For a moment, my aching brain convinces me that if I stay very still, Kurt will go away. I dont even dare to take a breath. Then the sound comes again:

Knock knock knock-knock knock-knock knock knock knock.

"Shut up," I whisper fiercely, squeezing my eyes shut. "Shut up go away shut up shut up—"

"Blaine?" he calls. Loud, too loud. "Are you there? I tried calling you earlier... It took longer than expected to hook up the tow truck and everything..."

Shut up, Kurt, shut up. Morgan and Lawrence are still arguing in the kitchen, but Kurts voice is getting louder, and its only a matter of time before they hear him. I shove myself up into a seated position with my good arm, then crawl toward the door as quickly as I can. My head is killing me, but it helps when I focus on just two things: quieting Kurt, and getting him out of here.

I hear the sliding twist of his key in the lock, and then the door rattling slightly as I stumble toward it. "Well, at least you remembered to pull the extra locks. Can you hear me? Blaine?"

"Ssh, quiet, quiet," I gasp, reaching the door.

"There you are," he says. "Quick, open up, I picked up a chocolate cheesecake at the bakery after work, but Im worried its gotten mushy after sitting in the car for that long." He lets out a deep sigh while I listen to make sure Morgan and Lawrence are still talking. "All I want to do is eat a big slice of cheesecake while you hold me. Can you arrange that?"

"Kurt, for gods sake, be quiet," I hiss.

"Are... are you on the floor?"

"Please, keep your voice down, hell hear you."

"Wholl hear me?" When I dont say anything, he groans. "Dont tell me you let Sebastian in there with you."

"I, uh..." I close my eyes briefly. "Yes. Yes I did."

"Well, take your ring back and kick him out. Im too exhausted to deal with him right now."

"No."

"...No? You dont want the ring back?"

Please forgive me for this one day, Kurt.

"Im not sending him away. Im sending you away."

"What are you talking about?"

"I... dont choose you. I choose Sebastian."

Theres a very long pause, during which I can hear Lawrence yelling about just how much blood Sebastian has already lost in the stairwell. I send up a silent prayer that Kurt cant hear him.

"Blaine, come on, open the door, this isnt funny."

"Not trying to be funny. He... he came by and one thing led to another and we, uh... had sex."

He hesitates. "Uh huh."

"We did. With each other. Real sex," I stress, trying and failing to think of the term. "Like, the kind with butts."

"Who topped?"

I freeze. "What?"

"If you two had anal sex, who topped? Did you have sex with his butt?"

"Oh, god, no." The thought makes my empty stomach turn again.

"So he had sex with your butt?"

"Ew, thats even worse, no..."

"So you, what, rubbed your butts together?"

Hes coming up with his retorts too quickly, and my throbbing brain cant keep up. "Kurt..."

"Come on, Blaine, I may be a little insecure, but even I know you wouldnt jump into bed with Sebastian just because I was late coming home one day. Whats really going on? Why wont you open the door, and why are you sitting on the floor?"

Morgans shouts are getting louder, and fear is circling around me like a whirlpool, threatening to pull me under. "I just need you to go away for a while," I plead. "You can come back in a few hours, but you cant be here right now."

"Why not?"

My breaths are getting faster and faster. "I... I cant..."

"Hey," he says, and I hear the shift of his clothes as he crouches down. "Oh, baby, are you having a panic attack? Is that why youre on the floor? Did something scare you?"

"Yeah," I gasp out.

He makes a soft sound of sympathy. "And we dont have any sturdy closet shelves for you to hide in."

"N-no."

He reaches under the door, and I see the tips of his fingers come just within reach. Gratefully, I reach under too, sliding my fingertips against his. "Are you scared because of Sebastian?" he asks gently. "Did he come by earlier?"

"Yeah."

"But hes gone now?"

"Yeah." I squeeze my eyes closed, trying not to think about Sebastian lying in the stairwell. "Yeah, hes gone now."

"Open the door, honey, I can help you—"

"No. Please, just give me some time alone."

Hes quiet for a long moment. Then he murmurs, "One hour. Ill leave for one hour. Okay?"

"Two hours."

"One."

"Fine, but go now."

"Can I stick the cheesecake in the fridge first?"

"Kurt, pl-please, just go."

"Okay," he soothes. "Okay, Im sorry, Ill go. Call me if you want me back sooner, all right?"

"I will."

He strokes my fingertips lightly before pulling back and standing up. "I love you, Blaine."

"I love you too." I lean my forehead against the door, trying to steady my breathing. "More than... more than anything. More than everything."

