CHAPTER 13

The month of the Fashion Weeks were a blur, but a very successful blur.  Kurt walked away with a ridiculous number of orders, which had many more established designers jealous.  The fashion magazines, web sites and blogs, led of course by Vogue and Vogue.com, hailed him as the new shining star of the fashion industry.  The manufacturer Kurt had contracted with to actually fill the orders turned out high quality work on a timely basis, making his new customers very happy.  KHA Designs was officially off the ground.

Kurt's new musical opened to rave reviews.  He was having fun, playing a man who was constantly missing his one true love, his soul-mate, by minutes.  It was a comedy of errors, in which the couple finally met and fell in love at the end.  After the darkness of his previous show, Kurt was relieved to be playing something so light-hearted, with a happy ending.  It made him think of he and Blaine, only the play definitely had less angst than they'd put each other through; on the other hand, they got time together, something the couple in the play never seemed to have.  And the best part was that not only did the critics love the show, so did the public.  Kurt was basking in the glow when, in early June, he had another reason to celebrate.

Blaine's show opened, and was equally successful.  Originally written during the time he and Kurt were broken up, it was much darker than Kurt's show, and the ending was uncertain, leaving the audience to decide if the protagonists were able to make their relationship work.  Critics and audience members alike debated the ending for hours, often returning time and again to see if there was anything they had missed that would give them a clue.  Blaine was even interviewed by a few reporters and asked about how the couple's story ended.  He refused to give them an answer, although at least one reported that she thought they came out well in the end, based on the ring on his finger. 

He had finally left the show he was in to focus on getting his own off the ground, but now that it was going, and soon he wouldn't have to be in the theater for it every day, he was preparing to audition for something new.  He also was starting to write again, thinking about the next show.  He had so loved producing and directing that he was looking forward to doing it again, but never even considered doing so with a show he hadn't written.  That, however, was just fine with his investors, who, based on the triumph of his first show, were more than happy to express interest in his next, despite the fact that he had yet to write it.

All things considered, both men's careers were going well, and that, combined with the lack of time they had to actually spend money, was showing up on the bottom line of their bank account.  In September, Blaine decided to finally bring up the matter that had been on his mind as they returned to the apartment after a dinner with friends to celebrate Kurt's birthday.  With Fashion Weeks ongoing, it was one of the few chances they would have to talk.

“So, twenty-six, huh, Old Man?”  He teased.

Kurt shouldered him playfully.  “Yep.  But I can still keep up with you,” he said, running ahead and into the building, taking the stairs two at a time.

“No fair!”  Blaine exclaimed, trying to keep up.  He could do the stairs two at a time, but it was harder with his shorter legs.  Most of the time the two and a half inch height difference didn't matter, but there were times when it was really annoying.  This was one of those times, he thought.  Or maybe not, since he was getting a nice view on the way up.

Once they reached the apartment, giggling like a couple of kids, they stumbled into the entryway and made their way to the living room, collapsing on the couch.  “Do you realize we've lived here for over five years?”  He asked.  “We've been here longer than anyone else in the building.  I think the rest of the tenants really do think of us as the old men.”

“Probably,” Kurt admitted.  “Almost everyone here is a student, so we do seem pretty old to most of them, although we do have a couple of grad students and at least one career student in the building, and they're as old if not older than we are.”

“Have you ever given any thought to moving?  I mean, we barely fit in here when we moved in, and now we're bursting at the seams.  There's no way we could have a baby in here, we could never shoehorn one in, and the neighbors got annoyed when we babysat.  And now that Stephen and Carole Ann are gone, I do have to admit to a bit of baby fever.”  Blaine said, wistfully reminding Kurt that Finn and the kids had moved back to Lima, where he was McKinley's first official full-time choir director, although he did fill in teaching a few other places since there weren't enough choir students to keep him busy full time.

“I knew you wouldn't be able to hold out until thirty,” Kurt laughed.  “And you're right, before we have kids, we'll have to find a new place.  But I'm not sure I'm quite ready for kids, and it'll be hard to give this place up.  I mean, you're right, it's a tight fit, but somehow we always make it work, and it will always be special, because it was our first place together.  I don't know if I'm ready to leave.  And I don't even know if we can afford someplace bigger.”

It was Blaine's turn to laugh.  “Do you have any idea how much money we actually have?”

Kurt shook his head.

Blaine pulled out his phone, and pulled up the banking app.  Turning the screen to Kurt, he began flipping through their accounts.  He smiled as he watched Kurt's jaw drop.  He knew Kurt watched his business accounts, but once they were independent of their parents and working steadily enough to easily support their lifestyle, which consisted mostly of working, he had been happy to let Blaine take over their personal finances.

“And that's not all.  In February, I turn twenty-five, and I have a college degree.”

“Yes, I'm aware,” Kurt said drily.  “And you're expecting to somehow come into money at that time?”

“Actually, I am,” Blaine told him.  “Trust fund, remember?  To get it I had to do two things:  graduate from college and turn twenty-five.  And I get the remainder of my education fund when I turn twenty-five too.”

“There's money left?  How much?  And how much is the trust fund?”

“How much do you think it is?”

“I don't know.  I always just guessed it was a few thousand dollars,” Kurt admitted.

Blaine shook his head.  Not that he had ever really thought Kurt was after his money, but his lack of curiosity and knowledge of the Anderson family money pretty much drove the fact home.  “I got several partial scholarships and grants, and remember me working?  All of that defrayed the money I had to take from my college fund, so there's about fifty thousand left, plus whatever interest it earned in the last two years.  The trust fund?”  Rather than name another figure, he simply turned to another app and showed Kurt the screen. 

Kurt gasped and blinked several times, thinking he was seeing things.  Surely there were too many zeroes.  The number on Blaine's screen showed eight figures.  “That's the principle,” he continued.  “The total includes interest, and dividends from some of the investments, since I never drew on it.  If necessary I could have drawn on the interest and dividends, but I never had to.  And we don't need it to live on, so I figured we could use it to buy a new place and finance having kids.  As it turns out, neither adoption nor having a baby by surrogate are cheap, but we can afford it pretty easily with this.”

“But Blaine, that's your money.  We can't use all your money on that,” Kurt insisted.

“It's our money.  We're in this together, Baby, and what else am I going to use it for?” 

“Won't your parents be angry?”

“First, it's not their money, it's mine, well, ours.  And second, I've already discussed it with them, and they approve.”

“You discussed it without me?  And yet you insist it's our money, our decision.”  Kurt's anger was beginning to simmer.

