Weeks passed and the paparazzi slowly dispersed and went on to follow the next scandalous story. Both Chris and Darren were glad of this because soon Darren pushed himself back into work, writing songs, booking gigs and tours and concerts and the like while Ryan finally was able to get a meeting for Chris with the Broadway board of officials. Darren decided that he didn't want to leave Chris or Riley and began moving in permanently with the Colfers. Not all of his things (that he's asked for because he may be moving in with Chris but not fully, not just yet) have arrived from San Francisco and there was box upon box of his things over taking his guest room (which yes he's still in there much to Darren's sadness, it's just that Chris doesn't want to move into their relationship too quickly and Darren can respect that). Which by the way his parents and Chris' parents were so happy to hear of their and even Darren's brother and Chris' sister were overly ecstatic to hear that they are dating but all were slightly pissed by the fact no one told them, as was everyone of their friends but they all quickly got over it. Of course if Chris gets the job, which he really well could, that would mean that poor Riley would have to stay in Rainbow Park more and the two would have to take turns or make a schedule to drop her off and pick her up on time. And even though Riley dreads the daycare she ultimately understands that her dad as well as his boyfriend—she still couldn't believe that! She is so excited!—have to work to get money to make their living comfortable but still… Ugh.

"Alright well I'm going to be going." Darren said as he finished washing his dish.

"Okay Dare." Chris called from the living room where he and Riley watched some Disney cartoons.

Darren walked over and planted a small kiss on Chris' lips, which Chris gladly kissed back, and kissed the top of Riley's head. "Bye my two lovely family members."

Riley giggled and blushed as Chris smiled. It was a new thing Darren had started, calling them his lovely family members. And Chris loved the sound of it. "By my awesome Dare Bear." Chris grinned. "Just make sure Miss Pushy-Into-Work doesn't book a tour for too long."

"God I wouldn't handle." Darren grinned back. He looked at the watch on his wrist and quickly moved to the door. "I'll see you two later." He opened the door and the two said goodbye to Darren. Before the door closed it reopened slightly and Darren poked his head through. "Do I pick her up or you?"

"I should be able to. If not I'll just call you and ask you if you can pick her up. If not I could always get Lea or Amber or someone."

"Great!" Darren smiled. "That's why you are in charge of the serious things Chris. I don't know squat!"

"Bye Darren." Chris said, a smile reforming on his lips as he stared at the TV screen. Soon the door clicked shut and Chris stayed there watching TV for a little while longer before getting up and turning it off, emitting a whine from Riley. "No Riley. No more TV. I have to drop you off at the daycare."

"Can't I stay with you daddy?" Riley practically begged as she stood from the couch and grabbed Chris' hand.

"No baby you can't. This is an important meeting and daddy can't bring you along. Maybe if you ask Darren nicely he'll take you to work one day." Riley smiled softly. Chris pulled his hand away and quickly put on his dress jacket and his key, wallet and phone. "Am I missing anything?" Riley shook her head and within moments they were out the door.

"We should say good morning to Mrs. Nansworth." Riley said as they walked passed her door.

"No we can't. I have to drop you off and then drive back." And Darren couldn't take her since he was going in the opposite direction and his destination was much farther away, plus, he kind of didn't have a car yet but they were looking. Riley groaned but went along her merry way. Of course on the drive over to Rainbow Park they were singing Disney songs and once Chris dropped her off and said his goodbyes the radio came back on. And what impeccable timing he had.

"And Darren Criss is back from his break!" The radio man practically yelled as his studio mates cheered. Chris rolled his eyes. Just mentioning his name and everyone seems to have his endless energy. "It's rumored he's doing a concert in the Summer Fair where he'll be performing old songs and new songs. In fact…" Dramatic pause. "We have him on the line! Hello Darren!"

What… the… fuck?

"Hey there! Hey!" Chris broke out laughing at Darren. Is he really right now in a taxi somewhere calling a radio station?

"Hey there man what's going on?" The man asked.

"Doing well, how about you?"

"I'm great man." Very short pause. "So you're performing in the Summer Fair?"

"Yes! It's my first gig in a while and my manager jumped on it like a frog on a lily pad." Chris rolled his eyes. Either Amber got it from Darren or Darren got it from her but somehow they know the same line.

