The Beach House – Chapter Twelve - Tourists

“Are you guys sleeping in again?” Danny asked, pulling on the blanket to wake his father.

“Ahh....” Blaine answered, still groggy from too little sleep and the toll his emotions were taking on him these past few days. He turned to see how Kurt fared and smiled when he saw just how beautiful Kurt was, asleep on his pillow. He really did look like an angel.

“Shhh....Mr. Kurt is asleep, honey. Ill get up and we can go down to cook breakfast. Okay?” Blaine whispered.

“Okay. Like a surprise? We can put it on a tray and bring it up with flowers?” Danny asked, getting excited as his whisper grew in intensity.

Blaine put a finger to his lips, asking quietly for Daniel to be silent. Danny grinned and nodded his head. He followed his father to the hallway and waited for him to close the door before he let out a big sigh, as if being quiet took a great deal of energy.

“Are his Bumblebee Kittens sleeping?” Danny asked, his eyes big.

“Yes, son, I think so. We need to be very quiet today, Mr. Kurt isnt feeling well I think,” Blaine said. Kurt had tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling and sighing. Blaine had tried to comfort him, holding him close and it seemed to work for a while, but an hour later Kurt was restless again. It looked as if he was now resting comfortably and Blaine wanted him to stay that way. He looked at the clock in the hall and saw it was only six in the morning.

“Okay, Danny Boy, lets both get cleaned up and get dressed. Do you need any help with picking out clothes?” Blaine asked. The boy had recently gone through a stage where he was insistent upon dressing himself. They had to have several talks about what clothes were proper for certain circumstances, but the boy was learning quickly.

“It is warm out already, Daddy, so can I wear the green shorts with the red and green tiger shirt?” he asked, thinking of his favorite short-sleeved striped polo.

“That sounds perfect, honey,” Blaine approved. “How about your white sandals and the white sweater in case you get chilly?”

“Okay. Ill go brush my teeth, Daddy,” the boy said, turning to rush into his bathroom and get the day going.

Blaine went back in his bedroom, being very quiet as he chose his own clothes. He had light khaki cargo shorts and a sailor shirt he knew Kurt would love. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, then shaved and met Danny down in the kitchen.

It was after nine before Kurt stumbled into the kitchen, tripping over a building made of blocks strewn across the front hallway.

“Mr. Kurt! You knocked over my lighthouse!” Danny exclaimed. Kurt stood in the doorway holding his foot in one hand as he tried to balance on the other.

“Kurt! Are you okay?” Blaine shouted at the same time.

“Im fine, just stubbed my toe,” Kurt assured them, setting his foot down gingerly. He tried putting weight on it and smiled as it didnt hurt.

“We made you breakfast, but you were asleep a long, long time so we ate your pancakes,” Danny said. He took Kurts hand and led him into the kitchen table where the tray was sitting – now empty of food but the dish, silverware, and vase with a single carnation sat. Kurt smiled down at the little boy.

“That is the nicest thing anyone has done for me – since yesterday when you gave me the heart rock,” Kurt told him sincerely.

“We have the pancake batter in the refrigerator!” Danny crowed and went to find his dad. Blaine was picking up the scattered blocks.

“Oh, let me help. Im sorry. I left the lighthouse to show Mr. Kurt, I didnt know he would trip on them,” Danny said with sorrow. He looked up at his dad, his lip quivering in guilt.

“You can help, but nobody is upset with you. Kurt just didnt see them. It was an accident,” Blaine reassured his son, patting his little back and placing a kiss on his curly head.

“Can you make the pancakes for Mr. Kurt? I will pick the rest up,” Daniel suggested.

“Sure, honey. Come in when youre done and we can sit with Kurt while he eats.”

After a large breakfast of bacon with blueberry pancakes, the three sat around the big kitchen table to talk about what they were going to do that day.

“Well, the morning is almost over now, so how about we plan for the afternoon?” Blaine said. Kurt ducked his head down.

“Sorry, guys. You could have woken me up you know...” Kurt said with a bit of embarrassment. He was so used to being on his own and setting his own hours that it was hard to get used to doing things as a group.

