Sorry for the delay and thank you all so much for your patience! I don't have any one (good) excuse so all I can do is apologise that life and the weather simply got in the way. I hope that this chapter makes up for it!

This chapter is broken into different journal entries by Kurt, please be aware that they are to be read as being dot point form and not as full journal entries.

No additional warnings for this chapter, but things are definitely moving forwards now. :)

Beta'd by the truly patient Brellegenana who consistently motivates and inspires each and every chapter. The amount of work you have and are investing in this story truly warms my heart. So thank you! 3

Disclaimer - I don't own Glee or any of it's character's, I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.

Monday 17th May, 2010

* 3rd day of liberation from the hospital.

* I slipped in the shower this morning, and I felt a strange 'swooping' motion in my stomach, rather like being on a roller coaster. It's probably nothing, but they said to note down any and all little variations in my normal functioning. I'll talk to Noah about it when he gets here.

* I found a few potential houses for Dad and I to look at today, I'll be glad to find a new home and get out of this hotel.

* I still cannot believe the hospital wouldn't release me until Carol had scheduled my therapy sessions. Don't I already have enough going on, why do they think it necessary for me to talk about all the bull shit that happened before this? Dad wasn't really any help; he had one 'moment' with Carol, and now he thinks she's the best thing since the trucker hat was popularized. I mean, I know what I did, but honestly, what makes anyone think talking about it will help? Blah. I can't focus on this right now; I need to get us a new home!

Kurt closed the new laptop his father had purchased for him and flopped backwards onto the stiff hotel bed with a sigh. He was so excited when he was released from the hospital; he was finally afforded the freedom to leave those four walls. Unfortunately, fate had merely changed the location of purgatory to a two bedroom efficiency apartment at the Lima Holiday Inn. He was under strict orders not to leave the hotel unless he was being accompanied by a member of his support team, due to his inexperience with an activated power. Despite the plentiful tacky decor burning his retina on a comparable level to the horribly inhospitable hospital room, he was still in fact bored.

He knew his dad was doing everything in his power to make the move go as quickly as possible. He'd hired movers who had already packed up their old home as well as the landscapers in to fix the defaced lawn and now the house was on the market. It was a little harder to organise finances for purchasing a new house, not having sold the old, but he and his dad had reached the compromise. If they downsized the house, purchasing one that wasn't as new or as big as their previous home, then they would be financed right away. His dad's business was very successful, and his dad had told him they didn't need to worry about money. The purchase of a house though, was such a large expenditure in today's economy, and his dad simply stated he just didn't want to bite off more than they could chew financially, especially with college coming up, as well as any other debt that may befall them. Kurt was happy to go along with his reasoning, so long as it meant getting a new home.

Burt had also done everything he could to help Kurt pass the time. It seemed as though he'd walked into the nearest Best-Buy and brought just about every electrical gadget the sales associate advised as 'must have' purchases for the average teenage boy. He was now the slightly mystified owner of not only the laptop, but also a second generation I-Pad, a PSP, a PS3, a high definition surround sound system, and an X-Box. He also pre-ordered the I-Phone 4S, as the sales associate pointed out the fact that would be out in October, it had several program options that would be more beneficial for Kurt, as well as the fact that if he upgraded now, he would be unable to upgrade Kurt's phone to the 4s until his current contract expired. Of course, these purchases and upgrades weren't even taking into consideration the multitude of movies, music and games his father had splurged on. If Kurt had to guess, he'd predict that his father probably covered the employees' yearly sales quota in one shopping extravaganza.

He'd bought a multitude of books and magazines of every kind for the I-pad, to hopefully give Kurt a variety of options to occupy his free time. Not to mention the essay's the school had sent home in place of the end of year exams he would sit had he not been so grievously injured. But despite all the material possessions, what Kurt missed the most right now was company. His dad had offered to take time out of the shop, but Kurt refused, knowing how important it was for his dad to be physically in the shop, to ensure it was running smoothly. It was just crazy though, he'd gone years with having practically no one to talk to, happily in some cases, and in the space of a week and a half he'd become used to the inundation of people to talk to. Even the night duty nurse who would chat for a moment on her rounds was better than this silence. Kurt glanced at the clock and saw that Noah should be arriving any minute now with their lunch order, courtesy of Burt of course. Kurt felt a little bad that his dad was spending so much money on him lately, but he secretly liked the attention and didn't want it to stop. It's not like he was some spoiled brat! Besides, this wasn't the first time his dad had gone overboard on gifting. As the only child of two reasonably well off adults, he had received a fair amount of gifts when his mother was still alive. He'd never demanded any of it though, or really any material possessions or anything, at least not once he exited toddlerhood, so it was okay – right?

