The boys were up at the crack of dawn the next morning, breakfast done and dressed for a day in the rough. Kurt made Blaine close his eyes and promise not to peek and came back into the room with his hands full of fishing equipment. Blaine heard him shuffling back in.

“Can I look now?” he asked for the fourth time.

“Yes!” Kurt crowed, so pleased with himself.

Blaine opened his eyes and blinked in the sunlight, then his gaze fell on Kurt and the poles and tackle in his arms. He let out a “Whooop!” and a huge grin spread across his already smiling face.

“Oh, Kurt! I was thinking about fishing when we were walking along the lake shore yesterday, this is great!” he enthused, throwing his arms around Kurt's neck and hugging him, fishing tackle and all, against his chest, kissing him thoroughly. Kurt gasped and staggered back, Blaine catching him at the last minute before he fell.

They got everything ready, including a lunch if they stayed out that long, and walked along the shore. The weather was cooperating, the sun was shining and the little bit of wind brought a smell of spring. They were in no hurry and strolled along, stopping to watch a squirrel chasing its friend across the branches of a tree.

“Oh, I forgot about this! Here, set the fishing tackle down and come with me,” Kurt coaxed. Blaine followed his instructions. They walked down a path to a huge oak tree and Kurt walked around it until he found a rope, dangling down from a branch high above their heads. He first gave it a good yank, then pulled on it with all of his body weight. Blaine watched with curious eyes for a moment before he figured out what Kurt was doing.

“Testing to make sure it's not going to fray?”

“Yep. But it seems solid enough. Want to go first?” Kurt offered. He looked around the ground until he located a block of notched wood and secured it to the rope for a foot-hold.

Blaine grinned and looked to see where it was safest to swing.

“Yes, thank you, Kurt, I'd love to.” Delight twinkled in his eyes as he put one foot on the block of wood and pulled back as far as he could, then launched himself and swung out over a dip in the ground, far across and back again. Kurt could hear his joy in the simple pleasure. When he slowed down, Kurt grabbed him around the waist to stop him and he jumped off.

“Oh, that was wonderful! You have to try it,” Blaine enthused.

Kurt got one foot on the block of wood and Blaine helped pull him back as far as possible and pushed him hard. The swing went sailing out into the sky, Kurt letting out a “Whoop!” as he flew along.

They played, taking turns on the swing for almost an hour, squealing in delight as though they were little kids again before turning back to the path and gathering their fishing gear to walk to the lake.

“Do you know the best places to fish?” Blaine asked, “Since you come here every year, I mean.”

“Ahh, no. I only went fishing once and it wasn't here. I went with my dad and uncle when I was a little kid. But I saw Mercy's dad, Dr. Jones, fishing up here. There's some rocks that go out into the lake and he used to stand on those to fish. Here...” Kurt directed and Blaine smiled. He was used to fishing in a river, but he was game to try the lake.

“Oh, you brought our flies! I'll set this pole up. Can you do your own pole, do you remember how?” Blaine asked.

“Of course I do. Who caught that Chinook salmon?” Kurt teased, so happy to see Blaine acting like a big kid again. His smile had been absent for too long.

They set up their poles and got the lines in the water.

“You know, Kurt, I really don't mind living in Lima. I got homesick, but this is so wonderful I'm okay to go back to Lima after this week. Is it weird that the seniors got a week off?” Blaine asked.

“No, they're doing one of those standardized tests for the rest of the school, and I'll take a week off anytime,” Kurt answered.

You know, Kurt, I'm fine as long as I'm with you. I don't want you to worry about me,” Blaine told him.

“Okay, I do have to admit, I was worried...I think you need to call Cooper more often, too. We have talked a lot about the trial, but not about what comes after. Tell me what you're thinking,” Kurt asked, almost afraid to bring up the subject. But he knew it wouldn't go away by ignoring it, so he thought this might be a good opportunity while they were both calm and the stress level was minimal.

