Well, this is it, the epilogue. I hope you enjoyed the story. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading! :)

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Thirty – August 2024: The Summer When They Bring the Kid

The house that Blaine grew up dreaming about belongs to them. A lot of heartache came before the papers were signed and the keys handed over, and Kurt couldn't bring himself to come and stay for a few summers afterwards. But as they enter through the cherry red door, Blaine cradling their three year-old daughter in his arms, Kurt turns to him and smiles. The house holds many memories for Kurt, both good and bad, but it also holds the ghosts of the two of them as children, as does the area surrounding. The boardwalk and the beach and the rocks and the caves – they are all special in their own ways.

Katherine struggles to escape Blaine's arms and he sets her down on the polished wooden floor. She eyes him for a moment and he can see the wheels turning in her head, figuring out what exactly she can get away with. She gets a mischievous glint in her eye, a familiar one that Blaine has cherished since he was nine, and she turns around and is about to take off at a run when she looks up at Kurt and stops in her tracks. Blaine has to stifle a laugh as she crosses her arms over her chest, a tiny little mirror image of Kurt staring up at him with challenge written all over her face. "I don't think so, little miss," Kurt says.

She rolls her eyes and turns back to Blaine. "I want to see, Daddy," she says, and Blaine bends down to scoop her back up in his arms. He and Kurt share a smile and he marches her up the wide mahogany staircase to look down over the entryway. She gasps and waves down at Kurt, who waves back up and laughs. She oohs and ahhs at the elaborate chandelier and reaches out as if to try and catch it. Blaine remembers fantasizing about doing just that the first time he visited the house.

When they tuck Katherine into bed in Kurt's old room and kiss her goodnight, Kurt stands and stares for a long time until Blaine takes his hand and leads him away to the master bedroom.

They play on the beach the next day. Katherine building a sandcastle with Blaine's father while his mom reads a book and Blaine chases a complaining Kurt around with a water gun. When Blaine has promised to stop and relinquished his dripping weapon, they settle in next to Katherine and help dig out the castle's moat where she has decided there will be a water-dragon that shoots waves out of its mouth instead of fire.

"We can make a movie of it," she says. "Dad and Daddy, you can be the princes, and Uncle Coop can be the dragon."

They all laugh at that, Blaine's father hardest of all. "And who can I be?" he asks.

Katherine thinks for a long moment before responding. "You can be the lawyer that keeps Uncle Coop from going to dragon-jail when he gets in trouble for spraying water and ruining the visiting Queen's Coach luggage full of vintage couture."

"Oh, he would deserve to go to jail for that," Blaine's father teases.

"Well I didn't say you should do a good job, Grampa," Katherine replies with a little sniff and continues building the drawbridge.

Blaine meets his father's eyes over her head, both of their shoulders shaking with silent mirth.

They take Katherine to their cave after lunch when the tide is out, Blaine piggybacking her while Kurt leads the way.

"Daddy, it's crystals!" she exclaims as they duck in through the opening in the rock, pointing up at the hanging formations on the ceiling. Blaine sets her on her feet and she runs around excitedly, checking out every nook and cranny with her flashlight. Kurt and Blaine sit close together on a rock, one they have shared many times over many years, and watch their daughter explore their most special place. Next year, they know, they will be bringing along another little person to share in their past and their future – a second child due mid-winter.

Blaine feels a familiar warm sensation of seawater eyes intent upon him and turns to find Kurt smiling. "I love you," Kurt tells him. He's heard it hundreds, maybe thousands of times over the years, but hearing Kurt say it still makes butterflies swarm his belly and dance around.

Blaine returns the sentiment with his eyes and leans in to capture Kurt's lips with his own.

"Eww, no kissing," Katherine says, and turns away to examine some green slime coating a group of rocks.

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