A/N: I have been sitting on this plot bunny for a while now and finally feel I can't sit on it any longer. So I am putting this prologue out here to gauge your reactions. I've never written anything completely AU before and I have no idea if I could actually pull it off but I would love trying.

I would very much appreciate if you would share with me whether you would be interested in reading a story like this. If so, I promise to write it once AWWTH is finished, as I can't take on a third fic without seriously compromising my updating schedule.

But I could start brainstorming and laying out the general direction of this fic. And if I don't get feedback at least I know to shelve the idea and focus on other ideas instead.

Forbidden

Prologue

Dave knew this day was coming. He had known for the last 8 years ever since his parents had managed to find a suitable family with a girl his age who were happy to join their two families and possessions together. The Hummels were farmers, specialising in a variety of grains as well as farming crops for livestock which as far as his parents were concerned was a match made in heaven.

But knowing it was approaching didn't make the actual reality of his situation any more palatable. He had not wanted this day to come but this was just how it worked in this society he had had the luck to have been born into. You didn't choose your future spouse based on mutual attraction but the decision would be made for you long before you could even start thinking of anyone in that way. In their culture marriage was mainly a means to secure the family's future and to aid in the betterment or stability of economical status. The thought process being that it was less likely for a couple to divorce as it would create a lot of problems and stigma for both families affected and it was almost a safeguard as no child generally would want to risk bringing shame to their family like that. Also it would mean that quite possibly the whole family of the person being responsible for the break up would be shunned by society. Because of that divorce was virtually unheard of.

This was how it had been done for hundreds of years and although not strictly necessary for survival anymore as it had been in the old days, when it was literally whole villages joining forces and resources through the means of marriage, hardly anyone had ever dared questioning its viability or even its effectiveness.

Dave had spent many evenings out in the plains, analysing and thinking about the validity of this tradition while watching their livestock. He came to the conclusion a while back that if this indeed worked as well as everyone believed it did, by now there should be no more quarrels, no more wars to fight and no more violence as at some level probably every family in this country was related to one another somehow if they only dared to look back far enough through their family history. But reality was that all those things still existed so he could only conclude the only real driving force behind all this must be economical.

Dave was a thinker and a cynic at heart and was grateful that he had this time on his own just contemplating life and its meaning. In another life he would have loved to live in a big city and become one of those philosophers or poets the high society employ to keep them entertained at their functions. But he knew that that would always just remain a dream of his. He had not been dealt that card and he was not naïve or brave enough to run away and leave his family behind. His dad had instilled in him from a young age the importance of family and that one day he as the oldest would be responsible for its wellbeing.

Dave's parents had done a thorough job preparing him for this. Today, on his future wife's 18th birthday he would officially meet the girl that he in a short few months would have to call his wife. As was the tradition between country folk, the girl would come and spend the months leading up to their wedding with her future family, helping out on the ranch and for her and her future husband to get to know one another while his family would prepare for the wedding and the finer details of how the two families combine their wealth and resources would be finalised. As was custom, she would have a chaperone with her for the duration of her stay until the day of the wedding. On this occasion her brother would accompany her and make sure that nothing untoward would happen to her. Dave knew of course what that was implying. That he wouldn't be able to control his urges and would push himself on her the second he would get her alone.

But as far as Dave was concerned nothing could be further from the truth. Dave wasn't really interested in that kind of stuff. He never had a particularly strong sex drive. Maybe he was just weird like that but he was perfectly happy just spending his days and nights alone under the stars and most importantly away from his dad.

Dave didn't want to do this. He had spent many nights thinking of ways to get out of this and when none surfaced he had started praying ceaselessly that god would give him the strength to go through with it. That he would make him find this girl attractive and would fall in love with her. Deep down he believed in love and when he was young and naïve had always dreamed of falling in love and what that would feel like. But of course his dad shattered that dream pretty quickly when he started preparing him for marriage and scolded him that only gullible little girls believed in stuff like that. The cane on more than one occasion was used to drive out any silly ideas of a daydreamer until Dave had learned his lesson and just kept quiet about what was really going on inside of him.

