Blaine drove in the ornate gates of the cemetery, driving slowly over to the parking slots and turning off the SUV. He looked over at Kurt, hardly able to see his face behind the bunches of flowers Kurt was holding in his lap, trying to keep them from tipping over. Blaine got out and walked around the vehicle, opening Kurt's door and taking the flowers from him before taking his hand to help him down.

Kurt had a dreamy look in his eyes, not the kind that made Blaine burn with arousal but the kind that made him want to gather his Sub close and protect him from all the bad things in the world. Kurt was strong but even the strongest person, Dom or Sub, has their kryptonite. Kurt almost stumbled as he walked along the crushed granite path along the rows of gravestones that spread out over the hilly grounds of the old cemetery. Blaine saw him trip and was there, holding him upright as they continued to the seventeenth row, turning west and walking until they reached two large white marble tombstones. They were very different from the ones around them, the white marble a striking contrast to the usual rosy gray of most granite gravestones. There was an angel on the top of the first stone, carved of the same marble and a small bench at the foot of the second grave.

Kurt took the flowers from Blaine's hand, walking slowly along the edge of the grave and set the pink roses on his mother's resting place. A willow hung its long branches down, almost touching the carved angel, tiny green buds showing on the branches to show spring was on its way. Blaine read the stone:

ELIZABETH CLAIRE HUMMEL

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Kurt put his hand on the stone for a brief moment, then ran his fingers over the angel's wing before moving to the second grave. He placed the red roses here, then kissed his fingers and placed them on the top of the stone:

SANTANA TERESA LOPEZ-HUMMEL

"Real isn't how you are made,

it's a thing that happens to you

when you are loved for a long, long time.

Santana, you were Real."

Kurt made his way back to the little marble bench and Blaine pulled him down on his lap. Kurt curled into the man he loved and buried his face in Blaine's neck, sobs wracking his thin body as he cried his grief out for the two women in his life that were gone. Blaine just held him, murmuring little things in his ear and rubbing comforting circles in his back.

He had meant to leave Kurt here, to be alone with his memories and perhaps to mend a little as he spoke to the spirits he could feel, but it felt wrong to Blaine when he tensed his muscles to get up and walk away. He was learning to trust his impulses when it came to Kurt, and they were turning out to be the right thing to do. More and more often he stopped before second guessing himself, he trusted himself and his instincts more. Maybe it was the Declared Union connection, braiding their lives together closer and closer, maybe it was all the time he was spending with Kurt, rarely leaving his side for very long. Whatever it was, he knew now that he needed to be here with Kurt, holding him and keeping him from breaking into a million shattered pieces.

Kurt sobbed until he couldn't anymore, then he just let Blaine hold him. He could feel his strength coming from Blaine and he knew it was what was keeping him sane. His arms tightened until his muscles trembled and Blaine began to speak.

"Hey, now, it's okay, baby. I know it hurts, and that's okay, cry if you need to, I'll hold you. I'll keep you safe, my love. I will be here as long as you need me, Kurt, I won't ever leave you."

Kurt's breathing returned to his usual rhythm, his heartbeat slowing to a safe level once again. He moved his head so he was resting on Blaine's shoulder instead of hiding his face from the man that loved him.

"Thank you, Blaine," was all he said, touching his lips to Blaine's cheek.

'It's okay, baby, you're welcome."

A few more minutes and Kurt was sitting beside Blaine, looking at the graves.

"That's from The Velveteen Rabbit, isn't it?" Blaine said, indicating the lines on Santana's tombstone.

"Yes. It was Levi's favorite book and his mommy used to read it to him every night. It was my dad that said we should put it on there, and it was just perfect," Kurt said, a sad smile crossing his lips briefly as the thought about that day.

"Kurt, I think I need to ask you something, and it's pretty important," Blaine said in a sober voice, taking Kurt's hand and kissing the soft skin on the back. Kurt looked up, a look of mild curiosity on his face.

"I want you to tell me the truth, no trying to tell me what you think I want to hear. I want the honest truth," Blaine said in his commanding voice and Kurt got chills from the tone. That has been happening lately, the chills or a shiver when Blaine was in a take-charge mood.

