When Kurt awoke, Blaine was no longer there.  Kurt had no idea how long hed slept, but he knew that hed slept peacefully.  Hed had seemingly a dozen dreams.  He couldnt remember any of them, but hed been asleep deeply enough to dream.  He hadnt done that in months.  

He used the bathroom off of the bedroom and padded down the stairs to find Blaine in the kitchen tossing a salad.  A clock on the wall read 7:08.  Blaine looked up from his meal preparation and smiled at Kurt.  "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmm," Kurt smiled.

Blaine poured some wine into a glass and handed the glass to Kurt.  "I had some leftover pizza from a place down the street.  Im just warming it up in the oven.  Its just pizza and salad, but I dont have a lot of time to cook, so theres not much in my refrigerator."

"Pizza and salad sounds wonderful," Kurt murmured, taking a sip of the wine.  It was bright and grapefruity and tasted of summer.  

"Sit outside," Blaine urged Kurt, nodding his head in the direction of a door, and Kurt complied.  There was a terrace off of Blaines kitchen, overlooking a central courtyard.  It felt private and romantic--an oasis of beauty and calm in the hustle of the city.  Kurt took a deep breath and reveled in the feeling of calm that hed been missing for so long.  

Within minutes, Blaine joined Kurt, setting the pizza, salad, and wine bottle on a small table.  The two ate companionably, catching up on the lives of mutual acquaintances from their show choir days in high school. When they finished, Kurt insisted on doing the dishes, and he made short work of them while Blaine tidied the rest of the kitchen.  

When they finished, Kurt smiled at Blaine and said, "Blaine, this has been lovely.  You have no idea.  It was a perfect day, and I didnt even know how much I needed this, but I feel like Ive been...recharged or something.  So thank you."  

"It was my pleasure, Kurt.  Its going to sound weird, maybe, but I think I needed this, too.  Something about my dad...I dunno."  Then Blaine paused for a moment and a twinkle gleamed in his eye.  Blaine took Kurts hand and pulled him into the living room.  "Of course, all of this comes at a cost, you know?"

"Oh?" Kurt arched an eyebrow.  

"Yes.  You must sing with me before you can go."

"What do you want to sing?"

"Anything."  

"No.  You pick.  Just dont pick anything that will make me cry, because Ive had a perfect day, and I dont want to spoil it by singing My Heart Will Go On or something."

"Let me think..." Blaine sat at the piano and contemplated for a moment, then he played a few chords and sang in a cockney accent:

If life seems jolly rotten

Theres something youve forgotten

And thats to laugh and smile and dance and sing

When youre feeling in the dumps

Dont be silly chumps

Just purse your lips and whistle--thats the thing

And...

Blaine looked at Kurt expectantly.  

"Seriously, Blaine?  Monte Python?"

Blaine hit the last chord on the piano one more time and once again sang, "And..."

Kurt shook his head and capitulated, singing, "Always look on the bright side of life."  

He held the last note as Blaine whistled.  Then he sang again, "Always look on the bright side of life," while Blaine whistled again.  

They finished the old Eric Idle song sitting side by side on the piano bench, taking turns going further and further over the top with the accent and the lyrics, most of which they made up as they went.  By the time they finished, both were doubled over laughing.  Kurt threw this arms around Blaine and kissed him softly on the lips.  Blaine squeezed him gently in return.  "Thank you," Kurt whispered, "How can I ever repay you."

"Just dont be a stranger," Blaine replied.  

"Okay," Kurt smiled.  

But it wasnt that easy.  After Kurt left that night, they stayed in touch, but when Kurt started filming and things heated up with yet another conservative version of the "Defense of Marriage" Act, the two men became too busy to do more than send each other an occassional text.  Over the next few months they managed to meet out for dinner a couple of times and for drinks once, but that was all.  Then Kurt left for California to finish filming, and that was that.  Nonetheless, Kurt never forgot the one perfect day that Blaine gave to him.  It revitalized him.  It gave him new life he didnt know he was lacking.  It restored his soul.  

During the time that Kurt was filming in Washington and then later in Hollywood, he discovered that healing wasnt at all like people said it would be.  Things didnt get incrementally better day by day.  Grief was like being tossed in the ocean.  You took a breath in the lulls before it hit you over the head with the waves.  But, over time, the waves were further and futher apart, and the lulls were longer and longer, and the time of breathing became much greater than the times of sputtering and gasping for air.  Kurt would never be completely right again, but he would be okay.  

***Thirteen months later***

"Coming!" Blaine yelled from the kitchen when the doorbell rang.  He thundered down the stairs, wiping his hands with a dish towel.  He had no idea who was calling this time of night, but it was probably his brother, Cooper, who had a way of showing up unexpectedly at all hours.  

He opened the door to see a giant bouquet...with legs.  The bouquet moved and Kurts head popped out from the side.  "Hello.  I hope its not too late to call?"

"Kurt!  Come in."  Blaine wanted to hug Kurt, but the profusion of flowers prevented that.  

"These are for you," Kurt said, thrusting the bouquet toward Blaine and stepping across the threshhold.  

"Theyre beautiful.  Thank you.  Whats the occassion?"  Blaine placed the flowers on a side table and turned to greet Kurt properly.  

"First, this," Kurt said, stepping forward and grabbing Blaine into an exuberant hug.  "Ive missed you."

Blaine hugged him back, "I missed you, too."

"Second," Kurt continued, stepping back but capturing both of Blaines hands in his and swinging them a little, "I got the news today that the film is officially in the can, so I came by to see if you, Blaine Anderson, would accompany me to the premiere."  

"Oh, wow, Kurt.  Thats amazing.  Thank you."

"You didnt say whether or not youd come."

"It depends when...no, strike that.  Whenever it is, I would be glad to accompany my friend, Kurt Hummel, at the premiere of his first--but surely not his last--movie."

"Well, there might be two things wrong with that."

Blaine arched an eyebrow.

"First," Kurt explained, "I dont want to ask you as my friend.  Id like to ask you as my date."  

Blaines eyes widened, "Kurt, are you sure?"

"I think so.  Im pretty sure Im ready to move...forward.  Im not promising I wont burst into tears in the baked bean aisle of the supermarket, but Im finally ready to try."

Blaine put his hands on Kurts waist and pulled Kurt against him.  His lips hovered near Kurts giving Kurt time to pull away, but he didnt, so Blaine claimed his mouth, kissing Kurt gently at first, but soon the kiss ignited until they were both pressed against each other as closely as they could get, the air filled with their low moans, and they finally had to break apart in order to gasp for breath.  

"There was a second thing," Blaine panted.

"Hmmm?"  Kurt didnt have enough air to make a full word.  

"You said I was wrong about two things.  You didnt want me to go as your friend.  That was the first thing.  What was the other thing?"

"Oh, that," Kurt leaned forward and kissed Blaine once again, this time more chastely.  "I wanted to say that this will be my last movie.  Film is not for me.  It was fun, and it was freeing to be able to do take after take, but I need a live audience.  So Im headed back to Broadway for good.  Besides," Kurt looked down a little shyly, "I was kind of hoping Id need a reason to stay on the East Coast."

Blaine took Kurts hand and began tugging him up the stairs, "Come on," he said.

"Where are we going?"

"Were going to the kitchen to get some wine.  I want to toast to new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," Kurt repeated.  Then he smiled.