Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the favorites and the following and most of all the reviews and tumblr messages. I love your enthusiasm and your thoughts so much. They are so important to me!
Just a quick note to guest reviewers. I love getting your thoughts, but I love even more being able to respond to them! Especially when they include criticism. I don't mind constructive criticism at all, it really helps me grow as a writer and gain fresh ideas, but a discussion is even better! So please, if you have something negative to say, login or at least sign the review so we can talk! But if you're just out to spread hate, I won't be a part of it and I will delete.
Now welcome to Brittany 2.0. I was less than enthralled by this episode, so I hope what I managed to write does this series justice. I seem to be going just as Blaintana-centric in this story as I did in Way Out, even without Santana on the show! I guess it's just who this Blaine is. A quick note, my Brittany isn't exactly canon. Well, she's more like Season 2 canon. And just can't get on board with dumbing her down as much as RIB. Hope that isn't a problem.
I don't own Glee. Or Brittany Spears. But here's what you missed on Brittany 2.0.
Blaine: Skype. Now.
He sat in the darkness of his bedroom, the glow of his computer the only light as he waited for her name to come up on his screen. It only took a minute before Santana's face popped up.
"It's one o'clock in the morning on a school night, Boyfriend," she grumbled with exhaustion as she brushed out her hair. "What the hell are you doing up? Don't you need your beauty sleep?"
"Look who's talking," Blaine teased. Santana looked a mess after nearly 6 hours of cheerleading practice and probably a full day of classes. "I just got off with Kurt," Blaine explanation.
"Wanky," Santana smirked and Blaine blushed.
"That's not what I meant, I" he started, but just buried his head in his hands as the red in his cheeks grew deeper, Santana of course not that far from the truth. "Never mind."
Santana laughed. "You know I'm just joking with you. How is Ladylips?"
"Kurt is getting settled pretty well. Bunking with Rachel in the dorms while they apartment shop," he shared.
"Now that is a scary thought, living with Rachel Berry. But I digress. How are you holding up?" she asked compassionately.
He wanted to talk about how much he missed her and Kurt, and how hard it was being in the choir room without them. But that wasn't the point of his call. He was the leader of New Directions now and it was his job to take care of its members, not to talk about himself. "I'm holding up better than your girlfriend, 'Tana. You need to do something. I caught her doing a voiceover in the middle of the school hallway."
"That's just Britt," Santana said brushing away his concerns, but Blaine wasn't letting her off that easily.
"That's not just Britt, Santana. She got kicked off the Cheerios today too," he said.
"I know," Santana said sadly. "I talked to her earlier."
"For how long, Tana, five minutes?" Santana was quiet. "That's what I thought," he said, more accusatory than he'd intended.
Santana looked away from him, but she could not hide the guilt radiating from every inch of her body. "It's just not that easy Blaine. I have class all day and cheerleading practice all night…"
"I get it 'Tana," Blaine interrupted. The grief in his voice reflected in his eyes, even in the diminished quality of the video camera. This could just as easily be him and Kurt in only a few short weeks. Or even days. "I understand. We all have different lives now. But if you want Brittany to still be a part of yours, you need to make an effort." He paused a minute as Santana nodded. "And I'll do what I can here to make sure she's okay, whatever you decide. I promised I'd take care of her for you."
"You're the best boyfriend in the world, you know that Blaine?" Santana asked with a sad smile.
He grinned bashfully and ran a hand through his curls. "Well, let's just hope that Kurt keeps thinking so too," he told her.
Blaine high fived Artie, their performance an apparent success, and he gathered his things and swooped in with a grin, sitting next to Brittany. She remained slumped in her chair despite her praise to Mr. Schuester.
"That was really good Blaine," Brittany said and Blaine couldn't tell if it was boredom, sarcasm, or just oreo in her voice. "Want an oreo?" she asked offering him a cookie.
Blaine scrunched his face and politely refused. "No thanks. Britt, are you sure you're okay? I hope you didn't mind the song, we were just trying to inspire you."
"No, it was great," she said flatly as she gathered her things and walked out of the choir room. Blaine raced to keep up with her. "I loved being serenaded by my ex and my lesbian lover's best gay friend. Totally inspiring."
Blaine frowned and took her hand, pulling her to the lockers and out of the fray of the school hallways. "I'm sorry. We were just trying…"
Brittany cut him off though, sincerity in her eyes. "Look Blaine, I appreciate what you and Artie tried to do. But you're Santana's Boyfriend, not mine. Contrary to popular opinion, and that ridiculous song you chose, I don't need a boyfriend. I need Santana back."
"I understand Brittany," Blaine told her.
