"Adopted?!"

Blaine was in shock. Blaine was happy he was sitting down because he was definitely in shock. Or he was dreaming. Or hallucinating, maybe someone had drugged him: it wouldn't be the first time someone from a rival glee club tried to take him out.

Because this shit didn't happen in real life: you don't all of a sudden find out you're adopted at seventeen nineteen years old. You just don't.

And yet.

"Oh, honey no, you're my son, really, it's just your father…"

Blaine looked at his dad. Or who he had believed was his father for his entire life at least.

The man formerly known as 'dad' grimaced. "Your mother and I were separated. Cooper had just started boarding at Dalton and I wanted to travel but your mom really wanted to do some work on the house, renovate and do some yard work. We fought about building our life and if our marriage had been focused on Cooper for too long… we took some time apart. And while I was away…" 'Dad' looked at Blaine's mom in this resigned sort of way. It was obviously an old argument: one that didn't hold any weight anymore but was something that both parties had worked through and accepted.

It wasn't worked through and accepted for Blaine, though.

"Mom, you cheated on Dad?! I'm a bastard?!"

"She didn't cheat," 'Dad' jumped in to defend his wife. That was comforting, at least. "We were on a break. I"m not angry."

"And you're not a bastard." His mother rushed to comfort him. "Legally, James is your father: he adopted you before we even left the hospital."

"So you're only half adopted." James smiled awkwardly.

Blaine wasn't buying it.

"Okay, so who's my real father? My biological father?"

James clapped his hands together and took a seat, smiling up at his wife, smugly. "I love this story." She glared down at him without any intent and he just winked and rested his chin on his fist, still grinning.

Blaine was still shocked that his parents could be so casual about this, so cavalier. He'd always idolized his parents' marriage and as confusing and sad as this news that his father wasn't his father was, he couldn't help the rush of pride that ran through him that his parents were just as he's always known them: totally supportive of each other and in love.

God, it sucked that Blaine was only biologically linked to one of them.

Pam Anderson took a deep breath, looking at Blaine searchingly before she started her story. "Your father and I were separated." Which Blaine knew but his mom seemed determined to drive the point home. "I missed him terribly, of course, but I was also furious with him for him seeming to think that once Cooper was gone we were free of all responsibilities." Blaine saw James tense out of the corner of his eye. Pam saw it too and hastened to correct herself. "Of course that was unfair of me and we've worked that out and we don't begrudge each other anymore but the point is I was angry and missing him and alone, so I did exactly what I thought would cheer me up: I went to a bar."

Blaine snorted but his Pam gave him such a mom-look he immediately quieted and waited for her to continue.

"I'd been out of the game for a long time so I wasn't exactly sure how it was done anymore but, lucky for me, there was a young man, a drifter, who wanted to pick me up. And when I saw 'young man' I mean barely twenty one: exactly the kind of boy I had picked up last time I trolled through bars. And it didn't hurt that he was the exact antithesis of your father: he was flirty where your father was shy and snarky where your father was sweet. I won't scar you with the details of the encounter itself," Blaine winced. "but in that moment he was exactly what I needed. He left early the next morning with a pot of coffee waiting for me to wake up and a plate of pancakes cooling on the counter." Blaine could swear his mother looked wistful. He looked at James to see his reaction but James looked shockingly wistful as well. Blaine didn't know if he wanted to look further into that rabbit hole.

"Anyway," his mother picked the story back up with a clearing shake of her head. "A couple weeks later I found out I was pregnant and I immediately called James. I knew I would never see the drifter again, and even if I had I couldn't imagine raising a child with anyone but my husband. Your father came back and, with a new child to focus on, we sorted ourselves out and here you are! As wonderful and well-adjusted as we could have hoped for you to be."

"And going to college and getting married and all!" James interjected clapping Blaine on the shoulder with a smile. "And luckily, after you went off to school we were both too old to imagine anything outside of the wonderful life we'd built. And now your mother likes to travel too!" Pam smiled adoringly at him and walked over to sit on his lap, kissing his temple. Blaine would have normally been nauseated but hearing this story really did make him appreciate his parents.

Except now there was a third parent to consider.

"Yeah, okay Mom, but who was the young drifter guy? What was his name?"

His mother sighed but turned to face him while on James's lap, her arms around his neck for balance and his hand supporting her back. "His name is Dean Winchester. I never did get around to asking him why he was here but," She blushed, not looking at either of them. "over the next week when I was telling my friends about that night," She bit her lip and let out a giggle. "they were all so quick to jump in on him. You know how rare strangers in Westerville are and this boy was so attractive. My friend Carrie – you know Carrie, she helps with the Christmas tree in the park every year? – she told me that Dean was poking around The Old Bag of Nails? That tavern on North State?" She shrugged. "I don't have his number or anything, and it was so long ago, but you're a man now and you should have a chance to know your birth father."

Blaine gaped. "That's all I get? A name and the fact that he hung out at a tavern for a couple days twenty years ago?"

James shrugged, careful to keep Pam on his lap. "Better than nothing. And hey! This could be like a quest!" James grinned excitedly. "Blaine this is your trip to Mordor!"

Blaine dropped his head in his hands to hide his smile. There really wasn't anything funny about this situation. There is no reason for him to be smiling right now. He just found out his father wasn't his father and his real father was some sketchy drifter who got off in picking up older women in bars. Everything was fucked up. Blaine stopped smiling into his hands.

A beat of silence or two passed before Blaine felt his mother's hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her sympathetic face. "Blaine, you don't have to do anything with this information. You can just accept it and move on. But if you want to do something, if you want to search him out, your father and I will help and support you however we can."