"Yes since you've been on your short break with the Glee reunion and interview—"Here it comes. "—and the big shocker that you are dating Chris Colfer, you're old co-worker and on-screen boyfriend."

Darren chuckled. Seems he knew it was coming to. Highlight of the past few weeks. "Yes well… He's not really my on-screen boyfriend anymore." Chris could just see the grin plastered on Darren's face and Chris blushed. God! He doesn't even need to be there in person to embarrass him.

"And you say you have a surprise for us."

Oh God… What is it? Chris thought as Darren answered. "Yes well… I'm going to see if Chris can join me up on stage." Chris stomped on the break and the car behind him followed suit and honked angrily at him. What the hell? Chris put his foot on the gas. "He knows my songs and I might sing some of our old Glee songs and I could use his help on some of them." And yet through all the shock and anger towards Darren for springing this up without asking him, Chris could not help but smile and shake his head. "In fact… He doesn't know that I'm planning this and he listens to this station…" Chris' smile fell of his face as the blood rushed up already! He better not… "Chris! Chris what do you say? Sing with me please?" And… He did. Chris by this time was beat red and he could picture Darren with the phone in hand and it pressed to his ear as he is looking randomly out a window, looking towards the sky with the sad, pleading, puppy-dog eye.

"Yeah! Did ya hear that folks? Chris listens to this station! We'll get some publicity for this!" Laughter from the studio mates. "But yeah Chris! If you're listening to this you better sing with him! I'll be there and listening out!"

"Come on babe. Sing with me." Darren was pleading and by this time Chris changed the radio back to the CD. He could not be blushing madly like a schoolgirl when he walked into the office of the board. There was no way!

Meanwhile, Darren:

"Come on babe." Darren said as he pouted into the phone. "Sing with me."

The radio guy chuckled. "Well hey let's play some tunes and we'll get back to Darren Criss in a bit." He turned off the connect button to the phone and pressed the play button for the radio's playlist. "So Darren," he said, "I didn't want to ask this on the air but… His daughter does have AS right?"

"Yes she does. But really Thomas," that is his real name, his radio name was DJ Mikey, "she is so smart that when you first meet her you can hardly tell. She's just an amazing little girl."

"Sounds like you genuinely like her."

"Like her?" Darren sounded, sounding more flabbergasted than he really had wanted. "I love Riley as if she was my own. She's so much like her dad and yet has so many features from her surrogate mom that she's just a wonder."

"Did you know the mother?"

"No." Darren paused to think for a moment. "But I wish I did."

"Did?"

"Yes. She… She died when she was three."

"Oh my God. That must be rough on her."

"And Chris. He liked her like a sister I think. And she helped him care for her and really was a mom for her."

"Ah… How'd she die?"

"Car accident."

"Oh damn. What a stupid way to go." Darren only scoffed. "Anyways, we're coming back on. Just so you know, questions about—"

"I know. About my relationship with Chris and my—and Riley."

There was a pause and then Thomas spoke, very softly, almost as if he was completely overwhelmed (in a good way). "You were about to call her you daughter." Darren nodded even though Thomas couldn't see and soon he was back on the air. "And we are back with Darren Criss everyone!" Thomas said, going into his DJ Mikey persona and Darren all the while went along with it in a haze, answering questions and joking and talking. But all along a piece of his mind was going over what he almost said. I almost called her my daughter… And as the thought became more and more predominant as the conversation got less and less intriguing a huge ear-to-ear smile formed on the singer's lips as he realized I almost called her my daughter! And with that stark realization he (well) realized that in a way she was already his daughter. He may not know her too well, and likewise with her to him, but he has been very fatherly to her from the very beginning. Since that first moment Chris came to pick him up at the hotel for the reunion party and he showed him his little girl. He fell in love with Riley and her shyness at first and then her eruption into a beautiful and funny and just plain wonderful little girl. His thoughts were so overcoming of him that he didn't realize that he hadn't said anything for a nearly a whole minute which in radio speak is a fucking long time. "Yo! Criss! Darren Criss! You still there man?"

"Say what?" Darren quickly said. "Sorry I-I spaced out. W-what were you saying?"

"Damn man." Thomas said. "We've got to cut to the break now."

"Sorry Mike." Darren said feeling honestly not sorry at all and the smile still on his face. Riley is my daughter.

