“I’m sure it’ll… I bet she’s…” Kurt looked up at Blaine, who looked back at him and took a deep breath in and out.

“God, Kurt, I really hope this works.”

“I know. Me too. I know we should prepare for the worst-“

“But we’ve both spent all this time missing him. We can’t go through all of this-“

“It’ll work. It has to.”

“You know we shouldn’t get our hopes up.”

“But do you think Stephanie would let us get our hopes up if she didn’t think she had this? I know this week has been a total mess. I know that you didn’t think you’d see your dad again, and that these circumstances aren’t ideal… but maybe they’re actually perfect? I mean, what if you get him back, and you get Stephanie, and we get the baby? I mean, it’s like your family’s doubled in a second.”

Blaine frowned. He looked at the floor for a second, then back up to Kurt, his eyes widening and his grip on his hand getting tighter. “Blaine?”

“You’re right. It could work. It could actually work, and we could go back to New York with a baby. With our baby. Our son. Oh my God, you and me and a little boy. Can you imagine it?”

Kurt smiled.

“I can’t imagine anything else.”

There was a knock at the door. They both jumped up and Kurt ran to answer it. This door didn’t stick like the one in their previous room; Alexander had paid for them to stay in the same hotel as him and Stephanie – on different floors, thankfully. They were getting on just fine without overhearing any… noises. Alex burst in, grinning so excitedly that he looked like Blaine again. Stephanie followed calmly, trying not to laugh at him.

“You should have seen her! I didn’t even see her, she just… wow, I don’t even know what to say. For a start, she deserves a fucking medal for not punching her, but she was just so cool and smart and such a badass. If I were Rebecca I’d be shitting myself right now. I’d be squeezing that baby out and handing it right over. God.” He grabbed Kurt without thinking and hugged him. Kurt stiffened for a second, surprised, then hugged him back timidly, looking back at Blaine, who shrugged, fighting back a laugh.

“Boys, do you know what this means? She’s got no chance. He’s as good as yours.” He finally released Kurt without even noticing that he’d lifted him off the ground, and walked back to Stephanie, sweeping her up and kissing her cheek. She screamed with laughter.

“Alex, put me down! You’re too old for that!” He did what she asked and tried to catch his breath.

“I am old. I’m so old I’m almost a grandfather. Three days ago I was barely even a dad, and now this? Holy shit.” He walked over to Blaine, suddenly oddly hesitant. He paused, and laid a firm hand on his shoulder. Blaine snorted and threw his arms around him.

“Thank you,” he craned his neck to see Stephanie, “both of you.” She smiled.

“Well, we’re still not there yet. We have to have some meetings to try and put an end to this. You two have to stay away from the hospital, away from Becca, so it doesn’t look like you’re harassing her. You need to be model citizens.” She flinched as her phone started ringing in her bag. She fumbled a little reaching for it; apparently she was more nervous than she let on. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the screen, but answered it anyway. “Good afternoon, Stephanie Anderson speaking. Oh, Scott, good to hear from you. Am I right in assuming this isn’t a social call?” She breathed slowly, looking concerned as the voice responded. “Right. Of course we’ll come to you. Yes, ten sounds perfect. We’ll see you there.”

The three men looked at her expectantly.

“Well?” asked Kurt, his fingertips reaching for Blaine’s wrist only for him to grab his hand.

“The good news is, I know him. The bad news is, he’s good. We’re having a meeting tomorrow.”

“Is he kidding? How the hell are we supposed to be ready by then? Wait, how is he- oh.”

Blaine turned to Alexander, worried.

“Oh? What does ‘oh’ mean?”

“Blaine, he knows the case. Becca’s been preparing for this. We’re meeting in a conference room at the hospital, which is exactly what I would’ve done in their position. Minimal notice, and we’re bang in the middle of her comfort zone. I know it’ll be weird going back there, but I take back what I said before. You have to come too, and I’m sure it goes without saying, but you have to stay calm. You’re the victims in this, remember. I know you want to act all strong and brave in this, but the best thing you can do in there is show as much emotion as possible.”

