A/N: So here it is, the family dinner.

tbh this chapter is a little all over the place with both Blaine and Kurt's POVs because I couldn't choose which I liked better. There's also a tiny bit of Burt.

So I'm going to assume no one wants to hear my reasons for taking so long to update. The short of it is: college summer classes and just not writing. But on the bright side, classes are over for the semester and I think I know where I'm going with this dinner (finally). So here's a tiny bit to keep you while I write the rest. -review replies at the bottom

A bell rings. Kurt walks to the door, peeking through the peephole. To no surprise, he sees his father and step-mother on the other side. He throws the door open, throwing his arms around his father in a tight embrace. Burt chuckles and returns the hug just as fervently.

"I've missed you too, kiddo," he says as he pats Kurt's back.

Kurt smiles and then moves to hug Carole. He smiles and compliments her outfit before turning back to Burt. "Your room is all set up, Dad. I had Finn take care of it earlier."

"Great. I'll just drop our bags off and then you and I can sit down and catch up on what I've missed since I last saw you."

"Sounds good." After three times of offering to help with the bags and three rejections, Kurt leaves Carole in the living room with her son as he walks into the kitchen to check his phone for any missed texts or calls. It's nearing three o'clock and he hasn't heard anything form Blaine since their last phone conversation... he shakes his head and pushes the stray doubts out of his mind. Blaine said he would come so he'd be there.

He sighs and heads out into the living room. He sits for a few minutes, distractedly listening to Rachel go on and on about how successful Kurt's become and how soon she'll be able to leave him to it and chase her own Broadway dreams. Finn sits beside her nodding his head with that dopey grin of his while Carole responds politely at every pause. He can't just sit here. His mind is churning with 'Where's Blaine?' and 'What if he changed his mind?' so he walks into the small entrance hall and paces.

He can't help himself, checking his phone every minute and counting down as three o'clock nears with every passing second. Then it is 3 and nothing. No knock, no text. Nothing. His hands start wringing themselves of their own accord and his pacing picks up speed without his really noticing it. One minute turns to five and still nothing.

What if he's not really interested? What if this was all some ruse? What if he's not coming? The thoughts race through his mind faster than he can count and then they take a turn for the worse. What if something bad happened to him on his way here? Maybe he'd been in a car accident in his rush to get here and now he's laying unconscious in a hospital bed? Maybe he'd been mugged walking from the parking garage up to the building and now his life was on the line as some random, desperate stranger held a rusty knife to his throat?

His father's voice bring him back to reality before he can imagine something worse.

"Kurt, buddy. Why don't you come sit down?"

"I'm fine, Dad."

"You're not."

Kurt sighs. "Okay. I'm not."

Burt sees the anxiety, the fear, in the eyes so reminiscent of the woman he had loved for so long. Still loves really, probably for the rest of his life too. Kurt looks so much like his mother. It had hurt at first, seeing Elizabeth every time he so much as glanced at his son. He wouldn't trade his son for the world though. In moments like this he wishes Elizabeth could still be alive to see her beautiful baby boy all grown up.

"He'll be here, Kurt."

Kurt frowns. "But Blaine is never late."

Burt resists the urge to smirk at the petulant tone. "There's a first time for everything."

"It's not funny, Dad! What if something has happened to him?"

Burt steps forward, laying his hand comfortingly on his son's shoulder. "I'm not laughing," he points out. "And I'm sure he's fine. He'll be here any second with a breathless apology and a bouquet of roses. Just watch."

"Dad..."

"Buddy, we worry about the people we love. I get that. But give the guy a chance to get here, alright? If he's not here in an hour, we'll call the police and file a missing person's report, okay?"

"Love?" Kurt splutters.

Burt chuckles. Of course that's all Kurt heard. "Well, you love Blaine, don't you?"

Before Kurt can form an answer, a knock sounds from the entrance of the apartment.

"I'll get it!" Rachel's heels clack across the hardwood instantaneously. Kurt considers running to the door, pushing Rachel out of his path, and opening the door in order to at least slightly prepare Blaine for the insanity he's about to face. His father's hand still firmly clasping his shoulder, however, suggests otherwise. There are words murmured, distinctly Blaine's voice Kurt notices even from his slight distance, followed by shuffling feet and the door being closed. His father doesn't release him yet, so he stands there and listens as Rachel addresses Blaine.

.

.

.

The aromas of various delicious food items are the first thing to hit Blaine's senses as he rushes up the corridor to Kurt's apartment. But he doesn't have time to think about that, not really. He's more preoccupied with flattening his windswept hair and straightening his disheveled button-up before knocking. He shuffles from foot to foot, the bouquet of a dozen red and yellow roses in his hands almost falling to the ground. Why did there have to be a horrible traffic accident (a taxi cab caused a huge pile up) tonight of all nights? He glances down at the blank screen of his phone, yet another disaster. Who forgets to charge their phone on such an important night? Well, Blaine does, apparently. Maybe now that he's actually here, at Kurt's, his luck will turn around for the better.

After a deep calming breath, Blaine reaches out and knocks. Hopefully Kurt wouldn't be too disappointed in his late arrival.

The door slowly swings open to reveal a young woman, dark hair and big eyes gleaming. If he didn't know any better he'd say she was a serial killer with that look. Blaine knows from Kurt's stories who it is, but that doesn't do anything to loosen the knot in his stomach. Was Kurt so angry that he sent Rachel to answer the door?

"You must be Blaine! I'm Rachel, Kurt's best friend, manager, and only real singing competition. You're just as cute as Kurt says. Please, do come in. You must feel horrible for being so late, but I assure you Kurt isn't mad in the least."

