Chapter 7 The Pilot

Blaine woke up to an empty bed... again. He had reached out to pull Bryce to him wanting to get his cuddles on. But he couldn't feel him, so he reached further across the bed assuming he had rolled away in his sleep, but the bed was empty, and once again the sheet and blankets had been pulled up, the pillows put back in place like no one had been there at all. He needs to have a talk with Bryce about that soon. Blaine knows why he is doing it, he's trying to be helpful so that Blaine doesn't have to make up both sides of the bed, but Blaine hates it, it reminds him of all the mornings he had woken up alone the last few months with Kurt. He would much rather be woken up, told someone was leaving, even if that meant he couldn't get back to sleep, that was preferable to waking up to an empty bed.

Blaine got up and got in the shower, glad this would be his last early morning for a while, looking forward to a month off, and being able to sleep in. He seriously wonders, that if the show is picked up for the rest of the season, and then for another if he would be interested in signing for the second season or not. He had liked working on set, doing what he was doing, but it really wasn't him.

Posting the two videos on YouTube reminded him how much he had always loved music, playing the piano and singing. He had missed that, he missed his time in glee club, well, junior year glee anyway. Yes, he had enjoyed his time on South of Always, but mainly because of Cooper and Bryce. Blaine didn't know if he wanted acting to be his true profession. He didn't think he could see himself doing that for years the way Cooper and Bryce did. They were made for it. They had the acting bug that Blaine just didn't have. It didn't mean as much to him as it did to them.

He might decide to go back to school, maybe UCLA for their music program, or maybe look into the photography / filmography, he had always loved cameras and taking pictures, he had about twenty different vintage cameras in his old bedroom at home. He could spend his month off looking into being behind the camera instead of in front of it. He could check with his manager to see what all that might entail. Blaine knew, either way, he would stay in Los Angelos so that he could be close to Bryce, also, if he wasn't under a studio contract Blaine could always go to whatever location Bryce might be shooting at if that was something Bryce wanted as well.

Blaine stepped into a pair of jeans and slipped on his favorite t-shirt before sitting down on the edge of his bed to put on his shoes. Right as he was tying his sneakers, one of the laces broke, and of course, he didn't have a replacement. With a sigh, Blaine reaches to the back of his closet and pulls out the only other pair of sneakers he owns. The pair he never wears. The pair he couldn't get rid of, no matter how scuffed and dirty they were. Kurt and Blaine had bought an identical pair of sneakers right before Kurt moved to New York, and Blaine started his senior year. He had worn that same pair of shoes every day without fail. They were just a pair of shoes, but they had made Blaine feel closer to Kurt somehow, and still to this day, he can't throw them out. One day, maybe, but not today.

Kurt and Blaine had spent that whole day together, exploring the mall in Westerville because it was bigger than the one in Lima. It had been a good day. Seeing those shoes, no matter how stupid it might be, reminded him of that day, reminded him of how happy he had been back then, just to spend the day with Kurt. That had always been one of his favorite things to do, and one of the things he had always missed the most.

Shaking his head, Blaine walks towards the kitchen, deciding to put his coffee maker to use this morning. He usually only makes his own coffee on the weekends, choosing to sleep in as late as he can instead of getting up and making coffee. This morning, however, even with the shoe incident, he was still running early, so he had a few minutes. Blaine decides to pull a bag of his favorite coffee out of the freezer and have a real cup of coffee. The stuff on set that craft services, call coffee, fed the crew's caffeine addiction, but little else.

Blaine had always been a coffee fanatic, loved a good cup of coffee, and had missed the Lima Bean when he first moved to New York. He had found his new addiction on his first visit to Chelsea Market. Blaine had been looking for something for Kurt for their first night together in the apartment, and Rachel had told him about the market, and how much Kurt had loved everything there. Blaine hadn't found anything to buy for Kurt that day, but he did find the coffee he made for him every weekend. Yes, the market was out of the way, but that coffee so made the trip worth it.

After the breakup, when Blaine had moved back to Lima, he had started ordering his favorite blend online, even though he had access to the Lima Bean again. Now that he lives in California, he has his coffee delivered here and just keeps it in the freezer to keep fresh, a trick his mom had taught him a long time ago. When his coffee is done, Blaine pours a cup in his travel mug, adds a splash of cream, and a dash of cinnamon, putting the lid on as he is heading to the door. Blaine pulls the cup up to his lips, ready for his first sip, only then discovering that he didn't have the lid on the mug tight as he pours hot coffee down his chest.

"Fuck," Blaine yells as he throws the cup towards the kitchen sink, yanking his shirt over his head as he runs to the bathroom to put a cold washrag over his now burnt chest.

