They did not want to divide their wedding parties by gender, since that is outdated in 2029, and because they did not wanted to be limited in choosing their wedding parties. Besides, Mae’s sibling’s gender identity changes based on who’s fronting, and Mae definitely wants her sibling in her wedding party.

Kurt’s honoured to be chosen by Mae. He’s here with Kitty, Roderick and some people he doesn’t really know. Everyone’s sitting in the bride’s room, watching Mae panic.

Mae is shuffling around the room. She’s dragging the train of her beautiful wedding dress around.

“Mae, sit down, you’re driving us all mad!” Kitty snaps. It’s probably not appropriate to get angry at the bride on her wedding, but Kitty doesn’t care and she’s right. Mae’s shuffling is slowly getting on people’s nerves, since her dress rustles a lot.

Roderick says: “Should I sing?”

Kurt snorts. Roderick’s singing is often a miracle cure, but Mae is so utterly nervous that even that might not help.

“I’m not nervous about marrying him,” Mae says, as if she’s read Kurt’s mind, “I’m absolutely sure that I want to marry him and to start a family with him. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I love kids, that’s why I became a teacher! But my entire family is about to be here and some of them can be kind of judgemental and some of them flew all the way from Senegal and the Netherlands to be here and I just… gosh… jitters!”

Kate, one of Mae’s friends, gets up and she puts her hands on Mae’s shoulders. “Inhale.”

Mae does.

“Exhale.”

Mae does that as well.

“You know that your mom and dad will have everything under control,” Leslie, an alter of Mae’s sibling, says carefully. Mae is too nervous, so everything can set her off. As far as Kurt knows, Leslie is the one who fronts the most and who’s closest with Mae.

“I know, I know,” Mae sighs, “But grandma Joke is gonna be here and you know what she’s like.”

“Fuck grandma Joke and her weird conservative views,” Leslie yells.

Mae rolls her eyes. “Nice of you to show on my wedding, Jan.”

“They’re right,” Kurt says quickly, “Today is about you and Wes. No one else. Not even us.”

Kitty nods. “Even though we’re the best wedding party ever!”

“Heck yeah,” Jeremy yells. He’s Mae’s closest colleague.

Mae still seems nervous and Kurt sighs. Wedding nerves. Kurt almost had them. It’s insane to him that he’s now at the age that his friends are getting married, but then again, Rachel had told them that Brittany and Santana got married in their early twenties.

Kurt’s phone beeps and he smiles at Blaine’s text.

>Wes is totally freaking out. How’s Mae?

Kurt looks at Mae talking frantically to some other people in the wedding party and he sighs.

>I think she’s losing it tbh. How are you dealing with Wes freaking out?

A reply comes quickly.

>Not. I’m letting Adam handle all that for now.

Kurt snorts. He still thinks it is quite funny that Adam is part of Wes’s wedding party whereas Sebastian isn’t involved. The only reason that he’s invited is because of Mae. Wes almost barred him from coming.

> He misses Angela, tho. He wishes she were here.

Kurt knows what Wes means. Kurt might not get married today, but knowing that Finn won’t be there at his wedding hurts. All this wedding talk has made Kurt think a lot about weddings and marriage. He watches Mae fumble with her dress, which horrifies Kurt, since the lace is delicate. Despite that, he smiles warmly when he sees Mae. She’s getting married! Kurt’s extremely happy for her.

The wedding planner comes in to tell everyone that it’s time to go. Mae pales slightly.

“Mae, Kurt is right,” Kate once again puts her hands on Mae’s shoulders to steady her, “Forget everyone else but Wes. Focus on him and how much you love him.”

Mae exhales deeply. “Okay.”

They all move to the barn, since Mae and Wes have a wedding in a barn just outside the city center. They were inspired by Brittany and Santana, who apparently had a barn wedding as well. The entire place is beautifully decorated. It’s a cold day, but Mae and Wes have put heating devices everywhere. It is really nice inside the barn.

Blaine and Wes’s old glee club does the music and they’re singing an acapella cover over Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Wes is standing at the altar. Kurt and Leslie walk down the aisle together. The other members of the wedding party follow suit and eventually, Mae walks down the aisle with both parents.