"Of course I will, Blaine. What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

"Would it be better for you to be here in Ohio when we get married, rather than moving back to New York? Don't answer right away, think first, because it would not bother me to live here. We'd be closer to your family, closer to your dad when you need him. Now, I want you to think about it before you tell me, weigh the pros and cons, makes lists, talk to your family if you want. I don't want a snap decision, I want this to be well thought out. I do wonder if you'd be happier closer to your family, closer to them," Blaine said, nodding his head at the graves.

"Blaine, I don't really need to be close to these graves to be close to Mom and Tana. They're in my heart all the time. As for moving...I did think about it. When I came here after Tana died, I was at the end of my rope, Blaine. I knew I was sick, knew I was Weak, and I wanted my children to be with my family if something happened to me. I had nowhere else to go," Kurt said sadly.

"The Fates, however, had something else in store. I had to be back in New York to finish settling the estate and I could not part from Holly, she is so small and defenseless. I had to have her with me. Thank the Fates she was, because I met you. Back to the question: Yes, I want to live in New York, but I love that you asked me," Kurt's eyes sparkled a little, past the sadness and grief Blaine could see something more and he was pretty sure what that was.

"Do you want to stay for a while? We don't have to be anywhere and I can walk over on the path if you want to be alone," Blaine offered, but Kurt shook his head.

"No, I think I've had enough sadness to last a long time. I ...well, I kind of came to say goodbye because now I do feel content in leaving. I don't feel like I have to stay and keep visiting as if it was all left unfinished. You know, it always felt like that when I came before," Kurt confessed, ducking his head.

Blaine allowed that, but after a minute he cupped Kurt's jaw in his hand and raised his head.

"Kurt, you know we can come back. Anytime you want, or if you want to come with Levi and Holly, you can always do that. Okay? Do you feel better now?" Blaine asked, but he already felt the tense anxiety was gone from Kurt's shoulders.

"I do. I feel at peace for the first time since I began coming here when I was eight years old. Thank you, Blaine," Kurt said and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on his Dom's lips. They got up and walked slowly back to the parking lot and drove to Westerville to meet Cooper for lunch, holding hands on the console, just silently enjoying being in the same place together.

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

Blaine and Kurt walked into the small restaurant exactly at noon, spotting Cooper at a table in the back. Blaine held the chair for Kurt and they sat down.

"Well, it's a nice spring day, how are you doing?" Blaine asked Cooper, who looked over his glasses at Blaine and scowled.

"I'm fine. Okay, I ordered for us. Red wine, house salads, lasagna?" Coop said. He knew his brother would do anything for Donia's freshly made lasagna.

"Kurt, this is my brother's favorite restaurant in all of Ohio, not that there are all that many to choose from, of course, but we came here for every one of his birthdays growing up," Coop said, grinning at his brother.

Kurt smiled at Coop, then turned his gaze on his Dom and his smile increased about a thousand candlepower. "I like Italian food, too."

It wasn't until they had gotten about halfway through the lasagna that Cooper said anything more than pleasantries and small talk.

"I heard from Nick Duvall last night concerning your case, Kurt," Coop started and he got his lunch companions' full attention. "What I heard as a rumor is turning out to be correct. Santana's lawyer was bilking her out of what looks like over three million in bonuses, dividends, stock, and real estate. There are two very large trust funds for your children hidden in off-shore accounts and Nick is champing at the bit to start proceedings against Ms. Bremmer. I think this is worth pursuing, and Nick is just waiting for a phone call to get going on it. What do you say?"

Blaine turned to Kurt but it was just out of politeness, he already knew what his Sub wanted. Kurt gave him a quick nod just to confirm it.

"Yes, we'll do whatever Nick thinks is best, I trust him completely. What does Kurt need to do?" Blaine asked.

"Just a phone call, Nick is waiting and he can start today. I don't need to tell you that time is of the essence on a case like this. He already has the papers drawn up to go to the New York Bar to have her investigated. We need to start Kurt's portion first so he can get his money before the DA or anyone else gets wind of it or it will be tied up in court for years," Cooper said, looking grim. He knew what a mess it would be and he thought Nick had a bargaining chip with Cecelia Bremmer to get all of the Lopez-Hummel estate before the papers were turned over. It would all be done to the letter of the law, Nick was scrupulous about that, but he was also smart.

