Author's Note: Wow, we've already reached the last chapter! Only an epilogue left after this one. Thank you for coming on this journey with me, and for your faithful reviewing! And a big thank you to my wonderful beta hkvoyage and to cc-graphics, who made the beautiful cover art for this story :-)

Chapter 6: Not Alone

Blaine drifted after Kurt to the choir room, more than a little intrigued. Kurt had been practising playing the guitar with dogged determination for weeks, though he seemed to hate it. He'd also been watching Cooper's video over and over. Blaine had been surprised to find that the video not only showed Coop and himself performing Hungry Like the Wolf/Rio, as it said on the label, but also Blaine playing some of his original songs in his bedroom. Cooper must have sneaked in and filmed Blaine without him noticing.

Kurt, to Blaine's surprise, tended to skip the Anderbros performance and to fast-forward to Blaine singing solo, even though those songs were far from polished and Blaine stopped ever so often to change the melody or try out different lyrics. But Kurt seemed to like them anyway.

The glee club members all filed in, chatting and laughing, and it took their teacher a while to quiet them down. Then he announced that Kurt would be singing, and Kurt stood up, arranged Blaine's guitar rather clumsily over his shoulder and faced the others.

"This is a song I've recently discovered, and it fits this week's theme perfectly."

The teacher frowned, looking at the caption that was scribbled onto the whiteboard in messy block letters: "Teamwork". The other performances that week had been duets and the occasional trio. Kurt was the only one singing alone.

"I'd like to dedicate this performance to the person who inspired it. Blaine, this is for you, and I promise this will be the last time you'll have to hear me play the guitar. I know I'm no good."

There was some muttering in the choir room after Kurt's statement.

The two girls Kurt was closest with, Rachel and Mercedes, did not take it well.

Rachel looked furious at being kept out of the loop and sent Kurt a glare that made him wince.

Mercedes looked completely nonplussed. She raised an eyebrow at Kurt questioningly, her meaning all too clear: whoever this Blaine is, you'll tell me all about him asap. Kurt nodded at her, his expression apologetic.

Of all the glee club members, only Brittany smiled at the mention of Blaine, looking in Blaine's direction and winking at him.

Kurt held the guitar gingerly, and started strumming. The band members winced, and so did two glee clubbers, one of them sporting a mohawk and the other long blond hair. The blond guy jumped up and said in a falsely cheerful voice, "Hey, why don't I help you out with the guitar playing?"

Kurt wavered for a moment, but then nodded. "Thanks, Sam."

He dug into his satchel, taking out some hand-written sheet music. "Uhm… The song was originally arranged for piano, so I tried to transpose it for guitar. Do you think it will work like this?"

Sam hummed the melody under his breath. "Yep, sure."

Kurt handed him the guitar, looking half-relieved, half-anxious.

Sam started playing, and Kurt's glorious voice soared up and filled Blaine with joy. The music and the lyrics were more than familiar. Blaine had written this song not long before he got gay-bashed, trying to tell himself that there were many people like him waiting out there, that there was a bright future and friendship and love ahead of him if he could just hang in there until he graduated. That being one-of-a-kind was a good thing, and that whatever his bullies at school said, he was lovable. He sang this whenever his spirits were low, and it helped. It helped him believe in himself and stand up for himself.

"Baby, you're not alone
'Cause you're here with me
And nothing's ever gonna bring us down
'Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you
And you know it's true
It don't matter what'll come to be
Our love is all we need to make it through..."

Hearing his words now from Kurt's mouth, his voice clear like silver bells, his sincerity and passion ringing true in every syllable, was like a confirmation of everything he'd believed back then. No, he wouldn't be alone. Kurt would be by his side. Wonderful Kurt, who was carving out a place for Blaine in his life, finding ways to intertwine his interests with Blaine's.

When Kurt stopped singing, the other glee club members applauded enthusiastically, but Kurt bit his lip, accepting the guitar back from Sam and looking at it ruefully.

Kurt thinks he failed me because he didn't play the guitar himself, doesn't he? Oh, baby… You did more than enough by writing a guitar arrangement for the song. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Kurt put the guitar back into its case and sighed, so Blaine sent him reassuring and loving vibes until he smiled again.

