The Best Present Ever

Their timing couldn't have been better, as the flurries started to fall when they pulled into the driveway. Zoe was staring out the window, fascinated to see something new, while Blaine had started bouncing in his seat. Kurt rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the car, shivering at the cold temperature.

Kurt was not on friendly terms with winter...or summer for that matter. Winter was too damn cold for him, and it always had been. He was not one of those people who were natural furnaces. While it had been a running joke for as long as he could remember, Kurt took full advantage of being able to wear layers this time of year. Summer wasn't much better, as no amount of sunscreen could protect his pale skin some days, which is why he liked to avoid the outdoors.

Blaine, on the other hand, was always warm and loved the snow - thus, the reason for the bouncing. He'd already told Kurt that as soon as there was snow on the ground, he was bringing Zoe outside to get her first taste of it, though Kurt wasn't sure whether or not Blaine meant that literally.

"Blaine, wait until morning to see if the snow sticks. Then, I'll consider letting you take our daughter outside to experience this white hell."

"Oh come on, Kurt. Snow is awesome to play in."

"I don't dispute that, and I'll admit a winter wonderland is a sight I enjoy seeing. What I don't like is shoveling it and driving in it...or standing outside with a baby and a hyper puppy of a boyfriend when the rest of the family is waiting for us inside a nice, warm house."

Blaine blushed and conceded that Kurt made a few good points. So he abandoned his attempts to catch a snowflake on his tongue and walked back to the car to grab his and Kurt's stuff. Kurt had already gathered up Zoe and her bag and was making his way to the front door, not really in the mood to stay outside for longer than necessary.

Kurt walked inside first, with Blaine following right behind them. They put their stuff down by the front door, as well as Zoe in her carrier, Kurt calling out to see where everyone was.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Finn came down the stairs so fast he missed a step and almost fell.

"It's about time you guys got here!" Finn wasted no time and pulled both Kurt and Blaine into quick hugs, before bending down to Zoe's level. He wanted to take advantage of the fact Carole was cooking and Burt was getting cleaned up from work; he wanted first dibs on Zoe before the grandparents took her away from him.

"Can I hold her Kurt? Please? Before Mom and Dad steal her?"

Kurt chuckled and nodded. "Just let me get her changed first; then you can have her...unless you think you can handle it."

Finn's face lit up and he made quick work of getting Zoe free of her carrier and jacket, before he proudly changed her diaper without help. Zoe was certainly in a good mood by now and seemed content to stay put in Finn's arms for the time being. Kurt smiled at his brother's enthusiasm, knowing that he was just Zoe-deprived.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you Zo-bug," Finn said to Zoe, grinning like a fool at her laugh as he tickled her. "And I get to see you every day until we have to go back to school!"

"I was surprised you came downstairs so fast, Finn. I thought you would've been playing a game or something."

"Blaine texted me when you guys were almost here. I wanted to get Zoe first before Mom and Dad start hogging her. I've missed her too; Skype only gets us so far. And if I have to change her diaper in order to do that I will."

Kurt turned to Blaine. "I was wondering who you were texting."

Blaine shrugged. "He asked first, and you know as well as I do that Zoe has been looking for Finn the last few days." Finn's head shot up. "Really? How can you tell?"

"She's old enough to start recognizing people she's most familiar with. I was taking pictures of her with my phone yesterday and I flipped through some of them. I stopped on one of you and told her how excited her Uncle Finn was to see her and she started bouncing."

"Dude that is so awesome!" said Finn. "So you missed me too, huh?" Finn took a moment to really look at her and noticed that she was trying to eat him and that she was drooling...a lot.

"Is she okay? I know babies drool but this seems like a lot and she's working hard to try to eat my knuckle."

"Oh yeah, that's new. She's starting teething, but so far it's not been too bad. She has some fussy fits and she's started grabbing at stuff to gnaw on. If you look in her mouth, you can just make out where there's one or two teeth trying to come in."

Finn took his finger back and looked. Sure enough, there was the barest hint of white on her gums. Zoe started to whine, causing Finn to give up his finger again, not seeming to mind that he was covered in baby drool. Kurt however was not as thrilled. He dug through Zoe's bag and grabbed a cloth and something for Zoe to suck on.

"Zoe has been up to no good lately, and I'm sorry we haven't been home all that much. She has a new trick to show you, by the way. And - "Kurt pulled a small jar out of the bag, "look what else is new. We're starting her on baby food, too."

Finn pouted, "See what happens when you don't come home? I'm missing out on all the cool stuff."

"What cool stuff?" The boys looked up to see Burt standing at the bottom of the stairs. Kurt ran over to give him a hug, and pointed to Zoe.

"Your granddaughter is trying to be a big girl by eating this mush and teething. I promised to show Finn one of her new tricks. Do you wanna see?" Kurt had told Burt about what Zoe had been up to, but he hadn't seen her do it yet.

"Definitely. Let me get Carole first. She won't be happy if she misses out." Burt left the room and returned with Carole, who also knew what Zoe was able to do, just in time to see Finn hand Zoe back to Blaine. Kurt put a blanket on the floor and told Finn to come on the floor as well. Blaine placed Zoe down on her tummy and Finn watched as she pushed herself up.

