This story will be about fifteen chapters. It started with my need to see some really changes in the canon of Glee. I understand that they only have an our and random song and dances need to be worked into that but there are a lot of plot holes. I wanted to see some of the characters growth. I wanted to see David Karofsky home life because I really think behind it all he really is a scared little boy. Each chapter will continue to focus on Kurt, Puck, David and Sue. They will be my protagonist. I love Sue and I don't think I could capture her in "Mckinley" essence but I will try to delve into the Sue we saw in Funeral. This story will be about redemption, forgiveness and letting go when holding on will do more harm than good. I will update as fast as I can but I also want to be proud of the level of work. So without further ado...

Chapter 1: Failure

There are many things I can be accused of but one of them should ever be neglect. After all, I became an educator because I wanted to make a difference. My naivete shouldn't have blinded me to the degree that it did. Even in my head my words sound empty and hollow and I cannot even begin to offer apologies, sincere or otherwise. How do you apologize to a parent after having them entrust their child's well-being to you and you failing them miserably?

"Good Morning McKinley High, here are the announcements for today. Due to unforeseen circumstances, all club and sport team leaders must meet with Principal Figgins this afternoon. Club leaders that fail to attend will be forfeiting their groups rights to meet and continue. Have a nice day."

Flashbulb memories are highly detailed, exceptionally vivid 'snapshots' of the moment and circumstances in which surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) news was heard.

Dave Karofsky was sure that the moment he heard that mornings announcement would forever be a flashbulb memory for him. Everything from the look of interest on his teachers face to the disinterest on the student bodies face. He remembers that exactly ten breaths after the announcement he received a text commanding that he meet the sender in student parking lot. He remembers the feelings of relief that washed over him simultaneously with the feelings of regret and guilt.

Noah Puckerman remembers that he was running late to class (as usual) when he heard the announcements start. Noah remembers stopping and shaking his head in relief and anxiety. Often overlooked as a Lima loser, there were few things that missed Noah's perceptiveness. Noah was ambitious and was often accused of having no ambition, but few members of the student body realized that - except for a few minor indiscretions - Noah was actually a good student. Noah recognized from an early age that a good education was his ticket out of Lima and he would never do anything to completely jeopardize that.

He also realized that prior to baby-gate he was a Grade-A jerk. After Beth, he allowed his emotions to surface and he reflected on who he was, who he wanted to be and who he projected to be. Noah became more concerned with his character, because that was who he truly was, and no longer his reputation. He wanted to know that if Beth ever came in search of him his reputation would surpass that of just another school bully.

Which was why when Noah heard the announcement signalling the initial stages of his plans, he took a few calming breaths before sending off the texts to his partners. He knew they had to be feeling some of what he was feeling; an indescribable feeling of hope and tension. As if the world has been both lifted from and placed on his shoulders.

Kurt Hummel was sure he would faint. The student lawyers in training had told him that the first sign that the lawsuit was in progress would be the announcement of the disbandment of extracurricular activities, but he honestly wasn't expecting it to be made so soon. His father was initially hesitant to get on board with the idea of the lawsuit, which hadn't surprised Kurt in the least. After all his two co-conspirators were two of the people that made his stay at McKinley borderline unbearable.

It took a lot of meeting between Noah and David and Burt before his father was okay with the idea. After some coaxing from Carole some of his resistance fell away and Kurt watched as an initial timid relationship of sorts was formed between his father and Noah.

As Kurt tried to reel in his wondering mind he realized that he had received a message from Noah and apparently they would all be meeting in the school parking lot. He knew why - in the lawsuit they had refused to stay anonymous, rather they had listed their names amongst some of the other protected classes and they honestly didn't know how the faculty that once ignored the blatant bullying would react once it became common knowledge that they were listed as some of the initiators of the suit. David had assured Kurt that there would be no regression to his old ways and he was more than willing to offer any protection against anyone who tried anything in the future.

Noah Puckerman was the self-titled resident bad ass and few questioned him. He was known to hit first and ask questions later. After baby-gate, Kurt was one of the few that reached out to him, even though that was during the time that Kurt was smitten with Finn. For Kurt to be able to look past his amorous feelings for Finn and realize how lonely he would be and extend an offer of friendship made Noah forever indebted to him. Noah had told Kurt in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him when the story broke. Between Noah and David, Kurt felt a little better about the whole thing.

Artie Abrams was used to being overlooked. It actually came as a shock to him when someone noticed him long enough to hold the door open for him. Kurt Hummel was one of the few people that always noticed. To him Kurt being gay wasn't an issue. He remembers the days when they were in elementary immediately after his accident where Kurt treated him no differently. He was always willing to be a friend. Kurt never offered him empty comfort. He never belittled the accident or the enormity of the impact of what the accident meant for his future.

