Lucy was a mess. She spent the next day holed up in her room not really talking to anyone. Her family tried to support her, but there was little anybody could do. Burt took off work Monday to be with her, and they both took off on Tuesday because she would have to sign the paperwork surrendering her rights.
Sometimes she was confident in her decision. As hard as it was, she knew Beth was in good hands. She knew Shelby would love her and cherish her. She trusted Shelby to keep her updated and have occasional visits. She knew her daughter would have a good life, and she knew that Shelby was financially, emotionally, and physically able to care for a baby.
Other times, she questioned herself to the point of becoming physically sick. She was positive she made a horrible, horrible mistake. She missed her daughter more than she ever thought possible. She had nightmares, only to wake up and realize that the nightmares were real life. Her child was gone. Her belly was flat. She had no baby.
She refused to eat. She couldn't sleep. She hardly left her room, though she did allow her family in to comfort her. She soaked up all the comfort she could, and was rarely alone. She didn't want to be alone.
"What if I made a mistake?" Lucy asked Burt as she curled up against him on Monday. "What if it's something I regret for the rest of my life? I did it because I thought it was best for her, but what if I was wrong? Is it really best for her to be raised with a stranger? Would she really be worse off with me?"
Burt didn't have a good answer. There really wasn't a good answer. He gently reminded her that she had a very good reason for choosing adoption, but that she hadn't signed anything yet.
Lucy was half hoping Puck would visit. But he didn't. He hadn't seen her since the day the baby was born. She didn't like him all that much, but she would have liked to know he cared. She also thought it was unfair. He fully agreed that adoption was best, but he didn't have to do any of the work she had to in order to make it happen.
Burt spent the entire day with her. He offered to give her some alone time, but she said no, she didn't want it. So he sat in her room with her and she curled up next to him. He held her as she cried, they talked about the adoption, and he read her book out loud to her. They went to the living room and watched a mindless movie. Eventually, she fell asleep against his chest, his shirt clutched in her hand. He didn't dare move. He knew she hadn't gotten any sleep since the baby was born.
The following afternoon found Lucy and her parents in the car, on the way to the attorney's office. The car ride was silent, Lucy deep in thought. She knew she had to do this, but it was just so impossibly hard. She wished Puck would have agreed to come. She asked him, but he said he didn't see the point because he didn't have to sign anything.
"Pull over," she demanded urgently.
"Luce?"
"Pull over," she repeated. Burt did so, and Lucy opened the door and vomited on the side of the road. Carole got out of the car and held her hair back as she continued to retch.
"Are you done?" she asked when Lucy stopped heaving.
"I think so," she confirmed. Burt handed back a bottle of water; Carole took it and handed it to Lucy. She took a sip, rinsed her mouth and spat, then took a small sip.
"Are you ready?" she asked gently.
"No," Lucy responded. "But let's go."
They met the social worker from the adoption agency at the law office, and the four of them went up to the lawyer's office together. The social worker and lawyer both talked to Lucy about she would be giving up by surrendering her rights. Lucy tuned it out until she was told she had to repeat it. They wanted to make sure she understood. She did.
The lawyer started reading the papers she was required to sign.
"I, Lucy Elizabeth Jackson Hummel, understand that this decision is permanent and irrevocable," came the finishing statement. The paper was handed to Lucy, along with a pen. She stared at the paper silently, willing it to disappear. This was it; the last moment that she would be her beautiful little girl's mother. She picked up the pen and put it to the page. Her hand started trembling. She put down the pen and clenched and unclenched her hand. She took a sip of water, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She picked the pen back up and put it back to the paper.
One signature and Beth would no longer be her child. Only the second time she ever signed her new name. The first was to let the hospital release the baby to Shelby. Were the first and second time she ever signed her new name…her real name…going to be to give away her daughter? The baby who, now that she was here, was more concrete than ever before?
Lucy burst into tears, dropping the pen, and was in her father's arms in a flash.
"Dad…" she gasped. He held her tight, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down.
"I…I can't do it!" she finally got out through sobs. "I can't do it, I can't do it," she repeated the words over and over and over again. "I can't do it."
