Blaine was clapping, bouncing in his wheelchair and hooting as Kurt took a bow. Mr Schue had loaned them the keys to the auditorium to practice their auditions they had been working on for weeks. Kurt had sung his old favorite, “Defying Gravity” and when he hit the high note, Blaine's heart about stopped. He was so proud of his husband. The admissions department at Tisch was holding auditions for students that wanted to start at half-semester in the spring and Kurt and Blaine were going to fly out to New York for that.

Blaine was sitting out front with Rachel, Finn, and Mercedes when Kurt came out after his song. Rachel flew into his arms, catching him off guard and almost knocking him over.

“Oh, Kurt! That was the best you've ever sung that! I think you're ready,” Rachel crowed, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

“Yeah, man, that was great. But have you chosen between that and “Not The Boy Next Door”? I love you doing that, too,” Finn said.

“I don't know. What do you think, baby?” Kurt turned to Blaine.

“Mercedes and I both like this song better, but you'll be more original with the Boy Next Door,” Blaine told him, Mercedes nodding her agreement.

“I'll give it more thought,” Kurt said. “Let's see what you have today, baby. Finn? Can you help me get the wheelchair up on stage?”

“No, Kurt, just take me over to the piano bench. It'll make it easier,” Blaine asked. Finn got to him first and picked him up, walking up the steps and placing him on the piano bench.

“Wow us, Blaine!” Mercedes called, sitting back down next to Rachel.

Blaine closed his eyes, gathering strength, gripping and ungripping his hands to loosen them a bit before he held them over the keyboard. He took a deep breath and began to play. The piece he was doing today was Cornish Rhapsody. His finger flew over the keys, his eyes tightly closed as he brought himself into his own world, blocking out everything else in the room, in his mind, except the music. Blaine loved singing, he loved the Top 40 that Kurt teased him about all the time, he loved folk songs and lullabies, he loved 70's rock. But he had first learned classic music as a young child and he dreamed of Beethoven, Debussy, Dvorák, and Vivaldi long before Pink and Katie Perry. He could sing those songs and be happy, but he could give his soul to Liszt and Chopin.

When he was done and the others started to clap, he held up his hand for them to wait and motioned to Kurt to bring his violin. He was tired in a way, but excited to play the other piece he loved and was contemplating using for an audition. He picked up the rosined bow and touched it to the strings, feeling the pull it created. Rosin rubbed on the camel hair of the bow strings made them rough and they stuck to the catgut strings – an un-rosined bow made no noise because there was no friction, it made no vibration. Blaine played the first note and his audience was silent, trying to catch each note, trying to place the music they recognized but couldn't name.

It was a short piece, maybe 3 minutes long, and when it was done, his friends in the audience clapped.

“I know that music – I had a music box when I was little that played that tune,” Rachel said.

“It's Beethoven....Fur Elise,” Kurt smiled. He'd been listening to Blaine practice that for weeks now.

“See if you can tell me what this is...” Blaine said, taking up the bow again. He played 'Devil Went Down To Georgia' as everyone clapped and sang along, smiling.

“When is your audition?” Mercedes asked.

“Two weeks after Kurt's. We're going to stay in the New York apartment – no use coming home just to turn around and go back again.”

“Rachel is coming about a week after we get there, so she can get acclimated before she starts at NYADA,” Kurt told Mercedes.

“Well, I guess it's up to me to keep the home fires burning. I'll keep an eye on your loved ones. Finn, I'll have you fat and sassy by the time Rachel comes home for Thanksgiving,” Mercedes laughed. “And Aramis won't even know you two!” she said, pointing at Blaine and Kurt, who were sitting on the piano bench together, arms wrapped around each other.

“What are we going to do with Aramis when we move to New York? Can he be happy in the apartment all day? I will walk him every evening, but...” Kurt said, almost to himself. For some reason he hadn't thought about the collie when they had planned to go to school.

“We can always see how he likes it. The apartment is 4,000 square feet, you know. It's not exactly a shoe box. Plus, the roof garden is the whole roof, and it has grass and it's fenced. He will probably be fine. We'll have different schedules, so he won't be too lonely,” Blaine said. And it's in walking distance to Central Park.”

