"Hello!" an older woman called from behind the counter lined with beautiful rings, as Kurt entered the shop. "What can I do for you today, sir?" She smiled at Kurt sweetly. 

Placing the box containing Rachels engagement ring on the counter, Kurt said. "I recently purchased a ring from here in hopes of getting engaged. Unfortunately, circumstances changed and I no longer have use for the ring. I was wondering if I could get my money back."

Slowly opening the box, the woman, Diana, according to her name tag, gasped at the sight of the ring. "You wont be giving this to her now? Such a shame. Its a beautiful piece of jewelry."

"She, uh, broke things off," Kurt lied, keeping it simple. He didnt want to cause suspicion by saying it wasnt his. She might think he stole it to get money. "I guess we were on opposite ends of our relationship."

Diane studied him for a minute, like she didnt know if she could believe him. "Do you have a receipt for this?"

"Yes, but could I possibly get the refund in the form of a check to Kurt Hummel?" Kurt pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. He still felt guilty for taking this from Sam and Rachel, but he knew this was important to Sam. "Im taking it straight to the bank but I dont want to carry that much cash on me."

Studying it, Diane said, "Very well." She went to the back and came a moment later. "This is for you," she handed him the check, before tucking the ring behind the counter. "Im very sorry that things didnt work out for you."

"Thank you," Kurt said, putting on the best heart broken face he could. "I really do appreciate this. It was the last thing I wanted to do today."

"Of course, dear. Best of luck to you," Diana told him on his way to the door.

He left the shop and took the check right to the bank, where things were slowly adding up. They only had about $15,000 and they had a long way to go before April 15th. 

Once Kurt left the bank, he made his way to Sam and Rachels apartment. He still felt terrible about the situation, and he wanted to talk to Sam to make him feel better.

"Kurt? What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, letting him inside. 

"I just wanted to say hi," Kurt said, trying to sound casual, while his heart beat quickly in his chest. "Well, I wondered if Sam was around. I wanted to talk to him about Blaine."

"Is Blaine okay?" Rachel asked nervously.

"Yeah, I just think he could use some time away. I wanted to see if Sam would take him out some night this week," Kurt told her, hoping it sounded like a good enough excuse.

"Yeah, sure. In fact, Ill do it tonight. Ill head home with you. I need a night away from grading math problems," Sam came out of the bedroom and grabbed his coat. Kissing Rachel on the cheek, he said, "I hope you dont mind, sweetheart." 

"No, its fine. Im feeling rather nauseous tonight anyway. I dont really want to do anything but sleep," she said, rubbing her belly. "This baby is showing me no mercy."

"Ill be back later. Get some rest, babe," Sam kissed her gently, before following Kurt out the door. They got in the elevator and Sam said, "So is this really about Blam time or something else?"

"Mostly, i wanted to tell you that the moneys in the bank. All five thousand of it," Kurt stepped off the elevator and led Sam outside. "I really cant thank you enough for this, Sam."

"Kurt, really, dont mention it. I needed to do this, and Im so glad that you accepted. If you hadnt, I would have felt awful about keeping it," Sam shrugged. "I probably would have sold it myself and given you the money anyway."

"I wouldnt accept," Kurt replied.

"Blaine would," Sam offered.

"True," Kurt stopped in his tracks and grabbed Sams arm. "Sam, I... I really cant tell you how much you mean to me and Blaine. Youve been a part of Belles life from the start and she really loves spending time with you. It means so much to us that youve become like her third dad. That girl has had a lot of love in her life, and I know shes missing you as much as shes missing me or Blaine."

"You think so?" Sam asked quietly. His expression was soft but doubtful, like he wasnt sure he believed that.

"Youre her Sammy. I know so. She loves you, and we do too," Kurt said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I just want to let you know that Im really happy youre a part of our family."

"Me too," Sam whispered. He cleared his throat and added, "I really care about you guys and Belle. I couldnt think of a better family to be a part of."

"were lucky to have you," Kurt replied, as they started walking again.

"Who wouldve known back when I first came to McKinley and you had a crush on me that wed be so close?" Sam said with a smirk on his face.

