Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of these characters… if I did, Karofsky wouldn't exist anymore, Jesse wouldn't have been such an asshole (albeit one I believe legitimately fell for Rachel), and there would be a LOT more Blaine.

A/n: So I know that originally this fic was only going to be one chapter, but several reviewers expressed an interest in continuing the story and the truth is there's so much more that could be said here. I'm going to continue, but be forewarned that chapters here will be coming MUCH slower than chapters on my other fics – I sort of like how long the original was, and I don't think it would be right to start putting up 1500-2000 word chapters here when I started off at over 5000 in my first chapter!

Kurt glanced towards the stairs, wondering if Blaine was going to be coming down any time soon. He'd been waiting for what felt like hours, but in reality had only been about thirty minutes.

"Stop stressing so much… the water's running. Blaine's still in the shower." Kurt turned to where his father was sitting at the small kitchen table, eating breakfast. "Let him have his space…"

"I'm just worried about him… he went to sleep right after we got back from the funeral yesterday. He slept for seventeen straight hours…"

"He's exhausted, Kurt. The poor kid spent a week watching his mother die and he's barely had a chance to rest since then," Burt pointed out. "He's going to need some time, okay? We just have to let him deal with everything in his own way, at his own pace. And if that means that he spends more time asleep than awake for a while, then so be it."

"I want him to be okay… I want my friend back."

"And he will be okay… you just have to give him some time and space." Kurt nodded, picking up the pan he had been using and transferring some scrambled eggs onto a couple of plates that already had slices of toast and the turkey bacon Kurt's father had bought the day before. Kurt placed the plates on the kitchen table and started eating.

It was fairly obvious when the water stopped running upstairs because they were eating in complete silence. A few minutes later Kurt heard Blaine coming down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Morning," Blaine muttered, sitting down where Kurt had put the second plate of eggs and bacon. Kurt watched as the older boy simply stared down at the food for a few moments, as if he needed permission to eat the food. Kurt reached out and took the older boy's hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you."

"How are you holding up, kid?" Kurt looked up at his dad and then at Blaine.

"Tired. I think I slept too long… I was just so exhausted." Blaine's hand pulled away as the older boy picked up his fork and started eating the breakfast Kurt had cooked for him. "This is really good."

"Thanks. Let me know if you need more to eat… there's still some eggs and bacon in the fridge, and it won't take long for me to cook them," Kurt replied.

"I'm not that hungry… this should be plenty." Kurt pulled his own hand back and started eating his breakfast again, only occasionally glancing over at the older boy's plate to make sure that the food was actually going in his stomach so that Kurt could relax a little by at least knowing that his friend wasn't starving himself or doing something stupid like that.

"So, tomorrow is Monday, and Kurt needs to go back to school. Not to mention that I have to get back to the garage."

"I haven't even started to pack…" Blaine began.

"There's no rush; you don't have to take everything right now. Just what you'll need until next weekend. We can come back on the weekends and get anything else you need or want."

"What time do you want to leave?"

"Like I said, there's no rush. Carole wants us home for dinner, but that still leaves us most of the day. You can take your time." Kurt watched as Blaine nodded, staring down at his plate once again. He wanted so much to be able to just wrap his arms around the boy and tell him that it was going to be okay. But that wouldn't be appropriate – he and Blaine were just friends, and Kurt remembered how false things like that sounded to people in Blaine's position. No matter how true it was, it wasn't what Blaine wanted to hear. He wasn't ready to hear all of that.

Kurt took a few more bites of his breakfast, watching as Blaine sat there and then pushed the plate away. "I'm going to go pack…"

"You should eat more than that, Blaine…" Burt began.

"I'm really not that hungry. I just want to pack my stuff and go." Blaine stood up and walked out of the dining room, leaving his plate almost completely untouched. Kurt sighed and went back to eating his own breakfast, hurrying so that he would be able to help Blaine.

"I'll take care of the dishes. I'm sure you want to make sure he's okay," Burt commented. Kurt nodded, drinking the last of his orange juice before he stood up.

"Thanks, Dad."

