Happy Saturday!

I'm so happy everyone seemed to like the New York chapter. Thank you for your comments. You guys rock!

There's a lot happening in this one – can't wait to see what you think!

Endless gratitude for Christine, the best beta in not only the Glee fandom, but all fandoms.

Neither of them mentioned it, but they both began to breathe a little easier as soon as they were back in Ohio, New York far behind them, and the ghosts of the past thankfully stayed there to haunt that city and hopefully leave them alone.

They sat at the front of the bus as they headed back to McKinley, where proud parents were going to pick up a very tired group of show choir champions. It was probably because of this exhaustion – most of them were so deeply asleep they were drooling on the teammate sitting right next to them – that no one noticed their coach and the coach of the Warblers were snuggling in the front seat, Blaine's head comfortably nested on Kurt's shoulder as they watched the increasingly familiar streets pass them by the window, and dreamed of coffee and hugging their children.

It was past noon by the time they finally made it back home. Kurt almost felt like weeping in relief as they walked up the driveway towards the front door. He was so happy to see this house and to know who exactly was waiting for him inside.

They opened the door and walked in, dropping their luggage against the wall. Kurt had almost expected the kids to run towards them immediately, but the house was utterly silent.

"We're home!" He called. There was no response.

They frowned at each other in confusion, worry already creeping in deep inside of him, and made their way towards the living room.

As soon as they were there, Kurt's heart began to pound against his ribcage, but not in fear. He could hear the muffled giggles from behind the couch, where both Finn and Olivia were failing to hide themselves properly.

Blaine glanced at him, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "I wonder where everyone is…" He said a little louder than necessary.

The kids jumped from their hiding spot squealing and holding up a sign with crooked handwriting that said "Congratulations, daddy!" in every color of the rainbow.

Kurt laughed and immediately went down on his knees, arms open and ready to embrace them as they launched themselves at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his parents walking into the room with complicit smiles on their faces, but he closed his eyes and focused on this instead. Oh how he had missed these two.

Finn was clinging to him so tightly, Kurt barely could get oxygen into his lungs, and still he didn't care. "I missed you," his son whispered quietly into his ear.

Kurt turned his head to press a kiss to his boy's head. "I missed you, too." He ran one of his hands through Olivia's hair lovingly. "Did you guys have a nice time?"

"It was amazing!" She said happily, before pulling away to run into her father's arms. Blaine lifted her up in the air and spun her around while she laughed.

Kurt finally stood back up to say hello to his parents while Finn bounced his way to Blaine and attached himself to his legs.

"Thanks for watching them. I hope they weren't too much trouble?" He asked as he gave his dad a quick hug.

"They were perfect little angels," Carole replied as she accepted a kiss on the cheek. "We loved having them."

"How are you, guys? You must be exhausted," Burt said, patting his son's back.

Kurt opened his mouth to reply, but there was a loud shriek, and he turned around to find the kids had tackled Blaine to the floor and were currently attacking him with tickles. Blaine squirmed and laughed, the kind of good laugh that makes your stomach hurt, as he tried to get away from their evil little fingers.

Kurt smiled, overwhelmed with how happy he felt and said, his eyes fixed on the messy pile on the floor: "I'm great, dad. I'm great."

He had never meant it as much as he did right then.

The end of the school year was approaching quickly, which meant there was too much to do and not enough time. Blaine was really looking forward to summer break – he and Olivia always went away for a few weeks to rest and spend time outdoors and simply enjoy each other's company, and he was looking forward to it more than ever this year.

But first, they had to get through the last few weeks of school, which meant a lot work for both Blaine and Kurt, and getting ready for the school play for Finn and Olivia.

Miss Mayra had informed them the kids would put up Little Red Riding Hood, and that the parents were expected to help them with their costumes. Olivia had been offered the part of Little Red Riding Hood, but had actually rejected it, much to Blaine's surprise.

"I want to play the Grandma," Olivia said nonchalantly when Kurt and Blaine asked her why. "She gets to be in her pajamas and in bed the entire play."

It had been so, so hard to bite back the laughter that threatened to spill from them. They couldn't say she was wrong, though. The Grandma was clearly the smarter choice.

