Author's Note: This chapter has another one of Blaine's stories in it. Feel free to skip it if that's not your thing. It's originally a Dutch story called "De drie schelpjes" (The Three Shells), written by Loes Hermans. I translated it into English.

Also, I want to thank a lovely new guest reviewer, GingerKaz, who sent me no less than three reviews. Thank you so much for your kind words! Could you please log in next time? Then I can send you a pm with a sneak peek at the next chapter :-)

Chapter 38: Bedtime Story

"Happiness isn't a thing. You can't go out and get it like a cup of tea. It's the way you feel about things." (Diana Wynne Jones, Fire and Hemlock)

Toby wasn't happy, that much was obvious. It must have been past his bedtime already, and he was grouchy. Sarah was laughing at him and telling him he was such a baby, until he chased her around the living room screaming and swatting at her. That, in turn, made Rachel snippy, telling Finn that he could just as well watch the game at home and that they needed to leave right now and go put the children to bed.

Carole invited her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to stay the night, if they wanted to. "You and Finn can sleep in Finn's old room, and Sarah and Toby can sleep in Kurt's."

Sarah whined in protest. "Toby kicks all the time, I'm not sleeping in the same bed as him."

Rachel sighed. "Okay, you can sleep with me, and Toby can sleep with Finn."

Sarah looked at Blaine then. "But Blaine is here, and he hasn't told us a story yet. I want a bedtime story."

Blaine stifled a chuckle.

Rachel sighed again. "Blaine and daddy and grandpa are watching a football game on television, they won't want to be disturbed."

Sarah crossed her arms and pouted mutinously. "Blaine likes telling stories."

Rachel cocked her head to the side. "Tell you what, you can ask Blaine, nicely, if he wants to tell you a story. But if he says no, I want no wheedling and no tantrums from you, young lady, is that understood?"

Sarah nodded, her face lighting up with hope and determination. She marched up to Blaine and when he looked up at her questioningly, she asked: "Blaine, would you please tell us a bedtime story? Grandma and grandpa haven't heard you tell stories yet, and I'm sure they'll love it."

Blaine smiled. "Well, I daresay your grandpa would rather stay here and watch the football game, but I'll come along to your bedroom and tell a story for you and your brother and anyone else who wants to listen."

Sarah shot her mother a triumphant look and led the way to her bedroom. Toby, his good humour instantly restored, followed suit, along with Rachel, Carole, Blaine and Kurt.

The two children jumped onto Kurt's old bed and looked up at Blaine expectantly.

"Okay," he said, "What kind of story would you like?"

"Tell us about the man on the moon," said Toby, "Like in the Dreamworks movies."

"Alright then," said Blaine.

"It was a beautiful clear night, and the man on the moon sat peacefully in his silver rocking chair and combed his long beard with a golden comb.

"Uh-oh," he said, "The hair of my beard is terribly dry again!" He dipped his comb into the silver stream that ran across the moon and combed his beard again. That was better. Every now and then, he dipped the comb into the water and went on combing until his whole beard hung down in neat waves.

In the meantime, three tiny silver droplets fell from the beard and fell onto three shells on the beach. The droplets from the silver moon stream attached themselves to the shells and it looked as though the shells each held a beautiful sparkling gemstone.

The droplets softly started to whisper and tell the shells a big secret.

"Listen," they whispered, "Listen carefully: we, as silver moon droplets, have given you magic powers. Each of you can grant a wish, and that is something very special. Whoever finds one of you can consult with two others to make a wish, and that wish will be granted, if, and only if, all three of them wish for the same thing. If each of them asks for something else, no wish will be granted."

"Awww," sighed the shells, "People will love that! So if three grown-ups or children wish for the same thing, the wish will be granted?"

"That's right," said the droplets. "And there's one more thing. There's a magic word. It needs to be said before the wish is expressed, and then everything will turn out all right."

"Right," said the shells, "And what's the magic word?"

"The magic word is 'Tola'."

"Tola," repeated the shells respectfully. "Okay, we'll keep that in mind. How lovely that we will be able to make a few people so happy!"

The shells felt very self-important and they thought it wouldn't take long to find three people who wished for the same thing. They couldn't wait and hoped they would be found soon.

The next morning, as usual, children came to play on the beach. That happened every day, seeing as it was summer vacation. The mothers reclined in beach chairs and watched the children dig holes or make high mountains out of sand. A little girl was looking for shells, and she already had a handful of them when she noticed a very special shell. She hurried to pick it up and took it to her mother.

"Look, mom, I found a beautiful shell. There's a sparkling stone in it!"

"Yes," said her mother, and she took the shell with the silver moon droplet in her hand, "It's so beautiful!"

