It was Kurt who was finding it particularly difficult to stay focused on his work. He knew that Blaine had a boyfriend, who he was choosing to stay with for whatever reason, and the thought of getting back together only to have the possibility of another heartbreaking split was too much to bear thinking about. But having the boy he'd been so smitten with for such a long time back in his life, just on the other side of a door, and now manlier and even more handsome and charming than ever, was seriously beginning to mess with his emotions.

Gina had been the most amazing lifeline to Kurt, almost always available on the other end of the phone when he was feeling particularly helpless or frustrated. Jamie was proving to be a fairly heavy sleeper so far, and short of prodding him awake just so that she had something to devote her time to, Gina welcomed any distraction that she could get. She found herself cheekily reminding Kurt on a regular basis that he had been the one to hire Blaine - even if she had been particularly encouraging that he do so - and poor Kurt could only whimper in response.

It was nearing lunchtime at the office yet again, and Kurt was bouncing in his chair in anticipation of Gina and baby Jamie making an impromptu visit to the office. She had called earlier that morning, sounding in dire need of fresh air and a change of scenery, and Kurt had jumped at the chance of having her back on her old stomping ground. He'd warned Blaine that the coffee machine shouldn't be used until at least after Gina had left, because she'd been ordered off caffiene while she was breast-feeding, and was climbing the walls in her efforts to avoid it.

A loud trill of familiar, girly laughter from the other side of the office door brought a huge smile to Kurt's lips, and he bounded over to it, grinning even more when he recognised Blaine's laughter mixed in with Gina's. He flung the door open and stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth falling open as he was faced with the extremely pert backside of his former boyfriend as he bent over to peer into Jamie's stroller, right behind the door. Blaine glanced backwards when Gina snorted in Kurt's direction, and visibly flushed when he caught sight of his boss' gobsmacked expression, which was still trained firmly on his rear end.

"Y'OK there, Mr. Hummel?" Gina chuckled, walking over to him and giving his arm a gentle squeeze. Kurt swallowed thickly and regained his focus, giving her a weak smile before leaning in to hug her and kiss her cheek.

"God, you look amazing Gee!" He beamed as he pulled away and took in her slim figure.

"Hmm - nice deflection." She smirked. "And thank you ... this little monster has a lot to do with that, though. I barely get time to eat, and when I do, I'm too exhausted!"

Blaine looked up from his new favourite place at the foot of the stroller and frowned. "You really should make sure you keep your energy levels up, Gina ... it's not good for you or the baby if you're not getting the nutrients you need."

Gina stuck her tongue out. "You sound like my crazy health visitor - she's always reprimanding me and telling me to eat more. I think she's just jealous because she looks like a beached whale."

"Gina!" Kurt gasped.

"Hey, I speak the truth. And anyway, I'm not exactly trim and toned under all these layers quite yet - there are plenty of saggy bits I'd rather not mention."

"He was worth it though, right?" Blaine said, pulling fish faces at the completely non-plussed and half-asleep baby in his stroller.

"I guess so ... sometimes." Gina said with a wink. "So, d'you wanna have a hold of him now?"

Blaine quickly straightened up and stepped back from the stroller. "No, it's fine ... I - I don't want to disturb him."

"No, really - it's better if he's kept awake as much as possible so that he stands more chance of sleeping through the night ..." Gina insisted, reaching down into the stroller. Blaine stuck out an arm and stopped her in her tracks, making a swift bee-line for the phone when it began to ring.

"Saved by the bell." Kurt said quietly with a quirk of his eyebrows at Gina. The two friends talked quietly amongst themselves until Blaine had finished up the call, taking a moment to scribble down a message for Kurt on his pad and hold it out to him from the safe confines of his desk.

"Thank you." Kurt chuckled as he took the message. "But you'll have to hold the baby at some point, you know ... you're not going to break him."

Blaine winced and looked between Gina and Kurt. "I know, but he always looks so comfortable and peaceful. And besides, I don't see you rushing to hold him either."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I held him for well over an hour when I went to visit them on Saturday - didn't I, Gee?" Kurt folded his arms indignantly and looked to Gina for support. She gave a determined nod, and rocked the stroller gently as Jamie began to grizzle away to himself.

"Oh ... well, I didn't know that. You never mentioned it." Blaine huffed.

"And that's because I don't tell you everything." Kurt bit back, scowling down at Blaine and receiving an equally dirty look in return.

"OK, boys - play nice. Jamie and I weren't trying to incite a domestic here." Gina held up her hands in protest before turning the stroller around. "He'll probably need changing and feeding shortly anyway, so we'd best be on our way."

