Blaine smirked. "And I probably shouldn't be surprised that you're still the biggest flirt ever."

"Only to those who deserve my flirtations!" Steve winked, as the waitress approached the table with their drinks - a drip for Blaine, a strawberry milkshake for Lily and a macchiato for Steve.

"Well, it's nice to know at least our coffee preferences haven't changed." Blaine said.

Steve nodded. "Yep. That's pretty much the only thing, huh?"

"It's been a long time... half a lifetime ago, actually." Blaine shrugged, as he pulled a paper napkin from the dispenser and wiped a trickle of milkshake from Lily's nose. "So yeah, things have changed. A lot." He turned his gaze back to Steve. "You look good, Steve. You look happy. I'm glad."

"Thanks... I am happy. I mean, I've been through some crap after I left Ohio." Steve sighed, as he looked away. "But Robert came into my life. He owns a company in Silicon Valley, and I met him while I was still working at Caltech. He's... he's perfect, Blaine. Honestly, sometimes I don't even get why he's with me. He's gorgeous, he's successful, he's smart... he could have anybody he wanted, and yet he chose me."

Blaine shook his head with a smile. "God, Steve, don't tell me you still have confidence issues? Why wouldn't he choose you? You're a great catch, so stop bringing yourself down."

"Hey! I try!" Steve huffed. "But yeah... sometimes I still doubt myself. Just another one of those things that hasn't changed." He grimaced, as he studied Blaine from beneath lowered eyelashes. "You look so different. Nothing like the frail, frisky, curly haired teenager I used to know."

"Is that the nice way of telling me I look old?" Blaine frowned mockingly.

Steve sipped his coffee and looked at him pensively. "No, not old. Mature. Strong. Independent... focused. A man instead of a boy."

"Thanks. It has been a long time, huh." Blaine said. "We've never met again after you left Ohio."

After you left me.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I never came to your wedding. I couldn't... I still wasn't over you, I guess." Steve pursed his lips as he fiddled with a plastic spoon. "I heard you got divorced?"

"Yep. And Liz just got remarried. That's why Lily's with me. They are on their honeymoon."

"Oh man, that sucks. Oops! Sorry!" Steve clapped his hand against his mouth as Blaine gave him a pointed glare and a sharp nod towards Lily, who was looking at Steve with wide eyes and an open mouth.

As they continued talking for a while, Blaine noticed two things.

One, his ex had changed, but he was essentially still Steve. Sweet, funny, clever, playful Steve, the boy with a heart of gold, who often thought very little of himself, while he had so much to offer. Steve, the boy he had loved so dearly.

Two... even though he'd always have a soft spot for his former boyfriend, Blaine had no romantic feelings toward him whatsoever. Not anymore. That ship had sailed many years ago, and Blaine found himself strangely at ease with that.

There was no use in regretting what had happened between them. Life had taken its course, and it had brought them to that point, at that day, in that diner. Steve, the 31 year old engineer, residing in Palo Alto, engaged to the owner of a highly successful IT company, savoring a macchiato; and Blaine, the 31 year old pediatrician, divorced, father of two beautiful girls - one in his heart and one next to him, in love with an amazing man, nursing his medium drip.

No matter what fate had thrown in their way, they'd both managed to gravitate back to happiness somehow, time after time.

"So your boyfriend's a nurse?" Steve asked. "That's so cute. Must be a sweet, caring guy then."

"The sweetest..." Blaine said with a dreamy smile.

Steve chuckled. "Well aren't you a smitten kitten. Happy for you, man... hey, how are your parents by the way?"

In a flash, Blaine's smile had disappeared.

"Don't know, don't care." He muttered.

"Wait- what?" Steve's eyebrows almost touched his hairline. "What do you mean? Did you guys have a falling-out or something?"

"Or something." Blaine huffed.

Steve sighed as he leaned back against his chair. "Your dad?"

Blaine shook his head. "Both of them. They won't accept my relationship with Kurt." He snorted bitterly. "Apparently, they never believed I was bi in the first place, and they'd like to see me 'nice and normal' again, as I was with Liz."

"Oh my God." Steve breathed.

"Yeah. And wait till you hear about the stunt they pulled on us..." Blaine scowled, as he told Steve about the way his dad had manipulated them, about the scholarship, and about the fights they'd had since he and Kurt had gotten together.

"I can't believe he'd do something like that." Steve glanced through the window, his face a mixture of disgust and outrage. "That's just so... sick."

