A/N: This has taken me a while, I know. I'm hoping to get back to weekly updates for the next few weeks, but I am studying again this year and college starts back in just a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure if weekly will be possible, but either way, I am going to try and get some kind of regular schedule together.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading/alerting/reviewing, you're all amazing and do help me continue to write this. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I'm not actually American and only know anything about Thanksgiving from TV and movies, so I've kept the whole actually Thanksgiving part vague for that reason. I didn't want to get anything wrong. I don't really know what's typical in a Thanksgiving dinner, or anything.

They were both going home for thanksgiving weekend. It had been months since they'd seen their own families, having switched in the first weekend they were able to go home and neither had had a chance to go home any other weekend since. But it was Thanksgiving, so they were going to their own homes, Lydia to her dad, Blaine and Grace would be going back to her grandparents place again where Kurt would be.

It had been months now of knowing, and not telling, and they'd both decided that this time they would. At the end of the weekend they'd sit down with their father's and tell them what they knew. The plan had mostly come about because Grace suspected that her Pop would make her tell her father anyway, and at least this way they would know both of their dads would know.

Wednesday afternoon consisted of waiting in the school's large foyer waiting to be picked up. Lydia and Grace were sitting next to each other when Mr Montgomery, their music teacher walked past.

'Have a good holiday girls.' He said, giving them both a wink.

'You too sir.' They said simultaneously.

He laughed and disappeared into a teacher's staff room. Grace frowned and looked to Lydia, who was distinctly paler.

'What?' Grace asked her.

'I think he knows.'

'Knows what?'

'About us… Wes is an old family friend, he and Dad have known each other since they were teenagers.'

'Oh…'

'Lydia Anderson,' A teacher's voice came over the intercom in the room.

Lydia sighed. 'Alright, that's me. I'll see you on Monday.'

Grace nodded, and stood up with her sister giving her a tight hug. 'Everything could be different by then.'

'Everything will be different by then.' Lydia said.

They just didn't know how different.

x x x

Grace was more than shocked when she walked out to the front of the school to find her dad standing there waiting. She let out a squeal and ran over to him, launching herself at Kurt, wrapping her arms around his neck. He laughed and lifted her off the ground twirling her around.

'I missed you Kiddo.' He said.

'I missed you too Dad, so, so much.' She landed back on the ground with both feet and Kurt pulled back a little to look at her.

'Are you… crying?' he asked.

'Shut up!' She said, wiping at the tears in her eyes. Only now it was beginning to hit her that it had been a little over three months since she'd last seen him, and she missed him so much. She missed dropping into his work room and watching him sketch and sew. She missed cookie-dough ice cream and musical movie nights. She missed going for long walks through central park just because it was there and they could. 'It's been forever.'

'It really has. Come on, let's get in the car and you can tell me everything about school.'

'Ok.'

'What happened to the blonde in your hair' Kurt asked as they turned on the free-way to get back to Lima.

'Oh…' Grace tugged at her hair a little self consciously. 'I um, I prefer it brown… the blonde was high maintenance.'

'It looks good either way. So… what's been going on at school? Any juicy gossip?'

'Well… not a lot. But there was the saga of the disappearing doorknobs.'

'Tell me all about it.'

Grace grinned and launched into a story of the day some of The Warblers snuck into the girl's dorms and stole all the door handles. Kurt in turned shared some of the funnier stories from his office.

When they finally got to Lima, her grandparents were there waiting for them with open arms and for a moment Grace forced herself to forget about the impending drama, and just enjoy the next day with her family.

x x x

When they'd first arrived home, Lydia noticed that the house smelt like pumpkin and spices, and it was much warmer and more inviting than she ever remembered. Whether it was the heater that was on to cut out the slight chill from outside, or the fact that it had been months since she'd stepped inside her home she didn't quite know, and didn't quite care. She was happy to be back.

Until Thanksgiving dinner the next day.

Her dad had invited Mason, who Lydia had secretly nicknamed 'the boytoy', to join them for dinner. The whole evening was awkward and uncomfortable. Mason wasn't making much of an impression on her.

Dinner was finished, and Lydia started clearing the table off, breathing a sigh of relief that the night was finally over.

'Let's go into the living room for hot chocolate.' Blaine suggested as Lydia cleared the last of the plated away. She sighed… apparently the night wasn't quite over for her after all.

'That sounds perfect.' Mason said.

Lydia resisted rolling her eyes at the man her dad was seeing and instead smiled at Blaine. 'Do you want to go in and I can make them?' She asked.

'No, no. I'll make them.' Blaine said, standing up. 'Why don't the two of you head on into the living room and get to know each other better.'

'Ok.' Lydia said, still forcing the smile, her Dad would never see through it. She took off into the living room, not bothering to wait and see if Mason was following. She heard her dad and Mason exchanging a few words as she sat down on the couch and checked her phone (no messages, of course).

