"So what now?" Wes asks. They stand in the school parking lot, five parents totally at a loss for what to do. Over by Kurt's car, four pre-teens huddle together, scared witless at having been suspended for two days and wondering what's to come from their parents.
"I don't know," Kurt sighs. "I feel like we have to punish Lib for this, but I don't want to be unfair to her. What are you guys going to do?"
"Why don't you all come for dinner?" Ellen suggests. "The kids can all go in the basement with some pizza and we can all talk about them in the kitchen. I agree with Kurt, any punishment we give should all be in line with each other, seeing as they were all at fault. Although, I might gag my son too."
"Actually, I thought he spoke really well," Blaine admits. "I kinda wanted to applaud him."
"I kinda wanted to throttle him...and then high five him," Ellen admits.
"Okay, well I have to go tell my wife about all of this," Wes says with a heavy sigh. "So assuming she doesn't throttle me, we'll see you later?"
"Around six," Ellen agrees.
Not a single word is spoken between the Hummel-Anderson's for the drive home, and Libby goes directly to her room without being asked when they step inside, while Kurt and Blaine sneak into the den to flop on the old worn leather couch and hold each other tight.
"Hugs make everything better," Kurt murmurs into Blaine's collar.
"They do," Blaine agrees, rubbing his hands over Kurt's back. "And kisses?" he asks hopefully, and Kurt leans up, smiling as he cups the back of his neck and draws him close.
"Always."
They both sigh contentedly at the feel of their lips together, and Kurt likes to tease Blaine, drawing back before diving in for more, nipping at the bottom of his lip then claiming him in a deep, open mouthed kiss which gradually slows to soft little featherlight kisses on each other's lips. "This is what Libby needs," Blaine says quietly, his eyes still closed.
"Someone to make out with? Blaine, she's twelve."
"No! Kurt! As if. No, hugs, I meant. She needs us to go up there and just hold her, let her know that we're not mad at her."
"You're right. C'mon," he says, pulling Blaine to his feet.
Libby is in her favorite 'feeling sorry for herself' position, under the covers with her pillow over her head, clutching her bear tightly, so she doesn't hear Kurt's knock, or the whispered sound of her name. She only emerges from her pillow when she feels a dip in the mattress and she looks up to find Kurt sitting there, Blaine kneeling at the side. "We uh...we thought you could use a hug," Kurt offers, and the force with which she falls into his arms confirms it. "C'mon," he huffs, shifting up to sit against the headboard. "I used to hold you like this when you were a little girl," he smiles as Libby settles on his lap and he cradles her to his chest. "Make room for daddy."
Blaine sits next to them on the bed, wrapping his arms around them both and kissing into Libby's hair. "We're not mad at you, Lib. We just wanted you to know that."
"You're not?"
"No," he says, lifting her chin gently with his finger to get eye contact. "What you did was wrong, and you know that. But what she did was also wrong. Papa and I understand why you acted as you did. I mean, I'd rather not get called into school because you've been fighting, but most of all I'd rather you weren't being bullied because of us. I'm so sorry. I feel like I'll spend my life apologizing to you for ever having brought you into this world."
"Daddy, no! You can't be sorry," Libby cries, distraught. "I love you and papa more than anything, and I wouldn't want any other parents, ever! I don't care that people call me gay, at least they don't say my dresses are ugly, or that my shoes aren't nice. Those are the things that matter. If they want to call me gay then let them, I don't care. I know enough gay people to know that it's not an insult at all. Like Jamie and the girl thing. Really, it's kinda annoying to hear it all the time but it's also funny, you know? Why is it an insult to be called a girl? But today, when they were saying Jamie wanted to do stuff with you, and laughing because you helped me in the fitting rooms...it was too much. I couldn't listen to it anymore. You're my daddies. You're not creepy or wrong, you're funny and kind and dumb and you're always kissing each other. You're also the best daddies in the whole world...and so I just wanted her to stop talking, that's all," Libby says, becoming upset and angry as she speaks. "I just needed for her to stop talking."
"I don't think that's unreasonable," Kurt says, trying to comfort her as she cries. "I just think you went the wrong way about it, that's all. Me and daddy aren't entirely blameless, you know? We know you don't have it easy at school, but without ever making a conscious decision about it, we've just kind of left alone because you always seem happy. Maybe we should have talked to you more about it."
"I am happy," Libby sniffles. "We are happy. All of us. We don't need a massive group of friends to feel good about ourselves, and we enjoy school really, it's just...them. Them and their stupid comments."
