Cruel Summer Chapter 9 - You're My Best Friend

Word Count: 7,171/189,000

Rating: PG-13

Summary: After Kurt was rejected from NYADA, we were dying to find out what happened next. We couldn't wait for the September premiere. Here is our take of what happened from the letter opening and beyond.

Author's Note: As always, you guys are awesome! Just warning you, this is a long one as we couldn’t find a logical break. Oh well, I love the longer chapters! Also, it’s going to get a bit fluffy for a chapter or two. Can’t have all angst right? Don’t worry, there will be our fair share soon enough.

I also just wanted to assure our readers that nothing in this story is based on hard spoilers. Most of the story was planned right after the finale, so anything that is similar is either an eerie co-incidence, or I am psychic. Or maybe I am REALLY Ryan Murphy….I wish. :P If there are any new characters introduced, they were publicly announced. They are simply our interpretation.

So Disclaimer time! I know, I hate doing them, but it covers my butt. Neither KurtsieKalanai  nor AlignedStars own Glee. If we did, we would have actually done the New York Spinoff. Second, we don’t own the songs in the fic. We do use songs like the show but they fit into the story. Songs will be explained at the end of chapter. Third, this is AU so things do not work EXACTLY like canon. We try to stick to canon the best we can, however. Characters may be OOC, but there are reasons why, as you will soon see. 

Thanks: Wayne Kotke and Gleekast, we love you! Also to all our readers. We are steadily increasing, so spread the word! And as usual we love feedback! So how much feedback can a reader give if a reader could give feedback….okay, I swear that was way funnier in my head.

*********

“Rachel…” Kurt whispered at the same time Rachel said, “Kurt…”

They stared at each other for a moment, feeling totally lost and awkward.  Rachel and Kurt had experienced a catastrophic, friend-destroying fight and for a few seconds felt like complete strangers.  Funny how things can change in a flash from bad to good, as both acknowledged simultaneously the need to change from bitter enemies to a more friendly level and or the very least, call a truce.  

Kurt ran his hand through his hair and mumbled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Rachel looked relieved that Kurt wasn’t going to yell at her. She really didn’t know he was on the other side of the door. She just felt the need to open it at that time, like a tidal pull from the moon. It was irresistible. She pointed to the bathroom and said urgently, “Excuse me, Kurt…I just need to…”

“Of course,” Kurt said politely and started to walk away. Rachel just watched after him, wondering what the heck just happened. She was about to head to the bathroom when suddenly Kurt spun on his heel and crashed into her, his arms wrapping around her tightly.

“Leave it to you to sing some Phantom of the Opera, Miss Berry,” said Kurt into her hair. “I’d say it was appropriate for the present situation.”

Rachel was stunned. This was an unexpected and happy turn of events indeed. Rachel pulled away and looked at Kurt curiously. “It’s not that I don’t welcome a hug from you, Kurt, but I’m a little confused,” she stated.

Kurt smiled sadly and put a hand on her long brown hair.  He attempted to explain, “I...I tried but I just can’t hate you, Berry. I did enough of that first year of glee club. We have some things we need to talk out, but for now I just want my Rachel back.”

“You have never lost your Rachel. Does that mean that I get my Kurt back?” she asked hopefully.

“Pending a really long talk about the future and your role in it, yes, I can say you have your Kurt back,” he answered tentatively.

A wide smile spread across Rachel’s face. All was right in the world again! “Oh, Kurt!” she exclaimed and suddenly started peppering his cheeks and forehead with kisses.

“Ewww! Girl kisses! Get off, Berry!” he complained while laughing and playfully pushing her away.

She laughed, grabbed his cheeks and planted a great big wet one right on the mouth.

He wiped at this mouth dramatically. “Seriously, ever since I became this goth sex god, as Santana so aptly called it, the women of New Directions are all over me!” he said, teasing her. 

“Hey, you know that I appreciate a good dramatic entrance, Kurt. I can safely say you accomplished that feat with flying colors!” informed Rachel. She touched one of the black spikes on his head and smiled. “I do have to say that this new look is starting to grow on me, although I don’t know how it’s going to help you with auditions.”

“Rachel,” warned Kurt. He didn’t want to turn this into another argument. He just got her back. “Let’s not do this right now, okay?”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m backing off,” said Rachel, who agreed that fighting would not be the most constructive way to spend their time. She rubbed his arm. “Look, Kurt, I just wanted to say how very sorry I am for everything. I am a selfish….witch. I never think of anyone but myself except for the most extreme circumstances. I promise you I will start looking past my own needs and think of others.” 

Kurt brought her in for another hug. “All I see is my name in lights, and I sometimes forget the more important things in my life,” she said and put her hand on his chest. “Like family. You and Blaine and of course Finn. You are my family as much as Daddy and Papa are.” She had tears in her eyes, but they were finally ones of happiness.

Kurt took his thumb and gently wiped off the tears on her cheek. “That’s all I ask, Rachel. I think we’ll be okay in time. I forgive you if you forgive me saying those terrible things to you earlier.  I’m having a hard time dealing with my emotions lately. Some old baggage is rearing its ugly head I’m afraid. I let my feelings out in a very unproductive and explosive way.”

“Of course, Kurt. There’s nothing to forgive, and you made several valid points,” she replied.

“Hey, Blaine suggested that we sit down with him as a mediator. Would that be something you’re willing to do?” asked Kurt. It didn’t hurt to try it. He would try anything to save this very special friendship.

“That would be a wonderful idea, Kurt. We can ask him when he gets back from the airport with Finn and his mom,” she assured as she looked at the bathroom. “Um, Kurt? I really…gotta….go?”

“Oh shit, sorry Rach,” said Kurt as he stepped out of the way. “Oh, and by the way, the term is bitch…not witch.”

“It’s witch to me,” she giggled. Kurt just rolled his eyes and grinned maniacally.

“Hey, when you’re done, give me a few minutes and meet me in my room, okay?” Kurt asked.

“Sure,” she said uncertainly and excused herself.

Kurt smiled and went to his room, going to his drawer and pulling out his dark blue silk pajamas. Luckily, they weren’t the victim of his fashion purge. Besides, these were super comfy, and he always wore them for Hummel-Berry weekend sleepovers. He sent off a quick text to Blaine:

I’m ok. I have a surprise when you get home.

After changing, he went down into the kitchen. There was going to be no diet or low fat anything tonight. He pulled out a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream and a huge bottle of cola. He also grabbed a couple spoons and some glasses and carefully made his way upstairs. Rachel was still in the bathroom, so he put everything on his bedside table and pulled out his Sound of Music Blu-ray Disc. He sat on his bed with his back against the headboard and surfed the television for anything interesting while he waited.

Rachel knocked on the door. She looked at the junk food and asked, “What’s this? Are you trying to steal my heart with ice cream and musicals? Does that mean I’m your boyfriend again?”

Kurt laughed and said, “I’m sure Blaine might have something to say about it, but sure, you can be my second boyfriend.” He patted the bed. “Get over here, Berry! It’s time to commence a Kurt Hummel/Rachel Berry sleepover extravaganza.”

“But where is Blaine going to sleep?” she asked seriously.

“Oh, he can sleep with Finn,” said Kurt offhandedly. At the look of horror on Rachel’s face, he laughed. “Okay, let’s amend this to the Kurt Hummel/Rachel Berry/soon to be Blaine Anderson sleepover extravaganza. Should we add Finn into the mix, too? The bed is big enough if we really squish in! Actually no, I think we would be on the floor by the morning. I had to temporarily share a room with him, remember? I know how he sleeps."

Rachel gave a “get outta here” gesture and jumped onto the bed. “I’m sure Finn will appreciate the bed to himself for one night. After all, once we are married, we’ll be sharing the bed all the time!”

“Of course,” Kurt said and tried to change the subject. He really didn’t want to talk about Rachel and Finn’s upcoming wedding. “Now let’s get our nosh on! I have hardly eaten all day and I’m starving! Screw the fat free and organic.”

“For once I agree,” said Rachel, grabbing the tub of ice cream and two spoons.

Kurt’s phone vibrated with a message, more than likely from Blaine.

Carole is almost here. Surprise? Don’t keep me in suspense…spill!

Kurt chuckled and typed out a response:

Not till you get home. Oh, and bring home a pizza. We’re pulling an all-nighter.

Kurt took a spoon and was about to dig in when he got another message.

All-nighter? Ooooh..sexy times! ;)

This time Kurt laughed out loud and responded:

Get your mind out of the gutter, pervert. See you in a bit. Love you.

 

Kurt turned his attention back to Rachel who was wondering why he was laughing like a loony. He just shook his head and took a big spoonful of ice cream. “Rachel, we’re going to learn how to indulge ourselves. This is part of my body and mind makeover. There’s nothing wrong with indulging as long as it’s in moderation,” he finished and put the entire giant spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. After a moment he grabbed his head. “BRAIN FREEZE!” he yelled. Rachel laughed and gave him a smack on the arm.