Finn, who had been initially asked to play the woodsman, had immediately declined as well – it was too much spotlight for such a shy kid. He was much happier playing a tree.

Kurt had sighed dramatically. "They get offered leading parts and they reject them. Are we sure they are our kids?"

Blaine rubbed his back comfortingly, trying not to laugh. "It could be worse, Kurt. Just let it go."

Kurt had offered to make both of their costumes, since Blaine was absolutely useless when it came to using a sewing machine.

"I was just going to get her costume made like I do every year and for Halloween," Blaine said, shrugging.

"I don't mind," Kurt had replied. "I'll come over this weekend, take her measurements?"

He said it as if they didn't already spend every single weekend together.

That's how, on Saturday afternoon, the four of them were gathered in Blaine's kitchen, Olivia standing on a chair while Kurt wrote down her measurements on the little sketch he had drawn for her costume. Blaine stood against the counter, waiting for the water to boil for their tea. It was a cozy rainy afternoon, and after they were done with the costumes, they were planning to have a little movie marathon – Finn was currently busy narrowing down their options.

It was all so… perfect.

It was scary, just how perfect it was.

The kettle began to whistle, forcing Blaine to take his eyes off Kurt. He poured the water into the mugs with the teabags, watching as the liquid became darker and darker. He grabbed one and took it to the table, putting it within reach of Kurt, but far enough that he wouldn't knock it while distracted with his work.

Kurt smiled up at him, a pencil behind his ear, his blue eyes so bright and gorgeous. "Thanks."

Blaine's heart always did a funny little thing around him. Whenever he looked at him, he always felt like he was seventeen years old all over again. He smiled back and then went around to table to stand next to Finn. He pressed a hand on his little shoulder, grateful when he didn't flinch and simply glanced up at him with a smile so similar to his daddy's that Blaine nearly melted.

"So, what are our options, kiddo?"

Finn lifted three of Blaine's old DVDs. "The Aristocats, Dumbo, and Monsters Inc."

"Oh god," Kurt mumbled distractedly, as he wrote something down. "Not Dumbo, please. I ugly-cry every time."

Blaine nudged Finn a little. "Maybe something a little happier for your dad?"

Finn bit his lip, considering the options, and lifted another DVD. "Up!"

Kurt groaned. "Like that's any better, sweetie."

"Then you pick one, daddy," Finn said, pushing the DVD pile towards him. "One that makes you happy."

Kurt's smile for his son was so soft, of course Blaine's heart picked up pace. "How about The Princess and the Frog? That's a nice one and you haven't seen it yet."

"Okay!" Finn agreed immediately, because he would never say no if he knew he could make his dad a little happier.

Blaine couldn't resist the urge to lean down and press a kiss to the top of his head, before he moved back to the counter to fetch his tea. He didn't miss the way Kurt watched him as he did.

Soon, they were all snuggling on the couch in front of the TV, the rain splattering the windows steadily, a big bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and the first movie just beginning. Finn was pressed to his dad's side, Olivia to Blaine's, and as he played with her hair, he felt Kurt shifting imperceptibly closer to him, enough that Blaine had to lift his arm to make room for him. He pressed it to the back of the couch and left it there for a while, but eventually lowered it to wrap it around Kurt's shoulders, bending his elbow so he could hold him and bury his fingers in Kurt's thick, soft hair at the same time.

Maybe he imagined it, but he could have sworn Kurt hummed in appreciation before he finally, finally let his head fall onto Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine didn't dare move. Maybe if he moved, he would wake up and realize that this perfect, simple moment was nothing but a dream.

Miss Mayra was busy trying to calm Lily down. Olivia thought she looked really pretty in her Little Red Riding Hood costume, so she couldn't understand why she had burst into tears like that, out of nowhere, when they were supposed to be on stage in less than five minutes. But the distraction was actually very useful to Olivia.

"Come on," she whispered quietly, as she grabbed Finn's hand. "Let's go take a look."

