Kurt Hudson studied the cheerful banality of the office with scant interest, trying to avoid thinking about what had brought him here in the first place. How had he sunk so low?

Oh, right. His husband.

He had given up trying to control his children. His eldest son Asher was glaring down at the floor, headphones stuck deeply in his ears, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. His eldest daughter Chloe had positioned herself away from him, legs and arms defensively crossed as she muttered under her breath. They were typical teenagers resentful of everything, but especially their family.

The twins, Poppy and Ronan, were reading and coloring respectively. He sent a soft smile their way. He hadn't planned for them, content with the two he already had, but he had been talked into it and was now so grateful he had taken the chance. Lately they had been keeping him sane in the midst of the craziness of … whatever this was.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

He had worked so hard for this life, for this family. This was the time he should be seeing rewards for all of his efforts; instead, it was collapsing all around him and no one but him appeared to care.

But he was determined it would improve. He would work harder, smarter. He would fix the problems and everything would go back to normal.

The only difficulty was … lately he had been coming to realize that normal really hadn't been all that normal. These problems weren't new; they had always existed. He had spent so much time, well, not really ignoring them, but trying to focus on the good things. And there were a lot of good things.

But cracks in a foundation always led to disaster eventually, which led to him being in this office.

Court-mandated therapy.

It was mortifying. He wondered when he had stopped trying to lead by example in favor of struggling to keep his head above water. He felt in he had been running in place forever and had nothing to show for it, like a hamster on a wheel. Except his hamster had died.

He was so angry. He was angry at himself, at Finn, at the kids. He was angry at being here, at the reasons a judge had decided it necessary, at having outsiders dictate his behavior. He was angry at the friends talking behind his back while giving him pitying looks. He was angry at the people who had known but never said anything, convinced it easier for him when it was, in fact, easier for them.

He exhaled and glanced down at his watch.

Twenty minutes. Finn was twenty minutes late for their court-ordered family counseling.

Kurt had reached his limit. He was through with all of this. It was definitely time to take control.

But maybe it was too late. He had surrendered so much in the first place, but he still couldn't deem his marriage a failure.

He and Finn had made it twenty years, plus four of dating, which was twenty years longer than anyone else had expected. Sure, they'd both had to make sacrifices along the way, but wasn't it worth it? They had a nice life, a nice house, and four beautiful children. Shouldn't he take more comfort in that?

Of course, he told himself, and he was going to start today. Nothing had happened which couldn't be made better.

He didn't realize he had said the words aloud.

"What?" demanded an icy Chloe.

"Nothing has happened?" repeated an incredulous Asher.

Finn chose that precise moment to throw open the door and bound inside. Forty years old and he still behaved as a hyperactive puppy.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late."

Kurt looked him over with a critical eye. Polo, chinos, and a slight sunburn on his nose.

Immediately a red veil settled over his eyes.

"Golf," he hissed. "You're late for this because you went golfing?"

Finn flushed in embarrassment and couldn't meet Kurt's eyes.

A disgusted Asher threw up his hands. "Way to go, Dad. Putting us first like always."

"Leave him alone!" Chloe shrieked. "It's not his fault we're in this situation!"

"Oh, right on time, princess," he drawled. "Dad can do no wrong and everything is Daddy's fault."

She sniffed and looked away. "Well, maybe if Daddy hadn't …"

Kurt felt tears spring to his eyes without warning.

"Chloe, that's enough!" Finn barked. "Your father didn't do anything wrong. He's not responsible for this situation."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Dad. Like we all haven't heard your fights. He's the one who drove you into Rachel's arms!"

"You bitch," Asher seethed, springing up and running up behind Kurt, resting his hands on his father's shoulders and gently massaging them.

"Honey, please don't call your sister such names," Kurt murmured.

Chloe sneered. "Always so worried about the family image."

"I'm warning you, little girl," Finn said softly, but with steel in his voice, "if I hear you speak to your father again with such disrespect, you and I are going to have a problem."

She flushed and turned away.