"I didnt have a crush on you," Kurt blushed."I was just... being friendly. You were new to the school and I wanted to make you feel welcome."

Sam rolled his eyes, laughing, "Yes, you did, Kurt Hummel. Dont even deny it. You and Rachel have a similar taste in guys. You liked Finn, she dated him. You liked me, shes dating me. She dated Blaine, you married him."

"I guess I never thought of that," Kurt chuckled. "No wonder were practically the same person."

"But lets be clear, I still like her, not you," Sam nudged him with his elbow.

"I can live with that," Kurt said.

"So what am I doing with Blaine?" Sam asked, when they approached the apartment building. "You said he needed time away?"

"Im worried about him. Hes been so closed off, so quiet. I know hes hurting more than hes willing to admit," Kurt said truthfully. "Take him out to shake it off for a while. Just please dont let him drink too much."

"I can do that," Sam nodded, knowing it bothered Rachel the same way it bothered Kurt. Rachel hardly ever drank because of it, so Sam understood exactly what Kurt was dealing with..

"Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate that," Kurt replied. "Once I get everything done that I need to, I can go keep Rachel company. Make sure shes okay."

"Im sure shed love that," Sam smiled. They entered the apartment, where Blaine was found sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. "Hey, dude." Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lets go do something tonight."

"I dont feel like it," Blaine mumbled. A bottle was already in his hands and his eyes looked unfocused. He wasnt drunk but he was in a daze. "I think Ill just stay here tonight."

"Come on, its been so long since weve done something together. I gotta tell you what I found in my savings account last night. I wrote Kurt a check this morning," Sam said, winking at Kurt.

"This better be good, Evans," Blaine said, standing up. He drank one last swig of his bottle, set it on the table, and said, "All right. You talked me into it. Lets go." He turned to Kurt and said, "I guess Ill see you later."

"Love you," Kurt kissed his cheek. "Have fun." He waited for them to leave, before he picked up the bottle and sighed heavily, "Blaine, what have you gotten yourself into?" he mumbled.

Tears prickles ha eyes and his grip on the bottle tightened. Kurt knew why Blaine was drinking. This day to day life of missing Belle and trying to forget the pain was unbearable. Kurt had been dealing with it too. He just didnt turn to the bottle the way Blaine did. But the drinking was becoming more frequent and it bothered Kurt. He didnt want to lose Blaine to alcohol the way he had lost Finn. He didnt want to lose blaine at all, because losing Belle was already too much. Unfortunately, Kurt was losing Blaine to the bottle.

A sob escaped Kurts throT and he chucked the  bottle across the room. The bottle and its contents his the wall and scattered across the floor. Kurt sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands knowing that he had to get Blaine help before it was too late. 

As a movie played in the background, Kurt couldnt take his mind off the next couple of weeks. Starting his new position at Vogue, the possibility of hearing back about the Kelly and Michael interview, and the $150,000 deadline. It was a lot of pressure to take on and he could hardly focus on anything at all.

What set him on edge even more was the call Rachel received that made Blaine stop the movie. "Its Peter!" she announced, as Blaine reached for the remote.

Hello?" she answered casually, trying to keep her voice calm. "Hi, Peter. How are you?" She paused, "Yes, Im fine, thank you."

Switching the phone to speaker, Rachel set it on the coffee table and Peters voice came through, "I wanted to call you earlier but I was swamped all day. I made the calls I said I would and I have news for you."

"Okay," Rachel replied. Blaine grabbed Kurts hand. Sam sat forward in his seat, and Kurt felt like he couldnt breathe.

"Selena Gomez was supposed to do an interview this Friday. Due to a family crisis, she cancelled a few dates on her tour, and she wont be in New York that day," Peter informed them. "Theres a spot open for an interview on the show and I managed to squeeze you in. Kelly loves you and when she and Michael were informed, she immediately pushed to have you on. Youll be going on this Friday."

"Are you serious?" Rachel peeped. "Oh, that is wonderful news! Thank you so much for doing this, Peter! I really owe you."

"Oh, no, Im happy to help," Peter replied. "I told you a hundred times that you were wonderful to work with and I hope you find your daughter."

