“I'm so excited about this party Blaine!” Kurt shouts as he puts on his suit. Even though they were in the same room, Kurt felt the need to yell everything he said tonight. Blaine walks over to him and helps with his tie. Kurt's much too excited to put it on himself- his fingers are trembling and he hasn't stopped bouncing.

“Honey, if you don't stand still, I can't tie this for you.”

Kurt takes Blaine's hands in his and holds them, looking into Blaine's eyes.

“I'm really glad that you picked me as your date. You guys are gonna kill tonight.”

Blaine smiled and looked down at his shoes for a second, cheeks reddening slightly from his husband's compliment. Unsure of what to say at first, he finally settles on a simple “thank you,” before pulling Kurt into a warm embrace. Kurt pulled back and placed a kiss on Blaine's mouth. He gently moved his lips across the other man's. Blaine moaned appreciatively, tightening his arms around Kurt's waist.

Blaine was enjoying this, very much, but he knew they had to go soon if they wanted to make it on time to the party, so he ended the kiss by biting on Kurt's bottom lip, a little too hard. Not hard enough to draw blood or anything, Blaine wasn't a vampire after all, but just hard enough to make Kurt want to stop.

“Ow! Blaine!”

“Come on Kurt, we have to go soon,” Blaine said as his fingers flew up to Kurt's tie, finishing the knot he had started earlier.

“So this is your way of telling me we should go? Or is this your way of telling me you want things a little more rough?” Kurt said, smirking. Blaine glanced up shyly.

“Maybe both. But, we can discuss that later. Let's go!” Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand, lacing his own fingers through his husband's and pulling him towards the door. Kurt skipped along happily, humming and bobbing his head.

When the taxi arrived at the address that Sam had given Blaine, they had to double check and see if it was the right place or not. The location was a giant abandoned warehouse. It was a grey building on the outskirts of Manhattan. Most of the windows were either shattered or had been knocked out completely. The building looked as though it could be at least a hundred years old, if not more. Kurt snuck a glance at the old, faded sign in front of the building. It was difficult to read, with all the apparent water damage the sign had gone through, but eventually Kurt could make out the words “Manhattan Washing Co..”

“Blaine,” Kurt called out to his husband. “Is this politician having a party in an abandoned washing machine warehouse?”

“Uh… I guess so? Come on, let's go inside.” Blaine grabs Kurt's hand and they walk in a matching pace up to the large, heavy, gray front doors. They're so old they look like they've been rusted shut. Standing in front of the doors are two men in suits that are almost the same color of grey as the building.

“Names?” The guard on the left asks, his expression never changing.

“Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel,” Blaine says.

The guard doesn't check a list or anything, he simply opens the door for them. He doesn't say another word, so they walk in without asking questions. When they walk in, they are very surprised at what they see. Even though the word “rundown” doesn't even begin to describe the building, the decorations somehow manage to make the place look elegant. There are round tables and chairs set up, all draped with white tablecloths. The space is wide and long, but it's expertly arranged so it doesn't seem too empty. In front of them, towards the back, is the stage. It's really just a raised wooden platform, with spotlights shining on it. Sam, Tina, and Santana are already there, setting up instruments and checking mikes. Blaine and Kurt walk over to meet them.

“Oh hey guys!” Mercedes calls out. She is sitting in a chair near the stage, checking her phone. Kurt breaks free of Blaine's grasp and runs up to her to give her a hug. Mike and Brittany were nearby too, practicing dance moves. Brittany and Mike both had jobs now as choreographers for movies and musicals. They were becoming fairly popular among some of the younger directors, and sometimes liked to work together. Kurt went over to talk to them after he had greeted Mercedes, and Blaine wandered onto the stage.

“Hey hobbit, we're just getting set up here.” Santana said from where she was standing at one of the mikes.

“Oh, Blaine! Do you wanna go and check the piano, see if it's in tune and all that?” Sam asked.

“Sure, why not?” Blaine replied, walking over to the Steinway. They were mainly a piano driven band, so sometimes Blaine felt a lot of pressure to always play perfectly. They all sang, but Santana was usually lead vocals. Sam was on the guitar, and Tina was on drums. She had learned to play about a three years ago, only because that was the condition that Sam gave to let her in the band. She had learned quickly, in about a two months, and she was actually really good. Blaine was happy that Tina had found something that she loved to do.

