Kurt stood there, his mouth hanging open. Were his ears damaged in the car accident? Had he really just heard those words and that word come out of Blaine's mouth? His veins felt frozen, like he couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare in horror and shock.

"Blaine, why don't you take a minute and try to remember some things," Burt said, putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Do you know where you live?"

"I live somewhere near the college, I'm not exactly sure where," Blaine said, looking confused. "Why can't I remember?"

"It looks like you're dealing with some amnesia, kiddo. You and Kurt here were in a pretty bad car accident. You've been in a coma for three days now. It's not surprising that you might forget some things. You live in an apartment with Kurt, and you're right it's near the college." Burt said, rubbing Kurt's back when he noticed he was shaking. He knew he had to stay calm for Kurt's sake, but this wasn't looking good for his boy.

The doctor walked in just then and Kurt and Burt backed away. The doctor took Blaine through basic questions that Blaine was able to answer fine. He knew his name, age, birthday, his major in college, his parent's names.

"How can this happen?" Kurt asked no one in particular. "How can he forget only me?"

"There might be other people he doesn't remember. Someone will need to go over photo albums with him. But odds are high that he'll get all of his memories back. The key right now is for him to have a calm environment so he can heal," the doctor answered him.

The doctor gave some instructions to the nurse and they walked out of the room.

Kurt knew he had to try again. Desperation welled up in him as he walked back to the bed. "Blaine, I'm Kurt Hummel. We met at Dalton Academy and began dating a couple months after that. You transferred to McKinley High for your senior year so we could be together. Does any of that sound right?" Kurt tried to keep the frightened tremor out of his voice, but was unsuccessful.

Blaine stared at him, his eyes so cold they seemed to pierce right through Kurt's heart. "I remember Dalton and I remember McKinley. But I don't know who the hell you are. And it's kinda pissing me off that you keep insisting I'm a homo. I never have been and I never will be."

"But, Blaine, please. I love you," Kurt begged for him to understand.

"What's going on?" Evan Anderson asked, coming in to the room, Nora close behind.

"Dad, Mom, thank God you're here. This kid is convinced I'm gay and we're engaged to be married. You guys know I've never been gay a day in my life. Could you help me straighten him out? I just came out of a freaking coma and this is not what I want to be dealing with," Blaine said, sounding tired, but glad to see his parents.

Kurt saw any chance he had to convince Blaine quickly disappear.

"Kurt, would you and Burt wait out in the hall, please," Nora said, unable to hide the sneer of delight on her face.

"But," Kurt started.

"Come on, son," Burt said gently, leading him into the hallway. Kurt's whole body began shaking and his dad took him into his arms. Burt had never felt so helpless. The look in Blaine's eyes. That was not the kid Burt knew and cared so much for. That was a stranger. Would their Blaine ever come back? He knew Kurt was going to ask that question and Burt was terrified of the answer.

"Dad, what's going on?" Kurt cried, weeping into his father's neck. "What happened to Blaine?"

"I don't know, buddy. We know it's got to be some sort of amnesia," he said.

"But he remembered all the other important details except the ones that pertained to me. Where we live, the engagement, where he was going when we got in the wreck. Did you see, he was happy to see his parents. What the hell? Is this even possible?" Kurt's mind was swirling, trying to make reason out of the chaos.

"Honestly? I don't know, son," Burt said, stepping back. He took Kurt's chin in his eyes and for a second he wondered where his little boy had gone. The tea parties, the dress up games, all of that was gone. Before him stood a man who was now dealing with the potential of a man's broken heart. "We are going to get through this together, okay? You aren't alone in this."

Kurt had a feeling he was very much alone. More alone than he'd ever feared.

Just then, Nora came out of the room. "We'd appreciate it if you two went home now," she said without preamble.

"I'm not going until I know Blaine is going to be okay," Kurt insisted, drying his eyes on his sleeve.

"Blaine does not want you here and he asked us to make sure that you wouldn't return to bother him. We will be notifying the nurse's station that you and your family are not to be allowed in his room. He needs to heal, he doesn't need any undue stress," she said, a small smile playing on her mouth.

"You're just loving this, aren't you," Burt snapped.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said with a sniff.

