"Wha'sgoinon?" Blaine mumbled incoherently.

"Wake up Blaine," Kurt voice drifted somewhere above him but Blaine just snuggled deeper into his bed.

"S'early Kurt," he mumbled.

"Blaine it's nearly ten o'clock," Kurt said and Blaine could hear the amusement in his voice.

Blaine snaked a hand out of the covers and instantly fought the urge to withdraw it from the cold but he powered on. He reached blindly for Kurt, who took his hand. Blaine grinned sleepily and with a harsh tug and a squawk from Kurt, he pulled his fianc� down. He threw back the covers, pulled Kurt to him and then flipped the covers back over them. Blaine was all for clich�s and this happened to be a personal favourite of his. Blaine hummed happily into Kurt's neck as the boy squirmed next to him.

"Blaine," Kurt giggled, feebly attempting to push his fianc� away, though it was without conviction.

"We're free, Kurt. No more studying, at least not until college, we can just relax," Blaine hummed happily.

"I know," Kurt beamed, snuggling into Blaine's bare chest and starting to place kisses everywhere, stopping to suck one of Blaine's nipples, causing the older boy to moan and writhe beneath him.

"Why are you up so early?" Blaine asked after a few moments, lifting Kurt's chin with his finger.

"I was hoping," Kurt said, grinning brightly, "that we could talk about the wedding."

"What wedding?" Blaine teased and Kurt smacked him.

"Blaine," Kurt whined. "Our wedding."

"Oh, that wedding," Blaine mock-realised, smacking his forehead with his hand. But his voice turned serious when he saw the look on Kurt's face. "How could I forget about marrying the most gorgeous, sexy, loving, kind, selfless, amazing and courageous man in the world?"

Kurt beamed and hummed with pleasure, capturing Blaine's lips with his own. "You wouldn't," Kurt smirked, pulling away and Blaine laughed.

"Yes, we can talk about the wedding. Just let me have breakfast first," Blaine said and rolled out of bed.

Kurt watched him dress with an adoring smile and obediently followed him into the kitchen when he was finished. There was no sign of Finn – or anybody else, for that matter – and they were happy to take advantage of that.

Blaine ate his breakfast quickly and then allowed Kurt to pull him back through the house and into Kurt's room. Blaine wandered around, eventually flopping down on the bed. In the process, he knocked off one of Kurt's magazines and obediently bent down to retrieve it. He paused though when he saw a letter under the bed and curiosity got the better of him.

He picked it up and sat back up on the bed. He quickly unfolded it and read it through, his eyes growing wide with each word he read. "Kurt," Blaine called, surprising himself with how calm he sounded.

"Hmm?" Kurt hummed from where he was perched by his book case, pulling out more books and magazines.

"What's this?" Blaine asked, holding up the letter. Kurt looked over his shoulder at it and paused. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight and he swallowed, the books tumbling from his hands.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, voice pleading.

"Why is Karofsky writing to you?" Blaine growled. Blaine watched his every move, eyes narrowed. Kurt stood away from him, as if scared that he would snap at any moment. It hurt that Kurt saw him as a threat but he needed to know. "How long?"

"He wrote that to me when dad was in the hospital," Kurt answered automatically. "I didn't know how to tell you."

"You could have brought this to me," Blaine growled, chucking the letter away as if it was burning his hand. "You should have showed it to me."

"I know," Kurt whispered.

"He kidnapped you, Kurt!" Blaine cried. "Kidnapped you! He could have killed you." Kurt just stood there, watching Blaine silently. "I understood when you gave him a reduced sentence and to get help, but this? This is too far, Kurt."

"He thought he was helping," Kurt said, desperately.

"Helping? He doesn't get to help you, Kurt!" Blaine growled, anger bubbling up and boiling over. "I lost my mum at a young age, too. So I have some indication of how shitty you must be feeling right now," he read aloud. "He wasn't there to hold you while you cried, he wasn't there when you had nightmares, he wasn't there for the first Friday night dinner without her! He wasn't there when you first learnt Burt had had a heart attack! Who's been there for you, Kurt?"

"I know!" Kurt yelled, tears breaking and rolling down his cheek. "It was you. It's always been you and it always will be."

