Hi Everyone!

Here is the new chapter. Enjoy!

Although Blaine loved having their parents around, he was so happy when they finally left. There had been too many people in their home, it was a nice change that they got their lives back. It was so peaceful… Well, at first. For a few hours. Then Blaine realized how much their parents had helped with the kids and how hard it was without them. He wished they could get them back for a little more while but he reminded himself that he was an adult man, now father of three children, and it was his responsibility to take care of them.

Sometimes it was so hard. Kurt tried to help him but Blaine barely let him. Kurt was still in pain and he had to rest. A lot. Although he never told him how he felt, Blaine could see that every movement was painful for him and he was so worried about his husband. So he tried his best to make everything on his own.

He had no idea how he would do it when he had to go back to work. They agreed that they needed help for that time, maybe they should hire a nanny because they couldn't let their families and friends help them all the time. They still didn't make the final decision. Both of them was worried about having a stranger in their home, especially around their children. It was fine for a while, knowing that their friends wanted to help them so badly and they finally agreed to accept that help. Only when it was absolutely necessary. Blaine still wanted to show everyone, especially Kurt, that he was able to deal with the difficulties alone. Even when he was exhausted and barely able to keep his eyes open, he stood up over and over again and took care of the household and the kids. It worked. Although it was hard as hell, he could do it. It was just the matter of time and things would get easier, or so he believed, hoping that the kids would cooperate.

One day when Mercedes brought Kurt back to the hospital, Blaine was left alone with his children. It started as a wonderful day. The kids slept a lot and Blaine had finally some time to clean up in the apartment and think about what else he had to do. Before the birth of the twins, he had read a lot of articles, not just about how to take care of his newborn children but also some about kids at Elyse's age. She was just as important as her brothers, Blaine had to try to spend as much time with her as possible.

He also wanted to help the siblings get to know each other, so he decided to play some funny games before getting to the harder part. As much as he wanted to spend the whole day with playing games with his children, he also had to teach Elyse. And the twins, of course, although that was a lot easier. They only wanted to eat and sleep, and sometimes hear him sing. That was easy. His daughter, on the other hand… She was three years old, already a young lady, someone who needed to learn a few things to become more independent. Sometimes Elyse showed the signs that she was ready for that. Sometimes she tried to dress up alone, sometimes she helped them in smaller things, but it barely happened after the twins' birth. She acted like she was a small child like her brothers, probably to get more attention. But after thinking about it and talking to his mother, he had a great idea how to help his daughter find the way back to her old self.

"God, I'm so bad in this" Blaine said with a loud sigh, making sure Elyse heard him. "Sweetie, I'm not sure I'm doing the sandwiches right. I forgot how papa makes them. Can you help me?"

He held his breath as he waited for Elyse's reaction. It seemed like she bought his lie because she sighed and walked to the fridge. Blaine smirked as she opened it and started pulling out various things they often ate for breakfast.

"Thank you, honey" Blaine said. "Thank God you are here to help me. I would be lost without you."

Elyse seemingly liked helping her father. After breakfast, Blaine also let her help around the babies, just like Kurt had done in the previous days. Elyse seemingly enjoed that she was the big sister who knew everything so well. She didn't even try to play the baby like she usually did.

So Blaine decided to get to the next step. His mother had reminded him that Elyse had reached the age when she was ready to leave the diaper. Or at least that was what Pam had told him. As it turned out, she had already bought them everything they would need, she had also practiced with Elyse, so Blaine only had to continue her work. Potty training. Damn, it seemed so terrifying. What if he did something wrong? He didn't want to cause his daughter a trauma. He had read a lot of articles about the topic but they scared him so much that he wished he hadn't read anything at all. It was a serious thing, he had to be very careful. He had no idea why his mother had been so calm when she had talked about it when he could screw up everything if he did things wrong. But he had to try, right? Elyse was old enough and she was ready. Or at least he hoped she was.

"Okay, let's see" Blaine said uncertainly as he brought the twins to the bathroom and then asked Elyse to join them.

He gulped nervously as he stepped closer to the plastic item – bright pink, of course – and motioned his daughter to step closer.

"We have to talk" he started seriously. "Let's face it, as much as I hate to say this, you are not a baby anymore. You are a young lady, a very clever one if you ask me, so you surely understand why we have to do this."

Elyse watched him in confusion.

"I… Uhm… I think we should get over with it" Blaine said awkwardly. He couldn't believe he was the one talking to his daughter about… Damn, it was something he didn't even discuss with Kurt. How was he supposed to tell his daughter that she was old for daipers? "Just take a seat. Relax. It's completely natural."

He glanced at the twins who watched them in interest. Probably because they found the pink potty so weird. Blaine couldn't blame them.

"You two, watch the master. It'll be useful later" he said and turned back to Elyse. "Come on, honey. You can do this."

He started to panic when he saw the fear in Elyse's eyes. Did he something wrong?

"Hey, you don't have to be afraid" he said quickly. "It's completely normal. See, papa and I don't use diapers either. Because that's what people do. They use the potty."

"You use potty?" Elyse asked with shining eyes.

