"No." Blaine said firmly. Kurt had only looked at Blaine helplessly after confessing to Finn that he was still human and Finn informed Kurt that his father had had a heart attack and was in a coma. What time his father had left was uncertain if he had any at all.

"No, we agreed that our first time would be when we were ready and that it would be all about us." Blaine bit out, "You said you were okay with not going back... until then." Kurt hadn't spoken, only looked at Blaine in horror at Finn's news. Then Kurt's face darkened. He pulled off his necklace and gathered it in one hand as he stood then quickly threw it at Blaine. Hard. It hit Blaine in the chest and he caught it before it hit the floor.

"What the hell, Kurt?" Blaine said angrily. He looked to Kurt for a response and one look at Kurt's face and he realized what he'd done. Kurt was no longer speaking to him, and he didn't need words now anyway. Kurt's face was so expressive one look said a thousand words. The one Blaine was recieving now though said only three words but very clearly, "How dare you?"

Blaine had imediately hurt and insulted Kurt at the exact moment he should have been comforting and supportive. He had put the importance of the state of their relationship and it's pacing over Kurt's need and love for his own family. Blaine had accused and insulted Kurt with one word, "No." He had made himself immediately unsupportive and impossible to talk to. Kurt had closed up on the one person he should never have to. The one person he should always be able to trust to have his back, to catch him when he fell, to hold him while he cried. The first and only person he'd trusted with his voice in 4 years had shut him up. Now Kurt esantially had no one to talk to, to help him because Blaine had made a rift.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's shoulders and pushed him into their bedroom closing the door quickly. Leaving Blaine alone in their room holding Kurt's necklace that was supposed to be their equivalent to wedding bands. They were married by all means of the underwater world and that was stronger by far than any union available on the surface. Blaine was alone in the room he usually spent nights like this holding Kurt close and talking about everything and nothing. Now he had to sit in their room, on their bed, alone. Listening to Kurt's sobs through th door knowing that Kurt didn't want him there to console him anymore.

So Blaine sat there and during that agonizing hour of listening to Kurt sob his heart out Blaine wondered why on Earth Kurt was so upset. It was his dad. Yes, Blaine would be this upset if it were Kurt, or Rachel, or someone he was really close to... Shit...

Kurt was still crying when Blaine entered the living room, laying on his stomach on the couch with his tear stained face pressed into the pillows.

"Kurt?" Blaine ventured. Kurt froze, his whole body stiffening, "Kurt I'm just so-" The pillow struck him suddenly in the face and the next thing he knew Kurt was pushing him back into their room clearly with every intention to not look at Blaine for the rest of the night.

"No, Kurt stop. Seriously, stop." Blaine protested as he gently fought against Kurt's grip. Kurt saw it was useless to try to get Blaine in there so he side stepped and went past Blaine and closed himself in their room. But Blaine wasn't about to let that be the end of it, so he opened their door and followed Kurt who had already thrown himself onto their bed and buried his face into his own pillow. There were no more tears or sobs, only uneven breaths and gasps. Blaine laid himself down beside Kurt and tried to pull him close but Kurt pushed him away with a huff.

"Kurt, let me comfort you like I should have been for the past hour." Blaine said quietly. Kurt didn't respond or move so Blaine took it as an invitation to try again. Once he had Kurt carefully tucked against his chest with his chin resting on Kurt's head, Kurt disolved into soft tears once again. Blaine held him close and let Kurt soak his shirt while he murmured reassurances into his ear.

When Kurt had cried himself out he clung to Blaine.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, but Kurt didn't speak.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry that I said what I said. I was so wrong. You didn't even ask and I assumed and put our relationship's pace above your feelings and what you've already given up for me. It shouldn't have mattered because I love you and I would do anything for you, but I didn't understand. I've never been close to my family. Particularly my father. I couldn't understand because no effort would be made by either my father or myself if we were even in this situation. But you are close to your dad and I should have immediately asked you what you wanted to do about this... I have to confess something too. I said, 'No' for a more selfish reason than just not understanding a deeper connection with you and your father. Kurt, I'm terrified. Absolutely terrified... We've been ready to take this step for months but I've been so afraid that once we do this and you can come and go between land and ocean freely that you won't want to come back. That maybe you will realize how much you miss your family and forget about me and never come back. I wouldn't be able to live if you never came back. You're like this beautiful wild creature that I've been blessed to have the opportunity to have love me and let me love but once I set you free you won't come back. So I'd unwittingly decided to just never let you go, and I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." There was only silence, "I wish you'd speak to me, Kurt."

