A/N: Hello. It has been a long time. I know this chapter may seem shorter than the others, but I didn't intend for it to be anything other than filler, which is why it might seem choppy and like it cuts from here to there without any explanation. But don't be alarmed, the rest of the story won't be like this. To all my new readers, hello, and I hope you're enjoying my story. To my long time readers, I'm sorry for the wait, but a close family member passed away and its been messing with my head. I hope to get back to updating regularly, but you know what they say about best laid plans...Review if you wish. Enjoy. JusticeIsn'tEasy0083. D.
Chapter Eighteen: Six Month Anniversary
From their hotel window, they could see the ocean. It was nothing fancy, just a large area, of aqua coloured water, that stretched for miles and miles. Along the coast, there were people, lying in the sun, under umbrellas, sipping cocktails, and rinsing their souls in the water in front of them. They hadn't really planned where they would go, or stay and they couldn't exactly go somewhere they wouldn't be accepted, so that limited a lot of the places they went, but on the coast of Hawaii, there was nothing but sand, sun and people, laying on their towels, sunbathing... it was picture perfect. Blaine had organised the whole thing. They would spend two weeks on Waikiki resort, in a private island house, taken away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where they could be alone, without reporters, or prying eyes. Kurt was quite happy to stay at home with Holly and just have a night to themselves, but Blaine had made the argument about them not having alone time, and being engaged, and that even though he loves Holly, sometimes he just wants her father to himself. Kurt couldn't begrudge Blaine that, so they packed their bags, let Holly stay with Santana and Brittany, and jetted off to Hawaii. Now they're here, Kurt is beginning to remember what it was like before he had Holly, to just be able to think about himself and Blaine, and not have to worry about his daughter. He loves her, no doubt about it, but it's nice, as a parent, to just get away from it all for a while. Quinn is capable of holding down the fort for a week, and Santana is more than qualified to look after Holly.
They immediately starting unpacking their things, well Blaine does. Kurt is preoccupied, standing out on the balcony, looking out over the beach, and leaning against the railing. He's never had the chance to actually have someone all to himself this way, and he and Sebastian never went away from Westerville, they always had something that was happening. That and the fact that the blonde man didn't want his "boyfriend" out flirting with other people. It's controlling, but that's Sebastian... always has to be in control. Blaine is talking about what they're going to have for dinner, but Kurt is so swept up in admiring the beauty before him, that he doesn't hear Blaine ask him a question, until the man is standing beside him, smiling cheekily, as if he'd planned to have him this dumbstruck, so he can swoop in and be prince charming. Kurt kisses him once, and returns inside, pulling out the smaller bags he put in his large case, and arranging them on the bed, opening each one individually, and sorting them into order. Blaine just watched, amused at the smirk on his fiancées face. He knew what Kurt was doing... two can play hard to get, but that's not fun for either of them, because then they never get one another... so he's going to let Kurt lead this one... for now... He's never been good at letting people all the way in, he usually stops at some point, but when he looks up to see Blaine just watching him, sitting cross legged on their bed, he can't help but let the man all the way in. his heart, body and soul are so joined and committed to Blaine right now, that he feels like he could float away and nothing can stop him. Or maybe it's the jetlag telling him that he needs to throw up, which is why he rushes to the bathroom and throws up in the toilet, Blaine sprinting in after him to make sure he's okay.
FOUR WEEKS EARLIER
Kurt sat in the waiting room, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, his hands; the paper cup that holds the water Finn gives to him. Anything he can find to keep his mind on something other than the fact that their parents were in a car crash. He's probably shaking, but Finn is too preoccupied to notice and the others haven't arrived yet, Rachel's probably making food for all of them that will last them until their thirties. A phone rings through the hospital, and Finn reaches down and pulls out his cell, answering it quickly, standing to talk out in the hall. Kurt ends up putting his head in his hands, and running them through his hair, both terrified and nervous about the results. No one should have to sit here and wait whilst doctors come up with the best way to tell family members the bad news, and Kurt knows that it's bad, because it wouldn't normally take this long. Finn told him they're probably just settling them, but how long could it possibly take to settle two people into a room? It's ridiculous really... when Rachel and Quinn arrive with the gang in tow, Kurt doesn't look up to greet them, he doesn't move when Blaine sits next to him, wrapping his arm around him, and he doesn't stand when the doctor comes into the waiting room. He hates hospitals and the fact that he knows the press are outside annoys him even more. Finn walks into the waiting room and the doctor, introduces himself as Dr. Feinstein. Kurt tunes out after that.
