CHAPTER 10

Once classes began again, they returned to their routine of school, lessons and work.  Kurt worked in as much wedding planning as he could, and kept in contact with Blaine's mom, who was also working on the wedding.  Blaine ignored them and focused on school and school related activities, as well as the band and the students he was teaching.  He filled in any spare time he had when Kurt was not around with a new project:  he was trying his hand at writing a play, specifically a musical.  And whenever they found themselves together and awake, they simply enjoyed their time together.

The semester passed quickly.  Before they knew it, classes had ended for the summer, and they were preparing to attend Santana and Brittany's wedding.  All of their friends were making the journey to New York, where the wedding was to be held.  As expected, Santana's parents had gone all-out, and it was an elaborate affair.  However, Santana had been sad for days, as she had always wanted her Abuela to be at her wedding; unfortunately, she had flatly refused, telling Santana she would be happy to attend her wedding to a man, but would not attend a farce of a wedding in which two women claimed to be getting married.  The arrival of the rest of her family and friends cheered her only a little.  Kurt eventually took her aside and said, “Look, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life.  You cannot let someone's narrow minded attitude take that from you, no matter who it is.  You are about to marry the love of your life.  How can you be sad when you think of that?”

“You're right, Porcelain,” she answered, wiping at the tears that had gathered in her eyes.  “I'm going to go out there and marry Brit in front of everyone, and anyone who isn't happy for us doesn't belong here and doesn't deserve for us to care what they think.”

“Good job.  Now let's get out there,” Kurt told her. 

He took his place with Blaine on Brittany's side of the altar, facing Rachel and Quinn.  He narrowed his eyes, looking at Rachel; something seemed a bit off about her today, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.  The ceremony was sweet and simple, and after the congregation left the small wedding party reassembled at the altar for pictures.  Rachel was putting on her show face and smiling for the cameras, but as soon as they were done, she looked as though she was smelling something particularly putrid.  He tried to talk to her, but she brushed him off and went to find Finn.  Something was definitely up, and Kurt was going to find out what it was.

At the reception, Rachel sat at the table with the rest of the wedding party and their guests, but as the food was served, she turned slightly green and bolted.  “She, um, she has the stomach flu,” Finn apologized for her, looking from her plate, making sure it contained Rachel's specially ordered vegan meal, to the rest of table's occupants.  “She's had it for a couple of weeks.  She just can't seem to shake it.”

Kurt stared at his brother in shock, before exchanging a knowing look with Santana.  They'd been through this before.  After a moment, he excused himself, promising to return in a few minutes.  He found Rachel on her knees in front of a toilet in the ladies' room, dry heaving.  “How far along are you?”  He asked bluntly.

“Eight weeks, but you can't tell anyone,” Rachel answered, not trying to deny his assumption.

“And why not?  Wait, does Finn even know?”  Kurt demanded.

“No.  I'll tell him in another month if I'm still pregnant,” she said.

“Excuse me?  What do you mean if you're still pregnant?”  Kurt was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

“Miscarriages happen all the time,” she told him coldly, “And Finn can't keep a secret.  I can't risk anyone at NYADA or in the theater world hearing about this.”

“Number one, why?”  He questioned, “And number two, how do you think you're going to keep it a secret?  You're going to be showing within a couple of months, three at the outside.”

“Lots of reasons,” Rachel told him.  “First, the lead for Funny Girl is leaving at the end of the month; they already extended her contract once, but she has another show going into rehearsals next month so they can't extend it again.  They have to replace her and I'm the obvious choice, but I won't even be in the running if they know I'm pregnant again.  Second, I'm sick of being the understudy.  I've only actually gotten to play Fanny three times because she almost never gets sick and never takes a vacation.  I have several auditions lined up in case I don't get Fanny Bryce, but again, if they find out I'm pregnant before I get the part there's no way I'll be considered.  Third, I've signed up to do my fall dance classes over the summer, but they might not let me, and I certainly won't get cast as the leads in the shows, if Cassie finds out I'm pregnant again, and finally, NYADA and Broadway have too many crossovers; if it's known at NYADA that I'm expecting, everyone on Broadway will know it within the week.”

