'Open this when I've gone.'

My dearest Kurt,

So I snuck another letter in ;)

Don't cry. I know you are, and I know that I will be too- the whole way home probably. But soon, my gorgeous boy. Soon you'll be back with me, and we have so much to look forward to.

I had the most amazing five days with you. My birthday was perfection. I am truly sorry that your hangover lasted two days and mine just two hours, and I sincerely apologize for sniggering. ;) But we had so much fun that night, I swear my ribs still ache from laughing...either that or from being bent over the vanity the next day.

I really loved coming to class with you, I know I say this so many times but you are truly mesmerizing to watch, you light up the stage Kurt, and I am eagerly awaiting your professional debut. On that note, I hope your showcase goes well. Try not to stress too much about it (easier said than done, I know) and remember, even if nothing comes of it, you can say you've performed on a West End stage- and you're still only nineteen. (Not for much longer!)

I'm so glad you took this opportunity, Kurt. I can see that you are having so much fun, and you and Joe have become much closer. It also reminds me how much you've grown up during our time together. And it's proven that we can do this. We can be apart and still be just as much in love as we always are, and then together we cherish our time so much more. The only thing I am slightly upset about is that during my five days in London I didn't see a single Royal. But I will be proudly wearing my I heart London t-shirt (to bed, don't panic) and thinking of you, always.

Seventeen days.

Always yours,

B xxx

Blaine,

I did cry, as you rightly predicted. As for you, you are a total disgrace in airports. Really, I'm surprised there's not an international ban on you entering any terminal. Justin Timberlake sang 'cry me a river,' Blaine, not cry me the whole Atlantic Ocean.

You know I'm teasing you, right? I just re-read that and wondered if the joke would come across. And now I'm having to explain my humor. Why am I fretting? If anyone gets me, it's you.

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, but we were visiting Teresa and Jonathan and their wifi isn't great. We had a really good time, their house is right in the middle of the countryside and it's so...green! Not like an American fall at all really. It was beautiful, we will have to visit them together some time. And Jonathan very kindly did head shots for Joe and I- saving us several hundred dollars. I was wondering... Do you think he'd fly out to do our wedding photos? It's just...I trust him. And he knows us. I have complete faith in him to capture us as a couple rather than us in stiff and formal poses. Think on it. I don't want to take over.

I legit snorted today during music. Some girl was in the middle of singing her solo from My Fair Lady, and I suddenly thought of me, standing outside the Ritz, telling you that you were elegant and refined. Ha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I take it all back. Just a few hours after that and you were drunkenly singing some kind of soccer chant that Jonathan taught you, bow tie loose around your neck and wearing six pink cocktail umbrellas in your hair.

I too had such an amazing time when you were here. It went too quickly of course, but I don't think I've ever spent so long laughing...or having sex. I'm glad I did this. For me, it's been about proving to myself that actually, I don't need you by my side to be strong. I need you, yes. But I have you in my heart, even when we're not together and that is what makes me strong. Your love keeps me going. I'm guessing that given the career I want to persue, and what you already do, there's going to be more occasions when we are parted. Not for as long, maybe, but it's good to know that we can do this and always come back to each other in the end.

I want to thank you, actually. I didn't say anything while you were here, mainly because we were too busy terrorizing London Town. (You can see why they hate American tourists.) But thank you for giving me the push I needed. If it hadn't been for our mini blow out, and you subsequently urging me to be honest with myself, I would never have gone and I just would have spent the entire six weeks missing Joe and begrudging him his happiness. It was a selfless act, Blaine, because you were the one left behind and you were the one who had to let me go. So thank you.

You're pretty darn perfect to me, you know that?

I love you.

Always yours,
K xxx

P.S- The Queen says hi.

BLAAAAAAAAAAAINE!

OH

MY

GOD.

You know that bit in The Little Mermaid, when Sebastian's jaw drops open and Scuttle has to close it for him? That's me, right now.

Color me shocked, Blaine Devon Anderson.

SHOCKED.

My dearest Kurt,

You were feeling horny and opened the letter, didn't you?

Always yours,

B xxx

Blaine,

How did you even get yourself into some of those positions? And taking pics in the mirror? Very smart.
And to answer your question from the 'reminiscing' letter...

Yes, you do look very pretty like that.

My dearest Kurt,

That email ended abruptly, and your phone is switched off. Is it very vulgar to tell you that I'm now going to crack one out while thinking of you fucking into me?

