Week 5.

Blaine sits in front of the coffee table with a 1,000 piece puzzle of Paris in front of him. The TV is on in the background, turned to MSNBC. With everyone out of the house, he feels safe enough to watch the news, to look for information about the case. Kurt's told him to leave it be, but he hasn't heard anything in seven days. Not since the FBI took over and the case got moved to a federal court. He's going crazy.

There's a lot that he's missed out on in the weeks that he's been avoiding any and all news sources. North Korea has fired on a small island of South Korea's. There was a school shooting at a university in Connecticut. The protests against the Spanish government have finally ended after the president of the Spanish Senate stepped down. Then there are, of course, the more personal stories. The ones that hit too close to home for Blaine.

The state of Ohio has introduced a bill that would include attacks against sexual orientation as a hate crime—Jake's Law, they are calling it. It's meeting a lot of resistance at the moment from right wing groups. However, experts believe that the bill will eventually pass. After the president admitted, in not so many words, that he didn't think the state of Ohio was doing enough for American Civil Rights, he FBI took over Jake Anderson's case. The Senate will be pressured to vote in favor of the bill. The real question comes if the Assembly will allow the bill to pass.

Then there's another bill that they are talking about this morning. One that Blaine is all too familiar with. The one that has turned his life into a media circus. The one that has evangelists coming up to him on the street to try and change him. The one that caused the largest protest and counter-protest in Westboro Baptist Church's history to occur at Jake's funeral. It's the bill to legalize same-sex marriage at the federal level. It's the main story today, no matter what channel he turns to. Today, just an hour or so ago, the bill was approved and has been sent to the House of Representatives for a vote.

Blaine should probably be happier about this. He's been waiting for marriage to be legal in all fifty states since he came out eighteen years ago. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like something to celebrate. It feels like another thing that has been taken away from him. They might be legalizing gay marriage, but he's never going to be able to take advantage of it. Not after he's lost his husband.

Blaine continues to work on the puzzle with the news playing in the background. It's a familiar and welcome sound. He used to watch CNN every morning with Jake. They used to share the Times over breakfast. Jake was obsessed with world politics and if Blaine had any hope of keeping up with conversations, he had to be equally informed. It's strange, knowing that he hasn't watched the news in weeks. That he had no idea there was protesting against the Spanish government, let alone that it had ended.

It gives him something to do, something to focus his attention on. It's the first day back to school for the kids of New York City. Any other year, Blaine would be at school, yelling at kids to stop showing off their latest Christmas presents and get to class. He'd be buried under papers that should have been graded before the break. Papers that Jake would have dragged him away from so that the two of them could enjoy a winter stroll in Central Park. But this year is different. This year, Blaine isn't even allowed to go back to work. Not until the case is over. Not since he's been banned from the classroom thanks the the school boards concern over how his "fame" will affect the students. No, he won't be returning back to work until his life becomes less chaotic.

It sucks. He hadn't had time to realize how much it sucked before. Between doctors visits, Olivia's therapy and the preliminary hearing, Blaine's been keeping busy. But now Olivia is back in preschool and there isn't set to be another hearing for months. He's driving himself crazy, stuck here alone. He just wants to get back to living his life so that he can at least have a distraction from his ever darkening thoughts. There's numerous times he thinks about working out to relieve his stress, but those thoughts never last long. With a cast still on his wrist, he can't lift weights or attend his old boxing class. He can't even go running without a bodyguard, and bringing John along with him isn't something he feels like doing.

"Hey," Kurt says, walking through the front door and dropping his keys and laptop on the kitchen counter.

"Hey," Blaine says, surprised to see Kurt home this early. He wasn't supposed to be back from his meetings until well after Olivia got home from school. Blaine checks to clock to make sure that he hasn't lost track of time and forgotten to pick her up from school, but the clock says it's only ten thirty. He's still got another four hours before it's time to go get her.

"What are you watching?" Kurt asks, stepping into the living room and giving the TV a wary look.

"They're talking about the gay marriage bill," Blaine says, focusing his attention back on the puzzle. He doesn't want to see the judgmental look Kurt will give him for turning on the news. Kurt's been so adamant about keeping him away from anything that might potentially upset him, and the TV has been one of those things.

"Is that a puzzle?" Kurt asks, amused. Blaine's surprised that he hasn't gotten a lecture, but maybe it's still to come.

"I got it out of your office, I hope that's okay?" Blaine says, suddenly realizing that he never asked Kurt if it was alright for him to go into his office. He hopes Kurt doesn't get upset with him for snooping.

