March 27, 2012, 5:11 p.m.
Daddies' Girls: Discussions
T - Words: 3,321 - Last Updated: Mar 27, 2012 Story: Complete - Chapters: 20/20 - Created: Jan 18, 2012 - Updated: Mar 27, 2012 1,387 0 4 0 0
Blaine tried to calm himself on the ride home. He tried to rationalize everything in his brain. It just made him angrier and angrier to think that Kurt had lied to him.
Kurt had never lied to him.
Sure, Kurt had sometimes forgotten a promise or two, but lying was completely different. Blaine remembered that even in the worst of times, there were never secrets between them. They had worked through every crush, every tense moment, every uncertainty with complete honesty.
Until now.
Blaine had calmed down enough so he wouldn't scare Haley; he knew she had never witnessed his temper, and tonight was not going to be the night she did.
He walked into the foyer of the house and saw both Haley and Santana sitting on the curved steps, staring down at him. Haley was tucked into Santana's lap, staring at Blaine through an opening in her arms. Santana looked miserable, she had tear tracks down her face, and she couldn't quite meet Blaine's eyes when he stared up at them.
Blaine immediately felt his heart lighten. He didn't want either of them to think he was going to be a horrible person to them. "I guess he told you," he finally said after a long silence. He tried to keep his tone light, but he didn't succeed; he still sounded tortured.
Santana nodded, her legs bouncing and her mouth set in a thin line.
Haley untangled herself and stood, running down to Blaine and hugging around his waist, "Are you mad at me, Daddy?"
Blaine knelt and hugged her completely, "No, baby, I'm not. I may have overreacted with…" Blaine paused for a few seconds. He had no idea what to call Kurt.
"Daddy Kurt?" Haley supplied, seeming to feel his internal battle.
Blaine nodded, "with Daddy Kurt. Come on, it's late. Let's get you into bed and then we can talk for a little, okay?"
Haley nodded but still held his hand as they ascended the stairs together. Santana was leaning against the banister now, "Should I pack my things?" she asked in a timid voice.
Blaine paused and turned slowly, careful not to break contact with Haley. "I was actually hoping you could go get us some wine ready. Maybe go sit by the fire pit?"
Santana looked surprised, but nodded.
"And Santana?"
She turned quickly.
"I would never make you leave your home."
Santana looked into his eyes for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief, "Thank you."
Blaine nodded and turned to continue his journey up the stairs, "Go get your jammies on, and I'll be in your room in a couple of minutes, okay?"
Haley didn't look like she wanted to part their hands but nodded and ran toward her room, closing the door loudly behind her.
"Want to try that again?" Blaine said with a bit of a laugh in his voice.
Haley opened the door slowly and then closed the door quietly.
"Thank you," Blaine bellowed before walking into his bedroom and rifling through a few boxes he kept buried on the completely empty side of the closet.
What was he thinking getting a house with this big of a closet? He didn't even use a quarter of it, and there was a room down the hall with a closet the same size.
Blaine grabbed what he was looking for and quickly padded down the hall to Haley's room, "Knock knock," he said quietly, rapping his knuckles on the doorframe.
"Come in," Haley said equally quiet, still afraid of what her father was going to say. She'd heard half of the conversation with Kurt, and she knew things weren't going to go well.
Blaine sat cross legged on the bed, and stared at her, not to scare her, but he wanted her to start the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Daddy, I shouldn't have lied to you," she said eventually, playing with her hands and looking down. "I just didn't want you to hate me for wanting to know my dad…"
Blaine took the fumbling hands in his, "I know, princess. I want you to know that I'm not mad at you. I think you should have come to me, but I understand why you didn't. Just know that in the future, whatever you come to me with, I'm never going to hate you, Haley. You are the most precious thing in my life." Blaine wrapped her up in his arms, trying to ignore the tears stinging on his cheeks. "I will never hate you."
Haley sniffled into his shoulder, "Daddy….can you not hate uhm…K-kurt?"
"You can call him whatever you want," Blaine said honestly.
"Dad?" Haley finished, seeming to make that her final decision for his name.
Blaine sighed, "I'm not going to lie, Haley. I'm very irritated with your father, but I don't hate him. I never have hated your father."
