On the first day of rehearsals for his new production, Kurt is more nervous than he can ever remember. It's his turn to be snappy and unreasonable about everything, and he can't even work out why, since he's now met with Sally and Roger several times socially as well as for work, and the entire cast only consists of him, Meredith and Anna.

Taking a deep breath, and wiping his slippery palms on his jeans once more, he picks up his bag and walks down the hallway to Blaine's office. "I'm going."

Blaine looks up, over the top of his glasses. "I'll drive you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll drive you," he repeats calmly. "Come on."

"I don't want you to drive me," Kurt complains, but he's already being ambushed out toward the elevator.

"Fine." Blaine shrugs, and waits patiently until the doors open and they step out front. "You drive us."

"It's... Is that...?"

"It's yours."

Kurt stares at the sleek black Porsche, which seems to shine in the early fall sunlight. It's a beautiful car; elegant and refined, and Kurt loves it immediately, but that doesn't stop him from frowning at Blaine and shaking his head. "I can't."

"You told me to spend my money on things that make me happy. You make me happy."

"I told you to donate to charity."

"I've done that. Three charities, in fact, and I'm keeping the rest for our seven hundred future kids, or whatever it is you want, and us. So this is a gift, from me to you, because I'm more proud of you today than you'll ever know."

"I haven't even started yet," Kurt says, wiping at his eyes. "I might be terrible."

But Kurt is not terrible; not at all. It's a different process this time around, and one which he quickly comes to love. Each day, Blaine escorts him to rehearsals. Partly this is because he's scared to drive the car on his own but it's also just because they enjoy those precious twenty minutes together. Sometimes he stops and watches the progress on the play, other times he goes into the newspaper offices, or over to the Arts Journal headquarters. Always, he kisses Kurt goodbye, and whispers his love in parting.

Sally is a collaborative director, much more open to ideas and suggestions than anyone Kurt has ever worked with. It's like being back in college when he would devise group pieces with Anna and Meredith, and all three adore every second. Because of this, Kurt's whole outlook on life is given a boost. If he was happy before, he's triumphant now. He's busy, but he finds time to accompany Blaine to as many opening nights as possible, and they both find time for another trip to Wisconsin, as well as dinner with Cooper and Tammy one evening.

"You're thriving," Blaine comments that night when they return home. "Watching you talking with Cooper about the play, it's the most wonderful thing."

"I feel like it's my creation too, you know? We've had so much input. Also, working through it, kinda helps me with getting closure about Logan. I've realized that during my time with you, it's got to where I can talk about him easily, and doing this play has only cemented that for me. I still feel sad that he's gone, but I don't feel sad when I look back on our time together."

"Good." Blaine pulls him close, holding him tight. "I'm sure he's watching from somewhere, anyway. I don't think he'd miss the chance to see his little brother become a Broadway star."

"Off-Broadway," Kurt says, but he still grins. "I'm good with that though. I'll get there in time."

Two weeks before opening night, Kurt bursts in the door late one afternoon.

"I'm going to BROADWAY!" he bellows, then tears down to Blaine's office, and jumps into his lap. "Broadway, Broadway, Broadway!"

"Woah!" Grabbing his waist, Blaine holds him in place. "What?"

"Oh, don't act innocent!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blaine says calmly. "Tell me from the beginning."

"You know! And I know that you know." He sits across him, resting his head into the crook of his neck. "And thank you."

"Still no idea."

"Oh fine." Kurt pulls back, studying his face carefully, but Blaine does indeed seem entirely confused. "Sally said the show's been moved, to the Prince. ON BROADWAY!"

"What?"

"Yeah. And I thought...because she said an anonymous benefactor had given a massive amount of money to make it happen and I thought..."

"You thought it was me?"

"Yeah."

"It wasn't me."

Feeling oddly deflated, Kurt looks down at his hands. "Oh."

"Not just me, anyhow."

"Huh?"

"It seems my homophobic brother, while he will protest it to the grave, really quite likes you and approves of us being together. He wanted me to get him tickets for opening night, and he said he was surprised it wasn't playing Broadway. I told him it costs mega bucks to put a show on the great white way and...well...we kinda cooked up a plan."

