***

"What about Delia?" His heart was pounding in his chest as he watched his boyfriend try to form words through the tears streaking down his cheeks.

"There-there was a-a storm, on the coast. Delia was d-driving home and got caught in it. She's-she's dead." He fell into Blaine's open arms, sobbing heavily.

***

By the time Finn and Jen had brought Sophie home, their faces pale after hearing the news, Kurt had calmed down and was looking at flights for all of them to Ohio. He and Blaine had already talked about it and Blaine had promised to go, since Delia had always made him feel like part of the family. They had left the next day, Kurt handling all of the funeral arrangements while Burt and Carole flew out to North Carolina to identify the body.

And now they watched as the remains of Kurt's aunt were lowered into the ground. Quiet sniffles were heard throughout the assembled group as first Burt, then Kurt, stepped forward, grabbing a handful of dirt and tossing it into the grave. Each handful, thrown in by a family member, landed with a hollow thump until the group had dispersed, leaving only the Hummel men and Blaine; Carole, Jen, and Finn had taken Sophie back to the house to get ready for everyone to come over.

They watched as the caretakers began shoveling dirt in the hole until Burt mentioned that they needed to get home. Blaine, still very conscious of the fact that Kurt's family didn't know about them, slid his hand into Kurt's, lacing their fingers together. "Come on, we should go," he said quietly.

Kurt jerked at his words, his eyes wide as he looked at him. "What?"

"We need to go to the house; your family is there," Blaine told him slowly.

Kurt blinked at him for a moment before nodding. With one last look at the rapidly filling grave, he allowed Blaine to lead him to their rental car and slid into the backseat. Blaine watched him for a moment, making sure he wasn't going to fall over and that he buckled up before sitting in the front seat next to Burt. The ride to the house was silent and, to Kurt, it seemed to take no time at all before Blaine was opening the door for him. He took the offered hand and the comforting arm around his waist as Blaine led him inside where most of his family was gathered, most with a plate of food in their hands and chatting quietly.

After sitting him down at the kitchen table, Blaine fixed three plates from the many dishes people had brought over and set one in front of Kurt. "Will you make sure he eats?" he asked Carole quietly, waiting for her nod before leaving the room.

"Kurt, sweetie, you really should eat," Carole told him gently.

"I'm not hungry," he whispered.

"Baby-"

"Please, Carole, just." He sighed. "Don't."

Burt settled next to his son at the table. "Listen buddy, I know you're upset, but you need to eat. Sophie is counting on you to stay healthy."

"Don't try to guilt me into eating, Dad," Kurt whispered, still gazing blankly at the plate of food in front of him.

Burt was saved from further arguing with his son when Blaine stepped into the room, Sophie on his hip. He placed her in front of the smaller plate, straightening out the shirt and pants Jen had changed her into before sitting on the other side of Kurt. When he noticed that Kurt's food was untouched, he sighed and nudged his hand. When Kurt looked up, he quirked an eyebrow at him and pointed his fork at Kurt's plate, a silent exchange going on between the two. Without a word, Kurt picked up his fork and slowly started eating, grimacing. The food, while delicious, sat heavy on his tongue and felt too thick as he swallowed.

Burt and Carole watched them and were surprised when Kurt didn't argue with Blaine, he simply started eating. They exchanged a look of their own before Burt stood, bending to kiss Kurt's head before walking towards the living room. His Aunt Edna stopped him just outside of the doorway.

"Hello, Burton," she said, pulling him into a tight hug that he returned.

"Hello, Auntie, how are you?"

"Sad, sad."

Burt nodded, glancing back at where Blaine was eating, giving Kurt pointed looks whenever he paused too long between bites.

"Who is that young man, Burton? I know all of the family and I've never met him before."

"That's-" Burt's brow furrowed. Based on how he knew both of the men felt and the way Kurt and Blaine were interacting NOW, he was sure there was more going on than just friendship, though both still denied it. "That's Blaine. He's a close friend of Kurt's."

Edna snorted. "A close friend, I'm sure. Those two are in love."

Burt blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Really, Burton, it's obvious to anyone with eyes. I haven't seen Kurt eat anything in the past two days unless that boy was the one giving it to him. I know how close he was to Delia and the fact that this mystery boy is helping him through it?" She rolled her eyes, turning away from the scene and patting Burt's chest lightly. "Well, I need to go, give me another hug."

Edna seemed to open the floodgates. Not long after she left, people began seeking him out to once again give him their condolences before leaving and soon it was just their little family. Jen kissed Burt's cheek, claiming to have a head ache and saying she was going to bed. Finn followed her, promising her a shoulder massage to help her feel better. Kurt was sitting on the floor in the living room, half heartedly playing with Sophie, his back pressed against Blaine's legs from where he was seated on the sofa.

Unaware of Burt standing in the doorway, Blaine leaned over and kissed the top of Kurt's head. Burt heard him murmur something, too quiet for him to hear, and Kurt nodded before standing and scooping up Sophie.