Blaine looked at his mother and all of the rage and distrust he knows he should probably be feeling towards the woman who lied to him for his entire life, it just wasn't there. He loves his mother. How could he not when she so obviously loved him back, even after all the shit he'd put her through.

So no, he wasn't angry, but he also had no idea in hell what he was going to do next.

"Adopted?!"

He'd made Kurt sit down before he told him the news but Kurt still somehow found a way to make his reaction dramatic by knocking over several picture frames with a wild flail of his arm.

"That's what I said!" Blaine waved his arms back, knocking more things over. "But no, listen." And he told Kurt everything his mother had told him while righting the picture frames.

They were only in Ohio at all because the semester had just ended and Kurt had wanted to fly home and see his father for his birthday. Blaine stopped in on his parents while Kurt and Burt had quality time and, for whatever reason, they decided to drop the bombshell then. Supposedly it was so Kurt and Blaine had ample time to invite Dean's biological father to the wedding, but Blaine was actually convinced it was just the universe's part to knock him down a peg any time he felt comfortable in Ohio.

Kurt was nodding by the time Blaine finished his story. "Damn, Blaine. Your mom the slut."

Blaine shot him a look. Kurt smirked but moved on.

"So what do you want to do? Do you want to look into it?" He looked regretfully at his suitcase. "I definitely didn't pack the right clothes for a roadtrip adventure."

"No one said anything about a roadtrip." Blaine started pacing. "We don't even know where this guy lives. If he lives in California, what, we're supposed to spend weeks driving across the country?"

"If he's in California, Cooper could always help." Kurt allowed. "Wait, does Cooper know?"

"Oh shit, I didn't even think about that, probably?" Blaine thought about it. "You know, I don't know if Cooper ever really thought that much about things that went on outside of himself, especially at that age. I don't want to have that conversation with him, regardless."

"Hmm, well even if he is in California, or if he's not! It wouldn't hurt to find out more about him even if we don't go find him." Kurt reached for his laptop and opened it. "You haven't Googled him yet, have you?"

"Wow, no." Blaine sat close to Kurt so they could have the computer on both of their laps. "I didn't even think about it: the first thing I wanted to do was come home and tell you."

Kurt turned affectionate eyes on him and kissed him noisily on the cheek before turning back to the computer to open google. He sounded the words out as he typed them. " r." and he hit enter with a flourish.

Immediately, at least a dozen news reports popped up describing a wanted fugitive by the name of Dean Winchester. In some, he was wanted in St. Louis for several counts of murder, then dead but apparently he wasn't dead because he was arrested again a year later, where he escaped only to be arrested another year later where he escaped to be at a bank holdup and then dying again only to resurface years later to go on even more killing sprees until he, of course, died again.

Kurt was reading the same thing Blaine was. He sucked air in through his teeth and patted Blaine's knee. "That's probably not him, Blaine. There can't only be one Dean Winchester in the world."

Blaine took the comfort but it still added up to the same thing. "There's gonna be nothing on the internet about any Dean Winchester but this guy so Google is basically worthless."

Kurt 'hmm'd sympathetically, setting his computer to the side. "So you think we gotta do this old school?"

Blaine sighed and stood. "Yeah, looks like." He helped Kurt to his feet. "Let's go check out a creepy pub for traces of my ghost father."

"How long ago did you say this was?"

Blaine rubbed the back of his name with his free hand, the other one shoved deep in his pocket. He would give anything to be holding Kurt's hand right now but this was still Ohio, and it wouldn't help anything if the people here were unhelpful when being bigoted.

Blaine was reluctant to give his answer. This girl couldn't have been more than 25. Wau too young to be helpful. "Around twenty years." Blaine did some quick math in his head. "Probably November?"

"Way before my time." The girl confirmed. "But Janice has been here forever, she might know. Hang on for a sec, yeah?"

The girl went into the back before they could answer, leaving Kurt and Blaine standing in the mostly empty pub. It being only about three o' clock in the afternoon, the only other patron in at the bar was an old guy who was completely absorbed in his rueben sandwich. Blaine risked reaching out to squeeze Kurt's hand for support before dropping it as soon as the bar girl came back out, tailed by an older woman.

The younger girl didn't appear to tell her what they were after because the first thing she asked was "How can I help you boys?"

Blaine sighed and recited the same lines he'd said when he walked in: the line Kurt and he had practiced in the car. "Hi, sorry to bother you. I know this might sound strange but I'm wondering if you could tell me about a patron you may have had here around twenty years ago? He would have been a drifter, only in town for a couple days, but I've been told he frequented this place while he was here and made quite an impression on the locals."

The woman, Janice he presumed, seemed to mull it over for a moment before eyeing Blaine. "Twenty years ago would have been 1994, yes?" Blaine nodded. "Seems like before your time."

Blaine nodded again, saying nothing.

Janice kept a wary eye on him but continued. "1994… around November?" Blaine nodded again, more fervently this time. "You wouldn't be looking for Dean Winchester, would you?"

Blaine nodded so hard and so excitedly he knew there would be a stiffness in his neck later. "Yes! That's who I'm asking for. So you remember him?"

Janice smirked and let loose a low whistle. "People 'round here are still talking about that boy. Made himself quite known, especially with the ladies." She chuckled. "Don't know how that boy got away with telling everyone he was twenty one: he couldn't have been more than 18 if he was a day."

Blaine tried to hide his disgust. It was bad enough that his mom at 35 had had sec with a 21 year old, but 18?

Blaine choked back his displeasure so he could ask his next question. "Could you tell me anything else about him? Why he was here or where I might be able to find him, maybe?"

