Author's Note: OMG I'm so sorry for making you guys cry. :( I know it seems really sad and unfair, but it was always supposed to happen. But thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews. I'm glad you all want to see this story through even though Blaine is gone. It means a lot. :)

So without further ado!

*WARNING* MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. Triggers for deployment, death of a loved one, strong language, and homophobia.

Again, no beta. All mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing, nothing. No profit made etc. See Chapter 1 for more elaborate disclaimer.

~C.J.

(Chapter 10)

There is no proper way to experience the loss of a life. There is no correct way to grieve either. Kurt knows that, he just wished he didn't have to do it all. He held onto the bouquet of flowers he picked up, staring at them while he sat in his dad's car. The funeral was months ago, his husband had already been honored and buried. Without Kurt there. The Andersons explained that in Kurt's condition the doctors advised that he not attend, so it commenced without him there. It'd been another few weeks before Kurt could even be released from the hospital, never mind strong enough to visit Blaine's grave. He sat there, blinking slowly and trying to find the courage to get out of the freaking car. His dad was there in the driver's seat, waiting patiently and not rushing him one bit. "You can always try again a different day. He ain't goin no—" Burt cut himself off quickly.

"Go ahead, say it. 'He aint goin no where.' Not like that isn't true." His voice was monotone, sounding just like he was feeling.

"I'm sorry. I didn't—I shouldn't have said that."

"Say whatever you want. I don't care."

"Kurt—"

"What?" Kurt snapped.

Burt sighed, "Buddy, you're not doing this again. We're all on your side. We want—" There was a hurried knock on Burt's side of the car, Cooper waiting and looking anxious. His dad opened the car door, "Coop, this ain't the time."

"I-I know, but has Kurt decided if he was getting down?"

Kurt looked over and glared. How dare Cooper try to rush him. Thankfully, Burt was the one who answered the actor. "No, but the boy can take however much time he needs." He emphasized harshly.

Coop looked over his shoulder towards the cemetery before turning back to say, "Yeah, well, today's a sucky day for anything. I mean, the sun's too bright, the sky's too fucking blue, and the clouds—ugh!—white turds waiting for the chance to crap all over us. Maybe you should just take my baby brother-in-law there HOME." He urged.

Burt narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

Coop looked over at Kurt then stared back at Burt. He leaned forward and started whispering something to Burt, directing his gaze somewhere over the field of gravestones. His father cursed softly, "Bastard." He opened the car door wider and pushed Cooper forward, following the younger male to wherever and whatever the problem was.

Kurt sat in his seat for a while longer, staring at the open door where his father had just bolted. Strange, to say the least. He quirked his lips to the side, and tapped a finger on the door handle. This was just a ploy to get Kurt out of the car, right? It has to be. But after another minute or so of waiting, and no one returning, Kurt's own curiosity got the better of him.

Goddammit.

He opened the door and huffed as he headed in the general direction of where his dad and Cooper went off to, taking the flowers with him. Peering around the cemetery, he spotted the big tree near where his mother was buried. There were several people huddled over there, including his father and his very bizarre acting brother-in-law. Kurt could tell it was them by Cooper's signature leather jacket and his dad's ball cap. Shifting from foot to foot for a moment, Kurt took one last deep breath before heading in their direction.

The closer he got, the better he was able to see. Blaine's parents were there, including his grandparents, which surprised him. Carole was standing next to Rachel and Finn, who were a ways off from the other six adults talking. Nobody was aware of him approaching; therefore, they didn't try to stifle what they were saying. "…saying is, this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't of been a faggot."

Burt snarled, "How dare you say that! Do you have no respect—"

"I don't respect men who get on their knees for other men."

"Albert, please. Not here."

"Hold your tongue, Maureen."

"Father, he is my son. I will not stand by and let you speak ill of him!"

"I will speak of him in any way I wish!"

"You homophobic asshole, I swear if you say one more word about my baby bro…"

"Don't you threaten me boy, I am your grandfather."

