Mama Dalton

Jeff really hated his boyfriend sometimes. There were reasons why he stayed at Dalton as much as possible. Whether it was tutoring, playing sports or just hanging with the Warblers, he made sure to stay away from his parents' house. He knew Nick meant well, but he didn't understand his family dynamic, which in all reality, didn't exist.

Nick had a younger sister and an even younger brother. His parents loved him and loved Jeff like he was another one of their kids. He had no problem leaving school to visit his family, often bringing Jeff along for the ride. Nick's parents were 'mom and dad' to Jeff. If he ever spoke of his parents, they were 'mother and father', or he'd just use their names.

Blaine could relate to Jeff. They were both the younger sons, with older brothers - straight with a girlfriend/fiancé - whose parents were never around, and did their best to ignore the fact they were gay. Sure, they kept up appearances by letting them go to Dalton and supporting them financially, but they weren't parents.

The part that confused Nick the most, at first, was how well and how quickly Jeff took to Kurt. Kurt had a completely different family dynamic. His dad made time for him and actually gave a damn. He had a mother that was a mom, and a new stepmom that cared for him. He was an only child, until he gained a stepbrother, but for the most part, Kurt had a really good home life.

So how come Jeff could talk to Kurt, someone he hadn't known for a long time, and not to his boyfriend and confidante of years?

Well, that wasn't fair. Jeff and Kurt had become friends quickly, and it was thanks on Jeff's part that Kurt was at Dalton in the first place, because really, how could you send someone that was raped by a male to an all-boys academy, and one that was a good hour and change away from home?

Jeff was the one to pitch the idea to Blaine, who then passed it along to Finn, which then led to some of the boys meeting Burt Hummel.

What was the idea?

Have Burt ask them questions about the school and themselves, back it up with some literature, and most importantly, prove that Dalton would be a great place for Kurt to feel safe. Nick still got goose bumps thinking about the first time they met Kurt's dad.

-Flashback-

Finn had only heard Kurt talk about Blaine, after his failed spy attempt. This 'Blaine' guy sounded too good to be true at first, but even Finn had to admit, this unknown boy was doing wonders for Kurt's morale. Finn physically met Blaine while Burt was in the hospital. Kurt hadn't wanted to bother him, but Finn could tell that Kurt needed someone to talk to. After the whole religion debacle, Kurt was even more elusive than any of the New Directions had expected. So Finn stole Kurt's phone, called Blaine, and asked if he could come by.

To this day, Finn owes Blaine. Not many people would do a favor for someone they've never met, nor would they comply so quickly. When Finn had walked Blaine into Burt's hospital room, he wasn't sure what to expect. After watching his father lay comatose for several days, Kurt was at the end of his rope. If Finn knew how he'd react to Blaine, he would've stolen Kurt's phone sooner.

Just hearing a soft 'Kurt' from Blaine's mouth was the last straw. Kurt wrapped himself around Blaine and just sobbed. Finn left them to it and came back an hour later to find a sad Blaine and an unconscious, emotionally drained Kurt. Finn didn't need to tell Blaine that Kurt hadn't slept at all that week, or eaten much, or taken care of himself at all.

Finn thanked Blaine, then and there, for not beating up Kurt for spying. Blaine told him flat out that Kurt was the worst spy ever, but his best friends thought it was cute and liked Kurt, even though they had only hung out a few times. Blaine knew what was going on at McKinley and offered to gather information about Dalton for them. He was adamant that he did not want to steal Kurt from them, rather give them an option they wouldn't have known about otherwise.

Burt woke up almost two days later. When Blaine got the text, he told the Warblers, who had by now either heard the story of the endearing spy from McKinley, or had met him. A week later, Blaine took Wes, David, Nick and Jeff to Lima. The original plan was to check on Kurt and hang out. However, their plans changed when they got there.

That was the first time they met Burt Hummel.

He was still recovering at home, but certainly felt good enough to entertain these new friends of Kurt's. When they first arrived, Finn had met them at the door with two options: come back in a little bit, or face Burt's inquisition. When Blaine had asked why, Finn informed them that he was headed back to school for practice and Kurt was still at the shop, and wouldn't be back for at least a half-hour or so.

Burt chose for them, and invited them into the living room. It would be a conversation to remember.

"You must be the boys from Dalton. Kurt can't seem to stop talking about you kids...some of you more than others." All five of them laughed weakly, but Blaine blushed the most.

"Well, that answers my first question. You must be Blaine." Needless to say, the blush faded and Blaine just looked scared. "Don't look like that. I've never seen Kurt get so excited about anything like he is about you." That comment caused the blush to return and the tension level to decrease.

