Author's Note: I meant to put this up yesterday. But, well, I felt horrible. I'm not someone that gets sick and am very proud of my amazing immune system so it felt very strange to feel slightly fever-ish and exhausted...and sore (although that one may be because despite feeling like I was run over by a train that I still went to the gym). So, I pretty much just spent my time sleeping.

Anyhow, I really like this and next chapter. They were my favorite to write. Just two for "Dance With Somebody" but they are complete so expect the next one by monday when I will cease to be busy again.

Added note: sorry for the re-update, but I had to change the title in light of next chapter. I realized I didn't want them to be a part one and part two. Next chapter will be up Monday.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Fox does...and RIB

Chapter Twenty One

See You Later

It didn't work. Rory was right in that it turned on and all the parts were there, but it still needed something. Kurt for his part thought it was wrong that he felt some sort of relief that it wasn't working. They were back in Brittany's basement and the blond cheerleader was sitting by the machine with earmuffs placed over her ears as she worked with a bunch of wires.

Sugar sat about halfway up the stairs. Her eyes were closed and Kurt could practically feel her disappointment from where he stood with Rory.

"I'm sorry it's not working yet," Kurt said, "but it's probably something very small and Brittany will have it ready for you soon."

Rory nodded. "She is the genius. Where's Blaine?"

Kurt actually had no idea. After he told Blaine that the machine was ready, he'd gotten a little weird. That night they had all looked over the machine and Sugar had tried to get it to work, but it just didn't do much more than make a weird whistling noise that Rory said had never come from it before. That day after school when they were headed back to work on it – really offer moral support because only Brittany and maybe Rory and Sugar could actually help – Blaine had begged off with something that sounded like a mumbled excuse.

"I don't know. He said he was busy. I don't think he thought he would be much help. Do you want something to drink? I'm going to get a glass of water."

"No thanks."

Kurt headed upstairs not because he was thirsty but because he wanted to do something other than watch Brittany work. She'd told them all to stay away and that she knew exactly what was wrong. He placed a hand on Sugar's shoulder on his way up and she tried to smile back at him.

"Are you going to ask him," Santana said and Kurt jumped. He'd forgotten she had gone to the kitchen earlier.

"Should I?" Kurt asked, "I just – I don't know…I mean, I'm pretty sure Rory is aiming at going to fix it as soon as he can get on that machine and maybe he does. So maybe there's nothing for me to worry about."

Santana shook her head. "And what if he doesn't fix it? Sugar told me how it works, you know, and she said it's really erratic. There's a reason it's not out for anyone to use other than the dangers it would pose – she said it's uncontrollable. I don't think Rory's going to be the way to resolve this. I just think we have to be prepared for him to fail. The last time he tried going to that point in time to fix that, he came here."

Kurt had thought about Rory not being able to save Blaine countless times, and in every scenario he could see not Blaine's prone dead body – though that was giving him nightmares too – but Rory's broken up face, his disappointment and the realization that he wouldn't have two parents anymore.

"Okay, fine," Kurt said, "I'll talk to him."

There was a shout from downstairs and they both looked at each other and then took the stairs as quickly as they could.

"She did it!" Sugar. She and Rory were hugging and jumping up and down in the middle of the room, "we get to go home!"

"Now," Santana said, "go talk to him now."

"But he's so…"

Santana nudged him. "Either you do it or I do it."

Rory and Sugar were still jumping around the room and Kurt had never seen Sugar so jubilant before, not even at the Valentine's Day party that she'd thrown.

"Just give them this moment," Kurt said, "I'll talk to him before they leave."

After they had calmed down, they all went to look at the machine. There were a lot of lights and buttons. It had a circular platform and a bunch of buttons that had no labels or any sort of sense to them. There was nothing to input a date, or anything else that might suggest it was a time travel machine. Instead, it looked like a complicated entertainment device.

"Doesn't look like much, does it?"

Kurt nodded at Santana.

Sugar had calmed down some, and she approached it carefully, looking at every part of it. "Looks just like the one back home," she said and then, "if it works like the one at home, then that means there will have to be a few days between the two of us going."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"Well," Sugar said, "even though it uses electricity to power up, the stuff that makes it take you through space requires charging after every trip. So, one of us is going to be here for at least three more days. Maybe more."

It seemed to be news to Rory as well. "And we can't leave together?" He asked.

Sugar shook her head and then smirked at them, "since I got here first, I'm going home first."

"You left after me, though," Rory protested.

But Sugar was closer to the machine and she stepped right onto the round platform. "You just have to think of home," she told Rory, "think of home and your dad. I'll see you soon."

