The opening night of Wind in the Willows is a huge success for all concerned. Kurt is approached three times in the bar during the intermission alone, by directors and producers keen to have him and Anna on board for their next production. He radiates happiness as Blaine looks on proudly with all of their family including Cooper and his brood. After the show they head to a Thai restaurant to eat, giving Kurt a chance to catch up with everyone including Joe.

"Those costumes were incredible," Blaine babbles happily to anyone who will listen. "They made the whole thing come alive. Kurt did that! My husband!"

"Stop," Kurt says shyly, then gives Blaine a playful nudge. "Not really. Carry on. I could listen to you compliment my work forever. You know, your dad's speech is better than ever," he whispers as Mike regales the whole table with an embarrassing memory which has Cooper trying to hide in his wife's hair.

"It is," Blaine says, laughing along with the story. "I mean, I know it's two years on but...yeah...he sounds good."

"Well thanks for that, dad," Cooper is saying, the blush on his face dying down. "I can assure everyone that I'm not still peeing in swimming pools. But anyway...we have news."

"Babies?" Mike asks hopefully.

"I'm forty seven," Cooper says, looking at his dad. "Give it up. No... No babies. But it is about our babies. As you know, Maddie and Taylor will be starting college in the fall. Taylor has been accepted by Michigan to study sports sciences, and Maddie will be studying here, in Chicago."

"What?" Blaine cries excitedly as Maddie grins at him. "You're coming here? Really? That's amazing! And Tay you'll be close by...oh my goodness!"

"That's not all," Cooper says, calling over the hubbub. "Claire and I decided that we really don't want to be the only ones left on the west coast, so we're moving back too."

"To Chicago?"

"No, we figured that wouldn't be fair on Maddie, to have her parents hanging around, we're looking at Indy," Cooper explains. "But I'm working on a film that will take me into next year, so we won't move until about a years time."

"This is wonderful, darlings!" Sara says happily, moving around the table and kissing everyone. "I'm so happy! So happy!"

"Excellent news," Burt smiles. "See? Y'all can fly the nest but eventually you find your way back," he says with a smile.

"What about Joe?" Kurt asks, and everyone turns quiet as Joe hangs his head.

"Well..." Cooper says, a slow smile forming. "I think you'd better ask Maddie about that."

"What?" Kurt asks, slow to catch on. "Why would I...oh! Joseph? Are you dating my niece?" he asks, voice low as Maddie reddens and fiddles with the tablecloth. "Are you?"

"It's...sorta...kinda... Cooper said it was okay so you can't hit me!" he splutters, making everyone smile.

"She's seventeen!" Blaine explodes, which has the entire table, even Kurt, laughing loudly. "You're twenty three!"

"Honey," Kurt says sweetly, patting his hand. "Think about what you just said."

"We're not about to move in together," Joe says, gazing at the young girl who smiles bashfully. "But I am serious about her. Hollywood is fun, but lonely. So I'm moving back to Chicago. That way I can be near Maddie, and you two fools," he grins. "I'll still be acting, but I'll just fly to wherever I'm needed, film and come home."

"See?" Burt says again, making everyone roll their eyes. "Y'all can fly the nest..."

"Joe's nest is in Minneapolis," Kurt points out.

"No it's not," Cooper laughs. "It's with us."

"Actually, it's with you," Joe says softly, taking Maddie's hand as Blaine glares. "Uncle Blaine, are you mad?" he teases.

"Yes," he says honestly. "But it is sorta cute that she's gone for you."

"I'm sitting right here," Maddie protests.

"I know that. She's precious to me, Joe," he explains. "That's all. I'd be like it about whoever she was dating, but I guess if it had to be anyone, I'm kinda glad it's you."

"It's funny, isn't it?" Kurt muses that night as he undresses for bed. "How everything's coming full circle?"

Blaine sits up in bed, staring ahead and biting his lip. "Do you think he's sleeping with her?" he asks, ignoring Kurt completely.