“It wasn't intentional.  Mom brought it up when I went home for a few days after the play was up and running, when you were going to go but your stand-in got sick.  Specifically the way the conversation went was I was ambushed with the fact that Cooper is getting a divorce after less than a year of marriage, based on his infidelity, which could have been disastrous but for the pre-nup my parents insisted on.  It went from there to the fact that at this rate Cooper will never give her grandchildren to asking very pointed questions about our plans regarding children.  I caved.  I told her we were planning to have some, although not right away.  She pushed and I pointed out that it would be a more expensive and time consuming process for us than it would be for a straight couple.  We aren't exactly going to pull a Finn and Rachel and get pregnant by accident.  And she brought up the trust fund.  At which point Dad walked in; apparently he was listening from the next room.  He pointed out that we could also use it to buy a place of our own, which led to a long and boring lecture on the benefits of ownership over renting, which I will bore you with the details of later.”

Kurt sighed in relief.  That was Blaine's parents.  They meant well, but sometimes they were a bit pushy, and occasionally seemed to think money was the answer to everything.  Although, in this case, they weren't far from wrong.  Then, replaying the conversation in his mind, he wondered aloud, “Pre-nup?  We don't have a pre-nup.  I don't remember your parents ever mentioning one.”

Blaine laughed.  “First, they like you, and have never worried that you were after the family money.  Second, did I mention they like you?  I think if we ever split up they'd be more likely to blame me than you and figure anything you got in a divorce you deserved.  And finally, while they never suggested we get one, I am my own person.  I take their opinions under advisement, and while I value their opinions, I make my own decisions.  I trust you and I believe in us, so I would never have agreed to one or asked you for one.  Cooper is a different story.  He pretty much lets my parents dictate financial matters, he dates girls who are blatant gold-diggers, and Mom and Dad do what they have to do to protect the family money.”

Kurt had returned to trying to wrap his head around the fact that they had money.  A lot of money.  More money than he'd ever dreamed of having.  And now he had no idea what to do.  The truth was he did want kids, and with Finn's departure, he really missed his niece and nephew.  Now that Amelia was sleeping through the night, Santana and Brittany were no longer as desperate for babysitting, and he missed having little ones around.  And a bigger place, one they owned, was appealing.  And in just a few months he could have it all.

Blaine brought him back to earth by asking, “Have you ever thought about what you'd want?  Where you'd want to live?”

Kurt was startled.  “New York, of course.  Why would we move away?”

Blaine laughed.  “Well, with kids the suburbs might be nice.  Or one of the other boroughs?  Or do you want to stay in Manhattan?”

“Manhattan.  Definitely.  I didn't really mind Bushwick when I lived there, but I like here so much better.  I want our kids to grow up with this.  I want them to be around all the people, the art, everything.  And we both work here.  I don't want them missing time with us because we have a long commute.”

“Yeah, but we might be able to get a yard if we went to one of the other boroughs or to the suburbs,” Blaine pointed out.  “We both grew up with yards.”

He had a point, but Kurt had an answer.  “We did, but there are parks all over Manhattan, and they're bigger than our yards were when we were growing up.  We just have to find a place near a good park.”

Blaine smiled.  They were making slow progress.  “Okay.  Near a park.  What else is on your wish list?”

Kurt looked out the windows thoughtfully.  “Three bedrooms, since we want two kids.  I never had to share a room, and neither did you.  My room was always my refuge, and I want that for our kids.”

He looked around the apartment and continued.  “A bigger kitchen.  Two bathrooms would be nice.  More storage and closet space.  A place to put my desk and your instruments other than our bedroom or the kids' rooms . . . .”

As he trailed off, Blaine asked, “Look, I don't get it for another five months, and I know we're both in shows and I'm trying to write the next play and you have to finish this Fashion Week month and then focus on getting ready for February, but can I start looking?  And can we maybe speed up the baby timetable a bit?”

“How much?”

“Maybe trying to have one born late next year or early the year after?”

Kurt suddenly remembered one time when they were babysitting, when he walked into the living room to find Blaine lying on the couch, Carole Ann on his chest, singing her a lullaby.  Blinking back tears, he said, “Yeah, that sounds good.  And you can scout neighborhoods, too, but not apartments yet.  I don't want to fall in love with a place and then have someone else buy it before we can.”

“Okay.  Do you want to have this be the place, and never move again, or will you consider moving again?”  Blaine knew Kurt had moved only three times in his life:  when his father had remarried, when he moved to New York, and when he moved in with Blaine.  On the other hand, that was one more time than he had moved himself, having lived in the same home from the time he was born until he went to college.

“I'm not sure.  I don't like moving, as you've noticed.  I mean, I lived in the same house from the time I was born until Dad married Carole.  So, I'd like it to be a nice place, a place where we can raise our family and stay and never move.  But, I'm not sure I'm comfortable spending every cent we have to get that, and things could always change.  We could end up moving back to Ohio.”  He shivered a little involuntarily. 

Blaine smiled.  Now he had something to work with.

* * *

It was Blaine's birthday, and he lay in a bed in a luxurious London hotel room, Kurt in his arms.  This year, his parents and Cooper had flown out to celebrate his birthday with he and Kurt.  Kurt had, however, gotten invitations for his parents to several exclusive Fashion Week events, and Cooper was trying his luck at wooing a number of models, many of whom seemed more amused than enthralled.  Therefore, they had plenty of time alone to make love, and afterwards, to cuddle, and talk.

At that moment, Blaine was trying to start a conversation, while Kurt was sleepily debating with himself whether to just cuddle and go to sleep or to see if they were up for one more round of love making.  “So, have you given any thought to which one of us should go first?  Or do you want to both do it?”

“Hmm?”  Kurt was resting his head on Blaine's chest, dropping occasional kisses across it, lazily trailing his hand along Blaine's body.  He had no idea what Blaine was talking about.

“Which one of us should be the biological father of the first baby?  Or we could have them split the donor eggs into two groups.  We each donate and they fertilize one group of eggs with my sperm, one with yours, and implant one embryo from each group.”

Kurt looked up at Blaine's face.  “Now?  You want to talk about this now?”

“Mmm-hmm.  Why not?  We just made love, and if we were a hetero couple that's what we'd be doing when we wanted to have a baby.”

Kurt sighed.  Apparently they were actually going to have this conversation now.  “Okay.  Um, I don't think I like the idea where we both go at the same time, so to speak.  We wouldn't really know without testing which of us was the biological father, and if we did it twice, we could end up with one of us fathering both kids, which would be fine if one of us couldn't for some reason, but as long as we both can, which is the case as far as we know, I'd rather stick to the original plan.”

“Which brings us back to the original question:  which of us should go first?”