For the first time since starting on the show, Blaine was now running late, which he hated. When he says he will be somewhere at a specific time, it was important for him to be there. Blaine grabs the first shirt he touches in his drawer and starts putting it on as he walks to the door, pulling the door shut behind him. It's not until he is sitting in his car heading to the lot that he realizes what shirt he had grabbed. A shirt he never wore because it was the last one that Kurt had ever given him. Blaine about broke down but managed to pull himself together as he drove onto the lot and parked in his usual spot. Kurt was everywhere this morning, and it was killing him. Blaine slowly made his way first to hair and makeup and then wardrobe, glad he didn't run into anyone, needing to get to his trailer, needing to be alone for a few minutes to clear his head, get rid of the memories flooding his brain. Missing someone he shouldn't miss since he now had a boyfriend.

When Blaine got the call he was due on set, he took a deep breath and went to the set where they would be filming today. Since this was the last day of filming for a while, the producer was trying to tie up a few loose ends, so that if they didn't get picked up, the show would end on a good note. Last-minute scripts had been passed out, and they were going to have their final table read to make sure everything worked out the way the writers had intended it to. Blaine walked up to the chair next to the one Bryce was already sitting in, head just a little clearer, but still feeling the frustration from earlier this morning. The first thing Blaine noticed when he sat down with Bryce was that he looked upset, and Blaine could tell he had been crying.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Blaine asked softly in Bryce's ear, draping his arm across his shoulder, pulling him closer, for once not worried about people watching. Bryce was his priority right now.

"It's nothing," Bryce whispered, pulling slightly away.

"Bryce, you don't cry for nothing. Talk to me please," Blaine whispered, pulling him back against his side again.

"My dad and I had a blow-up this morning. He was upset that his check was late, so he called me and reamed me out about it," Bryce said, refusing to look at Blaine.

"What check?" Blaine asked, confused.

"When I first started working at fourteen, my salary was deposited into my parent's account. It was supposed to be used for what I needed, but half the time, there was never any money when I did need something. There were always new cars 'that they 'needed' to get me back and forth to the studio' or a new house. They blew through money like crazy, what they spent it on half the time I don't know."

"When I turned eighteen, I started having my checks deposited in my own account and I would just send them money. But this month I got busy and forgot to send it. I mailed it three days ago, but they haven't gotten it yet. Dad was pissed," Bryce said, looking at Blaine embarrassed.

"Do you owe them money or something?" Blaine asked, not understanding.

"No, they just depend on me for their income. They didn't work when I was younger because they said they needed to be available if I was needed somewhere. By the time I was eighteen, it had been so long since either one of them had worked that they wouldn't really qualify for anything, so I send them nine thousand a month. Normally I send it on the first of the month, but I was busy and didn't get it sent as normal" he said still not looking at Blaine

"You send them nine thousand dollars a month?" Blaine asked in shock, not believing he heard correctly, that Bryce's parents would treat him like that.

"I know, all my friends tell me I am crazy, but they're my parents, and they took care of me when I was younger, and now it is time for me to help take care of them." Bryce tried to explain so that Blaine would understand.

Blaine so wants to say no, they didn't take care of you, they took advantage of you, they took care of themselves, and they still were, but it was none of his business. Blaine just hated seeing Bryce upset. Blaine held Bryce close until he felt the tension leave Bryce's shoulders and then only let go when the writers and producer took their seats at the table.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's get this knocked out, and then we can go somewhere after work if you want," Blaine said before placing a soft kiss on Bryce's lips. Yet another first for Blaine. Once again, putting off the conversation he needed to have with him.

"I can handle that," Bryce said with a small smile.

After the table read was completed and the last shot of the day was in the can, the director reminded everyone about the pilot Friday, and that he was hoping to see everyone there. Blaine went over and told Cooper that they were leaving, and he would talk to him later. Stopping by their individual trailers, so they could remove their makeup and change back into their street clothes. Both taking an extra minute to pick up any personal items they might have left behind since it would be a while before they were back on set.

When he got to Bryce's trailer, Blaine noticed he was wearing a very old, very faded shirt. Something Blaine had never seen him in. Bryce always took time with his looks, with what he wore. That shirt was so entirely out of character for him.

"Can we stop by my apartment so I can change really quick, sorry about my shirt, I always put it on whenever I get stressed or upset. I don't want to upset you, but Shey bought it for me on my last birthday before she left. It has always managed to help calm me down." Bryce said, looking down at it and then looking at Blaine almost like he was expecting him to be mad.

"It's ok, Bryce. Honestly, I understand," he said, pulling him into a quick hug before leading him to his car and then driving him to his apartment. How could Blaine be upset with Bryce considering the shoes and shirt he had on today and how he had felt when he had put them on? They both had their past pains that they were still dealing with.