“You're telling him tonight, as soon as you get home,” Kurt told her.

“No, I'm not,” Rachel insisted.

“Oh, yes, you are.  And if I don't get a call, from Finn, telling me the good news before I go to bed tonight, I will be telling him first thing tomorrow.  You can count on it,” Kurt said, with a warning tone to his voice.

“You wouldn't,” she challenged.

“Oh, yeah?  You think not?  Try me,” Kurt snapped as Rachel rinsed her mouth in the sink.

“Fine,” she said with a glare as she stalked past him.

  They both returned to the reception, which was now in full swing.  Blaine leaned over and took Kurt's hand, whispering, “What was that about?”

“Tell you later,” Kurt murmured, as he caught Santana's gaze and nodded in confirmation.  Santana rolled her eyes.

That evening, he shared the news with Blaine, and they discussed ways to tell Finn.  Fortunately, Kurt was spared that task when the phone rang.  Kurt answered to hear his overjoyed brother bubble over with news of Rachel's pregnancy.

* * *

Summer passed in a blur. 

Kurt kept an eye on Rachel as much as he could, making excuses to drop by NYADA on occasion, even though he wasn't taking classes that summer, as he'd caught up and needed to work as much as possible.  She was barely showing, even less than she had with Stephen, and wasn't gaining much weight, even though the morning sickness seemed to have ended.  What little baby bump she did have, she artfully disguised with clothes, even wearing a sweater to dance and insisting the studio was cold.  She wouldn't discuss the matter with him, simply saying the doctor told her she and the baby were fine.  Finn told him the doctor was a little concerned about her lack of weight gain and the baby's size, but wasn't worried yet, and Rachel just didn't have much appetite.  Kurt was having a hard time believing that, so he took to bringing her lunch and insisting she eat.  He held the threat of going public with her pregnancy over her to get her to comply.  For all that he loved Rachel, he didn't trust her, and he was not about to let her harm his niece or nephew to further her own ambition.

The selection of a new long-term Fanny Bryce was delayed when a hot young Hollywood starlet expressed interest in playing the role while in between movie parts.  The producers of the show, smelling box-office gold, jumped at the chance to have her for the next three and a half months.

Rachel and Kurt both attended audition after audition.  Rachel only auditioned for lead roles in Broadway productions, while Kurt auditioned for any and all male roles in any theater in the Manhattan area.  Rachel got call-back after call-back, but Kurt got parts.  He largely turned the wedding planning over to Blaine's mother, who was by now his most trusted confidante, at least where wedding matters were concerned, while working each morning at Vogue.com, and each afternoon at the restaurant before going to whichever theater he was working in that day, and working in the bar on the evenings when there was no show, or in between roles.  True, they were mostly chorus roles and bit parts, often filling in for a minor actor or chorus member who was ill or on vacation, or roles in small off and off-off Broadway theaters, where the productions often lasted only a few weeks.  However, his extensive knowledge of Broadway shows, plus his ability to learn lines, songs and dance routines extremely quickly, soon garnered him a reputation for excellence and professionalism.  Soon he was getting calls asking if he was free to fill in for absent actors on a regular basis, a fact which made Rachel, who was still officially the understudy for Fanny Bryce, and who still had not made it past the call-back stage for anything else, seethe with anger.

The fall semester began, and with it, Kurt and Rachel's fourth, and final, year at NYADA.  Many of those they had started with had dropped out, either because they were now working steadily in the theater world, or at least in some aspect of show business, or because they had given up on their dreams of show business success and gone on to pursue other work or to attend school somewhere else, somewhere that would give them a better chance of getting a job in their major after graduation.  Kurt and Rachel, however, were going to graduate; Rachel, because she had not yet achieved the success she was dreaming of, Kurt because he would not let his dad down by failing to do so.

However, even Kurt admitted that something had to give, so he regretfully approached Isabelle to tell her that he had to leave Vogue.com.  He could no longer juggle school, his theater parts, and two jobs waiting tables with an unpaid internship, as wonderful as it was.  Isabelle believed in Kurt's talents as a designer and a fashion savant, and she was unwilling to lose him.  Therefore, she countered with the offer of a part time paid position; the salary wasn't astounding, but it was more than he was making waiting tables at both his other jobs combined.  He gratefully accepted, and turned in his notice at the restaurant and bar that afternoon.