Then the shell spoke: "There's a spell put on me. I'm a magic shell. You have found me, and now you can make a wish. Your wish will come true if two others wish for the same thing. Think it over very carefully, and when you're sure, I will tell you the magic word that you need to make the wish come true."

"Oh," shouted the little girl happily, "I get to make a wish. I'd like a new doll stroller!"

"Be quiet," said her mother, "You've heard it, there have to be two other people who make a wish."

"You and daddy," said the girl quickly.

"Daddy and I will certainly not wish for a doll stroller, what an idea, we know better things to wish for!"

"But I want a doll stroller!" cried the girl.

Her mother got up angrily. "We're going home, right now. We're taking the shell with us and we discuss it with daddy. Daddy and I will think of something and then you have to wish for the same thing."

"But all I want is a new doll stroller," screamed the girl, furious, "And I am the one who found the shell!"

"Hold your tongue, you're naughty," said her mother, and angrily, she tugged her daughter along and walked home with her.

When the girl's father had heard the whole story, he said: "Oh, I know exactly what I want. I want to be king; that would be awesome. I'd have a kingdom, mommy will be queen, and you," he said to his daughter, "you will be a princess, wouldn't you like that?"

"No," said the girl, "All I want is a doll stroller!"

"I don't want to be queen," said her mother, "Where did you get that idea? It would be much better for us to wish for new furniture and a new house and a nice garden."

"Oh come on," said the girl's father angrily, "Those are all ordinary things that you can buy afterwards, as soon as you have enough money. You can't become king every day. No, I won't change my mind. I want to be king and that's what you have to wish for as well."

"I want a doll stroller," the girl wailed again, "And I am the one who found the shell!"

"That doesn't matter," said her father, "You are much too small to know what you want. You must wish what I want and I want to be king."

"No, no, no," said the mother, "New furniture and a new house, that's enough."

"Oh, please," said her husband, "A king can buy as much furniture as he wants. Come on, you need to wish for the same thing I want."

Then the mother started crying and lamenting too. The girl threw a tantrum about her doll stroller and her father got so angry that he slammed his fist onto the table.

The consequences of that were terrible. He hadn't noticed exactly where the shell was on the table and his fist slammed right into it. Only tiny fragments of it remained.

Now the mother cried even harder, the girl jumped in fright and even the father let tears stream down his face, because none of their wishes could ever be granted now …

The second shell was found by a boy who was playing on the beach with two friends of his. When he'd heard the story the shell told him, he called for his friends and repeated the strange story.

"That's sweet," said one of the boys, "I'd like a scooter."

"No, a football," said the other one.

But the boy who had found the shell, said: "You are both silly. What use is a scooter or a football? No, I want fish gear. I wish for fish gear. I love fishing. You need to wish for fish gear, or else the wish won't be granted."

"Fat chance. Fishing is boring. I want the scooter, that's much nicer."

"Not a chance, I want a football!"

The boys got all worked up about it and couldn't work it out. In the end, they started fighting. They hit and kicked each other and looked like a giant living ball falling onto the ground and rolling over the beach fighting. All of a sudden, the boy who'd found the shell yelled: "Wait a second, the shell's gone!"

During the fight, it had slipped from his fingers. That shook up the boys and made them snap out of their tiff. They joined forces to look for the shell, but however much they dug and delved into the sand with their hands, they couldn't find it. The shell had been buried deeper and deeper under the sand during the fight, due to the stamping feet of the boys. It was never found again.

The third shell was found by a little boy walking on the beach with his dad.

"Look what a beautiful shell I've found, dad," he said, and he showed it to his father.

The man took the shell in his hand, and it told him about the wish it could grant, if three people wished for the same thing.

The father didn't have to think long. He looked at his son. He didn't ask anything, but he was almost sure that the boy was having similar thoughts.

"Let's hurry home, the third person should be mother, don't you agree?"

The boy nodded and they walked home as fast as they could. When they were nearly there, they started to run. That's in how much of a hurry they were.

At home, the mother was sewing. She looked up surprised when her husband and son came back from their walk so soon. Lynn, the eldest child of the family, was in bed, and she looked surprised as well. Her bed stood at the window. Lynn was always ill, and the doctor had told them she would never get better.

The father and the boy were out of breath from running so hard, and they panted as they told what had happened. The mother's eyes brightened. She looked at her husband and smiled. There was no need to ask what his dearest wish was. She knew both of them had only one wish: seeing their daughter healthy again.

Then, she admired the shell. She looked at her son and pulled him closer. "What would you wish for?" she asked, "You found the shell. Tell us what you would like best of all." She stroked the boy's cheek softly, and he dropped a quick kiss on her hand. He looked at his father, then at his mother and then at his sister, and said: "More than anything, I'd want Lynn to get well again."

