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Lyrics are in italics

Ending this story was actually more difficult than I thought it would be, very anti-climatic lol but here it is

Chapter 25-We Can Take Anything

The school had hosted an assembly in honour of Dave Karofsky. The assembly was held the very afternoon his body had been discovered in the choir room. All students were excused from class and it was compulsory that they all attend. Principal Figgins stood before them all, speaking almost robotically as he talked about the dead student. Mr. Schue got up to say a few words about Karofsky and Miss Pillsbury said her office was always open should anyone need to talk about their grief.

Sitting amongst his fellow students, his boyfriend's hand clasped tightly in his own and his friends all around him, Kurt glanced around at everybody's faces. They all looked incredibly shocked that somebody their age who walked the halls with them every school day had committed suicide. The jocks that had played football and hockey alongside Karofsky were the only ones who really looked sad for having lost a friend. The sad expressions and silent tears cast over other people's faces were merely for show for they thought that was how they ought to react. Although nobody within the school gym had wished Karofsky dead, many of them would forget all about the boy as soon as there was something knew to gossip about. Only a handful of them would be truly affected by the boy's suicide.

Karofsky's sporting friends would miss him. Or at least, they would miss the person they thought him to be. None of them really knew the real Dave Karofsky. They didn't even know the truth about his sexual orientation. Perhaps some of the teachers would look up from their desks and be drawn to his empty seat for a while, but none of the teachers could truly stand up and say they knew Karofsky either.

Not even Kurt or his friends in Glee knew who Karofsky really was. They knew some of the things he was capable of but they still didn't really know him. It seemed as though nobody in the school had really known him properly. Everything Dave Karofsky had presented himself as had been a lie and the truth would forever be a mystery.

"Don't let it get to you." Puck whispered into Kurt's ear.

After being released from the gym, Kurt caught up to Coach Sylvester. Eyes on the floor, he simply told her it would no longer be necessary to show the footage Artie and Jacob had managed to film on Sue's Corner. Her hand came down on his shoulder, squeezing it in a painful grip that was presumably intended as one of comfort.

"I guess I'll just have to improvise a series of jokes related to one Will Schuester's ridiculous hair." Sue sighed before heading off down the corridor.

The Gleeks didn't bother attending their last lessons of the day. Instead they headed outside to the bleachers and sat down together in an awkward silence. Tina had her phone out playing angry birds, Quinn was fiddling with the little gold cross that hung around her neck, Sam had taken out a comic book but didn't seem to be reading the pages and Mercedes was finding different ways to arrange her many bright coloured bracelets on her arms.

Seeing that Rachel and Finn were holding hands, the Jewish girl resting her head on the drummer's shoulder, Kurt assumed that he was correct in thinking the big announcement Rachel never got to make was about her and Finn getting back together. The two hadn't given any verbal confirmation but it was visually evident that they were close again like they always were in their couple stages. Kurt briefly wondered how long the two would last before breaking up again as he leaned against his boyfriend.

Feeling Puck press a kiss to his head, Kurt closed his eyes and for a few fleeting moments he almost forgot about that morning's tragedy. Unfortunately, the image of Karofsky's dead body hanging from the choir room ceiling by a thick rope re-entered his mind. His feelings of guilt still lingered despite Brittany's earlier insistence that he was not to blame, but the guilt was not nibbling at his brain with as great a strength as it had been. Since sitting through the assembly Kurt had started to feel somewhat numb to the information but something else was slowly starting to creep in. He wasn't entirely sure what the emotion was just yet but he suspected that it was something that fell somewhere between angry and bitter.

"Ok, like why are we all moping as if we actually give a shit?" Santana finally asked. "So what if the kid killed himself? Good riddance I say."

"Santana." Brittany admonished. "That's not a nice thing to say."

"Well the guy wasn't exactly a nice person," Santana pointed out. "Do you all suddenly have amnesia or something? Am I the only one who remembers what an asshole he was? We shouldn't be sat out here looking all depressed like a friend or a pet just died. He wasn't our friend ok, he was a bullying little scumbag and we shouldn't be mourning him."

