"Okay, we've got all the data organised now, right?" Trent asked, as he flopped back against his chair.

"Yes," Kurt confirmed, briefly glancing towards where Jeff was playing with his fingers. "I can feel that you know," he pointed out.

He expected his friend to give him a mischievous grin, but instead, he shrugged, but continued his actions, this time alternately intertwining and releasing Kurt's fingers from his. Kurt glanced at Trent who shot him a worried look, but didn't say anything. "We'll talk to everyone about this in the next meeting," Kurt continued. "It's not like we can relax about Nationals, but at least with this we know where we stand."

"Third overall, based on the Regional scores."

"We're lagging behind the first place team by ten points," Kurt added in, mostly for Jeff's benefit in case he decided to actually paying attention, "and we have to consider that there's an additional category of Originality this time."

"What exactly does that even cover?" Trent groused, not for the first time. "Song choice or routine?"

"Probably a mixture of both." Kurt glanced over to where Jeff was actually rolling up his sleeve now so he could poke at it. That he didn't feel as much; he just wanted to know what he was up to. He didn't want a repeat of the Kurt Jeff that he had written in permanent marker the day before Blaine had arrived for Spring Break. It had been ridiculous. Blaine had added to the design to include his own name superimposed over Jeff's while Kurt griped at the two of them that his arm was not a canvas for their 'battle' over him. "Anything to add Mr. Sterling?"

"Leave one song acapella," Jeff said, tugging at his skin. "That should be original enough."

"That's actually a great idea," Kurt stated, looking at Trent who nodded.

"We are the National Acapella Champions," he agreed, pride evident in his tone. "We should take advantage of that fact."

"Great! We can also warn George that there's no need to kill us this time around. We have the highest routine score going into this."

"He's just going to argue that the other teams will up their game to compensate, so we need to do the same."

"Let me have my delusions," Kurt complained. "Regardless, I think that's all we need to deal with for today right?"

"I think so," Trent confirmed. "We'll announce that the theme is "Time" and go through the results. Then we'll start seeing if anyone can come up with songs."

"Kurt should sing 'Memories'," Jeff offered in that same, not quite there tone he had been utilising all afternoon. "There's room for it to transition from a solo to a group number."

"From 'Cats'?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know that song," Trent admitted, "But I'll check it out tonight."

"Mmhmm."

Trent and Kurt shared a worried glance as Jeff seemingly went back to his thoughts, this time returning his attention to Kurt's fingers. "If that's all, I'm heading to the library. I promised to study with Matthew."

"Okay. I'll message you tonight."

"Cool," he returned, standing. His eyes lingered on Kurt, and he leant over to whisper in his ear. "See if you can figure out what's going on? I'll see if I can ask Phillip."

"I will," Kurt answered softly.

Nodding, Trent exited, after telling Jeff goodbye, something he hardly acknowledged. Kurt focussed fully on his friend now, allowing his worry to come fully to the surface. Jeff had been acting off a few days now, but never to the extent that Kurt felt it warranted to question him about. After all, everyone went through bad periods, and overall, Jeff easily snapped out of it. But today...today Jeff had been in this absentminded mood, in which he scarcely paid attention to anyone except Kurt, and even then, it was in this same absent-minded way.

Kurt had had to shoot Phillip a hopeless look at lunch when Jeff seemed more interested in playing with his carrots than conversing with him, and he had felt a pang of regret at the passing hurt look that crossed the junior's face. He had no doubt that Jeff would apologise whenever he had sorted himself out, but frankly, Phillip had to learn that this was the downside to having a boyfriend who suffered with depression. Kurt knew that Blaine had had to endure many of his mood-swings, and though Kurt knew that it could not have been pleasant for him, he had understood and endured through them to the good days, and Kurt would forever be grateful to him for it.

When Jeff straightened Kurt's fingers and laced his fingers around them, Kurt quickly clamped down with a strength that startled Jeff. He had grown used to Kurt's passivity as he sought his diversion.

"Caught you," Kurt whispered playfully, bumping their heads together.

"You're strong."

"That's all those silly exercises helping," Kurt answered, with a light shrug. "I'll show you something no one else knows," he added, releasing Jeff's fingers. It took him a few seconds of intense concentration, but he managed to cause his entire arm to jerk once. He let out a breath at that, but the effort was worth Jeff's surprised expression.

"You controlled that?"

"Yeah. I've managed that in the past month or so. It still takes a lot of effort though so I don't try it too often."

"That's awesome Kurt?"

"The treatment for it isn't," Kurt admitted with a frown. "Anthony puts electrodes all over my arm and shocks me with it."

"That sounds painful," Jeff said with a wince.

"It's uncomfortable," he informed him, "but that's just because my nerves aren't fully functioning to adequately process the pain. I didn't even realise how much it was supposed to hurt until he strapped them onto my good arm for me to feel it."

