Cooper was sitting at the dining table by himself. He had told Blaine and Kurt what time lunch was, and like his father he had no patience for latecomers. He lived by a schedule and it had been reinforced all through college and medical school. Right on time was ten minutes late to him. He sighed and was about to go find Blaine and drag him to the lunch table by the ear when he looked up to see the boys coming into the room.

Kurt had a small bruise started on his neck, close to his collar. Both of them had slightly swollen lips, cherry red in Blaines case and rosy pink in Kurts. They were holding hands, which they did a lot anyway, but this was different. He could see white knuckles on both of them. Hmmm. Maybe what he guessed at this morning was happening without his nudging his brother. Cooper smiled. He was really happy for Blaine, Kurt might just be the perfect partner for his love-starved little brother after all.

“Well...” Cooper started, his face a mask of stern reprimand, but Blaine interrupted him.

“We are not late, so dont go there. See?” Blaine pointed at the long-case clock that stood against the wall. Just as Cooper opened his mouth, the clock began to strike and when it was done the Westminster Quarter chimes began to play. Kurt stared at the clock, a smile on his face.

“Its a Lumen Watson,” Cooper said.

“A what?” Kurt looked at Coop, a question on his face.

“Lumen Watson, one of the early American clock makers and one of the few who made long-case clocks. Grandpa Grant is a clock enthusiast,” Blaine explained.

“Long case clock?” Kurt asked.

“You might have heard it called a grandfather clock? That came years after the first ones were invented. Its from a popular song but the correct term is long case clock,” Blaine told him.

“Well, you learn something new every day,” Kurt said, sitting on the chair as Blaine pushed it in for him. Kurt smiled a thank you. Cooper was sort of singing under his breath:

“My grandfathers clock was too large for the shelf
So it stood ninety years on the floor
It was taller by half than the old man himself
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more”

By the time he got to the chorus, both Blaine and Kurt were singing with him:

Ninety years without slumbering
tick, tock, tick, tock
His life seconds numbering
tick, tock, tick, tock
It stopped, short never to run again
When the old man died”

They all laughed, sharing the moment.

“Wow, Blaine, and here I thought you were always so top 40,” Kurt teased him.

“I was thinking that after lunch we could take my new car for a spin?” Blaine asked, grinning at his brother.

“Blaine, a car is not to go racing around in. I know how you used to drive in Italy – this is America and it is different here. You have to obey the rules, you know,” Cooper warned his brother.

“Oh, like your fine example of how you drive your Miata?” Blaine asked, a defiant look on his face.

“I drive by the rules. When...” Cooper started to ask.

“How many tickets have you had since...” Blaine countered, but Kurt interrupted them.

“Blaine, I wont ride in the car if you act like the streets are your private racetrack. A car should be respected and treated gently so it lasts, not taken for granted.”

Cooper and Blaine sat as if they had been chastised, giving each other side-glances.

“Okay, Kurt,” Blaine said. He remembered Kurts father was a mechanic.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

After lunch, Cooper excused himself to drive back to Cleveland. He had class on Monday morning and needed to tie some things up there before coming back to live in Westerville.

“Okay, here are the new keys. Car, front door, side door, garage, pool house, and back door. Dont lose them,” Cooper told his brother as he handed over the keys on a ring. It had a brass ring attached with a 1971 dogs license and rabies tag on it along with a brass tag claiming it to be: “Buck property of Buddy” and gave the address and phone number.

“Oh...this was Uncle Buddys, wasnt it? I remember him carrying this with his keys when I was a kid,” Blaine said. “The tag was from Buddys dog, Buck.”

“I found it in a drawer in the kitchen and thought you might like it,” Coop added.

“Buck?” Kurt asked, trying to recall where hed heard that name before. A light went on in his mind and he startled.

“Andy told me about Buddys dog. He said it was part St. Bernard and part Buick,” Kurt said. The brothers turned as one, looking at Kurt. He was frowning.

“Something wrong?” Blaine asked, but Kurt wasnt sure he wanted to tell them. He stared at Blaine, knowing the boy wanted him to continue, so he gave in.