"I bought that thing years ago, I liked the picture and wanted to hang it but I never had the time or patience to put it together," Kurt says.

"Well I've got plenty of time, now," Blaine says bitterly.

"Does it help?" Kurt asks.

Blaine gives him a confused look, he's not entirely sure what he means.

"The puzzle?" Blaine asks and Kurt nods his head. "Yeah, I guess it does. It's probably stupid."

"If it helps, it's not stupid," Kurt says, settling himself into one of the chairs.

"I just…I know if I keep working on it, eventually it will be solved," he says, trying to put into words why he's been overcome with this intense need to put together this old black and white, incredibly difficult puzzle. "I guess it's a problem that has a solution."

Kurt doesn't respond for a few minutes, but Blaine can feel him watching closely. It unnerves Blaine and he's about to tell him so, when Kurt slips quietly from his chair to the ground next to Blaine. Silently, he begins to help putting the puzzle together. It reminds Blaine of high school. Back when they were younger and would hang out every day after school in the Hummel-Hudson living room, doing homework together. It's nice being in Kurt's company again. Comforting.

That is, until Blaine remembers how those study sessions often ended in make-outs and suddenly, he's on his feet and pacing the floor.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asks, looking at him with those beautifully concerned eyes.

Well that's a loaded question if Blaine's ever heard one. Is he alright? Of course he's not alright. His husband is gone and he's more lonely than he's ever been and he was just... what was he just doing? Was Blaine taking comfort from Kurt? Of course not. Well, he was, but not like that. No. They are friends and will only ever be friends.

Maybe the media is right. They've been calling him promiscuous. Stating that he couldn't have cared about Jake that much if he is spending so much time with "Broadway's Favorite Playwright." They've even gone as far as saying that Blaine must have wanted this to happen... even though he knows deep down he didn't, he's starting to wonder if they're right. Jake deserved so much more than someone who would run back to his old boyfriend.

7 Weeks.

Blaine can't stop staring at his cast-less wrist as he sits down to lunch with Rachel. He's just come from his final doctor's visit, where his wrist had been declared officially healed and his clunky cast was removed. He feels like a free man. He can finally start boxing again, albeit only lightly at first. The last physical reminder of the attack is gone, now all that's left are his nightmares and occasional flashbacks to contend with. Olivia's still got another few months in her cast, though. The thought sobers him up a bit. He shouldn't be so happy to get rid of his cast when Olivia's still having to use a walker to get around.

"I was surprised that you called," Rachel says after they've both put in their orders with the waitress. "You haven't returned my calls in three weeks."

"I know, I'm sorry," Blaine says, his cheeks becoming red with shame. He hasn't exactly been a stellar friend during this entire process.

"Are we going to talk about it or just pretend it didn't happen?" Rachel says, giving him an understanding look. Silently telling him that it's alright. That all can be forgiven. That they only have to talk about it if Blaine wants to talk about it.

"Can I get back to you on that?" Blaine asks. He doesn't know what exactly made him stop returning Rachel's messages or what made him pick up the phone yesterday and invite her to lunch. He hasn't understood of lot of things in awhile.

"Of course," Rachel says with a small smile. "So how's life in the penthouse?"

"Rachel," he says, shooting her a warning look. He should have realized that getting a free pass for not calling her meant she expected him to talk about Kurt.

"What? I'm just curious," she says, shrugging, like she doesn't see what's wrong with her question. Like she thinks Blaine can't read through her by now and see her real motives. As much as Rachel has changed, she's still the same nosey meddler she's always been.

"I'm serious," he says, trying to end the discussion.

"Okay, fine," Rachel says, crossing her arms and pouting like a spoiled child. "Kurt's off limits, I won't bring him up."

"Thank you," he says, knowing that the truce can only be temporary.

"It's just that, we've done this before and it's never turned out good," she says, pointing at him over-dramatically. It reminds Blaine too much of Cooper, and he has to try hard not to laugh. It's always been hard to take Rachel seriously when she gets like this. "You tell me that he's changed and it's going to be different this time. That you'll just be friends. But next thing I know, Santana's calling me and informing me that she's caught you two practically having sex on a couch in Vegas at Mike's bachelor party."

"She told you about that?" he asks, outraged. Santana had promised him that she would never tell anyone. She hadn't even seemed to care that much when she walked in on the two of them. Why would she tell Rachel of all people?

"You were married, Blaine. Honestly, what were you thinking?" she asks, looking scandalized.

"I'm going to kill her," he mumbles to himself.

