Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to Glee or its characters. This is fiction pure and simple.

Finally, finally wrapping this story up. Thank you - Gleeville, LokiFirefox, AgainstAllOds, Amy-Violet and everybody that favorite, followed, reviewed.

Waiting for Forever

Year Ten: Aluminum

Part Two

Blaine rolled the slim fragile stem between his fingers; damp from condensation he switched the flute to his other hand even now taking a peek at the glimmer of the platinum on his left hand. Tearing his gaze from lingering lovingly on the ring, he took a gander at the crowd that had gathered for their engagement party. It was a smaller, more intimate gathering than the last party they'd had. Growing responsibilities had kept most people away though he had no doubt they'd all be able to pop in for the wedding.

Wedding.

He was getting married and he had his heart set on soon. Closing his fist, Blaine focused on the weight of their bond. It was reassuring especially in the middle of the heart wrenching conversation he was currently having. "Tina…"

"Stop looking at me like that, you'll make me cry." She insisted, her hands pulling the pale yellow napkin to shreds. She seemed to have shrunk since the last time they talked, the past few months harder than she'd let on. "I just - I need some distance, okay?"

"There's such a thing as too much distance." Blaine couldn't stop pushing her. "It's bad enough that you were in Chicago but Seoul is half way around the world. This is an overreaction to your divorce. A Eat, Pray, Love thing." He pleaded. "You need to run towards your friends not away from us. Taking that job…moving a thousand miles away isn't a solution. Do you even know anybody over there?" He asked a little desperately. Right until they signed the papers, Blaine had hoped that Tina and Mike would fight to stay together but the divorce had gone off without a hitch when neither party contested. He hated it, first Kurt now her. It was like a bomb had gone off and everyone was scattering to the four corners.

"I have some distant - really distant – relatives over there." She gave him a sad resolute smile that he instantly hated. "That's the point of a fresh start."

"But - why couldn't you start over in New York? We could find you an apartment and a job and we could hang out so you wouldn't have to be so…"

"Alone?" She supplied then studied him for a moment. "Blaine, I am alone. It's time I made peace with it and myself but we are at your engagement party so stop bringing us down. I came here to drink and dance and celebrate with you in case I can't make it to the wedding."

"Don't even say that. You are my pack mule remember? And I am so holding you to that promise."

Laughing she leaned into him, Blaine slinging an arm round her waist.

"You're happy right?" She asked in a warm gust on his neck.

He glanced over to where Sam was talking to Sugar's daughter. Clad in an ice blue princess gown and age-inappropriate double strand pearls, the mini diva gestured mid story, Sam crouched in front of her nodding like she was imparting great wisdom. "I am. Unbelievably."

"So? When are you getting one of those?"

Blaine groaned and pushed away. "Can I get married first before I get this 'have a child' agenda crammed down my throat?"

"What's the matter with you? Kids are great and Pepper's adorable."

Don't even get him started on Sugar naming her daughter Pepper. It was too ridiculous for words. "She's not adorable." He hissed. Lowering his voice, Blaine stepped closer and whispered, "She's a pint sized she-demon and she's out to get me. Ever since I stepped on her doll and kinda broke it – it was one of those creepy porcelain ones with the eyes that follow you everywhere -" He shuddered at the memory of the first and only time he'd ever offered to babysit. Could perfectly remember the sound the stupid toy made as it cracked under his feet and the way Pepper looked at him with the hugest hurtest blue eyes right before she run off screaming for her Uncle Sam. She had been giving him a crazy side eye ever since and on more than one occasion she told Sam he needed a boyfriend. Not another boyfriend or a better boyfriend. Just a boyfriend, like Blaine didn't exist. "She hates me."

Tina was obviously fighting back giggles at this point. "She's five. She doesn't hate you."

Blaine huffed. He knew better. He'd bought her a new doll, which she continued to ignore just as easily as she was ignoring him. Quite frankly he'd never tried to please a woman so hard in his life.

"Hey, why is this bothering you so much?"

