A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited! Sorry for the delay between posts, but I doubt there be an actual schedule of how often I post. It will probably be fairly helter-skelter. Thanks for reading!

Blaine's eyes were growing weary of the artificial light of his laptop, but he couldn't stop. Scrolling… Scrolling… Internet shopping was his drug. He was officially owned by Amazon.

As he audibly gushed over yet another baby crib, he decided to call Claire and get her input. If this was left up to him, they would be bankrupt in under an hour. As the phone rang he continued to click through pictures of designer diaper bags. Being a pregnant woman would be totally worth it to be able to carry around that Coach bag after the baby was born. He smiled to himself at the thought of it. What did Kurt always tell me about Coach products though? Blaine's smile evaporated as he thought of Kurt. He had had more than enough distractions as of late, but when he was falling asleep, he missed Kurt more than anything. Missed the way that Kurt smiled when they first saw each other in the morning. Missed the way he obsessed over his hair being absolutely perfect. The way he dressed and the way he had held his hand. Blaine shook himself as Claire answered the phone, not wanting his voice to betray his pain.

"Hello?" Claire said, her voice cracking. Blaine briefly wondered if he had woken her, and noted that most people were not like him and did not stay up on the computer all hours of the night.

"Hey," Blaine said softly. "So I was wondering about how much you were thinking of spending on different things for the baby. Because I found this…"

"Blaine," Claire cut him off, and he realized her gruff voice had nothing to do with sleep as he heard her sniffle over the phone.

"Blaine I… I talked to my p-parents." She whispered, a sharp intake of air giving her away. Blaine knew the end of the story already. Exactly like they expected.

"They… They don't want… Anything to do with the baby. Or anything to do with me. They said that… They said that…" She squeaked out a few more gibberish syllables and dissolved into sobs. Blaine tried to comfort her. He knew that her parents wouldn't want the baby, or Blaine, or any of the other consequences that came along with a situation such as this. And he had prepared himself to deal with it and to help Claire. But now that it was time to hold her together, he realized he had no idea what he was doing. He was flailing as much as she was.

Blaine knew his parents would be no help what-so-ever. They paid the rent at his apartment as long as he never tried to interact with them. His parents were usually on trips or working or doing whatever the hell they could to stay away from him. Almost as though they thought he could pass his homosexuality onto them. Like how children in elementary school treated cooties. He never really missed them. He couldn't remember them ever being loving or supportive or any type of parent that he could look back on and wish he had now. But he did ache for support. For someone to love him like a parent should; or how he thought a parent should.

Blaine talked Claire through her entire conversation with her parents. It had started of innocently enough: "Hi, how are you? What have you been up to? How's college?" But when Claire had revealed to them everything that had happened in the four months since she met Blaine, a divide was formed between them. An unbearable, resounding silence broken finally by Claire's mother, telling her that they wanted no part in the child's life. And if Claire did not come to her senses and terminate the pregnancy or put the baby up for adoption, that she was not to contact them again.

"Blaine…" She said between sobs. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." He told her, because honestly, he didn't have a clue either. When Claire found out about the baby, she had decided to discontinue her classes at Ohio State where she was working to get a teaching degree until she got back on her feet. She took a job as a checkout girl in a supermarket, seeing as hardly anyone was hiring. And Blaine had found his schedule increasingly more difficult as he struggled with his senior year of high school, his job as a waiter at a local restaurant, and giving vocal lessons to kids on the weekends for extra money. Claire was in the process of vacating her apartment to come live with Blaine to save the rent money. But who knew if Blaine's parents would continue paying for the apartment when they found out what was going on.

Blaine stayed on the line in silence as Claire hiccuped herself to sleep, hanging up only when he was sure he wouldn't wake her. His laptop had long since shut off from not being used. He crawled into his bed and lay on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling. As far as he and Claire were concerned, abortion and adoption weren't options. They were keeping the child, and they would do everything it took to give that kid a damn good life. Still, Blaine couldn't help but have doubts. So many doubts…How would he and Claire ever explain the situation to future boyfriends?

The thought of Blaine having a future boyfriend knocked the wind out of him. Wasn't he supposed to want to move on? Find someone to love him…Forever.

"No," he whispered to himself. He didn't want to move on. Because even if he was hurting, at least he felt something. Timelines blurred together the months and years of numbness before he met Kurt. But now as he looked back, he shivered at the possibility that the only time he could remember feeling happy could all have been a lie. Kurt had said after his first year at NYADA, he would come back and they could "sort things out". But the odds of Kurt not meeting someone between now and then were zero. Kurt was so perfect. So imperfect Blaine felt like every bone in his body was aching with the pain of missing him. Missing holding him, kissing him, feeling his warmth and seeing his smile.

