Panting, Kurt dropped down on the bed next to Blaine, who immediately wrapped an arm around him to keep him close. Blaine's chest was heaving almost violently as he tried to catch his breath.

"God, I missed you so much," Blaine muttered, craning his neck so he could kiss the top of Kurt's head.

"I missed you, too," Kurt answered in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry if I was too rough…"

"You weren't, don't worry," Blaine smiled, the afterglow of his orgasm still too strong to care about sore muscles. "I really needed to feel you."

Kurt sighed in contentment and nuzzled into the crook of Blaine's shoulder. It was almost four in the morning and he had to be up early in the morning to work, but he didn't give a damn at that point. He had Blaine back in his arms and they had spent the last few hours showing each other how much they had missed being together, and talking. Blaine had explained to Kurt everything that had happened while they were apart and Kurt had sounded honestly horrified when he heard about what Ryan McAllister had done and how Walter was willing to help him get away with it.

They were silent for a while and Blaine thought Kurt had finally fallen asleep, so he was ready to do the same, when Kurt spoke again, his lips moving against the sensitive skin of Blaine's neck. "There were a few moments… when I actually thought you wouldn't come back to me."

Blaine felt his stomach twisting in guilt. He swallowed the bitterness that came up his throat. "Kurt…"

"I kept telling myself that you hadn't meant what you said that night, that you would eventually find your way back, that I just needed to give you enough time…" Kurt shifted closer and clung to him like a lifeline. "But there were days when everything was so bleak, when the bed was so cold…"

Blaine pulled away from Kurt's embrace just enough to push him onto his back so he could lean over him, with only inches between them. His hazel eyes were full of tears and regret. "Leaving you was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life and I spent every second without you feeling like I had lost a part of me because you're everything to me, Kurt."

Kurt cracked a watery smile and brushed the line of Blaine's jaw with the tips of his fingers. "I love you so much, Blaine."

"I love you even more," Blaine closed the gap between them enough to kiss his lips sweetly and slowly. "And I always will."

"Always?" Kurt repeated, lazily moving forward to capture Blaine's lips again.

"Forever," Blaine replied quietly.

They kept kissing and whispering endless declarations of love until they fell asleep, Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt's waist and Kurt's thrown over Blaine's chest.

For the first time in weeks, they both slept deeply, because the fear of losing the person they loved was finally gone.

Blaine woke up a little later that morning, mostly because he couldn't find Kurt in the bed next to him. Glancing at the clock, he realized Kurt was probably at the bakery already, so he got up, took a quick shower and then joined him downstairs.

It was still raining, but there were a few more customers than the previous day. Only one look at Kurt's face told Blaine he was feeling overwhelmed.

"Hey," he said as he walked behind the counter, brushing his fingers lightly over the small of Kurt's back when he passed by him. "What's going on?"

Kurt was filling a cup of coffee. "People haven't stopped coming in since I opened and I didn't get any baking done last night. I have to get ready a few orders and I don't think I'll have enough time to do everything."

Blaine put his hand on Kurt to stop him from grabbing a second paper cup. "Go to the kitchen and do what you have to do, I'll take care of the customers today, okay?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow, but his lips curled up a bit at the ends. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Blaine smiled. "I've spent so much time here that I already know how everything works."

Kurt sighed in obvious relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now get out of here," Blaine gently pushed him away by bumping their hips together and filled the second cup of coffee as Kurt disappeared into the kitchen.

Blaine quickly served every customer until the last one was out the door, feeling quite proud of himself that he'd only had to interrupt Kurt one to question him about something he didn't know. When he was done, he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Kurt in the kitchen.

Kurt was making kneading movements inside a huge white bowl. "You're an angel, Blaine, thank you so much."

"It was nothing," Blaine smiled as he pressed his lips chastely against the back of Kurt's neck, sending a little shiver down his spine. "You work too much and you have no one to help you here."

