AN: Thought I'd post this before I have to go to bed early so I can watch Glee first thing in the morning. It's just typical that I have an early morning call time for work when I really want to stay up to watch Glee as soon as it is online...

January 2012 - Part 1

It didn't take long for Blaine to regret taking the blame for the party to ensure Cooper got to stay with the Hudmels a little longer. In fact, it took him thirty-six hours and twelve minutes.

After thanking Blaine a thousand times for saving his ass, Cooper had taken to following Blaine around like a lost puppy, spending all his time with him regardless of whether Blaine was at Kurt's house or at his own. Still, he didn't have the heart to tell him off because he had realized that Cooper didn't have a lot of people he could call close friends and didn't know anyone in Ohio apart from Blaine and Kurt's family.

Also, it would soon change because school was starting in two days and Cooper couldn't very well follow him to school. Or so he thought as he drove up to Kurt's house the following Monday to pick up Kurt and Finn. To save money on gas the three had agreed to car pool to school and were using a different car every week.

Blaine quickly kissed Kurt good morning as Finn climbed into the backseat and he was about to put the car in drive when the back door opened again and Cooper climbed into the car as well.

"Didn't you hear me calling out for you?" his brother asked Kurt who was studying his nails in an attempt to not give away that he had ignored Cooper on purpose. "I nearly missed you guys."

Blaine managed to suppress a sarcastic 'too bad' and gave his brother a fake smile as he drove onto the street.

"Can we drop you off somewhere Cooper?" he asked instead but wasn't surprised when his brother informed him he was coming to school with them because he wanted to meet their friends again.

The three of them escaped into their classes as soon as they arrived on school grounds after telling Cooper not to cause any trouble and Blaine thought he had finally gotten rid of Cooper because his brother would surely soon get bored.

Therefore he nearly fell out of his seat when principle Figgins made an announcement over the intercom during his third period.

"Students of McKinley High School. I am proud to tell you that Hollywood actor Cooper Anderson has agreed to teach a Master Class in acting this semester. Anyone interested can sign up for his class outside the cafeteria," the principle announced and Blaine saw his friends turn around and shoot him a questioning look. Blaine just shrugged because he had no idea what was going on either.

At least this way Cooper would be occupied and Blaine would get some privacy back. Unfortunately he was wrong again.

After classes were finally over, Blaine and Kurt walked together to the choir room discussing Cooper's latest stunt. Most of the other students were already in there and it didn't take long for Ms Corcoran to arrive after them – with Cooper in tow.

"Guys, this is Cooper. Principle Figgins wants us to win Nationals this year and decided that Cooper here should help us out. Cooper also just told me that Blaine is his younger brother. So please give him a warm welcome."

Well fuck, Blaine thought and dropped his head into his hands while Kurt was running his hand up and down his back soothingly.

Over the next couple of days Blaine figured out that Cooper must have sucked as an actor because the advice he gave the Glee club was just terrible. Even worse, he forced Blaine to perform a song with him, they had done during one of Cooper's visits when Blaine was eight and Cooper had just graduated from college.

Everyone else in the club thought their brothers act was cute but Cooper was seriously starting to get on his nerves because he was constantly criticizing him and telling him how much better he was and why Blaine sucked doing a certain song or choreography.

By the time the first full week was over, Blaine felt ready to strangle his brother, because there was no escaping him. He was at school, at Kurt's house and sometimes he was already at Blaine's house hanging out with his mom.

It was one of those days when he received an email from Columbia University and Blaine was hyperventilating in his chair for a few minutes before he finally opened the email.

His desk chair fell over with a bang as he jumped up and proceed to jump up and down on his bed like he was crazy. Only moments later his mom and Cooper were in the basement checking on him. Blaine beamed at them.

"I got invited to audition for the Columbia-Julliard joint degree program he announced proudly. They want me to come up to New York in February to hear me play and look at some things they want me to write for them," he announced proudly.

His mom immediately pulled him off the bed and into a hug and Cooper wasn't far behind.

"That's great squirt. Tell me when and I'm coming with you. I've auditioned for tons of stuff so I'm sure I can give you some tips."

