AN: Updates are going to be a bit on the shorter side for the rest of this because I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year with another story. It's called 'Somebody that I used to know' Go check it out if you are interested :)

May - Part 2 of ?

Kurt was pretending to listen as Chandler went on and on about his plans for senior year as he watched Blaine, who had been on the phone with someone from the Columbia admissions office for the past ten minutes.

"Aren't you happy to hear that?" Chandler's question brought him back to the conversation and he nodded hoping it was the right reaction. "You haven't heard a thing I just said, have you?" Kurt shook his head guiltily. He and Blaine had agreed to meet Chandler for coffee so they could give the younger boy some tips about college applications but Kurt hadn't paid much attention to him, ever since Blaine had gotten the call.

"I said I'm sure you're happy to hear that Sebastian got into college somewhere on the west coast. At least now you don't have to worry about running into him in New York."

Kurt gave him a weak smile. He wasn't even sure yet if he would go to college in the fall at all because someone had to look after the shop while his dad recovered. Maybe he could take some classes at community college as well, until he could start at Julliard in January.

"I'm sure Blaine will be happy to know that," he told Chandler, because judging by Blaine's sudden squeal one of them was going to New York in August.

Before Chandler got a chance to respond, Blaine rushed back to the table. "I got in," he told Kurt and Kurt wondered why he looked so calm all of a sudden.

"I know you would," he told him after brief hug, "but shouldn't be more excited?" Blaine shrugged. "It's great and all but I told them I needed a couple of days to think about it."

Kurt stared at Blaine as if he had just grown a second head. "Why would you do that?" he asked incredulously. "It's your dream school."

"Well, the deadline for Julliard is next week and if you don't get a spot now, I'm going to Brown for the semester until we can both transfer to New York." Kurt wanted to argue with him, but Blaine stopped him.

"This isn't giving up anything for you, okay? It's just that if we are going to New York, I want us to do it together."

Kurt took his hand and told Chandler they would be right back, before leading Blaine out of the Lima Bean.

"Blaine, even if I get into Julliard right now I might not go," he started hoping Blaine would understand.

"My dad is still too sick to go back to work, and with his hospital bills we can't really afford to hire a bunch of workers until he is healthy enough to go back. I'm probably going to stay in Lima and help out as much as I can. But you should go to New York with Santana, Brittany and Rachel and scope out the place so you can show me around when I get there in January."

Blaine was silent and Kurt began to worry a bit about his reaction. Finally he spoke. "For as long as I have known you you've been itching to get out of Lima and now you are willing to stay?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's my dad," he said as if this would explain everything. And it did. College could wait, his family couldn't.

Blaine knew Kurt wouldn't like it when he found out what he had done, but he felt that Burt had a right to know what his son planed to do, because Kurt's decision affected him as well.

"He what?" Burt yelled, as soon as Blaine had finished talking and Carole patted his leg soothingly, telling him to think about his blood pressure.

"He told me he is going to call up Berklee on Monday and tell them to give his spot to someone else," Blaine repeated. Unfortunately, no space had become available for Julliard in the fall, and Kurt had informed him that now that it was clear he wouldn't get to New York in the fall anyway, he would stay in Lima for another half year.

"All right, here is what we are going to do," Burt sprang to action immediately. "You distract him on Monday, take him shopping or whatever else keeps him from calling them and I will transfer the money for housing first thing in the morning. It's non-refundable unless the student has to drop out for medical reasons so he will have to go unless he wants me to just waste money. Have you decided what you are going to do yet?" he added after explaining his plan.

Yep, Kurt was going to be pissed, when he learnt what they had done behind his back, but they all agreed that Kurt was destined to get out of Lima.

"I sent Brown a check for the dorms as soon as Kurt heard from Julliard. It wouldn't feel right to go to New York without him and Columbia will still be there when we move to New York in January."

"Good," Burt told him. "I'm going to feel a lot better about him going off to college in a big city knowing he has people who care about him close by. You make sure he takes care of himself and I make sure to take care of myself so he can stop worrying."

Just then Blaine heard Kurt's car door close and he jumped up, ready to run up to Kurt's room. He just hoped he would be able to distract Kurt long enough for Burt to put his plan into action and that Kurt wouldn't be too mad when he found out about it.

