"Careful there!" Rose piped. "Didn't you read that story in the paper a little while ago, about that man locking his jaw mid-yawn? He almost choked to death!"

Relaxing his body, Kurt slumped back against his chair and broke into a sly smile. "Don't worry, Rose. My jaw doesn't lock easily." he drawled.

Rose spewed out the sip of coffee she'd just taken. "Oh my God…" She coughed, dabbing at the spilled coffee with a paper towel. "I guess Dr. Anderson really is a lucky guy, isn't he?"

"Yes he is, but I can't complain either." Kurt grinned, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn, I'm glad this is my last night shift. It's been a tough couple of weeks. But at least I have the rest of the week off."

"So is it Lily's final week with you now?" Rose asked, nursing her mug with one hand and resting her head on the other one.

"Yeah. She's leaving on Sunday. Blaine took the rest of the week off as well, so we can spend these last days together." he said with a sad tone in his voice.

"It sucks that she has to go back to London." Rose said bluntly. "I can imagine he'll be heartbroken about it."

Kurt nodded, his gaze drifting away. "He will. I mean, I'm going to miss her so bad, and I'm not even her father, I've only known her for a little while. Blaine… he'll go through hell when she's gone."

He bit his lip. Blaine had been talking about going to London next summer, and staying there through July and August, but that was still so far away. He never expected the three of them to have become a family in the span of a few weeks, and yet that was exactly what had happened. And boy, were they going to suffer the consequences. Lily would have to return to London, Kurt would have to move back into his own apartment, and both he and Blaine would mourn the family they'd lost, or actually the one they'd never really had in the first place.

So yeah, Rose was right. It sucked.

"At least he still has you." His coworker offered. "Everybody can see how happy you make him... he's always been a cheerful guy, but since you two started dating, it's like watching Fred Astaire dance through the corridors" She added with a fond chuckle. "And the same goes for you, honey. I can't tell you how pleased I am to finally see you live instead of just survive, if you know what I mean."

Sighing softly, Kurt returned her smile. "I know exactly what you mean. Guess I owe you big time for convincing me to go on a date with him in the first place." He smirked at her.

Rose winked. "Make me your bridesmaid at your wedding and I'll call it even."

"My wedding, huh?" Kurt said under his breath, slowly shaking his head. "Yeah, that's not going to happen anytime soon I think, if ever…"

"Oh?" Rose eyebrows shot up. "You don't want to get married? I thought-"

"It's not about what I want, Rose." Kurt interrupted her. "It's… I don't know if… look, we have something amazing together, whether or not we end up getting married. That's all that matters."

"But still, it would be so awesome. Plus it would be a giant 'fuck you' to his parents." Rose added with a delighted squeal.

Kurt replied with a snort. "His father would have me killed first. Or fired from the hospital. I think he's capable of both, to be honest."

"Nonsense. He's not going to try anything. You're a good nurse and the hospital board is way too scared of lawsuits to fire anyone without a solid reason. Besides, the whole staff has your back, sweetie. If they try to mess with you, we go on strike. Simple as that."

"Thanks." Kurt said hesitantly, not able to shake the feeling that it was never going to be anywhere as simple as that. He hadn't told his boyfriend, but when he'd stood face-to-face with Bruce Anderson that night at Blaine's apartment, he'd seen something deeply disturbing in his eyes. The man was an unbalanced, unreasonable, fucked up maniac.

And he scared the shit out of Kurt.

"So, how's your love life?" He said, determined to change the subject.

"Non-existent." Rose sighed.

Kurt frowned as he leant forward in his chair. "See, I don't get that. You are beautiful, smart, funny and incredibly nice. How do you not have a boyfriend?"

The blonde woman shrugged. "Maybe because I don't want one. I'm not a homely person, Kurt. And either, sooner or later they'll want to settle down, get married and have kids, or they just want sex and nothing else. Neither of those options appeals to me, to be honest… it's either too much or too little. Yes, I want a loving relationship, but I don't want my life to revolve around somebody else." She added with a sigh. "I'll probably die alone, surrounded by twelve cats."