PRESENT DAY
They decide to go for a walk along the beach, scope out the island, and see what there is to do. Kurt doesn't say much, he lets Blaine talk and talk about anything and everything, and then when he mentions wanting to talk about the wedding, Kurt stops. They haven't really set anything down, and he knows that Rachel and Quinn want to get their hands in on the planning, and when he mentions this to Blaine, the little light in his eyes go out a little, but he explains that they would be in control, and to consider the girls as their "wedding planners". Blaine didn't know if he liked the idea of handing their wedding over to Rachel and Quinn, even though he knows they'd do everything they wanted. It's just the fact, that... ever since he and Kurt have been engaged, he's wanted to just have something that is theirs, that they can do themselves, without everyone else barging in and giving their opinions. He knows that's a terrible thing to say and feel, but it's true and he can't stop himself from wanting this. Kurt senses his hesitation, and smiles, taking his hand to continue their walk along the beach. They walk in silence for a short while, and then Blaine stumbles upon a small path leading to what he assumes is the town. Kurt grins, following his child-like fiancée up the path, the green foliage around them covering the blueness of the sky, and the white clouds. They reach the main highway, and stop, seeing throws of people walking around, each heading to a different destination. Blaine takes his hand, and pulls him towards a small cafe on the corner, claiming that he's hungry, having not eaten since they got off the plane. Kurt just rolls his eyes, and follows.
FOUR WEEKS EARLIER
Finn listened intently to everything the doctor was saying, but Kurt had tuned all of it out, instead focussing on the sounds around him, the children laughing in the corner, people talking in the hall, the rain on the windows outside. He hadn't moved, and when Finn called his name, he didn't respond. He didn't want to ignore his brother; he was literally frozen to the spot. He could hear Finn tell him that his father wasn't going to survive or that Carole was on life support and they have to decide what to do next. He doesn't want to hear any of that news about their parents, so he stands up, and leaves the room, heading outside and leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths. Just five minutes alone... that's all he wants. To prepare himself for the bad news, but he doesn't get it. Blaine finds him, taking his hand and pulling him into a hug. He knew it... its bad news. He's not going to back in there, to see his father hooked up to machines, with needles in his arm. He won't do it, and he won't let Holly see her grandfather like that either. The teacher tries to get him to go inside, to listen to what Finn has to say, but he shakes his head, holding his resolve against the wall, knowing that Blaine knows if he wants this to fall in his direction, he's going to have to cause a fight, and that would attract attention.
'Kurt, please come inside and see your parents,' Blaine said
'The only reason they sent you out here, is because it's bad news. I'm not walking into that room and seeing my parents like that Blaine... no way. You can poke and prod at me all you like; I'm not going back in that hospital,'
'You don't know that it's bad news Kurt, because you won't come inside and find out. For all you know, they could be keeping your parents in overnight for observation and that they're fine. You mother broke her arm and your father has a couple of scratches but they're going to be okay, and they can leave tomorrow. But you just jump to the conclusion that they're lying there, with their heads bashed open, hooked up to machines, fighting to survive,'
'Which one is it? Good or bad?'
'Come inside and find out Kurt,' Blaine said, leaving his fiancée leaning against the wall
PRESENT DAY
It has started raining when they got back to the house. Kurt didn't mind it so much, he took his time climbing the sand hill to the house's front porch, but Blaine was running, trying to get out of the approaching storm. He's learnt that in life, you can't take things for granted, that you have to appreciate every day, that every person you meet, has a different story, is fighting different battles, and have different skills and opinions. He's learnt that the hard way, when he had to become the man that he is to be a father to his daughter, when he moved to Philadelphia to get away from his psycho ex, when he wholeheartedly opened his heart for Blaine Anderson, the charismatic teacher from Westerville, Ohio, whom fate would have it, was only two hours away from Lima. He stops, just before the steps to the house, and Blaine is waiting for him, under the cover, but Kurt doesn't move, he just smiles to himself, and turns around to head back down to the beach, pulling off his clothes until he's only in his boxers, before running and diving into the water, whilst Blaine just watches, astonished. Holly would love to see her father like this. she would giggle and laugh and probably go and join him, and it would be a picture perfect moment, well until Kurt does that annoyingly taunting slow walks out of the water and up the beach, gathering his clothes, and smirking when he meets Blaine on the porch, pushing him through the double doors, into the house, before stating that he's going to shower... Blaine takes that as an invitation, and follows Kurt into their ensuite bathroom.
