Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Present Day

"Say something, Finn," Kurt said, looking intently at his stepbrother who was staring at the table. The wrinkle in his forehead told Kurt that Finn was thinking. Normally Kurt would wait until Finn was finished, but it had been five minutes since anyone said anything and Kurt's stomach was churning.

"Does my mom know?" It wasn't quite the reaction Kurt was expecting. "About your mom not really being dead?"

"No." Kurt's voice was hoarse and the word was hardly above a whisper. "Finn – my mom is dead. Whoever that person is now, she's not my mother. You have to understand that."

"Yeah – no, Kurt. I don't. My dad is dead. His body isn't walking around. Your mom is alive, walking around Lima wanting to get to know you. If it was my dad, even if he didn't remember me, I'd want to know him." Kurt leaned back as if struck. Finn's tone was the harshest Kurt had ever heard it.

"You don't understand –"

"You have a chance to know her! I'd give anything for that. And you're wasting it!" Finn shook his head, hands leaning heavily on the table.

"She was a drunk, Finn. For two years, she was sober only a handful of days. She used to yell at me for hours if I did anything wrong. Once I spilled milk in the carpet and she told me I was clumsy and worthless. I had a bruise on my arm for weeks where she grabbed me. That wasn't my mother!" Kurt was shouting through the tears, standing braced against the table. "I never should have told you anything!"

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Finn said. "I just…"

"Forget it," Kurt said. "Just don't tell our parents. I'm going to handle this, and it isn't any of your business anyway. Goodnight."

All of his energy drained when he walked through his room and he slumped against the wall. He slid down it, landing on the ground roughly and hugging his knees. He stayed there until the tears dried again, ignoring the stains on his designer jeans from where the foundation he wore rubbed off.

He felt like the bad guy. First Blaine was telling him to go and talk to her, to give her a chance. And now Finn was giving him a hard time because he didn't want to get to know her. Why didn't they understand how horrible it had been?

They couldn't understand. They didn't know what it was like waking up every morning knowing that someone who looked and sounded like the most important person in your life was going to ignore you or criticize you. They didn't understand the agony of relearning the most basic tasks at six years old and not even having a mother to encourage you.

He wasn't going to give her another chance. He'd listened to what she had to say, and his mind hadn't changed. This wasn't a decision he could let someone else make for him.

A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews: Sarahamanda, Steffi Star, Tess-the-Mess, Potrix, Maiqu, RazorGirl, bang3045 and ifeellikeanartist.

bang3045 - I'm sorry that happened to your family. ): I'm grateful every day for mine as well. And at least Kurt has Burt, right?

ifeellikeanartist - I'm glad I went with Klaine as well!

Potrix - I love that Finn and Kurt are brothers, but there needs to be more of their bonding or whatever (that little bit in Prom Queen was awesome.)