Final Interlude

June 2023

Kurts pacing the living room floor while Blaines out picking up Lexy from her aunts Brittany and Santana. Hed feigned a headache to get out of tonights performance, needing time to go through the pros and cons of joining the first national tour of Ace of Spades once more. Its a big decision now that his daughter is starting pre-school in the fall unless Kurt decides to do the tour, which would mean dragging her across the country instead of providing her with a steady schedule. He knows the timing could be worse, after all Lexy isnt in school yet, but Kurt also remembers what constant traveling has done to her in the past and therefore isnt sure if he should do it to her again on a much larger scale.

"Im not ready to give up a dream role," he says into the empty apartment, "and Ive always wanted to go on tour at least once. But con," he sighs, "going on tour would mean a different city every few days and even with Blaine by my side it would definitely disrupt Lexys sleep schedule."

No matter how he looks at it, the cons just outweigh the pros. At least his understudy, Kyle, will get a chance to really shine when Kurt declines to do the tour.

"Daddy, youre home!" Lexy throws herself at Kurt when she and Blaine come through the front door a few minutes later.

Kurt picks her up and ruffles her sun-kissed blond hair before loudly kissing her cheek to make her laugh.

"I thought I would spend tonight with my two favorite people," he tells her as Blaine mouths are you feeling better?.

When Lexy runs off to her bedroom to put her backpack away, Kurt steps into Blaines open arms and kisses him deeply.

"Im fine, but we need to talk when in Lexy is in bed." Blaine frowns and Kurts quick to assure him that its nothing bad.

"Alright," Blaine agrees before he runs after Lexy to get her ready for her bath.

Most nights, its Blaine who takes care of Lexy now while Kurts on stage, after Katie moved to Chicago a few months ago and they decided it was stupid and a waste of money to keep hiring babysitters when Blaine wasnt needed at the theater and could easily work on new songs while keeping an eye on their daughter. Because no matter what her birth certificate says, shes theirs now and he and Blaine had signed all the necessary documents that would allow Blaine to make decisions in case of an emergency shortly after Blaine had moved in.

After Lexys bath, Kurt reads her a story from a book of fairytales that belonged to his mother, before he and Blaine sing her to sleep with songs from The Lion King, her current favorite Disney movie. Once shes asleep and Kurts turned on her night-light, he joins his boyfriend on the couch and accepts a glass of wine from him.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Blaine asks as he hands Kurt one of the glasses.

"The tour. Ive looked at it from every angle but I dont think I can do it. It would be too stressful for Lexy," Kurt says after taking a sip and facing his boyfriend on the couch.

"I understand. But Kurt, if you really want to do the tour, well find a way. I could stay in New York with Lexy and well come see you when youre stopping closer to the city. I know it wouldnt be ideal, but I think we could manage," Blaine offers and Kurt considers it for a moment before he shakes his head.

"No. Shes finally being raised by two parents and I dont want to go back to how things were with James just with me being gone. Ill be sad to give up the role but Im sure something else will come up. And if not, Ill be happy spending more time with Lexy as well," he states honestly, squeezing Blaines hand to show him that he appreciates the offer.

A ping alerts Blaine to a new text message and he rolls his eyes. "Its Dakota again. Keeps asking me if weve checked our emails yet."

Kurt frowns. He had done so a few hours ago but nothing important had caught his eye. Still, he picks up his tablet and opens his email app. Frowning, he reads through the new emails that dont try to sell him Viagra.

"I have an email from a British producer. Says hes trying to get the rights to Ace for the West End and wants me to reprise Nate if he gets them," Kurt summarizes the content for Blaine.

"Mine is from our co-producers urging me to give London the go ahead," Blaine reads from his own tablet, a brand new iPad 10 Kurts incredibly jealous of.

They share a look before Blaine clears his throat.

"Is that something you could see yourself doing? Going to London for a year?"

Kurt shrugs because hes honestly never thought about it before. The only thing he associates with London are Lexys other grandparents and his first wedding, but hes never entertained the thought that he would get an offer for the West End one day.

"I know that Henry and Edith would like to see Lexy more often," Kurt muses. Ever since the divorce, theyd gone from four times a year to just a few Skype calls and New Years because James parents always fly to New York to ring in the new year. "But would that even work for us?"

Blaine shrugs. "I can compose everywhere as long as I have a piano and Lexy can go to pre-school in London as well. Its not like wed move to a country where neither of us knows the language."

Kurt hums in agreement. If ever they want to do something like leave the country for a year, now would probably be the best time because Lexy isnt in school yet and though she likes to play with the other kids in Kurts single parents group she hasnt really made friends yet that she would be missing.

"Did they say when they would wanna start?" Blaine checks his email.

"They want to start rehearsal early October and premiere the first weekend of December," he reads. Kurt quickly does the math.

"So I would have six weeks off before they expect me to start rehearsing. We could go on a proper vacation and spend a week or two in Ohio before making the move."

