There's no place like home.

~L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

Three years later...

“But Tatay!” six-year-old Katie whined. “I found the kitty. Can't I keep it?”

“Ah, honey, let's take the kitty around to the back of the house and let it go back to the woods,” Blaine said, gently scooping the small animal up from the steps and walking slowly and calmly. He put his hand on Katie's head to get her attention. “And let's be very quiet so we don't scare the kitty.”

Kurt stood on the front porch, his face pale as he held Jordan back by his shoulders.

Blaine got to the edge of the trees at the top of the meadow and knelt down next to his daughter.

“Okay, baby girl. The kitty needs to go back to her mommy. You already have a doggie, and Lucy might feel bad if you get another pet. The kitty is just a little one and needs her mommy,” Blaine reasoned. Katie looked sad but nodded her head and set the little animal down. Blaine opened the gate and the black 'kitty' with a wide white stripe down its back waddled into the woods.

“The kitty is back with her mommy now,” Blaine said as he walked back up on the porch with Kurt, who fell into his arms.

“Oh, thank the gods,” he said, looking at Katie. “Sweetheart, did you know that was not a kitty? It was a skunk.”

“Is that why Balto didn't eat it?” she asked, having been told that the reason Figaro couldn't come live in the mountains was because Balto might eat her.

“Yes, baby,” Kurt whispered.

“A skunk?” she asked. “It looked like a kitty. Jordan thought it was a kitty,” she said, pointing at her brother.

Jordan stood looking back at her and shook his head no. He glanced at Kurt, hoping he wouldn't get into trouble.

“Katie, honey, that is why we never pick up wild animals. They belong in the wild, not in our house. We have dogs for our house,” Kurt explained as Blaine hugged Jordan nearer to his side to let the shy youngster know he was not in trouble.

“I know, but I thought it was a kitty...” she murmured regretfully.

The friendly flat-coated retriever came up to the children, wagging her tail as she sniffed all over Katura to determine just what sort of animal the girl had been holding. Katie rubbed her dog's ears and walked back into the house with her brother and fathers.

“Do we get to ride on the donkeys?” Jordan asked, excited to get to ride in a saddle. Ever since his birthday a few years ago, Jordan had been begging his fathers to get him a pony. Kurt finally relented and allowed Blaine to buy two donkeys to be housed with the mules in the stable by the cookhouse.

“Yes, you get to ride on the donkeys this year,” Blaine laughed, watching as Jordy's eyes sparkled. It took a lot to get the 6 year old to become excited, but riding his donkey was one of those things.

“Daddy and I made the lunch,” Katura announced, not to be outdone by her mild-mannered twin.

“Yes, we made salads and sandwiches and all kinds of yummy things,” Kurt assured her.

“What about the cake? We need to have cake for our birthdays,” Katie added, a big grin on her face.

“Yes, a cake, too,” Kurt promised. “Now, Jordan and Katie, go upstairs and bring down your backpacks, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy,” the twins said and rushed up the stairs to their rooms.

“Is everything ready?” Kurt asked.

“Yes. I have all of our things packed and the mules and donkeys are all ready to go – saddled and all. August and Cooper are joining us later today,” Blaine answered, reaching out to put his arms around Kurt and bring him closer.

“Okay. I have everything set, too. Lucy is going to stay with Shannon and Cookie, but Balto is going with us,” he said, trying to recall if they had left anything undone.

“Oh, we aren't bringing Lucy?” Blaine asked, his head cocked to the right to ask why.

“She's in season and I don't want to explain that to the kids. We certainly don't need a litter of puppies right now,” he shook his head, exasperated at the look in Blaine's eye.

“No, Blaine. No puppies. We have enough on our plates, don't we?”

“I guess,” Blaine pouted.

Kurt leaned forward and kissed his husband. He knew Blaine would dearly love to have a litter of puppies, but they did not have enough friends to give them to and it wasn't fair to bring unwanted puppies into the world.

The twins came back down the stairs in a burst of noise and Blaine herded them out to the stable where he finished putting the saddle on the pack mule, then helped the twins mount the donkeys. It wasn't too long before they started along the trail, Kurt at the front, the twins between, and Blaine and Balto bringing up the rear with the pack mule.

“Kurt! Wait up, honey,” Blaine called ahead. He had stopped beside Katie's donkey and dismounted to see what it was that Katie was so ecstatic about. The child was practically vibrating with excitement as she pointed into the forest.

