CHAPTER 12

A few months passed, and Blaine's second professionally produced play was set to open off-Broadway a couple of weeks after graduation.  The major difference between this one and the last one was that this was officially an off-Broadway tryout, with plans to move to Broadway if the show was successful.  The producers and director had also consulted him about many aspects of the play, and he had ended up acting as both assistant director and choreographer.  The producers had also been thrilled that working with Blaine meant getting Kurt to design their costumes, not something an off-Broadway theater could easily pull off anymore, given Kurt's hectic schedule.  Blaine was beginning to create a buzz in the theater world, just as Kurt did.

Kurt had been busy with his show and with his costume and independent design work, as well as Vogue.com.  Several of his designs had been picked up by major fashion houses.  A week before Blaine's graduation, he received a call from one of the top designers.  He had heard that other houses were interested in Kurt's work, and had used some of his designs, just as his house had.  He wanted Kurt to design for him exclusively.  It was an incredible opportunity, but Kurt was unwilling to give up his Broadway career yet, and still enjoyed costume design work.  After a bit of negotiating, they struck a deal:  Kurt would design couture for him exclusively for a minimum of one year, but could continue to work in the theater and design costumes; in exchange, Kurt would be paid the same salary as his other young assistant designers, with a bonus depending on the success of his designs.  For the second time, he was forced to call Isabelle and explain that he would have to leave Vogue.com, this time due to both time and a conflict of interest.  This time, she hugged him, told him how much he would be missed, and wished him well, before going into her office to write an article about Vogue.com's loss, and the rise of a new star in the fashion industry.  At a few months shy of 24, Kurt found himself at a loss to explain his own success.

Blaine graduated, with Kurt and his parents sitting proudly in the audience.  After his morning graduation, he left for meetings with his play's director and producers, preparing for opening night, promising to meet them for dinner.  Kurt and Blaine's parents waited over an hour before cancelling their reservations, with Kurt making excuses, explaining that as a show geared up and final details had to be ironed out, sometimes schedules became unpredictable.  They returned to the apartment and ordered takeout, and Blaine ate leftovers as he profusely apologized to all of them.  Blaine's parents were only somewhat mollified, but accepted the offer of brunch the next day before they left; Kurt made the reservations when it became clear that Blaine would not make it for dinner.  Kurt was more understanding, having been in the position of working to get everything right before a show opened, but that night, they had a serious talk about communication and letting each other know if they would be unexpectedly delayed.

Blaine's play was a success, and was soon being prepared to move to Broadway.  Blaine was writing music and a new play during the day, while helping to prepare the ongoing play for its Broadway debut.  He was also playing with his band several days a week.  He and Kurt rarely saw each other, between their hectic schedules.  Then Mike announced great news:  the band had been offered a recording contract.  The catch was the record company wanted them to tour.  Blaine's work on his current play would prevent him from doing that, and the truth was he still really wanted to try acting, at least once, and even if he could tour and do everything else he wanted, it would slow down work on his writing, and worse, keep him away from Kurt even more.  He regretfully told Mike that he just couldn't tour right now.  Mike asked him to at least help out with the instrumentation, arrangement and vocals in the recording studio, to try to join them as a guest for a few shows, and to keep them in mind when he had new songs that weren't for his shows and that he didn't want to record himself.  Blaine agreed.  And with that, Blaine closed the “band” chapter of his life.  He wasn't averse to reopening it, should the time seem right, but for now, it was the right thing to do, both for himself and for he and Kurt.

As Blaine's show prepared for its move, Kurt was faced with a choice:  his original contract was nearly up with his current show, and they wanted him to extend it, but at the same time, he was being asked to audition for several other plays, and flat-out offered a couple.  He discussed the matter with Blaine, and made his choice.  He wanted to stay with his current show; it was comfortable, and provided a steady and predictable income, one that would allow Blaine to back off his other projects and audition, taking whatever roles he could get until he either achieved success or decided to fall back to one of his other pursuits.  However, Blaine was adamant that he take the opportunities offered to him; if they extended his contract and waited, he might not have the same opportunities later.  Kurt pointed out that leaving a hit show for a new one was a gamble:  it might be a flop.  Blaine, however, felt the chance was worth it.  Kurt needed to prove that he was not a one-hit wonder, that he was versatile.  And so Kurt let his producers know that he would be leaving, and began auditioning. 

He soon had four parts to choose from, two musicals and two non-musical plays.  Since his last show had been a romantic comedy musical, he chose a dramatic play that was not a musical; he would be playing a tragic role, one with no happy ending.  It was one that rang true to him; he kept thinking that on so many occasions, had his life been any different, in timing, in action, in his relationships, he might have easily become a tragic figure like the one he would be playing. 