Blaine curled into a ball, holding his knees to his chest to prevent himself from falling to pieces. He fell into a fitful sleep, haunted by dreams of love…and happiness…and waking up.

One Month Later

"We're just going to check to make sure everything's okay. This is going to be a little cold." Blaine felt Claire's hold on his hand tighten as the gel was applied to her swelling stomach. After a moment, a heartbeat was heard and the doctor told them the baby was growing perfectly so far. Blaine kissed Claire's hand as relief flooded over her face.

"Would you like to know the gender?"

"Yes, please." Claire replied, catching Blaine's gaze.

The doctor smiled. "It's a baby girl."

Four Months Later

(March 9th, 2013)

Blaine excused himself from a lecture in his math class as his phone vibrated repeatedly in his pocket. Claire's name was on his caller ID and he knew it was time.

"I'll be right there." He said immediately, hearing Claire yelling at doctors and wanting to be in charge, per usual. He hung up and ran to the parking lot, going through McKinley's back hallways so he could be undetected. The drive to the hospital was a blur of green lights and ignored red ones.

"Claire Stinson?" He said out of breath to the woman at the front desk.

"Second floor. Third hallway to the right, through the green doors." She said after consulting her chart. Blaine took off again. "Room 14!" She yelled after him.

When he got to Claire's room, she was in the middle of a contraction, screaming loudly and red-faced. When she saw Blaine something in her eyes relaxed, though her pain continued. She had opted to give birth to their baby girl without medication. Blaine thought she was regretting that right about now.

The next few hours passed in leaps and bounds and minutes between contractions. Until the doctor said: "Okay Claire, just give us one more push!"

Blaine stood by the head of Claire's bed, not wanting to be too close to the actual birth. The start of a life was beautiful and everything, but he didn't really need to see every gory detail.

And then Claire's body relaxed a little, and they heard a cry come from the tiny, slimy human Claire had just given birth to. Blaine wanted to pass out when he saw how big their daughter was, and wondered if a woman could come back from something like that. But when the doctors handed the baby to Claire, all thoughts left Blaine's head, and he just stared into her big, hazel eyes like staring into a mirror. She had big ears like Claire and long, dark eyelashes. Dark fuzz covered her head, and Blaine silently prayed her hair wouldn't be as curly as his, or she would be in for a rough life.

"Hi baby girl," Claire cooed. Blaine smiled and held her little hand between two of his fingers. She grabbed onto his pointer finger and squeezed, and he felt heat pressing up behind his eyelids.

"Do you have a name picked out?" asked the female doctor who had delivered the baby.

"Ava Marie," they said together. The doctor smiled.

"You two are a cute couple. Are you married?" Blaine and Claire looked at each other, taking humor in the fact that yet another person mistook their relationship.

"No," Blaine said simply, not wanting to have this discussion with another stranger. The doctor smiled at them as she was leaving the room and poked her head back in for one final thought.

"You seem like really loving parents. She's such a beautiful baby."

"We know."

11 Months Later

(February 26th, 2014)

Claire slept on the floor of the living room while Ava sat in Blaine's lap, watching Tom and Jerry. Blaine had always loved that show, and Ava smiled and laughed the entire time she watched the show. He was so glad that it made her happy. He and Claire were doing everything they could but were still struggling to keep their heads above the water. Claire had been taking online classes so she could work and take care of Ava, and in the fall Blaine would be taking a light course load at Ohio State, his major still undecided. Blaine's parents had stopped paying the rent when they found out about Claire so there wasn't much spare cash left around.

Blaine's eyes trailed up to the clock above the TV in the main room that also served as Ava's room for the time being. Blaine decided it was time to make lunch, so he put Ava on the floor and laid down next to her.

"Whadaya say we wake Mommy up and get her to feed us?" Blaine crawled across the floor and expected Ava to follow, but what occurred had him screaming for Claire to wake up.

Claire rubbed her eyes and rolled over, and saw her baby up on her own two legs, wobbling across the room to her.

"Claire she's walking!"

"I can see that! Come here sweetie! Oh my god." Ava tumbled into her arms, eyes glittering as she her tinkling laughs filled the room.

