Cooper sat on the sofa in Sasha's house, waiting for her to call him for dinner, eyes closed as he remembered that summer before Blaine was born.

“Sasha....I don't think this is right, is it?” eleven year old Cooper whispered, looking at his babysitter, his lover, lying on the blanket they had hastily thrown over the old mattress on the floor of the attic room. They had removed their clothes already and sat in a patch of sunshine.

“Does it feel right?” she had asked, taking his hand and bringing it to her breast, smiling up at him. “I don't want you to do anything you don't want to, but as long as I'm okay with it, there's no reason for you to think it's wrong. We love each other, don't we?”

“Yes, my Sasha....” the boy cooed back at her, feeling very grown-up as he dared to move his hand over the soft skin, feeling the excitement of touching the dark pink nipple and the soft white skin around it. All he could think of was that he wanted to taste her, to lick that nipple and feel it get hard under his tongue; to squeeze and fondle the forbidden breasts. She must have known what he wanted because he could feel her hand slide up his back, caressing the back of his neck as she exerted a little pressure to bring his mouth down to her breast, and then he was licking it, running his tongue back and forth and taking it into his mouth to suck gently. Sasha made a noise that gave Cooper a warm feeling, gathering heat was swirling around, making him dizzy. “Sasha...” he managed to say, just a breath as he moved to the other breast to lick that one, too.

“Cooper, I need more. Please, I know you didn't want to do it yesterday, but you aren't as afraid today, are you?” she asked, and she was right, he wasn't. Or at least he didn't think he should be. He'd dreamed of doing this after she had taken his cock into her mouth – but he came so quickly then, they hadn't had time to try anything else as they had heard the housekeeper call up the stairs that lunch would be served.

“Sasha, have you done this with anyone else?” Cooper asked. It didn't matter, but he was a little afraid he might do it wrong, or come too quickly again and disappoint her.

“No. Just you, Cooper,” she assured him, but he didn't believe her. How could someone so beautiful, with her long red-gold hair and flashing green eyes, choose him? She could have any guy her own age or older he thought, so why him?

What he didn't understand was that Sasha didn't think she could have just anyone. She was shy at school and not very well liked because people took her shyness for aloofness, so she didn't have any boyfriends. She really did love Cooper. He might only be eleven, but he was mature for his age and was already going through puberty. She discovered this a few weeks ago when they were playing in the pool and she was twirling him around in the shallow end and he rubbed against her. It felt good so he did it again and she couldn't help but notice he was getting hard. She let her hand palm over the small bulge and the look on Cooper's face was amazing, sort of a mix between panic and ecstasy. She was so curious that a boy so young could get so hard, she slid her hand down his trunks and fondled his erection as he closed his eyes and tried not to let it end, but it did in a very short amount of time. It also resulted in them trying it again the next day, but up in the attic room for more privacy. It took over two weeks, but she talked him into exploring more each day, letting him touch her anywhere he wanted, touching him anywhere he asked her to.

Cooper was almost as tall as she was and his arms fit around her perfectly when they stood face to face to kiss. Sasha craved love because she didn't get much at home, and Cooper was a snuggly, loving boy. She mistook this for him being in love with her. He did grow to love her over the summer as their relationship grew until she wanted this final act so much she had schemed for weeks how to do it. They had found the attic room and it was soon the place they spent all of their time – in exploring each others' bodies and sharing intimate moments.

Sasha was growing impatient, so she reached over to stroke Cooper's cock. She had intended to do this yesterday, but just putting her mouth on it had brought the afternoon of love to an abrupt halt when he came too soon. She wasn't going to risk that today.

A few strokes and Cooper was panting and whining in anticipation, so she pulled him on top of her, guiding his cock into the proper place and telling him, “Push, Cooper, push your cock into me, hard.”

And he did, thrusting as hard as his young body knew how, gasping at the sudden warmth, the tight clasp of her body as it enveloped him in slick-wet-hot and his hips bucked forward by their own volition. Sasha cried out in pain, which scared Cooper, but she put her hands on his lower back and held him tightly against her, and he was unable to pull out.

“Hold still for just a second, Cooper. Don't move, it will be okay in a moment,” she managed to say, trying not to cry. Cooper froze, terrified he'd hurt her.

