The trip had been quiet, which Kurt was thankful for, the twenty two year old man was sat in the back of an airport taxi on his way back to his old home in Lima. It's not like it was his first time being home since he left to New York four years ago, because it obviously wasn't. Just this time it wasn't for anything fun, there was no holiday or party or anything jocular. No, this was one trip he wished more than anything that he hadn't had to make. As the lines of houses and trees and buildings zipped past the window, Kurt thought back to the beginning of the week, to the phone call he had gotten in the middle of the afternoon.

"Kurt?" A crying voice could be heard, her voice quivering, sounding scared.

"Veronica?" Kurt questioned, unsure if the voice he was hearing was that of his his adopted sister. After he and Finn had left Lima, it turned out that Burt and Carole weren't ready to stop being full times parents yet, so the couple decided to take in a child that needed it. Which is how six months after the Hudson-Hummel boys had left, ten year old Veronica was adopted. She was a sweet child with dark brown hair and brown eyes, the girl took to the family nearly instantly and even though Kurt wasn't home often, the two had still managed to bond quite well. "Honey, what's wrong?" It was near impossible to get a proper answer out of the girl, it wasn't until Burt finally took the phone that Kurt got the full story. Seemed that the Schuester family had died the night before, a tragic accident the papers were calling it, faulty wiring in their newly renovated house. Will, Emma and their toddler son Ryan had all perished in their sleep when a small fire had broken house in their basement, carbon monoxide filling up the house, eventually killing the family in their sleep. Veronica, a Freshman now, had been in New Directions and was horribly distraught, as were the rest of the children. 

So that was how Kurt found himself back in Lima, sitting in the back of a taxi, being driven home to get ready for a funeral. It wasn't long before they pulled up to the front of the Hudson-Hummel household, Veronica could be seen sitting on the front step dressed in black, picking at her fingernails. "Hey honey." He said as he got out of the car, his bags being placed on the sidewalk next to him.

"Dad!" Veronica called into the house. "Kurt's here!" She then got up and ran over to throw her arms around him, hugging him. She may have now been fourteen and therefore a lot taller than she was when she first arrived to live with the family, but she was still short enough for Kurt to lift off the ground as they hugged. 

"How you doing kiddo?" He asked, ruffling her chin length hair that had a strip of pink in the bangs and down the right side.

"Okay." She snuffled softly as Burt's voice could be heard calling out to Kurt as he exited the house. The older man looked like was barely holding it together, which made sense since he and Mr. Schue were friends. He walked up to Kurt and hugged him tightly before ushering him into the house where Carole also hugged him, the woman looking like she had obviously been crying.

"Where's Finn and Rachel?" Kurt asked, expecting his brother and sister-in-law to be there.

"They got in last night, Rachel wanted to go see Sue so they left a little while ago, they'll meet us at the service." Burt explained.

"We have a few hours yet, why don't you go grab a shower and I'll make you something to eat." Carole said to Kurt, shooing him toward the stairs and his old bedroom. Truth be told Kurt wasn't that hungry, and he had showered that morning before the flight, but he knew that she just needed something to keep herself busy with so she didn't start crying again, which is why Kurt didn't put up an argument and just headed upstairs. It was odd to be home under such horrible circumstances, normally a trip home was something to enjoy, not mourn. 

It was barely three hours later that the Husdon-Hummel household all piled into their cars and headed to the funeral home, Burt, Carole and Veronica in one car. Kurt, Finn and Rachel in another. The threesome no longer lived together in New York, not when Finn and Rachel split their time between there and L.A for Finn's career. Kurt lived on the campus of Julliard, where he started attending after he had discovered that NYADA wasn't everything he had hoped it would be. "It's all so surreal." Rachel said gently from her seat between Kurt and Finn, the three using one of Burt's trucks while in town. "I can't believe it, it's just..." She trailed off, shaking her head gently, swiping a tear away that started it's short journey down the curve of her cheek. Kurt reached over and took one of her hands in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze as he swallowed back his own tears. Mr. Schue had been more than a teacher, he had been a friend. They all had been at his wedding, Finn his best man. They all had kept in touch with him and had shown up for his son's baptism, the fact that he was gone, not just him but his entire family, was just so hard to accept.

The service was what most would expect, it was difficult to sit there faced with not one but three coffins, one child sized, and listen to the preacher go one about God's plans. Kurt wanted to snort out loud, but managed to refrain. That was one of the things he hated about funerals the most, the insistence that there was a plan. Any plan that involved children dying wasn't one Kurt wanted to be a part of, God be damned. Once the entire thing was over, Kurt stood outside the church with Finn and Rachel, the two men sort of huddled around the woman since it was fall and the chill in the air made it a horrible day to be in a dress. "I told you to wear pants." Finn said, arm around his wife.

"I couldn't wear pants to a funeral Finn!" Rachel said. "I had to look nice."

"You can look nice in pants." Finn argued, which only got a little huff in return. Right then as to prove his point it seemed, Brittany and Santana walked up in very simple yet classy looking black pant suits.

"Shut up." Rachel pouted at him before he could get a word in edge wise.

"It's my unicorn." Brittany said with a teary smile as she reached her arms out to hug Kurt, the man chuckling gently as he hugged her easily.

"Hey Brit." He said against her shoulder, seeing Santana fidgeting with her jacket slightly as she made sure not to really look any of them in the eye. "Santana?" He questioned as he and the blonde parted.

"She's fine, she just doesn't want anyone to know she was crying." Brittany said offhandedly as she moved to hug Rachel and Finn next.

"San -" Kurt started to move forward to hug her only to be cut off by her putting her hand up.

"Save it, I'm fine." She snapped at him, her classic bitch stare back in place.

"Right." Kurt nodded, turning to say something to Brittany only to make a surprised 'oof' noise when he was very suddenly hugged by a much larger man who smelt faintly of cigarette smoke and chlorine. "Puck? Uh, Puck? Can't breath." He squeaked, which finally made the other man let him go.

"Sorry man." Puck said as he sniffed quickly.

"He's been doing that to everybody." Santana said.

"I can't help it, I don't see you guys enough and this shit is just fucking with my head."

"Noah, don't swear at a funeral." Rachel chastised, only to be ignored.

"Do you know where the wake-y thing is being held?" He asked.

"Actually a wake is held before the funeral usually." Kurt pointed out.

"Whatever, just so long as it's not at their house." The small group of people standing there all looked at Puck in various levels of shock, disgust and amusement. "What? Don't act like you weren't thinking it too."

"I most certainly was not." Rachel said, aghast.

"You never think anything." Santana said with a roll of her eyes.

Before the two women could get into a snipping match, Kurt cut in. "It's actually back at my dad's place, we were just heading there now."

"Cool." Puck nodded before looking at the Brittany and Santana. "You guys need a ride?" He offered, motioning them toward the parking lot.

"We better get going too." Finn said, an arm around Rachel's shoulder, the woman nodding in agreement, the two walking off. Kurt started to follow them only to pause when he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye, the man looking over to see a familiar mop of dark hair. It was longer than it had been the last time he had seen it and was gel free, but it was very obvious who it was. As if on cue, Blaine turned, his honey toned eyes catching Kurt's blue ones. He gave a slight nod toward Kurt, a whisper of a smile ghosting across his lips before looking over when a taller black man walked up behind him, placing a large hand against his shoulder to catch his attention, saying something to him. When Blaine finally looked back, Kurt was already walking away.