Bryce went in and changed, and then Blaine took him out to dinner and a movie. They went back to Blaine's apartment, snuggling on the couch before going to bed, Blaine holding him tight all night long.

Blaine woke up again the next morning to an empty bed… He was about to get frustrated until he noticed this time the bed wasn't made up, and he heard noises coming from the kitchen. He got out of bed and followed the sounds.

Bryce had made coffee and scrambled eggs for both of them. Blaine had very little food in his apartment. Since it was usually just him, most of the time, it was easier to swing by and get fast food than it was to cook for just him. They sat down and ate, talking in between bites, Blaine really enjoyed it, it had been a long time since someone had done something like this for him.

"So, what are you getting up today?" Bryce asked him, eyes down, looking at his plate.

"Not sure yet. I know I need to go rent a tux for Friday, get my hair cut and get a new pair of sneakers," Blaine answered, finishing his breakfast, standing up and carrying his and Bryces plates to the sink, wondering why Bryce wouldn't look at him.

"Oh, ok, I guess I need to get dressed and head home," Bryce said, standing up and walking to the bedroom.

Blaine walked in behind him, leaning on the door frame, watching. Bryce went over to where he had put his clothes last night. Before they had gone to bed, Blaine had loaned him a pair of lounge pants. Bryce picked up his clothes and instead of just changing there, he carried them into the bathroom and closed the door.

Blaine just looked at the door, confused, wondering why he was acting so strangely. Blaine had seen every inch of Bryce's body yesterday, and he hadn't acted shy, so why was he now changing in another room with the door shut. Blaine sat on the side of his bed and waited for him to come out

"Bryce, what's wrong?" Blaine asked, concerned when he finally came out of the bathroom. He stood up and walked over to him, wrapped his arms around Bryce's waist, and looked into his face.

"Nothing's wrong, I just need to go home," Bryce said softly, pulling away and slipping his feet into his shoes.

"Bryce, come on, did I do or say something wrong?" Blaine asked, wracking his brain, thinking about the conversation he had had with him. They had just had a nice talk while they ate, he was lost.

"No, nothing is wrong," Bryce said before pulling slowly out of Blaine's arms, starting to walk down the hall, Blaine is following closely behind him.

"Come on, Bryce talk to me, tell me what's going on," Blaine said before reaching out to stop him and pulling Bryce back into his arms not liking how this was going at all.

"You have plans today. I was just going home so you could do what you needed to do, " Bryce said with his head on Blaine's shoulder

Blaine placed his finger under Bryce's chin and gently raised his face, so they were looking at each other. "Bryce, talk to me please" Blaine was starting to get a little upset now, trying to figure out what the hell he had done wrong this time.

"I just thought we would spend the day together, that's all. This is our first day off, and I just thought we could go exploring and stuff that's all," Bryce whispered.

Blaine let out his breath on a sigh pulling Bryce in for a kiss, feeling relieved that, that was all the problem was, he had never seen Bryce being clingy or unsure of himself before. He had always seemed so confident.

"Why didn't you just say that? Of course I want you with me, I just assumed you had things you needed to do," Blaine said, pulling him just a little closer "Bryce if something is wrong, if something is going on, if there's something you need or want, you have to talk to me. I don't want us just to ignore things and let it pull us apart," Blaine said, looking at him.

"Ok, sorry I guess I am still really so new at this and don't know how to act," Bryce said with a small smile

"You've had girlfriends before, right? You act the same. This isn't any different. We are building our relationship, and we both have to learn. I know I am going to do things that will drive you crazy, and you will probably do the same," Blaine said with a smile. "We'll get through it by talking about it, ok?"

"I can definitely do that" Bryce said with a smile, leaning in and kissing Blaine softly, running his tongue across his bottom lip until Blaine opened his mouth for him and Bryce slowly slipped his tongue in, deepening the kiss, pulling Blaine closer so that he can feel how hard Bryce had gotten. He felt as Bryce grabbed his hand and then he led him back to the bedroom

Blaine watched as Bryce quickly stripped out of his clothes, and then slid his hands around to Blaine's ass, slipping them under his waistband and pushing Blaine's pants down to the floor. Blaine quickly stepped out of them, never taking his eyes off of Bryce waiting to see what he was going to do next, how far he was going to go, or was he, like yesterday, going to wait for Blaine to take over again.

He soon got his answer, before he had time to think of anything more, Bryce was pushing him backward on the bed, then he was on him, straddling his hips, softly thrusting his hips down so that his cock slotted up against Blaine's, skin on skin causing him to thrust his hips up to meet Bryce's.

