AN: I know I promised fluff and things are definitely better for Klaine right now, but there are still some issues that haven't been resolved, so there is some drama as well. But I intend to include at least one more fluffy scene in part 2 which should be online tomorrow :)

October - Part 1

"I'm so sorry we didn't get them to change their minds," Kurt whispered as he and Blaine lay together in Blaine's bedroom and Kurt was running his hands through Blaine's ungelled curls.

"You heard what Headmaster Davies said. His hands are tide because I can't prove Sebastian has continued to harass me at Dalton, while Sebastian is the one with the broken nose. Oh and his dad is a fucking state's attorney and I should consider myself lucky they won't press charges," Blaine spat out.

Kurt moved behind his boyfriend and started massaging the tense muscles in Blaine's back. "And I'll make him pay for that because no one touches my boyfriend against his will and comes out as the victim. I just don't know how yet."

As much as Kurt wanted to drive up to Dalton again to take care of Sebastian for good, he couldn't do that during his dad's campaign just like he couldn't do anything to Rick the Stick at the moment. And maybe it was good he had some time to cool down because he was seriously rethinking his stance on physical violence right now.

Blaine moved away from Kurt's hands to turn around and gave him a dopey smile, although his eyes were still slightly red-rimmed. "At least we are together again. And if I don't get into Columbia next year I can go somewhere else for a year and then try to transfer," he suggested but Kurt shook his head.

"We are in this together so wherever you're going I'm going with you. New York isn't the only city with good music schools."

He had already made an appointment with Ms. Pillsbury, the school's guidance counselor to get information about the different music programs in the country after all. And there was no guarantee he would even get into a school in New York. They just needed to have faith that fate wanted them to together after high school.

"I don't want to hold you back though," Blaine protested, but Kurt had made up his mind.

"Let's just get you back to McKinley on Monday and I'm sure if you just do your best you'll get into every school you applied for," he assured his boyfriend before distracting him from the worries about their future by pressing Blaine into the mattress and kissing him passionately until Tala called them to dinner.

xXx

Monday morning saw Blaine's return to McKinley and though Kurt was still pissed that Dalton hadn't protected Blaine he was happy to walk hand in hand with boyfriend down the hallways again.

No one had given them much grief about it the previous year apart from a few stares and nasty comments and Kurt had no plans to let that freshman that wouldn't leave him alone ruin his senior with Blaine.

He had convinced Blaine that auditioning for the musical would be good for him and would look good on his college applications if he still wanted to major in music theory and composition.

Kurt had kept quiet himself about his audition piece even after much begging from Blaine to tell him and he just hoped he wouldn't make a fool out of himself by auditioning for Mark instead of Angel. But if Neil Patrick Harris could pull it off, he should be able to play a straight character as well. And it wasn't like his character had to make out with girls or something like that.

He had rehearsed a solo version of 'What you own' that was slightly higher than the original because he didn't want to strain his vocal chords and he was beyond relieved when Ms. Corcoran and her two assistants applauded and told him to read a scene after he finished the song.

He knew they weren't supposed to watch the auditions but he just had to see Blaine's, so he snuck upstairs to one of the balconies and hid in the shadow when his boyfriend came on stage. Blaine's rendition of 'One Song Glory' left him in tears and he had no doubt in his mind that Blaine would get cast as Roger while he was pretty sure the directors would give him Angel, if he even got cast at all.

His worries were eased a bit the next day in Glee when Ms. Corcoran announced they would double cast all roles so the whole club could be involved and who ever wasn't performing a lead role a certain night would be part of the ensemble. Sugar, Sarah and Joe, would hadn't auditioned for various reasons looked happy that they could be involved after all, and Kurt also had a smile on his face when he made his way over to Ms. Pillsbury's office.

An hour later, he left her office armed with information about pretty much every music school in the country and he immediately started working his way through it as soon as he got home. He had always equated leaving Ohio with moving to New York but now that he had all this information he realized that there might actually be schools he would fit into better outside of New York.

Just as Blaine had applied to many different schools – and many of them were on Kurt's list as well – he started to fill out applications for schools in California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York and even Ohio, although his dream still was to get into Julliard, because they had an amazing voice program.

Waiting for the cast list to go up was nerve racking because it would be the first time he might be participating in a play since he left middle school and became a camp counselor instead of attending it.

