It was one week before Sectionals and New Directions was officially panicking. Sure, they had their set list, because that had to be turned in like, a month ago for approval from the show choir board. But when it came to the actual numbers and the choreography, they were scrambling.

"Okay, so Finn is singing the opening solo for 'Joy to the World' and-"

"No, Mr. Schue!" Rachel corrected him swiftly. "You gave that solo to Artie!"

"Right," Mr. Schue said, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry Artie."

"It's all good in the hood, yo," Artie replied.

"So then Rachel has the Faith Hill solo for the song 'Cry'," Mr. Schue said. "Is that right?"

"It is," Rachel said with a smile, looking around happily.

"Wait, so who has the duet for 'Animal'?" Mr. Schue wondered, glancing around at the group.

No one came forward. Mr. Schue sighed, frustrated at their lack of preparation.

"We never figured that out, did we?" He asked resignedly.

"Nope," Finn told him, stuffing his face with Cooler Ranch Doritos.

"We don't have time to hold auditions," Mr. Schue said. "We're going to have to pick someone right here, right now."

Everyone shared a few panicked glances. Who would take the duet? Whose voices worked the best with the song? What the hell were they gonna do?

"Let Blaine and Kurt sing it," Brittany put in. "They're animals."

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Schue had to ask, confusion evident upon his face.

"They're dolphins," she said clearly, looking at everyone as if they were the ones that didn't understand. "So obviously they should sing the animal song."

Santana and Finn snorted quite loudly and everyone else just sort of looked at Blaine and Kurt and the couple attempted to stifle their own laughter.

"Do you guys want to do it?" Mr. Schue asked the pair. "We really need someone who can sing it."

Kurt and Blaine shared a look and then shrugged. "Sure," Blaine said finally.

"Oh thank god," Mr. Schue sighed in relief. "Now we just have to actually put the numbers together."

And so New Directions was stuck at the school until six pm every night, rushing to get their performances in order so that they'd be prepared by Friday, the day of the competition. The show choir board was cutting it close this year as the Thanksgiving holiday was next week.

"Okay," their teacher said Thursday evening as everyone was gathering their things to head home. "We all need to leave by nine am tomorrow. Can we please," he shot a look at Kurt and Blaine, "all be on time this time?"

Everyone grumbled their understanding and dragged their tired bodies out of the choir room and out of the school.

"Did you want to come over and rehearse?" Kurt asked Blaine as they slid into Kurt's SUV.

"So long as it doesn't end like last time," Blaine replied with a smile.

"What, with us falling asleep and then you attacking my neck in the morning?" Kurt shot back.

"Pretty much."

"I think we can handle that."

After a hurried dinner at the table with Kurt's family, the two practiced for hours in Kurt's bedroom on their duet. They sat on Kurt's sofa, hoping that this time they wouldn't pass out and miss the alarm the next morning.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked a bit hesitantly.

"Mhmm?"

"Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Blaine said in response.

Kurt bit his lip nervously before finally opening his mouth to speak. "Did you…forget?"

Blaine stared at Kurt, hoping that his boyfriend's expression would give him a clue as to what the hell he was talking about. "…Forget about what?"

"Well, last year at Sectionals, you remember what happened, right?" Kurt asked him quietly, his eyes gazing down to watch his finger trail over the fabric of the sofa.

"Yeah," Blaine said happily. "You kissed me. How could I forget?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. I kissed you. And…isn't that…the day we officially became boyfriends?"

"Sure is," Blaine said, a broad grin on his face.

"Well…Sectionals is later in the month than it was last year. So…technically-"

"Oh my god," Blaine's face fell. "Our one year anniversary."

Kurt nodded again, much more sadly, still avoiding Blaine's eyes.

"Kurt, I'm – oh my god, I'm so sorry. I can't – I didn't – I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," Kurt said quickly. "It's not a big deal."

"Shut up, it's a huge deal! Shit, I was going to take you out and I was – damnit," Blaine said miserably. "I had plans! I'm so sorry, everything got so busy in Glee and for the past few weeks we've both been finishing college applications and – baby, I'm sorry," Blaine apologized again.

"No, no, it isn't – I mean it's okay. I just…I was scared that you…might have…because of all the stuff that happened earlier…"

"What?" Blaine asked, scooting closer to Kurt on the sofa so that their knees were touching.