“You know, I have been giving it a lot of thought. Burt has offered to let me stay with you for the rest of the school year, and as much as being in the city is nerve-wracking, I do want to finish the year - with you. I want to experience at least one year of school. Things like the show choir, and prom, I think that will be fun. What do you think?” Blaine asked, having given this a lot of thought.

“I love the idea of you staying as long as possible. I kind of think my dad has already figured it out. He smiles at you all the time, you know. What are you thinking about doing after we graduate?” Kurt asked, this being something he was fearing. If they were going to split, this would be the time.

“I don't really know. I know you want to go to school in New York. I want to be with you wherever that takes me. I am rather afraid of that, in some ways. You keep telling me that Lima is a sleepy little city, but it seems so extreme to me. If Lima is like that, my wildest imagination cannot draw a picture of what New York would be like. So..I just don't know. We have time to decide.”

“I guess a lot of it hinges on what you want to do with your life, doesn't it? I mean if you want to be a teacher or a doctor, you'll have to go to school. But if you want to be a cook and take over Cookie and Shannon's position at the camp, college might not be necessary,” Kurt reasoned.

“I haven't decided. We need to keep talking about it. I do have money to go to college if I want. Mr. Warner set up a trust fund for both Cooper and me when our dad died. It's enough to get me through a four year college and set up in whatever I want to do. I just don't want to decide in a hurry. Everything I ever knew was turned upside-down when I met you, Kurt, and I need to stop and put it all in order in my head. I can only do that with you, since we want to be together. Right? Is that still what you want?” Blaine asked.

“Of course it is! We can keep the conversation open, we do still have time. All my applications are in, but I want to add some schools to that list. Namely some in Oregon and Washington. I didn't just fall in love with you, Blaine. I kind of fell in love with Oregon, too,” Kurt grinned.

The discussion was cut short when Blaine got a bite and snapped his wrist to set the hook before he started reeling in the fish. He finally got it in, Kurt scooping it out of the water as it reached the lake shore.

“That's not a trout..what is it?” Blaine asked, scrutinizing the fish.

Kurt had a paper that he had taken out of his pocket and unfolded. “According to this, it's a Blue Perch. Apparently they're good to eat. Well, it's kind of small, but it says here they're one of the best tasting fish you can catch. Good. Let's get some more,” Kurt said, folding the paper back into his pocket and taking the fish to put on the stringer.

Blaine smiled and then noticed Kurt's bobber was moving in the water.

“Get back to work here, there's a fish on your line.”

They caught fish after fish, mostly Blue Perch and a few lake trout. The sun was well up when they decided they had enough and were walking back to the house, hand in hand as they had so many times in Oregon.

Back at the house they fried the fish and ate and ate until they were so full they had to take a nap, cuddled together on the large leather sofa in front of the fireplace.

The week went way too fast, each day a precious time for them to have just each other once again. They played cards, fished for their supper, sang and walked in the woods. It seemed like all of their troubles had just ceased to exist, as if time and troubles were suspended while they were at the Lake House. They took the time to talk to each other: to discuss what they really wanted in life, how they might mesh two such different lives into one. In the fairy tale existence that was this place, it all seemed possible.

Saturday night came all too quickly. They had packed most of the things in the Navigator that afternoon, cleaned the house so it would be spotless when they left. The only thing left was to change the linen in the morning and lock the door. Kurt had brought along a bottle of wine to leave as a gift for the Jones family to show his appreciation for them loaning him the house.

“Is this the bed you sleep in when you spend summers here?” Blaine asked that night as they were going to sleep.

“Yeah, Mercedes and I have always slept here,” Kurt told him, smiling at the thought of his best friend.

“You sleep with a girl?” Blaine was surprised.

“Ah...yeah. I've known her all my life, our mothers were friends. Why?” Kurt asked.

“Ah, no reason, I guess. Just...did you ever do more than just sleep?” Blaine was not sure how much to ask here, it really wasn't his business, but he was curious.