“Hey guys,” Tina said, “shall we warm up with a song? The party's gonna start in like, half an hour.”

“Good point Tina!” Sam said. “Let's start with a cover. Wanna do ‘Lean On?'”

“Heck yeah!” shouted Tina.

They began playing the song. Blaine loved this song, and he thought the band sounded good covering it in their style. The building had pretty decent acoustics for a warehouse, surprisingly, and afterwards, the people who were rushing around setting up stopped and cheered for them. Blaine hopped off the stage and ran to Kurt.

“So, what'd you think?” he asked Kurt.

“That was really good! You guys were great!”

“Well, thank you. Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself? I feel kinda bad bringing you here and then leaving you all alone.”

Kurt rolls his eyes.

“Blaine, I'll be fine. You guys are only playing for half of the time, and Mercedes, Mike and Brittany are here. And Rachel and Jesse will be showing up later too.”

“Rachel and Jesse? Why are they coming?”

“Oh, well apparently they're high profile enough to receive invitations to this sort of event. So they'll be showing up sometime tonight. Meanwhile, where is this politician?”

“I actually heard he's gonna be late.” Brittany chime in. “I think it's because he was saving some baby kittens who got abandoned by their mom and then kidnapped by an underpaid Chinese food delivery guy.”

Kurt blinks at her statement, then turns back to Blaine.

“Well okay then.”

Blaine grabs his hand.

“Hey, again, I'm really glad you came with me tonight. It means a lot.”

“Blaine, it's not a big deal. You're my husband. And we care about each other, remember?”

“I know, trust me, I'll never forget.” He leans forward and pecks Kurt on the cheek. “I'll see you after our set, okay?”

Some of the guests had started filtering in, and the party was about to start.

“Okay,” Kurt says, and then watches Blaine get on stage again.

A half hour later, the party is in full swing. The warehouse was full of people. The crowd was mostly young, and varied. Everything from actors, performers, writers, businessmen, teachers, techies, and politicians filled the room. Kurt was having a fun time, although he still had no idea who this party was even for or what it was about. Rachel and Jesse had shown up, and he was talking to them about a new show that he had recently heard about, when Rachel announced that she was having some sort of personal emergency and had to go to the bathroom. She had dragged Jesse with her. Kurt looked around and tried to seem busy, not wanting anyone to approach him. Blaine, Santana, Sam and Tina sounded really good, and people were enjoying the music, it seemed. Kurt was currently eavesdropping on a conversation between to young women, trying to learn what this whole party was about, but all he could hear was that the man in question was going to make a speech halfway through, between the first and second band's sets. Kurt was sitting at a completely empty table, drinking a glass of wine, when a young man came up to him.

“Someone as handsome as you shouldn't be here alone tonight.” The man took a seat in the chair next to him. Kurt would be lying if he said he didn't think the guy was handsome. Obviously, he only had feelings for Blaine, but he could still appreciate other people's looks, right?

“So, what's your name cutie?” the guy asked. He was tall and thin, wearing a light grey suit and a dark tie. He had brown hair that was styled up, and he wore thick black glasses. His smile was charming, and even though Kurt would normally find this kind of predatory flirting a little creepy, for whatever reason, it was almost endearing on this man. Kurt could tell that he wasn't serious about what he was saying. He seemed a little shy, almost, and his nervous smile showed Kurt that he didn't do this kind of thing very often.

“Kurt Hummel,” he said, extending a hand. “But, I'm afraid I'm already married.” Kurt held up his left hand so the stranger could see his ring.

“Aww, drat! Too little too late, huh?” the stranger teased. “So, are you enjoying the party?”

“Yeah, I am. Although I don't really know what it's about. I just came because my husband is playing in the band.”

The man stole a glance at the stage.

“Blondie playing the guitar?” he asked.

Kurt laughed. He'd have to tell Sam about that later.

“No, the cutie on the piano, actually,” Kurt said.