As he read the play and prepared for rehearsals to begin, he realized how emotionally draining this role would be.  It was much less physically demanding, and yet he was exhausted at the end of each day.  Once rehearsals began, the effect was intensified.  He needed his mornings of designing and phone calls to his boss, and Blaine beside him each night.  He became a bit clingy, while at the same time becoming withdrawn, and Blaine began to worry.  Finally, he sat Kurt down, insisting they talk about what was bothering him.  Kurt ended up crying, babbling incoherently about how close he had come to being just like his character.  Blaine didn't really understand, and tried to get Kurt to talk to someone else, a therapist maybe, but Kurt refused.  He wasn't surprised; he didn't really expect Kurt to agree to see a professional.  He simply tried to be there, and gradually Kurt opened up more, talking about the many things in his life that had saved him when they could have gone so wrong:  his dad's acceptance of his sexuality, Dalton, meeting Blaine, Blaine befriending him, then becoming his boyfriend, Blaine convincing him to go to New York, getting into NYADA, getting back together with Blaine, marrying him.  Talking seemed to help, and Kurt slowly started to seem more like himself, although Blaine still worried.

Blaine, on the other hand, began auditioning.  He received a lead in a musical with ridiculous ease, making many who had been auditioning for years jealous.  Rachel asked him to put in a good word for her, hinting strongly that she would make a great leading lady.  Blaine secured an audition for her, but made her promise she would take any part offered.  Since her play had closed early last spring, she had not been working steadily, and was waiting tables to make ends meet, but was still insisting on auditioning only for lead roles.  She was in consideration, but the director and casting agent felt her chemistry with Blaine was lacking; she was eventually offered a role in the ensemble, which she grudgingly accepted, telling Blaine she would continue to audition, and would leave as soon as she got a leading role.  Blaine wasn't worried, as ensemble members came and went regularly, leaving for any number of reasons.  He surprised even himself when his answer, when asked his opinion about who might be good for the lead character's best friend, was Adam.  Adam agreed to audition, and everyone, including Adam and Blaine, were astounded at how good their on-stage chemistry was.  A sweet red-headed girl, Megan, was eventually cast as Blaine's leading lady, and the three became fast friends, causing Kurt to complain good-naturedly when he went out with them about being the outsider.  “Don't worry,” Adam consoled him.  “We are the three musketeers, but you're D'Artagnan.”  At the comment, Kurt nearly inhaled his drink, and ended up coughing and sputtering through his laughter.

* * *

Both shows turned out to be incredibly successful, and the two men were riding high on their accomplishments, when Kurt was asked to meet with the designer he had been working for.  Kurt wasn't really surprised, it had been nearly a year, and his designs had been quite successful.  He expected to be offered an extension of their agreement, so he was quite surprised when the designer, Grant, told him he should leave.  Seeing Kurt's astonishment, he quickly went on to clarify, saying, “Kurt, you're not just good, you're excellent.  You shouldn't be working for someone else.  Your designs should have your name on them, not mine.” 

“I wouldn't even know where to start,” Kurt gasped.

“Tell you what.  I'll help.  I'll introduce you to a couple of bankers who can help with loans if you need them, and I'll co-sign with you if you need that.  You can at least start with a small space; part of our office isn't being used, you can sublease it and it won't cost much.  I can help arrange for you to have a show next winter at each of the Fashion Weeks.  You'll need to have that month available, take a leave from whatever show you're working on, but you can do this.  I wish you could get things ready for the shows in September, but even if you did, the schedules are already set.  Take the year, show your work, see how it goes.  If it doesn't work out, you always have a home here.  But honestly, I don't think you'll ever come back, at least not as an employee.  Pretty soon, everyone will be fighting for your designs, no one will remember me, and I'll regret this decision a lot.  But you deserve this.” 

Kurt's mind was reeling.  He loved theater, but knew he couldn't keep up his current pace forever, and he had to admit he loved fashion as well.  “Um, can I take a few days, talk to my husband, and get back to you?”

“Of course.  Why don't we talk next week?  Lunch, Monday?”

“Great,” Kurt managed before wandering out of the office in a daze.

He needed to talk to Blaine.  Thank God it was Monday, and so they both had the night off. 