“Okay, now pull out slowly and push in again....” she said in his ear as she kissed his neck. He followed her directions and that feeling came back, so he pushed in and pulled out a few more times, gaining momentum as he felt the fire building in his lower back and spreading through his body. “Ahhhh...Cooper....ohhhh...” she began to wail, making him push harder and faster until his vision clouded and he felt a hot burst as he came. He had always heard that lovers screamed each others' names as they came, but he was silent, feeling this new sensation and it wasn't until later that night he wondered if he had done it wrong if he hadn't screamed.

After that, they had fucked on the mattress almost every afternoon, and if he had understood that he could impregnate her, he didn't think about it very much. She hadn't known much about how reproduction worked, but reasoned that Cooper was too young to be a father, so she didn't worry about it, either. Until it was too late.

“Cooper, dinner's ready if you want to come in the dining room,” Sasha's voice came from the room next to the kitchen.

Coop sat down at the table, smelling all the delicious odours emanating from the kitchen as Sasha came in, carrying two plates.

“I hope you still like steak?” she asked, setting the plate down in front of Cooper.

“Oh, you know I do. I remember grilling steaks in the summer out by the pool,” Cooper said, then laughed. “I wonder how many sentences tonight are going to start with one of us saying 'I remember...' ?” and Sasha laughed. They ate in companionable silence, smiling at each other as the evening went along. They finished dinner, cleaned up and washed the dishes together, sitting back on the sofa listening to soft music.

“Cooper, ah...I can take you to your office if you want. Are you really going to sleep there?” Sasha asked.

“It's not as bad as you are imagining. There are several sofas in my inner office that are as large as beds and there are blankets and pillows in the closet if necessary. I've slept there before,” he assured her.

“I'm not much good at subtlety, Coop, I never was. So, can you handle me just being blunt?” Sasha asked, searching Cooper's blue eyes for a moment.

“I can.”

“You don't have to go back to your office unless you want to. You can stay here. I know if I was sensible I would let this wait and see what happened between us, but I can tell you, I care about you as much now as I did the day I took you to that attic room eighteen years ago - - and waiting a few days or a few weeks isn't going to change that. So, do you want to stay here with me tonight?” Sasha asked, still looking in his eyes.

“Yes, Sasha, I'd love to stay here,” Cooper said, taking her in his arms as he had been thinking about the whole evening long. Their lips met and it was as if they had never said goodbye. She was still his Irish princess, he was still her blue-eyed beauty and they made up for all the time they had lost because of how unfair the world had always been to them.

“I don't know how I should feel, Kurt. I don't know how I actually feel. It is just kind of numb. I think maybe I should have jumped in her arms and been so happy I met my actual mother at last, but the truth is that all I wanted to do was run. She didn't seem like my mother, she was a complete stranger to me.” Blaine said into Kurt's chest as he sat in his boyfriend's lap, their arms intertwined.

“I don't think you should feel any certain way. There isn't a chapter in Emily Post about how to greet your birth mother after being tortured and imprisoned by your grandmother...you have a unique situation and in my opinion, you don't have to think about it at all. You can wait until you're ready for it, Blaine, and she can wait on you. Okay?” Kurt advised, not sure at all how to help.

“I guess you're right. I feel bad that the first thing I yell at her is to ask why she abandoned me. Oh, did you see Cooper's face? What did he do when I said that? I hope I didn't hurt him.” Blaine said.

“I wasn't watching him, I was watching you, baby. But he couldn't have been surprised. He knew what a shock all of it was to you when he told you to begin with,” Kurt added. “You were better when he told you he was your father because you already knew him and you already loved him. It was a definite shift in your paradigm, but you basically had a relationship with him.” Kurt moved a little, his leg falling asleep with Blaine's weight on it. Blaine got up and walked to the bathroom to get a drink of water. He had been sitting and talking to Kurt for the past few hours in their bedroom in the basement after coming home from the Anderson mansion. As luxurious as the mansion was, this felt more like home to him.

Blaine went back into the room, sitting down in the desk chair and got out a piece of paper and a pencil. Drawing little shapes as he thought for a while. The little shapes turned into music notes as his fertile mind churned out a tune and he began humming to himself. Kurt stretched out on the bed, his purple silk pajama top riding up to show a strip of skin as he listened to Blaine hum.