2 Months Later

(April 14th, 2014)

Break me down and build me up again,

I can take it, the remaking

The more we know, the less we understand

So live the rebound, welcome to breakdown…

Blaine held Ava in his arms as he danced around the tiny kitchen. Claire was sitting at the table, watching their progress as she waited for her date to pick her up for lunch. Blaine was supposed to watch Ava until Claire got home and then head to McKinley to watch this year's New Directions perform. Blaine continued singing, making the faces he knew made Ava laughed. And laugh she did. Until…

"Daddy…" She said between giggles. Everything in the kitchen froze. Claire's face was a mix of joy and confusion. The shock on Blaine's face gave him the appearance of just being smacked. Then they both jumped into action. Claire was by Blaine's side, he was stroking Ava's hair.

"Daddy!" She said again, a dazzling smile gracing her mouth. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Four Years Later

(September 4th, 2018)

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy! I love you!" Ava yelled back to them as she walked into the classroom. Her first day of school. First day of kindergarten. Blaine and Claire stood in the hallway with the other parents. They were already eliciting looks of disproval, seeing as they were by far the youngest parents around. Claire's eyebrows furrowed a little and she seemed to shrink under their glares.

"Just wait 'til they find out I'm gay," Blaine whispered into her ear. Claire snorted. They both waved to Ava as she turned around yet again to wave.

"She's cute," said a woman directly next to them. She was smiling at them warmly. She was also alone, and though she was older than Claire and Blaine, she also appeared quite young. She pointed into the room at a little blonde boy a few feet from Ava. "That's my son, Mark. He's quite shy."

As if on cue, Ava smiled brightly at him, and attempted to engage him in conversation. The woman smiled too.

"Well, our daughter, Ava, is anything but." Claire laughed, continuing the conversation with the woman, whose name they learned was Sarah. They ended up leaving the school together, planning to get coffee before going back to pick up their children. Blaine smiled, maybe this won't be so bad after all.

One Year Later

(August 16, 2019)

"Please, Mommy! Summer is almost over! I want to learn before I start school! Mark can ride a bike without training wheels! I don't want to be the only one in my whole class who can't ride a bike!" Ava had mastered all of her father's dramatics. Her pouting features half-hidden by her dark, bouncing curls. They were nowhere near as out of control as Blaine's, and they fit her exuberant personality quite well.

Claire sighed, "Okay. We'll be out in a minute."

Ava took off for the door. They had all three finally moved into a small house in a friendly neighborhood. Blaine now gave guitar, piano, and vocal lessons full time at an old, rundown restaurant they had spent a majority of the past year fixing up. Claire taught ninth grade English at McKinley. They weren't rich, but they got by comfortably. And Ava was happy living next to her best friend, Mark.

"Blaine, I need you!" Claire called upstairs. She checked her watch. She had about an hour before she had to get ready for her date. It was her and Austin's one year anniversary, and he had hinted about popping the question. Claire was nervous. There were so many issues ahead. Austin had been surprisingly okay with Claire's situation and had even met Ava several times. Ava adored him, and Claire was waiting for the right moment to sit Ava down and talk to her all about Blaine and their family. She wondered how much Ava already knew. She was still so young, but they didn't want Ava to hear things from other students that might upset her.

Blaine rushed down the stairs, his reading glasses on and his hands full of sheet music. "What's up?"

"Ava is insisting we take her bike riding again or she could just die of embarrassment due to her training wheels."

Blaine snorted. "Quite the little drama queen we have."

"I fully blame you for that." Claire followed him out of the house and watched him help Ava up onto her bike.

"Okay, little lady." Blaine said as he fastened her helmet. "Are you ready to go?"

Ava nodded violently, causing the helmet to slip. They all laughed as she adjusted it so she could see, and off they went. Blaine running to keep up with the bike until he finally let go, still keeping up with her in case she fell.

"You're doing it sweetie! All by yourself!" Claire yelled to her, jogging to catch up. Ava cheered, but looked to have no intention of stopping. They watched her ride down the sidewalk, happy as could be.

Blaine sighed, "What happened to our baby?"

Claire's eyes were misty. "I don't know."

One Month Later

(September 6th, 2019)

Claire got out of the passenger side of the car, opening the door for Ava and helping her in. It was Friday, and they were taking Ava to the park and to dinner to celebrate her starting first grade.

"Hi baby, how was school?" Blaine said as Claire got back in. Ava was biting her lip.

"Fine," she said weakly. Blaine and Claire exchanged a look in the front seat as Blaine started the car, heading for the park just around the corner.

Usually, Blaine and Claire didn't push Ava. They tried not to nag her because she was typically quite open about what was bothering her. But after a completely silent, four minute car ride, Claire picked Ava up out of the back seat, and carried her to a park bench with them.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Ava was silently for a few more moments, then she finally made eye-contact with Claire.

"You remember last week? When… When you told me you and Austin were getting married?"