"I don't understand why you put yourself in these situations. You've never been able to control yourself around Kurt and in the end it's always you that ends up hurt," she says, condescendingly. "Did you even tell Jake about it?"

It's grating on his nerves. It's been years since that night. He's put it behind him. Hell, he's even confessed to Jake and they've gotten passed it as a couple. Together. But leave it to Rachel Berry to bring it up again and make him feel completely guilty for no reason.

"Okay, first of all, Jake knew about that and it's none of your business what did or didn't happen between Kurt and me. Second of all, that was years ago, and I haven't talked to Kurt since then. We've had a lot of time apart. I'm not going to jump into his bed just because it's there. My husband died and I've got a child to think about. Do you honestly think that little of me?"

"No, of course not," she says.

"I'm not going back to Kurt," he says, crossing his arms defensively. "He's helping me. You know, something friends are supposed to do for each other."

Blaine knows that she means well. He just wishes she would be a little bit more understanding. If he's making a mistake, then it's a mistake that he needs to make on his own. He's not going to change his mind just because she's asked him to.

"I just know the effect Kurt has on you," she continues on, completely ignoring his dig at what a horrible friend she is being. "I know what it's like to be dumped by the person you love and how tempting it can be to go back to them, but it's not a good idea."

"Don't make this about you and Finn," Blaine says with a roll of his eyes. He can't sit through another Finn/Mitch debate, not today. He can't listen to her argue over the stresses of having two options while Jake's dead. "And don't make this about you and Kurt either, for that matter."

"I just want you to seriously think about what you're doing," Rachel says. "Because I've been there each and every time Kurt hasn't changed and he's broken your heart, and I don't want to see it happen again. Not when you're already in such a fragile emotional state."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Blaine asks, his voice loud enough to turn several heads in their direction. He lowers his head quickly before anybody looks at them for too long and recognizes him.

"You're lonely without Jake and you're using Kurt to substitute that loss," Rachel explains carefully, as if he's some child that's discovering Santa Claus isn't real. "It's understandable, normal even to want to replace what you've lost—"

"Replace what I've..." He wants to argue with her. He has a million things that he wants to say, but they are all fighting for release from him and he can't get anything out fast enough. He's completely flabbergasted. He knows that Rachel can be... well Rachel at times, but she's his best friend for a reason. She's always been understanding and helpful before. He doesn't understand why she's pushing this so hard now. Can't she see how close he is to breaking. How he's barely holding it together. Is she trying to break him?

"Okay, you know what, no," he says, words finally coming to him. "You don't get to tell me what I'm doing. I'm not you. Jake died. I wish you would stop trying to act like you understand what that means. I wish you would just stop seeing things through your eyes for once and try to see them through mine. I don't want to get back with Kurt. We dated a long time ago and it was great, but then it wasn't. He's insanely career driven and would sell my darkest secrets if it would make a good musical. Hell, he already has."

Blaine tries not to think too hard about what he's saying. Tries not to dig the pain of the past up when he's got more than enough of it right here at the top. He can feel his voice starting to give way. It's starting to crack, but he's fighting to keep it together long enough to get through this, because this is something that she desperately needs to hear and he needs to say.

"You don't need to rehash everything from our past for me to see that Kurt and I will never work. Alright? I'm not daydreaming about a knight in shining armor that will come and take away all the pain. I'm being realistic. I can't be a romantic anymore, I can't afford it. Not when I've got reporters hounding me for interviews, courts summoning me to testify and relive the shittiest day of my life, a daughter who's struggling to get through physical therapy and quite possibly won't ever walk right again... God, I'm dealing with more than I can handle and it's more than any of you can handle. You can't call US Weekly and get them to stop running a five page spread detailing the entire police report. You can't get me a bodyguard so that I can take Olivia out without worrying that she's going to get hurt. You can't do anything but sit here and make me feel like shit over something that happened years ago. Well thanks, but I feel like shit enough without you and Cooper adding onto that pain. So can you just be the friend I need rather than the friend you think you should be?"

He's proud of himself for getting it all out in the open, even if the gentleman in him is cringing at the harsh words.

"I'm just trying to help," Rachel says, tears falling from her eyes.

He knows that he's hurt her with his words, but he won't take them back. He knows she deserved at least half of what he's said. And this way, at least he knows she's finally heard him.

"I know you are," he says with a deep sigh. "But you can't. Nobody can. This isn't something that can be fixed with a band-aid and a song. I'm not saying staying with Kurt is the perfect solution. But it works for now. I just... I don't need you to help. I just need you to be there. Please, you're my best friend. I can't do this without you."

