Days started getting warmer during the first two weeks of March and the ones who seemed to enjoy it the most were Brownie and Robert. Brownie loved to jump onto the table by the window, where the rays of sunshine bathed the wood and lay there for hours, napping and licking her paws. Robert, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilled to go out for walks and roll around on the grass at the park.

Kurt and Blaine were spending a particularly sunny Sunday afternoon walking around their favorite park as they stopped every few minutes to let their dog sniff the base of a tree or bark at the birds. They were both wearing coats, though lighter ones and Kurt was still bemoaning the fact that he had to stop using some of his favorite scarves because they were too warm for the current weather.

Things had gotten a lot busier lately. Blaine had been working his ass off on Henry's trial, which would start that Tuesday and Kurt had to go back to his hectic schedule at the bakery, staying up late to get all the baking done before going upstairs to find Blaine with his nose still buried deeply in files, or typing quickly on his laptop, just the way he had left him in the morning. But they had agreed that Sundays were sacred to them. It was the only day they could relax and rest and be together all day, when they were allowed to stop thinking about questions for witnesses or cake orders that were due too soon.

Blaine had his camera hanging around his neck. He always had it with him these days, especially since he had started taking the classes again. Every now and then he would point the camera seemingly randomly snap a picture, and no matter what he was taking a picture of, it always looked amazing. His favorite model was, of course, Kurt, who had stopped trying to hide behind his hands after a while and was finally resigned to having his photograph taken.

Kurt could see that Blaine was nervous. He knew his boyfriend was trying not to talk about it because they were supposed to forget about work during their day off, but Kurt was sure the anxiety was eating him up inside. He stopped walking, pulling on Blaine's hand to stop him, too, and faced him with a little smile.

"You can't stop thinking about the case, can you?" He asked, brushing Blaine's curls back from where they had fallen on his forehead.

Blaine groaned and dropped his head on Kurt's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to be distracted, I swear."

"Honey, it's fine, I know you're nervous," Kurt smiled reassuringly at him.

"I just… I feel really pressured to win this," Blaine sighed and moved to take a seat on a wooden bench, patting the spot beside him so Kurt would follow. "I want Ryan to go to jail so he can't hurt anyone else, I want Henry to feel safer and I really want to see my father's face when he loses…"

Kurt pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Then let's make one more effort, alright? What do you say if we go back home, I make a fresh pot of coffee and you keep working? I'll help you with anything you need. Oh! You can ask me questions and I can pretend I'm one of the people on the stand!" Kurt clapped his hands with enthusiasm. "When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor, you know, I'm actually quite good."

Blaine chuckled as he rolled his eyes fondly. He pulled Kurt into his arms and reclined against the back of the bench, letting Kurt nuzzle into his neck and cuddle closer. "God, Kurt, you're fantastic and I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Kurt closed his eyes, partly to get lost even more in how lovely it felt to be pressed to Blaine and partly because an old couple walked by and looked at them disapprovingly.

"But this is our day to relax and be together. And I definitely don't want you to waste your day with this," Blaine's hand moved down Kurt's arm until he could intertwine their fingers.

"We'll have plenty of time to do that once you kick your dad's ass," Kurt answered. "Then you'll be completely mine and stress-free." He stood up, dragging Blaine with him. "Come on, let's go back…"

"Kurt, really…" Blaine tried to protest.

"Let's make a deal," Kurt turned to him, throwing his arms around his neck and putting his mouth close to his ear so no one else could hear. "We work on this for the rest of the day and then we go to bed early so we can start fresh tomorrow."

"And what do you get out of all this?" Blaine asked, quirking an eyebrow playfully.

"I said going to bed early, not sleeping," Kurt purred into his ear, sending a shiver down Blaine's spine.

Blaine growled in frustration. "And you expect me to be able to work for hours before we can go to bed?"

"I call that motivation," Kurt kissed the corner of his mouth before turning around, grabbing his hand and calling Robert to come back to their sides before making their way back home.

Blaine woke up on Tuesday morning completely convinced that he was going to be sick.

"Stop worrying," Kurt muttered sweetly as he adjusted Blaine's blue tie. "You'll be amazing."

"You don't know that," Blaine answered, already regretting the eggs and toast he'd had for breakfast.

"Yes, I do," Kurt said firmly, looking right into his eyes. "Because you're amazing every day and today won't be an exception."

Blaine took Kurt's hands in his to stop him from straightening his blazer again. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't because of you. You know that, right?"

Kurt smiled softly and rested their foreheads together. "That's not true. You would've done this either way."

"I don't think so," Blaine closed his eyes, breathing in the intoxicating familiar scent of Kurt. "I was near my limit when I met you, Kurt. I wouldn't be here without you."

A lump formed in Kurt's throat and he did his best not to cry. "Don't say that." He kissed Blaine almost feverishly. "Don't ever say that."

"I love you," Blaine whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too," Kurt replied, nuzzling their noses together. "Now go. You can do this."

Blaine took a deep breath and grabbed his briefcase. "I'll call you when we have a breaks."

"Okay. And give Henry my best," Kurt squeezed his hand one last time before Blaine went down the stairs quickly and left the apartment, going out to the clear, sunny morning. He looked across the street to the huge, imposing building where he knew his father was getting ready too and felt his nerves building gradually.

Blaine knew his dad would come at him with everything he had against him. The good news was that Blaine had sat through enough of his father's trials to know what to expect from him, but Walter had never cared enough to attend any of Blaine's. He hoped he could use that to his benefit. He really needed anything he could find helpful.

The drive to the courthouse was too short for his taste. He immediately spotted Henry and his parents, who were waiting for him by the entryway. The three of them looked nervous and Blaine reminded himself that he was the one who was supposed to keep them calm. This wasn't about him, this was about Henry. He allowed himself a few seconds before getting out of the car and walking towards them with the most confident smile he was capable of pasting onto his face.

They entered the courtroom where the trial would take place after greeting each other and, once they were sitting at their assigned table, Blaine turned to Henry, who was terribly pale.

"I want you to stay positive, okay?" He said in a low, soothing voice, a bit surprised that he was able to speak so normally when he was about to freak out himself. "We have this under control. Just… don't worry."

Henry gave him a tentative smile. "I trust you, Blaine."

That seemed to make the weight on Blaine's shoulders feel a lot heavier, but he nodded solemnly. "I'll do my best not to let you down."