Claire tensed. "Of course I do…"

"Well… Why aren't you and Daddy married?" Blaine tried to reply, but they had opened a dam. Everything came spilling out of Ava almost faster than they could process it.

"Because Anna's parents are married, and they live together with her. And Anna said that her mommy said that they loved each other and that's why they got Anna. But you guys aren't married. And Mark's mommy and daddy aren't married either, but they don't live together, and Mark says they hate each other and that they fight a lot… But you and Daddy don't fight. And you don't… You don't hate each other, do you?" Ava's eyes were wide and she gasped for air, having completely run out the air in her lungs.

"No, honey. No," Claire took Ava's hand and spoke gently to her. "You're Daddy and I don't hate each other. We love each other very much. And when we found out that we were getting you, we were so excited. We're still you're parents though, even if we're not like Anna's mommy and daddy." Claire looked to Blaine, wondering if she should continue. Ava made the decision for them.

"But… But you don't… You don't hold hands and stuff like the other parents do. And Scottie… Scottie told me…" Blaine held his breath, wishing with all of his being that he didn't know what Ava was going to say.

"Scottie told me his daddy said Daddy was a fag… Daddy what does that mean?" Claire was shocked, but she looked to Blaine, and he just looked upset.

"Sweetie that's… That's not a very nice word. And I know you didn't know what it meant and it's okay but… But don't use it anymore, alright?" Ava nodded. Blaine continued, trying to hide the pain in his voice.

"Do you remember the other night, when we watched Cinderella? And she went to the ball and she fell in love with Prince Charming?" Ava smiled and nodded again. "Well… That word Scottie's dad said… It's… It's a really mean way to talk about another prince who could fall in love with Prince Charming. Do you understand?"

"I think so…" Ava said. "But why is Scottie's daddy mean about you liking Prince Charming… I like Prince Charming!"

Blaine rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "Some people… Some people think that it's only okay for princesses to fall in love with princes. Some people think it's not okay for princes to fall in love with other princes, or princesses to fall in love with princesses. Do you still understand?"

"Mhmm… So is that why you and Mommy aren't married? Because you fell in love with a prince, and Mommy fell in love with a different prince?"

Blaine couldn't help but smile at Ava's childish explanations, how it was all so simple to her. "Well I haven't found my prince yet, but Austin is Mommy's prince. And someday you'll find your prince or princess too, sweetie. And I'll find mine and we'll all be a big royal family." Ava laughed, jumped up in Blaine's lap and hugged him. He kissed her on the cheek and she ran off to play on the playground. He realized as he watched her run away that saying that he hadn't found his prince was the very first outright lie he had ever told her. He had found his prince in high school, if only Kurt had seen it that way…

Claire put an arm around Blaine's shoulders, saying everything Blaine needed to hear and giving him the silence he wanted to retreat into all at the same time.

"If only it was always going to be that easy." He said, his held back tears finally beginning to fall.

"She's tough though, like you. She'll make it through."

Blaine felt his heart grow a little lighter. He knew she was right.

Three Days Later

(September 9th, 2019)

Blaine sat playing the upright piano he gave lessons on, waiting around until it was time to pick Ava up from school. His lesson for the afternoon had cancelled, so he entertained himself with his own music.

I still have trouble

I trip and stumble

Tryin' to make sense of things sometimes.

I look for reasons, but I don't need em'

All I need is to look in your eyes…

He stopped the music as his phone began buzzing on the seat next to him. He answered, distractedly, writing down a few more verses on his already cluttered note sheet.

"Hey, Claire…" He mumbled.

"Blaine? Do you have a lesson right now?"

"No, I'm free all afternoon. Aren't you teaching class right now?"

"That's the problem, I'm in the hallway. I got a call from Ava's school. Apparently there was some kind of… Confrontation? Anyway they need a parent or guardian and I can't go down there right now. Can you?"

"Sure I'll go right now."

Blaine hung up and locked the front door to the studio. The entire drive to the school, he wondered what could have happened. Scenarios chased logical thoughts from his mind, each one growing more grim until he finally got to the school.

He entered the building, and saw Ava sitting on the bench outside of the main office. Her face perked up into a smile when she saw him. "Daddy!" Blaine hugged her and looked her over. She seemed fine, void of blood or bruises. Ava had started the fight?

"Sweetie, what happened?" Blaine said, worry lines creasing his forehead.

"If you'll come into my office, Mr. Anderson, we can talk about that."

