Happy Sunday and welcome to Quicksand! I can't tell you how happy I am to be back.

Thank you for waiting so patiently, for cheering me on, for messaging me about updates and the such. I'm truly grateful for your support.

I also need to thank Ela for the absolutely gorgeous cover art she made for this story. I couldn't be more in love with it. Sometimes I just stare at it for the longest time. You can find her on twitter as randombulous.

This story is unbeta'd. I'm doing my best with the edition of the chapters, but if there are any horrible mistakes that hurt your eyes, please let me know so I can take them into account. English is not my first language, and this is not only great practice, but continuous learning for me.

The title of this fic is from Tom Chaplin's gorgeous song. I encourage you all to listen to it, and to his beautiful album, The Wave.

I own nothing, but I certainly hope you will all enjoy.

When the phone rings after midnight, it can never be good news.

As he stared at his bed covered in clothes and the empty suitcase open on the floor, Blaine Anderson groaned in exasperation. Why had he put off packing until the last possible minute? His flight left at seven in the morning, and he still had no idea what to throw into the suitcase. And, as the red numbers on his alarm clock told him, he only had about five hours to figure it out.

It was a hot night in New York City. His bedroom window was open to let in the soft breeze. Blaine felt suddenly tempted to put whatever was closest to him in the suitcase and go to bed. But this was the first big vacation he was going to go on in a very long time. He didn't want to ruin it just because he forgot to pack enough underwear, or proper footwear, or extra shirts.

With a deep sigh, he went through all his options again. He picked a few outfits he really liked, and a few essentials. Then he moved on to the shoes, before going back to the clothes to discard a hoodie and a jacket he knew he wouldn't wear.

His phone buzzed with a text. He smiled when he saw it was from Jason, who would be coming along with him on this trip. Jason, who he had been seeing for the past few months. They weren't exactly dating, but Blaine hoped this trip would end up in a real relationship. He liked Jason: he wasn't sure if he was The One, but that didn't mean Blaine didn't want to be with him long enough to find out.

From: Jason

Am I the only one who completely procrastinated packing or…?

Blaine grinned as he took a picture of the mess that was his bed and sent it to him. Nope, he simply replied, and went back to work. He held a pair of beige capri pants and some yellow shorts up, trying to decide if they were worth bringing along. It was the first time he would be going to Greece, but he could picture himself wearing both while walking down the streets of Mykonos, with the sea breeze in his hair, Jason's hand in his, and his yellow shorts. Everything sounded… quaint.

Besides the prospect of getting a boyfriend - his life had been quite deserted on that front for the last couple of years -, Blaine was also looking forward to laying on a beach under the blazing sun for hours on end without a single care in the world. His work schedule for the past year had been demanding, to say the least.

Teaching hadn't been his first choice of profession when he was a kid, but now he couldn't imagine doing anything else. When he started college, he decided to take an English class, and everything had fell into place then. He took another English class the semester after that, and before he knew it, he had found a major he was passionate about, and realized he wanted to talk about literature for the rest of his life. Now, he was part of the English department on NYU, and though he loved teaching, he was glad he didn't have any papers to grade for a few more weeks.

At least this year he hadn't made the mistake of teaching an online summer class.

He pulled open the drawer on his nightstand, looking for his spare phone charger. Nestled next to the charger, there were a new box of condoms and a bottle of lube. He grabbed all three and threw them into the suitcase, just as his phone buzzed again, this time more insistently, signaling a call.

He didn't bother checking the ID: who else would call so late at night?

"You'd better be packing those black skinny jeans you wore on our first date…" Blaine said with a laugh.

"Mr. Anderson?" A voice said on the other end, making him pause. It was a woman, instead of Jason.

"I… yes?" He said, confused.

"I'm calling you from the Presbyterian…"

"The hospital?" He interrupted, as he sat on the edge of his bed, frowning.

"Yes, sir," she confirmed. "I'm calling you because you're Cooper Anderson's emergency contact…"

"Yes, that's my brother," he muttered, as he grabbed the phone tighter. He suddenly couldn't breathe. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid your brother was in a car accident."

Blaine chocked. He felt his chest constricting in anguish at those words. "Is he…?"

"It doesn't look good, Mr. Anderson. His wife and baby were in the car with him as well. She died on the scene. I'm very sorry, but I think you should come."

Blaine felt as if his head was being held underwater. He wanted to breathe, but every time he tried, it seemed to hurt him more, to drown him. He could hear what she was saying, but every word felt distant. It was as if she was screaming them across a large lake, and no matter how much Blaine struggled to hear her, part of her message got lost in the wind.

