Hi guys! Hope you're all doing great.
Thanks for all the lovely comments so far. I can't tell you how happy I am that you're enjoying the story and already forming theories on what's going to happen next.
I finished writing this story yesterday and I'm very, very excited to see what you'll think of it as the chapters are posted.
Huge kudos to Christine for her work in this and every chapter.
I hope you enjoy!
The pacing was threatening to drive Blaine crazy. Joanna was going to burn a line in his floor if she didn't stop. But part of him knew where she was coming from, and knew she couldn't help worrying. Plus, she had been particularly sensitive lately, and it didn't seem like the best time to add to it.
"Blaine, I'm serious," she said for what felt like the millionth time. "I thought this plan was insane when I thought you were just going to marry him to give him control over the company. But now that I know you're going to move into his place… I'm scared."
Blaine was kneeling on the floor, focused on the large box that had arrived only a few minutes ago. There was a lot of new stock to unpack, and Blaine wasn't sure which pieces had actually made it. He was eager to find out.
"Can you give me that knife, please?" He asked calmly,
She huffed but did as she was told. "Blaine. Please. Listen to me."
"There's no need to be scared, Joanna," he said as he cut open one of the sides of the box. "Kurt and I have come to a perfect kind of agreement. We settled all the details. Everything's going to work out so wonderfully…"
He could hear Tina's voice right outside the backroom. She was with a customer while Blaine was half trying to appease his future sister-in-law, half trying to unpack. Joanna had been near the point of total freak-out since she had arrived at the boutique. In less than thirty minutes, Blaine had to be at the courthouse to get married. Kurt had called him earlier that morning to let him know there would be a car to pick him up, and despite Blaine's protests that he could walk the few blocks between the boutique and the courthouse, Kurt had been inflexible. The car would be there for him at one forty five. Blaine had been too busy with a client to argue, so he let him get away with it.
Joanna finally stopped her pacing, but only to stare down at Blaine. "I can't get rid of this bad feeling, Blaine. You're going to move into his penthouse. This is no joke. He has a reputation for being dangerous…"
"Please," Blaine muttered, as if it was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. He turned the box around to open the other side. "I've actually gotten to know him quite well these past few weeks. I don't think he's as dangerous as people make him out to be."
Joanna ran a hand down her face, clearly frustrated. "You're not listening to me."
"Of course I am," Blaine said. "I just don't think there's a reason to be so upset."
"He's not the kind of man you're used to dealing with, Blaine," she said. "This is not one of those wounded little birds in need of rescue. He's not Arthur, he's not Peter…"
Blaine allowed himself to roll his eyes a bit. "I know that, Joanna. I'm not going to try to rescue Kurt. He's going to rescue me."
"The price for it might be too high," she said, her beautiful features etched with concern. "I know you think all those boxing lessons you took as a kid make you strong enough to defend yourself, but I'm not entirely sure they would be effective against a man like him…"
Blaine did pause now. He had never been a fan of violence, but the boxing lessons had been a temporary solution to a much bigger problem. It had been Cooper, actually, who had signed him up. He had still had a black eye. He had still had a broken rib and an arm in a sling. Cooper had squeezed his shoulder, careful of his wounds, and told him he never wanted him to be helpless ever again.
"You need to be able to defend yourself when the worst things happen," he had said, his blue eyes fixed on his little brother. "I don't ever want you to get hurt again, Squirt. And I'm going to be here to fight all your battles for you, if I can. But in case I'm not here when you need me…"
Blaine, still in pain, still scared, still disillusioned with a world that allowed for a kid to be hurt just because he was different, had looked up at Cooper like he was a superhero.
He sighed. "Kurt and I both understand that this marriage is a business relationship, Joanna," he assured her. "He's not going to… I don't know, claim his marital rights, or whatever you want to call it. I'll be perfectly safe with him."
"How can you possibly know that?" Joanna demanded, an edge of despair in her voice.
"When you truly meet him, you'll see," he said. He opened the box and peaked inside. There was a lot of bubble wrap keeping the piece safe. He began to unwrap it. "You're stressed. It's understandable. But for the first time since Cooper's disappeared, I feel like I have a grip on things, at last. Everything will be fine."
The object inside the box was large and heavy. He thought he saw the wink of an emerald eye behind the bubble wrap.