“Tatay...bunnies,” she whisper-shouted. Blaine stood stock-still, watching the tiny bunnies as they scattered across the meadow grass. They were tiny pygmy rabbits, common enough near the peak of this mountain, but not seen too often in the woods around their house. He walked very softly, motioning for Katura to be quiet, and was able to pick up a tiny bunny to bring over to let his daughter pet. Jordan had pulled his donkey close and reached to touch the soft fur, too, before Blaine put the baby down to scamper off to its mother.

“Why is it so tiny, Tatay?” Jordan asked. He was used to the rabbits they found in the snares near the house.

“It's a different kind, called a pygmy rabbit. Like some kinds of birds are large and some small, okay?” he explained and the children nodded their heads.

“Why don't I hear the birds anymore, Tatay?” Jordan asked, looking around himself at the trees.

“Let's ask your daddy. He asked me the very same question the first time I brought him here...”

It took a much longer time to get up to the grave than it had for years. Blaine and Kurt had finally decided this year that they would bring the children to their grandfather's grave for the first time. It had been different in the years since they adopted Jordan and Katura. The twins' birthday was on the anniversary of Blaine's father's death and they hadn't been to the grave on the death anniversary since. They still came once a year, but a week later.

It was all due to a talk they had with Cooper a few weeks ago, concerning the planning for the trip. Usually they left the twins with Burt and Carole in Philomath when they went on the annual camping trip, but this year Jordan and Katie had come inside from playing in the meadow just as August had been proposing they go a week early due to the warm weather.

“Tatay, why do you and Daddy always go camping after our birthday without us?” Jordan had asked.

“Daddy and I go to visit the place where Grandpa Sterling is buried. I miss him a lot and I like to go and say hello to him every year,” Blaine explained, blinking back tears. Even after so many years, he still missed his father.

“Oh, Does he say hello to you, too?” Katie asked, her head cocked to the right in an exact copy of her tatay.

“Well, Grandpa Sterling is dead, honey, so no – he doesn't actually talk to me. I just like to go there to remember him,” Blaine said, hugging the twins close to him.

“Why is Grandpa Sterling's name the same as Jordan's?” Katie asked.

“Because your tatay loves him. I named him Sterling to make your tatay happy,” Kurt said, smiling at Blaine and getting a peck on the lips in return. “Sometimes people name a baby they love very much for another person in our lives that we loved and miss a lot.”

“Is that why Katura's other name is Elizabeth?” Jordan asked. Kurt nodded.

“Was Grandpa Sterling married to Grandma Elizabeth? Is she buried on the mountain with him?” asked Katie.

Kurt's and Blaine's eyes stared at each other.

“No, baby, no. Grandma Elizabeth was married to Grandpa Burt,” Blaine started to explain.

“Does Grandma Carole know?” Jordan asked, his eyes wide and amazed.

“Let me explain,” Blaine said, sitting the children down on the settee between Kurt and himself. This was going to take a while. The two fathers explained how their families worked while August and Cooper sat on the floor, Cooper's head on his lover's shoulder. Cooper was trembling, his grief for his father so raw at the moment. August asked him if he wanted to go for a walk, but he shook his head no.

“Who was Grandpa Sterling's wife then?” Katie asked.

“Moira. Her name was Moira,” Cooper said, letting the tears run down his face.

“Uncle Cooper? Don't cry,” Katie said as she and Jordan ran to throw their arms around their uncle.

“Aww, you two are the greatest,” he cooed at them, holding their little bodies tight to him.

“Do you miss your mommy?” Katie asked.

“Yeah, I do,” Cooper admitted and Blaine squeezed his shoulder. Moira had died when Blaine was so young that he didn't have any memory of her.

“I don't miss my mommy,” Jordan said, looking curiously at Blaine.

“You were a tiny baby when she gave you to us,” Kurt said, “So it's okay that you don't remember her. You have her picture.”

“If Grandpa Sterling is buried on the mountain, is Grandma Moira buried with him?” Katie asked.

“No,” Blaine said, then turned to his brother. He just realized that he had never known where their mother was buried. He raised his eyebrows – at once reluctant to bring up a possible sore subject but also curious.

“She was cremated and her remains were taken back to Ireland with her sister,” Cooper said.

“She was from Ireland?” Blaine asked. How did he not know this?

“Yes. Dad met her in Portland. She was here with a singing group. I guess he used to sing, too,” Cooper grinned. “When she died, dad was lost. He brought you home after a long fight with our aunt. She wanted to take you home to Ireland with her. Dad packed you up, took my hand and I never saw Aunt Annie again. I guess she went home to Ireland and took Moira's ashes with her.”

Blaine sat still, stunned by all the new information he was getting so unexpectedly. Kurt pulled him in close, kissing his cheek and asking him in a quiet whisper if he was okay.

“Yeah, Kurt...I'm okay I think. It's just new, you know?”