"Well grandfather, I don't have a problem with kicking your ass!"

"What the hell is going on here!?" Kurt screeched, hands shaking from the words he just heard. The group of adults turned towards the new voice, all but one panicking at the sight of him.

Albert didn't hesitate to speak. "Ah yes, just who I needed to see." He pushed past the people next to him, opening the briefcase he had with him and taking out a manila envelope. "Here, there are some forms you need to sign."

Kurt stared at the envelope in front of him, confused and angry all at the same time. "You're disturbing my husband's resting place over a few signatures?"

The older man snorted, "It seems anytime I tried to get in touch with you, my attempts were thwarted by your father there."

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to let my son talk to a homophobic prick while he was in the hospital."

Cooper snickered, "Good one!"

He just shook the papers in his hands, directing Kurt's attention back to them. "Boy, I don't want to be in your kind's presence any longer than I have to. If you could just sign these papers, I'll be on my way."

Kurt stared at Mr. Anderson Sr. for a moment, trying to comprehend what was happening. Finally, he settled on handing the flowers to Cooper, then snatching the envelope and pulling out the legal documents from inside. He looked over the pages, not comprehending most of the legal jargon. All he caught was Blaine's name, and the Anderson family's. "What exactly are these for?"

"Nothing to concern yourself about." Albert waved a hand dismissively. "Just not something Blaine can sign anymore, you understand."

The callous words were like a punch in the gut, Kurt's body flinching as if he'd been physically hurt. "Bullshit!" Cooper interjected. "He's trying to cheat you out of everything Blaine left you!"

"E-Excuse me?" He whispered.

Cooper explained, "We have savings bonds, own stocks in grandfather's businesses, and each own a portion of the Anderson family estate. It was something our grandparents put aside for us once we were born." Then he sneered at Albert, "But ever since Blaine came out to the family, our precious grandfather has been trying to deprive his grandson of his inheritance. Technically he was supposed to get it once you guys were married, or he had a kid."

"Recognize a marriage between two heathens conducted in some backwards Canadian wetland? Hah! You must be joking." He scoffed.

"That's it! You open your ugly mug again and I'll punch your lights out!" Burt growled.

"I'm sick and tired of you insulting my family! If this is what being Anderson is, then consider me walking away from it." Wilson warned.

"Me too. Maureen, I'm sorry. But I can't do this anymore." Sharon apologized.

"You'd choose a mistake and his whore over me, Albert Anderson?"

Before any of them—including Finn who was listening and getting riled up at every prejudicial word out of the old man's mouth—could do anything, Kurt shout at them. "Shut up! JUST SHUT UP!" He just screamed at them after that, a long and drawn out scream that could only be achieved thanks to his years of singing in Glee Club. Kurt was trembling by the time the rest of the air was out of his lungs, taking deep breaths and panting while everyone there just stared at him. "I don't want you're money. I don't want anything to do with you."

"No, Kurt—"

"Shut it, Coop!" Kurt snapped. "Someone give me a pen right now."

Albert got one from his suit jacket pocket, a smug smirk on his face. "This is very smart of you. At least your kind knows when they've met their match."

Kurt signed through all the papers quickly, flipping the pages harshly and signing his name on the last designated line. He then shoved the documents back at Albert Anderson, glaring at him dangerously the entire time. "After today, you don't attempt to contact me or my family again. Don't come near my husband's grave, Lima, or you know what? You should just stay out of Ohio all together, because I WILL beat the ever loving shit out of the man who made the most remarkable person I have ever known feel like he was worthless."

"Are you threatening me?"

His gaze darkened gravely, "I'm a man with nothing to lose now. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

The older gentleman took a minute to size him up, then harrumphed at him. "Whatever. I got what I came for. No need for me to ever come back to this barren hick town anyways." He stuffed the papers in his briefcase and proceeded to walk away. "Maureen, we're leaving!"