“What?” cried Kurt. “I’m in severe pain, and now you compound it with more pain? Some boyfriend you are!” Rachel just laughed harder and grabbed a bigger scoop of ice cream.

After gorging themselves on entirely too much ice cream, they sat back and basked in a sugar-induced coma.

“When we move to New York, Kurt, we are going to have to make a point to do this monthly. Who needs men with Ben & Jerry’s,” she said happily. She snuggled against Kurt and he put his arm around her so she could get more comfortable. She just sighed blissfully and burrowed closer.

“Rach, there IS no New York. At least not for me,” Kurt said, annoyed that she had to bring up New York, again.

“Nonsense!” she exclaimed. “There are other ways to become a star than stupid ol’ NYADA! You can always try auditioning while working at a cute coffee shop! Many of the great Broadway stars didn’t have a lick of formal training. We can do this, I promise!”

“As much as I appreciate your encouragement by putting down the one school you applied to,” Kurt said and Rachel looked at him, offended, “I don’t think I have the energy anymore to do this. I think it’s time to re-evaluate my priorities and goals. Besides, it’s obvious I can’t compete with the likes of one Rachel Berry,” he finished with a shrug.

Rachel angrily pulled from his arms and sat facing him, sitting on her feet. “Kurt Elijah Hummel! Don’t you DARE give me those sorry excuses. You are fabulous and talented and you are going to go far. I am going to make sure of it!”

Kurt just stared at her. All of a sudden he started laughing. “I love you, Rachel, do you know that? And while I agree that I am FABULOUS and talented, there are many ways to be famous other than the stage. I think at this point, I just want to be successful. Make enough to support myself and Blaine and have it all.” 

“Like a Rolls with a chauffeur?” joked Rachel.

“Absolutely!” Kurt cried out in agreement. “A really cute driver who can also double as our pool boy. I’ll let Blaine hire him. Now come here. I haven’t gotten entirely enough cuddling.” After she nuzzled closer, he said, “And I have told you several times my middle name is Elizabeth, after my mother.” He kissed the top of her head.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Rachel exclaimed. It did feel freeing to curse like that. Maybe Kurt was right. She needed to let go a bit.

Kurt looked shocked and said, “Good one, Berry!” He put up his mummy wrapped hand for a high five. She returned it a little too enthusiastically and missed his hand by several inches. He laughed and hugged her tight.

“Thank you,” she answered primly. “I know for a fact your middle name is Elijah because Burt showed me your birth certificate. So there!” She accented the point by sticking out her tongue at Kurt. 

“Oh THAT’S mature,” quipped Kurt and rolled his eyes. It was not annoyance because he had a huge grin on his face. 

“Kurt, can I re-bandage your hands? They look a little silly,” Rachel asked.

Kurt looked at his hands and said “What? Blaine did this. He will be so hurt if I change them.”

Rachel rolled her eyes and promised, “I can make your hands a little more comfortable.”

“They are a little bulky. Okay,” Kurt agreed.

Rachel went out to the bathroom and grabbed some regular Band-Aids. She brought along a topical antiseptic for good measure. 

Kurt eyed the antiseptic and asked, “Does that sting? Cause the alcohol Blaine poured on my cuts burned like hell.”

“He put alcohol on your wounds? Ouch. No, this should be much better,” Rachel promised. “Your hands don’t look too bad at all,” she added after she finished.

Rachel was very gentle and his hands did look and feel better. Kurt sighed, “Thanks, Rachel.”

This was the way things were supposed to be; his boyfriend and his best friend. This is what life was about. “Rachel, I’m in dire need of some quality musical movie time so let’s just watch the movie until the others get back, k?”

“To quote Miss Holly Holiday, I thought you’d never ask,” said Rachel, gently kissing Kurt on the cheek. Kurt wiped off his cheek, made a face and picked up the remote. That was how they remained until everyone returned an hour later

********

It was a long day and Blaine was tired, but he was also curious about the texts from Kurt. What in the world could have happened to make him announce good news? On top of that, he wanted to pull an all-nighter? Maybe they would finally get some alone time after all the drama of the last couple days.

Once they reached the airport, Finn instructed Blaine to wait at the gate and he would meet them both at the baggage claim. Carole entered the terminal looking tired but happy to see Blaine.

“You poor thing. Come here, sweetie,” she said, dropped her carry on and opened her arms. Blaine accepted the hug gratefully. Carole was so nice to him. Ever since he and Kurt started dating, she always treated Blaine like a third son. Just for a moment, Blaine could stop being an adult and let Carole take care of him. For once, he didn’t have to be the strong one.

She pulled away from the hug and looked at Blaine with sincere concern in her eyes. His mom never looked at him like that. The only time she cared was when Blaine’s actions reflected badly on her or her husband.

“How is Kurt?” Carole asked with genuine interest in her stepson’s well-being. 

Blaine sighed and said, “Better now. It was pretty scary, though. I’ll explain in the car. Kurt is a very hurt man right now. There have been a lot of things he hasn’t been telling us.”

“Don’t worry, Blaine. We’ll work through this together. Thank you for being there for him. I feel terrible we had to go back to DC, but Burt’s business couldn’t wait,” she explained.

“That’s fine,” Blaine said as he picked up the handle to Carole’s carry on. “Finn is waiting for us at the baggage claim, and I’m sure you want to get home and rest.” He offered his arm for Carole, who took it with thanks.

“I do have to admit I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. Feels like it has been too long,” Carole said tiredly.

They made small talk until they reached the baggage claim and Finn gave his mom a bear hug. Finn might have been a burly man, but he turned into a little boy around his mother. “Hi Mom!” he exclaimed. “Please don’t kill me! It’s Kurt’s fault, I swear.”

Blaine gave Finn an exasperated look as if to say, “Don’t you dare!” Finn ignored him and continued, “It’s like he snapped or something. Turned into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Went off on Rachel and Schue. Got drunk and started smoking. Wrecked his room. Scared the shit out of me, really.”

Blaine was going to kill him!!! He had planned on explaining everything to Carole in the car, but Finn just gave the most dramatic explanation possible. He had a feeling there would be an ass-kicking tonight and Finn was going to lose. Maybe he would pull out some of the skills he got from Dalton Fight Club.

“Finn, seriously?” asked Carole, rolling her eyes. “I think your fiancée’s tendency for drama has started to rub off on you. Be the gentleman I raised you to be and grab that bag from Blaine.”

Blaine snickered behind her back at Finn. When she wasn’t looking Finn gave Blaine the finger. Unfortunately, she turned back a little too soon and got a middle finger to the face.

“Finn Edward Hudson, if you weren’t a high school graduate, I would ground you this second!” she hissed at him. Finn looked down contritely. Blaine tried to keep from laughing, but he let out a quiet snort. She turned to Blaine and said, “Like I said before, dear, we will figure this out.”

Finn’s head snapped up. “Okay, THAT is not fair! Kurt trashed his room and all I did was give the finger to my friend, and I’m the one getting in trouble? Well…well…Kurt gave the finger to Rachel!!” Finn was pissed at this obvious favoritism.

By this time, the luggage carousel started and the bags started arriving. Carole turned her attention to the revolving conveyor belt and Blaine gave Finn a dirty look. Finn returned the look and pushed Blaine.

“I saw that, Finn. Cut it out right now,” Carole reprimanded, “Or ELSE!”

Finn muttered under his breath and Blaine taunted him with a silent laugh and finger pointing.

“You too, Blaine,” Carole added without turning around. Finn and Blaine looked at each other. Parents could be so spooky. 

They got Carole’s bags and as they were walking away Blaine whispered to Finn, “Way to look out for your brother, dickhead!” Finn looked at Blaine, shocked. He never used such language. Usually, Blaine was the definition of dapper. Finn was about to apologize, but Blaine interrupted him. “Talk to the hand, Hudson,” he said as he shoved his hand in his friend’s face. 

Finn looked appalled. “Artie wannabe,” he snapped at Blaine.

Blaine gave Finn a wicked smile and caught up with Carole.

Blaine waited until they reached Finn’s car before letting Kurt know that they got his step-mom and were on the way home. He didn’t want to catch hell from Quinn about walking and texting. As he got in the car he asked, “Hey guys? Would you mind if we stopped to get pizza? Request from Kurt.”

“Score!” exclaimed Finn.

“Kurt wants pizza? There MUST be something wrong,” mused Carole.

After getting a couple pizzas (a vegetarian pizza for Rachel, of course), they made their way home. The light was out in the backyard so Rachel must have gone to bed. The two men grabbed the luggage and insisted that Carole go rest and they would make her a cup of nice hot chamomile tea.

“My boys are so amazing,” she said to Blaine and Finn. Blaine blushed, feeling honored that he was always included in this great family. Finn just gave a crooked smile and clapped Blaine on the shoulder. 

