Title: A Future Full of Possibilities

By: blaineandsamevanderson (SageK on , kaitlia777 on LJ and AO3)

Paring: Blaine/Sam

Rating: PG

Summary: After his engagement to Kurt implodes, Blaine finds a new path.

Notes: Yep, I go way too much into details about Farmington, I know…..

"I can't do it, Sam."

The words spilled out of Blaine's mouth without conscious thought as they sat, side by side, on his bed, just relaxing after finishing their homework.

"Do what, Dude?" Sam asked, concern clear in his voice and his hand a warm, welcome presence on Blaine's back.

Hands shaking, Blaine grabbed his NYADA acceptance letter from his bedside table and laid it on the comforter. "I can't go to NYADA…I don't even think I can go to New York. I need time."

Blaine had thought his heart would never hurt as much as it had last fall, but when Kurt had returned his ring and ended their relationship (telling Blaine he loved him, but they needed to move on and not cling to the past because they were afraid and wanted to be what they once were), he had discovered a new level of heartbreak. Sam had been there for him throughout, refused to let him suffer alone and Blaine was eternally grateful for his friendship.

Now, a few weeks later, he was realizing that none of his carefully made plans made sense without Kurt and attending the same school as him would be rubbing salt in the wound every day.

"You need to be somewhere that's not New York," Sam said, understanding what Blaine was saying. "So…pick the least New York of your back up schools. I know you've got like a dozen of them."

Nodding, Blaine thought over his prospects. "The University of Maine at Farmington," he said, thinking of the small, rural New England liberal arts college. "I got into the music/theatre program."

Beside him, Sam went still, then dove for his backpack, hauling out the folder Blaine had made for him to keep his own college letters organized in. He flipped through a couple of pages before selecting a sheet with a grin. "Want a roommate?"

Sam had been accepted to the school as well, had earned a nice arts scholarship and financial aid package to study Art.

Looking at the paper, Blaine asked, "You…you'd come to Maine?"

"Yes," Sam said without hesitation. "You're my best friend. I love you. We stick together, right?"

Unable to help himself, Blaine grabbed Sam in a fierce hug, so glad he wasn't going to lose his best friend to a distant school. Sam clutched him back and Blaine murmured, "We should accept our spots then and ask to room together."

Which was exactly what they did.

Tina, Artie and Mr. Shue thought they were crazy to choose Maine over New York, but the rest of the current Glee Clubbers were supportive. Sam emailed Quinn, Mercedes and Mike, still close with them, but they didn't feel the need to discuss their plans with the other graduates.

Two weeks before they planned on leaving for Maine, Sam went to spend some time with his family, which was how Blaine found himself driving a big U-Haul truck (with his Prius hitched to the back) from Lima to Kentucky. The trip took him two hours longer than it normally would have and he was beyond relieved when he finally pulled to a stop outside the Evans house.

Sam took one look at him and deposited him in the living room with Stevie and Stacy while he while he and his dad loaded Sam's things into the truck. He had far fewer boxes than Blaine (though, to be fair, many of the boxes Blaine brought were filled with items that were for both of them and there were two huge surprise boxes, one for Sam and one for Blaine, from Blaine's parents), but Sam and his dad were also adding lots of wood and beams that Sam was going to assemble in their room to turn their beds into lofts.

They slept in Kentucky that night and in the morning, after a big breakfast and multiple rounds of hugs from Sam's family, they hit the road. Sam seemed far more comfortable behind the wheel of the truck and soon they were cruising down the interstate. There was a sense of exhilaration in the air that even bad air conditioning and intermittent radio reception couldn't dim and they spent much of the day singing along with the radio or simply belting out favorite songs when all that came in was static.

That night they stopped in Buffalo and managed to make it to Portland, Maine the next day. Blaine had been the one to plan the trip and, so far, they had managed to keep to the schedule he had set for them. Move in weekend began the next day at 9am. According to MapQuest, if they checked out of the Comfort Inn at 6am, they would make it to Farmington with the other early birds.

In the morning, after stopping at a Dunkin Donuts for coffee and English muffins, they pulled onto the Maine Turnpike and soon found themselves driving up the tree lined 95N. Occasionally, they had to slow to pay a toll (and once they stopped to take a picture of a road sign that warned of moose crossing), but they had no trouble finding their way to Exit 112B (after a stop at the West Gardiner Service Plaza for Starbucks and gas, just in case) and took a right onto Rt. 27N.

Sure, there were the ubiquitous trees, but it looked like any smallish town…for about 2 minutes, then they hit a more rural vibe. Farm stands (some proudly advertising pie!), stacks of fire wood for sale, farms, fields, horses, cows….

The cute part of Belgrade they drove through looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting and Blaine definitely wanted to come back some day to poke around and take some pictures of the lake.

Not long after they passed the Franklin County line, they crested a hill and the field on the right side of the road provided an amazing view, all trees, rolling hills and mountains as far as they could see.

"Wow," he murmured, staring out the window. "Look at that."

"I know," Sam said, sounding happy and Blaine turned to grin at him.

He'd never really considered living in the country, removing himself from all he knew, but now that he was doing just that he felt light, like he was leaving a great weight behind him.

A woman was setting out a sign advertising a Farmer's Market by a place called Drouin's Market and she waved when she saw them slow to look at the sign. Now they were passing more farms, including one with an old barn and silo and an alpaca farm…and then they entered Farmington itself.

There was a big cornfield and yet another Farmer's Market, but then some more typical sights, a fire department, a pizza place, a Rite Aid, a gas station, McDonald's…and suddenly they were pulling onto the UMaine Farmington campus.

"Where's our dorm?" Sam asked, carefully maneuvering the truck down Main Street. There were more than a few early students and their families, so he was clearly being wary of distracted jay walkers.

GPS had gotten them to the campus, but finding their residence hall meant going old school. Pulling out a campus map, Blaine directed, "Take a right up here and then the next left on High Street. Mallett Hall should be the first building on the left."

It was and Sam lucked into a decent space, parking the U-Haul and engaging the break. For a moment, they just sat there, then Blaine breathed, "We're here."

"We are," Sam agreed, breaking into a grin. "We're college students."

If anyone looked into the cab of the truck, they probably wondered why the two of them were laughing like idiots, but it couldn't be helped.

When they gathered their wits again, they hopped out of the truck and made their way over to the Olsen Student Center to check in, get their student ID's made and pick up their room keys, a parking decal for Blaine's car, book lists and orientation packages. The lines were already insanely long and people seemed to be going from the line to the book store, so Blaine wasn't surprised when Sam proposed they divide and conquer once they finished registering.

Armed with his and Sam's book lists, Blaine braved the book store while Sam went back to Mallett to begin assembling the loft beds. He had considered protesting, but then he realized Sam was being nice and this was his way of not bringing up Blaine's abysmal shop grade while still keeping him away from any construction efforts.

And, after wading into the war zone like atmosphere of the book store, he realized he wasn't exactly getting off easy.

Two hours later, Blaine finally made his way back to Mallett Hall and saw Sam, sweating and shirtless, sitting on the grass, sipping from a water bottle. Seeing Blaine, he waved. "How was the battle?"

