Part 1: Chapter 2- Daddy's Home

"That was a wonderful meal, ladies," Burt sat back in his seat at the Anderson's dinner table. "I can't tell you the last time I had a good home cooked meal."

"It was all Ella," Jeanette doted on her. "I could burn water on a stove," they all laughed.

"Come on, Kurt, I'll show you my box cars," Blaine took Kurt's hand enthusiastically and started to lead him away.

"Blaine...manners," Jeanette reminded him. Blaine said a silent 'oh' and sat back in his seat. "Momma, may Kurt and I be excused to go play in my room?"

"You may," Jeanette smiled and nodded. Blaine resumed dragging Kurt, who giggled behind his hand at the exchange, and led him up the stairs to his room.

"That boy...he's a precocious little thing," Jeanette shook her head.

"Well, he's struck a chord with Kurt. I haven't seen him smile so much since his mother got sick," Burt ran a hand over his bald head.

"If you don't mind me asking, Burt...what happened?"

"They said it was natural, but she had been feeling pretty sick for a few weeks. About a week or so ago, I came home from work..." he swallowed hard. "Kurt was sitting with her on the couch, shaking her and screaming at her...she said she would be ok to watch him for a while..."

Burt sniffed and straightened up. "My mother lives just outside of town and said we should be close by, so we packed up and moved down here. The kid hasn't said two words since she died, but your kid seems to be getting through to him."

Jeanette wiped her eyes and covered Burt's hand with hers. "Well, if you two ever need anything, you just let us know. My husband is due home any day now from Korea and I'm sure he'd agree."

Burt nodded. "Thank you. We're gonna be ok, though. Kurt's tough like his mom. He's gonna keep me going. We should really get home."

Jeanette led him up to Blaine's room to find the two boys lying facing each other long ways on their stomachs on the floor, pushing two little wooden cars around,
Blaine making engine noises and commentating some sort of race they seemed to be having. The little car crashed into the corner of the rug and Blaine made an explosion noise, rolling over on his back with his tongue sticking out. Kurt laughed, his face turning scarlett from laughing so hard.

"Kurt, buddy, it's time to go home."

"Do we have to, Daddy?" Kurt whined.

"'Fraid so. You and Blaine can play tomorrow, though, if that's alright with Mrs. Anderson."

"Kurt's always welcome," Jeanette smiled. Kurt sighed and he and Blaine stood up off the floor.

"See ya tomorrow?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Sure," Kurt smiled and followed his father down the stairs.

With a final thank you for the dinner, Burt and Kurt headed out of the house. Blaine let his mother brush his teeth and changed his pajamas after Ella went home for the night.

"So did you and Kurt have fun today?"

"Yeah, we raced cars and built a house and...uh oh!" Blaine hopped off the bed before his mother could finish buttoning his pajama shirt and picked up the china doll Kurt had brought over. "Kurt left this over here."

"Oh, well, I'm sure you could give it to him tomorrow," Jennete felt a little confused as to why a seven year old boy would own a doll.

"Yeah, I guess. He really likes it. He didn't put it down all day," Blaine fiddled with the brown hair framing the doll's face. Jennete finished dressing Blaine and tucked him in. With a kiss goodnight, she picked up the doll and placed it on Blaine's nightstand and flicked off the lamp.

Blaine lay in the bed, remembering all the fun he had with Kurt that day and thinking about how his heart would hurt every time he took Kurt's hand. Blaine knew what love was- or what his mother had described it as. Love was when you looked at somebody and your hands would get all sweaty and you would get butterflies in your stomach. Blaine also knew that he was supposed to love girls. When he was around Kurt, however, he felt all of those things his mother would use to describe love.

Blaine turned his head and looked at the doll on his nightstand. He reached over and took it, holding it to his chest and breathing in. The doll's clothes smelled like apples. A lot like Kurt. Blaine's eyes finally slid closed and, with Kurt's doll clutched to his chest, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

"MOMMA!"

