Blaine was sure that he must have heard wrong. Because it couldn't be possible that Burt had said that the woman that had been standing there not even ten minutes ago was Kurt's mom.

The woman who had died when Kurt was eight years old.

The woman whose grave Kurt had taken Blaine to visit just a few months ago.

"I… I don't understand," Blaine said, weakly.

Burt dropped his face in his hands, trying to control his breathing, but said nothing.

"You mean… that she reminds you of her, right?" Blaine asked tentatively. "Because it can't be… She can't be Kurt's mom…"

"She is," Burt answered in a voice as weak as his.

"But… she died," Blaine started having trouble breathing, too. All of this seemed surreal and impossible.

"No, Blaine," Burt swallowed and looked up, right into the wide hazel eyes staring at him. "She didn't die."

Blaine thought of Kurt. He thought of the boy he loved with everything he had, the boy he had held so often to comfort him because he missed his mother, the boy who had cried while he was kneeling at the cemetery in front of a grave, talking to the woman who had given him his life and introducing his boyfriend to her. He thought of the boy who had once let it slip that, if he ever had a daughter, he wanted to name her after his mom.

Blaine's heart broke and the fury he felt when he believed Burt was cheating on Carole intensified even more. He felt his whole body vibrating, rage coming up his throat, rushing through his veins, raising the hairs on his skin.

"How could you do this to Kurt?" He screamed. In an instant he forgot how much he cared about the man sitting in front of him, how much he respected him and loved him like a father. "You should know better than anyone how hurt he's been without his mom! How could you lie to him like this?"

Burt buried his face in his hands once again, feeling more exhausted than he had felt in years. "Blaine… you don't understand. And this has nothing to do with you. Let me handle this my way…"

"No! No, I'm not keeping my head down and shutting my mouth about this!" Blaine hammered his fist on the counter, needing to release some of the tension. "I might not have said anything about you cheating on Carole, because that really is none of my business… but I'm not lying to Kurt about this!"

"Blaine, please…" Burt stood up, with a little difficulty and took a few steps towards the boy, but Blaine moved back, maintaining the distance back between them. "You can't tell him. It's going to kill him…"

A few tears trickled down Blaine's cheeks. Just thinking about the pain his boyfriend would go through, the confusion, the feeling of betrayal made him sick… but could he really not tell Kurt his mom was alive? Could he lie to him like that? No. He couldn't.

"I love Kurt too much to do this to him," Blaine choked a bit, but stood firmly, facing Burt, letting him know that he was not wimping out, that he was not going to follow any orders to lie. "It's better to feel pain because of the truth than to be in the dark. And if he's hurt by learning you liked to him, I'm going to be right there with him and I'll help him get through it. But I won't lie."

Burt held Blaine's gaze and the part of him that wasn't terrified about what was currently happening was overwhelmed with gratitude for the boy standing there in the middle of his tire shop. Blaine was the best thing to ever happen to Kurt. it was so obvious that Blaine loved his son more than anyone else could ever love him… knowing his son could count on him, no matter what, was a relief he hadn't felt in years.

"I had to lie, Blaine," he confessed, at last, speaking low, almost shyly. "I did this for Kurt."

"What are you talking about?" Blaine shook his head, still confused.

"She abandoned us!" Burt's voice burst out louder, as if he couldn't hold it anymore. "She just woke up one morning and decided she had had enough. She never wanted a simple life. She was made for greater things, just like Kurt is. He has the same dreams she had: she wanted fame, big cities, a bigger life…"

Blaine didn't realize his legs were giving out until he felt himself falling on the stool nearest him. "So… are you saying she abandoned you because she wanted to be famous?"

"Yes," Burt nodded slowly. He sighed shakily. "How could I tell my eight year old son that his mother thought having a career in Hollywood was more important than staying home with her family?"

Blaine was speechless. This definitely wasn't what he expected when he came into the garage just a few minutes ago.

"I can't… I can't believe she did that," Blaine breathed out heavily, his eyes fixed on a random spot behind Burt.

