The book of love

[heloula]

The book of love   Title: The book of love (2/?)
Author: heloula / helaluvE
Rating: T
Warning: a bit of angst and lots of OC
Fandom/Pairing: glee/ Kurt&Blaine/ Finchel and lots of other
Summary: There are things you cannot forget. Blaine and Kurt are about to find that out. Future fic includes all the glee clubbers and their kids .


Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters. The rest is miiiine!

A/N: A big warm thank you to Star (star55  ) for being my beta and being generally awesome!

Part II: Of dinners and dares.

Information traveled fast. Especially nowadays. However the speed with which the news of Blaine's return traveled throughout the group of friends was outstanding. Two hours later they were live chatting about it. 'They' meaning everyone besides the main witnesses of the event. The main consensus was "Holy crap!". Action needed to be taken but after hours of discussion they all seemed to come to the same conclusion: there was nothing they could do but wait. Rachel had quickly texted Mercedes to let her know that Kurt had left soon after he saw Blaine. She was kind enough not to mention that he almost ran out of there as if evil dogs were chasing him. He had mumbled a quiet 'Hello' before "remembering" that he had a dentist appointment. He didn't dare look at Blaine. He just ran and dialed Aidan's number. They made quick arrangement to see each other and he hung up before shutting off his phone. He was always great at dealing with things no matter their implications but now... now he needed to forget and not feel anything for a few hours.

"He's gonna see him," Finn sighed.

Rachel frowned. "You don't know that."

"Don't I? I saw him take out his phone before the turned around that corner," he said putting his arm around his petite wife. They were still at the hospital. Blaine had taken Melisande into surgery to remove her tonsils. Rachel and Finn had remained in her small room, torn between worrying for their child or her uncle.

"Kurt is an adult, Finn," she was still frowning (scowling really) when she said that so Finn knew she hated the Aidan situation as much he did.

Aidan had become that relationship for Kurt. They were nothing to each other besides easy escape from reality. Aidan was a wannabe actor that Kurt had met a few years back. Finn had never liked the guy. There was something unpleasant about him. Something that you couldn't really explain but that made Finn more than a little uncomfortable.

He pulled Rachel closer and kissed her temple. There was nothing to be done except take a deep breath and pray for the best.

Melisande's surgery went without problem and she was released that day, despite Rachel's mighty scowl.

"Are you sure it's alright for her to go home?"

Blaine smiled reassuringly, too used to overprotective parents. "You have nothing to worry about except what ice cream flavor she's going to have."

"Uncle Kurt said I could have as much I want," Melisande smiled up unaware of the awkwardness around her.

"He's... Um, he's right. I'll see you in a week to make sure that everything is fine, okay?"

"OK, caramel-eyes," she grinned and despite the emotional turmoil he had just been through, he smiled warmly at her. Blaine turned to her parents who were smiling proudly.

"It was good to see you, guys," he said truthfully. They nodded at him.

After a moment of shifty eyes and throat clearing, Rachel broke the silence. "We didn't know you live in New York."

"I moved here after my internship."

"Small world," Finn mumbled. He had a knack for making difficult situations even more awkward than they were.

And suddenly, Blaine had the urge to laugh. Suddenly he remembered the good times. The laughter, the songs, the hugs, the sleepovers, winning Nationals with McKinley. He remembered friendship and easy talking and the constant drama and how perfectly chaotic that year he spent at McKinley had been. They had been crazy and memorable and they had been the best. He remembered that before the heartache there had been joy. Pure, simple joy. It was good to remember what had mattered.

"My shift is over. Wanna grab a coffee? It tastes absolutely awful but I'd like to catch up, if that's alright," he asked.

Finn and Rachel looked at each other for a second and then they nodded, throwing him smiles. So they went down to the cafeteria and they talked. They told him about the Center of the Arts that the glee club, Emma, Will and Coach Sue had opened a few years back in Lima. They told him about marital bliss and how it was all a myth. Finn was a guidance counselor in a New York high school. Rachel had been cast to play in London's Wicked right after high school. When she came back to New York a couple of years later, she played in several other musicals before being cast by ABC for the main role of the smash hit Audrey's secret life. A dramedy about a diva who helped disadvantaged kids find their way to their dreams. The show had lasted for five seasons before Rachel had decided to invest herself in the creation of an original musical. She also had a couple of chick flicks under her belt but that was just Rachel. When she put her mind to something, it happened.

He learned that his old classmates had all settled down and were fairly happy.