He walks back toward the elevator, and I slump down, exhausted by the effort that just took. The rug is soft under my cheek, and I close my eyes, listening to the angry voices coming from the kitchen.

"You told me they attacked you last year! You promised me it was self-defense!"

"It was self-defense!"

"Oh, right, Im sure that one kid sang high notes at you until your eardrums exploded—"

"You dont just fight someone using your fists, Lawrence. Blaine was threatening the relationship between Sebastian and me—"

"Youve got to be kidding me. He sleeps with you when hes drunk. You call that a relationship?"

"Blaine already has a boyfriend! He shouldnt have been going after another guy... Sebastian was my only option!"

"Your only option. So you decide to beat him within an inch of his life?"

"He laughed at me!"

"He... what?"

"I hung around this building today, because I just knew after we saw Blaine in the restaurant yesterday, I knew hed try to go see him. He went up to the apartment, and when he came back down I was waiting. And I told him. Told him I was in love with him, and he laughed at me. He said—"

Suddenly my attention shifts, as I realize there are footsteps coming to a stop right outside the door.

"Blaine?" comes a faint call, and my heart sinks.

"Go away, Kurt," I murmur. I try to lift my head, but it hurts too badly.

"I got into the elevator," he says, and I hear a soft thump as he drops to his knees. "And I was balancing the cheesecake while I took out my car keys, and my shoe slid a little on the carpet in the elevator, and... and I looked down..."

I swallow back a whimper. "Please, just—"

"And there was this circle of wet stuff in the elevator. It... it got it on my shoe, so I leaned down to wipe it off..." Hes breathing quickly, too quickly. Like he does when hes scared. "And it was blood. Theres blood in our elevator. A pool of it. And then I noticed that there were little spots, leading out of the elevator, so I followed them, followed the blood drops, and they led... they led here. Blaine, theres a trail of blood in the hallway, and it leads to our door."

My eyes are blurry with tears again. What havent I ruined today? I demonstrated our secret knock in the hallway when Morgan must have been lurking around the corner. I opened our apartment door to him without checking the peephole first. And now... now I cant even save Kurt. "Please?"

"Tell me theres an explanation," he begs, breathing even faster. "Oh, god, please tell me no ones hurt you." I dont answer him, and he makes a little noise that breaks my heart. "Open the door, Blaine. Right now."

"I cant reach."

"What?"

"The locks. I cant reach them."

"Cant... cant you stand up?"

"No," I admit, wincing when I hear the hitch in his breathing.

"Im going to break the door down," he says at once, leaping to his feet and moving back to take a running start.

"No—"

With a bang, the door rattles hard on its hinges, and I sob in terror. "Stop, Kurt, stop, hes still here. Hell kill us both if he hears you."

He doesnt make another run at the door, but the damage has been done. Morgan and Lawrence have fallen silent.

"Is it Sebastian?" Kurts voice is a little quieter, but even more terrified. "Did he hurt you?"

I wait until I hear Morgan speak again before answering. "Sebastian might be dead," I tell him dully. "His friend... the one from last night... hit him. Hit me. With the crowbar. Please... you need to get out of here."

He sucks in a breath, and I hear him press three keys on his cell phone. "Is Sebastian in there with you too?"

"Kurt—"

"Stop. Im not leaving you. Is he there?"

"No. Hes in the stairwell. His bloods in the elevator."

Theres a brief pause, and then I hear: "We need help. Theres been an attack at the Wiltshire Apartments. Please, we need ambulances, and police. Lots of police."

Its quiet as Kurt listens to the 9-1-1 operator ask him questions. So quiet.

Too quiet.

Slowly, I turn my head to look toward the kitchen.

And then my blood runs cold.

"The attacker is still in the building. Hes in apartment 303," Kurt is saying. "Hes got a... a victim in there with him. Another victim is in the stairwell. Theyve both been beaten with a crowbar."

Lawrence is standing a few feet away, looming over me, his eyes wide. I know he can hear Kurt out in the hall.

"No," I whisper. "Dont you touch him." I sit up weakly, spreading my good arm out, trying to block the door.

"Lawrence?" Morgan calls out from the kitchen. "Whats going on?"

Lawrence stares down at me, his blond head cocked, then takes a slow step toward the door.

"Stay back," I hiss at him, my heart pounding fast. "He hasnt done anything. Just... leave him alone..." Im shaking all over, adrenaline and terror surging through my veins. Slowly, swallowing back my gasps of pain, I stagger to my feet. My injured arm hangs at my side, useless, but I lift my other fist and try to look menacing, even as I lean against the door for support.

