In My Veins

Author's Note: Thank you for clicking/tapping on this story. Apparently you're interested, which is excellent news for me. I plan on putting a lot of time and effort into this story. I already have the first two chapters written and they're quite lengthy. The second almost totals at 8,000 words. I'm having so much fun establishing this universe already and there's so much more to come! I request that you stick with this story. Updates might be close together, might be sporadic. It depends on my scheduling, but I just accepted my Unversity place, so now I have to work hard for my grades to get in, but that is an unrelated issue. So please, if you like this story, leave a review and let me know so I know that I'm not wasting my time with this. Thank you all so much for reading! Please review! It really does motivate my writing.

Chapter 1- Changes

Kurt Hummel stood at the airport terminal with a sad smile etched upon his pristinely moisturised face. He was wearing his signature outfit that clearly displayed his ennui about leaving Lima. His accurately fitted white shirt partially covered by a black waistcoat lay finely above his impossibly tight black skinny jeans. His white Doc Marten boots completed the ensemble. There were no brooches, no pins, nothing to embellish the ensemble. That was how the Glee Club knew that he was sad to be leaving. Gone were the days that Kurt Hummel would strut around town with splashes of colour added so many layers of flamboyance to his outfits. No, his declining attitude was definitely reflected in his choices of attire. Out with the rainbow, in with the monochromatic colour schemes that filled most of his wardrobe by this point.

Kurt had always been bullied, terribly so, but his junior year marked the beginning of a perilous turn of events. The jocks seemed to want his blood more than usual. Not even the new arrival of honourable Sam Evans could protect Kurt from what was truly at stake. During their farewells, Sam admitted that he could have done more to help the boy out, but Kurt reminded him that it was not his place to be the protective figure in his life. The two had somewhat established a friendship over Sam wanting to be the bodyguard detail assigned to defend Kurt from every twinge of adversity, but Kurt had simply wanted a friend. The friend that he had lacked for so long in his life. The male figure that would joke about sex with him. The guy that would treat him just as he would treat the rest of his male cohorts. Kurt had thought that maybe Finn would be that friend, but Finn had only concentrated on the parts of their friendship which included Kurt giving him advice about his numerous romantic endeavours or the parts where Kurt crushed on him.

Puck was definitely out of the equation. The two had simply never seen eye to eye and that was not about to change. Puck had apologised for his past treatment of Kurt during their short goodbye, but they mutually agreed that they merely respected each other and that their personalities clashed too much to really connect. They did share a farewell hug and Kurt rather thought that Puck was communicating an unspoken message of atonement, but they then moved on with their lives as they always had.

Kurt used to be quite close with Artie when Glee Club first began to meet, but that had tapered away into nothingness when he started dating Tina. Kurt and Tina were very close, but Kurt often felt as though he was intruding on their time together and he could never really find opportunities to hang out with just the two of them.

Mike and Matt were similar in their own right and Kurt had never really bothered with them. He preferred outgoing personalities and the dancing duo were shy even outside of a school environment. Kurt had spent some time getting to know them a Glee party during sophomore year, but the two did not really try to uphold their end of the conversation very well.

As for the rest of the school, none of the other guys were comfortable spending time with Kurt, as they were of the opinion that he was only there to peek at their junk. They would become unsettled and that would be it. He was partnered up with Steve Dobbs during a Spanish project and Steve had demanded that they work individually and not spend time together during the creation of their presentation. Kurt hadn't been offended. What was the point when isolation was all he expected when it came to males at McKinley?