"You've never accepted Blaine and I as a couple. This must be perfect for you. But Blaine loves me. Somewhere in there he knows it," Kurt insisted, praying it was the truth.

"Blaine doesn't love you, Kurt. He isn't gay. We knew it would only be a matter of time until he figured that out and now that he has we can all move on with our lives. You can move on with your life. Starting now. Good day," she said dismissively and walked back into the room.

Kurt made to follow her when Burt grabbed his arm. "No, kid, we gotta respect Blaine's wishes. Come on, let's get you home and into bed."

Kurt didn't want to go. Blaine had to be made to see... If Kurt could just say the right thing to trigger his memory... If he left, wouldn't it be accepting defeat? Accepting that the man he loved was gone? Finally, he acquiesced and left the hospital, left his true love behind, not knowing if he would ever see him again.

. . .

Burt got Kurt settled in his room and went to the store to get some fresh food for the apartment. Kurt reclined against the headboard, the TV playing across from him. The news maybe, or a cooking show, Kurt didn't know and didn't care. This wasn't happening. It couldn't. He was going to wake up and see Blaine's beautiful golden eyes glowing at him, his mouth whispering words of love to him. Because that was all that was good and right in this world. Blaine and Kurt. He felt nauseous at the thought of being without him. And it wasn't even like it was a break-up. Blaine didn't remember him and denied even being gay.

"Kurt, you in there?"

"Mercedes?" he asked, hearing the familiar voice.

"Yeah. It's me and Rachel," she said. "Can we come back there?"

"Of course," Kurt said, wiping his eyes with a Kleenex. He tried to school his features into a neutral expression until he saw the faces of his best friends. They knew. "Who told you?"

"Burt told Finn and he told Rachel who told me," Mercedes said. "I hope it's okay."

Kurt shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I guess. If the amnesia sticks, everyone will find out anyway."

The girls came and sat on either side of him on his bed. "You don't have to pretend to be brave, Kurt," Rachel said softly.

He looked at her and saw her eyes were glittering with tears. That tore down his last defense and he broke down into sobs so harsh and ragged, it ripped at his head, making it ache. The girls surrounded him with their arms and cried with him, whispering comforting words, but mostly just being there. What else could they do?

"He called me a fag, a homo! That isn't Blaine!" Kurt cried, rocking himself.

Mercedes exchanged a worried look with Rachel. "No that isn't him, honey. But we have to give him his space right now. He'll figure things out," she said. I hope, she mouthed to Rachel, who nodded.

Kurt cried until he was spent and curled up in the large bed, clasping Blaine's pillow to his chest. It smelled like a mixture of his cologne, his hair gel, and the masculine scent of him. Rachel covered him with the comforter and stayed with him until they heard his breathing get deep. They closed his doors right when Burt came in with the groceries.

"Is he sleeping?" Burt asked, feeling emotionally drained.

"Yeah. He is a wreck, though, Mr. Hummel," Mercedes said, helping unload the food.

"Well, it's only going to get worse," he said and the girls looked at him warily. "After confirming with his parents that he was roommates with Kurt, only roommates mind you, Blaine said he didn't want to live here anymore. His folks contacted Wes and David who said Blaine could move in with them. They asked them to pack up Blaine's stuff and move it before Blaine gets out of the hospital so he doesn't have to 'go through more stress'," he said, using air quotes. "This is gonna rip Kurt apart."

"Oh my god," Rachel murmured, her hand over her mouth. "How are we going to tell him?"

"Well, we're going to wait until he wakes up. He's dealt with enough of a shock as it is," Mercedes said.

Burt nodded. "Absolutely. Wes and David get along with Kurt, so they'll at least be kind about it. We'll arrange it for tomorrow so Kurt can rest for today. Can one of you call Wes?"

Rachel nodded. "I will. How is he going to get through this?"

They were silent for a time. All of them, all of everyone had figured Kurt and Blaine would be together forever. There was a wholeness between the two of them, something special that had brought them into each other's lives. They were two halves of a whole. How did you live without half of your soul? Could you?

. . .