The grandmother followed after him for a few steps, before deciding to stop in front of Kurt and pull him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, honey. For what my husband has done, and everything you've been through." She pulled back to look at him, her hands cupping both his cheeks. "I love my grandchildren, with all my heart. You were special to him, and I can see why. I-I wish we could have known each other better."

"MAUREEN!"

She looked over her shoulder, before turning back and standing on her tiptoes to give Kurt a grandmotherly kiss on the forehead. "Blaine always wrote to me. It would mean a lot if you could please continue to do so." Then she smoothed out the lapel on Kurt's blazer before shuffling off to follow her husband to their car.

Kurt watched as the grandparents left, wanting to make sure Mr. Anderson Sr. was gone for good. Cooper whistled long and low, "You know, I kind of like badass Kurt. Seeing him get hostile got me all tingly."

Wilson snorted, "Cooper…" He shook his head, a fond smile on his face.

"What? At least that's one problem dealt with."

"We have more than one problem?" Kurt asked, still reeling from the previous interaction.

Burt elbowed Cooper, "Dammit, boy."

"What? What is it?"

His father pursed his lips together, looking over where Finn, Rachel and Carole were standing. Kurt followed his line of sight, furrowing his brows as he strode over towards them. They stood between his mother's and Blaine's grave. Rachel tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, ducking her head when Kurt approached. "We don't know who did it. It was here before any of us arrived."

Before Kurt could ask what she was talking about, Carole and Finn stepped aside, revealing Blaine's grave to him. What he saw made him feel so hurt, so devastated inside. Someone had spray painted across the little plastic nameplate that marked Blaine's grave, a placeholder while they waited for his headstone to arrive.

FAG

Kurt dropped to his knees in front of the plastic nameplate, tears streaming down his face as he tried to rub off the bright orange paint. He used his nails to scratch off the offensive word, not even caring about the grim that got under them. "Why would you bury him here? In this narrow-minded little town…"

Sharon stepped up behind him, rubbing at her own watery eyes. "He wanted to be buried here. It was stated in his will, including the part where anything and everything was designated to be left to you."

"I don't want any and everything. I just want HIM."

She made a pained noise, covering her mouth as she got her bearings. "Well, Blaine refused to be buried in the Anderson family plot. In his will, it said that if he had to die, he wanted to be buried close to family. His Hummel family. You."

Kurt ripped out the orange tainted grass, going as far as to remove the grass from its roots, dirt and all. He clenched his eyes shut at his mother-in-law's words, pressing his hands over his face and slowly closing them into fists against his forehead and cheek, not caring if he smeared grass or dirt across his skin. The pale boy wanted to rip his hair out, he wanted cry, shout, and scream because of how distraught he felt and how unfair this whole thing was. Someone tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but he just jerked away from it, leaning forward and resting his suit covered elbows against the ground. Kurt's hands had moved to gripping his hair, and when the sensitive scarred area from his surgery was grazed, it just reminded him of how he almost forgot it all. His soft cries could be heard as he grieved over his husband, over his fallen soldier boy.

I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

Burt removed his hat and wrung it in his hands, allowing his tearful sadness to come out again as he listened to his son's heartfelt words. He may have experienced a loss like this before, but Kurt…he didn't know if Kurt was going to be able to survive this a second time.

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

Rachel gripped onto Finn's hand, turning to lean against him and give him the opportunity to wrap his arms around her. Finn did, twining their fingers together and holding her to him while she cried against his jacket. It was their way of letting bygones be bygones.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me

Kurt wiped away more of the disgusting orange paint, revealing the words Sergeant Blaine Anderson-Hummel. He smiled at finally being able to see his husband's name, pressing his fingers to his lips in a light kiss before pressing it to the nameplate.

You used to captivate me by your resonating light

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind

Your face—it haunts my once pleasant dreams

Your voice—it chased away all the sanity in me

Carole walked over to Burt and put a hand on her husband's shoulder, heart clenching at the sight of him silently letting the tears fall. She gave him a sympathetic look, allowing Burt to rest his forehead on her shoulder.

