A Midnight Song

All previous disclaimers apply.

Author's Note: Please leave a review if you have time. I'd appreciate it.

"Would you like to come into town with me, Mike?" Kurt asked quietly three days later as they finished their lunch of yet another canned, condensed soup. Of course, while Mike could see how Kurt might get bored with the soup's flavors, he didn't think he ever could. It had been so long since he had been human long enough to actually eat food that every single sip of soup felt like an explosion of flavors on his tongue. He thought that food was probably the thing he missed most when he was a wolf. After all, there wasn't much difference between the flavor of deer and rabbit to a canine pallet. Kurt found his love of food a constant amusement and watched him eat more often than he actually paid attention to his own meals.

Mike found everything about Kurt fascinating. From the way Kurt would begin to sing at the most random moments to the way he spent nearly an hour every morning and then again in the night on his skincare routine. His skin was flawless. Mike had to give him that. So much so that Mike was always having to hold himself back from leaning over and tasting it, to see if it tasted as good as it smelled and looked. But, he stopped himself every time. There might be a connection between the two of them, so much so that they had slept in the same bed, curled around each other as if they had been a mated pair for years, for four nights running. But that was all they had done. In the light, in the sun, they were careful around each other. They didn't touch even in the most casual ways. They spoke for hours on end and stayed away from the topics that they both wanted to most to address: How Mike had come to be on Kurt's porch in the middle of the night, completely naked, and on the verge of death. Why Kurt was living all alone so far from any kind of civilization. Somehow they both seemed to know that if they tried to address their mutual questions the perfect little world they were pretending existed in the cabin would come to an end. And neither of them were ready for that.

"Sure," Mike smiled at Kurt and stood, grimacing down at the sweatpants and long sleeved fleece that had been the only thing in Kurt's wardrobe able to fit him.

"We can get you some clothes that fit," Kurt seemed to read his mind and ran a finger over the sleeve. They both froze at the touch for a moment, but the spell was broken when Kurt moved toward the door and grabbed his keys. He stopped to smile back at Mike, then held out his hand. Mike could feel the grin spreading across his face as he crossed the cabin and linked his fingers with Kurt's.

"I promised Quinn that we'd drop by so that she could see for herself that you're not dead." Kurt said by way of apology once they were heading into the small clinic that served as family practice and emergency room for the ridiculously small town. Less than five hundred people and Kurt seemed to know every single one of them. Mike clung to the content feeling he'd had in Kurt's SUV. It had been so easy to sit in the near silence, only a strain of some wonderfully lyrical something he didn't know playing in the background, holding Kurt's hand as they drove through the dense trees. The road was more of a dirt path that had been cleared specifically for Kurt's use. Mike knew that given a couple of months it could grow right back in and the road to Kurt's cabin would be lost forever. Mike was a little nervous in the car, the enclosed space not being something that he was used to, but Kurt had sensed it right away and had squeezed Mike's hand encouragingly and given him a winning smile just as they pulled out of sight of the cabin. Mike tried to convince himself that he hadn't seen Santana standing in the trees, looking at him with hurt in her deep eyes, but he knew he had.

They didn't speak on the way into town, but holding hands more than made up for it and when Kurt had reached for his hand again as they made their way into the one clothing store on the main road that seemed to be the only road, really, of the town. Mike was embarrassed when he realized that he didn't even know what state they were in, much less what town they were in, but Kurt didn't bring it up. It felt more comfortable to be in well fitting jeans and a sweater of dove gray that Kurt had topped with a fleece lined leather jacket and called perfect. And it felt even better to realize that everyone in the town seemed to know that Kurt was gay and it made no difference to them. No one even looked sideways at their joined hands. Maybe there were benefits to being human. He was so content with Kurt and life in general that he didn't even groan when they stepped into the small office that was all at once antiseptic and homey.

Quinn. Mike recognized her by her scent, and saw now that she was hugely pregnant and extremely beautiful as she crouched in front of a child who couldn't have been more than five and handed him a sucker. The late winter light gleamed off of her bright blond hair and the lab like coat combined with her black pencil skirt and sweater made her look charming, professional, and insanely attractive at the same time. Mike smiled when he realized that she wasn't wearing any shoes. She definitely knew how to work her best attributes. Her face was nearly bare of make-up, but she was still one of the most stunning women he had ever seen. The only others who could compare were Santana and Brittany. But, thinking about them made his heart clench a little so he chose not to. Quinn smelled like sunlight, sage, and something that Mike still couldn't place. Her face went from joyfully happy to cautiously cool in an instant when she looked over at them.

"You be a good boy, Trent," Quinn turned a smile back on the boy, "And no more marbles where they don't go."