Kurt stares, and stares some more. Then he grins and cries simultaneously, hugging his arms tightly around Blaine's neck. "You've made my dreams come true," he whispers happily. "Thank you."

"Hmm, no, I haven't. You did that all by yourself. Trust me, I wouldn't be throwing my money away on something that wasn't good enough. I think it would have made a transfer anyway, at some point, but it's a seriously good script, and what I've seen of you three, you command the stage and light it up. You did this, Kurt. Your talent, your hard work, your relationship with the girls. I might have put up a little bit of cash, but you were the one who made it happen, not me, not Cooper, not anyone else."

"I'm going to Broadway," he says, totally awestruck. "Broadway! Broadway!"

"Oh, that's gonna get old," Blaine sighs. He laughs when Kurt hits him. "We should go out for dinner tonight to celebrate, before you're on stage every night."

"Sure. Oh, by the way, Sally said we can have all of next weekend off, so I finish Thursday and don't have to be back until Monday for tech rehearsal. I was thinking...if you don't have too much work on, we could go back to the Bahamas? I know you said it's your favorite place."

"I'd love to, but I can't."

"Work?"

"Yeah. I need to go to LA, actually, to review a couple of big openers that are going on tour."

"What? That's even worse. Ugh. Ooh, I could come?"

"I fly out Wednesday though, and I'm tied up with meetings, shows... You know what? Why don't you visit your dad?"

"No point," Kurt says sullenly. "He'll be flying in with granny the next week anyway, for opening night."

"Yes, which will be a really busy weekend. It won't be like your usual shows, Kurt. You're opening on Broadway. There'll be a press reception afterwards and sure, they can attend, but you won't have loads of time to chat with them. You open on a Friday, you've got two shows Saturday..."

"I want to come to LA."

"Stop pouting," Blaine warns. "Or at least put those lips to good use while I book you a ticket to Wisconsin."

Kurt knows Blaine is right, his free weekend is put to far better use by spending quality time with his dad and granny than by sitting alone in a hotel room waiting for Blaine to grace him with his presence, but he's still upset on Wednesday morning when Blaine wakes him, already dressed in a sharp burgundy suit, to tell him he's leaving for the airport.

He catches his own flight the next day, right after morning rehearsals are done. Sally reassures them all that the play is ready, and she doesn't want it over rehearsed, so they're all entitled to a guilt-free long weekend. Still, he feels ridiculously nervous for opening night, only eight days away.

"My boy!" Kurt is grateful for the strong, familiar hug his dad gives on his arrival. It's not even four in the afternoon when he lands, and he's grateful for that, too, because he's already making plans in his head to spend some time at home, then drag his dad out to his favorite diner for dinner.

"I needed that."

"Why?" Burt is immediately on full alert, studying his son's face closely. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"No, nothing. I'm just... I don't know. Overwhelmed, I guess. I open on Broadway in a week. That's insane. Plus I miss Blaine."

"Have you heard from him?"

"Yeah, he got there okay, and had a long but successful meeting, he said."

"Oh? Who with?"

"I don't even know. Some fancy publication, knowing him, or an upcoming artist whom nobody's heard of, who will end up being the next big thing because Blaine says so."

"Kinda like he's done with you?"

Kurt climbs into his dad's truck. "That's not what he's done," he says stiffly. "He just mentions me sometimes, and the show. That's all."

"He mentions you daily," Burt says with a smile. "You don't need to be touchy about it. You've made it on your own. He's just a proud partner, that's all."

"Do you think I rely on him too much?"

"No! Kurt please, forget I said anything."

"It's okay. I know he's given the show a boost by constantly mentioning it. And he invested heavily. I just don't want people to look at us and think I'm a gold digger, or I'm using him to get further ahead in my career."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"No! I love him, and I'd love him if he was a penniless journalist trying to write for his local newspaper. His wealth, his connections... they're irrelevant."

"Do you think Blaine thinks you're using him?"

"No," he says firmly. "No, he doesn't think that at all."

"Then what the hell does it matter what anyone else thinks? You two are happy with the way things are, so carry on. You'll prove all the doubters wrong, anyhow, when it's twenty years on and you're still going strong."

Satisfied, Kurt leans back in his seat. "Yeah," he says quietly. "We will."