"No."

Blaine chuckled, "Hello there."

"Screw you." Blaine outright laughed, Kurt was talking to him and that told him that Kurt didn't truly mean what he was saying. He was still mad but they were alright.

"Oh my God, I love you." Blaine breathed and nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck.

"Stop touching me."

"Aww... don't be like that." Blaine cooed.

"I will kick you."

"No, you won't." Blaine smiled.

"I'm pulling my foot back."

"And what a pretty foot it is, though not as gorgeous as your tail."

"Don't make me kick you."

"You would never kick me. You love me too mu- Ow! You kicked me!" Blaine jumped and rubbed his shin.

"I decided that you loved me enough to let me kick you."

Then Blaine felt Kurt's necklace pulse in his pocket. No sonar sound this time, just 2 pulses.

"Kurt, you have to go back." Blaine said choking on the last word. Kurt was silent for a moment before he smiled and looked at Blaine with a sly grin, "Trying to get rid of me already."

"I'm serious, Kurt. You have to go."

"But you-"

"-have been selfish long enough." Blaine cut in,"We're ready, Kurt. We're better than husbands." Blaine said pulling Kurt's necklace from his pocket and clasping it around Kurt's neck, "We're soulmates. You gave me your tail. Now it's time for me to give back. This relationship is a two way street."

"That was awful." Kurt said flatly.

"Kurt, be serious."

"I am serious, that was seriously awful."

"Kurt." Blaine said pointedly.

"Blaine." Kurt whispered suddenly. He let Blaine roll on top of him and support himself on his elbows on either side of Kurt's head.

"I love you." Kurt said quietly.

"As much as I love hearing you say that, I need to hear something else before we do this."

"I'm ready?" Kurt ventured. Blaine shook his head.

"I forgive you." Kurt said earnestly. Blaine smiled and kissed him.

"Thank you." Blaine whispered and kissed Kurt's neck, "I love your voice."

The next morning Blaine drove Kurt to the shore of Manhattan Island. They got out of the car and headed for the water. The two stopped right at the edge and Kurt hugged Blaine fiercly.

"I don't know when I'll be back." Kurt said. Blaine held him more tightly not willing to let go.

"Promise you'll come back." Blaine said. It wasn't a question.

"Of course." Kurt assured. Blaine pulled back and looked Kurt directly in the eyes. Kurt rolled his blue eyes and leaned in to kiss him, "I promise."

Blaine nodded sadly and lifted a surprised Kurt bridal style and carried him into the water. The moment Kurt was submerged to his waist his glimmering white tail reappeared. Kurt smiled breathlessly, the water felt almost as much as home as Blaine's arms did. One more kiss and Kurt slipped into the water letting his fingers linger in Blaine's for just a little longer before slipping into the water entirely.

Blaine drove home listening to his Katy Perry CD and when he got home to the apartment he got ready to go to rehearsal. Opening night was in 10 days.

The ten days went by incredibly slowly. Blaine would look at the shell dangling from his neck and wondering if Kurt and his dad were alright and when Kurt would be home again. He didn't regret for a moment setting Kurt free but that didn't mean he didn't need Kurt back as soon as humanly possible. He held Kurt's pillow close to his chest every night. He'd somehow made it to opening night alive and he couldn't help but remember the night they'd found out about Kurt's dad and how Rachel had made him promise he'd be there to watch and how impossible that was now.

Blaine went the entire show trying not to look at the crowd and the face he knew wouldn't be there. The worry physically hurt him but he was an actor, he could make sure no one saw. He recited all his lines perfectly and every dance step worked excellently. When curtain call came around and he was the last to take his bow he finally looked into the seats to acknowledge his audience like a gentleman. One face in the front row caught his eye. Kurt stood from his front and center seat and clapped wildly with a huge smile on his face, eyes trained on Blaine.

Blaine broke out into the first genuine smile to touch his face since Kurt left. Kurt winked at him and gave Blaine a look that clearly expressed how much he loved and missed him and how proud he was. He had clearly missed Blaine as much as Blaine had missed Kurt. They needed eachother. Afterall, they were just people.

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