Just so you all know I went with the coloring of Carole's hair after Kurt got to it because I just love her new look.

Chapter 9 of WWII Glee Fic

Kurt stood out in the street for a minute with Blaine, just staring at the door of the slim, slightly crumbling brick building.

Blaine squeezed his hand and reminded him, "this is what you said you wanted for christmas."

Kurt nodded and Blaine released his hand and as he walked towards the door, Blaine slowly began to lag behind, giving Kurt his space. Blaine wasn't involved in this after all, and he didn't know how these people would feel about him and Kurt and...whatever they were.

Kurt reached the doorstep and turned around, gesturing for Blaine.

Blaine looked up at the gray sky and the light drizzle of rain and prayed it wasn't foreshadowing anything. Then he stepped forward under the eaves of the building. Kurt reclaimed his hand before reaching up and knocking on the door.

A light came on behind the curtains of the window and a woman's voice could be heard through the door.

"Probably more soldiers in need of food or shelter." The door opened slowly and a women with red-auburn hair and kind green eyes peeked around, waving them inside with her arm.

Kurt glanced quickly at Blaine before hurrying inside, Blaine right behind him, still holding his hand.

"Alright, bath's upstairs. Now, I don't want any fights about who's going fir-" Just then Carole had turned around from shutting the door and had raised her lamp to get a look at these two boys who she was sure weren't old enough to be in any army. They had all been that way so far. This time however, her jaw dropped and her mouth hung open. She kept blinking like she was seeing a ghost.

Blaine slowly stepped back feeling out of place in this reunion. He tried to fade into the background.

A boy came through one door near the stairs saying, "the water heater is working on heating up." He probably would've gone back into the kitchen if it hadn't been for his mother's expression and if Kurt hadn't turned around at his voice. The tall boy stopped and squinted his eyes, moving closer to Kurt.

"Kurt?" He asked, poking his cheek to make sure he was real.

[i]He better not poke me again if he wants to keep his finger.[/i] Kurt thought to himself as he nodded and said, "Hello Finn, Carole." He turned back to the woman who had opened the front door.

Carole had closed her mouth and moved forward slowly, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Kurt." She choked, wrapping him tightly in her arms and rocking back and forth. She ran her hands through his hair and chuckled quietly, so happy to see him again.

Blaine could see that she loved Kurt, despite his homosexuality. Finn seemed happy to see Kurt too, he was grinning from ear to ear, and he could't stop stairing at the hugging pair.

He heard Kurt sob and try to hold it back as Carole patted him on the back and he looked down at the ground. If this hadn't taken place in front of the door, Blaine probably would have slipped out to give them some privacy. As it was, all he could do was look away and that was a difficult feat of mental willpower.

Carole let go of Kurt and Finn gave him a quick squeeze before Kurt complained about Finn cracking his rib cage.

The older woman began moving towards the door, looking out the window and biting her lip uncertainly.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Finn asked, stepping forward and peering outside over his mother's head.

"I'm looking for Burt. Where is he Kurt? Where's he hiding?" She searched Kurt's eyes, not willing to believe that Burt might not be there.

Kurt bit his lip and tears filled his eyes, overflowing. He hurried to try and wipe them away while looking imploringly at Blaine before turning back to Carole.

Now Finn was looking at Blaine strangely, studying him, Blaine noticed shuffling nervously.

"My Dad, he..." Kurt stopped and stuttered in his breathing as a sob wracked his entire body.

Carole had tears in her eyes now too, as she stepped forward and embraced Kurt again.

"He...loved...you." Kurt said in between sobs. "He loved...you so...much."

Carole just nodded, rubbing soothing circles on Kurt's back and crying freely onto his shoulder.

Eventually his heaving sobs subsided, and Kurt pulled back, his eyes red and puffy. He hiccuped and Carole smiled her red eyes crinkling.

"I just wanted you to know that." Kurt said, turning around and gesturing for Blaine to follow him and heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked nervously as Blaine joined him at the door and Kurt took one last look at the two figures left in the living room.

Kurt's face took on a confused expression and he said "what do you mean?"

'I mean where are you going?" Finn asked speaking slowly and enunciating his words loudly.

"I'm not deaf or dumb Finn." Kurt said, rolling his eyes and attempting a smile.

Carole stepped forward and said, "what he means, Kurt, is why are you leaving?"

