Really, don't be nervous. He'll like you."

Blaine bit his lip and nodded once again before following Kurt back to the kitchen. He felt oddly exposed- allowing one boy to see his true self was once thing, but it had been a long time since he had done so for anyone else. On the outside, Blaine was still the thick-skinned outcast that he had been at Dalton for the past few years. The sudden freedom to be anyone he wanted to be was strangely overwhelming.

"Er… Dad, this is Blaine," Kurt said as soon as they were all together in the kitchen.

"Burt," the man said shortly, stepping forward to shake his hand in greeting.

Blaine smiled tentatively, extending a hand and noting the millions of apparent differences between the two Hummel men. While Kurt's touches had always been feather-soft, his father's handshake was firm and masculine. Kurt's outfit looked like it had been pulled directly out of Vogue, yet Blaine couldn't imagine that Burt had ever so much as opened one of his son's magazines. The man's eyes, however, revealed much more to Blaine than anything else. Instantly, he knew that Burt would accept him. It felt like a fist was clenched around Blaine's heart, stifling him with a bittersweet sort of jealousy whilst pummeling him with gratitude. He didn't know what to say, so he just nodded stiffly.

It was silent for a moment, all three staring at one another. Finally, Burt cleared his throat and moved back to sit at the table. "Alright, let's talk," he said, motioning for Kurt and Blaine to join him. "Kurt tells me you're going through a rough time."

Nodding again, Blaine bit his lip and sat down. He had been dreading a confrontation about his father for years; it had always seemed wisest to just keep quiet. Now, though… was there really a choice anymore? When Blaine couldn't even rely on Dalton Reform, of all places, taking action seemed inevitable. He had to let this be the turning point, while the opportunity was still available. "I… yes," Blaine replied carefully.

Burt gazed at him for a moment, eyes searching. "Look, I'm not going to give you the third degree or anything this early in the morning. Kurt says you two are friends and you have no place to go. I trust his judgment…" Burt paused, glancing briefly across the table to his son. "So you're welcome to stay here awhile if that's what's gotta happen for you to be safe."

Blaine couldn't help himself: he broke into a smile. "Thank you," he said, praying that his tone conveyed just how sincere he truly felt. "I really can't thank you enough-"

Burt waved him off and continued. "I do want to get the police involved, though. Based on what Kurt's told me, they should know what's going on. You think you can handle talking to them this afternoon?"

Kurt shuffled a little nervously beside him. Blaine swallowed thickly and nodded. He could do this. It was for the best, after all.

"Good," Burt said simply, and pulled his cell phone resolutely from his shirt pocket.

x.x.x

Blaine felt totally drained. While meeting Burt that morning had been a little nerve-wracking, spending the afternoon talking to the police had been much worse. He had answered all of their questions honestly, and had eventually been reassured that someone would look into the situation as soon as possible. Now, though, all Blaine had was a sour aftertaste in his mouth, left over from the terrible stories that he had just relayed. All of his personal turmoil, all his worries, his fears… everything was out in the open.

After things had finally settled down, he curled up on Kurt's couch, eyes closed, while a voice rambled distantly from the TV. It sounded like Burt had found a football game to watch, and Blaine listened as Kurt released a bored sigh every so often. He was pretty sure Kurt thought he was asleep; otherwise, he would undoubtedly have dragged him off to do something else.

"So, he's a good friend, this kid?" Burt asked suddenly, and Blaine felt Kurt stiffen beside him.

Blaine's breath caught. He hated to eavesdrop, and yet he was sure that the others thought he was sleeping. It would be awkward to just "wake up" out of the blue. And, if Blaine was being honest with himself… curiosity was getting the better of him.

Kurt was silent for a long moment, and Blaine wondered if maybe he had just nodded or shrugged in response. He almost peeked an eye open. "He's… more than just a friend, Dad," Kurt said finally, voice soft. "I really… really care about him."

Blaine could feel their eyes on him and fought to keep his face unresponsive. Inside, though, his heart skipped, mind racing. Kurt cared about him. Kurt cared about him enough to say it to his father.

It was strange how, in Kurt's home, sharing that sort of information didn't have to be a terrible thing.

Burt answered slowly, thoughtfully. "Well… good. I hope. He seems like an okay kid. As long as he treats you right and makes you happy." Silence. "But he's staying on the couch."

Kurt laughed softly as Blaine squelched a grin. Burt was so wonderfully normal.

"I'm only worried that you'll be safe around him," Burt added after a moment. "What with his father and all…"

Blaine frowned slightly before remembering that he shouldn't. His father. Of course. Always his father.

It was silent for a moment. "It doesn't matter, though, does it?" Kurt asked quietly, running his fingers through Blaine's curls. Blaine swallowed hard. He knew exactly what Kurt meant, and it scared him. "I'm already a part of this. There's no turning back now."