This story was inspired by this au gifset on tumblr of "what is Carson went to McKinley" by darren-crisser. It also gained inspiration from a few comments of Chris' that he wished he could see Kurt just stand up for himself instead of always having to be the good guy and forgive. I imagined Chris would be a great big brother to Kurt... and the story grew from there.

Set at the start of season 2 in Kurt's world. This story will have Klaine and Criss Colfer.

The differences in appearance between Carson, Kurt and Chris were well thought out. So each other them have slight physical differences, and it works even though they were all played by the same person e.g. Carson being tanner because they actually had to make Chris tanner so he'd match his parents more in the Struck By Lightning movie. Kurt being paler with very few freckles because freckles don't show up on camera. But Chris himself having a lot of freckles. The other differences in appearance are more obvious, so I don't think they need explaining.

If you have any other questions just review.

Carson Phillips walked towards his car with steady feet. He felt calm and happy for the first time in a long time. His armful of books and papers seemed lighter than usual. Because he'd come to terms with his life now. He felt he may have made peace with the world.

Of course some things would never be fixed. And the world would always be full of idiots. But now, even though Carson may not escape them, maybe he could live with them…

The bolt of lightning that dashed across the sky struck him so suddenly he barely noticed it.

All he felt was a small moment of shock before his body hit the ground.

…

Kurt Hummel was totally worn out after a busy day of Glee Club. After rehearsing he was so tired her almost had no time to take off his gorgeous outfit of the day and hang it up properly. Almost. Kurt then climbed into his pyjamas in a stumbling sleepy fashion, and fell into bed.

As he pulled up the blankets, a strange sensation of what could best be described as déjà vu, but wasn't quite, shot through him. It was gone in an instant, however, and Kurt's felt sleep take him quickly.

…

Chris Colfer had a very busy day, out shooting for glee all day and then spending the night pre-taping an interview with an unfortunately clueless and dull interviewer who had obviously not done their research beforehand, seeing as she was surprised to find out that Darren and Chris were not together in real life.

And then it had been right back to the set to do more filming. Chris had only just finished and it was way past eleven o'clock, when the day had been intended to come to close.

Chris waked over to his chair and began to shove his drink bottle back in his bag. Suddenly he heard thunder crash across the sky. It made him smile, reminded of Carson Phillips.

"Hold up Chris!" Darren's voice startled him as his fellow cast member came up behind him.

"You got an umbrella?" Darren asked with that goofy grin of his.

Chris looked back out across the sky and saw the rain rapidly approaching. He quickly dug in his bag and pulled it out.

"Mind if I share? Mine's in my trailer and I'll get killed if Blaine's cardigan gets wet." Darren asked. Chris grinned and held it over both of their heads as the started across the car park. Their shoulders bumped together as they talked. Darren laughed at the lightning and mentioned Chris's movie, Struck By Lightning.

"Wouldn't it be funny if you were hit right now?" Darren chuckled, gesturing to the sky as the rain tumbled around them. What Chris didn't expect was for his words to come true.

The sudden flash of lightning that lit his vision sparked right down the umbrella and sent shock waves through Darren and Chris. They keeled over backwards, knocked out by the lighting that had just sent electricity through their veins.

Everything was dark.

…

"Kurt! Kurt, wake up." Burt's voice reached Kurt through his dreams and the boy stirred slightly. He felt his bed tip a little as Burt sat on the edge.

"You awake son?" Burt asked, his voice gentler than usual as he brushed back Kurt's hair. Kurt's eyes fluttered open as he woke up, aware that it was still dark outside.

"Dad?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's your brothers, Kurt." Burt said in his oddly gentle voice. "We've had a call from the hospital and we'll have to go in and see them."

"What Finn? How'd he get in hospital?" Kurt asked vaguely, not noticing in his sleep ridden state that his father had used a plural.

"No," Burt gave him a rueful smile at what he thought was Kurt's inability to comprehend the idea of who was really in hospital. "I mean Carson and Chris."

"What?" Kurt asked, having never heard these names before in his life.

"Just get dressed and we'll go, Kurt. You don't need to worry I'm sure they'll be fine." Burt told him, giving his shoulder a pat as he stood up from the bed and left, shutting the door behind him.

