A week and a half after Burt left the hospital, Carole drove him back for his first follow up. They'd scheduled it to be during her lunch break and Carole regretted it almost immediately. It took forever to get Burt into the car and then back through traffic to the hospital. There was some sort of accident on the main boulevard in town and everything was backed up for miles. What was normally a fifteen minute drive ended up taking forty minutes, and swallowed up the majority of her lunch hour.

After circling back the long way, they arrived just in time for Burt's check up. Carole hurried to eat her lunch while Burt was looked over. Just as she was finishing up, Doctor Rubens appeared to tell her that Burt was healing up very nicely. His heart was in good shape, getting better, and he'd lost several pounds between his hospital stay and new diet.

"I can probably leave a few hours early," Carole said as she helped Burt out into the hall. Today was the most activity he'd had in a long time and it was clearly exhausting him. "I'm already a few hours over for the week. I'm sure I'll be even more so before Saturday. They won't mind."

"I can just stay in the waiting room and watch TV or read a magazine," Burt offered, stifling a yawn as they headed towards Carole's department.

Carole refused, talked to Alice at the desk, and then clocked out and collected her bag and coat. The drive home was just as long, and by the time they pulled into the driveway, Burt was asleep in the passenger seat. She prodded him awake, then circled around to help him up to the house.

"The boys should be home by now," she told him as they clambered up the steps and through the front door.

Burt nodded sleepily, yawned loudly, and let her slid his jacket off his shoulders. He hobbled his way into the living room, Carole trailing behind as Kurt's laughter reached her ears.

"No, that is not– Ah! Don't t- t- t-ickle m – eek!"

Finn thundered out of the living room, slipping past Burt and greeting both of them before he disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom. An explosion echoed out of the living room, followed by the high-pitched spray of lasers. Burt had already disappeared into the room, and Carole, curious about Kurt agreeing to watch an action movie, stepped in.

The sight that greeted her was one that was becoming more frequent. Blaine and Kurt were nestled together on the couch, so obviously in love and denial that it made her heart feel faint. They were both laughing again. Carole glanced between them, at Blaine's still teasing fingers threatening to tickle Kurt and then towards the screen where a giant white robot and a man in a bathroom robe were talking.

"Blaine," Kurt scolded as Blaine's fingers threatened over Kurt's neck and shoulder. "Don't you dare– "

"Why not? Are you ticklish, Kurt?" Blaine's fingers grazed Kurt's skin. Kurt yelped and swatted at him.

Burt grumbled and slumped down in his chair, reclining back and covering his face with his cap.

Carole shook her head fondly and grabbed a blanket. By the time she'd fixed it around him, Finn had returned and was demanding to know what he'd missed. Blaine and Kurt clumsily got him up to speed. It was quite obvious the impromptu tickle fight had taken all of their attention away from the screen.

"Are you boys hungry?" she asked.

It was like Kurt and Blaine had suddenly realized she and Burt were home now. The bashful little glances and smiles vanished. They jumped apart, hands still impossibly linked together as they looked over towards her.

Completely in love, both of them. Carole didn't think anyone else had noticed yet, but it wouldn't be long. Burt was getting stronger and soon he'd see it, too. Whether or not either of them had figured out what the bubbling rush in their bellies and hearts were yet was a mystery. Part of Carole hoped they didn't. The very thought of them exploring and loving each other only to have it snatched away was horrible to think about. Even worse was the inevitability of it. Blaine was gone in June. No matter what they did or said or what happened between now and then, Blaine was leaving. He'd forever be out of reach for Kurt, so the idea of Kurt giving his heart to Blaine didn't sit very well with her. It made her nervous, but at least Kurt would still have his dad in June. He might be all right afterwards. At the same time, Carole couldn't stand the thought of either of them denying what was so apparent. Being in love was a shot in the dark a lot of the time; for Blaine this would be his only chance. As much as he didn't want to see either of them hurt, she could already tell it was inevitable.

"There's a healthy pizza recipe in those meal plans and idea sheets they gave us," Carole mentioned as Kurt and Blaine blushed, glanced at each other, and blushed darker. "How's that sound?"

"Can it have sausage on it?" Finn asked immediately.