“Ooh, nicely done.”

They both chuckled.

“Thanks,” said Kurt.

“Did you pick him yourself? Or did you get matched up? Is that too personal of a question? I don't want to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it's fine. I did get matched up. It's a little ironic though, because we actually went to high school together, but we hated each other back then. Then we got matched up…”

“And now you're happily in love.” The stranger claps his hands together. “Wow, that is one for the silver screen.”

“Yeah, that's what I told Blaine too! So what about you? Are you married? You look twenty-five. Or are you just that good at hiding your age?”

“No, no. I'm actually 27, but I got out of the whole marriage thing by being an ambassador in another country for the past few years. The government can't really get you if you don't live in America.”

“Oh, okay. What country were you in?”

“France,” the stranger said. “I'm so glad I was gone while all of this crap was happening over here. I could never imagine being forced to marry someone. I just feel like it's such a violation of freedom. Like, how do people find happiness in arranged marriages? Like, do you think, if they got rid of this stupid law tomorrow, that you, or half of the other people who have gotten matched, would stay married, or would you get a divorce?”

Kurt blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting such deep questions from a stranger.

“Wow, that is really personal. But, I guess I could answer. I mean, I'm really happy being married. I really care about my husband, and I'm glad we got matched up.”

The stranger nods his head and smiles.

“Well I am really happy for you. You are pretty luck then.”

“Why? Are a lot of people unhappy with in their marriages?”

“Well yeah! Of course! Come on Kurt, I mean, you love your husband now, right? But when you first got that letter, telling you that you had three months, were you happy about that? Were you happy when you registered on the match website? Or hopeless? Some people aren't as lucky as you two were,” the man says, looking up at Blaine and then back to Kurt. “I mean, sometimes the algorithm picks wrong. Some people get saddled up with weirdos, or criminals, or just awful people. Not everyone is so easy to decipher just by looking at their Facebook likes and Google searches, you know? And not everyone is mature enough to get married at 25 either. ”

“Oh, I guess I never thought of it that way before. Now that I think about it, I'm sure there must be lot of unhappy marriages because of this law.”

“There are,” the man agrees, nodding his head. Kurt begins to catch on.

“You're him, aren't you? The politician that's speaking tonight? And you're trying to get everyone to see that forced marriage is wrong and get the law revoked, aren't you?”

The man smiled, but it wasn't a seedy smile, like one you would expect from a politician. It was actually a kind smile, one that showed all of his teeth and made his eyes sparkle a little, even.

“You're pretty smart, Kurt. Yes, I am.” The man stood up and extended his hand. Kurt stood up and shook it.

“Sebastian Smythe. Pleased to meet you Kurt Hummel.” He looked over to the stage. “Well, it's about time for my speech, but it'd be nice to talk to you again sometime.” And with that, Sebastian turned and walked towards the stage.

So it's an anti-match party, and he's the head honcho, huh? This'll be interesting. I should probably tell Blaine, Kurt thinks to himself. At that moment, Rachel and Jesse reappear from… wherever they were.

“Kurt! I have amazing news!” Rachel squeals out.

“Okay, how do you go from having a major emergency to having amazing news?”

“Just listen! So, I got a call from my director. Apparently, my show is being cancelled.”

Rachel looks positively giddy, but Kurt recoils in horror.

“Rachel! That's terrible! Why are you so happy about this?!”

“Because! I got offered another show!”
“So soon? Geez girl.”

“I know, right? And guess what it is!”

Kurt sighs.

“Are you playing little orphan Annie?”

“Nope! Better! I'm going to be the new Elphaba!”

Kurt gasps. “Rachel! That's amazing news!” He grabs her and pulls her into a fierce hug.

“We're so proud of you Rach,” says Jesse.

“Thanks you guys! You two are the best! I just feel like I've finally arrived, you know?” Rachel rambles on for a couple of minutes, until Kurt interrupts her.

“Sorry, I just realized that the band finished their set. I'm going to go congratulate Blaine.” Kurt runs off to where Blaine is talking to Sam and Tina. He takes Blaine's hand and pulls him away.

“Hey, what's up?” Blaine asks.

