A/N: I really hope the chapter will make up for the time you all spent waiting for it.

There's a slightly nsfw part in the middle, so consider yourself warned! :P

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Once Kurt entered the pub, he immediately noticed Liam sitting at the bar. He was playing with the glasses on the counter, tossing them around. There were way too many in front of him, which alarmed Kurt a lot. He was glad that, thanks to an attentive friend, he has able to intervene.

He approached and, when he was within an earshot, he called his name, but Liam didn't hear it, probably due to the music. So he put his hand on his son's shoulder, which took the young man by surprise.

"Will you stop grabbing me?" he shouted and pushed Kurt's hand away.

"Calm down, son, it's me," he said loud enough for him to hear as they faced each other.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Liam's shocked expression wasn't a pleasant sight, but Kurt had prepared for the worst.

"I've come to take you home," he explained and took the half empty glass out of his hand and away from his reach.

"How did you even know I'm here?" Liam grunted as he reached for the glass that had been taken away from him, while he almost fell off the barstool, Kurt had to intervene to help him keep his balance.

"It doesn't matter. Come with me. I'll tell you later." He tried help him up, but met with his resistance.

"I don't want to go, I'm not done with my shots yet," Liam insisted and waved at the bartender.

"Oh yes, you are," Kurt stood his ground, while he shook his head towards the guy, then quickly counted the glasses in front of Liam to determine how much he must owe.

"I need to drink more to forget. I want to forget this night ever happened," Liam raised his voice again, and hit the counter with his fist.

"I'm sure you won't remember this in the morning," Kurt noted, mainly to himself, then paid the bill quickly, before he turned back to Liam.

"Come on, let's go," he pulled him from his chair and was glad to see him finally obey.

They walked out of the pub and towards his car. Once they were inside, he took a deep breath. It pained him to see Liam like this, even if it wasn't the first time, it never got easier.

"I hate her," Liam broke the silence once Kurt started the engine. Kurt half expected him to fall asleep, but apparently it wasn't the case.

"Who?" he asked, even though he knew the answer very well. He was aware that mother and son had scheduled their talk for tonight and he assumed they had already finished even though he hadn't heard from Diane yet. But he was able to put two and two together.

"Who do you think? The woman who's the love of your life. She fooled me again. She fooled you too, but you don't even care. I hate her," he emphasized, and the only reason why Kurt didn't take offence in his word was his state.

"I know, it's okay. Let's go home." He tried to stay calm and hoped to achieve that with Liam as well, even though it didn't seem to work.

"Why did you have to talk me into this? You made everything worse. It's all your fault. I hate you too. I hate you both." His words were like knives into his heart, even if Kurt knew he didn't really mean them.

"I love you, son. No matter what you say, I love you and your mother loves you too." He was aware that his comments weren't helpful at all, but that was the best he was able to do under the circumstances. Their real talk had to wait until the next day.

"I don't want to hear that word. I want her out of my life," Liam got worked up again and Kurt was afraid he would end up doing something stupid, so he changed the subject.

"We don't have to talk about her. I'm here to get you home safe and put you to bed," he reassured him softly.

"Eryn shouldn't see me like this," Liam's response was clearly a moment of soberness and Kurt sighed with relief.

"Don't worry. We are going to the farm," he informed him, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Thank you, dad, I'm sorry," Liam suddenly broke down in tears, as if he was still a little boy who'd done something wrong, and Kurt greatly appreciated his words.

"It's okay, son. I'm here for you, always," he replied in a soft tone and only glanced at him briefly, not to lose sight of the highway.

While he hated the circumstances, he was more than happy to be there for his son like this. At the same time he also wished to be there for someone else, and he was anxious to finally call her as soon as they arrived home.

o-o-o

It was 10 pm on a Friday when his doorbell rang, announcing an unexpected visitor. Kurt's first thought was his son, even though he wasn't supposed to be there tonight, he wouldn't have been surprised to see him. As the boy got older, it got harder to control his actions. He tended to follow his own mind, regardless of what his parents wanted for him.

"Good evening. I'm terribly sorry for bringing home your son like this," the man in the doorway apologized, resting both his hands on Liam's shoulders, who was in front of him.