"Brutal," Blaine huffed, joining him on the ground. "I got all out books. I thought a girl was going to punch me when I got the last copy of my music theory book."

"Here a few hours and you've already made an enemy," Sam teased, offering him the water. "But, on the bright side, all the construction work is done. Now we just have to lug everything else up."

Nodding as a girl and an older man, probably her father, walked by pushing a heavily laden cart, Blaine said, "We should try to find one of those."

Sam rolled to his feet and stretched, arms above his head and torso arching. That got a few looks from passerbys and Blaine appreciated the view himself. "We've got our own," Sam told him as Blaine joined him in trotting over to the U-Haul.

"We do?" Blaine asked, then recalled the dolly that came with the truck.

Clearly though, that wasn't what Sam meant as he dragged a contraption out of the truck. It was a thick piece of plywood attached to several flat, square dollys and had a tall handle made of PVC pipe. "I didn't know there'd be ones we could use here already," Sam admitted with an embarrassed shrug.

After loading the cart with boxes and strapping the micro-fridge/microwave to the dolly, they made their way into the dorm and joined the queue of students lined up to use the elevator to haul their belongings up to the 2nd or third floor. Given that their own room was on the 2nd floor North, they has no other choice unless they wanted to move more than one or two boxes at a time.

"Room 209, home sweet home," Sam said as Blaine opened the door and stepped into the room to gape.

"Sam!" he exclaimed in awe, looking around at the structures Sam had built in his absence.

On his right, past the small closet door, was a tall, rectangular wooden construct with a side full of shelves. Across from it was a more traditional looking bunk bed made out of sturdy wooden beams, but it lacked a lower bunk, leaving the floor space available for use. Beyond the 'bunk bed', a multi-shelved storage rack was situated against the wall, almost looking like a stripped down kitchen island. The two desks and chairs, provided by the school, were set against the far wall, facing out the window to look out over trees and the lawn to see the next dorm.

"This is amazing!" he continued, walking slowly into the room and peeing at the boxy structure. "How in the heck did you get this all built so quickly?"

Sam shrugged and began unloading boxes from the cart, tucking them under the bunk bed for the moment. Once they got all the boxes into the room, then they could go about sorting everything out. "It wasn't hard. Dad and I had all the pieces built and guide holes drilled, so it was just assembly."

Situating the fridge between the two desks, Blaine stepped over and ran a hand along the smooth corner of the box. A ladder was built into the end and there was a door, so of course Blaine had to open it and peer inside.

The interior ceiling of the box sat only a few inches over his head (Sam would probably bump his head if he stood straight) and had two tap lights fixed to it, while the outer wall was lined with more shelves. The wall on the end had a storage shelf at the bottom and two rods for hanging clothes, separated by a thin, horizontal drawer.

"That's for your bow ties," Sam said and Blaine turned to see him standing in the door frame.

With a grin, Blaine asked, "You built me a bow tie drawer?"

How sweet was that?

It took them four more trips up and down and then an additional trip down to the storage area in the creepy basement (to store their bikes and Blaine's ski equipment) before they had the truck emptied out. Sweaty and gross, they decided to take the U-Haul down to return it at the Farmington Farmer's union…which turned out to be located on the street behind Scott Hall, just off campus.

Since they were already down there, Blaine parked his car in Lot 18, one of the places first year students were allowed to leave their vehicles, and then they hiked back up to the Student Center, just catching the end of lunch hours in the South Dining Hall. As they were both starving, they were glad for a meal rather than small snack foods.

Blaine had an Angus burger with cheese, tomato, lettuce and grilled onion, fries and a coke while Sam opted for a grilled chicken, spinach and tomato sandwich with apple slices and an iced tea. Both of them were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and Sam was delighted by the large healthy options menu.

Once they finished their late lunch, they made their way back to their new home to tackle the task of unpacking.

Mallett Hall was a large, 3 story brick building on High Street, across from the Mantor Library. It was one of the themed residence halls on campus, separated by floors or wings depending on specific interests or ideas. Both 1st Floor North and South were dedicated gender neutral housing while 2nd N (where Blaine and Sam's room was) and S were designated as Artists Affinity. 3rd Floor N was where many exchange students were housed and 3rd Floor S was a Sustainable Living Community. Each floor had a front common room that separated the wings and all outer doors required a student ID to access the building.

They entered through the front doors, forgoing the ramp now that they weren't laden down with the trollies and took the stairs inside as well.

The hall was even more crowded than it had been earlier, filled with students and their families, most doors open, everyone talking and carrying things around. A slightly frantic vibe of excitement filled the air and they exchanged hellos with passing students before ducking into the relative safety of their room to begin unpacking their own mountain of boxes.

"Dude, I can't believe you taped laminated inventory sheets to the side of all your boxes," Sam said in amusement, wrestling the air conditioner into the window in an attempt to combat the stifling heat.

Grabbing the window fans, Blaine ducked into the storage cube to stow them away until the weather grew cooler and the A/C became unnecessary. "It's helpful, isn't it," he commented upon emerging and tackled his suitcase, wanting to get his clothes out and hung up ASAP. "Which bed would you like?"

Sam chucked a thumb at the bunk bed. "I'll take that one," he said. "Unless you want it. Both are sturdy as hell and held up to me and dad jumping on them, so there aren't any stability issues either way."

"Plus the ladder on the cube might be easier for a vertically challenged person?" Blaine guessed, making Sam laugh. "Cool."

All of Sam's clothes and shoes fit in his closet and Blaine was pleased to see that most of his own did as well. A few things, including his bowties, did go into the cube and he was just opening a box labeled 'Kitchen Electrics' when a voice startled him.

"Holy shit! That's cool! Mom, check this out."

A girl was standing in the doorway, peering into their room. She gave them a big smile as an older woman appeared behind her shoulder.

"Hi," Sam said in his typical, friendly tone. "I'm Sam, this is Blaine."

"Jade," she said brightly, stepping forward as far as the large pile of boxes would allow. "How'd you get a room with these beds?"

Blaine grinned. "Sam built them, actually, and installed them earlier."

Eyes wide and impressed, Jade's mother asked, "How did you know how large to make them?"

"We called the school and asked for the room's measurements, then me and my dad built them to spec," Sam told them, looking both pleased and embarrassed by the attention.

"There's a whole big storage closet under my bed," Blaine told them, then grinned fondly. "He even built a special drawer for my bow ties."

"You wear bow ties?" Jade asked with a big smile, then blinked at Sam. "How'd you know he wears bowties enough to need a drawer for them?"

"Best friends," Sam replied, holding out a hand to Blaine for a fist bump. "We went to high school together."

"Cool," she commented. "So…artists? I'm in creative writing."

"Music/Theatre for me," Blaine told her. "Art for Sam."

"Jade, your father has finally stopped cursing at the bookcase. We should get back to unpacking and let these boys do the same. It was nice to meet you both."

As they left, Blaine placed his Keurig coffee maker and an electric tea kettle atop the microwave. Sam opened a box and laughed. "A box full of collapsible storage bins…That's like, ironic or parad…."

Sam trailed off and Blaine provided, "Paradoxical?"