The courtroom started filling slowly as the time for the beginning of the trial came closer. Henry's parents were sitting in the first row just behind the desk where Blaine was with the boy. They spoke to their son in hushed, comforting whispers and his mother wouldn't let go of his hand. Blaine kept himself busy going through some documents, making sure he had everything he needed. He wished Kurt was there to hold his hand, too.

When his father entered the room, Blaine could've sworn the temperature dropped drastically. He didn't even look at Blaine. He walked with his head high, smugly, as if being there was nothing but a game to him, as if he was just humoring a silly game meant for children. He was so confident that he was going to win this. Blaine's stomach twisted with anger and anxiety.

Blaine wasn't familiar with the judge that had been assigned to the case, but he knew his father wasn't either, so he considered that a good thing. Walter had a lot of friends that were also judges and Blaine would've hated to have to present his case to a man that wasn't going to be impartial from the beginning.

After the formalities that they needed to go through before the opening of any trial, both lawyers were asked to present their cases. Blaine, being the lawyer for the plaintiff, got to go first. He forced his voice and his hands to stay steady and the only sign of his nervousness was the crazy beat of his heart, but he was the only one aware of that, so he really didn't care.

He cleared his throat before starting. His voice was surprisingly calm and steady and he was glad he didn't start by making a huge fool of himself. "Henry Brown is nineteen years old. He's a student at the University of Columbus and is majoring in History. He had the normal life of any teenager: hanging out with friends in his free time, forming study groups, living in a dorm and going home on the weekends to visit his parents and little sister, going on dates. He had just returned to campus from one of those dates on the night of January 6th when he was brutally attacked. He was beaten so badly that his spine was injured. He is now in a wheelchair. He had several internal injuries, but the main one is the one to his spine. He may never walk again." Blaine paused and scanned the room. His eyes wandered to where the members of the jury where sitting, back to Henry and his parents and then settled on Ryan McAllister, who was seated next to his father. He fixed his gaze on him before he spoke again. "All this happened for one and only one reason: Henry is openly gay."

A brief murmur ran through the room and Blaine waited for it to stop before continuing.

"Henry's had a healthy, steady relationship with the same boy for over a year. They did the same things that any other couples do: they go out for dinner, they go to the movies, they hold hands, they kiss… they did nothing wrong. They didn't hurt anyone. They were just doing what everyone has the right to do: love someone." Blaine swallowed. "Henry and I are here to prove that on the night of January 6th, Ryan McAllister attacked him simply because he doesn't agree with Henry's right to express his sexuality."

After a few more words to close his presentation, Blaine went back to his desk and sat next to Henry. He took a sip of water. That had gone better than he had believed it might, but… he knew what they were dealing with. They were in Ohio, after all. Most of the people in the jury were middle-aged men who had probably been raised with the same prejudices as his father. He hoped the facts would weigh more than those prejudices in the end, though.

Blaine watched as his father made his way to the front to make his own statement. Soon, he was clenching his fists under the table and having to use all of his self-control not to launch himself at his dad and punch him in the face again. Walter talked, way longer than Blaine had done, praising Ryan as a model student, a popular, friendly young man, who pretty much everyone liked. He talked about the different charities Mrs. McAllister organized and in which Ryan participated in his free time. He painted the picture of an extraordinary boy who was nothing but honest and polite to absolutely everyone and that didn't match at all with the guy Blaine had first met at his father's office weeks ago.

Blaine couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. The way his father was twisting the truth was absolutely disgusting. He immediately realized that Walter wasn't planning to play fairly and he felt momentously desolated.

After the presentations were over, Henry's doctor took the stand to testify to and further explain Henry's injuries. Blaine was satisfied when the doctor assured them that the type of damage done to Henry's body could only have been caused by a physical attack. When it was Walter's turn to cross-examine, he pushed and pushed, trying to make him admit they could've been done in a different way. The doctor proved that those injuries hadn't been produced accidentally, by showing some of Henry's x-rays, launching himself into an elaborate demonstration of how every injury had been produced.

Walter called one of Ryan's teachers to the stand to testify to Ryan's usual behavior. The man said that Ryan was a very pleasant young man who rarely got into trouble and nothing more serious in his history than missing a due date on a paper.

Not much progress had been made when, a bit after noon, the judge stated that they would resume the case where it had left off the next morning. Blaine walked with the Browns out of the courthouse, his father walking past them without even looking at Blaine, and squeezed Henry's shoulder once they were outside under the warm, comforting sun.

"This is just the beginning, okay? We have plenty of time to win this thing," he said, making sure to put a smile on his face so the boy wouldn't be too worried.

Henry nodded. "Okay. We'll come back tomorrow and we'll do even better."

Blaine shook his hand. "Of course we will."

But Blaine was absolutely deflated by the time he arrived back to Ellie's. Kurt was with a couple of customers, so he dropped down on one of the chairs and crossed his arms over the table, hiding his face in them. The nerves that he had been holding back all morning came back to him now that he had a clear idea of what he was dealing with.

He felt a gentle touch on his arm after a few minutes and he peeked out reluctantly to find Kurt sitting across from him with a sweet smile on his face. "Hey."

"Hi," Blaine answered, sighing.

"How did it go?" Kurt asked gently, his hand searching out Blaine's to intertwine their fingers together.

"Horrible," Blaine said, shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm not sure if we're going to get enough support from the jury. And my dad's trying to make McAllister look like a model student and perfect man that…"

Kurt squeezed his hand and leaned closer. "Ssh, sweetheart, it's alright."

"It's not. You should've seen Henry's face. He's counting on me…" Blaine felt as if he had swallowed a ton of bricks.

"When do you have to go back?" Kurt brushed his knuckles with his thumb, soothingly.

"Tomorrow morning," Blaine closed his eyes, already dreading the second day of the trial.

"Okay, then, I'm going to make you a cup of tea to help you relax and then you can go upstairs and cuddle with Robert and Brownie on the couch for a little while before going back to work," Kurt stood up and placed a kiss on the back of Blaine's neck.

"I'd rather cuddle with you," Blaine whined.

"That will happen, too, but later," Kurt smiled and walked away to make the tea. He stopped at the door before entering the kitchen and turned around to look at him. "Don't give up just yet, baby."

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, a bit desperately. "I won't."

He was tired of being defeated. It had happened way too many times for him to keep count. But this wasn't going to be one of those times. This time things were going to change.