Rather than reply, because Rachel's already turned away from him anyway, Blaine just mutters a 'thank you' and steps into the small entrance hall. The walls, he notices as he toes off his shoes alongside everyone else's, are a reflective eggshell white with contemporary watercolors spaced evenly along both lengths of plaster. There's a nicely carved oak table with some assorted knick-knacks spread across its glossy surface and a blue porcelain bowl with an assortment of keys inside.

Rachel catches him staring and smiles to herself but decides to leave him be for the most part. "This way, Blaine. We were all chatting in the living room before you arrived."

Blaine tears his eyes away from a particular picture of Kurt standing proudly in graduation robes and nods at Rachel, following her down the hall and into a spacious foyer. On the couch sit an older woman and Finn, conversing quietly between themselves. Blaine looks around, hoping to spot Kurt, but the designer is nowhere to be found.

Rachel drags Blaine over to the couch and introduces him to Finn, who he remembers from the runway show the other week, and Carole, the older woman who happens to be Finn's mother and subsequently Kurt's step-mother. After introductions have been made and polite small talk has been had, Blaine can't help but ask:

"Where's Kurt?"

Rachel gives Finn a look. The taller guy looks confused for a second, but after her consistent staring for a few seconds he nods and stands. "I'm - uh - gonna go - um - check on my luggage." Then he strides off down another hallway without another word.

Rachel then turns to Blaine with a polite smile. "Kurt was just freshening up before your arrival. I'm sure he'll be out in a few minutes." She waves her hand as if it's something Kurt does all the time. "While we wait, why don't you tell me how the two of you met? Kurt's very secretive about those kinds of things."

"We met in a coffee shop," Blaine informs. He doesn't really want to go any further than that, seeing as Kurt hasn't said anything. He didn't want to say anything Kurt hadn't said already and really there was no way of knowing how much information would be too much information.

"Really?" Rachel perks up, her lips curving up in a smile. "Is that they day he walked out wearing that hideous orange hat? I mean, even I thought it to be horrible."

"We all make sacrifices for freedom, and that day was mine."

Blaine turns at the sound of another voice and smiles as Kurt walks fully into the room. He looks gorgeous as ever in a white, fitted shirt overlaid with a red and black striped vest. The black pants and silver loafers really do a great job of keeping the entire look grounded, in Blaine's opinion. Behind him is a person who can only be Kurt's father. Burt, as Blaine remembers Kurt telling him, may look intimidating but is really a softie at heart. Blaine really hopes Kurt wasn't exaggerating for his benefit.

Burt sends Blaine a cursory nod before taking a seat next to Carole. The woman moves closer and the two clasp hands between them, sharing a fleeting smile before returning their attention to the rest of the room.

Kurt glances at him and smiles before taking the conveniently empty spot of the loveseat beside him. Blaine resists the urge to scoot a little closer.

"So what have I missed? Has Rachel interrogated you as of yet?"

"Nope. She was about to though."

"Saved by the Kurt," Finn interjects.

"Kurt, I'm sure you put some effort into making all of us dinner tonight. So why don't we head on over to the table and eat?"

"A wonderful idea, Carole." Kurt subtly nodded his thanks to his step-mother as he led the way into the small dining room off to the side of the kitchen.

The table, already set for its guests, emitted a comfortable, homely vibe despite the pristine china, silverware, and glassware covering its surface. Kurt motioned for everyone to take a seat while he and Rachel brought out the food and drinks. He returns to notice an empty seat next to Blaine and mentally thanks his father for not making a scene... yet.

Kurt sets the platter of fries in the center of the table, watching approvingly as Rachel does the same with the tray of artfully made turkey burgers. They both take their respective seats, she beside Finn and he beside Blaine. There's a pause for Burt's usual good-mannered grumbling about how much he misses real meat and then they take turns serving themselves in what has become a natural routine. First Burt and Carole, then Finn and Rachel, and when the tray gets passed to Kurt he politely drops a serving onto Blaine's plate as well to avoid any awkward incidents.

Blaine gives a tight smile, trying to keep his nerves beneath the surface. Sure there had been a mostly warm welcome and Burt hadn't looked too intimidating but really there was no way to know what to expect. Would they eat in mostly silence with the perfunctory questions here and there? Did they say grace? Should he wait or take the first bite?

His question is answered when Finn lifts his burger to his mouth only to slowly put it back down again. Kurt and Carole turn to look at him expectantly, small smiles in place on their questioning faces. Blaine picks up the food item, his fingers digging into the brioche bun, and pauses a second to admire Kurt's work. Lettuce, grilled onions, tomatoes, ketchup, and pickles are all there carefully piled in a way to keep them from falling out. I've never had a turkey burger before, he thinks idly before taking the plunge and biting into it.

He's still chewing when Kurt asks, "So, how is it?"

"Delicious," he mouths around his mouthful, ignoring the scowl on Kurt's face and continuing, "really very good, honestly."

"I like this guy," Finn comments, causing all eyes to turn to him. "What? He talks with his mouth full, he's still dapper. I do it, I get scolded. That takes some guts, ignoring Kurt's 'I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-close-your-mouth-whi le-eating' face. I would know."

Burt chuckles, the other occupants of the table following his lead. Eventually Kurt laughs too, reluctantly at first and then full-blown guffaws as their laughter increases in pitch. "Glad you enjoy it, Blaine. Now, let's eat."

Finn gladly reaches for his food the second Kurt finishes his sentence.

A/N: If you haven't read it already, you simply MUST read "Shove Me in to Shallow Waters" by K8Malloy. It's so, so good.

RIP Cory Monteith, a wonderful guy who is loved and missed.

Review Replies... Chrisch: You are way too kind, but thank you! I use the "you matter" speech on all of my friends so it's something I love as well.

Angelofthelord: Sorry to disappoint you. Hope this can hold you over for a bit. And thank you for reviewing!