8 Months
Two weeks after Blaine and Olivia move into their own apartment and one week after the governor of Ohio signs "Jake's Law"—the amendment that makes crimes against sexual orientation a law—Blaine finds himself back in the courtroom. He's not alone this time. Cooper and Rachel are with him, as well as Jane.
He'd had the option of staying home. With a single phone call, Jane could have read his written statement for the court. But he knows it's important that he be here today. He knows this will be his last chance to get a say in the case. After the way he panicked on the witness stand he's certainly nervous, but he feels the need to redeem himself. Prove to everyone and to himself that he is stronger than this. He knows that if he can just get through today, that the worst will have been behind him.
And he's not alone. Cooper and Rachel will have a chance to speak up as well. They'll be allowed to tell their story, help Blaine tell the judge just how much his life has been changed by a complete stranger's actions. He's grateful. If he had to do this alone, he knows there's so much that would get left unsaid. So much that he wouldn't be able to put into words. Cooper and Rachel were Jake's family, too. Jane had asked if it was worth calling Jake's parents. Blaine had laughed.
"Are there any statements from Defense Counsel before we do the victim impact statements?" the judge asks.
"Your Honor, we agree with the states that it is important that the members of the victim's family be able to speak at this time. We have no objection," Mr. Jetter says.
Blaine wants to snort at the complete change in tone. Ever since the verdict has been handed down and Peterson was declared guilty, Jetter has been kissing the judge's ass. Jane's told him that it's because he's trying to win the courts favor since they'll be likely asking for an appeal.
"Okay," the judge says calmly. Blaine likes the man. He's older, probably in his sixties, and has a soothing tone while still appearing completely in charge. He especially likes how understanding he was with the whole leaving the witness stand hyperventilating thing. That had certainly put him on Blaine's good side. He can't imagine how painful it would have been if they had to schedule a re-trial after that and start the entire process all over again. "So what we will do is take the victim impact statements and then we will come back to our defendant and find out anything he has to say and then we will do the sentencing. We all agree with that?"
"That's fine, Your Honor," Mr. Lee, the prosecution's lawyer says. He's not Blaine's favorite person in the world. Not since he yelled at him through the bathroom door. But he did his job. He got a guilty conviction despite all of Jetter's nasty tricks, so that makes him alright in Blaine's book.
"We will start with the victim impact statements," the judge says.
Blaine squeezes Rachel's hand hard. This is it. This is the moment he's been looking forward to and dreading for the past few months. The air in the room suddenly feels too hot. He closes his eyes and forces himself to breathe. Deep breaths in and out, just like Jake always taught him to do when he felt like he was about to panic. He doesn't have to go first. It's not even his turn yet; he needs to calm down.
"The first victim impact statement will be from Cooper Anderson, brother to Blaine Anderson and brother-in-law to Jake Anderson," Mr. Lee says.
Blaine sends Cooper a reassuring smile, even though he feels like he's going to be sick. Cooper doesn't need his reassurance though. He loves a captive audience; an opportunity like this has got to be crack to his brother, who hasn't done more than teach an acting class in years.
"Thank you," Cooper says, shooting everyone a winning smile. Blaine has to roll his eyes good-naturedly. He's read Cooper's statement already. Demanded it the second his brother said he'd like to speak at the trial. He knows that it's going to be appropriate, but he can't help but cringe inside. If he goes off book, it's going to be ugly.
"I was with my baby brother on the day he broke his arm for the first time. We were both ice skating over Christmas break and some punk just knocked him over like it was nothing. Blaine was only seven, but still, he never cried. I was in the hospital with him again when he was attacked after a school dance for daring to bring a boy as his date. Hell, this is the kid that was blinded by a rock-salt slushie his junior year of high school and the most he did was sing a sad song about it. Blaine's had to deal with a lot, but he's braver than most. Stronger. Better than any one person has a right to be."