"Look at him," He gestured to where Sam was still talking to Pepper with the laser like focus he brought to every interaction with children. It wasn't just his job; it was a huge part of who Sam was. "He's practically Mr. Mom. What if I can't do it – what if I'm a terrible dad?" Blaine thought his upbringing might have had a lot to do with his disinterest in the tiny humans. Parenting didn't come as naturally to him. Initially, after the millionth freakout had faded, all he cared about was his baby wanted a baby. He'd wanted kids for Sam because he so desperately wanted to give him whatever his heart desired and the more he'd thought about it, the more he'd fixated on a little girl with luminous green eyes just like her daddy's. The creepy doll disaster had brought all his dreams grinding to a halt.

"Don't be stupid." Tina grabbed his arm dragging him around. "I've seen you with Ella and you're doing fine. Just because you have to work at it a little doesn't mean you won't be a great dad."

Rachel and Puck did occasionally drop their offspring off at their apartment as well. Never when Blaine was alone. They always called in advance to make Sam was home. He was fine with it; his boyfriend was better with the crying, pooping, soothing end of nurturing a toddler. Blaine preferred the fun parts when she was all cute and smiling with only two front teeth. He pulled his arm back with a wince. Tina's nails had dug into his arm like she trying to force the truth right into his blood stream. "Ella is the cutest, but let's be honest she's a blob. A sweet natured, gummy toothed, easily pleased blob. They don't stay that age forever. Next thing you know they are thinking and talking and trying to set your boyfriend up with their teacher."

"Or maybe you're just one of those people that loves their own kids and hates everybody else's."

"What? Like Ellie and Dr. Cox? You do realize they were pathological?"

"God!" Tina muttered clearly frustrated with his refusal to be placated. "Try talking to your man."

Swallowing thickly, Blaine nodded, relenting "Why don't I just hop on a one man train to Splitsville?" It was a joke. A bad joke. Obviously. Sam loved him; he wouldn't leave him over it. Besides he knew he had time to adapt…four whole years to figure it out. Even though he sometimes felt like the future was bearing down on him and it left him a little – panicky.

"Well, think fast." Tina warned just as Sam came up behind them. "I'm going to go drink the bar." She said loudly. "Do you think I should apologize to your parents in advance for the sloppy table dance that may go down in an hour or so? No. You know what I will send an email. It is always better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission, anyway."

One of Sam hands lopped round his waist stroking his back the other lifting to tip Blaine's face back. The gentle stroke of long fingers on his cheek slipping down to thumb his jaw, worry playing around his eyes. "You okay?"

Blaine caught his breath leaning into him. 'Till death do up part' was going to be a long fucking time if they didn't communicate. "I don't want to be the sucky parent." He confessed.

Sam's lips morphed into a small barely-there smile. "What do you mean?"

That little bit of prompting pushed him over. "If we have kids you'll be 'Daddy' and I'll be 'Father' like Captain Von Trapp in Sound of Music. They'll run to you with every little thing, booboos and first kisses and prom night and I'll be the stern guy that doles out punishment." It's not like Blaine didn't like kids... As cute as they were they were mostly perpetually sticky and irritating and quite frankly mind numbingly boring.

"Honey, is this because Pepper doesn't like you?"

"Yes!" He muttered, feeling naked and stupid. To his credit, Sam didn't laugh; instead he kissed him and kissed him hard until ill-timed throat clearing ruined the moment.

"Blaine? A word." Every time his father said his name, Blaine unconsciously straightened his spine, tried to look less – gay, less of a disappointment. A mean achievement since he'd been caught with his tongue in another man's throat. Turning slowly, he faced his stern guy that one that had doled out punishment all his life, like he'd summoned him with that thought alone.

"Sure." His hand tightened in Sam's then he let go following him to the deck like a lamb to slaughter. Standing in silence, he braced for the axe to fall. Up till now his father had been surprisingly civil engaging in conversation with Sam's parents who were a perpetual delight - it was easy to see where Sam got his charm – now he was here giving him the look. Blaine resisted the urge to shuffle his feet; raising his head he looked him in the eye.

