Kurt looked over at the man sitting beside him, his husband, and a smile couldn’t stay off his face. Two years, for two years he had been lucky enough to be married to this beautiful man. In fact two years exactly to the day. “Just think,” he smirked, “all those people gathering just to celebrate our anniversary.”

“Just think,” Blaine returned his smile, “all those people waiting to see my husband blow their socks off.”

The laugh had barely escaped his lips when the limo pulled up in front of Radio City Music hall. The door was thrown open and the wall of sound from the crowd waiting around the red carpet invaded the back seat, almost attacking the men. Blaine, sitting closest to the door, slid out before offering his hand to Kurt, who gladly took it once he stowed the paper in his inside pocket. Camera flashes erupted almost immediately capturing the moment, freezing it in time.

Kurt was still relatively unknown, at least outside of New York and the Broadway world, but his name was being shouted from all sides. He tired to sign as many autographs as he could, Blaine standing by his side the whole time. The atmosphere was overwhelming, and he just wanted to make it inside away from the noisy crowd and find his friends.

He was stopped, however on the way and seemed to answer the same questions over and over again. ‘How does it feel to be nominated?’, ‘It was a wonderful surprise, I honestly couldn’t expect more, all the other nominees are amazing.’ ‘Never Doubt is such a ground breaking play, how does it feel to be the face of this revolutionary musical?’ ‘I am honored to have the fortune to work with the writes and the producers, and that they would trust me with this role.’ The questions seemed endless, but finally they made it inside.

The atmosphere was decidedly calmer inside, though that was a easy feat. People milled around, chatting as they made their way to their seats. Kurt spotted Rachel and Finn across the way. Rachel was handling the scene with pose, while Finn looked like he was just trying not to touch anything. Kurt was approached by person after person, he had to contain his squeal of delight when Patti LuPone introduces herself and tells him she saw him perform last week. The whole time, Blaine in by his side beaming at him.

They soon are sitting in their seats waiting for the ceremony to begin. Kurt loses himself in the fun and excitement as Neil Patrick Harris himself hosts they show. Half way through, Kurt has to excuse himself to perform the big group number from his show.

The nerves that have left him through almost the full year the show has been open, when he realizes that not only is he performing for some of the biggest names of Broadway, but this is being broadcast live on TV. He barely reigns in his panic as the music starts and he had to make his entrance. As soon as he walks on stage, he was Jessie, sing about new love and hope with Elliot and his friends. For the last year Elliot had been played by Jason, in a week Celia would be taking over the role.

Kurt barely made it back to his seat after changing back into his own suit when they came to his category: Best Performance by an Leading Actor in a Musical. He listened as his name and the names of the other nominees were read. He raised his hands to applaud the winner as he heard, “And the Winner is from Never Doubt, Kurt Hummel as Jessie.”

Kurt froze, he knew his mouth was hanging open in shock, and he felt Blaine hug him and kiss his cheek, but he couldn’t move, his brain was working overtime trying to process what he had just heard. Finally Blaine helped him up and urged him toward the stage.

He wasn’t sure later how he made it up there onto the stage, but he made it and they handed him the medallion trophy he had spent so much of his youth dreaming of. The note in his pocket with the list of names he had to ensure he didn’t forget anyone was forgotten. “Oh… um… wow. I really wasn’t expecting this. Thank you everyone. About two and a half years ago someone told me that I would never make it as an actor. I fought so long against a world of ‘you can’t’s. So this is for all the dreamers, just remember you can. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Nick Duval and Wes Montgomery. Also I would like to thank George Masterson and Greg Simms for the great script and wonderful music. Thank you to my family and friends for always believing in me, and the wonderful cast. But most of all I want to thank my husband, Blaine. You always believed in me, and stood by me. I love you so much. Happy anniversary my love.”

Shaking he was lead off the stage as they went to commercial break. He was still trying to regain control of his limbs as his mind wondered for a moment. Here he was twenty-six years old, a Tony Award winning actor, living in New York, and married to the best man he had ever met. Slowly he returned to his seat, to Blaine’s waiting arms.

“I am so proud of you, Kurt.” He whispered into his ear.

Kurt shook his head, “This is nothing, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you.”

He sat through the rest of the show, realizing that he really won two years ago, when he married Blaine. No award could compare to coming home to the man he loved every day. When they show was over they climbed back into the limo Wes had arranged for them to head back to their little apartment. As they climbed the spiral staircase together, hand in hand, Kurt thought back to their meeting. Who knew that not following the rules, could be so rewarding.