"I know," Kurt sighed. "My dad keeps telling me I'll have to hire someone eventually and he's right. Sometimes I'm so tired I almost can't get out of bed in the morning."

"I'll tell you what," Blaine said, his hands settling on Kurt's hips. "I'll help you when I'm not working on Henry's case. You can be back here in the kitchen and I can be out there with the customers. That way, you don't have to be down here late every night baking."

"Blaine, I can't ask you to do that…" Kurt shook his head softly.

"You're saying that as if I don't get anything out of this," Blaine smirked with his lips glued to Kurt's skin. "I will not only spend more time with you here during the day, but I'll also have you all to myself earlier every evening."

"Uhm, a bit possessive, aren't we?" Kurt hummed, but it was obvious he was delighted with that idea.

"I need to make up for lost time," Blaine's grip tightened a little, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh between Kurt's hipbones, making him gasp a little. "And I like being here. It was the first place where I ever felt… safe."

Kurt smiled and leaned back against Blaine's body. "It would be really nice to have you around more."

Blaine relaxed, losing himself in the mix of delicious scents coming from Kurt's skin and whatever chocolate-y thing he was making before pulling away to drink his coffee.

"Could you pass me the bowl of raspberries I have in the fridge, sweetheart?" Kurt asked absently and Blaine moved to oblige. Kurt frowned, suddenly thinking of something. "You haven't told me about how you were doing in your photography classes."

Blaine came back with a bowl full of colorful, fresh raspberries and put it down on the counter before leaning next to Kurt and grabbing his cup of coffee again. "I stopped going after we… you know," even saying it was still hard. "I didn't have strength enough to keep going."

"Blaine," Kurt paused and looked up at him, a sad smile on his face. "That could've helped you feel better."

"No, it wouldn't have made any difference," Blaine said, completely certain. "It didn't really make any sense without you. You're like… my muse."

Kurt bit his lip and took a step to stand between Blaine's legs, keeping his hands away from him so he wouldn't get him dirty with batter. "I'm here now. Are you going to go back? Because I really think you should, Blaine."

"I will," Blaine nodded, brushing Kurt's chestnut hair off his forehead. "I actually told your dad the other day that I'd like to try and pursue a career as a photographer. So I'll probably go talk to my teachers this week and see if I can rejoin or if it's too late."

Kurt grinned widely. "Really? Blaine, that's fantastic."

"It's hard to make it as a photographer, but I'll give it a shot," Blaine shrugged. "At least I know I have a backup job as a waiter here if things don't go as planned."

"Oh, yeah?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "Who said I'm hiring you?"

"Do you need some convincing, sir? Because I think I'm perfect for the job," Blaine said in a low voice, as he moved closer to mouth at Kurt's throat. Kurt melted in his arms.

And then they heard the front door opening and a new customer coming in.

"You better get that if you want to make a good impression on your boss," Kurt muttered, a bit frustrated, pulling away.

Blaine stole one more kiss before turning to leave the kitchen. Kurt did a ridiculous little dance of sheer happiness as he tried his best not to squeal before he went back to work.

On Friday afternoon, Blaine received a call from Henry Brown's mother, Monica. They had agreed that she would contact him as soon as she knew when Henry would have a free day from his many doctor's appointments.

"His physiotherapist had to cancel today. I know it's short notice, but we have to take him to so many different doctors every day of the week… and then he's so exhausted," She explained, distressed.

"It's fine," Blaine assured her in a soothing voice. "Why don't you let Henry relax today and we'll meet tomorrow?"

"No, I couldn't possibly make you go to the office on a Saturday," Monica replied immediately.

"I don't actually have an office right now," Blaine said. "I was hoping we could meet somewhere else."

He could almost hear her frown. "I… don't understand. I thought every lawyer had an office. Mr. Anderson… I hate sounding so suspicious, but we don't need anyone else hurting our family. Are you a real lawyer or are you trying to cause my son even more trouble?"

