Chapter Twenty

Anonymous - 20th March 2013

Sixteen weeks. It seems to have flown by and yet it also seems like forever. It's weird to think that I'm almost half way through this. And at the end I'll have a baby. A real, living and breathing baby... No I'm not freaking out... Much.

Blaine and I went to the doctors and for once there was the excellent (or not so excellent) news that I was actually on target for my weight. I'm not surprised really. I seemed to have inflated almost overnight. I look and feel huge. Luckily Blaine seems to like the bump I've gained, he's always trying to touch it. I just think he's preferring to focus on that rather than the real issues...

I'm going to guess that the contribution to my weight gain is the odd cravings that I'm getting. The other day I was craving bacon sandwiches; with honey... Blaine got a shock when he tried to steal one of them. His face was hilarious. My cravings control me now, literally. If I wake up with them, doesn't matter what time of night, I have to eat what I crave.

There are also the types of cravings that food can't satisfy. Not that I hadn't noticed before but I have a hot boyfriend. A really hot boyfriend. I'll get these sudden urges to suddenly rip his clothes off and demand that he take me wherever these lustful thoughts may occur. So far I've been able to hold myself back, how, I don't know. Blaine is still getting over his beatings. The bruises are healing up but occasionally he'll still hurt. I don't want him to hurt anymore because of me trying to jump his bones. Besides I don't even know whether he'd want me sexually with the way I look right now.

I am huge. But I know that this is nothing compared to the size I'll be as my due date approaches. Even Carole said that I was on the larger side, she said to expect a big baby. I'm so glad I don't have to try to push this baby out of me. Yay for being a guy, I guess. But the increase in size means it's harder to hide. Someone at school is going to notice soon and while I don't really want to think about it, I know I have to. I was wondering if maybe I should tell my friends first. Test the waters, so to speak. I'll have to discuss it with Blaine but he's got his own things going on at the moment.

XXXX

Blaine's phone call with Cooper was nothing what he'd expected, though he supposed in his mind Cooper was still an eighteen year old with crazy dreams and an active personality. The guy that he'd looked up to and wanted to be like. His role model. The man on the phone had been similar to that Cooper but he now had a maturity that he'd lacked before. They'd talked way into the night, updating each other on their lives and it was nice. Weird but nice.

Kurt had fallen asleep next to him by the time the conversation turned to that of their mother. A conversation that Blaine was reluctant to have but at the same time he wanted answers. Cooper was still in touch with her and she actually lived in LA. In fact, most of Blaine's family lived in LA now. They didn't talk about why Blaine had been abandon all those years ago, neither of the brothers were brave enough to bring up the topic. It wasn't like it was Cooper's fault that his mother had left him. Cooper had been gone before then.

He told Cooper, reluctantly about the abuse that he'd suffered living with their father. He didn't tell him why. He at least wanted to see them again before he actually revealed he was gay. Who knew if they'd be accepting or not. He could at least live with the dream for a little longer. That also meant that he didn't say anything about Kurt. That he felt a guilty for. He loved Kurt with all of his being and he could never be ashamed of him or the baby that he was carrying. He would tell them about him after he revealed he was gay. He'd let them know how Kurt had been the one to save his life.

The phone call had ended with Cooper promising to get in touch with their mother and arranging a day for them to come to Ohio to see Blaine. He was full of nerves at the prospect and he wanted nothing more than to talk about it with Kurt. The boy always seemed to know how to make him feel better. He always knew what to say. That was one of the reasons that Blaine knew Kurt was going to be a good father.

Himself, he wasn't so sure about. Looking at the excuse he had for a father made him hesitant about how he'd actually be during fatherhood. What if he was cut from the same cloth as his own father? He'd never hit his child, never in a hundred million years. But what if he wasn't very good at it? What if his child grew up to hate him because of his poor parenting skills? That was another thing he would probably talk to Kurt about but he didn't know how to bring it up. He needed and wanted to be strong for Kurt. He couldn't be strong if he was feeling like this. He'd just have to squash it down. He had time to learn and to try and it was something that he would never give up on.

XXXX

Blaine's brother rung him up the next day and told him that their mother and him couldn't fly out for a couple of weeks, placing Kurt in the sixteenth week of his pregnancy. Blaine gave them the address of the Lima Bean and told them to meet him there. He figured he would break the news about Kurt and the baby there and then they could decide to walk out of his life again or not. He didn't mean to be so pessimistic but he didn't really have much faith in the human race anymore. If you asked him, nobody could be trusted, apart from the Hudmels. They were like angels in a world full of evil.