Burt startled awake at the sound of his son screaming down the hall in his room. He slid out of bed and hurried toward Kurt's room to find the little boy thrashing in his sheets, shaking and muttering for his mother to wake up. It wasn't a new sight. It had happened far too often since they lost Kathryn.

"Kurt, son, wake up," Burt gently pulled his son to his chest, stroking his hair comfortingly. Kurt continued to whimper and sob, shoving against Burt in his half-consiousness.

"Daddy, Momma won't wake up-"

"It's just a dream, bud. Sssh, calm down," Burt bit back his own tears while he rubbed his son's back to calm him down. Kurt finally eased his heavy breathing, but he cried for almost 30 minutes, quietly begging his mother to come back.

"Why can't she come back, Daddy? I want her to come back."

"I know, Kurt, I know," Burt kissed Kurt's head and pulled him tight to his chest. "I wish she could, too, but she's in Heaven. Remember? Pastor Lawrence told you that God was ready for her to be an angel, so she had to go."

"Heaven doesn't need her! I do!"

"You'll understand one day, Kurt, I promise."

"I can't find her doll, Daddy. I told her I would take care of it and I lost it," Kurt started to cry a little harder, looking around on his bed for the china doll.

"We'll find it tomorrow, Kurt, I swear. You need to get some sleep." Burt kissed Kurt's head and picked him up in his arms, carrying him down the hall while he sniffled and clutched at Burt's t-shirt. He lay him down on the bed and climbed in with him.

"I'm right here, buddy. I'm not gonna go anywhere. I'll never leave you, I promise," he chanted to his son as he trembled against his chest. "I love you, Kurt."

"Love you, too, Daddy," he answered smally. Even after Kurt finally settled down and fell asleep, Burt lay awake, tears streaming down his face.

"Why'd you have to go, Kathy?" he asked into the open room over his son's even breaths. "I can't do this alone."

"Ok, so you take the worm and you put it on the hook," Blaine stuck his tongue between his lips in concentration, demonstrating how to easily stick the hook into the wriggling worm between his fingers. Two weeks into their new-found friendship found Blaine and Kurt as thick as theives. They played together every day while Burt went to town to find work. They practically lived outside in the front yard or down by the river.

"Gross," Kurt wrinkled his nose. "You're gonna kill it?"

"Well, you gotta to catch a fish," Blaine said obviously. They were down the street on the bank of the river, huddled over a hook attatched to one of Blaine's fishing poles. Ella sat at the top of the hill in a chair with a paper fan, watching in amusement.

"Um...I think I'll just watch you do it," Kurt grimaced as Blaine finally ran the hook through the red worm and made a victorious noise.

"It's real easy," Blaine stood up and wriggled his toes in readiness. He held the cane pole in his hands and tossed the line out into the water. "Now, you see the cork? You gotta watch it 'cuz when it goes under the water, you gotta yank back to catch the fish on it."

"And it's fun?"

"Really fun! 'Specially when you get a big one. Ooh ooh, look!" Blaine lowered his voice and pointed at the cork bobbing up and down. "It's probably a brim. They usually play with it. That's what Daddy says, at least."

Kurt watched closely as the cork started to bob a little heavier and suddenly, it disappeared. Blaine pulled back on the pole and the line went tight. Out of the water leapt a small brim, still wiggling and fighting to get off the hook.

"I got one, Ella!" Blaine laughed and called up the hill to the maid. "See?"

"Wow...that was pretty neat," Kurt laughed.

"You wanna try?" Blaine asked, handing the pole to Kurt. After a couple of misses, Kurt finally snagged another small brim, earning a cheer from Ella and Blaine.

"When Daddy gets back, maybe he can take us to the big lake and we can camp out," Blaine helped Kurt get the wriggling fish off the hook.

"When is he coming back?" Kurt asked. Blaine shrugged.

"I don't know...Momma said he was still with the army but they sent a letter home saying he was gonna come home soon."