Kurt was still totally baffled as to what his father was talking about. But he still obeyed him, and climbed out of bed. Kurt turned around and gasped in surprise. His bedroom had grown.

Rather than the usual wall, there was nothing. Instead Kurt's room opened into the one next door, creating one huge room. And there were two other beds there. Both of the headboards had bookshelves extending to the top of the roof, lined with books. One, history books and autobiographies, the other a worn set of Harry Potter books, other history books, and more fiction novels.

Aside from that, Kurt's usual posters, from Wicked and other Theatre productions, had been joined by a large signed Doctor Who poster, and one that looked homemade, encouraging kids to join the McKinley Writer's Club.

The other wall where Kurt dresser leaned, also had a second and third dresser, and all three had photographs on them. Aside from Kurt's usual photos of he, Mercedes and some of the other Glee Clubbers and his Dad's wedding photos, were pictures if three boys who all looked identical.

One was obviously Kurt, with his wonderful clothes, but the other two wore simple styles that made Kurt cringe. And there were small differences between the boys. But either way, he had never seen any of them before and it scared him a little.

Kurt wondered vaguely if he was dreaming, but then again he could usually tell, and this didn't feel like a dream.

But it was also impossible for any of this to be real. Kurt's room couldn't have been completely re-vamped while he was asleep. He would have woken up.

Maybe he hadn't noticed when he came upstairs, because he'd been so sleepy. But no, he had hung things in his closet, and that was through the door between his bed and the next. He would have seen.

Kurt peaked around the corner and felt almost weak with relief to see all his clothes still there in the wardrobe, and his own products on the vanity. At least they were safe.

It must be a prank. A very very elaborate prank. With some photo-shopping whizz involved, to get those pictures looking right.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Kurt's jumped violently in surprise.

"Kurt, you ready yet? You don't have to look good, it's just the hospital." Burt chuckled through the door, though Kurt could hear worry in his voice.

"Oh yeah," Kurt's tone came out strangled, though mostly from tiredness and surprise. "I'm coming."

He slipped on his bronze pants and tailored blue top, trying to fix his hair in the mirror as quickly as he could. Burt hammered on the door again and Kurt sighed, taking a hat to cover up the mess he hadn't had time to fix.

"Okay Dad, I'm ready." Kurt said, stepping into the Hall. Burt clapped a hand around his shoulders and led him down the stairs.

"You don't have to be too worried, Kurt." Burt told him. "I'm sure they'll both be okay."

Kurt just nodded tentatively, still not sure who 'they' were, or how and why Burt was doing this.

They reached the bottom or the stairs and joined Carole, who had tears in her eyes, and Finn who was still half asleep. Kurt was even more confused at the sight of them, seeming very worried. Would his father really pull a prank like this? So elaborate? So pointless? And Burt wouldn't do something like this anyway.

Kurt decided to just go with it for now. He'd find things out in a moment. Hopefully.

…

Carson was drifting in a sea of white. It was slowly that he began to regain some hearing, and then it sounded as if it were coming through a tunnel.

"…We're not sure… both in the car park outside the school ... seemed to be near the car…" The voice faded in and out and Carson tried to concentrate. "..and rang an ambulance… yes Mrs Hummel, both stable…"

Peeling his eyelids back, he could see the blurry figure of a nurse talking on the phone to someone. He was in hospital.

This realisation surprised Carson, and he tried to sit up.

"Oh hold on, Carson's waking up!" The nurse called, hurrying over. "Hey honey, just take it easy."

"Where am I?" He asked, frowning at the nurse. "I was just heading to my car."

He was embarrassed to find his voice slightly slurred. The nurse looked very worried, listening to something more in the phone before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"Mr Hummel, your parents will be here soon." She said kindly.

"Hummel?" Carson asked. "Wait… both my parents?"

"Yes dear," The nurse said.

"My Dad and my Mum?" He asked. "They're both coming?"

The nurse nodded and then looked guilty. She knew the Hummels; knew that Burt first wife - the boy's mother - had died.

"I'm sorry, I assumed- I mean your father and step mother are on their way." She corrected herself. She'd thought Carole had become an accepted part of the family, but apparently they didn't call her their Mum yet.

She didn't realise Carson was confused for an entirely different reason.

