Sunday morning was a lazy one, and as Blaine showered, Kurt went down to the kitchen to make coffee. He could spend every single weekend like this…cuddling in bed, waking up slowly, having coffee…all with the man he loves. To think that this is how he will be spending the rest of his life brought a big smile to Kurt's face. It really doesn't get better than this.

When he heard the water stop, he poured their coffee and made his way over to the couch. Kurt still couldn't believe that this was their house—their house—and that they can come here whenever they wanted to. He lay his head back on the couch and thought about their wedding day, when they would take those vows in front of all of their friends and family…the vows that they were already living-to honor, to cherish. And he does cherish Blaine, with all of his heart.

"Hey, beautiful." He turned to see him coming down the stairs, hair still wet, and looking amazing.

"Hey yourself. Come, I have coffee for us." He patted the couch cushion next to him, and Blaine shuffled over, sitting down so that their shoulders were touching. "Feel better?"

"I love the shower. For many reasons." He winked at Kurt, which sent a shiver down his spine. Every move he makes is a treat for the eyes, Kurt thought to himself.

Instead of grabbing his coffee, Blaine lay on his back on the couch, with his head in Kurt's lap. "Well, this is nice", Kurt told him, and Blaine just smiled, brushing the back of his hand against Kurt's chest.

"You know I could stay like this forever, right?"

"Well, we do have the rest of the school year. And there is the matter of our wedding. But other than that…" Kurt brushed Blaine's hair back from his forehead, and ran his fingers through the wet curls. "You are too handsome for words, Blaine Anderson."

"Well, I don't know about that. But I was wondering…have you figured out what you are going to have engraved on my wedding ring?"

Kurt picked up Blaine's left hand, and ran his finger along where the wedding band will go. "You know, we can always get those tattoos that look like wedding bands. That way, we'll never have to worry about losing them when we take them off."

"And you would be taking off the wedding ring I give you because…?"

"Well, when we shower, or wash dishes, or…"

"Yeah…that ring is not coming off of your finger, mister. I feel like it's taking forever to get it on there. It's not coming off." Blaine brought Kurt's hand to his mouth and gave it a quick kiss. "Now, back to my original question…have you come up with anything?"

"I think I have. It's a toss up between two things. I'm trying to come up with a way to combine them. But no worries…it will be perfect. Just like you."

"Kurt, are you flirting with me?"

"Moi? Never."

Back in Lima, their family was trying to figure out the best way to tell them that Blaine's mother was up to her old tricks again. As they sat in their living room, Finn was the first to speak up.

"I'm going to go talk to Blaine's dad. I mean, I think he likes me, and he did come through with the furniture. What's the worst he can say?"

"The worst he can say is no, Finn. And we need to have some type of plan in place so that these two boys don't have to go through this. They're so close…I don't want them to have to put this off." Carole looked over at Burt, who was sitting in his chair, already looking defeated.

"Ok, so if she really puts up a fight, we may have to delay their wedding until Blaine turns 18. That will put them at December. So we're looking at six months instead of two. It's not the end of the world."

"It will be for them." Finn shook his head at them. "You know it will."

"When they come for dinner today, we'll talk to them about it. But let's be positive about a delay, like it will give them more time to plan a reception, things like that. Finn, have you told them that you booked a place for them?"

"Not yet, Mom. But I'll have to call and rebook with a different date if things get messy with his mother. Maybe I'll tell them tonight, to give them some good news. When will they be here?"

"I told them we'd be eating an early dinner, about four o'clock"

Burt said what they were all thinking. "Let's hope they're enjoying the weekend, because this could change everything for them."

"I don't understand. How can she do this? She doesn't have the right." Blaine felt his hands shaking as he looked around at the family, and Carole and Kurt reached over at the same time to steady them.

"Unfortunately, since you're under 18, she does have the final say." Burt looked at the two of them and his heart ached. "I'm sorry, kid."

Finn asked the obvious question-"What about Blaine's father? If he signs, they can get married, right?"

"He won't sign it, Finn. He may have done a decent thing with the furniture, but you and I both know…we all know…that he's opposed to my…what does he call them—life choices." He looked at Kurt, who had his head down, taking in the conversation.

Finn was more concerned. Kurt should be more animated about this…but he wasn't. It was as if he'd lost the fight already. He would occasionally look at Blaine, and held his hand, but nothing more. This wasn't good.

"Hey, buddy…what do you think? What should we do?"

Kurt looked up and just shook his head. "I don't know."

Carole looked at them and felt helpless. "It's only 6 months, boys. That isn't very long."