He did talk the whole situation through with Kurt, after all he wasn't just going to leave him in the dark. He explained everything to Kurt and Kurt fully supported him. He wasn't even upset that Blaine was, essentially, hiding him. Though at this stage, Blaine was pretty sure he'd be able to bribe Kurt with food and get anything he wanted. He had never seen Kurt eat so much in all the time that he knew him. It was nice to see Kurt eating properly and not constantly worrying about his weight.

Another good thing about waiting a while before he met up with his mother and Cooper was that it would give time for his injuries to heal. He didn't want to meet them when he was so battered and bruised. That would be a rubbish first impression. Yes, they knew what had happened to him but he didn't want them to see the true extent.

Blaine was both nervous and excited for the meeting and what it could mean for the future.

XXXX

The morning of the meeting both Kurt and Blaine had a freak out. Kurt worried about what the reaction would be to the news of the baby. He worried that the information might do something to affect any relationship Blaine might have been able to have with his family. Blaine freaked out because Kurt was panicking and because he was so unsure about the whole situation. What if they didn't even bother turning up? Carole ended up separating the boys and calming them down one at a time before allowing them back in the same room as each other.

A few hours passed and Blaine was waiting nervously in the Lima Bean for his mum and Cooper. He'd gotten there ridiculously early and had already drunk two medium drips and the buzz of coffee had him completely wired. He sat near the door so that he'd be able to see them when or if they walked in. He wondered if they'd recognise him. It would be so humiliating if they didn't.

The door opened and Blaine's head snapped up, as it had every time, to see who would be coming through the door. This time it actually was Cooper and his mother.

Melissa Anderson had barely aged since Blaine had last seen her. It had been seven years and yet she still looked the same. She had tanned skin, like Blaine's, a part of their Italian heritage. Her hair was thick and curly, exactly like Blaine's. Even her eyes were the same as his. Hazel with what looked like a swirl of honey in them. She looked like she was doing well for herself. Her clothes were smart, her make-up simple, a complete transformation from the last time he had seen her.

Cooper Anderson still had a young and playful face, even though he was ten years older than Blaine. He had brown hair compared to Blaine and their mother and it wasn't nearly as curly or unmanageable. He was tall, much taller than Blaine. He looked so carefree, compared to Blaine's still slightly bruised body.

When his mother saw him her eyes lit up brightly and Blaine felt him self relaxing a little bit. At least she knew who he was and she seemed happy to see him. That was a great start to this meeting. She started moving towards him while Cooper grabbed some coffees. Blaine stood up when she got closer to the table and allowed her to pull him into a hug. If it wasn't for Kurt he probably would have been freaked out by that amount of contact but Kurt had made him so much braver when it came to showing affection. When they pulled away from each other Blaine could see tears glistening in her eyes.

"Oh, baby." She said, a tear beginning to trickle down her cheek. She could see the remains of the bruises now and her heart broke. She could only imagine how bad they had been and how much they must have hurt.

"It's okay, mum." Blaine said shakily. He had thought that he would never see this woman again and to be actually speaking to her and calling her mum, it was like a childhood dream come true. As a child Blaine had dreamt of this moment so many times, never like this of course, but a reunion none the less. It felt strange that it was actually happening. He'd given up on that dream a long time ago. But he refused to get so attached before he'd revealed his secrets. He didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them crushed by homophobia.

"I thought you'd be safe with him. I'm so sorry. I left you with a monster."

Cooper came over to the table with a coffee for everyone, greeting Blaine with a "Hey Squirt" as if nothing had changed between them. Blaine gratefully accepted his coffee and sat back in his seat, motioning for them to join him. He fiddled nervously with his new coffee cup.

"It's not your fault. I guess I should have said something sooner." Blaine gave a shrug, tying to calm his nerves. "Is that why you left? Because he was like that?"

Melissa nodded, looking ashamed at herself. "He started to get violent with me and I couldn't take it anymore. I thought that you would be safe there. He'd never tried to hurt you before and he loved you. I figured I'd leave you there until I got settled and then maybe I'd get back in contact with you. By the time I was settled the number for the house had been changed and you never replied to any of my letters. I assumed that you hated me for leaving so I let you be. I thought you be safe." She repeated.

"I was for a while but things change."

"What do you mean?" Cooper asked.

This was it. The defining moment. Blaine gulped nervously and looked at both of them who stared intently back at him. Oh god, he'd only just got them back and he might already lose them. He knew it had to be done. He was out and proud of who he was. He was in love with another boy. He was going to have a family and a future with another boy. No matter what happened here today he was always going to have Kurt and the baby.