Always yours,

B xxx

Blaine,

Not vulgar, no. Just...not appropriate when I don't pick up my emails until the next day, and I'm in the campus library with Joe sitting next to me. Just be grateful it was him. (He's not)

Always yours,

K xxx

My dearest Kurt,

THREE DAYS THREE DAYS THREE DAYS!

I'm being totally lame by telling you this via email rather than over the phone but...

Here's the thing, I have to work the day you arrive home. Which, really, truly sucks. But it's this big meeting with Kendalls and also the CEO of Webster Evans is going to be there with a view to hiring me. That means big bucks. That means hugely lavish wedding and honeymoon. So I won't be at the airport, I'm sorry. But I will be home in time for dinner.

And we can order in whatever you want, or I can cook for you, or whatever. Anything you choose is going to be completely okay by me because you will be HOME!

I hope your showcase went well, I also hope you had the presence of mind to read the 'need a pep talk?' letter before you went on.

I love you.

Always yours,

B xxx

Kurt trudges wearily through arrivals, a tired and despondent Joe at his side. Their flight has been long, and ruined completely by a screaming baby who refused to be placated in any way. They fetch their bags, Kurt sighing heavily as he drags his case behind him and hoists his enormous backpack onto his shoulder.

"So you wanna share a cab?" Joe asks.

"May as well, since I have no one here to meet me."

"Neither do I."

"I know, but you don't live with your fiancé."

"Well he couldn't help it," Joe reasons. "You know he would be here if he could be."

"I know," Kurt agrees, tears prickling behind his eyes. "But I'm still upset."

"Well don't be," Joe says firmly. "Look."

Kurt follows Joe's arm, gesturing to where Blaine stands, arms held wide with flowers in each hand and a shy smile on his face.

"What the...?" Kurt starts as he drops his bags and runs, throwing himself into Blaine's embrace and wrapping his legs tight around his waist. "My Blaine!" They kiss fiercely, then slowly, lovingly as Blaine drops the flowers and cradles Kurt's face in his hands, pulling away with tears on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I always..."

"Cry," Kurt finishes. "Blaine, I don't care. You're just beautiful. You came."

"Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"You said you had this big meeting."

"That was yesterday."

"Did you get it?"

"I did," he says quietly with a nod.

"Of course you did, because you're amazing. I cannot believe you're here, that you kept it a secret."

"Joe knew."

"He...?" Kurt drops from Blaine's arms and turns to face him. "You knew?"

Joe just shrugs, smiling as he puts his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I have flowers!" Blaine suddenly remembers, handing one bouquet to Kurt and one to Joe. "I didn't want you to feel left out," he explains.

"No one's ever gotten me flowers," Joe grins. "First bunch and they're from a forty year old engaged gay guy. I'm doing well."

"I am not forty! Now give me a hug and I'll drive you home."

Kurt is sound asleep by the time Blaine reaches their building, and he nudges him gently. "Kurt, darling? We're home."

"What? Huh? Oh. Home. Right." He falls back in his seat, a blissful smile playing on his face as he looks up at their building. "Home. Our home."

"I have another surprise for you," Blaine whispers as he kisses his forehead. "Come on up."

Blaine is quiet as they step into the elevator, prompting Kurt to ask him what's wrong. "I'll talk to you about it later," he says with a small smile. "This is your time now."

Kurt was maybe expecting a banner, possibly some balloons. He was not expecting to find all of that, plus his dad and Carole sitting in his living room.

"Oh my god!" he shrieks, throwing himself into their arms. "Oh my god I have missed you guys so much!"

"We're in a hotel," Carole tells him hastily. "We didn't want to intrude too much. But we've missed you too."

"I'm so glad you're here," Kurt smiles. "Dad?"

"I'm okay," Burt says as he wipes hurriedly at his eyes. "I'm okay."

"See, this is why I chose him," Kurt laughs as he gestures to Blaine who is sniffing into a handkerchief. "They always say that little girls choose a guy like their daddy well...I'm the same. You're both terrible."

"Honey, we're all crying," Carole points out. "Even you."

"I know," he smiles through his tears, "I know. Carole, did you cook?" he asks as he sniffs the air.

"I did," she beams. "Go wash up and I'll get it all ready."

"Could your mom and dad not make it?" Kurt asks as him and Blaine make their way to the bathroom.

"Uh...no. That's..that's what's up. My dad...well, he's in hospital with pneumonia."

"What? Since when?"

"He got taken in two days ago. He'd been sick for a week and just wasn't getting any better. I was going to tell you," Blaine adds quickly, "I just didn't want to worry you right before you left."