Blaine smiles a bit at that. He's still never gotten used to Cooper complementing him. Though it's been years since they've resolved their tension and actually started acting like real brothers again, it's still rare for Cooper to outwardly say something so nice about it. Part of him, the insecure part, wants to think it's all a big act for the courtroom. But he knows Cooper better than that. He trusts that every word he's saying is the truth, even without the threat of perjury hanging over his brother's head.
"Eight months ago, I got a phone call that Blaine was in the hospital again. It was Thanksgiving Day, I was helping my mother make stuffing. Blaine and his husband had taken their daughter, my beautiful niece, to the park. When the call came in, I assumed there was a simple accident. Olivia had fallen down and scraped a knee. Jake and Blaine were known for taking her to the pediatrician when she got so much as a paper cut."
Rachel squeezes his arm at this and they share a smile. She wraps her hands around his arm and leans her head on his shoulder, reminding him that she's there. Probably reminding herself that he's still there, too. He knows it's something his family thinks about. How easily they could have lost more than just Jake.
"They were overprotective," Cooper continues with a charming smile. "I've never seen anyone love a little girl so much. Hell, I've never known anyone to love their spouse that much. They were embarrassingly in love. The kind of love that gets made into a Nicholas Sparks movie. But that was fine, because Blaine deserved it after all the hate he experienced growing up gay in Ohio."
Blaine watches as Cooper's smile drops and he actually seems to forget his words. He pauses for a very long minute, collecting himself. He's surprised; he's never known anything to shake Cooper during the middle of a performance.
"When I found out that they weren't in the hospital for a scrape to the knee, it was a lot to take in. Blaine and Jake were the guys that everyone looked to to show us how love was supposed to be. To watch their perfect life crumble, to not be able to do anything about it? Well, it sucked. It blew big time. I was supposed to be his big brother, I was supposed to fix things for him. For both of them, Jake had become my family, too."
At this, Cooper actually begins to cry, his voice catching. Rachel lets go of Blaine and stands up to put her arm around Cooper and whisper something in his ear. Whatever she says, it helps, because Cooper nods and wipes his eyes, continuing on, his voice stronger than before. She remains standing, a steady hand on his back.
"Jake died a few days after he was brought to the hospital. They said that the trauma to his head was too much to ever recover from. I watched as Blaine had to make the heartbreaking decision to cut off life support. I held my niece as she cried. Jake's gone for good and that's a shame. He brought out the best in people. He helped me move on from my first divorce and meet my wife. He taught Blaine to love with his whole heart. He gave us Olivia, who is the most amazing little girl anybody could ever know. Jake's never going to see her grow up and you did that."
Cooper's voice is raised as he points to Martin Peterson, only it's not for dramatic impact or any of the other bullshit lines he gives his acting students. There's a vein in his neck that looks about ready to pop and Blaine suddenly sees where he's probably gotten some of his temper from.
"Afterwards, Blaine and Olivia were left with nowhere to go. They couldn't stay in Ohio when they had been driven out by hate and they couldn't return to their apartment in New York. Even if that apartment wasn't drowning in memories, it wasn't safe anymore. The attack made national news. His telephone never stopped ringing. Reporters and protestors flooded the streets of his neighborhood. As somebody who is intimately aware of the price of fame and celebrity, what happened to those two in the wake of such a horrible tragedy is a shame. They never asked to be famous. They never asked for their picture to be on every magazine and newspaper stand in the country. You did that to them. You made their life a living hell. Even now, when they leave this courtroom, they'll never be able to walk down the street without people whispering about them. He'll always be asked for interviews, expected to support this or that cause. Neither of them will be able to live an anonymous life again.
"Blaine's always been so strong, invincible. I know most people assume that I'm the hero of the family, what with the dashingly good looks of a Disney prince and the incredible acting talent, but Blaine was always the real hero. That Blaine is gone, he's different now. The day he lost his husband, he changed. I hope that one day, he'll heal from this. That he'll be able to move past this. Because if you've managed to take two brothers away from me? Managed to take two of the best fathers in the world away from my niece? Well then you'd better hope they never let you out of that jail cell. You'd better pray you rot in there until you die."