The problem was that Walter thought he was invincible, so he walked around making everyone else believe the same thing. But Blaine knew how full of crap his father was. He just needed to find a way to show that to the jury.

The next morning, when Kurt had to practically push Blaine out the door so he would return for the second day of the trial, Kurt was almost as nervous as his boyfriend. Seeing Blaine feeling so insecure made his heart ache and he wished he had a way to help him. He knew nothing about law; the only thing he had to offer was his support, his love.

He spent his morning sending anxious glances to his cellphone, which remained silent on the counter. Kurt wasn't only worried for the course of the trial. He was also worried about Blaine. Having to go against his own father to defend something that was such a contentious sore spot between them… it couldn't be easy. Kurt had tried to talk to Blaine about it the previous night, as they lay in bed together in each other's arms, but Blaine hadn't seemed very enthusiastic about the conversation, so Kurt had ended up changing the topic.

His phone started buzzing just as he was handing a customer her change. Kurt forced a bright smile on his face until she turned around to leave and then he immediately grabbed the phone and retreated into the kitchen to take the call.

"Blaine?" He blurted out, hating himself for sounding so anxious when Blaine needed him calm, when his voice was supposed to be soothing and not so desperately high.

"No, kiddo," Burt said from the other end. "But I'm guessing from that greeting that you still haven't heard from Blaine today…"

Kurt exhaled loudly and leaned against the kitchen's wall. "Hi, Dad. No, he hasn't called yet."

Burt made a sound of impatience. "I've been thinking about it all morning. He didn't seem very confident when I called him yesterday."

Kurt felt warmth spreading through his body when he father said he had called Blaine. Knowing that Burt cared about his boyfriend so much made his heart beat so hard that he was afraid he would burst with happiness. "He's terrified of losing. Seeing and hearing his father yesterday nearly shattered his confidence…"

"He's so much better than that man," Burt replied with conviction. "If someone can win this thing, that's Blaine. I wish he didn't let his father get to him so much…"

"Me too," Kurt sighed heavily. "And I wish I could be there with him. I feel like having more support would help with his nerves. But I have several orders that are being picked up today and tomorrow and I can't close the bakery…"

"Isn't the verdict supposed to be announced on Friday, if everything goes according to schedule? I think that's what he told me, at least," Burt asked, thoughtful.

"Yes," Kurt answered as he heard the door opening and, peeking from the kitchen, saw a new customer coming in. "Listen, dad, I really have to go now. Can I call you later?"

"Sure, kiddo. And tell Blaine to give me a call as soon as he can," Burt told him. "I want to know how he's doing."

"I will," Kurt walked out of the kitchen and stood behind the counter while the woman that had just arrived studied one of the display cases with a critic eye. "And thank you. It means a lot to me that you worry about him."

"He's family," Burt said naturally. "I'll talk to you later, Kurt."

"Bye, dad."

Kurt ended the call and forced himself to shove his own worries to the back of his mind before pasting a big smile on his face and walking towards the clearly undecided woman that was scanning his cakes as if she was taking x-rays of them.

Predictably, she ended up being quite a difficult customer (the kind that asked about every single ingredient in every single cake), which for once Kurt was thankful for. He needed to keep his mind busy or he'd go crazy expecting news from Blaine.

When it was almost closing time and he still hadn't heard from his boyfriend, Kurt was on edge. The trial couldn't take that long, could it? Blaine had only been gone for the morning the previous day? How long had it been since he left?

He received a text message just when he was considering getting into his car and driving all the way to the courthouse to find out what the hell was going on.

From Blaine:

I'm with Henry going over what he has to say during his statement tomorrow. Should be home in an hour. Sorry.

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't know how things had gone during the actual trial that day, but at least he knew when Blaine would be home. He rushed through the things he had to do at the bakery, locked the doors, turned the lights out and went upstairs to their apartment.

He started working on dinner, chicken with vegetables, putting everything in the oven so it would roast slowly. He then checked the time: according to what Blaine's message had said, he should be arriving in fifteen minutes. Kurt thought it was the perfect amount of time to draw a bath for his boyfriend so he could relax before eating.

He filled the tub with hot water and poured a bit of his favorite jasmine-scented oil in it. He was just making sure the towels were clean and fluffy enough and leaving them on the edge of the sink for Blaine to reach them easily when he heard steps coming up the stairs.

Blaine looked exhausted. The immaculate aspect he had when he'd left that morning had vanished at some point during the day. His hair had broken free from its gel prison, the green tie was loose and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. Kurt looked at him with an sympathetic smile as he dropped his briefcase on the floor and walked right into his boyfriend's waiting arms.

"Hi," Blaine muttered, voice muffled because his mouth was pressed against Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey, baby," Kurt turned his head slightly to the side so he could press a kiss right under Blaine's ear. He allowed Blaine to just melt into his embrace for a minute, rubbing his back slowly, but when he felt Blaine was about to say something, he didn't give him time to. "Come with me."

Kurt intertwined their fingers together and guided Blaine into the bathroom. The wonderful scent of the oil Kurt had used in it immediately hit Blaine's senses and a tiny smile appeared on his face. Kurt slid Blaine's blazer down his shoulders before undoing the tie completely and taking it off. He started unbuttoning Blaine's shirt next, as his boyfriend went absolutely laxed in his arms.

"You didn't have to do this," Blaine whispered, as if speaking louder was too much of an effort.

"I wanted to," Kurt answered, letting his fingers touch Blaine's skin as he took his shirt off. "And dinner is almost ready. You can take your time in here and I'll keep it warm in the oven until you're done."

"Would you join me?" Blaine asked, grabbing Kurt's wrists to stop him when he was about to pop open the button of his slacks. "I really want to be with you right now."

Kurt's smile got even softer, if that was possible. "Of course," he agreed, brushing his lips against Blaine's cheekbone in just the ghost of a kiss. "Let me just turn the oven off so the food doesn't burn and I'll be right back."

Blaine finished undressing as he heard Kurt rummaging in the kitchen and had just got into the warm, comforting water when his boyfriend returned. Kurt took his clothes off quickly and gestured for Blaine to make room for him. He slipped into the water behind the other man, putting a leg on each side of Blaine and letting him rest against his chest. Blaine immediately sighed in contentment.