Kurt looked confused again. "Well, I have a couple of friends waiting for me and Blaine outside, we're gonna go...find a place to stay?" Kurt ended his statement like a question and shrugged, looking at Blaine for help.

Carole chuckled, a little forcefully but then said, "well invite them in. You'll all stay here."

Kurt froze in surprise so Carole pushed past him and opened the door looking out. She noticed two figures across the street, standing under a lit street lamp and called out, "come on over here. Come in. Come in." She waved them over.

The girl began walking across the street and had to go back, grabbing the boys hand and dragging him along reluctantly behind her. Carole ushered them inside and shut the door.

Puck and Rachel hurried over to stand by Kurt and Blaine who had moved around the coffee table and over to the couch away from the front door.

"Well now, I'm Carole and this is my son, Finn. We already know Kurt of course, but you three are...?"

Kurt looked a little sheepish as he introduced his companions.

"Oh, hehe." Kurt muttered. "This is Blaine, Puck, and Rachel." He told them, gesturing to each in turn.

"Right well, why don't we let Rachel wash up first while you three figure out whose going next. Finn can you show Rachel where the bath is?"

Finn seemed to be distracted by Rachel's very presence in his house but hurried off when his mother gave him a little push.

Rachel glanced at her fellow traveling companions before hurrying into the kitchen and into the bathroom door that Finn had opened.

"If you three will follow me," Carole said as Finn joined them in the living room again. She went up the narrow staircase that was adjacent to the living room and Kurt followed quickly with Blaine and Puck right behind him. Finn looked around the living room a minute before deciding to follow them all upstairs.

Carole led them to the upstairs landing and opened two doors across from each other. "Kurt, you'll sleep in Finn's room with him. You two, Blaine and...Puck?" Puck nodded. "Well you two will sleep in here. And Rachel will sleep with me." She said the last bit quietly almost as if to herself.

"Once Rachel is done in the bath one of you will go next. I don't care who, but no fighting. When you're all washed up, dinner should be ready. Good thing too. You three don't look like you've been fed in years."

"We used to look a lot worse." Puck said. "Kurt was a skeleton, literally."

"Well that's all I see now." Carole said.

"Now though, we're happier. Free-er." Blaine said, glancing at Kurt.

Carole studied the two boys for a minute then said, "you three are free to do what you like for now. I need to go make extra food."

The boys made room for her to pass them on the landing and go back downstairs. They stood there quietly for a minute, not used to such freedom. Then Finn made his way past the other boys and into his room. "Let's get your bed made up Kurt." Kurt nodded, willing to help and followed Finn into his room.

Blaine walked downstairs, simply wandering and Puck followed him. They turned left at the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in the kitchen.

"Mrs. Hudson, is there anything we can help with?" Blaine asked, watching Carole bustle around the kitchen.

"Hmm?" She asked, looking up. "Oh, no. I'm fine. Why don't you boys have a seat at the table. You look exhausted."

Puck sat down and leaned on the table, laying his head on his arms, while Blaine sat with his hands resting on top of the table, fingers entwined and thumbs twiddling.

"So how did you two meet Kurt?" She asked, a little hesitantly, as though she didn't want to pry or cause them pain.

Blaine though about his answer, wondering how best to put it. "I met Kurt, on my first night at...Dachua."

"Oh? Did you have the chance to meet his father?" She asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

Blaine could tell it hurt her. "No. I...just missed him."

"That's a shame. Burt was a good man. He was a good father for Kurt." She sighed and mixed something about in a bowl.

Blaine felt a pang of jealousy, regret, and hurt as he remembered his last conversation with his father.

{([i})] "This goes against something we believe in Blaine. This is not acceptable in our society."

"Dad." His father stopped and looked down with a blank expression on Blaine.

"Mother...she's...gone."

His father simply stared off into the distance for a moment before nodding to himself and walking away. Deep down, Blaine couldn't help but feel his father had already known that. This conversation between them left Blaine believing that his father had felt they were both lost to him the moment they drove under the gates of this godforsaken camp.{([i})]

He wished things had gone differently. He couldn't understand. How could his father still be so hard hearted after everything that had happened in the camp. {([i})]"If you let yourself be seen with him, you'll be branded one of them."{([i})] What did labels have to do with anything in that despicable place. Everyone who was a prisoner there was in the same predicament and were all treated rather poorly. There was no caste system based on the labels or the symbols.

