"Granddaddy, can't you stay and tell us a bedtime story?" 5-year-old Nolan begged.

"I don't know, buddy. It's getting pretty late…" Blaine replied.

"The two princes story!" 3-year-old Keira demanded, cutting him off.

"Yeah! That's the best one!" Nolan agreed. "Come on!" He ran around the living room table, where the remains of their Candyland game were still spread out, and grabbed his granddaddy's hand, trying to pull him up off the floor and drag him toward the stairs.

"Grandpapa and I still have to get home," Blaine began explaining.

With a stubbornness they were all sure he had inherited from his granddaddy, Nolan refused to give up. "You can still go home after. Your car will still work then," he insisted.

Blaine laughed. "I know it will, silly, but it's getting pretty late. It's been a long day. I think Grandpapa and I are pretty tired."

"I'm fine," Kurt interjected from his perch on the couch opposite them. "If you want to stay a little longer…"

Blaine looked over and met Kurt's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Kurt nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Blaine was always so worried about him, ever since he had been hospitalized with a serious case of pneumonia a few months ago. Kurt had spent a week in the hospital, but he had recovered just fine. Blaine didn't seem to believe it, though. He was constantly trying to push Kurt out of places to drag him home, as if he was afraid Kurt would shatter if he spent too much time out in the world.

Nolan and Keira cheered. "Let's go!" Nolan shouted.

"Hold on. We have to ask your parents if it's okay," Blaine said.

Beth laughed. "Do you really think I'm going to say no to that, Dad?" she asked, looking at her two children, who were giving her their best puppy-dog faces.

"Hm, who taught them that trick, Blaine?" Kurt teased.

"I didn't teach them anything," Blaine protested.

"Maybe not directly," Beth said, "but trust me, I saw you give Papa enough of those looks growing up to learn their power on my own. I'm sure my kids have done the same."

"Ah, so that's where you got it from," Beth's husband Luke replied. He turned to look at Kurt. "Did you ever figure out how to say no?"

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry. You're doomed."

Luke sighed dramatically. "I was afraid of that."

Beth laughed and nudged him in the side. In reply, he squeezed her a little closer and gave her a quick kiss. Kurt and Blaine caught each other's eyes and smiled. They were always so happy to see their daughter so happy.

Beth looked over at the kids, who were squirming with impatience. "Granddaddy can stay and tell you a story, but…" she paused while the kids' cheers subsided "…you have to clean up the game and get ready for bed first."

"Okay, let's go, Keira!" Nolan urged. The two quickly threw the cards and pieces in the box. Nolan shoved the board on top and threw the cover over it, but because of how haphazardly they had thrown everything else in, the box wouldn't close. As the two siblings ran over to the shelf to put it away, cards spilled out of the sides.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. "Do they get half-credit for that?"

Beth shrugged. "Most nights I'd make them go back and pick them up, but I'll give them a pass tonight. It's hard to punish them for being excited to spend time with their grandparents."

Nolan and Keira raced back across the living room toward the stairs, not even noticing the card path strewn across the floor. Nolan started racing up the steps as fast as his legs could carry him. Keira, on the other hand, was still a little too short to make it up smoothly. Halfway up, Nolan stopped and looked back, dismayed that Keira was only about a quarter of the way. He raced back down and tried to help push her up the steps from behind. Blaine finally stood and followed them. When he caught up with his grandkids, he scooped Keira up and lifted her onto his shoulders.

"I'll be up in a minute," Beth yelled after them, as she and Luke got up to pick up the cards.

"It's okay. I've got it," Blaine shouted back, as he and Keira raced up the stairs after Nolan.

Thirty seconds later, a loud thump came from upstairs. "We're okay!" Blaine shouted almost immediately.

Kurt laughed. "Are you sure you trust him alone?" he asked, over the sound of little feet racing down the hallway.

"Hey, he didn't screw up too badly with me and Dalton. Well, at least with me. Dalton's another story," Beth teased.

"You're not allowed to make fun of your brother when he's not here," Kurt scolded. "And as far as not screwing you two up, that's only because I was there."