“You really enjoyed playing your instruments yesterday, didn't you?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, I did. It had been a long time. Would it be okay if I brought some of them here? I think there's room in the closet of the storage room for me to keep a few? I don't mean the harmonium or piano, but maybe the viola and violin?”

“Of course, I was going to suggest it myself,” Kurt said, happy that this had kept Blaine's interest.

A clatter of footsteps was heard coming down the basement steps before Cooper burst in, picking Blaine up from where he sat in the chair and twirling him around.

“Wow..what brought that on?” Blaine asked when he was finally set back down.

“Guess where I've been since yesterday?” he asked the room at large.

“Sleeping at your office?” Kurt said, although from the ecstatic actions, he guessed Cooper had been somewhere else, and Kurt dreaded where that place had been.

“No. I have been at Sasha's house. Reminiscing.” Cooper grinned.

Blaine sat looking at Coop, the disapproval on his face apparent to Kurt, if not to Cooper.

Kurt looked back and forth between the two, hoping Coop would realize what Blaine was thinking before he said any more. But Coop was oblivious.

“I never thought I'd see her again, and then I found her and now we can be together!” Coop crowed.

Blaine gasped. Kurt frowned at Coop, wondering where he had left his brain. For a smart person, a lawyer for goodness sake, he was sure showing his immature and thoughtless side.

“How could you? She just threw me away. Me, your son! She threw me away and you're back with her? She practically raped you, Cooper, when you were a fucking child - and you're happy to be with her? What's wrong with you?” Blaine shouted, bursting into tears and hitting Cooper with his fists until Kurt pulled him back, holding him tightly as he gasped for air and cursed.

“Hey, what's wrong with you, Blaine? I loved her, they took her away from me and I loved her the whole time. I've never stopped loving her...and she is your mother, Blaine, how can you be so angry?” Cooper was incredulous.

“How? Because of what she did and what she is. How can you just get back with her in the space of two days after all that has happened?” Blaine asked.

“It wasn't our fault, what my parents did. Now we have a chance to make it right, don't you see?” Coop tried to defend himself.

“No, no, I don't see. It is just one more crappy thing in my life where I am just a burden to those who should love me but don't. Apparently if she had never gotten pregnant, the two of you would have lived happily ever after like some fucking fairytale. But here I came along to ruin it for everyone. Get out, Cooper. Go back to that cradle robbing rapist and stay away.” Blaine turned to lay his head in his arms on the desk and cry. Coop tried to put his hand on Blaine's shoulder to calm him, but Blaine just jerked himself away.

Cooper turned to Kurt, but didn't get any form of approval from that quarter. He looked into those ocean blue eyes, searching for understanding, but got nothing. Kurt shrugged, not sure what to say, not able to give Cooper any comfort in this case...and Cooper turned around and walked out, up the basement stairs and up to the room he stayed in when he was visiting the Hummels. He threw himself on the bed and put his head on his arms, getting out his phone to look at the picture he had taken of Sasha right before he left that morning. He began to think of some way to get Blaine to go and meet with her, not to run out the way he did the first time, but to sit and talk with her, so he could see for himself what a wonderful person she truly was.

How sad was it that he hated his own mother? Well, not much different than when he hated the person he thought was his mother for so many years. Cooper closed his eyes, not knowing how to explain all of this, not knowing how the lives of the Andersons got so seriously messed up.

Blaine was sitting on the bed, just staring into space and Kurt was a little worried. Blaine was probably okay, but any time he stared like that was a time to worry. Talking might help, but he would have to gauge Blaine's mood first, so he sat down on the bed, close to his boyfriend but not yet touching. He leaned forward and placed his hand on Blaine's arm, then jumped back as Blaine snapped around with a growl and jerked away from Kurt's touch.

“You okay, baby?” Kurt asked, although Blaine quite obviously was not.

“Hmmm?” Blaine looked at Kurt like he'd never seen him before.

“Are you feeling okay?” Kurt asked again and Blaine shook his head pretty hard.

“Oh...yeah, Kurt. I'm fine. Just a little distracted, I guess. What's up?”

“What is up with you and treating Cooper that way?” Kurt asked, not sure how to address this new problem. Coop had been one of the rocks that Kurt depended upon with Blaine, someone Blaine would always respond to in times of stress.