“Dont be sorry, Mr. Kurt-Angel, Daddy said you werent feeling well. He makes me stay in bed all day when Im sick,” Danny said, putting a comforting hand to Kurts forearm.

“Thank you, Danny. Im feeling better now,” Kurt assured the little boy.

“We can go visit with Miss Judy,” Blaine suggested. “Danny was thinking about the lighthouse today. Thats why he had left the one he built of blocks out to show you, Kurt.”

“Oh! It was so good...I saw it just as I tripped. You could grow up to be an architect, Danny,” Kurt suggested.

“An archy...what?”

“An architect. Someone who designs and draws buildings,” Kurt told him and Danny grinned.

“I like to draw. I can draw lighthouses and reglur houses and everythin!” he said with enthusiasm.

“Do you want to go see the lighthouse today?” Blaine asked and was met with shouts of positive approval.

“Okay, Im going to let the dishes sit in the sink until tonight. Then we can do them with the supper dishes. Lets go. Shall we walk? The tide is out and the weather is warm,” he told them.

The three set out along the path at the top of the ridge that ran along the shore. From the path, they could see the harbor seals and lobster boats going out to sea. There were colorful buoys and a lot of birds.

“Look at the rocks!” Danny pointed out, “Those are the ones the seals take naps on.”

It was a bright and beautiful day. They walked to the lighthouse museum and gift shop, entering to the happy greeting of Judy Towse-McPhee.

“Good morning, Judy,” Kurt greeted the woman, a warm smile on his face. She came over and gave the man a hug. “I brought back your macintosh. Thank you so much for the use of it.”

“You are entirely welcome. I see you found your way back last night,” she said, giving Kurt a secret look. He grinned back at her.

“Yes, maam, I did. Thank you for that, too,” he said.

“And just who is this young man?” she asked, smiling down at Danny.

“Daniel Zebulon Anderson!” the boy shouted, grinning up at the woman.

“Oh, I see. Well, welcome to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Daniel Zebulon Anderson,” Judy greeted him. “Did you come to take the tour?”

“Yes, maam,” he answered, following Kurts advice. “Did you feed Mr. Kurt-Angel last night when he got lost in the rain?”

“I did. I gave him some of my Manhattan Clam Chowder. It was a recipe your great-grandmother Flora gave to me.”

“Oh? Daddy says our house used to be hers a long, long time ago. Before I was borned,” Danny acknowledged. “Mr. Kurt-Angel is my own guardian angel. He saved me from a terrible storm when I was lost in the trash and my teacher left me in the park,” Daniel told the woman. “Does that mean you are Mr. Kurts guardian angel?”

“It sure does,” Kurt interrupted. “Now, lets go on the tour, okay?”

The three men followed Judy to the lighthouse and she walked up the stairs, telling them all about the history of the lighthouse since it was built in 1808, then showing them the fresnel lens.

“This reflected the oil lamps for 74 years in the lighthouse,” Judy told them.

“How big is it?” Danny asked, his eyes huge as he looked at the sections in the lens, each one framed in iron.

“This is a "third order" fresnel, four feet eight inches high and over three feet in diameter, weighs a ton, and it's not the largest,” she told him.

Blaine carried Danny as they went back down to the gift shop and Kurt bought Danny a tourist shirt with the picture of the lighthouse on the front, just like the one Judy gave him last night.

They waved goodbye to Mrs. Towse-McPhee and walked back to their house, Kurt and Blaine taking turns carrying the very tired little boy. He was asleep on his dads shoulder before they got back to the house.

“Ahhh,” Blaine sighed, sitting in the front room on the sailcloth sofa. He thought about sitting there yesterday and about the fight that hed had with Kurt. Looking over to Kurt, sitting in a rocking chair near the sofa, he noticed the melancholy look on his face.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said. It was something his grandmother said a lot and being in her house brought it subconsciously to Blaines mind frequently.