Just as Kurt began to become depressingly introspective on spoiled only-child syndrome, and his possible status as one, he heard the lock releasing as the door swung open to reveal Noah laden down with the bags of food. He also had his backpack, under protest of course. Noah had gotten a lot of grief for not completing his class work, and Schuester had threatened to revoke his mentor status, as well as the skipping class privileges associated, if he didn't buck up and complete the assignments given. Kurt already had pretty stellar grades, thanks to his lacking social life, and minimal distractions, so he was only required to complete some replacement essays. But he helped Noah complete each daily task, as it was only fair since Noah was only missing those classes due to his involvement in Kurt's activation. This freed their time to play games, or watch movies whenever they could agree to a genre.

"Hey dude," Puck said shaking excess water off his mohawked head. "It's like, pouring out there today." Oddly enough, Kurt had not realized the weather outside, probably due to the fact that his support team deemed it too dangerous for him to roam alone.

In the short time since Noah had been assigned his mentor, Kurt felt that they had reached an unspoken level of camaraderie and routine, which was pleasant. It reminded Kurt of the time before the loss of his mother, which while nice, also brought back everything he had truly lost when his mother died. Though they still did argue over Kurt's instance in always addressing the mohawked boy as Noah, rather than by Puck, feeling that it was immature and disrespectful to Ruth, ignoring the chosen name she gave her first born. Today was far too relaxed to continue the bickering, thus without further conversation both boys set out the food and dug in, with only the occasional remark regarding their food. Kurt found that he was thankfully eating less than what he was in the hospital, but it was still a rather large amount compared to what he was used to prior to the assault. Then again, he'd barely been able to keep food down before all this, and would practically never eat due to fear at school, and loneliness at home, so he didn't really have a basis of comparison. Well, except that Noah was now eating more than him, something the muscular jock was quite proud of, and pointed out. Often.

"So, what'd you get up to this morning?"

"Not much," Kurt admitted with a shrug. "I found a few more properties to look at with dad, there's one that I think would be good, but I can tell there may be a battle happening. I want to try and convince dad to let me have the basement, and I'm not sure he'll agree."

"Why the basement? Not that that wouldn't be totally awesome."

"Well the place is only a two bedroom place, and the second bedroom is really small, barely fitting a bed. The rest of the house is perfect for what we wanted, and I was thinking he could turn that into an office for himself. The basement is huge; I mean it runs pretty much the entire span of the house, and it's partially finished, which is a big bonus. It's already got a bathroom, which would be great for me, as the only other bathroom is on the second floor. Plus, you know, I just think it'd be nice to have my own space, a sanctuary of sorts. From everything."

"Do you think Burt will go for it? I mean, lately all you have to do is hint at having interest in something and he's already got it ordered for you, but – that's a pretty big request. I mean, especially since there are plenty of other houses that could be just as nice, without you having to be in the basement."

"Yeah I know. There's a lot of work that would need to be done to make the basement appropriate for a bedroom, but the house itself is a steal, much lower than the price range he originally specified, so that should help cover the cost of any additional construction. And, I know we could probably do the work together, so we really wouldn't need to hire someone else or anything. But I...I think the hardest part will be the separation aspect. I mean he really doesn't like leaving me alone now, and if I have my own bathroom after, well you know..." Kurt trailed off, not wanting to rehash his actions after the assault. "Ahh, speak of the devil" Kurt added picking up his phone, indicating he had a new message. He honestly could not wait to get the new phone his dad pre-ordered. There was just something creepy about his current phone, especially since he knew that Burt had been forced to clean the blood from the jock assaults off the screen and keypad.

"Well, it must be about 11:30 right? Your dad is way too predictable." Puck asked with a chuckle.

Sure enough, the time read 11:32 a.m. Burt had finally brought himself a mobile phone during his crazy over purchasing, for the specific reason of keeping in touch with his son. Although Kurt was unaware of it, his father had also already contacted all the local clinics and hospitals with his new number, ensuring that Kurt would no longer be able to redirect calls related to his health. Burt had started sending multiple text messages under the pretext of 'learning' how to use the phone. Kurt, not being an idiot, knew that his father was just checking up on him, secretly warmed at the thought that his father was trying to show his dedication to his son, although Kurt was still leery of trusting in his continued support. After everything that had happened since his mother's death to the assault, he realized that his ability to trust those who claimed to care about him was jaded. But Burt's predictability with messaging had become somewhat of an inside joke between the boys. Burt sent a minimum of four messages a day, all at roughly the same times.

