Blaine is sitting on the floor playing quietly with Emily while he thinks about the past month. So much has happened, and Blaine still can't believe the changes that have gone down. Him and Kurt now spend so much time together that Blaine considers him one of his closest friends, Isaac seems a lot more light-headed and seems to be opening up a lot more around them, and Emily is evolving so much. The little girl seems so happy most of the time, and she seems to be progressing very well, which fills Blaine's heart with joy. Blaine thinks back to the meeting he had had with Tina a few days ago, and how pleased the social worker had been with the progress Emily was making.

*******

Blaine found himself standing in front of the doors of the same building where he had done that about a month and a half ago. He still feels nervous about entering and hearing what Tina will think about Emily's progress and the little family they have built, but it's nothing compared to the other time since this time, he has a babbling Emily in his arms to give him strength. He is also accompanied not only by Isaac this time, but also by Kurt. Seeing as the three of them were taking care of Emily together, it seemed fitting for all of them to be there at the meeting, and Blaine is so grateful for both of their presence. He doesn't think the meeting will go badly, and he's proud of the progress the little girl has made since moving in with them, but he's still meeting the woman who has the power to take Emily way from them if she doesn't think Emily is adapting well, this is still nerve-wracking. Isaac finally looks at Blaine and pushes them gently towards the entrance, while Kurt says:

“Let's go Blaine, the meeting is going to go great, and we have nothing to worry about. Plus, we probably shouldn't stay here standing in front of the building like loons… Three men and a baby standing still for 10 minutes in front of an orphanage, I don't even want to think about what people would come up with as an explanation” he says sarcastically.

Blaine wishes he could feel as confident as Kurt and Isaac seem to be, but he can't help being nervous. However, he appreciates Kurt trying to make him relax by joking and Isaac physically supporting him, and he knows they are right; they really need to enter the building, and face the meeting. When they arrived at Tina's office and knock softly at her door, Tina seems a little surprised to see not only Blaine and Emily but also two other people accompanying him, however she doesn't comment and just leaves them alone a few minutes to go and hunt down more chairs. When she comes back carrying a couple of chairs, Blaine settles in the middle with Emily happily sitting on his knees, while Kurt and Isaac sit on each side of him. Kurt introduces himself, seeing and he had been the only one not there the other time, and Tina smiles softly at all of them.

“It's nice to meet you Kurt, and great to see you guys again” she says turning towards Blaine and Isaac. “As for you princess, I'm so happy to see you doing so well! She seems to be doing great Blaine, she seems really radiant and happy. I had never seen her being that way and I have to say, it's so good to see.”

“Well… Thanks I guess” says Blaine awkwardly, which had Isaac smiling softly and Kurt rolling his eyes in a sarcastic way. “But it's not just me. You've met Isaac before and this is Kurt, they've both been helping me so much and since we all live together, they've been taking care of Emily with me. I don't know if that's alright or…” explains Blaine nervously.

“It's okay Blaine; you don't need to be worried. I think it's great that you have a support system. It's nearly impossible raising a child by yourself without any help, and I'm glad to see you don't have to do this. And you're all living together you say?”
Blaine nods his head softly to answer her question and tenses up, wondering how she'll react to the news. He can feel Kurt brushing their shoulders together in a supportive manner, and instantly feels a little better; he doesn't relax until Tina starts speaking again though.

“Well, I must admit, it's not conventional, that's for sure. But who am I to judge? Seeing Emily just for a few minutes, I can already tell how happy she is, so your living arrangements seem to be working wonders for her”.

Hearing this, Blaine feels himself relax instantly. He had been really worried Tina wouldn't approve of how they were living and taking care of Emily, and he was afraid she might take Emily from him or force him to move out and do this by himself. Knowing that this won't happen, and even more, knowing that she approves of his living arrangements is such a relief.

After this, Blaine starts to relax more and him, Kurt and Isaac start telling Tina how much progress Emily has made. They tell her that she has started pulling herself up on her own two legs, and that they expect her to start walking any day now. Which Blaine was impatient for, and dreading at the same time. Once Emily starts walking, it will be so much harder looking after her, and Blaine dreads the troubles she could get into once she starts walking. They explain that even if Emily still doesn't know any words, she is very communicative and babbles, laughs and tries to tell them stuff all the time. When Blaine expresses his concerns that she still isn't properly talking, Tina is quick to reassure him.