Blaine sighed, regretting his father's attitude as he said, "Kurt misses his father a lot. But he's had a lot on his plate so it's been hard to focus on his loss." Blaine finished quietly.

"What about you Blaine?" Carole looked at him, seemingly worried about how he was feeling. "Where is the rest of your family?"

"My mother...died," Blaine managed to get out. "Soon after we reached the camp. Maybe two or three weeks after."

Carole moved around the counter and towards Blaine as she asked, "and your father?"

Blaine felt this hurt was almost worse than speaking of his mother. "He's having a hard time accepting...how I've changed and who I've become. I'm not sure where he is right now. Kurt's lucky he had you and his father."

"Oh honey. I'm sorry." Carole said, making her way around the table and giving Blaine a comforting hug. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Blaine answered, hugging her back before letting go.

She bustled back to her cooking. "What about you Puck? First of all, is that your real first name?"

Puck looked up and shook his head. "My real name's Noah. Noah Puckerman. I'm not even a real jew. My grandpa was." He seemed a little indignant at that fact. His shoulders were hunched up as though trying to show off the muscles he used to have.

"I see." Carole smiled at his tough guy act. "Where's your family?"

Puck shrugged, trying to remain aloof and cool. "I don't know. My mom and Rachel's fathers got separated from us and I promised I'd take care of her." He said all this in a matter of fact tone, as though that was all that mattered.

"Oh so, you two have stuck together since the beginning?"

"Yeah, although she wasn't at Dachau's main camp."

Carole flinched when he referred to the camp. "But you found her?"

Puck nodded. "As far as I know, I'll never see them again. Which is fine, I mean I can take care of myself." Blaine saw his fist clench under the table over his pocket where the death-head patch was.

Carole could see Puck missed his mother. His guarded eyes could not conceal everything, especially since Carole had her motherly instincts on her side. This tough guy facade of his was not fooling her.

She continued bustling around the kitchen mixing things, pouring things, and baking things.

Kurt and Finn came down the stairs and Rachel hurried from the washroom, her hair dripping wet, but clean. She smiled at Carole and said, "thank you for lending me this robe." She crossed her arms and rubbed her hands along the sleeves. "It's nice and warm."

"You're welcome." Carole smiled at Rachel and said, "you can run upstairs and find some suitable clothes in my dresser. Top of the stairs, end of the hall. Then she turned to the boys. Finn had his finger in his mouth staring at Rachel. His finger was in his mouth because he'd been licking it off after snitching some sort of cram in a bowl on the table. The girls threw a look at one another and Carole used it as an excuse to study the girl whom her son was becoming so obviously enamored with.

She had very short brown hair, and Carole wondered why it had been cut so short. Her brown eyes had a shining light behind them that even the camps hadn't broken. Her smile was bright and contagious and she seemed to have held on to her humor even if she'd lost all nutrition in her thin, fragile-looking body.

Finn had removed his finger and was smiling now, use to being the butt of many jokes he did not understand. He didn't care that Blaine was chuckling and Kurt was laughing in a most un-Kurt like manner.

Carole looked at the three boys who remained as Rachel left the room and ascended the stairs.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and then at Puck. "I'll go wash up, he said standing up.

Carole nodded and checked on the food as Puck left the room. "Good timing." She muttered to herself. Then she turned to Kurt. "Honey, you and Blaine run up to Finn's room and see if you can find some clean clothes that'll fit you."

Kurt nodded. "Okay." He grabbed Blaine's hand softly pulled him from the room and up the stairs.

Blaine smiled as he felt Kurt's small, soft hand in his. They stepped over Kurt's bed of blankets on the floor and opened Finn's wardrobe. Kurt dug through the clothes and said, "here. These pants will be a little long since Finn is so much taller than you, but they'll fit. And this shirt will work." Kurt handed Blaine the very loose-fitting clothes. Then he rummaged a little bit more, grabbing two more pairs of pants and two shirts. "Puck will need something clean," he explained.

They tromped back down the stairs and Kurt walked to the washroom. "Puck! Clean clothes." He called through the door. A hand shot out, grabbed the clothes and the door ws shut again.

Rachel and Finn were conversing quietly at the table. Kurt set his clothes down on a chair and started mixing a bowl while Carole silently thanked him by kissing the back of his head and smoothing his short chestnut-colored hair down.

