Readers, we need to talk.

Last night's chapter was emotional, yes, and for all intents and purposes quite cruel. I was fully aware that I'd have a lot of strongly worded reactions, people wanting a sequel and so on. But I didn't expect that.

Two things I need to seriously address. First, the amount of people who demanded a sequel. As a writer, I think I'm pretty good at listening to what you guys would like to see - considering this story is going to be 232 of your ideas, I think I've done pretty well on that front. And if someone asks me for something, I'll always consider it before answering. What I do not like, however, is when people think that they can demand something out of me and that will make me want to write it. I had a few ideas in mind for a sequel for that story that I've been tossing up and maybe I will but please do not make demands of me. People who were saying things like 'If you're not going to leave it there, tell us what happens next authors note.'? Again, it's a valid request but turning it into a request makes all the difference in the world.

And the second, and this is serious. I received death threats telling me what would happen if I didn't write a sequel. I get that some of you were probably just joking around but when I get a review saying 'If you don't write a sequel I will kill you in your sleep,' that kind of stuff is not good. In fact, it's sort of terrifying. I don't want to feel like I should be scared of not writing a story, yet I am.

Some of you need to take a serious step back and think. If you believe that putting pressure on or threatening a writer to write your ideas is a reasonable course of action then you need to actually figure out why you think that. In the end, this is FanFiction. It's not real life, it's not even the world that was created. It's just some people who love the world of Glee or other fandoms so much that they want to write in it. And if you want to keep reading them, don't threaten your authors. But if you're that involved in this world that you need to resort to threats, then maybe you need to think about whether that's a healthy level of involvement or not.

I hope this sinks in for those who need it. This was not directed at people who legitimately asked for a sequel or simply expressed their emotions about the chapter.

(I'll talk about Glee tomorrow. If you want to know what I thought, you'll figure it out from my reblogs on Tumblr which are so much more to do with the promo than anything else)

From ashKITTYKAT: theres a gay bell hop or someone staff wise that works at the hotel that new directions is staying at. he flirts with kurt and kurt in all of his excitement flirts back. he calls blaine to tell him the wonder of new your and accidentely lets slip about the flirting. Blaine thinking that kurt is going to break up with him goes to new york and you can figure the rest out :)

I would actually hate it so much if I was dating a guy and he didn't trust me enough to be honest with him. I think Kurt would too.

Trust

"What on earth is taking them so long?"

Mercedes picked up the phone again but Kurt shook his head, sitting up and stretching. "Don't call. I'll go down and see what the issue is. After all the room service we've been getting, I need some exercise otherwise I'm going to be a blob on stage."

The girls laughed and Kurt blew them a kiss as he left the room. He couldn't help but stare around the hallway as he walked towards the elevator because this was a hotel in New York and Kurt Hummel was here, walking down the halls like it was normal. Normal.

And one day it would be. But for now, Kurt was just a small town kid in the biggest of cities and this was like something out of his best dreams. Considering he had spent the day singing his way around New York, had a pillow fight in one of the best hotels around and was now headed downstairs to pick up the room service meal of a lifetime, Kurt had to say it was definitely one of the better dreams. The only thing better would be if he happened to be walking down this hallway hand-in-hand with his boyfriend, but since most of the time Kurt hadn't dreamt he would have a boyfriend in high school, this wasn't that out of the ordinary.

But since Kurt actually did have said boyfriend, it was a little more difficult to not have him here. Kurt knew how much Blaine would adore New York, especially in Nationals competition season. They had already spoken on the phone twice - once to check that Kurt had arrive safely, the other so Kurt could gush about his day - and had been sending numerous texts back and forth as they were so inclined to do. Having a distance relationship wasn't anything new to them but when the distance included somewhere like New York, it got a little more difficult.

However, Blaine had made it completely clear that Kurt wasn't to spend his time thinking about what could be. Instead, he needed to focus on the here and now, the fact that he was in New York and it was going to be an amazing experience.

Even the elevator was classy, Kurt mentally gushed as he pushed the button for the lobby, trying not to squeal in excitement. He might be the only one in the elevator, but Kurt knew a place like this would have cameras and he really didn't want to make a fool out of himself. Leaning casually against the bar while his mind raced was the better alternative.

It was all just so amazing and Kurt knew there was no other option for him - this was the place he needed to call home one day.

One year and you'll be here again.

Luckily the doors opened at that point or Kurt might have considered doing something embarrassing like dancing around the elevator in delight.

