Chapter Two – Warbler Town
AN: HI, everyone! Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, to the following people who put this story on their favorite story and story alert! Thanks to 20eKUraN11, AislingCrowe18, BlainersAndCupcakes, cowsarecool10, jonathanaguilar, Louise815, OhLookAKlainebow, Tammy lynnea, Fiyero Tiggular, iloverandyortonwwefan23, and ImMorgann! You guys rock! And my two lovely reviewers: tammy lynnea and cowsarecool10!
My tumblr: Myuniversalworld (Dot) tumblr (Dot) com. I may post extra stuff on there about Lydia's childhood with Blaine and (my) Cooper, as well as more on Eli, like her full name and things :) Also, any questions you have, just ask there or PM me :)
Another Also! I need a beta, too, so if you are a good beta, or not a good beta, just PM me and stuff (Lol, can you tell I don't know how this works?)
Disclaimer: I don't own glee or cupcake wars!
Onto the Chapter!
"Day two."
Eli clapped enthusiastically. "Yay!"
Tina smiled at her sweetly.
"Kurt was still going to McKinley with us, Eli."
Eli cocked her head to the side, bird-like, looking confused.
"Really? But I thought—"
Tina shook her head popping her p. "Nope. He was gnawing his fingers off with worry and I think it was because he was guilty that he not only was leaving, but because of how much it cost his family to go to Dalton."
Eli's eyes were wide, but she didn't interrupt. Mercedes took this as a sign to continue.
"He didn't tell any of us, even me, until glee practice. Then he left."
Mike turned to Tina. "Was he crying? I'm pretty sure he was crying."
"I was crying."
Puck made a face, grinning. "You were always crying."
Tina shrugged and Eli pondered.
"Why did Papa leave, again? For daddy?"
Finn's eyes hardened.
"No, E. Because of a boy named David Karofsky."
"Who's that, Uncle Finny?"
Santana chuckled under her breath as Eli called him 'Finny', but she was ignored.
"A bully. Ugh, he is such a—"
"Okay!" Blaine cut him off before he could teach his daughter her first curse word.
"He was this really mean kid, who slammed Papa into lockers and threw him into dumpsters."
Finn and Puck looked guilty at that, but Blaine smiled at them, seemingly saying, "It's not your fault" and pushed through with his description.
"He even stole his first kiss."
Eli gasped loudly, looking angry. "That's not good! Why would he do that?"
Blaine sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Because he loved Kurt, too."
Eli grinned and put her little hands on either side of her Daddy's face, smiling and showing small, baby teeth.
"Well, that's okay! Because he chose you. He loved you. And I like you a lot more as my Daddy, Daddy."
Rachel, Quinn, and Mercedes looked ready to cry, and the group's heart's melted, Tina wiping at her eyes.
She was Kurt.
The group settled themselves again, Eli jumping off of Blaine's lap and into Finn's, and they looked to Blaine, waiting for him to begin.
He cleared his throat.
"Dalton Academy, December 1st, we performed a warblervention."
Everyone looked at each other and Puck spoke up.
"Uh, dude, what in the hell is a warblervention?"
Blaine looked unfazed, chirping, "A warbler intervention, of course!"
Mercedes grinned, sighing, "Really, Blaine?"
Blaine nodded vigorously.
"Kurt needed one! He needed to get away for a while; warblervention."
Rachel scoffed.
"You guys may have been good for him, but we were his true family."
Blaine made a face.
"Pshaw. Your…well, our school was nuts."
Sam smiled.
"Doesn't mean we didn't love every minute of it."
"True."
"Daddy?" Eli piped up. Blaine turned to her, letting her curl into his side again.
"Yes, pretty girl?"
"Can I go to McKinley, too?"
The girls looked horrified, and Puck and Finn looked like they were caught between trying not to laugh and looking proud.
Blaine's eyes widened a bit.
"…Uh, no, Eli. That…wouldn't be safe."
The group laughed and rolled their eyes at the boy as he played airplane with Eli and made conversation with them.
The sun broke through the clouds again; it felt like a good day.