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

Wilson put a hand on the shoulder of his wife, squeezing it when he felt them shaking with her efforts to contain her hitches of breath. They had attended the funeral. When their youngest was put into the ground. The tears, the anger, the sadness, his parents had already went through it all. So it should be easier, visiting his grave this time around.

It wasn't.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me

Cooper dropped down to his knees next to Kurt, helping him rip out the last remains of the orange grass. The Broadway actor then placed the obscure arrangement of flowers under his plastic nameplate, wrapping an arm around his little brother's husband.

Blaine's widower.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

But though you're still with me

I've been alone all along

Kurt sat back on his haunches, lower lip trembling as he straightened back and looked over the arrangement. Then he closed his eyes and looked up to the sky as a sob wretched itself from his chest, hating that Cooper's arms were the ones around him because he knew he could never be wrapped up in Blaine's again.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have

All of me…me

When Cooper pulled him in tighter for a hug, he guessed that it was meant in a comforting gesture, but Kurt just hated it. His face squeaked against Coop's leather jacket and he smelled like too much overpriced Christian Dior cologne. Blaine would never wear something as tacky as that and he would much rather have his husband's smell of Old Spice deodorant and fruity hair gel. "Don't worry, little brother. It's gonna be okay. It'll be okay." Even though Cooper didn't specify it, Kurt knew it was him Coop was calling 'little brother,' and not Blaine. That just made it hurt all the more, but before Kurt could comment—or scream—about it, someone interrupted the huddle.

"Excuse me, Mister." Kurt extracted himself from his bother-in-law's grasp enough to turn and see who had addressed them, fairly surprised when he saw a little girl standing before them. "Are you my daddy's friend?"

Kurt blinked confusedly, self-consciously wiping his face with the base of the palm of his hand because dear Gaga he didn't want to frighten the girl with the mess his face must have been. "Um…sorry, who are you?"

The little girl frowned, her dark brown curly ringlets bouncing when she shook her head. "Mama said not to give strangers my name."

"I don't think you're supposed to talk to them at all, dear." Kurt corrected, rubbing at the dirt on his face.

"But mama said SHE knew you. See, she's over there." The little girl pointed over her shoulder to a woman waiting a bit ways off, waving hesitantly in their direction. Kurt squinted his eyes, swearing she looked familiar but not being able to put a finger on it. "So are you my daddy's friend?"

"What? Huh?"

"Are you Mister Blaine?" The little girl emphasized, getting exasperated with having to repeat herself.

Kurt felt his throat tighten, eyes threatening to water again at the sound of his husband's name. "No, sorry. M-My name is Kurt. B-Blaine was my…um…Blaine is who I'm here to visit."

The little girl stared at Kurt for a moment, then walked past him and Cooper to peer at the little nameplate they were hunched over. She frowned after she squinted and read the name, "Oh…was he your friend too?"

He laughed a bit, unsure if he actually wanted to say the truth to this little girl, but what the hell. "More than that, he was my husband. My best friend." 'My everything' is what he wanted to add, but decided against it.

"Ooooh…ok." The little girl nodded, accepting the answer just like that. Strange, but ok. She looked at the arrangement that was already placed there, then stuck her own bright yellow rose right in the middle of it. "Thank you, Mister Blaine." She whispered, smiling proudly.

The whole interaction had certainly peeked Kurt's interest. He tapped her shoulder while she was admiring her work. "What's your name?"

She tilted her head at Kurt, "Hannah."

"Well, Hannah. W-What exactly are you thanking Blaine for?"

Hannah smiled bigger, "For saving my daddy. Without him, daddy said he would have never gotten home. So I just wanted to say thank you." After the words were out of her mouth, she thought about them for a moment, before looking at Kurt with big dark eyes. "I'm sorry Mister Blaine can't come home anymore." Then Hannah wrapped her little arms around Kurt's neck, squeezing him tight like only a child could.