“You know I'll take care of him, Kurt. He can come to the shop with me most days,” Finn offered.

“And get auto grease all over his snow white and golden coat? Are you kidding?” Kurt said in shock.

“Burt took him when you were in the hospital with Blaine and he was fine,” Finn said, then paled. Kurt wasn't supposed to know that.

“Whaaaat??” Kurt squealed. “He took my beautiful golden and white collie with long flowing hair...and let him lie under dripping, dirty, oily cars?”

“Calm down, dude. He told him where he could lie down – he got him a rug for heaven's sake, or left him in the office. The poor dog was miserable without you two,” Finn told them.

“Arrgggh.” Kurt rolled his eyes.

“He can keep me company. Cooper and I love to walk to the park with Josey, we can take Aramis with us, too. We'll make sure he gets love, Kurt,” Mercedes said.

“I know. I just don't want to leave him behind,” Kurt looked sad, and Blaine took his hand, squeezing it in sympathy.

The plane landed in New York and a driver was standing at the gate with KURT & BLAINE written on a card he was holding.

“That's us,” Blaine said, signaling at the man. The man went for the luggage and the boys waited in the car. The summer was still hot here, more so than in Lima, and Blaine wished he had on a few less layers. Kurt, of course, looked cool as a cucumber in his skinny jeans, button-down, vest, scarf....well, everything but spats. Blaine smiled, maybe he'd get Kurt some spats for his birthday, at least it was something he didn't already own.

“What are you smiling about, baby?” Kurt asked,

“Just thinking about you,” Blaine returned, kissing Kurt on his cheek.

They got to the apartment, Aramis on his leash tugging to get to the door. He hadn't liked being in the crate for the flight. Blaine held him tight as Kurt pushed the wheelchair, the driver bringing up one suitcase and the doorman the two others. Everything was settled, the tips paid to the men, and Kurt and Blaine were alone in the large apartment.

“This is nice, I like the décor, Blaine. We might not have to change much when we move in next spring,” Kurt said, grinning as he looked around. The walls were several shades of taupe and gray in geometric patterns, but not boldly graphic, just subtle. The furniture was modern and looked comfortable, with a few paintings and accessories.

“We'll have to buy things to make it look like us, but the basics are nice.”

“I haven't been here for a while. Last time it was done in earth colors...browns and oranges. I like this better. Cooper's New York manager has it done every few years by students at the design school,” Blaine told him. He pushed himself over to the kitchen and through a hallway to a door. “Unlock the dead bolt,” he asked, and Kurt complied. “There, that's the stairs to the roof. It had some flower boxes and a big patch of grass. I think there's still a picnic table and stuff beside the pool and plenty of room for Aramis to run. It's all fenced in – six foot tall brick walls, so he can't fall off. Go take him up, I'll wait here,” Blaine moved his hand to show Kurt to go ahead.

“You have a pool...on the ROOF?” Kurt said. Blaine nodded.

Kurt and Aramis were up there for about ten minutes when they came back, a little winded.

“Blaine! What do you mean 'a few flower boxes'? It looks like the Botanic Gardens up there. With a spa! You sure have a gift for understatement, my love,” Kurt said, practically jumping up and down.

“Oh, yeah, well...” Blaine blushed. It wasn't that he was ashamed of having a lot of money, just that he didn't like to flaunt it in people's faces. Especially not Kurt's.

Aramis went over to a rug to lie down, tired from the plane ride and the run on the roof.

“Let's go get a little nap before dinner, okay?” Blaine asked Kurt. He was tired, too.

In the bedroom, Kurt put their clothes in the closet, and unpacked the things for the dresser and products for the bath. He took off all the layers right down to his sleeveless undershirt and boxer briefs. Blaine was getting much better at undressing. His strength had steadily improved to the point he could do about anything but reach his feet and get his jeans off, so Kurt helped him a bit. The most important step Blaine had made in the past month was transfer – which meant he could get himself from his wheelchair into his bed by himself with just a board to slide over on. Cooper had a trapeze installed over the bed like the one Blaine had at home to help him lift himself with his arms to maneuver in and out of bed, and with that he could get into the wheelchair by himself.

