Note: If you read the note about this chapter possibly being a different version of chapter two, ignore it. This chapter is a direct continuation of chapter two, and not a knew version. I was kinda going all over the place in my head while I wrote, but finally decided on a through-line. It reads pretty clearly, though, I think. I hope you enjoy it!
When Kurt next awoke he found himself comfortably forming the 'big spoon' to Blaine's 'little spoon.' At some point Robbie must have extricated herself from their little cuddle-puddle. He smiled to himself, pressing his face into Blaine's soft curls, smelling the sweetness of hair gel and Blaine's own natural, spicy scent. He squeezed the hand he'd been holding through the night, and pulled the beautiful creature into a tighter embrace.
Blaine stirred in Kurt's arms, warm and content. He laughed a little when he felt his boyfriend pull him closer. He wiggled and rolled over to face his sleepy companion.
"Mornin' Gorgeous," he smiled lazily. Kurt's perpetually rosy cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Can't be that gorgeous," Kurt insisted with a tight-lipped smile. "Haven't brushed my teeth, showered, or moisturized in well over twelve hours. I probably have morning-breath on top of my pizza-breath."
"Delicious..." Blaine grinned. Then laid a kiss on Kurt's sweet mouth.
They luxuriated there together a while longer before Kurt again spoke up. "Not that I'm not enjoying this, but there seems to be someone missing from this slumber party."
Blaine playfully lifted the covers in a dramatic search for a missing person. Kurt giggled and rolled over on top of his boyfriend, showering him in kisses before rolling himself off the bed.
"No, but seriously! Where's Robbie? She didn't leave without saying goodbye, did she?" The slight pout on Kurt's face was irresistibly cute.
"Not likely." Blaine stared at him with his signature grin plastered to his face, and Kurt stared back. Then there was a whooshing noise and the sound of running water. The bathroom door jiggled and someone more closely resembling the girl in her underwear from the afternoon prior emerged.
Not that Robbie had shunned all clothing again. She was fully dressed, but in far more feminine attire. Her skinny jeans were neatly pressed, and her tunic looked more like Barneys Co-op than the local Hollister. Her boyish haircut had been carefully manipulated into delicate curls at her ears, and the standout accessory, a hair clip, perfectly matched her suede ballet flats.
She stood in the door frame observing the mostly undressed boys and the disheveled state of the bed clothes upon which Blaine sat. A questioning eyebrow popped as she took in the scene.
"Kurt was afraid you'd left us without saying goodbye."
Kurt gasped a little to see Rebecca standing there. "Who are you, and what have you done with Robbie?"
She and Blaine shared another of their knowing laughs. Kurt stepped forward, wide eyed, and fingered the hem of her tunic. "Is this von Furstenberg?" Robbie nodded with a giggle.
"Oh. Myyyy..."
"Please, no drooling on the silk..."
"B-but... How?" Kurt tore his wide eyes away from the ensemble, which brought to mind a modern Audrey Hepburn.
"As much as I love preppie boys' uniforms and well-tailored suits-"
"And boobs," Blaine interjected. Robbie shot him a smirk.
"I still take women's fashion seriously, too. Plus, it keeps my parents in the dark."
At this statement, Blaine's look became more pointed. "But that'll soon change."
Again, Kurt felt as though there was something he had missed, another unspoken connection between the two friends. He saw Robbie meet Blaine's gaze, but her eyes quickly dropped to the floor. "Right," she confirmed to no one in particular.
Now she turned her eyes upon Kurt. "Kurt, would you mind terribly if I had words with Blaine? Privately? I promise I'll come say goodbye before I leave."
It seemed decided already, so Kurt agreed, hastily redressing in yesterday's uniform before venturing into the hall of the quiet dormitory and back to his own room.
At first Kurt had arrived back to his dorm feeling a little shell-shocked to be suddenly dismissed from the 'party.' But after showering and moisturizing, the 'stunned' had turned into a 'curious.'