Bryce leaned forward, whispering in Blaine's ear, "You said if I wanted something, needed something, I should let you know, well, I want you, I need you...now" Bryce said before thrusting his hips forward again "you also told me to act the way I would in any other relationship sooo…"

Bryce didn't say any more just continued to thrust forward, increasing the pressure, he reached down and gently pinched Blaine's nipples, which caused him to lose his mind. Blaine started moving his hips under Bryce faster, harder, reaching out his hands to Bryce's ass, squeezing it and pulling him even closer as he continued to thrust down onto Blaine.

Before long, Blaine came hard and warm between them, rocking through his orgasm, breathing heavily. Bryce soon followed, head back, and moaning Blaine's name. Blaine flipped Bryce over so that he was on top of him and attached his mouth, slipping in his tongue. That had been the hottest thing he had ever experienced in his life, and could hardly wait for a repeat performance. He liked this side of Bryce.

Blaine would have been content just to lie there cuddling and kissing Bryce the rest of the day, and not move, but the stickiness between them was starting to get a little uncomfortable. Blaine leaned down and gave Bryce another kiss, "come on, let's go get cleaned up, and then we can head out." Blaine said before rolling off Bryce, standing up and holding out his hand for Bryce to help him stand, placing another kiss on his sweet lips.

They quickly showered and got dressed, Blaine drove Bryce to his apartment so that he could put on some clean clothes, and then they went shopping.

"Can I make a suggestion? Instead of renting a tux for Friday, why don't you buy one?" Bryce asked, looking at him.

"Do you really think I'll need to buy a tux? I don't know if I would wear one enough to buy one," Blaine responded, taking his eye off of the road long enough to look sideways at Bryce.

"Weeeell awards season is coming up in the next few months, and I was hoping you would agree to go with me, to be my plus one," Bryce responded with the shy smile that always did things to Blaine.

"I would like to see you try to go with anyone else," Blaine said before reaching over and grabbing Bryce's hand "In case you didn't realize it yet, you're mine, and I don't like sharing," Blaine said with a sexy smile that had Bryce's heart beating just a little faster. Loving the fact that Blaine said he was his. He liked that.

After that day, they were together all the time. Bryce spent every night snuggled up either behind Blaine with his arms around Blaine's waist or with Blaine snuggled behind him. Either way, Blaine was in heaven. He loved having Bryce in his arms. Did he still have dreams about someone else almost every night, yes, but he loved how he spent his days.

Friday morning, Blaine woke up in an empty bed… again. Sheets and blanket pulled up, pillows all in place. Ok, time for that talk. Blaine was frustrated, wondering why Bryce kept doing that. Blaine hated it number one that he didn't get to wake up with Bryce in his arms, but, to make it look like he hadn't even been in bed at all gave Blaine flashbacks he really didn't need this morning.

Blaine quickly showered, put on some clean clothes, and he was in his car, driving to Bryce's apartment. He stood there for about 5 minutes before Bryce answered the door, head wet, and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Blaine, are you ok?" Bryce asked him, seeing a look on Blaine's face he had never seen before.

"Not really, can we talk?" Blaine answered and then followed Bryce into the living room but not sitting down. He was too frustrated right now for that. He needed to keep moving.

"Ok... what's up?" Bryce asked, now nervous watching as Blaine paced from one end of the room to the other. He had never seen Blaine like this before.

"Why do you do that? Why do you just leave and not say anything? I hate that. And then to make matters worse, you make up your side of the bed, so it is almost like you were never there at all. If you need to leave, please wake me up, leave me a note or something, and please stop making up the fucking bed," Blaine said, still pacing the room, feeling frustration that wasn't all directed at Bryce.

"I didn't realize it bothered you so much," Bryce said, looking up at Blaine, wondering where this was coming from.

"Well, it does," Blaine said softly, running his hands through his hair, knowing that this wasn't Bryce's fault and that he wasn't being fair to him, calming down with each step.

"Blaine, I am sorry, you were just sleeping so good, and we didn't get much sleep last night," Bryce said with a dreamy smile because they had been a little too busy to sleep most of the night "I promise it won't happen again. I just had some running I needed to do this morning and didn't know if you would be interested in going with me or not." Bryce said walking up to Blaine and placing a kiss on his forehead

"Unless it is something you need to do alone, I would very much love to come with you," Blaine said, feeling better.

"Blaine, remember that talk we had, where you said if something is going on with me to talk to you about it, not to let things grow until they took over? Well, that goes for you too," Bryce said, pulling Blaine into a tight hug.

