Amie had picked the same booth from all those years ago in the dive of a dinner that for some reason was still around. She didn't understand its purpose other than its convenience because the food and the coffee was actually horrible.

"Can I get you anything?" The waitress in one of those classic light blue outfits asked.

Amie hesitated for as long as she could and then, "Cup of coffee, black," she answered quickly and added, "I'm waiting for a friend."

Amie stuck out in the dinner in her $600 dress, and her $1500 heels in comparison to the men in uniform stopping by to grab a coffee for their less than ideal jobs and harried mothers who didn't care for their appearance. Not that many people even came in.

The waitress eyed her. "I'll bring it right out."

Amie nodded absently. She was kind of nervous, though she'd never admit it, about meeting Blaine. It also didn't help that her head was pounding. Coffee even from this place, would be welcome. Not to mention that this place brought back memories she didn't really want to think about.

The bell at the door went off every few minutes with people coming and going. Amie paid it no mind and spent instead, her time reading the old rustic signs all over the walls of the dinner. So, she didn't look up when Blaine entered, looking slightly flustered. He spotted her at once.

"Good morning, Amie," Blaine said and slid into the seat across from her.

This scene was all too familiar.

"You're late," Amie said as way of greeting.

"Early morning call," Blaine said and placed his briefcase against the wall on the seat next to him, "Rachel's in a spot of trouble. She sabotaged someone's audition or something—" he rolled his eyes "—which doesn't really surprise me, I hoped she'd grown out of stuff like that. Anyway, I have about an hour unless another emergency arises. I don't know how my dad did it."

She smiled a sad smile, "you know how."

"At the cost of his family? Yeah, not something that I'll let happen to me." He reached for the menu, which was stashed behind the napkin holder. "It's still the same."

"Yeah," Amie said, "I don't know why I suggested we meet here of all places. God, is this the same booth?"

Blaine only nodded because the waitress had returned with Amie's coffee. She looked at Blaine and smiled, "can I get you anything?"

"The Spanish omelet and a cup of coffee, please," Blaine said and put the menu back.

"Can I just get some home fries and bacon?" Amie asked.

The waitress nodded, wrote something down on her pad and said, "sure thing."

"Why did you ask me to meet you here?" Blaine asked. He folded his hands in front of his atop the table.

"I'm still not sure," Amie said with a shrug, "this place. I don't know. As for a topic of conversation, Blaine, you've been avoiding me."

They stared at each other for a while. Amie didn't know exactly how to proceed, she had hoped that once they were there and the topic was right there with them in the air that it'd be easier and he might even start the conversation.

"So, what is it?" Blaine asked and rubbed his hands together, propping his elbows up on the table, now, "you want to know her? About her? Meet her? Or is this about Kurt?"

"It's about the fact that you lied to me," Amie said and kept it at that.

Blaine looked confused. Amie watched him. There was absolutely nothing that told her he knew what she was talking about. Was he thinking about the lie that he'd told Nick all those years ago?

"I haven't," Blaine said after his moment of thought, "not that I recall."

Of course he wasn't thinking of it. Blaine must have put it behind him, tried to forget it. Amie almost hated to bring it up, but she had to.

"The last time we were at this dinner you asked me to be the mother of your child and I agreed. I agreed because you were my friend, because I loved you and you wanted it so badly."

Blaine nodded. "Yes…and…"

Amie raised her hand to stop him. She had to say it first, she had to explain to him what he'd done.

"Blaine, I asked you why me…not that I wouldn't have offered when you started looking, but I wanted to know your reason. You and Kurt were broken up, Blaine, and I am his cousin and I look just like him and it made sense when you guys were together but you convinced me."

He nodded again, but still didn't seem to see where she was going with it. But Amie had known she had to bring it up to him the moment that Kurt had admitted it the night before, because breaking up after a proposal was not what she'd expected from them.

"You told me it was amicable…that you cared for him and loved him but you didn't want the same things. You wanted family and he didn't…"

Blaine still didn't understand fully but it was slowly dawning on him. He had lied about that.