Kurt hurried up the stairs and into Blaine's room, standing in the doorway and watching the older boy for a moment as Blaine sat on the bed, his shoulders shaking silently. Kurt took a deep breath, knocking on the doorframe and moving slowly into the room and closer to the older boy. "Are you okay?" Kurt watched as Blaine looked up, the tears still obvious in his eyes as he forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just… I'm having a hard time with this. I don't want to leave, but at the same time I don't want to stay here by myself. I know that I need to do this…" Blaine's voice trailed off as Kurt sat down next to him. "I don't even know what I should be packing."

"Clothes first. Toiletries," Kurt replied, trying to at least be helpful. He watched as Blaine smiled slightly. "Where's your suitcase? I'll help."

"There's one under the bed." Blaine got up and knelt down, digging under the bed and pulling out a large rolling suitcase. "It's not too big, is it?"

"Of course not… my parents wouldn't have offered to let you live with us if we didn't have room for you and your stuff." Kurt stood up, picking up the suitcase and placing it on the bed, before he walked over to Blaine's dresser and pulled open the top drawer to start packing up Blaine's clothes. He pulled the few pairs of underwear out of the drawer and put them into the suitcase.

"You don't have to pack my underwear…" Blaine began, walking over to the dresser and emptying the drawer himself. "Most of my clothes are at school…"

"I can stop by your room tomorrow after classes, pick some things up for you if you want."

"Your dad said we were going back to school tomorrow…"

"I'm going back to school tomorrow. You don't have to go back until you're ready," Kurt replied. He watched as Blaine stood at his dresser, refolding a shirt that hadn't even really needed to be folded again.

"What if I want to go back tomorrow?"

"It's your decision. But you shouldn't rush yourself, okay? You don't have to go right back to school…"

"I've already missed more than a week. Regionals are coming up soon, and I've got track practice and…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down… Blaine, no one expects you to go right back to school or track or anything else. We want you back, but not until you're ready." Kurt walked over, letting his hand rest on Blaine's shoulder. "You need to take care of yourself first, okay? We'll all survive without you, and you'll catch up at school in no time… Wes, David, and I will help you. You don't have to rush things."

"I'm just… I'm afraid to not have something to do. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose it if I don't keep myself busy. I just need to do something."

"If that's what you need, then okay. But you don't have to decide right away, okay? You don't have to make a decision until tomorrow morning." Kurt was surprised when Blaine turned and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, burying his face into Kurt's neck. Kurt wrapped his arms around the other boy, closing his eyes and breathing in the older boy's scent. "It's okay, Blaine."

"It's not okay… I want things to be okay, but they're not. I'm not sure that they're ever going to be okay again," Blaine replied. Kurt didn't know what to say, mostly because he didn't know what he could say that would make Blaine feel better.

"I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay… I wish I could make it not hurt so much. But I can't. There's nothing anyone can say that'll help you. But I'm going to be here, whenever you need me. All you have to do is ask, and I'll be there."

"Can I just… can we just stay like this for a little while? I just… I need this."

"Okay."

Burt Hummel wasn't a fan of doing dishes, but he knew that the last thing Blaine needed was to be left alone. He was hurting, and he needed Kurt to be with him. So Burt offered to do the dishes for Kurt so that his son could check on Blaine and help the older boy pack.

Burt scraped the remainder of Blaine's breakfast down the garbage disposal, grinding it up. He wasn't expecting to hear the doorbell in the middle of washing up. He sighed, drying his hands and making his way to the front door.

"Magdalena, we had a deal."

Burt raised an eyebrow at the man standing in front of him, who was paying more attention to his Blackberry than to the fact that Burt wasn't the person he was looking for. The man was wearing an expensive looking suit, and he had dark hair that clearly curled if it was allowed to grow out. "I'm sorry… I'm not sure…" The man looked up, clearly surprised.

"Who are you? Where is Magdalena? Where's my son?" Burt sighed.

"You're Blaine's dad?"

"I'll ask the questions here – who are you?" The man sounded angry, so Burt decided it would be a better idea to answer him first.