“Blaine, I'm gay. Even my dad knew I was gay by the time I was three. No, Mercy and I never had sex. Why? Would that be hot?” Kurt giggled.

Blaine saw nothing funny about it. “No, I didn't assume anything like that. I lived in Lenore's house for a year after my dad died, and she would sneak into my bed in the mornings. She had a bunch of surgeries on her legs from the burns she got in the fire. I didn't want to make her feel any worse, so I didn't ask her to leave, but I didn't want her to touch me. Not because of the burns, I think...it was more that she was a girl. Don't get me wrong, I like girls for the most part. They can be sweet and pretty, but I'm just not attracted to them. It was really uncomfortable for me. I do like Lenore on a certain level, but she just reminds me of when I lost my dad.”

“Oh, Blaine. You can't blame yourself for that. And it isn't Lenore's fault, she doesn't deserve what she was dealt in life any more than you do, but surely she knows why you avoid her?” Kurt asked.

“I don't know that she does. She has followed me around like a puppy since she could crawl. I was the only other kid in camp, so when Mr. Warner moved his family to the main camp the year he built that house, Lenore was a baby. She played with me all the time and since we were the only kids there, we got to be friends. She just got so clingy after the accident, and I pushed her away. I feel bad about it,” Blaine explained.

“I don't think you could be expected to do anything else, Blaine. I think she understands. Don't let it eat you up, she wouldn't want that.” Kurt snuggled Blaine into his chest, dropping a few random kisses to his face.

“I hope so. I hate being an asshole, nobody likes an asshole,” Blaine sighed.

“You are not an asshole. At all. Now, come here and kiss me properly.”

Blaine complied.

~*~*~

“Kurt, are you still awake?” Blaine whispered, not sure if he was.

“Hmmm?” Kurt hummed, only half awake, but always willing to talk to Blaine.

“Oh, I'm sorry...go back to sleep. I didn't mean to disturb you,” Blaine whispered, rubbing Kurt's back and enjoying the purr coming from his satisfied boyfriend.

“What was it?” Kurt asked, a little more awake and looking at this watch to see it was two in the morning.

“Nothing, I thought you were awake. It can wait.”

“No, tell me. You've been restless all evening, so spill. It can't be that bad, and if it is we'll fix it. Together,” Kurt said, turning over to face Blaine and taking his hand. When Blaine didn't answer, Kurt got a little worried. “Is this something serious?”

“No, no, not at all. Honestly, I thought you were awake and I had something to talk over, but I don't want to disturb your sleep with it. We can talk on the way home in the morning.”

Kurt leaned forward, catching Blaine's lips and kissed him. Blaine pulled away a little.

“Now, none of that. We need to have clear heads if we're going to discuss this,” Blaine said.

“Now it really does sound serious. Blaine, just tell me, I'm beginning to worry,” Kurt sat up straighter and leaned over to turn on the bedside lamp, but Blaine stopped him, holding his hand and taking his other hand in the dark.

“Kurt, I know we've kind of mentioned this before, but always put it on the back burner, so to speak. In view of what we've been doing this week...I just think we need to talk about where we are and where we're going,” Blaine said, hesitating.

“Cryptic much?” Kurt was getting a tiny bit short tempered and really just wanted Blaine to spit it out, but he also didn't want to upset him by being demanding. So he just sat still, holding Blaine's hands a little firmer.

“I'm sorry. Here, let's lie down so I can hold you. I just want to talk about sex, okay?”

“Oh...” Kurt said, his mind shifting gears.

They lay back down and Blaine tugged Kurt's back next to his chest, wrapping his arms around Kurt's ribs. They were in their favorite position, just the right placement for Blaine to kiss Kurt's neck and whisper in his ear; to have his whole body enveloped in Blaine's embrace. But they kept it platonic for the moment, wanting to concentrate on their discussion.

“I was thinking about what happened the first night we were here, that it was probably more serious than either of us thought when we started,” Blaine said, thinking how to put this.