When Blaine walked through the door, he wasn't surprised to see Kurt curled on the couch with a sketchbook.  He knew Kurt liked to work at a desk, and planned to get him one, had even cleared a space in the second bedroom for it, but he hadn't yet had the time.  He knew Kurt would never buy one for himself, and he planned to surprise him with it.  However, lacking a desk, Kurt usually sketched at the dining table or on the couch.  What did surprise him was that Kurt looked nervous.  And when Kurt looked up and said, “We need to talk,” he could only imagine the worst.

“S-sure,” he replied, dread beginning to creep through him.

“Grant, um, Grant wants me to leave,” Kurt began.

“He fired you?  Why?”  This made absolutely no sense.  Blaine had only met Grant a couple of times, but he raved about Kurt's talent when they did meet.

Grabbing Blaine's hand, trying to calm him even though he was anything but calm himself, Kurt answered, “No, no, he didn't fire me.  He thinks I should design under my own name, put out my own collection.  He offered to help, he'll let me work out of unused space in his office cheap, and will help me get financing and a slot at the Fashion Week shows next winter.”

The sinking feeling in Blaine's stomach was replaced by one of pure elation.  “Baby, that's great news.  Why don't you look happy?”

“I don't know.  I don't know if I'm ready for this.  I don't know if I can do it, if I can be wholly responsible for an entire line.  There won't be anyone to take up the slack if I can't do it, there'll just be me.  And it will take more time, which I don't have much of now, and I'd have to take at least a month off of any show I'm in, and I don't want to give up theater yet.  I know I will some time, I can't keep this pace forever, but right now I'm still young and in demand, and what if I lose that?  I'm not ready for that.”  Kurt let his insecurities spill out.

A huge grin split Blaine's face.  “Love, you are so ready for this.  You could put on an entire show with just the designs you have stashed in your sketchbooks now.  And don't think I don't know about the grey portfolio on the shelf in the closet where you put your favorite sketches, the ones you don't want anyone else to take credit for.  If you need to cut back on something, start with costume design.  You enjoy it, but not as much as performing or designing for actual people.  Well, as close as models are to actual people.  When you decide whether or not to stay with this show, let them know when you'll need to take off if you decide stay.  Otherwise, let them know when you're cast next.  Like you said, right now you're in demand.  That makes it easier to ask for time off, because the producers and casting agents are just happy to be able to get you at all.  You can do this, I know you can.”

Kurt still wasn't convinced, but Blaine's confidence in him helped.  “I'll think about it.  We're supposed to meet in a week.”

“You are going to do this.  You're going to have your own line!  I'm so excited!  We have to go out,” Blaine gushed.

Kurt followed him until his last announcement.  “What?  Why?”

“Because we're celebrating, you goof!”

“I was going to sketch tonight, and I have designs due tomorrow for that new play I was working on, and you said you wanted to write.  What about that?”

“You've had the designs for the show ready for a week.  Last week you were annoyed that they couldn't move the meeting up, and you've just tinkered with them, only to go back to the originals, ever since you finished them.  You've been sketching, you need a break, and I can write any time.  This won't happen every day, and we need to acknowledge it.  Come on,” Blaine started being logical and ended with pleading.

He sent Kurt to change, then called their favorite Italian restaurant in Little Italy and made a reservation.  “Kurt, they can't get us in for a couple of hours, which is understandable given the short notice,” he called as he made his way back to the bedroom.  As he reached the door, he stopped and stared.  Kurt was standing in only his underwear, staring into the closet.

Kurt turned to face him, saying, “Good.  I don't know what to wear.  If I'm going to be a designer, it should make a statement, but suddenly I can't even manage to pick out the simplest thing.  I don't know if I can handle this, and I'll need all the time I can get just to get dressed.”

By this time, getting Kurt dressed was the farthest thing from Blaine's mind.  Getting him the rest of the way undressed, however, was another matter.  “Well, you're going to have to pick something fast, later, because I think we need to start celebrating now,” he said, crossing the bedroom and pushing Kurt's underwear from his hips quickly before scooping him up to carry him to the bed.  He shed his own clothes in near record time and slipped into bed with Kurt, who had begun to protest.

“Baby, I love you, but if I don't get started – “

“You'll look perfect, no matter what you wear,” Blaine mumbled through the kisses he was planting along Kurt's neck as he worked his way down.

Kurt's protests died as soon as Blaine fastened his lips around Kurt's cock.  Suddenly he couldn't remember what he had been doing or why it was important.  Within moments he was moaning and calling Blaine's name, and he knew he wasn't going to make it long.  A few minutes later, Blaine ran his tongue over his slit, and that was all it took.  Screaming, “Oh, God!” he came down Blaine's throat, Blaine swallowing around him, which just intensified the feeling.  As he always did when he experienced an intense orgasm, he blacked out for a moment.  He came to in Blaine's arms, Blaine peppering his face with kisses.