Janice's smile slipped a little but she recovered quickly. "Now son, you're talking about a boy I haven't seen for twenty years. He could be anywhere on or below God's green earth by now."

Blaine, again, tried to hide his reaction as his hopes shattered. He thought he'd had a lead for one glorious moment, but even that was a bust.

Kurt, seeing through Blaine's brave face, put a hand on his shoulder in comfort, the barkeep, apparently, be damned. "Blaine, if he was as popular as she says, someone else in town has to know something." Kurt pulled him into a hug. "We'll find him, you'll see, it'll be okay."

Blaine gripped Kurt for maybe a moment too long because when he pulled back, ready to thank Janice, she looked a little too understanding. He was just opening his mouth to give a disappointed farewell when she huffed out a hurried 'hang on' before running back behind the bar and ducking below to rummage under the counter.

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other, lost, but before they could question it, Janice was back in front of them, extending to them an old and worn piece of paper. Looked like a business card.

When neither Blaine nor Kurt took the card from her hand, she shook it impatiently. "Well?"

Blaine took the card without looking at it, frowning at Janice. "Uhm?"

Janice rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I don't know what this is about or why you boys are itching to find a drifter but I can tell it's important. I don't know how to contact Dean but his Dad gave me his business card before they left town." She shrugged. "They were working together, John and Dean. They helped me out and gave me a way to call if I needed them again."

Janice turned and started walking away without a goodbye. Blaine looked down at the card and squinted down at the name, frowning.

"Uh, excuse me! Janice?" Janice stopped and looked over her shoulder, looking tired. "Are you sure this is right? This card says 'Aaron Burckhard'."

Janice snorted but nodded. "Yeah, that's right. I'm not sure you boys know what you're getting into here but, bit of advice?" She turned to face them fully, leaning on the bar. "Direct answers are hard to come by with these guys. You want straight answers you gotta ask straight questions and be ready for sleight of hand, understand? They're kinda shady but these are good guys." She looked Blaine square in the eye. "Don't let them distract you and don't give up. Dean'll show if you need him." And with that, even before he could say thank you, Janice disappeared again to the back room.

Back in the car, Blaine squirmed in his seat as the phone rang, on speakerphone.

The fact that it was even ringing was a good sign: after twenty years the phone number had a better chance of being disconnected. Granted, the number could now belong to someone completely different than who they were looking for but hey, the phone was ringing. They'd find out one way or another soon enough.

Luckily, before Blaine could really work himself into a panic, the phone was picked up.

"Midwest Sheriff's Council Association," said a reedy voice with a southern twang, "Sheriff Green speaking."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, stunned. They knew it was a long shot but this was definitely not what they'd expected.

"Hello?" the phone asked after a couple moments' silence.

"Uh, hi." Kurt spoke up when it seemed Blaine couldn't. "I'm looking for Dean Winchester?" Kurt shrugged helplessly as the phone crackled.

"You're looking for who? This is the Sheriff's–"

"Yeah, you said." Kurt interrupted. "But the thing is we were told this number would connect us to John Winchester, Dean's dad? But we're not really looking for John or 'Detective Aaron Burckhard' like it says on the business card. We want to talk to Dean."

Blaine just stared at his fiancee. The nerve of him. The confidence. The flawless demand in his voice. Blaine wasn't sure if he'd ever loved Kurt more. Or been more attracted to him.

The voice on the phone seemed taken aback as well, though probably for a different reason. "Who is 'we'? And where did you get this number again?"

Kurt looked at Blaine, nodding encouragingly. Blaine cleared his throat. "My name is Blaine Anderson and that was Kurt Hummel. We got this number from the owner of a bar near where I live. I'm calling because I need to find Dean Winchester." Blaine paused, unsure, but Kurt nudged him, nodding fervently. "I'm pretty sure he's my father."

There was a bit of silence before– "Oh shit!" and Sheriff Green, if that was his real name, was suddenly roaring with laughter. Blaine didn't know if that was a good thing or not but the Sheriff hadn't hung up yet so he at least didn't think Blaine was crazy.

When Green finally calmed down, Blaine could hear a shuffling of papers on the other end of the line. "I'm impressed, kid, that you even got this number. Lord knows how old that business card is. Oh man, John must have had all numbers forwarded to Bobby. Good thing, too: that old coot's one of the only bastards left who still had landlines, God rest his soul. Or whatever."

Blaine had no idea what this man was talking about but he seemed to know John so Blaine figured they were on the right track. He squeezed Kurt's hand and they grinned at each other over the phone between them.

"Here we are!" The man came back on the line, the sound of a sheet of paper being brandished clear through the speaker. "I don't have all of Dean's numbers on me but I can give you a couple. Man goes through enough burner phones to give a secretary a heart attack, I swear." The man paused before seeming to think of something. "You got a pen?"

Blaine scrambled but Kurt smoothly pulled a pen and notepad out of his shoulder bag, holding them in front of himself at the read. Blaine leaned over and kissed him before indicating he was ready.

The man on the phone rattled off three different phone number and made Blaine recite them back to him before he was satisfied. When he was done Blaine and Kurt could hear him chuckling into the phone again. "Dean, a father! Oh man, Sam's gonna love this."

"Wait!" Blaine called out, hoping the man could still hear him. "Do you know Dean?" He asked, nervously. "Could you tell me what he's like?"

Blaine's not sure how a pause could sound kind but that was what he received before the voice picked up again. "I don't want you to be scared, kid. Really. Dean's a good man; a good dad! He fathered an adopted kid near a year and I don't know if I've ever heard him sound happier when talking about it, except maybe when he gets sad because he had to leave that kid behind. I don't mean to laugh because I don't think he'd be up for fathering but, how old are you, 18?"

