Author's Note: So, in one of the 2 reviews I got for my last chapter ( :(, please review?), it was noted that some of my formatting is not translating when I upload. I definitely noticed that my email addresses disappeared (I guess because FF doesn't like links, even if they're fake?), but my italicization is also a little funky, and people are having difficulty deciding whether my characters are speaking out loud. Just to cut down on confusion, I'm going to start putting thoughts into brackets like this [I think this will be a little clearer?]. Texts and email will remain in italics, so I hope that works for everyone? Although, to be honest, that might not be the real problem, because when I reread the last chapter, one sentence had been truncated—and of course it was the one pointed out in my review! I will read my POST, not just the document this time, I promise! Also, yes, I fanwanked Kurt's absence at Mr. Schue's house by moving the date from Christmas Eve to the last day before winter break (which would be Dec 23, right?). I hated that he wasn't there, and we've already agreed that this is AU, remember?

Disclaimer: I don't own the concepts or characters of Glee, and I'm not being paid to write this.

When Kurt pulled up to the new Hummel/Hudson house, he was surprised to see Finn sitting on the porch, waiting for him.

"Hey man, what's up?" Finn greeted him cheerfully as he strolled toward the car. Kurt raised his eyebrows in confusion, but Finn just opened the trunk and started pulling our Kurt's luggage. Kurt thought about questioning his step-brother, but decided it was better to accept his strange mood and his presence since it was resulting in bellhop duties.

"Hi Finn," he returned the greeting as he grabbed his toiletries case and laptop bag. "How was the thing at Mr. Shue's yesterday?"

"Oh, it was fun," Finn nodded agreeably. "We missed you, but basically we all just sat around and decorated the tree—sang a couple carols, you know the drill. Coach Sylvester was there, which was a little strange, but it was basically just us Glee kids. Rachel asked how you were doing, though, and she was sorry you had that test." Finn swept his arm to indicate that Kurt should go ahead of him up the stairs to his new bedroom. They struggled through the doorway and Finn threw the heaviest of Kurt's bags on the floor while the older boy carefully placed his toiletries on his mirrored vanity and set down his laptop. He smiled when he saw his queen-sized bed, still as beautifully made up as the day he bought the new linens.

"So, where are Dad and Carole?" Kurt asked, biting his tongue to keep from snapping at Finn to be careful with his things—after all, he had just carted them up the stairs, so it was a little much to ask that he stop being a careless teenager on top of it.

"Mom makes your dad take a twenty-minute walk with her after every meal we eat at home. She says it's good for his heart. He really didn't want to go until you got here. But Mom said it was Christmas Eve and otherwise he was going to have a million excuses not to go at all." Kurt smiled. He really appreciated knowing that Carole was being careful with his Dad's health—one less thing to worry about! "They should be home in about ten minutes."

"We could all go after dinner so Dad doesn't try to skip?" he suggested.

Finn flushed. "Actually, I was kind of hoping you and I could watch a movie or something…just the two of us, you know?"

Kurt sat on his bed with a thump, knocking off one of his throw pillows. "Um Finn, no offense, but we don't usually hang out like that. What's up?"

"It's about Rachel," the tall boy admitted shyly. "I have an idea I want to run past you. Plus, hey, like I said at the wedding, we're Furt now, right? There's no law that step-brothers can't hang out."

"No, there's no law," Kurt agreed, already cringing internally at Finn's upcoming monologue about how much he missed Rachel.

"Hey, Kurt? Kurt buddy, are you home?" his dad suddenly called up the stairs.

"Dad!" Kurt pushed past Finn, bounced down the stairs and practically jumped into his father's waiting arms. [This is what I miss the most at Dalton] he thought as he carefully inspected his dad's face for signs of illness or exhaustion. "You look really good; Carole's taking good care of you."

"I missed you, Kurt," his dad whispered.

"We all missed you," Carole interjected from behind him. Kurt smiled and left Burt's embrace to give his stepmother a hug. "You should come back from that school more often," she murmured. "We need you." Lightening her tone, she joked, "Here it is, Christmas Eve already and I was terrified to put up a single decoration without you!"

"Absolutely the best decision you could have made," Kurt assured her. "Imagine Finn and Dad's whining if we made them hang all the decorations twice!"

When she heard Blaine's key scrape in the lock, his sister Lauren started down the stairs immediately. "Little bro," she crowed. "God, I missed you!"

"Hey Laur," Blaine hugged his sister tightly. "I like the hair."

She touched her bright green curls and giggled. "Mom almost had a cow, but I told her it's ART SCHOOL. I have to cultivate the image somehow! Besides, it got me out of going to the shelter today so I didn't have a bad influence (she rolled her eyes at the word choice) on any impressionable children. You know how depressed I get when I see those kids."

"Oh, am I too late?" Blaine asked, disappointed.

"Yeah, the administration moved it up to a brunch instead of a lunch because some of the staff complained last year."

"Is Ty there with Mom and Dad?" Blaine asked a little tightly.

