He loved waking up early to make sure his classroom was neat and ready for a busy day of learning. He loved getting home well after school had ended to plan his lessons for the next day. He loved organizing field trips, school plays, school bake-sales and parent-teacher conferences.

Blaine filled his life with his work and he was content. He didn't really need much more than knowing he was good at what he did and that he enjoyed doing what he did.

That is, until the day he needed to have a meeting with Aimee's guardian.

Aimee Hudson-Hummel had always been one of Blaine's favourite students. She was slightly precocious, very outspoken and exceptionally bright and this allowed her to make friends easily. She had always been surrounded by a group of excited five-year-olds who looked up to her like she was the head princess or something.

But earlier this year her parents and her older brother had died in a tragic car accident and Aimee hadn't been the same. She was withdrawn, prone to temper tantrums and had started drawing disturbing pictures in class. Blaine was concerned enough to call a meeting.

He didn't really know much about her brother apart from the fact that he was really young, had moved from New York back to Lima to look after her and that his name was Kurt. He didn't know what their home life was like, but he assumed it was adequate. Aimee looked cared for. Still, he had to make sure that everything was okay.

He was running late, but Blaine could forgive that. It was an awkward time of the day and he was sure that Kurt had mentioned something about getting off work early for the meeting. Blaine readjusted the papers on his desk in slightly nervous anticipation and waited. He forced himself not to look at the clock. That would only lead him to frustration and the last thing he wanted to be was frustrated. He knew that he would be dealing with some really raw and sensitive topics and he didn't want his own selfish feelings to taint the way he handled the meeting.

It wasn't too long before there was a knock on the open classroom door. Blaine looked up to see the most gorgeous human being he had ever seen. It wasn't even his looks or what he was wearing (though Blaine silently decided that skinny jeans, tight shirts and boots should be outlawed) but his whole presence. He looked so strong and yet there was an untraceable vulnerability and sadness to the way he held himself. It took several seconds before Blaine could summon up enough self-control to stand up from behind the desk and stretch out a hand in greeting.

"Blaine Anderson, Aimee's teacher," he said with a smile. "Kurt Hummel, I assume?"

"Yeah," replied the man. His voice hadn't been what Blaine was expecting, but this only served to add to the growing list of reasons that he found him attractive. He would have to watch himself in this meeting, lest he say something incredibly stupid.

"Please have a seat," Blaine said, motioning to the chair in front of the desk. Kurt sat down and looked up at Blaine with a look of anxiety that clearly showed how nervous he was about this. The thought broke Blaine's heart slightly. He didn't look much older than himself and he already had all this responsibility to deal with. It was so unfair and yet it was reality.

"Has Aimee done anything wrong?" asked Kurt in a soft voice, pulling Blaine from his thoughts.

"No, there haven't been any major disciplinary issues," he replied, shaking his head, "but I'm not going to lie, Kurt. She's struggling."

Kurt took a deep, steadying breath as if he were preparing himself for the worst.

"She used to be very friendly and excited and now she mostly wants to be on her own. And these are the pictures she's been drawing during colouring hour."

Blaine handed Kurt a pile scrawled drawings the top one of which was of a clearly dead and bleeding dog. He watched as he flipped through them, his face paling with each one.

"I-I had no idea. She... I... we don't talk much at home," said Kurt softly, voice breaking slightly as if he was fighting back strong emotion. "I've tried getting her to talk about things, but the more I do the more she climbs into her shell. I'm just... I'm at my wit's end."

Blaine chose his next words carefully. The last thing he wanted was to offend or upset him.

"Kurt... I can't imagine what both of you must be going through and believe me when I say that I'm deeply sorry for your loss, but the truth is that Aimee needs to be learning and at the moment the raw emotional trauma is making it impossible for her to do that. My advice as an educator would be to take her to a therapist for a few sessions to see what they have to say. With a proper psychological profile we can make sure that Aimee gets the help she needs to help her deal with the things she's feeling. "

Kurt was silent for a moment before speaking.

"I know she needs to talk to someone about all this, but I just can't - can't afford it at the moment. I'm already working two jobs and until I can get someone to manage the tyre shop, I'm going to have to work my ass off just to put food on the table. I had to leave college and not many people are keen on hiring drop-outs."

