AN: As I didn't want to drag out this Christmas hiatus any longer, I give you the first part of the final chapter before the epilogue. I'm going snowboarding tomorrow but if I'm not too tired when I get back I'll try to finish this chapter tomorrow :)

Chapter 25: It gets better - Part 1

Kurt

Before he knew it, his junior year was over and he and Blaine suddenly had a lot of free time on their hands when they weren't working in Burt's shop. The past two weeks they had attended pool parties hosted by their New Directions friends and even one at Blaine's friend David's house outside of Columbus.

While he still didn't feel comfortable taking his own shirt off in front of Blaine – or anyone really – he most definitely wasn't complaining when his boyfriend did. He could spend hours watching drops of water slowly make their way down Blaine's toned torso.

It earned him some teasing, mostly from Santana, but he knew she wasn't trying to be mean or imply that it was wrong that he was looking at Blaine like that, so he usually just rolled his eyes and shooed her away.

The last weekend of May brought his eighteenth birthday – his freedom so to speak – and now that he knew he would still have a home with the Hummels after it, he was actually looking forward to becoming a legal adult.

He knew Blaine had a party planed for him – though he wasn't supposed to know that but Rachel apparently couldn't keep a secret to save her life – and though he would have been happy just to go out for dinner with Burt and Blaine, he vowed to act appropriately surprised to humor his boyfriend.

Still, he had some fun with him, when Blaine tried to get him out of the house that Saturday, telling his boyfriend he'd rather spend the day cuddling with him on the couch, then go help Burt find a new outfit for his date with Carole.

Hours later, he and Burt returned from the mall with a new suit for Blaine's dad, and Kurt checked his hair again in the rear view mirror because he wanted to look fabulous for the party - surprise or not.

"I'm guessing someone spilled the beans already?" Burt chuckled and Kurt nodded. "Alright then. So let me repeat this before I leave. I want the house to be standing and cleaned up when I get back tomorrow and if people are drinking don't let them drive home. I'd rather they spend the night then crash their cars."

Kurt again promised to keep an eye on the party, because he and Burt were aware he wouldn't be drinking – he had had a small glass of champagne with Burt and Blaine for his birthday brunch – as he was still wary of alcohol, though he was learning it was okay if consumed in moderation. He could see himself enjoy a glass of wine for dinner every now and then one day in the future but he knew he would probably never get drunk at parties for no good reason at all. His parents had been a cautionary tale and Kurt didn't intend to ever end up like them.

He got out of the car and waved at Burt who would be spending the night at Carole's – and hadn't that been a cringe worthy discussion – while Finn was supposed to stay at their place. Kurt supposed it was sort of a test run, because you had to be blind to not see in which direction Burt and Carole's relationship was going.

As soon as he opened the front door a chorus of 'surprise' greeted him, with his friends from school and Blaine's friends Wes and David poking their heads in from the living room. Most shocking however – and Kurt didn't have to fake his surprise for that – was that his half brother was in his living room as well.

"What are you doing here, Cooper?" he asked because he hadn't thought he would see him again before he went to L.A in a few weeks.

"Couldn't miss my little bro becoming legal. I feel like I should take you to a strip club or something now – the gay variety, don't worry," he added when Kurt just looked shocked. An arm wrapped around his waist possessively from behind and Kurt relaxed into his boyfriend's embrace.

"Um, thanks for the offer Cooper, but I don't think that's my thing," he replied, sure his face must be bright red. After all, why would he want to look at strange men when he had his gorgeous boyfriend.

"Guess it's good then I got you something other than porn," Cooper joked and Kurt choked on air, his ears turning red as well. "What did you get me?" he asked apprehensively, because he didn't put it past Cooper to have gotten him something equally embarrassing just to show how cool he was with him being gay.

Before accepting his brother's present, they all moved into the Hummel backyard where Mike and Sam were working the grill, while Puck played bar tender.

Even though he was a bit scared he accepted Cooper's present with a smile on his face and was relieved when he saw that it was way too small to contain anything mortifying.

When he finally managed to tear the envelope open, he gasped before he pulled his half-brother into a brief hug.

"Thank you Cooper," he whispered, clutching the one-way ticket to Los Angeles to his chest. He hadn't minded the road trip with Blaine too much, but he was relieved he would be flying this time especially because Blaine wouldn't join him at first. "That's not all," Cooper replied and pointed at another piece of paper sticking out of the envelope.

He quickly scanned the contents before his eyes widened. "You got me a job on a movie set," he asked, not believing what he was reading. Cooper nodded.

"It's nothing fancy. Just a small independent film. I knew they needed another runner, so I asked the producer to hire you after telling him you were thinking about going to college for film." "But I'm not," Kurt tried to interject but Cooper brushed him off. "Details, details. They won't be paying you much, but you'll get to know the 'biz a bit. Might make you change your mind about joining me out west next year."