“Well, first of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your awesome set!” Kurt says, throwing his arms around his husband's waist and giving him a hug.

“Aww, thank you,” Blaine says, pulling back to look into Kurt's eyes.

“And! I met the politician.”

“You did? Did you talk to him? Did you find out what this whole thing is about?”

“Yes! Oh B, you're never gonna guess, it's a-”

Kurt is cut off when Sebastian goes up to the microphone on stage and starts speaking.

“Welcome, everyone, to my party!” People began clapping when he starts talking.

“As you all know, I'm Sebastian Smythe. If everyone could please have a seat, I will be making my speech right about now.”

Blaine turns back to face Kurt and grabs his hand again.

“Come on, let's go sit down. I guess I'm about to find out.

They go back to the table where Jesse and Rachel were. Santana, Brittany, Sam, Mercedes, Tina and Mike are also there. On either side of Kurt and Blaine are Rachel and Sam. From across the table, Blaine can see that Santana is looking at them intently, as if trying to figure out what exactly is going on between them. Blaine, without letting Kurt notice, stealthily raises their clasped hands to the table. Santana gives him a surprised look, and Blaine just smiles sweetly at her. Sebastian continues talking.

“Now, I know that most of us in here have been personally affected by this “Match Law,” he says, making air quotes with his fingers when he says the words.

“And I know the devastation that this has caused all of us. Not only is this law outrageous considering that America is a free country, but it is also archaic. The government has taken away every young person's freedom by enacting this law, and I think that it's about damn time that we all stand up for ourselves!”

Blaine turns his head to Kurt and whispers in his ear.

“Wait, so this guy is… anti-Match?” Kurt nods ferociously. For whatever reason, Blaine finds this situation kind of funny, so he chuckles a little. He looks around the table. None of his friends seem very surprised at what this man is saying. He must've been the only person who didn't know what was going on.

“Now, just by a show of hands here, how many of you in this room are married because of the Match law?”

Almost everyone in the room raised their hands.

“Okay, now let's see, how many of you were matched by the government's algorithm?”

Kurt and Blaine raised their hands, along with about half of the room.

“Okay, so about fifty percent. Now, last question, how many of you, if you were matched, would say that you are happy in your marriage?”

Kurt and Blaine raised their hands. But not many other people raised their hands with them.

“Alright, so maybe about ten percent? These are awful statistics. And let me tell you, the numbers we got in this room pretty much match what we've seen around the nation.”

Suddenly, two men, wearing gray business suits just like the ones at the door, run up on stage carrying a large chart and stand. They set it up next to Sebastian.

“Thank you,” he says. “Now, let's take a look at the facts.” He points at the presentation. The first paper shows a pie chart. Kurt leans over to Blaine and whispers in his ear.

“Way for this guy to be hipster. He's using a pad of paper like it's 1992. Powerpoint was invented for a reason.” Blaine chuckles. Sebastian continues.

“So, all across the country, unless there are special circumstances to be considered, everyone over the age of twenty-five is married. Percentage wise, 84 percent of all people over age twenty-five are married. As we all know, at the time of the law's enactment five years ago, people over the age of 40 who were unmarried weren't forced to marry, and people who are widowed or divorced aren't forced to remarry.

Of that people who got married because of the Match law, 47 percent opted to pick someone for themselves to marry, while 53 percent opted to be matched by the government's algorithm. And of the people who got matched, only 10 percent of them say that they are actually happy with their spouse.”

Blaine looks at Kurt and raises his eyebrows. Kurt shrugs his shoulders a little.

“We need to put an end to this now! This is America! We shouldn't be forcing people to marry! Everyone should be free to marry whom they choose! Just before the match law was enacted, we achieved marriage equality in all fifty states. And in retaliation, conservative presidents after decided to create this law. I saw enough is enough. If you vote for me, I promise I will do my best in Congress to stop this law in its tracks!”

The crowd applauded uproariously. Sebastian walked off the stage, making a peace sign with his hands and posing every few seconds for pictures. Blaine hadn't even noticed the press  until the flashing bulbs started blinding him.

“Wow, what a message,” said Jesse.