"I'm not even going to have this discussion with you," Kurt says, rolling his eyes fondly as he gathers Blaine's discarded clothes and tosses them in the hamper. "We first had sex two days before my seventeenth birthday, and you had just turned thirty two. Plus we were fooling around way before that."

"That's different."

"How? Because we were two guys? Maddie is a sensible girl who is mature for her age. She..."

"Not it's not that. It's not. It's... It's because I knew you were it for me," Blaine explains. "Honestly, if you had dumped me and moved on, I wouldn't. I knew then as I know now, that I will never love anyone else. I don't know if Joe feels that way, and I worry. Moving across the country to be with someone is a very grand gesture. I don't want Maddie to think this could be it, and then he goes off with someone else."

"But you're not Joe," Kurt explains patiently, climbing into bed alongside him. "My dad had to place an awful lot of trust in you, if you think about it. Sure, you told him you loved me, that you never wanted to leave me, you had my best interests at heart...all of that. But it's all talk, Blaine. Only you could know what's truly on your heart. Joe seems intent on making this work. I know he's been a bit of a wide boy, but he's settled down a lot; the fact that he dislikes the Hollywood lifestyle is proof of that. You can't manage their relationship, you just need to trust that Joe will look after her. And I think he will."

"Alright," he grumbles, sliding down the bed. "But if he hurts her I'll break his face."

"Aw honey," Kurt laughs. "You couldn't if you tried."

"I punched Adam!"

"True," Kurt concedes. "I'd forgotten about that. Ha. I wonder what he's doing right now?"

"Who cares? He's not doing you, that's all that matters."

"Ooh, grouchy, jealous Blaine," Kurt teases, sliding down to press his weight against Blaine's back, running his hand up over his chest. "I like it."

"I'm going to sell you to a street trader when we're in Russia," he grumps, trying to ignore the way in which Kurt's hand wanders down to the waistband of his pajamas.

"You are not."

"Am too. And when Riccardo asks where you are I'll just say you ran away with a group of Cossack dancers because you like the hats."

"You can keep talking nonsense while I take," Kurt breathes in his ear, sliding both their pajama pants to their ankles. "Or you can join in, it's up to you."

"Then the street trader will sell you to a bunch of gypsies," Blaine carries on, making Kurt chuckle darkly and reach for the lube, trailing one finger down his crack and making him shiver. "And the gypsies will... Oh my...fuck...trade you for a goat..." he sighs happily as Kurt's finger enters him, teasing slowly as he kisses over Blaine's back. "And you'll live for several years as a peasant goat herder... Yes, Kurt...there...just there..."

He groans deep in his throat when Kurt slides two fingers inside, his breath hitching, and he angles his leg out to the side to give Kurt better access but doesn't stop talking. "Before deciding to sail to America to seek your fortune once more. When you... Kuuuurt," he moans, lifting his hips for Kurt to enter him, which he does so willingly. "Get here you'll sell your wares, clothes you make from scraps of the ships sails and...fuck...fuck...oh god Kurt... Fuck it," Blaine cries as Kurt stills inside him, body draped over his back and pressed close. "Take me, please, please. I'll shut up, I promise."

Kurt laughs then slides even closer, moving only his hips back and forth as he works his hands underneath to clutch tight to Blaine's chest. They are silent except for their heavy ragged breathing, their sweat from being pressed so tightly to one another making them slide together perfectly as Blaine grabs Kurt's hand and brings his fingers to his lips, kissing each one gently.

"You're incredible," he whispers before Kurt grabs his chin and twists him back for a kiss. They come together, gasping into one another's mouths as the friction from his cock rubbing against the sheets and Kurt pulsing inside of him proves too much for Blaine who breaks the kiss, fisitng the pillow tight with his hand and screwing his eyes shut in pleasure. "Oh...oh...Kurt..." he moans weakly, accepting his dead weight on top of him happily as they lie there sticky and sated. "You see...you'd sell your wares and travel across the country...finding me again and we'd live happily ever after," he mumbles with his face pressed into the pillow. "Because I love you so much."

