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Getting older is something Blaine knew to expect. Since he turned 40 last fall, he’s discovered a few more gray hairs, gained a few more pounds, and started dealing with a little chronic pain in his left knee. Kurt laughs off his complaints and tells him he’s still just as beautiful as the day they met twenty-five years ago.
What he never prepared for was his kids getting older. Or rather, he never prepared for Chris’ newfound preteen sullenness. He gets it, of course; seventh grade is much harder, and Chris, as one of the shortest students in the class, doesn’t excel in athletics as much as others do. He’s strayed away from his old teams and decided to focus on learning and his piano lessons, though they’re already becoming boring.
It’s two weeks before Christmas and they still haven’t received his wishlist for the holiday. Lilah’s was written, revised, and printed out on the fancy pink cardstock left over from her birthday before Thanksgiving, and Kurt has already managed to track down most of the items she wants. But the amount of prompting Chris to write his out isn’t working.
Kurt finally decides to address the elephant in the room on a Monday when he’s off his newest show. “Chris, if you don’t give Dad and me ideas on what you want for Christmas, I don’t think Santa will be able to leave anything for you.”
Chris snorts. “Right, Papa, I still believe in Santa.”
“Watch what you say, your sister is in the room.”
“What’s he talking about?” Lilah asks.
Blaine shakes his head. “Nothing. Go to your room, sweetie.”
“But Daddy, what about the cookies?”
“Now, Delilah,” Blaine growls. Lilah hops out of her chair and scurries up the steps to her bedroom. “Sorry about that,” he says to Kurt.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Anyway, Chris, what’s going on with you? Normally you’re so ready for Christmas and to go back to Ohio, yet you’ve been ignoring us this year. Is school going alright?”
Chris shrugs. “Yeah, I guess.”
Kurt glances at Blaine in worry. “What do you mean you guess?”
“I just…” He sighs. “Some of the guys are giving me trouble, and it made me think about things.”
“Who?” Blaine asks. “Do I need to go to Mrs. Longchamp about this?”
“No, Dad, they aren’t threatening me. They’ve just said things that have made me think.”
“About what?”
Chris stares down at his half-eaten pork chop. “About why my mother isn’t in my life.”
Blaine breathes a sigh of relief, though he knows that what’s to come could cause problems. They put the discussion off for so long, and now Rachel’s back in California, working on her television show. “Is that all you’re concerned about?” he asks.
“Yeah. I mean, Lilah gets to see Kate a couple times a year. Where’s my mom? Why doesn’t she come to visit? Does she not love me that way?”
“Chris, of course she loves you,” Kurt replies, reaching out for his hand. “Things were a little different when we had you as compared to when Lilah was born.”
“Then can I meet her?” Chris looks back and forth between them with large, sad eyes--oh, how Blaine wishes Chris didn’t inherit them at times. “Please? That’s all I really want for Christmas. I don’t care about the video games or the clothes--”
“What?” Kurt gasps. “Are you sure you’re my son?”
Chris rolls his eyes. “Funny, Papa. But all I want is to know that she’s out there, and that she does care about me. Tasha says I’m crazy and shouldn’t worry about it, but I want to meet her. Can I?”
Blaine musters up a smile and ruffles Chris’ hair. “Tell you what...Papa and I will contact her, and we’ll see what happens, okay? She is out there, and she does love you.”
“Okay,” Chris says. “May I be excused now?”
“Of course,” Kurt replies. As soon as Chris is out of hearing distance, he sighs. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“Very,” Blaine nods. “Do you think Rachel will say yes?”
“Yeah, I do. She was sixteen when she finally met Shelby, so I don’t think she expected to keep this from Chris for nearly as long.”
“I don’t know that I’d consider twelve to be nearly as long…”
“You know what I mean,” Kurt says, smiling. “Now, let’s get dinner cleaned up and I’ll call her tonight before I go to bed.”
They work together to decide when and how to reveal the news to Chris. Since everyone will be in Lima for the holidays, it’s decided that Kurt will take Lilah, Bryan, and Hudson to Dayton to see The Nutcracker. Meanwhile, Blaine and Chris will enjoy a boys’ day, or so Chris thinks. They watch some football at Grandma and Grandpa Hummel’s house, and after the game Blaine drives out to the Lima Bean to pick up some hot chocolate. As he gets back in his car, he texts Rachel that he’s on his way back and that Burt and Carole, aware of the situation, will be leaving for dinner.
She rings the doorbell at 5 on the dot. “Will you go answer that?” Blaine asks Chris. “Make sure you don’t tell them Grandma and Grandpa aren’t home, explain that they’re too busy to come to the door.”
