It was late May, 1831. The trees being their greenest, their leaves softly swishing in the soft autumn breeze. The flowers not as beautifully colored as in the beginning of spring, but the air still full of their freshening, autumn smell. The sun shining brightly, sending waves of heat and light over the already dry land. The birds chirping happily, defending their nests or trying to attract their interest. The other animals sheltered from the heat, standing in the shadows of the trees and bushes.

The villagers of Western were either hiding from the extreme warmth, that had been torturing their village for over a month by now, or they were busy working. They tried to keep their shops open, tried to keep the land from drying out and tried to keep the cattle healthy enough to produce products or meat.

Even though everyone in the village was aware of the war going on nearby, no one would speak about it. They just didnt have the time to worry about it since their lives were already busy as it was. Some of them also liked to believe they were save since there was a big army on the case, but what they didnt know, or didnt want to know maybe, was that no one was winning this was anytime soon.

Only when the heat hit its highest, the residents of Western would, wisely, stay inside. Though, even then you could always find a few exceptions, wandering around, trying to keep their busy lives going. Somewhere on the east side of the village stood a big, white, wooden house surrounded by wide fields, that had now turned yellow from the extreme heat.

The house was inhabited by the Hummels, a man in his late fourties with his wife, son and step-son. Almost no one could afford a big house like that, especially not in those times. Thats why Burt, the man who owned the house then, had offered to let it be used as a rest stop for people on their way to a far away journey. You could sort of call it a hotel, but thats not exactly what it was. It was a normal family house, the only difference was the extra empty guest rooms and a second living room, mostly for the guests.

The outside of the house was simple yet hard not to love, it had a huge veranda which was covered by a roof, which was attached to the actual roof of the house itself. It was three stories high, the third one being the attic. The roof itself was a warm, friendly brown color, not too dark but not too light for liking either. The house was surrounded by the big fields that were normally green, high grass everywhere, well except for the worn out path that led to the village, trees occasionally rooting up from the ground. About 1600 feet from the house was a big, round, glistening lake, it was easy to be spotted from the house and lovely to swim, or wash in when it was very hot outside.

Not that far from the house was a big forest, the forest through which most of its travelers disappeared. The forest was a dangerous place for one who did not connect with nature, the woods were big and one did not want to get lost in there. At night the roads to the house were rather dangerous, the house was cut off from other parts of the village. It couldnt be spotted from the village, and it was well hidden because it was somewhat higher than the rest of the village. It actually wasnt that far away, but still far away enough to let one wander, lost and no idea of right directions.

On the second floor of the house, the furthest down the long corridor was a room. That was the room of one particular Kurt Hummel, the actual son of Burt Hummel, the owner of the house.

Kurt was laying on his bed, flopped over on his stomach and absently wandering his eyes over the familiar pages he had read so many times. There wasnt exactly much to do when there was an economic crisis going on and the heat being so intense, outside one would immediately catch on fire.

There werent many places in the village where you could buy books. There was one little shop called Old lillys bookshop, it was Kurts favorite store in all of Western. He would often go there to read or see if any new books had arrived. It wasnt often that there actually were new books, the most recent one Kurt had bought, with money he earned working around the house, was The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It was his favorite book so far, next to Indiana, the book he had read so many times.

He was humming softly when he heard heavy footsteps coming closer, nearing his room, but turning away a few feet in front of it. Probably another one of their guests, Kurt thought. Kurt didnt really mind the other guests now, of course it had annoyed him in the beginning. There had been strangers wandering around his house, using their shower, eating their food and sleeping in their rooms. Sometimes the guests would bring their partners, or just someone they had picked up at the bar and take them back to the house. The walls werent exactly thick, so you could easily here what was going on in there, not that it was hard to guess.

It was those nights that Kurt really hated living with the strangers, he would try to cover up his ears with his pillow, scolding under his breath and hoping they would finish their business soon and just go to sleep.

But even though it was horrible, it wasnt that part which made him feel the worst. No, the hardest part was that sometimes if the guests actually did bring their partner, just the way they sat together at the breakfast table, looking at each other like there was no one else in the room, feeding each other fruit, sharing small smiles and leaning into each other, that was what hit him the hardest.

Because it was those times that reminded Kurt he could never have that, that he would never be able to act like that. It wasnt as if he was ugly, well he didnt like to think so. It was a lot more.. complicated than that.

