Sentencing was scheduled for the next day. Kurt couldn't have been more relieved. He wanted the entire ordeal to be over and he wanted to return to Ohio. After years of trying to get away, Kurt was headed back home. Chicago was never home in his mind. He wasn't going to plant roots or sew seeds there. It was a pit stop at best. Ohio, love it or hate it, was where his heart was. He grew up in more ways than one in the very state that he hated to acknowledge. It was home base.Home base is a great place to start again.

The sentencing hearing lasted less time than Kurt anticipated. Unlike the trial, there was no jury. The judge would literally play judge, jury, and executioner with his attacker's future. In the end, the judge would take into account the things that lead to the guilty verdict and use them to decide a reasonable punishment. Personally, Kurt hoped for something along the lines of a hanging, death by firing squad.Or death by fire! I would love to light him on fire.Alas, those options were not realistic. The performer hoped that Henry would be punished accordingly for his crimes. He hated thinking that the man would get off with something as light as probation.

Kurt didn't speak during the sentencing hearing. He was given an opportunity to do so, but turned it down. He couldn't. Getting on the stand the first time was difficult enough; he couldn't do it a second time. He regretted it at first, but later found out that it wouldn't have matter. The sentencing judge had his mind made up about Henry's punishment long before the hearing started.

Twenty – five years to life. Kurt couldn't believe it. Mr. Leslie advised him that the maximum sentence they should expect was ten years with the possibility of parole after five. What they didn't know at that time was that Henry had multiple convictions for sexual assault at different stages in his life. When the judge learned of these prior convictions, he decided throw the book at him.

"It was his third strike so," Mr. Leslie threw his thumb back, "he was out. You won't have to worry about him anymore, Kurt. He's never going to be able to bother you again."

The performer grinned and shook the man's hand enthusiastically. "Thank you so much."

Mr. Leslie nodded before releasing Kurt's hand in favor of shaking Blaine's. "You don't have to thank me. I was just doing my job."

The three shared a bit of meaningless conversation before Mr. Leslie bid them ado and left the men alone. "So...umm...back to Ohio?" Blaine asked after a pregnant moment. Kurt, who'd spent the majority of the past few moments staring at an interesting piece of sand on the ground, nodded.

"Yeah. Back to Ohio."

The flight was calm. Kurt spent a majority of it sleeping against his boyfriend's shoulder and Blaine spent a majority of it speaking with Burt. His parents decided to travel back to Virginia with their team of friends, so Burt was the only person Blaine had to speak with while his boyfriend napped.

"This is the first peaceful sleep he's had in days." The professor whispered to the elder man. Burt nodded. He understood why. The last week of his son's life was one filled with turmoil, emotional strain, and violence.I'd be exhausted too.

"He doesn't sleep well when he's stressed." Burt answered from his seat across the aisle. Kurt ran on less than three hours of sleep during the David Karofsky fiasco and the poor boy ran on even less than that after his mother left. Kurt and stress were a losing combination for the young man's sleep cycle.

Blaine sat back in his seat and looked down at the man resting in his arms. He wore a look of unintentional relief. Making himself comfortable in the economy class seat –the only seats we could get on such short notice. Fuck you, Delta!-the professor allowed his mind to wander back to all the times he'd seen his boyfriend stressed.

There were a few nerve testing moments in the mix, but they weren't all consuming. This was all consuming. This was the kind of situation that drew an arrow in the sand that pointed straight towards therapy. Would Kurt need therapy? Would he need someone to pick at the hills and valleys of his brain? Deep down, though he would never admit it to Kurt's face, Blaine hoped so. Kurt was fractured and, if things went well, assistance from a professional could help bring him to his full potential.I'll have to discuss this with Burt.

Decision made, Blaine curled further into his boyfriend's side and let his eyes slip shut. They had a little over an hour left in their flight, but he was tired. So, he slept.

The ride from Columbus to Lima was....silent. There wasn't another adjective that would describe the trip as nicely as silent did. Despite the warm weather, there were no chirping birds and the deer weren't dancing in sync with one another. It wasn't a Disney movie type of day; at least not in Kurt's eyes. To the performer, from his spot in the back seat, the day looked dull.

