This chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but we get to meet Blaine and Cooper! Thanks for all the interest in this story it will be different than anything I've ever written before so please feel free to drop me a note with your thoughts. Thanks!

Cooper was in L.A. when his letter arrived. The unmistakable blue envelope among bills, junk mail and magazines. Blaine picked it up and held it in his hands, it was small but felt so heavy.

At first he'd hoped it would have his name on it not Cooper's. Not because Blaine felt ready for a Lifemate, far from it, but because he knew this letter would come as a harsh blow to his brother.

Cooper had turned 29 five months ago and the countdown had started. "Only 12 more months." "Only 10 more months. "Only 8 more months Squirt!"

Once Cooper hit what he called "the golden age of 30" it meant he would probably never be chosen as a Lifemate. A prospect that most people would be afraid of, but to Cooper it sounded great.

Blaine and Cooper's relatives had been sighing and shaking their heads for Cooper's sake for years. "Poor thing, to go so long without a mate. But don't give up Cooper there could still be someone out there for you."

Cooper didn't want it though. His 30th Birthday was going to be a huge celebration, it meant freedom.

Blaine blinked at the blue envelope in his hands, the envelope that would mean the end of Cooper's hopes. If only it had Blaine's name on it. Blaine knew he'd be paired someday and he hoped it would be a few years down the road because he felt like he know nothing about romance. But if it meant Cooper didn't have too? Blaine would get married right now.

It didn't matter though, it was Cooper's name on the envelope. He had to tell him. He grabbed his phone and the letter and moved to the living room, sitting down on the sofa and dialing his brother's number. He closed his eyes as the phone rang trying to work out how to tell him.

"Hey Blaine!" His brother answered cheerfully. "You caught me on my way to the airport, I'll be home this evening."

Blaine was relieved to hear it. "I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow?"

"Nope, the audition was rescheduled. So I'll have to come back to L.A. later on." Cooper had moved back home to Ohio a few years ago when their parents had both been killed in a car accident. Blaine was 14 and Cooper had dropped his dreams of acting tomove back to Ohio and take care of his little brother.

Cooper eventually got back to the grind though, now that Blaine was older and could look after himself, Cooper made trips to L.A. all the time, and Blaine knew that he was planning on moving back to California once Blaine was in college. Blaine really wanted to go to school in New York, but had also applied to some schools in California so he'd have the option of being closer to Cooper.

It seemed Cooper was on his way back home early though, which was a relief considering the news Blaine was about to break.

"That's good." Blaine said. "Because… um…" He wasn't sure how to tell him, he wondered if he should just wait until he got home before he gave him the bad news, but Cooper must have heard something in his voice.

"What's the matter Squirt? You okay?"

Blaine took a deep breath and decided to just go for it. "A Lifemate Lottery letter came in the mail today." He said so quickly he wondered if his brother caught it. There was silence on the other end.

"Blaine… no way."

"Cooper…"

"You're only 18! How is that fair?" Cooper said sounding angry. "I mean you're still in High School for crying out loud! You haven't even had a chance to live yet."

"Coop."

"I mean how dare they." Cooper continued. "They can't do this, someone is going to hear about this." Blaine could almost picture him gesturing wildly to make his point.

"Cooper please listen to me." Blaine said, hating himself for having to give him the bad news. "The letter… I wish it was for me, but Cooper, it's addressed to you."

There was silence.

"Cooper?"

Nothing.

"Coop?" Blaine pulled his phone away from his ear to make sure they were still connected.

"Cooper, please say something, you're freaking me out."

"I have less than 8 months." Cooper said, his voice sounding dull. "220 days till freedom."

"Cooper I'm so sorry. Maybe you could… I don't know protest or…"

"There's no protesting the Lifemate Lottery." Cooper said. "You know that Blaine. If I made a big fuss I'd just end up in jail… married first and then thrown in jail."

"Cooper I'm…"

"Don't say you're sorry again Squirt. This isn't your fault. And I'm glad it isn't you. I've had my fun… I have. You still get to have your little slice of freedom."

"It isn't a death sentence." Blaine said desperately. "Maybe it will be good, maybe you'll like each other. Maybe-"

"Blaine." His brother interrupted. "Would you open the letter? Find out when my appointment at the LMC is and give me my Lifemate's name? I'd like to at least know who she is." Cooper said all business, which was so unlike Cooper it made Blaine wince.

Blaine nodded even though his brother couldn't see him. Cooper was his only real family left, they had relatives scattered about, but since their parent's death Cooper and Blaine had been each other's support. He hated hearing him so defeated.

Blaine slid his finger underneath the seal and opened the letter scanning it until he got to the information he needed. "10 in the morning on the 14th," Blaine said. "That's this Saturday. And your Lifemate's name is… Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

There was silence on the other end again. "What the hell kind of name is that? Is she even a she?"

Blaine scanned the letter again. "His number is HK7J875." Blaine answered quietly knowing the number 7 after someone's initials always meant they were classified as male.

He heard Cooper sigh.

Blaine couldn't believe how terribly this was going. "Cooper I'm sorry."

"Well… that will be… interesting." Cooper said and Blaine couldn't read his voice.

Blaine felt a little sick to his stomach. He was grateful that the Lottery allowed for same-sex couples, but the system was severally messed up when you could end up with someone outside of your sexual orientation.

"Cooper I'm so so sorry." Blaine knew he was being repetitive, but he was at a loss of what to say. How had his brother's life and hopes and dreams crumbled so fast?

"I told you not to keep apologizing." Cooper said in a tight voice. "And it's not like I've never tried… that before."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean little brother that I have made good use of my freedom. I may prefer females, but I'm not immune to the attraction of guys."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up; well there was something he didn't know about his big brother.

"Honestly, his gender is the least of my concerns." Cooper continued. "It's the 'til death do us part' idea that I have issues with." He was quiet for a moment. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Blaine bit his lip to keep himself from saying how sorry he was again. "Just get home Cooper. We'll figure something out."

"Right. Right. I'm sure it will all be fine." Cooper said cheerfully, but Blaine could tell when his brother was bluffing, for an actor he wasn't that great at it, and right now Cooper's fake cheerfulness was doing a flimsy job of covering his true feelings.

That evening Blaine tried to focus on homework and not think about his brother's disappointment or about who this Kurt Hummel would be. And he knew it was irrational because it wasn't Kurt's fault, but he couldn't help feeling a little bit resentful towards the guy that was messing up his brother's life.