-Hey there, can we SKYPE?-Sure – how about in 30 min. I’m jumping into the shower.

-ok..love you.

-Love you too!

Blaine turned on the television to catch up on the news. Things were not looking good in the Middle East. The United States had declared war on a group of people that were spread out all over the world. The majority of them were living in the Middle East and the U.S. had already deployed about 250,000 members of the armed forces. This number didn’t even account for the ships that were patrolling the Persian Gulf.

The problem with this group of terrorists was that they could blend in with their environment and they would strike without any notice. Most of the collateral damage being wrought was to innocent lives but their main target was still Americans. The fighting was getting out of control. It was worse than after 9-11. It seemed that the terrorists had grown confident after successfully targeting LAX and Liberty Island. Blaine forgot to ask Tim what base Kurt would be at but he figured probably near the airport since that would be the most obvious place to house and maintain fighter jets but every camp was dangerous at this time.

Blaine heard the beep signaling an incoming call on SKYPE. He accepted the call and waited until he could see Kurt clearly. He really missed his boyfriend and was upset that he was going to Iraq. “Hey you, how have you been?”

“Hi, I’m doing good -just really tired. We’ve been on 12 hour shifts for the past month. I’ve heard rumors of a possible deployment but don’t have any details. What’s wrong?” He had noticed that Blaine looked worried or nervous.

Blaine didn’t even question how easily Kurt could read him. Kurt had the uncanny ability to know when something was bothering him. “Do you remember my friend Tim?”

“The one who PCS’d to Randolph?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my God Blaine – are you getting orders to Eglin!” exclaimed Kurt. He was starting to get excited until Blaine interrupted him…”No, I’m not getting orders to Eglin.”

“Oh so why did he call?”

“He called to tell me that he was processing orders for a Kurt E. Hummel?

“OH?…but I just got to Eglin. I’m not due to PCS anytime soon.”

“They are deployment orders not PCS orders Kurt.”

“Deployment? Oh…oh….where am I going?”

“Iraq. I just realized that I forgot to ask what camp in Iraq but I can call him back tomorrow morning.” Blaine watched Kurt’s face. He could see him staring off into space thinking. Blaine wanted to know what was going through his mind, “Kurt, talk to me.”

“Okay.”

“Okay – that’s all you have to say?”

“What else can I say Blaine? Do I want to go? No. Am I scared shitless? Yes. This is my job – it’s what I signed up to do. I honestly didn’t think I would deploy since I am fairly new but I volunteered for this and I’m ready at least I hope I’m ready.”

Blaine couldn’t speak. He was scared – he knew that Iraq was dangerous. True, Kurt would not be out on the front lines per se; he would be behind the scenes making sure the jets were at their optimum performance but it was still a dangerous place. There were no guarantees in life and he wanted happily ever after with this man besides him and he just felt like their life was out of control. Of course, he needed to keep a stoic face in front of Kurt. He wanted to be a support not a hindrance to his boyfriend.

“When do I leave?”

“Not sure, Tim said you should be receiving your orders in a few days. Call me as soon as you get them, ok.”

“Okay.” The spoke for some time until Kurt needed to get to the chow hall and run some errands before heading to work.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoooxox

Kurt got to work a few minutes early. He liked being there early to look at the maintenance schedule and see what pieces of machinery needed priority. Kurt liked to work on the more challenging projects and his boss was pretty good about letting him pick his projects.

“Hummel, can I see you in my office?” asked his boss.

“Sure, let me just put this part down and I’ll be right in.” As soon as Kurt walked in his boss asked him to sit down.

“As you know there have been quite a few squadron of fighter jets deployed to the Middle East. We have been tasked with sending a group of 10 maintenance people to Iraq. I had the unpleasant task of choosing who goes on this deployment. I know you just arrived and are fairly new to the military but you are one of the best mechanics I’ve seen in a long time. I put your name down on the list. I thought about sending in Thompson but his wife is about to give birth and I think that while he is the more experienced mechanic you have that innate ability to diagnose mechanical problems while he has to analyze every part of the whole engine before he is comfortable diagnosing the problem.”

“When do I leave?”

“You leave in 3 weeks. Your deployment will be a 15 month long deployment and it can be rough so taking a few days to spend with family before you deploy is important. I am authorizing a week’s vacation for you - this will still give you 2 weeks to get all your deployment stuff done. Your vacation officially starts on Monday but I’m giving you the day off on Friday so you can get an early start on your vacation. Go ahead and finish up your shift tonight and swing by the personnel department to get your paperwork started before going to bed tomorrow morning. Any questions?”

“I’m sure I will have questions later but for the moment I can’t think of a single one. Thanks.” Kurt left the office and quickly got back to work. He was excited about going to see his family. If he left Friday night then he would get a total of 9 days of vacation. He decided he would go to Lima for 3 days and then head to Wyoming for the rest of the time. He wondered if he could manage to surprise Blaine in Wyoming. He couldn’t wait to see him again.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Kurt stepped off the plane and waited for his grandfather to pick him up. He had called his grandfather as soon as Blaine had told him about his orders. He also called him to let him know he was going to be in Lima for a few days to say goodbye to his family. He wanted to surprise his dad. “I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

“Are you in Ohio?”