Kurt moves to the side to stand with Blaine.

The officiator starts: “Welcome everyone to this wedding, bienvenue à tous à ce mariage, 欢迎大家参加这场婚礼, welkom allemaal op deze bruiloft.”

Kurt’s very impressed by this person’s language skills, but it’s true that people from all over the world are here. The officiator continues their speech. Mae and Wes didn’t write vows, because they simply didn’t want to, so the ceremony is relatively small.

“Do you, Wes Xiùlán Montgomery, take Mae Anniek Ndeye Faal-De Vries as your lawfully wedded spouse?”

“Heck yeah!” Wes yells loudly, which causes some people to laugh. To Kurt’s horror, some of the Warblers dab. Blaine has explained dabbing to him and it’s ridiculous.

“Do you, Mae Anniek Ndeye Faal-De Vries, take Wes Xiùlán Montgomery as your lawfully wedded spouse?”

A tear streams down Mae’s cheek when she says: “I sure as fuck do.”

“Then, by the power invested in me by the internet and the state of New York, I now pronounce you married!” the officiator says, “You may kiss each other.”

Mae immediately dips Wes into a kiss and the attendees stand up to applaud them. Kurt takes Blaine’s hand as they watch Mae and Wes kiss. It’s beautiful. The kiss goes on and on, but no one complains.

When they’re finally done kissing, they hold hands and they run down the aisle while the others applaud. Kurt and Blaine are standing side by side and they cheer loudly when their friends pass them.

All the other people in the wedding people follow after them, but Kurt makes Blaine stay put.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Kurt says nervously.

“Hm?”

“This whole wedding thing put things in perspective for me,” Kurt says. He takes a deep breath. “I think I’d like to get engaged again.”

And it is silent for a moment. Some might wonder why Kurt cancelled the wedding in the first place, since he got engaged again only a few months later. Some might say that Kurt should’ve postponed it, instead of fully cancelling everything. For a split second, Kurt is worried that Blaine’s going to ask those questions, since Blaine looks a bit confused.

But then he smiles widely.

“… Love, that is one hell of a romantic proposal!”

Blaine understands. Of course, he does understand why Kurt is asking him to marry now. It’s all about feeling. A few months ago, it didn’t feel right, but now it does. Blaine cups Kurt’s face and he plants a big kiss on his face.

There’s no ring. They are standing in the barn where their two friends just got married. But it’s just another thing that happened in an unexpected way, but it still feels right. It’s not the proposal Kurt dreamt of, but it’s his. Kitty said it a while ago. When you’re ready, you know, and Kurt and Blaine are definitely ready.

July 2030

On some days, Kurt still struggles with the fact that he’s lost 15 years of his life. He also still struggles sometimes with the fact that he has put everyone else’s lives on hold.

Especially Blaine’s. Most days, he can remind himself that Blaine truly does not mind, but other days aren’t as easy.

Quinn’s illness comes like a shock for everyone. She calls Kurt and Blaine to tell them the bad news.

“But I will be fine,” Quinn says confidently, “We caught it in its early stages. Medicine has evolved a lot in the last few years and there’s a big chance of a full recovery!”

Kurt and Blaine look at each other. They’re still not entirely at ease.

“We’ll be there for you,” Blaine says.

Kurt nods, even though Quinn can’t see it. “Yup, just say the word and we’ll fly to New Haven immediately.”

“Thanks boys, but I needed to talk to you about something,” Quinn says seriously, “It’s about our plan with Rachel. The treatment will leave me infertile. I will no longer be able to donate the eggs. I can freeze them, but is that what we want?”

Kurt looks at Blaine, who looks down to the phone.

“Well, it probably wasn’t going to happen anyway,” Blaine says solemnly, and Kurt feels his heart break. He’s right, though. Rachel has announced her second pregnancy and she accidentally let it slip that this is going to be her final one. Her body is done with being pregnant.

They never actually sat down to talk with each other and Rachel and Quinn about this, but now it is inevitable and under shitty circumstances.