Burt held her, swaying gently. She eventually calmed down enough to communicate, though the tears still flowed. She sat back in her chair, grabbed some tissues and started mopping up her face. She took a few more sips of water and willed herself to calm down. The social worker asked her if she was ready, but she shook her head.
"I can't do it," she said again. "I just can't. I'm sorry. I…" she took a deep, shuddering breath, but looked at her parents instead of the social worker and lawyer across the table. "I want her back."
There was silence in the room for a long moment. "I can still do that, right? I didn't sign anything. I'm sorry…I really did want this but I just…I miss her so much. I thought I could do this, but I can't."
"You can still take her back," the social worker said gently. "I understand how hard this is for you. Are you sure you want to parent? We can postpone the signing of the relinquishments for a few more days if you need more time," she suggested.
"No," Lucy snapped instantly, then continued more softly. "I'm sorry, but no. The last few days have been torture, I can't go through that anymore. I'm not going to change my mind; I just want Beth back." Now that she said the words out loud, now that she made the decision, she knew it was what she had to do. She felt less panicky, less hysterical knowing that she could still get her daughter back. That her daughter was still her's.
"Can we have a minute?" Burt asked.
"Of course, we'll be just outside when you're ready." The lawyer and social worker left.
"Honey, you realize this is forever now, right? There's no going back. You've talked about all the reasons you wanted the adoption…"
"I did want the adoption," Lucy didn't let her mother finish. "All of those reasons are still there but… I've gone through every scenario in my head a thousand times. I know it won't be easy. But she's my daughter. She needs me. And I need her."
"Lucy," Carole said, treading extremely lightly. "we've talked about the impact that parenting would have on you. And on her. Are you sure you're ready for everything this is going to mean? You will have to give up a lot of the things you enjoy doing. You'll give up a lot of your childhood. And honey I'm sorry, but I don't think you can count on Puck to be a big help."
"I know that," Lucy insisted. "I know that and I get it. I never expected him to be much of a help. I knew that if I kept her, I'd be doing it on my own. I know how much of a handful Emily is, and I know that this baby won't be easy, but she's my daughter. I can't just give her up. I can't." The tears started welling again. "I'll dedicate my life to making sure she has everything she could want and need. I know I'm young, I know in some ways, maybe she'd be better off with Shelby. I know I need your help to do it, but I'll never, ever let her go without. She'll have the best life I can give her; I'll make sure of it. And I know that means I'll have to grow up quickly and say goodbye to just being a kid, but she's my daughter."
"OK," Carole responded. "OK. If that's your decision, we'll support you." Lucy hugged Carole tight.
"Thanks, Mom," she whispered.
Burt went to open the door, and the lawyer and social worker re-entered.
"I want her back," Lucy repeated much more confidently this time. The social worker looked to Lucy's parents, who nodded, and back to Lucy.
"Alright," she told her. "Let me call Shelby, she'll bring the baby here"
"I'm sorry. I know this sucks for you…and I feel bad about taking her from Shelby, but I just can't do it," Lucy said apologetically.
"Don't apologize, Lucy," the social worker responded, her voice understanding. "This is an extremely difficult decision. I see the bright young woman you are, and I know you'll be a good mother. You have to do what you believe is right for you and your baby. I'll go call her now.
"Well…I'll run to the store and pick up a car seat so we can bring her home," Carole told her daughter after the Social Worker left. Lucy nodded and thanked her. Then it was just Burt, Lucy and the lawyer. There was several moments of awkward silence before the social worker reappeared.
"Shelby will be here in about an hour," she said.
"Why so long?"
"She wants to pack a few things for the baby and say her goodbyes. And she lives 30 minutes away."
"She doesn't have to pack anything," Lucy protested, not wanting Shelby to think she wasn't a fit mother. "We can get the things she needs."
"She wants to, Lucy. This is about her, not you," the social worker assured her. "Why don't you and your dad go wait in the meeting room."
While they waited, Lucy talked with Burt about how things were going to work. She had planned on taking a week or two off school, but things were different now that she was keeping her baby.
"Can I finish the year virtually?" she asked her dad. "I don't want to leave Beth yet."
