Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your amazing and absolutely perfect reviews for the last chapter! I have loved reading every single one of them, and they always make my day a little bit brighter. :) Also, I have heard from a lot of you that this story sounds a bit like a sitcom. And that right there is probably my favorite compliment ever. I'd never really noticed it... but now that I go back and think about it, there are so many antics and cheesy endings, it really does feel like a sitcom, haha! I sure do hope you guys intend that to be a compliment, because, regardless, I think I'm going to take it as one! Especially because this chapter might just be the most sitcom-y of them all! :)

Also, I'd like to apologize for the length of the chapters these days. I have no idea how I used to keep these stories to three to four thousand words, but I highly doubt that there will be a chapter that short ever again. Hopefully, you guys are on board for the long chapters, because I'd love to keep them in the six to seven thousand range!

Until next time (prom!)...

Enjoy! :)

The guys did a lot of negotiating for that Spring Break trip.

There were diagrams and multimedia presentations and sticky note hints all over the house... all for one vacation plan.

One vacation plan that I was the only one in the house who actually needed to be convinced that we should go for.

Even Carole was all for it... but I was pretty hesitant about the whole thing.

They had a lot of good points, though. We could all use some sunshine, and even the doctor had said that a few days of relaxation, completely away from Ohio, could put me in a really great place.

The only real problem with the idea was our starting place.

You see, the guys wanted to go to the beach. A real beach with a real ocean. None of them had ever set foot in the ocean before, and it was something they were all completely set on doing before they graduated.

Of course, Lima's not anywhere near the ocean, and the closest beach, according to all of Kurt's research, was a twelve hour drive.

But they had prepared driving schedules and stopping points and really everything that I could ever argue against.

And when it really came down to it, it ended up being impossible to say no.

They were so well organized, and with Carole on their side, I had no choice but to be won over, really.

Besides, it'd been decades since I'd been in the ocean myself, and even with the expense and the unbelievably long drive... I knew it'd all be worth it in the end.

And even though it was, it still didn't end up being quite as perfect as we'd all hoped.

And even before we left, there was still one big issue that divided the house.

Finn wanted Rachel to come.

"Nope, no, absolutely not."

We were all at the dinner table, and Kurt's eyes looked like they were ready to pop right out of his head.

"Kurt, could you at least hear him out?"

"She's not coming, Dad. It completely defeats the purpose!"

I sighed.

Kurt was the only one who'd say it out loud, but none of us were really on board with being in an enclosed space with Rachel Berry for a total of twenty-four hours.

Plus, Finn was the only one who even completely understood why the two of them were back together in the first place.

"What purpose does it defeat?"

"The purpose of everyone having fun on this vacation, not just you, Finn."

"So, you're saying that my girlfriend is a fun killer?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to one side.

"Have you met Rachel?"

Blaine covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing, and Finn crossed his arms.

"So, she can be a little -"

"Insane?"

"Controlling?"

"Self-involved?"

"Over zealous?"

"... Fun killing?"

"Oh, good one, Blaine."

"Thank you, Kurt."

They smiled at one another and looked back at Finn, who was a little taken off guard by their quick list of issues with Rachel.

Carole and I just laughed and left them to their argument, knowing exactly how all of this was going to end up, regardless of what conclusion they came to.

I knew that Carole was even more against Rachel coming along than the rest of us combined... and that was really saying something.

It wasn't that Carole didn't like Rachel... she just couldn't really stand her for long periods of time. None of us could, save for Finn.

"Okay, fine. Yes, Rachel can be all of those things... but I still think we should put it to a vote."

Kurt smiled and put both of his hands on the table.

"Fine. Raise your hand if you want to spend the entire ride to Virginia Beach listening to Rachel talk about herself."

Finn raised his hand, and everyone else remained still.

I looked to Carole who was smiling and slowly shaking her head.

"Sorry, Finn. You and Rachel can spend plenty of time together before we leave."

Finn sighed and banged his fist on the table.

"I demand a recount."

Blaine just about spit out his drink.

"On what grounds?"

Everyone immediately turned their heads to Finn, waiting for his rebuttal.

But, of course, Finn hadn't actually thought that part through.

"On... on the grounds that she's my girlfriend, and therefore my vote should count for double."

