Summary: The second half of the concert is all Blaine…if he can get through intermission.

Warning: I want to give a reminder the name of Sugar's mother (Cory) is in honor of my cousin who was killed in an act of domestic violence. See Chapter 10 end notes for further explanations.

Reminder: The OC Jackie (Beat's Mom) is a record executive.

Blaine found himself in a familiar position, staring in a mirror, but this time he was vastly more pleased with what he saw looking back at him. His decision to go with white tie and tails had been the correct one and Sierra's miracle to have nine similar ready for the night as well…bonus.

The Senior Warblers would definitely be the best dressed at Prom

Sugar was a godsend, taming down his curls without making him look like McKinley Blaine. They even joked how her super power should be curl taming instead of money. However, she had really come back because she was the only one who could give him an update on the audience. He was pretty sure the crowd in general was enjoying the show, but many members of his family were there (some unexpectedly) and having them in the same room at the same time was never a good thing.

On his mother's side, his Grandpa Joseph called the night before, berating his mother for Blaine's bad manners in not inviting him. Considering no one knew the man was in NYC (or even on the continent!) it wasn't like it was an oversite. Plus, it wasn't a secret Joseph and Bibbi HATED each other and if forced (or not) to choose, Blaine would choose his godmother every time.

Bibbi had begged his grandmother (her best friend) not to marry Joseph because she was sure all he wanted was the Vanderbilt name and money, not her. In the end she was right (of course, she's Anna Fucking Wintour) but it wasn't apparent to everyone else until his grandmother died in the car accident and his grandfather took off to philander around Europe. Bibbi did win in the end because she had secretly been able to convince his grandmother to leave all her properties and most of the money to his mom and Aunt Cory while setting up trusts for Cooper and any other future grandkids (Blaine and Sugar).

That probably meant Joseph was here more because he was broke and less to support his grandson. Sugar assured him everyone was on their best behavior (at least they had been) and that Cousin Anderson was almost as good as their Aunt Gloria in keeping it that way.

The only real problem was with Sue stalking Anderson but he had to trust Holly was on it.

On his dad's side Blaine had expected his grandparents but not his Uncle Henry and Aunt June. While the potential for fireworks on his mother's side always simmered underneath, what was going on with his father's side could go absolutely nuclear. His father told him and Cooper the night before that he planned to leave Ford…the family business, of which he was CFO, to start up his own (yet to be named) business. He promised not to say anything tonight but Uncle Henry had that big brother way of pick…pick…picking at him. Like Cooper times 10, and he and Cooper were barely speaking again.

His predictable overthinking only ended when there was a knock and the person entered without confirmation. He assumed it was Santana because after it happening twice, it had become a game to her to catch him naked. It wasn't, but it was ok since this person had permission to see him in all stages of both dress and undress.

"Oh good, you're ready."

Blaine was hit with the same feeling he had when he saw Sebastian for the first time in the Warbler Commons, although this time he didn't have to fight it. Maybe that would stop him from saying something stupid like Are You A Freshman when he gained the ability to speak again.

"…thankfully the guys were comfortable with Santana and Brittany helping Sis get them into their tuxedos. Evidently the idea of neither girl being interested in any of their bits and pieces eliminated all embarrassment but that didn't stop Trent's face from being as red as a…hmmmp"

He had grasped their hands so neither instinctively grabbed either the other's tuxedo or hair, then Blaine pulled until Sebastian bent at the waist and he could reach his lips. The kiss was soft (to prevent puffy lips before going on stage) but intense at the same time, at least until… "Why do you taste like cookies?"

Sebastian smiled, taking his hand back and using his thumb to wipe his lip "Um, we're about to perform so Trent's mom made them. You know, our good luck cookies. The best cookies in the entire world. The cookies…"

Blaine kissed him again, this time to shut him up. Sebastian really did love those damn cookies. And as much as he wanted to ask how Mrs. Nixon was able to bake those damn cookies while staying at the Plaza with the other families, he guessed it had something to do with why Rosa wasn't with Izzy yesterday evening and Sebastian's mother dumped the baby off at Baby Dior.