Eli began to complain about being hungry, reminding Blaine that he hadn't brought anything to eat, thinking they would only be there for the morning.
He started to get up, ready to drive back into town to get some food for his girl, but Cooper rolled his eyes, making sure he sat back down before heading to the car he and Lydia had driven there with.
They came back after a few minutes, lugging a large red bag and a green cooler, setting them down in the middle and pulling out lunches for everyone, who took them gratefully.
They all chomped down on their sandwiches or salads, Eli's carefully cut into little star shapes, jelly leaking out of the sides, courtesy of Rachel, who had helped them make lunch.
"So who wants to continue?" Blaine asked, his words muffled and his mouth full.
Rachel laughed, sitting forward, watching Lydie press her fingertips against the side of Blaine's mouth that had a smear of peanut butter on it, making a disgusted sound and pushing his face away. Blaine pulled a face, sticking his tongue out at her and wiping at the peanut butter.
"Remember sectionals that year?"
The former member of New Directions groaned and Quinn covered her face with her hands.
"We were pretty good though, weren't we?" Mike smiled and the rest of the group, no matter how reluctant, smiled as well.
"Oh, god. 'Post-tramatic stress.'" Quinn laughed, covering her face again. Puck took her hand and nuzzled her neck, kissing the junction between her neck and shoulder, smiling against her skin.
Cooper covered his eyes mockingly. "PDA!" He remarked, pointing blindly.
Lydie rolled her eyes and shoved him, watching him stumble and fall into Sam, amused.
"Lauren kept doing push-ups!"
"What was with you and her?"
"See always needed Cadbury eggs and chocolate to 'perform.'"
"I remember when I had to get her candy and I saw Kurt there. We had an awesome moment. That is, before you ruined it, Blaine!"
"I'm sorry that I'm not sorry."
"Just like us, Rach."
"I still can't believe you guys didn't tell me Santana and Finn slept together!"
"We thought you knew!"
"I thought you were cheating on me!"
"Brittany actually was cheating on me."
"I can't believe I lost your magic comb. Sorry, Artie."
"Not a magic comb, but whatever…"
The group ended up laughing, wrapping their arms around each other, Lydia, Cooper, and Blaine falling over and taking Eli with them, dissolving into a flurry of hysterics. Quinn's feet flew up in the air as she fell back as well, taking Puck down who had a tight hold on Finn and Rachel. Tina and Mike were waltzing around to silent music before they fell over Santana and Brittany, tumbling to the floor. Artie, Sam, and Mercedes watched the pile up, laughing as they were pulled down as well.
They were still the same.
Once they calmed down, though didn't move, Blaine started again, watching the clouds float by with a sigh.
"He lived in the dorm across the hall from me."
Eli looked at him, exasperated, throwing her hands into the air.
"And you still didn't just fall in love, Daddy?"
The group laughed, the sound bouncing back and forth against each other.
"We all know how…slow on the uptake Bl—your daddy can be, Eli."
Lydie remarked, grinning, stretched like a cat across her brothers.
Rachel smiled at the family of Andersons, staring up at the sky, head on Finn's shoulder.
She surveyed the group, neck craning to catch everyone, who were just flopping anywhere, including on top of others.
Kurt would've loved this.
The sun was setting.
Rachel stared up at the sky; hands nestled in her pockets, legs folded against the dirt.
"Why did you leave?" She laughed, trying not to cry, wiping at the liquid that was building up in her eyes.
"Uh," She paused, laughing a little again. "You were always one for the dramatic. You must think we're pathetic, crying over your grave and sharing stories."
She stared down at the grave.
"We—we just miss you, okay? I miss my Broadway-obsessed bestie and I'm sure Mercedes misses her 'white boy'." Rachel said in a teasing voice.
"Blaine misses his soul mate."
She gave an ironic half-smile, rubbing the silver bracelet twined around her wrist; Kurt had given it to her for her 21st birthday.
Rachel bit back a sob, pressing her lips to her fingers and pushing them into the ground over his coffin.
"I miss you."
Everyone had gone home, apart from Blaine, who was giving Rachel a ride, the group having had to take Eli home or had other plans to attend to.