Chris:

Chris breathed out as he sat and waited to be called in. He could not believe to the holy mother and baby Jesus that he was sitting in a chair inside the Broadway offices! The work behind the magic! The splendor! The physical, emotional, metaphorical, the everything backbone of freaking Broadway! The many times he has dreamed to star in Broadway and now he's getting his chance to be a major part of it! He could be anything! Scripts, songs, teaching, supervising, cast control, and maybe auditions! He wouldn't mind auditions or cast control. Handling with all the stars. And don't think for one minute that he himself wouldn't get any fame. You may not believe it but sometimes the rulers, the makers in the project cast themselves in their own productions! It doesn't usually happen a lot because of the countless work but wow! He could work behind the scenes and in them as well! He's talented enough and he knows how to multitask and balance out work with home (more so because of Riley). He breathed out again. He was making himself excited which makes up for possible disappointment which leads to extreme nervousness. Suddenly a door to a meeting room swung open and the head executive as well as his secretary (stereotypically a female) came out and called his name. Chris, the big nervous wreak that he was, shot up from his seat, raised his hand far up in the air and squealed, squealed mind you, a very loud, high pitched "Here!" There were some laughs from the secretary but the head honcho remained quiet, an unamused facial expression dominated his face. He nodded towards Chris and turned back into the room with the secretary close behind him. Chris quickly brought his raised hand to his face in a facepalm and he dragged the hand down his face. Did he just do that? Did I just do that? He numbly walked into the room where the other execs were sitting around a good sized rectangular table. He instantaneously recognized a few faces. The woman in charge of advertising, the woman in charge of costuming, the man in charge of the Broadway tours, the two men in charge of the stunts and special effects. The other two he didn't recognize and he realized that there were some positions that were not there. Chris' hopes went up quickly but he pushed them down as the boss told him to sit down. Chris daintily sat down. He felt like the odd one out, the one in the movies that makes the awkward moment and with his 'Here!' he defiantly accomplished that.

"Christopher Paul Colfer." The honcho, Jayden Smith, said slowly. "You are quite an actor and singer. And you are a very accomplished writer and director."

Chris couldn't help the soft giggle that escaped his lips. "Thank you sir."

"But can you lead something as important as Broadway?" He said suddenly and so very seriously that Chris felt his throat lock up and he couldn't swallow, it just hurt so much! He looked at the other execs as they watched him carefully and he slowly sunk a bit further into the very big, but extremely comfortable, leather chairs. Jayden continued as he stood and started to walk painfully slow (and in a quite menacing way) towards Chris. "You know… Recently we fired a lot of people." He put an emphasis on 'fired' as he spoke and Chris found himself suddenly swallowing. "And then we put sectors and merged them together to fire more people!" By this time he was right beside him and became very nostalgic suddenly while he bent and glared, glared, at Chris. "And it's not because I love firing people… Oh no." He straightened and continued walking behind him and back around the other side back to his chair. "It's the economy. It's been shit since Bush's first term. But no Mr. Colfer… I do not believe you have what it takes for the position I have for you. My good friend Ryan Murphy may think so… But I dare to disagree." With that he sat back in his seat and all was quiet.

And it remained silent.

Is that it? Chris thought sadly as he slowly nodded and as he fought back small tears. He slowly stood, lower lip quavering as he said, "Y-yes sir. I understand… I'll… I'll see myself out." He turned and walked all the way to the door before the whole room erupted in laughter. Chris turned around, shock written all over his face and an escaped tear streaming down his cheek.

"God Chris!" Jayden said through his laughter. "Man I didn't mean to make you cry man!" He stood and quickly made his way over to Chris. He placed a hand on Chris' shoulder, his arm resting on the top of his back as he gripped Chris' shoulder and shook him in a friendly gesture. "We play that trick on everyone we hire. Don't we guys?" He asked towards his execs.

"Yeah!" The room erupted.

Cindy May Darling, the ruler of the Broadway advertising land stood and walked over to Chris, handing him a tissue from those to-go packs of Kleenex. "I am so sorry son." She spoke with a thick Southern accent. "Shit! If we knew you were going to start crying we would have never done it." She too wrapped her arm behind Chris' neck and grabbed his other shoulder and gave him the same shake. "But don't worry…" She whispered. "I was blubbering like a damn fucking fool."

