"Rachel, when we agree that you're going to take the trash out, it means empty every trash can and not just the big one in the kitchen!" Santana shouted from the bathroom, grumpily dragging Rachel's brush, lying innocently on the edge of the sink, spitefully through her own hair. "I guess I'll have to do it, since you're too busy since the wedding moping to drag your ass out of bed and do your chores!"

She bent down to lift the bag and tie it shut, but blinked hard to make sure she wasn't dreaming before pulling a recognisable white stick from between the lengths of floss, and tissues Rachel had cried into. She knew it perfectly, she'd taken enough of them, panic-stricken, in her days of fooling around with guys constantly with not a care for making sure to use protection. When she turned it over in her hands, she saw the sign she'd always dreaded but had always been lucky enough to never have to deal with, the blue plus in the window where she'd grown used to seeing a minus.

Holding the test in hand, she crossed the apartment and pushed Rachel's partition aside, sitting on the end of the bed and reaching over to squeeze her knee through the comforter. "Rachel, I know you must be so confused right now, and I'm sorry for snapping at you when there are bigger reasons than you just going up and down about Hudson, and I want you to know that I am here for you every step of the way, from the midnight cravings to the morning sickness."

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked, eyebrows drawing together and head tilted to one side in confusion as she stared at Santana. "Have you been out taking advantage of your professional fake ID again?"

"I found your pregnancy test in the trash," Santana said, and Rachel's eyes widen, obviously thinking she had hidden it better. "If you were trying to keep a secret, that's the worst way to do it, but know that I will support you, and so will everyone else who loves you."

"There must be some kind of mistake," Rachel said, peering at the stick in Santana's hand. "San, I didn't take any pregnancy test. I have no reason to think I'm pregnant. I used protection with Finn and I use it with Brody and I've had no symptoms. That's not mine."

"Well it's not mine!" Santana exclaimed, shaking the test to help prove her point. "So what, some random crazy girl just broke into our apartment to take a pregnancy test in our bathroom instead of hers? Look, it must be yours, you know condoms aren't one hundred percent effective all the time."

Rachel looked shiftily left and right, and beckoned her closer with a whispered, "Can I tell you a secret?" Santana nodded and crawled up the bed, curling up against the pillow next to Rachel as she leaned in close. "I was sworn in strictest confidence about this, only a handful of people know, but since you're living with us and, if that test is anything to go on, you're going to have to deal with this too, I think I should tell you." She sucked in a deep breath and then everything spilled out of her in a rush. "Basically Kurt has that genetic mutation and he's a carrier so he can get pregnant and have babies and him and Blaine had multiple rounds of sex at the wedding and in those couple of days when he stayed behind while we came back here. And I can't imagine Blaine, being without a relationship for four months, and who I happen to know always forgets to check the expiration dates on the boxes, has very many in-date condoms lying around."

Santana dropped heavily into the bed, off her elbow, staring up at the ceiling with round, stunned eyes. "Holy shit," she breathed after a long, tense silence. "So you're saying..."

"Kurt's pregnant," Rachel finished, and lay beside Santana, staring up at the ceiling. "I think 'holy shit' is the appropriate phrase here. Fuck." Santana nudged her teasingly and Rachel slapped her away with a slight giggle before sobering up again. "Do you think he was planning to tell us?"

"Well he did a very bad job of hiding the test if he didn't want us to find out," Santana observed. "And I don't think even his impeccable taste in fashion has the ability to hide an enormous nine-months-pregnant belly. I think we need to confront him when he gets home though. We can't sit here in silence, letting him think he managed to keep it a secret." Rachel turned her head, sitting up slightly, and nodded her firm agreement.

Kurt got home at eight, when Rachel was standing over a pot of spaghetti, with the bolognese for Kurt and Santana bubbling in a separate pot, and Santana was idly texting Quinn, growing more and more flirty until she heard the creak of the antique chairs as Kurt collapsed into one, propping up his chin on his hand and giving her a worn look. Santana exchanged a look with Rachel, who raised her eyebrows pointedly, before she cleared her throat, laid her phone aside and said, "We know, Kurt."

