The next month and a half flew by in a dizzy haze for the Hummel family. Kurt and Blaine both went back to work, Tia and Liam started at "Hudmel's Daycare" when needed, and Brandi settled in to their family and routine. Cara continued to stay with them on a regular basis when her father traveled for work, and visited most days even when her father was home. Some days they were even able to talk her father into joining them all for dinner. Paul continued to help them out, with the kids and around the house, and Elliott and Adelaide absolutely thrived in their extended family.

Both Kurt and Blaine had been understandably concerned about how the sudden and numerous additions would affect the children they already had, but they needn't have worried. The two dads were more proud than they could say of their six-year-olds. Well, Elliott had just turned seven the last week. The pair of first graders were proving to be loving and generous, almost to a fault, when it came to their new siblings. Every toy was shared. Any sign that one of the foster children was at all insecure, or needed something, and Addy or Elly would be there in a moment's notice. Tia and Liam were starting to look at their older brother and sister with awe and adoration. Liam had taken to calling Addy "sissy", just like he did with Brandi, and Elly had become "bubby". Adding Adelaide to the "sissy" category had seemed understandable and natural, but they hadn't been sure at first where "bubby" had come from. They finally realized that the toddler constantly heard his fathers refer to both Elliott and himself as "buddy", and it was his version. It was adorable though, and Elliott absolutely loved having his own private nickname from his brother, so it had stuck.

Kurt and Blaine had simply been relieved when Addy and Elly had responded so well to their new situation, thinking how lucky they were to have such amazing kids. Their parents knew better though. Paul, Carole and Burt watched the two fathers with pride, knowing that the reason the two middle children were responding so well to their new siblings, was because of how they were raised. Really, with two such exceptional parents, how could they have turned out any differently?

They were moving in the right direction as far as the adoption process went for their three foster kids. Both Doctor and Nurse still had happy smiles on their faces when they thought of the day, three weeks back, when they had discussed it with the three Meyers children.

Beginning Of November

"I guess," Kurt said gently, "what we want to know is how you feel about becoming a part of our family permanently."

They were gathered on Kurt and Blaine's bed, all five of them, after Addy and Elly had gone off to school one day. The husbands had chosen a day when neither of them had to go into work, and Cara was at home with her father. Besides sharing with their parents, and obviously Finn and Nick, they hadn't mentioned the possible adoptions to a single soul. They wanted to officially ask the kids how they felt about it first. Obviously, it would be over Tia's head. Mostly over Liam's too, though he would probably catch the overall drift of what they were discussing. Brandi was the one they were really gauging for a reaction. She had every right to deny their adoption of her, and they would never dream of trying to proceed with something like this without her complete consent.

Kurt was holding Liam on his lap and Blaine was attempting to hold on to a squirming Tia, while Brandi sat in-between them. She was snuggled in close so that their knees were touching and she was holding tightly to Kurt's free hand. Things like that, physical closeness, seemed to happen almost overnight with her once she overcame her initial shyness. She hadn't relaxed completely, at least not with the extended family, but she had come a long way. She had put on a tiny bit of much needed weight, gained back some of her color and vibrancy, and even spoke when spoken to... for the most part. She was still incredibly skittish though, and would jump and cower at the slightest hint of gruffness from anyone. Both Paul and Burt had learned to speak gently around their newest granddaughter, and she soon grew comfortable enough around them to not shy away completely. Around any other adult though, excluding only Carole, she would recoil and practically burrow into the side of whichever foster father was nearest. They had been a little surprised at first, but had responded comfortingly, holding her close and assuring her that everything was alright. She had immediately taken to seeking out physical closeness on a daily basis when she saw how gently and easily they responded to her. It was almost like second nature to these two men, being fathers. The squeeze of a hand, the pat of a cheek, the brushing back of a strand of hair... these were all things that Kurt and Blaine did regularly with their children. When Brandi saw how generously and happily they doled out this type of attention, she had latched onto them eagerly. It was the first way in which she had actively sought out any help or connection, and they were thrilled to be able to offer her any type of comfort outside of clothing and feeding her.

When Brandi didn't answer Kurt, only stared at them with wide eyes, the husbands glanced at each other and decided in an unspoken agreement to take a slightly different approach.

"Well, sweetness," Blaine held Tia up in the air and tossed her lightly, eliciting a loud giggle. "I don't think I really need to ask how you feel. You pretty much told us last night."

They all grinned, even Brandi, when they remembered the previous evening. It had been Tia's first birthday and they had celebrated with the entire family and a huge chocolate cake. In accordance with family tradition, they had lit the one candle and both dads had crouched down in front of her, teasingly telling their baby girl to make her wish. She had stared at them with wide eyes, before reaching forward suddenly and grabbing a two handfuls of frosting and smearing it immediately in both of their faces. Kurt and Blaine had both gaped silently, nostrils filled with gobs of frosting, while the rest of the family had roared in laughter. Silence had quickly fallen over the entire group though, when she clearly spoke her first distinctive word since joining their family. Her small, "Dada", seemed to echo throughout the room, and Kurt and Blaine had continued to gape, but for a completely different reason now. They both felt happy tears stinging the corners of their eyes when Carole had walked up behind them, handing them some napkins and stating that Tia had made a very good wish indeed.