Light from the interior fell across his father's face in vertical slashes highlighting the dark curly hair and thick implacable eyebrows exactly like his own. Now peppered with gray, with new creases carving out grooves in his face, Blaine found himself taken aback by the visual evidence that he was getting older, totally unprepared for the realization that his father was just a man, human, flawed. In his head, he'd always been larger than life casting a wide stern shadow. As a child, he had worshipped him; loved this Superman among men. He'd thought his reaction to Blaine's coming out had obliterated any lingering feelings he may have had for the man but in the face of his impending metamorphosis he could still feel it. Love. It still lurked underneath the floorboards of his soul absolutely terrified to reveal itself and be defined as weakness.

He was about to speak, say anything to fill the deafening silence when his father said. "He's a good man. Solid."

Blaine turned finding his fiancé in the crowd watching them unabashedly.As much as Sam had been pushing for him to get closer to his parents he knew if he gave the signal he'd rush over and run interference. He was goodness. Nothing could have described him better. Giving a subtle headshake he turned back to his dad whatever he had to say, he could handle it. He wasn't alone. "He is."

"He loves you." He muttered into the quiet, speculative look deepening. "I was informed in no unequivocal terms that he was seeking my blessing not my permission, he planned on marrying you either way. I didn't want to give it until I talked to you." Then looked at him, eyes boring deep. "Do you love him?"

Blaine was still stuck on Sam talking to his parents about this – it was an amalgamated messed up-sweet gesture, they were pushing thirty for god's sake - but he didn't hesitate. "I do."

"Then here's my blessing." His dad said removing the heavy gold signet off his finger and holding it out to him. "I don't know how it's supposed to work with two men. But you can give it to him as a welcome to the family."

"Grandpa's ring?" Blaine said under his breath, completely bowled over. It had moved from his grandfather to his father – now his? "Shouldn't it go to Cooper?" He was the oldest son. The family ring always went to the oldest son it was never supposed to be his.

"As long as we're altering tradition - what does your mother call it - the new normal?" He grimaced. "Take it, son. Congratulations."

Blaine clenched his fist around the ring tucking it deep into his pocket. Sam would love it. A symbol of family, tradition, acceptance, it was better than any ring Blaine would have bought him. "Thank you…Dad." They were far from healed but he accepted Sam that was a good start.

After a minute, he straightened up, squared his shoulders, and wandered out further into the garden, his hand slipping in to caress the cool metal already planning how to give it to Sam. His whole Paris plan wasn't entirely lost; there was room in his itinerary for a dramatic engagement. Reengagement? Co-engagement? For once he could tease Sam about all his ass-kissing paying off. Settling onto one of the swing sets, Blaine sent it rocking with a kick. Music floated softly on the night air, the party still going on inside. Head and shoulders above the rest he could see Sam caught between his mom and sister, every once in awhile he'd look over the crowd with a slight frown probably trying to find him. Pulling out his phone, Blaine shot him a quick text; he didn't want him to worry.

Tilting back his head, he marveled at the night sky, millions of pinpricks stabbing through deep dark velvet. It was like the stars had come out just for them. It truly was the perfect night made even more special by the presence of family and friends. He had yet to hear from his brother but there was no doubt, flying high on his superstar status, Coop would send an extravagant gift and video message form framed perfectly in the Malta sunlight where he was shooting his latest movie. Blaine doubted he gave three fucks about the ring or what it symbolized. Charming but self-involved, Cooper had already been through two engagements and almost made it through the last one. Blaine would talk to him anyway because that the kind of guy he was.

He looked down at the swish of feet on grass. "Hey." He murmured with a welcoming smile.

"You just got engaged. Should you be out here moping?" Kurt dropped onto the swing next to his.

"Not moping." Blaine laughed. "Thank you for coming by the way and setting this whole thing up." He indicated the lights and flowers and caterers. "Sam couldn't have pulled it off on his own."

"Poor guy called me in a full blown panic. He's unfazed by tropical diseases but ask him to pick a centerpiece and he totally flips out." Their soft laughter filled the backyard then tapered off. "Honestly, he did me a favor. I welcomed any excuse to come home."