Blaine did his best to distract him, barely having left his side since he moved back to Lima and Kurt had to admit it was working. They went on dates to Breadstix or the movies or just hung out in either of their houses, though Kurt still preferred to stay at Blaine's when his dad was home because their issues weren't completely resolved yet. His dad's apology had been a start, but he just wasn't ready to completely forgive him yet. Luckily, Blaine kept out of it this time, because his dad had already caused enough arguments between them.

Finally it was Friday, the day Ms Corcoran had promised to put the cast list up, and after making it through all his rather boring classes, he and Blaine made their way over to the choir room where most of the other Gleeks were already congregating around the notice board.

To say he was surprised when he saw some of the casting choices was an understatement especially when he saw that shy Tina had been cast as Mimi. Suddenly he was pulled into a tight hug and when Blaine finally released him, he allowed himself to look over the list more thoroughly.

Cast list Rent:

Roger: Blaine Anderson/ Noah Puckerman

Mark: Kurt Hummel/ Artie Abrams

Maureen: Rachel Berry/ Mercedes Jones

Mimi: Tina Cohen-Chang/ Brittany Pierce

Joanne: Santana Lopez/ Harmony Pearce

Collins: Sam Evans/ Mike Chang

Angel: Rory Flannigan/ Ryder Jenner

Benny: Finn Hudson

Ensemble: Sugar Motta, Sarah Jameson, Joe Hart

He was especially surprised when he saw who had auditioned, assuming Ms. Corcoran had cast everyone for the role they auditioned for, for Collins and Angel and he was happy to see that Mercedes had gotten the role she wanted even though she had to share it with Rachel. They might have all grown up together but when it came to competing for solos they had butted heads more than once.

The best thing about the cast list was, that he got to be the Mark to Blaine's Roger and he got a chance to prove to everyone that he was talented enough to pull off roles that weren't stereotypical gay characters, because he had been afraid that he would only ever get type cast if he ever made it.

Nothing could dampen his spirits that day, not even his dad's impending press conference were he would finally comment on the rumors spread about their family in various newspapers and Sue's corner. At least he would have Blaine with him.

Burt knew the press conference was his chance to get back in Kurt's good graces and if that meant having to be honest about his past, so be it.

"I know my opponent thinks there is only one kind of family," he opened, "but looking at my own family, I have to say I don't agree. Family means loving and supporting one another regardless of a blood connection, protecting and respecting your family members. I have been blessed with a second chance at family when I met my wonderful wife Carole and her son Finn, who I love as much as my own son."

"Why did you hide your son's sexuality then? Are you ashamed of him?" a reporter interrupted.

"I didn't talk about my son's private life because that's what it is – private and I am displeased that my teenage son and his underage boyfriend were dragged into this," he answered the question as calmly as possible.

"I have made mistakes in the past," he continued, "but I assure you I am very proud to be Kurt's father."

Burt took a deep breath. This was it, he was going to tell everyone what a bad father he had been.

"But I'm also going to be honest with you. I haven't always been as understanding of my son as I am now. I was misinformed and ignorant and it took me a long time to accept him fully. I met some wonderful people along the way who helped me understand better, most importantly my friends Hiram and LeRoy Berry and their lovely daughter Rachel, another example that family means more than having two biological parents."

Another reporter interrupted his speech. "You say you are fully supportive of your son now – what about the cheating allegations though?"

Burt didn't like what the man was insinuating but he knew he had to remain calm.

"Those are vicious rumors spread by my opponents son who goes to school with my two sons. They are unfounded and even if they were true they are frankly non of your business."

Before he could get into explaining his campaign to change the topic from the invasive questions about his family, a young woman raised her hand and Burt hoped that she would at least have a valid question.

"A statement you released last week stated that you support music education and the arts in our schools. William McKinley High School has just cut its budget, meaning the musical your sons participate in is in danger of being cancelled. What do you plan to do about that?"

Burt tried not to show that this was the first time he heard about that and he wondered why neither Kurt nor Finn had told him.

"For this particular school, I will try to get public funding from other local business owners in exchange for ad space in the programs," he quickly invented, " but this is of course not a long term solution. Should I be elected I'm going to propose a bill that will make it harder for schools to use the budget set aside for the arts for sports programs that already have funding through sponsorships and alumni donations in addition to school funding allotted to them. Why is it that we greatly value athletes in our community, but turn a blind eye to all the kids who excel in other areas," he asked rhetorically.

In high school he had shared the sentiment that sports were cool and ensured you were at the top of the food chain and all the other kids were losers and as athletes it was their god given right to put them into their places.