"No, Blaine, you don't," she countered angrily. "Santana's been gone a month. Kurt's been gone, what, a week? And it's not like he's busy all the time. I'm sure you two talk and text and Skype twenty times a day. I get about ten minutes with Santana if that. All she does is school and cheerleading from morning to midnight. And what do I get to do? While you're leading the New Directions, I'm kicked off the Cheerios."
"I'm sorry Britt," he said again, not really sure of what else to say.
"Yeah well, sorry doesn't change anything. And Santana can't either. The only one who can change it is me," she responded as she stormed off down the hall.
Blaine rested his head against the lockers then glanced down the hall toward the locker that used to be Kurt's. If only he were here now. Kurt would know what to do.
He walked the rest of the way to his science class, put his stuff away and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text before his teacher saw him and confiscated it for the rest of the day.
Blaine to Kurt: It's Brittany 2.0 here at McKinley and I need your advice. Call me when you have a few minutes.
He woke in a cold sweat, more alarmed at having had the dream at all than the dream itself. He had thought he was past this. It had been months since he'd last been triggered. But though he had been so focused on Brittany as she attacked Jacob Ben Israel that it hadn't struck him in the moment, his mind obviously held onto it for him.
Inside the nightmare, he had writhed on the floor, covering his head and curling his body against Brittany's attack with her umbrella. But then the umbrella turned to leather and Brittany morphed into the Colonel, and once again he was 14 years old and cowering beneath his dining room table after coming out to his parents for the first time.
Now as he sat at 3am, he counted the hours until he'd see Kurt at school tomorrow, only to fully awaken with the realization that Kurt wouldn't be there. And for the first time the gravity of that hit him as his biggest fear churned in his chest. Who would be there for him the next time he fell?
"I checked in with the base in Georgia," the Colonel told Blaine as they cooked dinner together in the kitchen. Tonight they were making an Asian stir fry, one of his mother's specialties. Blaine chopped peppers and garlic while his Dad started the onion and chicken in the wok. "Sounds like Finn is doing pretty well in basic training."
"That's good," Blaine murmured, his jealousy of the relationship Finn had developed with his Dad evident. "I'll be sure to tell Kurt."
"How is Kurt getting along in New York?" the Colonel asked, and Blaine stopped for a moment, surprised at the question.
"He's doing pretty well I think," Blaine answered more cheerfully, finishing up the vegetables. He turned and leaned against the counter, facing his Dad. "He's planning to audition again for NYADA's second semester and he's applying for a job at Vogue."
The Colonel looked at Blaine, unable to completely hide the discomfort in his face, but trying. "Good," he nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. And how are you doing?"
He considered lying. He was holding up pretty well considering the most important person in his life was hundreds of miles away and starting a brand new life without him. After all, he wasn't a complete mess like Brittany. He had felt like a complete failure at today's "Brittervention." But every time Kurt told him something about New York; Rachel, the apartment, the bagels, the pizza, Blaine just wanted to be there with him, experiencing it all too. "I miss him," Blaine admitted sadly. "I try not to, but I do."
"Well, that will change as time goes on," the Colonel said, coolly.
"Really?" Blaine asked accusingly as his eyes narrowed. "Has it changed with Mom?"
The Colonel's eyes locked with Blaine's for only a moment before he turned back to the wok with the pretense of stirring. "No," he said quietly. "No it hasn't."
They worked in silence for a few minutes, adding the peppers to the wok. Blaine prepared the rice that simmered in the corner, adding seasoning to match the stir-fry. He went out to the dining room to set the table. His thoughts flew, as they often did without his permission, to cooking with Kurt in their own kitchen, setting the table with candles and flowers he had picked up on the corner before coming home. He shook his head. He wasn't going to do this to himself. Kurt wasn't gone, he was only in a different place, and he didn't have to seem so far away. In fact, he thought, glancing at the doorway that led to his father, Kurt didn't have to be so far away.
Colonel Anderson brought in dinner and they sat down to eat, making small talk about work at the recruiting station and the upcoming fall assembly at McKinley. Blaine's mind though kept drifting to Brittany and then to Santana and then to Kurt. His heart beat a little faster, but he raised his eyes to his dad and plucked up some courage. "Can I ask you a favor Dad?"
The Colonel raised an eyebrow. "Sure, son, what is it?"
"I want to go to New York," Blaine said with hope and doubt all rolled up into one.
Blaine watched with baited breath as his father gently placed his fork down next to his plate as if in slow motion and slowly wiped his mouth with the napkin. Blaine recognized the motions as the Colonel waited out his initial reaction and thought through his response to his son instead. It was something they'd both been practicing it for months in therapy.
"You can't just run to New York every time you miss him," the Colonel finally said, far more sympathetically than Blaine had expected, and it kept him calm as well when anger could have been his first response.
"I'm not running, Dad. And I'm not saying I need to go now. But I don't want to wait until he comes back for Thanksgiving. Please, I'll just need some money, I'll figure out the rest."
