"Be gentle Julie! Careful!" Kurt was hovering over his two girls, the elder carrying the younger while walking to the couch, Kurt keeping a tentative hand nearby, just in case. Blaine was watching from the island in the kitchen, where he was chopping carrots for the salad he was making for lunch. The whole scene was entirely adorable to him.

"Daddy... just let me do it myself." Julie admonished Kurt easily. She was always trying to prove to them both just how independent she could be.

She was five now, having just begun kindergarten in a private arts school in lower Manhattan near to their apartment. The latest addition to the Hummel-Anderson family was a two year old girl named Audrey. They had begun the adoption process for her when she was a year old, but because her mother was still alive, though had given up her legal right to Audrey, the process was longer than it had been for Julie. Audrey had now been with them for six months, since she was eighteen months old.

Audrey was a quiet child, where Julie had been quite loud and boisterous. Kurt and Blaine had also had a wealth of information given to them about her background and family history, another sharp distinction from Julie.

Audrey had been born to a young, teenaged mother, who had been kicked out of her home when her dad had discovered she was pregnant. She had travelled to New York from her hometown in Arizona and had lived on the streets until the baby was born. Audrey had been named for Audrey Hepburn, a fact which Kurt just loved. After her birth, Audrey's mother had gotten involved in drugs, and social services became involved due to neglect and failure to provide the essentials of life. After living in several fosters homes, Audrey became a ward of the state when her mother officially relinquished her parental right to Audrey. The father was apparently unknown, or at least Audrey's mother didn't want anyone to know who it was.

The whole story tugged on Blaine's heartstrings, and a part of him wanted to adopt Audrey's mother too, though Daniel had insisted when they begun the adoption process that she was now in rehab and getting better since she didn't have a child to concern herself over. Blaine wondered how much she could have been getting concerned over Audrey since the state had been so involved over her neglect.

Blaine had been drawn to Audrey because while Julie had qualities that resembled Kurt, Audrey had qualities that resembled him. The dark hair with curly wisps, the bright amber eyes, and she was smaller than Julie was at the same age. A fact which Daniel had noted probably had more to do with malnutrition than genetics.

Julie loved her new little sister, and loved helping them dress her, read to her at night, and play with her. Audrey was very reserved, and Daniel informed them all that she might have trouble forming attachments to them right away. It was happening though, and Blaine could see the little things that occurred, like how Audrey watched Julie intently every time her older sister spoke, and how she had begun to lean into the hugs she would get from them all.

One of the things Kurt and Blaine both had a hard time with was how Audrey would just sit and stare at the television constantly, even if it wasn't on. Daniel had told them that Audrey's mother had kept the crib in front of the television and turned on the children's network to entertain Audrey while the mother went out to turn tricks in exchange for drugs. Audrey still tuned into the device, even though they now made a point to keep it off unless they needed to watch a taping of one of Kurt's shows for reference. Blaine was tempted to have the thing put into storage until Audrey had adjusted.

"Dad... Daddy... can I take Audrey to show and tell at my school?" Julie was asking, looking between them both.

Kurt shook his head, "No. Children aren't something you can take for show and tell Jules. It has to be something you can put into your backpack and not only would Audrey not fit, but it would be scary for her in there."

Blaine grinned and looked back down at his salad-in-progress. He started cutting up the onions now as he listened in.

"But you or dad could bring her!" Julie argued, looking up at Kurt. Audrey meanwhile had her chin on Julie's shoulder, and one of her hands was by her head, twirling her short dark hair around a finger in a self soothing motion. Audrey was always either twirling her hair, or rocking gently in place, sometimes both.

Kurt shook his head, "No. Besides - everyone would be paying attention to her and not doing their schoolwork. That's not why you go to school."

Julie turned her nose up and walked away from Kurt then, Audrey in her arms, and approached Blaine. "What are you making for lunch Dad?"

Blaine looked up to see Kurt shaking his head in disbelief at their child's attitude and then going to the office to likely work on his fan mail. He looked down to his girls, "A nice chicken salad."

Julie wrinkled up her nose and Blaine smirked to himself. She had such a telling face, and it was clear she wasn't enthused by his choice in meal. "What would you have preferred?"

"Sushi." Julie said plainly, and she looked at Audrey, "Sushi would be much better, wouldn't it Audrey?"

Audrey looked as Julie stoically as she spoke and then, in her very quiet voice replied, "Su... shi."

Julie grinned widely and nodded, looking up at Blaine to see if he caught that. Audrey didn't speak much, and certainly didn't have the vocabulary Julie did at her age, but for good reasons. Julie had made it her mission to teach Audrey all the words she deemed important, and apparently sushi was up there.

Blaine set his knife down and knelt down in front of the girls, "Tell you what. You eat all your lunch, and we can have sushi for supper tonight."

