Chapter Seventeen

Kurt was driving himself and Blaine back to his house so they could let everyone know that everything was fine with the baby. Both Burt and Carole had texted him, making sure he knew how anxious they were to receive some sort of news. Kurt had texted Carole back to let her know that he'd be bringing Blaine with him, in the hope that she'd ensure Burt didn't go into full-on 'father' mode.

Glancing over at Blaine, Kurt wondered what he was thinking about as he stared at the sonogram picture the doctor had given him.

Blaine was still in awe. The tiny photo he held in his hands was proof of so many things. It conveyed the love that Kurt and he shared. It showed their future. It was a future that Blaine couldn't wait to step into and explore. He wasn't stupid enough to think that any of this would be easy. Far from easy, he imagined. But he knew that between himself and Kurt, the hardships they were yet to face would be overcome.

The thought of himself becoming a dad made him want to lower the walls that he had spent so long building up over the years. He'd built them up so high just so that he could function somewhat normally. Before he knew it, he had come to rely on them. They kept Blaine safe and more importantly, sane.

Kurt had partially cracked these walls. Blaine didn't even fully know how he'd managed it, and it was no use asking Kurt because he wouldn't have even known that they had been there. Normally, these walls wouldn't allow him to love. You could only get hurt by loving someone. But when it came to Kurt... well he had been able to love him. He had never loved anyone or anything more, until maybe now. This baby was going to demolish these walls, leaving behind nothing but rubble. Blaine knew it for a fact, and the baby hadn't even been born yet.

Oddly enough, the thought of that didn't scare him anymore. It would be refreshing to no longer have to hide who he was. It got so tiring sometimes. All of the pretending and the lying. It was exhausting. He hated having people be afraid of him when his old self had been such a people-pleaser.

He broke his gaze from the picture, to glance at Kurt who was focused on the road. He looked a little green in the face and he was gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Blaine asked softly.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine before focusing his eyes back on the road.

"When we get back I'm going to have to tell my dad the truth." Kurt whispered fearfully.

"You won't be alone. I'll be right there with you. I'm never going to leave you to deal with anything like this by yourself again."

"What if he doesn't want me living there anymore? Where would I raise the baby?"

Kurt was becoming more and more hysterical.

In the midst of Kurt panicking, Blaine's heart warmed at Kurt's worry about the future of the baby. He wasn't as worried about Burt kicking Kurt out, because Blaine knew that Kurt meant the world to his dad. There was no way that he'd force Kurt out onto the streets, especially in his condition.

"Kurt, pull over." He couldn't have him driving in this state. The last thing they needed was to have a car accident.

Kurt did as he was told and when he had parked up, his hands fell into his lap and he stared down at them.

"Kurt, your dad loves you. Nothing is going to change that. He would never leave you and Carole wouldn't let him anyway. You are so loved."

"How are we going to raise our baby, Blaine? I'm so scared."

"We'll work it out. You and I. Don't count your dad out yet though."

Blaine really hoped that Kurt was hearing what he was saying, and that he would pay attention to it. He hated seeing Kurt upset and knew that it couldn't be properly rectified until they had got back to talk to Burt.

"If he kicks me out, I'll have to get my own place. Would you maybe come with me? I mean, I know it's stupid. In fact, don't worry... forget I said anything." Kurt rambled.

"Kurt, I would go anywhere with you. Just let's at least tell your dad before we make any solid plans."

Kurt looked towards Blaine. He looked so adorable with watery eyes and flushed cheeks. Blaine leaned across to capture Kurt's lips. A moan erupted from Kurt and he frantically pushed himself closer to Blaine. Before either of them knew it, Kurt was straddling the younger boy.

"Oh god, Kurt, what are you doing?!"

Kurt ground himself against Blaine and Blaine could feel them both stirring to life. He knew he should probably stop things before they went any further, but the way Kurt moved on him gave him little choice. And it had been two months since he'd had any sexual contact.

Blaine loved the feel of Kurt against him and, truthfully, he had missed it. Though the only person Kurt had ever been with was him, the older boy seemed to know exactly what to do to leave Blaine panting and wanting more. He applied different levels of friction, teasing Blaine and making him buck upwards.

Both the boys came after an embarrassingly short time but neither had ever felt quite so satisfied. Kurt was now much calmer than he had been. He rested his head on Blaine's shoulder, panting slightly. He had no idea as to what had come over him; he just knew that he needed to feel Blaine and his body seemed to be extra sensitive to that at the moment.

Reluctantly, Kurt clambered back into the driver's seat and braced himself for the talk with his father.

XXXX

Blaine could feel Burt's glare as he stepped into the house behind Kurt and while his mind screamed for him to be defensive, he kept calm knowing that Kurt needed him. There was a tense moment where nobody seemed to know what to do until Carole finally broke it.