Being in a wheelchair allowed Artie a chance to see what others failed to noticed for various reasons. He saw the first time Principal Figgins flinched when Kurt walked too close to him. He saw the first time Will Schuester blatantly ignored Kurt being tossed in a dumpster. But Artie also noticed the positive changes. He noticed the first time Karofsky didn't locker check Kurt, and the tentative smiles Kurt and Puck exchanged in the hallway.

He also noticed the "secret" friendship that formed between Kurt, Karofsky and Puck. It was completely by chance that Artie noticed this friendship by showing up at Kurt's house unannounced. His dad had offered to wait after helping him onto the porch but he had told him to go. To say he was shocked when David Karofsky opened Kurt Hummel's front door and Noah Puck Puckerman asked if that was the pizza man added to the shock value.

When they initially filled him in, Artie was sure that he was in a parallel universe where everything was reversed. There was no other explanation for the easy friendship that he saw between the two boys. Kurt had apologized for not telling him earlier but he didn't want for the plans to fall through and get anyone's hopes up. Kurt had assured Artie that although his name wasn't listed explicitly he was definitely a part of the special groups listed.

3:30

McKinley High School

Staff Meeting Room

Sue Sylvester was Sue Sylvester. The utterance of her name has been know to make opposing cheer leading coaches cry. She was certain of a lot of things and two of them were the idiocy of William Schuester and the ineffective leadership of Figgins. How one man could miss an entire fleet of bullying was something she never quite understood.

When Porcelain had told her that Schuester had effectively told him he was becoming insolent and he was no longer letting the bullying roll off his back, when he had told her that sometimes obvious limping and groans of pain was overlooked, and even the well hidden secret that Will once walked past him as he was being surrounded by football players, she cried.

Sue always told herself that any of these kids being bullied could've been her sister Jean. Sue remembers when they were children, having to protect her sister from bullies at home and at school. She remember turning eighteen and leaving with Jean, never looking back at the woman who made Jean's life a living hell.

Sue believed in character strength but she believed vehemently that things that a person was born with should never be used as ammunition against them.

As Principal Figgins stood and called the staff attention to him he began to read a letter Sue could almost recite from memory.

Notice of Intent to Sue

RE: Letter of Intent to Sue
Reference # Civil Rights Violation

Dear McKinley High School Board

This letter serves as the formal notice of my intent to file a lawsuit against McKinley High,McKinley High School Board and Lima School District for Protective Classes including sexuality, race and handicaps.

If you wish to resolve this matter without court action, please inform us with 45 business days of the following course of actions:

Removal of slushie machine used in numerous acts of vandalism and assault against members of a protected class.

Sensitivity training to all staff and faculty.

Enforcement of a strictly enforce zero tolerance bullying policy.

Handicap accessibility to parts of the school that are currently inaccessible.

If I do not hear from your company within forty five days, I will initiate a lawsuit.

Your prompt attention is appreciated ,
Jane Smith

After the letter had been read, the tension in the air was palpable. Staff members looked around at each other wondering what this might mean for them. It was only recently that the budget was passed allowing for the staff members to remain on staff. Pensions weere threatened to be cut. In the twenty third hour when the budget was passed, the relief had been immense, but a lawsuit would mean the undoing of all of that hard work. Class sizes were only just returning to normal and a lawsuit would mean staff cuts and larger classrooms. More kids per class period. More hooligans and thugs to try to control. More Lima Losers to act like the education system was going to do them any good.

And as they voiced their thoughts and opinions, Figgins realized exactly why students would feel more comfortable going to strangers than their educators. No one present as of yet voiced any concerns about the content of the letter. No one wondered why with of all the vending equipment in the school, only the slushie machine had been requested to be withdrawn.

Sue Sylvester decided in that moment that she was disgusted with the majority of staff and faculty. Of all of their concerns no one wondered about the students that had obviously been pushed too far for them to feel the need to get lawyers involved.

Parking Lot

McKinley High School

"Dad, they made the announcement today...I'm in the parking lot waiting for Noah and Dave...Noah seemed a little tense but that's more because he wasn't near Dave and I...I'm sure I can convince him to come to dinner."

As Kurt ended the conversation, Noah was walking into the parking lot. The tension that Kurt was sure Noah was feeling was visible in his shoulders. Noah was never fully sure how to let his emotions out around Kurt but bottling them up was useless. Kurt was able to strip away to the core in an uncanny matter that had you exposed to him in your most vulnerable state, and Kurt was willing to wait very patiently for Noah to say whatever the problem was. He knew that it could often take days.