"Kurt… Kurt was unexpected," Burt sat down beside Blaine on another stool. "Katherine wanted to have kids, but she thought she was still too young. At first, she wanted to end the pregnancy, but I think she didn't do it because she knew it would kill me. She had to drop out of college and forget about her dreams and it was too much for her…"

Blaine's heart ached when he realized that a world where Kurt had never been born had been a possibility. That it had been very close to being a reality. He couldn't imagine a world where Kurt didn't make his life worth living.

"We fought about it. I knew she was unhappy," Burt explained, and he sounded distant, as if he was lost in thought. "She was always amazing with Kurt, though. I never imagined she would just pack her stuff and leave one day. And then one afternoon I went home from the garage for lunch and there was a note waiting for me. Kurt arrived from school before I had time to understand what was really happening and I panicked. I couldn't tell him that she had abandoned him and I didn't even realize what I'd said until after I said it. And then I couldn't take it back. I couldn't tell him, hey, I'm kidding, your mom's not really dead…"

Blaine had always seen Burt as the strongest man he had ever met. But now, he looked smaller, depleted, as if he was crumbling around the edges.

Awkwardly, Blaine put a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, Burt…"

Burt shook his head, swallowing hard again. "It's okay, kid. It's comforting knowing someone cares about Kurt as much as I do."

There was a pause. A question was nagging at the back of Blaine's mind and he just had to let it out. "Can I ask you why she came back?"

"I'm not sure. I think she wants to see Kurt," Burt shrugged, as if he didn't care. "I don't think things went the way she planned and now she probably wants to rebuild things with him or something… but I'm not letting her see him. There's no way I'll let her hurt him again. When the divorce decree was final I decided she was out of our lives forever."

The hand Blaine still was resting on Burt's shoulder dropped down limply. "Burt..."

"No. I know what you're going to say, Blaine," Burt stood up abruptly and walked away a few steps. "And I can't. I won't. I can't tell Kurt the truth…"

"He's living a lie," Blaine said sadly. "He's still grieving for a woman that didn't love him enough to stay with him. He regularly visits a grave that's empty. What if he ever finds out? Do you want him to hear it from someone else? He wouldn't ever forgive you. Not if you don't give him the reasons why you did it, at least."

Burt sat, defeated, his arms hanging limp at his sides, miserably. "How is it possible that you're so much more mature than me about this?"

"Because you're scared? And you have every right to be, I don't blame you," Blaine sighed. "I know why you did it. It was wrong, but I can understand it."

Burt ran his hand over his head, nervously. "I guess I can't ask you to keep this from him. It's not fair to you."

Blaine nodded slowly. "Yeah. Kurt and I are always honest with each other, even when it's hard."

Burt walked back into the office to retrieve his baseball cap. When he came back, he looked at Blaine with resignation. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll tell him the truth… but I need some time. I can't tell him this over the phone and I need to find a way to ease into it."

Blaine knew he couldn't push this any further, so he agreed, even though he was sure it was going to be a real challenge to hide this from Kurt until his father was ready to talk to him.

Blaine suddenly missed the much simpler, Glee-related problems he had had before stepping into the garage that day.

"You're awfully quiet tonight. Is everything alright?"

Blaine looked up from his History book. Kurt's face, though a little blurry because of the lack of light, showed his concern. Blaine wanted to reach out and touch him, but he knew his fingers would only find the hard, cold screen of his laptop resting on his bed, next to him.

"Just tired," he answered, shrugging.

"You look like something's bothering you," Kurt tilted his head to the side and examined his boyfriend carefully. "Is someone being a jerk to you at school?"

"No, school is as boring as it has ever been," Blaine sighed. His conversation with Burt the previous day was flashing back in his mind, but he tried to push it back. "I just… I miss you so much."

Kurt's expression softened into a sad smile. "I miss you, too."

"It's great that we try to keep things as normal as we can, doing homework together or going through our skin care routines over the phone each night like we always did… but it's not enough. I can't reach out and touch you or kiss you or…" Gosh, Blaine was a mess. He had been an emotional wreck since the previous afternoon and he knew he couldn't hide what he felt from Kurt for too long. His boyfriend could read him like an open book. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't complain, I know this only makes things harder, but… I can't help it. I'm not adjusting nearly as well as I thought I would."

Kurt groaned miserably on the other end of the connection. "Oh, Blaine. You're making me want to go back to Lima. I've never thought I'd want that. Ever."