“Hey, there you are.  Welcome back,” Blaine murmured.  Blaine sometimes became a bit dizzy with a strong orgasm, but he'd never lost consciousness.  The first few times it had happened with Kurt, it was scary, but he was used to it now.  He knew it would last only a few minutes. 

“Mmm.  Love you.  Give me a minute,” Kurt mumbled.  He might be conscious, but he was sleepy.  He knew, however, that he had to pull it together.  They were going out to celebrate, and he was not about to let what had just happened be one-sided.  He managed to gather himself, and slipped down in the bed, letting his hands roam Blaine's body. 

He grinned as he reached his husband's cock, still hard and waiting for him.  He hummed as he sank down on it, running his tongue along the vein on the underside and around the head.

“Kurt, Baby, no, you can't, um, your voice,” Blaine was trying to form coherent protests.  Both of them became slightly raspy after giving the other a blow job, but it was much more noticeable with Kurt's high, clear counter-tenor, and he was less able to sing through it.  Blaine could usually sing passably the next day, but it sometimes took Kurt's voice several days to return to normal.

Kurt let go long enough to look up at his husband with a grin.  “I'm not singing in this show.  I can do this as much as I want, and I think I should be doing it a lot more often.”  With that, he resumed his actions with renewed vigor.  Blaine groaned, and several minutes later he came with a shout as Kurt swallowed around him.  Kurt crawled back up Blaine's body before collapsing on him.

From under his husband, Blaine began trying to rouse him, as Kurt seemed headed rapidly toward sleep.  “Come on, Baby.  We have to get up.  Remember?  We were going to celebrate.  We have to get dressed.”

Shit.  That's what he was doing before Blaine came in.  Kurt was brought back to reality.  He looked at the clock and realized that if he didn't hurry they'd be late for their reservations.  He jumped up and began rifling through the closet as fast as he could, throwing clothes at Blaine while grabbing some for himself.  It wasn't perfect, it might not make the statement he was envisioning, but it would be at least somewhat fashionable.  It would have to do.  He didn't think he looked any less put together than usual, so it should be acceptable.  He did his hair as well as he could in five minutes, and was ready to leave by the time Blaine called from the living room, having wisely decided to leave the bedroom lest Kurt's anxiety over his hurried choices turn to anger.

* * *

They reached the restaurant with fifteen minutes to spare, and as they waited for their table, they scanned the restaurant.  Blaine was the first to spot Santana and Brittany, sitting at a table near the window.  After telling the maitre'd where they'd be, they made their way over to the girls, greeting them and giving them hugs.  They saw each other much less now that everyone other than Brittany had graduated and everyone was busy with their careers, despite constant promises to make time to get together.

“What are you doing here?”  Kurt asked, somewhat surprised.  Despite officially having a few nights off each week, Santana tended to spend most evenings at the club she managed, so Brittany scheduled evening dance classes.

“Celebrating!”  Brittany exclaimed joyfully.

“So are we!”  Blaine told her, before asking, “What are you celebrating?”

Santana took over, sending an odd warning glance in Brittany's direction as she said, “Well, the guys who own the club are going through a nasty divorce, and the club is tied up in that.  They finally agreed to sell it, since neither is about to let the other have it, and I'm buying it.  They both testified that I'd been running the club for over a year in an attempt to prove the other wasn't fit to have it, and copies of the depositions combined with the club's financials, which are great, by the way, convinced some forward-thinking bankers to loan me the money to buy it.”

Kurt's jaw dropped before he could stop it, but he recovered quickly.  “That's fantastic!  Are you going to change anything?”

Santana shook her head.  “I've already made the changes I wanted to make.  Over the last several months, as the marriage fell apart, I pretty much just did whatever I felt like.  There was no oversight.  I was trying to make a model for a club I'd open someday, but since it's already the way I want it, with an established clientele and a good reputation, and it's available, why pass it up to take a chance on a new venture that might not make it?  What are you celebrating?”

Kurt looked to Blaine and nodded.  “The designer Kurt worked for thinks he needs to have his own line.  He's going to help him get started, and he extended an open invitation to come back if it doesn't work out.”

Brittany squealed and jumped up, enveloping Kurt in a hug.  Kurt, however, only half responded.  Something was off.  The girls weren't being completely honest about something, he was sure.  And there was something wrong about the table.  He stared at it for a moment before figuring it out.  Each woman had an entrée, and Brittany had a glass of wine, but only a glass of water sat next to Santana's plate.  They had been there long enough that if a waiter was simply refilling the glass, it should have been done by now.  Santana had never been one to abstain from alcohol, but she had also never abused it to the point that it was a problem, so there was no reason to think she shouldn't have a glass of wine.  “So, if you're celebrating, and it's really your news, Santana, why don't you have any wine?”