"19." Blaine answered.

The guy laughed. "See! I'm just thinking about barely legal Dean knocking up some chick and now finding out he's got a grown son. That's funny!" He laughed again as if to demonstrate. "Nah, kid, I think you'll be fine. So call Dean, see if he can meet you. Oh and hey!" Blaine could hear him smile in the phone. "After everything cools down, tell him to call Garth and tell him all about it!"

Blaine smiled at Garth through the phone. He'd been helpful and hey! Now Blaine had an actual number for his actual father! "I'll tell him. Thanks Garth!" And they hung up.

"This is Dean's other other cell. You know what to do." *beep*.

Blaine sighed but left the same message he'd left on the other two answering machines. "Dean Winchester, my name is Blaine Anderson and I'm from Westerville Ohio. I have just been given information I feel like you will very much want to know. I need to meet up with you. Please call me back at 718-462-3936. Thank you."

Blaine dropped his back against the seat feeling defeated. He didn't know much more about his father but what he did know, based on the descriptions from Garth and Janice and what he'd gleaned from Dean's voicemail, Blaine was not soothed.

For one: Dean's voice was deep. Like really deep. Intimidatingly deep and kinda gravelly. He sounded way more manly than Blaine ever did. At the same time, the bass timbre was kind of soothing. It was certainly life alteringly when Blaine had first heard it on the first number he'd tried. That was his birth father on the other end. That was the voice of the man who'd helped make him. It was bizarre.

What was more bizarre? Hearing the voice you'd hoped belonged to Dean Winchester introduce himself as 'Agent Stark'. Kurt convinced him it was just another fake name thing and this really was the right number and calling the second number confirmed it. "You've reached Dean Winchester, please leave your name and nightmare at the tone." *beep*. Blaine wasn't sure whether or not to be endeared.

Three cell phones. Dean hadn't answered one.

According to Garth, though, these were only three of Dean's phones. He might be carrying another one. Blaine would just have to wait and see if Dean would get the messages, assuming he would definitely call back.

Blaine wanted desperately to assume he would definitely call back.

Kurt was driving one handed, the other hand resting supportively on Blaine's knee. Now that Blaine was off the phone, he threaded his fingers through the spaces between Kurt's where they rested. Kurt squeezed.

They arrived back at Burt's house without Dean calling back.

They had dinner with Burt and Carol where Kurt and Blaine told them everything and reveled in the drama they'd created without Dean calling back.

They spent some family time in the sitting room, Blaine, Kurt, and Carol getting emotional during RentI while Burt pretended he wasn't just as deeply enraptured, without Dean calling.

They were climbing into bed, Blaine resigning himself to go to sleep without hearing back from Dean, when Blaine's phone finally rang.

"Blaine Anderson." He never answered the phone this way but Janice had said to be direct. This was direct, right?

There was the briefest of pauses before Dean's voice came on the line. "Yeah, Blaine Anderson," Blaine almost melted in relief, quickly putting the phone on speaker so Kurt could hear too. "Can I ask you, Blaine Anderson, how you got three cell phone number that connect directly to me?"

Blaine wasn't sure if he should give Garth up, considering he wasn't sure how Dean would take this, but Garth had told him to tell Dean to call him so… "I got them from Garth. He, uh, knew how important it was I contact you."

Dean cursed under his breath then muttered something to someone on the other side. Blaine waited.

He didn't have to wait long. "Mind telling me what's going on there, Blaine? Why you're so desperate to contact me?"

Blaine hesitated. Dean sounded defensive. Like 'shocking information that of the likes of fatherhood would be extremely unwelcome right now'. "Uhm."

"I swear to God, if you're another brother… I had no idea Dad got laid that much."

Blaine choked. His guess wasn't that far off. "No, I'm not a brother. Well, I have a brother, but you're not him. I'm not calling… for… that."

There was a pause, as if Dean was waiting for Blaine to tell him what he had called for. Blaine, however, could not get the words out.

Kurt took the problem out of Blaine's hands. "Look, Mr. Winchester, it would really be best if we could just talk about this in person. Are you anywhere near Ohio or will you be in the near future?"

Another pause, Dean apparently adjusting to another party in the conversation when "Sorry, who are you now?"

Kurt left that for Blaine to answer. Blaine deliberated before deciding to tell the truth. "That's my fiance, Kurt." Kurt smiled brightly. "If we do meet, Kurt will be coming too." Kurt pulled Blaine in kissing the top of his head. Blaine snuggled into him, content with his decision. Hey, if his father was a total homophobe, it was best to know up front.

Fortunately, Dean still seemed primarily perturbed with the mystery behind Blaine's insistence on meeting him.

"Okay, if we meet, sure." More muttering on the other end of the line. Dean seemed to be arguing if the hissing tone of his voice was anything to go by. Finally he grunted a clearly audible 'fine' before saying to Blaine. "We're in Santa Claus Kentucky right now. We can be there in four hours."

"Four hours? Four hours from now?" Blaine looked at the clock. It was 1 am. "That'll put you hear at five in the morning."

"Yeah," Dean didn't seem particularly bothered. "You said it was urgent."

"I said it was important, not urgent." Blaine sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I panicked you. I can wait, I promise."

Dean grunted, thinking. "Nah, better to get it out of the way. We'll let you kids sleep, get some sleep ourselves, and leave in the morning. Lunch okay for you?"

"Um, yeah! Yes!" Blaine stuttered, surprised that this was all happening so fast. There's a place we can meet. It's called the Lima Bean? It's at- "

"We can find it." Dean cut him off. "We'll shoot for noon. I'll text you if anything happens." And Dean hung up without so much as a goodbye.