"Gee...I've never met a soldier before," Kurt said curiously. He had seen them on the news and at Christmas parades. He always thought they were like superheros.

After a few more catches, Ella helped them pack up the tackle box and they walked back to Blaine's. In the driveway was Blaine's mother's car and a car Kurt had never seen before.

"Daddy!" Blaine ran toward the house, almost dropping his tackle box. Sure enough, when Kurt and Ella got up to the porch, a man in a green uniform was smiling and hugging Blaine in his arms.

"You've gotten so big," John ruffled Blaine's curls. "I'm gonna have to put a brick on your head to keep you from growing."

Blaine giggled and hugged his dad again. Jeanette walked back in from the kitchen, seeing the forced smile on her husband's face.

"John, the shop closes in two hours. We better get a move on," she touched his shoulder. He jumped a little, but let out a breath and nodded.

"You're coming back, right, Daddy?" Blaine asked, almost bouncing on his toes.

"Yeah, I am," he nodded. "Be good for Ella, ok? Oh," he noticed Kurt standing in the door with Ella. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh! That's Kurt. He lives across the street. He's never met a soldier before," Blaine ran over and pulled Kurt inside. "Kurt, this is my daddy."

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," he took in the boy's too-tidy clothes. "You been keeping Blaine busy?"

"Yes, sir," he answered softly.

"Well, I gotta get going. I'll see you later, kiddo," he ruffled Blaine's hair again and he and Jeanette walked out to the car.

Ella humphed and headed into the kitchen, leaving the two boys in the living room.

"Your daddy is nice," Kurt turned back to Blaine, whose smile was bright and wide.

"I missed him a lot. Maybe I'll ask him later to take us camping. You'll have so much fun!"

Kurt giggled and let Blaine lead him back outside to the front yard.

The next day, after begging his weary father to let him go over to Blaine's, he straightened his suspenders and headed across the street carrying his model airplane. He and Blaine hadn't quite finished it the day before, but he stayed up past his bedtime to glue the wings on and was very excited to try it out. When he got to the screen door, he knocked three times and waited for Ella to come and answer the door.

No answer came.

Kurt furrowed his brow and tried again. Almost immediately, the screen flew open and he stepped back quickly to avoid being hit.

"What?" Blaine's father leaned against the door frame. He looked worn out and smelled strongly of the rubbing alcohol Kurt's dad used on him when he fell and scraped his knees.

"I was coming to play with Blaine, sir," Kurt answered politely, his voice shaking a little at John's abruptness.

"Blaine can't play today. He's in trouble."

Kurt was confused. Blaine never got in trouble before.

"Oh...ok. When can he come play?"

"Hell if I know, now head back home," he slurred and shut the door harshly. Kurt jumped, his eyes burning a little with unshed tears. Blaine's father had seemed so nice the day before when he met him. With slumped shoulders, Kurt turned and slowly headed back down the steps.

"Pssst," he heard from up above him. He turned and saw Blaine poking his head out through his bedroom window.

"What did you do?" Kurt asked, keeping his voice down.

"I don't know...I promise I'll try to come play tomorrow," Blaine answered sadly. Kurt had never seen Blaine look so defeated...so sad.

"I finished our plane. Can we fly it tomorrow?"

"Heck yeah," Blaine smiled. He jumped and turned around. "Bye!" he called before slamming the window and running from the window. Kurt sighed and walked back home.

When he walked in, his dad was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch.

"I thought you were gonna play with Blaine, kiddo."

"Blaine's in trouble. His daddy said he couldn't play...he was acting funny."

Burt furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday he seemed really nice, but today he yelled at me," Kurt sniffed. Burt sighed and pulled Kurt up into his lap.

"Don't think about it, ok? You and Blaine can play tomorrow. What do you say I take you to the garage with me? I gotta put a new belt on Mrs. Hudson's car."

Kurt sniffed and nodded, burying his head in his father's chest. Burt kissed his hair and lifted him off his lap to go put on his coveralls.