Finn followed her without questioning exactly where they were going. It was difficult for him to move in his pretty tree costume – maybe she should have been a tree, too. She could have asked Kurt to add flowers or apples to hers. Her wig was scratchy, even if she was super comfortable in her sleeping gown. The glasses she was wearing were a little too big for her and kept slipping down her nose, but she liked them. Uncle Cooper had given them to her, saying they were from his actor days. He had even tried to teach her how to do her scenes – it had involved a lot of pointing at the wolf and screaming at him not to eat her. She had tried to do it during one of the rehearsals, but Miss Mayra hadn't liked it very much.

"Amateurs," Uncle Cooper had said when she told him about it.

Olivia stopped right behind the curtain and peeled a bit of it aside, just enough so they could look out at the audience. It was full and very loud out there. She thought it would be difficult to find exactly what she was looking for, but it wasn't. Right there, in the third row...

"Look," she said, pointing so Finn could see them, too.

Burt and Carole were sitting together – she really liked them, they were the coolest grandparents she had ever met; Burt was always happy to play with them and Carole made snacks so delicious she wanted to lick the plates afterwards. Then there was Kurt, right next to her daddy, and they were leaning close together, talking. From where she was standing, she could see their hands were touching a little, sides pressed together as much as they could in those uncomfortable seats. Then her grandparents, reading the program, and Uncle Cooper and Aunt Maggie, who were laughing at something they were looking at on his phone.

It was really nice to see them all together, like they had been at her daddy's birthday a while ago. She had always wanted to have a really big family, and with Finn's family there, she could almost pretend that she had it.

Finn's blue eyes were scanning the crowd a little anxiously. She knew he was nervous about going on stage, so she thought it would be a good idea to make him think about something else.

"Don't you think it would be a really great idea if we could be a family?" She asked.

Finn frowned, but looked away from the crowd to stare at her instead. "What do you mean?"

"If our daddies got married, you would be my brother," she explained. "And your grandparents would be my grandparents, too. And you could have mine! And you would get to have an uncle! My Uncle Cooper is really cool."

"Grandma Carole says I have an uncle," Finn muttered thoughtfully. "He's in heaven now. But my daddy named me after him and they say he would have really liked me, and he would have played with me all the time."

That made Olivia sad. "I'm sure that would have been so much fun. But you could have my Uncle Cooper. He's really nice too, and so funny. And my Aunt Maggie always takes me to really nice places and she organizes the best pajama parties."

Finn tried to get more comfortable in his costume, which proved to be a little difficult. "It would be nice, I just don't see how that would happen."

"Our daddies really like each other," Olivia shrugged, like that was enough. She then began bouncing in excitement. "Oh! And you know what? My daddy would be your daddy, too!"

Once again, Finn frowned. "I... don't know. I didn't like having another daddy. He was really mean, and he hurt my dad..."

Olivia made a sad little sound in the back of her throat and dropped her head on her friend's shoulder. As much as she could when he was dressed as a tree, anyway. "I know. But my daddy would never hurt him. He's so happy when you and your daddy are with us. And..." she paused. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to say this or not, so she lowered her voice: "and I saw them kiss the other day. Like, on the mouth, like boyfriends and married daddies do."

Finn gasped. "Really? When?"

"You know the last time we went to your house for dinner? Dad carried me to the car because I was sleepy. But I opened my eyes for a moment and your daddy had walked us out, and they kissed," she said very seriously, because this was something very serious and very important. "And they hug and like, hold hands all the time."

"That's true," Finn admitted, looking down at the floor as he thought. "And you're right, Ollie. My daddy is super happy with your daddy, too. He never smiled before. But he's finally happy now."

Olivia glanced out at them again – Kurt was laughing at something her daddy had said and he was so pretty, especially now. She really loved Kurt. She liked having him around, and when she had been super sad about her other dad leaving her behind, having him in her life had made her feel better. He was always so nice to her, hugged her and kissed her and helped her with her costume even though he didn't have to. He was already a better daddy than her other daddy had been...

She really, really wanted to call Kurt her daddy, too.

"If they got married," Finn said after a little while, "we would live together, right?"

"Yes!" She said clapping her hands in excitement. "It would be like having a sleep over every day!"