He was momentarily distracted from Santana by a delighted noise that escaped Brittany's mouth before she closed it again, bouncing in her chair and grinning manically.  Kurt made a mental note that if Santana kept her secret and he decided he wanted to know more than he wanted to honor their privacy, he could go to Brittany; it was kind of unfair to use her that way, but he knew he could get her to spill if he wanted to.  He turned back to Santana, who glared briefly at Brittany before confessing, “Okay, I'm pregnant.  Please don't tell anyone yet.  It's not that I don't want people to know, I do, actually, but it's still really early.  If something, you know, um, happened, I'm not sure I could take everyone's sympathy and pity.”

Kurt had suspected as much when he saw water instead of wine, but Blaine was flabbergasted.  “When?  How?”  He sputtered.

“I'm about six weeks along.  We knew we wanted children, but we wanted to be on our feet first.  Once the club deal seemed to be done, we decided it was a good time to start.  Who knew it would take the banks nearly three months to get their act together and put together the financing?  But the bankers were sure it would go through, and the guys I'm buying it from were willing to be patient because they both really love the club and they know I can run it well and be successful – I wasn't some guy off the street who might run it into the ground.  Like I said, since it's a going concern, we don't have the uncertainty of a new business.  All that being said, we didn't want to wait too long and suddenly find that one or both of us was too old, especially since we want more than one child.  Since I don't dance, or at least not for a living, and Brittany has some pretty high energy projects going on right now, it made more sense for me to have the first baby; she'll have her turn next time.  As for how, we used a sperm donor.”

“Congratulations,” Blaine breathed as he enveloped her in a hug.

 “Yep.  Give me hugs now, while you can still get close enough to do it,” she quipped.

Both missed Kurt's muttered, “You're twenty four, I think you have a little time.”

Just then, a hostess came and told them their table was ready, so they said goodbye, giving each woman a hug and a kiss on the cheek, before following her. 

At their own table, the conversation turned to Kurt's designs, and all the things he would have to do:  make prototypes, find models, convince buyers to place orders, find a manufacturer, the list went on and on.  Then they talked about the shows they were in, Blaine's show that he had written that was still running, and the new one he was working on.  Eventually, they got around to talking about Santana buying the club, with Blaine saying they should go and Kurt joking that she'd try to draft him into waiting tables again.  By tacit agreement, neither of them brought up Santana's pregnancy.

* * *

As they made the walk back to the apartment from the subway station, Kurt was the first to break the silence on the topic that had been running through the back of both their minds all evening.  “Do you think Santana's sperm donor knew he was a sperm donor?”

Blaine's mouth dropped open for a moment before he recovered and said, “You mean you think she picked up some guy in a bar and had a one night stand just to get pregnant?”

Kurt gave him a long, knowing look before sighing, “Well, this is Santana we're talking about.”

Shaking his head, Blaine responded, “I don't even want to go there.  But I do want to talk about kind of a related topic.”

“Hmm.  What is that?”  Kurt asked as he interlaced his fingers with Blaine's.

“Kids.  We probably should have talked about this more before we got married, before we got engaged, really.  But since we didn't, now is as good a time as any.  I, I need to know where you stand on kids, if we're on the same page.”

“Well, I think we are.  I mean, we know we both want kids, right?”  Kurt prayed that the answer was still yes, that Blaine hadn't changed his mind.

“Yeah, we do.  At least, I know I do and I'm guessing from your answer that you do too.  But, I mean, how many?  And when?  And I hate to be the one to have to point this out, but neither of us can get pregnant,” Kurt huffed a laugh as Blaine continued, “so we can't just go pick someone up at a bar and never let that person know what we were doing, which brings us to our options.  Do we want to adopt, or do we want to use a surrogate?  And if we use a surrogate, which of us should be the biological father?”

“Wow.  You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?”  Kurt asked.

“Kind of, off and on.  Especially when we see Finn and his kids, and you're just so good with them.  I always just wish I was watching you with our kids instead of someone else's.  And like Santana, I don't want to wait until we're too old.  There's eight years between Cooper and I.  My parents were in their late twenties when they had him, but mid bordering on late thirties when they had me.  Listening to us talk about growing up, sometimes it seems like we have completely different parents.  They played more with him, had more fun with him, had more time with him.  I don't want us to be the rushed, too busy older parents with no time.”

