Epilogue
"Welcome back to The Ellen Show. Joining us now via satellite are two men who really know how to make an entrance, Blaine Blackwell and Kurt Hummel! Hi guys!"
"Hey, Ellen!" Kurt and Blaine chorused together, waving through their screen to the audience.
"It's great to see you again!" Blaine added, smiling at the host.
"It's good to see you both again. Now, for those people who have been living without internet or cable TV, or hiding away in a cave somewhere, who may not have heard the news, You two recently announced your relationship, didn't you?"
Kurt smiled at her. "Yes, we did and we did it in a very us way." Blaine smiled at him and pecked his cheek. Kurt giggled.
"Of course you did, in front of an audience of how many people?"
"We never counted," Blaine laughed. "But it was in our home theater, in front of a sold out crowd, so that was nice."
Ellen laughed as well. "Why don't you tell us how you two met."
Kurt grinned. "Well, actually we owe that to Elliott. For people who might not know, my best friend, Elliott, is Quinn's cousin. So he actually already knew Blaine through her. At the time, Blaine was looking for a way to spice up his act and Elliott introduced him to me, because he thought a great way to do that would be to bring on a tiger."
"And by tiger, you mean Raja, the tiger you rescued as a teenager, correct?" Ellen prompted.
"The very same." As if on cue, the cat suddenly poked his head between Kurt and Blaine and licked their screen. "Speak of the tiger," Kurt laughed.
Ellen laughed. "Well, hello Raja. You look a lot better than the last time I saw you! But please, go on with the story, Kurt."
"So Elliott introduced us and this is kind of what led to everyone thinking we hated each other. Blaine and I didn't get off on the right foot. But Raja took to performing like a fish to water. He was the reason Blaine won the first season of The Illusionist. Anyway, Blaine and I didn't get along very well in the beginning. We butted heads a lot. And then came the bar argument, which I'm sure everyone's seen the pictures of. That changed everything. We can't remember what it was over, but if it weren't for that argument, we might not be where we are now."
"Wow, that's an interesting twist. But I heard there was more to the reveal Saturday night than just the two of you making your relationship public knowledge. Blaine, what happened next?"
Blaine smiled and glanced at Kurt, lovingly. "Well, Kurt had no idea, which I pride myself on because this guy is really hard to surprise. And in fact, most everyone we knew didn't even know. But I might have popped the question in front of all our fans, family, and friends."
"You got engaged?" she asked, fascinated.
"We did," Blaine said. Kurt proudly held up his hand, showing off the ring to the audience.
"That's beautiful. What kind of gemstone is that? It almost looks like half a diamond marble, but there's so much depth to it!"
"It's a blue opal," Blaine told her. "The man at the shop said it came from a meteorite."
Kurt grinned. "We're going to have the same gemstones in our wedding rings."
Ellen smiled. "That's awesome. Now, back to Raja for a moment. We all know about the attack on him a few weeks ago. How is he doing?"
"Well, as you can probably tell," Kurt said. "He's doing a lot better. He's made a full recovery in time to enjoy his relaxation years. As of our Vegas shows, he's been officially retired from touring. We may still use him sometimes at home shows, but other than that, he's being ordered to just enjoy being his playful self."
"Well, I'm sure the fans will miss him on tour, but we're all happy he's healthy and safe. And I understand he won't be enjoying his retirement alone. He has some new roommates, doesn't he?"
Blaine grinned at her. "Kurt and I have officially adopted an adult female tiger and her cub. They were rescued by the same organization that rescued Raja, and Kurt was the first person the director thought of to take care of them. Kurt, myself, and everyone else affiliated with Free Wild do not condone roadside attractions, and we would like to ask everyone to show your support in ensuring the health and safety of our wildlife friends."
Kurt nodded. "For those of you who think, 'how bad can they be? It would be fun to pet a baby tiger or leopard,' let me show you a picture of Raja, taken on the day my Mother brought him home." The image of a tiny, furless cub, covered in fleas and feces appeared on the screen. "Raja needed twenty four hour care that included medicated baths three times a day, hourly feedings because he was underweight, and surgery to remove a parasite from his stomach.
