“It’s good to see you again.” Kurt said.  Rachel cried harder at hearing the sound of his voice. She ran to give him a hug, but went right through right through him.  Rachel shivered, then let out a loud sob.  She cried as the truth of the situation hit her like a brick. Kurt was dead.  He had died an awful death. “I’m so sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”

Rachel looked longingly at Kurt.  She opened her mouth to say something else, but babbled hysterically. “Kurt! Oh god Kurt!” She cried. “Someone leaked the crime scene photos, or maybe Jacob Ben Israel stole them.  He still denies it, but it was all over his blog.”  Rachel babbled as she rubbed her eyes.  “Everyone knows what happened. Oh Kurt!” She cried. “How could they do this to you!” She sobbed.   “We all missed you.  Nothing’s the same without you.”

 “It wasn’t your fault, Rachel.”  Kurt said.  “There wasn’t anything you could have done.”

“But I was so horrible to you-”

“Really, Rachel. It wasn’t your fault.  You couldn’t have known what was going to happen that night, and was just as horrible back.  We were competitive, that’s just how we were.”

Rachel nodded as she tried to hold back tears.

“But I need your help crossing over.  Something’s keeping me here, and I don’t know what.”  Kurt told her.

“But you can stay here though.   We can all come and see you.”  Rachel looked back at Blaine.  “If Blaine doesn’t mind.”  All the thoughts Rachel had of helping Kurt cross over faded. After all, it was like she had just gotten him back, she didn’t want him to go so soon.

“I can’t stay here Rachel.  My mother’s waiting for me.  And there are other ghosts here.  They’ve been here a long time, and if I stay too long, I’ll be just like them.   I don’t want that.”

“Really?”  Blaine was surprised.  “There are other ghosts here?”

“A construction worker died here, when this house was still being built.  The family that lived here before me had a little boy that died.  And there’s some old lady here too.”  Kurt said.  “None of them want to talk all that much though.” Kurt remembered.

Kurt, newly dead ghost tried to figure out what to do.  No one could see him.  The police came by and his body was carried out.  Then suddenly he saw a man walk through a wall.  Another ghost.

“Hey!”  Kurt called out to him.  “What am I supposed to do?”  The ghost didn’t answer him.

Kurt tried again.  “How did you die?”  The ghost still didn’t answer.  Kurt sighed.  He wondered if he would eventually be like him—a wandering spirit.  He noticed the ghost could move around the house, while he couldn’t leave his room.

Over time, he noticed two other ghosts.  An old lady and a little boy.  Neither of them spoke either.  But he noticed them do things.  Moving objects, and touching people.  He eventually got the hang of interacting with the living, from watching them.

“They don’t show themselves to the living that much.  They don’t need to.  But we rarely ever interact with each other.  They’re extremely bitter, I guess from staying here too long.  I just don’t want to end up like them.”

“Creepy.”  Blaine said.  “I’ll never be comfortable sleeping here again.”  He didn’t mind having Kurt around, but the thought of other dead people constantly around him…

“What’s it like? Being a ghost?”  Rachel questioned.  Blaine raised an eyebrow.  What the hell kind of question? “I-I mean, I’ve always wanted to know, and you’re here. I can’t be that different from being alive, can it?” Rachel sputtered. 

Kurt gave her a sad look.  “That woman who wrote Harry Potter, she kind of had it right.  It’s like there’s a veil.  But I can’t get to it.  And I hear voices coming from behind it.  I hear my mother all the time.  But I can’t get to her.  I’ve been wanting to see her again so much, but I can’t reach her!”

Blaine cleared his throat.  “Rachel, Kurt needs to know what happened after he died, so he can figure out why he’s still here.” 

“What happened to my dad?”

Rachel sighed.  “No one knows.  He sold the shop, and left town after the funeral.  He couldn’t step foot in this house after what happened.  But I don’t know where he went.”  Rachel thought for a moment.  “He did shoot Karofsky, though.”