They let themselves in, and Carole made her way over to the couch and kicked off her heels with a sigh of relief. Finn went into the kitchen to make the tea. It was one of his specialties along with grilled cheese sandwiches. Blaine made his way upstairs to Kurt’s room. The door was closed, but it sounded like Kurt was watching some movie, Sound of Music from the sounds of it.

Blaine knocked on the door and heard giggling. He didn’t recall any part of the movie that was giggle worthy, so he was a bit confused.

“Come in!” Kurt happily said from behind the door. 

Blaine was really confused now. It seemed like all Kurt wanted to do an hour or two before was to be left alone and allowed to wallow in his own misery. Now he was giggling and watching movie musicals! This up and down mood was going to take some getting used to.

Blaine opened the door to find Kurt and Rachel cuddled on the bed, watching the Sound of Music. Kurt had on his dark blue Hummel-Berry sleepover pajamas. The “My Favorite Things” song started, so they were enthusiastically singing along. Blaine just stood there with his mouth agape. What in the hell happened while he was gone? Last time he saw them, there appeared to be a permanent rift developing between the two. Now they were cuddling and eating ice cream? Wait! Was that the ice cream Blaine had especially picked out for Kurt? Blaine didn’t know whether to be pleased or hurt. 

Rachel looked over, squealed loudly and jumped off the bed and ran into Blaine’s arms. “Blainers!! Guess what? I’m Kurt’s boyfriend again!”

“Really now?” asked a very confused and amused Blaine as he hugged Rachel. He looked over to his boyfriend who just smiled and shrugged as he paused the movie. He was happy at this joyous turn of events, but he felt like he had a case of whiplash with the events of the past couple days.

“We made up,” said Kurt simply. He moved to the edge of the bed and stood up, making his way to Blaine for a kiss. He barely made it to the two of them before Rachel opened her arms and roughly brought Kurt into the now group hug.

“Ooof...” grunted Kurt. “Rachel, dear, would it be asking too much to show at least a little bit of restraint?” he added as he joined in on the group hug. He was trying his hardest to affect his nonchalant tough guy image, but Blaine could tell that he was beaming inside.

They were standing in the middle of the room in a great big knot of arms when Finn knocked on the doorframe. “Uh….what?” he exclaimed, as confused as Blaine.

“It seems we are experiencing a group hug,” informed Blaine. “I suggest you join in,” he invited, opening one arm for Finn to join.

“Ooookayyy?” said Finn slowly as he wrapped his arms around the entire group and squeezed hard. The other three protested painfully. 

After Finn broke away, Kurt said as he rubbed his side tenderly, “Finn, was that really necessary? I think I’m going to have a couple bruised ribs here.”

“Sorry, little bro, but the pizza is going to get cold. Mom also wanted to say hi before she went to bed,” he said as he left the room.

Kurt looked at Blaine with panic in his eyes. Carole was home. The ass-kicking was about to commence. “She’s not mad, babe. She just wants to say hi,” assured Blaine.

Rachel grabbed Kurt’s hand and started pulling. “Let’s go, Kurt. It can’t be that bad!” she commanded. Kurt just stood in place stubbornly and gave Rachel a hard look. “Please?” she added, realizing she was starting to sound bossy again.

“That’s better,” he said quietly and let Rachel lead him out of the bedroom. Blaine just shook his head and followed everyone downstairs.

After resting on the couch for a few minutes, Carole had decided to get the plates ready for the pizza. She was opening the boxes when Rachel entered the kitchen first. “Hello, dear,” Carole said warmly and gave Rachel a hug. Although Carole thought Rachel was good for Finn, she felt their planned wedding was rushed and secretly hoped it would be postponed.  

Finn came into the kitchen next and automatically made his way to the pizza. They made sure to order an entire pie for him as he could easily polish off one by himself. Blaine followed and looked back into the hall.

“Where’s Kurt?” Carole asked.

Blaine walked over to Carole and whispered, “I think he’s a bit embarrassed.”

“The poor dear,” she sighed and made her way into the hall. Kurt was sitting on the bottom step, picking at his nails again. The first thing Carole noticed was his beautiful hair was gone. What was left was dyed jet black, chopped short and spiky. “Burt’s going not going to be thrilled with this,” she thought. “Good thing he stayed in Washington.”  

Kurt looked up and quickly back down to his hands. “I’m sorry, Carole,” he almost whispered because he was scared of his stepmother’s reaction. Kurt’s ever-present bravado had all but disappeared. He wasn’t sure if it was ever going to come back. The last two days had changed his entire worldview and he was worried if he would never find himself again.

Carole sat on the step beside him and put her arm around him. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said soothingly. Kurt wrapped his arms around her, reverting to a small boy again. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. The last two days have been the worst of my life, and that includes being bullied by David,” he said, burying his head into her shoulder. Blaine returned to the hall, worried for Kurt but Carole waved him away, as if to say that she had this. Kurt started crying again. He wasn’t sure when the crying was going to stop, but it was making him want to cry more. “Sometimes I’m fine, but most of the time I feel like I’m slowly losing my sanity. If it wasn’t for Blaine, I might have already. I am so sorry I wrecked my room. I swear I’ll pay for it,” he sobbed.

Carole wrapped her arms around her stepson, who she thought of as her own. She kissed his forehead. “It’s fine, Kurt. I feel terrible that I couldn’t be around for you. I promise I will talk to your Dad before he comes home in a couple days. We can have a good talk about it in the meantime, okay?” Kurt nodded against her and she rubbed his back, letting him cry.

He was just getting more incoherent. “I just don’t know what to do! I’m pushing people away, then pulling them back in. One second I feel so happy, the next I feel like I want to hurt someone or something…anything! Part of me is glad that I’m taking a year off of college, and another part of me hates myself for not getting into NYADA.”

“The Hudson-Hummels are a strong family, Kurt. We will figure this out. Once Burt gets home, we’ll have a family meeting and help you figure out your future. Blaine is more than welcome to join us as well,” she said holding him tight. Her heart was breaking for this young man.

Finn and Rachel joined Blaine in the kitchen door, looking at the mother and son sitting on the step. Rachel grabbed Finn’s left hand and Blaine’s right hand. The two men squeezed back because that was the only thing they could do. They stood there feeling helpless.

Kurt pulled back and looked at Carole, fresh tears forming. His eyes looked so sad. “I just feel so lost. Mom, please tell me what to do?” he said then realized what he had just called Carole. He covered his mouth and whispered, “Carole, I mean Carole.” He tried to stand up to run up the stairs but Carole held him down.

Finn, Rachel, and Blaine looked at each other, shocked.  “Can you guys excuse us for a bit?” asked Carole to the other three.

“Of course,” said Blaine. He turned to Finn and asked, “Why don’t we try another round of that game? Rachel can surf the internet and look for apartment options in New York.”

Rachel nodded sadly. “Good idea, Blaine. Maybe this time you won’t try to blow yourself up,” Finn said, trying to inject humor into the situation. No one laughed. Finn sighed and maneuvered himself around the two sitting on the stairs, but not before giving a comforting pat on Kurt’s shoulder. Rachel followed after giving Kurt’s hand a squeeze. Blaine was last and followed the couple, but not before giving a tender kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead and mouthing, “I love you.”

After the three friends disappeared behind Finn’s bedroom door, Carole tried to get Kurt to look at her. He was looking everywhere but into Carole’s eyes. Carole gently grabbed Kurt’s face and turned his head towards her.  “Kurt,” she said, “You may not be my biological son, but you are as much a son as Finn is. I know I can’t replace Elizabeth, but I would be honored if you chose to call me Mom.” 

Kurt sniffed, starting to calm down. Carole pulled a clean tissue from her jeans pocket and offered it to her son. Kurt blew his nose and said with a shaky voice, “You are an incredible woman, do you know that?”

Carole laughed and said, “Why do you say that, Kurt?”

Kurt put his arms back around Carole and explained, “Well, you have to deal with three of the weirdest men in Lima. I am sure it’s a thankless job.”

“Don’t be silly. I feel like I found something I lost when I found you two. Finn has a brother and a father and things couldn’t be better!” she said, giving him another hug.

Kurt squeezed back and looked at Carole. “So…you don’t mind?” he asked shyly.

“Of course not,” she replied, knowing exactly what he was asking.

Kurt smiled through his tears. “Okay then…Mom,” he said, trying out her new name. It would take a while to get used to but he liked it.

Carole smiled and squeezed Kurt’s knee. “Why don’t you take the rest of the pizza up to the others? I am going to turn in. For breakfast tomorrow, I know Blaine likes pancakes. Egg whites for you as usual?” she asked.

Kurt shook his head. “No way! Pancakes for me, too. I want to have a real breakfast for once.” He stood up and offered his hand to Carole. She accepted and he pulled her in for another hug. “Thanks, Mom,” he said quietly.