Both fell silent and Kurt wiped away his tears and crossed his arms across his chest. Blaine sighed and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to calm himself.

"How many more letters?" Blaine demanded.

"Just that one," Kurt replied truthfully.

"Did you write back?" Blaine asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes," Kurt whispered.

"Let me read it."

Kurt moved quickly and dropped to his knees, bending himself under the bed. He came back a few seconds later and handed a letter to Blaine, whose eyes skittered erratically down the page with the haste of his reading.

Dear David,

My father is still in hospital and I'm unsure of when he will wake up. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother but I'm afraid that this is even worse than the last time. Once again I'm waiting for another parent to lose their fight with death. Trying to avoid the inevitable. The odds are stacking against me.

I'm happy to hear that you are trying to change, that you took my advice and got help. Moving to a new school was a smart choice and I thank you for not choosing Dalton. I wish you well at your new school and hope that you are able to live happily and no longer in fear.

As for your father, give it some time, let him get used to the idea and I'm glad that you are working things out. Don't push it, don't give him more than he can handle or it will end badly. But it will end well, David, I promise. Have courage.

I don't know if you're being sincere, but I hope that you are and not just trying to mess me around for your own amusement. It's strange, but I think better of you than that, David.

As for meeting you – as of yet, I'm not sure. I would have to talk to Blaine and I have no idea how to tell him that you are contacting me. You put me us through so much and Blaine isn't nearly as forgiving as I am, completely justifiably, of course. He won't forgive you for what you did and I'm not sure if I will be able to. So all I ask for is time.

Upon your release, I want you to send a letter with a time and place to meet. The place must be public and during work hours so that there will be lots of people around. By then I should have made up my mind. If you hear that my father doesn't live, then don't send a letter because no matter how forgiving I am, I will not meet you. If I do decide to meet you, Blaine will be there at all times; I'm afraid that that is not up for negotiation.

Until then, do not write to me again. I really hope that you are trying, David, and that is not for you own sick amusement. Good luck at your new school, I really hope that it's worth it. I wish you all the happiness in the world.

Kurt.

Blaine read through it several times and Kurt watched with anxious eyes. Blaine sighed and finally lowered the letter.

"He caught me by surprise," Kurt said quietly, still regarding Blaine as if he could snap at any moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine asked, voice cracking slightly at the end.

"Because I'm not sure if I want to meet with him and I didn't want you to get worked up over nothing," Kurt said. "I was going to tell you when I had made up my mind."

"Do you believe him?" Blaine asked, looking up at his fianc�.

"I want to," Kurt shrugged, "but I don't know. They're just words on a page to me. You know I'm a good judge of character, but only when I can actually see the person."

Blaine looked down at the letter and then back to Kurt. "Come here," Blaine demanded softly. Kurt quickly strode to him and stopped in front of him. Blaine reached out and took Kurt's hands, pulling him down softly onto the bed. Kurt bit his lip and watched Blaine warily. "You're afraid," Blaine murmured, heart breaking at the sight.

"What are you going to do?" Kurt whispered.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Blaine assured him, eyes wide with shock. "I could never hurt you."

"Are you going to leave me?" Kurt murmured, ducking his head.

"No baby, I'm not going to leave you," Blaine said firmly and tugged Kurt closer until he was nestled in his lap and his head resting against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered. "I should have shown you straight away."

"You didn't know if your dad would wake up," Blaine said softly. "You were stressed and not thinking straight and pushing everyone away." Kurt whimpered and Blaine held him tightly. "You can trust me Kurt. With anything and everything."

"I know I can," Kurt told him.

Blaine kissed his temple and just held him. After a few moments, he took a deep breath. "I think you should meet him."

"What?" Kurt asked, blinking in surprise.

"You should meet him. Find out if he is truly sorry and doing what you told him too," Blaine said firmly. "I'll be there, because I want to see it too. I want him to apologize for everything he put you through and I want to show him that you are mine and I'm never letting you go."

Kurt blinked, surprised at how jealous Blaine was. He always knew that his boyfriend got jealous but he had no idea that David had made him this mad and possessive. Normally Kurt would snap at someone and tell him that he was no one's toy or possession however this was Blaine and being wanted by him so much filled his stomach with butterflies, possessing him with an excitement that he didn't even know he had. "If that's what you want," Kurt said softly.