"Tobias, our new cub, was a little more lucky. At least he and his mother were kept reasonably clean, but Ginger wasn't provided enough food during her pregnancy, which ended in two stillborn cubs, and another that didn't make it through the first twenty four hours of life. Tobias is half the size he should be. Even attractions that try to care for these animals are more often than not unprepared for the reality of caring for the animals properly."
Ellen looked shocked by the photograph. "That is horrible. But that just proves how well you've cared for him. He's a beautiful, healthy tiger now. And I'm sure in time you will perform the same miracle for Tobias and Ginger." The audience murmured in agreement and applauded.
"Thank you," Kurt said. "Free Wild was where my mom's heart and soul always was. I help them out wherever and however I can in honor of her memory."
"I hope I'm not bringing up a bad memory by asking this, but didn't your mother die while helping out on a rescue?"
Blaine put a comforting arm around Kurt, as the latter drew a deep breath. "She did. But I know she wouldn't have had it any other way. As long as her actions saved more animals, she would have considered it worth the sacrifice."
"Well, in honor of her memory, we here at The Ellen Show would like to make a twenty thousand dollar donation to Free Wild."
Kurt covered his mouth with his hands in surprise and choked a bit as a few tears slipped out of his eyes.
"Thank you, Ellen," Blaine said. "I know Kurt is speechless right now, but he's definitely grateful and Loraine will be too."
…
Kurt was still in a state of shock as they got ready for their final tour performance in Columbus. Twenty thousand may not sound like a lot to some people, but for a lot of the animals the organization rescued, it would mean the difference between life and death.
"I never knew that about your mom," Rachel said. "I mean, I knew she worked for the animal rescue, but I didn't know she died on a rescue. I'm so sorry, Kurt."
"Thanks, Rachel. It's not something I really talk about, but it's the reason Raja means so much to me. He was the last animal she successfully helped rescue before she died."
Rachel hugged him. "Do you know why I went vegan back in junior high school?"
He shook his head. "No."
"We had this lady come to our school with a bear cub. He'd been a rescue, just like Raja. The woman told us about how the person who ran this roadside attraction had kept him and his mother in separate cages, and that the mother never had enough food to eat, and how the cub was so close to death when they found him. They'd had to euthanize the mother because she was so desperate for food, she bit one of the rescuers."
Kurt sighed. "That's the part of the job my mom hated the most. When they didn't have a choice."
Rachel smiled. "At least Raja survived, and Tobias is getting bigger every day. You've had him less than a week and he's already almost double the size you said he was when they rescued him."
"Tobias is seriously the most adorably playful little cub I've ever met. I've got all these pictures on my phone of him playing with Raja."
Rachel looked over his shoulder, and laughed at the two tigers. "Which one is the baby?" she joked.
"They're both happy. That's all that matters."
"You know, I think Blaine is right about you," Rachel said, smiling at him. "You make everyone around you happy, just by existing. Which reminds me. I wanted to thank you for introducing me to Finn. He makes me feel like a star."
Kurt laughed. "Finn's really just a big lovable doofus, but I had a feeling the two of you would be good for each other."
"You should be a professional matchmaker. Look at Tina and Mike," she said, pointing to where the other couple were sharing a sweet kiss in the corner of the backstage area.
"Speaking of," Kurt said, raising a finger mischievously. "There are a couple of important people who have a date with a tour bus before the show starts."
Rachel looked at him in confusion. "Who? And why a tour bus?"
"You'll see who. And because you can turn up the heat."
She still didn't follow his meaning, but just watched as he walked away.
…
Kurt stood outside the bus he, Blaine, Elliott, and Quinn normally used, taking a moment to wipe the sneaky grin off his face before he drew a breath and dialed Wes' number.
"Kurt? What's wrong? Has something happened to Blaine? You never call me directly."