Mercedes had made it as a singer in L.A (three albums, many awards and she was now an American Idol judge) but of course, he already knew that. Lauren was her agent and she had her own E! Show. Funnily enough they had married brothers. Richard Cooper was Mercedes' husband, he was a Literature teacher in high school. They had two kids together; Ryan (4) and Charlotte (2). Eric Cooper, Rick's brother, was a journalist.

San Evans was now a fairly well known photographer. He married Zoe Massie, who was famous for her cupcakes and other tastes of heaven. She owned several bakeries around New York called, Zoe's Heaven. Penny (11) and Harry (9) were their beautiful children.

After a series of jobs that had absolutely no links to each other, Puck had opened his own garage in New Jersey. He specialized in fixing bikes. As for Quinn, she did become a real-state agent in Ohio and was pretty successful but being successful isn't all that interesting when you're not really happy doing what you do. So when the opportunity arose to be a kindergarten teacher in New Jersey, she took it. And after almost two decades of playing a game of cat and mouse, she and Puck started dating. No wedding plans so far but it shouldn't be long, or at least that's what Rachel said.

Blaine was not really surprised to learn that Mike and Tina's relationship had survived college, long distance and different careers. Mike was a famous choreographer and Tina had become a G.P. They lived in Manhattan and were the proud parents of David and Patrick (twins- 8) and Elsa (5).

Artie took his brilliance and general awesomeness and went on to become a physicist. He now taught Physics at M.I.T. He was married to Alexandra Hotchkiss, respected astrophysicist from London. They too have three kids: Paul (7), Lucy (5) and Adam (3).

Perhaps the most surprising of them all was Santana who had become a social worker in Lima. During her last year of college where she studied law, she got to see more closely the wrong sides of things. She finished college and went back to Lima to work with the social services. Brittany had become the new Cheerios coach at WMHS and was the dance teacher at the newly opened Center of the arts. Fate always found a way to work its magic and the rest is history as they say. They adopted two kids: Max (10) and Maria (7).

Blaine was truly amazed that they all had remained so close to each other. It was sad to say but he only vaguely remembered some oh his classmates' names. He only remained friends with some of the warblers and his only close friends from that time were David, Wes and Jeff. After spending half an hour catching up about the New Directions kids, he was blown away to realize that they all basically lived with each other, even though they were scattered around the country.

"This is amazing, guys," he said with a baffled shake of his head. The coffee had grown cold and they were smiling amicably at each other. Melisande was seating between her parents, coloring a book. She kept glancing up at him and smiling as if she knew him.

"It hasn't always been easy but we managed," Finn said with a shrug of his big shoulders.

"Oh from what I hear, you more than just "managed". Rachel, you were absolutely amazing in Mamma Mia!"

Blaine had to blink at the proud grin Finn bestowed on him. Rachel smiled like someone who had never gotten used to receiving compliments but Finn's whole face lit up with fierce love.

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"And do your kids all get along?" Blaine asked tilting his chin toward Melisande.

"Well, so far there's seventeen of them and they don't get to see each other that much but so far so good," Rachel explained.

"Ask us again in ten years," Finn sighed and Blaine burst out laughing.

They were quiet for a while, thinking about the past and how one day a chance meeting can make you realize how fast everything goes by.

Rachel cleared her throat and Finn shot her a glance. Throat clearing from Rachel meant she was up to something.

"You know, we'll be celebrating Will's birthday on Sunday and everybody is coming over," she started and Blaine shifted in his chair. He prayed silently that she wouldn't go where he thought she was going.

"That's nice. How old is Will?"

"He'll be four, next week. Anyways, Tina and Mike are throwing a pre-birthday diner party on Saturday-"

"Rachel," Finn interrupted, his tone warning.

His wife chose to ignore that completely. "Everybody is going to be there and I'm sure they'd all love to see you again."

Blaine closed his eyes as if in pain. She did go there but then again, he wasn't really surprised. It was Rachel, after all.

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea," he finally said. His voice had suddenly gone hoarse and he barely recognized it. "Don't get me wrong. It was really great catching up and I'd love to see the rest of the gang but..." he sighed trying to find the words when clearly there weren't any.

"Yeah, we know," Finn spared him.

After that, the spell was broken and reality came crashing back in. So, they exchanged good byes and hugs and they parted ways at the cafeteria door. Blaine watched them go, his heart aching in the most bittersweet of ways. He was about to turn around when he saw Melisande running back to him. She was smiling that beautiful smile and he couldn't help but smile back. She skidded to a stop in front of him and crouched down so they were eyes to eyes. She extended her small hand and he saw a slip of paper in it.