Crossing the lobby slowly, Kurt headed towards the dining area, not exactly sure who he was supposed to talk to. So far they hadn't bothered to come down for any meals, instead choosing to take advantage of the room service at their fingertips while pretending to write songs for Nationals - and that was something he should probably be more worried about but Kurt couldn't bring himself to think of that right now.

"Excuse me?" he called out, noticing one of the hotel workers walking by.

The man - young and actually kind of cute but considering Kurt had a boyfriend he definitely wasn't noticing that - stopped and turned to him with a smile. "How can I help you?"

"Our room ordered room service about forty minutes ago and we were just wondering what was taking so long."

"I'll just check on that for you, which room are you in?" Kurt gave the room number and the staff member pulled out his phone, making a quick call. "It shouldn't be much longer, that Vocal Adrenaline group ordered some pretty complex protein shakes for their group that took a long time to make. It's good to see your Glee club actually eats."

"I don't think you could separate most of those girls from their food," Kurt admitted, smiling when the man laughed. "So should I just wait here and take it up myself?"

The man shrugged. "Up to you. If you want to do that, I can help you carry it up. My name's Josh by the way."

"Kurt." Kurt shook his hand, Josh holding on for a little longer than Kurt was used to before letting go. "And I'm sure you have other work you need to be doing."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Probably, but I'd much rather help you than deal with anybody else in this hotel." There was the slightest emphasis to the sentence that confused Kurt slightly, but by then Josh was talking again and Kurt shrugged it off. "So how are you enjoying your stay in New York so far? I saw you all slip out earlier."

"Oh, it's been fantastic!" Kurt tried to hold back the gushing but failed. "It's like nothing I've ever experienced, everything's so big and busy and it's all so incredible! I can't wait to live here for real!"

"Planning on moving?"

Kurt nodded. "At the end of my Senior year. I couldn't imagine staying in Lima for another second longer than necessary."

A woman appeared out of the kitchen at that point, carrying a tray of food. Josh quickly intercepted her, talking smoothly and removing the tray from her arms as he gestured to Kurt. With a shrug, she disappeared and Josh returned, still smiling. "Shall we?"

"Oh, do you need me to -"

"No, I've got it." Josh balanced the tray with an ease that Kurt had to admit he would have struggled with as they headed over to the elevator. "So what's it like in Lima?"

"Difficult," Kurt admitted. "People generally don't like you if you don't fit their stereotypes and… well, clearly I'm about as far from a positive stereotype as you can get." Surprisingly, Josh didn't ask. But when Kurt glanced at him as they entered the elevator, he realized the guy didn't look at all confused or surprised and realized it was probably obvious. After all, Kurt didn't exactly hide who he was.

"I understand," Josh said quietly, surprising Kurt. "I came to New York from a small town too, where prejudice and bullying ran free. I couldn't fit in there, I couldn't be the person I wanted to be. So I came here, started out as the bag boy and now I'm the assistant manager."

Kurt stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're the assistant manager? Why on earth are you carrying my food?"

Josh laughed. "Like I said, the best part of my job is helping customers. I'm definitely a people person, especially when it comes to people like yourself."

The elevator dinged at that precise moment, letting Kurt off the hook of what he felt would have been an awkward moment - he just wasn't sure why. Together the two boys made their way along the hall, passing a little more small talk together before reaching the door, where Kurt realized he had forgotten his key. "Oi!" he yelled, banging his fist on the door. "Food!"

"You sing with that voice?"

"Like an angel, believe it or not," he bantered back, only blushing slightly. "Countertenor."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "I'd love to hear you sing."

"Come to Nationals," Kurt said immediately. "There's going to be some amazing talent there and I think our group has a great shot."

"Well, I'll certainly try my best but I can't promise -"

The door swung open, Lauren and Mercedes standing in the doorway impatiently. "About time! What took them so - oh."

Josh stepped forward, holding out the tray to the two girls. "Oh behalf of the hotel I'd like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. If there's any way we can make it up to you, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

"Oh, I think we can find a way," Santana purred, maneuvering between the two girls and dropping a hand casually on Josh's shoulder. "But really, you might have to call me. That's the way these things work after -"

"Okay!" Kurt said quickly, taking the tray from Josh and pushing it into Santana's arms. "You're going to go inside now and stop freaking out the assistant manager before we get kicked out." As Santana pouted and turned away, Kurt shot an apologetic look Josh's way. "I'm sorry about her. She's a bit of a leech when it comes to guys."

Josh nodded before beckoning Kurt a little further out into the hallway. Frowning, Kurt followed to find the man writing something on a slip of paper. "I know you're only here for a few days but hey, nothing wrong with a little long distance."

