AN: Here we are at the very end of this story, I can't believe it! I so enjoyed writing this and sharing it will all of you and I hope you've enjoyed coming along with me on this journey.
One more time I want to thank the best beta in the world, I really don't know if I'd still be writing fanfic if it weren't for TheatreVicki – she really is amazing.
And thank you to all of you who read, and shared and rebloged and commented. You are why I do this!
Enjoy.
"There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story." ― Frank Herbert
January 2019 – Bluespruce, Maine
"Blaine!"
Blaine looked up from where he was kneeling on the ground, wiping his brow with the back of his arm. He'd been working all day, moving furniture, unpacking boxes, throwing out garbage. Now he was in Helen's room putting together a new entertainment center for the TV that was being delivered tomorrow.
"Blaine, sweetie!"
He had heard someone calling him; Blaine stood with a slight groan, he'd been doing manual labor nearly non-stop for a day and a half, and hurried into the drawing room where the call had come from.
Aunt Helen was standing in front of the fireplace lifting a heavy framed picture over the mantel.
"What are you doing!" Blaine rushed forward, taking the painting from her and hanging it on the hook. "You are going to hurt yourself," he scolded as he turned to his aunt.
Helen shrugged with a smile on her face, "I can't leave all the work for you." She straightened her glasses and brushed hair out of her face. Her hair was more gray than black these days, and her frame thinner than it once was, but Blaine noted that she looked remarkably healthy, eyes dancing with life and an amused smile on her lips.
"You can leave all the heavy lifting to me and Cooper though."
"Cooper went out to grab us lunch and you were busy putting that contraption together in my room."
"Of course Cooper left to get lunch." Cooper was meant to be helping, and while he'd worked hard for approximately three hours yesterday, it had been a challenge to get him to commit to one project at a time after that.
Helen placed a hand on Blaine's arm, "I know what you're thinking, but Cooper is a hard worker, he just…"
"Gets distracted?" Blaine finished for her with a knowing smile.
"And has the tendency to get me distracted," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "I thought with him on an errand I might actually get some things done. He has the pent up energy of a four year old."
Blaine laughed, it was true, Cooper was always eager to help but didn't have the attention span for an all-day project.
"Besides, this is our drawing room," Helen said with a smile, looking around the cozy and familiar room, "Let Cooper finish the IKEA disaster in my bedroom when he gets back, you help me with this."
Blaine smiled as tears prickled his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, not on this happy day.
He had cried. He cried over two months ago when he'd arrived in L.A. from Bluespruce and quickly made his way to the home Aunt Helen had lived in for the past six years. He'd cried because, for the first time in half a dozen years, when he looked at the woman lying in that bed, he'd seen his Aunt Helen, her quick smile and sharp eyes, and her sweet voice as she'd held out a hand towards him and said, "Don't cry sweet boy everything is okay now."
There had been hours of conversation, and a few discoveries as well. Yes, Aunt Helen's mind had been trapped in the fairy realm, but it seemed that as soon as Saffron had turned to glass, she'd been released and had awakened back here in L.A. "I suppose the fairies had their vengeance." She'd shuddered as she'd said it and Blaine clenched his glass hand and nodded.
Aunt Helen surprisingly wasn't turned off from magic by everything that had happened to her, "I hope I'm not as foolhardy as I once was, but Blaine, magic is in us; we can't just ignore that."
Something that came out of all of this was that Blaine learned that there had been several Callaways throughout the years with magic, and those who didn't have magic often still knew about it. His mother was an unmagical Callaway and had left Bluespruce hoping her boys would never learn anything about it. That had obviously been a failure.
They talked about Helen's magic and the fairy realm, and the good magic left at Callaway Place, and they talked about Kurt.
"Oh I do like him," Helen had said with Blaine's good hand folded in both of hers, "I always did, but he has grown into such a lovely young man. Don't let that one get away."
Blaine had ducked his head and blushed, "I don't intend to."
It took a couple of weeks to get her release from the home cleared, mostly because the doctors could not explain her sudden and complete recovery. Then it took a little time to get the legal documents prepared that said she no longer needed a legal conservator and that Callaway Place was again hers.
"You can keep it if you want." Helen generously offered Blaine, "I know you just moved in."