"Yeah, that," Sam agreed, piling the folded bins on his desk so he could stack the now empty Rubbermaid box with others of its kind.

Thanks to Blaine's admittedly anal compulsive lists, the made quick work of unpacking most of the remaining boxes.

Sheets and towels went into bins on shelves in the cube. Cleaning supplies and personal hygiene/grooming products got appropriately sized Rubbermaid containers (to avoid leaks) and were also placed in the cube. Sam's tool kit, their first aid kit, flashlights and umbrellas were stored neatly and Blaine's iron, clothing steamer, lint brush and sewing kit had their own small bin. Each of their shower caddies sat on the shelf beside the big bin of hygiene/grooming products and, for now, they piled all the extension cords, spare power strips, surge protectors and assorted cables into a bin, to be sorted out and used as needed.

The TV went onto the appropriately sized shelf on the side of the cube, as did the DVD/Blu Ray player and X-Box, while the wireless printer/scanner/copier went into the cube. They stored the humidifier (which Blaine's mother insisted they would need) on an interior shelf and stacked their books, notebooks and assorted other school supplies on their desks (to be organized later), sticking a dry erase message board to the outside of their door and a cork board to the wall between the windows, up high so it could be seen above the fridge/microwave and coffeemaker.

Plates, bowls and noodle bowls (with chopsticks) went in a bin on one of the lower island shelves. Utensils and other necessities (like a peeler, a melon baller, a pizza cutter, tongs, a spatula, a mixing spoon, measuring spoons/cups etc.) were stored in a bin beside it, while their strainer and Tupperware had a separate bin on the bottom shelf, as did the paper plates, paper towels, Ziploc bags, trash bags, reusable shopping totes, tin foil and saran wrap.

On the shelf that was essentially a counter top, Sam sat a Nutri-Bullet mixer and on the shelf above that stored the coffee tree (for Blaine's K-cups), a large tin of tea leaves and a container of sugar. Cups, mugs, water bottles and travel mugs went above that and, on the very top, they placed their lunch coolers, a take-out menu organizer and an immersion blender. Magnetic chip clips were stuck to the fridge, the hamper set into a nook in the cube and they tucked the tiny dorm safe into a corner of the cube. Batteries went into the bin with the cords and Blaine happily set up an iPod dock and speaker on one of the cube's outer shelves.

Together, they arranged pictures of their friends and families on a couple of shelves, mingled their glee, football, polo, swimming and boxing trophies on another. Unable to help himself, Blaine brought his phrenology head and binoculars from home and they went on a shelf, as did his antique camera and toy robot. A few action figures, a heavy pewter pyramid and a selection of their favorite movies filled a few more shelves, but several were left bare…but Blaine had a feeling they would soon enough be filled as they accumulated stuff.

That accomplished, they were just left with the giant boxes from Blaine's parents. He had some idea of what was in his box, as his father had told him not to bring his laptop, just a zip drive with the files he needed. That obviously meant there had to be a computer in the box.

They each opened their boxes to find a Twin XL Memory Foam Mattress Pad, a set of Northern Nights Twin XL sheets and a nice down comforter.

"Mom got sneaky," Blaine commented as they put the bedding up on the beds to be dealt with later when they weren't s sweaty. "Until just now, I didn't notice that the comforters we packed up in Lima are missing. Mom or Dad must have taken the box out of the truck before I left!"

Sam grinned and shook his head. "I didn't notice either. Too much going on, you know?"

True enough.

On the next foray into the boxes, they pulled out maroon UMF sweatshirts and flannel L.L. Bean pajamas. There were also flip flops (Blaine's mother was terrified of the possibility of fungus in communal showers), fleece hats, scarfs and gloves and a nice North Face Vortex Triclimate Jacket (red for Blaine, green for Sam) for each of them.

By the time he saw the jacket, Sam was beginning to look uncomfortable. "Your parents don't need to get this stuff for me," he said, touching the vivid green jacket but not lifting it, knowing from the sheer size of the box that there was still more hidden under it.

Blaine offered him a smile. "I think this is their way of letting you know they think of you like part of the family," he said and that was the truth. His parents adored Sam.

"But this stuff is so expensive…."

"They'll be insulted if you don't accept it," Blaine told him, knowing that would get him to cave. "We can call and say thank you later."

After a moment of hesitation, Sam nodded, but his eyes still bugged out when he unearthed a MacBook Pro, a wireless mouse, speakers, a track pad, an iPad, a wireless keyboard, USB cables, USB adapters, a few spare zip drives, noise cancelling headphones, a universal charging station, a desk organizer lamp, a desk drawer organizer, a lapdesk, a Firefly Fresco Graphic Table and Pen and a whole bunch of art software. Blaine got the same, but instead of the art gear, he found a Samson Meteor Mic, a fader/mixing board and music software.

They both thanked Blaine's parents profusely.

Together, they set up their new computers and equipment before organizing their desks and tacking copies of their scheduals to the cork board. Carefully, they mounted their guitars on the wall, placed Blaine's electric piano at a right angle to his desk and put Blaine's violin and Sam's flute (which Blaine had only recently discovered he could play) on a small shelf fixed to the wall with command strips.

"We're in the home stretch!" Sam cheered, stacking the now empty packing boxes into two piled. They each grabbed one and dragged them down to the basement, passing a few other students doing the same.

Upon returning to the room, Sam sprawled on the cool, brown vinyl tile floor and Blaine shook his head in amusement before joining him. The loft bed provided them plenty of room for a couple chairs or a love seat, but for now the floor would have to do.

There had to be some kind of furniture store nearby….

"Hiya, boys!" Jade said brightly as she wandered through the open door, another girl trailing behind her. "Wow! You two did some work. Looks good."

"Hi," the other girl offered with a little wave. "I'm Liz, Jade's roommate."

"Nice to meet you," Blaine said, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I'm Blaine, this is Sam."

Jade had wandered over to peer at their pictures and she asked, "You're both performers? I thought Sam was an art major?"

"I am," Sam told her with a grin. "But that doesn't mean I can't like singing and playing my guitar."

"Sam's multi-talented," Blaine said, earning a pleased smile from his friend.

Somehow, they wound up going to dinner with the girls and their parents and it was a good bonding experience. Everyone they met was really open and friendly, willing to reach out to introduce themselves, a vast difference from high school.

After dinner, with the adults gone (Jade's to their room at the Mt. Blue Motel and Liz's home to Belgrade), they sat on bean bag chairs in the girl's room, chatting with them and two of their fellow hall mates, Stephanie and Laura, who lived in the room to the right of Liz and Jade.

"All right, the important stuff!" Stephanie said during a lull in the conversation. "You boys seeing anyone?"

That was direct.

"Single," Sam replied, then frowned before continuing, "I've had really bad luck with love and someone told me I should take some time to get to know who I am and what I want before jumping into my next relationship."

Blaine reached over and patted his arm. He knew about and agreed with the advice Penny had given Sam. "I'm not seeing anyone either. I was engaged…but it didn't work out."

All four girls looked surprised but sympathetic and Laura said, "You were engaged…but you're so young!"

