Re: The Hummel Household

[Blaine Anderson]

Blaine smiled understandingly as he let Kurt get up and go take care of what needed to be done for his friend. He had felt a lot better about the entire accident, and although he still felt bad about Rachel's condition, he had stopped blaming himself as harshly as he had before.

He sat up on the couch, criss-cross applesauce, when his boyfriend came back in the room and asked if he wanted to join him. "Let me think..." he said, narrowing his eyes as if in deep thought. "Go with my boyfriend...or stay here and bore myself to death until I'm left with nothing else to do but destroy the house in some way." He smiled and hopped off the couch to join his boyfriend. "As much fun as staying here alone sounds, I think I'll be going with you," he decided as he locked arms with Kurt.

[Kurt Hummel]

[Continues here]

[Kurt Hummel]

Continued from Here

Kurt understood where his father was coming from, but it didn't make him any less upset. He felt his heart clenching as his dad asked him to consider his family and friends. He didn't trust himself to speak, knowing that he would only sound completely whiney. His head told him that his father was absolutely correct that nothing was worth getting killed or...anything else. But his heart still clung to the fact that he would be missing out on Regionals. And Nationals. And Blaine! And it wasn't fair!!

He gave his father a curt nod before turning and practically tumbling out of the car in an effort to get away before he completely lost it. He rushed into the house, not even noticing if he was passing anyone else as he raced up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

He folded his arms across his chest, hanging his head down as he let more tears spill over. He felt like such a baby, and knew he was kind of acting like one, but he couldn't control his emotions at all. He almost started to laugh hysterically as he realized that he'd left poor Pavarotti in the car. He just wasn't ready to go back out and face his father, or the rest of the family if Carole, Finn, or Rachel were home...he wondered if his father had told any of them what was going on. Finn would probably be mad that he was the last to know about something again. He should have called...and now he needed to call Blaine. As soon as he got himself under control.

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt's emotions were once again all over the map. He managed to calm down a little bit, but was still quite upset and angry...and as he sank down on his bed he added worried to the mix. He wasn't sure he'd be able to get through the night without Blaine. Blaine helped keep him from freaking out...and calmed him down when he did have nightmares. What if he had one tonight and Blaine wasn't there? How would he be able to keep his father from freaking out even more once he knew how bad Kurt was 'dealing' with everything. And then he felt guilty because he was leaning so much on Blaine through this...that wasn't fair to his boyfriend. Nothing was fair. Which led him back to being angry and upset.

He knew Blaine had to be worried, though, so he pulled out his phone and sent off a text, just to let Blaine know at least a little bit what was going on.

(Texting Convo Thread...)

[Burt Hummel]

Burt stayed in the car, staring after Kurt as he made a run for the house. He ran his hand over his face, letting out a large sigh. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He'd failed Kurt in some of the worst ways imaginable and couldn't help but feel that he was letting him down even more today. He knew how much the singing thing meant to Kurt. But he couldn't let Kurt get hurt any more. And he wasn't lying when he said that he felt he couldn't trust Kurt to tell him when he was in trouble. Bringing him home was really the only choice. That security guy did seem like he was doing everything right after-the-fact, but it didn't stop the fact that the Karofsky kid had managed to get to Kurt IN HIS ROOM. And just how long would they keep security outside Kurt's room? Maybe a week or two, but then it would be back to normal and Kurt would be a sitting duck again. So, no, Burt couldn't let Kurt go back to Dalton.

And he certainly couldn't let Kurt go back to McKinley so long as the Karofsky kid was there. But then, at least at McKinley there would be people watching out for Kurt, like Finn and the New Directions, and Coach Sylvester would be a very scary ally. At Dalton, Burt knew that Kurt had Blaine, but that was an awful lot of pressure to put on one kid. And Burt didn't really know Blaine well enough to know if he was up to that pressure. Plus...and Burt hated to think this way but...Blaine was even smaller than Kurt. If Karofsky went after Kurt again, and Burt had little doubt that the little cretin would, he wasn't sure that Blaine would be able to protect his son.

Burt got out of the car, collected Kurt's bird from the back, and went into the house. He went upstairs, just outside Kurt's door and stopped. He could hear Kurt still quietly crying and felt worse than before. He set the cage down outside Kurt's door and retreated back downstairs, giving Kurt a short time of privacy.

He picked up the phone and made a few calls, unsuccessful in getting a hold of either Coach Sylvester or Principal Figgins. Mr. Schuester would be in class about this time, he figured, so he tried the fourth one down on his list. The guidance counselor, Ms. Pilsbury-Howell.