Finn let out a wistful little sigh. "I would like it, I think. If your daddy was my daddy, too."

"Me too," Olivia wrapped her arms around him. "Me too."

They stayed right there, watching the family they wished they could share, until Miss Mayra came looking for them.

Once the applause died down, Cooper stood up and stretched. He had no idea how long the whole thing had lasted, but he felt as if he had aged ten years while watching those terrible actors butchering every single line. It didn't matter that they were kindergarteners, they should have known better. Acting was an art, and it had been incredibly disrespected today.

Olivia had been wonderful, though, and it wasn't just because he might be a little biased. That girl was truly talented.

He looked down the row. When he had arrived and found the seating arrangements, part of him had been surprised, and part of him had only thought of course. Andersons and Hummels sitting together like one big, happy family. And actually behaving like a family, and wasn't that worse? His parents had already stood up and moved down the row to talk to Burt and Carole, and Kurt and Blaine had stepped aside to go get the kids. Cooper could see them standing close together near the stage, shoulders brushing and it was that unspoken, subtle intimacy that truly told him there was no going back from this – whatever had been happening between them lately (and Blaine had practically stopped telling him about it, probably because he was sick of listening to Cooper's opinions), they had gotten even closer and if heartbreak was meant to happen, then there was no way to change that already. He couldn't save his brother.

Why could he never save his brother in time?

All he could ever do was pick up the pieces after he had been hurt, but he never managed to prevent it.

He was pulled from his own thoughts by Maggie leaning up on her tip toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Are you okay?" She asked, tilting her head as she regarded him. "You look like you're a million miles away."

He smiled at her. Why couldn't Blaine find something as easy, as wonderful and as healthy as what he had with Maggie? That was all he wanted for him. "I'm fine."

"Sure, you just like staring daggers at Kurt's back," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "It's like a sport for you."

"I'm not staring daggers at him. We have a truce," Cooper retorted, pretending to be offended. "I'm a man of my word. I'm a gentleman."

"Honey, he's fine," she murmured, poking him as if to get his attention. "Look at him – have you seen him smile like that before? I don't think I ever have, since I've known him."

Cooper did look, and he hated admitting that she was right. Just as he was watching, the kids came running from backstage, still in their costumes, except Ollie seemed to have lost her wig already, Finn trailing behind her awkwardly trapped in that tree costume, and they both flung themselves at their parents and they looked...

They looked like a family.

"The last time he smiled like that was when he was with Kurt," Cooper said in a low voice. "It's just... I know I keep sounding like a broken record, but he's already so deep into this..."

"You have to trust that he knows what he's doing." She squeezed his arm.

He nodded, because he didn't know what else to say, which was unusual for him, and simply watched how Kurt and Blaine walked back to their families, their kids in their arms, listening to them attentively as Olivia and Finn probably babbled about what they thought had been a very successful production.

He had a few notes, he would make sure to contact their teacher later.

Maggie grabbed his hand and they moved closer to the rest of the group. Everyone congratulated the kids on their performances (Maggie squeezed his hand extra hard as if to warn him not to be too critical), before they started making the very slow march towards the exit, too many parents and too many excited kids in their way.

Once in the parking lot, where the air wasn't as stuffy as it had been inside the little auditorium, his dad turned to Blaine.

"We could go out for dinner. It's still early..." He said, looking down at his watch.

"Oh, I... I have dinner with the Hummels on Fridays," Blaine said apologetically. "Maybe tomorrow?"

Burt clasped Blaine on the shoulder and then addressed the rest of the group. "Why don't you all come over? There's plenty of food for everyone."

"Burt's been obsessed with the grill ever since the weather got nice again," Carole said with a fond eye roll, and did all wives do that? "We have enough burgers and hot dogs to feed an army. Please, join us."

Cooper expected his father to politely decline. After all, the Andersons weren't really burgers-and-hot-dogs kind of people. He was shocked when his mother accepted the invitation without a second's hesitation, immediately asking Carole if they should pick something up on the way – some appetizers? Maybe a few drinks?

"We have everything we need, just bring yourselves and that'll be enough," Burt reassured them with an easy smile.