At Kurt’s look, Rachel said, “No, no! He didn’t kill him!  Karofsky won’t be walking ever again but he lived… And he didn’t go to jail. Your father, I mean. The judge let him off, considering the circumstances.”

Kurt looked relieved.  At least his dad wasn’t in jail.  Rachel stared at the spot where she knew Kurt died. 

“Are they in jail now?”  Blaine asked her.  “The guys that hurt Kurt?”

“Karofsky went to prison for murder and rape.  There was no question.  But the others, they got let off easily.  Just probation and community service.”  Kurt’s face turned stormy and the air went colder.  “But they were expelled!” Rachel added, sensing Kurt’s distress.

“What? I’m dead and they get to stay out of prison? For my murder?!”  Blaine’s bedside lamp began to crack.  Blaine tried to sooth him. “Kurt, it’s unfair, I know, but calm down-”

“Blaine, the only comfort that I had after they did what they did, was that I would get justice.” Kurt hissed.  “They made my life a living end all the way to the bitter end, and they were just as responsible for my death.  They’re still alive, right?” Kurt asked Rachel.  She nodded.  “Then if my dad is still alive, he hasn’t gotten to them yet.  I guess that’s my unfinished business.”

“I thought revenge wasn’t your thing.” Blaine said.

“It’s not, but I don’t want my father to be a murderer.  And I know my dad well.  He hasn’t gotten the chance yet, but he will make sure they die horribly.  And he’ll probably kill himself after. I’m dead, he’s not, and I can’t let him die.”

“But how?”  Blaine asked, trying to push away feelings of jealousy.  He doubted his own father would go as far as to avenge him if died.  “You can’t even leave here.” 

“I’m a ghost. There has to be a way.  The other ghosts don’t stick around in one space.”  Kurt replied. 

“What about Finn?” Rachel asked. 

“What about him?”

“He didn’t do anything to help.  He just let that happen to you!”

“Rachel, you aren’t blaming him for my death, are you?”

“He should have done something!”

“You can’t blame him, Rachel. It wasn’t his fault.  He was confused, and terrified.  So he froze.  It happens to all of us.  Of course, he picked the worst time to freeze, but you have to remember… Finn’s just a kid.  Just like you.” Kurt made sure Rachel understood.

“How is he? Finn?”  Kurt asked.  Rachel bit her lip.  “I… I don’t know.  I stopped talking to him.  We all did.  We were just so angry.  I see him at school sometimes.  He quit glee club.  Well we made him quit.  He mostly keeps to himself.”

“I need to see him.”  Kurt said.  “I can’t imagine what he must be feeling now.  He watched everything… he must feel so guilty… just get him to come here.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”  Rachel told him.

“Does he have anyone at all?”

Rachel shook her head.  “Mr. Shue and Ms. Pilsberry tried to talk to him a few times, but he kept pushing them away.  If there was anyone else, then I don’t know.  I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him though,” she said, at Kurt’s look.  “I’ll make it right.”

Kurt sighed “What about you guys?  How are you being treated at school?”

“Better.  The main people that picked on us are out of the school… and after… everyone saw the photos, of what happened to you. The school cracks down on bullying now.  I guess everyone feels sorry for us.  It’s gotten better, I suppose.” Rachel replied.

“They have posters of you everywhere.” Blaine remembered.  “You know, to prevent more bullying.”

“They make us all go to counseling.  We all needed it.” Rachel sais.

“Well, at least some good came out of my death.” Kurt said.  “I just need to find some way to get out of here.”

“But how?”  Blaine asked.  “Those other ghosts won’t help you.  As much as we’d like to help, there isn’t much we can do.  Neither of us knows how ghosts work.  What are you going to do?”

“I suppose it’s something I have to learn new, like everything else.”

Kurt didn’t know how much time passed by since he died.  It was probably only a day or two, but it felt like years.  Then one day Rachel came by.  She sat on his bed, and stared at the spot where he died.  He tried to get her attention.