"Liam? What happened to him? Is he okay?" Kurt looked his son up and down, trying to determine his state. He seemed to be in one piece, but his eyes were closed and he didn't say a word, nor make any move.

"He got wasted, even more so than my son, who turned to me for help," the guy explained, and Kurt sighed from relief that it wasn't anything more serious.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for bringing him home." Kurt took Liam's hands, pulled him inside the house, then sat him on a nearby chair. The boy pushed himself against the wall and immediately dozed off.

"They were in our house, so I feel responsible," his visitor made amends again, even though it didn't feel necessary.

"They are sixteen, I'm sure we've done worse things than getting wasted, back in the day," Kurt winked at the other man, who let out a chuckle.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he winked back.

"Well, thank you once again, I appreciate it." Kurt extended his hand and after he shook it they bid each other good night.

"Where am I? This looks familiar," Liam noted as Kurt was guiding him towards the staircase.

"You're home. Let's get you to bed, so you can sleep it off. We will have a talk in the morning," Kurt explained, even though he was aware the boy wouldn't be able to grasp his words properly.

"Huh? Where is Ben?" Liam looked around to search for his friend, which made Kurt chuckle.

"I'm sure he's in bed by now as well. Come on," he nudged him.

It wasn't pleasant to see his son like this, but it was something most teenagers went through, and he chose not to take it too seriously. But soon he realized it was his responsibility to inform someone of the incident, who probably wouldn't take it as lightly as him. Nevertheless it was Diane's week with Liam and he felt she had a right to know about Liam's whereabouts.

"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you so late, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he spoke to the phone after she responded his call.

"I'm working on a proposal. Did something happen?" she sounded calm, clearly unaware of the situation with Liam.

"Well yes. Remember Liam's buddy, Ben?" he inquired, easing her into it.

"Yes, Liam is spending tonight at their house." Some tension was now audible in her voice, probably due to the fact that he dared to question her like that.

"Well, there was a change of plans. The boys got drunk and Ben's father brought Liam to me a halfhour ago. He's sleeping in his bed now," he revealed the reason for his call.

"They did what?" Diane asked astonished. Truth be told, Kurt hadn't seen Liam like that before either, but it wasn't that unusual for kids at his age.

"You heard it right. But it's okay, worst things could happen. He will sleep it off," he remained calm, to reassure her that everything was under his control.

"Is he okay?" she voiced her concern nevertheless.

"As okay as he can be in this state," he pointed out confidently.

"Should I go see him?" she proposed something unexpected, and he couldn't be sure if she meant it or not.

"There's no point in that. As I've said before, he's asleep," he reminded her serenely.

"I'll pick him up in the morning then, I'll be there at 9," she promised, and he decided not to deny her that.

"Okay, see you then," he agreed, ready to hang up when he heard her voice again.

"And Kurt?"

"Yes?" he answered softly.

"Thank you for calling me," she uttered with warmness in her voice.

"No problem," he murmured before he hung up.

o-o-o

He wanted to wait for Liam to wake up so they could talk, but he was also worried about Diane, so he decided to leave Liam a note, in case he woke up before he got back, and drove to town to see her. He hadn't been able to get in touch with her and since he had no idea what had gone down between the two, he was quite worried.

He'd called Diane after they'd arrived home with Liam, but her cell was off and he hadn't wanted to call the landline so late. He had been worried about her, but he also understood that she probably didn't feel like talking to him and assumed she'd call when she would be ready. But she hadn't called and her cell was still off in the morning, so he called the landline a couple of times, but only got her voicemail.

He phoned the firm to ask if Diane was there, even though it was a weekend it wouldn't have surprised him. But the receptionist reassured him that they hadn't seen Diane in there since the previous day. So he figured she could only have been at home.

He rang the doorbell a couple of times, but there was no answer. He even knocked quite loudly and called her name, but no noise came from inside. He called her again on the landline and once her voicemail answered he practically shouted into the speaker.

"For god's sake Diane, I'm worried sick about you. I'm outside your door and I'm not going away until you let me in."