"Have you been to see him?"

"Not yet. I wondered if..."

"We'll go tomorrow."

"No, no. You'll be jet lagged and..."

"We will go tomorrow. This is your dad, Blaine. And I adore him. We will go tomorrow."

"Thank you," he says sincerely, falling into the hug Kurt offers. "Just...thank you."

Kurt doesn't sit down to dinner immediately, opting to call Sara instead who sounds tired, but happy to know that he is home, and she brightens considerably when he tells her they will be visiting the very next day. Once they have all eaten, and Kurt has shown the many hundred pictures on his iPad, Burt and Carole depart, making plans to meet for breakfast the next day before they all head back to Ohio. Kurt closes the door behind them and leans against it, yawning, stretching and showing his toned stomach.

"Bed," he says, holding a hand out to Blaine. "Come on. You look weary with worry."

"Not with...well, yeah actually...I am," Blaine sighs. "I'm glad to have you home though."

"I'm glad to be home."

They walk into the bedroom and Kurt takes him in his arms, content to breathe him in while they hug tightly. He smoothes his hands over Blaine's back, kissing just below his ear. "It's this I've missed," he whispers. "These moments that are uniquely Kurt and Blaine. That no one can ever have except us."

"Mmm," Blaine agrees, turning so he can kiss Kurt's neck. "God you make everything so much better."

They pull apart reluctantly to change into pajamas and use the bathroom, but pretty soon Blaine's head is resting contentedly on Kurt's chest once more, his arm encircling his waist. "You never told me how you got on at your showcase, we only spoke briefly and it was so noisy in the background."

Kurt tenses beneath him, the slight movement prompting Blaine to lift his head to look at him. "Not good?"

"Not as good as Joe. Or anyone, actually." His voice is small as he looks to the ceiling and runs a weary hand through his hair. "You know how I told you the tutors here think Joe could be the next big thing? Well so do the ones in London, evidently. Every agent who attended wanted to sign him there and then. There's talk of one film producer trying to get a role created for him in his next blockbuster- he's so sure he's found this bright new star."

"That's good... Isn't it?"

"It is, yeah. I love Joe dearly and he deserves good things, he's exceptionally talented it's just..."

"It's not happening to you."

"Yeah." Kurt sighs heavily, looking down to where Blaine rests his chin on his chest. "Am I a bad person?"

"No, not at all," Blaine reassures.

"I mean, I want to be in musical theatre as opposed to films, but the fact remains that from that showcase everyone got approached by some agent, producer or director... Except me."

"Well they could... I don't know," Blaine says, fumbling for words, "they could be thinking on it a little... I mean...you're...unique."

"I sound like a girl," Kurt says miserably.

"You do not! And I won't listen to you talk that way about yourself. Kurt, you are beautiful, inside and out and an amazingly talented performer. You know, if you're casting a film that's one thing, but London theatrical agents are probably looking for something very different to American ones. I don't know... Mary Poppins, for example. I took Maddie and Taylor to see that when they were small. The guy playing Burt was good, really good, but his accent was flawed. Every so often it would drop and I could tell he was from Kentucky. Now, American audiences aren't gonna mind so much but in England? Uh-uh. Forget it. You've gotta be crisp, clear, concise. If they were looking to cast Oklahoma that's one thing, but generally British audiences are going to expect British casts."

"I guess," Kurt starts, unsure. "But that doesn't explain why Holly and Elle got approached."

"Kurt... You said yourself you didn't want too much to come of this because of the wedding."

"I was lying."

"I thought you were," Blaine smiles and drops a kiss to his chest. "Listen, you're in your second year of a three year course. Think how wonderful you're going to be by graduation. And that showcase then will be far more important... Bigger agents, notable directors, producers...that's the one that counts, Kurt, and I just know you'll be fighting them off."

"I worry," he admits quietly. "I worry I won't be good enough, or mainstream enough, or a strong enough dancer, or I won't sing low enough..."

"Kurt...I can't tell you to stop worrying, because you're only gonna do it anyway. But you know...if all of those fears turn out to be true- which they won't- but if they ever did? You're the most talented clothing designer I've seen in many a year. You could make it big designing costumes, or couture."

"I don't want to make clothes though."

"I know, darling. I know." Blaine moves up to kiss his lips, lingering until he feels Kurt start to relax in his embrace when he opens his mouth a little wider and runs his tongue along his lower lip.

"Blaine?" Kurt breaks the kiss, shifting onto his side to nuzzle against his cheek.