But he had seen first hand how Glee club had changed Finn's life after he wasn't allowed to join the football team the previous year and from what he had heard, music had helped his son as well, when his life was otherwise unbearable.

He answered a couple more questions that were thankfully not about his family, before he went over the main points of his candidacy again, hoping they'd get a fair coverage of his press conference.

When it was over, he saw Finn, Carole, Kurt and Blaine standing together in the back of the room. Carole gave him a kiss on the cheek when he reached them and smoothed out his collar.

"You did good, honey," she told him and he was glad he had at least won over one of his family members.

"Why didn't you tell me about the funding being cut for the musical," he asked as he turned over to his sons.

Finn was staring at the floor but Kurt looked at him defiantly. "We were going to handle it ourselves," he muttered.

Apparently Kurt was still mad at him, but his son always surprised him when he least expected it. "I liked your speech though," Kurt admitted but he didn't look too happy when he said it. It didn't matter though; it was a start.

"I meant what I said," he continued. "If you want to raise money for the musical, that's great but I'm still talking to some other small business owners to help you get the money you need."

"Thanks, Burt," Finn piped up earning him a glare from Kurt. "We already tried a bake sale but we didn't earn much and the cheerios refused to help us with a car wash unless we give them sixty percent of the profits."

Burt knew that buying Kurt's forgiveness was not an option but there was a problem he could solve for his son and he would be damned if he didn't do his best to make that musical happen, because his kids deserved to have something good in their lives as much as the jocks and cheerleaders at McKinley.

It took Blaine a couple of days to get used to going to public school again, but now that he was back, he enjoyed being able with Kurt every day again. He had tried to stay strong for both of them, but the distance had been hard for him as well.

So he was worried when he noticed how Kurt flinched when someone passed by him too closely or when a locker shut with a bang next to him. Kurt acted like he had when Blaine had met him at Dalton and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

Apart from the occasional stares he was left alone at McKinley, but if Kurt was being bullied again for being gay, shouldn't the same apply to Blaine as well? He was determined to find out what was going on, but when he tried to talk to Kurt about it, Kurt just deflected and told him he was fine, just a bit stressed because of homework, Glee and the musical.

Classes at McKinley were a joke and both Kurt and Blaine knew that, so he was sure Kurt's sudden jumpiness wasn't attributed to a heavy workload.

Blaine knew by now that if Kurt didn't want to talk about something he wouldn't talk about it, unless it directly affected Blaine, because they had promised each other not to keep secrets like this anymore.

So Blaine was worried. Worried enough that he started following Kurt around school when they didn't go to classes together. Everything was fine at first, all though he missed Kurt a couple of times, but he was starting to convince himself that he made it all up in his head and nothing was going on at school.

Until he forgot his math's book in his locker and had to go back to retrieve it before class. Kurt had a free period he usually spent in the library working on his college applications, so he definitely was surprised when he spotted his boyfriend walking down a hallway, constantly looking out for something or someone.

The mystery didn't last much longer when a younger looking boy suddenly came around the corner and Kurt flinched before he was shoved against a row of lockers. The boy didn't even spare a glance at Kurt who had ended up on the floor and just continued on his way as if nothing had happened.

Blaine was about to run toward Kurt and demand that Kurt tell him what was going on, when Kurt picked himself up from the floor, brushed off his clothes and quickly went the other way. Blaine wanted to follow him, but was stopped by his math teacher who asked why he wasn't in class yet. As much as he wanted to talk to Kurt to make sure he was okay, he didn't have a choice but follow Mr. Hampton to his classroom.

He spent most of the lesson trying to figure out why the younger boy was singling Kurt out and "only" pushed him around without actually calling him names, but he didn't come up with any good reasons.

He just knew that now that he knew what Kurt was hiding, he would make his boyfriend talk about it, because Kurt deserved one final year at high school where no one was bullying him.

All around him, his classmates were starting to fill out college application and even at home he couldn't escape the ever-present talk about college because Kurt and Blaine were usually working on their applications and essays together on the kitchen table.

Everyone seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with their lives, but Finn just felt lost. When he started high school he had been sure that he would get a football scholarship to a university where he would play for them until he was discovered by a scout. He had realized by now though that he was at best a decent player and that a football scholarship wasn't really feasible.