Dear god no, was his only thought, but he gave his brother a thumbs up nevertheless. Time to bring in the big guns.

Later that night, after a celebratory dinner with Kurt, Blaine relayed his dilemma to Carole who promised to take care of it for him. True to her word she must have spoken to Cooper because his brother came up to him a few days later and told him he was sorry but he couldn't come with him to New York after all because it wouldn't be fair to his students who lived for his class.

Blaine sent her a bouquet of white roses as a thank you, before starting to plan his and Kurt's trip to New York.

Kurt was getting antsy as all around him his friends got invited to audition for performing art schools or heard back about early admissions. Quinn had managed to get into Yale – and no one knew how she had managed that because as far as Kurt knew – Blaine was at the top of the class at McKinley.

Mercedes had already heard back from a school in Massachusetts as well – one Kurt had also applied to – and Rachel already had invites to audition for AMDA, the Manhattan School of Music, and Kurt's dream school Julliard. Mike was a shoe in for a dance school in Chicago and Sam had been accepted into OSU which had sent Mercedes into a crying fit because she was sure he would break up with her for sure after graduation.

The only people other that him that weren't talking about college were Santana, Brittany, Puck and Finn. Santana refused to tell anyone where she had applied and Brittany was being cryptic as well.

The only school Kurt had heard back from so far had been OSU as well, where he got accepted, but he had only applied because his father had insisted he had a backup school. But he knew he'd rather go to New York and try to make it on his own without college before staying in Ohio for it.

He really wanted to be happy for Blaine, but as the days wore on and he still hadn't heard anything from any of the schools he had applied for, and had to watch Blaine and Rachel look up train, bus and plane schedules he couldn't help but be jealous. He should be there with them making plans instead of watching from the sidelines.

Rachel had tried to comfort him by telling him that the schools might send out notifications alphabetically and Kurt hoped it was true because everyone who had gotten mail till now had been before him in the alphabet. Santana was the only one behind him but she wasn't saying anything about her own college applications so Kurt couldn't be sure.

Kurt knew he wasn't the worst applicant – he had had a role in the school musical, had sung duets at competitions and had worked at a performing arts camp, as well as receiving a letter of recommendation from Ms. Corcoran.

But maybe the schools disagreed and thought the showreel he had sent along with his application had sucked.

Asking Cooper's opinion had been a bad idea as well as Blaine's brother had handed him a list of things he thought Kurt was doing wrong and he had ended up feeling even more depressed than before.

Thankfully Blaine did his best to cheer him up when he could escape Cooper and now that his dad was in Columbus most of the time they at least had some privacy at home while Finn was at football practice. After realizing how much it bothered Kurt to watch Blaine plan his New York visit his amazing boyfriend had even offered to stop talking about it when Kurt was around but Kurt assured him he could handle it, because he knew that as a good boyfriend he had to support Blaine no matter what.

It was still only early January and all hope wasn't gone yet. He just had to focus on that.

Burt had to admit he had been a bit naïve when it came to his new job because he was surprised how much work it was. He was now really glad that he had hired a new worker because he only had time to check in on the shop on the weekends.

After two days of driving back to Lima in the middle of the night, Carole had put her foot down and had ordered Burt to get an apartment in Columbus because she hated it when he drove that late at night.

His new apartment reminded him of the one he had had when he was in junior college, before they had found out that Lizzy was pregnant. It was a one bedroom apartment with a small kitchenette, a couch and a small TV, perfect for nights when he was working late.

He would never admit it but he kind of liked having his bachelor pad. He could drink whatever beer he liked and no one complained when he ate fast food for dinner every night.

Of course he felt a bit guilty to spend so much time away from his family, but they were busy as well and understood. In the end it was a test run for next year when the boys would have left for college and it was only him and Carole. Maybe he could convince her to spend some time with him in Columbus once the kids were out of the house.

He settled on his small couch, a box of meat lover's pizza, a bud and some proposed bills he had to look through in front of him, when Carole called to ask if he would come down to Lima that night.