With a sigh, Blaine nodded. "Well, I thought he was my soul mate, so it seemed like the next logical step."

This time it was Sam who reached out to clasp Blaine's shoulder comfortingly. "So…are you both into guys? Cuz, you do realize this school is like 70% girls, right?" Jade asked with a grin. "Not exactly stacking the odds in your favor."

Shaking his head in amusement, "Blaine replied, "I'm gay, Sam's not."

It was refreshing that they took that information without question and moved on to the next topic, chatting about the next days orientation schedule.

"Kate, our RA – have you guys met her?—says tomorrow's gonna be even crazier than today. Most everyone here today are freshmen like us who wanted to get a jump on things…tomorrow, the straggling first years and everyone else will show up."

So basically tomorrow would be insane.

They spent the next couple of hours with the girls, talking about everything and nothing. Liz (a native of the Belgrade Lakes area) helpfully filled everyone in on what stores were near by, like Walmart and a place called Big Lots, where they could find inexpensive furnishings and other items.

Before bed, Blaine discovered having co-ed bathrooms was definitely a good thing, as it meant individual shower and toilet stalls. He set his clothes down on the bench in the outer stall before having a quick, hot shower, washing away layers of sweat and hair gel.

"That wasn't bad at all," Sam commented as they made their way back to their rooms. "I guess no one wants to have to shower locker room style all the time."

"No," Blaine agreed. "Everyone needs a little privacy…and since we're sharing with the girls, maybe it'll stay clean."

The boys rooms at McKinley had been nasty. Most of the Glee guys took to using the girls room that had become known as the Slushee Clean Up Zone, where no one was surprised to see boys washing syrup out of their hair.

Sam nodded. "That would be nice."

They day had been a long one, so they crawled to make their beds and collapsed onto them with relieved sighs.

Of course, then they realized they couldn't turn off the light from their beds and Sam hopped down to kill it. Blaine held up his phone to light the room enough for Sam to scramble back into his bed.

"Night, Sam," Blaine said, relaxing back against his pillows with a sigh. Today was the first day of their lives as college students.

It was a good day.

"Night, Blaine," Sam replied, then went quiet for a moment before he murmured, "I think I'm gonna like it here."

Smiling into the dark, Blaine agreed, "Me too."

Sam woke slowly, warm under his blankets despite the cool air of the room. He stretched and opened his eyes, grinning to himself as he remembered where he was.

For so long, college has seemed an unattainable fantasy, but here he was. A college student, rooming with his best friend in the world.

It was a dream…one he would work hard to hold on to. He might not be brilliant, but he was a hard worker. He would graduate and make his parents proud.

He'd make Blaine, who had been the one who convinced him to believe in himself again, proud.

Glancing across the room, he saw the small lump of blankets that was Blaine, still obviously asleep and breathing slowly. All Sam could see of Blaine was the cloud of curls on the pillow and he figured there was no need to wake him just yet.

As quietly as he could, Sam crawled out from under the covers and made his bed, hopping lightly to the floor and hissing when his bare feet hit the cool vinyl. Quickly, he changed into his running clothes, pocketing his ID, room key, some cash and his iPod, and set out for an early run.

Barely 6 AM and already the air was heavy with humidity. Everything was shockingly quiet and, until he slipped the buds into his ears, all he could hear was the slap of his sneakers on the pavement.

Heading down High Street, he cut through the parking lot by Olsen and made his way down to Hippach Field before turning right and jogging up Front Street, past the Farmers Union, Prescott Field and Narrow Gauge Square. He made a right onto Broadway and slowed as he approached Main Street. Most of the stores were still closed, though he saw someone setting out chairs and rainbow striped umbrellas by a shop called Java Joe's Corner Café.

Though there was a Dunkin' Donuts right on the way back to campus, he chose to head toward the smaller Café. Entering the shop, he was hit by the scent of fresh coffee and baked goods and looked around at the array of pictures and art displayed on the walls.

He joined the short line and soon stepped up the counter, ordering himself and iced tea, black, and an iced North Words blend coffee (milk and three sugars) for Blaine and two honey cinnamon oatmeal bagels with fresh blueberry cream cheese.

He couldn't run with two coffees and a bag of bagels in his hands, so he simply walked up Broadway and took a right onto High Street. A few minutes later, he was trotting back up the stairs of Mallett Hall, nodding at a few girls and guys as he passed them.

Entering their room, Sam chuckled to see that Blaine hadn't moved an inch from his earlier position. Since it was after 7:30, he decided it wasn't too early to wake him.

"Blaine," he said, depositing the drinks and bagels on his desk. "Wake up dude. I brought breakfast."

Blaine let out a muffled grunt and flailed a bit, but didn't rise.

With a laugh, Sam picked up the iced coffee and swirled it, causing the ice to rattle in the cup. "I brought you a coffee," he sing-songed and, of course, that encouraged Blaine to sit up, blinking bleary eyes at him.

"I love you," Blaine sighed, accepting the cup and taking a long sip. "Oh, that's good."

Grinning up at him, Sam said, "I got you a bagel too. Come down from your perch and eat."

Reluctantly, Blaine surrendered his coffee long enough to climb down from the bed. While Sam set out their bagels, Blaine ran down to the bathroom and then they ate.

The bagels were awesome.

"Where did you get these?" Blaine asked after swallowing his first bite. There was a smear of cream cheese on his lip and he wiped it away with his thumb, which he then licked, not wanting to waste it.

Sam gave himself a mental shake, not sure why that distracted him so. "I took a run around the area this morning," he said, waving a hand to indicate his sweaty running clothes. "There's a little café downtown. Java Joe's."

Smiling, Blaine asked, "Feel up for a walk around town this morning?" He consulted the itinerary they picked up with their welcome packets the previous day. "Since we registered and got our books yesterday, we have the morning free until the lunch/matriculation ceremony at noon."

"Sure," Sam agreed and finished his bagel before trotting off to have a quick shower and change.

Wet hair soaking the shoulders of his worn, blue Captain America T-shirt, Sam returned to the room to collect Blaine, who looked is neatly put together is ever in Navy khaki shorts, a red polo and a navy and white striped bowtie, his hair gelled into submission…though not plastered to his head.

They cut between Mantor Library and Preble Hall, across a field and by the art gallery until they hit Main Street and turned right. Passing the post office, they looked across the street to Dunkin' Donuts (which was crowded) and a currently closed restaurant called The Roost before ducking in to poke around Tranten's Market.

As it was early, some businesses, like the banks and insurance companies weren't open, but that really wasn't a disappointment. They spent about 20 minutes looking around a fun store called Mooseville, looking at all the cool, little figurines, t-shirts and assorted items. Eventually, Blaine did purchase a Mocha Maine Mud Chocolate Sauce, a jar of blueberry rhubarb jam and a container of Dark Chocolate Moose Munch (popcorn, cashews and almonds covered in caramel and chocolate).

Twice Sold Tales was a used book store and, for all that reading gave Sam trouble thanks to his dyslexia, it was an awesome store. It smelled like old paper…in a good way and Blaine seemed delighted by the selection of old, hardcover and obscure books.