“I was thinking about being in here with you yesterday, babe, and the misunderstanding we had. Is it always going to be that way? One of us jumps to conclusions and the other gets angry and it warps into one running away and both of us in pain?” he asked, looking up at Blaine as the man got up to lean close to Kurt.

“No. It doesnt have to be. We both need to learn that running away is not the answer. We have to agree to sit and talk it over when were upset,” Blaine said, gently.

Kurt reached up and put his arms around Blaine, gathering him close so he was sitting on Kurts lap now.

“I agree. Lets promise that whenever we have a fight like that, well stop and maybe take a few breaths, regroup and talk it out. I think we got into a very bad habit early on – probably because we were so young. At least thats what my dad told me when we broke up,” Kurt spoke quietly, but Blaine could tell he was very upset.

The breakup had been traumatic on both of the men. Blaine had let things get to him without finding a way to let off the pressure building inside of him and the last straw was when Kurt spent the money for utility bills on Broadway show tickets.

“Kurt, I know its inevitable that we talk about the breakup, its natural that it comes up – but it breaks my heart every time I think of it, how stupid I was...” Blaine admitted, wiping at his eyes.

Kurt tugged his face closer and kissed the tears from his cheeks.

“Okay, I can see that. I think weve said everything there is to say about that time, baby. I can try not to mention it again. There is no gain in trying to find the blame, to pin it all on one of us. Im sorry,” Kurt whispered, kissing the little hollow behind Blaines ear that was so sensitive.

“Thank you, angel,” Blaine breathed. He stood up, reaching for Kurts arms to pull him out of the rocker. “Cmere.”

Kurt followed him, giggling when Blaine pulled Kurt down on top of him on the sofa.

“Oh, thats nice...” Blaine laughed as he pressed Kurt closer, feeling like a teenager again as he pressed himself up into Kurt. Kurt was no better, rutting down to feel the friction he recalled from days long passed.

“Blaine...that does feel good...but, I know what might feel better,” Kurt smiled a mischievous smile.

“And pray tell, what would that be?” Blaine asked. Kurt withdrew from the frottage, causing Blaine to sigh in frustration. “Aw, angel...I dont want to go upstairs and possibly wake Daniel...”

“No, were not going anywhere, doll-face. Just wait,” Kurt tiptoed over to shut the pocket doors to the room they were in, then drew the heavy drapes to put the room in darkness. They could still see just fine, but it made it seem cozier. Kurt came back to the sofa, pulling the drawstring loose on his beach shorts, then opening the button and zipper on Blaines cargoes.

“Hips up,” Kurt demanded as he pulled down Blaines shorts and then sat back with wide eyes as he saw the man was wearing a blue thong. “Blaine...?”

“I got this before we left New York – just for you, Mr. Kurt-Angel,” Blaine said, his voice somewhat lower and deeper than it had been minutes ago.

“I like it...” Kurt said, embarrassed as his voice chirped like it hadnt since he was at Dalton.

To cover his slight embarrassment, he came closer to the sofa and, placing a pillow on the hardwood floor, knelt down and began kissing Blaines thighs as he pulled off first his cargo shorts from where hed left them around his ankles and then the blue thong. The clothing dispensed with, Kurt slipped his own off and ran a finger down Blaines chest, following it with his mouth. From the beginnings of their exploration of each other, Kurt was delighted to find that Blaines nipples were amazingly sensitive and they had not changed with time. He laid his body partially along the sofa, reaching to lick Blaines left nipple as he cupped him briefly before gently stroking up Blaines shaft.

“My angel...” Blaine sighed, giving in and just letting Kurt do what he wanted to. Blaines thighs were shaking as Kurt shifted his attention to his erection. Kurt slid his mouth over the head and deeper until it hit the back of his throat. It had taken some time at the beginning, but Kurt had become a master at this and it was all coming back to him.

“Yes...Oh, angel face, yes...” Blaine was losing himself in the sensations, his hands gripping the fabric of the sofa and his thighs parting as he tried not to buck into Kurts mouth too hard. He thought this was the most sensuous thing he could feel until Kurt shifted his weight, moving Blaines legs farther apart and climbing up on the long sofa. He was rubbing gently at Blaines balls, moving his face down to pull first one then the other in his mouth. He sucked ever so gently, moving them slightly in their pouch before letting go. He was still stroking Blaine with his hand when he moved down to run his warm, wet tongue to slide around his rim.

