Kurt was sitting up, staring at the pool of yellow urine as it spread out from under the ball of golden fluff. His eyes bugged out and his breath gasped as he turned to Blaine for an explanation.

Blaine cringed, then took Kurts hand to hold tightly for a brief moment before scooting off the bed and scooping the ball of fluff from the floor. He ran out, coming back with a roll of paper towels in his other hand and a sheepish look on his face.

If Kurt wasnt ensconced in a pile of blankets and quilts, he would be tapping his toe on the floor. As it was, he had his fists on his waist and a menacing look in his eye.

“Well, Blaine Anderson? Care to explain?”

“Ah...you remember the bunny we saw down in the snowstorm? Well, I kept hearing a cry...and it broke my heart. So when Coop came by to check on you, I went out and dug the little thing out of the snow. He was freezing and skinny and lonely...” Blaine tried to explain, his big brown eyes almost liquid in their attempt to sway Kurt.

“Uh-huh. Well, I suppose that was a good thing...but a bunny?” he asked.

“Wellllllll....it isnt exactly a bunny. Its a puppy,” Blaine said, ducking his head as if Kurt might swat him.

Kurts eyes got even bigger.

Blaine put several paper towels down on the little accident on the floor, thanking the stars they didnt have carpets. Then he dried off the puppys backside in case there were any drips left. He kissed the tiny thing on its head and set it down next to Kurt.

The little puppy went to explore this new person, wagging its whole back end along with its tail. He sniffed Kurts hand and put out a tiny pink tongue to lick his hand before trying to climb onto his lap. The corner of Kurts mouth went up, just a tiny bit. He tried to hide it from Blaine, but the next thing he knew, the pup was bowing down on his front legs, his tail in the air – wagging to beat the band.

Blaine looked beseechingly at Kurt.

“I couldnt just leave him in the snow to suffer, Babe. He was so cold, and shivering. I dont think hes even weaned yet. Im going to try calling a vet to see if I can get him something....” Blaine rambled on.

Kurt couldnt pretend to be displeased any more. He picked up the pup and kissed his little nose – which made the pup sneeze in the cutest way. A smile took over Kurts face.

The smile was contagious as Blaine caught it and a huge smile bloomed on his own face. He reached out and gave the pup a pet on the ears before going back to finish cleaning the floor.

“We need to find his family,” Kurt said. “I guess we could put up flyers or call the humane society?”

“Sure. Nobody would be open today, Ill try tomorrow,” Blaine said. “In the mean time, I googled what to feed puppies with no mama and I can get dog formula at the local drugstore. Who knew?”

“Okay, Im fine to stay right here. Go get the poor thing something to eat,” Kurt said, trying to sound reluctant – but his smile told the real story.

“Ill be back in a few...” Blaine said, pulling on his heavy winter jacket. He had on a hat and gloves by the time he was out the door.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

“You sure were gone a long time!” Kurt said as Blaine walked in the door.

“Sorry, I had to go to several places, but I got everything. How is our little boy?” he asked, walking into the bedroom.

Kurt was sitting up in the bed, the puppy asleep in his lap. He was petting it with the sweetest look on his face. Blaine felt butterflies in his stomach seeing the warm compassion Kurt had for the tiny animal. He went back to the kitchen and warmed the bottle of puppy formula, fitting a nipple on the bottle and bringing it back to Kurt.

“I guess we just....show it to him and see if he can figure it out?” Kurt asked, Blaine shrugged.

“We can try....”

He held the bottle down by the puppy as it woke up suddenly, sniffing all around and whining as it tried to find the source of the odor. Blaine squeezed a drop or two from the nipple and held it near the pup. That was all the hint the puppy needed as he grabbed hold of the tiny bottle and began to drink, pushing Kurts leg with his paws as he sucked down the formula. Kurts eyes got big as the pup made short work of the milky substance, then sat back, belched and lay down to fall back asleep.

“Whoa...I think we have a tiger on our hands!” Kurt said, still staring in wonder at the small fluffy animal, now back asleep in his lap.

“Want me to take him back into the kitchen? I bought some puppy-pads to teach him to relieve himself on them. I also got him a soft, warm bed,” Blaine admitted.