Kurt started running his wet fingers gently though Blaine's hair to get the rest of the gel off and massaged his scalp, knowing that would help him relax. "Are you okay?" He asked in a low, sweet voice.

Blaine nodded. His hands slid under the water until they were resting on Kurt's knees. He took a deep breath. "I guess I am, yeah."

"Want to talk about it?" Kurt said, and started humming a soothing melody at the back of his throat as he placed his lips on Blaine's temple and kept them there.

Blaine was silent for a while and he was so grateful that Kurt didn't pressure him to talk. He finally found the words he wanted to say. "It's just…not really knowing which side the balance is leaning is killing me. Every time I think I do something right, every time I actually think I can win this thing, he walks to the front, opens his mouth and charms everyone," Blaine didn't even need to say it for Kurt to know he was talking about his father. Kurt's hands moved in a slow, gentle caress until they were on Blaine's neck. He started kneading at the knots and tensed muscles at the back with his thumbs. "It feels like I'm fighting against the tide. When I think I'm getting to the shore, it shoves me back even further." Blaine sighed, exhausted, and then let out a low groan when Kurt touched an especially sore spot on his neck. "I don't know whether we can expect to win in a place like this. This is Ohio after all. Most of the people in that jury may deny the fact that what happened to Henry is an atrocity just because he's gay, because they think he's sick. That we are sick."

Kurt kissed the top of his head. "You have the chance to show them they are wrong. Maybe you can't change every mind, but you may be able to change a few and that's good, too, Blaine."

"I don't want to disappoint Henry," Blaine whispered. That seemed to have been haunting his whole life, disappointing people. He just wanted to do things right for once.

"No matter what happens, we'll be there for him," Kurt assured him quietly. "We've had it rough, too. Maybe not as bad as him, but it was still hard for us. And right now... I think we're a wonderful example of how things can get better." Kurt tilted his head to be able to look at Blaine in the eyes, with a sweet smile gracing his lips. "I have you and you have me and, I don't know what you think, but I believe we're quite happy."

Blaine couldn't help but smile and move forward to kiss Kurt. "We are. We absolutely are."

They shared a few kisses and a comfortable silence, enjoying the smooth warmth of the water around them. Kurt decided not to push anymore, letting Blaine talk if he needed to, which he did after a couple of minutes.

"Am I an idiot for feeling bad for the fact that my dad hasn't even looked at me once?" Blaine asked, his voice a bit shy. "There's a tiny part of me still waiting for him to accept me and I know it's silly, but I just... I don't know."

"There's nothing silly about that," Kurt shook his head slowly. He bit his lip before speaking again. "But..."

"But he won't. Ever," Blaine finished for him in a dark monotone.

Kurt swallowed. "No, baby I don't think he will." He wrapped his arms around him tightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Blaine shrugged. "I should be used to it by now."

Kurt wanted to say that no one should have to get used to something like that, but he didn't because he knew that wouldn't help. He smiled sadly and hooked his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I don't know if it's a good moment or not to tell you that my dad was really worried about you today. You should give him a call. He really cares about you."

When Kurt saw the way Blaine's lips gradually formed a smile, he realized he had done something right.

"I'm not really sure the moment to mention your dad is while we are naked and pressed together in a bath tub, but thanks for telling me," he said playfully.

Kurt squeezed his side, making him yelp. "Shut up."

Blaine looked at him, eyes bright and smirking teasingly. "Make me."

Kurt didn't have to be told twice before capturing Blaine's mouth in his, kissing the rest of the tension from his boyfriend.

Blaine squeezed Henry's shoulders before leaning down to be eye level with him. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Henry looked a little pale, like he could get sick. "I'm not really looking forward to talking about it again, but if that's what it takes, I'll do it."

"Good," Blaine smiled reassuringly. "Do you remember everything we talked about?"

"I do," Henry nodded firmly.

"This is the last effort," Blaine reminded him, but he sort of was reminding himself as well. "Then you can put this behind you."

Henry closed his eyes, as if he could picture that. "That's all I want. I want to stop thinking about this and move on."

Blaine was about to answer when another boy came walking down the hall with a smile on his face just as reassuring as Blaine's. Blaine moved to the side as the boy kneeled in front of Henry's wheelchair. Henry smiled and leaned closer to kiss him on the lips.

"Hey," Henry said.

"Hey," he answered and then looked up at Blaine. "Hey, Blaine."

"Hi, Derek," Blaine answered. He had met Henry's boyfriend a few weeks ago and the boy had given his testimony the previous day. It had been pretty emotional to hear him talk about Henry and their relationship and what had happened that terrible night. It was obvious the two of them were very much in love and Blaine was happy to see Henry still had Derek's support after the attack.

He walked away to give them a few minutes alone together until they were allowed to enter the courtroom. This was the last day before the verdict and Blaine was doing his best to remain calm, but it was very hard. Only Ryan and Henry were going to take the stand today and both Blaine and Walter would have to make their final statement to try and convince the jury the next day. Blaine was seriously dreading that.

He finally sat at his desk with Henry about ten minutes later. They talked in quiet whispers, making sure they were both on the same page and that Henry still remembered some of the things that were important for him to say.

"The only thing I want from you when you're up there, Henry," Blaine told him, putting a hand on his knee and looking straight into the boy's eyes, "is for you to tell the truth. Just be honest. Tell the truth and everything will be alright."

Henry nodded and the judge entered the room, interrupting their conversation. They went through the usual formalities before Henry was called to the stand. He wheeled himself with as much dignity as he could, his head raised high and his jaw tensed. He swore to tell the truth with his gaze fixed on Blaine, who took a few steps towards him to start his interrogation.

Blaine asked him basic questions first about his age, his life in college, his sexuality, before asking him what had happened on the night of January 6th. Henry was very calm as he described how Derek and he had said goodbye and he had stayed outside smoking. When he started talking about how someone had approached him and started insulting him, he got really nervous and Blaine had to pause and give him a glass of water.

"Henry," Blaine said quietly, but loud enough for the entire courtroom to hear. "Would you please tell everyone here who was the person who attacked you?"

Henry swallowed. His hand shook a bit when he put the glass down. "Ryan McAllister."

Blaine nodded. "What kind of relationship did you have with Ryan until that point? Were you two friends?"

"Not really," Henry answered. "We shared one or two classes together, but I don't think we ever even had a conversation."