"Fantastic! It's the leopard. I was hoping it'd arrive. The guy who makes these cloisonné animals is a bit unpredictable. I'm still trying to sell the elephant…"
"Blaine, please," Joanna murmured. "Can you stop wasting time with the merchandise? You're getting married in less than an hour and I'm just certain we're all heading straight into a disaster."
"Like I said." Blaine took the leopard out. "It's the stress."
"It's not the stress!" Joanna exclaimed. "It's my common sense. How could I let you go through with it? You should have never even talked to Hummel about this. I can't believe I let you talk me into it…"
"You know it was a brilliant idea," Blaine retorted. "It's already working. Do you know how many phone calls I got this morning from investors who wanted to know if it's true I'm marrying Kurt Hummel? When I told them it is, and that he'll be taking charge of the company, they were so relieved…"
"Oh god, fuck the company," Joanna said, and now Blaine did glance away from the leopard to look at her. She was always so proper, it was weird to hear her say that. "It's you I'm worried about, Blaine. Your brother would kill me if he knew I'm letting you do this…" She shook her head. "But it's still not too late. Call him. Call Hummel and tell him you changed your mind…"
"But I haven't changed my mind," Blaine said gently. "I'm so sure this will be okay, Joanna. Please. You need to trust me. If it helps, just think that Kurt and I will be like roommates for a little while…"
"We're talking about one of the most powerful men in Manhattan, one who has a reputation that leaves a lot to be desired. People say he's dangerous. People say he's strange…"
"Oh, he is," Blaine conceded.
Joanna blinked at him. "Strange?"
"Yes."
Joanna groaned in dismay.
"But in a very interesting way," Blaine said, as he stood up.
"Please, call off the wedding, Blaine," she pleaded once more.
"Of course I'm not going to call off the wedding. It's the only way to hold things together until Cooper returns. You know it as well as I do," Blaine explained.
"I'm not stupid, Blaine. I know you're doing this, at least partially, for me and the baby," Joanna said, and she grabbed his hand. "But I can't have you taking this risk for us."
"You know I'm doing this for Coop, too," he said, as he patted her hand, hoping to comfort her.
"He wouldn't want this either!" She insisted. "You're too sure that Hummel isn't going to be a problem, but you have no idea. He could be violent. He could be weird, and not in an interesting way. He could be a sex maniac…"
Blaine let out a little chuckle that surprised him on its way out. It was the first time he laughed since Cooper had disappeared. "Oh god, Kurt Hummel, a sex maniac. Thanks for that. I needed it. There's no chance that's true, Joanna."
Joanna seemed offended that he wasn't taking her seriously. "How can you be so sure?"
Blaine rolled his eyes and tried not to laugh again. He didn't want to aggravate her any further. "He's just not the type. He kind of reminds me of one those medieval monks, you know?"
"A monk," Joanna repeated, incredulous.
"Yeah, you know those very stern, very controlled types that can't be swayed by such trivial things like lust and vengeance and greed…" Blaine shook his head before returning his attention to the leopard. "Wow. Look at him, Joanna. Don't you think it's beautiful?"
It reached his waist. It was a gorgeous beast, its intricate cloisonné design in black, gold and turquoise. Aside from the emerald eyes, it had a jeweled collar. It was perfect.
"He's wonderful," he said with a little clap.
"Blaine, for the last time, please listen to me…" Joanna tried again.
"You know, I could see him in Kurt's study," Blaine commented, delighted. "Maybe I'll give it to him as a wedding gift…"
"Maybe I'll accept it," a quiet voice said from the doorway.
Blaine startled so much, he almost knocked the leopard to the floor. He turned around and saw Kurt standing there, impeccable in his black suit and a crisp white shirt. The knot of his tie rested perfectly at the base of his throat. The only flash of color in him came from the blue of his eyes.
"Kurt," Blaine muttered, reaching down to steady the leopard before it could fall. "I didn't hear you come in."
He wondered exactly how much of their conversation Kurt had overheard. He hoped his comment about him being like a medieval monk wasn't going to come back to bite him in the ass. He felt his cheeks darkening with his embarrassment.
"You remember Cooper's fiancé, right?" He said, hoping to distract him. "You met her at the engagement party."
"Of course," Kurt said with a brief nod. He offered his hand to Joanna. "It's nice to see you again. I was extremely sorry to hear about Cooper's disappearance."
There was a certain look of distrust on her face as she accepted her hand. She didn't smile, didn't look like she even wanted to make the effort for him. "He'll be back," was all she said.
"I hope so," Kurt replied. "Are you coming with us to the courthouse?"
