Kurt woke up several hours later, feeling pretty good. He took a deep breath, then hugged a sleeping Blaine tighter. It was warm and secure in the nest they had made, and Kurt didn't want to move an inch. Blaine was still sound asleep, the baby monitor was quiet, so there was no reason for Kurt to have to move. He snuggled into Blaine's arms, shifting his weight to fit better, and closed his eyes again.

Sleep wouldn't come. His mind was too busy turning things over, asking why and how and too many questions to think about all at once. That had been the best sex he had ever experienced. It far surpassed anything his brain had made up for his fantasies in the years of his marriage to his beloved Santana. He stopped there for a moment, thinking that such thoughts might be some kind of betrayal to Santana, but decided they weren't. His Tana had acknowledged it herself and they had done what they could. He had loved her then, and loved her still, missing her caustic wit and the quiet love that she shared with him and very few others. He missed what a good mother she was. He just plain missed her.

He knew, however, with no doubt in his mind or heart that she would want him to carry on, to find a soulmate to fulfill his needs as a man. She had told him so that last week, but he still felt a tiny pang of guilt that he was moving on and living his life.

He thought about what had happened in this bed....how Blaine told him that he needed to speak his mind and tell him what he wanted or needed. That was such a foreign concept, it would take some getting used to. It was confusing, even now. It did occur to Kurt that Blaine was teaching him a lesson, and he wasn't resentful about it, he was more like grateful. It had reaped Kurt a huge reward. He wondered if he could voice other wants or needs without incurring Blaine's anger. It was not how he was taught to be a sub, and while on the surface it might appear that Blaine was giving up his dominance, Kurt suspected that it took more balls to give a sub the gift of being able to have a voice in a relationship than most Doms were capable of. He was getting a whole new appreciation of his Dom, and his admiration of Blaine was growing in leaps and bounds.

Still, it would prove to be a delicate balance. Kurt could see pitfalls in the way Blaine was acting. Yes, he was laying the foundation for a more equal relationship, but with Kurt being on the verge of Sub Weakness every few days, he was worried that Blaine's approach might not be the best one at this juncture. Kurt thought about the jolt of strength he got when Puck used the whip on him. He was scared at first, truly afraid, when Puck had shown him that whip.

Of course, Puck didn't hurt him. Puck was his friend first and would never inflict pain on Kurt, and Kurt had known on a deep level that he could trust his friend. Thinking about that whip was making Kurt hard. Too hard. He was starting to ache, his balls wanting what they wanted and Kurt was thinking about a cold shower now, to calm himself down. He stirred in the bed, trying to ease himself out from under Blaine, but it wasn't working. He had moved a few inches when Blaine's arms pulled him back. Kurt was nestled up against Blaine's back, his arms around the smaller man. Blaine was holding on to Kurt's arms that were tight around his waist and pulled Kurt closer. Kurt's very aroused cock met up with Blaine's very naked ass and sparks flew.

Kurt bucked his hips forward by instinct before he could think to move away and Blaine woke up as he felt the insistent thrust of his sub. Taking only a moment to realize that Kurt was the one holding him, Blaine let a smile cross his face. This was the way to wake up! In all the years of his marriage, he had never woken up like this. He hummed in anticipation as he pushed back against Kurt.

Kurt was frozen. He knew this was not the way a sub was supposed to act. Hadn't Puck told him that subs had been forced out of their contracts for less? He was embarrassed that he let his body control how he acted. He knew better. He pulled back, turning away from the warmth of his Dom, and put his face in his hands. He needed to apologize, right now before he caused any more damage to the relationship.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I know there is no excuse for my behavior. I was half asleep and I acted before I thought..." Kurt was saying into his hands, his voice muffled but clear enough for Blaine to hear what he was saying.

"Kurt. Everything is fine. Come back to me, I liked that. You can wake me up to that every day if you like. Kurt?" Blaine asked.

Kurt was rolled into a ball, so ashamed of himself and his needs. That was all he was – a bundle of needs with nothing to give in return. He was disgusted with himself. He knew he was required to answer Blaine, but he couldn't articulate his answer at all right now. He tried to take a deep breath to center himself, but it wasn't going to work. He was too jangled in his brain, so he closed his eyes and let his body shut down. He relaxed into a limp rag on the bed, too far gone to even shed tears.