"Know, know what?" Kurt asked, and the darting of his eyes and the higher pitch of his voice made it clear that it was true, that he knew exactly what she was talking about, and Santana's heart ached a little for him, how scared and unsure he had to be.

"I found your test in the trash can in the bathroom today," she said softly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "You didn't do the greatest job of hiding it. And I looked at it, and I know it's positive. We know, Kurt."

Kurt looked at her for only a moment longer before he burst into tears, burying his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs. "I just don't get it!" he screamed frustratedly between sobs. "We used protection, we were careful, why did this have to happen to me?!"

"Condoms don't always work," Rachel said softly from her position keeping a careful eye on their food. "I know you're scared, Kurt, but we're here for you. And everyone else will support you too, but you have to tell them. You can't keep a baby hidden." She left the pan bubbling happily away and pulled out a chair to sit beside Kurt, wrapping an arm around him while Santana squeezed his hand reassuringly between both of hers, and they all sat still for a long time, three people suddenly caught up in the whirlwind of life.

Kurt faced his father's image, stuttering slightly with the erratic internet in the current snowstorm, breathing shallow with nerves as Santana rubbed his back gently, pressing hard between his shoulder blades to keep him calm, just the two of them in the house with Rachel out at a dance rehearsal. "You said on the phone that you had something to tell me," Burt said gruffly, as Santana subtly squeezed Kurt's hand. "Is it something bad, Kurt? Do you need a loan, because you know Carole and I are perfectly happy to provide that for you."

"No, Dad, we're pretty steady with the rent right now," Kurt said softly. "Basically, please don't be mad, but there was an accident, we didn't mean for it to happen, I swear we were safe, but we all know that's not always effective, and I...I just found out that I'm pregnant."

Burt stared at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, and Kurt shakily continued, "I'm planning to keep the baby, Dad, and I haven't really told anybody yet but I will, I swear, I'm going to be responsible for my mistake." He sniffed hard, tears dripping down his cheeks, and choked out, "I'm so sorry, Dad. Please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry, kiddo," Burt said slowly, and Santana gave him a smile that Kurt didn't see. "I could never be angry. I'm...a little scared for you, we know the risks of carrying a baby in your body even as a carrier, and I really don't think I look old enough to be a grandfather - right, Santana?"

"That's right, Burt," Santana said, squeezing Kurt's shoulder and handing him a tissue as he choked out a squeaky laugh and Burt chuckled gruffly, his eyes shining with a slight sheen of tears through the screen.

"But I'm glad you're taking responsibility for the baby, and that you aren't going to keep it hidden," Burt continued, and Kurt nodded at him, smiling shakily as he dabbed up his tears. "The next step is to tell that boy you've been seeing that you're having his baby."

"Dad, it's not Adam's," Kurt said, and Burt's eyebrows immediately shot up, Kurt's lower lip quivering again as he caught the slight disappointment in his father's eyes. "But I didn't cheat on him! We agreed not to be exclusive because it's early days, and then we were at the wedding and I saw Blaine again and I'd just missed him so much and we ended up spending the reception together and then slept together but I never thought this would happen, please believe me."

"Can't say I didn't notice something different, Kurt," Burt said, and Santana winked at him, mouthingDidn't we all?and making his lips twitch up into a grin. "I did notice your closed door and hear the laughing the night before your flight home. So I want you to tell Adam that you're pregnant and it's not his, as soon as possible, and then I want you to ask Blaine to come to New York and tell him face to face. Talk it over, don't just get back together because of the baby. And then call me, and tell me how it went." Kurt nodded obediently, blotting up his tears, and Santana squeezed his shoulder gently as Burt said his goodbyes and the screen went blank, and Kurt pitched sideways into Santana's waiting arms, leaning into her with a thready sigh of relief.

"Morning, Kurt!" Adam said cheerfully as Kurt dragged himself into dance class, taking a long swig of water, trying to rid his mouth of the acid taste of bile. None of Rachel or Santana's suggested researched cures for morning sickness had worked, and neither of them had been particularly sympathetic when he'd woken them up at five o'clock in the morning. Santana had been particularly irritated that the light from the bathroom had been shining directly into her bedroom while he clung weakly to the edges of the toilet and rinsed his mouth five times, still unable to get rid of the taste. "Hey, you okay? You don't look good."