"Family image," Kurt quietly repeated, staring at her. "You honestly think I'm worried about our family image? I've devoted my entire life to this family, Chloe. I've spent the last twenty-five years loving and supporting your father and raising you children. I gave up my career, what little family I have left, most of my friends, my name, and quite a lot of my dignity to create what I believed was a happy life."

And that was when he knew it was over. His marriage, his perfect family, his dreams. It was gone.

He took a ragged breath. "Only to come to realize I've failed in every respect."

He covered his face with a hand and fell silent.

"Why do you always make Daddy cry?" Poppy asked of her elder sister. "Don't you like him anymore?"

Chloe's face and eyes burned with shame.

"You haven't failed," Finn whispered.

"Of course I have," Kurt said without inflection. "You threw away a twenty year marriage for a woman who has hated me for most of our lives and still dresses her teddy bears in doll clothes. One of my daughters thinks everything I do is wrong, my son feels he has to defend me at every turn, and my youngest are starting to ask questions for which I hoped never to have answers."

"You blew it, Dad!" Asher shouted at Finn. "You blew it for all of us!"

Finn sighed and sank down into a chair. "I know."

Asher appeared bewildered.

Chloe was staring at her father in confusion. "What do you mean Rachel has hated you most of your lives? She's only been around six months."

Kurt looked placidly at Finn and held up his hands. He wasn't taking responsibility for this.

A nervous Finn fidgeted. "We went to high school with Rachel, sweetheart. She and I dated before I began dating Daddy."

Chloe scoffed. "So he stole you from her and now she's stolen you back. How very Lion King. Let's all join hands and sing Circle of Life."

"Do you really believe I would do that, Chloe?" asked a hurt Kurt.

She said nothing.

"Chloe," Finn warned, "I've had enough of your mouth, so kindly shut it before I sew your lips together."

"You can't sew."

"Yes, I can. Your father taught me."

"I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks," Asher said.

"Arf. Chloe, I didn't start seeing Daddy until long after Rachel and I had broken up." He swallowed and stared down at the floor. "I was, uh, actually with Daddy before Rachel."

"Wait," Asher said, holding up a hand. "So you cheated on Daddy in high school, he forgave you and took you back, and then twenty years later you cheated again with the same woman?" He turned toward the therapist who, up until this time, had been mute. "I hope you called for backup."

The therapist remained silent, surprised only that these people were essentially doing her job for her.

Chloe was obviously struggling with how to assimilate this information with everything she had believed to be true. Had she really misjudged the situation, her fathers, so badly?

"High school was a very confusing time, kiddo," Kurt said to Asher. "We all made a lot of mistakes."

"And some shouldn't have been repeated," Asher shot back.

"Did you ever love him?" Chloe whispered to Finn.

"Of course I loved your father," Finn said. "I've always loved him and always will. We're just … we're not the same people we were then."

Kurt felt this was very unfair. "I didn't change, Finn. You did."

Finn reared back in shock. "You haven't changed? Kurt, you're nothing like the man I married."

"Maybe you're right," Kurt snapped, "and maybe you haven't changed at all. You're still the same selfish, spoiled brat who thinks the world should revolve around him."

"You were going to be a doctor, Kurt," Finn argued. "You were going to save the world. You had so much ambition, such potential. You had a spark. When was the last time you sang, Kurt? Do you even remember? Because I don't. There was no limit to what you could do and I couldn't wait to see what that was." He snorted. "And what did you do? You went shopping."

Kurt's eyes flared with indignation. "Excuse me. I went shopping to furnish your perfect house, to build your perfect image. You think I've changed, Finn? What about you? I worked eighteen hour shifts to put you through law school so you could make a difference in the world! And for what? So you could stand in front of a green screen and read – barely – from cue cards that which anyone could discern just by looking out a window!"

"I'm a meteorologist!"

"You're a weathergirl!"

"I have three Emmys and the highest ratings in the state!"

"Well, you get an F from me. Take your pick as to just what it stands for."

"At least I have a job."

"You didn't want me to work, Finn!" Kurt bellowed. "Remember? You pressured me to have children and when I was finally ready, when I wanted them more than anything I have ever wanted in my life, you only agreed if they had at least one parent staying home with them. And you made it clear it wasn't going to be you. You didn't want to have latchkey kids like we had been. Oh, and newsflash: I wasn't going to become a doctor. I am a doctor."