They'd discussed a little of the procedure.  They would use an egg donor and a gestational surrogate.  One of them would donate semen to fertilize the donor eggs, and a couple of the best looking embryos would be implanted in the surrogate.  Kurt was okay with all of it in principle, but the idea of actually handing off a container of his semen to some medical technician made him vaguely uncomfortable.  He knew he'd do it if he had to, and he would have to eventually if they carried through with the current plan, but he didn't have to go first.  He knew Blaine would be okay with this, so he didn't really go into detail about why he wanted Blaine to do it first.  Instead, he said, “You go first.  I want to make sure I have a little Blaine running around.”  It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the whole reason.

Blaine laughed.  “Are you sure?  Maybe you should talk to Mom and Cooper.  Apparently I was something of a hellion when I was little.”

Kurt smiled.  “Really?  Because I just can't picture that.  Anyway, why did you want to talk about this now?”

Blaine tensed a little.  This was the part Kurt had been putting off since his birthday, so Blaine had taken the initiative.  “Because, as soon as you get back, we have appointments.  We'll be meeting with an attorney who specializes in helping gay couples have children, and we'll have a series of meetings with counselors and doctors at a fertility clinic that is amenable to helping gay couples.  And we need to know which of us is going first because it will help us pick egg donors.  I was thinking we'd pick one with your physical characteristics when I'm going to be the biological father, and one that has more of my features when it's going to be you.”

“Okay,” Kurt whispered.

“Really?  You're not mad?”

“No.  I'm not.  I want a family.  I want kids, and some days I think I'm ready, but other days I feel like I'm barely more than a kid myself.  So I've been procrastinating, even though I know you're ready and I know you'll be a great dad.”  He looked at Blaine's chest, away from his face, before whispering softly, “But what if I'm not good enough?”

Blaine placed a finger under his chin, tilting his head gently so he could look into Kurt's eyes.  “Listen to me.  You will be a wonderful father.  How could you not?  You had the world's best example.”

Kurt grinned.  “Yeah.  I did, didn't I?”

* * *

Once Kurt arrived home from Paris, the next few days were a whirlwind.  He was ready to resume his role in the musical, he was buried in orders, his days were dictated by the appointments Blaine had set up, and he finally admitted he needed a work space of his own and help with KHA designs, so he began interviewing for an office manager and an assistant designer, while talking to a real estate agent about studio space.  He hardly knew if he was coming or going.

He and Blaine had passed all of the medical and psychological testing at the clinic, and talked to the attorney about the necessary paperwork so they would both be listed as the legal parents of their child.  Now they were in one of the clinic's conference rooms, Kurt looking for potential surrogates while Blaine looked through books of possible egg donors.  Suddenly, Blaine said, “Kurt, Baby, come here.  I think I found her.”

Kurt pushed his chair a little closer to Blaine's and leaned in.  Many of the egg donors didn't include pictures, just listing physical characteristics, but this one had two photos, a head shot and a full length portrait showing an elegant young woman in a tutu.  The head shot showed an attractive girl with high cheekbones, a long, aristocratic nose, and slightly pointed chin; chestnut brown hair was swept back from her forehead, and she stared into the camera with a haughty expression in her blue eyes.  “She could be my sister,” Kurt said in amazement. 

“Yeah,” Blaine breathed.  “Listen.  She's twenty-eight, graduated second in her class in high school, went to study at the American Ballet Theater, and she's now one of their principal dancers.  She's specifically interested in being an egg donor for a gay couple because her brother and two of her best friends are gay.  She says she can't be a surrogate because of her career, but is willing to be an egg donor.  And she's tall – five foot seven.”

“Hmm.  Sounds a little bit like Rachel with the career thing; do we want that?”

“I don't see Rachel volunteering to go through hormone treatments and donate her eggs to help a gay couple, or anyone else for that matter, have a baby.”

“True.  What about the height?  She's almost as tall as you.”

“Any you're taller.  I don't mind being short, but if we could actually combine our DNA there's a chance that our kids might get lucky and get a bit of height from you.  I don't see any reason not to give them that advantage this way if we can.  She's got long legs and a dancer's body like you.  And she's smart and she looks so much like you . . . .”  Blaine trailed off, giving Kurt a hopeful look.

Kurt smiled and leaned in to give Blaine a quick kiss.  “Okay.  We have an egg donor.  Now come over here and help me find a surrogate who doesn't sound like a psycho.”

                Several hours later, they had finally selected a surrogate, and left the clinic, leaving it to the staff to contact the women in question and set up the schedule that would dictate the next few months of their lives.

* * *

After setting things in motion at the clinic, it was time to focus on finding a new place to live.  They looked at and rejected several places for various reasons.  They didn't like the neighborhood, it was too noisy, too far from parks, too far from the subway, too small. 

Sitting in a small coffee shop, sifting through another stack of listings sent to them by their real estate agent, Blaine asked, “What would you think of looking at places with more bedrooms?  The real estate agent said we might find more property that meets our other requirements if we do that, and I know it makes you nervous, but we can afford it.”

Kurt looked up.  “First, I really don't want to spend your whole trust fund on a new apartment.  And second, do you want your mother to move in with us the second we have a child?  Because if there's room, it will happen.  And I love your mother, I really do, but I don't want to live with her, at least not right now.  If we need to take care of our parents someday, so be it, but we aren't there yet.  And the only reason Carole won't be arm-wrestling her for the space is that she has Finn's kids in Ohio.  Otherwise we'd have them both.”

“Okay.  I do have to admit you might be right about that.”

The two men continued to look through separate stacks for a while before Kurt noticed that Blaine was practically vibrating.  “Sweetheart, spill.”

“What?”  Blaine looked at Kurt and quickly put a listing at the bottom of the stack.

“Either you've had way too much coffee, and keep in mind that I've seen you drink way more than you've had with no noticeable effect, or you're excited.  Want to clue me in?”

“Okay.  There's a property I really want to look at.  But I don't want to show it to you on paper because I'm afraid you'll veto it right off the bat.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Will you just trust me a little?  Let me call, see if it's still on the market, and set up an appointment if it is.  After we see it, you can argue with me, but I really want to at least look at it, and I really, really want you to go into it with an open mind.”

Kurt looked at him for a moment, then sighed and said, “Okay.”

Blaine grinned and bounced away from the table to call the real estate agent.  Back at the table a few moments later, his phone rang and he answered.  A minute later Kurt heard him say, “Okay, great.  Yes, we'll be there.”  He grabbed Kurt's hand and said, “Come, on.  We have to go, otherwise we won't have time to look at this place before we have to be back at work.”

Kurt tried to question him as Blaine hailed a cab.  “What?  Where is this place?  Is it even in Manhattan?”

“Open mind, Kurt, open mind,” was all Blaine would say.

* * *

  Once in the cab, Blaine handed the driver a slip of paper on which he'd hastily scrawled an address. 