When Kurt was 12 he saw that the boys at his school were starting to like girls, some later than others, but eventually they all did. Kurt always thought he just hadnt found the right girl yet, or that it took longer for him, but when those boys turned 15 and started to get girlfriends he still hadnt found one single girl he liked. Well there was one girl, Britanny, he liked her, but no matter how hard he tried, it was only in a friendly way.

But because every other boy around him started dating girls, he did so too. After three months they broke up, Kurt found out that she liked another boy and had been sleeping with him behind his back, which gave him a perfectly plausible reason to break up with her. He really didnt mind when they broke up, he was actually kind of relieved. Everything stayed the same until the new school year started and a boy named Finn sat next to him during class. Kurt didnt have a lot of friends, well he still had Britanny, they had remained friends, and of course there was Austin, his best friend. But most of the guys avoided him, Kurt didnt know why, well not at first.

Then they had started calling him names, laughing at him when his voice squeaked when he was nervous and accidentally shoving him. Finn had always been nice to him, maybe a little more distant when he found out how the others treated Kurt, but he never joined them. Kurt always denied the fact that he had once, had a crush on Finn and as a way to get closer to him he had introduced their parents to each other. It didnt turn out the way he wanted to anyway, because Finn got himself a girlfriend, a rather obnoxious one, and their parents still got married.

It was absolutely terrifying when Kurt found out that he liked Finn. At first he had told himself he just liked Finn as a friend, and he felt that way because Finn didnt make fun of him. But when one night he actually dreamed about kissing a boy, presumably Finn, and liking it, he was really starting to get worried. Suddenly all the name calling, shoving and laughing seemed to make sense to him. Its not that he hadnt understand what they were saying, it was just that he thought they were wrong, well that was, until Finn showed up.

It had been very hard at first and he had locked himself away, crying in his room, trying to make it go away. He had tried so hard to put his feelings away. Nights of endless praying, weeks of trying to like girls and the never ending thoughts of what he had to do if he couldnt stop it. But finally, after a few months he got so tired of fighting himself that he had just admitted it to himself, he was a homosexual. At first that only made things harder, a huge weight was released of his shoulders but replaced with a new one, fear.

He never told anyone but Britanny, she had smiled and him and told him she didnt mind and she was glad to have a reason why he didnt enjoy being physically close to her. Britanny wasnt very smart and didnt understand a lot, but she was the only support Kurt had. She was very sweet to him and promised she wouldnt tell anyone, she had even told him one day his gay prince would come rescue him from this town, he had laughed at that.

One day a guest arrived and had, apparently, immediately noticed that Kurt was gay. Instead of yelling at him he was nice and interested. That night he came to Kurts bedroom and had told him to follow. It hadnt been pretty and Kurt almost lost his virginity, he still refused to talk about it to anyone.

One day that happened again, but a little different. The guy, Sebastian, had stayed there for two weeks. He didnt avoid Kurt, he was actually being overly nice and as far as Kurt could tell he had been flirting with him! First it stuck to secretly flirting but after a while they started fooling around. Kurt was still afraid of what had happened the last time but Sebastian got angry that he didnt put out, so they got in a fight, leaving Kurt naked with some bruises and a sprained wrist. It turned out that Sebastian hadnt been looking for a relationship like Kurt had hoped, he was just one of those guys who wanted to have fun with other guys, without attaching himself to them.

Since then Kurt had never talked to any of the guests anymore, only if he was asked to do so. Besides, some of the guests chose to ignore him themselves, but he didnt mind.

"Kurt!" Kurt looked up, having totally forgotten he had promised to help out with the dinner tonight. They were expecting a few more guests so his step mom had asked him to help her cook, which he loved to do so he didnt mind. He and Carole got along very well, he still couldnt call her mom, which she was okay with, but he did like having her around. Sometimes they spent time together in the kitchen, baking, or in the yard, when it wasnt as dry as it was now they would spent their afternoon gardening. Kurts real mom had taught him how to play the piano and Carole loved to listen to him play. Once he had tried to teach her but it turned out Finn didnt get all of his clumsiness from his real father.

Kurt walked downstairs, trying not to pay attention to a man who was glaring angrily at him. "Kurt, sweetheart, if you could start with the potatoes" she smiled sweetly at him. He nodded at her and started peeling the potatoes as she started marinating the meat."

Everything was rather expensive around that time, but the Hummels didnt ever come too short on money. The travelers who stayed there paid them money and because they offered their house as a place to stay they didnt have to pay rent. Next to the kitchen was an open area, a big wooden table with wooden chairs around it stood in the middle of it. The table had twelve wooden chairs around it, to be exact. Because travelers wouldnt normally stay long and wouldnt always be there, there was no separate dining room. Also the extra room that could have been a separate dining room was now the guests living room. They had dinner with their guests every evening. Breakfast would usually be separated since almost everyone needed to get up at different times. Almost none of the guests had lunch at the house, unless there was no other option.

