A/N: This chapter is for persiegirl20. I hope you like the pictures.

'Why did you do all this for me?' Wilbur asked, 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'

'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'

~E.B.White, Charlotte's Web

“Finn?” Kurt asked, surprised to hear from his brother. “Are you in Washington? How is Dad?”

“Kurt? Ah...no, I'm not in Washington. And...ah...Burt? I don't know how Burt is...” Finn answered, sounding confused.

“Has the doctor been to see him?” Kurt asked.

“Kurt, wait...Listen to me! I'm not in Washington, I haven't heard from your dad. Is he sick?” Finn asked. “Nobody called me?”

“Where are you?” Kurt asked.

“I'm in the cardiac unit of the hospital. Oh. In New York,” Finn tried to clear up the confusion.

“What's Dad doing in New York? Did you and Rachel finally decide to get married?” Kurt laughed into the phone. They had been engaged for so long it had become something of a joke.

“No, Kurt – it isn't your dad that had the heart attack. It was Rachel,” Finn said, the emotion now sounding in his voice.

“What? No! Rachel? No! She isn't even 25 yet. How could she have a heart attack?” Kurt asked.

“She has been having these spells,” Finn explained, sounding defeated. “She went to her doctor and he said she was having anxiety attacks. He gave her some valium and she seemed okay for a month or two. Then the attacks got worse and this afternoon, during her matinée, she collapsed. I was directing and was back stage when it happened. They called an ambulance and we got her here as quickly as possible.”

“Oh, my god, Finn. Do you want me to come? I can get a flight out there if you need me. You know I would do anything for you and Rachel,” Kurt offered, searching his messenger bag to be sure he had his credit card on him, then thought of the list of people he would need to contact.

“No, there isn't anything you could do – and you have two tiny children! You can't leave them,” Finn argued. “I just...well, her dads are coming out and they can do anything we need for now. No, Kurt – I just, I just - - I just wanted to hear your voice. It seems like everything is falling apart right now and I need to, I don't know....cry on your shoulder, maybe?”

“Oh, Finn. I'm right here. Actually, I am in a hospital, too. Blaine got hurt on a logging site this morning and broke his leg.”

“What? Your lumberjack broke his leg? How on Earth did that happen?”

Kurt took a deep breath.

“He was showing me around the logging operation. We were just walking down the path towards the river and he thought I was going to fall – so he reached out for me and tripped over some logs. It all happened at once, so scary. Blaine slid down the mountain, the skidder driver turned too quickly to avoid him and flipped the skidder over...”

“Oh, my God, Kurt! Was anyone else hurt?” Finn asked.

“No. Cooper and August were there - we got Blaine on the go-devil and Jester, oh, that's the horse, got him back to camp. We took the helicopter to the hospital. Blaine has a broken fibula and some muscle and ligament damage, but he's going to be okay,” Kurt explained.

“Go-devil? Jester? Oh, Nevermind...you can explain that later...” Finn said in confusion.

“I don't need you to come out here, Kurt,” he continued, “but I do have a favor to ask. I know this is a big thing, but...Puck told me he and Lenore bought a house. Do you have anyone renting your house in Philomath now?” Finn asked.

“No. Why?” Kurt asked, wondering at the seemingly random question.

“Well, after talking with her cardiologist, they think Rachel needs to take some time off. As in two or three months, maybe more. She has been going full-tilt since high school. She got into NYADA, then right to Broadway – she supported me through The Actor's Studio and has been doing headliners ever since. She is either in rehearsals or on stage every single day. We only have one day a week off – Mondays when Broadway is dark. That isn't enough. We do all of our errands then – shopping, banking, everything. We never rest!” Finn continued, hardly taking a breath as he needed to get it all out. Kurt recognized that and waited patiently for his brother to slow down.

“She has never taken a night off as far as I know. She needs to rest and...Kurt, I can't lose her, not to a heart attack at the age of 24. I love her,” Finn sobbed into the phone.