"Oh."

"And now I've shared my secret," he said, nudging Jeff, "it's your turn to spill."

Jeff glared at him, but in his current state the effect was comparably to an unhappy puppy, and Kurt resisted the urge to coo at him. "You tricked me."

"Isn't this the game we play?" he returned. "Now come on Jeff, talk to me."

Jeff's cheeks expanded with the force of the air he expelled. "You'll be mad at me," Jeff cautioned.

"I won't be."

"You'll be sad," he warned next, and that gave Kurt a moment's pause. He took a steadying breath before saying, "Then I will be sad, and we will work through this."

"You'll hate me."

"I'll never hate you," Kurt told him sincerely, even as he noted wryly, that not too long ago, he had been in Jeff's position spouting similar words.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Kurt confirmed, pinching his cheek. "Tell me."

"I did something," Jeff finally said. "It was a while ago, back when this thing between Nick and I was at its worst."

Kurt listened without comment, allowing his hand to rove Jeff's face and hair, assuring him that he was here and listening to what he had to say without judgement.

"I wasn't really thinking. I just knew that I wanted to leave and I ended up applying to a few schools I never told you about."

Kurt's hand hesitated only slightly before he resumed his task of smoothening a rather recalcitrant strand of hair. "That seems to be a growing trend recently," he thought, even as Jeff's prediction proved right. Even now he could feel sadness creeping up within him. He knew where this conversation was heading, and he tried to brace himself for it. "So," he said, trying valiantly to keep his voice upbeat. " Are you going to study in San Francisco or something?"

"A bit further than that," Jeff blurted out with a laugh that turned into a sob halfway.

Kurt cuddled closer to him instantly, even as he felt his own eyes prickle. "Tell me," he bid, his own voice a bit shaky.

"I got the acceptance letter on Friday. And I'm going. I'm going to attend Oxford University."

"In England?" Kurt squeaked out, unable to keep the shock and dismay out of his voice. "You're leaving the country?"

"I am," Jeff said, and now as Kurt looked at him, he could see tears welling in his eyes. "It's what I need to do. I'm so sorry Kurt. I told you I'd go to Columbia too, but that was before I got the letter and now...now that I have the chance, I need to leave."

"Why?" Kurt demanded, his breathing increasing minutely.

There was nothing in Jeff's history that would have prepared him for thisHis grandmother had been a Yale Graduate, and his grandfather was a Harvard man who'd done post-graduate studies in Columbia. Kurt had readily accepted that Jeff would follow the unofficial Dalton tradition where everyone went to their parents' alma mater which seemed okay because they would at least end up in the same vicinity. When Kurt had told him that he had settled upon Columbia, Jeff had whooped and declared that he no longer had any thinking to do. Their bromance would continue...and now… he was hearing this.

Kurt hadn't been prepared. Oh he knew that the time to say goodbye was approaching. The school year had only seven more weeks, and there were a few people who were departing before that due to early admissions. But still, Jeff was not one of the people he had thought that he would have to say goodbye to, and that thought stung him most of all.

"I thought that the best way to get over Nick would be to literally put some oceans between us."

"But you guys are better now. You're friends again aren't you? You told me that you guys were talking about moving in together."

"That's exactly why I need to go," Jeff explained, sorrow rife in his eyes, "why I have to accept this. Kurt...I cannot do that. I still love him. It hasn't faded in the least and it'll get worse if I get close to him again. We can't live together...be in the same city. I can't Kurt, not while I still love him like this. At least while I'm here in Ohio I can pretend that it still doesn't hurt. But to see him every day? To know that he's eventually going to come home and announce plans for a date? I cannot do that Kurt. It'll kill me."

"Then go somewhere far away. Go to Standford."

"Not far enough," Jeff told him sadly. "I need a clean break, a clean slate, and I cannot do that here. I know at least five Dalton guys who are there. They know me and they know about this. I need to just go where I can be Jeff Sterling with no attachments. Oxford is the only chance I have for that, to just start over, and that's what I need to do. I know I should have told you about this long ago, back when I applied even. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for what you need," Kurt responded, thumbing away the moisture from under his eyes. "Do you really think that this is best for you?"

"I do."

Kurt nodded at that, biting down hard on his lip. As much as it hurt, as much as he did not want this, if it was what Jeff considered to be best for him, then he would have to accept that. Blaine had for him. He had for Finn. And now he would for Jeff, his best friend, whom he would have to say goodbye to. "We're going to have to make the most of the next few weeks then," Kurt settled on saying, before letting out a huffed laugh when Jeff flung his arms around him in a near strangling hug.

"I'll miss you," Jeff whispered into his neck.

"This won't be the end of our bromance," Kurt returned, "let's just call it a future hiatus. Besides, I suddenly find myself having the desire to learn about Blaine's English heritage."