"I... I came out. I'm gay." Blaine breathed out.

"Tell us something we don't know." Cooper grinned.

"What?!"

"Blaine, sweetie. We've known since you were a little boy. You always preferred other little boys than girls. You told me that while girls were beautiful, you found boys even more beautiful. When did you realise?" His mother asked gently.

"I guess around thirteen but I didn't come out till a little later. Dad was never that comfortable around me once he knew. That's when it started. When high school started he had me boarding at Dalton Academy so it stopped while I was there but every holiday the beatings would continue. Then I got kicked out of Dalton and everything got worse."

Blaine could see his mother getting upset again. As he was about to try to steer the conversation away, Cooper thankfully, stepped in.

"Why did you wait so long to do anything, Squirt?"

"I thought it was normal. But then, my boyfriend found out. He convinced me that it wasn't right, what was happening. He even convinced me to call you up."

"I'm glad you have him then." She smiled at him, her eyes still shimmering. "What's his name?"

Blaine proceeded to tell them all about Kurt, everything apart from the whole pregnancy. He wanted them to know about Kurt and how much he meant to him before the big reveal.

Melissa listened to her baby boy talk about a boy that he was clearly in love with. It was refreshing to hear him talk with so much passion. She'd expected something of a shell of a person, if she was being honest. Much like she had been when she was being hit by her ex-husband. Instead Blaine seemed bright and happy. He seemed alive. Obviously this Kurt that he was talking about must have had something to do with this. Blaine lit up like a firework just talking about him. He made Kurt seem like something magical. Like most mothers she did worry slightly. Blaine was only seventeen and already he was deeply involved with someone. She knew that high school romances didn't really last and with Kurt being a year older than Blaine, he'd be going off to College and leaving Blaine behind. The relationship probably wouldn't last long distance. Not with Blaine coming back with them to LA.

"He sounds amazing honey. I really hope you'll be able to last when you come to LA with your brother and I."

Blaine gaped at her and Melissa took that look of shock to mean that Blaine thought that they wouldn't want him there with them.

"Don't look so surprised. We want you to come back with us. You belong with your family. Your grandparents are there, aunts, uncles and cousins. They all miss you so much."

"But I can't!" Blaine burst out, shocking his companions.

They were not expecting that.

"I know you probably don't want to leave Kurt but I'm sure he'd be understanding. You can't stay here, you've nowhere to live. It's safer for you to be as far away from that man as possible. You understand that, don't you?"

"I've been staying with Kurt and his family for weeks now. His dad has said that I can live with them. I'm a part of their family now. I can't leave Kurt. Not now, or ever considering the circumstances!"

"What circumstances?" Cooper asked, remaining calm.

Blaine hadn't meant for his words to come tumbling out of his mouth. He didn't want to tell them like this but he had to now. Stupid him and his blurting out of words when he was panicked. He wanted to approach the subject of his impending fatherhood carefully, not just pile it on them.

"It's complicated. I need you guys to have an open mind and for you to believe me."

He reached into his satchel and pulled out the information that Kurt had been given about Mpreg. He pushed them across the table to his mother so that she could read them and maybe understand. He watched as her eyes widened and then Cooper leaned in to read the paper as well. When they finished she handed the paper back to him and he quickly put it away. Then he showed them the sonogram and he carried in his wallet.

"So are you...?" His mother trailed off.

"No, not me. Kurt." Blaine clarified.

"You're going to be a father?" She tried to get her head around the idea.

Before Blaine could reply, Cooper, who had been silent, spoke.

"I'm going to be an uncle?"

Blaine nodded slowly, still unsure as to how they had taken the news. At least they hadn't run away from him. He could be thankful for that at least. That had to mean something, didn't it?

Cooper's face erupted into a grin and he looked like he had just been given a playful new puppy. His eyes were excitable.

"How far along is he? Do you know the gender? Can I meet this guy?"

Blaine was taken aback by his brother but answered him anyway.

"He's at sixteen weeks, so like four months along. We don't know the gender, we're waiting till the baby is born." Blaine said, still in a nervous tone.

"So can we meet him?" Melissa asked.

XXXX

Blaine unlocked the front door to the Hudmel home and called out to Burt, allowing his mother and Cooper to enter behind him. Burt appeared in the front hallway taking in the people that Blaine had brought with him.

"Burt, this is my mother and brother, Melissa and Cooper Anderson."