Kurt was certain it wouldn't but he was still grateful Cooper had managed to score him such an exiting 'summer job'. Granted, he knew next to nothing about the production side of movies, but it had to be cool and exiting, right?

He quickly rushed upstairs and put Cooper's gift onto his desk, before he went back outside where he was showered with even more presents.

Burt had gotten him tickets for a Lady Gaga concert in the fall and had allowed him and Blaine to stay overnight in Chicago for it, but Kurt still shrieked when he opened Blaine's present and saw that he had gotten them a room for a second night and tickets for the Chicago production of Wicked.

The rest of New Direction had apparently banded together and had gotten him a gift card for the mall worth a hundred and fifty dollars. He wasn't normally a very touchy feely person, but he still offered a hug to whoever wanted one.

To his surprise, Finn approached him a while later, after disentangling himself from Quinn. He thrust a sloppily wrapped present into his hand and shifted awkwardly while he watched Kurt unwrapped it.

"Rachel said you like showtunes," he mumbled and Kurt wondered when Finn and Rachel had started talking again. As far as he knew, she was still resolved not to get back together with him again. He quickly nodded before he slowly unwrapped Finn's present.

'The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber' was written across the CD Finn had gotten him and Kurt gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Finn. I really like it," he told him honestly before he was being pulled into an awkward one armed hug. Kurt thought Finn must really love his mom a lot if he acted like that to make him happy.

A while later the party was in full swing, most of the members of ND well on their way to being tipsy, and so Kurt took it upon himself to go open the door when the bell rang.

"Mrs. Hoffs," he said in surprise once he was faced with his social worker. "Happy birthday, Kurt," the kind woman replied before she added, "can I come in for a moment?"

Kurt nodded and led her into the living room, away from the party outside. A stack of papers was pushed over to him once they were seated and Kurt raised an eyebrow in question. "Somehow I doubt that's a fancy birthday present for me," he joked.

Mrs. Hoffs gave him a small smile. "Nothing bad I promise. Just a few more things a need you to sign."

He briefly scanned the documents but froze when he saw one about their house. "Our house is getting foreclosed?" he asked, surprised by this turn of events. "Is my mom giving up on it?"

His former social worker shook her head. "Your mother is not being released. She failed to comply with the terms of her early release and will have to serve out her punishment. Neither your parents have been paying the mortgage of the house for a while and now that they are both in jail, payments have completely stopped. If there are things you want to keep, I advise you stop by your old house soon."

Kurt nodded numbly. He barely had any good memories about the house but it had been his home for the past ten years. Did he want to take something? He had no clue.

"Thank you. I'll think about it," he finally forced out.

"You do that," Mrs. Hoffs smiled at him before she briefly squeezed his hand. "You are a smart kid, Kurt and I wish you the best of luck for your future. Just know that if you ever need something, I'm only a phone call away."

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, because he knew how much his social worker had done for him. She had ensured that he could stay with the Hummels until the court reached its final decision, had found his half-brother and most importantly had removed him from a situation he had no clue how to deal with anymore.

"Kurt," he heard Blaine suddenly call out. "Come on, you need to blow your candles out."

He gave Mrs. Hoffs a watery smile before he quickly threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered before he escorted her to the door.

Before joining the party again, he splashed some water on his face to wipe away any traces his unshed tears might have left. The smile he put on his face was genuine though. One year ago, he had thought he would be homeless once his eighteenth birthday came around - and probably not by choice – completely on his own. But now, he not only had friends who wanted to celebrate his birthday with him, he had a home.

Eighteen candles were flickering in the gentle breeze when Kurt finally approached his cake. "Make a wish," Blaine, who was hugging him from behind, whispered.

"I've got everything I ever wanted right here," he whispered back, traitorous tears threatening to spill over once more, before he leaned forward and blew the candles out. A song Blaine had been listening to on the radio a lot lately came to his mind but as he looked around the Hummel's backyard he smiled a toothy smile, because it wouldn't be a solo for him tonight.

Blaine

When his dad told him and Kurt to join him in the living room for a talk, for a moment he thought he would get in trouble for the party after all, even though he and Kurt had cleaned up and thrown out the liquor bottles before his dad returned from his 'sleepover'. A thought that made him shudder, because no one wanted to think about one's parents like that.

To his relief his dad did not in fact want to talk about the party but his relief was short lived.

"I probably should have told you about this sooner, but I wanted to avoid the discussion because my decision is final," his dad started once he and Kurt were facing him on the couch.

"What's this about, dad?" he asked dreading the answer because his dad looked equal parts guilty and determined.

"I invited Carole and Finn to join us on our trip to Caesar Creek," his dad explained, and Blaine involuntarily clenched the hand that was holding Kurt's, causing his boyfriend to wince. "Sorry," he mumbled before relaxing it again.