Blaine didn't have a prayer of sleeping now.

Kurt pouted as they waited at their usual table at the Lima Bean at quarter to noon the next day.

"Didn't you complain about not having the right outfit for a roadtrip." Blaine reminded him, nudging his foot with his own.

Kurt sighed dramatically. "Yes, but since you brought it up, I've been brainstorming. I have at least six mental designs and materials I could get here in Lima or even in my old room that I won't get to try now. All those mental faculties. Wasted."

Blaine stuck out his lower lip in sympathy, nudging Kurt's foot again when Kurt just scowled at him. Blaine continued with the foot nudging until Kurt smiled. Blaine grinned back, leaning over the table to kiss him.

Blaine pulled back, ready to compliment Kurt on the outfit he had chosen when he was thoroughly distracted by three hulking gentlemen moseying into the Lima Bean.

'Hulking' may be unfair. They were just tall. Very tall. The shortest among them was at least three inches taller than Kurt who was two inches taller than Blaine. Could Blaine's dad even be that tall?

Kurt quickly caught up to Blaine's train of thought when he too spotted the men. "Do you think it's the short one?" Short was being generous seeing as he was probably 6'. "He's kind of got your coloring. And your nose?"

Blaine shook his head. "Coloring okay but my noise his wider."

"Well it's not the big one." Kurt nodded towards the tallest one who was at least a foot taller than Blaine, probably. "If you had even a little bit of that height in your genetics you wouldn't be as short as you are." Kurt tilted his head, considering. "Although that would explain the size of your dick."

Blaine stifled a laugh poorly, getting the attention of the nearest tables. The three men in line thankfully hadn't noticed yet.

"Thanks, babe, but…"

"No you're right." Kurt squinted, sizing up the last member of their party. "You know what? My money's on the pretty one."

"They're all pretty." Blaine pointed out.

"Well yeah but have you looked at the middle one?" Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine. Blaine looked more closely.

Kurt was right in saying that the tallest man probably wasn't his father: the height, the hair, and the jawline all conflicted with Blaine's own stature and facial structure. The only thing that could have related them was the eyes, as the tall man's had a similar goldish quality that Blaine's did.

The shortest man definitely looked the most like him: height and coloring and all. His hair was very dark, like Blaine's and though not quite as curly as Blaine's, the ruffled appearance of it and the way it curled behind his ears reminded Blaine strongly of childhood school pictures he'd seen of himself when his hair had fluffed up in much the same way. His skin tone was a similar olive shade as Blaine's and his build was much closer to Blaine's own wiry compact body than the taller man's was. It was in the face, though, that Blaine was unsure. Aside from the man's noise being too narrow and his eyes being far too blue – too blue to even be allowed – his expression was too neutral. His eyes curious but in a contemplative way. He didn't have the enthusiasm and passion in his face, in his stance, in his very being that Blaine had, as if it was too much to be contained and needed to be sung out.

So Blaine considered the third man. The middle-heighted one. The 'pretty' one. It was true that they were all pretty but looking at the man now, Blaine saw what Kurt meant: this man's face was symmetrically perfect. Well, bone structure wise. He had a perfectly proportioned mouth below a straight nose and large forest green eyes. The freckles on his face were prominent and erratic enough to keep looking at him interesting and the smirk on his mouth made it hard to look away. Though, as aesthetically pleasing as this man way, Blaine found he wasn't attracted to him. He was far more interested in the tap of the man's foot, in time with the Billy Joel music overhead. The man was also tapping his keys into his left hand, bringing it down to slap against his leg on every second and fourth beat. He had a near permanent smirk on his face but he smiled wider when he made eye contact, no matter who it was, and he looked around friendly enough to catch near everyone's attention. When he received a smile in return his eyes lit up and he nodded his head at the person, pleased to have made someone smile. He turned back often to talk to his companions, his eyebrow furrowing a bit each time one of the other men said something, as if they kept reminding him to be nervous. Blaine kept watching that foot. It kept it's tapping on tempo, no matter how distracted the man got.

He was just so full of energy. It was mostly nervous energy, it seemed, right now but the quickness to smile and the constant tapping to the beat… Kurt may have had a point.

Kurt defended himself with a different observation, however.

"It's all in the ass, Blaine." Kurt nodded wisely. "A perfect assed apple doesn't fall far from a perfect assed tree."

Blaine laughed but he was unable to bring himself to check the man's ass for confirmation. He would feel really weird about that later if that man was his father.

"Only one way to check." Blaine pulled out his phone and texted the number Dean had called him on yesterday. He typed up 'Green polo and gray waistcoat: small table left center' and hit send, watching the three men closely.

Lo and behold, not forty seconds later, the green eyes man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

Kurt pumped his fist in victory. "Goddammit, I'm amazing!" He looked back over and his eyes widened. "Holy shit, I'm going to have the hottest father in law on the planet."

Blaine would have said something about how it was too early to objectify his father like that except at that very moment, Dean had finished reading the text and made eye contact with Blaine. Like with every other person he made eye contact with, Dean smiled. But, now that Blaine could see his eyes, he also looked suspicious. Calculating. It was then that Blaine remembered that Dean had no idea why he was here.

All of a sudden Blaine remembered Blaine had to tell his father that he was his father.

He started to panic.

"Oh my God he saw me. He's coming over. I have no idea what the hell I'm gonna say what do I say how do I tell him he's my dad?"

Kurt reached over, moving from his usual seat across from Blaine to the chair next to him, and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Just breathe, we'll get through this, yeah." Blaine nodded shakily and Kurt lifted Blaine's hand to his mouth to kiss his palm.

Someone above them cleared their throat.