Kurt woke up the next morning, his eyes swollen almost shut. He moaned and rolled over to grab a cup of water off the nightstand. Taking a sip, he put it back and laid down. Reaching over for Blaine, he felt the need for a good cuddle after such a horrible night's sleep. Feeling the empty side of the bed, Kurt opened his eyes wider to see. Was Blaine already up and reading the paper with his morning toast? He rubbed his eyes and felt something scratch at his face. Looking at his wrist, he saw the hospital bracelet. In that instant, everything flooded back. The shock, the grief, the horror of the day before. Blaine wasn't in the kitchen. Blaine didn't acknowledge that he loved Kurt. He'd left the hospital without his love. Tears streaked down his face and a hoarse cry escaped him. Suddenly he felt desperate for Blaine, for his arms around him, his voice in his ear. He scooted out of the bed and went to the laundry basket by the closet. Spying Blaine's sleep t-shirt at the top, he grabbed it and put it on after taking his own shirt off. He didn't care if it hadn't been washed yet. It smelled like Blaine. Going to Blaine's dresser, he pulled out a pair of his pajama pants and switched those with the ones his dad brought him. He even slid into a pair of Blaine's barely worn socks and his slippers.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face, not bothering to do anything else. It didn't seem to matter anymore. Padding out to the kitchen, he heard voices and hoped there was a pot of coffee. Rachel, Mercedes, Finn, Carole, and his dad were all sitting or standing around the table. He froze for a moment.

"Want some coffee, sweetie?" Carole offered, walking to the coffee maker.

"Yes, please," he said, still standing there.

"What?" Finn said suddenly before staring at Rachel. "Oh, right. Hey, dude, you can have my spot. Sit down."

"Thanks Finn," Kurt said, already feeling tired just from changing his clothes.

They kept up a semblance of conversation as Kurt sipped at his coffee. He turned down toast despite the look his dad gave him. He didn't have an appetite and he didn't even know if he'd be able to keep anything down anyway. Something in the room changed when he got up and poured his second cup. His dad looked at his watch and gave Carole a funny look.

"Kurt, sweetie, sit down, please," she said.

"What? What happened now? Is Blaine okay?" Kurt couldn't handle it if something happened to Blaine, he thought as he went back to the table.

His dad grumbled something but before he could figure it out, Carole put her hand over his. "Kurt, Blaine still doesn't have his memory back, but he is doing much better. He'll be released from the hospital tomorrow."

Kurt smiled, hope curling through him. "That's wonderful. Okay, well, we'd better stock up on some food, maybe get some movies he can watch while he's getting better." He saw all of them exchange a look and the hope disappeared as quickly as it came. "What is it?"

"Honey, he doesn't want to come back here. He still doesn't remember you and says he'd feel better staying somewhere else," Carole's voice trailed off at the look of devastation on Kurt's face. "I'm sure it's temporary, Kurt. But you need to understand, he has no idea who you are. It would be kind of weird to go somewhere that doesn't feel like home."

"But all of his stuff is here, it is his home," Kurt insisted, tears brimming over. Mercedes tucked a tissue in his hand and he swiped at his face.

"Kurt, there is no easy way to say this," Burt said. "Blaine doesn't want to live here, so his parents arranged with Wes and David to have him live with them. They, uh, will be coming over to pack up his stuff this morning."

Kurt's blue eyes were wide with grief. "He's moving out?"

"It's only because he doesn't remember you, Kurt," Rachel said, reaching out to rub his arm.

"I'm sure he'll move right back in as soon as he remembers," Mercedes added.

"And if he never remembers?" Kurt demanded. "What then? What about moving to New York? What about getting married? What about building a life together?"

"Kurt, please don't get yourself worked up. Let's just take this one day at a time. There is nothing saying his memory won't come back tomorrow," Carole said, then Burt glared at her. "Or sometime soon. We just need to respect his wishes. You would want the same thing."

"I would never, could never, forget him," Kurt whispered, staring at the table in a daze.

"Do you want us to pack up his stuff for you?" Mercedes asked. "We're here to help as much as we can."

"No. I'll do it," he said, thinking he could do this much for his love. "What about the furniture? We bought it together."

"Um. His folks are buying a new bed and anything else he'll need," Burt said quietly.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure this is their dream come true. They're more than willing to spend money and do things for him now that he's straight," Kurt said with disgust.

