“We have to have a talk, Blaine. I think it's long overdue,” Kurt burst out one night as they were getting ready for bed. Blaine looked at Kurt, a little apprehensive with the tone Kurt had taken.

“About what?” he asked, sitting on the side of the bed, his hands that had been buttoning his pajama shirt now lying still in his lap. “Should I be afraid?”

“Probably. But not in the way you're thinking,” Kurt gave him an encouraging smile.

“Oooo..kay?”

“It's about semantics. Words.”

“”What about them?”

“We have good communication, don't we? I mean, we can talk about everything, right?” Kurt asked.

“I think so,” Blaine tried a small smile, but Kurt wasn't returning it.

“This is about last week, sort of. We were in bed and feeling...amorous? Anyway, I asked if you wanted me to suck your penis. Do you recall that?” Kurt asked, not looking at Blaine at all. His focus was on a book on the bedside table.

“Of course I remember it...what is this about, Kurt? Are you questioning my feelings? Have I been taking you for granted, because if that's it, oh...Kurt!” Blaine was starting to get anxious.

Kurt leaned over and put his arms around his boyfriend, ”No, no, honey, that's not it at all. It's a matter of words...the words we use. When I said 'penis', you looked at me so strangely and you were quick to inform me that the word 'penis' is too clinical and very unromantic. But I just cannot think what to call...it. I hear so many things...Junk? Well, I don't like that because I really don't think of male genitalia as junk! Ah, and I don't like the whimsical ones...Purple-headed Yogurt Slinger? Really? Wedding Tackle? One-eyed Trouser Snake?”

Blaine was now laughing so hard, he couldn't catch his breath. ”Oh, my stars, Kurt! Where did you hear those? How about Little Soldier? Tally Whacker? Captain Winky? Ummm....Tonsil Tickler?”

“I swear I once heard a jock in the locker room refer it his as The Bologna Pony. Honestly, I did. But are some of the less whimsical names just as bad? I cannot fathom using those non-controversial names like Unit, Package, Member, Tool, Prick. How unromantic can you get? I don't like it when somebody uses a man's name, either...Dick, Peter, Roger? It just doesn't fit.”

Blaine kept giggling a little, as did Kurt, but he was thinking.

“I guess I use the term 'Cock'. I mean...if I used Schlong, I'd end up giggling so much I think it would wilt. And food references? Pork Sword, Tube Steak, Veined Salami? Ewww.”

“What about references for semen? I heard Sue Sylvester say Baby Gravy one day – to Mr Schuester! I don't want to know what the rest of that conversation was about,” Blaine laughed.

“I heard it referred to as 'Boy Pudding',” Kurt added, a smirk on his face.

“Protein Shake through a Meat Straw,” Blaine deadpanned and Kurt choked. “Some aren't so bad....penis names, not semen I mean. Magic Wand? You certainly have a magic wand, Kurt,” Blaine smiled and Kurt blushed.

“Maybe, but I don't think I want you to call it that. Love Muscle? Divine Rod? Throbbing Python of Love?? Hmmmmm...Joystick? That at least implies you can play with it,” Kurt said, giggling."How about Anderconda? Or is that a bit too personal?"

“Wow, Kurt. I've never felt so unsexy in my life while talking about boy parts. Okay, I will never criticize you for saying 'penis' again,” Blaine said seriously. “but, we don't have to actually talk about it to enjoy it...” he said, his hand sliding up Kurt's thigh to palm that particular piece of anatomy through his pajamas.

“Nope, no words needed at all,” Kurt agreed with a frisky grin, turning off the bedside lamp before dragging Blaine under the covers to have a wordless discussion.

“Blainers! Squirt, where are you?” Cooper shouted, rushing into the Hummel house looking for his son.

“Coop? What's up?” Blaine asked, walking into the room from the kitchen, Kurt right behind him.