Beth scoffed. "Papa, don't kid yourself. Half the time, you were just as likely to get us into trouble as you were to punish us for it."

"But the other half of the time, it was Dad getting you into trouble, so it was my job to keep you in line," Kurt retorted with a smile.

Beth handed the last of the cards to Luke, who was rearranging the Candyland box on the shelf. She stood and walked over to Kurt and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You two were the best," she whispered.

Kurt smiled tenderly at her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "That's because we had two pretty great kids," he replied.

Beth smiled back and gave him one more kiss. Then she straightened and grabbed Luke's hand. "Come on. Let's go finish the dishes before the kids go to bed for a change."

"You really know what to say to drive a guy wild, don't you," Luke joked as he followed her into the kitchen.

Beth's reply was muffled as they disappeared into the kitchen. Kurt watched them go. If someone had told him nearly 50 years ago that he'd be sitting on his daughter's couch, listening to the cheerful sounds of his husband helping his grandkids get ready for bed, he wouldn't have believed you. Even 45 years ago, when he had agreed to marry Blaine, he couldn't possibly have imagined his life going this well. Those first few years of marriage had been so hard. They had been broke, tired, and busy all the time. There had been a lot of fights, a lot of yelling, a lot of worries. The only thing there had never been was regret. Even at their worst moments, Kurt had never once regretted saying yes to Blaine on that staircase. Maybe that's why they had made it through all the tough times, all the heartaches, all the struggles. They had always known that no matter how bad things were, they were better if they were together.

The squealing laughter of his granddaughter floated down the stairs and interrupted Kurt's musings. Kurt stood and headed for the stairs. Following the sound of his husband's voice, he turned toward Keira's room. Blaine was seated in the middle of the bed, with Keira and Nolan cuddled up beside him. Kurt leaned against the doorframe as Blaine started their favorite bedtime story.

"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived a young prince named Blaine. Although Blaine was a pretty happy guy, he had never really felt like he belonged. He had lots of great friends, but he still felt like someone was missing…"

Kurt smiled as Blaine continued the familiar story. He remembered all the nights he had come home late from work, exhausted and cranky, and found Blaine exactly the same way. Beth would be snuggled up to him, wide awake, hanging on his every word, while Dalton would be curled up against his other side, already sound asleep. Kurt would always stay just out of the room in the shadows of the hallway, trying to spy without being seen, so as not to interrupt the story, but Blaine always seemed to sense Kurt was there. Without missing a word, Blaine would glance up at Kurt and give him that same look he had been giving him since they were in high school. It was a look that said so much more than words could ever say, a look that communicated all the love in Blaine's heart. Without fail, it always made Kurt forget every negative thing he had been feeling. When Blaine would finish the story, Kurt would tiptoe in, give his children kisses, help Beth back to her room, and then drag Blaine down the hall to their room. Sometimes they would make love, but most of the time, they would undress, get into bed, and just cuddle and talk until they fell asleep.

The only difference now, aside from the obvious fact that they were at their daughter's house rather than their own, was the presence of a book to accompany the story. Five years ago, when Beth had been pregnant with Nolan and Kurt and Blaine had been preparing to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, Luke had come up with the idea of actually writing down the bedtime story his wife had told him so much about and turning it into a book. He had secretly contacted Blaine, and the two had worked together with an illustrator friend of Luke's. They had surprised Kurt and Beth with it at Christmas that year, as a joint baby-welcoming/anniversary gift. Three copies had been made: one for Kurt and Blaine, one for Luke and Beth, and one for Dalton. While Nolan and Keira had plenty of other books on their shelves, Kurt doubted any of them had been read as many times as that one.

Beth came up beside Kurt and stood with him in the doorway. "Oh, this is my favorite part, when they overcome the Infidelity Monster and decide to be together forever," she whispered.

"Mine too," Kurt replied. He reached out and wrapped an arm around his daughter, who leaned her head against his shoulder. "Mine too," he repeated more quietly, as the love of his life glanced up and gave him that same look he had all those years ago on that staircase in Ohio.