The police station was rather busy the morning that Kurt and Blaine entered. They knew that they needed some form of help without interfering with Belles fate.

"Can I help you?" They were asked upon their arrival.

"We need to speak with Detective Danforth about our case. Hes been in touch with our Detective from Westerville Ohio about our daughters kidnapping."

"Very well, Ill let him know you are here. Have a seat." the man said, picking up the phone.

After ten minutes, Detective Danforth, a tall man with a receding hairline approached them. Shaking their hands, he greeted them, "Mr. Hummel, Dr. Anderson, please come in."

"Thank you," Blaine took Kurts hand in his and led him into the office.

"Any new information about Annabelles case?" Detective Danforth asked, sitting down behind his desk and searching for a file.

"Its about a message we received from the kidnapper, actually," Kurt said, not bothering to mention that this information wasnt new. "We received a note under our door." Pulling it out of his pocket, Kurt handed it to him.

Detective Danforth studied it. "Thats this Friday," he announced.

"We know," Blaine nodded. "Being that we arent meant to tell anyone, we dont want to make a scene for the sake of our daughter."

"But were afraid of confrontation as well," Kurt added, squeezing Blaines hand.

"We dont know what were up against," Blaine added.

"Theres no telling if this is a trap," Kurt continued.

"If its even real," Blaine said.

"Were a little troubled," Kurt concluded.

Holding up a hand, Officer Danforth said, "I think I know what will solve this." He came around the desk and said, "Im going to send two of my men undercover for you. They will be there in case things go wrong. They will defend you, arrest this kidnapper if they can."

"What about the note?" Blaine asked. "Theyll find out we told you."

"If we arrest them, that wont be a problem. They cant hurt Annabelle in our custody," Detective Danforth said. "With any luck, Im hoping thats the outcome."

"And if its not? Theyll hurt her!" Blaine said desperately.

"Thats a risk Im willing to take," Detective Danforth said. "If they want their money, they arent going to kill her. At most, they might physically harm her, but shell recover. My current move is to protect you so Annabelle has a family to come home to. In doing so, well capture out victim and get your daughter."

"And you think this will work?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"I cant make promises," Detective Danforth replied.

Kurt, Blaine, Sam, and Rachel sat in silence, staring at each other with anxiety in their eyes. No one knew what to say.

The threat of April fifteenth was on them. They only had one more night before they had to give their first $150,000. Everyones nerves were on edge. They knew that, whatever happened the next day, Belles fate rested in their hands.

"We reached our goal. I dont know why this is so terrifying," Blaine finally said. "With Coopers donation and the GoFundMe site, we really are lucky we pulled this off."

"But what do you think is going to happen?" Rachel asked, squeezing Sams hand tightly. "Are they just going to take the money and go?"

"Where are you even meeting them?" Sam asked. "Did you look up the address?"

"Its a coffee shop. Is that weird?" Kurt responded. "Its such an odd place to meat."

"Its public too," Blaine added.

"Weird," Sam said. "Have you decided that youre going to involve the police?"

"Were going to have someone undercover in the shop to keep an eye on things in case we need backup. We dont want to make a scene and get Belle in trouble if we dont have to," Kurt said. "We compromised, because I wanted someone there and Blaine didnt."

"I feel much better about this," Blaine nodded.

"Are you both going?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, thats the plan," Kurt took Blaines hand in his. "Well do it on our way into work tomorrow."

"Do you want me or Rachel there?" Sam asked.

"No, thats not a good idea. We dont want to call too much attention. They told us not to tell anyone. I dont know if that includes you," Blaine shook his head.

"But Im her mom," Rachel protested. "Whats the big deal if I know?"

"Maybe they dont care. We just dont know," Kurt said. "Well be fine, Rachel. Dont worry. Ill call you as soon as were done."

"Good. Im going to be a nervous wreck," she stood up and grabbed Kurts hand, pulling him from the couch. "Good luck tomorrow. Ill be thinking of you."

Blaine stood up and hugged her as well. "Lets see how this goes."

"Good luck," Sam clapped a hand on Blaines back. "Text me as well. Ill be in class but Ill get the message and itll put my mind at ease."

"Will do," Kurt and Blaine said in unison.

When Sam and Rachel left, Blaine turned to Kurt and said, "its late. We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. We might want our sleep."

"I doubt Im going to get any sleep," Kurt replied.

Kissing him gently, Blaine said, "Just think, we could have our Belle back tomorrow."

Blaines phone rang, causing Kurt and Blaine to jump from their sleep. Stretching, Blaine pulled it off the night stand and groggily said, "Hello?"

The volume was loud enough that Kurt heard his supervisor on the other end. "Blaine, hi! Its Tiffany Sears. Sorry to bother you so early, but would you be able to come in early today?"

