The season finale! I'll do all my talking at the end so we can just dive right in...
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)
BLAINE
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Schu started glee rehearsal by walking to the whiteboard to write All or Nothing.
"Alright, guys," he said as he turned to face New Directions, "it's finally here: Regionals!"
Everyone cheered.
"I just found out," Mr. Schu added, "because of safety concerns related to late season tornadoes, Indianapolis has declined to host the competition. So, as defending champions, we're having Regionals here in our auditorium!"
"Home court advantage, yo!" Artie shouted as a murmur of surprise swept through the room.
"Now, because of a sexting scandal at Our Lady of Perpetual Loneliness," Mr. Schu continued, "their glee club, the Nuntouchables, has been excommunicated by the new pope. They've been replaced by the world famous boys of Zeigler Prep. The Waffletoots."
"Like, cake farts?" Artie giggled about the group's name.
"They're really good," Blaine worried.
"The Hoosierdaddies are still the odds-on favorite," Mr. Schu explained. "I mean, their lead vocalist, Frida Romero, is a tiny juggernaut of talent. We are in for the fight of our lives."
Blaine was confident about New Directions' chances, but they were up against formidable competition. Both the Hoosierdaddies and the Waffletoots had great reputations.
But, Blaine reminded himself, New Directions had won Nationals the year before. Their journey to Regionals this year had been bumpy, but they had an excellent reputation, too.
They could win.
Mr. Schu sat down on a stool in the center of the room as he continued. "So, let's get real. There comes a moment in every performer's life that defines him or her, sometimes for the rest of their career. This is our moment. We've struggled, we've endured, and now we must triumph."
Blaine nodded, listening intently.
"And, speaking of that," Mr. Schu said, "I want us all to just take a moment to send some positive energy to one of our very own. She has her final callback for Funny Girl today. So, let's all give a big round of applause to Rachel, wherever she is."
The group applauded, and Blaine recalled the anxious text messages he had been received from Kurt all day.
Why did I stay in Ohio this week?
I should've gone back to New York and gone with Rachel to this callback.
This is the biggest moment of her career so far and I'm sitting at my dad's kitchen table in my pajamas.
I'm texting her but she's not texting me back. I've offended her by choosing Ohio over her.
Never mind, she was in the shower.
She's ready. She's going to get it. She's going to be on Broadway.
If you ever tell anyone this I will shave your head while you sleep, but I'm a little bit jealous.
Blaine had, during a break between classes, managed to text him back at that point. Well, Rachel doesn't get to hang out with Isabelle Wright all the time. Plus, you're going to be on Broadway, too! Don't worry.
Thanks, Kurt had texted him back.
Kurt had plans to spend the afternoon with Mercedes, Mike, Finn, and Puck on campus at the University of Lima, so, after glee practice, Blaine knew the time was right to ask Sam for his help.
"Hey," Blaine said as they walked together between buildings so Sam could grab a few things out of his locker, "I need your help with something."
"Yeah, sure," Sam agreed absentmindedly.
"I'm going to propose to Kurt," Blaine explained cheerfully, "and there's so much to consider, so I was hoping you'd help me brainstorm."
"Uh... what?" Sam asked.
"I was thinking," Blaine suggested, "that we could go to the mall on Wednesday afternoon and pick out a ring. I know Kurt's got plans to see a movie with Mercedes that afternoon, so there's no chance of him finding out."
Blaine felt a burst of energy as he thought about it. Kurt was going to be oblivious, hanging out with his friend like it was a normal day while Blaine bought the most important purchase of his entire life. The clandestine nature of the whole thing was exhilarating.
"And then," Blaine continued, "I'm really torn about where I should do it. There's so much more to think about when it comes to proposing than I realized!" he laughed.
He pulled open the door to the building where Sam's locker was located and they stepped inside.
"You can only do this once," he reminded Sam, "so it has to be perfect. It has to be, you know, special."
"Are you actually talking about a marriage proposal?" Sam realized.
Blaine nodded.
"Dude, we're in high school," Sam protested. "You're not ready to get married and I'm not letting you."
After what had happened with Burt, Blaine had realized that he needed to react more positively to people's initial doubt. Of course everyone was going to doubt his plan; he and Kurt were young. It was nice that people were concerned for his and Kurt's future happiness. But they weren't a statistic. They were going to be together forever, so Blaine just needed to give everyone around him time to let that fact sink in.
"Well, I'm not asking for your permission," Blaine explained pleasantly. "I'm already going to do it. What I'm asking for is your help about how to do this! From my best friend."
"Okay," Sam said, walking backward in front of Blaine for a moment so they could look at each other properly, "and, as your best friend, I need to remind you, just a few weeks ago, you were totally confused. You didn't even know where Kurt stood with this Adam guy."
"Well, I don't remember you being this introspective when you were asking Brittany to marry you," Blaine scolded.
"One, I don't even know what that means," Sam said as he turned and walked toward his locker, forgetting that Blaine had to go a different direction toward the parking lot, "and, two, we thought the world was ending! And when we realized it wasn't–" He glanced over his shoulder and realized that Blaine was still standing at the intersection of the hallways, and he lowered his voice, "I regretted it!"
