Title: Family & Innocence
Author: luvtheheaven
Artists: FreakingPotter & totoropirate
Betas: scout451, undefinedkosmos, and anannafesto
Word Count: 21,799
(That word count is excluding the author's notes, but including chapter titles.)
Rating & Warnings: K+ or T. No real warnings apply. No sexual situations, no violence, no strong language, no spoilers. However, the fic does contain a minor character death, brief mentions of Finn's death and Kurt's mother's death, and also a character facing the threat of prison, so if those things are upsetting for anyone, you may want to be wary of reading my fic.
Author's Note: This is a potential adult future for the people of Glee, based on seasons 1-5 of the series. It was written without any spoilers for season 6 in mind, but everything that happened in seasons 1 through 5 should remain canon.
Special thanks to scout451, undefinedkosmos, and anannafesto for being my betas for this fic. All 3 of them were very helpful in multiple ways. ;) They were my cheerleaders, encouraging me to finish this thing. They have given me advice not only for this fic, now, but also for how to become a better writer in the future. My fic is so much better now than it was before each of them looked at it with a critical eye, and I sincerely appreciate what they did for me.
This fic was written for the Kurt Big Bang 2014. I'd never been in a Big Bang before, or really any kind of fic challenge at all. But here, below, I have written a fic about the character of Kurt Hummel that was over 15,000 words long per the rules of the Bang, a fic that is 100% completed and not a "work in progress". I really hope people enjoy it.
For this Kurt Big Bang, there was an art component too. For my fic here, FreakingPotter & totoropirate were both assigned to be my artists.
I've never had art designed for a fic of mine before. It is a privilege to have been assigned to collaborate with two artists rather than only one. Not everyone in this big bang was so lucky. They are amazingly lovely and talented people. The effort they put into making art for my fic makes me feel so honored and I hope you readers enjoy viewing it as much as I have.
In order to see the art, please go to my Archive of Our Own (aka AO3) posting of the fic: archiveofourown DOT org/works/2419685/chapters/5353013
Or if you'd like an easier URL to type into your browser, I've converted that into a "tiny url": tinyurl DOT com/luvBigBang "luv" from my username, luvtheheaven, and then "Big Bang" for obvious reasons. You must make the DOT into a real . though and no spaces. Thanks. This site is a real hassle, I know.
It is embedded on the page near the top (after my author's note, but before my fic starts). I hope you all check out the beautiful artwork. For a preview of the art, you can click on my book cover image for this fic right now here in this FanfictionDOTnet website, but that preview doesn't really do either piece justice. It is too small, too cropped, etc. So please go to the AO3 link to view the full thing. Thank you.
Finally, without further ado, here's my entire fic.
Chapter 1: Out of Ice
Kurt looked on fondly as his twelve-year-old daughter attempted to teach Artie's son how to throw a Frisbee. The kids were across the grass being watched by five men, four of whom were in lawn chairs, the other in his wheelchair. They were in Burt and Carole's backyard, where the 2029 annual New Directions Family Reunion was taking place.
"Ava's a natural with younger kids, isn't she?" Blaine bragged softly, echoing the sentiment that had already been crossing his husband's mind.
Sam remarked, "She might have gotten that from Quinn." Everyone knew that Sam was remembering when Quinn had helped out babysitting his younger siblings. Kurt glanced at Puck, and saw the man who had once sported a Mohawk light up with affection at the compliment to his wife. All four of the other men sitting in a row had attended Puck and Quinn's wedding thirteen years prior, and at that time she'd been in her second trimester of her surrogate pregnancy, so it had become public knowledge that the Anderson-Hummel child would be biologically Quinn's. No one was supposed to know whether Kurt or Blaine was the biological father, but the answer had been obvious for years now. Ava's sandy blonde hair and the shape of her eyes gave it away: this was definitely Kurt's biological child.
Artie commented, "I was worried everyone here would be too grown-up for Ben and that he might not have any fun. But thankfully your girl's been keeping him entertained this whole afternoon!"
"She actually just got her babysitter's certification this past school year," Kurt explained. "So far she's only had the opportunity to babysit babies aged two or younger in our neighborhood, so being able to play with a six-year-old is an exciting change."