Kurt couldn't shake the feeling that aside from Robbie's decision to come out to her parents and Blaine's desire for his best friend to meet his boyfriend, there had been something more to that argument at the pizzeria the previous evening. And if not then, Robbie's nightmare must have stirred up something important that she didn't feel close enough to Kurt yet to share in his presence. Based on the few words he'd gleaned from her sleepy protestations, it didn't sound like a happy something important.
By the time Blaine's face showed up on his cell phone with a message to come down to the foyer, Kurt's mind was once again processing a myriad possibilities, this time for Robbie and Blaine's conversation.
Robbie's outfit was still immaculate, and her demeanor as cheerful as ever. But Kurt's expert eye immediately picked out the slight puffiness in her face and the red rings at her eyelids. There was definitely something amiss.
Blaine's expression was slightly more subdued, and he quickly moved to stand with Kurt, taking his hand in his own. Kurt noted that there seemed to be a slightly puffier tone to Blaine's usual flawless beauty as well, but tried not to show his curiosity.
"What's up? About to head out?"
"Yeah, about that time. I guess-" Her perfectly practiced smile faltered when Blaine interrupted.
"I'm going to go with Robbie, after all. Will you come with us?"
What? Where did that come from?
"I, um... I..." Kurt glanced back and forth between the chic girl and his boyfriend beside him. Robbie's composure was quickly unraveling now. There was a twitchy energy about her that Kurt couldn't understand.
"Kurt, I... I really want to thank you for, ya know, helping me out, I guess... Last night..." Her eyes shifted nervously to Blaine, who nodded in solemn encouragement. "And I really appreciate and am excited about our new-found friendship," That true smile broke through momentarily. "So, I'd like it if you'd come with B and me, and..."
Kurt was thoroughly confused. He too nodded toward the petite girl, but then turned to Blaine in hopes of clarification. "What Robbie's getting at is that there's a lot that we've been through together," he referred to himself and his best girl friend, "and there are probably some things about our history that may come up for us," he referred to himself and his new partner, "so we'd like it if you'd come to Columbus."
Once again, Kurt stood dumbfounded, confused, and somehow overwhelmed. This was becoming a habit. "What about classes, and..."
"You and Blaine will drive back tomorrow. Be back in time for a good night's sleep before Monday morning role-call."
"Robbie can help you with Trig in the car," Blaine smiled at his baffled boyfriend.
"Oh, okay. Sure... I'll come."
The way it had worked out, Kurt road with Robbie in her candy-apple red mini Cooper while Blaine followed behind them in his car. As they drove, Robbie had reverted to her free-spirited, buoyant self. She did, in fact, help him muddle through his Trigonometry homework while simultaneously maneuvering the weekend traffic towards the larger city. She also described the family members Kurt could expect to meet upon their arrival.
"Well, Mom and Dad will definitely be there. They're nice. They're really traditional and family oriented, but they aren't too, too conservative. You don't need to worry about them.
"Um... There's Jennifer. She's just come home from college. Decided to take a leave of absence without talking to our parents first. So that will probably be the main topic of drama. At least until... ya know..."
Kurt noted a slight change come over her expression, but not the same shattering of calm as before. He quietly 'Mmmm Hmmm'd' before she continued.
"And Elaine and Mike will be there. That's my oldest sister and her husband. They've been living in the guest house since the holidays. We kinda wanted them to stay too after Jenny showed up. Have the family feel like a family again for a while.
"And there's Beau..." This time the ragged edges didn't truly disappear after Kurt heard the waver in her voice. "My niece."
His curiosity was causing serious damage to his nerves and complexion, but he didn't want to push or pry too much without Blaine's knowledge of Robbie's history to guide or restrain him if necessary. A change of topic was in order.
"So... Where did you find that amazing Eggzactly tunic? I would give anything for a decent mall selection. Even a Saks Off Fifth would be a thousand times more awesome than Lima's pitiful options."
The drive was smooth, and while the conversation remained on the topic of clothing Kurt witnessed no more anomalies in Robbie's collectedness.