"Is he awake?" Morgan calls again. I can hear the sloshing of water in the sink. "Did he make that noise before?"

"I wont let either of you hurt him again." My head is throbbing, and my knees are about to buckle from the pain, but I fight to stay upright. "Youll have... have to kill me to get to him."

We stare at each other, waiting, until Lawrence calls out, "No, it mustve been another door. Nothings changed in here." I cant help the sob that escapes my lips, but I dont move from my spot. "Do you have duct tape?" he asks softly.

"What?"

"Duct tape. Do you have any?"

I shake my head numbly, and he frowns.

"What about rope? String? Anything?"

My mind slogs through an inventory of our apartment. "Floss?"

He gives me the strangest look, then nods. "Where is it?"

"Bathroom." I point in the general direction.

"What are you doing?" Morgan calls out.

"Checking for a pulse, one second," Lawrence calls back. He runs off toward the bathroom, and I slump down against the door, my knees slowly giving out until Im sitting again.

Theres a long pause, and I hear Kurt murmur, "Really? Good. The code for the building is 23069. Please, please tell them to hurry."

It might be a few minutes or maybe a few seconds, but then Lawrence is back, floss in hand. He takes a deep breath, glancing briefly at the bloody crowbar on the floor before entering the kitchen again. He speaks faintly, but Morgans response is crystal clear:

"Give myself up? Are you insane?"

"This has gone way too far already. If Sebastian survives, you know hell tell them it was you—"

They start to argue again, but I tune them out as Kurts fingertips emerge from under the door again. "You there, baby? Theyre on their way. Theyre almost here. The 9-1-1 operator said someone else called about the attacks around ten minutes ago. She said police should be here any second."

I stroke his fingertips lightly, trying to calm him down. Hes safe, for now. "Thank you."

"Sebastians friend... where is he now?"

"Theyre fighting in the kitchen."

"Whos they?" When I dont answer, his fingers press against mine insistently. "Wait, Blaine, is there someone else in the apartment? Are there two attackers?"

"No, I dont think so," I reply, leaning my head back against the door. "He has floss."

"He... what?"

There are loud banging noises coming from the kitchen now, and grunts of exertion. Morgan doesnt have his crowbar in there, so maybe Lawrences brute strength will win out.

I dont let myself think about what will happen if it doesnt.

The pain is starting to fade, which is nice. "Can you sing to me?" I ask. "You have such a beautiful voice."

"Blaine—"

"Please." A dark fog is seeping into the room , licking its way along the walls slowly. "Sing me to sleep."

"You are not going to sleep," he says sharply. "You have to stay awake."

The bangs have stopped. Someone is groaning. In a minute or an hour, I see a hulking blond form emerge from the kitchen, and I blow out a long breath of relief. Lawrence walks right up to the door, flicking open the chain and slide-lock. Then he looks down at me. "Can you move over?"

I blink at him hazily.

He leans over and picks me up surprisingly gently, setting me down on the side so that he can open the door. Theres a strange moment when he opens the door, Kurt looking very small on the hallway floor with only a cheesecake to use as a weapon. Then Lawrence steps past him, and takes off toward the stairwell.

In an instant, Kurt is by my side, running his hands over me. "Where did he — oh god, your head — how many times did he—"

"Hi," I murmur, petting his arm. "Hi, youre here."

"Tell me where youre hurt."

"So handsome..."

"Blaine. Tell me where youre hurt."

"Head... shoulder..."

It feels as though its raining. Cant be raining; were inside. And the rain is too hot, anyway.

"Keep your eyes open," Kurt says, his voice sounding thick. "Look at me, baby."

"Mfine," I tell him reassuringly. "Just need to sleep."

"No. No." Oh, its not raining at all. Those are Kurts tears falling from the sky. "I let you go to sleep last time, and you forgot me. I need you to stay awake for me. Look at me."

I look up. Hes so beautiful. "Youre like a prince."

"Focus, sweetie. Theyre almost here." He makes a strange strangled noise, then swears loudly. "Where are they?"

"Theyre coming... be fine... Just so tired."

"Dont you close your eyes. Dont you dare." His breaths are coming faster and faster, even as mine grow slower and slower. "I need you to look at me. Look at me. Stay with me, Blaine. Come on, baby, dont you leave me again, I cant do this again, I love you but I cant."

The fog is curling around him slowly, so I focus on his face. His lovely eyes, and their shade of blue that I cant quite place, but would like to. "I will always come back to you."

"Blaine, please—"

The dark clouds pull me under, and I sleep.