“You really have nothing to worry about Blaine. Emily is already evolving a lot quicker than I thought she would, you can't expect her to do miracles. Remember that Emily didn't have anyone to speak to for the first 11 months of her life, so just the fact that she is being communicative and trying to express herself, even in an unintelligible way, is amazing. You don't have to worry so much Blaine, you're doing great. So whatever you're doing, just keep doing it alright?”

Blaine nods in answer with a soft smile, even if he doesn't know exactly what he's doing that's so particular. All he's doing is loving this little girl, which really isn't all that difficult in the first place. All of them kept talking for a while longer, while Emily played with her stuff toy that she had brought with her, and the meeting ends up going really great. Tina ends the meeting by giving her stamp of approval and saying that Blaine really is doing a great job, which has Blaine blushing slightly along with the huge grin Isaac gave him when he turned towards him and the soft smile and nod Kurt gave him to show he agreed with what the social worker had said.

********

Since the meeting, Blaine had been a lot more relaxed and he was very happy knowing that the way he was acting with Emily seemed to be paying off and that the little girl's progress was going well. Most of all, Blaine was happy knowing Emily was evolving well and that he would get to keep the little girl and still live with Isaac and Kurt. The meeting was a few days ago and all three boys are now hanging out together in the living room. Isaac was lying on the floor goofing up with a giggling Emily sitting on her stomach, while Blaine was doing his homework sitting at the table, and Kurt was cooking some dinner for all of them. Since Blaine and Kurt's newfound friendship, them and Isaac seemed to hang out a lot more. They would often eat together and they rotated with the cooking, and all sit together on the living room table, with Emily sitting in her high chair and Blaine trying to feed her solid good, even if the little girl didn't seem convinced yet. Isaac was infinitely happy that he didn't need to choose which of his friends he would spend some time with now, seeing as he could just hang out with both of them at the same time, and he was a lot more relaxed around them as a consequence, which both Blaine and Kurt were grateful for. Kurt was also a lot more open around them, and Blaine had discovered that the man had a wonderful sarcastic sense of humor, which he had not suspected in the least and was so pleased to find. . Blaine in his turn was also a lot more relaxed, and now that he was settled with Emily and that the little girl was happy, he had finally come to accept his sister's flaws and her death, and had come to realize that Kurt was right, and that he wasn't alone anymore. After a while of them hanging out in companionable silence which was only interrupted by Emily's flailing and giggling on Isaac stomach, Isaac finally sat up and broke their silence.

“You know what?! We should have a party for Emily's birthday next week end. She'll be turning one next week, and I think this is something we should really celebrate right? Her first birthday and everything, we should make it special!”

Blaine looked up from his homework frowning softly. “I don't know Ise… I wouldn't really know who to invite, we don't really know any other kids, seeing as Emily doesn't go to school yet and doesn't go to daycare.” Which Blaine wonders if this is something he should worry about, should be maybe try to encourage Emily to meet other children? Considering their age, none of his friends have kids yet, but maybe he should join a club or something…

Isaac interrupts his musing by saying: “I know she doesn't know any other kids yet, but we could invite our friends, other adult, and all celebrate her turning one. Come on Blaine, it could be so much fun! And she deserves to have a party!”

“I don't know man… she hasn't met any of our friends yet, and I don't want to overwhelm her with people that she doesn't know. It's just been us for the moment; maybe it isn't such a good idea to introduce her to so many new people all at once….” Explains Blaine nervously.

“I think Isaac is right” Kurt spoke up for the first time in the conversation. “I know you're worried about Emily” he said turning towards Blaine and looking softly at the man “But you won't be able to shelter her all her life. She's going to meet new people eventually, and be in situations where a lot of people are there… Think about when she starts school. I know it's still a while away, but we can't keep hiding her, and wouldn't it be best for her to first be introduced to new people when these are our friends, and in our flat, which is a familiar environment. Seeing as they are our friends, we know we can trust them and we know that if Emily gets overwhelmed with too many people around, she'll at least be in her home, surrounded by her things and toys.”

Blaine had to admit that Kurt's arguments made a lot of sense. He just couldn't help but be worried about the little girl. She had been through so much already; he didn't want her to be subjected to more stressful situations. However, his friends were right. 1 year old was an important occasion, even if Emily wouldn't even remember her party as she grew up. She still deserved to have one, and it was an occasion to celebrate her being with them, and to introduce her to their friends, which had been dying to get to know her. Plus, he had to admit Kurt was right. Life was stressful, and Emily would be presented with stressful situations in her life, as much as Blaine wanted to shelter her. So maybe it was better starting her off with these kinds of situations, where they could actually control what would happen.