You know what? Blaine completely stands behind his initial assessment of 'hulking'.

"Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel?" It was the tallest man that asked. Dean was still very busy assessing and smiling.

"Blaine." Blaine introduced himself, eyes locked on Dean.

"Kurt." Blaine knew he was smiling even though he wasn't looking. "Please, would you sit?"

Dean took the seat directly opposite of Blaine while the shortest man took the seat directly to Dean's right. The larger man asked politely if he could borrow a chair from another setting and the five of them knocked knees from where they were crowded around the very tiny table they had claimed. Maybe Kurt and Blaine should have thought this through.

Kurt seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Sorry about the table. We didn't know there would be three of you and that you'd all be so…" He looked at the three of them, pointedly. "Big."

The tallest smiled, as if he was used to this assessment of himself. Blaine was sure he must be, given that he was taller than several bears.

The shortest man spoke for the first time. "We also would like to apologize. It was rude of Dean," the man shot Dean a withering look. "not to be completely candid with you over the phone."

"You fuckin' blame me?" Dean shot back, his voice even deeper. "Kid's got all my phone numbers and he won't tell me who he is. That's sketchy."

"Except Garth sent him so we know he's not." The larger man said, in a tired voice that spoke of repetition. "He could be a vic."

"Before we get to who we are." Kurt interrupted. "Do you mind introducing yourselves?"

Dean pouted and the larger man rolled his eyes speaking for him again. "That's Dean, as you probably know, and I'm his brother Sam. That there's Cas." The shorter man nodded. "We're not sure why you called but I figure it's got something to do with Metatron, yeah?"

"What?" Blaine's confusion finally broke through his haze of Oh my God that's my dad he looks so grumpy what the hell do I say. "Metatron? Like from Dogma? Alan Rickman?"

The three men looked surprised and then embarrassed. Sam looked uncomfortable, as if he regretted saying as much as he did. Dean took over.

"You said you had information. We figured it had to do with a thing we're dealing with." He shrugged, trying for casual. "If you don't know, we're not gonna tell you. The point stands, though: what kind of information could you have that I'd need if it's not about Metatron?"

Dean had that same look in his eye: the sceptical, suspicious, calculating, and dismissive glint. Blaine knew his defensiveness was a result of his anxiety – Blaine got the same way too – but Blaine was nervous as shit here and Dean's attitude wasn't making it any better.

So maybe it was partly from defiance at Dean's coldness or it was because his mind was too full of nervous energy to come up with words to put it delicately, but with Dean looking tough and Sam looking embarrassed and Cas looking… something, Blaine took a quick squeeze of Kurt's hand before blurting. "I think you're my father."

Dean's face changed almost immediately. His eyes widened, his jaw slackened causing his lips to puff out, his head tilted as if it would help his hear words that had already passed and a flush started crawling up his neck. "Come again?"

Blaine focused on the slow brush of Kurt's thumb across his knuckles and tried to ignore Sam's chair legs falling back to the floor or Cas's expression change that was drastic enough you could actually tell he was feeling something –– a feat that even Blaine not having known him long could tell was impressive. He looked at Dean and started to explain.

"November 1994, you were in Westerville Ohio doing something at The Old Bag of Nails. One night you went to a bar, picked up a woman, who was thirty-five at the time," Blaine couldn't help the judgement that seeped from his tone at that. "went back to her place and you…" Blaine made a vague gesture with his hands.

Kurt had no such qualms. "You guys fucked like rabbits, apparently."

Blaine flinched. "Kurt, oh my God, why?"

Kurt shrugged and smiled angelically.

Blaine rolled his eyes and addressed Dean again, whose wide eyes were slowly filling with understanding. "The next morning you left before she woke up but not before making ehr coffee and pancakes. You left town within the next two days without ever giving her your number."

Dean looked pained. "Give me a break, man! I was like seventeen."

Blaine choked. "Seventeen?!"

But at the same time Sam asked "Wait, Dean, what?!"

Dean looked at Sam. And then as Cas. Cas didn't appear to be looking any particular emotion but Dean still flinched before looking back at Sam. "You were in school, man. It was that school in Indiana you liked? The one with Space Club?" Sam nodded minutely. "Dad and I took a case a couple hours away in Ohio. It was a woman in white, easy shit, but it was the first time Dad let me take on the bitch while he got the bones. I got slapped around but I wasn't too badly hurt and Dad was happy! So I celebrated." He glanced at Blaine with terror in his eyes. He lowered his voice, addressing Sam again. "It was only like my third time having sex ever, okay? How was I supposed to know what it feels like when the condom rips?"

"Oh, gross, Dean." Sam leaned back, shaking out his hands as if it was a physical grossness he was experiencing. Cas looked unfazed but Dean flinched again when he looked back at him.

"Come on, man! Seventeen! And she was older, too, aren't all women like that either menopausal or on birth control?"
Kurt looked at Dean like he was an idiot. "She was 35, not 65."

"And tons of married women don't regularly take birth control."

The fact that she was married was definitely a blow to all three men, though to Cas, it seemed, the most.

He turned very cold eyes on Dean and said in a deep and threatening tone. "You had sex with a married woman, Dean?"

When Blaine had first heard Dean's voice he'd thought him intimidating. Cas, however, was on a whole new deep and intimidating level.

Dean shrank away from him. "I didn't know! She wasn't wearing a ring! She let me pick her up! We went back to her house and there was nothing that would have told me–"

"Are you sure you weren't just too… otherwise engaged to have noticed?" Dean was almost whimpering under the intensity of Cas's onslaught.