"Sounds like you made up your mind," Blaine teases with a big smile on his face and Kurt realizes that he has, even though hes only known about the offer for a few minutes. Apparently, Blaines impulsiveness is rubbing off on him.

"I think we still have to talk about it more; figure out the logistics. Lexy has dual citizenship and I assume I would get a work visa, but I wont go if you cant come with us. And Id have to talk to our landlord about subletting the apartment because Im not ready to give it up for good. But if we can do all that and the British production is willing to help us out with finding an apartment and a pre-school for Lexy, I think spending some time in London could be an amazing experience. After all, I just turned thirty," Kurt groans. "If I dont do this now Im going to be too old soon."

Blaine rolls his eyes. "Im not even going to dignify that with an answer. People always assume you are the younger of the two of us when we are out together. And Im certain I dont look a day over twenty-four and ten months," he adds jokingly.

"Speaking of over-inflated ego, do you think they asked Jesse as well?" Kurt changes the subject because he hasnt really come to terms yet with the fact that from now hes going to be a thirty-something. Compared to Blaines nearly twenty-five he feels ancient.

Blaine nods his head. "Im sure they asked him, but Jesse has already committed to doing the tour because Rachel got a tour as well with a revival of Funny Girl and apparently their itineraries are going to be similar. But Im sure youll make friends with the cast. You didnt have any problems doing so here either," Blaine assures him.

"You are aware that I ended up with one of the friends I made," Kurt teases, causing Blaine to tackle him on the couch.

"Never mind, I take it back. Youre definitely not making friends there." Kurt rolls his eyes.

"You do realize that between the two of us, Im the one whos immune to the British accent. Being married to a Brit will do that to you."

"Then maybe you should remind me who I belong to," Blaine whispers into Kurts ear.

Unsurprisingly, they end up making out on the couch taking advantage of Kurt not being at the theater for once. Before things go too far however, Blaine pulls back and hauls Kurt to his feet.

"How about we move this to the bedroom and properly celebrate West Ends new star."

Kurt rolls his eyes fondly but when Blaine tugs on his hands, he follows his boyfriend eagerly, because even without a reason to celebrate, hed never say no to Blaine.

More evenings pass, during which they hammer out the details and make a plan for the rest of the summer. In the end, he and Blaine decided to go to Lima first so Lexy can spend time with her grandparents while he and Blaine pack everything they want to take to England with them. After going through their shared finances, Blaine had convinced him that they could easily keep paying for the apartment while they are gone, which means theyll have a place to come back to if they ever want to fly home during their year abroad and can move right back in when Kurts contract is up.

The two of them had also decided not to go on a vacation in the US when Blaine had remembered that Kurt had never been to the European mainland before. Armed with the knowledge that shipping their belongings would take a while anyway, Blaine had booked a flight to Florence, so they could spend a week in Tuscany before driving up to Venice and flying to London. Lexy would then spend a week and a half with her British grandparents while Blaine took Kurt to Paris and the Côte dAzur. By the time they went back to London, their luggage should have arrived and they would move into their new London apartment, a two bedroom flat in Soho and therefore walking distance to the theater.

James parents, when after talking to James, had heard the news from Kurt, had been the ones to suggest a pre-school two tube stops from their new home and had gone as far as calling the headmaster to secure their granddaughter a spot. So they were all set.

July 2023

"Are we flying to Engaland today?" Lexy asks for the umpteenth time while they are standing in line for baggage check.

Kurt sighs and squats down so he is on her eye level.

"Sweetheart, weve talked about it. Blaine is taking you to see your grandparents and I will join you in a week so we can all have fun together with grandma and grandpa. Then well fly to Italy and go to the beach," he adds, knowing how much Lexy likes the beach and the ocean since the very first time Blaine took her there, "and then well go to England so you can spend some time with grandpa Henry and grandma Edith, okay."

Lexy nods, though she doesnt look happy. Kurt doesnt think its because hes not going to Lima with them right now – he still has to perform one last time before the OBC will be replaced and Jesse and a few others go on tour – because Blaine has traveled with her before and everything had been okay.

"Whats wrong?" Blaine asks her, having cottoned on to her mood as well.

Lexy crosses her arms over her chest like shes seen Kurt do a hundred times.

"I want to go to Engaland now. You say Santa always start work early in Engaland," she huffs and Kurt just shakes his head at his daughters antics.

Other kids would be excited about going on a vacation, but all she thinks about are early Christmas present.

"Ill talk to her on the plane," Blaine interrupts, finally luggage free, and Kurt takes his hand while Lexy holds his other as they walk toward security control where he lifts Lexy into his arms.

"Listen sweetie, be good for your grandparents and listen to what Blaine tells you, okay. Ill call you on Skype everyday and you can always call me at night if you have trouble sleeping," he promises before giving her a big kiss on her cheek.

"And Ill see you tomorrow night," he tells Blaine before briefly pressing their lips together. Theres no need to make a scene when theyre going to have a whole week to themselves before flying out to Lima for one week with their parents.