“Oh, Finn, of course you love her. We all love her and you are welcome to come here. She can rest and just relax in the house or up at the cabin if you want. I need to talk to Blaine, but I am sure he will agree with me. Bring her, Finn, we want to do anything we can to help,” Kurt assured his brother.

After a few more minutes, Kurt and Finn said goodbye. Tentative plans had been made for Finn and Rachel to move into the house in Philomath. Now he had to go and tell Blaine.

Several weeks later...

Kurt shifted his weight once again. He'd been at the airport in Eugene for several hours now. It was a small airport, not much to see. He'd taken the Warner helicopter down to Eugene this morning to meet Finn and Rachel's plane from New York. They'd had a two hour lay-over in Denver and would probably be tired if not exhausted. Rachel had been in the cardiac unit for ten days, then home to be babied by her two dads. It had been several weeks before the doctor would allow her to get on a plane, but the day was finally here. She gave her dads a tearful goodbye and left New York behind for a while. For once she was glad to put it behind her.

With her continued success on Broadway, Rachel had enough money to take a year or two off if she needed it. While she would always go back, she was actually looking forward to getting some rest in Blaine and Kurt's house.

Finn was sad to leave his spot as director of the play Rachel was starring in, but he would give up everything if Rachel needed him. He loved her beyond measure.

“Ah, here they come....” Kurt said to himself, running down the corridor to throw his arms around his friend. He stopped at the last moment, taking Rachel gently into his arms and kissed her cheek.

“Oh, Rachel,” he breathed. He had been so frightened when Finn told him about her heart attack. He didn't know how he would live without her. Even though he had chosen another path, his dreams of being with Rachel in New York had been in his heart since he was a young child.

He carefully put one arm around her waist, turning to help her down the concourse.

“I am not made of egg shells, Kurt. I promise I won't break if you hug me!” she said with an irritation that sounded as if she had been dealing with this for a long time.

“I'm sorry. I just....” Kurt mumbled, not looking at her. He knew Rachel Berry had a rare and fiery temper when riled and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

He looked to his right to see Finn catching up with their luggage in tow. Kurt let go of Rachel and flung himself at his brother. He hugged him as if it were his last day on Earth.

“Oh, Finn, it is so good to see you!”

“Back atcha, bro,” Finn replied, enjoying the sneer of his brother's face at being called 'bro'. Finn grinned.

“The helicopter is waiting....do you have everything?” Kurt asked as he led them from the terminal to the car that took them to the heliport where the Warner helicopter was waiting.

“Helicopter?” Rachel asked, her brown eyes widening. She looked at Kurt, the panic in her face showing.

“Yes. It will be fun, I promise,” Kurt grinned. He remembered his first helicopter ride.

“Okay....” Rachel agreed, still looking apprehensive but not complaining.

“Really, you'll love it,” Kurt tried to reassure his friend. He looked at Finn for support and the large man moved closer and held her hand.

They walked out the doors and across the tarmac to the helicopter. The pilot helped them get everything settled and their seatbelts clipped on. Rachel sat between the men, holding their hands, her eyes closed as the 'copter took off.

By the time they reached Warner Camp, Rachel was having fun. She looked out the windows, squealing as they passed over trees, houses, and rivers. They landed at the Warner Camp pad, Rachel smiling for the first time in days. Finn smiled too.

“I thought we were going to be staying at your Victorian house in Philomath?” Rachel asked, looking around her at the beautiful forest.

“Blaine and I thought you might like to visit our home here in the quiet of the forest first?” Kurt asked, hoping they would say yes. He knew how relaxing it would be to stay here in the quiet of nature, away from the city. Philomath was very different from New York, but here....well, it was magical.

They walked into the log house, Blaine grinning to rival the sun when he saw two people he hadn't seen in over a year. He loved them both, having spent a lot of time with them when he lived with Kurt's family his last year of high school, then they lived with Finn during college.

“Rachel!” he shouted, setting Jordan down next to his sister in the playpen and hugging Rachel close, swinging her around and around.

“Blaine! Stop! She just had a heart attack!” Kurt whisper-shouted, cringing as if the woman would explode in front of them all.

Blaine set her down quickly, still holding her around her waist and looked at the woman, embarrassed that he had forgotten.