“Yeah, I’m just checking up on some of the property we have up here and making sure everything is okay. Your grandmother is in Palm Desert but I’m going to call her as soon as we are done talking and have her book a flight to Lima so she can see you before you deploy.”

“Thanks grandpa. I wanted to tell my dad I was deploying but not over the phone. I’m not sure how he is going to take the news which is why I also didn’t tell him I was coming home. Since I wasn’t planning on coming down for a while and I don’t have Blaine with me I know he is going to suspect something is wrong as soon as he sees me. I’m glad you are there though, this way if dad has any questions I can’t answer you will be able to help since you’ve done all this before.”

Kurt saw the moment his grandmother spotted him. She squealed as she threw her body at him almost knocking him down. “I’m so glad to see you sweetie. Your grandfather is parking the car so let’s just grab your bag and head out to meet him.” They all headed to the Hummel home and Kurt knew he had been right. As soon as Burt saw him he knew.

“When do you leave?” he asked. He had been keeping up with the news in the Middle East and knew that troops everywhere were being deployed. He had hoped that Kurt would not be getting deployed anytime soon but it seemed his worst nightmare was coming true.

“In 3 weeks. I wanted to tell you face to face and see all of you before I left.”

“Have you told Blaine yet?”

“He is the one who told me. He has a friend who processes the orders and he noticed my name so he called Blaine to give him a heads up. I’m going to go spend some time with him when I leave here.”

“Well I’m glad your home for however long you can stay. We’ll talk some more after dinner.”

The days spent with his family sped by quickly. Everyone was trying their best to stay positive and for the most part they were able to put their fears aside. Carole did break down a few times and hurriedly left the room before anyone could notice. She kept remembering how the first Persian Gulf War had affected Finn’s father and she couldn’t stand the thought that Kurt would come back a changed person. She was terrified for Kurt and she didn’t think Burt would survive if something happened to his son. After his wife died, Kurt became the sole reason Burt was able to keep on going with his life and now that could all be taken away in the time it took for a bullet or a bomb to find its target.

Burt spent a lot of time talking to his father-in-law trying to reassure himself that Kurt would be okay. He knew that there were no guarantees in a war zone but it seemed he needed to learn everything he could about the place his son would be deployed to for 15 months. He knew Jonathan had spent quite a few years in the Middle East and the man was an expert in Middle Eastern politics. He knew that the top military people still regularly called his father-in-law for advice. He wouldn’t be surprised if Jonathan knew exactly what was going on over there.

On his last day home, Burt took Kurt to visit his mother’s grave. They normally visited separately but Kurt wanted to have both of his parents with him one last time before he deployed.

“You know your mom would have been very proud of you son.”

“I’d like to think so.”

“You meant the world to her. You have grown up to be the kind of man any parent would be proud of Kurt. Know that you are loved and please make sure to take care of yourself in Iraq. We all want you home safe and sound.” Burt walked back to the car so that Kurt could have a few minutes alone with his mother. He talked to her about his deployment and his impending visit to surprise Blaine. He sighed. He really missed his mother. Carole was wonderful but there was a piece of him that would always wish for his mother. “I’ll be back mom,” he promised as he walked back to the car.

Dinner that night was spent planning on how to get Kurt’s belongings back to Lima. The Air Force would pay for his stuff to be put in storage but Kurt shuddered at the thought of his stuff sitting in some hot, dusty, humid warehouse for 15 months. He also had his car to worry about. His grandparents volunteered to fly down there and gather all of his belonging and drive them back to Lima.

“Thanks – are you guys sure it’s not an imposition?” asked Kurt. His grandparents had really stepped in to help him quite a bit since he had enlisted. He wasn’t exactly sure what his grandparents did most of the time except that they travelled a lot but he didn’t want to mess up any plans they might have had.

“Sweetie, your grandfather worked for 30 some years so that we can have the freedom to do as we please in our old age. Don’t worry about us. We have plenty of friends we can visit along the way.” said his grandmother.

“Your grandmother is right Kurt, besides your father has to keep the shop going and I love driving. Besides – don’t tell your cousins but you are our favorite grandchild.”

“You say that to all your grandkids – don’t think I don’t know that,” laughed Kurt.

“Now is your young man picking you up at the airport when you get into Cheyenne?” asked Marissa.

“I’m taking a cab to the base so I can surprise him. He doesn’t know I’m going to see him.”

“I have a friend who retired in Cheyenne. She will pick you up and take you to the base. She will probably be wearing jeans, a checkered shirt and that god-awful Stetson she never seems to be without.”

“No that’s ok grandma. I can take a taxi plus I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Oh honey, you will never be a bother. Mollie will be there so look for her.”

