Author's Note: FINALLY. I'm so sorry this took so long, a whole lot of college and life has been happening. But here we are, and we shouldn't have any more delays for awhile. I also wanted to say all your reviews and kind words so far mean so much to me. I love you guys. Keep being awesome.

Toronto Hummel's pigtails jumped around as she bounced in her seat during the last few minutes of the school day. As she bopped, she stared intensely at the intercom on the wall as if she could will the Principal's secretary to finish the afternoon announcements and ring the release bell.

A small, bony finger poked her arm and she stopped bouncing so she could jerk her head around. "Huh?"

In the seat to her left, Noah Puckerman Jr. was squinting at her. After a short pause, he finally spoke. "You're weird," he stated matter-of-factly.

Her head tilted to the side slightly and she frowned thoughtfully, but shrugged. "Okay." She turned back to the intercom to resume her hopefully magical silencing stare.

The boy huffed and leaned over to poke her again. "Hey!"

She whipped around harder this time, groaning as one of her pigtails smacked her in the face. "What?"

"Why did you kiss Anabelle?"

Tor looked at him like he was an idiot and gave what she thought was an obvious answer. "Uh, because I wanted to."

"Girls don't kiss girls," Noah said flatly.

She shook her head in confusion. "Girls kiss whoever they want, just like boys."

Before he could reply, the end-of-the-day bell rang sharp and clear through the building. Toronto leapt out of her seat in one grand motion, backpack already secured to her shoulders. She rushed at the door like all the other children, but was caught at the back of a bottleneck as everyone tried to squeeze through the only exit.

Noah was right beside her again. "Girls kiss boys, and boys kiss girls."

She snorted, "That's stupid. My dads kiss all the time," and then more quietly she amended, "Used to kiss all the time."

"You have more than one dad?"

They had spilled into the hallway now, and she ignored the question and his tone of disbelief. Toronto cut through the rush of students, barely avoiding being swept up by them, and escaped into a little alcove on the other side of the hall that held the water fountains.

To her dismay, she realized the boy had followed her. "You can't marry Anabelle."

"What?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, completely lost. "Why would I want to marry Anabelle?"

"You kissed her!" Noah exhaled sharply and crossed his arms. Frustration was evident in every inch of his face. "People kiss people they want to marry. Anabelle's a girl, so you can't marry her."

She stuck her tongue out defiantly. "I can in thirty-seven other states." Toronto didn't want to marry Anabelle and she wasn't sure why Noah thought she did, but she didn't feel like explaining it all to a boy who clearly had no sense.

Just then, Toronto smiled. Through the crowd she got a peek of a red-head hurrying towards her. Anabelle Pepper swerved out of the crowd and the two girls bounced right into a hug, both laughing before they let go.

Noah huffed yet again.

Anabelle gave a broad grin, her two front teeth missing. "Come on, I'll show you where our bus is parked. We can sit together!"

Tor nodded excitedly and held out her hand for the other girl. "We can play my DS."

Just as Anabelle reached for Toronto's hand, Noah rushed forwards and planted both hands on her shoulders, pushing her to the floor.

Tor acted quickly, grasping his arm and yanking him backwards. "Cut it out Noah!"

Mr. Karofsky had already appeared and was kneeling beside the little girl. Noah swallowed fearfully. He should've known. The coach always seemed to arrive from nowhere when anyone got hurt, as if he had a supernatural spidey sense.

"I'm sorry," Noah squeaked quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

Tor's voice came at a near shriek. "That's a lie! Mr. Dave, he did it on purpose!"

The coach didn't respond to either of them, too busy helping Anabelle to her feet. He kept eye contact with her, his voice earnest. "Hey sweetheart, are you okay?"