Jeff chuckled at that, pulling back to smile sadly at him. "I'm going to have to find a way to tell Phillip about this."

"And Nick," Kurt pointed out.

Jeff shook his head. "No. I'm not going to tell him about this."

Time seemed to pass exponentially faster after that afternoon, and more than once, Kurt wished that it would just stand still and give him the time to relish in what he had, and what was soon to be left behind. He kept the promise Jeff had reluctantly extracted from him and never breathed a word about his decision to Blaine because he knew that inevitably, Blaine would tell Nick. Their friendship was not negatively impacted by Jeff's revelation, if anything they grew closer than ever with the threat of time hanging over their heads. When he was not with Jeff, Kurt made concerted efforts to spend more time with his parents, and of course Finn. They were all coming to terms with their respective decisions, and Kurt just hoped that the old saying would prove right for him once again and that distance would truly make the heart grow fonder.

School work and the National competition kept them busy. Kurt knew that he was not the only one on the Council who threw all of his heart and soul into it, their final hurrah as members of the Dalton Warblers. It had been a pleasant surprise for them when Phillip had stood in a meeting and, on behalf of everyone, asked the three of them to take lead on a song together.

"It's fitting," Phillip had said simply, and Kurt knew that he was not the only one who had had to fight back emotions at that. Their teammates were giving them the leeway to go out as they had started the year, a trio of friends hoping for the best. And they gladly took the opportunity.

Resultantly, the theme of "Time" became deeply sentimental for them, and was reflected in their song choices. They did indeed perform "Memories" as per Jeff's suggestion, Phillip's voice beautifully intertwining with Kurt's during the acapella performance that had brought the audience, in this, their first song, to their feet. Their second song was much faster in tempo, and encouraged the audience to groove along with them and cheer boisterously at their choreography. George had pulled through for them again, and Kurt would find himself laughing when Burt threatened him with yet another grounding, but it was worth it for the audience's reaction. Their final song was a slowly paced, but deeply sentimental rendition of "I Lived", complete with a partly adlibbed choreography that allowed them to just go with whatever their hearts told them to do.

And if that meant at one point that Trent just stood there during the second verse as Jeff and Kurt sang to just look at the team he had helped shaped, and gotten to this point? Then it was fine. The judges rightly took in his expression as an artistic interpretation of the nostalgia and pride one could have about a joyful past you were ready to leave behind. And if Kurt, half way through, let his sling loose so that Jeff and himself could dance around the stage in a mimicry of a waltz, it was okay. Time was filled with moments of joy and silliness...and sadness...seen when, as they approached the bridge, tears started rolling down Jeff's face, so that Kurt and Trent had to buffer him, his hands in each of theirs as the brought the song to a roaring conclusion, the three not going into their ending poses in favour of a hug and words whispered to each other above the screaming applause of those watching.

Kurt had shot one look into the vast audience, chest heaving as he took in their appreciation, knowing that no matter what the results was, they had gone out on top, just as they wanted. There was nothing better for him in that moment. Well, he would later amend, the first place trophy Trent lifted into the air alongside all the other awards they took home that day (including Best Male Vocal for Kurt himself) was pretty much just the icing on top of the world's most scrumptious cake.

And just like that, it brought them to this, their final meeting for the year as the Councilmen of the Warblers, and, looking at the book in front of them, the very one they had read at the start of the year, brought back all of the memories to them. They spent that afternoon together with the doors to the Common room locked to ensure that no one would disturb them, and they laughed and cried, and did everything in between. Just like all who had passed before them, they wrote their own words of wisdom and advice, stuck in a picture of themselves underneath the one of Wes, David and Thad.

They went over all their memories, not only of that year, but the ones before that. Jeff re-enacted Kurt's epic confrontation with Priscilla. Trent told Kurt about the first time he had been given an active singing role, back in his freshman year and he had just froze onstage leading to two of the then Council members running up to assist him. Kurt relived just how much of an impact the Warblers on the whole had had on him and thanked them for accepting him at the lowest point of his life, and for helping him to reach this, the strongest.

They stripped off their blazers and pranced around the room, singing loudly at the top of their voices, jumped from tables to couches and just rocked out in the middle of the room, until finally, exhausted, they collapsed in a heap on the carpet together, interlacing their fingers as they sought to catch their breath.

"I think we did good guys," Trent said simply, in between harsh, panting breaths.

"I think we did great," Jeff corrected, twisting his head enough so that he could grin brightly into Trent's face.

Kurt didn't say anything, too out of breath. But by the smile on his face despite the tears that still lingered, they knew that he was in agreement with them.

They had succeeded in their goal.

The Warblers had been transformed as they had wanted to do.

And now the time had come for them to release their hold on the team and let the next generation take over.