"I don't want to wait to marry him. I love him." Blaine's voice began to get shaky, and he turned towards Kurt. "We'll figure this out, ok? Trust me?"

Kurt nodded silently, and looked over at Finn. "It'll be ok, Kurt. We'll make it ok."

Burt, Finn and Blaine sat in the living room watching the end of the game. Well, listening to the game—their minds were elsewhere. After clearing the last of the dishes, Carole walked into the room with a tray full of coffee mugs, and Blaine got up to help her.

"Where's Kurt?" She looked around but didn't see him in the room.

"I thought he was with you in the kitchen." Blaine put the tray down on the table and looked at Burt and Finn. "Where did he go?"

"Well, I asked him to take the trash out for me, which he did without complaining about touching it, which was strange. I thought he came right back in."

"Kurt?" Blaine was yelling towards his room, and ran down the stairs. Nothing. He came back up and went to look out the front window. Their van was gone.

"How could he get out of here without anyone hearing him?" Blaine just shook his head.

"He really is light on his feet." They all looked at Finn. "Come on, you know what I mean. Like a ninja or something."

"Maybe he went home?"

"We can check. Finn, come with me please."

"Sure thing. Let me grab my keys."

"I'm going too. I feel responsible for this whole thing. We shouldn't have said anything about this to you two until we had it figured out."

"I don't think lying to us would have made the situation any better. But that's not important now. Let's find him before it gets dark."

They drove to the apartment, and Finn and Blaine ran inside and called his name. Bocelli greeted Finn as he walked in the door.

"Dude" he yelled. "Dude". Finn put his finger into the cage, and Bocelli brushed it with his wing.

"Did you see that? He gave me a high five. Way to go, little dude."

"Let's go, Finn. He's not here."

They drove around Lima looking for Kurt, with no luck. Blaine tried to call, and text, but there was no answer. He should have known that this was really upsetting to Kurt by his non-reaction to what was happening. He was keeping it all inside, and that's when Kurt's insecurities got the best of him.

"Burt, any ideas? We don't have much daylight left. If he was this upset, and couldn't talk to any of us, where would he go? Who would he talk to?"

Burt had an idea. "Blaine, turn the car around. I think I know where he went."

They pulled into the cemetery parking lot and sat for a moment in the car.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come", Finn said. "This seems like something really private, so we should just give him some space."

Blaine looked at Burt for guidance, and sadly, there was none. "If he's upset, I don't want him to be alone. It's good that we're all here, you know…moral support."

The three men walked up onto the grass and over the hill to where Kurt's mother is buried. Once they stepped onto leveler ground, they stopped. He was there. But he wasn't alone. There was another boy, about Kurt's age, sitting next to him, and they were talking quietly to each other. Blaine felt a twinge of jealously, wondering who this was that Kurt trusted to be here more than him. This was his place, to comfort Kurt. It didn't help when they watched as this other boy put his arm around Kurt, and patted him gently on the shoulder. Blaine started to move forward, but Finn grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"It's ok. Let him be. You need to be strong for him once he walks away from there"

They both turned when they heard a sound come from Burt, and were shocked to see a tear run down his face. They didn't know what to do to console this man who had always been the comforter, so they did what they could—they both hugged him, and felt his resolve disappear and the tears flow freely.

"You boys know I love Carole…you know I do…but Kurt's mom was my first love. And she gave me that beautiful child over there…"

Kurt turned when he heard his father's voice, and he wiped away the tears from his face. There they were—the three most important men in his life, each one a piece of the puzzle that was Kurt Hummel. His father, who loved him unconditionally…Finn, who was his protector and big brother…and Blaine, the love of his life and his soul mate. He stared at them in wonder, thanking his lucky stars for them and all that they meant to him.

He stood up, and the other boy stood up with him, wiping dirt from his pants. They walked towards the group, and Kurt put his arms out. Blaine was waiting for him, but he instead went to Burt, collapsing into his father's arms, and as the two men wept for a woman he will never meet, Blaine understood. This was something that only the two of then can share, and he gave them room to do that.

The other boy introduced himself. "You must be Blaine. Kurt has told me a lot about you. I'm Jack." Blaine wished that he could say that he knew about him, but was at a complete loss.

"Hello, Jack. This is Finn, Kurt's brother." Blaine was still confused as to the relevance of this person to Kurt, and before he could say anything, the mystery was solved.

"My mom is over there, next to Kurt's mom. They're neighbors, I guess. Today is her birthday, so I came to sing to her. Kurt helped me…" Jack's eyes began to well with tears. "I never was a very good singer. She used to tease me about that."