"You are?" Ronan said in wonder as he stared up at his father.

Kurt smiled. "Yes, baby, I am."

"Wow."

"Kids, get your things."

"I'm going to live with Dad," Chloe said.

Kurt jumped to his feet. "You're going to pick up that ridiculously overpriced tote bag you call a purse and follow me out to the car. If I hear anymore backtalk from you, I'm taking your laptop, your phone, and every designer label in your room. Those things are all in my name, sweetie, not yours, so you want to be very careful how you speak to me."

She grudgingly picked up her bag and shrugged on her coat.

"You win, Finn," Kurt said. "You can have your divorce. I'm not going to fight you any more. I've spent my entire life fighting for you and never once have you returned the favor. I hope you're happy with Rachel. I really mean that. I'm only sorry I could never make you happy."

"You did make me happy, Kurty," Finn whispered.

"Yet you're marrying her."

The children looked at their fathers and then at each other.

Asher was appalled. "You're marrying that … that …"

"Watch your mouth, Asher," Kurt snapped.

"I have to," Finn whispered.

Kurt scoffed. "What do you mean you have to marry her? You don't have to marry anyone, not unless you were a complete moron and went off and," he gasped as realization set in, "and …"

Finn cringed. "I'm so sorry, baby."

Kurt stared blankly at the wall before him. "Oh, my god."

"What's going on?" Ronan asked.

"Rachel is pregnant, you idiot!" Chloe said.

"Hey!" Poppy screamed as she scrambled to her feet and pulled her twin against her. "Don't call him names! How were we supposed to know?"

"Rachel is pregnant?" Ronan repeated. "But I thought it was Lila who's pregnant."

Asher covered his face with his hands.

"Who's Lila?" the therapist asked.

Chloe smirked. "Asher's girlfriend. I guess the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Shut up, Mouth," Asher hissed, "and Ronan doesn't know what he's talking about."

Ronan frowned. "Yes, I do. You left the pregnancy test in the trashcan."

Asher cringed.

"All right, that's it," Kurt said. "Let's go. We'll talk about this later at home. After dinner and a stop at the liquor store." He turned toward the therapist and raised a brow. "If that's alright with you?"

She blinked. "If anyone's earned it, you have."

Kurt nodded and swept the children from the room. Before crossing the threshold, he looked over his shoulder at his husband. "I really do want you to be happy, Finn, because after all of this, someone should be."

He left.

Finn collapsed back into his chair, putting his head in his hands.

The therapist stared at him for several long moments.

"I hope this Rachel is good in bed, because you just threw away one hell of a man."

After dinner, the twins had gone upstairs to start their homework and Chloe had locked herself in her room, nattering on to one of her friends about some stupid actor's unfortunate haircut rather than dealing with reality.

Asher stood next to his father, drying the dishes after Kurt washed them.

"What's going to happen now?" he quietly asked.

"Dad and I are going to file for divorce, baby." He closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry I failed you."

"You didn't fail anyone, Daddy!" Asher protested. "I know how hard you've tried. I've seen how unhappy you've been."

Kurt sadly shook his head. "Then I did fail, because I should have protected you from seeing that. My problems are just that: mine. Not yours."

"We're a family," Asher protested. "We're supposed to be there for each other no matter what."

Kurt turned off the faucet and dried his hands before turning and cupping Asher's face. "One of my biggest regrets in this life is that I've allowed you to assume so much responsibility. It doesn't matter that you're the eldest, I'm the parent. It is not your job to protect me."

Asher opened his mouth and then just as abruptly closed it with an audible lack of teeth.

Kurt's hands moved down to his son's shoulders. "Say what you were going to say. I never want you to be afraid to tell me things, kiddo. I don't want our relationship to be what mine was with my father."

"You and Grandpa get along great!"

"We do," Kurt agreed, "now, but that took a lot of effort and tears on both our parts. For a long time, I was scared to say to him how I felt and what I wanted. After Mom died, I was terrified I'd lose him too, either to death or because I did something he didn't like."