Kurt's eyebrows went up. "You do realize that Barry is crazy about you, don't you? I mean, he's been pretty obvious about it lately."

"I know..." She sighed. "But that's not a good idea either, is it?"

"Why not?" Kurt shrugged.

"Because for one, I'm eight years older than him! And the whole marriage and kids thing? Who's to say he doesn't want that?" Rose said exasperatedly.

"Well, don't you think you should ask him what he wants first? What if he only wants you? What if he's willing to accept being with you on your terms?"

Rose shook her head. "But then he would be settling for less than he truly wants, and deserves. That wouldn't be fair."

Kurt huffed in frustration. "Honey, it doesn't matter whether or not it's fair, as long as you're both happy. Why won't you even give him a chance?"

"Because I don't want to get hurt!" Rose snapped. Her face crumpled as her hands flew to her eyes. "I like him, okay?" She said, tears rolling down her cheek. "I like him a lot. And I... I just don't want to get close to him, just to lose him again..."

Placing his hand gently on her upper arm, Kurt sighed as he smiled wanly. "Don't you remember me saying the exact same things to you a couple of months ago? And don't you remember what you told me? I believe it was something about trying to shield my heart from injury and pain when I was really shutting out every chance at love and happiness...?"

"Damn you and your flawless memory." Rose sniffed, as she wiped her tears away with a tissue.

"Yeah." Kurt let out a small chuckle as he stroked her arm soothingly. "Listen, It's really not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. You're smart enough to figure that out all by yourself. I just want to see you happy, that's all."

Rose nodded. "Thanks." She whispered. "You know what would really make me happy right now? A hug."

Kurt smiled as he leaned towards his friend and pulled her into his arms. "Anytime, sweetie."

It was 8 AM when Kurt finally entered the apartment, after Rose had sent him home, insisting she could handle the morning briefing on her own, and telling him that 'he should go and be with Blaine and Lily'.

Having shed his jacket and backpack in the hallway, he sauntered into the living room. Lily was watching TV as she sat on the floor, dressed in the cutest little orange hoodie, with matching orange pants. She'd pulled the hood over her head, which made her look even more adorable.

"Psssssssst…" Kurt called.

Lily snapped her head around and broke out in a wide, toothy smile. "Kurtie!" The little girl jumped to her feet and scampered towards Kurt, who crouched down to catch her into his arms.

"Hey little monkey. Give me a big hug!" He laughed.

Lily huffed. "I'm not a monkey! I'm LILY!"

"Oh, sorry, my bad." Kurt chuckled.

"You're so dumb, Kurtie." Lily answered with a giggle, making Kurt gasp and widen his eyes in mock dismay.

"Lily Anderson, you can't say things like that. Say you're sorry."

He waggled his finger as he pursed his lips.

"I'm sorry…" Lily said quietly, peering at Kurt while she fluttered her eyelashes. Apparently that was a trick both father and daughter knew how to pull.

Kurt rolled his eyes but quirked his mouth all the same. "Much better. So, where's your daddy?"

"There." She pointed towards the doorway that led to the kitchen.

"In here, baby!" Blaine called, as he came out of the kitchen.

Kurt did a little double take."You're wearing an apron…" He eased himself back up. "I don't know whether I should be surprised or worried…"

"Oh, ye of little faith!" Blaine chirped, as he walked to Kurt and planted a noisy kiss on his lips. "I prepared breakfast! Well, technically, I only took stuff from the fridge and the cupboards and arranged them on plates, but I did make toast without burning it AND I boiled some eggs."

"Ah... soft boiled or hard boiled?" Kurt asked warily.

"I have no idea, I guess we'll find out as soon as we crack them, won't we?" Blaine grinned, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him towards the kitchen. "Right this way, good sir! Lily, are you coming too?" He looked at his daughter, gesturing with his hand to follow them.