"I'm sure I can make one just for you with whatever toppings," Carole offered. "Or you can make it for yourself. We can all make our own pizzas."

The boys murmured excitedly at the prospect and, at Carole's insistence, they paused their movie and headed into the kitchen. Carole looked at Burt's sleeping form, gave him a kiss on the head, and followed the boys into the kitchen. They took their time gathering everything and then making their pizzas. She and Kurt made one for Burt, filled with lots of vegetables and the healthiest sauce they had. It was Finn's idea to add grilled chicken to it, knowing that Burt was quite upset at the lack of meat in his diet.

By the time they finished cooking, Sam and Puck had arrived to hang out and the five boys decided to head down to Kurt's room to eat and finish the movie. Carole was surprised to see the little group acting friendly and getting along, but it made sense to her, too. They were all in Glee Club together and Finn had his weight training class with all of them except Kurt. In some ways, New Directions was its own little family.

"Hey, Blaine!" Sam hollered, circling around as they all started shouldering their way through each other to the basement.

The two boys did a weird little handshake that Blaine fumbled and laughed at before the group disappeared downstairs.

"They're all getting attached to that kid," Burt yawned, startling Carole.

She turned toward him, plates of her pizza and his in hand. He was slowly sitting up, shoving the recliner back under the seat. Carole hurried to set the plates down and arranged a better spot for him on the couch. They sat down and started eating as the sound of the movie trickled upstairs to them.

"I think we're all getting attached," Carole said sadly as Blaine's voice squeaked and laughed from downstairs. Clearly the tickle war had resumed. "It's impossible not to with Blaine."

Burt hummed in agreement and took a bite of pizza. "Must be why it's been so easy for Kurt to start falling for him."

Surprised by the observation she hadn't expected for a little while longer, Carole looked over at Burt. He wasn't frowning or smiling or in any way betraying how he felt about it. Maybe Burt didn't know how he felt about it yet since they weren't actually together.

"Yeah, they're both falling fast," she remarked. Carole busied herself with her pizza for a few minutes before she added, "It scares me, Burt. In June–"

"They'll say goodbye for now," Burt finished, his voice strong and sure. "Kurt is strong. Hell, he's stronger than any person I know. He's sixteen and already been through more than most people our age. Even I haven't lost a parent yet, and then everything he deals with at school... "

Carole bit her lip, but agreed. It wasn't a statement she could disagree with, but Kurt had never had his heart broken like this before. Carole had experienced that devastation when Christopher had died, and Burt with Elizabeth. Losing a parent was terrible, yes; her own father had passed when Finn was just starting middle school. But there was an overwhelming difference in the love expressed between someone related to you and someone you chose to bring into your heart.

"I know, but he's never given his heart to someone like he could with Blaine," Carole reminded him uncertainly. "You and I both know how devastating it is to have someone you love that deeply die."

Burt sighed, his shoulders sagging heavily as he set his plate on his knees. "I know, but," he paused and looked over towards the silent, dark television. It was like his consciousness had left him all over again when he did that. The same thing had occurred more than once since he'd woken up a few weeks ago and Carole couldn't help but wonder why. He was clearly seeing or imagining or remembering something important. "I saw Elizabeth just before I woke up," he finally said, his gaze slowly coming back to her face. "I don't know if it was real or just me dreaming, but Kurt and Blaine were there, too."

Stunned, Carole squeezed his hand and asked, "What happened? Did she say anything?"

Burt nodded. "It was the day I went to say goodbye to her by myself, before Kurt did. I got home and he'd run off to the park and nobody knew where he was. In the... dream," Burt decided, "it was the same thing, only I got to the park and he wasn't there. Not at first. Elizabeth was."

Carole stared at him anxiously, waiting for him to continue. Since he'd woken up his speech had been slower. It wasn't slurred or rough, but it was like he thought a lot more before he talked now. As if there was a new heaviness to his conscious thought that weighted his tongue down.

"She made me sit with her and I was panicked because Kurt wasn't there, but then she pointed over towards the swings where I really found him and he was over there on the swings," Burt said carefully. "He was talking with Blaine. I guess that's what really happened that day, or what I imagined it as. I don't know.