They had considered sending Lexy to Lima on her own, but because money wasnt really an issue anymore and Blaine had the time, they had decided that he would take her and fly back to New York the next day to help Kurt pack.

"Of course. Im not going to miss your last show. Youre gonna need help carrying all the flowers home youll probably get," Blaine smiles and Kurt just has to kiss him again.

"Daddy, lets go," Lexy interrupts their goodbyes, pulling on Blaines hand and totally ignoring Kurt. It gets confusing sometimes when she calls them both daddy, but if thats what she wants to do, they arent going to stop her, especially because Kurt knows how much Blaine likes to be call daddy by Lexy.

"Yes, yes, Im coming," Blaine laughs before he blows Kurt one last kiss and walks away.

With Blaine back in New York and Kurt done with the theater, he feels like he did shortly after he got married – young and carefree – as the only reminders that this is only temporary are the toys Lexy didnt insist on taking to Lima with her. They go to bed late and never get up before ten and they have sex, tons of sex, though Kurt insists that all rooms apart from their bedroom and bathroom are taboo. It feels like they are already on vacation, even though they spend a few hours a day packing up everything they want to bring to London with them – mostly clothes for all seasons and Lexys toys.

On Friday, their friends organize a little going away party in Brittany and Santanas apartment. Lexys aunts have already made plans to come and visit for Thanksgiving, citing that Kurt can host his orphans dinner anywhere, and Kurts happy about it because he knows how much Lexy loves spending time with them.

Its strange at first, being able to spend the night drinking without having to worry about babysitters or collecting Lexy on time the next day, and from the way Blaine lets lose, Kurt can tell that he needed this break just as much as Kurt did. After Santana convinces Kurt to do body shots off of Blaine all bets are off and he isnt surprised when he wakes up on Santanas couch the next day, Blaine hanging half off it next to Kurt.

They spend the rest of the day trying to get rid of their hangovers and by the time their plane lands in Lima, Kurt finally feels human again. Totally worth it, he thinks though when he remembers how much fun he and Blaine had at the party. Maybe they should try and go out more once they are in London because while Kurt doesnt feel like the youngest anymore, Blaines not even twenty-five yet and deserves the occasional night out, so he wont ever regret his decision.

August 2023

After a week of spending time with Burt, Carole and on occasion the Andersons, Kurt, Blaine and Lexy fly back to New York for a final round of laundry and rechecking with their cleaning lady that she has all keys and knows where to forward their mail to. Their flight to Italy is the next day and by the time Lexys bedtime comes around, Kurts certain he is even more excited than his daughter about the trip because hes always wanted to go to Europe and now that dream is finally coming true.

He and Blaine share a sigh of relief the next evening, when Lexy falls asleep between them soon after dinner is served on the plane and miraculously manages to sleep through the flight until breakfast six hours later. Shes clingy, however, during their two hours layover at Munich airport and bursts into tears when Kurt tries to leave her with Blaine to get more coffee so they wont suffer from jetlag too badly. When Blaine offers to go instead, she isnt appeased however, and in the end, the whole family relocates to a coffee shop for a second breakfast. By the time they arrive in Florence, Kurt wants nothing more than go to sleep, but hes learned his lesson the first time he flew to Europe and unfortunately knows now that hell have to stay awake for the rest of the day if he doesnt want to screw up his sleep schedule.

While Blaine takes care of their rental car, he and Lexy get their luggage. Luckily, she is more awake after another nap on the plane and again has no trouble being left with either of them. Its nearly noon by the time they arrive at their hotel, and after a lunch of various pasta dishes, the three of them lay down together for a nap. Once he and Blaine dont feel like they will fall asleep any moment now, they take a tour of the city, Blaine focusing on the architecture while Kurt and Lexy check out the stores.

They have an early dinner at a restaurant recommended by the concierge; pizza quatro staggione for Lexy and cozze al vino bianco (mussels in white wine) and risotto alle verdure (vegetable risotto) for him and Blaine to share. Kurt cant remember the last time he went to bed at nine oclock but it doesnt matter because he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

The next day, after checking out of the hotel and storing their luggage in the rental car, the three of them climb to the top of the cathedral before strolling to the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge that has shops built along it as was customary at the time it was built. After more pizza and pasta for lunch, Blaine takes the wheel for their drive to Siena, a city fifty miles south of Florence.

"I need to find a gym when we get to London," Kurt grumbles, because theres no way he wont gain wait if he keeps eating pasta et al. for the rest of their stay in Italy.

"Lets have fish tonight," Blaine agrees. "Ill check the guide book for a recommendation."

By the time they reach their destination, Lexy is refreshed from her nap and anxious to explore the city.

"Come on, daddies," she pulls his and Blaines hands toward the colorfully decorated Piazza del Campo.

While Blaine visits the cathedral, he and Lexy get ice cream at a little café facing the 12th century church, because while Kurt can appreciate its architectural value, hes really not interested in visiting a bunch of churches that would be less than welcoming if he and Blaine acted like a couple. And he would never do that to his daughter; introduce her to people who think shed be better off with heterosexual strangers than her real parents.