"That's the most beautiful wish you could think of," said the mother, and she smiled. "Ask for the magic word, father, and we'll see if the wish is indeed granted."

The shell said: "The magic word is Tola."

All three of them said solemnly: "Tola. We wish that Lynn gets well again."

Right after they had said that, Lynn's pale cheeks grew pinker. She laughed, threw the covers off the bed and said: "I don't feel ill at all anymore. I'm recovered, mother, father, truly I am!" She jumped out of bed and threw her arms around her parents and brother.

On the table lay the shell. It felt proud and happy. The silver droplet from the moon stream glistened in the light of the setting sun, as though it was a real diamond …"

When Blaine finished telling his story, you could hear a pin drop. The children had quieted down and were watching him wide-eyed, and both Rachel and Carole were brushing away a tear. He felt arms circle his waist and a feather-light kiss on his temple. He took that to mean that Kurt had enjoyed his story as well.

Once the two sleepy children were in their pyjamas, teeth brushed and ready for bed, Kurt and Blaine took their leave of everyone.

Sarah and Toby implored Blaine to come back soon. Rachel gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered: "You make such a lovely couple."

Carole gave Blaine another warm hug and murmured softly into his ear: "Welcome to the family, dear."

Finn fist-bumped Blaine and told him he was always welcome whenever the New Directions boys had a bro night, he'd fit right in.

But Blaine was most surprised, yet gratified, when Burt gave him a pat on the back and a standing invitation to the Hudmel Friday Dinners.

Maybe he likes me after all …

K&B

They headed back to Kurt's place without saying a word. The silence didn't bother Blaine, but every now and then he stole a glance at Kurt, who was holding his hand, but was clearly miles away, lost in thought.

It wasn't until Blaine had parked his car in front of Kurt's shop that Kurt spoke.

"I wish I had found one of those shells when I was eight," he said wistfully. "My mother was so very ill that no doctor could make her better. And I was so frightened and lost and angry. She was my whole world. My dad is great, but my mom … She really got me. She knew me inside and out. So when she died, my world crumbled. And I took it out on my dad. He seemed so indifferent, you know. He would just go about his day as if nothing had happened. Like a sleepwalker, really. He hardly noticed me at the time. He was so wrapped up in grief, I know that now, but back then, I was angry. Angry at the whole world for taking my mom away from me, but especially angry at my dad for not missing my mom like I did - or so I thought. I even resented him for staying alive while my mother was gone. I'd rather have switched them. Kept my mom and lost my dad. Horrible, isn't it? But it's what I felt like back then. So I would kick and scream whenever he came near me, not wanting him to feed or wash or clothe me. And after a while, he gave up and let his sister, my aunt Mary, take me in. That must have been such a hard decision for him to make. Losing his son right after his wife. But he did it, because he wanted what was best for me. He was so glad when I came back to Lima right after my sixteenth birthday. So happy. But it took only one look at the sullen teenager I was for his happiness to plummet again. And I kicked up a fuss about him having a girlfriend, and made him feel guilty about it. It took a long time for us to bond again, and I've never let him in completely. Tonight was the first time I've ever mentioned Sebastian to him. I'll never be as close to my dad as I was to my mom, but he's a wonderful dad. Maybe I should make more of an effort. Be less closed-off."

Blaine unbuckled his seat belt and Kurt's, and pulled Kurt towards him for a hug. "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. Everyone deals with grief differently. The important thing is that you came back to him, and that you mended the bridges. I'm sorry I told a story that triggered memories of your mother's death."

Kurt's lithe frame shook in Blaine's arms as he sobbed, and Blaine rubbed soothing circles on his back and murmured sweet nothings until Kurt quieted.

"Let's get you upstairs and into bed," said Blaine.

Kurt sniffled and nodded. They got out of the car, Blaine slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and immediately circled Kurt's waist and pulled him close.

Upstairs, they changed into their pyjamas and brushed their teeth next to each other, sneaking glances and smiling at the domesticity of it all.

There was no mention of the guest bedroom this time. They both went to Kurt's bedroom without a second thought and got into bed.

"Will you hold me?" asked Kurt, his eyes pleading.

"Of course," smiled Blaine, and held his arms open.

Kurt crawled closer, until their noses almost touched. Blaine gave Kurt a quick bunny kiss. That made his cheeks warm up, his lips turn up and his eyes crinkle.

"Hey," said Blaine warmly.

"Hey," breathed Kurt.

They kissed lazily for a while, until their eyes started to droop.

"Time to sleep, I think," yawned Kurt.

"Sweet dreams, love," said Blaine.

"With you, always," declared Kurt. "Good night, honey."

As he was drifting off to sleep, Blaine smiled into the darkness and hugged Kurt a bit more tightly to him.

I want you in my arms always.