"Will you listen to yourself?" Blaine replied, walking slowly toward Sam as he spoke. "You sound exactly like the rest of the world saying that 'it's not time yet'. Well, you know what? People like me have been hearing that for hundreds and hundreds of years."
Sam still didn't look convinced.
"This is happening," Blaine informed him. "I am going to ask Kurt to marry me."
He could tell that Sam was still unsure, so he decided to add another layer of incentive.
"And," Blaine told Sam, "not only are you one of my best friends... I was kinda hoping that you would be my best man." He smiled at Sam as he backed away toward the hallway that led to the parking lot. "So let me know if you, uh, change your mind."
He turned and walked away, pleased. Yes, Sam had concerns, but Blaine knew he would come around.
Blaine went straight home and spent the evening consumed with ideas of all the ways he could propose to Kurt. He made a to-do list. Buy the perfect ring. Choose a location. Decide on the perfect outfit. Check the weather forecast and choose a beautiful day. Take Kurt to lunch or dinner first so he wasn't hungry or thirsty or in any way uncomfortable when Blaine asked the question. Find the perfect song to play in the background.
He added 'talk to parents' to the list before crossing it out. They wouldn't understand. They certainly wouldn't approve. And Blaine was done letting people try to talk him down.
KURT
On Tuesday, Kurt and Blaine finally managed to spend some time alone together after glee rehearsal.
"I'm glad Rachel's second callback went so well," Blaine said as they walked through the mall. "Does she have any idea how long she'll have to wait until she hears if she got the part?"
"I don't think so," Kurt replied. "It's just 'we'll be in touch'."
"So annoying," Blaine rolled his eyes.
"Seriously," Kurt agreed.
"She's totally going to get it, though," Blaine smiled.
"I'll bring you as my date to the premiere," Kurt teased.
"Okay," Blaine agreed happily.
"Speaking of you in New York," Kurt changed the subject, knowing that Blaine was always willing to talk about the city, "I can't believe you haven't heard from NYADA yet. I mean, last year, we got our finalist letters before Regionals."
"Nobody's really sure what's going on," Blaine explained. "I called the other day to make sure my letter hadn't gotten lost in the mail or something, and the receptionist said they were 'adjusting the admissions process', whatever that means."
"So nobody has heard either way yet?" Kurt asked.
"Right," Blaine confirmed.
"Well," Kurt said, "I, for one, am very confident that you'll get in. Oh, hey, can we go in here?"
"Sure," Blaine agreed as Kurt turned toward his favorite clothing store in the mall.
"So," Kurt asked as they browsed, "how're preparations for Regionals going? Mercedes says you and Marley sound great on your duet."
"Aw," Blaine accepted the compliment. "I think we're ready, as a whole, but we've got to get Brittany to come back."
"Yeah, I heard about that," Kurt acknowledged. "What happened?"
"She had a meltdown," Blaine explained. "She tried to make it about solos, but I think there's something else going on."
"There's always craziness right before a big competition," Kurt recalled. "But, in the end, it'll come together."
"I hope so," Blaine replied. "I'd love to go to Nationals again. Plus, this year it's in Los Angeles, which would mean I could see my brother, too."
Kurt laughed. "How is Cooper?" he wondered.
Blaine rolled his eyes. "He thinks I have PTSD from the incident at school a few weeks ago."
Concern settled into Kurt's chest. "You're okay, though, right?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
"Oh, yeah!" Blaine smiled.
Kurt studied his face until he was satisfied that Blaine was being honest.
"Good," he approved.
Kurt couldn't find anything that he liked in the store, so they walked back into the mall and ended up sitting in the food court eating ice cream cones.
"I've missed this," Blaine said after a short silence. When Kurt raised his eyebrows to ask him to elaborate, Blaine added, "Hanging out with you."
"I'm not sure I'm ready to have this conversation yet," Kurt admitted as part of his brain scolded him for trying to avoid his problems.
"We need to have it before you go back to New York, Kurt," Blaine said gently.
"Well, then it's good that I'm going to be here all week," Kurt teased, praying that Blaine would drop it.
"Alright," Blaine agreed. "After Regionals?"
Kurt smiled. Blaine knew how much he liked well-defined boundaries. "After Regionals," he said, "I promise."
BLAINE
On Wednesday, Blaine told Tina about his plan to propose to Kurt. She wasn't as against the idea as Burt or Sam, but she didn't seem particularly thrilled, either. Blaine had a suspicion that it had more to do with Tina's lingering crush on him than anything else. With Sam still protesting the idea of Blaine asking Kurt to marry him, Blaine convinced Tina to go with him to the mall later that afternoon after glee practice to pick out the ring.
For the second day in a row, there was drama in the choir room that afternoon.
They were sitting in a circle in the middle of the choir room, working on a music theory and songwriting lesson, when Ryder interrupted.
"Alright, look, I'm– I'm sorry." Ryder said. "Excuse me, Mr. Schu, but I've got to say something."
"Okay," Mr. Schu allowed.
Ryder stood up and moved to the center of the circle.