Kurt gave an admiring whistle as he saw the breakfast table. "Is this just for the three of us or did you invite the whole building to join in?" He quipped. The table was covered with bread, toast, croissants, cereals, fruit, jam, orange juice, coffee, milk, and the eggs Blaine had boiled. Next to Kurt's plate, there was a tall, thin vase, holding a long stemmed red velvet rose. "Oh wow... that's gorgeous..." Kurt breathed, as he brushed the soft petals with his finger and leaned in to catch the scent. "Hmmmm... smells divine..." He smiled with his eyes closed. "You shouldn't have done this, Blaine."

"I wanted to." Blaine shrugged, as they all took a seat. "I'd give you a thousand roses each day if I could. But I doubt we'd have enough vases."

Kurt arched an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "You have a valid point there." He tapped his finger against his chin. "Well, tell you what, I'm willing to accept a thousand kisses instead."

"Deal." Blaine laughed, snapping his finger and pointing at Kurt. "I'll start right after breakfast, okay?"

"Can I have a kiss too, daddy?" Lily said, crumbs of toast spraying everywhere.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, sweetie, you'll choke." Blaine warned her. "But yes, you can have as many kisses as you want." He added with a smirk, playfully flicking his finger against her nose.

Meanwhile, Kurt let out a delighted moan as he bit in a croissant. "Oh my GOD, these are delicious. Where did you get them?"

"A small bakery down the road. They have some good stuff." Blaine took a swig of orange juice. "But if you really want to eat the best croissants in the world, you have to go to Paris, there's this little bakery in the Quartier Latin that sells the yummiest croissants and oh, their brioche bread is to die for..." Blaine said dreamily. "We should go and have some sometime."

Kurt blinked at Blaine for a moment. "Um... sure, why not? Let me just grab my jacket and my car keys and we're off." he said with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"What? I'm not kidding!" Blaine shot back. "I'm taking you to Paris next summer. We'll be staying in London for a while, and after that we can go travel around for a few weeks. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, maybe Vienna or Berlin if we have time, and how about Brussels? I've never been there and I'd like me a real Belgian waffle."

Gaping as a fish, it took Kurt a few moments to find his voice. "Blaine, first of all, you have an obsession with food that's starting to worry me, and second... are you serious?"

"Yeah, of course I am!" Blaine smiled, visibly amused by Kurt's astonishment. "I want to show you the whole world, Kurt. You've spent the 26 first years of your life in Ohio, it's time you spent the rest of your life exploring some of the amazing places this planet has to offer. That is, if you want to."

"Huh... sure?" Kurt said. "I can't believe you sometimes." He shook his head. Blaine winked and continued to gaze at him lovingly.

"Daddy!" Lily piped. Blaine tore his eyes away from his boyfriend and grinned at his daughter.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Daddy, do you have a baby in your belly too?"

"I- What? Why do you think that? I'm not fat am I?" Blaine stammered, as Kurt tried to keep from snorting his food through his nose.

"Cause mommy and Paul have a baby in mommy's belly. Do you and Kurt have a baby in your belly? And then you and Kurt get married too! Lily nodded with a wide smile, figuring it all out. "Yay!"

"Oh my God." Kurt whispered, hiding his smile behind his hand.

"Um, no honey, I haven't got a baby in my belly. Look!" He pulled up his T-shirt to reveal his very flat stomach. "No baby there, sweetie."

Lily pouted. "Then you don't get married?"

Blaine gulped as his eyes flitted between Lily and Kurt, who was staring at a fixed point somewhere between the cornflakes and the bananas. "Not right now, no..."

"Oh. Okay." His daughter said. "Can I have more toast, daddy?"

Kurt cleared his throat and quickly dropped another slice on her plate. "Here you go, Lily."

"Thanks, Kurtie!"

Blaine bit his lip and fidgeted with his hands for a minute, before he suddenly grabbed a spoon and started tapping the shell of his egg. Swiftly removing the top, he dug his spoon into the egg yolk, only to find it perfectly smooth and runny. He pumped his fist in victory. "YES! It's soft boiled! I can cook!"

"Yaaaay, daddy!" Lily shouted, throwing her arms in the air, as Kurt smirked and clapped his hands. "My hero." he mouthed.