The traffic is light given the time of day, and they're soon out onto the freeway. Kurt drifts off, not quite asleep but not quite awake either, only tuning back in when they pass the exit for Deerfield.

"Where are we going?"

"To visit granny."

"Is she sick?"

"No, but she is incredibly nervous about flying to New York next week. Perhaps you can talk with her, put her mind at ease."

"Sure, but can I do it tomorrow? I want to go home and call Blaine."

"Come on, Kurt, I told her we'd stop by. We don't have to stay for long."

"Fine." He shoots a quick text to Blaine, telling him he'll call later. "Do you think Blaine and I fight too much?"

"Do you think you fight too much?"

"I love fighting with him," he says with a smile. "I love to make him lose his patience. He's funny. We don't fight about big stuff. It's just loads of little spats. Like now, I tell him I'll call later, and he says I'm a poor excuse for a boyfriend, so I tell him to screw off, but we both know neither of us mean anything by it."

"Good. Are you okay today? You seem very contemplative."

"I miss him." Kurt sighs. "And I don't know what that says about me, because we're only apart for five nights. I've never been reliant on a guy, and I wouldn't have said that I'm reliant on him, but if I feel this melancholy when I'm not around him, what does that say?"

"Hmm, well, it says to me, that you're ridiculously in love with each other, and I think that's okay. You've not really been apart since you moved in with him, and you were hoping this time could be spent together, so I think that's why you're down about it, rather than needing him around. You're still very much your own person, sunshine. I know that, because Blaine wouldn't be with someone who's weak."

"That's true."

"And those little spats you talk about? That's what drives you both; the witty conversation, the lively disagreements... He loves it as much as you and I think for him, that's why he pursued you in the first place."

"Yeah. I thought he was just doing it to annoy me."

"Well...that too, knowing him," Burt says with a smile.

Kurt likes being back at his granny's house. It's a cold but clear October day, and the sky is turning a brilliant pink when they pull up outside. His granny is waiting on the porch and he hugs her warmly, before walking through to the back of the house where he can look out on the yard.

"What the... Is that...?" He turns back to his dad, who shrugs, and then he slides the door open and runs outside. "Blaine?"

Blaine stands under the oak tree with his back to the door but he turns, his whole face lighting up with joy to see Kurt bounding down the steps toward him. He holds his arms open and catches Kurt easily, gathering him close and kissing just above his collar, then his cheek and finally, his lips. "Hey."

"Hey you. This is like, the best surprise," Kurt says, unable to stop grinning. "I can't believe it! You got everything done in LA?"

"I didn't go to LA," he says quietly. He loosens his hold on Kurt but keeps his hands resting loosely on his waist. "I came to visit your dad."

"You're very sly, Mr Anderson!"

"Pretty much, yeah."

He keeps staring at his shoes, and his manner is so remote that Kurt begins to worry. "You came here yesterday?" he asks, a million thoughts flooding his brain. "Dad didn't say."

"No. I needed to talk with him about some stuff, and I didn't want you to know."

Kurt swallows hard, and tries to keep his voice even. "Like what? Are you sick? Oh my God you are. You're sick."

"I'm not sick."

"You're breaking up with me?"

"No!" He frowns, shaking his head. "Why would I visit your dad to tell him that? I value my life. No, listen, you know when I inherited, you told me to use it to make me happy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, part of that, for me, is wanting to make you happy, and I know that your family is important to you. I came here because...well, because I wanted to buy your dad and your granny new houses, but they both flatly refused. He's even more stubborn than I am, did you know that?"

"Yes."

"Anyway, after a lot of discussion, let's just say that neither of them need to worry about money."

"You wanted to give them money? And dad let you?"

"Eventually. Your dad has worked so hard, Kurt. He's raised you, shaped you into the amazing man you are, and your granny has patiently cared for you and Logan...I just wanted to say thank you, that's all."

"Blaine, that's... Thank you," Kurt says. He kisses him tenderly, smiling when Blaine brushes the tears from his cheeks. "I love you. You're so thoughtful and caring."

"I love you too." Blaine steps back, tugs on the hem of his light gray suit jacket, and then takes Kurt's hands in his, looking deep into his eyes.

"Blaine? What are you doing?"