“I'm sorry, Blaine. I didn't mean to go too far, you should have said something, stopped me...” Kurt started to babble.

“Oh, Kurt...that isn't it. Not at all. I was just thinking about it. Actually, I think about it a lot,” Blaine whispered, the images of Kurt sitting between his legs, plunging his fingers inside him - this was harder to talk about than he had ever thought it would be.

“I do, too -- think about that, I mean,” Kurt murmured back.

“You do? What do you think about?” Blaine asked, a bit surprised.

Kurt got really quiet, trying to figure out how to say this. “Blaine, you know that night – the whole feeling in the room - I came without touching myself, without you touching me. How is that even possible? It was just listening to you, knowing that I made you sound like that...I was hard and excited and listening to you, feeling you, imagining how it felt...and then I was coming so hard...I couldn't believe it,” Kurt said in a soft voice, turning to look over his shoulder at how his boyfriend was taking what he'd told him. Kurt relaxed as he locked eyes with Blaine, seeing how deeply it was affecting him.

“Yeah, I do know that. I dream it over and over again, your sighs and moans that vibrate all the way through me. I was scared to ask you before because you never said anything, but Kurt? Would you ever want me to do that to you? I mean, you cannot believe how amazing it feels, and I want you to experience it, I want to share that with you, but only if you want me to,” Blaine whispered so quietly, Kurt had to strain to hear him.

He struggled to answer Blaine, not wanting him to think that he was in any way hesitant to act out that fantasy, but he was having trouble making the words come out of his throat, making them stumble over his lips into Blaine's ear...and the struggle was so hard, he began to tremble.

Blaine held him closer, now worried he had pushed Kurt too far.

“Baby, you know I would never do anything that you don't want me to do, don't you? I can wait until you're ready, no pressure, and if you never are, that's okay, too. Oh, my god, Kurt, please don't be upset. We don't have to talk about this....”

“No....we need to, I just can't say what I want to say, it's...I don't know how to tell you,” Kurt stuttered.

“Shhhhh, let's just calm down, we can cuddle for a while and then come back to it, or we can hold each other and go to sleep? There isn't any time limit on this and we don't have to decide anything tonight. Shhhh, baby, just close your eyes and feel me holding you safe...But Kurt, I hope you know you can tell me anything,” Blaine murmured as he snuggled with Kurt. They stayed that way for a while, both listening to the wind sighing through the trees.

“Blaine? Can you come with me?” Kurt asked and when Blaine nodded his head, Kurt got up from the bed and grabbed a blanket. He slipped on his robe and slippers, took Blaine's hand and went out the back door into the yard. He spread the blanket and they laid down, close together on the grass.

“Look, it's Orion's Belt,” Kurt pointed to the bright stars above them. Blaine smiled and looked for another constellation, finding Ursa Major and Minor. They looked for all the stars they could name, and even made up names for the ones that had no names, and wondered if their loved ones were up there somewhere looking after them.

“After all, something made you come 2500 miles to find me,” Blaine smiled, kissing Kurt's mouth – just at the corner where the cutest dimple appeared.

“Oh, Blaine, you are so sweet. It must have been fate, right?” Kurt smiled and kissed him back.

“Should we go back inside? It's kind of cold to be out here in just a robe and pajamas,” Blaine said.

“In a minute. I'm sorry I couldn't collect myself enough to finish our talk in there. I don't know why I was so nervous, but before we go back, I have been thinking about it all week, but I didn't know how to bring it up. I know I can trust you with my heart, but I still don't know how to say some things to you. Even though I know with my head that you accept me and wouldn't judge me, it's these feelings you've stirred up in me...I don't know how to tell you what I'm thinking, how it's affecting me. You understand, don't you?” Kurt said, leaning on his elbow to be able to look directly into his eyes, willing Blaine to see his sincerity, his need.