"I love you too," Kurt smiles, kissing the back of his neck. "But if you think I'd forgive you for selling me in the first place, you're very wrong. And just for that, you can change the sheets," he says, rolling off and heading to the bathroom.

"I could never sell you," Blaine calls after him, balling up the sheet and tossing it in the corner where he know his husband will look at it, tut and move it to the hamper. "I'm too selfish to ever live without you."

"Good," Kurt answers, emerging from the bathroom, tutting as he picks up the sheet. "I vote we keep being selfish until the end of time."

Russia is everything they imagined it could be and more. They are in awe of everything as they tour St. Petersburg and Moscow, and Kurt has no time to be bored while Blaine is in rehearsal as a phone call from Anna lets him know they have been asked to work on a production of Love Never Dies ready for the summer. So sketchbook in hand he whiles away the time until Blaine is back by his side, where he goes through every detail of every costume while Blaine listens, entranced. They have a heavy night on the vodka after the orchestra's final performance, and Kurt learns that it burns coming back up as well as going down. They are lazy the next day, surfacing for brunch with Ken and Riccardo before trudging back to their room to cuddle up in bed together.

"Home tomorrow," Blaine says as he rests his head on Kurt's chest.

"Mmm. Back to work. I can't wait, though this trip has been wonderful."

"It has," Blaine agrees. "Hey, when we get back do you want to book a vacation? Maybe we could head back to Hawaii."

"I would love that," Kurt smiles, kissing into his hair. "We could leave as soon as I'm done with Love Never Dies," he says. "And also... I think we should have a baby."

Blaine sits up immediately and stares at him. And stares some more. The gentle touch of Kurt's hand to his knee as he sits too, seems to jolt him to life once more and he blinks hard, but still says nothing.

"Did you hear me?" Kurt asks softly.

Blaine nods.

"Are you still alive?"

Blaine shakes his head.

"Come on Blaine. Talk with me."

"Now?" he squeaks.

"Yes. You know how important it is that we talk..."

"No, I mean...that...that thing that you said...you want to do that now?"

"Well...it takes nine months...plus we would need to go through all the surrogacy process before that... From what I've read the shortest time it would take would be a year... So I want to start the process now, yes."

"You...but you..." Blaine starts, but trails off uselessly and shakes his head.

"I have thought this through very carefully, Blaine," Kurt tells him as he shuffles closer on the bed and takes his hands in his. "I really believe that now is right for us. We're settled, happy in work and home life, we have really good incomes...both of us...and I also think that the way our careers are right now would work well for bringing up a baby between us. I don't think we would need much daycare. It would mean I couldn't come to as many of your performances of course, but I'm sure there will be plenty of willing babysitters who could help out."

"But you're twenty three," Blaine says softly, reaching out to cup Kurt's cheek. "You're still a baby yourself."

"I am not!" Kurt laughs. "I'm young, yes. But you're..."

"Not."

"No. You're not. Realistically we could be approaching twenty five and forty by the time we actually get to hold a child in our arms, and I think that would be pretty perfect. I'd like it to be sooner, of course...but we'll take what we can get."

"I can't believe we're discussing this," Blaine says, laughing nervously. "I've been waiting for this day for years."

"I know you have. And I know you've waited patiently until I was ready. And I am ready. Now. And more importantly, we're ready, as a couple. A year ago we were nearly done, but we fought back and I'm so glad we did, because everything that's happened since has been better than I could have ever imagined. I know that you would never ask me, Blaine, which is why I'm sitting here, telling you that I would like to have a child with you. I'd like to be a family of three."

"Before..." he starts, but breaks off to laugh in disbelief again. "Before I explode in tears of joy," he says, trying to suppress his ear splitting grin, "Tell me; is it surrogacy you see for us?"