"My name is Burt Hummel – my son Kurt is one of Blaine's best friends."

"And you're answering the door because…?"

"I'm sorry, Mr… sorry, I don't even know your name," Burt began.

"Anderson. Magdalena agreed to use my last name for Blaine. Speaking of which, where is she? She isn't returning my calls, and I'd rather get this over with without involving Blaine in any of the mess she's made."

"Mr. Anderson, she passed away early Thursday morning…" Burt watched as the man nodded.

"What's happening now? What's going to happen to Blaine?"

"My wife and I offered to let him stay with us for now. Obviously the two of you…"

"I don't have a relationship with Blaine, Mr. Hummel. That was the agreement I made with Blaine's mother – the agreement my wife insisted on when she found out about him. She would be furious if she even knew I was here right now. When he turns eighteen…"

"That's only a little over a year from now, Mr. Anderson."

"And if he wants to know me in a year, then my family will be more than happy to welcome him. But for now this is how things have to be. Give me your address, I'll send you the checks." Burt shook his head, closing his eyes.

"Mr. Anderson… Blaine just lost his mother. He doesn't have anyone but his friends – his mother didn't have any family…"

"Look, Mr. Hummel, I understand what you're trying to say. But my wife is a very important woman, and we have a reputation to protect. Another kid showing up… it doesn't look good."

"And clearly appearances are more important to you than your son." Burt reached into the pocket of his vest, pulling out one of his business cards and a pen. He wrote on the back quickly before handing it over. "That's my work address, but the second number is my cell. Our home address is on the back."

"I really appreciate what you're doing for Blaine, Mr. Hummel."

"Mr. Anderson, Blaine is my son's best friend. And he's still a kid, in case you didn't realize that," Burt replied.

"Mr. Hummel…"

"What that kid needs is a family – someone has to take care of him. And if you and your wife aren't willing to do that, then my wife and I will. I'm not letting him get dumped into the system just because your wife's reputation can't take the blow." Burt stepped back, shutting the door in the other man's face.

"Who was that?" Burt turned around, surprised to see Kurt standing there at the bottom of the stairs.

"Kurt…" Burt watched as his son raised an eyebrow as if he were trying to read the expression on Burt's face. The man sighed. "Is Blaine still upstairs?"

"He's packing up some clothes… I just came downstairs to get something to drink. Who was that?" Burt walked closer to Kurt before he responded. He didn't want Blaine to overhear. "Dad?"

"You can't tell Blaine, okay?"

"Why can't I tell Blaine?" Kurt asked, crossing his arms and watching Burt as if he was still trying to figure out what the older man was talking about.

"It was Blaine's father. I don't really understand what's going on, but Blaine isn't supposed to meet his dad until he turns eighteen."

"Dad! You should have…"

"Blaine doesn't need that man in his life, Kurt. His wife won't let him have anything to do with Blaine… not until Blaine turns eighteen."

"I don't…" Kurt began.

"Blaine's father was married – his wife is apparently someone important. Someone whose reputation is more important to her than her husband's child. Blaine doesn't need to know about all of this right now…"

"What don't I need to know?" Burt looked up the stairs, sighing as he saw Blaine standing there. "What's going on?"

"Blaine, your dad was just here…" Burt began, watching the boy's face. He was surprised when Blaine's face didn't really change.

"I'm guessing he didn't want to see me."

"He said something about some agreement he had with your mother and his wife. Something about how he's not supposed to have any contact with you until you turn eighteen… I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to upset you." Burt watched Blaine's face as the boy shrugged.

"I guess it makes sense… he always found ways to avoid me." Burt watched as Blaine sat down on the stairs. "So I'm not going with him?"

"No. He said that if you want a relationship when you turn eighteen, then you would be welcome in his family," Burt replied. He bit down on his bottom lip as Blaine nodded, staring absently ahead of him.

"I'm going to go pack…" Burt watched Blaine as the boy stood up and turned back around to go back to his room. Burt sighed and went back to the dishes.

Kurt's bed was too comfortable, and Blaine really didn't want to move. "The Sound of Music?"

