The sun is beating down on their backs as they sit in the sand making another sandcastle with their little girl. They don't mind, they're actually quite excited because today is the first day Cassie's ever been to the beach. The first time she's ever stood on the sand and dipped her tiny toes into the ocean. Of course they've wanted to take her before but they thought she'd be too young to remember or even appreciate it, so on her fifth birthday Kurt and Blaine packed their bags a took a flight to California for the week, a family vacation just the three of them.
It thrills Kurt to think the next time they'll be on holiday it will be with a second child between them, a family of four. Two little girls to dote on instead of one as their surrogate is now six months pregnant. It's like Kurt couldn't love his husband more until he sees him cuddling little Cassie to his chest or dancing around the kitchen singing his heart out to make her smile. And now with a second child on the way Kurt can't see him with anybody else.
It's with great reluctance that Kurt actually leaves them there on the sand to go to the bathroom, he knows it's only going to be a few minutes but he doesn't want to miss a moment. "Be good for Daddy okay? I'll be two minutes."
"We'll be fine Kurt."
"I know. I just worry."
Blaine just playfully rolls his eyes and pushes his husband away from them, willing him to go relieve his bladder, "Go!" He laughs.
"Okay, Okay!"
"Silly Papa." Blaine says as he lies next to his daughter, fully in awe of how beautiful she is. Dark brown ringlets falling down her back which is clothed in the cutest little swimsuit. Her skin picking up a soft golden glow from the California sun. She turns her head to look at her daddy, her blue eyes glistening in the sunlight as she smiles at her father, in complete delight of the attention being put back on her.
However, Blaine is interrupted by a loud ping from his phone alerting him of a text, as he tears his eyes away to look at who's messaging him. It's Burt asking him how the holiday is and how Cassie's doing with all the heat. He of course replies with happy messages and a cute picture of his granddaughter splashing in the waves, the biggest smile on her face.
"Blaine." It startles Blaine so much he almost drops his phone in the sand, but not because of the suddenness but the coldness and almost panic in which his husband says his name. He looks up at sees him towering over him, eyes frantic. "Where's Cass?"
It's then he turns his eyes to where his daughter just was, sitting next to him, putting shells on her castle, but only now she is nowhere to be seen. "Blaine. Where is she?"
He feels absolutely awful but, "I…I don't know." They're both looking desperately around them, trying and failing to spot their precious daughter.
"Blaine." He can hear his voice crack with tears starting to stream down his cheeks.
"Kurt, we've got to split up and try and look for her okay? We need to calm down, and take our phones so we can call if we find her. I'm going to go alert the life guards, and we are going to get her back, okay?" Now Blaine has his forehead against Kurt, wrapping him up in a reassuring embrace.
"Okay." And with that they separate, running in different directions on the beach, Blaine heading straight for the life guard tower.
He arrives, breathless in the doorway, almost hysterically, "Please. You have to help me. My daughter is missing, we don't know what to do!"
A man, tall, tan and built looks at him with empathy, wearing red shorts and a white tank top, "Okay sir you need to keep calm, I know this is a scary situation but we will find her. How old is she?"
"Only five."
Blaine can see the moment his expression shifts from mild concern to full concern, knowing this situation is more serious. He calls into his radio for people to be looking for a lost five year old girl named Cassie, brown hair, blue eyes and pink swimsuit. "Okay sir we have people looking for her but we do recommend you help to because she's more likely to approach you than us."
"Okay, yeah. I'm Blaine Anderson by the way." Blaine is out there like a shot, eyes searching and searching but never finding his cherished little girl. At this point he doesn't care what happens to him, he only wants his Cassie to be safe and sound and happy. Not scared and lost in a totally new and strange environment.
What if she's lost forever? What if someone takes her? What if she drowns?
No.
Blaine can't think like that.
They will find her.
He starts sprinting, calling out her name, paying no heed to others around him. He wants his daughter back. The guilt is starting to creep in now, feeling as if all this is his fault, which it is of course. He was the one responsible for her at the time, he was the one who looked away from her, even if it was for only two minutes. She's gone and he's the reason why.
"Will Blaine Anderson come to the life guard tower please, we've found your daughter." It was like God's message over a loud speaker, he felt ten times lighter as he lets out a massive sigh of relief. His little girl is okay. Only now his feet are picking up the pace as he tears it down the beach, needing to feel her in his arms.
Blaine and Kurt arrive at the tower at the same time and they both run up the steps before they could go no further and their daughter, cheeks stained with tears, eyes a little red looks up at them. "Daddy! Papa!"
"Oh my god my baby girl you're okay." Kurt pulls her up into his arms snuggling his face into her hair, breathing her in once more. He lets stray tears fall into her curls, overwhelmed and relieved.
"Oh baby I'm so sorry." Blaine collapses into their embrace, his arms coming around the both of them, holding them close. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"
He keeps this mantra up until Kurt finally kisses him to shut him up, "It's okay, Blaine. She's okay." Blaine just nuzzles his face into her neck, hoping never to experience something like this again.
Fin.