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy parked her car in the Hummel's driveway, and tucked her keys in the back pocket of her jeans. She leaned into the side mirror, and checked the bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted, and felt that way too, wanting to rest her head on the pavement and sleep there forever. Another gift from Goolsby, just like her car. But she actually loved her car, so that was different. Before locking the doors, Lucy rummaged through the glove compartment for her makeup bag. She dabbed some concealer under her eyes, not wanting Kurt to worry. Walking up to the Hummel's door, she rang the bell and smiled warmly for whoever would open the door for her.

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt sighed as he took one last look at himself in the mirror. No amount of concealer would cover all the marks, so he had given up on the idea of trying to hide his blackened eyes. He continued to wear the sweatshirt he'd 'borrowed' from Blaine and his 'comfy' jeans that he usually saved only for when no one would see him, but...he just couldn't bring himself to care that much; he already looked ridiculous. He did, however, grab one of his scarves to cover his neck.

Unsure if anyone other than his dad was home, he rushed downstairs to get the door, figuring it would be Lucy. He didn't want her to have to get the third degree from his dad.

He took a moment to peek through the spyhole to make sure that it was truly Lucy, smiling as he saw her waiting on the stoop. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "Lucy!! Welcome to the Hudson Hummel Abode," he greeted grandly, motioning her to come in. "Thanks so much; I was going crazy without contact from the outside!" Okay, so it had only been a few hours since he'd been pulled out of school, but he sort of hoped that his father would overhear and feel a little bit more guilty about that decision.

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy pulled her hands out of her light VA jacket, just coming from practice. She smiled up at Kurt as he invited her inside, her cheeks brushing by his with air kisses. "No problem! I've been dying for some actual fun-time, and what better person to spend it with than Kurt Hummel himself?" She smiled, shrugging off the jacket before reaching up to one of the higher rungs on the coat rack. She turned back to face him, taking everything in from the floorboards to the patterned scarf, to the painted ceiling. It had definitely been a while, but it felt as though she had just seen him the other day. "Either you've decided to take up Blaine's view on fashion, or this is his sweatshirt." Lucy said with a knowing smile, and an eyebrow raised.

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt blushed a little but, but nodded. "It's his," he admitted. "I know it's silly, but...I just feel better since he can't be here." He gave her a quick welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you. I've missed you lately! VA has been keeping you busy lately," he stated rather than asked, his eyes lingering on the bags under her eyes. "I can't believe you escaped long enough to pay a visit," he half-teased. "Come on up to my room," he invited, leading her toward the stairs. "You have to fill me in all the news from the outside," he again exaggerated his 'captivity'.

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy smiled as Kurt's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "It's not silly at all." She said, just before hugging him back. "And it's good to see you!" Lucy said, as her smile grew wider. "You still have yet to tell me why you're in protective custody, along with the colors you've decided to use for eyeshadow, and such." Lucy said, asking about the topic while making nice of it. "I tried using some concealer to cover my eyes up," she admitted, "but I guess it just wasn't enough" She laughed lightly, following Kurt upstairs. She looked down the upstairs hall briefly, catching glimpses of other bedrooms, hoping she wouldn't see Burt running towards her with a crowbar. She followed Kurt up to his bedroom, and the bed was the first thing she saw. It was massive. And it had a fur blanket on it. Lucy wrapped the blanket around her like a cape almost, sitting with her legs crossed. This was her comfortable storytime position. "Well. I'm not sure I'm the best outlet for gossip, if the last thing I've checked on was Reed and Shane getting together...four months ago." She smiled. "But I do know a little about Mr. Schue's new show-choir sidekick...." Lucy said, shrugging her shoulders.

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt sighed at Lucy's inevitable question about his "protective custody". He flopped down on the bed beside her. "You know how I ended up at Dalton." He'd told her a mostly accurate description of Karofsky's bullying. He'd even told her about the kiss since he'd thought it unlikely that she'd ever meet the guy he was talking about. He hadn't told her about the attack at the garage, though. He'd told no one the extent of that assault. It was just too humiliating. "He...broke into my dorm room last night," he admitted unhappily. "That's why all this lovely eye shadow..." He sighed. "Blaine was the perfect hero; he showed up in time to stop Karofsky from...killing me. And he comforted me all night." He smiled sadly. He didn't know what he was going to do without Blaine tonight. "But enough about that. I'd far rather hear about you." He looked at her intently, still concerned about the bags under her eyes. "Don't worry, you still look stunning as always; spotting hidden baggage is just one of my many talents," he assured lightly. "Tea bags work wonders for Blaine," he added, smirking a little bit as he recalled their outage to the spa. "I know you can't reveal any trade secrets, but it looks like Goolsby's training you guys much too hard." He perked up a little bit at the mention of gossip. "Mr. Schue has a new show choir sidekick? Do tell!"