"I understand you don't trust me yet, Mrs. Brown. But I swear I want to help Henry. I'm a hundred percent into this," Blaine brushed his curls back, a bit desperately. "Give me a chance to at least explain to you why it's so important to me to take this case."

There was a small pause and then she sighed on the other end. "Okay. But… I don't think we should meet in a public place. Henry… well, he's afraid of anyone hearing him talk about what happened, about people knowing he's gay. It's as if he's almost expecting someone to attack him every time he leaves the house."

Blaine closed his eyes. He remembered what that felt like. And he also knew that locking himself in his room hadn't helped at all. "No one is going to hurt him here. It's one of the safest places I've ever been. Do you have paper and a pen to write down the address? It's a little bakery, Ellie's…"

That's how he ended up glancing anxiously at the door every two seconds on Saturday morning. He was so distracted that Kurt had to come out of the kitchen and help him with the customers.

"Try to relax," Kurt said in his ear, his fingers brushing softly against the small of his back. "Everything will be fine."

He smiled nervously at him and continued pouring another cup of coffee. Kurt went back to the kitchen to check on the second batch of pies he had put in the oven and Blaine started flipping through some files he had printed about the case.

A woman pushing a boy in a wheelchair entered the bakery a few minutes after ten. Blaine was just finishing with a customer, handing him his change, when he saw them. The woman was tall and thin, her brown hair tied back with a tight bow in the back of her head. The boy looked really small in that wheelchair, even though Blaine suspected he had been as tall as his mom when he was able to stand on his feet. He had dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. They glanced around awkwardly, obviously thinking their lawyer was late or, even worse, had stood them up.

Blaine came out from behind the counter with a kind smile on his face. "Hello! You must be Henry and Monica, right? I'm Blaine Anderson."

Monica and Henry both blinked at him, staring at the hand Blaine had extended towards them. He definitely wasn't the lawyer they had been expecting. Instead of the formal, professional suits Blaine had worn when he worked with his father, he was a lot more casual now. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a Harvard hoodie (he couldn't resist wearing hoodies when he was with Kurt after the other man had confessed he thought he looked so good in them back during Thanksgiving). On top of that, he had on a black apron that Kurt had insisted he used after he had spilled coffee all over his sweater the previous day.

Hesitantly, Monica shook his hand.

Blaine gave them a hopeful smile. "Listen, I know I don't look the way you expected your new lawyer to look, but… give me an hour of your time and if you don't want me to help you with this, I will personally recommend a good lawyer that could take your case."

"Are you really a lawyer?" Henry asked, bluntly.

Blaine took off the apron and dropped it on the counter. "I am. I graduated on top of my class in Harvard. I swear. I'm just… I'm in the middle of changing careers. That's why I don't have an office right now and why I'm doing this for free. I want to take this case because it matters to me, not because it's my job."

Monica squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Okay, we can give you an hour."

"Fantastic," Blaine took the folder he had left on the counter and pointed at one of the tables. "Let's take a seat here."

"Are you sure we can… talk safely? What if someone comes?" Henry asked, his eyes travelling around the bakery, warily.

Blaine smiled bitterly. "You can be whoever you want to be in this place. That's what I learned the first time I came over. This has been my shelter since that day."

Henry stared at him, still very cautious. "Why would you want to help the gay guy? Don't you think I should burn in hell like the rest of the people in this town?"

Blaine was silent for a few seconds, simply studying Henry's face. The kid was damaged and he couldn't blame him for it, but he needed him to trust him if he was going to represent him. Then he turned slightly. "Kurt? Can you come here for a second?"

Henry visibly tensed and his mother reached for his hand. Kurt came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a kitchen cloth with a curious expression in his eyes until he noticed that Blaine wasn't alone.

Blaine offered his hand to Kurt, who took it without hesitation, and pulled him closer, enough to wrap one his arms around his waist affectionately. "Mrs. Brown, Henry, this is Kurt, my boyfriend."

