Fingers. There were fingers on his face and stroking his arm. Blaine mumbled as they traced his jaw and then shifted through his hair. Why were these fingers on his arms? They were fingers, weren't they?

"Blaine? Can you hear me?"

Why did these fingers sound like Kurt? Or have a mouth and voice at all, for that matter. Groggily, Blaine blinked his eyes open and then shut them at once. Too bright, too white; where was he? The last thing he remember was Thomas and his grandfather telling him–

Blaine forced his eyes open and grimaced at the burn of the lights. The pale blob blocking some of the light slowly sharpened into Kurt's face. His eyes were red and damp, his hair messy and droopy, but Blaine had never been more grateful to see him.

"Hi," he croaked.

"You're–how are–don't ever scare me like that again," Kurt finally said. He draped himself over Blaine in an awkward hug and then kissed his all over his face. "How are you even still here? I thought–"

"I did, too," Blaine said. "They said–I get to stay. Here with you."

"For how much longer? Do you have a new mission?"

"Until you get sick of me."

Burt and Carole appeared by Kurt then, looking as stunned as Blaine still felt. He was here–alive–and going to graduate, go to college, and live in New York City with Kurt. His Soulmate.

"Like that's ever going to happen," Kurt said. Then he paused. "Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Blaine groped for Kurt's hand and placed it over his chest. It hurt to have the pressure there, but Kurt gasped and stared. "You're alive?"

"Have been for a while, apparently," Blaine mumbled. "It's a l-long story. Can we–later?"

"Of course, dear." Carole leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I'll go grab Austin to check you over, okay? Don't go anywhere on us."

"Won't," Blaine mumbled. He yawned, then winced. His chest was throbbing, nothing like it had been that first time in the McKinley parking lot, but something was hurt. "What happened?"

"Well, there was that car that broke through the fence," Kurt explained. "I thought you were gone, but you're here and staying. I still can't believe that."

"And the driver?" Blaine asked curiously.

"Um, the driver was an older man. They think he had a heart attack behind the wheel. He was dead when they got there."

"Oh, that's–" Blaine paused to figure out the right word. Sad, certainly, but strange, too. He'd brought a person back with him once and they'd been in the office with him. Only this time, he hadn't appeared in his grandfather's office. He'd jumped back to that awful room that wasn't so awful anymore. Maybe that was why he hadn't seen this man. "I wish I'd had a chance to see him if he ended up Between. That's such an... odd way to die without ending up there."

"Is it?" Burt asked curiously. "I mean, car accidents aren't that uncommon."

"I mean, that specific man was supposed to hit me. My grandfather, he said it wasn't an accident. He was picked for some reason, but," Blaine paused to groan and shut his eyes. "Sorry, I'm just really tired."

"Then relax, kiddo," Burt said. "We're here all night with you. There's time to talk it all over once you're out of here."

"But–"

"Shut up," Kurt ordered. He climbed onto the bed and curled up against Blaine's side. "Relax and sleep for a bit."

Blaine couldn't sleep though. His grandfather's last words were thrumming through his head. As Kurt nuzzled against him and the nurse cleared his vitals, Blaine murmured what had happened to Kurt. It was a longer story than he thought; every few minutes he had to stop. Sometimes it was because of the wooly feeling in his head, and other times it was for a kiss or question from Kurt.

"We're Soulmates?" Kurt whispered as Blaine finished. "Like how my mom and dad were?"

"Yeah, but different," Blaine mumbled. "There's nobody else for me and there's nobody else for you. That's why I died in the first place, so when we met I wouldn't be an old man."

"You're still an old man to me," Kurt teased. He kissed Blaine's cheek and then his earlobe. "Why didn't Time just have you born when I was if it was that important? That's so much pain to go through for something so simple."

"I dunno," Blaine admitted. "Maybe there are some things even Time can't control and predict. It got us here, though. That's something."

"Maybe. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Hmm?" Blaine blinked sleepily.

"I'm going to keep you in my arms forever."

"What if I have to pee?"

"Like I haven't seen you naked."

"Boys?" Carole poked her head in. "I was just talking to the desk, they said your brother's on his way, Blaine."

"But Jack's gone," Blaine said in surprise. "There's nobody to call. Well, there shouldn't be unless they sent someone new down until I turn eighteen in October."

"Well, someone's on his way here," Carole explained. "Considering how unusual you still being here is, I'm sure you're right."

"Yeah, didn't you say that the man who hit you wasn't an accident? Maybe that's who it'll be," Kurt suggested. He sat up and stretched.

"But that was an old man," Blaine said uncertainly. "He couldn't pass for my brother unless he, like, magically de-aged himself."

Carole laughed as Finn stumbled in with a bag of food from the cafeteria.

"Hey, I got sandwiches for everyone, and oh, there's a guy here for you, Blaine."

Finn shuffled the rest of the way into his room and then Blaine was sure he'd passed out. A man in his late twenties with bright blue eyes and a spring to his step had entered the room.

"C-Cooper?"

"Who else would come running to your aid, squirt?"

Cooper smiled at everyone as he made his way to Blaine's bed. Blaine could barely see him. His eyes were brimming with tears, his body shaking as he groped for some part of Cooper to hold on to.