"I really don't care… I'm probably going to end up sleeping through most of the movie anyway," Blaine commented, pulling one of Kurt's pillow shams up against his chest as he curled up on his side. Blaine closed his eyes, ignoring the fact that Kurt had sat down on the bed next to him rather than moving to put in the movie.

"Are you okay?" Blaine smiled slightly as he felt Kurt run a hand through his hair, which Blaine had pretty much given up on taming over the past week. He didn't have the energy to deal with it on top of everything else.

"I'm managing. I'm just tired…"

"Would you rather just take a nap before dinner? We don't have to watch a movie right now." Blaine murmured softly as Kurt continued playing with his hair. Something about the sensation was soothing; it vaguely reminded Blaine of when he'd been little because his mother had always done the same thing when he wasn't feeling well.

"You're going to put me to sleep if you keep doing that," Blaine replied, reaching up and pulling Kurt's hand away from his head. He threaded their fingers together without opening his eyes. "Mostly I just don't want you to leave me alone. I'm… I'm afraid of myself." Blaine opened his eyes, looking up at Kurt and recognizing the look of concern in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to feel this way… but there are times when I wish it had been me instead of my mom. Times I feel like I could still bring her back if I could give this up…" Blaine sat up, not letting go of Kurt's hand. "I'm not saying that I'm going to do anything about it. But it's easier to fight that feeling when I'm not by myself."

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Blaine smiled slightly and pulled Kurt into a hug.

"Thank you, Kurt. For everything."

"You're one of my best friends… you don't have to thank me for this."

"For being a friend, maybe not. But for everything else you and your family have done for me… I don't think I could ever thank you all enough. Your parents didn't have to offer to let me live here. Your dad didn't have to deal with my father, or go to Reynoldsburg for four days to help me bury my mom. Carole and Finn didn't have to come to the funeral. You didn't have to drive out to my house at three in the morning…"

"You called me in tears, Blaine. I couldn't just leave you alone when you were so upset."

"Would you have done the same thing for anyone else?" Blaine asked, backing away from the hug so that he could see Kurt's face.

"For another friend? Yeah, I would," Kurt replied. Blaine could see how sincere the other boy's answer was from the look in his eyes. For some reason, Blaine felt a twinge of regret at that fact – he had sort of wanted Kurt to say that he wouldn't have done the same for someone else, that Blaine was special. But at the same time Blaine knew that Kurt was that kind of guy, and it was one of the things that Blaine had always appreciated about the younger boy. Blaine pulled the rest of the way out of the hug, grabbing the pillow again and hugging it to his chest.

"On second thought, can I veto that movie? I could use a good comedy."

"What about Sydney White? I know we've seen it, but it's pretty much the only thing I have here. Pretty much every other movie I own is at Dalton right now," Kurt explained.

"That works." Blaine watched as the younger boy got up and put the movie in the DVD player before settling back on top of the comforter on the bed next to Blaine. Blaine kept his distance, choosing to hug the pillow rather than potentially embarrass himself by clinging to Kurt the way he had before.

Sydney had made it to The Vortex before Kurt paused the movie. "Are you okay? Like, really?" Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt, shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you mean?"

"After our last conversation, you're suddenly acting all distant… acting like you don't want me anywhere near you. Did I say something to upset you?"

"I just… I thought maybe there was a reason why you were so willing to help me the other day," Blaine admitted. "I kind of got the impression that you might think of me as more than a friend." The last sentence was whispered, so quiet that Blaine wasn't even sure that Kurt could hear him.

"What are you…?" Kurt began. Blaine watched as the look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh. Blaine…"

"I shouldn't have said anything… it was stupid," Blaine replied, putting down the pillow and getting off the bed. He started towards the door until Kurt put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Blaine, it wasn't stupid…" Blaine let Kurt turn him back around and run a hand through his curls. "I really care about you, okay? And I do mean that as more than a friend. But right now you just need me to be a friend… you don't need a lot of relationship drama." Blaine shook his head, wrapping his arms around Kurt and burying his face in the younger boy's neck for the second time that day. He wasn't really surprised when it took Kurt a moment to respond.

