13 Days.
Blaine can't stop seeing the coffin being lowered into the ground. Even hours later, after his family is all sitting down to dinner at a small italian restaurant where Kurt has arranged a private room so they can enjoy their meal without being interrupted. He supposes it's normal. He has just said goodbye to the man he had intended to spend the next thirty years with.
Then again, with the way everyone had been hovering all day, maybe it wasn't. With the way his family had had to pull him away from the gravesite an hour after the burial, maybe he is more damaged than he should be.
"So how's Kurt?" Cooper asks him, wearing an unamused look.
"Don't," Blaine says, setting his fork down and running a hand over his tired face. It's been a long day. Between the funeral, the protest, the counter-protest and all the media circus that had become, he just wants to relax with his family.
"I know when Jo left, I was pretty lonely, but that doesn't mean—"
"Jo left you because you gambled away all of your savings from your commercial days," Blaine cuts off his brother before he can get started. "You can't even begin to compare the two, just drop it."
"No, we're going to talk about this. What on Earth are you thinking?" he asks.
"What am I thinking?" Blaine asks, throwing his hands in the air, frustrated. "I'm thinking that my husband just died and while I've been trying to quietly get through this and take care of Olivia, everyone else seems to want to talk to me and film me. I'm thinking that I can't go back to my apartment because it's surrounded by photographers, evangelists, and every news station in the fucking country—" Rachel puts a gentle hand on his arm and gestures to Olivia. She's currently cowering in the seat next to him and Blaine instantly feels guilty.
"Cooper, leave him alone," their mom says, leveling Cooper with a stare.
"I just need to be somewhere safe. Olivia needs to be somewhere safe, at least for a little bit," Blaine says, much more calmly this time. He pulls his daughter into his lap and rubs her back, trying to get her to stop trembling.
"There are other options," Cooper mutters to himself.
Blaine is itching to respond. He's itching to remind him that Rachel lives down the street from NBC Studios. That Wes has Ashley and hardly enough security to protect any of them from this mess. But he looks around and sees how awkward this is for everyone and he decides to keep his mouth shut. There are more appropriate times to have this conversation.
"So, when is Olivia going to go back to school?" Wes asks. Blaine can tell he's trying to change the topic. He sends his friend a grateful smile.
"Not until after New Year's. She's going to start therapy on Monday and between that and the doctors visits, we won't have a lot of time for school," he explains.
Blaine had spoken with one of Jake's friends, Susan, today. Jake had gone to NYU with her and the two remained close. She is a child psychologist and has offered to treat Olivia, free of charge. She'd hinted several times that she could help him find somebody as well, but he'd turned her down. He will get through this on his own. He just wants to make sure that Olivia has somebody to talk to.
"That'll be good," Charlotte, Wes' wife, says. "I'm glad you decided to send her to somebody."
Blaine nods as he spears some of his pasta onto a fork for Olivia to eat. She hasn't been eating much lately, and he knows he's to blame. He's been avoiding meals and mainlining coffee since the accident. When Olivia asked him why he wasn't eating, he told her that he missed papa and it was making his stomach hurt. Since then, he's had to practically force feed her every meal.
"What are you doing about work?" his mom asks, bringing him back into the conversation.
"Right now, I'm still using up sick days," he explains. "When those run out, there's a paid leave of absence I'll apply for that lasts twelve weeks. After that, I'm not really sure. I'd love to go back, but my principal told me that the school board doesn't want me to come back until the case is settled or the media hype goes down."
He thinks back to the conversation he'd had with his principal yesterday. He had been hoping to return to work soon, eager to get back into a routine. Looking forward to having papers, midterms and concerts to distract him from life. It had been frustrating to hear that he wouldn't be allowed back, but he could understand. The parents wouldn't like the school turning into a media circus anymore than Blaine would. His principal assured him that the students missed him and none of this was personal. Everyone was hoping he would be able to return soon and was keeping him in their thoughts.
He's in a lot of people's thoughts, lately. That's all anyone ever says to him. He doesn't know what good that's supposed to do. It's not going to bring Jake back. It's not going to get anyone to leave him alone.