"Oh Gee, don't go - please? I'm sorry ... we didn't mean to drive you away ... did we, Blaine?" Kurt said, nodding down at Blaine and emphasising his words.

"Of course not." Blaine shook his head.

"Well to be honest, I just wanted to make sure that you're both still coming to my barbecue this weekend. Tons of the guys from around the building are coming, and I wouldn't be happy unless my two favourite men were there ..." Gina smiled down at her son. "... Well, three if you count this little guy."

"Yup, I'll be there." Kurt nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."

Gina looked at Blaine expectantly. "What about you, Blainers? You're more than welcome to bring ... uh - Michael, was it?"

"Yeah." Blaine nodded, and Kurt throught he caught a flicker of something behind his eyes, but he couldn't quite work out what. "He's not going to be able to make it ... but I'll definitely be there. I wouldn't miss a party to officially welcome Jamie to the world."

"Well, good." Gina smiled as Jamie began to choke back a few tears below her. "I'm glad ... and I'll see you both there. And now I really had better go."

Kurt and Blaine both frowned and made gentle shushing noises in the direction of Jamie as they hugged Gina goodbye, and they even sighed in unison when the office went back to its empty, quiet state.

"So ... uh ... coffee?" Blaine asked eventually.

"Sure - sounds good, thanks." Kurt said in a light tone, his mood obviously lifted by the visit from his friend. Or perhaps it was more to do with the fact that Blaine would be without his plus-one at the barbecue on Saturday. Either way, he spent the rest of the week feeling happier than he had in quite some time.

***

Kurt jogged down Gina's street, hoping that he wasn't going to arrive at the house looking too flustered. He was already over an hour late and had been forced to park practically miles away (or at least a block or two) due to the lack of spaces around Gina's house, and he cursed himself again for running so late. He didn't even have a decent enough excuse ... he'd simply spent way too long trying to decide on an outfit and had ended up slumped on his bed surrounded by clothes, dozing gently due to the comfort of his new Egyptian cotton sheets.

The outfit he'd ended up throwing on when he eventually woke up was ironically the very first one he'd contemplated wearing. He was grateful that his white cotton shirt and red skinny jeans were fairly cool, as it had turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far, with only the slightest breeze. Kurt had never been a fan of hot weather, and wished that he'd had time to grab some sort of hat before he left the apartment, as his forehead was already glistening with sweat and his scalp was easily prone to burning. He knew that Gina would have plenty of sunscreen for him to steal though.

As he approached the driveway, he saw a crudely-written sign on the door telling partygoers to use the side gate, which had balloons attached to the latch and strung along to top of it. He smiled as he heard cheesy eighties music - Gina's favourite - filling the back yard, mixed with the bustle of colleagues, friends and family chatting and laughing together. Kurt braced himself for the barrage of abuse he felt he'd get from his friend when she spotted him attempting to sneak in, but when his eyes met hers Gina was all smiles, and she bounded over to him with way too much energy for such a hot day.

"Woah!" Kurt spluttered as Gina virtually dove on top of him and buried her face into his shoulder as she hugged him.

"You're late, Hummel!" She growled playfully as she pulled away.

Kurt grimaced. "I know sweetie, and I'm so sorry. I could make up some feeble excuse that I was stuck in traffic or my apartment was on fire, but I actually just fell asleep."

"Well, if Blaine hadn't shown up on time I might've assumed that he was the reason you were catching up on your beauty sleep ..."

Kurt chuckled and tried to look nonchalant. "Oh - is he here?"

"Yes Kurt, I just told you that." Gina sighed and shook her head at Kurt's lameness. "But I have no idea where he is right now, and I really should because I think he has my son."

"Really? He finally succumbed to holding Jamie then?" Kurt smiled.

"Yup. Basically as soon as he arrived, and no-one else has been able to pry the poor kid away from him. Mind you, I doubt they'd want to - that boy looks so frickin' adorable holding a baby, Kurt!" Gina gushed. "Just be glad you don't have ovaries because they'd surely explode when you saw him."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kurt nodded, rolling his eyes at Gina and scanning the sea of heads he could see around them. "Hey - great turnout, Gee."

"Hey - nice deflection, Kurt." Gina grinned. "You're getting very good at those."

"Shut up." Kurt laughed, turning his head and avoiding her gaze.

"Hmm ... for now, I guess. What can I get you to drink?"

"Oh, well I'm driving, so maybe just a juice or something?" He shrugged.