He also guessed it was why neither of Sebastian's parents were at the concert. But, for some reason, his boyfriend didn't seem stressed about it. In fact, he was a little too calm. Oh, no! "Please tell me you didn't scarf those damn cookies down with a gallon of chocolate milk. That much milk…your voice…"

"Oh my god, you know me so well. Don't worry, Wes somehow found out about the milk and cookie tradition and had Mrs. Nixon switch it out for tea and a little honey. All of us are ready to go except…" Sebastian regretted the last word the moment it left his lips.

"Except?" Blaine questioned as he began to leave for where the Warblers were getting prepared.

"Killer, stop. Everything is fine. Doug just decided he didn't want to sing with the Senior Warblers."

"But…" Blaine stopped and sighed. He had known the boy was uncomfortable when they all insisted he join the group. Technically, three days earlier the Dalton Freshman became a Senior when MIT offered him admittance in the fall.

While Trent was waiting for Nari Montgomery to finish her interview at the university, he struck up a conversation with a man waiting in the office and showed him some of the apps and other means of communication Doug developed for the Warblers. The man turned out to be a professor whose department had been working for years on something Doug made work. The next day Doug and the Nixons were in Boston. MIT wanted him to start right away but he wanted to go back to Dalton and compete with the Warblers at Nationals.

"I just want him to know how proud I am of him. I can never repay Doug for being brave enough to tell me about his brother being the Fight Club leak. If he didn't, I wouldn't have found out he and his friends were the ones who attacked Tommy and me. And I know he feels he could have stopped me before hurting my hands…"

Sebastian really wanted to put his arms around Blaine but the idea of Brittany headed toward him with a steam iron because he wrinkled his tux was enough to hold him back. "Hey, he knows how proud you are…hell, we all are. And I know you think you owe him but B, none of this would be happening for him if you wouldn't have gotten him away from his abusive parents and in with the Nixons."

He reached back for Blaine's wrist to bring out the cuff he wore when he performed. The one stained with the blood from the night he hurt his hands. "The only thing you need to focus on is going out on that stage and knocking everyone dead, Killer."

Blaine laughed at his choice of words "Knock everyone dead? A boxing reference…really, Bas?"

"I originally gave this to you for when you fought. It seemed appropriate." Sebastian kissed him then brought up the topic he had come in for in the first place. "I wanted to let you know, the guys and I saw Luka and Stjepan's dad in the audience."

"He is the Ambassador to the UN from Serbia and lives in NYC. And Luka said both he and his brother plan to apply to Julliard."

"Yeah, but he has also been one of the parents causing the most headaches for Wes' dad over the Dalton Scandal. Between that and Hummel's dad being here…you're still not going to tell me what that's about, are you?"

"You'll know soon enough. Now, you are sure you're alright with the changes to Sebastian's Heart?"

"It's a totally different piece, Killer…but yes, I am fine with keeping Sebastian's Heart for my ears only." It wasn't that Blaine had basically turned his sweet Valentine's gift into a rock opera, it was that he knew it had to be part of the plan he wasn't sharing since Sam wasn't involved. "What's the title for the new one?"

"BAS1"

The look on Sebastian's face was priceless "Bas…as in the name you call…"

"As in Blaine Anderson Sonata number one."

Before he could explain further there was a knock at the door and Sebastian was once again rendered speechless "Ready, Squirt?"

"Cooper?" Sebastian knew the brothers were speaking again, but not to this point.

Blaine kissed him before giving him a wink and joining his brother. "If you call me that…" was all Sebastian heard as the two left but he was encouraged to hear the banter between them. Before leaving to join the guys, he pulled out his phone to check for any messages from his dad. Of course, there was nothing. He could only hope that it was due to the concert and not that he was being shut out yet again.