"What?" Carson was thinking of his own parents. He thought she meant his father had married that April woman he was engaged to already. But he didn't understand why had the Hospital staff called his father to come in, when he lived with his Mum. Not that his Mum would be able to drive up by herself… But still, they should have called her and she would have gotten a ride. "What about my real Mum?"

"Oh," The nurse was now looking extremely concerned. She thought he was talking about Mrs Hummel, his dead birth mother. "Ah, yes. I'll just go and…"

He glared at her retreating figure, disapproving of her inability to do things right the first time. He had no idea what had happened to him, but surely a hospital should do a better job than they had done so far.

Actually, as Carson tried to remember how he might have ended up in hospital, he could only recall walking across the car park, and the strange flash of light…

Had that been lightning? Surely he wouldn't be alive if that had been lightning. And who in Clovis would have found his body in the car park anyway. No one would be around that area for days afterwards. Unless days had already passed.

What was the time anyway?

Carson looked around the room, trying to spot a clock, but before he saw anything his gaze skirted over a figure that made him stop and stare.

The boy in the bed next to him looked just like him.

Carson felt a shiver run up his spine as he examined the boy. It was like looking at a photograph, except that this photograph was moving and breathing and living.

He felt only curiosity at first. The more he looked the easier it was to spot small differences. The boy's skin, rather than being slightly tanned like Carson's, was pale. He was covered in freckles though. His hair was styled higher. His expression was peaceful too.

Then it struck Carson how creepy this was. Some guy that looked just like him appeared in the bed beside him? Was this another thing his parents had hidden from him? Was it some weird sick joke?

"Mr Hummel, it would probably be better if you lay back down." The nurse's voice startled him and Carson snapped at her in response.

"You have got to be shitting me." He snarled, leaning back on the pillows with folded arms. "Who's this fucker?"

He jerked a thumb at the look-alike and the nurse's eyes widened.

"I think you may be a little confused, dear." The nurse said, as if he were a five year old who'd clutched the wrong leg in a supermarket, mistaking her for his mother.

"Okay this isn't funny. And why am I called Hummel?" He asked.

She looked seriously worried now; more like the five year old had cut off their own arm.

"Ah, okay Mr H– Carson. We'll um, let me just…" She trailed off and quickly left the room, muttering something under her breath. The only word Carson caught was "amnesia".

Now he was seriously pissed off. He had no idea what was happening, but a part of him was absolutely terrified at this turn of events.

…

"Ah good, Mr Hummel." The nurse said, spotting Burt talking to someone at the counter as soon as she left his sons' room. "There's been a… complication. It would be best to have you come and meet your son first, to see if the solution is that simple."

"What's happened?" Burt asked. His voice was gruff with concern and Carole wound a gentle arm around his waist, her own face pale. Behind them, Finn looked very out of place with his hands deep in his pockets, and Kurt, the triplet, seemed very confused.

"There seems to be a small case of memory loss. Carson didn't seem to recognise his brother. But I think the best way to face the problem is for him to see you. His father's face should help jog his memory. And talking to you a moment would be advised. If the problem continues, we will have to find a new way to tackle it." The nurse rattled off.

"Alright," Burt seemed fairly confident that Carson would quickly come to his senses. He was a tough kid. Burt had been terribly afraid when he'd been contacted about what the hospital thought was a lightning strike. Burt hated the idea it might have lasting effects on his son.

The nurse led the family of four down the hallway to the room. She swung open the door to find Carson still staring at Chris with a furrowed brow.

When Kurt saw the other two boys he gasped. His mind was reeling with a dull ache of confusion. He was still very tired, and this was almost too much to handle. How did two identical boys he'd never seen before suddenly pop into existence?

"Who are you?" The boy in the bed snapped. Kurt blinked in surprise at the sound of his deeper voice and the malice in his tone. Again the boy was like him yet not like him. Kurt hung back a little as Burt stepped forward. Carole wrapped and arm around Kurt and let her husband kneel down by the bed.

"Hey kid," Burt said, "How're you feeling?"

"This is not fucking funny." Carson said, but he wasn't looking at Burt. He was glaring at the nurse. "I don't know why you think you have the authority to do this, but it had better stop now. My Mum may not seem like much to face up to, but rest assured I can have a complaint filed that will-"

"Carson," Burt said slowly. "Don't you… know who I am?"