Blaine tries to keep it together, but when he tells Kurt that he’s going to the office to write, Kurt knows that Blaine needs some space. The office is still a place for Blaine to retreat. They once talked about turning it into a nursery, but those plans are completely dashed now.

The moment Blaine’s in the office, Kurt tells Lizzie to call Kitty.

Kurt tells Blaine that he’s meeting up with Kitty and off he goes. On his way out, he looks at his Springo. It’s been almost three years since the amnesia and Kurt still goes rogue as often as possible, but he’s learned a while ago that going out all alone and rogue is hard.

He sighs deeply and he takes his Springo before walking the relatively short route to Kitty and Roderick’s new place.

Kitty knows that Kurt wants to talk about this. He’s told her over the phone.

Roderick is also at home, but he’s heading for the studio, so Kitty and Kurt have the place to themselves. Kitty makes a pot of tea and they sit in the living room. Kitty listens when Kurt tells her everything that’s on his mind.

“I mean, we were supposed to have kids three years ago, Kit-Kat. Quinn and Rachel were ready for us. Now, Rachel is pregnant with her own child and Quinn is ill. Now, I obviously don’t blame them, because we know that they aren’t baby machines for us, but this sucks. I am not ready to have children, but now it’s too late and Blaine will get nothing. And now I also feel like a dick because Quinn just got diagnosed with fucking cancer and I am making it all about us.”

Kitty nods. “It is understandable why you two feel crap. And as long as you’re not totally making it about you, it isn’t terrible. After all, you care about Quinn.”

“Of course!”

“See! And with the baby thing… well, by now, we all know that none of this was ‘supposed’ to happen.”

Kurt groans out. “Yes, I know that! We are living the alternative to what was supposed to happen and despite some flaws and bad days, it’s going grand. But what is the alternative for this? I don’t think I can handle having a baby to care for in the next few years.”

And Kurt wants children, but he is only twenty-three. Emotionally. As he pointed out, he is living his ‘twenties’ differently than expected, but emotionally, he’s not ready. But the clock is ticking. In reality, he’s nearing his forties.

It’s as if Kitty knows what he’s thinking, because she says: “You know, my dad was forty when I was born and it never affected my childhood in a bad way. Sure, my childhood had one shit part, namely my parents’ divorce, but that was due to my parents not being compatible, not due to old age.”

Kurt shakes his head. “You don’t get it. I am just waiting to get that feeling you know? The feeling of being ready. I remember how Brittany and Santana described it and I want that, but I also don’t see it happening. I’m not ready to be a father before my thirties, but unfortunately for me, I am fifteen years older than wanted.”

It’s just difficult. Kurt wonders if Kitty will truly get it. Kitty and Roderick don’t want children. Neither do Sebastian and Adam. All their friends who do want children already have them. Mae and Wes welcomed their first child a couple of weeks ago, so they’re swamped with work and Kurt doesn’t want to drop in unannounced.

“You don’t want to have a baby when you’re in your forties or possibly fifties?” Kitty asks, just to be sure, “Why? Because you don’t want your kids to grow up with parents that are too old?”

Kurt nods solemnly. Kitty put it in words, but it seems like that’s going to happen or Kurt and Blaine will die without having children. And sure, Kitty is right that ‘too old’ is subjective and there are probably children out there with ‘old’ parents who are absolutely fine, but Kurt does not want it.

Kitty looks deep in thought. Kurt drinks his tea while he waits for Kitty to tell him what she’s thinking about.

“Well, I might be saying some weird shit here, but have you ever considered… not having a baby? Like, instead go into fostering or maybe adopt an older child. Lucy was seven when Puck and Quinn adopted her.”

Kurt furrows his brow.

Adoption?

He can’t say that he never considered it. After all, he’s gay, so from a very young age he had to think about alternative ways to have children. Using a surrogate just felt like the obvious option to him and the fact that he, Rachel and Quinn made a pact in high school shows that he kept that as his most obvious option throughout his life.

“What are you saying?” Kurt asks.

Kitty smiles. She must feel so smart about her epiphany.