The one-year-old poked Blaine in the face happily with a saliva covered finger and let out another contented, "Dada". They took that as a yes.

"What do you think, bear?" Kurt looked down at the toddler sitting in his lap with a grin. Liam was quickly turning into quite the little cuddle-bug himself, and they had taken to calling him their "koala-bear", as he constantly clung to their necks as if his life depended on it. That had quickly been shortened to just "bear", which Liam absolutely adored.

"Do you want us to really be your daddies?"

Liam looked a little bewildered, not quite understanding what they were asking. He shrugged his shoulders, before leaning completely against Kurt's chest and reaching out a small hand and gripping Blaine's finger.

"Daddies," he said adamantly. They also took that as a yes.

They turned to Brandi then, gently expectant. They tried so hard not to push their newest foster child, but they really did need to know how she felt about this if they were going to try and proceed. She knew that her father was not contesting Finn's request for a termination of his parental rights, which, for the moment, would put her completely in the care of the state. They hadn't discussed it further though.

"You-you want me?" Her voice was so small and insecure, it was heartbreaking.

"Oh, honey. We want you so very much," Kurt responded, squeezing her hand in his.

"Why? I-I'm already grown up. Don't you just want to adopt babies?" She looked down at her lap then, the sadness in her tone cutting them to the core.

"Brandi," Blaine sighed. He set a wiggly Tia down on the floor and handed her a toy, before holding out both arms to his older foster daughter. The teen visibly relaxed as she scooted over into his embrace, resting against his chest as he ran a hand over her hair and another in soothing circles over her back.

"Sweetheart, we just want you. We care about you. We want you in our lives. If we could have taken you when you were younger, then we would have, but that just wasn't meant to be. We'll most likely have the chance to take you now though, and there is no way we'd mess that up. And you are not grown-up, honey. You are thirteen. We have tons of time to still be daddies to you before you're all grown-up."

They all froze slightly when he said the word "daddies". True, Liam, and now Tia, were calling them such, but going down that road with Brandi was much more sensitive. It had felt so natural though. It had slipped out of Blaine's mouth before he even had the chance to consider it. Brandi pulled back from his arms to look at him cautiously, and then did the same with Kurt.

"You really want to be my dads? You want to be 'for real' dads, for all three of us?"

"Yes," Blaine smiled. "We really do. All three of you."

"You'll always take care of Tia and Liam? You'll always make sure they're okay?"

Kurt choked back some emotion at the fact that she only mentioned her brother and sister. Alongside of the fact that she considered herself to be "grown" at the age of thirteen, this was a flagrant reminder of how she'd been forced out of her childhood at such a young age. The doctor kissed Liam on the cheek and set the little boy down to play next to Tia, before reaching out to pull Brandi into a hug of his own.

"Of course we will always take care of them. We want to take care of all three of you."

She sighed happily as she melted into him, wrapping her still thin arms around him and squeezing back. Blaine put his arms around the both of them from behind, forming what they lovingly called in their family, a "kid sandwich". After a long moment of silence, she spoke in a muffled voice, as she was smothered up between her two foster dads.

"What's my nickname gonna be?"

"What?" Kurt asked with a laugh.

"Well," she sighed, "Elly is 'monster', Addy is 'princess', Liam is 'bear' and Tia is 'goober'." They all laughed quietly at the last one. It was true. They had taken to calling Tia "goober", because of her tendency to happily slobber over anything she put in her mouth, which was almost everything she came into contact with.

"Even Cara is 'squishy', and she's not even your kid."

The last sentence was spoken with absolutely no jealousy. Indeed, Brandi adored Cara. They had watched happily as the two teens connected, and the younger carefully tried to mimic the elder when she thought she wasn't being watched. This observation was spoken only with adoration for her foster fathers, and not a small amount of longing.

"Stick with us and we'll have time to come up with the perfect one," Kurt whispered.

"Okay," she murmured, smiling against his chest. Secretly savoring the day when she felt completely comfortable referring to them both as "Daddy", out loud. She didn't dare to tell them that she was already doing it in her head.

The process was painfully slow though, or at least it felt that way. In hindsight, it was still less than two months since they had taken the kids in, but it had all happened so quickly. Suddenly they felt like they were dragging their feet, and it was hard to not be impatient.

Finn and Nick were both hard at work to make things happen, but there was only so much they could do to speed along the process. Laws needed to be followed, and court appearances and rulings were necessary.