"Yes," he says, scrunching his nose as he thinks. "I'd like a child that is uniquely ours."

"That can't happen," Blaine says sadly. "I wish it could but..."

"It can though," Kurt counters. "Because whoever's...y'know...we use, the baby will still be equally both of ours. We will raise her together, she will have elements and traits of both our personalities in her."

"It's called sperm and you don't know it would be a girl!" Blaine laughs.

"Whatever it is we're not calling it sperm," Kurt smiles, sticking out his tongue.

"I'd want to use your...y'know...sperm," Blaine teases, his grip on Kurt's knees becoming tighter as he grows more excitable.

"Oh, but curly hair," Kurt pouts, tugging on his dark locks.

"Oh, but beautiful blue eyes," Blaine says, gazing happily at him. "I have a brother and a niece and nephew."

"You look nothing like any of them."

"No, I know. But I have them. You're an only child... I don't know...I just think it would mean a lot to me- and your dad too of course- to see the Hummel legacy live on. At nearly forty I don't have a huge, overwhelming desire to have a child that is genetically mine. I do however, have a desperate longing to have a baby with blue eyes and chestnut hair, who I can look at and be reminded of the husband I love so very much. And Kurt...because I'm older, I win. So there's that."

"Okay," Kurt smiles. "Okay. So...we're doing this?"

"We are," Blaine says, tackling Kurt back against the pillows and kissing him soundly. "We're having a baby."

"So we thought we'd get you all together..." Kurt says to the assembled parents two weeks later as they sit on their couch, staring at them.

"That way you all get to know together," Blaine says, looking at Kurt and trying to hide his smile "We're going to try and have a baby."

The noise is quite simply deafening, the roars from Burt and Mike and the excitable screams from Carole and Sara as they clutch one another has Kurt covering his ears and laughing loudly.

"We said try!" Blaine calls. "Right now there's nothing. We're just looking into things. But we thought we would tell you in case...well, in case we're maybe a bit stressed, or distracted...you'll understand why."

"I'm knitting, darlings!" Sara says, wiping at her eyes as she crosses the room to hug them both tight. "I'm going to start tomorrow. Oh! Oh! A baby! Kurt, what color should I knit?"

"Pink."

"Kurt!" Blaine reprimands. "Mom, if you really want to knit stuff now then do neutral colors. Yellow, white..."

"Okay," she smiles. "So...pink."

Kurt smiles smugly as Blaine thumps his forehead, opting to accept hugs from Burt and Carole instead of labouring his point. "If you want my hug you'll have to come here," Mike calls. "I don't trust myself to stand right now."

"Hey," Blaine says as he goes to him. "You okay?"

"Yes, just a bit wobbly with emotion," he says with tears in his eyes. "Can I ask?" he lowers his voice and leans a little closer.

"Kurt's," Blaine says with a nod. "And it's no secret. We'll be using Kurt's sperm."

"Blaine! Please don't use that word in front of my dad," Kurt moans.

"Sperm?" Burt asks in surprise. "Well it's an important part of the equation."

"Sperm and eggs, darling," Sara says brightly as she heads to the kitchen. "Sperm and eggs."

"Oh god. I knew we shouldn't have told them."

"It makes no difference whose sperm you use anyway," Carols says as she hugs Kurt close. "This baby will be one hundred per cent Hummel-Anderson, and no doubt the best dressed musical prodigy Chicago has ever seen."

"Please stop saying that word," Kurt moans. "It grosses me out, and now all of you know what I've got to go do..."

"Think of Jane Fonda," Mike says, then remembers his audience. "That might not be helpful. What about that stripper from your bachelor party? Not him," he says, gesturing to Blaine. "The other one."

"Be quiet now dad," Blaine says. "And you had left by then anyway. How did you even know about that?"

"We know everything," Burt says proudly.

"I told them darling," Sara trills brightly as she comes in with a tray of coffee. "Carole and I hear everything from Rachel."