She crossed her hands over her chest, looking almost annoyed. "Only if I can't convince Blaine to not go through with this."
It almost looked like Kurt wanted to smile. The corners of his lips curved slightly, almost imperceptibly so. He glanced at Blaine. "Well, I have the feeling that Blaine has made up his mind."
"Exactly. So we should all just go or we'll be late," Blaine said. Then he picked up the leopard and thrust it right into Kurt's arms, rather impulsively. "Here. He's yours if you want him."
Kurt cradled the beast as he examined it. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll find a place for him."
They made their way out of the boutique, pausing only so Blaine could introduce Kurt to Tina and the two customers who stared at him like he was another of the exotic pieces in Extravaganza. Blaine couldn't quite blame them. There was something about Kurt that was just as strange and fascinating as his merchandise. He loved every piece, selected carefully to fit what he thought Extravaganza was supposed to be about. His mother had been as painstakingly devoted to the store as he was. He was more than happy to carry on with her legacy.
The carrousel he had tried to sell to Kurt was glittering on a shelf near the counter, right next to the wildly unpopular elephant. There was a collection of intricately designed trunks stacked in the corner and a beautiful folding screen with a surrealistic jungle scene painted on the three panels. When Blaine got to the door, he turned back and found that Kurt had paused in the middle of the room to study its contents, a cool look of interest in his face, the leopard under his arm.
It seemed to Blaine that Kurt could have been just another one of his wondrous, unique pieces. He looked right at home amongst them.
When they made it outside, Blaine saw a shiny black limousine parked at the curb. Standing before it was the expressionless woman who usually opened the door for him when Blaine went to Kurt's apartment to help him with his study. Her face, though devoid of any emotion, was beautiful, and her dark, long hair was pulled back neatly into a ponytail. She was wearing a perfectly tailored suit that embraced her curves. There was something about her that told Blaine she could be as dangerous as people thought Kurt was.
Blaine smiled tentatively at her when she opened the back door for him to get in. She did not smile back.
"Santana," Kurt said as Joanna got into the car rather reluctantly. He put the leopard in her arms. "Please take care of this until we get home."
"Yes, Mr. Hummel," she said, and put it in the trunk before going around the car to the driver's side.
Kurt slid into the car next to them and soon Santana was sliding into traffic smoothly. Blaine glanced around the limousine, waving between approval and apprehension.
"This is very nice, but we could have walked. How is Santana going to find a place to park? It's going to be an inconvenience, more than anything…" He commented.
"Don't worry about it. I pay Santana to solve those kinds of problems," Kurt replied and Blaine felt Joanna moving anxiously next to him.
There was a small stretch of silence, filled with tension.
"I really, really feel like we should take a moment to talk things through," Joanna said then. She was holding her hands together on her lap, so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Before we go through with this insanity, we need to try to find an alternative solution…"
"While I appreciate your concern," Kurt said calmly. "I'm afraid it might be a little late for that. I've been getting phone calls non-stop since the news of the marriage broke yesterday. All of Cooper's major suppliers have assured me that they'll continue shipping as long as they know for certain that I'm the one in charge of the company."
Blaine turned to Joanna with a grin, satisfied that his brilliant plan was already working. "See? I told you it would work. The company will be safe and sound when Cooper returns." He paused, glancing out the window as they arrived at the courthouse. "Are those people waiting for us? They look like they are…"
Kurt turned to the window, following Blaine's gaze. "Yes. They're my family. My step-mother, Carole, and my step-brother, Finn Hudson."
Blaine pressed his fingertips to his lips as he regarded them. Carole Hudson-Hummel had a kind face, even though she was obviously frowning in concern. Blaine thought that it was possible that she and Joanna would get along just fine. Finn Hudson was a tall man, wearing a dark blue suit, but unlike his brother, he wasn't as pristine – the tie was a little crooked and the blazer unbuttoned. They looked nothing like Kurt. Even if Blaine hadn't known this was his father's second family, he would have assumed they weren't related by blood.
Santana parked the limousine in a space that shouldn't have fit such a huge vehicle, but it seemed like she really did have a talent for solving that kind of problem. Soon she was slipping out of the car and opening the back door. Kurt got out first and offered his hand to Joanna, who accepted it only because she didn't want to be rude. Blaine thought he saw a slight hesitation in Kurt's face before he offered his hand to Blaine too, and Blaine grabbed it, surprised by the unexpected callousness in his palm – he hadn't expected a business man such as Kurt to have the hands of someone who did manual labor.