Blaine sighed and put his head on Bryce's shoulder, enjoying the comfort he so needed right now. Blaine knows he should have told Bryce how he felt before now, but today it hit him harder than usual. Blaine had had that dream again last night, the one where he wakes up in an empty bed, Kurt was gone, and then he was at that restaurant again, being told they had had a good run. He had just wanted to roll over and pull Bryce into his arms for a minute, just to remind himself that he wasn't alone anymore, only to realize he was.

oOoOo

The studio had arranged for everyone to be picked up in a limo, so Cooper, Bryce, and himself arrived in the same car. Cooper got out first. Blaine didn't really know what he had expected, but this wasn't it. There were millions of camera flashes, people talking over each other, asking him questions. Cooper stood there for a few minutes, and then Bryce stepped out, followed by Blaine.

"Bryce, Bryce, is this him is this the mystery guy?" Blaine heard someone shout, lights were flashing over and over in his eyes, and he just stood beside Bryce with a smile on his face and his hand resting on Bryce's back, surprising them both, but Blaine needed to feel him close.

"Yes, this is him. This is my boyfriend Blaine Anderson, who, by the way, also plays my boyfriend in South of Always. That's actually how we met, so you will be seeing him in the pilot tonight as well." Bryce answered with a smile on his face looking at Blaine with a look of pride that made Blaine smile just a little more.

"How long have you guys been together?" one of the reporters screamed above everyone else.

"We've been dating for a month, but boyfriends for just a week," Bryce said, looking at Blaine with a smile and squeezing his hand

Bryce continued to answer their questions, and Blaine answered the ones thrown his way. At that moment, though, Blaine's decision was made. Acting, walking red carpets was definitely not something he was interested in longterm for himself. Yes, he would still go with Bryce to these kinds of functions, but South would be his last role. Blaine decided to talk to Bryce in the morning, and then he would check out classes at UCLA after their talk. If they were going to be a couple, Bryce had a right to a say in Blaine's decision, plus he valued Bryce's opinion.

They finally made it inside, and Bryce grabbed himself and Blaine a glass of champagne. Blaine sipped his slowly, not wanting to make an ass of himself and embarrass Bryce. The pilot was hilarious, being in a show is one thing, filming every day, but seeing the finished work, all the different scenes spliced together made it all so much more real. Plus, seeing himself on screen was a shock. He really liked the show and knows for a fact, if he had been sitting on his couch at home, not part of the project, he would have loved it and would have watched it every week.

When they got back to Blaine's apartment they celebrated again, Blaine had Cooper buy them a bottle of champagne, and he poured them both a glass, allowing himself only one, because he had other things in mind for tonight, and didn't want to ruin it being drunk. Blaine started kissing Bryce, and then led him into the bedroom, before first stripping him out of his tux and then stripping himself, he then gently pushed Bryce down on the bed, crawled up between his legs, and gave Bryce his very first blowjob ever.

During one of their sexier conversations, Bryce had admitted that he had only ever had three sexual partners, and he had never had someone give him one. Blaine happily took care of that for him, happy to be the first. Loving the look on Bryce's face, and the noises he made, as he got him to the very edge and then pushed him over. Blaine crawled up beside Bryce, sharing sweet kisses, forgetting about himself, wanting tonight to be all about Bryce, and pleasuring him. They shared a few more kisses, and then Blaine was pulling him into his arms, snuggling close, and they both drifted off to sleep, Blaine content and happy.

oOoOo

Blaine slowly woke up hearing a phone ringing on Bryce's side of the bed, and hearing his mumbled hello, but was fully awake when Bryce sat bolt upright in bed and just kept repeating "what, what are you talking about?" Blaine quickly leaned over and turned on the bedside light. He looked over at Bryce and noticed he had tears running down his face

"NO, NO, NO, THAT ISN'T POSSIBLE," he heard Bryce scream, crying so hard he shook the bed. Blaine quickly wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him to his side.

"When did this happen… OK, give me just a sec," Bryce said before looking at Blaine, "Can you get me some paper and something to write with? I need to write this down," he said, and Blaine was out of bed, heading to the living room to get a pen and paper for him before running it back to him, noticing that the clock said 1 am. It was never good news when you got a call at that time of day.

"Ok, so Ashford hospital in London… Yes, ma'am…. Yes, ma'am… I'll get there as soon as possible." Bryce said, and Blaine had to sit there and watch Bryce slowly fall apart. He quickly pulled him back into his arms and just held on to him.

"Sweetheart, what happened, what is going on?" Blaine asked, holding him, rubbing his hand up and down Bryce's back.

"Shey, Blaine, Shey was in a bad accident. A drunk driver hit her. I was still listed as her emergency contact. Blaine, she doesn't have anyone else. I need to get to her Blaine I have to get to her," Bryce started crying harder, almost hysterical.

"Ok, sweetheart, we're going to go. Why don't you go to the restroom and wash your face while I make airline reservations? We'll go to your apartment and pack you some clothes, we'll leave as soon as possible," Blaine said, kissing him on his forehead, remembering all too well the phone call he had gotten about Kurt, the panic he had felt, just needing to get to him now.