“What way?” Blaine asked, looking confused.

“You just practically bit him....over his excitement at seeing Sasha again. Don't you remember?” Kurt asked.

“No...but why? Did he find her?” Blaine was very obviously confused, so Kurt took him in his arms, swaying slowly back and forth as he kissed Blaine's forehead, down to his cheeks and on to his lips.

“It's not important, baby. Let's go to sleep, okay?” Kurt wasn't sure why Blaine was acting the way he was, why his memory was slipping right then, but he attributed it to being tired.

“Okay, Kurt. I'm sleepy, can I sleep with you in your bed tonight?” Blaine asked. Kurt gave him a look, wondering if something was wrong. Blaine had been sharing his bed for a year, why would he ask that now? Well, tomorrow was another day and he would check it out then. He pulled back the covers and helped Blaine slide under them, pulling him close into his side and turning off the light.

“You can always sleep with me, baby. Are you feeling okay?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, I'm just tired. Goodnight,” Blaine said in a soft voice, clutching tight to Kurt's chest. Kurt kissed him, first on the cheek, then on the lips and Blaine responded with a sigh into Kurt's mouth and fell asleep, his breath evening out as his muscles relaxed.

Not knowing what else to do, Kurt just rocked him in his arms like he would a baby, whispering to him that he was safe and loved and would never again be alone. Blaine smiled in his sleep as if he heard Kurt's words.

Several hours later, Kurt felt a tight pinch and jerked awake, realizing it was Blaine clutching at Kurt's arms and twitching in his sleep.

“Blaine, honey, let go. You're fine, baby, I'm here with you...calm down,” Kurt murmured into Blaine's hair as he tried to loosen the fingers that were making Kurt's arms bruise.

Blaine opened his eyes, but Kurt could tell that he wasn't seeing clearly. He closed his eyes again, falling into a fitful sleep as Kurt held him close.

A little while later, Blaine started screaming. Kurt was ready for it, the twitching earlier was an indication it would happen in the next few hours. Kurt had been sleeping much better the past week, Blaine hadn't had any nightmares at all, but now....

“Blaine, Blaine, baby, it's me. Wake up honey, you're having a nightmare. It isn't real, you're here with me,” Kurt started the mantra, stroking Blaine's back, rubbing his vertebrae and shoulder blades. “C'mon, baby, wake up,” he said.

Blaine burst up, jumping away from Kurt in a frenzy, struggling and screaming as Kurt tried to hold on. Blaine was rarely this violent, but Kurt had seen it before a few times, so he tried to calm him down. Nothing worked and as Kurt reached out, a crazed Blaine punched him in the jaw, knocking him across the bed as the pain immobilized him. Kurt lay for a moment, frozen in shock as Blaine continued to scream. He hit Kurt again, although this time it was just a glancing blow to his shoulder. Blaine had taken boxing lessons and his strong arms packed a strong punch, and it was painful. Kurt lay still as if he'd been knocked out, hoping Blaine would stop but he was still flailing and Kurt rolled off the bed to the floor and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. He dialed.

“Ahh...Kurt?”

“Finn, come down here right now, Blaine is having a really bad one, he hit me and I can't stop him. Be careful, he doesn't know who he is right now, so he might try and punch you,” he breathed into the phone as he heard footsteps running across the hall above him and down the basement stairs.

“Blaine!” he shouted to distract him as Finn came in the room, assessing the situation and crouching low before tackling Blaine around the knees to stop him, then pinning his wrists to the floor as he sat on top of the struggling boy.

“It's okay, Blaine, it's me, Finn. You're okay, buddy, just sit still,” Finn said in a calm voice, holding Blaine still but as gently as possible considering the circumstances.

“I'm here, baby, relax, you're going to be okay,” Kurt said to him, cupping his cheek so Blaine would look at him and see who he was, but to no avail. Blaine struggled more, screaming and panting in fear as he tried to get loose.

Softer footsteps were heard as Carole came into the room with her first aid kit. She prepared an injection and it took both Kurt and Finn to hold Blaine down as she administered it, but Blaine slumped into a relaxed state as the medication took affect. By this time, Burt, Carole, and Finn were all in tears, watching as Blaine cried and cried, shaking with fear as Kurt took his limp hand and then gently took his head into his lap, carding through Blaine's mop of curls and whispering to him. They put him back on the bed, covering him up while Burt took Kurt in his arms and pulled his head into his chest while Kurt let out his hurt and frustration un pitiful sobs.

