Friday Afternoon

Kurt and Blaine clasped hands tightly over the center console in Blaine's little Prius as they drove out of the hospital parking lot. Kurt glanced into the rear view mirror from his place in the passenger seat and smiled. Brandi was squeezed into the middle of the back seat, with Tia and Liam in car seats on either side of her. The young teen was taking it in turn to pay attention to her brother and sister. She would play peek-a-boo with Tia for a few moments, and then turn to help Liam with the crayons and coloring page that were in his lap.

The doctor inwardly shook his head, thinking that they would have to be careful to not let Brandi take on too much responsibility where the little ones were concerned. Her entire life, for the last eight months, had revolved around taking care of her brother and sister, while no one took care of her. It was understandable that she would naturally cling to them and still feel compelled to care for them. The last thing they wanted was to discourage the connection, and they loved seeing the closeness of the siblings. They also wanted her to know what it was like to just be a teen though. It was obvious that this girl had never had the experience of just being a kid and of being taken care of by her parents. The couple wasn't sure how permanent their situation would be, but for as long as they had her, they were going to be the best caregivers they possibly could.

Kurt sighed outwardly then and rubbed a hand over his eyes, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead. As excited as he was to bring Brandi home, especially now that they knew she was related to Tia and Liam, it felt as if they were being tossed right back at the starting line in this whole process. Yet another child who could be jerked away from them the moment they fell in love with her. There was still so much they didn't know about the time Brandi spent in her father's care, and until Finn was able to get some more concrete information, everything was in limbo where the girl was concerned.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt and watched as his husband rubbed a hand over his eyes and under his glasses. He knew that move well. It was Kurt's signature "I'm tired and stressed" move. He squeezed the doctor's hand, stroking his thumb, and Kurt turned to look at him with a soft smile, squeezing back.

They were both feeling contemplative though as they considered everything they had discussed with Finn the previous morning.

Finn and Kurt sat down on a bench in the children's ward and watched the siblings talk and play. Brandi made a big deal out of the little one's new outfits, and they watched as she attempted to look them over discreetly, checking their healing cuts and bruises. She seemed satisfied and continued to talk to and play with them as best she could from her chair. Blaine helped to settle her and introduced Cara before joining his husband and brother-in-law.

"So, tell us exactly what you know about the situation with her dad," Blaine said to Finn point-blankly. "As happy as I am to take her in for right now, I know very well that you don't have the right to just take her from her dad without just cause. At this point, we have no other word than hers that something bad happened, and she won't even tell us details. Please tell me that someone from your office found out something, because I can't stand the thought of taking her home, only to have to send her back to a bad situation."

Finn looked at him both appraisingly and with sympathy. Kurt reached over and slipped an arm around his husband's waist, grateful that he and Blaine were on the same page.

"You ever thought of being a social worker, man?" Finn asked with a smile.

"Yes, actually," Blaine responded, causing Kurt to look at him in surprise. "I used to think about it a little, but I know that I couldn't handle the constant emotional strain that comes with a job like yours. I don't know how you do it, Finn. I think I would break."

"Funny thing is," Finn smiled, "I feel the same way about your guys' jobs. I guess we just all have our own set of gifts, huh?"

"You are very gifted at what you do, Finn." Kurt spoke up seriously. "It is so amazing to me, watching you with those kids. They love and trust you, and it's not easy to earn the trust of a child who has been abused. It's a testament of how good you are at your job, and I'm proud of you."

Finn blushed brightly and looked down, before reaching out and roughly patting his brother on the shoulder. Blaine smiled at their interactions. He had always loved the way Kurt and Finn related to each other. They were so different, yet were incredibly close, despite those differences.

"Thanks, man." Finn looked Kurt in the eye then. "Your approval means more to me than most people's. I appreciate it."

Kurt patted him on the knee and sat back, looping his arm around Blaine's waist again.