Blaine pulls out a suitcase, he quickly packs a few outfits, while talking to the airline. He figures if he forgets to pack something, he can always get it there. Blaine grabs his passport out of his dresser drawer and put's that in his messenger bag and was just grabbing his phone charger and wallet as Bryce walked out of the bathroom. He helped him put on his pants and shirt from the tux he had worn last night and then guided him out the door and down to his car.

Blaine kept his arm wrapped around Bryce's waist all the way to his apartment, took his keys from him when his hands shook too badly to unlock the door. Blaine guided him over to his bed, had him sit down. Bryce was shaking so bad that Blaine was afraid he would fall down.

Blaine walked into Bryce's closet, grabbed one of his suitcases and pulled him out a couple of the outfits he had seen him wear, and then reached for his special shirt and a faded pair of jeans that looked like they would be comfortable for travel. He helped him get dressed, and then they were ready. "Sweetheart, where is your passport? We're going to need it, " he asked, reaching out for Bryce's phone charger.

Once Bryce had his passport, they walked back out to the car and headed for LAX parked in the long term parking lot. Blaine grabbed both of their suitcases and still managed to hold Bryce's hand the whole time. Blaine sat Bryce down in the waiting area and took their suitcases to have them checked in and to get their tickets. They waited an hour, and then they were on a plane heading for Heathrow, Blaine keeping his arm around Bryce the whole time.

When they land, they headed for customs, and then Blaine got them a taxi to take them to the hospital. They got there too late. When the matron came in, she advised Bryce, after checking his passport to make sure he was who he said he was, that Shey had passed thirty minutes before they got there.

"No, no, Shey can't be gone. Blaine, she just can't be gone, she can't," Bryce screamed as he slowly slipped down to the floor. Blaine sat down beside him, pulled him onto his lap, and just held him, rocking him, crying with him. They sat there for about 10 minutes until Blaine saw a nurse walk in carrying a baby.

"Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Alexander notified us that you didn't know about her daughter. She was in the car with her when the accident happened. She has been checked out and is unhurt. You should know that you are listed on the birth certificate as the child's father," She said, placing the baby on her shoulder, rocking the infant.

Blaine and Bryce both looked up at her. Slowly Bryce stood up and walked over to her, Blaine following behind him. The matron slowly passed the baby to him. They both looked down at her and were in shock.

The baby could have been Blaine's as much as Bryce's. She had Blaine's dark curly hair, the same shape of his eyes, but big and Brown like Bryce's. She had Bryce's nose and Blaine's mouth and coloring. They stare at each other, trying to figure out how that is possible, but Blaine was in love. In that instant, he doesn't care about the how's. He wants her to be his, to be his daughter.

"What's her name, how old is she?" Bryce finally pulled himself together enough to ask.

"Her name is Serene Elizabeth Mitchell, and she will be three months old tomorrow," she said, answering him. "Ms. Alexander referred to her as Sere," she added before passing the baby over to Bryce to hold.

Bryce just laughed, "Shey did it. When we first met, we were shooting a movie together about the Serengeti. She loved the area, loved the people, and loved that name. She always said that if she had a daughter, she would name her Serene after the Serengeti and would call her Sere or Saree was how she said it would be pronounced," Bryce just stood there holding her looking down at her face until she started fussing and then he looked like he didn't know what to do.

Blaine gently reached out for her, and Bryce quickly handed the baby to him. Within seconds she was happy again. Blaine just whispered to her, bouncing her gently until she went to sleep.

"Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Alexander left this letter for you. She was almost positive she wouldn't make it long enough for you to get here. She asked me to give it to you." The matron said before turning around and walking away, giving them time alone to read it.

Blaine started to walk away to give Bryce some privacy to read his letter, "Stay, please don't leave me," he whispered, looking at Blaine, still so in shock.

"Ok, sweetheart, whatever you want," Blaine said once again, wrapping his free arm around Bryce as he read the letter and started crying. When he was done, he passed the letter to Blaine to read.

Bryce,

I am so, so sorry. I should have told you. I shouldn't have just walked away from you. I know how much I hurt you, I do. I had to leave though. Remember when we were in Africa, and I told you that if I ever had a daughter, I wanted to name her Serene. You looked at me and said you didn't ever want to have kids. So when I figured out I was pregnant, I didn't want you to be forced into making a decision. I love you so much, and I just couldn't do that to you, so I left.

I'm sorry you are finding out this way, I am. I love you Bryce, always have and I always will. Please take care of Sere for me. If you don't think you can do it, then please, please find her a good place to live, a good family to love her. I can't stand the thought of her having to grow up the way I did.