"Daddy," Lexy interrupts his musings. "When do we go to the beach? You say we go to Italy for the ocean."

"Tomorrow," Kurt replies. "Were driving to Pisa in the morning where they have a tower thats leaning over and then well go to the beach in the afternoon."

"Yay," Lexy claps excitedly, her spoon clattering into her bowl and splattering her dress with chocolate ice cream. "Oops," she adds, her blue eyes widening in shock when she spots the dark spots on her new yellow dress.

"Come here," Kurt sighs, having feared something like this would happen the moment Lexy decided on chocolate ice cream.

He quickly sprays her dress with an emergency stain remover he always carries with him since Lexy started eating something other than formula. Fortunately, it takes care of the chocolate stains quickly and by the time Blaine returns from his church excursion, Lexys dress is clean and both their bowls are empty.

"You could have saved me some," Blaine pouts and instead of wiping her mouth with a napkin like Kurt told her to, Lexy presses her ice cream sticky lips to Blaines cheek.

"Now you have ice cream too," she tells him matter-of-factly and Kurt has to suppress a laugh instead of scolding her.

"You can get a cone," he tells his boyfriend, because they have plans to explore the rest of the city before dinner at a fish restaurant.

The next morning, they check out of their hotel early and drive to Pisa where Lexy tries to push over the leaning tower and Kurt and Blaine alternately take pictures of them fake holding up the tower, which Blaine immediately has to share on twitter.

[at] BDAnderson: look how strong [AT] KurtEHummel is [instagram link]

As promised, they spend the rest of the day at the beach, building sandcastles with Lexy and unsuccessfully trying to get her to swim. Its not that she doesnt know how – shes had swimming lessons since she was six months old at least once every two weeks – but that she doesnt want to let go off him or Blaine even though shes wearing arm floats. Kurt suspects that shes intimidated by the waves, which are much higher than she is used to from New York.

"How about we take a pedal boat out once she wakes up," Blaine suggests while Lexy takes a nap under the beach umbrella theyve bought from a street vendor. "I think I saw some with slides."

"And is that for you or for her," Kurt teases him, though he has to admit that renting a boat sounds like fun, even if it means being out in the sun without protection.

Lexy, awake and informed about their plans, is ecstatic about the slide as well but once they are on the boat and put some distance between them and the beach, she refuses to slide into the water unless one of her daddies is there to catch her.

"You go," Kurt tells Blaine, because as long as he stays out of the water, his sunscreen wont wash off.

Blaine slides into the water, screaming like a little kid, while Kurt secures Lexys hat and makes sure her floaters have enough air. Only when hes certain that shes protected from drowning and the sun, does he help her climb up the slide and holds her in place until shes happy with Blaines position in the water.

For at least fifteen minutes, Kurts there to help his daughter back onto the boat and slide into Blaines waiting arms before hes getting a little warm himself without an umbrella to hide under.

"You wanna switch?" he asks Blaine to both their surprise before he abandons his post and slides into the ocean as well. Fortunately, the waters perfect compared to the cold Atlantic hes gotten used to in New York thanks to Blaine and Lexys obsession with the beach.

When their hour is up, they return to the beach where he and Blaine play soccer with Lexy until their stomachs rumble and they drive back to Pisa to check into their hotel for the night to get ready for dinner.

Day four and five of their Tuscany tour are spent in Lucca, Bologna and Ravenna as they cross the country to the Adriatic Sea. While Lexy seems to enjoy the stops in the cities well enough, Kurt knows his daughter cant wait to go back to the beach and if hes being quite honest, hes actually looking forward to a lazy day on the beach as well.

They are having breakfast in Ravenna when Blaine gets the call.

"Yes, this is Blaine Anderson," his boyfriend answers his phone while Kurt tries to convince Lexy to eat her eggs.

"Yes, thats correct. … No, we arent there yet, but we will tonight. … Yes, we have reservations. … I dont think it would be a problem. … Tomorrow at 2. … Ill be there."

"What was that about?" Kurt asks when Blaine ends the call and switches his empty plate with Lexys. It has the desired effect that his daughter starts eating again because shes not okay with having her food stolen.

"That was someone from Universal Studios. Apparently Jason Ackerman wants me to write the music for his next film and when they found out were in Italy they thought it would be a perfect time for us to meet."

"Jason Ackerman? Remind why the name sounds familiar."

"He was nominated for two Oscars last year for Falling Slowly," Blaine replies after taking a sip from his orange juice.

"Oh, we loved that movie," Kurt remembers. At first, theyd only decided to go see it because his friend Artie from high school was the second assistant director on it, but in the end he and Blaine were both in love with the quirky, indie movie.

"So, apparently he has more budget now and wants original songs for his next film. And hes in Venice right now because his current film is premiering tonight at the film festival. The lady on the phone said she booked us a suite in one of the festival hotels so I can easily meet with Jason tomorrow afternoon."

Well, Kurts not going to say no to free accommodations, especially because the hotel they have reservations for is kind of expensive even though its not in a great part of the city.