She gave his nose a playful tweak and moved to straighten. Without thinking about it, Mike was across the room and taking her elbow to help her up in an instant. She looked surprised at the move, but didn't pull away and allowed him to help her up. She waved at the small boy and his mother happily for a second before turning back to them, her face cool and impassive.

"Well, let's get a look then. Kurt, why don't you go to the mail office and get your packages. They've been waiting for days."

"Quinn…"

"Oh, please, Kurt," Quinn rolled her eyes, "What am I going to do to him? Really?"

With reluctance Kurt walked back out the door. Mike held a whine in the back of his throat, but just barely and was sure that his misery showed on his face when he turned back to Quinn and she started to laugh.

"Oh, come on! Seriously…what am I going to do to you? Come back to my examination room so that I can take a look at your leg."

"It's fine," Mike said shortly.

"I'm sure it is. Considering you should be dead and you're not even walking with a limp. Come on. I'll even give you a sucker if you're a good boy."

"Better be the red kind," Mike muttered and followed her to a back room where a little examination table was set up. He laid down on it and pulled his jean leg up to his knee so that she could get a look at what had become a pink, sensitive scar.

"This isn't medically possible," She whispered.

"Neither am I," Mike answered, not entirely sure why he wasn't trying to hide anything from her at all. Somehow it felt as if he couldn't. When he considered, for just a moment, lying to her, it became a little hard to breathe and he had the overwhelming urge to show her his throat in submission. He must still be really out of it if he was considering being as submissive to her as he was only to Puck. He shook his head a little to free it of the strange thoughts and drew in his breath when Quinn's cool, gentle hand was set to his calf.

"I kind of figured," She didn't sound surprised at all as she ran a hand over the sensitive, healing skin. Mike tried not to flinch away. Her voice lowered and the only thing she was concerned about became obvious, "Does Kurt know?"

It wasn't just his imagination. It was impossible to lie to her. After a couple of false starts he finally gave in and just told her the truth, "Not yet. I think he suspects, but he hasn't said anything. If he doesn't…I will. How do you know…what I am?"

She smiled and ran a hand over her belly where her child grew, "You're not the first I've treated. And I'm not sure that any of you realize it, but you all have the same mark, just here." She touched a gentle finger to his neck, just under his left ear.

"We do?" Mike asked. It was the first he'd heard of anything of the kind.

"Mmm," She murmured and stroked the spot again, just once, "It's three wavy, black lines, side by side."

Mike thought a moment, then breathed out on a half laugh, "I have no idea what that could mean."

"Me, either," Quinn laughed gently.

"If you knew the entire time…" Mike said quietly, "Why didn't you just tell Kurt that I would heal up?"

"I didn't actually know if you would heal up," Quinn admitted, "Your fever was so high and your wound wasn't closing. I was worried all through that first night that you wouldn't make it to morning. But, then you did. I probably could have told Kurt then, but then I would have had to explain a lot of other things that I'm not ready to tell even him."

"So, telling me is probably out of the question," Mike ventured.

"Completely," Quinn answered genially. Her smile took the bite out of her words, "Tell Kurt soon, okay? Don't let him get too attached if you're not going to be around."

It was her way of giving him permission to keep whatever it was he had with Kurt as long as he didn't hurt him. Mike didn't think he could hurt him even if he tried. He would kill himself first. Somehow he knew that Quinn knew this and it was the only reason she had given him her permission. Her permission shouldn't have mattered, but, ridiculously, it made him feel better.

"I promise," Mike nodded in her direction and swung his feet over the edge of the examination table, "Might not be a problem anyway. I can't shift."

"Your body just needs to heal. It's been through a lot more trauma than just the leg wound what with the shock and the fever. Trust me. I've seen it before."

He grinned when she held out a red sucker to him, a sassy, sarcastic smile on her face. Mike answered it with one of his own as he took the sucker and put it in his mouth.

"You and Quinn seemed to be getting along," Kurt said later as they sat down to a meal Kurt had made from the fresh produce that they had picked up at the market in town. Mike wasn't crazy about the fact that there wasn't any meat in it at all, but it tasted good enough and Kurt had spent time on it, so there was no way he was going to complain.

"She's great," Mike said in response, "How long have you known each other?"

"All our lives. Our mothers were friends. After my mom died her family was really there for my dad and me. We did everything together up until high school, then we drifted apart a little. She was cool and popular. And I was…"

"The gay kid," Mike filled in quietly as he reached across the table and linked his fingers with Kurt's, "So was I."

Kurt nodded, smiled at Mike gratefully, then continued, "She even dated my stepbrother, Finn, for a little while. It didn't work out between them, but he was the person who eventually brought us back together."