I'm getting better at that…

K&B

Kurt's lovely voice washed over Blaine, reading out the self-insert Harry Potter fanfic he'd written for Blaine, as he'd been doing for many nights now. They were at the last chapter, and Blaine was both sad that the story was almost over, and jittery with nerves because this was it - the last of Kurt's tasks - and he could only hope with all his heart that Kurt's efforts would pay off.

"And Kurt looked at his husband cradling little Lizzy and sighed happily. "No, I don't miss it. You are my adventure now. You and the children. And it's the most exciting adventure I've ever been on."

"Will it end with a happily ever after?" Blaine asked.

Kurt laughed. "That part of the story has already started. Let's hope it will last a long, long time."

The End"

Blaine, who'd been listening with baited breath – wow, Kurt was a good storyteller! – applauded, only realising he was back to normal when the clapping actually produced sound.

Kurt looked up, startled, his eyes huge and his mouth falling open. He looked adorable, dressed in his patterned flannel pyjamas, his hair sticking up where he'd been leaning against the headboard.

Before Blaine knew it, he'd moved in for a hug, and he was crying for all he was worth, years and years of frustration and anxiety and loneliness melting away in the cocoon of Kurt's arms.

A little later, he lay in bed with Kurt spooning him, revelling in Kurt's closeness and protective embrace. He wanted to shout with glee and giggle like mad and sing loudly, but seeing as it was the middle of the night and everyone in the house was asleep except for him, he settled for wiggling his tush a bit closer to Kurt still, sighing happily and letting sleep overtake him.

Blaine woke up gradually. The first thing he registered was that he felt toasty warm. The pillow he was lying on was radiating heat. It was also… moving? Then Blaine got a whiff of apricot, and now why did that smell so familiar? And then it hit him. He was with Kurt. In his bed. Lying on top of him, it seemed.

Blaine hummed in satisfaction, burying his nose in Kurt's neck and inhaling deeply.

Kurt sucked in a sharp breath and then abruptly sat up. Blaine scrambled to stay on the bed.

"My dad saw us," Kurt hissed, panic in his eyes. "Ugh, I should have set a phone alarm so that we were up before he came to check on us. Now what am I going to say?"

Blaine took Kurt's hands and squeezed them lightly. "I'll come with you and I'll explain. This is all my fault, anyway."

Kurt's eyes softened. "Oh, sweetie, no. The only one who's to blame is the person who erased you. Now let's get dressed. I'll take the bathroom and you can change here."

Not even Kurt styling Blaine's hair, his fingers weaving through the curls deftly, could take Blaine's jitters away, and it was with great trepidation that he stepped into the kitchen, holding hands with Kurt.

Carole was making pancakes, her back to them, and turned around with a plateful of them in her hands. "Oh good, you're here. I had Burt come and wake you up because it's so late already. Do you want…?"

She fell silent when she saw Blaine next to Kurt, and Blaine was quick to catch the plate with the pancakes before it fell, handing it to Finn, who flashed him a grin. "Thanks, dude!"

"I… I didn't know you had someone staying over," Carole faltered. "Who's this, sweetie?"

Blaine shot her a winning smile and held out his hand. "I'm Blaine Anderson, ma'am, pleased to meet you."

She shook his hand absently. "I'm Carole, Kurt's step-mom. Are you a friend of Kurt's from school?"

"Not exactly, ma'am."

Kurt sat down at the table and gestured for Blaine to sit down too.

"Not exactly, huh?"

The gruff voice came from behind Blaine, and he jumped up in fright.

"Then how do you know my son? And why did I find you sleeping in his bed? We have RULES here in this house, Kurt! Finn sticks to them, and so should you. I'm not going to be more lenient with you because you can't knock up your boyfriend. I'm very disappointed in you right now!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Geez, Dad, take it down a few notches, okay? It's not like that. Blaine just needed a place to stay for the night. He'll be out of your hair after breakfast."

"Then why didn't you just ask me if he could stay over? We could have made up the sofa bed for him."