Before Cooper could even process what was going on, everyone started moving towards their own cars. He glanced around the parking lot and couldn't see Blaine's, so he called after him: "Need a ride, Squirt?"

Blaine turned to look at him, walking backwards as he followed Kurt. "No need, Coop. Kurt drove us here. I'll see you there!"

Of course.

All they needed was a ring on their fingers.

Cooper reluctantly began walking towards his own car. He had done all he could to protect Blaine. Now all he could do was wait and see what happened – they would either end up at the altar, or completely wrecking each other once more.

He really, really hoped it would be the first one.

It was very probable that he wouldn't even have remembered if it wasn't because his father brought it up one morning, while Kurt stood at the kitchen counter, watching the coffee maker as if he could make it drip faster just by looking at it.

"So, your birthday's coming up, kiddo," Burt said as he reached into the cupboard for a box of cereal. "Anything in particular you want to do?"

Kurt, sleepy as he was, frowned in confusion, before his brain slowly managed to remember the date. His birthday had just been one more day to him for the past few years – what was he even going to celebrate? He remembered his first birthday with Gabriel, who had bought him flowers and cooked him dinner, the only time he had ever done that, and in the first days of violence, Kurt would always think back to that day and tell himself but he's good. He got me flowers.

It had taken a long time for him to understand that it had all been a façade, a way to make him feel safe, to make him trust the one person he never should have trusted, a way to make it easier to be manipulated.

"I… don't know," he muttered.

One more year. He was alive and safe, surrounded by a family who loved him, who had welcomed him back with open arms despite having all the right in the world to close the door in his face, to be mad at him for disappearing. He had a job he loved, that he was good at. He had a son he was so, so grateful for, who made every day worth it, who gave him strength when he faltered, who reminded him why he had to keep going.

And he had Blaine – and Ollie – as well.

Against all odds, he had Blaine.

"Come on, there has to be something you want to do," his father said, and there was a strange brightness in his eyes.

Kurt thought back to all those years he had been absent, all those years he had spent without his father. They never talked about how hard it must have been for him, to not know where his only son was, if he was safe, if he was even alive. He thought about his poor dad, the most loving and wonderful man who had ever walked the Earth, having to face Kurt's birthday every year without him there, without a phone number to call, without an address where he could visit him, without a single word from him.

It was a shock, really, that Burt Hummel had managed to survive that kind of heartache.

He took a deep breath, squeezed his dad's forearm and kissed his cheek, feeling so happy that he was still here and that he had forgiven him.

"I just want to be with you guys. I don't care about the rest," he said, because it was true. He didn't care about cakes or presents, about parties or decorations. All he wanted was the people he loved, the people he was grateful to have in his life.

The coffee finally finished dripping into the pot, so Kurt poured himself a cup before joining his dad at the kitchen table. He tried to think about what he was supposed to do at work that day, but now that he had opened the gate to the bad memories, it was difficult to shake them off.

He was saved from the darkness of them by Carole, who came into the kitchen then and walked straight to him.

"Kurt, I think this is for you."

She extended a large envelope with the logo of the Ohio University on it. Kurt's heart stopped.

Whatever was inside this envelope would determine the course of his future. Part of him knew that Sue Sylvester wouldn't let him go now that he had a winning Glee club – she had even been ecstatic about them placing third at Nationals, had recognized what a huge achievement it had been. She had his back. She would make sure he could keep his job. But he couldn't make a living out of the goodness she was willing to show him, couldn't forge a future for him and his son if he couldn't stand a little steadier on his own two feet. He wanted more than to scrape by, wanted to help his parents after they had supported him all these months, wanted to maybe one day have his own place where he could raise his son and continue building their new life. He wanted so much more.

And if the answer was no, then Kurt would just have to keep looking for a yes. He would have to think of new alternatives, of new paths he could walk. Because one university not wanting him couldn't and wouldn't stop him. Not now that he had realized that what he wanted the most was to live, and to live as well as he could, as happily as he could, as fulfilled as he could.

Carole had gone around the table to stand next to Burt, her hands on his shoulders as if she needed the support. She smiled encouragingly at him, and just by looking at that smile, Kurt knew that whatever this letter said, he had their support. And that was worth more than anything else he could ever have.