“Goodnight, Kurt,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. She turned and made her way up to her room.

Kurt wiped the tears from his eyes and could feel a grin on his face. “Nothing like a mom to make one feel better,” he thought. He made his way into the kitchen to grab the remaining pizza for his friends. Hunger pangs hit Kurt, so he grabbed a slice and sat at the kitchen table. However he didn’t eat. He just sat and thought about what just happened.

He always called Finn his brother, but he never really called Carole his mother. He always thought that maybe calling her the M word would somehow make him forget his real mom.  He could have both women in his heart. And Carole…Mom was so good for his Dad. She really did make him happy, and more important of all, healthy. “Maybe, someday, Blaine and I will start our own family. I hope we can be as happy as Mom and Dad,” Kurt thought and started daydreaming about his future.   

He was startled from his musings by arms gently wrapping around his chest from behind. He was sure it wasn’t Finn, because that would just be uncomfortable and gross. He thought back to the argument earlier that day, when Rachel accused Kurt of still having feelings for Finn. What in the world was she getting at with that? “Probably just trying to throw me off my game,” he thought to himself quickly.

“Hi Blaine,” Kurt said, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and giving it a kiss. 

“Hey, babe,” said Blaine, moving around to sit on Kurt’s lap. “I heard Carole go to bed so I thought I would come down and check on you. Everything okay?”

“For now, yes,” answered Kurt and started to play with Blaine’s curls. “Car…Mom said she was going to make us all breakfast in the morning. I assume pancakes are okay?”

“Pancakes are perfect,” said Blaine and gave Kurt a gentle kiss. “So, Mom, huh? That’s a pretty big step.”

Kurt shrugged. “It seemed like the right time. Of course, I will always miss my real mom,” he explained and Blaine nodded, “but Carole is Mom now. She’s here and my real mom isn’t.” Kurt rubbed his face. “This is all so confusing. I think I’m getting a headache trying to keep it straight.”

Blaine stood up and grabbed the pizza boxes. “Let’s go upstairs and continue this sleepover. I’m sure you’re hungry, and I need to change into something more comfortable if we’re going to stay up all night.”

Kurt took the boxes from his boyfriend and gave him a kiss. “Thanks, Blaine,” he said softly.

“For what?” asked Blaine. “For being devastatingly handsome and the world’s best boyfriend?”

“Don’t push it,” said Kurt with a low voice. Kurt chuckled. “Just thanks. Again. I’m terrified to think where I might be right now if you weren’t there to ground me. Maybe in jail…or worse,” he said with a dramatic shudder.

“That’s my job,” explained Blaine with a smile. “If our roles were reversed, you would do the same, right?”

“Of course!” Kurt said.

“There you go,” Blaine said simply. “Let’s go before Rachel sends Frankenteen down for us.”

They made their way upstairs and put the pizza on Kurt’s bedside table while Blaine changed into a pair of jogging pants and a Dalton t-shirt. Rachel and Finn were in Finn’s room so Kurt marched across the hall and pounded on the door.

“Come on you lovebirds! I don’t want to know what disgusting things you are doing in there, but I swear I will bust in if you don’t get your asses in my room in two minutes!” he called.

As Kurt turned to return to his room, Carole opened the door to her bedroom and stuck her head out. “Everything okay, Kurt?”

“Everything is fine, Mom. Sorry, I’ll keep it down,” he said sheepishly.

Carole just laughed, happy to see Kurt grinning. “See you in the morning,” she said, closing the door.

Kurt returned to his room and grabbed a slice of pizza and started nibbling. Blaine grabbed a piece and sat on the bed. A minute later, Finn opened the door and crossed the hall with Rachel. Her hair was disheveled. Blaine grinned at them, knowing what they were up to.

Kurt looked at Finn with one eyebrow raised. “Finn, we can’t have a sleepover if you don’t have your PJ’s on.”

Finn answered, “Well, since Rachel is going to be sleeping in your room, I think I’m going to go over to Puck’s for the night. He just called kinda freaking out about something. I will hang here for a bit longer, though.” 

“What’s wrong?” asked Kurt, concerned for his tough, mohawked friend.

“Dunno. He said something about a Jake. I couldn’t catch it all. I think he was a bit wasted,” shrugged Finn. “Figured I better go make sure he’s okay.” He turned to Kurt. “Little bro, did you just call Mom ‘Mom?’”

Kurt crossed his arms. “Yes, I do believe I did Finn. Do you have an issue with this?”

Finn grabbed his brother and gave him a bone crushing hug. “No! That’s awesome! Does that mean I can call Burt ‘Dad’? You don’t mind, do you?”

Kurt struggled to get free. “Finn, any ribs you missed last time are now bruised. Get the hell off!” After he got free and made sure there were no broken bones, he continued, “That’s up to you. I don’t care one way or another. I’m sure Dad will be thrilled.”

Rachel clapped her hands and moved over to where all the men were standing. “This is so amazing! What a great night! All three of you, my best friends!”

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, smirking. All of a sudden they started to sing together:

“Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me.”

Rachel and Finn caught on to what they were singing and joined the two men:

“It's you you're all I see
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live.”

Kurt moved around to each of his best friends, singing and giving them one-armed hugs. While one was singing the solo, the other three sang harmony and background:

“Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true. I really love you
Oh you're my best friend. Ooh you make me live.”

While Kurt was singing, Rachel grabbed a hairbrush on Kurt’s dresser and began singing into it when he was finished. She was very cute in her pink jammies and fluffy slippers:

“Ooh I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you in rain or shine
You've stood by me boy
I'm happy at home. You're my best friend.”

Finn was enjoying all this bonding with his closest friends. He started dancing with Rachel as he sang:

“Ooh you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live.”

Blaine, not one to be outsung, grabbed Kurt and spun him around as he sang:

“You're the first one when things turn out bad.
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one, and I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend.”

Kurt was laughing. He missed singing with his friends so much. This was one of the things he was going to miss after leaving school. No matter what shitty things happened in his life, he knew these three had his back. He pulled them all over to the bed as they finished:

“Ooh you make me live
I'm happy at home. You're my best friend
Oh you're my best friend
Ooh you make me live. You you're my best friend.”

They all landed on the bed laughing. Kurt was surprised they didn’t break the thing, or worse, wake up their mother.

“Man, I miss doing that,” said Finn. Kurt giggled as he was thinking the exact same thing.

“And we will again, as soon as we all share a house in New York!” exclaimed Rachel.

“Rachel, will you PLEASE drop New York?” said Kurt, annoyed that she had to bring it up again. “We will get there when we get there! Let’s just get through the summer first, okay?”

“Kurt’s right,” said Blaine, trying to go into negotiator mode. The last thing he wanted right then was another fight. “We have a couple months to enjoy being kids before we have to grow up.”

“Says you,” said Rachel, pouting. “You still get a year at McKinley. I’m sure you will get all the solos and lead the New Directions to Nationals. No pressure or anything.”

Blaine put his chin in his hands. “Don’t remind me. It’s going to suck without you guys there. How are we supposed to get anywhere without three of the best singers in the group?”

Finn checked his phone. “Guys, I gotta get going. Puck is threatening to drive over, and he is most definitely wasted.” He kissed Rachel and waved at the two men.

After Finn left, Kurt turned towards his friends. “Boyfriend, check,” he said as he took Blaine’s arm. “Best friend, check,” and took Rachel’s. “Pizza, check. Big comfy bed, check. Sound of Music in the Blu-ray player, check! I think what we have here is a sleepover.”

“Kurtsie, Blainers, there is one thing missing! We need popcorn,” Rachel said seriously and put her hand on her hip.

“Kurtsie. Really Rachel?” asked Kurt with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, Blainers, let Rachie go get her popcorn. Sheesh,” he added and rolled his eyes. “Next thing you know, she is going to start calling me Schmoopy or something.”

As they were waiting for Rachel to return, Kurt said, “Let’s get into bed and wait for her,” and climbed into bed.

“Okay Schmoopy,” snorted Blaine.

When they were both in bed, Kurt grabbed Blaine and put him in a headlock. “Call me Schmoopy again and you are cut off for a month, Anderson,” he said and laughed.

“Okay, okay! Uncle! I give up!” cried Blaine, also laughing.

“If I’m interrupting anything, I can go sleep in Finn’s room,” said Rachel from the door. In her hands were two huge bowls of popcorn. She grinned. “Not sure what sort of kinky stuff you men are into, but I don’t want to hear about it.”

Kurt chuckled and let go of Blaine’s head. Blaine’s hair stood up as Kurt was giving him a noogie before Rachel arrived. “Hey look, it’s Broccoli-head!” Kurt said and looked at his best friend. “Rachel, is my new image starting to rub off on you?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Hummel,” said Rachel innocently. She suddenly had an evil glint in her eye. “Now scootch your ass over so I can join you jerks.”