"How was the scan? Everything check out okay?"

"Everything is okay. The baby is fine. The only thing was that Dr Reynolds wanted me to put on some more weight."

"I'll help with that sweetie." Carole smiled lovingly at her step-son.

"So what exactly is going on here?" Burt asked, his eyes yet to leave Blaine.

Kurt stretched his hand out and Blaine instantly held it in his own. At the action Burt's glare increased but the smile that Carole gave them kept both boys brave. It made it easier to know they had someone on their side.

"Blaine and I are back together." Kurt said.

"What, until he gets scared again?" Burt asked harshly.

Blaine flinched at the words but refused to let his fear paralyse him.

"Not this time."

"And how are we meant to trust that?"

"With all due respect, sir, it isn't you who needs to believe it. I've talked it through with Kurt and he understands. If he can trust me then you should be able to as well."

It was clear that everyone was shocked by Blaine's bluntness. Kurt seemed to recover from it though and Blaine's bravery helped to inspire his own.

"There's actually something more important that I have to talk to you about, Dad. Please hear me out before you say anything though. It's something big."

Kurt shot a look at Carole as a warning of what he was going to say. In return she gave him an encouraging smile but it did nothing to calm his nerves.

Here goes nothing.

"I've been thinking, for quite a while now, about my whole situation with the baby. I think, no, I know that I want to keep this baby. I want to watch this baby grow and I want to be the one to nurture it."

While Kurt spoke he kept eye contact with Burt just so the older man could hopefully see how serious Kurt was about this. He needed to make sure that Burt knew that he understood the responsibility that came with having a child. And Kurt did understand. Just as he knew that he'd have a lot to learn before the baby arrived. He'd grasped that his life was going to go in a different direction from what he'd imagined. He might never get to New York. He prepared himself for the losses he might suffer because they were worth what he was going to gain.

"Has he put this idea into your head?" Burt asked.

"No! I decided this on my own. I've told Blaine and I gave him the choice to walk away. I've been thinking about it since I found out about the pregnancy, but I guess I was afraid to bring it up."

"I thought you were set on adoption to allow a family the chance to have a child. Give the baby to someone better-equipped to raise it."

"I'm going to raise this baby, Dad. The best way I can. If you can't accept that then I can find somewhere else to live." Kurt said the last part close to tears, but he held strong.

He didn't want to have to leave his home. It would be even scarier by himself but he was prepared for it. All he could do was hope for the best.

There was a tense moment of silence from everyone as they waited for Burt to say something. Blaine swore he could hear his own heartbeat. Kurt would be devastated if Burt gave a negative reaction. It would break his heart completely. Both Kurt and the baby didn't need that kind of stress.

"Kurt, you are my baby boy. You are all that is left of your mother and I know she'd turn in her grave if I left you to fend for yourself and I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself. Now I don't think that keeping this baby is a good idea. Both you and Blaine are still so young and having a kid is like a never-ending test. But if you're really sure about this then I will support you. Both of you."

Letting go of Blaine's hand, Kurt threw himself into his dad's arms, sobbing. It was such a relief.

Carole watched Blaine and could see that he too was relieved. He had such love in his eyes as he watched Kurt and Burt's interaction. That was how Carole knew that this was all genuine. Blaine was here to stay. He'd become a part of their family.

"So do we get to see a picture of our grandchild?!" Carole asked.

"We got you and Burt a copy of the sonogram." Blaine said, handing one of the pictures to Carole.

Burt stood beside Carole and they both gazed down at the picture, tears brimming in their eyes.

Blaine and Kurt's eyes met and they gave each other a small smile. Things were looking up.

XXXX

Blaine had stayed at the Hudmels' until Burt had told him that he had better get home. It had gotten really late.

Kurt was glad for his company. He knew that they had a lot of things to sort out and it wasn't going to happen in just one night but they could at least begin now.

Just as Kurt was about to start his nightly skin ritual, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in." He called.

Finn slipped in the doorway with an unsure look on his face.

"Hey..." He said awkwardly.

"What can I do for you Finn?" Kurt asked.

He was really tired. It had been a long and emotional day and he was more than ready to sink into his pillows.

"My mum told me that you're keeping the baby. I think that's awesome, dude." Finn gave Kurt his usual crooked smile.

"Really?" Kurt asked shyly.

"Totally. I mean you already look after Burt. You're like the most responsible person I know."

Kurt could feel himself beginning to get over-emotional. It seemed that with Finn's words he gained even more confidence with his decision.

"Thank you, Finn. You're going to be the best uncle ever."

Finn grinned at Kurt. "Man, I can't wait!"

"Well there's still thirty-two weeks to go." Kurt said but he loved his step-brother's enthusiasm.