"When we had that big fight," Kurt said softly, his eyes focused on his lap. "And we were…kind of, sort of not really together. I thought maybe you'd…reset the timer or something."

There was a long moment of silence before Kurt lifted his blue eyes to look at Blaine. He immediately wished he hadn't because Blaine had the most awful look on his face.

"I'm sorry." Now Kurt was the one apologizing.

"No," Blaine said, his voice breaking a little as if he were about to cry. He reached out a hand to cup Kurt's cheek. Kurt leaned into the gentle touch and gave a soft sigh. "No, Kurt. I wouldn't – no," he said again. "We never broke up. We had a fight – a really big fight, granted, but that's it. I never stopped considering you my boyfriend."

Kurt nodded, his eyes falling closed as he nuzzled at Blaine's hand with his nose. "Okay."

"C'mere," Blaine urged. Kurt turned around and Blaine pulled him against his chest, wrapping his arms around the younger boy's waist, leaning them both back against the arm of the sofa. He brought his fingers up to stroke at Kurt's hair, wringing out another little sigh from the boy. "I'll make it up to you. I'll take you out to a nice restaurant and maybe we'll go see a play or something, okay?"

"You don't have to-"

"Hush," Blaine whispered into his ear. "Yes I do. I can't believe I forgot," he berated himself.

"It's okay," Kurt promised him. "We've both been busy."

"Not really an excuse to miss our one year."

Kurt shrugged and settled himself closer to Blaine, letting his head fall back and rest against his boyfriend's shoulder. "You're here with me. That's really all I care about," Kurt admitted honestly.

Blaine smiled, closed his eyes, and pressed a tender kiss to Kurt's temple. "I love you."

Kurt smiled as well, turning to bury his face in Blaine's neck. He smelled so familiar and a bit of his stubble brushed across Kurt's cheekbone. But the rest of Blaine's skin was soft and warm and lovely. No matter how many times they exchanged the words, no matter how many times Blaine whispered it to him when they lay in bed together, no matter how many times he said it playfully, Kurt never tired of hearing the phrase.

"I love you too," he replied just as quietly.

Though he couldn't see it, he felt Blaine lift Kurt's left hand to his lips. He let a small kiss fall upon the promise ring there that Kurt wore every day.

Kurt didn't need to be wined and dined, he thought. Because the little moments like these were the ones that made his heart flutter.

Thankfully, they woke up on time the next morning. Actually, they woke up a good few minutes before the alarm went off so they indulged in a couple morning blow jobs. Kurt really wished Blaine could just be in his bed every night. Waking up without him there in the morning was…getting kind of depressing.

On the bus on the way to the competition, Kurt's mind wasn't really focused on Sectionals at all.

Blaine had been right last night, when he mentioned how busy the two of them had been when it came to college applications. What made it worse was the fact that they made a promise to each other to not research colleges together. The thing was, they knew that they loved each other, and on some level, they both knew that they wanted to spend their lives together. But they refused to be a hindrance to one another when it came to what they wanted to do with their future. Blaine wanted to study music or theatre in school, he hadn't decided yet. And Kurt either wanted to study music or fashion design. So they did their research on their own, they filled out their applications on their own, and they mailed them off on their own. In fact, there was an unspoken agreement between them to not discuss the topic itself because…well, it was hard. It was hard to think about the possibility of Blaine leaving him and going away to the other end of the country. Sometimes the thought actually made him cry. They'd been together and seen each other nearly every day for over a year now and for that to suddenly just…stop, for them to be somewhat cut off from each other…it was sort of heartbreaking.

But when any acceptance letters came, they would make their decisions alone. And when they finally decided, they would tell each other what they had chosen.

Perhaps they needed to rely on a bit of serendipity.

Kurt let his head fall back against the seat and turned his head towards Blaine. He was laughing and talking with Mercedes about something, hands gesturing wildly. Kurt watched in a form of loving awe as Blaine's eyes lit up when he laughed, the perfect smile that graced his face, the very slight creases that made themselves apparent in the outer corners of his eyes when he grinned…Kurt's heart swelled in his chest at the sight.

How in the world did he get so lucky?

He watched as Quinn caught Mercedes' attention from a few seats in front of them and Blaine turned his smiling eyes back to Kurt.

"What's up, buttercup?" Blaine asked happily, toying with Kurt's bow tie.

Kurt gave an almost sad smile before speaking. "I just love you."

Blaine leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to the tip of Kurt's pert nose. "I love you too."