"Santana." Brittany repeated just shaking her head with a sigh.

"He was a bastard," Sam said and they all turned to look at the large-mouthed blonde. "But none of us wanted him dead."

"Oh whatever," Santana scoffed. "The jerk killed himself, big deal. I'm not saying we should throw a party but we shouldn't be sulking either. I didn't like him, I'm not going to miss him and I don't care that he's dead."

"You didn't see him." Brittany told her quietly. "You weren't alone in that room with his body unable to do anything but stare at it, you don't… you just don't understand. You didn't see him." She repeated.

"It was horrifying," Quinn spoke up. "Seeing him hanging there, knowing that he did it to himself… the feelings I felt in that moment will never go away."

"He wasn't Karofsky anymore." Tina said. "He wasn't a jock, a bully, a stalker or a closet-case. He wasn't anything."

"Just a body." Mike said. "Just a kid."

"I've always been obsessed with death," Tina commented. "But actually seeing the dead body of somebody we know…" she trailed off with a shudder even though there was no wind to cause a chill. "I always thought of death in a glorified way, that it was something beautiful, just like childbirth. But seeing the body, there was nothing glorious or beautiful about that experience. That moment in the choir room will haunt me forever."

"Ok Morticia Addams just shut up." Santana told the Gothic girl. "What is wrong with you losers?" She asked moving off the metal bench and standing in front of them all. "People die every day but you don't sit and mope about them all so why are you acting like this over Karofsky of all dickheads? Clearly I need to remind you idiots again that Karofsky was not our friend. We hated him, remember? Are you seriously telling me that we're just gonna forgive all the shit he put Hummel through just because the troll killed himself? Call me a heartless bitch, but I really couldn't care less that he's dead and you freaks shouldn't care either."

"Well I do care." Brittany replied.

"So do I." Kurt sighed.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Santana muttered. "Puck, come on, back me up here."

"Fuck, I don't know." Puck swore. "This day just kinda sucks you know."

"Oh whatever," Santana huffed crossing her arms over her chest and sneering at them all. "When you babies are done with crying over the poor misunderstood psycho why don't you give me a call."

She made to storm off but Brittany caught hold of her arm.

"What?" Santana demanded.

"You're being a bitch," Brittany informed her. "More so than usual. That usually means you're scared, upset or so confused that you don't even know what to do or how you're supposed to feel. And that's ok. None of us need to have all the answers right now. We just need to be here to support one another and help each other through them. So if you want to make some more nasty comments then go right ahead, we're listening. But don't you dare walk away from us."

Without a word or scathing retort of any kind, Santana sat back down and silence swept over them once more.

"Hi Barbie." Sam eventually said making his voice sound funny and the others looked to him incredulously. "Hi Ken." He continued making his voice higher and causing Kurt to gape at him in shock. "Do you wanna go for a ride?"He asked even as most of the others shot him variations of 'what the fuck?' expressions.

"Sure Ken." Brittany smiled at him.

"Jump in…" Sam said.

"Really, guys, really?" Quinn asked looking between the two as if they were both insane.

"Just trying to lighten the mood a little." Sam shrugged defensively.

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world," Mike sang in his very poor singing voice. "Life in plastic…" he continued looking a little uncertain.

"It's fantastic." Brittany and Sam joined in.

"You can brush my hair…" Tina added her vocals.

"Undress me everywhere…" Artie sang adding his voice to the mix.

"Imagination, life is your creation…" Sam, Brittany, Mike, Tina and Artie sang in unison.

"Come on Barbie, let's go party!" Sam half-sang and half-shouted.

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world," Finn and Puck sang together causing Mercedes to giggle before joining in. "Life in plastic, it's fantastic. You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere. Imagination, life is your creation."

"I'm a blonde bimbo girl, in the fantasy world," Brittany sang standing up to dance around a little bit, Tina joining her. "Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly."

"You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamour in pink," Artie sang. "Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky."

"You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours', I'm a Barbie girl," Brittany, Tina and Mercedes sang together while Finn drummed a beat on his knees, Artie and Puck clapped along and Mike and Sam danced around with the three girls. "In the Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic. You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere. Imagination, life is your creation."