Blaine bristled. "Hello, Mr. Scott." He and Claire had already had an uncomfortable run-in with the principal over their family situation. Claire had been livid over his obvious disproval of their lives, but Blaine had grown to expect. They lived in Lima, Ohio after all, when did they ever catch a break?

Ava grabbed Blaine's hand as the trekked into the office. Instead of sitting in the second chair across from the principal, she climbed up in Blaine's lap.

"I was informed that today, during class, Ava had a verbal confrontation with another student. The fight resulted in physical violence on Ava's part. I have been told Ava hit the other boy in the face. This kind of action will not be tolerated in this school." Blaine gaped at Ava.

She shrugged, looking completely unapologetic. She stared down the principal. "He used a bad word about my Daddy. Again."

"Ava honey, can you go wait in the hall?" Ava jumped out of Blaine's lap and wandered back out of the office.

Blaine shifted his attention to the principal, vicious tension growing in the small, dark room

"What happened to the other boy?"

"We cleaned him up and sent him back to class."

Blaine blanched. "He wasn't punished?"

"He wasn't the one who punched a classmate."

"He has used an extremely offensive slur directed at my family repeatedly. Doesn't that warrant some kind of reprimanding?"

"No one heard him say it. There's no proof he did any such thing." The principal seemed to take pleasure in the anger twisting Blaine's complexion.

Blaine snorted. "Alright well, I think we're done here. I'll be taking Ava home for the rest of the day." He said, and walked out of the office, ignoring the other man's irritated protests.

Ava was sitting with her knees pressed to her chest in the hallway.

"Come on, little lady, we're going out to lunch."

Ava looked shocked. "Aren't… Aren't I in trouble?"

Blaine knelt down next to her. "Nah, not this time. Just don't hit anyone again, okay? Only if they really, really deserve it."He winked at her and she laughed.

"I'll get my stuff!" She bounced down the hallway back to her class.

Blaine leaned against the wall, not able to stop a few tears from falling down his face. She was six years old. She was just a child. Blaine wanted to punch himself in the face for everything she would have to live through. All of the hatred and anger. It was so unfair. She was born into that lifestyle as much as he was, with a little of a choice as he had. He tried to gather himself as he caught as glimpse of Ava's curls.

"Daddy why are you crying? It'll be okay. I won't hit anyone anymore, I promise."

"Oh Ava, it's not that. I'm crying because I'm so happy. You know why?"

Ava shook her head quickly.

"I'm happy because I have the best little girl in the whole entire world."

Ava giggled. "You have to say that/"

"Do wanna hear a secret?" Ava's eyes lit up and she leaned in closer, excited that she was going to hear a little snippet of knowledge that would remain between her and her father.

"All of the other parents have to say that. I'm the only one who gets to mean it!" Ava's smile was blinding, and Blaine picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

"Daddy?" Ava asked after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"Since… Since you haven't found a prince yet, can… Can I be a princess until you get one?" She sounded so serious, like it was the most important thing in the world.

Blaine turned his head back to look up at Ava. "Ava Marie Stinson. I promise that no matter if I find a prince or not, no matter how old you get, you will always, always be my little princess."

Three Years Later

(December 1st, 2022)

"I'm very sorry." Blaine felt his heart split in two. Claire felt like the silence in the room was suffocating her. Her eyes trailed to Ava playing in the next room with other children, her left hand twitching every once in a while.

"It's fairly early on. If we're aggressive, there's a good chance we can get it all without too much damage."

Blaine looked at his little girl, tears making her blurry. He didn't want there to be any damage. She was nine. She was still so young.

"We need to make a decision quickly. Seeing as this hospital doesn't have the doctors or equipment to handle Ava's tumor, should you decide to have the surgery, she would be taken to a pediatric hospital that just opened last year. It's right outside of New York City and it has the best technology, which is essential when dealing with neurological surgery. There are several doctors there who are excellent surgeons."

Blaine's hand found Claire's, he squeezed it, though he wasn't sure if he was try to reassure her, or himself.

"We could fly you out there tonight."

Claire caught Blaine's eye, and nodded a little.

"Alright. Let's go to New York."

A/N: I promise all you Klaine lovers that Kurt will enter the story very soon! Probably next chapter, but if not then definitely the next one!

And now I would like to ask for all of your help! This story is going to have a lot of characters with small parts and so if you have a name you want me to use, I would love to hear from you. Shoot me a review or PM with a name (first, last, or both) and I'll do my best to use it! Also, I'm going to need a few characters with somewhat of back ground stories, so if you want to include things like physical description, personality, sexual orientation, relationship status and the like, it would be appreciated! I will also give a shout out to anyone who submits a name or character I use! Thanks for reading!