"Ill call the hotel and cancel our reservations," he tells Blaine before finishing his own breakfast now that Lexy is done with hers.

"Beach, beach, beach," she sings as they leave the hotel together and Kurt scoops her up and throws her into the air, even though shes actually quite heavy and hes not sure how much longer hell be able to do it.

Some times he has a hard time acknowledging how fast shes growing up, when not too long ago he couldnt wait for her to be less dependent on him. But that was back when he was raising her on his own and barely ever had time for himself. Now that Blaines part of their life, things most certainly have changed for the better.

"And youre sure its okay that Im coming with you?" Blaine asks.

They are sitting on the terrace of the hotel Excelsior on the Venice Lido, enjoying the late August sun surrounded by journalists, celebrities and cineastes. Before, while Blaine talked to Jason, Kurt and Lexy played soccer on the beach until his boyfriend had sent a waiter to come and fetch them. Now, Lexy is asleep in a large wicker chair while he and Blaine sip their Campari sodas and enjoy their final day in Italy before they fly to London to drop Lexy off at her English grandparents.

"What do you mean?" Kurt replies and adjusts his sunglasses, which keep slipping down his nose.

"To James parents house. You think Ill be welcome?" Blaine clarifies.

With his black hair and tanned skin, Kurt isnt surprised when people keep coming up to Blaine and try to talk to his boyfriend in Italian, but after a week under the Italian sun, even Kurt has managed a very light tan. Or so Blaine insists, because all he sees when he looks into the mirror are thousands of new freckles.

"Of course it is," Kurt reassures Blaine. "Its not like they dont know about you after all and youre an important part of their granddaughters life."

And he had called Edith before they left New York to let her know that Blaine would be with them when he brought Lexy to their house.

Blaine nods. "Its strange though because Ive definitely never met the parents of a boyfriends ex before."

Kurt chuckles. "Tell me about it. But Lexy is their only grandchild so they want to spend as much time with her as they possibly can. And Lexy seems to like them well enough for people she mostly sees through Skype."

The girl in question briefly stirs in the chair shes curled up in, but doesnt wake up. Thanks to a week in the sun, her blond hair is even blonder than usual and though both her biological parents have fair skin and Kurt always puts multiple layers of sunscreen on her, shes managed to get a bit of a tan as well and unlike Kurt, fortunately barely any freckles.

"You know what? I think we should take Jason up on his offer and leave Lexy with their babysitter and go to that party you are invited to," Kurt suggests after looking over his daughters sleeping form once more.

Because as fun as their family vacation has been so far, they havent had a single night to themselves since leaving New York. And theyre both still young and should take advantage of party invitations like the one Blaine got. Its to the premiere party of one of the films in competition for the Golden Lion and while Kurt is familiar with theater parties, hes always been curious about the Hollywood equivalent.

"Ill give Jason a call," Blaine agrees immediately, reminding Kurt that this has only been Blaines life for eight months and the lack of an active social life is still something hes getting used to.

Luckily, Jason has a daughter Kurts age and the girls hit it off immediately when he and Blaine drop her off at Jasons suite around seven. After he and Blaine kiss her goodbye, they join Jason and his wife Elle on a boat to the hotel Cipriani, famous for its film festival parties and years ago, George Clooneys second wedding. These days, they arent poor by any rate, but when Kurt hears about the price for the cheapest room – a modest 1500 $ a night - he nearly spits the expensive champagne back into his glass, as Jason guides them through the patio and introduces Blaine to his collaborators.

To his surprise, Kurt gets recognized quite a bit as well and he tries not to blush when one of his favorite actresses complements his performance and tells her companion that Kurts performance is a must see.

"Oh, thats really nice of you," he stammers, "but Im not performing it on Broadway anymore. I will reprise the role in London though, beginning of December."

"You are so star struck," Blaine teases him gently when they are alone again and Kurt knows he cant deny it. He may have made a name for himself on Broadway but before today, the only sort of famous people hed ever met were his friends and his boyfriend.

"I saw how you drooled over Chris Hemsworth when we came in," he retorts nevertheless because clearly he isnt the only one whos impressed by the people they get to spend an evening with.

"I cant help that he still looks this hot at forty," Blaine pouts and Kurt kisses him briefly before leaning in to whisper into his ear.

"As long as you still find me hot when I turn forty alls forgiven."

Blaine smiles at him before cupping his cheek and looking right into Kurts eyes.

"I cant image therell ever come a day when I wont find you hot," he whispers and if those hotel rooms werent so damned expensive, Kurt would have dragged him off to have his way with him right this moment.

Instead, they spend the rest of the night drinking and dancing with the rich and famous and though Kurt can honestly say by the time they leave that he prefers parties with his friends, he and Blaine had a blast. Its nearly four oclock when they collect Lexy from Jasons suite and carry her downstairs to their own room. Their plane for London leaves at two, and while Kurt isnt looking forward to having to get up in less than four hours he doesnt regret their night out one bit. Because sometimes, its nice to forget all about his responsibilities and have fun like a childless couple.