“From my perspective, it sounds like you’re afraid to be too old to have a baby. You are afraid that there’s a time limit and even though I can tell you that there’s not, you seem to be troubled with the idea of raising a young child at an old age. Yet, you still want kids. So yeah, have you and Blaine ever thought about fostering or maybe adopting an older child? Kurt, the world still sucks, so unfortunately, there are still a lot of kids in need of a loving home. Who would be more loving than you two?”

Kurt lets the idea sink in.

Kitty throws her free hand in the air. “Look, I am just saying! But, like, think about it.”

Before they can continue their conversation, Rachel unexpectedly shows up. She has plans to make a virtual card for Quinn and she wants all the New Directions members from the first generation, and Kitty, to be on it together with their partners.

“Oh Kurt, I couldn’t reach Blaine, but will you tell him to come over to sign it when everything’s ready?”

“You couldn’t reach him?” Kurt asks.

Rachel shrugs. “Nope.”

Kurt sets down his cup of tea. “I think I should go home.”

“But my card!” Rachel shrieks and Kitty rolls her eyes.

“You and Kitty can get a head start. Call me later. I will tell Blaine.”

He lets himself out and he walks back home. Kitty’s made a very good point. There are still alternatives to the alternatives. Once he’s home, he hears music coming from the office.

Blaine’s playing guitar and Kurt lets himself listen for a while. He always loves listening to Blaine. But then, the melody turns sad, so he knocks on the door.

The music stops and Blaine asks: “Kurt, is that you?”

“Yes, can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Kurt opens the door and he sees Blaine sitting on the couch with his guitar in his hands. His hair is a bit messy and he looks like he’s been crying.

“Rachel came over. She tried to reach you, but she couldn’t.”

“I had my phone on silent,” Blaine explains, “I needed some time to think.”

Kurt nods. That makes sense.

“Anyway, Rachel aside, Kitty and I talked about something interesting.”

“What is it?” Blaine puts the guitar away.

“I think we need to look into alternatives,” Kurt says and he closes the door behind him.

July 2033

At forty years old, Kurt did not expect to be standing at his brother’s grave. He’s visited Finn every time he’s in Lima, but this summer is the 20th anniversary of Finn’s death. It’s still weird that Kurt is out here, at forty years old, or twenty-five if you will, standing at the grave of his brother who never lived past nineteen.

Rachel is standing next to him with Barbra next to her. She’s holding her second child in her arms. On Kurt’s other side, Burt and Carole are talking to Finn. It’s sort of tradition. Apparently, on the 10th anniversary of Finn’s death, a lot of Finn’s loved ones crowded the graveyard so that they could talk to him, all together.

The graveyard is filled with Kurt’s former glee club. It is a weird reunion.

Wes is here as well. There’s a cruel kind of irony here. Angela is buried in the same graveyard as Finn. Wes and Mae don’t go to Ohio very often, since their families live elsewhere, but when they do, they do it for Angela.

Kurt and Wes don’t really discuss the talk about grief that they had a couple of years ago, but the mutual understanding is still there. Right after Kurt and Blaine’s wedding, the four of them came home to Ohio so that they could share stories about the weddings with their deceased siblings.

This time, Kurt has more big news. He waits for Carole to wrap up, but of course, Kurt gives her time. After all, he was her son.

Carole buries her face in Burt’s chest and together, they walk away. Kurt never asks what Carole tells Finn, since it feels too private.

Kurt, Rachel and Barbara move closer to the tombstone. Kurt crouches down to put down a fresh bouquet of flowers.

“Hey there. It’s me. Sorry I haven’t been here in a while, but I have a reason. Remember when I told you last year that Blaine and I were planning on moving out of the city center? Well, it happened. Of course, we’ll never truly leave New York, but now we have a house with a garden. I am not looking forwards to the commute to Broadway, but the garden is great and the garage is huge, and there’s a kid’s room.”

Barbra nods when she hears this. “It is for me, so that I can have sleepovers!”

Kurt and Rachel laugh.

“No Barbra, remember what we said? Kurt and Blaine moved house so that they can have other kids live with them if necessary.”

