Chapter 1

*Seven Years Later, 2020*

Blaine groaned and rested his forehead on his arm, which was sitting on his kitchen table. This was ridiculous. It wasn't possible to get literally 0% on a multiple choice test without studying. Impossible. Sighing, he wrote the score, or lack thereof, on top of the paper along with a note asking his student to see him after class.

He glanced at the clock to see that is was almost 2am. Groaning, knowing he would have to teach a bunch of five year olds the alphabet, or how to spell their name, or how to count to one hundred in six hours, he put the stack of tests and lesson plans away. He was getting up to go to bed when he felt someone pull on his pant leg.

"Hey Rosie." He smiled, scooping his four year old daughter into his arms.

"Daddy, I had a bad dream." She whispered.

"Oh Rose, I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead. "Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

The little girl nodded and let herself drift off back to sleep in the safety of her daddy's arms. Blaine put his daughter in his bed and went into his bathroom to change for bed. Blaine looked at his already asleep daughter, and the two pictures of last year's kindergarten class and last year's history trip to Philadelphia and smiled to himself. As much as he internally complained about being a single dad and griped about his job, he loved it all with everything he had.

*Two months before*

"Rachel Berry, why on earth would you want to move back to Lima?" Kurt demanded. Finn was hiding in their living room, trying to stay away from the fighting duo in their shared apartment. "You've had so much success with your smaller scale Broadway plays, and I can feel that you're going to get the next Elphaba in Wicked, understudy at the very least; you nailed your audition."

"I know." Rachel said, tearing up, "that's what I can't let happen. I have to move back to Lima to be closer to my dads and closer to your parents, and you know Finn doesn't feel at home in a big city, and we've done eight years here."

"Why can't you let that happen, Rach?" Kurt said, "being on that Wicked stage, especially after Nationals our junior year, it's all you've ever wanted. How can you just give that up?"

"Kurt… I'm pregnant. Four months now. I can't do all of that, all the dancing and the hours and the everything; I just can't do it. I can't get it just to turn it down after two or so months."

Kurt was speechless.

"But don't think you need to come back with us, Kurt. You're so close to getting signed with that designing company, and they want to give you your own clothing line and everything; Kurt you need to stay." Rachel insisted.

"You know I can't stay in New York without you. It just wouldn't be the same. And I don't have the money." Kurt sighed. "And besides, I was already offered the job and they said that I don't even have to be living in New York. It's more of an online email thing than an in-office thing, if I want it to be at least."

Rachel gasped. "Don't you usually have to be really good and really experienced for that?"

Kurt shrugged. "I told them from the beginning that I might have to move back to Ohio." He admitted. "I'm pretty sure nothing is going to happen with my dad, but he's not getting any younger and I wanted to make sure they knew he was first for me. And they told me that it wouldn't be a problem."

"That's surreal, Kurt! I can't believe… Wow. Does this mean you're moving back to Lima with us?" she asked hopefully.

Kurt shrugged. "Well I can't stay here alone. Besides, I miss my dad. Especially now that he's done with his senate term in DC, he's back in Lima. Maybe I'll find an apartment there too."

"Cost of living's lower." Rachel mused. "And Finn and I have enough money stored up for while, plus my dads will insist I live close so they can fawn over their grandchild. Your and Finn's parents too, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kurt took a deep breath. "Wow. We're moving back to Lima. The one place we wanted to get away from."

"But maybe it'll be good for us, even if it's only for a year or two. It'll be good for our bodies to slow down, after eight years in fast-paced New York."

Finn peeked his head in the kitchen where the two were talking. "Are you two done fighting yet?" he asked.

"We are. And in a month or two, we're all moving back to Lima." Rachel grinned.

Kurt tried to make the smile reach his eyes. He really did.

*Two months later*

Kurt unpacked the last box and set the picture of him and Rachel at her first Broadway show on his bookshelf. "All done." He muttered to himself. He'd only been back in Lima for a week and he was already feeling trapped. "It's only temporary. Just until I get enough money to rent an apartment by myself in New York."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kurt called his dad. "Hey dad, need some help at the shop?"

Burt laughed. "You only want to help at the shop when you need something."

"Honestly? I have three sketches due Thursday and some of your clients ugly wardrobes inspire me." Kurt replied in a snarky voice.

Burt laughed. "Come on in. There are a few things you could help me with."

Kurt sighed. "Thanks so much, dad."

"I might not be in right when you get here though. I have to run to the store and pick something up for lunch. But I'll see you when I get in." Burt explained.