Blaine took pity on his father. "No, Dean's right." Both Cas and Dean's eyes snapped to Blaine. "My mom and dad – or James. Whatever, my Mom's husband and my adoptive father – were separated at the time. My mom didn't cheat or whatever and Dean didn't help her cheat, and my dad, James, isn't angry. I just meant to point out that she wasn't on birth control because she already had a kid and was in a monogamous relationship... until she wasn't."

Dean was basically leaking gratitude from his eyes and Cas looked appeased. Sam, however:

"Dean, Jesus Christ, you are really so irresponsible. You weren't even legal! You could have seriously fucked up this woman's life, I mean do you ever think about anyone but–"

"Okay," Kurt broke in. "I think that's enough."

Sam turned to look at Kurt, affronted. "Excuse me?"

"We went through a lot of shit to get Dean and Blaine here, driving all over town and asking people weird questions. We're not gonne turn this into a you-yelling-at-your-brother thing."

"Now wait, this is a family thing. I don't think you can–"

Kurt leveled his eyes at Sam, which still looked impressive despite the half-foot of height difference. "Dean was seventeen. Was he a dumbass? Yes. Should he have gone out to a bar? Nope. Do I even have any fucking idea what a woman in white is or why Dean was celebrating? Not a fucking one. But this isn't about that or about you or about whatever the hell those two have going on," Kurt gestured at Cas and Dean who, now that Blaine looked at them, were sitting about as close together as he and Kurt. "and I'm sure that all of that shit will be important later but right now," He gestured now between Blaine and Dean. "Father and son. Meeting for the very first time." He gestured to himself. "I'm here for moral support. If that's not gonna be why you stick around, get the hell out." And with that, Kurt rested his arm around Blaine's shoulder and settled in for what looked like he anticipated was a long conversation. Blaine grinned over at him and snuggled deeper into his side, never having been happier that Kurt was the person he was spending the rest of his life with.

Sam looked like he was willing to have argued with Kurt before he brought Blaine into his side but after the affectionate display, his expression melted and he let it rest. Kurt nodded in triumph and then raised an eyebrow at Cas.

Cas, just having realized he was being addressed it seems, sat up a little straighter. "It seems to me that I am also in the position of 'moral support'." And he raised his arm to drape around Dean's shoulders.

Dean batted him away. "Get off me, man." he grumbled, grabbing for the closest coffee on the table. Seeing as the three men never got around to buying coffees, he ended up taking a hearty swig of Blaine's medium drip. His eyes widened in surprise. "Damn, that's good."

Blaine smiled, slightly. "It's a medium drip. Starbuck's always has Pike Place as their medium roast but the Lima Bean has a feature every season. Spring is Cherry Blossom blend."

Dean nodded, taking another sip. "I get why they call it that. It's got this light sweetness to it while still being dark and bitter enough to be coffee, you know?" He took another sip and smacked his lips a couple times. "And did you put something else in there? Almond?"

Blaine grinned full out. "Close! Hazelnut."

"Hmm." It was then that Dean seemed to realize everyone was watching him. He quickly put down Blaine's coffee and cleared his throat. Appearing to search for a topic change, his eyes caught on Blaine and Kurt where they were snuggled together. "So you said Kurt was your fiance?"

Blaine nodded, feeling a warmth from Dean, his father, from his interest in Blaine's coffee and in his life with Kurt. "We've been together with high school and now we both go to school in New York together: NYADA." Blank looks. "It's the New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts. Kurt and I are performers."

"Oh." Sam smiled. "You know, I was into theater in high school." Dean rolled his eyes and even Cas looked exasperated. Kurt and Blaine smiled indulgently.

It went on like that for a couple of hours. It was mostly Kurt and Blaine talking about themselves with the occasional tidbit from Sam and Dean about their lives in high school. The three men seemed reluctant to talk about their lives at the present, and Cas about his life at all. Blaine knew there was something about Metatron and a Woman in White that his new dad wasn't telling him but he pushed that worry off for today. Today was about:

Aren't you a little young to get married?

Seventeen, Dean.

Touche.

And

Wait, Kurt, your Dad does cars?

Owner of Hummel Tires and Lube.

Dude, sweet, finally someone in the family who can appreciate the Impala.

You drive a what?

And

If Dean is Kirk and Cas is Spock, Sam, I'm guessing you're Bones?

(Yes.)(Yes.)

And the Kirk/Spock slash is totally canon.

Sam!

Finally, when Dean's phone rang, Blaine remembered. "Oh! Dean! Garth wants you to call him and tell him about–" Blaine searched for a word that encompassed everything that had happened, both today and with Blaine for the last several days. He settled on "this."

Dean grinned and nodded, locking his phone. When he saw the time, he frowned, looking up regretfully at the boys.

"Sorry, you guys." He sighed, stowing his phone in his pocket. "We weren't planning on being here so long."

"Yeah, it's not every day you meet your bastard son." Sam smirked.

Dean scowled at him. "Anyway, we really should be heading out."

"Wait!" Blaine reached for Dean's arm. "I'm not–" Not what? It's not like this meeting wasn't awkward. It's not like Blaine just forgot about James, the amazing man who'd been his father for twenty years (brief automobile related gay panic not withholding) and wanted to replace him with Dean, a man who was in some ways still a child himself.

But Blaine knew he wasn't done with Dean yet. And, though he knew next to nothing about Dean's life, he had a hunch that his lifestyle didn't lead to repeat encounters. And that wasn't okay with Blaine.

He tried again. "I didn't even get to ask you guys if you wanted to come to the wedding."

Sam and Dean seemed taken aback. Cas, however, just tilted his head in confusion.

"I thought it obvious that we would be attending, yes? Isn't it traditional that Dean be there to walk Blaine down the aisle?"