"So you didn't know that Ryan had a problem with gay people?" Blaine asked and he heard a chair moving behind him immediately. He looked over his shoulder to see his father looking seriously at the judge.

"I object, Your Honor. It was never proved that my client had or has any homophobic tendencies," Walter said.

Funny to hear you say that, Blaine thought.

"Please, Mr. Anderson, rephrase the question," the judge told him and Blaine nodded again.

"Alright. Henry, based on the few things you knew about Ryan, just from seeing him in class, would you had ever expected him to do what he did on January 6th?" Blaine said carefully, slowly, making sure his father didn't have grounds to object.

"No," Henry replied simply.

"So the attack took you completely by surprise and you had no way of anticipating what could happen, leaving you with no way to protect yourself," Blaine said, waiting until Henry confirmed his words with a subdued 'yes' before continuing. "What's the last thing you remember before you passed out, Henry?"

Henry took another sip of water and a steadying breath. "He spat on my face, gave me a last kick and told me that better teach you not to be a fag. He turned around and left after that."

Blaine swallowed down the bitterness that hearing that word always produced in him. "Thanks, Henry. I have no further questions."

Blaine turned around, walked back to his desk and sat down as gracefully as he could. He kept his eyes on Henry, avoiding looking at his father as he stood up to start his part of the examination.

"Henry," he started, his voice careful and almost mellow, so fake that Blaine felt a shudder go down his spine. "Can you tell me what age you were when you decided that you were gay?"

Both Blaine and Henry cringed at the choice of words and Blaine could swear Derek did too, behind him in the front row of seats.

"Being gay isn't a decision," Henry said as calmly as he could. "But I was thirteen years old when I came out to my parents."

"Is it true that when you were fifteen years old you were severely injured in a car accident?" Walter asked immediately afterward, as if he was not interested in Henry's actual reply.

Blaine quirked an eyebrow. What did that have to do with anything?

"Uhm, yeah, it's true," the hesitation in Henry's voice told Blaine he was a little confused as to why that was being brought up.

"Would you tell us how that happened?" Walter paced slowly, not even looking at Henry. "And please remember you're under oath."

Henry remained silent and Blaine saw him swallow thickly. Something was wrong. Walter knew something he didn't. Blaine started panicking.

"Let me ask you again, Henry," Walter muttered, his voice soft as silk, but sharp as a knife. "You said you were injured in a car accident, is that correct?"

Henry looked at Blaine desperately for a few seconds. "Yes."

"Was it really a car accident?" Walter insisted.

Blaine's hands were gripping so tightly to each other that his knuckles were white.

"No."

"What happened, Henry?" Walter stopped and turned around to look at the boy with a smile.

"I…" Blaine could see Henry's chest heaving. "I… I tried to kill myself."

A gasp went through the room, sounding loud in Blaine's ears.

"How did you try to kill yourself?" Walter continued.

"I… I jumped in front of a car," Henry answered quietly as a track of tears went down his cheeks.

"So, you lied," Walter turned to the jury to flash them his best smile. "You said someone ran over you with their car, but the truth is, the accident was nothing but your fault. It was intentional."

Henry closed his eyes. "Yes."

"I'm sorry," Walter walked towards him. "I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat that?"

"Yes, I lied!" Henry exploded. "I lied that time because I was ashamed, but I'm not lying now and I know that's what you're trying to say!"

"I'm not trying to say anything, Henry, the facts speak for themselves," Walter chuckled.

"Why would I lie about this?" Henry glanced at Blaine, silently asking him to do something. "Why would I say Ryan attacked me if he didn't?"

"Maybe because you want attention? Maybe because you're jealous of Ryan? He's a popular man, a star on the football team. He has a beautiful girlfriend and amazing grades…"

"I'm not jealous of Ryan!" Henry yelled. "I like my life! Or I did until he put me in a fucking wheelchair!"

The judge banged his gavel loudly to quiet him.

"Your Honor, the fact that Henry lied when he was fifteen doesn't have any relevance now. He was a scared kid who was desperate. He's a man now and there are no logical reasons to bring up that incident in this case," Blaine said, finally recovering enough to stand up and talk.

"My reason for bringing this up," Walter said, facing Blaine for the first time in three days, "was to show that Henry had no problems in lying about similar matters before…"

"He tried to kill himself!" Blaine exclaimed, starting to feel himself losing control.

"And why didn't he say that? Why did he hide it? What were his motives?" Walter asked, walking towards Blaine's desk and standing just a few feet away.

Blaine smashed his fist on the table. "I'm sure you, of all people, can come up with a few reasons why someone would consider taking their own life!"

Blaine could feel the vein on his neck pumping. The satisfied smirk on his father's face made him see red because of the anger taking over his body. It took him a few seconds to realize the judge was calling for order.

"I have no more questions," Walter said, grinning, as he moved to his desk and sat down, nonchalantly.

It took a while for Blaine to get his breathing controlled, but it took just a second for him to see the entire case crumble like a house of cards.

Kurt was having another day full of anxiety. Blaine had looked very pale that morning before leaving for the courthouse. All the peace and comfort had vanished as soon as the alarm went off and his hazel eyes opened. Kurt had tried to make him feel better, dropping kisses all over his face, neck and shoulders. It had gotten him a smile, at least for a few seconds, but then the nerves took over again.

And now Kurt was going through another day full of waiting. He had his cellphone in the front pocket of his jeans. They were tight enough that he would immediately feel it vibrating, but he still checked it every few minutes to make sure there weren't any missed calls.

He was cleaning one of the tables after it had been vacated by a customer when the door opened again. A blonde girl came in, looking around. Kurt forced his usual smile and took a deep breath to steady himself again.

"Good morning!" He welcomed her.

She twisted her hands together. "Uhm. I'm looking for Blaine Anderson?"

Kurt frowned. Very few people knew about Blaine living there with him. Who could this girl be? "He's not here right now."

The girl didn't show any signs of wanting to leave. She stayed there, fidgeting, avoiding Kurt's eyes.

Kurt frowned even deeper.

His mind started working at high speed. His first thought was that maybe this girl was a friend of Blaine's, but he knew for a fact he didn't have any friends. He thought she could be a girl Blaine may have dated to make his parents happy (it did sound like something his boyfriend would do), but he was sure Blaine would have mentioned something like that. Still, his protective, possessive side surfaced.

"Would you like me to give him any messages?" He asked a little sharply.

"I... I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I need to see him," the girl answered.