They stayed silent for a few moments, Blaine not quite knowing what to say, while Steve was visibly mulling things over in his head.

"It doesn't even make sense." Steve frowned. "Why would your mom-" he stopped talking as he met Blaine's eyes.

"Why would my mom what?" Blaine blinked, his brows puckered in confusion.

Steve let out a sharp breath and lowered his gaze. "I was never supposed to tell you about it…"

"About what, Steve?" Blaine insisted, his voice suddenly laced with tension.

"I've always wondered why I got that scholarship. Me… an ordinary kid from Ohio. I mean I had pretty decent grades, but they weren't that impressive. Anyway, about a week after I got the letter from Caltech, I was at your house. We were going to watch movies, your dad wasn't home, and you were off to the store to pick up a few snacks. That's when your mom asked if she could have a word with me." Steve cleared his throat nervously.

Blaine narrowed his eyes. "What did she say to you?"

"She tried to convince me not to go to California." Steve said softly.

"She asked you to STAY?" Blaine raised his voice in shock.

"No." Steve shook his head. "She did way more than that… She offered me 100,000 dollars if I would decline the Caltech offer, and she promised she would try to get me into whatever college I wanted, as long as it wasn't too far from Ohio. Her only demand was that I couldn't breathe a word about any of it to either you or your dad. Or anyone else, for that matter." He shrugged and smiled sadly. "I guess she truly didn't want us to break up. But Blaine… it was Caltech. You have to understand that I couldn't accept her offer. It was a dream come true and I felt I couldn't throw it away…"

Blaine felt like he'd gotten the wind knocked out of his lungs. His mom had told him she hadn't been able to stop his dad from doing what he did, but she never mentioned she'd actually tried to. She had attempted to bribe Steve into staying in Ohio… with Blaine. It was a desperate, twisted attempt, but still… He swallowed deeply as he fought to wrap his mind around it. Did that mean that his mom loved and accepted him after all? Could it seriously be true?

"Blaine? Say something?" Steve gazed at him, worry etched into his features. "Please?"

"I… I need to go home. Kurt… I promised to wake him up at one, and I have to feed Lily lunch first. I can't be late." Blaine stammered, as he got up from his seat and lifted Lily from her high chair. The little girl yelped at the sudden gesture.

"Blaine, I'm really sorry!" Steve gasped as he shot out of his seat as well. "I never meant to hurt you!"

Blaine shook his head as he ran his free hand through his hair. "I know Steve… you have nothing to be sorry about. You made the right choice. We both did." He offered him a meek smile. "I wish you all the happiness in the world, together with Robert. You deserve it." He took a step closer towards Steve and without even thinking twice, he pulled him into a half hug.

"Yay! Hugs!" Lily cheered as she threw her arms around Steve and Blaine's necks and squeezed them tight, making both men chuckle.

Steve pulled back and looked at Blaine with a watery grin. "So, I was thinking… can I invite Kurt and you to the wedding? It would be awesome to have you guys there."

"Sure." Blaine nodded, giving him a warm and reassuring smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Kurt whined quietly as he felt himself being roused back into consciousness by a pair of soft lips, brushing delicately against his own. A hand found its way into his hair and Kurt smiled into the kiss as his eyes fluttered open. "Hi." He whispered.

"Hey you." Blaine murmured, as he tilted his head down to kiss Kurt again, more deeply this time.

Kurt hummed in contentment as Blaine moved to rest on his side, while dragging him along in his embrace. When they finally came up for air, Kurt leaned his forehead against Blaine's and chuckled breathlessly. "Best wake up call ever… I could get used to this." He said with a wink. "Is Lily sleeping?"

"Yes." Blaine gave Kurt another small peck on the nose, before pulling back. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yeah. I could've used a few more hours of sleep, but I need to save it for tonight." Kurt answered with a yawn. "God… I had the weirdest dream…" He frowned to himself, trying to recall the images as they were slipping away from his conscious mind all too fast.

"You did?" Blaine combed his fingers gently through Kurt's disheveled locks. "Not a nightmare I hope?"

"No, just really strange." Kurt answered, closing his eyes and relaxing into Blaine's caresses. "Do you believe in the afterlife?" He asked suddenly, as he reopened his eyes and gave his boyfriend a quizzical look.

Pausing his hand, Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Yes." He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I do."

Kurt crinkled his nose in thought. "You seem so convinced… how can be sure?"

"Obviously I can't know for sure. That's the point of believing, isn't it? It's not knowing, but still thinking that something's true."