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy nodded. Of course she remembered everything Kurt had once told her about Karofsky. How could anyone? Feelings of anger and hatred swam through her just at the thought of his name, once again. She looked over at him with her eyes filled with concern. "Kurt..." Lucy said, pulling the blanket off herself, and draping it around his shoulders. She remembered feeling so much better with Blaine and the Warblers than she did her own classmates the first few months of school. She remembered her first few weeks at Carmel, crying to Han everyday after practice, spending the night in his cave because she didn't want to be alone. And now Kurt was alone. "Do you mind if I spend the night with you?" She said, hating the idea that she'd be going home to her empty house anyway.
"Thank you." She said, smiling at the compliment and advice she was given. "Hmm...well! It isn't that I can't reveal anything, just the matter of getting caught, is all. Plus...what reasons do I have not to tell you? You're not at McKinley, or Dalton. Goolsby favorites me a bit, so he wouldn't suspect me leaking anything, even if I did." She smiled, although it was ephemeral. "He isn't training us too hard...just a few of us. I'm one of the main dancers as well as a secondary female vocalist so I spend more time at Carmel, but make less mistakes." Lucy paused for a moment. "To be honest, I hate the fact that Vocal Adrenaline, and attending Carmel High makes me stronger. I may want to transfer. Just a little. I know Delilah did...but Sunshine didn't have good things to say when she first came to Carmel. I think the only thing I'm really worried about right now is finding a date for prom, and forgetting about competition for a while." Lucy said, wanting to do something fun for once. Maybe Vocal Adrenaline just wasn't for her. Lucy had a life, but she didn't want someone else to lead it.
"Yep! Goolsby asked me to have Han find a bit more about her. Her name is Lily Largo. Apparently she's an old friend of Will's, and her team won Nationals when she taught in England. She's the drama teacher at McKinley right now, but she's helping with fundraising and giving the Glee club tips." Lucy said, running through all she can remember on the person rather quickly.

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt smiled as Lucy draped the blanket around his shoulders. He stretched out his arm to wrap it around Lucy so that they were both huddled under the blanket together. "I don't mind at all. I'd appreciate it, even," he assured her. "I should tell you, though...I've been having nightmares recently," he warned her despite his embarassment over that situation.

He listened intently as Lucy told him about Vocal Adrenaline's rehearsals. His eyebrows raised as she mentioned that she might want to transfer. "Oh, you'd love McKinley," he assured. "It's so much more relaxed. And I bet you, Brittany, and Mike would probably come up with some really amazing dance routines," he was happy to have a happier topic to discuss. He flushed a little bit at the mention of Sunshine, but perked up again as she mentioned Prom. "Oh! I can't wait for..." he stopped, his eyes widening as he realized he wasn't in school, which meant not only missing competitions but Prom as well. He was looking forward to asking Blaine and had just the perfect design in mind for his tux. He didn't want to be depressed, but each time he thought of one more thing he would lose due to Karofsky made him feel worse. Still, he didn't want to drag Lucy down with him, so he forced those thoughts away. "Well, I'm sure that you have nothing to worry about, Miss Westwood; any guy would be extremely lucky to escort you to Prom. And if one of them doesn't wise up and snatch you up, I might just try to do so myself," he added, bumping her shoulder lightly with his. His mind started sorting through all the eligible bachelors he knew and tried to imagine which ones would fit well with Lucy.

He listened again as she started Ms. Largo. "They could definitely use the help," he admitted. "That's the downside of New Directions from Vocal Adrenaline," he sighed. "We're...they're always scraping by trying to cover our costs...I hope she can help. It's going to be expensive if they get to Nationals. Not, of course, that either of you teams have a chance at beating the Warblers," he playfully teased.

"So tell me more about Prom. Have you got your eye on anyone?" he asked coyly.