A minute or two later the lock on her door opened, and there she was, standing in front of him in a red silk robe, with red puffy eyes. She seemed exhausted, as if she hadn't slept a minute. But she was there, she was okay, and it made all his anger disappeared. He didn't say a single word, he simply entered, pushed the door close and took her into his arms, to embrace her firmly, to shield her from all the pain she was obviously suffering from.

She didn't move first, she stood his hug like a lifeless puppet, which only made him want to protect her more. But he didn't let go and soon he noticed that she was slightly shaking and heard the soft noise she made; she was crying. He tightened his embrace around her to comfort her and an eternity later she finally returned the hug, that's how he knew he had managed to break her resistance.

They stood in a tight embrace until her crying stopped and her breathing got even. He pulled back a little to lay his eyes on her. She hid her gaze from him, she was embarrassed, even though she had no reason to be. He could still only guess what had gone wrong the previous night, but he didn't doubt that she had a good reason to react the way she did.

She remained silent, so he didn't want to talk either. He wouldn't know what to say. He didn't want to push her, he was already pleased that she'd let him in and let him comfort her. He wanted to be there for her in any way she'd allow him to.

He reached for her chin to raise her face, so he would be able to look into her eyes. She didn't resist him, but her lips didn't move and all he could read in her eyes was sadness. He was clueless about what he should do. He'd come there to make sure she was alright and to get to know what had happened. He'd succeeded with the first, but her silence provided an obstacle to the latter.

The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he was scared to voice it, not to ruin everything. She seemed calmer now and he didn't doubt that it was due to his presence. She needed him, even if she hadn't reached out to him herself. He wished to break the awkward silence somehow, come up with the right word to say, but when he opened his lips, she closed them with the tip of her pointing finger. She didn't want him to talk and she made sure he realized that with her gesture. But he wasn't prepared for what followed once she pulled her finger away.

Much to his surprise, this time it was her lips nearing his and captured them in a soft kiss. He welcomed them fully and returned the kiss, adjusting to the fact that this was what she needed at the moment. As her lips became more eager, his responded just as eagerly. This definitely hadn't even been in the back of his mind right now, but it didn't even occur to him to turn her down. If this was how she wished to cope with the situation, he was more than happy to oblige.

And she made her intentions crystal clear when she began to rid him from the layers of clothes, to bring them to an equal field, since he noticed as his hands began to explore her body that she had nothing on under her robe.

His desire rose by every kiss and every touch, his questions and doubts momentarily forgotten. All he was able to think about was doing everything in his power to make her happy, if only for a few glorious minutes. Once she almost fully undressed him, she pulled him inside the apartment, straight into her bedroom. He let her take the lead fully, to make sure they wouldn't do anything she didn't want to.

So in the end it was her who untied her own robe and exposed herself to him entirely, before she lay down with her back on the silver sheets and pulled him on top of her. It served as a green light for him to freely pamper her with kisses from head to toe and he gave it his all. He wished to kiss away all her pain, to remind her how much she is loved by him in every sense of the word. His own needs were completely unimportant, he gained enough satisfaction from how her body reacted to his touch.

To finally ease both their craving, he thrust into her gently at first, but with slowly growing intensity. This way he could both feel and observe her passionate response. He wished to lengthen these moments of pleasure for both of them, until their inevitable climax followed and he happily collapsed onto her.

o-o-o

Aware that Diane would be there soon, Kurt decided to wake Liam, so he had time to get ready. They boy didn't hear it when he entered the room, but when he opened the blinds, the sound and the sunshine that filled the room was enough to make Liam open his eyes.

"Everything hurts," he whined, covering his eyes from the sun.

"That's what you get for overdosing on vodka. What were you thinking?" Kurt didn't want to be too strict, but he also needed to keep his authority as a father.

"It was a drinking game, but it got out of hand," Liam explained, before he turned on his other side to hide his face from the sun.

"Tell me about it," Kurt noted, withholding his chuckle.

"Are you mad at me?" Liam inquired with guilt in his voice.

"No, but your mom will be here soon," Kurt warned him and the statement reached the desired effect.

"You called her?" Liam sat up in the bed and stared at his father with a stunned expression.

"Of course I called her, she is your mother and she was worried," he justified his actions.