The blue eyed man bit his lip. "No, no, Blaine's fine," he said, sounding frantic. "But...I think I just saw a mouse on the bus. Can you get David to get the traps and both come here to check it out please?"
"A mouse? You travel with an almost six hundred pound tiger and you think there is a mouse on the bus?"
"Wes," Kurt pouted. "Just humor me! If there's a mouse on the bus, I am not getting back on it! Wild mice are dirty, infested with who knows what, and leave droppings everywhere! Please get David and bring the traps!"
Wes let out a sigh. "Fine, but when there turns out to be no mouse on the bus, I am putting you in charge of mopping the stage after the show."
Kurt held back the groan. Whatever the punishment, it would be well worth it if this worked. "Fine, just hurry before it jumps out a window or something."
Ten minutes later, Wes arrived, followed by David. "Where is this so-called mouse? And it better not be Blaine's framed, autographed photograph of Mickey Mouse," David said.
"It was under the little kitchen table, I think," Kurt said, standing aside to let them on the bus.
Rolling their eyes, both men climbed aboard.
As soon as both men were on the bus, Kurt slammed the door shut behind them and stuck the key in the lock to click it. He'd expertly swiped it from David earlier. "Have fun boys!" he shouted through the door, laughing.
Wes and David had immediately spun around and begun pounding on the door, which would not unlock from the inside with the key in the outside lock. They watched helplessly as Kurt walked away. It was only when Wes reached for his phone to call Beiste to let them out that he realized just how good a pickpocket Kurt had become.
Kurt strolled into the backstage area and grinned at Elliott, Quinn, and Blaine. "I did it. I have successfully locked Wes and David on the bus with the heat cranked up. And I stole both their phones."
Quinn looked surprised, but Blaine and Elliott laughed, reaching for their wallets and handing Kurt a twenty dollar bill each. They had bet that he couldn't pull it off.
"Pleasure doing business with you gentlemen," Kurt grinned, pocketing the money and handing Wes and David's phones to the two of them.
Quinn let out a little laugh. "Let me get this straight, you got Blaine to hire Mike for Tina, introduced Rachel to your stepbrother, practically threw Trent into Artie's lap at your get-together in Vegas the other day, and now you've locked Wes and David in the bus? Did I miss anyone?"
"He sent Santana to Tucson to personally deliver a thank you to Raja's number one fan," Blaine added.
Elliott nodded. "About the only ones he hasn't played matchmaker for are you and me, cousin, but we've seemed to do alright for ourselves. You and Sam have gotten really close since you met his family."
Kurt smirked. "Well, I kind of did something about you, Elliott. If you hadn't come with me that day to meet Ginger and Tobias, you might not have actually met Dave."
The older man rolled his eyes a little. "So, are you going to claim it was your idea to hire Sam just for Quinn?"
"Actually," Blaine said. "Sam wasn't hired just for Quinn, but it was Kurt's idea to hire him."
Both Quinn and Elliott looked at Kurt in shock. "What are you, some kind of psychic?" Elliott asked.
Blaine grinned. "I think he is, actually. You know he gets flashes of intuition. He often knows when something bad is about to happen, you've seen it yourself."
"And maybe I had a hope that Sam would find someone here. The poor guy has had a lot of issues with girls. None of them seemed to fit right with him. Which was probably why he was so shy," Kurt said.
At that moment, Sheldon Beiste approached them. "Have any of you seen Wes? He's not answering his phone."
Blaine quickly slipped Wes' phone in his pocket so the head of security wouldn't see it. "I think he's a bit preoccupied right now. What's up?"
The older man let out a little sigh. "I was supposed to give him an update on the cases against Adam and Sebastian. It's good news on both fronts. Adam was deported this morning. He's on his way back to the UK to stand trial in Yorkshire. The Magistrate even agreed to add Kurt's claims of sexual harassment to his charges there, using some kind of international law I didn't understand. Kurt can testify via satellite."