“Blaine, Baby, have you looked at our schedules?  If we were a straight couple with the same schedules we might never have a baby because we can barely find the time to have sex.”

“I know, but right now, we're flexible.  We make changes all the time, and I know we can both adapt and make changes.  It seems the more you fall into a routine, the less flexible you get.  And I don't mean you you, I mean everyone.”

Kurt sighed.  “Okay.  Without committing to immediate action, let's assume we want to do something in the next few years.  I'm twenty four, you're twenty three, let's say before you're thirty we want to start a family.”  Blaine nodded.  They entered the apartment building and climbed the stairs, still holding hands.  As they opened the door, Kurt led him to the couch.  “I want more than one child.  I don't want a reality TV number of children, but definitely more than one.  I was an only child, and it was really lonely.  I felt like I never had anyone to confide in or anyone who had my back.  I mean, friends are nice, but it's not the same.  Finn's great, but we didn't become brothers until we were seventeen.  And especially after my mom passed away, I didn't want to worry my dad, so I kept a lot bottled up.”

“Okay,” Blaine said, “More than one.  Two, maybe?  But not too far apart.  Cooper was so much older, and it always seemed to me like I could never measure up.  In hindsight I can see that most of him seeming so much better and more accomplished than me came from the fact that he was older, and had had a lot more years in which to accomplish something.  And, once he left, it was kind of like I was an only child; I mean, you know we weren't close, so I wasn't really calling to confide in him.”

“What's acceptable, spacing wise?”  Kurt wondered.

“At least two years, as many as five,” Blaine answered.  “The younger we are when we start, the bigger I think the gap can be.”

“Mmm.  That really only solves the old parents problem, not the much older sibling thing.  Let's aim for the middle, maybe three or four years apart?”  Kurt mused.

“That's acceptable,” Blaine said, in a way that made Kurt feel like they were negotiating points in a business deal or contract.  “Adoption or surrogate?  There are a lot of kids that could use homes, but honestly I really want a newborn, at least once.  And I don't think it's as easy to adopt a newborn.”  He looked at the ground and blushed a bit before turning back to his husband, “And when I see our future, I see it with a baby who looks like you.”

“Funny,” Kurt responded, “Because in my fantasies, the baby always looks like you.”

“We did say more than one, right?”

“What are you saying?"

“Think about it, Kurt.  I could be the biological father of one child, and you could be the biological father of the other,” Blaine reasoned.  “Any more, we adopt.”

Kurt smiled and leaned in for a kiss.  “I like that idea.”

“Can we, um, can I, start looking into it?  I mean, it will probably take a while to set everything up, and we should know what we're looking at,” Blaine said.

“Sure, Sweetheart.  And to try to get ready, we can volunteer to babysit more, maybe afternoons or Sunday or Monday evenings, for Stephen and Carole Ann.”

“Really?”  Blaine sounded excited at the prospect, and Kurt knew then that they would be having a baby sooner than seven years from now, one way or another.  Even though he'd proposed the timeline, he found he didn't mind the prospect of having it shortened.

* * *

After that evening, little was mentioned about starting a family.  Kurt knew Blaine was researching it, and he sometimes found him pouring over information on his computer rather than writing, but he was still writing, both music and plays, as well as performing, so Kurt didn't mention it.  A small slowdown in Blaine's work product was acceptable. 

It was not, however, acceptable for Kurt, who had an entire show to prepare, nearly single-handedly, before February.  Every minute Kurt wasn't at his performances, he was focused on the fall/winter line he would be presenting.  It was nearly unheard of for a twenty-five year old independent designer with no track record to be shown at all four major Fashion Weeks, but Grant worked some sort of magic and the buzz that had surrounded his debut into the fashion world thanks to Vogue.com and Vogue, courtesy of Isabelle, meant that not only was he being shown, but his shows were among the most anticipated of the season.  The end result was that Kurt's stress level was off the charts, and he spent hours bent over the design desk Blaine had bought him as a congratulations present the day after Kurt gave him the news.

As Kurt dove into designing, he didn't really notice Blaine and Adam were spending more time together.  However, in early fall, as he neared the end of his run and began preparing to audition again, the time Blaine was spending with Adam crept into Kurt's consciousness.  Finally, he couldn't stand not knowing; he didn't think there was anything wrong between he and Blaine, but he had to be sure.  The next night they both had off, he put away his sketchbook and his audition pieces and prepared dinner for the two of them, something that had become increasingly rare.  He texted Blaine and asked him to come home by seven.  That should give him enough time, since his matinee performance was over at 5:30, just half an hour after Kurt's.