“I was assaulted at a park walking home one day in Lima. Several bullies from my school were trying to hit me when a huge, shaggy dog came running up and got between me and them. He growled and the bully said he was going to cut the dog - but you could see he was scared half to death of it. I told them it wasnt my dog, but the animal was defending me and the guys ran off. I rubbed my eyes and looked back up – and the dog was gone, like he disappeared in to thin air,” Kurt related to the brothers.

Cooper looked uncomfortable.

Blaine exchanged looks with him, then sighed.

“Tell him,” Blaine urged his brother. Cooper sighed.

“I had the same thing happen. I was in the locker room after a game of lacrosse, just getting my game uniform off. I had stopped to talk to the coach for a while, so my teammates were already in the showers. I went in and there was the other team, really angry because we had beat them soundly in the game. Two of the guys had been trying to get the ball from me and collided – and blamed me - they were out on the injury list for the next three games.

“They tried to jump me, the few teammates in the locker room left and the two cornered me. They had their lacrosse sticks and I was sure they were going to mess me up. Then I saw a dog coming into the building...he stopped in front of me, like he was guarding me. The cowards were afraid of the dog - - well, I cant blame them, he was huge and all full of snarls and teeth. They ran away and I was watching them, but as soon as I turned back the dog was gone,” Cooper related. He looked nervous, as if he feared Kurt would verbally attack him, but Kurt just put out a hand to lay on his forearm for a brief minute.

“Where were you? At Dalton?” Kurt asked.

“No. I was in Melbourne,” Cooper said. “It was not for a few years that I was here visiting Uncles Buddy and Andy. I dont know how it came up, but I told them the story and they looked at each other and said, “Buck”.

“Uncle Buddy was afraid for most of his life. He was strong and smart, but he had something bad happen when he was younger and wouldnt go into cities or walk on the street alone. So one day Uncle Andy bought him a dog to protect him. He had it trained to guard Buddy and Buddy loved that dog more than anything. Well, except Andy, of course,” Blaine explained.

“And Buck came to you in Australia?” Kurt said, wonder showing in his eyes.

“Yeah, he did,” Cooper said.

Nobody said anything for a little while, each contemplating what the appearance of Buck might mean.

Cooper finally broke the silence. “Well, Im off. You two take care of each other. Ill be back next week for a few days. Ill call when Im on my way,” Cooper said, hugging Blaine and then turning and giving Kurt a hug -much to his surprise.

Blaine and Kurt went back inside and did the dishes. Lena wouldnt be back until Wednesday. She and her husband, Floyd, were the caretakers of the house and kept it clean and safe while the Andersons were away.

“Do you want to see any more of the house? Its pretty boring, so we could go out back?” Blaine asked.

“Sure,” Kurt agreed. He followed Blaine out the back door. They walked along the garden path, looked at the rose garden which could be smelled before it came into sight. “Wow, those smell so good!”

“Floyd takes good care of them. The rose garden is Grandma Phoebes favorite thing in the whole estate. I like it, too,” Blaine smiled. He took Kurts hand and they wandered along paths made of crushed granite to see the rest of the yard. “This is the gazebo that Grandpa built for Grandma for a wedding present,” Blaine showed him, walking up the steps to sit on the bench.

“Be careful where you sit...” Blaine warned, pulling Kurt close before he had a chance to sit down. He moved them farther along the bench to a cleaner space.

Kurt looked around, trying to find out what left the mess on the bench. Blaine pointed a finger at a tree and Kurt could see something roosting there.

“When Andy was a kid, his mother got some peacocks. The male was named Hugo and he chased poor Uncle Andy all over. I dont know if youve ever heard a peacock screech?” Blaine asked and Kurt shook his head no. “Well, it is loud. Really loud. Hugo used to sneak up behind him and peck his leg. Then hed screech and Andy would run. He got used to it and that just broke Hugos heart until Buddy came along. The bird was in seventh heaven with a new victim to chase,” Blaine laughed. Kurt could tell it was one of those family legends that grew with the telling and everyone knew it so well it was as if they had lived it themselves.