“I've got it!” Cooper crowed, waving a paper around his head, a huge smile on his face and sparkles in his blue eyes. He ran to Blaine, picking him up and twirling him in a circle, his arms tight around him as Kurt backed up so as not to be knocked over by Blaine's flying feet.

“What, Cooper?” Blaine asked, a smile cracking his face as Cooper's contagious enthusiasm infected him.

“Look!” he set Blaine down and handed him the paper he'd been flapping around.

Blaine looked at the paper, stumbled a little as Cooper and Kurt both jumped to catch him and eased him down in a chair.

“This...this is my birth certificate. But it isn't the same one,” he looked at Cooper.

“No, Blaine. This is the real one. With your real parents. Blaine.....finally, this is all for you,” Cooper grinned.

“Mother: Sasha Moira Maguire. Father: Cooper Matthew Anderson,” Blaine read, smiling.

Cooper sat in another chair, looking at Blaine.

“Thank you............ Dad.”

Cooper burst into tears.

“Oh, Blaine, I never thought I'd ever hear you call me that,” Cooper said, hugging his son to him.

Kurt slipped out the door and into the kitchen, wiping tears from his own face, giving Blaine and Cooper time to bond. He was so happy for them. He reached up into the cupboard, gathering ingredients for a cake. This called for a celebration.

Lauren and Puck sat together at the Hummel dining table, hands twined together and eyes on each other. Santana and Brittany were there, too, quietly whispering and giggling, awaiting the rest of the gang. Finn and Rachel, Burt and Carole, Kurt and Blaine all sat waiting as Cooper called from the front hallway that they were here and on their way in. Everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Cooper came in, holding Sasha's hand. He looked so solemn, but happy nonetheless as he introduced her to everyone at the table. She sat in her chair, smiling at the people seated around her, still a little nervous and holding her hands across her enormous belly. Blaine had called her on Thursday to invite her to his celebration of finally having his real birth certificate and she was thrilled to accept. It wasn't until several hours later that her nerves started to get to her, but as always in her life, she kept her spine straight and took it like a soldier. She could get through this. Blaine had offered her an olive branch and she meant to take it.

The drive to the Hummel house was quiet. Cooper was proud of her for agreeing to come, he knew the meetings between her and Blaine had not gone well, but he was an eternal optimist and truly believed that there would be a way for them to be a family once again. Well, actually to be a family for the first time since they never were able to be one before.

Sasha looked over at Coop. He was smiling that melt-your-heart smile of his, the one that had won her over the first time she had met him almost twenty years ago. He was much the same in some respects: his hair was wavy and silky black, such a contrast with his bright, sparkling blue eyes. He could pout with the best of them, but for the most part, he was a smiling and upbeat person. It might even be his best feature.

Cooper was not skinny, he never had been. While not overweight, he had a lot of weight for a man his size but it was muscle not fat. Sasha always felt so small when she was in his arms. Sasha herself was tiny compared to Cooper. She was petite with emerald green eyes and golden red hair that flowed down her back in ringlets. She had rosy cheeks with a smattering of tiny freckles, a pug nose and cupid's bow lips – and everything about her was perfect in Cooper's eyes.

Driving down the highway, Cooper had seen the pasture of cows. He slowed the car and got off onto the shoulder of the road.

“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.

“Because I want to show you something. This is where we stopped the day Blaine came to meet you for the first time – well, across the road. He was worried and nervous, and it seemed to get worse until finally Kurt asked me to stop. I could tell with the way Blaine was holding his chest and panting that we should probably take him to the hospital. He'd had his anxiety medication, but it wasn't enough. I was beginning to panic. But Kurt just took his hand and led him to the edge of the pasture. He looked at the cows over there and began to make up silly, ridiculous names for them. It wasn't long before Blaine joined in, each of them trying to outdo the other on the level of silliness. We sat here for a while until we had named every cow in the field and by that time, Blaine was calmed enough to go on,” Cooper explained.