"Aren't you going to open it?" His father asked, leaning across the table a little.

Kurt took a deep breath and opened it.

The silence stretched through the kitchen, thick, full of anticipation, as he read. His eyes scanned the lines, and he forced himself to just keep breathing.

Then he looked up at his parents and he said: "I got in."

Carole screamed in delight as Burt pushed the chair back to stand up, hurrying to the other side of the table and pulling Kurt to his feet so he could hug him tightly against his chest. Somehow, Kurt had expected him to be loud in his excitement, but Burt was so quiet, instead, as he held him, rocking him slightly from side to side, his big hand on the back of Kurt's head.

"I'm so proud, Kurt," he muttered in a low, scratchy voice, like he was holding back tears. "I'm so proud."

Kurt's fingers tightened on the back of Burt's shirt, fisting the material as if he was scared his father would let go if he didn't hold on as firmly as he could. "Thank you, dad."

And he was thanking him for more than his words. He was thanking him for everything he had done since the day Kurt had been born, for always loving him and accepting him no matter what. But mostly, for opening the door for him that morning, for giving him his home back, for giving his son a safe shelter where he could have a happier childhood than he'd had until then. He was thanking him because Burt Hummel being an amazing father had been the difference between Kurt having a second chance or having to give up when there was nowhere else to go.

If someone had told Kurt Hummel a year ago that he would be capable of being this happy again, he would have scoffed and touched his bruises with his fingertips.

Burt pulled away slowly and Kurt barely had time to register the wetness in his eyes before Carole was pulling him into another hug, whispering her congratulations in his ear.

"Well," Burt said then, and grinned. "Now we really do have to celebrate."

Kurt couldn't agree more.

Throughout the years, many things had changed in Lima, though its essence remained the same. New clothing stores, grocery stores, bars and parking lots, a new park and a new elementary school... but despite all the changes that Kurt hadn't been around to see come to life, there was one thing that hadn't changed at all.

There were no fine dining establishments in Lima – the closest thing you could get to it, and it was a stretch, was still Breadstix.

But Kurt didn't care where he spent his birthday – he cared who he spent it with.

Plus, he had to admit, there was something a little bit nostalgic about letting his dad take everyone out for dinner at the same place they had come to since he was still a kid. He remembered so many dinners alone with his dad, when it had been just the two of them, until Carole and Finn had joined their little family, and soon after Blaine, all five of them squeezed in a booth, chatting over pasta and sodas. He remembered so many dinner dates with Blaine, because it was always either Breadstix or the Lima Bean, unless they felt like driving out to Westerville or somewhere further away for a change. He remembered sitting in a booth, Blaine's hand in his, asking him to prom and Blaine's bravery at accepting even though he had been terrified about the repercussions of two boys going to a school dance together.

How they had loved each other, so openly, so courageously, like they had it all figured out...

They gathered in the parking lot, managing to snatch two parking spaces next to each other, and Finn was already waving out the window, having recognized Blaine's car. He jumped out as soon as Kurt unhooked him from his booster seat, eager to say hello to his friend.

Blaine helped Olivia out of the backseat and she immediately bounced over to Kurt, a huge bouquet of flowers in her arms, almost big enough to topple her. He could barely see her smile over the flowers, and his heart began to beat a little harder against his ribcage.

"Happy birthday, Kurt!" She exclaimed.

"Oh honey. Thank you," he said, leaning down so he could accept the flowers as she thrust them towards him. He looked up at Blaine, who was smiling down at the both of them. "You guys didn't have to."

"Those are from her," Blaine said with a shrug, like he had nothing to do with it. "She insisted."

"I picked them!" She said proudly. "Look, Kurt! They match your eyes."

He buried his nose in the gorgeous blue hydrangeas mixed with white roses here and there. Then he brushed her hair off her forehead tenderly so he could place a kiss there. "I love them, Ollie. Thank you so much."

He loved her so much more than he had ever loved the last person who had gotten him flowers.

She beamed at him.