"Kurt? Honey, what's wrong? What happened?" Blaine asked. He gently turned Kurt towards himself and saw the dazed look in his eyes. "Hey, are you okay? Talk to me," he asked.

Kurt could hear Blaine, but he could not respond to him. He was using everything he had, all of his strength to just breathe in and out, to blink and swallow. There was no room in his brain to do anything even close to reasoning now.

Blaine gathered Kurt against him, kissing his forehead and stroking his cheek. Kurt was able to look at him, but not much else. Blaine appeared to be calm, but inside he was in full panic. He made Kurt as comfortable as possible, tucked the blankets around him and kissed his cheek one more time. Kurt didn't move, he just looked at Blaine for a second, then closed his eyes. His eyes looked tortured and that made Blaine's heart wrench in his chest.

He told Kurt he'd be back in a minute and quickly left the room, bringing his sweats to put on.

Standing in the hallway, he dialed Wes' number.

"Wes, this is Blaine," he whispered into the phone.

"Blaine? It's five in the morning - -what the hell?"

"Wes, I need you. Kurt is...I don't know. He's bad, really bad. I don't want a bunch of strangers to come put him in an ambulance, can you come and bring your doctor bag? Please, Wes. I'll never be able to repay you, but you know I will do anything. Anything at all. Please come save my Kurt. Please," Blaine begged. He might have gone on begging forever if Wes hadn't shouted at him to stop.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Get back in there with Kurt. Actually, if he's as bad as you say, go get Holly and put her next to him. Make sure he can see her and lay as close as you can to him. Blaine, I don't know what happened, but this sounds serious. Hold him and I'll be there in a few minutes," Wes promised.

Blaine went down the hall to get Holly, who was lying in her bed, just waking up. Blaine grabbed a clean diaper and a nightgown and picked her up. She snuggled into his chest, cooing and babbling. He kissed the top of her head.

"Your daddy needs you, Princess," he said, hurrying back to his bedroom. Kurt hadn't moved an inch.

Blaine spoke to Kurt, telling him he was there and Holly was there, too. He quickly changed her diaper and put on the clean nightgown. He turned on the intercom and asked Mrs. Rose to fix a bottle. Then he carefully arranged the sheets so they covered Kurt from the waist down and placed Holly against his chest. Kurt moved – his arms wrapped around Holly and he took a deep breath. Holly was batting her arms around and one hand touched Kurt's face. She tried to focus on his face, her little grin so happy. Kurt looked at his daughter and a ghost of a smile crossed his pink lips. Blaine let out the breath he'd been holding. Kurt was still with them. His weakness was bad, even critical, but he was still there.

The thought that he was sad that Kurt had such a strong bond with his daughter, but not with him, went through Blaine's mind – but it was fleeting. He had known Kurt for a few days, how could Kurt have a bond with him already? It was too much to ask for. Blaine knew this, but he couldn't help but wish it was different. He loved Kurt. He knew it was unbelievable, that it made no sense, that Kurt couldn't possibly feel the same way. Blaine knew it made no sense, but what was this if it wasn't love?

"Blaine..." Kurt whispered, his eyes on Blaine.

"What, baby? What can I get you?" Blaine asked. Clearly Kurt required something, he looked almost desperate. Blaine stroked his cheek, kissed his temple.

"Holly....bottle," Kurt managed to say, then closed his eyes. In all of his sickness, all of his weakness, Kurt was still thinking only of his children. If Blaine was in love with Kurt before, that was increased tenfold at the thought that he would spend his last ounce of strength to take care of his children. Blaine was so moved by that, he could no longer hold back the tears.

"It's coming. Mrs. Rose is bringing her bottle. I'm going to take care of Holly, Kurt. Just like I'm going to take care of you. Wes is coming to help, and I will be here for you and I will be here for Holly, don't worry," Blaine explained to the beautiful man he was holding.

Mrs. Rose came in.

"Here's her bottle, Mr. Anderson. Would you like me to take her back to her room and feed her?"