"I might suggest a direct house swap with Cooper in LA," a horrified Kurt says to an equally as stricken Blaine, who nods.

"Uh-uh, strictly not allowed," Mike laughs. "I've cheated death twice on the promise of this baby, I'll be counting down the days until I can hold it in my arms."

Wes cries at the news. Then becomes flustered when he offers to help in any way he can which makes Blaine laugh for hours. Rachel squeals and squeaks until Finn promises to sit on her, and Joe immediately begins making a list of annoying toys he can buy. Santana is the coolest of the lot, and carries on nonchalantly eating the lasagna Blaine has made while listening to them explain.

"So what happens now?" she asks, leaning back in her chair and pushing her plate to one side. "One of you jerks in a pot then they turkey baste some poor woman with it?"

"Yep."

"Blaine!" Kurt reprimands. "It's not like that at all. We're using a gestational surrogate, so my...y'know...will be ...yeah...and then they...yeah."

"Sperm," Blaine explains to her, pouring more wine. "Kurt can't say the word for some reason. His sperm will be used to create embryos with donor eggs and they'll be implanted in a surrogate."

"Isn't there a higher risk of twins or something?"

"In these circumstances, yes," he explains, eyes narrowing when Santana laughs. "What's so funny?"

"Just trying to imagine you two with two babies. Ha! Yeah. I needed a good laugh. Thanks for that... So all of this takes how long?"

"Well because Blaine is fabulously rich we can afford the best clinics, so we've done the uh...donating part," Kurt says with a blush. "And the eggs are ready to go, we just need to find a donor and we're all set to give it a try."

Santana swallows her mouthful of wine and sets her glass on the table. "I'll do it."

"Haha," Blaine laughs. "Yeah right."

"I'm serious," she says, fixing her dark eyes on him. "I'll do it."

"Santana, sweetie," Kurt says, patting her hand kindly, "the surrogate is the one who carries the child. You're getting mixed up with the egg donor."

"I'm not getting anything mixed up, dumbass," she snaps. "I know exactly what the role of a surrogate is and I'm offering to be yours, no payment required. I'll do it."

Realizing she isn't messing about, Blaine fumbles under the table, finding Kurt's trembling hand and holding it tight. "Oh my god you're serious," he says, stunned. "Kurt, she's not joking."

"Why aren't you joking? Blaine? Why isn't she joking? Why would you want to do that for us?"

"Lots of reasons," she says calmly with a shrug. "But let me start by saying this. I've known this day would come since...well, since you two got together really. And I always knew I'd offer. Lacy and I had been dating three weeks when I told her of my intentions; she knows everything and supports me in my decision. I've been reading up on the subject since you guys got married, preparing myself, making sure I would be able to make an offer I was comfortable with and wouldn't want to back out of halfway through." Smiling, she looks down and plays with the stem of her wine glass, momentarily overcome while Blaine and Kurt wait patiently. "I don't want children of my own. But it seems a shame to let a womb as fabulous as this go to waste," she jokes lightly. "I need this to be clear. I'm only offering to be an oven, it's your cupcake. I know that I can do this, and I would relish the opportunity to have such a special bond with your baby. But I can't be the egg donor too. I think this way, I can be fabulous Aunt Santana and your kid will grow up to learn that I gave birth to it because you guys couldn't, and that's great- I would really hope I could be a part of their life. But I don't think I'd be able to do that with a child that's genetically mine fifty per cent. You guys are my family," she says quietly. "I can never thank you enough for all that you do for me, the way you just include me with your own families as if I was one of them, the way you're always there for me... Well, actually, I love you two a whole lot more than I love my real family," she says sadly. "So the offer is there, if you want to take me up on it. I won't be offended if you say no, I guess really it's a straight up choice. If you choose me then you'll see every step of the pregnancy, you can come to all the appointments, watch me give birth...but ...I'd hope...you'd also see a lot of me afterwards. It depends if you think you can handle that or if you'd rather have a surrogate who will slip quietly out of your life immediately after."

