Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 75th cycle. Now cycle 76!

"Step Seventy-Seven, Give Thanks"
Brittany, Kurt, Santana, Will, Harry (OC)
Paper Heart series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

It was ridiculously easy for Brittany to start thinking about her son while she was at school. She missed Harry so much it ached, and that had been the case from the first day she'd returned here, but at the same time, it helped her to realize something else she should have caught on much earlier. As much as she did think about her baby, those thoughts did not come as escapism from this class or that class. She was paying attention in class, every day, and her teachers were noticing it, just as her grades were showing it. She wasn't going to be top of the class but she was climbing out of the bottom for sure.

And if she could remember that, then she also had to remember she hadn't gotten there on her own. Her friends had helped her, and her family, too, but there had been one who'd been her lifesaver, the one who'd finally gotten her to really become driven, and that was the one who'd taken time and been her home school teacher for all those months she was out of school. She owed many thanks to Mr. Schuester, and although she had expressed some form of gratitude before, she thought there needed to be more to it, for him to have something.

So she thought to put together a basket, filling it with presents and treats, a small token of what he meant to her and the future she was getting to build for herself and her son.

She put this idea to both Kurt and Santana, hoping that they might be able to help her. Burt was going to be more than happy to look after his grandson, as they'd expected even before they called him, so the trio of parents got together, as the plan for the 'Thank you Schue' project began.

If it had been up to Brittany, the basket could not have held everything she thought to buy, not to mention that she could never have afforded it all. Santana had suggested she set a budget limit, and that she keep in mind the size of the basket and the things that would go inside.

As she started thinking of what those items would be, she thought about her teacher and those months of home lessons. Sometimes she did miss those lessons. She was truly glad to be back at McKinley, with her friends, but there had been something about those home lessons, and not just the fact that she could keep Harry in her arms the entire time.

Mr. Schue had only her to teach when she'd been home, and all his attention was so devoted to her that she could always cut in and ask questions, and he would be there to help her. In class, she had to remember not only to wait her turn but also to expect that she might need to figure some more things on her own. He'd pointed this out to her, too, in their last days together. He'd made her keep in mind that things were going to be different, and she might need to readjust to the rhythm of being in a full class.

It had been harder at first than it was now, but she had found that rhythm he'd spoken of. And for that she had been getting better grades. And for that, she needed to express her thanks.

The basket had slowly but surely come together, each item, even though both Kurt and Santana had pointed it out as unnecessary, had been individually wrapped before it was placed in the wicker thing, handpicked by Britany. When it was all done, she'd topped it with a bow wrapped around the handle, and then she'd taken it to school with her, making sure to find him before classes began.

"Mr. Schue?" she called out, slowed down by the weight of the basket dangling against her legs. When he turned and saw her, he looked surprised.

"Brittany," he nodded to her. "What's all this?" he asked.

"For you," she smiled, holding the basket out to him.

"For… Brittany, wow… But you didn't have t…"

"I wanted to do it," she nodded. "You deserved it. You made me like school," she smiled. The teacher was at a loss for words, nodding along, though to himself, and Brittany blinked. "You're not going to cry, are you?" she asked, looking around the hall.

"No, I…" he chuckled, looking up; he'd definitely been on the verge of tears. "Thank you, I… Should I open these now?" he asked, unsure.

"You can wait until you're home," she promised.

"Right," he looked back down to the basket, to all the individually wrapped presents which would need to be unwrapped. "That must have taken a while."

"Well, I had help," she smiled. "There's a picture in there, you know? Of me and Harry. I thought… You could have it, and then you would know that you didn't just help me, you helped us both. I was worried, you know? I thought I'd never be anything because I wouldn't be smart enough, and then he wouldn't get the life he deserved. But then you helped me, and now I know I can get somewhere, so… it'll be a reminder, right?" Now there was no chance he would not cry.

"That's exactly what it will be," he promised.

"I probably shouldn't hug you out here, people might get the wrong idea, but pretend I'm hugging you, okay?" she asked, and he laughed.

"Pretending it now."

"Real tight," she smiled.

"Can't breathe," he played along, and with one more smile and wave, she walked on.

The day was only beginning, so it would be hours before she saw her son again, but Brittany felt good. She'd finally managed to put into words what Will's help had meant for her, and she was feeling a bit of that urge to cry herself. She held it in. She had classes to get to, and they were not going to be terrible at all.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!