Note: First of all, I just wanted to apologize for the ridiculous wait for this chapter. I promise I have not just forgotten about it! This is my first week off in a very long time, and as such, my first chance to write in quite some time. I wanted to have this up last weekend, but when I actually sat down to write, I realized I had no idea what to do with this chapter. I have officially run out of material. With that said, I plan to take some time to write the next few chapters before I post anything else, but I could not keep you waiting any longer. With any luck, I will be able to complete the next few chapters this week, in which case I will be back to weekly posts. If not, this story will be on temporary hiatus. Sorry. So... anyway, it has been a long while, and I am sorry, but here is chapter seven! (If you actually read all this nonsense, thank you- I really did not think anyone would)

Another Point In Time: Chapter 7

"'Cedes, help me!" came the distressed cry of one Kurt Hummel. Mercedes sighed and walked from her kitchen, unconcerned, to the guest bedroom where she found exactly what she had been expecting. The room Kurt was staying in was a mess of chaos and disorder, clothes strewn about haphazardly and the closest door open. Standing in the middle of it all, looking as though the world were ending, was Kurt.

Letting her eyes travel across the previously tidy room, Mercedes asked "Why is it that six years have passed and you still do this every time you are supposed to meet up with Blaine?"

He just put his hands on his hips and glared at her.

"Oh, please, don't give me that! You two aren't even dating."

"That is never an excuse to—"

"Okay, okay," She laughed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Help!" Kurt was running low on patience after going through everything he had brought with him to Los Angeles.

"I worked that much out for myself, white boy."

Kurt huffed in response and turned back to the mess around him, picking up various articles of clothing, examining them, and flinging them across the room after evidently finding some flaw.

"Okay, first of all, calm down." Mercedes instructed sternly, dodging a scarf Kurt threw her way. "God, if only Blaine could see you now,"

Nearly three hours and several wardrobe changes later, Kurt and Mercedes heard a faint knock on the door. Eyes darting to the clock across the room that clearly said 6:00, Kurt let out a string of mumbled curses. Mercedes could not quite make out what it was Kurt was going on about, but she was sure it had something to do with "not enough goddamn time," and "fucking hell, I'm not ready yet!"

She gave him a quick once over—"You look fantastic, of course,"— before heading to answer the door.

The man standing behind the door looked almost exactly the same as he had the last time Mercedes had seen him. He was still his small hobbitish height, and just as Kurt had promised, his hair was loose and an unruly mess of dark curls. He smiled widely at Mercedes and held his arms out for a hug, which she returned.

"Mercedes! It has been far too long!" Blaine declared, pulling back.

Before she could respond, Kurt emerged from his room. "Blaine!"

The two men looked at each other awkwardly. What exactly were they supposed to do? Surely not greet each other with a kiss, and even a hug seemed a bit much, given the circumstances, but a handshake would be too formal.

Mercedes could feel the abrupt uncertainty in the room. "Well, have a great time tonight, boys!" she pulled Kurt into a quick embrace to whisper in his ear. "If things get serious, use protection,"

Kurt blushed and gave her a horror-stricken glare. "'Cedes!" she just grinned and ushered him out the door to meet a slightly confused Blaine. The door closed behind him and the men could hear the slight turn of the lock.

"So," Kurt broke the silence, looking at Blaine with a bright smile. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that is not Breadstix." He assured him. They laughed at this, remembering a time when the popular restaurant was the closest thing to a fancy dinner available.

They walked in a comfortable silence to Blaine's car. Without thinking about it, Blaine opened the passenger door for Kurt.

"Oh, aren't you a gentleman," Kurt remarked, laughing again.

"You know it,"

A half an hour later found the pair seated at a restaurant that was, as promised, not Breadstix. It was actually a decent restaurant, not too formal, not too casual, and they seemed to have everything imaginable offered on the menu. Kurt and Blaine ordered their food and settled into an easy conversation.

"So, did you get everything straightened out with work yesterday?" Blaine asked.

Kurt frowned for a moment before remembering. "Oh, that. Yeah, it's all settled now, just a few issues with taxes and the like."

"That's good. We wouldn't want any problems with the IRS, would we?"

"God, no," They both laughed at this. Their eyes were locked, blue and hazel. Blaine could not explain it, but laughing with Kurt again over absolutely nothing, seeing the happiness in the other man's eyes again, just being with him… felt like home.

"You know, Katy Perry was better than Lady Gaga." Blaine announced softly, a mischievous glint in his eye. Kurt recognized this as a reference to one of the only things they had not been able to see eye to eye on in high school. For the most part, they could agree to disagree on the issue, occasionally having playful arguments, which were well known around Dalton. Their classmates took great amusement in these episodes.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you still won't give that up, you dork!" Kurt laughed. "What did I ever see in you?"

"I often wondered the same thing." Blaine became serious. "You could have done so much better than me."

"But I didn't want anyone else."

"And I still don't understand why."

"Give yourself a little credit, you were smart and funny and charming and handsome." The younger man said, restoring the humor of their dialogue. "Even if you couldn't dress yourself properly and used too much hair gel."

"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"What happened?"

Blaine was a little startled by Kurt's once again sober tone. "What do you mean?"

"Six years ago. Why did it end like that?"

His mouth suddenly felt dry. He sighed and shook his head slowly. "I don't know, Kurt," he lied.

"Yes, you do. Please," Kurt's glasz eyes were shining. Blaine took a deep breath.

"At the time I just… thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted you to have a relationship with a guy who wasn't on the other side of the country. It didn't seem fair that I was holding you back from that."

"Blaine—"

"No, let me finish." He insisted. "I wanted you to have the best. I wasn't lying when I said I didn't understand why you would pick me. Maybe I should have just told you that, instead of inventing whatever garbage I wound up telling you, and I'm sorry for not being honest."

"It's okay,"

"No, Kurt, it's not. I think that was the first lie I ever told you and I haven't stopped feeling guilty for it since."

Kurt put his hand over Blaine's and smiled at him. "What's done is done,"

It was not exactly what Blaine wanted to hear, but it was better than he had expected. He decided to change the subject. They could—and probably would—always revisit this discussion at another time. For now, Blaine wanted to take advantage of the already somber atmosphere to ask something that had been on his mind since Kurt called him: "Are you seeing anyone?"

Kurt cringed a little. "It's complicated."

"That sounds like a yes."

"Well… there is a guy… sort of. It's an on-again-off-again kind of thing." Kurt explained.

"Which is it now?"

"Off again," Kurt replied. "Has been since…"

"Oh." Somehow he knew what the other man was going to say. Since the night Kurt had called him.

"You?"

"No one," Blaine said quickly.

"Oh." And the topic was promptly abandoned.