"You may need to be more specific than that, Kurt ... my dad bought out half of Walmart this afternoon." Gina groaned.

"Uh ... pineapple?" Kurt said with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Ooh, how very tropical of you. I'll be right back." She nodded, squeezing his arm gently and wandering off into the crowd.

Kurt hummed quietly to himself and wandered gingerly into the yard, smiling at the faces he recognised and saying a quick hello to a couple of colleagues. His heart hadn't really slowed since he'd sprinted to the house, and he knew that was more to do with who he was hoping to bump into at the party than anything else. He took a deep breath and felt himself begin to salivate as the smell of charring meat wafted around the yard, and he glanced at the table over by the far wall which was laden with all kinds of tempting treats. He'd skipped lunch in anticipation of stuffing his face at the party, and he eagerly piled a paper plate with some of his favourite snacks.

"Try the onion dip ... it's to die for." A deep voice drawled behind him, and Kurt spun round a little too quickly, spilling half of the olives he'd piled onto the corner of his plate. He was faced with a kind-looking blonde man with a neatly trimmed goatee beard and strong, broad shoulders, whose face had fallen into a pained expression. "Oh, god - sorry."

"No, it's fine." Kurt smiled, grabbing a spare napkin and crouching down to retrieve the spilled food. He noticed and admired the man's expensive shoes before rising back up to eye level, scrunching up the napkin and leaving it on a discarded plate. "I don't even like olives anyway."

"Oh, really? Why'd you take some then?" The man asked with way more interest than was necessary.

"I thought that side of my plate looked lonely." Kurt smiled genially.

"Oh ... OK." The man frowned and then nodded, looking surprised as Kurt popped an olive into his mouth.

"I'm totally kidding. I love them." Kurt mused, feeling slighty sorry for the stranger and his confused expression, but quietly enjoying it all the same. "So, how do you know Gina?"

"My mom lives next door." The man gestured in the general direction of the neighbourhood. "She's been dragging me around to friends' parties all summer. I think she's trying to fix me up with anything that moves - which is actually kind-of creepy when you think about it."

Kurt chuckled and gave a sympathetic nod. He felt a little uncomfortable being in close proximity with someone who was so quick to point out his availability and was obviously not-so-subtly set on hitting on him, but he felt kind-of backed into a corner, unable to escape.

"I'm Stephen, by the way." The blonde said, holding out a strong hand.

Kurt contemplated making up a fake name, but too many people around here knew him and would more than likely rat him out, accidentally or otherwise, without even trying. "Kurt.'"He smiled, shaking Stephen's hand quickly before returning it to his plate of food. Gina suddenly appeared, a tray of drinks in hand, and nudged Kurt on the arm, gesturing down to his glass of juice.

"There you are! I thought you'd left already." She puffed, noticing Kurt's weak smile and slight pleading expression as he glanced between her and Stephen. "Oh, hey Stevie. I see you've met my boss. Kurt - Stevie's mom, Brenda lives ..."

"... Next door, I know." Kurt nodded, trying to sound vaguely interested, his shoulders tensing as he sipped on his drink. He squinted as the sun temporarily dazzled him, his shade having been Stephen's hulking form before he'd moved aside to let Gina through. Stephen noticed Kurt's discomfort and moved quickly back to his original position, and Kurt couldn't help but feel just a teensy bit flattered at having such consideration taken over his wellbeing.

"So, Gina - where's that lovely little boy of yours?" Stephen asked with an over-enthusiastic grin.

"I'm still not sure, to be honest." Gina laughed, glancing around. "He's been kidnapped by my current replacement at work." She nodded, casting Kurt a knowing look.

"Ah ... so how's she getting on in the job, Kurt?" Stephen turned and asked.

"He." Kurt and Gina both said in unison.

"Oh, sorry ... of course. That was horribly sexist of me - good one, Steve." The man quietly berated himself.

"That's OK. And he's doing great, isn't he Kurt?" Gina smiled, tilting her head matter-of-factly.

"He is ... but he'll never be a patch on you, Miss Feldman."

"You got that right." She said haughtily, before something caught her eye across the yard. "Oh, there are my two favourite cuties now."

Gina gestured towards the far fence, and Kurt followed her eyeline, his breath catching in his throat when he saw baby Jamie, all dressed up in a little sailor's outfit and blissfully asleep, his tiny head lolling gently against a very familiar shoulder. He was crowded by several female party-goers who were cooing over the baby and his carer in equal measure, and Kurt honestly couldn't blame them.