"Yep," Kurt answered with a grin. "This time he's telling me about the crazy dude that runs the hardware store a couple stores down from the shop. Apparently he blew out both front tires in a challenge issued by a customer, that the nails he sold weren't long enough to pierce through drywall, let alone tires."

"That has to be that Grady dude; I swear he is like the stupidest person on the planet! The football dudes are always playing practical jokes on him; he falls for them every time." Puck added with a smirk.

Puck noticed that Kurt had visibly tensed at the mention of football. It had become rather a touchy subject between the two. When Kurt found out that a few of the guys in the Club were on the team he'd had a panic attack, and it took a joint counselling session between both Kurt and Puck with Carole mediating to get Kurt to open up enough to confide in Puck why he reacted so badly. When Puck found out the full extent of what those dicks had done to Kurt, even before the final assault, he'd been furious and wanted to go rip their heads off. Luckily for them they were still being held at the juvenile corrections facility.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you man. I swear the guys in the club are cool; we'd never do anything like what happened to you, not to anyone. We'll protect you when you go back to school. You'll see! We totes even have a name, we're the Glocks. It's glee with Jocks. The Cheerio girls are Gleerios! I promise, it's gonna be better when you come back."

Kurt offered a tense little smile and nodded his head, "I know – I'm sorry. It's just that I got a phone call from Officer Jenkins earlier; they have to schedule a follow up or something. Something to do with preparations for the Jock's trials, because if their lawyers decide it would be better to separate their cases, I could actually be forced to testify in each case. I gave her dad's number. I just – I don't know if I can go through with it. I don't want to face them again." He admitted with shame.

"I know it must like royally suck dude. But I think you gotta... you gotta face it, face them. Otherwise it will like always be hidden or something. It'll eat at you, and stop you from being who you really are. It's like with my fear of the water – I'll tell you a secret, but you can't like tell anyone! Ever! Cause it would totally ruin my rep! Did you know that I wouldn't even take showers? Don't even get me started on taking baths." Puck saw Kurt's slightly disgusted but wide-eyed stare. "Yeah, I used to only have like sponge baths and stuff. It's why I shaved my head too, my Ma used to wash my hair for me and after the accident, I couldn't take, like the water pouring over my head, totes freaked out. I only grew in the 'hawk after I got over the fear, before that – bald as one those eagle things."

Kurt obviously couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that. Puck felt proud of himself. He'd never told anyone apart from Mrs. H. and his ma about the true extent of his fears(it was not a phobia, no matter what Mrs. H said!), but he was glad that he'd told Kurt, especially if it would help the kid.

"You don't want to live in fear dude; I know what it's like."

"I do know" Kurt whispered.

"Yeah, yeah I know you do," Puck said with a small smile before adding cheerfully, "so, ready for me to whoop your ass in Mario Kart? I'll let you play pretty princess Peach"

"Nice try," Kurt chuckled opening his laptop again, "homework first." He insisted with a grin as Puck pulled his out of his bag with a dramatic sigh.

Tuesday 17th May, 2010

* Going out to look at the houses with dad and the realtor today! We had to wait for someone from my support team to be free to come too—pain in the ass to have to synch multiple schedules. Man, I will be so ecstatic when I regain the liberty to walk around without a damn baby sitter.

* First house – Bust. It smelled like cabbage. Don't even ask about that stain I swear I saw on the stairs.

* Second house – Bust again. Dad didn't like the neighbourhood... neither did I frankly after the next door neighbour crossed herself at first sight of me. Unfortunately I am all to use to that behaviour in this stupid poor provincial town.

* Dad's not totally convinced on my pick yet—must increase pouting and sulking. Wants to keep looking, argued the kitchen was too small. Not like he cares about that, he can't cook; he just doesn't want to approve my basement plan. I'll talk to Carole about it tonight in our session. I don't care if she thinks this therapy will help get our 'issues' resolved, I expect her support for my living arrangements!

"Good evening gentlemen," Carole smiled brightly as she stepped into the hotel's tiny living room, "how has your day been? You two went house hunting, right?"

"Yeah," But answered gruffly seeing as Kurt was currently sulking silently in the armchair. "You'd think that it would be easier to find a decent place in the area."

"What about you, Kurt? How are you finding this whole process? Any issues either of you think we need to address in this session?"

Kurt heaved a heavy sigh, "This is all exceptionally tiring. I personally found the perfect place for us, but dad doesn't like it because of my idea."

"Well, it is important that you both agree on the place, especially as your dad is giving you leeway in the selection of the new home." Carole conceded as she accepted the cup of coffee from a visibly grateful Burt. "Why don't you each explain why you think the place is good or bad, and then we can review each opinion? Burt?"

