Author's Note: It's time for the final chapter! I'm sad that it's over, but I'm glad to have accomplished completing the entire story. I'm feeling pretty sick today, so I apologize if I sound a little off in this author's note...but I'm pretty sure it's just allergies, so it should pass pretty soon. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: (See Chapter 1)

Aftermath

~Chapter 5~

For the next few days, Carole, Finn, and Kurt remained at the Andersons' place. Not only did it allow time for Carole to find a house (and Kurt to spend an ample amount of time with Blaine), but it provided a solid foundation for them to take a breath– and begin to heal.

The last of these days (a Thursday) was when Carole finally found a house. It wasn't far at all from their previous one, so there wouldn't be any changes…beside the fact that there would only be three people living in the house, it would be bare until they bought new furniture, and it would take a while for it to not just feel like another building.

On Sunday, the paperwork was finalized, and the three remaining Hudson-Hummels moved into their new house.

Kurt's first impression: Emptiness.

The wooden floors and pale walls made the entire space seem…just empty. That feeling of loneliness tugged at Kurt's heart, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

Only a few things had been recovered from the wreckage of their lost home: the fireproof safe with birth certificates and other important documents, the photographs that Kurt had salvaged, and some other small items here and there.

Mrs. Anderson had insisted on helping fund Carole's shopping expedition for new furniture and appliances, and Carole had reluctantly accepted. Because of that, the house wasn't entirely bare, so it was something.

It was going to take a lot of getting used to.

One of the downsides to actually living in our own house, Kurt thought to himself, is that I'm not practically attached to my boyfriend 24/7.

He had gotten so accustomed to living –and just being with– Blaine, it was incredibly strange to be apart from him. Very depressing, actually. He missed the constant looks, the hand-holding, the late-night cuddling (How had the adults in the house not reacted more to that? Honestly…), and the occasional kisses (He was seriously missing those).

With a sigh, Kurt turned to face the clock. It glared back at him with big, red numbers reading 7:34.

Well, it's not too late. I'm sure he won't mind if I call…

Kurt sat up from his spot in his (new) bed and grabbed his (new) cell phone off of his (new) night-stand.

Blaine picked up immediately.

"Kurt! How are you liking the new house?"

"It's okay, I guess. It just doesn't feel like home yet."

"Hey, are you alright? You sound a little…off."

Kurt laughed slightly. "I'm fine– just missing you."

He heard a chuckle from the other end of the line. "Same here. It's not the same when I don't get to see you all the time. I was starting to get used to that."

"I'll keep that in mind for future plans."

"You mean the future plans where we run off to get married in New York, live in an apartment together, and get starring roles in Broadway musicals?"

This time, it was full-blown laughter that Kurt succumbed to before he said, "Yes, those plans exactly!"

"Speaking of plans, are you free tomorrow afternoon? Because, just for you, I had a burst of genius, and have planned…wait for it…a shopping spree of epic proportions."

"Oh…my…Gaga."

"So is that a yes?"

"Blaine, you had me at 'shopping spree'."

"I'll pick you up around noon!"

There was a pause long enough for the tone of the conversation to shift drastically. Kurt was the one to break the silence.

"Blaine, I'm not going to lie. Part of me still feels awful."

"Kurt…"

"I know that it was an accident. I know that there's no point in regretting it. I really do. But I still wake up some mornings and expect to see him smile and say "good morning" to me. I want to say goodbye, and tell him that I love him one more time…"

"Kurt, listen to me. Don't feel bad for missing him. You'd be insane not to feel awful. Sooner or later, you have to let it out, and it's better to do it now. If you live your life with all of this sadness locked up inside of you, you're going to be miserable forever."

"And I'm somehow going to feel better if I get all of my crying out of the way now?"

"Yes. You'll probably never feel complete, but you can move on if you accept that what's done is done, and that you're going to feel miserable for awhile. And I know that you can do it– you're strong, Kurt. You can make it through this."

"I so want to kiss you right now."

"Remind me of that tomorrow around noon."

"…Thanks, Blaine. Thank you so much for standing by me."

"Anything for you."

Kurt smiled and said softly, "I love you."

"And I love you, too."

"…but that line is still so cheesy."

"Don't pretend like you don't love it."

"True. Very true. You know me much too well."

The guilt and overhanging cloud of melancholy never truly left Kurt. It's impossible to ever fully recover from something as scarring as losing your father too early. Kurt also never stopped blaming himself. Others –Blaine, Finn, and Carole, too– would try to engrave it into his mind that it wasn't his fault, but that guilt wasn't easy to shake off.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, however. Kurt picked up the pieces with his family and his boyfriend's help. He could move on. He was able to turn away from the edge of utter despair and continue living his life in full. He told himself that it was what Burt would have wanted.

Eventually, his new house began to feel more like home. The familiar, warm feeling of family surrounded him again, and it helped to ward off some of the cold, cruel reality.

There were more nightmares, at first. There were more tears. There were many more comforting words and hugs.

But no matter how much he mourned his father's death, Kurt was never truly alone.

No matter what was crashing down in the aftermath of the tragedy, he could always go running to Blaine. No matter what the reason for a break-down, warm eyes and loving embraces were only a phone-call away. No matter what barriers tried to stand in the way of them being together –be it arguments or prejudice– they would always find a way to keep their relationship strong.

Because that was love.

THE END

Author's Note: Extremely cheesy? Yes. Did I enjoy writing it? Yes. ;) Thanks to everyone who favorited the story/ added it to their alerts/ favorited me! I'm going to be working on a collab story soon with Dualator Nessa-Kate, and it's probably going to be a Samcedes story, so feel free to add me to your author alerts if you're interested in that. Please review and tell me what you thought of the story, and if you have any suggestions for my future writing. (Now would be a really good time to review since the story's finished! Don't you agree?) It's been fun, you guys! :)

~KlaineFangirl4life