"What's the point of believing something that most likely isn't true?" Kurt frowned.

Blaine shook his head. "What's the harm? Even it's not true, my beliefs are part of the person I am. I believe you only live once, and I can't help but feeling that a little touch of magic and mystery adds something extra to the mix. It makes life less tedious, more extraordinary, I guess? And it gives me hope. I don't know, maybe I'm just a fool…" He grinned apologetically.

"No you're not!" Kurt scolded him. "Don't say things like that!"

Blaine dropped his gaze. "Or maybe I just can't live with the idea that I'll never see my little girl again…"

I have seen Daisy. My mom was cradling her in her arms.

"It's not stupid, Blaine, it's a beautiful thought." Kurt cupped his boyfriend's chin and urged him to meet his eyes. "I've felt the same way after I lost Sam. I didn't want to accept that he was gone forever. I wanted to believe that he's still with me."

Maybe, just maybe, he is.

Blaine nodded as a small, grateful smile made its way onto the corners of his mouth. "Thanks honey."

Blinking furiously, Kurt ran his thumb over Blaine's jaw. "You're so gorgeous… inside and out. I know you just said you don't believe in reincarnation, but I must have done something right in a previous life time, to have deserved you."

"Let's just say we're each other's miracle then, and leave it at that. Real, simple, unadorned… and fucking wonderful." Blaine said, smirking at the endearing little giggle that escaped Kurt's mouth.

"That's very well put into words…" Kurt smiled as he kept tracing his fingers along Blaine's face and shoulders. After a few minutes, he broke the silence. "So… did you have fun at the super market? You didn't buy Lily another bag of candy, did you?"

"Um, no… you know I only buy that candy for myself, right?" Blaine lied, trying to give his best innocent-puppy impression.

Kurt quirked one eyebrow and smirked. "Right, I don't believe that for a second. Too much sugar, Blaine! Not healthy!" He waggled his finger.

"So what? She'll be leaving in a few days anyway, and then Liz can feed her all the healthy snacks in the world if she wants too. I just want to spoil my daughter while I still have the chance!" Blaine pouted.

"Oh honey…" Kurt sighed, as he took Blaine's hand and laced their fingers together.

For a little while, they just lay there in silence. Their eyes were locked together, talking louder and saying more than their voices could at that very moment. Blaine brought Kurt's hand to his lips and began pressing tiny kisses to each of his fingers, over and over again. At last, Kurt couldn't take it anymore and started giggling. "Blaine… that tickles. Stop it…"

Blaine relented and dropped his head back against the pillow, smirking like the cat who got the cream. His smile softened as he clutched Kurt's hand to his chest, against his beating heart. "I like this… just lying together, being close…" He sighed. "When will you be going back to your own apartment?"

After a moment's hesitation, Kurt averted his gaze and gave a slight shrug. "I was thinking I'd go back on Monday night, after work. Unless you want me to stay a bit longer?"

"I want you to stay forever." Blaine blurted out.

Kurt gasped as his eyes snapped back up to Blaine, who was looking at him with nothing but love, sincerity and hope written all over his face. "You mean… as in moving in with you permanently?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. Or I could move in with you. It doesn't really matter to me where we are, as long as we're together. I love you Kurt, and the past month has been amazing. I know we're going to lose Lily soon… I just can't stand losing you too. I want us to have a home together." He took a deep breath as the tremor in his voice became too much. "I- you don't have to answer me right now, baby, just think about it okay? It's a big step and-"

"Shhhhh…" Kurt placed his index finger against Blaine's mouth, vaguely aware that he'd broken out in goose bumps because of his boyfriend's little speech. It had triggered more memories of the dream, and all the feelings that went with it. Wetting his lips, he nodded gently, realizing there was only one right answer to give. "Okay." He breathed.

"Okay you'll move in… or okay you'll think about it?" Blaine prodded carefully.

Kurt shook his head. "I don't need to think about it. I love you, and I want us to stay together too. We'll figure out the where and how later." He added with a smile.

With a giddy shriek of delight, Blaine threw his arm around Kurt and buried his face into his neck, as he laughed heartily.

Hugging him back fiercely, Kurt knew he'd made the right decision. He didn't want to be without Blaine anymore. They belonged together, and life was too short to waste time.

A loud growl interrupted the moment.

"Was that-"

"My stomach. I'm really hungry." Kurt said bashfully.

