The sun was shining, but Blaine and Kurt had already been up for hours. They wanted to see the sunrise, and were sitting on a beach watching the horizon as the sun came up over the Pacific Ocean. It was like living inside a postcard.

They had been in Bora Bora for two weeks, spending most of their time together, away from other people – but that's what honeymoons are for, aren't they? Just the same, the boys craved company and so tonight they were going to the only dance club on the island, La Recife Discotheque. It was advertised to have Techno music, which wasn't either of the boys' favorite, but it would be a new experience.

Today they were headed to Matira Beach, then to rent a jet ski at Moana Jet Skis. Kurt was a little apprehensive about this, but Blaine couldn't be talked out if it – so, Kurt would make the best of it.

They were hungry for brunch, and so Kurt had pushed Blaine to the restaurant in the Hilton. It was crowded and the waiter asked them if they would like to wait 45 minutes or share a table with a couple of other patrons. Kurt would probably be happy for the rest of his life if he just had Blaine, but Blaine was always happy in a crowd of people, so Kurt nodded to him and they agreed to share a table.

The hostess led them to a quiet table towards the back of the room, She removed a chair and Kurt moved Blaine's wheel chair closer to the table, then sat down at the chair next to him. He put on a smile and turned to the two women sitting at the table.

“Thank you so much for sharing your table with us, my name is Kurt and this is my husband, Blaine,” Kurt said, getting ready for the expected reaction – a distasteful look, or maybe just coldness. But there was none of that, just glowing smiles.

The pretty petite woman to his right held out her hand. “Ever so nice to meet you, my name is Michelle. My friend, Lory, and I won tickets for a week on Tahiti and we came over to see Bora Bora on the helicopter this morning for breakfast.”

The much older woman smiled and shook their hands. “Isn't this a wonderful place? I've never been far from home before, I live in a tiny town in Colorado. I met Michelle on the internet, we're both on a writer's forum and we just sort of became friends. The internet makes the world so much smaller, how else would I ever be able to meet someone from so far away?”

“Far away?” Kurt asked, although he could tell from her lovely accent that Michelle probably wasn't from Colorado.

“I'm from the southern part of England,” Michelle said, smiling at the boys. She had children about their age and was charmed by them. “Do you travel a lot?”

Kurt smiled. “No, we're from Ohio. I've never been farther than New York, but my husband has been all over Europe and Asia.”

Blaine grinned, loving having new people to talk to. “We're on our honeymoon!” he crowed.

The foursome had brunch together, telling stories and chatting, just as though they'd known each other all their lives. When the meal was over, they all got up to go. Blaine took Michelle's hands and pulled her down so he could kiss her cheek, then did the same for Lory. Kurt followed suit, the women wishing them all happiness in their marriage. They parted ways, waving as the women walked the opposite way down the beach.

“Oh, that was nice,” Blaine said, still waving a few minutes later. “They were so fun! Imagine, they had never been anywhere, but won tickets to this paradise!”

“Well, I actually can imagine that, baby, because I've never been anywhere, either,” Kurt grinned. He leaned over to kiss Blaine's cheek and they started down the path. Instead of the Jet Ski, they decided to take their brunch companions' advice and take a helicopter tour of the two islands. It was so much more fun, seeing all the bays and Mt Otemanu, the extinct volcano, from the air.

Over the next week, they mostly swam in the warm water, went several times to Coral Gardens to see the fish, went on an Island Wave Runner boat to tour the island, went to a Polynesian Fire Dance and Feast, and spent long hours in their bungalow, doing what most honeymoon couples do – enjoy each other's company.

All too soon, it was time to go back to Ohio, back to the friends and family they were beginning to miss so much. The stress-free relaxing tropical paradise had done wonders for both boys, and they were happier than they had ever been. Blaine's illness was still a factor, and Kurt was still doing all the work of a caregiver - but he had never minded that. He still worried from time to time, but they were both benefiting from the time away. Kurt had filled memory cards with pictures, Blaine had played his harmonica almost every night, the notes spilling across the waters.

The last day, they went back to the White Valley where they had gone the first day, and went snorkeling. They followed the shoals of fish, picking up shells to look closer, Blaine held on to Kurt's back as he swam out a ways and they rolled and tumbled in the water like sea lions. Back at the bungalow, they packed and got ready for the speed boat to take them to the airport, where they bought last minute trinkets and postcards to remember their trip. They had visited the market and bought everyone presents last week.

