Hello everybody !
I never thought I would get such a response to my little story … I'm not overwhelmed, but still grinning like an idiot !
A great thanks to jtangel, aurora4847 and njferrell for very detailed review !
Here is the second chapter of this story, I hope it will bring some answers to most of your questions …
Italics – thoughts
Italics and bold – singing
I feel sorry to be obligated to do this …
Disclaimer : I do not own either Glee, Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson and/or the actors portraying Kurt or Blaine, nor any of the songs I may use … My life would be quite different if I did !
BEA is mine though !
On with the show !
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Chapter 2 : Bea
"YOUR TWIN SISTER ?" Kurt immediately shouted, feeling … well, he didn't quite now how he felt. "How come you NEVER told me you had a freakin' TWIN ?"
Ah, he could put his finger on it : he felt betrayed.
"I told you everything about me, my family, my hopes and dreams, EVERYTHING ! How could you keep such an important part of you …" he started to feel the tears gather in his eyes, but Blaine interrupted him with a soft kiss, pulling him into a hug.
"I never meant to hide it from you" Blaine whispered in his ear (and Kurt reluctantly realized that it was really hot), "but it was too … painful. Can I give you all the details as WE go and pick her up at the station ?" The emphasis on the "we" didn't go unnoticed.
"I don't want to be late, and I really want you to be the first person – beside myself – to welcome her back" he added with a shy / dazzling smile (How does he pull that off ?) and a peck on the nose.
Kurt thought about it, but Blaine's earlier statement - about the whole situation being painful – had triggered his curiosity. "Okay" he finally grumbled, "but your explanation better be good, in case you can't tell, I am NOT happy right now."
As Blaine rose and started to walk out of the house, he quietly said, still loud enough for Kurt to hear his comment "You know you still love me".
"I'm starting to reevaluate that statement."
The snarky comment elicited a laughter from the –barely- older boy as they arrived near Kurt's car.
"Do you want me to drive ?" Blaine asked Kurt, as he knew the countertenor loved his car, but still liked to be driven around.
Kurt simply threw him his keys. "I think it's better if you drive, I want to focus on your answer, not to avoid the other drivers."
"Go on, love, ask your question, it's easier this way … You know me, I might forget something" Blaine finally said as he settled behind the wheel.
"Okay, hmm … what did you mean by painful ?" Kurt asked bluntly.
Sighing, Blaine fidgeted on his seat.
"Wow, where should I start … I better get to the very beginning, I suppose …" Another deep sigh, and then his voice dropped a little.
"So, I have a twin sister, her name is Beatrice, though she will never let you call her that way. We've always been really close, you know, a true set of mischievous brats.
Last summer, she got really sick, I mean, it really hurt. She had to go through all kind of medical tests : blood test, urine sample, exams while sedated, you name it, she did it !
It lasted for months, and they only gave her basic painkillers, and she was still in so much pain, Kurt …" Blaine had to take a breath, to get past this reminiscing of those hard times when he had to watch his sister going through that ordeal, helpless, only able to hold her while she cried herself to sleep, trying to relieve her from some of that pain …
"Did they find out what was wrong ?" Kurt's soft voice brought him back to the present. All anger had left the pale boy as he started to appreciate the situation Blaine had been in. After all, it had been some time before he could tell Blaine he had lost his mother, so he could understand that the boy had kept that pain to himself.
"Yeah, eventually !" Blaine said, his voice a bit louder. "My father asked his Fraternity alumni, and someone knew a specialist in Europe who was in the States for a convention, and he managed to get an appointment for Bea. That guy really listened to her, to the symptoms she was describing, to the intensity of the pain she was feeling, you know …"
"And what was the final diagnosis ?" Kurt asked, remembering how hellish it was to see a loved one going through an unknown medical condition until it was too late to do anything about it ; he really hoped that it wasn't the case here !
"Crohn's disease."
The silent in the car was suddenly heavy, Blaine remembering his own ordeal : several tests to see if he was sick too, recognizing that even if they were twins, he wasn't testing positive for the disease, and coming to realize that they might had to go for an unorthodox healing route.
Meanwhile, Kurt knew that any words of comfort would be a) not enough and b) unnecessary, since the girl was coming back, it could only be a good sign.
"The specialist we saw was working on a study to relieve some of the illness' effects, an experimental course if you want, in Paris, and as she is still young, Bea was the perfect candidate to try it out." Blaine started to speak again, knowing he had to get through with the story, especially as he knew the ending.
