Tuesday 19th April 2000

It was a dreary Tuesday afternoon and the rain fell heavily on the church roof. All the family were there saying their last goodbyes to Elizabeth Katherine Hummel. Burt stood up on the dais and read a beautiful eulogy, about how happy Liz was before she committed suicide, how she always tucked his little boy, Kurt, up in bed and read him a story, using different voices for all the characters, how she taught him to ride his bike and play the piano. Then he started to talk about a Liz that Kurt hadn’t known, the Liz before they had Kurt… he talked about how he first met her, the way her eyes gleamed at their high school prom, how happy she was on their wedding day. He stood down from the dais and walked back to comfort his little boy eyes shining with tears. One of the things he loved most in the world had gone, but he still had his little boy, he had Elizabeth’s eyes and her pale skin, he still had some memory of her down here on earth.

They walked outside and the boys’ choir assembled behind the head stone, the choir was dressed blue blazers and grey trousers, the head stone was white marble engraved with curly golden lettering that read:

“Music can find light in the darkest of places”

‘Music’ Kurt thought ‘…it’ll never bring you back’ just then his dad grasped his hand, more for his own sake than for Kurt’s. Both their lives had come crashing down around them when they arrived home from that parent-teacher conference to find Elizabeth lying on the bed, arm hanging limp off the bed. Kurt was replaying it all in his head, Burt’s frantic attempts to wake her, the ambulance ride to the hospital, sitting colouring with that boy Finn’s mom, whilst his dad spoke to the doctors and the long talk Kurt and Burt had about how his mom had gone to heaven, and she wasn’t coming back.

Then the choir started singing. The boy singing lead had a good strong voice, a head of curly dark brown hair and really pretty eyes.

The boy with the pretty eyes was staring straight at Kurt, as if he’s singing this song to him, for him.

Yeah you, got that something
I think you'll understand
When I say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your ha-a-a-a-a-a-and

When the song is finished and his mother’s casket is lowered it was all too much for Kurt, so he ran. He’d been trying to stay strong… for his dad, he didn’t have the toughness that Kurt and Elizabeth had, but Kurt’s resolve had broken, the finality of his mother’s death hit him full force… he knew it sounded stupid but he kept half expecting her to walk into the church or join in with the singing… she loved singing.

He heard rustling coming from in front of the willow tree where he was hiding, he sniffed loudly in an attempt to stop himself crying. He thought the person stood outside was his dad; he couldn’t let his dad see him like this, he had to be strong. But he was wrong; the rustling came from the singing boy with the pretty eyes.

“Hi” said the boy somewhat nervously.

“Hello” said Kurt slowly, he wondered why he’d come to talk to him “Can I help you?”

“Well it just seemed you were rather upset and I thought that maybe you’d like someone to talk to… or a least some tissues so you don’t ruin that lovely suit” He said pulling Kurt’s arm away from his nose.

After receiving a puzzling look from Kurt the boy decided to leave

“I’ll just put these here, just in case you want them” said the other boy laying a packet of tissues on the floor.

Just as he turned away Kurt said “Wait…please don’t go, my name is Kurt”

“Hi, I’m Blaine!” extending a slightly grubby hand. Kurt took it none the less and gave it a firm shake.

They sat in silence for a while; it wasn’t strained, awkward or uncomfortable. Blaine was just waiting for Kurt to be ready to talk, even though he was a complete stranger, Kurt needed to talk to someone.

“I miss her,” said Kurt after a while. “I miss her loads… I miss her singing me to sleep”

“She sounds like a nice mom” said Blaine “Is there anything else you miss?”

“I miss her perfume and the way she’d teach me piano after school… and-and” sobbed Kurt as the tears started falling again “I miss doing little concerts for my dad after our Friday night dinners, we’d sing and play piano…”

Kurt had completely dissolved into tears. Blaine shuffled around and put his arm around Kurt.

“Kurt? Kurt where are you?” Kurt heard his dad call.

He quickly brushed away his tears and blew his nose his dad couldn’t see him crying he just couldn’t. He had to stay strong… for the both of them. Blaine fished in his pockets for a pen then on an unused tissue he scribbled an e-mail address.

“Here you go Kurt if you ever need to talk just e-mail me okay… its best to talk these things out… I know. Both my parents died… now I stay at Dalton with my older brother.” said Blaine, and with a reassuring smile he manoeuvred Kurt out from under the tree to his dad.

“Oh there you are kiddo, who’s this? Oh wait you’re the kid who sang.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for you loss Mr Hummel. I saw Kurt run over here and I thought I check on him”

“Well thanks err…”

“Blaine.”

“Thanks Blaine, the song was really lovely” smiled Burt as he took Kurt's hand and walked him to the car. “It was one of Lizzie’s favourites”

When Kurt returned home that evening, after the wake he was exhausted from keeping up his tough grownup boy attitude, and he began to cry silently in to his pillow. He cried himself to sleep every night for weeks and weeks… he was unable to even look at the piano without wanting to burst in to tears.

When Kurt returned to school he was greeted by pitying stares from most of the parents of the other children, they all loved his mom. Rachel and Mercedes talked to him about this new club they’d joined called Glee Club; they thought that maybe Kurt could join, and maybe it’d help him be happy again, he always looked happy when he sung.

“Kurt” said Rachel. “We miss seeing you happy; will you please join glee club with us?”

“Rachel” Kurt snapped he’d had enough of their constant pestering him “I don’t want to sing not anymore, it hurts too much… I miss her”

After that Rachel and Mercedes left him alone… for about a week.