The Colonel went back to his dinner as he considered the request. Blaine waited, his foot tapping the only sign of his nerves. "You come to the office in Westerville, do some filing for me, and I'll pay you for your time. You can do with the money whatever you want."
Blaine let out a breath and grinned. "Thank you," he said and began eating again. He could barely wait to tell Kurt.
The moment the tall, handsome, young man showed up at their doorstep, Kurt knew it was Rachel's friend Brody, but it didn't stop his face from lighting up at the sight of him. Kurt and Rachel had always had the same taste in men, Jesse St. Sucks notwithstanding, and his love for Blaine did not prevent the skip in his heartbeat at Mr. Tango Dancer. Still, the flowers this man brought were clearly for his roommate and he was undeniably excited for her. This is what Finn had wanted. A chance for others to see how amazing she was. A chance for Rachel to see what else was out there.
"Well hello there kind sir," Kurt nearly swooned in the doorway.
"Hey, I'm Brody," the man said confirming his suspicions.
"I'm Kurt," he responded giddily.
"Hi," Brody greeted, but Kurt could tell he was actually desperate for Kurt to leave. Well, he'd be happy to oblige.
"I was just gonna go get some cake," he said and turned to Rachel, his eyebrows arched suggestively. "I'm going to leave you two alone," he mouthed, encouragingly.
He skipped out the door and his fingers were dialing before he even got down the stairs of their apartment out onto the streets of New York. As he walked out into the sights and smells and excitement that were so strikingly different from everything about Ohio, he nearly bursted with anticipation and the need to share. He barely let Blaine even get out a greeting.
"Oh my god, Blaine, you can never even imagine the most gorgeous man who just showed up at our doorstep. With flowers, nonetheless," Kurt raved as he strode down the Brooklyn streets.
Notice me
Take my hand
Why are we
Strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me?
Blaine frowned, his heart twisting with jealousy on the other end of the phone. Sometimes he felt like he was treading water. Sometimes he felt like he was soaring. But there were moments, like Brittney, when he felt like he just might drown. Hearing of Kurt's life in New York, excitement in his voice; he both loved and hated it. It seemed almost surreal that their lives were going on without each other. There love was strong, but it had only just begun and they were already becoming strangers.
"I know we share everything Kurt, but if you're going to tell me about every gorgeous boy who tries to steal you away…" Blaine trailed off.
"Well, this one just happened to be coming for one, Rachel Barbra Berry," Kurt assured him. "If ever a gorgeous man comes to my doorstep carrying flowers for me, unless his name is Blaine Anderson, he can just turn around and go home."
Blaine smiled, a blush creeping to his cheeks as his heart settled. "And you are just standing watching them?" he teased.
"No," Kurt said with a pout. He arrived at the storefront and leaned casually against the brick wall outside the door. "I am on a mission for cheesecake."
"Ah," Blaine said knowingly. "Then I will let you go, I don't want you starting to snap at your waitresses in only your first week."
Kurt laughed at his teasing, but the sadness in Blaine's voice was obvious and Kurt wasn't going to let him go. "What's the matter Blaine? Everything at home okay? How's Britt?"
"Brittany is losing it without Santana, Kurt," he told him. "And maybe I am too," he added quietly.
"What do you mean?" Kurt asked concerned.
Everytime I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me
I guess I need you baby
Blaine told Kurt about their disaster of a fall assembly. He felt guilty as he leader letting them do that when he knew it was wrong. And he told him about Brittany's outburst in the hallway of McKinley, and about his dream.
"I was so scared when I woke and all I could think about was seeing you the next day, and then I remembered," Blaine told him, tears threatening to fall again.
I make believe
That you are here
It's the only way
I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy
"You need someone else there for you," Kurt said. "You have to let someone else in. Sam or Tina. Remember Christmas, Blaine, last year? Sam will understand."
Blaine nodded and wiped a tear. "I'll try," he promised.
"And if that doesn't work, you know who to call. Right?" he prompted.
"Ms. Pillsbury in school and your Dad at home," Blaine responded as if by rote. "I know."
"And me, Blaine," Kurt stressed. "You text me 911 and no matter what I'll call or text you back."
"I love you," Blaine whispered.
"And I miss you Blaine," Kurt insisted. "As exciting as New York City is, I promise you I do."
Blaine sniffled. He had planned on telling Kurt that he might come to visit, but for some reason, he decided not to. "I better let you get your cheesecake," he chuckled slightly.
"You're more important than cheesecake," Kurt reassured him. "I love you."
"I love you too. Skype me later?" Blaine said.
"Always," Kurt promised.
So I hope that was okay. Let me know your thoughts! Counting the minutes until the Makeover, and the fact is I'm really super excited about the Break Up. I know. Call me crazy.