Blaine groaned, forgetting himself until Kurt reached up to place his hand over Blaines mouth to remind him to keep it quieter. Blaine held his breath as Kurts tongue entered him, speeding up the strokes to his hard erection.

Kurt spent a long time rimming Blaine, knowing how much he had always loved this. That was the best part for Kurt, always...witnessing how much his actions affected Blaine. When Blaine thought he couldnt possibly take any more, he tugged at Kurt, catching his attention and helping him to switch to the other end of the sofa, his hips over Blaines head.

Blaine reached his neck up until he could take Kurt into his mouth, touching his thighs and reaching around to massage a cheek. Kurt was back to sucking Blaine off, making needy sounds that sent Blaine crazy. He sucked Kurt in deeper, feeling satisfaction as his angel moaned and he felt the vibrations all the way to his toes.

It was not long before both of them were close to climax, slowing down a bit to get ready for the final sprint....

The tingling heat gathered in the pit of Blaines belly was getting too hard to hold off anymore and he growled, trying to warn Kurt. His lover was well aware, though, feeling Blaines muscles grip and pull taut – causing the same effect in himself. He did the last trick up his sleeve... rubbing the tip of his tongue down into the small slit and down to the spot just below the crown and felt Blaine stiffen before his orgasm spilled hot and plentiful into Kurts mouth as Blaine whined deep in his throat. The vibrations triggered Kurts own ejaculation and Blaine sucked gently to increase the sensitivity as Kurt groaned, having pulled off of Blaine. His passion exploded and Blaine swallowed every trace of Kurts warm semen, licking him clean.

The two men lay still for a few moments, waiting for their breathing to return to normal, for their hearts to slow and muscles to soften. Kurt got up, searching for his inhaler and taking two puffs before grabbing the soft blanket off the end of the ottoman and spreading it over Blaine, then snuggling under the blanket with him.

“You okay?” Blaine asked, sitting up with a look of concern on his face.

“Ill be fine if you will hold me,” Kurt assured him. He sat down next to Blaine on the wide sofa, then snuggled under the blanket.

Blaine lay with his head on Kurts chest, his hand over Kurts heart. Kurts arms were warm and strong, holding Blaine as close as he could.

“I love you so much, baby...” Kurt whispered, kissing Blaine behind his small ear. That was something Kurt had always loved about Blaine – he had these small ears, almost translucent like a childs. It made kissing his neck an even more sensuous experience, and he did it again, just to feel Blaines hands tighten that tiny bit. Kurt smiled into Blaines neck. He glanced a the clock – 2:20. Not quite time for Danny to be up from his nap, but you never knew. Boys did not run on time-clocks.

“I hate to bring this up, but...we better get dressed. Your son might be down soon and I dont relish running around trying to find my underwear while he knocks at the door,” Kurt laughed.

“Okay, angel...just hand me my thong and cargoes...Im not putting the shirt back on until I have to. And neither are you. I like your bare chest to lay my head on,” Blaine said, his eyes looking sleepy and his mouth looking very thoroughly kissed. Kurt wondered if his lips looked the same.

Kurt sat up, taking his time, but finding their clothes and helping Blaine on with his before unlocking the door and sliding it back into the wall. He came back and lay down next to Blaine, snuggling close and hiding his face in Blaines neck as he had always done. It felt like coming home. The scent of Blaine – his cologne mixed with recent sex and a touch of honest sweat. Kurt could also catch the smell of the ocean, which seemed to surround Blaine whether he was here or in New York City.

“You smell good, babe,” Kurt murmured, taking a deeper breath and humming his satisfaction.

Blaine giggled and put his own nose nearer to Kurt.

“You smell like the garden after a good rain,” Blaine said.