Kurt had given up on trying to get information, but was already having trouble with his promise to keep an open mind.  If there wasn't something horrible about this place, why wouldn't Blaine tell him about it?  When the cab stopped, Kurt looked around.  They were in front of an older building on Park Avenue, just a couple of blocks from Central Park.  Blaine paid the cabbie and they got out, as Kurt started to protest.  “We can't afford this!”

Blaine sighed.  “Yes, Baby, we can.  You don't even know how much it is and you promised me you'd keep an open mind.”

The real estate agent met them in the lobby, and took them up to the sixth floor in an old, restored elevator.  As she unlocked the door, she said, I'll just stay in the entry and let you look around, okay?”

They walked into a long gallery that ran nearly the length of the apartment.  On one side a doorway lead to a hallway with three large bedrooms, one noticeably larger than the others.  All three had en suite bathrooms and walk-in closets, with the largest having a double vanity and separate shower, as well as the largest closet.  After walking through the bedrooms, they crossed the gallery to find formal living and dining rooms, a large eat-in kitchen with doors concealing a pantry and space for a washer and dryer, an informal living space which could be another living room or dining room or a game room open to the kitchen, a library, and a tiny bedroom with a small closet and a tiny bathroom.  The floors were hardwoods, but better maintained than in the building where they currently lived.  All of the appliances were new and top of the line, and there was marble in the kitchen and the bathrooms.  There were two wood-burning fireplaces, one in the formal living room and one in the master bedroom.

It would be perfect, and Blaine knew it.  He just had to get Kurt to go for it.  He could see Kurt looking, casting longing looks at the closets, the kitchen with its storage and counter space, assessing what it would take to truly make it theirs, but he was also reserved; Blaine knew it was a defense mechanism to keep himself from getting too excited about something he couldn't have.  “Look, Honey, there's bedrooms for each child we want, and another that we could use as a guest room, but it's small enough that my mom won't stay too long.”

“Ha.  We could barely put a twin bed in there.  We are not going to ask your mom to stay there.”

“Fair enough.  What I was really thinking was that I could use the library as a music room for me, and we could both practice dancing some in the informal space, work out choreography, that sort of thing if we push the furniture out of the way – “

“We don't even have furniture to push out of the way at this point,” Kurt pointed out.

“True.  And the small bedroom you could use as a studio.  We could put your desk and sewing machine in there, maybe a dressmaker's form, and you could keep fabric in the closet . . . .”

“How much?”

“Not too much,”

“Blaine, how much?”

“It's listed at eight million, but that's just the listing.  We can probably get it for less.”

“I don't like the color of the walls,” Kurt said, walking out.

“We can paint it any color you want!”  Blaine yelled after him.

* * *

It took a few days, but Blaine finally got Kurt to come around.  The thing that finally persuaded him was the fact they could use the accumulated interest and dividends as a down payment without using the trust principle, and get a mortgage for the balance that was within their means using only the income they actively earned.  Once Kurt agreed, it took another several days to negotiate the price, which ultimately came down to seven and a half million.  They were about to be homeowners. 

They closed a little less than a month later.  Closing was nerve wracking for them both.  Kurt had never believed he would spend that much money on anything, and the idea of signing his name, promising to pay seven figures for an apartment, had him on the verge of hyperventilating.  Blaine was just worried that Kurt would walk out or have a panic attack or just refuse to sign the paperwork.  After an hour sitting with the title agents, having documents explained to them, retaining nothing but the fact that the apartment was soon to be theirs and the amounts and payments to be made, they walked out, keys in hand.

As they left the title company, Kurt muttered, “I wasn't kidding.  I really don't like the wall color.  It doesn't go with the granite and even if it did I don't like it.”

“I wasn't kidding either.  Pick paint.  Call a contractor.  We'll change the color.  Anything you like.”

“I'm not about to pay someone to paint when I can do it myself, not after what we just agreed to pay,” Kurt insisted.

“Fine,” Blaine sighed.  “Now we know what to do with our Sunday evenings and Mondays.”

* * *

Blaine received an unwanted crash course in interior house painting from his exacting husband, but with help from Santana and other friends, the colors in the apartment soon suited Kurt, and he began to relax and plan how he would decorate it.  Unwilling to spend money he didn't have to, they moved with their current furniture and Kurt took his time finding unique pieces that suited his style and the budget he had enforced for himself.  Blaine was just happy to have their new home, with plenty of room for the family they had planned.

* * *

Their surrogate, Macy, was willing to let them come to most of her doctor's appointments, so they found themselves squeezing each other's hands nervously in late May while sitting in the waiting room at the clinic.  Macy just laughed at them.  She was married and had two children of her own, and this was her second time to be a surrogate.  They had been near panic a few weeks earlier when the clinic staff called to tell them Macy's beta numbers were “a little on the high side,” until it was explained to them that it was no cause to worry and didn't, in all probability, mean anything bad.  They had backed down from panic to mere worry at that point, despite all assurances.

Macy was called back first, and a few moments later, after she had been prepped for the ultrasound, Kurt and Blaine were called back.[1]  The tech directed their attention to a monitor, and pointed.  “There's your baby,” she said.  Kurt pointed, open mouthed, at a fluttering movement on the screen.  “That's its heartbeat, and it's perfect,” she continued, then made a small movement with her wand, and everything shifted.  “And there's the other one, and everything looks good there too.”

“What?”  Kurt and Blaine chorused.

Macy grinned.  “They told you my beta numbers were high.  They're higher with multiples.  At least, they should be.  And they were right where they should be for twins.”

“You knew?”  Blaine asked in amazement.

“For sure?  No.  Not until now.  But I had a pretty good idea.”

“Your due date is December twenty-third, so you should have Christmas babies,” the tech told them.

A few moments later, they left Macy to get dressed, still too stunned to really process the news.

Later that night, they lay in bed, Kurt's head on Blaine's chest as though he needed to hear his heartbeat in order to stay grounded.  “Twins,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” Blaine replied, laughing a little.  “Wow.”

Kurt rose from the bed, almost as if sleepwalking, and went to the pale blue room he'd planned to make the nursery.  “I can put one crib there, and the other there,” he said to himself, pointing to places in the room.  He didn't notice that Blaine had trailed after him.

“Or they could share a crib.  Jeff's a twin, and he said he and his sister slept in the same crib until they moved to a bed, and then shared a bed almost until kindergarten.  They stayed in the same room until midway through elementary school, when their parents decided it wasn't proper for a boy and a girl to continue to share a room, given their age.  It wasn't that they didn't have the space, they just always did better when they were close to each other.  Jeff said when either one was sad or upset or had a bad dream they would sneak over to the other's room to sleep up until they went to Dalton and Crawford Country Day respectively, where they lived in the dorms.  He told me the first time he really got upset at Dalton, he spent all afternoon trying to figure out how to get into her dorm.”

Kurt laughed at the thought.  “Did he figure it out?”