"As long as I don't have to get anywhere near him, I'll be fine," Kurt said, feeling a bit relieved. And then he turned to Blaine. "Maybe we can skip England when we do the next international tour?"
Blaine shook his head. "It's too big of a hot spot. But we can increase security while we're there," he said. "What about Sebastian?"
Beiste gave a little snort. "His insanity plea was tossed out when he attempted to bribe the judge. He'll be going to jail for a very long time."
"He attempted to bribe the judge?" Elliott questioned. "Do you have details on that?"
"The judge always goes into these kinds of meetings with a wiretap. He hates any kind of bribery or witness tampering, anything to throw off the justice process. Apparently his nickname is Hang 'em Hank."
"I can't believe Sebastian actually thinks that the rules don't apply to him," Blaine said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, well, he'll get a hard dose of reality in prison," Kurt said.
"How did he attempt to bribe the judge?" Elliott asked. "Did he offer to be his secret on the side or something?"
The head of security gave him an odd look. "No. In Sebastian's world, money buys everything. Except Daddy Dearest found out his wife had been giving Sebastian money for years, and cut them off. That's why he ended up working for Blaine, and why he was so desperate to marry him."
Blaine snorted. "He wasn't exactly shy about broadcasting his intent to get into my pants. So I wouldn't put it past him to try what Elliott said, either. All he cared about the majority of the time was sex and where his next fuck was coming from."
Artie wheeled past at that moment. "Thirty minutes until doors open, guys. You better start getting ready."
Kurt looked at Elliott, Blaine, and Quinn. "Should I take pity on Wevid or leave them there until after the show?"
The other three exchanged a look. "After the shows," they said in unison.
…
The audience was enraptured as Quinn soared and danced within the glass box. It was the final illusion of the tour, and as such they decided to make it even more spectacular, making the aerial ballet last longer, with more gravity defying flips and turns and spins. When Blaine slipped into the box and joined her, the crowd began to applaud as they murmured in delight. Then, when Blaine brought the curtain up to end the illusion, and they saw the two butterflies flying around the tiny box, they roared their approval.
Kurt came out on stage then, seemingly just noticing the box, and lifting it up to examine it. He then removed his jacket and placed it over the box, and when he removed it a moment later with an extravagant flourish, Blaine reappeared, holding the second butterfly carefully in his hand.
When the audience settled down, he smiled and stepped forward to the edge of the stage. "Thank you all, this has been an amazing night, and a perfect ending to our twenty eighteen Magic Tour. We've been so lucky to be able to bring magic into your lives, and we hope you will keep it inside of you for the rest of your lives. Thank you again, and goodnight!"
He raised his hand and blew on the butterfly, and suddenly, hundreds of tiny paper butterflies flew out over the crowd, who cheered again, giving a standing ovation.
…
BlaineBlackwellsOnlyLove: BlaineWarbler Came home! And he remembered me! (Image: Blaine and a short, blonde downs woman)
BlaineKurtElliott: I'm sad the tour is over, But I'll be in Vegas for their home show New Years Eve!
sugarandfeyst: That was a beautiful ending to the tour! I'm so happy I got to be here for it! Thanks to my Grandmother for buying me the tickets!
daisylovesblaine: NO! It's over! How long do we have to wait for the next tour?
lestersbonnet (Formerly Kina4eva): Thank you for sharing the magic with all of us, BBlackwell! You are truly amazing!
ItsANewDay (Formerly IShipBlina): I know I haven't posted since after Kurt and Blaine got engaged, but there is a reason for that! I met this guy, and he's the sweetest thing ever, and well, I'M IN LOVE!
klainedreams34: I can't believe the tour is actually over! Also, I've been watching my kudos and comments like a hawk to see if BBlackwell or GlaszandPorcelain has read my stuff!
coffeegleek: I'll be waiting to see that tour bus roll through our area again! It'll be sad that Raja won't be on it, but I'm glad he has a family of his own now!
backslashdelta: Until next year, guys!
holdontoglee: Please come to Memphis on your next tour!
