A/N

Sorry for the long delay guys. I was sick last week and then this week I needed to catch up on my school work. But no worries, things should be more fluid from now on. I'll try to post by every weekend. Thanks for all your support, it means a lot to me!

August 25, 2027

The Anderson husbands were spooked from their slumber when a small force jolted between them on the bed. They both woke up to a pair of ice blue eyes staring intently at both of them, a huge grin plastered onto the face that contained the eyes. The same huge goofy grin as Blaine. The men tried to drop their heads on their pillows, but were bounced right back up as another rock disturbed them.

"Chase, I know you're excited," Blaine said glancing at his alarm clock, "but it's two A.M. You need to go back to sleep."

"But I can't! That'th why I came in here," said the boy.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Kurt asked groggily.

"No. I'm just really thuper excited!"

"Well, Chase, if you don't go to sleep now, you won't have much energy for your birthday. Little men like you need to sleep in order to have the ultimate fun on their birthdays," remarked Blaine with a spark in his voice.

"But I can't fall athleep! I've been trying all night thince I went to bed."

"How about me and Daddy sing to you?"

"Yeah, yeah! Daddy, thing Blackbird like how you did in chool with Papa."

"Alright, but you have to get in bed first. We'll catch up to you."

Chase ran out of the master bedroom so fast, Kurt thought he was going to slip once he hit the hardwood. Reluctantly, they both got up and headed out down the hall. When they came into Chase's music note-themed room, Kurt took a seat on the bed, next to Chase, and Blaine grabbed a chair from his desk and also went out to grab his guitar that he forgot from their room.

"Now you promise you'll go to sleep after this? And since Papa's breaking out the guitar too, you have to stay in bed until at least 7:30."

"I'll try."

Blaine re-entered, old beaten up acoustic in tow. He took a seat and began to strum along to the first few notes of the song, humming to the tune.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

As Blaine strummed the short instrumental break, he began to chime in with melody as he and Kurt once did with their fellow Warblers.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

As Kurt prepared for the chorus, a sudden wave of nostalgia hit him as it always did when he sang old songs with Blaine. It always caused him to grow tears in his eyes, but never enough for them to flow.

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night

As they continued to sing, they noticed Chase's eyes starting to sink down as if their song was some sort of sleeping drug. He still listened attentively but was relaxed enough to be able to fall asleep, as he was about to when Kurt finally chirped the final words to this lullaby

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take theses broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blaine strummed out the last chord just as Chase's head was about to sink into his pillow before he said, "I hope one day I can thing at good at you." And drifted into slumber.

Kurt and Blaine's hearts broke. They knew this was difficult for their son. He was teased at his school, as expected, and all he wanted to do was sing. He was a songbird whose only purpose in life was to create beautiful music, but was restricted by a broken vocal chord. Chase was a special kid, but also amazingly strong-willed. No matter how much he croaked his notes, he still managed to sing. Maybe he wasn't the songbird with the most beautiful voice, but he sure had the most courage, and that's what makes him the beautiful one. His fathers would gladly see him singing over going to the world's best symphony orchestra any day, and that's all that mattered to Chase.

They kissed their son on the forehead and headed out to their own bed. Something in the air was changing and everyone in the house could feel it. Something was coming, and soon. Whether it was good or bad was unknown, only thing they were positive about was that things were certain to change in their little beach house in South Amboy.

At 8:30 Kurt, Blaine, and Blake strolled into Chase's room with a tray of pancakes, eggs, and milk on it. Chase was still fast asleep and Blaine sat down on his bed and began to stroke his light chocolate hair.

"Chase. Chase, wake up love," he said.

Chase's eyes began to stir after a moment and the Anderson's faces all beamed with delight.

"Happy birthday, Chase!"

His eyes still sagged and he sat up as Kurt put the tray of food on top of him. He rubbed his eyes to rid of the sleep and yawned. He took the glass of milk and began to sip at it as he slowly became more awake.

"Chase, we have a surprise for you. Here, open the envelope," Blaine said handing it to him.

Chase put his glass down and proceeded to open is first birthday present of the day. Inside were four rectangular pieces of paper. He pulled them out and read what they said. They were tickets to Wicked! Front and center mezz! Chase couldn't believe it, Wicked was to finally go off Broadway next week and every show was sold out months in advance! How did they get tickets?

"Last week, I got an urgent call from the director saying that Glinda's dress had a huge tear down the side, due to getting caught on her platform. They had a show in three hours and their costuming director was out of state. I was the closest and most available, so I went to go fix it. They repaid me with the tickets," Kurt explained.

Chase was so excited, Wicked was his favorite show of all time. He knew all the words to every song and even knew the choreography to some. The cast recording was always playing on his stereo and he'd always dreamed of playing Boq in some performance of it. It was the reason why The Wizard of Oz was one of his favorite movies.