Blaine got his cell out and dialed Nick's number, spoke to him for a few minutes and gave the phone to Kurt. It was all over in a matter of minutes. Kurt sighed with relief, knowing Blaine, Cooper, and Nick would take care of it for Holly and Levi.

"Next on the agenda are the adoption papers for the children. I don't mean to be indelicate..." Cooper looked at Blaine for directions. Coop might think that the two of them did things a bit too fast, but he was not insensitive to what it took for a Declared Vow to take place, and he knew it was not something that would have even been possible if the connection between Blaine and Kurt were not there. He wasn't one to hold on to things that had already happened, so he dismissed those doubts from his mind and went on with things the way they were now – and this Declared Union was a done deal, so he would work as hard as he could to make it all right for everyone involved.

"Have you spoken to Santana's family?" Coop asked and Blaine got a stricken look on his face. He had been so wrapped up in everything that had happened with Kurt so far, he hadn't given thought to this possible roadblock.

"Ah...well, I see you haven't. There is no legal reason to, they cannot block the adoption since the children's father is in full legal custody and the mother is deceased. However..." Coop was surprised to have Kurt interrupt him by putting up his hand.

"I have talked to them, after.....after Tana was gone. They only want the best for the children, so no, they will be fine with it. I kinda want to go see them," Kurt said in a low voice and Blaine reached over to hold his hand.

"Of course we will. We'll arrange it today, and you can go by yourself or I can take you and wait in the car. Whatever would make you feel the best about it, my love," Blaine said, his eyes suddenly brimming with unshed tears. He felt terrible he hadn't thought of it himself.

"Thank you, Blaine. I want you to come with me, if you think you wouldn't mind," he answered.

Blaine nodded and squeezed his hand.

Cooper cleared his throat and looked to make sure everything was okay between the two before going on.

"I have filed the papers with the court to have the adoption a few days after the wedding. I have set the wedding for one week from today. I understand the two of you only want a short wedding at the courthouse, only a few witnesses?" Cooper asked. His brother's attitude towards the Government was not exactly a secret and he understood, but being married in the eyes of the Government would make things easier from a legal standpoint with the children. He sighed.

"Then I need the two of you to sign these and it will all be over until next week for the wedding. I will file the adoption papers with the court as soon as you are legally married in the eyes of the Government. Now, I have to fly back to New York for a few days, then I'll be here again the day before the wedding. Are you going to stay at our house?" Cooper looked at his brother.

"Yeah, I think we could use some time to prepare for all of this, so maybe for a few nights. Is my room still there?" Blaine asked. He never knew if his mother would decide to redecorate and turn his former room into an extra office or a showroom for her antique dolls or something. Cooper smirked.

"Yes, it's more like a shrine...nothing has been touched since you moved out to go to college. I think your Warbler Blazer is still hanging in the closet," Cooper laughed. Blaine blushed.

"If that's all, I need to get a few things done in Columbus before I board that flight back home tonight. I'll see you on Sunday if you want to pick me up at the airport? I'll text you the info on flight times. It was great seeing you, Blaine. It was also great to see you, Kurt. Please rest assured we will take care of you, okay?" Cooper said, giving Kurt a hug, which surprised the Sub. He hugged his future brother-in-law back tentatively.

Blaine's blood ran hot – and nobody was more surprised than he was at the feeling. He had no call to be jealous of his brother where Kurt was concerned, he was happy Cooper was so accepting after all of his doubts, but the feeling that he wanted to grab Kurt back from Cooper's embrace and growl "Mine." was almost overwhelming.

Coop let go and hugged Blaine enthusiastically, wondering in the back of his mind why his brother felt so stiff and didn't return his hug with the usual warmth. Then it did occur to him and the corner of his mouth turned up in a tiny smile as he realized that the green monster called 'jealousy' had reared it's ugly head. Well, this could be fun. Just wait until he got back and gave Kurt a nice brotherly kiss on his pink cheek. Cooper had a smirk on his face as he left the restaurant.

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

"Do you want to call Santana's family now?" asked Blaine as they got in the Navigator.