“Like me,” Barbra exclaims and Kurt stifles another laugh. Barbra automatically assumes that everyone revolves around her. She’s got that from her mother.

Rachel sighs. The irony is that Rachel finds Barbra a bit annoying, yet she has no problem thinking that the world revolves around her. Kurt looks at Rachel and Rachel says: “Let Kurt talk to Finn, okay Barbra?”

Barbra nods, so Kurt continues.

“Blaine’s still in New York to do some more work on the house. He says hi. We’ve started going into foster care. We might possibly adopt. Luckily, it’s become way easier in the 2030s, since a lot of new legislations have made the process easier and better. This way, kids can have a home earlier than before. We’re excited. We’re nervous.”

Silence. Of course. The tombstone can’t talk.

“I hope you’re excited too.”

Rachel puts her free hand on Kurt’s shoulder for support. “He sure is.”

December 2035

“Smile for the camera!” Blaine says and Kitty pushes the video recorder out of her sight. Kurt laughs when he sees it.

“Really? An old video recorder? What is this? 2005? That’s thirty years ago, Anderson!”

Blaine puts the focus of the camera back on Kitty and he says: “I am singlehandedly bringing back the old-fashioned home video, Wilde. None of this will end up on Firmspring, so no vlog. It’s all for us!”

Wes laughs from behind. “Woah, what’s next? You’re gonna turn it into a DVD?”

Blaine turns around, so that the camera focuses on Wes. “You’re joking, but I actually considered it. You can still get DVDs at tech antique shops. Or junkyards. But no, I’m gonna convert it to quirl file immediately. Honestly, I wish people would still use DVDs!”

“Yeah, because it was definitely fun to have all those discs scattered around your house instead of having it all on one quirl,” Wes deadpans in a sarcastic way.

“Yes, yes,” Isabel says from another corner of the room, “The DVD. Mama has told me about it. It’s what you used for your flip phones so that you could use Twitter.”

Isabel nods knowingly and after a small beat of silence, all the adults in the room burst into laughter.

“Close enough, kid,” Burt says.

Blaine makes a close up of Isabel’s confused face. “Isabel, I have memorised this moment!”

Kurt laughs again before leading Blaine away from Isabel. “Come, come, let’s not bother Isabel. She made a wonderful drawing for Julie, so let’s focus on that.”

Blaine looks up from the lens. “Where is Julie, actually? This is her birthday home video!”

Kurt looks around and he spots Julie talking to Rachel. Or, Rachel is the one talking and Julie seems desperate for a way out, so Kurt grabs Blaine by the arm and they walk towards her.

“Julie!” Blaine yells excitedly.

Julie and Rachel look up and Julie’s eyes widen at the sight of the camera.

“Oh my God, dad, don’t tell me you’re streaming this,” she says, panicked. Kurt and Blaine fall silent for a second before bursting into laughter again.

“Jules, this bad boy can’t even stream,” Blaine says as he taps the old video recorder, “It’s so old, it doesn’t even have Wi-Fi.”

Kurt laughs. “Your father is singlehandedly bringing back the old-fashioned home video.”

“Kids these days,” Blaine says mockingly before zooming on Julie’s face. She rolls her eyes. Blaine continues: “I can’t even imagine growing up in a time where it’s normal for parents to share their children’s entire lives on the internet.”

Kurt nods in agreement and he shudders at the thought of his parents filming his every move for views, but it’s a sign of the times. This home video will be for family and friends’ eyes only.

“Your dad is documenting this special moment,” Kurt says, “Uncle Cooper and aunt Devorah are almost here and then it’s time for the big birthday gift.”

“We want to remember this moment forever!” Blaine adds.

Apart from Julie, her friends, and the kids, everyone knows what the gift is going to be and as a result, many took the effort to be here. That’s why Cooper and Devorah are flying in from Los Angeles. Blaine’s mother was the only one who tried to come, but who couldn’t, but Blaine will definitely send her this video.

Rachel’s about to open her mouth to say something, but Julie quickly cuts in and says: “Well, in that case, I better wait at the front door.”