"This is for you caramel-eyes," she said softly. He chuckled at the nickname and took the piece of paper from her. She leaned over to kiss his cheek and hug him. He was a bit surprised by the gesture and looked up to see Rachel smiling at them. He remembered that she had mentioned earlier how affectionate her daughter could be. "You must be the Prince," she softly in his ear before running out of his arms and towards her parents. Blaine frowned at her words and looked at the paper, hoping it would explain her whispered words. It didn't.

154 7th av & 14th st.

Dinner is at 8.

His lips turned up. When did Rachel write this?

It was 6 P.M and the sky was darkening with big angry gray clouds. He was still sitting on this filthy bench. He had been sitting here for three hours, now, not being able to make a decision. He crossed his arms, huffed and scowled for good measure. He didn't need this. He was fine just the way he was. He had a fantastic career, fabulous friends; his family was as close as it could be... He had his own fashion line for crying out loud! He didn't need Blaine Freaking Anderson to mess with his head now.

He looked down at his still turned off phone and sighed . He thought about his friends and wondered how crazy they had gone over that piece of gossip, because there was no way something as huge as that had stayed secret for more than 60 seconds after he had left the building. At this point nearly eight hours after the happening, given the quality of the scoop and the fact that he had technologically cut himself off the gossip chain, the crazy barometer must have exploded. He almost smiled at that image. He thought about turning his phone back on just to read some of the jewels they had sent him (especially Santana and her razor sharp tongue) but then Aidan came to mind and he shoved the phone back in his pocket.

He looked down at his coffee stained shoes and pants and winced. They were definitely ruined. It was a testament to his state of mind that he hadn't thought of them until now. He didn't even think about changing after leaving the hospital.

The hospital.

Blaine.

Doctor Anderson. Damn, that was hot!

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a world where that image didn't cause pain. It didn't work; there was no such world and the pain was very real. It tore his heart and scattered its pieces all over his chest. He'd thought that after fifteen years it wouldn't still bringing tears to his eyes but he already felt traitor prickling at the corner of his eyes. Apparently, pain only gained strength when teamed up with guilt.

Pain he could deal with; he had done so too many times to count. Guilt was a whole other story. His eyes still closed, he thought about Blaine and him for the first time in years.

They'd been so happy; happier than he remembered ever being. Sure, they had been young and kind of naive but that didn't change the fact. They had been really happy. And that had been the problem. He'd had time to think about it. Fifteen years, and too many sleepless nights to count, had given him plenty enough time.

There had been so much laughter. Sometimes they'd laughed so hard together, his tummy would ache for hours. There had been sweet, lovely, lush kisses. There had been more than kisses. There had been songs and piano lessons and serenades. It had been so simple, so effortless, so brilliant. Around them couples had emerged and disintegrated with more frequency than their glee club meetings but they had remained strong; they had run the distance. Ironic to think about it that way, now but it was true and despite some downs, their ups had been beautiful. Kurt had made a great job at hiding it, but when the time came to make a decision, it had terrified him. What if we don't make it? What if he found someone else? What if we can't concentrate on our studies because of our love trouble and one of us loses everything we had work so hard to achieve? What then? Will he resent me? Will he stop loving me? Those were the questions plaguing his mind at night when he couldn't sleep.

He hadn't wanted his memories of those special months to be spoiled by the bitterness of a long distance relationship. So, on the very last day of summer, the day Blaine was supposed to drive with him to New York and to Julliard, Kurt ended it. To this day, it was the hardest thing he had ever done. Both literally and figuratively. Blaine had refused to listen. They had talked for hours, they had argued, they had fucked, they had cried, they had screamed, they had made love and they had cuddled but in the end, Kurt couldn't, wouldn't change his mind. It had been exhausting and he had never hated himself more but he did it. He ended his relationship with Blaine and he broke both their hearts in the process.

Kurt felt something cold on his cheek and it took him a few seconds to understand that it wasn't raining. He wiped the tear away and tried to erase the memory of Blaine's face on that hot summer day fifteen years ago. He looked at the building in front of him and sighed. Aidan was bound to be angry. Hell, by now he must be seething... Or maybe not. It wasn't like they owed each other anything. However it was the epitome of rudeness to make plans with somebody and then, instead of showing up, spend the rest of the day staring at the apartment's building of said somebody. Kurt was sure he'd have to delete at least one angry voice mail later.