Henry and his mother understood without further explanation. Henry even responded to Kurt's bright smile.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Kurt said politely. "I was absolutely outraged when I heard about what happened to you, Henry. And I'm sure that if anyone can do something to make that monster pay, it's Blaine."

"I'm starting to think so, too," Henry said, looking quickly back at Blaine.

Kurt poured cups of coffee for everyone and then joined them at the table when Blaine gave him a brief, pleading look. It was obvious he was still nervous and it seemed like having Kurt there actually helped in gaining Henry's trust, so Kurt complied without a second thought.

After going through some basics of the case, Blaine put the papers down and frowned, as if he was thinking about something. Then he sighed and looked up at Monica and Henry. "I'm going to be completely honest with you right now. I heard about what happened to you, Henry, when I was asked to represent Ryan McAllister."

Henry fidgeted nervously at the mention of his aggressor and his mother grabbed his hand, reassuringly.

"Someone asked you to be his lawyer? I'm sorry, but if people know you're gay, too… who would ask you to do something like that?" Monica asked, incredulous.

Blaine answered calmly. "My father did."

There was a heavy silence between them. Kurt put his hand on Blaine's knee and squeezed lovingly.

"I was working for my father until just a few days ago. He presented this case to me which is when I decided to quit," Blaine explained. He avoided everyone's eyes. "He has been my biggest bully and harassed me since I was a kid and I can't let him help others to do what he did to me for all these years. Now he's Ryan's lawyer and I have more than one good reason to want to beat him in court." Blaine took a deep breath. "And since I'm being honest… I've never wanted to be a lawyer, I only became one because my father insisted, but I know I'm good at it. I know what I'm doing and I won't eat, sleep or even breathe until I win this for you, Henry. I'm sick of people treating us like we're garbage just because we love differently and this is my way to put a stop to it."

The grip of Kurt's hand on his knee tightened and Blaine didn't dare to turn and look at him because he knew he would start crying if he did. The door opened then and a new customer entered, so Kurt excused himself quietly before standing up and walking to the counter.

Henry nodded slowly. "Yeah… okay. Let's do this."

Blaine grinned as he did his best to hold back the knot of emotions in his chest. It was especially hard, since all he wanted to do was jump up and down and throw a fist in the air. "Thanks, Henry. You're not going to regret this, I swear."

He shared a smile with Kurt from across the room and Kurt looked at him with so much pride in his eyes that Blaine would've jumped over the counter and kissed him right there and then if it wasn't because they both had to remain professional.

But when they were alone an hour later, Henry and his mom just left and with a little break in between customers, Blaine pushed Kurt into the kitchen and kissed him against the wall until they were both breathless, almost letting the brownies Kurt had put in the oven burn.

He wouldn't have minded having to make a whole new batch if that meant he could kiss Blaine for a few more minutes.

Kurt was happily humming to himself as he put a tray full of tiny tarts into the display case next to the counter. He had been in a wonderful mood for days and he had Blaine to blame for that. Waking up next to him every morning and falling asleep in his arms every night was absolutely wonderful. They were so much closer now than they had been before their little time apart, as if the distance and the heartache had just made them stronger.

It was a beautiful morning and Kurt had been at the front behind the counter since opening because Blaine had to take care of a few things related to Henry's case. He had said he would be back probably around lunch time, so Kurt was thinking about maybe getting something ready for his boyfriend to eat when he came back. When the door opened behind him, he expected it to be him or a customer, but then he turned around to find Walter Anderson looking down at him disdainfully.

"Well, well…" Walter said, a cold smirk spreading on his lips. "I thought it was you but I wasn't sure. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering anyone could see your disgusting gay face from miles away."

Kurt closed the display case's glass door carefully, though he was boiling with anger inside. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Homophobic assholes are not welcomed in my bakery."