"Zoe can do pushups?! That is so cool!" The rest of the group laughed at his enthusiasm. Kurt smirked and told Finn to wait and watch what else she could do. Finn did as he was told and soon enough, Zoe had gotten tired of holding herself up. Instead of trying again, she rolled over onto her back and kicked her legs as she let out a little giggle. Finn couldn't contain himself and he snatched Zoe up, placing her in his lap.

"That's it - she's staying here so I can watch her do that all the time." Blaine, Burt, and Carole rolled their eyes and laughed, leaving Kurt to lightly glare at Finn.

"Oh no she isn't. Zoe will be coming back with us to Dalton, thank you very much. No amount of begging and pleading is going to change my mind either."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Finn then proceeded to teach Zoe how to fist pump.

Eventually they all made it into the kitchen for dinner. While Zoe could sit up when someone held her, she was still too young to sit in a high chair and hold herself up. The baby food was a new thing they were trying, and though Zoe seemed to enjoy it, she often grew tired of it and was content to suck on her bottle.

Carole and Kurt had finished eating before Blaine, Burt and Finn, so Carole held Zoe as Kurt got her food and a bottle ready to go. Carole was curious as to how the boys figured Zoe wanted to try solid food, so she asked Kurt.

"It was kind of a fluke, really. A couple weeks ago, we were with the rest of the Warblers for dinner as usual. Zoe was being fussy and whining whenever Jeff tried to give her, her bottle. Beatz was the one that noticed Zoe's attention was on Sebastian's tray; he had picked out a container of applesauce and she kept grabbing for it. Nick was the one to ask if we'd tried seeing if she could handle food yet, since he remembered Robbie doing that when he was a baby."

Blaine came into the conversation. "It was pretty funny. Seb wasn't in the mood to give up his applesauce, so Trent offered his. Jeff sat Zoe up and Kurt put a little on a spoon. Sure enough, she managed a spoonful or two without choking on it. Then she went right back to drinking her bottle like it was no one's business."

"I think she just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. A week later, I borrowed an apple from the kitchen and mashed it up myself until it was mushier than the applesauce was. She seemed to like it better that way, so depending on her mood, I'd make her food like that and would stick with formula the rest of the time. It's been working well so far."

"Wait so you've been making it as you go?" asked Finn.

"Well we haven't had time to leave school to go to the supermarket, and our school store isn't exactly equipped to sell baby food either. The kitchen, however, has access to fruit that I can just turn into mush," said Kurt.

"That's pretty cool, bro," said Finn, impressed. "Have you tried other stuff?"

Kurt took a second to feed Zoe another spoonful. "Mainly been sticking to fruits...did try rice cereal, but she wasn't overly thrilled with it. I figured we could give it another try during break; I'm thinking it wasn't wet enough for her."

"She may just not like it; you certainly didn't," said Burt. "Your mom had to make it with mostly formula and barely a hint of rice for a while until you eventually started to eat it."

"Finn was the opposite. That was the first thing we tried to feed him and he took to it with no problem," said Carole. "It just depends on what the baby wants to eat. As long as she's interested; it's not like she has to eat solid food now."

"I have to say that I'm impressed at how quickly she's doing things," said Burt. "While it's not uncommon, she's on the early side for her milestones. That's not a bad thing, but sometimes late babies are late bloomers."

"I think this is her way of apologizing for being born late," said Kurt, amused. "Maybe her progressing as quickly as she has is her way of saying thanks for me having to carry her around an extra few weeks."

Carole laughed, "Well that's one way to look at it. Babies can be unpredictable. Some kids are just early learners instead of late bloomers. As long as she's actively trying to eat, talk and move, I wouldn't worry about her."

"Exactly, though some of the guys can't wait for her to get older. Just the other day a couple of the younger Warblers were debating what the better dessert was: pudding or Jell-O."

"So what was the winning vote?" asked Burt.

"I think Kurt called it a tie," said Blaine. "At one point, Daniel and James were about to start flinging food and Kurt dared them to do it."

"How would that have helped?" asked Carole.

"Professor Dippet was within hearing distance. Once they realized that arguing over dessert was a dumb idea, they called for a mutual difference of opinions. Of course, he then walked over to our table anyway and said they were both wrong and that the correct answer was pie, which then got Trent and Thad going with a debate of cake vs. pie."

"Which lasted for 20 minutes! It was ridiculous. I finally broke down and bribed them to shut up...told them I'd make them cookies if they let the whole topic go. That reminds me - I have to bake a couple things to bring to the party tomorrow."

"Aw...who told you about the party? It was supposed to be a surprise," whined Finn.

"Dad did with Blaine's permission. I was stressing too much over why everyone I knew was in on something I didn't know about. Apparently there's a cool present in it for me and Jeff, so that also helped to placate us until then; neither of us knows what that is. We were both starting to lose it."

"Oh...that's okay then," said Finn. "You gonna last the whole weekend without Zoe?"

"What are you talking about? She's coming too, isn't she?" asked Kurt.

Blaine face palmed. "Ah, no, she isn't. I didn't get too much into the details," he said, aiming a glare in Finn's direction. Blaine turned to Kurt and explained.