Almost as soon as he'd made that blasted phone call as he was walking (quickly) away from the hospital, he'd regretted it. He hadn't seen Aidan in weeks and to be blunt, he wasn't too heart broken about it. However this morning, the shock of seeing Blaine... It had been too much. He'd needed to forget and Aidan was always the fastest way to oblivion. However when the taxi had dropped him here, he hadn't been able to go inside. So, he sat on this dirty bench and just stared at the building all day long. He wasn't used to the feeling of helplessness. He liked control; being in charge. Right now, he felt more out of control than ever and it needed to stop. 'Think about something nice,' he told himself.

So of course, he thought of Melisande and Will. His adorable and utterly too loveable for their own good niece and nephew. That however didn't make him feel much better about himself. He'd promised Melisande he'd be there for the surgery but he'd missed it. Tired of feeling guilty, he took out his cell phone and turned it on. The assault of emails, texts and missed calls was almost overwhelming. He ignored them for the time being, scrolled down his list of contacts and called Finn.

"Hi," his brother said after the first ring. His voice sounded odd; a bit unsure. Kurt rolled his eyes; he knew that tone of voice. Finn had never been good at hiding stuff. He really was like a giant kid, sometimes. Kurt chose to ignore that for the time being and stored his questions for another time. "You alright?"

"Fine. How's Melisande?"

"She's well. She's eating ice cream and watching Aladdin... Again." Kurt could hear the smile in his brother's voice. For some inane reason, he had to fight tears again. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Good. Can I... Er, can I come over? I still have to finish telling her that bedtime story."

"As if you needed to ask, dude" he could almost hear Finn rolling his eyes. Kurt got up from the bench and went to the curb to hail a cab.

"OK, I'll be there in an hour. Tell Rachel that right now I need food like she needs Barbara Streisand," he drawled and his brother laughed.

"I'll tell her. See you in a bit."

"Bye, Finn."

They hung up and Kurt jumped into a cab. He closed his weary eyes on a sigh. He managed to hold the tears until he was home and by the time he was under the shower, he let the sobs overtake him.

"Charlotte Mary Cooper, if you don't stop running right now, there will be no desert for you!" Mercedes called after her daughter. Charlotte came to an abrupt stop and turned to pout at her mother.

"Does she think it'll work?" Kurt chuckled from where he was standing, next to Mercedes.

"She forgets that I invented and mastered that look," she said raising an impatient eyebrow at her daughter. Charlotte sighed, flicked her hair and marched out of the room, her pretty nose in the air.

"She's got attitude," Zoe smiled at Mercedes.

"That's how we roll," Mercedes laughed and Kurt high fived her.

"Where is that man?" Alexandra Abrams exclaimed coming into the kitchen. Her gorgeous red mane seemed to vibrate with the force of her frustration.

"If you're referring to your husband, he's probably with the rest of them in the toy room," Rachel supplied sipping her iced tea.

"And by 'them' she means those immature Neanderthals we call husbands," Lauren explained further.

"They went in there half an hour ago and they have yet to emerge," Quinn added.

"Mike bought a new toy," Tina said with a mischievous smile.

"And by 'toy' she means a sixteen foot wide trampoline," Kurt smirked.

"We probably won't be seeing them before next week," Rachel said.

"Or when they get hungry," Tina countered.

"Whichever comes first," Mercedes laughed.

"Let's hope no one gets hurt," Alexandra said looking worried and rightfully so, Kurt thought. The possibilities of injuries were very real and the means were endless. That toy room of Mike's was heaven and hell, it really depended on who you asked. Alexandra kept glancing at the door as if she expected one or several of the kids to come running in bleeding out.

"Don't fret, we've become pros at tending to boo-boos," Kurt said patting her hand.

"Hell, by now we're almost doctors," Quinn exclaimed. She had meant it as a joke towards Tina who was already a doctor but it fell flat when Kurt's face blanked and she realized she just had a severe attack of the Footinmouthitis. The friends exchanged uncomfortable glances. It had been four days since the "incident" and Kurt had yet to mention it to any of them. To say that they were all dying for information was the understatement on the decade. Not the century, though since Kurt had made them go through the same thing in the previous decade. There was only two people who knew what happened that day; one of them had cut himself off their lives and the other one was as talkative on the subject as mute and deaf person.

