Blaine and Kurt had arrived home in the lumber camp by way of their Navigator. Blaine was kind of surprised it ran so well, but Kurt assured him it was in tiptop condition. His dad had taught him how to take care of a car, after all.

As much as he and Blaine had loved visiting with Puck and Grandma Sophie, it was good to be home. Blaine unloaded the suitcases while Kurt walked over to the Warner house to get Figaro. He ran into Shannon on the way.

"Are you going to pick up your cat?" she asked as Kurt came into view around the corner of the cookhouse.

"Yes, Lenore was taking care of him," Kurt replied, smiling at the older woman. He really liked Shannon and her husband, Cookie.

"He's here with me and Cookie. Lenore asked me to watch over him since her daddy let her move to Philomath. She is doing the accounts for the company now and he let her work in the main business office," Shannon smiled. She loved gossip and the camp didn't always have enough to keep her interested. This little tidbit about the owner's daughter must have thrilled Shannon.

"Rumor has it that she has a beau down there, that's why she wanted to move. She met him two months ago and got tired of driving so far to the office, so dear old Daddy bought her an apartment. Its killing him that she's so far away, but at least she isn't trying to date some lumberjack he says. Can you imagine the old man saying that?" Shannon went on, walking with Kurt over to her little cabin to get the cat.

"Not too much since that's how he started out, or so I'd think..." Kurt answered.

"That's where you're wrong, l'il punkin. He wants her to marry someone with money, some upper crust guy. She has other ideas and they butt heads all the time about it," Shannon said, smirking at the thought of Mr. Warner in an argument with one of the lumberjacks that roamed the camp.

"Poor Lenore. You said she has a boyfriend?" Kurt asked.

"Yeppers. I don't know his name, but he's in college and lives close to her apartment, I think. Lenore claims he lives with his grandmother! Plus, he's working, too. One of the responsible ones. I bet she sneaks him up here one weekend to show him off," she grins broadly.

"I'd like to meet the man," Kurt smirked back, suddenly having an idea who this beau of Lenore's might be. "Lenore is a handful to say the least. So, what's Balto up to then?"

"He's hanging around here, but I can't let him in the cookhouse, he steals meat. You want to have him at your house for a while?" Shannon asked, seeing a solution.

"Sure. He and Figaro are on speaking terms at least. Yeah, I'd be glad to have him for company," Kurt grinned. He liked the wolf dog they had found in the forest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kurt? What is Balto doing here?" Blaine asked when he came downstairs and found the wolf-dog jumping up to place his feet on Blaine's shoulders.

"Lenore moved to Philomath. Seems she is working in her daddy's office as an accountant, so he got her an apartment. I'm amazed he didn't make her take Balto with her – to keep the men at bay there," Kurt laughed.

"Whoa, Mr. Warner is letting his darling daughter live by herself? Will wonders never cease," Blaine laughed.

"Oh, that's not all. She has a boyfriend. A guy that works and is going to college, and lives with his grandmother," Kurt said, raising his eyebrows on the last word.

Blaine's eyes got big for a moments before he burst into laughter, Kurt laughed along, too.

"Well, I guess that solves that mystery. Poor Puck," he said, finally able to talk after laughing so hard.

"I was talking to August and they want to look at a stand of trees a ways east of here. It's on the list for thinning, but there are some species that might need to be left and so I'm going with him to survey it and mark the ones to protect, maybe gather some seedlings," Blaine told his husband.

"When are you going?" Kurt asked. He knew Blaine would have to do this from time to time, but he hated the idea of them being apart.

"Next Tuesday. He and another lumberjack were going to map it out, then Mr. Warner asked them to take me so I wouldn't have to go alone later. I know we just got back, but I need to do this," Blaine looked at Kurt with soft eyes, hoping he wouldn't be too unhappy about it.

