Hello once more again for the last time, audience!

Yes, dear readers, it's true. This is the final installment of Edge of Glory. There will be no more chapters. This really is the end. And no, there is no talk whatsoever of a sequel. Just in case you were wondering.

(Sarah: We get asked this so many times on our stories that it's better to clear it up now. No sequel. No amount of begging will get you one either, just to warn you now.)

You know, I'm sad that this story is ending, but it's also an accomplishment for me. It's my first completed story (outside of oneshots) and I couldn't have had a better time writing it, or a better partner to write it with. I can honestly say that I enjoyed writing every second of it, including the heavy angst near the beginning. And yeah, this story is over, but that frees up time to focus on bigger, better things. :)

(Sarah: It's been so much fun to write =D but yes, it's time to move on and I'm looking forward to the bigger and better things Angela speaks of because she hasn't told me yet! But it's been a pleasure and thank you for reading)

And so, dear readers, Sarah and I present you with one final scene. Enjoy.

Kurt.

Silence.

It was strange, different after the past few days, past month even. If there hadn't been noise around him - Warbler practice, schemes, singing, crying, arguments - then it had been internal, his own mind screaming at him to just do the right thing and stop hurting himself.

The performance was over. They were successes. Blaine was his again.

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out; reveling in the silence, stillness.

His heart was at peace.

Of course it was a temporary moment - an island of calm in a sea of madness, but Kurt was used to that. No longer would he take the 'boring' for granted when he now knew what the opposite could bring. His last month had been anything but boring and all it had brought him was pain and a stupid argument over nothing, a battle of pride.

They had been so lucky. Lucky to have the friends who were willing to do anything to make them work. Lucky that neither of them never truly gave up. Lucky that they found their first real love young - if it had been anybody but the two of them then over would have meant over.

Kurt hoped that one of the many things that could come out of the experience was that he and Blaine were meant to last. He hoped so fervently with all of his heart because he loved Blaine, loved him enough to torture himself for a month over the boy and Kurt could honestly say he didn't know how much longer into the future he would have continued it. Probably a long time if they hadn't gotten back together.

And now they were and now Kurt could breathe.

Closing his eyes, Kurt simply let himself feel the peace and remind himself that it could happen, that things could be this way and stay this way. Of course there was more craziness coming up with their contract and recording and even in a matter of minutes with their performance, but there was always time to just stop and remember who he was and how he had gotten there.

He was Kurt Hummel. He was a singer, a dancer, an actor, a human. He was flawed. He lived. He loved.

He was loved.

Kurt turned and pushed open the doors to the auditorium. The room was mostly silent with a hum of noise emanating from backstage where the rest of the Warblers were waiting. With one look around the empty seats, one reminder of where they had begun, Kurt pushed the curtain aside and slipped through to where the Warblers were waiting. He was immediately unable to suppress a smile at the chaos. Wes was bossing everybody around as usual, Nick and Jeff were off to one side talking quietly and Blaine was standing alone, staring into the distance as if the entire world was in front of him.

Kurt knew, and within a minute was wrapped up in Blaine's arms, kissing him. "It's like everything changed but it's all the same," he said, Blaine nodding. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I do wonder," Wes remarked loudly to the air in front of him, "how we are meant to practice with our four soloists not currently in formation."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "And some things will never even consider changing."

They took their positions, running through the choreography one more time before Wes deemed them fit to perform, shooing the four soloists out to the stage. Just in time too as the doors burst open to admit the entirety of the New Directions including Mr. Schuester and Miss Pillsbury tagging along at the back. Kurt shot Blaine a quick look and together they made their way down the stairs to accept hugs from all of their friends.

Their friends, too. Not just his but Blaine's as well - no matter that they were both Warblers and that Blaine had never been a McKinley student; New Directions had pretty much adopted him as one of their own and Kurt had never been more grateful.

"It's so good to have you guys here!" he announced loud enough for them to all hear. "And if Wes weren't backstage, he'd be clearing his throat loudly to get us back to business so…"

With that out of the way, Kurt spun and practically skipped towards the stairs and back to the still-empty stage. The New Directions quickly took seats in the front row and Kurt beamed down at them. "Well, welcome," he began before stopping, staring up at the back entrance. "Was this Wes's doing?"

"Um, no," Jeff said sheepishly. "Nick and I may have spread the word."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, watching as Dalton boys flooded into the auditorium, settling into seats with a few striking up conversations with New Directions members. Suddenly reminded of Teenage Dream - the same pre-performance excitement was in the air, contagious, thrilling - Kurt stepped forward and began to address them all again. "Welcome to the Warblers first performance as a signed a capella group."

