Somehow Blaine and Rachel managed to make it through to their graduation.  The past year had been a roller coaster of emotions, events, and an utter lack of sleep.  The first few months had been especially difficult for the two.  Bernadette was definitely Rachel’s daughter, even though she looked like her dad, she had the vocal range of ten Rachels, or so it seemed.  Blaine was amazing through the whole thing.  Every night when Bernadette would wake up hungry, he would get out of bed, change her diaper, and stay awake with Rachel as she nursed her back to sleep. 

They were far too busy, and too tired, to take on extra activities as they originally planned for their senior year.  They had planned on leading their school’s musical of West Side Story as Tony and Maria, Rachel had planned on running for Student Class President, and the both wanted to lead for Glee club.  Rachel gracefully gave over (some of) her solos to the new girl Marley.  This, of course, was only because she was promised at least one solo in each competition, she may have been exhausted but she was not going to give up her stardom.

Even without all of the extracurricular and the lead in the play Rachel was accepted into NYADA.  Madam Tibadu was impressed by her application essay, which detailed her struggles with becoming a teenage mother, while maintaining a 3.94 GPA, and focusing on her career.  She was worried about how Rachel would handle the pressures of NYADA with a baby, but Rachel made her confident that if anyone could do it, it would be her; she refused to let anything keep her from her dreams.  Bernadette was there to motivate her to work harder.

Blaine got accepted into NYC for business management.  As much as he wanted to pursue music as well, he knew that he had to have something practical to fall back on.  His trust fund wouldn’t be there forever and Rachel’s Broadway dreams were not a guarantee of income. 

Rachel was on cloud nine, things were (as always) working in her favor.  Blaine, on the other hand, felt stuck.  As much as he loved Bernadette and as happier than he had ever been with her, he was honestly miserable.  He felt completely stuck.  He was going to major in something he had no care for, was in a ‘relationship’ with someone who drove him crazy as much as he loved her (it a friendzone way of course), and he was lonely.  He adored Rachel’s company but it just wasn’t the same.  He wanted to be in a real relationship.  He wanted to feel that tingle in his spine at his lover’s touch, to feel the butterflies flutter in his stomach every time their eyes met.  But, he made his mistakes, and he made his decisions.  He made his bed and now he had to sleep in it.

Blaine and Rachel sat nervously backstage in the auditorium.  This was going to be the last time they would be together on this stage.  They, being the first two names in the alphabet in the graduating class, peeked out of the curtain nervously.  They scanned through the full seats for their family.  They found Hiram, Leroy, Julia and Bernadette sitting front row center.  They must have been here forever to get those seats.  “Are you okay about your dad not being here?”  Rachel whispered so no one else would hear. 

“I’m perfectly okay with it.  I never want to see him again in my life.  I also never want him to be in the same room as our daughter, it’s bad enough I know my mom surely has pictures of her plastered around the house.  I didn’t even want him knowing what she looks like.  Thankfully it’s nothing like him, I look like my mom.”  Blaine started to rant.  Rachel put her index finger to his lips to stop him. 

“Ssh Blaine, I know honey.  He’s not even here; don’t let him ruin your day.  We have three more weeks until we are living in New York.  Everything will be okay, I promise.”  She leaned in to whisper before kissing him on the cheek.  “And once we are in New York, we don’t have to do this anymore.  We are going to leave this life behind and start anew.”  With that Blaine smiled and picked her up off her feet with a hug. 

“I love you Rachel Berry.  You are truly the best friend and guy could have.”

“I love you too Blaine Anderson.”

“Okay guys, I just want to say how truly proud I am of each and every one of you.  These past four years have been quite a ride, and I for one, as happy as I am to see you all starting your new journies am so sad to see you go.  But, this isn’t a goodbye; this is a see you later.  Remember I will always be here for each and every one of you all.”  Mr. Schue spoke to the graduating class.  “Now, let’s get you graduated.  Everyone line up!”

“Blaine Anderson.”  He heard Principal Figgins say over the loud speaker.  He took a deep breath and walked through the red curtains.  He watched as his mother and Misters Berry stood holding his daughter as they cheered for him.  Julia was crying and trying to take pictures of him. 

“Rachel Berry.”  Rachel plastered her trademark smile across her face and walked out from backstage managing to steal everyone’s attention effortlessly.  This time it was Hiram and Leroy’s turn to breakdown.  Rachel took her diploma and took her place next to Blaine intertwining her finger with his.

The rest of the names were called and Principal Figgins spoke for the last time as their high school principal.  “Parents, Teachers, Family, and Friends: I present to you the William McKinley High School class of 2012!  Congratulations students!”  Rachel and Blaine looked at each other and threw their caps in the air. 