Blaine laughed.

"Finn, with that argument, your vote should count for half because you have a clear bias in the ruling. Besides, two against four still loses."

Blaine took a victory bite, and Kurt just shook his head.

"I bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?"

Finn let his silverware clank against his plate in defeat.

"Fine, okay. I see how it is."

He paused.

"And now it is officially on."

Finn stood up to clear his plate, pushing his chair in for the effect.

Kurt laughed, and Blaine pretended to shiver.

"Oh, Finn! I'm so scared!"

Carole and I weren't too sure what that meant, and were actually a little scared to find out, but Kurt and Blaine could barely contain themselves they were laughing so hard, and even I had to admit, it was pretty funny.

And regardless of Finn's initial feelings about Rachel not being allowed to come along, I think he got over most of it somewhere about halfway through the drive when Kurt finally gave up trying to force him to put away his Doritos.

"They smell like feet."

"They smell like delicious."

Yeah, it was a long car ride alright. But I think that if the three of them hadn't rotated driving duties, it would have been even longer.

Those boys in the backseat for twelve hours... well, I don't even want to imagine what might have happened. I'd guess that Carole and I would have ended up being completely childless by the time we actually got there.

But we did make it. And all in one piece.

We checked into the hotel, and the room really was fantastic.

Carole and I had our own room, but it connected to the boys' room of three twin beds as well as a balcony with a view overlooking the beach.

And as we were all settling in, Finn immediately asserted himself to the bed between Kurt and Blaine's.

"I'm not listening to you two whispering to each other all night."

Kurt laughed and cocked one eyebrow as he tossed his bag to the ground.

"You don't think we can whisper over you, Finn?"

Finn groaned.

"There will be no whispering!"

We'd just had a long drive, and tensions were already running high. But the last thing Carole and I were going to deal with were the three of them arguing over the little things for the entire trip.

I started walking toward their room.

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

I opened the door and stuck my head in.

"No whispering."

Finn smiled in satisfaction.

And I was actually a little bit concerned to see that Kurt and Blaine were already sitting on the same bed together.

Yeah, I knew that it wasn't a big deal, and I knew that Finn was there, but the two of them in the same room together would always make my stomach churn a bit... and it's not like Finn had ever actually stood in their way before.

So, I walked over to them, my accusatory finger at the ready.

"And, hey, you stay on this side of the room, and you stay on that side, alright?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Dad, the lights are on, Finn is standing right here, and we're in a sitting position, fully clothed. What do you think is going to happen exactly?"

Finn's eyes widened, and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Not a part of this."

I sighed.

"Kurt, other side of the room."

Kurt stood up, took a few steps, and sat down on his own bed.

"Hello, Blaine."

He waved, from a few feet away.

"Hi, Kurt."

Blaine tried not to laugh, and Kurt turned his head back to me.

"Are you happy now?"

I smiled.

"No whispering!"

I walked away, and I really hoped that they could keep themselves from killing each other in the same room for a few days.

Yeah, they were all good guys who loved each other more than anything in the world, but putting up with each other in the same room and sharing the same bathroom was a completely different story.

Because Kurt and Blaine had each other, while Finn was still a little ticked off that Rachel wasn't there. And Kurt would spend more time in the bathroom than Finn and Blaine combined. And Finn knew every trick in the book to drive both Kurt and Blaine absolutely crazy.

But before I knew it, it was like I had absolutely nothing to worry about, because the three of them were armed with nets and heading out the door.

"Woah, hey, wait. Where are you guys going?"

Finn had the goofiest grin on his face, and Blaine was trying to hide his own excitement in order to appease Kurt... who was trying to look as defiant as possible.

"Crab hunting!"

Well, that certainly explained the nets and the look on Kurt's face. I couldn't help but agree with him, though.

"You're going crab hunting right now?"

Finn smiled even wider.

"Of course! They only come out at night, and this trip is about making the most of every moment. Right, Kurt?"

Finn looked to Kurt, and a small smile crept onto his face.

They were so great together that way. One minute, one of Finn's crazy ideas really was crazy, and the next minute, he'd said exactly what Kurt needed to hear to be convinced to at least give it a try.

"Alright, yes, we are going crab hunting, and I am excited about it."