“I know, Kurt. It's hard for me to say things, too. It takes courage and I'm lucky that I have a boyfriend with all the courage in the world. I know absolutely that no matter what happens, we can always talk it out. No matter how hard it is, we'll be able to do that. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Kurt said back, taking Blaine's lips in his own and kissing him, holding the back of his neck to brace himself as he lost himself in the warmth of Blaine's mouth – wet and demanding, making Kurt whine for more.

“Let's go back inside and go to bed,” Blaine said, getting up and gathering the blanket as they hurried back.

Back under the covers in the warm bed, the boys snuggled together until they were warm once again.

“Thank you, Kurt, I had all but forgotten the night we spent stargazing in Oregon. Do you remember what else happened that day?”

“It was the first day we kissed,” Kurt answered immediately. That was a day that wasn't going to leave his mind anytime soon.

“One of the best days of my life,” Blaine agreed.

Kurt snuggled closer, stretching his body so they were touching all the way from shoulders to toes and put his arm around Blaine's waist.

“Blaine? I …...I do want that with you, what we talked about, what I did for you. I do want you to do that, and more. We have the rest of our lives to do it, but I was thinking maybe sooner rather than later. Okay?” Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear because he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. It was too private, too intimate to just say it. Even whispering it to his sleepy boyfriend brought shivers to his skin. Blaine didn't answer, he just ran his hand along Kurt's face, cupping his jaw before kissing his lips in acknowledgement. They turned so they were belly to belly, like little bears and Blaine's head fit under Kurt's chin and Kurt's arms fit around Blaine's shoulders as they fell asleep. Tomorrow would be another day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Driving back to the Hummel house, Kurt and Blaine held hands over the console most of the time, but they sang and talked and giggled and sang again. It was a long drive and they were almost home, but they were having so much fun just being together that they weren't paying much attention to anything else.

“We need to stop for gas before we get home, Blaine, or we won't have enough to get to school on Monday morning. Do you need anything?”

“I'll run inside and get us both some sort of juice to drink on the way home while you fill the tank,” Blaine agreed as Kurt pulled into a gas station-convenience store not too far from McKinley. He walked to the back of the store to see what kinds of juice were in the refrigerated section and then stopped by the magazines to see if the new August Man or Icon Magazine were out yet. He wanted to get them for Kurt.

Meanwhile, Kurt had been pumping gas into his Navigator and the pump had just clicked off, the tank full. He was putting the gas cap back on when someone bumped his shoulder and he turned around, expecting to see Blaine. It wasn't his boyfriend.

Five of the jocks from McKinley were there, all close friends of Azimio, Rick, and Mason. They had been riding home from a game when they spotted Kurt in a relatively unpopulated place. It was near the edge of town, and there was only the single employee – inside the store.

“Hummel, why did you come back? I thought you learned your lesson at the dance,” a jock named Craig said in a bitter tone.

“Yeah, and because of you, our three friends are facing charges. If you had just stayed away, they might have been set free,” another jock named Roger sneered.

“That's not true. If I hadn't come home, they would be facing murder charges. With me still alive, it is only attempted murder. Surely you know that carries a lesser sentence? They should be glad I came back,” Kurt said boldly, although he was shaking inside. This felt too much like that night of the dance.

“I think maybe we were light on you last time, queer. You didn't get the message. You don't belong here. This time we're going to make sure you don't get a chance to come back,” Craig said, flicking his fingers against Kurt's shirt.

“Don't make things worse on yourselves. Just let me be, and you won't get into any more trouble than you're already in,” Kurt said, wishing he could reach his cell without them seeing him. He had just decided to try it when another kid came up on the other side.

“Don't get any ideas, faggot. Let go of what's in your pocket...we don't want you jerking off here,” Boyd said in disgust, joining his fellow jocks.

Kurt was backing up a little at a time before that happened, but he could see that there was little place for him to maneuver. He was between the side of his Navigator and the gas pumps. Trapped. He was not ready to give up until he heard the next thing.

“Hey, where's your pet queer with the curls?” Roger asked.