Kurt's eyes flew open and a look of panic widened them as he tried to focus. Blaine held him closer, giving him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"No, I'll feed her. Thank you, Mrs. Rose. Dr. Montgomery will be here in a few minutes. Can you show him in here directly as soon as he arrives?" Blaine asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Rose said, looking at Kurt for a moment, then away.

"He's very weak, but Wes will help him. Having Holly next to him is helping. I think he'll be okay, but only time will tell. Thank you for all your help," Blaine said. Mrs. Rose might be a servant, but Blaine treated her like she was his grandmother. He knew she was concerned about Kurt, that she had liked him from the first day. He smiled at the woman and she smiled back, cupping his chin in her hand.

"You'll fix him, Blaine. I know you will," and she left. He smiled to himself. If she liked Kurt, he must be marvelous.

He turned his attention back to Kurt. Holly was hungry and there was no problem getting her to take the bottle. Blaine lay in back of Kurt, propped up on a pillow as he held the bottle for the baby who was snuggled against her daddy's chest still. She drank quickly, her eyes focusing on her daddy's face. Kurt had a little bit of a smile on his lips, watching his daughter but feeling Blaine so close to him. He was beginning to feel a bit better. Not much, he was still unable to speak and his head was swimming and dizzy. He kept closing his eyes and finally didn't open them again.

Blaine wondered if that was a bad sign, but he had no idea. He prayed that Wes would hurry. If Kurt got any worse...

"Blaine!" Wes' voice sounded down the hallway as he rushed in with Mrs. Rose on his heels.

He took one look at Kurt and opened his bag, looking for things as he spoke, "How long has he been like this? Tell me in detail what happened last night before you went to sleep," Wes asked. "Here, Mrs. Rose, please take Holly back to her room. Kurt, don't worry, it is only for a few minutes. I need to examine you, then Holly can come back."

Kurt's eyes were wild as he followed Holly. He liked Mrs. Rose, but that was is daughter and he wanted her.

Blaine came closer and wrapped his arms around Kurt, whispering in his ear, "Holly is going to take her after-breakfast nap, honey. She is tired, it's only a quarter of six in the morning. We need to let her sleep. Okay?"

Kurt nodded, then closed his eyes in exhaustion.

Wes took his temperature, then poked at his belly a little. Kurt jerked back and moaned as if in pain at one point and Wes' face got very sober. He tied a rubber tourniquet around Kurt's bicep, talking to him the whole time in a very quiet and friendly way, explaining what he was doing. He poked the needle into Kurt's vein and took three small tubes of blood. Kurt never even flinched at the needle.

Wes took a slide and walked to the window to set up his microscope, then studied the blood smear. He took a few test strips from different bottles and dipped them in the blood, setting them on a glass slide to dry. It was all Blaine could do to sit still. He sat closer to Kurt on the bed and gathered him up, pulling the man so he could hold him closer. Kurt was almost in Blaine's lap and Blaine's arms were holding him close. He nuzzled into Blaine's chest the way Holly had done to him just minutes ago. It was a comfort to be held by Blaine when he was so scared. Even in his jumbled brain, Kurt knew he was seriously sick and that Wes was a doctor. He knew Blaine would take care of him, so he held on as tightly as he could and closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.

"Blaine, tell me what happened last night. When I spoke to you, Kurt was doing fine, right?" Wes asked. Blaine hung his head.

"This must be my fault. I wanted Kurt to tell me what he wanted, so I forced him into it. I thought he would feel better if he could choose the things in his life, not just wait for them to happen to him. So I got him into a sexual situation and made him tell me what he wanted. He was really resistant, and I forced him. Not forced him to have sex with me – I didn't rape him!"

Wes held up a hand. That had not even entered his mind.

"No, I made him direct what we did. That's what made him sick, wasn't it?" Blaine confessed. He had never felt so guilty in his life.

"I'd like to reassure you that you're wrong, Blaine, but the truth is that forcing him out of his sub role so abruptly when he was sick already? Yes, it's probably what tipped him over the edge. I have looked at his blood and tested it. I'm afraid, Blaine, that Kurt is in a danger zone right now and we will have to act quickly. He's past the point where Domming him might bring him back, so I'm going to have to get your permission to give him the synthetic injections."