If there was one thing Finn was really great at when it came to Kurt, it was getting him out of his comfort zone.

But, of course, occasionally, Finn took that a little bit too far.

When they came back to the room a few hours later, Carole and I were already in bed, having just enjoyed a very nice time completely alone together.

And even though it was getting late, we were already getting excited about all of the days we'd have in the room while they were out doing whatever it was that teenage boys felt like doing on the beach.

"Mom, Burt... look at this. Isn't it incredible?"

Finn immediately shoved what might have been the most enormous sand crab I'd ever seen in our faces.

Carole screamed, and Finn could not stop laughing.

"You really needed to bring that back to the room?"

But Finn had absolutely no idea what the problem was.

"Well, yeah! It's huge, isn't it?"

He was so happy, and it was right then that I realized just how great of an idea taking the three of them to the beach really was.

It was their one last chance to be kids again, and it was the first time I got to see just what it was like for Finn and Blaine to be that blissfully childlike all the time.

I think my smile might have been just as big as Finn's right then... even though he really did need to get that giant crab out of the room.

"Jesus, it really is. How'd you catch that?"

Finn was trying to keep the crab under control as he told the story.

"Well, you see, Blaine got on one side, and Kurt got on another, and we sort of formed a triangle around it, but then Blaine had to nose dive right into the Atlantic to really get a hold of it. It was awesome."

I laughed.

"I'm sure it was."

Carole shot me a look.

"But you should probably take that thing back outside, alright?"

Finn looked to Carole as well.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll... I'll be right back."

And when he did get back, I knew as he walked past us to his own room that there was still a crab in his pocket.

I'm still not really sure why I didn't say anything to him about it. Maybe I was curious about what he was going to do with it. Or maybe I wanted him to be able to keep smiling like he had when he showed me that crab for the rest of his life.

All I know is that I regretted it around two in the morning when Kurt started screaming bloody murder.

"FINN HUDSON, I SWEAR TO GOD -"

I leapt out of bed and opened the door to their room to find that giant crab scurrying out of Kurt's bed and Kurt with his pillow at the ready to hit a laughing Finn as hard as he could.

And somehow, Blaine was still sound asleep.

"Guys, really? What happened to no whispering?"

Kurt was so furious, but he couldn't hide his smile as he looked over at his softly snoring boyfriend.

"Blaine's asleep, Dad."

I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

"Finn, didn't I tell you to take that thing outside?"

He tried not to laugh, still caught up in the the excitement of having successfully scared the hell out of Kurt.

"You did."

I crossed my arms and tried to give him one of my sternest looks, regardless of how completely exhausted I was and how impressed I was at how well Finn had managed to pull it off.

"Take it outside, Finn. Now."

His face fell, and after a few minutes of trying to find the damn thing, he scooped it up in his hands and left the room.

I looked to Kurt who was suddenly finding the whole thing a lot funnier than he had only a few minutes before.

"You're good?"

He smiled.

"I'm good. Thanks, Dad."

I looked to Blaine, who was still completely out.

"How is he still asleep right now?"

Kurt laughed.

"He's a weird one. But I love him."

I turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Kurt. Get some sleep."

"'Night, Dad."

Finn loved retelling that story to Blaine the next morning, who could not have been more disappointed that he'd missed the whole thing.

We were on the beach pretty early that next day, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. The water was great, but it wasn't too crowded. And I was amazed by how relaxing the sound of the waves and the sand between my toes really was.

Kurt soaked himself in 70+ SPF sunscreen and refused to take his t-shirt off, even though he was happily reclined in a beach chair under two umbrellas.

Of course, it was a fight to get Finn and Blaine to put on any sunscreen at all, and they were in the ocean for hours, wrestling and tossing the frisbee back and forth, and seeing just how far out they could swim before the waves got to be too much.

Carole was soaking up the sun, and I loved sitting between her and my son.

And Kurt loved watching Finn and Blaine make fools of themselves in the water.

"Can you believe the two of them? How do they have so much energy, Dad?"

I laughed.

"I have no idea."

He smiled.

"This really was a great idea, you know."

I turned to him.

"What was?"

He motioned to the ocean.

"This trip. I don't know... all of it."

Getting married to Carole, taking Blaine in. Going to the beach. All of it.

