Kurt Hummel rummaged through his closet grabbing various boxes and items of clothing, tossing them aside. Growing piles of discarded apparel lay across his bed and scattered around the room. "It has got to be here somewhere…" he muttered to himself, "It couldn't have just gotten up and walked away!"
Concerned by the unusual amount of clamor, Carole leaned her head inside Kurt's bedroom. She could tell right away that something was off and stepped into the room.
"Kurt, honey, is everything alright?"
His head peeked out of the closet, speech flustered. "Oh, um, yes I'm fine, thanks."
Carole looked around at the mess in the room. "You sure are being messy." After a moment she picked her way through the clutter to stand in the entrance to Kurt's (rather large and lavish) closet. "You seem upset, dear. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
Kurt was on his knees, leaning over and looking in the deep, dark depths of one of the far corners of his closet. He heaved a sigh and sat back up, legs folded underneath him.
"It's… well, I'm trying to find a scarf that goes with an outfit that I have picked out. I know exactly which one I'm looking for – it's dark blue and has a thin gold pattern along the edges."
"Oh, I see." Carole smiled and crossed her arms. I see precisely what the fuss is about. "What is this particular outfit for?"
Kurt blushed. "Blaine and I have a date tonight. Our… first date."
Carole unfolded her arms, reaching out a hand in a gesture to help Kurt to his feet. "I can help you look for your scarf, if you'd like."
"Oh, sure!" He gave a thin smile. "Thank you."
"You know, we'll probably have a better chance of finding it if we start to clean up your room and put everything back where it goes."
"Of course, thanks."
Fifteen minutes later, the pair flopped down to sit on the side of Kurt's (now clean) bed.
"Oh look, I can see the floor again!" said Carole.
Kurt chuckled. "Yes, it finally looks like it's inhabited by a civilized human." He sighed. "We still didn't find my scarf, though."
Carole smiled mischievously. "Your scarf? You mean… this one?" She reached behind her back and pulled out the blue and gold cloth, waving it in front of Kurt.
"Oh! Where was it? How long have you had it?" asked Kurt, grabbing the scarf.
"I found it underneath your dresser about ten minutes ago. I kept it because I was afraid that if you found it, it would deter you from finishing cleaning up your room."
"Ha, you're probably right." said Kurt. "Thank you, though! Now my outfit will be perfect. I hope Blaine will like it."
"If I know anything at all about your fashion expertise, you'll look absolutely stunning. And I'm sure he'll love it."
"Thanks."
"You really love him, don't you?" It wasn't really a question. She already knew everything she needed to know from the look in his eyes.
"Yes," Kurt sighed, "and I know that he's my first boyfriend and that we're just in highschool and that we're young with crazy hormones and all that stuff, but we really do like each other. He's amazing. He's just so sweet and caring and handsome and… and…"
Carole placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to explain it to me, Kurt. I know what it's like to finally find someone who loves you after being alone for so long." Her eyes threatened to water, but she was strong and held back the tears. "You just love Blaine, okay? Just love him and cherish your time together and never take him for granted, and you two will be just fine. And you can always come talk to me if you need advice or you just need someone to listen. About anything, not just about relationships."
Kurt snuffled – his eyes had started to mist over, too. He threw his arms around Carole, squeezing in for a hug as hard as he could without hurting her. "Thank you so much, Mom. I lov-" He pulled back out of her embrace. "Oh, I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Carole smiled, clasping his hands in hers. "Sweetie, you can call me whatever you want – 'Mom' or 'Mother' or just plain old 'Carole'. I don't mind at all."
"Are you sure? I'd like to, but it's… it seems weird. My mother passed away a long time ago. I've kind of adapted to not having one."
"I know this may sound cliché, but I can't replace your mother, and I'm not trying to. But if you'd like, I would be honored if you considered me to be a mother figure in your life." An idea popped into her head. "You know, in The Sound of Music, after Maria and the Captain got married, all of the children called her 'Mother' even though a lot of them were just about grown up already."
Kurt's face lit up. "They did, didn't they? Well, you know – I'd be honored to have you as my mother, too." He once again threw a hug around his mother. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Son."
And this time, neither of them tried to hold back their tears.
A/N
Hope y'all liked it! I wish that Glee would spend more time showing the Hummel-Hudson family grow. (I actually wish that there could be an entirely separate 1-hour show just about the Hudmels and Klaine that would just tie back into Glee somehow… oh well, at least we have fanfiction ;)
If you liked the story, please review! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed.
-RJ :^)