"Now I'm not one to beat around the bush. Finn mentioned that you guys wanted to tell me something, and that it involves Kurt. I take it he's not aware of this?"

Blaine was wise enough to man up. "No sir, he's not. I know you're aware that Kurt is having a tough time at school." Burt nodded. "We wanted to offer our expertise of Dalton. This isn't a sales pitch. It's more of an option in case anything happens."

"Well, this isn't what I was expecting...go on."

The five boys sat in shock for a few moments before Wes started talking. It made sense to have the encyclopedia of Dalton Academy go first with a brief history of the school. A big selling point - they could tell - was the zero tolerance policy. They mentioned the courses, sports, clubs, Warblers, tuition, and scholarships. After each of them said their piece, they waited to hear Burt's opinion.

"You boys should seriously go into advertising or something. That was impressive. But would it be alright if I asked a few personal questions? You are not obligated to answer." They looked at each other before nodding.

"I can tell the anti-bullying policy is a big deal to all of you. How many of you are gay, if you don't mind me asking?"

"The school as a whole, or us sitting right here?"

"Either or both."

"Overall, the school is mostly straight, but some of us are gay. I am; Nick and Jeff have been together forever. Wes and David have girlfriends that attend our sister school. And yes, the policy is a reason why many of the students go to Dalton. It's a private school, so it's not an option for everyone, but they have made exceptions in the past, as well as help with financial aid. I was a mid-transfer myself."

Jeff hadn't said too much during the discussion, but felt the need to speak up before Kurt came home. "Mr. Hummel, we'd love for Kurt to come to Dalton. We haven't hung out too much yet, but Kurt seems to be one of a kind, and someone like that would be a great friend to have. Even if he stays at McKinley, I would have no problem meeting up with him to hang with. But I have to ask - has he always been 'parent-like'?"

Burt wasn't sure how to respond. At first he thought Blondie was trying to start something, but seeing the brunette next to him slap his head, realized the kid was not trying to be mean, just wasn't sure how to phrase the question.

"Jeff was it? I think you need to tell me what 'parent-like' means first. I don't think I've ever heard that phrase before."

Jeff bit his lip before responding, "I don't intend to be mean or anything, but Kurt is mature for his age - like real mature. He actually cares about other people's opinions, but isn't quick to judge. My parents don't give a damn about me and they never ask how I'm doing - I rarely see them. Kurt probably knows more about me than my parents do, and he hasn't known me for long."

"How so?"

"They pretend to care by sending me gifts; I think it's just to keep appearances/ whatever the reason, they sent me cookies and Kurt took them away from me before I could have one. They sent me macaroons."

"Kurt's made them before for Carole. Those are the flaky, coconut ones, right?"

"Yeah. Here's the kicker: I'm severely allergic to coconut. Eating one, let alone just touching one, is very bad. Kurt acts like the parent I wish I had."

"His mom died when he was a kid, and I didn't handle it well. Kurt has always been independent, and if it wasn't for him, I don't know where I'd be. If only I listened to him more, maybe it wouldn't have taken a heart attack for me to understand his point. And thanks to him, I have a woman I care about, and another almost-son. Nothing against you three," pointing at Blaine, Nick, and Jeff, "but Kurt can't really pass off as straight. He's out and proud and has no problem telling you that.

"I love my son, and I wouldn't change him for anything, but I worry about him every day. To know he's got his glee club watching out for him here, and finding out he's got friends away from there too, helps. I'll keep in mind what you said and I'll get back to you if needed. If you ever need an adult to talk to, I'm available. And thank you."

The five boys were speechless, Jeff and Blaine a little misty-eyed. Lucky for them they heard a car pull up, a door shut, and the front door open.

"Hey Dad - whose car is outside? It looks like - Blaine! What are you all doing here?" before turning to his dad and asking, "are you being nice to them? Because so help you if that's not the case." Kurt finished off with the standard parent pose of arms crossed and foot tapping.

"You have no faith in me kid, do you...that hurts."

Kurt rolled his eyes at his father, "Please, I know how much of a papa bear you are. Now if you all would excuse me for a few minutes, I'm just gonna clean up and change into better attire."

They all watched him walk off before Burt spoke up again. "Jeff I know exactly what you mean. He's been like that since he was five, and I wouldn't change it for anything."

Several weeks later, Burt and Carole were married, and Finn and Kurt were brothers.

Two weeks after that Kurt was in the hospital. Remembering the conversation that felt so long ago, Burt called up Dalton. The headmaster expressed concern for Kurt and the given situation. All Burt would say was that he had met some of the students and was impressed. Shortly thereafter, Kurt was enrolled at Dalton.