Blaine set his clothes down and sat at the table shutting his eyes. When he opened them, Puck was emerging from the washroom, clean and dressed.

"All right. Blaine or Kurt, who's going first?"

Blaine glanced at Kurt and opened his mouth to say Kurt could but Kurt beat him to it. "Blaine is." he walked over and pulled Blaine off the chair holding both his hands. He let go and handed him his pair of Finn's clothes, and pushed him towards the bathroom.

Blaine looked back to see if Kurt was sure, because this seemed like surprising and unusual behavior for the boy. He watched as the pale boy inched closer and closer to Carole. The motions seemed to be subconscious and Blaine feeling this moment was private, turned and went to wash up.

When he got out ten minutes later, dressed in Finn's clothes, with the pants rolled up so they didn't trip him, Blaine saw that Puck, Finn and Rachel had moved to the front room and were speaking softly. Kurt was still in the kitchen with Carole, helping with the finishing touches on the dinner. He started moving bowls format he counter to the table and Blaine stepped in, intercepting the bowls and plates.

"Your turn, hurry and wash up before dinner." Blaine said, standing in Kurt's way of the table. He'd glanced at Carole who nodded and smiled in approval. Kurt relinquished the bowl and plate he'd been holding and smiled at Blaine, a real smile, and went off to the washroom.

Carole and Blaine worked in silence for a moment but when all the bowls had been brought over, they sat down at the table. Carole smiled at Blaine and said, "so you're like Kurt?" From anyone else that could have been an insult, but from Carole it was sincere curiosity and caring for Kurt's well-being.

Blaine nodded and said, "yes, I think so."

Carole's smile widened. "So, you like my son then?"

Blaine felt a soft blush creep up his neck and his ears burn red. "Anyone would have to be daft not to."

Carole nodded and felt herself warm to this boy, hearing the underlying love he had for Kurt in his words.

Just then Kurt emerged from the washroom, clean and dressed in Finn's baggy clothes. They drowned him. Blaine chuckled and Carole laughed and said, "we'll need to go shopping." Kurt's eyes lit up at those words. Then Carole called the other three in for supper.

"Quick wash." Blaine commented as he sat down next to Kurt, who threw him a look that said he was happy to be here, especially with Carole. For once hygiene wasn't quite as important as it had been before Dachau.

-

Later that night after dinner had been cleaned up and the story of their journey there had been told, Carole insisted they all go to bed.

Everyone protested that they weren't tired but really they just didn't want to go off to bed in the dark without one another. Rachel had missed Puck immensely. They were practically family and she had just gotten him back. Kurt and Blaine had been with each other every night since Blaine arrived at Dachau. Finn just didn't want Rachel to go to sleep and Puck simply claimed he wasn't tired.

Carole was not having any of it however and she ushered them all out of the living room, forcing them to climb the stairs to the bedrooms.

"Rachel, just down the hall there," she pointed. "I'll be there in a minute."

Rachel nodded and passed by all the boys.

"Good night Rachel." Finn said just before she entered the room.

Carole smiled to herself then waited for the boys to enter their rooms. "No one needs anything?" She asked and they all shook their heads.

She nodded and followed Finn and Kurt into Finn's room. She gave them both great big hugs an whispered, "I love you," to each of them, even taking the time to tuck them in.

Finn drifted off to sleep quite easily but Kurt simply couldn't sleep. He closed his eyes and pictured his father and Carole together before the war. He frowned up at the ceiling. It was his fault his father wasn't there. All because he'd liked one boy school who had found out and freaked, reporting him to the gestapo.

He'd been stupid. He should've covered up his sexuality and pretended to like girls. Maybe then his father would be here and he wouldn't be causing hurt to Carole. Sweet Carole who treated him like her own son.

Kurt sighed and quietly got up, tip-toeing to the door and out on to the landing. He paused wondering where he was intending to go now that he was up. He glanced down the hall towards Carole's room and waited to see if anyone was up. It didn't seem like it, although there was a little sound coming from that direction that sounded suspiciously like sniffling. Kurt hoped Carole wasn't lying awake crying.

He breathed out quietly and sat down on the top stair, just knowing he wasn't tired. He didn't know how long he sat there but when he looked up again Puck was walking down the stairs and Blaine was emerging from their room, rubbing his eyes.