“Badass Rachel kinda scares me more than Badass Kurt,” said Blaine in mock horror. He moved over so Kurt could be in the middle.

Taking a small running start, Rachel hopped on to the bed, spilling popcorn everywhere. Blaine grabbed a handful, yelled, “FOOD FIGHT!!” and stuffed some popcorn down the back of Kurt’s pajama top, causing Kurt to scream. Kurt stood up and shook out the crushed bits of popcorn before grabbing a handful and trying to stuff it down Blaine’s pants. Rachel sat on the bed and laughed at the two boys’ antics. 

Blaine desperately tried to avoid Kurt to no avail as Rachel moved in to help pin him down on the bed. “Mission accomplished!” Kurt yelled with a laugh as his handful of popcorn found its intended place on his victim. Blaine got up and walked around the room shaking the popcorn out of the bottom of his sweat pants and with a grin grabbed a bottle of cola and started to shake it.

“Truce! Truce!” yelled Rachel. 

“Don’t you dare!” cried Kurt, grabbing Rachel and using her as shield. Blaine laughed and put the bottle back down. He climbed in the now slightly crunchy bed and our motley crew started the ritualistic pigging out on popcorn, pizza and cola.  The movie never resumed because they spent the rest of the night talking about everything and anything except New York and college.  

To quote Rachel it was remembered as the “Best Sleepover Ever!”

*********

A/N: Song is “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen. This was actually a song suggestion from AlignedStars. I (KurtsieKalanai) usually pick out the songs, so it was a nice change. Like I said, be prepared for some comedy fluffy stuff for the next couple chapters. It was only supposed to be one chapter but we split them. That means more songs!!! Oh, and did you know Kurt is good at video games? Well, he is! Thanks again guys, we live for you.

Cruel Summer Chapter 8 - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Word Count: 6,900/189,000

Rating: PG-13

Summary: After Kurt was rejected from NYADA, we were dying to find out what happened next. We couldn't wait for the September premiere. Here is our take of what happened from the letter opening and beyond.

Author's Note: And yet again we are overwhelmed with gratitude for you guys! This AN is going to be short as I am a little bitter and I want to save it for this next chapter I am writing (and it is a doozy). Got some bad Glee news a couple nights ago and I’m still trying to accept it. Good news for our dear readers is this story just got expanded!!!

Disclaimers: Neither AlignedStars nor KurtsieKalanai own Glee. If we did, season 4 episode 4 will be about unicorns and bunnies, not what it is really going to be about. Second, we don’t own the songs in the fic. We do use songs like the show but they fit into the story. Songs will be linked at the end of chapter. Third, this is AU so things do not work EXACTLY like canon. We try to stick to canon the best we can, however. Characters may be OOC, but there are reasons why. Remember: Help us avoid a life of crime! Keep us off the street by keeping us home reading your feedback…and by extension, writing more!!

Thanks: To the best Beta in the world, Wayne Kotke, and the gang at Gleekast. And also to our loyal readers, we kind of live for you!! And yes, I am bitter. :P

***************

After arriving back home and recognizing Kurt’s need to be left alone, Blaine went inside the Hudson-Hummel house to find Finn. Finn was always good for a game of some sort, whether it be video or televised. Finn, slightly groggy from taking a nap, caught Blaine up on a game currently playing on the TV.  As Finn dozed back off, a little bit of drool formed in the corner of his mouth and was working its way down the side of Finn’s chin. Grabbing the box of tissues, Blaine went over to Finn, nudged him back awake and offered him the box.  Finn woke with a start and not realizing Blaine was offering the aforementioned tissue, wiped the spit off with the back of his hand and spotting a perfectly good victim in Blaine, wiped the spit on Blaine’s sleeve. Blaine jumped back and yelped, “Ewwww!” 

As if that weren’t enough, Blaine knocked over the lamp table next to Finn’s chair spilling the remote and an empty pop can.  Both boys scrambled to pick it back up when they heard the back door slam and someone run up the stairs. Next a bedroom door slammed. They jumped up in surprise, bumped their heads together by accident, proclaimed, “Ouch!” and shared a surprised look because they each thought his significant other was outside alone.

Blaine sighed. “That must be Kurt,” he said rubbing his forehead and making his way to the bottom of the stairs. Sure enough, Kurt’s bedroom door was shut and music started blasting from behind it.

“Kurt was outside?” Finn said, surprised. “I thought he went upstairs when you said you wanted to see the game. Rachel went outside to hang on the hammock for a while. Her fight with Kurt really shook her up. I’ve never seen her so pissed. And when she gets pissed she can be dangerous! I thought she might start throwing things. Once she threw a hairbrush at me!”

“Did she hit you with it?” Blaine asked, suppressing a smile.

“Nope, I was already out the door.  Rachel slapped me in the hallway at school,” Finn added.

“I’ve noticed girls like to slap you at school,” Blaine commented while fighting the urge not to laugh out loud. 

“Yeah, I wonder why that is?” Finn questioned, looking totally mystified. 

Blaine side-eyed Finn and tried to stifle a laugh. “Remind me not to piss off Rachel anytime soon! She threw a shoe at Kurt and hit him in the back of the head. I really shouldn’t, but I have been teasing him relentlessly about it. He needs a little humor in his life right now,” he added sadly.

“So if Rachel was outside…” said Finn, pointing at the backyard.

“And Kurt was outside…” finished Blaine, looking up the stairs.

“Oh, shit!” they both said as Finn headed for the back door and Blaine ran up the stairs.

The soundtrack to Wicked was playing loudly on Kurt’s iPod, but Blaine knocked on the door. Yet again, the door was locked.

“Who is it?” Kurt asked from behind the door.

Blaine could tell he had been crying again. “Poor Kurt,” he thought to himself. “Is he trying to torture himself? It really does feel like a breakup.”  Among the New Directions, Wicked was known as the “Kurt and Rachel Show.” The two were forever singing songs together from it much to the chagrin of the glee club. On the bus back from Chicago, the group threatened to bind and gag the two of them if they didn’t stop singing the entire musical, from beginning to end, again. Four times was more than enough!

“Babe, it’s me. Can I come in?” called Blaine. Kurt was going to need some major consoling, especially since it appeared he had another altercation with Rachel. Emotions were running high in the Hudson-Hummel house tonight.

“One moment, Blaine,” said Kurt as he was banging around. After a few seconds, he unlocked the door and opened it for Blaine. His eyes were puffy and red.

“Are you okay? Finn and I were talking and we heard you barreling up to your room. Did you and Rachel get into another fight? She didn’t hit you again, did she?” Blaine asked and leaned in to touch his boyfriend’s arm. Kurt shook his head no and stepped back to avoid the contact. Blaine looked at him, hurt. 

“Blaine, I’m sorry. It’s not you. I’m just afraid that if I let you touch me, I’ll collapse in your arms and be inconsolable for the rest of the night. I just need a couple hours. It has been a crazy day and I just need to decompress. You understand, right?” he said, looking directly into Blaine’s eyes.

“Of course. I’m not mad. Things have been overwhelming for you the last two days. Finn is about to leave to pick up Carole. Do you mind if I go along for the ride?” asked Blaine. Kurt shook his head no. Blaine continued, “That should give you some time to yourself. Rachel is going to hang out downstairs or she might decide to stay outside. Just don’t leave the room till I get back, okay?”

Kurt let out a shaky laugh. “Now I’m GROUNDED by my own boyfriend. How’s that for a kick in the ass?” he said sarcastically.

Blaine wagged his finger at Kurt. “Don’t make me give you corner time, too!” Blaine teased.

Kurt grinned back at Blaine and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll behave!”

“Go work on your closet, silly. It will keep you busy.” Blaine suggested.  

Blaine leaned over and gave Kurt a quick kiss, being careful not to touch him. Kurt gently touched his curly hair and let his hand trail down the side of his face. “We’ll get through this, right?” asked a pensive Kurt. “Because I’m starting to think this is it.”

“Oh it’s going to suck a lot before it gets better, but it will get better,” Blaine said, gently squeezing the hand on his face. “I gotta go. I’ll see you very soon, love.” Blaine turned and made his way back downstairs. Kurt closed the door and turned back on the iPod. 

Blaine made his way into the family room and sat in the easy chair to lose himself in the game while waiting for Finn. He just needed a couple minutes to relax. This past day and a half had turned into every level of crap. Unfortunately, Kurt had to get through it at his own pace, or he would never get better. Blaine was patient, though, and felt he could outwait Kurt.

He ran his fingers through his curls, not really caring about messing them up. He put his hand on his neck as if to massage away the tension of the last couple days and put his head back against the chair. He could wait, but right now he was so tired...

“Dude, this shit is messed up!” said Finn, exasperated as he lumbered into the family room. “You would swear that Rachel was Kurt’s girlfriend the way she’s going on.”

“Actually, I think Rachel thinks of herself as Kurt’s boyfriend,” Blaine interrupted. 

