Title: Accidents Happen

Started: 8/?/11 Again, who keeps time on vacation?

Finished: 8/27/11 2:26 a.m.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its respective characters.

Carole hummed quietly to herself as she fixed breakfast for her family. The meal was almost ready. She made pancakes with a fruit compote and sausage for Finn and Burt, and a cantaloupe salad with whole wheat toast for Kurt and Blaine. She also bought some white tea, and squeezed the orange juice herself. She wanted everything to be perfect for the boys, since it was their first day of school. The first day of their senior year! She took a deep breath to keep the tears at bay.

"Mrs. Hudson-Hummel?"

She turned around and smiled at Blaine. Right on time. To celebrate his transfer to McKinley Burt—Burt!— invited the boy over for breakfast.

"Is everything okay," he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Oh." She laughed through her tears, a little embarrassed. "I'm fine. Just an old lady crying over her boys growing up so fast."

Blaine gave her a sympathetic, and charming, somehow always charming, smile. "Well I understand the tears, but you are most certainly not an old lady!"

She blushed at the compliment, but shooed him away. "Oh stop it, you. Why don't you go see Kurt? That boy's certainly awake by now."

Blaine nodded and skipped up the stairs. Carole went on with her business, and pretty soon she was in the dining room, setting the table for her amazing breakfast when there was a loud scream from upstairs, followed by a loud crash. She rushed to the foot of the stairs.

"Boys? Is everything alright?"

There was a brief pause, and she was two seconds from charging up there when Finn's voice, unusually high and flustered called down, "We're fine mom!"

"You sure?"

"It's alright Carole," Blaine called back, sounding much calmer than her son. "We'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay," she answered. "But if you need anything, just call me." She went back to the dining room, her worries only slightly assuaged.

Burt approached as she finished arranging the plates and smiled at her. "Wow Carole, this is a great spread."

She grinned proudly and walked to the closet to grab her centerpiece. "Thanks. I just hope that the boys like it."

"Of course they will," he said, and after she placed the centerpiece he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "They'll love it."

She almost replied, but just then the boys came downstairs. Her smile faltered as she looked over them. Finn's eyes were cast down, and he shuffled quietly to the table. Kurt looked particularly fascinated by a buckle on his sleeve as he sat down and crossed his arms petulantly. Blaine looked normal, smiling wide with his hands in his pockets. But they were all dead silent. She looked at Burt, and he just shrugged before pulling out her chair. They each helped themselves, passing plates and bowls in an eerie quiet, and Carole didn't like it. So she cleared her throat and spoke up as she passed the fruit compote to her husband.

"So, are you boys excited for your first day?"

Both Finn and Kurt shrugged, staring at their plates. Blaine just smiled at Carole. "Yeah, definitely. I'm a little nervous though. Public school was a long time ago."

Kurt's expression finally softened and he took Blaine's hand. "You'll be fine; we'll take care of you."

Finn nodded with certainty. "You bet dude! We've totally got your back."

Carole nodded, smiling a little to herself. This is more like it. She grabbed the platter of sausages and passed it to her son. "Sausage, Finn?"

The boy just shoveled more pancake into his mouth so Carole asked again. "Finn?"

He looked up, startled, and even though he saw the platter of sausages he asked her, "What?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and stabbed his cantaloupe forcefully. "Honestly Finn, it's time you looked into getting your hearing checked."

Carole blinked in surprise at her stepson's hostility. She saw Blaine's lips tightening in a restrained smile and he went back to his breakfast. Finn's cheeks reddened and he went on the offensive as he took the sausage platter.

"I'll have to have my hearing checked after hearing you screech like that! You scared me so bad I fell off my bed!"

Kurt sent his brother a withering glare. "Can you blame me for freaking out? I was shocked!"

Burt and Carole exchanged a worried glance and Blaine's shoulders were shaking as he stared fixedly at his plate.