Blaines eyes widened and he glanced at Kurt anxiously, "Can I ask why?"

"Theres a patient in the hospital that I want you to talk her parents into scheduling sessions with you before shes released today. Her parents have to be to work by eight and they said they wanted to speak with you before work. Her mother is picking her up at three, and I know youll be in a session then," the supervisor explained.

Rubbing his eyes, Blaine sighed, "Yeah, all right. Ill be there in forty-five minutes."

"Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Ill give you the information to find the patient when you get here. See you promptly," she hung up.

Wrapping his arm around Blaines torso, Kurt rested his head on Blaines chest and said, "So youre not coming with me?"

"What am I supposed to do? When Im asked to meet with a patient, I cant really turn them down," Blaine frowned. He placed his hand on Kurts cheek and gently stroked the smooth skin with his thumb.

Kurt felt his stomach flip. "Well, if I wasnt afraid before, I am now."

Gently kissing him, Blaine whispered, "Its going to be okay, I promise."

"I hope so," Kurt mumbled.

"Call Sam and see if he can meet you before school," Blaine sat up and stretched. "Youll feel better if hes with you."

"Thats too late. He goes to school early. Maybe Ill see if Rachel can come," Kurt climbed out of bed after Blaine did. "Shes not busy anyway."

"Shes also pregnant," Blaine reminded him.

"Were not going to be involved in a drug deal. Well let the police handle anything that goes wrong," Kurt protested. "I just need someone to ease my nerves."

"I wish I could be there with you," Blaine said longingly, reaching for his face again. Cupping his cheek, Blaine kissed him firmly. "I just dont think I can get out of this."

"Its fine," Kurt said, pushing him away and storming out of the room. He knew it wasnt Blaines fault but he was so upset that he had to face this without Blaine.

Kurt got in the shower once Blaine finished. Once he was dressed, Blaine was shouldering his satchel and said, "Call me as soon as youre done, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt nodded.

"Good luck. I love you," Blaine kissed him, before turning to open the front door.

"Love you too," he mumbled, feeling sick to his stomach. The moment Blaine left, Kurt dialed Rachels number.

She wasted no time answering. "Hello?" she said on the first ring.

"Are you busy this morning?" he asked.

"If by busy you mean staring at my phone waiting for you to call, then yes," Rachel gave a nervous laugh. "Why? Whats going on?"

Blaine got called into work and I... I cant go alone. Will you come with me?" Kurt asked. "I didnt really want to put you in this predicament but I know Sam cant do it either."

"Of course Ill come. Ill be over as soon as possible," Rachel hung up the phone.

Kurt finished getting ready. He still hadnt heard from Rachel, so he moved into Belles room and stared at the picture on her night stand. His heart absolutely ached for his daughter.

They were so close and yet so far away. If their plans did fail, they wouldnt get Belle back. If they succeeded, she could be back in his arms by the end of the day. It was such an overwhelming thought.

Closing his eyes, he imagined Belle sitting beside him. He could hear her voice in his head. He could see her warm smile and feel her gentle touch.

For a moment, Kurt felt her presence, only to have his imagination shattered by opening his eyes to her empty bedroom.

Kurt sighed. This was such a nightmare. All he wanted was to have Belle safe in his arms again.

A knock came on the front door, breaking his train of thought. He greeted his friend with a hug, before they set off for the bank.

"Are you really going to hand over that much to these people?" Rachel asked, when Kurt withdrew the money and stuffed the envelope inside his suit coat.

"I dont really have a choice," he said. "Im hoping the police can interfere before we get that far," Kurt told her. "They might be able to arrest whoever is doing it and we can have Belle back tonight."

"You really think so?" Rachel gasped.

"Its the only thing giving me motivation to do this. If we dont succeed, well have to collect more money before we get her," Kurt said. "Who knows how long that will take."

They were still a couple blocks from the coffee shop when chaos broke loose.

Kurt felt a hard blow to the back of his head. He stumbled slightly, as someone grabbed hold of his arms. He heard Rachel let out a shriek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her resisting against two men, before a blindfold was thrown over his eyes. He was shoved into the black van at the curb that he had spotted before he was blinded.

Kurt squirmed against his captors, as they tied his hands together behind him. He could hear Rachel grunting beside him. Kurt was shoved on to a seat and the vehicle took off.

Kurt didnt know how long they drove before the van stopped. He was terrified of the moment it did stop because he didnt know what would happen. The entire time, he kept thinking about Belle and how she must have felt being at the mercy of someone she didnt know.

"Get up!" someone shoved him off the seat and dragged him out of the van. He heard Rachel grunt next to him and knew she was being moved too. At least they were still together.