“What makes you think hell be here long enough to need those things?” Kurt said, trying to look serious. He failed.

“Ah, yeah...” Blaine laughed.

Kurt closed his eyes. He was so tired from the flu and trying to stay awake to be company for Blaine wasnt working. He fell asleep curled around the small puppy, both so cute in their sleep that Blaine had to take a picture.

Blaine walked around the apartment cleaning. He gathered the dishes from their bedroom and washed them, then made a pot of chicken soup. While the soup simmered, he sat in the bedroom just watching over Kurt. He took the puppy outside for a quick trip to relieve himself, then quickly went back upstairs to be there in case Kurt needed anything. After an hour, Blaine finally fell asleep on the bed next to Kurt – the pup snuggled between them.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

Six weeks later, the puppy felt at home with the boys. They had arranged for the pup to stay with Trents mother during the day and then home again with Kurt and Blaine in the evenings. And he grew...looking more and more like the huge dog in the pictures of Andy and Buddys dog, Buck. The vet had guessed that the puppy was going to grow up to be huge, maybe a St Bernard or mastiff mix. He was golden brown with the fur darkening to black on his face and paws. Lucky for the boys, the puppy was intelligent and learned basic commands quickly.

“Blaine?” Kurt asked one afternoon as they walked to the apartment with the pup on his leash.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it was fate that brought this particular puppy to us?”

Blaine slowed and looked over at his boyfriend.

“Well, maybe? It was kind of strange that he was in the park the day we were looking out the door. Who knows?” Blaine said.

“Do you think he - - ahhhh - - looks like someone?” Kurt asked.

“If you mean does he look like Buck, then yes – I saw that in him, too. The same color, and shaggy hair...and the vet said he was going to be a giant. Yes, it does kind of seem like fate, doesnt it?” Blaine agreed.

“I dont want to test it by naming him Buck, though,” Kurt said, sounding adamant.

“I agree. What did you have in mind?”

“Finn.”

Blaine turned his head quickly in surprise to see a huge grin on Kurts face. He giggled, then let out a huge laugh. Kurt was laughing, too.

“Be serious, Kurt!” Blaine said, rolling his eyes at Kurt.

“Oh...I just have no idea. How about naming him after a place? Like Australia? Or maybe after Dalton? Thats where we met,” Kurt offered.

“Oh, I like that. Lets call him Dalton. Oh, see him pick up his ears when we say it?” Blaine said with enthusiasm. Kurt grinned and leaned over for a quick kiss.

~ ~ ~ KB ~ ~ ~

The second semester came upon them like a tornado. Classes seemed harder, time slower. The Warblers were still meeting and preparing for the Nationals at the end of the school year. It was all happening too fast and Kurt and Blaine were both affected by the extreme stress.

“When do you want to go shopping for our prom outfits?” Kurt asked one morning. Blaine had been up late the night before, reading the chapters in his textbook for his geography class again to be sure he knew the material.

“Cant we just wear something we already have?” he whined, the prospect of going and fitting clothes seemed to be just the last straw.

“No, of course not. We agreed to get new suits, right?” Kurt asked, his feelings hurt. He thought it would be a fun and possibly romantic thing to do.

“I had no idea at the time how packed our schedules would be. Cant we just skip it? You have enough clothes to fill a department store already,” Blaine snapped.

“Well, what business is that of yours? I dont store them in your room!” Kurt snapped right back.

“Oh?” Blaine said, dripping with sarcasm. He opened his side of the large closet and waved a hand in front of the things hung there. Over half were Kurts.

“If thats the way you feel, why didnt you say so sooner? Ill take care of it,” Kurt said, his voice getting quieter. He walked over to the closet, grabbing the offending clothes and taking them out of the closet. He walked to the room they didnt use – the extra bedroom down the hall. It had been used by Buddy and Andy when they lived in the apartment as a sort of decoy so visitors wouldnt know Andy and Buddy slept together. Now Kurt and Blaine used it as a storage room, but it still had a bed in it and Kurt had the idea to move his things in there. He had a short temper and didnt put much thought into what the consequences of his hasty actions might be. Kurt laid the clothes on the bed in that room, then hung them in that closet, one by one. He had to go back numerous times to get more, then the shoes and accessories.