At the airport in Columbus, Burt, Finn, and Cooper met them at the gate. Blaine was unloaded first as his wheelchair was in the front of the plane, but Kurt carried him off the plane before setting him in the chair.

“Wow, it's cold here!” Kurt said, rubbing his arms although they were still inside the airport. He tucked Blane's afghan tighter around his legs and started pushing him down to luggage pick-up. Coop and Finn met them there and all the suitcases were eventually loaded into the Navigator, Burt driving them home.

They were met at the door by the whole family, hugging and kissing as though they had been gone for years. Even Mrs Shaw came and gave each boy a kiss. Before they even unpacked, they were whisked off to the dining room for dinner and gave their family the presents they bought for them in French Polynesia. There were black pearl necklaces for Rachel and Mercedes, a carved mother-of-pearl broach for Mrs Shaw, framed paintings of the island sunsets for Finn and Cooper, and for Burt and Carole a traditional tifaifai quilt. In addition, they brought back Tahitian vanilla, Tahiti gardenia soap, and pareus (sarongs) for the girls. It was a wonderful homecoming and by the end of the evening, both Mercedes and Blaine were sound asleep on opposite ends of the sofa. Kurt looked at Cooper. “Well, you get yours and I'll get mine,” as they picked up their spouses to head to bed.

As he got to the door of the kitchen, headed down the hall to their room, Burt caught up with Kurt. “Here, kiddo, I'll help you,” and he took the sleeping Blaine from Kurt's arms and placed him in their bed. Burt turned to his son, gathering him in his arms and holding him tight to his chest. “I'm so glad to have you home, Kurt. I missed you. I know you are grown now, but I am just not ready to let you go, I guess.”

“Oh, Dad, I missed you, too. More than anybody. And I'm not going anywhere, we haven't graduated from high school yet, we haven't decided on colleges, there is nothing written in stone that we have to leave yet. Okay? We can all talk about this later. I'm just happy to get into my own bed tonight.” Kurt hugged his dad one more time. “I'll see you in the morning at breakfast.”

Kurt sat on the edge of the bed, unlacing Blaine's shoes. He was dead tired, but he had to get them ready for sleep. He yawned and slid off the shoes, pulling socks and then jeans after, folding the jeans and setting them on the bench. He untied Blaine's bow tie, placing it in the drawer, then unbuttoned his shirt. Taking off his own clothes, folding and stacking, getting out pajamas for them both. These tasks were easy, but each one built up to a lot and Kurt was getting so tired.

He leaned over his sleeping husband, “Blaine. Blaine, baby, wake up a little, okay?”

Blaine opened his eyes, looking around himself in confusion. He'd had some pain medication earlier because of the plane flight and was still a little groggy. “Oh, sure, oh....” realizing he was in bed now. He put out his arms for Kurt, this being part of their nightly routine: Kurt carrying him to the bathroom before he got his pajamas on. “Kurt? I'm so tired, can we just take a shower in the morning?”

“Just what I was thinking. I'm dead on my feet.”

A few minutes later, Blaine was back in bed, Kurt helping him a little to get his pajama pants on. Blaine scooted over to the right side of the bed, under the warm blankets, and waited for Kurt to get ready for bed. Blaine heard the door and looked up just in time to dive under the covers as a very over-excited collie launched himself at the bed, howling in ecstasy as he greeted his long-lost masters. Jumping and wagging and licking, Aramis rolled over to get his belly rubbed and was finally ordered off the bed. He curled up on his rug, tail still beating fast in joyful celebration of the homecoming.

Finally, Kurt slid under the covers, his arms automatically scooping Blaine close and placing kisses all over his face. Blaine returned the favor, his white teeth sparkling in a huge grin. “This is our first night as a married couple in our own bed, in our own room, in our own house. Can you believe it?”

Kurt smiled back at him. “The first of many, baby.”

They hugged, then relaxed as they tangled their arms and legs together and fell asleep, waiting for perhaps tomorrow to christen the new sheets.

It was late March and spring was on it's way. Aramis had grown into a beautiful dog, with all the athletic strength and heavy coat of his breed. He loved his daily walk with Kurt and Blaine to the park and slept at the foot of their bed. Blaine had been tired one morning and Kurt was outside throwing a ball for the dog.