Blaine swiftly rose into a sitting position. "I'll go fix you a coffee and then we can have lunch, okay? I have a lot to tell you. You won't believe who I ran into this morning…"

"Oh?" Kurt arched his eyebrows.

"Later… coffee first." Blaine smiled, bending down to give Kurt a final peck on the lips before speeding out of the bedroom.

Blaine parked the car and pulled the handbrake as Kurt turned around to face the back seat. "We're at Cedar Point! Are you excited?"

"You bet I am!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking to you Finn. Lily? How about you? Are you excited? We're going to have lots of fun today! You and me and daddy and uncle Finn!"

"Thanks again for letting me tag along, bro." Finn said, as they got out of the car. "I love it here!"

"Yeah as if we had a choice… it was either that or hearing about it for weeks." Kurt muttered under his breath.

"Hush… be nice." Blaine scolded Kurt mockingly, giving him a playful pat on the butt.

"Yeah I- Hey! Blaine…" Kurt tutted. "Please remember that this is a family place. Keep the PDA to a minimum, will you?"

"Huh?"

"No ass-slapping inside the park, please." Kurt said pointedly.

"Oh… okay." Blaine answered with a lighthearted shrug, obviously not really swayed by Kurt's words. "I'm actually glad Finn came along. It'll be entertaining to watch him practice his parenting skills. I wonder if he's a natural, like his brother." He winked, while helping Lily out of her car seat.

Kurt blushed under Blaine's loving gaze as he cleared his throat. "Yeah, that, and he can also carry our backpack around."

The sun was shining quite brightly for an autumn day, and Kurt was glad he'd remembered to bring his sunglasses, but a bit miffed that he'd forgotten about sunscreen. Wearing a long sleeved T-shirt, at least his arms were protected. He hated freckles.

Stupid ghostly complexion.

Blaine, who was strolling alongside him, had already shucked his sweater, and was now left in his black, sleeveless T-shirt and his dark blue denims.

Sneaking a glance at his boyfriend, Kurt admired his tanned skin, the outline of his slightly muscled upper arms, and of course that small, endearing, but at the same time insanely sexy tattoo. That little black intricate drawing he liked to map out with his tongue while they were-

FAMILY PARK, KURT! FAMILY PARK! FOCUS!

"Problem?" Blaine's inquiring voice penetrated his wicked line of thoughts, and as Kurt met his boyfriend's amused eyes, he knew he'd been busted. Blaine could read him like a book, sunglasses or no sunglasses.

"I- I just… was thinking what we could do next?" Kurt stammered, as he pretended to scan his surroundings.

Blaine snorted almost inaudibly. "Sure you were… Any idea what kind of ride you would prefer?" He added with a saucy grin.

"Oh my God, Blaine, just shut up… shut up right now!" Kurt hissed, trying to keep a straight face.

"Kurt. Kurt. Hey Kurt!"

"What, Finn?" Kurt stopped and twirled around to look at his brother.

"Can we get an ice cream?" Finn pointed to himself and Lily, who was sitting on his shoulders.

Kurt was about to retort that they'd already bought four snacks in the space of the last three hours, but as he took in the cute picture of his brother carrying his… Blaine's daughter around, he couldn't help but smile and give in. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

"Wait a minute!" Blaine piped. "Yesterday you gave me a hard time about feeding her too much sugar, but when Finn does it you're FINE with it?"

"Finn's her uncle." Kurt shrugged. "Uncles are allowed to spoil their nieces." He poked out his tongue in retaliation for Blaine's earlier teasing.

A few minutes later, they plopped down onto a bench near a small playground, all four of them licking an ice cream cone. Blaine scooted a little closer to Lily, napkin at the ready to wipe away any possible spills.

"Man, this place is amazing." Finn smirked happily. "Hey, Kurt, remember that time we came here with glee club for an entire weekend? That was so awesome!"

"Yeah, we had fun." Kurt said. "Especially the first day, when our mission was to try out every rollercoaster in the park." He explained to Blaine. "Puck was the first one to throw in the towel, even before any of the girls. In fact, if my memory serves me right, Rachel and I were the last ones standing."

"Whatever dude, the rest of us were just tired of you two belting out 'Defying Gravity' every freakin' time we got on a ride. And I'm lucky your screams didn't ruin my hearing forever."

Blaine erupted in peals of laughter.