They continued eating while making plans for rest of the week.

"How about going to Cedar Point tomorrow? Or the day after?" Blaine said. "I'd really like to take her to an amusement park, and I saw this one has got quite a few rides for young kids as well. I checked it online, it's like a two hour drive or so."

Kurt nodded. "Sounds like fun. We can go tomorrow." He said, stretching his arms behind his back as he let out a yawn. "I'm so tired, I think I'm going to hit the hay. Could you wake me up around 1 PM?"

"Sure, baby! Sleep tight! We're going to do the grocery shopping while you're napping, and maybe we'll stop by Rachel and Finn's." Blaine smiled. "You'll have some peace and quiet here for the next couple of hours." He added with a wink.

"Thanks honey." Kurt leaned down and brushed his lips against Blaine's. "I'll need it."

Half an hour later, Blaine was pushing the shopping cart with Lily sitting in it through the various aisles, while scanning the shopping list Kurt had meticulously put together. "Let's see Lily, we need... romanesco. Wait, that's a vegetable, right? Better go check out the produce section..."

It took Blaine exactly forty-three minutes, four shop assistants, and three complete tours of the entire store to finally find everything on the list.

"Okay sweetie, we're done." Blaine sighed in relief. "Time for the highlight of our visit!" He wiggled his eyebrows at his daughter, who grinned knowingly as they wheeled into the candy aisle.

"I want gummi bears, daddy!" Lily squealed in delight as her father threw a bag of bears into the cart.

"Now, just a quick reminder, daughter, when Kurt asks you who these candies are for, you say...?"

"Daddy!" Lily nodded.

"Good! And when your mommy asks you what I've been feeding you as a snack, you say...?"

Lily frowned in thought for a second and then grinned. "Carrots and rice cakes!"

"That's my girl!" Blaine winked as he patted her head. "I think I'll have me some M&M's." He hummed, reaching out for the yellow colored bag and tossing it on top of the other candy.

A few moments later, Blaine was loading the groceries in the trunk of his car, while Lily was still sitting in the cart, singing "Old MacDonald" in between munching on some gummi bears, when suddenly a man came walking towards them.

"Blaine? Is that you?" The man said hesitantly, trying to get a closer look.

Blaine snapped his head around and felt his heart come to a stop as he peered straight into a pair of familiar, bright grey eyes. Taking in the rest of the man's features, his short, blond hair, his tanned skin, his angular nose, his sharp cheekbones, Blaine finally came to his senses and found his voice. "Oh my God... Steve? Is it you?"

Steve smiled brightly. "Yeah, it's me. Wow, you look great..." His eyes flitted towards Lily, who was gazing at him while still chewing on her candy. "And that must be your daughter?" He gave a little nod and looked back at Blaine. "So did you come back to Lima or what? I thought you were living in New York?"

Drawing in a sharp breath, Blaine shook his head. "No... not anymore. What about you? Why aren't you in Cali?"

"Just a family visit. Well no, actually it's more than that." He raised his left hand and pointed at his ring finger. "I just got engaged."

Shifting his attention to the white gold band adorned with three small diamonds, Blaine let out a little whistle. "Very nice. Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Steve grinned. "I thought he'd never propose, to be honest, like we've been together for seven years now, but then last month, all of a sudden... well, let me just tell you, I've never been more ecstatic to see a guy drop to his knees in front of me!"

"Steve, my three-year-old is sitting right there..." Blaine huffed, pointing at Lily.

Steve shrugged. "Oh shush. It's not like she catches my drift." Studying Blaine's face for a second, he pursed his lips in thought. "All joking aside, it's really good to meet you again, Blaine. Hey, how about a cup of coffee?" He gestured towards a diner across the road. "I'd love to catch up with you. I'll even buy your little lady here a milkshake."

Lily gasped. "Milkshake! Yum!" She whispered gleefully, making Blaine roll his eyes with a soft chuckle.

"You had her at milkshake." He smirked. "Listen, I'll finish putting the groceries away and we'll meet you there in ten minutes, okay?"

