A/N: Aw, guys. Thank you for all the love. I seriously appreciate it. *group hug*

Well, I did promise you an epilogue. Sorry it took so long to write. I knew in my head what happened next, but had no idea how to write it. There are so many versions of this, but none of them answered the many questions you sent me. So, I'm settling for this slightly less plot related, but very question answering version.

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The Aftermath (By Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson), 2018

Here is what happened next.

No, Nick didn't realise his love for Jeff and run straight back into his arms, like I'm sure you'd been hoping. (Shame) (I know, right) but he didn't go on his date either. He couldn't. Not when he'd just lost a best friend.

See, that's what people forget. Jeff's heart was broken, but Nick also lost his best friend so unexpectedly.

Jeff remained in his room for some time, but Nick came to see Blaine.
He didn't know what to do. He felt so guilty, like it was his own fault that he didn't love Jeff the way Jeff loved him. He broke down. The poor guy had lost a best friend so suddenly. He told me how guilty he felt- how he'd tried so hard to feel something when they kissed, for Jeff, for them, but he was empty. He felt like he was kissing a brother, not a lover. There was love, but not in the way that Jeff wanted.
After a while, Jeff came to see me. He was a complete wreck. I can't tell you how many times I apologised for letting him believe that Nick was in love with him. He was too upset to listen. I just held him while he cried; let him get it all out.
Then came the terrible week.
The atmosphere was so tense. The two were like strangers, barely acknowledging each others presence.
On Jeff's terms. Nick had asked, shyly, what Jeff wanted to happen. Jeff had murmured "Strangers" before quickly walking away, tears clouding his vision.

(That sounded so dramatic) (Focus, Kurt.) (Sorry.)
Even then, with minimal communication, Jeff would loose it at seemingly random moments, running off to his room. And Nick would just hang his head, guiltily, despite our assurances that it wasn't his fault. All of us were constantly on alert, trying to keep Jeff distracted from Nick, and vice versa. Wes even rearranged the Warbler formations so that they were far apart. Everything was so much quieter without the two of them bouncing around like over excited ferrets. I missed them. We all missed them.
After the first week, things got slightly better. Jeff didn't cry anymore, and Nick stopped feeling guilty. They weren't friends again, not yet, but they communicated more, moving on from the sharp nods or simple one word answers when necessary from before.
We went out as a group to the movies. It was the first time I'd seen Jeff smile since it happened. Things did get better.
They really did.
Within two months, they were talking again. Maybe their friendship wasn't good as new; it had its rough patches, but they were doing their best. Jeff came out officially to everyone as bisexual.
His parents took the news well; they weren't exactly thrilled; his father just thought it was a phase. But they didn't have a problem with it.
The Warblers, of course, already knew, but he wanted to be able to say officially.
It was six months after he came out before Jeff was over Nick enough to date. Nick took this as a sign that he, too could date. Jeff dated Cameron briefly- both of them knew it wouldn't become anything serious, but Jeff wanted the experience of dating another guy. Nick met a girl, Hannah, at his summer theatre group, and the two got together fairly quickly.
Not surprisingly, Jeff and Cameron broke up after about a fortnight. They'd both known it would happen, but they were both upset when Jeff ended things, of course they were.
What no one knew, however, was that for the past year, Jeff had been writing. Not just his story, that you read, but songs. Really, really good songs. An albums worth of songs. He got an album deal a few weeks before graduation, aged 18. This was the first time he told us about his music. He played some songs for us. All of them were breathtaking. He told us, quietly, that they were what helped him finally get over Nick. The songs told a story. Different songs for different parts of this story. We were so proud of him.
After graduation, Jeff and Nick rented an apartment together, as they were both attending the same college, Nick majoring in theatre, Jeff in music.
Jeff's album was released a month or so later. It was entitled 'Baby Steps', which was also the name of one of his songs, one about getting over Nick. It was pretty successful. It didn't jump to number 1 or anything, but it was in the top 40 albums on iTunes for a while, and two of his songs, Baby Steps and Heartbeat, stayed in the top 40 songs for several weeks.
Everyone was so proud of him. Nick especially. The first time he listened to the songs, he cried, and hugged Jeff so hard that he couldn't breathe.
Jeff's released his second album a year after his first. It's called Like the Song, and went to number 2 instantly, with his hit single, Always, staying at number 1 for weeks.
Nick had played the lead in several community theatre productions, and was thriving at college. He was still dating Hannah, and the two were clearly in love.

Jeff dated boys and girls throughout his time in college, though his only serious relationship was with a girl named Emily, who he dated for six months before she finished college and moved away, breaking up with Jeff because she didn't think she could do long distance. Jeff was heartbroken, but, with help from Nick, got over her.

After finishing college, Jeff moved to New York to focus on his music. Here, he met his long term partner, Josh. The pair have been together for three years. Jeff confided that he's actually looking to propose pretty soon. We know that Josh will say yes; they're both so clearly in love.
A year ago, Nick eventually married Hannah, (Jeff was his best man, of course) but missed Jeff too much to stay in Ohio. The couple moved to New York only months after Jeff did, moving in a few blocks down. Hannah is currently pregnant with their first child, a little boy.

Nick and Jeff are still best friends, all these years later. Their partners get on well, and the families spend a lot of time together. Jeff and Josh will be godfathers to Nick's son when he is born.
Nick auditioned pretty much everywhere before landing a role on a new musical comedy TV show, High. The pilot is set to air in a few weeks. Jeff is currently working on his highly anticipated third album.

So all in all, a happy ending. Maybe not the one you'd hoped for or expected, but a happily-ever-after no doubt.

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There. All done. *cries* My babies.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

- Agent 3 xxx