"Kurt and Finn have both done it," Burt agreed. "It shouldn't be a problem. Mom is a little harder to get a hold of at work, but you know I'm always just a phone call away, and so is Grandma Lorrie."
Carole returned a while later with the car seat along with a packed diaper bag. Lucy looked at her curiously.
"I bought a few things," she shrugged. "a few bags of diapers, a few outfits and onesies, bottles. It's not much, but it'll be enough to get us through the next few days. I have some of Emily's old things stored away as well; she was born in December so a lot of it is out of season for Beth's size, but I'm sure there will be plenty we can find in there as well."
Lucy smiled a wide smile. "Thank you, Mom," she said. "Thank you both. I love you so much, thank you for supporting me in this." Now that the decision had been made and she was getting her daughter back, Lucy was in much better spirits. She was positively radiating happiness. She was just impatient for Shelby to arrive with her baby.
At that moment the social worker entered the meeting room, newborn held carefully in her arms and a bag slung across her shoulder. She handed the baby to Lucy, who eagerly took her in her arms.
"Beth, Beth, Beth" she swooned, crying joyfully and kissing her tiny cheeks over and over again.
The car ride home was much less tense than the car ride there. The baby slept the whole way, but Lucy held her tiny hand anyway. She didn't want to let go
When they arrived home, she called Puck. He didn't answer, of course.
"Call me." She texted. She didn't know if she really wanted him to or not.
She carefully unbuckled her newborn from the carrier, tucked her onto her chest, and sat on the couch, soaking up all the cuddles she missed over the last few days. Burt sat next to her a little while later, while Carole went to pick Emily up from Grandma's.
"Should I text the boys?" she asked her dad, gently handing him the baby. He took his tiny granddaughter in his arms and held her gently.
"Up to you," he replied. "Kurt has therapy tonight…I'm thinking I should probably cancel. I don't think he's going to want to go." Beth started squirming a short while later, and let out a little cry. She stretched, and her little cry turned into a louder cry.
"I'll make her a bottle," Burt said, handing Beth back to her mother and standing up..
"No, let me try breastfeeding," she protested. She lowered her shirt and held the squawking baby to her breast. Beth seemed confused momentarily, but quickly latched on and started sucking. Lucy smiled. This felt natural. All of the heartache she felt over the last few days was gone. She stroked her daughter's cheek.
"I love you so much," she whispered, before starting to sing.
"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby, oh
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true."
She sang her mother's song to her daughter as she nursed, hardly daring to believe this was real. She knew life wouldn't be easy, but she would do everything in her power to make sure Beth had a good life.
XXX
Kurt was happy Glee got another year, but he was surprised to find that he truly could care less about losing regionals. Everyone else seemed extremely put out, but he was too worried about Lucy. He was upset about losing the baby, too, but he tried his best not to show it. Lucy needed him to be strong.
He was starting to really hate Puck. He couldn't believe what a jerk he was being! Finn punched him outright that day for refusing to have anything to do with Lucy during a time that she really needed him most. Luckily, no teachers saw and Finn did not get into trouble.
He knew he had therapy that day, so he walked straight home after school. Finn, who couldn't seem to be able to handle not having some kind of sport, had baseball practice. He would be home as soon as it ended, though. His parents were being very strict about Finn's current grounding. He supposed a juvie-worthy offence was worse than Finn's normal screw-ups. Even if it had been mostly Puck's fault. Kurt honestly was looking forward to therapy. He wanted to talk about his feelings regarding Beth's adoption; the feelings he had to hide around Lucy. As he entered the house, he heard singing coming from the living room. He recognized it as his birth mother's song. He was startled for a moment as he saw the baby in Lucy's arms.
"Beth?" he asked quietly.
"I couldn't do it," came the reply. "I just couldn't.
He rushed over, joining his sister on the couch, tickling her feet gently. She easily placed the baby in his arms.
"I'm glad you didn't," Kurt admitted. "I was trying to be strong for you, but I was having a hard time with it."