'Lydia, right?' Mason asked as he sat down on the couch adjacent to her.

Lydia didn't even bother to hide the fact that she was unimpressed.

'You're dating my dad and you have to ask that?' she said.

'Tell me about yourself.' He breezed on, ignoring her snide tone.

'I'm a freshman in high school.'

'Right. What school do you go to again? Dayton?'

'Dalton.'

'Yes. That's the one. It sounds expensive.'

Lydia shrugged. 'I'm not actually too sure what the fees are.'

'Right. But, surely you'd be better off at the local high school and Blai- your father can put the money to better use.'

'What? Like spending it on you his new boytoy? How old are you anyway?'

'Twenty-seven. But that's neither here nor there. I just mean, it's a little rude of you to be eating up all of his money the way you are by going to that expensive school.'

'My father will spend his money how he see's fit.' Lydia said sternly, glaring at Mason. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Besides, it wasn't like she had chosen Dalton… not that she'd tell him that now. But he couldn't just walk into her… their lives and start telling them how to live. Her dad had gotten by just fine on his own for fifteen years. He didn't need this Mason guys advice. Lydia already hated him. She didn't bother acknowledging his response and instead pulled out her phone, typing a quick message to Grace.

'I hate this guy. You're right. We need to break them up because he's awful. I'll come up with a plan. Hope you're having a great thanksgiving. I'm thankful that our dad's sent us to the same school.'

'Lydia Anderson… put it away.' Blaine said sternly, setting a cup a steaming hot chocolate onto the coffee table in front of her.

'Sorry.' She muttered, sliding it back into her pocket.

'Kid's and technology these days huh?' Mason said.

'Please, how different is my generation to yours.' Lydia scoffed. 'I mean, Dad's an old man now… but don't tell me you weren't always obsessed with the latest gadgets out. And anyway, it's called communication. It's healthy.'

'Not when you can be communicating with those in the same room.' Blaine said, oblivious to the glares Lydia and Mason were giving each other. He said down on the couch next to Mason, sitting close, and grabbed his free hand. 'And speaking of communication with those in the room, Lyds, I've got something to tell you.'

'Nothing that starts with those words ends well.' Lydia muttered.

'What was that?'

'Nothing…' Lydia said. 'What is it?'

'Well… I'm sure you've noticed that Mason was here for thanksgiving.'

'What? Oh my god. When?' Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

'Lydia.' Blaine gave her his warning tone… the one that usually meant one more comment like that and she'd be given a punishment.

'Ok, sorry. Continue.'

'Well… I'd like Mason to be around for many more Thanksgivings, and Christmas's and… other holidays, and birthdays. So… sweetie… we're getting married.'

There was dead silence through the room as Blaine grabbed his now fiancé's hand and grinned at his daughter. Lydia's mind was racing at a million miles an hour as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Married. Her dad was getting married?

'No.' She said finally.

The grin slowly slipped off Blaine's face. 'What?'

'No.' She shook her head. 'You… you can't. You just can't.'

'Lydia…'

'You're ruining everything!' She stood up abruptly. 'Why would you do this? Things were just fine the way they were.'

She run up to her room, knowing her dad was right behind her and stayed there, not responding to his knocking, or pleading with her. She didn't want this. She didn't want this Mason guy in her family. She wanted to get through Thanksgiving weekend, tell her dad she knew about Grace, and Kurt and begin the path of them all being reunited. Him proposing to Mason ruined that.

Eventually her dad said through the door. 'I'm here whenever you're ready to talk.' And she heard him walk away back down the stairs. Before she could really think about what she was doing she'd grabbed her wallet, and snuck out of her room, down the stairs and out the door without anyone noticing. Her plan was vague… but she knew where she needed to be, and it was away from her house.

x x x

They'd long ago finished their dinner, and the table had been cleared, and now, the Hummel-Hudson clan, all eight of them sat around the dining table chatting and laughing.

Grace loved these moments, they were rare, but they were great. She loved casting side-long glances and eye-rolls with her cousins Will and Sarah and their parents made terrible jokes and reminisced on all the sorts of trouble they used to get into. She loved getting to hear their stories, and sharing about a couple of her own adventures at Dalton. She loved how by the end of the weekend she'd ready to hit at least several of them for driving her crazy.

Out of nowhere the doorbell rang. The chatter paused for a moment.

'We're not expecting anybody…' Burt said, glancing at Carole to confirm the fact.

'I'll get it.' Kurt said, as the doorbell rang a second time.

As he walked out of the room the chatter started back up quickly. He opened the front door with a smile, which quickly disappeared.