"While some of us are bringing siblings along, the party has a 'no babies allowed' policy. Carole and Burt have already agreed to keep her while we're gone. We'll leave for Wes's house early tomorrow morning and come back Sunday at some point."

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" sighed Kurt.

"No kiddo, you don't," said Burt. "It's about time you get to act like the teenager you are and enjoy a weekend with your friends, without having to worry about Zoe. We want some time with our granddaughter anyway, so it's a win-win for everybody. Trust me - you need the break."

"How come kids are allowed to come then?" asked Kurt.

"Well, Nick and I were working on the details with Wes, since he offered up his house. This weekend his parents will be out of town, so we'll have the house to ourselves. However, Cooper and Brandon have already claimed dibs on watching the rest of us party. Nick's parents have some adult-only family function they have to go to, and since none of them were invited, he's in charge of watching Kim and Robbie."

"We didn't want Robbie to be left out, so Puck is bringing Sarah and Sam is bringing Stacey and Stevie too," Finn added. "Everyone is in charge of packing an overnight bag; that way, we can stay up all night if we want and not have to worry about driving home at two in the morning."

"You've really thought this out, huh? I'm impressed. I have to admit, it's going to be strange to not have to worry about Zoe for a day, let alone two."

"Well don't worry too much about it. We're excited to do it, Zoe seems fine with it, and you guys deserve to have a good time without worrying about a baby. Just remember to come back and claim her by Sunday night," joked Carole. "Otherwise Finn will kidnap her and hide her in his room."

The next day found Kurt, Blaine, and Finn loading up the car with their stuff and the baked goods that Kurt had promised to bring. As they were getting ready to leave, Kurt had rather suddenly announced that he wasn't going and didn't want to leave Zoe behind. She, of course, was fine with staying with her grandparents and didn't seem to mind the extra cuddles she was getting from Kurt.

Finn eventually took charge and gently pulled Zoe out of Kurt's arms and gave her to Burt, allowing Blaine to pull Kurt away and buckle him into the front seat. Kurt was shocked at the tag-teaming they did and felt slightly betrayed at their actions. It took ten minutes into the drive before Kurt got a hold on his emotions and was capable of rational thinking again. He was mad at himself for acting like a baby.

"You're not a baby, bro." Kurt's head shot around to look at Finn in the backseat. He didn't realize he spoke that last thought aloud.

"Why else am I crying and acting like a crazy person then? It's not like I haven't been separated from her before. Every day at school, I don't see her for hours at a time, and Blaine and I have gone out a few times as well."

"Kurt, what's the longest time you've been away from Zoe? No," Blaine said, stopping Kurt, "really think about it for a second; and I mean both time and distance-wise."

Kurt closed his mouth and did as Blaine asked. He remembered that day when they moved back to Dalton and Blaine had kept him in town for most of the day. He'd needed the break and he got his daughter back that night. They'd gone on a few dates since school started, but never strayed too far away, and again, Zoe was usually with them before they went to sleep.

Then it clicked.

Whenever Kurt was away from Zoe, he was either close by or only gone for a few hours at a time. This weekend would be the first time in five months where he was baby-free overnight. Blaine and Finn shared a look in the rear view mirror when they could tell Kurt got it.

"The way you're acting is completely normal, Kurt. Parents go through separation anxiety just as much as kids do, especially when it's the first time you're doing it. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you let us get you in the car. For a minute there, I seriously thought you weren't going to come."

"Honestly, Blaine - if Finn hadn't taken Zoe and you hadn't pulled me into the car, we'd probably still be in the driveway. I hadn't realized that Zoe was with me that much."

"And that's not a bad thing. You think I was kidding earlier? If I had a way to keep her home with Mom, Dad, and me, I'd do it," said Finn. "But considering you'd probably kick my ass if I tried..."

"Damn right I would." Kurt sighed. "I'll be fine. It's not like it's for a week, just overnight. Hey, why aren't you freaking out?" he asked Blaine.

"Well, one of us needed to be the rational one. That, and moms are notorious for being a little more emotional about being apart from their babies."

"Yeah, and he freaked out this morning when you were taking a shower so he could be your cool and macho boyfriend."

"Finn!" Kurt burst out into laughter, as Blaine blushed in embarrassment and Finn smirked.

Blaine had barely pulled the car into the driveway when the front door flew open to reveal a very excited Jeff.

"They're here, Nick!!" Jeff yelled as he hopped in place.

"I see them...you gonna admit to eating those pixie stix now? If you're too crazy, you'll scare everyone away."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nick rolled his eyes. David had brought a lot of candy for everyone to enjoy, however, no one had anticipated Jeff attacking the pixie stix quite so early in the day. With the amount he had, there was no doubt in Nick's mind that he'd be crashing soon enough; he just hoped it wouldn't interfere with his plans for the night.

Kurt had barely gotten out of the car when he was caught in a fierce bear hug from Jeff. Kurt hugged back just as hard, and laughed as he could feel Jeff vibrating with energy.

"Jeff, sweetie, you know I love you, but we haven't been separated for very long...and who gave you sugar?"

Jeff would deny all day that he had eaten the candy, but he could never lie to Kurt. "Nick wasn't watching me well enough. David brought a whole box full for the party and I might've had a piece or two."