Here is the key to my apartment, where all my important papers are. My will is there, in the top drawer of my dresser, and it leaves everything to you and her. She has a bear that I got her right before she was born, please get it and keep it with her. Let her know how very much I loved her, and I wouldn't leave her if I had a choice. Please watch out for my baby girl.

Love you always,

Shey

Blaine read the letter before handing it back to Bryce. He didn't know that he didn't want children, that was something they had never really discussed. Some people just couldn't handle being parents, but Blaine had always wanted to be a dad and had figured he would adopt at some point in his life.

"Do you know what you want to do?" Blaine asked, knowing this was a decision that only Bryce could make.

"I really don't know. I just need a little time to think," Bryce whispered, tears still streaming down his face, hurting so bad, he couldn't think.

"Ok, let's do this, let's go to Shey's apartment get the paperwork she talked about, and pack up some things for Sere. We can get a motel room for a few nights so you can have time to think about everything and decide what you want to do ok," Blaine said kissing him on the top of his head and pulling him just a little closer.

"Ok," Bryce whispered so tired he just wanted to curl up in a hole and forget today had even happened.

The matron gave Bryce a bunch of papers he needed to sign, and then they left the hospital Blaine holding the baby and Bryce, just trying to help him through this.

When they got to the apartment, Bryce broke down completely. He curled up in a ball on the couch and just cried. Blaine held him until Bryce whispered he just wanted to be alone for a minute and walked into the bathroom. While he was in there, Blaine went into the baby's room, placed Sere in her crib, and found the teddy bear Shey had talked about. He went to the little dresser beside the crib, and there was a picture of a woman and Sere, she had to be Shey. Blaine stared at her picture in complete shock. She looked like a mixture of Cooper and Blaine. She could have passed for their sister.

Blaine pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls Cooper. It rings forever before he answers it, and Blaine asks if he knew of any family they might have in London, a cousin, or something. Someone named Shey Alexander.

Cooper gets quiet before whispering, "How do you know about her?"

Blaine tells him what happened, that Bryce's ex had just died from injuries from a car wreck that he had come with Bryce to London, and about the baby.

"Call dad Blaine, he'll explain everything," Cooper said in a shocked voice.

"Coop what's going on," Noticing for once, he didn't call him squirt.

"Just call dad, he needs to be the one to explain this to you, I'm sorry Blaine, but it needs to be him that you hear this from, and he needs to hear about her," Cooper said before hanging up. Blaine just stares at his phone for a minute, so confused. He then calls his dad at his office, needing to know what is going on. Blaine looked at the time, figures out the time difference and figures he could catch his dad at his office, he dials the number and then waits for his dad's secretary to transfer his call.

"Blaine, what's going on, are you ok?" Michael asks. Blaine never calls him at the office unless it is important, and he usually just calls his cell phone.

"Dad, I need to ask you something, do you know a Shey Alexander?" Blaine asked, holding his breath, wondering what his dad might tell him.

"Why are you asking about her?" his dad asked quietly.

Blaine explains to him the same thing he told Cooper, about the accident, and the baby. "I just saw this picture of her holding the baby and dad, she looks like she could be my sister," Blaine says, still so confused.

"That is because she is," he heard his dad say after a minute of silence, and then Blaine heard his dad's voice break.

"What, what are you saying?" Blaine asks in shock.

"When you were three months old me and your mom started having problems, we fought all the time and didn't want you and Cooper to be brought up around that, so we separated, and we filed for divorce. I started seeing someone else, and even though we always used protection, she got pregnant, she was Shey's mom. Your mom and I worked things out, but I was still there for Shey, I was there when she was born, I paid child support, I was part of her life until she turned one and her mom died.

Since I wasn't listed as the dad on her birth certificate, she was sent to her grandmother to be raised. Your mom and I had some long conversations, and we were going to adopt her and raise her as ours. By the time we got the paperwork together, they had disappeared. I tried to locate them, but it was like they disappeared off the face of the planet. I am so sorry you found out this way son, I really am."

"Why did you tell Cooper and not me?" Blaine asked hurt that his dad didn't let him know that for eighteen years he had had a sister.

"We didn't tell him son. You have to remember he was eight when all this was going on. By the time we started working on the adoption process, he was nine, almost ten he walked in on your mom and I talking about her. That's how he knows. We didn't keep this from you and not him. I'm sorry we never told you about her. I really am," Michael answered, still in shock. He had found his daughter and lost her at the same time.

"You said she had a daughter who was in the accident with her, is she ok? What is her name?" his dad asked so excited, and that's when it hits Blaine, Sere was his dad's first grandchild that made Blaine's decision to help raise Sere so much easier. She wasn't just Bryce's baby. She was his niece. She was blood.

"Yes, she's fine and she's beautiful. She's a combination of Bryce and Shey. She's perfect, she is three months old," Blaine answered

"Do you think Bryce will let me see her?" his dad asked excited.