And then she’s gone. Blaine turns off the video camera, so that it can save battery life for the moment of the gift. This old camera still uses a cable that needs to be plugged into a electricity socket.

“God, it feels like yesterday since she started living with us and look at her now,” Blaine says, sounding emotional.

“The best two years of our lives,” Kurt agrees easily.

Julie was fourteen years old when she got placed in the Hummel-Anderson household. Then, everything went swimmingly. Sometimes, Kurt thinks it went too swimmingly. It almost sounds like a fantasy: Kurt and Blaine decide to foster and the first child they take in is the perfect fit. Julie’s the part that has been missing in their lives.

But then everyone reminds him that the systems have improved a lot over the years. Now, the happiness of the child will always be the first priority, and Julie soon realised that she wanted to be a part of the family.

Of course, the first few months were a bit rough, but once they broke through Julie’s shell, it became perfectly clear that this was supposed to be forever. All three of them wanted it.

When Kurt and Blaine started thinking about adopting older kids, they were thinking about seven year olds, like Lucy, or maybe slightly older or younger. And now there’s Julie, at age sixteen. She doesn’t know yet, but the envelope that she will be given for her birthday has the papers that confirm the adoption process.

Kurt’s life truly went different than planned. Here he is, at age forty-two, or more accurately, twenty-seven, and he’s leaning against his husband, thinking about his sixteen year old soon-to-be daughter.

For the first time since he woke up on that kitchen floor, something that ‘wasn’t supposed to happen’ feels different. This time, it feels like this was supposed to happen. Kurt, Blaine and Julie were supposed to be a family.

Kurt gets pulled out his thoughts when the doorbell rings. He turns around and he sees Barbra and Finn pressing themselves against the window.

Finn yells: “It’s Blaine’s brother and his wife!”

Blaine looks surprised.

“Earlier than I thought,” he says and he turns on the camera again. It’s go time.

“He’s finally on time for something.”

Julie was truly waiting by the door, so by the time Kurt and Blaine have reached the door, she’s already hugging Cooper’s wife Devorah. Cooper and Devorah also comment of Blaine’s old camera, but then everyone gets ushered into the living room.

Blaine pans around and everyone waves and smiles while they’re in the frame. It’s a messy bunch. It’s a mix between family, Julie’s friends from school, Kurt and Blaine’s friends from the city, and New Directions members that could come to New York for the weekend.

Blaine’s still filming Julie and they’re talking, so Kurt has the time to retrieve the envelope.

“Happy 16th birthday, dear!” he says and Blaine focuses the camera on Kurt, so that he can film the exact moment where Kurt hands Julie the envelope.

But then Quinn pats him on the shoulder and she whispers something in his ear. Blaine nods and he hands the camera to Quinn, so that he can join Kurt and Julie.

Quinn gives them a thumbs up from behind the camera. Her smile is radiant. She’s looking healthy.

Julie looks at the envelope with a curious look on her face.

“Open it, Julie,” Blaine says. Kurt can feel that Blaine’s bursting with energy. They’ve waited for this moment for quite a while now.

Julie opens the envelope and she takes out the first sheet of paper. At first, she scrunches up her face in confusion, but then her eyes start to dart across the paper and they grow wide when she realises what she’s holding.

“Really?” she looks at Kurt and Blaine, “Really?!”

Blaine nods and he’s too choked up to speak, so Kurt says: “Really, really.”

And then there’s screaming of joy, and hugging, and crying, and a lot of cheering from everyone else in the room.

The last party guests have left and Blaine’s cleaning up some mess in the kitchen. Kurt wants to help out, but then he sees Julie sitting in the garden. She’s sitting on a blanket and looking up at the stars.

Kurt grabs his coat and he opens the door.

“Did you have a nice birthday?” Kurt asks.

Julie looks over her shoulder and she smiles when she sees Kurt. “Yes.”

Still, she as a weird look on her face. Kurt sighs and he sits next to her. “What is on your mind, Jules?”

Julie shakes her head, but Kurt raises an eyebrow, so she says: “It’s just weird. It’s official. Don’t get me wrong, it is good weird, but after being in care for so long and then two years of a voice in the back of my head saying ‘Julie, they will turn on you’, I was so convinced that you guys were going to give up on me, but you didn’t.”