He should have been excited. He was about to meet a brother he never knew existed and he was about to run into his mom, Carole's, comforting arms.If I've learned anything from this, it's that any woman can be a mother but it takes a real woman to be a mom.The performer couldn't wait to see his mom. He just hoped she had ice cream ready. He was going to need it.

Carole was out the front door before the car was parked. She dashed past her husband, in the driver's, and rushed to the backseat on the passenger side. She flung the door open and gathered her startled son into her arms. "Kurt, sweetie!" She screeched as she held him close. The performer melted like chocolate left in a pocket on a hot, summer day. He needed her and her warm embrace.

"My poor baby. Let's get you inside and get you in bed. I have ice cream thawing on the counter." Kurt nodded and allowed himself to be drug out of the car. She draped his arm around his shoulder –despite the fact that he was walking without issue- and drug him towards the house. "Oh," She shouted towards the car just before she reached the porch, "you guys grab my baby's bags. I don't want him lifting a thing."

They were in a house a moment later. "I'm taking you down to your room and you're not leaving until some of this bruising has faded. I don't want you lifting a thing. Blaine, Burt, Finn, and I will do that for you. If you need anything, you'll let us know. Do you understand me?" Kurt rolled his eyes at her. Her concern was sweet but unwarranted.

"I'm fine, Mom. It looks worse than it is. I promise." Carole wasn't having it. She helped the boy down the stairs and into bed. She let his protests fall on deaf ears. Once he was thoroughly tucked in, arms pinned to his side and his comforter pulled snug against his chest, he realized something was missing. "What about him; Tyler? And you said Finn? You said he was in town."

Carole offered a weak smile. "Finn got emergency leave to come home to help us with Tyler and to help with you. He took him to the park so I could get you settled in. They'll be back later and we'll bring Tyler down to meet you."

Kurt mulled over the details for a moment before nodding absently. He hated that Finn had to take time away from work because of him, but he was pleased to have him around. To date, Finn was the best friend he could have asked for.

And Tyler. Kurt wasn't sure if he was relieved that Tyler wasn't around at the moment or disappointed. He wanted to meet him, he really did, but he wasn't sure if he could do it just yet. He needed to get into the right mindset. On one hand, he was set to meet the son of his mother and the man that assaulted him. On the other hand, he was set to meet the innocent child that shared half his DNA. The thought was both nerve wrecking and comforting. "I think I'm going to take a nap for now."

His mother smiled. "Sleep well, angel. I'll send Blaine if you'd like." The performer nodded. He definitely wanted his boyfriend to come down. He slept better when the professor was around.

He watched as his mother retreated up the stairs. Once she was gone, he loosened the snug bed linens and rolled on his side. He was asleep before his boyfriend descended the stairs.

Spending time with Finn was an interesting affair. Over the past couple of weeks, Tyler spent a lot of time with the Hummel-Hudsons. He was living with them by this point, so it was expected. What wasn't expected was the amount of time the Hummel-Hudsons spent with him. Day and night. He barely knew how to deal with it.

Carole woke him up in the morning and tucked him into bed at night. Burt took him to enroll in school and stood with him while he met his new teacher. Finn ate with him and taught him how to play video games. It was nice. Different, but he wasn't complaining.

He wasn't used to having people around that were interested in spending time with him. The Hummel-Hudsons were working diligently to correct that. They were doing their best to make him feel wanted and loved. The entire concept was difficult for him to wrap his seven year old mind around. "You ready to go home, Ty?" Finn asked when he saw the little boy–it still freaks me out that he looks so much like Kurt. It's like Kurt cloned himself as a child. That actually makes sense!-sitting stock still on the swing set.

Tyler's head popped up in the soldier's direction. He had no idea why the word 'home' had such an effect on him. Quite possibly, it was because he'd never really had a home. He had a shelter; a cold, lifeless, shelter. He smiled. "Yeah, Finn. I'm ready to go home."

Burt's truck was in the driveway when they arrived at the house. Tyler smiled. He liked Burt. Burt let him stay up late on nights that Carole had to work and he took Tyler to work with him. Of all the things Tyler liked about the people he was living with, he liked the fact that Burt took him to the shop the most. He liked learning about cars and he liked hearing about Kurt's'adventures'in the shop when he was younger. He wanted to have adventures in the shop like Kurt used to have. He hoped Burt would let him.