He put his phone back in his pocket before heading back to the Warblers' staging area. The halls were crowded and he wanted to make sure he was back in time to give Sierra his phone, but he was distracted by something Blaine had said.

BAS

Yes, it meant Blaine Anderson Sonata but when Sebastian first heard it, he thought Blaine meant Blaine Anderson-Smythe. It wasn't like he planned on asking Blaine to marry him, they were still in high school. However, he could see it happening in the future...the WAY DISTANT FUTURE after Blaine conquered the world with his music and he…well, he figured out whatever the hell it was he wanted to do with his life.

Sebastian's thoughts (and forward progress) were stopped by something unexpected. Santana was having a rather intense conversation with Burt Hummel but not one where her feisty attitude was coming through. She looked almost sad. Suddenly, Sebastian was hit with the same sense of nausea he had been experiencing on-and-off all week but this time it came with a visual.

Rachel, Mercedes, Santana and Burt standing together at Dalton…all smiling, roses falling from the sky

"Seb"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Brittany touched his arm and said his name but it looked as if he covered it. "Is my sister being a pain in the ass, Britt?"

"No, she's really nice and I think Tana's going to take the job with her."

He had been half joking but from the tone of her voice he could tell something was wrong. "Britt, what's going on?"

"I know like Blaine's whole family is supposed to have this big get together tonight after the concert, but can you make sure he talks to me before he leaves? I promise I won't keep him more than five minutes."

She hadn't taken her eyes off Santana once while she made the request, so yeah, something was definitely wrong. "I'll make sure he sees you and San…"

"No, just me."

At that moment Burt pulled Santana into a hug she readily accepted.

"Ok, just you."

While Sebastian finished with Brittany and finally got back with the guys, Blaine and Cooper were going over what was going to happen one last time.

"Mom and Sugar are fine. You should be recognizing Aunt Cory."

"I know. It's just…"

Cooper put his hand on his little brother's shoulder to hopefully settle his nerves. He knew it wasn't about the performance but Cooper's unpredictability when before a crowd. "Hey, I'm not going to screw this up. I fucked up not supporting you when Mom and Dad wanted your brain scanned because of your sudden surge of genius. I mean you've always been this musical genius, you just finally embraced it at the same time they found the guys from your attack. The timing sucked."

Blaine couldn't deny that. "I've missed you, Coop."

"Missed you too, Little Brother. Speaking of little brothers, you want to explain to me how the hell you talked Sammy Boy into sitting this one out. You two have spent the whole week showing how you have this unspoken language, especially when it comes to his playing guitar."

"Because tonight the song has a higher purpose and he knows it. Plus, once the studio is up and running, it will be the first track we record."

"The studio. I still can't believe you have a recording contract."

"I don't. I signed a writing and producing development deal with Jackie's label, which allowed me to form my independent label under the bigger umbrella company and I signed Sam. No recording contracts until after Nationals so we remain amateurs."

"But Jackie's building you a studio."

"Yeah, I wasn't signing for free even if she's one of my best friend's mom. But I had to buy the building and am paying for the renovations to the other lofts."

"Lofts?"

"It's not like I bought a Manhattan skyscraper. I bought a 12-story loft space in Bushwick."

"Why does that sound familiar?"

Blaine didn't get a chance to answer as Mr. Barnes called all performers to the stage. In the first half of the show the largest accompaniment had been 40 students (both singers and musicians) but in this half Blaine would have up to 120 on stage with him at one time. It was going to take a few minutes to set up.

At the same time the house lights flickered, signaling the audience back to their seats as well as Sebastian and the other guys to the wings. They wouldn't be backing Blaine until the second number but he told them they didn't want to miss any of the first. Sebastian could see why. He had been to several of the rehearsals, but seeing the full orchestra, band and back up choir on stage in their formal wear made this seem so much bigger for Blaine.

Either Blaine or Julliard must have gotten another surprise guest, or guests, to play with him since the seats on either side of him were empty. Since Sebastian was sorely lacking in his famous Julliard alumni knowledge, he decided to be surprised with everyone else.