Blaine shook his head.  “No.  His roommate caught him trying to sneak out, and got him to talk about what was going on.  Turns out what he was upset about was that even though Dalton has a no-bullying policy, he was afraid of people's reactions when they found out he was gay, because he had kind of a bad experience in middle school, although not as bad in some ways as what you and I experienced.  When he first came out then, he wasn't bullied per se, more shunned.  No one did anything physical or even said anything to him, it was as though he ceased to exist.  No one talked to him, no one talked about him, no one would work with him, although they didn't refuse to work with him either, they just didn't – if he was assigned to work in a pair or in a group, the others would complete it without his input, as if he'd never been there.  He was completely isolated.  If it hadn't been for his sister, I'm not sure he would have made it, and the treatment bled over to her some too, and I know he felt guilty about that.  So he didn't come out for a few months at Dalton, but then he got a crush on someone.  He didn't even know for sure if the guy was gay; he wanted to find out, but couldn't figure out how without coming clean about being gay himself.”

“Oh, my God.  I can't imagine what that must have been like for him.  How did his roommate react?”

“Well, the roommate, who was also the subject of the crush, was Nick, and you know how that turned out.  He was out, but at Dalton it's such a nonissue no one ever thought to tell Jeff that Nick was gay, including Nick.  Since Jeff never said anything, Nick assumed he was straight.  The crush was mutual, but Nick had never acted on it because he didn't think Jeff was gay.  They started dating then, which was funny because they'd dressed in front of each other since they were assigned to the same room, but after that they both got shy and started dressing in the bathroom or in friends' rooms; they'd both strip in front of me, or Wes, or David, but not in front of each other.  They became best friends as well as boyfriends, broke up but stayed best friends, saw other people, and then got back together the summer before junior year.  They've been together ever since.”

“I wish we could have done that.  I wasn't sure we were even friends most of the time we were broken up, much less best friends.”

“Yeah, I know.  I would have liked that, but we're best friends now, and that's what matters.  Maybe we needed the time apart.  If we'd stayed best friends, things might have happened differently, and we might not be together now.”

“They managed.”

“Kurt, Nick and Jeff are different people.  We are who we are, and they're who they are.  No one's the same.  Everyone reacts differently.”

“Yeah,” Kurt sighed, too tired to pursue the debate.  “Back to the crib question.  How about we get two, but put them together in one until it seems right to separate them?  After we put them in two, we can still put one the other's crib if it seems like they need it.”

“Sounds good, Baby.  Now can we go back to bed and figure out the rest of the twin logistics tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said through a yawn, allowing Blaine to take his hand and lead him back to bed.

* * *

Three months later, they sat in another waiting room, waiting for another ultrasound.  In response to everyone's questions about what they wanted, they both had the same answer:  healthy babies.  They had debated not finding out if they were having boys, girls, or one of each, but Kurt really didn't like surprises, and Santana had threatened them, insisting she had to know in order to throw them a shower, because, “Showers where everything is mint green or yellow are just sad.”

“What do you think they'll be?”  Asked Macy.

“Maybe one of each?”  Blaine answered.

“I have my suspicions, but I'm not saying until we know,” Kurt replied.

Half an hour later, the two men stared at the screen in awe.  “Did you want to know the sex of the babies?”  The tech asked.  Both nodded eagerly.  “Well,” she said, moving her wand around low on Macy's abdomen, “Baby A is a healthy little boy.”  She moved the wand higher up and the other baby appeared.  “And let's see, Baby B is, oh, come on, cooperate and show me, also healthy and yes, also a boy!”

Macy smiled.  “Two boys,” Blaine murmured in wonder.

“Boys,” Kurt repeated, trying and then failing miserably at stopping his peals of laughter.

“What's so funny?”  Blaine asked.

Trying to talk through the laughing, Kurt managed, “Your, your mother . . .” before losing his composure again.

“Oh, my God!  My mother did NOT bring up that whole Anderson men can't father girls thing again, did she?”  Blaine said, burying his head in his hands.  In response to Kurt's nod, he demanded, “When?”

Finally managing to calm his laughter, Kurt said, “When we first met to plan the wedding, when she didn't want you to come.  She told me I should father the children, or we should adopt.”

Blaine was blushing all the way to his ears.  “And you married me anyway?  Even though my mom's crazy?”

“Of course I did, Sweetheart.  I love you.  And I don't know if she's crazy, but so far I'd have to say she's right.”

That evening, they called to tell family and friends the news.  Everyone had been told they were expecting twins three months ago, but now they would know there were soon to be two Hummel-Anderson boys joining the household.

When they reached Blaine's parents, they put them on speaker, and Blaine's parents did the same, so they could both tell them the news together.  “Mom, Dad, we went to the doctor today with the surrogate.  Both babies are healthy, and in a few months you're going to have two grandsons!”  Blaine announced.

“Congratulations!”  His father said.

“Kurt, Blaine went first, didn't he?”  His mother asked.

“Yes,” Kurt answered, dissolving into giggles again.

“Well, congratulations, Darlings, and Kurt, it's your turn next,” she said.

* * *

That night, as they lounged in bed, Blaine asked, “Is that why you painted the room blue?”

“Blue works for girls, too,” Kurt attempted to defend himself.

“Kurt . . . .”

“Yes.”

* * *

They made it through the September Fashion Weeks, and Kurt's twenty seventh birthday.  As soon as they got through those, Kurt threw himself into decorating the nursery.  Blaine did as he was told, tried to keep Kurt from stressing out, and when all else failed, hid in the library to write.  In mid-October, Santana and Brittany threw them a baby shower, which, over Kurt's protests, was held in Santana's first club.

“Santana, I don't want our baby shower to be held in a gay bar!”

“Calm down, Porcelain, what better place to hold a baby shower for a couple of gay guys, hosted by a couple of lesbians?  Well, okay, one lesbian and one bi-sexual.  But anyway, more to the point, the club is closed Sunday mornings, so it's not like there will be anyone there who isn't invited, it's a cheap venue since I already own it, everyone who works there loves you, so everyone's staying late the night before to clean and decorate, and we're catering it, so it won't be bar food.  Why are you complaining?”

When it came right down to it, Kurt had to admit the shower was lovely.  If he didn't know the club was a gay bar, he would have thought it was simply a nice restaurant Santana had rented out for the event.  Nearly everyone from both New Directions and the Warblers came, as well as their friends from their theater, fashion and music circles.  Even Cooper made the trip, joking about how Blaine always had to out-do him now that they were adults, getting married first, and having a child first, and twins at that.