Cooper finishes his statement and Blaine stands to pull him into a hug. They both cling to each other hard enough to leave bruises but it doesn't matter. Simply knowing how much his brother cares, that he's got somebody like Cooper in his corner is the best feeling.
"Thank you," Blaine whispers into his neck.
Cooper just nods and pulls Blaine back down into his seat, never letting his arm leave its spot around his shoulder. Mr. Lee is standing again, waiting patiently for them to be ready to continue on. When they finally settle back in, he gives them both a proud smile. He's clearly happy with Cooper's performance.
"We have Rachel Berry, who will be speaking on behalf of her daughter, Olivia Anderson," he says before sitting back down in his seat.
Rachel stands up and walks over to the microphone, smoothing out invisible creases in her dress, nervously. He's never known her to have stage fright before, but then again, this isn't really the audience she's used to playing to.
"Last week, Blaine and I sat Olivia down and told her that she would be staying with me for a few days while Blaine came to Ohio. When she asked why, Blaine explained that he was going to talk to the judge about how much he missed Jake. And when Olivia heard that he was going to get a chance to talk to you," Rachel says, looking at Martin Peterson with a look of pure disgust. "Well, she insisted that she get her say as well."
Blaine smiles a bit, thinking back to the week before. To the look of pure determination Olivia had worn. It had reminded him so much of Rachel. Olivia somehow managed to be the best parts of all of them. Strong, courageous and so much more fearless than he could hope of being.
"Olivia couldn't come today, she's in New York with her grandmother. For starters, it would have been far too traumatic for her to have to look you in the eyes. She wouldn't be able to handle seeing the man that murdered her father. She's only just turned five years old. She still wakes up with nightmares, images of her father being beaten with a metal bat."
Rachel pauses for dramatic impact, he knows this, because he's heard her practicing this speech at least eighteen different ways into the mirror last night.
"For another thing, she can't really afford to miss physical therapy. She shattered her leg on that day. The doctor didn't know if she would ever be able to walk properly again. After her surgery, it took much longer for her to walk with a walker than it was supposed to. There were talks of more surgeries and what the options were if the bones never healed correctly. But our little Liv is strong, like her dads. She's finally got her cast off. She still can't participate in sports, she can't really run that great, but she's walking."
Cooper squeezes his shoulder, giving him a loving smile. Blaine's about to question him, what it's for but he just shakes his head and turns back to Rachel. He sees his brother conspicuously try to wipe a tear from his eye.
"What happened to Olivia was an accident," Rachel says, her voice going soft for moment. He knows that she's picturing Riley Peterson. They often do. The two of them have had this conversation before. They've discussed how badly they feel for the boy who could never have realized how quickly his one little action could change so much.
"Your son isn't a hateful person, he was just mimicking the behavior that he learned from you. He couldn't possibly have known what he was doing when he pushed her off that slide. You did. You knew exactly what you were doing when you picked up that bat. You didn't care."
She throws her arms out to the side and yells the last line. He knows, growing up in Ohio with two gay dads, Rachel has dealt with her share of homophobia in her life. How closely she can identify with Olivia. He also knows that she's never had to witness any outright violence against either of them and how frustrated she is that they could live in Ohio their whole lives and never get attacked, yet all it took for Blaine to lose his husband was a weekend trip back.
"Olivia wanted to be here, but we wouldn't allow it. I promised her though, that I would make sure her words were heard. At five years old, she's a pretty amazing kid. This is what she had to say."
Rachel walks over to where there is a computer set up to a projection screen. She plugs her phone into the computer and pulls up a video that she'd recorded last week. The lights in the courtroom are dimmed as Olivia's face fills the screen. She's wearing a pink dress, one that Jake got her that barely fits anymore, and she's clutching onto Gator nervously. Though she's comfortable around Rachel, Blaine knows the thought of strangers seeing the video they are making has to be making her shy.
"Tell me about your Papa," Rachel can be heard saying off camera.
"My papa was the best papa," she says, her whole face lighting up at the thought of Jake. Suddenly, she's not shy anymore. The camera follows Olivia as she runs into her bedroom to pull a DVD off of her shelf.