When they had finished making dinner and set the table, Carole called everyone downstairs. Currently there were four people staying in the house, three men and one woman. The three men were much alike, all around their mid-thirties, muscular and two of them were bald, the third man had dark blond hair, which was continually falling in front of his eyes. Just as Kurt had expected none of them had table manners, they were attacking their food like animals shredding their prey.

Not that Finn and his dad were much different, no their table manners were just as bad. Kurt and Carole tried to remind them if there were no guests around, in case they ate in the same, animalistic, way, just like now. Kurt sighed, once he would be old enough and had enough money he was so out of here. Kurt really appreciated the quiet around here and the peace but he would never be able to live this small. Not that the house was small, no not at all, it was that he wanted more of life. Like performing, he had always loved playing the piano and singing, even though he never told anyone at school, not that they wouldve cared, they would probably just make fun of him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as one of the men burped loudly, once again, animalistic manners. Then he started talking with his mouth full. "This is reay go " he said while pointing down at his plate and shoving another piece of meat into his mouth, Kurt winced at the sight. "Thank you" Carole smiled brightly, obviously used to the terrible manners. "Although I must say, Kurt did a great job with the potatoes" she smiled at him. It was obviously a nice gesture but Kurt felt himself flush as the big, muscular man turned his way, looking mildly surprised. "You like cooking, kid?" he asked, a piece of potato flying out of his mouth. Kurt cringed, he tried to keep his voice low as he spoke. "Yea, I guess so" "What a catch," the man said, winking, and obviously joking.

The other man laughed, snorting loudly. Kurt felt himself turn even more red and tried to occupy himself with shoving around the vegetables on his plate. The man started to chatter loudly, Burt and Finn occasionally asking questions. After dinner the man went to sit in the guest-living room with Burt and Finn while Carole went to do the dishes, Kurt decided to help her.

"Thanks, sweetie" she said as she noticed me picking up a towel. "You know, there are some new guests arriving next week. Or at least one, I think." "Great," she laughed at my sarcasm. "Maybe next time there will be a cute girl arriving," she said hinting and nudging my shoulder. I tried to stay relaxed, "Yea, I bet that there will be a really cute girl between those sweaty, gross looking animals, Carole." He didnt say it in a mean way, more in a joking way. She snorted, "well you never know." "You got that right," he muttered softly. "what?" she asked, not stopping with washing the plate. "Oh, nothing. Just tired," I smiled at her.

"That reminds me, are you going to the party in three weeks?" Kurt stiffened, some people from his class were throwing a party in three weeks, they had been planning it since last week and they wouldnt shut up about it since it was apparently going to be, the party of the century. Kurt sighed, he had no intentions in going since the only who whod probably want him there was Britanny, and he was quite convinced Austin wasnt going either. "Im not sure yet," it wasnt really a lie, since he wasnt sure yet but hed preferably stay at home, reading or playing the piano or something. "Well you have our permission, Finn is going too so maybe you can watch each other." A babysitter was not what he needed at this party, especially not when the babysitter was Finn. And he knew she meant watch him. They were always very protective of Kurt for some reason, he was only 2 years younger than Finn as he was 19 and Kurt 17. After they finished washing, and drying, the dished Kurt excused himself upstairs.

It was still quite warm, especially for in the evening so Kurt threw his window open and went to sit on the window sill. He looked out over the long field, he looked at the tree close to his window. When he was smaller he used to try and climb up the tree and reach for his window, succeeding only a few times. He watched the lake crease every time a bird landed in the water or a fish came up for air.

He was enjoying the quiet and peaceful sight when he saw a man walking up to their front door. He knocked twice and and couldnt seem to stand still, as if he was in a hurry. Carole opened the door and Kurt tried to listen to what they were saying. "..-still some room next week?" he heard the man asking. "..-one guest next week," Carole confirmed. It was hard to listen to what they were saying but Kurt could make out a few more words. "wounded.. secret.. here?" the man was speaking extra soft and rapidly, it made it even harder to understand. Carole gasped, it almost made Kurt lose his balance. "Sure," she muttered, but sounding a little bit shocker or worried perhaps? "Thank you maam," it sounded relieved but still a little worried. He turned around, thanking her again and wishing her a good evening. He sprinted back to his horse and rode of in the darkness. Kurt raised his eyebrow, well that was.. strange.

