Growing Up as a Hummel-Anderson
Chapter One
Two Years after adoption~
Gracie, 10. Owen, 5 1/2.
"Daddy!" Gracie rushed down the stairs to their new house, her braids bouncing on each shoulder as she skipped to Kurt, who was placing cordboard boxes on the dining room table. "Can I help?"
"I don't know, some of the stuff is kind of heavy," Kurt said. "Your boxes of books, for instance, those are terribly heavy, they almost crushed Uncle Finn."
"How come you're not carrying boxes?" Gracie asked.
"Because I'm unpacking them," Kurt said. "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know," Gracie shrugged. "I think he's helping Dad." Kurt laughed. He pulled out a smaller box and handed it to Gracie.
"Here, this all goes in the kitchen, can you put them in the right place? Be careful..." Gracie took the box and marched off to the kitchen.
"Daddy!" Kurt sighed, a soft smile on his face.
"Yes Owen," Kurt asked the five year old as he ran into the house, slipping slightly on the hardwood floor.
"I got hurt," he said, holding out his arm to show a scrape on his elbow. Kurt shook his head and knelt down to his son's height, brushing his dark curly hair out of his eyes.
"How'd you do that?" Kurt asked, pulling a wet one out of his back pocket.
"I was running in the driveway and I fell. Uncle Finn said rub some dirt on it but that doesn't sound right." Kurt chuckled as he cleaned up Owen's elbow.
"Well, Uncle Finn can be that way, come on, I think the bandaids were put in the kitchen." He hoisted Owen onto his hip and carried him to the kitchen, where Gracie had abandoned the box of tupperware and was talking to two other kids.
"You two aren't mine," Kurt said, blinking quickly. The two kids look up at Kurt. They have identical faces, both with wide brown eyes and tan skin. The girl's hair was tied in a pony tail and curled down to her lower back. The boy had straight fringe that hung into his eyes.
"They live next door, I saw them in the window," Gracie said. The boy nudged his sister.
"I'm Maya, I'm six," she said proudly. "That's Morgan, he's shy with new people, he's six too."
"Hi," Morgan blushed. Owen, the scrape on his elbow forgotten, climbed down off of Kurt.
"That's Owen, he's my brother." Gracie said. Morgan held out a soccer ball.
"Wanna play?" he asked. Owen and Gracie looked up at Kurt, who nodded.
"Outside, and tell Dad, okay?" The four kids beamed and ran out of the house.
"Your dad is outside?" Morgan asked Owen. He nodded. "Then who's that?"
"That's Daddy, I have 2," he said.
"Cool!" Morgan said. "I wish I had two dads!" As they rain though the front door, they ran past Blaine.
"Dad we're going to play out front!" Gracie and Owen said together as they bolted past. Blaine looked confused for a moment before looking up to Kurt who was chuckling in the hallway.
"They're multiplying," Blaine said concerned. Kurt laughed.
"They live next door, don't question it, it's an hour of unpacking without their 'help'," Kurt took the box from his husband, kissing him on the cheek. "How's the truck going?"
"Almost done, Finn is getting the sofa out of the truck and then thats it."
"All moved in to our first house," Kurt beamed. Blaine smiled back.
"Is anyone going to HELP with the couch?" Finn called from the front.
"No!" they called back laughing.
"Morgan, Maya, time to wash up..." A woman with long brown hair like Maya's came out of the house next door. "Whoa wait two of you don't belong to me."
"Mommy this is Owen and Gracie, they live next door," Maya said.
"Instead of crazy Mr. Tenanbalm..." Morgan added. The twins' mother smiled brightly.
"I totally forgot you guys were moving in today, it's nice to meet you. I'm Caroline," she said. "I'm going to introduce myself next door. Where are your parents?"
"I'll show you," Gracie said. She left the game and took Caroline's hand, bringing her into their house.
"DAD!" Gracie yelled out. Blaine came down the stairs.
"Gracie you can't just yell like that because we have a bigger place..." Blaine said.
"Dad this is Morgan and Maya's mom," she introduced and then ran upstairs.
"Where are you going?" But Gracie didn't respond. Blaine chuckled. "Sorry about her, they're excited," he offered his hand. "I'm Blaine."
"Caroline, I believe my children have kidnapped yours," she laughed. "I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Oh that's sweet of you thanks," Blaine said. "Want to come inside? I think my husband is around here somewhere..." Blaine tried to make these kind of introductions as casual as possible, but it still made him nervous to introduce himself and his husband. Caroline just smiled though and followed Blaine to the left, looking for the kitchen.
Kurt was pulling out cookies from the oven when they found the kitchen. Blaine walked in and grabbed one right off the cookie sheet.
"Ah! Ah! Hot!" he yelped.
"Blaine you WATCHED me take these out of the oven not 5 seconds ago..." Kurt said, shaking his head. He saw Caroline and shrugged. "Sorry, I'm Kurt, you must be Maya and Morgan's mother."
"Caroline," she shook his head. "They kind of have their own definition of boundaries, sorry if they barged in."
"Hey they got along great with Gracie and Owen, it's fine with us." Blaine said.
"I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. I would have brought food, but I completely blanked out."
"Oh thanks," Kurt smiled. "Don't worry about it, my sister in-law just stuffed our fridge with enough casserole to last till Owen's graduation."
"Are you two from Lima or..."
"I was born and raised a few blocks from here actually," Kurt said.
"My husband grew up in Ohio, but I'm from New York," she admitted. "He's gone for the week. Once a month he has to fly to the corporate office in England, he sells sporting goods." She explained. There was a thumping sound as Gracie ran back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She hopped up on the counter and grabbed a cookie.