"Hmm?"

"I know I've just come home an' all but...is this enough, for tonight?" He chews his lip nervously, only relaxing when Blaine smiles sweetly.

"Of course. I don't think either of us are up for anything too much tonight. There's time... Like...a whole lifetime of time."

"Mmm," Kurt smiles properly this time as he shivers with delight. "A whole lifetime. That's all I want. A whole lifetime with you."

"You know, despite the obscenely sexual photos I left for you, and all we got up to in London... I missed our cuddles the most."

"Me too... But god. Those photos were something else."

"Promise me to keep them locked away somewhere. Santana has no boundaries, I caught her in the closet looking for the toys when she came to visit."

"I promise," Kurt laughs, then turns serious as he brushes Blaine's loose curls from his eyes. "Are you okay about seeing your dad tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll be glad to really. He's had me worried."

"Your mom said his breathing was a lot easier now."

"That's good. Thank you, for saying we could go."

"They're my parents as much as they are yours," Kurt smiles. "Or they will be soon, anyway."

"True, true," Blaine smiles. "And I can't wait for us to be married."

They arrive at the hospital the next afternoon, Kurt having done the drive this time since Blaine looks like he is surviving on very little sleep- a proven fact when he dozes off the second the car is on the highway. He startles to life when Kurt parks, and is quick to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have slept like that, you're probably exhausted and I..."

"Blaine, it doesn't matter. I'm fine, honestly. You needed to sleep. Don't think I don't notice when you get up in the middle of the night. You left our bed at three and didn't return until gone five thirty. Were you playing again?"

"Yes, but I used the keyboard with headphones rather than the piano- I didn't want to wake you."

"I stirred the second you were gone from my side. I was going to come look for you, but I figured you might want some time alone." He leans across to kiss his cheek. "Come on, let's go."

Blaine clings tight to Kurt's hand as they walk through the hospital, ignoring the stares from the narrow minded passers by until they reach his dad's room. Kurt knocks and they enter, Sara Anderson setting her cross stitch aside to greet them warmly.

"My darling boys," she smiles as she hugs both of them tightly. "Oh Mike will be so happy that you're here. He's sleeping right now, but the doctor said he had a good night."

"He's...mom, why does he have that mask on?" The panic is evident in Blaine's voice, as are the tears. Kurt wraps a comforting arm around his waist and draws him close.

"It's just oxygen, Blaine," Sara tells him. "Don't worry. It's just making it a little easier for him to breathe."

"He looks...so old," Blaine whispers, choking on a sob lodged in his throat.

"Well he is, I guess," Sara chuckles. "He's nearly seventy four."

"I know but... He's my dad," he finishes lamely.

"Don't worry darling," his mom says as together with Kurt they guide him into a chair next to the bed, "he's not going anywhere. You'll see when he wakes up. He's got a terrible cough and he sounds wheezy, but he's still the same old goofball he always is." She kisses his forehead softly. "Now that you two are here, would you mind if I went to get some coffee? I didn't really want to leave him alone in case he woke and thought that we'd all stopped caring."

"I doubt he'd think that," Kurt smiles as he squeezes her hand.

"No...but even so..." Sara trails off, blinking rapidly before fumbling in her bag for a handkerchief, but Kurt beats her to it and offers the one from his jacket. "Thank you darling."

"Blaine? I'm gonna go with your mom, okay?"

"Oh no," Sara says quickly, "you don't need to do that, I'll be fine, really."

"I do," Kurt says firmly. "Blaine? You'll be okay?"

"Yes," Blaine nods, feeling anxious for his dad waking up but somewhat reassured by his mom's words.

They step from the room and Sara turns to walk along the corridor, but Kurt takes her arm and stops her in her tracks. "I see where Blaine gets it from," he smiles down at her.

"Gets what from?"

"Refusal to talk about his feelings," he says, arching one eyebrow. "You're not fine. Please stop pretending like you are. Blaine and I love you so much, just...let us in, please. It's okay to admit you're worried."

"I'm terrified," Sara says, drawing a gasping breath before the tears take over and she falls into Kurt's arms. "I don't want to lose him Kurt." She cries hard as he holds her tight, just waiting until her sobs have died down. "I can't lose him," she says, shaking her head as she draws back, staring at the handkerchief she turns over and over in her hands. "He's all I've ever known. I was like you," she smiles up at him with red rimmed eyes. "I fell for him when I was fifteen years old. He was this big high school senior, so handsome, so charming and debonair...and he chose me. I'll never for the life of me know why he did, but he did. And all I ever wanted to do was to love him, to make him as happy as he made me. He was...is...my one and only, Kurt. You know what that's like, don't you?"

