Kurt couldn't imagine being happier. College had started three weeks ago and though classes were challenging, life just couldn't get any better. Blaine was a huge part of that happiness. His boyfriend, which he still thrilled at being able to say, had rescued him in a way he'd never thought he needed to be. When he'd been into cutting, he thought it was the only way to get through his life. Now that he had Juliet and Blaine in his life, he had ways of getting his emotions out in a much healthier and productive manner. Juliet and all of her tests and consultations with other doctors had determined that other than Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he was not suffering from any other underlying issues. He was working with her on the PTSD and he was working with Blaine on how to feel safer and more secure. A few times each week, Blaine had been taking him to work out in the gym, teaching him defensive moves and other boxing basics. He'd been so cute at first, so afraid to spar with Kurt, not wanting to hurt him. Kurt, on the other hand, knew Blaine could take it and had hauled off and punched him in the gut. His boyfriend had been shocked not only at the punch but by Kurt's strength. He may be lean, but Kurt had always carried strength in his body. Now he was learning how to use it. They had both been surprised at the ease with which he was picking up on boxing. He'd always been limber and quick on his feet; years of running from bullies had made him fast. But now he was quick at dodging jabs and delivering his own before getting out of the way again. It was fun. Blaine didn't think so when he got punched, but it made Kurt's day. He always made Blaine feel better. They'd figured out when the gym was unoccupied and had found that being hot and sweaty did things for them both. The shower had been the location of many a tryst, especially because they both had roommates.

Jason was still a wonderful friend who had come to depend on Kurt in a new way since he came out as Colton's boyfriend. Jason didn't know if it made him gay, but he wasn't concerned about a label. He just knew he loved Colton and that's all that mattered to any of them. But he did have questions and concerns about dating a guy and Kurt was more than willing to help out as much as he could. A lot of the time he simply needed to direct him to ask his boyfriend, even if it embarrassed Jason. Kurt couldn't be expected to know what might be a turn on to Colton. That was something Jason had to discuss with Colton. But he did help Jason do some shopping. Jason had said that Colton dressed well and he didn't want to embarrass his boyfriend. He'd been so cute about it all, Kurt had been more than willing to give some advice. Colton had later thanked him profusely, saying he loved his boyfriend, but flannel only did so much for him. They'd both had a good laugh. At least he didn't have to worry about that with Blaine. Blaine didn't put up any kind of a fuss when he'd cleansed Blaine's closet of clothes that didn't suit him. Especially when he'd stay the night and see that the t-shirts Kurt had said he'd donated had actually been donated to himself. Blaine said it definitely turned him on to see Kurt in his shirts. Kurt was more than happy to oblige him.

Blaine had slept over every night that first week after the party. Kurt had tried to sleep without him one night and had had such bad night terrors that Jason had called Blaine to come over. They didn't do anything during the night, all Kurt needed was Blaine's comforting warmth. It eased him immensely. He no longer reacted badly to Blaine's voice or presence either when he did awaken from a bad dream. His subconscious finally got the point that Blaine was a good guy; that he was there to take care of and protect Kurt.

Kurt could only hope Blaine could protect him now. He fiddled with his sweater again, straightening it against his pants. A warm hand took his hands and held them still.

"You look great, baby. No worries. It's not you she'll nitpick about, it's me," Blaine said with an encouraging smile.

"She better not," Kurt said, using his bitch tone. "You are the best thing in my world and if she knows what's good for her, she'll be nice."