Kurt opened the piece of paper and read it, still confused. "Why did you - oh."

"Keep it in mind."

Kurt, still staring down at the number in his hand, tried to think of the best way to put it. "I'm flattered but I'm actually -" The elevator dinged down the hall and Kurt looked up to see Josh already stepping in. "Taken," he finished before shrugging. "Oh well."

Kurt couldn't help but feel a little giddy about it - even though he was already taken, it wasn't every day that guys were giving Kurt their number. And he hadn't even realized Josh was gay, plus it wasn't like he had reciprocated so there was no reason to feel guilty about it. Chalking it up to the New York experience, Kurt was turning back to the room when his phone began to ring, causing Kurt's smile to grow even wider when he checked the caller ID. "Hey, Blaine!"

"Kurt!" Kurt could hear the smile in his boyfriend's voice. "I honestly wasn't sure if you'd pick up, I thought you'd be off exploring the city lights."

"Sadly no. Rachel is though, her and Finn have a date tonight so hopefully they'll stop beating around the bush and just get back together already. But the rest of us are just ordering room service and blobbing out for the night."

Blaine gave a mock-gasp and Kurt rolled his eyes. "Kurt Hummel, blobbing out? I never thought I'd hear the day!"

"Oh, shush." Kurt sat down on the ground, leaning back against the wall. "So, what's happening back in Warbler-land?"

"Nothing exciting," Blaine said nonchalantly. "We're basically just trying out new songs for next year, seeing what sounds good and what doesn't. They're trying to find someone else I can duet with too."

"Anybody good?"

"Nobody beats you."

Kurt smiled, closing his eyes and drinking in his boyfriend's voice. "Well of course I knew that. I'm simply irreplaceable." And he could almost ignore Blaine idly humming along to Beyonce because of how crazy he was about him.

"So, any more New York gossip?"

Kurt laughed. "The city never sleeps but it doesn't change that much. All I can really focus on right now is the food - my almost room service is in the room waiting for me."

"Almost room service?"

"Yeah," Kurt said almost fondly, smiling at the memory. "I had to go down and see what was taking so long and the assistant manager helped me bring it up. His name's Josh and I actually thought he was, like, a bellhop or something." Kurt laughed, dimly aware that Blaine wasn't but not thinking much about it. "But yeah, we talked and he ended up being gay as well and I didn't even realize until he tried to ask me out! It's going to be weird if I run into him again, that's for sure."

Silence.

"Blaine? You there, or do we have a bad connection again?"

"Yeah, I - uh. I'm going to let you go, go eat your food."

Kurt frowned. "Are you okay?"

Blaine cleared his throat before talking again. "Fine, yeah," he said, sounding normal and Kurt relaxed. "Sorry, just thinking about something, making plans."

"Plans?"

"I'll tell you later. You go and eat." Blaine hesitated and Kurt could practically hear him thinking. "I miss you," he added, and somehow Kurt knew that wasn't what he had wanted to say, but let it go.

"I miss you too," Kurt said softly. "Bye."

And if Blaine's reply was a little subdued, Kurt didn't think too much into it. Of course he knew it was hard on Blaine not being in New York too, but his boyfriend had made it very clear that Kurt wasn't to think about that.

So he didn't.

"Can I really do this?"

Blaine paced to the other side of his dorm room, staring down at the phone in one hand and credit card in the other. Of course he knew he could do what he wanted to do, but whether it was the right thing to do or not was what the boy was currently struggling with.

Missing Kurt was difficult enough, Blaine rationalized, without having to know that there was another guy in the same building as him who was making moves. Kurt hadn't said exactly what this Josh had said or done so Blaine's mind was quickly filling in possible blanks, ranging anywhere from a simple comment about hanging out to trying to seduce Kurt away with promises of a penthouse suite and near-legalized marriage. He had more to offer Kurt and why wouldn't Kurt go for him? An older guy in an exciting city sure beat the sophomore of a boyfriend Kurt had waiting for him back in Lima.

Blaine had to do something.

So with slightly shaking fingers, he punched in the number, still not sure if it was right but knowing it was at least necessary. Necessary for him and his sanity.

"Yes, I'd like to book a flight to New York…"

Of all the things Blaine had expected, this certainly hadn't been it.

"So, basically what you're saying right now is that you don't trust me not to cheat on you, even after everything that happened with Sam and how you did nothing but support me and never once asked whether anything was happening?"