"Sure, baby. I need to wait here in case the George and Church firm calls. Or one of the others. I'm supposed to hear this week if I get a job offer," Kurt said. He didn't say so, but Blaine could tell he was pinning his hopes on George and Church Architects. It would be perfect for Kurt and the name had a good reputation in southern Oregon. He would be doing more than just houses, he'd be designing larger buildings, which is what Kurt really loved.

"Maybe they'll call sooner, then you can join us on the camp out," Blaine smiled. It would be great to be in the forest with Kurt again. He closed his eyes for a second to recall the last time he and Kurt had made love on a camping trip. It had been too long.

"Oh, I'd love that. How far is the stand of trees you're evaluating?" Kurt asked.

"About half a day, I think," Blaine guessed. "That's by mule back, though. There aren't any roads out there that far."

Kurt's cell phone rang. While there had been no service except for the satellite phone when Kurt first ended up in the camp, progress and civilization marches on and there was a cell tower that boosted the signal and cell phones were possible now.

"Kurt Hummel."

"Hello, Kurt, this is Grace Church of George and Church Architects. How are you today?" the voice said.

"I'm doing fine, Grace, how are you?" Kurt asked, remember ing the daughter of the man that was an original partner in the firm. She worked there as a secretary.

"We're all fine here. I was calling regarding your interview with the staff last week. Mr. George would like to extend an offer of employment to you, Kurt, but it is conditional," she said, her voice chirping with cheerfulness.

"What would the conditions be?" he asked. Blaine guessed who was on the phone and moved close to hold Kurt around the waist, lying his head on Kurt's right shoulder.

"Mr. Church and Mr. George would like to visit you at your home to see how you are set up for doing the work required. I understand that you live in the mountains above Corvallis and they just want to see if it is suitable for our needs," Grace said.

"That would be fine. When would they like to come?" Kurt asked, feeling a bit of a panic that his drawing room might not fit into their plan. Or maybe they were apprehensive about his ability to transfer his work via the internet?

"Would tomorrow at 10:00 am work for you?" she asked. "It would be both senior partners and myself along with Mr. George's grandson."

"That would be terrific! Do you need directions?" Kurt asked.

"No, your address is on the application and I see you provided us with the coordinates. We'll see you tomorrow, Kurt," she confirmed.

"I look forward to it," Kurt finished, a wide smile covering his face.

He set his cell down and his arms went around Blaine.

"Oh, my stars, Blaine. They want me. I didn't think I passed muster with Mr. George at the interview....but they are offering me the job if my workroom and the internet set up are to their liking," he said in a soft voice, pulling back to look Blaine in the eye.

"Oh, baby, I'm so happy for you!" Blaine told him, kissing him all over his face and then picking him up to dance around the room.

"Oh! Let me down. Blaine...I need to clean! It has to be perfect. Perfect! They will be here tomorrow at ten. OH, my stars, Blaine...I might have a job! And with my pick of the firms that I had on my list."

They danced around the room, Blaine holding Kurt tight as they dipped and swayed together.

"Hey, let's go up to your office and make sure everything is in place. I know you're nervous, so let's just get that done first, okay?" Blaine offered. He knew Kurt would obsess over it until he was a pile of nerves if he was left to worry by himself with nothing to do.

They walked up hand in hand, looking over the room. It was on the east side of the house to utilize the sun coming in the large picture window. There was a bay to the south with a window seat and allowed plenty of natural light year-round. A set of Venetian blinds were built inside the windows to block light when it was necessary.

The room had seasoned pine walls, just like the rest of the house, and this room had several large corkboards for pinning up drawings. There was a map cabinet with over-sized drawers that stored Kurt's drawings, a large drawing board with a stool and drafting machine.

There were drawers full of all of his tools such as triangles, T-squares, compasses, French curves, scales, and his prize antique Leroy lettering set. This last item was a surprise gift from Finn when he graduated from university and it meant the world to him.