"If that's okay, yes," Kurt said and pulled out his cell. He dialed Mrs. Lopez' number and spoke to her for a few minutes. Blaine had used the time to walk over to a newspaper stand and buy a paper. On his return, Kurt was smiling a little.

"Blaine, they want to see Levi and Holly the day after tomorrow. They have also asked if the children could stay for a few days. What do you think?"

"How well does Levi know them? Would he be comfortable? I don't want him to feel as if we just left him, not when he's been so stressed with all the moving and things going on and the scare of you being sick, baby," Blaine said, concern showing on his face.

"Oh, he knows them pretty well, but we could ask if he's comfortable. I have some doubts about leaving Holly, though. She's so little I think she needs to stay with us. I don't mind taking her there or even leaving her for a few hours, but not overnight. It might confuse or scare her, she's so timid," Kurt said, then closed his mouth and just looked at Blaine. He was so used to being the only voice in the children's lives, he forgot to include Blaine for a minute.

Blaine saw that and rushed to fold Kurt into his arms.

"No, Kurt...you have every right to say whatever you want to. Just because I'm your Dom does not mean you have to acquiesce to me. You know Levi and Holly better than anyone, so you should be the one to make this decision. I am honored you include me, more than you know, baby, but the truth is that you are the one to make this decision," Blaine explained, dropping a few casual kisses on Kurt's cheek.

"Okay. No, I don't think Holly should go, and we'll ask Levi. I want to include the Lopez family in their lives, they shouldn't be kept from their own grandchildren," Kurt said and Blaine nodded.

The next stop was Blaine's family's house, though the size of the structure could hardly be called a "house". Kurt looked up at it, seeing the beautiful Georgian style mansion. It had the typical symmetrical windows on each side, the columns holding up the portico roof as they walked up the stairs to the huge double doors. It was red brick with white trim and Kurt could see the gardens beginning to grow tiny green sprouts and buds. It must be gorgeous in the summer.

Blaine opened the door, holding it for Kurt to walk through, and closed it behind him.

"They made a lot of changes – plumbing and electric and things like that since I was a kid, but basically this is the house I grew up in," Blaine said, waving his hand to show the huge foyer and double curving staircases that led to the upper floors. "They did put in these ridiculous stairs, before there was one staircase and it was not curved. I was about nine when Mother had the double staircase built. Cooper and I used to race down those stairs. Once when the new ones were installed, we each took a rug and rode all the way down to see which staircase was faster," Blaine said, a grin on his face with the memory. Kurt could not even imagine the formal Cooper doing such a thing, but Blaine? He could imagine him doing it today.

"So, who won?" Kurt asked.

"Ah, the stairs? I broke my wrist tumbling down the last few feet. We never told our parents how it happened, though. Of course, Mrs. Rose took me to the hospital and I was all healed up and out of the cast by the time Mother and Father were home from Europe, so I don't think it was an issue with them," Blaine said in a slightly cold voice. Kurt heard the tone and slipped his hand in Blaine's.

"Well, Cooper said the maid only works on Tuesdays and Fridays, but he bought groceries and things, so we are fine to stay here after Puck's wedding tomorrow. I just wanted to see for myself before we came to make sure we have everything."

They walked up the stairs and Blaine gave Kurt a tour of the huge empty house. It was very tasteful and had any number of priceless things set in precise locations, like a museum. What it lacked was any kind of warmth to say people lived here.

They walked to the west wing of the house and up to the third floor. Blaine opened a door and it was like he opened a door to another dimension. The room was done in earth tones of blue, green, and brown and looked like someone lived here. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, colorful linens on the bed, a few small throw rugs on the parquet floor. The bookcase was jammed with books, sheet music, notebooks, CDs, and all manner of photographs and mementos. Blaine smiled. Nobody had touched a thing since he was last here, except maybe to dust. He could see Cooper had changed the sheets so everything was ready.

"You spent your childhood here?" Kurt asked, still looking around the room. He walked over to a shelf and lifted down a stuffed donkey. "Eeyore?" he giggled.

"Hey, he was the cool one," Blaine defended and grinned.