Kurt was really of two minds about this. He was thrilled that Blaine was able to reclaim some of his freedom, and Kurt rejoiced in Blaine's happiness. But deep down, where he would never admit it, he was a tiny bit sad because Blaine wouldn't need to count on him as much. He knew that was selfish, and he knew Blaine being able to function more and more by himself was the best of all possible worlds, Kurt was just that little bit unsure of himself that he wanted Blaine to need him for everything. He shook it off, realizing it was just that – selfishness on his part. Kurt knew Blaine loved him, had no doubt at all, but did he need him?

“I don't have to be at the auditorium until Wednesday, so we have some time to just explore the city in the next few days. Where do you want to go first?” Kurt asked him.

“Central Park! We can take Aramis and go for a walk after dinner. What do you want to eat?” Blaine asked.

Kurt leaned forward and licked Blaine's neck. “Hmmm...this tastes pretty good,” he flirted.

Blaine giggled.

“And now that Cooper had a sex swing installed for us...”

“What? Oh, you think you're funny. Hey, do you know what people do on a sex swing?” Blaine asked.

“No idea,” Kurt giggled.

The boys snuggled down into the blankets together, Blaine nuzzling into Kurt's neck with a sigh of satisfaction. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine, kissing his temple. It never failed to amaze him that he could love Blaine so much. He had thought of having a 'love of his life', someone to come home to each night and never get tired of being with, just a romantic dream, really. Someone that he could talk to about anything, anytime and that person would understand him, would support him in life's journey. It was a high ideal to aim for, and although Kurt had dreamed of it in general terms, it wasn't until he was faced with the loss of Blaine that he realized he had found that person. And the thought of what his life would be without Blaine? He would be so lost. How lucky had he been to be there as Blaine walked down the stairs at Dalton and take his hand?

Kurt held Blaine to his chest, hugging him so close, his eyes getting misty at the thought of how broken his life would be without Blaine.

“Hey, hey, what's this? Tears? Kurt, what's wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all as long as I have you, Blaine. I just can't believe how much you mean to me, baby. How lost I would be without you. Oh, how I love you, Blaine,” Kurt whispered into Blaine's curls. “I love you.”

Blaine turned up his face, catching Kurt's lips with his own, kissing very softly, very gently. He cupped Kurt's jaw in his hand, as he did the first time they kissed, and kissed again, eyes closed and letting himself get lost in just the touch of their lips together. He pulled back just a tiny bit, kissing Kurt's cheek, his jaw, and down into his neck. There was the scent of Kurt's shaving lotion - kind of citrus and clean. Kurt was always a mixture of scents, kind of fruity and spicy with all the products he used. Then there was the cologne he preferred, Aramis. Oh, that was just the scent of seduction to Blaine. He could bathe in it, drink it....and Kurt always smelled a bit like it, even if he hadn't worn it in days. Blaine thought it had probably seeped into Kurt's pores, became part of him.

Blaine moved down Kurt's chest, stopping to remove the undershirt Kurt was wearing. He kissed his chest, pressing his ear to hear the steady, faithful pounding of Kurt's heart. Now, if Aramis was the scent of seduction, Kurt's heartbeat was the sound of it. More than aroused moaning, more than quick breaths turning into excited panting, more than the thin squeal of a climax, it was his heartbeat - telling Blaine that Kurt was there, that when he was aroused it beat harder, that when Blaine was lost and needed comfort, that loyal heart was beating for him and only for him – that was the sound of love. Blaine kissed over Kurt's heart again.

Blaine moved his hands, just skimming over Kurt's ribs. He followed the curves from the center to the sides, kissing along the lines. He put his nose into Kurt's armpit, making Kurt giggle and start to push him away, but Blaine held up a hand and stopped him. He loved even the scent of Kurt's sweat. Kurt was so fastidious, Blaine rarely got to smell Kurt's own scent and this was a treat. His scent was not stale or bitter like some people, but it was a unique odor, salty like sea breezes.