He sat down next to Kurt on the stairs and whispered so as not to wake Carole.

"What's wrong? What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Kurt pointed out.

Blaine, however, shook his head. "Puck wanted a drink of water and when he opened the door he saw you sitting here. He figured I'd be able to help so he came and got me."

Kurt nodded, grateful for Puck more in this moment than ever before.

Down the hall they heard a snort come from Rachel and Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder, standing them both up and guiding him down the stairs to the living room where they could speak a little more freely.

"So what's the matter?" Blaine asked, sitting Kurt down on the couch and sitting down next to him. "Just can't sleep or thinking about something important?"

Kurt tried to just shake his head and pretend everything was okay but Blaine wasn't having any of that. "Does it have to do with Carole?"

Kurt held his fingers up, showing him that was a little bit of what he was thinking about.

Blaine nodded and asked, "your dad?"

Kurt nodded and his eyes moistened up, but he hastily wiped them away. He was not having any more crying.

"You miss him?"

Kurt nodded and then said, "it's my fault he's gone."

Blaine was a little shocked to hear this from Kurt. "How?"

"If I hadn't been outed," he stopped and tried starting again. "If he had just said, he hadn't known I was..." He trailed off and sighed frustrated.

"Kurt...you're blaming yourself for your father's death, because he didn't distance himself from you and-"

Kurt cut in and said, "and went down with my ship? Yeah, I am." He said that with conviction and vehemence.

Blaine shook his head, "Kurt," he began trying to explain.

"You are upset your father died because he believed you had the right to love whomever you wanted?"

Kurt nodded.

"You're father showed you the ultimate sacrifice of love." Blaine seemed incredulous and Kurt pulled his knees up to his chest, slouching.

"I just...wish he hadn't. This day has been...bittersweet for both me and Carole. Finn too. He was becoming quite close to my father as they bonded over 'boy stuff.' Before..."

Blaine nodded and bit his lip thinking. "Kurt, do you think if your father knew what was going to happen when he decided to stick by you, he would've made a different choice?"

Kurt nodded immediately, but then he stopped and thought about it for a moment. He looked down at the floor and shook his head. "No. He would have done the same thing, all while I protested. He did before and he would again."

Blaine nodded and let his head fall against Kurt's, wrapping Kurt in his arms and letting the slighter boy nestle against his shoulder. Crying until he was out of tears and had fallen asleep.

He found himself wishing their roles were reversed, that he'd been the one to lose a loving father rather than be the one who lost his father due to his disapproval. Then he quickly threw that thought from his head. He wanted Kurt to remember that his father had loved him and didn't want to leave him. Kurt's grief would pass, even if it never left him entirely. Blaine's hurt feelings from his father's rejection would stay with him forever, hiding under the surface.

Blaine hadn't intended letting Kurt fall asleep, but now that he was, he didn't have the energy or the will to move him. So he leaned back into the couch and let his chin rest on the top of Kurt's head, his eyes drooping closed.

Puck emerged from the kitchen and glanced over at the two boys, cuddled on the couch. He sighed and shook his head, turning to go up the stairs. He headed straight for Blaine's bed and whipped the blanket off the bed, taking it back down stairs and draping it across the two boys.

Carole was only going to be a little surprised when she found the two boys there in the morning.

Rachel and Finn would smile and bond over the next few weeks that they bustled around one another in the house, before Puck finally shoved them into his and Blaine's bedroom closet and locked the door, vowing that he had lost the key and wouldn't go look for it unless they agreed to stop dancing around each other and just get together already.

Both parties vehemently disagreed until they had the sinking feeling that Puck had left the room or swallowed the key or something equally horrifying.

Rachel conceded she had feelings for Finn and had been worried about what Puck would think and Finn admitted he liked Rachel, but he was worried about messing up his new found friendship with the boy.

Puck had rolled his eyes and let them out of the closet when Carole came in and found out what he had been doing, but by then the two in the closet had already confessed.

Blaine and Kurt had a great laugh at their expense the rest of the week, especially when they were sitting around the fireplace in the living room and Rachel reached over to hold Finn's hand which was so much larger than hers.

All in all, everyone was happy and relieved to finally have their lives back again, or as much as it was possible to regain. Sure they had lost loved ones on the way, but that only showed them how precious each day was and how firm they needed to be in their actions each day. Taking nothing and no one for granted and always remembering what they had gone through together.