(Disclaimer: I did not create nor name anything in this story that was taken from Glee. A coffee shop called "The Lima Bean" does not exist outside the imagination of the creators of Glee, however I believe the town of Lima, Ohio is real so someone could potentially someday open one. Well, maybe they already have. Nope. I'm back… I just went to look it up on Google Maps. There's a "Bean Town Coffee" in Lima, though. I suppose they must decorate it with Red Sox and Celtics and Bruins paraphernalia, maybe some photos of the Kennedys, and perhaps they serve molasses-sweet Boston baked beans, corn bread, and Boston Cream Pie. Oh and Sam Adams beer if they serve alcohol. I guess I'd feel at home there if I ever found myself in Ohio. OK, NOW I'm just making stuff up!)

Speaking of making stuff up, thanks for tons of these ideas, my Watermelon Queen! (I even took something from your real life…! hahahahaha)

Oh, and don't see the movie "Super" unless you're good at closing your eyes in time to avoid the graphic violence! Otherwise… awesome. I was at a preview of it at the fabulous independent Brattle Theater, where James Gunn spoke, and the last question he answered was "What have you learned over the years writing for the screen?" His answer was, "The most important thing I've learned is that if you want to write, always finish what you start. It doesn't matter if it sucks. Just finish it." Cool, huh? Love him.

Chapter 13: Dream a Little Dream

Greg and Nina walked into the Lima Bean and immediately located their friends. Despite the fact that the table was in the back, it contained Mercedes and Kurt, which made it easy to be heard. Just follow the distinctive laughter. This was only date number six for Mercedes and Peter, and already they were one of those couples who couldn't keep their hands off each other. Kurt and Blaine would have been like that too, and they were some of the time, but Blaine's too-often conservative demeanor kept them mostly gazing and holding hands in public.

Even from across the room, Nina noticed how similar Blaine and Peter looked in their expressions, watching their partners talking and laughing, and looking completely content and fulfilled just to be able to follow the conversation and gaze and admire. She involuntarily let out a soft chuckle. When Greg asked "What?" she simply replied "isn't love grand?" and his heart dared to dream that maybe one day she'll say that to him and mean that she's fallen in love with him. Perhaps that dream will come true some day soon.

"Hey! G.G! Nina!" Peter called out as they approached. "You guys made it in time for at least one coffee before we have to leave for the movie!" Peter only calls Greg "G.G." when he's with these guys, so it was the first time he'd ever called him that in front of Nina. She gave Greg a little amused and questioning look.

Greg rolled his eyes and told her he'd explain it later… then broke down and told her the whole story. Which of course got everyone calling Mercedes "Goodness" and Blaine "Medium Drip" for the rest of the night as well, about which neither of them was entirely happy. Sometimes, you just have to roll your eyes and accept the ridiculous things your friends impose upon you to show they love you, in their own misguided but in the end, ever so charming ways.

Peter said to Greg as he watched Greg pull a chair to the table for his Nina, "We were beginning to worry, since you're usually early everywhere. I've never known you to run late."

Dragging another chair over for himself, between Nina and Blaine, he sheepishly replied while re-arranging their coffee mugs in front of them, "We were uh… finishing up an episode of… a TV show we've been catching up on these days."

"This sounds interesting…" Kurt picked up on Greg's hesitation immediately. "I do believe you're trying not to disclose which show. Shall we all try to guess?"

"Mad Men!" Mercedes guessed, leaning back into Peter's arms.

Peter shook his head while tightening his arms around Mercedes and said, "Nah, he wouldn't be embarrassed about admitting that. I say it's something like 'Vampire Diaries.'"

"Nah, they wouldn't be watching multiple episodes of that one, to catch up on it like he said," Blaine offered. "At least I don't think." He studied Greg's poker face and came up with, "I'm guessing 30 Rock."

Kurt shook his head now, saying, "Again, not something G.G. would be embarrassed about."

Mercedes shouted out, "Gossip Girl!"

Everyone started coming up with crazy guesses all at once.

"Ugly Betty!"

"Cougar Town!"

"Grey's Anatomy!"

"The Biggest Loser!"

"Amazing Race!"

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer!"

"Supernatural! OH! Yes, is it Supernatural?"

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you," Greg finally allowed. "It's Gilmore Girls. We're up to season 4 now." Over everyone's laughter, he finished explaining, "It's something Nina loves, and wanted me to share, and it's actually well written and pretty darn interesting."

Nina and Mercedes got into a conversation about how Gilmore Girls ended and alternate directions the story could have gone from there, and Peter and Kurt resumed their debate on comic book heroes they had begun earlier, since the movie they were seeing tonight was James Gunn's "Super."