“I know, Dad, I know.” Chris gets up and answers the door. “Hi, Rachel!” Blaine hears from the entryway.
“Hey, Christopher!” Rachel says. “Can I come in?”
“Dad, can I let Rachel in?”
Blaine chuckles. “Of course you can.” He stands up from the couch and greets her as she walks in. “Hey, you.”
“Blaine!” She rushes forward into his arms and kisses his cheek. “You’re still as handsome as when I last saw you.”
“You mean when you were in town to be on Fallon last month?”
“My days blur together with everything on set and Hudson’s recitals. Half the time I can’t even remember what I ate at lunch.” She takes a seat on the couch, on the other side of Chris. “So how are things out east? Everyone’s good?”
“Yep. Kurt and Lilah are out right now and won’t be back until late this evening.”
“Great. That’s wonderful.”
Chris reaches for the controller located between him and Blaine to turn the sound up, until Blaine takes it and hits the power button. “Hey, I was watching that!” he exclaims.
“I know you were, but we need to have a talk,” Blaine says.
His eyes shift between them. “About what? I’m not babysitting while we’re up here so the four of you can go have fun. Unless Tasha’s there.”
Blaine grins. He’s fairly certain Chris developed a slight crush on Natasha once Sam and Mercedes relocated to New York and she started at Simon Academy. “That won’t be until New Year’s. No, this is about what we discussed a couple weeks ago.”
“What about?”
“About wanting to meet your mother.”
“Oh.” Chris shifts a bit. “Did you talk to her?”
“We did, yes.”
“And?”
Rachel takes his hand. “And I’m right here.”
Chris’ eyes go wide. “No fucking way,” he shouts.
“Language, Christopher,” Blaine says sternly.
He stares at Rachel. “Are you really her?”
She nods, tears welling up in her eyes. “I am.” She reaches down into her purse and pulls out a few photos from her pregnancy with him. “It was my idea, when your dads’ original surrogate had to change her mind. I wanted to do something special for them, just the way my mom did for my dads.”
Chris looks through the pictures. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks quietly.
“I didn’t want you to view me as your mom when you were younger, because it would have taken the attention off who your real parents are. Originally I really didn’t want to have children.”
“Because of Uncle Finn?”
“Because of Uncle Finn,” she nods. “But the good thing is I met Bryan then, and I actually didn’t mind being pregnant as much as I thought I would. And the day you were born, seeing the absolute joy in Blaine’s eyes as he held you for the first time, I knew then that I wanted one of my own, even though I technically already had you.
“We always planned on telling you, we just didn’t know when or how.” She pulls out a magazine--an issue of People released in October of that year, with Rachel on the cover holding baby Chris. ‘Rachel Berry’s Surprise,’ the headline reads. Underneath, ‘Why she gave birth to her best friends’ baby.’ “It’s never entirely been a secret,” she says as he flips to the article. Another picture leads it, Rachel still cradling him with Kurt and Blaine behind her.
“‘Rachel Berry shocked the world last week when she announced that she gave birth on July 2nd to a baby boy,’” Chris reads out loud, “‘but as a gift. The child, named Christopher Mark, is the son of Berry’s best friends, Broadway star Kurt Hummel and his husband, Blaine Anderson.’” He skims through and looks at the photos they released to People. “I think I have your mouth,” he says, looking at another photo.
“Are you okay with this?” Blaine asks. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“No, it’s great,” Chris replies, closing the magazine up. “I feel bad, though, because I always thought she didn’t love me, and she actually does.”
“Of course I do, Chris,” Rachel says. She leans in and hugs him. “I will always love you, because I love your dads. That’s why I had you.”
“I don’t have to start calling you Mom now, do I?”
She chuckles. “Only if you want to, although it might confuse Hudson to hear you say it.”
“Then you’ll still be Rachel.” He pulls back and turns to Blaine. “Thanks, Dad. This is the best gift.”
Blaine smiles at him. “You know Papa and I only want to please the two of you. Now, how about we celebrate this by going to Breadstix?”
“Yeah!” Chris jumps off the couch and rushes to grab his coat. “Can I have order some cheesecake while we’re there?”
“Now are we sure he’s yours and not Kurt’s?” Rachel whispers to Blaine.
“Hey, Lilah was Wonder Woman for Halloween this year, I think we’ve both influenced them.” Blaine leads the two of them out the door and to Rachel’s car. When she starts it up, the station she has tuned into is playing a very familiar eighties tune. “Human League? Really?” Blaine laughs.
Rachel glances into the rearview mirror to see Chris bopping along. “Okay, maybe he is exactly you and me.”