"I want you to do it only if you want to," Blaine replied immediately. "I'm not pressuring you to do it."

Kurt leant up and placed a kiss on Blaine's lips. He pulled back after a few moments and leant his head back on Blaine's chest. "I'm still not sure that I want to see him," Kurt admitted wearily. "But I still have some time to decide."

"I just want what's best for you Kurt," Blaine sighed. "I just wish you had told me."

"I know," Kurt whispered, shame filling him.

"I love you Kurt," Blaine said, quietly, "and we're going to get married. If this going to work, we need to be able to tell each other everything and anything."

"OK, Blaine, no," Kurt suddenly snapped, pulling out of Blaine's grasp, who looked up at him with wide eyes, bewildered. "No. Can you stop saying that we need to 'make this work'? We've never made it work before and it just does. I love you and you love me. What part of that doesn't 'work' in your head? Because, for me, it's pretty clear."

"Kurt, I didn't –" Blaine started, but Kurt cut him off.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't mean it, Blaine; you still said it. You said, 'if we're going to make this work'. Where's the 'if', Blaine? There's never been an 'if' before! I'm one hundred per cent sure about this. I'm worried that you're not." Kurt admitted, wrapping a comforting arm around himself.

Blaine stared at him. "Kurt, do you think I don't want this?"

Kurt just shrugged, the gesture noncommittal.

Blaine instantly hated himself. "Oh my God, Kurt," he whispered, pulling the beautiful boy in front of him into his arms, "that's never how I meant it to come across. I'm a million per cent sure about this. I want you, I love you, Kurt. That's never changed for me and it never will. And – oh God, I'm an idiot."

Kurt sniffled, finally wrapping his arms around Blaine. "I know I should have told you, I know I should have shown you the letter but you know me, Blaine. I'm independent. Fiercely so. And I was in such a bad place when that letter came. That's why I haven't sent the response yet. Because I wasn't sure; I'm still not. I wanted to talk to you about it, Blaine, but I'm just so happy right now. I didn't want it to end and I knew it would if I bought it up – it has; I've ruined everything," Kurt cried, clinging to his fianc�.

"Kurt, you haven't ruined anything. What we have, this right here – look at me, Kurt," Blaine instructed, pulling Kurt's chin up so that their eyes met, "what we have is not going to end. OK?"

Kurt sniffled miserably in response. He wanted to believe Blaine so bad, but there was a niggling doubt in the back of his head: 'you're not good enough for him; he's going to leave you, just accept it, he'll find someone better in New York and never look back.'

"Get out of your own head, Kurt," Blaine instructed softly, instantly diagnosing the source of the problem. "I know you have doubts about yourself. I do, too – not about you, obviously, about me," he added quickly, seeing the look on Kurt's face.

"You do?" His fianc� echoed, looking slightly more hopeful.

"Of course I do," Blaine assured him, truthfully. "OK, I'll tell you – I have this huge worry that you'll find someone better in New York, someone that's better looking, more into fashion, richer, smarter than me and you'll realise what you've been missing. There are loads of people out there that are better than me, Kurt, and I'm terrified you'll leave me for one of them."

Kurt was gawping at him. "You have that worry as well? Why didn't you tell me, Blaine?"

Blaine made a mental note to address the issue of 'as well' later, before answering, "I didn't want to put anything else on you. We're so happy – I mean, I am, I hope you are as well – and I couldn't bring myself to mess it all up." Kurt was laughing before he'd finished the sentence. "What?" Blaine defended, looking vaguely insulted.

"Blaine, listen to yourself. What did you just say?"

"That I didn't want to mess this up and – oh." Blaine could have smacked himself. He'd forgotten how similar he and Kurt were. "We're both idiots, right?"

Kurt giggled as he nodded, leaning in to kiss his fianc�. "Correction – we're each other's idiots."

"I think I can live with that," Blaine replied, completely seriously.

"For better, for worse, as long as we both shall live?" Kurt asked, eyes shining with hope.

Blaine simply kissed him, mumbling against his lips, "I do."