"Well, I guess the place itself isn't so bad, a little on the small side, but it is in a good neighbourhood. Plus, it's close to the garage and the school, so that's a bonus." Burt admitted, "But the second bedroom is really small and well – Kurt had this idea that I don't really think is a good one."

"What was your idea Kurt?"

"I suggested converting the basement into my bedroom, but dad said no. He wouldn't even discuss it." Kurt added sullenly.

"Ahh, I see," Carole could immediately identify what Burt's concerns were, and they were valid. It was important that both men have an open flow of communication though, and this was the perfect setting to begin building those skills.

"Well, I think that this is a good base topic for tonight's session. You both want to be able to talk to each other openly and honestly. You also want to be listened to by the other. So, I'm going to listen to what you each have to say, then help both of you understand what is really going on, hopefully showing each of you how to understand what the other person is really saying. Now, Kurt, why don't we start with you; can you tell us why and how you came up with your idea."

"Well," Kurt began slowly as he sat himself up straighter, "I guess at first, it was the best place I'd seen out of what was available in the price range dad set. Even though it is a bit smaller than our old place, I think that would be better in the end. I mean we were both just rattling around in the old house, so it was easy to just pass each other by." Kurt added, not above using emotional blackmail if he had too. Now that he'd seen the basement, the concept of a basement bedroom solely for himself flush in his mind, he didn't want to give up.

"So I looked at the house from all angles. I knew that the second bedroom would be way too small, and I was just going to pass over the place, but then I saw that the basement had been remodelled a few years ago and had a bathroom in it now. That sort of gave me the idea that it could be turned into like a studio apartment, and so I thought, why not? Dad could use the second bedroom as an office, that way he could bring paperwork home to do rather than at the garage and give us more time together, even if he is still technically working. I could even help out, I know enough about computer programs that I could help him with the inventory and billings stuff from the shop. I just thought it would be awesome to turn the basement into my bedroom. Dad, you know we always bicker about our shows, and with Deadliest Catch on Tuesdays, you know we're going to have problems since the Good Wife comes on at the same time. I could have a second TV downstairs, that way we both can still watch our own shows when they clash! Plus, having the second bathroom for myself means that I wouldn't be tying up the other bathroom when you need to use it. Also, you could probably restart the poker night for the shop, if you wanted, and wouldn't have to worry about bothering me. The ceiling is sound proofed, which means I wouldn't hear anything."

During Kurt's speech, Carole had to work at keeping a neutral expression on her face, though inside she was smirking. Kurt was very good at manipulation, and knew exactly what to say to tempt Burt into going for the house. However, she wasn't going to let Kurt off that easy.

"Okay, that's sounds reasonable Kurt, but now it's your dad's turn. What are your concerns, Burt?" Carole asked as she watched the older Hummel lift his ball cap, running his hands over his bald head.

"I'm just worried is all; I mean why does he need that room? If Kurt has the basement as his bedroom, well, that's pretty removed from the rest of the house, and everything. I don't want him to feel withdrawn from me again, I want to make sure that I put in the effort this time, and I'm concerned that the temptation would be there for him to shut himself up in his room. I wouldn't be able to even hear him down there if he was hurt, or needed something. It really is such a large space too and it would cost a lot of money to get it all fixed up the way he wants it. I don't know why he would need so much room either, I mean at 16 I was lucky to get to keep my bedroom door in my house, my parents were always worried about us kids becoming introverted hermits. Besides, isn't the stereotype the kid who never leaves his parents basement, who's to say Kurt will ever want to leave if I let him have the basement? I just - I really don't want him to get hurt again. I want to make sure I'm there from now on for him." He added uncomfortably thinking about the bathroom incident.

Carole nodded her head as she scribbled notes down, understanding Burt's perspective as a parent herself. "Okay Kurt, you're dad raises a good point. Is there any reason why you are so keen to have the basement converted?"

Kurt paused for a moment giving careful consideration to his response. He really hadn't even thought about what concerns his dad had, he just believed his dad didn't want him to have the basement. "I guess because I'm just a little overwhelmed by everything that's happened. I mean – I went from being completely alone, nobody there, to having so many people take interest in me, and the need to talk to me about everything, sometimes I just wish I had a place for myself you know? A-a sanctuary of sorts. And I know it's just going to get worse once I start with the club and training and everything. Noah's told me how they all treat each other like family, and I'm not sure I am ready for that. I'm not sure I'm ready for any of this. At the moment I feel like I'm just struggling to stay afloat in this tide of insanity. I know it's all real, that I need to know this stuff, but at the same time, I desperately need some space to decompress. While it's nice and all to have so many people involved in my life, it just feels like too much sometimes. It's like I feel like I need to ease my way back into it or something. Plus, with everything that Noah's been telling me about the musical aspect of the club, I'm going to need space to practice the routines in. I need the extra space, for my training, but also for the G-glee club,"

Kurt stuttered on the word. He was incredibly worried about the glee club aspect of his new life. He still wasn't listening to any music, and he still planned to heavily lobby to get out of the show choir aspect if at all possible, but if he could use it as an excuse to get what he wanted now, he would.