"I'm sure Blaine wouldn't mind if you told me what this is about," Kurt said. "I'm his boyfriend."

To Kurt's surprise, the girl relaxed a bit at that.

"My name is Julie," she took a step forward. "I'm... I'm Ryan McAllister's girlfriend. He is..."

"The guy who beat Henry Brown up," Kurt dropped the cloth he had been using to clean the table on a chair. That was the last thing he had expected to hear. "What are you doing here?"

Julie swallowed, going back to look absolutely nervous. "I need to see Mr. Anderson. I... I was the one who called the ambulance when Henry was attacked. I saw what happened from my dorm's window."

Kurt's heart stopped beating for a second before it started pounding wildly. "Oh my God..."

"I hope I'm not too late. Ryan told me the verdict will be announced tomorrow..." Julie muttered as Kurt quickly reacted and took his cellphone from his pocket, dialing Blaine's number and hoping he was on a break. When the call went straight to voicemail, Kurt swore under his breath, not knowing what to do.

"You want to testify against your boyfriend?" Kurt asked, clutching his phone tightly. This could be exactly what Blaine needed. This could be the difference between winning and losing…

Julie's eyes filled with tears and she seemed to be having some trouble breathing. "Y-yes."

He made his decision in the time it took Julie to blink. He ran to the kitchen and turned the oven off, not giving a damn about the half baked apple pies he had in there, grabbed his keys and went back to the shaking girl who stood in the middle of the bakery.

"Come on, maybe we can get there in time to talk to him..." He said, opening the front door and waiting for her to follow.

"Please, don't make me go there," Julie pleaded without moving. "I don't want Ryan to know I'm doing this."

Kurt did his best to hide his desperation. "Julie, I understand you're afraid, but if we don't get to Blaine right away, it may be too late to do this."

The tears Julie had been holding back finally spilled down her cheeks. "O-okay, okay."

Kurt closed the bakery and ushered Julie into his car. He was buzzing with a mix of excitement and anxiety. He turned the engine on and drove away before looking at the girl sitting next to him. Her long blonde hair fell on her shoulders and her brown eyes were clouded. Her lips kept trembling and she was holding herself, as if she needed something to keep her from falling apart.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked gently.

"I think so, yes," she answered in a small voice.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurt waited until she nodded to go on. "How did you know where to find Blaine? He tried not to let many people know where he was…"

"I called his old office and a woman named Lucy gave me this address as soon as I told her who I was," Julie explained. "She told me that if Mr. Anderson wasn't here, then his boyfriend would help me find him."

I'm sending Lucy a whole basket of muffins, Kurt thought, as he smiled slightly. That woman was an angel. "My name is Kurt, by the way. Sorry I wasn't very… polite back in the bakery." He stopped at a red light and turned to look back at her. "People who come over to see Blaine aren't always very nice."

She nodded, thoughtfully. "I-I've never met a gay couple before."

"We are just like any other couple," Kurt shrugged. "The only difference is that we don't have the same rights and we're frowned upon at some places… but the truth is, we love each other, we spend time together, we understand each other… we're humans. Someday everyone will realize that."

They passed the rest of the way to the courthouse in silence. When Kurt parked the car, Julie moved to open the door and get out, but he stopped her, putting his hand on her arm, gently.

"Listen, what you're doing here… it's the right thing to do," Kurt assured her, smiling softly at her. "But I want you to be sure either way, because I know it might be hard. I want Blaine and Henry to win this, I believe in them… but I can see you're having trouble with this."

Julie's eyes were fixed on her lap when she talked again. "My sister came out to me this weekend."

Kurt's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh."

"I-I didn't tell anyone that I saw what Ryan did. I actually didn't really care, except I didn't want him to end up in jail, but I didn't care about what he did because… because I thought gay people deserved it, somehow. That they had chosen to be something that's wrong so they needed to… to see it wasn't okay…"

Kurt didn't correct her or interrupt her. He could see her thoughts running, twisting, flashing in her gaze, the way she was processing all the information, the way she was fighting to really understand now.

"But Emily… she's sixteen and I've never loved anyone the way I love my sister. I realized that not even the fact she likes girls could change that. I realized that what Ryan did to Henry could happen to her someday and that I would never forgive myself if I didn't do something," Julie was really crying now and Kurt searched for a tissue in the glove compartment. "I love Ryan. He's been an amazing boyfriend since we got together but… I can't deal with this. I can't be with someone who could be a threat to my sister's life."

Kurt smiled at her, a little emotional himself. "Henry, Emily and all the kids like them, and all the people like me and Blaine… we appreciate what you're doing. This is going to be a huge step for all of us."

Julie took a deep breath. "Then let's just do it."

Their footsteps resounded in the cavernous halls as they walked together, looking for any sign of Blaine. Kurt wasn't sure if he could just enter a courtroom while a trial was in session, but he knew he had to do something, anything, to get to Blaine right now.

They turned a corner, the sound of voices filling their ears and found a bunch of people getting ready to go into one of the courtrooms. Kurt saw Blaine immediately, as if he had radar especially designed to find his boyfriend.

"Blaine!" He exclaimed, grabbing Julie's hand and rushing towards him.

Blaine turned around, the frown on his face dissipating into a shocked expression. "Kurt? What are you doing here?" He asked, as soon as they reached him. Kurt saw Henry and his family not far behind. Blaine looked worried once more. "Are you okay? Did something happen? Is it Burt?"

Kurt didn't have enough time to find Blaine's concern about his father endearing, but he filed it for later. "No, sweetheart, dad is fine," he said, a little breathless. "I… I came here with Julie."

"Julie?" Blaine blinked in confusion until he noticed the blonde girl attached to Kurt, who was glancing nervously around. "I… who are you?"

Kurt squeezed Julie's hand to give her some confidence, but before the girl could even open her mouth, another voice interrupted them.

"Julie? What are you doing here?"

They all turned around to find Ryan, who was staring at his girlfriend in even more confusion than Blaine had. Kurt felt Julie stepping a bit closer to him, and he was glad he was still holding her hand.

"I…"

"What are you doing with these people?" He asked in a hushed, low voice, getting closer so no one would hear them. He looked at the way hers and Kurt's hands were still linked and then examined Kurt with evident disgust in his face. "Let go of my girlfriend, homo."