“Yeah, holy cow guys. I guess I'm just so happy in my marriage that I never really thought about how other people could be so unhappy,” Sam said.

“Man, this whole match law really sucks for some people. Good thing we all conveniently found our soul mates in high school, even though some of us didn't know it yet.” Brittany look at Kurt and Blaine.

“Yeah,” Santana said. “Sounds like you two are some of the lucky ones, huh? She nodded in the direction of Kurt's and Blaine's still clasped hands.

“I still can't believe all that time at McKinley, the two of you,” Mercedes said, “and you didn't know you were meant to be.”

“Well,” said Kurt, “I guess that's just how it happened. But,” he looked at Blaine, and put his other hand over Blaine's hand, “I'm just really glad that we found each other now.”

“Aww,” Tina and Mercedes cooed. Santana mimicked a barfing noise, while Brittany took a picture on her phone. Rachel simply glared, but Kurt didn't notice. Only Blaine did.

The second band got up on stage and started playing. They were good, but not nearly as good as their band was. After more mingling and talking, Blaine decides he has to get up to use the bathroom.

“Kurt, do you want anything while I'm up?”

“Hmm, just some water would be nice honey.”

Blaine smiles.

“Absolutely. I'll be right back.” He wasn't sure when they had started using terms of endearment, but he was definitely loving it. He would have to think of something to use on Kurt. Something cute, maybe even ridiculous enough to where Kurt would find it embarrassing. Maybe Kurtsie? Or what about Cookie or Muffin? Those were good ones. Blaine didn't care if this made him a bad husband; he loved embarrassing Kurt. It delighted Blaine when he could see Kurt blush. It wasn't a very hard feat to accomplish, honestly. All Blaine had to do was say how cute he thought Kurt was, or praise him for anything in particular. Apparently, despite how talented and attractive Kurt was, he was also very self-conscious. So sometimes Blaine went out of his way to make Kurt feel appreciated.

After he went to the bathroom, he stopped by the bar and asked for another water. The bartender got it for him promptly, and Blaine was so happy, he turned around quickly without even looking. He tripped slightly and spilled the water on a brunette who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!” Blaine said. He grabbed a bunch of napkins off of the bar and started drying her off.

“Oh no, you don't have to…” she started.

“It's okay, don't worry. I'm gay, so you're husband can't get jealous. And my husband also won't get jealous.” They both laughed.

“I'm so sorry about this,” Blaine said again.

“It's not a big deal,” the girl replied.

“I'm Blaine Anderson,” he said, extending a hand to shake hers.

“Marley Rose,” the girl replied. She took his hand and shook it. They smiled at each other for a moment, before Marley caught a glimpse of something behind Blaine. Her eyes grew wide.

“Oh my gosh! Quick, don't say anything!” Marley ran behind the bar and ducked down out of view. Blaine was confused. A tall, dark skinned, dark haired man with a menacing look on his face came up to Blaine.

“Hey you,” he said. “Have you seen my wife? Skinny, brown hair. Goes by the name of Marley?”

Blaine played things off cool.

“Nope, haven't seen a girl like that around here. Good luck finding her though man.”

The stranger scowled and then stalked off. After he was long gone, Blaine walked up to the bar and peered over the side to where Marley was hiding.

“Don't worry, he's gone.” She stood up and sighed in relief.

“Oh thank God,” she breathed out, still shaking a little.

“So, not that it's any of my business, but why are you hiding from your husband?”

Marley's face crumples up, and she looks as though she might cry. She steps from behind the bar and sits in a stool. Blaine takes a seat next to her and puts a calming hand on her back.

“He's awful. I got matched recently, and we just got married. Jake, that's his name, is the worst person in the world. He's mean, and rude and selfish, and sometimes,” she lowers her voice and looks around before saying it, “sometimes he hits me.”

“Oh my goodness! Marley! You have to report him! You can't let him get away with that, domestic abuse is illegal!”

“I know, normally yes. But he's the son of this high profile business magnate, and I just know that if I even tried to get him arrested, his dad would just hire a lawyer and he'd be out within a day. And then he'd really come around for blood.”

She starts crying.