So failing that his prayers would somehow get answered he would have to find the strength to be the man he needed to be and find a way to make it work regardless. He knew his family wouldn't allow for any other option. He never had a say in any of this. In some liberal families, as his dad referred to them, the children were actually allowed to court first and in case of real incompatibility could veto the marriage. That was all nonsense and would sooner or later lead to the downfall of society his dad was convinced.

On many occasions his dad had cited his own experience of being matched with his mom as a case study in favour of this system. He took pride in the fact that despite initial hesitation between the two of them they managed to make it work. As far as his dad was concerned there was no such thing as true love but you would just have to learn to love the person you were given and Dave thought that that was just a sad prospect but he had pretty much accepted his fate despite feeling like running. But he knew running would only lead to being disowned or worse being chased down and killed, depending on the impact such action would have on the family.

Dave had been taken aside by his dad early in the morning and had been reminded of his duties to the family. Dave just took it. Apparently being an adult now didn't count for much as far as his dad's disciplinary actions were concerned but he was used to his dad's way of reminding him of things. So when he felt the impact of his dad's hand he didn't even whimper but just nodded. He knew better than to give his dad reasons to get angry with him.

Then his mom had fussed over him, made him have a wash in the river and made him put on his Sunday suit, reserved for church and special occasions, after all she didn't want the first time this girl would set eyes on her son to be him wearing his dirty trousers and being sweaty all over. Dave wondered what the point was. It was not as though the girl could just say 'no' if she didn't like what she saw. And anyway the cattle needed tending to and Dave would rather be out on his horse rounding them up and leading them over to the new pastures.

"They're here" he was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard his mom shout as she made her way out of the front porch of their house. Dave was pulled outside by his dad and his mom looked him over and straightened out his shirt and tie. Dave could see the cloud of dust in the distance. It was the typical swirl a carriage would leave along the dry dirty path that led up to their ranch. He breathed out uneasily. This would be it, the start of the rest of his life. He looked over at his two brothers and his baby sister, all dressed up and smiling excitedly. They still looked so innocent but Dave knew that they were all already spoken for. He had to pretend this to be a happy occasion at least for their sakes. He didn't want them growing up dreading this day as much as he had.

The family was completed by his grandparents who had awaited this day with anticipation and had told him on many occasions how proud they were of him and that he would make a good family head one day. He loved his gran dearly; she had probably been more of a mom to him as he grew up than his real mom. She had allowed him to dream and encouraged him to explore those places in his mind that held all these thoughts and ideas and he fondly remembered many dark winter nights being curled up on the floor next to her sitting in her rocking chair and just enjoying her company. If anything he wanted to do this for her. He did not want to disappoint her ever.

The dust cloud grew bigger as the carriage approached the house and then came to a sudden stop. Dave admired the carriage and horses. The Hummels were well off. Dealing in grain was good business these days and Dave had wondered sometimes why they agreed to unite with his family who by comparison owned a rather modest ranch, but not that they were poor by any standards. His dad had told him once that it was all in the meat. That Mr Hummel knew that meat was a good commodity to invest in as he could see an increased need for meat especially in the growing big cities. And when he had come to look at their ranch all those years ago, he was impressed with how many livestock the Karofsky's had and how they managed to make the most with the comparatively little land they owned.

After stilling the horses, the driver hopped off the carriage and addressed the Karofsky elders announcing 'Mr and Miss Hummel's request for the Karofsky's hospitality' before walking around opening the door and holding his hand out for whoever was inside to take and step out. Dave could see a pale hand reaching out from inside the carriage followed swiftly by a pale arm and then a big puffy dress and a girl stepped out looking around shyly before averting her gaze to the ground.

She was beautiful, Dave thought, as far as he could judge such things that was. He had never taken a particular interest in girls and hardly ever came in contact with girls outside of the ones that were part of his family, so he had very little point of reference. She had long auburn hair which was in stark contrast to her pale skin. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and when she briefly had looked up Dave had noticed the clear blue eyes that were looking at him. Dave gulped. He didn't know what to do or say.