They were having trouble finalizing everything with the father of the youngest two, and complications kept arising. Paternity was currently being confirmed out in Las Vegas, and until they had those results, they couldn't go any further. The man couldn't sign the kids away if they weren't really his, though he claimed that they were, without a shadow of a doubt. The thing that irked Kurt and Blaine the most as medical professionals, was that they knew very well that test results should not take this long. There wasn't a whole lot they could do from all the way in Ohio though, so they had to sit back and take things in stride. The moment they had confirmation though, Nick would be able to finalize the paperwork for terminating the man's parental rights, and starting the long adoption process. Right now it was a simple matter of paperwork, that was turning out to not be that simple.

Things with Brandi's possible adoption were actually going more smoothly than Tia and Liam's, though the way it was being handled was hard for them to swallow. Brandi's father had, unfortunately, been right on the money when he had so smugly suggested that he would barely get a slap on the wrist for what had happened with his daughter. After her initial confession to Finn, Diane had recanted and refused to say another word. James was always around when Finn tried to talk to her, and the few times the social worker knew that Brandi's father would be at work, there would be no answer to the phone or the door. Brandi was equally reticent about opening up when it came her history with her father. She was healing and developing beautifully under her foster parent's care, but would shut down and almost shrink into herself if any of them even tried to to talk to her about it. Kurt and Blaine were adamant that she not be pushed on this issue, and as long as they got to keep her and she never had to go with her father again, they didn't see the point in pushing her when she clearly wasn't ready.

That first night, when Finn had left the Meyers' house in an angry rage, he had called the police and reported James. Thankfully, the way Brandi's custody was set up, Diane really had no legal right or responsibility over her step-daughter, so she wasn't immediately connected to her husband in this case. While Finn was incredibly worried about the woman's safety and even stability, he was more concerned with keeping her out of this particular battle. James seemed to feel the same way, as he didn't contest being the only one being charged. Finn had a pretty good feeling that their reasons were different though.

James was immediately taken in for questioning, but Finn had bitterly watched when he left the police station with a satisfied smirk on his face not long later, accompanied by a lawyer. As promised, when Finn put in a request for a termination of parental rights, he had received no argument. The Meyers' attorney had responded with the appropriate paperwork almost immediately, before a court date had even been set. A sentencing had occurred not long after though. Finn was grateful at first for how expedited things were. Normally getting a court date could take a while. He had lucked out, getting things finalized so quickly with Tia and Liam, and hadn't expected the same with Brandi. They were officially set up with a court date by the second week in November.

He no longer felt lucky though when he got to the court house that day. He took one look at the docket and his heart sank when he saw what judge they had. He was an older judge, close to retirement and well known for his lackadaisicalness when it came to meeting out judgments. Lawyers who were quick on their feet could always find a way to lean the judge in their favor. All they had to do was promise a simple case, no complications... as long as the things went their way. This was never actually said, of course. Everyone who had anything to do with the law in that particular court house knew it though, and from the look of satisfaction on James Meyers' face, it was evident that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Finn had made sure to include his brother and brother-in-law this time, knowing how they fully intended to keep Brandi as long as things went their way in court. The two husbands gripped hands tightly, listening to the judge speak out the sentence. Finn didn't have the heart to tell them how concerned he was, once he saw which judge they had drawn. There was nothing they could do at this point, except for wait and see. The three Hummel/Hudson men had let out a collective sigh of relief when the judge declared that he was legally taking away the parental rights of one, James Meyers, and placing the child in question in the care of the state. He asked Finn then whether suitable care had been provided for the child, but beyond hearing a "yes", the judge waved Finn's answer away with a careless hand, not caring that the social worker was indicating that the foster parents in question were sitting right next to him. That's when Kurt's eyes narrowed, and he saw a bit more clearly what was going on. Blaine seemed a little too preoccupied and relieved that Brandi could really be theirs to think about the further responses of the judge, until he had called out the final sentencing on Brandi's father.

The judge ordered the defendant to attend some therapy and parental counseling sessions. That was it.

Finn swallowed hard, knowing that this was the most they could expect, considering there was no proof that he had done anything other than maybe be irresponsible and make poor decisions. To everyone else in this courtroom, he looked like someone who had made a few mistakes as a father, and caused his teenager to grow angry with him. She had subsequently run away, and he had, unwisely, decided to let things run their course without involving any of the authorities. Now, he was willingly giving up his child, in the hopes that someone else could raise her better. It was understandable that he only received a minimal punishment. Hadn't he suffered enough?

That was what everyone else in the court room was thinking at least. Kurt's gaze, however, was practically burning a hole through the judge and Blaine was seething.

Once court was dismissed, and they were all out in the hallway, things had quickly grown heated.

"What the hell was that, Finn?! His daughter could have died and he gets some court ordered therapy! That's all?!"

Finn sighed heavily and placed a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder, wanting to offer comfort but not really having anything better to say than, 'That's just the way it goes sometimes.'

He didn't even get a chance to respond though, as James chose that moment to walk past.

"Well, I think this all turned out for the best, Mr. Hudson," he smiled. "Everyone got what they wanted."