“You're trying to tell me why Kurt is so important to Blaine, aren't you?” Sasha asked, looking at the sadness in Cooper's eyes.

“Kind of. I know you weren't really approving of Kurt the two times you met him. I'm not sure, even now, how I feel about him. As a person, he's great. Witty and intelligent, but also bitchy and spoiled. He is also kind, gentle, at least with Blaine, and most importantly, in completely head over heels love with our son.

"I think I'm trying to say that I envy him his ability to be there for Blaine, to be so dedicated to him that Blaine can't see his life without Kurt. As much as I want our lives to be normal, they never will be. Blaine may be our son by blood, Sasha, but we will never have his heart the way Kurt has it. It's too late for us. Oh, I think we can make a life that resembles family, that is family, but it will never be a traditional one. Blaine is on the edge of adulthood and won't be a child again. In that way, yes, it's too late for us.

“What I see is that we can build something else, a family that loves and respects each other in spite of what happened. Yes, I think Blaine loves us as his parents, but he's looking forward to his future, not backwards to what may have been if circumstances were different. He's a lot smarter than we are, Sasha, he's not blinded by his past. We are saying to everyone we meet that we want to go back and relive what has passed us by. Blaine and Kurt are looking to their future, and although it contains us, the thing they are focusing on is a life together. Maybe we should take a page from their book and stop living in the past. Maybe we should look to the future,” Cooper said.

Sasha came close and leaned up against him. She reached up and drew her fingers through his wavy hair and sighed.

“You're right, Cooper. We need to do that. I love you so much,” she said, and got back in the car, her heart breaking over Blaine, but still hopeful for the new baby and a lifetime with Cooper.

After supper, things had thawed around the Hummel table and there was the signature laughter and good natured kidding that was the hallmark of family gatherings. Everyone was so happy for Blaine, each person taking a moment to congratulate him or simply to lay a hand on his arm in solidarity. The exuberant crowd took Sasha in, asking her questions and making her feel like she had always been a part of the group.

At a break in the celebration, Cooper had steered her to the kitchen for a moment alone.

“How are you holding up?” he asked, concerned.

“It's different than I imagined it, Blaine's friends are so sweet, and I can see how caring they are. So protective of him. I can't describe it, Cooper, it is just this warm feeling. A feeling that Blaine is loved and cherished even though all those bad things happened to him. A feeling he is safe in this world,” Sasha brushed a tear from her eye.

“Everything okay in here?” Burt said, walking in to get some more ice from the freezer.

“Yeah, Burt. I was just making sure Sasha was doing all right,” Coop answered.

“Can I get you anything, Sasha? Something more to drink?” Burt offered, although he knew that wasn't what Cooper was talking about.

“No, I'm fine. Burt? I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done for Blaine. I can see he's thriving in your care, in your family's care. I'm afraid there is nothing in this world I could do to make it up to you,” she said sincerely, placing a hand on Burt's arm.

“Oh, I don't need anything in return. I think of Blaine as my own family. He's a wonderful boy and – I guess you've seen: he's the love of Kurt's life. How could it get any better than that?” Burt asked, smiling at Sasha.

“Burt, where's the ice I sent you for?” Carole stepped into the kitchen beside her husband. She smiled when she saw it was Sasha he was speaking to. “Thank you so much for coming, Sasha, it was so good to meet you. I can see so much of you in Blaine,” she observed.

“Thank you, but I think he has so much more of Cooper...” Sasha said, maybe with a tinge of resignation.

“Oh, no, that hair? Your's might be red, but it's you he takes after with those wild curls and bright eyes. And that smile? All you,” Carole said, squeezing Sasha's hand.

Returning to the family room, they were just in time for a song as the New Directions began a sing-along, Blaine playing the little spinnet piano in the corner, Puck on guitar as the kids all started singing “We Are Young”, one of their favorites with Rachel in the lead. The adults sat on the sofas and enjoyed watching as the kids danced with each other, trading dancing partners and taking turns singing solos. It was joyous and heartfelt as they all talked, laughed, and sang into the night.