“Oh, for goodness sakes, Kurt! I'm fine. How many times do I have to say that?” she asked, her eyes spitting fire in her irritation with her best friend.

“Well, excuse me! I am just trying to look out for you,” Kurt snapped back, his eyes narrowing.

“Now, Kurt just cares, sweetheart. Kurt, Rachel is a bit touchy at being coddled after being in the hospital for a few weeks,” Finn came to the rescue. He'd been dealing with Rachel's temper for a number of years now and knew how to calm her. He stepped close and pulled her away from Blaine, winking at the man. He put his arms around Rachel's shoulders and gave her a chaste kiss.

“We need to know what is allowed and what isn't, I think,” Blaine said, also trying to calm the room down.

“I can hold darling babies!” Rachel said, looking longingly over at the two little twins. They were both standing at the edge of the playpen, staring at the show the grown-ups were putting on, seemingly for their pleasure. Katie was giggling and even shy Jordan was smiling at them.

Finn walked over and plucked Jordan up, handing the boy to Rachel who sat down on the settee with him on her lap. He was fascinated with her necklace, putting the golden star in his mouth immediately and looking up with his liquid brown eyes. He smiled and Rachel melted.

“Oh, Finn. I want one so badly...” she whispered.

“Say that again after you've spent the day changing diapers and mopping up vomit when he gets the tummy flu,” Kurt laughed.

“You would never do that, would you?” Rachel laughed,cooing to Jordan as the tought of Kurt doing the clean-up made her rethink her image of the persnickety pal she'd known in high school.

Finn sat next to her, Katura settled in his lap as he made faces at her and made her giggle.

“Look at that hair! It's so red, like a copper penny,” he grinned. Katie was a striking child, deep blue eyes and auburn-red curls with pale rose-petal skin. “You are going to be a heart-breaker, aren't you?”

She looked at the large man, her smile fading as she took in just how big he was. Her eyes followed him up to his face, far above her and she burst into tears.

“Tatay, Tatay!” she squealed, her hands reaching for Blaine.

“Who is she calling for?” Rachel asked, puzzled.

“Blaine. 'Tatay' is Filipino for 'Daddy'. We didn't want to confuse them by having us both be Daddy and neither of us wanted to be called 'Papa',” Kurt explained. “That's what she's going to call Burt.”

“Oh, princess,” Blaine said to his crying daughter, “it's okay, baby. This is your Uncle Finn. I know he's scary to look at but he's nice. I promise,” Blaine pleaded with his daughter.

“Here, trade me,” Rachel offered and took Katie, handing Jordan to his uncle. Both babies seemed satisfied with this exchange and Katura settled down. She flirted with Finn, hiding her face and peeking out at him from behind her outspread hands. She felt safe in Rachel's arms and her bright personality came out.

Jordan settled down in his uncle's lap, a gentle smile on his face. He was by far the more shy of the twins, but braver and more willing to sit back and let things happen as compared to his energetic sister, who got herself in trouble and then resorted to tears and cries for one of her daddies.

“I have supper almost ready,” Blaine said, a smile on his face from observing how his twins were interacting with his in-laws.

“Oh, I have certain diet restrictions...” Rachel started, but Kurt stopped her.

“Don't worry. I got your email, plus I took care of my dad when he had his heart attack. Don't worry, honey, we won't poison you,” Kurt kidded. He had cooked for Rachel many times over the years and had supervised Blaine's menu plan for tonight.

It was just a few minutes later when Blaine came back to say supper was served.

They sat down to a simple but elegant meal. Everyone but Rachel had trout, and there were a lot of other dishes: red pepper and garbanzo bean soup, fiddle-head ferns, baby golden beets from their garden, and Jerusalem artichokes sautéed in butter. There were mulberries and red raspberries with whipped cream for dessert.

“Oh, my god – that was the best meal I've had in I don't know how long,” Finn smiled, patting his stomach. Since moving to New York and eating with Rachel most meals, Finn had slimmed down quite a bit. Thanks to her influence, he spent a lot of time at the gym, too.