“Blaine? I need to talk with you. Can we come into my office?” Cooper called down the hallway. He had come downstairs, dodging the plastic tarps that were hanging in the upstairs hall where some construction was going on. There was still a bit of dust hanging in the air that the tarps didn't stop, and he sneezed again.

“Blaine...”

“Yes, Cooper. I heard you. Do I need to get Kurt, too?” he asked, looking up from the table in the kitchen where he was finishing his lunch. “He just went out back with Aramis if you need him.”

“No, Squirt, I don't need your Siamese twin. But I'll hang my head out the back door to tell him I'm kidnapping you so he won't panic, the poor Mama Tiger.”

“Don't be so hard on him, Coop. He's my husband, you know. I don't tease you about Mercy, do I?”

“Well, yes, but I get it. Okay, I'll be right back. They should have the elevator installed by Friday, so you won't need to have somebody carry you up the stairs, you can ride in style!”

“Oh, Coop. I told you we didn't really need that. I feel weird you made me get that installed when I'm not going to need it as soon as my legs are working again," Blaine looked a little sad.

“Now, B, we talked about this. It's your house, after all, and you made the final decision. Besides, with four floors, it makes sense. I don't know why it didn't have one to begin with. Besides, it's better for Mrs Shaw's legs. It's hard on her to change linen on the top floor and then to carry the laundry basket down to the basement,” Cooper said in his defense.

“You're right. Okay, I'm ready when you are,” Blaine returned.

After telling Kurt that he was taking Blaine up to the office on the second floor, Cooper picked his brother up in his arms and carried him up the stairs, thankful to set him down in the soft leather chair in his office. Cooper liked things that were well loved, and his office reflected that – with soft brocade chairs, a leather sofa, mahogany wall paneling, dark green velvet drapes, and an antique oak desk that took up a whole quarter on the room.

“Whew! I swear, Kurt is feeding you too much, I think you've gained about 30 pounds this week!” Coop kidded, wiping imaginary sweat from his face with a big white handkerchief.

“I've gained a total of seven pounds since I got home from the hospital, so don't go there,” Blaine shot back, grinning.

“Yeah, I know. You need to eat, buddy, you are too skinny.”

“Hmmmm..”

“Let's get right to it. I am talking to you as an owner of the company. I know you haven't been involved with the business part, mainly because of your age and illness, but I need to know what you want to do. Your grades are such that you can go to just about any college you can get into and I need to know if you intend to do that. Plus, I want to know if this is what you really want to do. You have enough income to live in grand style the rest of your life and never work a day. But I know that isn't you. If you want to pursue a career in some sort of musical endeavor, you know I will support that,” Cooper started.

“I still have to talk all this over with Kurt,” Blaine said.

“I know that. But I brought you here alone to get a feeling of what you think. Of course we'll include Kurt and his family in whatever decisions we make. But I wanted this first meeting to be between you and me.”

“And Mother?” Blaine asked.

“Well, no. That's part of it. Mother and I spoke quite a bit the week she was here. What we have decided is that I will take the domestic part of the company, she will take the European-Asian piece. It will remain the same company, but the two parts will function completely separately.”

“Okay. Well, haven't discussed this with Kurt at all. But I would like anything I do to also include him. I've known all my life that I would have to get a degree in some sort of business administration, so the dream of doing something with music has always been just that – a dream. I'll go to whichever university you want, but I'd like to ask Kurt before I decide, it wouldn't make any sense to go to a different one than he will be attending.”

“Well, Squirt, that's the whole reason I wanted to talk to you. I see no reason that you should have to take your degree in business administration. There are plenty of people to run those parts of the company. I want you to be happy, B. So why not continue with your music? I, for one, would love to go to Carnegie Hall and listen to my brother the concert pianist play one day.”

Blaine's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought this was ever a possibility, he thought his fate was sealed and he was ready to step up to the plate. “But why? You went to Columbia, you got your degrees in business administration, why couldn't you pursue your own dream?” Blaine asked.

“Oh, Squirt, don't you know? That is my dream. I love this. But I have always known it wasn't yours.”

“You're sure?” Blaine was almost afraid to ask.

“Yeah, I'm sure. But I have another idea, and I want to ask you about it. I know a man that has spent his lifetime working towards running a company. He's been a big success, and he's not even 50 yet. I'd like to poach him away from the company he built and bring him into ours. I'd trust him with my life, and I know he would have our best interest at heart.” Cooper looked at his brother with steady eyes.