"Maybe I want more than that."

"I know, okay? I want more, too. But I don't think this is the best time…"

"Please just tell me this isn't you trying to let me down easy." Blaine let Kurt pull his head back until they were looking each other square in the eye.

"This is me saying that I think you should wait until you've had some time to deal with everything that's happened lately before you get into any kind of relationship drama. The last thing you need right now is more stress." Blaine knew that Kurt was right, but it didn't make Blaine feel any less like he was being rejected.

"I know you're just trying to protect me, Kurt. But that doesn't make this feel any less like rejection," Blaine replied, pulling away from the younger boy's hug. He was surprised when Kurt leaned in and gently pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"I'm not rejecting you. I'm just saying that you shouldn't rush into something just because you're upset… you buried your mother yesterday, you've been under so much stress for the past week and a half. You're not in a good place right now. Not for this." Blaine pulled further away, shaking his head.

"You have no idea where I am right now, Kurt." Blaine didn't mean for his words to come across so harsh. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kurt because he had a feeling that the older boy would look hurt. He didn't mean to hurt Kurt's feelings.

"Not exactly, no. When I lost my mom, I still had my dad to lean on. But I do know how much it hurts to lose someone you love." Blaine watched Kurt's feet as the younger boy backed away. "Let's just finish the movie. Dinner won't be ready for another hour or so."

Carole wasn't normally one to call out of work, but she also knew that the last thing her stepson's best friend needed was to be left alone while Burt was at work and Finn and Kurt were at school. So she'd called her manager, lying and saying that she had the stomach virus that had been going around – the one that had kept at least two of her coworkers out of work for almost a week.

By the time ten o'clock came and went, Carole was already starting to worry about Blaine because he hadn't gotten up yet. She'd intended to make him breakfast – Carole had wanted to do what she could to make the boy feel at home, now that he was going to be living with them.

"You didn't have to stay home with me." Carole looked up from the magazine she had been reading and smiled at Blaine.

"I didn't think you should be alone," she replied, standing up. "Are you hungry? I could make you some scrambled eggs or something…" Carole started towards the kitchen.

"You don't have to cook for me, Mrs. Hummel." She stopped where she was, turning around.

"First of all, sweetie, it's Carole. I'm not a fan of formality. And secondly, as long as you're living here, you're going to let me treat you like you're one of my boys. Which means that I'm going to make you breakfast. What would you like?"

"Cereal's fine, really. I'm really not that hungry anyway." Carole sighed, turning around to face Blaine and cross her arms.

"You need to eat, Blaine. At least more than what you've been eating."

"You've been talking to Mr. Hummel?" Blaine asked.

"And Kurt." Carole reached out and put one hand on Blaine's shoulder in what she hoped would be a comforting gesture. She wasn't surprised at all when he pulled away from her. "We're all worried about you, sweetie. We just want to make sure that you're okay. That you're taking care of yourself."

"Please don't lecture me…"

"I'm not trying to lecture you. I just want you to understand that we care about you… which is why I'm not going to back down. You need to eat. And I mean real food." Carole moved so that she could put an arm around Blaine's shoulders and led him into the kitchen, guiding him gently into a chair at the kitchen table before she walked over to the refrigerator. "What would you like to eat? I can make you some eggs and bacon, or I've got some bagels and strawberry cream cheese…"

"A bagel is fine. Do you have any peanut butter?" Carole got to work, pulling a bagel out of the bag in the cabinet and splitting it in half before putting it in the toaster while she got out the peanut butter and a knife to put on the table. "You said you talked to Kurt… how much did he tell you?" Carole sighed, moving to sit down across from Blaine.

"He told me what you said about not wanting to be alone. Which is part of what I wanted to talk to you about…" Carole could see that Blaine was uncomfortable by the way he shifted in his seat as she spoke. "Don't be mad at Kurt… he was worried, which is why he told me. He didn't want to leave you to go to school. He wouldn't leave until I promised not to leave you alone today." Carole got up as the toaster popped out Blaine's bagel and put it on a plate, spreading peanut butter on both halves before putting the plate down in front of Blaine and sitting back in her seat.