"Look, so, I hate to pull a Brittany here, but the bottom line is I'm not performing in Regionals until Catfish reveals themselves," he said firmly. "This whole situation is out of hand and needs to end."
Blaine glanced around, but nobody had anything to say.
"Look, I'm serious, okay?" Ryder stressed. "I can't take it anymore! It's tearing me apart and... someone in this room is playing games with me, and I want to know who!"
"Would you just say who it is?" Sugar said softly.
"I don't think it's any of us," Tina suggested. Blaine was wondering the same thing. Didn't Ryder have all of their phone numbers in his phone already so he would be able to tell if it was one of them?
Ryder kicked the stool in the center of the circle, causing everyone to jump in surprise, and the tension in the room skyrocketed.
"Everybody pull out your phones right now!" Ryder demanded.
"Ryder, relax man!" Blaine tried to calm him down. "I know this is upsetting, but –"
"Nobody is going to admit it for fear of being murdered," Kitty commented judgmentally.
"I've told this person everything and I want to know who it is," Ryder reiterated.
"I know you're upset," Blaine acknowledged, "but just..."
"No, you don't know," Ryder snapped. "You don't know, okay? Who is it?"
He looked around the circle, but nobody said anything.
"Alright, fine, if nobody's going to say anything, pull out your phones," Ryder commanded. "I want to see all of your phones. All of your phones! Pull up your texts."
When nobody moved, Ryder got angry.
"I'm serious!" he shouted, kicking the stool in the middle of the circle, harder than before. Everyone scrambled back a little, and Blaine glanced at Mr. Schu. Someone needed to stop this.
"It's me!" Marley jumped to her feet. "I'm Catfish."
A long, awkward silence fell over the room.
"What?" Ryder finally asked, stunned. "What do you... no. No, I– I asked you. You swore to me."
"I'm sorry," Marley apologized. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
"Look, just take it easy, Ryder, okay?" Jake said, standing up to stand between Marley and Ryder. "This was just a little joke. Things got out of hand."
"What, you're defending her?" Ryder scoffed. "Are you kidding me? What's wrong with you people?"
He grabbed his bag.
"Ryder," Mr. Schu said, asking him to stay, but Ryder stormed out of the room.
For a moment, everyone stared at each other. Marley sank back into her chair.
"Marley, that's messed up," Blaine broke the silence.
"Yeah," Sugar agreed.
Marley just stared at the floor.
"Okay, uh, well..." Mr. Schu said, "I know we're all stressed this week with Regionals coming up, but let's try to keep it together now, okay?"
Mr. Schu continued the lesson, and Blaine forced himself to focus.
When the group finally finished later that afternoon, Blaine walked with Tina to her locker so she could get the books she needed to do her homework that evening.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him as he leaned against the row of lockers.
"Yes," Blaine admitted.
"You know," Tina suggested, "even if he doesn't say yes, it's –"
"Tina!" Blaine cut her off and then lowered his voice. "He's going to say yes."
"Yeah, probably," she allowed.
They drove separately to the mall – both of their houses were in that direction, anyway – and walked together to the exterior entrance to the jewelry store.
Blaine paused outside the door and glanced up at the sky. The clouds were dark.
"What if this is a sign?" he worried.
Tina rolled her eyes and didn't dignify his comment with a response.
Blaine took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, reaching for the door, "I'm ready."
The interior of the store was a pleasant surprise. It was light and soft, and calming instrumental music played through speakers in the ceiling. Blaine felt a little of his anxiety slip away as he looked around and realized that this was a simple task. Find a ring.
Blaine's eyes fell on the cabinet full of diamond engagement rings almost immediately, and he wandered over to the display case and leaned over to look at them.
Would Kurt want a diamond ring? Kurt generally liked to mix things up in terms of what was considered masculine and what was considered feminine, but Blaine wasn't sure a traditionally feminine engagement ring was a good idea. Maybe something simpler. Something Kurt could – and would – wear every day for the rest of his life, no matter what else he was wearing.
"Well, if you were asking me to marry you," Tina said, kneeling down to look at all the engagement rings lined up under the glass counter, "I'd want that big one. My fingers are on the larger side and you have to figure, with my build, after we have a few babies, I may put on a couple of pounds."
"Tina," Blaine gently reminded her as she stood up, "I'm looking for a ring for Kurt."
"He is so lucky," she whined, hooking their arms together at the elbow.
"Those are engagement rings," a voice announced from behind them. Blaine turned and saw an older woman approaching, apparently someone who worked in the store.
"That's good," Blaine smiled, glancing at Tina as the woman walked over, "because I'm looking to get engaged."
"I am constantly telling my nieces and nephews to wear condoms," the older woman said as she walked around the counter where Blaine and Tina were standing and stopped to look at them.
"It's for my boyfriend," Blaine quickly corrected her assumption that he and Tina were a couple.
"I'm not pregnant," Tina said, sounding only slightly offended.
"Well, he used to be my boyfriend," Blaine elaborated, suddenly nervous that he had just confessed his sexuality to a woman he didn't even know. Words spilled out of his mouth as he tried to explain his situation with Kurt. "It was a whole thing. It's very complicated; I won't get into it. But, basically, I love him very much and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. So, I'm going to ask him to marry me!"