“Okay, supper is almost ready. You kids head upstairs to get washed up and then come down to set the table, okay?” Blaine said, clapping his hands together.

“Okay, Tatay,” the twins said, letting go of their uncle to go get ready for the meal.

“How about we all go up to the campsite together this year?” August suggested. He liked the idea of having a big family gathering. He was an orphan and had basically grown up on Warner Mountain with Cooper's family, so it was as close to him as it was to Blaine and Cooper.

“I like that idea,” Kurt agreed and the plans were made.

On the way up the trail, the twins got tired and they had to stop more often than usual, but both men were patient fathers and spent a lot of time talking to the children and pointing out things as they rode.

“Do you each have your notepads?” Kurt asked again as they began to see more wildlife. He'd been able to point out frogs, pygmy bunnies, a weasel, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, elk, a fisher, a bobcat in the distance that neither twin saw before it faded back into the shadows, and a wolverine.

“Ah, here is where we lose your dad....” Blaine laughed as Kurt slid down from Caesar's saddle to pick some blackberries.

“I'll help!” Katie crowed and was down beside her father before Blaine could catch her.

They all picked blackberries until the buckets were full and then walked to the campground.

By the time Kurt had the fire going and Blaine had the tents up, the kids were dozing off by the fire. It had been a long day in the saddle and they were tired.

“Ah, this is great,” Blaine yawned, his arm going around Kurt's shoulders.

“Yes, it is. I love having the kids with us,” Kurt said back, snuggling into Blaine's arms.

Blaine picked blackberries out of a bucket one at a time and fed them to Kurt, who licked all the bits of juice from his husband's fingertips.

“I guess we can finish unpacking and by then August and Cooper should be here,” Kurt offered.

“Yes, I think so. I thought I heard a mule bray down the canyon. When they get here, we can go for a quick swim and then put the trout on to cook,” Blaine said. He'd taken the kids fishing as soon as they got there and the resulting eight trout were sitting wrapped in leaves over by a big tree.

“I brought potato salad to go with the fish, and a loaf of crusty French bread that Katie and I baked yesterday,” Kurt said, brushing the curls from Blaine's forehead.

“I guess we should go visit Dad's grave before supper.”

Kurt got very quiet for a little while, just cuddling close and hoping his surprise for the Anderson brothers' would be well received. He went over in his mind where the tools were to do what he had planned.

“...and then Jordan made noises and the mommy badger took her baby away into the woods and I didn't get to play with them,” Katie pouted to her uncle. Cooper was bouncing the little girl on his knee while she went on and on about all the animals she had seen on the way up the trail.

“That ol' badger wasn't going to let you play with her baby anyway, Katie. Wild animals don't let humans just pick up their babies,” Jordan defended himself.

“I bet it was!” she snapped at her brother and dug her little fists in her waist.

“Now, now. Jordy is right, Katie. Most mommy animals don't let humans pick up their babies,” August agreed.

“But this one might have....” she argued. Katura loved to argue.

“Let's get you two into swimsuits and we can all go for a swim?” Cooper asked.

“Yeah!” the twins cheered, scrambling to get ready. They stripped off their hiking clothes and were ready in minutes.

“We're going to take the kids down to the lake if you want a few moments alone,” Cooper whispered to his brother. He knew Kurt and Blaine renewed their marriage vows on this weekend every year.

“Okay, Coop. And thanks....” Blaine hugged his brother.

“How are we doing?” Blaine asked Kurt when they walked into a shady clearing on the other side of the campground from the lake.

“Good. I'm here alone with you, baby, what else could ever matter?” Kurt asked as he put his arms around Blaine.

“Yeah,” Blaine breathed into Kurt's ear as he kissed down his neck. He loved their annual camping trip and although it was beyond nice to have the twins join in this year, he was happy to be alone with Kurt for right now.

They sat down in the soft grass, Kurt pulling Blaine on top of him and sighed in content as Blaine found a nice place to press against his husband's body.

“Oh, my gods, Blaine. I want you as much today as I did the first day you and I were together in the meadow, looking at the stars. So much has happened....” he said, kissing Blaine's neck in the special place that he knew would bring moans from Blaine's throat.

“....but at the same time, not much has changed, has it?” Blaine finished for him.

“I still want you just as much today as I did all that time ago,” Kurt whispered, unzipping Blaine's jeans and wiggling his fingers into his briefs.

“And I want you the same,” Blaine moaned before putting a hand under Kurt's shirt and finding his nipple to rub.

It wasn't long before they were wrapped into each other, a blanket on the ground below them and a blanket covering them from the spring chill. All of their clothes were piled neatly beside them.