"I'm sorry, Kurt," she said, leaning against him and placing her hand on her daughter's belly. "I really did think it was the best decision for her. I'm still not sure it wasn't, all I knew was that I couldn't live with it if I signed that paper. It's like…this little piece of paper that both of our lives hung on. Hard to believe a paper and a signature could have that much power."
Finn was equally startled when he walked in and saw baby Beth. Lucy handed her over just as easily as she had to Kurt.
"Does Puck know?" Finn asked.
"I told him to call me. He'll know if he calls me back," she responded.
The family quickly fell in love with their newest little bundle. True to their word, Burt and Carole helped with her, but the majority of the baby care fell on Lucy's shoulders. She didn't complain; on the contrary. She took to motherhood easily. Sure, it was hard. Her nights were sleepless. But she relished in doing school online, finishing her work in a few hours while Grandma Lorrie was looking after the girls, and spending the days with her baby and sister.
Emily was obsessed with Beth. "My baby!" she demanded first thing every morning. "Where my baby?" Carole had to stop her from trying to grab Beth out of Lucy's arms the second Lucy carried her out of the bedroom. The biggest issue was that Emily was way too territorial around Beth. She hated to let anybody else have a moment with her. Burt and Carole were working through that with her, but it was the cause of many a meltdown.
A pack n' play was fitted in Lucy's room, but the room really wasn't quite big enough for both Lucy and Beth. After about a week she asked her parents if she and Beth could have the basement bedrooms. There were two connected by a Jack n' Jill bathroom, and Lucy felt like there would be a lot more room to spread out.
"We talked and I was going to suggest that, actually," Carole agreed. "You wouldn't feel too far away down there?"
"No. And then she wouldn't have to keep you all up. I know she does," Lucy responded. "I think I still want to set up the bassinet in my room for now so I'm closer to her, but at least all of her things could be in her room, then."
So that weekend the whole family chipped in to move Beth and Lucy to the basement bedrooms.
Kurt adored having his niece around. He helped out as much as he was able, but he was busy with Cheerios and his now twice a week therapy sessions. He was starting to consider dropping Cheerios; it made him safer at school and he enjoyed it, but he wanted more time with his family.
Puck showed up at the house a few times to see Beth. Lucy allowed it, but he never really showed any interest in actually being a father. He never offered to take her to give Lucy a break (not that she would have agreed), he never chipped in to help pay for things, he never really even asked how she was doing. He just showed up unannounced, held her, sang to her, and yes, he was good with her. But the second she started crying she was back in Lucy's arms, and he was out the door.
Finn's 16th birthday approached at the end of April. He had just been set free from his crazy-long grounding for slashing the tires, and his parents let him go bowling with his friends, sans parents. Kurt joined him, of course, and the Hummel parents insisted on babysitting Beth for the evening so Lucy could join as well. They had a great time! Puck was there, but with the help of her brothers Lucy ignored him. She enjoyed spending time with the friends she'd barely seen over the last month.
Puck and Finn had it out in Glee one day about a week before before the end of school in June. Though the competition season was over, the class still met and did their weekly assignments. Finn and Kurt were exhausted. Beth had a low-grade fever and was up all night long crying. Lucy called the pediatrician but he said it wasn't high enough to be cause for concern; give her some baby Tylenol and nurse her, that's all they could really do. They made it through the night but Beth's fever continued the next day. Grandma Lorrie had been spending days with Lucy, and they were going to take her to the clinic that morning. Kurt texted Lucy from Glee.
"How is she?"
"Fine. Dr. said babies get fevers. No biggie."
"She calm down?"
No. Been crying all day."
"Kurt, pay attention," Mr. Schuester scolded.
"Sorry," Kurt responded.
"g2g" he texted his sister, pocketing his phone.
"Texting your boyfriend, Hummel?" Puck jeered.
"No. I'm texting Lucy. Your daughter was up with a fever all night and I was worried. Not that I expect you to care."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Puck said, standing up and getting in Kurt's personal space, towering above him. "You think I don't care about my daughter?"
"Lousy way of showing it," Kurt mumbled, but he could feel his anxiety increasing. He didn't like people being in his space, especially when the energy wasn't friendly. Puck got closer. His breathing increased.