"Welcome back for the second part of our evening" Mr. Barnes said, allowing the audience to finish settling. "When arranging our set list, it was clear our final three numbers would all be Blaine's due to the size of accompaniment required. It also worked as Blaine explained how each of these three performances signified a particular time in his life. So, instead of Blaine, or even myself, introducing each piece, Blaine has asked people important to that time to do it instead."

"Our first introduction will be given by his brother, Cooper Anderson."

Blaine found his family sitting front and center in the audience. His father and Cousin Cooper were with his mom and Holly and Uncle Robert were holding on to Sugar. Even though Aunt Cory's death had been years earlier, it was still a raw subject for the family. And while he felt a little guilty about not feeling guilty on giving his Grandpa Joseph a heads up, he did wonder what Brody would think since Aunt Cory was more of a mother to Tommy than his own mother had been.

Cooper turned and gave him a wink before taking the microphone. He might have decided to end his pursuit of an acting career but that didn't mean he didn't have the charm to hold the audience.

"Our Aunt Cory was an incredibly talented woman. She could play just about any instrument and was always trying to teach me but I never could learn. I didn't have the patience for it. Then, when I was 10, my parents told me I was going to be a big brother. I wasn't necessarily happy about it but the first time I held the little Squirt…oops, sorry."

"No, you're not."

"You're right, I'm not. The first time I held Blaine, and he held my finger, all I could think was Aunt Cory's going to be really happy. This kid has long, piano playing fingers. Three years later during a visit, Aunt Cory played the violin to put our baby cousin, Sugar, to sleep. Like I predicted, Blaine had already begun piano (air quotes) lessons…I mean, come on, he was three, but he saw the violin and was immediately hooked. He insisted on trying to play in that annoying 3 year-old way…"

"I was not annoying"

"Yes, you were" came back from not only his parents but Uncle Robert. They were loud enough to earn a chuckle from the rest of the audience.

"Anyway" Cooper said after stifling his own desire to laugh "Aunt Cory happened to have a child size violin and by the end of the weekend the little sh...stinker could play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the thing. We all knew at that moment we would someday wind up in a place like this. We just all wish Aunt Cory was here to enjoy this with us.

Blaine raised his bow, which was a signal for his two special guests to come to the stage and take their seats beside him. "Accompanied by his Dalton Academy school mates, Luca and Stjepan, better known to their friends as The Cello Brothers, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce my baby brother and most talented person I know, Julliard Future Blaine Anderson with Blaine Anderson Sonata Number One."

The Senior Warblers (including Sebastian) were dumbfounded watching the brothers walk past them, wearing their Dalton uniforms. David could tell immediately one of their group wasn't surprised. "Wes, you knew about this?"

"Yes"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Like you said anything about the DFC Memorial Scholarship Fund?"

He had a point. "Touché. I guess Blaine had a lot more going on this week than we realized but made sure to only ask for help specifically where it did the most good."

"Sounds right. Let's just see if the brothers public support of Dalton has the desired effect on the Ambassador."

The piece began with Blaine, Luca and Stjepan with a minor piano accompaniment. When a drum beat dropped the rest of the orchestra checked in. It was a sweeping modern classic piece and from what Sebastian could see the audience was enjoying it but he waited, anticipating the tempo change. About half-way through the building crescendo ended and Blaine and the brothers went into an epic rock battle, similar to what the brothers did for Smooth Criminal only magnified by 100.

By the end the audience was on its feet, amazed by what they heard...including the Ambassador. All the performers on stage stood and bowed, then sat for Blaine to receive his individual accolades. After thanking the brothers, he took his final bow then walked to the piano as that was where he would perform the second song from. The applause followed him but abruptly ended when the next person came on stage to introduce him.

"Good evening, my name is Burt Hummel."

TBC

Note:

The song I based BAS1 on is November Rain by Guns N Roses

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