"Well if they are forcing you into a leave, they'll have to pay you for as long as it lasts, otherwise they'd be setting themselves up for a lawsuit," Wes explains and Blaine realizes that he missed part of whatever the conversation was. But now everyone is looking to him to answer.
"I'm gonna have more than enough court dates to deal with, without adding more," he says, giving Wes a tired look. He's been approached by a fair share of lawyers, interested in helping him pursue a civil case. He isn't interested in dealing with any cases at the moment. He just wants to be left alone.
"I know that, I wasn't suggesting anything," Wes explains.
"That nice lady at the station told us that you could apply for victim's compensation," his mother says.
"Yeah, I know," he snaps. "Listen, I know you're all just trying to help, and Olivia and I appreciate it. But we just... I just can't right now."
"I could apply for you, make sure you get the money that you need to move into your own place. That way you wouldn't have to stay at Kurt's—"
"Cooper! Just drop it, okay? Please," Blaine says, rubbing at his temples, trying to stop the pounding in his head.
"If you came home with me, I could make you some tea to soothe that headache," Rachel says, rubbing his back.
"Drop it, Rachel," he says with a glare. He's sick of hearing her off-hand comments every few minutes. He knows that she's just trying to help, but smothering him isn't the answer. He just needs some space. "I'm not coming back with you."
"Where is Kurt anyway?" Cooper asks.
"He's working," he says, daring Cooper to comment. He'd give anything for an excuse to punch that knowing smirk off of his brother's face.
It's Rachel who tuts her teeth.
"That's not fair," he groans. "He asked me if I wanted him to come. I told him not to because I knew that none of you could be trusted to be civil."
"It's not about him, it's about you. Who cares if he feels uncomfortable, if you need him, he should be here!" Rachel says.
"I don't need him here!" Blaine snaps.
"Don't lie to yourself," Rachel says with a dirty look. "You need him. You've always needed him and he's nowhere to be found. I don't know why you think this time is going to be any different than before."
"Can we not make this about your issues tonight?" he asks.
Rachel rolls her eyes and Blaine bites his tongue. This time is going to be different from before. Because this time Kurt isn't his boyfriend. He isn't even the ex-boyfriend that Blaine calls when he's drunk and lonely. No, Kurt is a friend and Blaine is married—well, was married. Blaine isn't going to throw himself into Kurt. And if Kurt lets him down again... well then Blaine will deal with it just fine. Just like he's dealt with everything. Because he's fine. Perfectly, completely, 100% fine.
17 Days.
"No, listen, I don't care," Kurt yells into the phone. "She has to be at the workshop, or she doesn't have the part...No, I can't just do it without her. We're reworking a scene that's she's in...Having seen many other actresses for this part, I can assure you she's not the only one with that kind of range, so don't pull that card...No, it starts at 10, she's there or she's not...Perfect, we'll see you all then...Yeah, no, that's great! Send Sylvia my love!"
Blaine shuffles around the apartment, trying to keep Olivia quiet as Kurt works from the living room and Blaine tries to pack. They are headed back to Ohio for a preliminary hearing in a few hours. Blaine's not thrilled about having to go, but Jane has convinced him that it's important to be there. As one of the major witnesses and as Jake's husband, what he says will have a huge influence on the case.
Blaine would rather not have to speak at all. He'd rather he never had to go back to Ohio. And he sure as hell never wants to see that man again.
Martin Peterson. That's his name. It was released to the public the day after Blaine identified him at the police station. His picture runs everywhere. They haven't turned on the TVs for fear of seeing him in one of the reports. It's no use. His picture is plastered on newspapers at the corner stands. Just yesterday, he spent thirty minutes in the bathroom of a Baskin Robbins trying to calm Olivia down after she saw one of the pictures.
Blaine hopes prison has been treating him well and wiped that satisfied look off of his face. If not, Blaine's not sure he'll be able to stop himself from doing it for him.
"Daddy?" Olivia asks from the floor, where she's sprawled out, surrounded by markers and a My Little Ponies coloring book.
"Hmm?" he hums in response, only half listening. Should he bring a dress for Olivia as well? She's not scheduled to appear in court, but what if they change their mind? It's supposed to snow. Olivia will want to go sledding with Cooper, but he's left her snow pants at their apartment. There's no way he'll be able to get them before they have to leave. He's not allowed to leave the apartment anymore without security and nobody's scheduled to show up in enough time. Maybe his mom still has an old pair of his?