"Right," Finn sighed. "Back on track. Well, here's what I know. After everything came to light yesterday," he glanced down at his bandaged hand, flexing it tentatively, "after I got her calmed down and she fell asleep, I called the office and had one of my co-workers check into things for me. I knew I couldn't leave her side right then, but we also had to find her dad. Like you said Blaine, I couldn't just give her to you guys, or anyone else for that matter, without figuring out exactly what had happened."

He fell silent for a moment and sighed as he watched Brandi laugh softly over something Liam said.

"Chera, one of the girls I work with regularly, called the last known number, but it had been disconnected. She found the address and went over..." Finn looked back at the two men with sad and serious eyes, "and another family was living there. Chera asked around to some of the neighbors and apparently her father and his new wife moved about three months ago."

Kurt and Blaine just stared at him for a moment, not even sure what to think.

"What... how..." Blaine started, "if they moved, why is Brandi still here? No matter what happened, how in the world could a parent just move and leave their child behind?"

"That is the question of the hour," Finn said. The anger in his voice was almost tangible and it was obvious that he was barely able to keep it contained. This girl had been under his care, on and off, for a while now. To see her continually misused, in any way, was absolutely killing him.

"Chera tracked them down just this morning. I guess they live in Cincinnati now. She called and got a woman on the line, I'm assuming it was the new wife. Chera told her that we have Brandi, but before she could get another word in the woman snapped that they didn't want her and to leave them alone, then hung up. Chera tried to call back, multiple times, but no one would answer."

Kurt stood abruptly and paced back and forth for a moment, running a hand through his hair in irritation before turning to the door and walking out. Finn and Blaine glanced at each other apprehensively before getting up to follow him out.

Blaine glanced over to Cara, who was watching them curiously. The teenager nodded quickly that she would keep an eye on the other kids.

They exited the door to see Kurt leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed, looking almost pained.

Blaine walked up to his husband and put a hand on his waist.

"You okay, babe?"

"No," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I'm definitely not okay. This is fucking insane!"

Finn opened his mouth hesitantly to respond, but Kurt rushed on.

"What the hell is wrong with this world?! What the hell is wrong with these people?! They beat their kids, they give them up without question, they abandon them... they just leave, not caring what happens to them! I keep feeling like I've come to grips with this whole situation and then something new and horrible comes to light." He looked Blaine and Finn straight on, his voice cracking slightly as he continued. "Why do we have to fight to be given the right to take care of these kids, when these people get to procreate all they want and then completely shit all over that privilege?"

Blaine pulled his husband into his arms, holding him close. Finn heard him whisper, "I don't know, babe. I wish I knew."

Finn just watched his brother and brother-in-law, aching inside that he didn't have any answers. He knew deep down that Kurt didn't expect one, but it still killed him. Kurt sighed heavily, squeezing Blaine to him before pressing a kiss to his husband's cheek and pulling away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode like that. This whole thing has just been so surreal to me, and it really shouldn't be. I'm a doctor. I see neglect and abuse all the time. It's not like I don't know it exists. It's just... hard to deal with it on such a personal level. When I took in Elliott, it was such a different experience. It was devastating, what happened to his parents... but it was a clean cut. He didn't have anyone. I took him. We were a family. That was it. This is just... it's just such a fucking mess."

"Should I say something stupid and cliché like, 'nothing worth having comes easy'?" Finn asked with a sardonic smile.

Kurt looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile and linking hands with Blaine.

"Why not. There aren't any real answers. I don't expect you to give me any." The doctor sighed heavily and looked to his husband. "I'm sorry you have to keep dealing with my little break downs, honey. I don't know what's wrong with me. How are you so steady right now? I feel like it's your turn to completely freak out. I feel like we're imbalanced and that I'm the crazy unstable spouse right now."

"Are you forgetting the first few months we were together?" Blaine laughed. "I had more than my fair share of breakdowns during that little period that you had to deal with. We all have our moments, baby. We're there for each other when we need it, that's what matters. When I need to freak out, I will, and you'll be there for me. That's the beauty of us."

Kurt sighed and pulled Blaine in for another hug before turning back to Finn and looking at him apologetically.