He wondered how he hadn't noticed that before, when he met him at the engagement party. But maybe now that Blaine was about to marry him, he found himself noticing every single detail there was about Kurt Hummel.
Carole Hudson-Hummel was dressed in a lovely coral dress with a matching coat. It looked expensive, and Blaine was suddenly glad that he had put a little extra care into his own outfit that day. He had been about to attend his own wedding in jeans and a sweater, because after all, it felt like nothing extraordinary, just another errand in a busy day, but had changed them at the last minute and ended up wearing a navy suit with a plaid purple shirt and a matching bowtie. It still wasn't the kind of clothes a groom would have worn, but it was a lot more put-together than his original idea.
He realized he was suddenly nervous – he had been thinking about this as a business transaction, and hadn't exactly expected to be meeting his future husband's family in the process. He wondered what Kurt had told them about him.
His sudden agitation might have shown more than he thought, because Kurt was suddenly grabbing his arm as if he thought he was about to run away or faint, or possibly both. Both Carole's and Finn's eyes went down to the way Kurt's fingers closed around his arm, rather possessively, and Joanna pursed her lips, not bothering to hide how upsetting she found all of this. Blaine was a little glad to have that unexpected extra support, though. He wasn't sure how to deal with the nerves, and Kurt's grip grounded him a bit.
"I guess introductions are in order," Kurt murmured as he steered him towards his family. He stopped right in front of them. "Carole, Finn, this is Blaine Anderson and Joanna McKenna…"
Carole didn't even wait for introductions to be over. She shook Blaine's hand. "Trust Kurt to spring a surprise fiancé on us. We never have a single clue of what he's going to do next…"
Kurt shrugged like it wasn't important. "There simply wasn't time to make any announcements."
"Well, as the head of the family, I guess you have the right to choose your own groom without expecting anyone's approval," Finn commented with a goofy grin as he too shook Blaine's hand. "Hi, welcome to the family."
"Thank you," Blaine replied, a little dizzily.
"We should warn you that you won't be able to sneak off after the wedding," Carole added, looking at Kurt sternly, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. "We planned a little reception. You can't expect us to ignore your wedding altogether, even if you wanted something low-key."
Kurt was as impassive as ever. "I'm fine with it if Blaine's okay with it."
Blaine bit his lip, unsure. "Well, I guess it's fine. I hadn't planned on making a big deal out of this. It's just a small wedding, after all…"
Everyone, including Kurt, turned to look at him.
Carole's eyebrows were slightly raised. "Just a small wedding? Come on now, Blaine. Don't you think it's a bit more than that? You don't get married every day, after all… and you're marrying one of the wealthiest men in the state." She flashed a glance at Kurt that Blaine wasn't sure how to read. "Some might say this is more a business deal than a romantic relationship."
Blaine flushed and hoped no one could read what his slightly widening eyes seemed to be screaming out to everyone else.
Kurt's fingers tightened a bit on his arm and he tugged him forward. "We should go inside. It's time."
Blaine nodded, and said, under his breath. "God, yes, let's get this over with."
It wasn't exactly a dreamed wedding. At least, it had nothing to do with the wedding Blaine had planned in his head ever since he was a teenager – sure, at least his new husband was handsome, but there was no string quartet playing a song that meant something to both of them, no beautiful flowers in a big, fancy venue, no beautiful vows that expressed just how much it meant that this day was finally here. It was nothing but a formality, and for a fraction of a moment, Blaine was sad that this was the way it had to be.
But he knew he was doing this for Cooper, so when he said I do, that was exactly what he was thinking about: doing everything he could for his brother, so when he returned, he wouldn't have to worry about a single thing.
It was all over in a blur. Before Blaine knew it, they were walking back out of the courthouse, and they were husbands. The cold metal of the new ring on his finger felt odd, alien. He touched it briefly. He hadn't even thought about wearing a ring: Kurt had been the one to buy and bring the gold bands, simple yet elegant.
He was shocked to find that there was a large group of reporters outside, waiting for them. They had barely crossed the doors when a microphone was shoved in his face.
"Mr. Anderson, congratulations on the wedding. Does the marriage have anything to do with the fact that your brother has disappeared?"
Blaine instinctively reached for Kurt's arm, unsure of what to do. He had only dealt with reporters after Cooper's disappearance once, and then simply let Coop's assistant take care of it. It was too overwhelming for him.