"Speaking of your neighborhood," Artie asked, "what's it like up there, in Vancouver?"
"The summers are much more bearable there, for one thing," Blaine commented with a playful chuckle, the tiniest air of a complaint in his tone. This time of year was always more dry in the Pacific Northwest, and Kurt agreed that Ohio's humidity was a shock to the system after having gotten used to the Vancouver summers. Blaine pulled off his sunglasses for a moment and wiped the sweat off his brow.
"We bought a house in a really lovely area," Kurt answered his friend. "We live in Riley Park, which has such a wonderful old-fashioned Main Street with all of the city's vintage and antique shops. You both have careers in Hollywood," he said, gesturing toward Puck and Artie. "You guys should easily be able to find excuses to come up to the Canadian counterpart! You should drop by for a visit sometime!" He directed his next comment specifically to Artie. "Your wife and son would be welcome too, of course."
Artie smiled. "Thanks. Kitty has been begging me to take her on a trip somewhere. Maybe around Ben's winter break we could visit you guys."
Kurt nodded excitedly. "That'd be really lovely. Please do consider it!"
"Yeah," Blaine agreed. "We have a guest bedroom you guys could use, plus the same old blow-up mattress I used to sleep on whenever we were staying at my grandma's house when I was Ben's age."
At that moment, fifteen-year-old Danny Schuester came up to the group of men, interrupting them.
"Hey, um, Kurt? You're the host this year, right?"
"Um, yeah, basically," Kurt replied, although it had certainly been a joint effort with his parents: this was his parents' house, Carole had purchased all of the food from the supermarket, Burt had grilled the burgers, Burt and Kurt together had set up the badminton net, Carole had filled up most of the water balloons herself… Kurt didn't really feel like he'd been in charge of much of anything.
Danny continued, "So I guess you're the person that needs to know – we've run out of ice for the drinks."
"Oh!" Kurt replied, a little worriedly. That was a big problem, especially on a hot day like today.
"I'll run out to get some more," Blaine offered. "It'll give me a chance to be in an air conditioned store for an ever-so-slight break from this heat," he said with a slight chuckle.
"Okay! Thanks so much, baby," Kurt replied, grateful for such an easy solution. Blaine stood up from his lawn chair, pecked his husband on the lips, and then started walking toward the driveway, disappearing from view.
At the same time, Danny had requested that two of the remaining men join him and Tina for a casual game of badminton.
"Well, I don't think I'd be very good at that game," Artie playfully joked, gesturing to his wheelchair.
"Uh, yeah… of course, sorry," Danny replied with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to-"
"-It's okay," Artie cut him off. "I was just teasing. You didn't do anything wrong," he added, assuring the boy.
"I'll keep you company over here, Artie," Kurt chimed in, nodding toward Puck and Sam that they should participate in the game. Sam immediately ran to Tina's side of the net, wanting to be on her team.
The two younger children were still making attempts at throwing the Frisbee back and forth. Kurt and Artie shifted their gazes back and forth between their children and the four-person badminton game.
"So you and Puck are working on the same film right now?" Kurt asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence, attempting to broach a new topic of conversation.
"Yeah!" Artie replied excitedly. "He's written the script, and it's hella hilarious, yo! The producers have settled on a title: Nana, the Jewish Rockstar Grandmother, and apparently he based most of it on real experiences he had with his own grandmother before she died."
"And you get to direct it?" Kurt asked.
"Mmm-hmm!" Artie confirmed. "I also get to do the editing. That's the beauty of being close friends with the screenwriter – you get hired for every job you want." He laughed.
Rachel, sporting a visible baby bump, walked over to them and sat in one of the now open chairs.
"Hey," she greeted her best friend with a huge smile. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Oh, just how Artie's working on a comedy with Puck," Kurt answered.
"Oh yeah, Quinn was just emailing me about that! She's so happy for him," Rachel replied.
Kurt felt a little awkward about how casually Quinn's name kept coming up. Quinn avoided these family reunions of theirs for a reason. Kurt had actually never met Puck and Quinn's daughter, Zelda, and he Kurt sometimes regretted choosing Quinn to be Ava's mother, because she later decided to distance herself from them. He'd never meant to alienate the beautiful woman from their lives.