Asher frowned. "You know that's crazy, right? All Grandpa ever talks about is how awesome you were as a kid, how proud you made him."

Kurt gave his son a sad smile. "But he never told me that. We didn't talk much, not about the things that matter, and we let fear and resentment come between us for a very long time. Now, what were you going to say?"

Asher looked down. "If I don't fight for you, Daddy, if I don't protect you, who will?" He shook his head. "Because you don't protect yourself."

"What do you mean, honey?" Kurt asked, stroking the apple of Asher's cheek.

Asher heaved a sigh of frustration. "Dad hasn't been good you to in a long time. I've heard the things he's said. We all have. You should have dumped him the minute you found about Rachel. I don't know why you put up with that, why you tried to make it work, especially since now I know this wasn't the first time."

"I won't talk about this with you, Asher. My relationship with your father is none of your business."

"Okay, but how about the way Chloe talks to you? Why do you let her get away with that? You've given her everything she's ever wanted. She's smart, beautiful, popular. Why does she act the way she does?"

Kurt sighed and began putting the dishes away. "It's always been hard for her, sweetheart. You know she's always been uncomfortable being adopted."

Asher rolled his eyes. "We're all adopted, Daddy. So what? You gave us homes, gave us lives. You've been there for us every step of the way. What more does she want?"

Kurt exhaled. "She's always felt very excluded because she doesn't look like Finn or me. She's always felt like the odd person out."

"Oh, come on! Daddy, none of us look like you or Dad, but she looks more like she could be your biological child than the twins or I do. We've never resented that or her. Where does she get off being such a drama queen?"

"I think part of it is that she was the baby for a very long time, Asher. She was the apple of all our eyes, including yours. Then then twins came and they required a lot of attention."

"She wasn't neglected."

"No, she wasn't, but I think she became very insecure. I think she worried that your father and I would continue adding to the family and she'd get lost in the shuffle." He guided them over to the breakfast table, smiling as they sat down. "The first time I held you in my arms, baby, I knew what it was to love someone more than my own life."

Asher blushed.

"People say that all the time as if it's a given, but it's not. I was terrified to be a father. I honestly believed I wouldn't be very good at it. It took your father a very long time to convince me I would be."

"And you're the best," Asher whispered.

Kurt smiled and patted his son's hand. "I was a lot like Chloe when I was her age, consumed more with things than people, constantly worried about my reputation and what people said and thought about me. I loved your father with everything inside of me, but … I'm not sure I ever trusted him completely."

"Because of Rachel?"

Kurt nodded. "Her, and other things. Your grandmother died when I was very young and that greatly influenced who I became. I didn't trust anyone, Asher, not even my own father. I was always afraid of saying the wrong thing, of doing the wrong thing, scared he would leave."

He shook his head. "It was completely irrational. My father loves me more than he does his own life but, again, we never communicated well when I was growing up and I became a very anxious and withdrawn child. It took a long time for me to grow out of that, and a lot of that is down to your father. Don't ever believe we didn't love each other, honey. What he said today in that office is true: he's always loved me and always will. I've never doubted that."

He sighed. "But I know how difficult it's been for him being married to me. I forgave him for Rachel the first time, but I don't think he ever really believed that. He overcompensated for years, to the point that he almost suffocated me with his desire to prove that he was worthy of me. That was hard for me, too. There's nothing more difficult than trying to convince someone you love them when, deep down, they don't believe that you should."

Asher ducked his head and nodded, provided more insight into this father in the last twenty minutes than in all of his life. He bit his lip. "He did want us, though, didn't he?"

"Oh, baby, of course he did. Don't ever question that. Finn has always wanted children, a lot of them, ever since he was a child. If it were up to him, we'd have at least four more. He loved you when you were just an idea. Being a father is the greatest joy of his life."

Asher blushed but became sullen. "Yeah, but now he'll have a kid of his own."

"Which doesn't mean he'll love you any less," Kurt sharply countered. "The fact that this new baby will be his biological child means nothing. It certainly doesn't negate or change the love he has for you and your brother and sisters. I could say a lot of things about Finn Hudson, Asher, and I certainly have over the years, but he has always been an incredible father."