The doorbell rang and Burt went to answer it. He came back to the kitchen with Wes who had a pile of folded up boxes in his arms.

"Kurt is going to pack Blaine's stuff up for him, Wes," Rachel said. "Would you help assemble the boxes and then we'll call you when everything is ready to go?"

"That would be great, thanks. I didn't know how I was going to figure out whose stuff was whose. Hey, Kurt, man, I'm damn sorry about all of this," Wes said, sympathy in his eyes.

"Thanks, Wes," Kurt muttered.

"And we're just downstairs, so if you need anything, just let us know," Wes added, referring to their apartment on the first floor.

"I don't think Blaine would like that," Kurt objected.

Wes looked at him almost sternly. "We are still your friends and Blaine will just have to deal with that. It'll become very obvious very quickly how life was before, so don't worry about that. If you need us, we're here, okay?"

Kurt stood and hugged the other man. "Thank you," he said with more feeling.

Finn, Burt, and Wes assembled the boxes and soon they were all just standing there.

"Would you guys give me a couple hours? I'll get this sorted out and text you when I'm done. I think I need to do this alone," Kurt said.

They all agreed, looking somewhat relieved. "We'll all be nearby, so just call if you need anything."

Kurt nodded and saw them all out. He stood there for a moment before taking the first box into the living room. Numbly he began sorting through their large collection of books. If he couldn't remember whose book it was, he just put it in the box. He worked quickly and soon had all the books, pictures, and knickknacks packed up. The kitchen he looked through but didn't pack anything. Most of it was his since he did most of the cooking. He could have packed Blaine's favorite coffee mug, the one with the giant bowtie on it, but he kept it. If Blaine couldn't remember it, there was no harm in keeping it. Walking into the bedroom, he stared around, feeling as if a knife were ripping a jagged hole in his heart. This room had been their sanctuary, the place where they had their best conversations, where they relaxed, where they shared the endless passion they had for each other. Now he was supposed to take it all apart. Turning on his iPod, he shuffled through until he found a song that wasn't one he and Blaine had sang together, or danced to, or talked about. It left a rather narrow selection.

Taking a deep breath, he plunged in, packing Blaine's bathroom supplies. Staring at his favorite cologne, Kurt spritzed himself with it before taking it in and spraying it on Blaine's pillow and then packing it. He was moving slower now as he was tiring out. He gathered up all of Blaine's shoes, amazed at the amount of memories you could have of a person based only on their shoes. He remembered going dancing, walking, jogging with different pairs. He broke down when it came to Blaine's bowtie collection. Gathering all of them up, he hugged them to himself before putting them in the box. The closet was the final chore. Boxes of photos, memorabilia, paperwork, all got packed up. They still kept all of their bills separate since they weren't married yet, so that made things easier. He would have to call and have the cable switched into his name, though. Tears started up again at the thought of that small chore. Grabbing the last two boxes, he turned to the clothes that were hanging up. A song started playing as he finished folding each garment carefully and lovingly. His head hung down as he closed up the box. Staying on his knees next to it, he tilted his head up and sang mournfully.

In the living room, his friends and family were back. As they walked in and heard his beautiful voice above the music, they stopped to listen. Tears began flowing all around as they heard what he was singing.

A chair is still a chair

Even when there's no one sitting there.

But a chair is not a house

And a house is not a home

When there's no one there to hold you tight

And no one there you can kiss goodnight.

A room is still a room

Even when there's nothing there but gloom.

But a room is not a house

And a house is not a home

When the two of us are far apart.

And one of us has a broken heart.

Now and then I call your name

And suddenly a face appears.

But it's just a crazy game

And when it ends,

It ends in tears.

So darling, have a heart.

Don't let one mistake keep us apart.

I'm not meant to live alone,

Turn this house into a home.

When I climb the stair and turn the key,

Oh, please be there,

Still in love with me.

Kurt looked up through his tears as the song ended. He was surrounded by the people who loved him and as one, they knelt near him and put their arms around him. For a long time, they just sat there, sharing the warmth and the love that Kurt needed so badly. Even if it wasn't the right love.