"She kept telling me that Kurt wasn't alone now because he had Blaine," Burt continued slowly. "And that it was his turn to start his own journey with true love and when I looked again Kurt was a teenager, maybe a little older than he is now, and they were playing around and they fell over together and rolled around and they started to kiss just as I woke up."

Burt trailed away as Carole watched him rub his face roughly. "I don't even know if she was real; if she was actually there to talk to me or if I was just imagining that."

Carole mulled over everything Burt had said as he wiped at his eyes. It was a lot to take in, particularly in light of everything they knew about Blaine now. Had it been Elizabeth reaching out to Burt across Time or was it just Burt's imagination taking a stroll while he was unconscious?

Either way, the advice and wisdom was honest and true. Kurt was growing up. In a few years, he would be starting his own life somewhere outside of Lima. It was his turn to start his own journey in life and love and everything in between.

"I think I was just dreaming," Burt decided, sighing again. "Before I woke up, she – she said that 'Together, they're going to be all they've ever dreamed of', but how can they if Blaine leaves in June?"

"I don't know," Carole answered honestly. "The more I hear, the less I understand about any of this. Blaine's here for a reason, Burt. I like to think all of us are, and if what they have really is true love, then I'm even more scared for them. Moving on from something like that isn't easy. For some, it's impossible to forget. Everyone else is just a failed comparison; it took both of us a long time to ever give someone else a chance."

"I can't stand in their way," Burt said. "Neither of us can. I hate that Elizabeth got sick and died, but I wouldn't trade the time we had together for anything. I got my amazing son out of it and one of the greatest loves I've ever felt. I have him here with little bits of his mother shining through every day. I'd never give up what we shared, even if I'd known how it was going to end beforehand."

"Me, too," Carole agreed, thinking of Christopher and Finn. They were worth it, even when it ended, Chris had absolutely been worth it. "Nothing lasts forever, but they should love while they have the chance. Their hearts are going to break no matter what."

Burt nodded sadly and kissed her temple. "I wish life was a little more fair," he muttered.

"If it was Kurt and Blaine never would have met or had this chance," Carole reminded him.

"If it was, they would have been born in the same time," Burt countered. He dropped his cheek against hers and added softly, "I just want him to follow his heart and enjoy and experience life. Even the painful parts of love."

Carole settled into his embrace. Part of her agreed, but a small voice kept reminding her of the heartache in store. It would tear Kurt apart to lose Blaine, and she was terrified of what that would mean for all of them. If Elizabeth had really been there, then what the boys had was something true, honest, and remarkably uncommon in this world. Trying to get over that, even when Kurt knew it was coming, wasn't going to be simple. From this point in time, it looked nothing short of impossible.

"And then Blaine did this adorable Jersey accent and the guy that opened the door just started laughing–"

Mercedes, Sam, and Rachel all laughed as Kurt finished up the retelling of last night's Halloween adventure. Blaine smiled as he watched Kurt entertain their new little lunch group of friends. It was funny how fast it had happened. A month ago, it was just Kurt and him barely talking to the other Glee Club members, and now they had three others sitting at their table for lunch.

Mercedes wasn't surprising. Every morning now, Blaine caught up with them in the hall, finding them discussing various fashions and styles Blaine could never keep straight, and then in the afternoons they were jabbering away at Kurt's locker when Blaine pulled up from his last class across the building. Rachel had literally shoved her way onto the bench until they'd started purposefully leaving her a spot, but Sam was unexpected. Sure, he and Blaine talked and joked around in their Weight Training class a few afternoons every week, and they were partners in their shared History class, but Blaine hadn't expected the other boy to want to be friends. Someone actively wanting to be friends with him wasn't something Blaine was used to. It was weird, but very welcomed, too.

Having friends was part of living life again, and even if it was only temporary, there was no reason not to make the most of what he had.

Except romance.

Blaine eyed Kurt laughing at Sam's tale of taking his younger siblings trick-or-treating last night and squashed down the usual tingling leap in his stomach. He might have decided to live his last mission as if it was his own life, but he couldn't put Kurt through that. Him leaving in June was already going to hurt more than enough.