“Yea, he's always joined at the hip to that little fuck. Whatsa matter, did he find someone else to fuck this weekend?” the tight end, Les, weighed in.

Kurt took in a big breath. He couldn't run – even if he saw the opportunity – and leave Blaine behind. No, he had to stay and protect him.

Roger continued poking him, moving him back further and further. He couldn't turn around because he was stuck and so he just continued to back up until they were standing so close....they had maneuvered Kurt out from the space beside his car. Roger and Craig made a grab and held Kurt between them, cruelly twisting his arms behind him in a full nelson. Les was winding up his arm to hit Kurt. They were too strong, although Kurt was putting up a good fight.

Suddenly there was another person in the parking lot. Kurt managed to pull loose from Roger, but Craig had a tighter hold on him.

“What are you doing?” Blaine shouted from across the parking lot, dropping the bag of groceries and sprinting towards Kurt. Les turned and sneered at Blaine.

“What? Oh, the other faggot. Well, it's two for one, guys. Boyd, let's take care of the short one, then take our time with Hummel,” Les said, waving Boyd over closer. Les turned on Blaine and got the shock of his life. Blaine had dropped into his boxing stance and with one uppercut, Les was out cold on the pavement. There was an audible gasp and everything was suddenly very still, like the world had stopped turning for a second. But it didn't last and Roger and Mark were lunging toward Blaine, determined to take revenge on him for knocking their leader out.

Blaine was able to dance away from them, dodging their ridiculous attempts at punching and getting in three body punches to each glancing blow by the three other boys. Blaine clocked Roger as he tried to come in with a punch, knocking him down with a right cross followed by a left jab. He fell hard and started to get up, so Blaine kicked him in the kidney. He lay flat down on the pavement, groaning in pain.

“He's gonna pee blood for a week,” Blaine thought.

Down to three and Craig was still wrestling with Kurt. Boyd and Mark both came at Blaine at the same time and it might have been over - considering they were panting and starting to stagger and Blaine hadn't broken a sweat yet, but a car skidded into the parking lot. Kurt wished with all his might that someone had seen this and called the police. What he didn't know was that the attendant in the store had called and the police were on their way.

It had been two against five, but two more friends of Azimio's got out of the car to join the fight. Kurt's heart sank. He knew Blaine could do some real damage, but he wasn't super human. Even Blaine couldn't fight that many people at once, and all of the jocks were big guys. Blaine, for all his training and developed muscle was a small guy in comparison. Kurt was scared half to death for Blaine, and that's probably what made the next thing happen: he was able to throw Craig off of himself and get closer to Blaine, punching with all the strength he could muster.

They gave it a good try, Craig had been knocked down, but got back up, and the others would be sporting some large bruises complements of Blaine. But there were too many. Blaine and Kurt were not giving up and continued to fight them off when another car skidded into the parking lot. Kurt's hopes went up, thinking it was someone to help, but those hopes came crashing down when he saw who stepped out of the car. Blaine turned to see what he'd have to deal with and was adjusting his stance once again when he saw the boy get out of the car and come racing across the parking lot.

Dave Karofsky.

Kurt's heart sank.

Blaine's reserves were nowhere near spent, this was a walk in the park as far as stamina went. It was just hard to keep going when the threat was coming from so many directions at once. Now Karofsky was here.

Kurt lunged at the boy in front of him, pushing him out of the way. He heard the “oufff” as he hit Mark's stomach and knocked the air from his lungs. Kurt was determined to get to Karofsky before he could get a chance to hit Blaine. He had been knocked around by Karofsky for years, so he knew he could take it, and he wanted to save Blaine from that at least. If they got Kurt, maybe they would leave Blaine alone.

Kurt started to go towards Dave, but two sets of hands grabbed him and held his body between them once again, Craig winding up to hit him in the stomach.