"That's where she had been all this past year", Blaine turned to look at Kurt, his eyes slightly glazed with unshed tears, "alone, in a Hospital, away from everybody, fighting that … that monster without me to even hold her hand … All I could do was talking to her through Skype at night or early in the morning" he smiled at that, remembering the first mishaps they had with the time zones.
"She has been so brave, Kurt, braver than I would ever dream to be" he whispered, a tear finally escaping on his cheek. "It has been eating me all year ; that's why I was always so passionate during any Warblers performance : I had to, for her, you know, I had to give all I had in everything I did."
As Kurt smiled and brought his hand to his cheek to sweep the tears, Blaine leaned in his touch, eyes back on the road. "I recorded all of our gigs for her, sending her the videos. She made me promise, when she left, that I would join the choir in my new school, and that she would be my secret adviser, to keep her grasp on some kind of reality … Her words, not mine" he quickly added, seeing a strange look on his boyfriend's face.
"But I'm digressing, you asked me why it was painful to talk about her …"
"Never mind, I got it, Blaine" Kurt quickly said, his voice coming out strangled by the emotions stuck in his throat : Blaine was smiling, but the sadness in it was nearly unbearable, and Kurt made himself a promise that in the future he would do everything to make sure that Blaine would never have to smile like that again.
Trying to relieve some of the remaining tension, he added with a cocky smile "What worries me is how good you are at hiding your feelings, Mr. Anderson".
"Yeah, well, you know, when High School gets harder on you at the slightest show of emotion, you quickly master the art of the poker face" Blaine answered, starting to hum the theme of Lady Gaga's hit.
Before the two of them would start singing, Kurt asked a much-needed question.
"So now she is coming back … Does this mean she is cured ?"
Blaine's smile lightened up the whole vehicle, almost eclipsing the bright July sun.
"Well, you can never be totally cured, but she is improving ! You know, she is part of the decision to take me out of Dalton and back to a regular school : she told me she wanted to have our senior year together, looking out for each other".
At this point, Kurt kind of already liked the girl and was starting to imagine what a girly version of Blaine would look like, when Blaine added with a blush "She pushed me in coming to my senses regarding my feelings for you … She is your biggest fan out of New Directions, I have to say …"
"How come ? She doesn't even know me !" Kurt laughed.
"I told you I send her all of the Warblers performances, to get an objective eye on them. And she repeatedly insisted on how little we were using your voice, how silly it was to turn you into a ukulele, what an asset you could be, that we were too dumb to see that, you get the drill …
And then you did "Blackbird" …"
At that, both boys blushed and shared a smile, since they knew that song was bound to become their song.
"I recorded it, of course, and I watched it with her later that night. She loved it – she even cried a little – and she told me in no uncertain terms that I better tell you the way I obviously felt before someone else beat me to it." Blaine explained, a laughter bubbling up in his voice as he remembered the whole scene …
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A couple of months ago …
"Hey sweetie, how was your day ?" Blaine asked as he connected his webcam and his sister's face filled his screen. "You look better, you spent some time outside ?"
"Oui !" she answered with a bright smile. "Sunny day in Paris today, I ought to take advantage of it, now didn't I ?"
"You know you can't spend too much time in the sun, at this point …" he started, looking concerned.
"At this point in my treatment, yes, I know Mr. Smarty-pants !" she finished for him, rolling her eyes. "I asked Aurelie this morning, and as it was sunny but not too warm, she agreed to help me put a chair on the roof" she explained, sticking her tongue out.
As he finished uploading the video, he chuckled a little at his sister's antics, while she snuggled back in the covers, her laptop obviously balanced on her knees, holding a bottle containing a white, thick liquid.
As he frowned at his own computer for not uploading fast enough, she started to speak again.
"Come on, I demand my weekly dose of Warblers !"
"Yes your Highness, on its way … If only this damn thing just wanted to go faster, useless piece of …" he grumbled in answer, not having his sister's knack with electronics.
"Don't insult the inanimate objects, they will make you pay !" came Bea's laughing voice from across the Atlantic.
This time, it was Blaine's turn to stick his tongue at her, but she wasn't sure if it was for her or for the computer's benefit.
"How is the selection for Regionals going ?" she quietly asked, as she received the mail with the video and downloading it.
"Still doing our research … Today is not our usual rehearsal, though."
As she cocked one eyebrow, he explained. "It's just Kurt singing, he wanted to do a tribute for Pavarotti".
