Blaine couldn't contain a burst of surprised laughter at Kurt's pronouncement. "You're a… I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. What did you just say? "

"I'm a genie."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth." Kurt seemed to stand taller now that he had gotten his confession out of the way, as if a giant weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He walked around the edge of the couch and sat on the end nearest the fire, which was somehow still burning bright even after a long unattended night.

Blaine warily crossed the room and sat down in the arm chair on the other side of the coffee table, unsure of how to proceed. Should he call the police? A doctor? It was obvious that Kurt was unwell and needed some kind of care. Maybe he was even an escapee from a mental hospital. He searched his mind for any recent news stories about a manhunt going on in the area. Yes, Kurt had to be delusional; There was no other option. Except…there was the electricity that somehow flowed despite having been shut off by the power company. There was the car that had somehow been moved into the garage without keys. The list went on and on, ending with, of course, the fact that Kurt had just appeared out of thin air and hovered above the ground like a hummingbird.

"That's impossible. Hey, I love Aladdin just as much as — no strike that, probably much more than— the next guy, but come on. This isn't ancient Arabia or even Coco Beach of Pete's sake. Genies don't exist."

"And yet here I am."

"Prove it. Prove that you're genie."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment, tipping his head to the side and licking his lips. "Would you like to wish for something in particular?"

"Surprise me."

He gazed deep into Blaine's eyes and must have seen what he was hoping to see, for he raised his arm up in front of him, stopping when his hand had reached chest level. He didn't say anything, twitch his nose, or blink his eyes with a nod of his head, but Blaine knew the second that the demonstration began. The swirl of colors in Kurt's eyes seemed to take on added life and change shape and the air above his upraised palm began to shimmer as the air over the samovar had earlier. The disturbance continued for just a second before dissipating and leaving behind a black silk bowtie covered in a pattern of tiny crescent moons and stars. Kurt waited patiently as Blaine just stared at the tie and tried to wrap his mind around what he had just seen.

"You just seem like a bowtie kind of guy to me. Would you also like the matching scarf?" Kurt smiled slightly, a mischievous light appearing in his eyes.

Another rush of laughter escaped Blaine's lips. "I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. I am still asleep up in my bed and this is just the of result of me thinking of you before I went to sleep last night. I cannot be sitting here talking to a genie wearing a blue silk bathrobe."

Kurt gasped as he looked down at himself and noted that he was still dressed in only his robe. The colors in his eyes tangled again and a haze appeared to cover his body before the robe disappeared, replaced by another loose pair of jeans and simple green button-down shirt. Blaine just groaned and dropped his head into his hands, still resisting what his eyes were telling him.

"Why don't you just relax for a bit while I get breakfast ready," Kurt suggested. "It'll give you some time to absorb and think. I know this is a lot." Taking Blaine's grunt as an agreement, Kurt disappeared into the kitchen.

It was over half an hour before Kurt announced that the table was set and the meal ready. Blaine knew it couldn't have taken him that long to prepare it, so he was grateful that Kurt had given him the extra time alone with his thoughts. They sat down at the table and ate quietly for several minutes before Blaine felt the need to break the silence. "Did Peter know? That you are a…" he questioned haltingly, unable to even bring himself to utter the word.

"Yes, he knew. He found my samovar in a market in Turkey and purchased it. He was, of course, very surprised when he got back to his hotel and discovered that I came along with it. He didn't have any problem believing, though. He was a man who easily accepted magic and the impossible."

"It looked like you were…emerging from the samovar. Is that where you sleep?"

"Yes, it's my home. It's hard to explain. Genies are tied to a physical object. It protects us, but also controls us. We exist differently than humans do. We draw our strength from the human who owns our samovar and believes in us. They connect us to this world and in turn we offer them our service."

"So the three wishes thing is real?"

"Three wishes is the obligation, but the connection can remain after the three wishes have been granted. It can remain as long as both parties still want it to. When the connection is ended a genie returns to the samovar and waits for the next to come along."

"So if your connection with Peter ended, how were you still out in the real world, waiting for me to arrive?"

"It was Peter's final wish that I go with you."

Blaine felt as if a bomb had gone off nearby. His head was reeling and there was a ringing in his ears that made Kurt's voice seem miles away. Kurt just sat, looking at Blaine with a hopeful expression, waiting for a response to his announcement. Blaine wanted to give him the reassurance he was so obviously looking for, but the words stuck in his throat. Finally, after several minutes he stood up and told Kurt he needed some time to himself. He put on his coat, left the house, and walked down to the water's edge. He still wasn't totally convinced that this wasn't an elaborate hallucination, but if this was all real, what was he going to do with a genie? How was he supposed to explain it to his family when he returned home with a strange man in tow? Or would he have to hide Kurt from his family and friends, keeping him isolated as Peter had done? Why had Peter chosen to keep Kurt hidden? Was he prone to using his power indiscriminately? Did he confess his genie-ness to everyone that he met? If so, how would Blaine keep him from being locked up? He couldn't believe that Peter had done this to him. Why hadn't he said something to prepare Blaine in some way? It was unfair to expect this of him.

Decision made, Blaine returned to the house. He found Kurt sitting in the living room, gazing pensively out the window. When he entered the room Kurt quickly turned to look at him, his face paler than usual and his expression a mixture of hope and resignation. Blaine took a seat on the chair beside him, deciding that there was no time like the present to get their conversation out of the way.

"Kurt, what if my wish was that you go away? That you go and find a different human to connect to? Would you do that for me?"

The color that was left in Kurt's face bled away and his body seemed to cave in on itself as his features took on a blank look. "Yes, I would do that for you."

"Great. Kurt, I think you're wonderful, but I just can't deal with this right now. I'm sure there is someone out there who is just waiting for their very own genie, someone who can believe in your whole heartedly and you should go and find them." Blaine noticed that a slight sheen had developed over Kurt's eyes, as if he was trying hard to keep tears at bay. He hesitated for a minute before asking "Where would you go? If that was my wish?"

"Nowhere."

"What do you mean 'nowhere'?"

"A genie that's not connected to a human doesn't really live. We exist in a kind of endless limbo until the next connection comes along. Unfortunately, it's not enough for someone to simply own the samovar. They must be able to believe in the magic that it holds. Without that belief we're not released from our prison. As the years pass it is getting harder and harder to find someone who can believe. Soon, I fear that there will be no one left who can connect with us and we will all just fade away."

"But Kurt, I don't believe."

"Yes, you do. You just don't realize it yet."

Blaine had felt a wrenching in his chest when Kurt spoke about the nothingness he would face without a connection. He was unwilling to examine the feeling too closely, afraid of what it might mean, but he knew the decision was made. Kurt would be coming home with him the next day.