Calling to tell those important to him the news, he received congratulations from his parents, Finn, and most of his friends, and jealous grumbles from Rachel, who was still waiting tables and auditioning.  Santana was happy for him, but tried, unsuccessfully, to convince him to continue to be available for her to call if she needed a waiter, causing her to jokingly complain.  Although it seemed wrong to tell Blaine last, Kurt did, waiting until Blaine returned from his gig shortly after Kurt arrived home from the theater.  The celebration they ended up having made him very glad he had done so.

Shortly after Kurt's promotion to official employee of Vogue.com, Blaine also received good news.  He had shared his musical with members of the theater club he belonged to at school, and one of the other members had shown it to one of the drama professors, in hopes of convincing the drama department to do a student production of Blaine's work.  The professor, however, was so impressed that she reached out to her contacts within the theater world, and a small, but professional, theater company was interested in producing the work.  Blaine's first play would premier early the next year in a tiny, but well respected, off-Broadway theater, one known for launching many a Broadway hit.

Everything seemed to be going well, not only for Kurt and Blaine, but for their friends.  Santana had, upon turning twenty-one, been named the official manager of the club where she worked.  Brittany was a popular, respected dance instructor and choreographer at the studio where she worked.  Sam and Mercedes called to share the news of their own engagement, since Sam and Blaine were still best friends, as were Kurt and Mercedes (much as Rachel wanted to claim the position as Kurt's best friend).  School was going well for everyone else, and after winning McKinley's fourth national show choir championship, the new crop of glee club kids who had come in during Blaine's senior year were now in college, a few even in New York, allowing Blaine to reconnect with some of them.  Everyone seemed happy, and the relationship drama that tended to plague their group seemed to be at a minimum.  It made Kurt slightly uneasy, like the calm before the storm.

A bit more than halfway through September, his fears proved well-founded.  He received a call from a tearful Rachel, insisting he meet her at a clinic near her loft, as they wouldn't let her go home alone.  She refused to explain what was going on, only giving him an address.  Skipping class, he hurried to Bushwick, only to find himself staring at the doors to a women's clinic, one that provided, along with birth control and prenatal services, abortions.  He rushed in to find a hysterical Rachel, screaming at the staff and insisting they had to give her an abortion immediately, while the staff in turn tried to calm her and explain that, at twenty-six weeks, she was too far along to receive an abortion unless it was necessary to save her own life.  “You don't understand,” she insisted, “This is more important than my life.  This is my career!  You have to help me.  Tell them, Kurt.”

Taking a deep breath, Kurt waded into the fray, trying to find out what had happened.  “They called,” she sobbed brokenly.

“Who?  Who called?”  Kurt asked.

“The producers for Night Stalkings,” she told him, naming an upcoming Broadway show, a musical about a seductive female vampire.  They had joked about it when they saw the notice about auditions, but it was a Broadway musical, after all, so Rachel auditioned for the lead.  It looked abysmal, and it was expected to flop, but it was the last of the plays she had auditioned for that she had not definitively heard from, and she had made it to the final round of call-backs.  “They told me I had exactly what they wanted, the looks, the voice, everything.  And they definitely would cast me, except that I'm pregnant.”

“I thought you weren't telling anyone,” Kurt said, confused.  He had seen the way she was dressing, and didn't think anyone would be able to tell unless they already had some reason to think she was pregnant.

“I didn't,” she replied, “but somehow they knew.  I swore to them I wasn't, and they asked me to come back one more time next week, but I have to get rid of it before then.”

“'It' is my niece, my brother's child,” Kurt told her icily.  “And I most certainly will not be helping you to harm her in any way.  What I will be doing is telling Finn what you tried to do.”  Rachel looked stricken.  “What were you planning to tell him, anyway?”

“That I lost the baby,” she admitted in a small voice.  “Do you have to tell him?  Can't we just forget about this?”