Kurt snuggled down in the seat and a bit closer to his boyfriend. Blaine automatically wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders.

With a contented sigh, Kurt leaned his head on Blaine. They stayed like that for the rest of the ride.

When they arrived at the venue, New Directions immediately changed into their costumes and had a quick warm up. They would be performing last again this year, with the Warblers performing first and some other school they knew next to nothing about would be going second.

"Can we go say hi?" Blaine asked, almost vibrating with excitement where he stood.

Kurt looked over to where Blaine had gestured to and saw the Dalton Warblers crowded around each other in the lobby.

"Mr. Schue?" Kurt spoke to their teacher. "We'll be right back."

Mr. Schue waved them off, busy trying to keep Puck from mauling some poor woman in the crowd. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and led him over to the Warblers. Kurt honestly didn't know when Blaine saw most of these boys last. He knew his boyfriend kept in touch with Wes and David, but he wasn't sure of the others.

"Blaine, my main man!" David greeted happily with a firm pat to Blaine's back. "And Kurt, too! Come to switch sides at the last minute?"

"You could only wish, David," Blaine returned.

"Oh he wishes it," Wes put in. "Looking good, Blaine."

"Blaine, hi!"

"Oh my god, it's Blaine!"

"Have you gotten shorter? It looks like you're shorter."

"SAVE US FROM OUR NEW COUNCIL!"

Blaine laughed at everyone's antics and Kurt just kind of stood to the side as they crowded around him.

"What're you two even doing here anyway?" Kurt asked Wes and David who stood next to him. "Didn't you graduate?"

"We did indeed," David replied. "But we put years and a lot of effort into these guys. We weren't going to miss this competition. One can only hope that Nick and Jeff have done as good a job with them as we have."

Kurt nodded slowly, his eyes returning back to the group.

In that moment, he realized for the first time that…he didn't want to win. He didn't care if they won. This was a group of very talented young men; they were a group that put in just as many hours of rehearsal as New Directions had, maybe even more. Kurt didn't know too terribly much about how an a capella worked but he was sure that it took a lot of patience.

But then he looked back to New Directions and saw their happy, smiling faces and everyone was getting along and he knew how tired everyone was and…

He seriously hoped they could tie.

"You're going to do wonderfully," Wes said. "Blaine told me about the duet you two have been working on. I look forward to seeing you and your group perform."

"Thanks," Kurt said shyly. "I hope you guys, well, I hope the Warblers do well too. It'd be nice to see you all at Regionals."

"We'll be praying for a tie then," David said with a grin.

"Kurt, come here!" Blaine called from within the midst of the Dalton boys. The group parted so that Kurt could take up his place by Blaine's side. "This is him."

"Blaine, he's taller than you," one boy said. "That's kind of adorable."

"We make it work," Blaine shrugged, pressing a kiss to Kurt's cheek.

"It's nice to meet you all," Kurt said cordially.

"Oh and he has manners too?" another kid asked.

"Plus he's cute, look at those eyes," a smaller boy said dreamily.

Blaine wrapped a protective arm around Kurt's waist and pulled him closer. "Everyone wants a piece of you now," Blaine commented.

"And so they should," Kurt replied primly. "I've always been a hot commodity, I'll have you know."

"Oh, we believe it, baby!" another boy's voice came through the group, which spurred a chorus of cat calls.

"As much fun as this is," Nick interrupted, "we need to get backstage, guys."

"It was good to see you, Blaine," Jeff assured. "We need to catch up, okay?" He began ushering Warblers through a door as he spoke.

"Definitely," Blaine promised. "Bye guys!"

"Bye Blaine!"

"See ya, hobbit!"

"Hope to see you, Kurt!"

Blaine scowled at the retreating group of boys, trying to pinpoint who said that last bit.

"Come on, Mr. Popular, we need to get back," Kurt said with a hand pressed gently to the small of Blaine's back.

"Seems I'm going to have to kick someone's ass," Blaine mumbled. "Or I might just have to enter a jousting tournament to win your hand properly."

"You don't need to do either," Kurt assured him, slipping his hand down to hold Blaine's. "I'm all yours."

Blaine gave a broad grin and squeezed Kurt's hand as they made their way back to New Directions and then into the auditorium to be seated.

"I hope we tie," Kurt whispered nervously into Blaine's ear. "I don't want the Warblers to not go to Regionals."