And there it is, the last of his resolve crumbles and he begins to cry. At first the tears fall silently from his eyes, but soon he's ducking his head to try and hide the hysterical tears. Trying to stifle the ugly, gut-wrenching moan of pure agony that's settled in his throat.

"You don't have to, I've always been here," she says. There's not a hint of the overly dramatic voice that she uses when she's too busy worrying over saying the right thing. Instead, her voice is soft and caring, the tone that tells Blaine she's being completely sincere. She's acting on instinct instead of rehearsed lines of comfort. This is the woman he trusted enough to carry his child. This is the Rachel that's always been able to help him. This is his best friend.

"I just..." He has to pause as another strangled cry makes its way to the surface. "I need you. I need to be able to talk to you without feeling like you're going to tell me everything I've done wrong."

"Blaine," Rachel says, pulling her chair over so that she can pull him into her arms. "Is this why you didn't call me? Because you were afraid I would judge you?"

"No, maybe? I don't know," he says, still not sure what took him so long to pick up the phone. "Everything's just... It's too much sometimes and I don't know what to say to make people happy."

"Why on Earth are you worried about making people happy? That's our job," she says, rubbing at the back of his neck where his hair meets sensitive skin. It's such a mothering thing to do and it starts to put him at ease.

"I don't want to inconvenience people," Blaine cries into her shoulder. "I don't know how to do this."

"Of course you don't," she says. "You're not supposed to."

"I'm just ready for this to start getting better," he says. "Everyone keeps saying it will happen but I don't feel it. What if it never gets better? What if it's like this for the rest of my life."

"You'll figure it out," she whispers into his ear. "You always do. You're strong. You're a fighter."

"If you start singing, I'll leave," Blaine says with a slight smile as he pulls away from her to clean up his face. His tears have started to subside and he feels more than a little silly for breaking down in the middle of a restaurant.

"You realize a perfectly good opportunity to sing Mariah is going to waste," she says with a look that tells him that was exactly what she had planned on doing.

"The horror," he says, discretely looking around to see if anyone has been watching the entire exchange. He hopes not. The last thing he needs is a picture of him sobbing to hit the internet.

"One verse," she tries to bargain with him. If it were anyone other than Rachel Berry, he would say they were just trying to tease him to make him feel better. But he's absolutely positive that she really is willing to get up and sing with him in this crowded restaurant.

"No," he says, still traumatized from the last time she sang to him at Rockefeller Center last Christmas when they all went ice skating.

"It's only a verse."

"One verse always turns into a chorus, and it's just one step away from the whole thing. No," he says, a smile starting to form on his lips.

"Remember when you used to be fun?" She says, leaning back in her chair to pout at her lost opportunity to show off her talent.

"Remember when you convinced me to duet with you at Macy's and I got a shoe thrown at me. A shoe?" He says, unable to control his laughter at the memory.

"Fine," Rachel grumbles. "But you are coming over after we finish lunch and you're watching Beaches with me."

14 Weeks

The entire week leading up to Valentine's Day is a rough one for Blaine. There are Valentine's Day decorations everywhere. The mail is filled with jewelry catalogs advertising pieces for that "someone special." Olivia's class is having a Valentine's Day party and she insists that he take her shopping for a themed outfit—let it never be said that she's not Rachel's daughter. And there are Valentine's Day cards to put together for all twenty-six students in her class. On a scale of one to ten—one being Valentine's Day his senior year, when Kurt flew back from New York to surprise him and ten being the Gap Attack—this is a twenty.

Luckily, Olivia has gotten her fill of Valentine's Day at school on Friday, and now that it's Saturday, and actually Valentine' Day, she's ready to boycott it with him by taking a trip to the Children's Museum. However, Blaine didn't realize how difficult it would be for Olivia to manage the museum with a walker. She's gotten much better at moving around on her own and the museum is completely handicap accessible, but a lot of the exhibits aren't made for a girl in a walker. She can't jump, she can't climb and while her crawling skills are superb, they aren't fast enough to satisfy the fast-paced kids of New York City.

Needless to say, by the time lunch rolls around, he's dealing with one grumpy toddler. One who is certainly not in the mood to have her photograph taken and be pointed at. And she's certainly not in the mood to talk to strangers; she barely wants to talk to her father. But that's exactly what happens when they sit down to eat their lunch.

"Tell them to go away," she grumbles into her chicken fingers.

"It's not that easy, Littlebit," Blaine explains, doing his best to keep his head down so that less people notice them. It's a lost cause. Between Olivia's walker and the mess of curls he's let his hair become they are rather hard to miss.