The gang had been kind enough not to pressure him for information. The only ones acting strangely were Finn and Rachel. Kurt had attributed it to the fact that they were his closest friends. They'd always been too protective of him. Now, however, as he watched his sister-in-law and co director avert her eyes from his, he wondered if something else was going on.

"Rach-," he started but was interrupted by the door-bell.

"I'll get it," she said before jumping out of her chair and running to the door.

"The party don't stop 'til I walk in," a familiar voice sang from the hall and the group of friends gathered around Tina's kitchen table laughed. A few seconds later, Brittany, Santana, Max and Maria made their entrance.

"Mom! I'm starving," Patrick complained a few moments later. He rubbed his tummy for good measure and Tina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Mom! We're starving," Sam whined with a smirk. He came to stand next to Patrick and put his hand on his shoulder. He had an identical misunderstood and abandoned male expression on his face and one of his numerous cameras hanging from around his neck. He turned to look at his wife who tried to look irritated but instead looked more like an infatuated teenager. Sam snatched a picture before she had time to react; Zoe glared and he blew her a kiss. Kurt didn't know if he was jealous or nauseous. Both, he decided.

It only took a few seconds for the rest of the kids (male adults included) to pile up in the kitchen. It was a huge room but it wasn't made to contain seventeen hungry kids and seventeen adults.

"Let's start, shall we?" Mike asked and everybody helped get the table ready. There was a flurry of movement, a lot of noise and Tina lost a few dishes on the way but they managed to transfer all the food and drinks to Tina's unbelievably long dinner table. Quite an achievement considering the amount of food she had prepared and the food everybody had brought along.

"Colour me impressed," Eric said from his side of the table. There was an enthusiastic chorus of agreement. Tina blushed a little before ordering them to "Just eat!".

Kurt looked around himself and smiled. They'd done it again. They had managed to all come together once more. This bizarre group of friends that couldn't seem to live without each other. He loved it. His wandering eyes came to rest upon Rachel and he was surprised to see her eating quietly. It wasn't like her; usually this far into the meal, she'd be boring everyone with a casting story of some sorts. She always had one ready, just in case. Not tonight, though. She just ate quietly and would occasionally pause to glance at her watch. Something was definitely amiss, Kurt decided. He really hoped it had nothing to do with Glory days. They were so close to having everything ready; he couldn't bear a new problem, not this week. He sighed and decided to worry about it another day. That was what Mondays were for anyway.

Dinner was a very loud and heart-warming affair. With so many young children to feed and look after, it was mostly chaotic but Kurt and the rest of them wouldn't have it any other way. Between moments of reprimand, the adults regaled themselves with juicy gossip (famous and not so famous), they made plans to visit the Center of the arts soon and put together a show. And of course there was talk about the musical. Kurt and Rachel were the heads behind the music but each of them had participated a little bit. Some more than others. Especially Mike and Brittany who had created the choreography for the show. It had taken weeks and lots of trips between New York and Lima but they had managed and the co-directors were absolutely ecstatic about the results.

Just before desert, the door-bell rang. There was a slight pause, where almost everyone looked around as if to determine if someone was missing. Almost everyone. Rachel and Finn looked more anxious than confused. Finn definitely looked worried and he was doing a poor job at evading Kurt's eyes. As for his wife, if she bit her lower lip any harder she was going to draw blood.

Kurt frowned. "Did you invite someone else?" he asked Tina. A thought suddenly occurred to him but he dismissed it before it could solidify. It couldn't be. They wouldn't have dared do that to him. As soon as he thought that, he froze because Rachel Berry? She dared on a daily basis. It was her motto in life.

"Well, Dave said he'd try to come," Santana volunteered.

"Yeah, but he said he could only fly over tomorrow," Puck countered.

"Would someone, please, go answer the door?" Zoe finally said rolling her pretty green eyes.

Kurt had yet to draw a proper breath.

"I'm on it," Melisande said already on her feet.

"Wait!" Puck called but she was almost at the door. He followed her anyway. "Six year-old aren't supposed to answer the door," he grumbled at her.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this," she protested. The group laughed at her serious tone.

"Move away, bug," Puck chuckled. There was a pause where they heard the door being pulled open and Kurt tried very hard to stay conscious.

"Prince Caramel-eyes!" Melisande exclaimed and Kurt closed his eyes for a moment. He knew that nickname. Rachel had dared. He opened his eyes to glare at the Hudson-Berry couple just when Puck's voice floated over to them.

"Holy crap!"

A/N: if you stuck around for so long, why don't you leave me a comment?