The world that Kurt and Blaine Anderson-Hummel had built for themselves was far from perfect, no matter how much it may have appeared that way to people on the outside. Ten years ago if you had asked Kurt where he would be living at the age of 31 he would have probably said a posh New York townhouse, not a country house in the English countryside. If he had been asked how he imagined his career progressing then a likely suggestion would have been a writer for Vogue or some other esteemed fashion publication, as opposed to the not so likely situation of being the owner of a small boutique in the nearest town whilst also accepting commissions for red carpet events. And if you had asked Kurt Anderson-Hummel ten years ago about his family life he certainly would have scoffed at the idea of him having a grown up daughter and a son just about to hit his fifteenth birthday; and yet here he was.

The little family was settled on the huge sofa in the living area, Kurt with his feet in Blaine's lap, Blaine, legs crossed and gently massaging said feet while Aleiah snuggled up with her boyfriend, and Archie curled up in the corner of the seat with his head in a book. It was rare for them to all be together since Aleiah moved to university and Kurt cherished the comfort while he could, before the interview was switched on and things got potentially awkward. The television played mindlessly in the background as he watched his husband's face gazing into space. It was weird, Kurt had assumed when they became parents that they would both age faster but apparently fatherhood had the opposite effect on them (the grey hair found in Kurt's hairbrush three weeks ago was never discussed. Ever.) and Blaine looked just as young as he always did.

"It's starting!" Aleiah exclaimed, sitting up straight and turning up the volume. "Archie, watch!" she added, taking the book from her brother and setting it down on the coffee table after marking his place. Good thing too, Kurt thought, it was rare for their son not to get distracted when a book was in reaching distance, a fact that constantly annoyed his sister. She more of a 'live for the now' type of person.

As the broadcaster introduced the show Kurt chanced a glance at Blaine's face, suddenly nervous.

"Okay?" he asked, nudging an arm with his toe. Blaine nodded and smiled.

"Nervous is all," he muttered. Kurt understood. Two weeks ago, Aleiah had been photographed by a stray paparazzi as she lugged her cases from Kurt's car into her dorm at the University of Dundee. While Blaine had never been secretive about the fact that he had children he was always obscure in interviews and there were very few photographs of his kids that were available for public viewing, all of them taken at various high profile events where photographs were expected. His line of work meant that Blaine had acquired some intense fans, and while most were respectful it was extremely disconcerting when Aleiah had begun receiving letters from fans demanding information about her father's home life. The increased interest had led to an intense family discussion (which for some reason also included the entirety of Blaine's publicity team and also his agent) and many confirmations from Archie that he didn't mind people knowing who he was and his story, the family had decided to schedule an interview on one of the most popular interview shows in the country. Celebrities were encouraged to tell their life stories and really, that was what Blaine needed to do. His kids were growing up and had agreed that simply the telling of their story would be the best plan to ward off the information hungry fan base. Past experiences taught Blaine that if he asked for privacy of his fans, he was going to get it.

"Please welcome, singer-songwriter, Blaine Anderson!"

The Blaine on the television walked into the studio sporting his usual winning smile and waving enthusiastically at the cheering audience. Customary greetings were exchanged and Blaine was congratulated on his recent Brit award win. The interview consisted of the same old same old ("So who is your inspiration?", "Are you this popular in the States?") until around a quarter of the way through when the pre-planned question of "Care to tell us more about your reasons for moving?" was asked, the tension on the sofa increasing as TV Blaine hesitated before answering.

"I'll start at the beginning, be warned though: some parts are sad, you'll have to excuse me if I start sobbing." TV Blaine's self-deprecating humour didn't hide his nervousness as he launched into his story despite the laugh that resonated through the audience. The Blaine sat in his living room squeezed his husband's hand, smiling reassuringly at his son as the worry showed on his face.

"You good Archie?" he asked, receiving a small nod as a reply. Aleiah looked around and nudged her brother with her toe, prompting him to look down at her.

"Your friends already know about Blaine, don't they?" she asked over the interviewer's prompting question; Blaine remembered it was at that point he nearly backed out and seriously contemplated the pros and cons of moving his family to live on a deserted island and never coming back.

Archie nodded at his sister. "So nothing will change, not really. You already know who your real friends are. It'll be fine." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his response, poking him with her toe again once she received one of her brother's signature barely-there smiles.

The light mood grew considerably more strained as the Blaine on screen finished the basics; 'The brilliant guy who designs my album covers hates me because my name is double barrelled, that's why I'm usually just Blaine Anderson,". TV Blaine took a deep breath that timed perfectly with the breath of real-time Blaine, a fact Kurt would have found amusing was his husband not gripping his hand like a vice and the version of Blaine on the television recalled that god-awful night eight years ago.

2018

"Mission accomplished, my darling," Blaine sang as he sauntered into the kitchen, pressing a sloppy kiss on his husband's cheek.

"Archie's sheets are on the left bed, right?" Kurt asked. Blaine hmmmed in confirmation, dipping his finger in the bolognese sauce currently being stirred to perfection before Kurt slapped his hand away.