Lauren made a face. "Nope, Little Lord Fauntleroy is currently wrapped up in playing on his xbox when he isn't texting some idiotic blonde girl who chortles every fifteen seconds. I don't know how he stands her. I've only been home from school for a week, but she's been here for at least an hour every day and I was contemplating iocaine powder by day two. Tell me we weren't that bratty when we were fourteen?"

Blaine smiled at her reference to The Princess Bride, but he shook his head when she asked about Tyler. "Ty's a good kid, Lauren. You know it hasn't been easy for him."

"He doesn't need to PROVE how straight he is, bro. We'd like him either way, and quite frankly I find it insulting to you."

"I don't, so thanks for the thought, but just give him a break. He was twelve, Lauren. Those middle school kids are even worse than the high schoolers, sometimes."

"Well I know you're going to go say hi even if I beg you not to, so when you're done come down to the kitchen and have some of my spectacular hot chocolate with me." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"It's a little early in the day to be drinking, don't you think?"

"Please, it's just crème de menthe. I'm in college, so it's practically legal. Plus, Grandmother and Grandfather are coming for a gift exchange after lunch. We will need the help."

Blaine sighed and considered his stormy relationship with the man he'd adored and called Poppa for so many years. "Ok, but no more than two for either of us. And don't forget to make one for Mom."

After dinner, Finn and Kurt decided to watch Elf in Finn's room while Carole and Burt went on their walk. However, it was a darned good thing that Kurt had seen the movie before, because practically the second the credits had finished rolling, Finn turned to Kurt and said, "Is it okay if we talk now?"

Figuring that it was better to just get it over with than to drag it out, Kurt nodded. "What's on your mind, Finn?" Without a word, Finn reached into his bedside table and pulled out a jewelry box. He handed it to Kurt, who was perched delicately in Finn's desk chair-the only place in the room not covered in dirty clothes or magazines. Kurt opened the box and thought [Wow, Finn has better taste than I ever gave him credit for]. The star was delicate, simple, and perfectly Rachel.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Finn asked softly. Kurt nodded wordlessly. "Well, I've decided that I'm not going to give Rachel the necklace. After the Christmas tree lot, she would definitely get the wrong idea."

"I agree." Kurt tried, but he couldn't quite hide the impatience in his voice. "This is nothing new since your email, Finn. Why did we need privacy to discuss conclusions you've already drawn?"

"The football team is really good this year, Kurt. I think we might even win the championship," Finn's chest swelled with pride. "And I'm the quarterback, so I was thinking that maybe one of the freshmen Cheerios would date me when we get back from winter break."

[Well that's a crappy plan] Kurt thought, but since he didn't want to piss Finn off he asked delicately instead, "Is there a particular girl you have a crush on, Finn?"

"No," the teen shrugged, "but any freshman would work, right? I mean, Rachel would be ticked off."

Kurt struggled to maintain a calm tone instead of screaming, because honestly, his step-brother was such an idiot! "Finn, there is no way you should start dating some teeny-bopper Cheerio just to get back at Rachel. Do you truly not understand why she made out with Puck? She plays a great game, but Rachel has no self-esteem when it comes to relationships, and she already thinks that you're more attracted to ANY OTHER GIRL IN SCHOOL than her. If you had a crush on someone, it would be different. That would be moving on. This is just cruel. I don't care how much she hurt you, if your only motive in dating someone else is to hurt Rachel, it makes you the asshole. You already slept with Santana. Which, by the way, gross and I PRAY you used a condom. It's a horrible plan, Finn."

"Jeez, Kurt, just shut up, will you?" Finn snapped back, stopping Kurt's mini-rant. "I thought you'd be more supportive and stuff, like a BROTHER."

Kurt softened a little. "Finn, all I'm saying is that maybe you should leave things alone for awhile. I know you're not actually a bad guy, so I just want you to think things through. I... I'm going to go have coffee with Rachel and Mercedes in a couple days. I won't go if it's going to upset you. Is that supportive enough?"

Finn shrugged. "I think you should go, Kurt. I don't want Rachel not to have any friends or anything; I just want her out of my head and out of my heart, you know? I thought a new girlfriend might help."

Kurt sighed. "I don't really think it works like that, Finn. You can't replace your feelings for someone with just anyone who comes along. If you wait long enough, I think it'll hurt less and then you'll look up one day and your feelings will be gone." [That's what happened to my crush on you] he reflected silently [Besides, I'm going to get you back with Rachel if I can just keep you from ruining everything long enough]. "Let's just watch the movie, ok?"

"Fine with me," Finn mumbled.

Kurt managed to crack a few smiles and laugh at Will Ferrell's antics, but when he and Zooey Deschanel started singing Baby, It's Cold Outside, Kurt stopped paying attention to the movie and just daydreamed about what it would have been like to kiss Blaine that day in the commons room. He was intensely focused on remembering Blaine's warm eyes and playful shoulder bumps when Finn shook him and suggested that he head back to his own room if he was that bored. Kurt smiled apologetically. "Sorry Finn, too much studying and late nights."

"Nah, it's cool," the other boy insisted. "Um. I'm sorry I took out all the Rachel crap on you. I guess I understand what you're saying, and I promise I won't date anyone just to hurt her. But if I start liking someone, that's ok, right?"