Sometimes, having a designer for a fiancée has it's perks. Like right now, whilst others are probably trying to find a way to throw and outfit together, Kurt makes it look like it's nothing, dressing himself in a pair of jeans, with a tight fitting top, and fixing his hair, turning around to find Blaine staring at him like he's grown two heads or something. Really, it's a tactic to get Kurt to help him with his own outfit, because standing beside Kurt, he needs to look good. He's only a teacher, he has no style whatsoever. He didn't even have style in college, and Nick kept calling him a "disgrace to the gay fashion community". In a way, he's right, but that is why he lets Kurt help him. when they're both dressed and a new day has dawned upon them, they head down to the water, and spread out their picnic blanket, sitting down and watching the storm clouds roll in, the water shift as the wind becomes more intense, and the blue sky disappear behind the dark, gray clouds. It's their second day in Waikiki and they haven't really done anything, but that doesn't seem to bother Kurt, who is talking about what they're going to do when they get home. What they're going to tell Rachel and Quinn. Blaine had thought about it, and they decided to include the girls, to a certain point, but he wants to be the one who has the final say. Kurt couldn't have agreed more, thankful that he has someone on the same page as him. Imagine leaving Rachel Puckerman in charge of their wedding... everything would probably be fucking pink! Kurt laughs when Blaine tells him a story about another teacher from Haverbrooke, and the just sit, talking for hours...
FOUR WEEKS EARLIER
As stubborn as he is, he knows that sooner or later, someone is going to find him again, and drag him inside. He'd rather enter of his own accord, so that's what he does. Mercedes takes his arm, and pulls him down three corridors to room 224. She pushes him inside, and he find that his father and mother are, thankfully, the first of Blaine's two dramatic proposals. He doesn't go in very far, just listens to what his father is talking about with Finn, Carole talking with Holly, who smiles when she sees her dad, and Kurt can't help but let the tears well up in his eyes and he moves to hug Carole, and she holds onto him. Finn looks up at his brother, finally understanding why he was so reluctant to believe that this was going to be okay. It could have been so much worse. They could be watching their parents lying there, motionless whilst a machine beeps, keeping them alive. The doctor had been back in and told Burt that they wanted to keep him in for an extra week to make sure that his heart hasn't been affected by the accident, and he understands. Carole lets Holly colour in her cast, laughing as the five year old explains what she is drawing in detail, and leaves Kurt and Finn chuckling where they're standing. When Blaine re-enters the room, he's surprised to find his fiancée engrossed in conversation with Burt, having not seen him enter the hospital, or the room. Holly is sleeping beside Carole, Finn watching his niece, talking softly with his mother about her staying with him until Burt is fit to leave. It's early May, their six month anniversary is in four weeks, and Burt doesn't want his son worrying about him. He knows that Kurt will, but there isn't anything to worry about, he's fine!
When Blaine, Holly and Kurt get home that night, they don't say anything. Blaine heads upstairs to get Holly ready for bed, and Kurt goes into the kitchen to clean up a little. He's mad at himself for acting the way that he did, and he's mad at his parents for getting into an accident, and maybe he's a little mad at Blaine for being here, and he knows that's stupid, but his logic stopped making sense to him years ago. The teacher arrives in the kitchen ten minutes later, heading to the fridge to get something to eat, complaining about the hospital food tasting like cardboard, and that he'd rather eat the food Wes used to cook when they would meet up at their dorm kitchen at Dalton. Kurt let him rant on about whatever, he wasn't in the mood to talk about anything else at the moment, and Blaine was quite happy, picking at the food and Wes' cooking skills, to not see that Kurt was having an internal freak-out. Of course, that doesn't mean that his fiancée is oblivious to what he's feeling, and the accidental slamming of the dishes into the sink, along with the groan of frustration alerts Blaine to the reason he came down here.