"No! You can't do that, Wes. You know what that will do. He'll get stronger, but then he'll go through withdrawal. Isn't there anything else we can try? Please?" Blaine begged. Wes put a hand on his back and patted his longtime friend.

"I'm afraid not. I can take him to the hospital and put him in ICU and wait it out, but that is too dangerous in this instance. He needs the shots and I can do those here. I will administer one now, then come back this evening to give the second, then tomorrow morning to give him the third and last one. If he's not responding to them, I can give him up to five, but I'd like to keep it at three if we possibly can. I can't ask him if it's okay, Kurt is not capable of making decisions right now. As his Dom, you will need to sign for him," Wes explained. Then he read the paper to Blaine, explaining all the side effects and dangers of the medication. They would talk in more detail of the withdrawal when Kurt was stable once again.

"Blaine, you are going to have to be a conventional Dom for a while – maybe for six or nine months – before you try your "love Dom" hypothesis. I do believe it has merit, that slow and careful blending and sharing of your natures will make him more balanced and content in his life. However, you need to wait until Kurt is well before that can begin. Don't try it again on him while he's so sick, okay?" Wes asked and Blaine sadly agreed. He could do this for Kurt, he was determined.

"When should we start relations back up, or does the shot take care of that?" Blaine asked.

"You need to stick by the schedule I gave you. No exceptions after today. Probably give him a day to get used to the amount of Dom chem in his system and then stick to the schedule. Now, hold him tightly, Blaine. This shot is extremely painful. I'll load the syringe with lydocain to numb it a little, and there are a few other drugs mixed in a sort of cocktail - but it's going to hurt. I have to place it in the bone, so be prepared."

Wes cleaned Kurt's hip where he would insert the needle, then injected the numbing medicine. He waited a little for it to work, telling Kurt what he was doing but not sure if he understood.

Kurt could hear Dr. Wes, knew they were words that he should understand, but it was not clear in his muzzy brain. He knew Blaine was beyond upset, but not at him, and was holding him so close. Kurt liked that, and he wiggled closer. He could feel Dr. Wes cleaning a space on his hip and heard the words that it was going to hurt, but that part made no sense until the second needle went in. It was torture, the huge needle poking into him, drilling into his body, never ending as Kurt held as still as possible in Blaine's arms. He was getting dizzier and finally lost himself in a foggy cloud, his last thought was that he was glad it was Blaine holding him.

"He fainted, I think," Blaine said and Wes nodded. He was concentrating on administering the medication and had no time to talk. It was a tricky thing to do, to get the needle placed correctly in the marrow of the bone, but this was Wes' specialty and he was good at it. He finished injecting the Synthetic Dom Chem and pulled the needle gently out of Kurt. He cleaned the area and bandaged it carefully.

"Okay, now I will stay for half an hour or so to make sure it works and there are no side effects. Kurt did not actually faint, there is a mixture of drugs in with the lydocain I used to numb him, one is a twilight drug so he won't remember the procedure and one was a sedative to help him sleep for a few hours," Wes explained as he put his instruments away in his leather bag. He hated it when a person was so sick, he wanted to rage and scream about how it could have been prevented. But in this case, that wasn't true. Blaine had made a poor decision, but Kurt was so sick when they met, this was not Blaine's fault. Nobody wanted Santana to die, that was just a fluke of circumstance and Kurt was the one it hurt. Blaine was only trying to help.

"Wes, is this my fault? Should I let someone else take over? I don't want to hurt him, and I'm wondering if I'm just bad for him," Blaine said, looking at Wes with the saddest eyes Wes had ever seen. He moved quickly to hug his friend.