"What's Kurt's job?" she asks.
"He writes musicals."
"Mosicals are happy," she says, sounding confused.
"Yeah?" He stops and kneels down to her level so he can see her better.
"Kurt doesn't sounded happy," she says, peering around him where Kurt can be seen through the halfway opened door. Blaine chances a glance as well. Kurt is leaning against the counter, head down, hands rubbing at his temples like he has a headache.
"Kurt's... Kurt's just busy at the moment," Blaine says, not sure how to explain to a four year old that jobs are stressful and being an adult completely sucks.
"Is Kurt our new Papa?" she asks.
Blaine's caught off guard, unsure how he should respond.
"Where did you get that from?" he asks.
"The TV said," she says with an over-exaggerated shrug of her shoulders.
He's curious when she's had the chance to see anything. He's been keeping a pretty close eye on her. He figures it must have been when she was with Ashley at Wes' place. He can only imagine what she's seen or heard if it involved himself and Kurt. The media hasn't exactly been working hard at accurate reporting.
Blaine knows that conservative groups have been having a field day with the information that he's spending time with Kurt. They've been using it as ammunition to shut down the bill that's been introduced to congress trying to legalize gay marriage. He's being painted as the heartless, sex-crazed gay man who's off enjoying the perks of fame his sad husband's death has awarded him.
It's sick and makes Blaine angrier than he'll ever admit.
"Listen, Littlebit," he says, lying down next to her on the floor. He figures this is going to be a long conversation, so he might as well settle in. "You can't believe everything you hear on TV. You know that."
"Mommy Rachel say you two love each others," she says. Her eyes are glued to the picture she's coloring, and Blaine can tell that she's trying not to let him see how upset she is. It's something she's picked up from him, no doubt. Jake was always an open book.
"Rachel said that to you?" he asks, knowing the answer before she can say it.
"She tolded it to Mitchy."
"You shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations," he says with an annoyed sigh. This isn't the first time they've had to talk about this. She has a knack for hearing exactly what people don't want her to hear.
"People shouldn't talk so loud!" she says, completely exasperated.
"Okay," he says, because he has no idea what to say next. He can't punish her for listening in, not when he doesn't know the details, and especially not since the attack. But he also doesn't know how to elaborate on what she's heard. Maybe that makes him a bad parent...
"I don't wants you to be saded anymore," she says with a quiver to her voice.
"Well we're all sad," he says, because there's no use sugarcoating the truth when it's painfully obvious. "Everybody misses Papa a lot, but that's okay."
"I don't want you to be married with Kurt," she says, looking up at him with wet eyes. She bites her lip like she's embarrassed about what she's just said, which doesn't make sense to him. Of course she wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of him marrying somebody else. It hasn't even been a month yet. He hasn't even entertained the idea of getting married again, even as a distant future possibility.
"I'm not marrying Kurt," Blaine says, making sure that he doesn't leave any room for doubt with his tone. He wants to make sure he's absolutely clear for her.
"I know I'm a 'posed to letted you be happy like Uncle Cooper was happy when he founded a new Auntie. But I don't wanted a new Papa. I want my old Papa," she cries.
"Hey now, it's alright," he says, pulling the marker out of her hand and capping it before she can accidentally stain the carpet. He cups her cheek with his good hand and kisses her forehead lovingly. "Daddy loved your papa very much. More than anything in the world except for you, okay?"
She nods and wipes her hand on the edge of her sleeve.
"It's you and me now," he says, stroking her cheek. He's getting choked up and he's trying not to cry in front of her. She's seen him break down more than enough and he knows how terrifying that must be for her. He needs to be strong. "And I'm not going to do anything to mess that up."
"But old Auntie Jo tolded Emmy it was 'elfish to be mad at Uncle Cooper for finding her a new mommy," she whimpers, holding his hand to her face so he can't move it. Not that he would even try.
"You're not selfish," he assures her. "You're the best little girl there is. We're going to miss Papa for a long time, but I'm not trying to replace him. I promise. Kurt is just a friend of Daddy's that is helping us out."