"And I know that there is cost involved, but because the house's value is significantly less than dad's original specifications, I thought that the savings there could be used in the conversion. I mean it would increase the value on the house itself too. Plus, we could work on it together, just the two of us, like we used to work on the cars at the shop." Kurt finished his pitch on a more confident note; certain that the emotional blackmail would be the push his dad needed to cede to Kurt's wishes.

"Okay, Burt how does Kurt's opinion and explanations affect your outlook on this? Do you have any concerns that haven't been addressed?"

"I'm still worried Little Jay. I want you to know that I'd do anything for you, but it's my job as a parent to look out for what's best for you long term. I haven't done a very good job since your mom passed, I know that. But now, if you are hidden away down in a basement, how can I do my job? I don't want to risk losing you again is all. I couldn't take losing you, Kurt."

Kurt shifted uncomfortably on the couch at the abject suffering in his father's voice. He logically knew that they'd bring up his attempted suicide again; he realized that he was never going to live that one action down? None of that knowledge made this discussion any easier, though. Taking a deep breath, Kurt opened his mouth to begin the conversation he should of had ages ago with his father; he'd briefly spoken to Carole privately about his reasoning for trying to take his own life while he was still in the hospital, but he'd not felt truly comfortable enough with his father to actually tell him what drove him to that level of desperation.

"Dad – it's okay, I get it." Kurt began quietly, "I get what you're worried about, but you don't have to be anymore, okay?" Kurt added earnestly. "The main reason I tried to – you know – was because I thought they were one beating away from killing me themselves. I just – they'd already taken so much from me. It wasn't about my sexuality, not really. It may have started that way, but the level of hatred they had in their hearts for me, it was the only thing I could see anymore. They took parts of me, every time they insulted me, every time they belittled me, beat me, that when they attacked me on our own front lawn, I just shattered. I couldn't find myself anymore, they took that from me. After everything that afternoon, I wanted to be the one who took something away from them; I wanted to make sure they couldn't take my life from me. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of killing me."

"Oh Kurt!" Burt surged forward to embrace his son, "Don't you see though, by doing that, they would have truly beaten you? And it would have been a perfect victory for them – because they couldn't and wouldn't be held accountable for any of it. If you had killed yourself, everyone would have just ignored what those boys did, until they actually did succeed in killing some other kid. There would have been none of the consequences they should face. Their lives would just go on like none of this ever happened, and they probably wouldn't even remember any of it in 20 years time, but you – you'd be gone and I couldn't have lived with that!" Burt sobbed into Kurt's hair.

Kurt patted his dad's back awkwardly, not used to such intense displays of emotion from his 'manly' father. He looked to Carole for guidance and she just smiled softly and nodded her head, telling him this was okay.

"I know dad, I see that now, I know that I was wrong to do that to everyone. Carole and I talked about my...suicide attempt. She helped me see that I was just too overwhelmed with everything, and couldn't take the idea of facing that any more. I couldn't see past the immediate issues to see the bigger picture, and I couldn't see any support or help, and I know you want to help now, but you weren't there at the time, and I couldn't see that changing for anything."

Burt pulled back and tried to surreptitiously wipe the tears away from his eyes, his voice gruff and thick with emotion.

"Kurt, you will never fully understand just how much I do love you. I know you think I'm not there for you, and you were right, but I am now. Little Jay, you're my son, my baby songbird; I can't do anything but support you. I will do better from now on, I promise you. Anything you need, truly need to be in a better place, I'll do my damnedest to make sure you have it, regardless of anything else. But buddy – I need to know what happens if those jocks or some other punks start harassing you again? I know how teenagers can be, and I just can't want to risk you."

"You won't dad." Kurt spoke forcefully; clearly surprised by the amount of emotional baggage his dad was carrying around from all of this. He knew his dad loved him, logically, but to physically see how this has affected him touched Kurt deeply. It didn't solve all of their problems, but it did show that the work needed to correct their distance would be worth it in the end. "Things are different now, they have to be. I have people to talk to, people who are actually talking to me,listening to me. I – I don't feel so alone any more. But I am beginning to feel like I'm being smothered! I need to be able to have some space sometimes; you have no idea how hard it is to go from silent isolation to this all in a few of days. I'm working on it I promise – and I won't shut you out again, as long as you can promise the same."