'Grace?' He asked in confusion. Because standing in front of him was a teenage girl who looked exactly like his daughter. He frowned, turning back to where the dining room was, because his daughter, Grace had been right there, and now she was… 'I, uh…'

As he stared at the girl in front of him, her arms curled around her stomach as though she was trying to shrink, head bowed slightly as she looked up at Kurt cautiously. Almost already flinching, at harsh words he hadn't said.

He couldn't form a coherent thought as he tried to put the pieces together. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew who she was.

'Kurt, how about we get started on the hot drinks.' Suddenly his dad was behind him wrapping his arm around his shoulder. 'Come on.'

A shell shocked Kurt was steered away and Grace took his place at the door.

'Lydia! What are you doing here?'

'I um…' She blinked, as if suddenly realising where she actually was. 'Oh my God, I interrupted your thanksgiving. I'm sorry.'

'Why don't you come in?' Grace asked.

Lydia nodded and followed Grace into the front living room. There was no sign of Kurt or Burt anywhere, and there were curious faces peering in from the dining room as they wondered what was going on.

'What happened?' Grace asked.

Lydia took a deep breath, steadying herself. 'He's getting married.'

x x x

Once in the kitchen Kurt let out a shaky breath. He looked down at his hands, they were shaking uncontrollably and he wasn't even sure how he was still standing.

'You alright?' Burt asked.

'No.' Kurt shook his head. 'No. I'm so far from alright. I… how? How is she here?'

'I'm going to have to let them tell you the story.'

Kurt's head snapped up at that. 'You knew?' he asked.

'Come on… you go back into the living room and let them explain, I'll debrief everyone else, maybe get Finn to get going, because it looks like we've got a long night ahead of us.'

Kurt nodded numbly and went out to the living room. It was shocking to see both the girls there, sitting next to each other. They were nearly identical and he struggle to tell who was who.

As Kurt walked into the room he took a shaky breath. Pausing for a moment before he heard,

'He's getting married.'

'Who's getting married?' he asked, his voice raw and hollow because he already knew the answer.

She stood up quickly, startled at the sound of his voice.

'Kurt.' she said.

When her blue eyes met his, his heart leapt into his throat. It was her. His baby girl. Lydia. Who he'd spent every day of the past fifteen years missing and aching for. He might have started crying, he didn't even know.

'Lydia, it's really you.' he choked out.

She nodded mutely.

'Oh, honey... you have no idea how happy I am to be seeing you.'

Lydia didn't say anything.

'Can I… can I hug you?' he asked, feeling a little silly and self-conscious that all of a sudden he was so nervous about how the girl would react. To his relief Lydia nodded mutely and he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she was still. Then she brought her arms up around his waist and hugged him back tightly. After a moment he realised she was shaking with sobs and crying into his shoulder. As much as his heart broke that the first time he met his daughter, he also felt a little warm that she felt safe enough to cry in front of him. He held her a little tighter and just let her cry.

Grace took the liberty of seeing her Uncle Finn, Aunt Kate and her cousins out the door, with a promise to Finn to have someone call him later to let him know that things were ok.

'Here's some water.' Burt said, placing some glasses on the coffee table. 'I'll let you sort it out, we'll just be upstairs, yell if you need anything.'

Kurt nodded as Lydia removed herself from his arms. Burt and Carole walked up the stairs, leaving Kurt alone for the first time in fifteen years, with his two daughters. He sat down and took a deep breath.

'Ok… I need one, or both of you to explain this to me now, please.' He said, trying to sound as calm as he possibly could. Because the scenario in front of him is one he never even dared to imagine happening. Both of them, together again…

'We… we met at school.' Grace started slowly. 'I guess… I don't know. You both sent us to Dalton and it was kind of hard to ignore someone who looks exactly like you. And um, then we, well, there was an incident that ended with us having to share a room, and… everything kind of revealed itself in the end.'

'And how… how long ago?' He asked.

Grace looked down at her lap, unable to look her father in the eyes. 'About two weeks into the semester.'

'Actually…' Lydia said softly, speaking up for the first time. 'The last time, um, Grace came home… it was actually me.'

'What?' Kurt asked, his brain was unable to catch up and believe what he thought she'd just said.

'Lydia came here, the last time you were here from New York. And I um… I went to Lydia's.'

'Oh…' Kurt was stilled stunned. 'When I'm not so overwhelmed with information I think there'll be a punishment for you, Grace, that is. Lydia I don't think I could, or should… speaking of…' He trailed off for a moment, and cleared his throat before talking. 'Does B- your… does he know where you are?'

The way the blood drained from Lydia told him everything he needed to know. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself and clear his head. If it had been Grace… if she had just taken off, after dark, on Thanksgiving, without giving him a word of where she was going he would have been not only livid, but worried out of his mind.

'Have you got your cell phone?'

She nodded.

