Author's Note: Welcome! This is my 2nd story, and my 1st Glee one, so hopefully it will be good. I have the whole thing written out, and I personally love it (because that's not biased at all…). I'll be interested to see what you think! I won't lie- the first chapter is not my favorite. I was still getting into the story, and it seems a bit rushed. However, I would strongly encourage you to stick around, and the second (and much more awesome) chapter will be posted in 2 days.

Disclaimer: I definitely do NOT own Glee. (This is a good thing because I –like many others, I would imagine– would just have Klaine every episode of the season.)

Aftermath

~Chapter 1~

It was evening in Ohio, and day began to turn to night as the sunlight started to fade away. The air was noticeably cooler, and the energy level in the town was decreasing rapidly as people retired to their homes for the rest of the day.

The Hummel-Hudson residence, however, was full of energy. The sounds of footsteps and banging dishware echoed throughout the house, occasionally joined by a voice or two calling out instructions.

Why was there such a racket? Burt and Carole had come up with the idea of throwing a party to celebrate Kurt and Finn finishing their junior year of high school. Thus, the kitchen area was in full swing, and crepe-paper decorations hung from the ceiling and doorways. After all, if they were going through the trouble of having a party, why not go all out? (The tacky decorations were not Kurt's idea, as he was quick to point out.)

As for the two boys, they were –at the time– completely uninvolved with the preparations for the celebration. Finn was currently in the living room blasting his way through another level of Halo, although he had to pause it quite a few times in order to respond to texts from his possessive –and sometimes crazy– girlfriend. (Yes, Rachel, that means you.)

Kurt, on the other hand, was in his part of the room in the basement, working on his new decorations: candles. Yes, there was a reason behind it, and it was extremely cheesy. After Blaine had said "I love you", it had taken much self control on Kurt's part to not giggle like a teenaged girl or jump up and down and engage in some form of happy dance. (He had saved that for when he got home that day, naturally.) That moment, of course, had made him remember the duet that they had sung just after their first kiss, which consequently led to his urge to add candles to his already-fabulous design.

He was just lighting the last one when he heard Burt call, "Kurt, Carole needs your help in the kitchen!"

"I'm coming!"

Quickly, Kurt got up and turned to run upstairs, not noticing that in his haste, he had bumped a single candle out of place.

The flame flickered threateningly close to the sheets draping down from his unmade bed. A blink of an eye later, and it made contact. Only a small black spot appeared on the fabric at first, but it began to grow into a section of fire approaching danger level.

Had Kurt turned around, he might have seen what was going on, but he was halfway up the stairs by the time the fire began.

That simple mistake was one that he would regret for his entire life.

It wasn't until halfway through the celebratory feast that Burt asked, "Do you smell smoke?"

Initially, the question was dismissed. A quick glance was spared at the kitchen, but no discovery was made. Burt figured he had been imagining things.

When he smelled it again a few minutes later, though, he wasn't the only one to notice. Something was going on.

Burt rose from his chair and left for the hallway. At once, Kurt got up from the table and followed his dad. Just in case there was a serious problem, he didn't want Burt to be alone. As they turned the corner, they were immediately assailed by hot flames and dark smoke. The fire had started in the basement, and had eaten itself up the stairs by way of the decorations until it reached into the living room. Now, the flames had begun to consume the entire side of the house, rapidly increasing in intensity as more fuel was available: curtains, furniture, and even the house itself.

For a brief moment, shock rendered Kurt and Burt speechless. Panic, however, brought them back to their senses.

Burt spoke forcefully, "Kurt, get Finn and Carole out of here!"

"What about you?

"I'm getting your mom's…your other mom's…things from upstairs. I'll be back down in a little bit."

"But Dad–!"

"Just get Finn and Carole to safety. I'm counting on you!"

Kurt reached out a hand to stop his dad from running off, but Burt was already rushing toward the stairs. Hoping that his dad would be okay, Kurt raced back to the dining room. Finn and Carole were already on their feet, concern evident on their faces.

"There's a fire. We need to get out," Kurt said, his voice tight.

Carole's eyes grew wide, and Finn asked shakily, "How is that even possible?"

It was precisely at this moment that Kurt stopped to consider the cause of the destructive blaze that was now tearing their house apart. The fire had started in the basement, but there was nothing that could have started it, except…but Kurt couldn't bring himself to even consider that thought, so he stayed silent.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the whole house groaning, and Kurt paled.

"The fire must me eating away at the house, and it's unstable. We have to leave now."

Without delay, the three of them ran out of the dining room and into the hallway. Kurt heard gasps next to him as his mother and step-brother witnessed the devastation.

"Where's Burt?" Carole asked worriedly.

"Upstairs. He'll be right behind us." Kurt responded, and added in his head, I hope.

They quickly made their way down the hallway, and Kurt realized that the fire was going to cut them off if they didn't hurry. The flames grew closer, and the house started to fall apart as the supports were disintegrated. Debris began to tumble down around them as they approached the front entrance.

When they reached their destination, Carole snatched her purse from the small table next to the door. Kurt grabbed the two most important photographs from the shelf directly above it: one of him and Burt, and one of him and Blaine. He would save these memories, if nothing else.

Kurt had his hand on the doorknob when he heard Finn yell, "Look out!"

He felt Finn shove him out of the way, and then saw a large chunk of the ceiling fall where he had been standing only a moment before. He turned to thank his step-brother, but couldn't see him anywhere. The smoke made visibility close to zero.

"Finn? FINN?" he called.

Terror set in when there was no response. Kurt could, however, just make out Carole's figure. He grabbed her hand and pried open the door, stepping over rubble. The flames and smoke were right on their heels.

They burst out of the house, panting and wide-eyed. Shaking, Carole pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed 911.

Kurt walked a few paces away, needing a moment to himself. The sight before him was terrible: the flames lit up the evening sky, and the whole house looked like a twisted monster collapsing in on itself.

"Dad? Finn?" he whispered under his breath.

Nothing.

It wasn't long until the fire trucks and ambulances pulled up since they were living in such a small town. Kurt, however, barely comprehended what was happening, and could only look on, horrified, as his home burned.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! As I said before, the next chapter will be posted in 2 days. Remember: reviews are like Klainebow- flavored ice-cream: you eat them up, and then fall off your chair from pure epicness. Also, thanks to my BFFL Dualator Nessa-Kate for helping me edit the story- Love you, Nessa! :)

~KlaineFangirl4life