--End of flashback—

--Back to the present with Nick--

Nick was confused.

He was supposed to meet up with Jeff for coffee after his doctor's appointment, but when he went to his dorm room, Jeff was nowhere to be found. He knew he had to be on campus, somewhere, because his car was in the lot. He'd tried calling and texting him, with no response. He was starting to get worried.

He checked with most of the Warblers and none of them had seen him since that morning, but it was chaos in the school, as it was the last day before spring break. They actually had a full week this year, not just a five day weekend. There were boys, books, and suitcases all over the place. Everyone was, more or less, being kicked out by 8 pm tonight. Apparently, they needed to repair the roof and some of the plumbing, which is why they didn't have to return until the following Monday.

Which led to his current dilemma.

Jeff was spending the break at his house. They were planning to leave around the same time as everyone else, but he wanted to at least get their stuff in the car beforehand. Nick lived about 30 minutes from Dalton, and by that time of night, the traffic shouldn't be too bad. But, he couldn't leave without Jeff.

Nick smacked himself on the head, as he realized who he forgot to ask.

Kurt.

If anyone knew where his favorite blonde had disappeared to, Kurt would. More than likely, Jeff was hanging with him in Kurt's room. While Nick was taking Jeff, Kurt was kidnapping Blaine, well, kind of. His parents were, once again, out of town to who knows where. It really wasn't 'kidnapping' because even though they were heading to Lima, they were taking Blaine's car. Kurt wasn't driving anymore, so there was no point in having it sit in Westerville.

By this point, Kurt was almost 22 weeks along, and after an-almost trip to the hospital after passing out at Regionals, everyone was leery of letting Kurt drive, though that hadn't been the only reason. Kurt had already gained enough weight to make driving uncomfortable - not impossible - just uncomfortable.

Ah, Regionals.

Nick was thankful spring break came after the competition. At least this way, they could all relax. After the fiasco that was Sectionals, what with them adding two news choirs to the rotation and causing mass confusion for everyone involved, Regionals was a piece of cake...and then shocking.

The Warblers were supposed to compete against New Directions at Sectionals, but last minute entries had divided them up, thus letting each group win their respective division. At Regionals they were competitors, but the most surprising part wasn't Kurt passing out from overexertion. It was the fact they tied.

Both groups were going to New York for Nationals.

Which in all honesty, made no sense, but was anybody complaining? No. freaking. way.

The short version was several groups were disqualified, and some weird loophole allowed both schools to go to New York to compete.

Again, no complaints here, but that's a story for another time.

Which led back to Nick's previous realization. He had forgotten to ask Kurt if he knew where Jeff was, which was just dumb on his part. Jeff had been very protective of Kurt, not as much as Blaine, but pretty damn close. That was something else that puzzled him. Lately, it felt like Jeff was hiding something from him. He'd lost count over the last couple of weeks where he'd walk into a room where the two of them would be talking and when he'd make his presence known, they got quiet or defensive.

It didn't bother him, not really. Jeff was with him and Kurt was with Blaine. But what was so secret that Jeff could talk to Kurt about it and not to his boyfriend?

As Nick got closer to Kurt's room, he could hear them talking through the door, and realized this might be his chance to find out why.

Jeff had his ear and a hand against Kurt's belly. Kurt was stroking his hair, watching the way Jeff's face lit up at feeling the baby kick and texting Neal on his phone. Robert James, or RJ as they were calling him, was born a few weeks ago to the delight of the whole family. He'd just gotten several new pictures of him and big sister Casey that Kurt happily showed to Jeff.

"They are so cute together. Casey's had the best luck so far calming him down when he gets really fussy."

"Older siblings are awesome like that. Brandon practically raised me; the seven year gap helped us out, I think. He was better than my parents. From what he tells me, I started calling him 'dada' first...had a hell of a time getting me to stop that."

"I can totally picture you being a little rebel child...are you feeling any better after what Dr. Phillips said?"

Jeff sighed, "A little bit. I'm still overwhelmed, I think."

Outside of the room, Nick stood shocked. What happened at his appointment? Why did he take Kurt with him and not me? Is he alright?

"How that hell am I gonna explain this to Nick? I feel like I've been keeping him out of the loop for a while now, and I don't want to lose him. What if he thinks the worst and doesn't let me explain?"

Kurt resumed stroking Jeff's hair. "First of all, you need to calm down. I've been telling you for weeks to talk to Nick. We can all tell that he's worried about you. Our secret meetings don't have to stop, but it's about time to let someone else join the club. If you want me in the room when you talk, I can do that, but you need to tell him."