By five after seven, Kurt was becoming anxious; he finished putting dinner on the table and reached for his phone, preparing to text Blaine.  Just then, the door burst open, a smiling Blaine chattering on his phone, saying, “Okay, great.  See you tomorrow.  Right, ten o'clock.”

“Who was that?”  Kurt asked as Blaine ended the call.  He had a sinking feeling he knew who it was.

“Just Adam,” Blaine laughed, confirming Kurt's fears.

Kurt was trying to hold it together, but he could feel everything slipping away from him.  “Why are you meeting Adam tomorrow, and why have you been spending so much time together?”

“We have a meeting with a lawyer.  My dad set it up.”  He told Kurt.

“Why?”  Kurt asked quietly, dreading the answer.

“To deal with all the contracts.  I tried, but they don't all make sense, and now I'm thinking I probably should have had a lawyer look at the ones I signed when I started the show I'm in.  Oh, and I extended my contract; it was just easier with everything else going on.”

Kurt was confused.  “What contracts?”

“I was trying to keep it a surprise, but I guess I've blown it.  My next play.  Well, it's an old one, really, the first I wrote.  But it's been rewritten and expanded.”

“Okay.  So you have a new, sort of old play in the works.  I don't remember you having to meet with lawyers for the last two.”

“Well, hindsight being twenty-twenty, we probably should have.  We didn't get screwed over, but that's pure luck because I wouldn't have known if we were.  But this one's different.”

“How?”  Kurt looked at Blaine, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

“I want to both produce and direct this one.  And choreograph it.  Last time someone else did all that.  I wrote the last plays, and on the second one they were nice enough to ask my opinion about a few things, but they didn't have to and I really had no control.  This time, I don't know, maybe because it was the first play I wrote, I really want to have control.  I can see it in my head, and I want it to be exactly like that on stage.  The others were nice, but there were things I would have done differently.  I'll always wonder if they would have been better if everything had been done my way.”

“Blaine, Sweetie, your last two plays were great, and they were really successful.  The second play you ever had produced was a Broadway hit, and it's still running.”

“But could it have been better?  Could it have been a bigger hit?  Could the first one have made it on Broadway?  I'll always wonder.  And I have people interested in investing in the next one, and letting me produce and direct.  I really want to do this!”

Kurt was happy for him, honestly, he was.  Blaine deserved this.  But he still had questions.  “That's great, Baby, but I don't understand what Adam has to do with any of this.”

“Oh, is that what this is about?  You were worried about me and Adam?”  Blaine was trying to hold back laughter.  Kurt nodded, tears in his eyes, failing to see any humor in the situation.

“Well, he's my assistant choreographer.  Essentially, I put him in charge of making sure I don't have the chorus members running into each other, at least not if they know the steps and are on beat.  And he'll probably be my assistant director, and he's a pretty good gopher, too.  He never forgets my coffee order and he's never gotten me a sandwich I wouldn't eat.”

“That's all?”  Kurt sighed in relief.  “I just, I don't know, I guess I'm still a little insecure.  You work with all those gorgeous men and sometimes I wonder if I'm still good enough.”

“Baby, you work with just as many gorgeous men, maybe more.  We just have to trust each other.  And if you're worried, just tell me.  We can talk about it.  I'm so in love with you, and I don't ever want you to doubt that,” Blaine put his arms around Kurt's waist and kissed him.  “Deal?”

“Deal,” Kurt said, turning to the table to take the food back to the kitchen.

“Um, where are you going with my dinner?”

“We need to celebrate!”  Kurt told him.

“Don't you think we should wait for the financing to come through?”

“Did we wait for my line to sell?”

“Kurt, it isn't even out yet.”

“Exactly.  This stuff will all reheat.  Decide what you want and we'll go out.  Oh, and for the record, Blaine, anyone could be your gopher.  You drink medium drip with a handful of sugar packets on the side, and I've yet to see a sandwich you wouldn't devour, no matter how disgusting it is.”

“My sandwiches aren't disgusting.  At least most of them aren't.”

“Blaine, Baby, you eat like a bachelor college freshman when I'm not around to watch you.  I worry about your diet almost as much as I do my dad's.  I don't want either of you to keel over on me.  Now where do you want to go eat?”

“Chinese.”

“And I rest my case,” Kurt sighed.

“Nice Chinese?”  Blaine tried.

Thirty minutes later they were walking through the doors to one of the more upscale Chinese restaurants in Chinatown when they spotted a familiar couple.  Brittany waived them over.  Kurt blanched as he saw the food in front of Santana.  “I know, it's kind of gross,” Brittany told them, picking at the plate of Moo Goo Gai Pan before her.