He was standing in a jewelry shop, about to buy an engagement ring for Kurt. He was going to ask Kurt to marry him. It felt surreal.
"Tell me about your man," the woman behind the counter said seriously, locking eyes with Blaine.
Blaine barely noticed Tina walking away as he absorbed the shock of the sudden question. She wanted to hear about Kurt? Since Blaine had decided to propose, he hadn't encountered a single person who was immediately supportive. He felt a rush of affection as he studied the woman's face and saw genuine interest in her eyes.
"Really?" he voiced his surprise.
"Is he your soul mate?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Blaine breathed, delighted at the opportunity to tell someone how much he loved Kurt, "he is."
The woman nodded happily and walked around the counter, and Blaine followed her as she walked across the room to another cabinet of jewelry.
"I met Liz when we were eighteen," she said as they walked, and Blaine couldn't stop the huge smile that stretched across his face as he realized that she was gay, too. "It was at a Styx concert back when they were doing hard rock, not this weird robot stuff."
She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small container with more rings in it.
"We've been together ever since," she said to Blaine as he stood across the counter from her and absorbed her every word. "It doesn't matter how young, or old, you are. True love is true love."
Blaine leaned down and rested his elbows on the counter so he could lean a little closer.
"My friends have been giving me so much flack," he confessed.
"If we all had listened, we wouldn't be moments away from the Supreme Court finally telling us that we are just as crazy and awesome as everybody else," the woman said confidently.
"Hey, dude!" Sam's voice snapped Blaine's attention away from the woman who was being so kind to him. Blaine straightened up and glanced toward the door to see Sam hurrying toward him.
"Don't try to stop me," Blaine protested. "I'm doing this, okay?"
"I love you and I want to support you," Sam said as he walked up to Blaine. "So, if you're really gonna do this, I'm helping you pick out the ring. I have, like, the best taste."
"Is this him?" the woman behind the counter asked softly.
"No," Blaine smiled, "no."
"Oh, no!" Sam said simultaneously before clarifying, "I mean, he wants to do me, but we're just friends."
Blaine's heart lurched, but Sam seemed unfazed by the casual mention of Blaine's crush on him.
"Sam," he said, extending his hand to the woman across the counter.
"Jan," she introduced herself as she shook Sam's hand. Then, she looked at Blaine.
"Would you excuse us for just a moment?" Jan asked Sam, motioning for Blaine to follow her to a quiet corner of the store.
Blaine shot a quick, scolding glance at Sam, smacking a hand against Sam's arm before he followed Jan. "Don't," he disapproved.
"You do want to do me!" Sam teased. Blaine, feeling a little more flustered than he had before Sam arrived, hurried after Jan without saying anything else.
"Forgive me for being pushy," Jan said as Blaine followed her, "but do you have anyone to advise you on this? Someone who would really understand," she added as they stopped walking and stood facing each other.
"Someone... gay?" Blaine guessed.
"Yeah," Jan smiled, laughing at the need for clarification.
"Not really," Blaine admitted.
"I just want you guys to see what's possible when two people really love each other," Jan said warmly. "Sound good?"
Blaine couldn't believe that a complete stranger – someone older, someone wiser – was so excited for him. He had to swallow the beginning of a lump in his throat before speaking.
"Sounds wonderful," he admitted.
Jan smiled. "I'm Jan, by the way," she laughed again, extending her hand.
"Blaine," Blaine introduced himself as he shook her hand. "It's so nice to meet you. Thank you."
"How about dinner tonight?" Jan suggested. "I'll bring Liz along, and you bring –?"
"Kurt," Blaine said.
"– Kurt," Jan echoed. "And we'll just talk. No pressure or expectations. Just two old ladies who want to help you two young men feel confident to take whatever steps you decide to take together."
"I'd love that," Blaine said.
"Have you ever been to Breadstix?" Jan asked.
Blaine nodded. "We love Breadstix," he smiled. "That would be perfect."
"It's a date, then," Jan confirmed before motioning at the store around them. "Now, how about we find the perfect ring for this Kurt you love so much?"
"Yes," Blaine said, excitement and nervousness pulsing through his veins as Jan motioned for Sam and Tina to come over so they could start the search for the ring.
It didn't take as long as Blaine had imagined that it would. As soon as Jan dropped the ring into his palm – it was the third one he asked to take a closer look at – he knew. As he stared down at the ring, twirling it around so he could look at it from every angle, he blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
"This is it," he said emotionally.
"Awww," Tina whined happily.
"I approve," Sam agreed. "Kurt's gonna like it."
Jan gave Blaine a 10% discount – the receipt said "sale" beside the amount that was taken off, but Blaine knew she had manually subtracted the percentage – and proudly handed Blaine a nondescript little bag with the ring box inside.
"We used to use bags with our logo on them," she explained with an amused shrug of her shoulders, "but we found that it's easier to sneak little bags like these past your loved ones."
As soon as Blaine got home, he put the ring box – still inside the bag – in the back of his deepest desk drawer. He still hadn't decided when or where to propose, but he knew he wasn't going to do it later that evening.