"Alright. Love you dad. I'll see you soon." Kurt hung up the phone and started getting all his stuff. He had a feeling today wasn't going to be completely terrible after all.

On Fridays the small private school Blaine taught at only went until noon, which meant that he didn't have any of his history classes, just kindergarten. This also meant that he and Rose got to spend the whole afternoon together. "Hey Rosie," he said to her, "we need to stop by the grocery store on the way home, okay? We're low on a few things."

"Okay daddy." She said cheerfully. "Can I get a snack though? I'm awfully hungry." She asked.

Blaine laughed. "Sure, honey. We'll buy you a snack." She clapped her hands gleefully before returning to her coloring.

All of a sudden, black smoke started coming out of the front of their car and the accelerator quit working. "Shit." Blaine muttered, just quiet enough so the four year old in the back seat didn't hear. Blaine pulled over and turned on the emergency flashers. He pulled out his cell phone to find it dead.

"Okay Rosie." He said, "We're only about a half mile from the grocery store, do you want to walk and see if we can use their phone? I have your stroller in the back."

"What's wrong with the car, daddy?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll call a mechanic and they'll figure it out for us." Blaine was so engrossed in getting his little girl out of her car seat and into her stroller that he didn't hear a car pull up behind them.

"Car troubles?" a man's voice asked.

Blaine didn't need to look twice to know that voice. "Mr. Hummel?" he asked, turning.

"Blaine!" Burt sounded very surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I live here now. I work at East Lima Academy. It's a private school." Blaine explained.

"Do you know what's wrong with your car?" Burt asked.

Blaine laughed ironically. "I don't know the first thing about cars these days. I'm pretty sure I couldn't even change a tire anymore. Kinda blocked it from my memory after my dad."

"I heard about that." Burt said. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but it was a long time ago." Blaine shrugged.

"Not long enough." Blaine couldn't stand the sympathetic look in the older man's eyes. It made him uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I take it back to my shop to look at it? No charge." Burt offered.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that. Sure, you can take it back, but I'll pay you." Blaine blushed.

"You're not asking, I'm offering. Finn, Rachel, and Kurt get their cars fixed for free, why not you too?" Burt shrugged, pulling out his phone and asking for one of his employees to bring a tow truck out to pick up Blaine's car.

"But I'm not your son." Blaine said, willing himself not to flinch every time he heard Kurt's name.

"I meant what I said when you were in high school. You're still as good as my son." Burt shrugged talked to someone at his shop, and ended the call. "So kid, I was on my way to the grocery store. If you don't mind making a stop, I can drive you back to the shop."

"Actually, that sounds great. I need to get Rose something for lunch anyway." Blaine said, motioning to the girl in the stroller.

He was surprised when Burt didn't ask any questions. "Help me get the car seat in my truck?" Blaine nodded and the two men loaded the pink princess themed car seat into the other car. Then Blaine climbed in the passenger seat with Burt in the driver's seat.

"I really appreciate this, Mr. Hummel. A lot." Blaine looked at his folded hands.

"She looks like you, your girl." Burt motioned to the back seat with his head.

Blaine laughed. "Yeah, I get that a lot. It's the black curly hair. Which is funny because Rose is actually adopted."

"Yeah?" Burt asked.

"Yup. I'm still gay, Mr. Hummel." Blaine joked.

"Enough with this 'Mr. Hummel' stuff." Burt said. "It took me a whole year to get you to call me Burt when you were a teenager; we're not repeating that again."

Blaine grinned. "Alright. I'll try to remember that, Burt."

The two boys and the little girl stopped at the grocery store and bought lunch before driving back to the shop. The walked in to see Blaine's car already in place to be looked at. "Thanks again. I appreciate it."

Burt grunted. "It's nothing, kid. Just want to help out."

Kurt heard his dad come in and walked out, sketch pad in hand. "Goodness, dad, did you eat out the whole store? What took you so lo—?" Kurt looked up from the paper in his hand.

"Blaine?"

Okay, wow. I just realized how short this is. Unfortunately, the first couple chapters are about this length but a little bit later they'll get a little longer and pretty much stay this way. I try to keep them 6-9 pages in a word file, which seriously shortens once on the internet. :P

Anyway. For all you tumblr people, I'm "ily morethanorequal 2 kurtnblaine" (but without the spaces because ff is being super ridiculous right now) and all you twitter people, my twitter name is kassidanae. Soooo hit me up, I'd love to hear from you! :) Also, thanks to my beta editor people Carrie and Itzel because you're seriously the best people to ever exist. :D