"Sorry, thanks for listening to my rant."

"Don't be sorry, dude," Finn shook his head adamantly. "You're allowed. You guys are doing something amazing and huge by taking these kids in. Rant to me all you want. I'm there for you, both as your brother and as your social worker."

"I know," Kurt said in a soft voice. "Thank you."

Finn smiled and nodded before leaning up against the opposite wall, folding his arms in front of him.

"Okay, guys. Back to where we stand. For the moment, she is in the care CPS and I am handing her over to you as temporary foster parents. If these facts line up, and they really did just move without leaving her in anyone's care, then it is an abandonment issue... and that is at the very least. There is so much we don't know, and I need to figure it out before we can take any more steps. I've contacted an agency in Cincinnati and they are putting someone on the case there to connect with her father and try to figure out what the hell is going on. I'm driving out there though. If not today, then tomorrow. This is too personal for me to just hand over to a case worker who I don't even know. Brandi seems so much better now than she did yesterday, so I feel okay about leaving her in the care of the staff here, and you guys can take her home as soon as she's released."

The husbands nodded soberly, knowing deep down that they were already hoping they'd get to keep her too, and that they'd be absolutely heartbroken should she be taken away from them. It was a risk they were willing to take though.

Both husbands broke out of their reverie when they neared their home. Kurt glanced back into the rear view mirror once and smiled at Brandi when he caught her eye. She smiled back and took what looked like a nervous breath as Blaine took a turn from the main road.

Finn took a steadying breath as he strode up the front walk to the little house. He was doing his best to not go into the situation angry, but the actions of this couple thus far were doing nothing to help their cause.

He had placed phone call after phone call in to these people, only to be hung up on or avoided completely. A social worker from an agency there in Cincinnati had done the same, along with stopping by the house and even trying to visit the father at work. She had experienced the same avoidance and was just getting ready to involve the police. Finn was driving in to the city by then though, and asked her to wait until he tried to connect with them in person before they took the next step.

He rang the doorbell and tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for a response. A slight movement at the window next to the door caught his eye, and he glanced over to see the curtain swaying just a bit, as if someone had pulled it back to peek out, then moved away quickly. He waited for an answer to the door... but nothing happened.

He knocked this time, a little forcefully.

Still nothing.

He swallowed back his irritation and spoke loudly, but in a calm voice.

"I know you're there. I know you're avoiding us. This is serious, and I'm about to call the police if you don't open this door and talk to me."

Nothing.

He sighed and was just pulling his phone out of his pocket when the door cracked open.

"What do you want?"

He snapped his head up in surprise. This voice wasn't what he had expected. He had anticipated anger and defensiveness. What he heard uncertainty with a dose of fear.

"For now, I just need to talk to you," he answered gently.

The door wavered a bit as the hand on the door gripped it tightly. Slowly, it was pulled open all the way. A woman stood there, eyes downcast, looking like she wanted to shrink into herself and disappear.

"Can I come in?" Finn asked softly. His anger was quickly dissipating and he was instead filled with concern. She looked up then and quickly shook her head no. He took a deep breath and surveyed her carefully. She was well-groomed, fashionably dressed, and quite pretty. There were no visible signs of abuse, but her every action gave off the impression that she was scared to speak or act at all, for fear of repercussion.

"Okay, well, I'm Finn Hudson. I'm here to talk to you about Brandi Meyers."

She just stared back without reacting.

"Am I correct in assuming that you are her step-mom? Is your husband James Meyers, Brandi's father?"

Still no response. Finn sighed heavily.

"Look, your silence tells me that I'm right. You need to known how serious this is. Brandi was found on the streets back in Lima. If she hadn't been found when she was, she could have died from hypothermia, not to mention she looked as if she had barely eaten in a month. Your house had been vacated and your thirteen-year-old step daughter left on the streets to fend for herself. I realize that we don't know the whole situation yet, but when we tried to contact you, you avoided us completely. That doesn't do a whole lot to instill confidence in you as responsible parents. We are looking at abandonment charges and even abuse. I need to know the whole story here."