"Just a piece or two?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay...I might have eaten a bag of pixie stix..." mumbled Jeff. By this point, Nick had walked up to the car to say hi to Blaine and Finn and help them with their stuff. Finn had thought he was used to Jeff and his antics, but he'd never seen the blonde on a sugar high, and was shocked that someone could be so bouncy.

"He'll settle down eventually." Finn looked at Nick.

"Are you sure? He's always a little lively but I don't think I've ever seen him like this."

Both Nick and Blaine laughed. "It'll probably take a while, but we'll only have to worry if he gets quiet. Until then, he'll just give Tigger a run for his money. Once the kids get here, it'll be easier - they'll tire him out for us. Come on in - I'll show you where to stash your stuff."

Jeff had already dragged Kurt into the house by the time Blaine, Finn and Nick entered with their overnight bags. Wes met them at the door to take the cookies into the kitchen.

"Hey guys - glad you made it in one piece. How was the drive?"

"Not bad at all, actually," said Blaine. "Although you should be happy we got here at all."

"Wait, what?" asked Nick.

"Finn let it slip that Zoe wasn't coming along during dinner last night, so we had some difficulty leaving the house this morning."

Wes let out a sigh, "That bad?"

"I had to take Zoe from Kurt and give her to Dad while Blaine got Kurt into the car. He kinda had a mini-breakdown on the ride over. Don't worry," Finn said quickly, at the look of worry on Wes's face, "he's alright now. Eventually he realized it was for his own good that he gets a break every now and then."

"Aw...we wanted to see the little princess." Finn and Wes turned around to see Becky and Michelle. "I'm impressed Kurt actually left her behind."

"Not for lack of trying - believe me." Kurt had gotten free of Jeff's clutches. "I do have plenty of pictures to show all of you lovely ladies, so I hope that counts for something. By the way, where's David? I have a bone to pick with him."

Michelle laughed. "He's hiding from you at the moment. He's convinced you're going to beat him up for getting Jeff high on sugar."

"While I'm not overly thrilled that he's jumping around like a kangaroo, it's not entirely David's fault. Although hiding the candy would have been a brilliant idea!" Kurt had grown increasingly louder as he spoke, knowing that David was close by. Sure enough, the missing Warbler poked his head into the room, looking properly chastised.

"Hey Kurt - I didn't know you'd arrived. How's it going?"

"Oh no you don't," said Kurt, pointing his finger. "In what universe is it a good idea to leave a box of candy, out in the open, for Jeffrey to find? Do we not remember what happened last Easter?"

David winced. Jeff, Rich, and Jimmy had dared each other to see who could eat the most candy without getting sick. It had resulted in an hour of pure chaos until Rich and Jimmy decided to forfeit, as neither wanted to actually get sick. Jeff decided to celebrate by eating three more chocolate bunnies, which resulted in Kurt having to nurse a very sick blonde back to health the rest of the weekend as no one had the will power - or the stomach - to take care of him. All Kurt could say was that it was a good thing he was so used to throwing up by that point; he had been through the worst of the morning sickness by then.

"In my defense, the candy wasn't out in the open, exactly...it was Nick's fault!" David yelled. "He was supposed to be watching his boyfriend."

"What!?" exclaimed Nick, oblivious to the outbreak of laughter from the surrounding viewers. Kurt just rolled his eyes and waved off Nick's confusion.

"Just do us all a favor and keep it out of sight next time...leave it in your car or something. Be thankful it was just a lot of pixie stix - we can handle a sugar rush. When are the kids coming?"

"Puck just sent me a text," said Finn. "The rest of New Directions should be here shortly. Sam and Puck got an early start, so Stevie, Stacey, and Sarah will be here in no time."

"Yay!" Most of the group jumped, as they hadn't been expecting Jeff to just pop out of nowhere. Nick groaned and sent a glare to David, who just weakly chuckled.

Within two hours everyone had arrived and the party was in full swing. The Silvertones were catching up with the New Directions girls. The New Directions boys and the Warblers - both old and new - were arguing with each other with 'manly' topics such as football, video games, and girls. Robbie, Stevie, Stacey, and Sarah did an amazing job with Jeff by tiring him out to his normal level of crazy, and they were all rewarded with some of Kurt's cookies.

While everyone looked to be having a good time, there was one person that wasn't as excited as he appeared. Kurt had taken a spot in a chair off to the side, seemingly watching the kids dancing around with Jeff, Nick, and Blaine. Taking a closer look, though, someone could tell his mind wasn't all there.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Kurt jumped as Cooper sat down next to him. He must've been pretty out of it to not notice him approach.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, that was convincing. You may be pretty good at hiding your feelings when it suits you, but don't think we don't notice. What's up?"

"I don't know. I'm having a good time - really I am," Kurt pushed, at Cooper's raised eyebrow. "It's just - I don't know - it's weird to act like a teenager right now. I haven't had an opportunity like this in a very long time. It didn't even occur to me until we were on the way here; I had a minor meltdown in the car."

"What's the problem exactly? Is it because you miss Zoe? Cause that's totally allowed."

"I've had her with me every single day since she was born. Zoe has been my main focus for the last five months...more like twelve months. You know it's been a year since I found out I was pregnant? I found out just before Christmas and told everyone by New Year's Eve. It just feels wrong not to have her here."

