The bell rang at exactly 2:45, echoing through the marble halls of Dalton Academy. It was a gorgeous spring day outside, a clear blue sky, a warm breeze flittering gently through the air. Kurt quickly piled his books in his messenger bag, shouldering it and sprinting to the door. The Warblers, for once, did not have rehearsal after school and Kurt was glad; he had somewhere he needed to be. He was so distracted that he almost ran in to Blaine on his way to the student parking lot.

"Whoa, hey, slow down. Where are you going?" Blaine asked, placing a steadying hand on Kurt's shoulder. He pressed his fingers gently into Kurt's shoulder, applying just enough pressure to let him know he was there. Kurt, caught off guard, looked Blaine in the eyes for a moment or two before responding. Blaine could see the wheels turning in Kurt's head and said nothing.

"Are you doing anything?" Kurt finally asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"Right now?"

"Yeah, are you doing anything? Are you busy?" Kurt's tone was ever so subtly desperate, almost frantic, and yet his face showed nothing. Blaine considered for a minute before shaking his head. Even if he'd been busy, he knew, he would've done anything that Kurt needed. "Do….d'you want to come with me?" The tone of Kurt's voice shifted. Suddenly he seemed almost nervous.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, smiling warmly at Kurt, "yeah, sure." Kurt nodded, thinking over the situation, before continuing his previous path, now with Blaine in tow, towards his car. He climbed in, tossing his bag in the backseat, waited for Blaine to get in as well, and then pulled out of his parking space. He said nothing as he drove, moving almost robotically, as if in a trance, not making a sound. The radio, too, was left off, which was a rare occurrence in itself. Despite being desperately curious, Blaine didn't dare break Kurt's trance with questions. So he sat in silence and wondered, watching the Ohio countryside as it blurred past his window.

After about 45 minutes Kurt finally turned off the highway and onto a small back road. The only thing within eyesight was a small graveyard up ahead, and Blaine found that he could no longer hold his questions.

"Where are we going?" he wondered aloud.

"It's just up here," Kurt mumbled, pulling into a small gravel parking lot and turning off the engine. "You…you don't have to come with me, if you don't want. You can wait in the car and we'll go get coffee when I get back – it won't take long." The sadness in Kurt's voice, the desperate pitch it took on, caused a sharp pain in Blaine's chest. He quickly reassured Kurt that it was fine, he would come with him. Not that he let Kurt know, but Blaine was positive he'd follow Kurt to the end of the Earth if he was asked. Kurt nodded, more to himself than Blaine, and unbuckled his seatbelt. Blaine followed suit.

They walked for a minute or two, over the green spring grass, making sure to stay on the dirt path that wove its way through the headstones. As they walked Kurt's eyes never left the path in front of them, though Blaine was sure his mind was somewhere else. When he stopped it was so sudden that Blaine bumped into his back. He apologized but Kurt didn't hear; his attention was locked 5 feet in front of them. Blaine followed Kurt's gaze, seeing where Kurt had taken him and, finally, everything clicked. Blaine didn't know how he hadn't realized it sooner.

"Kurt, your mom -" Kurt nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek as he knelt by the headstone. Blaine stayed back, giving Kurt some space, until Kurt called him closer.

"Hi mom," Kurt said, resting a hand on the headstone. "This is Blaine," he said, looking back at Blaine, who, in turn, took Kurt's other hand in his own. "Blaine, this…is my mom." Kurt's eyes shone bright with tears, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. Blaine leaned forward, placing his free hand on Kurt's cheek and rubbing gentle, comforting circles in his soft skin. He pressed his lips onto Kurt's, soft but forceful. Kurt kissed back. Blaine felt his own tears fall and mix with Kurt's as he kissed him, trying to express all of the things he wanted to say but didn't know how. When he pulled back to catch his breath it wasn't far; he pressed his forehead against Kurt's, their noses resting next to one another's.

"Thank you," he breathed, hot and sweet against Kurt's skin, "Thank you for bringing me here." Blaine kissed him swiftly once more before pulling back completely. "I'll go wait in the car," he said, squeezing Kurt's hand. Kurt mouthed a "thank you," before turning his attention completely back to his mother's grave.

As Blaine turned to walk back he could hear Kurt talking, voice a strange mixture of sadness and happiness, of loss and hope. "I wanted you to meet Blaine, mom," Blaine stilled at the sound of his name, not meaning to eavesdrop but unable to force himself to continue, "because I love him." Blaine's breath caught in his chest as he felt an unstoppable wave of euphoria wash over him. He resumed walking.

Back at the grave, Kurt stood, leaving his hand resting on the top of the headstone. "Happy birthday, mom," he whispered, wiping away his tears and turning to catch up with Blaine's rapidly retreating back.