They arrive at the London Gatwick airport around four the next afternoon, Lexy excited to see her other grandparents again while Kurt and Blaine want nothing more than go back to sleep after Lexy woke them around seven and refused to go back to bed because she wanted to go to Engaland right away.

James parents, Henry and Edith Patterson, are waiting for them at the airport, after having convinced Kurt that a rental car for one day would be a waste of time and money. Kurt hadnt protested because the prospect of having to drive on the other side of the road seemed pretty daunting and he definitely didnt want his first time driving a British car to be in London.

When they approach the couple in their mid fifties, Blaines grip on Kurts hand tightens and Kurt just hopes that everything will go well. Luckily, Lexy runs over to her other grandparents when she spots them and the stuffed elephant Henry brought along, distracting the Pattersons while he and Blaine approach them at a more leisurely pace.

"Are you excited about being in England?" Edith asks when he and Blaine reach his ex-husbands parents and Lexy nods before she tells her grandparents that she wants to talk to Santa as soon as possible.

"Santa?" Henry frowns and both Kurt and Blaine press their lips together tightly so they wont burst out laughing.

"We told her that Santa starts work earlier in England to explain why James had a Christmas present for her when we hadnt visited Santa yet," Kurt whispers into his form father-in-laws ear, who barks out a laugh before relaying the story to his wife, who giggles as well.

"Its good to see you again, Kurt," she greets him with a kiss to his cheek before she turns to Blaine.

"And you must be Blaine. Its nice to meet you. James said you are a very talented musician."

In that moment, Kurts very glad that James and Blaine get along these days because he can imagine how uncomfortable this meeting would be if James didnt like Kurts boyfriend and let his parents know about it.

"Its nice to meet you too," Blaine replies, his grip on Kurts hand still too tight, but at least he doesnt look like hes going to throw up any moment anymore. "Lexys been talking about how much she was looking forward to seeing Engaland grandma and grandpa for weeks."

Blaine has to let go of Kurts hand to shake Henrys and Kurt can tell from the way Blaine winces that Henry squeezed his hand pretty hard. But he expected that because Henry hadnt been happy when he heard about the divorce because he believed marriage was for life and people shouldnt break up unless one partner was violent. Falling out of love was not one of the acceptable reasons for a divorce in James fathers eyes.

Blaine discreetly shakes out his hand when they follow Henry and Edith to their car, Lexy holding hands with her grandparents while Kurt quietly tries to reassure Blaine that he is welcome even though Henry doesnt act very welcoming.

"Its got nothing to do with you, I promise. Hes angry with me and James because we didnt try to save our marriage."

"Yeah, but I was part of the reason you didnt," Blaine whispers back.

"But they dont know that. All they know is that James and I fell out of love and decided to call it quits as long as we were still on good terms."

Before they can say more on the subject, they reach the Pattersons car and he and Blaine squeeze into the back with Lexy.

"James called," Edith tells them once they are en route to the London suburb where James parents live. "Hes coming here instead of flying to New York on Monday so he can see Alexandra and he said he tried to reach you but your phone was off."

"Daddy James?" Lexy asks and Kurt nods.

"Yay," his daughter replies and Kurt smiles at her, grateful that everything worked out so well after his divorce last year.

"How long has it been since shes seen him?" Edith asks in that tone she always uses when she talks about her son and her granddaughter and Kurt winces when he responds.

"Five weeks, but three of them are my fault because first she stayed in Ohio for two weeks with my parents and then we went to Italy."

"Ill have another talk with my son," Edith declares and no matter what Kurt says, she doesnt believe that James usually is pretty good about spending time with his daughter these days.

At the Pattersons home, Henry takes Lexy upstairs to show her the room shell be staying in while he and Blaine are in France, leaving them alone with Edith.

"What time does your train leave tomorrow?" she asks from the kitchen while Kurt and Blaine wait for their tea on the living room sofa.

"Four oclock," Kurt replies. "We decided to take a later one when I saw that it takes less than two and a half hours to get to Paris. At least this way, we can go into the city and look up the apartment and the theater."

Edith joins them moments later and serves them black tea with milk to Kurts chagrin because hes never been a fan of this particular drink.

"You should stay with us for the night then. Henry or I can drive you to Cockfosters tomorrow where you can take the Piccadilly line straight to Piccadilly Circus and youll be around in case Alexandra has trouble sleeping in a strange house," Edith offers and Kurt looks at Blaine for help.

After all, they booked a hotel close to the train station because they thought itd be too awkward to ask the Pattersons if they could spend the night.

"Thats nice of you, but we dont want to impose. But I could go to London and Kurt could stay here," Blaine replies hesitantly but luckily, Edith doesnt like Blaines plan just like Kurts not a fan of it.

"Nonsense, Henry will get over it and weve actually turned Billys room into a guest room a while ago because he tends to sleep in James room when hes visiting. Its about time we actually have guests for the guest room."