"The bird, you mean ? Awww, he must be devastated !" Bea said, genuine empathy lacing her voice.
As he nodded, she spoke again, her voice changing to one of teasing. "You finally got your gelled-heads out of your asses and let him sing ?"
"Enough with the gel-related jokes already !" he answered, acting offended.
"So, do you have it ?" he finally asked, once she stopped snickering in her covers. "I really need to watch it with some objectivity, so if you can give me your input …"
"Some objectivity, to anything related to Kurt ? Riiiiight, bro, right …" came her muffled answer, as she arranged the covers.
"Oh, shush, listen to this" as they both pressed the play button to listen to Kurt singing "Black Bird".
The pure, clear countertenor voice filled the two rooms, and the two teenagers had the same look of wonder on their faces at the emotions displayed in this rendition of the Beatles song.
As the Warblers joined Kurt as back-up vocalists, Blaine could hear his sister adding her own voice to the chorus, twisting her own harmonies as the song ended.
You were only waiting for this moment to arii-ise …
Straightening up in the silence that followed, Blaine stared at the screen on which he could see simultaneously Bea composing herself and wiping the tears on her cheeks, and Kurt's face frozen at the end of the video.
"Soooooo …" Bea started, her serious-critic face on, "that was interesting … You guys can't do that as your Regionals number, the judges would find it too depressing ; though maybe looking into the Beatles repertoire might be a good idea …
On a related subject, but not quite related, can I tell you something, Blainey ?" she asked, sounding unsure and determined.
As he nodded, she brought the screen closer to her face and seriously said "If you don't act on your feelings for that angel of a boy SOON, I can promise you I am coming back to kick your sorry, stupid ass so hard you're going to wish you were born without one, are we clear ?"
Gulping, as he could clearly remember his sister's talent as a kicker, Blaine nodded eagerly.
"Plus, you're not the only gay guy in that school ; you already loved Kurt before, but someone else is bound to have been moved by that !" she said, a bit louder, gesturing toward the screen.
Blaine sighed, knowing that he had been stupid not to act on his burgeoning feelings for the slender boy.
"What should I do now ?" he quietly asked to the only person he knew would help him without making – too much – fun of him.
"Simple, you're going to tell him how you feel … and, no, you won't look stupid !" came the natural answer.
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"So, basically, you're telling I'm about to meet the only person gifted with some insights in the Anderson family ?" Kurt asked, smiling one of his happiest smile ever (excepted, of course, the one he had after kissing Blaine for the first time).
The sudden laughter that came out of Blaine clearly surprised Kurt, but as it was fairly contagious, Kurt just waited for him to give an explanation.
"Oh Kurt, I'm sorry, she does have incredible insights, but only when it doesn't concern her ; back in our school, she would never get a clue when a guy was interested in her" he chuckled at some memories. "As I'm an optimist, I like to say that she is very humble when it's come to her looks ; to be honest, she just doesn't see herself clearly, and that's me talking !" he added, pointing to his chest.
Kurt knew what he was talking about : every time he complimented Blaine on his looks or his figure, the boy would instantly blush or say that it was just "boyfriend flattery".
"It must be a family trait, then" he said, his best mocking look on.
Blaine's laughter once again filled the car, and Kurt couldn't help but join him.
"Oh I think it also comes with the territory, sort to speak" Blaine added once they stopped laughing.
As Kurt only raised his eyebrow, he explained himself. "A long time ago, our parents decided that it would be easier if each of us focused on one artistic trait : they pushed me into music …"
"Which is why you play many many instruments, I suppose" Kurt interrupted, still feeling jealous that Blaine was so comfortable with so many different instruments that it was borderline ridiculous.
"Exactly. And they pushed her into the 'visual' arts : she was always comfortable anywhere as long as she had paper and pencils, so that came naturally. But while it's easier to sing or play music with other people or with an audience, painting cannot be done in public. She is quieter than me, shyer in some ways, but she observes a lot, you know." He added as an afterthought, a loving smile coming up.
Then he suddenly turned to Kurt, a glint in his hazel eyes. "But that doesn't mean that she cannot sing !"
"Is she any good ?" Kurt asked, a plan starting to form in his head.
"Is she any … Oh Kurt, if you could hear us sing together, you wouldn't be able to differentiate the two of us … except she sounds more … "girly", of course !" Blaine answered, starting to imagine the two of them auditioning to join the New Directions and sweeping everybody off their feet.