“Oh, thats my favorite cologne. I was in a boutique store on 5th Avenue and the store clerk was giving out samples of this cologne. I fell in love with it - Rain by Marc Jacobs. Im glad I bought several bottles – it was discontinued a few years ago and its about impossible to find now. I saw a bottle on ebay for over $300!” Kurt said, obviously unhappy with the exorbitant price.

“Oh, sweetheart. Ill buy you a new bottle. I love the way it smells on you,” Blaine said, smiling at how excited Kurt got over silly little things like the scent of a new cologne.

Blaine sat up, leaning on the big pillow at the end of the sofa and pulling Kurt closer between his legs. He liked the feel of Kurts back cozy against his chest and besides, he could kiss the nape of his neck like this. He gave Kurt a few soft kisses on his tender skin, his arms around Kurts waist.

“I never thought to ask you – do you have your passport with you?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, its up in the dresser drawer. Why?”

“I was thinking we could go over the bridge to Canada tomorrow. We can go visit Campobello Island,” Blaine suggested.

“I couldnt go that summer – I remember. I didnt have a passport. Thats the place Franklin Roosevelt spent his summers, right?” Kurt asked.

Yeah, His parents bought it before FDR was born and it stayed in the family until after Eleanor died. Its on Canadian soil, so you have to have a passport to visit, but the park is the only International Park owned and run by two countries,” Blaine told him.

Kurt laughed, “Well, arent you the tour guide today.”

“Hey, Ive just been there dozens of times. My grandparents took me just about every year. Its a nice drive – the grounds are beautiful – and its free to tour the cottage.”

“Cottage?” Kurt asked, looking skeptical.

“Yeah, the 34-room, three floor, cottage,” Blaine smiled.

“Okay, Im up for all that. We can leave early in the morning and make a day of it,” Kurt agreed.

It was the next day when they had packed the Navigator with snacks and water bottles. They started out early to see Campobello Island. They showed their passports, followed by a discussion on what exactly a passport was – but Danny was too young to understand the concept and grew bored.

The drive through the forest surrounding Roosevelt Park was a fairyland of densely packed trees and shrubs with tiny flowers, mushrooms, berries and other things to see. They parked the car and walked along a path in the woods.

“This is where fairies live, isnt it, Daddy?” Danny asked, his eyes bright as he found all sorts of places that he was sure the little people made their houses.

“Im sure they do, honey,” Blaine agreed.

“Remember not to put anything in your mouth, okay, pal?” Kurt warned. He could just imagine the small boy trying some exotic mushroom that looked like fairy-food and having to rush the boy to a hospital.

“I know better than that!” the boy sounded offended that Kurt had such little faith in him. “Daddy told me about how our food and fairy food isnt the same and Im not to try any fairy food without asking him,” Danny informed his friend.

“Okay, sorry Danny. I was just trying to look out for you,” Kurt apologized.

“Oh! Because youre my guardian angel?” Danny asked.

“Yeah. Thats why. I care about you, Danny, and I want you to stay safe,” Kurt said, picking the small boy up to give him a hug.

“So...Daddy is just like a guardian angel, right?” he asked, his gaze going over to where his father was smiling at them.

“Yes, he is, buddy,” Kurt grinned, winking at Blaine. He set the boy down again so they could walk some more. They found all kinds of special places where Daniel was sure the fairies had built houses. Some in fallen, hollow logs or a few broken branches that had moss growing on them that looked like some sort of tent.

“Lets get back to the car, we want to see the Roosevelt cottage before noon so we have time to go into St. Andrews By-the-Bay,” Blaine encouraged them.

The cottage was fun. From the formal parlors and dining rooms to the elegant bedrooms for all of the many Roosevelt children, there was furniture and pictures and other things on display throughout the house. There were rooms for doing school work and play rooms with balls, badminton equipment, and toys for the smaller children. The tour guides told them all about the summers the president and his family spent here, boating, fishing, and playing all kinds of sports. They walked through the cottage, looking at all the antiques from the old days including the bass-wood and linen airplane that Elliott Roosevelt built with his father.