"How do I do that? 'Oh hey, Nick, guess what? I'm more screwed up then we thought. Not only do I have shitty parents, but I just found out that they've been keeping a huge secret from me for years. Something that could ruin our relationship and make you leave me.' Yeah, that's a conversation I want to be around for."

What the hell is he talking about? Nick thought in despair. Is he dying or something? What is so horrible?

Kurt sighed, "Sweetie, you know Nick better than that. You two have been together for a long time, right? I don't see him leaving you because of this. He loves you. I think not talking to him is hurting both of you, and it's not good."

When Nick could hear Jeff start to whimper, a sign of an oncoming panic attack, he decided that enough was enough. He straightened himself up and knocked on the door.

"Kurt? It's Nick, can I come in please? I need to talk to Jeff, and I know he's in there."

Once he heard it was Nick, Jeff was fully prepared to hide in the closet or under the bed. Kurt on the other hand, was not about to let him run. He grabbed for Jeff's arms to keep him in place and stared him down. He could tell that Jeff was doing all he could not to panic, but secretly, Kurt was hoping that Nick had been eavesdropping for at least the last bit of the conversation.

"You are not hiding in this room, Jeffrey. We are going to let Nick come in here and we are going to explain to him why you've been a bad boyfriend lately. He's not going to leave you, do you hear me?"

"But what if he does, Mama? I can't lose him. I love him."

Nick's heart was breaking a little bit at a time the longer he waited for the okay to enter. He could hear Jeff starting to cry, and after that last statement, decided that enough was enough. He was tired of waiting and couldn't stand to hear Jeff cry anymore.

He entered Kurt's room, shut the door, and faced the bed. "Can someone please tell me what's going on here?"

It didn't take a genius to see that getting Jeff to open up was going to be hard. And even though Kurt cared about Jeff's feelings, he knew he was going to have to get the ball rolling. He was usually a patient person, but Nick was his friend too, and he needed to know what was going on.

"This is your last chance, Jeff. If you don't start talking right now, I will. And you'll lose baby privileges for two weeks...starting after break. So what's it gonna be?"

Jeff started to bite at his lip. He looked at Kurt's stern face, but couldn't ignore the pleading, caring look in his eyes. Then he looked at Nick and felt bad all over again. Here was his boyfriend, concerned and scared for him, and not judging him for not being around like he should. He looked back at Kurt one more time before asking Nick to grab the desk chair and move closer to the bed.

Nick by this point didn't know what was going to happen next. Besides the possible 'Jeff is dying' scenario, the only other thing was that they were breaking up and Jeff was going to hook up with Kurt, which would also result in Blaine being single. Somehow, that seemed less likely - you don't call a potential love interest 'mama', right?

Nick couldn't take it anymore. He sat right in front of the bed, grabbed Jeff's hand, and looked him in the eye.

"Jeff, what is going on? I'm not gonna lie and say I just showed up here. I heard some of your conversation. Why did you have to see Robin? What could your future sister-in-law do for you that I couldn't? Are you dying? Are you leaving me? Please tell me what's wrong."

Seeing the look of despair on Nick's face finally did it. He couldn't keep the tears back anymore, and knew he had to come clean.

"I've been feeling like crap the last month or so. I've been having trouble concentrating, sleeping - at least on my own. I talked to my brother and Robin offered to check me out at her office. She's a pediatrician, remember? I was afraid that there was something seriously wrong with me, and if it was bad, I wouldn't know how to tell you.

"Kurt overheard me make the appointment and volunteered to go with me. Robin took some blood and noticed that my levels were messed up again. I told her how I'd been feeling and she asked me if we've had sex yet. I told her that we hadn't gotten that far yet and she was relieved. Apparently if we ever do, we need to be careful."

"What does us having sex have to do with anything, Jeff? We would be careful anyway."

Jeff looked at Kurt again then turned back to Nick. "She said that I'm slightly anemic, though not as bad as Kurt. But that in addition to that, my screwed up hormone levels is causing the fatigue, sleeping problems, headaches. A little change in diet and some medications and I'll be in good shape."

Nick felt like he was still missing something. He saw the way Jeff was curled into Kurt, but still holding his hand. Then it was like a light bulb went off.

Hormone issues...asking about sex...

"Jeff...are you trying to tell me that you can get pregnant, too? Is that why you've been attached to Kurt?"

He got a hesitant nod in response.

"But otherwise, you're okay?" Another slow nod. "Okay then." Jeff put his head down, only to feel Nick lift his chin to give him a kiss. Jeff just stared in disbelief, while Kurt just sat back and smiled.