“This is for Azimio, Rick, and Mason.....” he said, but the punch never landed. Instead there was a crunching sound and Craig fell to the ground. Kurt looked up to see what happened and Dave Karofsky was standing there, rubbing his fist before turning to one of the boys holding Kurt and letting go with another punch. Boyd, who was still holding Kurt, let go and ran.

Kurt started toward Blaine, who was fighting both a hockey team jock and Mark. He was punching, but they were keeping him so busy with footwork to try to stay away from their reaches, he hadn't been able to knock either of them out.

Dave followed Kurt, actually pulling him back when they reached the fight, and grabbed Mark by the collar, jerking him off his feet. As soon as his second opponent was gone, Blaine turned his attention solely on the hockey kid and landed a roundhouse that sent the boy flying. Dave just watched him go, then calmly took out his cell and phoned for an ambulance.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Tell me where you're still hurting, kiddo,” Burt asked, his arms around Kurt. The two were sitting in the ambulance while the EMT took Kurt's vitals. Blaine was standing outside the vehicle, having insisted that they take Kurt in first. He overheard Boyd in the other ambulance.

“Nobody told me Anderson was a fucking boxer!”

Blaine smirked to himself. He hoped these uneducated boys would go somewhere to learn a lesson. It seems a woman in a car across the parking lot saw what was going on and had also called the police before Blaine had even gotten into the fight.

The EMT was just leading Kurt from the back of his vehicle, Burt still holding his arm, when he looked at Blaine.

“You're next, hero. Step in,” the man said, waving him into the interior of the ambulance. “That was some fight. Where did a kid like you learn to throw a roundhouse like that? I was just pulling into the parking lot when I saw you. You are something amazing, kid.” Blaine ducked his head a bit and the man went on with his examination.

“I was a prize fighter, in a lumber camp in Oregon. I never knew all that training would pay off,” Blaine said, still in a little bit of shock. He had never once hit anyone in anger and it was making him feel weird and sick. But he had done it to save Kurt, so he didn't regret any of it.

Dave Karofsky sat on the hood of his car. All he wanted was to go home, the policeman told him he had to sit there and not leave the vicinity of his car. He didn't know how to explain this and certainly did not want anyone to find out his secret.

The policewoman came over to Dave along with Kurt and Burt.

“These men want to have a word with you, son, if it's okay with you?” the policewoman asked. Dave nodded. She stood back to give them some privacy.

“Thank you, Dave. But why? I don't understand, why would you help me? You hate me,” Kurt said, incredulously. He still had no idea what was going on.

“Kurt, I don't hate you. I know I've shoved you into lockers, but I had to so nobody knew...I sort of envy you. I wish I could be more like you, Kurt, so brave. You know I wasn't there when those three beat you up at the school dance, right?” Dave asked.

Kurt closed his eyes and thought. “No, I didn't see you there, that's true,” Kurt said, puzzled.

“Well, if I'd have been there, I would have stopped them. I felt guilty because I overheard some of the guys talking, saying they were going to get you after the dance. But I didn't even go to the dance, I was out to dinner with my folks and went home to bed. I'm sorry I didn't even warn you, Kurt.” Dave sighed, looking sheepishly at Kurt's dad. “Kurt, I kind of have a crush on you..I have since last year. But I'm not...ah..not out yet. I didn't want anyone to know, and now....I don't know how to handle it.”

“I felt so bad that when you got back, I kind of followed you around, watching out for you. I was going to help you and Blaine in the hallway that day they trapped you, but I told Coach Sylvester instead. I didn't want anyone to know I was trying to protect you,” Dave turned his head and looked away.

“I guess that's all over with now, this will be all over school by tomorrow, I'll be the laughing stock of the school and I doubt they'll let me be on the football team any more,” Dave lamented.

“It was a brave thing you did, David,” Burt said. “Thank you for protecting my son. You may not have been able to stand up for yourself, and you have made mistakes in the past, but that was a brave thing to put aside your feelings of self preservation and help someone at such a high cost to you. You should be proud.”