Kurt felt his arms wrap around her little body, part of his face bumping into her shoulder as he went. He held on to her, closing his eyes and trying not to let his tears dampen her shoulder. Before he could lose it, and basically sob into the girl's shoulder, they heard, "Hannah! Hannah, what did I say?"

She pulled back from Kurt and frowned at the man who came up to them, clasping her hands behind her back like most kids do when they've been caught doing something they weren't supposed to. "Not to bother people when they're visiting." Hannah drawled. "Sorry, daddy."

"That's right. I told you we were gonna wait until they were done." He shook his head, and then looked over at his wife, the woman Hannah had pointed at earlier. "I thought you had her."

The woman pouted, "She just wanted to give Blaine a flower. You know how she is! Once she has her mind set on something, there's no talking her out of it. Like SOMEONE else I know." The talk dark man turned away, completely affronted. "She must have slipped away while we were talking to everyone else. By the time I saw her, she was already talking to them."

When Kurt looked at Hannah's father, he was surprised. "David?"

The soldier turned towards him, face looking guilty. "Kurt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for Hannah to disturb you here."

Kurt quickly stood up, dusting off his pants. "It's all right. I-I didn't really mind."

David shook his head. "We should have kept a better eye on her. Hannah, please apologi—Hannah!" A tired David looked on as his wife chased after their little girl, watching as she ran back to her Uncle Wes and her cousin. "She didn't say anything to upset you, did she?"

Kurt chuckled dryly, "No, not at all. And, not that I'm not happy to see you, but if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

The soldier frowned, "You're not the only one who lost him, Kurt. He was special to a lot of people. It's why we're all here."

"We?"

David smiled sympathetically, pointing over to where there was a group of people by the road dressed in dark clothing. "Some of us were able to make it to the funeral, but most of us were still deployed when it happened. We just wanted the chance to be here, to say goodbye, to make sure you're okay."

Kurt could feel his eyes growing misty, rushing forward and hugging David tightly. "Thank you, David. Thank you." After a moment or so of embracing, someone cleared their throat from behind them. He pulled away from his friend, "Right, um...David, these would be the Andersons, Blaine's parents and his brother Cooper. This is my dad, and my stepmother, Carole. This guy would be my stepbrother Finn, and this is Rachel. Everyone, this is David, one of Blaine's army friends."

The group murmured their hellos, David shaking their hands and greeting them in turn. "Nice to meet you all."

Awkwardly, no one really had anything to say after that. It was because of a mutual death that they were meeting, kind of puts a damper on things. Thankfully, they heard a whistle from where the road was, a couple people waving their arms frantically. David signaled something to them Kurt didn't understand. "Sorry, the guys are itching to say hi, but you should take as much time as you need. We can always meet up later, you know? We're gonna be in town for a couple days anyway."

"David, no amount of time I spend here is going to make everything okay for me. Plus, you guys are only here for a couple days. I want you all to have time with him too." He sniffled.

"Kurt—"

"Please," Kurt smiled a bit too brightly, faking some form of happiness. "I'm curious as to who's here after all."

"If you're sure…"

"Yeah, come on." The two men walked away from the grave, heading towards the road that routed through the cemetery. He looked back behind him, "You guys coming?"

Sharon shook her head, "We're going to visit for a while longer if that's all right."

Cooper nodded, "Yeah, but we'll catch up with ya later, 'kay?

Kurt nodded, "Dad? What about you guys?"

Burt put his cap back on, "I think we're just gonna head home for the day, but you go on ahead. We'll see ya at home."

"Um…okay." Kurt said unsurely, walking in a different direction than where the rest of his family was headed. He shrugged. Trying to figure out what's going on with anyone other than himself is not something he's prepared to tackle yet. So he continued to walk with David, smiling slightly when the twins who married Wes and David ambushed him.

"Oh, Kurt. We missed you."

"We're so sorry about Blaine."

"We came back as soon as we could."

"Are you doing okay, honey?"