Blaine shook his head, Callaway Place was Aunt Helen's home and he could tell she was eager to get back there.
"What if you take it back and I come visit you every summer like always?"
"Deal."
They'd both spent the winter holidays in L.A. and it wasn't until the New Year that Helen, Cooper and Blaine had headed off to Bluespruce. Helen was overjoyed to be home, but she'd immediately rolled up her sleeves, put her hands on her hips and declared it was high-time she had some updates done to the house.
That explained the huge TV she'd ordered for her room and the current rearranging of the drawing room. Other updates included getting "the old place" ready for tours again – "It's been too long since there were people in this house and I think it needs it," Aunt Helen had said.
Andrew was helping with some of the spotty electricals in the house; after greeting Helen with teary eyes, a tip of the hat and a, "Welcome home Ms. Helen" he'd gotten straight to work. Helen even hired Millie's granddaughter as a cook seeing that Millie was well into her retirement by now.
The house felt alive again, alive and happy.
Blaine had spent some time standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, his eyes closed as he listened to his younger self, laughing and talking to a young Kurt. It was still the only magic he could hear in Callaway Place, but it was the most important magic to him anyway.
He and Kurt had been in constant contact since they parted ways back in October, hugging tightly and not wanting to let go as they said goodbye before catching flights to opposite sides of the country.
They texted every day and called each other regularly and made sure to have at least two Skype dates a week. Long distance relationships were hard, even if their friendship had started that way. Now that Blaine had been with Kurt face to face, being away from him was near torture. Still, it was worth it, Kurt was worth it. And Kurt understood Blaine had responsibilities that had to be taken care of.
Blaine told Kurt he'd come to New York in February for a visit, but in actuality, he had plane tickets from Bluespruce to New York City leaving two days from now. He was going to help Helen make herself at home at Callaway Place and then he was going to finally, finally go see the man he loved for the first time in months.
He and Helen spent the next half hour moving furniture around in the drawing room, moving some of the knick-knacks out to other rooms while Helen brought in some more updated décor. Most of the house Helen was leaving in true historic form for the tours, but for this room and her bedroom, she was updating as spaces that tourists wouldn't have access to. Blaine thought it was a great idea, a fresh start, appreciating the past without clinging to it.
"I have returned victorious with burgers and fries!" Cooper called loudly from the foyer and Blaine and Helen shot each other smiles as the door slammed shut and they could hear Cooper stomping snow off his boots.
They made their way to Cooper and Helen greeted him with a, "My hero," before they all went to the kitchen to eat.
The kitchen was warm and inviting, bright winter sun streaming in through the windows, and Blaine couldn't help but think of Kurt as he ate a greasy cheeseburger and dipped his fries in ketchup – Blaine remembered them making pancakes, bumping hips as they did the dishes and feet brushing under this very table. God he missed him.
Blaine's phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket to see it was a call from Kurt. He laughed a little, Kurt was thinking of him too, "It's Kurt," he said as way of an explanation as he got up from the table to take the call back in the dining room.
"What? Was sexting not enough for him!" Cooper called out and Blaine heard Helen scold him. Blaine just smiled into the phone as he answered.
"Kurt."
"Blaine! How is everything? Is Callaway Place doing alright, anything strange?"
They had talked last night after a long day of work; when Blaine had fallen into bed in his old bedroom, he'd stared at the mirror as he told Kurt that all was well at Callaway Place, but apparently Kurt needed more up-to-date progress reports.
"Nothing strange. We've just been busy unpacking a lot of Helen's new things and rearranging rooms and generally cleaning the place out. Cooper hasn't been here in ages and he is fascinated and sidetracked by every little thing."
"And Helen?"
"She is happy. The happiest I've seen her in… I don't know how long."
"Oh Blaine." Kurt sighed from the other end of the phone, "I'm so happy to hear that. I want to visit there you know. See her and the house again. See them together like they should be."
"I've been thinking about that," Blaine said, chewing his lip nervously, "What if you came with me this summer when I visited?"
"Isn't that your special time with Helen? Isn't that tradition?"
"I think…" Blaine chuckled a little nervously, "It'd be okay to start a new tradition."
He heard Kurt's breath of excitement from the other end, "In that case I'd love to."