“Hey, Puck, you are sure spending a lot of time holding Lauren's hand. Did you bribe her, or was it blackmail?” Blaine kidded as he found himself alone with Puck for a minute.

“I...well, I don't mind telling you. We are getting serious. I mean, we've been going out for a while and we make out a lot. But she is not giving it up, not unless we're serious,” Puck confided.

“I understand that, man, so what's going to happen?” Blaine asked.

“Well, Grandma Sofie loves her. I can't imagine any better approval. Plus, I just think about her all the time. I think it's reached the point of seriousness where I might be shopping for a ring some day soon,” Puck actually blushed. Puck. Blushed. This was serious. Kurt walked in, his mouth gaping open as he saw the red face of his friend, so he looked at Blaine, who had a cat-who-ate-the-canary smile on his lips.

“What's going on in here?” he asked.

“Nothing. Just...let Blaine tell you later, okay?” Puck said, clapping his hand on Kurt's shoulder with a grin and going back into the other room.

Kurt turned to Blaine, eyebrows raised.

“He's in love with Lauren. Really in love, and I'm seeing an engagement party on the horizon. Sophia has given her approval,” Blaine gushed, holding Kurt's arm as he grinned.

“Oh, wow, that's wonderful!” Kurt returned his boyfriend's grin. Arm in arm, they returned to the party.

“How are you feeling, Brittany?” Carole asked, sitting next to her, taking advantage of the rare moment Santana wasn't pasted to her side.

“I'm doing fine, Carole, thank you. I'm getting tired, so I asked Tana to get ready to take me back to the center, but things are so much better. The dizzy spells are completely gone, and my hair is growing back, see?” she ruffled her fingers through her two inches of curly pale blonde hair. Carole smiled.

“Ready, sweetie?” Santana said as she walked up.

“Yes, let's say goodbye to everyone,” Brittany said, smiling up into her girlfriend's face.

“Okay, honey,” Santana smiled back.

“Hey, Pretty Pony Boy, where's your Prince in the Tower, I need to congratulate him before we leave,” she shouted over to Kurt, walking over to throw her arms around her friend as they went in search of Blaine.

Sasha just stared. Leaning over to Cooper, who was chuckling, she looked at him in startled askance.

“Santana is...unique. She calls Blaine the 'Prince in the Tower' because Kurt and Puck found him in that room in the attic. If anyone else were to call him that, I'd probably punch them in the kisser, but with Santana, it just shows she cares. She's had an eventful life of her own, but she would do anything for her friends. You know when I told you that Blaine ran away for a few weeks earlier this year? Santana stayed with Kurt, morning, noon, and night, stuck to him like glue until they found Blaine. You'd have to go a long way to find someone as loyal as Santana Lopez.”

Sasha smiled at Cooper, happy that Blaine had such a loyal and loving group of friends.

After the friends left and Finn took Rachel home, Carole and Burt went up to bed. Kurt and Blaine were left sitting with Sasha and Cooper.

“Thank you for inviting me, Blaine. I had a lovely time and I was so glad to meet your friends. It's going to be hard to leave them when you move to New York, isn't it?” she asked.

“Yes, but I'll have Kurt, so I'll be fine. Oh, and you and Cooper. It's not like I'll be alone or anything. It will be hard, I mean, I've made such good friends here. And leaving Burt and Carole will be hard. But we'll come back to visit.”

“You'll be fine, I know it,” Sasha said, getting up to leave, Cooper and Kurt pulling her to her feet.

“We need to get on the road, but I plan to be in Lima day after tomorrow, Squirt. How about we have lunch then?” Cooper said as he hugged Blaine goodbye.

“Sounds good to me,” Blaine agreed.