"Uh..." Blaine clears his throat. "Thank you. I don't really know what to say except I am in awe of such an incredible offer. Actually, I was mulling all this over the other day, and I was thinking about who our baby would have as a female role model. It will have Rachel and Kathy, obviously, and Claire too, now she's moving back. But you... You are the one I want most of all. I think you will make an amazing aunt, and whatever we decide, please know that we want you to have that role in our child's life, okay?"

Santana nods, eyes brimming with tears which for once she doesn't try and hide. "I know I'm not always a very nice person," she says quietly. "But I do love you."

"You are a nice person," Kurt says firmly, coming around to her side of the table and crouching in front of her. "You really are. We love you, our families love you and Lacy loves you." Hugging her close he looks over her shoulder at Blaine who gives a small, imperceptible nod. "And we would be honored if you'd be our surrogate."

Three months later.

"You're like a fucking mother hen, Blaine," Santana snaps as she strides out of the hospital. "Just leave me alone."

"I can't help it," Blaine says as he hovers anxiously at her side. "I feel like I should carry you or something," he says, withering under her glare. "Or at least keep you flat."

"They're not going to fall out," she huffs, storming across the parking lot. "Or at least, I hope some will, at some point, cause I sure as shit ain't giving birth to six babies."

"Six!" Kurt says, blanching somewhat at the thought. "That's an awful lot."

After a lot of flapping and worrying from Blaine, eventually, at his insistence, Santana is put across the backseat with instructions to keep her legs elevated as he drives. "So when will we know?"

"They can test me in four weeks," she tells him, bored now and waiting to go home to Lacy. "But that won't be definite."

"We'll be in Hawaii."

"Well of course," she snarks. "I'm telling you, once all this is done with I'm going on a vacation at your expense."

"Thought you didn't want payment?" Kurt snarks, turning around to poke his tongue out at her.

"Shut it, child bride"

"Keep calling me that and I'll call you teen mom."

"Kurt, darling, if Santana wants a vacation, she can have a vacation," Blaine smiles sweetly. "We might all be needing a break in nine months time."

"Good point," he concedes.

"Hey, Blaine, come on. You have to remember what that doc said. There's a very slim chance of it happening the first time around, okay? I've not been on the drugs long and..."

"I know," he nods, cutting her off and not wanting to think about it. But he lies in Kurt's arms that night, excited butterflies dancing in his stomach as he allows his hopes to soar and his dreams to build until it's nearly three in the morning and he's trying to sleep but his mind is filling with images of babies in strollers, or being rocked in cribs.

"Go to sleep," Kurt murmurs, making him jump.

"Sorry. I am trying I just can't switch off."

"I know," he says, finding his lips with his eyes still closed and kissing him lightly. "But you can't lie awake like this every night for the next three weeks. Close your eyes and try and think of all the ways we can have sex in Hawaii. Like counting sheep but better."

At Blaine's insistence, Santana has blood taken at the hospital the day before they fly to Hawaii. They pace the waiting area nervously, and are eventually called back inside. "Well, Mr. Hummel-Anderson... I have to say, it's very early to be doing a pregnancy test," the doctor says, making Blaine feel like a naughty school boy. "But your husband tells me you won't be able to relax on vacation otherwise, which in turn might hinder your performance at the upcoming Schubert recital to which my wife and I have tickets. So!" he continues brightly as Blaine looks to Kurt who smiles benignly. "We can't have that."

"Look, baby making doctor," Santana interrupts. "Cut the crap, these guys are bugging the shit out of me, keep asking if I feel any different, am I eating okay, have I thrown up... And the answer is no. So just put them out of their misery."

"You may not feel any different right now, Ms. Lopez," the doctor says with a smile. "But you will soon. One embryo has successfully implanted into your womb. Congratulations, gentlemen. You're going to be daddies."