Leaning over to shove Greg's shoulder with his, Blaine told him "I've watched a few episodes of that show with my brother and his girlfriend. It's pretty good."

"Right? I know!" Greg laughed and nodded his head toward Nina. "It takes a girl like this one to get you into something like that, though. I bet your brother never would have watched it if he wasn't sitting next to his girlfriend at the time, and you probably just wandered in to see what they were watching, am I right?"

"Almost exactly. I think Brian totally watches it on his own now, though. You know, you and Brian would get along. You have a lot in common. I mean, not the Gilmore Girls thing. Well, not just that, I guess! Hahaha."

"So your brother's name is Brian? Brian and Blaine? Seriously?"

"Oh, it's a good story. I'll let him tell it when you meet him. He's better at imitating himself as a kid, accidentally naming his own brother... Yeah... it's a good story. He'll tell it."

"He's your older brother?"

"Yeah, actually. He's three years older. Seriously, if he comes home for spring break I'll bring him by your coffee shop. You actually remind me of him sometimes. You often do, actually." Blaine squinted and said, "Am I actually using the word 'actually' too much?"

"No, you're actually not."

"Good."

Chuckling, Greg got back to the subject. "Well, let me know when he comes by, and we can all go do something. Maybe catch a Gilmore Girls marathon or something. …Ah, you know I'm kidding about that."

"I always know when you're kidding, Greg. You're so much like my brother that way, actually. Are you sure I'm not saying 'actually' too much?"

"I'm actually positive."

"Hey if Colleen visits with him, she and Nina can discuss their television-watching influence methods with each other too. Actually, that would be (seriously did I just say it AGAIN?) …Anyway, that would be a nice group. I think we all sing, except for you."

"Hey, I sing! OK, not well. But I sing. Not exactly on-key, per se… but I usually know most of the lyrics anyway. Enough to make up the rest… "There's a bathroom on the right," and "Set an open course full of urgency," and "While I'm alone and clueless as me," and all that.

Laughing, Blaine forced a mock-contemplative look on his face and listed out, "There's a bad moon on the rise: classic. Set an open course for the virgin sea: I'm Sailing Away is one of my favorite songs of all time. But While I'm alone and clueless… OH! I just got that one. 'Dream a Little Dream of Me?'" Greg nodded and then shrugged, indicating that he really doesn't know the right lyrics to that one. So Blaine supplied them, "While I'm alone and blue as can be. You should get Nina to sing that to you. I hear she has a couple albums out already on iTunes, right? Jazz singing?"

Greg leaned in to tell Blaine in confidence, "Yeah, I have both of her albums on random-play for my alarm, so I never know which of her songs she's going to wake me up with every morning."

Blaine threw his head back to laugh heartily at that, as though having someone's songs playing to sing you awake every morning as your alarm was the funniest thing he'd ever heard of.

But then of course the thought of having Kurt's voice wake him every morning popped into his head, and he began to consider setting up such an alarm himself and poured over in his mind the recordings available for such a thing and started choosing which songs of Kurt's he could use. "I guess that would work as an alarm, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, absolutely. I never hit the snooze button anymore. Who could tell Nina to shut up and stop singing? Right?"

"I guess that's true. That's actually a great idea!" And he was already planning to ask Kurt to record "Dream a Little Dream" for him.

That might be a good distraction they could work on together tonight when they got back to Kurt's house after the movie. Blaine was planning to hang out there until after they got word from Artie that everything went OK at that rehearsal Rachel was bringing Karofsky to.

He didn't really know what they were all worried about there, since Rachel and Dave were working together all the time in their own rehearsals for Funny Girl these days anyway. But he supposed they had enough history of watching him berate and humiliate their friends, that they had a point in wanting to make sure she wasn't alone with him in case he's still unstable in any way, or has anger issues or whatever. Blaine was sure everything would be perfectly fine, but he was glad to have a reason to stay with Kurt for as much longer as necessary tonight… you know, to lend him support.

With any luck, those guys would stay out really late, and Blaine would have to stay up with him long after his parents had said goodnight, and Kurt would fall asleep on his shoulder, and Blaine would read the text from Artie when the all-clear comes in, and try to decide how to wake Kurt up to tell him about it. Mmmm. It's nice to dream little dreams like that.

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A/N – Look down. That button! I dare you to tell me something I should have done differently or something you found silly or something you wish I would get back to or expand on or leave out altogether… or anything you dislike! Or requests? Or… what makes you keep reading this? Even if it's that you're hoping it will stop being boring and pick up? (Please? Criticize! I'll looooove you for it!)