Kurt's arms wrapped closer around Blaine, stopping him from kissing his chest any more, but Blaine didn't fight him. He just sort of melted into Kurt, in complete trust that Kurt would take care of him, that he would know what was best for them and act on it. Kurt kissed Blaine's neck, then trailed the kisses up behind his ear to the place he knew was just a tiny bit ticklish and made Blaine's skin break out in goose-flesh. He shivered a little, and Kurt moved his mouth to kiss Blaine's soft lips again. He would never tire of this, just sharing their love, not having to talk or progress to another level – they were both happy just giving tender love to each other for hours.

“Close your eyes, baby, and go to sleep. I'll be here to watch over you,” Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear, and pulled the blankets up to make a warm nest for them to fall asleep.

The auditions for both Kurt and Blaine went perfectly. Kurt decided to do “Not The Boy Next Door” and the admission committee clapped and told him he would hear by the end of the month. Blaine played both the piano and violin, then answered what seemed like a hundred questions about what he liked, how many instruments he could play, if he sang (he actually did sing an impromptu song for them at that point).

While there are always some nerves with this sort of thing, both of them felt fairly confident that they did well, so all that was left was to see Rachel settled in the apartment before she started NYADA, and then go home to await results.

The knock at the door started Aramis barking, but Kurt hushed him with a word. He hurried to open the door and threw his arms around Rachel, picking her up and twirling her around before setting her down gently.

“And I'm happy to see you, too, Kurt!” she cooed, then turned to Blaine and gave him a hug and kiss, too.

“Oh, this is beautiful, Blainers! I love it.”

“Would you like to see your bedroom?” he asked and wheeled down the hallway, Rachel and two doormen following with suitcases and boxes on their carts.

“Do I get to pick which room I want?” she asked.

“You can if you want to, but Cooper had the design school do this one for you,” he explained as he opened the door to reveal a confection of pale pink and dusty gray, all ruffles and romantic turn-of-the-century cherry wood furniture. Rachel's eyes got big. Her room at home had once been described by Kurt as “where Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake go to hook up” - all bubble gum and sunshine. This was pink, but a subtle shade that looked sophisticated and lovely, not pre-teen angst.

“The color on the walls is called 'ashes of roses', I thought you'd like it. Would you like to see the other rooms?” Kurt asked.

“No, this is perfect. Oh, Blaine, Kurt - -thank you so much. My dads are going to love this. They're coming to visit on Thursday, so I have a few days to move all my things in and get settled. This is...perfect.”

Blaine and Kurt smiled. They gave her the grand tour and were relieved when she went into her new room to take a short nap before dinner.

The rest of the week went smoothly, all three of them learning how to get from one spot to another in New York. When Blaine moved there in the spring, assuming they both got accepted to their respective colleges, he would have a driver because of his wheelchair. Cooper insisted and Kurt agreed. But Kurt was adamant that he could ride the subway or walk most days. Blaine only agreed to this if Kurt promised to call a cab or use the driver on bad weather days. Cooper insisted on a full-time maid, the boys opted for a three-day-a-week cleaning lady. And on it went until all the details were ironed out.

On Sunday, Rachel said goodbye to her friends and they went to the airport, Aramis in tow. Burt met them at the Columbus airport and they were all home by dinner time.

The rest of the fall and early winter went by as usual, and Blaine continued to get stronger. By Thanksgiving, he could stand for almost a minute and take three or four steps. Finn had taken over the garage and Burt was busy with his new job. Rachel was happy in the apartment, but would be relieved when the boys came in the spring, she missed having people to talk to. Kurt and Blaine both worked on audition pieces just to keep in practice and Blaine had worked up to being able to do an hour's playing without getting tired.

Blaine was accepted to The Manhattan School of Music and Kurt was accepted to New York University and plans were underway for them to move to New York after Christmas.