Tears streamed over and between her freckles and she sniffled. "I d-didn't do anyth-thing, he just pushed me…"

He retrieved a book from the floor and laid it in her arms, where she clutched it tightly. "I know, I know. You're not in trouble, Anabelle. You hurt anywhere?" She shook her head softly, and Dave nodded as he turned to Toronto, who was deep-freezing Noah with her glare. "I need to see all three of you in the Principal's office first thing Monday morning, okay? Till then I'm going to call your parents and let them know about this. Toronto, can you walk Anabelle to the bus?"

She tore her eyes away from the object of her debilitating stare and took Anabelle's hand. "Come on."

"Thanks." Dave watched them disappear down the hall now nearly empty of students before he looked back at Noah. He let out a long sigh. "Your dad picking you up today?"

The boy looked terrified now, tears spotting his cheeks. "Y-yeah."

David stood and made an effort to calm his tone. "Hey, you wanna tell me why you pushed Anabelle?"

Noah's eyes dropped to the ground, his voice a whisper. "Tor kissed her."

Oh. "You like Toronto."

"No," he grumbled back, voice still half choked. "I hate girls."

He responded as gently as possible. "Okay, yeah, maybe. Or maybe you're upset that she likes Anabelle and you don't get why she would like a girl."

The answer came as a mutter. "Doesn't make sense. It's just stupid."

That, Dave decided, was an issue for him to discuss with his parents. "Well, you know you can't push people Noah. It's bullying, and it's not okay no matter what your reason is."

"I know," he said softly. "And I just made it worse. Now Toronto is mad at me. She thinks I'm mean."

Dave started walking towards the front lobby and motioned for Noah to follow. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you apologized to both of them."

"It won't make her like me."

"That's not why you should do it," Dave said. "You should do it knowing she might yell in your face, but you should do it anyway because it's the right thing to do."

Noah stopped at the doors. His father's truck wasn't outside yet. "Are you gonna tell daddy?"

Dave leaned on the wall, eyes sweeping up and down the road for any sign of Puck. "I'm going to have to."

"Shit."

David raised an eyebrow at the curse word, but before he could speak Noah interjected.

"I'm allowed one, remember?"

The teacher looked away, smiling. "You're good, I didn't hear anything."

Burt Hummel poked half-heartedly at a few more keys. Finally he grunted at his laptop, and rubbed his hand over his mouth. He squinted at the screen and finally turned his head a bit to address his son. "Kurt, could you give me a hand over here?"

"Be right there." His son retreated from the refrigerator, Diet Coke now in hand. He nudged the door shut with his knee and moved over to stand behind his father at the kitchen island. He peered over his shoulder at what appeared to be a website for a florist in the Bahamas. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to have some flowers waiting for Carole when we got to the hotel. I know roses are a classic, but she likes those purple ones. The uh…" He trailed off, giving his son a hopeless look.

Kurt took a seat on the other stool, sliding the laptop around to him. A little typing and a few clicked links later, he swiveled it back around to his father. "Ta-da, irises."

"Thanks." Burt gave him a concerned look. "You know, we don't have to-"

Kurt turned a flat, scolding glare towards him. "Don't finish that sentence. You and Carole have been saving up for this trip for ages. You're going."

"Are you sure? I just think, considering the situation-"

"Oh shush." He popped the tab on his soda can and took the first fizzy sip. "Toronto and I will be fine. I've held down a house on my own for the past six years, I think I can handle a week." He took a longer drink before realizing Burt was staring at him. He putthe can down. "What?"

"Was it that bad? You felt like you were doing it alone?"

Kurt swallowed hard and leaned over his can, still managing to lift his chin a bit proudly. "Not always. Blaine was a good father to Tor. As for me? The only thing this separation has changed is the backdrop for my singleness." He took another sip and forced a smile, as if the words had been a joke.

His father didn't seem amused. He reached out to lay a hand on Kurt's arm, but didn't say a thing.

Before the moment drew out much, Toronto whirled dramatically into the room with her Barbie phone pressed to her ear. "-and then I walked her to the bus, it was awesome. I bet Noah gets arrested."