“Thanks, Mr. Hummel, I just want to go home. I'm sorry I couldn't have helped earlier, Kurt,” Dave said and turned to get in his car.

“Thank you, Dave,” Kurt said, still a little groggy from the punch he'd taken.

In the end, none of the boys was hurt enough to be taken to the hospital. Blaine hurt his hands, being used to boxing gloves and not bare-knuckle brawling, but he would be okay in a week or so. Finn had ridden with Burt when he got the call from the police and offered to drive the Navigator home.

Kurt and Blaine got in Burt's truck.

“I don't know what you could have done to prevent that, Kurt. I'd like to give you some fatherly advice, but I just can't see a way you would have known they would be there,” Burt huffed. “I'm just glad you're okay. I'll be so happy when this trial is over.”

“Dad, I'm fine. Thank goodness Blaine was there or I might not be. But I'm not letting these cowards get to me. I'll be more careful, stay away from situations like that, but I'm also not going to hide in my bedroom, under the covers,” Kurt groused.

“Let's just get home. How was the week at the Lake House?”

“It was great!” Blaine crowed, happy to talk about something other than the fight. “We went fishing and caught these little fish called perch. We went on the swing and looked at the stars and made ice cream. Oh, and I did not hear a single car all week,” Blaine grinned.

Burt laughed.

“Well, it sounds like a great time then. I'm sorry it ended on such a bad note. Carole has lunch waiting, let's just go home and relax the rest of the day. We have to be in the District Attorney's office on Monday morning.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Now, Mr. Anderson. Can you describe the injuries you observed on Kurt Hummel when you found him on November third of last year?” District Attorney Lopez asked.

“Yes, ma'am,” Blaine said in a clear voice. “There was a large gash to his head, going from the bridge of his nose about three inches into his hairline. It was bleeding a little and had quite a bit of crusted blood around it. It appeared to be infected, possibly from being so long without being seen to. In addition there were bruises along his ribs......”

The trial had started the day before and they had called witnesses to the beating along with kids that had seen Kurt leave the building. Today they were calling Blaine and several of the detectives that had been working on the investigation. Kurt was feeling sick. He had been going to school at McKinley since he got back, but he hadn't stepped foot in the part of the grounds where the beating had taken place. Finn told him it was still evident what had happened there. Kurt was sitting in the court room and had seen the photographs of the pools of blood they found. This afternoon they were going to go there to see it in person.

Burt told him he didn't have to go, but he felt like he needed to, so last night he and his dad, Finn, and Blaine went to look.

There was still yellow tape around the parking lot and bushes in the place they had hit him. Kurt walked over to the edge where he remembered dropping his phone into the bushes. There on the pavement were stains from all the blood. He shuddered and tried as hard as he could not to cry; but in the end, Blaine had pulled him close and held him. He let the tears come. Blaine kissed his cheek and gently turned him away for Burt to take and Kurt and his dad cried, holding on to each other for a long time.

Finally, they got back in the Navigator. Burt and Finn had worked on the SUV for weeks to make it look new again after it had been vandalized that night.

“Don't be sad, Dad. I'm still here. We Hummels are awfully tough, you know,” Kurt said to his father.

“I know, son, I'm not sad. I'm crying because I'm so grateful you are still here with me,” Burt told him.

Finn was standing near them, hands in his pockets, looking away. Kurt turned to him and held out his arms.

“Thank you, Finn. I am so happy to be here, home with my family.” He said as he hugged his brother. They all climbed back in the SUV and drove back home. The next day, Kurt was sitting in the courtroom between Blaine and Finn. Burt was behind him and leaned forward every once in a while to put a hand to his son's shoulder to comfort him. He was so proud of these three boys, looking past their fear to do the right thing. Court was called to order and the next witness called when a bailiff came in from the room where the prosecution and defense had been talking. The judge looked up, read the paper she'd been handed, pounded her gavel and the bailiff called the court to order once again.

“There has been a change in the case of the People Vs. Mason Madison and Azimio Adams......”