He had an early meeting the next morning and while he had gotten off early today he hadn't been in the mood to drive to Lima because that would have meant he had to leave the house at six the next morning to get back to Columbus on time.

Carole as always was sympathetic but Burt could hear it in her tone of voice that she was disappointed so Burt promised to be back in time for Friday night dinner, because he hated being the reason she was sad. Maybe they should get a puppy or a kitten so Carole wouldn't be alone while he was gone.

He hadn't forgotten Carole's idea of becoming foster parents but he didn't think the timing was right at the moment with him spending most of the week in Columbus. Carole had been a single mom long enough and he didn't want her to go through that again, just because she was desperate to have a child.

He had of course been disappointed as well when Carole told him about the doctor's visit but he had come to terms with it and now that he saw how much work his new job was, he was actually kind of glad Carole hadn't gotten pregnant.

They could still look into adoption or something like this once his term was over in case he didn't get reelected.

Burt sighed. It was much too early to think about that. For now he picked up a slice of pizza and practically moaned at the taste. Yes, living on his own for a bit definitely had its perks.

Carole was lonely – plain and simple. The boys were out a lot and most evenings she had been coming home to an empty house ever since Burt had started his new job almost two weeks ago.

She knew she had no right to complain because she had been the one to tell Burt to get an apartment, but she hadn't expected him to stay there most nights now.

Then there was also the fact that she still hadn't told Burt about signing them up as foster parents because that was something she had to tell him in person and she was also a bit afraid of his reaction.

When a social worker called and asked if she was still interested and up for a visit, loneliness won out over guilt though and she told the woman on the phone to just come by the house some afternoon before four.

She couldn't have the kids home for this because she couldn't ask them to keep such a big secret for her. They agreed on a visit in two days and Carole immediately started cleaning the house until everything was spotless because she wanted to leave a good first expression.

To her relief it was Jennifer who showed up at the house early in the afternoon two days later and Carole gave her a quick tour of the house before the two women settled in the living room to talk.

"You said one of the rooms upstairs is your stepson's boyfriend's room. How come he has his own room?" Jennifer asked once they were both settled in the living room, two steaming cups of coffee in front of them.

"Oh Blaine lived with us for close to a year. He had been staying with Kurt and his mother before and when we moved here from Texas, I decided to take him as well because I didn't want to see a sixteen year old live on his own, legally emancipated or not," Carole explained.

"So you already have experience with taking care of other people's kids. That's great," Jennifer told her and Carole realized she was right. She had just never thought about it like that because Blaine was never a complete stranger because of his connection with Kurt."

"You said Kurt was living with his mother before. Any reason why he is living with you now? I have to ask those things so I can learn a bit more about your family." Jennifer continued and Carole nodded before explaining Kurt's situation.

"Last one about your living arrangements," Jennifer said once Carole had finished. "You said that the guest room is currently occupied by your stepson's boyfriend's brother. Would you even have any room left for a foster child?"

Carole chuckled because they did have a full house again. "Well Cooper's stay with us should only be temporary and Blaine hasn't stayed in his room for ages. My husband doesn't really like that but we are aware that they are spending the night together anyway regardless of what we say, so we stopped telling them to sleep in separate rooms. I'm sure Blaine wouldn't have a problem with giving up his room if Cooper and the kids are still living here when we take in a child."

Carole sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case as much as Cooper could be fun to be around.

After that they talked some more about their financial situation, Burt and Carole's jobs and their own kids and before she knew it the visit was over and Jennifer assured her their application would be approved.

For the first time in a while, Carole was all smiles when the boys came home and to celebrate her secret victory she decided to take them out to dinner.

"I'm glad you aren't looking sad any more, mom," Finn told her during dinner, and Carole was surprised that her usually not so observant son had picked up on her mood.

"It's nothing Finn. I'm just missing Burt a bit. Nothing to worry about," she assured her son, who seemed to accept her answer if the way he was devouring his food again was any indication.

And as far as she knew there was nothing to worry about. The government was notorious for taking forever with paperwork, so there wasn't any hurry to tell the boys. They would cross that bridge once they got there.