The weather was still a bit warm in spite of the calendar saying it was fall, so the boys walked back inside and up to Blaines paradise room.

They unpacked a few boxes, putting away some clothes which Kurt smiled at because of the Italian labels, and a variety of things from CDs to books to personal care items. Kurt squealed when he saw the Nesti Dante soap and the Felce Azzurra body wash. He screwed open the lid and took a deep sniff, his smile growing bigger.

“Oh, do you like that?” Blaine asked.

“Are you kidding? I love this scent,” Kurt answered, but he didnt tell Blaine it was because it reminded him of Blaine himself.

“You can have it. I have a carton of stuff like that. My school was near a little boutique that stocked local items, so I bought a lot of it,” Blaine said. Kurt opened the lid once more, shaking out a little dab to smooth over his wrists.

“Thank you, Blaine. That is so nice of you,” Kurt said. He went back to help open a much larger box that was double-boxed and had a different sticker on it, proclaiming it to have been air lifted overnight. When they finally got the box open with the aid of a pair of scissors and a knife, Blaine lifted out a guitar. It was an old one, well worn and much loved. Blaines look and care of the instrument reminded Kurt of a father with his new baby and he almost laughed.

“Oh, I didnt know Dad shipped this. Whoa, I have missed this,” Blaine said, cradling the guitar in his arms before holding it properly and tuning it.

“Tell me a song and Ill play it for you,” Blaine offered.

“Can you play if I sing something you dont know? I mean just by listening?” Kurt asked. Andy had been able to do that and Kurt guessed that maybe Blaine could, too.

“I can try, go ahead and Ill follow along where I can,” Blaine offered.

“This is the song that Andy told me he sang for Buddy. The one I seemed to know...

“Ill walk in the rain by your side
Ill cling to the warmth of your gentle hand
Ill do anything to help you understand
and Ill love you more than anybody can.”

By the second verse, Blaine was playing along and by the third he was singing it. He remembered that Andy used to sing this song with Buddy, but it still surprised him that he could play it so quickly and even more that he knew the words. Maybe Kurt was right – maybe the song really was magic of some sort.

“Ill be there when youre feeling down
To kiss away the tears if you cry
Ill share with you all the happiness Ive found
A reflection of the love in your eyes.

And Ill sing you the songs of the rainbow
A picture of the joy that is mine
The leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime.

Ill walk in the rain by your side
Ill cling to the warmth of your gentle hand
Ill do anything to help you understand
and Ill love you more than anybody can.

And the wind will whisper your name to me
Little birds will sing along in time
The leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime.”

When the song was done, Kurt was on the verge of tears. He missed Andy so much, but Blaine seemed to understand and set down his guitar and put his arms around Kurt. He tugged him into his lap and cuddled him into his chest, kissing the tears from his cheeks. Kurt closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek on Blaines shirt, taking in the glorious scent of black pepper, citrus, and another less recognizable scent – one he was beginning to love when he was snuggling with Blaine. He smelled like vanilla cookies, spring rain and...something else, something fresh and sensual.

“Hey, are you alright?” Blaine asked. Kurt brought his attention back from his obsession on Blaines scent.

“Yes. I know the song made Andy happy, so I have no reason to cry. It just makes me miss him and I feel sad. I guess Im just preprogrammed to link together all the people Ive lost in my life – first my mother when I was eight, then my grandmother a few years later. I had just about given up on life with the terror I experienced in school with the bullies when I met Andy and he changed my life. I am so glad I met him, it was like kismet or fate or something,” Kurt said, stopping the waterworks. He smiled at Blaine, so grateful that his moods didnt affect Blaines apparent care for him.

“I bet you made him happy, too, Kurt. He was practically despondent when Uncle Buddy died. We all tried to keep in better contact, but letters only go so far, you know. You were an answer to a prayer, Kurt,” Blaine said, his hand cupping Kurts chin to be sure he was listening. Kurt tended to get shy and put his head down, so Blaine made sure.

A while later they had unpacked maybe a third of the boxes, but Blaine called a halt.

“We can do the rest later, Im in no hurry to get them all done today. Lets sit and rest for a few minutes. I think we were going to talk?” Blaine suggested.