Finn ignored him and continued, “Now she refuses to come inside unless Kurt personally goes out there and apologizes!”

Blaine lifted his head and looked at Finn and said, “Finn, you have no idea how strong a bond those two have! If it weren’t for us menfolk, I’m sure they would be inseparable. You also know we are dating two of the biggest drama queens in the world, right? Unfortunately, I don’t see the apology happening any time soon. Rachel might want to go home. Kurt is in his room listening to show tunes at an ear-splitting level.”

“Yeah, I know, Wicked. I hate that musical!” said Finn.

Blaine looked at him, horrified, “Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!”

“What?” Finn was totally confused. “Anyway, about Rachel and Kurt. It’s still messed up.”

“If Kurt and I weren’t completely and utterly devoted to each other, I would almost be jealous of the relationship they have,” said Blaine, standing up and clapping Finn on the shoulder. “I think time is the only thing that can fix this.”

Finn sighed. “Blaine, what is with you and all that deep shit? I think in simple concepts. Something is in the way, I move it. Something needs to be done, I do it.” He kicked the couch, although not very hard. “Damn, why is she so complicated?”

Blaine shrugged. “Women...what can you do? That’s one of the reasons I’m glad I’m gay. Men are so much easier to understand.” He walked over to the stairs and looked up. The door was still closed. Blaine walked back to Finn and looked at him seriously. He would probably get a pounding for what he was about to say but he went for it. Finn needed to be distracted. “If you ever decide to, you know, change sides I have a couple friends that are your type,” he joked and took off running to the kitchen to avoid Finn just in case Finn didn’t appreciate the joke. 

Finn just stood in the family room, totally confused for a moment. He called into the kitchen, “Dude, you are so lucky I know you’re joking, and if you weren’t practically my brother, I would beat your ass.” Finn had a moment of wit and walked into the hall to put on his shoes. “Besides, if I decided to ‘switch sides’ as you so nicely put it, you would totally be my type. I think Kurt would have competition,” he said and waited a couple of beats. All of a sudden Blaine peeked his head around from the kitchen doorway and lifted his eyebrow. 

Finn laughed and Blaine said, “Well played, sir.” 

“You coming with me to pick up my Mom?” asked Finn. Blaine nodded and put on his shoes. “I’m sure Rachel will be fine, but I better let her know what’s going on,” he said as he went to the backdoor. 

“I’ll just wait outside by the car,” said Blaine and he went out the front door. Once outside, Blaine looked up to Kurt’s window and saw the black-haired man looking down at him. Blaine made his hands into the sign of a heart and blew him a kiss. Kurt put his hand on the window and waved sadly. After Kurt turned away from the window, Blaine sat on the front step to wait for Finn.

A minute or two later Finn came around from the side of the house. “Okay, let’s go,” Finn said and unlocked his car. After they were in and buckled, Finn turned to Blaine. “Are you sure we should leave them alone like this? Rachel is pretty upset. She was pacing around the yard muttering to herself when I went back there. You gotta know how scary that is.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine,” assured Blaine. He gave Finn a smile. “I grounded Kurt to his room till I get back.”

Finn looked at him with a lopsided grin. “Can you do that?” he asked sincerely. 

“Of course,” Blaine responded while poking Finn. “I’m in charge!”

“Smartass! No you’re not. We all know Kurt is,” Finn said as he turned on the gas and backed out of the driveway. He turned on the classic rock station that was playing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and started tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music. Blaine just nodded his head to the music and hummed along.

The chorus started and all of a sudden Finn sang, “Sweet Caroline!” Then he and Blaine sang, “BAH BAH BAHHH,” really loud at the same time. They looked at each other briefly and started laughing. At least it broke the tension of the current drama in the house.

As they left their neighborhood, Finn said, “So about Kurt.”

Blaine sighed, “Yeah.”

“What in the hell happened, bro? The last time I saw him somewhat normal was when we were in the choir room opening those letters. I could tell he was upset, but he said he wanted to be alone, so I left him alone. Next thing I know, we were at that gay bar and Kurt was some scary goth vampire dude. Did he lose it?” Finn inquired.

Blaine chuckled. “Finn, leave it to you to boil it down into the lowest common denominator.”

“Huh?”

“I mean you have a penchant for simplifying things,” explained Blaine.

“I have a what for what?” asked Finn, totally confused.

Sometimes it was so hard to talk to Finn! Blaine shook his head. “Nevermind. Let’s just say that yes, he lost it.” 

“Dude, that sucks,” Finn said slowly.

“It sure does,” said Blaine. “But we’re working through things. Don’t worry; I won’t give you all the boring details. There was kind of another reason I wanted to come with you though.” He didn’t dare say “ulterior motive” because he would just confuse poor Finn. He loved the big guy, but he sure could be dumb sometimes! “I wanted to talk to Carole about things before she got home, and I didn’t want Kurt around. He’s pretty sensitive right now, and I need to let her know what’s going on. I also wanted to ask her to talk to Burt before he gets back.”

Finn let out a low whistle. “Yeah, good idea. Apparently Burt is severely pissed off at Kurt right now. Might be a good idea to let my Mom know what’s in Kurt’s head. She can soften the blow and help him get better quicker.”

Blaine looked amazed, “Finn, that has to be the deepest thing you have ever said to me.”

Finn responded, “I’m slow, I’m not stupid! It just takes me a while to get something.” He playfully punched Blaine in the arm a little too hard. “I just think you’re rubbing off on me.”

“Thanks...I think,” said Blaine as he rubbed his arm. Damn that boy was strong!

They drove in silence for a few minutes when Finn asked, “Blaine?”

Blaine was looking out the window deep in thought and was startled by Finn’s voice. “Yes?” he answered.

“So I’ve been thinking about what we talked about earlier.”

“Calibrating video game controllers?” Blaine responded, confused. “I promise I won’t blow myself up again.” While playing the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Blaine had shown him how to calibrate his controller for better game control. Finn had thought Blaine was joking about calibrating them. “Who knew?” Finn thought. Sometimes Blaine could be so amazing. But Finn wanted to discuss something else. 

“No, dude, the army! Maybe I’m rubbing off on you now,” joked Finn.

“Sorry, my mind was somewhere else,” said Blaine. He instantly converted to Dr. Blaine, glee club therapist. “So you were thinking about the army again?” he repeated.

“Yeah. I haven’t really told anyone about this, but there’s a good reason I want to join. I told you about my dad, right? I mean, Burt is great and all. I couldn’t ask for a better dad, but my real dad was a hero in the army. Well, at least I thought he was. I was thinking of joining a few months ago, but Schue told Mom and she told me the truth.”

“Which was?” asked Blaine. He was dreading the answer.

“Dad didn’t die a hero. He died in Cincinnati from a drug overdose. He was dishonorably discharged and took off. He had what Mom called Post Dramatic Stress Order or something like that.”

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” corrected Blaine.

“Yeah, that. Mom said to call it PTSD. Anyhow, I want to join the army and try to fight the dishonorable discharge. At the same time, I might be able to find some direction and provide well for Rachel while she’s in school.” Finn shrugged. “I’m still not sure what to do, but I’m going to look into it tomorrow, I think.”

Blaine put his hand on Finn’s shoulder gently. “Wow, man, thanks for telling me this. And other than your mother and Burt, I’m the only one who knows?” 

Finn nodded, “Well, other than Schue and Ms. Pillsbury, you’re the only other one who knows.”

 Blaine looked at him. “Again, wow. Thanks for trusting me with this. This is a pretty big thing for you, and a huge decision. What you say stays with me. I won’t even tell Kurt.”

Finn shrugged, “You can tell him. He’ll find out eventually anyhow. He needs to know why I want to do this.”

“I’ll let you do that, Finn. Does Rachel know?” asked Blaine.

“Shit, no! I wouldn’t dare tell her in the mood she’s in. But I really should, huh?” inquired Finn as he fiddled with the volume on the radio.

“It might be a good idea, Finn. After all, if you join it’s going to affect you both quite dramatically. You have to go through basic training and will be away from Rachel for some time. Then who knows where you‘ll be stationed. You can request a certain base, but it’s not guaranteed, and we know Rachel is determined to stay in New York for Broadway.”

“Yeah, I never thought of that. You seem to know a lot about this. Were you thinking of joining, too?” asked Finn.

“Oh, hell no!” Blaine said explosively and gave a nervous laugh. “When I came out, Dad threatened to ship me off to ‘straighten me out’. He forced me to read all these recruitment pamphlets. He wanted me to go to New Mexico of all places. Said it would make a man out of me. Totally not my thing. At all.” Blaine realized he was wringing his hands and stopped. 

“No offense, but your Dad kinda sounds like an asshole,” said Finn noticing Blaine’s discomfort.

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Blaine muttered under his breath.

“What?” asked Finn. He hadn’t heard what Blaine said.