But this time Noah decided that he couldn't hold in his problems anymore, and immediately began to retell his story

"After I heard the announcement, I sent out the message to have us all meet up. I figure that since the school received the notice of intent to sue that they would be less than pleased. I was headed to the nurses office with a killer headache when I approached the door and heard the nurse talking about her sister that got arrested for some form of neglect for allowing her boyfriend to almost break her daughters arm. And I just started thinking… what if this was Shelby and Beth? And for all the reasons I didn't get to keep her that I couldn't even be a father and protect her."

In that moment it was clear that Noah was in no mind to talk for much longer. He needed to get lost in that place in his head that would allow him to rationalize the decision Quinn had essentially taken away from him. The place he migrated to whenever he came across a little girl suddenly and Kurt could see him looking for traces of Beth in her features. The place that helped him when Quinn started her life as if Beth never was.

Kurt and Dave helped Noah into Kurt's car and Dave silently agreed to follow them home, in case Noah hadn't fully recovered and Kurt needed a hand in getting Noah inside. It said a lot about the amount of time Noah spent there because upon entering the house he went immediately to Kurt's bedroom.

And that's where Burt found him three hours later when Carole had finished dinner. Although Puck and Finn were on speaking terms, the best-friendship was essentially over. Finn could never forget that Puck had got his girlfriend to cheat on him, and Puck never forgave himself for betraying his brother. Finn felt it was better for Burt to wake Puck up because a grumpy Puck could be a violent Puck.

When Burt entered the room, it almost broke his heart to see that even in sleep Noah looked broken. He remembered when his late wife had died and Kurt would seem lost and distant, and he saw the same thing in the boy lying in front of him. It was clear that something had made Noah a shell of what Burt knew he could be. Burt had noticed that Noah never spoke about his father and when he had inquire after the missing figure in his life, the story Noah had told him had almost broken his heart. He knew that abuse took a long time to heal, but any healing that was done over time had definitely been undone when Noah was forced to give his baby away. The redemption he sought in wanting to show a child love was forcibly taken away from him.

Shaking Noah awake, he sat on the corner of the bed waiting for him to become fully alert. Once he heard the breathing pattern that told him the boy was awake he left the room, bellowing to the rest of the house that dinner was ready. Five minutes later found everyone at the table, including Dave who had never left.

As Sue Slyvester sat in the nursing home where her sister lived, she started to recount to Jean the daily going ons at McKinley. It had always amused her that Jean got pleasure from hearing the mundane things that happened. Lately though, Sue knew that Jean was asking more out of concern than anything else.

With Jean, Sue never had to run away from her feelings. She often visited just for hugs. Knowing that this lawsuit could mean hell for the students who insisted on being named, she was worried for the first time that, although Jean always let her love spilled over and always let Sue all the way inside, she was worried that hugs and concerned glances from Jean couldn't fix this.

"You have to give it over, Sue. There isn't much more that you can do. I know in your own way you love those kids and though I'm sure they are scared of you sometimes, it says a lot about their trust in you that they choose you to help," said Jean.

"But what do you do when you giving your all and it seems like you can't make it through?" Sue replied. "How do you stand when you feel so weak? How do you handle all the guilt from the past and deal with the shame? And sometimes the pain in my heart makes me feel like I can't make it through."

"I don't have all of those answers for you Sue. I don't think anyone does. Sometimes though you have to gather through it and just hold on."

And though Sue wasn't sure she believed in God, sometimes talking to Jean made her question whether she should.

Sue had so much to think about. She had noticed that lately Jean was getting weaker extremely quickly. She knew Jean had lived a long life and Sue knew in no uncertain terms that she herself was wiser, better and more perceptive because of Jean. She was stronger too, she had to be. When her mother had started to spew the filth about Jean being worthless, she had absorb those words to her core that sometimes still haunted her.

Noah loved to get lost in a good book. Lately he found himself taking mental vacations to every part of the world - to the Amazon and Europe and even to the centre of the Earth. When he read, it was as if the words blurred and the imagery was so clear that the words became director notations.

On that note, Noah knew he was extremely stressed when he couldn't get himself lost in a book, instead finding himself staring at a page for lengths at a time until he got an headache that only went away with a nap. There was just so much to process. Noah was ready to talk to someone, so he went in search of Carole. As great as Burt was, there was just some things he didn't know how to talk to him about. Carole, she had been there from he was in pee-wee football with Finn and even through baby-gate she had never made him feel a leper. She knew about so much of his life that it was hard to separate the parts of him she didn't know. He hated disappointing her and before Beth she was one of the few people that made him want to go to college and become something that he could be proud of.