Kurt cocked a questioning eyebrow at his little girl, but she didn't notice. She was laughing at something the person on the other end of the line had said.

"No, not really! They don't put little kids in jail." She pressed a hand to her face, giggling harder. "They do not! Aunt Rachel!"

Kurt smiled now. Toronto's relationship with her birthmother was something really special. Kurt could see it even when they weren't in the same room, the way they synched up. He'd be lying if he said he weren't a bit jealous of that.

But in truth, everyone had gotten the best out of the situation. Rachel got to have a baby while still fulfilling each and every one of her dreams without being held back. Kurt and Blaine had gotten to raise a child. Toronto got two fathers who'd had the time to focus on her and a birthmother who was always on her side.

The only thing Kurt had refused to compromise on was what Toronto would call Rachel. As much as he loved her, he couldn't stand the idea of her being "mommy." So she'd become "aunt" and everyone seemed more than satisfied with that.

Suddenly, a pink phone was being shaken in his face. "Daddy! Auntie Rachel wants you!"

He accepted the phone and raised it to his ear. "Hello, beautiful. How's New York holding up without me?"

She replied in very dramatic tone. "It's in absolute shambles; you should hurry back before anything dire happens. I just don't understand why you left."

"Yes, well," he traced the rim of the can with the tip of his finger. "Dreams change."

Her eye roll was nearly audible. She'd never been able to accept that he wanted to be a parent more than he wanted to be famous. It had never made any sense to her. "Mm hm. In any case, Toronto seems to be enjoying little Lima. She um, she told me about a very interesting car ride with a Mr. David Karofsky."

"Straight to the gossip, hm?" Still, he smiled. "He was just being helpful."

"I think it's great that you're putting yourself out there, no matter what you choose to call it."

This time it was Kurt rolling his eyes. "For goodness' sake, Rachel, my car broke down and he gave us a ride home. It's nothing scandalous."

Burt gave him a look over the top of his laptop screen, and Kurt returned one of confusion. His father lowered his eyes. Kurt shook his head softly and returned to what Rachel was saying.

"In any case, I'm just thrilled to hear that you're dating again too."

Kurt let out a sharp sigh of annoyance. "Rachel, I am not-" He cut himself off, something else sinking in. His chest suddenly felt very cold. "Wait, what?"

He was answered only by the long silence of someone who had said too much.

When she didn't say anything, he did. "You said too. You said I'm dating again too." He closed his eyes to avoid his father's questioning look.

"Oh," Rachel struggled for words. "That. Well, um-"

Kurt's voice came out an angry hiss. "Lovely. I'm gone for a few weeks and he's already sleeping around."

Burt slammed his palm hard against the countertop. "Son of a- Toronto!"

Perched on the countertop where she'd silently climbed up to retrieve the cookie car from atop the cabinets, Torontofroze. Her answer was muffled by the cookie she held between her teeth. "Hwa?"

"Take your cookies and go upstairs."

Grandpa Burt sounded angry, but not at her. Her eyes flickered from him to her father and back again. She turned over her father's words in her head - 'he's already sleeping around' - trying to figure out why they would make Grandpa so upset. Finally she decided not to question it and climbed back to the floor, using the shelves as stairs. She scurried out of the room, cookies in each hand.

Kurt pushed his drink away and laid a hand on his temple, rubbing in slow circles that weren't helping at all. He had considered the possibility of the two of them dating during this separation. He'd even joked about how quickly Blaine would start seeing other men. The reality, however many jokes he had made, was a bitch-slap to the face of everything they had built together.

Rachel was speaking quickly, and it suddenly occurred to Kurt that he hadn't been listening. "-that it's that serious, I mean it could be nothing. I've only seen him out with this guy a few times, so…" She took a breath, and when she spoke again she sounded helpless. "Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"The same guy? So it's not just-" He gave a bitter half-laugh. "Blaine isn't seeing other people, he's seeing one person." He finally opened his eyes and saw his fist clenched hard and turning white. He released the grip on nothing and stretched his fingers outwards, waiting for the color to return. "So much for twelve years of marriage."