“Oh, yes,” Rachel echoed. “Thank you so much...I feel so cared for,” she smiled at Kurt and Blaine. Then looked at the twins, who had eaten their trout, ferns, and beets with their fingers and were covered in messy bits of food.

Blaine stood up, rolled his eyes and pulled Katie out of her high chair. He set her on the edge of the table and pulled off her dress and took her very gingerly up the stairs. Kurt followed with Jordan.

“We'll be back in just a little while, make yourselves at home in front of the fireplace,” Kurt called down the staircase.

He caught up to Blaine quickly, his husband's cast slowing the man down as he went up the stairs very slowly. In the evenings his ankle got pretty sore and he hated to take the pain medication before bed because it tended to make him sleepy.

The daddies took their twins to the bathtub, stripping off the diapers and setting them in the bathtub, washing the night's food from them. The beets stained, though not as much as red beets would have but still took a bit of extra scrubbing. At the end, both children were clean and sleepy, ready for their bottles of goat milk. The twins were dressed in their warm sleepers and taken back down to rejoin their guests.

“Oh, you are all sweetness again,” Rachel said, holding out her arms to take Jordan once again. Finn took Katie, who wasn't afraid this time, and Kurt went to get their bottles.

“Just a drink and they'll be ready for sleeping,” Kurt smiled, handing the aunt and uncle the bottles. It didn't take much time before they were feeding the babies like they had been doing it all along. By the time the bottles were empty, the babies were both asleep.

“Here, I'll take him off your hands,” Blaine offered, taking Jordan from Rachel's arms.

“Good night, sweetie,” Rachel said, kissing his forehead before handing him off.

“Help me get them settled?” Blaine asked Finn and the two men took the babies up the stairs.

Kurt moved over to the settee where Finn had been sitting and put his arms around Rachel. He kissed her cheek, then put a sofa pillow in his lap and patted it in invitation. Rachel laid her head down, pulling her feet up on the settee.

“Tired from your plane ride?” Kurt asked, running his fingers through her hair as he used to do so long ago.

“Yeah. Well, who am I kidding? I'm tired all the time. I don't feel ill and I haven't had any more incidents....anxiety attacks, I mean, but I am just so exhausted. I didn't think it would be this bad,” she complained.

“I remember my dad saying that after his heart attack,” Kurt told her. “He got his strength back, it just took a while.”

“They said that. I miss being on stage Kurt. I was starring in Man of La Mancha, the best revival ever. I was Aldonza, for god's sake, Kurt. Could you have ever imagined that when we were in high school?” she sobbed, big tears leaving her eyes and running slowly down her cheeks as she sat up. Man of La Mancha had been one of her favorite plays...and being picked for the starring role? She had played Aldonza/Dulcinea opposite the rising young tenor, Roderick Meeks. Rod had gone to the same high school as Rachel and Kurt, just a few years later and Rachel had loved being so close to a fellow McKinley graduate. When the play was renewed for another 25 weeks, Rachel had sent Kurt the article from the New York Times entitled 'Ohio Glee Club Dominates Broadway Stage', with a picture of her and Rod in costume and Finn standing beside Rachel.

“I always thought you would do anything you ever wanted, honey,” Kurt said. He smiled at her and brushed her long hair out of her face. “You have had so many amazing roles, Rachel. Who could star in The Goodbye Girl and Flower Drum Song in the same year? You can play any age, any ethnicity. Well I don't think I'll see you in Dreamgirls or The Color Purple – but you know what I mean.”

Rachel blushed. Kurt's eyes got wide – Rachel never blushed at complements.

“I wanted to be there when you were Maria in West Side Story – I remember you and Blaine in that in high school. I loved the two of you so much in that play...” he reminisced.

“Thank you, Kurt. That means the world to me,” she said softly, putting her arms around him and crying into his shoulder.

“Hey, what's this? Crying? Honey, what's wrong?” Kurt asked, hugging her back.

“I am just...I guess I'm just tired. I don't know if I'll ever get back to the stage.”

“You're just tired from the heart thing. There is nothing else wrong with your heart, is there? Not congestive heart failure or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?” he asked.