“I know we said that we should talk over what happened this morning,” Kurt said. He and Blaine were now sitting on the bed, shoes kicked off and facing each other.

“I hope it...well, about this morning...Im sorry if I overstepped,” Blaine said quietly, his face getting rosy with his blush. The thoughts of sitting in the bathroom while Kurt was in the shower brought back the intense feelings he had experienced and his body was craving some more of that.

“It took two to tango, Blaine. I was a willing participant,” Kurt said, his own blush darkening.

“Kurt, I...I just...since the first day, I knew we had something, a connection that was something so new to me --but at the same time it felt like I had known you all my life. That makes no sense at all, I know,” Blaine said. He looked at Kurt, afraid of what he might see, but all he could see in Kurts eyes was acceptance and maybe something more. He wanted to believe that he saw something close to love, but he couldnt be sure. Kurt held out his hand, reaching for Blaines cheek and cupped it, bringing it close and placing his lips on Blaines.

Blaine helped Kurt to lie back on his bed. He kept kissing him, their lips in danger of getting chapped as they kept on. He was lying practically on top of Kurt, the worry that he was squashing him was at the back of his mind, but he couldnt bring himself to act on it.

“I couldnt help it, Kurt. When I could hear you....Im sorry, I know I should have left the room or maybe let you know sooner,” Blaine said, looking down as he confessed.

“Its all right. I should have known...those walls are thin as paper. I was usually thinking of you, though.” Kurt couldnt believe he was telling Blaine this. He was beyond blushing now and moved to hide his face in Blaines neck.

“Lets just let it go, we have so many things to talk about now, right?”

“Okay, but maybe less talking for a while?” Kurt asked and placed his hands on Blaines shoulders to gently push him over, climbing on top of him and giving him a deep, thorough kiss, almost removing his tonsils in the attempt.

“Blaine? I have to tell you something,” Kurt said in a soft voice, pulling back to look at Blaine.

“Yes?”

“Ah...I have no idea what Im doing. I love kissing you, but I have no clue what to do next, I mean what couples do next. Have you...ah...dated a lot?” Kurt asked.

“No, not a lot – unless you count a few dates that were just pals having fun, we went to supper or dancing, then wed have a chaste goodnight kiss as I dropped him off at his door. Yes, I went on maybe a dozen dates, but they were all pretty much alike,” Blaine said. “Italian boys have a reputation, but it wasnt the way it turned out for me,” Blaine laughed. “It was all pretty – tame to say the least.”

“Oh...so youve never had sex?” Kurt asked, too curious to mind his manners for a minute.

“No. I suppose I messed around with some boys from time to time, but it was never more than innocent curiosity. Unless you consider this morning?” Blaine laughed.

“Oh, Blaine...I have been considering this morning all day long,” Kurt said as Blaine rolled them over so he was now on top.

Blaine leaned down into another kiss, this time not so frantic. It was soft and sensual, and Kurt let Blaine pull him closer. Blaine kissed across Kurts cheek and down his neck, smiling inside when Kurt giggled.

“That tickles,” Kurt whispered, moving his head to give Blaine more of his neck to kiss and nibble on. Kurt was squirming, the delicious shivers tingling down his back and gathering in his belly. Blaine continued to mouth along Kurts collarbone, unbuttoning his shirt to have more contact with Kurts beautiful skin. He continued to unbutton the oxford shirt, Kurts quiet gasps a catalyst to Blaines determination to touch him, bring him closer to the next level.

As Blaine kissed down his chest, Kurt began to tremble. He had never been this close to anyone and all the feelings that were now overtaking him scared him.

“Hey, Kurt, is everything all right? Why are you shaking?”

“I dont know....it is just a new feeling and, well, ah...I dont understand why Im shaking, really.”

“We dont have to do anything, especially if youre not comfortable with this. Here, sit up,” Blaine said, reluctantly stopping what he was doing and helping Kurt to sit up. “We dont have to do anything but kiss if thats what you want.” Blaine held Kurt close and just looked into his eyes.

