Dear Kurt,

I hope this letter reaches you without any problems. Congratulations to you and Brittany for your upcoming nuptials. To say I am not surprised would be a lie however she will make a great wife and you a loyal husband. You two were always incredibly close as children and I am so happy we get to finally welcome her into the family officially. I do wish I could have been there however I understand you would like to be wed before you make the journey west. This is partly the reason I am writing. The livery and blacksmith business is going well here and I have finally managed to finish the building of your tailors. The location is good and I received a lot of help constructing it from many of the townspeople. The town of McKinley is now ready to receive you. Everybody is looking forward to you and Brittany arriving as am I. The town is in dire need of a new schoolteacher and the role has been reserved for Brittany as the sheriff cannot deal with the demands of two jobs.

Kurt, please travel safely here, the trails can be very dangerous and you and I and especially Brittany understand how dangerous they can get. Please look after her. I expect to see you and Brittany in just over a fortnight. Any longer than a month and I will send word again. Safe Travels.

Sincerely,

Your father

Burt. E. Hummel

Brittany folded the crinkled and worn paper after re-reading the letter from her father-in-law several times. She looked over the expanse of land that her and her newly wedded husband had been travelling through for what felt like years. Wave after wave of peaky mountains in the distance was the constant backdrop to the never ending dirt track in which their horse and cart had been trailing through. The road to a better time. New town, new opportunities, new life. As Mrs Kurt Hummel. That was how she sold it in her mind, how she had to sell it in her mind, so that those constant plaguing thoughts that she had made a huge mistake would not overwhelm her to the point of tears. Like they had at night time. A huge mistake for Kurt, for herself. Two souls tied to each other that did not belong to one another.

"Britt-"

Brittany clawed herself from the depths of her mind and turned her attention to the very man that she was thinking of. Kurt Hummel, one year Brittany's senior, sat at the front of the cart, reins in hand. She looked over him and saw the boy that she grew up with, the milky white skin of the man that had given up his future to make hers more secure. But she knew, she knew what kind of future he would have if they didn't do what they did. And it was no future at all. Not one worth having. They did this for each other. His chestnut hair perfectly slicked and gelled like those fancy men from the east. Her hair set off against his, pure blonde. A rarity in some parts of this unforgiving land. Her blue eyes which electrified in the sun and creamy skin all gave away her heritage. Her true self. That she and her ancestors did not originate from around these parts. Then again, whose really did? She took notice of Kurt's attire. His clothes tailor made by his very own smooth, uncalloused hands that stitched the fabric perfectly. But of course, he was a fine tailor, one that was sorely needed at their new destination McKinley, Wyoming. She looked at her own dress. One which of course, Kurt had made. She was the tailor's wife after all. The tailor's wife.

"Are you okay, Brittany? You are awfully quiet." Kurt questioned the blonde. Her eyes slid back to the side of his face. She held the question in her mind. Was she okay? She was travelling to a new town, for a new start with new faces. She was going to be closer to Burt Hummel, the man in which she looked up to and held in the highest esteem. She was with her best friend. The boy she grew up with who had a great new job which could provide for her. She also had a new job prospect. That of a teacher. She used to help out back at her old town, assisting with teaching, she had a natural affinity with children. They absolutely loved her. Most people did. Not a kinder, gentler and all round joy than Brittany. That was what they used to say about her. With that came the other assessments. Naïve. Weak-willed. Soft touch. There is no good without the bad. She learned to ignore it. They did not know her the way Kurt and Burt did. Not really. If they did they would understand that Brittany Hummel was anything but naïve and weak.

"I am fine Kurt. Just thinking."

"Oh yes? About anything in particular?"

"Nothing much, my old teaching post, my new teaching post. This new town, McKinley. It sounds like they are all waiting for us to arrive. We will make quite an entrance"

"I know Britt, it's quite exciting. I hope my business gets going fairly quickly, that way we can finish the house quicker and move in. You can start your new teaching work, I can start earning and provide for us. Obviously you will be helping with that too. Quite a partnership." Kurt glanced over to Brittany with a smirk on his face. He noticed the faraway look the younger girl had in her eyes. He sighed internally to himself. It was never easy to see Brittany, the loveliest girl and his best friend like this. Of course he understood, everything that has happened recently added to the uprooting of their lives, this marriage that they decided to embark upon and the actual journey itself. It was never easy for Brittany to travel somewhere and who could blame her? The two people in her life understood completely and just wished that they could take away the festering pain that has attached itself to the girl for most of her life. But of course, that was something they did not speak of. No one spoke of. So he decided to address another issue that he believed this girl was harbouring inside of her ever since they made the decision to wed.

"Brittany…I know…" Kurt exhaled "I know that you think that you have somehow stolen a future from me or stopped me from being happy with someone in the future. But as we have already made the point before, what we did was for the best. For the both of us. I don't want to keep bringing this up but I need you to know, what we have done, I don't regret. And won't ever regret. Okay?"

Brittany looked back over to Kurt and saw the honesty that lay in his eyes. She knew really. Deep down, past the guilt and pain that what they did was needed and honestly she didn't regret it either. Not after everything. She felt a weight lift off her chest at the young man's words.

"I know Kurt, I know. We did what we did because we needed to. I don't regret it either. I never could. You're my best friend Kurt."

Kurt smiled at Brittany's words. He truly loved this girl. Sometimes, he would wish that that was enough. But it wasn't. He just wasn't made for it to be.

"You're my best friend too Mrs Hummel-" Brittany huffed at this and slowly a smile spread across her face which made Kurt's heart swell with affection "-and I think that you should go back there and get some rest. We have made good time and will be arriving soon. You will want some rest before we get to the hotel and check out the town."

The horse and cart that carried the two newlyweds wound around dirt tracks and through mountainous areas as it has for these past two weeks. The conditions have been harsh but the journey has not been dangerous as it could have been. They were lucky for this. So lucky. The large expanse bowled out into a valley, with the sun rising in the backdrop and the trees swaying with the breeze, the sight was breath-taking. The town of McKinley could be seen in the distance, the large strip of road with wooden buildings lining either side of the road, the winding side streets like pathways in an anthill from the view that Kurt and a freshly awoken Brittany had. It was a great first impression for the two, both were hoping that the town of McKinley would be a place where they could start the next chapter of their lives. Who knows what awaits them in this booming new town?