"This is wonderful, Blaine. It looks like you had such a idyllic childhood," Kurt said.

"Ah...no. I did not." Blaine said and turned to go.

"Hey, did I say something wrong?" Kurt asked, upset at Blaine's tone.

"No, you didn't. It looks like the perfect place for a boy to grow up, and I did love my room, but it was a very lonely place," Blaine said in a small voice, his eyes unfocused. "I have bad memories of this place."

Kurt stood still for a minute.

"We can make some good memories...can't we? Something to make it better?"

"I suppose we can at that..." Blaine answered.

He reached over and took Kurt by the waist and pulled him close. He took his hand and slid an arm around his waist and started humming a waltz, moving to the music in a box waltz as Kurt smiled and followed him. Blaine broke away for a moment and went to a shelf, removing a vinyl record and placing it on an ancient record player. Notes came out of the speakers and Kurt recognized Chopin's Nocturne. They held each other close and danced, Blaine smiling at Kurt as he whirled him around the room.

When the music stopped, Blaine pressed his Sub down on the bed, lying on top of him and kissing his lips. What started as gentle brushing of lips soon turned into something more aggressive, Blaine licking his way into Kurt's mouth and unbuttoning his shirt. Kurt could feel his pulse begin to race as Blaine removed more of his clothing, taking off every stitch before removing his own in a frenzy.

His Sub lay naked on the bed in the dim light of the room, filtered sun coming through the leaves of the oak tree outside the window to show spangled patches of light on Kurt's fair skin. Blaine's breathing was rough, and he pulled Kurt to his feet and pushed him gently so he was leaning over the dresser, just the perfect position. Blaine reached into the pocket of the trousers on the bed and brought out a small tube, opening the cap and squeezing a large dollop onto his fingers, the gel still warm from being next to his body.

Moving to place his hand on Kurt's pale cheeks, flushed pink in arousal, he could feel the hum of his Sub's blood racing through his veins, pounding in his heart, making him hard and ready for Blaine. The Dom ran his hand over the smooth flesh, excitement filling his senses as his Sub's muscles trembled in anticipation, then over his hip to grasp Kurt's cock. A moan escaped his mouth as he felt just how ready Kurt was, how much he thirsted for this. He could hear the whimpers and whines of Kurt begging him to take him, and Blaine couldn't ignore that. He knew there were times for romantic and slow but this wasn't one of those times. He ran his fingers down the crevice in front of him, finding the dusky pink entrance and rubbed the slick gel over it as Kurt moaned loudly and moved his feet farther apart on the floor to give his Dom more access.

Blaine was lightheaded, the adrenaline pulsing through him as he tried to concentrate on what his Sub needed. He closed his eyes and felt the connection in a way he never had before. Kurt's muscles quivered under his hands, but he could tell it was anticipation and not fear or unease. The air itself felt electric and he could almost hear it crackle as he circled his Sub's sphincter muscle and coaxed it to relax, his voice low and hot as he spoke to Kurt: "Do you want me, baby? Do you want me to touch you here?" and he felt his Sub answer as he pushed back, forcing Blaine's fingers deeper.

"Yes....." Kurt breathed out, hardly able to form words as his body surrendered to his Dom.

Blaine had anticipated the answer, but had no idea how one little syllable, barely leaving Kurt's mouth like a feather on his breath could make him strain to stop himself from thrusting his cock as hard as he could inside his Sub. He was ready to, but the part of him that protected Kurt was there to temper his impulsive act and it was much less forceful than it could have been. He pushed in slowly, careful not to hurt his Sub. Kurt had no such barrier to what he was yearning for and thrust back hard, pulling a moan from Blaine's lips as the searing heat enveloped him. He almost came, but managed to get hold of himself in time. Blaine took a deep breath and concentrated to set the slow rhythm, like the tide: slow but never stopping, never ebbing, always constant. He must have let it speed up a tiny bit, then more until he was pushing and withdrawing at a rapid pace and building the pressure, the pulse and drag of his flesh wringing a high-pitched wail from the man he loved.