"But - you - what?" Jeff was rendered speechless. "You're not mad? Or breaking up with me?"

Nick just shook his head, "Why would I be breaking up with you? At least you found out something like this now and not as a surprise - no offense Kurt."

"Don't worry about it...I'm just glad we can clear the air about this. Jeff's been in a right state lately about it. He was convinced you were going to leave him."

"Jeff you listen to me: It's going to take a lot for me to leave you. I love you. Can I ask how you're able to get pregnant, and why it's never been noticed before? Should I get checked too, or Blaine for that matter? Cause in our group of guys, we're two for two for 'surprise' carriers. "

"Robin didn't really have a good explanation for it, but apparently, my parents were told a few years ago that it was possible – I was just never retested to be sure."

Kurt then added, "If you two ever get to the point to want kids, you're gonna have to work a little for it. Conceiving and delivering will be a challenge, but the whole pregnancy part is totally doable. Don't worry about any of that now. For now, Jeff can get back to his usually bouncy self, and you two can go back to making out in the library."

"You know about that..."

"Nick, all of the Warblers know...any other questions?"

"Yeah, one - what's with him," pointing at Jeff, "calling you" pointing at Kurt, "mama?"

Jeff groaned and buried his head in his hands, while Kurt just laughed. Nick had to smirk at how red Jeff's ears got when he was overly embarrassed about something. After a few minutes Jeff looked up and sighed.

"You know how I refer to my parents as 'mother and father'? And your parents as 'mom and dad'? Well, Kurt's like a parent most of the time, which seems to fit him rather well. While we were at the appointment, Robin offered to take a quick look at Kurt while we were there, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat."

Nick couldn't help pouting. "Now I'm jealous."

"Don't worry; I recorded it on my phone. I'll play it for you later. Anyway...remember when we went to Lima last weekend and saw Neal, Matt and the kids? I was talking to Casey, and I asked her why she calls Neal 'mama' and not something like 'papa' or a more 'guy-like' title."

Nick raised an eyebrow at that, "You asked a four-year-old why she calls a parent a certain name? What did she say?"

"Hey, I think she's brilliant. She basically told me she knows that both of them are guys, but since babies come from mommies, that Neal was her 'mama' and Matt is 'daddy'. She's already trying to teach RJ to say it, and he's still learning how to pump his legs and focus on his surroundings. And since Kurt's in a similar position, I tried it out and it's stuck.

"And with everything going on with me lately, I needed a parent. Mine suck, yours have your brother and sister to worry about, and Kurt was here and doesn't seem to mind me calling him that, at least when it's just us. So, yeah...that's it."

Before anybody else could say anything, Kurt's phone went off. "It's Blaine. Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, is it safe to come up? We've got 20 minutes before they start throwing us out. Everything cool between Nick and Jeff?"

Kurt looked at the other two, "Yeah I think so. See you in a few minutes?"

"Yep, be right up." Kurt hung up and looked at the couple. "We've got to get going you two - spring break starts in 20 minutes. Everyone good?"

Jeff looked at Nick and responded, "Better than good. Thanks Mama." Kurt rolled his eyes before accepting a hug from Jeff. Nick joined in, as he didn't want to be left out. They didn't separate until they heard someone chuckling in the doorway.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

Blaine walked into the room and headed toward the bed. "Hey honey, ready to go?" He gave Kurt a kiss before looking at Nick and Jeff, "And are you two okay now?"

Nick answered Blaine with a smile and a nod, before tugging Jeff into his lap. "Did you know what was going on, Blaine?"

Blaine shook his head, "I kept myself out of it. I'm just glad to see you two acting like the sappy duo you should be. However, you'll have to continue the love fest later. We do need to head out soon."

"Aww...do we have to? I just got comfy," Jeff whined.

"Well, I can really make you comfy at home," Nick whispered.

"Uh - you two are gonna make me sick. Get out, grab Jeff's stuff and meet us downstairs." Kurt made a shooing motion with his hands. Nick and Jeff rolled their eyes, but complied.

"Fine we can tell when we're not wanted....bye Mama!" They just missed getting pelted with pillows.

"They are too much sometimes, but I love them anyway."

"I know you do. You ready to go?"

"Now that a major crisis has been averted - hell yes."

"Kurt! Don't curse in front of the baby. I'm pretty sure he or she can hear you by now."

"Saying 'hell' is not the same as saying the 'f' word, and besides, how do you know Baby will hear? Have you been looking stuff up again?"

"...maybe..."

"You're adorable. Come on, let's go home."