"Stevie was a great little Spiderman," Sam finished, grinning over at Blaine. He nudged him with his elbow and Blaine nudged back. It wasn't something boys had done when he was a real, live teenager, but he was slowly getting used to how people interacted now. "I still would have made a better Situation than you," Sam added teasingly. He patted his abs and gave the others a cocky little smile. "These babies were made to be viewed by all."

Blaine didn't miss the bashful look Mercedes tried to hide. He wondered how long it would be until they got together, and if he'd even get a chance to see it happen. Maybe he could help them along a little while he was here.

"At least I don't squeal in horror at the sight of a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos," Blaine countered playfully.

Sam gave him a wounded look, but the light dancing in his eyes told Blaine that Sam knew he was kidding. Well, mostly kidding. Sam really did freak out and run at the sight of Doritos. It was a little alarming how much people in this century cared about their body's physical shape. There had certainly been a decent amount of expectation for fitness when Blaine was alive, but nothing compared to the epidemics of today.

"Dude, not fair," Sam whined. "I love Cool Ranch Doritos–"

"I've got a bag in my purse," Mercedes offered. Her skin was too dark for Blaine to see her blush, but the little unsure smile told him she was.

Sam stared at her, biting his lip until Blaine nudged him again and nodded across the table towards Mercedes. "He'd love to have some." To Sam he added, "One little bag isn't going to hurt, Sam."

"If you say so–"

"Careful, Evans," a voice hollered over at them. Blaine looked up and found the usual table of football jocks looking towards them. "Keep hanging with those fags and you'll wake up with a pussy where your dick is!"

Sam growled low in his throat and moved to stand up, but Blaine held him down. The jocks across the room laughed and congratulated Azimio on his shout.

"They aren't worth it, Sam," Mercedes said sternly. She reached out and grasped his hand. "They aren't half the man you are."

Rachel agreed with a silent nod, but the jocks didn't seem to care for their silence.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, queers!" Azimio shouted. Most of the cafeteria had fallen silent to watch. Blaine wished a teacher or someone was present to stop them. He didn't want to deal with this at all right now.

Karofsky climbed to his feet. "Come on, you stupid fairies, why don't you sing us a song? Spread some fairy dust out from the crack of Anderson's a–"

"Karofsky, take a seat!"

Coach Beiste had appeared, empty tray in hand. Blaine sighed in relief. She bellowed a few more choice words at her team, then dropped her tray by the dish line, and stood guard for the remainder of lunch.

When the bell rang, the five of them climbed up and hurried out. Blaine's face was hot with embarrassment and anger. It had been a few weeks since the jocks had made a point to call Kurt or him out, but there'd still been the occasional group Glee slushie in the morning.

"Jeez, they're suck jerks," Sam complained as they filed out towards the gym.

Kurt frowned and glared in the direction of the letterman jackets disappearing down the hall. "I wish they'd grow up. They're so–" he made a noise of frustration and clenched his fists. "I'd almost rather have the dumpster tosses than that."

Blaine shut his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "Words we can deal with, especially when it's just the same homophobic nonsense they always spew, okay? Don't ever wish for something like that back. Physical stuff is so much worse."

The other three looked at Blaine curiously, but the warning bell rang and broke them up.

"I'll see you after in Glee!" Kurt said, giving Blaine an encouraging smile as he darted off with Mercedes and Rachel towards the back stairwell.

Sam and Blaine watched them go until they disappeared around the corner. Slowly, they followed the hallway where Karofsky and Azimio had gone. The one bad thing about their little encounter during lunch was that they all had class together right after. If they were already hounding on them, it was only going to get worse.

Stomach tight with nerves, Blaine followed Sam around the corner and into the boys' locker room.

"Guys, look! I'm an elephant!"

Puck appeared instantly, an inflated condom taped to his nose. He made an obnoxiously loud noise like a trumpet and trampled away towards the showers. A wave of laughter swept the room as Puck stampeded from one side to the other. Sam and Blaine hurried to their lockers, changed, and joined up with the other Glee guys as they headed into the weight room.

Coach Beiste hadn't appeared yet, as Blaine found out when Karofsky shoved him into the room from behind.

"Watch it, fag!" he snarled as Blaine stumbled into Sam and almost fell over.