“What is that?”  Kurt asked, not really certain he wanted to know the answer.

“Cashew chicken over shrimp fried rice and pot stickers with spicy mustard,” Santana said after she swallowed the bite that had been in her mouth.  Just then, a waiter arrived with an order of Hunan beef and one of Mu Shu pork.  “Hey, baby girl wants what she wants, and right now she's hungry.”

“So it's a girl?”  Blaine exclaimed.  “When are you due exactly?”

Santana nodded proudly before telling him, “Right before Christmas, December twentieth, to be exact.  We had planned to go back to Ohio for Christmas, but now it looks like our parents will come here.  We didn't really think that through when we decided to do this when we did.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before being ushered to their own table across the room.  Blaine kept stealing glances at the girls, and Kurt had to remind him to focus on the baby he was trying to get financing for, rather than Santana's.  There was no doubt about it:  Blaine's baby fever was back with a vengeance.

* * *

It took a lot of meetings with attorneys, but finally all the contracts and financing were in place for Blaine's play.  Casting had begun, and Kurt began to relax once again.  Blaine and Adam were together even more, but Blaine spent most of the time they weren't together griping about him.  “God, I know we're friends, but Adam's driving me nuts with casting.  I do think the lead in the first musical I produce and direct should have something going for him besides a nice ass.  I mean, is it too much to ask for someone who can sing, dance and act?  All though right now I think I'd settle for one of the three.  And do you remember a girl at NYADA named Therese?  I swear, I think he owes her a favor for something, or maybe she's blackmailing him, I don't know, but he keeps pushing me to cast her as the leading lady.  All I do know is that Rachel would be less of a pain to work with, and I do know what I'm talking about here.  I'm just glad she's in rehearsals for a new show so I don't have to either hire her or turn her down, because she's just not right for the part.”  Kurt smiled fondly.  He did like Adam as a friend, and now that he was irritating Blaine enough that Kurt wasn't worried Blaine might fall in love with him, he found the entire situation entertaining.

Blaine was still doing his musical, which he had now performed so many times he could do it in his sleep, allowing his mind to focus on the play he was preparing.  Kurt had accepted the lead in another musical, and would rehearse for a month before the month of Fashion Weeks began, then return for another two months of rehearsals.  The cast recording would be done during the time he was gone, and studio time had been booked for him to record his tracks in London. 

Kurt was also putting the finishing touches on his fashion line, the first produced by the now officially named KHA Designs.  All the arrangements had been made, right down to tickets for Blaine to fly to London to celebrate his twenty-fourth birthday in London with Kurt, and then to go to Milan together so they could be together for Valentine's Day, despite Fashion Week.

Once again, everything seemed to be going well.  This time, Kurt felt no sense of foreboding.  Both his career and Blaine's were doing well.  Santana's baby, Amelia, had arrived right on time, with a sense of punctuality that shocked everyone who knew her mothers, and was cheerfully preventing any sleep in the Lopez-Pierce household.  Brittany was hired as a choreographer-in-residence for an off-Broadway theatre company, and had picked up jobs working as a choreographer on two Broadway shows, on top of the classes she taught.  The club's business was booming under Santana's leadership, and neither pregnancy nor a baby had slowed her down.  In fact, it was doing so well that she was in the process of securing a lease to open a second club, one that she would shape from the ground up.  Both he and Blaine and Santana and Brittany, to the extent that Santana's pregnancy had permitted, had taken a day or two off at a time to attend a spate of weddings:  Tina and Mike had married in Chicago, Mercedes and Sam in Lima, Puck and Lauren in Massachusetts, Nick and Jeff in Hawaii.  They had also celebrated, either in person or via long distance, several engagements:  Artie and Kitty, Wes and Michelle, Marley and Jake, David and Andrea.  They were babysitting Stephen and Carole Ann each Monday afternoon and evening, permitting Finn to attend a study group for a class he struggled with and also to teach an evening music class at the community center.  They even took pity on Santana and Brittany and took care of Amelia on the occasional morning or Sunday evening; the original idea was that the two could enjoy time as a couple, without Amelia, but the four adults soon learned sleep was more essential.  Kurt didn't tend to be an optimist, but this time he had decided to just enjoy everyone's good fortunes for as long as they lasted.

Kurt was too busy to realize Blaine's research into several areas had picked up.  Blaine, on the other hand, wasn't going to rock the boat until he saw how Kurt's shows at Fashion Week went, not to mention his own musical.