"You didn't tell me you have a stepbrother." Mike raised an eyebrow. With how much they had talked about over the past few days, it seemed like a pretty glaring omission.

"Haven't I?" Kurt's brow drew down in confusion, then he shrugged, "I don't know why. My dad remarried when I was a sophomore in high school. Carole's a great lady. Her first husband died when Finn was just a baby. She's perfect for my dad. At first, Finn wasn't too keen on being the gay boy's stepbrother and sharing a room and all that. We had some pretty horrible fights about it. My dad even kicked him out once…But we got past it all."

"As soon as you got over your crush on him," Mike tightened his fingers on Kurt's when he tried to pull away, "Come on, Kurt. We all know that it's some kind of requirement for a gay teen to have at least one epically doomed straight boy crush that blows up in his face."

Kurt looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to deny or laugh. He settled on laughter and nodded, "You're right. It was mostly my thing. I pushed too hard for something that could never happen and it blew up in my face. But, Finn was a little homophobic, too. He didn't want to admit it because he's such a great guy and if he seriously ever actually disliked someone for more than three days without being able to admit to some redeeming quality in them I think his poor head would explode, but it was mostly my fault. As soon as my dad shoved his prejudice up in his face and he saw how I was treated because all I wanted to be was me he turned around completely and became the best brother a gay teen could ask for."

"How is that?"

Kurt was smiling, happy, content. And the shadows behind his eyes were gone for the moment and so Mike wanted to keep him talking about Finn and his dad and Carole. It seemed like that was the only time, beside sleep and sometimes even that wasn't a good time, when he was at peace.

"He's huge," Kurt said, "Seriously. We're talking massive. Especially put next to other teenaged boys. He protected me, wouldn't leave me alone so that no one could get to me and throw me in the dumpsters."

"They threw people in dumpsters at your school? At mine they just kicked your ass."

"Of, there was plenty of that, too," Kurt waved his free hand dismissively. Rather too quickly, Mike thought and his brow creased as he wondered just how much of that there had been and how often it had happened to Kurt, even with Finn there trying to protect him.

"He sounds like a good brother," Mike wanted to get Kurt back to that happy place he'd been in.

"He's the best," Kurt smiled, knowing exactly what Mike was doing and loving him for it, "Do you want to see him?"

"Sure."

"Get your coat on!" Kurt was practically gushing he was so excited. Mike had never seen him like that, but it was infectious and he laughed as Kurt pulled him out of his chair and toward the door.

"Okay!" He laughed, "But, why do I need my coat to see a picture?"

"We have to go out to my studio," Kurt was hopping from foot to foot, so happy. Mike threw his head back and laughed again. Kurt joined him and it was the first time Mike had heard him so happy and carefree and he had to stop for a moment just to listen and watch. Kurt was so beautiful. Mike had thought so the moment he saw him and he thought so even more now that he had gotten to know him. Kurt brought his chin down again and his electric eyes met Mike's. For a moment it seemed like sparks could fly between them. He dropped his coat, still only half way on, and reached out for Kurt the same moment Kurt reached out for him.

They came together at the same time. One of Mike's arms went around Kurt's waist, while the other arm curled around his shoulders so that his hand could curl gently around his neck. Kurt's hands went straight into his hair and fisted there. When their lips met, hard and not without a little pain as their teeth clashed the only thought that flashed through Mike's mind was: Finally. He held Kurt tighter and slipped his tongue past Kurt's lips, reveling in the delicious little moan that Kurt made from the back of his throat. They pulled back when the need for oxygen and the feelings became too great and stood, their foreheads pressed together as they breathed each other in, chests heaving, eyes trying to focus on each other.

"Finally," Kurt spoke the word that had been on Mike's mind, "I've been wanting to do that since the first night we slept in the same bed."

"Me, too," Mike whispered. And because he wanted to kiss Kurt again and he wasn't sure that he'd be doing too much, too soon, he added, "Show me your studio."

"Okay," Kurt agreed. They put on their coats in silence and when they walked out of the cabin it felt perfectly natural to wrap his arm around Kurt's waist, keeping their bodies as closely aligned as possible.

Mike had seen the large barn, of course, but he hadn't thought that Kurt used it at all. The walk was brisk and cold enough to make his teeth ache a little. He lifted his chin and smelled the air, breathing it in. His lungs filled and he turned his face down again to look at Kurt, who was smiling up at him. He pecked Kurt's lips chastely and was amazed at how wonderful and natural it felt. Kurt sighed happily as he opened the barn door and slipped inside, beckoning for Mike to follow. Mike walked in and found himself in another world.