A wave in Sam's world over them as they stepped into Liquid Sunshine, a new age sort of store. The displays of crystals and incense and natural fiber clothing were nice though and Sam thought maybe come back to get his mom a necklace for Christmas.

Turning up Broadway, they passed a barbershop and The Calico Patch ( a gift shop), The Homestead Restaurant and a Reny's (which seemed to be a small department store). There were a few vintage and thrift stores for them to peruse at a place called Soup For You!, which they decided they had to come try ASAP.

Everyday Music had a very interesting selection of CDs, records and instruments and they grabbed take-out menu from the Farmington House of Pizza.

By the time they finished looking around Devaney, Doakes and Garrett Books and Sensi Side Clothes and Smoke Shop, it was almost 11, so they wandered back toward campus. As soon as they turned onto Main, they could see chaos unfolding. Cars and trucks lined the sides of the road and people rushed about, laden down with bags and boxes.

"I'm so glad we came yesterday," Sam breathed in shock and Blaine nodded. Yesterday had been busy, this was a madhouse.

After dropping Blaine's purchases off at the room, they headed over to the luncheon Jade, Liz, Stephanie and Laura and a few of guys from their Hall, Shane, Bill, John and Loki (and wasn't back just the coolest nickname ever?), along with several parents.

There were a bunch of options on the menu, but both Blaine and Sam chose the baked haddock as they were both big fans of seafood. Between the 10 students and as many parents, they took up a whole table, chattering happily as they ate.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're a Captain America fan," Loki said to Sam at one point and Sam grinned.

"Heck yeah," he replied. "Cap's my favorite, but I love all Marvel comics…and DC…and the Walking Dead."

That comment led to everyone divulging their fandom interests and, after about 10 minutes of the parents present looking more and more confused, Blaine said, to no one in particular, "I like your shoelaces."

Everyone went still for a moment before coursing. "Thanks. I stole them from the president."

Okay, so Tumblr names would be exchanged later, when the parents weren't around.

Liz's mother was completely confused and, looking down at her daughter's flip-flops, said, "You don't have shoelaces. What are you talking about?"

Thankfully that was when the President of UMF, Kathryn Foster, decided to rise and begin her welcome speech. She greeted all the new students and wished them a successful time at the school. Then someone from the student life office outlined the activities for the day and the programs that would be available for all students.

When the lunch ended, Sam followed Blaine over to the computer center for a seminar called Technology, Connections and FAQ's for Success at UMF. It was pretty informative, as was the campus tour that followed.

At the end of the tour, the guide handed out rape whistles to everyone, warning, "Only use this if you think something bad is going to happen to you. It's not a toy. A couple of years ago, a girl had her boyfriend visiting and he picked up the whistle and blew it in her room. Two boys in her dorm broke the door down to try to save her."

That sounded reasonable to Sam. If he thought someone was being raped, he'd totally bust down a door to stop it.

During the break for dinner, Liz took them (well, Blaine drove, she directed) to the local Hannaford's grocery store, with a stocked up on essentials (fruit, peanut butter, bread, cereal, milk, juice, soda, Doritos and Hostess Cupcakes) to keep in their dorm room. They also drove around for a while, familiarizing themselves with the area.

Then there was a dinner and a hall meeting (where they met their resident advisor, a junior with pink and blue streaks in her hair named Kate) and a make your own stuffed animal activity at the Landing (the lower level of Olsen).

Sam made a husky dog and Blaine a moose.

After that, everyone went back to hang around their rooms. Doors hung open in people wandered in and out, many types of music mixing.

Steph hauled out a box filled with an array of nail polishes and Blaine and Sam shrugged, joining the girls in decorating their nails. Blaine went with a clear, but glittery polish, while Sam decided to go big and put different colors on each nail.

He'd always kind of wanted to try nail polish, he loved all the colors the girls in glee wore, but he hadn't wanted to deal with the harassment that would've gotten him at McKinley.

College was going to be different though.

He could feel it in his bones.

Blaine and arrange their schedules carefully. They had two classes together before noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (Introduction to Archaeology and College Life & Choices), a late afternoon class on Monday (Art on the Edge for Sam, Theory & Aural Skills I for Blaine) and two mid-day classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Introduction to Mathematics and Painting I for Sam, Chorus and Introduction to Biology for Blaine).

It was a good schedule and left them plenty of time to study and socialize.

At the student activity fair, they each expanded their circle of friends and interests. They both joined the UMF theater group, the coed flag football team, the outing club, the zombies vs. humans club and the LGBT/allies group. Sam also signed up for a group called the Art Rengades.

The entire college community had a very comfortable feel to it and, throughout the month September, it really did become a home to them.

A few weeks in and Blaine caved, backing away most of his dry clean only/ironing required clothes and choosing instead to stick with his jeans and T-shirts and flannels he picked up at Reny's.

Leaves were beginning to fall, littering the campus lawns with vibrant reds and golds. Sam often came home with streaks of those colors on his arms and 'painting clothes' as he seemed intent on capturing the foliage on canvas.

On a random Tuesday, as they walked across campus, Sam laid a hand on Blaine's arm, stopping him. Then he reached up and plucked a spectacularly red leaf from Blaine's hair….

"Oh my God, I forgot to gel!" Blaine exclained, hands flying up to his head.

Sam laughed. "Relax. Your curls are awesome."

He was still standing so close, and smiling warmly, eyes soft and full of affection. Sometimes Blaine thought….

No, not going there.

"Really?" He asked, realizing that no one had looked at him funny word teased him about his hair.

Nodding seriously, Sam said, "Really. I mean, gel up if you like it, but you don't need it. Let your hair breathe every now and then!"

When Sam slung his arm around Blaine's shoulders as they continued across campus, Blaine hoped the brisk wind could be used as an excuse for his red cheeks.

"That your Halloween costume?"

Sam looked down at himself and then back up at Blaine. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because…."

"Sam's helping us make a statement!" Liz said, straightening her devil horns. "If girls costumes are tiny and sexualized, boys costumes should be too!"

Sam nodded. "It's only fair," he agreed, noting the way Blaine's eyes slid up and down his displayed skin, his weight booty shorts, wings and halo. "I'm an angel."

Blaine looked like he wanted to do some really non-angelic things to Sam and Sam…well, he found himself liking those looks more and more…found himself looking at Blaine often and wondering, wanting….

"You are an angel," Blaine agreed, then blushed. "Aren't you going to be cold?"

Shaking his head, Sam said, "The party's over at Olsen. I won't be outside for long."

So that was how Blaine wound up dancing with a barely clothed Sam on a table while he wore his gold Cheerios uniform…and having a hell of a good time.

After Christmas break, Blaine drove to Kentucky to pick Sam up for the return trip to school and found himself crushed in an embrace as soon as he stepped out of the car.

"I missed you!" Sam said, breath hot against Blaine's ear.

Pressing close, Blaine closed his eyes and enjoyed the long hug. "Missed you too!"

Blaine loved that no one thought anything of him randomly busting out his guitar and singing. Any place was fair game.

He had a standing slot to play at The Roost on Fridays and The Dugout on Saturday. When he played outside Java Joe's the locals even stopped to listen. Sometimes Sam joined him and those time were his favorite, as they just sounded great together and had fun.