"Back off, Karofsky," Mike snapped, stepping forward as Blaine regained his footing. He stared hard at the floor and stepped back from Karofsky and Azimio. They might be completely outnumbered by Glee guys in this class, but Blaine hated confrontation and being tossed about. He didn't like having anyone else stand up for him either. Karofsky was a jerk, but these boys weren't any real threat to him. Being dead did have some benefits.

"God, you're all turning into a bunch of fairies," Azimio complained. "How the hell we ever gonna win a game if you guys are too busy taking it up the ass?"

Coach Beiste stepped into the room just as Finn caught Puck around the middle and held him back.

"All right, guys! Upper body today," she announced as the guys separated into their groups, Karofsky and Azimio on one side of her and the rest on the other. "Let's see if anyone's moved up any since last week."

They separated into smaller groups, Sam, Blaine, and Mike in one, Finn and Puck in another, and then Karofsky and Azimio in the last. The actual class went pretty well. Most of the guys had increased their reps, and Karofsky left them alone in favor of lifting. Blaine was the last up twenty minutes before the end of class. When Coach Beiste set him at his usual weight, he didn't expect to feel a difference. After two months, it hadn't changed and Blaine knew it wasn't going to. He might be here and he might be pretending to be alive, but his body wasn't going to change in the slightest.

"Come on, dude," Finn encouraged as Blaine settled down on the bench. "You can totally bump up this week."

Everyone but Azimio and Karofsky agreed, and Blaine, despite knowing it was hopeless, decided to try his best. He settled down on the bench, feet flat and relaxed as he stared up at the bar. It would probably hurt like hell to try for more, but at least he wouldn't look like he wasn't gaining anything.

As Sam helped him on the first lift and drop down, Blaine was so surprised he almost dropped the whole thing onto his chest. It was lighter. Or felt like it. As he started, he glanced at the weights and found the numbers hadn't changed. Horribly confused, Blaine finished his first rep with ease and Coach Beiste added ten pounds to his bar. The tension returned to his arms as he lifted, and Blaine pushed through it until he was done.

Coach Beiste dismissed them and Blaine followed the rest of the guys back into the locker room, confused but pleased with their congratulations.

"Looks like the fairy can finally lift more than a pencil," Karofsky snarled, his fist slamming into the locker right behind Blaine's head.

Blaine jumped and backed away as Karofsky laughed and eyed him darkly. "You're such a scared little tit, Anderson," he added before he stalked off to his corner of the room.

Sam nudged Blaine towards their side, and patted him on the back. "What the hell is his problem, anyway?" he muttered as Blaine fumbled with the lock on his locker. "He's always been an ass, but he's barely even bothering Kurt now. He's only going for you."

Blaine frowned and glanced over towards the door as Karofsky slammed his way through it. It was true. In recent weeks, Karofsky had stopped pestering Kurt in favor of him. If the circumstances had been different, then Blaine would have wondered why, but he thought he understood part of it. This was about him facing his past, and Karofsky was the worst bully McKinley had to offer right now. That meant, if he did this right, Kurt's worst nightmare would ultimately become his, too.

"Probably because I'm too 'normal' to be gay," Blaine grumbled in annoyance. He imagined that was part of Karofsky's problem with him. Blaine didn't have a lot of trouble passing as straight if he wanted to. He didn't fit into the stereotypical box that Karofsky thought he should. "Don't worry about it, Sam. He's just a stupid bully."

"That's exactly why I do worry," Sam countered, looking uncomfortable. "We're bros now, and he's stupid enough to do something bad. But that's not the scary part because a lot of them are stupid enough for that. You aren't scared of it. It's like you don't think he can hurt you or something, and he totally could, man. You're just flesh and blood."

Flesh and blood and very dead, Blaine reminded himself. It might hurt, but it couldn't kill him again. Nothing would hurt as much as that had. Maybe he was foolishly fearless in that regard like Sam had noticed. There was a good reason for him to not entirely take the jock seriously. He just couldn't tell Sam that.

"I'll be fine, Sam," Blaine assured him. "Look, I'm gonna shower up. I'll meet you guys in Glee, okay?"

Sam started to argue, but Blaine insisted that they go ahead. Once the locker room had cleared out, Blaine grabbed his towel and hurried into the shower. He made it quick, washing up and then coming back out to change. He was just finishing the last adjustment on his bow tie when the door banged open.