"Great!" Steve answered, giving Blaine's shoulder a little squeeze and pat before walking away.

Walking through the pouring rain, Kurt squinted his eyes against the drops that were tangled in his eyelashes. Already soaking wet, his white pants and shirt were clinging to his body, and his bare feet slipped over the moist grass with every step he took.

At any other given time, he might have wondered why he wasn't wearing shoes, but a strange, solid mental barrier kept his thoughts from going there. Nothing about this whole situation made sense, and still it felt like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Not even knowing or caring about his destination, he broke into a run. As he neared the edge of a forest, he decided to go right through it, knowing the trees would shield him from the rain.

And so they did. But then another realization hit him. It was so cold and dark inside the forest, that he couldn't see where he was going… and he was so chilled to the bone that his body was starting to feel numb.

With a muffled sob, Kurt came to a halt and twirled around.

"Shit…" He breathed. He had run too far in the forest to find his way back out on his own. "Now what?" He whispered, feeling a twinge of fear. What if he was going to be stuck in here forever?

Biting his lip, he kept looking around, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't even find a hint of a way out. He didn't dare move, because every step he would take, could possibly mean one into the wrong direction… even farther into the darkness and the cold. Suddenly he found himself wondering why he'd tried to escape the rain in the first place, because as tempting as the sheltering forest had seemed, it had made everything ten times worse.

Wiping away the locks that were still plastered to his forehead, he heaved a deep sigh. What a hopeless place it was.

Kurt froze.

Did he just hear a voice?

Holding his breath, he turned to listen once more.

There it was again. A voice, far away, shouting… his name? Somebody was looking for him!

"Kurt! Kuuuuuuuurt!"

"I'm here!" He tried to yell back, but only a hoarse, soft cry came out.

Without any further hesitation, Kurt took off, running faster than he'd ever had before. He needed to find that voice. The shouting became louder and louder, reassuring him that he was moving in the right direction.

After what felt like hours, he finally reached a clearing.

It was completely empty. No one was there. Nobody.

Panting from the exertion, Kurt stepped towards the centre of the tiny meadow. The sun was brightly shining and the sky was bright and blue. The grass felt dry beneath his feet. How could it not be wet from the rain?

"Where the hell am I?" He muttered under his breath.

"You're home." A kind, female voice said.

Spinning around, Kurt searched for the woman who had spoken. She was nowhere to be seen.

With a sigh of defeat, he hugged himself and closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of the sun to caress his body and chase the cold away.

"There you are. I've been looking for you forever…" Another voice said, behind his back.

His eyes fluttering open, Kurt slowly turned around, half expecting to find nobody there. But then his gaze fell upon another man standing there, dressed in white, just like him. A man with dark, curly hair, a dazzling smile, and the most beautiful, hazel pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

"Blaine…" Kurt shook his head in astonishment. "You're… you're here." He stammered, reaching out and carefully touching the other man's chest, as if to convince himself that this wasn't just a figment of his imagination. The physical contact jolted them out of whatever haze they were in, and in the flash of a second, both men fell into each other's arms.

"I thought I was all alone…" Kurt whispered against Blaine's cheek.

"You're not alone, baby. You never were." Blaine answered, as he pulled back slightly. "Look around, Kurt." He nodded towards the space behind Kurt's back.

Following Blaine's gaze, Kurt whirled around and gasped.

An large group of people was making their way towards them. There were hundreds of them. Most of them, Kurt recognized, others he didn't.

Blaine hugged Kurt from behind and nuzzled his ear. "You see, honey? Everybody who loves and cares about us is right here…"

"But I didn't see anyone before…" Kurt shook his head in wonder.

He felt Blaine smile against his temple. "You know the saying that 'seeing means believing'? Well… sometimes it's the other way around, and believing means seeing…"

"Wow…" Kurt breathed, as the group formed a giant circle around them. "Why are they here?"

Blaine grasped Kurt's shoulders and turned him back to face him. "They are here to celebrate us." Taking Kurt's hands into his, he pressed a kiss against them. "They are here to support us. They are here to show us that love is the only thing that matters."