“Let me see your face, honey,” Carole said, turning Kurt's head toward the light as she looked at the place Blaine had punched him. She probed it, Kurt jerking away when she touched the sore part, but let her examine it.

“You're going to have a good shiner, Kurt, but the orbital bone is not broken. Where else did he hit you?” she asked. Kurt had that look of denial on his face, trying to believe that Blaine would not hurt him, but with so much evidence to the contrary, he was struggling with the whole thing now. He pulled up his pajama shirt and let her probe his ribs where Blaine had landed a right cross. It hurt like hell.

“You might have cracked a few ribs, but I think you'll be okay. It's going to hurt but I don't think any of them are broken. I'm going to strap them up, though, just in case,” Carole said and Burt helped his son remove his shirt. Finn sat down next to Kurt, a hand on his back in support.

“What can I do, dude?” he asked, concerned about his brother but not sure how to help.

“You've done enough, Finn, thank you. I just can't stop him when he gets like that, he's too strong. You saved me from getting a worse pounding. Maybe you could...” Kurt stopped, afraid to ask what he wanted, Finn had already done enough and this was way out of his comfort zone. Kurt didn't want to ask, and Blaine was sedated, so he would probably be okay while Carole strapped his ribs.

“Come over here, Kurt. Burt, can you help hold him while I get the bandages out?” Carole directed. She had been a registered nurse for years, since Finn was a baby, but she was studying now to be a Nurse Practitioner and knew a lot more about things like strapping cracked ribs. They wouldn't have to go to the ER tonight, thank goodness.

“Kurt, I can do whatever you need. What is it?” Finn asked.

“It's not for me,” he answered, gritting his teeth as Carole grasped his arm and he felt the pain of where Blaine had scratched him. Carole looked at his face and turned his arm over to see the nasty scrape from Blaine's nails he had left on the under side of Kurt's arm.

“For Blaine?” Finn asked and when he got a nod in response, he went to the bed and crawled under the covers, gathering Blaine close to his chest and whispering soft and comforting words into Blaine's ear. They all saw Blaine relax even more, curled close to Finn.

“You're safe here with us, Blaine, we'll keep you safe, we won't let you be alone...” he whispered the way he had heard Kurt do it countless times before and was actually pleased with himself when Blaine hummed in contentment and relaxed against him.

Carole and Burt dressed Kurt's scrapes and bruises and Burt held his son, telling him how brave he was and how proud of him he was to keep trying for Blaine's sake. Kurt closed his eyes, his cheek nestled into the flannel of his dad's pajamas as the strong arms wrapped around him.

Kurt finally looked up to see Cooper standing in the doorway, the stricken look on his face like another blow as Kurt realized Cooper knew what had happened.

“Blaine did that to you, didn't he?” Coop asked, seeing the purple bruises spreading across Kurt's face. Cooper winced like it physically hurt him. He walked over to Kurt, cupping his chin so he had to look into his eyes. “This is too much for you, Kurt. You shouldn't be put in danger anymore. I need to get some help for Blaine, don't I?” The tears in Cooper's eyes tore at Kurt's gut.

“No, Coop. He usually doesn't do this. I was off my guard since he's been so good lately. I didn't realize how upset he was today. Please don't have him put in one of those hospitals, Cooper. That would be the ultimate betrayal to him. He's terrified to be locked up and that's what will happen if you take him there. Please, Cooper, please?” Kurt begged.

“I know what caused this, it was me – taking him to see Sasha when he wasn't ready, wasn't it?” Coop asked, but he already knew the answer.

“We can't shield him from everything,” Burt said. “We talked this out a long time ago, and we are willing to keep Blaine here, no matter what. Carole can administer a sedative when he needs it, but honestly, Cooper, he's only needed it less than a dozen times in over a year. Something must have triggered it tonight, but as you can see, he's going to be okay. I'll call his therapist in the morning and we can see what needs to be done. For now, let's all get back to bed.”

