"Do you want a divorce?"

Blaine felt himself completely still after closing the front door. It was late, well after midnight, and he was just getting in from the studio. He'd expected to return to a quiet home, with Kurt and Lyra both asleep, so he would be able to ignore the giant elephant in the room for another day. He swallowed, locked the door, and then turned around.

Kurt was sat on the couch, still in pajamas (being bound to the bed hadn't left him with much wardrobe choices), and a look on his face that was unreadable to Blaine.

"Kurt what—what are you doing up so late?"

"Answer the question Blaine. Do you want a divorce?" Kurt asked again, ignoring his question. Blaine could hear his voice shake and break at the end and it hurt like hell hearing it because he knew he was responsible for making it sound that way.

The last couple of weeks had not been easy for any of them. The attack on Kurt and Lyra had caused Blaine to pull away from Kurt. Not because he actually blamed him for what happened (Blaine still hated himself for even saying that to Kurt). Blaine actually blamed himself and hated himself for not being there to protect Kurt. He hated the idea that his husband and daughter had been in danger and he hadn't been there to protect them. Yes, he wished Kurt would have just gotten himself and their daughter as far away from the man as quickly as possible, but he knew Kurt had done everything in his power to protect Lyra and that Kurt would never have endangered their daughter, and Blaine knew that.

He hated himself for not being there for his family when they had needed him, he hated himself for being at the recording studio instead, and he hated the idea of how close he had come to losing the love(s) of his life. The idea of losing Kurt terrified him. What if the man hadn't fled but had stayed and continued beating Kurt after he'd fallen? Kurt could have been in much worse a condition then he ended up in. This was all part of why he'd lashed out at Kurt, why he'd pulled away in the last couple of weeks, why he'd hardly said anything to Kurt. He was ashamed, terrified, and he hated himself for allowing any of it to have happened. Blaine felt responsible.

"Why would you think I'd want a divorce?" He asked wincing immediately at the glare Kurt gave him.

"Hmm let's see…"Kurt said sarcastically, tears in his eyes. "Maybe because you haven't said more then two words to me since I came home from the hospital? Maybe because I haven't seen you in what feels like days? Maybe because it seems like you can hardly stand the sight of me? Maybe because for whatever fucked up reason you genuinely seem to think I'm to blame for everything that's happened? Maybe because you think I'm a horrible father and…and…" Kurt visibly started to shake and he put his face in his hands and began to openly sob. Blaine saw him wince and wrap one of his arms around his middle.

Blaine knew he was in pain, bruised and fractured ribs took time and rest to heal properly. Blaine knew Kurt needed to be in bed. Kurt was hurting because of him, again. It was the only thought that was continuously running through his head.

Blaine went to Kurt after only a moment's hesitation. He knelt down in front of him and placed his hands tentatively on Kurt's knees. Kurt jerked away, clearly not expecting Blaine to touch him, and he shuddered because of the pain it caused. But Kurt still kept his face in his hand.

"Kurt, look at me."

Kurt didn't move, he just continued to softly cry.

"Kurt, please look at me." Blaine was getting choked up. He recognized he'd done this. He'd caused Kurt to feel like this. He'd put this doubt in his husband's head.

Kurt slowly moved his hand away from his face and wrapped it and his arm around his middle as well.

He slowly tilted his face up and looked at Blaine with blurry, red, puffy eyes.

"Kurt I—I don't think you're a horrible father." He spoke gently. Blaine wanted to reach out and stroke Kurt's cheek but he didn't know how Kurt would react or if Kurt would even want that from him.

"But you blame me—"

Shaking his head Blaine cut Kurt off, "No I don't. When I yelled at you in the hospital it wasn't because I thought you really put Lyra in danger. I had been so afraid of losing you and our daughter that I just lost it." Blaine placed his hands on Kurt's knees again and watched as Kurt eyed him warily but didn't make to move away or push his hands away.

"I was so completely wrong for doing that Kurt. When the doctor came in, I felt so small for yelling at you I just wanted to beg you to forgive me, but I was still feeling scared and hurt about everything that I had to walk away."

"So you did and then punched a hole in a wall in the waiting room." Kurt spoke rolling his eyes in disbelief. Blaine could still see all the pain and hurt there.

"Yeah, I did. I have the bruises to prove it still." Blaine added trying to lighten the mood lifting his hand up to show off the still discolored fingers and knuckles.

Blaine watched as Kurt turned his head away from him, refusing to look at him, and Blaine also noticed the fresh tears rolling down his tired face.

"Look, Kurt I've been an asshole. I've said things I didn't mean and I haven't allowed myself to talk to you anymore than absolutely necessary because I was and still am too afraid of the idea of losing you. If I had lost you Kurt I have no idea what I would have done."

"But you didn't lose me, Blaine. I'm right here. I've been right here this whole time." Kurt just barely whispered, his lip quivering slightly.

Blaine nodded and squeezed Kurt's knees with his hands.

"I know, I know. There was just another part of me that felt, and I still do feel, responsible for everything that happened to you and to Lyra. I actually blame myself Kurt, not you."

"Blaine that's ridiculous—"

"Please, let me finish Kurt." Blaine pleaded cutting Kurt off as gently as he could.

Kurt just looked at him in disbelief before nodding shortly.

"I had been spending so much time at the recording studio and I was feeling so excited about my new album. I was beginning to feel like everything was finally in place. Everything was as it should be. I had the career I always wanted, I had a man I loved more than anything at home who was happy with his own career, a daughter who was—is just too precious for words, and we had a life together that we were continuously building and making better; a life we were making just for us. I felt like I was on cloud nine and that nothing could bring me down." Blaine paused to wipe a few tears from his own eyes away with the sleeve of his shirt. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kurt, not with all the guilt he was feeling weighing him down.