"You didn't tell me," Amie continued, "you didn't once mention that you proposed to him and he rejected you and that was the reason you broke up."

"Oh," Blaine said and it was obvious that he hadn't thought about that night for a long time.

Amie reached across the table to grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"It was when we were in Paris," Blaine said, "that summer the Hummels went on vacation to their house there and Kurt begged me to come with him even though I didn't have the money to pay my way there. I decided to not care for once that he was paying even though I hated it. I just…I'd been putting away any money I could to our rings. I wanted everything to be perfect. So, I went."

He looked so wistful, lost in the memory. He didn't say anything after that for a while. The waitress returned in that time and Amie let go of his hand so she could set their plates and Blaine's coffee down. She refilled Amie's, and was on her way.

"We had such a good time," Blaine continued, "it was three weeks into it when I decided why not ask, why not do it while we were there in Paris. His favorite city."

"He hasn't gone back since," Amie said, "when I was living there he refused to come visit. I didn't really understand."

"I didn't know that," Blaine said and sighed a little, "we got drunk one night after this romantic dinner and we were walking around just having a grand old time. It wasn't planned at all. But he was so beautiful…So, I asked him just like that. He was so…he was so happy…and we ran into another pub and we were, we were celebrating, Amie. We stayed out all night, wearing the rings and just being so happy."

Amie didn't understand. But Kurt said he'd said no. "I don't…" she began.

Blaine shook his head. "No, listen," he said, and ignoring his food and coffee completely went on, "I didn't realize he hadn't answered until the next morning. We woke up on his balcony wrapped up in his blanket so hung over."

He paused, seeming to need the time to regain himself. He put sugar in his coffee and some cream, stirring it all together for a while.

"I woke up first and I was just so amazed by him, so surprised that he would want me that way too. You know how insecure I was about him then. With his family, his talents, everything…I didn't think I was ever good enough for him. I guess maybe I really wasn't. Because, when he woke up he had no idea that I'd asked him to marry me and he freaked out when he saw the ring."

Blaine looked sad, now and yet Amie could see anger too.

"He thought we'd gotten married," Blaine said, "and in his rant everything I wanted, absolutely every reason I had to want to marry him was thrown in my face."

Amie didn't want to know what Kurt had shouted at Blaine, but she knew somehow that Blaine knew exactly what Kurt had said that day.

"At one point he threw the ring at me, it flew off the balcony, and he didn't even care. He asked me how I dared to think that he would marry me in his right mind. God, do you know how it feels to have the one person you thought you could rely on treat you that way? Because I never thought he'd ever be so mean, so horrible. When I told him we weren't married, that I'd only asked him to marry me, he scoffed and then he left. Just walked out. Next time I saw him he was having Clark take his bags out to the car."

It was the saddest thing that Amie had ever heard and she knew somehow that it wasn't the end of the story. There was more, so much more.

"I looked for the ring. I didn't even really want it, but I had to find a way home and I was done with being charity to the Hummels and I needed to get back to New York. I couldn't find it anywhere. The last thing I took from them was the money for a plane ticket and even that I made sure was paid back. When I asked you to be my surrogate I was doing better…I was on my way to getting over him, and I wanted one thing in my life that wouldn't leave like that…that wouldn't break me like Kurt did and I would have done anything for you to say yes."

Amie still didn't understand. What had been so special about her, other than that she was his friend and easily persuaded? It had to be her genes. Then suddenly it made sense to her, because Blaine would never have just given up on Kurt, even if he wanted to move on.

"You were still hoping," she said, "that one day he'd realize what you wanted was what he wanted too."

Blaine nodded, admitting what he'd done.

"But Nick," Amie began.

Blaine shrugged. "I wanted Kurt back at the time but I wanted to move on more. If he didn't come back to me, I was going to be fine. Mia, getting Mia was a focus for me so much more. But it was a baby and no one can be prepared for a baby. Nick was a really good friend even before, and he helped me out with the break up and later on with Mia when she came. Things went from there naturally. He doesn't know you were the surrogate."