They were led a distance, before a door was opened and Kurt could tell they were being dragged down a hallway. They made a sharp turn and he was then tossed into a seat and his hands were tied behind him. A door slammed shut behind them.

"You got the money?" a gruff male voice asked loudly.

"We were told to give it to - " Kurt started, his voice shaking.

"I know what you were told. I sent the message," the man barked. "That was a trap. I knew youd tell the police, so I couldnt have you near them when I got to you. Im guessing theyre waiting for me at Starbucks?"

"N-no," Kurt lied.

The man gave a sharp laugh. "I knew youd be an easy victim, Kurt Hummel. Your daughters more like you than you know."

"Wheres Belle?!" Rachel squeaked. "Please. You dont know what weve been through. Please let her go." It was too much for her to hear.

"Shut up, girl!" he barked. There was a loud thump and Rachel let out a soft whine. "Who is this woman? Why did you tell her about this? I have you certain orders not to tell anyone and you didnt follow them."

"Shes Belles mother," Kurt replied. "S-she had a right to know."

The man grabbed a fistful of Kurts hair and yanked his head backward. "That wasnt part of the deal. I hope you lived up to the other have. Give me the money," the man ordered.

"Its in m-my jacket," Kurt stuttered.

"Grab it," the man ordered.

A pair of hands seized Kurts shoulders tightly, pinching them and he froze. He could feel another hand slide inside his jacket it grabbed hold of the envelope and pulled it from the inside.

"Make sure its all there," the voice snapped. "If its not all here, the girl will pay for your mistake."

"You wont hurt a hair on her head," Kurt yelled, as he lunged forward, only to be yanked back on the chair and smacked in the face with something hard. Whatever he was hit with left his cheek below his right eye stinging.

"That depends on whether or not youve lived up to your expectations," the man said. He was silent while the money was counted. Kurt knew it was enough but he was still anxious. He felt like he couldnt breathe.

"Its all there," another voice announced.

"Very well," the man in charge said. His voice grew closer until he was right in front of Kurt. "You are going to give me the next 150,000 by July first."

"No! You cant be serious!" Rachel sobbed. "Please. You have to be understanding about this. Its too much to ask of anyone. Isnt this enough?"

Smack.

"Foolish girl! You have no say in the matter. Keep your mouth shut before I give you a reason to keep it shut," the man barked.

"Rachel, please," Kurt whispered.

"I want the money by July first or your daughter will pay the price. You got lucky this time," he hissed. Stepping back, he announced to the room, "Get them out of here."

At once, Kurt was jerked from his chair and led back down a hall. They were taken outside and back into the van. The vehicle drove a distance until it came to a sudden stop.

The rope on Kurts hands were untied. He heard the van door open. He was then shoved from the vehicle. The moment his body contacted the ground, and a terrible pain shot through his right knee, he heard tires squeal. Groping for his blindfold, he tore it off in time to watch the van turn the corner.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Rachel, did you get the license plate number?" He turned to face her. "Rachel?!"

Hand trembling, she pulled her blindfold off her face. She stared at him with wide eyes. Her hand moved to her stomach. "K-Kurt, Im so sorry," she whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" he scooted over beside her and placed a hand on her stomach. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Im fine," Rachel said. "I t-tried to break my fall and I think I might have broken my wrist in the process . I didnt want to hurt the b-baby," Rachel said. "But I didnt see what happened." She began sobbing and Kurt rubbed her stomach.

"Its okay, I promise. Im sure the babys fine," he reached for his phone, "But maybe we better get a second opinion."

Rachel took her trembling hand and gently touched his head. "Kurt, youre bleeding."

"Im okay," he said. "Lets focus on getting help first. Are you sure youre okay?"

"I think so," Rachel took a deep breath, hand still on her stomach. "I just need to know that the babys alright."

A door to a nearby shop opened and an older man rushed over to them. "Are you two alright? What happened?"

Kurt and Rachel stared at each other with wide eyes. They didnt know how to explain themselves. "M-my friend. Shes pregnant. I think something might be wrong. We need to get to the hospital."

"Ill get help. Wait here," the man moved quickly toward the corner to hail a cab.

"Kurt, what are we going to tell Sam and Blaine?" Rachel said through her tears. She got to her feet and glanced toward the man on the corner, where a cab pulled up. The man pointed the driver in their direction.

"Well worry about that later. Lets just get this taken care of first," Kurt slot got to his feet and felt the ground spin beneath him.

"B-but what about Belle?" Rachel asked, trying to steady him.

Kurt opened the can door for her, trying to hide the searing pain in his knee, and said, "Well, knowing that her kidnapper is in Manhattan, I dont think Belle is in Ohio anymore."