"Su...shi!" Audrey reiterated again, which earned her a kiss on the cheek from Julie, who held her to Blaine.

Blaine took Audrey into his arms and hugged her close. He always made a point of hugging her, wanting to make up for all the affection she missed out on prior to her coming to live with them. Julie stretched out her arms, which were no doubt sore from carrying Audrey around so much.

"I think that sounds like a deal dad." Julie said, once she had fully stretched. She reached to take back Audrey then, apparently having only needed a break. Blaine gave her back to Julie, and Audrey quickly wrapped herself around her older sister with her arms and legs. He stood back up and returned to making the salad, while Julie took Audrey to their shared room to play. Julie had insisted that Audrey stay in her room until they were older, since that way she could help take care of Audrey better.

Blaine hummed to himself as he finished making lunch, setting plates on the table and filling them up. Audrey's salad was cut into tiny pieces as she had tooth issues, which would be addressed in a month's time at the dentist under anesthetic. Another byproduct of a neglectful parent - Audrey's baby teeth were already very decayed from poor nutrition. The state however had agreed to pay the several thousand dollars it would take to fix them up so she could chew without being in pain.

"Lunchtime!" Blaine called out when it was all done. Julie and Audrey appeared from their room, Julie holding Audrey's hand as she toddled alongside her older sister. Their colouring might not match, but no one would ever deny that they were sisters the way they kept aside one another like that.

Blaine waited a few moments until he realized that Kurt wasn't coming and excused himself to go see if Kurt was preoccupied in the office to the point he needed his lunch delivered there.

What Blaine found was Kurt on his phone, looking like he was going to be sick. "Alright Daniel... I... I'll talk to Blaine... and phone you back..."

Blaine felt himself start to sweat. If Kurt was talking to Daniel it had something to do with adoption. Was there something wrong with the adoption? Was the mother suddenly interested in her daughter again? Did some family member come out of the woodwork and decide to put a claim on her?

Kurt shut off his phone and turned in his seat to look at Blaine, remaining quiet. Blaine looked at him with wide eyes and spread his arms to each side, "What?! What is it?!"

"So... remember how we were reading the news last night....?" Kurt prompted Blaine.

Blaine nodded. They read the news together most every night, sometimes reading fluffy stories to the girls. Last night they had read about a tortoise that could apparently tell the future. Then when the girls were in bed, they had read the local broadway reviews as usual, as well as some current events stories.

"Remember the little blurb I skimmed over about how a woman was found dead last week due to an overdose in a home known to police....?"

Blaine nodded, though this time a little more slowly. The little newsbriefs like that were all too frequent and seemed to run together over time.

"So... that was Audrey's mother..."

Blaine felt his breath hitch and it took him a second and a forced swallow to get the air moving to his lungs again. Suddenly he felt very sick.

"And she had another kid...."

"Oh god Kurt.... please. Stop talking slowly... please don't tell me that Audrey had a dead brother or sister now..." Blaine interrupted Kurt, who was in fact talking very slowly, as if he was having a difficult time finding his words.

Kurt sighed and nodded, "Alright... well no, not dead. Alive. A boy. No father in the picture. Daniel said because we have Audrey and they try to keep siblings together when they can, he's extending us an invitation to come meet the boy and see if we'd like to adopt him too."

Now Blaine was at a loss for words. When he did speak, it was a very direct, "Wait.. what?"

"He was just born a couple weeks ago I guess. He's at the center now."

Blaine just shook his head, not because he didn't want this, but because he was having a difficult time processing it.

"Blaine...?" Kurt's voice brought him back to the present.

"Can we just do that Kurt?" Blaine inquired, looking back at Kurt.

Kurt stood up and took Blaine's hands in his own, "Gosh your hands get cold when you get freaked out...." Kurt rubbed his thumbs over them and looked at Blaine, who remained ever waiting for his response, "I guess we can do that... Do you want to?"

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and knew what Kurt wanted, "Yes... so do you..."

Kurt nodded in acknowledgement. "I mean... it's horrid... what happened to her, but at the same time.."

"We could fill all the rooms in this apartment?" Blaine offered and both of them chuckled together, the tension lightening as they did.

"We should... go make sure Julie hasn't stolen our plates to eat for herself..." Kurt finally said once they had gotten the tension out, referencing how much Julie ate.

Blaine nodded and walked out into the hall with Kurt, admitting, "I don't know that she'd steal this meal. I had to promise her sushi for supper if she'd eat it."

Kurt snorted a little as he laughed at that, "I'll bet."

They paused when they reached the end of the hall and both of them watched the girls at the table, eating happily and Julie having a very one-sided conversation with Audrey about how primary colours could be mixed to make other colours.