"What about Kurt, then? You just moved on, you didn't keep waiting for him," Amie said. When Blaine frowned, she added hastily, "not that you couldn't move on, but did you really stop caring for Kurt in lieu of Nick?"

"Of course not, and Nick and I didn't get together for a long time. I was waiting for Kurt, but here was this guy who liked me and cared for Mia and was absolutely the best friend I could ask for and he wanted to be a part of my life, the life of a single dad and slowly of course feelings arose, but I have never stopped caring for Kurt. Do I love Nick? Of course. Does Nick know in my mind Kurt was always supposed to be Mia's father? No. But it doesn't matter, now, because Nick is Mia's father, not Kurt. And Nick wanted a part of our lives. He wanted this."

Amie didn't know what to say. She'd always been a big supporter of Kurt and Blaine, and after she'd gone through the pregnancy for Blaine, she'd wanted them to be together even more. When Mia was born, Amie had refused to see her or touch her, she hadn't come in contact with the girl that was biologically hers, but she had always imagined that Mia would take after her and through her Kurt.

Blaine had started eating, but was watching her. She grabbed her own fork. There seemed to be a question that he wanted to ask, but it just wasn't coming out.

"What is it?"

Blaine took a bite of his food and shook his head even though there was obviously something he wanted to know.

"No, tell me," Amie insisted. "Blaine, come on, you have to tell me now."

"I was just…I wondered if it was Kurt that told you I proposed to him. No one else knew. I was so embarrassed after the fact and it was really his family…they just knew we had a fight. I mean, I always thought Burt might have figured it out, but I wasn't sure…"

Amie nodded. "It was Kurt," she said, "I don't think he remembers. He's probably still sleeping off the hangover. We went out last night and I don't know if it was the drinking or what, because I've never seen him like that, and he just said it."

Blaine grunted and returned to his meal. Amie could see the wheels in his head turning. She had to wonder if for all that Blaine talked about how he was happy with Nick and in love with Nick, if he wouldn't go back to Kurt given the chance, if the circumstances were different and he didn't have to think about what it would do to Mia.

"Does she look like me?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"She? Oh, Mia. She does. Mia has your eyes and luckily your eyebrows. Her hair's curly, not like mine, but close and it's his hair color. I can show you a picture."

Amie nodded eagerly. She hadn't known until that moment how much she wanted to see Mia, to know her. Amie tried to restrain herself, biting into a piece of bacon to keep her from trying to show her nerves and excitement to Blaine. When Blaine passed her the phone, she gasped.

Mia was not quite Amie at her age, but very much close.

"Wow," she whispered, "she's beautiful."

Blaine was watching her, smiling proudly. "She is," he said.

- - -

Kurt leaned his head back and groaned. "I hate you," he muttered.

Amie sitting next to him just laughed. "You can't just stay in bed all day, Kurt, there are places to be, people to see, things to pick up."

"And they can be done without me."

When Amie had broken into his room two hours earlier, thrown his curtains aside, and then opened the windows, waking Kurt up, he hadn't known that she planned on getting him out of his room and out onto the streets of New York because she wanted him to meet a friend of hers.

"It won't take too long," Amie said, "and I just have to stop at one place, alright."

"You're cruel, you know that. You drag me to that club last night, get me drunk, and then proceed to drag me out of bed the next day…taking me who knows where to meet some nobody that I won't remember tomorrow or even care about."

Kurt was not a very happy person when he had a hangover. It didn't help that Kurt was also sure he'd done or said something the night before to Amie that had led to her being a horrible friend this day. He just didn't remember what, and Amie refused to tell him.

When Clark parked the car a few minutes later, Amie practically jumped out of the car. "You can wait for me if you want."

Kurt shrugged and let himself fall onto his side on the seat, putting his arms under his head.

"Hey, Clark," he called, "is it possible that we could just leave and let Amie find her own way home?"