But the jock block was something else entirely. Rather than merely being unnerved by Kurt's very existence, they acted on those hateful feelings and got their kicks out of tormenting the boy. Slushies, dumpster tosses, locker shoves, homophobic and personal slurs. You name it, Kurt was the subject of it. One time, Azimio Adams even went so far as to insult Kurt's deceased mother, which resulted in Kurt throwing a chair at the bulky jock. It took a desperate intervention from Coach Sylvester and Mr Schuester to have Kurt's permanent record remain unblemished on the count of self-defence. In the privacy of the Science wing, though, Coach Sylvester had commended Kurt for his plucky pro-activism and practical methods of just retaliation. Kurt was insanely proud of his actions but would never even dream of admitting that to Principal Figgins. He wanted Julliard to notice that he was a mature, collected student who dealt with his problems in non-violent ways. It wasn't just about his talent anymore. His personality was being appraised too along with his flawless academic record. He knew that he could nail the audition, so he was looking forward to a likely acceptance from the esteemed school.

Well, that was until David Karofsky began escalating the torment for some unspeakable reason. The threats were more detailed, precise and definitely more abundant. Kurt's back never escaped the perpetual bruising and his dry-cleaning bill was astronomical. Kurt began to miss days from school, his previously perfect attendance slowly dripping away down the drain. His father never questioned it as he had cunningly covered his tracks by redirecting all calls from McKinley High to his own cell. He would ignore them, of course. Some days he didn't even have the motivation to leave his bed. And for Kurt Hummel, that was a stretch. Once he had returned to school each day, Mr Schuester had quickly labelled him as "depressed". Kurt scoffed as such a term, believing himself to be stronger than that, but secretly wondered if Karofsky's insane torment was really driving him into a deep state of depression.

Between his severe exhaustion and his short temper, Kurt was at a loss as to what persuaded him to go and chase after Karofsky that fateful day. His phone screen was cracked; but it was the little thing that sent him over the edge. He was going to have to pay to fix it and he was saving up to get himself some tickets to see Wicked on Broadway. There went that plan. Between Kurt's drycleaning bill resulting from the dumpster dives and slushies and the amount he was paying to have his car fixed everytime one of the jocks tampered with it, Kurt was almost unable to afford some of his daily luxuries such as his moisturisers and God forbid, his fashion ensembles. He cursed the day that jocks ever messed with his Gucci bag or his Calvin Klein jacket. It just wasn't fair.

So he yelled. And then he ran into the locker room, hellbent on getting Karofsky to leave him the hell alone. He had definitely not expected what followed his furious rant about how he hadn't actually done anything directly to the jocks besides exist. Karofsky had pinned him to the lockers and forced him into a deep kiss. There was no passion, no heat, nothing but desperation and hatred. Kurt was in no physical position to heave the large jock away from him, but he certainly tried. He resorted to delivering a swift hit to Karofsky's dick with his knee, sending the jock into a painful position, allowing him to flee the room, and then the school.

The subsequent interrogation had not been fun. His father, Mr Schuester, Miss Pillsbury, Coach Sylvester and Principal Figgins were all grilling him about his recent downward spiral and the source of it. When Coach Sylvester mentioned "the porky kid's treatment of Sweet Porcelain", Kurt had been too defensive and given the game away entirely. The whole issue (including Dave's very serious death threats) slowly unravelled itself and the web of destruction and hatred was revealed. David Karofsky was not punished, no matter how many times Burt Hummel threatened to take a flamethrower to the school.

And after a long, heated, discussion between Kurt, Finn, Burt and Carole, Kurt was leaving and heading for safer pastures. Burt had lengthily Googled the safest places in America and come up with the solution, after consulting with Kurt, that Forks, Washington was the place for Kurt to be until he graduated high school and gained his acceptance to Julliard. Coincidentally, Elizabeth Hummel's brother Charlie Swan made a name for himself there as the local police chief. After a very brief telephone call, Charlie invited Kurt to live with him, as well as Kurt's cousin Bella. Kurt had only met his cousin once, at Elizabeth's funeral. Kurt had sullenly refused to speak to anyone who wasn't his father, but Bella understood. Kurt was quite excited to see her again, as well as his Uncle Charlie.

And that was how Kurt ended up waving goodbye to his friends and his family as he left to board his plane to Seattle. Charlie and Bella were collecting from Seattle Airport and welcoming him into his new life in Forks.