Kurt knew it wasn’t even worth arguing with her so he just acquiesced. The next morning he said his good-byes. His dad had a hard time letting go but he finally did with a whispered, “I love you son.” Kurt walked towards the security checkpoint with a last wave at his family. He was sad at leaving them behind but anxious to see Blaine.

xoxoxoxoxox

Kurt walked to baggage claim once he got to Cheyenne. That short flight from Denver had been a bumpy, scary flight. He grabbed his bag and looked around the airport to see if he could spot Mollie. He saw an older lady wearing dusty jeans, a checkered shirt and had what looked like a 10 gallon Stetson in her hand bearing down on him. “You must be Marissa’s boy,” she said stretching out her hand. “I’m Mollie.”

“Hi Mollie, thank you for taking the time to chauffer me around I hate to be a bother.”

“Not a bother at all. Jonathan once did me a great favor, one I can never repay no matter how hard I try. Ready?”

Kurt wondered what favor but didn’t feel like interrogating her so he followed her out to a battered Ford pick-up truck. They headed straight to the base and he had her drop him off at the Headquarters building where Blaine worked. It was almost time for Blaine to get off of work and since Kurt didn’t know where he lived he figured he would just show up at his work and surprise him there. He thanked Mollie for dropping him off, grabbed his bag and headed indoors. He followed the signs to the Personnel Department and walked up to the reception desk.

“Can I help you?” asked the airman behind the counter.

“I’m looking for Airman Anderson.”

“He isn’t in the office at the moment. Maybe I can help you?” Well I guess the surprise is on me thought Kurt. He didn’t count on the fact that Blaine wouldn’t be at work.

“Is he expected back soon?”

“No he is gone for the day. Would you like to leave a message?”

“Actually my name is Kurt Hummel and I just flew in to visit Blaine. He doesn’t know I’m here. I was trying to surprise him but now I’m not sure what to do since I have no clue where to find him…” his voice trailed off.

“Kurt? Wow, yeah, Blaine has mentioned you. I thought you looked familiar. My name is Adam. Blaine had to go to the firing range today to qualify with his M-16 but I’m pretty sure he is done for the day. If you want to wait a few minutes I can give you a ride to the dorms. I just need to close up shop and then we can go.”

“No problem. I’ll sit here and wait for you – thanks Adam.”

Kurt was soon standing at Blaine’s door waiting to knock. He was about to knock when his phone buzzed. He looked at the caller ID and noticed the call was from Blaine. He smiled as he backed up a bit and answered the call, “Hi.”

“Hi babe, did you just wake up?” Kurt had not told Blaine he had gone to Ohio. He had really wanted to surprise him.

“No – I’ve been awake for a few hours. How are you?”

“Ugh, I had to qualify with my M-16 and I just got home and grabbed a shower. I was all grubby. I haven’t even had a chance to get dressed. I just really wanted to hear your voice.” Kurt’s eyebrows rose comically at the thought of Blaine sitting in his room naked on the other side of the door. He quickly knocked on the door.

“Hey babe – can you hold on a bit. Someone is at the door.” He quickly grabbed his towel and opened the door. He was unprepared when Kurt stepped in and quickly grabbed him and slammed his body up against the door kissing him hungrily. This went on for a few minutes until they both heard someone yell, “Hey Anderson, who is the hottie and does your boyfriend know you’re being violated – against the wall even?”

Kurt turned red as Blaine grabbed Kurt’s suitcase, flipped off his friend and closed his dorm room. He dragged the suitcase and set it out of the way and walked over to Kurt, “How, why, when?” He couldn’t even seem to formulate a complete thought.

“Honey, breathe.” Kurt grabbed him and pulled him into a hug running his hands soothingly over his back. “I was given some leave and I decided to surprise you. I just got back from 3 days in Lima….SURPRISE!”

Blaine had tears in his eyes. He had really missed Kurt and this was too much for him to take in. He had had a long day and his emotions had been too close to the surface ever since he had found out Kurt had orders to Iraq. He had spoken to his boss about possibly taking a few days of leave to go see Kurt but they were swamped processing the orders for all the troops deploying and his boss couldn’t spare him at the moment. Blaine understood but that didn’t help his emotional state.

“Hey are you okay?” Kurt was starting to worry. Blaine couldn’t stop crying so he just led him to the bed and cuddled with him. He held him until he stopped crying and was ready to talk.

“I’ve missed you. I tried to get some leave to go see you but it wasn’t approved. I’ve been stressing over your deployment and I just feel helpless. There is nothing I can do to make this better and I think seeing you at the door really got to me. I’m just so happy to see you Kurt.”

“I should have told you I was coming to see you - maybe that would have lessened the stress a bit. I’m here now so let’s just enjoy each other for now and worry about reality later.”

“How long are you here for?”

“I’m here for 6 days then I have to go back to Eglin to finish up my deployment stuff. I deploy on September 30th.” He leaned down to kiss Blaine and before too long they forgot about everything else around them.