"Hey," Finn said, standing up and putting a hand on Puck's chest. "Back off."
"Or what?"
"Or nothing. Just back off." He shoved Puck back firmly, but not cruelly. Puck punched him, Finn blocked it, and the two were rolling around on the ground. Mr. Schue was there, breaking it off with the help of Matt, but Kurt could feel the panic attack coming on. He tried to excuse himself but he wasn't sure he would make it to the hallway, and in the shuffle his bag had been kicked across the room.
Brittany sat next to him and tried to discretely help him with his breathing.
"Where's your inhaler?" she asked. Kurt nodded toward his backpack.
"Mercedes, grab his backpack, would you?" she asked quietly, trying not to attract too much attention. Most of the attention was on Puck and Finn, anyway. Mercedes looked curiously at them but did as she was asked. Brittany dug in the front pocket and pulled out the inhaler, shook it, and put it to Kurt's lips. He grabbed it and took a few puffs. She handed him his water and he took small sips. He took another puff and concentrated on his breathing.
"Are you alright?" Brittany asked softly. Her head was right next to Kurt's so she could breathe with him and help him focus.
"Getting there. Thanks, Brit," he responded. He didn't feel on the verge of a major attack anymore, but he took a few more slow sips anyway. Some of the other kids had noticed at this point, but he ignored them.
Finn, who was being held back firmly by Matt and Mike, noticed Kurt's predicament. He tried to get to him, but Matt and Mike stopped him.
"Let me go," he grit out. "I won't touch him. I'm calm." They did so, and Finn made his way to Kurt. Kurt almost wished he would stay back; he was bound to attract more attention right now.
"You OK?" he asked taking a seat on the chair in front of Kurt and turning around to face him.
"Fine, Finn," Kurt assured him. "Let it go."
Puck showed up at the house that night, demanding to see Beth and furious with Lucy for not calling him.
"I'm her father, Quinn! You should have called me!"
"I had it handled," she countered. "The pediatrician said she was fine, and Carole was here. Why would I call you? You've barely showed any interest in her!"
"I am her father!" he yelled. Beth woke up and started crying.
"Give her to me, you're scaring her," Lucy demanded, taking Beth gently into her arms. She was too riled up to calm her properly, though, so she handed her over to Kurt and asked him to take her upstairs. She knew Kurt didn't like the tension, either. "Her father who stops by once a week or less unannounced to hold her for an hour and then is out the door. Her father, who has not once offered to pay for anything for her, watch her, feed her, bathe her, or change her diaper. The one time, one time I ask you to watch her so I can go out with some friends, you agree then back out last minute so you can make out with the girl of the week. And you know what, Puck? I don't care! Because I am her mother and she is my priority, but until you can make that little girl a priority in your life, don't you dare try to come in here and tell me what I can and cannot do and call yourself a father." Lucy finished then, but she was anything but calm.
"I think you need to leave, Puck," Burt insisted, leading Puck to the door and closing it behind him. Carole, meanwhile, was hugging Lucy who was getting herself back together.
Kurt, meanwhile, took Beth into his room, followed by Finn. He managed to calm her down by pacing and bouncing slowly around his room and singing soft lullabies to her. He was glad Lucy had sent him upstairs with the baby when she did, he could feel his anxiety starting to rise. Finn even offered to take the baby, but Kurt was alright. He stayed under control, but it wouldn't have taken much more. The baby in his arms was like a crutch, though. She kept him grounded.
"She OK?" Lucy asked, leaning against the door jam.
"She's fine," he assured her. "Are you?" He stopped pacing, expecting her to take the baby. She didn't, though. Kurt was perfectly fine with her and she knew he loved holding her.
"I just don't know what I ever saw in him," she huffed, flopping back on the bed. "He's so irresponsible and…just so aggravating! I can't think of anyone I'd like to coparent with less than Noah Puckerman!"
"Little late for that," Finn said, mocking in jest. She whacked him with a pillow.
"I'm glad she has you two. She needs a good male role model in her life, and you two are the best. And dad."
"Well, it's easy! She's the cutest, bestest baby in the whole wide world, yes she is!" he cooed down at Beth, much to her delight. He tickled her tummy gently and she cooed loudly, grabbing his nose. "Oopsie, you got my nose! I got your nose!" and he tapped her nose.