"Whoever's best will win," Blaine patted his hand. "Don't worry."

Kurt bit his lip and felt his stomach do a small flip flop as the house lights dimmed, then darkened, and the announcer came on stage to introduce the competing groups and give a small speech.

When the curtain rose and the Warblers began harmonizing, Kurt turned to Blaine to see him smiling brightly, tapping on Kurt's hand along with the rhythm.

These were the moments when Kurt felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the planet. There were plenty of days when Kurt's guilt drove him crazy at the thought of him having ripped Blaine away from the life he knew and from the friends he had. Blaine very rarely spoke of his time at Dalton and Kurt had a feeling it was because he didn't want to hurt Kurt's feelings and make him feel even worse.

And the Warblers were very good. They were really good. Kurt always enjoyed listening to them. In fact, he may have made a copy of a CD he had found in Blaine's room that featured multiple recordings the Dalton Warblers had made because they were that good.

He had been so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't even realize the Warblers had finished singing. He shot to his feet next to Blaine to applaud the performance with excitement.

"So good," Blaine said enthusiastically. "They were so good."

Kurt swallowed and nodded.

Yeah. They were really good.

He looked down the row to look at the rest of New Directions. They all looked kind of nervous now. As well they should be, Kurt thought. This wasn't going to be an easy competition to win.

And then the new school performed and they felt a little better about themselves because…well…let's just say that New Directions kind of sucked when they were first starting out and…these kids were worse than they were then.

When they were all backstage, waiting for their music cue, Kurt's stomach was in knots.

He must have looked kind of ill because Blaine cupped Kurt's face with his cool hands.

"Baby, are you okay?" Blaine asked quickly.

Kurt nodded shakily. He'd never had this much stage fright before.

"Do you feel sick?"

Kurt nodded again.

"It's okay," Blaine said gently, wrapping his arms around his lover. "We're going to do great. You're going to do great."

He pressed a warm, dry, lingering kiss to Kurt's lips and suddenly the knots in his stomach lessened and his head was a little clearer and then the music started.

And away they went.

Problem was, by the time they finished performing and were rushing offstage, Kurt realized he didn't remember a damn thing that just happened. He didn't know if he screwed up a note, he didn't know how their duet went, he didn't know how Rachel did with her song, and he didn't even remember joining the group for the last number.

So he didn't know if they did well or if they did worse than that other school he didn't know or…or anything.

When they were standing onstage with the two other groups, his head was kind of foggy.

The third place immediately went to the Glee club he didn't know.

Kurt felt like he was going to vomit when they were about to announce the first place winner.

"And the winner of today's competition, the group that will be proceeding to Regionals this year…"

Blaine's hand was sweating in his.

Kurt was biting his lip so hard he thought it would bleed.

His pulse was racing.

"The McKinley High's New Directions!"

At those words, an uproarious applause greeted his ears and Rachel screamed so loud next to him that he was pretty sure he'd be deaf.

But the only thing that mattered was Blaine's face.

The biggest grin in the world was plastered onto his lips and his eyes were shining and he was jumping up and down and he was happy, he was so happy that Kurt burst into tears and he had to smile too.

Mr. Schue was handed the first place trophy and Kurt looked over to the Warblers who were clapping for them and had genuine smiles on their faces. Nick and Jeff both gestured to him with their applause. Another Warbler gave him a thumbs up and he finally turned back to Blaine, who was still cheering along with everyone else, and was stunned by the force of the hug that Blaine tackled him with.

"We did it! We did it!" Blaine kept shouting while still trying to jump up and down.

"I know!" Kurt yelled back.

Mr. Schue made sure to shake hands with all the Warblers before they departed, congratulating them on a job well done and hoping to see them again next year.

Kurt heaved a deep sigh and threw himself into one of the seats on the bus. He. Was. Exhausted.

Blaine sat next to him, the giant first place trophy clutched to his chest. The thing was nearly as big as he was.

"You can hold it next," Blaine promised. "But I only just pried it from Rachel's fingers so I get to hold onto it for a while."

"That's okay," Kurt said. "You can hold it for my turn too."

"You don't seem very happy," Blaine said quietly. "Do you still feel sick?"

"No," Kurt said. "Just very tired."

"But we won!"

Kurt looked at his boyfriend for a long second before speaking again. "So…you're not…sad?"