"He knew all of the words for Lion King, even talking parts! He had a biggest smile every morning. He gived me this dress," she says holding the skirt out and giving a twirl. "It's my fav'ite one. His kisses made my boo-boos better. He made macaroonies and cheeses when daddy can't make toast. He knew how to love people 'till they felt warm in their tummy. Even if I live to be 190, I'll still remember Papa."
He's impressed with how much she's saying, how clear her voice sounds. He didn't realize that Rachel had gotten her to say so much. She hadn't shown him the video, just told him to worry about his statement and she would make sure everything else was taken care of. He's torn between feeling incredibly proud of her and immensely sad to hear her talk about all that she's lost.
"Can you tell me how you feel about Riley and Mr. Peterson?" Rachel asks again, prompting her once she's fallen into silence. Olivia pauses and studies the camera, putting a finger to her chin to show that she's thinking of a good answer.
"I wish Riley had a papa like mine," she says quietly. The camera leans in closely to catch every word she's saying now that she's not shouting excitedly.
"Then he wouldn't of pushed me down the slide. And my papa would be here. Ms. Michelle says we're 'apposed to forgive people when they do bad things, so I forgive Mr. Peterson. But I'm still sad. I hope he will forgive my daddy and papa for what they did to make him mad. It's not their fault that they love each other so much."
The screen goes black and Blaine has to bury his face into Cooper's chest to keep from crying aloud. How was he supposed to do this, how was he supposed to follow that when all he really wants to do is go home and never let Olivia out of his sight again. He's not sure how she's gotten to be so strong in these past few months. She couldn't have learned it from him. He's such a mess.
"Prosecution," the judge can be heard, signaling Mr. Lee to continue on with the proceedings. Blaine looks up, knowing it's his turn. He takes a soothing breath. If Olivia can do it, so can he.
"Last, we have Blaine Anderson, victim and husband of Jake Anderson," Mr. Lee says, though is voice is suspiciously tight.
Blaine stands up and his knees immediately buckle, Cooper grabs him and walks him to the microphone. Rachel stands on his other side, holding onto his hand tightly. He's not alone, he reminds himself. They aren't going to get him fall.
Cooper takes the statement that Blaine has written up and places it on the podium in front of him.
"You can do this," Cooper whispers. "You're stronger than you believe."
Blaine nods and turns to stare at the paper in front of him. The words have been engraved into his memory after reading them so many times, but he doesn't think he can look up at anyone else at the moment. He continues to hold onto Rachel's hand as he leans his weight on his brother. When his voice catches on the first word, he clears his throat and stands up taller.
He can do this. He lets go of Rachel's hand, forcing himself to stand on his own. He's not going to let this break him. He's going to do this and he's going to be strong like they say he can be. Though he's got a new resolve, he's happy when neither of them take their seats again, and instead just stand patiently by his side.
"I met Jake in May of 2016. When we met, I was a mess. I could barely get through a week without an emotional breakdown. I had lost my father that year and wasn't handling it well. Jake came in a changed that. He worked at the school clinic studying to be a psychiatrist. I think he saw me as a project, somebody to fix. I don't know what would have happened to me if I didn't meet him," Blaine's surprised by how steady his voice is. Maybe Cooper is right.
"Jake was warm, funny, stunningly handsome yet completely unaware of it, he was perfect. Everything I ever wanted," he says, smiling at the image of Jake in his head. "I helped him come out of the closet to his parents and it was in that moment, when I saw how strong he was, that I realized I was in love. They didn't approve. They didn't think homosexuality was real. Unfortunately, it's a popular opinion," he says, looking up from his paper to really look at Martin Peterson for the first time.
"As a couple, we were used to the hate that got directed our way," he continues, his eyes glued to the man that did this to them. Wanting to make sure he heard every word.
"It didn't bring us down. Nothing could bring us down so long as we had each other to hold on to, not until that day," he pauses, waiting for his mind to stir up images of Jake lying bleeding on the asphalt, but it never comes.