Quinn was now a successful lawyer, happy with Zelda and Puck out in L.A. In addition to obviously keeping in touch with Rachel on a regular basis, Quinn had also remained close friends with Artie and Kitty. But sometimes Kurt wished she had remained friends with him and Blaine too. He missed her, and it didn't help that within the past hour, both Sam and Rachel had mentioned her name.
"I'm so sorry your TV series got canceled," Rachel then told Kurt solemnly.
"That always seems to happen to the best ones!" Artie commiserated. "I'm not just saying this; honestly, Princes and Paupers was one of my favorite shows."
"Your costume designs were some of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen," Rachel complimented.
"Aw, wow. Thanks, you guys," Kurt replied. "Yeah, it sucks." He had loved being the costume designer for a show where they really did wear crazily elaborate costumes in every scene. He'd been paid remarkably well for that show for the brief period it had lasted, too. "But TV shows usually only have a lifespan of thirteen episodes. You can't get your hopes up in this business, right?"
"Right," Artie agreed. "I've pretty much stuck to film for that reason," he added. "I don't like the idea of there being a start but not an ending."
"But I do have some happier news," Kurt chimed in. "Blaine was just cast to be a lead in a new show."
"Oh really?" Rachel replied excitedly.
"Yeah," Kurt said. "The show is Modern Greek Gods. He gets to be Zeus!"
"What's the premise?" Artie asked with curiosity.
"Oh, it's hard to explain, but I read the script with him and it seems ingenious. It's about men and women in the modern world who are actually Greek gods, and they try to incorporate so much of the ancient Greek mythology into it…. You guys will love it." Kurt didn't bother adding that he was applying for the job of costume designer on that show, just in case he wasn't hired. He had already interviewed, and he'd thought the interview had gone well – they had seemed especially impressed with Kurt's portfolio which included his Princes and Paupers costumes. The truth was, secretly, Kurt's dream-come-true would be to be able to work on the same show as Blaine, especially since the show had opportunities for some unique Greek god costumes to be made for some of the fantasy sequences. He was crossing his fingers that he'd get the job.
"Oo!" a distracted Rachel quietly exclaimed with a smile, placing her hand on her enlarged abdomen. She looked up at the guys. "Do you want to feel the baby kick?" she asked.
"Sure!" they replied in unison. She stood up and walked in front of them and then, one at a time, they gently placed a hand on her black, maternity-sized shirt. Kurt wondered how strange it must be to feel a baby that was so obviously alive inside of you. He felt the small movements tickle his palm. His thoughts went out to Quinn again, who, before keeping and raising her third child, had carried two girls to term that she had given away. She had felt Ava moving inside of her, just like this, thirteen years ago. He would forever be grateful to her for bringing his beautiful daughter into the world, for being willing to give him and Blaine the greatest of gifts.
"You know," Rachel said, "Ethan was so excited when he could first feel the baby kick. He's such an adorable man. I can't wait for you and Blaine to meet him at Thanksgiving."
"I can't wait either," Kurt replied, excited just thinking about getting to introduce Ava to the New York City he adored. He was so happy that Rachel had finally found happiness with someone. Of course it had broken all of the New Directions' hearts, especially Kurt's, to know that her life couldn't have been shared with Finn. But at age thirty-five, Rachel had finally found a way to have a happily ever after that even included a baby. She'd found a nice, Jewish man who was a freelance artist and who wasn't scared away by her strong personality. Kurt was very excited to meet the man – and their soon-to-be-born child – later that year.
"Artie, you need to meet him sometime too," Rachel added. "I know you have your own California Thanksgiving plans, but maybe next summer at this annual reunion, Ethan can come along."
"That'd be wonderful," Artie replied. "We all want to meet this dude."
Kurt noticed the sun starting the set in the sky. "Wow, time really does fly, doesn't it?" he asked. "What time is it?"
Artie glanced at his watch. "It's 8:44 pm," he stated. "Actually, this means it's Ben's bedtime."
"Oh, okay," Kurt replied, understanding. Artie gave a nod as a goodbye, and then rolled himself across the grass toward his son. Ava said her goodbyes to the young boy she had spent the day with and then headed over toward the chip bowl for one last snack before everything was put away.
Brittany helped Kurt begin to pick up the colorful burst water balloon pieces from the grass.
