Blaine was feeling a little nervous as he and Daddy piled into the car for their trip back to Lima. Daddy's parents had invited them to come for four days and were excited to see "their boys" as Carole liked to say. Blaine knew he shouldn't feel nervous. They'd gone to Burt and Carole's before, and everything had been fine. The difference was that this time, he was going to be little there, something he'd never done before.

Kurt had told Burt and Carole all about their arrangement one night, and they had immediately fallen in love with the idea of little Blaine. They knew about Blaine's past and some of the abuses he'd suffered at the hands of his parents, brother, and schoolmates, so they understood why it helped. But that didn't make Blaine feel like it would be any less embarrassing.

"Do we gotta go?" he asked Daddy nervously as Daddy helped him buckle his seat belt.

"Are you nervous?" Kurt asked, brushing a finger gently over Blaine's cheek.

"Uh huh."

"You don't need to be nervous, baby. Grandma and Grandpa are going to love you."

"But what if they don't?"

"They will. They loved you before you were little, and they'll love my little boy even more."

Blaine was silent for a moment. Then, "How do you know?"

Daddy started the car and pulled out onto the street, driving a little way before he said anything. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Of course!" Blaine said, sounding almost hurt. "You're my daddy! You'd never lie to me."

"Then I need you to trust that I'm not lying now. Grandma and Grandpa will love you, and if they say anything mean, we'll leave. Okay, baby?"

"'kay, Daddy." Blaine settled back in his seat and looked out the window, watching as they left their little suburban New York neighborhood and headed into the countryside on their long drive to Ohio. After seeing several trees that looked suspiciously familiar, he asked, "Daddy, how much longer?"

Kurt laughed. "We've got a long way to go, Blaine. Do you want to listen to our audio book now? Or would you like music or your game?"

"Music!" Blaine said happily, leaning over to plug in the iPod and pull up one of his favorite songs. He and Daddy passed much of the ride singing and dancing to a mixture of show tunes and the latest pop records. They stopped a few times for potty breaks and snacks. Eventually, however, Blaine began to feel tired, singing and dancing less and less as he leaned his head against the window. He began picking slower songs, turning down the volume just a bit and letting his eyes drift shut to the soothing sounds of a song.

"Take your nap, sweetheart," Daddy said after a while, leaning over to gently pluck the iPod from his hands.

"Daddyyy," Blaine tried to protest, stifling a yawn. "I do it!"

"You're sleepy. Take your nap. We'll be there when you wake up."

That sounded nice to Blaine. Driving was boring, and that sun did feel nice shining in on his curls and warming him up. He grabbed his travel pillow and Jack Rabbit from the backseat and snuggled in.

Daddy kissed his hand affectionately. "Love you, baby. Sleep tight."

"Night," Blaine murmured before sailing off into dream land.

A few hours later, the boys pulled into Burt and Carole's driveway. As the car came to a stop and Kurt killed the engine, Blaine stirred a bit. "Daddy?" he asked sleepily.

"Hi, baby. We're here."

Blaine rubbed at his eyes, stretching a bit. "We're home?" he mumbled.

"No," Kurt chuckled. "We're at Grandma and Grandpa's."

That woke Blaine up. He looked at Kurt, panicked. "Wanna go home," he whimpered.

"Shhh," Kurt told him. "It's going to be okay. Grandma and Grandpa are going to love you." He leaned across the center console to kiss Blaine's cheek. "Come help me get our bags," he prompted as he opened his door. It wasn't that he didn't sympathize with Blaine; he knew he was always nervous when they introduced new people to this part of their lives, but he also knew that Burt and Carole were safe. They were going to love Blaine and spoil him to pieces. Blaine just didn't know it yet.

Slowly, Blaine climbed out of the car, looking cautiously around as if someone would suspect he was little just by how he got out of the car. He didn't see anyone, so he hurried to the trunk where Daddy was pulling out their luggage, grabbing at Daddy's waist and hiding behind him.

Kurt hid a sigh. Apparently, simple reassurance wasn't helping. Turning in the little boy's grip, he wrapped his arms around Blaine. "Listen," he said quietly. "I know you're nervous. There is nothing to be afraid of. Grandma and Grandpa aren't going to do anything bad to you. I promise. I'll be with you the whole time. If they do try to say something mean, we will pack up and leave immediately. I love you, and I won't put you in a situation where someone can hurt you. Do you understand?"