Finn smiled back evenly.

"I wouldn't say that," the taller man responded in a tight voice. "At least we got what was most important though. The assurance of Brandi's well-being."

"Yeah, whatever," he snickered, moving to walk away. When Blaine opened his mouth angrily and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Kurt's arm around his waist, James turned back around.

"Who are you?" He asked, barely disguising his disgust.

"We're Brandi's foster parents," Kurt replied in a cold voice. Blaine was practically sputtering, he was so angry.

"You have GOT to be fucking kidding me!" James laughed. "I'm supposedly an unfit parent according to this idiot," he gestured at Finn, "but two fags are just fine? How do I know she's not being molested in some creepy way if she's living in such a fucked-up home?"

It took both Finn and Kurt to hold Blaine back that time as he lunged forward, fully prepared to kick this guy's ass and not giving a damn about the consequences. Truth be told though, Kurt wasn't trying that hard to stop him.

"Chill right now, unless you want to risk losing Brandi," Finn hissed in the nurse's ear. That did the trick of bringing both husbands back to their senses. Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine's waist, but it wasn't necessary. Blaine immediately stepped away, turning his back on Brandi's father.

James' mocking laughter filled the hallway as the Hummel's clasped hands and turned heel to walk away, both literally shaking with rage. Finn followed closely, wondering with a heavy heart why there was so much injustice in the world.

They had gone home that evening, and held each of their kids close for a long while, wanting desperately to soak up and enjoy each precious moment afforded them as fathers. They happily declared it to be pizza and movie night, much to the delight of their children. Everyone had put on pajamas and piled onto the mound of pillows and blankets that had been dragged to the living room floor. Kurt put in the movie while Blaine handed out slices of pizza to all the kids. Cara was home with her dad that particular evening, so it was just the seven of them. By the time "Ratatouille" was over, all of the kids and Kurt were sound asleep.

Three-quarters of the way through the movie, all five children had decided it would fun to tackle Daddy Kurt with hugs. While the doctor was just as ready and willing to hug, snuggle and hold a hand as Daddy Blaine, he was definitely the more reserved of the two, and their kids knew it. Hug tackling Daddy Kurt was fun because they always got him to turn completely silly and break character. Adelaide was the best at this, and usually initiated these types of things. In an enormous amount of giggles, they had all jumped on him at once. Even Brandi had joined in, albeit gently, holding a squealing Tia in her arms.

Minutes later, they had ended up snuggled in a heap. Kurt nestled up against the couch, Tia resting in the crook of his neck and in his arms, Brandi snuggled up to his right side and Elliott snuggled up to his left with an arm flung around Tia. Addy was sitting on the couch behind him, with her little legs propped on either side of him and her arms around his neck as she rested her curly head on top of his. Liam was sitting on Kurt's lap in front of Tia, and was leaning back against his chest, in the small amount of space that was left.

Blaine had watched them adoringly, completely ignoring the last bit of the movie, and observed as each one drifted off. As the end credits rolled, he had gotten to his feet quietly to snag his camera, managing to take several adorable shots before Kurt blinked his eyes open groggily. He laughed when he looked around to see all five children sound asleep on top of him.

In those moments, when they were tucking in the kids that night, taking turns carrying each sleeping child to their beds, they forgot about James. They put aside any anger they felt at the inequity of the world, and simply enjoyed being fathers. They forgot, at least for a little while, any sadness they felt over what their three newest children had had to endure before coming home to them, and let themselves revel in the happiness that was their little family.

Overall, they easily fell into an easy routine. Work, school and play, in turn. Kurt and Blaine both cut back on their hours at the hospital, quickly realizing that, for at least this period of their lives, their careers needed to take a definite backseat. This was what they had wanted, a huge family. Thankfully, because of Blaine's sizeable windfall, they were comfortable enough financially to be able to handle it.

School for Brandi was one of the next big hurdles to jump. They hadn't rushed schooling, having a legitimate reason to keep her home as she healed at first. Soon she was ready though, at least physically. Her emotional state was what they worried about the most. They fretted and talked late at night about their options during the first week after she moved in with them. They quickly came to the conclusion that public school would not be the best idea for her, at least to start off. They had no desire to shelter her, and wanted nothing more than for her to learn to be independent and strong. That wasn't something you could force though.

They had checked her school records, and not surprisingly found that her attendance had been incredibly sporadic over her childhood, and practically non-existent in the last year. How this had escaped the attention of yet another set of people in authority in her life, they had no idea. One thing was for sure though, she now had two father figures who loved her dearly and would do anything within their power to make sure that she succeeded. Nothing would escape their attention from here on out.

They had decided, to start her with a tutor at home. She could be homeschooled for the time being, until they figured out exactly where she stood academically and what she needed to catch up on to be ready to attend school with other kids her age. I also gave her time to develop a bit more emotionally and socially. They were already looking into groups and lessons she could join in, should she be so inclined, to help with that development. She had started with her tutor a few days back, and things were going incredibly well. She was quite intelligent, something that didn't surprise them at all. She was also so eager to please her new fathers, that she would work feverishly to finish her work every day so that she could show them her accomplishments.