"A third hmmm?" Blaine asked of Kurt, folding his arms over his chest as he watched their daughters.

"I could look at infant boys fashion now too..." Kurt mused beside him, which earned him a knowing laugh from Blaine.

"I can't believe... after Julie and Audrey... that it's just as easy as all that." Blaine asked of Daniel, once again sitting across from him as Kurt had taken the girl to visit their potential new little brother.

"Well, you've had two very successful adoptions with us and established yourselves as excellent parents, plus there's the sibling connection." Daniel responded, sitting behind his desk.

"But really? A week... that's insane...."

Daniel smiled at Blaine, "Do you need more time to prepare?"

Blaine shook his head, "No... no I meant insane as a comparison to how long it took to get the girls. We will happily take little George as soon as we can."

The name George had made Kurt grimace a little, but when Blaine had reminded him that Audrey Hepburn did play opposite George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's he relaxed a little. Blaine secretly wondered if Audrey and George's mother had purposely given them those names based on the movie, or if it was just coincidence. He would never find out.

Daniel nodded and handed Blaine an envelope, filled with the paperwork he and Kurt would have to fill in, once again. He excused himself then and went out of the office, and down the passage of hallways to the baby room, finding Kurt in the same old rocking chair, with a small baby in his arms, a shock of black hair on his head. On either side of Kurt was one of the girls, who were peering down at the little boy.

It was Julie who first noticed Blaine standing and watching them all.

"Dad... I think he's super cute and I like the way he smell, but if we get him then there will be more boys than girls in the house again." Julie noted, as if this was a sticking point.

Blaine laughed softly and walked over to look down at the little baby, who was sleeping soundly in Kurt's arms. He loved the way Kurt looked when he had a sleeping child in his arms, so blissful and loving. Kurt looked up at him and smiled, and Blaine knew from the look in his eyes that Kurt was sold on this little boy.

"Well Julie... maybe once George is older, we can get you guys a puppy or kitten that's a girl. That would make everything equal again right?" Blaine offered, looking back to the eldest child.

Julie pursed her lips, considering the offer, and then nodded, "Agreed."

Audrey smiled sweetly at Julie and then looked back down at George, "Audi get sister and bruder..."

Kurt and Blaine looked at one another immediately as she spoke the most in one breath as she ever had yet, usually only doing one word at a time. Smiles were shared between them before Kurt responded to Audrey.

"That's right. You get to be both a little sister and a big sister too."

Audrey beamed at Kurt, reaching out to gently touch George, "I big."

Julie smiled at Audrey through it all and then looked down to George, "I'm the biggest."

Blaine rolled his eyes a little at the one-upmanship of Julie, and kneeled down before his family, setting a hand on Kurt's knee. "One week."

Kurt's eyes went wide, "Really?"

Blaine nodded and continued, "She was apparently clean during most, if not all of the pregnancy since she was fresh out of rehab when it happened. We will still need to have him tested most likely just to make sure he hasn't been affected by her drug use, if she did use any while pregnant, but their own doctors haven't seen any of the symptoms, which is incredibly lucky given her history...."

Kurt nodded, "He is incredibly sweet..."

Blaine laughed, "You say that about every baby you hold."

"Well he's mine now, so it's very true."

Blaine just grinned and his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He pulled it out to check it, letting the girls coo over their new brother while he shot off a text and then looked back to Kurt, "My mom will come out next week to help the transition... as usual...." He rolled his eyes a little.

"Grandma!" Julie cried out and bounced a little in place, "I always get lots of ice cream when Grandma A is around!"

"Oh is that so?" Kurt said, looking directly at her, and Julie stopped her bouncing and looked at Kurt with guilty eyes, knowing that she had exposed a secret.

"Uh... I mean..."

"I need to talk to your mom about treats apparently.." Kurt huffed, turning his sights back to Blaine, who shrugged in apology.

"Guh-ma?" Audrey asked, looking at Julie.

"Grandma...." Julie nodded and smiled back to Audrey, then looked up at Blaine, "Hey dad... how come George and Audrey have your color of hair and only I have daddy's?"

Blaine smiled warmly at Julie, "Because they were made from the same mom... you were made from a different mom."

"Oh..." Julie responded, seeming to think about it before turning her attentions back to little George. Kurt and Blaine had tried to be honest about her adoption to her. She had a way of telling when they were withholding information, and it was just easier to be honest with her, even if that meant having to deal with the reality that she had other parents out there somewhere who had given her up. He didn't want to think about what they'd have to say when Audrey and George started asking questions. Blaine wasn't sure which situation was more heartbreaking between their children.

"Well I'm glad." Julie spoke up, breaking Blaine out of his dismal thoughts, "It means I'm the special one."

Blaine laughed at that, "You certainly are Juli-bean."