"I'm not mad at him. I… I sort of figured he would say something. At least I know he cares," Blaine commented, picking up one half of the bagel and taking a bite as Carole watched. It was his last comment that bothered her, and Carole wasn't sure that it was a good idea to just let it go.

"Why would you think he didn't care, sweetie?" Blaine took another bite of the bagel before he responded.

"Just a conversation we had yesterday. I feel like… I think I may have screwed things up." Carole raised an eyebrow as Blaine took another bite of his bagel, curious as to where the conversation was going. "I think I'm developing feelings for Kurt. Or starting to accept them, I guess. But he shut the conversation down before we could really even talk about it…" Suddenly Carole realized what was going on, what Blaine was feeling. She reached out and put a hand on top of the one he wasn't using to eat his bagel.

"Blaine, sweetie, when did these feelings start?"

"A few days ago," Blaine replied, shrugging.

"You do realize that being in a relationship with Kurt isn't going to fill that emptiness, right? There is nothing that can make it stop hurting, no matter how much love you feel for Kurt or how much he reciprocates your feelings. You'll just end up hurting yourself and Kurt if you don't understand that."

"I do understand," Blaine replied softly. Carole watched as the boy sighed and took yet another bite out of his bagel. "I know that he's not going to fix me… that no one can fix this for me. But I'm afraid to wait now. Life is too short…" Carole watched as tears started to slip down the boy's face, wondering if she should hug him or something like that. "I just want… I want someone to love me. I always thought my mom was going to be there. And now I have no one…"

Carole sighed, squeezing Blaine's hand. "You have us, sweetie… you're always welcome here…

"But you're not my family. You don't have to love me unconditionally… you don't have to love me at all. I'm just the kid you all took in who had nowhere else to go."

"Sweetie…"

"I know you're going to say you care, Carole. But it doesn't matter… it's nothing against your family. I just want my mom back… I want the one person who has always loved me." Carole watched as Blaine dropped the remainder of his bagel on the plate and pulled his knees up against his chest, wrapping both of his arms around them. "I want things to go back to the way they were last week. I'd even be happy if she was still in the hospital, as long as she was still alive."

"She's not suffering anymore… that's what's important. She's not sick. I can't say whether or not she's in a better place because I don't know."

"She wasn't even sick… not really. She was diabetic, but she wasn't really sick… and then she was just gone." Carole wanted to do something to help Blaine, but she didn't know what would be helpful. When the boy stood up and started to leave, Carole stepped in his way and wrapped her arms around him. "I just need someone who isn't going to leave…" Carole held the boy, letting him cry on her shoulder.

"We aren't going to leave you. We want you to be here… that's why we invited you to live here with us."

"My dad walked away without ever saying a word…" Blaine began.

"Your father doesn't have his priorities in order. And that is his problem." Carole gently rubbed Blaine's back as he sobbed. "Go ahead and cry. You do what you need to do…" Carole held him for a few minutes, until the boy finally calmed down enough to stop sobbing.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't…"

"You don't have to apologize for being upset. You should never have to apologize for your emotions," Carole replied, reaching up and stroking the boy's hair. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I just need… I need to…" Blaine began, sighing. "I don't even know anymore."

"You'll figure it out. Just give yourself some time to process everything, to relax and think about everything that's happened lately, figure out what you need to do for yourself." Carole watched as Blaine just nodded, pulling away from her and sighing.

"I have some homework I need to do. I'm just going to go upstairs…" Carole watched as the boy turned away and went back up the stairs, crossing her arms and walking over to the table. She sighed as she realized that he hadn't even finished the first half of his bagel.

A/n: Purely as preemption, I'm making you all a promise – Blaine does NOT have an eating disorder in this story. However, that is the only promise I'm going to make because at the moment I don't know exactly where I'm going to take this. I have a couple of ideas, but I'll just have to wait and see which one appeals to me the most when the time comes.