"When you took Jake away from me... it was a shock. That somebody would want to hurt us for being in love, that wasn't surprising. It was surprising that you actually managed to tear us apart. You did what I had always assumed was impossible. I lost the love of my life that day and the only thing I could think was that it should have been me. Jake would have been able to do this better than me. He was always stronger, always knew the right thing to say. If he were standing here today, I guarantee his statement would be far more eloquent than mine. But he's not here. He's gone forever and I don't think I'll ever fully get over that.
"Jake taught me to be a better man. He gave me a reason to dream again, to live. With him around things were just better. You can ask anyone and they'd tell you the same. When I think of all that I lost that day, it's crushing. But when I think of all the people out there, the ones that will never get to meet Jake? The patients he'll never have, all the people who won't be able to be brought back to life with his contagious smile? I think that hurts even more. When I watch Olivia wake up and call out for her Papa? That's when I feel the most alone."
There's more written down on his paper. There's an entire speech that demands this man pay for what he did to them with his life, but he can't bring himself to say it. Olivia's small voice is in the back of his mind asking for forgiveness.
"I can't do this," Blaine says, crumpling up the piece of paper in front of him. Cooper immediately swoops in, ready to take charge, only Blaine isn't falling apart. He's found his strength. The second he realizes what he needs to do, the knot in his stomach lifts. He can feel Jake's presence around him, knows it's what his husband would do. He knows this is the only thing he can do and still be able to look anyone in the eye.
"I came here today to ask for the death penalty," he says, glancing at the judge, wondering if they'll cut him off for not sticking to the approved statement.
"There hasn't been a single day since the attack that I didn't picture you strapped to an electric chair," he says, turning to look Martin Peterson in the eyes. To really see the man before him for the first time. Not with the hate he's always seen him with before, but through a new set of eyes. He looks at him with pity. How sad it must be to live a life when you don't understand love.
"There wasn't a day where the thought of you suffering, the thought of you experiencing a fraction of the pain you put my Jake through, that that thought didn't make me feel better..."
Blaine pauses as Rachel tugs on his hand. He turns to look at her, let her see that he is alright. That he's not having a breakdown. He shakes his head at her, silently tell her to let him do this.
"But Jake isn't coming back. And I can't help but look over at little Riley Peterson and think, what happens when he wakes up crying like my Olivia so often does? What happens when he cries out for his father only to realize that he's dead? I've been trying to fight hate with hate and that's not going to change the world. Jake? He wanted to change the world," he says with a fond smile.
"He wanted to fill it with love and he did a damn good job of it. While I don't know if I'm ever going to be as compassionate as my husband, I'm going to go ahead and say I probably won't be. I think I owe it to him to try. And I think we all owe it to your family—who have been so courageous—who tore their world apart to help us... we owe it to them to be compassionate as well. Because Olivia, Jake and I, we aren't the only victims here. They are too."
"So, that's it," he says, holding his hands up. "That's all I have to say. Jake was an incredible person and what happened to him was tragic. But I think the most important thing I've realized is that if you let your heart be filled with hate it does nothing but destroy you. I hope that one day I'll be able to forgive you for what you've done. I hope you'll feel remorse. That you'll realize how wrong you were. But that's not going to happen overnight. You deserve time to think about what you did. Time to discover the true meaning of love. And I can only hope that the court gives that to you. Hopefully a lifetime of it. Behind bars. Alone. To think."
Everyone is looking at him in surprise. He doesn't know if that is a bad thing or a good thing, but no matter what, at least he'll be able to leave the courtroom with his head held high knowing that he did the right thing. Knowing that he'll never have to explain to his daughter that he helped another child bury a father.
Cooper pulls him into a hug and he feels Rachel at his back holding onto both of them tightly.
"You did good, Squirt," Cooper says and he can feel Cooper's tears as they start to fall.
"Don't call me that," Blaine says, not knowing what else to say. This entire day is so far from what he's expected.