Blaine buried his face on his pillow. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm only making this harder for you."

"No, it's okay. You're being honest," Kurt gave him a little smile. "It's important that we're always honest, even when it's difficult."

Blaine's stomach clenched painfully and he looked away from the screen so Kurt couldn't see his eyes. He had promised Burt to give him some time to decide how he would tell Kurt the truth. He couldn't do what his instincts screamed at him to do. He couldn't tell him himself.

"Why don't we finish our homework and then we can watch a movie together? I'll let you pick," Kurt beamed sweetly and Blaine melted. He always melted when Kurt smiled.

They kept working in a companionable silence for about another half an hour, before finally picking out a movie. Blaine scruched his eyes closed, trying to imagine Kurt was right there with him instead of at the other end of a computer screen, but not even that, not even the dogged concentration required to pretend there was a dip in the bed next to him, or that he could feel the warmth of his boyfriend's body, was enough to distract him from the uneasiness that had settled inside of him.

Burt was sitting at the kitchen table when Carole arrived home from work on Saturday evening. It was her last shift of the week, so she entered her home with a relaxed smile on her face, hoping for a nice dinner with her husband and maybe going to bed relatively early.

She definitely wasn't expecting the hollow expression in Burt's eyes as he pointed to the seat across from him with a quiet "sit down, please" after she kissed his cheek.

"Is everything alright?" She asked immediately, concerned. "Did the boys call? Are they okay? Or is it Blaine?"

"The boys are fine," Burt assured her. "It's not about them. But something has happened."

She held her breath, waiting, a million possibilities flashing through her mind.

"Kurt's mom came to see me this week," Burt finally said.

Carole blinked, letting the words hang in the air for a few seconds. "Kurt's… I don't… What are you talking about?"

Carole went through the possibilities, taking off the list anything that could be linked to catastrophic diseases or divorces. She chose the option that seemed to suit the situation best: Burt was suffering from separation anxiety now that Kurt was in New York, so he had been dreaming about his late wife.

With a sad smile, Carole leaned over the table to grab his hand. "Burt, sweetheart, missing Kurt is completely normal. I get it. I miss Finn, too, and I wish Christopher was here to see his son going to college, too, but…"

"No, Carole," he interrupted, his voice tight, as he retrieved his hand. "I'm not hallucinating or anything like that. Katherine didn't die."

Carole stayed silent so Burt used the opportunity to spill the truth before he chickened out. He told her everything, without leaving any details out. By the time he was done, he was holding his head in his hands in despair. After all these years, he still couldn't believe this was his life, that he had ended up in such a tangled mess. He hated it doing this to her.

He waited for Carole to shake out of her trance and hold him in her arms and tell him how much of an idiot he had been for doing what he did, for complicating everything so much. He waited for Carole to say something, to assure him that things would be alright…

But Carole didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on him, but he wasn't sure if she was actually seeing him.

"Carole…" Burt whispered, swallowing with difficulty.

"You told me she died…" Carole mumbled then, still completely lost in her own thoughts.

"I know I did. I was trying to protect Kurt, I didn't want to…"

"I told you everything. The minute we started dating, I told you everything about Finn's father, how he died, I…" She stood abruptly. "Burt… how could you lie to me about this?"

Burt didn't have an answer. He didn't know why he hadn't told Carole. Maybe because, after so many years of living a life in where Katherine was dead… well, maybe he had started believing it was true, too.

But that made no sense and he couldn't say that to his wife. He just looked at her, sadness taking over his features.

"I need… I need a moment," Carole turned around to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower."

And then she was gone, walking away, leaving him alone, and Burt didn't want to think of Carole leaving him behind the same way Katherine had.

He wasn't sure he could take it if he lost her too.

His life was good. He had to admit that it felt wonderful that, for the first time in his life, he could walk down the streets without being stared at in disgust, as if he didn't belong there. Kurt Hummel belonged in New York so naturally that no one could've ever believed he came from the small town of Lima, Ohio.

Despite having to live with Finn (which he was used to, but their dorm room was much smaller than the house they had shared with their parents and it was appalling how fast Finn could pervade everything with the particularly awful smell of his socks and sweaty t-shirts), there wasn't much he could complain about. He was happy and he felt free and he felt…

Lonely. He felt so awfully lonely.