Cooper knew he couldn't fully relate to what Kurt was feeling, but knew he wanted Kurt to cheer up. It wouldn't make anyone feel good if one of the guests of honor was in a depressive funk.

"Blaine mentioned your breakdowns earlier, and yes," he said at Kurt's look of confusion, "he told me about his too. Zoe means the world to the two of you. No one in their right mind would dispute that. But even new parents usually accept help and take a break when they need it. Yeah, coffee dates and movie nights are nice, but sometimes a full day and night away is necessary.

"You have every right to feel weird with her not here, but remember that you deserve a break every now and then - whether or not you truly realize it. Have you called your parents to check in yet?"

"It's only been a few hours."

Cooper waved the comment away. "So what? She's your kid, and quite frankly, I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

Kurt sighed, "I don't want to seem needy or paranoid. I'm not even that far away; it's not like we took a trip out of state."

"Doesn't matter. Just call up and check in with them; make up a reason if it makes you feel better. I mean, you could sit here like a bump on a log and sulk, but that'll make my brother upset and I like you, so beating you up isn't exactly an option since Blaine would then hurt me."

Kurt laughed. "And I wouldn't want to start a vicious cycle of Anderson pain."

Cooper laughed as well. "I knew you'd see it my way. So do us all a favor and check on your daughter. Then you can appease the girls and show off those pictures that are stashed in Blaine's overnight bag. Get something to drink and relax. This party is for you and Jeff and neither of you are allowed to be upset."

"Wait - what do you mean this is for us? Cooper!" Kurt watched as Cooper smirked and walked off to talk to Brandon and get a refill for himself. Kurt sighed and pulled out his cell phone, contemplating on his and Cooper's conversation.

If he really thought about it, Kurt hadn't felt like this since that first day Blaine dragged him out before school started. Zoe had been left with Nick and Jeff, and she was fine when they got back, even though he was a nervous wreck for most of the day. Right now she was spending the night with her grandparents, who Kurt trusted with everything he had. Nothing bad was going to happen to her.

But one phone call wouldn't hurt, right?

Burt and Carole were spending some quality time with Zoe. While neither of them had ever expected to have a grandchild so soon, both of them had embraced their roles without much thought. It wasn't a common sight for just the three of them to spend time together, but Carole was secretly hoping that this night out would be beneficial for everyone, Kurt especially.

She had started to worry last night when Finn let it slip that Zoe wasn't going to the party and Kurt didn't say much one way or the other. Burt had thought that was a good thing, until they saw Kurt's reaction that morning when they went to leave. Her heart broke a little to see Kurt get so upset and have to be forcefully put into the car, but then she remembered how she'd been with Finn all those years ago, and knew that this was an important step for both Kurt and Blaine.

While this wouldn't be the first time they had babysat, it would be the first time Zoe would be going to bed without seeing her parents before falling asleep, and for Carole, that was her only concern for the weekend. Naps were no big deal as Zoe had a tendency to fall asleep anywhere and on anyone. Bedtime was a different story because no matter what the circumstances were, Kurt always put Zoe to bed.

"You know, if you keep thinking hard like that, you're gonna get wrinkles."

Carole turned around and swatted Burt on his shoulder as he laughed. "Ha ha."

"Seriously, what's up? You've been pretty quiet since the boys left."

"I was just thinking...Kurt was so upset this morning. It just reminded me of leaving Finn for the first time."

"He was, but we were kinda expecting it. Hell, I thought he was gonna have a fit last night; I know you were thinking the same thing."

"I knew it was going to be worse this morning, but it still hurts to see him like that. Blaine wasn't that much better. I found him cuddling Zoe while Kurt was in the shower this morning. I think he wanted to break a little without Kurt noticing."

"They'll be fine. You know as well as I do that this was a long time coming. The first time leaving your kid behind is the hardest, and if I know Kurt, he'll eventually call us up and ask how we're doing, be fine for a few hours, and then call again."

Carole sighed, "You're right - this is necessary...doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Burt smiled and passed Zoe to Carole. "Here - you hold the baby for a little while. I'm gonna go make her a bottle and make us some lunch while we wait for Kurt to call. Sound good?"

Carole laughed as she and Zoe made their way back into the living room. Zoe had been fine so far, and at first, both Burt and Carole had been surprised as to how well she took to Kurt and Blaine leaving; until they remembered that Zoe was used to her parents leaving her daily at Dalton for hours at a time.

They weren't overly surprised when the phone rang an hour later.

Cooper was talking to Brandon and Robin when he noticed Blaine wandering around the room.

"Looking for something, bro?"

"Yeah - Kurt. Do you know where he went? I know you were talking to him over there earlier."

"I think I saw him going upstairs a few minutes ago...he's probably checking on Zoe."

Blaine tilted his head to the side. "How do you know that?"

"We were talking about her earlier. I know you said that he had an epiphany in the car, but I think it finally hit him that he wouldn't be putting Zoe to bed tonight."

"How are you holding up, Blaine?" asked Robin. "I know Kurt's usually more emotional than you but it can't be any easier for you."