It was a volatile pressure, destined to explode and they ran towards it with selfish abandon. Kurt knew he was ready, so close that he could feel it coiling in his belly, trying to make it wait, feeling the pressure but pushing the need away time after time until there was no going back and he cried out words, but wasn't sure what he'd said, so he just turned his mind's eyes on Blaine's. Golden honey brown, darker than their usual hazel, looked deep into Kurt's own ocean colored eyes with their hues of aqua and cornflower, navy and midnight, all with patches of sunlight. It was in Kurt's mind, but he saw it clearly and understood. Thrusting back to engulf all of his lover in the slick heat of his body, Kurt called out his name and "Blaine! Ohhhh...Blaine!!" came out of his unguarded mouth with the next moan.

The pace increased as they raced to the finish line, thrusting together and pulling back only to have Kurt impale himself on Blaine's thick cock once again, panting and moaning. Blaine's gel-coated fingers came around to stroke Kurt's cock to increase his pleasure and he closed his eyes, the pressure too much as he relaxed the muscles he'd been holding so tightly. He could feel the semen, as if in slow motion as the heat and wonderful feeling came all the way from his balls, hot and amazing, up through the shaft to spill, throbbing and jerking in Blaine's hand. The internal throbbing went on, squeezing and massaging heat into Blaine's cock as he felt the same relaxing of muscles clenched too long and it came in a burst of liquid heat that he could feel in his whole body.

Blaine was still shaky, trying to still his trembling muscles so his legs didn't collapse. Kurt rested his body on the dresser he was leaning over, forehead down on his crossed arms, his eyes closed as he panted, trying to regain his breath. Eventually Blaine slid out, Kurt jumping at the tiny bit of pain that caused. His Dom turned him carefully in his arms, holding him close to his chest and kissing his beautiful mouth.

"I am so in love with you, Kurt," he said, loosening his embrace to look at Kurt once again. The sparkle in Kurt's eyes was enough to tell Blaine his love was returned a hundredfold. He took Kurt's hand and they walked on wobbly legs to the shower down the hallway.

A short time later, the two lovers were under the fresh linens in the bed, holding each other close and dozing off for a little while before they had to get back to Lima and the Hummel house. Puck and Rachel's wedding was taking place in the morning and they had wanted to get home to the children, but they needed to indulge themselves in this bonding for now and let everything else go.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt whispered as they fell asleep and Blaine echoed back:

"I love you, too, baby."

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

TUESDAY, LIMA, OHIO. PUCK AND RACHEL'S WEDDING DAY

Kurt woke up to find Levi sitting on the side of the bed, coaching Blaine on the proper way to burp Holly after her morning bottle.

"No, Papa, you need to rub her back first. She usually burps right away and if she doesn't, then you pat here. You don't pat first, that's not the way Daddy does it," Levi's big brown eyes looking at Blaine, so serious.

Kurt tried to muffle his impulse to giggle, but it wasn't working. The look on his Dom's face while being scolded by a three year old was priceless. He even moved his hand to cover his mouth, but the giggle crept through his fingers until he was openly laughing. He got twin glares from his son and Blaine

"Okay, Mr. Expert, you get the bubble out then," Blaine said, offering the baby to Levi, who reached out his hands. Propping his sister against his shoulder, with the help of his Papa, the little baby burped on cue and Levi gave the Dom an 'I-told-you-so' look. He leaned over to Blaine and whispered very seriously, "I had to practice, too, Papa. It's okay, you'll learn."

Kurt just laughed louder. Wearing a mock-hurt look, Blaine tried to grab his Sub by the pajama leg but missed.

"Nope, I'm going to the bathroom and brush my teeth and pee. It's all yours, Papa," he smirked, dodging Blaine's hand and got out of the bed.

Walking back down the hallway from the bathroom, Kurt could hear his cell phone ringing. He walked in his room, searching for the phone by the side of the bed and answered the unknown caller.

"Kurt?"

"This is Kurt," he said, trying to place the voice he heard.

"Oh, thank the Fates. I need you to come over right now...can you come?" the voice said, desperate.

"Ah, who is this?" he asked, still trying to figure out where he'd heard the woman's voice before.

"Kurt! You were my best friend for years, now a little time apart and you don't know me?" she squealed.

"Rachel!!"

"Who else? Can you come? Please?" she begged.