"Maybe she can fool you, but she can't fool me," Liam shrugged, leaning back on his pillow.

"Watch your mouth," Kurt advised him in a sharper voice.

"Seriously dad, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm sick and tired of being a toy you two keep tossing around as you please," the boy pointed out, annoyed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurt sat down on the side of his bed and made eye contact with him, demanding an honest answer.

Liam sat up again and looked at his father directly as he spoke, "I'm old enough to decide what I want, and I don't want to stay with her anymore. Not even for a few weeks."

"You had too much to drink last night, you don't know what you're saying," Kurt was trying to find an excuse for his words, even though he feared that he really meant them.

"Bullshit. She's part of the reason I got drunk, she doesn't give a shit about me," Liam burst out angrily.

"Did I not just tell you she's on her way to get you?" Kurt reminded him gently, to ease his unjustified anger.

"It's an act. Can't believe you still don't see it?" the boy responded disappointed, as he lay back again and pulled the cover, hiding behind it.

"Take a shower and get dressed. You're going home with her and I'll pretend this conversation never happened," Kurt ordered him, as he fully removed the cover from him.

"Fine," Liam chose not to argue and disappeared into the bathroom right before the doorbell rang.

"Hi, is he awake?" Diane inquired from outside the door, as if her entrance depended on his answer.

"Yes, he's taking a shower, come on in," he encouraged her.

Being alone with her was just as awkward for him as it seemingly was for her, even though they should have gotten used to this routine already throughout the years.

"We'll be out of your way soon," she promised, while she avoided his gaze and stepped inside.

"Don't be silly," he chuckled, to ease the tension as he helped her out of her coat. "Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" he suggested, to kill time until Liam would be ready.

"Yes, thank you," she accepted quickly, guessing his intentions.

"How is he?" she inquired when they were at the kitchen table with their coffees.

"Hungover, I suppose. I only talked to him briefly," he lied to spare her the details of their conversation.

"I don't think Ben is a good influence on him," she noted, barely looking up from her mug.

"They didn't know what they were doing, Liam said it was a drinking game," Kurt defended his son naturally, even though he probably didn't deserve it.

"Oh god, isn't he too young for that?" Diane gasped with surprise.

"How old were you the first time you got drunk?" Kurt posed a personal question that finally made her look into his eyes. He'd almost forgotten how good it felt to get lost in her sparkly orbs, so he didn't let his gaze linger on them for too long.

"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it may incriminate me," she chuckled, as the tension finally disappeared from the room.

"Well played, councilor," he complimented her with a laugh.

"Guess we can go now," a voice from the doorway interrupted their moment. They hadn't even heard Liam approach the kitchen, they had been too lost in their conversation.

"I think you forgot to say hi to your mom," Kurt pointed out strictly.

"No, you were simply too busy to hear it," Liam noted annoyed.

"Don't you want something to eat?" Kurt offered as he wouldn't have minded if the two of them had stayed longer.

"I'm not hungry, I'm sure you understand," Liam rejected, and disappeared from the doorway. A few seconds later they heard the front door close with a loud bang.

"I'd better hurry after him," she explained and quickly took a few more sips from her mug before she emerged from her seat. "Thank you for the coffee," she smiled at him, but before he had a chance to answer she disappeared just like Liam.

He hated that a few minutes alone with her in a room was enough for him to get back under her spell, but he couldn't help it. The years that had passed since their divorce hadn't left any mark on her, in fact she looked more gorgeous than ever.

He could not regret the decision they had made to continue on separate paths, but he hated the loneliness that surrounded him way too often. He'd always meant to do something about it, but he hadn't gotten any further than a few one-night-stands. He hadn't felt emotionally ready for a new relationship, but he probably needed to reconsider it, since it may have been the only way for him to finally get over his ex-wife.

o-o-o

He was holding her in his arms, providing the comfort she so clearly needed. They both knew why he was there, what were the answers he was searching for, but he still hadn't asked any question. He was gently stroking her hair to give her all the time she needed to open up about last night and let him in.

"Everything was going so well until I mentioned the judgeship. He was so angry when he left. I'm afraid he'll not want to see me again," she spoke very silently, facing the wall, her right cheek resting on his chest.