Finn left the room and Kurt managed to settle himself into bed. He messaged Blaine goodnight, as he had promised to, and then fell into an easy slumber. It was the first night he'd slept peacefully in a long time.

XXXX

Blaine and Kurt's relationship fell back into place immediately and it was as if nothing had ever been wrong. Kurt knew that Blaine was still trying to make up for things but he was just glad that they were them again. The pregnancy seemed to be easier to bear now that he had everyone's support and they were all making sure that he looked after himself properly.

Blaine was excited and anxious about the pregnancy. He actually liked looking online and reading about the baby's development. He'd often go to Kurt with information that he probably should have known himself.

The morning sickness that still plagued him seemed easier to tolerate now that he was no longer alone. Everyone kept offering him advice about how to keep it at bay which he always tried. He felt so lucky to have everyone on his side.

XXXX

It was the weekend and Kurt was ten weeks pregnant, officially. Blaine and he had the house to themselves, though Burt had been reluctant to allow that. And apparently joking about how he couldn't get pregnant again wasn't the right thing to say to his dad.

Kurt was laid on the sofa watching Project Runway with his feet in Blaine's lap. Blaine had settled a laptop on Kurt's legs and was doing some research about the ten week stage.

"Did you know that our baby now has all of its internal organs functioning? And its senses are starting to develop. Our baby can start to taste everything that you eat. Isn't that amazing Kurt?"

"Does this mean I have to start eating properly?" Kurt asked, glancing over at his boyfriend.

"You should be doing that anyway. But when you start to get cravings don't be afraid to give into them. It's probably what the baby wants."

"Oh yay!" Kurt perked up. "What about me? What's my body doing?"

"Hmm. Well this says that you're going to have problems with a lot of morning sickness but it should start to lessen." He ignored Kurt's look of disbelief. "Oh and your uterus is going to start expanding rapidly."

Kurt's look changed to one of horror.

"Kurt, you do realise that having this baby means that your body is going to have to change in order to accommodate it?" Blaine asked worriedly.

"No, I know, I do. It's just, I guess, I wasn't really thinking of that. It's not the part I'm looking forward to most, you know?"

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He'd already thought of how difficult would find this pregnancy, even without the risks. The pale boy, much like Rachel, liked to have control and this pregnancy would probably signify the complete opposite of that.

The doorbell chimed and Blaine started up to answer it.

"No, let me. Please? I don't want to feel like an invalid."

Blaine knew when to pick his battles so he settled back into his seat, allowing Kurt to open the door.

At the door were two very familiar boys in blazers. Jeff was holding some flowers and both he and Nick grinned when they saw him.

"Hey guys! What are you doing here?"

"We came to bring you these to say congratulations and we wanted to ask how that scan went." Nick explained.

"Come on in. Blaine's in the front room. Can I get you guys anything?"

"Don't be silly. You just relax. We'll be fine." Jeff said, heading in to see Blaine.

Kurt really hated people treating him like a baby bird. It was already starting to get on his nerves and he knew he wouldn't be able to deal with that for thirty more weeks.

Kurt gathered, from the conversation that took place between them all in the living room, that Jeff and Nick were fascinated with Kurt and the pregnancy. They kept asking him and Blaine questions and Kurt wondered if they were thinking of the possibilities for them in the future.

Their questions made all four of them realise how little they actually knew. That in itself was scary. Between the four of them they promised to gather as much information as they could.

For Nick and Jeff it was mostly because Blaine was their best friend and they understood how utterly powerless he felt, which made him very uncomfortable. That on top of him worrying about Kurt and the baby would probably lead to some kind of meltdown. By helping him, they ensured that that didn't happen. And Jeff had to admit he couldn't wait for the baby to come along. He was so excited.

Talking about research, Nick remembered the blogs they had found and brought them up. He and Jeff explained the Mpreg blogs to Kurt and showed him the web-page.

"Maybe you could make your own." Blaine suggested. "It'd be like a baby book except online. And you can set it on private if you want. It would be good to keep a record."

"It does sound like a good idea. Help me set it up?"

The next few hours consisted of the boys setting up the blog and designing it perfectly. They made sure Kurt knew how to navigate the website and most importantly they put the settings onto private. Though Kurt was keeping the baby, he still didn't want people to know just yet. At least not for a little while.

XXXX

It was late again by the time Blaine headed home. It wasn't a lie that he was trying to avoid it. That was why he was spending so much time at the Hudmel's as well as being with Kurt.

Home felt even more wrong than it had before. It wasn't normal and a part of Blaine told him to stay away. More often than not, Blaine would ignore that niggling little voice. But the closer he got to the Hudmel's and the more he thought about his baby, the more he knew that his situation wasn't right.

No, he thought as he entered the house, it wasn't right at all.