"What do you think?" Burt turned to Carole, "Is it a good idea or not?"

"This isn't about my opinion, Burt. I'm here to help you both with all these issues, but this is about the two of you, not me. This is what you can do for one another, with one another, and what you feel is beyond your abilities to manage. Kurt has told you how he was feeling when he hurt himself, and his needs to get better in the future. You Burt have told Kurt how you feel about him becoming isolated again, and your dedication to him. These are both important for your overall relationship health. I think you both have valid concerns about the issue of the basement room, but I also believe it might be a good way to re-establish new boundaries and routines in your parent-child relationship. You both obviously are trying to see this from the others perspective, which is excellent, now it's just an issue of compromise and trust. There is always a compromise for any situation, so long as you both can trust one another. Kurt, I know you want this room, and you do have valid reasons beyond the material, however you shouldn't try to play off your father's guilt to get what you want. I believe you truly want a relationship with your father, something you cannot gain from manipulation of his emotions. Your dad messed up for a while, he admits to that, and can only work to regain your trust and respect, but you shouldn't abuse that. Your dad can be your greatest strength and support, but only if you truly work to rebuild your relationship. I honestly believe the both of you would benefit greatly from individual and family counselling. I'm willing to work with you both to help you deal with all of this, but only so long as you are invested in having a trusting relationship with your dad.

Burt, I think you should take from this that while you are currently guilty and overprotective for obvious reasons, you need to recognize how overwhelmed Kurt is truly feeling right now, and acknowledge that."

"Okay," Burt sighed, realizing that Carole was making them make the decisions in all of this "I'll think about the house, I'm not saying it's a yes, I'm just saying I'll think about it. I wasn't taking your feelings into consideration, and I'll try to do that more, so long as you recognize my concerns as well."

Kurt beamed, the idea of having the basement all to himself was an idea that had taken hold in him and he really didn't want to let it go. He was more than willing to try and find compromises as long as he got the basement. He was aware that a lot of what Carole had said was true, and that he needed to work on those aspects of himself, at the moment he was just barely keeping his head above water, but he did promise himself silently to give his father a true chance to hopefully make things better.

Friday 20th May, 2010

* The papers have been signed! The house is officially ours! Dad caved on the basement, with the agreement that the doorknobs have no locks. I balked for a bit, but dad explained how worried he was about the whole thing, and really, it wasn't that bad a compromise for the WHOLE BASEMENT!

* Contractors are starting tomorrow with the plans I drew up for the basement-they said it could be done with the work in plenty of time for us to move in properly next week.

* Stupid dreams! I rolled over this morning and cracked my head on the bedside table. I will be so glad to get out of this damn hotel bed! Even the hospital bed was better, and that's truly saying something! But, at least it didn't even bruise thanks to my new mutant healing prowess.

* Noah had exams today, so he's not been by at all. Never thought I'd actually come to miss the miscreant.

Saturday 21st May, 2010

* Went to the hardware store today to pick paint and tiles for my new bedroom and bathroom—I finally selected the Dior white. It's just very classic, and it will work with my decor strategy.

* I swear, I feel like a five year old. I can't go anywhere without a 'chaperone' from my support team with me. Like it's a big deal if I go to the fabric store! I've been assured this is only until we find my 'trigger'. At least I'm not on 24 hour watch I guess.

"So dude – Sorry, Kurt" Puck corrected himself at Kurt's glare, "You never told me how you got your dad to agree to all this." Puck said referring to the partially finished basement they were currently sitting in.

"It was Carole mainly, we talked it out and I told him why I really wanted the space. We finally came up with a compromise."

Puck screwed his brow up in concentration, "This is like – huge though! What sort of compromise did you have to make?"

"Dad was mostly worried I'd hurt myself again or that we'd drift apart, so rule number one – no locks and rule number two – we have to spend more time together."

"Doing what?"

"Well – before mom died, we always had Friday night family dinners; dad wants us to do those again. I used to hang out with him at the garage whenever mom was busy. So you are looking at the newest part-time employee of Hummel's Tyres and Lube."

Kurt was rather affronted at Puck's outburst of laughter at that, "Seriously? You, a grease monkey? I would pay to see that!"

Kurt tilted his chin up defiantly, "Yes I am mechanically inclined, do you have a problem with that? I have known how to take apart and re-build an engine since I was ten years old."