Kurt hugged Coop and shook hands with Sasha as they left, Blaine giving Sasha a stiff hug, trying not to bump into her huge belly and they ended up laughing at the awkwardness of it all.

“Will I see you for lunch, too?” he asked.

“No, I have a doctor's appointment. Your sister is already stealing the limelight I guess,” she laughed softly and Blaine smiled at her.

“Drive safely, goodnight,” he said with a final wave as they left.

“Will I get used to this?” Blaine asked Kurt, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder as they watched Cooper's car recede in the distance.

“Yeah, I think you will. I know I'm looking forward to seeing you hold that little baby in your arms,” Kurt smiled.

They locked the house and went downstairs to their bedroom.

“Blaine, do you think we got together too soon?” Kurt asked, taking off his party clothes and hanging them up.

“What do you mean by too soon? I'm pretty sure I would never have made it another six months in that attic,” Blaine kidded.

“Oh, my stars, Blaine....that is SOOO not what I meant!” Kurt gasped.

“I know, I know, Kurt. I was joking. But I really don't know what you mean by 'too soon',” Blaine said, unbuttoning his own shirt after folding the sweater vest he'd chosen for the party.

“It's just that we are together, and we've talked it over – we both want the same thing, to spend our lives together. But will we regret that one day? That we never really dated anyone else, never experienced anyone else?” Kurt looked a bit sad.

“Oh. Kurt? Are you trying to tell me something?” Blaine sat beside Kurt on the bed, taking his hand and resting it on his thigh. He sat there in his boxer briefs until the chill air began to make him cold, then he set Kurt's hand down and slipped off his underwear and put on the red silk pajamas he had laid out. He pulled Kurt up and helped him take off the rest of his clothes and put on his own pajamas. They didn't say anything until they were under the covers.

“I'm really not trying to spread gloom and doom, especially about us, but I need to tell you, Blaine, that I've been worried. I don't want you to wake up one day twelve years from now and think that you missed out on trying everything. On meeting a new guy and flirting with him. On doing the whole chase and catch dance that you'd get from dating more than one person in your life. You've already been denied so many things, I don't want to be the cause of you closing one more door,” Kurt stammered, trying to keep his voice even.

“Why would you ever think that?” Blaine practically yelled, beginning to panic.

“Let me finish, baby. I want you to know if I'm enough for you. If I'm really the right person for you. How can you know that if I'm the only boy you ever kissed? If I'm the only one you ever made love to? Oh, shit. The bottom line is that I don't want you to regret being with me, Blaine. My heart couldn't take that.”

Blaine turned Kurt to face him and kissed his cheek. He looked into Kurt's blue eyes, past the sadness, past the tears ready to spill, down to reach the soul of his boyfriend, the boy he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving. Kurt looked back, Blaine's golden hazel eyes burning into him.

“Kurt, I do not want anyone else. I only want you, and I cannot imagine a day when you wouldn't be enough for me. If I chose to live my life on this “what if” philosophy, who knows where it might take me? I wouldn't apply to colleges because they might not accept me, I wouldn't cook dinner because who knows if I'll be alive to eat it, there might be an earthquake and we'll get swallowed up. I can't do that to myself, Kurt. I can't pretend to have a life but be scared to do anything because it might not turn out according to plan. No. I want to live my life, Kurt, and I want to live it with you. Do you understand?” Blaine asked, trying to calm his heartbeat down. “Or are you having second thoughts? Do you want to go on a break so you can meet other boys? Try out the competition? I can wait for you, Kurt, if that's what you want. I'll still be here, no matter what,” Blaine said, but he looked sad.

“Oh...no, Blaine. That had never crossed my mind. I don't care how many Prince Charmings there are out there. You're the only one I've ever wanted or needed, my love. I was just worried...well, it doesn't matter now. Are we okay? I didn't mean to upset you, baby, I just wanted to make sure that you were sure.”

“I'm sure, Kurt. You're it for me, forever.”

“Forever.”