Kurt hugged his friends, lingering extra-long in the embraces of Mercedes, Brittany, Quinn and Sam. The latter had promised to take the first flight out to Washington as soon as anything potentially dangerous went down. Kurt had laughed and waved him off, making him promise to look after his girls. Sam had slung his arm around his girlfriend, Quinn, and accepted the task rather eagerly. Sam seemed to want to make sure Kurt understood how sorry he was, doing anything he asked to prove himself.

"Call me every day, Kurt." Mercedes demanded as he let go of her. The other three around her nodded simultaneously. It seemed as though Kurt would have to call each of them individually every night. There were things that he could tell Mercedes that Sam would not care for and vice versa. He would configure a group Skype conversation with them, though, for Glee Club updates. Rachel had demanded that he only attend a high school that had a Glee Club, so Kurt could be leading vocalist and compete with them at Nationals that year. Kurt had rolled his eyes and confessed that he would actually miss the small Jewish girl, to which his feeling were enthusiastically reciprocated.

After an awkward side-hug from Finn (with the taller boy shiftily looking around them to see if anyone saw their brief touch of skin) and a loving embrace from Carole, Kurt turned to his father.

"Are you going to be okay without me?" Kurt said, referring to his father's recent arrhythmia, also the main reason Kurt had against leaving. Burt smiled tearfully and nodded.

"Carole and I have coordinated shifts at work so she can monitor my progress at work. She's a nurse, they understand situations like this. And I'm sure Finn won't mind pitching in sometimes, won't you buddy?" Carole nudged her dazed son, who nodded softly.

"Totally. I'll look after him for you, dude." Kurt almost rolled his eyes, laughing ironically at how Finn never understood his distaste for the word 'dude'.

"Thank you, Finn." The tall teenager wrapped his long arm around Rachel, who cuddled into his embrace, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Come here, you." Burt instructed gruffly, wrapping his loving arms around Kurt's shoulders, trying not to cry on his waistcoat.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Daddy." Kurt sniffled sincerely. It was going to be hard parting with his father, but Kurt knew that his safety depended on it. Charlie and Bella would look after him and it would be nice to be in a more accepting town for once.

"I'll miss you too, kiddo. If you have any trouble there, you're coming straight home and I'll sell a kidney so you can go to Dalton."

"Oh, Daddy." Kurt chuckled and kissed his father on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you so much, Kurt. And I'm so proud of you. Now go get your plane before we have to take you home and do this all over again." Burt shooed Kurt towards the gate and Kurt took his carry-on luggage over to where the man was checking ticket information. Kurt was glad that they had shipped over most of his belongings beforehand, so the luggage wasn't too substantial. Turning, Kurt gave his signature wave, making the Glee Club chuckle softly as they each mentally said farewell to their close friend.

Kurt sat on the plane, the Pilot episode of Grey's Anatomy playing on his laptop screen in front of him. He was barely concentrating on the program, though. In his mind flashed all the potential scenarios that could occur in Forks.

One: He could absolutely detest the place and the bullying could escalate. He could become so much more miserable that he was in Lima and have to stick it out there until graduation.

Two: He would love it and fit in there really well. He would make lots of friends and possibly find a loving boyfriend there. Everything would be perfect.

Three: Well, Kurt rather loved the prospect of Scenario #2 so he spent the rest of the journey fantasising about an ideal life in Forks, Washington rather than Lima, Ohio. The two seemed worlds apart, yet he was the common denominator that connected them both. A subtle link that craved acceptance and a home. Lima was his home, he figured, but only because of his dad and his friends. He had never really belonged in the town. Maybe Forks was his calling spot before he headed for the bright lights and wild spirit of New York City.

Charlie and Bella were waiting for him at the airport as promised. The flight was not particularly bumpy, so Kurt had napped for an hour or so before remembering that he had to depart the aircraft shortly. Kurt smiled at them shyly as he approached.

