The house was decorated with banners welcoming Kurt back home. He and Blaine had been gone most of the day: a little shopping, a walk in the park, and lunch at Kurt's favorite Chinese restaurant. Coming home, he knew his friends were decorating his house, and he thought it couldn't be too bad – though he didn't like them making such a fuss over him.

Blaine was better after last night, but still somewhat clingy – Kurt didn't let it bother him, he liked having his boyfriend hugging and touching him. He was even bold enough to kiss Blaine in the parking lot of the doctor's office where he had an appointment to get his flu shot. Burt insisted that Blaine get one, too, since he was used to being isolated and was now exposed to so many people.

It was a moment between the boys when they went in, as Kurt asked Blaine to stay in the same exam room with him instead of separate ones. Blaine thought this was curious but went with it – and kidded that he would love to 'play doctor' with Kurt. When Nurse Kelly came in to give them their shots, Blaine found out why Kurt had asked him to stay – Kurt was terrified of needles. He held on to Blaine for dear life, closing his eyes and shaking all over.

“It's okay, Kurt, it's just a vaccine. It will be over before you know it. Here, I'll even go first,” Blaine tried to calm him, tipping Kurt's chin up to capture his attention with a small kiss before the nurse started.

“I'm okay, I just really hate needles. I know in my mind that it's not a big deal, but I can't help being so scared,” Kurt confessed, gripping Blaine's bicep as he tried in vain to relax.

Nurse Kelly knew about Kurt's fear, she had known Kurt since he was a little boy and knew the fear of needles came when his mother had spent so much time in hospital at the end of her life. They had to give her IVs and do other frightening things to her and Kurt had been there to see it all. Nurse Kelly tried to calm Kurt when he had to have a shot and was really glad Kurt now had Blaine to cling to. She had always liked Kurt and wanted the best for him.

“Kurt, honey, I'll do my best to make it as quick and painless as possible, okay? I'll even do your friend first since he's getting six shots today,” she said and Kurt's eyes go big.

“Six? Why?” he didn't want Blaine to be tortured.

“I haven't ever had any booster shots, even as a kid, so your dad wanted me to get them all and Cooper agreed. Don't worry, I'm not scared of needles at all. Just don't look,” Blaine said and Kurt cringed.

The nurse was as good as her word and got Blaine's all done in just a few minutes, then got Kurt's ready.

“C'mere, baby, I'll hold you,” Blaine offered. Kurt was a little worried about what the nurse might say, but she just smiled encouragement at the boys. Blaine gathered Kurt in his arms, scooping him into his lap and cupping his boyfriend's head to his shoulder so he couldn't see the needle. It was over in seconds, but Kurt still shook for a while afterwards.

“All over, honey,” Nurse Kelly comforted Kurt. “Don't be worried about your fear – everyone has fears, Kurt. I'm terrified of bees and wasps. Just let Blaine hug you for a minute and you'll be okay.”

“Thank you, Nurse Kelly, you didn't hurt me, you know. I'm just scared,” Kurt tried to thank her.

“I'm glad you're home again, Kurt. Really glad,” and she gave him a hug before she left the room, Kurt still in Blaine's embrace.

~*~*~*~

The boys walked into the Hummel house, Blaine a little bit behind Kurt. They were met with a sea of people, arms outstretched to hug Kurt and draw him into their circle. It seemed as if everyone needed to put their hands on him to make sure he was real, that the missing piece of their lives had indeed returned to them. Like most things in life, they didn't realize how important Kurt was to them until he had been taken away, and the hole that was left wasn't something they could just get over.

“My Prancing Pony!” Santana cooed, snuggling into Kurt's arms and surprising him with tears as she kissed him tenderly. Blaine's eyes got huge and he moved closer to Kurt, taking his arm to hold in a show of jealousy. Santana just gave him a haughty look and blinked her eyes.

Well, the kiss didn't surprise Kurt coming from Santana as much as her kind words did. He jumped back, not sure he wanted her lips on his considering the sheer amount of lips that she'd had pressed to hers over the years.

“Satan...hey, are you okay?” he was starting to worry, she was never this sentimental - ever.

“Yeah, just didn't like it that you left, Twinkle Tushie. I had to pick on Sam because you weren't there to tease,” she scoffed, sounding more like herself and Kurt hugged her once again before she pushed him away and stalked across the room to put her arms around Brittany.