“Absolutely not,” Kurt replied.  Taking her by the wrist, he literally pulled her from the clinic, and they walked the distance to the loft, Kurt texting Finn on the way.

Finn returned home about half an hour after they arrived, bursting through the door and calling, “Rachel?  Kurt?  What's wrong?  Why did I have to come home?  The baby's okay, right?”

“Yes, no thanks to your wife,” Kurt answered.

“What are you talking about?”  Finn asked, looking from Kurt to Rachel, who were perched on opposite ends of the couch, Kurt glaring at Rachel, who was staring at the wall.

Rachel didn't reply, so Kurt answered for her.  “The producers for a show she auditioned for guessed she was pregnant, and told her they would have cast her but for that.  She went to a clinic and tried to force the staff to give her an abortion.  She called me to come get her, thinking she would be successful, because after an abortion, they wouldn't let her leave alone.  She's too far along now, though, so they wouldn't do it.  She was going to tell you she miscarried.”

Turning his gaze from Kurt to Rachel, Finn said quietly, “Rachel, is that true?”  When she didn't answer, he stood directly in front of her and demanded, “Look at me.  Is it true?”

“Yes!”  She exclaimed.  “Okay, yes.  I'm sick and tired of not getting the success I deserve because of your brats!  I'm not going to let them stand in my way!”  Finn looked as if she had hit him, and Kurt's mouth dropped open.  Suddenly, Kurt was very glad that Stephen was in day care at the moment.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.  Finn looked at Rachel and said, “This is how this is going to work.  You will take care of yourself, because that means taking care of my daughter.  You will do nothing to harm her or yourself, nor will you do anything to cause her to arrive any earlier than she otherwise would.  Once she does arrive, I will take her and Stephen.  We will get a divorce, and I will get sole custody.  You will sign away all rights to visitation or anything else, and I won't ask for child support, not that you could ever pay it.  You are not their mother, you are nothing but a carrier.  Do you understand?”

Rachel remained silent.

“Do you understand me?”  Finn yelled.

“Yes,” she said meekly.

Feeling as though things were finally under control, Kurt stood to leave.  Finn followed him to the door, keeping an eye on Rachel.  As Kurt stepped out, Finn murmured under his breath, “I don't trust her.  She tried to kill the baby, and you said she was willing to do it to Stephen when she was pregnant the first time.  I'm sorry I didn't believe you then; I do now.  I'm going to have to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.  Can you help me?”  Kurt nodded, and the two of them worked out basic coverage to make sure Rachel was never alone.  They would enlist the help of Blaine and friends to cover when one of them could not be there.

That evening, when Blaine returned home, Kurt told him of the drama that had occurred that day.  Blaine was appalled, and quickly agreed to help.  Kurt called friends from the restaurant and NYADA, and confirmed their suspicions that yes, Rachel was again pregnant; without going into detail, and making it sound like a depression issue, rather than blind ambition, he explained that he and Finn were afraid that she might hurt herself or the baby, and got agreement from many to help watch over her.  It was a believable enough tale, as many of the artist types attracted to the theater (which also included the entire staff at the restaurant), suffered from depression at one time or another.  Even Kurt had, although his had more to do with bullying and abuse than the lack of success that seemed to drive it in many aspiring actors.  Confident that between he, Finn, and friends they could prevent Rachel from harming the baby, he and Blaine went to bed, although neither was able to sleep.

The next two and a half months seemed to drag by.  Kurt had projects at school and Vogue.com, his acting, and now he was starting to design costumes, something he fell into when he ended up improvising a costume when one of the official ones malfunctioned spectacularly during a dress rehearsal of a NYADA production.  He was also organizing the discreet coverage to make sure Rachel was watched virtually around the clock.  Blaine was busy with his classes, the band, private lessons, both ones he was taking and ones he was teaching, and the production of his play; although he was not directing it, he was staying involved, and the director sought his opinion on matters of staging and choreography.  Kurt was looking forward to the winter break, spending time with Blaine's mother working out details for the wedding, and just being less busy.