"Nope," Carson didn't even glance at him. "So just piss off and tell this joker to send my real parents in."

"Oh dear," The nurse said, backing toward the wall and pressing a small button. The intercom buzzed on and made Kurt jump. As the nurse started talking to someone in a different part of the hospital, Kurt stepped up to join his Dad.

The boy, Carson was glaring up at him, but for some reason it wasn't as scary as it might have been to someone else. It was just like looking at his own angry face. And he wasn't exactly scared of himself. Although now that he was looking, he realised the boy had more differences than just the fashion sense Kurt had noticed in the photographs. He was tanner than Kurt, and his eyes were bluer than Kurt's, which often looked greenish in some light; the same way Burt's did. And there was a pimple on Carson's forehead that made Kurt take a closer look at his skin and realise he probably didn't do anything to take care of it.

Kurt wanted to ask who the boy was, and why he was here, and how this had all happened, but he stayed silent. They all seemed to think the boy, Carson, had amnesia or something. And at least Carson was in hospital and suspected of having concussion anyway, according to Burt. It made sense for Carson to blurt out things that everyone thought sounded crazy. If Kurt started doing it too, he'd only be shoved in hospital as well. What Kurt wanted to know was why people thought Carson was crazy. It seemed to him that Carson was right. None of this made sense.

Kurt assumed, since everyone said these boys were his brothers, that he was allowed to go and look at the other boy. In fact, Finn was already sitting in a seat beside this brother.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Carson snapped defensively as Kurt moved around his bed.

"Please stop swearing." Kurt asked with a wince. Honestly, in front of his Dad and Carole? Did this guy have no sense at all?

"Has Chris woken yet?" Burt asked the nurse, who was waiting with her hands clasped in front of her.

"No, he's been out since he arrived." She said.

Kurt studied this brother as well. He was as pale as Kurt, but covered in freckles that Kurt only got small scatterings of occasionally. This one at least looked kinder. Though it may have been because he was asleep.

The door opened and three more people in hospital uniforms came inside. Kurt watched as Carson whipped around to face them.

"Seriously ready for this to stop," Carson told them, still frowning so hard Kurt thought he'd probably get wrinkles far before his time.

"Carson," The lady at the front said. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Fire away. You may as well since you have me stuck here." Carson growled defensively. Kurt took a seat, watching warily as his mind whirred in his skull, pondering the situation and trying to work out what was going on.

"What's your full name?" The Head Nurse asked. The other three were just watching quietly. One was a big muscled guy, and Kurt figured he was there to hold Carson down if any trouble started.

"Carson Phillips," Carson said firmly. They seemed to be waiting for something more, but none came. Kurt saw Burt's shoulders sag with disappointment. He peered around the edge of Carson's bed and saw the sign hanging there. Carson Phillip Hummel.

"Where are we right now?" The Head Nurse asked.

"I dunno, do I look like a fu- fricking GPS? Clovis Hospital or something." Carson rolled his eyes and Kurt suddenly felt he saw a deeper connection with this boy. That gesture, at least, was something they both shared. And he was pleased he'd actually listened to Kurt's request.

"Ah, what do you mean by Clovis?" The Nurse bit her lip nervously as Carson laughed. Kurt was taken aback once again by how different they were.

"Clovis, California, United States of America, Earth, The Solar System-" Carson smirked as he said it.

"Okay we get the idea, Carson." The nurse nodded to her colleagues and one of them wrote something down. Kurt watched as the original nurse left the room.

"Do you recognise these people?" The Head Nurse asked next. Her voice was suddenly a lot kinder, despite the fact that Carson bristled with more fury every moment.

"Hell no!" Carson hissed. "That's what I've been trying to say!"

"Not even Kurt and Chris?" This voice belonged to Finn.

"That's the part that makes no fucking sense!" And now Carson was yelling again. "How the shit do you get these two guys that look just like me? What is even going on here? This joke is getting really old really fast. So I'd appreciate if someone could break the news to me. Jump out and tell me I've been Punk'd and let me get home, okay?"

The room remained in shocked silence. The male Nurse edged closer to Carson's bed.