She pressed one of the buttons and then in a small flash of light she was gone and just as she had said when they tried to turn the machine on, it didn't turn on. Rory would be with them for a few more days.

"It's like she knew you needed the time," Santana said, "now get on with it."

Kurt turned to look at Rory. He was staring at the machine with such longing in his eyes that Kurt knew wasn't for the machine itself but for the future and for not only the older Kurt, but the older Blaine.

"Hey," he said, "come here, Rors."

"She never told me," Rory said, "I would have beat her to it if I knew."

Kurt shook his head. "No, you wouldn't have. But come on, what's waiting a few more days?"

"I just – I want to be with…I guess with you and, and papa."

Kurt tugged Rory into a half hug. He walked with him to the stairs and then up to the kitchen.

"I need to talk to you about that," he said and did not look at Rory when he continued with, "I know your papa – Blaine – I know he dies."

Rory burst into tears and he turned so he could properly hug Kurt, his arms winding around his torso and burying his head right into Kurt's neck. Kurt rubbed circles on his back.

Blaine hadn't really thought about what it would mean for him next school year when he was still at McKinley – a school he had transferred to, to be with Kurt – while Kurt was no longer with him. There had been so much going on what with his son from the future appearing out of nowhere as well as all the drama that glee club couldn't exist without, and it was also very possible that Blaine hadn't actually wanted to think about it.

Kurt would be in a different state, making new friends, and living in the city of his dreams. He would thrive in New York and Blaine just wouldn't be enough for him. It was stupid. Blaine knew it was stupid to think that Kurt would just forget about him or drop him because he found something or someone better, but those were his fears and as soon as Kurt mentioned that NYADA was sending someone to see him audition for the school, well, they all rushed in.

His mom and even Cooper had mentioned in passing that Blaine was a little too attached to Kurt.

"You're with him all the time, and if not that, then you're on the phone with him or texting him," Cooper had said, "and I still can't believe you transferred schools to be with him. Or that mom and dad let you."

It had been hard to get his parents on board, but his dad had been glad to not have to pay for Dalton anymore and Blaine knew he'd been hoping that if he were around more girls that he might change his mind about being gay. His mom had been the one to realize it was about Kurt, but by that point, they couldn't really change much about it.

His phone rang and he reached for it, automatically smiling a little when he saw it was Kurt. Blaine felt bad about not going with him to Brittany's to keep working on the time machine, but Blaine was only preparing himself for a time when he and Kurt couldn't do everything together.

"Guess what I just got to witness," Kurt said before Blaine could even say hello.

"What?"

"Time travel. Well, Sugar leaving."

Blaine froze. Had he missed so much? It was only one afternoon and Kurt had been pretty sure that the machine wouldn't be complete. Was Rory even still in their time?

"It's working, then?" he asked.

"Yeah. Rory's still with us for a few more days, but he'll be heading home soon and all will hopefully be right with the world."

Rory's very presence should have been enough proof for Blaine that he had nothing to worry about. Rory came from a future where he and Kurt were happily married. There was no need to worry about the next year, because they obviously got through it somehow and made it out the other end to a future with an amazing son. But they still had to get through that year and Blaine needed to know he would be able to be apart from Kurt because he was going to have to be apart from him.

"Oh. I guess I'll be able to say goodbye to him, then."

"Yeah," Kurt said, "anyway are you busy?"

"Sorta," he said.

Blaine hated lying to Kurt, but it would be practice. When Kurt went to New York there would be months between seeing each other. Blaine had to get used to not seeing him every day outside of school and Kurt had to get used to it too even though Kurt didn't seem to be thinking about that at all. Instead he was excited about moving and going off to NYADA.

"Oh," Kurt said, "I just left Rory and I thought we could do something…you know, we haven't really…"

Blaine cut him off. "I'm a little busy, Kurt, I'll talk to you later."

He hung up and then dropped back on his bed. Mojo had been lying on it watching him and he climbed on top of him. His nails had been clipped and filed recently, but they still dug into him. The dog sat back and stared at him in a reprimanding manner that Blaine had never though dogs were possible of doing. It was like he was telling Blaine off for lying to Kurt.

"It's for the best," Blaine said and he tried to make himself believe it because Mojo definitely didn't.

Rory felt sick. His stomach was churning and all the blankets that he'd cocooned himself in weren't enough to keep him warm. He was pretty sure that the only part of him that could be seen was his eyes and forehead.

"Rory, sweetie, it's time for school."