"And you are sure you want to go forward with this, if the court decides in our favor?" Carole asked again, because after January's debacle she wanted to discuss every decision regarding Ethan at least twice with Burt.

She had talked to a few people from social services and they had all told her that they could start the adoption process as soon as the court ruled that Ethan wouldn't be going back to his family. She felt conflicted about that. On the one hand she hoped that Ethan's parents had changed enough for Ethan to be allowed to come home and on the other hand she didn't want to give him up and hoped he wouldn't be allowed to go home. Of course she hadn't told him that, because she knew he was confused about what he wanted himself.

"Carole, I'm on your side here, okay?" Burt reminded her. "Ethan is already part of our family, legal document or not, so why wouldn't I want to go forward with this. I know you worry about stressing me, but this is something good."

Carole snuggled up closer to Burt, beyond thankful that she hadn't lost him. Burt had been on his best behavior the past few weeks, though she caught him looking at his food in distaste more than once. His stay in the hospital had apparently been the wake up call he had desperately needed because he was now putting his family first, even if that meant having to give up things he loved.

"Are you nervous about the hearing?" Burt asked a while later and Carole shrugged. "I just hope they are going to make the right decision," she said. "I'm more worried about seeing Ethan's parents there, knowing what they did to him in the past. I still can't believe what some people do to their children."

Burt tensed next to her and Carole put her hand under his chin so he had to look at her. "You are and never were anything like that, okay? Ethan wouldn't be as happy with us as he is, if you were a bad person," she reminded him again and after a few moments he relaxed again in her arms.

She was close to falling asleep when the front door slammed shut and Kurt crossed through the living room, still in his greasy overalls. He hadn't taken the news very well, when Burt had told him about the check, claiming that at nineteen he was old enough to make his own decisions, but Carole agreed with Burt. She didn't want Kurt to resent Burt in the future for 'forcing' him to stay in Lima and so legal adult or not, she had supported Burt's plan to force Kurt into going to college in the fall.

He had been giving them the cold shoulder since then, because he was afraid that if he yelled at his dad, he would have another heart attack, as Blaine had told her. Apparently, Kurt had no problem yelling at Blaine for ratting him out to his parents and for not going to New York either. But at least they were on speaking terms. She wasn't too worried though. As soon as Kurt calmed down, she was sure he would see that they only wanted the best for him and that it wasn't a kid's job to take care of a parent.

Even if Kurt was mad at them for the rest of the summer, as long as he got into the car come August and let them move him into his and Mercedes' dorm room, she could live with that and so would Kurt. She knew that getting to share a dorm with his best friend would soften Kurt up a bit, and so she had been glad to hear that the school allowed boys and girls to room together if they wanted.

With kids in the house there would always be things to take care of and she wouldn't have it any other way, even if it occasionally meant her kids were mad at her.

Ethan was glad when he was allowed to leave the judge's room again because he didn't like to talk about what his parents had done to him when he had been bad. He didn't like the way grown-ups looked at him when he told, because he was never sure what they were thinking. Did they think he deserved it or did they think his parents were the bad ones like aunt Carole and uncle Burt did?

His foster parents and siblings were all waiting outside for him, uncle Burt on a chair because he wasn't supposed to move around too much yet and Ethan welcomed the hug aunt Carole pulled him into.

"Ready to go in?" she asked and Ethan gave her a small nod. His social worker had told him he didn't have to go in and listen to what his parents were saying but he needed to know. He needed to know if they were different now or if they didn't want him back because he had caused them problems.

Aunt Carole had said it was his decision, and so he went inside the big room and sat down between aunt Carole and uncle Burt. It wasn't so bad at first, because the judge only asked his parents about some things they had to do the past months but then they started talking about him, and all he wanted to do was put his fingers in his ears to block out what they were saying.

Before he knew it he was out in the hallway again and he realized that Finn must have carried him out. Aunt Carole was kneeling in front of him, wiping his tears away with a tissue.

"I'm so sorry, honey," she whispered. "You know what they are saying isn't true, right?" Ethan gave her a shaky nod. After months of reassurances from the Hudmels he was finally believing it when they told him he was a nice boy who didn't deserve to be treated badly.

"Does that mean I get to stay with you forever now?" he asked once he managed to stop crying. Aunt Carole pulled him into her arms.

"I really hope so."