"I do," he reassures as he gently guides her along the corridor toward the elevators.

"When he went to college, everyone thought it would end. He cheated on me, can you believe," she says quietly. "No one knows. Certainly not the boys. I'd never want to paint him in a bad light to them, because he wasn't like that. It was a one night thing, and he called me the very next day, broken and desperate. I knew he was sorry, I could sense that immediately. But it didn't make it any easier to forgive."

"Like all the mess I had with Blaine."

"Yes," she agrees as they step into the elevator. "However much you love someone, when they hurt you like that it's not as easy as saying 'oh never mind, I know you're sorry.' It takes time. But we came out stronger because of it, and he proposed on my eighteenth birthday. We married when I was twenty one. That was more common then, for brides to be young."

"So you didn't go to college?"

"Secretarial school," she smiles, brightening up more and more as she talks through her memories. "Though I really had no intention of working. I did, for two years but I stopped when I found out I was expecting Cooper."

"You two are adorable," Kurt smiles, offering his arm as they exit the elevator and head toward the cafeteria. "And you know what? I'll bet you don't lose Mike just yet, because he knows he has something worth fighting for."

"Thank you, Kurt darling, you're incredibly sweet. I'm sorry for falling apart back there..."

"Hey," Kurt stops her again, bending to kiss her cheek. "If you can't fall apart in front of your own son, then when can you, eh?"

Sara opens her mouth again to speak, but tears arrive once more and she dabs at her eyes. "Oh Kurt...thank you my darling. I think that's the nicest thing you could have ever said. I do hope you know how much we both love you. I know you have your dad and Carole, but we absolutely think of you as our son too." Patting his hand, she smiles up at him.

"I know you do...gosh, you made me feel welcome right from the off. I was so scared to meet you...and I vividly remember the looks on your faces when I told you I was a sophomore, but you never judged, never made me feel like a child...you always just took mine and Blaine's relationship at face value, and I can never thank you enough for that."

"You could buy me a coffee?" she laughs, "I left my purse upstairs."

"Sure thing, and I think we'll be needing some cake, too."

"Blaine?"

"Huh?" He stops counting the ceiling tiles and looks quickly toward the bed, where his dad reaches up with a trembling hand to take the oxygen mask from his face.

"Blaine?" he croaks again, voice raspy and heavy with the effort.

"Hey dad. It's me," he smiles even as his bottom lip wobbles and tears fall onto his cheeks. "How are you?... Sorry, dumb question I guess."

"I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest," he says, smiling before falling into a wheezing coughing fit that has Blaine rushing to hold a glass of water to his lips, cradling his head tenderly until it passes.

"Okay now?"

"Yes, thank you," Mike nods, then looks around the room. "Kurt not with you?"

"Nice. Am I not good enough now?" he jokes lightly.

"No. I like Kurt better," Mike teases back before Blaine bows his head onto the bed and starts to cry. "Hey...Blaine?" Mike says as he runs his hand over the back of Blaine's neck, playing with the soft curls "Son? Why are you crying?"

"Because...I hate seeing you like this," he explains, sitting and taking his dad's hand in his own. "You're you but you're so sick...so fragile."

"I am not!" Mike protests. "Well..." he pauses to cough a little more. "Maybe I am a little. But I'm not about to drop off the face of the earth. Blaine...did you think I was gonna die? I told your mom to make sure you and Cooper knew you weren't collecting your inheritance this time."

"No, she did," Blaine reassures. "But I worry, and then when I walked in and you looked so small..."

"This is why I prefer Kurt."

"Yes, thank you," Blaine laughs and can't help but lean over and kiss his dad's cheek.

"I'll be okay," Mike says with as much of an emphatic nod as he can manage. "It'll take time, I guess- I'm not as young as I used to be- but I'll get there. The wedding is eighteen months away, I have to still be kicking around for that."

"You do."

"And...maybe...more grand babies...one day? If I'm lucky?"

"Maybe," Blaine grins. "Actually, yes. I can tell you that one way or another, Kurt and I will be having at least one child someday."

"I knew it," Mike says with a small fist pump. "Excellent. Well that's settled. I'm not going anywhere until I've held all my grand babies in my arms."

Blaine smiles, still holding tight to his dad's hand but already feeling so much happier.

"Seriously... Is Kurt not with you?"