Noah remembered when he and Finn had fallen out. After an absence in the old Hudson house of about three months, Carole called Noah and asked why he had forsaken her. For a non-religious household she had the Jewish Mother guilt act down pact. Noah had made sure to visit whenever he knew Finn was out hanging with some of his newer friends as Carole had made it known in no uncertain terms that he wasn't allowed to cut her out of his life.

After walking through his house and coming up empty with the Carole search, Noah realized he hadn't spoken to his own mother in a few days. It was eerie how two people who technically lived in the same house could become such strangers, sometimes only talking when it had to do with Noah little sister. As much time as he spent at the Hudmels, he was surprised he still had time for Sarah and football when it was in season. Having become the man of the house at a young age, Noah always wanted a strong male figure in Sarah's life, but he had forgotten that sometimes all his mother needed was just a friend or a son. He knew she tried her best and, contrary to popular belief, she was a kind hearted soul. It pained her when she couldn't give them the luxuries she knew their friends had.

As Noah heard the ringing in his ear he quickly realized it had to be at least eleven. It was on the fourth ring when he heard the sleepy answer.

"Hello" Ruth muttered into the phone.

"Ma, its Noah"

Ruth knew that voice. That was the 'we need to catch up while I work out my problems in my head' voice. Ruth Puckerman knew that sometimes Noah would need to vent in his own roundabout way and while it just seemed he was making idle conversation, he was working out his problems in his head. They talked briefly about the weather before Noah asked her if she was fine.

"I'm okay Noah but I worry about you. You seem more distant and I'm worried I'm losing you. I know you've been going to temple on the days I have to work. All the candies in the world wouldn't keep Sarah from telling me. Whatever you're searching for, allow me to help you search sometimes."

And it was times like this that made him hate the man that forced his mother to feel inadequate to mother her children, times like this that when Noah hid things in fear of stressing his mother and she thought it was because she wasn't good enough that made Noah ache.

And even though the Hudmels were family, they weren't his family.

"Ma, I'm coming home. I'll see you at breakfast."

Ask Paul and Miriam how their child became the resident bully and they would shrug. It wasn't because they didn't care, but because they honestly didn't know. David Karofsky was the sweetest boy when he was a toddler. There was never a day that he couldn't brighten for his parents just in his enthusiasm alone. His love for animals was unrivalled in his family and, except for the few times teachers called home for the little things that all children did, they never had a problem in the disciplinary sector of Dave's life.

So when they were told that not only was he a bully but he had threatened someone's life, to say they were shocked would be an understatement. Paul Karofsky had never been a violent man, but the night he was called into David's school was the night he almost lost his calm.

Miriam was always the strong silent wife. She noticed the little changes in David and filed them away. She felt guilty when she realized that dealing with her elderly parents had led to partial neglect of her son. That night she and he husband decided on a course of action for their son. They wondered if his bullying was a way of him lashing out against them not being there for him.

There were many days after Dave's subsequent suspension that the house felt empty and dark. No one knew how to bring up the elephant in the room. It wasn't until Miriam overheard Dave singing one day that she decided that the sullen mood over her family couldn't continue. So lost was Miriam over the apparent discord in her family that even hearing that the school board was willing to reinstate David didn't make her feel any better. And when her husband climbed into bed that night she heard the silent sobs that he was trying to hide from her. Pulling him into her arms she stroked his hair and tried rubbing circles of comfort in his back.

"I felt like an hypocrite. I had to convinced the school board that there was a possibility David never threatened that boy. I was in that Principals office. And the guilt on Davey's face was so transparent. I knew he did it. Even when he tried to convince me that maybe the Hummel boy had a thing for him. I'm failing our son. I'm failing you Mir and I don't know how to make it better." The now violent sobs racked Paul's body.

Miriam Karofsky awoke the next morning. David awoke to music. Paul Karofsky awoke tears-stained and heavy hearted. As he prepared to enter the kitchen he heard his wife's voice melodious and soothing but stern, explaining to David how she felt. Paul heard her tell David she couldn't fix it if he didn't let them in. They couldn't be there for him if he continued to push them away.

Paul Karofsky knew that an impartial party would be the best addition to the hard times his family was going through. He found the number for a well recommended family therapist that insisted on at least three individual meetings with each member of the family before the family met as a unit. Paul Karofsky had wondered then if he was opening Pandora's box but he felt that at this point he would do anything to save his family.

Special thanks to my beta foraworldundeserving. Yep, she's all types of awesome for helping me out with the grammatical and punctuation that would've surely annoyed you.