Kurt and Sam both coughed a laugh while Blaine and Dean looked embarrassed.

"Blaine isn't the bride, Cas." Dean explained. "There is no bride in this wedding. And even if Blaine did walk down the aisle, I'm sure he'd want his, uh, adoptive Dad to walk him."

"And our wedding isn't really traditional anyway." Blaine smiled at Dean, trying to ease both of their embarrassment. "I mean, even for it being a gay wedding it's untraditional. So no, no aisle walking necessary."

"What, no aisle?" Sam snorted. "What, is Kurt going to descend from the ceiling shrouded in mist?"

Blaine looked seriously up at Sam. "Don't tempt him."

Sam and Dean laughed but Blaine was actually serious. They seemed to realize this when, instead of laughing along, Kurt took out his notebook to make a note.

Dean chuckled again, somewhat awkwardly. "Well, you guys said you don't have a date set yet, but when you do you have my numbers." Dean paused, considering, before he thrust out his hand. "Give me your phones." Kurt and Blaine handed their phones over and Dean handed Kurt's phone to Cas, who immediately started typing.

Dean started in on Blaine's. "Cas is putting my numbers into Kurt's phone and we're both adding Sam's phones and Cas's. There's another way to reach Cas in an emergency but that only works sometimes." Cas grimaced at Dean who winked back at him before they both got back to work. "I'm also gonna program Garth's personal cell. He's kind of the informational hub for us."

"Your secretary?" Kurt asked.

Sam grinned. "Can you imagine how Bobby would react to being called a secretary.

Dean laughed but looked back at Kurt. "Not a secretary. Trust me." Dean tapped a bit more. "Sam's email is in there too – he's the only one that checks regularly – and there's also an emergency line to Jody Mills, who you do not know, but she's the only person I know who has a permanent residence that isn't invisible to satellite tracking." Blaine wasn't sure if that was a joke so he took it at face value: Jody was for emergencies.

"What kind of emergencies?"

All three men glanced at each other. "You'll know it when it happens."

It was silent for a couple moments but for the tapping of phone screens when finally Cas and Dean were done. Dean presented Blaine his phone with a great flourish while Cas just handed his to Kurt unceremoniously. Kurt grinned anyway but Blaine still wasn't settled. He still didn't feel secure about this and now everyone was standing up.

"But what about the wedding invite!" Everyone looked at Blaine who knew he was being hysterical but– "It's going to be very crafty and hand calligraphed and everything! We need a place to send it! Physical invitations are very important momentos to keep down the line."

Sam smiled indulgently and Dean looked back at Blaine with genuine affection. He looked at Sam with a shake of his head. "God, my kid's a nut." Sam laughed and Blaine's heart warmed, the hysteria in his head calming slightly as Dean came forward and snatched Blaine's phone out of his hand, giving it a few taps before handing it back. "There. In place of an address under my contact, there's our P.O. Box. That's the only place we can receive mail since our home doesn't technically exist."

Curiouser and curiouser.

"But what if we need to come to your house?"

"Call when you're close to the P.O. Box and I'll give you directions."

"But what if–"

"Blaine." Kurt spoke softly and caressed his knuckles gently. It was enough to make him stop panicking outwardly at least.

Dean picked up on that remarkably well. He stepped closer to Blaine, taking a minute to decide if she should place a fatherly hand on his shoulder or not. In the end, he went for it. "Blaine, look, I know this is gonna take some getting used to. I know. It's definitely gonna take getting used to for me. But I'm not disappearing, alright? I'm not gonna be around all the time and I'm not always gonna wanna tell you everything or keep you around me because it's dangerous. That's the job, that's my life. But I take care of my family. And whether I just learned it today or not, you're my family. And better yet: I like you. You're a good kid." He chuffed Blaine on the chin. "I'll be in touch."

Blaine surged forward and grabbed Dean in a hug. Dean only took a few shocked second to respond with a firm hig of his own. Dean was solid in build, a lot of muscle to run into, but his stomach was just a little cushiony. Blaine hoped Dean was a cuddler because, when they got to know each other better, Blaine fully intended on cuddling the shit out of his new Dad: he had like the perfect snuggle body. Blaine sighed and lay his head on Dean's chest: they were both the perfect heights to fit that way.

It was in that hug, that he finally felt like he could have this. After they broke away and Blaine hugged his new Uncle Sam (heh) and even hugged whatever Cas was to him and the three men climbed into '67 Chevy Impala (Kurt let out a low appreciative whistle when it roared to life) Blaine still had that feeling. He was adopted, and that kind sucked and it was weird. And Blaine had a new Dad that was only a couple years older than Cooper, which was definitely weird and kind of gross. And his new Dad and Uncle and Cas had this collective life that was weird and shady and probably meant a lot of stress for Blaine in the future.

But Blaine liked Dean and Dean liked Blaine and and everyone loves Kurt and Kurt approved of everyone and wow, Blaine's gonna have two dads at his wedding.

Ironically, and weirdly to no one's surprise, Cas and Dean decide to elope a couple months later. Since neither of them technically exist in the eyes of the government (a fact that Kurt and Blaine pretend to not have heard after they're told just for their own peace of mind), they have a low-key wedding with all of their friends and family, Kurt and Blaine included, and also several rows of empty chairs, apparently to commemorate those they'd lost. It was touching and sad but the event was largely a happy one, especially with Sam acting as Justice of the Peace.

Kurt spends most of the ceremony that his soon to be fathers-in-law beat them to the bunch. Blaine just beams that he gets to have three fathers at his wedding.

A/N: The Woman in White at the Old Bag of Nails in Westerville? REAL LOCAL LEGEND. I had to incorporate it, it was too good.