"Home? Kurt, your life's amazing. You have a successful fashion line, a huge gorgeous apartment in Milan and, a slew of male model boyfriends who I don't necessarily approve of but they are male models. The one you've been showing off all night seems sweet. I almost feel bad for him."

"What? Why?"

"He's obviously yet another of your Adam substitutes."

Kurt knew he was right which is why he was only a little put out. "Come on." He defended weakly. "He couldn't be further from Adam if I tried and I did try. Believe me. Liam's a freaking ginger, carpet to drapes."

"Way more info than I needed to know." Blaine muttered at the startling visual. "But you can't wiggle your way out of this one, I talked to him, that accent he's English."

"I can't be expected to avoid every hot Englishman on Planet Earth. I am not God. Besides after the fiasco with Dave I needed a palate cleanser."

"Fiasco?" Blaine snorted holding back the 'I told you so'. Of all the terrible ideas anybody, anywhere had ever had - dating your high school bully – seriously. It was destined to end badly. "Kurt, you destroyed him. I run into him a few weeks ago, he was openly weeping at the Jamba Juice on 5th."

"Maybe on some level I can agree that I wasn't over the whole cowering in the bathroom for most of high school. We both agreed it was a mistake."

Blaine doubted the breakup was mutual, as attested by the blubbering mess that was formerly Dave Karofsky.

"Doesn't matter. Okay?" Kurt snapped back unhappily. "God is punishing me. I swear some random cat followed me all the way home last week. The word is getting out. Kurt Hummel Spinster."

Dropping his hand onto Kurt's shoulder, Blaine squeezed "C'mon Kurt, stop being so defeatist. You're a catch." Blaine pressed. "There is a guy out there for you. I know Adam would take you back in a heartbeat if…"

"You don't need to do this." Kurt sighed, the kick of his feet sending the ill-used swing rocking. "I broke up with Adam for you and I wasn't especially nice about it. At the time I thought that I still belonged with my high school sweetheart, which was beyond dumb. We never even started. Sam came home and you run back to your golden boy. It was a bad call on my part, water under the bridge…" He rolled his eyes. "But – I've had a lot of time to think about why I did it. You were my excuse. I wasn't running towards you as much as I was running away from him. He wanted so much at once, marriage and kids and my career was just starting to take off. He needed white picket fence guy and I wanted to be the next Calvin Klein. Then he was walking out the door, ultimatums were flying at me, I panicked and you were there like you always were. Cue mess of epic proportions." He paused, sighed. "Now I'm rattling around in my perfectly furnished apartment in Milan with my stupid gorgeous model boyfriend and I just miss him..."

Dragging the balls of his feet, oxfords digging up the soft ground, Blaine refrained from re-spilling his apology. God knows he'd apologized enough over the past five years. "Don't make me give you the talk I gave Jake." He deflected.

"Maybe you should give me the talk. I mean…look at them." He gestured sounding incredibly wistful. "They are kind of perfect together. Who saw that coming?"

I did! Blaine wanted to crow. He was so taking credit for all of it.

The couple stood in the middle of the crowd, Jake leaning over to whisper something in his ear, Ryder laughing. They'd been that way all evening, managing to engage in scintillating conversation with their varied classmates and friends without ever leaving each other's side. Despite the distance between them that a less attentive person would put down to a long friendship, their connection was unmistakable. They were not overly demonstrative but they moved in tandem as if to music only they could hear. Their love was as quiet as Sam and Blaine's was loud. They'd even been married a couple of months and tonight was the first time any of them had heard about it including Puck who was still complaining. Blaine understood how they would have needed the distance and the quiet to repair their relationship.

"I can't believe they got married." Kurt said as their matching gold bands glinted. Jake tugging at Ryder's ear as the latter gave him a big smile. "How the hell did I get left behind? You and Sam are already an old married couple, which is both tragic and romantic as hell. Santana and Britt got hitched; The Puckermans are happier than ever, Sugar's having another baby…is there something in the water?" He queried.