Kurt sighed. "Because he didn't turn up until… like… three in the morning. I don't think you'd have been happy if I woke you up at that hour."

"Three in the morning? What did he do, go to Scandals?"

Kurt bristled. "No, nothing like that. If you really must know, Blaine's dad hates him 'cause he's gay, so he erased Blaine four years ago. I've been trying to bring him back for weeks now, and this morning, it finally paid off."

"Erased? Bring him back? What are you talking about, Kurt?"

Kurt, who'd shovelled half a pancake into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it quickly. "If you want the whole story, come along with me when I take Blaine back to his mom. Pam can explain it better, I'm sure."

"Pam? The Pam who sold us this house? With the kid she lost?"

"Yep. That would be Blaine."

That shocked Burt into silence, and in the end, Finn went to school on his own, while Burt and Carole tagged along to Pam's.

After a very tearful reunion, Pam explained the whole story to Burt and Carole, with Burt muttering throughout and frowning.

"I didn't believe it either, Dad," Kurt whispered. "But it's all true. Blaine was kind of a… ghost, I guess. I couldn't see him, but I've always been able to sense him. What he was feeling."

"Your soulmate, though? You're only sixteen, kiddo!"

Kurt swallowed and nodded, his face pale and worried. Blaine hastened to take his hand and squeeze it in silent support, and Kurt shot him a wan smile before turning to Burt again. "I know, Dad. We're way too young for this. And the whole… forever thing… it scares me. But… But… I couldn't let Blaine live like a ghost for who knows how many more years until I was ready for him, now, could I? He's already lost four years, Dad! He never deserved any of this! And… Well… It's not like we're going to get married right this minute. I mean… This whole soulmate thing… We can work up to it, right? Start out as friends?"

Kurt looked like he was going to be sick, and Blaine felt a pang of hurt that Kurt didn't want him that way, but tamped it down to reassure Kurt. "Of course we can."

He mustn't have masked his disappointment as well as he'd tried to, because Kurt's head shot up at once, his eyes piercing right through Blaine. "Oh, honey, it's not you. You know that, right? You're amazing, and I promise you I want to be with you. I'm just… I just… I want to take this slow. I don't want to mess this up by hurrying into things I'm not ready for. Since we're in this for the long haul, I want to make sure we're going to last. So don't take this the wrong way, okay? I'm not rejecting you. I'm protecting something that is very precious to me. You know that, right?"

Blaine nodded, his throat too clogged up to speak.

"Oh, come here…"

Kurt drew him in, his hand rubbing comforting circles on Blaine's back.

Blaine's breath hitched, and once again, he let his tears flow, while Kurt whispered softly in his ear.

A loud throat clearing startled them out of their private bubble.

"I think you'll do just fine, son."

Burt, who'd seemed so gruff and forbidding earlier, was now smiling gently, pride in his eyes and his voice. He clapped Blaine on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the family, kiddo."

K&B

As diligent a student as Blaine was, catching up on four years of studies in just a few months was impossible. Pam had registered Blaine as home-schooled right after he was erased, in the hopes that he'd be brought back to life soon. Since it had taken longer than foreseen, she'd sent the superintendent of the school district a written portfolio every year, claiming that it contained Blaine's school work. Luckily, the superintendent had always accepted the portfolios as proof of Blaine's schooling, so now all Blaine had to do was study and then take a standardised test. Based on that, he could then enrol at McKinley the following school year, probably not as a senior, like Kurt would be, but maybe as a junior, if he worked hard enough.

Cooper had come home as soon as Pam had notified him of Blaine's return, and offered to tutor Blaine in the subjects he was struggling with. "I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, so I can help you, squirt!"

"Don't call me squirt!"

It was nice, though, having Cooper at home, more so than Blaine had expected. The brother he remembered had been self-absorbed and vain, and had always criticised Blaine so he could look better in comparison. But Cooper had matured and become a better man. He seemed truly happy to have his little brother back, and in addition to the tutoring, he taught Blaine to drive a car, he taught him to shave, and he took him to his first ever pop concert. In spite of Blaine's long absence and their ten-year age difference, they became really close.