Blaine could picture it, every summer here with Kurt, Helen showing them the sights, sharing his old bedroom together. Kurt telling Helen all about the magic he could hear in the house, the three of them practicing simple spells together. He loved the idea. "I miss you, Kurt," Blaine said, his heart swelling in his chest.
"God Blaine, I miss you too, but we just have to wait until next month, right?"
Blaine smiled so hard his cheeks hurt thinking about the plane tickets he had upstairs. "Yeah, next month."
January 2019 – New York City, New York
Kurt had thrown himself into his work when he'd gotten back to New York. Not only because he was behind, but because it was the only way to keep himself from going mad with worry. Worry about Aunt Helen and her recovery, worry about Blaine and his newfound magic, worry about Blaine and his poor glass hand, worry about Blaine living nearly 3,000 miles away from him. Yes, most of his thoughts and concerns were of Blaine. It couldn't be helped.
Kurt sat at his polished mahogany desk, day after day burying himself in work, as his eyes kept drifting to the picture sitting next to his laptop.
It was of him and Blaine smiling widely, cheek-to-cheek, the Bluespruce Farmer's Market behind them. A quick selfie they'd taken while shopping for spell ingredients. Twelve years of friendship and all he had was this one photograph. He'd be able to remedy that eventually, but for now, that picture meant the world to him.
Overall, Kurt was happy to be back in New York. He loved New York and he and Blaine spoke all the time. It wasn't like before when Blaine had disappeared from his life without a trace. This time, it seemed that Blaine, like him, couldn't bear to go a single day without talking. Besides, if Blaine ever did try to ghost on him again, Kurt knew how to find Blaine now and would hunt him down if need be. In the end, though, Kurt was determined to make a long-distance relationship work. Of course he would, because it was Blaine and being with Blaine was the most important thing.
They couldn't do long-distance for forever, though. Eventually, they were going to have to do something about the country between them. Kurt was determined that when Blaine came to visit in February, they would discuss it. He'd move if he had to – there were plenty of great museums and auction houses in L.A. – and Kurt loved New York, but he loved Blaine more. He could learn to love L.A., too.
For now, though, Kurt was going to have to suffer through the next twenty-three days without Blaine.
They'd already gone two months, Kurt could hold out another 20-something days! Right? Blaine was in Bluespruce with his aunt and that was important. Kurt would be patient, even if every day, he missed him more – he missed Blaine's voice, and his smile, and the way his hair got more unruly as the day went on, and he missed his kind eyes and sweet kiss and… and he was becoming as sappy as Blaine!
Kurt got up from his desk with a groan of frustration; it was after five and he really wasn't going to get any more work done today anyway. He started packing up his things when his phone chimed. It was from Blaine.
"Are you still at work?"
Kurt skipped texting him back in favor of calling him, "I'm still at work but heading out," Kurt said as Blaine answered the phone. "Do you have time to talk?"
"Uh, yeah," Blaine said, but there was something off about his voice, something jittery or full of excitement. "But do something for me first?"
Kurt paused by the door to his office, "Okay?"
"Go look out your window."
"What?"
"You're the third window from the left on the second floor, right?"
"I am..." Kurt answered, confused, but he made his way to the window, "What am I looking for? What have you done?"
"Look down."
"I am looking down b-" Kurt's stomach flipped over and his heart fluttered, "Oh god. Blaine!"
There, standing on the sidewalk outside of Britton's was a curly-haired man in a bowtie holding a bouquet of red roses.
"You… how. You're... here!" Kurt stumbled over his words and he heard Blaine laugh through the phone.
"If you aren't done with work, I can wait."
"No! I'm on my way down!" Kurt said, tearing his eyes away from Blaine and rushing out of his office, just barely remembering to pull on his coat as he left.
He almost ran smack into Jane on his way down the stairs.
"Kurt, be careful, you're going to break your neck!" She chided with a smile, and he even heard Blaine telling him to slow down through the phone.
"Blaine. Blaine is here."
Jane beamed at him and quickly moved out of the way, "What are you standing here talking to me for? Go!"
"I like her." Blaine's voice came through the speaker as Kurt rushed past Jane and through the marbled entryway and finally out onto the sidewalk and the cold New York air. He hung up his phone and stuffed it in his pocket when he saw Blaine.