"So, I have to ask, Lib," Blaine says, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Would you want to leave? Go to a different school somewhere? Private, maybe?"
"Not without my friends, no way," Libby says firmly. "I'm really sorry I let you both down, and I promise not to do it again, just don't take me away from the only friends I've got."
"So we're all in agreement that there needs to be some form of punishment?" Melody's dad Bob asks later that night.
"Yeah, I mean, for us, this isn't the first time Liv has been caught fighting," Wes says shamefully. "She's always been a feisty thing, and she bit that boys ear in elementary school."
"Yeah, because he called Libby a faggot kid," Ellen chips in. "Who can blame her?"
"Even so, that's really not how we're trying to raise her."
"Speak for yourself," Kathy interrupts. "I know physical violence isn't the answer, but defending your best friend? Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same, Wesley, because I've seen you in action when Blaine's vulnerable."
"Well yeah, but he's all...Blaine, isn't he?" Wes asks, gesturing towards his friend and his puppy dog eyes.
"And she's all Libby!" Kathy cries. "But anyway, yes, we are all in agreement that they need to...I don't know, get grounded, or something."
"Grounding sounds fair," Stephanie agrees. "No Girl Scouts or softball for Melody will just about finish her off, I think. Plus I'm going to take away her iPad for a week. If she can't FaceTime with your three she'll know this is serious."
"Agreed," Blaine says. "Grounded and no technology, yes?"
The others all nod, and then it falls to Ellen to say what they're all thinking. "I do think the school needs to face up to this though, and I think we should go to the board with a complaint."
"Couldn't agree more," Bob says. "Our kids are getting bullied because of ignorance. At Emerson they took great pains to teach acceptance in all their year groups, despite the objections from other parents and teachers. Heritage just seem to think if they ignore the problem it will go away, well that's not going to happen. I need my daughter to be safe when she's in school, that's the bottom line."
"I'm so sorry," Blaine says quietly. "None of your kids would be in this situation if it weren't for us and I'm just...really sorry, I guess. I don't blame you if you want to distance yourselves from us a little bit."
"Oh shut up, Blaine," Wes snaps. "Don't be so dumb. You know I'd never desert you."
"I know you wouldn't," Blaine says quietly. "But..."
"Oh, what? Seven years of friendship counts for nothing?" Stephanie asks. "As Wes said, don't be so stupid. Bob and I count all of you here as our closest friends. We're not going anywhere."
"Same," Ellen agrees. "And if you ever try and distance yourselves then we will hunt you down. Jamie would never forgive me if he didn't have Libby in his life."
"You know," Bob tells Blaine, "I'd listen to the women if I were you. Melody is bullied because of who she chooses to hang out with, but she's never once wanted to choose any different, not since the very first day of kindergarten. And to be honest, even though I find myself with a suspended daughter and having to face the school board, I wouldn't want to stop hanging out with you guys either. So you can quit with that, and we can talk about what we do if things don't improve. We've got four kids who are all as thick as thieves. Do we withdraw them, and risk having to send them to separate schools?"
"If we do withdraw Libby we'll be sending her private," Blaine says determinedly. "I went private to escape bullying, and actually I wanted Libby to go private right from the start."
"Private school doesn't guarantee no bullying, Blaine," Kathy points out. "Dalton had, and still has a really strict anti-bullying policy, but it doesn't mean all schools are the same."
"Well there's no way I could afford for Jamie to go private," Ellen says quietly, and Stephanie nods her agreement.
"Same, and even if we could, we'd have to do the same for Skye, and we simply couldn't afford to put two kids through private education."
"So that's decided," Kurt shrugs. "Because Libby asked that whatever happens, we don't separate her from her friends, so my suggestion would be to persist with the school board, demanding better anti-bullying policies and more teaching around the subject."
"I think they should be taught about sexuality too," Bob puts in. "Times have changed since I was at school, and they need to realize that. Kids need to be taught that it's not all black and white, and that it's okay to be...I don't know...rainbow, I guess."
The discussion continues for another two hours, but by the end of the evening they have a letter ready to be delivered to the board the next day, and they all feel like they have a goal and a purpose- to ensure that children are educated in the areas of acceptance and tolerance to all. Blaine and Kurt are the last to leave, and Kurt calls down to Libby to say her goodbyes.
"I have to go," Libby says to Jamie, feeling suddenly shy though she can't work out why. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Suspension, remember?"
"Yeah," she sighs. "Thursday then."