Blaine looked positively gorgeous today. He was wearing a soft, slim-fitting linen shirt in deep navy, cream denim pants turned up at the ankle, and dark boat shoes to match. His hair was slightly less styled than usual, and fell in gentle curls over his forehead, and he'd even forgone his daily shaving routine in favour of a smattering of stubble, which only accentuated the strong line of his jaw. He was cradling the baby so lovingly against his chest, his long fingers splayed out across the child's torso in a tender but secure embrace, and he was swaying in a slow, comforting dance, rocking gently from one foot to the other as he chatted warmly with the people around him. Kurt was sure that he'd never envied an infant quite so much in his entire life as he did at that moment.

Kurt dropped his plate to the side of him, not even bothering to check if there was indeed still a table there for it to rest upon, and his feet instinctively began to make their way across the yard. He muttered a general excusal of himself to no-one in particular and ventured towards the throng of baby-oglers.

He stopped a little way off so as not to crowd little Jamie too much, and took the time to take in even more of the handsome features of his former-boyfriend. He stood with his arms folded across his chest and took another sip of his drink, just as Blaine slowly shifted around and caught sight of him in the corner of his eye as he chatted. He did a quick double-take and then turned to face Kurt completely, placing a tiny but instinctive kiss to the side of Jamie's head before breaking into a gentle smile. Kurt found himself blinking back a single tear as he stepped gingerly forward and reached out to stroke Jamie's arm softly with the back of his fingers.

"Best. Feeling. Ever." Blaine sighed as he teased the soft hairs on the back of the baby's head, nuzzling his nose into them and taking a deep, languid breath. "You wanna hold?"

"You look like you're doing just fine, to be honest." Kurt smiled affectionately, feeling the rise and fall of Jamie's little back beneath his fingers as he snored gently.

"Well, if you boys don't want him, I'll sure as hell take him off your hands." A middle-aged lady gushed as she barged forward and reached out to gather the child up in her arms, disturbing his sleep and making him grizzle unhappily. Blaine cooed and shushed him as he went, whispering 'Bye, little man' as he was carried off somewhere, still sounding less than pleased with the disturbance.

"I guess I was maybe hogging him a little." Blaine shrugged sheepishly.

"He honestly didn't look like he minded." Kurt chuckled, tenderly brushing a hand down Blaine's arm before he even realised what he was doing. Blaine smiled at the gesture and his cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink.

"Really? You think he likes me?"

"Well, I can't really speak for Jamie personally, but he certainly seemed a lot happier in your arms than he did with Mrs Antsy-Pants over there."

They watched as Gina took her baby from the apologetic woman and quietened him down, wandering into the house moments later with an entourage of eager helpers.

"She's a natural, isn't she ..." Blaine said, turning back to Kurt with a happy grin.

"Sure is." He replied. "I can't believe she doubted herself."

Blaine nodded, his face turning serious. "Must be tough doing it alone though ... I mean, without someone to share it all with."

"She's a tough cookie." Kurt replied. "She'll be fine. And by the looks of it she has plenty of people around to help."

"I guess." Blaine sighed and gave a shrug. "She deserves to be happy ... that's all."

"We all do, Blaine ... not always that simple though."

Blaine sensed the weight in Kurt's words and clammed up, not keen on having another awkward conversation regarding the state of their love-lives. Kurt drained his glass and cleared his throat.

"You'd make a good dad."

Blaine's eyes widened in surprise. "You think?"

"Absolutely." Kurt smiled. "I think half the women in this garden would quite like to help you out with that too."

"Well, they could maybe help me in one respect ..."

"... And I'm pretty sure a few of the guys here would happily help you out with the rest." Kurt finished Blaine's thought, and they both laughed.

"Seriously though," Blaine added. "Can you really see Michael pushing a stroller?"

Kurt's face fell momentarily at the mention of the name, but he quickly pushed his jealousy to the back of his mind. "Ah ... you have a point there."

"Hmm ... question is, what do I want more?" Blaine said thoughtfully, looking out to the people around them and smiling as one of his favourite songs began to play over the sound system. Kurt was intrigued by his choice of words and was about to ask what they meant when Blaine tugged on his sleeve. "Dance with me."

"What?! Oh, no ..." Kurt protested with a look of horror. "Nope. Blaine, these people are my colleagues - I cannot have them see me shake my tush to a Christina Aguilera song."

"But half of them are shaking their ... um, I'm sorry - tush, was it? ... already - and they seem to be enjoying themselves immensely, so I doubt they'd even notice." Blaine grinned, a devilish twinkle in his big, amber eyes.