"Hey, Kurt!" Charlie coughed as he pulled Kurt into a slightly awkward hug. "My God, you've grown. You're a man now." Kurt waved off the pragmatics of that statement and smiled at his cousin.

"Hey, Kurt." Bella's slightly deep voice mumbled.

"Hello, Bella. It's been a while. Puberty did you justice, I see." Kurt looked at his cousin properly for the first time in eight years. Sure, she was a little on the pale side, but she was beautiful. He imagined that she thought herself plain, much as he did about himself.

"You too." She smiled thankfully and nodded.

Charlie sensed the underlying awkwardness between the two and cleared his throat once more. "Shall we get going, then? Kurt and Bella both nodded, following Charlie to his police cruiser. Along the way, Charlie silently commandeered Kurt's luggage so that he wouldn't have to carry it.

"Thank you, Uncle Charlie." Charlie grunted his thanks and neatly placed Kurt's luggage in the trunk as his nephew clambered into the backseat of the cruiser. Surprisingly, Bella boycotted the shotgun seat for the other backseat. Charlie hoped that the two would begin some sort of conversation so that Kurt's integration into the house wasn't completely awkward. He knew that he was not good during social situations that didn't involve football, so he would have to rely on Bella to do most of the communications regarding teenager stuff that Charlie really didn't get and sometimes he didn't even want to begin trying to understand the younger generation and their gadgets. That made him feel rather old. To counter this, Charlie turned on the radio station that Bella usually listened to. He remembered the digits but not the name. Some female singer was belting the hell out of a ballad and Charlie didn't actually mind it.

Kurt smiled as he stared out of the window, transfixed by the constant sheet of rain that blanketed the already damp sidewalk. Hearing the song, he sung quietly along with it.

"Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace. Baby I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace…" Bella grinned as she closed her eyes, taking in the high, clear sounds of her cousin's tuneful melody. He was magnificent, even at a reduced volume.

"You're a really good singer." Bella commented, interrupting the chorus. Kurt blushed slightly but nodded.

"Thank you, Bella."

"Burt told me you were in a singing club at your old school." Charlie intervened, glad to contribute something to the conversation.

"Yeah, the Glee Club. We performed in show choir competitions. Is there a Glee Club in Forks?" Kurt turned to Bella. He liked Uncle Charlie a lot, but wanted to rebuild his relationship with his cousin primarily. Her expression turned slightly sad. Kurt desperately wanted a creative outlet in Forks. He had brought his sewing machine so that he could make some more of his own clothing designs for any future portfolios he would put together when he was a famous actor, but that was about it. Of course, there was always singing alone in his room, which never failed. But Kurt craved something more communal which brought people together just as the establishment of the New Directions had. He knew he was asking for a lot and Bella's expression disappointed him slightly.

"No, I'm afraid not. The closest thing we have to a Glee Club is the Speech and Debate Team. Now that I do not recommend unless you want the highlight of your day to be Jessica Stanley hogging all of the important issues." Kurt smirked slightly. Now didn't that hit a little close to home? He almost laughed at the thought of Jessica Stanley being in the New Directions.

"I think I'll pass. I had enough extra-curricular activities at McKinley for Julliard to take notice of."

Bella's eyes widened. "You want to be an actor?"

"Ever since I saw Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady." Kurt nodded, glad to establish some conversation. "As a backup, I think I'd like to be a writer."

"That's what I'd like to do, I think." Bella smiled, happy that she shared something in common with Kurt. "Though I'm not sure I have it in me to write the next Great American novel." She laughed, as did Kurt. It wasn't in a malicious way, just in a way that recognised the competitiveness and arduousness of the creative writing field.