"Well, eat up and get dressed. The show's at 1:00 and we don't want to be late, do we?" Blaine said as he patted his son's leg and got up to leave

"Thankth Daddy!" Chase called after them.

"You're welcome, love."

Chase's fifth experience of Wicked was just as magical as the first. And the second, third, and fourth. He carefully studied the dances and blocking of Boq and Nessarose so he could dance to them as he sang along. He also took in the sight of the flying monkeys. He was always fascinated by how they moved so fluidly around the stage and wished he was as agile as them. Once, he even tried to climb the staircase railing of their deck and wound up falling down and spraining his left leg.

After the show, they all went out to lunch at Junior's for Chase's favorite grilled cheese and strawberry shortcake cheesecake. The city was hotter than expected, but that didn't stop them from completely enjoying every second they had in the city. Eventually, it was time for them to return home. The kids took a nap in the back of the car while Kurt and Blaine hummed along to the radio.

About and hour and a half later, the Andersons pulled up to their home on the water. Chase heard people talking and laughing so he expected there to be a party down the road. They walked through the back gate and saw that the patio was decorated with streamers, paper lanterns, lights, and flowers.

"Surprise!"

About two dozen people sprung from their hiding places and tossed glitter and confetti in the air. Kurt must have planned for them to spend the day in New York so that his family could prepare for Chase's surprise party.

Among the people who were there were his Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel, Aunt Mercedes, Uncle Shane and Uncle Reed, Poppy and Gran (Burt and Carole), and Nana and Grandad. Also there were a couple of Kurt and Blaine's friends from high school, Santana and Brittany, and Wes and David. It was mainly a family get together, consisting of Chase's aunts, uncles, grandparents and a his cousin Joel, who was the same age as him and Finn and Rachel's son.

"Make a wish, Chase!"

The boy paused for a second of thought and let out a gust of air to douse the flames on top his cake. He smiled as Kurt went to go grab a knife to start cutting the cake.

"So what did you wish for?" Blake asked him.

"I can't tell you, it won't come true if I did," Chase said.

Chase was handed the first piece of his fudge ice cream cake and dug in. He wanted to savor it, but it was too good not to just want to swallow it whole. Then he heard a clang of a guitar and the slamming of the gate in the back. Who could it be?

"Sorry I'm late, champ, had to pick up your present on the way back from work," it was none other than his Uncle Puck.

"Uncle Puck!" Blake called as she ran into his arms, Chase right after her.

He twirled Blake around twice and then gave her a peck on the cheek as he set her down. Chase then got spun around and instead of a peck, Puck mussed up his hair.

"Happy birthday, champ. How's your day been so far?" he asked.

"Awthome! We went to thee Wicked and then went to Junior and then came here and there was a thprise party!"

"Whoa, man, super cool. Listen, I got your present. Where should I stick this box of aswsomeness?"

"I don't know! Ak Daddy!" he ran off to finish his cake.

"Glad you could make it, Puck," Blaine said greeting his friend.

"Anything for my godson. He seems to be really enjoying his day."

"I think so too. Say, how was your gig in Asbury?"

"The Stone Poney's one tough place to leave let me tell ya. I didn't think I was gonna make it here in time."

Puck was chosen as Chase and Blake's godfather before they were even born. It was actually Blaine's idea to have him. Even though he never left Dalton for McKinley, he spent a lot of time out of school with Kurt and his friends. It was like New Directions had added a new member of their family. The kids loved Puck. He was the same badass fun guy as he was in high school. He was a rock star, naturally, and was always on the go doing tours and gigs. Luckily, he was in New Jersey the day of Chase's birthday and was more than happy to stop by.

"Chase, come on. Let's go open presents now," said Kurt.

Everyone gathered in the living room. The grandparents sat on the loveseats while the other couples either stood or sat on the floor by the kids. Chase's first present was from his sister. Blake handed him a skinny box wrapped in a light blue ribbon. He opened it up and saw that inside were two bracelets. One of them was silver with a white plate and engraved it in was his name in script. The other bracelet was of multicolored string and in block letters it said Blake's name.

"Do you like it? I made the string one last week with Daddy, but I picked out the silver one. I knew you don't like gold because you said it makes your skin look pasty. I thought you could wear them together so it's always me and you," she said.

Chase loved them both. He put the box down and gave his sister a warm hug. His next present was from his Poppy and Gran. They both had given him a plaid beret and his first pair of Doc Martins. He was thrilled when he opened up his shoes, they would go so well with almost every outfit.

His Nana and Grandad gave him a black leather journal with a white strap across the front. His name was also engraved in white on the cover of the journal. Chase liked to write but he never had a special notebook or binder to keep them all in. He was grateful for their gift as well.

His Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel came out on top as well. They had gotten five tickets to go see Harry Potter the Musical on Broadway. Being as his Aunt Rachel was an off-Broadway star, these weren't difficult to get. It was fairly new and got ravished with good reviews. Chase was dying to see it.