A few friends, however, were missed.  Artie hadn't made it, but Kitty had, bringing the gift along with Artie's regrets; he was directing his first feature in which he was the lead director rather than an assistant, and unusually rainy weather in the Los Angeles area had put him behind schedule, so he couldn't break away.  Puck explained that Lauren really wasn't up to attending a baby shower, as they had recently discovered they could not have a baby of their own; although they were looking into adoption, it was still a tender subject.  Kurt and Blaine sympathized with both situations, calling Artie to ask if they needed to choreograph a “no-rain” dance, and telling Puck that if he and Lauren, together or separately, ever wanted or needed to talk about it, they would be more than willing to listen. 

On the other hand, a few of the attendees caused stress and had to be carefully kept apart.  Tina and Mike both came, but separately; they were in the process of getting a divorce.  For the most part, however, they avoided each other, and were cool but civil when they did encounter one another.  The same could not be said for Rachel, who was livid when she saw that Finn and Quinn were attending together, Quinn sporting an engagement ring.  Although everyone else was happy for them, Santana had to threaten Rachel to avoid a confrontation between she and Quinn, especially when Rachel overheard her discussing the children; it was clear that Quinn had become a mother to them. 

It was also a time to share baby news with other couples.  Brittany was now expecting, a daughter, due in late February, and Mercedes and Sam were expecting their first child in May.  Mercedes was actually a bit annoyed at Sam for letting the news slip so early, but he was so worried about her that when someone commented that they thought she had lost weight he began to talk about morning sickness, and the cat was out of the bag.  Everyone joked that since Brittany was expecting a girl, if Mercedes was too then Kurt and Blaine's boys would have girlfriends ready from birth.  Blaine and Kurt were just thrilled for their friends and their growing families.

In the end, everyone enjoyed the event.  Santana lamented the fact that since neither of the couple being “showered” was actually pregnant, she had been forced to forego all the games where people try to guess the girth of the mother-to-be.  She suggested a lewd alternative, but was shut down by a bitch glare from one of the fathers-to-be.  They played silly games, tried unsuccessfully to get Kurt and Blaine to tell them the names they had selected, ate lunch and a cake that was entirely too rich, and opened more presents than the prospective parents had realized were even possible.  Santana, Brittany, Finn and Quinn, along with a few other friends who had children, offered opinions on how well various things worked or didn't work, and shared parenting tips.  Kurt and Blaine weren't even sure what half the stuff they got was for; they left with their heads spinning and their arms full.

After buying the apartment, which came with a garage space, they had leased another space in the same building and brought Blaine's car, an Audi that he'd had since he was sixteen, up from Ohio.  They'd also purchased a new Navigator to replace the one Kurt sold when he moved to New York.  They liked having the option of cars, even though they rarely drove them to get around the city due to traffic and parking issues.  However, at Santana's insistence, they'd brought both to the shower.  Finn and Quinn had driven in, leaving the kids with friends, and it took Finn's SUV, both of their cars, and Santana and Brittany in separate taxis to get everything back to the apartment.

Once everything was up to the apartment, everyone left, Santana and Brittany to go home, Finn and Quinn to explore the city and enjoy a child-free day before heading back home the next morning.  Kurt and Blaine had both taken the day off, giving their stand-ins a shot, so Kurt immediately began to organize and put away items while Blaine tried to help without getting in the way.  Kurt took the tags off the clothes and started a load of them in the washer with gentle soap, then handed Blaine a list and a stack of cards.  “This is half the list of presents.  Start writing thank-you notes,” he instructed as he settled onto the couch with his own list and stack of cards. 

A couple of hours later, after he had moved the clothes to the dryer and started a new load, the dryer buzzed.  “Let's take a break and fold the clothes so we can put them away,” he said.  “My hand's starting to cramp anyway.”

They were sitting on the floor, placing piles of folded clothes on the couch, when suddenly Blaine said, “Oh, my God, Kurt, we can't do this.” 

“Fold baby clothes?  I think we're doing it, and you are not getting out of doing your share,” Kurt replied.

“No.  We can't have a baby.”

“We aren't.  We're having two.  Because you're an over-achiever.”

“Kurt, look at this,” Blaine said, holding up a newborn-size onesie.  He looked like he was about to cry, and was more nervous than Kurt could ever remember seeing him.  “We've never, not either one of us, even had a dog or cat.  We've never even had a fish.  How are we supposed to take care of something this tiny?”

“Blaine, Baby, we can do this.  We're going to have more help and advice than we want, in all probability.  Your mom may move in and never move out.  And as for how tiny they're going to be, they grow.  Fast.  Remember how fast Stephen got big?  And Carole Ann?  And I'm pretty sure that Amelia is going to manage one of Santana's clubs within the next six months, based on her attitude; she's a little flat-chested version of her mother.  She's going to be the only kid in kindergarten, well, at least the only non-show-business kid, with a résumé.”

“I just don't want to screw this up.  I don't want to screw a kid up.”

“Sweetheart, we're going to screw up.  We're going to do stuff wrong.  All parents do, even my dad, and he's Superparent.  And sometimes, our kids are going to hate us, which according to my dad is a definite sign we're doing something right.  And in the end, the kids will turn out okay.  And if they don't they'll milk us dry to pay for their therapy so someone can tell them it's all our fault.  Okay?”

By this time Blaine was giggling.  “Okay.”

“Good.  Now fold.”  Kurt said with a smile as he kissed Blaine's cheek.

* * *

It was Blaine's turn to reassure Kurt that everything would be okay, and that they could, in fact, go to Finn and Quinn's wedding in Ohio a few weeks later.  Kurt insisted on calling Macy so often she threatened to stop picking up.  The last time her husband picked up, telling them to enjoy being child-free while they could, and that the only thing their boys seemed to be doing was making their surrogate hungry.  After that Kurt stopped calling, relying on Blaine for reassurance that if they heard nothing, everything was fine.

The small wedding was quite sweet, and Kurt once again served as best man.  He'd tried to avoid the duty by pointing out that it hadn't worked out so well the last time, but Quinn insisted she wanted him as much as Finn, and in the end, he didn't want to upset her; quite frankly, he was still a little scared of her when she was angry.  Stephen was again cast as the ring bearer, and this time Carole Ann actually got to walk down the aisle scattering petals as the flower girl.  Both were thrilled that “Mommy” was marrying their Daddy.  They stayed for the reception, so Kurt could tell embarrassing stories about Finn the way Finn had about him; by the end, Kurt decided he was ahead, thanking God that when Finn decided to embarrass himself it usually ended up being done publicly and in grand fashion, while most of his most embarrassing moments were fairly private.  After sending the happy couple off on their honeymoon, a week in Florida, they helped Burt and Carole pack up a week's worth of things for the kids, temporarily moving them from Finn and Quinn's new house to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  After that, Burt drove the prospective parents, both of whom were now antsy, back to the airport.

