Blaine couldn't sleep. He untangled himself from Kurt and got up. It was Wednesday morning and Kurt's dad was due home Saturday evening, his stepmom and stepbrother were due home Sunday night. Blaine was getting a little more comfortable with everything. The shock was wearing off and he liked the friends he had made, Puck, Santana, and Lauren. And Kurt? Well, he more than liked Kurt. He tried to examine his feelings for the tall, beautiful boy with chestnut hair and blue-green eyes that changed with the light. Kurt just felt different to him than anyone else Blaine had ever known. He wanted Kurt to like him, he did think Kurt liked him, but he didn't know what else they meant to each other. And he wanted to know.

Blaine went into the bathroom and washed his face. He hadn't slept a whole night yet, although being in the bed with Kurt made him feel safer. He would be a mess without Kurt. He owed Kurt, owed him a lot. Owed him his whole life. But he had no way to repay that. He was nervous about Mr Hummel coming home. He wasn't as afraid that he would be turned in, but that Kurt would somehow get hurt in the process.

Blaine knew what he had to do, and it scared him to death. Lauren had told him that his father had flown back to LA the next night, so the house was empty. All he had to do was to go out there, enter through the tunnel, and get some money. It wasn't right for his new friends to pay for him, not when he had money of his own. He talked himself into believing he owed it to Kurt.

Well, sitting here shaking wasn't getting it done. He went back in the bedroom, took his new jeans and a black t-shirt and got dressed. He borrowed some money from the top of Kurt's dresser, leaving a note that he would be back that afternoon and repay the money.

Slipping out the back door and locking it behind him, Blaine walked to the street and on to the main road. He could hitch his way to the Ridge Road turnoff, then just walk to the cave by the river. Things had changed in three years, but not a lot. He wasn't lost. He walked as far as the mall and then stuck out his thumb. He got picked up right away by two college girls and they drove him almost all the way. He walked for a while and then hitched another ride until he was within a mile of the tunnel. He got seriously tired the last leg of the trip, he should have known being without exercise would do that, but he was okay. He stopped by the woods and unwrapped the sandwich he had put in his pocket before he left and ate it.

Blaine figured he could slip into the house, find his money and be out in under half an hour – and be back on the road and back to Kurt's house by noon. That was the plan, anyway.

Kurt woke up and felt cold. It took a moment, but he realized it was because Blaine was gone. He was probably upstairs making breakfast. So, Kurt got dressed and as he went to put his wallet in his jeans pocket, he noticed a note:

Kurt,

I had to run an errand. I borrowed a little money, but will repay it later this afternoon.

B.

What? Kurt got a cold chill. Where could Blaine have gone? And why did he need money? Kurt didn't mind he borrowed it, but to have left with no word? This wasn't right. He picked up his cell:

“Hello?”

“Puck? Have you heard from Blaine?”

“No, why? What's up?”

“He's gone. Left a note that he'd be back later and borrowed some money. That's it.”

“Kurt, that isn't good. Where would he have gone?”

“I have no idea. Grab the girls and get over here, we need to find him.”

“On my way.”

Kurt answered the knock at the door and Puck came in followed by Lauren and Santana. Santana was cursing in Spanish. Lauren was frowning.

“Nobody heard from him?” Kurt hadn't expected them to.

“Where would he go where he would need money, but be able to pay it back?” Puck asked.

Lauren and Kurt looked at each other. “He went home.”

They all sat down, trying to think of what to do. Blaine would obviously get inside the house through the tunnel passage. But if they went to the house, it would just put him in more danger. “He might have taken a taxi, which is why he needed the money?” Santana guessed.

“I don't think so. He knows there's an investigator looking for him, so he would never take a taxi that far. It would be too easy to follow him.” Kurt said.

They thought for a long time, finally deciding that Puck would drive out Ridge Road as if he was on the way to a job. Lauren and Santana would go to her house to see what could be found on line with the police and her uncle. Kurt would wait at home in case Blaine showed up there.

Blaine got to the tunnel and drank half the bottle of water he had brought. This was harder than he anticipated. He entered the cave and walked down the damp tunnel, pushing open the oak door. He had stopped at the hardware store on his way out of town and purchased a flashlight. This he turned on and followed the hallway to the stairs and up the inside staircase to the panel. He stood for a while, making sure there was nobody to be heard on the other side, then opened it. He closed the panel, just in case somebody came in this room while he was downstairs.

At the second floor, he went down the hallway to what had been his room. It wasn't locked, so he went in. The whole room was like a museum, but covered with dust. The pictures of his friends at Dalton were still thumbtacked to the walls, his guitar still in the stand at the foot of his bed. It was like nobody had touched a single thing after the day he dived out the window and broken his wrist. He wanted to cry, but his eyes were dry. It was like this had all happened to someone else, not him. Like a bad movie he'd seen.

He got down and looked under his bed, the shoeboxes with his tennis shoes and boots were all there. In the back by the wall was a box, and he was able to reach it with the aid of a broom handle he found behind his door. Inside he found about $4000. That was quite a lot for a twelve year old kid, but Blaine had a weekly allowance and he hardly ever used it. He had been saving for something really great for a while, something he hadn't decided on. That night he came out to his parents and he'd been locked in here, he hadn't realized yet that they meant it to be his prison forever and he thought he could save towards moving to San Francisco.

