EARLY JUNE 2023
Blaine slowly awoke and began stretching his sleepiness and fatigue away. He was nearly fully alert when the door opened, admitting Sam into the room with a tray.
"Morning, B. How're you feeling?"
"Like I don't know whether I want to cry or scream or crawl into a hole and never be seen again."
"I know it hurts, but you're going to have to just take it one day at a time. And in the meanwhile, you need to stay strong. If not for yourself, then for Finn and Sam."
"Wait—who's taking care of them right now?"
"Ryder and Santana were looking after them last night, and Kitty and Artie are gonna come back and help until the afternoon. After that it's up to us—we're going to have take care of them ourselves."
"But how, Sam? How am I going to do it? I can't do this alone, Sam! I'm supposed to be a single dad and raise two kids? How? I don't have a job, I don't have a sitter, I can't make this work, Sam!"
Sam rushed to his best friend's side to calm him down. "Slow down. The first thing you're going to have to do is stop panicking, because the best way to make a mistake you're going to regret is to rush into a judgment when you're overly emotional. Right now, that's you."
"But what am I supposed to do about Finn and Sam? They need someone to look after them all the time, and how can I work and take care of them? And how am I going to get a job if I can't afford a babysitter? It's all so hopeless, Sam."
"Stop, Blaine! Take a breather. This is exactly what I mean. You can't work yourself up like this! So the first thing you need to know is that you're not going to have to go through this alone. Ever."
"Sam. What are you trying to say?"
"I'm telling you that I'm not leaving you to go through this alone."
"But what about your job, Sam?"
"Well, right now, it's summer vacation. So I don't have any commitments to deal for another two months or so. And I have some ideas I can try to stay a little bit longer."
"Sammy, it's amazing that you'd be willing to do this for me."
"It's the least I can do for my best bud, Blaine."
Just then, Sam's phone buzzed. He took out his phone, and saw that he had a text from Unique: Kurt's playing dirty. Changed FB profile, accusing B of cheating on him—with you.
Shortly after that, his phone started buzzing, and buzzing, and buzzing. Around the same moment, Blaine's phone also began to beep and chime. Looking quickly through the headers of the messages—"WTF?", "How could you?!", "This is a joke, right?"—Sam realized that he needed to take quick action before things spiraled completely out of control, and sink Blaine back into his depression. Sam slipped Blaine's phone off the counter and shut it off before turning back to his friend.
"Hey, how about we forget the world today and have a Harry Potter marathon, just like we used to back in high school?"
"Right now? That sounds perfect."
As Blaine got up and dressed, Sam fired off a quick reply: Thanks for the warning. You should talk with Kitty and Santana. They're planning something. You can probably help.
THE NEXT DAY
Sam called his boss back at McKinley. There was no answer, so he left a message: "Hey, Will. I'm in New York right now with Blaine and his kids. They're going to need me to stick around for a while, so I'm going to need to take you up on that offer you made last week. And there's one more thing I need to talk to you about. So give me a call when you get a chance. Thanks."
END OF JUNE 2023
Sam had just finished putting Finn and Sam down for a nap after having had their lunch and playtime. Blaine was off at a job interview—or maybe it was an audition, Sam wasn't really sure anymore. Just as he was about to start up his laptop, the door opened up suddenly, and Blaine burst into the room and threw himself at his best friend. Sam barely had a chance to put down his laptop before he was confronted with an armful and lapful of Blaine. That in and of itself wasn't exactly new.
However, Blaine trying to start a make-out session with Sam? That was new. Although Sam was definitely looking forward to being able to take further steps in his relationship with Blaine, he did not want to be mauled when clearly something was wrong with his best friend. He reluctantly pushed Blaine off of his lap and sat him down next to him.
"What's wrong, Blaine."
"Nothing. Just make me yours, Sam. Make me forget."
"Uh-uh. Not when you're like this."
"Like what? You need to help me forget that Kurt never existed."
"Ok. Stop right there, B. Clearly something's happened, and I'm not going to have our first time be when you're angry like this. When it happens, it'll be because we both want it. But not like this, B. Not right now. So talk. What's got you so pissed off?"
After several sobs from Blaine, he finally started talking. "I saw him today, Sam. Kurt. He was walking down the street, hand in hand, with some other guy, smiling and laughing. It hasn't even been a month, Sam, and he's already moving on as if the last twelve years of our lives meant nothing. How could he just get on with things like that? Can he just turn off his feelings for me and our family like it was a switch? How could he do this to me, Sam?"
"I really don't know why he's acting like such a self-centered jerk. But I do know that you can let this get to you. You're going to see him around town—at least if you stick around here. And I think you're going to see a lot more of him since he's going to be starring in a musical. So you have to find a way to forget about this, or else it's going to drive you mad."
"But what do I do, Sam? How do I shut that door? It's my entire adult life we're talking about here."
"I don't have an answer for you, Blaine. You're just going to have to find something else."
"Why can't that be us?"
"Because you're still hung up on Kurt, and I'm not going to be your rebound relationship. That's not fair to either of us in the long run."
"Dammit, Sam. I wish you didn't have to be so calm and rational about this."
"But I know I'm right, at least this time."
"Yeah, you are. And thank you for not letting me ruin something special between us."
"You're welcome, Blaine. Always and forever."
JULY 2, 2023
Unique answered her phone. "Hi, Kitty."
"Hi, Unique. Did you see my email?"
"Oh, yes. It was most . . . intriguing. Are you sure it's real?"
"Do you think I'd send it to you if I thought it was a fake?"
"Point taken. But if this is true, then we might not need to lift a finger to get our revenge."
"Are you kidding, Kitty? We're just getting started. . . ."