Day 14 - Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting the final chapter for the challenge. Life got in the way a little bit. I'm bringing it home with a major dose of the feels.

Kurt stood still in the doorway, his head tilted against the frame. He gazed into the dimly-lit room, enraptured by the story his husband had just finished reading to their little girl. Blaine set the book aside, rose from the bed and turned to tuck the little girl in. There was a kiss on the forehead and a hushed "Good night, angel," and then he padded barefoot across the room, taking Kurt's hand and silently closing the door behind him.

Back downstairs on the couch in the living room, snuggled warm beneath a blanket with a fire crackling in the fireplace, they sat together, enjoying the quiet after a long day. Kurt shifted in Blaine's arms, trying to move impossibly closer. "Blaine?" he said softly.

"Hmm?" Blaine hummed in response, gently stroking Kurt's arm.

"I know how the rabbit felt," Kurt continued.

Blaine paused, then adjusted his hold on Kurt so he could face him properly. "The rabbit?" he echoed.

"You know, the Velveteen Rabbit you were just reading about. I think I know how he felt. I mean, I think, in some ways, I was the Velveteen Rabbit," Kurt went on, reaching out a hand to brush a stray curl from Blaine's forehead as he did so.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, intrigued at where his husband's train of thought was going.

"Well, I started out new, not really fitting in, not the fanciest or most exciting or popular boy in the world. Then you came along," he smiled, cupping Blaine's cheek with the hand he'd let linger, "and though you didn't notice me right away, you eventually saw me, and then you loved me. From that moment on, I became…real. I felt alive, and loved, and cherished – and that was all because you loved me."

Blaine turned to place a kiss to Kurt's palm, laughing wetly when Kurt brushed away a fallen tear.

"Loving you and being loved by you has been the best thing in my life. It's had its difficult moments, don't get me wrong. I'm a little shabbier in places than I used to be, and it hurt sometimes, but it was all worth it to get here, with you, being real." Kurt, teary-eyed himself, leaned forward and placed a tender kiss to Blaine's lips.

Silence fell between them once more, broken only by the sounds of soft kisses now and again.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked eventually.

"Yes, Blaine?" he responded, resting his head on Blaine's chest.

"What about the end?" Blaine whispered, his voice nearly cracking. "The rabbit has to leave the boy to become real to everyone." He instinctively tightened his hold.

Kurt looked up again, his eyes fierce with love and determination. "I'd like to see them try to take me away. I could never be more real than I am when I'm with you." His lips quirked up into a smile as he remembered something he'd said long ago. Leaning up to steal another kiss, he murmured, "I'm never saying goodbye to you."

A/N: So ends my fourth consecutive year participating in the Klaine CrissColfer Valentine's Challenge. I hope you enjoyed these stories. As for this chapter, if you have never read "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams, or have not read it recently, I highly suggest you do. You can find the whole thing online for free. I purposefully did not quote the story here to avoid any copyright infringement issues, but there are some truly beautiful lines in this truly beautiful story. To quote Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail," read it with a box of Kleenex.

Thank you for reading. As always, be kind to yourselves and to one another.