Cooper went over and ran his fingers over Blaine's cheek. “I love you, Blaine,” he said and Blaine smiled in his sleep.

Burt hugged Kurt very gingerly and Carole took one more assessment before closing her case and getting ready to go back to bed. Finn gently moved away from Blaine, who grabbed at him in his sleep, and got out of bed. He helped his brother to take his place next to the sleeping Blaine.

“Thanks, Finn. You're the best,” Kurt said, smiling at his brother.

“No problem. Call me if you need me again,” he said and they all went back upstairs leaving Cooper sitting on the side of the bed.

“Kurt, this was because of me, I know it. What do I do now?” Cooper asked, at a loss once again to know what was best for his son.

“Blaine acted like he had never met Sasha when we went to bed. I wanted to talk about her, but he just shut down. Maybe it was too much. We can talk to his doctor tomorrow and find out the best thing to do. I had talked to him a little bit about it earlier, and he was upset. He was okay with finding out about you being his father, but he already had an established relationship with you – he already loved you. He looks at her as someone that abandoned him,” Kurt put up his hand to stop Cooper as he began to defend Sasha. “Coop, I understand there were extenuating circumstances, I do, but that is not how he sees it right now. I think we have to give him some time.”

Cooper's head dropped down in defeat. “Okay, Kurt. I agree with you. I think I might go back to New York for a while. I do need to take care of some things and that will give Blaine some space.”

“Don't just disappear, okay? Come and tell him you're going. He has abandonment issues already, don't make them worse. He loves you, you know,” Kurt said, hoping Cooper understood.

“I know, Kurt. I'll talk about it for a week or so, then go for a while. I think I need to clear my own head about all of this, too. And I know you'll take care of Blaine,” he said. “Goodnight, Kurt.”

Cooper leaned down and kissed his son on the top of his head, then did the same to Kurt, getting a smile.

“Good night, Cooper.”

“Kurt!!! Oh, my.......Kurt!!” Blaine was yelling, shaking Kurt as he gasped.

“Blaine? What's wrong, baby? You're okay...” Kurt started, although he was half asleep.

“No, it's not a nightmare. It's eight thirty in the morning. What happened to you?” Blaine gasped again, seeing the rest of Kurt's face as he sat up.

“Oh, this? Nothing. Just a little accident,” Kurt said, clearly not prepared for questions about the state of his face with so little sleep.

“Oh....” Blaine's face fell. “I did it, didn't I?”

“Ah...well, yeah. But don't worry, I'm fine. It looks much worse than it feels.”

Blaine turned in bed, his arms going around to hold his boyfriend - and felt Kurt's sides - -and the bandages on his ribs. His face went pale.

“Oh my gods.....Kurt? What did I do?” Blaine sounded wounded.

“You had a bad nightmare, I wasn't aware of how bad and I wasn't careful,” Kurt explained. Blaine's hand came in contact with his own hip and he felt a sore place.

“Carole had to sedate me, didn't she?” he asked, feeling the little knot under his skin where the needle had gone in. He looked at his boyfriend and at the damage he had done to his beautiful face. He turned away, towards the wall, knowing he didn't deserve to be anywhere near the boy he loved with all his heart. He buried his face in his arms and wanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn't come.

“Hey, baby, it's okay. I really am fine. We just need to talk to the therapist to see what caused this and go from there,” Kurt tried to reassure Blaine.

“I need to be locked up. I'm a danger to you, did I hurt anyone else?” Blaine said in a monotone, devoid of any emotion at all.

“No, baby. Finn came down right away and Carole and Dad. They helped you through it, Cooper came, too. We all only want the best for you. We'll talk to the therapist today and work it out. We will take care of you, Blaine. Don't worry, nobody is angry with you, we all just want to help. Okay?” Kurt reassured him.

Blaine curled up in a little ball, ashamed of himself. He knew it wasn't something he could control, hell, he'd been going to therapy for over a year now, but knowing it in his head didn't make his heart feel any better when he looked at what he'd done to Kurt.

“How about some breakfast?” Kurt asked, trying to sound upbeat.

“I'm not really hungry. I just want to catch a few more minutes of sleep if that's okay?” Blaine said.

“Okay, baby. I'll be upstairs if you need anything. We'll call the therapist this morning and figure out what needs to be done, how you will feel comfortable, okay?”