When Blaine looks at her questioningly, Edith points at a picture over the fireplace.

"Billys our youngest. He just graduated from Oxford with a masters degree in Chemistry," she explains, obviously proud of her sons accomplishments. "Ive told him to visit some time this week because hes only see his niece once so far."

While they wait for Henry and Lexy to return, he and Blaine show Edith pictures of their Italy trip, promising to email her the ones containing her granddaughter. Once everyone is back in the living room, Kurt offers Edith his help in the kitchen, leaving Blaine with Henry and Lexy, because it would be rude if both of them hid from his disapproving former father-in-law. And well, Blaines charming and people tend to like him even if they only spend very little time with him.

Blaine doesnt disappoint and by the time he and Edith serve dinner, a smiling Henry is trying to explain the rules of Cricket to a much more relaxed Blaine who simultaneously is helping Lexy build a tower with a her Lego blocks.

Because it does appear to be whats best for Lexy, he and Blaine spend the night at the Pattersons after all, though Kurt spends the night with his daughter while Blaine sleeps in the guest room because they know how Henry feels about all this. The next morning, he and Blaine spend nearly an hour saying goodbye to Lexy, sharing hugs and kisses and promising her that they are only a phone call away and that should she miss them too much, theyd come back for her in a heart beat, because no vacation is more important than her. Though when she hears that people eat snails in France – and Kurt slams his hand over Blaines mouth when he wants to interject that Kurt tried some in Italy – she tells them shes glad she gets to stay in England.

Though Henry has warmed up to them, Edith drives them to the tube station, helping them with purchasing tickets and explaining how to get to their apartment and the theater from Piccadilly Circus.

"Thank you," Kurt tells her before they leave. "Its really nice of you to watch her so we can have a grown up vacation. Ill skype you tonight once we get to our hotel."

Edith kisses both of them on their cheeks before she heads back to the car and he and Blaine get onto a train to Central London. Once they get off at Piccadilly Circus, Kurts happy to discover that like New York, London is a free wifi city and instead of having to rely on Edith directions he can just enter the address of their new apartment into google maps.

"I love it," Kurt declares when he discovers that their temporary home is in a side street off Carnaby Street, a pedestrian area filled with shops Kurt can actually see himself shopping at.

"Wait till I take you to Harrods," Blaine laughs before he takes Kurts hand and leads him toward the theater district.

"What is it called again?" Kurt asks when they return to Piccadilly Circus and are faced with multiple theaters advertising their shows.

"Prince of Wales Theater," Blaine replies, turning in a circle as well.

Kurts the first to spot it and when he does, he actually laughs out loud because of how fitting it is.

"What?" Blaine asks until he follows Kurts line of sight. "Oh, didnt you do this show before Ace?"

Kurt nods before he takes Blaines hand and pulls him toward the theater.

"We should try to get tickets before it closes," he decides, because even though hed only performed his understudy role four times, Book of Mormon was his first Broadway engagement and Kurt will never forget how happy hed been to be part of that show.

[PICTURE]

Inside the theater, Kurt approaches a young woman working the ticket office.

"Hi there, Id like two tickets for Book of Mormon, some time next week if possible."

"Youre in luck. The show closes in two weeks but I still have tickets for September 12. And if youre in town for Christmas, you should check out the show thats opening here in December. Its a new Broadway show and well even have one of the original Broadway cast members in our production."

Behind him, Blaine sniggers and Kurt stomps on his foot to make him stop.

"Im guessing you dont have posters for this new show yet, right?" he asks the girl who looks at them like theyre nothing but a pair of crazy American tourists.

"No, Im sorry. But if you check our website in October, there should be more information on the show. Its called Ace..."

"… of Spades," Blaine interrupts her, apparently having decided to put the girl out of her misery. "We know about the show and we probably should have opened with this, but Im Blaine Anderson and hes Kurt Hummel, the original Broadway cast member starring in the London production."

The young girl turns bright red. "Oh my God, Im sorry. I didnt know. Would you like to take a tour of the theater? I could call someone to show you around and Im sure I can get you free tickets for whenever you want."

Kurt definitely wants to tour the theater soon and meet the cast if possible, but theres no way he wont be paying for his ticket because when he was a student and Broadway tickets were something he had to save for, he had hated it when people who could easily afford even the most expensive categories got their tickets for free just because they were famous or because they knew someone in the production.

"Thats nice of you, but were going to Paris today. But maybe someone could show us around the theater on the 12th when we come here for the show? How much do I owe you for those tickets by the way?"

After assuring the young girl once more that she shouldnt be embarrassed about not knowing who they are immediately, he and Blaine spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the area around the theater for decent restaurants and coffee shops before taking the tube to Kings cross.

They had decided to take a train to Paris instead of a plane because Kurt was curious about taking a train that ran under the ocean and because after Blaine had researched how much time they would spend getting to and from the airport in addition to actual flight time, it became clear that the train was actually the faster options.

Once on board the train, they buy two glasses of champagne.