He wonders if Cooper and Rachel have a point. If he's made a mistake staying here. Olivia is, and always will be, his first priority. He hates seeing how upset she is over this and can't help but wonder if he's to blame.
"Good," she says, crawling closer to him with a shaky smile.
"Good?" he asks, curiously.
"I wanted to be angrys at Kurt, but he boughted me a kitty headband and letted me draw with pretty markers," she says as if this should explain her entire internal dilemma. For a four year old, it kind of does.
"He bought you a headband?" he asks.
It's strange, because Kurt hates children. Not in the sense that he can't be around them, because, hello, he let a four year old girl suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder move in. But in the sense that he has no interest in catering to them. He used to complain about visiting his aunt because she had small children and Kurt hated the mess. He called his cousins obnoxious, uneducated brats. What made him go out of his way to buy something for Olivia?
"He tolded me it's secret."
"But you just told me," Blaine chuckles.
She gives him a strange look until what he says sinks in and she looks absolutely horrified.
"Oh no!" she slaps her hands to her cheeks, a perfect imitation of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. He laughs harder, a loud, full-bellied laugh. It's unfamiliar and makes his stomach hurt, but it feels good.
The door swings open all the way and Kurt steps in, looking at the two of them curiously. "What's going on?" he asks.
"Nothing!" Olivia yells, hitting Blaine's arm with her stuffed alligator and shaking her head frantically. He can only assume this is her subtle way of warning him not to say anything that might tip Kurt off. She's clearly destined to be an international spy.
"I didn't tells daddy the secret, nope!" she blurts out like a regular old Agent 99.
"Oh no?" Kurt asks, trying to hide his own laughter.
"No!" she says, trying to sit up but having difficulty with the cast. Blaine reaches over and helps her.
"Well she's definitely your kid," Kurt says, no longer able to hold back his chuckle.
"Hey!" Blaine says, throwing Gator at his head.
"Gator!" Liv yells, outraged. She holds out her hands to try and reach it, but fails miserably. Kurt bends down to pick it up and hands it back to her with a fond look on his face.
"What do you say?" Blaine says, more out of habit than anything.
"Thank you," she says, hugging Gator close to her chest.
"Are you all packed?" Kurt asks casually.
"If I say no, do I still have to go?" Blaine responds, only half joking.
"Come on, let's get your stuff together. The car is going to be here in an hour or so and you should probably eat before you get to the airport," Kurt says. He moves over to the suitcase that has clothes haphazardly thrown in. He begins pulling them out so they can be folded neatly. Blaine's surprised that Kurt doesn't comment on his inability to pack.
"I bet you'll be happy to have us away for a few days," he says, knowing how much work Kurt has been putting off in order to stay home with them most days.
"Why would you say that?" Kurt stops what he's doing to give him a confused look.
"I know you have to get those re-writes finished," Blaine says, lying back down to help Olivia finish her coloring. The gentleman in him feels compelled to help Kurt pack, but he knows how much Kurt needs to feel like he's doing something.
"Yeah," he answers, his voice sounding slightly off. Blaine's not sure why.
"Probably easier to do when you don't have Disney Channel movies playing on repeat."
"I've been using them as inspiration," Kurt says with a shrug.
"If you say so."
"Hey, I'm not gonna lie, I'm going to use this time to get a lot of work done, sure," Kurt says. "But I don't mind you being here. It's been nice. And I know how much you're dreading going to this thing so I wish you didn't have to."
"I had an option not to go," he says quietly.
"You didn't tell me that." Kurt stops what he's doing to turn and look at him.
"Yeah," he says, scratching the back of his neck, nervously. "They said I could submit a written statement if it was too much."
"But you said no," he says with a nod.
"I just... I want to do anything I can to make sure that he doesn't get out, even if it's only temporary. Does that make me a bad person?" Blaine asks. It's a question that's been sitting in the back of his mind ever since he's started getting shit in the media. He's seen the pictures of Martin Peterson's family. He knows that he's tearing a family apart, justified or not...