"Is Kurt going to be here today? I think I want to meet him." Tyler was apprehensive to say the least. Like every little brother, he wanted to spend time with his big brother but, things were different between the two of them. First, they'd never met. Tyler never claimed to be a genius, but he was left to assume that things were easier when the brothers new each other. Secondly, based on the things he heard Carole whisper into the phone late at night, Kurt wasn't feeling well. Tyler hated meeting new people when he was sick, so he assumed his big brother was the same way.

"Yeah, buddy. He's at the house. Mom said he's sleeping but you'll get to meet him. Don't worry." Finn reassured. Tyler smiled and followed the mammoth of a man to his car. He liked Finn. He was funny and he didn't pretend to be smarter than he was. From what he'd learned, Finn and Kurt were brothers, so that made Finn his brother too.

"Cool, bro. Let's go."

Finn smiled.I kinda like having another little brother.

Blaine's eyes flew open. He wasn't awoken by a loud noise or the sound of his name. It was a hand....rubbing him through his khakis. When he turned his head over on the pillow, he was greeted by a pair of beautiful blue eyes; the ones he fell in love with. "Kurt." He said firmly, trying to gain some composure as the hand on his cock rubbed harder. "What are you doing?"

A playful glint shone in his boyfriend's eyes. "I'm touching what's mine." Kurt answered matter of factually. He continued to slide his hand along the noticeable bulge in his boyfriend's pants. The professor was falling. Despite his best efforts, he was falling down the rabbit hole. The promise he made to himself sat in the forefront of his mind, but the ache in his groin sat next to it.

They taunted one another. Each time his mind shouted that he wasn't going to give in to the temptation, his cock replied that he would do it and he would like it!Take one for the team, dammit!For a moment –a painfully brief moment- Blaine gave in. He allowed himself to get lost in the sensations of Kurt's hand gripped around his clothed cock.

"Baby. Fuck." He whispered as he arched into the touch. In a matter of seconds, Blaine was too far past lost to care that something was off. It wasn't until he heard the sound of his zipper being pulled down that he snapped back to reality. "Don't." He instructed as he grabbed a hold of his boyfriend's wrist.

Kurt stared at him with a shocked expression. "Why? You want it. I want it. Let's do it."Don't tempt me. Please!Reluctantly, Blaine shook his head.

"You're not ready for this. After everything that's happened, I know that this is a bad idea. I'm so sorry, baby."

With a sigh, Kurt removed his hand from his boyfriend's pants and rolled sideways off the bed. "Fine then! There's lotion in the bathroom. I'm going upstairs." Blaine watched as the performer stomped up the stairs.That went well!

We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll

Built this city, we built this city on rock and roll

Carole danced around the kitchen, making salad for her boys, as Tyler nibbled on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Are you enjoying it, sweetie?" She asked between the off key, jumbled lyrics she was singing. Tyler smiled and nodded. He was definitely enjoying it. "Good. I knew you didn't want to eat a stinky old salad and-" Carole stopped speaking the moment the basement door opened. There, standing at the top of the stairs, was Kurt. He stood stone still at the door for a moment before stepping into the tiny kitchen.

"Honey, I told you not to get up." Carole tried. It was useless. Kurt was in a trance. He was staring at his brother and, in turn, Tyler was staring back. "Want some salad?...No? Fruit? Maybe? No? Alright then." In the end, the awkward moment proved too much for the nurse and she took her salad and her rock music to the living room.

"Hi." Tyler whispered. Kurt offered a lopsided smile as he crossed the kitchen. It was like looking into a mirror. With the exception of Tyler's tanned skin and his freckles –ones that he probably got from Henry- he looked just like his older brother. It was unnerving. Kurt had to keep it together though. He didn't want to frighten the boy; not like he'd been frightened.

"Hi." Kurt sat down on the stool opposite of Tyler's at the island counter. "Is your sandwich yummy?" He asked awkwardly.Do seven year olds say yummy? He probably thinks I'm an idiot.