"Just a sec..." Kurt said, holding his hand over the mouthpiece. "Blaine, it's Rachel and she sounds upset. Is it okay with you if I leave the kids here and go see what the crisis is?"

Blaine smiled. "Of course, no problems. I can get them fed and dressed and you can call when you're on your way home?"

"Thanks," Kurt smiled warmly at his Dom, blowing him an air kiss. Turning back to the cell phone he said, "I'll be there in a few minutes. What's wrong?"

"Just bring your sewing kit and....hurry!" Rachel replied and the line went dead.

"Hello, Gorgeous!" Kurt greeted his friend, using the Barbra Streisand imitation they had laughed about in high school. He stepped back to take in the changes in his friend. He had last seen her the day they won Nationals at the Show Choir competition. Her fathers had whisked her away to a waiting plane to keep her safe from the Government mandated Pairing Day ritual that day without telling anyone she was leaving. She hadn't even known what was happening and Kurt remembered his heartbreak when he learned she was gone without a goodbye.

"Oh, Kurt! Oh, you look so great. I missed you so much, more than anyone. I'm so sorry..." Rachel started, but Kurt cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"No, honey, let's not go there. I understand what happened and I respect your fathers for doing what they felt necessary. There were some times I wished I had a family in another country to go to when the Pairing Day came. But...well, water under the bridge so to speak. I am to rescue my favorite damsel in distress. What do you need?"

"It's my dress. My fathers bought it for me, but they didn't know my exact size and it....well, come see for yourself," she whined a little. "Abba and Daddy did their best, but they didn't have my measurements, so they sort of guessed." She called Hiram 'Abba' which is Hebrew for father and she called LeRoy 'Daddy' to distinguish between them.

Following her up the stairs to her room, Kurt had thoughts of all the times he had spent here with her, parties and sleep-overs, times they celebrated and times they consoled each other. Rachel had been one of the few saving graces of his school years.

Entering her bedroom, a room he had once described as "the place Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobby go to hook up", he was pleased to see it had been redecorated. It was still pink, but no longer sunshine yellow and bubblegum pink. Now it was a rich shade of rose-gray with white trim and tasteful lithographs framed on the walls of ballet dancers and bucolic scenery. Gone were the shelves devoted to her awards and achievements, the posters of Broadway stars and popular singers. In their place were bookcases and a few artistic pieces she had brought back from her years in the Middle East.

While once she might have run to change in the bathroom, giggling behind the closed door, now she merely took off her robe and, clad in her slip, held out the lovely ivory gown for Kurt to help her dress.

Settling the gown around her, Kurt immediately saw the problems: the waist was too big, the darts in the bodice needed to be nipped in, the neckline needed to be altered to accommodate her larger bust, the skirt was just an inch too short. He took out his sewing box and helped Rachel put the dress back on wrong-side out so he could pin the places that needed altering.

"Abba said I could have the seamstress that made the dress come, but I wanted you. I hope you don't mind, Kurt. I wanted somebody I could trust," she said, sitting on the bed while Kurt threaded a needle and set out his seam-ripper and thimble.

"This will be done in about half an hour, no problem. I'm glad you called me, Rachel. I wanted to see you before the wedding, but I had so many things to get done," he told her, enumerating the tasks as they fell into their old comfortable way of talking.

He found out a few bits about her time in Israel, how much she loved it there, but ultimately wanted to be with her fathers again.

Kurt was working diligently on the gown, his fingers flying now that he had snipped out the seams and moved on to taking them in for Rachel's smaller waist.

"Rachel, you seem quieter, are you okay with this marriage to Noah?"

"I know we didn't always get along in high school, I was all about my ambition and he was all about being the bad boy. Talking to him over the last few weeks, I think this is the right thing to do. His behavior was probably a cry for help I think, he had nothing stable in his life. He wanted to belong. I can understand that. Noah and I have a lot in common," Rachel said, looking to her friend, begging him with her eyes to understand.

Kurt smiled.

"I do understand, Rachel. Noah is my friend, too, you know. He was there for me in one of the darkest hours of my life, with no questions or reservations. I was lost and he was just there and I leaned on him, and he held me up when nobody else could. You won't get a bad word about him out of me. I'm happy for both of you," Kurt said, getting up and motioning Rachel to put the gown back on for adjustments.