"Of course, Finn," Kurt smiled. "I'll see you in the morning, ok?" [and I'll make sure the next girl you like is the last girl you liked] he schemed silently.

Blaine sat on his bed and stared at his phone, willing it to buzz with a text from Kurt. He just needed something to go right in this crappy, crappy day. [A freaking set of handkerchiefs!] his mind screamed at him as he gazed sightlessly at the screen and let the tears drip heedlessly. Suddenly, his mom's arm was around his shoulder, pulling him close into a hug.

"Hey kiddo, can I just apologize again for my father's crappy behavior?" she asked sadly.

"'S not your fault," Blaine muttered tonelessly.

"I just don't understand why he's like this. He has always been so proud of you, Blaine. It just makes me so angry when I think about the great relationship he's giving up with you." His mom's breath smelled slightly minty from Lauren's hot chocolate, and her shoulders shook the same way they did when she was fighting her anger on behalf of one of her clients. Blaine looked at her, loving her even more because she defended him so fiercely.

"I try not to let it bother me, but it's just so unfair. And it's not the gift, even though that was pretty crappy of him," Blaine admitted. "I miss fishing with him, and the inside jokes. I don't understand why he can't remember who I am now that he knows this one thing about me."

"I don't either," his mom admitted. "But, if you don't mind my asking, why are you staring at the phone? You know you can always call David or Wes and they'll talk to you, even on Christmas Eve."

"I was sort of hoping to hear from someone else."

"Oh," and suddenly his mom's tone sharpened into what Blaine thought of as her lawyer-mode. "Really. That's interesting. You want to hear from someone, but you can't just pick up the phone and call him or her?"

"I...I don't want to do this right now, Mom."

She lifted an eyebrow at him but backed off. "Well, you've had a rough day, so I will hold my curiosity at bay somehow," she sighed and hugged him close again. "Too many secrets aren't good though, sweetie."

"I know."

"Well, you'd better clean up and come down to dinner or I'm never going to be able to keep your dad out of here, and he'll tickle it out of you."

"I'm seventeen years old, Mom."

"Has that ever stopped him before?"

Blaine smiled, because it hadn't. "I'm coming. Just let me wash my face."

"Great. We're having a canasta tournament after dinner, and we're playing for Lauren's car fund this time. Maybe you can head back to Dalton in a new Mustang convertible." She got up and headed to the door, and then almost under her breath, she added, "Just call him, baby."

Blaine stared at his phone again, but got up to wash his face still undecided.

Kurt woke with moans and breathless whispers still echoing in his head. "Kurt! Wake up, it's Christmas! Presents in ten minutes!"

"There is no way I can be done with my moisturizing routine that quickly, Finn!" he yelled, realizing who was on the other side of the door and coming back to reality with a bump.

"For Pete's sake, just grab a robe! Mom always makes gingerbread pancakes for breakfast; you'll have plenty of time to do whatever you want in between. Now get out here or I'm coming in and dragging you downstairs to admire the tree you made us move four times!"

"No!" Kurt panicked. "I'll be down, I swear. Just give me a minute."

"Good!" Finn whacked the door one last time for emphasis, and then took off down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants.

Kurt pressed a hand against his stomach, trying to quiet the grinding need still churning from the dream. Dear God, that dream…the images that flashed in his memory were full of pale skin and murmured words of love, but overall it had just been blindingly erotic. It wasn't Kurt's first sexual dream, but it was the first time his lover had had a name. Those dark eyes, that scent and voice could only belong to one person.

Out of curiosity, Kurt checked the time on his phone. [7:16 in the morning? Finn is crazy…or 5 years old!] Kurt thought before he noticed the unread text message that had come in at 2 am.

Hey, Merry Christmas. I miss you. We're still having coffee in two days, right? Already, I can't wait to get out of Cincy. Hugs- Blaine.

Kurt froze, torn between wanting to call his friend and see what was wrong and wanting to hide under the bed when just thinking his name caused his memory to flash an image of what Blaine had looked like shirtless in the dream last night. That needed to resolve itself quickly or they were in for some embarrassing moments back at school. [Better to face the thing head-on] he mused.

Hey, Merry Christmas to you, too. I will call and finalize the coffee meet with you later today, but now I need to go or Finn is going to have a temper tantrum at not opening presents. How did a toddler get stuck in such a tall body? Kurt hesitated a second, then added: I miss you, too. It's weird not seeing you at least twice a day!—Kurt

He startled again when the door cracked a little. "Hey, son, are you ok?" Burt asked. "I know this isn't our normal Christmas routine. If you want, I can hold Finn off with some cookies or something until you get ready. And if you're upset about the Christmas breakfast, I'm sure Carole would love help in the kitchen."

"Don't be silly, Dad," Kurt assured him. "I'm fine; just moving slowly because it's still the crack of dawn on a holiday. I'll be down in a second."

"Ok," Burt commented and started to pull the door closed. "Hey Kurt? It's nice to have you home."

Kurt swallowed hard. "Great to be home, Dad. I like Dalton, but I miss you guys." The door closed, and Kurt pulled back the covers to face a new holiday tradition.