Despite being impressed with this new tid-bit of Kurt history, Puck couldn't help teasing the pale teen even more; "Yeah, but won't that like wreck your new skin care thingy?" He asked with a snort.

Not deigning to verbally answer such a foolish question, Kurt settled for throwing a brand new pillow at Puck's face.

It had become the latest and greatest source of teasing from the mohawked teen, Kurt's newly instated extensive and highly intensive skin care regime that took an hour and a half which he completed faithfully both morning and night. Kurt's mother had always told him that skin care was important and before her death, Kurt remembered numerous occasions watching her going through the daily ablutions process with a sort of wonder. He had always loved his mother's skin, like his it was pale, but he remembered how soft and smooth it was to the touch. With nothing better to occupy his time nowadays, Kurt had started one for himself after extensively researching the different products and procedures online. He told Puck and his dad that it gave him something to do, and it reminded him of his mom, which immediately ceased any complaints Burt may have original had. What he didn't tell them was how he hoped that it would eventually remove the faded scars of his violent 'past life'. He privately referred to the various scars from both the bullying assaults and his own suicide attempt as something from his life before his activation.

Tuesday 24th May, 2010

* Met with Mr. Berry again today. Had to discuss details for the trial, I'll be glad when it's over.

* Dad let me buy the new furniture for my bedroom today. Decided the fabrics and focal features should be white with small black accents! It complements the colouring nicely.

* School lets out tomorrow, so I should plan accordingly, something tells me that Noah is going to be around more often. I wonder if I could...

Thursday 26th May, 2010

* Officially moved into the new house. Lots of unpacking to do. Noah doesn't realise it yet, but he's been drafted for the heavier lifting and grunt work.

"Dude, this totally rocks!" Puck exclaimed looking around the spacious basement in admiration.

Kurt had to agree, it turned out even better than he could have imagined. The light 'Dior Grey' walls and contrasting furnishings really opened up the space so it looked even bigger. His extremely large king sized bed was positioned opposite the stairs, and his new smoky glass top-desk was tucked into the alcove beside the stairs. He had a large white leather couch set up on the opposite end of the basement facing a large stretch of wall, the future home of the brand new entertainment centre that was being delivered and installed later during the day. He also had a few other chairs including a hanging bubble chair that Puck was not, for lack of a better word, playing in. He had a large bookcase waiting to be filled as well as a large vanity on the opposite wall to his large walk in wardrobe, already partially stocked with his facial 'lotions and potions' as Noah dubbed the various crèmes and serums.

The door to his ensuite bathroom was beside the wardrobe and Kurt was incredibly pleased with the final design. It was done in tasteful modern black and white decor, and housed an opulent Jacuzzi tub large enough for two people and a party shower with three massaging shower heads that could fit up to four people comfortably. Thankfully, the bathroom already had these features; because he was pretty sure his dad would never have agreed to spend the money on an 'orgy bathroom'. Noah really did need to expand his vocabulary; honestly bordello bathroom was at least a lovely alliteration. Although Kurt didn't have anyone to share the shower with, he also did appreciate having the very best of everything available. Kurt guessed that his dad viewed the luxuriously white bathroom and bedroom as possible incentives for Kurt to not try and kill himself down there. Well, he was right about that at least thought Kurt with a smile.

It was a long day filled with lots of heavy lifting and unpacking. Puck was frustrated within an hour due to Kurt's 'nit picky', possibly obsessive compulsive ways. Kurt told him once it everything was done he would get first use of the gaming consoles that were now hooked up to the huge plasma TV. By the time that they had finished unpacking Kurt's bedroom it was after 7:00 pm and Burt came downstairs to advise both boys that Puck had permission to stay the night if he wanted, so long as his mother knew. Since Puck didn't have any exams the next day, Ruth wouldn't have a problem with that deal, especially once she heard Burt was going to order pizza for dinner. Puck shocked Kurt when it was time to go to bed, rather than accept the blankets Kurt had prepared for him on the couch, Puck insisted on sleeping next to Kurt in Kurt's new bed.

"What? That bed is freaking huge! The both of us could totally fit on it – with room to spare! You won't even know I'm here dude!"

"I – I just – are you sure? I mean, you do realise I'm gay right?" Kurt stuttered.

"Uh – yeah dude, kinda obvious really." Puck responded with an eye roll as he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bed despite Kurt's protests. "Are you going to get in or stand there all night? You should just be glad I was wearing my boxers this morning, I'm typically commando. You know you want some of Puckzilla!" Puck was clearly living up to the mischievous roots of his self-proclaimed nickname, as he was being rather Puckish in teasing Kurt.