"I don't know who Kurt is! All I know is it is scary to see me looking so freakishly pretty or whatever he is. And this Chris guy who's been knocked out is really freaking me out. So just give it the fuck up and tell me what is happening? I don't exactly like waking up in hospital to find some shitty scene where everyone suddenly acts like they give a crap and crowds around my bed. Do you have any idea how weird this is? How out of line? Aren't you supposed to be a hospital? Aren't you supposed to stay professional? Yet it seems to me you threw that all away to pull some stupid prank…"

…

Chris could hear nothing, but he started to feel his limbs again. There was a weird tingly sensation everywhere. Suddenly sounds started fading into existence. Louder it rushed against his ears. He could make it out properly. Someone was yelling.

"… Chris guy who's been knocked out…" Chris heard his own name and struggled to open his eyes. The voice sounded oddly familiar and he almost thought he wasn't hearing it right. Because it couldn't be.

It was, Chris realised, it was his own voice. But talking in the way he spoke when he acted as Carson. But the words he was saying were words Chris had never said before.

"…I don't exactly like waking up in hospital to find some shitty scene where everyone act like they give a crap and…" Chris groaned as he tried to open his eyes and found that the world was very blurry. He saw a movement beside him and wrenched his eyes open to try and see. He managed to focus on a face. It was Cory. Cory Monteith. What was he doing on set? He wasn't filming today.

"… Aren't you supposed to be a hospital?..." The voice continued.

Chris remembered now, he remembered the lightning hitting him and Darren. Were they in hospital? Why was Cory there though? Because hadn't even been on set at the time it's not like he accompanied them in the ambulance.

And that still didn't explain the voice he could hear. Chris turned over, still peering through tired eyes.

"… Threw that all away to pull some stupid prank…"

"Carson?" Chris squeaked in shock. Because what he was seeing defied all logic. It was himself, acting as Carson. But not on a T.V screen. Actually there.

Carson turned to face Chris and his mind was blown by how real this all seemed. He didn't understand what was happening.

"Oh yay, this one's awake." Carson said in a sarcastic tone that Chris knew just how to use, but had never used to say those words.

"Chris, you okay buddy?" Another voice asked. It was Mike. Mike O'Malley. Chris turned to look at him and again, wondering what he was doing in the hospital. Actually, now he was looking, he realised that Romy Rosemont was beside him. But she wasn't dressed like Romy, she was dressed like Carole Hudson, her character. Actually, Mike was also dressed like Burt. He kept looking around and then, closer to Chris' bed…

"Oh my god," Chris breathed. Not only was Carson somehow impossibly there, but so was Kurt. Chris was here three times, acting as two other people. "Kurt?"

"There you go, Chris recognises us Kurt," Carole said warmly to the baffled boy.

Chris looked around again, and then down at himself. He felt a shock of disappointment. He was younger. He'd gone back in age. He looked like he had a couple years ago when he was acting as Kurt in season two. Some of his old insecurities seemed to come back at the sight of himself.

Although he still didn't understand what was happening. He felt like he was stuck in some weird Sci-Fi movie where he'd landed in an alternate universe.

"I still don't know what the fuck is going on!" Carson snapped, drawing attention back to himself.

"We're going to have to put him under," Said the male nurse, who was to the right enough for Chris to hear his whispers, but not Carson. "And work out what we think went wrong. He appears not to remember anything about his life. Not even his own triplets."

Oh, thought Chris, This really is like a Sci-fi movie.

"Um, excuse me," He said aloud, thoughts buzzing around in his brain. "Could I talk to my brothers alone for a moment?"

The Head Nurse looked warily at him and then she turned to Burt.

"Would you be alright with that, Mr Hummel?" She asked. "It may help Carson to remember, especially as Chris was with him at the time and may be able to help him recall what happened."

"Oh course," Burt said, standing already. He clapped Kurt on the shoulder as he passed. "I'll see you three soon, okay?"

"Bye Dad," Kurt looked scared as his family and then the Hospital staff, left him alone with the two boys he'd never seen before.

There was an awkward pause. Carson and Kurt were staring at Chris.

"It's okay." Said Chris, thinking he might have a grasp of what was happening. Even though what was happening was impossible. "Let me explain…"

Thanks for reading. Please do tell me what you think.