"Thank you, Peter. That really means a lot to me," Rachel said, her voice shaking slightly. "Maybe I can buy you dinner sometime to make it up to you."
"If it would make you feel better, Id be honored to. Ill talk to you soon, Rachel. Good luck with Fridays interview," Peter said. He hung up after telling Rachel goodbye.

Sitting down on Sams lap, Rachel rested her head against his and smiled, "You guys, we might have a chance of actually getting somewhere on Friday." 

"This is wonderful!" Sam said, smiling at Kurt and Blaine, who were still cuddled on the couch, clutching hands tightly. 

"I want you guys to come with me," Rachel told them. "I dont know if theyll let you be a part of it but I at least want you there, even if youre in the audience," she told them.

"Ill see if I can take off work that morning," Blaine replied.

"Im sure Isabelle wont have a problem with it," Kurg agreed. "Its my last week on the job anyway. Ill be in charge after Frisay," he said, feeling his stomach turn out of nerves. 

"You know Ill be there," Sam kissed her. 

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Rachel said, "Do you guys think theres a chance well get her back in the near future?"

Kurt and Blaine exchanged unsure glances, "I wish I had a real answer for that," Blaine said. "Theres just no way of knowing?"

"Do you think shes okay?" Rachel asked. This was a question no one had really addressed yet. "I mean, seriously, do you think theyve hurt her? Do you think shes going to be mentally scarred for life?"

Again, Kurt and Blaine exchanged glances. Kurt admitted, "Honestly, Im a little afraid to find out. Im afraid to know whats wrong."

"How would we get her through whatever pain she feels from this? Could she ever recover emotionally? Or is she going to be scared all of her life?" Rachel continued, bringing up thoughts Kurt had been worried about for weeks.

"Shell probably need therapy," Blaine admitted. "Even if shes being treated well, no child can handle being kidnapped easily."

"I never thought of that," Sam said quietly. "Were going to be dealing with this even after we have her,"

"Of course we will.  Im going to be scared shitless the first time I have to leave her. Im going to worry about her mental state, as well as her whereabouts. Im already worried about how shes handling this," Blaines hands began to tremble.

"Shes already so sensitive," Kurt agreed, rubbing his thumb against Blaines knuckles in comfort. " She couldnt even take being teased by the girls in her class. How could she handle being forcefully taken or... mistreated?"

"All the more reason to get the money as soon as possible," Sam said, his eyes meeting Kurts gaze. "We have to do whatever we can."

"Im hoping this interview does is some good," Blaine said, taking a deep breath. "I cant... I cant imagine what kind of consequences there will be if we dont get the money in time."

"Then theres the issue that you arent supposed to tell anyone," Sam mentioned. "Whats going to happen when you give the money to this girl on the 15th? You cant have the cops there?"

"Yes," Kurt said

"No," Blaine said simultaneously. 

"We cant just let them get away with the money," Kurt argued."if the police are there, they can arrest whoever is involved and maybe well get closer to finding Belle."

Blaine dropped their linked hands and stared at him with wide eyes, "And if the police are there, the kidnapper will know that we told, and they could hurt Belle. Are you prepared to live with that guilt?"

"Im prepared to find out who took our daughter and get her back with or without the money," Kurt snapped, rising from the couch. "None of its going to matter if we dont get the police involved."

"I dont want her to get hurt because of is," Blaine replied, also standing up.

"Maybe its just an empty threat," Kurt said hotly, his voice growing louder. "I dont know! Im in the dark as much as you are. They probably already have harmed her. Are they really going to do that much worse? They want her alive so they can get the money."

"Not unless they take it and leave. I know youve been thinking it too, Mr. Negative," Blaine retorted. "They could have us fooled now. What if shes not alive? What if theyre just telling us that to get the money? We have no proof that shes okay."

"Why are you being so negative about this?" Kurt asked. Blaine had been the one with the positivity so far. He couldnt turn on that now. Kurt needed to be reminded not to be negative. 