"Then putted them in a time-out," she says. "That's what Ms. Michelle does when Tommy talk about Papa."

This causes Blaine to pause, because the school hasn't mentioned any problems that she's having at school. He wonders how many of the kids are aware of what happened to Olivia's dad and what they are saying to her. He assumed if there was a problem, Olivia would have told him, but perhaps not.

"Are you Blaine Anderson?" a young man, probably still in college, comes up to their table.

Blaine just looks at him, unable to respond. He's still far too polite to tell him to fuck off like he'd like to. But he can't muster up a friendly smile either. Olivia looks ready to murder him. She's got her hands in tiny fists, crushing a poor french fry and getting ketchup down her entire sleeve.

"I just wanted to say thank you," the man says with a smile, completely oblivious to how unwelcome his presence is.

""Thank you?" Blaine repeats, in disbelief, aware of several sets of eyes watching the entire exchange. He is sure they are waiting for him to snap so that they can film it and sell the footage.

"Yeah," he says with far too much energy for such a tragic Valentine's Day. "Because of you, my boyfriend and I might finally be able to be married in our hometown. We're both from Alabama."

"Well that's great," he says, his tone completely bitter. By the smile on the man's face, he hasn't caught the sarcasm behind Blaine's words.

"Have a good Valentine's Day," the man says with a final wave and walks back over to his group of friends. Blaine snorts in disbelief.

"He should goed in time out," Olivia says, throwing her crushed french fry at the spot the man had been standing in. Blaine picks it up and shoots her a warning look, she knows better than to throw food.

"Sorry," she mumbles, insincerely. "His shirt was ugly, too."

"You've been spending too much time with Kurt," Blaine says, finally cracking a small smile.

She puts her head in her hands, getting mashed bits of potato in her hair and ketchup down her cheek. She's tired and grumpy, and he knows he should get her back to the apartment so that she can nap. The trip is a complete bust and did nothing to get his mind off of Valentine's Day and how much he misses Jake.

Blaine finishes off his salad quickly while Olivia attempts to sleep in her lunch. He wants to call Kurt and tell him all about what's happened. He knows his friend will have his own colorful commentary to add that will make Blaine feel better. Only, Kurt's in the recording studio all day long and has his phone on silent. He knows that Kurt checks his phone often enough that he could get a hold of him if he wanted to, but he doesn't.

Kurt's finally getting some work done on his newest musical and he doesn't want to distract him. He knows his constant presence has affected his friend's career. He knows Kurt had to give up some of his bonus because he finished the screenplay adaption of Sapphire two weeks late. He also knows, though Kurt refuses to admit it, that he forfeited his rights to future residuals off of the movie adaptations of Above All Else and Sapphire in exchange for NBCUniversal to not show footage from the upcoming trial or report on the case. Neil and David admitted as much the night they met over drinks. It took a lot more to get the company to agree to it, to the tune of at least four other celebrities stepping forward and forfeiting residual rights to cover the lost profits the company would encounter.

It's too much for people to be sacrificing just for his sake. Especially when the biggest media conglomerates are still running his face and reporting all the details of the upcoming trial.

"You ready to get out of here?" Blaine asks and gets no response from his daughter.

He quickly trashes their lunches and returns to collect their things. It's nearly impossible to juggle everything. Olivia is dead weight in his arms and he can barely hold onto her and her walker. Their stroller had to be checked upon entry and the long trek back to the lobby seems so far away.

By the time Blaine makes it back to the lobby to retrieve their stroller, his arms are burning. It's a sign that he hasn't been working out as often as he probably should be. He certainly hasn't been working out as often as he used to. Even with his cast gone, he hasn't found the energy to make it to the gym. He knows it would help him manage the depression he's fallen into better.

The attendant that works the stroller check in helps him get everything situated. Between the two of them, they manage to get Olivia into the stroller without waking her up, fold up her walker to stick it in the carriage below, and situate the backpack over the handles so he doesn't have to carry it anymore. When he thanks her, she tells him that she understands what it's like to be a single parent. She lets him know how brave he is for attempting any public place on a Saturday, but she gives no indication that she recognizes him. It's nice for a change, to be treated like any other parent in his position and not like a man whose poor luck has caused him to become the face of gay marriage and hate crimes.

Olivia doesn't wake up until they are a block from home.

"Daddy?" she says, still groggy. She leans back in the stroller to look at him upside down. Her hair is a bit of a mess, large chunks are coming out of the ponytail he'd put it in this morning, but she no longer seems to be in a bad mood.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" he asks, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.