"Well, hey, it was your idea."

He laughed.

"You're the one who said yes!"

And I was so glad that I had.

"You're welcome."

He laughed again and took off his sunglasses to really look at me.

"Thank you, Dad. You are the best."

He paused.

"And I really mean that too. Brad Pitt? Nothing on you. Mike Brady? Not even close. And how about Ward Cleaver? No way!"

I laughed.

"Nothing to thank me for, Kurt. This really was a great idea. I feel... fantastic. Better than I have in weeks."

He smiled and grabbed my hand.

"That is exactly what I needed to hear."

I didn't really know what that meant, but there was no time to ask him, because Finn and Blaine were finally making their way toward us.

Finn looked incredibly uncomfortable, and Blaine was literally doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

Kurt and I were confused, but Blaine couldn't even find the air to explain it to us.

He fell down onto a towel next to Kurt and took a deep breath, while Finn was still standing in front of us, his arms crossed and clearly angry about whatever it was.

"He... there was a... oh my God, what are the odds, right?"

Finn huffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep on laughing."

Kurt tried to laugh along with them.

"I'm sorry, but what is going on, exactly?"

Blaine took a deep breath.

"There was a used condom in the ocean."

He kept laughing.

"And it got stuck to his leg! And he -"

"Yes, alright. Thank you, Blaine."

Finn sat down next to Blaine on the towel, and Blaine just kept on laughing.

Kurt was rather satisfied with the whole thing.

"Sounds a little bit like karma to me, Finn."

Finn smiled painfully.

"I'm pretty sure getting a used condom stuck to your leg beats having a sand crab in your bed, like nine times out of ten."

Kurt laughed.

"Still, Finn. Karma."

Blaine had finally stopped laughing and leaned up against Kurt's chair to grab his hand.

But Kurt immediately shivered at the contact.

"Blaine, you are so pruny!"

Blaine looked down at his hands and smiled.

"Well, we've been in the water for... what? Four or five hours?"

Kurt looked appalled at the amount of time that had passed.

"And you haven't reapplied sunscreen once in that time?"

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Kurt. It's waterproof sunscreen! And you did a great job rubbing it in the first time. I don't need anymore."

He stood up, and Kurt crossed his arms.

"Alright, but don't come crying to me when you're as red as a lobster later."

Of course, Kurt was right.

And at dinner that night, we all discovered just how right he was.

Blaine could barely even sit up, because his shoulders were stinging so badly, and his cheeks were as rosy as they could be. Plus, his feet and the back of his hands were exactly as Kurt had predicted.

He was splotchy, and Finn wanted more than anything to pull out a marker and trace all of the weird lines of sunburn.

Especially because, by some miracle, Finn wasn't burnt in the slightest.

"You know, dude, this really is pretty insane."

Finn was inspecting the weird patterns of red on Blaine's arm, and Blaine pulled it away.

"I have no idea how this happened! I had plenty of sunscreen on, and it's in the weirdest spots! I have never been burnt this badly."

Blaine groaned, and Kurt shook his head.

And none of us even acknowledged the group of high schoolers who had just entered the restaurant.

"I told you to put more sunscreen on, but if I recall correctly, someone said he didn't need anymore."

Blaine smiled and wrapped his hand around Kurt's.

"You were right, and I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

Blaine kissed him.

"Well, with that apology, I will happily rub -"

And I guess that's where the trip really started to go downhill.

One of the assholes from that group of kids "accidentally" shoved himself into the back of Blaine's chair, and even though the restaurant was loud, we all heard this guy cough the word faggots under his breath, laugh with the rest of his friends, and walk away.

Finn immediately moved to get up, but Kurt was quick to pull him down.

"Do not -"

"Kurt, those guys -"

"Are drunk. And stupid, and they do not matter. Now, sit down."

Blaine was still rubbing his stomach where it had been pushed into the edge of the table, and Carole and I were completely dumbfounded.

It had happened so fast, and I had barely even registered it before those guys were completely out of sight.

I guess that was when I really started to understand why Kurt and Blaine were always so affectionate toward each other while they were at home. Why that was the first time I'd ever seen them kiss in public as nonchalantly as they had just then and why Kurt was so immediate in his response to Finn.