"Believe me, I have no wish to be in this place," Walter glanced around disapprovingly before letting his hazel eyes (so similar to Blaine's, but so different at the same time) fall back on Kurt. "Where's Blaine?"

"He's not here," Kurt answered calmly, moving towards one of the tables where a customer had left an empty cup.

"You expect me to believe that he didn't run to you? Or did he really break up with you because he couldn't stand to have you near him?" Walter took a few steps closer.

"It's none of your business where Blaine is and who he is with. Not anymore," Kurt said firmly. "And I have no idea why you're trying to find him, since it's obvious you never really cared about your son."

Walter had the audacity to laugh humorlessly at Kurt's words. "Look, Hummel, I know Blaine much better than you do. Every now and then he has a meltdown and he wants to change. He thinks I don't notice, but I do. I can tell when everything becomes too much and he wants to escape. It's happened before. He never really dared to do anything about it, but the fact that he did this time doesn't mean anything. In the end, he'll come back crawling, asking our family to accept him back…"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kurt said with a haughty smile. "He's happy now and he has a real family."

"What, your family?" Walter rolled his eyes. "Blaine is not made to be with people like your family, your class…"

"As delightful as this conversation is," Kurt cut him off impatiently, "I'm afraid I have a lot to do, so it would be nice if you would just turn around and get the hell out of my bakery."

Kurt walked past him with the intention of going into the kitchen, but Walter reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging at him abruptly and making him stumble. There was a flash of anger in his eyes and Kurt was genuinely scared for a moment.

"This is your fault, faggot," Walter spat, watching Kurt as if he was nothing more than filth. "Everything was fine until you wormed your way into Blaine's life…"

"What do you call fine, exactly?" Kurt asked, sounding a lot braver than he actually felt. "Blaine being practically your slave, thanklessly doing everything you told him to, being absolutely miserable?"

"At least he was minimally respectable," Walter answered. "If people hear my son is living with another man…"

"So all you care about is what people say about you and your family," Kurt watched him with narrow eyes. "Well, it's nice that you care about that, you know? It's nice that you try to make your family look so respectable, like you say, and that you try to hide from people that your son is gay. But you know what you should try to hide, too? How fake you and your wife are. You talk too much about image, Mr. Anderson, but you certainly don't care if people see you as a bastard who treats his son like crap every chance he's got."

Walter's grip tightened around Kurt's arm, who had been trying to squirm away from him the entire time. He opened his mouth to reply (probably with more insults), when a third voice interrupted.

"What the hell is going on here?" They both looked to see Blaine standing barely past the front door, his eyes wide and instantly moving down to the hand wrapped around Kurt's arm. He took a couple of long strides towards them and grabbed his father's wrist. "Keep your hands off my boyfriend."

Walter snapped his hand back, as if he had been burned, whether with Blaine's touch or what he had just said, he didn't know. "What a wonderful timing you have, Blaine. Kurt and I were just having a lovely chat…"

"I'm sure," Blaine answered coldly and Kurt swallowed, his eyes fixed on his boyfriend. He had never heard Blaine talking like that. "Now get out of here."

"Where are the manners your mother and I taught you?" Walter sighed, shaking his head, almost disparagingly.

"Those weren't manners, it was submission," Blaine pushed Kurt gently but firmly away from Walter. "And like most of the useless things you and mom gave me, I'm letting them go."

"What an ungrateful little bastard," Walter blurted out, indignantly. "We gave you everything that we…"

"Everything? You gave me all the things I didn't want and you denied me the one thing I wanted," Blaine closed his hands in tight fists. "And that's what Kurt gives me. Love."

Walter snorted mockingly. "Love. What can two fags know about love?"

"A lot more than you, obviously," Blaine's eyes flashed with anger. "Because I'm not the one who has been married to the same woman for thirty years and then goes to work and asks his secretary to suck him off under his desk."