Then, he tried to figure out how to convince Kurt to come to Breadstix with him and two women he had just met. He mulled over scenario after scenario, but everything seemed too complicated. He was going to have to just tell Kurt a version of the truth and hope that Kurt would be interested in meeting the two women.
"Hey!" Kurt answered his phone after only one ring. "I was just thinking about you."
"Oh?" Blaine asked, glad that Kurt couldn't see him. His hands were sweaty and a little shaky as he held the phone to his ear. There was a ring – an engagement ring – for Kurt hidden in his desk.
"Mercedes and I – she says hello, by the way – just drove by Breadstix," Kurt explained. "And..." Blaine heard the shrug in his voice and understood. Breadstix had meaning for them as a couple.
Blaine couldn't believe his luck.
"Um," he said, "you know, I actually... that's funny that you mentioned Breadstix. I have a proposition."
"Yes?" Kurt asked.
"I met the sweetest woman today, um, and she's gay," Blaine tried not to get tongue-tied. Kurt didn't know this was a big deal. He had to calm down. "And we got to talking about gay marriage and stuff, as you do... and she wondered if we – you and I – might like to go out to dinner with her and her partner tonight."
"Uh... sure?" Kurt decided, sounding a little confused.
"Just– she thought maybe we could talk," Blaine explained. "Since there aren't many gay and lesbian people we know who we can look up to."
"That's so sweet of her!" Kurt said.
"She's really sweet," Blaine agreed. "I think you'll like her."
They arranged to meet in the parking lot at Breadstix – Blaine really wanted to ask Kurt if he could pick him up so they could ride to the restaurant together, but he thought that might make it seem like more of a date than Kurt was comfortable with – and then Blaine spent the next few hours frantically doing two homework assignments that were due the next day. Then, he changed into a nicer outfit than what he had worn to school and rushed out the door, pausing briefly in the doorway to the living room to say goodbye to his parents.
Kurt was waiting for him when he pulled into the parking lot, but Jan and Liz weren't there yet.
"Hey!" Blaine smiled as he climbed out of his car. He hurried over to where Kurt was standing and they hugged hello.
They chatted about inconsequential things for a few minutes until Jan and Liz arrived and climbed out of their car.
"Blaine," Jan smiled at him as Kurt and Blaine hurried across the parking lot to where Liz and Jan had parked near the entrance to Breadstix. "This is Liz."
"Pleasure to meet you," Blaine shook Liz's hand. "This is Kurt," he smiled and said to Kurt, "Jan and Liz."
They all shook hands and then they went into the restaurant and were seated at a booth; Kurt and Blaine on one side of the table and Liz and Jan on the other.
"So," Kurt asked once they were settled and their waitress had brought their drinks, "how did you guys meet?"
"At a Styx concert when we were eighteen," Liz explained. "We each went with separate groups, but we ended up beside each other in the crowd..." she gazed lovingly at Jan, "...and that was it."
"It was love at first Styx," Jan said, "that's what we always say."
"Well, the irony was that we met at the concert, you know?" Liz elaborated. "We grew up in the same town, just a few blocks from each other."
"Oh, wow," Blaine said.
"We went to the same high school," Liz explained.
"You guys are like a Norah Efron movie," Kurt commented happily.
"Exactly," Jan laughed.
"Did you go to prom together?" Blaine asked, wondering how they navigated homophobia when they were in school.
"No," Jan replied as Liz said, "Yeah."
The two women turned to look at each other.
"Well, we went together as a group," Jan allowed. "We took boys, of course. Merle and Tommy."
"Merle and Tom," Blaine laughed, glancing at Kurt as Kurt awww'd his sympathy.
"Those poor guys, they had no idea what was going on!" Jan remembered.
"It was different times then, you know?" Liz said to Kurt and Blaine. "There were no gay clubs at school. Nobody talked about it. We had no representation."
Blaine nodded. Things had changed so much in such a relatively short span of time.
"Somehow we always found a way," Jan reassured them. "That summer, we went on a bus tour of the United States. We saw all the sights and, in the end, we decided we liked Ohio the best."
Jan put her hand over Liz's on the table.
"Yeah," Liz said, looking at Jan and then back at Kurt and Blaine, "yeah. Came back, moved in together, got each other through college. And we broke up twice and got back together again twice."
Blaine turned and looked at Kurt, but he couldn't tell what Kurt was thinking.
"And then we bought the house in Lima," Jan finished the story.
"You know, what haven't we seen from our porch?" Liz wondered.
"Nothing," Jan confirmed. "AIDS. Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Ellen. We've seen it all, side by side. Remember when we couldn't even do this in public? Hold hands?"
She lifted their joined hands off the table briefly.
"Oh, yeah!" Liz shook her head.
"You guys are so sweet!" Kurt said kindly. "But, you know, when I asked you 'how did you guys meet?', I actually meant 'how did you meet Blaine?'."
Blaine almost choked on his food as panic spiked through him.
"Oh!" Jan covered for him. "At the mall."
"I was, uh, clothes shopping with Tina," Blaine lied, "and we were at the food court at Sbarro and, um, Jan and I just got to talking and –"
He glanced at Jan for help.
