Through This House (Give Glimmering Light)

Title: Though This House (Give Glimmering Light) Chapter Four
Author: telepathichawk
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Puck/Kurt, Will/Emma, Finn/Rachel, Burt/Carole, Ensemble
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Warnings: Angst
Spoilers: Up to the end of the season.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I make no profit from this.
Author Notes: Sorry this is so short and such a long time in coming! I kind of lost interest and inspiration for a time. This is a filler to try to get some of it back. Please let me know what you think if you have a moment! Thanks and happy reading! T.H.
Summary: When Kurt gets very, very sick he discovers things about himself that he never thought possible.
Word Count: ~2,000

"Are you certain that we shouldn't be calling Lady Titania? He's been unconscious for an awfully long time." The voice sounded familiar even if it sounded as if it were coming from under water. He wanted to moan at hearing it, but apparently he was only aware enough to hear, not yet to react to what he was hearing. That was annoying.

"Shrieks, if you don't shut that hole in your face…" Oh, god! The next voice was even worse. Somewhere along the way this strange dream he'd been having had turned into a nightmare.

"Quiet, both of you!" The newest voice brought him the slightest bit of comfort and he had absolutely no idea why. It should have been the voice that scared him the most, the one that angered him. Instead he found himself instinctually moving into the voice, curling himself closer to the warm body seated on the side of the bed, laying his head in the warm lap provided. It was the first he was able to control his own body and it felt good. He nuzzled the hard thigh beneath his cheek and sighed deeply when strong fingers began to run through his hair, massaging his scalp.

"I told you," the calming voice said quietly, "He's just as much a drama queen in this realm as he was in the last. He's only sleeping. He'll wake up when he's good and ready and not a moment before. And, no, Ban, we will not be calling Lady Titania. She's upset that she upset him so greatly. She requests that we try to explain things somewhat first. She'll try to talk to him again when he's had time to process."

"But, Robin!"

Robin? Robin. Why did that name sound so familiar? He felt his eyebrows draw in with his confusion. It came back to his in a rush. A cocky smile, long black hair left flowing and free, slightly green skin that somehow looked much more natural than it should. "That's my name. Or you can call me Robin Goodfellow. Either works for me. Welcome to Avalon, my prince." Words that made no sense, that could make no sense when put together like that. The familiar smirk and then…The kiss! His first kiss stolen by someone he wasn't even sure was real! His anger gave him strength and he found his eyelids snapping open. He was sitting up and pulling away before he had even consciously made the decision to move.

"Oh, my god," he moaned, covering his eyes, after he got a look at the three who surrounded him, "This is my worst nightmare come true. I'm dead, aren't I? I'm dead and this is hell."

He looked at them from between his fingers when no one answered him. The three around him had the decency to look ashamed and a little nervous at least. He didn't understand how he could have done anything so very heinous in the entirety of his life to deserve an afterlife where his only companions were Noah Puckerman, Sue Sylvester, and Rachel Berry. If this was even an afterlife. He felt his chest begin to heave and the room began to spin a little when everything came back to him in a rush. Waking in warmth and comfort only to find his mother was not dead and apparently neither was he. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in his knees. He wanted his dad. He wanted Finn and Carole and Mercedes and Quinn and even if it meant that he was still dying when he woke he just wanted to be back home.

"Easy now, slugger." At least Sue's voice hadn't changed. She still sounded exactly as she always had, half pity and half condescension.

"Take deep breaths, Kurt," Rachel said soothingly. He felt like he was going to be sick, "Try to relax a little." He choked on a sob.

"Hey, Hummel," Suddenly Puck was forcing his chin up and he was looking into strong hazel eyes, "You need to calm down. Take a good look at us. Sure, we're a little different, but look closer and you'll realize we're still the same people you've always known."

"That's not exactly a comfort," Kurt whispered, but did as Puck asked.

He studied Puck first and tried not to let his eyes go too very wide. His skin was indeed a vague green and both his eyebrows and his ears were pointed and swept upwards. Kurt felt a very physical tug low in his stomach and pushed the urge to run his hands through the long black hair only half tied back to the back of his mind. Puck was dressed like an extra from one of the Elvin kingdoms of the Lord of the Rings movies, but the fabric looked expensive and fine, well tailored. It made Kurt a little nervous to think of how natural he looked now; as if this was how he was always meant to look. It made his more nervous that he recognized that fact at all.

He turned his eyes to Sue and almost laughed hysterically. He had hoped that in this insane place there might so some semblance of normalcy. He couldn't picture Sue in anything but a scowl, short hair, and a sweat suit. But, none of those things were true of her any longer. Her long, pure white hair was braided to the side and draped over her shoulder. In a way the stark color made her seem softer than the blonde he was so used to. He knew she definitely looked younger, more like the thirty she claimed to be and less like the near fifty that they all knew she was. She wasn't in a dress, which was a relief, but if Puck was an extra from the Lord of the Rings, Sue was a male extra from Pride and Prejudice. Flouncy shirt and high waist riding pants complete with knee high leather boots. She looked good, he had to admit.