They always made sure to shower her with praise, showing her how incredibly proud they were. They also made very sure that she knew that their love and acceptance of her wasn't contingent upon her meeting any expectations they had.

She was almost overwhelmed by their unconditional love, but in the best way possible. Slowly but surely, under their loving care, she was morphing into the Brandi she was always meant to be.

The thing that really had the whole family tingling with anticipation though, was the coming of the newest Hummel baby. Everyone in their little house was buzzing with excitement, and it was the topic of conversation when they were gathered around the table at most every meal. Everybody guessing the exact day the baby would be born, what color hair the baby would have, and, of course, whether it would be a girl or a boy.

Kurt's exuberance over purchasing all of the baby items they needed, was especially palpable. For him especially, this was going to be a one-and-only, first time experience. Blaine had had the opportunity to prepare for Addy while his surrogate was pregnant, and although it was somewhat weighed down by his strained marriage with Alex, it wasn't brand new to him.

Yes, Kurt had taken Elliott as a foster child when he was just a newborn, but the whole thing had happened quite suddenly. One day Kurt was single and alone, barely signed on as a foster parent for a single day, and a baby had been thrust into his care. He had been incredibly overwhelmed, and there was literally no time for him to prepare. Carole and his dad and gone out and purchased everything he needed, setting up a nursery for him by the time he got home from the hospital. Sure, he had gone out later to add a few things that were more his taste, but by that point he was the exhausted, single father of an infant, and just wanted to buy the damn stroller and get home before Elly woke up for his next feeding. Whether the specific shade of blue for the canopy was "Sea Frolic" or "Autumn Sky" seemed less than relevant in that moment.

Blaine was more than happy to let Kurt take the lead on preparing and purchasing things for the new baby. Though Kurt never failed to ask Blaine for his opinion, the nurse would just kiss his husband on the cheek and say that he trusted his judgment. In all honesty, he got just as much enjoyment out of watching Kurt plan and shop as Kurt did from the actual act.

The one thing that they were both anxiously anticipating, yet still holding out on, was the decorating of the nursery. Right around Tia's first birthday, they had decided it was time to move their little girl down the hall to make room for the new baby right next to them. Tia was sleeping completely through the night by this time, and they took the opportunity to go all out, decorating their last spare room in My Little Pony, which Tia was fascinated with. Their hard work had been well worth it, when the one-year-old had squealed with delight, bouncing in Kurt's arms as they carried her in on her birthday.

Now the nursery was open and ready for them to decorate, but they were hesitating because of the fact that they didn't know the sex of the baby. Neither of them really cared for gender neutral decorating themes, and they both had happy visions of bringing their one-and-only infant as a married couple home together, to a room that they had lovingly prepared themselves.

Cara had never actually told them that she was against them finding out the sex of the baby, but she had specifically told them why she herself had not found out, prior to choosing them as the adoptive parents. They understood her fears and emotions perfectly, and felt like complete asses, asking her to push her feelings aside just so that they could pick out the right duvet cover. She was already giving them her baby for christ's sake. They felt as if they couldn't possibly ask her to sacrifice something more.

It was such a hard idea to let go of though, so they whispered and even bickered a bit about it every day, until Cara herself solved the problem.

Tuesday Morning Before Thanksgiving

"What's it gonna hurt to just, feel her out about it?" Blaine whispered, going through Addy's backpack to look at her homework.

"What if we ask her, and she does it out of obligation, and then cries herself to sleep every night for the rest of her pregnancy because she can now picture the baby she's giving up?" Kurt hissed, busily making sandwiches for the kid's lunches.

Cara paused just outside the kitchen door. She really hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when she realized that they were talking about her, she couldn't help herself. She wrinkled her forehead, trying to figure out what exactly they were referencing. She heard Blaine sigh heavily, then some movement, and finally the rustling of some clothing. She knew without even looking that they had moved together and were holding each other. This was such an every day occurrence, that she could picture it, and it made her smile.

"I know. You're right. I just, really wanted to know this time. With Addy it was a surprise, and all I've been thinking about is how nice it would be to have a name, ready and picked out, and for you to have planned out the decor for the whole nursery, and I would paint the walls..."

She heard Kurt laugh a little, but it sounded sad.

"I know, babe. I know. Trust me. No one is more devastated about not being able to properly decorate than me."

Her heart twinged with guilt, now realizing what they were talking about. It honestly had not occurred to her how anxious the men might be to find out the sex of the baby. They had never once mentioned it, but she hadn't realized that it was only out of respect for her feelings.

She took a moment to really consider what the next obvious step would mean for her. True, the thought of finding out whether the baby was a boy or a girl had initially seemed unsettling, but that was before she had chosen the Hummels to take the baby. She had been afraid that finding out the sex would cause her to form an attachment which would be impossible to break.