"What do I have to be sad about?" Blaine asked, his eyes raking over the shiny trophy in his arms.

"The Warblers didn't advance," Kurt told him.

"I know," Blaine said with a nod, turning his eyes back to Kurt and then smiling. "We did!"

"But…they were your friends for so long. You…you don't feel bad for them?"

Blaine searched Kurt's face with his eyes, trying to read his curiously melancholy expression. He reluctantly handed the trophy to Brittany, who had been eyeing the thing for the past five minutes and then turned to address Kurt again.

"Kurt," Blaine began firmly. "You guys are my friends."

"But they were-"

"No, wait, let me finish," Blaine stopped him. "Dalton…was a really good school. And I had a lot of people who were nice to me there. I had some really good times and I made a lot of memories. But Wes and David were my closest friends and they aren't even part of the Warblers anymore. All those guys…yeah, we were friends. But…but we weren't a family."

He saw Blaine look around the bus, taking in everyone's excited chatter and glowing smiles and watched as Rachel tried to steal the trophy back from Brittany.

"This is my home now," Blaine continued quietly so that only Kurt could hear him. "I've spent over a year with you guys and I've seen fights and make ups and we've all laughed and cried together and we get through all the bullshit and we…we sing and we have fun and everyone seems to genuinely care for each other. This is what I missed at Dalton and it's something that…that I didn't even know that I wanted until I was immersed in it. Sure, it sucks that the Warblers got second place because they were really good but," Blaine shrugged, "we were better. And I'm glad we're advancing and I'm glad I'm advancing with New Directions. And I'm glad that I'm here with you."

Kurt's lips turned up into a very small smile and he lowered his head, tears dripping down his lashes and onto his lap.

"I don't tell you this enough," Blaine said, slipping a finger under Kurt's chin to tilt his head back up, "but you bringing me here…introducing me to all your friends and getting me out of that – that cage…was probably the best thing that ever happened to me."

At that, Kurt threw himself into Blaine's, attempting to curb his sobs so that they didn't draw any attention to themselves.

"I don't want you thinking anything else," Blaine told him. "Not for one second. Because I'm proud to be a member of this club and even more proud to call myself your boyfriend."

Kurt was proud of those things too. He was really proud.

The Thanksgiving Break week was a fairly quiet holiday for our favorite couple. Thanksgiving Day itself was spent at the Anderson home for a small lunch and then at the Hummel Hudson residence for the traditional feast. Blaine's parents had to catch a flight to Dallas that evening, which resulted in a declined invitation from the Hummel Hudsons to the Andersons to join them for dinner. They sent their apologies with Blaine, along with a Thank You For Inviting Us, Sorry That We're Really Busy People card.

"It's a shame your parents couldn't make it," Carole said, setting the card on the counter. "They seem like lovely people."

Blaine shrugged and moved over to help her with the mashed potatoes.

"They just have a lot to do this week," Blaine said. "They were here the past couple of weeks and we got to spend most of the day together. It's okay. And they always come back if I really need them for some reason."

"Were they gone this much when you were younger?" Carole wondered, pouring a bit of milk into a bowl.

"No, no," Blaine said quickly. "They were your regular doting, ever present parents. When I went to board at Dalton, they were just able to travel more. My dad's always been very active in his business and my mother's just…always been by his side, always supporting him with whatever needed to be done. I just came home so suddenly last year that they haven't been able to change their schedules that much. And I'm older now, so it's fine."

Blaine was quiet for a few moments, as was Carole.

"I think you still miss them," Carole said quietly. "Just because you're growing up and you understand why they're gone doesn't mean you don't miss them."

"I do," Blaine admitted. "But they've given me a lot. And they keep giving, no questions asked."

"Blaine, honey, that's what parents are supposed to do."

"They're not bad people," Blaine replied sadly. "I do…I do wish they could be around more. But it's silly of me to ask them to stop what they're doing for the next few months because I mean, in less than a year I'll be in college and they can go back to doing what they need to do."

"I don't think they're bad people," Carole said. "Not at all. I remember how concerned they were – last year when Kurt was in the hospital – I saw how much they loved you."