"He got drunk in a nearby pub, a friend of mine saw him there and called me, so I went to get him. He's at the farm now," he informed her of his side of the story and it caused her to raise her head and turn to him.

"Oh god, I can't take this anymore. I don't want to keep causing him pain. I want him to be happy, and if it can only happy without me in his life, then…"

He had to interrupt her before she would say something he did not want to hear, so he gently placed his palm on her lips to silence her.

"I don't want to hear about that. You two will find a way back to each other, it will happen," he insisted and moved his palm to caress her cheek.

"I envy your optimism," she thanked him with a smile. "Can't believe he went out and got drunk," she added, while she placed her chin on the back of her hand over his chest.

"He was really angry, I don't think I ever saw him like that. But he must have slept it off by now," he reassured her.

"I hope so. Thank you for taking care of him and of me," she noted, slightly blushing at the last part.

"I did what I could for him, in your case though, it was my pleasure," he pointed out, captivated by her gaze.

"And mine," she reassured him and moved closer to seal her words with a kiss.

He welcomed her lips on his, but under the circumstances he didn't want to turn the opportunity to his advantage, because he felt like they weren't done yet with the subject that had left her in such a state.

She must have noticed his slight resistance, because she moved away from him, to lay back on her pillow.

"I know we've done it already, but let's give him some more time, he will think it through, I'll talk to him when he's sober and we will see. I know it's hard, but I have faith in him," he defended Liam even though he had no idea what he had said to his mother that caused her this much pain. Kurt could only hope it was nothing irreparable.

"You are right. That's all we can do for now. And maybe the judgeship won't happen in the end," she concluded, avoiding his inquisitive gaze.

"What are you talking about?" he inquired, as he brushed away a few strands of her hair with his fingers.

"Nothing, but sometimes dreams simply don't come true, and in this case, it would probably be for the best," she responded, and grabbed his hand to place a gentle kiss inside his palm.

"But I don't want to hear about you rejecting it," he warned her in a serious tone.

"I know you think I would end up regretting it if I did, but I'm not so sure about that. I could be the mother I never was, a grandmother our grandchild deserves and …" she abruptly stopped and let go off his hand.

"And?" he nudged her, but she did everything she could not to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away."

She seemed very embarrassed and he found it slightly amusing. Of course he had no doubt about how that sentence she never finished could have ended.

"The wife I never had?" he said out the words, which made her squirm.

"Now it sounds like I was proposing something I wasn't," she muttered into her pillow, and he couldn't not notice that her cheeks turned red.

"It's all right, no need to be embarrassed," he stroked her arm gently.

"Just forget I said that, okay?" she finally looked into his eyes, to warn him with a grave expression.

"How could I?" he smiled, failing to take her seriously.

"I'm serious," she insisted, blushing again as she tried hard not to return his smile.

"I can see that," he responded and grabbed her hand to place a kiss in her palm. "I love you and I promise you that we will find a way out of this mess together," he declared, dismissing the opportunity to torture her further.

"I love you," she returned the words, and paused to give them the desired emphasis. "I don't deserve you, but that's beside the point," she continued with a chuckle, and averted his attempt to respond as she covered his lips with hers for a second. "Thank you, for everything, especially for being here. But I think you should go back to Liam, he needs you too."

"Will you be okay?" he wanted to make sure without sounding too worried.

"Yes, you know me, I always bounce back." Her tone and the expression on her face convinced him that it was the truth.

"I do. But if you ignore my calls again, I won't forgive you this easily," he warned her, only slightly playfully.

"It ended up with you in my bed, so as guilty as I feel, I regret nothing," she admitted with a wide smile that encouraged him to lean closer.

"Of course you don't," he covered her smile with his eager lips, to unite them in another breathtaking kiss.

A few minutes later he was dressed, ready to bid her goodbye for now, but already hungry for more. "I'll call you after Liam leaves, you should come over for tonight. I'll cook something for us," he proposed an offer he hoped she would be incapable to resist.

And he was right.

"I'd love that," she accepted immediately, and as he exited the room all he could think about was her bright smile and the promise of tonight.