The woman's eyes grew large with fear as he spoke and she brought a hand up to her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder then outside, peering at the neighboring houses before speaking.

"Is she alright now?" Her voice was barely audible.

Finn nodded slowly.

"She is with an incredible foster family, who is taking very good care of her."

"Can't she just stay with them, then? Can't we just forget about this whole thing since she's okay?" Her voice was desperate and her eyes pleaded with him to just say yes.

Finn responded carefully, trying to assess exactly what was motivating this question.

"If she is better off with the foster family than here with her father, I am happy to try and work that out, but no. I can't just forget about this. She could have died. A thirteen-year-old girl could have died. Another couple had to step up to the plate and do the job that wasn't being done by her parents. It wasn't their responsibility. It was yours. If you and your husband deliberately abandoned that girl then I have every right and reason to press charges."

He spoke questioningly, rather than with animosity, gently pushing for more information. It was clear that this woman was fearful and submissive to a fault. I was also clear that she genuinely cared about Brandi's well-being when she spoke.

She swallowed hard.

"He never hit her or anything, if that's what your wondering. He wouldn't do that."

Finn froze. It took every ounce of self-discipline to not react to this.

"I actually never accused him of that. The mere fact that you mention it though has me concerned."

She took in a sharp breath and looked around wildly, as if looking for an escape.

"Look," Finn said carefully, leaning over just a bit so that he could look her square in the face. "I need to ask this. Are you in any danger here?"

She shook her head quickly, the most animated response he had gotten out of her yet.

"No. Not at all. He'd never hit me. I already said that."

He watched her carefully for a moment before responding.

"You are aware that hitting someone isn't the only way of abusing them, right?"

She stared back, and he watched as her chin quivered.

"It is my job to take care of people," Finn said softly. "If there is anything you need to tell me, you can do so freely. I will make sure you are taken care of. I can help if you'll let me."

She looked to the side, wavering.

"It was my idea," she finally whispered.

"What was your idea?"

"To leave her."

He did a double take. Wow. Was not expecting that.

"I thought that she'd be better off." Her voice grew louder and more panicked as she spoke, and she gasped for breath as she charged ahead. "I was starting to get afraid of what would happen to her if she stayed with us. I swear I didn't mean any harm to her though! I wanted her to be okay! I thought she'd go to a shelter or something! I thought... Oh god! I don't know what I was thinking! I just, I didn't know what else to do!"

She lowered her face into her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Finn just stared at her, reeling from this new piece of information. He stepped forward quickly when her knees started to buckle, and caught her before she hit the ground.

"It's gonna be okay," he soothed. "I'm here to figure this out. Tell me everything, from the start."

Wow.

That was pretty much the only word Brandi's mind could come up with as they pulled down the driveway. She glanced over at Liam who looked back at her with bright eyes.

"Home!" Liam yelped excitedly as he grabbed Brandi's hand and pointed out the window.

Blaine and Kurt gave each other sideways glances and smiled happily. Liam had been doing incredibly well with them, but once around his older sister, he almost seemed like an entirely different kid. Relaxed, very happy and even fairly talkative. It was incredible to see.

As soon as Blaine parked, they quickly got out and pulled the younger two from their carseats. Kurt set Liam to his feet and reached a hand in to help Brandi climb out. Her hand was clammy in his as she grasped his fingers tightly, and he felt a pang, realizing how nervous she was. He squeezed her fingers gently and smiled as she stepped out next to him. He kept ahold of her hand as they walked up to the house, and kept a slow pace. She was still fairly weak from her ordeal, and it was obvious that just the trip home from the hospital had worn her out.

They made their way up the steps carefully and Blaine had the door ready and open for them. They walked through the front door to see Cara, Paul and Burt standing there, smiling widely. Paul and Burt were each holding a small bouquet of daisies and Cara was holding a plate of cookies. There was a homemade sign hung on the wall, stating:

~Welcome Brandi!~

"What's all this?" Blaine asked in a happily surprised voice.