“You know what, you're right. We should organize a party for Em. I think she deserves it, and hell, we deserve it! There's been so many sad things in her life lately” And in mine Blaine thought silently “maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have some joy too, let's do it!”

Hearing Blaine's words, Kurt smiled at Blaine and returned to his cooking, while Isaac cheered and bounced Emily by lifting her up in the air. “Yay!!! Did you hear that Em?! Daddy said yes to the party, we can celebrate you still being alive and well after one whole month with us!”

Hearing those words, Blaine froze and dropped the pencil he had been using for his homework. He slowly turned towards Isaac and asks in a trembling voice “What did you call me?”

Isaac turned towards Blaine, and looked at him in all seriousness. “I called you her daddy Blaine. That's what you are after all right?”

“How long have you been saying this to her Ise? She's going to be so confused… I'm not her dad. I'm her uncle, and we shouldn't lie to her by telling her that I'm her father. Really Ise, you shouldn't have…..”

“But you are her father” Kurt cuts him off. “Maybe it's not true genetically , but you are her father in everything that matters. I'm not saying lie to her when she grows up, of course you should tell her about Laura, and tell her that we don't know who her biological father is. But he's just a sperm donor, not her father. You'll be the one taking care of her until she is 18, you'll be the one providing her with a home, and caring, and love. You'll be the one who's here when she has her first fight, her first period, you'll console her when she has her first crush and her first heart break, you'll support her when she gets brilliant in whatever she'll be interested in, and you'll be the one there every step of her life. So yes Blaine, you are her daddy, and she should know that too.”

Blaine doesn't say anything for a while after Kurt's speech. He can't quite believe what he just heard, and he never saw things this way. For him, he would always be “Uncle Blaine”, it's what sounded right to him.

“You're going to be the father figure in Em's life Blaine, and you should embrace your position. I'm going to be goofy adoring Uncle Isaac, and you're going to be Daddy Blaine. And you're going to be… hell, you already are a great father Blaine. And all three of us learned the hard way how important having a good father is, so by my book, Emily is already one lucky little girl having you, because she lucked out in this department.”

Blaine sees Kurt's shoulders tense hearing a mention about their fathers and them learning how important they are the hard way, and once again wonders what happened. He wonders what kind of relationship Kurt had with his dad, and if he is even still alive. Blaine understands what happened to Isaac now, and how awful his childhood must have been with a dad like his, and it puts his words into a new light. However, he had no idea what Kurt's father was like, and why he ended up living with Child Services. He decided not to push for more information however, and instead thinks silently about what they just said, knowing that Kurt will come to him with the story when he's ready for it.

During dinner later in the evening, Kurt and Isaac throw ideas back and forth about the party and how it should be, while Blaine stays silent, still deep in his thoughts. They don't try to push him to talk however, understanding how what they told him perturbed him and how he needs some time to get used to the idea. Blaine thinks that both of the boys might have been right in what they said to him. He might not be Emily's father by birth, but he will be the one raising her, and he'll love her as if she was his child. In fact, he already loves her as if she was his daughter, and he would do anything to care for her and protect her. He's not really her father, but the little girl doesn't have any of those anymore, and everyone deserves to have parents, he'll be the one to fill in this gap. He'll tell her the truth as soon as she's old enough to comprehend it, he'll never hide anything from her, but at the same time, she deserves to know she was loved and chosen. He'll be her dad.

They finish eating quickly and quietly, and when Blaine sees Emily yawning, he decided it's time for her to go to bed. Isaac first takes her into his arms and hugs the little girl: “goodnight Em, I can't wait to see you tomorrow!” and he then passed her to Kurt. He takes her into his arms and he hugs her tight while kissing her cheek and her hand when she smacks it against his face. “Good night princess, sweet dreams”. He then passes her back to Blaine, their hands touching each other as she passes from arm to arm and Blaine goes to put her to bed. He lies on his bed with Emily squeezed between his torso and his arm while he reads yet another chapter of Harry Potter and skips the scary parts, even if he's aware she can't really understand the story yet. When he notices Emily's eyelids drooping, he takes her into his arms, and kissed her on the forehead before laying her in her crib.

“Good night baby girl…. Daddy loves you”.