His shining happiness was tarnished by the darkness of Blaine's absence. The distance was too much to bear sometimes and most nights he fell asleep hugging his pillow tightly and burying his face in it, trying to pretend it was his boyfriend, but unable to. He cried himself to sleep (which wasn't doing his skin any good, thank you very much) and his cellphone had practically become part of his anatomy, afraid as he was that he might miss a vital call or text message from Blaine.

As much as he was enjoying college life and the city and the wonderful freedom he felt there… he wanted this year over as soon as possible, so Blaine could finally join him. because yes, New York was beautiful and he loved the way the leaves falling from the trees decorated its streets, the sounds and the sights and the little coffee shops, but it all seemed colorless without Blaine there holding his hand and experiencing it all with him.

Sometimes, when Finn's snores were the loudest he'd ever heard them, when he was sure his brother wasn't paying any attention to him, when he felt a void in his chest that he would have to endure for too many hours, too many days, too many months, Kurt secretly considered going back to the life he had known.

Burt had fallen asleep on the couch. After Carole had gone upstairs, he decided to give her space, to let her come to him, to give her time for the information to sink in.

He woke up the next morning, aching from the awkward position he had slept in all night. His feet were cold from hanging off the end of the couch. Not as cold as his heart felt, though.

But then a hand came to rest on his cheek and he noticed Carole sitting on the coffee table. She had dark shadows under her eyes and she cluthed a steaming mug. The faltering smile that she gave him was far from the usual cheerful, loving ones, but it was still a smile.

"I get it," she said, when Burt just blinked at her in confusion for a few seconds. "I don't think what you did was right, Burt, but I get it."

He swallowed and just kept looking at her. He was almost waiting for his wife to say something terrible, to tell him she couldn't be married to him anymore…

"It's all about protecting them, in the end," Carole muttered and her gaze fell on a picture of Kurt and Finn that they had taken last summer. "We do whatever it takes to make sure they can be happy."

Burt nodded slowly. "Kurt was all I cared about when I told him that… that Katherine…"

"No more lies," she cut him off, sharply, but a lot softer than the night before. "I can't take any more lies."

Burt nodded once again, keeping his eyes fastened to hers, hoping she could read in them that he really, really meant it.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Carole asked, taking a deep breath.

"No. That's my only secret," Burt assured her.

Silence fell between them and Burt held his breath, as if he was waiting for a verdict.

Carole finally extended the coffee mug for him to take. "I'll make breakfast and we can talk then."

Relief flooded Burt for a minute, before he remembered that Carole knowing about it didn't really solve anything.

The worst was yet to come.

Blaine used his own key to get into the Hummel-Hudson house (he was immensely proud that he had been given his own and it hadn't even been from Kurt. It had beenBurt who gave it to him) and stepped into the quiet hallway. He had gotten a call from Carole to let him know that she was going to be a little late because there had been an emergency at the hospital and Burt was stuck at the garage with a vehicle that was giving him some trouble, so they were running a little late for Friday night dinner.

"You can go home and wait for us if you want, sweetheart, or you can just have dinner with your parents tonight," Carole had said. "We can always reschedule."

"It's fine, really," Blaine had answered. He was already halfway to their place anyway. "I'll start dinner, if you don't mind. Kurt gave me a recipe that I've been meaning to try, so I can have everything ready by the time you guys are home."

He could almost hear her smile through the phone. "That sounds lovely, Blaine. I'll see you in a couple of hours, then."

He took off his coat and scarf and hang them in the closet by the door, leaving his bag there, too. He fished his cellphone out of his pocket as he moved to the kitchen, deciding to doublecheck the recipe with Kurt just to make sure he didn't screw it up.

To Kurt:

Hey :) I'm at your parent's house and I'm about to make dinner. I was thinking about trying that chicken you were telling me about the other day?

It only took two minutes for Kurt to reply, barely giving Blaine time to thoroughly wash his hands.

From Kurt:

That's amazing. I actually gave you that recipe so you would take the hint and cook a romantic dinner for me when I'm back.

Blaine couldn't help the smile that spread all over his face.

To Kurt:

Then I'd better start practicing so I can make it perfectly. Any tips I should know?