Mrs. Pierce knocked on his door.

Rory just groaned.

She knocked a couple of more times before she announced that she was coming in. Mrs. Pierce had been wonderful his entire stay.

"Oh, are you sick?"

Rory groaned and coughed.

"Well that was unexpected, you were fine yesterday."

Rory had been fine the day before except for when his dad told him that he knew all about papa's death in the future and that he needed Rory to tell him everything. But before that he'd been perfectly fine. He'd been jumping around the room with Sugar after the machine was fixed, and he sure hadn't been feeling sick at all.

"Well, you are definitely staying home," Mrs. Pierce said, "I'm going to get you some medicine and then we're going to take your temperature."

The last time Rory got sick was back in the future some four months before his papa's death. They'd actually been in New York in the apartment they kept there for when either of his parents needed to be in the city for very long periods of time. It had been just Rory and his dad because his papa was in California doing something Rory couldn't remember.

Rory had woken up coughing up a storm and without a voice. His dad had been rushing around getting ready to go for a very important meeting at Vogue, but he'd dropped everything the moment he realized that Rory was sick.

Instead, he'd called a bunch of different people and then afterwards brought Rory breakfast in bed. His dad had made him a delicious tea, given him medicine, and then climbed right into bed with him and put on a movie. Rory didn't remember what they watched, but only that his head had been pillowed by his dad's chest and that there had been a hand brushing hair off his face or rubbing his back and occasionally helping him take a drink of water or orange juice and that his dad had been ready with as many tissues as Rory would need and that he hadn't left his side all day unless it was necessary. He'd even ignored phone calls except for a few from his papa.

The thermometer was uncomfortable under his tongue, but Rory waited it out until it started to ping. Mrs. Pierce didn't let him see the temperature, but she shook her head and gave him more medicine. She left water, toast, and apple slices on his bedside table and told him to call her if he needed her but that she had to go to work.

Rory had nodded and drifted back into sleep. The next time he woke up his papa was there. Rory almost cried.

"Hey," Blaine said, "Brittany told me you were sick."

Rory was still under his pile of blankets and they were still drawn up to his nose, but he shuffled up. His papa came to his side and helped him sit.

"How are you?"

Rory coughed and Blaine grabbed one of the water bottles that Mrs. Pierce had left. He uncapped it and handed it to Rory who gratefully gulped some of the liquid down. He cleared his throat afterwards.

"Thanks," he said. His voice was a little hoarse, but mostly he sounded stuffed up.

"So, I thought since you're leaving soon that I would stop by and we can watch a movie or something. I also figured I should check up on you. Being sick isn't very fun."

Rory felt his heart warm up at the scrunched up face that his papa made. One of his eyebrows looked particularly triangular. He tried to laugh, but instead what came out was a cough.

"Have you had anything to eat?" Blaine asked.

He hadn't. Even though Mrs. Pierce had left him toast, Rory had been too tired to do much more than fall back asleep and he was sure the medicine he'd been given had helped in that respect.

"Not really."

"Okay," Blaine said, "well, I'm going to see what I can find downstairs. I brought my laptop so you can find something to watch on Netflix while I do that."

Rory nodded.

Blaine went about signing into his computer and then he set down on Rory's lap. Before he left, he ruffled Rory's hair and gave him a warm smile. Rory didn't think to ask about Kurt, because he was so happy that it was his papa there with him and Blaine was warm and affectionate and Rory couldn't get enough.

Rory read through a few summaries and looked at a bunch of different movie and tv-show posters that were available for streaming. He hadn't really tried to delve into that aspect of the past.

Blaine returned with a tray. There was a bowl of soup, a plate with crackers, and an orange that had yet to be pealed. Blaine had also brought a glass of milk and a small box of cheerios.

"I'm not too sure what you like, but definitely can't go wrong with soup when there's a cold involved. Or fruit. And I guess cereal is something everyone likes." He looked a little unsure. "Did you pick anything?"

"Soup sounds good," Rory said, "and I really didn't know what to pick."

Rory moved himself over to make room for Blaine and left the laptop aside so he could take the tray. Blaine gingerly handed it to him and then sat down.

"I'm going to find my favorite non-musical movie. Actually I think I have it in my digital library from the slushy incident. You don't know how much I watched those two or so weeks."

Rory nodded eagerly. In the future, he had been an avid movie watcher, but not of older things except for a few that his dads had made him watch. He wondered if this was one of them. But it couldn't be. Mostly everything that his parents had made him watch in the future was either animated or a musical.

"The Princess Bride," his papa said, "classic love story. It has everything a sick boy needs."