Blaine sighed. "I think I'm fine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about her too. But hey, we had to do it sometime, right? I just hope he cheers up a bit for later."

Cooper pulled Blaine into a hug. "You'll both be fine. Why don't you go find him and put both of your minds at ease, okay? No depressive moods allowed tonight. And hurry up - we're gonna be eating soon."

Blaine rolled his eyes and left the room in search for Kurt. He didn't have to go too far, as Kurt was sitting at the top of the stairs, staring at his phone. Blaine walked up and took a seat next to him and waited for him to say something. Kurt moved closer to Blaine, placed his head on his shoulder, and sighed. Blaine put his arm around Kurt and slowly rubbed Kurt's arm.

"You gonna tell me why you're hiding on the stairs while everyone else is having a good time?"

"Promise not to laugh? I was trying to decide if I should call and check on Zoe now or see how long I can hold out and do it later."

"Why would I laugh? And who says you can't call now and later? They're probably expecting us to check in anyway."

Kurt sighed, "You don't think it's ridiculous or pathetic?"

"Absolutely not. To be honest, I was about to call them myself. I was looking for you...figured we'd give them a buzz now and then we can have them call us when they put her down for the night. What do you think?"

Kurt mulled it over and conceded to Blaine's train of thought, wondering why he didn't think about that in the first place. "That's an awesome idea, actually. Can we call them now? That should hold me until Zoe's bedtime."

Blaine agreed and fifteen minutes later, the couple returned to the party in a much better mood.

"Can you tell me now?"

"Nope."

"Now?"

"No."

"Please!!"

"No Jeff! Later!"

Jeff was seriously getting frustrated with his boyfriend. The party had been going for several hours, and now that he'd settled down some, he resumed his previous plan to find out just what this surprise Nick had been talking about was. The girls knew and wouldn't say anything, and the guys were no better. Begging and pleading with Nick was also getting him nowhere and it was starting to bother him.

So what else was there to do? Find another target.

"Finn, buddy, I know you know what's going on. So how about you help me out and give me a hint or two?"

Finn threw his hands up. "No way dude. I'm still in the doghouse with Blaine for slipping up last night. Nick has something awesome planned and I'm not gonna mess anything else up if I can help it. Can't you just wait a little longer?"

Jeff pouted and crossed his arms. "Obviously I can't, otherwise I wouldn't be begging for someone to throw me a bone. I'm not a very patient person."

"Really? I couldn't tell," murmured Sebastian.

"I heard that," growled Jeff.

Nick groaned and banged his head against the wall a few times, until Brandon gently pulled him away from the wall. "I'd rather not have my future brother-in-law brain dead, although I know you're having a tough time at the moment."

Jeff's jaw dropped. "Oh god, you're not proposing are you?" Nick had an equally shocked look on his face, but Jeff continued, frantic. "Not that I'd mind, but we're kinda young for that, don't you think? I was hoping we'd wait a while before doing that, but I love you and if you were to ask, I'd say yes in a heartbeat -"

"Bro, you need to breathe. Calm down - he's not proposing...at least not tonight," Brandon said, though that last bit he muttered under his breath. While Brandon took care of Jeff, Blaine grabbed Nick and dragged him to the other side of the room.

"You ready to do this? I don't know who's worse off right now - Jeff or Kurt."

"Well, is your boyfriend about to go crazy?" asked Nick.

"No. Mine is getting close to a nervous breakdown, and between the two of us, we've had several of them already today," said Blaine. "How about we put all of us out of our misery?"

As Nick glanced at both Jeff and Kurt, he sighed and agreed with Blaine that it was time to start the show.

"Yeah, that's probably best. Do you mind letting Wes know we're ready? He can get everyone's attention for us. I have a boyfriend to reign in. Why can't Jeff take after Kurt?"

"He doesn't know any better...I'm sure he'll change his tune soon enough," Blaine said with a smirk.

While Nick and Brandon were distracting Jeff, Finn and Cooper were entertaining Kurt. Blaine found Wes in one of the bedrooms gathering presents together to bring downstairs. David, Trent, and Beatz were helping him out.

"Hey Blaine. Is it time for presents?" asked Wes.

"Yeah. Jeff is driving everyone crazy and starting to panic; Kurt is quiet. I think he's trying to piece things together, but he's been better since we said goodnight to Zoe. Carole figured out how to Skype from computer to phone, so we got to see her and sing her a lullaby."

"Aw...that sounds so cute," said Trent, as Beatz pretended to gag.

"David, where's the hat with the names in it?" asked Wes.

"On the table by the door. I meant to ask but I forgot - how are we doing this gift exchange thing with so many of us here? I get how a White Elephant works, but I've never done one with a huge group."

"We're gonna let the kids pick four people at a time, who will then select and open their gifts and decide if they're content or if they wanna swap. Kurt and Jeff will be the last ones and there will only be one gift left, which will obviously be the super-secret box."

"Please stop calling it the super-secret box...where is it, by the way?" asked Blaine.

"Right here," said Trent. "We kept it separate from the rest so that it didn't get lost. We'll make sure it gets put at the bottom of the pile once everything is downstairs. Everyone is already aware that they are not to pick it up, and that it is for Jeff and Kurt to open at the end of the game."