"Kurt, I -"

"No." Kurt shook his head, still glaring at Blaine from across the room. "Don't you dare try to justify yourself. You flew to New York, not to see us perform at Nationals, not to spend time with your boyfriend, but to make sure I wasn't cheating on you with some guy who flirted with me who I told you about." Kurt reached over to the chair and grabbed a coat, shrugging it on. "I need some air."

Brushing past him angrily, Kurt stormed out of the room.

Blaine blinked a couple of times before awkwardly turning to the other occupants of the room. "Did I just make a complete idiot of myself?" The nodding heads of the entire McKinley High Glee club was pretty much confirmation enough and Blaine groaned, dropping into the nearest chair. "What do I do now? He hates me."

"Okay, first of all you are not throwing a pity party." Blaine glanced up at Mercedes who had crossed the room to sit next to him. "You made a mistake, that happens in relationships. And because you and Kurt are each other's first boyfriends, there's a lot of learning curves to go through, but you're going to get through this just fine. What you need to do is win Kurt back even though you haven't lost him."

"It sure feels like I've lost him," Blaine grumbled.

Finn was the next to speak, surprising Blaine who figured he would have taken Kurt's side. "Trust me, you'll know when you've lost someone you care about. Kurt's angry but he's still your boyfriend, okay?" Out the corner of his eye, Blaine noticed Rachel hanging her head and remembered Kurt telling him about what had happened on their date. "But you know Kurt and I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make it up to him. Just give him some time to cool off and then remind him why he can never stop talking about how much he loves you."

Mercedes elbowed Finn hard. "Kurt hasn't saidthat yet, not to Blaine!"

Oh my god.

"He loves me?" Blaine asked frantically, groaning louder when Mercedes nodded. "I've screwed up so bad and - wait, where would he even go? It's nighttime in New York and he's out there alone?"

"I know where he is."

Blaine was up off his feet immediately, kneeling in front of Rachel. "Where?"

Rachel sighed, still looking subdued. "When we were leaving the Wicked theatre yesterday, we found an abandoned back door through to the prop room. Tried it from the back and the lock is broken so… if he's anywhere, he'll have gone there. I can show you."

"Wait," Mercedes said quickly. "You can't just go there, Blaine. Not without a plan of some kind, you need to give him something to show him that you're sorry. This is Kurt we're talking about."

Blaine stood, finding the need to pace too prevalent to avoid any longer. "I don't know about that, I just… Has anybody ever really pissed Kurt off like this?"

Half the occupants of the room looked at each other almost guiltily. "Well, Kurt's kind of easy to annoy," Rachel said defensively. "But I don't think this is one of those things where singing a song with him can make things better. How did you guys sort it out when you were angry at him?"

"It just sort of… blew over," Blaine admitted. "He apologized - and of course I'm planning to do that - and said he'd buy me coffee next time and.. that was it."

The girls all shook their heads but Mike spoke up then, surprising them all. "Well… why does Blaine need anything other than himself and a heartfelt apology? We all presume that Kurt's all into the materialistic and needs to be won over but Blaine, how did you two start dating?"

"I just… I just asked him."

Mike raised an eyebrow and Blaine got it. "Seriously, if you want to make him feel special, buy him flowers. But don't serenade him, don't fork out a huge amount of money or anything, don't do anything you wouldn't normally do to show Kurt how much you care. Because you care about him the same no matter what, no matter whether you've screwed up or he's screwed up or what. Isn't that right?"

The rest of the guys were staring at Mike in unconcealed awe. Tina was looking like the cat that got the cream, or the girl that got the best boyfriend ever in this case, leaning up to kiss him. And Blaine could almost have kissed Mike at that point in time too.

"Plus," Mike added, "the longer it takes you to go after him, the worse Kurt's going to be feeling."

Blaine swore under his breath and bolted.

Hailing a taxi was surprisingly easier than Blaine had expected. Perhaps the fact that he had probably looked like a madman had helped, but nonetheless, Blaine was now standing outside the Wicked theatre. Standing there and not going inside.

Oh, come on. Just do it.

Blaine was terrified.

He had screwed up. Coming to New York had been the worst thing he had done for his and Kurt's relationship because he had basically shoved it in Kurt's face that he didn't trust him, didn't trust him not to be faithful while he was away, didn't trust that he cared enough about Blaine to come back to him.

And it was so ridiculous because Blaine did trust him. Not once had Blaine thought that Kurt actually would leave him, would go and have a steamy love affair with this Josh guy. He had just freaked out because he cared about Kurt way too much, loved him even.

Love.