This was different though. She wouldn't be the one finding out the sex of 'her' baby. Kurt and Blaine would be finding out the sex of 'their' baby. It wasn't the same at all, and she found that not only was she okay with it, she was excited about it, for their sakes.

She grinned to herself as she thought of how she could tell them. Just last night at dinner, Blaine had told them about how he had helped an ultra-sound technician at the hospital with a difficult patient. She had been so grateful that she had told him to let her know if he or a family member ever needed to get squeezed in for an emergency ultra-sound. She would make it happen. They had all laughed, thinking how unlikely it was for him to take her up on it, Blaine saying he'd rather she had just thanked him by buying him a cup of coffee.

It honestly couldn't have been any more perfect.

She bounced through the kitchen door then with a smile.

"So, squishy. You still have your free ultra-sound voucher? Cuz I'm thinking we should go to the hospital and cash it in."

Later That Same Afternoon

"There is..."

"The spine, I see," Kurt whispered in a rough voice.

The ultra-sound technician sat back and smiled, remembering who her patients were.

Doctor and nurse were clutching hands, leaning in toward the monitor eagerly. Blaine had a hand reached back to hold one of Cara's, and Kurt was lightly tracing a finger over what looked like a miniscule strand of pearls on the screen, a look of pure awe on his face.

They watched in wonder as a tiny hand made it's way toward an equally tiny face. Five individual fingers spread wide and lips opened as the thumb found a home in the baby's mouth.

"Looks like we've got a thumb sucker," the technician laughed softly.

Kurt nodded, tears running freely down his face by now. He didn't even bother to try and wipe them away. He didn't want to stop holding Blaine's hand or touching the screen. Blaine blinked back some tears of his own and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his husband's cheek.

"Blaine, that's..." Kurt choked out suddenly.

"Oh my gosh," Blaine gasped.

The watched with wide eyes as a small, pulsating shape came into focus. Their breath caught in their chests as it rose and fell in a gentle pattern. The technician silently reached out to turn the volume up on the computer, and a steady swishing sound suddenly filled the air.

"I have five kids already and I've never once heard their heartbeats this way," Kurt whispered. Blaine looked at him with misty eyes, not sure if he was more moved by how enamored Kurt was of hearing the heartbeat, or because he had just automatically referred to the foster kids as "his own", without giving it a second thought.

"Heart rate is 125. Excellent," the technician said softly. Kurt's head turned quickly then.

"That's on the low side of normal though."

"But perfectly in line with the fact that we are nearing the end of this pregnancy," she smiled reassuringly, then glanced at Cara.

"You're measuring at thirty-seven weeks and two days. Does that sound right?"

Cara nodded with a small smile. Both men looked at her fully then, and realized that she was resolutely looking away from the screen, either focusing on their faces or the wall.

"Are you okay, honey?" Kurt asked gently.

"We can stop right now if you want," Blaine added quickly. "I know you've normally finished with these as quickly as possible, and we're taking our sweet time here."

Her heart absolutely melted at their thoughtfulness.

"No, really. I'm just fine," she responded with another small smile. "It's just... easier if I don't get too involved or excited, so I need to detach myself a bit. I want this though. I want this for you guys. You deserve to see your baby like this. Go ahead. You 'Oooo' and 'Aahhh' as long as you like."

They nodded gratefully, both squeezing her hand tightly. They glanced at each other though and made a silent agreement to finish this up. Cara was being so strong and mature about this, but they would have to have been blind to not see the sudden brightness in her eyes.

"Okay," the technician spoke up, seeing clearly what was going on and not wanting to prolong things for the girl. "Are we ready to do this?"

"Yes," Kurt answered quickly, his voice cracking slightly in anticipation. Blaine snickered and tightened his grip on his husband's hand, whispering "I love you" in his ear.

"Oh wow, this one is definitely ready to give a little show," she chuckled. "Those legs are all spread eagle for us."

They laughed out loud, but it only lasted for a second as both doctor and nurse easily saw what they were meant to see.

"Oh my god, Blaine!"

"Well, that's pretty unmistakable," Blaine grinned.

"Congrats, guys," the technician smiled. "You're having a boy!"

"A boy! Blaine, we're really gonna have our Brady Bunch now!"

Blaine burst out laughing as they wrapped their arms around each other and met their lips in a tender kiss.

Cara watched them with genuine happiness for a moment, but the pull of the large 3D screen soon became too much. Her eyes were finally drawn to the image above Kurt's shoulder, and a ragged breath left her body as she finally looked fully on what she had been avoiding for the last eight months.

There it was, her baby. She watched as the fetus rolled and squirmed around, incredulous of the fact that she could feel it move within her at the same time. Her heart swelled with a thousand different emotions, and she couldn't help the tears that flowed from her eyes. Just for a moment, just this once, she imagined what it would be like.

What it would be like, for her to keep this baby.