They looked at each other before reluctantly turning back to Stephanie. They had to save that for tomorrow. If they opened the floodgates now, they’d probably shrivel up with dehydration before dinner.

“So tonight, just dinner and a movie. Relax. Try not to think about it and get an early night. We’ll come and get you at nine so you can prepare yourselves and get to the hospital.” She looked down at their hands, which were desperately clutching at each other. She stepped towards them and put one hand on Blaine’s arm and the other on Kurt’s cheek. “It’s OK. Scott’s good, but I’m better. We need to go; we have a lot of work to do. But call me if you have any questions. We’ll be down in the restaurant drowning in paperwork.”

They each breathed out a single laugh. She pulled them into a hug, the three of them closing their eyes as Alexander smiled and put a hand on the small of Stephanie’s back.

“I promise we haven’t flown all this way for nothing, boys. We’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded cordially at Kurt and Blaine, smiling warmly. He thought she’d probably hugged them enough for both of them.

As soon as they’d gone, Kurt flopped back onto the bed.

“Oh my God, Blaine. I feel like this week is never going to end,” he noticed Blaine tapping furiously at his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“She told us to get dinner. How does Chinese sound?”

Kurt smiled and sat up.

“I don’t care, as long as they deliver wine too. Two nights in a row is probably bad, but it’s been a weird couple of days.” Blaine slipped his phone into his pocket and climbed onto the bed behind Kurt, kneeling so that he was pressed up close to him and wrapping his arms around him. He buried his nose in the side of his neck, and Kurt reached up to hold onto the arms that were folded across his chest and sighed. “Blaine, can we just…”

“Sure. Food can wait.” Kurt laughed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.”

“Well, I have to prioritize. Family first. Anyway, pretty soon we might have to set an example, and I need to start earlier. I’ve got more work to do. We can’t all be born perfect like you.”

Blaine slipped his hands down to Kurt’s waist and kissed the top of his head then shuffled back to lean against the headboard and Kurt crawled over and sunk back against him, resting his head on his chest and a hand on his stomach. It was nice to just stop and breathe and feel Blaine do the same. He closed his eyes and lazily kissed his chest.

“Blaine?”

“Mmm?”

“Will this be enough?”

“Will what be enough?”

“This… us… me.” Blaine looked down and took Kurt’s hand.

“Kurt-“

“I mean, it might still go wrong. She said this guy’s good, and he’s had more time – I’m just worried about afterwards. We’d have to go home, just the two of us, no baby. What if we never have a family… will this be enough?”

Blaine pulled Kurt in tighter, stroking his hair and kissing his forehead.

“Kurt, we do have a family. This, you and me, this is my family. You’ve been my family for over ten years. Nothing’s going to change that. As long as I keep coming home to you, and keep getting to hold you like this, I’ll have more than I’ll ever need. I need you, Kurt. You’ve always been more than enough.”

Blaine meant it and Kurt thought it too, but it didn’t stop them hoping. Kurt was picturing Blaine holding the baby, Blaine zooming a spoon towards a toddler’s mouth and making stupid aeroplane noises, Blaine and a little boy, both of them covered in paint trying to make Christmas cards.

Blaine imagined Kurt singing and rocking him to sleep in the middle of the night, Kurt teaching him how to read, Kurt letting him lick the bowl after spending a whole day baking with him. They both imagined taking him for a walk in the park, all wrapped up in coats and scarves, the three of them holding hands. At first they tried to push the images down as they flashed into their minds, but then they remembered what Stephanie had said about showing their emotions. They let the pictures wash over them and let themselves believe it was all possible.

They didn’t get dinner. They didn’t watch a movie. They fell asleep dreaming of the family they had already and the one that was being dangled in front of them and knew either way they’d be happy. But they definitely both had a favourite option.