Chapter 5

Half an hour into the phone call Burt was finally finished with his story that started with two young boys’ in a private school and ended with the heartbreak of two young men, leaving Dani in an astonished silence as she mulled over what he had said. “Huh I guess that explains why Kurt pushed so hard for Blaine to become part of Alice's name.”

“Yeah no kidding,” Burt chuckled before sighing softly, “He’s still got it bad for Blaine even now, seven years on. Are you ok sweetheart?”

“I guess so, just a little shell shocked, they’ve both been absolute idiots by the sounds of it. What can I do for them?”

“You need to leave them to figure it out for themselves. God knows they don’t take kindly to anyone trying to meddle,” Burt laughed dryly, Dani smiling at the sound of the man’s laughter. “I am surprised that they haven’t bumped into each other yet though if Blaine’s been working there for six weeks now.”

“Mmm Kurt's been stupidly busy with his designs lately and last week when he made it in, Blaine was off for his treatment week. Wait you're still in touch with Blaine aren't you? You knew he was coming to work for me!”

There was a pause before a slight chuckle sounded on the other end of the phone line. “I did, I did I'll admit. Blaine’s like a son to me and I'm the closest damn thing that boy, and yes he will always be the pint sized private school boy that turned up in my garage with coffee telling me that I needed to give my son the sex talk to me, has to a father quite like you Dani.” Burt exhaled gently and Dani closed her eyes, imagining the man flexing his cap whilst running a hand over his head, “As far as I'm concerned I’ll fight to the death for my four kids because the three of you and Finn, you may not all be my biological kids but you're everything to me. Every screw up, every success story, everything about the four of you in general I love and I'll yell when you do something dangerous or which will potentially hurt you, but I’ll protect all four of you to the ends of this earth regardless of how much you may all have hurt each other at certain points. I will always be proud of my kids, always.”

Dani felt her eyes tearing up slightly and sniffled. “I love you Dad,” she whispered using the word that she rarely used for Burt but which made his heart leap for joy whenever she did, same as when Blaine or Finn ever called him it although it tended to be easier to coax out of the boys.

“I love you too kid, but get back to Blaine alright? Knowing the boy he's probably terrified he's done something wrong.”

Laughing softly to and nodding to herself, Dani reached up a hand to swipe the tears that were now freefalling down her face, “Will do, oh you're coming up in two weeks though, right?”

“Yep I need to check in on all of my kids and my granddaughter,” Burt laughed faintly. “For starters, I need to make sure you and Kurt aren't working yourselves to death, next is making sure that Finn’s actually going to work and then that Blaine’s going to his doctors appointments and keeping up with his treatment, the boy has a mind like a sieve sometimes. That is not to mention that there is no way that Carol and I are missing our granddaughters first birthday, so I'll see you soon.”

Dani beamed, glancing quickly at the coffee shops back door. “Excellent. I can’t wait to see you both, and don’t worry I’m looking out for all of the boys’. Kurt’s being the most petulant at the minute to be honest,” She laughed.

“Never doubted you for a second kid, or that Kurt would be the most difficult. I love you Dani and give Alice a kiss from both Carol and I.”

“Will do and I love you too Dad. Send Carol my love too, I might have been a bit brash with her, tell her I’m sorry,” Smiling once more, Dani hung up her phone and buried it back in her pocket once more. Straightening up from where she was leaning against the back wall, she ran her hands slowly over her face sinking in the new found information about two people she had thought she knew almost everything about, despite simply having a short but very intense relationship with Blaine and a long and winding history with Kurt. Steeling herself from allowing Blaine to find out she knew anything, Dani placed her hand on the door knob, allowing her eyes to flutter closed quickly once more before twisting it open.

“Sorry about that Blaine, I completely forgot that I promised my Dad I’d call him, something about Alice causing a mess reminded me,” Dani shrugged sheepishly, smiling at him as she held up the phone.

Blaine laughed softly, finishing up a hot chocolate with all the works and passing it to a young girl as she skirted around the various tables to settle at the one in the corner. Alice watched her with interest and was about to follow her when Blaine stooped to pick her up, shaking his head at her as he set her back on a path to the back room that held all of her toys. “Don’t worry about it, I forget to call my Dad all the time, and hell knows he gives me so much grief for it.”

Dani tilted her head in inquisitiveness, “I thought Santana said you didn’t talk to your parents anymore, and for very good reason too.”

Blaine blushed and reached a hand round to scratch the back of his neck nervously. “He’s not my real Dad, so to speak, he’s the closest one I’ve ever had though. Erm, Burt’s actually an old boyfriends Dad, but he’s always been so good to me and never let me go through anything alone, so even after my parents practically deserted me and I broke up with said boyfriend, he kept in tough and was there for me when I needed someone.”