“Prancing Pony?” Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear.

“Yeah, that's her affectionate name for me...when she's not calling me Lady Lips, Porcelain, or something else homophobic. It's just her way...she's kind of unique,” Kurt hastily explained, although it would take more than a whispered line to explain Santana to anyone.

“Hummel!” Kurt just had time to brace himself before he was hit by a large guy who picked him up and twirled him around helplessly. He was set back on his feet to recover for an instant before the burly arms hugged him again.

“Puck...I missed you. I know a place you could get a job to use some of that muscle,” Kurt grinned, imagining Puck as a lumberjack.

It didn't seem likely that Puck was going to let go of Kurt anytime soon and Blaine was getting a bit jealous. He came up to the pair and set a hand on Puck's bicep.

“I know we haven't met, but I'm Blaine, and I'd appreciate it if you would put my boyfriend down and quit touching him.”

Puck stepped back and the room held their collective breath.

“Hey, Noah, let me go. Blaine...” Kurt started to say, but Puck interrupted him.

“No, it's okay, Kurt. So, you went across the whole country to bring home this? This...Hobbit?” Puck laughed, giving Blaine a soft punch in the shoulder. He towered over the curly-haired boy, but backed off nonetheless, ruffling his curls as he went.

“Good to see you back, Kurt,” Puck said, going back to talk to Quinn.

Finn was starting to worry, maybe he should have had them come over a few at a time, he didn't want to overwhelm his brother when he just got back. He went to stand closer to him, his looks warning the others to give Kurt a little more space for now.

The people parted and Kurt was allowed to go and sit where his friends came up to talk to him in a much more relaxed way and he heaved a sigh of relief. They had all been asked not to bother Kurt with questions about his abduction and time in the logging camp, but they were all eager to hear the whole tale. After Kurt greeted everyone and introduced Blaine, Finn stood up.

“I have talked this over with my brother and if you'd all like to have a seat, he'll tell you the whole story of what happened. I thought it might be hard for him to keep repeating it over and over to each person, so we agreed to have you all here so wild rumors wouldn't start from having partial stories and innuendos floating around. Please hold your questions for after..it's a long story. Kurt?” Finn said, acting as Master of Ceremonies. Kurt grinned at him, liking the way he now took charge of things.

“As you all know, I was singing at the Fall Festival School Dance. Instead of having Finn take me home, I told him to go ahead with Rachel and I would drive myself. I waited too long for the parking lot to empty and when I thought I was alone to walk to my car, I felt a sharp pain to my head,” Kurt started, subconsciously grasping Blaine's hand as he detailed the attack and the train ride, waking up in the logging camp. He told them about how Blaine had taken care of him, teaching him how to snare rabbits, tie flies, gut fish. There were more than one raised eyebrow at his telling of the story, his reputation of being so fastidious made the vision of him gutting a rabbit a little hard to imagine.

Kurt went on to tell them about all that had befallen him, but not the intimate relationship between himself and Blaine. It sounded like something that they would see in a movie, not something that would happen to one of their own from Lima, Ohio. By the time he was done telling of the helicopter ride home, many of his friend were blinking back tears. Mercedes, sitting on the other side of him, put out her arms and he fell into them as she kissed the top of his head. But he never let go of Blaine's hand.

When it was clear the story was over, the guests got up and mingled once again, some coming to talk to Kurt, to meet Blaine, to ask if they could help or express how thankful they were that Kurt was home with them once again.

“Welcome home, Kurt,” Tina said in her soft voice, smiling at him.

“Thank you,Tina, it's good to be here. I'd like to introduce my boyfriend, Blaine Anderson.”

Tina shook his hand and they started a conversation about what the New Directions were planning for their next competition. Several people had expressed how much Kurt's voice was missed and he was beginning to believe it a little. He had always felt like the odd man out when it came to singing with the group, could he be wrong?

“You should hear Blaine! I think he'd be an excellent addition to New Directions,” Kurt said.

“Wait...Nude Erections? What?” Blaine blurted out, causing several people close by to laugh.

“No..New.Di-rec-tions.” Kurt enunciated for Blaine, making him laugh at his misunderstanding. “It's our show choir. I'm hoping you might like to try out for it.”

“Oh, I don't know if my voice is good enough,” Blaine said, a little apprehensive.