"And I said 'why don't we continue this over dinner at Breadstix'!" Jan explained. "We've been coming here twenty years."
"Thirty," Liz corrected.
KURT
"Thirty years?" Blaine gasped.
"Wow," Kurt acknowledged.
"We camped out for the grand opening," Jan recalled.
"Yes, we did," Liz bowed her head as Kurt and Blaine laughed.
"I'm glad you recommended it, Jan!" Kurt said kindly. "I mean, it's been great and really inspiring to hear your story. You know, I know I don't, and we don't," he motioned between himself and Blaine, "really have too many gay and lesbian role models to look up to, so..."
"You guys are a sweet couple," Liz said, studying them both as Kurt spoke.
"Oh, we're not a couple," Kurt clarified quickly, before he could stop himself. He immediately grabbed his cup and lifted it to his mouth to give him something to do as he regretted the awkward statement. He didn't look at Blaine.
Jan turned to Liz. "Would you have married me if I had asked you? I mean, if we were allowed to."
"I always said yeah, as soon as it's legal in Ohio," Jan agreed.
"It will be," Jan said confidently.
"Yeah," Liz agreed.
"Eventually," Jan clarified. "But, in the meantime, there are still plenty of places where it's legal."
Kurt resisted the urge to nudge Blaine with his elbow. Blaine had been talking nonstop about gay marriage being legal in New York since Kurt returned to Ohio.
"And so," Jan said, purposefully tossing her napkin onto the tabletop before climbing out of the booth to get down on one knee, "Elizabeth Margaret Stephens, will you legally marry me?"
She took a gold ring off her pointer finger and offered it to Liz, and the whole restaurant erupted in cheers. Kurt was delighted for them, and he smiled and applauded Liz held up her hand to show off the ring. Jan slipped back into the booth, and Kurt and Blaine both babbled their congratulations as the two women smiled at each other and then turned their attention back to Kurt and Blaine.
"So much has changed," Liz smiled. "When we were your age, getting engaged in public? No way. It's really amazing where we are now."
"Blaine's the president of the student body at McKinley," Kurt said proudly, glancing at Blaine.
"Really?" Liz approved.
"That's really something," Jan agreed.
"It hasn't always been easy," Kurt confessed, turning to look at Blaine. Blaine nodded, his eyes suddenly serious and a little sad.
They had been through so much, both together and individually. Kurt felt a nudge of guilt as he realized that he hadn't ever asked Blaine about how the other students were treating him. What if Blaine had been enduring bullying and hadn't mentioned it?
The anxiety must have shown on Kurt's face, because Blaine frowned slightly, offering Kurt a nonverbal "are you okay?".
Kurt nodded and Blaine's arm moved like he wanted to hold Kurt's hand before he changed his mind and grabbed his drink off the table, instead.
"It hasn't all been bad, though," Blaine said softly, and Kurt thought he had probably forgotten they were in a crowded room. The look on Blaine's face suggested that every part of him was focused on Kurt. Like Kurt was the only thing that mattered.
Kurt thought about all the amazing moments they had shared since the day they met.
"Yeah," he agreed through a sudden lump in his throat.
Their waiter interrupted the moment, asking if they wanted the check together or separate, and Jan insisted on paying.
"Thank you so much for dinner," Kurt said, shaking Jan's hand and then Liz's as they walked out into the parking lot after dinner. He smiled as Blaine shook Liz's hand and then leaned down to hug Jan. As Blaine straightened up, he and Jan exchanged a glance that Kurt knew meant more than just "thanks for dinner", but he didn't want to ask.
"That was nice," Kurt admitted as the two women walked away. "Thanks for inviting me."
Blaine nodded, and Kurt thought he seemed a little shy.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, definitely," Blaine smiled. "It means a lot to me that you came tonight, Kurt. Thank you."
BLAINE
The next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity. Unique confessed that she, not Marley, had been the one chatting and texting with Ryder using a false name. Santana took an overnight train from New York to come and try to figure out what was going on with Brittany.
And, all the while, Blaine felt as if the engagement ring in his desk was screaming to be found.
He packed the drawer full of junk – random school supplies and a few books he never looked at and some notepads and anything else he could think of that nobody really cared about. Despite his attempts at safeguarding his secret, Blaine worried all day, every day that he was going to come home and find that his mother or father had discovered the ring. When he got home each day, the first thing he did was check on it. It was still there. It was safe.
On the morning of Regionals, Blaine pulled the little black box out of the bag in his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.
He and Kurt had gotten together for the first time during preparations for Regionals two years prior. Regionals meant something to them.
It was a good day to propose.
KURT
New Directions drew the final slot of the competition, which was preferable to going first, but it meant that they had to wait backstage while the Waffletoots and the Hoosierdaddies performed.
Both Ryder and Brittany got over their issues and returned for the competition, but Brittany had something to tell the group as they all gathered in the center of the choir room for their pre-competition show circle.
"Um," Brittany said, her eyes full of tears, "before we go on stage, I have something I want to tell you guys. I got offered early admission to MIT."