"No, Blaine, Kurt is so lucky he met you. I can see what he means to you. I believe you are the best thing he might ever have in his life. You just need to follow my instructions. He was so close to the edge when you found him, all the stress of his wife dying, the children, and the stress of having to live a heterosexual life for so long -that is what took it's toll on Kurt. I've seen it before. The government thinks they know best, Pairing all the kids off at a young age, but it is not natural and things happen. Kurt was never born to marry a woman, no matter that they did manage to make it work. It added stress for years and Kurt battled back in any way he knew or he would not have survived as long as he did. Believe me, he needs help now, but in the years to come you could be the rock he needs to survive. And Blaine, you have to know how strong Kurt is to be able to do what he had accomplished even though he was so sick. It's amazing. I've never seen a stronger Sub. You two were meant to be together. Not just to survive, but to be happy and live a fulfilled and satisfied life," Wes stopped for breath.

"Now, Blaine, my dear friend, I do not have the time to sit here and molly-coddle you all day. I have to stay ten more minutes and then I have patients at the hospital to attend to. Kurt has been asleep for twenty minutes and I don't see any signs of rejection of the synthetic. Go get dressed while I sit with him and then I'll go. Here are the lists of instructions to follow today and I will be back at six this evening for the next shot. Are you okay with all of this?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I wish there had been another way, but? You know I'll stick with him through all of this and he'll be fine. Thank you again for coming so quickly and for letting him stay here with me through it," Blaine said. They sat for another few minutes while Blaine read over all the instructions to make sure he had no questions before Wes left.

"Can you come look at Holly? Just to be sure her ear is doing well before you leave?" Blaine asked. Wes followed him down the hall and he looked in the sleeping baby's ear.

"She's doing fine. Keep her close to Kurt as much as you can, maybe even move her crib in there until Kurt is out of the woods. It will help him. Where is Kurt's son?"

"In Ohio with Kurt's family – his father and I think a brother. Would it help to bring them out?" Blaine asked and Wes nodded.

"The more people who are close to Kurt, the better. He could use the support. You have enough room here, and I know you can afford it, Mr. Trust-Fund baby," Wes joked.

"Oh, look who's talking. As I recall we both attended Dalton Academy with trust funds, right?" "Okay, I'll quit teasing you. Call Kurt's folks and see if they might come out. Kurt's going to be awake in a few hours and the sooner he feels comfortable with his family around him, the better off he'll be. I will be back at six for the next injection."

Blaine hugged Wes and thanked him again before walking him to the door.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

After checking on both Kurt and Holly – both sleeping peacefully – Blaine went to his office off the bedroom. He could see Kurt asleep in his bed, but he was far enough away to have a private conversation in case Kurt woke up.

Ring.

"Hummel Tires and Lube, this is Burt, how may I help you?" Burt answered the phone.

"Mr. Hummel, this is Blaine Anderson. We spoke about your son, Kurt." Blaine said, dreading the things he was about to tell this man.

"Of course I remember you, Mr. Anderson, how is Kurt?" Burt said, sounding a little apprehensive.

"I'm afraid I'm the bearer of some unpleasant news. I understand you have a heart condition, so I can talk to your wife or stepson if you'd rather?" Blaine said.

"No, I'm fine. I did have a heart attack, but I am fine now. Just tell it to me straight. I need to know," Burt said. Blaine listened to the sound in his voice and it seemed strong, but he didn't want to cause Kurt any more trauma, like giving his dad another heart attack.

"Is there someone there with you now?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, my stepson is in the car bay."

"Can you call him in, just in case? I would feel better if he were there with you, okay?" Blaine asked and Burt agreed just so Blaine would finish what he had to say in the quickest way possible. Burt was annoyed, but didn't let it show.

"Finn! Get in here," Burt called and Blaine could hear the door close and someone in the background asking questions. Then he heard Burt's voice again: "Just stay in here a minute. This is Kurt's Dom and he has some news, he didn't want me to hear it alone."

Back on the line, Burt asked Blaine to continue.

"Kurt is okay right now, I am watching him sleep, but he is seriously ill. He is here at my house and the specialist has just left. Kurt was so far gone with Sub Weakness when I met him, what with the stress in his life and all, then Holly getting so ill and the accident? Well, it became critical this morning and I had to sign the papers for the doctor to administer Synthetic Dom Chem."

There was a sudden intake of breath from the two men on the other end of the phone.