“How do you know about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?” she asked.

“That's what Dad has, I did a lot of research on it when he was sick in the hospital,” Kurt said, his face sober as he remembered that awful time in his life and wondered if that was what was causing his father's illness now.

“No. It was just stress. My cardiologist told me that if I ate like most Americans do now, I'd probably not have lived through it. He said my vegan diet was what saved me. See, I was right all along,” she teased, a small smile breaking through.

“Oh, no. I'll never hear the end of this, will I?” Kurt laughed, giving her another kiss on her soft cheek.

“How are things going? I mean with you two and the babies?” Rachel asked.

“Super. I love those two little imps so much, Rachel. I love every minute spent with Blaine, nothing has changed there. It has been a little stressful until he broke his leg. He works so hard, he's away from home most evenings so I am alone with the kids day and night. He comes in exhausted from being on the mountain all day and he's barely able to shove down some supper and then he's asleep before I get the dishes washed up. I've taken to letting the dishes sit overnight so I can have some time with him,” Kurt sighed. He blinked back tears, relieved a bit from being able to vent to someone other than the twins.

“I don't want to complain – Blaine is so happy doing his job – but it can get really lonely sometimes. I love the kids, but they can't even carry on a conversation, you know?”

“Oh, honey. I am so sorry. I do understand. We don't have kids, but Finn is usually not working the same play I am – this time it was just a fluke – so we don't see each other unless it's the middle of the night. I miss him when he's gone. It's my own fault. He was going to go to school to be a social worker and I encouraged him to apply to The Actor's Studio. He says he loves his career as a director, and he is successful and in demand, but it just makes it hard to see each other, even though we live together.”

They were silent for a while, Rachel laying her head on the pillow in Kurt's lap once again. They sat in companionable silence until Blaine and Finn came back downstairs.

“We better get some rest, and let you get some rest, too. I bet those kids are up early,” Finn said, observing Rachel and Kurt on the settee. He smiled, seeing them rekindle their old friendship. He had worried about Rachel for so long and although he was grateful for being able to come here, he was sad it took a heart attack for Rachel to agree to take some time off.

“I'll take you over to the cabin,” Blaine offered. “Remember there is no running water, so use the facilities here before you go. Our door is unlocked, so feel free to come use the bathroom if you need it,” Blaine said. “I lived almost my whole life in that cabin, I think you will love it. At least I hope you will,” he said, a nostalgic smile on his face.

“I know we'll sleep well. Thank you two so much for your generosity,” Finn smiled fondly at his brother and Blaine.

Kurt and Blaine walked them across the road to the cabin. Kurt had wanted to sleep there and give Finn and Rachel their bed, but Blaine argued that Rachel or Finn would have to get up if the babies cried during the night. He had a point – neither Finn nor Rachel had any experience with babies, so Blaine was right and they offered the cabin to them. Kurt had gone over and cleaned, taking the feather bed out to air and placing clean sheets and blankets on the rope bed. He put fresh firewood by the fireplace and stove, left some food and a pitcher of cold water with two glasses. He added the finishing touch of a vase of freshly cut flowers on the table.

Kurt worried that Rachel would object to being in such rustic circumstances, but the opposite proved to be true. She had smiled in delight at the cabin, giving them compliments and praise at all the furnishings.

“Oh, Blaine, no wonder you are such a happy person – growing up in this paradise,” Rachel gushed, taken with the cabin and all the surrounding beauty.

“Good night, don't hesitate to come over if you need anything at all,” Kurt said, hugging Rachel one last time. He turned and Finn grabbed him, holding his brother tightly.

“Good night, Kurt. I have missed you so much....” he whispered, his arms trembling.

“Finn? Do you need to talk with me? Is there something wrong?” Kurt asked, concern showing in his eyes.

“Nothing really bad, I just want to maybe take a walk with you tomorrow? We could...check the rabbit snares maybe?” Finn asked.

“Of course,” Kurt agreed. He wondered what was wrong, but dismissed it, thinking it was probably just Rachel's condition.