"There was another reason I flew out here, why I conspired to get you back to Wisconsin. You remember that night, when Meredith found me in the bathroom? She reminded me how important it was to seize the moment, to live each day for what it's worth. She also, very bluntly, pointed out how lucky I am that you love me, and even if my own family don't necessarily accept me, you do. You always do. And I watched you that night, and I just knew. I knew that being your boyfriend wasn't enough for me anymore. I wanted to be your husband."

"Oh God."

"I've nearly asked you so many times. In the Bahamas, or that night we went out for Anna's birthday, or when we were watching the fucking Lion King for the millionth time."

"That's my favorite film."

"I know it is. Be quiet. Anyway. The night I cooked... I had it all planned. I'd been out that afternoon and bought the ring, and I was going to ask you over dinner, only then things took a different turn. And then, I nearly asked you during sex, only I figured you'd kill me and then, after...It hit me that I should really ask your dad's permission first, and I should really make the effort to ask you in your favorite place, since hopefully I'll only ask this once, and you'll only be proposed to once, so..."

He gets down on one knee, under the oak tree, the sky behind him painted with vivid pinks and oranges. From inside his jacket he pulls a ring box, opening it to reveal an elegant band of platinum and diamonds. "Kurt."

"Hold on. Wait a moment. Let me just..." He wipes at his eyes, sniffs, blinks hard and then looks down at Blaine and smiles. "Okay."

"Right."

"Wait!" Closing his eyes, Kurt takes a deep shaking breath, wipes his hands on his pants, and then gives them back to Blaine again.

"We good?"

"Yeah. Oh my God. I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe you're going to propose!"

"I'm seriously questioning it myself right now."

"Because I'm talking?"

"Yes, Kurt, because you're always talking."

"I know! But I'm excited! And I want to remember it all, every second."

"Kurt!"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll shut up." He lets out a nervous laugh, shakes himself a little bit, then nods. "You may proceed."

Looking up, Blaine laughs, his eyes crinkling with happiness. "I love you, with all of my heart. You're the most irritating brat I've ever met and everything about you is perfect and wonderful. There's no one else I like arguing with more than you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to raise a family with you, I want to be your husband. So, Kurt Hummel... my love...Kurt, will you marry me?"

Kurt blinks, two tears escaping as he looks down upon the man he loves so very, very much. "You really want to marry me?"

"Yes I do."

"But...why? I mean, I don't know if I'm all that nice of a person really. I always feel like I have so little to offer."

"Kurt, you're magnificent. Don't you understand that you rescued me? You're working so hard to rebuild my relationship with my brother. You taught me to open up to people, to trust again. Kurt, you make me see the good, not only in other people but also in myself. You taught me to love myself. With you, I'm not afraid, because I know you're there, always loving, supporting me, I know you've got my back. You have given me so, so much, Kurt, and I know you always will."

Smiling through his tears, Kurt momentarily bites his lip, and then speaks. "Can we get a puppy?"

"What?"

"After Europe. Can we get a puppy?"

"If we must."

"And can we get married on our birthday?"

"I hadn't thought about it but yes, if you like."

"Can we honeymoon in the Bahamas?"

"Kurt, for the love of God just give me an answer! I'm dying here!"

"Yes." Kurt sinks to his knees, his arms going around Blaine's neck. "Yes, Mr Anderson, I'll marry you. You didn't even need to ask."

Blaine seizes him, crashing their lips together. "Yes," he whispers briefly, then he kisses him again, softer this time. Taking Kurt's face in his hands, he cradles him, his love and devotion evident. "You said yes." He brushes their lips together, both of them smiling. "Yes."

"I know I said you didn't need to ask, but I'm glad you did. And the ring..."

"The ring." Blaine slides it onto his finger, then kisses the back of his hand. "Beautiful."

"Blaine? I love you. I can't wait for everything that lies ahead of us but this, right now? This is the most perfect moment I've ever experienced in my whole life, and it's all because of you."

Blaine pulls him into a deep kiss, both of them opening their mouths wide. When they part, both breathless and dazed, Blaine keeps a hold of his new fiance, kissing along his jaw.

"I love you, Kurt. Always."

"And I love you too, Blaine, just the very same."