Kurt grimaced, knowing he was beaten and allowing himself to be led over to where a small group of partygoers were dancing along to the familiar track. He began to sidestep awkwardly to the beat, watching Blaine dance and getting an instant reminder of how much more confident and unabashed he was when it came this.

"There needs to be way more alcohol in my bloodstream for this, Blaine Anderson ... or some at the very least."

Blaine spun around and did a little shimmy in front of him, glancing over his shoulder with a coquettish smirk. "Just shut up and dance, Hummel."

Kurt couldn't hold back the loud, raucous chuckle that escaped his throat, and Blaine's eyebrow quirk and warm laugh in response sent a shudder of excitement up his spine. He felt the tension in his shoulders begin to give a little, and before he knew it he felt like the two of them were teenagers again, remembering the way they used to dance around one another's bedrooms together, the music turned up just loud enough so that the gasps and moans they inevitably wound up dragging out of each another wouldn't be heard by anyone else in the house.

They danced together to three more songs, never touching, but always close. Kurt found himself torn between staring at Blaine's unavoidably hypnotic backside whenever he turned around, and the few soft curls which had managed to slick themselves to his forehead as he became hotter and more breathless from dancing. His cheeks were flushed and the huge grin that Kurt had always loved so much was never far from his lips, something that Kurt hadn't seen quite so frequently in a very long time.

They were interrupted by the quietening down of the sound system and a smiling Gina, baby cooing gently in her arms.

"Having fun, boys?" She said with a knowing grin aimed directly at Kurt, ushering them carefully to one side as a family member carried through a beautifully decorated cake depicting a baby's crib. There was a light ripple of applause mixed with plenty of 'ooh's and 'aah's as everyone within earshot gathered around.

"OK everyone, if I can just have your attention for a sec." Gina shouted as the noise died down. She glanced down instinctively to check on her son before speaking a little softer. "I'll make this quick because I'm no public speaker ... I just ... well, I guess I just want to thank you all for being here today to kind-of officially welcome little Jamie to the world." She glanced around and her eyes fell on Kurt and Blaine for a moment, who both tilted their head affectionately when they caught the glassiness of her eyes. She choked out a laugh before continuing, both men looking at one another in bemusement, totally oblivious to what she could possibly find so funny.

"... Um ... you guys are all so special to me, and it's good to know that whatever happens in my life, I've always got people around me that I can count on for love and support." Gina's voice began to falter and crack a little, and several 'Here, here's could be heard around the yard. "And now I have this little guy to depend upon too." She grinned with a sniffle.

Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white handkerchief, handing it discreetly over to Gina and receiving a grateful smile.

"So, whoever you are to me ... colleague, relation, old friend or new ..." She dabbed at the corner of her eye and directed the last inflection squarely at Blaine, "... thank you for making this one seriously cool party. Now, who wants cake?!"

The crowd cheered, and Gina was visibly contemplating how she was going to cut and dish out the cake with an infant in her arms. She made a split-second decision, and handed him straight out to a rather bewildered Kurt. Blaine chuckled beside him and tickled Jamie gently under the chin.

"Try not to spit up on me, kid." Kurt said in an exaggerated whisper in the baby's ear as he adjusted his position in his arms.

"Aww, you wouldn't do that to Uncle Kurt, would you Jamie?" Blaine cooed, and Kurt felt a lump rise in his throat at the affectionate name. Gina suddenly appeared at their side again and smiled down at her son.

"I thought you were on cake-duty." Kurt said, glancing over to the table where the haughty lady from earlier had taken over dishing out tiny slivers of cake with military precision.

"I was relieved of my duties by Aunt Bella." She rolled her eyes, straightening her son's outfit a little and blowing a raspberry at him. "Ooh, and Kurt - I have something for you."

Gina reached into her own pocket and took out a small, folded scrap of paper, which Kurt simply stared at in confusion.

"Stephen had to leave a little while ago, but he asked me to give you his number ..." She said, raising her voice slightly as she glanced at Blaine from the corner of her eye, obviously keen to keep his attention. She turned away from him enough so that he wouldn't catch her winking at Kurt, who opened the note gingerly with his free hand. It simply read 'JUST GO WITH IT' in small, neat writing.

"Oh ... um ... right - of course. He said something about that ... I'm glad he remembered." Kurt nodded, receiving a wry smile from Gina as she turned completely back to the table. Kurt looked down at Jamie but couldn't resist a sneaky peek at Blaine, who was shuffling his feet uncomfortably and looking a little put out.

Kurt reminded himself to give Gina a raise when she returned to work after Christmas.

***