Growing Up as a Hummel-Anderson

Chapter Two

Two Weeks Later~

Gracie, 10. Owen, 5 1/2.

"Dad?" Gracie said as she sat in his office on his desk chair. Blaine was reading through an old law text book, planning his opening statement, several papers strewn around the desk.

"Mhmm?" Blaine asked, not looking up from the book.

"I'm starting fourth grade right?" She asked. "That's rhetorical."

"That's a big word for a fourth grader," Blaine chuckled. "What's your point?"

"That I'm practically an adult," Gracie threw her hands in the air. Blaine looked up then, raiseing an eyebrow.

"I sure hope not," Blaine said. "I don't want you to grow up too fast Graciella."

"Well it's happing, right before your eyes." Gracie said seriously. "And soon enough I'll have to go to college and get a job and all that grown up stuff, and I dont know what kind of job I want!"

"So this giving-me-a-heart-attack about you growing up is because you don't know what you want to be when you grow up?" Gracie nodded. "You're one strange kid Gracie."

"Will you help me?" Blaine looked at her pleading eyes and then to his whiteboard of notes. He needed to finish this statement, but on the other hand, he wanted to help his daughter.

"Tell you what," Blaine said, kneeling beside her in his chair. "I have to finish this. Why don't you do some research, think about some options."

"Options?"

"Well yeah, like, different plans, back ups and such. For example, fashion was Daddy's back up plan," Blaine said. "He originally wanted to be on Broadway."

"Okay," Gracie nodded. "I can do that."

"Great, then after dinner, you and I can sit and plan," he said.

"Sounds good," Gracie kissed Blaine on the cheek, "Thanks Dad!" and she slid off the chair and ran out of the office. Blaine placed a palm over his chest. Kurt was right when he said years ago that Gracie's maturity would be the death of them both. Sure that his heart was still beating, he turned back to his opening statement, crumbling up another paper and throwing it to the ground, starting over.

"Hey you three," Gracie came outside to where Owen, Morgan, and Maya were playing on the front lawn. "I need your help."

"I'm not sitting on your shoulders to get Daddy's cookies again," Owen said. "You dropped me before!"

"I'll do it, I want cookies!" Morgan stood up.

"Me too!" Maya followed.

"There are no cookies," Gracie held up her hands. "But I'll keep that in mind for when Daddy makes more."

"Then what's up Gracie?"

"I need help figuring out what I want to be when I grow up," Gracie said.

"I wanna be a superhero," Morgan said. He got up and ran around Gracie, making wooshing noises.

"You could make clothes like Daddy and Auntie 'cedes does," Owen said.

"Or maybe you can bake cookies like Mr. Kurt and be a baker!" Maya said. "Those are the best cookies in the whole planet!" Gracie's eyes lit up.

"Okay!" she said. "Wanna help?"

Kurt pulled up later that afternoon, clothing sketchbooks in his arms as he fumbled with the front key. When he walked in the door and dropped his things off on the living room table, he noticed white powder trailing the floor. "This cant be good..." Kurt said to himself. "Gracie...Owen?" he called out, following the trail to the kitchen.

He wasn't sure to laugh or cry. The kitchen was a mess, with egg, flower, and sugar covering every surface of the kitchen. Those surfaces did include four children standing on kitchen chairs, surrounding a blender that was spewing what must have been an attempt at cookie dough.

"Oh my god," Kurt stood in shock. Gracie and Owne turned around and smiled. "Where is your father?"

"Dad is working," Owen said. "We're baking!"

"I can see that..." he walked into the kitchen and turned off the blender. "How did you get it on the ceiling?"

"We couldn't find a mixing bowl," Gracie said. "And the blender has a mix button."

"I see..." Kurt said. "And you three?" Owen, Maya, and Morgan looked up, faces covered in flour. "March your butts into the bathroom, I'll be in to help you clean up." The little ones scurried into the bathroom, trailing flour on the way.

"I made a mess," Gracie pouted.

"Yes you did," Kurt nodded. "Why the attempt?"

"I was wondering if I'd be a good baker when I grow up." Kurt nodded.

"And?"

"Baking is hard." Gracie said. She slumped on the counter and put her head in her hands.

"Well what are your other options?" Kurt asked, hopping on the counter, wincing when he knew there was going to be flour stuck to the butt of his pants.

"I dont know," Gracie leaned her head on Kurt's arm. "Dad said to come up with some options, but I cant think of anything."

"You'll come up with something sweetie," Kurt kissed the top of her head. "Maybe you'll be an excellent maid," Kurt joked, handing her a wash cloth.

"But I hate cleaning," Gracie looked at the rag.

"Don't knock it till you try it," Kurt joked. "I left the house and this kitchen was clean, I'll be back to help when I clean up the troublesome three." Gracie huffed and got to work. Maybe she'd have a revelation while cleaning.

After dinner, Gracie found herself back in Blaine's chair. "How did the soul searching go?" Blaine asked. Gracie shrugged and Blaine did too. "It's tough isn't it. I didn't know what I wanted to do till I was in college, you know." Gracie nodded.

"I just want to know what I'm good at," Gracie said and Blaine lifted her off the chair, hugged her close and sat down with her in her lap.

"You're good at a lot of stuff Sweetie," Blaine said. "And as you grow up, you'll learn you're good at even more stuff. Maybe then you'll know what you want. What's important now is that you enjoy being a kid. That you have fun reading books and playing with your brother. That you go to school and learn and make friends so that when you eventually grow up, you'll be mature and knowledgeable enough to know what you want in life."

"Like you wanted to be a lawyer?" Gracie asked.

"More than a lawyer, I wanted to have a family," Blaine said. "It just takes time to figure out what you want in life."

"So I dont need to know right now?" Blaine shook his head. "What if I decided and then change my mind?"

"You can change your mind a hundred times if you want Gracie," Blaine said. "Just know Daddy and I will always love you no matter what you decide."

"Okay," Gracie said. She was still dissapointed she didn't know what she wanted yet, but she kissed Blaine's cheek and then hurried off to her room.

"Gracie?" Owen was sitting on the floor against her door. "Will you help me?" He held up one of Morgan's comic books. "I dont know the big words." Gracie nodded and he followed her into her room and they sat on her bed. Together, they read the tails of The Amazing Spiderman until the very last page.

"God job Oreo, you knew a lot of words this time!" Gracie smiled.

"Youre the bestest teacher," Owen said. "I'm going to help Daddy with dinner."

"Okay," Gracie said and Owen walked out of the room, leaving the comic book. Gracie picked it up and flipped through it when the idea hit her.

"DAD!" Gracie ran out of her room. "I wanna be a teacher!"

A/N: (Up next is a Kurt/Blaine Chapter =) The responces I got for this story was AMAZING! I hope I can keep impressing you all and making you happy. Love you all!