She closed her eyes and swallowed back the heavy lump that had formed in her throat. The moment the thought passed through her head, the moment the images of what it would feel like to truly be a mother, to bring this baby home with her and care for it... she felt wrong... off. This wasn't right. The thought of going down that road wasn't right.

This wasn't her baby. This was Kurt and Blaine's baby. These two men, these caring individuals and exceptional fathers. This couple who wanted so desperately to have a baby that was their own. One that was born and brought home from the hospital by the two of them as a married couple. Something they hadn't had the chance to do yet with any of their five kids.

An overwhelming peace settled through her as she finally looked at the baby moving and dancing on the screen. After all this time, she could finally let herself look, and not feel the deep stab of pain and loss. The ache was there, and it would probably be there for some time, but it was accompanied by the knowledge that this was right. This was what was supposed to happen.

She may have never been meant to be this baby's mother, but she was meant for something just as extraordinary. She was meant to give the greatest gift in the world to two of the most incredible men she had ever known. She had never felt so honored in her life, nor so blessed to have found them.

She glanced over to the couple who hadn't yet removed themselves from their embrace, but were sitting with arms wrapped around each other and heads leaning together, watching the screen and laughing quietly at how active their baby boy was. Blaine was making some comment about signing him up for soccer and Kurt rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Cara pressed a hand to where she felt the baby moving, and looked back to the screen.

"Nugget, you're gonna have the best daddies and the best family in the whole world. I'm making sure of it."

Wednesday Evening: The Day Before Thanksgiving

"Daddy," Elliott bounced excitedly his chair, looking decidedly like Addy in that moment, "Did you and Daddy Blaine decide on a name yet?"

Kurt reached out a hand to ruffle his son's hair.

"Not yet, monster. We've definitely got it narrowed down though."

"Are we 'llowed to give you votes of our own?" Addy piped up, carefully swirling her spaghetti onto her fork.

"Of course, princess," Blaine leaned over to help her with what was starting to look like a ridiculously huge bite.

"Me too?" Brandi asked softly, an eager smile on her lips.

"Every kid at this table gets a vote, punkin," Kurt pulled her chair closer to him and wrapped his arm around her. She blushed happily at the word punkin.

Both men habitually called all of the kids, and each other, pet names every day. Baby, honey, sweetie... whatever popped into their heads. Each child in the family had their own specific nickname though, that had come up naturally over time. While they were searching for a permanent one for Brandi, both dads took turns coming up with ideas, which never failed to make their thirteen-year-old flush pink and duck her head, but grin like crazy at how much attention was being showered over her.

Pookey had been tried out a few times and discarded, along with countless others. Nothing really seemed to fit yet, and a family nickname just wasn't something you forced. In the meantime, it was becoming something of a fun game for them.

One day Blaine had causally called her punkin when helping her with her homework. She had looked at him in surprise, but a bright smile had spread across her face.

"What did you just call me?"

"Oh!" Blaine said in surprise, glancing over into the kitchen where Kurt was cooking dinner. "Um, punkin. I dunno. I wasn't really thinking. It was just kind of a filler nickname."

"Okay," she said softly, looking back down at her work. "It was still a good one though."

Kurt looked over from where he was chopping some vegetables and met Blaine's eyes with a grin. They knew without saying a word that they were thinking the exact same thing.

Punkin it is.

"Okay, let's go around the table," Blaine said, pouring some more milk into Liam's sippy cup. "Everyone gets a chance to share which name they would chose if it were up to them. Remember though, daddy and I make the final decision and I don't want any arguments." He looked pointedly at Addy for this comment, knowing full well that she was the only one who would probably push this point. She grinned sheepishly and nodded her agreement before glancing at Kurt who gave her a reassuring wink.

"Go ahead princess, you start," Kurt nodded in her direction.

She grew uncharacteristically quiet and thoughtful before nodding sharply with a grin.

"Malachi."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other in surprise. They had fully expected to only be pacifying their kids with this game, and were shocked to hear a name that neither had already thought of, and actually liked.

"Okay," Blaine said in a thoughtful voice. "Malachi is officially on the list. Good job, sweetie!"

Addy wiggled happily in her chair, slurping a long piece of pasta into her mouth.

"Okay Tia, you're next!" The six-year-old smiled to her little sister.

Tia looked at them all with wide eyes from her high chair. She was finally filling out and looking like the slightly chubby-cheeked baby she was meant to be, and her bright green eyes shone above rosy, rounded cheeks. Blonde pigtails that were held in place by the ever present puffy bows, waved in the air as she giggled and bounced in her seat. She reached out a hand to Kurt and squealed.

"Dada!"

"Should we name the baby after daddy, goober?" Blaine said excitedly. Kurt rolled his eyes. For whatever reason Blaine had been stuck on the idea that they should name the baby after Kurt, and he couldn't figure out why. Kurt responded that he didn't feel comfortable naming a child after himself, that it seemed self-absorbed in a weird way. The doctor also pointed out that they had just as much reason to name the baby after Blaine, at which the nurse had balked, saying he'd always thought Blaine was a weird name and would never make a child go through life like that. Kurt had laughed and told him his name was perfect, but they had agreed at that point to choose a completely original name.