[Alex Hummel]

Alex got out the car in front of the Hummel household. Her father and mother both got out as well to help her with her stuff. Alex was earlier than Burt had anticipated, Alex figured her parents just wanted to get the sad task of given their daughter up for a couple of years over and done with.
"Dad, honestly I can manage the bags." Alex laughed as she slammed the trunk down.
"I know, I know I just figured you could use my help one last time." Alex hugged her dad.
"I'm always gonna need you...just not now." Alex went over to her mother and hugged her. She noticed her mother weeping slightly.
"Mom why are you crying? I'm not going forever." Her mother couldn't reply. She just hugged her closer. They got back in the car and waved good bye to Alex before she walked up the path, bags in hand. She knocked on the door and waited for reply.

[Lucy Westwood]

"Well...I talk in my sleep," Lucy said with a smile. "and with me here, I'm sure you'll be fine. I've been known to be a bit...lucky." she laughed.

She jogged her memory once Kurt brought up Brittany. She recalled coming into their school as a new student, undercover. She saw Delilah. She seemed happy. "So, it's kind of like a family, isn't it...?" Lucy said, twiddling her thumbs. That's what Delilah had called it. Family. Brittany had told her once before, as well. She saw how happy Kurt became when she mentioned prom. He must have wanted to go with Blaine, but couldn't. She assumed, because he paused for a moment to stare off into space, that he felt as though a crucial piece of high school had been ripped away from him. Lucy smiled at the thought that she could be one of the girls everyone would look at as she walked through the two-door entrance, arm in arm with an attractive escort, like a princess. She shook her head. Kurt probably felt as though he wouldn't get to have his chance to shine like that. "What?!" she laughed. "Don't be silly. You're not going with me...you're going with Blaine. That's final. I'm doing whatever it takes. And I think it's safe to say Blaine would too."

Lucy nodded, comparing the two teams side by side in her head. Even though there were a lack of funds, she didn't mind donating. It's not like her family doesn't have extra cash to throw around; most people knew that about her, what with her brother so up on the hi-tech. Not to mention herself, like a hawk when it came to cosplay, or even clothes in general. Paypal and her mother's credit card was one of her best friends. "The Warblers? Oh gosh, no." She teased back. But she really didn't have anything against any other team. And was honestly hoping her own team might lose.

"Well, the kids at Carmel are jerks. I'm sure you know this already." Lucy said, with a raise of an eyebrow. "Most of Dalton is like my second family, and anyone from there might be a bit awkward...I don't really know any kids from McKinley... So, no..." Lucy said, a bit sadly at that. "Unless you have someone in mind, I'm out of ideas." Lucy's mind wavered to other things, not making herself feel any better. She thought of her dress."I think I may have my eye on a dress, though. It's gorgeous, and vintage, too. I'm so excited to show you. You've got to come over once you get out of here." she said excitedly.


"I think you have another visitor...!" Lucy said, hearing a few knocks at the front door.

[Kurt Hummel]

[Timewarp . The Kurt/Lucy scene started before Kurt went into the school, but since he met Alex @ the school and now Alex is at the Hummel’s, I'm just going to write a "time passed" bit here …yeah okay so I’m weird about timeline stuff ]

Kurt smiled sadly at the comparison Lucy made from New Directions being a family. "Very much like one," he agreed. His smile grew more genuine as he thought about how even Puck had offered to protect him from Karofsky before he'd left McKinley. He missed seeing all of them every day. And now he was going to miss everyone at Dalton, too. Especially Blaine.

He narrowly avoided becoming more depressed as the discussion of Proms came up. He was practically glowing as he admitted, "Of course I'm planning to ask Blaine! But there is more than one Prom during Prom season,” he reminded, his eyes shining as he considered the possibilities. If he was back at Dalton, he still hoped to score an invite to the McKinley Prom—perhaps with Mercedes if he couldn’t convince her to give Anthony a shot. Or maybe he could convince a couple of the cheerios to invite him and Blaine as their “dates”. If he ended up going back to McKinley, he fully intended to talk Blaine into going with him to both of their Proms. He just had to come up with the best way to propose the deal--he wasn’t entirely sure that Blaine was into formal dances. He couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend in a tux, though. And he had the perfect idea in mind for his own outfit. “I just have to figure out the perfect way to ask him.”

He brightened even more as Lucy started talking about the dress she had her eye on; it sounded perfect for her, and he couldn’t wait to see it. Maybe he could convince his dad to let him go—

Kurt almost forgot all about his problems as they chatted about Prom and potential guys Kurt could introduce Lucy to from McKinley as potential prom dates. His mood plummeted as it came time for him to go into the school for the meeting with the Karofskys.