The husbands said goodnight at the door and strolled back across the dirt road. They stopped on the porch to look up at the stars, both sets of eyes finding Orion's Belt right away.

“I think Rachel is going to be okay now,” Kurt smiled, feeling much more content now that he'd seen her with his own eyes.

“If she stays here and rests, yes, I think she will. It looks to me as if Finn needs this break even more than Rachel does,” Blaine observed. Kurt looked at him, head cocked to the side in question.

“He looks...he just looks...I don't know how to describe it. I felt like he would shatter if I bumped him, you know?” Blaine said, shaking his head slowly.

“Yeah, I see what you mean. He asked to talk to me one-on-one tomorrow. I guess I'll find out. I hope it isn't anything too bad,” Kurt said, looking back at his husband.

“We will do our best,” Blaine offered, taking Kurt's hand as they went back inside the log house.

After making sure everything was clean and put away in the kitchen, the men made their way up to the bedroom, stopping by the nursery to check on the twins.

“Good night, sweet prince,” Blaine whispered to Jordan, leaning over to kiss the boy's head. He made a cooing sound in his sleep and Blaine grinned at how cute it was. Kurt grinned, too.

“He sounds just like his Tatay,” Kurt observed and Blaine frowned at his husband.

“Does not...I don't make sounds in my sleep,” he defended himself. Kurt choked back a laugh.

“Of course not, sweetie. Of course not,” he whispered. Blaine stuck out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout and Kurt leaned over to kiss his adorable mouth. Blaine pushed him back gently and turned to Katura and leaned over her crib to press a kiss on her head.

“Good night, little princess,” he whispered. Kurt took his turn kissing their babies good night, then followed Blaine down the hall to their bedroom.

Blaine took Kurt into his arms, hugging him close before letting go reluctantly. Kurt looked into his husband's eyes, trying to see if there was anything wrong but seeing only Blaine's love shining back.

They got ready for bed, then stepped out onto the balcony to watch the stars for a while.

“We didn't bring the kids out to say goodnight to the stars,” Kurt said, turning in the hammock to put his arms around Blaine.

“Yes we did. Finn and I brought them out here to say goodnight to the stars. We will be sure to do it together tomorrow, Kurt. You were busy with Rachel and Finn was so excited to be part of getting them into bed. He loved that we sing them a nighttime song instead of reading at bedtime. Did I tell you he sang with me?” Blaine smiled. He hadn't expected his brother-in-law to do that.

Kurt laughed.

“What did you sing? Something from Journey?”

Blaine glared at his husband.

“I gave him his choice – though I was almost afraid he'd actually pick a Journey song,” Blaine laughed and Kurt hid his head in his husband's shoulder for a moment so as not to make too much noise. “He actually picked Pure Imagination. The kids loved it. Maybe it was his voice, you know – something new?”

“I've heard him sing that – you can't go wrong with a Willy Wonka song, right? I'm glad they liked it. I bet they would love their Auntie Rachel to sing, too. I'll have to talk over the song choice with her first, though. She'd scare them out of three years' growth with one of her power ballads!” Kurt kidded.

Blaine laughed, then turned to look at the stars. The moon was full, so there were less stars to see because of its brightness. He moved his leg to push against the edge of the balcony and swing the hammock gently.

“You think Rachel will be comfortable in the cabin? We can drive them down to Philomath tomorrow,” Kurt said.

“I think it will be okay for one night. She looked tired enough, I don't think it would matter where she slept,” Blaine smiled.

“Finn could sleep anywhere. I once came home to find him asleep on the washer,” Kurt laughed.

“The clothes washer?”

“Yeah...he had been told to do the laundry and he got curious how it worked. He sat on it to figure out why it vibrated and he fell asleep, head on the folding table, the rest of him on the washer. Classic Finn,” Kurt said, a nostalgic smile on his face.

“He must have been fun to grow up with,” Blaine commented.

“I didn't really grow up with him,” Kurt said quietly, a slight blush coming to redden his cheeks.

“You didn't? I know your mom passed when you were eight – when did Burt marry Carole?”