"This sunset looks like an Oompa Loompa and Big Bird fell on top of each other," Brittany commented wistfully, trying to express how beautiful she found it. Kurt agreed.
"It is a gorgeous combination of blues, purples, oranges, and yellows."
They each found a few more pieces of balloon to place into the open trash bag in Kurt's hand.
"I'm disappointed that Santana couldn't make it today," Kurt commented.
"Yeah, well, she was pissed," Brittany replied. "She specifically requested this Saturday off, but at the last minute she had to cover for someone else's shift. You'll see her tomorrow, though, I'm sure."
"Of course," Kurt replied. "I look forward to catching up with her."
Santana and Brittany both had ended up back in Lima, and were living happily childfree lives together as legally married wives. It was great that Ohio had passed its own legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in 2017. The pessimist in Kurt had worried that Ohio would be one of the very last states in the union to allow it. Santana now worked in the Lima County Sheriff's department as the only female cop, and Brittany had become manager at a local pet store. They seemed satisfied with their lives, just as Kurt and Blaine were satisfied with the lives they'd created for themselves as immigrant Canadian citizens. Vancouver had been the perfect solution for their mutual goals in life, just like Lima had worked out well for Brittany and Santana.
Kurt felt a vibration in his pocket and moments later started hearing "The Avenue Q Theme", which was his current nostalgic ringtone. He hoped it'd be Blaine calling. Blaine should've been back a while ago, he realized. He had just been making a quick trip to get ice. Kurt wondered what had held him up. He pulled his phone out and saw an unfamiliar number on the caller-ID.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hello. Is this Kurt Hummel?"
"Yes." Kurt felt nervous. The voice on the other end seemed too… serious.
"And you're Blaine Anderson's husband?" the voice asked.
Kurt's anxiety level shot through the roof.
"Yes. Is Blaine okay? What's going on?"
Brittany looked over at Kurt with concern.
"Sir, your husband was involved in a serious car crash. He just arrived at the hospital with the paramedics, and we looked in his phone for his emergency contact information."
Kurt gaped for a few seconds in shock. Then he asked for clarification, "Are you at Lima Memorial Hospital?"
"Yes, sir."
"And is Blaine okay?!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but he's with the doctors right now. They're still assessing his injuries. He was unconscious when they brought him in. That is all I know."
"Oh my God," Kurt whispered.
They hung up and then Kurt looked over at his daughter, who was standing beside Burt, engrossed in a story he was telling her. Kurt had been only eight years old when his mom had died – and his mom had died in a car crash. Blaine had just been in a car crash. Ava was twelve, which was still far too young to lose her father. He didn't want her to have to go through the same thing, the same unexpected, senseless, awful kind of death of a parent. He didn't want to scare her or make her worry unless he absolutely had to. Maybe Blaine would be fine. He had to hold onto that hope. He just had to. He steeled himself for the situation, walking over to his own father, resisting the urge to cry.
"…and that is why it's important for everyone to learn how to change a tire," Burt was telling Ava as Kurt approached them.
Kurt looked into his father's eyes meaningfully, trying to wordlessly convey that he had something serious that he needed to say, but that he didn't want Ava to hear it. Burt picked up on the unspoken cue.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go see if Grandma needs any help?" he asked his granddaughter, gesturing over toward Carole who was busy folding up the lawn chairs.
"Okay," Ava replied, oblivious to the fact that anything was the matter.
The moment Ava was out of earshot, Kurt quickly said, "I just got a call. Blaine left a while ago to get some more ice, and um, apparently he's been in a serious car accident."
Burt's eyes went wide.
Kurt's voice started to break a little. "He's been taken to the hospital, and he was unconscious, and I don't know anything else." He held back his tears as best as he could, but it was still obvious that Kurt was terrified.
Burt placed his hand on Kurt's shoulder, comfortingly. "Do you want me to go to the hospital with you?" he asked. The calmness in his tone was so comforting that somehow it was making Kurt feel more like a child again, a child whose father would somehow, magically, be able to protect him from anything the world might throw at him. Kurt took a deep breath and remembered that no, he was an adult now with adult responsibilities, including a child of his own to take care of.