Kurt ran to him and dove into his arms and Blaine laughed in his ear and held him tightly.
"I don't know what you are doing here," Kurt said, still holding Blaine tightly, "But god, I'm glad you are." The stems from the roses were poking into Kurt's back, but he didn't care, it felt like coming home to have Blaine in his arms.
Blaine finally pulled back, just enough so that they could look at each other, "I wanted to surprise you. Helen is all set in Bluespruce and Cooper is still there with her and I… I couldn't wait until February, Kurt."
Blaine's cheeks were rosey with the cold January air, and his eyes soft and earnest. Kurt looped his arms around the back of Blaine's scarf-covered neck before leaning in to kiss him.
Lips cold, but perfect against each other, and Kurt sighed, all the worry and longing he'd been holding onto for months released from his body.
"I love you," Blaine whispered against his lips.
"I love you too."
They pulled apart reluctantly.
"Do you have plans for the evening?"
Kurt arched a brow, "I was going to call my boyfriend."
"What if you let your boyfriend take you out to dinner?" Blaine said, handing Kurt the roses, "And you can wish him luck on his interview tomorrow."
"I'd love to- wait, what?"
"Uh yeah," Blaine rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "I have a job interview with a non-profit children's organization tomorrow. I've already interviewed over the phone; I think I have a good chance of getting the position. I mean, if I'm going to move to New York, it would help to have a job here."
"I... you…" Kurt was rarely at a complete loss for words, but right now, he couldn't find any. He felt tears pooling in his eyes.
"Kurt! Oh no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sprung this all on you; it's too much."
"Don't apologize," Kurt said as Blaine looked like he was on the verge of happy tears himself. "I just need clarification. You're thinking of moving to New York?"
"Not thinking about it, Kurt, I am."
"But, Blaine, not for me right?" Kurt wanted this more than anything, but he couldn't let Blaine make such a huge sacrifice for him without even talking about it, "I mean you can't move away from California and your family and start a new job just for me, that could be a disaster for us down the road."
"Kurt." Blaine smiled, his voice calm, "If it were just for you, it'd be worth it. But the truth is I've always wanted to go to New York. When we used to talk about college plans and the mirror wouldn't let us say where we planned to go, I was always planning on NYU. Then everything with Helen happened and I needed to be near my family… New York got put on the backburner – but now feels like the perfect time."
Kurt nodded his head eagerly, his heart beating fast and his whole body tingling with joy, "Okay. Okay. But um… one change of plans."
Blaine's smile wavered.
"I'm taking you out to dinner. And you better not have gotten a hotel room because you're staying with me."
"I was hoping I was." Blaine smiled and leaned in for another kiss.
Later that night after having dinner and talking for hours, Kurt lay in bed curled around Blaine, skin to skin, both of them tired and perfectly happy after becoming reacquainted with one another. Kurt lifted Blaine's glass hand above them, stroking it and lacing their fingers together.
"You've been using the spell I got from Shelia every day, right?"
"Yes." Blaine nodded, "No change yet."
"She said it could take time and a lot of repetition."
"I know." Blaine squeezed Kurt softly. "Sometimes I worry it won't work and I'll be stuck with this glass hand forever."
"If it doesn't work, we'll find something else that does." Kurt turned his head, looking from Blaine's hand to his face, "While you're here, we can do the spell together, for extra strength. I have no doubt at all that we'll find a way to fix it."
Blaine smiled softly, "It isn't the end of the world if we don't."
Kurt let go of Blaine's hand to turn on his side and better face him, "It's important to you, so I'm not giving up. Between you and me and Sheila and Helen. We're going to figure it out."
"Thank you." Blaine smiled up at him, his eyes sparkling in the dim light of the room.
"For what?"
"For always knowing what to say."
Kurt grinned back down at him.
"And when I move to New York, we can keep doing the spell together."
"Yes, we will," Kurt agreed, laying his head down on Blaine's chest and hearing Blaine's heartbeat. "When you move to New York," Kurt sighed happily and his head bounced with Blaine's chuckle. "Everything turned out pretty good in the end didn't it?" Kurt asked as Blaine trailed his fingers up and down Kurt's back.
"Being with you Kurt? Everything turned out perfectly."