"Come on Barbie, let's go party." The boys minus Kurt sang.

"Ah-ah-ah-yeah." Brittany, Tina and Mercedes sang.

"Come on Barbie, let's go party." The boys repeated.

"Oo-ooh, oo-ooh." The three girls.

Having been gaping at the scene playing out before them, Rachel and Quinn made eye-contact before shrugging simultaneously and joining in.

"Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please," they all sang together apart from Kurt and Santana. "I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees. Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again, hit the town, fool around, let's go party. You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours'. You can touch, you can play, if you say: 'I'm always yours'."

"Come on Barbie, let's go party." Kurt sang standing up and offering his hand to Santana.

"Ah-ah-ah-yeah." Santana spoke with little enthusiasm as she shook her head before joining the others in their rendition of Aqua's Barbie Girl.

After finishing the song, they all looked around at one another before simultaneously bursting out laughing and it took a long while for them to stop.

"That was really fun." Tina smiled. "Barbie Girl is actually a really good song."

"Who are we kidding?" Santana asked. "That was super lame. If you guys tell anybody I sang that song with you then I'll deny it."

"So what do we do now?" Brittany asked.

"I suggest we choose a Broadway classic as our next song selection." Rachel spoke up eagerly.

"That isn't what I meant," Brittany said. "I mean, what happens now? What are we supposed to do about… Karofsky?"

"Nothing." Puck answered wrapping his arms protectively around Kurt. "He's out of our lives now, Britt. There's nothing we can do. We just need to forget about the jerk and move on."

"Excuse me; was nobody listening to me half an hour ago?" Santana asked. "Because that was basically what I said."

"Well, now that we've all had a little time to process the initial shock we should unite together and strive to overcome this unexpected obstacle and carry on," Rachel said. "We cannot allow anything to distract us from Sectionals. And since we're all gathered together I'd like to take this time to share the news I had hoped to divulge to you all this morning," she made a show of linking Finn's fingers with hers and holding their joined hands up for everyone to see. "Finn and I are in love again." She beamed.

"Boring." Quinn commented.

"It won't last." Santana said snidely.

"I can't even feign shock." Tina shrugged.

"Again?" Mercedes groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"Kurt and I totally make a hotter couple than you." Puck added smugly.

"Would a Finchel baby be really short or really tall?" Brittany asked.

"Guys, Miss Pillsbury's on her way over," Sam warned. "With… who are they?"

"Those are Karofsky's parents." Finn informed them all.

"Why is she bringing them towards us?" Kurt asked nervously and Puck held him closer telling him to relax.

"Everybody just remain calm and act natural." Quinn advised.

They all dropped their eyes to the floor hoping to avoid the gaze of the Guidance Counsellor as well as Mr and Mrs Karofsky as though not looking directly at either of the adults would prevent them from being seen.

"Hello kids," Emma said gently. "I understand it's a troubling time for you all right now so I am willing to overlook the fact you're skipping class just this once. This is Mr and Mrs Karofsky, they um, they'd like to talk to you Kurt." She said offering Kurt a reassuring smile as he pulled his head up to face them. "It's ok." She mouthed to him.

"You're Kurt?" Mrs Karofsky asked softly looking at Kurt through red-rimmed eyes, it was clear she had been crying. "Kurt Hummel?"

"I am." Kurt nodded in confirmation unsure as to why they wished to speak to him.

A new wave of tears fell from Mrs Karofsky's eyes as she threw her arms around Kurt holding him close. Startled, Kurt patted the woman on the back awkwardly still clueless as to what it was she and her husband wanted from him.

"Our Dave spoke so fondly of you." Mrs Karofsky told him through a broken sob. "We know how close you and he were. You were very special to him."

"Oh." Kurt replied when nothing else came to his mind. He looked helplessly round at the other but they didn't seem to know what to say either.

"Our Dave," Mr Karofsky said addressing Kurt as Mrs Karofsky finally released the boy from her tight hug. "Did he say anything to you, anything that may have indicated why he… why he left us?"