"Synthetics? He was that bad?" Burt could hardly get the words past his lips. All kinds of frightening things went through his mind, and he couldn't think of anything to say. He was thinking of how much money had had in the bank so he could fly to Kurt's side, he wondered if he could bring him home?

Finn gently took the phone from his stepfather's hand and set it on speaker.

"This is Finn Hudson, Kurt's brother. Tell me what is happening now and what we can do," he said with a shaky voice.

"Finn? First, is Mr. Hummel okay?" Blaine asked with concern. He knew that aside from his children, Kurt's dad was the most important person in his life.

"Yes, he's sitting down, but he looks okay. He isn't pale or flushed. I'll call my mom as soon as we're done here, she's a nurse."

"Okay. Keep a close eye on him. Kurt is okay at the moment. He's sleeping off a sedative the doctor gave him. I had the top specialist on Sub Weakness here this morning and he's coming back this evening to administer another shot. I won't kid you, this is a drastic step but we did everything we could first. Kurt was already too ill for us to help and it was this or....well, this was actually the only option. I didn't want to do it, but it was necessary.

"I'm sure you did the best you could. Who is this doctor?" Finn asked, rummaging in the desk for a pen and paper. He found a receipt book and flipped it over to write on the back.

"Dr. Wes Montgomery. He and I have been friends since childhood and when I called him this morning, he came over immediately. I didn't want a bunch of strangers packing Kurt off to the hospital if I could help it. He gave Kurt the injection this morning at six and will be back to give him the second one this evening, then one more tomorrow morning. He believes this will work, although Kurt can have up to five injections," Blaine told Kurt's beloved brother. It was hard, but he would do anything for Kurt.

"Now, Dr. Montgomery has told me that it is essential that Kurt is comfortable and as free of stress as possible. Holly has been the only one to pull him out of the trance, and the doctor believes that if his son were here, too, it would make a significant difference. I also think if we could get Kurt's dad to come, that might be the best thing, but I know he had a business to run. Maybe if he could take a few days at the least? Do you think that would be possible?" Blaine asked, letting his desperation seep into his voice.

"I know they will come. I can arrange for the shop to be taken care of. I'll have to get on the phone and see about tickets and hotels, but..." Finn started, but Blaine interrupted him.

"No. I am sending my brother's corporate plane to the airport as soon as you can get ready. I have enough room in my house for all of you and it would be best for Kurt if you stayed here. I know you need to speak to the rest of your family, but if you could call me when you have things ready, I can arrange to send the jet. I'm sorry we aren't meeting under better circumstances, Finn."

"Yeah, I understand. Well, I'll get things rolling here and call you at this number in an hour or so. How's Holly?" Finn asked.

"She is doing fine. Dr. Montgomery checked her over this morning while he was here and said her ear is doing fine. I'm sure she will be happy to see her uncle. Here, wait a sec..." Blaine said, walking quickly down the hall to her room. He took a picture of her sleeping in her new crib, snuggling into her favorite stuffed giraffe that Kurt had told him Finn had bought for her.

"There, you can see she's doing fine."

"Thanks, Mr. Anderson. I miss that cutie pie. Okay, I'll call in a while," Finn got ready to hand up.

"It's Blaine. Not Mr. Anderson. We're kind of like family, you know," Blaine said.

"Okay, Blaine, later," Finn said and hung up. He immediately dialed his mom, who was at home right now. Her shift didn't start until ten that night. He told her what was happening and she suggested they close the shop and come home right away and Finn agreed.

"Burt? Mom wants us to come home. Do you want me to close the shop? We don't have anything due out today and I can call one of the guys to come take care of the shop while we go to New York?" Finn asked. Burt shook his head to clear it.

"Yeah, call Mark. He can take over with anything that needs to be done. I'd ask Puck, but he might want to go with us. Let's get home and figure this out." Burt was thinking about how to get this all accomplished. The phone had been on speaker, so he'd heard everything Blaine had told them and he was deeply worried about Kurt. He didn't know this Blaine fella and that was worrisome in itself. But that this guy had Power of Medical Attorney because he was Kurt's temporary Dom? That was insane. He would have to go and fix this himself.