Everything was in its place, spotless and neat. Blaine looked around, not seeing anything out of place.

"Oh, I have an idea. Remember those old frames we found in the shed when we were cleaning out the loft?"

"Yeah, I cleaned them up and only one needed repairing, even the glass was in good condition," Kurt said, watching Blaine because it was obvious he had an idea.

"I was thinking I could put some of your drawings in them – the ones for this house maybe? Then put them on the walls for decoration. How does that sound?" he asked, wanting to think of something to occupy their time and make Kurt less nervous.

"Oh, that might be just the perfect thing!" Kurt said, his voice getting higher with excitement. "Let's go do it now."

"At your service, my love," Blaine grinned and took Kurt's hand.

~*~

Two months later....

Kurt had gotten the job at George and Church, Blaine was working on evaluating the stands of timber and implementing plans to conserve the forest owned by Warner Lumber. They both worked ard but had a lot of time to just be with each other. Tonight was no exception.

Kurt and Blaine sat on their front porch in the swing they had built, pushing their feet against the floorboards to keep it moving in a lazy arc as they watched the sun set behind the far off mountains.

"Did you think all those years ago that we would end up like this?" Blaine asked.

"Like what?"

"So happy, still living here in the forest but with better connections to the world. Its kind of like the best of everything, you know. I get to go play in the wilderness almost every day, you get to design and you do it from our house here in the woods. We can go play in the city, but we always get to come home to this place," Blaine said, reaching over to hold Kurt's hand.

"It seems like our stars just aligned in the right places. So much might have gone wrong – starting with the day I was dumped into an empty railcar and the glorious day you found me and took me home to your cabin. It was hard sometimes, but we made it through -together. And here we are, you working for Mr. Warner, me working for George and Church. I was going to say we can save money and fulfill some of our dreams, but we have already done that," Kurt leaned over to be closer to his husband, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"So, are you saying that we have everything we will ever want?" Blaine asked, moving his arm around Kurt's shoulder.

"I can honestly say that if I were to die tomorrow, I would call my life perfect. To have spent so much time with you, that is enough for me," Kurt said softly, sitting up a little to kiss Blaine on the cheek.

"I agree, but if you could have anything in the next, say...ten years. What would you ask for?" Blaine wanted to know.

"This is a silly story, but it will get back to what you asked. Do you remember when we found that little flying squirrel? JayJay?"

"Yeah, he was a cute little bugger, wasn't he?" Blaine laughed at the memory.

"Well, when you were taking care of him that first night...I don't know what it was, maybe the look on your face? I was sitting across the cabin from you and you had this angelic look on your face, you were taking care of that little helpless creature and I could see how Jay had perfect trust in you. Well, all I could think of was...how you would look if it were our baby you were taking care of. I hadn't given much thought to having children before that," Kurt confessed, blushing red. He had been thinking about it for a long time – ever since that night, but he never felt as if he could ask Blaine about it.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" Blaine asked, curious.

"I don't know. It didn't feel right for so long with us in school, at university, looking for jobs. It was always just this warm feeling that I could conjure up when I was alone, or in bed when I watched you sleeping with that angelic smile on your lips. It was a little dream that I saved for myself," Kurt whispered. He felt bad that he hadn't shared it with Blaine, especially since he couldn't say why he hadn't shared it.

"Kurt, you know I've been thinking the same thing. I would love to see you with a little bundle of warmth in your arms, a baby we could sit with here on the swing and take turns holding. I think we might be good dads, don't you?" Blaine asked, encouraged by the smile on Kurt's face.

"Do you think we can do that? Would an adoption society give a baby to us since we are gay and we live out in the woods?" Kurt asked, voicing one of his fears.

"I don't know. We are financially stable and the views of gay marriage are changing, I suspect the adoption rules might be more relaxed, too. Or we could get a surrogate? There are a lot of options." Blaine's arm around Kurt grew a bit tighter.