"We use spoons, not fingers!" he chastised, giving the pot one last stir before shutting the lid with a pointed look at his husband who was looking up at him innocently, earning him a flick with the tea towel. Kurt wiped his hands before moving over to his husband, gently taking his hands in his own and kissed him sweetly on the forehead. Blaine looked back, surprised.

"What was that for?" he asked before spluttering and correcting himself. "Not that it wasn't appreciated, but it seemed very thoughtful and I know from experience that you are anything but when you're cooking."

Kurt smiled softly, kissing Blaine again. "I just really love you."

"What have you done?" Blaine mocked, Kurt looking scandalized.

"Damn! You got me!"They shared a smile and Kurt hesitated before continuing tentatively. "I was thinking while you were making the beds just how happy I actually am. I mean we have so much love, we have so much hope and I was just..." he trailed off, biting his lip and looking towards the floor. Blaine gently guided his chin back to look at him and silently urged him to continue, to no avail.

"What is it, Kurt?"

"Nothing, I'm being silly. Forget I said anything," he tried to pull away but the hold Blaine had on his hands kept him close.

"Kurt? Please tell me?" Kurt shook his head but Blaine persisted, the routine continuing until:

"Oh, fine! I want kids with you!" The statement was harsher than it should have been judging by Blaine's stunned face and he quickly babbled crap to try to rectify the situation. "I mean, we have room for a little one, and with my job starting and the rent going down, maybe now is the time to start thinking about these sort of things?"

Blaine stroked the ring on Kurt's finger as he always did when they were having a quiet moment, his other hand gently twining with the fingers it was holding onto.

"One day, Kurt, I swear we'll have kids. I want it too," Blaine began, his heart sinking at the disappointed look that Kurt was fighting to keep from his face.

"But?"

"I have no stable job, your job is only a sixth month contract. I don't think it would be fair to rush into starting a family when we don't even know for sure that we can support ourselves." Kurt nodded and rested his head on Blaine's chest. "I swear we'll do it one day though, I really want to," Blaine whispered, kissing the top of Kurt's head. They stayed like that for a while, moving only to press a gentle kiss to somewhere on the other's face, no words were exchanged and yet the message of love still got through.

It happened every once in a while – Kurt would see a cute toddler in his way home from work or would coo over baby clothes with a look of longing in his eyes that Blaine wished he could get rid of. But it would be impractical, and the fact that they had the opportunity to one day make a child's life that little bit better (adoption had always been the only option for Blaine) meant that until they had jobs other than bottom of the food chain fashion writing and weekend piano playing in fancy restaurants, having children just wasn't an option. Kurt knew it and Blaine knew it, but sometimes they both just wanted to cry at the injustice of all of the planning they had to do for this one simple thing. The times when one man would practically beg the other to forget the pre-agreed rules and just try for a family were not uncommon, but not so much that they didn't sting each time.

They stayed close for the next ten minutes, Kurt turning to stir the bolognese a little every so often but they otherwise stayed in that same position, Blaine leaning against the kitchen island with his chin rested on Kurt's, who was curled into his husband's chest as best he could whilst standing up. Eventually, just before their visitors were due to arrive, Kurt pulled away and stood up straight, placing his hands around the trim waist and playing with Blaine's jumper.

"Are you pissed at me for pushing?" he asked nervously, knowing how much it hurt Blaine to have to say no to this thing they both wanted so much. Blaine looked at him in surprise and shook his head vehemently.

"God, Kurt, no! I just needed to hold you for a little bit is all. We've talked about this before though, honey, right now isn't the time for a family. Soon though, when we're stable, we'll start planning and you can design the most perfect nursery and I can buy an entire library of parenting books, okay?" he grinned as Kurt laughed, a real laugh and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Thank you," Kurt breathed against him, shifting ever so slightly closer and deepening the kiss. "I honestly don't kn-"

"Evening gents! Not doing the dirty on the surfaces my children will soon be eating from are we, Squirt?"

Blaine huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes at Kurt before turning to face his brother.

"That key wasn't for you to use to barge in when you like, knock first, Coop!" he chastised, giving his brother a quick hug before following his husband into their small hallway to greet his niece and nephew.

"Uncle Blaine!" Aleiah shouted, wriggling out of Kurt's arms and pouncing on her uncle with a surprising amount of strength for a ten year old.

"Hey Allie," he said, brushing her unruly curls away from her eyes and scrunching his face when she kissed him sloppily on the nose.

"Uncle Blaine, I'm going to put my toys in my room, 'kay?" Aleiah announced as she showed him her glittery pink backpack, rattling as the twenty seven key chains she had on there ("Exactly twenty seven Uncle Kurt, I counted them all,") knocked together.

"Take your brother's too, Li," a gentle voice said from the front door. Andrea, Cooper's wife, walked in and handed a green dinosaur backpack to her daughter. "Good girl," she added as Aleiah skipped off towards the guest room, singing the song that had been playing on the radio on the journey over.

A gentle tapping on Blaine's leg made him look down and sink to the floor again. "Well hello Archibald," he greeted, holding out his hand with a warm smile. Archie giggled quietly before shaking Blaine's hand and saying quietly, "you're silly, Uncle Blaine".