“Nothing,” said Blaine, diverting the conversation. “You know if you ever want to talk, you know where I am, right?”

“Thanks for the talk, dude. Did anyone ever tell you that you should become a shrink or a counselor or something?” Finn said. “Like, you are great to talk to, and you always have the best advice.”

“Actually, funny you should say that. Kurt said something very similar to me earlier today,” said a very pleased Blaine. It always felt good to Blaine to be recognized for doing or saying something right. He never got it at home. Most of the time, he was ignored unless he was in trouble. Blaine was often amazed by the frequency he got into trouble. When he was younger, Cooper, his older brother blamed him for most things that went wrong. Once Cooper was gone, the blame continued. It always confused Blaine. At one point, he figured it was simply because he was born so late in life to his dad. His mom was the second trophy wife for a successful businessman. He was never meant to be. Blaine was jolted back to the present by Finn’s next words. 

“Well it’s true. Maybe you can talk to Ms. P about it when school starts next year,” encouraged Finn.

“Yeah. Maybe, I will,” said Blaine, a bit pensive. He could always do a double major in psychology and music. Musical therapy was a very valid occupation, after all. But his dad probably wouldn’t like it.

“Anyway,” said Finn, changing the subject. “Looks like we’re near the airport. We’ve got time. Do you mind if I grab a burger? Do you want something?”

“Sure,” Blaine responded. “I’d love one.”

Finn spotted a Golden Arches Palace and pulled into the drive thru. He ordered a triple burger with extra cheese, super large fries, a fried apple pie, and sixty-four ounce drink to wash it down with. He turned to a slightly horrified Blaine and asked him what he would like.

“A regular Cheese Burger, small fries and small drink, please,” Blaine answered. 

“Make that two,” shouted Finn into the restaurant speaker. 

Blaine grimaced. Not what he planned on but okay. What Kurt didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

After picking up the food, Finn drove to the cell phone lot at the airport to wait for his mom to call him. Finn and his mother had spent years carefully counting their pennies. Paying any longer to park at the airport was not something Finn felt comfortable doing. 

Finn started to chow down on his food. Blaine quickly realized how hungry he really was, and the triple burger was really tasty.

“Don’t tell Kurt about this,” Blaine said as he polished off the last bite of his apple pie. 

“Trust me, I would never. I can’t even bring a meal like this home without catching hell from him and getting a lecture about fatty heart stuff. Our secret, okay?” Finn responded and he held up his fist for Blaine to do a fist bump. Blaine returned it with a smile. It was nice to have a guy friend like Finn.

Finn’s cell phone went off. His mom had landed and would meet them at the luggage carousel.

“Let’s get my Mom so we can get back to Rachel and Kurt before they kill each other.” Finn said wearily.

*********

After waving goodbye to his boyfriend, Kurt slowly walked around his room. He had to get out of this funk, but it was proving impossible. He thought of the talk with Blaine in the park and vowed never to bottle up his feelings again. If he had an issue with something, he was going to voice his opinion, no matter what!

Unfortunately, he still felt like he was holding onto his emotions by a few threads, and they were slowly starting to snap. “I think I’m going to ask Dad and Carole about some therapy. Blaine is great, but I need someone who is unbiased,” he thought. He was going to get this under control...someday.

“What the hell happened to me?” asked Kurt to himself. “I used to be Mr. Fabulously Put Together. Now I’m just a great big hot mess.” He sighed, walked over to his bed and threw himself on it, staring at the ceiling. “It’s been a shitty two days. I just wish there was a time turner like in Harry Potter,” he continued talking to himself.

Just a few weeks ago he was on top of the world. New Directions had just won the National Championship, and graduation was on the horizon. He had a hot and oh-so-dapper boyfriend, and he had a best friend going with him to New York! Oh, the thought of promise and hope, excited for what may lie ahead in the future.

Now everything was essentially in ruins. He got drunk and pissed off Will and Emma. “Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done,” he thought to himself, “and who knows what Finn thinks of me now.” He wasn’t going to New York and was stuck in Lima for a least another year. His dreams were ground to dust with absolutely no direction, and the worst part was that he lost Rachel Berry, the best friend he ever had because of his big stupid mouth.

Well at least he had Blaine, for now. Eventually he would get tired of Kurt’s outbursts and leave, just like everyone else. Then he could host the ultimate pity party for himself.

He rubbed his short spiky hair and said to the ceiling, “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Growing up sucks!” 

He looked over at his bedside table and spotted the frame with the shattered glass. He sighed and picked it up. At the same time, “For Good” from the Wicked soundtrack came on the iPod. “How poetic,” scoffed Kurt. This was the anthem of Miss Rachel Berry and Mr. Kurt Hummel. Now they were enemies again, just like first year of glee club.

He looked at the picture and ran a finger over the scratched part. “We wasted so much time hating each other instead of being friends.” he murmured. “Now it looks like the idea of friendship with Berry is blown out of the water.”

He missed her, really and truly missed her. It felt like a piece of himself was missing. Of course, he wasn’t interested in her romantically, being gay and all, but they did have a strong bond. If he was interested in girls, Rachel would totally be his type. She matched him in awesomeness and talent. “Well, at least my former awesomeness. Not too awesome anymore, eh, Hummel?” he thought to himself bitterly.

Kurt got up and went over to his closet. “Might as well do something constructive with my time,” he mused.  Looking at the bags filled with his new clothes, he was momentarily appalled with himself for leaving them all balled up. Now he was going to have iron each and every piece. Kurt sighed and pulled out the t-shirts and started to hang them up on his cedar hangars. Rubbing the fabric between his fingers he noted how thin the material was; not the higher thread count he was accustomed to wearing.  Checking the stitching around the neck he saw how poorly sewn it was. No pride in workmanship. With a flash of horror, he grasped he had bought sweatshop merchandize. Now he felt twice as bad. “I have sunk so low, so low.” He moaned. “I want my old clothes back,” he wailed in despair. “No, Kurt! No I don’t want them back! But I will be more careful in my clothing purchases from now on. There must be a higher quality version of this new look! And if there isn’t, I’ll just make my own.”

Content with his compromise, he thought back to the last time he had bought “cheap” clothes: The Brittany Fiasco.

Kurt tried the girl-dating thing one time. That’s all it took.  Did that, bought the flannel t-shirt, and brought the damn thing back. Brittany was so sweet, and damn she was a good kisser, but that was just not Kurt Hummel’s thing. He preferred the kiss and the musky smell of a man.

But in the back of his mind, he thought, “What if? What if I stayed in the closet and continued to date Brittany or even Rachel if Finn didn’t have her. Would I have been tortured by David and his gang? What if I decided to skip going to Dalton and not met Blaine. How would my life be different now?”

Kurt noticed that his mind began to wander from the original task at hand. “Focus, Kurt!” he admonished himself. “Finish the organizing the closet.” But his mind drifted back to the damaged New Directions picture. All of his best friends in one place. “They probably all hate me now,” he said sadly. 

He walked back over to the picture, wondering if he could get a new copy made and started tracing his finger around all of his friends. 

Finn, his first crush turned into the brother he secretly desired as a child. There were times he wanted to kill the big lug and other times to hug him. They had both matured over the past two years.

Blaine, the love of his life, his first boyfriend, his first lover, his confidant and who knew, maybe future husband, the one person who truly accepted him unconditionally, the one person Kurt didn’t want to disappoint.

Santana, who was becoming a good friend and her sweet girlfriend Brittany. Brittany would always be his first real kiss. The irony of Kurt’s only official girlfriend liking other girls was not lost on him. He shook his head. Life was funny that way. 

Then there was Mercedes, a great friend who sadly drifted away over the years. Tina who was so sweet and kind to everyone and Mike, who could help anyone learn how to dance, even him. Artie, well Artie was basically a nice guy who could be a little blunt at times. Sam, who was willing to help anyone out any way he could. 

Quinn, what could he say about Quinn? She was her own brand of crazy but very loyal. She never complained when she was paired up with Kurt as a dance partner during group numbers. He knew he was way beneath her in the social ladder at school. He thought back to the first time they had danced together and she had leaned in to him and told him he smelled nice. It totally floored him. Kurt thought Quinn was going to cut him down as she did so many others beneath her.   

Puck, a guy who always looked out for Kurt, well at least he eventually did. At first he was Kurt’s worst nightmare. Throwing him in the dumpster every single morning before school, pushing him into lockers, the toilet swirlies that messed up his clothes and hair, all of it horrible; but things started changing when Puck found himself on the other side of the fence. He was bullied just slightly, but enough to make him stop going after Kurt and stand up for him instead.

The new kids: Rory, who had a kick-ass falsetto, second only to him; Sugar, who really did live up to her name; Joe, who might not share the same belief as Kurt, but who became a good friend nonetheless.

