Kurt sighed, shuffling things around in the front of the Range Rover as he idled in front of the hotel. Come on, guys, he texted Finn. Gas is four bucks a gallon and I'm wasting it. Don't make me come up there.

Finn eventually emerged from the revolving doors with his bag, looking flushed. "Sorry," he muttered, opening the driver's side door, then pausing, seeing the pile of Kurt's things in the front seat.

"Too crowded up here, brother of mine," Kurt said briskly. "Get in the back."

Finn complied, folding his long limbs into the rear seat. Then he leaned against the window, gazing at the hotel, where Noah was talking animatedly with the doorman. "Why is it so hard to leave, Kurt?" he said, looking troubled. "I know we're going to have time to hang out this summer. What's the big deal?"

Kurt reached a hand back and put it on Finn's knee. "It's the Road Trip, right? You don't want it to be over. The spell, this connection, will be broken. Reality will hit. Things will be messier, more complicated." He smiled. "But you've got people who care about you, at home, too. It's going to be okay."

"Are you sure?" Finn sounded lost, unsure. Kurt slapped Finn's knee lightly.

"Of course I am," he said. "Stop that. You love him, right?"

"Yeah," Finn said softly. He smiled as Noah made the doorman laugh. "I really do."

"I know you do. So trust in that. It's going to be okay," he said again.

"So do you know, like, everybody in this fricking city?" Finn said, poking Noah as he climbed in the back seat behind Kurt. Noah shrugged.

"It's amazing how many people know Brett and Graham," he said. "They've helped me make some great connections in dance, too. Roger, his cousin works for the dance company that's holding the audition for Sleeping Beauty."

"And you're going to drive down next week for that, right?" Finn looked expectantly at Noah, who looked at the floor, then the ceiling, and finally sighed.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"When are we heading down?" Finn said, and Noah rested a hand on his leg, just for a moment. Then Kurt pressed play on the mix CD he'd made, and none of them said anything for a while.

Kurt glanced at them in the mirror periodically. They sat separately, lost in their own thoughts, but he saw Noah inch a leg over to bump Finn's, and Finn let his hand linger a little extra long on Noah's arm. It was the same stuff they'd always done, always - the things that had given them away long before they'd been awake to them. Kurt smiled.

By the time they hit Troy, their hands were clasped in the middle of the seat between them, fingers intertwined. A few miles later, as they passed through Piqua, they'd inclined their bodies together in the center so they were leaning on one another. Kurt watched as Finn put his head on Noah's shoulder and said something into his ear. It took him a minute to realize Finn was singing the lyrics to the song that was playing. Noah listened, shaking his head, but he was grinning, and that looked like a kiss he brushed onto Finn's skin, just in passing.

By Sidney, Finn had moved to the middle seat (securely re-seatbelted in, at Kurt's insistence) and Noah had his arms around him, gently stroking a pattern on the front of his shirt. Their bodies fit together so comfortably that Kurt wasn't sure he hadn't already seen this somewhere, the two of them holding each other. The look on Noah's face, though, was so different than what Kurt was accustomed to seeing at school, from Puck, that he spent a long time watching him in the mirror. He was… well, tender. Kurt hoped he'd see more of that look from Noah in the future, because Finn's appreciation of it was clear.

And, of course, now the songs that Kurt had chosen for their Road Trip mix were playing, and they were starting to notice. Some of the songs were on there just for fun, of course ("Fuck You"), and some were there for Kurt to sing along to with gusto ("My New Philosophy"), but there were more than a few he'd picked in the hopes they'd give the guys a clue ("Hot Blooded," "La Vie Boheme,""Green Light," and so on).

Now, every time a new song came on, they listened carefully for the lyrics, singing along to those they knew, but otherwise sitting in silence, basking in the connection of their bodies, and remembering - Kurt was sure they were remembering. He carefully did not think of them needing more condoms, or lube.

He called Blaine. "Well?" was Blaine's anticipatory greeting.

"Success," he said quietly.

"Oh, well done," Blaine cried. "Is it all you hoped it would be?"

"Better. They're positively oblivious to everything except each other. Oh, and you really need to meet Noah."

"Noah, huh?" Blaine sounded skeptical. "I saw Jason. Is he anything like that? Did he dance, too?"

"He dances, but not like that," Kurt said. "I think he's the real deal. The masks are gone."

"Wow." Now he was impressed. "You did something good, Kurt."

"Yes," Kurt said, glowing. "I did."