"Ryan!" Walter exclaimed from behind him in a reprimanding, angry tone. "Do you want someone to hear you speaking like that? It could cost us… oh. Hummel is here. I understand now why you couldn't hold back."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything. He didn't care what Walter Anderson said. He only cared about helping Blaine.

"Julie, you haven't answered my question," Ryan muttered, reaching out as if he was waiting for the girl to take his hand.

Julie's grip on Kurt's hand tightened nervously. "I'm here to see Mr. Anderson."

"You have the wrong one, then," Walter said, giving her a smile, the kind that never reached his eyes. "Come with us, darling. You can talk to Ryan after we are done for the day."

"No," she said, her voice failing her a bit. "It's Blaine Anderson I'm looking for, not you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryan took another step towards her and she moved to shield herself slightly behind Kurt. "Get out of the way, homo, and stop touching my girlfriend."

"Keep insulting my boyfriend, Ryan. It will only make sending you to jail even more satisfying," Blaine muttered angrily, stepping next to Kurt to hide Julie even more, even though he still wasn't sure about what was going on.

"Like you could win this, Blaine," Walter laughed mockingly. "Everyone knows you aren't good enough to convince the jury."

"But I can help him," Julie said softly, causing all of them to turn to her. She swallowed and looked for Kurt's eyes, desperate from some support. He squeezed her hand again. "I saw what happened. I called the ambulance."

Ryan gaped like a fish out of the water, incredulous. "You… you wouldn't betray me."

"What you did is wrong, Ryan…" Julie murmured.

"You're my girlfriend," he spat, furiously.

"Not anymore," she replied.

Ryan took another step forward, clearly to grab Julie and pull her away from the other two men, but Walter stopped him, holding his elbow.

"No," he cut off, eyes flashing with rage. "Let's go inside, Ryan. Don't waste your time with these people…"

"But…"

"I said no," Walter's voice raised a bit. "We have to get ready for you to make your statement. Come on. Now."

Blaine, Kurt and Julie stayed silent and unmoving until both Walter and Ryan entered the courtroom, even though Walter had to practically push Ryan away from them.

Julie was shaking and Kurt immediately turned around to check on her, but Blaine beat him to it.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her with concern in his gentle hazel eyes. She nodded and finally let go of Kurt's hand. "Is it true what you just said? You saw what happened between Ryan and Henry?"

"Yes, I saw it from my room," Julie answered. "I… I want to help, if that's alright."

Kurt was happy to see relief washing over Blaine's face.

"Of course, of course it's alright," Blaine smiled at her and put a hand on her arm, and Kurt knew he was holding back the urge to hug the girl. "We have just a couple minutes before we have to go back in there, so I need to talk to you quickly."

"I'm going to leave you two to it, then," Kurt said. "I have to go back to Ellie's."

Blaine, not giving a damn about the people around them, got closer to him and cupped his boyfriend's face in his hands. "You're amazing. Thank you so much for coming over, Kurt…"

"It was nothing, honey. I just wanted to help," Kurt smile grew wider. Blaine leaned in and kissed him, chastely but sweetly. "Good luck."

"I'll see you at home later, okay?" Blaine reluctantly let go of Kurt, who said goodbye to Julie and started walking out of the building.

Kurt climbed back into his car and turned the engine on, ready to return to the bakery with the feeling that things were about to be alright.

Saying Blaine was euphoric that night when he got home was an understatement. He practically tackled Kurt onto the bed and started kissing every expanse of pale skin at his disposal. Considering Kurt had just come out of the shower and was only covered by a towel wrapped around his waist, it was a lot of skin to kiss.

"I'm assuming everything went – oh – everything went well…" Kurt muttered, as Blaine circled his belly button with his tongue.

"I feel like we have some hope for the first time since this whole thing started," Blaine answered, his mouth never breaking contact, as he tugged on the towel to split it open. "I feel like I can actually do this."

"Of course you can," Kurt said, allowing his fingers to tangle in Blaine's hair, which was still stiff because of the gel he had put on it that morning. "I've always known you could…"

Blaine placed his hands on Kurt's stomach and then rested his head on them, looking up at his boyfriend. "You should've seen my dad's face. He was so upset. And Ryan was so nervous after seeing Julie there that he actually almost called me and Henry fags while he was on the stand. Everyone heard him and it has to count for something."

"It ends tomorrow," Kurt said, caressing his cheek, loving the way Blaine leaned into the touch. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I really want to put this behind us. I want to let go of everything and finally start living my life," Blaine smiled at him, turning his head to drop a kiss on Kurt's side, before adding, "with you."

Blaine was pacing restlessly back and forth across the hallway. The door to the courtroom was still shut, so he couldn't just go inside and sit at his desk. It was too early. He had been too anxious to stay at home and wait around, so he had ended up at the courthouse half an hour before everyone else. It was mostly empty, every single sound resounding in the hallways loud and clear.

He had stopped at the Starbucks down the street for a coffee, mostly to kill some time, but now he was just staring at his cup numbly, thinking about everything that could happen that morning. a testimony like Julie's would normally mean the case was already won, but Blaine still had his reservations. He couldn't count on the people on the jury not being huge homophobic assholes who might believe that beating up a guy for being gay wasn't as bad as being gay.

Blaine had paused his pacing to try and relax a little bit when a pair of hands slid on his face from behind, covering his eyes. He didn't have to hear the beautiful voice whispering into his ear to know who it was. Kurt's proximity was so familiar and soothing that he would've noticed it even in the middle of a crowd.

"Guess who?"

Blaine smiled, took Kurt's hands in his and turned around. What he wasn't expecting, though, was to see Kurt wasn't alone. Burt and Carole stood behind him, Burt with an arm around his wife's shoulders, both grinning widely at him.

"Oh my God, what are you two doing here?" He asked, smiling even more, the happiness of seeing the couple flooding his system.

"You thought we were going to miss your big triumph?" Burt asked, as Carole hurried to envelop him in a bone-crushing hug.

"I had to convince dad not to make any Team Blaine shirts," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I told him the idea was too Twilight-ish and also very, very tacky."

Blaine laughed wholeheartedly as he hugged Burt as well. "You really didn't have to come all the way here. No matter what the result is, it's still going to be a pretty short procedure…"

"We don't care, dear, we wanted to be here anyway," Carole kissed his cheek, throwing an arm around his waist to keep holding him. "Are you nervous? Is there anything we can do for you?"