"OW! DADDY HOT!" Kurt shook his head.
"I swear to..." he shook his head. "They just came out of the oven Gracie," he shot a look at Blaine who shrugged. Caroline laughed.
"I don't wanna play soccer anymore," Morgan said. "Maya always wins."
"That's cause I'm older and better," Maya teased.
"Let's play superheros!" Morgan said. He turned to Owen. "Are you a good guy or an evil bad guy?"
"I don't like being bad," Owen said.
"Good, you're a good guy with me!" Morgan pulled him away from Maya. "We have to make your secret i-en-iby. Maya go hide!" Morgan led him to the moving truck and climbed in.
"Daddy said I can't go in there," Owen said.
"But it's or secret hideout!" Morgan offered him a hand and they climbed into the van. Earlier that day, it had been filled to the brim with boxes of their things, but now it was empty and creepy and dark.
Morgan picked up a pair of construction goggles and handed them to Owen. "This is your mask so Maya Mayhem doesn't recognize you." Owen put them on and Morgan gave him a thumbs up. There was another pair on the top of a dolly and ladder and Morgan climbed up it. "How come you have 2 dads?" Morgan asked.
"I don't know, that's just how it is," Owen said, which is usually how Gracie responded to that question.
"But who's your mommy?"
"Don't have one, she died when I was a baby," Owen frowned. "Don't fall Morgan."
"I'm not gonna fall," Morgan reached up. "But who makes you cookies and sews patches on your clothes when you rip them?"
"Daddy does," Owen shrugged.
"Well then who yells at sports on the TV and goes to work and plays catch with you?"
"Dad," Owen said.
"Interesting," Morgan finally grasped the goggles and then slipped off the ladder, falling and landing on his butt on the ground. The ladder fell neck to him and the shaking in the truck made the moving-van back door slide shut. "Ouch!"
"It's dark!" Owen whined, sitting on the floor and hugging his knees. "Morgan!"
"It's okay," Morgan crawled over and sat with Owen across from him. "Our parents will come and get us."
"I don't like the dark."
"I'll protect, you, I'm a superhero," Morgan put the goggles on Owen. "And so are you, and superheros arent' scared of anything."
"Okay." Owen hugged his knees still but smiled at Morgan.
"Hey Morgan, will you be my best friend?" Owen never had a best friend before. Usually the only person he hung out with was Gracie.
"Okay," Morgan smiled. "I've never had a best friend before, what do best friends do?"
"I don't know," Owen laughed. "But you have to pinky promise you'll always be my best friend."
"Okay," Morgan held out his pinky and Owen linked his with Morgan's.
"Owen!" outside, Blaine was calling out. The boys looked at each other with wide eyes and then ran to the bak of the van, banging on the door.
"DAD!" Owen called out.
"What do I call your dad?" Morgan asked.
"Blaine?"
"BLAINE!" The door swung up and Blaine stood there shaking his head.
"Weren't you told NOT to go in the van Owen James," Owen leaped out of the van and hugged his dad. Morgan did the same.
"And you must be Morgan," Blaine chuckled and carried both boys into the house. "Found them in the truck."
"We were in our secret hideout!" Owen said.
"Hiding from Maya Mayhem!" Morgan replied.
"But then it was dark and our powers weren't strong enough..." Blaine put the boys down and Morgan ran over to Caroline and climbed up on her lap. Maya and Gracie were eating cookies and drinking milk at the table.
"But then Blaine saved us before we were sucked into the blackhole," Morgan said.
"My son reads comic books," Caroline explained to Kurt and Blaine who laughed.
"Do superheroes enjoy cookies and milk?" Kurt asked.
"That's how they get their strength back actually," Owen said. Kurt laughed and handed the boys their treats.
As the kids snacked, Caroline turned back to Kurt and Blaine. "I'm gad the kids get along."
"Me too," Kurt said.
"You all are already better neighbors than Mr. Tenanbalm was..."
"He smelled like feet," Maya said, the others giggled.
"I like living here Daddy," Owen said as Kurt tucked him into bed that night. He was still wearing the construction goggles, and Kurt chuckled as he took them off and put it on the box that would eventually turn into Owen's nightstand. "Morgan and Maya and Mrs. Carson are really nice."
"I'm glad you're happy baby," Kurt kissed his forehead. "Tomorrow we'll get you unpacked, but I couldn't find your night light..." he frowned.
"That's okay," Owen said. "Superheroes aren't afraid of the dark."
"They aren't are they?" Kurt asked. Owen shook his head. "Well I feel better knowing we have a superhero in the house," he laughed. "Goodnight Owen, Love you."
"Love you Daddy," Owen rolled over in his bed and Kurt closed the door on his way out. Something hit Owen's window above his head and he sat up, startled and looking around. Another thump on the window and Owen looked outside. Across from his window, Maya and Morgan had their faces pressed against the glass and were waving. Owen opened his window.
"It's bedtime," he whispered loudly. The twins giggled.
"Shh we know!" Maya grinned.
"Wanna come over and read comic books tomorrow?" Morgan asked. "I know you can't read yet but I'll show you!"
"Okay!" Owen grinned.
"Maya and Morgan, go to bed!" The twins made scared faces.
"NIGHT!" the called and shut their window. Owen closed his window too and crawled under the covers again, curling up and hugging Bear to his chest before falling asleep with a smile on his face.
A/N: Hello there! So my goal for this story is that some chapters will be Owen-centric, like this one is. Some will be Gracie-centric, some will be Blaine-centric or Kurt-centric, or some will be a combo thereof. I have a lot planned for G and O, and now you've met Maya and Morgan, who are mine and I love them to death. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all soon xoxo