"I'm sure he will, well, that is if he decides to keep her. He had told Shey at one point he didn't want kids, which is why she left without telling him she was pregnant," Blaine explains.

"If he decides he doesn't want her Blaine, then we do, let him know that ok, we will happily take her," Michae told Blaine.

Blaine finished up his conversation with his dad, found a small suitcase in Sere's room and started packing her some clothes, and diapers, figuring if there was anything else she needed, they would get it before heading home. He put the picture of Sere and Shey on top of the suitcase and closed the lid. After looking around, trying to make sure that he had packed everything he thought they would need for Sere, Blaine walked back into the living room. He found Bryce sitting on the couch, staring off into space, completely zoned out. Blaine sat down beside him and pulled him into his lap and just held him, listening to him cry with his head on Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine wished he could do more for him, but knows the only thing he can do is be there for him, offering all the support he can. Blaine can't begin to know what Bryce was going through right now. When he had gotten the call about Kurt getting beat up, Blaine had been devastated. He can't begin to imagine what Bryce must be feeling, but was selfishly glad he couldn't. Blaine might not be able to be with Kurt anymore, but couldn't imagine a world where his Kurt didn't exist.

"Why don't we go find a motel we can check into and you can sleep for a little while?" Blaine asked, kissing him on top of the head. Bryce just nods his head too exhausted even to talk.

"I'll be right back, and we can head out," Blaine said softly, placing one more kiss on top of Bryce's head. He walks into the kitchen and finds a diaper bag, a can of powdered infant formula, and some clean bottles. He packs everything in the diaper bag and then makes his way to Shey's room, needing to find the paperwork she had told them about in the letter she had left for Bryce. Blaine opened the top drawer of Shey's dresser and pulled out the envelope of papers she had left for Bryce. Blaine stuck it in the side pocket of the diaper bag without looking in it, figuring that was something that needed to be left to Bryce. Closing the drawer back, Blaine made his way down the hall and gently picked Sere up from the crib. He grabbed her little suitcase, slung the strap across his shoulder, and made his way back to the living room and to Bryce. Blaine helps Bryce stand up, and then still holding Sere, he managed to guide Bryce outside, where they quickly caught a cab and Blaine had the driver take them to the closest motel.

Still holding Sere, Blaine managed to get the three of them checked in, asks for a crib to be brought to their room if possible, and then Blaine guides Bryce to their room. Bryce crawls into bed, and other than going to the restroom, he doesn't get out again for two days.

Blaine handles everything, he takes care of Sere, feeding her, bathing her, playing with her, in general falling more and more in love with her. Blaine talked to his dad several times, trying to see what they would need to do to bring Sere home if Bryce decided he wanted to. Blaine had finally broken down and went through the paperwork he had gotten from Shey's apartment. Blaine found out that Sere had dual citizenship. She was considered both a British and United States citizen. Michael told Blaine that would make things easier, all they would need to do would be to go to the US embassy and start an application for Sere's passport.

On the first day, Bryce was able to function, they had a talk and decided that no matter what Bryce decided, they would be better off to head back to the states, so Bryce could have a little more time to make his decision. Blaine didn't know which way Bryce meant to go, either keeping Sere, or putting her up for adoption, but he wanted to be there to support him and her. When Bryce finally felt like he was ready, they went to the US embassy to start the paperwork for Sere's passport. They were advised that it would probably take about two weeks for them to get her passport, so they could take her home.

When Blaine had packed for both him and Bryce, he hadn't expected them to need to stay in London for two weeks, so they ended up needing to go shopping for a few things. After that trip, Bryce started acting like himself again. He started spending time with Sere, playing with her, and once even bathing her. Blaine bought a stroller, and they would take walks through the park, spend time as a family and that is when it hits Blaine what he needs to do, he needs to be there for Sere. Blaine wanted to be her daddy. He wanted to help raise her. He also wanted to be there for Bryce. He tried so hard, but at times he was just lost when dealing with the baby. Blaine knew that if Bryce opted to let her go, if he opted for adoption instead of raising Sere on his own, Blaine would fight for her, even if that meant fighting against Bryce. That baby needed a family, and Blaine was only too willing to give her one

They were walking through Hyde Park when Blaine made his decision. He knew what he was going to do, what he needed to do.

Blaine looks over at Bryce and can feel his heart-beat faster like it did the very first time he saw Bryce. Blaine wants to be part of Bryce's life. Blaine stops walking and turns so that Bryce is looking at him, and then asks the most important question he will ever ask.

"Will you marry me?"…

A/N: I'm sorry…. there is a method to my madness, and I promise you this story will end up the way all Klaine stories are meant to. Hang in there with me. I promise it won't be long.