“Fair enough,” She smiled, reaching out and squeezing his hand gently, “Medium drip?”

“Please,” Blaine breathed, shoulders visibly sagging in relief.

Dani heard the baby babbles and tilted her head towards the familiar sound, suddenly aware of the lack of Blaine’s voice talking to Alice or dishes being thrown around as he filled the dishwasher and cleared the store up. It being the end of the day she had left Blaine to run the shop for the last few customers who were simply ordering take-outs, while she attempted to catch up on some paperwork in the room that trebled as their office, staff room and now as Alice’s playroom. Cautiously, she stuck her head out of the door to see what was going on. What she did not expect was to see two of the most important people in her life staring at each other shock, hurt and an entire rainbow of emotions running across their faces.

Gulping she strode out of the back room, her head down as she plucked Alice from where she was sat happily in Kurt's tender hold. “I'll just be taking this out of the blast zone thank you very much.” Retreating back to the cozy little office with Alice securely tucked up in one hand, she glanced once more at the shell-shocked men who had yet to move or acknowledge her presence.

She placed Alice on her play mat in the corner of the room, pulling out her phone whilst keeping an eye in the situation at the front of the shop, fully expecting one of them to blow up at any given minute. Her fingers moved expertly over her touch screen as she sent out the mass text without even having to glance at the phone.

Dani: Guys we have a situation.

This is not a drill.

Repeat not a drill

Santana: If you say that you baked a ring into a cake or something I will laugh mercilessly.

Britt: What drill were we supposed to have?

Sam: What's up peeps? And Dani chillax I'm sure nothing too bad could go down.

Mike: I don't like the sound of this, you’re usually level-headed Dani…

Sebastian: Dani you don't panic for unknown causes what the hell is going on? Do you need me down there?

For once, Dani was glad that all of her friends had invested in the latest iPhone and could therefore see each others messages as her anger at the lot of them for keeping her in the dark on the situation they blatantly knew about was beginning to gnaw at her. Well, at least she knew that judging from previous reactions Sebastian and Santana at least knew what she was about to tell them, and she was fairly certain the others would catch on quickly enough.

Dani: Kurt is here. With Blaine. And I know for a damn fact that you all know what that means.

There was a pause in the texts as everyone clearly let the information sink in before all hell broke loose, Dani’s phone buzzing continuously with demands for explanations and trying to give advice. Brittany’s query about her dolphins making Dani both smile and stare at the phone with a puzzled expression. Santana eventually managed to make herself be heard through the ruckus going on in the conversation, possibly offering the most information too.

Santana: Get out of there. Let them deal with it. Fuck knows they’ve waited far too long already.

Sebastian: All of you get to Madame Clara’s as soon as possible, San and I will try to explain what’s happening but we’re still putting the pieces together ourselves.

Sending her confirmation of attendance and waiting as everyone else sent their own, Dani agreed to meet Sam on the corner within the next few seconds and quickly surveyed the two men still staring at one another curiosity now taking hold of their features. Taking a deep breath, Dani shouldered Alice’s baby bag and reached down to grab the infant from the floor, fighting her into her lilac coat and hoisting her onto her hip, she grabbed the keys and made a move out of the office, unnerved that she had yet to hear any movement or voices from outside. Shaking her head, she managed to get Alice settled in her stroller without too much fuss and turned it to head for the door, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

Kurt and Blaine were still gawking at each other unmoving as she headed for the door, double checking the sign was flipped to closed as she paused and glanced at them. Turning, she eyed them carefully before tossing the keys to Blaine, stunned when he caught them one handed without even turning to look at her. “Lock up when you guys’ are done please Blainers. Take as long as you need.”

Kurt’s eyes swivelled to look at her in disbelief now ad she rolled her own baby blues at him. “I trust Blaine to lock up this place Kurt, he’s been working here for over a month and a half and done it various times so get over your shit.” Eyes rolling between the two of them she sighed softly. “Please don’t kill each other, I’m rather fond of you both and moreover, I need both of you as selfish as that makes me, I don’t care.” With that she gave them one more tight smile and walked out of the doors, leaving the ex-lovers alone together for the first time in seven years, ever since Blaine had managed to walk out the door that early morning in New York City, Kurt simply glaring as he had done so.

Both Kurt and Blaine let out a tense breath as the door shut behind her. Kurt’s mouth opening and snapping shut multiple times as he tried desperately to form words. “What the hell are you doing here?”