Chris sniffed and wiped his eyes before softly blowing his nose. "So… What? I'm confused."

"We love you man." The man he didn't recognize said. Chris' nose twitched and he just got a good feeling that he was—"And that outfit you're wearing! Toots!" Yep. Flamboyantly gay. Chris laughed to himself on the inside. Since he is gay he has this gay radar (gay-dar) that acts out when the gay is very flamboyant.

Chris looked at the whole room, the secretary, the execs and then the two people at his side. He took a deep breath and put on his best Kurt look. "I'm sorry because of this sick joke you played on me, I don't think I want to be a part of this." He shrugged off the people's hands and crossed his arms before his chest.

The other woman he didn't recognize spoke next and quite hastily. "But honey, you shouldn't let this affect you! It was just a joke!" She had a light British accent.

Chris then smiled. "Gothca back! Of course I'll take the job!" The room cheered and the others stood to say a proper hello to Chris. "What is my job?" Chris asked.

Jayden laughed embarrassingly. "Silly me I forgot to tell you in our joke what position you were going for." Dramatic pause. "Cast management."

"Yay!" Pause. "What the hell is that?"

"It's one of our merged positions." The secretary said as she walked up. "It's auditioning, care, oversee. Practically everything."

Chris' jaw dropped. "So-so you're giving me an important job straight out?" He looked at the others and then at Jayden, expecting to be punked again.

"Yes sir." Jayden confirmed in complete seriousness. "Ryan said you were up to it and that you could do it and I took his word for it. Now don't make your former boss look bad huh?"

"Oh no sir!" Chris said, becoming extremely happy and making a mental note to thank Ryan, somehow track him down and just hug him.

"Please, call us by our first names. We're all friends here."

And so the introductions began. The secretary turned out to be Jayden's wife Amanda, the flamboyant gay to be Erin Taylor, in charge of the visual effects and sound and music while the British woman is Tracy Akana, boss in the world of singing and dancing (Chris knew that he was going to be good friends with her), she works closely with Erin in choreographing the dances and songs. He recognized Cindy May and Sadie Monroe (costuming) and Alexander (Alex) Harris, Mr. Tour Man and Michel Stevenson and Tyler Moore, stunts and special effects respectively and of course Jayden, the big boss himself. After introductions Amanda pulled him aside and started to instruct him on his job which he paid close attention to and she even handed him a book she made for him so that he can refer back to. He immediately felt bad because she must have a lot of work to do yet she was able to push out a good size book for him but he appreciated it and knew that he would be studying that thing until he knew it inside and out. She gave him a bit more information and showed him his office (his own office with his name tag already done and move in ready!) before he said goodbye to his new co-workers to pick up Riley. Somehow throughout the rest of the day he was able to contain his excitement for his new job, keep it a secret from Riley (he wanted to wait to tell Darren at the same time) and was able to wait until after dinner (keeping it a secret from Darren in the process for a short while) before he burst out once more like what he did with his 'Here!' incident from earlier in the day. "I've got the job!" Soon the three of them were jumping up and down, laughing, hugging, kissing, congratulating. They made such a loud noise that Mrs. Nansworth ran into the apartment frying pan in hand and Dina behind her hissing and ready to pounce.

"Goddamn if it's that fucking Connor Peterson again I will castrate him!" The room got quiet and the elderly woman looked around to see the apartment danger free and she calmed which made Dina calm.

Chris slowly covered Riley's ears, his slow reaction being extremely slow. "Mrs. Nansworth! The language! In front of Riley!"

The woman shrugged and her face screamed out her embarrassment and her flushed cheeks made her white hair stand out even more. Then as suddenly as she came in Darren screamed. "Chris got a job with Broadway!"

"No way!" The woman screamed dropping the pan (scaring Dina in the process) and running to the trio to join in on their celebrating. Even Dina ran over and jumped into Riley's arms and started to meow and purr loudly. Suddenly the floor above them made a loud noise.

"Quiet down there!"

They quieted down before looking at each other and continued celebrating in muted happiness.


Please review! And once again I played a trick on you with the whole Chris not getting the job thing. And the festival thing is still unresolved. Will Chris sing with Darren? Maybe. Please review or the little review goblins will come after you and bite you.