Kurt's breath hitched in his throat as he saw a face he'd been longing to see again for almost twenty years. "Mom!" He cried.

Kurt's mother smiled warmly and waved at him, before pointing to the man next to her.

"S- Sam?" Kurt choked.

Sam smiled and winked at Kurt, linking hands with Kurt's mom and saying something to her Kurt couldn't understand. Both looked at the baby Elizabeth Hummel was carrying on her arm. Kurt hadn't even noticed the child till that very moment.

"Who's that?" He wondered out loud.

Blaine sniffled as he tightened his hold around Kurt's hands. "That's Daisy."

Kurt couldn't hold back his tears as he watched how his mom walked towards Liz and Paul and handed the little girl over to her mother. Liz cried and laughed at the same time, while Paul cooed at Daisy.

Letting his eyes roam over the rest of the circle, Kurt felt a bubble of laughter erupt as he saw his dad and Carole, Finn and Rachel, Lily, every one of his friends from the New Directions, his coworkers, his aunt, his neighbours - even Mrs Benson from downstairs – and lots and lots of others. He'd never realized there were so many who cared about him. One face startled him…what was she doing here? He gave Blaine a soft nudge. "Your mother…"

"I know." Blaine was staring at his mom with a veiled expression. Breaking away from her gaze, he locked eyes with Kurt and smiled tenderly. Taking a deep breath, Blaine started reciting a poem Kurt vaguely remembered having read before.

"We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free."

Touched by the words, Kurt wiped at his eyes.

"Kurt… From this day forward, you will never walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, and my arms will be your home. This I promise you." Leaning in, Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt's and gave him the sweetest, most tender kiss.

Breaking the kiss, Kurt smiled, his eyes still closed, their foreheads still touching. When he spoke, the words seemed to come to him effortlessly.

"Blaine…

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.

But I can promise all my heart's devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that's ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow."

Blaine nodded and chuckled, tears streaming over his face. They kissed again as everybody around them started clapping and cheering. From the corner of his eye, Kurt saw the New Directions gather together and harmonize their voices. Sure enough, they would never let an opportunity pass to break out into song.

Blaine snaked his arms around Kurt's waist. "May I have this dance?" He asked, as he'd already started to sway to the a cappella singing.

"Yes, you may." Kurt breathed, wrapped up in the words and melody, swept away by the all consuming love he felt for Blaine, his family and his friends, and by the love they felt for him in return.

We spend all of our lives going out of our minds
Looking back to our birth, forward to our demise
Even scientists say, everything is just light
Not created, destroyed but eternally bright
Masters in every time lord in every place

Those who stood up for love down in spite of the hate

In spite of the hate

Who put the flower in the barrel of that gun?
Who lit the candle, started the fire,
Burnt down the fortress, the throne?
Who could house all the refugees in a single shack
Or a lowly bungalow?
Who lives in a different dimension, free from the
Struggles we know?

I give my heart and soul to the one

We spend all of our lives going out of our minds
Looking back to our birth, forward to our demise
Even scientists say everything is just light
Not created, destroyed but eternally bright
Masters in every time lord in every place

Those who stood up for love down in spite of the hate

We spend all of our lives going out of our minds

They live in the light

We made it to the moon
But we can't make it home
Waiting on a rescue that never comes
Made it to the moon
But we can't make it home

Maybe home is where the heart is given up
To the one, to the one

We spend all of our lives going out of our minds
Looking back to our birth, forward to our demise
We spend all of our lives going out of our minds

They live, they

They stood up for love
Stood up for love
Stood up for love
They stood up for love
Stood up for love
Stood up for love

In the end, everybody had joined in, but Kurt wasn't aware anymore. The sounds were fading away, the light was dimming, and he tried desperately to hold on to Blaine, but it seemed as if he was grabbing into thin air.

He was slipping away.

He was waking up.

"Damn…" Kurt groaned into his pillow.

With a sleepy yawn, he drifted back to sleep, unaware that the corners of his mouth were now curled up into a deep, blissful smile.