Around about Botkins, they both fell asleep in the back seat. Finn lay with his mouth open on Puck's chest, fingers of one set of hands intertwined. Their other hands lay loosely upon one another's hearts. Kurt hesitated, then pulled over carefully onto the shoulder of highway I-75 and took a picture with his phone. Then he sent it to his dad, and Carole, with a message: I thought you might want to see the happy ending. We're coming home.

(Author's note: Well, it's been 30 days since I started writing this story, dear readers, and what a wild ride it's been! I've learned so much along the way and have fallen in love with Dancer!Puck and Clueless!Finn. Perhaps we'll see them again on another trip to Dayton in the future. Thank you for all your feedback and support along the way.

The Cinderella allusions were really popping out at me when I started to think about them! It was amazing. You came up with some great ones. Here's a partial list – there may be more:

- the shoes

- the club, Masque (another name for a costume ball)

- Carole, the stepmother – not so evil though

- Kurt, the step(brother)

- fairy dust from Wanda

- Graham, the fairy god(father), watching out for Finn

- Prince Charming (both of them!)

- the concept of moving into a fantasy world for one night, and putting on another identity like a costume

- Jason leaving the club at midnight, and Finn running after him

- the coach (the Range Rover)

- happily ever after

Finally, here's a selection of lyrics from the songs on the Road Trip mix - the lyrics that might have jumped out at Kurt when he was making the CD, perhaps, or the lines Finn now sings really loud when he plays the mix for the eighteenth time in the shower. You can still download the road trip mix here: http:/www. mediafire. com/file/yx5re2igqf3day2/Road%20Trip% and the club mix here: http:/www. mediafire. com/file/1w3ubelucre69yp/Club%

Enjoy! -amy)

Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day

I'm walking down the line

That divides me somewhere in my mind

On the border line

Of the edge and where I walk alone

Nobody's Side – from Chess

The one I should not think of

Keeps rolling through my mind

And I don't want to let that go

Peace of Mind – Boston

Lots of people have to make-believe they're living,

Can't decide who they should be

Hot Blooded – Foreigner

You don't have to read my mind, to know what I have in mind

Honey you oughta know

Now you move so fine, let me lay it on the line

I wanna know what you're doin' after the show

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb

And all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them

Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun

And it's no coincidence I've come

And I can die when I'm done

Maybe I'm crazy

Maybe you're crazy

Maybe we're crazy

Probably

La Vie Boheme – from Rent

To being an 'us' for once

Instead of a 'them'

La vie boheme

Fly By Night – Rush

Fly by night, away from here

Change my life again

Fly by night, goodbye my dear

My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend

Estelle – American Boy

Take me on a trip, I'd like to go some day

Take me to New York, I'd love to see LA

I really want to come kick it with you

You'll be my American Boy

Unworthy of Your Love – from Assassins

I am nothing,

You are wind and water and sky

John Legend – Green Light

baby its just the thrill of the chase

but i got a feelin' i'm winnin' this race

baby i'm gettin' much closer

i just need permission so...

give me the green light

give me just one night

im ready to go right now

we could go all night

Nobody Needs to Know – from The Last Five Years

Put on my armor

I'm off to Ohio

Back into battle till

I don't know when

Swearing to her that I was

Never with you

And praying I'll hold you again

Beautiful Surprise - India Arie

You're always on my mind

I never could have predicted that I'd feel this way

You're a beautiful surprise

Intoxicated every time I hear your voice

You've got me on a natural high

It's almost like I didn't even have a choice

No One Like You - Scorpions (Finn loves this one)

There's no one like you

I can't wait for the nights with you

I imagine the things we'll do

I just wanna be loved by you

Musiq Soulchild – Just Friends

See, I know this might be strange

But let me know if I'm out of order

For stepping to you this way

See I've been watching you for a while

And I just gotta let you know

That I'm really feeling your style

Out of My Hands – Dave Matthews (Puck thinks this is really creepy)

Out on my window ledge

I don't feel safe

And I stay

Looking down on you

It's out of my hands for now

For Good – from Wicked

And just to clear the air

I ask forgiveness

For the things I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know

There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

VV Brown – Game Over

Oh no, I've started a war

My emotions are just cuttin' me raw

Oh no, you lowered your score

'Cos you messed up good and I cannot ignore

I'm Free/Heaven Helps the Man – from Footloose

Heaven helps the man who fights his fear

Every day I face a new frontier

I can't worry what the world will say

I may fly or fall but either way

I'm free