Asher's blush deepened as he nodded. "You think that's part of the reason Chloe is so upset?"

"Absolutely. Until the twins came, it was very cut and dry for her. You were my baby and she was Finn's."

"That's not true."

Kurt gave him a sly smile. "It's just us now, sweet boy. You know it's true. I love all of my children equally, but you and I have always been closest to one another, just as Chloe has with Finn." He leaned in. "From the first moment I looked into your eyes, you were mine. You couldn't have been any more my child than if I had given birth to you myself."

He blinked. "In some alternate universe where men can get pregnant, of course."

Asher laughed. "Remind me to introduce you to fanfiction sometime."

Kurt arched a brow. "Really? How old do you think I am? I know what fanfiction is. I've read it. I've written it."

Asher frowned. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

Kurt snickered.

"I want to stay with you," Asher said suddenly.

"And you will," Kurt assured him. "For one, the house is mine. Your father and I have a prenuptial agreement and he knows he'll have to honor it. Second, I will retain physical custody and Finn has unlimited visitation."

Asher's brows gathered. "I thought you only decided today to give him the divorce."

Kurt blew out a breath. "Baby, I meant it when I said I never trusted easily. When your father and I got married, I insisted on a prenuptial agreement. I had so many friends whose parents divorced when I was young. I saw what they went through, how it affected their children. I never wanted that for myself or my own children. Your dad was in full support and signed it without reservation."

Asher was skeptical. "Really?"

"Yes, really, and when we started planning to adopt you, we gave serious consideration as to what would happen if we were to divorce. It was an ugly but necessary thing. Finn always felt, though I disagreed, that while he would be a good father, he wouldn't make a good single father. He's always believed I'm much stronger than he is, which I'm also not sure is true.

"Regardless, we made arrangements. If we were ever to divorce, I would get physical custody and he could see you, and then the other children after we adopted them, whenever he wanted for as much time as he wanted. Holidays and vacations would be split.

"Since the house was in my name, I would keep it and we would stay here so that you and your brother and sisters wouldn't feel you were losing even more of your lives. Your father and I have always kept our finances separate. We wanted to be together forever, but remain independent."

Asher refrained from pointing out that forever had apparently come. "Daddy, not to be rude, but what finances do you have? You stopped practicing before you and Dad got me. He's always been the breadwinner. I mean, I know you worked to put him through school, but …"

"I have a lot of money, Asher," Kurt said quietly. "You know Grandpa had a very successful chain of repair shops before he retired, but my mother came from money. I inherited all of it after she died."

Asher's brow furrowed as he tried to correlate this information with what he thought he had known, but wasn't quite able to put it all together.

"You can ask," Kurt encouraged.

"Um, okay, well … how much?"

Kurt gave him a wry grin. "I haven't checked the market today, but right now? I'd say roughly …"

Asher blanked completely when he heard the number.

"I don't want you to worry about anything, honey. The house is paid for. The cars are paid for. We aren't hurting for money. You will go to college, and professional school if you want. I don't have to work, but I think I probably should. I need to get out of this house and back into the world."

Asher nodded robotically.

Kurt laid his hand on his son's own. "Are you okay?"

"I guess … I guess some small part of me always worried, especially after the twins. It was selfish, I know, but I wondered how you could afford two more kids because that meant two more cars eventually and two more college tuitions. Would you be able to keep all of us? What if you had to send one of us back? And it would probably be me because I'm the oldest. And there are doctors and tutors and lessons and food and …"

"I am so sorry you ever worried about that. If I had known, believe me, I would have set your mind at ease. So, please, stop worrying. We're going to be fine. You're going to be fine." He paused. "Your baby is going to be fine."

Asher inhaled sharply before his face collapsed in a broken sob. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Daddy."

"You don't have to be sorry. You never have to be sorry for wanting your child." He raised a brow. "And I know you, Asher Hudson. You want the baby, yes?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And Lila does, as well?"

"She says she does, but …"

"But what?" Kurt prompted.

"Her parents …"

"What about them?" he demanded.

"They don't want her to have the baby. They said if she does, they'll throw her out."

Kurt immediately stood and stalked to the counter, grabbing his keys. "Let's go."