* * *

Kurt put his foot down about Thanksgiving, refusing to leave town less than a month before the babies were due.  They celebrated with Santana and Brittany, who was now eating food combinations that put Santana's Chinese food mix-and-match to shame.  It was fun to have Amelia running around the apartment, reminding them what life would be like in a few short years.  Even though they were not with their actual families, they realized they had built a second family there in New York, and when with one, they would always miss the other.

A few days later, the phone rang at two in the morning.  “Who is it and why are you calling?”  Kurt groused.

“It's Macy.  You two might want to head in to the hospital.  Looks like today's the day.”

“What?  No!  It's too early,” he cried, turning to shake his husband, “Blaine, wake up!  It's Macy, she's in labor.”

“What?”  Blaine asked, still trying to wake up enough to make sense of the situation.

“Twins tend to cook a bit faster than singletons; they're often born a little early.  But it's the second, that's thirty-seven weeks, which is considered full term, even for singletons.  Anyway, I'm on my way, I'll see you when you get there.”

Kurt hung up, still a bit in shock.  Turning to Blaine, he said, “Macy's having the babies now.  We have to go to the hospital.”

Blaine was up in a flash, pulling on pants and grabbing the first shirt he could find.  Kurt dressed without thinking about how he looked for the first time since his father was hospitalized, for a much happier reason this time.  Blaine called for a taxi, knowing at that time of night it would take longer to find one on the street.  They called and left messages at their respective theaters on the way, letting them know to call the stand-ins.

Once at the hospital, they ran up to labor and delivery.  They were directed to Macy's room, where her husband was coaching her through a contraction.  She was cussing a blue streak, causing Kurt's eyes to widen.  “You're doing great, Baby,” her husband encouraged.

After the contraction was over, she smiled at Kurt and Blaine.  “It's going pretty fast,” she told them.  Blaine nodded, looking a little scared. 

Since her husband was coaching her, Kurt and Blaine felt a bit out of place, but Macy told them that since they were their babies, they had every right to be there, and should be there.  As time wore on, and her contractions grew stronger, both men were surprised by Macy's vocabulary, causing her husband to laugh and assure them that this was perfectly normal for her during labor.  Blaine was beginning to look a bit green and was starting to sweat within a couple of hours.  Kurt had been with Rachel longer during her labor, and seemed less surprised by the intensity of the contractions than Blaine was.  Macy had already told them she did not intend to use pain medication, and had not used it during her previous labors.  By dawn, Blaine was ready to beg her to take something, anything.  He wasn't sure how much longer he could take this.  Kurt was clearly much more able to handle this than he was.

Late that afternoon, a midwife came in to check Macy for what seemed like the hundredth time.  “Congratulations.  You're ready to start pushing.  Your friends should probably leave now, let you and your husband and babies have some family time.”

Clearly the midwife was not up to speed on the situation, but Macy was quick to correct her.  “These are the fathers.  I'm a surrogate.  The guy over there wondering if he can get away with trying to find a football game is my husband, and he's going to give up on sports for a moment and help, so Kurt and Blaine can be daddies in a little while, but they're staying to watch their sons' birth, and they'll cut the cords.”  Kurt and Blaine were suddenly staring at her; the fact that they were to cut the cord was news to them.  She looked at them and laughed.

An hour later, Kurt and Blaine watched in awe as their first son's head appeared, followed quickly by his shoulders.  The midwife handed the baby to Blaine and clamped off the cord, then Kurt cut it between the clamps with shaking hands.  “Hey, Patrick,” Kurt whispered, stroking the downy head covered in what seemed to be dark blonde hair, curly like Blaine's.  A nurse soon came to take the baby and assess him, while Macy began to push again.  Another forty-five minutes passed before Kurt was handed the second baby, and Blaine took his place cutting the cord.  “Hi, Ian,” he greeted his second son, who seemed to have straight hair the same dark brown shade as Blaine's was.  Blaine got a moment to kiss him before a second nurse whisked the baby away.  Both men had tears streaming down their faces as they turned to Macy, thanking her profusely.

After what seemed like an eternity the two nurses and a doctor finished looking at the boys, who were protesting the examinations with seemingly very healthy lungs.  “Well, they look great,” the doctor told them.  “We want to keep them a couple of days, because they're a little on the small side, but if they do well during that time, you can take them home the day after tomorrow.”

Macy was also staying two days, and offered to let the babies stay in the room if Kurt and Blaine were comfortable with that, and in the nursery otherwise.  Hospital policy stated that for the babies to be in the room there had to be an adult awake in the room.  Kurt and Blaine quickly worked out a schedule to take turns sleeping on the couch so one would be awake until they could take the boys home. 

They needed to call their parents and friends.  Both wanted to be the first to tell the news, but neither wanted to leave the babies.  Macy was trying to sleep, and they didn't want to disturb her, so they would need to step outside to call.  Finally Blaine sent Kurt out to call his parents. 

“Dad?”  He said when Burt picked up the call.

“Yeah, Kiddo.  What's up?”

“Dad, the babies are here.  They were born today.  You have two beautiful new grandsons.”

“They're early, aren't they?  Are they okay?”

“Yeah, Dad, they're perfect.  Patrick Ryan Hummel-Anderson is the oldest, and he weighed five pounds, seven ounces.  Ian Thomas is forty-eight minutes younger, and he weighs five pounds, four and a half ounces.  Because they were a little early and a little small, the doctors want to keep them here a couple of days, but if everything goes well we'll be home the day after tomorrow.”

“Just a minute son,” he said, “Carole, is that you?  The babies came.  They'll be home the day after tomorrow.  Call Finn and Quinn and then get on the computer to book the flight.”

Kurt heard a small squeal in the background, then Carole was on the phone saying, “Congratulations, Honey.  I can't wait to see them.  Do Blaine's parents know?”

“No, we called you first.”

“Okay, well I'm going to let you go so Blaine can call his folks.”  The call was disconnected.  He didn't get to say goodbye to his dad, but it was okay because he was so excited about his new sons, and he knew his dad would be there if at all possible within the next few days.

Kurt went back into the room, and they traded places.  Blaine called his parents, and as he told his dad the news, he heard the word “Congratulations,” followed by an ear-splitting shriek.

“Mom figured it out?”

“I think that's safe to say, Son.”

“Dad, could you call Cooper?  I want him to know, but I also want to get back into the room with the boys.”

“Sure, son.  Go take care of your boys.  All three of them.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Blaine laughed.

He reentered the room to find Kurt lying on the couch, one baby tucked into the crook of his arm, the other asleep on his chest.  He looked barely more awake than the babies.  Blaine crossed the room and gave each of them a kiss, telling Kurt, “Sleep, Baby.  Santana told me we should always sleep when they do if we can.  I'll take the first shift awake.”

“Mmm,” Kurt mumbled, too tired to argue that he was supposed to take the first shift staying awake.