"Thanks, but can you just um, watch Ava?" he asked with a very shaky voice. "I'll leave, but can she stay here with you?" He wanted to avoid telling Ava anything for now, but he also wanted to make sure his daughter had a ride to the hospital if… well, he didn't want to think about the worst-case scenario. Not yet.
"Alright," Burt replied hesitantly, clearly wishing his son had agreed to be accompanied. "But you know, Carole could just stay here with-"
Kurt cut him off. "I want you both to stay with her, please."
The truth was that of course Kurt didn't want to go to the hospital alone. But he couldn't think about that right now. Ava needed both Burt and Carole at a time like this. She needed as much loving support from kind adults as possible. Kurt would manage on his own, because Blaine needed him to. He willed himself to start walking out of the backyard.
"Son," Burt called out after Kurt. "I hope you know I'm here for you. All night. Just remember that you should not hesitate to call."
Kurt turned back and flashed his father a weak smile. "I know, Dad."
He then continued to head toward the driveway. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, though, realizing Blaine had taken the car. The one rental car he and Blaine were sharing. Kurt needed to turn back. He needed to ask for either Burt or Carole's keys; he needed to ask permission to borrow one of their cars.
Brittany approached him before he had a chance to ask either of his parents for such a thing. "Let me drive," she said.
Kurt was confused for a moment, before realizing she had overheard his whole phone call. He smiled meekly.
"Thanks," he replied. At least he wouldn't have to go through this alone. He'd gone through losing his mom, and losing Finn. He hadn't been alone at those times. He doubted he could've survived them if he had been. But he couldn't lose Blaine too. Kurt thought about how his husband was only thirty-four years old. He realized Finn and even his mom had both been younger than that, but still, thirty-four was way too young! Ava needed both of her dads. Kurt needed his husband.
As they drove down the road in Brittany's car with Kurt in the passenger's seat, Kurt let waterfalls of silent, terrified tears cascade down his cheeks.
"I love him so much," he said quietly with a broken voice.
"I know," Brittany replied understandingly.
Nothing else was said the entire ride, which to Kurt seemed to take an eternity. Thankfully, the hospital was nearby, and in reality the trip had only taken five minutes.
When they got through the doors to the emergency room, the first thing that caught their attention was Officer Lopez herself, in uniform.
"Santana?" Brittany called out loudly, in surprise.
"Britt," she responded, leaving the spot where she had been leaning on the main desk. She ran over to them. "I was there. I was the officer called to the scene of the crash," she said solemnly, looking at Kurt.
"What happened?" Kurt asked, desperation evident in his body language as well as his tone.
"It looks like Blaine crashed into Beth's car at full speed," Santana explained. "A woman who was out walking her dog witnessed the accident and saw that he ran a red light. Thank God she was there to call 911 as soon as she did."
"Beth's car?" Kurt asked, confused.
"Oh, you didn't know? Yeah, um, Shelby's…" she hesitated, then lowered her volume and clarified, "Quinn's daughter. She's much worse off than Blaine," she told them both.
Kurt didn't know how to react. Quinn and Puck's Beth? Blaine had run a red light and had crashed into her?
Brittany was able to latch onto the more important part of that sentence. "Wait, so is Blaine okay?" she asked her wife.
"Oh, yes! He woke up right before you got here. I'm so sorry; I should have led with that."
Kurt let out a breath in relief. At that moment, a female doctor with short, brown, curly hair approached the group.
"Mr. Hummel?" he asked.
Kurt nodded. "That's me."
"You're Blaine Anderson's husband, right?" Kurt nodded again. "I'm Dr. Hendrix, and I've been assessing his injuries. He appears to have a broken foot, so he's getting an X-ray taken now. He also suffered a concussion."
"Is that why he was unconscious?" Kurt asked breathlessly.
"Yes," the woman confirmed. "He is experiencing some light sensitivity and nausea now too. He must have hit his head hard, but we have already given him a CT scan and he should be okay. There have been no signs of neck injury or bleeding in his brain."
Kurt's eyes went wide, upset by all of the ways this could have been worse, and by all of the ways it still was bad.
"Can I see him now?" Kurt asked, desperate to talk to him, to be able to confirm with his own two eyes that Blaine was alive.
"Sure," she replied. "He should be returning from Radiology now."