"Go on a date with David."

The abruptness of the statement definitely caught Kurt off guard, and almost alleviated the icy feeling in his chest. "I- excuse me?"

Her voice was practically pleading. "Oh, just do it! It doesn't have to turn into anything."

"Rachel I've just found out that my husband is seeing someone, I don't think-"

"Exactly. When was the last time he took you out anywhere, just the two of you?"

She was right to assume it had been a long while. For years their relationship had only existed when Toronto was around. They went to the park with her, went to restaurants with her, had dinner and parties with her. But when Toronto wasn't around, they just couldn't be bothered to deal with each other.

Still, that wasn't enough to motivate him to go on a date now.

She spoke again, more softly this time. "You deserve to have some fun with someone who really appreciates you."

Kurt shook his head, looking for any excuse to reject her idea. "What makes you think he appreciates me?"

Deep amusement suddenly colored her voice. "Kurt, honey, please. Everyone in our senior class knew- ooh, time for rehearsal!"

"Wait, knew what?"

"I gotta go, love you, kisses! Hug Tor for me!"

He heard the bustling of other cast members and then silence. He laid the phone down on the island, trying to absorb too much information at once.

When he looked around Burt was standing by the kitchen sink, arms crossed, looking about as angry as Kurt had ever seen him. "I could kill that kid. The damn nerve of him to cheat like-"

"Dad, calm down." He raised a hand up and tried to keep his own tone steady. "You can't afford to be getting this upset over nothing with your heart."

He made a disgusted face and leaned back against the counter. "Don't worry about it. What else did she say?"

That I should go on a date with that guy whose ass you almost kicked when I was in high school. "Just that it might not be anything. Can we not make a big deal? Please? The last thing I need is you in the hospital."

Burt let out a long breath and finally nodded. "Yeah, you're right let's… let's not both go making mountains outta what might be mole hills." He rubbed a hand against his tense neck. "Anyway. I've got to run to the shop, left my phone in the office again."

Kurt focused his eyes back on the soda can and waited until he heard the front door shut. He pushed it into the garbage can at the edge of the island and stood with the intention of retreatingto the privacy of his room.

He only made it halfway up the stairs before Rachel's words punched him in the gut again. He slid wearily down to sit on a step and leaned his weight on the railing.

Right now, somewhere, Blaine could be with that man. Somewhere Blaine could be forgetting him and Toronto. Their marriage only existed now on a piece of paper filed away in a courthouse. When had that happened? When had the physical expression of the promise ceased to exist? When had the living fairytale faded to a dull yet harsh reality?

Carole's arms appeared around him and he let himself fall against her. "Oh, honey. You're going to be okay." She held his head against her shoulder and swayed with him a bit, a rhythmic and soothing motion.

Toronto stood at the top of the stairs, peeking through the railing bars. She couldn't see from back here, but somehow she was sure her daddy was crying.

She took another bite of her cookie and quietly returned to the bedroom that used to be Uncle Finn's, but was now strewn with all her favorite toys and books. She climbed onto her bed and looked down at the fluffy stuffed puppy Blaine had bought her one Valentine's Day.

He must have meant the other kind of sleep, she realized. The kind most of her peers weren't supposed to know about. And he must have been talking about Daddy Blaine. But that whole thing was about love, right? Months ago when she saw a scene of a TV show she wasn't supposed to and started asking questions, they'd been vague in their answers. One thing, however, they'd made perfectly clear. It's about love.

And if that was true, then Daddy Blaine must be in love with someone new.

Which meant that he didn't love Kurt and Toronto anymore.

She shoved the puppy off the bed and rolled over, looking at the wall.

"It isn't fair," she whispered to no one.