"Well," Paul responded, "Cara made the cookies and the banner, and Burt and I decided we couldn't be outdone, so we got the lovely young lady some welcome flowers."

The young teen's eyes widened as she took in the sight. The fact that she was being taken in at all had been overwhelming to her. The fact that she was being happily welcomed... well, she felt like she was living someone else's life. She had no idea what to make of it. She stared wordlessly as her eyes watered up.

Kurt let go of her hand and put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. Burt looked at his son guiltily and mouthed, 'Too much?' Kurt smiled gently and shrugged. He looked down at Brandi and rubbed her arm gently.

"You okay? I know this is a lot."

She sniffed gently and nodded, before glancing over to Paul, Burt and Cara.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. They all smiled back, grateful that she was speaking and that they hadn't accidentally freaked her out.

"Brandi, you already know Cara, and these are mine and Blaine's dads, Burt and Paul," Kurt spoke quietly, still holding her close. She seemed to grow heavier in his arm, even as small as she was, and he quickly realized that it was because she was starting to sag a little. She nodded at the others with another little smile, but stayed silent. Kurt leaned down to look her in the eye.

"Are you tired? Do you need to go and rest now?"

She nodded gratefully and sagged even further against him. Without another word he scooped her up in his arms and she practically collapsed against his chest.

"Sissy?"

Kurt looked down to see Liam at his feet, grasping his pant leg and looking up in concern. Burt quickly stepped over and pulled the little boy up into his arms.

"Sissy is just gonna have a nap right now. Come on and play with Grandpa Burt and you can see her in a little bit, okay?"

Liam glanced at his sister again warily, but nodded his consent as Burt carried him off in the direction of the miniature train table.

Blaine handed Tia off to Paul and made to hurry after Kurt as the doctor headed down the hall, but he caught Cara's eye first. She was still standing there, watching the scene unfold anxiously. Blaine could tell what she was thinking without even asking. He knew because this girl was so much like him, they could have been related. She was wondering if her exuberance had been to much, if she was the reason the other teen had to be carted off to lie down. The nurse stepped over and patted her cheek with a grin and a wink.

"You did good, squishy."

She smiled back and sighed in relief as he patted her cheek one more time before hurrying after Kurt.

She glanced down at the plate of cookies, then shrugged, thinking that they shouldn't go to waste. She balanced the plate on top of her rounded abdomen and helped herself to a treat.

Kurt was just coming up to the room they had readied for Brandi, when he realized that the door was shut. He was just trying to figure out how he could go about opening the door without losing his grip on Brandi, when Blaine slid in beside him and turned the nob. Kurt smiled gratefully and stepped inside.

He kept the light off, seeing that she was already starting to drift off, and headed straight to the double bed in the corner of the room. Blaine hurried ahead of him again, pulling the down the covers and fluffing up the pillows. Kurt settled her into place, and she immediately curled up onto the pillow and burrowed under the covers. The doctor leaned over to tuck the blankets in around her and then stepped back for a moment next to Blaine. They were relieved at how comfortable she already seemed with them, and over the fact that she was able to curl up and go to sleep so easily.

Her hair had spilled forward on her face when she had turned on her side, and Blaine reached a hand down to sweep the strands out of her eyes. The moment his fingers touched her cheek though, she started and opened her eyes just a bit. He smiled at her and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It's okay. This is your room. You go ahead and sleep for as long as you want. When you feel rested we'll get you fed. Alright?"

She blinked owlishly and nodded once. Kurt squeezed in next to Blaine and reached out to squeeze her hand that was resting on top of the covers.

"When you get up, you just take your time and enjoy your new space. You have your own bathroom, off to the right there. You can take a shower or a bath if you like. I also picked you up a few outfits that we can make due with for now. They're in that dresser over there." He nodded toward a tall oak dresser that was up against the wall next to the bathroom door and then looked back at her with a gentle smile.

She just looked at the two men, hardly able to believe that they were saying these things to her, that she wasn't dreaming.

"Go to sleep, honey," Blaine said as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "We can talk more when you wake up."

