AN- And so we've reached Ballads. I recently got a review claiming that I need to lay off Rachel. Here's the thing: I actually love Rachel. As annoying as she is, I can't help but adore her and feel terrible for her this past season. And what begins to happen in this chapter has always been my plan.

So Mr. Schue wants them to learn about ballads.

Ballad- a story set to music; sometimes a love song; never a male duck.

He decides to have them pick names out of a hat by random and whoever they pick, is the person they will be singing a ballad to.

Finn gets Kurt. Blaine glances over and Kurt looks like really, really happy. Blaine shifts in his chair- he doesn't know why but he doesn't really like that look.

Rachel picks Blaine. She beams at him as she brandishes the paper with his name on it. Kurt pats his shoulder, still with that look on his face.

"Good luck."

Blaine goes to make a joke but before he can, Rachel is walking over and grabbing his arm, tugging him off the chair.

"Don't worry, Mr. Schue," she announces and Blaine begs Kurt to help him with his eyes. Kurt hides a smile. "Blaine and I will demonstrate the perfect way to sing a ballad. Do you know the song, 'Endless Love'?"

Blaine blinks and realizes she was talking to him. "Er, yeah, I think so."

Rachel beams. "Wonderful. Oh, Brad?"

The song starts and Blaine and Rachel begin singing

Rachel has a really nice voice, Blaine thinks. It's a shame she's so annoying so he doesn't really pay attention.

As they sing, he keeps glancing at Kurt. Who's too busy focusing on Finn to really notice. And Blaine gets that feeling again: that feeling he doesn't like because well…Finn's straight. Really straight. And he's just worried about Kurt.

That's all.

Near the end of the song, he finally glances at Rachel. And realizes she's looking at him like…

Oh. Shit.

Like Kurt was looking at Finn.

This isn't good.

The next day, Blaine is sitting with Kurt and Mercedes. They're chatting about what song Kurt is planning on singing to Finn when Rachel walks up to them.

"Hello, Blaine."

"Er. Hi, Rachel."

"So, I was very impressed with your vocal skills on our song yesterday. I never imagined a football player would be able to sing as well as me. It's not every day I find someone who can keep up with me vocally."

"Thanks?"

Blaine looks at Kurt who is trying ohsohard not to laugh and Mercedes is snickering at his obvious discomfort.

"I saw this the other day. I assume that because you are a gifted singer, you've also picked up an instrument?"

"Nine," Kurt offers. Blaine glares at him.

"Wonderful!" and Rachel looks like she might maul him right then and there. Instead she holds out a guitar pick, bright pink with a gold star in the center.

"Whenever you use that, you can think of me and our ballad. The stars we will definitely become."

Blaine says nothing. Just takes the pick and stares at it. But this pleases Rachel and she twirls around and practically skips out the door.

"What the hell just happened?" Blaine asks.

"You have yourself a not-so-secret admirer," Kurt says, finally letting loose on his laughter.

Mercedes joins in and Blaine turns bright red.

"Oh…but I…I don't like her. At all."

"Maybe if you ignore it," Kurt offers, "She'll get the message and stay away?"

Ignore it. That sounds like a good plan.

Ignore it? That was a terrible plan.

So Blaine goes home and is ready to just go up to his room and let this day be over. He had to watch Kurt be all over Finn after his fight with Quinn and Blaine doesn't want to be the one to tell him Finn is straight and he avoided Kurt all day because of that.

And, then of course, there was Rachel practically stalking him all day.

Both his parents' cars are in the driveway. He's kind of ready to tutor Michael himself if it gets his parents off his younger brother's back and back to work.

As he walks in, his mother calls him to the kitchen. When he gets there, he immediately wants to turn back.

Rachel Berry is at the kitchen counter, chatting endlessly with his mother as they make salads. Both girls turn to him at the same time and beam.

(it's scary)

"Rachel. What, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Blaine, don't even try to hide it," And Vanessa is just so fricken happy. "Your girlfriend is wonderful."

Girlfriend? No. No. No.

"Girlfriend? Uh…what?"

William walks up behind him and clasps Blaine on the shoulder. "I have to admit, son, I wasn't a big fan of that Santana girl and I'm assuming you weren't either, considering you never brought her around. That's okay, boys like to play the field. But you finally settled down with a nice woman that has a good head on her shoulders."

"Your parents are wonderful, Blaine," Rachel says.

And they're all standing around smiling and Blaine doesn't feel well and he really wants to go lie down.

"Be right back," he mumbles. "Bathroom."

"Please answer," Blaine whispers. "Please, please, please."