The little boy smiled at him. "Yeah. It's super yummy. Carole makes really good sandwiches." Kurt couldn't argue that point. Carole was a sandwich connoisseur. "Do you want some? It's peanut butter and jelly. Finn wanted some earlier, but he eats too much. I'm willing to share, but you're not getting my whole sandwich." Kurt couldn't argue that point either. Finn was a garbage disposal when it came to food.

"Sure." He watched as Tyler tore his sandwich in half and offered it to him. "Thank you."

The two ate in silence until their halves were gone. "Do you like Ninja Turtles?" Tyler asked, breaking the silence that consumed them. Kurt was at a loss for an answer. The question was simple enough but he couldn't figure out which way to take it. If he said no, would Tyler be let down? On the other side of it, if he said yes, Tyler would figure him out as a fraud and be equally as put out.

"Ummm...I never really played with them." Honest.

Tyler shrugged. "What about wrestling?" That was a topic Kurt understood to an extent. Years of sleepovers at Finn's house, before Susan left of course, turned him on to the world of wrestling.

"I used to. Years and years ago."

"You should watch now." Tyler said before grabbing his glass of milk and taking a man sized swig.Holy little Finn."I watch all the time. I ordered Wrestlemania and stayed up to watch The Rock versus John Cena. The Rock didn't deserve to win."

Kurt scoffed. "Only a jabroni would say that." He mumbled. Tyler must have heard because he laughed.

"What about Batman? Do you like Batman?"

Kurt smiled. He was once an inquisitive child. "I like Christian Bale."

Tyler approved of the answer. "We can work with that."

The brothers spent the rest of the afternoon asking and answering questions about various, mundane topics. Kurt felt it best to steer clear of anything that hit too heavy. It worked out well in his favor. For the first time in the past week, he was able to let himself go and enjoy the little things in life.It's Rule 32.

The boys continued to speak animatedly with one another for a great period of time. Both were so engrossed with the conversation that they didn't notice the small audience that was forming around them. Burt was the first to arrive. He was headed towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water –a bottle of beer- when he heard Tyler shouting. He rushed to the kitchen to find the boy shouting excitedly and grinning widely at his son. It warmed it heart.Almost as much as beer would.Rather than breaking up their moment, he propped himself against the doorway and watched. It was a sight if nothing else.

Carole came next. When she went to find her husband, he indicated for her to be quiet and told her to watch. A smile spread across her face as she watched the boys interact. It seemed to be something they both needed. Both were laughing and throwing their hands around as they spoke. It was darling.

Finn came next. Decidedly less graceful than the others but no less enthralled by the sight in front of him. After he and Tyler got home, he went up to his room to call Rachel, a base rat that he was talking to. When the grumbling in his stomach started, he quickly disconnected the call and raced downstairs to the kitchen. Well, to food but that was splitting hairs. Burt stopped him and told him to watch. Grumbling tummy aside, he watched as his Bff little bro and his new kinda little bro interacted. It was nice to see them getting along so well.

Blaine came last. Well, he came and then he went upstairs. As he neared the kitchen, he heard voices. One was Kurt's and one was small Kurt's. It literally sounded like Kurt was speaking with a younger version of himself. The professor raced up the stairs. It had to be Tyler. From what Burt told him, Tyler was the living embodiment of a past Kurt. He was talkative, kind, and inquisitive. Blaine decided that he needed to see it for himself.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he smiled. Everything Burt said about the boy was true. Not only did he look like Kurt, but he acted in ways that Blaine imagined Kurt acted when he was seven. Blaine leaned against the basement door frame and watched his boyfriend smile at the little boy. It was nice to see him smile again. Thing hadn't been terribly awful over the past few days, but it was evident that Kurt wasn't himself. Now, it was a different story.

Watching Kurt interact with Tyler allowed Blaine to see another side of his boyfriend; a side he'd never seen before. For the first time, Blaine saw his boyfriend's walls come down. He opened himself up and allowed someone in. It hurt a bit to know that, after everything they'd been through together, he wasn't he one to receive such a privilege, but Blaine took it as a win regardless. If being around Tyler was what Kurt needed to finally be himself – a strong, confident, wonderful man- then Blaine was pleased. Very pleased.