Blaine laughed, loving the attitude Kurt had adopted. Many times he felt like he was in recovery like Kurt was. Not for anything serious, though, just some sort of twelve step program for recovering assholes. He still caught himself wanting to call people names, even Kurt, and he'd have to bite his tongue or take a moment to count to ten or even one hundred depending on the person. A few times, he'd failed and had to apologize to people. Kurt was used to it at this point and would just stare at him if he threw out a random insult. Blaine would realize what he had said and apologize. Kurt would kiss him sweetly and forgive him in an instant. He loved that about his boyfriend. Kurt had the most amazing heart, compassionate, gentle, and full of passion. He'd thought Kurt would be hesitant in them having a physical relationship with what he'd been through. Quite the opposite. Kurt was eager to make out in random hallways or sneak off to find somewhere to be together. Blaine had taken to carrying lubes and condom everywhere he went, just in case he got lucky. And with Kurt, luck came around a lot. Now that they worked out together and he was able to see what his boyfriend was physically capable of, they'd taken to trying out different positions. Kurt was beyond flexible and Blaine had a hard time seeing him do the splits when they would stretch and not rush him off to the locker room. Kurt had developed a quick confidence in himself that Blaine fed into. He was a strong, beautiful person and he deserved to know that he was.

"Well, let's just hope for the best, shall we?" Blaine said. "Here we go," he said, standing and putting a welcoming smile on his face.

His mother, Elyse Anderson, came through the door of the café. He felt Kurt stand beside him and he reached down to take his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She made him nervous without trying, he hoped Kurt would handle it better. She had an imposing sense of self, knowing she was better than everyone else, just give her a moment to tell you why. Taller than Blaine, she had the same curly black hair. Her eyes were a dark brown that could bore through you given any moment of weakness.

"Hello, Mother," Blaine said, leaning over and giving her a brush of lips on her cheek. "This is my boyfriend, Kurt Hummel."

He was relieved when she turned a sweet smile to Kurt. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Anderson," Kurt said politely, but confidently.

"You as well, Kurt. Shall we sit?" She said, staring at the chair in front of her. Blaine took the hint and pulled it out for her.

"What would you like to drink, Mother?" Blaine asked. She wanted black coffee and he gave Kurt a sympathetic glance and went to the counter. He'd prepared his boyfriend to spend a couple of moments alone with her and he'd seemed fine with it.

"How was your trip, Mrs. Anderson?" Kurt asked, folding his hands on the table.

"Elyse, please, dear. It was tedious to be honest. But I've never liked traveling. How are you, dear? I know my son thinks I'm the Wicked Witch of the East, but I assure you, I'm not," she said with just a hint of a smile and a twinkle in her dark eyes.

Kurt returned her smile. "I am great, honestly. I wanted to give my sincere thanks to you for finding Juliet for me. She has been a literal life-saver. Between her and Blaine, I know I'm going to get well and stay well."

"That is wonderful, Kurt. I know Blaine has a great deal of strength and gifts to share. He's already shown such a change just since you came into his life. I haven't heard a foul word leave his lips in weeks," Elyse said with a gentle smile. "You are quite a good influence on him."

"Honestly Mrs., um, Elyse, I don't think it's me. I just let Blaine be himself. He doesn't have to have his protective exterior on around me. He is allowed to be who he is, not who he thinks he needs to be when we're together," Kurt told her.

Elyse raised an eyebrow at him. "Ever thought of going into the psychiatric profession, Kurt? I know his father and I haven't been there for him emotionally as much as we should have been. That is our largest downfall as parents." She smiled at him warmly. "Maybe you will be the glue that binds us all together."

Kurt was giving her a brilliant smile when Blaine came back with a tray of drinks. "I certainly hope so, Elyse."

. . . . .

"What kind of magic did you work on my mom," Blaine demanded as they left the café after Elyse had left. "First she lets you address her by her first name which does NOT happen. Then she's complimenting me on my clothes and my academic accomplishments. That is not the woman I grew up around."

"Well, we aren't the only ones who can find a better way of being," Kurt told him gently. "Give her a chance. I think you might be surprised."

"If she is going to act decent toward me, I'll return the favor," Blaine agreed. "That was probably the most civil conversation I've ever had with her. We're going to have dinner before she leaves for home tomorrow. I know what it was," Blaine said, stopping them and pulling Kurt in his arms.

"What was it," Kurt asked, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck.

"It was you," Blaine murmured, leaning into him. "You are magic." He kissed him lightly, but as they'd both discovered, light kisses never stayed light.

"Get a room!" a voice behind them yelled. Blaine turned to glare before pasting a smile on his face.