"That man deserves the chair! I mean the fact that his own wife would turn him in just goes to show how completely—" Kurt throws his hands up, angry and appears to be starting a rant that could last awhile, before he takes a look at Blaine and Olivia, both watching him closely. He takes a breath and calms himself down before speaking again. "No. No, that makes you human."
"Thanks," Blaine says, though he doesn't know exactly what he's thanking him for. For lying to him and telling him that he's not a horrible person. For helping him pack. For letting him stay here?
"You really need to stop saying that," Kurt says, giving him a look that says he won't accept anymore conversation on the matter.
Olivia tugs on Kurt's pant leg as he zips up her small backpack. He gives her an expectant look, waiting for her to say something.
"Can I take my kitty headband?" she asks him.
"Your secret one?" Kurt asks, with an amused smirk.
"It sparkles," she says with an adorable smile.
"Of course," he says and turns back to Blaine. "I'll finish up in here, why don't you go put together some snacks for the plane."
"I just... I know you're doing a lot more than you're letting me know about," Blaine says, ignoring his change of subject.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kurt says. His poker face has never been great either.
19 Days
Blaine sits in the courtroom with his mother squeezing his knee on one side. Jane is sitting calmly on his other side. His head is spinning from all of the legal jargon the past two days and he is struggling to understand every detail. He's said his piece for the court already. Jane has told him that he's free to leave at any point, and despite his mother's insistence that he go, he can't bring himself to leave without hearing the verdict. He doesn't know how they could possibly dismiss the case after all the evidence against Peterson, but he's still nervous. What if they don't believe him? What will happen then?
"It appears to me that the offense in the herein-named complaint mentioned, a violation of Section 2903 of the Penal Code, assault and homicide, has been committed and that there is sufficient cause to believe that the therein-named defendant, Mr.—"
"Your Honor, before holding my client to answer, there is a motion to dismiss on the insufficiency of usable evidence," Mr. Jetter, the high powered attorney Martin Peterson has hired, cuts in.
Blaine dislikes everything about this man. He is the epitome of a cutthroat lawyer. He has torn Blaine's testimony apart and tried to make Jake out to be a criminal. Blaine knows that he's the lawyer that worked the huge OSU murder trial five years ago. He'd managed to get Jared Gromer, the school's quarterback, off for murdering his girlfriend even though the police had evidence that put the gun in his hand. The thought of this man helping Peterson walk for killing Jake has set his stomach in knots.
"Would you like to interpose that for the record?" The judge asks. Blaine shoots Jane a questioning look. He doesn't know what this means, but he doesn't like the sound of any of it. Jane just pats his knee gently before holding a finger up to her mouth and signaling for him to listen.
"Yes," Mr. Jetter answers.
He turns back to stare at the judge, hoping he can sense his desperation. Hoping that he will take pity on him and lock Peterson up for this. He can't handle any other verdict.
"That will be denied," the judge says, sending Jetter a look that warns him not to fight the decision. "That the therein-named defendant, Mr. Peterson, is guilty thereof, I order he be held to answer. Date of arraignment in Superior Court will be the 12th of January, 2026, at 9 am. Bail in the matter will be set at $1,000,000. Mr. Peterson will be returned to the custody of the sheriff of Franklin County until he posts bail."
The preliminary trial concludes and people start to stand and leave. He can see a woman, barely a few years older than himself, sitting behind Peterson, crying. Peterson is turned to face her, saying something that Blaine can't hear, but the woman is simply holding her hand up to him, uninterested in whatever he's saying. Soon, two men in uniforms are dragging him back out of the courtroom through a door by the judge's stand.
Blaine's mother is trying to get him to stand and leave. Jane is congratulating him and giving him more details about what happens now, but he isn't paying attention to either of them. His eyes are glued to this woman. It's obvious to him that this is Peterson's wife. This is the woman that turned her own husband over to the police, and Blaine feels indebted to her. He knows that she willingly tore her family apart so that his could have some sort of justice. He can't imagine what courage a decision like that had to take.
She turns around and they lock eyes. Blaine tries to convey his immense gratitude in his look. It only makes her cry harder, but he can see her mouthing the words, "I'm sorry," to him. He knows he should go over to her. He should say something to her after she's given him so much, but he can't. He doesn't have any idea what he could say. Nothing seems like enough.