“Nonsense, we let everyone in, we just make them audition first,” Artie said, wheeling up and putting out his hand to shake Blaine's. “I'm Artie Abrams, pleased to meet you.”

After that, several people wanted to sing and they dusted off the piano in the corner to accompany them.

“Can I play?” Blaine asked.

“I didn't know you played the piano, of course you can, help yourself,” Kurt grinned, interested to find out something new about his boyfriend.

Blaine went over to the piano and sat down. He did a scale to warm up for a minute then launched into a song.

So this is what you meant
When you said that you were spent
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top
Don't hold back
Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check

I don't ever wanna let you down
I don't ever wanna leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

So this is where you fell
And I am left to sail
The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell
Right to the top
Don't look back
Turning the rags and giving the commodities a rain check

I don't ever wanna let you down
I don't ever wanna leave this town
'Cause after all
This city never sleeps at night

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

This road never looked so lonely
This house doesn't burn down slowly
To ashes, to ashes

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit
I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am

Blaine finished, grinning because everyone had joined in with him. Kurt was looking at him with that adorable smile, which sent a warm glow flushing through Blaine's body. Everyone clapped and cheered, Rachel coming to hug Blaine.

“You are in, you are so in...” she crowed. “You can sing a duet with me for Sectionals, and..”

“Hey, Rachel, no. Just no. He's singing with me,” Kurt interjected, causing her to frown at her friend.

“Let it go, we'll decide that at school. In the mean time, let's have another song,” Finn said, taking Rachel's hand and tentatively guiding her to another part of the room.

“Where did you hear that song – or learn to play piano for that matter?” Kurt asked, curious.

“Oh, Lenore's mother taught us. There's a piano at her house and Mrs. Warner let me use it. She had been a piano teacher before she married Mr. Warner. And the song? Lenore has satellite radio, we used to listen to it when we spent time together. I heard that song on the radio and well, it's hard to describe. I taught myself to hear the notes in my head, kind of,” Blaine shrugged at Kurt. “I really like Imagine Dragons.”

“Oh, play a slow song, let's dance!” Brittany said from across the room and Puck went to the piano to play, Lauren sitting down next to him. Quinn sang this time as the guests paired up and Kurt turned the lights down. They danced and swayed in the small space, not really needing more room. Lauren took over playing and Blaine held out his hand to Kurt and slid his arms around Kurt's body when he stepped closer. They danced so close to each other, it garnered quite a few second looks, the New Directions were not used to seeing Kurt so close to another boy. More than one of his friend thought it was about time Kurt had some of the good things in life, and they smiled at the couple as they swayed in place, eyes closed and breathing the same air. Blaine kissed Kurt on his neck and Mercedes sighed at the romance of it all.

The party went on for several more hours, everyone dancing and singing, getting back in touch with Kurt, and meeting Blaine. By the end, Kurt was relaxed and happy to see his friends once again, all the anxiety leading up to the party was gone now.

Kurt walked outside and shook hands with Mike, the last of the guests to leave. Going back inside, he saw Finn across the room, starting to clean up by gathering the used cups sitting on all the tables. Wanting to help, Kurt leaned over to grab a couple and put them in the plastic trash bag Finn was carrying.

“Hey, you were the guest of honor, you don't have to clean up. I've got this, and Rachel offered to come tomorrow to help me,” Finn protested.

“I don't mind. I just wanted to thank you, Finn. That was a wonderful party, and it was good to see all my friends again,” Kurt said with all seriousness. He was continually amazed at the changes in Finn since they came back. Kurt had left behind a slightly awkward, sweet but goofy kid and came home to a caring and more serious brother.

“Go ahead to bed, Dude, I think Blaine is waiting for you. I know you'll need your rest for tomorrow – first day back at school? It might be kind of rough. I'll be there if you need me, Kurt. Just let me know,” Finn said, patting Kurt on the back and pushing him toward the basement stairs.

“Good night, Finn,” Kurt said, smiling a this brother before going down the stairs, two at a time.

~*~*~*~*~

“Mr. Hummel, we have all of the relevant paperwork. I will just go and get the schedule for Mr. Anderson and you can direct him to his first class,” Principal Figgins said, his face never breaking a smile. He didn't like complications and Blaine Anderson was a complication. He came back with a printout of Blaine's schedule and handed it to him, dismissing the two boys.