"There's always poetry. And play writing. And journalism. Failing that, you could be a critic. Don't give up hope." Kurt's eyes shone at the prospect of a dream. Bella already knew that he would do whatever it took to be an actor, no matter how he got there. Julliard or not, Kurt Hummel was going to act. "So, Bella, do you have a boyfriend?" Kurt hoped it wasn't a sore topic for her and that she did have one. It would be sort of awkward if she didn't. It lowered self-esteem drastically, Kurt knew that much. To his relief, she nodded happily, colour flooding to her cheeks and light brightening up her eyes when she spoke.

"Yep. His name's Edward. You'll meet him at school. He sits with our lunch table with his sister Alice and my friends. I'll introduce you to the Cullens soon enough. Oh, and you have to meet Jacob!" The lilt in her voice intrigued Kurt. He wondered if she was trying to set him up. That was awfully cute of her if she was.

"I look forward to meeting all of your friends and your boyfriend. Anything to have friends in this town." Kurt giggled nervously, hoping that the issue of him having lots of friends wouldn't come up. However much he cherished his Glee friends, he always wished for more acquaintances.

"They'll love you. I have a feeling that you'll fit in well here. If there's anything that Forks High School absolutely goes crazy over, it's a new kid." Bella rolled her eyes, thinking of her first week at Forks. She was asked out three times and shouted at by the volleyball captain for injuring her arm. Talk about contrast.

Bella was really excited for Kurt to meet Jacob. Ever since Jacob had come out of the closet to her, he had talked of how lonely it was on the Reservation as he was the only gay kid there. Even in Forks, the number of out gay kids was lacking. She hoped that Kurt and Jake could hit it off. They were definitely each other's type. And with Jake's new haircut that even had happily attached Bella looking at him twice, Kurt was sure to love him.

The major thing Bella was worried about was how the supernatural influences within Forks would affect Kurt. Obviously, she was completely wrapped up in it, but that didn't mean that Kurt had to be. She figured that if he started seeing Jake, then he would have to know. Surely he couldn't stay in the dark for so long. If Jake imprinted, he would have to be told why Jacob suddenly felt like the Earth moved just because Kurt breathed. She was in half a mind about whether Kurt should know about the Cullens and their identities. He was family after all. Bella made a mental note to ask Edward whether it would be okay. If Edward gave the okay, she would tell Kurt. People had no idea how it felt to keep something that huge to yourself for so long and she would also have another thing to bond with Kurt over. She just hoped that Kurt and Jacob were meant for each other. Kurt's arrival in Forks may have been commandeered by a raging, closeted bully who had no concept of boundaries, but that didn't mean it wasn't fate. Charlie's rumbling voice disrupted her from her thoughts.

"Well, we're here. Say hello to your new home, Kurt."

Kurt stared out of the window at the house. It was only slightly smaller than his house in Lima, but it looked older, with more of a history. He figured this was the house where Bella grew up. The way she smiled when she saw it told Kurt that when she moved back from Phoenix, she had remembered all of the memories she had there. Kurt just hoped that he could make some too that were equally as special.

Kurt went to get his luggage from the trunk but was stopped by his Uncle.

"Now, Kurt, leave that to me. You just go inside and acquaint yourself with the house. I forgot to tell you about the arrangements, but I'm afraid you'll have to share with Bella. There's a spare room, but it isn't big enough for a bed. I built a wardrobe for your things and there are some shelves and drawers , too, but that's all I can manage, I'm afraid." Charlie looked thoroughly frustrated that he couldn't provide a more independent living space for Kurt, but the younger boy shook his head.

"Uncle Charlie, that's no problem at all! I feel grateful enough that you're letting me live in your home, I don't expect anything more than that. You've already done plenty." Clearing his throat, Charlie walked in front of the teenagers with Kurt's bags.

"How about we order pizza tonight? To welcome Kurt to the town?" Charlie proposed and Bella groaned.

"He acts like pizza is for special occasions, but unless you count every Tuesday as a special event, then he's a total liar." Kurt giggled and confidently put his arm across Bella's shoulders, walking one step at a time to his new home.