“I just don't know what to do! I mean, it's not all of the time, just when he gets really drunk. I came to this party tonight because, I don't know, I thought maybe I could help somehow. But I think he found out where I went somehow, and now he's even angrier than he normally is.”

Blaine sighed. Wow, Smythe was right. This Match program was really hurting some people, wasn't it?

“Marley, you have got to fight back. You can't just let him hurt you. Look, I know that you might not be able to leave him, but at least let me give you my number. If he ever tries to hurt you again, just give me a call. And,” Blaine takes her phone and starts typing in numbers, “here's our address. If it gets really bad, just take a taxi and get out of that house. You can come over and stay at our place if you need to. Just promise me you'll try and get help if he hurts you, alright?”

Marley looks at Blaine with wide eyes. She's obviously still scared, but she looks grateful.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “I will, I promise.”

“There you are!” a voice bellows from across the room. Marley jumps out of her chair and turns around. Jake is stomping towards her. She walks towards him.

“I've been looking for you all night! What are you even doing at a party like this?”

“Uh, nothing. Just scoping out the competition for you father, of course.”

Competition? thinks Blaine.

“Well, are you done yet?” he demands.

“Y-yeah, I think so.”

“Great, let's go.” He grabs her wrist possessively and pulls her out the door.

Blaine rushes back to the table, and Kurt stands up to meet him.

“There you are! I was just going to text you! You took so long, I thought you might've disappeared. Are you ready to go home? I'm kinda done.”

“Yeah, I'm ready.” Blaine grabs Kurt's hand, appreciating now more than ever how lucky he was. “Let's go.”

Kurt turns back to the table of friends. Tina and Mike had left by then, as well as Rachel and Jesse. How long had he been talking to Marley for?

“Hey, goodnight guys, we're gonna go home.”

“Ow ow! They's gonna get it on!” Santana shouts, more than a little drunk.

“Hey,” Brittany says, “when two magical unicorns have sex, does that make it twice as magical?”

“Yes,” Santana replies. They both laugh. Kurt turns back around to Blaine and pulls him away.

“And that's our cue to leave, before things get even weirder.”

They walk outside together to the subway station.

“So, did you have a good time at the party?” Kurt asks. “Your band did really well. I know I said that already, but I'm just reiterating because I definitely believe it. You guys were amazing.” He pulls Blaine closer. “You were amazing.”

“Well thank you. And I did have a good time. I wasn't expecting that Smythe guy to be anti Match, but it sure made things interesting. I didn't know that there were that many people against it. I thought by now, people had just kind of accepted their fate.”

“I guess some people will never give up hope. I want him to win. I hope the law does get changed.”

“Yeah, I mean, wow. So the reason why I took so long in the bathroom is because on the way back, after getting your water, I ran into this girl.”

“Ooh, should I be jealous?” Kurt teased. Blaine rolled his eyes.
“Definitely not. I literally ran into her. I spilled all your water over her dress, and then when I was helping her clean up, she literally hid from her husband. Like she ducked behind the bar like they were playing hide and go seek.”

“Wow, why?”

“Because apparently he's abusive, and she doesn't feel like she can tell because his father is rich and powerful.”

“Oh my goodness, poor thing.”

“I know right? Anyways, I gave her my number and our address, I told her she could come stay with us if he tried to beat her again. I hope that's okay.”

“Of course! Absolutely.”

Blaine smiles at his husband.

“I just had no idea so many people were this unhappy. Maybe it'll be a good thing if Smythe does win, and this law gets dissolved.”

“I think so too,” replied Kurt. “Let's hope for her sake. And for all the people like her.”

Blaine was happy Kurt agreed with him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but Blaine just knew that he wanted to help.

His answer came about a week later. He overheard two women talking in the supermarket. Their words had caught his attention because he had heard them say the name “Smythe.” Apparently, there were secret meetings, anti-Match meetings, that were held every week in an underground warehouse. (What was it with these people and warehouses?) Blaine barely caught the name of the place and a day and time. He googled it and found directions easily.

Monday at 9 o'clock. New York Plastic Co. Blaine would be there, and he'd be ready to fight.