Two days after a tense Thanksgiving with Finn, Rachel and Stephen, Finn called to say Rachel was in labor, a couple of weeks early, but not enough to be a problem.  Several hours later he called again, telling them that Carole Ann Hudson had arrived.  Rachel had refused to hold her, and Finn was preparing to take her home as soon as the pediatrician released her.  He had leased another loft in the same building, and friends from school had helped him move the children's things along with his own.  He had seen an attorney when Rachel's intentions toward the baby became clear, and Rachel would be served with divorce papers the next day.  Friends agreed to help care for the children while Finn finished the semester, since Carole Ann was too young for day care, and by the time the next semester began, she would be old enough to go to the day care at the community center.

Kurt felt mildly guilty that his primary feeling, after thinking that he had the most beautiful niece in the world, was relief that the Finn and Rachel drama, not to mention potential danger to the aforementioned niece, was over.  At least he hoped it was over; it had been a roller coaster ride that had lasted over six years, and he, for one, was ready to get off.

After finals, Kurt and Blaine continued to work until they flew back to Ohio, the night before Christmas Eve.  They spent Christmas Eve through lunch on Christmas day with the Hummel-Hudson family, with the primary activities consisting of cooing over Carole Ann and making the Christmas that two-year-old Stephen would be too young to remember spectacular for him, despite the absence of his mother, which he seemed to barely notice.  After lunch, they drove to Westerville to spend the next day and a half with the Andersons before flying home early two days after Christmas.  Time with the Andersons was split between celebrating Christmas and wedding planning.  Cooper had flown in from Los Angeles, and he and Blaine laughed at how close Kurt and their mother had become.  Flying home, they were happy to have a day off, with no work, to catch up with each other and just be a couple, before getting back to work before New Year's Eve.

* * *

Kurt's graduation came, and with it the news that he had landed his first lead role in a Broadway play.  It was a musical, and he played a straight leading man.  He was excited not just because it was his first big leading role but because to him, it showed his versatility; it was proof he wouldn't be typecast as the gay sidekick or relegated to chorus roles.  He would also be originating the role, so he wouldn't be compared to anyone else, at least not until he left the show after a hopefully successful run.  He held on to his part-time position at Vogue.com; God knew there was no guarantee the show would be successful, and he couldn't afford to be out of work.  His costume designing was also picking up speed, with his reputation for both innovative ideas and talent with a needle spreading throughout the New York theater world.  Finally, Isabelle had started to encourage him to show some of his designs to some of the designers he was able to contact through Vogue.com.

Blaine's play had enjoyed a successful run, and while it had not made it to Broadway, several regional theaters had expressed interest in performing it, and a few Broadway producers had spoken to him about showing them any work he might produce in the future.  He was still buried in classwork and active with his band.  However, his diligence in taking summer school classes every year was paying off, as he was on track to graduate the following spring.

Most of their friends and family were also doing well in school.  Finn had slowed down, once he became the sole caretaker of two children; it was looking like he was going to graduate a year after Blaine.  He had also announced his intention to look for a job in Ohio, preferably in Lima, as it was clear it would be easier to have the support of his parents to help raise the kids, and it would allow them to get to know their grandparents.  Quinn was due to graduate from Yale in December, the same time Mercedes would graduate from OSU.  Sam would be a year behind her.  Artie was graduating and preparing to move to Los Angeles.  Puck was to graduate at the same time as Blaine, as would Tina.  Mike had already graduated, and joined the Chicago ballet as a company member; he was also doing some outside choreography and dance work.  Santana would also graduate when Blaine did, in a year.  Lauren would graduate in a year, and already had offers from several companies.  The younger glee members were doing well in school, enjoying the freedom that goes with being a college student. 

The only member of their little group not graduating or looking forward to it was Rachel.  During their last semester, free of the “entanglements” of a husband and children, as she put it, she finally landed her first lead in a Broadway musical, just a couple of months before Kurt got his role.  She essentially dropped out of school, insisting to Kurt that she was taking incompletes and would finish her coursework and graduate as soon as she had time.  Kurt knew in his heart she would never return, but wished her well.  After all, this was her dream, and she didn't necessarily need a degree on the wall to accomplish it.  He was just a little sad that she had come so close and not made it to the finish.