Eventually, they made their way into the living area, Cooper already sprawled out on the couch while Kurt spooned the bolognese onto four plates of pasta.

"Sorry for dumping them on you again," Andrea said apologetically as Aleiah jumped on her father and Archie sat on a stool watching Kurt grate cheese. "I know you don't mind usually but its twice this month and I feel like we're using you."

"Really Andrea, we love having them, and you deserve to celebrate. I honestly never thought I'd see the day when Cooper would be on an actual TV show that was actually considered good," Blaine joked, laughing at his brother's noise of protest as he walked over to grab his coat.

"We have to go or we'll lose the reservation," Cooper informed his wife, shrugging his jacket on and walking over to the table where his kids were now sat and kissing them both on the head. "See you tomorrow, guys! You be good!" he told them both, pinching a bread stick from the basket in the middle of the table, winking when he received a raised eyebrow from Kurt.

"Thanks again guys," Andrea said as Kurt and Blaine saw them out, glancing behind every now and then to check that Aleiah was still showing her brother the right way to twirl spaghetti so as not to get covered in sauce.

"No problem," Kurt said, shooing them away as Andrea began to apologise yet again for asking them to babysit. The kids shouted a goodbye from the next room (well, Aleiah did) and Blaine shut the door with a sigh. Getting rid of his brother was always the tricky part of babysitting, the two of them never wanted to leave.

The evening passed in a blur of ice cream, Disney songs and tickle fights before Kurt eventually emerged from the guest room after tucking Archie into bed after he fell asleep behind the sofa.

"Everything okay?" Blaine asked, placing another plate onto the drying rack and smiling when Kurt picked up a towel and began drying. The quiet domesticity was what Blaine loved about babysitting, he imagined doing this in five years when their own kids were asleep, never failing to grin like an idiot at the thought of being called 'Daddy'.

"Yeah. Aleiah fell asleep with her school book open on her pillow, I think she was trying to read it tonight so she doesn't have to tomorrow."

"Aww, bless her," Blaine said quietly, emptying the bowl and drying his hands on Kurt's towel.

They talked about their plans for tomorrow; they had the kids until early evening so were planning on taking them out, something they knew they rarely got to do given their parents hectic schedule.

"There's also the new Cars movie, I bet Archie would love that," Blaine suggested, scowling and adding, "but Aleiah would be bored. Crap."

"Zoo?"

"Aleiah gets upset that the animals are in cages."

"Coney Island?"

"The rides freak Archie out."

"How about we just picnic somewhere? Take some toys, a kite. I don't think they get to go out much," Kurt suggested. "We can make the picnic in the morning and go out around lunchtime?"

"You," Blaine said, getting up and kissing the back of Kurt's neck, "are a genius."

"I know."

They put away the dry plates, exchanging chaste kisses whenever they met in the middle before heading to bed. They lay next to each other for a couple more hours, Blaine humming a new song as he scribbled lyrics into his notebook while Kurt flicked through the latest Vogue before they snuggled together in the middle of the bed, kissing lazily until someone fell asleep.

Kurt woke to the sound of the phone ringing. A glance at the clock told him they had only fallen asleep about an hour ago. Still, half past twelve was a ridiculous time for someone to be calling, regardless. Probably Finn crying over another fight with Rachel again, Kurt thought scathingly as he leant over Blaine's gently snoring form to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Blaine Anderson-Hummel?" the woman on the other end asked, the voice strained as though this was not a conversation she wanted to be having. Alarm bells screeched in Kurt's ears as a sense of deja vu registered. He had answered the phone like this before, when the girl in one of the apartments across the hall had been mugged and he and Blaine were emergency contacts. Oh shit.

"Umm, no, he's here though, shall I get him?"

"Yes, thank you."

Kurt shook Blaine awake and they had a silent but panicked conversation mainly consisting of Kurt pointing at the phone and shrugging his shoulders while Blaine sat up groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He took the phone and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hello?" Blaine's voice was still thick and croaky with lack of use but the worry was still audible. Kurt nibbled at his nails nervously before Blaine gently knocked them away and took his hand, trying, and failing, to convey something close to reassurance.

"Blaine Anderson-Hummel?"

"Speaking."

"Sir, you are listed as the emergency contact for Mr Cooper Anderson and Mrs Andrea Anderson, is that correct?"

"Erm, I guess, it seems likely, yeah," Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand as his heart sped up, his breaths becoming shorter and more hurried.

"We need you to come to City Hospital as soon as possible, Sir," the woman on the other end sounded mechanical to Blaine, too accustomed to delivering news like this.

"What... is Coop okay?" Blaine asked, his voice rising as he panicked more, Kurt now moving to hold him from behind, stroking his ring finger in a way that usually comforted them both.

"Sir, it really would be best if you hurry."

Blaine thanked the woman and tossed the phone aside, turning to face his husband.

"Coop's in the hospital. I have to go in." he said blankly, meeting Kurt's eyes with a pleading look. Kurt nodded, biting his lip.

"I'm coming too. You can't go alone."