"I really don't think she was insinuating that we use my name, baby," Kurt gave him a pointed look. "I'm fairly certain she was just happy to see me." He leaned across the table to make a face at Tia. "Weren't you, goober? You were just happy to see daddy."

She giggled loudly and reached across the table for him once again. Kurt got up to walk around and pull her from her seat as Elliott spoke up.

"Nope, I agree with daddy Blaine. Tia's choice is Kurt."

The doctor rolled his eyes once again, but pressed a kiss to Elliott's head as he walked past and sat back in his seat.

"Fine. Tia's choice is Kurt. It's on the list."

Blaine and Elliott cheered while Kurt muttered under his breath, "The very bottom of the list."

"Your turn, monster," Blaine winked at Elliott. They had both heard Kurt's muttering.

"Hmmm," Elliott tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'm gonna like whatever you and daddy pick out. I like my name and I like Addy's name. You guys are gonna do a good job."

Kurt and Blaine's eyes met and immediately softened. That was such typical Elliott.

"Thank you, Elliott," Kurt said softly, smiling brightly at his oldest son. Elly just smiled with a shy little shrug and took a small bite from his piece of garlic bread.

"It's Liam's turn," he said, looking across the table to the two-year-old.

"What do you think, bear," Blaine pulled Liam out of his seat and onto his lap in order to wipe his face. "What name do you like?"

Liam climbed up and clung to Blaine's neck tightly, living up to his nickname, and rested his head against Blaine's curls.

"Thomas," he smiled.

"That's not a real vote. He just likes Thomas the tank engine is all," Elliott laughed. Blaine started to nod, but Addy spoke up.

"We let Tia's vote be for daddy," Addy insisted, "'n she didn't even say a real name."

"She makes a valid point," Kurt said, raising an eyebrow at Blaine. The nurse shook his head with a grin.

"True. Thomas is on the list then." He shot Kurt a sassy look, at which Kurt shook with silent laughter.

"Alright, punkin," Blaine turned to Brandi. "You're the last one. What's your vote?"

She looked at them all shyly, playing with her food before biting her lip and smiling.

"I've always liked the name Greyson."

Once again Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other in surprise.

"Excellent choice, Brandi," Kurt looked at her appraisingly. "Got that, babe? Greyson is on the list."

"Got it," Blaine nodded. "We've got Malachi, Kurt, Thomas and Greyson. There's also our top choices to consider. We've got a big decision to make, babe."

"Good thing we have a couple more weeks," Kurt agreed. "I'm not feeling particularly decisive about this."

"We'd better get moving on it though if we're going to stencil his name on the crib like we'd talked about," Blaine retorted, getting up and grabbing some dishes to put in the sink.

Kurt sighed, realizing he was right. For some reason this decision seemed like one of the hardest they had ever made concerning the kids, which was almost hysterical considering everything they'd done and been through. The doctor shook his head, realizing that in the long run all that mattered was that their little boy arrived, happy and healthy. A name was just a name. He glanced up then, and smiled as he watched his husband at the sink, rinsing dishes and looking adorable.

He quickly handed Tia off to Brandi, and left the table walked up behind Blaine, nuzzling down into his neck and placing a bunch of sloppy kisses. Blaine squirmed and tried to shrug him off with a laugh, but Kurt just held on tighter, rubbing his nose down into the crook of his husband's neck where he knew the nurse was most ticklish.

"Kurt! Stop," Blaine yelped, but he was laughing too hard to really make any effort to get away. The doctor pulled back with a grin and Blaine smacked at his arm playfully.

"I hate it when you do that," he gave a fake little scowl, which Kurt saw through immediately. "You make me giggle like a little girl."

"That," Kurt pecked him on the tip of his nose, "is precisely why I do it, darling. It is too freaking adorable. I can't help myself."

"It's adorable to you," Blaine rolled his eyes, "but it causes me to lose some serious man points."

"How many man points would you lose if I were to do, saaaay... This!" Kurt yanked Blaine into his arms, tickling his sides and burying his face into Blaine's neck, covering him with more kisses.

"Oh my god, Kurt! Stop!" Blaine gasped out breathlessly, laughing harder than ever. "Fine, you wanna play that way?" He grabbed Kurt's waist, starting to tickle him back.

"Oh lord! Take it down a few notches, will ya? I came here hoping to steal some dinner, but your teenage girlesque flirting is making me lose my appetite."

They turned quickly at the voice that was full of teasing, to see a mohawked man standing in the doorway of the front hall with a bag slung over his shoulder, wearing a wide grin.

Both men brightened, and Addy and Elly jumped from their places at the table and dashed into his arms.

"Uncle Puck!"