'Ok, you need to call him, tell him where you are, and… you can spend the night if you want. We'll take you home tomorrow.'

Kurt watched her as she pulled her phone out and called her dad's number.

He picked up on the second ring.

'Lydia?'

'Yes. Dad… Hi I-'

'Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how worried I am?'

'I'm fine, honestly. I… I'm at friend's house.'

'What friend? Where? I'm coming to get you right now.'

'No. No, please don't. I… don't want you to.'

'Lydia…'

'Please Dad, just… one night. I'm in Lima. I'm safe. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'

'Lydia, we are not finished with conversation you are-'

'Bye Dad.' She hung up quickly and turned back to see Grace and Kurt watching her.

'Are you ok?' Grace asked quietly.

'Not really.' Lydia let out a shaky breath. 'I just wish he would listen to me, you know?'

'It's ok if you need to cry.'

'I don't. I'm fine. I… I'm, I'll be alright.' She said.

'What happened?' Kurt asked, unsure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

'My Dad is getting married.'

Kurt's heart sunk. Though he knew he had no right to feel the way he did… his heart broke a little at hearing her words. Blaine was… of course he was. He'd probably found someone amazing, someone more ready to be married, someone who was going to do all the things he never did… someone who was going to make him happy. Kurt longed to be that person. But he wasn't. Not anymore. He hadn't been the one to truly make Blaine happy since they were seventeen.

'To Mason?' Grace asked, scrunching up her face.

'You know him?' Kurt asked, unable to stop himself.

"I met him when we… uh, when we switched. He's an ass.'

'Grace, language.' Kurt said half-heartedly. He wouldn't admit out loud that he was a little thrilled to hear her say as much.

'He is though.' Lydia agreed. 'He called me rude and ungrateful just because Dad is paying for me to go to Dalton, and so obviously thinks that the money should be spent on him instead. And just… I have no idea what Dad sees in him. He's been brainwashed, I swear.'

'And now Blaine's marrying him.' Grace said.

Lydia nodded. 'I just… I got so mad. Because he didn't… he didn't even ask me what I thought before just proposing to him and he's practically a completely stranger to me. I don't know him. Did he really think one weekend was a enough? It wasn't really me, but even if it was… he's just bringing a stranger into my life and he can't even see why it upsets me.' She wiped furiously at the tears that now wouldn't stop falling. 'I hate it. I've always felt like a second thought to him and now I don't just feel like I am. I know I am.'

'Honey, you're not. I promise you you're not.' Kurt got up and moved so he was sitting on the couch next to Lydia. Boundaries be damned. His daughter was hurt and upset and he was going to comfort her. He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned into his shoulder trying to contain soft sniffles. 'You fa- Blaine struggles sometimes with expressing how he feels, did he ever tell you about 'The Gap Attack.'?'

Lydia shook her head 'no' against his shoulder.

'Well, this was right back when we first met. He'd met a guy, a college student… this was when he was a sophomore, mind you. And he wanted to let the guy know how much he liked him, through song… because that's a nice romantic gesture right?'

Lydia nodded.

'Yeah, so, he got all of The Warblers to help him, with a flash mob in this store this guy worked in… and sang this song called When I Get You Alone, which um… well, I like to think that neither of you have any idea of that kind of stuff, so I'll let you look up the lyrics later. But let's just say, it wasn't the song for the romantic gesture he was going for. My point is that Blaine isn't the best at finding ways to express how he feels. I… I haven't spoken to him in, well, since you girls were just tiny little things. But he's a good man and I know, without a shadow of a doubt that he loves you. You're not a second thought.'

'No offense Kurt, but I don't think he's the same man you knew when you were teenagers.' Lydia said, pulling away from him. 'But thank you for trying. It's kind of late isn't it? I don't want to impose, but… I don't really have anywhere else to go.'

'We can share my bed.' Grace said. 'I'm sure you know where the room is. I'll just help dad clean this up and join you.' She said.

Lydia took the hint and went off upstairs without a backwards glance. Grace and Kurt were left alone clearing up empty mugs and putting them in the dishwasher. The silence between them was rather tense as they both mulled over the events of the evening.

'Well, um, good night then.' Grace said softly once they were done.

'Grace.' Kurt said.

She waited silently for him to continue.

'Don't think you're off the hook for this.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean, you should have told me as soon as you knew. In fact, both of your girls should have told both of us.'

Grace's jaw dropped. 'Are you freaking kidding me right now Dad?'

'Don't use that tone with me.'

'You're the one's who tore us apart, who kept the fact that I have a twin sister a secret for nearly fifteen years. In fact, it would have been my whole life right? You were never going to tell me. So… no. I shouldn't have told you anything. And I have every right to be upset and angry at you right now. Ok.'

'Grace, I-'

'Don't want to hear it right now, Dad. Good night.'