They couldn't be boyfriends in the real world, and they couldn't do the things that Finn and Rachel could do in the hallways of McKinley.

Blaine looked to Kurt, who was suddenly more focused on the plate in front of him than he'd ever been on any food in his life, and knew exactly what he needed to do.

"So, um... what was that about rubbing?"

Finn snorted, and even Kurt managed to crack a smile.

It felt like it was over. Like it was completely resolved, because Blaine was always ready and able to make Kurt feel better.

But it wasn't.

Not yet, at least.

Because even though we enjoyed the next two days like that incident had never even happened, I should have known that it was still bothering Kurt.

And I should have known that those drunk guys were still on vacation, just like we were.

And I just should have known that it wasn't over.

Especially when it was rounding on one o'clock in the morning, and the boys were still out mini golfing and not answering their cell phones.

Carole and I were already in bed, and I was trying to make myself as calm as she was.

She had her head on my chest, and she could hear my heart race every time I checked the clock.

"I'm sure they just lost track of time, Burt."

I wanted to believe that.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it."

She sighed.

"You don't have to believe me, but I can tell you right now that they are going to walk through that door any minute now, perfectly fine and dandy."

I laughed.

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but they could still answer their phones, don't you think?"

She smiled and sat up to really look at me.

"Oh, you know how they get. I'm sure Finn's losing terribly, and Kurt and Blaine are egging on his frustration for a good laugh, and they're all so caught up in the fun that they've completely forgotten that they even have cell phones."

The best part of that was that I could picture it perfectly. It was exactly like them, and all I needed to do was relax.

I smiled and kissed her.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

And that's when the door slowly creaked open to three completely silent boys.

At least Carole was half right.

Kurt was on the verge of tears, he was so angry, and Finn looked like he'd just killed someone, and Blaine... Blaine just looked like he couldn't have possibly been more lost.

They just stared at us, almost like they were waiting to be sentenced for committing a crime.

"Uh... guys?"

Kurt and Blaine both looked at me, but Finn kept his eyes on the ceiling.

"You want to share what's going on here?"

Blaine sat down in a chair, away from the other two, and Kurt sighed bitterly.

I almost didn't even want to hear the story, it was so uncomfortable.

"Finn, I think this one is yours to take."

Finn shot a look at Kurt, like he couldn't understand why he was so angry about whatever had happened.

He sighed and sat down on the cabinet in front of us.

He explained how those same guys from the restaurant had been at the mini golf place and were right behind them the whole time. Apparently, though, they didn't even say anything to them the entire night. They didn't even act like they'd ever seen Kurt and Blaine kiss, like they didn't care in the slightest that they were playing mini golf right in front of them.

But...

"I might have gotten a little bit carried away."

His shoulders were hunched, and his fingers were loosely interlaced, and he just looked so guilty.

"What do you mean... carried away?"

I tried to read Kurt and Blaine's faces for any kind of answer, but Blaine was completely blank, and Kurt was too furious.

"I might have... I might have hit him in the face with a golf club?"

Carole sighed and covered her face with her hand.

"But it was only once. And it was an accident!"

Kurt shot him one of his more terrible looks.

"Sort of," Finn mumbled.

I got where Finn was coming from.

Finn and I had a lot in common in that way. We both were quick to get angry and quick to lash out whenever something we cared about was in danger.

And the fact that those guys didn't even say anything to Kurt and Blaine on the mini golf course, only made it even worse for Finn. He had to stand there and let it build, just waiting for the moment those assholes had something to say.

And, eventually, he just broke.

Which is why I couldn't understand what Kurt was so pissed about.

"It's fine, though. The other guy is fine, and we're all fine. We're just... we aren't ever allowed to visit that mini golf establishment again for the rest of our lives."

He clapped his hands and tried to smile.

"I think that's perfectly acceptable."

I had to give Finn credit for trying to cheer up a tough situation.

Even Blaine was trying to laugh along with him.

But Kurt was angrier than ever.

"Finn, can you please just not assault any more complete strangers on this vacation?"

Finn turned to him.

"Dude, I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on with you? I was just trying to -"

"You weren't trying to do anything, Finn. You acted without thinking about the consequences in the slightest, and you certainly weren't thinking about how Blaine and I would feel about it!"

