Kurt couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he walked down the long hospital corridors back towards the waiting room. To say he was relieved would be an enormous understatement. Although he was shaken up badly by the night's events, and was still very worried about Blaine's wellbeing, he was indescribably happy that he was alive and awake.

He turned the corner into a small, drab room, filled with plastic green chairs and stacks of old magazines. Burt, Carole, and Finn immediately rose out of their seats with concern filled faces, but all visibly relaxed when they saw the smile on Kurt's.

"Blaine is awake, and although he has some pretty bad injuries, he's not too bad. They want to run some tests overnight, but the doctor said he stands a good chance of being absolutely fine!" Kurt explained this in a rush, and But all but ran over to him when he was done, engulfing him in a huge bear hug.

Burt had tried not to let it show too much, but he had been absolutely petrified about Blaine. Not only had Burt taken an immediate liking to the polite, funny, and genuinely interesting boy, but he was also deeply grateful for everything Blaine had done for Kurt. Since meeting Blaine, not only had Kurt managed to defeat his bullies, but he had undeniably changed into a much more confident, happy, and responsible young adult. As much as it pained Burt to admit it, his little boy had grown up. Although Kurt and Blaine were still young, Burt could see without a shadow of a doubt that they were meant to be, and would almost definitely spend the rest of their lives together.

"Thank God for that…" muttered Burt once he had released his son, "Poor kid. I swear, as soon as his Dad get's out of here, I'm gonna give him a reason to come back in. How can anyone be that stupid and pigheaded?! No good son of a-"

"Okay, Dad! Your heart, calm down." Kurt interrupted his seething father and placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. Ever since Burt's near-fatal heart attack, Kurt had been taking extra care not to let his dad worry or stress too much over anything. And although Kurt totally agreed with everything Burt was saying, he didn't want him to end up in his own hospitable bed because of it. "Look, I know Blaine's dad is… irresponsible," Burt rolled his eyes in a 'you think?' kind of way, but Kurt continued nonetheless, "but you getting angry about it won't help anybody."

Burt hesitated, his nostrils flaring and fists clenched, before sighing in defeat and slumping down into the nearest chair. "You're right kiddo. Always are, just like your mom. It just angers me so much to see a good kid like Blaine having to go through hell, just because his dad's an ignorant ass." Carole rubbed Burt's shoulder soothingly, and Burt leant his head against her hand. Kurt smiled at the gesture; it made him so glad to see his father in love again.

"Come on," Carole prompted, "It's getting late, and Finn and Kurt have school in the morning. Let's go." She pulled Burt up and gestured for Finn to follow as she pulled the Hudson-Hummels out and on their way home. They were all exhausted after the night's events, which had drained them both physically and emotionally, and they all just wanted to see their beds. On the drive home, Kurt couldn't help but feel a little guilty for his previously cheerful mood. Blaine was in hospitable for crying out loud, and Kurt had just been bouncing around as if he'd won a Tony. He leant his head against the car window and stared out blankly at the road rushing by. He was so relieved Blaine was okay, but it was still so painful to see him in that state. Plus, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt for not doing something in the first place to stop Blaine's dad.

When the car finally pulled up outside the Hudmels' home, Kurt all but crawled out of the car and upstairs into his room, slamming the door behind him. Carole cast a worried glance at her husband, who shrugged in confusion, and decided to follow Kurt upstairs.

She knocked on the door quietly, and as the only reply was a muffled "Nghh…", Carole decided to enter anyway. She found Kurt lying face down diagonally across his bed, shoes still on. He hadn't even bothered to turn on his light. Carole was shocked and a little confused at Kurt's sudden change of mood, but after such an emotionally jarring night, it wouldn't take much to cause that. And judging the situation, Carole was 99% sure she knew what had caused it.

"It's not your fault you know." Kurt was a little shocked by Carole's sudden and blunt statement, but decided to pretend he hadn't heard. Carole sat at the end of the bed, and elaborated on her initial comment. "I know what you're thinking. You feel like you should have, or could have, done more to stop Mr Anderson. But you're wrong, Kurt."

At this, Kurt rolled over and sat up, straightening his rumpled outfit slightly, before looking at Carole expectantly.

"Honey," she gently continued, "Mr Anderson is a grown man. You're seventeen. Plus, he's violent at the best of times, and tonight was intoxicated. Trying to stop him would have not only been stupid, but also dangerous. And pointless."

"Pointless?" Kurt choked out, tears springing to his eyes, "Blaine could have died tonight, Carole. He very nearly lost his life. So even if I there was a chance of me getting beaten up by his dad, I might have stopped him. Blaine and I could have done it together, and he wouldn't be in this mess. If he had -" Kurt let out a strangled sob, and Carole put a comforting arm around him. "If he had died tonight," Kurt finally managed to squeak out, "I honestly do not know what I would have done."

Carole's heart melted at the sight of this broken boy in her arms. She could understand completely why he would be so upset, and wanted desperately to help him.

"Look, Kurt. I understand why you would feel like this. But what's done is done, and the important part is that Blaine is alive and will get better soon. Stop worrying about what could have been, and focus on helping Blaine now. Have some courage."

Kurt gave a short laugh at that, more like a bark really, and a broken smile appeared through his tears. "That's exactly what Blaine would say. Courage. It's sort of his mantra."

"Well then," Carole smiled at Kurt's lifted spirits, "best honour his mantra and cheer up, huh?" She nudged Kurt's shoulder with her own and he looked down at his clasped hands.

"Thank you Carole." Kurt whispered, glancing up to see her smiling at him. He really was grateful to have this caring and genuine woman in his life. She hugged him tightly, before slipping out of his room and leaving him to get some rest.

When Carole arrived in the living room downstairs, Burt asked her how Kurt was doing. "He's not too bad," she explained, taking a seat on the sofa opposite her husband, "obviously he's very shaken up, and was upset that he didn't stand up to Mr Anderson. I talked with him though and I think he's better now, if still obviously upset after tonight."

"Those two have had to go through so much in their short lives, you know." Burt pondered, staring down at the coffee table. "I feel so sorry for them. They've each lost parents in one way or another, and had to deal with discrimination and bullying just because of who they are. It's a good thing they have each other." Burt sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. Obviously he was wary of his son's relationship, and a little sad to see him growing up, but he was still so glad that Kurt was with Blaine. Kurt deserved somebody in his life like Blaine, and even if Burt found immense joy in scaring the kid, he really was a good guy.

Carole seemed to be able to tell all of this in her husband, and she gave him a knowing smile. "They really are in love. Strongest couple I've ever seen; a lot more so than Finn and Rachel." Burt looked even more distressed at this, so Carole decided to add, "That's a good thing, by the way. A very, very good thing."

Short-ish chapter, but there you go. Kind of a bridge between the initial story and now my continuation of it.

So, do you think I should carry on or not? Please let me know in a review, and I'd love to hear your thoughts of the story so far!