Burt seemed to be very happy about slipping back into his old role – guiding the whole family into the restaurant, finding a big enough booth for all of them, letting Finn and Carole slip into the seat before he sat on his end. Kurt did the same on the other end, letting Olivia and Blaine go before him.

As soon as the waitress stopped at their table, Burt looked up at her with a grin and said: "We're celebrating my son's birthday, and it's my treat, so if any of these clowns try to pay for this meal, you say no, okay? You bring the check only to me."

"Dad, you know that's not necessary…" Kurt said at once.

Blaine leaned over the table. "Burt, I can…"

"No," Burt said sharply looking at them pointedly. "It's been a long time since we've all been out like this, so you're going to let me enjoy it. Got it?"

They both nodded, looking defeated. They knew there was no point arguing with Burt Hummel.

The waitress chuckled under her breath as she handed them their menus.

Kurt could feel the warmth of Blaine's leg as it pressed against his under the table. He thought about placing his hand on his thigh, about grabbing his hand and just holding it – he wanted to hold it, should he? Here, in front of everyone? It could be his own birthday present for himself…

He remembered the conversation he'd had with his dad out on the porch, the warning he had given him about not hurting Blaine again.

Why was everyone so convinced that he wanted to hurt him? Didn't they know…? Didn't they understand…?

The waitress had barely finished putting their drinks on the table when Burt was raising his. "Let's toast. Kurt, congratulations on getting accepted into college, and happy birthday."

Kurt was not going to cry in the middle of a restaurant on his birthday. "Thank you, dad."

The conversation flowed easily, as it usually did, while everyone caught up on what everyone else had been doing. Kurt was a little quieter than the rest of them – he couldn't help feeling thoughtful. He had been so close to not having this. He had been so close to never having something to celebrate ever again, and no one to celebrate anything with.

He had been so close to no one ever saying anything good about him again, to only ever hearing Gabriel say you're so stupid, Kurt, you can't do anything right and you're ugly and disgusting and a little slut and you're so lucky I even look at you…

Blaine nudged his shoulder with his own, his hazel eyes focused on him, a little concern hinted in them. "Hey, want try some of this?" He asked, offering one of his ravioli at him, and Kurt thought back to so many dates in this same place, eating off each other's plates, sharing their meals, splitting dessert, and then in the car, kisses that tasted like chocolate…

"Sure," Kurt said, smiling gently at him, and while Blaine slipped some ravioli onto his plate, Kurt pushed a meatball onto his.

Blaine glanced around the table. Burt and Carole were busy listening to some crazy story Finn and Olivia were telling them, so he leaned a little closer to Kurt. "You okay? You look a million miles away."

Not a million, no. Almost six hundred, in New York, where all my bad memories live.

"Of course I'm fine," he said, and hoped his smile looked genuine.

Blaine looked like he wanted to protest, but Olivia asked him to help her cut her spaghetti and he had to look away from Kurt.

He wasn't sad, not really. Just pensive. A little incredulous, perhaps. It was weird to think that a year ago he had been shielding his son from violence, wearing the evidence of that on his own face, and now he was sitting at a table surrounded by all the people he loved in this world, the ones who made each of his days worth it. The ones who would never hurt him.

The ones who had somehow, in one way or another, saved his life.

As the plates emptied and the conversation never died, he felt a little choked up with the gratefulness, the relief. He took a sip from his drink but it wasn't enough to swallow it down.

He wiped his mouth carefully with his napkin and stood up, all eyes immediately on him.

"I'm going to go to the restroom. I'll be right back," he said and then he began to walk away from the table, but at the last minute, instead of heading to the hallway where he knew the restrooms were, he turned and headed outside to the parking lot.

Some fresh air would be good for him.

He took a few steps away from the entrance, and leaned against the outer wall, closing his eyes and tilting his head up to the moonlight and whispered to himself: "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

He didn't know who he was thanking – maybe himself, for opening his eyes up to the reality he had been living and finding the strength to run away and come here, to this safe haven built by his parents.

What if he had stayed? How many more beatings would he have had to take? How many more nights would he have had to spend completely terrified that something would happen to his son? How many more times would he have had to let Gabriel touch him even when it was the very last thing he wanted?