He had just put the phone down on the counter and was about to start looking for the pan and the ingredients he needed when he heard the door bell ringing. Having no idea who it could be, he walked back to the entry hall and pulled the front door opened.

He wasn't expecting to find himself looking into a too familiar pair of blue eyes that had a fleck of gray, green and even yellow around the iris. The skin he found himself staring at was pale and smooth and even the lips looked the same… but these were painted in a pink shade and the chestnut hair was too long.

"Hi," Katherine Hummel said, grabbing the strap of her purse tightly. "I'm looking for Burt?"

Blaine could hear the phone buzzing from the kitchen, or maybe it was his own ears. Having her so close, talking to him, looking back at him… it just made everything so much more real.

He must have been staring at her for too long, because she frowned slightly and seemed even more nervous.

"Burt… isn't here," Blaine answered. He noticed he was gripping the doorknob hard enough to hurt his hand. "He's still at work."

Katherine sighed. "Could you give him a message?"

Blaine's throat felt dry. He had seen this woman before, but now it was different. Now he knew who she was and what she wanted. And what she had done.

"No, I'm sorry," Blaine said as politely as usual. She looked shocked. "I don't think you should come back again. He'll get in touch with you when he thinks it's the right time."

Katherine tilted her head to the side. "Who are you? Are you his stepson?"

"No," Blaine shook his head. A rush of protectiveness seemed to surge through him. He straightened up. "I'm Kurt's boyfriend."

Something seemed to flash behind those eyes that reminded him so, so much of Kurt's. "Kurt's boyfriend?"

"Exactly," Blaine nodded. "That's something you'd know if you hadn't abandoned him. Now, please leave."

He tried to close the door, but she put a hand firmly against it to stop him. "Please, wait. I want to… I want to talk to Kurt."

Blaine laughed humorlessly. "Good for you. But you're a few years late."

Katherine kept her hand firmly against the door, not letting Blaine close it. "Look… I know that what I did was wrong, but I… I need to talk to him. There's something important I need to tell him." She started digging into her purse with her free hand until she found a piece of paper with something scribbled on it. "This is where I'm staying. Give me a chance to explain. Burt won't and I… I know I don't deserve it, but I think he'd want to hear what I have to say."

Blaine took the paper, hesitantly and, after staring at the address and the phone number on it for a couple of seconds, he shoved it in his pocket. "Okay. Can you leave now?"

She swallowed, but nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Blaine closed the door before she even finished turning around.

The piece of paper was on the bedside table and Blaine couldn't help but glance at it every now and then while he sat on his bed doing homework. It seemed to taunt him when he was on the phone with Kurt and more than once he found himself studying Katherine's handwriting. Even the way she wrote reminded him of Kurt and that made his heart ache. The curve of their S was so similar and they did the same little tail on every A.

Gosh, he missed his boyfriend.

But, most importantly, having this piece of paper, this piece of information, this truth in his hands made him feel weird and uneasy. Why was Katherine so determined to find Kurt and talk to him? Why now? Why not a few months earlier when she would've been able to find him at home the same way she had found Blaine? Why not when he was still little, when he had needed her the most, when she should have been there?

Blaine had so many questions that seemed to overwhelm him. He'd thought Mrs. Hummel was only a painful memory, someone to visit on Mother's Day at the cemetery, someone to hear wonderful stories about, stories of how kind and beautiful she had been. Not this. Not this ghost that had come back to haunt them.

Not this lie that could tear Kurt's life apart.

Something was wrong with Blaine.

Usually, Kurt would text him and his boyfriend would answer in just a couple of minutes (five if he was in class, or in the shower). Blaine was also always logged on Skype, even when he was doing his homework or watching TV or at Tina's house watching a movie. He didn't want to miss any opportunity to talk to Kurt, knowing they both had such different schedules now.

But lately, Blaine was nowhere to be found. His text messages were vague and he was always too busy to be on Skype. When they talked on the phone now he was distant and distracted and Kurt was starting to feel desperate. What if Blaine was tired of him? What if the long distance thing wasn't working out? What if he'd found someone else who could hold Blaine's hand, who didn't have to send him kisses through a computer's screen?