Then he noticed the driver reaching his hand into the carriage once more and out stepped the most beautiful creature Dave had ever laid eyes on. His heart rate sped up and he completely forgot to breathe or to swallow as he just stared. The skin of the young man was just as pale as his sister's and he had short brown hair and was dressed in a smart dark suit, which made his skin glow even more. When he looked around Dave noticed that those beautiful eyes must run in the family as he was met with a piercing gaze out of clear water blue eyes, which made his breath hitch.

Dave didn't understand this. He had prayed for some kind of reaction when he would meet his future wife today but this was not it. This was some kind of sick joke. One didn't have a response like that when looking at another man. It was just wrong. Dave knew it. He had heard whispers about sick people like that, who found people of the same sex appealing. But it was not officially spoken off and if it was, it was only to renounce it as lies of some unhinged perverted individuals who wanted to bring society down with their depravity. It was something that was rumoured only some deranged and sick folk in the big cities allowed themselves to indulge in. And according to his dad if such people did in fact exist, they all would be getting what they deserved sooner or later.

Despite the sickening feeling that was raging through his stomach, he could not take his eyes of this man. His sister was almost the spitting image of him, why hadn't his body reacted like that when he had set eyes on her? After what felt like hours but could only have been at most a minute, he tore his gaze away from the man and instead focussed his attention back to the girl who stood there, looking petrified and ready to run. Her brother had taken her hand and held it tight as he walked up to them, taking her along with him.

"Good morning. As you must know, I'm Kurt Hummel, Elizabeth's brother and we are pleased to be here." He smiled politely as he reached out his hand to shake Mr Karofsky senior's hand.

"Very nice to meet you too, Mr Hummel. And Elizabeth…" Dave's dad looked at her admiringly. "You really have grown into a beautiful young woman."

"Thank you Mr Karofsky," she took his hand and curtsied before averting her gaze again.

"And my parents send greetings to you all. They have me tell you that they plan on being here the week before the wedding to help with any last minute preparation. In the meantime I shall be the family representative regarding any family business that needs discussing."

Dave's dad nodded in acknowledgment before glaring at his son. "David!" his dad said pushing him forward. "Elizabeth this is David, you future husband. I hope you will use this time to get to know each other well."

Dave looked at her nervously but remembered his manners and took her hand and placed a peck on the back of it. "It is so nice to meet you Elizabeth." He said with a smile although if you would have looked closely, his eyes would have given away that he was anything but happy.

Dave was so aware of Kurt's presence, as he now knew the young man's name was, next to Elizabeth that the hairs on his neck stood on end and he could feel the man's eyes resting on him but Dave couldn't muster up the strength to look at him. He was scared of his body betraying him and was in desperate need for some time to collect himself. There was an awkward silence stretching out between everyone. It took his dad's angry rough clearing of his throat for Dave to get out of his stupor. He willed himself to look at Kurt and held out his hand and offered it for Kurt to shake while smiling at him.

Kurt took Dave's hand into his own and shook it firmly. Dave couldn't stop his stomach from doing a flip at the touch of their skin and his eyes must have widened in horror at that. Dave couldn't help the feeling that Kurt knew, that he could see right through him and no doubt would be appalled by him. Kurt must have sensed the sick feelings that were coursing through his body as he felt Kurt's gaze bore into him, his smile while still in place slowly giving away to the fear he was feeling. 'Oh please don't let him say anything,' Dave was praying. It was just a fluke. His body was being temporary confused as Kurt and his sister looked so much alike. Yes that must have been it and all Dave would have to do was to focus on Elizabeth.

Kurt was standing there completely mesmerized by Dave's eyes, which were a beautiful shade of hazel, He had forgotten that he was still holding on to Dave's hand as he stared into his eyes, studying him. 'Oh dear god please no!' The thought was flashing through his mind as he felt a spark igniting in his stomach. Not here, not now! Not with the man that was about to marry his sister. He tried hard to hide his sheer terror, as feelings which he had long thought gone were resurfacing at a frightening speed.