"I'm so sorry, Jack. And I'm glad Kurt was here for you." Blaine looked at Kurt, who had turned towards the group, his eyes also damp.

"Well, Kurt had some stuff to talk over with his mom. I felt bad taking him away from her."

"It's ok", Kurt tried to joke, "it's not like she's going anywhere."

"It's getting late, boys. Blaine, take Kurt and Finn back to the house. I just need a few moments if you don't mind. I'll see you back home."

As they headed back to the van, Burt walked over to his wife's grave and knelt down, rearranging the flowers that were there. "You'd be proud of our son, babe. He reminds me of you more and more every day. And this young man of his…there isn't anyone better for him." He fought back tears as he stood up. "I love you, and I'll see you soon." As he looked down, he saw a small piece of paper with a familiar handwriting on it held in place by a small stone-

Mom-

He is my life..

Please help us with this.

I miss you & love you,

Kurt

After dropping Finn off at the house, they drove back to the apartment; Blaine wanted to talk to Kurt about his mother, but didn't know where to start. They had mostly danced around the subject since they first met, so he wanted to be careful with how to approach this.

"I would have gone with you to the cemetery, sweetie."

Kurt nodded. "I know. But sometimes, a boy just needs to talk to his Mom alone."

They rode for a few more minutes in silence until they pulled into their parking lot. Blaine walked around to open the door for Kurt, and he held his hand as they moved towards their door. Once inside, Kurt still didn't say much, so Blaine walked into the kitchen to make coffee for them.

"None for me. If it's ok, I just want to lay down for a few minutes."

"Do you want me to lay with you?" Blaine was standing in front of Kurt now, trying to take his cue from his body language.

Kurt nodded, and without another word they walked into their bedroom, taking their shoes off before climbing into their bed. Blaine was on his back, and Kurt lay close to him, putting his head on his chest. With his arm around him, Blaine just rubbed the side of his face, brushing his hair back, waiting for him to talk.

At first he didn't. But then everything came rushing out, sometimes between tears, and other times, between laughter, as he spoke about his mother and how much he misses her.

"She would have loved you, Blaine."

"Well, I have a lot to thank her for. She brought into this world the greatest gift I could ever imagine. She gave me you."

"Sometimes I can still hear her saying my name, you know? Like when she would call me down for dinner, or just to come and sit with her. And then other times, I feel like I don't remember at all. I don't want to lose her twice, Blaine." Kurt rolled onto his side, weeping, as Blaine wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. "I wish she could be at our wedding."

"She will be. How could she miss her baby boys big day?" Blaine tried to come up with something that would cheer Kurt up just a little bit. "You know what? Remember when we read somewhere that there was any empty chair at the royal wedding for Princess Diana? We can do that for your mom. Have a special seat just for her. What do you think?"

Kurt took a deep breath, and Blaine pulled him in tighter.

"Won't that upset Carole?"

"I think Carole would do anything to make you happy, Kurt. We all would."

"I'd like that." Kurt just lay quietly for a few moments, and then began talking again. "I needed to talk to her today. I'm sorry that I went off without telling you, but I just needed to…"

"Shhh…it's ok, Kurt. I was just worried about you."

"Do you think she hears me when I talk to her?" Kurt sounded so young when he said that, and Blaine smiled to himself as he thought of a smaller version of Kurt.

"I know she does. She'll always be with you, Kurt. A mom's love is forever."

And then he was quiet again. Blaine rocked him in his arms, and hummed softly to him, almost like a lullaby, until he fell asleep. For the second time, Blaine made a promise to Kurt's mother to always keep his heart safe.

"Mr. Anderson, it's Finn Hudson."

"Hello, Finn. How are you?" As much as he hated to admit it, he liked this young man, and appreciated his loyalty to Blaine.

"I'm ok, sir. So, I was wondering if I could speak to you about something…in person. It's kind of important."

"Is Blaine alright? He's not in any trouble, is he?"

"Well, no, not really trouble. But they need your help."

"They?"

"Blaine and Kurt. It's complicated, but it has to do with his mother again."

"What did she do this time, have their van repossessed?" He was kidding, but sensed the joke had fallen flat when there was silence on the other end.

"That's…wow…I never even thought about that possibility."

"What's wrong, Finn? Why can't Blaine call me himself? What is he afraid of?"

"At the risk of sounding rude, Mr. Anderson…Blaine doesn't even really know you."

He was right. So much of his time over the years was spent working and earning to make himself happy that he had forgotten about his son. What he was left with now was a broken marriage, a bitter wife and a son who was afraid to even talk to him.