She closed her eyes without responding and her breathing slowed and evened out in seconds. The husbands stood to leave, but were stopped at a small whisper.

"Did you really say it?"

Blaine looked at Kurt in confusion, but the doctor shook his head, showing that he didn't know what she was talking about either. The nurse crouched down by her side.

"Did I say what, sweetie?"

She cracked open one eye to peek at him, and it was obvious that it was taking every bit of her energy just to do so.

"In the hospital. Did you really say that I couldn't give up? That you wouldn't let me... or did I just dream it?"

Blaine swallowed hard as he felt Kurt squeeze his shoulder.

"You didn't dream it, Brandi. I said that to you. I said it... and I meant it."

She let her eyelid fall once more and then sighed contentedly as she nuzzled her face down into the pillow.

"Okay then."

Friday Evening

"Did you get plain pepperoni, daddy?"

Blaine was sorting out the pizza boxes in the kitchen, and looked down to see Addy at his side, bouncing excitedly as she held an empty plate in her hand.

"Yes, princess," he smiled. "Down at the end of the counter there."

She hopped off to grab a slice before joining the rest of the family at the dinner table.

Paul was cutting up a slice of pizza for Liam, and Burt was holding Tia on his lap. Both grandpas were talking animatedly about the next day's football game. Elliott was seated in front of Cara, excitedly trying to feel the baby move, and Addy was chatting happily with Carole and Kurt about her day at school. Carole had joined them for dinner after the daycare closed for the day.

Brandi was still sleeping, for which they were thankful. She had a lot of strength to regain, and the rest was good for her. Besides, Kurt and Blaine were a little worried that she might be overwhelmed by the family dinner, and were just as glad to have her miss the craziness.

Blaine grabbed his own slices of pizza and went over to join everyone else. All eight chairs were already full, so he walked up to Kurt and patted his leg, urging him to scoot over so they could share a chair. The doctor scooted over with a smile and they took the opportunity to play a little footsie under the table while eating.

Soon the kids finished eating, and Elly and Addy took Liam over to the living room floor to color and look at some books before bed.

"So," Carole spoke up, glancing over at the kids to make sure they weren't listening, "can you tell us any more about what's happening? I think I know the basics, but everything has happened so fast."

"You're telling me," Kurt sighed, but smiled as he snuggled into Blaine's side. Blaine put an arm around his waist and leaned his head down on the doctor's shoulder with a little sigh of his own.

"Well, the skinny is this," Blaine started to speak somewhat hesitantly. He knew he could be candid in front of their parents, but Cara was still at the table and he didn't want to talk about Brandi's private business in front of her. The teen seemed to sense his reticence though, and excused herself to her room. She stated that if she didn't get caught up on her geography homework her tutor would be ready to throttle her, but that she would be back out before going to sleep so they could say goodnight to the baby. It was a routine that had quickly formed in the last couple of nights, and both Kurt and Blaine knew that they would miss it terribly when Cara's father came home the next day.

They all smiled at her as she left the room, then Blaine turned back to their parents to continue.

"You all know that Brandi is Tia and Liam's older sister, but I think that's pretty much all you know, right?"

At three nods he went on to tell them everything, from how he had found her, to the fact that she reached out so candidly to both he and Kurt, and then on to bringing Finn to her and discovering the final connection.

"You don't know anything at all about what happened to that poor girl?" Carole asked sadly.

"Not yet," Kurt shook his head. "Finn's in Cincinnati right now though, trying to track down the father."

"So, that's what he's doing," Carole nodded in understanding. "Rachel called, asking if I'd be able to help her out by taking the twins for a bit tomorrow while Hailey has dance rehearsal. She said that Finn was traveling for work. I wondered, because he doesn't normally do that."

"Technically, it's beyond his jurisdiction," Kurt shrugged, "but this was way too personal to him to just hand over to another case worker."

"What about Tia and Liam?" Paul questioned. "You probably don't know anything yet about how long you'll get to keep them, do you?"