"Yeah," she says, sighing loudly. "Daddy?"

He hums in response, debating if he should swing by and pick up something for dinner before they get home. He doesn't want to have to go out again and he can't remember if there is anything he can cook at home.

"Do you want to be my Valtine?" She asks, giving him a tentative look, like there is a possibility that he might say no. It's the simplest request, but after the day he's had, it still brings tears to his eyes. No matter what has happened and how much he wishes he could change the past, he knows he is insanely lucky to still have Olivia in his life. He doesn't know how he would have survived as long if he didn't have her to take care of. If he didn't have her sweet face to look at all the time and give him strength.

"That sounds perfect," he says. "There's nobody I love more."

Blaine decides to forgo picking up dinner; he can always order pizza in later if they need to. They make their way down the now familiar street and through the residents' entrance of their building. They both wave at Kevin, the doorman they've come to know well. Blaine is grateful that he's considerate enough not to wish them a Happy Valentine's Day, though he knows he's wished it to all the other residents coming in and out.

He is surprised to see Kurt's boots lying by the door when they return home. He didn't think his friend was supposed to be home until very late at night.

"Kurt?" he calls out, curiously, while he's helping Olivia out of her winter coat.

"Yeah?" Kurt's voice calls out from only a few feet away. Blaine looks around and notices his friend sitting at the kitchen island, laptop open and papers spread out like he's been there awhile. He wonders how he'd missed him.

"Oh, I didn't expect you," Blaine says, lamely.

"Kevin at the front desk called me when you left the hotel," Kurt says.

"So you came home?" Blaine asks, confused. "You know, cell phones exist for a reason."

"Of course not," Kurt explains. "Alejandro booked a photo shoot with Marc Jacobs so we couldn't record the duet today. I finished up with Lexi a few hours ago."

Olivia wiggles out of the stroller to the floor and begins trying to wrestle the walker out from where it's been stuffed under the stroller. Blaine leans over to help her out before she can hurt herself. He pulls out the walker and pops it open, resisting the urge to help her stand back up. Her therapist has been telling him that he has to start letting her do things on her own so she can build up strength. It's hard though having to watch her struggle to pull herself up with only her arms and one leg.

"Besides," Kurt continues. "I didn't want to crowd you. I figured you needed some space. Though I still wish you had taken somebody with you."

"It's Valentine's Day, John deserves to spend the day with his wife, not following me around," Blaine says, daring Kurt to challenge him.

"I'm not lecturing you," Kurt says, rubbing at a spot between his eyebrows like he does when he's stressed. "You're an adult. You can make your own decisions; I don't want you to feel like I'm suffocating you."

"You're not," Blaine says, giving him a half smile that qualifies as a truce.

"So did anything interesting happen?" Kurt asks, directing his attention back to his laptop.

"People tooked our picture a lot," Olivia says, finally managing to pull herself up. She moves herself over to Kurt's barstool and stares up at him expectantly.

"Well it must be because you were the most beautiful girl they have ever seen," Kurt says, pulling at her hair and starting to fix the mess that her ponytail has become. Over her head, he shoots Blaine a curious look. Blaine just shakes his head. It's not something he wants to get into now.

"No, it's because of Papa," Olivia says. "They all want to asked questions about him."

It's a testament to how comfortable they've both become around each other that Kurt's willing to fix her hair and engage in conversation with her, and she's not whispering answers behind the shy hands that usually cover her face. It's sweet to watch, but it also reminds him of Jake. Enough that he's once again blinking back tears.

"Well they're just curious," Kurt explains in a patient voice Blaine hasn't heard in years. "They know that you had the best two dads in the whole world."

"Did you have a good daddy?" Olivia asks, previous anger completely evaporated in a way only a four year old can manage.

"The best," Kurt answers.

"That's good," Olivia says, pulling away with a wince when Kurt accidentally pulls too hard on a tangle. He apologizes and she leans back in, placated. Blaine knows there's nothing she loves more than somebody playing with her hair. "I'm not allows to meet Papa's daddy. Cooper says he's a meanie. And Daddy's daddy goed to heaven with Papa."

Kurt and Blaine's eyes lock as they both remember years prior, when Blaine's dad died and it was all they could do to keep both Blaine together and their relationship afloat. It had been the start of the end for them. It's not a memory he likes to relive.

"Alright, Liv," Blaine says, coming over to pull her into his arms and away from Kurt. "Let's let Kurt work. Besides, I believe we have a Valentine's Day date to get on with."

"Daddy said he be my Valtine," Olivia says with a smile, completely unaware of the painful memory she's just triggered in both of them.