At home, the first thing Finn did was go to his laptop and google Dr. Wes Montgomery. Everything Blaine had told him was correct – Dr. Montgomery was indeed the best Sub Weakness doctor in the area, if not the country. He was the head of several groups of researchers and was chief of his division at the hospital, not to mention being on several boards of other research hospitals. Finn had to agree that Kurt was in good hands. It also meant that if this specialist had to give Kurt the synthetic injections, he must be in trouble. Bad trouble.

An hour later, Burt called Blaine and told him they would be ready as soon as the jet got there. Blaine said the jet was already there, he didn't want to waste any time so he had sent it immediately. They could leave as soon as possible.

The jet was met at the airport by a tall black man in an immaculate uniform. He introduced himself as Jeffers and gave them his cell number in case they needed anything while they were in New York. He had a neatly trimmed beard and showed the Hummels to the limo, then loaded their luggage and took off for Blaine's townhouse.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Kurt had been asleep for several hours when Blaine saw he was waking up. He hurried in to sit next to his sub as he woke up. Wes said he would be disoriented.

"Hey, beautiful, how are you feeling?" Blaine asked.

Kurt just blinked his eyes and looked at Blaine. He didn't seem to understand the question.

"Kurt? Do you know who I am?" Blaine asked.

He shook his head no.

"Kurt, I'm Blaine, I'm your Dom. You have had a very rough couple of days, but I can explain everything, okay?" Blaine said softly. He reached out and took Kurt's hand and held it.

"Do you know who you are?" Blaine tried, but Kurt shook his head no again and looked around. Blaine recalled Wes saying he would be very thirsty in the next few days as his body adjusted to the new drugs. He poured a glass of cool water from the carafe sitting by the bed. Kurt reached for it, but his hands were shaky and Blaine had to hold the glass so he wouldn't spill it. He drank the whole glass, then looked around for more. Blaine gave him another half glass.

"Your name is Kurt. Do you remember that?" Blaine asked. Kurt gave him a little smile, but his eyes would not meet Blaine's and he didn't speak. He started to look agitated and Blaine was getting worried, but the fidgeting made sense...he probably had to use the bathroom. Blaine explained as he pulled the covers back, helping Kurt to slip into a pair of loose running shorts and practically carried him to the bathroom. Kurt seemed more sleepy than embarrassed or curious as Blaine held on to him, then brought him back to the bed. Kurt started to roll over, his back to Blaine, when the baby monitor sounded. Holly must be hungry as her cries filled the room. Kurt stiffened up, then held his hands over his ears. Blaine went to turn off the monitor but Kurt sat up. He was wobbly, but determined.

"Holly!" he said and shook his head a little. He looked at Blaine. "Where is my baby?" he asked.

"She's in her room, Kurt. I'll go get her for you. I think she's just hungry, but I'll bring her in to you. Okay?"

"Yes...Holly. Where's Levi?" he asked then, looking around the room.

Blaine thought a minute. He didn't want to upset Kurt by telling him he was on an airplane, but of course he didn't want to lie.

"He's with your dad, Kurt."

"Oh, yeah....okay," Kurt said, looking very sad. Missing his son was written all over Kurt's face and it was breaking Blaine's heart. He hoped the Hummels arrived soon.

Blaine went down the hallway and in to Holly's bedroom. She was crying, which was out of character for her. Blaine checked the time and gave her the medication for her ear infection, added a dose of baby pain medication as Wes had prescribed, then changed her diaper and picked her up. He wrapped her bunny blanket around her and snuggled her close before walking back to Kurt.

His eyes lit up as Holly entered the room. Blaine put her in her daddy's arms and walked over to the bar. He took out the things to fix her bottle: a sterilized bottle, the formula, and a jug of water that was specifically for babies. He smirked at the label. It probably came from the same place as his tap water, but Kurt had insisted. He put the water in the bottle and set it in the warmer until the buzzer went off. He tested the temperature on the instant read thermometer and then mixed in the formula powder.

"Here's her bottle, Kurt. I gave her the medication for her ear infection.

Kurt's eyebrows went up. He looked at Holly, then felt her head.

"She had a fever, right?"