The trio were greeted by Jenny, the middle sister, and Mike, the baby monitor-toting brother-in-law. Robbie's father had not returned home yet, due to many weather-delayed flights along his route home from a business trip in California. Her mother and eldest sister, Elaine, were "in town" shopping for the massive dinner that was apparently to be prepared for Blaine and Kurt's arrival.
Kurt was introduced simply as "Blaine's friend from Dalton," which seemed like the best option for the time being, and went over well with Mike. Jenny, on the other hand, made the vaguest of acknowledgment to Kurt and Blaine before launching into a 'sob' story about how her university was not going to hold her spot on the equestrian team while she took her semester of soul searching.
Robbie toured Kurt through what she referred to as "the homestead," but what Kurt thought of more as an estate. Situated in one of the more affluent suburbs of Columbus the property boasted a five bedroom house, complete with living room, dining room, and study, a two bedroom guest house, a small stable, and an attached garage that likely could easily accommodate eight cars and as many storage bins of Christmas decorations as your brain could imagine.
The boys quickly settled into the two spare rooms in the main house. Somehow, all the various pieces of Robbie's family managed to come together, dinner was prepared, and everyone but the niece, whom Kurt gathered wasn't feeling well, arrived at the table. Robbie's father sat at the head of the table, with his wife to his right. Rebecca sat to her father's left, with Blaine seated beside her as her 'boyfriend,' while Kurt sat between Blaine and Mike at the table's foot. Introductions were made, and polite chit-chat ensued. That is, until dessert, when Robbie piped up.
"Mom? Dad? May I have a word with you after dinner? Blaine and I have some things to talk with you about..."
"What's this about, Becky?" [Kurt was having a difficult time getting over the fact that Robbie's parents referred to her as "Becky."] Robbie's dad sounded a little gruff, but her mother interjected with an excited titter in her voice.
"Of course! Of course, we'd be happy to hear what the two of you have to tell us!"
Kurt cringed internally as he imagined the sound of wedding bells playing in their hostess's mind. He was beginning to feel a protective concern for what Robbie was about to undertake. He wished there was something he could do to help his new friend and new boyfriend in their task, but knew that if his continued confusion was any indication, the history between the two was far greater than his newly formed allegiance to Robbie's continued mirth and optimism.
The table was quickly cleared and the family retired to the living room, minus Jenny who had "important calls to make! GAWD!" Elaine and Mike soon disappeared across the yard to bring their daughter to the kitchen, to coax her to eat.
"Mom? Could we speak with you and Dad now? Maybe in the study?" The flicker of the fire burning in the hearth accentuated the consternation in her delicate features.
"Sure, sure," there was that misplaced enthusiasm again. This time Kurt's cringe was less internal as before, and Blaine laid a calming hand on his shoulder as he stood to leave with Robbie and her parents.
Kurt sighed and stared into the dancing fire.
The patter of little feet sounded from the hallway, followed by a giggle and exclamation.
"Bwaine!"
"Hey Beau!" Kurt noted the continued giggles and swoosh of fabrics and imagined Blaine giving Robbie's little niece a playful bear hug.
"Bwaine!" Blaine's rich laughter mingled with the giggles, and Kurt turned to glimpse his boyfriend twisting back and forth at the waste, a bundle of color in his arms.
"Robbie and I are gonna go have a chat with Grandma and Grandpa. But I'll be back soon, okay? Why don't you go say 'hi' to my friend Kurt?"
Kurt smiled over the back of the sofa as Blaine returned the brightly clothed girl to the floor, and disappeared down the hall.
The patter of tiny feet sounded again, and the mop-topped child scampered toward Kurt's perch.
Kurt's smile widened when an expressive pair of eyes and a round face appeared around the arm of the couch. It grew further when a tiny body clothed in the chicest of toddler garb joined the plump face.
That adorable little face. With those piercing blue eyes.
Those stealy blue eyes beneath a mane of chocolate brown ringlets.
Rebecca's stealy blue eyes...
Beneath those kinky curls.
Blaine's curls...
Tiny fingers tapped Kurt's knee, and the smile froze upon his lips.