Danny was fascinated by the kitchen with the wood stoves and the copper boilers that served the family for cooking and washing. Of course, the Roosevelts had servants and there were simpler quarters where the maids lived. Outside were canoes and other things the family used for recreation during the summers they spent there.

Danny was getting tired by the time they finished the tour of the cottage, so they opted not to walk the grounds. Instead they drove to St. Andrews by-the-sea and found a restaurant that served lobster rolls. This time there was no shrimp basket for Danny – he wanted his own lobster roll and ate most of it himself.

They walked around the town a bit until a woman in a store asked them where they were from. She smiled and admired Dannys sweet smile and told them about the aquarium at the Huntsman Marine Ocean Science Center. She even called to be sure they were opened that day.

The aquarium was amazing. Blaine and Kurt knew because Danny said it every few minutes.

“Daddy! Come look at the blue lobster!” hed shout, looking in the glass front of the display case. He loved all the fish and other creatures he saw, asking questions about how the fish got along and why the crabs werent ones they could eat.

“Theres something upstairs he might like to see,” a very good looking man with wavy blond hair and a sparkling smile told them.

“Yes?” Blaine asked.

The man took him aside to whisper in his ear (while Kurt kept a very close eye on them!) and Blaine thanked him.

“Lets see whats upstairs, Danny,” Blaine said with enthusiasm. The went up in the elevator and Danny ran to another display, calling his dad and Kurt to come see the seals.

They joined him and watched the harbor seals, Loki and Snorkel, for a while. Then Blaine led them over to what looked like a pond in the middle of the floor, except it was 2 feet off the ground and had a ledge where Danny could sit and look into the shallow water.

“Oh!” he exclaimed as the rocks and plants revealed all kinds of animals and fish. “Look, theres a crab!” he shouted, followed by excited discoveries of clams, fish, snails, and all kinds of other things.

“This is a very special kind of pond, Danny. Its called a touch pool and you are allowed to touch the things in the pool,” Blaine explained to his son. Kurts eyebrows went up at the prospect of being able to touch some of the things in the pool.

“Oh, wow...” Danny said, reaching out a hand to put it in the edge of the water, looking around to be sure it was okay. A woman in a uniform was standing near the pool and she smiled at the little boy, nodding her head that it was fine. Blaine came over to instruct his hesitant son about the touch pool.

“You need to be careful, though, first, so you dont hurt any of the animals and second, that they dont hurt you. You know crabs and lobsters have claws – and those claws can pinch. So, dont try to pick one up,” Blaine smiled at his son.

“Okay, Daddy. Ill be soft and also careful,” Danny promised. He reached his finger down to touch a sea anemone. “Oh!” he said, his mouth in the shape of an O as he felt the funny prickles. He touched the back of a crab next, pulling his hand back quickly when the crab moved and scared him.

“This is so cool!” Kurt joined in, touching the shell of some kind of sea snail.

The guard walked over when Blaine stopped Danny from touching a stingray.

“No, its okay. They are very docile and they dont have stingers. Rays are my favorite citizens in the pool,” she told Blaine quietly. He turned and nodded to Danny that it was okay to touch it.

“Oh, Daddy. Its soft!” he exclaimed, surprised to feel the velvety surface. Blaine and Kurt both reached in to feel the rays, stroking them across their backs. When Kurt walked around to see Danny a little better, the ray followed him, swimming in circles at the top of the pool as if to get his attention again. Kurt laughed and petted the slick animal once more.

“Wow, thats amazing!” Blaine said, grinning at Kurt.

They stayed for a while longer, and finally decided to drive back to Lubec, wanting to go home, tired from the long day.

“Daddy, I have to go potty before we leave,” Danny said to his dad before they left the Touch Pool.

“Ill take him. I need to go, too,” Kurt offered.

Blaine made a quick trip to the gift shop, pocketing his purchase as he went back to the lobby. He turned as someone came up to him. It was the kind guard who helped them at the Touch Pool. She smiled at Blaine.