As he untangles himself from Cooper and Rachel, he realizes that the entire courtroom is dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. There are people crying, others are staring at him in surprise, but nobody is making a sound. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, waiting for something to happen. Wondering if he'll be in trouble. Can he be arrested for this? He remembers Jane going through a long list of instructions about what was wasn't allowed in the courtroom. He remembers her bringing up perjury and jail time if he lies, but he didn't say anything that wasn't true. He just... threw away the speech the court had approved him to say. He hoped they judge would understand. He'd been so understanding before.
"Is there anything else on behalf of the State?" the judge finally speaks up, looking away from Blaine and back to Mr. Lee.
"Nothing further. Thank you," he responds, clearly too thrown off to say more.
"Defense?" the judge says, his voice is different than it was before. He's speaking much quicker. Like he's eager to get this over with. Blaine hopes that doesn't mean he's in trouble.
"Nothing, Your Honor," Mr. Jetter says.
"Mr. Peterson, is there anything you have to say before the sentence is pronounced?"
Martin Peterson has tears in his eyes, he turns to make eye contact with his wife and son who are crying. He looks like he has a lot to say, but just shakes his head.
"Nothing further, Your Honor."
"Okay. Would the defendant please rise?"
Martin Peterson stands up and Blaine holds his breath. This is it... everything all boils down to this single moment.
"I have to admit, before today, I was torn over this decision," the judge says. "The jury in this case has, as you know, voted in favor of the death penalty. But after hearing our victim's statements, in particular, Mr. Anderson's plea that I decide against the death penalty. I have to say that I agree with Mr. Anderson."
Blaine doesn't hear much beyond this part. His mind gets stuck on agree with Mr. Anderson. He doesn't know how he's supposed to feel. They aren't going to impose the death penalty. Everything is over, he said his piece. He survived it without breaking down in another embarrassing panic and people had actually listened to him. He was heard. It was over. It was finally over.
There are other things said, words exchanged between the judge, the lawyers, and Martin Peterson. They all get lost to him. Rachel pulls him out of his chair and squeezes him tight, she's laughing and he's pretty sure she's finally cracked but he doesn't care. He thinks he might have cracked too because he can't stop smiling.
He's free. He's finally free of all of this shit that has bogged him down for so long. He never has to step foot in Ohio again if he doesn't want to. He can get on a plane, go back to his daughter, and continue on with his life like he always wanted to. Shit, he can go back to work!
He's pulled away from the endless line of congratulations by a small tugging at the sleeve of his sports coat. He's surprised to look down and see a puffy eyed Riley Peterson. Blaine leans in to tell Cooper that he's going to step out for a minute. He looks around for the boy's mom and when he locates her, he nods to the door. She waves them on, letting him know that it's alright. Blaine leads the boy out the doors, where it's slightly quieter, though not by much. The commotion from inside is deafening, he wonders if it seems that way to everybody or if it's just him.
"I'm so sorry," Riley cries as soon as Blaine kneels down to his level. He feels his heart break at the sight. He knows the weight of guilt he's been carrying around for months, can only imagine how much stronger it must be for Riley. He hopes he hasn't been watching TV. Prays that he hasn't heard any of the reporters casually talk about how none of this would have happened if Riley hadn't pushed Olivia. He's only eight, after all.
"It's alright," Blaine says softly. "It's alright."
"But your daughter..." he sobs.
"She's fine," Blaine says, putting a soothing hand on his shoulder. "You saw her on that tape. Perfectly healthy."
"I shouldn't have pushed her," he says.
"No, you shouldn't have," Blaine responds, his voice tight. He never imagined that he'd have to have this conversation. He'd thought about what he might say to Mrs. Peterson, but never did he think he'd speak with Riley.
"But you won't do it again. You don't need to be upset about it anymore."
"You're nice," he says wiping his nose on his sleeve. "My daddy said gay people weren't nice."
"Well." Blaine shrugs, not really sure how to respond to that.
"My mommy said that he was wrong about some things. I think she's right. I'm sorry about your husband."
"Me, too," Blaine says.
"And thank you. You didn't have to tell the judge to be nice to my dad. I know he's a jerk."
Blaine snorts, jerk is putting it mildly, but he supposes at eight years old, it's probably the worst insult he knows.