"Friday," Jamie admits sheepishly, "I got an extra day for talking back to the principal."
"Jamie! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!"
"What?" he frowns in confusion. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."
"Because you were defending me," Libby says sadly.
"Yeah? Well...some people are worth defending," he says with this funny lopsided smile which makes Libby blush pink. At a loss for words, she flings her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"Thank you," she whispers, kissing his cheek before running up the stairs.
She takes her punishment surprisingly well in Kurt and Blaine's eyes. They were expecting an enormous fuss, and a whole new level of screaming tantrums, but aside from a little moaning at having to do chores, Libby is generally happy. She spends a lot of time in her room, and Blaine tries to get out of her exactly what she is doing, but she's secretive, airily declaring that a girl has to have some secrets.
Truth be told, she's busy thinking. Thinking about Jamie, and how wide his eyes went when she kissed his cheek. Thinking about how, when she caught one last glimpse of him from the top of the stairs, he was tugging on the hem of his flower patterned sweater as if unable to comprehend what had just happened. And she thinks about what future Jamie will be like. Will he still wear girls clothes? When he was younger it had all been Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony, and Jamie did look like a girl. He would often wear skirts too, though he hadn't worn them to school for fear of the repercussions. The skirts had stopped though, once he realized it was damn near impossible to maintain your dignity when climbing trees. So now he had his own style going on. Usually it was a mixture of male and female clothing, like it had been the night Libby kissed his cheek. Black skinny jeans, guy ones, with bright pink boots and a floral sweater. Libby finds it...cute, she thinks. She's never really thought too much about the implications, because he's always just been Jamie, but now she realizes she might very well be crushing on a gay guy, which just about figures, she thinks with a roll of her eyes. Still, Jamie is one of her very best friends, so in the end she comes to the conclusion that she will keep this quiet, not wanting to ruin what they already have.
The parents battle with the school board rumbles on for months, and in fact the children are in seventh grade by the time they finally win the appeal, meaning that all Westerville schools must teach sexual diversity in schools. The anti-bullying had been fairly easy to win, but unfortunately that was only because Jamie had been beaten up by three eighth graders on the last day of the academic year. The sight of him with a bleeding nose, stumbling down the hallway as he clutched his ripped yellow cardigan and daisy print t-shirt to his chest had made Libby's heart lurch in pain, and her and Melody had ushered him into the girls bathroom where Libby cradled his head tenderly against her chest as he cried, and Liv ran to find the most accepting teacher in the school to come to their rescue.
Things did improve after that. The school were, to their credit, horrified at the attack on Jamie, and the three boys were dealt with very firmly. Libby knows they still don't have any friends except each other, but she really couldn't care less. She feels a smug sense of satisfaction when she's given two solos in the choral holiday concert, and no less than twenty six friends and family arrive to watch her sing. One of which is the huge Hollywood star Joe Mackenzie with his wife and children, and the rest of the choir kids look on in amazement as he picks her up and twirls her around. Her dads both cry (naturally) and afterward they take everyone out for dinner to celebrate what they deem to be her professional debut.
"Daddy?" Libby asks late that night before she goes to bed.
"Hmm?"
"I know what I want to be when I grow up," she says with a determined look on her face.
"Oh?"
"I want to be a classical singer."
And Blaine stares, and stares some more, and then he blinks and stares for a little longer before his whole face breaks into the biggest grin of pleasure Kurt thinks he's ever seen. "Really? You do? Libby...oh...yes!" he cries, hugging her fiercely. "Yes!"
"You think I can?"
"I know you can darling! Oh, this is...this is wonderful. You'll have to study though, and train really, really hard. Maybe spend some time in Italy with Riccardo and Lucia. And...oh Libby!"
"I think it's fair to say he's a little pleased," Kurt laughs, kissing Blaine's cheek. "Bless you."
"Our baby," Blaine says, wiping proudly at his eyes. "Our baby girl is gonna set the world on fire."
He's still waxing lyrical about their wonderful daughter by the time he and Kurt head to bed, gushing endlessly even through the bathroom door about how successful she's going to be. "And she'll have guys falling over her feet," he says proudly. "But none of them will stand a chance against us."
"Girls," Kurt points out. "She could like girls."
"Nah, she talks about guys all the time. Bands and stuff. I don't think she likes girls. I mean she might, but they won't stand a chance against us either."
"Honey," Kurt says kindly as he slides under the covers, "Firstly, one day, there's quite a good chance that Libby will become an adult and not want to live with us anymore. Secondly, I don't think she will appreciate us refusing to allow her to date anyone ever, and thirdly; as much as I love her, and I really do, please, for the love of god, shut up."