"That sounds good to me. No offense, if we had to play this game with the right rules, it'd be like playing Monopoly...it'd never end."

Kurt and Jeff knew something was up, considering how Nick, Cooper, Brandon, and Finn wouldn't let them leave the room, and to add to that, the fact that no one was helping them out.

"Just give me one good reason why I can't go looking for my boyfriend. Then, maybe I'll leave it alone."

Cooper and Finn glanced at each other in slight panic, as neither could think of a good reason to keep Kurt from running off. Nick was dealing with an equally suspicious Jeff, so he wasn't much help. Brandon took pity on them and told Kurt that it was part of the surprise. Kurt stared at Brandon and was amused at the looks on the others' faces and agreed to let it slide - at least for another five minutes.

Luckily for all involved, Blaine appeared with the rest of the group and carrying several boxes of wrapped gifts. Apparently, this was something everyone present had been waiting for. In no time at all, the gifts had been neatly aligned in front of the group, who had found places to sit around the room. Kurt and Jeff were taken from their brothers and seated front and center, happy to see they were finally going to get to the bottom of whatever Blaine and Nick had planned for them. Wes was the first to begin speaking.

"As the host of this soiree, I would like to welcome you all and thank you for coming to this little get-together of glee clubs for the holiday. Now we all know why we're here - that is, all of us but two. I am amazed that we were able to keep this under wraps for as long as we did, and that all Kurt and Jeff are aware of is that we wanted to have a party and that there will be some cool surprise, which will revealed soon."

"Finally," muttered the still clueless duo, to the humor of the group.

"I now ask for the two responsible to come forward to get this gift-giving underway. Blaine, Nick."

"Thank you Wes. Now when Nick and I started to plan this whole thing, we stumbled upon the idea of doing something that involved presents, not just because it's the holidays, but because presents are awesome." The kids cheered loudly in agreement. "Since there are a lot of us with three groups here, we at first thought of a Secret Santa type thing, but while we know our individual groups, we don't know much about the rest of us."

"Which is why we settled on doing a White Elephant," Nick said. "This means that the gifts are guaranteed to range from practical to outrageous. Now in order to not turn this into a long process, we will be pulling names from a hat in bunches. Each group will select a gift and open it, and if they so choose to, will have a chance to trade for something else. Everyone agree on this?"

"Who's pulling names?" asked James and Daniel.

"We're giving that honor to our youngest party goers. So I ask that Stevie, Stacey, Robbie, and Sarah come on up and we can start opening gifts." The foursome jumped up and didn't waste a second in digging into the hat and reading names.

Even with twisting the rules a bit, it still took well over an hour to divvy up the gifts, which ranged from fluffy stuffed animals to books to lotions to an item or two that had to be hidden before explanations had to be given to the kiddies. As promised, no one touched the most important gift of them all, and as there were only two people left to receive a gift, Kurt and Jeff had finally reached a boiling point and had had enough of waiting.

Jeff snapped and threw his hands in the air. "Okay, I give up - I can't take it anymore! Kurt and I are the only two left and the only thing left is a box?! What the hell is going on?!" A few of the girls jumped at the sudden exclaiming, as well as most of the New Directions boys. Kurt was busy glaring at Blaine and Nick, conveying with his eyes to 'get on with it or else', while he tried to reassure Jeff.

"Jeff, take a moment and breathe - no, sweetie, stop pulling your hair - Blaine, Nick, I have no patience left and if I wasn't so curious, I'd kill you both right now. So can you get on with this 'surprise' now?" pleaded Kurt.

Blaine and Nick took in the sight of their boyfriends and agreed with Kurt. They looked around the room and received encouraging smiles and thumbs up from everyone there. The duo quickly got up and gently grabbed their other half, bringing them to the front of the group, the box innocently sitting between them.

"A few weeks ago, it came to my attention that I hadn't yet decided on a gift for Jeff," started Nick. "As I was running out of time, I started to get desperate and asked around for ideas - none of which were very helpful. A random piece of advice from my mom gave me the most brilliant idea ever, but I needed some help in pulling it off without Jeff knowing about it."

"Which is where I came in," said Blaine. "Nick came to my room with an awesome idea that just needed a plan of action. We eventually recruited help from the Warblers, and after we figured out the details, got the Silvertones and New Directions involved. The only two who never found out our real reason for this party are Kurt and Jeff - which I'm very impressed with."

"But why all the secrecy over a present?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah, Nick...if this was all a ploy to do something for me for Christmas, you really didn't have to. Like the song says: all I want for Christmas is you. Don't get me wrong - having Brandon and Robin here is pretty cool too - and you know how much I love hanging out with your family."

"I know, but as much as you say it doesn't bother you, I know how not having parents that want to be around you sucks. I can't stand the fact that they don't see how great you are. I hate the fact that they send you 'care packages' when they obviously don't remember that the thought of enjoying them could kill you. It hurts when you decline doing things with my mom because you feel you're just going to be in the way, when in reality, she just wants to spend time with you. That kinda brings us to how Kurt got involved.

"When I was talking to my mom, she suggested and I quote, 'maybe you should ask his "mama" if he's mentioned anything; you know how well he and Jeff get along'. It hit me then and there that the best present I could get for you is a parent."