Lucy grinned. She loved seeing her brothers interact with her baby.
"I seriously just don't want to encourage him to be around any more than he is, though. I don't want him to think he has a say."
She needn't have worried, though. School ended and summer started. Kurt and Lucy's birthday neared with no word from Puck.
XXX
July 5th brought Kurt and Lucy's birthday 16th birthday; their first together in 11 years. They decided to just do something low key with their friends. Kurt invited his Columbus friends, along with Nick, and they invited all their Glee friends. They hadn't "officially" come out as twins yet, they simply said it was a combined party.
Nick showed up on the morning of July 1st and planned on staying for a few weeks. Lucy's old room had become the guest room, and that's where he would sleep. Kurt hadn't actually seen Nick since the trial. They texted all day every day and talked on the phone for hours at a time, but every time they tried to see each other, something came up. Nick and his mom pulled up to the front of the house and Kurt raced outside and met him at his car, pulling him in for a bone-crushing hug. Nick returned the hug with equal enthusiasm.
"C'mon," Kurt said, taking his hand and leading him to the house. Lucy was sitting on the couch with Beth in her lap, burping the baby who'd just finished her meal.
"Luce!" Kurt exclaimed, and she quickly adjusted her clothing and stood up. Beth let out a loud belch.
"Nick, you remember my sister Lucy," Kurt reminded him. Lucy hadn't been overly nice to Nick the last time they met, everything being so new, but she was extremely warm now and pulled him into a hug. Kurt took the baby from Lucy, and she let her go without complaint.
"And this is my perfect niece, Beth," he introduced. Nick cooed at the baby, who smiled happily at him. Beth truly was an extremely happy, easy baby about 80% of the time. When Finn got home, he beelined for Nick and pulled him in a hug so tight, he lifted him off his feet. The four teenagers spent the afternoon singing and dancing, watching movies, and hanging out. Kurt and Nick went up to Kurt's room that evening and talked the next several hours away.
"You have to promise me you'll come out to Dalton this fall, Kurt. I really want you to meet my friends," Nick encouraged. He'd tried multiple times to get Kurt out there the past school year, but Kurt was struggling with his mental health, then the baby came and things were just too chaotic. He had intended to go there one Saturday, but then Nick and his friends all came down with the stomach flu. Another Saturday they had planned on, Kurt got himself grounded instead. So here it was, July, and they had never gone so long without seeing each other! He knew it would be different next year when they both drove. Dalton wasn't that far. But neither could drive, and Nick boarded at Dalton so it was hard for him to get to Lima.
The next few days flew by. The kids packed their days with beach trips to their local lake, bike rides, mall trips, movie marathons, ice cream runs and singing competitions. They got together with Kurt's friends a few times. Nick and Lucy were getting along very well, and of course he was always close with Finn. The day before their birthday, the four teens were watching Sound of Music, when Lucy paused it and turned to Kurt.
"I was thinking," she said. "Tomorrow we should tell everyone. That we're twins, I mean.
"Are you sure? You know nobody in Glee can keep a secret. If we tell them it'll get out at school."
"I don't care. I'm not ashamed of anything. I have an amazing family. But really, it's up to you. This is more your secret right now than mine, because it would mean telling them a little about your past."
"I know, and I've thought about it. I talked to Dr. Wheeler about it, too…months ago. Back when you first came to live with us. I wasn't ready right away, but I've been ready for a while now. I don't think it's some big, dark secret. Everyone knows Finn and I are super close in age, and that mom and dad do foster care. They also know I have issues. I don't have to tell them about all the abuse." So it was agreed, and the kids started looking through appropriate songs. They had trouble finding something appropriate that didn't have much to do with romance and sex…and Kurt definitely wanted to stay away from that when he was singing to his sister.