Blaine, still smiling, tugged on Kurt's sleeve to bring him closer and kissed the corner of his mouth. "You've done more than enough. Thank you."

He was still holding his cup of coffee and Kurt took it from him to avoid spilling it when Carole gave him one more hug. "This is cold already. Do you want me to run over to Starbucks and get you another one?"

"No, honey, that's fine," Blaine answered. He had something much better than caffeine to keep him calm now.

"Well, isn't this precious?" A cold voice said behind them and the four of them turned around to find Walter Anderson walking towards them in his expensive designer suit. "What a beautiful scene."

"Get lost, Anderson," Burt huffed. Kurt put his hand on his father's elbow just to make sure he wouldn't do anything crazy.

"I'm afraid you're the one who should 'get lost', Hummel," Walter replied, smirking. "You don't belong here. The only place you belong is back at your stinky car shop. Leave places like this to important people."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm more than happy with my stinky car shop," Burt answered, before clapping Blaine on the back. "I'm only here to see Blaine make you look like an idiot in front of everyone."

Walter gritted his teeth. "Then you came here for nothing, Hummel, because that's not going to happen. It would be better if you left."

"Well, you see, I can't do that," Burt grinned. Kurt was overwhelmed with love for his father right then. "I have a rule in my life and that is that family comes first. No matter what, I have to be there to support my family. One of my boys is going to win a very big case today, so there's no where else I'd rather be."

"We'll see about that," Walter spat. "There's something you need to learn about Blaine, Hummel, since it seems you're so keen on adopting him: he's worthless, he's disappointing and he never does anything right."

Blaine swallowed. He didn't need this today, not when he was already so nervous.

"We clearly are talking about two different people, then, Anderson, because the Blaine I know is a great man," Burt shrugged, as if what he was saying didn't mean the world to Blaine.

Walter laughed, visibly irritated. "So you're not only poor and tasteless, you're also blind and stupid."

Kurt was ready to launch himself at Walter, but Blaine quickly wrapped his arms around him to stop him.

"Who the hell do you think you are to judge people? You're the worst piece of crap I've seen in my life!" Kurt practically yelled.

"Calm down, Kurt," Burt said, soothingly. "I can't take seriously anything a man like him thinks about me."

"Likewise," Walter smirked again.

"Why don't you go and leave us alone?" Blaine was still holding Kurt back, but looked at his father over his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm sure you don't want to risk catching the gay or the poor, right? Or, even worse, you could catch some decency and kindness, God forbid." Blaine didn't even wait to see if his father stayed or not, he turned to Kurt and kissed his cheek. "What happens with the bakery while you're here? Is it closed?"

"Yeah, one day isn't going to affect the business at all," Kurt shrugged. "Oh, and Finn called while we were on our way here and told me to wish you good luck."

"He stayed at the garage," Burt explained. "Someone needed to stay in charge."

"It's fine, really," Blaine smiled. "I'm still seeing him tonight for Friday night dinner."

Walter was still standing there, gaping a bit in surprise at being ignored for the first time in his life. Furiously, he turned around and stomped away down the hallway.

A few minutes later, Henry arrived with his family and his boyfriend. Blaine introduced them to the Hudson-Hummels just before they were allowed to enter the courtroom. Blaine took his usual place with Henry, who was paler and even more nervous than all the previous days, and their families sat in the first row right behind them. Walter and Ryan entered the room right after, neither of them even glancing their way.

The jury and the judge made their entrances next. Blaine felt the anxiety pooling in his stomach and he was sure that if he had to wait much longer he would be sick. Throwing up all over the courtroom didn't seem a good idea just then.

After a few formalities, the judge addressed the people in the jury. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The head of the jury, a tall, stern woman, stood up elegantly. "After hearing both sides of the case, as well as listening to the witnesses and specialists' input, the members of this jury find Mr. Ryan McAllister guilty of the charge of a felony hate crime causing injury."

Blaine didn't know he was holding his breath until he released it all at once after those words. He looked at Henry, who was panting in his attempt to hold back the tears.

"Mr. McAllister is sentenced to twelve years in prison, starting today," the judge sentenced. "Case closed." And with three quick bangs of his gavel, it was over.

Blaine heard Henry's yelps of excitement and relief first. He was frozen in his seat, incredulous, almost waiting for someone to tell him it was all a joke. But then he saw a police officer walking towards Ryan to make the arrest effective, holding a pair of handcuffs, and he knew it wasn't. It was real. He had won.

Someone was pulling him up to his feet and he suddenly found himself in Kurt's arms.

"You did it! Baby, you did it!" He was saying.

It was Kurt who finally made him react. Blaine covered his mouth with his hand and started laughing and crying at the same time, and then he couldn't help but pull Kurt into a passionate kiss because, fuck, he had just sent a homophobe to prison and if he couldn't celebrate it by kissing his boyfriend in public, then it all had been in vain.

Kurt kissed him back without hesitation, tasting the usual sweetness of Blaine's kisses and the saltiness of his tears. He pulled away to wipe Blaine's eyes carefully.

"Don't cry, baby. It's over now," Kurt whispered, brushing the track of tears on his cheeks with his lips.

Blaine nodded dumbly, still not really sure if he was breathing, if he could feel anything, if he had done it or not. His gaze fell on a quiet figure sitting alone at the other desk. His father hadn't moved since the sentence had been read. He seemed to have turned to stone, the only thing that showed any sort of movement were his eyes, unfocused, lost.

He had beaten his father. Blaine Anderson had proved that he could actually be better than the man who kept telling him what a disgrace he was.

He hugged Kurt tighter, feeling his legs would give way any second, overwhelmed as he was.

He felt a pat on his back and turned to see Burt and Carole standing there. The pride in their eyes was so evident that Blaine wanted to cry all over again.

"Well done, buddy," Burt exclaimed, so happy he was almost hysterical. "I knew you could do this!"

"We're so happy for you!" Carole jumped up and hugged him close.

"This deserves a celebration!" Burt announced. "Come on. Let's go have lunch somewhere nice. It's on me!"

Kurt started urging him out of the courtroom, his arms securely wrapped around Blaine's waist, constantly nuzzling into his neck. Blaine was so happy he was afraid he would explode in the middle of the hallway. They followed Burt and Carole and Blaine didn't feel tempted to look back as he left his old life behind once and for all, already loving the new one that he had barely started to live.