When Mt. Titcomb opened for the season, Blaine had called the resort manager and inquired about playing there. So, on Saturday afternoons, they bundled up and played by the base lodge for an hour, freezing but having a blast.

After a few weeks, they were invited to play inside, as the guests enjoyed their music but didn't want to stand around out in the cold to listen.

Blaine almost missed playing outside, as it meant they had to warm up after, usually piling onto the Moody Sofa he'd bought to put under Sam's bunk bed. They'd fill mugs with cocoa and huddle together under fleece until they felt warm again…or nodded off, curled around each other, watching the snow fall outside the window.

Campus was gorgeous covered in a thick blanket of snow. Wrapped in their coats, hats and mittens, everyone enjoyed the fun of winter activities, sledding, skiing at Mount Titcomb (Blaine was teaching Sam), ice-skating, making snowmen and snow angels.

Covered in snow from an impromptu snowball fight, Blaine and Sam laughed as they walked toward Java Joe's for a mid afternoon hot chocolate. Blaine's nose was red with the cold and his eyes sparkled up Sam and he looked so happy and beautiful….

Sam didn't realize what he was doing until he was kissing Blaine, lips warm and soft.

When he pulled back, they both stared at each other for a moment, then Blaine smiled and Sam knew everything was okay.

Better than okay when Blaine's mittens grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to initiate kiss number two.

Their dorm mates teased them good-naturedly, saying they'd seen them getting together from that first day of orientation.

"You know, we could probably say we've been on dozens of dates," Sam said, squeezing Blaine's hand as they sat across from each other at The Homestead.

Blaine smiled at him. "We could," he agreed, because they went on bro-dates all the time. "But I want to take you on a real first date. Indulge me?"

"You know I will," Sam said, grinning what he knew was a sappy grin and ignoring the 'awww' from a table full of his Sculpture I classmates.

Laughing, Blaine slipped a glow stick necklace around Sam's neck and kissed him. "I got these for us and the others so will be able to find each other if anyone staggers off into the woods drunk and passes out."

Sam wrapped his arms around him. "My boyfriend, the genius."

"I told you it would hold up."

"I'll never question your craftsmanship again."

"Wanna go for round two?"

"If this loft collapses, no sex for a mo…week."

The end of spring semester was hectic and bittersweet. Blaine's parents rented a storage unit, so at least they didn't have to haul all of their stuff to Ohio.

Instead, they spent the summer working as camp counselors at the Maine Arts Camp (held at Unity College).

They did have a few weeks to see their parents and friends (though none of their friends their age or older chose to return to Lima for the summer), so they caught up with the soon-to-be seniors Jake, Marley, Ryder, Kitty, Sugar and Unique, all of who were completely not shocked to discover they were a couple.

When Sam found out that Blaine had never been to a county fair, he all but carried him to the gates of the Farmington Fair, insisting it was a necessary life experience.

Once Blaine tried the Deep Fried Bacon Puffs and the maple sugar candy, he had to agree.

Pumpkin Festival.

Kissing in the corn maze.

Playing in piles of bright leaves.

Sam loved Maine in the fall.

In December, the UMF Orchestra performed a piece Blaine had composed during one of their concerts and it was very well received, earning him attention and accolades.

"Oh my God!"

Blaine cringed and clutched at Sam's hand when the body piercing artist plunged a huge needle through his nostril, piercing it and the cork shoved up his nose.

To Blaine's shock, it didn't hurt much and soon he had a tiny little stud glittering on the side of his nose.

Sam seemed more freaked out than he was and Blaine squeezed his hand tightly. "How did you manage to get your ear pierced if this freaks you out so much?" he teased gently, pulling Sam in for a kiss.

Long hair obscuring the view of the hoop in his ear lobe, Sam rolled his eyes. "I was drunk with Steph and John. You just did this sober. You're a badass, Blaine. My badass."

"How did we let you guys talk us into this?"

"Oh, calm down…and you're up here because you love us."

"We do," Sam said and Blaine sighed as he looked at Steph, John and Liz.

"Still, it's a bit much…."

They had bought spotlights and filters at Walmart and were on the dorm roof, flashing said spotlights. There was an odd guy who lived in town who spent most of his nights wrapped in tinfoil, waiting for the aliens to come get him.

So, they were on the roof, flashing lights to see if he freaked out.

The next day, word around town was the man was supremely disgruntled to have been left behind yet again.

Another summer, another summer at camp.

Before junior year, they rented an apartment. It wasn't much, just a small studio, but it was all they needed.

Hunting was not their thing.

Sam had cried and muttered sadly about Bambi for weeks after they went hunting with Liz and her brothers. They didn't kill anything themselves, but neither of them had liked seeing that deer shot.

February found them at an art show in Portland, were some of Sam's work was being displayed. The reviews were great, for his paintings and his less traditional, found object art and more than a few pieces were sold.

Blaine's favorite was the tree Sam is made out of old ski poles, wire and discarded silverware. The piece was painted in the fall colors that Sam loved.

"Free the boobies?"

Nodding earnestly, Sam said, "Yup. I'm gonna march with the girls. If we can be shirtless in hot weather, they should be able to do it too!"

In Maine, he was perfectly legal for a woman to go shirtless in public, but they simply didn't because of the stigma society placed on revealed breasts…so there was a parade of topless women happening today and Sam was showing his support by painting a slogan on his own chest.

Jade had already proofread his paint, so he figured it was spelled right.

After a minute of contemplation, Blaine pulled off his own shirt. "Paint me!"

Summer spent abroad in Paris, immersing themselves in the arts and touring Europe.

Laying on their bed, Sam kissed Blaine's cheek on a cool October morning before he slipped out of bed to head out on a run.

Blaine stirred and blinked at him sleepily. "Hey."

"Morning."

"I want to marry you someday."

The statement was soft and easy and Sam returned Blaine's warm smile. "Good. I want to marry you too."

"Awesome."

Senior year flew by in a rush of performances, plays, concerts and art shows.

Crossing the stage in caps and gowns was amazing and Blaine saw his parents and Cooper in the audience with Sam's family, all of them beaming proudly.

Blaine turned to watch Sam accept his diploma, sunlight glinting off the ring on his finger, the one that matched Blaine's.

They weren't married yet, but last night, when Sam had gotten down on one knee and proposed, Blaine it smiled and accepted, kissing him firmly before pulling out the ring he'd gotten Sam, intending to propose to him. Sam was his delighted to where Blaine's ring as Blaine was to wear Sam's.

Next week, they were heading down to New York, moving there to make a stab at making it in the Big Apple. Sam had work appearing in several shows over the summer and job lined up in the art department of an advertising company. Blaine figured he'd find a job and go on auditions, try to make it to Broadway or book a job singing somewhere.

As long as they were together, things would be perfect.

"Oh. You're all here."

Santana rolled her eyes at Kitty's statement and said, "Yeah, the elevators busted at our place, so it was a no go for your boyfriend."

How Artie was still with Kitty after four years, Santana had no clue… Then again, she didn't know how she'd survived that long living with Rachel and Kurt.

