Cooper was in L.A. when his letter arrived, the unmistakable blue envelope among bills, junk mail and magazines. Blaine picked it up and held it in his hands; it was small but felt so heavy.

At first hed hoped it would have his name on it not Coopers. Not because Blaine felt ready for a Lifemate, far from it, but because he knew this letter would come as a harsh blow to his brother.

Cooper had turned 29 five months ago and the countdown had started. "Only 12 more months." "Only 10 more months. "Only 8 more months Squirt!"

Once Cooper hit what he called "the golden age of 30" it meant he would probably never be chosen as a Lifemate. A prospect that most people would be afraid of, but to Cooper it sounded great.

Blaine and Coopers relatives had been sighing and shaking their heads for Coopers sake for years. "Poor thing, to go so long without a mate. But dont give up Cooper there could still be someone out there for you."

Cooper didnt want it though. His 30th Birthday was going to be a huge celebration, it meant freedom.

Blaine blinked at the blue envelope in his hands, the envelope that would mean the end of Coopers hopes. If only it had Blaines name on it. Blaine knew hed be paired someday and he hoped it would be a few years down the road because he felt like he knew nothing about romance. But if it meant Cooper didnt have to be paired Blaine would get married right now. There wasn't much he wouldn't do to secure Cooper's happiness after everything Cooper had given up for him.

It didn't work that way though, it was Coopers name on the envelope and Cooper would be the one paired. He had to tell him. Blaine grabbed his phone and the letter and moved to the living room, sitting down on the sofa and dialing his brothers number. He closed his eyes as the phone rang trying to work out how to tell him.

"Hey Blaine!" His brother answered cheerfully. "You caught me on my way to the airport, Ill be home this evening."

Blaine was relieved to hear it. "I thought you wouldnt be home until tomorrow?"

"Nope, the audition was rescheduled. So Ill have to come back to L.A. later on." Cooper had moved back home to Ohio a few years ago when their parents had both been killed in a car accident. Blaine was 13 and Cooper had dropped his dreams of acting to move back to Ohio and take care of his little brother.

Cooper eventually got back to the grind though, now that Blaine was older and could look after himself, Cooper made trips to L.A. all the time and Blaine knew that he was planning on moving back to California once Blaine was in college. Blaine really wanted to go to school in New York, but had also applied to some schools in California so hed have the option of being closer to Cooper.

It seemed Cooper was on his way back home early though, which was a relief considering the news Blaine was about to break.

"Thats good." Blaine said. "Because… um…" He wasnt sure how to tell him, he wondered if he should just wait until Cooper got home before he gave him the bad news, but Cooper must have heard something in his voice.

"Whats the matter Squirt? You okay?"

Blaine took a deep breath and decided to just go for it. "A Lifemate Lottery letter came in the mail today." He said so quickly he wondered if his brother caught it. There was silence on the other end.

"Blaine… no way."

"Cooper…"

"Youre only 18! How is that fair?" Cooper said sounding angry. "I mean youre still in High School for crying out loud! You havent even had a chance to live yet."

"Coop."

"I mean how dare they." Cooper continued. "They cant do this; someone is going to hear about this!" Blaine could almost picture him gesturing wildly to make his point.

"Cooper please listen to me." Blaine said, hating himself for having to give him the bad news. "The letter… I'm sorry, I wish it was for me, but Cooper, its addressed to you."

There was silence.

"Cooper?"

"Coop?" Blaine pulled his phone away from his ear to make sure they were still connected.

"Cooper, please say something, youre freaking me out."

"I have less than 8 months." Cooper said, his voice sounding dull. "220 days till freedom."

"Cooper Im so sorry. Maybe you could… I dont know protest or…"

"Theres no protesting the Lifemate Lottery." Cooper said. "You know that Blaine. If I made a big fuss Id just end up in jail… married first and then thrown in jail."

"Cooper Im…"

"Dont say youre sorry again Squirt. This isnt your fault. And Im glad it isnt you. Ive had my fun… I have. You still get to have your little slice of freedom."

"It isnt a death sentence." Blaine said. "Maybe it will be good. Maybe youll like each other. Maybe-"

"Blaine." His brother interrupted. "Would you open the letter? Find out when my appointment at the LMC is and give me my Lifemates name? Id like to at least know who she is." Cooper was all business, which was so unlike Cooper it made Blaine wince.

Blaine nodded even though his brother couldnt see him. Cooper was his only real family left, they had relatives scattered about, but since their parents death Cooper and Blaine had been each others support. He hated hearing him so defeated.

Blaine slid his finger underneath the seal and opened the letter scanning it until he got to the information he needed. "10 in the morning on the 14th," Blaine said. "Thats this Saturday. And your Lifemates name is… Kurt Elizabeth Hummel."

There was silence on the other end again. "What the hell kind of name is that? Is she even a she?"

Blaine scanned the letter again. "His number is HK7J875." Blaine answered quietly knowing the number 7 after someones initials always meant they were classified as male.

He heard Cooper sigh.

Blaine couldnt believe how terribly this was going. "God, Cooper Im sorry."

"Well… that will be… interesting." Cooper said and Blaine couldnt read his voice.

Blaine felt a little sick to his stomach. He was grateful that the Lottery allowed for same-sex couples, but the system was severally messed up when you could end up with someone outside of your sexual orientation.

"Cooper Im so so sorry." Blaine knew he was being repetitive, but h was at a loss of what to say. How had his brothers life and hopes and dreams crumbled so fast?

"I told you not to keep apologizing." Cooper said in a tight voice. "And its not like Ive never tried… that before."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean little brother that I have made good use of my freedom. I may prefer females, but Im not immune to the physical attraction of guys."

Blaines eyebrows shot up; well there was something he didnt know about his big brother.

"Honestly, his gender is the least of my concerns." Cooper continued. "Its the til death do us part idea that I have issues with. I… I dont know what Im going to do."

Blaine bit his lip to keep himself from saying how sorry he was again. "Just get home Cooper. Well figure something out."

"Right. Right. Im sure it will all be fine." Cooper said cheerfully, but Blaine could tell when his brother was bluffing, for an actor he wasnt that great at it, and right now Coopers fake cheerfulness was doing a flimsy job of covering his true feelings.

The evening Blaine tried to focus on homework and not think about his brothers disappointment or about who this Kurt Hummel would be. And he knew it was irrational because it wasnt Kurts fault, but he couldnt help feeling a little bit resentful towards the guy that was messing up his brothers life.