"Because its the truth," Blaine said, tears rolling down his cheeks.  "I want to believe that shes okay. I really do. But I cant risk her getting hurt because of this. I cant have anything happen to her. I already lost her once. Dont make me lose her again."

"Blaine, youre just upset. Its okay," Rachel said, reaching for his arm.

Pushing her hand away, Blaine said, "Im not just upset. You have no idea what Im feeling. I dont care if you think you do, you have no idea."

"No ones admitting they know how youre feeling. Were just trying to come up with a solution," Sam told him. "Take a seat. Lets talk about this."

"I dont want to talk about this. I dont want to talk about any of it," Blaine took a step backward. His eyes were wide and his face was really pale. "Im just - you dont - forget it. Do what you want." He stormed toward the front door, whipped it open and disappeared into the rain outside. 

"What the hell was that about?" Rachel asked, staring at the front door.

To this, Kurt had no response. He stared at the closed door, feeling like things were only going to get worse from here.

Blaine was really quiet the next few days. He only spoke when necessary and absolutely refused to talk about the argument at Sam and Rachels the other day. 

Friday crept on them slowly. The interview was on everyones mind. It was all Kurt could think about at work on Thursday and that was hard because it was his last day at his old job.

When they arrived at the studio on Friday, Rachel asked if her family could at least come backstage with her. Reluctantly, no one wanted to tell the emotional pregnant girl no. Rachel knew how to work her tears to her benefit. 

"Fifteen minutes before youre on, Ms. Berry," Rachel was told sometime later.

"Thank you, " Rachel replied, as she sat beside Sam, clutching his hand tightly. "I really hope this goes well. Im getting nervous."

"Just try to not mention too much about how close are deadline really is," Kurt warned, thinking of Blaine, who sat quietly on the other side of Sam.

"Of course," Rachel nodded. "I wouldnt mess that up."

They waited, until Kellys voice could be heard announcing, "Our next guest comes from years spent on Broadway. Although shes currently taking a break, you all know her, let me introduce back to the show Ms. Rachel Berry!"

Kissing Sam, Rachel made her way to the set and greeted Kelly and Michael with a hug. "So good to see you!" she told them.

"Welcome back!" Kelly said enthusiastically. "I dont know about you, Michael, but I love this girl. Its been too long since youve been on here."

"I agree," Rachel chuckled. "Ive been keeping really busy though."

"Weve noticed," Kelly smiled, eyeing her bump. "Is this the reason you left the show?"

"Well, my director and I were discussing whether or not we should extend my run, because he wasnt ready to let go of me when my contract was up, and I told him at the time, that I wasnt sure because I knew a couple that wanted to use me as a surrogate."

":So its not yours?" Kelly asked.

Shaking her head, Rachel explained, "my two best friends got married several years ago and its their second child. They approached me with the idea shortly before my director came to me about my run and I decided I had been in the show long enough and wanted to help my friends. We had done this another time, accidentally. I was sort of... dating my friend Blaine at the time, before he fell in love with his husband."

"That was the scandal a few years ago about you getting pregnant and leaving Funny Girl, wasnt it?" Michael asked obliviously.

Face turning as red as a tomato, Rachel nodded, "It was a complicated situation. But everything worked out and this was planned. So I told Peter I wanted to end the show on a good note and here we are."

"Well, you look beautiful. Youre glowing. Pregnancy looks good on you," Kelly smiled, and the audience cheered. "How far are you?"

"Thirteen weeks," Rachel chuckled. "I wont look so good in another three months." 

"Im sure thatll be a wonderful addition to the family. Are they here today?" Michael asked, scanning the audience..

"Theyre backstage," Rachel motioned behind her. "They wanted to be here for me today."

"But theres a member of the family missing, is that correct?" Kelly asked., finally bringing up the reason they were  here."

"Yes," Rachel folded her hands in her lap and stared at them. "Belle  their daughter disappeared a couple months ago and she hasnt been located at this time."

"That must be so hard," Kelly said sadly. "For you, as well as your friends. Should we get them out here to discuss this further?"  
The audience cheered and Michael said, "Well take a short break and when we come back, well hear more from Rachel and her friends."