Yeah, they were still roommates. Each of them had found some minor success, but had yet to hit it big and it was just safer to live together and save money, considering how insane rent was in New York City.

Still, their endless streams of himbos were annoying, as neither of them seem to rush to settle down. Not that she had anything against sowing wild oats, but she disliked pretty boy morons who lived off self tanner and protein shakes.

Making her way into the apartment she shared with Artie, Kitty nodded to Santana, Rachel, Kurt and Dani before turning to Artie. "I have friends coming over. I told you that."

He shrugged. "I know. The more the merrier."

Kitty's eyes ticked over to where Kurt and Rachel was refilling their wine glasses. "I guess…."

The knock on the door interrupted her and she pounced at it, tossing it open and was immediately swept up in a hug by a tall, broad shouldered man with long, dark blond hair….

"Sam?" Artie said, sounding shocked, then delighted. "Boy, get in here!"

Once Kitty was released, Sam bent to grab Artie in a hug. He looked even broader shouldered than Santana recalled, muscular arms and chest taxing his red and white striped T-shirt. Someone had taught him how to care for long hair over the past four years, as the spill blond hair held back by a blue bandanna looked clean and well shaped. Even the chin scruff suited….

Oh.

Another man had entered behind Sam to be tackled by Kitty. He was smaller but still well-built, with a dark head full of glossy curls and dark stubble covering his chin. His black glasses were a little nerdy, but the pierced nose countered that a bit….

Holy shit!

"Blaine!?" she blurted, drawing his surprised gaze.

"They weren't supposed to be here," she heard Kitty water is Artie, Kurt, Rachel and Dani joined them to greet the newcomers.

"Oh my God, look at you two!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging them both. "It's been ages!"

"You both look like lumberjacks," Kitty said, patting the dark hair on Blaine's cheek. "Did you lose your razor and forget to buy replacement for a week or so?"

Sam laughed easily as Blaine rolled his eyes. "I shaved a couple of days ago."

"You're a Chia Pet, dude," Sam teased, slinging an arm around Blaine's shoulders.

"I thought you two were New Hampshire," Kurt said suddenly and Santana looked over at him. He didn't look upset, which was good, just a little uncomfortable. "What brings you to our city?"

"Maine," Blaine offered brightly. "We went to college in Maine. Sam's got a couple of art shows coming up here and a job at Maguire and Lowery advertising and…."

"And Blaine's already auditioning," Sam said, smiling down at Blaine. "He went on a bunch the past couple of days while I unpacked."

Kitty snorted as Kurt and Rachel howled, "You went on auditions like that!?"

Clearly, they didn't like Blaine's look. Personally, Santana thought it was good that he'd managed to shake his crippling hair gel addiction, but she could do without the beard.

"Well, I can't wait to see what ludicrously spacious lofty to managed to find in a trendy area for an inexplicably low price," Kitty quipped, ignoring Kurt and Rachel and Blaine laughed.

Sam rolled his eyes. "We didn't end up in the loft after all."

"Mom and Dad got us a townhouse in SoHo as a combination graduation/engagement present," Blaine told her and Santana froze.

What?

Kurt Rachel and Artie were similarly thrown, while Dani looked confused and Kitty let out a shriek before pouncing in grabbing their hands, demanding, "Let me see the ring…rings! Oh, you two are adorable!"

It was Artie threw off the shock first. "You two telling me Blam actually happened? Damn, Tina's gonna be pissed!"

Blaine rolled his eyes and Sam laughed, prodding his ribs.

In a high, slightly strained voice, Kurt asked, "Why would Tina be upset? She's been over her little crush for years."

Artie grimaced as Kitty informed the room, "Well, back when Blaine and Sam were seniors, Tina was the only one who bet against them ending up together."

"What?" Santana found herself chorusing with Kurt and Rachel.

"Kitty!" Blaine admonished, but he was smiling shyly and Sam gave him a besotted look and kissed the side of his head.

Huh.

"Oh, please, like it was subtle with all the hugging and duets and Blam power and Phil Collins," Kitty said with a grin. "Ooooh, can I call Sugar and let her know? She'll probably crawl through the phone line from Chicago to smother you both with over caffeinated love and excitement."

Laughing, Sam nodded and she ushered them into the living room, everyone else following.

"I still don't understand," Kurt said in that strangled tone. "Last I heard Sam was straight."

Santana was a little curious about that too.

"Love is love," Sam said gently and Blaine nodded, slipping his hand into Sam's.

They looked comfortable together. Settled and happy and just…connected.

Weird.

Throughout the conversation, whenever Kitty asked questions about their relationship, Kurt grimaced, looking strained, but refrained from saying much. Sure, Kurt had been the one to end things with Blaine, but they were first loves and seeing him moving on and in love again…Santana knew a little of how he felt. It was still a bit tough to see Britt, especially when Britt brought the man or woman she was currently seeing…and that was when Santana was in love herself.

Dani was amazing.

In the middle of a story that involved ice fishing (oh God, they had become hicks. Seriously, she was surprised neither of them was wearing overalls), Blaine's phone buzzed and he went tense when he saw the number, waving a frantic hand for quiet as he answered.

"Hello…This is Blaine…Yes…Yes…Thank you! …I look forward to working with you too!" he hung up and stared at his phone for a moment before swinging around to beam at Sam and fling himself into the taller man's arms. "I got Mortimer!"

"Dude!" Sam exclaimed, a broad grin crossing his features. "I told you, you're perfect for the role! They'd have been stupid to pick anyone else!"

"Mortimer?" Rachel asked, sounding choked. "Mortimer Brewster? As in the new, Broadway bound musical adaptation of Joseph Kesselring's classic play Arsenic and Old Lace?"

"Yes!" Blaine said, turning in the circle of Sam's arms. "They held an open call yesterday and I went and I got it!"

Rachel was frowning. "I read for Elaine over two weeks ago and haven't heard back from them and neither has Kurt."

"Though we know I didn't get Mortimer," Kurt said, sounding understandably put out.

Blaine had the good grace to look abashed and Sam just held him tighter, neither wanting to say anything to further upset the others. Kitty however had no such worries and said, "Who wants champagne! We've got to celebrate!"

Not long thereafter, Kitty decided she had to see Blaine and Sam's new place and the three of them hurried off in a flurry of smiles, leaving Artie, Santana and Dani to wrangle Kurt and Rachel, who had quickly moved on from champagne to hard liquor.

"You know these re-imagined shows fail 9 times out of 10," Santana said, trying to make the situation sting less as she patted Rachel's hair soothingly.

"Truth," Artie agreed, nodding to Rachel and Kurt. "You two probably dodged a career damaging bullet."

Arsenic and Old Lace: The Musical was a smash hit with audiences and critics alike. Overnight, Blaine Anderson became the new star to watch, with producers, casting directors and agents clamoring for his attention, a handsome triple threat, adored by men and women alike.

Kurt wanted to bang his head into a wall. Five years he'd been in New York and yes, he'd had some minor success in the past half year since he'd finished his education at NYADA (as had Rachel, who was steadily booking off Broadway work). Santana was doing well fo herself, booking commercials and the occasional bit part on a series TV show.

