Burt Hummel was never quick on his feet. In fact, if you had asked anyone he knew, they would laugh kindheartedly and say that he was dumb, but always had the best intentions. His heart was always in the right place, and when something really mattered to him, he put himself into it 100 percent. That's why, on a cold September night, Burt Hummel was rushing his wife, Elizabeth, to the Midwife as she screamed in pain. The child was not due for another two months, yet there Burt was, frantic at the thought of his wife giving birth.

Truthfully, Burt was close to clueless as to how he was to raise a child, but that was not going to stop him from getting this baby delivered safely. The Hummels came from very little money, and had practically nothing to their name. But what they did have was unconditional love, and that was always enough for them.

As Elizabeth birthed the child, Burt became worried and his mind was flooded with questions. What if the child had some sort of dysfunction? What if it was born ill and did not make it to the next morning? The questions made Burt lightheaded until he heard a piercing cry fill the room. He moved to Elizabeth's side quickly as the Midwife carried his baby away.

"It's a boy, sir. He is very small, but he seems healthy enough," the Midwife explained to Burt as she handed the child to Elizabeth.

"He's absolutely perfect," Elizabeth breathed as tears slid down her face. She looked up to Burt to gauge his reaction. What she found was the strongest man she had ever met with tears streaming down his face as well.

"My son. My perfect son," Burt whispered. Bending down, he kissed the top of his son's head.

"Excuse me, Elizabeth? What are you to name the child?" questioned the Midwife as she smiled to the crying couple.

"Kurt. I want to name him Kurt."

"My perfect son, Kurt. I promise you, boy, I will give you everything in life. No matter what, you will be happy. I promise you that much," Burt again whispered, seeming to speak more to himself than to the newborn.

The pair took their child back home, and as Elizabeth lay to rest, Burt held onto Kurt gently, not trusting himself with such a small baby. He checked every detail of Kurt. Two arms, two legs, ten fingers and toes, and two eyes, blue like his own. The boy was even growing a beautiful head of chestnut brown hair, the same as Elizabeth's. Burt stayed up that entire night, smiling down at his boy. He may have been very tiny, but he was a Hummel, and Burt knew he would grow to be very strong, in one way or another.

Six years later, Elizabeth came down with a very mild cold. She thought nothing of it and continued her work as a flower shop keeper, interacting with others each day. She could feel herself getting worse but did not allow it to slow her down. If there was one thing Elizabeth was, it was definitely not lazy.

On a late afternoon as she was going to pick Kurt up from a friend's home, she collapsed in the village's square. She was taken to the town's apothecary, but he could not do much. She had let her sickness spread, and the village was not equipped with the correct medicines to treat her. Burt got news of her collapse and left his stables, rushing to visit her. The apothecary informed him that she did not have much time left, and that her breathing was getting rougher.

"Make sure that Kurt knows I love him. Never ever let him forget that," Elizabeth choked out with uneven breath.

"I promise. Kurt will always know love," Burt said. "He will always know love because you taught him right. You taught us both right."

Elizabeth's coughs got rougher and she looked up to Burt with a smile on her lips. Burt always remembered that she died gracefully, just as she lived. She was the image of perfection and had left him a child that soon became his everything. Every step of Kurt's life, Burt was there to encourage him and protect him. The night that Kurt came in crying at the young age of 13 years old and confessed to him a secret that had been weighing on his mind for months prior, that he was in fact a homosexual and that he did not mean for it to happen, Burt just held onto him. No, he wasn't exactly happy, but this was his son. Burt vowed to love Kurt for everything that he was, and Burt was not a liar.

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Present

Kurt walked through the village as he had every day before for 18 years. Lima never changed, no matter how much time passed. The villagers were the same (give or take a few new children), the shops were the same, and the looming feeling of being trapped was always the same. Kurt Hummel knew there was more to life than hanging around here, but he also knew there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it.

His father had very little money as it was. Every week though, when Kurt was meant to be buying food, he took a very small portion of the money and kept it in his dream jar. He always made sure there was enough food for his father, though, even if it meant eating very little himself. But Kurt had always been smaller than the other boys, so it was not as if anyone would notice.

Growing up, Kurt had always been made fun of, for his looks, for his voice, and for his overall demeanor. He was called feminine more than once, along with words of a more colorful choosing, and had cried himself to sleep for it for years. When Kurt had come to the realization that he was in fact gay, he was ashamed of himself. He felt that he was put under a curse and that he was meant to live his life with pain. Most of all though, Kurt had been terrified to tell his father. What if this man, his hero and his everything, turned him away? Kurt did not think he could bear it.

But one evening, when he was taking a very good look at himself, he realized that he could not change things. He also trusted his father to at least be civil. Telling Burt was the scariest thing he had ever done in his life. But Burt pulled him in and told him that he was loved, no matter what.

All his life, Kurt had had one friend. Her name was Rachel and she was, quite honestly, more strange that even he was. But one thing they had always shared was ambition paired with big dreams. Rachel made it a mantra to exclaim that she was going to become a famous singer, no matter what she had to do to make it happen. Kurt's dreams were smaller. He just wanted to escape this God-forsaken village.

Though Rachel was weird, she was his entire world, and the only other person apart from his father to know of his sexuality. She told him that she completely understood, and that if she had ever found a woman whom she could love, she saw nothing wrong with expressing that love.

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Kurt reached the small cottage he shared with his father and made his way to his bed, not even bothering to say hello to Burt. He was too tired for that evening. He lay himself down without bothering to remove his boots. Just as he was about to doze off into slumber, he heard a loud tap at his window. Glancing up, he saw Rachel's face. She was saying something animatedly that Kurt could not hear. Reluctantly moving to his window, he opened it to hear Rachel's rant mid-sentence.

" -and it would be absolutely perfect if you would join me!" Rachel exclaimed cheerily with her eyes bright.

"Join you for what, again?" Kurt questioned, a smile playing on his lips.

"The stars are falling and I found a spot where they look absolutely breath taking. And I would really love it if you would come with me to watch them."

"Aww Rachel, I was just about to... Alright. Don't look at me like I just slaughtered your family."

"Bring blankets! I'll meet you at your front door!" Rachel called as she turned and vanished around the corner.

Kurt gathered as many blankets as he had and met her outside. They walked to a grassy hill on the very edge of the village and Kurt had to admit, the sky was beautiful. The stars gleamed and every so often, he would catch one in the corner of his eye and then it would be gone in an instant.

"Make a wish!" Rachel said as she shut her eyes tight and sucked in a large breath. Kurt laughed but played along, shutting his eyes tight and holding his breath as well.

I wish that I could get out of this village. I just want to know the reason I'm alive, and I know that I can't find that reason in Lima.

Kurt let out his breath and opened his eyes to find Rachel dancing among the flowers at the base of the hill. He laughed and rose to join her. They danced and sang together late into the night until the stars stopped falling.