"You're young. There is still time." Blaine tried to reassure him, distracted because Sam was approaching them. When he stopped besides them, Blaine tilted his head back to receive his kiss.

"Hey," He murmured against his lips.

"I've been looking for you."

"You found me."

"Yeah. I did." Sam lifted a hand he trailed the pads of his fingers across his cheek. "And honey," He kissed him again. "We got problems. That tough ass crowd wants a wedding; their cold little hearts are calling for cake and vows and dancing. The only way we can elope is if we take everyone with us. All of them."

"You can't elope." Kurt shrieked. The E word fell from his lips like a dirty word. "I mean please don't elope. None of my business. Got it." Kurt spun on his heel and left them alone, Blaine resolving to check on him later.

"You want to elope?" Blaine asked carefully seeing all his plans going up in flames.

"Oh hell," Sam muttered, realization dawning. "You want a white wedding."

"I do." Blaine admitted.

"Okay. I was thinking Barbados at sunset…Just the two of us but we can do your thing…"

"I will find a happy compromise I promise. You won't have to do a thing." Blaine said really meaning 'just show up and stand where I tell you'.

"So it's like that, huh?" Sam smiled like he could see right through him. "Cool. I will do as you say. Dictator."

He appreciated Sam not teasing him about it, calling him a girl or insisting that big weddings were for breeders.

"I guess that sort of fixes your Pepper problem as well."

"How?" Blaine leapt at the chance for redemption.

"Ask her to be flower girl. Instant forgiveness. She'll love you forever."

"It can't be that simple."

"She's a carbon copy of her mom. She loves pretty things and being in the spotlight. Oh and she's five years old. It is that simple."

"Really?" Blaine mused. "I hadn't really planned for a flower girl."

"You're already planning? It's been three hours."

"I have been planning for this on and off for ten years." He said with little thought. "When we were good, I went little nuts with booking the perfect hall and having the perfect date and the perfect vows…when we weren't doing so great I planned less."

"You wrote your vows? Already?"

"Yes." Blaine replied even though to call them vows didn't really encompass their magnitude. The miles of words were chronicled in a leather bound notebook; it read more like a journal, a telling of their journey. Every feeling Blaine had ever had for or about Sam was poured onto those pages. Some tearstained, covered in slashes of ink, others crisp around the edges from where he'd gotten drunk and tried to burn it before he came back to his senses and stomped on the orange flame. It's value was immeasurable even the points that were tough to read. It was their story, for better or worse.

"Guess I've got some catching up to do." Sounding dazed, Sam's mouth brushed his temple and he crashed onto the spot Kurt had vacated taking his hand linking their fingers. "So before all the crazy wedding stuff. Are we going to move?"

Yeah that. The topic Blaine had been willfully avoiding for weeks. Artie was tempted by the idea of being attached to a large studio, blockbusters and starlets. He made the argument that movies were their business; they should be in LA with the fickle Hollywood sign shining down on them. It didn't help that everybody else was also moving. Brittany's act had taken off and she'd long since moved to Vegas, Santana leaving with her. When Puck's screenwriting career started moving him west, Rachel got an agent, guest starred in a couple of TV shows and he could feel the pull of stardom drag them across the continent. The four of them had been the last stalwart defense against change. Jake and Ryder had made Boston their home but who ever really knew with those two. Marley was still in Chicago and so was Mike. Tina was leaving. "I don't know. New York's our home and you've got all your kids at the center. They all love you."

"Well, I love you." Sam said quietly. "I will miss them like crazy but if you need to move and go all Hollywood then we'll move. I can get another job."

Blaine rested their foreheads together, Sam's fingers threading into the hair at the base of his neck. He knew how much those kids meant to Sam for him to even offer to leave them behind… His fiancé was amazing. He smiled, as the f word rolled off his tongue real easy, Blaine had a feeling husband would be even easier. A decade into their story, the pain and the heartache, the hope and the all-consuming love, looking at him now, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. "I love you, Sammy."

"I love you too."

Fin.