It seemed as if Blaine was finally letting out everything he had been bottling up for years. His father seemed a bit surprised to see him talking back, but that didn't stop him from trying to humiliate Blaine further.

"I'd rather be caught cheating on my wife with another woman than begging a twink like this," he directed a disgusted glance towards Kurt, "to spread his legs for me."

"Don't worry, Dad," Blaine said and Kurt was shocked to see he was actually smiling. "No one has to beg here. I love spreading my legs for Kurt."

Kurt's face went immediately red and he wasn't sure if it was because of what Blaine had just said or if it was because of the heated images of the night before that suddenly flashed into his memory.

Walter looked like he was honestly about to be sick. Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist to tug him closer.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got lots of sinful, faggy sex to have," and without adding anything else, he turned his head and kissed Kurt fully on the mouth, desperate, open and even a little exaggeratedly. Kurt's lips curled up into the kiss, feeling tempted to cast a glance in Walter's direction, because he was sure his face was something worth seeing.

When they pulled away, Walter was seething with fury and completely livid. "You're a disgrace, Blaine, such a disgusting disgrace, and this family…"

"Stop talking about us as if we were a family, because we never were. And as soon as I marry Kurt, I'll stop being an Anderson for good. I'd far rather be a Hummel. It's so much better…" Blaine said, his gaze fixed on his father, but his hand squeezing Kurt's.

Walter turned around to leave, huffing in annoyance, the eternal look of disgust glued to his face.

"And dad," Blaine stopped him just when he was about to storm out the door. He pulled Kurt a bit closer just as Walter looked over his shoulder. "I'll see you in court."

That seemed to get his father's attention, who frowned in confusion. "Why would I see you in court?"

"Because I'm Henry Brown's lawyer," Blaine answered with his voice clear and proud. "And I'm going to win that case for him."

A little smirk appeared on Walter's face. "I'd like to see you try."

Before Blaine had the chance to answer to his father's challenge, the man was opening the door and leaving the bakery, his shoulders tensed in obvious anger. Blaine and Kurt stayed very still, their hearts pounding loudly against their chests for a whole minute.

And then Blaine was burying his face in Kurt's neck and his legs felt like jelly. "Oh my God, I can't believe I actually said all that."

Kurt wrapped his arms around him and laughed. "I'm so proud of you, baby. The way you stood up to him…"

Blaine pulled away and examined Kurt almost urgently. "He didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't bruise you?"

Kurt soothed him with a quick kiss and a smile. "I'm fine."

They kissed again, long and slow, relaxing into each other's arms and they let the tension ease away from their bodies. Blaine was taking in the comforting scent of Kurt's skin when Kurt spoke again.

"You know… if that was a marriage proposal, it wasn't nearly as romantic as I expected," he whispered into the messy curls on the top of Blaine's head.

Blaine untangled himself from his boyfriend to look him in the eyes, a bit nervously. "Kurt, I…"

"Ssh, it's fine, I'm just teasing you," Kurt rubbed his hands up and down Blaine's back over his black coat.

"I'm… I'm going to do it, someday, and I'm sure it'll be sooner than later," Blaine mumbled, swallowing awkwardly.

"Not if I propose first," Kurt bit his lip, playfully.

Blaine whined, low in his throat, and moved forward to kiss Kurt again, who clutched at his shoulders tightly.

"Let's go lock the door," Kurt whimpered as Blaine's lips moved over his jaw.

"We can't, it's not closing time yet and…" Blaine answered distractedly, but falling silent when Kurt cupped his face and forced their eyes to meet. Kurt's were so dark that the blue was barely visible.

"I don't care," he gripped the ends of Blaine's scarf and tugged a little. "You have no idea how hot you were, how sexy you looked while you were… oh, God, Blaine, I almost wish I could've seen you punch him…"

Blaine growled and backed towards the door to lock it, flipping the sign to close before following Kurt quickly into the bathroom.