He knew that he could just work for Burt, either here or in Austin, but even though he liked cars he wasn't sure if he wanted to be a mechanic his whole life. Even his mom went to college now and seemed to have a plan for her future, so why was Finn so stuck?

He had tried to talk to Kurt about it, but all Kurt had done was tell him to visit the guidance counselor to take a career aptitude test, but he was kind of afraid to see the results. What if he was only good enough to work at a gas station, like Kurt always told the jocks who had bullied him in school.

So when his mom and Burt sat him down one day and asked the dreaded, have you thought about college yet question, he nearly started to cry. He had no goals or crazy dreams like his brother and so many others in glee club, but having to admit that out loud made his predicament even more real.

"You don't have to chose right now, honey," his mom told him when he finished telling his parents what he was worried about. "I would love for you to go to college straight away, but you can always work for Burt for a year until you figure out what you want to do. Or you could take classes at Dayton like I do."

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay in Lima a bit longer. At least until he had figured out what he wanted out of his life. There was one other option though, that he hadn't dared to discuss with his mom yet. He knew his dad had died a hero and when he was younger he had imagined following in his dad's footsteps – not the dying part, but the being a hero part.

He was afraid however that his mom wouldn't support his decision and as long as he wasn't eighteen and old enough to sign up that was a discussion that could wait.

"Your mom's right buddy," Burt interrupted his train of thoughts. "You can always work at the shop for a bit until you figure things out, whether that's in Lima or in Austin or somewhere else you'd like to go. Staying in Lima doesn't make you a loser, just because your friends talk about going to New York or California."

It was as if Burt could read his mind. He was afraid to become what Kurt called a Lima loser if he stayed, but Burt had remained in Ohio as well and was doing pretty good now, owning his own two auto shops.

"Maybe I'll apply to a few colleges in the area to see if they'd even take me," he told his parents after he had some time to think things through, "and maybe I can still work for Burt part time until I figure things out."

If he didn't get into college, there was always the army and if he joined he wouldn't have to worry about paying for tuition anymore either. He knew that was a conversation he needed to have with his mom, but not yet. Especially not when wasn't sure how she would react to that.

His father had joined the army because his mom had gotten pregnant with him and they needed the money and he was afraid his mom wouldn't understand the reasons why he wanted to do it when he didn't have to.

Growing up was hard and sometimes Finn wished he could turn back time to the days where all he had to think about was if he could wear a certain shirt another day before it really started to smell.

Carole wouldn't admit it to her son, but she was relieved when he told her he had no grand plans to leave home as soon as he graduated like Kurt and Blaine had. Although she would miss all three of them terribly, for the longest time it had only be Finn and her and she wasn't ready to let him go.

She shared her thoughts with Tala though, when the two women meet up for coffee after classes had ended. Carole had managed to convince Tala to sign up for community college as well and they met at least twice a week when they had classes at the same time.

"I know what you mean," Tala assured her. "I just got Blaine back, just to see him leave in less than a year. Though I'm grateful he gave me even this one year."

Carole chuckled. "I think we're both already suffering from empty nest syndrome before they boys have even left."

"At least you and Burt have plans to have another baby. I'm not even ready yet to try dating for the first time," Tala admitted and Carole felt sorry for her because even if both of her boys left next year she would still have Burt.

"I don't know if the baby is still happening. We've been trying for months now, but I'm still not pregnant," she confided in Blaine's mom.

She knew that at some point they would have to see a doctor to figure out why they had trouble conceiving but she wasn't ready to hear the verdict yet. As long as she didn't get her worries confirmed, that there was something wrong with her, there was still hope.

"If it's supposed to happen, it's going to happen," Tala assured her but Carole could see that she was worried as well.

The first time around she had gotten pregnant even though she had been on birth control, but this time around, when she actually wanted it to happen, her body refused to cooperate. At thirty-five it really shouldn't be that hard to get pregnant.

Not wanting to think about it any longer she switched the topic to the fundraiser she and Tala were planning to ensure art funding for other schools in the Lima area that might have been affected by budget cuts. Burt had managed to get the money together for McKinley quite easily, but Carole and Tala wanted to make sure that other kids in their district were afforded the same opportunities.

Also, keeping herself busy with classes, the fundraiser and her part-time job helped distract her from the fact that their kids would graduate soon and she wouldn't be needed any longer.

She had done her best to raise Finn and later Kurt right, and now she needed to have faith that she had really done her best and they would be okay once they left home and left her behind.

I hope you liked the little excerpts from Burt's speech :)