"I know they love me," Blaine told her. "And I love them too. But this…" he shrugged, "this is what it's like. If they want to keep our lifestyle and if they want to pay for my college and for all the things that I need then they have to keep going to these meetings. They have to keep having dinners with all of these important people and they have to keep doing what they're doing. I'm not – I'm not trying to argue with you," Blaine said swiftly. "This is just…this is how it is. And I'm used to it. It's not ideal, don't get me wrong. And I miss them often. I get a lot of the kids in Glee asking me if it sucks, or asking me how hard it is to not have a mom there to cook me food every night," he gave Carole a smile. "And I get tired of answering because it's just what I'm used to. This is my life and I'm not heartbroken and I'm not like, emotionally scarred or some privileged boy who flaunts his trust fund. This is just…things are the way they are. And I understand that. Plus…I kind of like your family. I mean I know I'm here a lot and you probably get sick of my face, but I consider you guys my family too."

Carole smiled sadly at him, dropped the spoon she was holding into the bowl, and promptly pulled Blaine into a bone crushing hug. Jesus, for such a small woman, she had a lot of strength, Blaine thought as he hugged her back.

"No matter how things end up between you and Kurt in the future, Blaine, you are always welcome in this family," Carole said with conviction.

Blaine pressed a light kiss to Carole's cheek. "Thank you, Carole."

Carole wiped away a stray tear. "Go get our boy," she said, "and tell him I need his help with the soufflé."

So Blaine did.

And dinner was spectacular. Rachel and her dads joined them that evening as well. They kept cracking jokes and Rachel seemed almost embarrassed but Kurt and Blaine loved the older couple. Burt and Carole were laughing along with the rest of them.

Blaine could see how proud Rachel was of her fathers and how far they'd come together. He glanced at Kurt out of the corner of his eye.

In that moment, he thought about how…it might be kind of nice one day, for the two of them to have a little girl or a little boy running between their feet. Blaine pictured a small girl, her dark curls tied up in pigtails, and her wide blue eyes staring up at him as she clutched his leg with her marker-stained fingers, begging for just a few more gummy bears, daddy, just two more and then I won't ask for anything again ever, just two more gummy bears, please, daddy, please. And then Kurt would be at the table, drinking his coffee and he'd say no, sweetheart, you just had gummy bears, you don't want to ruin your dinner and then he'd go back to whatever he was doing and Blaine would sneak two more gummy bears in her hand and she'd giggle. Then Kurt would look at him over his coffee mug with a knowing smile and Blaine would shrug.

They would spoil that child rotten.

Blaine almost dropped his fork because he'd never imagined something so vividly before.

After dinner, Burt and Carole refused any help with the dishes, disappearing into the kitchen while Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel's dads sat in the living room. Finn took Rachel upstairs because he needed to giver her a CD back. Or so that was their excuse.

"So how long have you been together?" Kurt asked the older couple.

"I've been stuck with this one for almost twenty-two years now," the darker skinned man, Adam, said.

"Oh I like that. Very charming. What about you two?" the smaller of the couple, Steven, asked.

"Just over a year," Blaine answered, putting a hand on Kurt's knee.

"Adorable," Steven crooned. "Aren't they adorable?"

Kurt blushed to the tips of his ears.

"Rachel always speaks highly of you boys," Adam told them. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"And you," Blaine returned with a smile.

"We can't stay long," Adam continued, "because we've been invited to have post-Thanksgiving drinks tonight with our neighbors, but I wanted to meet you both and give you one piece of advice."

Blaine and Kurt shared a nervous glance and then looked back at the older couple, ready for whatever bit of knowledge they had to impart.

"People are going to hate you," Adam said bluntly. "They're going to sneer and they're going to say horrible things and they're going to be downright mean. And it's going to make life difficult. But I'm pretty sure you know this already, neither of you seem very naïve."

Kurt and Blaine gave a slow, sad nod.

"The important thing," Adam said softly, "is to never stop loving. Never stop loving your family and friends that accept you, never stop loving the life that you lead, and most importantly, and I say this not knowing where either of you plan on being in five years, is to never stop loving each other. Because at the end of the day, at the end of the week, that is what's going to make anything bad worth it. It's the only thing. Don't ever give up on each other," Adam finished kindly.

Blaine's hand immediately found Kurt's in his lap and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We won't," Blaine promised.

Kurt shook his head. "Never."

"Good," Steven said as he stood, a large smile on his face. "Now give us a hug so that we can retrieve our daughter and head home."

The hugs shared at that moment were special. They were kind and full of acceptance and courage and thanks.

When the men and Rachel departed, Blaine and Kurt shared a long, loving look.

They were both very thankful for everything they had received that day.