Clark who had gotten out of the car, poked his head in through the door and stared at Kurt with what looked like amusement, "Mr. Kurt, I imagine that you could have chosen to stay home."

Kurt just groaned in response, "have you ever told that woman no?" He asked, "because I don't think you have either. But, if you haven't, it's very hard."

"Who?" another voice asked and then, "Clark, Kurt, what are you doing here?"

"Amie," Kurt said and groaned again, not even thinking.

Blaine peaked his head in. "Are you okay, Kurt?"

Kurt waved a hand in the air that could have meant yes or no all at the same time before opening his eyes to see Blaine climbing into the car with a smile. He was holding flowers and Kurt for a split moment hoped they were for him even though he knew better. Kurt made room for him to sit and Blaine set them on his lap.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. I came to see Nick. He works at the art gallery right over there. He's upset with me. I missed dinner last night and breakfast this morning."

"Oh. Hence the flowers."

Blaine nodded. "We used to do it a lot. Give each other flowers for almost anything, but I guess after a while we got so busy with everything we just stopped. I didn't even realize really."

Kurt felt something in his heart drop. Did Blaine not remember how flowers had been their thing too? Since high school when Kurt had bought Blaine a beautiful arrangement of roses for something he couldn't even remember anymore. They hadn't been a source of ameliorating problems, but instead a gesture reminding each other how much they cared.

"You used to give me flowers," he said and didn't realize for a moment what he'd said.

"Yes. You…you gave me them too." Blaine was smiling a little even though he frowned, confused.

Kurt watched him but Blaine said nothing else. He looked thoughtful, far away as if lost to a memory and Kurt after staring at him for a while knew what Blaine had to be thinking about.

Blaine had just gotten his own apartment with just a little help from Kurt though he swore that he would pay Kurt back as soon as possible. It was his third night in the apartment and the first that Kurt had agreed to spend with him now that everything had been unpacked and it was kind of like a celebration of Blaine's freedom.

Kurt had bought flowers on the spur of the moment, walking by a vendor on the way to the apartment, only to find Blaine with an exact replica of his arrangement waiting for Kurt. They had ended putting all of their flowers together in one vase and continued on for the night.

There were many moments like that in their past, moments that Kurt and Blaine cherished because despite the terrible ending, what they had while it lasted had been wonderful. They were only slightly overshadowed by the fact that Blaine was creating more memories and they weren't with Kurt.

"Well, I should…I should go," Blaine said, "will you be okay?"

"Other than a hangover, I'm fine."

Blaine nodded. "Okay. How much did you drink last night?"

"Apparently much more than I usually do," Kurt shrugged, "blame Amie."

"Well, feel better. I'll see you soon?" He gave Kurt's shoulder a squeeze.

"Sure."

Blaine made to get out of the car, but Kurt in a moment of spontaneity grabbed his wrist. "Wait, there's a party…"

Blaine cut him off. "I don't really go to parties, Kurt," he began.

"No…it's for Brittany's birthday. It's supposed to be a surprise, but of course Britt knows about it. You were friends once. Santana and I are sort of planning it, she roped me into it, but I thought maybe you'd want to come. See some old friends."

Blaine hesitated and stared at Kurt for a long moment, not saying anything or showing in any way that he was in the least interested.

"I don't know, Kurt, but…maybe. I'll get back to you."

"You can bring Nick," Kurt added, not sure why he was so desperate to have Blaine there.

"I have more than just Nick to think about, Kurt, I have a daughter and I won't just leave her with anyone to go off to some party." His tone wasn't biting or even defensive, but it was the kind of tone that one used when talking to a child.

Kurt stared him in surprise. "I know that," he said, "but I thought it was polite to invite you, an old friend, to a party for yet another old friend and to extend that invitation onto your fianc�. You don't have to come if you really don't want to and I'm sure that you could find a babysitter in time if you do want to come, but you aren't obligated."