Blaine was speechless for a second. What should he say? Damn, he hated this topic and it was just the beginning. His daughter would get older soon and they would talk about a lot harder things. Boys, for example. Sex. Not to mention the girl things Blaine couldn't even make himself think about. Things he would let Kurt deal with. Yeah, that was what he would do. If he could do the potty training again, he would have a reason why he wanted to skip the other things.

"No" he said in the end. "Adults use the toilet here."

Elyse glanced behind Blaine's back.

"You pee in the toi- toit-"

"Yes" Blaine nodded.

"How?" Elyse asked curiously.

"You don't want to see me… Right?" Blaine asked in fear.

"How do you pee in the tolet?" Elyse asked again.

"You know what? I think we might have a book about this" Blaine said hastily. "New plan, guys. Let's go back to the living room, okay? We need to learn more about this before actually doing anything."

~ o ~

Although Kurt didn't want to spend more time than necessary away from his family, he was glad that he had some time off and he had a chance to talk to Mercedes. Rachel was free that afternoon as well, so she joined them after leaving the hospital and the three of them sat down in a restaurant nearby to chat a little and have lunch together.

"What is it like?" Rachel asked. "It must be hard with three kids."

"It's not that bad" Kurt answered. "Well, not for me. Blaine helps me a lot, so I can rest. He's exhausted, though. He never complains but I can see it. I found him one night on the couch with Darren. He must have fallen asleep while soothing the baby."

"That's so sweet" Mercedes smiled.

"He tries really hard" Kurt nodded.

"What exactly is going on with you two?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure" Kurt said uncertainly. "I mean… we talk a lot but that's all. I don't know what's wrong with us. We discussed everything and agreed to start over, so I have no idea why we are so… distant."

"It's not that easy" Mercedes said. "If you want to make this work, you have to work on it. Talking is not enough."

"What should I do?" Kurt asked in concern.

"You need a romantic night" Rachel smiled. "Just the two of you. Flowers, candles, a delicious dinner… I'm sure it would make the trick."

"That's… great, guys, but I'm not sure we can go on a date anytime soon" Kurt said.

"Why not?" Rachel frowned.

"Because we have three kids to take care about" Kurt reminded her. "It's not like I don't want to be with Blaine but… we are too tired for that. When the kids are finally asleep, we try to rest, too. The twins wake up at least three times every night and Elyse is awake around 6 and…"

"I didn't mean you should do it at home" Rachel said. "Go out a bit. Go to a restaurant, have dinner together, drink some wine…"

"What about the kids?" Kurt asked.

"Well, you said we could babysit them" Mercedes said.

"I know but leaving them alone for the whole night…"

"Just for a few hours" Rachel said. "Believe me, they won't even realize that you are gone."

"But…"

"Do you want to fix things with Blaine or not?" Mercedes asked.

"Of course I do!" Kurt said. "But… I barely even left the hospital. I enjoy this time I can spend with my kids…"

"Kurt, your kids needs both of you" Mercedes reasoned. "Don't you think they know that something isn't right with you two? Believe me, they can feel everything. That's why you have so much trouble with them."

"You don't honestly think that the twins would sleep through the night if Blaine and I were back to normal?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You won't find out unless you try" Mercedes shrugged.

Kurt sighed heavily. It seemed like his friends were all against him. But what should he do? He really wanted to have a romantic night with Blaine, he wanted to discuss things with him and then… maybe… they could start acting like before. He missed Blaine, a lot. He wanted to kiss him and hold him in his arms, he wanted everything back. It had been such a long time… He missed his husband.

"Besides… we are both trained babysitters" Mercedes said slowly.

"It's a lot harder with the twins" Kurt said, knowing that none of the women had much experience with children.

"We'll be fine" Mercedes reassured him.

"Besides, I really need practice" Rachel said, smiling.

Kurt looked at her. He must have been really exhausted because he needed a whole minute to understand what was going. Normally, he wouldn't have needed more than a second. He knew Rachel after all, they had been friends since forever, one look was enough to know that...

"Oh, my God!" he cried out.

"I'm pregnant" Rachel announced.

"How long… What.. Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt asked.

"That's what I'm doing right now, right?" Rachel laughed. "I wanted to tell you earlier but you had so much to worry about…"

Kurt looked at Mercedes next who didn't seem surprised at all.

"You knew?" he asked.

"Of course. Don't you know her? She can't keep anything secret and she doesn't have too many friends to share her happiness with them" Mercedes said.

"Thanks" Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"If it makes you feel any better, she isn't that annoying since she found out" Mercedes said.

"How far…"

"Fourteen weeks" Rachel said quickly. "We didn't tell anyone in the first trimester. I was so scared that… You know."

Kurt understood her completely. Rachel had been careful not to tell him too many horrible details about her struggles when he had been pregnant with the twins but Kurt knew that she and Jesse had experienced tragedy more than once. He still couldn't believe that Rachel hadn't told him. It must have been so hard for her, especially when Kurt had been so happy for his own children. But it was finally over. Rachel was pregnant, she was over the first and most crucial trimester and the baby was still there. They would be fine, he knew they would. His friends deserved to become parents.