"I'll pay for it," said Blaine without thinking, surprising even himself.

"Excuse me?" asked Kurt, looking up at Blaine with confusion in his eyes.

"I'll pay for it," Blaine repeated, more sure of himself. "I really care about Aimee, Kurt, and I only have myself to support."

Kurt eyed him suspiciously.

"I know it's not the usually done thing, but please. I want to do this. You said yourself you can't afford it. Just... let me do this for you both."

They stared at each other for a moment or two until Kurt's expression softened.

"I'll think about it," he said softly, his face not betraying any emotion.

"Take your time. Just please... it's important to make sure that Aimee gets the help that she needs."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr Anderson," Kurt said, as he got up from his seat.

"You can call me Blaine," he said, with a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood slightly. An expression crossed Kurt's face that could have almost been a smile.

"I'd prefer to call you Mr Anderson," he said before leaving the classroom.

Blaine sat back in his chair wondering what had just happened. Clearly he was very attracted to one of his student's guardians, which could only lead to disaster. Still, he couldn't help but feel a slight thrill at the fact that he now knew someone like Kurt existed.

Kurt sighed as he pulled into the driveway later that afternoon. The ache of the day that he had just lived through was beginning to set in and to add to the growing list of worries he already had, Aimee hadn't said a word the entire car ride home.

He knew the pain. He knew that it was the one of hardest things that a child could go through. And he also knew that she had lost two parents and a brother and that to her is must seem like her whole world had come to an end.

He had vowed from the moment he heard about the accident, that he would be strong for her. He would keep it together for her. So he had moved back to Lima, he had found a minimum wage job that would pay the bills, had found another one when that one hadn't been enough and he kept himself going. He kept moving because if he stopped he knew that he would fall apart and that was the last thing that he could let happen.

He stopped the car and pulled the key out of the ignition, but he stayed in the same position in his car seat.

"Aims, you know that I'm trying, right?" he asked, looking up from the steering wheel to the tiny brunette girl in the passenger's seat. Aimee looked back at him with big brown eyes and nodded. "Look, it sucks, but we're all we have right now. I know I'm not mom or dad, but I'm trying the best I can to be the best big brother I can be. I just... I need you to help me out."

Aimee's head dropped to her chest.

"I just miss them so much, Kurt," she said, tears falling into her lap. Kurt unclipped her safety belt and pulled her onto the seat next to him, holding her tightly. Hot tears stung behind his eyes. "I miss them too, hon."

They stayed that way until Aimee's sobbing had calmed to small sniffs.

"I went to speak to Mr Anderson today," said Kurt softly. Aimee sat up suddenly.

"I haven't done anything wrong, I swear! Mr Anderson always tells me I'm the quietest mouse! Please don't be angry with me, Kurt."

Fresh tears were brimming in her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Her anxiety would be humorous if the scene wasn't so heartbreaking.

"Don't worry, Aims, you're not in trouble," said Kurt, stroking her hair. "He just said that he's seen that school has been difficult for you lately and that he wants you to talk to someone who will help you with your sad feelings."

"Like a doctor?" asked Aimee.

"Exactly like a doctor," said Kurt with a small smile. "Mr Anderson says that if you talk to someone about what you're feeling, you might be able to have fun at school again. What do you think?"

Aimee didn't say anything, but gave Kurt a tight bear hug.

"Love you, Kurt," she whispered, before scrambling out the car and heading to the front door with her Dora the Explorer backpack slung over her shoulder.

Kurt followed her and let them both inside. From the moment they crossed the threshold their usual routine began as if nothing in the car had happened. Aimee watched The Little Mermaid for the millionth time while Kurt made dinner which they ate in silence. Then Aimee got ready for bed, Kurt read her a bedtime story, kissed her on her head as she sleepily said "goodnight, Kurt", and he forced himself to not just collapse on the couch, but to drag himself upstairs, shower, moisturize and climb into bed.

Aimee's teacher kept popping into his thoughts all evening. He couldn't understand why he would be so set on paying for her therapy sessions. He knew that there were kind-hearted people in the world, but he had just met him. Most people in Lima took one look at him and treated him like shit. It was safe to say that Kurt was more than a little nervous about this situation.

At the same time, it had been nice to be smiled at by a good-looking man more or less his age. Even if he was just a Lima preschool teacher.