A few days later, Finn found his mom in the living room looking through what appeared to be his baby pictures. When she spotted him, she patted the space next to her and Finn sat down on the couch, close enough so her could look at the pictures as well.

One picture especially piqued his interest as it was one of his father with his arms around his pregnant mother. He must have been Finn's age and Finn again thanked his lucky star that he hadn't gotten anyone pregnant so far.

There was also something he wanted to talk to his mom about and hopefully now was a good time.

"Mom," he started. "I've been thinking and would you be okay if I started calling Burt dad. I need to ask Kurt as well, but I won't do it if you don't want me to," he continued.

His mom scooted over and put her hand on his knee, squeezing it gently.

"Finn honey. That would be fine with me and I'm sure Burt would like that as well. After all, he's been your father for the past seven years and you never really knew your biological father."

Finn sometimes wasn't so sure if that was a blessing or a curse. He didn't have a single memory of his dad – all his knowledge about him had come from his mom – but he was also glad he never had to experience what Kurt had with his mom.

"Thanks mom," he told her sincerely because his mom was right. Burt was the only father he had ever had, and it was about time he got to call him one. He just hoped Kurt would be okay with it.

They continued looking through the album until they reached pictures of his dad in uniform and Finn hoped his mom would react to his second request as well as to his first.

"I've been talking to someone at the recruitment center a few months back," Finn confessed. His mom looked up in shock, nearly dropping the album and he knew she wouldn't like it before she even opened her mouth. He had to make her understand.

"I want to honor my dad because he was a hero and this is the best way to do it. I need to feel like I'm doing something important with my life," Finn powered on as he saw his mom pale.

"Finn, no," she said but Finn couldn't let her destroy the only dream he could actually make come true.

"Mom, I need to do this. I have no plans what to do with my life and maybe the army can help me figure it out. And they are going to pay for college once I'm done. That's why dad joined, wasn't it?"

His mom was looking even paler now and Finn didn't like it. But nothing could prepare him for what came next.

His mom took both of his hands into her own and looked him straight in the eye.

"Finn, I'm so sorry honey. I know I should have told you sooner, but I just couldn't do it."

And then she told him how his father had received a dishonorable discharge for turning to drugs, that it got so bad that his mom wouldn't leave him alone with his dad anymore because she was afraid something would happen to him and how his father died of a drug overdose and not in the war as he had always believed.

He couldn't believe that his whole life had been a lie. That he had come so close to joining the army to follow in his dad's footsteps. His dad who had become a junky and was no hero after all.

It was hard to believe his mom had kept this from him for so many years. Hadn't he deserved to know the truth? He wasn't a kid anymore and would have handled it, but now, after so many years he felt deeply betrayed by his mom.

He needed to get some air. Pushing the album of his lap he jumped up and stormed out of the living room, ignoring his mom who was crying and begging him to stay so they could talk about it.

But he didn't want to talk anymore. He wanted to punch or throw something. He had never thought his mom would be the one to betray him someday but apparently Burt had really found his match in his mom.

He was driving around aimlessly for hours until he was desperate for some food because in his hurry he had forgotten his wallet and phone. He turned around and headed back to the house.

When he arrived, Kurt was sitting on the front porch, bundled up in a thick winter coat, apparently waiting for him.

Finn got out of the car and when he reached the steps, his brother stood up and wrapped his arms around him.

"If you want to talk, I'm here for you," Kurt told him, before Finn dissolved into tears.

AN: Dear Glee, are we really meant to believe that congressman Burt Hummel didn't convince his son to apply to other schools in case NYADA didn't work out? I think not. Also, as much as I want Kurt to succeed, it is ridiculous that recent high school graduate, and has only worked in an auto shop and coffee shop Kurt Hummel, would get an internship, people usually don't get unless they are in college, just by taking pictures of his wardrobe. Glee wants to realistically portray high school relationship after high school, but where is the realism in the rest of the story lines? If it weren't for Kurt I would be seriously be tempted to just stop watching the show and just write my own stories for it. Okay rant over ;)