"All right, little missy, bath time," Kurt said in a falsely cheerful voice. Burt stepped back in to the kitchen, accepting a cup of coffee from Carole with a smile and a peck on the cheek. He was just settling at the table with some papers he had to go over when Blaine wandered in.

"Hey, sport, what's up?" Burt asked nonchalantly.

"Kurt's giving Sophie a bath so I thought I would come see if Carole needed any help with the dishes." He grabbed a stack from the counter.

"That's very sweet of you but you don't have to, dear." She smiled as he deposited them by the sink. Returning her smile, they began washing the dishes and loading the dishwasher, enjoying the peace after days of hectic running around. "Blaine, I know I'm speaking for both myself and Burt when I say, thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking care of Kurt the way you have been and being there for both him and Sophie. We- We worry about him, out there in New York, raising a child by himself. And then you came along and it seemed like- like his world was a little brighter than before." Carole swatted at the tears that were falling and succeeded only in making her cheeks wetter from the dishwater. With a chuckle, Blaine picked up a clean towel and handed it to her.

"He makes my world a little brighter, too, and I promise to keep taking care of him."

Wet hands be damned, Carole pulled him into a tight hug. They were nearly finished when Kurt brought Sophie, washed, dried, and in jammies, down to give night-night kisses to everyone. Carole shooed Blaine away, insisted that she could finish up by herself. He followed Kurt upstairs, watching him put Sophie to bed. They exchanged a kiss and then a hug.

"One more kiss," Sophie insisted, puckering her lips. Kurt obliged, only to have her say, "One more hug."

Blaine heard him chuckle as he leaned down, squeezing her tightly but gently. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Night Dada! Blaine, kisses!" Blaine laughed, coming to sit on the other side of the bed across from Kurt. He leaned over, placing kisses all over her face and making her giggle as she tried to push him off. "Goodnight, Miss Sophie."

"Goodnight, Blaine!" She grabbed a stuffed bear and pulled it close, her eyes following them out of the room until the door was closed.

Blaine followed Kurt to his old room, easing him down on the bed and kneeling to pull of his boots for him. Kurt stripped down to just his undershirt and a pair of pyjama pants that Blaine recognized as his. Lying back, he rolled onto his side, presenting his back to Blaine, who took off his shoes and curled up against him.

He pressed a kiss to the back of Kurt's neck. "I like being the big spoon," he mumbled, feeling Kurt's weak chuckle from where they were touching. It soon dissolved into tears, sobs rocking his body as he finally let it all out. Blaine just held him until he fell asleep, unable to do more and wishing he could take the pain away.

888

Two days later found the group of them sitting in a lawyer's office in North Carolina as the white haired man behind the desk read Delia's will. She had had a large life insurance policy taken out on herself with Kurt as the primary beneficiary; it was more than enough to pay off what little debt she had as well as pay for any repairs on the house. She had also left her chain of barbeque restaurants to Sophie, with all of the profits going into a trust that would be available to her at the age of eighteen if she went to college, twenty one if she didn't. Delia had added that if either Kurt or Finn had any more children, the profits would be split equally between the kids, going into a trust for each. There were a few other things to be given to so-and-so cousin, but other than that, the meeting was short and soon they were walking back out into the waiting room where Blaine was sitting with Sophie.

"Hey," Blaine asked, standing and moving Sophie to his hip, "how did it go?"

"Good, good," Burt told him as Kurt took Sophie. "She left Kurt the house; we're going to check it out, see if it needs any repairs. Do you want to come with us?"

They all piled into the rental and drove down to the house, an hour away from the lawyer's office. Blaine spoke quietly to Kurt for most of the trip, Sophie nestled in her seat between them. Burt was pleased to see the dead look in his son's eyes was mostly gone, replaced with something else every time he looked at Blaine. Burt was beginning to think that crazy Aunt Edna might not be so crazy after all.

He was pleasantly surprised to see that the house was in good condition despite the storm. The roof would need some repairs and some parts of the house had been torn away in the front, but other than that, it was okay. He unlocked the door, ignoring the tears prickling the corner of his eyes as the familiar scent of his sister's home washed over him. He had put on a brave front thus far but standing in Delia's living room, knowing she would never step foot in here again...

"Let's get settled, kiddos."

888

Over the next few days, Burt fixed a few things that needed to be repair and arranged for workers to fix what he doesn't have time for. One of Delia's neighbours (the one that always cared for her plants and such) agreed to let the workers in the house after the family leaves as well as bringing a casserole over the second night they're there, giving her condolences. Kurt stayed by Blaine's side for the most part, rarely moving away if he didn't have to. They spent a good part of the time going through Delia's things, figuring out what they wanted to keep and what was to be given away.

The day before they left, Kurt was on the couch, surrounded by photo albums. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice Blaine until the other man wrapped his arms around his shoulders, making him jump.