"Yes. A few days ago. We took her to the hospital and they treated her. Do you remember?" Blaine asked.

Kurt squinted his eyes and concentrated. His head felt foggy and he needed to remember something very important. He turned to hold Holly with a little more support as she drank her formula and felt a twinge in his hip. It was more than a twinge, really, it hurt. He looked at Blaine and brushed against his knee....looked down to see his knees were skinned. He looked at his hands to see his wrists were also covered in scabs. Then he remembered.

"Holly! Oh, baby, you were sick and had a fever, and I was taking you to Dr. Dimes' office when I tripped and you...??? Oh, my God. Your stroller..." Kurt looked like he was about to panic, so Blaine slid over to the bed and pulled him close. Kurt held on to Holly and the bottle, but his eyes were wild and he stared at Blaine. He was stiff with tension as he stared, then Blaine could see the realization of who he was come over Kurt's brain.

"Blaine. You were there, you took care of us. Oh..how could I have forgotten that?" Kurt asked, shaking his head a little. He looked deep into Blaine's eyes and his suddenly got darker. "Oh. I remember – you're my Dom." Kurt blushed deep red and looked away for a moment, then glanced several times at Blaine through his eyelashes and smiled a little. He looked scared.

"Now, don't do that. You are fine. Nothing is going to happen that you don't want to happen between us, Kurt. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do remember that, you were so gentle and you helped me. My memory is coming back, Blaine. Thank you...?" Kurt said, not sure what he should be saying right now. Blaine cupped his cheek in his hand and smiled at Kurt. He kissed his forehead softly and Kurt leaned towards him.

"Just lean on me and we'll feed Holly and I'll explain. You know you had a bad case of Sub Weakness when I found you that day, right?" Blaine asked and Kurt nodded. "Well, it got worse and this morning you went into a trance, similar to catatonia I think. I called Dr. Wes and he came over and he had to give you some medication to help you. Do you remember any of that?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head no.

"It's a hard thing to think about, Kurt, and perhaps even harder to talk about. What is important is that I am telling you that I will be here for you, every inch of the way. I won't ever leave you, you won't have to face this alone any more," Blaine said and Kurt smiled at him. He still looked sleepy and worn out, but his mind was coming back.

Holly finished and Kurt was going to burp her, but his arms ached and he looked at Blaine.

"Here, I'll do it," and he took the baby and held her against his chest, rubbing her tiny back. Blaine kissed her on the top of her head. She burped twice and laid her head down, but continued to look at her daddy. Kurt smiled and cupped her cheek.

"I love you, Holly," he said. He was still sitting up but leaning more and more on Blaine. His hand was on Holly's leg for a few minutes then he blinked a few times.

"Kurt, honey, you need to lie down. Here, let me put Holly down and I can help you," Blaine said and Kurt looked at him.

He set Holly on the bed and then helped Kurt straighten out and lie comfortably. He put Holly next to Kurt's chest and then slid in so he was holding Kurt in his arms. Kurt moved back to snuggle closer with a contented sigh. Holly fell asleep and Blaine kissed the nape of Kurt's neck, eliciting a sigh from the man.

Kurt was falling asleep again. Blaine was satisfied his memory was not actually affected, he had just woken up disoriented as Wes had warned.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"Yes, Blaine?" Kurt answered in a soft voice, heavy with sleepiness.

"Do you remember this morning?"

"Some of it. I woke up and I had been dreaming about Puck and the whip. It made me so hard...but then I was thinking I shouldn't think about it and I bumped into you. I was scared you would be angry that I was asking for sexual favors and then I felt so bad that Puck was on my mind. I was dizzy and feeling bad and then I don't remember much. You were holding me so tightly, and you were upset – but not at me. It was like you were afraid and wanted to save me from something. Then I remember a horrible pain. I couldn't believe anything could hurt that much, but it seemed to be hurting you, too. I could hear you crying and that was worse than the pain somehow. My hip still hurts...." Kurt stopped when he felt the bandage on his hip. He looked down at it, then turned to look at Blaine.

Blaine was lying next to Kurt, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, looking at Blaine and locking his eyes on Blaine's. "What happened to me?"