There were several adults in the picture. Brad the piano player, who was the strong silent type. He never spoke to the kids in the classroom. In private Brad had told Kurt he was proud of him after Junior Prom and had worked with him extensively for the NYADA audition piece. Brad had also told Kurt he was his favorite performer in the classroom. Kurt’s heart had soared to know he was someone’s favorite. 

Coach Sylvester, who always had a soft spot for Kurt. She was genuinely upset when he couldn’t keep David out of the school. He would always thank her for giving him a chance on the Cheerios!

Emma, who was a bit odd but very well meaning, occasionally took over the group when Will couldn’t be there. And last but not least was Will, who really cared about this big dysfunctional family. 

There was one person he missed. Rachel. Insanely driven Rachel Berry! She always made sure the entire group pulled their own weight and would call people out if they slacked. Once she got over herself, she became a best friend to everyone. Too bad that damn initiative and drive took over her common sense more times than not and drove everyone crazy. 

He put his finger over her scratched image. “Dammit, Berry, why do you have to be such a bitch? We could have gone so far. I would have written a musical for you to star in. Now we have nothing.” He put the picture on bed beside him and put his arm over his head. The tears started to flow again, as he lamented losing everything he loved.

As he cried, the soundtrack for Wicked was coming to an end. One of the last lines of the show was, “Who can say if, I’ve been changed for the better. Because I knew you, I have been changed…for good.” Rachel Berry brought out the worst in Kurt Hummel, but she also brought out the very best. She pushed him to do things he would never have thought possible. Hell, she got him to audition for the best musical theater college in the country!

But she was so selfish! It was her one great fault. She tried to control everything around her to fit her little schedule in her pink journal. It was ridiculous. Kurt tried to show her that it was okay to improvise every once in a while, but she just didn’t seem to get it. “I’m sure she even schedules her bathroom breaks,” he thought as he grabbed a tissue and wiped his eyes.

Well he wasn’t going to compromise anymore. “She has treated me like a punching bag and puppet for the very last time,” he said resolutely. He then started to think about all the great times they had together; the duets in the glee club, the countless weekend sleepovers. There had been several attempts by Kurt to make over Rachel only to have her back in those stupid animal sweaters.  Oh, well! He had sort of tamed her eyebrows. The best memory, however, was the one that started the tears up again. Singing “For Good” at the Gershwin Theater in New York City. That was the start of Kurt’s Broadway dreams. He always thought he would work in a prestigious fashion house or at least planning layouts for Vogue magazine. 

“Now here I am, a Lima Loser once more,” he said softly. He didn’t bother getting up to change his iPod over to another playlist. He instead grabbed and hugged the frame to his chest, turned on his side in a fetal position, and started weeping anew.

The singing started again, but it was not from the iPod. It was from Rachel.

****************************

Rachel spent several minutes, after Finn left to pick up Carole, pacing the backyard muttering. She was so frustrated with everyone and everything. She stopped, stuck up her pointer finger and started ranting, “First, I have to find a way to win Kurt back! I expect him to be here. I need a confidant to share backstage gossip and news. Kurt’s the only one who could be trusted to keep quiet, unless, of course, it would help further my career. I need Kurt to plan my outfit schedule and keep track of my hair and nail appointments. I need him to remind me to breathe! As a young ingénue, I will need to have a faithful sidekick! Kurt will need to be there to prop me up after a particularly hard day at rehearsal, to accompany me to society parties when Finn wasn’t available because he was home taking care of our fourteen adorable children, adopted from around the world.” Rachel stuck out two fingers and yelled, “Second….” She stopped and found herself looking around bewildered. A prop…a sidekick…

“Oh my,” gasped Rachel and stopped pacing. That is exactly what Kurt had said to her earlier. “It seems like the only reason I am even in your world is to be your prop, your best gay. Unfortunately it has brought me nothing but heartache and pain,” he had said to her during their fight.

“What have I done to you, Kurt?” she said to herself, horrified. He had to be devastated by the rejection to NYADA, and all she was doing was shoving her acceptance letter down his throat. Not once had she been there for her best friend. Because he was NOT a prop, NOT a sidekick, how could she have been so cruel? She adored Kurt, and would do anything to help him realize his dreams. Unfortunately her ambition for her own dreams was just a little bit stronger. She would need to back off, a little bit. 

But instead of pushing him harder, it occurred to Rachel that she had climbed over him with no regard to his feelings. She thought it was just to prepare her for the harsh reality of the “eat or be eaten” attitude of Broadway. But Kurt wasn’t really competition, was he? It wasn’t like they would be auditioning for the same roles. Well they probably wouldn’t, Kurt may like to sing girl songs but he wasn’t planning any major body modifications. In fact, she had hoped they would star opposite each other. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

All at once, she understood everything Kurt had told her today. Her eyes went wide. Yes, she had made some very valid points, but Kurt…he was hurting and all she could think of was Rachel Berry. Had she been like this their entire relationship? No wonder he had hated her when the glee club was first formed! No wonder he hates her now! 

“What have I done?” she repeated, shocked. “Well, it seems there’s nothing that can be done about it now,” she said letting out a heavy sigh. She would turn in and wait for Finn to come home, and maybe, just maybe, try to talk to Kurt in the morning. Maybe he went to the airport with the boys. She really didn’t blame him for not wanting to be near her right now. It was an emotionally exhausting day for all, one to rival a great romantic drama.

Rachel slowly made her way up the back porch stairs and let herself in the back door. She locked it and made her way to the fridge. “All this crying requires lots of rehydration. I must keep myself healthy. So regardless if Kurt and make up or not, I will still need to look my best,” Rachel lectured herself. She grabbed a bottle of spring water and made her way up to Finn’s room. She was surprised to hear “For Good” coming from behind Kurt’s bedroom door. He must have decided to stay home after all. This was their favorite song since they sang it in New York.  They took every opportunity to sing it to each other whenever they could. 

As she got to the top of the stairs, she could hear desperate sobbing. Her Kurt was distraught and she couldn’t be there for him. She almost knocked on the door but thought better of it. Rachel went into Finn’s room to change.

She put on a pair of her pink silk jammies with matching fluffy slippers. “Might as well get comfy until Finn gets home,” she thought. She might even be asleep depending on how late they were going to be. After thinking about things some more, Rachel decided it might be best to sit down with Blaine and have a good heart to heart with him, too. All of this must be so hard for the poor boy, Blaine being the boyfriend and all. He was practically family. 

She looked over to Finn’s bedside table and saw the framed picture of New Directions with the words “Best Friends” on it. Kurt had bought one for Finn when he bought one for himself. Unfortunately, Kurt’s frame was now shattered. She flipped it over to see if Kurt had left a price sticker on in. Not that she cared what it cost, Rachel was hoping to find out what store it came from so she could replace Kurt’s damaged frame.  No such luck. Kurt was always so careful in his gift giving. He had not only removed the price sticker but had removed the sticky residue, too. Rachel could not let such a thoughtful man out of her life. She must win him back. 

Rachel studied the group picture of New Directions after winning Nationals; they all looked so happy and carefree, unaware of all the drama that was to come. She ran her fingers over the Kurt’s face on the picture and sang:

“You were once my one companion. You were all that mattered
You were once a friend and ally. Then my world was shattered.”

She put the frame back on the table. The music had since stopped in Kurt’s room. She stood up, walked to the window as she looked out and continued:

“Wishing you were somehow here again. Wishing you were somehow near
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here
Wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never would
Dreaming of you helped me to do all that you dreamed I could.”

Kurt was spent. He didn’t think he had another drop of moisture to cry out. He had heard singing, but it wasn’t coming out of his iPod. The singing was Rachel.

He put the frame on the table and stood up, slowly making his way to the door. He quietly opened and door and walked to Finn’s door, listening to her sing.

“Passing bells and sculpted angels, cold and monumental
Seem for you the wrong companion, you were warm and gentle”

It felt so good to sing and get out some pent up feelings. Rachel felt the need to walk over to the bedroom door, but she wasn’t sure why. “Go with your instincts, Rachel Berry!” she thought to herself.

“Too many years fighting back tears
Why can't the past just die!

Wishing you were here again
Knowing we must say goodbye
Try to forgive teach me to live
Give me the strength to try!”

Kurt could hear the pain in her voice. He had listened to enough of her emotion-soaked solos to know when she was hurting. She wrote a song about her headband for goodness sakes! She continued:

“No more memories no more silent tears
No more gazing across the wasted years
Help me say goodbye
Help me say goodbye!”

As Rachel finished the song, Kurt put his hand flat on the door and then almost knocked. He decided against it. As he turned to leave and go back to his room, the door suddenly opened. He turned again to face the door to find a very surprised Rachel in her PJ’s staring at him.

“Rachel…” he whispered at the same time she said, “Kurt…

*********

A/N Yikes! What do you think is going to happen with Hummelberry? I don’t know if you have noticed, we are trying to fill in the blanks from the actual show while trying to make it natural. Hope it is working! Song is “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from the musical Phantom of the Opera.