Kurt looked to Blaine, whose mouth was slightly agape with no idea of what he was supposed to do or say.

Kurt's eyes welled up with tears, and he turned to escape on the balcony.

Blaine stood up to follow him, but I put up a hand to get him to sit back down.

I needed to talk to Kurt myself, and I needed to know what this whole thing was really about.

I sat down next to him on the balcony, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and just let him cry at first. Kurt always felt better after he let some of the initial stuff go, and I needed him to feel as good as he could if I was ever going to figure this out.

And he wanted to feel good, and he wanted to explain it to me.

I just needed to wait for him to be ready.

And after a few moments, he sat up and wiped his eyes.

"God, Dad... I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me."

I smiled and looked right at him, letting him know that there was no way in hell we were leaving it at something as untrue as that statement.

"Kurt."

He laughed and shook his head.

"No, I really am. Finn was just trying to help, and I completely overreacted."

He sighed.

"It's just..."

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"Do you know why I really wanted to go on this trip?"

So, it was a lot bigger than just the one incident. I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I wanted to know if maybe these things actually got better."

He tried to laugh, and I could see the tears coming back again.

"If maybe this could actually be different somewhere else. If maybe there was actually some kind of hope left for me and Blaine somewhere that isn't Ohio."

He paused and wiped his eyes again.

"I mean, I know that Virginia is no New York City, but I guess I just wanted to know what it felt like to be completely open with Blaine like Finn gets to be with Rachel. I wanted to have fun at the beach away from stupid things like this, you know?"

I nodded, and I hated it so much for him.

I hated that he'd gotten his hopes up so high for something that, when it really came down to it, he should never even have to worry about.

In a perfect world, he could love anyone he wanted to love without having to think about what might happen to him because of it.

"But I was wrong. And I guess I'm always going to be wrong."

He folded his hands in his lap.

"I guess just because a place can be this beautiful, it doesn't mean that everyone can fully appreciate it or act in that same beauty."

I was always amazed by how grown up he was, how wise beyond his years he'd always been, even when I still saw him as my little boy.

"It's never going to get better, is it, Dad? And Blaine and I will just have to deal with these kind of things for the rest of our lives, won't we?"

I stayed silent, sensing that he wasn't quite done talking.

He clenched his fists.

"I just feel so stupid. I don't know why I convinced myself that the beach was some kind of convoluted fantasy world where bad things don't happen and bad people don't exist. But they're everywhere, and it just makes me sick to think about the fact that I'm always going to need Finn to hit some guy in the face with a golf club for the rest of my life."

He rested his head on his hand.

I knew exactly how he felt.

That overwhelming sense of helplessness and of lost hope and that idea that no matter what you do, and how great other people seem to have it, you simply can't understand why you can't share in it as well.

It was exactly how I felt when Kurt's mother died, and it was exactly how Kurt had always felt for far too much of his life.

I tried to find the right words to say.

To address the present situation first and then get to what was more important.

"You know, buddy... I don't think Finn meant to make you feel that way. He just -"

"Of course he didn't, Dad. But it's not fair to him that he even felt like he had to do something! And it's not fair to Blaine and me. And it's not fair to Carole, and it's really not fair to you!"

That was the last thing I was expecting him to say, and I was shocked to see a fresh set of tears forming in his eyes.

I turned to him.

"Hey, what are you saying, it's not fair to me? You know that I always -"

"But you shouldn't have to, Dad. You shouldn't have to deal with all of this too when you already deal with so much."

He paused.

"You almost died, Dad."

His voice was trembling.

"And I... I know that you're already stressed as it is with the shop and sending three kids to college at once, and you don't deserve to have to deal with this too. This trip was supposed to help, not make things worse."

I sighed.

I was the last person Kurt was supposed to be worrying about.

He was a teenager. His life was supposed to revolve around doing the things he loved to do, and making mistakes and spending all of his time with his boyfriend.

He wasn't supposed to have to be thinking about how my heart was taking things like this or how I had to worry about him and Blaine and Finn.

Because it was my job to worry about them, and it was his job to just be him.

"Kurt, you don't need to worry about me, okay? And I am so sorry that you have to deal with people who don't understand how amazing of a kid you are."