'Talk to me, tell me what's going through your mind,' Blaine said, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist, kissing him once
'I'm mad at myself, at my parents, at the weather... at you, and I don't even know why I'm mad at you. Maybe it's because you're here, and you're the easiest target, or maybe it's because I'm stubborn and you're right, and I like having someone else here to tell me how it is, that I need to pull myself together, and I know that contradicts everything I just said but...mmph' Kurt was cut off by Blaine pressing their lips together
'I love you Kurt, always through everything,' Blaine said, still kissing him
'I love you too,' he replied, chuckling when Blaine winked and turned the kitchen light off, pulling Kurt up the stairs...
Present Day
Lopez-Pierce House
Philadelphia
Holly sat on the edge of the sandpit, talking to herself and watching Brianna playing in the sand. She wasn't in the mood to play, and Olivia was off running around with her father. She wants to go home, be with her daddies, but they've gone away for have some "grown up" time, and she understands... kind of. She still misses them, her daddy's goodnight kisses, and her papas breakfasts. Her aunt Santana can cook, but not as well as Aunt Rachel, or Aunty Quinn. She knows that her Uncle Finn can't cook "to save his life" as her father would say, but Uncle Puck makes really good bacon. She's not allowed to have bacon, but it must be pretty good, because that's all her parents eat sometimes. Brittany is helping Santana with a dance routine that they have to have perfected before their performance at the show next week. Rachel got them a gig dancing on Broadway, and if everything goes according to plan they'll be able to push their dance school into motion and open one here in Philly. Of course, Santana would do this anyway, but have the money would also be nice. Holly helps her Aunts with their routine, dancing and swaying to the music, whilst Brittany teaches her some easy moves she can show to her parents. At six, when her father calls, she sprints into the house, and bounces up and down on the balls of her feet, waiting for Santana to hand her the phone, heading into the lounge when she finally gets her hands on it. Santana just chuckles and moves back into the lounge where Brittany and Olivia are playing dolls.
Holly returns to the room twenty minutes later, handing the phone back to Santana, and going back to her bedroom. She misses her parents, and even though she wants them to have a good time, she also wants them to come home and take her to the park, and just spend time with her. Her grandparents are coming down today, to pick her up and then she's going to stay with them for a week, when Santana and Brittany go to New York. Rachel arrives at seven to get Olivia, and Finn and Quinn arrive at eight to pick up Holly and take her to the hotel where Burt and Carole are staying. When their house is finally silent, Brittany and Santana relax on the couch, watching re-runs of Friends and talking about where they're going to stay in New York. Like Kurt and Blaine, they have this relationship where they can talk about anything for hours on end, and it means simply, that they don't have that problem that most couples garner, when they're trying to keep secrets from one another. Santana hates having secrets, and whilst she knows a couple that she hasn't told Brittany, they don't directly affect her or her wife, so she doesn't really need to know them, besides, she swore to Rachel that she wouldn't tell anyone, and she doesn't even like to think what would happen if Rachel found out.
Waikiki Island
Hawaii
Blaine, over one of their dinners, suggests to Kurt designing a Hawaiian line. Kurt almost does a spit-take when Blaine tells him that he's serious. He can't believe that he's hearing this, coming from his fiancée, who is more against wearing that shit, than anyone else he knows... Finn would probably love it, and Puckerman would too, in some weird way, but none of those clothes would look good on Blaine. He has to be honest; Blaine is more of a casual person, with certain tailored suits that Kurt makes, that would fit him better. It's their last day in Hawaii, and today is their six month anniversary. Blaine has decided that going to the theatre they have in town, and seeing a movie, then coming home and spending the night doing whatever is the perfect way, to spend their anniversary, but Kurt explains that they do that when they're home. They should be doing something different. Flying home early crossed Blaine's mind, and he wanted to mention it to Kurt, but he's not sure if the man would agree to that, after all, they came to Hawaii to be together, and going home early is going to throw them back into the hustle and bustle that is their friends and family.