"Mr. Hummel, how long have you known each other?"
"Is it true you're going to take immediate control of Anderson Unlimited?"
"Is it true you now own half the company?"
Kurt paused at this, looking straight at the woman who had asked that last question. "Yes."
"So you're a controlling partner in the firm? What does this mean for the company's future?"
Santana appeared out of thin air, making a path for them amongst the crowd and towards the limousine. She was skinny but determined – one glare from her was enough to know she wasn't someone to mess with.
"It means that Anderson Unlimited is safe and stable and we will continue Cooper Anderson's plans to bring his products and technology to the market," Kurt said.
Another reported pushed forward, her microphone almost hitting Blaine in the nose. "That's good news for the company's investors. There were rumors that they were pushing to sell…"
"Not anymore," Blaine retorted firmly.
"No," Kurt echoed. "Not anymore. Now, if you could all excuse us…" He pushed past the last line of reporters and arrived at the limousine. "If there are any further questions, make sure to contact Anderson Unlimited's public relations tomorrow."
Finn appeared right next to them, looking uncomfortable with all the attention from the press. "You two go ahead on the limousine. Mom and I will take Joanna in the car with us. See you at your apartment."
Kurt simply nodded to show his agreement. Santana opened the back door and Kurt gently pushed at the small of Blaine's back so he would get in. He was about to do just that when a shout made him turn around.
"Blaine! Blaine, what the hell is going on here?"
Blinking in surprise, Blaine looked around until he found Noah Puckerman standing there, pushing past the reporters. His nearly shaved head and leather jacket didn't really make him look like much of a business man, but he had been Cooper's right hand man for a few years now.
"Puck, hey," Blaine said softly. "I thought you were still in California. Have you met Kurt Hummel?"
Puckerman stopped right in front of them, breathing heavily as if he had just finished a marathon. He looked Kurt up and down, clear disapproval in his face. "No, but I know about him," he replied, before turning back to Blaine. "What's going on? What are you doing? I heard you were going to marry him, but it can't be true…"
"It is, and everything's going to be just fine, Puck," Blaine said with what he hoped was a calming smile. Santana was somehow managing to hold all the reporters away from them. It was impressive, really.
"What? Are you insane?" Puck's eyes widened. He glanced nervously at Kurt and quickly away from him. "You just gave him half of the company…"
Blaine lifted his hand as if trying to appease him. "Listen to me, everything is…"
"He married you to get his hands on the company…" Puckerman looked so desperate that Blaine felt a little bad for him.
Santana appeared right next to them and opened the back door. Kurt started to guide Blaine into the car.
But then Puckerman reached out and grabbed Blaine's wrist, stopping him. "Have you got any idea what you just did? This is crazy, Blaine. You have to undo this right now…"
Blaine glanced quickly at the reporters and made sure to keep his voice down as not to attract any more of their attention. "Relax, Puck. The company is perfectly safe. Kurt is my partner now. That's all."
"No," he insisted, incredulously. "It's never that simple, not with a guy like him…"
Kurt reached out, his eyebrows low over his suddenly dark eyes, and peeled Puck's fingers from Blaine's wrist. "Take your hands off my husband."
Puckerman jerked his hand off, as if Kurt had hurt him. But he didn't take his pleading eyes off Blaine. "Blaine, ask him what happened to a guy named Jacob Taylor. I mean it. You have to ask him."
Kurt was gentle but insistent as he pushed Blaine into the car. "We have to go, Blaine."
Santana stood right behind Kurt, not allowing Puckerman to take a single step closer to them. But he still managed to lean in as Kurt began to close the door.
"You have to listen to me, Blaine. Five years ago, this guy named Jacob Taylor was a partner in one of Hummel's businesses. He died just a couple of months after Hummel took over. There were rumors, Blaine. Do you understand what I'm saying? There were rumors that his death wasn't an accident…"
Santana closed the car door with a slam, before heading to the driver's side. Blaine turned to look at Puckerman as the limousine pulled away from the curb and swerved into traffic. He looked so desperate that Blaine felt tempted to ask Kurt to stop the car.
But Kurt was staring right ahead, and Blaine had a feeling he wouldn't be willing to stop, not with the serious expression that was currently on his face.
Blaine couldn't help thinking that, despite the fact that they had just been at a wedding – their own wedding – both them and their few guests, as well as Puck, all looked like they had just been at a funeral instead.
Can't wait to see what you think of this one!
See you next Wednesday.
Love,
L.-