"Kurt?"

He snapped his eyes open and found Blaine standing a few steps away, his face shadowed in worry, looking hesitant to approach him.

"Hi," he said.

"Is everything okay?" Blaine asked, his voice serious. "What are you doing out here?"

"I just needed a moment," Kurt said, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. He realized he hated this distance between them, the fact that Blaine hesitated around him after how close they had been these past few weeks, after how easy it had become to touch each other again. He offered his hand to him. "Come here."

What he truly, truly cherished about Blaine, was that he never hesitated to grab his hand when it was offered.

They leaned with their shoulders on the wall, facing each other, hands tangled between them. Blaine raised his free hand and let his fingertips trace the hair above Kurt's temple, softly.

"Why did you need a moment?" He asked in just a murmur.

Kurt put his hand on Blaine's chest and felt his heart beat, steady, steady, steady. He focused on it for a few seconds, as if drawing strength from it. "I was just thinking about where I was a year ago, and where I am now."

"Kurt," Blaine muttered, and it would never get old, the way he said his name, like it was something precious he held on the tip of his tongue and was reluctant to release.

"I feel so lucky," Kurt said and let a little smile appear on his lips. "I was so close to missing all of this."

"We're the lucky ones," Blaine retorted, something fierce in his tone.

I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing you again – how did I know that life was worth it when you weren't there? It's like I had to look into your eyes again to remember.

There was a lump in his throat again. But he refused to cry. He would not cry today.

There were no reasons to cry anymore.

"Thanks again for the flowers," he said instead, and his smile grew. "They are really pretty."

"Those were from Ollie. She really did pick them," Blaine insisted, smiling too. He pulled away slightly, just enough to put his hand into his pocket. "This, however, is from me."

It was a small black box with a green ribbon on it.

"Blaine, you didn't…" Kurt said, touched. "You didn't have to."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Come on, open it."

Kurt grabbed the box, carefully undid the ribbon and snapped the lid open. Inside there was a bracelet, threaded black leather with a sterling silver clasp and something engraved on it. Kurt had to tilt it to the light in order to read the word…

And he found the first gift Blaine had ever given him, so many years ago, when he had been scared and alone, much like he had been not too long ago, when he had needed someone by his side and there had Blaine been, his knight in shining armor…

Courage.

"I'm very aware that you have more courage than most human beings do in their entire lives," Blaine said, an edge of nervousness in his voice. "But I thought you might like the reminder, because it's okay and normal to falter sometimes…"

"Blaine…" Kurt whispered, and he sounded near tears. He was closer to crying now than he had been a minute ago. He touched the bracelet reverently, before taking it out of the box. "Would you…?"

"Of course," Blaine said, and took it from him, clasped it around his wrist, fingers brushing the sensitive skin there. "Looks good on you."

"It's beautiful," Kurt said, as he admired it, and then he cupped Blaine's face, his eyes searching his: "So beautiful," and he wasn't talking about the bracelet anymore.

Blaine exhaled slow and heavy, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smile that didn't have enough time to bloom, because Kurt surged forward and kissed him.

Blaine's arms came around his waist, pulling him closer, flushed against his body, and they kissed slow and deep like they had all the time in the world. And as Blaine's lips grazed his, always so gentle, always so perfect in the way they fit against his, Kurt thought a year ago I had nothing but a broken soul and a little boy to protect, and now I have you…

Pulling away felt a bit like torture. Blaine pressed their foreheads together, his eyelashes painting shadows on his cheekbones and he was so beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful…

"Happy birthday, Kurt," he whispered.

But maybe this is not my birthday anymore. Maybe I was born again the day I came back here and you made me feel alive again.

"Thank you," Kurt said, and gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away, because they truly couldn't stay here all night, tempting as it sounded.

Blaine smiled and offered his arm to him. "Come on. Your dad just ordered a whole cheesecake…"

Kurt almost groaned in pleasure, and tugged on him to hurry up.

Blaine's laughter trailed after them, and that sound alone felt like another gift.

I hope you liked the chapter!

I'll be seeing you again on Wednesday.

Thank you for reading!

L.-