Finn continued with a mouthful of ice cream. "And that night we all got drunk at the beach…Um… yeah I don't remember very much about that night." He frowned. "OH! But I do remember you and Sam sneaking off at one point, and Santana followed you and she found you both-"

"FINN!" Kurt shrieked in alarm. "Enough already!" He slowly shook his head in disbelief. "What is with the two of you today that literally every conversation somehow leads back to my… amorous activities!" He huffed, falling back against the backrest of the bench and crossing his arms and legs.

Blaine and Finn looked at each other guiltily and then turned their heads toward Kurt. "Sorry." They said in perfect unison to Kurt, who kept staring pointedly into another direction.

Finn cleared his throat and got up from the bench. "Um… hey Lily, wanna go try out that big slide over there?" He nodded his head towards the playground.

"Yes uncle Finn!" The little girl cheered as she grabbed Finn's hand and took off with him.

Blaine angled his body towards Kurt and threw his arm over the backrest, leaning his head on his hand. "Are you mad?" He said with a slight pout.

Kurt rose an eyebrow and huffed, still not uttering a word.

Blaine decided to change tactics and ran a finger along Kurt's tight jeans capris. "You know, I really love those pants. They look fabulous on you. So well-fitted…" He smiled inwardly as he saw Kurt's mouth quirk.

"Thanks." Kurt said, finally meeting Blaine's eyes again. "I made them myself, a long time ago, but they're totally back in style this year." He said with a hint of smugness.

"Well, they are gorgeous. You should make me a pair sometime." Blaine offered.

Kurt perched his glasses on his head. "I could. We'll see. If you behave." He added teasingly.

"Daddy! Look at me, look at meeeee!" Lily shouted from the top of the slide, waving as she launched herself forward with an excited shriek. Kurt and Blaine both waved back and cheered along with her.

"She's so cute." Kurt said in a mellow voice. "Finn has impressed me so far. He's doing a great job with Lily."

"Yeah… I think we've all done a good job this past month." Blaine said. "Parenting isn't easy, but somewhere along the way you learn to trust your gut instincts and it all works out fine, you know?" He peered at his daughter, who was now talking excitedly to a boy almost twice her size.

"I know." Kurt nodded, as he in turn observed Lily. God, he was going to miss that girl. "Speaking of parents… what are you going to do about your mom?" He asked carefully.

Blaine sighed deeply. "I don't know. I guess I should go and talk to her, huh?"

Kurt chewed his lip as he mused about it. Maybe Blaine could somehow have his mom back in his life. He deserved at least that.

"It's up to you honey. But for what it's worth, I do think it would be a good idea to find out if she really supports you." Kurt offered, as he reached out and linked their hands discretely and rested them on his thigh.

Blaine couldn't help himself. He moved towards Kurt and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek, lingering just a second longer to catch his delicious scent, before pulling away again.

Big mistake.

A burly man came striding towards the bench and stopped right in front of them. Kurt immediately tensed while Blaine just looked up at the guy and asked "Yes?"

"You two…" The man hissed. "I've been watching you for a while now. Leave your perverted shit in the bedroom! This is a place where families and children come to have a relaxed, fun filled time, not to witness these twisted, sick acts of depravity!"

A deep scowl had formed on Blaine's face. "Now, just wait a minute-"

"I'm not finished!" The guy seethed. "You filthy fags think you can just take over everything in this country, don't you? NOTHING is sacred anymore, nothing is safe for our kids! Well I won't stand for it!" The man was shouting now. "You have exactly TWO minutes to-"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

The man snapped his mouth shut and twirled around to look down at Lily.

A very mad Lily.

With her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed and her cheeks blown up. She reminded Kurt of a scary ass blowfish.

"STOP YELLING AT MY DADDY YOU MEAN MISTER! GO AWAY!"

She stepped forward and gave the man a push against his thigh. He was so dumbstruck that he staggered backwards, almost toppling over in the process.

"I'd do as she says, sir, the last stuffed animal she got angry at lost its head." Kurt suggested with a sugary sweet smile.

A crimson flush made its way up the man's face, as he fumbled for words. Looking at Lily, and at Finn who was standing a few feet behind her with an amused and challenging look on his face, he realized he couldn't win. Turning around with a huff, he stalked away as he threw his hands up in a dismissive gesture.

"Have a nice day!" Blaine shouted in a sing-song voice.

"Daddy!" Lily darted to her father. "He was mean to you and Kurtie!"

Blaine smiled as he scooped her up to sit on his lap. "Yeah he was, Lily. But you showed him." He said proudly as he kissed her golden curls.

"You, Lily Anderson, are my hero."