At some point, Detective Williams comes over to him. He assures Blaine that they will "get the bastard." Chief Harrison is there as well. Blaine doesn't think the Chief of Police usually comes to these things, but then again, this is a unique case. From what he's heard in pieces from MSNBC and write-ups in the New Yorker, this case is much bigger than a murder trial. It's much bigger than the Anderson family.
Blaine allows himself to be escorted out by the Detective. Flashes go off in his face, blinding him temporarily, as he leaves the building. None of this seems real. The entire thing feels like a dream. Something straight out of a John Grisham novel. Jake had always read those, forced Blaine to read them as well. Funny, he always pictured his love story to be more The Last Song than A Time to Kill.
Once Blaine and his mom are finally back in their car and driving home, Blaine pulls out his phone.
From Blaine:
Trial concluded. Bail set at $1,000,000. Arraignment starts on Jan 12th.
From Kurt:
Gotta celebrate the small victories.
Blaine knows that there are still months and months of meetings and trials to go before anything is decided, but he's trying to take relief in the moments he can.
32 Days.
Blaine is surprised to see Wes standing in the kitchen when he walks out of the bedroom. He's just finished putting Olivia to sleep and he's hoping she manages to sleep through the night tonight. He's been practicing relaxation techniques with her at bedtime. Her therapist has told him they might help her handle the anxiety and help her sleep better. So far they haven't worked.
Wes and Kurt are having a quiet discussion between themselves and Blaine can't quite make out what they are saying.
"Hey," Blaine says, walking across the living room to join them by the kitchen island.
"Oh, hey B," Wes says with a smile. "I was coming to kidnap you for a guys' night out. I figured you could use one."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, I've got Olivia," Blaine explains. He really could use a night out though. He misses the days when he had somebody to share the parenting responsibilities with.
"Go, I'll watch Olivia," Kurt says, opening up his laptop and getting back to work on his screenplay.
"You're working," Blaine protests.
"She sleeping," Kurt says giving him an amused look. "I think I can handle this one."
"I don't want her to wake up with a nightmare," he says, though he's seriously considering Kurt's offer. He hasn't been out since before the accident and he could use a beer or six...
"Trust me, we'll be fine," Kurt says. "If we have any problems, I'll call you. How about that?"
"Sounds good to me," Wes says, pulling Blaine's coat out of the hallway closet and handing it to him.
"But I—" Blaine tries to come up with an excuse not to go, but the two of them are throwing his things at him and practically pushing him out of the door.
"Can I at least change first?" Blaine asks, looking down at his old jeans and battered old Dalton sweatshirt. He only wears these on days when he's not planning on leaving the house.
"Yes, please, go change," Kurt says pushing him back towards his bedroom.
"You should go to Rose Bar," Blaine hears Kurt say to Wes as he closes the door behind himself and searches for an acceptable outfit to wear out.
Once Blaine has changed into a dressy pair of dark jeans and a clean cardigan, he checks himself in the mirror one last time before heading back out. He's surprised to see Wes lounging on the sofa with a bottle of beer. He gives him a questioning look, and Wes just gestures to where Kurt is pacing the floor, cellphone glued to his ear.
"Yes, Blaine Anderson and Wesley Montgomery," Kurt says. "Sadly I've got to work, gotta get the latest draft in to Universal, but you'll take good care of them? Sounds great... Definitely next time... You're the best, just charge everything to my tab. Have a good one."
"What was that about?" Blaine asks, already knowing the answer.
"Just wanted to make sure you two went somewhere you wouldn't be bothered," Kurt explains. "Grant over at Rose Bar promised he'd look out for you, now you won't have to worry about being photographed while you're out."
"And you're putting it all on your tab?" Blaine says, sending him a dirty look. "We talked about this, I can cover my share of—"
"Please, I don't pay for half of the alcohol I consume there," Kurt cuts him off with a wave of his hand. "He'll charge it to my account and forget about it in the morning. I got him season box seats at Gershwin."
"You realize I don't believe half of the excuses that come out of your mouth," Blaine says. He's too tired to argue over this with Kurt. He knows he'll have to find a way to pay him back for everything he's done, but for now, he'll just let it slide. He's got enough to worry about.