Kurt went first, slowing down in the outer office to wink at Lauren Zizes, glad she was working in the office this morning. Lauren was an interesting friend to have; she and Kurt had done a few projects together and he knew he could count on her to smooth Blaine's introduction to high school. She had put Blaine in all of Kurt's classes but one – French – but managed to get him in a gym class with Finn that hour. Lauren had even gotten Blaine a locker near Kurt's in the front hallway.

“What's first on the agenda?” Blaine asked, eager to sit in a classroom for the first time in his life.

“AP American History. Do you know a lot about history? We're doing the Battle of Saratoga right now,” Kurt said as they rounded a corner to the hallway leading to the history classroom.

“I know a little. I love to read, and I love history, so..” he smiled at Kurt, not sure if he could sneak a small kiss to the dimple beside his mouth. He looked at the crowded corridor and decided to wait until later.

They entered the classroom and eyes followed them as Kurt led the way to the middle row of desks, indicating to Blaine where he should sit, then sat down next to him. A few students waved at Kurt, smiling because they had heard the story and were glad to have him back. At the back of the room, Dave Karofsky sat, looking at the cause of all the trouble in his life. He had been at the dance the night of the attack on Kurt, although he hadn't struck him, and so far he hadn't been interviewed by the police. His three best friends, Azimio, Rick, and Mason were being held in jail for attempted murder with the label of a hate crime until the trial, and it didn't look good for them. Now here was Kurt, prancing into the classroom like he deserved to be here. And he had this new kid with him..Blake or something and the rumors said this kid was going to be a witness of some sort. Dave knew he had to do something, he just hadn't decided what that something was. In the mean time, he was going to be watching Hummel closely.

The day went quickly, people Kurt hardly knew coming up to speak to him or tell him they were glad he was okay. It was surreal. What he wasn't surprised about were the whispers and strange looks that followed him down every hallway. He walked with Blaine, but they didn't touch or flirt. That in itself felt a little strange because since they had met, Kurt had gotten used to Blaine touching him all the time. It was almost like a piece of him was missing when he didn't get to hold Blaine's hand. He could feel how much Blaine wanted to touch him, too. Blaine was doing well, all things considered, but Kurt could feel his stress. He decided he had to do something by fourth period, so he led Blaine down the hallway to the offices and around a corner.

The school nurse had resigned last semester and Principal Figgins had yet to hire a new one, so her office was vacant and Kurt had the key. Lauren was a very useful friend to have and when the bullying and slushie facials had gotten worse, Lauren gave him the key so he could stash some extra clothes and face products in the room. This office had an added bonus: while all of the other administrative offices had glass walls, this one didn't. It was at the back of the school and only had one small window of frosted glass.

Kurt led Blaine to the door, his hand shaking as he inserted the key in the lock, then tugging Blaine in after him as he turned the lock from the inside. Safe.

Blaine knew immediately what was going on and took Kurt in his arms, holding him tightly and letting his mouth connect with Kurt's in a sizzling kiss born of the frustrations of the morning. He pulled back a little, realizing he was being too rough, though Kurt didn't object, and started again, gently touching his lips to Kurt's and enjoying the warmth and smoothness of his boyfriend's mouth. They sighed into each other, the close contact relieving the tight muscles.

“Blaine, I have wanted to do this all day. I want to hold you and touch you, and just look at you...oh, Blaine...you take my breath away,” Kurt said into Blaine's hair as he stroked his face and carded his fingers through his hair.

“No more than I have, Kurt. It's hard to be here,” Blaine complained. Kurt's hand found the outline of Blaine's erection through his jeans.

“Yes, I see...very hard...” Kurt giggled and Blaine joined him.

“That is NOT what I meant, Kurt Hummel, and you know it but I'm not objecting if you want to...ah..” Blaine flirted, running a hand down Kurt's chest, rubbing against his nipple as he went.

Kurt gasped, he was much more excited than he had originally thought.

“We can't do that here, Blaine, we have to get to class. Someone might come in,” Kurt whispered.

“But you locked the door. How many people have the key to this office?” Blaine asked.

“Ah, just me. Lauren changed the locks when she gave me the key,” Kurt said.

Blaine got a big smile on his face, and he decided not to argue with Kurt any more. Kurt loved to argue, but that was just wasting time right now. He could tell the teacher of the next class that he had to stop in the office or something.