The late afternoon light shone down on any number of statues and carvings in wood, marble, even a couple of metal that had been polished until it shone. Some of the works were of trees, some of stones shaped in beautiful formations, but most of them were of people. There was one in particular, five faces, all strong and beautiful in their own way, pressed together cheek to cheek. Mike recognized Kurt, knew that the older gentleman had to be his father. He assumed the older woman was his stepmother. So the other faces had to be Kurt's stepbrother and…he hadn't mentioned a sister. Maybe Finn had a steady girlfriend? It was beautiful because just looking at it, in beautiful, shining cherry, you could see the love that had gone into the carving of it. It brought tears to Mike's eyes to see this very physical realization of Kurt's love for his family.

"That's for my dad and Carole for Christmas," Kurt smiled at him looking at it.

"The younger woman?"

"Oh. Finn's wife Rachel. She's annoying, loudmouthed…"

"And you adore her." Mike raised an eyebrow.

Kurt smiled, "Yeah, I kind of do. I didn't at first, but beside being annoying and loudmouthed, she's immensely talented, perfect for my brother and has one of the biggest hearts I've ever come across."

"She sounds sweet," Mike said.

"Oh, that's one thing she's not!" Kurt laughed as he dug through a bundle of pictures on what Mike assumed was his sketching desk, "This is me and Finn just about a year ago when Rachel was with a touring show and he came out for a visit."

Mike smiled at the picture of the good-natured man standing next to Kurt, his elbow propped on the smaller man's head. Kurt looked like he was trying to decide between annoyance and amusement in the picture.

"Who took this?" Mike asked.

"I did," Kurt said, "Well, I set the camera and the light and all of that. He put his elbow on my head at the last minute. I think it turned out all the better for it."

"It did," Mike agreed, "Do you sell your photographs, too? They're beautiful."

Kurt blushed, "I do. I sell everything I can bear to part with. A lot of my works become gifts. Like the faces and this one here…"

Mike looked at the beautiful photograph of Quinn from her head to just below her very pregnant belly. There was a sheet draped over her shoulder that crossed her chest diagonally to cover her breasts, but they were the only thing covered. Her hands caressed her bare, pregnant belly as if she was embracing the life growing within her. Her head was tilted down slightly and her beautiful, pale hair was loose and falling just a little in her face so that her expression was only just visible. Her lips were curved in the wicked smile he had come to know that afternoon and her eyes, looking up at the camera, said that she had a secret that no one would ever be able to unlock. The photo made her look all at one feminine and powerful, mysterious and beautiful, dangerous and maternal. It was stunning. Mike couldn't speak for a moment.

"This is for Quinn for Christmas," Kurt finally said. Mike was glad when he seemed to understand his silence and didn't take it in any bad way, "I started this one the night you came to me and Quinn told me to find something to do because she was going to need to work on you a little and I'd only be in the way. I worked for hours, but it…it still needs a lot of work."

Mike looked at the carving in a rich mahogany and had to blink. It was his face, side by side with the head of a howling wolf. Also him. Mike looked at the picture set next to it for reference. It was the four of them, but only he was looking at the camera. It was that moment that Mike knew he didn't have to tell Kurt anything. Kurt already knew.

"Kurt…" He forced out around the tightness in his throat, "I…do you want to meet my family?"

"I would like that," Kurt nodded.

Mike grabbed his hand and led him back outside. He knew they were close because he could smell them.

"San? Britt? Puck?" He called quietly.

Brittany came tearing out of the forest at full speed and knocked him on his back so that she could lick at his face. Mike laughed at her exuberance and fisted his hand in the fur of her ruff, using the other to rub at her head vigorously. Santana followed at a more sedate pace, eyeing Kurt none so discreetly.

"Puck?" Mike asked.

Santana turned her head to look in the direction of the town. Mike nodded. Suddenly everything made sense. Why Quinn smelled so familiar, why he couldn't lie to her. The fact that Puck had gone to her. The fact that they were here at all. Mike smiled, threw his head back, and laughed.

"Kurt," He reached out for Kurt and was happy when Kurt took his hand and knelt in the snow next to him, "This is Brittany and…Where the hell did Santana go?"

"She is the in woods completely naked freezing her ass off!" Santana's disembodied voice rang out from the trees, "We have to go into town! Puck's alpha female went into labor! That's why he took off! Bring us clothes and we'll meet you there! Come on, Brittany!"

Brittany took off like a shot and Mike got up.

"What does that mean?" Kurt asked.

Mike grinned, "It means we've got to go into town again. Quinn's in labor."

They looked at each other for a moment, then took off for the truck.