Kurt knows that Julie’s had that voice in the back of her mind. Their accompanying social worker has talked a lot about it. The three of them have talked about it.

He also knows that the voice became smaller as time flew by. As Julie said: it is official. She’s theirs.

“Life takes a completely unexpected direction sometimes,” Kurt says, “I would know. I’m only twenty-seven.”

Julie snorts. “I can’t believe my dad is only eleven years older than I am.”

Kurt laughs too. “See! Weird, right?”

“I remember when I first heard about it on the news. And then when I first met you and dad, it didn’t click, since I didn’t know that dad was the face behind some of the greatest songs of our generation and I didn't connect you to the face behind one of the biggest neuroscientific research activist groups. But now, it just makes sense. You’re twenty-seven and forty-two at the same time.”

“And I still haven’t figured out the secrets of the universe,” Kurt says.

Julie rolls her eyes. “Dad, I know that adults don’t have all the answers.”

“God, I wish that were me as a child,” Kurt laughs.

Julie looks up to the stars again. Kurt follows suit and the two of them remain silent while they look at the stars. It’s quiet in the suburbs. Sometimes, Kurt and Blaine miss the city center, but they don’t regret their choice to leave. It’s peaceful here.

Julie likes it, and that is what matters most.

Eventually, Julie breaks that silence. “I wonder if the secrets of the universe are out there. But what are the secrets? I always wanted a normal life, but what is normal?”

“Don’t let your dad hear you, or he’s going to break into song,” Kurt jokes, referring to Blaine’s Grammy-winning album A New Normal.

“I wouldn’t mind. Dad has an amazing voice. So do you.”

“So do you,” Kurt points out and Julie looks bashful. Julie is extremely musically talented. They really are a perfect fit. “But I get what you mean. Ever since the amnesia happened, I spent a long time yearning for normalcy. The moment you realise that normalcy doesn’t exist, it feels like a huge burden has been lifted off your shoulders.”

“Exactly!” Julie exclaims. Then she looks back to Kurt. “You two have lifted that burden for me.”

Kurt smiles and he pulls Julie closer. “I love you, Jules."

They hear the door open and when they look over their shoulders, they see Blaine’s looking at the two of them with a fond look on his face.

“You’re doing a family hug without me?” Blaine pretends to be hurt.

Kurt spreads his arms. “Come here, my sweet.”

It doesn’t need to be said twice. Blaine also grabs his coat. At first, doesn’t move to Kurt. Instead, he sits next to Julie’s other side and Kurt and Blaine cuddle her from both sides.

“What were you guys talking about?” Blaine asks.

“Oh you know,” Julie says nonchalantly, “The secrets of the universe, the unexpected alternatives to your life, the old yearning for normalcy and how that burdens you. The usual for a 16th birthday.”

Blaine barks a laugh. “Sounds about right. You know, I based-”

“-entire Grammy-award winning album A New Normal on those exact same questions?” both Kurt and Julie finish at the same time, which makes Blaine laugh again.

“We’re happy, though,” Kurt says, “We’re happy, despite everything.”

“Yeah, we are,” Julie agrees and Blaine also hums in agreement.

The three of them huddle closer and they talk about the day and their plans for the future. Those plans are not certain. Nothing is certain. That’s what they all have learned, but it doesn’t matter. Alternatives are out there. There will be bad days and moments of grief on what could’ve been, but in the end, it all works out.

“Should we sing?” Blaine asks and Julie laughs out loud.

“It’s not family night without your father forcing us to sing, Julie,” Kurt says jokingly.

“Oh, you love it!” Blaine says back.

Julie starts tapping her feet, Blaine claps in a rhythm and Kurt hums.

Blaine starts singing. It’s a silly song that the three of them wrote together. It’s not great, but it’s something in the family.

When everything is doom and gloom
You have to look at a flower in bloom
When life gives you another shot
Pick a beautiful forget-me-not

Kurt and Julie chime in too and the three of them sing their hearts out.