Kurt was surprised, and the small scattering of applause around him made him think that everyone else was surprised, too.
"I never thought that I would graduate high school, let alone go to college, so I have to jump on this offer before it gets taken away," Brittany continued. "And they want me to leave immediately. That's why I had that meltdown."
Kurt understood. It was scary to leave home. It had been scary for him, and he had been thinking about it and planning for it for months ahead of time. Brittany hadn't had any time to prepare.
"Um, my entire life, people have always told me that I was stupid," Brittany added, "and, after a while, I started to believe them. And it wasn't until I walked into this room and I joined this club that I really started believing in myself. And, as soon as I did that, as soon as I started believing that maybe I was smart after all, I think the whole world did, too."
Kurt glanced at Blaine, but he was completely focused on Brittany so he didn't notice.
"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Brittany choked out. "Because you guys are like my family. And Mr. Schu's like our dad. And Mercedes and Tina and Sugar and Mercedes," she ended on Unique, "you guys are all like my sisters. And Mike Chang and Blaine and Jim, you guys are all like my brothers."
"My name's Joe," Joe said as Kurt wondered if Brittany had skipped over him on purpose.
BLAINE
"And Artie," Brittany said, glancing down at Artie beside her. "You're like the boy next door who builds robots in his basement and who I take his virginity."
Blaine did a double take and glance around the room. Was that common knowledge? It was news to him.
"And Jake and Marley and Ryder and Kitty," Brittany continued, "you guys are all like the foster kids who come to live with us when the orphanage closes, and that we don't trust at first but we grow to love, just like we do our pets."
Everyone laughed a little, and Brittany walked over to Sam.
"And then there's Sam," she said sadly. "The cute boy from the wrong side of the tracks who does good impressions and who I fake marry."
Brittany and Sam said their I love yous and their I'm gonna miss yous, and Blaine looked past them to Kurt, who was standing next to Sam, and their eyes met. They didn't need to say anything. Blaine knew they were both thinking about how much they missed each other.
"Then there's Santana," Brittany said as she stepped away from Sam. She turned and hugged Santana.
"Oh man," Santana let out a shaky breath. "You don't have to say anything, Brittany."
They hugged for a few more seconds, and then Brittany walked back to her place in the circle.
"Okay, no more," she encouraged everyone as they all wiped the tears from their cheeks. "Show circle!"
They all put their hands into the center of the circle and shouted "amazing!" as they threw their hands toward the ceiling, and then it was time to compete.
"Hey!" Kurt stopped Blaine just before he reached the door on his way to the auditorium. Blaine turned to face him and smiled as Kurt straightened his tie for him.
"Break a leg," Kurt returned the smile.
I'm going to marry you, Blaine thought. The ring was in his bag, just feet away.
"Thank you," he said.
Kurt pulled him into a hug and then shoved him toward the door.
"They can't win without you," he teased, "so get going."
KURT
It was still strange to watch New Directions instead of being part of New Directions, but Kurt had a great time dancing along to the first two songs of New Directions' set. The music was upbeat and he could tell that the students on the stage were feeling great. They moved and sang with purpose, and Kurt hoped that it would be enough. He wanted them to win. He wanted Blaine to win.
Then, Marley stepped to the center of the stage and began her original song.
"I can't stay here. I am not the girl who runs and hides, afraid of what could be. And I will go there. I need time, but know that things are always closer than they seem. Now I'll do more than dream, yeah."
She turned her head, and Blaine stepped out of the formation behind her to join the song.
"I gotta fly. Gotta crash right through the sky. Gonna touch the sun. Show everyone that it's all or nothing. All or nothing. This is my life. I'm not gonna live it twice. There's no in-between, too extreme. 'Cause it's all or nothing. All or nothing at all."
As he watched Blaine and Marley sing the duet, Kurt thought about his own Regionals duet with Blaine two years prior. They had been newly in love, and their future together had seemed so certain. They had found each other, and that had been all that mattered.
Santana, standing in front of him, suddenly raised her hand and held out a tissue for him, and Kurt took it to tab away the tears in his eyes.
"'Cause it's all or nothing at all. All or nothing."
BLAINE
New Directions won.
As the curtain swished closed, hiding New Directions from the audience, everyone was still hugging and jumping up and down.
The former students who had helped them prepare arrived quickly. Mike, Mercedes, and Finn had been watching from wings, so they joined the celebration almost immediately. Kurt, Santana, and Mr. Schu, who had been watching from the audience, arrived shortly after.
Kurt ran across the stage into Blaine's arms.
"Congratulations!" he cheered as Blaine squeezed him tightly.
"I'm in shock," Blaine laughed. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too," Kurt agreed happily.
"Guys!" Finn interrupted, raising both of his hands into the air so Blaine and Kurt could high five him at the same time. "Yeah! Great job, Blaine. Awesome!"
"Thanks," Blaine smiled. "We wouldn't be here without you."
"Yeah, probably not," Finn teased before Sam grabbed his arm and dragged him away as the group started to make its way to the choir room.
"Better call Cooper," Kurt reminded Blaine before he, too, disappeared into the crowd. "You're going to L.A.!"