Kurt and Blaine both smiled brightly then. Things had been so crazy in the last couple of days that they hadn't even had the chance to tell their family and friends the good news.

"Actually," Blaine said, barely containing his excitement. "We got news that they were permanently removed from their mother's care on Wednesday. Finn found their dad too. He's never even known them really and is living in Nevada. He agreed to sign over his parental rights."

He glanced at Kurt, who leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and then turned back to the others, his joy visible in his face.

"We are free to look into adoption, if we're interested... and we're definitely interested."

Carole started to let out an ecstatic squeal and Paul was just about to leave his seat to congratulate them, when Burt put a hand up in the air to silence them all. He held Tia on his lap and looked at Kurt steadily. The doctor looked back at his father just as evenly, but couldn't help feeling a stomach-turning apprehensiveness at the serious look on his father's face. Burt's approval meant the world to him. While he felt confident that he and Blaine were making the right decision, much of the joy would be sapped from this experience if he didn't have his father's blessing.

"Let me get this straight," Burt said slowly, with an unreadable expression on his face. "First, you are adopting a baby that will be born in a couple months, and in the meantime the mother is staying here on occasion, so you're taking on some responsibility for her as well."

Kurt wanted to say that Brandi was helping them out just as much by watching the kids on occasion, but he knew that Burt was essentially right. He just looked his father straight in the eye and gave a small nod. He could feel Blaine tensing beside him, ready to spring to their defense if need be.

"Secondly, you've taken in these two little children who have been through hell and back," he paused for a moment to smile at Tia who gurgled happily and chattered some nonsense as she pulled on his ear, "and will need a lot of special care and attention... and you're going to adopt them too."

Carole eyed her husband carefully, starting to feel anxious about where he was headed with this. Paul just looked on, while Kurt and Blaine gripped hands tightly under the table.

"Now, you've taken in their older sister. You don't know hardly anything about her, or what she's been through, just that she had nowhere else to go."

Kurt nodded slowly once more, feeling an incredible amount of trepidation by this point. He'd always been so supported by his father. The thought of Burt disapproving made him feel a little sick.

Burt just stared at his son, before handing Tia over to Carole and standing. He motioned for Kurt to stand and meet him at the edge of the table. Kurt walked up to his dad, suddenly feeling like a teenager again.

Burt shook his head in disbelief before yanking his son into his arms and squeezing him tight.

"Kurt, I am so goddamn proud of you," he said in a choked voice. Kurt melted into his father's arms and hugged him back with a huge sigh of relief. "So many days of your life stand out to me. When you graduated from med school, when you took in Elliott, when you married one of the most amazing men I've ever met..." he trailed off a moment and Blaine blinked back some tears, hearing his father-in-law speak that way about him.

"Now though, son," Burt pulled back and gripped his son tightly by the shoulders. Kurt gazed back at his father as his tears spilled over. "You are proving yourself to be loving and generous beyond belief. I can hardly comprehend that I was the one who raised you, but I am so damn proud to say that you belong with me, kiddo."

Paul and Carole broke in wide grins as Burt gave Kurt one final squeeze. He then stepped over to pull Blaine into a hug, telling him that he was just as proud of him. He gave his son-in-law another pat before pulling away as he cleared his throat roughly. He went to snag Tia back from Carole's arms, but she pulled him down for a loving kiss and gave him a look that said SHE was the one who was proud.

"Really boys," Paul spoke up then. "I feel the same. You're doing something wonderful here. It's a lot to take on, and a big responsibility, but we've all got your back. Anything you need, we're here to help."

Burt and Carole nodded their agreement as they snuggled Tia in between them.

Kurt and Blaine looked back at their parents with light hearts as they stepped together, wrapping their arms around each other.

The last few days had been exhausting and overwhelming. They had both had more than one moment of doubt, where they wondered if they were taking on too much. If they could actually handle this. If this would end up being a bad thing for their little family.

Now, they felt the most extreme sense of peace. Having the support of their parents, along with the knowledge that they had made them proud, was the affirmation they needed.

They could do this, because they wouldn't be doing it alone.