That was how it was done. You came to New York and worked your ass off for years…unless, apparently, you were Blaine.

Yes, Kurt could admit to being more than a bit bitter about Blaine's instant success, but he couldn't say he was surprised. Blaine was that guy. Everything came easily to him.

Including formerly straight boys.

Though Kurt had thought Sam played for their team, way back when. Clearly, he had just not been ready to come out…not until he fell for Blaine.

Still, Blaine and Sam were their friends, so he bit back his resentment when they got together with groups…like tonight's outing to one of Sam's art shows. He and Rachel had so far managed to avoid them, but when he'd sent them invites to a show at the Frederick Freiser Gallery…well, it was good to get out and network.

They could totally spend a few hours pretending to find macaroni art interesting.

The gallery was already quite full when they arrived, the guests a surprising mix of artsy and society types. More than a few tenured NYADA professors roamed about and Kurt nodded to them, taking Rachel's arm and peering at the pictures displayed, wondering where Sam's work was. Santana and Dani were nearby, chatting with Artie and Kitty.

It took them a while to track Sam down, as he was surrounded by a circle of people. To Kurt's shock, someone had pried Sam out of his ever present jeans/t-shirt/plaid combos and put him in nicely cut, flat front black pants and a crisp, white Oxford shirt with the arms rolled up to display his thick forearms. His hair was neatly combed back into a short ponytail and he had shaved…making him look stunning.

Blaine was by his side, also shaved and curls present but neat. He was wearing glasses, this pair with a thin, dark metal frame, charcoal gray trousers and a vest and a white shirt, styled like Sam's. They did fit together in a very visually appealing way.

A woman with a small voice recorder seemed to be interviewing Sam, asking, "I see you're showing Not Goodbye again. It's an evocative piece and your continued refusal to put it up for sale despite many offers has created quite the buzz."

Sam gave her a polite smile. "Not Goodbye has a deeply personal meaning. I don't intend to ever sell it," he said, then caught Kurt's eye from across a few heads and gave him a slight nod. "Can we pick this up later? I'd like to speak to some people."

"Good crowd," Rachel offered, kissing Sam's cheeks as he and Blaine joined them. "Very respectable. Where are your pieces?"

With a blink, Sam said, "They're all mine…you didn't think I only work in pasta and beans, did you?"

In fact they did, but there was no way he was going to say that. "Of course not…."

He was cut off when Santana stepped up to Sam and flung her arms around him. "It's beautiful," she murmured, leaning back from him to swipe at her eyes. "Where the hell were you hiding that sort of depth in high school?"

A flush crept up Sam's cheeks and Blaine said, "You just had to look for it."

"Really, man, amazing," Artie said, sounding choked up and Kitty grabbed Sam for her own sniffly hug.

"What are we missing?" Kurt asked and found himself ushered over to an alcove where a single painting hung.

It was simple enough at first glance, a fairly obvious stage with and spotlight illuminating a central spot. Behind the light were swirls of color, branching out and interconnected, looking like a tree. It seemed melancholy, like something was missing….

Then it hit Kurt.

The spotlight was for Finn.

The swirls of color were the members of New Directions…he could even tell who each color was supposed to represent. Gold for Rachel, Honey Brown for Puck, Electric Blue for Kurt…Fire Red for Santana, Silver for Mike, Buttercup for Quinn, Deep Purple for Mercedes…Ultramarine Blue for Artie, Pale Green for Sam, Night Blue for Blaine, Burnt Orange for Tina, Bubblegum Pink for Brittany…Crimson for Lauren, Shimmering Opal for Unique, Kelly Green for Rory, Leopard Print for Sugar, Payne's Grey for Mr. Schue, Rose for Marley, Copper for Jake, Fern Blue for Ryder and Garnet for Kitty.

"Oh," he heard Rachel gasp beside him, obviously recognizing it for what it was. Tear prickled in Kurt's eyes and he blinked rapidly, forcing them back.

Finding his voice, Kurt said, "It's beautiful…I think…I think Finn would really like it."

Rachel was weeping softly and Kurt was glad to let Santana and Dani gather her into a hug as he stepped forward to read the small description mounted by the painting.

Not Goodbye

We never lose those we hold in our hearts.

Sam Evans ~ 1/2014

It wasn't big or shocking, as so much art was now, but it was moving. Kurt could see why the interviewer was asking about this piece in particular.

Looking around, Kurt tried to focus on some of the other pieces, but his eyes were blurry and he discretely wiped at them. A white handkerchief appeared in his line of sight and he saw that Blaine was offering it with a soft smile. Kurt accepted it with a nod, dabbing at his eyes before turning to wrap Sam in a tight hug.

Maybe Kurt didn't understand Sam's fluid sexuality, maybe he was a bit envious of Blaine's instant success, but looking at that painting reminded him that they were still his friends from high school. Sure, they had all grown and changed from the boys they had been, grown apart, grown closer, but underneath, Blaine was still the kind, strong boy who had reached out to Kurt when he was scared and Sam was the sweet, big hearted boy who accepted and defended Kurt.

They were people he wanted to get to know again.

When he released Sam, he gave Blaine a similar hug and murmured, "You're marrying a good guy."

"I know," Blaine replied and looked at Sam, who was now holding Rachel, with such love that Kurt could only smile.

Sure, maybe it would always hurt a little to see that his first love had moved on, but Kurt couldn't begrudge them the happiness they had found in each other.

"Do I get to help you two pick suits for the wedding?" Kurt asked, needing to talk about something other than the sappy flood of emotions he was feeling. "Because you did a good job getting him into that outfit, but I have a sneaking suspicion that, left to your own devices, there will be a superhero themed wedding."

Blaine burst out laughing. "You'll have to fight Stacy for that honor," he told Kurt very seriously. "She's a budding, 14 year-old fashionista, you know."

"Stacy's 14? Oh my God," Kurt said, then looked over at Sam, who had settled Rachel finally. "When did your sister grow up? She was 8 the last time I saw her!"

Very somberly, Sam nodded. "It's terrible. She's a cheerleader and has discovered boys. Stevie's not thrilled that all his friends like her now. Chaos man, sheer chaos…but yeah, she's campaigning to dress us for the wedding."

Kurt shook his head. "No! You're both gorgeous and should be dressed as such on your big day," he said, ideas already popping into his head how to highlight Blaine's eyes, broad shoulders and ridiculously tiny waist and Sam's height and Shoulders and long legs… "I still have connections at Vogue…What season are you looking to marry in?"

"Autumn," Blaine and Sam chorused, grinning as Blaine continued, "Outside. During peak foliage season."

Unexpected, but Kurt could totally work with that….

The second week in October, Sam smiled as he exchanged rings and kisses with Blaine as they stood before their friends and families. Kitty had gotten herself ordained over the internet and was officiating. John was Blaine's best man, Jade Sam's. Mr. and Mrs. Schuester's daughter Bella was their ring bearer/flower girl.

Everyone made it and they even left an empty chair amongst the cluster of glee club members, a place for Finn.

Looking down into Blaine's eyes, Sam smiled as he saw their future stretching out before them, full of possibilities and happiness.