Kurt grabbed a pair of sweats, deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, and changed in the bathroom before shyly sliding into the bed. He immediately curled up on his side as far away from Puck as possible.

"You do know I won't bite you right?" Puck teased with a small chuckle.

"Y-yeah," Kurt squeaked, clearing his throat he tried again. "It's just that, well – I thought you would be uncomfortable sharing a bed with me."

"Why? It's not like you are going to molest me, and even I know you can't catch the gay." Puck asked sleepily.

"No I know that, but I didn't think you would know that." Kurt admitted.

"You are really weird, you know that? Anyway – night Kurt."

"Night Noah." Kurt whispered back, still trying to process that he was sharing his brand new bed on the first night in it, in the new house, with straighter than straight Noah the 'sex-shark' Puckerman. With a small sigh, Kurt snuggled down into the Egyptian cotton and relaxed into the soft bedding.

The next thing Kurt remembered, it was morning, and he woke up with his heart thumping, as he tried to get his bearings in this unfamiliar place. It was then that he realised that he was not only tangled up in his lovely sheets, but that there was a very warm body currently entangled with his. A large tanned forearm was trapped against his chest and he wasn't sure if it was the weight or the unfamiliarity of it that was restricting his breathing.

Risking a quick peek over his shoulder Kurt saw that it was Noah and everything that had happened the day before fell into place. Just as he realized why Noah was wrapped like a boa constrictor around him, he heard a deep moan as the larger boy shifted closer behind him, with something very large and very hard grinding against the small of his back. With an embarrassed yelp, Kurt tried to wriggle free of Noah's grasp, which caused an immediate groan from the mohawked teen, as Kurt's body pushed against Noah. Thankfully his insane flailing woke the sleeping teen as Kurt continued in his struggle to untangle himself from the sheets.

In a desperate bid for freedom Kurt even tried to roll off the edge of the bed, but only succeeded in cocooning not only himself, but now Puck too into the bed sheets. The pair of teens hit the ground hard with Puck wrapped up tightly landing on top of Kurt's back, causing the normally pale teen to flush red with embarrassment.

"Uh, Noah could you get off me please?" Kurt gasped.

"Dude, what the hell was that all about?" Puck asked as he tried to free himself from the tangle.

"You just startled me is all—it's not like I normally have crazy octopus people in my bed!" Kurt responded trying to unravel the sheets from around them.

"This isn't working, hang on." Puck using his 'guns' as he affectionately named his biceps, hauled both of them up into kneeling position, effectively making the moment even more awkward. "We stand up at the same time and then we can unravel the sheet, got it?" he asked.

Kurt nodded his head and tried to get his feet back under him as Puck tried to stand as well. After managing to get upright, Kurt began searching for the end of the sheet to unwind them from their makeshift bindings. Just as he found the edge of the top sheet, he over balanced and purely out of reflex he grabbed onto something to steady himself. Unfortunately that something turned out to be Noah who lost his balance when Kurt grabbed him. Kurt barely had time to say 'Oh Shit!' as they both plummeted face first towards the floor.

Closing his eyes against the image of the floor rising up to greet his delicate face, Kurt felt that strange swooping sensation he had experienced in the shower earlier in the week, but this time it didn't go away and it was accompanied by a harsh coldness that soaked right into his bones. Before he could even reopen his eyes, Kurt felt himself land with a thud, barely getting the chance to take a quick breath before another heavy thud fell on top of him with a groan.

Kurt carefully took stock of himself and determined that there were no physical injuries, well unless you counted potentially crushed ribs because some heavy muscle-bound philistine decided to fall on him. Taking as deep a breath as possible with the additional weight of Noah pressing his ribcage into his spine, Kurt's senses were immediately assaulted with the smell of freshly cut grass, which was strange – his room was scented with Sandalwood incense. Opening his eyes, Kurt saw he was face to face with the emerald green of turf; before he could voice his confusion though, Puck's voice made his blood run cold.

"Ah – Dorothy, I don't think we're in Lima anymore..."

Dun, dun, dun! Yes, finally we are getting to the good stuff! I've also included a table of key dates below for anyone who found the timeline confusing - to the best of my knowledge, schools in Ohio let out at the end of May for the school year, so everything has been based on that.

Props for anyone who spots the significance of the date. :)

As always -

Love it? Hate it? Review and let me know why!

Mischievous Gleek

Important Dates:

Monday 3rd May – Day of attack/Kurt admitted to the hospital

Thursday 7th May – Kurt wakes up from coma

Saturday 9th May – Puck assigned Kurt's mentor

Friday 14th May – Kurt leaves hospital

Sat-Sun 22nd & 23rd May – Move into new home