"Well, you're one lucky girl then," Kurt says. "Your daddy makes an excellent Valentine."

Blaine's not sure if he really means it, or if he's just saying it for Olivia's sake. He shrugs it off, and pulls her into their bedroom where there is a small TV set up in front of the king size bed they share. Kurt has offered to clear out his office so that Olivia can use it as a bedroom, since it doesn't look like they will be moving out anytime soon, but Blaine's refused. He knows it's not healthy but they still can't sleep without each other.

He pops Monsters, Inc. into the DVD player and cuddles with Olivia as the opening credits begin to roll. It's one of the few movies that they can still watch together without crying. The Lion King has Mufasa's death. Mulan was safe until Olivia realized that the helmet Li Shang finds meant his father was dead. The Little Mermaid was the last movie Olivia watched with Jake. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and even Wall-E are romantic enough for Blaine to bawl like a baby. When they have to rule out anything romantic or involving the death of a character, there are very few movies left to choose from.

About three fourths of the way through the movie, around the time that Mike and Sculley discover Randall's secret, Kurt joins them. He sits next to the bed, curled up under one of the many blanket-throws that lie around the apartment. Kurt claims they are for decoration purposes, but Blaine knows how easily he gets cold.

"You know," Kurt says, turning to lean both elbows on the bed and look at Blaine properly. "If you want to get out of the house more, I could use some help at work."

"I don't think Broadway is part of the low profile you've told me to keep," Blaine says, joking a bit. Broadway hasn't been his dream in a long time, and Kurt knows that.

"I'm recording a demo for the studio tomorrow," Kurt explains, completely ignoring the skeptical look Blaine's giving him. "They called me the other day to tell me they want another new song for the movie and I haven't been able to find anyone to help me record one. There won't be a lot of people there and I already know you've got the range for the song."

"I haven't sung in years," Blaine says, waving his hands dismissively and jostling Olivia. She sits up to shoot both of them a dirty look for disrupting her movie.

"I've heard you singing to her at night," Kurt says, this time much quieter to avoid Olivia's wrath. "You can still sing."

"I don't perform anymore. Broadway isn't my dream, that's Rachel and you," Blaine says, hoping it ends the discussion.

"It's just a demo," Kurt says in a soft voice, pausing to send a quick message on his phone. Always multi-tasking. "It's just so the studio heads can get a feel for the song. It will be re-recorded before it's released."

Blaine doesn't respond, he's not sure how he feels about Kurt's offer. On one hand, yes, it would be amazing to be able to sing again, even if it was only for a demo. To be able to lose himself in song for a few hours like he used to sounds divine. But it doesn't seem appropriate. People have been saying he's enjoying the perks of Jake's death too much and this just sounds like adding fuel to that fire. Besides, he gave up on performing years ago. It wasn't for him. He wanted something stable, he wanted a family.

"I'm not saying you have to do it, it was just a thought. I know how much performing used to help you deal with things... Just promise me you'll think about it," Kurt says. "It'd be good for you to get out of the house. To have something besides these four walls and Olivia to keep you company. You'd be doing me a favor."

15 Weeks

Blaine stands in the recording booth of the small studio that Kurt rents out. It's becoming more and more familiar. Ever since Blaine agreed to record the demo for the studio, Kurt's been using him as a guinea pig for new songs. It's a good deal for both of them. Kurt gets to try out new ideas without having to pay his talent for the hours it takes him to figure out the right balance of vocals. He saves hours on labor, only bringing in his stars when he's perfected the songs. Blaine gets to feel like he's earning his stay with Kurt for once, he's finding himself in the studio at least three times a week now. With Kurt's show looking like it's going to open off-Broadway next month, there's been a mad rush of writing and re-writing going on to make sure everything is perfect.

Blaine's seen the workshops, he's never sure why things have to be changed, but once he sees the re-writes, they are always a million times better than before. He's proud of Kurt. It's the first show that he's written completely by himself and that's practically unheard of in the Broadway circuit. With the exception of a very opinionated director and a fairly hands-off producer, Kurt's staged this entire show by himself. The show's been financed by friends, allowing Kurt the freedom to work on his own terms. How he's found the time to do all of this, Blaine has no idea. But according to Kurt, it's been a project he's been working on quietly for years.

Breakaway. That's the title. It's a musical based off of Kelly Clarkson's music. It's in the spirit of musicals like American Idiot and the latest success, 21. It's an idea Kurt's had since the Glee Club days. A page taken out of Mr. Shue's book, to take an entire album and apply it to life. To a story. When Kurt met Kelly Clarkson at a charity benefit when he was twenty-three, he told her about the idea and she loved it. Over the next few years, after his first big paycheck from Above All Else, he started slowly paying for the rights to her songs. Now, eight years later, he's finally at a position where he can stage the musical.