It was hard to tell whose jaw dropped first. Kurt was still a little confused as to where Nick was going with this, but he had to admit that it was a genius move on his part. Jeff had started to tear up a little, though he could tell that Nick wasn't quite done explaining yet.

"My parents have said before that they see you as another member of the family. You're not just my boyfriend; you're also another brother for Kim and Robbie, and another son to them both. But even they have noticed the way you act and talk whenever Kurt is mentioned in conversation. You two have become a force to be reckoned with around school and with our friends, and we love you both for that."

"We set up this party to celebrate the fact that both of you are the favorites, whether you realize it or not," said Blaine. "And we hope that you like what we've organized for the two of you. Are you ready for the big surprise?"

Jeff was tightly holding on to Kurt's hand, who had no problems reciprocating. Both were ready to finally see what all of the fuss was about. Nick picked up the box and presented it to Jeff, who only grabbed for it after receiving a 'go ahead' nod from Kurt. Blaine and Nick noticed the subtle questioning look, but didn't comment. Everyone else was holding their breath as Jeff slowly ripped it open.

As it turned out, there were three things in the box. The first thing was a large, official-looking envelope with 'Read First' written on the front. Beneath it was two thin rectangular boxes that were individually wrapped, each with Kurt and Jeff written on top, respectively. Jeff threw a nervous look to Kurt again.

"Go ahead, Jeff. Open the envelope and let's see what's inside." That was all the push that Jeff needed. He took a breath and proceeded to pull out a neatly stapled stack of papers. At first, he was the only one to read the top of the page, and when he did, he gave in and started to cry. Kurt, concerned, gently pulled Jeff against him and wordlessly asked to see. He also began to lose his hold on his emotions and let out a soft gasp.

PETITION FOR ADOPTION

"What is - I don't -" Kurt was unable to form a coherent thought, torn between comforting a distressed Jeff and getting answers. Blaine and Nick glanced at each other before Nick spoke up.

"Kurt, do you remember a conversation we had a few months ago, back when I first heard Nick calling you 'mama'? I have to be honest and tell you that I didn't understand it at first and thought it was a little strange. Then I took some time to think about it and I had to agree that it made a lot of sense. The two of you have a relationship that a lot of us are jealous of, but none of us here would ever say that it's wrong. You've been more of a parent to Jeff than his own, and though mine have tried, Jeff's never let them in the way he has with you.

"Now I know that we can't make this official or anything, but it's as official as we could make it. All you have to do is sign at the bottom and it's a done deal. If you wouldn't mind opening the remaining gifts," Nick gestured to what was left in the box.

Jeff and Kurt opened them up to find simple, but elegant, frames that already had certificates that had been put into place, both proclaiming that Jeff was 'officially' Kurt's son. Seeing it written for the world to see was the last straw for Jeff, as he leapt into Nick's arms and kissed him hard, while crying tears of joy. Kurt was similarly swept into Blaine's arms as he stood there in shock.

Kurt had never imagined that he'd have paperwork that essentially made Jeff a part of his family; it didn't matter that it wasn't a real and legal document. It was a symbolic gesture that meant a great deal to both of them; though Kurt knew it meant so much more for Jeff. Kurt had lost track of the number of times Jeff had come to him in tears of varying emotions, asking him for a hug or an explanation why his parents hated him so much.

Kurt's head shot up as he scanned the group and met eyes with Brandon. He was wondering what his part of all of this was, and if he was okay with Jeff being his. Brandon seemed to be on the same wavelength and made his way to the front of the room to say something. He walked up to Jeff and made eye contact, barely moments before he had an armful of his brother.

"This isn't a way for you to get rid of me, is it? Because I couldn't imagine losing you as a brother, or Robin as a sister-in-law."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Jeff. Nick called and asked me for my opinion and though I was a little reluctant at first - even with this not being totally legit - I had to agree that this would be the ultimate gift for you. I know that I'm not always available to see you, and phone calls only get us so far. I've always been worried for you when I'm not able to visit or talk, and knowing how much our parents suck hurts us both. Nick was and is the best thing to ever happen to you, but you having Kurt there has always been an amazing plus.

"I never want you to feel like you're alone, and knowing that you have someone to call family close by when I'm not here, makes me feel so much better. Just don't forget that you still have me. Kurt as your mama or not, you had me first."

Jeff hugged him tightly, "Thanks Brandon, and don't worry - I'll keep all of that in mind the next time I need to talk to someone at three in the morning about some random topic."

"Now wait just a minute -" Brandon sputtered.

While their audience laughed at Brandon's expense, Kurt turned to Blaine and asked where they'd found the forms. For something that wasn't legal, they certainly looked pretty damn convincing.

"The internet is a wonderful thing. These are almost identical to the forms you'd actually fill out for adopting a minor. We just tweaked it a little bit; the certificates we made ourselves, but used pictures we found for inspiration. What do you think about it? I hope you don't mind Zoe having a big brother."

"Jeff is already one of Zoe's favorite people, so I don't think she'll have a problem with that. I certainly don't mind, but just so we're clear, Jeff is still the only one other than Zoe that can refer to me as his mama. Got that?"

Blaine kissed Kurt and replied back with a sassy 'yes, sir'.