"Oh for the love of... Yes, he's here. He went to get coffee with mom."

"Ah good. I've missed him. How was his time in England?"

"Good, yeah. I think he was glad he went. I don't know if all of it was as he would have liked, but it was definitely a good life experience for him."

"You're a good man, Blaine- to let him go like that. I know you don't worry about him straying or anything, but I also know it's hard to be left behind like that."

"He's worth everything to me."

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," Mike laughs, then coughs, then pouts when Blaine puts the oxygen mask back on him tenderly.

"To shut you up," he smiles, poking his tongue out for good measure.

Sara and Kurt return then, and Mike becomes even brighter once more, and though he doesn't say much, and becomes sleepy after a while, he is more than happy to lie there and listen to their animated conversation wash over him. He drifts in and out of sleep as Kurt talks about his time in England, pretty sure he wakes to hearing him say they met Prince Harry in a nightclub, but he's not entirely certain. He falls into a deep sleep eventually, stirring a little when Blaine kisses his forehead and tells him they'll be back next weekend, but once his wife takes his hand, kissing his fingers tenderly and telling him how happy she is that they visited, he lets his dreams carry him away once more.

"You okay?" Kurt asks once they're outside, dusk just starting to turn to dark.

"Yeah. I just..." Blaine sits heavily on a bench, watching the visitors and staff coming and going for a while. Kurt says nothing, only sits next to him and takes his hand wordlessly, waiting until Blaine feels ready.

"It's...the fragility of our parents, y'know? The thought of a life without them."

"Oh I know," Kurt says, looking out across the parking lot and not at his fiancé. "I know all too well."

"Oh Christ Kurt, I'm sorry. Of course you do." Blaine runs a weary hand over his face. "I'm so sorry, that was really insensitive."

"No, Blaine. It wasn't. I feel...and I think I can say this after seeing your dad...I feel like we've both narrowly avoided losing our fathers. And you're right. It does suddenly hit you, that they won't always be around, that in one single second it could all be gone. I didn't have that feeling with my mom," he smiles tightly at her memory, "because I was so young I guess. But I did have to deal with the pain that followed. With waking up each morning expecting to see her smiling at me as she pulled my blind up...and then remembering that would never happen again. It's...well it's the most pain I think anyone could ever have to bear, along with losing a child or soulmate. Certainly I never let myself think about it, because if nature takes its course, we're gonna have to live through losing my dad and Carole as well as both your parents...and that's something I just don't want to deal with right now."

"At least we'll deal with it together, I guess," Blaine says as he squeezes Kurt's hand tight.

"Together."

"I'll bet your mom was beautiful."

"She was. You've seen pictures."

"I know, but there's a difference between looking at a picture and seeing a person's beauty radiate from within. I'm sad that I'll never know her, but I think she left a good example of her beauty behind in her son," Blaine says as he nudges Kurt's shoulder.

"I don't know about that. I'm maybe remembering her through rose tinted glasses, but I don't recall her being as stubborn or arrogant as I can be."

"You're not that bad," Blaine laughs, noticing the look Kurt gives him. "Okay, well maybe a little bit stubborn...or a lot...yeah. Actually you really are."

"Yes, okay Blaine. Thank you."

"No, Kurt, thank you, because it was your stubbornness that got us here today, and which put my mind totally at ease. If it wasn't for your insistence, I would have left it a few more days, because in all honesty I was scared to see him. But I'm so glad I did. And whatever you said to my mom...you made her smile again. When she left the room I was worried about her but she returned so much brighter. I guess a coffee date with you just has that effect on people."

"Come on, charmer," Kurt smiles, kissing his cheek then pulling him to his feet. "Let's go home. We should make it before midnight."

They make love that night, needing to be close with one another, to touch, to feel, to take, to give. After, when Kurt is spooned in tight behind Blaine, both still in their post orgasm haze, Blaine takes the hand held over his rapidly beating heart and kisses each of Kurt's fingers in turn.

"I am so, so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you," he whispers, smiling as he feels Kurt smiling against the back of his neck.

"Your mom was telling me about how she ended up dating your dad today, she said he was her one and only. I like that about us, that you're my one and only."

"You're mine too," Blaine says. "Maybe not sexually, but emotionally, you're my first and you'll be my last. And I just want to say... Today, you really proved to me just why I love you. You were wonderful, not only to me but to my parents as well."

"See? I can take care of you, when you let me."

"I know you can."

"I love you so much, Blaine."

"You too, gorgeous boy."