He literally took a step back as the audience went wild, running into Blaine who was standing just behind him. Blaine's hand was against the small of his back and Kurt closed his eyes for a split second, taking it in, before returning his attention to the uproarious crowd. "Need I remind you Wes can hear you from backstage and always has his gavel on his person?" Immediate silence and Kurt couldn't resist laughing. "Thank you. Now, we're about to perform, as earlier stated, but there are a few things we want to say first."

Kurt turned to Nick, raising an eyebrow. If Nick had invited the rest of the Dalton boys along then Nick could be the one to address them. Luckily the boy took it in stride, making Kurt believe it was all a part of his plan after all. "On behalf of the Warblers, we would just like to thank you for your support of us. Not just now but through every impromptu performance, coming to watch us in competitions, just every kind word that has supported the arts here at Dalton. It is our privilege to now honor Dalton in our performances."

Applause met Nick's speech but it wasn't uproarious like earlier, more quiet and thoughtful. "And that comes from all of us," Kurt said before taking a deep breath to launch into his own speech. "We were only planning on having New Directions and the Warblers here so this may get a bit confusing for the others. That said, you all have eyes so you probably saw what's been going on with myself and Blaine over the past month."

"Uh, yeah!" came from the audience and Kurt half-heartedly glared at Jim from their Literature class who at least had the sense to look abashed. "Well…"

"It's alright," Kurt conceded. "We know." He turned his attention back to the focuses of his speech, smiling down at them. "Between New Directions and the Warblers, you took the brunt of our bad moods, tantrums, fighting and general broken hearted-ness. And from myself and Blaine, we just want to thank you for never giving up on us."

Blaine stepped forward, keeping his hand on Kurt's back. "Agreed. You probably won't ever know how much it means to us."

Kurt shot Blaine a glance laden with meaning but no, later. "For now," Kurt continued, beginning to grin, "we're here to celebrate. To put the past behind us and realize that sometimes life sucks but sometimes it gives us amazing things. The Warblers have an amazing opportunity ahead of them which we want to celebrate, but don't think I've forgotten that you're all off to New York soon either!" He swallowed hard, feeling the pride well up in him as he stared down at his friends. "Go and do Ohio proud. You've earned it, and this celebration is as much for you as it is for us."

No more words were necessary and Kurt turned with the other three boys to head backstage, feeling Blaine's hand slip into his. "Are you ready?" Blaine murmured to him as Nick pushed the curtain back and the lights dimmed, preparing to narrow into the spotlights necessary for their performance.

Kurt turned to smile at him, barely noticeable in the darkness but Blaine knew, just like Kurt knew he was smiling back and always would be.

"Let's do it."

Blaine.

The air was thickened with a certain essence. It seemed that the intense excitement was tangible, a fizzling energy, a highly contagious substance. Blaine felt as though this was a final culmination of their negativity, and the beginning of something glorious. His life had finally realigned into something close to normal, yet slowly everything was changing. His definition of normal was changing. Suddenly all of his wildest dreams – things he'd been fantasizing about since he was in grade school – were not only within grasp, but touchable, testable. It was absolutely wild.

Ecstasy was a common feeling within the Warblers for now. Blaine could tell that he wasn't the only one still floating on a cloud. The dream-like happiness was having a dramatic effect of their rehearsals. Sure, they were just as tough as usual, and often even more than usual. But suddenly the Warblers were a truly unified group. It was as if they suddenly had one voice and not several. Everything seemed to come easily, naturally, but they were constantly pushing for more, for better, and they were improving their all-around talents by the day.

And here they were, the fruits of their elbow grease fully paid off.

"Everyone's here? No one's still on stage showing off?" Wes asked, standing at the head of the group with Thad and David. "Everyone's ready to go show 'em exactly what we're made of?"

Near the back, Cameron let out a rowdy whoop of celebration and confidence, an empowering cry that was echoed throughout. Blaine couldn't resist joining in, yelling and stamping his approval. As much as he both liked and respected New Directions, he was secretly glad that the Warblers had a chance to prove themselves. He was sure that the McKinley Glee club was about to get a serious run for their money.

"Let's get back out there, then!" Wes called over the ongoing chaotic cheers. "Come on!"