Blaine sighed, settling into the dirt with her.
Their eyes didn't meet.
"You know, sometimes I just sit in my room and I stare at the ceiling…"
Rachel was quiet, but she turned toward him slightly.
"And I convince myself that Kurt is still here, that it was all a bad dream."
Blaine laughed a little, broken and sad.
"That he's really just lying in bed right beside me like old times…"
Tears welled in his eyes and Rachel looked ready to start bawling.
"But when I reach over, it's still cold…"
Rachel looked down, warm, silent tears dripping across her cheeks, soaking into the dirt. Blaine pressed his hands into his face, sobbing loudly, shoulders shaking.
The sun set completely; it was dark.
"And—and he's still gone!"
Blaine threw himself into the ground, knees shoved against the grass, arms completely covering his face and muffling his words.
"Please, please come back! I need you! Please."
"Come back to me..."
Blaine rolled his car into the driveway, wiping at his eyes, feeling them still puffy and not really caring.
He let Lydie and Cooper leave, tiptoeing into Eli's room.
He pressed his lips into her forehead, eyes screwed shut. He stood to leave, but a small hand grasped his wrist, pulling him back.
"H-hi, Daddy…" She trailed off, yawning.
He smiled softly. "Hi, pretty girl."
She looked concerned, pressing her tiny hands against his face.
"You've been crying, daddy."
He sighed.
"Yeah."
"You know…you—you are my hero anyway, like Papa, even though you cry."
"And sometimes, Daddy, people can't tell who a hero is."
He looked at her, shocked at the maturity of the words coming out of her mouth. His eyes were a little wet as he pressed his face into her neck, hugging her.
"Like when Aladdin pretended to be Prince Ali, or when Ariel couldn't talk."
Blaine smiled.
"Jasmine and Prince Eric didn't know it, but Aladdin and Ariel were their heroes. Because they showed them that what mattered was right in here."
Eli was sitting up on her knees now, hand tiny against his chest, right above his heart.
Blaine gulped, trying to smile, remembering.
"All that matters to me is right here."
Kurt pressed his hand to Blaine's chest, right over his heart, smiling.
Blaine closed his eyes, putting his hand over Kurt's, eyes fluttering closed.
"I love you." His eyes snapped open and he held Kurt's face in both of his hands. Kurt blushed.
"I mean it, you know. I really, truly, honest to god, love you."
His voice was thick with emotion.
"I love you, too."
"I know," Blaine's eyes were tender and his voice was soft. "Which is why I want to give you this."
And he pulled a chain over his neck, pressing it into Kurt's hand, looking down at it, curling Kurt's fingers around the ring. He met his eyes.
"This—this is a promise, to you; to us. I want to love you for the rest of my life. I will. I promise."
Kurt's eyes shone with unshed tears and Blaine cupped his face again and meshed their lips together.
Kurt smiled into the kiss, arms coming up to wrap around his neck.
They both pulled away reluctantly, foreheads pushed together, Kurt looking up at Blaine through his lashes, Blaine's arms wrapped tight around his waist.
"I love you. I love this."
"What?"
"Everything. Everything about you, everything about us. I—I just love this."
Blaine kissed him again and again until all of their thoughts and dreams and problems melted away into just them.
They linked their hands together, continuing their walk through the garden, flowers tickling their ankles.
And they promised to love each other forever.
"Daddy? Are you okay?"
Blaine's voice was thick.
"I-I'm fine. Now, it's time to get some sleep, yeah?"
Eli nodded and fell back into the bed, curls fanning out over the pillows. Blaine curled the comforter around her and shut the door.
He broke down once he got back to his room, no matter how sick of crying he was.
The ring was tied around his neck.
AN: And that's chapter two! I know, sadder. I'm sorry! Now, thanks for reading! Review please, comment on what you like, what you didn't. Also: What do you want to see in this story?
IMPORTANT: Should I bring Burt (Grandpa!), Carole (Grandma!), and their daughter (that's my headcanon! Sorry!) into this story, or no?
Tell me your favorite part!
Thanks for reading!
Lots of Love and Gondolas,
Lela~