“Sorry to just leave like this, but make yourself comfortable. I should be back in an hour or so. Wish me luck…”

The meeting went so much better than he’d expected. [Assuming nothing really unexpected happens in that thread ] Not that he trusted Karofsky, of course, and not that anything was *really* resolved yet. But…there was at least a little glimmer of hope that things were going to work out. He was just starting to tell Lucy about it when someone knocked at the door.

"I think you have another visitor...!" Lucy said, hearing a few knocks at the front door.

Kurt grinned. “I didn’t tell you yet. My cousin Alex is coming to stay with us,” he announced. He grasped Lucy’s hand and tugged her along with him as he hurried down to open the door.

“Alex!” he greeted as he threw the door open. He drew her into a quick hug. “Come on in,” he invited, reaching to take her bags from her. “This is my friend Lucy. Lucy, this is my cousin Alex,” he introduced.

[Lucy Westwood]

[It's alright! Everything still makes sense. ]

Lucy nodded. There was indeed, more than one prom. And in a sense, Lucy could attend any prom she desired. Would it be odd to go to prom with your brother? She thought. Perhaps she'd meet a fine guy from McKinley as she toured the school. Or she could, if she pleased, attend her own prom. Which was probably last on her "Prom to-do" list. Transferring to McKinley was something she needed to think over for much longer than any other decision. She never ran into things without knowing what she was getting herself into. "You'll think of something." She said with a smile. Lucy listened as Kurt talked about potential dates, not sure if any of them really stood out from the rest. She felt like maybe she'd feel better about them if she met them; maybe.

While Kurt was out for the hour, to keep her mind off things, she logged into Netflix on Kurt's laptop and ate a bowl or two of popcorn. In a way, the fluffy blanket she used as a cape reminded her of her dead dog. And she felt home.

When Kurt returned, they talked about his meeting with the Karofskys. She was glad to hear that everything was going well, and in fact, was more than glad. She was ecstatic. Maybe Kurt would be able to return to Dalton, or McKinley sometime soon. Although, she did prefer the times when both of them out of school, like Summer. It was way less stressful. Sort of. Wasn't there more time for social dramatics in the summer?

"Alex...? Alright, then. What should I--" But before Lucy could finish her question, she was already face-to-face with Kurt's cousin, Alex Hummel. She smiled warmly, before leaning in for a hug. "It's nice to meet you." she had said, after pulling away. She saw a small resemblance between the two of them, sure. Hmm. Perhaps, she'd found another good friend in Alex.

[Alex Hummel]

Alex jumped a little as the door swung open, she knew it was gonna take a while to get used to Kurt's dramatic entrances again but she could handle it. Alex hugged Kurt back and stepped inside.
"Hi Lucy it's so great to meet you." Alex smiled as she hugged Lucy back.
"Wow, the house looks amazing!"

(I am so sorry i've taken my time replying! My laptop is in the repair shop and i NEVER get to use the downstairs computer!!)

[Kurt Hummel]

[No worries. Thing'sve been really hectic around my place, too. Between flooding and power issues and family "visiting" (but not leaving!) it's been absolutely insane trying to do *anything* lately.]

Kurt beamed at the compliment about the house. He'd done a lot of the decorationg of the new house--though had kept it rather tame in order to suit his dad and Finn (he'd learned his lesson...well, okay, he'd been warned when his ideas started getting too out of hand...) "I'm sure you're going to love it here. Why don't you leave your bags over here. Once we figure out rooming arrangements we can get Finn to help you carry them up," he winked and smirked as he volunteered his step-brother for heavy hauling duty.

[Alex Hummel]

Alex smiled at the offer with her bags.
"That would be super, I'm still sorry about all the jumbling around you've had to do because of me."

[Kurt Hummel]

Kurt only grinned. "Don't worry. It just gives us an excuse to put Dad's IKEA credit card to good use. Come on up. We can start looking through catalogs. And maybe we'll go through some magazines looking for Prom ideas, too..."

[Alex Hummel]

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Alex smiled.

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy smiled at the two of them and followed Kurt back up to his bedroom. She kept the fur blanket around her shoulders, jumping back onto her previous spot. "Well...let's bring them out, then." Lucy said with a smile. Kurt had almost every magazine...or at least, it felt that way. Reaching down below, she pulled out a box from under his bed.

[Alex Hummel]

Alex followed them upstairs and sat next to Kurt and Lucy.

[Lucy Westwood]

Lucy flipped through a magazine, looking for accessories for her prom dress. She looked over at Alex. "So, Alex, tell me about yourself! Do you do show choir?" She said, with a smile.

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