“Im sorry, Blaine. I mean, you are what I want, but Im just so nervous...I just dont know how to act or what to do,” he said, pushing Blaine away and getting up from the bed. He rushed out of the room, not really sure where he was going. He wasnt angry at Blaine, more like he was angry at himself for being such a prude when in his heart he wanted everything that Blaine had to share. He rushed down the long hallway and stopped in a doorway, opening the door and going inside the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Kurt?” Blaine called as he walked down the hallway. He was angry at himself for not paying enough attention to how Kurt was feeling, basically chasing him away because of his own selfishness. Blaine sighed and walked slowly, listening for where Kurt might have gone. He was fairly sure the boy hadnt left the house.

Down several doorways, he heard a muffled sob.

“Kurt? Can I come in?” Blaine asked, knocking softly at the door.

“Yes,” Kurt mumbled. He had gone into another bedroom – this one with two twin beds and decorated with pastel colors in neutral shades. Framed watercolors decorated the walls, but the room lacked any real personality, making Kurt think it was a guest room rather than belonging to someone in the family.

Blaine opened the door quietly, stepping in and walking over to his friend.

“Im sorry, Kurt. I honestly did not mean to upset you. Please, if you come back, I swear I wont bother you or force myself on you again,” Blaine said in a contrite tone. He was honestly sorry.

Kurt stood up from the chair he was sitting in, going to Blaine and hugging him tightly.

“No, you did nothing wrong. I just panicked. I do want you, Blaine. I want to share things like that with you, but it scares me. I wasnt kidding when I told you I have no idea what comes next. I was just...” Kurt couldnt think of the words and buried his face in Blaines neck.

Blaine was taken by surprise, thinking Kurt had been angry. His arms went around the boy, hugging him back. He just stood there, holding Kurt, waiting for him to make the next move for quite a while.

“Blaine? Can we go back to your room? I just want you to hold me and my feet are sore from standing,” Kurt asked.

“Of course, Kurt. Anything,” Blaine said, placing a platonic kiss on Kurts temple. They walked back to the conservatory-turned-bedroom and sat down on the bed once more.

“I need you to talk to me, Kurt. Tell me what youre thinking because I totally misread what was happening between us, and I dont want you to feel as if you need to run away from me. All you have to do is say No. Ill stop, I promise. Do you trust me to do that?” Blaine asked. He had taken Kurts hand and was sitting a bit away from him. Blaine looked into Kurts eyes, showing him in every way he could that he was being honest. Kurt gazed back, not moving his eyes from Blaines, feeling both the need for Kurts trust and the powerful emotions surrounding it.

“Yeah, I do trust you. I just panicked, and Im sorry. I apologize. Please...” Kurt took a deep breath. “Please, lets go back to where we were – just being close and kissing, okay?” Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded and, moving slowly, took Kurt in his arms again. He gave him a chaste kiss on the temple and held him. He could feel Kurts heart pounding in his chest and saw his cheeks flush with a dark rosy blush.

Kurt was fine with this, he liked it when Blaine touched him like this, holding him close. He could smell Blaines scent, the pepper and citrus body wash, the soap he used to wash his face. Kurt didnt like anything too musky or overpowering, and he could smell Blaines own scent that was like clean laundry and fresh grass. He could feel his muscles begin to relax in Blaines arms, the feeling of safety and maybe love was so clearly there that Kurt could almost taste it.

Maybe this was the key to it all – to analyze what he was thinking and feeling, then he wasnt afraid. It was the unknown that he feared, not the execution of whatever Blaine wanted. Suddenly that was very clear in Kurts head and he needed to tell Blaine that, but just now he needed to kiss him even more. Turning his head a bit, shifting his shoulders, he closed his eyes and brought his lips to Blaines. The boy responded, not hard but a gentle movement, brushing against Kurts lips and almost caressing them with his own. Kurt loved this and kissed him again, jumping just a bit when Blaines warm tongue touched his bottom lip. Kurt let himself go, not thinking of each individual action, but doing what came naturally and not holding back. Blaine hummed his pleasure as Kurt relaxed more in his arms and kept kissing him.