From his place against Daddy's chest, Blaine nodded. "Jus' nervous," he mumbled.

"I know. You can stay behind me if that helps," Kurt soothed, rubbing a few circles on Blaine's back. "But you can't hold onto me. I'll fall."

Blaine nodded again and let go, picking up their bathroom bag, a bag with some toys in it, and his suitcase handle then followed Daddy toward the house.

Kurt stopped at the passenger door of their car and retrieved Jack Rabbit, handing him to Blaine. "Jack will help you feel better," Daddy reassured as they began their trek toward the door again.

As they approached, Carole opened the door, a huge smile lighting up her face. "Kurt! Blaine! You're here!"

A wave of fear rushed through Blaine's body, and he squeezed his rabbit tightly. He wished he could crawl onto Daddy's lap and hide his face, but Daddy had a bunch of bags, and he didn't want to make him fall. So, he settled for making himself as small as possible and taking small steps onto the porch.

"Carole!" Kurt exclaimed, setting down a bag he was carrying to wrap an arm around her. "How are you and Dad?" he asked.

"We're doing just fine, even better now that our boys are home," she said, hugging him back. "Hi, Blaine." She smiled over Kurt's shoulder.

"Hi," Blaine whispered, wishing to be anywhere but there.

Carole came around Kurt to give Blaine a hug but stopped short when she saw the expression on his face. Instead, she turned her attention back to Kurt, holding the door open for him so he and Blaine could bring their bags inside. "You must be tired," she said to them as they stepped into the living room. "That's a long drive."

"Blaine napped on the way here, and I had a bit off caffeine," Kurt explained, heading for the stairs. "So, we'll just go up and put our things away and be right back down. We won't be long," he promised.

"Take your time," Carole told him, heading to the kitchen. "I'm going to make us some tea."

Blaine trailed Daddy up the stairs to Daddy's old room, following his directions on where to put the bags. He expected Daddy would want to unpack and put things away since they were going to be staying for a whole week, so he was surprised when, instead, Daddy set the bags down and gathered him into a hug.

"You okay, baby?" he asked.

Blaine nodded against him. "Uh huh."

Kurt didn't say anything else for a moment, taking the bags that Blaine was holding and setting them down, too, before sitting down on the bed and motioning for Blaine to join him. The boy snuggled into his lap, and he rubbed the baby's back as Blaine leaned against his shoulder, soaking up Daddy's comfort. "We can stay up here as long as you need," he whispered.

"I'm okay. Really."

"You're being a really brave boy for me," Daddy smiled. "I'm so proud of you." He hugged Blaine to his chest and rocked for a minute. When he stopped, he could feel Blaine's grip on him tighten possessively. "I won't leave you, baby."

"I know."

"I talked to Grandma and Grandpa before we came. They know to give you some space until you don't feel so nervous."

"They don't gotta."

"They understand, baby. They know this is new and hard for you."

Blaine was quiet for a few moments. Then, he slowly slid off of Daddy's lap. He stood and squared his shoulders."I wanna try. If I need help, I tell you."

"Okay. Should we go down and have some tea with Grandma?"

Blaine nodded. "Hug?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Daddy.

"As many as you want, monkey," Daddy said, squeezing him close.

After a long moment, Blaine let go. "We go now," he said

"Are you sure? We can stay up here longer."

"We go," Blaine insisted, taking Kurt's hand. "'m okay."

Kurt felt helpless. Blaine wasn't acting like he was okay, and as much as he was trying to put on a brave face for his little boy, Kurt was as nervous as Blaine. He knew that Burt and Carole really would love Blaine. They were going to shower him with presents and love and all the other things he never got as a child. But, they were unfamiliar with all of this, and it was hard to know what to say and how to react sometimes; Kurt understood that better than anyone. He wasn't worried that they'd be mean on purpose; Blaine just had so many triggers from his past that something innocent could set him off and ruin his opinion of Burt and Carole before they'd really had a chance to prove themselves.

Heaving a deep sigh, Kurt followed Blaine down the stairs, the little boy clutching his hand tighter with every step. When they got back to the living room, they found Carole sitting on the couch, a tray with tea and cookies on the coffee table in front of her. "Are you settled?" she asked with a warm smile.

"We didn't unpack," Kurt explained as he took a seat next to Carole, Blaine sitting closely on his other side. "We just dropped everything off and made sure we didn't forget anything."

