Disclaimer: Don't own Glee characters.

PLEASE REVIEW! I would really love constructive feedback on this story!

Present tense

"Yeah," Artie said softly. "I remember how we met. You told me off for wearing a sweater-vest."
Kurt laughed. "And now they're in style again!"

Artie tried to look all serious at Kurt. "You wore Marc Jacobs at the age of 4."

Kurt scoffed. "I was a very precocious toddler, thank you very much!"

Artie looked down at his hot chocolate. "Never said you weren't".

Another moment of silence between the friends.

"Artie?"

"Yes, Kurt?"

"Do you ever think about it?"

"Do I ever think about what?"

"Well…you know," Kurt said, eyes motioning towards Artie's legs.

"Oh. That. I try not to think of that night, to be honest," Artie said earnestly. "Why, do you think about it?"

Kurt sighed. "Sometimes, if I'm really missing my mother."

Flashback, 8 years ago

Kurt was lying at home in bed. His mom, Artie, and Artie's mom had gone to see a movie. Kurt was sick, so he was staying in for the night with Burt. Kurt had really wanted to see that movie, too, especially with his best friend, Artie. Kurt loved Artie, in his own special way, despite the fact that Artie insisted on wearing sweater-vests (still!) and had those same thick, black glasses that took up half of his tiny face. Artie was interesting, and he was funny. He put up with Kurt's fashionista-ness and went to all of Kurt's tea parties (held in Kurt's backyard with utmost elegance, of course).

Kurt rolled over and turned off his light. Might as well get some sleep so he could get better; maybe they could go to the zoo next weekend! He didn't sleep for very long, though. He woke up a couple hours later to his dad shaking him awake.

"What is it, daddy?" Kurt asked, still in a sleepy haze.

"Kurt, buddy…your mom, Artie, and Betty were in a bad car accident." Kurt froze. Not his best friend! And his mommy, too? He could hardly breathe.

"Is Artie okay?" he dared to breathe.

"He got pretty banged up, and he's in the hospital, but he's alive." Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. One person, safe for now…

"What about Betty?"

"She's just fine." Kurt smiled. Surely his mom was fine, too!

"What about mommy?" Kurt asked, unsure. After all, his dad had said "bad" accident…

"I'm so sorry, buddy," Burt said. "But your mom…your mom is gone."

Kurt's brow furrowed. "Gone? What do you mean?"
"She died, son," Burt said, starting to openly sob now. "Your mother is dead, Kurt."

Tears began spilling from Kurt's eyes. Dead! His mother couldn't be dead! But the look on his dad's face told Kurt that he wasn't lying. Kurt's heart stopped. "No," he whispered. Burt could only nod. Kurt hugged his father, afraid, because he'd never seen his father cry before. There they stayed for the rest of the night, father and son, the way they'd be for the rest of their lives now.

The Next Day

"Kurt, do you want to go to the hospital to visit Artie?" Burt asked. Kurt nodded. Anything to take his mind off of the fact that his mother was gone. When they got to the hospital, they found Artie lying in his bed, sleeping on his back. Kurt immediately found that odd; Artie always slept on his side, never his back! It was then that Kurt knew something was very, very wrong with his friend. Betty was sitting in a chair next to Artie's bed, sniffling quietly. She looked up as Kurt and Burt entered the room and dried her eyes with the tissue she'd been holding.

"Hello, Kurt," she said softly, getting up to embrace the boy she'd come to know as almost her second son. "I'm so sorry, honey…I'm so, so sorry…" Kurt leaned into her, his second mother. They broke apart, and Betty leaned over to embrace Burt. "David just ran home to get some sleep," she said. "He should be back later." She looked over at her sleeping son with a worried look on her face. Kurt, in the meantime, had made his way over to Artie's bedside and was holding his best friend's hand.

"Is he okay, Betty?" Burt asked concernedly.

"No," Betty said bluntly. "He's paralyzed from the waist down. He'll never be able to walk again." Her voice broke on the last word.

"Oh God," Burt said, looking over at Artie. Yes, he'd just lost his wife, but this woman had, in a sense, lost her son.

Kurt had overheard every word that Betty had said. A tear rolled down his cherubic cheeks. He just couldn't believe that his mother was dead AND his best friend would never be able to walk again. The only way his life could get any worse was if his dad left, too. He squeezed Artie's hand, hoping he would wake up. Artie did.

"Kurt?" he asked, confused.

"I'm right here, Artie," Kurt whispered. "I'm right here".

Betty and Burt looked at the moment their boys were sharing, and decided to give them some time alone. They told the boys where they were going, and headed down to the hospital's cafeteria for a cup of coffee.

"Kurt, can you please get me my glasses?" Artie asked, feeling more awake now. Kurt obliged, gently putting Artie's glasses on his nose. "And can you make my bed go up a little bit? It's that button, right there." Kurt nodded, pushing the little button and making Artie's bed rise to more of a sitting position. There was a pause.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah, Artie?" Kurt asked, quickly composing himself.

"I'm really sorry about your mommy."

Kurt sniffled. "Thanks. I'm sorry about your legs."

Artie shrugged. "What are legs compared to a mother?" Artie was always talking like that, being the "smart one", while Kurt was the "fashionable one".

Kurt felt more tears spill down his cheeks. "But Artie, you'll never be able to dance again!" One of Kurt and Artie's favorite pastimes was dancing together to Madonna and Britney Spears music videos on MTV.

Artie's face fell. "I guess I never thought about that." He began to cry.

Kurt wiggled into bed next to Artie and put his arms around him. "Don't cry, Artie! Please don't cry!"

Artie sniffled. "But I love dancing! And now I can't ever dance again!" Tears streamed down his cheeks and plopped onto the bedsheets.

Kurt brushed Artie's tears away and tenderly kissed his cheek. "I still love you, Artie. Legs or no legs, we'll always be best friends!"

Artie turned his head to look at Kurt. "Always?"

Kurt grinned. "Forever and ever!"

Artie managed to crack a smile. "Forever and ever", he whisper-repeated, leaning his forehead against Kurt's. Kurt snuggled up to Artie, laying his head on Artie's chest, enjoying the feel of Artie's chest rise and fall as he breathed. The two stayed like that until their parents came back into the room.

"Time to go, Kurt. We can see Artie tomorrow."

Kurt smiled. "Okay." He got off the bed, giving Artie's hand one final squeeze for strength. Artie squeezed back his gratitude.

"See you later, alligator," Kurt said as he left the room.

"After a while, crocodile!" Artie called back, feeling much better.