One day before Thanksgiving, the family was sitting at the dinner table, and Burt brought up that the old house was probably going to have to be put up for rent, or maybe sold. Blaine had made it clear that Burt and Carole were to think of the big house as their own, a place for the whole family to live. It had been in Blaine's family for four generations, and since it was meant for family, then family would live in it – and that included Burt, Carole, and Finn. So, Burt was looking for a renter for the small house Kurt had grown up in and had several people wanting to look at it. Finn volunteered to do this, so the matter was settled. Mercedes thought about the house being empty and made a few plans of her own.

The next day, Kurt woke up to find an envelope on his dresser, addressed to him. He opened it to find:

Dear Kurt,

Please join me for a tea party at the old tree house, 1 p.m. Today. Bring just yourself, it's a private party.

Love, your oldest friend

Well, who could turn that down? He told Blaine about it, a bit reluctant to leave him behind, but he told Kurt he was not going to be alone, he was going to be entertained by a sweet young girl and her daddy. Kurt smiled. Mercedes had arranged for Cooper to have lunch with his daughter and brother while Kurt and Mercy had their meeting.

Kurt drove up the old driveway, parking in his old spot. It was strange to come here after all that had happened, back to the house he was born in. There were so many memories. His mother lived here, Blaine got sick here, his dad had a heart attack here. He walked around the back of the house and under the tree, the paint peeling a little, but the boards of the tree house were strong and would last. He hoisted himself up and climbed into the tree house.

Mercedes laughed to see him grinning. She wanted this to be a happy time, not one filled with bitter or sad memories. Kurt sat down on a cushion. Apparently, Mercy had brought new ones. Gone were the green walls and cushions and in their place were gold and blue. She smiled at Kurt and waved for him to seat himself beside her.

“Thank you for coming, Kurt. I missed the days when it was you and me against the world,” she said softly, brushing her thumb across his cheek and cupping his jaw in her warm hand.

“I miss those days, too, Mercy. We had no idea what lay ahead of us, did we?” he replied, returning her gesture.

“I made hot chocolate and your mom's malted milk cookies to eat, just like last time we were here,” she said.

“I love this place, it has so many memories of our childhood. I came out to you here, remember that summer?” he asked her.

“Yes, I do. And we talked over all of our triumphs and all of our heartbreaks, right here, from the time we could climb up that ladder. Remember when your dad built this?”

“Oh, yeah. Wow, if walls could talk. But as much as I loved those times, Mercy – I love the life I'm living now,” Kurt said, looking a little pensive, thinking about what all had happened in their lives since those long ago days.

“Are you happy, Mercy?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

“You know I am. I love Cooper. He's funny, he's sweet, and he treats me like a queen every day. He loves my mother, he respects my father and he treats Tice like his own brother. Plus, he is the very best daddy Josey could ever dream of. So, yes, Kurt, I'm happy. Now, I'm not ready to hang up my voice yet – one day I'd love to try singing for somebody other than the family, but I'm content for now. What about you? I'd say you've been drug through the wringer this year, honey. Are you really, truly happy?”

“Yes. You're right, I have been through the wringer....but hasn't everyone? Blaine's illness, your pregnancy, moving, Blaine's dad's death. I've had more changes in my life this year than any year at all. But the good things outweigh the bad ones, don't they?” Kurt leaned over and kissed Mercedes on her cheek. “The best thing that happened is that we married the loves of our lives. I love Blaine more than I can even say. He is my light, my reason for living, Mercy. I just cannot put it into words.”

“You don't have to, Kurt. Everyone can see it, the way you look at each other. The love just pours out of both of you. Even my mama said she'd never seen a stronger love," Mercedes said, and Kurt blushed but gave her a smile.

“There are two things I'm gonna miss when we move to New York. My dad and you. Oh, I'll miss Finn, Carole and Cooper, and all my friends...but in my heart of hearts, I'll miss you two the most. Shit. I feel like Dorothy saying goodbye to the Scarecrow before returning to Kansas,” he said, burying his face in Mercy's shoulder as she pulled him close, their arms around each other.

“And I'll miss you, too.” Mercedes said. 'You're still my best friend, Kurt, and always will be. But I know that one day you and Blaine will come back to us. And I look forward to that day, honey.”