“Kurt, we need to leave now to get to classes on time,” Blaine said, pointing at his watch. Kurt walked by him as if he hadnt spoken. Blaine knew Kurt was just acting out. He was well aware of Kurts short fuse and knew he could bring his love back to his senses tonight after school. In the mean time, he didnt want to be late for school.

“Kurt! We can go over this later – you dont have to move anything. It was just a misunderstanding. Come on, now, we have to go,” Blaine coaxed. Kurt continued to move his things into the other bedroom.

Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurts stubborn attitude. He thought he was used to it, but right now he was thinking Kurt needed a good spanking. He sighed.

“Okay, Ill drive. We dont have time to walk. Come on...” he begged, but Kurt wouldnt so much as look in his direction.

Blaine picked up his wallet and keys, leaving quickly with his jacket half-on as he ran down the stairs. He got in his Jaguar and was gone in a few minutes.

Kurt sat down on his bed. He shook his head, wondering what in the hell had gotten in to him. He wasnt even that upset at not going shopping. He wiped the tears from his eyes and got dressed in his Dalton uniform. He chose to wear the sweater instead of the blazer today, the weather was warming up. He let Dalton, the big puppy, in from the yard and got ready to get to school.

Walking down the stairs, the puppy bounded ahead. He had a leash on and it got tangled in Kurts legs as he tried to control the animal. After locking the apartment door, he turned to walk down the stairs and Dalton jerked on the leash. Kurts feet went out from under him and he fell, head first, down the cement steps. The door to the outside was closed and Dalton yipped when his master wouldnt respond.

Kurt had hit his head hard when he fell, cutting his scalp open. He was bleeding, but didnt know it. He had lost consciousness when his head struck the step.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, why didnt you bring Dalton over today?” Trent asked. His little sister loved the big puppy and had been fussing when Trent left for class.

“Kurt was running late, I guess he was late dropping the dog off, too,” Blaine guessed. He didnt think about it much, his head was wrapped up in the test that was coming next class.

“Wheres your shadow?” Sebastian asked as he passed Blaine in the hall. Seb shared a class with Kurt first period.

“Wasnt he in class this morning?” Blaine asked. Surely Kurt wasnt so irked that he missed class to stay home and pout?

“He wasnt there,” Sebastian said, then hurried down the hall.

Blaine went to biology, a class he shared with Kurt, but the boy wasnt there, either. He stepped into the hall and called Kurt on his cell phone. No answer. Blaine was beginning to get worried – Kurt was never so angry that he wouldnt answer the phone. On the contrary, hed be more likely to answer and list all of Blaines transgressions to him. This wasnt right.

Blaine left the building, running to the student parking lot, but Kurts car was nowhere to be found. He jumped into his Jaguar and sped for home.

In his hurry, Blaine did not pay attention to stop signs or traffic lights. He felt that something was going on, but he didnt know what – just that he had to get home. Now.

It was at the corner two blocks from the apartment that his carelessness caught up with him. He drove past the stop sign without braking as a large truck was coming through. The driver was tired, but he didnt do anything wrong, at least not according to traffic laws. He kept his foot on the accelerator as he entered the intersection. The small sportscar didnt even slow down. It hit the front of his truck with enough speed to roll.

The driver stopped and jumped out of the truck, his cell phone in hand as he dialed 9-1-1 as he ran to the boy that had been thrown from the car.

Trent was worried when he overheard Seb and Blaine in the hallway. It wasnt like Kurt to skip class. Trent had followed Blaine when he left the school, but lost him on the way to his apartment. He went a different way and so missed the wreck. He got to the apartment and saw Kurts Navigator parked on the street. Then he heard Dalton yelping from the street level door.

Opening the door, the dog burst out. Trent was about to catch him when the dog was brought to an abrupt halt. His leash was caught somewhere. Trent pulled the door open wider and looked down to see Kurt lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs. Trent grabbed his phone and dialed 9-1-1 before kneeling down to see how badly Kurt was injured.