Blaine knew he should leave to call anyone else, but someone in the room needed to stay awake, and he was terrified of not letting Santana know as soon as possible, so he called her, speaking in a stage whisper, “Santana?  It's Blaine.”

“I know, Hobbit.  Caller I.D., remember?”

“Right.  The surrogate went into labor in the middle of the night, and the babies were born a little while ago.”

“That's early, right?  Are they . . . ?”  She trailed off, not wanting to broach the possibility that something might be wrong with Kurt and Blaine's boys.  She was getting ready to go to work, and glanced over guiltily at her own perfect, healthy little girl, who was trying on her jewelry and makeup.

She signed with relief when Blaine said, “They're fine.  A little small, but they're only three weeks early, which is apparently okay most of the time.”

“Is there anything you need?  Wait, have either of you eaten today?”

Blaine had to stop and think.  “Um, I'm not sure.  I don't really remember.  Maybe?”

“Room number?”  She asked.  He told her, and she continued, “Okay, let me call my manager and let her know I'm going to be a little late, so she'll have to put on her big girl panties and get ready to open without me.  I'll pick something up and be there in a few.  I want you both to eat.  You have to sleep when the babies sleep –“

Blaine interrupted, “I know, you've told us both.”

“And remember to eat.  Even if you try to sleep when they do, you're going to be so sleep deprived that you forget, but you have to try to remember.  This is day one, and you've both already forgotten.  Not a good start, but don't worry; Auntie Tana is coming to the rescue.”

“Thank you, Santana,” he said gratefully.  “I'll see you soon.”  They said goodbye and hung up.  After that, he called Adam to tell him the news and give him instructions since they were in rehearsals.  He thought about calling other friends, but decided it could wait.  They were closest to Santana and Brittany now, followed by Adam and his boyfriend; everyone else could find out in due time.  The only one who would be offended would be Rachel.  She'd be offended she wasn't called first, probably believing she should have been told before even their parents.  She still saw herself as Kurt's best friend and sister-in-law, even though the stunt when she was carrying Carole Ann had pretty effectively ended both those relationships, and things were strained between them at best now.

Santana arrived nearly an hour later, bearing two chicken Caesar salads, garlic bread that was a little cold, and a meatball sub.  “Here.  Eat the sandwich, we'll dispose of the evidence, and then wake up sleeping beauty.”

Blaine laughed.  “You don't think he'll smell it on my breath?”

“Don't doubt me.  I had them make the garlic bread with extra garlic.  The head chef at this restaurant loves my club, and he owes me one.  Don't ask why.  All you need to know is that you'll be able to repel vampires from ten feet away and Kurt won't smell the sub.”

Blaine ate gratefully while Santana admired the sleeping babies and ran her hand fondly through Kurt's sleep mussed hair.  After he finished the sandwich and half a piece of very garlicky garlic bread, Blaine gently shook his shoulder.  “Baby, wake up.  Santana's here, and she brought food.”

Kurt woke slowly, a little confused as to where he was and why he was there before suddenly remembering as Ian woke up from napping on his chest and began to cry.  Blaine took him as Patrick began to fuss.  Santana reached for him, saying, “I didn't come all the way down here to leave without holding some babies.  Now who's this little guy?”

Kurt and Blaine introduced their sons as a nurse came in with bottles of formula.  Santana relinquished Patrick to Kurt, so that Kurt and Blaine could feed them for the first time.  “I'll get my chance,” she said.  “Within a few days you'll let absolutely anyone feed them if it means you get to rest or sleep.  And I'd rather not have to go home and change; spit-up is not really a look I can rock at work.  By the way, I don't envy you having babies that wake each other up.  We're already telling Amelia she can't wake the new baby up when it gets here.  She thinks it's going to be like a doll she can carry around.  I'll have to bring her over to see yours so she gets the idea that they're different.”

Kurt looked wary.  “Don't worry.  I'm not actually going to let her hold them.  I might have done more than my share of irresponsible things in my life, but I'm not going to let a three year old hold a newborn.”  She assured him.  “I, however, do know what I'm doing, so hand me that burp cloth and give me a baby or two so you can eat.”  They both ate, and then Santana returned the babies, kissed all four of them, and left.

Both sets of parents arrived the next day, and sent Kurt and Blaine home to shower and nap.  They arrived at the hospital somewhat more rested several hours later to discover their fathers out in the hallway, looking unhappy.  Burt spoke up first, saying, “Boys, please go in there and tell your mothers that grandfathers are perfectly capable of holding and feeding babies.”

Blaine held up his hands in surrender.  “No way.  I'm not getting into that.  I'm just going to consider myself lucky if they let Kurt and I hold our sons.”

Kurt laughed and said, “I'll see what I can do, but no promises.”

* * *

Both babies did well, and after losing a few ounces the day after birth began to gain weight again, so they were released late in the afternoon two days after they arrived.  The next several days were a whirlwind of visiting friends and relatives and very little sleep, but Kurt and Blaine could not have been happier.

The only dark cloud came when the men were getting up from a nap the day after bringing the boys home, when they overheard Carole scolding Burt in the kitchen.  “Burt, you can't eat that.  You know what the doctor said.”

“Come, on, once won't hurt,” he whined in return.

Entering the kitchen, Kurt said in a guarded tone, “What did the doctor say?”

Carole answered while his father looked guilty.  “His blood pressure is up, and the doctor says it increases his risk for another heart attack and stroke.  He's on a new medication and he has to watch his diet, and he needs to get more exercise.”

“That's it.  You are now a vegan, at least while under my roof.  I lived with Rachel for two years; I'm quite capable of making sure you get all the nutrients you need without any animal protein, and it will help your blood pressure.”

“But son. . . .”  His protests died out when he looked at his son, then at his wife, and realized he had already lost.

Later that day, after Kurt had gone to the store to get the food necessary for the new diet they would all be following until his parents left, Blaine received a phone call.  “Babe, I need to go out for a few minutes.  Adam has some questions about how a few things are going at rehearsals, so I'm going to meet him for coffee for a few minutes.  Burt, do you want to come with me?  It'll be boring, but the coffee shop is a few blocks away, so it'll be a chance to get some exercise.”

Burt really didn't want to leave his grandsons, but something told him to go.  After they reached the street, he turned to Blaine and said, “Please tell me there's a slice or two involved in this walk.”

“You know it,” Blaine grinned.

[1] At this stage of pregnancy, particularly with pregnancy involving any sort of assisted reproduction techniques, it is common to do an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and look for a heartbeat.  Because it is (at least often) a transvaginal ultrasound, the pregnant patient undresses from the waist down and is in stirrups.  For this reason, in Kurt and Blaine's situation, they would not be called back until she was prepped and covered to preserve her modesty as much as possible.