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The number ends, the lights fading down as everyone lowers their heads to end the song. As soon as the lights come back up again, there’s clapping, cheering, and hugging amongst the old friends, and Kurt doesn’t realize that Carole snuck offstage until he sees her walking back towards the front of the auditorium, a small bundle cradled in her arms.
“Oh, Carole, I can take her,” Kurt offers, hurrying down the steps to meet his step-mother and daughter.
“Nonsense,” she waves him off. “You get to have her every day. Just let me spend some time with my grandbaby while you’re in Ohio.”
Blaine suddenly appears next to them. “How is she?”
“She’s perfectly content,” Carole smiles at the two of them, so obviously new at parenting and overly worried about their daughter’s every moment. “I think she liked the music.”
“That’s our girl,” Blaine comments, resting his hand gently on Kurt’s back. “Should we introduce her to some people?”
“I think we should,” he replies, watching over Carole’s arm as Tracy blinks her big blue eyes up at them, eyes wide as she takes in her surroundings.
“Hey, guys!” Blaine calls, a beam on his face as he addresses the large group. “Kurt and I have someone we’d like you all to meet.”
“Oh my god, is that Tracy?” Mercedes gasps, pushing her way to the front of the stage as excited chatter and ‘awwws’ full the auditorium. “I have to see my girl!”
When Mercedes reaches Carole, she gently extends a finger, letting Tracy wrap a tiny hand around it as she gurgles quietly up at Mercedes.
“She’s beautiful,” she breathes. “Hi, baby girl. I’m your Aunt Mercedes. I can’t believe you’re real.”
Mercedes glances over at Kurt and Blaine, who are watching her with fond smiles. “God, I’m getting so emotional! I remember when you two first met, and now you have a child... may I hold her?”
She turns to Carole, and Carole nods. “Of course, honey. Just be sure to support her head.”
Carole carefully transfers Tracy into Mercedes arms, and at this point, Sam, Artie, and Tina have all joined them.
“If any one of you tries to take this baby from me, I will fight you,” Mercedes laughs, shooting them a teasing warning glare. “Y’all have already met her. It’s my turn.”
“Hey, I haven’t met her yet!” Sam protests. “I mean, I tried to be there for her birth, but she decided to come out at eleven at night on a Sunday, which meant I had to teach the next day and I wouldn’t be back in Lima in time.”
“And I told you that we were going to bring her to the auditorium dedication, so it was just easier to wait,” Blaine adds.
“You know, you could see her more often if you come back to New York,” Sam suggests hesitantly. “You could see all of us more often. It’s closer to Lima too.”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” she says simply, a little spark in her eye as she looks to Kurt and Blaine again. They’ve already talked about this, and Mercedes Jones: New York edition may come rather quickly.
“Okay, okay, I haven’t seen her,” Quinn comments, stepping up beside Mercedes. “And I need to practice if I’m going to have another kid in the near future.”
“Are you and Puck thinking about starting a family?” Mercedes asks passing Tracy to her, and Quinn nods.
“Well, once we get married, and if he’s not deployed somewhere without me, we’d like to,” she replies, smiling softly at the baby in her arms. “Puck has always wanted a big family, and I’m more than happy with the idea of one as well.”
“Wait, once you get married?” Sam clarifies. “Did he finally ask you?”
Quinn grins, gently raising her left hand to show off the ring.
“Oh my god!” Tina squeals, carefully hugging her from the side. “Congrats!”
“Gossiping about me?” Puck jokes, and Sam pats him on the back as he joins the group.
“I just can’t believe you finally asked Quinn to marry you,” Blaine remarks, and Puck shrugs, smiling.
“It was about time. I love her,” Puck winks in her direction. “But hey, it’s not about us! It’s about Tracy, and oh my god, she so deserves the spotlight. She’s so cute!”
“I think it’ll be hard to take the spotlight away from her,” Kurt jokes. “She’s a product of the three biggest divas I know, myself included.”
“I would be upset to be excluded from that list if it wasn’t so accurate,” Mercedes comments.
“She also going to be the most talented kid to walk the earth,” Will says, his face softening at the sight of Tracy. “Wow, guys. She really is beautiful.”
“Oh my god, are you crying?” Rachel says sympathetically, walking up beside him and putting a hand on his arm. Will laughs slightly, wiping a few tears from his face.
He gestures with open arms to Kurt and Blaine. “Come here. I need to give you hugs.”
Will hugs them both tightly in turn, then smiles in awe at their daughter as Tracy is passed to him. “Hi, honey. You are going to be so loved and so spoiled.”
Quiet laughter sounds from the small gathering of people. Will blinks back a few more tears that threaten to fall, glancing back up at Kurt and Blaine.
“I remember when I visited you at Dalton and you told me that you were in love with Blaine,” Will chuckles, and Kurt grins, leaning into his husbands side as Blaine wraps an arm around his waist. “I was happy for you, but it never crossed my mind in that moment that you would someday end up here.”
“Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” Kurt comments softly, and Will nods.
“I can’t believe my kids are having kids,” he laughs, earning echoing laughter from his former students. “Oh, Tracy. You have already got the craziest support system known to man.”
“You can say that again,” Burt agrees. “Will, do you mind if I take my granddaughter?”
“Go right ahead,” he answers, passing her to Burt.
Blaine glances down at his watch. “Oh, it’s time for her feeding! I can take her,” he moves to take Tracy from Burt, but he shakes his head.
“Nope, I’ve got her,” Burt says. “I’ll feed her. Is her bottle already prepared?”
Kurt nods. “Yep. It’s in her diaper bag.”
“Alright, are you hungry, sweetheart?” Burt coos at Tracy, walking her back to the auditorium seats where they left their stuff.
“Can you believe you’re dads now?” Tina asks, grinning over at the two of them. “It seems almost unreal.”
“Oh, it’s very real when you have to wake up at three am to feed her,” Blaine jokes, and Kurt groans.
“Or when she pukes all over a good shirt because you didn’t have time to change after work.”
“Because you have absolutely no free time,” Blaine adds, and Kurt nods in agreement. “Don’t get us wrong, we wouldn’t trade fatherhood for anything in the world, but it does consume your entire life.”
“Was performing today the first real free time you’ve had since Tracy was born?” Mercedes asks, and Kurt snorts.
“Yes. But my dad and Carole are taking Tracy tonight so we can have a much-needed date night,” he says, and Sam nudges Blaine’s side teasingly.
“Ooh, date night,” he winks exaggeratedly.
“Oh, god no,” Blaine laughs. “Literally just a nice dinner and then a nap. “Believe me, sleep is the best thing anyone could offer to a new parent.”
“Do you think you’ll have any more kids?” Artie asks, and the couple glances over at Rachel.
She grins. “I’ve offered to be their surrogate once more, so it’s up to them.”
“So, yes,” Kurt nods. “Eventually. We both think it’s important that Tracy has a sibling to grow up with.”
“If you want any more kids after the second, I stand by my offer of surrogacy,” Quinn remarks.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Blaine says, smiling over at his husband. “But for now, I think we’re just going to focus on Tracy.”
“Understandably,” Will nods. “But please, don’t be a stranger. If you guys ever want to come back to visit Lima, know that you’ll have an army of babysitters at your disposal.”
“I second that,” Sam says, patting Blaine on the back. “Please have more kids so I can spoil them all.”
“Thanks, guys,” Blaine grins. “That means a lot.”
“Tracy has no idea what she’s in for,” Mercedes laughs. “We’re going to be the most insane extended family.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Kurt chuckles.