“This seems kind of sudden. Are you sure? You've never mentioned this to me before, are you really sure about this guy?” Blaine seemed apprehensive.

“Yeah. Pretty damn sure or I wouldn't have brought it up. What do you think?”

“You know I trust your judgment, Cooper. I know most of the big guys at the company, so maybe I'd want to meet this guy first?”

“Oh, no need for that.” Cooper smirked.

“Well, I know I'm not exactly an employee of the company, but I think I have a right to meet someone you want to hand over the keys to!” Blaine said with a little irritation in his voice.

“No need because you know him already.”

Blaine just raised an eyebrow.

“His name is Burt Hummel.”

A slow smile spread across Blaine's face. “You are not only the best businessman I've ever known, you're also the best brother. I love you, Coop.”

“We'll see. I haven't mentioned this to anyone, I wanted your opinion first.”

“Let's talk to him.”

By the end of the next day, it had all been settled. Burt, Carole, Cooper, Blaine, Mercedes, Finn, and Kurt had all sat down and discussed it. Burt would be working for Anderson Inc. starting in the fall. They also agreed to give their old house to Finn, along with the Tire and Lube Company that Burt had started at his age. Finn had been offered a position with Anderson Inc, but preferred the garage. He was overjoyed because he had been contemplating joining the military, and this seemed a better life for him. Carole was thrilled.

They had all agreed to keep their living arrangements the same. Blaine's house was too big for just him, and he was happy to have Burt and Carole stay, along with Cooper and Mercedes and Finn until he had graduated from high school and taken over the garage.

The discussions about the future got Kurt and Blaine interested in talking about their own future. With Blaine's illness, they had just put college applications on the back burner.

“You know, Kurt, the family owns an apartment in lower Manhattan. We could live there for the time we're in school if you want,” Blaine suggested.

“Wow, you are just full of surprised today, baby. I'm still reeling about my dad joining Cooper. Yeah, maybe that would work?” Kurt was smiling so much his face hurt. The possibilities were endless.

“I'll call Ms Pillsbury in the morning, so we can get right on those applications,” Blaine said, his smile matching Kurt's.

“But we need to speak to the doctors first. I don't want you to do something that will damage your recovery, baby. We have to know you're healthy enough to go to New York and that you can withstand the rigors of life there.” Kurt was worried.

“No problem, I'm sure it will all work out. I'm excited to go.”

As it turned out, the doctors weren't as enthusiastic about Blaine going to New York as he was. After an hour long complete examination and then another hour in their offices, Kurt and Blaine came home totally dejected.

“Don't give up, baby,” Kurt said, lying on their bed holding Blaine in his arms. “They did give us hope. If we can get your strength up, we can go to college next year. He didn't say you would never be able to go, just that you need time to recover before you do anything that will sap so much of your strength.”

“I know. I expect to be in New York, attending college, by next year. But there is no reason you can't go. You can live in the apartment and go to school there,” Blaine said, half-heartedly. He didn't want to be what stood in the way of Kurt being everything he ever wanted to be in life. “You have talked about being on Broadway as long as I've known you. You should go.”

Kurt put his hand under Blaine's chin and moved his head so he was looking into Kurt's eyes. “Oh, Blaine. How could I ever go anywhere without you? My dream of Broadway can wait. But my dream of always being beside you? That can never wait. I love you, baby, and I'm never leaving you. Not for school, not for Broadway. I can wait until we're there together, or I can spend the rest of my life right here. As long as I can hold you in my arms every day, it's all I need.”

And he pulled Blaine close to his side, and they kissed and cuddled and spoke sweet things to each other until they fell asleep, content to wait for another year to go to college.

Later that same night....

“What's up?” Kurt asked, as Aramis paced between the bed and the door, whining.

“I don't know, but he's been whining for a few minutes. Better go see,” Blaine said, unwrapping his legs and arms from Kurt.

Kurt got up and opened the door to the hallway, walked down and through the kitchen to the living room. There was Cooper, still in his pajama pants with a coat on and a suitcase, looking for his car keys.

“Coop? What's...” Kurt started to ask, but one look up the stairs answered his question. There was Carole and Finn, supporting a very panicked Mercedes.