"Oh please, a year ago you would've—"

"That was a year ago! You're my brother now; it's sick! It's traumatizing!"

"Well it's your own fault for not knocking, Kurt," he accused.

"I did knock! Twice!"

"You did?" Finn looked at Blaine, but the younger boy just nodded. "Oh."

Burt threw his napkin to the table. "Okay, guys, that's enough! What the heck is going on here?"

The boys were suddenly quiet again, Finn and Kurt's cheeks bright red. Blaine didn't say anything either, quietly drinking his orange juice. But with the water in his eyes and the grin he was trying to hide he looked ready to explode from…well something. Carole held out her hands pleadingly.

"Boys, come on, please. We're a family; this is no way to start the—"

"I saw Finn naked!" Kurt shrieked.

Blaine choked on laughter, orange juice dribbling from his glass as Finn slapped his hand over his cherry red face in shame. Burt and Carole froze for a minute, trying to absorb just what the countertenor had said. Kurt looked wide-eyed and horrified, and Finn just looked miserably embarrassed.

"You…what?"

"I wanted to ask this half-giant if he used the last of the toothpaste in the upstairs bathroom, so I went to his room, knocked," he said with a pointed glare to his brother. Finn shrunk into his chair just a bit. "And I opened the door when I realized he probably couldn't hear me over the music blaring, and there he was! In the nude!"

Carole sat with her jaw hanging open, and looked at her husband. To her horror, Burt's face was contorted into a suppressed smile, and he was holding his fist over his mouth, pretending to cough because he knew now was not the right time for laughter. She frowned in disapproval, and almost missed her son's protests.

"It's my room. I'm allowed to do what I want!"

"You were nude!" Kurt shrilled, flailing his arms dramatically. "If you're going to be naked you should at least keep to music down! That way you can actually hear someone knocking and take the time to cover yourself!"

Burt started chuckling audibly behind his fist. Blaine crossed his arms and squeezed his eyes shut, snickering into his chest. Kurt just glared at his boyfriend and smacked his arm. Every plate on the table was virtually untouched, and Carole's hands were starting to curl into fists while her son crossed his arms defensively.

"I like to jam out in the morning! It pumps me up for school! And besides, I had just gotten out of the shower! You can't blame me for walking around nak—"

"You weren't walking around Finn, you were playing air guitar! In the nude!"

Blaine plainly burst out laughing, nearly falling from his chair, and Burt laughed into his palms, his broad shoulders shaking in mirth while the boys continued shouting at each other.

Carole snapped. She shot up from her seat, slapping her hands to the table, and instantly silencing the men. "Alright, that's enough! You're brothers now; it sure as hell won't be the last time one of you gets caught naked, so both of you get over it, and you two stop laughing! This is the last year of high school and I wanted your first day to be special, so I slaved away on this damned breakfast so we could enjoy this time as a family! Now shut up, get along, and eat your damn food!"

She sighed and sat back down, calmly buttering a slice of toast. When she looked up she saw that they were all staring at her. "Well?"

They hurriedly dug into the meal, quietly munching and trading fearful glances over tea and orange juice.

"These uh…these pancakes are great mom," Finn said at last, his shoulders hunching meekly.

"And this salad is exquisite," Kurt rushed to agree. "A New England bed and breakfast is no match!"

"Yeah. It's delicious Mrs. Hudson-Hummel," Blaine supplied over his toast.

"Hey, what's in this fruit compote, raspberries? It's amazing!" Burt informed her, taking a big bite as way of proof.

Carole smiled at all of them.

"Thank you boys," she said politely, her face relaxing into a pleased smile as she sipped her tea.

FIN

Again, NO idea how I came up with this, but for some reason I enjoyed the concept. :) Sorry this one arrived so fast, but I really want to post all my ideas before the new season starts up and I have to deal with straying from canon. It's a little rushed, and totally random. In other words, written by me. :) So I hope you enjoyed it! I don't say it enough, but thank you all for such sweet comments! You're amazing! :D