"Burt Hummel. I'm Kurt's dad." He said, shaking hands with the both of them.

"Thank you for taking Blaine in." Melissa said.

Honestly she was glad that someone had taken him in. She couldn't imagine Blaine still being in that house with his abuser. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to repay Burt for what he had done for her son.

"He's family now." Burt said simply.

It warmed Blaine's heart to hear that. Especially after the shaky start that he had had with Burt. He had never felt so accepted as he had lately with Kurt and his family. He truly felt like he belonged there. Having his family back was great and everything but he had the Hudmels so everything else just seemed like a bonus.

"Where's Kurt?" Blaine asked, suddenly he couldn't wait for Cooper and his mum to meet them.

"He's in the kitchen with Carole. He's craving fish fingers. And before you go thinking that, that is normal I should probably tell you he's dipping them in custard. Like that Doctor Who episode." Burt chuckled, he was very amused by all of Kurt's different cravings.

Blaine led his family to the kitchen. He was nervous about this meeting. It had to go well. Kurt was a non-negotiable element in his life.

Kurt was sat at the kitchen table while Carole was at the side, making what looked to be an apple pie. There was a plate of fish fingers in front of Kurt and a bowl of custard next to it. His t-shirt was one of Blaine's, he noticed, that was pulled tight across his stomach but not straining. Blaine loved the way that Kurt didn't have to hide anything here. It was like their safe place. Except for when Finn had Rachel round, but he'd started going to hers more frequently so Kurt could feel more relaxed.

Blaine walked over to the table and greeted Kurt with a kiss. He didn't care if it made Cooper or his mother uncomfortable. He wasn't about to change his behaviour for them.

"Fish finger? And before you say no, just know that if you don't take at least one, I will feel fat."

Blaine was just thankful that the custard was separate from the fish fingers. "Well that leaves me with so much choice." He chuckled, grabbing one and quickly eating it.

Kurt beamed at him and Blaine knew he'd do anything to see that smile and keep it there permanently.

"I've brought my mum and brother with me. They wanted to meet you and the baby." Blaine leaned down to whisper in Kurt's ear.

He watched as Kurt's eyes widened in alarm and he knew that his boyfriend was feeling very self-conscious about how he was looking. He wasn't his usual fashionable self. Blaine knew he probably should have called ahead but he'd been so excited and anxious that he'd forgotten how Kurt might feel by the intrusion of his parents.

Kurt glanced round to see a woman who looked so very much like Blaine and the man from the Free Credit Rating commercial. Wiping his slighting clammy palms against the yoga pants he was wearing, Kurt stood up and made his way over to them.

"Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel." He said, no trace of being shy in his voice.

Blaine watched as Cooper and his mother introduced themselves. He watched how they acted and he was so happy to see that everything was genuine. They weren't lying or pretending. Just briefly Blaine pictured the future. Kurt and he visiting them in LA with their beautiful baby. In his mind he envisioned a girl, with eyes and hair like Kurt's, but it didn't matter what gender the baby was or what he or she looked like. He knew that no matter what he would love this baby.

"That's quite a bump you've got there." Cooper said, motioning to Kurt.

Kurt blushed, his cheeks flaming red. He opened his mouth to say something but snapped in closed quickly with a gasp, his hands going to his abdomen.

Carole, Melissa and Cooper looked at him worriedly, ready to jump into action if Kurt said that something didn't feel right. Blaine instinctively went into panic mode.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong. Here sit down. Tell me what's wrong!" Blaine rushed out the words as he guided Kurt to the seat that he'd left vacant.

"I can stand for more than five seconds, Blaine!" Kurt huffed as he sat in the chair, his hands remaining where they were.

"Is everything all right, Kurt?"Carole asked, abandoning her work on the side.

"Yeah..." Kurt said hesitantly.

Blaine watched and waited with abated breath for Kurt to continue.

"I think... I think I felt the baby move?" He questioned, looking at Carole. "It was like a fluttering?"

"Aww, was that the first time you've felt it?" Blaine's mother asked.

Kurt nodded, his eyes becoming misty with tears. He locked eyes with Blaine and saw that Blaine's were glistening with tears too.

Though Blaine wouldn't be able to feel it himself, knowing that Kurt had felt their baby move inside him meant more than anyone could ever know. It meant that their baby was okay and healthy. In that moment Blaine had never been more sure about his decision to be become a proper father to their baby. The moment was perfect, with Blaine's family there and Kurt's. In a way it was like the baby had waited for that moment to make itself known.