The next morning Kurt walked down to see Carole talking to Burt, both looking a bit apprehensive. They hadnt noticed him yet so he quickly, tip-toed back into the hall, making sure he was within hearing distance. "And they asked me if he could stay here, I know its dangerous but he had nowhere else to go and-" Burt caught her off, "No, its good that you gave them permission its just that.. well its dangerous." Burt said thoughtfully. " " Not only for him, also for us," he said, looking at Carole. "I know," she sighed.

Kurt was beginning to feel worried, he had no idea what they were talking about but it didnt exactly sound joyful. He silently walked back up the stairs and made sure to make enough noise coming down so they would notice him. Carole was now sitting on one of the chairs at the table, Burt still standing. "Whats wrong?" Kurt asked, faking as if he had just noticed the ambiance in the kitchen. Carole looked over at Burt, as if to ask permission to tell him, he nodded.

"Kurt, sit down kid," his father said. Kurt still had no idea what this was about and yes, he had been a little worried but why were acting this mysterious? His dad went to sit in front of him, Kurt looked up, expectantly. "Well, last night a man came at the door and, well he asked us to do him and someone else a favor." Kurt was even more confused now, so there was something they had to do, but it was dangerous?

"You know theres a war going on not far from here, right?" Burt asked. Kurt bit his lower lip, the anxious feeling in his stomach growing. They had discussed the war at school a lot lately, "Yes". Was Western suddenly also in war? Was Burt asked to fight with them? Suddenly his limbs felt numb.. did he and Finn need to go too?

Burt guessed what he was thinking and quickly reassured him that no, Western was not in war, Kurt sighed in relief. "But.." he continued, and Kurt felt his nerves rise again. "He asked us if we could take in an injured refugee. He said the guy was captured while spying on the enemy, he was put in the prisoner of war camp but managed to escape. Hes got some really bad injuries but he needs to rest before he can go back. So we are hiding him here until hes recovered."

Kurt didnt need to ask why that was dangerous, he knew it was dangerous because they were helping out a refugee. "Cant he go somewhere else?" Kurt asked, it was the first thing that came to mind. "Kurt, this is the only place that takes in strangers, plus were one of the few places that arent involved in the war right now." Kurt huffed in annoyance, "so were risking our lives, to help someone recover, who is going to get himself killed when he goes back to fighting in the war anyway?"

"Kurt.. its.. its complicated," his father said. "O.. kay?" this was a really stupid idea, Kurt thought. "But you have to promise us you wont tell anyone, especially not at school." Kurt almost snorted at that, yeah right, as if anyone at school would even listen to him talk. Britanny wouldnt understand anyway and Austin didnt go to school, so that was easy.

At that moment a sleepy Finn came walking downstairs, rubbing his eyes in the hope of keeping them open. He didnt even notice the tense air and continued to walk towards the table, were a small buffet was set out. He paused mid-air in his movements as he saw everyone looking at him, "what?" he asked, his eyes wide. Kurt sighed, it was typically Finn to not notice things like that. "Finn, we need to talk to you about something," Burt informed him, trying not to alarm Finn by talking in a neutral tone. Finn looked up at them, Kurt was already going back upstairs as he didnt want to hear the story again.

Around the same time next week they all sat downstairs, -well minus Finn who was playing football outside with some friends of school-, waiting in the living room. Another man had come to inform them about the date and time the soldier would arrive. He would arrive in the morning, to keep a low profile and he was taken there by carriage. Kurt still didnt like the fact that a strange man was about to put all of their lives in danger. He thought about what theyd do to Burt or even worse to Carole, if they ever found out. He really didnt like him already, coming into their lives and ruining everything. What kind of person would do that?

There was a soft knock on the door, Burt stood up and told Carole and Kurt to wait. They heard two low voices talking, and then the sound of someone groaning. The sound of a shutting door was heard and Carole hastily walked towards the hallway. Kurt heard someone stumble and the sound of wood collecting with the ground. Kurt looked annoyed, not planning on giving this guest any form of a warm welcome. But his face fell the moment they rounded the corner. Carole was walking next to him, supporting him since he wasnt able to stand on his own, his injuries probably provoking him from doing so.

Kurt looked up at this face, planning on giving this terrible stranger one of his darkest glares, but when he looked at the man his glare immediately faded and his jaw dropped a little. This man was absolutely, exceptionally, beautiful.