"Hey, it's all right, I'm here, you dork." Cooper sat down and eased him into a hug. "Only you could get hit by a damn car while standing in an empty parking lot surrounded by a fence. I'm going to have to ground you for scaring me like this, you know. Just a warning. For Kurt, too. No sex for a while until he's healed, all right?"

"But you're here. Cooper, you're alive and young–"

"Of course I am," Cooper said. He frowned at Blaine as he leaned back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Blaine tried to control his breathing as he buried himself in Cooper's arms again. This was impossible. His brother was just as he remembered. Young, vibrant, with what looked like his whole life in front of him.

"He hit his head?" Cooper was asking the rest of them. " 'Cause he's babbling more than usual."

"Um," Carole wiped her eyes and nodded. "A mild concussion. They're going to keep him overnight. Maybe tomorrow, too."

Blaine felt Cooper nod against his head before one hand smoothed down his hair and a kiss was pressed to his forehead. "You're just fine, squirt. No need to worry about anything now."

There was nagging feeling wiggling around in Cooper's head after he and Blaine left the hospital the following afternoon. Blaine was looking at him funny. Or better yet, like he'd never seen him before in his life.

"You okay?"

It was at least the hundredth time he'd asked since they'd left. But Blaine was fine. His arm was newly cast, he was clumsily texting one-handed–Cooper had never noticed how awful he was at it before–and seemed cheerful. And mesmerized.

"Yeah," Blaine said quickly. He looked up, dropped his phone, and then stared. It wasn't the first time since Cooper had come to the hospital yesterday either.

"Pizza sound good for dinner?"

"Sure."

Cooper watched him from the doorway for a few more minutes. There was something off about all of this, but he couldn't seem to figure out what. It was almost as if Blaine knew something important that he was missing. Something about him that kept making Blaine stare at him like Jesus resurrected. Which was ridiculous. He didn't want to play Jesus in some weird television drama or a big-screen movie. Well, maybe the movie. There'd be publicity for that, both positive and negative.

"I was kidding about you being grounded, you know," Cooper added as he ducked into the adjoining kitchen. "Kurt can come over and blow your medicated mind all he wants. And eat half our fridge. He's hungrier than you and Finn combined."

"He is not," Blaine argued. Cooper heard the table shift on the hardwood, a muffled "ouch!", and then Blaine was trampling into the kitchen. That was another thing he'd noticed: Blaine wouldn't leave him alone. Not for a minute, not even a second. It was like he thought he'd blink and Cooper would be gone. "He's just... hungry. Growing. Teenage stuff."

"Uh huh, and that's a reasonable excuse, is it?"

"He's also cute," Blaine added helpfully. "Very cute. I'm going to invite him over."

But instead of rushing to his room for a private conversation, Blaine sat down at the table and called. Cooper listened in for a few minutes before pulling a few pizzas out of the freezer. He looked the boxes over and grimaced. Supreme? Who had bought these? He certainly hadn't, and Blaine would just pick the peppers off.

"Kurt starting to keep his food stash here now?" he asked Blaine, who looked up from the table he was grinning at and blanched.

It was obvious, too. Again that feeling nagged at him, like some huge chunk of, well, everything, was missing.

"Oh, that's Ja–one of my friends from school likes them," Blaine said. He was lying from his wrinkled eyebrows to his chipper smile. "You've met him before, Coop. Tall guy, floppy Mohawk."

Cooper grunted and found a to-go menu in the drawer instead and dialed the number on his pocket phone. Blaine kept laughing at him for calling it that. "Well, tell him to store them at his house next time. I don't have time for peppers on my pizza. Hi, I'd like to place an order."

When Cooper was finished, Blaine was gone. His entire body jerked and thrummed with energy at the sight of the empty chair. Where was he? What had happened?

He darted straight towards the front door and stumbled to a halt. Blaine and Kurt were in the open doorway, attached at the lips and perfectly fine. But they both broke apart to stare at him.

Again.

It was starting to get annoying. Like he was a magical woodland elf or a polka dotted unicorn that was about to vanish. Nobody had ever looked him like that, not even those nurses at the hospital six years ago when their parents had been in that accident. Or the ones when Blaine had– had what?

Cooper frowned and shook himself. That feeling again, like a piece of the puzzle had been punched right out of the middle. He looked at the boys, at Blaine's arm and the little patch of bruises just visible above his shirt collar. There was more to that sight than he could explain, but what it was he didn't know.

"Pizza'll be here in about forty minutes," Cooper told them. "I'm going to take a nap, okay?"

Then he hugged Blaine tightly and kissed his forehead. It was an impulse he felt constantly now and he couldn't explain that either. All he knew was that the thought of Blaine disappearing, of never seeing his little brother again, terrified him.

But that wasn't going to happen. Kurt and Blaine settled down on the couch in their little apartment, snuggling up and turning on some fashion show. Cooper watched the pair of them for a few moments before he realized he was crying. Why the sight of his baby brother and his boyfriend was making him cry didn't have an explanation either. But he was grateful to be here for it.

Still a little jittery, Cooper ducked into his room and collapsed on the bed. Blaine was okay; happy, healthy, and in love. Nothing was going to harm him anymore and Cooper would see to it. As long as he was around, his baby brother would be safe and happy, right up until the very end.