His Uncle Shane and Uncle Reed both gave him what they know best. Reed had given him a realistic portrait of himself that would go well in his room. Shane had been proud when he found out about Chase's spark in dance, even if it was musical theatre. So to encourage him further he was given a brand new pair of Capezio tap shoes.

Santana and Brittany both got him a gift card to Urban Outfitters and to Abercrombie so he could get new jeans. David and Wes also gave him something money related, but instead of gift cards, they gave him actual cash. Five hundred dollars to be exact. Blaine was astounded and a little bit upset that they gave him such a huge fund, but they only replied that they split the money and gave it to him to save up for something big like a car or college. Or a new wardrobe.

His Aunt Mercedes didn't really have much to give him. She didn't have as much money as the rest of his family but she did give him something special. It was a photo album. There were a few pictures in it already. Mostly from his family's high school years like their glee club, gatherings, and times before and after Blaine came into the picture. There were also a few in there of when Blake was first born and when he was first born too. He's never seen these pictures before and all he could do was stare at them.

"I hope you like these, Chase. High school was a big time for all of us. It's when we all met and became friends. It's when your fathers met. Now this album isn't just for the past you know, it's for your future too. I want you to have as many good memories as we all had, and have some where to remember them," she said.

"I love it, Aunt Mercedes," he said giving his godmother a tight embrace.

It was Puck's turn to give his godson his gift. He came around with a small box wrapped in red paper with a silver bow. Chase began to open it to see that it was a digital camera!

"A continuation of your Aunt Mercedes' gift. You can't fill a photo album if you can't take the pictures!" he said, "But wait! There's more!"

He ran out the back door. Puck entered the back door again, this time with a big box that seemed pretty heavy. It was wrapped in silver paper and had a red ribbon around the top. He placed it down in front of Chase and he tore into it. It was filled with books of scores from various shows and movies and other well known things. But what could this be for?

"I picked them up from an old record store. I thought they would be useful for when you began to get better at it."

Chase had the most confused expression on his face. Kurt came up and grabbed his hand to pull him up. Then he and Blaine led him into the family room, like the living room, but more formal. Right in the middle of the room was a black baby grand piano. It was beautiful. It was amazingly shiny and so was the bench that it came with. So that's what the scores were for. So he could play his favorite showtunes once he became good at playing the piano. Was this the best birthday ever? Most defiantly.

After about an hour or two, Finn, Rachel, Joel, Mercedes, and Puck were the only ones left. They were all laughing and having a good time drinking coffee and chatting about the Anderson's time in the city. The kids discussed what they did over the summer and how they were excited for the upcoming school year. It wasn't until about 10:00, when Joel (who was sleeping), Blake, and Chase were watching Tangled in the living room.

"Oh! Blaine, I almost forgot to check today's mail! Would you mind going to see if there's anything for Chase out there?" Kurt asked as he prepared a few more cups of coffee.

Blaine left and returned as the other adults were having a conversation about Puck's Stone Pony show. He casually flipped through the papers, setting the ones for Chase aside, until he came to one that caught his eye. He stared at it for a while, examining the place from where it came from.

"Blaine? Honey? What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

Without a word, Blaine pulled him quickly into their bedroom and slammed the door. Everyone, even the kids, stared at the door. It was silent and from inside the sound of ripping paper and then a curse from Kurt, probably a papercut, sounded more frantic than painful.

Silence. Besides the movie playing in the background, it was all silence. Then there was a soft thud and then more silence. The air itself hung with suspense and worry. No one knew what was going on.

Blaine emerged from the room, his face sordid. He closed the door behind him and went to the adults. He whispered a few words and then they dispersed. Rachel and Finn followed Blaine out to the back deck, Mercedes went to Kurt in the master bedroom, and Puck went to the kids.

"Alright guys, I can see you all drooping over here. Let's head off to bed," he said and turned the movie off and allowed Blake and Chase to get changed.

A cry was heard from Rachel outside and a shocked "What?" from Finn. Blake and Chase went to their separate rooms and waited for something to come up. Anything to let them know what was making everyone so upset all of a sudden. Puck then wandered into Chase's room. He sat down on his bed and Chase just looked up at him, searching for answers. Puck didn't look like his normal happy self, in fact he looked rather gloomy.

"How's your day been, champ? Been good?" he put on a fake smile.

Chase just nodded.

"Look, I know you want to know what's going on. I told your sister and I know you should know too, I just feel really bad about telling you this on your big day, little man."

Chase just continued to stare at him.

Puck sighed, "The reason everyone's so sad is because your Papa got a letter from the government. He's been drafted. He's going into the war."

Dun dun dunnnnn! Cliffhanger!

I know there were alot of refrences in this chapter, but that only makes it more fun, right? Oh, and let me know what I should do about Chase's lisp. I don't want to keep spelling it how it's said because it might confuse people, but then again, you may not hear it as it should be. So let me know about that.

Shane, Reed (c) Cp Coulter