"But he was crying on the phone," Haley said, her eyes wide.
Blaine bit his lip and willed the pain he felt from that simple notion away. "Well, I'll have to make him smile next time I see him."
Haley nodded happily, "Does that mean you are going to be married again?"
Blaine laughed warmly, "It isn't that simple, sweetheart."
Haley had been expecting that answer, so she just nodded. She was sad, but knew that neither of her fathers would keep her away from her sister.
Blaine leaned in and kissed Haley's forehead, "Okay. I know it's only 9, so I'm leaving these here," Blaine held up four huge photo albums he'd had hidden in the back of his closet, "these are pictures of your father and I throughout the years. You can look at them for awhile if you want."
Haley grabbed them eagerly, the smile on her face huge as she turned the page and saw Blaine standing in a navy blazer with Kurt in a simple pair of jeans and an intricate sweater. "Daddy?"
"Yes," Blaine was standing but turned to look at Haley.
"Is your wedding in these?'
Blaine nodded, "The white album. The pages are worn though, so be careful." He'd looked over the contents of that album so often that he knew the pages were breaking down to nothing. He'd have to replace the book soon if he wanted to keep the pictures.
Blaine shut the door softly and walked through the house quickly to find Santana. He knew she'd be at the fire pit eventually, but also knew that when she was upset, she wandered throughout the house and yard.
She was sitting by the fire pit, however, her legs tucked beneath her and her wine glass still full. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared at the crackling fire.
Blaine sat down beside her and picked up his wine glass, taking a longer sip than usual, he turned to her and sighed, "We really got ourselves into it this time."
Santana nodded, not taking her eyes off of the embers, "I'm sorry, Blaine. My allegiance is to you, and I should have stuck with it. I just…I'm sorry I lied. I just…I thought you'd be happy!"
"I would have been…had I known the truth originally," Blaine stared into the fire with Santana. His mind was in a million places at once, not quite sure what he should be fighting or what he should do.
Santana watched the mirage of expressions on Blaine's face, and she put a hand on his shoulder, "He's upset, you know. He called me earlier and wanted to know if he blew every chance he had of ever getting it back."
Blaine froze, "And what did you tell him?" His voice had a calm edge that Santana knew meant he was going to be angry no matter what she said.
"I told him to never lose faith in the ones you love," Santana said honestly. She still had confidence they could work it out. She hated Sebastian, but she loved the idea of Kurt and Blaine being together again more than anything, even more than she hated the slimy man.
Blaine softened, "Thank you," he said genuinely. "I don't want him to give up hope."
Santana grinned at the man who suddenly looked like he was young again. "Are you going to talk things out with him?"
Blaine looked away and busied himself, using a poker to shift the embers around, "I'll talk to him. But I can't…I can't just walk away from Sebastian either. No matter what I do, someone gets hurt."
"So do something you never do, Blaine. Think of yourself. Only you. Not Kurt. Not Sebastian. Not Haley. Not me. Not your parents. Not anyone but you. What do you want, Blaine? What will make you happy?" Santana had both arms on Blaine's shoulders and was shaking him slightly. "What do you need? Who do you need?"
Blaine blinked a few times, "I wish it were that simple, San. I wish I could just choose what my heart wants. But what if he leaves again? What if he walks away because he has a job offer in Paris? Or he can't stay in California? He would not only hurt me by walking out of my life, but he'd hurt Haley because he'd leave her for a second time. He'd hurt Natalie because she would once again be jostled around because of us, because of me." Blaine felt a nasty headache coming and wanted the entire nightmare to be over. He cursed his younger self for being too dumb and stubborn to not work things out originally.
Santana realized that Blaine had grown up so much in ten years, and she'd never noticed it. She remembered the Blaine that had begged her to call Kurt and tell him to turn around. She remembered how he couldn't be left in a room with a phone for months, because he would always try to find Kurt via the operator. Now Blaine had Kurt in front of him, and he was trying to make the most adult decision.
Maybe they weren't young men anymore.
She grabbed his hand and poured them both some more wine, "Look, just give him a chance. Go tonight, look amazing in this outfit, and at least talk to him. You know how I feel about Sebastian, and I know how you feel about Sebastian. You loved Kurt more when you hated him than you love Sebastian."