"What can we do?"

"Ladies, please. Let him breathe." David helped to back them off, giving Kurt a little space.

Kurt rolled his eyes at David, putting an arm around both women and giving them a hug. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," They both said at the same time.

"Because that's not creepy." A man commented, standing off to the side.

Kurt tilted his head at him, not recognizing him. "Sorry, have we met?"

He shifted uncomfortably, running a hand through his styled hair. "No, my name is Sebastian. Jeremiah's fiancé."

"Oh, oh wow, hi. I'm Kurt." He shook Sebastian's hand. "Now I think I remember you, from that New Year's party at the base in New York. How is Jeremiah? Is he here?"

Sebastian glowered, "He's dead. Him and Blaine got taken out together." It looked like he was becoming emotional, but he turned his head away, trying to keep his steely façade.

Kurt wilted considerably, hating to have to find out another person he knew was gone. "I'm sorry. I-I-I didn't know…" His voice started to quiver.

The wives hissed, "Sebastian!"

He sighed, "Sorry, a year ago I was a planning a wedding. Now I'm suddenly single with a fiancé six feet under. Excuse me if I come off as a heinous bitch."

"I understand." Kurt supplied, feeling guilty that he's actually grateful to meet someone who knows exactly what he's going through. His dad understands of course, but his mother's situation was completely different. "How well did you know Blaine?"

Sebastian looked uncomfortable again, "Not very well. I just…Jer said Blaine was the best Sergeant anyone could asked for, and a great friend. He was the reason Jer was always able to come home. I guess I just wanted to say thank you. Without him keeping Jeremiah out of trouble, we might have never met."

Kurt gave a watery smile, feeling emotion swell up in him. Blaine was more extraordinary than he thought, and that was saying something. "Blaine always trusted Jeremiah. I'm sure he did his fair share of saving my soldier too."

"Maybe…" He cleared his throat, "Well, before this turns into an emotional hugfest or something equally as terrifying, I'm gonna pay my respects to the Sergeant over there. Count me out for the Breadstix boys. I just want to go back home."

"Breadstix?" Kurt murmured, watching sadly as Sebastian made his way towards Blaine's grave. "You guys going to Breadstix?"

"Well…" David started off, motioning for Wes to come forward.

Wes took over, "Like we said, a lot of us didn't make it to the funeral. There's quite the list of people eager to meet you."

"Me?"

David nodded, "Just because Blaine's gone, doesn't mean you're not still part of our little army family. We all have some memory of Blaine that we wanted to share with everybody. Memories are precious, you know? They're meant to be shared among family." He gestured at the item Wes was holding, an item that almost caused Kurt to breakdown right then and there.

"Here, I was able to be there for the funeral. Helped honor him and everything." Wes handed over the triangular item. "It's the one that covered his casket. I saved it for you."

Kurt reached out shakily for the flag, bringing the symbolic cloth to his chest and hugging it. "Thank you, Wes. You have no idea how much this means to me." He looked over his shoulder though, where Mr. and Mrs. Anderson seemed to be conversing with Sebastian. "But wouldn't this have been given to his parents?"

Wes shrugged, "They wanted you to have it."

When Kurt turned back he tried to smile, lifting the flag up so it was tucked under his chin securely. "You can't believe how seeing you guys makes me feel. It means a lot. But I am curious, how did you know to come here today? On the day that I was visiting him?"

Wes and David furrowed their eyebrows, looking at each other and then at Kurt. "Rachel called us, set this whole thing up. She flew us all out here on a private plane. She didn't tell you?"

"No, no she didn't."

A/N: The song was 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. Just two or three chapters left in this story lovelies! Thanks again for sticking with this story! :) Review please?

P.S. I plan to start another story once this one is done. I have several ideas and want your guys' input! So I have put up a poll, PLEASE GO VOTE! Because I seriously can't figure out which one to start first. Nudge me in whichever direction you want. YOU HAVE THE POWER! Thank you! :D