"Oh hey, guys," he said, bummed that they were being interrupted and by people he liked so he couldn't tell them off.

"Kurt, you really have done wonderful things for this guy. He didn't call us a single name," Nick said as he and Jeff caught up to them. They were holding hands, no longer trying to hide their relationship from anyone. Not that anyone had doubted it anyway.

Blaine slid his hand in Kurt's back pocket as the four started toward Warbler practice. "Shit head. Dumbass. Nimrod. Dweeb extraordinaire."

Kurt giggled and whacked Blaine on the arm. "Be nice, honey."

"I do believe he was," Jeff said, grinning. "You guys ready for your duet?"

Blaine snorted. "Duh. We're gonna wipe the floor with you guys."

"Not everything has to be a competition," Nick said and Kurt nodded.

"Yes it does," Jeff and Blaine said at the same time.

"I said it first," Blaine cried.

"No, I did!" Jeff claimed, running toward the shorter man. The two chased each other the rest of the way to the auditorium. Nick and Kurt shook their heads and made amicable conversation about the lunacy of their loved ones as they followed along.

"Hey, before the other two catch up, did you hear about Sebastian?" Jeff asked as he and Blaine caught their breath outside the auditorium.

Blaine's face darkened perceptibly. "What?"

"Hey, chill out, don't hit me," Jeff said, holding his hands up. "It's no big thing. Somebody saw him behind that club, Screamers, buying what looked like heroin. Judging by his appearance, he's into it pretty heavy now."

"Maybe we'll all get lucky and it'll kill the bastard," Blaine muttered. Seeing Kurt approaching, he erased the frown from his face and plastered on a smile. He didn't have to fake it completely. Seeing Kurt always made him want to smile.

They got settled in to listen to the first few couples sing. Most just sang whatever pop song they could figure out. Only Jeff, Nick, Kurt, and Blaine were able to really get away with singing love songs. Jeff and Nick made everyone sick with their rendition of "Anyone Else But You" from the Juno soundtrack.

"We'll definitely out-cute them," Kurt whispered.

"We don't even have to try, babe. Look at you. You make us win just by being here," Blaine said, kissing Kurt's knuckles. Kurt beamed at him. That was Blaine's goal in life. To see that smile on his face every day for the rest of his existence. It had shocked him, the depth of his emotion for this man. He thought in terms of forever now. Thoughts he'd never even entertained before; marriage, family, settling down. And now he did, almost on a daily basis. Sometimes it scared at him. Then he would see Kurt's smile or feel his soft touch and would know that nothing would ever make life as perfect as Kurt would.

"Ready?" he asked, standing and offering Kurt a hand when Mr. Schue told them they were up.

"Always," Kurt grinned.

They took their place on the stage and the music began. Kurt and Blaine turned and sang every word to each other. They never turned to the audience, letting themselves get caught up in the moment, the words, and each other.

(Kurt)

When I see your smile

Tears roll down my face I can't replace

And now that I'm strong I have figured out

How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul

And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one

(Both)

I will never let you fall (let you fall)

I'll stand up with you forever

I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)

Even if saving you sends me to heaven

(Blaine)

It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.

Seasons are changing

And waves are crashing

And stars are falling all for us

Days grow longer and nights grow shorter

I can show you I'll be the one

(Both)

I will never let you fall (let you fall)

I'll stand up with you forever

I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)

Even if saving you sends me to heaven

As if they'd rehearsed it, they reached out to each other, walking closer until their hands clasped. Never once did their eyes turn away, though both were blinking quickly as tears fell free.

Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart

Please don't throw that away

(Kurt)

Cuz I'm here for you

Please don't walk away and

Please tell me you'll stay whoa, stay whoa

(Blaine)

Use me as you will

Pull my strings just for a thrill

And I know I'll be okay

Though my skies are turning gray

(Both)

I will never let you fall

I'll stand up with you forever

I'll be there for you through it all

Even if saving you sends me to heaven

By the time they finished the final chorus, they were standing toe to toe. As the final note faded away, they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing passionately. They never realized the auditorium was filled with the sounds of a standing ovation. They were too lost in each other.