He didn't want to look at Rachel, but she appeared in his line of sight anyway. At least she didn't make him want to gouge his eyes out with spoons here. She was dressed similarly to Puck in a dress of deep jade that accented her amber coloring. But, her skin color was the only thing that seemed usual for her. Her eyes were pure silver and would have been stunning if they weren't so disturbing, and the hair that now flowed down her back almost to her knees was a deep, rich teal. Her eyebrows weren't arched up like Puck's he noticed, but her ears definitely came to a point. She was much more natural like this, too, he realized. She looked more like who she was that she had ever looked before. He buried his face in his knees again. His head was still spinning, but at least the room had stopped.

"Now, Kurt…" Rachel said soothingly, laying a hand on his shoulder. He felt his body react to her touch, like it was acknowledging something, but he didn't even know what it could be.

"No! Don't touch me!" He shouted and tore himself out of the bed to press himself into a small corner of the room between his wardrobe and one of the open windows.

"Ban, Sue, could you give us some time?" Puck asked.

"Sure, Mohawk, we'll get out of your way. Get him calmed the hell down, yeah? He's gonna shake the whole island apart if he throws another bitch fit like his did this afternoon."

"Puck...I don't know if…" Rachel began quietly.

"Move it!" Sue manhandled her out the door then closed it sharply behind her until Kurt was left in the room with Puck still seated on his bed.

"Kurt, you need to calm down a bit if you want any of this to start making sense." Puck drawled, not bothering to look over at Kurt, but at his nails. It was this blatant dismissal that helped Kurt breathe. At least some things were still the same as they were before. Puck's attitude comforted him in a way.

"What's going on?" He asked quietly.

"I'll tell you, young prince, but will you actually hear my words?"

"Stop speaking in riddles and stop calling me your prince!" Kurt burst up from his seated position and slammed his hands down on the windowsill before looking out at the expanse of the beautiful island. He couldn't seem to stop shaking and he wasn't sure if it was from shock, anger, or something else.

"Your mind still thinks that your body is human," Puck said, as if reading Kurt's mind, "It's not used to the power in your veins yet. You'll adapt and feel better, more natural, soon enough."

"You know from experience?" Kurt asked.

"No," Puck leaned back against the pillows on the bed and crossed his ankles, "I've never been human. But, I've seen a couple of others go through it. Kurt...do you know who I am?"

Kurt nodded, still looking out the window, "You're Puck. Shakespeare's Puck."

"I was Puck long before William wrote his play," Puck chuckled, "But, that's right. There's a lot about our world that very few humans ever know. Until today you were raised to believe that there was only one sentient species on the planet."

"How many are there if not just one?" Kurt sighed and gave into whatever Puck was going to tell him. Even if he was going insane, might as well hear him out. He sighed and slipped slowly to his knees, resting his head against the cool stone.

"Three," Puck said quietly, "Humans, gargoyles and the race we belong to: The Children of Oberon. Beings of pure magic," He added on as further explanation.

"I'm human," Kurt sniffled feebly, trying to ignore the tear that made its was down his cheek.

"You were human," Puck corrected, jumping down from the bed and crouching next to Kurt, "You're not anymore. Your mother, my lady, created a whole new body for you, out of pure magic, to save your life. She loves you very much. She always has. It's not my place to tell you more, it's hers. But, you have to know, Kurt, what she did…she did it because she couldn't stand to think of a world without you in it. She would have pined herself to…well we can't die, but…she never would have been the same and the rest of us couldn't allow it. She is our lady and our queen and you are her son. That is why I call you my prince and why I will continue to call you my prince, at least when we're not alone. We can be less formal in private than in public." Puck put an arm around Kurt's shoulders and gently pulled him against him so that Kurt was laying against his chest. Kurt didn't realize how very tired he was until he was relaxing into Puck's strong embrace.

"That's another side effect. Your body is still young. Your strength will come back to you, you'll see."

Kurt made a noise of acknowledgement from the back of his throat, then asked, "Why are Rachel and Sue here?"

"We all belong here, Kurt, on Avalon. The only reason we were in the mortal realm was you. We've been watching over you your whole life. And now that you're home we've gotten to come home, too. Though I doubt Banshee will stay for long. She really is enraptured with Finn. If Milady lets her, I'm sure she'll live out a human lifetime with him."

"Banshee?" Kurt asked.

"Yep," Kurt could feel Puck's chuckle more than he heard it, already nearly asleep, "The legends around the world of the crying woman, the shrieking woman, all belong to our friend. The name Milord gave her is Banshee, but she'll probably let you keep calling her Rachel. She likes it."

"Rachel…" Kurt sighed, "Banshee…why am I not surprised?

"Sleep, my prince," Puck's voice was gently demanding in his ear, "Things will be more settled when you wake and can sleep with your mother. Just relax now and sleep."

Kurt allowed himself to do as Puck said and felt himself lifted back onto the bed before Puck curled around his back and placed a kiss to the back of his neck. He might have thought he imagined the kiss, but he knew he didn't imagine what Puck said just before he fell into sleep.

"I have waited so long to bring you here to see me as I am, my prince. Please see me."