“Kurt, c'mere,” Blaine whispered in his boyfriend's ear, moving his hands to Kurt's jeans and skimming his fingers over the bulge he found there. Kurt gasped again, then gave in to his inner horny teenager and returned the favor. It was only a few moments before they had their jeans down to their knees and were rutting against each other, mouths connecting and arms holding tight.

“Ah..ah.....ohhh..Blaine...” Kurt was whimpering as he got warmer and more anxious. He suddenly had to have more and although they had only done this once, Kurt was on his knees and pushing his lips over the head of Blaine's cock. He licked down the front, cupping Blaine's balls and gently rocking his hand in rhythm as he pushed his mouth over the crown one more time, his tongue massaging under the foreskin and around the ridge he found there.

Blaine was leaning back on the desk, his knees giving out in his pleasure, as he held on to Kurt's hair. A deep guttural moan escaped his lips, but he checked it before it got too loud.

“Kurt..ohhhh..that feels so good, baby, you're so goood....Hngh...don't stop...oh...” Blaine went on and on, trying his best to keep the noise down, but the suddenness of Kurt's actions had taken him by surprise and he was not prepared for this. He was dizzy and he wanted to buck forward, but was afraid of hurting Kurt, so he moved his hands, gripped the desk behind him, and held on for dear life.

Kurt felt Blaine getting harder, felt him start to tremble and he pulled back.

“Come for me, baby...please, come for me...” Kurt whispered in his lowest voice, almost a growl and opened his mouth to swallow Blaine's cock as far as he could, his hand around the rest of it, a gentle rhythm reestablished before Blaine was telling Kurt it was coming, don't stop, and Kurt hummed his acknowledgement. The vibration was all Blaine needed and he felt the heat flowing, felt the amazing sear of his orgasm as he looked down to see Kurt's deep blue eyes looking back at him and closing to concentrate as he helped Blaine through the hottest climax he could imagine.

“Oh, my stars, Kurt...I ..I ...oh, god...thank you..” Blaine wasn't yet in control of his senses, but he knew he needed to be holding Kurt. He pulled him up, holding him close to his chest, kissing him and whispering his thanks and his love until Kurt put his hands on Blaine's chest.

“Calm down, we need to go to class. Let's get you back together now,” Kurt said as he hauled his jeans back up, buttoning them and tucking in his shirt.

“No! Kurt, what about you – we can't go back to class if I haven't done the same for you!” Blaine whisper-shouted, grabbing at Kurt's shirt to try and pull it back out of his trousers.

“We have to get to class. I'm okay for now, Blaine, just think how much better I'll feel if I have to wait. Okay?” Kurt explained. Blaine didn't look convinced, but there was little he could do about it.

Lucky for Kurt, he'd worn a loose cardigan over his shirt so nothing showed to the casual observer. Blaine went to the sink and took a handful of water to rinse himself off a bit before pulling up his briefs and jeans, smiling at Kurt over his shoulder. Kurt smiled back, coming to rinse his mouth a bit before checking to see that they both looked presentable before listening a the door to make sure nobody was in the hallway.

Resuming their distance, Kurt and Blaine walked to their math class, not touching, but exchanging smiles. Unfortunately, they ran into someone rushing to his chemistry class the other direction. Karofsky threw a shoulder into Kurt's chest as he rushed by, throwing Kurt into a locker with a solid bang.

“Watch where you're walking, pussy girl,” Dave shouted as he continued down the hall. Kurt sat for a moment, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.

“What the hell?” Blaine shouted, undecided for a second whether to take care of Kurt or to follow the bully down the hall.

“Kurt? Are you okay?” Blaine asked as he crashed to his knees beside Kurt and put a hand on his shoulder. There was nobody else in the hallway, so he leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

“Can you get up?”

“Yeah, I've had worse. He must have been in a hurry because he usually calculates his hits better. I don't think he even gave me much of a bruise with that one, he's getting soft in his old age,” Kurt spat out with the appropriate amount of sarcasm.

“Here let me help you,” Blaine said as he put a hand under Kurt's arms and got him to his feet. Kurt brushed himself off and picked up his scattered books.

“I'm fine, let's get to class,” he said, hurrying down the corridor.

After math, Kurt and Blaine caught up with Finn and they walked to the lunchroom. They bought lunch and sat at their usual table, mostly Glee kids and a few others. Blaine grinned at the people he had met at the party last night and Santana sat down beside him on the opposite side from Kurt.