“You’re doing it wrong.” Kurt turned around, and saw that the little boy was talking to him.  “You aren’t alive anymore.  Stop trying to think so much, it’s useless now.”

Stop trying to think? What sense did that make?  Kurt was about to yell at the boy when he noticed Rachel looking at him, pale and trembling.

“G-ghost!”  She screeched as she ran away.

Rachel sniffed at the memory. “Well you surprised me then, appearing out of nowhere.”

“That was the only time he talked to me.  Maybe if the kid feels generous enough, he might teach me something else.”

“Tina might be able to help.”  Rachel said.  “She’s the main one spreading crazy theories about your death.”

“What theories?”  Kurt asked, puzzled.

“Well today, she and the rest of the glee club seemed to think that Blaine was somehow linked to you, and was going to die as well.” Rachel stated.  Kurt gave Blaine a concerned look.  “But I’m sure it isn’t true!”  Rachel backtracked.

“What about my dad?”

“I’ll ask around.” Rachel said.  “I can ask my dads too.  They weren’t close, but your dad came by a few times before you died, to ask them questions.  For you.”

“Really? You never told me that.”

Rachel looked at Kurt apologetically.  “You know how I was back then.  I’m sorry it took your death to realize that the world doesn’t center on me.”

“Your dad really loved you.”  She added. 

**

After Rachel left, Blaine thought about Kurt’s life.  He tried not to be jealous over Kurt’s father, but it was difficult.  His own father wouldn’t have cared even half as much as Kurt’s father did.  But he quickly realized that there was nothing envious about Kurt’s situation.  He died in a most gruesome way, and even after death still couldn’t get any peace. 

As he sat down for dinner, he asked his mother, “Did you know there was a murder here?”

His mother frowned.  “Yes.” She nodded.  “It’s why the house was so cheap.  I was hoping you wouldn’t find out about that. The way that boy died…it was so horrible.”

“Yeah I know.”  Blaine agreed. 

“It was all over the news, after it happened.  It… what happened to this boy… it really scared your father.  He was terrified the same thing might happen to you.  That’s why he’s been distancing himself from you.”

Blaine looked at his mother incredulously. “So, he kicked us to the curb because he’s scared I might die?”

His mother nodded.  “Well screw him.” He shrugged. “What an asshole.”  His mother laughed.

**

Kurt wistfully listened to Blaine and his mother laughing. He heard own mother’s distant call.   As friendly as Blaine was, and as nice it was to see Rachel again, Kurt just wanted nothing more than to leave, and be with his mother again.  He sighed gloomily.  He hated his situation.

“If I show you how to leave this room, will you stop moaning?”  Kurt turned and the little ghost boy again.  He motioned Kurt to follow him.  He point to Blaine’s bookshelf.  “Behind that wall.”

Kurt phased through the bookshelf and the wall, and embedded into the plaster was a sequin.  Kurt recognized it from the outfit he wore the night he died.

“You have to get it out from there.” The boy appeared next to him.  “That was what you were holding when you died.”  Kurt remembered that.   He tried to touch it, but his hand phased through.  He looked at the boy for instruction. 

The boy huffed and showed him how to remove the object.  After a bit of trying, and putting a hole in Blaine’s book shelf, Kurt finally got it out.

“There you go. That’s not stuck here, so you aren’t either.  But this was where you died, so you’ll keep coming back here.  Now will you stop whining? And don’t talk to the living so much; it’s not good for them.”  Kurt was going to ask what he meant but the boy was already gone.

So he wasn’t tied to one spot anymore.  He knew where he wanted to go first.

**

 Finn sighed as he heated up his dinner.  His mother said she had another late shift, but he knew she was trying to avoid him.  She spent less and less time around him these days.

Suddenly the air around him got a little chillier.  He must have left a window open, he thought.

“Hello Finn.”

Finn dropped his plate.