It all went back to the root of their problem, Kurt realized, even this small misunderstanding. He couldn't understand why Blaine thought that he didn't think about his daughter. Kurt wasn't some selfish monster who hated children. Once maybe he might have been reluctant to even think about having kids, but it was during the time of his life when everything had been in the moment. There was a future ahead of him full of a monotonous life of a company he didn't really want to run and a family name to keep untarnished and he'd wanted just to live. Not to settle down already planning a family.

Blaine got out of the car. "I…I'll think about it, I'll have to see what Nick says," he added from outside.

"Just let me know and I'll get you the details. It's in two weeks."

"Alright. See you."

Kurt got back into his position from earlier and continued to wait for Amie, who returned just a few minutes later. "Was that Blaine?" she asked.

Kurt merely shrugged.

- - -

"That was Amie Hummel," Nick said and Blaine knew at once that the flowers he held behind his back would do no good.

"What…what was she doing here?"

"Picking up the drawing of you," Nick answered and moved a few things on his desk, "what are you doing here?"

Blaine didn't know how to answer, but he produced the flowers from behind him and handed them to Nick who at the sight of them began to smile. He brought them up to his nose.

"I was thinking that you have put up with quite a bit from me over the last few days and I know things aren't going to get any better soon with our schedules but I thought I'd stop by while I had the time to."

Nick walked around his desk and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck extending the flowers away from them behind Blaine. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"The two or three times I've seen her she didn't mention you or the drawing to me," Blaine said once they'd pulled away and settled down into chairs, "and I have no idea why she bought the drawing."

Nick nodded. "Let's not talk about her, alright. I actually got a call from my mom this morning. It's my parent's anniversary party in a few days which I actually forgot about, but she wanted to know if we were still coming."

Blaine remembered agreeing back when Nick's mom had first called to ask them to come, but he didn't know if he was going to able to go anymore. There was everything going on with Rachel and the possibility that she would actually need a lawyer to represent him which was actually his job, and then there was Burt and everything to do with his father and the suitcase that he'd picked up earlier that morning. Then there was the fact that he absolutely disliked Nick's mother.

"Well…" he began.

Nick nodded to himself. "Of course," he muttered, "of course you don't want to come, not when you have the Hummels to deal with. You always did like Kurt's parents."

"It's not about them," Blaine said, "it's about the fact that I just started this job and I can't just pick up and go with you for two days to see your parents."

"They would let you," Nick said, "if you went to Burt and asked him, he would let you take two days off if he knew it was important to you."

Blaine didn't want to ask them. Asking them would be admitting that even though he was an employee he still had a part in their family, it would be giving Burt the satisfaction of knowing that Blaine still did consider himself close enough to expect that kind of special treatment that anyone else where they the family lawyer wouldn't get.

"I don't want to ask for special treatment," he told Nick, "it's this kind of thing, this involvement in the family as more than an employee that will tear this family apart and I won't have it."

"Right, of course missing a family event won't hurt us in the least."

In the end, Blaine could admit to himself that he didn't want to go. Nick's parents weren't all that much fond of Blaine. Blaine never had anything to talk to Nick's father about because the other man never made the effort and really Blaine and he held no common interests. His mother just disliked Blaine and thought Nick could do better. Any time that Blaine had been around the Howards he'd left feeling horrible about himself.

"It's not my family yet."

Blaine wanted to take it back at once, the second it left his mouth.

Nick stared at him. "No, of course they're not. But one day of having to see the freaking Hummels has you running back to them…they aren't your family either."

Blaine didn't know what to say, how to explain that it was different. He'd grown up with the Hummels, and they actually liked him. Mr. and Mrs. Howard as wonderful people as they might be didn't know Blaine and they would never come to be his family like Nick wanted them to be, not when they weren't putting any of the effort.

"Just go, Blaine," Nick said, "I'm sure you have to get back to work. I'll let her know I'm coming on my own."

Blaine wanted for a moment to tell him that he shouldn't worry about it so much, because Nick's mom would probably be ecstatic that Blaine wasn't coming with him. But, instead he said nothing and just headed towards the door. He would make sure later to be home for dinner and to make up with Nick, but for the moment he knew his fianc� needed his space.