“Oh...the Hobbit's been having his way with our Prancing Pony,” she smiled, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed the air. Blaine sent a panicked look to Kurt as he moved a little bit away from Santana on the bench. Kurt, eyes wide, just shrugged.

“What are you talking about?” Blaine squeaked and Brittany giggled.

“Santana always knows...” she looked Blaine in the eye, then winked.

“Well please hush up, before anyone else hears you,” he whisper shouted as he looked at Santana with pleading eyes, but she just looked bored and turned to talk to Sam across the table from her.

The boys ate in silence, touching knees under the table as Tina and Mike talked about a dance step they were perfecting for Glee. After lunch, Finn offered to walk with Blaine to show him the gym while Kurt hurried off down the hall to French class.

“What's the queer doing in our locker room? Hey, the girl's locker room is next door, homo..” Dave shouted as soon as he saw Blaine entering the shower room with Finn.

“Shut up, Karofsky, or go pound sand in a hole,” Puck said, coming up behind Finn. “He isn't bothering you, leave him alone.”

Dave just turned and walked off. He wasn't in this class, he was just changing from his lunchtime workout.

“Don't worry, Blaine, we've got your back,” Puck said, hitting him in the shoulder lightly, then giving him a fist bump.

They walked into the gym where they were playing basketball. Blaine was probably too short to be much of a threat, but he was game and gave the other guys a workout whenever he could get the ball.

“Last class of the day, Blaine. Glee.” Finn said, walking down the hall with Blaine after gym.

“That's good. I've had about enough for one day. What do you know about that big guy named Karofsky?” Blaine asked.

“He's on the football team, and he's probably Kurt's biggest problem at this school. He wasn't arrested for the incident with Kurt, but the three guys that are his best friends were . I'm willing to bet Dave has something to do with it. Why? Just that incident in the locker room?” Finn asked.

“No, he hit Kurt in the hallway and Kurt went flying into a locker. He's okay, but it looks like he'll have a couple of bruises from it,” Blaine said, concerned for his boyfriend.

“Unfortunately, that's nothing new, most kids here have some sort of bullying issue – whether the kid is the victim or the perpetrator. It's a cycle and unless we can do something to break that cycle, it won't stop. I've been reading a lot about it since Kurt was abducted. Did you do anything when Kurt got thrown?” Blaine just looked miserable

“No, I was too concerned about Kurt. I stayed with him and the guy, Dave, took off. By the time I could have caught up, well, let's just say it was useless. I had no idea of where to look for him, or if he was even still here....”

“He'll show up again, Blaine. He goes to school here. He doesn't miss much school, even though he'd like people to think he's a popular stud with the football team and skips classes. He's just a phony,” Finn said. “Here's the choir room, let's go in and I'll introduce you to Mr Scheuster.” Finn waved Blaine to go ahead of him and then followed Blaine into the room. Rachel saw them enter and came barreling down the risers to put her arms around Blaine, whispering into his ear that she wanted him to do a duet with her.

Blaine sat down next to Finn to wait for Mr. Schue and Kurt. Santana came and sat behind him, caressing his neck as she walked by. Brittany was right behind her, skipping in with a bright smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye as she waved hello to Blaine and sat by Santana.

Rachel sat on the other side, so she could talk in his ear about the duet, suggesting titles of songs they could do, most of which Blaine had never heard of. Plus, he only wanted to sing with Kurt. Mr. Schue came in, his arms stacked with papers and set them down to look up at the class and spotted Blaine.

“Well, a new recruit?” he asked.

“Yes, Mr. Schue, and I want to suggest some songs we could sing...” Rachel started, but Santana kicked her chair and Rachel stumbled, sitting down hard in her chair and looking around to see who had done it. She looked at Santana, who waved a finger at her to stop.

Blaine was watching all of this unfold when he noticed Finn looking at the door, so he followed Finn's line of sight and saw Kurt standing there, fists on his hips and glaring at Rachel. No words were spoken aloud, but Rachel got up from the chair quickly and moved to the chair on the other side of Finn, a chagrined look on her face.

Kurt smiled to himself and strolled over to sit next to Blaine, scooting his chair a little closer so he could pull his boyfriend into his side and threw an arm around him. Blaine startled, knowing they had to be careful.

Santana saw his reaction and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, “We don't need to worry in this room, Hobbit. Okay? We're all cool in here.”

Blaine let out a sigh of relief and smiled back at Santana, winking.