This couldn't be happening. He had talked to Cooper a few hours ago. His brother had called to make sure he had all the details for Blaine's flight, to give him advice like he was still a kid, and to tell him to have fun. He had asked Blaine to call him as soon as he arrived in Greece. He told him to get him one of those "My brother was in Greece and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" shirts.

Cooper wasn't dying. His wife wasn't dead. And the baby… oh god, what did she say about the baby?

Blaine didn't realize he had let go of the phone. It was all scattered on the floor, the battery under the bed, the screen cracked in the corner where it had landed. He just knew he had to make it to the hospital. He had to be there. Cooper wasn't… Cooper would…

He moved without knowing how. First he was in his bedroom, then he was rushing down the stairs and out of the building, and then he was stealing a cab from a young couple, who screamed at him like he was insane. But he didn't hear them. He didn't care. All he knew was that Cooper needed him. His brother. His big brother.

Blaine got out of the cab before it had even stopped completely, throwing money at the driver without caring if he was paying enough or not for the ride. Once he was inside, he grabbed the first available nurse and begged her for help, his eyes wide and glistening with tears. Fortunately, she smiled gently and helped him. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she hadn't helped. He had no time to waste.

She guided him to a room, and a doctor was just leaving it as they made it there. Blaine went straight to him. He wanted to ask a million questions, but he didn't want to hear any of the answers. He was so afraid he thought he would collapse on the floor and shake uselessly until this was all over.

"I'm Blaine Anderson. Where's my brother?" He asked, looking at the doctor, almost pleading with him to give him good news. "Where is Cooper?"

But the doctor looked somber. "Mr. Anderson, I'm so sorry. He's just passed away…"

The doctor kept talking. He explained how a truck had lost control, how Cooper hadn't been able to stop the car from impacting against it. How Sara had died within seconds, and how Cooper had gotten the worst of the impact, almost getting crushed against the side of the car. How they had done everything they could, but still Cooper didn't make it.

His brother was dead.

"No," Blaine said. "No."

"I'm sorry, Mr. And…"

"No. My brother… no. He's not. You're wrong." Blaine turned around, away from this man who was lying. He was lying. "You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong…"

He repeated the words. He screamed them. He covered his face with his hands and repeated the same words over and over and over, hoping they would come true. The doctor would be wrong. Blaine would walk into the room and find his brother sitting in a hospital bed. Cooper would be complaining about how uncomfortable the mattress was, or how bored he was already. Blaine would look into those blue eyes and find his brother smiling at him, the way he always smiled when he saw Blaine. Because until he had married Sara, Blaine had been his whole world. Then Sara had joined him, and then Max had dethroned them all…

Max.

"Max," he said, regaining a last little vestige of clearness. "My nephew. The baby. Where is he?"

The doctor offered him a little smile, as if trying to be reassuring. "Miraculously, the baby made it out unscathed. He only has a scratch or two, but nothing serious, nothing to worry about." The doctor gestured for Blaine to follow him. "Come with me, I will take you to him."

The baby was crying himself raw when they arrived at the nursery, where a nurse was doing her best to calm him, to no avail. Max was red-faced, throwing his little fists in the air in protest, as if he knew. As if he knew he suddenly was completely alone in the world.

No, Blaine thought. Not completely alone.

At four months old, Max was already sharp like a razor blade, and as soon as his blue eyes - Cooper's eyes, Blaine couldn't help but think - settled on his uncle, he seemed to recognize him, and extended his little arms towards him, as if begging him to take him away from this nightmare.

Blaine grabbed him almost greedily, pressing him against his chest, needing to feel his warm little body, the beats of his little heart, the puffs of his breath. He kissed his forehead, doing his best to hold back his own tears.

"It's okay," he whispered, even though things were everything but. "It's okay, buddy. It's okay. I'm here. Uncle Blaine is right here."

The baby sniffled tiredly, snuggling against him, looking for comfort in the familiar embrace. Blaine looked at him, and it was as if he was looking at him for the very first time. His heart was broken, he was shocked beyond belief, and his arms were full with a baby who was suddenly an orphan.

One night, one second, and both of their lives were changed forever.

"I've got you," Blaine said, choking on his tears.

There was nothing else to do, but hold Max, and cry.

So there it is. A little heartbreak to get this started.

I still don't know what the updating schedule will be like. I only have five and a half chapters written for this, so I need to get to work. But since I graduated yesterday (YAY), I can now dedicate some more time to this. I am all yours guys. I'm gonna write as much as I possibly can in the following months.

Regardless, I hope to see you all very soon. If I can't update before the holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that jazz

Love,

L.-