Blaine ran to the choir room, nervous that someone might go through his bag and find the ring. When he saw that his bag was still safely where he had left it, he hopped up to sit on top of the piano.
"McKinley High's officially on its way to becoming a Regionals dynasty!" Artie declared as Kurt pushed him into the room. The trophy was in his lap.
"Only twenty four more of these babies before we catch up to Vocal Adrenaline," Sam determined as he took the trophy from Artie and put it on top of the piano beside Blaine.
"Oh, please," Mr. Schu scolded as he entered the room. "Vocal Adrenaline's time has passed. The present and the future is all about the New Directions! And we are going to prove it when we go to sunny Los Angeles for Nationals and take home our second national championship in a row!"
Everyone cheered.
"Ms. Pillsbury!" Mike suddenly noticed. Everyone turned to see the guidance counselor and a priest into the room together. "Who's her friend?"
"Uh, Ms. Pillsbury, you're supposed to bring someone in to bless the team before the big game," Sam explained.
"Okay, thank you," Ms. Pillsbury acknowledged.
She and the priest walked to where Mr. Schu was standing in the middle of the room.
"Um," Ms. Pillsbury said, glancing around the room as everyone fell silent so they could hear what she had to say, "I figured out that I can't handle the pressure of a big wedding."
Blaine didn't hear the next few sentences because all he could hear was his own pulse.
Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury were going to get married.
In the choir room.
Right now.
"Are you guys seriously throwing a surprise wedding?" Kurt exclaimed excitedly. "Just like Brooke Burke and David Charvet?"
Blaine couldn't believe what was happening.
"Yes," Mr. Schu laughed.
"No music, no reception, no planning," Ms. Pillsbury explained. "Just me, the one true love of my life... and then we'll have a little dinner at Breadstix."
"Alright, then," Mr. Schu smiled at her. "I'll see you momentarily."
As Ms. Pillsbury hurried out of the room to wait in the hallway until they were ready for her to walk down the "aisle", Blaine hurried to where his bag was sitting on the floor near the back of the room and retrieved the ring box so he could put it in his pocket. Intellectually, he knew there was more of a chance of someone finding it if he had it on him than if it was left in his bag, but he wanted it near him.
The students made two parallel lines – the edges of a makeshift aisle – between the door and the center of the room, and Ms. Pillsbury walked down the aisle to the sound of New Directions humming Here Comes The Bride.
Once Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schu were together in the center of the room, the students moved to form a circle around the bride and groom. Blaine made sure he ended up beside Kurt, with Sam on his other side. And then they all watched and listened as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury exchanged vows.
It was beautiful, Blaine thought. They talked about little moments that had been meaningful to their relationship. They talked about how much they loved each other and about how they were meant to be together.
Blaine spent the entire ceremony with his hand closed tightly around the small ring box in his pocket.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said happily when all the vows had been spoken.
Blaine glanced at Kurt as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury kissed for the first time as husband and wife. Kurt looked happy and relaxed, bouncing on his toes with excitement, and Blaine felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and held it carefully behind his back, twirling the little box around in his hand to release some of his anxiety.
He didn't care if they were 'too young'. He didn't care if things were complicated between them.
All that mattered was their love.
Ahhh, the cliffhanger! GLEE. I'd be curious to know what the original plan was for the end of the season – before Cory Monteith left for rehab and Finn's storyline had to be written out for the final few episodes – because I was SO sure that both Klaine and Finchel were going to reconcile in the finale. I guess we'll never know. But, really, this whole episode is kind of a cliffhanger for Kurt and Blaine because we don't know exactly what's going to happen next for them. Presumably, season 5 is going to pick up directly where this episode left off... my guess (I don't know!) is that we'll jump forward a few days/start a new week and it will quickly become apparent that Blaine didn't propose here (come on, he's not going to propose at Will and Emma's impromptu wedding. The writers just manufactured a cliffhanger that they knew people would be interested in to draw people back for season 5).
So, in terms of this story, that's why Kurt and Blaine couldn't have a real heart-to-heart in this chapter. There's not enough information about Kurt's state of mind when it comes to Blaine – the writers had to save Kurt's POV for the resolution of the cliffhanger in the season 5 premiere, so I'm going to do the same.
The interesting thing (and, in many ways, the sad burden) for Kurt and Blaine moving forward from here is that they are now the only major couple left of the original, most popular three (Finchel, Klaine, and Brittana). I'm not sure what that's going to mean for them... I think there's a lot of potential for it to be amazing! Fingers crossed.
Am I going to continue this for season 5? Yes, absolutely! :) I suggest signing up for a story alert so FFN will email you in the spring when I post the next new chapter, but I'll also mention it on my Tumblr (I'm the same username over there!) if you'd rather just keep an eye out for a reminder over there!
THANK YOU all so, so much for being the loveliest group of people in the world. I hope you've enjoyed reading this season as much as I have continued to enjoy writing it! Enjoy the premiere tomorrow! :D
Up next... 5x01 (can you believe we're about to start season FIVE?), which will be posted the day after the season 5 finale sometime in the spring!
(P.S. Please, no season 5 spoilers in the comments! Thank you! I love you all!)