He wanted to argue that this trip was their thing, their tradition and that he didn't want the Hudsons with them even though he wasn't a fan of camping. But he knew the argument was moot. His dad had invited Kurt along because he considered him to be part of the family, and if his dad's relationship with Carole was going the direction he thought it was going he would probably have to come to term with the fact that his dad wanted Carole to be part of the family as well.

"I'm not sharing a tent with Finn," he muttered under his breath but his dad still caught him. "And you wouldn't be sharing a tent with Kurt either," he replied his eyebrow raised and Blaine blushed, remembering when his dad had made him watch Brokeback Mountain with him to show his support.

"Then where will we sleep?" Kurt piped up from next to him. His boyfriend didn't look too happy either, but was apparently at least trying to keep an open mind.

"I got us a cabin this time. Two rooms, one for Carole and I and one for the three of you – there are bunk beds," he added when Blaine perked up.

"I want you all on your best behavior – use the time to find some common ground and get past whatever issue the three of you have," his dad continued and Blaine nodded mechanically. He had been looking forward to spending tons of time with Kurt at the lake – maybe trying to get Kurt out of his shirt for once – while his dad met up with his fishing buddies, but now that they would have Finn tagging along, that probably wouldn't happen. Maybe they could find Finn some girl there he could chase around – apparently he and Quinn were on the rocks again as well because Finn had kissed Rachel a little too enthusiastically during a game of spin the bottle – so he wouldn't be their third wheel all the time.

"Sure dad," he promised when his dad stared him down and Kurt repeated the sentiment.

"We are going upstairs," he announced, pulling Kurt up with him. He needed to talk about his real feelings and unfortunately he couldn't do that with his dad around.

"Door open," his dad reminded them and Blaine rolled his eyes. As if he and Kurt would do anything 'inappropriate' with his dad in the house.

"You okay?" his boyfriend asked once they were in his room, the door nearly all the way closed.

"Finn's been nicer lately, but I was really looking forward to it being just the three of us," he sighed and dropped his head on Kurt's shoulder when his boyfriend wrapped his arm around him.

"I didn't mean about Finn, I meant about your dad and Carole?" Kurt explained and Blaine looked at him puzzled. "What about them?"

"Doesn't it sound like they are super serious about one another if they are already going on a 'family' vacation together. Do you think your dad is going to marry her?"

Blaine shrugged. He hadn't thought that far ahead. Sure, he didn't want his dad to be alone for the rest of his life, but he never had imagined that his dad would remarry at some point and have more kids. It had been just the two of them for so long and it was weird thinking about expanding the family even further.

"I don't know, but I think he might ask her to move in together soon. Why else would he be talking to a realtor?" He knew it wasn't nice to eavesdrop, but once he had heard who his dad was talking to a few days ago he couldn't stop listening.

"As long as we don't have to share with Finn," Kurt joked and Blaine was happy to hear that his boyfriend had accepted that he was part of the family as well now and wouldn't go anywhere for his senior year. Still, he shuddered when he tried to imagine having to share a room with Finn.

He wasn't usually obsessed with the state of his room like Kurt but he had seen what the boys' hotel room had looked like. If his dad insisted that Carole and Finn move in with them, the only way he was going to agree was if he and Kurt were allowed to share a room unless they moved to bigger house.

After moving a few times in his life already he didn't have any sentimental attachment to the house though he would forever remember it as the place he and Kurt had first lived together. If his dad wanted to combine the Hudson and the Hummel-Anderson household he wouldn't be opposed to moving to a bigger house if it meant they would all have their own space.

He was oddly okay with it come to think of it because he had seen how happy Carole made his dad and he had only one year left at home before he and Kurt would leave for college. If it kept the smile on his dad's face he would survive living in the same house as Finn Hudson.

"Let's just see how the trip goes," he decided. "If we haven't killed him after spending a week in close quarters I think we'll survive the next year come what may.

"I will love you until my dying day," Kurt immediately sang and Blaine smiled at him fondly before he joined in and they finished the duet together.

Later that night, after saying goodnight to Kurt and assuring his dad they were both in their own rooms he was staring at the ceiling as sleep was evading him. Some days it was overwhelming how much his life had changed in the past year.

He wasn't the lead singer of the Warblers anymore but had made it through a year of public school relatively unharmed. His dad was dating for the first time since his mother had died and he might gain a stepmother and stepbrother soon. And then there was Kurt. Beautiful and kind Kurt who had to endure so much in his young life already. Things Blaine couldn't even really imagine. But Kurt had come back into his life and was finally trusting him once more. Just becoming Kurt's friend again had made him happier than he had been in years, but then something even better had happened. He had fallen in love with his childhood best friend and for some reasons his feelings were returned.

A year ago he and his dad had decided that he would leave Dalton and move back to Lima. He had expected to get through the year, had hoped he would make a few friends, but never had he imagine what he had gotten instead. Some might say Blaine Hummel was the luckiest boy in the world.

Part 2: The Hummel-Anderson-Hudsons go camping together before the boys have to say goodbye to each other for a few weeks.