Taplove2015: Ooh! Maybe come check out Nashville!
yadivagirl: Would love to have you come to Hawaii!
klainetkm: How about Seattle? You haven't done our area yet!
coffeeorderwrites: I'm moving to New Orleans in a few months, maybe you can come perform there!
grlnxtdr29: OMG! KURT AND BLAINE READ ONE OF MY STORIES!
kurthummeldeservesbetter: Come see us in Denver! We'd love to have you!
blaineys-boogie-shoes: Don't forget Chicago!
lucy8675309: I know you do New York every year, but we love you here, so don't forget about us!
RainbowsandRibbons: St. Louis! BBQ, Frozen Custard, and MAGIC!
mardie186: Anywhere in New Mexico and I'll be there!
TheresaG: Same!
datshitrandom: Come to Florida! We Have Theme Parks!
ButtonsandBows: Anywhere west of the Mississippi and I'll be there!
I_hate_Mosquitos: Please come back to Tucson! My Cousin and I can't wait to see you again!
branches-are-looking-at-me: YES! I want to believe in magic forever!
Kokofluff: Come to Canada!
klainedreams34: grlnxtdr29 and I would like to invite you all to stay tuned for the next magical adventure! ;)
A/N We would like to thank the following readers for allowing us to use their screen names!
coffeegleek
backslashdelta
holdontoglee
Taplove2015
yadivagirl
coffeeorderwrites
kurthummeldeservesbetter
blaineys-boogie-shoes
lucy8675309
klainetkm
lestersbonnet
RainbowsandRibbons
mardie186
TheresaG
datshitrandom
ButtonsandBows
I_hate_Mosquitos
Kokofluff
branches-are-looking-at-me
daisylovesblaine
sugarandfeyst
Some of you got used more often than others simply because you volunteered sooner, but if you don't see your name as often, never fear! THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL! And for an extra special treat, anyone who gave us permission to use their 's in this story will have the chance to have a fan encounter in the sequel! Just give us a name to use (It can be your real name, or a nickname if you prefer,) to introduce to Kurt and Blaine! Also, if you want to give us a little detail about you that you'd want to share with them! DM me on Tumblr or on !
Also, for those of you who didn't quite figure them out, these are the character's 's;
Blaine: BBlackwell AKA BDAnderson
Kurt: GlaszandPorcelain AKA BlackbirdTears
Quinn: LucyQFabray AKA blueandhazellove
Rachel: RachelBerryGoldStar AKA BlainePicsABerry
Tina: AsianMagic AKA FlashDanceGirl
Elliott: Starchild AKA SmellsLikeAdamLambert
Wes: WMontgomeryMngmt
Cooper: BlaineBlackwellsFamousBrother
Raja the Tiger: KingRaja (Run by Kurt)
Ginger the Tiger: QueenieG
Tobias the Tiger Cub: BabyTobi
Burt: Thattireguy
Carole: MomStepmomNurseCaregiver
Finn: FootballMechanic
Robert Anderson, Blaine's Dad: BlackwellsmyDaddy
Pam Anderson: BlackwellsNumber1Fan
Dottie: ItsANewDay (Formerly IShipBlina)
Mike: MChangChoreography AKA IDanceforTina
Lauren: BlaineKurtElliot
Becky: BlaineBlackwellsOnlyLove
Roderick: RMeeksTheGeeks
Unique: UniqueAlwaysStandsOut
Kitty: WildeKitty
Sugar: MottoLottoSugar
Brittany: RajasRagina
Matt: MRutherford11
Sue: IStanKlaine
Mercedes: MjonesSings
Nick and Jeff: WeareTHENiff
Marley: MRoseDVM
Sunshine: SunShineSings
Chandler: KelliottsStalker
Adam: Kurtisastar
Sebastian: sexonastickDreams AKA CWmeerkat AKA BastiansFaction AKA any of the Disillusioned names AKA Meerkat and SleazeBastian
There were a couple of other random 's we made up. And of course, we may have snuck ourselves in there now and then as well!