Next, he looked around to see if he had anything he wanted to take with him. But no. On the way out of the room, he thought again and got the picture of Cooper out of his drawer. Maybe he could still talk to Coop one day. He saw the corner of something silver under the photo and reached in, holding his harmonica in his hand. He slipped it into his pocket.

Next, he went to the main floor and into his father's office. The desk was locked, but Blaine got the key that was taped behind a painting and unlocked it. In the bottom drawer on the left, behind the handgun and the bottle of twelve-year-old Scotch, he reached back and took the bundle of cash, sliding it into his pocket. He knew he should feel bad stealing it, but his dad probably wouldn't even miss it. He locked the desk and returned the key.

Now, he had to leave. He was going up the stairs when he stopped at the landing, going down the hall to his parent's bedroom. He went to the bed, pulled back the covers and peed on the bed. Then he straightened the covers back and wondered if they would ever figure out where that smell came from. He went in his mother's jewelry box and found the box at the back, his grandfather's wedding band was there and he took it, returning everything else where he got it.

Up the stairs and he was in the attic. Did he want to go down the hallway and see the room where he had spent three years? No. So he turned into the library, found the journal his ancestor had written giving the directions as to where to find the Underground Railroad passage. He rolled it up and slid it into the inside pocket of the jacket, and opened the panel. He closed it, knowing he would never set foot in this house again. Thoughts crossed his mind, like lighting the whole house on fire, but he dismissed them. He was not his parents, he would not do something that destructive. He would never let the evil in them invade his own heart. Never. With tears in his eyes, he lit the flashlight and walked back down the stairs, through the oak door, and on to the cave's tiny entrance.

It was after two in the afternoon and all of them were back at Kurt's house.

“He said he would be back this afternoon. I am really scared something's happened,” Kurt said, pacing back and forth.

“He'll be fine. Wherever he went, I'm sure he is being careful,” Lauren tried to calm Kurt.

“I drove out to the cave entrance, but there was no sign of him. I went by the house, but didn't want to draw any attention to myself, so I didn't go in the gates, but I didn't see anything,” Puck said.

Blaine came up to the cave entrance, but when he stopped to listen, he heard two people talking. It scared him, but he soon realized from their conversation that it was an old man and his grandson, sitting on the bank of the river. They had a picnic lunch and fishing poles and no intention of moving. Blaine sighed. He'd have to wait in the cave until he was sure they left, he couldn't risk getting caught so close to his house. He sat down to wait, taking out an apple and cutting thin slices with his pocket knife and putting them into his mouth one at a time.

It was almost dusk when the two people left the riverbank, and Blaine was beyond upset. Kurt would think he had stolen the money and run, and Kurt didn't deserve that. But Blaine hadn't wanted to take Kurt's phone, so he had no way of calling to let him know that he was just delayed and would get home as soon as possible.

It was getting cold and he didn't want to hitch at night, so he took some leafy branches into the cave and made himself a little bed and lay down. He shivered. He missed Kurt.

Kurt was beyond worried now. In spite of the obvious, he just knew Blaine would never steal his money and just run. It made no sense, there was only $25 missing, and that wouldn't get him to the state line. He knew Blaine had been afraid, but he flattered himself by thinking Blaine felt safe with him. And Blaine wouldn't ever leave without saying goodbye.

Something must have happened.

The others had gone home, agreeing to call if they heard anything and to meet up tomorrow to make a plan. Kurt tried to go to bed, but he couldn't sleep. He wanted his dad. He could call him, but what would he say? He had promised that he would keep Blaine's secret, so there was just nothing he could say.

Blaine gave up trying to sleep about midnight. It was cold and he only had a light jacket, so lying on the ground inside a damp cave made him colder. He was shivering now, but not sure if it was the cold or his fear. He finally got up, making the decision to just walk back to Kurt's house. It might take him all night, but he didn't have anything else to do.

He didn't see many cars, mostly just semi-trucks on the highway, and he was afraid to hitch. He stayed by the trees, far enough inside the treeline so cars wouldn't notice him.

It was a long walk and Blaine was practically staggering when someone stopped as he was crossing the road after he reached Lima city limits. He accepted the ride, but got out at the mall to walk the last few blocks.

Blaine walked up Kurt's driveway and could see through the window to the kitchen it was 3:20 a.m. Well, he would just curl up on the porch until Kurt was up. He went into the back corner so nobody could see him from the street and sat down. He was so tired, he closed his eyes. A minute later, a hand slid into his and he woke up, he had dozed a little. Blue eyes, filled with tears, were looking at him.

“Kurt......I'm sorry,” he said, but was too tired to say more. Kurt picked him up, one arm behind his back, one under his knees. Blaine let his cheek fall on Kurt's shoulder and Kurt carried Blaine into the house, kicking the door closed, and took him down to the bedroom. He put him on the bed and helped Blaine take off his clothes and slid him under the covers. Kurt sent a text to Puck, turned off his phone and took off his own clothes. Both boys were in boxer briefs and undershirts, and Kurt crawled into bed next to Blaine – who wrapped himself around Kurt and leaned forward, kissing him full on the lips before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Kurt pulled him close and fell asleep, knowing there would be plenty of time tomorrow to find out where Blaine had been.