Exasperated, Blaine rolled his eyes. "Sam, for the fourth time, I said I'm–" the words died in his throat as he turned and saw who had entered. "Oh," he said, eyeing Karofsky uncertainly. The other boy glowered at him and let the door close. "What are you doing back here? Don't you have to go macho yourself up with your bros?"

"Shove it, Anderson," Karofsky snapped, shoving his way past Blaine over to his corner. "Forgot my shirt from yesterday," he added.

Blaine said nothing and hurried to finish up, but just as he was shutting his locker, Karofsky got back to the doorway and glared over at him. "I don't know why they let you into this locker room," Karofsky remarked, jaw tight with anger. "We're all one change away from getting ass raped by you–"

"Oh, shut up," Blaine snapped in annoyance. "Just move so I can get to Glee Club."

Karofsky's fist smacked back against the lockers by the door and Blaine jolted backwards again. He tried not to flinch, but couldn't manage it. Noises like that, anything that reminded him of fists or bats swinging and hitting things, made him remember the parking lot and the beating he'd taken. Blaine swallowed thickly and took a deep breath as Karofsky laughed at him.

"Please, move," Blaine requested.

"Or what? Are you going to run away or drown me in your tears, queer?" Karofsky glared at him and shoved him hard enough for Blaine to take a step back. Blaine's throat went tight and for the first time since Karofsky had started to zone in on him, he realized Sam might be right. Maybe he should be scared. This was too much like before. Lee had always–

Smack!

The heavy wood of the baseball bat fell heavily against Blaine's chest. He wheezed and stumbled, trying to duck away or pull himself free from the other boys struggling to keep a hold on him–

Karofsky's grip settled around his bicep. Blaine yelped and, on reflex, twisted out of the other boy's reach, sidestepped, and ducked out behind him and through the door. After that, he ran. Down one hall and then another, trying to ignore the echoing in his head and the sudden fear that was engulfing him.

It had to happen again. His worst memories and nightmares were all going to have to come back to life. There was no escape except being ripped from Time again.

His foot snagged on a loose piece of linoleum and Blaine tumbled to the ground, panicking and trembling. He wasn't ready. He couldn't do this again. Karofsky was just like his own bully, only he was still cruel and living and capable of everything Blaine never wanted to experience again.

A door squeaked open nearby, and Blaine shuffled back towards the wall away from it. His tears were blinding him, but he didn't want Karofsky to find him and he had no idea where he'd ran to. His back hit the wall and his knee knocked against the big trash can concealing him on the left. He'd be safe here until it was over–

"Blaine?"

A soft hand brushed his cheek and then another handful of voices reached his ears. He must have tripped right outside the choir room.

Kurt's fingers wiped a few of his tears away as Sam's furious voice echoed around the hall.

"If he hurt him, I'll kill–"

"Sam!" Mr. Schuester interjected. "He just tripped!"

"Blaine, what happened?" Kurt asked anxiously. He wiped at Blaine's eyes again and Blaine's vision cleared enough to see Kurt kneeled down at his side with the rest of the Glee Club standing in a semi-circle several feet back.

"It was–" Blaine choked and shuddered as more memories started engulfing him.

"Look at that queer run!" Lee shouted and his teammates laughed and gave chase with him.

Blaine ran furiously, out of the locker room and down the hall, his books and notebooks flying out of his arms as he went. Homework didn't matter when they were suited up for the first football game of the season and on his tail. He headed towards the student parking lot, the sun low on the horizon as he leapt down the steps, towards his car on the far side–

"No, I'm taking him home," Kurt's voice insisted. "He's having another flashback– No, Sam. He's going home."

Blaine felt himself being hoisted up by a pair of strong arms and a shock of blond hair. He was carried out towards the parking lot, Kurt's hand in his even once they were buckled up in the car. There were more murmurs of protest from Sam, but eventually Kurt climbed in alone, reached over and traced his fingers along Blaine's cheek and then pressed another kiss to it.

For all the reaction the first one had stirred in his belly, Blaine only felt nauseous now.

"It's okay," Kurt voice's murmured in his ear. "Shh, you're fine. We're going home."