'I don't know, maybe it's a good idea. We can surprise Holly, and I really want to be back in our bed, in our house, away from all this rain,' Kurt said, as the thunder rumbled outside
'Okay, let's pack up and we'll get a plane out. I'm sorry this is how it turned out,' Blaine said, and Kurt shook his head
'It's nice to get away Blaine, and I don't care where or how we spend our anniversary, as long as it's with you,'
'Thank you for being cheesy,' Blaine replied, laughing when Kurt whacked his arm
They got home late, as their plane was delayed, and Blaine was frustrated that things hadn't turned out the way he had planned them. They got a taxi from the airport to the house, as neither of them had driven to the airport, Finn had dropped them off. Blaine was the first one out of the cab, moving around to grab all their bags from the boot, whilst Kurt slowly climbed out after him, staring up at their dark house. At least it's not raining, as it was in Hawaii. Santana will kill them for coming back early, but they can let Holly have one more night there, after all, tomorrow is another day, and they spent their anniversary with one another, so it doesn't matter whether or not it was here, in Philadelphia, or on a deserted island in Hawaii. The press would be all over them tomorrow anyway, Kurt has a new artist who just signed to the company, and every time he gets a new artist or starts a new line, he's bothered by the paparazzi for a couple of weeks, until the news story dies down, or the music becomes a sensation, and then they go follow the singer around. Finn usually handles all of the record contracts, but Kurt owns the company, therefore it's on his head if an artist fails to meet the set standards expected by people he hires, and he's not one to hire lightly. It took him three years to establish Finn as the head of the record branch, and his brother knew the reason why, not that he would bother to dispute Kurt, he deserves the best from the company that he and Santana built.
Blaine dumped their bags upstairs in their bedroom, and went to check on Wes and David, who had been house-sitting since they had left two weeks ago. Kurt almost screamed when he went into the lounge and bumped into David, who he couldn't see because it was dark. Wes flicked the lights on, and stood up, as surprised as his boyfriend that Kurt and Blaine had come home earlier than they expected them too. Blaine hearing the commotion came running into the lounge with a baseball bat he'd put in the closet for "when the needed it", only to blush bright red with embarrassment when he saw Wes, David and Kurt looking at him like he'd almost lost his head. The four of them sat down in the lounge and Blaine pulled out his phone and camera to show them pictures that he had managed to get when it wasn't raining, Kurt was going through emails for work tomorrow, and when he came across one from a name he hadn't heard in a while. He excused himself, taking his laptop into the study and opened the email from Gabrielle Hunter, a model who used to work for him years ago when he and Quinn needed someone to launch the line. She'd been fired after excessive stealing and drinking, and Kurt hadn't heard from her since then, so getting an email from her can't mean anything good. The minute he read the subject line, he called Quinn. It was late, and he knew that his sister-in-law wasn't getting much sleep with the baby, but he had to tell her. She answered on the third ring, and Kurt told her what the email said... Blaine found him twenty minutes later, still staring at the screen; Wes and David were standing behind him.
'What's wrong?' Blaine asked, sensing that all was not right
'One of my old models, a close friend who drifted away from me... she passed away. Her mother found her passed out in the back yard. They tried to revive her, but they couldn't,' Kurt said solemnly and Blaine didn't know what to say to that
'Does Quinn know?' David asked, having spent some time with the woman
'Yes, I called her. This is terrible. I thought Gabby was doing alright... I didn't expect this,' Kurt said, standing to move out of the room, laptop sitting on the desk, brightly illuminating the still dark room
Blaine managed to convince Kurt to come to bed, that he could begin dealing with everything in the morning, and the designer conceded, following his fiancée upstairs, and curling up to him under the warmth of the covers. Tomorrow, he would have to call everyone and let them know what had happened. Mercedes and Quinn had been the closest to Gabby, but she was like a sister to Kurt in the early days. He's sorry that they lost touch, but she was never someone that Kurt hated for it. He would think of all that tomorrow, as he closed his eyes, he thought about his daughter, and Blaine.
A/N: This chapter carried on from the TBC of the last chapter, where we found out what happened to Burt and Carole, just as a refresher, you might want to read the previous chapter, if you have been waiting for this for a while. I'm sorry about that again. Next Chapter: Someone Kurt used to know passes away, and new revelations come to light. Blaine has been wanting to tell his parents about him and Kurt, but doesn't know how to, so the Warblers take a trip back to Westerville, followed by some New Directions. Thanks for reading. Stay Tuned. JusticeIsn'tEasy0083. D.