Rory had never seen it before. He grinned and settled back into the pillows.

Kurt was tempted to grab his phone even though he was driving. This was the fourth time it had vibrated since he left Between The Sheets, and Kurt was hoping that it was Blaine. He ignored it as it went off again and kept driving. He would be home soon. After he parked the car, the first thing he did was check his phone. There was no text from Blaine, but Chandler had sent him all of five texts.

The first one said "Hi", and the next one was about how glad he was to have met Kurt earlier, the third was a smiley face, the fourth: "are you a magnet, cause I'm attracted to you", and the last "that might have been a bit forward…"

Kurt laughed. He grabbed his bag and the new music sheets he'd bought wishing still that Blaine had come with him.

The house was empty because Finn was still at school practicing for whatever sport was in season and Carole had a long shift that day. His dad was still in Washington. Usually, Kurt didn't feel alone during the week. Blaine was always with him or of late Rory. He hadn't heard from the boy that would be his son all day and he definitely hadn't been in school. Kurt sighed and picked up his phone.

For a moment he considered calling Blaine, but his boyfriend had told him that he was going to be busy that day. Kurt wished he had asked with what. Instead he clicked on his messages and decided he might as well answer Chandler. A part of him knew that he shouldn't answer the boy he'd met at the music store, but Chandler had made him laugh and he was going to be in New York next year and really, what could be so wrong about making a friend that would be there other than Rachel? It was all innocent.

He texted: "Has that line ever worked for you?"

Chandler responded at once, "well, you answered didn't you."

Kurt turned on the tv in the living room and changed the channel until he found a re-run of a sitcom. He left it on and turned back to his phone.

"Funny. Well, have you ever used: If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together."

After that they just traded pick up lines. Kurt couldn't remember the last time he had texted someone as much or for so long, and he was so caught up laughing at Chandler's latest offer that he forgot he was going to call Rory and try and get Blaine to help him choose between the songs he'd bought music for earlier. He didn't stop until Carole had gotten home closely followed by Finn. Carole brought take-out and they all sat down to eat.

"Where's Blaine today?" Carole asked.

Kurt paused mid text. "Oh. He said he was busy."

He didn't finish the text. Instead he set the phone aside and turned back to his meal. He hadn't called Blaine. Or Rory.

After dinner and after helping Finn with the dishes, Kurt called Blaine, but his boyfriend didn't answer the phone, so Kurt sighed and called Rory instead. Rory also didn't answer the phone. Could something be wrong? But no, one of them would have contacted him if something was wrong.

Later that night someone did knock on their door. It was Santana and she just stepped right in.

"What did he tell you?"

Kurt had tried not to think about everything he'd learned from Rory. He'd pushed until Rory told him everything and the two of them had hugged and cried for hours.

"Everything he knows," Kurt said and followed her up to his room.

"Well, let's have it, then."

Kurt gaped at her. She had stretched herself out on his bed and Kurt never thought he would ever be able to say that he'd had a girl in his bed. At least this girl was a lesbian.

"I don't think I can…"

Santana sat up. "Listen, Hummel, I'm trying to help you here, and for that you have to trust Auntie Tana."

Kurt scoffed, but he nodded. "Alright, then, it's a car accident here in Lima. Blaine went out to get Rory supplies for a school project one afternoon and just didn't come back. November 14, 2036."

"He'd be 41," Santana breathed, "it's old – you know, now, but then…"

Kurt nodded. "I know. Too young. We have to make sure it doesn't happen."

"Did he tell you anything else?" Santana asked.

Kurt shook his head. "I don't think he knew where it happened exactly, just that there was an accident that day sometime after four but before five thirty."

Santana jumped off his bed. "Well, write it down in that girly diary you keep somewhere in this room and in 2036 we'll stop it from happening, even if we have to lock your curly haired sweetie in a closet."

She sauntered out of the room and Kurt didn't follow to let her out.

Author's Note: And so Sugar has gone home. And Rory knows that Kurt knows that Blaine dies. It was coming. It had to happen. What can I say?

Also, I had nothing to do with Rory so he ended up sick. I'm half convinced the universe decided to let me catch whatever he had through writing.

Not much else to say except that I'm really excited to start working on Chapter Twenty Three and that I might start tonight even though I have to work a 12 hour shift tomorrow.

I'm also on tumblr where I will probably leave little progress reports on how my writing is going and occasionally previews for upcoming chapters. So stop by. tumblr: emquin.

Thank you for reading. Hope you all liked it.

Please Review.

-Erika