"I'm so happy for you" Kurt said honestly as he pulled Rachel into a hug. "You will be an amazing mom."

"I hope so" Rachel nodded, putting her hands on her stomach. "I can't believe she's in there. It's a miracle. Even if I get sick all the time and can't eat anything healthy…"

"That sounds familiar" Kurt snorted.

"I really don't mind. Because it means that she's fine in there" Rachel smiled, glancing at her stomach.

"How do you know that it's a girl?" Mercedes frowned.

"Genetic test" Rachel expained. "They could tell her gender and we wanted to know. That's how."

"I didn't even know that there was such a thing" Kurt muttered.

"So you want a night off?" Rachel asked, getting back to their original topic.

"I don't know" Kurt said uncertainly.

"Come on, it's gonna be so great. Just you and Blaine, a romantic dinner, candles, gentle music in the background…"

"Okay" Kurt sighed. "I still have to talk to Blaine but… I think I can convince him."

~ o ~

When Kurt got home later that afternoon, he found Blaine sitting on the couch, holding the twins in his arms and Elyse resting her head in his lap. They were all asleep. Kurt smiled as he stepped closer and carefully took one of his sons from Blaine. He brought the baby back to his crib and then took the other one from Blaine. That was when Blaine groaned and slowly opened his eyes, reaching for the baby even in his dazed state.

"Shh, it's okay. It's me. Go back to sleep" Kurt whispered.

"I'm awake" Blaine muttered, rubbing his tired eyes.

"You should sleep more" Kurt said.

"I'm fine" Blaine said but his eyes closed again.

"Come on, lie down a bit. I can take care of the kids" Kurt said.

Blaine hesitated for a moment but then he nodded. He pushed himself up from the couch and Kurt carefully took his place, so Elyse didn't notice that anything happened around her. Kurt watched as his husband walked into their room and then turned back to his daughter. He loved watching his children in their sleep. Sure, it was hard with them most of the times but it was totally worth it. He loved every moment of parenthood.

He didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep on the couch until Elyse jumped at him and threw her arms around him.

"You're home!" the little girl said.

"I am" Kurt said as he pulled her into his arms. "Do you want to play?"

Before Elyse could have answered, both babies started to cry. Kurt sighed and hugged Elyse one more time before putting her back down onto the couch.

"I'll be back in no time" he said.

He took the twins into his arms and brought them back into the living room. He made two bottles ready for them and fed the babies with Elyse's help. His daughter was such a great help, although Kurt was afraid that she was too young for this at first, Elyse was very careful with the twins. She seemingly understood how fragile they were and they had to protect them.

They had a great time together. Kurt sang several songs for the children, they danced together and he told them stories, mostly his owns. When the bathtime came, all of his children were exhausted and seemingly ready to sleep. Kurt considered calling Blaine but one glance at the man was enough to know that it would be a huge mistake. Blaine was so tired, he needed to sleep. So Kurt decided to do everything by himself. It was time to learn how to do it after all. Blaine had to work, he had to learn how to manage on his own.

Elyse was his greatest help again. Although they were a lot slower like this, she was excited to help Kurt bath and dress the babies, then they fed them together and sang together until the twins fell asleep. When it happened, Kurt went back to the bathroom with Elyse and helped her as well. She was so tired that she went to sleep without a word after that, she couldn't even stay awake until Kurt finished the story he was telling her. Kurt kissed her forehead and then stood up. He had to check on the twins again and then he wanted to eat something. Maybe Blaine would wake up, too. He also had to eat something.

Kurt didn't even reach the kitchen when the bedroom's door opened and a sleepy looking Blaine stepped out. He rubbed his eyes and looked around in concern.

"Why is it so dark?" he muttered. "And where are the kids?"

"It's almost 10" Kurt explained.

"I slept through the whole afternoon?" Blaine asked with wide eyes. "You-you did everything alone? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you were exhausted and needed to sleep" Kurt explained. "Besides, I can manage on my own."

"But you shouldn't…"

"It was about time" Kurt cut in. "You did everything alone in the past few weeks. I'm not in pain anymore, the least I can do is to help you a little. Even if you don't want me to help you at all."

"It's not that" Blaine said as he stepped closer to him. "I just… You almost died. You have to be careful..."

"I'm fine, Blaine. It's time to get over that incident and get back to normal" Kurt said seriously. "It also means that we should spend more time together."

"We are almost always together…"

"That's not what I mean" Kurt said. "I… I talked to the girls. They think that we deserve a night off."

"That's…"

"And I agree with them."

"You want to leave the kids for them?" Blaine asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, Blaine, that's exactly what I want to do" Kurt said. "I miss you. I know we talk a lot and we live together again but… We are not like before. I want that back. And I'm willing to leave our children for our friends if it means we can act so freely around each other again."

"I… I don't know what to say" Blaine muttered.

"Say yes" Kurt said.

"I…"

"Saturday at 7. Don't be late" Kurt said before Blaine could think about his offer and turned to leave, not leaving Blaine any time to come up with an excuse. "Oh, and if it helps… I still love Italian."

"Okay" Blaine whispered as he watched Kurt disappear from his sight, his eyes still wide. Life was so weird since the arrival of the twins.