"Oh."
"It's just...you've been talking about her for the last three hours," Kurt says with a laugh, pulling him close. "And now it's time for you to belong to me," he breathes, slipping his hand into Blaine's pajama pants and squeezing lightly.
"I always belong to you," Blaine says, closing his eyes and smiling blissfully. "Especially if you keep doing that."
"Good," Kurt whispers as he strokes him to hardness, "cause I know exactly what I want and I intend to take it."
"I'm amazed she's not more moody," Blaine says suddenly as Kurt groans and slumps his head onto his shoulder in defeat. "I thought that by now she would be all slamming doors and eye rolling, but she's still so sweet and loving."
"Blaine!" Kurt snaps. "Concentrate."
"Sorry. Sorry. Yes."
"I demand attention."
"Don't you always?" Blaine laughs as Kurt rolls on top of him.
"Yes," he replies, smiling at the feel of Blaine's hands rubbing firmly over his bare back. "But right now I demand attention from all of you, if you know what I mean."
"I'm tired though," Blaine murmurs, kissing along Kurt's neck. "So you can have me, but be gentle. I'm old, you know."
"You're not old," Kurt laughs, turning them both onto their sides and sliding Blaine's pajamas to his ankles as he scoots behind him. "I still see you as that beautiful thirty one year old musician, with the bright eyes and dark curls."
"Gray now."
"Silver," Kurt corrects, kissing across his back as his fingers trail lower. "And still with a healthy amount of dark curls too. Actually, if I'm honest, I prefer your hair now than I did then. It's more...tamed. And sexy. You've got this whole silver fox vibe going on, and I love it."
"Silver fox?" Blaine asks, snorting into the pillow. "You're an idiot."
"And you want my dick in your ass so shut up," Kurt quips, pulling him close and laughing into his neck. "I love you, old man. So much."
Craning his head around, Blaine captures his lips in a deep kiss, murmuring happily as they part. "I love you too, gorgeous boy. Now shut up and get your dick in my ass."
The next day dawns bright and cold, and Kurt and Blaine are both up early, cleaning the house in preparation for their holiday guests. Libby surfaces before ten, which is some kind of miracle on weekends, and pads into the kitchen, her hair tied in a messy bun and Kurt's favourite old gray sweater hanging off her small frame. She rolls her eyes at the sight of Blaine, furniture polish in one hand and a rag in the other, pressing Kurt against the counter as they kiss fervently, breaking apart as Libby sidesteps them to get to the fridge.
"Do you two never stop?"
"Nope," Blaine grins. "And good morning to you, beautiful," he smiles, kissing her cheek as she gulps orange juice from the carton.
"Prettier each day," Kurt says, handing her a glass which she ignores and sets on the side. "Hurry up and get dressed, we need to run to the store."
"Actually, I'm going ice skating with Liv, Jamie and Melody. Ellen's picking me up at eleven."
"Uh...no you're not," Kurt says, glancing at Blaine. "Not today. Taylor and Jules will be here at noon."
Libby shrugs, pouring cereal for herself. "So?"
"So you need to be here," Blaine tells her. "It's Benji's first visit."
"Why does that mean I have to be here?"
"To make him feel welcome."
"He's one," Libby reminds them both. "My being here will make no difference at all."
"Well I'd like you to be here," Blaine tries again.
"And I'd like to go ice skating."
"Libby," Kurt stands in front of her as she eats, head down. "You will be here when Taylor and Jules arrive. And I won't have you being rude to daddy like that. Apologize please."
"Why?" she flares, pushing back from the table, her eyes flashing with anger. "Why do I have to be here when some sucky baby arrives just because he's never visited this house before? What's so special about Benji that he needs some kind of welcoming committee? I know what will happen. They'll arrive, set the kid in my arms, then Jules will go out to the office with you and dad and Taylor will sit at the table drinking coffee while I'm left alone to babysit Benji. Well I'm not doing it! I'm going ice skating and you can't stop me!"
Turning on her heel she marches out of the kitchen, stomping up the stairs as loudly as possible before slamming her bedroom door for good measure, leaving Blaine and Kurt to stare at an empty doorway, stunned.
"What the hell was that?" Blaine asks, completely incredulous and pointing down the hall as if some unexpected being had just passed through.
"That, Blaine," Kurt sighs "was, I believe, our first glimpse of Libby the teenager."