On Kurt and Lucy's birthday, Sophia, Katie, Sam, Kyle and Troy all drove down together. Troy had turned 16 in October and was a fully-fledged driver by July. Kurt and Finn were both ecstatic to see the friends they rarely saw in the year since they left Columbus. It was crazy to them that it truly had only been a year, so much had happened. Most of the Glee kids also showed up, sans Puck, who, it turned out, was in Juvie for trying to steal an ATM. Lucy could only roll her eyes. At least if he tried to fight for custody, she'd have nothing to worry about. They spent most of the day at the beach while Beth stayed home with her grandparents, but ended up back at the house for pizza and an outdoor movie later that evening.
"So…Quinn and I have been talking, and we agreed it was time for you all to know something," Kurt began. "We love and trust all of you. This is an extremely sensitive topic, but we feel ready to share. We know that once we start telling people it's going to start getting out. We are OK with that; it's not something we're ashamed of, but it's also sensitive and it's something we are going to ask not to go shouting to the world about."
"We're a Glee club, and we do everything better in song," Lucy continued. She pushed play on her phone, and the instrumentals sounded through the speaker she had docked it to. They chose Back Together Again by Maxi Priest. It was an older song, but the best they could find to best express their story. They adjusted the melody to make it a little more modern.
"Seems we've weathered
Hard times we've been through
In silence I've waited
I missed you (I missed you too)
As they finished the last stanza together, holding hands, they looked back at their friends…most of whom, apart from Nick, Finn and Brittany, just looked very confused.
"My Columbus friends know this, but I've kept it private at McKinley," Kurt said, smiling at Troy, Kyle, Sam, Sophia and Brittany. "I wanted a fresh start, so you'll forgive me for not telling you. I'm sure you've figured out that Finn and I aren't biological brothers…I mean, we're like 3 months apart," he laughed. Some of the other kids joined in.
"When I was 4, I saw my mother die. I was with her, pulled from the car. My father had died several months earlier, so my twin sister and I went into foster care." He took sip of water. Lucy squeezed his hand. "We bounced around from an aunt's house to an uncle's house…neither were good, but the second one was pretty bad. After that, my sister was adopted without me and I never saw her again. I bounced around to several other homes before I met my parents when I was 8. They adopted me a year later and I couldn't ask for a better family," he grinned at Finn. Finn continued the story; Kurt having asked him to.
"A lot of things happened in Columbus that we won't get into; it resulted into us having to move to Lima to get away. That's the real reason dad bought Leery's. I met Quinn and we started dating, you all know how that went down."
Lucy continued, "After I got kicked out of my parents' house and moved in here for a little while, Kurt and I started sharing adoption stories. I don't remember much from my early childhood, but I knew my parents both died and I was separated from my twin brother when I was adopted. It took until November for us to figure it out."
All the kids stared at them, wide eyed and shell shocked.
"You're saying you are long lost twins?" Tina asked, "Your life is like a soap opera…"
Kurt and Lucy grinned. "I've been looking for Lucy since we were 5. I never forgot about her, not for a second."
"Lucy?" Mercedes questioned.
"My real name. I changed it back in April when I was adopted. I've decided to start going by Lucy again."
Their friends were a little confused, but overwhelmingly supportive. Mercedes said everything about Kurt made a lot more sense now. As her family also did foster care, she was aware of some of the trauma issues foster kids faced. Kurt never got into the specifics of his past; that was nobody's business but his. He used to not even tell anyone about Lucy, but now that she was back in his life, he wanted everyone to know.
Lucy disappeared to nurse Beth and put her to bed while Kurt, Finn and Sam set up the projector outside.
"So I guess I should tell you," Sam informed his friends, "my dad lost his job a few months ago. He's been looking for a while now, and he found one in Fort Shawnee. I asked him if we could move to Lima so I could go to a school where I had some friends, and he agreed. I'll be starting at McKinley in September."
"Sam! That's great!" Kurt exclaimed while Finn clapped him on the back. "That's awesome, man."
"Listen, Kurt," Sam continued. "I know things have been really rough for you. I'm glad to see you so happy, and I am so happy that you found your sister and she was able to come live with you. You deserve good things."
"Thanks, Sam," Kurt said, blinking back tears. "I really am glad you'll be coming to McKinley. It'll be great to have you around more. I've missed you."
Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! It absolutely motivates me to keep writing!