Blaine won't ever admit it, but working on the show has sparked something in him. Belting out the empowering lyrics, even if it's only a demo for the stars to practice with, has reminded him of why he started performing in the first place. It's the perfect release. It gives him a channel to deal with all of his emotions. He doesn't have any desire to pursue performing full time. Not after experiencing the nasty side of fame. But this, recording songs that nobody will ever hear, it's amazingly therapeutic.

He thinks Kurt has caught on. He's pretty sure Kurt caught on before Blaine even did. He knows it can't be a coincidence that every time a new song comes along, Blaine's conveniently the only option available to record it. But they never talk about it—even when Blaine's voice cracks repeatedly on songs like "You Can't Win," and "Because of You."

Today they are re-recording "What Doesn't Kill You," because Kurt's suddenly been inspired to slow it down and make it the power ballad of the first act rather than the encore like he'd originally planned. They've been at the studio for five hours, working out the vocals and nothing they try seems to fit. Blaine's had to put in a call to Charlotte, Wes' wife, so that she can pick up Olivia from school and the two of them can continue to work on the song.

The song is gorgeous. It starts out acapella in the beginning and slowly strings begin to join in, but as beautiful as it is, the emotions aren't overpowering like Kurt wants them to be.

"Maybe I should just put it back how it was," Kurt says over the coffee they've stepped out to grab. "Audiences liked 'Behind These Hazel Eyes.'"

"Yeah, but you said they didn't react as much as you thought they needed to," Blaine says. "It's a really good song; we just need to keep working on it. Never give up."

"I like it slowed down, but it sounds like too much of a 'fuck you' how it is. I don't know how we the audience are supposed to forgive Jenna after Brian sings 'Stronger,' the way it is. It's too broken. I've written myself into a corner where Jenna's messed up too bad to win Brian back."

"Not really, you just need to make Jenna redeemable," Blaine says, standing up to throw away their empty coffee cups. They need to get back to the studio if they have any hope of finishing before dinner.

"How am I going to do that? I can't exactly give her another song before the first act is over. It would mess with the flow of things. Besides, is she even redeemable after everything she did?"

"Everyone's redeemable, they just have to be willing to change," Blaine says, giving him a reassuring smile. "Maybe you could make it a duet?"

"Don't be silly, I can't make it a—you're a genius," Kurt says. He's pulling out his phone and punching ideas into his phone at lightning speed. Blaine has to direct him down the street so he doesn't run into anything, since Kurt refuses to look up from the tiny screen. Some things never change. "Oh my God, why did I never do this before? It's the perfect duet, I just need to change... yeah that will work."

Blaine doesn't say anything, Kurt wouldn't hear him anyway. He knows that Kurt's lost in his own little world for awhile and nothing will bring him out of it except finishing whatever it is he's working out. They make it back to the studio and Blaine takes a seat on the couch, playing Tetris on his phone while he waits for Kurt to come back to him. Eventually, about an hour later, he does.

"Alright," Kurt says, looking up from his phone for the first time in an hour and fifteen minutes. "I've had to change a few of the lyrics here and there to make it work, but it's a duet. You'll have to sing both parts though, otherwise we'll need to do it tomorrow morning when I can get Tiffany in here."

"Or you could just sing it with me," Blaine says. "It'd save us some time."

"Me?" Kurt looks at him like he's crazy.

"Don't tell me you won't sing girl's parts anymore," he says.

"No, it's not that I just... You really want to sing a duet with me?" Kurt asks.

"It's just a demo," Blaine says, looking completely confused. He's not sure what the problem is.

"I just... yeah, alright. I'll have to go hunt down somebody to man the soundboard. I don't trust you to do it," Kurt says.

Kurt runs off to find one of the many techs that are always around. It doesn't take him long to find somebody willing to work the board while they record together. Kurt decides it will be better to record both parts at the same time, claims he has a hard time recording songs without somebody physically there to work off of. It's not until they are both in the booth together, Kurt belting out words of longing while Blaine's singing empowering words about moving on, that Blaine sees what Kurt's reservations had been about.

Maybe this had been a bad idea. But despite their own personal drama, the song sounds amazing. After all these years, their voices still blend nicely and now the number has the perfect mix of emotions that are far too powerful to ignore. On opening night, Blaine's sure there won't be a dry eye in the house.