"Hello, Kurt Hummel here."

"Kurt!" Blaine hisses. "I am having an issue over here!"

"Blaine? Is everything okay?"

"No! Rachel Berry is downstairs making small talk with my mother and impressing the shit out of my father!"

There's silence on the other end.

"Kurt?"

"Sorry! I'm on the other line with someone. Rachel is in your house?"

"Yes! She thinks we're dating. My parents think we're dating. They think she is my girlfriend and they love her!"

"Is that really a problem though?" Kurt asks. "I mean, Rachel is a girl. You like girls, don't you?"

Blaine blinks at the phone. Is Kurt seriously asking this? Like, really?

"Regardless. I don't like her, Kurt, what do I do!"

More silence.

"Goddamnit, Kurt, who are you talking to?"

"Blaine? Sorry, I'm talking to Finn. He's having issues with Quinn and-"

"And I'm having issues with Rachel. I know you're like in love with the guy but I need your help here Kurt."

There's silence again. And Blaine is ready to hang up because obviously Finn is more important-

"Good luck with your Rachel problem, Blaine."

Dial tone.

Oh. Great.

In the end, she stays for dinner.

She sits in his sister's chair and chatters non-stop about her musical aspirations, her plans to attend Julliard or star in a Broadway production right out of high school and her desire to have at least two vaguely Eurasian children before she's thirty.

"Sounds like quite an impressive goal," Vanessa compliments. "It's nice to see a girl so dedicated to her future."

"I'm sure your parents are very proud," William agrees.

"My dads are very proud of me and support everything I do."

Blaine freezes, fork half way to his mouth. Did she just….

"Dads?" Williams asks politely.

"Oh, yes, I have two gay dads."

"Oh, you were adopted?" Vanessa wonders.

"Oh, no, see I have a biological mother out there somewhere. My fathers just decided to mix their sperm together in a turkey baster so that they both had an equal chance of being my biological one. We don't know which one it was and we don't care."

William and Vanessa exchange looks while Blaine feels thoughtful. He honestly had no idea about Rachel having two dads. He kind of actually really admires her right now.

Weird.

After dinner, Blaine offers to drive Rachel home. She flips through the stations on his car radio (which were pre-selected, thank you very much) and stares out the window. She's surprisingly quiet until they reach her house.

"Thank for you driving me home, Blaine. I had a wonderful time."

Blaine smiles. "Yeah. Definitely."

She bites her lower lip. "Your parents…they don't support gay rights much, do they?"

He sighs. "I'm sorry, Rachel. They're…they're very conservative and I know how much it sucks."

"Well. I'm also very sorry. I can't be in a relationship with you, Blaine."

Wait, what?

"You're a very sweet boy. Charming even. But if your parents cannot accept the lifestyle and love of my fathers, then there's no way any family get-togethers could ever happen and there is no place for drama in my life plan. You understand, right?"

"O-of course,"

She leans over and kisses his cheek softly.

"Good night, Blaine."

"Night, Rachel."

He waits until she's inside before he drives away.

The next day at school, Blaine is kind of avoiding Kurt. He's a little annoyed that Finn's problems seemed to take precedence over his, especially with Blaine having been a much better friend to Kurt than Finn ever was.

Kurt finds him at his locker. His smile is sheepish and apologetic.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm sorry," Kurt says quietly. "I shouldn't have been so flippant on the phone. You needed my help and I messed up."

Blaine smiles back. "It's fine. I shouldn't have thrown the whole Finn thing back in your face."

"So, how did things with Rachel work out? Were you able to get rid of her?"

"Yeah, actually. She dumped me," Blaine says with a grin.

"What a relief, huh?" Kurt laughs.

"You know, she's actually not that bad. A little bit of a diva but…she has a nice heart."

Kurt shoots him a look and Blaine just shakes his head.

"I got to get to class. I'll see you later, in glee?"

Kurt beams. "Definitely."

Glee that day consists of singing to Finn and Quinn. Because she got kicked out of her house by her parents and everyone is super sad for her because that sucks.

And this is the club's way of saying "we got your back"

And Blaine is really into it because, hey, Finn is like one of his best friends and Quinn's okay, he guesses.

Then he sees Kurt send a flirty look Finn's way, complete with the 'call me' gesture.

And that's when it hits him: the song actually really sucks.

And Finn was never that good of a friend anyway.

Yeah.

AN- Oh, Blaine. Could someone be getting a little green-eyed? And, yes, this is hopefully the grounds for an awesome Blaine/Rachel friendship.