“When I was 16. It is an embarrassing story...I am not proud of it,” Kurt said, his gaze anywhere but Blaine's eyes.

“What?” Blaine asked, confused as to why Kurt had anything to do with Burt and Carole's budding relationship.

“I had a mad crush on Finn. Of all the bullies, Finn was the nicest, Kurt said, knowing it made little sense. Blaine raised his eyebrows.

“A bunch of them would gather and bait me...kick dirt on me, pick me up and throw me in the cafeteria dumpster, things like that. I did manage to avoid a swirly, but only because Finn would tell the other guys that I would shake the toilet water all over them. Which I would have,” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“What's a swirly?” Blaine asked, not sure of the reference.

“Shoving someone's head in the toilet and flushing it,” Kurt said, his slight smile fading completely away.

“Did anyone ever do that to you?” Blaine asked, concern sowing in his eyes.

“No. But they threatened it and that terrified me. They would get ready to toss me in a dumpster – and Finn would come out like an avenging angel and save me from the demons. At least that's where my mind was – the fact was that even though he made it easier on me, he didn't stop them from doing whatever mischief they had in mind. For instance, he made them wait while I took off my Marc Jacobs jacket before they threw me in the dumpster. And I was so impressed by that 'act of kindness', I mistook that for him liking me,” Kurt almost whispered. Tears burned his eyes as he tried in vain not to let them fall.

As the tears rolled slowly down Kurt's face, Blaine was there to kiss each one. He could see the emotional toll bringing this subject up did to his husband. Kurt had made reference to Finn being the catalyst for their parents' marriage when Blaine lived in the Hummel's house in Ohio, but he didn't remember much about it. Blaine's arms went around Kurt and held him close.

“I introduced Carole to my dad in hopes of them dating – and then I would have Finn at my house to talk to or whatever. It all blew up in my face when Dad asked Carole to move in. So many things happened, the worst of which was Finn being angry at me and using some homophobic language in front of my dad,” Kurt sighed. Blaine gave him leeway to finish without interruption, not wanting to add to Kurt's anxiety. He stroked his hand down Kurt's temple, cupping his jaw and gently kissing behind his ear where he was very sensitive.

“I knew then that my stupid crush had been so wrong. It hurt Finn, it hurt me – it even hurt our parents. Finn and I eventually found a way to get along, mostly by ignoring each other. Dad looked to Finn to keep me safe at school. Finn did it, but resented it being thrust upon him I think. He agreed to do it, mostly behind my back, because he wanted to please Dad. We had sort of a friendship building the night we sang at the school dance. I was so thrilled that we might actually be friendly after all – in a brotherly fashion, of course – that I told him to go along on his date with Rachel instead of staying behind with me.

“You know the rest. That was the night I walked into the parking lot alone and those guys decided to end my life.” Kurt let more tears fall, wondering why it still hurt so much all these years later.

Then he smiled.

“Instead, I met the love of my life. All wasn't good, though. While we were busy falling in love, Finn was blaming himself for what he believed was my death. That is why Dad brought him along instead of Carole when he came to get me. Finn was such an emotional mess, finding out that he did care about me and then facing the probability that I might be dead. It changed him. He stopped dating Rachel - or anyone – and spent his time making flyers and looking for anyone who had seen me. He never gave up hope. In the end, Finn was the most loyal of anyone. So I guess I feel as if I owe him now and if helping Rachel is part of that...well, I love her, too.”

Kurt stopped trying to stop his tears and bowed his head to Blaine.

“Hey, baby, it's okay. I love being able to help them, too,” Blaine said. He knew that wasn't the main thing Kurt was feeling, but he didn't want to push. “Baby...come let me hold you,” Blaine cooed. He took Kurt in his arms and kissed away every wrinkle in his brow, then kissed his lips.

“I can see how tired you are. Let's get some sleep before Katie and Jordan decide to serenade us,” Blaine smiled. Kurt melted into his side and it wasn't long before Blaine could feel his husband's even breathing and felt his muscles relax.

“Good night, sweet prince,” he murmured, kissing Kurt's cheek one more time before he fell asleep himself.