Kurt started to snicker an evil laugh, rubbing his hands together as he murmured "We are so going to win this year, Vocal Adrenaline will not see that one coming …" Looking at each other, the two boys shared another evil laugh, as they could see how their thoughts were going in the same direction.
As they kept on driving, the silhouette of Lima Greyhound Station started to become clearer in the afternoon sun. And as they got closer, Kurt could tell that Blaine was slowly losing his cool, especially as his knuckles were getting whiter against the wheel.
He silently brought his hands to cover Blaine's, and the older boy half-turned toward him.
"I know that I've seen her all year, I know what are the changes in her appearance, it's just … I want to see her – see her, you know ?" he asked in a shaky voice that was so unlike him that Kurt wanted nothing more than hug him, a gesture complicated by his safety belt.
"Plus, I'm pretty sure she is still my sister, in mind and all, but how would I know if the whole sickness hasn't changed her, turned her into someone bitter or cold ?" he added, his eyes once again filling up with tears.
"I just … I just want my Bea back" he finished in a sigh that contained so much pain and sorrow that Kurt could feel his eyes filling up.
"Shhhh … It's going to be alright, sweetie" he whispered in Blaine's ear, a bit hesitant in using the word of endearment, but also a bit satisfied to see that his own breath had the same effect on Blaine that in the reversed situation.
"I can even predict that it's going to be … awesome !" he added, kissing Blaine lightly on the lips.
"Now, I presume her bus is the last one to arrive, right ?" he asked, straightening up.
"Yeah, it should arrive in a few minutes now" Blaine answered, looking at his watch. "She took a plane from Paris to Columbus, then the Greyhound to Lima ; all in all, we're just in time" he said, looking hopefully at the station as he parked the car.
Throwing the keys at Kurt, he winked and said "You're probably going to drive back home, honey", earning himself a glare and a blush, making an adorable combination, at least for him.
As they started to walk toward the arrivals hall, Blaine's hands were slightly shaky, and Kurt himself was a little … nay, scratch that, he was nervous as hell to meet a person who already had such an impact on his life.
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"Little lady, we are arriving to Lima, you better get ready" the driver called to his last passenger. In the two hours she had been in his bus, he had grown attached to the lonely teenager.
"Do you need help when we're there ?" he asked, having noticed how frail she looked.
"No, that's okay, Derek, my brother should be waiting for me at the station" Beatrice Anderson answered, in a melodious, deep voice. "But that's very sweet, very gentlemanly of you" she added, with a smile.
"I better go gather all my crap" she finally said, going up from the stairs near the driver's seat and walking in the aisle to the seat where she had put out her notebooks and pencils.
Breath in … and out … and in … he will be there … and out … and you're going to be awesome … and in … and you'll stick to Aurelie's plans … and out … and you'll keep checking on your blood tests … and in … and you'll rock your senior year … and out …
It was starting to turn into a mantra, the feeling of the wheels setting a rhythm to it, and she almost started to sing it out loud.
As the bus turned to enter the station, Bea started to scan the platform to find the mop of dark curls that was bound to signal the presence of her brother in the place.
She was the last remaining passenger of the bus, meaning that not a lot of people were about to arrive in Lima that day at the same time ; consequently, not a lot of people were bound to wait in the station. All these facts could explain how easy it suddenly was to see her twin brother seating on a bench, a taller, slender, stylish boy sitting by his side (Yay he brought Kurt !), his eyes coming up every now and then to look at the clock, tapping his left foot.
"Derek, can I open that window, please ?" she asked excitedly, already pulling at the handle.
The driver silently chuckled and waved her to proceed.
As she opened the window, she stuck her head and her arm out and shouted "Blaineeeeeey !" as she waved at him.
As he looked in the direction of the voice calling his name, their eyes locked, and both their smiles grew to the point it almost hurt, but they didn't care.
Both felt the same thing : their other half, the only person in the world able to understand them without the need of words, no matter the distance, that person was back for good.
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About Crohn's disease : I am not making that up, I know for a fact that it can really be difficult to diagnose, and some doctors really are jerks when it comes to listen to their patients' symptoms … or listen to their patients, period !
Did you all get the AVPM/AVPS reference ? Did you ? *excited puppy look*
Coming next :
- the reunion of the Anderson twins
- the meeting between Kurt Hummel and Beatrice Anderson
A lot of emotions, and even more teasing between the siblings is about to start !
As usual, let me know if it's too long / too short / too bad … or if you enjoyed it !