"Oop, sorry, honey," Blaine murmured into his ear. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I found Delia's photo albums." He cleared off the space next to him and patted it. "Where's Sophie?" he asked as Blaine settled next to him.

"Carole wanted to go for a walk and Sophie wanted to go with her."

"So we have the house to ourselves?"

"For the next twenty minutes or so, yeah."

Kurt smiled, leaning over to kiss Blaine. They hadn't been able to do much lately, nearly always surrounded by family, and Kurt had been too heartbroken to do anything anyways. He pulled back too soon for either of their tastes and rested his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Would you like to look through them with me?"

"Sure."

Kurt turned back to the beginning of the book in his hands, launching into all of the different stories about the people in the black in white photos that he had heard over the years. They sat there for hours, watching as the photographs turned to colour, then became clearer and clearer. Occasionally the others joined in, throwing in their own stories, laughing and sometimes wiping away a tear. By the time night had fallen and everyone else had gone to bed, they were up to Christmas of last year.

Kurt laughed, pointing to a picture of Finn grinning goofily, a bright pink ribbon tied around his head, Jenn in the background laughing hysterically. Blaine flipped the page and his eyebrows furrowed. "When was that one taken?"

Kurt glanced at the page. "Huh, I don't know." They examined it for a moment. Sophie was standing on one of Blaine's legs, her hands grabbing at his face while his head was thrown back, face twisted in a grimace, clearly trying to escape the probing fingers. Kurt was half lying on the floor in laughter, his eyes sparkling with happiness as he watched them.

They stare at the picture for a moment before Kurt said, "Do you ever think about us? I mean, our future?"

Blaine looked over at him. "Of course; do you?"

Kurt nodded slowly. "I do, often." Blaine smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Kurt happily accepted, his lips gliding slickly against Blaine's.

"So what do you see, when you think about our future?" Blaine asked, pulling back just enough that their lips brushed with every word.

"Everything," Kurt whispered back, tugging him back for another kiss.

888

"So what are you going to do with the house?" Burt asked the next day as they drove back to the airport.

Kurt shrugged. "Blaine and I were thinking to keep it as a summerhouse for now."

"'Blaine and I?'" Burt raised an eyebrow at him in the review mirror.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad, Blaine and I. When two people are in an adult relationship, they talk about things like that."

"Wait, you and Blaine are together?" Carole practically squealed, twisting around in her seat.

Kurt rolled his eyes again, though he was smiling. "Yes, we are." he shared a soft look with Blaine while Carole aww'd.

"For how long?" Burt asked.

"Forever, hopefully."

Burt gave him an unimpressed look. "Smart aleck, I meant how long have you two been together?"

"A few months," Kurt said, shifting uncomfortably when Burt gave him another look. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to say anything for stupid reasons and I was going to tell you but I just kept not saying anything and I'm sorry."

"Kurt." He met his fathers' eyes. "I'm really happy for you."

It was like a weight he never knew he was carrying lifted off of his shoulders and he smiled in relief. The rest of the drive was spent questioning the couple; Blaine was just happy things were out in the open now.

888

The next year passed in about of birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries. Each time, they felt the weight of Delia's disappearance from their lives. Kurt was hopeful that it would ease over time; not so they could forget her, but so they could move past the aching loss.

Kurt and Blaine's relationship evolved, adapting to each new change with an easy familiarity that would have shaken them to the core if it hadn't felt so right. It was a week before the one year anniversary of Delia's death that Kurt finally broached the subject they had only spoken about a few times. Blaine was trying to leave for the night and Kurt was clinging to him, his legs wrapped tight around Blaine's waist and his arms locked around his chest.

"Please stay," Kurt pouted, nipping at Blaine's earlobe and earning a moan.

"Honey, you know I want to but I need to get home." His hands ran up and down Kurt's legs for a moment before he sighed and attempted to pry them apart.

"I have an idea," Kurt murmured, holding fast. "Let me tell you it and then I will let you go, okay?" Blaine relented, relaxing back against him and nodding. "We've been together for almost a year and a half, right? And you know how much I hate it when you leave late at night. So, what do you think about moving in together?"

Blaine went completely still in his arms. "What?"

"Move in. Together. As a couple. Take the next big step. Mesh our lives together. I could go on."

"No, I got it, I'm just… surprised, I guess."

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while and we've talked about it before, you know, so I just thought I would ask you. But don't feel like you have to say yes, I mean, I'm not trying to pressure you or anything."

Blaine held up a hand, waiting for Kurt to quiet before sitting up and facing him. "Kurt, this is a big step, not just for us but for Sophie as well."

"I know that and I've taken it into consideration. I'm pretty sure she loves you more than I do; you should hear her on the nights you can't make it over. She walks around looking for you, Blaine, literally calling out your name. I know she would love it if you- if we lived together like a family."

Blaine moved until he had Kurt pushed back against the couch and straddled his thighs. "You really want this?"

"Only if you do," Kurt told him, looking up at him, his blue eyes happy and peaceful.

"Then we need to start looking for a new flat."