"Have a good night," Kurt says, waving them both out the door. "If you decide to go anywhere else, call John first."
John is the security guard that's been working for Blaine for the past month. Blaine hates having to be escorted anytime he wants to go somewhere, but he knows it's far better than the alternative, which is getting mobbed by crazy evangelists and reporters that don't understand boundaries.
Rose Bar is only about five minutes away and located in the Gramercy Park Hotel. Blaine feels underdressed and awkward the second he steps through the door. It's a fancy bar meant to host New York's elite. He can spot a few famous people lounging in the soft armchairs. It's not anything like the guys' night he's expected. There's not a single TV showing a game. The beers all appear to be imported and the tables are bottle service.
"Damn," Wes whispers under his breath. Blaine's right there with him. Even living with Kurt in that penthouse, the life Kurt's built for himself still surprises him . It's like something off the pages of Vanity Fair. Fancy and proper and way out of his league.
"You must be Mr. Anderson and Mr. Montgomery," a middle aged man, dressed in a black suit greets them with a big smile. "Mr. Hummel told me to expect you. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Grant, I run this place. Follow me, I've reserved a table for you."
The two of them follow John back through the room. Even though the room is filled with faces from television, movies, and sports teams, he's surprised by the amount of looks he still gets. He doesn't know what makes him more uncomfortable, thinking that they are staring because he's too low class for this place or knowing that they are staring because his story has become the most watched new story in the country.
"Shall I start you off with a bottle of wine, or would you prefer something stronger?" Grant asks, as they take their seats. There are no menus in sight and for that Blaine is thankful. He's positive he doesn't want to know what the drinks at a place like this cost.
"Um... tequilla?" Wes says, more of a question than anything. Blaine's glad to know that he's not the only one feeling out of place here.
"Of course," Grant says and turns to leave.
"And um—" Blaine calls after him, then blushes, realizing that it's probably not acceptable in a place like this. "Two beers?"
Grant's face relaxes into an easy smile.
"Don't worry kid, I still get overwhelmed by this place sometimes," he says. "Nobody's going to judge you. People come here to be ignored, not to be noticed."
Blaine tries to give him a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.
"What do you usually drink?" Grant asks.
"Miller Light?" Blaine says with a hopeful look.
"I've got a few in the back. I'll bring it out with the tequila."
"So, what does Kurt do again?" Wes asks once Grant has left the table to go get their drinks. "Because this is insane."
"He writes musicals," Blaine explains, poking at the candle that's sitting on their table. "He wrote Above All Else with his writing partner and adapted the screenplay by himself. And he also co-wrote Sapphire. That's the screenplay he's working on now."
"I didn't realize he wrote those, Charlotte loves Above All Else. She's seen it at least five times," Wes says. "Wow, he's good."
"Yeah, well." Blaine shrugs, not really sure what else to say.
Soon, Grant brings them back their beers along with two shot glasses and an expensive bottle of tequila. It takes a few shots before Blaine stops feeling so jittery, but soon they are both drunk and laughing. It feels good to be laughing again with his best friend, like old times. If he allows himself to go with it, he can almost believe that he'll go home to Jake tonight. That he'll climb into bed, drunk and fumbling and Jake will whine about early morning rounds before giving in and fooling around like teenagers.
The two of them spend hours sitting around sharing a bottle of tequila and more beers that he can remember. They talk about Dalton, the Warblers, college and eventually, once he's been liquored up enough not to care, Jake. It's the first time he's been able to talk about his husband and not cry. He doesn't know if that's just a sign of the amount of alcohol he's consumed or if it's a sign that he's finally starting to heal.
It's probably the alcohol.
"Blaine Anderson?" a man calls to him from behind. Blaine turns around, surprised to see Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka standing there, looking at him with welcoming smiles.
"Yes?"
"We wanted to come over and offer our condolences," David says.
"I know we've already arranged security for your family, but if there's anything else you need, just let us know," Neil says.
"Excuse me?" Wes asks, looking at them all confused. "You arranged security?"
"Um... yes?" Neil says, looking awkwardly between David and Blaine. "When we found out that Kurt was helping you, we asked him if there was anything we could do."