Kurt had been aware from a young age that he was drawn to men in a way that was not considered healthy but he had managed to fight it, to suppress it and make himself believe that he would be fine. That next year when he was going to get married things would work out ok. He hadn't had those feelings for another man in a long time and no, this could not be happening. He looked down at their still entwined hands and let go of Dave's hand as though it was suddenly on fire.

Say something, his brain was telling him. "David it's nice meeting you."

Dave had similar troubles finding something to say. Kurt's voice was high and smooth, and hearing him talk to him, saying his name had sent a shiver down his spine.

"David where are your manners!" his dad reprimanded him harshly.

"Oh, yes, excuse me Kurt. It is nice to meet you too."

"Well, as nice as this is, I'm afraid the ranch won't run itself. Hannah, why don't you show Elizabeth to her room and Dave you can carry their suitcases and then show Kurt to his room. And Kurt and Elizabeth take you time to unpack and get comfortable. We will show you around the ranch later and tomorrow we will familiarise you with how things are done here and as to how you can be of help to us over the next couple of months," Dave's mom said smiling warmly at Elizabeth and Kurt. She could tell the girl was afraid but she would soon fit in, she was sure of that. Her Dave was a good and gentle man and in time she would warm up to him.

They all nodded and Dave went over to the carriage and helped the driver get the suitcase and the big chest off the top.

"Wait, I'll give you a hand" Kurt said lifting up one end of the rather heavy chest which belonged to his sister. She had packed most of her belongings as this would be her new home now. Dave marvelled that despite Kurt looking rather slender there was strength in the man that was hidden from the eye, as he lifted the chest up with no trouble at all.

"Oh, yes thanks" Dave said averting his gaze from Kurt and leading the way into the house and up the stairs to where Elizabeth's and Kurt's rooms were. Once upstairs and the chest safely placed in Elizabeth's' room, Dave and Kurt left Hannah to showing Elizabeth around.

Dave was going back downstairs to fetch Kurt's suitcase when Kurt grabbed him by the wrist. "No, really, I can get my own luggage." He said smiling up at Dave. Kurt was used to doing things on his own and it made him uncomfortable having other people do things for him.

Dave looked aghast at Kurt's hand on his wrist. His skin felt like it was ablaze. He looked in shock back at Kurt who quickly retracted his hand, cursing himself under his breath.

Dave shook his head. "No, let me get it for you, please. My dad would not be too pleased if he saw our guests carrying their own luggage and believe me we don't want to upset my old man."

Kurt thought he got the drift of what Dave was implying and nodded quickly giving his agreement for Dave to get his luggage. More than not liking people doing things for him he hated getting other people into trouble, especially over trivialities like carrying luggage. He might have to adjust some of his behaviours while here as to fit in and not disturb the family dynamics. Mr Karofsky senior seemed to be running a tight ship.

"Your room is just to the left at the end of the corridor next to Elizabeth's." Dave pointed as he headed downstairs to get Kurt's suitcase.

Once safely outside and sure no one was watching him, he leaned himself against the carriage and took in some well needed deep breaths. Whatever twisted emotions Kurt had elicited in him, they would have to stop here and now. It would have to be a case of mind over matter. He was not sick. He was a normal 18 year old young man. He just had never really been with anyone and his body got momentarily confused. Anyway, if anything it was Kurt's fault for confounding him with his soft features and blue eyes and high pitched voice.

He would make himself fall in love with Elizabeth; he would make sure of that by whatever means necessary. He would be a good son and a good husband and one day would take over this ranch and fill it with children of his own and he would never think about these last 10 minutes ever again. And if he still needed any more encouragement to let go quickly of any ill thoughts that might threaten to cross his mind, he would just have to remind himself of his dad and what he no doubt would do to him if he ever would find out about those disturbed feelings that had temporarily clouded his judgement.

Filled with a new determination he straightened himself up and picked up Kurt's suitcase. Soon he would be able to ride out and clear his head and then tonight he would spend time getting to know Elizabeth. His life was pretty much mapped out so there was no time for worry; he had his duties to fulfil.

Thanks for reading. If I continue I envisage this to be a long fic as there is a lot of ground to cover and also it would not be a particularly happy fic. I am actually quite excited about this and hope some of you will share this.