They did it.

*x*x*

Three weeks later they sat in their backyard surrounded by family and friends.  It was the 4th of July, Bernadette’s first birthday.  Today is her birthday party and their going away party.  Tomorrow the three would be moving into their small New York City apartment.  It was a day full of laughter and bitter sweet tears.  As the party drew to a close and friends started to leave Leroy told them that they wished to see them in the kitchen for a moment.

“Dads? Is everything okay?”

“Besides the fact that our only daughter and granddaughter are moving a thousand miles away, absolutely.”

“Oh Daddy –“ Leroy interrupted her thought.

“We just want to know what you are going to do for daycare when you start classes.”

“Oh, I don’t know yet, we were going to look into daycares once we got there.” Blaine replied.

“How would you feel about Marley watching her?”

“Marley?  She’s going to New York?  I thought she was staying here and going to community college.”

“She was, but her mother didn’t want her stuck in Lima for the rest of her life so she is going to live with her cousin in New York.  She is going to start classes at one of the local colleges there.”

“Marley is great and Bernie loves her but don’t you think she would have her own things to worry about?”  Rachel asked.

“We actually offered her the opportunity if you two were to say yes.  She was talking with us about having to find a job when she got out there.  She mentioned that her cousin said she didn’t have to, but she wanted to offer some help.”

“That’s great, I mean, we’d much rather keep Bee with someone we know and trust.  But how much are we supposed to pay her?”

“Don’t worry about that.  Your father and I will take care of that.”

“Daddy, please you don’t have to, you are doing more than enough.  You are helping to pay for our apartment.”

“We want to Princess.  We are able to help and we want to.  We would rather you focus on school and make successes out of yourselves so that you are able to give that little girl everything that this world has to offer.”

“Oh thank you daddy!”  Rachel got up and hugged and dads.

“Yes, thank you Hiram, Leroy.  You have no idea how much this means to you.  I swear to you we will find a way to make everything up to you.”

“Blaine, you have already made everything up to us.  The way you have treated our daughter has more than made it up.  We could not ask for a better boyfriend for Rachel and a better father for Bernadette.”  With that Blaine began to tear and hugged them as well. 

“Now get back out there and finish your goodbyes.  Everybody in that yard is going to miss you as much as we will.”

*x*x*

Later that night while Rachel finished packing and finalizing plans Blaine sat in their room, in the glider, rocking Bernadette to sleep.  As he sang her his favorite song, his memories brought him back to the first time he sang this song to her, right in this very chair.

It was their first night home from the hospital and Rachel was fast asleep curled up on the bed.  She was still utterly exhausted from the past few days.  Blaine looked at her and smiled.  He looked in the crib, something he spent his every waking moment doing the past two days.  He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her.  She started fussing in her sleep.  Blaine reached down and lifted her out of the crib.  Cradling her in his arms he sat in the obnoxiously pink glider that sat in the corner of the room.  He had to stop letting Rachel decorate, he thought to himself.  He began rocking and he took his free hand to stroke her tiny face.  She was so little, so beautiful.  She opened her eyes and cooed at him.  Blaine brought him closer to his face so that she could see him (he had recently learned that newborn baby’s eyes were not able to focus more than 6-8 inches away.  He looked into her hazel eyes and smiled.  This is love.  This feeling that he felt at that moment was the meaning of true love.  In that moment he did what he did best.  He started to sing softly, sing to his daughter.  “I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing. Watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you’re far away and dreaming.  I could spend my life, in this sweet surrender.  I could stay lost in this moment forever, where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure…”

Now this a year later, like a moment of déjà vu, Blaine cupped his daughters face and pushed her thick curls out of her sleeping eyes.  “Don’t want to close my eyes, I don’t wanna fall asleep. Cuz I’d miss you babe, and I don’t want to miss a thing.  Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do I’d still miss you babe, and I don’t want to miss a thing…”

Hiram and Leroy stood silently in the doorframe watching that precious moment between father and daughter.  They smiled at each other and tears flowed down each of their cheeks.  The past 18 months have been hard and God knows this wasn’t the life they wanted their daughter, but there at this moment they are happy things happened how they did.  They slowly backed away from the door and went to pack the car for their trip in the morning.

Not knowing that they were there Blaine never paused the song.  “I don’t want to miss one smile, I don’t want to miss one kiss, I just want to be with you, right here with you, just like this.  I just want to hold you close, feel your heartbeat next to mine and stay here in this moment for the rest of time –“

Whilst singing the ending chorus Blaine looked down and smiled with a lone tear, a tear a pure joy and pride, slide down his cheek.