Blaine laughed a little, knowing that she was right. But he still couldn't let himself fall right away, he had to give Kurt a chance to prove that he had changed for the better, that this plot was really just a one-time thing. If he could do that, Blaine thought he might give them a chance. "So what do I do about Sebastian? I don't want to hurt him."
Santana wanted to help Blaine do this easily, but only for his sake. She knew hurting Sebastian would only make Blaine even more vulnerable. "Is he coming over tonight?"
Blaine nodded, "But I can't do it tonight. He's going to have a show tomorrow and he shouldn't have this on his mind."
Santana rolled her finger over the screen of the phone, looking at a message from Kurt a few days ago.
Should she add to Blaine's pain?
"Blaine…maybe you should just get it over with. You hated that everyone went behind your back with Kurt. Why would Sebastian feel any different about you not having feelings for him and just keeping him around?" Santana poured even more wine for Blaine. He was always bolder when he was a little tipsy, and Sebastian would be over any minute.
Blaine looked at the full glass, "I know what you're doing."
Santana looked over Blaine's head, "Blaine…you have a guest."
Blaine turned around, expecting to see Sebastian, but instead saw someone else:
Burt Hummel.
"Burt!" Blaine stood quickly and threw his arms around the man, shaking a little. "You look fantastic!"
"Oh shut up, I don't. I have a bum hip, a bum knee, and I can't see anything close up," Burt laughed, staring at Blaine, "You haven't changed at all though."
Blaine blushed under the scrutiny of his former father-in-law, "Thanks," he finally said, dipping his head. "I think I know why you're here."
Burt nodded, "Care if we have a seat?"
"Of course," Blaine turned and saw that Santana had left. "Would you like some wine? Coffee?"
Burt shook his head, "I'm not going to be here for long. I have a boy sitting on the sofa at the hotel with a huge vat of ice cream. I'm afraid he's going to go into a sugar coma."
Blaine hung his head. The look on Burt's face was one of disappointment, and Blaine had never wanted to be the one to receive that look. "I'm sorry, Burt."
Burt shook his head, "I'm not blaming you. I fully blame him. I told him from the start not to lie to you. He wanted to do it this way. I think it was more romantic in his eyes," Burt nodded a few times, "he thought he could be the white knight that came and saved you from Sebastian. And I gotta tell you, kid, man to man here, that Sebastian is no good."
Blaine quirked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"
Burt realized then that no one had told Blaine the truth about Sebastian. "Kid…your boyfriend lives with another man…"
Blaine felt like all of his air had been sucked out of him. "Really?" Blaine couldn't say he was surprised. He always wondered why Sebastian hadn't made a greater fuss about not being able to sleep at the house. Blaine felt like he just knew someone in the back of his mind that Sebastian wouldn't go for a man like him anyway.
"You okay?" Burt put a hand on Blaine's shoulder. He watched for a few minutes as Blaine seemed to fold in on himself, the weight of everything crashing down around him.
Blaine eventually shrugged, "I'm not right now," his voice was a little thick, "but I will be eventually."
Burt remembered the boy from high school who held everything inside of him, the boy who never cried because the world had been so tough on him. Burt also remembered on Blaine and Kurt's wedding day that Blaine couldn't stop his tears. Blaine had learned to show his emotions through being with Kurt. Blaine was strong, and he would get through anything.
"I'm not one to tell people what to do, Blaine. But I think you need to break up with this kid," Burt shrugged and leaned back, "I mean, I would if it were me."
"Did they all know?" Blaine asked, his tone jaded and far away, "Did everyone know that Sebastian was cheating?"
Burt looked up at the house, really taking in the life Blaine had built for himself. He was almost hoping he wouldn't have to answer the question. But Blaine remained silent, his focus only on Burt. "They just found out for sure today. Kurt tried to tell you, I think…"
Blaine thought over their conversation, trying to remember any hint of that announcement.
"Not like he's cheating on your or anything," Kurt spat.
Blaine turned and looked at Kurt, "Stop with the lies, Kurt. Stop." Blaine continued walking, his shoulders heaving as he tried not to cry. When he got to the door, he turned, "Tell Natalie that I'm bringing Haley to the fashion show still. At least I will have a seat to see my boyfriend. She and Haley can sit together so they at least have some time. Before you leave, we'll have to talk about how to get them to see each other a few times a year."