"You know Kurt," Blaine says, nodding his head as if he should have known better. Of course the supposed Victim's Fund that Kurt had claimed was funding the security guard, had been a lie. What else had Kurt been doing for him without his knowledge?
"Why don't you two have a seat," Wes waves his hand at the two empty seats on either side of them. "Let me buy you a drink."
The four of them get to know each other over another round of drinks. Blaine can see why Kurt likes them. They met when Neil opened as the lead in Above All Else and have been friends ever since. They are incredibly kind people, and much more down to Earth than Blaine would have expected.
It's the first time that Blaine asks questions and gets honest answers back. Kurt, in his need to protect him, has been sheltering him from so much. Detective Williams has been accused of assaulting Martin Peterson. The media is up in arms about the possibility that Martin Peterson might get a mistrial. Right wing conservatives are victimizing Peterson as a family man that was simply trying to protect his child and misjudged the situation. They are calling for leniency against the crazy left liberals who are looking to persecute an innocent man to further their cause.
The president has released a statement, stating that he's in support of the bill that looks to legalize gay marriage. He mentions Blaine and Jake as evidence that equality won't just happen without action. The government needs to take a stand, he's suggested that the FBI might be taking over the case against Martin Peterson.
Blaine's pissed that nobody has told him this. Not Kurt, not Wes, not even Jane at the station whose job it is to keep him informed. There's a chance the man that killed his husband might walk free and nobody saw if fit to tell him. He's sick of being treated like a child. He's not fragile. He's survived more than any of them have and he deserves to be kept informed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine asks Wes, feeling betrayed. There's so few people left that he can trust, if he can't rely on his oldest friends, who can he rely on?
"We didn't want to say anything until we knew what the outcome would be," Wes says. "We didn't want you worrying over this for nothing."
"It's unlikely he'll walk free," David explains, giving Blaine a sympathetic look. "This case has too much attention on it for the government to just ignore it. If they don't intervene it will send the message that they condone attacks on homosexuals and they really can't afford that."
"This wasn't an attack on homosexuals, this was an attack on my family," Blaine says, bitterly. "Everyone keeps making this political. It's like they don't see that we're real people in this. My daughter lost her father and all anybody sees is pawns in a political game. We're just pretty faces to sell stories and further agendas."
"I'm sorry, that's not what any of us meant," Neil says. "How is your daughter? It's Olivia right?"
"Yeah," Blaine says, drawing pictures into the condensation that's gathered on his glass, trying to calm himself down. "She's doing alright. She just started walking with a walker. Her therapist was a little worried because it was taking her longer than expected, but she can do it now, so that's a good sign."
"She broke her leg, right?" David asks.
"Compound fracture," Blaine explains, feeling his anger start to fade. "She had to have surgery."
"Ouch," Neil says, both David and Neil are wincing. "Our girl, Harper, broke her wrist when she was five doing gymnastics. She was a terror for weeks with that cast. I can't imagine..."
"She's doing fairly well, considering," Blaine says. "She hated not being able to walk, but now that she's got the walker figured out, she's better. It's her anxiety issues that have me worried."
"I just keep picturing myself in your shoes," Neil says. "I don't know what I would do if this had happened to my family."
"Let's hope you never have to find out," Blaine says with a tight smile.
"Well we should probably get going," David says. "We've got two teenagers home alone at home and that's always a scary thought."
"It was really nice of you to stop by," Wes says, shaking their hands.
"It was nice to meet you both," Blaine says, surprised as David pulls him into a hug.
"We just want you to know that you're not alone in this," Neil says, grabbing onto his hand once David has let him go. "The media is going to be the media, regardless. But this case is bigger than you. Everyone wants justice for Jake. I don't know if you realize how easily this could have been any of us."
"Thank you," Blaine says, realizing that as much as he might want everyone else to forget, he can't expect them to. This case is about Jake. It's always been about Jake to Blaine. To countless of other families out there that have been waiting for equality, this case is their chance to be heard. Their chance to push for change. And Jake would want that.
It doesn't make the media circus okay. It doesn't mean he's comfortable with the country knowing his name. But he understands now. This is beyond him.