Carole nodded as though she believed him and moved the conversation to a new topic, practically ignoring Blaine. She asked Kurt about his job, how he enjoyed working from home, and what he and Rachel had talked about the last time they'd gotten together. As they talked, though, she kept an eye on Blaine, waiting for the little boy to give a signal that it would be okay for her to talk to him. Finally, she saw him eyeing the tray of cookies. Softly, she said, "Blaine, you can have a cookie if you want. If it's okay with your daddy." The second sentence felt a little funny in her mouth, but she pushed that feeling away. She'd get used to it eventually.

Blaine looked at Kurt with big eyes, not speaking.

"You can have a cookie," Kurt said. "But, you need to use your manners."

"Thank you," Blaine whispered, hand already half way back to his mouth with a large cookie.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Carole replied. "Are chocolate chip cookies your favorite?"

Blaine nodded.

"Baby, words please," Kurt reminded.

With a blush, Blaine mumbled, "Yes."

"Maybe we can make some this week," Carole offered. "I'm almost out, and they're Finn's favorite, too."

Blaine was so excited, he didn't even flinch at the mention of another person seeing him be little. "Really?" he asked, bouncing a little on the couch cushion. "Tha' would be fun!"

"It's a date then." Carole poured herself another cup of tea, a huge smile on her face.

Kurt rubbed Blaine's back as he ate another cookie. It was a little embarrassing to do the parenting thing in front of Carole, but he'd have to get used to it. This was how it was for them and being inconsistent would not be good for Blaine, especially not when they were in a new situation. "Where's Dad?" he asked.

"He went to the shop today." When she caught sight of Kurt's confused expression, she explained, "Yes, he did retire. Finn has taken over, for the most part. But one of the guys was out today, so he went down to fill in."

"That's really hard on him. He should be taking it easy so he doesn't stress his heart," Kurt fretted.

"He's fine," Carole said. "I used to worry, too, but honestly, he loves it. I think he'd stress his heart more if he had to sit around the house every single day."

"Doesn't he have...Congress stuff to do?"

"Not all the time," Carole laughed. "He prefers to do most of that on the plane anyway."

Kurt was about to open his mouth to say something else when he felt a small tug on his shirt sleeve.

"Daddy?"

He looked at Blaine.

"'m firsty," Blaine whispered.

"Do you want milk or water?"

"Um, milk."

"And what do you say?" For some reason, when Blaine was nervous, the first thing to go where his manners.

"Please," he blushed.

"Good boy," Kurt praised, kissing his forehead. "I'll be right back." He hurried upstairs and grabbed the bag they'd packed the necessities in then went to the kitchen to pour his baby a sippy cup of milk.

"Fanks," Blaine said when Daddy handed him the cup.

"You're welcome, munchkin. Do you want to color?" Kurt pulled a superhero coloring book and some crayons out of the bag. "You could make a picture for Grandma to hang on the fridge? I'm sure she'd like that."

Blaine nodded. "I make a pretty picture," he said, reaching out for the coloring book and crayons with his free hand.

"Who are you going to color?" Carole asked, crouching down next to him as he made himself comfortable on the floor.

"Umm," he said, thinking. "Who do you yike?"

"I like Spiderman," she offered, seeing him on the front cover.

"I color him for you?" Blaine asked around the sippy cup in his mouth.

"I'd like that!" Carole exclaimed, nodding. "You can color Spiderman for me."

"Okay!" Blaine said, flipping through the pages until he found one. "You yike this one?" He showed her the book again.

"That's a good one," Carole confirmed. "You should color him."

"I make him pretty for you," Blaine promised, turning his attention to the crayons spread out before him.

Kurt smiled, glad to see Blaine coming out of his shell a bit, even though he was still being quite reserved. He had been afraid that the afternoon would be much clingier and tearier than it had been. It was a relief to see him starting to relax with Carole. It certainly helped that she was being very attentive to how Blaine was feeling. She was already a pro at this.

Kurt and Carole made pleasant conversation about various people in Lima and the things that Burt was voting on in Washington for quite a while, watching Blaine color and enjoying their tea. They were so involved in their conversation that they didn't hear Burt pull into the garage or come into the house until they heard his voice in the doorway.

"Hi-ya, Kurt! Hey, Carole! Hi, Blaine! Come give Grandpa a hug!" He crouched and opened his arms, clearly waiting for Blaine to come running to give him a hug.

Instead, Blaine burst into tears on the floor, scrambling up and into Daddy's lap.