Staying in Lima, Ohio had never been in Kurt Hummel’s plans. He’d planned on getting out and getting as far away from this small town as he possibly could. He’d planned on going to New York and becoming a famous fashion designer.

But then Burt had gotten sick, had another heart attack and passed away. Enter one Sebastian Smythe, who despite his horrific attitude and conceited nature, belonged to a rather rich family and could help take care of Kurt and his grandmother. He could help make sure that they kept the kennel that Kurt’s grandmother loved so much, and ensure that neither of them ever had to worry about money again.

Sebastian still worked for a living. He was the Sheriff in Lima and everyone knew who he was and this meant that everyone knew who Kurt was as well. They’d been married young, just after graduation. Kurt had wanted to wait but Sebastian’s family had seen no point in delaying what they thought was inevitable.

So Kurt and Sebastian were married when they were 19, the ceremony taking place in New York so that everything was legal. When they were 20, the Smythe’s decided that they wanted grandchildren. Kurt had tried to put it off, saying they had plenty of time to have children and make a life together, but his request had gone unheard. At 21, Kurt’s friend Rachel Berry had given birth to a little girl that Kurt named Ellie Rose Hummel-Smythe. Ellie after Kurt’s mom Elizabeth, and Rose after his grandmother.

Seven years and a nasty divorce later, Kurt found himself a single father helping his grandmother with her kennel. It wasn’t the life Kurt had always dreamt of, far from it. But if there was one thing no one could deny about Kurt Hummel, it was how big his heart was.

Kurt finishes up with the dog he’s washing, shaking his head when he jumps down and disappears towards where his grandmother is. He wipes his hands on his pants and heads out of the barn.

There’s someone standing on the other side, a man and a dog. Before Kurt knows what he’s doing he’s dropping down on one knee and holding his palm flat for the dog to smell.

“That’s a good dog,” Kurt coos, scratching behind her ears. “Good dog, yes you are.”

The man clears his throat, and Kurt looks up at him before he climbs to his feet. He has dark curly hair and brown eyes with little flecks of gold in them.

“Sorry about that,” says Kurt. “It’s become a bad habit. Introducing myself to the dog before the person. Kurt Hummel,” he sticks out his hand for the man to take.

“My name's Blaine. Blaine Anderson. This is Libby. Short for Liberty. It’s nice to meet you,” Blaine says as he shakes Kurt’s hand. “I’m actually here because-”
The phone Kurt’s been carrying around with him decides at that moment to ring, so Kurt smiles in apology and gestures for Blaine to follow him into the office.

“Hi Ms. Holiday? Yes I can’t wait to have…” Kurt trails off as he flips open the office schedule. “Georgie in for a few days. She’ll be well taken care of, I promise. Okay, have a good evening Ms. Holiday. Bye!”

Kurt jots down a quick note before he looks back up at Blaine. “So, are you here to drop Libby off for a few days because you’re going out of town?”

Blaine smiles a little and shakes his head. “No, actually. I just got off the road.”

“Oh, from where? I hear the transportation is ridiculous with tourists around here,” Kurt says.

“Actually I came from Westerville. I walked,” Blaine shrugs. “I like to walk.”

“You walked to Lima from Westerville,” Kurt states.

“That’s almost a 10 hour walk.”

“Well, like I said. I like to walk,” Blaine replies, reaching down to pet Libby.

“So, Blaine, tell me. What brings you to Lima?” Kurt asks, leaning on the counter on his hands.

Blaine reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a green case. He flips it open, his gaze lifting to look at Kurt. “I came here because-”

“Oh! You saw the ad, didn’t you? The ad for help. It’s not much. We’d just need you to pick stuff up, take dogs for walks, give them baths, that sort of thing,” Kurt grabs the clipboard and flips it over, placing a pen on top of it. “Do you have experience with dogs other than Libby? What did you do before you started.. well, walking?”

Blaine picks up the pen and pulls the clipboard closer. “I was a Marine.”

Kurt licks his lips and pulls the clipboard back, the sudden uncomfortable twisting in his gut making him want to be sick. “You don’t need to fill this out. I’m going to go and talk to my grandmother and I’ll be right back.”

He quickly walks around the counter, shooting a fake smile Blaine’s way before exiting the office and closing the door behind him. He walks straight over to the training area where his grandmother, Rose is trying to get a dog to go up the stairs.

“Grandma! I need your help,” Kurt yells, and Rose drops the leash. Kurt watches as the dog runs and jumps over the fence, heading towards the barn.

Rose wipes at her forehead as she walks over to Kurt. “What’s going on, sunshine?”

“There’s a guy here, and he’s applying for the job that we put in the paper,” Kurt says, waving his hands.

“Okay.. and isn’t that what we want? Isn’t that why we paid for the ad to be put in the paper, so someone would apply?” Rose asks, clearly confused.

Kurt looks back over his shoulder. “He’s crazy, grandma. There’s something not right about him. Just make him go, okay?”

He watches as Rose walks towards the building and leans against the wooden fence as he waits. Five minutes later she’s on her way back, and Blaine’s walking down the road.

“How did you get rid of him?” Kurt asks, squinting in the sunlight.

Rose smiles and pulls on her gloves. “I gave him the job.”