Kurt tangled his fingers with Blaine's and sat back, contented.

Mr. Schue nodded at Blaine, “Would you like to come forward and introduce yourself?”

Blaine walked to the front of the classroom. He'd met almost all of the kids in the room that were sitting in the chairs. He glanced over at the kids playing musical instruments, but nobody said anything. Strange.

“I'm Blaine Anderson and I am from Oregon. If it's okay with you, Mr. Scheuster, I'd like to sing my audition song now?”

“Of course, Blaine. Just tell Brad what to play,” Mr. Schue said.

“Oh...I, ah...I can play for myself if that's okay,” he said. Mr. Schue nodded and Brad got up, mumbling about going to get coffee and rolling his eyes.

Blaine sat down at the piano and touched the keys, not warming up or anything, just playing the song. He played a short introduction and then he began to sing:

Ohhh, baby boy, where you at?
Got no strings, got men attached
Can't stop that feelin' for long, no
Mmm, you makin' dogs wanna beg
Breakin' them off your fancy legs
But they make you feel right at home, now

Ohhh, see all these illusions just take us too long
And I want it bad...
Because you walk pretty, because you talk pretty
'Cause you make me sick, and I'm not leavin' till you're leavin'

Oh, I swear there's something when he's pumpin', askin' for a raise
Well does he want me to carry him home now?
So does he want me to buy him things?
On my house, on my job
On my loot, shoes, my shirt, my crew, my mind
My father's last name?

When I get you alone
When I get you you'll know, babe
When I get you alone
When I get you alone

Oh, come on
Yeah, yeah

Baby boy you da sh...
That makes you my equivalent
Well you can keep your toys in the drawer tonight, all right
All my dawgs talkin' fast:
Ain't you got some photographs?
'Cause you shook that room like a star, now
Yes you did, yes you did

All these intrusions just take us too long
And I want you so bad...
Because you walk city, because you talk city
'Cause you make me sick, and I'm not leavin' till you're leavin'

So I pray to something he aint bluffin', rubbin' up on me
Well does he want me to make a vow?
Check it, well does he want me to make it now?
On my house, on my job
On my loot, shoes, my voice, my crew, my mind
My father's last name?

When I get you alone
When I get you you'll know, babe
When I get you alone
When I get you alone

Oohh...
When I get you alone

The room dissolved in clapping and whoops as the New Directions showed their appreciation for Blaine's voice.

“I think it's safe to say: Welcome to the New Directions, Blaine!” Mr. Scheuster said, grinning. This was a voice he could utilize, and from what he could tell by the way the boy moved as he played, he had enough rhythm to be a decent dancer. This kid's voice would be able to keep up with Rachel when she belted out a Broadway showstopper, and that's what he needed for Regionals. The plans in his head were jumping around and Will could hardly concentrate on the lesson. He finally let the class out early so he could think about how he was going to use Blaine's voice to its fullest potential.

The Glee kids left the choir room, Blaine and Kurt walking together. They were the first ones out of the doors. It seemed no other kids were around as they headed to the Navigator in the parking lot. Several football jocks and a few from the hockey team came out of the doors behind them, walking faster until they were on both sides of the boys. Kurt was so wrapped up in Blaine, at first he didn't notice the jocks until a few more fell into step behind them.

Chills ran up Kurt's spine, and fear sprouted out in the form of beads of sweat on his forehead as he calculated how far it was to his car and if he could unlock it from here. He grasped his keys in his hand and said in a soft voice to Blaine,”Get ready, we're going to have to make a run for it.”

Blaine, to his credit, didn't even break stride. He was ready. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he'd seen enough with the payday fights in camp to know that it was something dangerous and he was ready to defend Kurt at any cost.

Behind some bushes and a tree, Dave Karofsky was watching. Kurt continued to walk, steady steps towards the Navigator, Blaine close by his side, testing the damp ground for balance as he walked on.

Suddenly from the doors of the school burst Finn, Mike, Puck, Lauren, Santana, and the rest of the New Directions. The football jocks fell back, still walking but now suddenly headed in other directions.

“Hey, Kurt, wait up, I need a ride home!” Finn called and the heavy feeling in the air was gone. The jocks had gone away and Kurt was safe. As they got into his SUV, Dave Karofsky took one last look at the three boys and turned to go the other direction, towards his car parked on the other side of the school.