"No," Kurt answered quietly. "He didn't. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Mrs Karofsky pressed. "Can't you think of anything at all?"

"No." Kurt repeated. "I don't know anything. I had no idea that he would… I had no idea." He said unable to complete the sentence and verbalise what Karofsky had done.

"You'll come to the funeral won't you?" Mrs Karofsky asked and Kurt bit down on his lip as he looked to Puck and the others not wanting to say yes but not knowing how to tell the grieving woman no. "All of you?" She added looking round at the other Gleeks, most of whom looked distinctly uncomfortable at the invitation.

"Of course." Brittany answered on everybody's behalf. "Your son will be sorely missed." She told them, being kind enough to speak the words she believed Mr and Mrs Karofsky would like to hear.

"Thank you," Mrs Karofsky smiled at her pulling the blonde into a hug. "Sorry, I don't know your name."

"I'm Brittany," she answered. "I was… I was the one who found him."

"Oh you poor girl." Mrs Karofsky said hugging her closer and shedding fresh tears.

"I stayed with him," Brittany told her not able to refer to Karofsky as just a body in front of his parents. "I didn't want him to be alone."

Crying a little harder, Mrs Karofsky hugged Brittany once more before telling them that she'd be in touch about the funeral. She hugged Kurt again and Mr Karofsky lightly touched his shoulder before Miss Pillsbury led them away.

"Damn, that was awkward." Mercedes breathed out.

"Are we going to go?" Artie asked looking round at them all and taking hold of Brittany's hand. "To the funeral?"

"I think we have to." Brittany said. "For them," she nodded in the direction the two Karofsky's were walking off in. "And for us. Saying goodbye might help."

"So we have to go to some dumb funeral and act like the jerk actually meant something to us?" Santana asked not sounding impressed with the idea. "That's bullshit. When they lower his coffin into the ground we should shout out what an asshole he really was."

"We can't do that." Kurt told her as he melded himself against Puck's side. "His parents loved him. They didn't know the truth and they don't need to. Just let them remember their son in as good a way as possible."

"So… we're going to go to the funeral?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Kurt answered with a sigh. "Britt's right. We have to go."

The group made their goodbyes and headed home. Kurt and Puck just drove around aimlessly for a while before pulling up by a pretty looking park. Rather than getting out of the car to enjoy the scenery, the two boyfriends simply moved into the backseat and curled up together. They shared a gentle kiss and silently found comfort in one another's arms.

"Never a boring day in Lima right?" Puck asked jokingly with a hint of a laugh.

Kurt let out a small chuckle in response that turned into a sob part way through. His body started to tremble and he burrowed into his boyfriends warmth as tears began to fall. The day had truly been an overwhelming one and Kurt didn't know how to handle it.

"Just let it out," Puck told him cuddling him close and pressing light kisses to the countertenor's face. "Let it out, babe."

The crying only lasted for a minute or two before Kurt dried his eyes and let out a dark chuckle. He then proceeded to rant angrily about all things Karofsky. Puck just kept his hold on him, listening to his boyfriend's frustration and anger but not commenting on it. The angry rant lasted around ten minutes before Kurt let out a long sigh.

"It's been a long day." Kurt said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah." Puck agreed. "But we survived it, right? Just like when we came out as a couple to the school. That week was pretty tough but we got through it. Or when you introduced me to your old man, we were both scared to death that Burt might shoot me. Hell, sometimes I think he still might, but we deal. You and me, babe, we can take anything."

"I know we can." Kurt smiled and Puck grinned back at him as they moved in for a slow sensual kiss.

"So… sex?" Puck asked with a smirk and a wink.

"No," Kurt replied. "I want you to make love to me tonight, I need you to. My place?"

"Sounds perfect." Puck told him.

After another kiss, they moved back into the front of the car so Kurt could drive them to his house, feed his dad the pitiful 'we're doing homework' lie before leading Puck down to his basement so they could make love.

"I love this song." Kurt commented as 'My Boyfriend's Back' began to play on the radio.

The End

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