"Been sick for a while," Kurt answered monotonously, pulling his sweater closer around him with a shiver. "Can we get coffee after class? I have to talk to you about something." Adam nodded wordlessly, and held out a hand to help him up as Cassandra strode in, cracking her whip against the floor.

"Pirouettes, let's go!" she called, and the music started as the class fell into rhythm. "Watch yourselves in the mirror to see your form! And spot, I won't be responsible for anyone who gets dizzy, falls and cracks their head open!"

Spinning neatly with the rest of the class, Kurt's stomach lurched and he stopped, clamping a hand across his mouth. "Hummel, get back in line, I don't care what horrifying image of your ex just flitted across your mind!" Cassandra shouted. "Back in line, now!" Kurt shook his head at her and ran out of the room, only just making it to the nearest bathroom before emptying his stomach, staying leaning heavily on the sink for the rest of the class.

He met Adam outside the studio, ignoring his worried inquiries until they were in the cafeteria with Adam's hands linked around a mug of coffee and Kurt's around his decaf. "Adam, this is really serious and I need you to just let me talk without interrupting," Kurt said, and Adam nodded as he reached across the table for Kurt's hand. Kurt pulled away, taking a deep, steadying breath and saying, "I'm breaking up with you. Not because you did anything wrong, but because, like I told you, Blaine and I...reconnected over the weekend of the wedding that wasn't, and like I haven't told you, I'm a carrier." He made sure to meet Adam's eyes before saying, "Ad, I'm gonna have a baby."

"Blaine's?" Adam asked softly, and Kurt nodded, blinking frantically to hold back tears. "Well, thank you for being honest with me. And congratulations." Kurt blinked at him in shock. "If this is what you want, and you're happy with the choices you've made, then you're going to have a beautiful baby with the love of your life. I'm your friend, Kurt, of course I'm happy for you."

Kurt broke down, cradling his head in his hands and propping himself up on his elbows, choking back sobs, and he heard the legs of Adam's chair scraping across the floor before he sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him, pressing a tissue into his hand and rubbing his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's gonna be okay, Kurt. All you have to do is tell Blaine."

Kurt sat at the kitchen table, phone lying in front of him, with Rachel standing behind him, massaging his tense shoulders, and Adam and Santana on either side of him, supporting columns as he stared down at the innocent phone, rubbing his temples to try and ward off the ache gathering there. "You have to tell him at some point," Rachel pointed out behind him. "Just do it now. Call him, he won't be at any glee rehearsal, and tell him he's going to be a father."

"No, you can't do it over the phone!" Santana protested, horrified. "Rachel, if it had been you, and you were having Finn's baby, would you tell him over the phone? Or would you at least bother to Skype with him so you could tell him face to face?"

"What I think is that you should fly back to Ohio, or invite Blaine out here," Adam said gently, rubbing Kurt's shoulder as his vision blurred with the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, stomach roiling at the very idea of having to tell Blaine. "You need to just sit down together and talk it out. He needs to know that you're having a baby, the same way these two and me and your parents and your brother need to know, and you told all of us face to face."

Looking up with damp eyes, reaching for the box of tissues Santana slid considerately down the table towards him, Kurt nodded to Adam and blew his nose hard. "Okay, I guess I'll call him now and ask him to come out here this weekend," he said, reaching for the phone. When Rachel squeezed his shoulders and started to turn, he grabbed her hand and tugged her back, whispering, "Don't leave me," as he dialled.

He could hear other voices in the background as Blaine cheerfully said, "Hi, Kurt! What's up? Sorry, can you make this quick, we're having a glee club sleepover tonight and Sugar is going to drag me downstairs by my hair if I don't join them in the next minute."

"I won't keep you long then," Kurt said, his fingers finding Santana's and squeezing as Rachel kissed the top of his head and Adam squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "I just have to ask: can you come visit me this weekend? There's something I really need to tell you."

"Sure," Blaine answered sweetly, and Kurt could just hear the joy in his voice, and his eyes filled rapidly with tears at the thought that, maybe, probably, almost certainly, this would be okay, that Blaine would take him in his arms and kiss him and promise him that it could be okay, that they would have a baby and be a family and love each other again. "I'll see you then. I'll text you flight details tomorrow, but now I really have to go. See you soon, Kurt."