"To ten days of just the two of us," Kurt raises his glass in a toast. "To ten days of having no responsibilities and being able to do whatever we want."

"To us," Blaine agrees and clinks his glass against Kurts.

September 2023

This is how their three day trip to Paris can be summarized: Sex, food, wine, sightseeing, shopping, more sex, more food, more wine, more sightseeing and more shopping. And on the third and final day: Sex, food and wine, followed by sex, a nap and more sex.

Their week touring the Côte dAzur isnt too different from their stay in Paris. During the day, they visit beach resorts, swim in the ocean and sample the local cusine, while their nights are spent worshipping each others bodies and drinking delicious French wine by the bottle after ending their nightly skype calls with Lexy. All too soon the ten days are over however and Kurt and Blaine rather reluctantly board a plane to London.

"Im going to miss the freedom we had this week," Blaine admits, once their plane is in the air. "But I would miss Lexy more and I cant wait to get her from her grandparents and move into our new apartment with her."

"I know what you mean," Kurt assures him. "I loved both the trips, the one we shared with her and the one that was just for us, but I think we needed the second one more. It think we need to put our relationship first from time to time if we want to make it in the long run because James and I never did, first because of his job and then because of his job and Lexy and I dont want what happened with me James to happen to us. So I think we need to make sure theres always a balance and that we still have time for just the two of us as a couple."

"We do have a set of grandparents for the next year that lives pretty close compared to what we are used to, so maybe we should take advantage of them and go away from time to time, take day trips on your days off."

"Sounds good," Kurt agrees and briefly presses his lips to Blaines. "And though I cant believe its happening already, well have more time to ourselves once Lexy starts pre-school on Monday."

December 2023

Two Americans in London – Ace of Spades debuts on West End to rave reviews

Ace of Spades, B.D. Andersons second Broadway musical opened at the Price of Wales Theater on Friday, December 8, 2023, to a sold out crowd, some fans having cued for hours the previous day for lottery tickets to the latest Broadway smash hit. After the second show we met with the show creator and original Broadway cast member Kurt Hummel. To those that have read the program (see end of article) it wont come as a surprise to hear that the young actor has found more in Ace of Spades than just fame, as the two confirm what apparently is an open secret on Broadway. Blaine D. Anderson and Kurt Hummel are a couple and Kurts the reason why Blaine was in London for Ace of Spades West End premiere.

WE: Kurt, youve played this role before, first in previews off Broadway and then on Broadway for more than a year. How does it feel to reprise it here in London?

KH: I was ecstatic when I got the offer because I wasnt ready to say goodbye to a role that means so much to me. I know many people dont understand why I took London up on the offer after I had done the show on Broadway and off 472 times, but I love everything about it - the music, the role, the story – and when I realized that going on tour with a toddler just wasnt a good idea, I was really happy when I heard from London. And while I miss my cast mates, we have a fantastic cast here, and Im blown away daily by all the talent we have in our show.

WE: Blaine, you arent here in any official capacity but we have heard that youre going to stay in London while Kurt performs here. What are your next plans?

BDA: Im writing the music for a movie, but I cant tell you more about this at the moment. I spend time with our daughter when Kurts at the theater and Ive started working on a new musical with one of my idols, so Ive been flying out to New York quite a bit lately.

WE: And Ill come back to the cutie in a minute but before, tell us how youll celebrate Christmas this year. Kurt, you said that family is very important to you, but I also know that you are expected to perform during the Christmas holidays. So how well you deal with that.

KH: Our families are coming to London for Christmas because as you said, family is important for both of us. They all have tickets to the show because they insisted they wanted to see it again and afterward well do what we always do for Christmas, just in different country.

BDA: Im so excited about Christmas because my brother and his girlfriend had a baby in August and while Ive met my niece, our daughter hasnt had the chance to meet her new cousin yet and I so I cant wait to make that happen when my whole family comes out here for the holidays.

WE: So I guess youre not the only one in your family who has a kid but isnt married. You have a beautiful daughter together, 3-year-old Alexandra, but you arent actually married as many of your fans assumed. Now, I dont know much about the United States, but I thought same-sex couples with children benefited from marriage.

KH: They do, but I had my daughter with my ex-husband so shes protected through my first marriage and although legally speaking she isnt Blaines, weve made sure that the law would have to recognize him as her parent in case of an emergency or just, you know, school related things or being allowed to travel with her without getting my written permission.

WE: Your daughter sounds like a very lucky girl. And because your fans would lynch me if I didnt ask – are there maybe wedding bells in your future then?

BDA: Weve only been dating for a little over a year at this point and he hasnt asked yet, but neither of us feels like we need a marriage certificate to validate our relationship. But I can promise Kurts fans, that should it ever happen, well let them know.

WE: Thanks for meeting with me.

Here are Kurt and Blaines bios for all of you who havent had the chance to see the show yet:

[photo] & [photo]

AN: Pictures can be viewed on AO3 in this chapter. Next up is the epilogue. If after the story is finished, there are still things you want to read about in this universe, please let me know.