"Ok, Finn. Where and when?"

"Tomorrow if that's ok…at the Lima Bean…the coffee shop. I get out of school at 3:30, so if we could meet right after that… It won't take long, I promise."

"Fine. I'll meet you there. Take care, Finn."

"Later, dude." He realized what he said the moment it slipped out.

"Dude?"

"Sorry. It slips out sometimes when I get excited."

"I think that may be part of your charm, Finn Hudson."

"Goodbye, sir." And with that, he worked on what he was going to say to the man that held Blaine and Kurt's future in his hands.

The next day Finn was at the coffee shop early, waiting for Blaine's father. When he walked in the door, Finn was confident in what he was going to say.

"Hello, Finn." He reached over to shake Finn's hand. "Good to see you."

"You too, sir."

Blaine's father ordered his coffee, and sat down, looking at the young man across from him. "Now what's this all about?"

"Blaine and Kurt want to get married."

"I'm well aware. And I'm sure that you're aware that I don't think that's a wise decision. We've been through this before, Finn."

"I know that you don't like the fact that Blaine is gay."

"I believe that you're stating the obvious. I've accepted it. It doesn't mean I have to endorse it."

"You know he's happy with Kurt, don't you?" Finn looked at the man across from him and was struck by the resemblance to his son.

"Yes, I do. And I think that your brother is a fine young man. That's not the question here."

Finn sat back in his seat for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "Mr. Anderson, I wanted you to meet me so that I could convince you that Blaine and Kurt should be married. But I've changed my mind. I can't convince you of that. But I do want you to know that they are two men who love each other, that belong together, and whether it is two months from now, or six months from now, it will happen. I just…Blaine needs someone from his family on his side. I mean, we love him, but you're his dad, and you need to love him more."

Blaine's dad let out a long sigh. "Finn, it's not that easy for me."

Finn looked him right in the eye, and pulled out the big gun. "Sir, your wife said that she wouldn't sign consent for Blaine to marry Kurt. She really is…the bad guy here…"

The man leaned forward on the table, his attention focused on what Finn was saying. "Go on…"

There was a knock on their door, and Blaine got up to see who it was. "Ok, we need to have this peep hole lowered just a little bit." Kurt laughed, and then turned when he heard Blaine as he opened the door.

"Dad…what are you doing here?"

"May I come in?"

"Of…of course. Kurt, it's my father."

"Welcome to our home, Mr. Anderson. Can I get you anything?"

"No, Kurt. I just wanted to stop by for a moment to ask you something."

They looked at each other nervously. Kurt wondered if he wanted the furniture back. Without even thinking about it, they took each other's hand.

"What is it, Dad?"

"I understand that your mother has refused to sign consent for your two to get…married." The words stuck in his throat, but once he had said them, the bitter taste was no longer there.

"Yes. I think she just spends her time coming up with ways to hurt me. She really needs a new hobby."

"Blaine…I don't agree with this…I think you two are setting yourselves up for a lifetime of struggles…"

"Mr. Anderson, I don't think…" Kurt was cut off in mid sentence.

"Let me finish, Kurt. I don't agree with this…but I won't stand in your way. I made decisions I thought were the right ones, and they've failed miserably. Who am I to say that what you want is so wrong?"

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other, not really comprehending what was being said to them.

"Look, I don't want to be the bad guy. I think you're mother has that title all to herself."

"So…you'll sign the consent?" Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing, and shook his head as if to clear his ears.

"On one condition."

"And that is?"

"I get to pay for the reception."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I mean, I don't know what kind of gift to get a gay couple. So I'll pay for the food. Its' the least I can do for my son…and his…"

"Husband, Dad. My husband."

"Yes. Your husband."

Kurt flashed that million-dollar smile at him. "Mr. Anderson…may I call you Dad?"

Blaine put his arm around him. "Go easy Kurt. Again…baby steps."

"Come on, let me buy you two dinner." He started towards the door, and Blaine called out for him.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Thank you." He reached out to shake his father's hand, and was dumbfounded when his father wrapped his arms around him. "You're welcome, Blaine. Now let's go…your old man needs a drink."

Finn walked into the house and found Carole and Burt in the living room. "We need to contact the catering hall."

"Oh, no. Did it not go well with Blaine's father?"

"Well, he's signing the consent, and he's paying for the reception. So no, it didn't go well at all." Finn stood there with a smile that lit up the room.

"How on earth did you manage that?"

"I played the "your wife is the villain and don't you want to be the hero" card.

"I don't believe it. Finn, you amaze me."

"Like I said, I had this."