“Its so nice to see parents come here with their children. You and your husband have raised a very sweet little boy,” she said, a smile on her face. Blaine stood still for a moment, struck dumb by her compliment. He answered, not sure why he felt no reason to correct her impression.

“Thank you. Kurt and Daniel are the light of my life,” Blaine said, knowing every word of that was true.

Blaine heard a noise and turned, seeing a look go over Kurts face. Hed heard the conversation then. He didnt see the same wonder on his sons face. Danny had heard the guard and what his father had answered. He was afraid to say anything, it wasnt polite to correct your elders and Danny knew it well. He had a puzzled look as he followed the two men out of the building.

Blaine took Kurts hand, tugging him close and giving him a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth.

They made their way to the Navigator, buckling Danny in and driving back to the border crossing. It was dusk before they got home, Kurt carrying the sleepy boy into the house as Blaine got the rest of their things out of the SUV.

“Im too tired to eat, Daddy,” Danny said, picking up his head from Kurts shoulder. “I want to go to bed.”

“Sure, honey. You had a long day and no nap. Did you eat anything on the way home?” Blaine asked.

“The grapes and the peanut butter sandwich. Im not hungry anymore, Daddy,” Danny said, his voice betraying his sleepiness.

“Ill take him up to bed, Blaine,” Kurt offered.

“Okay, Ill get this stuff all put away and be up in a few minutes,” Blaine said, turning to unpack the ice chest.

“Mr. Kurt-Angel?”

“Yes, Daniel?” Kurt responded as he helped the boy off with his clothes and on with his pajamas. The little boy was so tired he was almost staggering and Kurt let him lean back against his chest, hands on Kurts knees to keep himself steady as he lifted first one then the other leg into the pajama pants. Daniel was thinking about the guard and what she had said to his dad. She thought Kurt was also his dad and she thought that the two of them were married. That thought started a warm glow in Dannys belly.

“I was wondering....since Daddy and I love you so much, can you come live with us? All my friends have two parents and I think Daddy would like it if you were my daddy, too,” he said, not realizing how much it meant to Kurt to hear the boy say this. Kurt bowed his head, swallowing the cry that was waiting in his throat to come out. He knew he had to say something to Danny, but he didnt know what that would be. Should he call Blaine up here to help? He jumped a bit when Daniel put a warm hand back on his knee to get his attention.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked. He could see that Kurt was emotional, even if he didnt know the word for it.

“How do you know your daddy feels like that?” Kurt managed to say, although it came out hoarse.

“I can see his face when he looks at you. I knew you were my guardian angel the day you saved me, thats why I let you take me to your partment. If I didnt know, I would have called for a policeman,” Danny said in a serious tone.

Kurt sat looking at the boy for a moment, thoughts stirring in his head. He hadnt even thought of that – why had the boy gone with him so willingly?

“Tell me more,” Kurt asked. Daniel yawned.

“Daddy has your picture in his drawer at home. I was looking for my red bouncy ball and I saw the picture. It was in a frame like the one of Grandma Flora and Grandpa Zebulon. Im not supposed to be in Daddys drawers, theyre private. Dont tell him, please. I forgot when I was looking for my ball,” Danny told him in a whisper.

“I wont tell, honey. What did the picture look like?” Kurt asked, not noticing he had called the boy by the pet name his dad used.

“It was you and Daddy, kissing. You were outside my grandmas house – the other grandma we dont talk about. You were by the lilac bushes and Daddy had funny plastic hair, but I knew it was him. He and you are...kissing. There is a heart drawn on the bottom of the frame and squiggly writing.”

Kurt knew exactly which picture that was. He smiled at Dannys description of Blaines hair gelled down back then. They had been at a party and went to Blaines house to get more ice. He and Blaine kissed by the lilac bushes in the front of the house and Rachel had snapped the photo. Kurt had it framed and gave it to Blaine for Christmas that year. Hed drawn the heart when he signed it.

Blaine kept that photo in his dresser drawer?

“Gnight, Mr Kurt-Angel,” Danny said, his eyes falling closed as he laid down in his bed. Kurt pulled his blanket around his shoulders and kissed him good night on his pink cheek.