Kurt felt sick from thinking he could be losing what he cared about the most. Sprawled on his bed with textbooks everywhere, he looked down at the mess and wondered if this dream, the New York dream, the college dream wasn't taking away the one dream that mattered more than all of the others.

His hands were shaking. He gripped the steering wheel even tighter though he had already parked the car. He needed something to anchor him, to make him feel like he wasn't about to stumble into something completely wrong.

Blaine opened the door and climbed out, staring up at the old building. The walls needed some painting and some of the windows were dirty. The Lima Motel sign hung above the office's door, crooked and worn by time and weather, some of the letters a bit faded. He looked down at the paper in his hand just to check the address once more. It was the right place.

He climbed the creaky stairs to the second floor. Sounds of television and voices came to him from the different rooms. The one he was looking for, 2C, had a little dent on the dark green door, right under the doorknob. Blaine took a deep breath before knocking softly.

"Just a minute!" Came a voice from the inside and Blaine recognized it immediately. He wasn't sure he'd be able to forget it.

He thought about turning around and running away. Being there felt like a violation, a violation of Burt's trust, of his privacy… and Kurt. If Kurt knew what was going on…

But wasn't Blaine's first priority to protect Kurt? And wasn't he protecting the man he loved by trying to find out what this woman wanted with him? Katherine Hummel had the power to bring Kurt's life crashing to the ground and Blaine wanted to make sure she didn't. He wanted to make sure she would stay away if her intentions weren't good.

The door opened before he had time to finish his line of thought. Katherine had her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing a shirt that had obviously belonged to a man, because it was entirely too big on her. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and for a second, Blaine looked at her and realized she was beautiful. She really was a mirror of what Kurt was, but older, feminine and somehow worn by the years almost as much as the building she lived in.

"Hello," her eyes went wide when she saw him and Blaine fidgeted with his own hands. "You came."

"Yes." He nodded, awkwardly. "I think you and I need to talk."

Katherine forced a smile on her face. "You caught me just in time. I was about to leave and see Burt again to…"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Blaine cut off.

She blinked, confused. "Oh."

"Can I come in?" Blaine asked, as politely as he could. The air was chilly and he had forgotten his scarf in the car.

"Of course, yes, yes," she moved aside to let him in.

Blaine stood in the middle of the room. It was small and tacky. The red carpet looked dirty and there was a bit of mildrew on one of the walls. The television set seemed old and the bed, uncomfortable.

"You didn't tell me your name," Katherine muttered from behind him, where she was still standing by the door, now closed.

"Blaine," he said, but he didn't extend his hand for her to shake. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that, if he touched her, she would be real. Very, very real.

Katherine watched him for a few seconds with those eyes he knew so well. "And why do you think I shouldn't go see Burt? I know you think you know what's going on, but this is complicated and Burt and I…"

"He can't get stressed," Blaine answered and he felt like begging her to please, please not cause any stress to Burt. "He had a heart attack a couple of years ago."

His words apparently affected Katherine, who looked worried. "I didn't know that."

"Why would you?" Blaine shrugged and he felt so out of character. He wasn't the kind of guy who talked to adults like that. And he hadn't imagined he would ever talk to Kurt's mom, out of all people, like this. Well, he hadn't imagined he would ever talk to Kurt's mom, period.

Katherine sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I get it. You're mad at me for what I did to Kurt…"

"And Burt," he interrupted. "They are both wonderful men who didn't deserve to have you walk away from them like you did. Didn't you think your little boy would need you? Didn't you think he would need a mother to help him when he was growing up? Kurt's had a hard life and you're the only one who could've made him less miserable."

"What do you mean, he's had a hard life?"

Blaine looked at her, incredulous. "Are you really asking me that? We're talking about a boy who had to grow up without his mother, a boy who grew up in a homophobic town that constantly brought him down and told him he wasn't good enough, that who he is, is a sin. You can't even imagine how broken he was when we first met. He was bullied every day and he was threatened to be killed. He was scared to even get out of bed every morning."

Katherine closed her eyes to hold the tears back. Blaine felt furious. She didn't have the right to look pained after abandoning him. She should've been there to kiss him goodnight every single night, to hold him close when he cried because of the bullying, to sooth the bruises on his back after being shoved against a locker.

Blaine realized it had been a mistake, coming here. She didn't deserve to be a part of Kurt's life. She had missed that train already.