Incredibly, the unruly group managed to fall silent as they filed onto the stage and slipped into formation. Blaine gently took Kurt's hand and squeezed it lightly, reassuringly. Kurt gave a tiny squeeze back, turning to give his boyfriend a small smile. And then, as the strong backing vocals picked up, Kurt stepped forward to the front, the spotlight gleaming on his face. The light seemed to be attracted to him, hitting at just the right angle to make Kurt's porcelain skin dazzle. He really is beautiful, Blaine thought a little dreamily.

Then, with the expert precision of a seasoned performer, Kurt opened his mouth and snatched up the first line for his own.

"There ain't a reason you and me should be alone

Tonight, yeah baby,

Tonight, yeah baby,"

Blaine slipped out of place and joined Kurt at the front, automatically taking the taller boy's hand. The action warmed him, and he jumped headfirst into his line, smiling down at New Directions.

"I got a reason that you're who should take me home tonight…"

Kurt and Blaine had mutually agreed and forced a verse upon Nick and Jeff. Blaine rather that those two fully deserved it and, despite their former protests, they wanted a chance to show off. Jeff grabbed Nick's hands and pulled him up in front of Kurt and Blaine, singing the lines directly to his boyfriend.

"I need a man who thinks it's right when it's so wrong,

Tonight, yeah baby

Tonight, yeah baby

Right on the limb is where we know

We both belong tonight,"

It still nagged at Blaine that he and Kurt's dispute had basically cheated Nick of a solo at the performance. It still stung a little that they'd almost torn Nick and Jeff apart when they were so obviously in love. Somehow, Nick had managed to tear his eyes away from Jeff to wink charmingly at the audience, still keeping a tight grip on the other boy's hands. His voice was absolutely killer, smooth and self-assured, reaching out and stealing the limelight for a few glorious seconds. Blaine made a quick promise to himself to have a word with Wes about assuring that Nick got a solo on the EP.

"It's hard to feel the rush,

To brush the dangerous,

I wanna run right to, to the edge with you,

Where we can both fall far in love!"

As they burst into the chorus, swelling into a wonderfully over-exuberant crescendo, the Warblers broke out of formation, spreading throughout the stage. In an unusual stroke of brilliance, Wes had ordered David to design the choreography to look completely impromptu. Organized chaos, he had said. It worked somehow, perhaps because they had so much experience with impromptu, and their voices still reached out and melded together. The harmonies and backing and beat-boxing blended into a flawlessly unified sound that reverberated through the air.

"I'm on the edge of glory,

And I'm hanging on a moment of truth!

I'm on the edge of glory,

And I'm hanging on a moment with you!

I'm on the edge with you!"

Kurt and Blaine dove into the next line together while Nick and Jeff danced and twirled around them in circles. Blaine's eyes closed of their own accord, and it was one of those times where the music seemed to be resonating from his very being.

"Put on your shades, 'cause I'll be dancing in the flames,

Tonight, yeah baby,

Tonight, yeah baby,"

The four of them switched positions, Nick and Jeff on the vocals, and Blaine tugged Kurt into a spin and a twirl, his ecstatic laughter lost in the sounds of the music.

"It isn't hell if everybody knows my name,

Tonight

Alright, alright!"

Blaine felt as though his heart was swelling in his chest, liable to burst at any time. He was suddenly reliving all of the blessings in his life, and prematurely thanking all those yet to come.

So, maybe the Warblers weren't going anywhere in terms of show choir. Maybe they wouldn't win Nationals in New York. But none of that mattered anymore, because they had the potential to go so much further. And maybe they still wouldn't get anywhere, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they weren't about to miss. Their show choir door had closed. As karma would have it, in the closing of one door a plethora of others suddenly opened.

"I'm on the edge of glory,

And I'm hanging on a moment of truth!

Out on the edge of glory,

I'm hanging on a moment with you!"

And, as they finished out the song, their voices lifting up and filling the entire room to its breaking point, Blaine knew that things were about to get very interesting. This was their first shot. It was only their first shot. It was a chance they'd been searching for. And no one could say what would come after. It was the beginning of a wild adventure. The beginning of an overabundance of wonderful experiences. The beginning of a possible career in something they loved.

"I'm on the edge, the edge, the edge, the edge,

The edge, the edge, the edge,

I'm on the edge of glory,

And I'm hanging on a moment with you!

I'm on the edge with you!"

It was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

I hope you've enjoyed this story, and I hope that you stuck with Klaine until the end.

Until next time, audience.

~SquirrelzAttack and Sarah/foraworldundeserving