Kurt didn't want her to see the tears brimming in his eyes. He knew, without a doubt, that Noah Puckerman was one of the good guys. Rachel handed him a piece of the lace that had been left over and he stitched it cleverly to mask the place where he had let out the neckline.

"Oh, Kurt! It fits perfectly! Oh, I cannot thank you enough. You saved the day," she squealed, showing just a teensy bit of the old Rachel as she hugged his neck and kissed his cheek.

They walked down the stairs, Rachel back in her robe, and sat down in the kitchen. Kurt had insisted she eat something and offered to cook when she told him she was too nervous to fix anything.

A scan of her pantry and refrigerator and he had fixed a plate of hummus and pita bread, a small fruit salad and a big glass of orange juice for each of them.

"Tell me about your life now, Kurt. My dad's have kept me up with a lot of the things that happened to all of my friends, but it isn't the same as being with them. I am so sorry you lost your wife. At the end of the school year, just before we won Nationals, Santana and I did get to be friends. We were rivals for so long, but that just seemed to bring us closer, you know?"

"Thank you. I miss her. My life with Tana wasn't at all what you might think. She chose me, she applied for our Pairing – did you know? She told me it was because she didn't want me to be Paired with someone that didn't love me, but I think it was more. She was so many things we had never suspected, Rachel. I think she was a lot like Noah in that respect," he said and Rachel squeezed his hand, bring his fingers up to kiss them in an attempt to comfort her old friend.

"I wish I'd have been here for you, Kurt. I'm sorry I wasn't," she lamented.

"No, there's no use in regretting what's been and gone. I'm just happy you're here now," he murmured, his mind on the days of high school and what a struggle it was.

"Tell me good things, then. Tell me about your children!"

"Oh, you'll love them. Levi is three and so precocious. I think he gets that from Tana. He was devoted to her. He has her kindness, her gentle way of letting those he loves know how special they are," he smiled.

"Santana was like that, Kurt? I'd never have guessed. All I remember about her was that she built an impregnable wall around herself - and her scathing way of cutting someone down verbally when she was cornered. No, wait a minute...she was never that way with Brittany. It was like a different person, really, the way she was so gentle and patient with Brit. Oh, Kurt, I can see it now, was she that way with you?" Rachel took his hand once again.

"Yes. It may not have been a match made in heaven, but it was good for me, and I hope she got what she needed, too. She seemed happy. She gave me two beautiful children. Wait until you see Holly. She is five months old now, and sweet tempered, calm. Loving. She and Levi are both cuddly little kids. Are you and Noah planning on children?" he asked.

"Yes. One of the reasons I came home was that I wanted to get married. I was telling my dad that I wanted to raise my children in the Jewish faith and he mentioned Puck was living here again after his divorce. I asked him to contact Noah, and, well...you know," she sighed. It still overwhelmed her that she was home after so many years and today was her wedding day.

"I'm only sorry I won't be here for your wedding, Kurt. You know if it was anything but my honeymoon, I'd move heaven and Earth to be there for you," she looked in his eyes. He had seen little glimpses of the old Rachel all morning, but this was new. The glimmers of what she would be like grown and mature had been there back in school, but to see Rachel now, to understand what she had been through and what her dreams were now, it blew him away.

"Yes, I know. I am only getting married to make the adoption easier, you know my views on the Government. I don't need them, it's just to make the children safer," he said.

"Kurt, my dads told me about your Sub Weakness. Of course I don't know all the details, but I have heard from Puck and Finn about Blaine. They seemed upset it was all so sudden, that perhaps he had you under some kind of spell, like an evil Svengali, but I know the real you. You might be a Sub, Kurt, but I know in my heart that nobody would be able to force you to do something you didn't want to do. They all seemed so reluctant to tell me the rest of the story, all insisting that I ask you. So, my friend, I'm asking now. Tell me what this Blaine has that makes him the one you want to marry," Rachel said, gripping Kurt's hand so tightly he had to rub her arm to relax her enough to let him go.

"Okay. I'll tell you, just sit back. It's one hell of a story."