"No, I didn't. But you didn't have to tell your mom about what happened in the park that day either. I guess we both have something to be thankful for."
Blaine pulls Riley into a hug because it looks like he needs it. He wonders how is life is going to be now that his dad is in jail. He hopes that the thought of being able to visit him at least gets him through. He knows the difference between a life in jail and death probably isn't a lot, either way the boy is going to grow up without a father, but he hopes it's something.
Blaine stands up and waits patiently until Riley has cleaned himself up a bit, then he walks them both back into the courtroom and over to his mom.
"Thank you," Blaine says with a shaky voice once they reach her.
"You don't owe us anything," she says. "I'm sorry about what happened."
Blaine just nods, because there's nothing really there to say. She's heard his statement. Heard his thoughts on the matter. The two stare at each other for a few more moments before she pulls at Riley's hand.
"Come on, sweetheart, let's leave Mr. Anderson to his family," she says and they walk away. Out of Blaine's life forever.
"We should call Mom," Cooper says, coming up behind him and clapping him on the shoulder. "She's going to want to hear the details from us before they appear on the front page of the Times."
"Oh God, all that stuff we said, it's all going to be public record," Blaine groans.
"And everyone will know what a wonderful man you are, that Jake was," Rachel says, joining the two of them. "There's nothing to be ashamed about. Who knows, maybe you're little speech will inspire somebody."
"What? To jump off of a cliff?" Cooper jokes. "Seriously Blaine, you couldn't have put a single joke in there? You had everybody crying like pathetic losers. Most depressing thing I've ever seen."
"I supposed I should have pointed some, made it more ridiculous?" Blaine says, glad to have something to laugh about. His brain can't handle serious anymore.
"Made it more inspiring and dramatic, you mean?" Cooper laughs. "How many master classes are you going to have to sit through before it sinks in with you?"
"Dear God, please, don't make me sit through another one," Blaine says, rolling his eyes.
With a final thank you to Jane and promises to check back in with her from time to time, the three of them make their way outside and through the hoards of journalists quickly. They all want a statement from him, but he refuses. They'll have more than enough to write about once the court documents become public. In fact, he's pretty sure the court video will be viral by the end of the week. He doesn't owe them anything else.
A few hours later, Rachel and he are both at the airport bar, waiting for an available flight back to New York. They're forced to fly standby since their original tickets wouldn't put them home for another three days. The case was supposed to take longer than it did, but he's glad it finished early for a change. The thought of staying here another day makes him want to be sick.
"Oh my God, they have karaoke," Rachel says, moving to grab his hand but missing and knocking over his empty beer bottle.
"No." He snorts, shooting her down before she can even get the question out.
"Come on, I'll buy you a drink if you do," she says.
"You've already bought me three beers. And a White Russian. As well as more shots than I can remember. If I have anymore they aren't going to let us on the plane," he points out.
"Oh come on, this is the perfect way to celebrate," she says, pouting a bit. "How will you survive if you don't express your relief in song."
Somehow, he always forgets how much more dramatic she becomes when she drinks.
"I think I'll manage," he says with an easy laugh. The two of them have been here for a few hours and are drunk on a mix of minimal sleep, intense joy and vodka. A hell of a lot of vodka.
"I'll let you pick the song," she says in a sing song voice.
"Really?" he asks, considering her offer. He never gets to pick the song.
"Well I have veto power if it's not in my range, but sure. It's your day, why not?" she says.
And that's how Blaine spends his first night as a free man, by making an ass out of himself at an airport bar with his best friend. Actually, he doesn't really make as big an ass out of himself as he thought he might. The two of them end up making close to a hundred dollars in tips from the bored passengers that are grateful for something to do while they wait for their delayed flights.
Around midnight, they get called for a flight back home. A red-eye with more than enough empty seats to accommodate them. In fact, they get an entire row to themselves. Rachel spreads out with her head in his lap as he leans back with a blanket and pillow. It's one of the better days he's had since Jake's been gone. And this is probably the alcohol talking, but he thinks it's only going to get better from here.