“Okay, baby, I'm ready....” Kurt coached Blaine as he entered his husband.

“Oh, you are so tight...” Blaine whispered, taking in deep breaths as he burrowed his face into Kurt's neck. He wondered if he could hold on just a few more minutes but didn't think he could. Kurt liked to bottom more than he liked to top, and Blaine was just the opposite, but both enjoyed switching, too. It was just the luck of the draw that brought Kurt in a position to ride Blaine tonight.

Blaine pressed in, knowing that he had to get in all at one go or he could lose his fight to make this last. He bit the soft skin on Kurt's collarbone and tried to breathe out slowly.

“You don't have to make it last all night, baby. I am fine with coming now and then doing this again in the tent tonight...” Kurt offered. He hated to see sex stress his husband.

“I don't know if I can....make this last....” Blaine panted, losing his battle when Kurt stroked down his back and moaned into Blaine's ear.

“Don't...come with me....” Kurt whispered, then bit down on Blaine's earlobe before riding his husband hard and fast. Blaine tipped over the edge, moaning loudly and coming inside Kurt. It set off a chain reaction and Kurt was saying his name over and over as he let his body take him where it wanted to go. He knew he'd taken a risk with being on top of Blaine and riding him when it had been so long since they had sex. Neither one was good at making it last when they were feeling a bit desperate, and having the twins around sometimes made finding time to be alone with each other difficult.

After cleaning up and joining their kids and brothers, Kurt and Blaine took a dip in the lake. Kurt swam over to where August and Cooper were treading water with the twins. They were splashing and giggling, having a wonderful time, but Kurt could see the kids were cold.

“Okay, everyone out. Time to get ready to eat supper,” he announced and helped round up the kids and head back to get their meal. The sun was going to be down in an hour and the kids were tired.

“Where's my towel, Uncle August?” Jordy asked, searching the shore for his towel.

“Over here, son,” Blaine called to him, finding the missing towel caught in a tree limb.

“Thank you, Tatay,” Jordan answered, wrapping himself in the fluffy fabric. The boy shed his swim trunks and hurried to wrap the towel tighter and walk back to the camp. He was hungry and had been thinking about the trout ever since he and his tatay had caught them this morning. He raced his sister back to camp, startling a mockingbird as he ran skidding into the sand.

“Hey, be careful, buddy,” Kurt admonished his son, laughing at the joy in Jordy's face.

“Daddy!” Jordan squealed, throwing his arms around Kurt's waist.

“Everything okay?” Kurt asked, unaccustomed to having his son so exuberant.

“Yeah, just happy to be here,” Jordy grinned.

They all settled down and got changed into dry clothes, then walked over to the cooking site, getting the trout into the hot pans to cook for supper.

“So, what is the big surprise you've been hiding?” Blaine asked Kurt, laughing when Kurt got flustered.

“Okay, I did bring a surprise,” Kurt said, but he looked very sober.

Walking over to the packs, he took out a plaque and handed it to Blaine.

Moira Anderson

Wife of Sterling Anderson

Mother of Cooper and Blaine Anderson

We Love You

“I had it made to put beside Sterling's plaque,” Kurt said, “Even if her remains aren't here, your hearts are.”

“Oh, baby....” Blaine smiled, hugging his husband and thanking him. Then Cooper gathered Kurt in his arms and hugged him tight.

“You don't know what this means to me....” he started to say, but the tears were choking him and he stopped. Even August gave him a hug before taking Cooper back to sit together by the fire.

“Let's say goodnight, Katura and Jordan. Time to get some sleep,” Kurt said, shooing the children into their 2-man tent. Kisses all around and the kids slipped into their sleeping bags. Blaine and Kurt sat in front of the tent for a while, looking up at the night sky.

“Did you ever think this would be our life?” Kurt asked.

“Some parts of it. I knew we would have wonderful children, and look what happened. Remember the night we read the letter from JoLinda that told us about Katura?”

“That was one of the biggest days in my life,” Kurt smiled, ruffling Blaine's hair.

“And the day she called to ask if we wanted Jordan?” Blaine grinned.

“As if we could say no!”

“What about the first day we came here? I worked so hard on our vows...” Blaine said, unfolding a paper from his pocket.

“We've lived up to those vows, too, haven't we?” Kurt commented, taking the paper and reading over the faded handwriting on the paper. He knew that neither of them needed to read it, those vows were in their hearts, written in their memories forever.

“I know that on our fiftieth anniversary we will be sitting here, looking up at Orion's Belt, and be able to recite those vows,” Blaine said, kissing Kurt's mouth softly.

“I love you, Blaine.”

“And I love you, Kurt.”

Forever......

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you

Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ THE END ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~