He closed his eyes, but his tears only leaked out through his lids.

"But this is gonna get better. You'll see. And just because it's not better right here and right now does not mean you get to give up. You never get to give up, you got that?"

He nodded, and I leaned back in my chair.

"You and Blaine are going to go to New York, and it'll be like... it'll be like none of this ever even existed."

Kurt turned to me, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm really going to miss you, Dad."

I don't know how I kept myself from crying on that balcony that night.

This was my kid, my little boy going off to college... leaving me for the first time. And I really had no idea how I was going to be able to handle that.

But I gulped, and I nodded my head, and I left it for another time.

"I'm really gonna miss you too, Kurt."

He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face.

I smiled and gave him another hug, like it was the last time I'd ever hug him, like there was nothing else in the world that could ever be more important than holding on to my kid.

"How about we go back inside? I'm sure Blaine and Finn are going crazy."

He laughed, and when we opened the door from the balcony, we were surprised to find Blaine already in bed, fighting to keep his eyelids open and Finn, armed with his crab hunting net.

"Finn, what are you -"

But before Kurt could finish the question, Finn had grabbed him around the waist and thrown him over his shoulder.

"Sweet, baby Je - Finn, what are you doing?"

I laughed.

I was always baffled by Finn and how he knew exactly when he needed to fix something.

"You and I are going to go find Alan."

What?

"And may I ask... who is Alan, exactly?"

Finn balked.

"Who is Alan? Kurt, you slept with this guy, and you don't even remember his name?"

Kurt could have screamed.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Finn laughed.

"Oh, this is no joke."

He turned to Blaine, who had just barely sat up.

"Blaine, you coming?"

Blaine rubbed his eyes.

"Mmm, I think I'm going to have to pass on this one."

Finn started walking to the door.

"Alright, suit yourself."

"Wait, hold on. Why does Blaine get an actual say in the matter?"

Finn didn't even consider it.

"Because I can't carry both of you and catch Alan, now can I?"

Kurt sighed, and Blaine laughed.

"Have fun, guys. And try to be quiet when you come in, okay?"

"Will do, Burt."

Finn opened the door, and even from the hallway, we could still hear Kurt's protests.

"Finn, could you please put me down?"

"Not a chance."

Blaine laughed, and I moved to turn off the lights.

"Wait, um... he's - he's okay, right?"

I turned around and smiled.

"Yeah, he's good."

He nodded and yawned.

"And you're alright, Blaine?"

Blaine furrowed his brow, almost like he didn't even understand the question.

"Oh... yeah. I'm fine. I'm always on board with watching Finn hit people with metal rods. Nothing to worry about here."

I laughed.

"Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Burt."

I turned off the lights and climbed back into bed with Carole.

She snuggled up next to me.

"So?"

"So."

I laughed.

"You know, you raised a great kid. He and Kurt are trying to find that giant sand crab again."

She sat up.

"And you let them go?"

"Hey, you were the one who said we shouldn't worry about them!"

She smiled and settled herself back down next to me.

"Yours is pretty great too, you know. Did you know that we are spending all day together at the outlet mall tomorrow?"

I laughed.

"I did not. But I'm sure that both of you will enjoy that very much."

"I'm sure we will. And you know... I think we can both take the credit for Blaine."

I kissed her on the forehead.

She was the perfect woman.

Always accepting, always patient, and always there to be the perfect woman whenever anyone needed her.

"I love you."

She laughed.

"I love you too."

I turned off the lights, and we both fell asleep instantly.

And when I heard Blaine screaming over Kurt and Finn's laughter about an hour later, I stayed right where I was.

I stayed in bed next to my beautiful wife, and I smiled as I listened to Blaine beat the crap out of Finn with a pillow.

Because I loved them... and because it really was funny.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll send me your thoughts! :)

A/N: So, for some reason I'm always writing these chapters on very little sleep... and I always end up writing some really stupid gag ending. Well, for this chapter, I had something like, "And I knew I'd have to have a long talk with Alan the next day, because he was part of the family, and he mattered, now let's get some toast!" as the final line. Anyways, I just had the mental picture of Burt having one of his serious talks with a sand crab, and it made me laugh so hard that I knew I had to share it with you guys. ;D