"This is pointless," he shook his head in disappointment. "Just stop looking for Kurt, stop looking for Burt and leave them alone. They've had to deal with enough already."

He moved towards the door, deciding that it was better for him to leave, but Katherine cried out in desperation.

"No, no, wait, Blaine, please…" she begged. "You have to tell me where Kurt is. I need to talk to him. There's so much he needs to know, so much I need to tell him and I…"

Her words were interrupted by a soft cry that grew in intensity in a matter of seconds. Blaine's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his hazel eyes fell on a crib he hadn't noticed before on the opposite wall. Katherine immediately moved away from the door and Blaine followed her with his gaze. When she picked up a crying baby and pressed it against her chest, he swore he felt his heart stopping. The shushing, calming noises she was making sounded like screams in his ears and he had difficulty breathing.

"Don't cry, baby, don't cry, it's okay," she cooed lovingly.

Blaine felt the air abandoning his lungs at the sight of the baby in Katherine's arms. The little girl had the same hair and the same stunning eyes as both Katherine and Kurt, which only meant…

"Do you want to meet Blaine?" Katherine asked with a little smile, kissing the girl's temple. "Do you want to meet your brother's boyfriend?"

"No…" Blaine took a step back. "This can't be happening…"

"Blaine…" Katherine gave him a look that was filled with anxiety. "Please, don't leave. Please."

"I can't believe this!" Blaine cried in frustration, his hands flying up to his hair. "First his mother is not dead and now he has a sister! I can't do this!"

"Blaine, calm down…" she said, quietly.

"Calm down? Do you know how hard this is? Kurt and I have a deal, okay? We're completely honest with each other, that's the basis of our relationship. It's what hold us together!" Blaine screamed, and he knew he was freaking out, but he couldn't stop. "You may have been able to abandon him, but I can't live without Kurt and I'm not letting you or anyone else threaten what we built with so much…!"

"I'm dying!" Katherine blurted out suddenly, effectively causing Blaine to go silent. She started crying. "I'm… I'm sick, Blaine."

Blaine swallowed, his eyes were wide and his heart was still pounding hard. "W-what do you mean you're sick?"

Katherine sat on the edge of the bed, settling the girl on her lap and rocking her softly. "I… when I was pregnant, they discovered I had leukimia. The pregnancy was already advanced and I didn't want to put the baby's life in risk with the treatment so I made the doctors wait… and by the time Kara was born, it was too already late to do anything…"

Blaine gripped the edge of a dresser to hold himself up. "Late?" He repeated, dumbly.

Katherine nodded very slowly. "I have two or three months, tops."

This wasn't supposed to happen. This was all wrong. Blaine was supposed to be living in Lima bored out of his mind during his senior year and waiting for time to pass so he could go to New York with his beautiful boyfriend. The biggest concern in his mind was supposed to be Glee club and getting to nationals and making sure the coffee he bought for Burt was decaf and keeping Carole away from all the clothing stores on Kurt's black list… but not this.

Never this.

"That's why you're so keen on seeing Kurt," Blaine whispered, exhaling shakily. "Because you're…"

"I want to make things right," Katherine leaned her head against the top of her daughter's. "Leaving Kurt behind is my biggest regret and if I'm going to die I don't want to have any unfinished business."

Blaine closed his eyes and tried to process the information, but it was too much to take in so fast. "Does… does Burt know?"

"No," Katherine sighed. "He didn't give me the chance to say anything."

When he opened his eyes again, they immediately fell on the little girl that was playing with her own feet, happily oblivious to what her mother was going through. She looked so much like Kurt… Blaine's mind moved on its own accord and he was suddenly imagining their apartment in New York, in a few years, gold bands in their fingers and a beautiful baby just like Kara that looked a lot like Kurt sitting with them as they tried to get her to say daddy and papa.

"I just want to say goodbye, Blaine," Katherine muttered and her eyes were filled with tears. "I just want to see my son one last time."

Blaine should've said that all of this would be too traumatic for Kurt. He should've said that if she hadn't abandoned him, she would've had more than just a goodbye. He should've said a million things.

He didn't.

"I'll see what I can do," he replied, and his gaze was still fixed on Kurt's baby sister.