Kurt, Blaine, and Sam were all ushered on to the set and more chairs were brought out for them. Sam took a seat next to Rachel. Blaine sa on her other side and Kurt beside him. They were introduced to Kelly and Michael, before they were back on the air.

"Welcome back!" Kelly greeted her viewers. "We were just talking to Rachel Berry, along with her friends, Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson  and Sam Evans. "Now from what I understand, this girl were discussing is your daughter?"

"Yes," Blaine nodded. "When Rachel and I broke up, Kurt adopted Annabelle. We still consider Rachel to be her mother and she spends much of her time with Rachel."

"And how do you fit into this?" Michael asked Sam, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh. Um..." Sam was caught off guard by the question. "Im Rachels boyfriend. "Weve been dating for several years now"

"And youre close to Annabelle?" Kelly asked.

"Im - yeah- Im close to her. Im living  with Rachel so I see Belle whenever she comes to see her mom," Sam said. "Im sort of like her third dad, except Rachel and I arent married."

"Is that something in the future?" Kelly asked. "You two look very cute together."

Sam met Kurts eyes and he sad, "well, maybe  I dont know."

"Annabelle probably comes first, Im sure," Kelly said. "I cant image how that must have felt when you realized she was missing. What was going through your heads?"

"Anger, fear, panic, worry," Kurt stated. "I was so overwhelmed that day feels like a blur now. We were so terrified. How could we not be?"

"How did it happen?" Michael asked.

The little color in Blaines face drained and he quietly said, "it was my fault. We were at my fathers house and I had work to do. She was out in the backyard playing and then she was just... gone."

"Thats awful," Kelly said, as she started tearing up, which caused Rachel to start crying. 

""Its been hard, but whats worse is that we were told we had to give so much money if we wanted her back," Kurt explained, reaching for Blaines hand. "Its a large sum of money and we just cant afford it."

"What do you plan to do about that?" Michael asked, leaning forward in his seat. "Are you trying to raise money?"

Kurt shrugged, " Were doing the best we can but its going to take a long time to raise it on our own and we cant because... we want our little angel back as soon as we can." He had to change his thought because he almost said too much.

"We want to start a donation through GoFundMe to give people the chance to help," Sam explained, as he placed a hand on Rachels knee. "I set up an account to give people the chance to do so."

"If any of our viewers are interesting in donating to the Belle Hummel Fund, we will have a link on our social media sites," Kelly explained to the viewers. 

"We really and truly appreciate any help we get," Kurt said, feeling Blaines grip on his hand tighten. "Belle is so, so special to us, and we want to see her beautiful face again soon."

""Anything else youd like to add?" Kelly asked.

"I just... I just want Belle to know, in case theres any chance that she sees this, I just want you to know, Belle, that we love you with all of our hearts and we miss you every moment of every day youre not with us." His voice cracked. "we love you so much, and we will do whatever it takes to bring you home safely to us."

"That is so sweet," Kelly said through her tears, reaching to touch Rachels arm in comfort. "I will be donating to the cause myself, and I would like to encourage all of our viewers to do the same."

"We have a check for you, on behalf of Kelly and myself," Michael handed over an envelope to Rachel, who took it with shaking hands. 

"Thank you," she choked out. 

They wrapped up the interview. By then, Rachel was in hysterics, blaming it on her "damn hormones," Sam was trying to console her, and Blaine made his way to Kelly and Michael. Kurt followed, wanting to personally thank them.

"This really does mean so much to us," Blaine told them. "Just getting the word out will hopefully help us get Belle back."

"We cant thank you enough," Kurt agreed. "Well be forever grateful for this."

"It was our pleasure," Kelly smiled, giving them each a hug. "Rachel is such a sweet girl. When we heard she was having a crisis, we jumped on board immediately. Its an awful thing to have a child taken from a home, which is why you will find seven thousand dollars on that check."

Kurt and Blaine gaped at them, "This is too much. I dont know how we can properly thank you for this?" Kurt asked.
  "Absolutely," Michael nodded. "I cant think of any reason that girl should be kept from people like you." 

"Good luck with all of this," Kelly shook their hands. "I hope you find your daughter."