In the four years Blaine had been gone, Cooper had become the big star he'd always wanted to be, scoring a main role in a TV series and modelling contracts on the side. Everybody knew his name and face these days, as Blaine found out the first time they went grocery shopping together and Cooper was accosted by giggling teens and their moms, requesting selfies and autographs. He dealt with it graciously, never losing his smile or his patience.

Blaine looked one wide-eyed, and afterwards, he Googled his brother's name and watched the show he starred in.

"Shouldn't you be in LA instead of here?" Blaine asked. "I don't want you to lose your job."

Cooper shrugged. "I've asked for two months leave of absence, because of an urgent family matter. They can do without me for the time being. You're more important. It's nearly summer, you can come with me to LA then. You can bring Kurt too, if his dad's okay with that."

K&B

As agreed upon, Kurt and Blaine were taking things slow. They took turns calling each other every night, sometimes talking late into the night, and they spent the weekends together, doing their homework, watching trashy television all cuddled up on the sofa, making Blaine's favourite cookies together, going shopping with Kurt's girlfriends or hanging out with Cooper and the New Directions boys playing video games.

The New Directions had accepted Blaine into their fold almost straightaway. It only took Kurt telling the whole story with the necessary dramatics, and assuring Rachel that no, Blaine was not a spy. With only two months left until school let out for summer, there wasn't any point to Blaine enrolling at McKinley, but he did sit in on the glee club sessions every now and then, and Sam invited him to join the superhero club, where Blaine made more friends. Kurt, as promised, came along too, though he spent more time ogling Blaine in his Nightbird costume and day-dreaming than actually paying attention to the superhero plans the others hatched.

K&B

It took the combined forces of Pam, Cooper and Carole to convince Burt to let Kurt and Blaine go to LA with Cooper that summer.

"Honey… Please be reasonable," Carole pleaded. "Cooper's only just gotten his brother back, so of course he wants to spend time with him. And you can't keep Kurt and Blaine apart all summer, they're in love!"

"That's exactly the point," Burt grumbled.

"Burt, if it were Cooper at seventeen, with his girlfriend at the time, I would have said no, too," Pam said. "But Blaine has always been so much more mature, and I can tell that Kurt is exactly the same. And Cooper will be there to keep an eye on them, won't you, sweetie?"

Cooper nodded, his face earnest. "You can count on me. I don't want anything bad to happen to Blaine again. And I want to show Blaine and Kurt around the city, and bring them to the set to introduce them to my co-stars. And Kurt could maybe check out all the colleges and universities in the LA area? We've got great schools, and it's never too early to think about your college applications."

Burt stared Cooper down. "Kurt's been dreaming of New York since he was little. He's going to apply for colleges there."

"Actually, Dad, I've been looking at other options, too," Kurt piped up. "New York isn't going anywhere. It will still be there after I've gotten my degree."

Burt clearly hadn't been expecting that. "But… What happened to you and Rachel going to NYADA and rooming together?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Dreams change, Dad. In LA, I won't have Rachel, but I'll have Blaine and Mercedes. Anyway, you can't expect me to apply to only one college. What if I don't get in? It's best to have several options. And in LA, Blaine and I can stay at Cooper's place. We won't have to combine three student jobs with our studies to keep afloat."

Burt frowned. "Blaine will still be in high school the year you start college."

"Yes, but he'll transfer to a school in LA for his senior year," Kurt explained. "Cooper knows the principal of a private school there, and he's already reserved a spot for Blaine. And Blaine will be able to take some college courses during his senior year. He's enrolled for summer classes this year and he'll take some next year too, so that he'll be able to start college as a sophomore."

Burt's eyebrows rose. "Huh. You've got it all planned out, huh? Well, tell me something. If you shack up together at eighteen, don't you think you'll be sick of each other before you even finish college?"

"That's why this summer would be a good trial run," Cooper insisted. "To see if it works, if the three of us can get along well enough."

Burt grunted.

There was silence for a few beats.

"All right, all right. You can go."

Kurt squealed and threw his arms around Burt's neck.

Burt mumbled, "I'll miss you when you're away all summer."

"I'll miss you too, Dad."