"I love you," Kurt said under his breath, needing Blaine to know before he changed their lives forever, hoping he could understand, holding onto the hope swelling in his heart that it really could be better than he'd ever imagined.

"I love you too," Blaine replied, and was gone with a loud shriek in the background of his end of the conversation and a click, and Kurt let his hand fall back to the table, dropping his phone and leaning sideways into Santana, burying his face in her shoulder and trying to keep himself from crying again.

Rachel's hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed gently, and she pulled him upright to meet his eyes as she asked, "Ice-cream, electric blanket andWhen Harry Met Sally?" she asked.

"God yes," Kurt said gratefully, and the trio surrounding him laughed as Santana moved to plug in the electric blanket, Adam went to grab ice-cream and Rachel slotted the DVD into the player and stabbed the tip of her nail through the seal on a new box of tissues.

The moment Kurt, after an agonising hour-long debate over what he should wear to look good for Blaine and hide the new growing swell of his belly, slid the door open to Blaine standing in front of him, Blaine had his arms around him, the crinkle of cellophane loud next to Kurt's ear as the bouquet of red and yellow roses in Blaine's hand dragged against his neck. Hesitating for a moment, Kurt clung to Blaine as if these were their last moments together.

Guiding Blaine through the apartment, Kurt kicked aside a pair of Adam's shoes that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on their floor, with him dropping by every day after his last dance classes, usually bearing cookies and decaf for the three of them who officially lived in the apartment, the four of them often ending up watching a film, huddled together beneath the electric blanket, and let Blaine sit down, laying the flowers on the table and clasping Blaine's hands in his. "Blaine, the reason I asked you to come out this weekend is that I have to tell you something, and this is huge, it's going to change my life," he said slowly, Blaine's eyes resting attentively on him.

"I think I know what you want to say," Blaine said. "And, Kurt, I'm so happy about this. And I've always been willing to wait until you were ready, but if you think this is the right time, then I am right there with you. I'm so happy to be getting back together." He leaned close, pressing a soft kiss to Kurt's lips, and pulled away with a frown. "Kurt? You did ask me out here to get back together, right?"

With a steadying breath, Kurt shook his head once and explained, "You knew at the wedding that I was seeing someone here. His name's Adam, and I told him about what happened between us, and he doesn't mind. We never agreed to be exclusive. But, now there are complications with that, and I don't really know what's going to happen, and I need to tell you this. Obviously, we used protection and I've always been open about my mutation, but I know accidents happen and condoms aren't one hundred percent effective. Blaine, I'm pregnant." He took the small sonogram picture from where it was hidden beneath a volume of sheet music on the coffee table, pressing it into Blaine's slack hands. "Fourteen weeks pregnant, that's from my ten-week scan. The baby's due in November, and I really need your opinion about whether we should choose adoption or whether we should try to raise the baby. Obviously, it would be hard, we aren't really together right now, but we really do love each other, I know we do, and I think we could do it." He gazed hopefully at Blaine, who wasn't even looking at the picture of their baby, staring blindly at him. "Blaine? Please say something."

Blaine stood up, and Kurt went with him, standing close and waiting for Blaine to speak, so desperate to just kiss him but needing to hear it first, that he was happy and wanted this baby and wanted to stay with Kurt and help him through where he was blind and failing to feel his way. "You called me out here just to tell me that?" Blaine asked, staring at him with anger and frustration and sudden heartbreak in his eyes and voice and expression. "I can't, Kurt, I just can't, I can't sit here and talk about this with you. I'm not ready for that."

Choking out a sob, Kurt didn't chase him, knowing in his heart that it would do no good. Blaine obviously wasn't ready to be a father, didn't want to take responsibility, and didn't want to be there for Kurt in every capacity as he went through his pregnancy. He would have to do it alone, pick himself up and dust himself off and be the independent man he'd expected to be for the rest of time every day of his life until he'd met Blaine. The images of their future, the wedding rings and the vows and the apple-cheeked baby in Blaine's arms, everything dissolved with the roses in their wrappings and the sonogram picture left behind, Blaine's footsteps a mere memory on the wooden floor.