"Maybe we should look into a few. I'm not saying we need to get this baby tomorrow, but we could see what's out there, right?" Kurt looked into his husband's eyes and tried to detect any fear or hesitance, but there was none.

"I think that would be a grand idea, baby," Blaine agreed, giving Kurt a sweet kiss. "Let's go for a walk, okay?"

"You know I'll go anywhere with you," Kurt smiled and took Blaine's hand. They took the old path that led to the meadow up on the hill behind their cozy house. Once in the meadow, Kurt laid down on the soft, sweet grass with Blaine's head in his lap. Without words exchanged, they both found Orion's Belt in the sky and smiled at each other.

"I need to go look at a stand of trees about six miles south of here next week. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me? We can take the mules and a tent and all, go for a few extra days just to be by ourselves. How does that sound?" Blaine asked.

"It sounds lovely, baby. I can hardly wait. I finished the preliminary drawings for the synagogue that we're doing for that client up near the Washington border. I won't need to do anything else for a few weeks on it, I was way ahead on the deadline, so I'm free to go with you. Shannon can keep Figaro for us and we'll just take Balto along. He'd love it," Kurt said, already planning.

"I love that about you, Babe," Blaine said, running his fingers along Kurt's leg, drawing patterns on his jeans with a fingernail.

"What, that I'd share your company with a dog?" Kurt giggled.

"No, silly. That if I ask you something on a whim, you just drop everything and start planning. I have no doubt you'll have our saddlebags and blanket rolls packed, fishing gear and cooking utensils ready and we'll be on our way to the middle of the wilderness before I can snap my fingers. You are the most organized person I have ever met, my love," Blaine said, pulling Kurt's face down so he could kiss him.

"Well, I wasn't born that way, Blaine. It comes from a lot of practice. Don't take that wrong," he said, suddenly afraid it sounded negative. "I only meant that I want our lives to be like that – if we decide to just get up and go down a trail to camp out, we can do that. We are only accountable to ourselves. I know we are also accountable to our employers and family, of course, but I can't believe the freedom we have for ourselves. Do you know what I mean?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, I do. I know exactly what you mean, Babe. I like it, too. I could be an office guy that wears a business suit and lives by the tick of the clock if I had to be, but that just isn't me. I love being here with you. It is my dream come true, you know," Blaine whispered the last, pulling Kurt down to lie beside him in the warm grass.

"So, when do we get to go back to Puerto Rico?" Kurt asked. Blaine laughed.

"It has only been a year. I do want to go back, it was beautiful. I want to go there again, I want to visit a lot of places: Scotland, New Zealand, Thailand, Morocco, and a thousand others. We'll get there. I can see us now, babies strapped to our backs and Balto beside us, scaling a snowy mountain in Nepal," Blaine kidded.

"Or diving into the Amazon River, teaching our kids how to swim. Chasing after kangaroos in the outback, walking through the market in Romania. Do they have street markets in Romania? Anyway, I don't want to live our lives with boundaries. We're sounding like a couple of hippies now, free love for all..." Kurt laughed.

"Well, I think I'd draw the line at that, I want you all to myself, but the traveling sounds like fun. I guess we better get back to the house. I'm kind of tired and we have a hard day ahead, getting everything ready for the trip. I talked to Auggie and Mr. Warner and we'll be taking Maximus, Caesar, and Claudius with us. I'll make sure they're ready and talk to Shannon. You get the bags packed and we can leave the next morning," Blaine said, looking to Kurt to see if it was good with him.

"Sounds like a plan, baby. I'm ready!"

"Here, let me give you a hand up," Blaine offered as he got to his feet. Kurt's leg still gave him a little bit of trouble from where he'd broken it years ago.

They walked back to the house, hand in hand, as they would for years and years to come.

"As long as we have each other, the rest doesn't really matter, my love."

"I agree, which is one of the million reasons I love you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~The End~*~*~*~*~*~*~