Blaine sucked in a breath, "Kurt did try to tell me. But…I was already angry, and I just thought he was lying."
Burt nodded, "That's understandable."
"How did he find out though?"
Burt shrugged, "That I don't know. I don't know if he saw them together or Sebastian just told him. Sebastian doesn't know about who Kurt really is, does he?"
Blaine flushed, "No…no he doesn't."
Burt leaned in closer to Blaine, "That means that Kurt and Santana weren't the only two being untruthful. If you really were being truthful to Sebastian, wouldn't you have told him that he was modeling for your daughter's father? For your ex husband?"
Blaine looked down and fumbled his hands together wishing Santana hadn't taken his glass so he would have something to play with.
"I'm not judging you, Blaine," Burt held his hands up, "but you didn't exactly run to Sebastian and tell him about the kiss you shared with my son this afternoon, did you?"
Blaine sputtered; he couldn't believe Kurt had told Burt about that.
"We share a lot with each other," Burt put a hand on Blaine's shoulder again. He didn't want to outstay his welcome. "Blaine, you are a phenomenal human being. I cannot believe someone like you stayed single for so long. But I also want to believe that it means something that you did. I want nothing more than to have you back in my life, Kurt's life, and Natalie's life again. But I'm not going to push you to that. I know feelings change and sometimes the hurt doesn't go away. Sometimes we learn from the hurt and we push through it, but it still lets us know what not to do again. I'm going to tell you what I think you should do, not what I want you to do. This decision is for you. But it would make my life a lot easier if you would at least befriend Kurt. He's incredibly successful but doesn't surround himself with many people. He needs a friend at least. I know he doesn't want that only, and I would welcome you back as a boyfriend of my son or my son-in-law in a heartbeat, but if you could at least be civil with each other, it would make everything easier. You raised a hell of a kid, and I want to be around her more often."
Blaine hugged Burt, "You know, it would be easier if I could just marry you," he laughed at little, still slightly nervous.
"Well now that would be weird. I know my fabulous good looks are endearing, but I think my son would be mad," Burt laughed and stood, "I'm going to get going, because I hear Santana hissing in the house, which I assume means Sebastian is here. I'm going to go around the house, because I would probably punch him."
"Thank you," Blaine said quietly, "I will try to be friends with him. At least…for now."
Burt gave Blaine a genuine smile, "Good. Because I want to see the inside of this house when it isn't filled with someone I hate without knowing."
Blaine laughed and waited until Burt was safely back to his car before taking a deep breath and walking in the house.
"Who was that?" Sebastian asked, craning his neck to see out of the window, "were you on a date back there?"
"At least it isn't the man who lives with me," Blaine said, suddenly gaining some of his spark back.
Sebastian stopped, "Who...who told you that?"
"It doesn't matter," Blaine said honestly, "Why would you do that to me, Sebastian? Why would you do that to him?"
"Oh please, it's not like you're anything special," Sebastian said with a laugh, "I sleep with a lot of men. You just paid for better meals than the rest."
Santana mimicked throwing a glass at Sebastian, but Blaine shook his head, "Well Sebastian, your meal ticket is gone then. You can go home because we're done."
"Do you really think you're going to find someone like me somewhere else, old man?"
"I'm in my early thirties, I'm not old!"
Sebastian laughed, "Keep telling yourself that. No one wants an old man who has an annoying daughter."
"Don't you dare talk about my little girl like that," Blaine snarled in Sebastian's face.
Sebastian just laughed, "Don't worry, Blaine. I found someone so much better than you anyway. He's better looking and so much better in bed than you."
Blaine winced but said nothing.
"I'd like to meet that poor son of a bitch," Santana laughed while drying the glasses.
Sebastian Cheshire grinned at her, "You can't. I don't think Kurt Hummel caters to your clientele exactly…"
The glass Santana was holding crashed to the ground as she jumped from just the name.
Comments
WHAT?!?!?
OMG!
OMG!!!! PLEASE UPDATE SOON!!!! damn, this fic is addicting! I love it. and i can't wait to find out what happens next!
man, this totally sucks...