That was new, but so very right.

The longer it takes you to go after him, the worse Kurt's going to be feeling.

Blaine quickly hunted down the back door Rachel had spoken of and slipped through it, not bothering to think about how unreal it was that security on a theatre like this would be that lax and especially not wanting to wonder whether Rachel had just broken the lock herself so she could return in the middle of the night and belt out countless performances of Wicked songs. Instead he slipped silently through the hallways leading to the stage, trying not to think about the silence around him that indicated that nobody was there. Because Kurt had to be here.

When he reached the wings, Blaine froze as he saw the figure standing over to the far side of the stage, staring out into the seats. Kurt was completely motionless, hands resting by his sides but not clenched into fists, neither smiling nor frowning nor - thank goodness - crying. And Blaine wished he had a plan, had something more to offer than hey, I screwed up.

But all Blaine had ever had to offer in the past was himself, and Kurt had accepted him then. So he simply had to trust that his boyfriend cared about him enough to forgive him.

Kurt's attention was caught by the time Blaine had made it a quarter of the way across the stage and he stopped as his boyfriend turned to face him. They stared at each other for a long moment, Blaine waiting for Kurt to make the first move, knowing this needed to be on his boyfriend's conditions. Finally Kurt let out a long breath and lowered his eyes to Blaine's hands. "You brought me flowers."

"I did," Blaine said softly, taking a tentative step forward. "But they're not to try and buy you back or anything of the sort. I know I screwed up and all I can do is tell you I'm sorry and that I trust you, completely. What happens next is your decision."

Kurt nodded, taking his own step forward. "You hurt me, you know?"

"I know."

They stepped towards each other again, keeping their movements level. "I wouldn't cheat on you," Kurt said, his tone measured but still soft. "I don't think I physically could."

Blaine nodded, the only sound for a few seconds being their careful footsteps across the stage. "I'm insecure sometimes," he admitted. "I play it off well enough that it doesn't get noticed, but really I don't honestly know how I got you and I'm scared that I'll lose you."

"I'm scared too," Kurt said, his voice dropping even lower as they both neared the centre of the stage. "I don't know what I'm doing. But I trust you to always be honest with me, I trust that we'll work things out."

"I'm being honest with you right now when I say that I trust you completely," Blaine said, still staring into Kurt's eyes. "I shouldn't have come. And I knew you wouldn't cheat on me, I knew. I don't know what possessed me to come, and I'm sorry I did. I'm not sorry that I got to see you, I'm sorry for the reason I'm seeing you now."

Silence, and all Blaine could do was wait. Kurt had stopped walking and Blaine did the same. There were only a few steps between them now, but they were the all-important ones because Kurt could still turn around now and walk away and Blaine couldn't hold it against him.

"I forgive you."

Blaine closed his eyes in relief, letting the tension evaporate out of his body. "Thank you," he whispered.

"We're both going to make mistakes," Kurt continued, "but it's how we recover from them that makes us who we are, who we are together. You followed me, you didn't try to do something showy to win me back, you just trusted and hoped that the simplicity of what we had would be enough."

I owe Mike so much right now.

But Blaine knew it would have ended up this way anyway. Any elaborate plans he might have made would have just fallen apart because he couldn't hide behind anything when it came to Kurt. All he could be was real.

And that was why they worked.

In unison, they stepped forward to close the distance between them, close enough to hold hands, to wrap their arms around each other, to just be together, but not. Not yet. Something was missing.

"Is it too soon if I tell you that I love you?"

"Not if I can say it back."

Kurt finally smiled. "Then say it back. Because I love you."

"I love you too."

Blaine held out the flowers and Kurt took them, staring down at them for a long moment before looking back up at Blaine. And it was that look that broke everything because the next thing Blaine knew, his arms were around Kurt's waist, Kurt's around his neck and they were suddenly, inexplicably but so wonderfully kissing. And it wasn't a kiss of apology or regret or trying to fix things, it was a kiss that reminded them both that no matter what else changed around them, they still were.

And, if Blaine could have things his way, they would be forever.

Later as they sat on the edge of the stage, Kurt still holding the flowers in his arms, he asked it. "Do you regret coming to New York now?"

Blaine smiled, resting his head against Kurt's. "I regret coming. I don't regret being here."

MusicalEscape:

"Kurt, my last wish..."

*sniff* "Don't say that!"

"Kurt... Please... If I die, I want the word Redvine on my tombstone, font bolded verdana, please. And if I may, can I get a picture of a Redvine too?"

*rolls eyes* "Someone here is picky."