"But of course I was wrong. You were mugged Kurt, with Lyra there to see it. You were seriously hurt and there was absolutely nothing I could do to change that, because I hadn't been there to protect you, to protect either of you. I had been in the studio recording and obsessing over a stupid record that most people probably wont even bother to listen to in five years. I should have been with you, to protect you. I feel like if I had been there I could have fought the guy off myself or better yet I could have been the person he targeted instead of you. If I hadn't been so self-involved I would have been there for you instead. I hate that I wasn't there Kurt. I hate that I wasn't there for you or our baby girl and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself. And if I had lost you I would have lost the best thing to ever happen to me and I just—I just haven't been home much in the last two weeks because seeing you, and how hurt you are reminds me of my failings as a husband and as a father and I've been putting off confronting all of this for as long as I possibly could. And I fucking hate myself for all of it."

Blaine closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his breathing. He didn't want Kurt to hate him but after putting it all out there, clear as day would surely make Kurt open his eyes to the reality of their situation.

"You and Lyra are too much alike, you know that?" Kurt spoke with what sounded like a sad chuckle.

Blaine opened his eyes and looked up at Kurt, who was gazing down at him with sad eyes.

"What?" Blaine asked, confused.

Kurt sniffed a bit and ran a hand over his face.

"Lyra and I had a similar conversation last week. She blamed herself for me getting attacked. She told me that it was because of her wanting to have ice cream that I got hurt. She was keeping her distance too, and she was trying to be helpful. It broke my heart Blaine." Kurt's voice broke as he spoke.

Blaine felt tears sting the back of his eyes as he took in the new information about their daughter. His thoughts were stopped though when he felt Kurt's hand touch his hair, Kurt's fingers gently carding their way through his loose curls.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told her. It is not your fault I got attacked. You are not responsible for any of this. You didn't make that man attack me. You didn't want him to mug me."

Shaking his head, Blaine tried to interject, "Kurt if I had been there—"

"You may have gotten hurt too, Blaine. Have you even considered that? What if you had been there? What if the guy went after you too? Or what if you were the one who had gotten seriously injured? Have you even considered what that would have done to me? What if I had lost you?"

Blaine couldn't help the tears that rolled down his face as he glanced up at Kurt who had fresh tears in his eyes as well.

"Kurt, you wouldn't have lost me."

"You don't know that Blaine. I get that you hate yourself for not being there, I would have felt that way too if it had been you instead of me. I get how you would feel like it had been your fault, even if it had no logical based reasoning behind it, because initially I would have felt the same way if it had been you. But it's been two weeks Blaine, and I've needed you and I thought—"

"—that I hated you." Blaine finished Kurt's thought and he watched as Kurt nodded.

"Like I said I thought you had lashed out because you'd been afraid, but then as the days went by and you were hardly ever home and when you were you barely looked at me, let alone spoke to me, I thought maybe I had been wrong and you really did blame me. I thought you hated me. I thought," Kurt took a small shaky breath. "I thought I'd actually lost my husband."

"You're not going to lose me." Blaine said. "I'm just an oblivious idiot who's terrible at this whole romance and relationship stuff."

Kurt managed to smile at that. "You're my oblivious idiot."

Blaine couldn't take it anymore, he surged forward and kissed Kurt. He felt Kurt still as he pressed his lips against his, but then the hand Kurt had in Blaine's hair tightened slightly and Blaine felt Kurt's lips part as he began to kiss him back. He felt like he hadn't kissed Kurt in ages and the idea of never kissing his husband ever again scared him beyond words. The idea of losing this, what they had, was too much to bare.

Kurt's quiet groan pulled him from the rest of his thoughts and Blaine pulled away slightly.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I've just been sitting here for a while and I feel really sore. I need to go to bed." Kurt said licking his lips as he gazed into Blaine's eyes.

Nodding in understanding Blaine went to pull away but Kurt tugged a little on his hair with the hand he still had there.

"Will my husband take me to bed?"

Blaine felt his breath catch at the question and he felt his heart beat quicker from the look Kurt was giving him.

"But you're hurt Kurt, we can't…" He trailed off without being able to finish, his mind racing with things he's missed doing with Kurt.

"My husband can touch me without hurting me, and I know I can touch him. If he wants me to, that is." Kurt looked at him just a bit shier now and Blaine wanted nothing more than to pull Kurt to him and never let him go.

"Of course I want you to, Kurt, but what about Lyra? I don't want to chance waking her—"

"Rachel has her for the night. I told her I'd call her in the morning sometime."

Blaine looked at Kurt questioningly for a longer moment.

"I didn't know how our 'chat' would go, and I didn't want Lyra to hear us yelling or whatever."

Blaine cupped Kurt's face and kissed him hard and deep.

"No." He spoke, once he broke the kiss. "No, I don't."

"No, you don't what? You don't want to take me to bed?"

Kurt's eyes were wide and confusion was written all over his face. Blaine smiled at him.

"No, I don't want a divorce." Blaine answered smiling. "I never answered your question from before. So, I just wanted to make it very clear as to what my answer was, in case there was still any doubt."

Kurt laughed at that. "Good. Glad to hear it. Now, take me to bed or I'll file for divorce myself."

Laughing, Blaine scrambled to his feet.

(Later…)

Their breathing had evened out as their heart rates had slowed and Blaine couldn't hold back from kissing Kurt again and again.

"You're not going to lose me, Kurt." He whispered softly. "Not like that. I promise you. Please never ever doubt that again."

There was a long pause before Kurt spoke, quiet and sure. "I wont."