“Yeah,” Blaine mumbled, closing his eyes in silent torture as the vision of Kurt's bruised face and bandaged ribs flickered through his mind. He kept his eyes screwed tightly closed so no tears could come out until he felt Kurt kiss his cheek and then go upstairs presumably to breakfast.

After a while Kurt came down to check on Blaine, but Blaine was adamant he wanted to stay in bed for a while longer.

“I need to go down to the shop to help dad with some paperwork, baby. Do you want to come and just sit in the office with me?” Kurt asked, a hopeful look on his face.

“No, I'm exhausted from the past few days, Kurt. I just want to rest. Why don't you go get that done and we can go for a walk when you get back?” Blaine suggested. Kurt reluctantly agreed, happy Blaine showed at least a little interest in getting out of bed. He leaned over to brush his lips across Blaine's and was surprised when Blaine held him closer, deepening the kiss from gentle to desperate – clutching at Kurt and holding him so tightly that Kurt had to struggle to breathe, his ribs on fire. Blaine let him go just as quickly, turning to the wall and saying goodbye.

“Are you sure you're okay, Blaine? I can stay here with you if you need me. The paperwork can wait.”

“No, go get it done. Like I said, I'm tired. We can do something when you get back.”

“Okay. Finn is already at the shop, Carole is at a class, so if you need me, just call – or Puck is just a phone call away, you know. Santana, Lauren...call if you need someone. Leave your phone on, I'll call you to check in an hour or so.”

With everyone gone, Blaine got out of bed. He had some things forming in his head all morning and Kurt being out of the house afforded him the freedom to do them. He got the big backpack he used for hiking out of the back of the closet and began to fill it. Just rugged clothes, nothing fancy. He got dressed in jeans, a henley, wool socks, stout hiking boots, and his pea jacket. Upstairs he got some food and filled the rest of the backpack, adding a few bottles of water and called a cab. He had taken a roll of bills out of his drawer and stuffed them in his pocket.

A mile from town to the south of Ft Shawnee, he got out of the cab and took another, backtracking a ways into a small town and then got a bus ticket to a place north of Lima. He didn't want Lauren to be able to track him this time. Eventually, he got off the bus, which he had paid for with cash, and walked the last few miles. He hadn't been here for a while, but found his way into the forest scrub between the river and the highway, pulling the heavy backpack into the cave behind himself, dropping the branch he'd used to brush over his footsteps into the hazelnut brush. It was February, but it hadn't snowed in a while, so no footprints were actually visible through the path. He sat down on a rock and caught his breath.

Sitting in the dark cave started to give him that closed-in feeling, so he pulled the pack back over his shoulder and began walking down the tunnel, past the oak door and on until he got to the stairway. He had expected to feel fear and a lot of other things going back to the mansion, but really, he didn't feel anything. He was tired, but that was from the exertion of walking. He got to the top of the staircase and hit the mechanism to open the panel in the library, wondering why Cooper hadn't done anything to secure this entry a bit better. But then, he was kind of glad he hadn't or it would have been tougher to get in. The alarm system logged what time it was accessed.

Blaine didn't want to bring attention to the place, so he just used the flashlight to find his way down the inside stairs to the second floor. He went into his bedroom, laid his pack on the floor, and walked to the linen closet for clean sheets for his bed. After making the bed, he laid down and just went to sleep. He couldn't bear to think about all the things that were in his mind, so he ran away from them by sleeping.

Several hours later, he woke up in a sweat, on the floor cowering under the bed. He shook his head, wondering for a minute how he'd gotten here. Oh, the nightmares. And Kurt wasn't here to comfort him or wake him up. He had never felt so alone, not even the days of being locked in the attic room. But he had to keep Kurt safe, like Kurt had kept him safe for so long. He could do this, for Kurt.

Kurt got home from the garage, not hearing Blaine so he closed the door to the basement to let him sleep a little longer, and began to gather ingredients to cook dinner. Burt and Finn walked in about the same time as Carole got home and they sat in the family room, just chatting about their day. They had noticed Blaine's absence and Burt told them he had spoken with the therapist. She did not recommend that Blaine be changed to an inpatient given his fear of imprisonment, but she did want to see him the next day to talk over the trigger for the recent nightmares. After calling Kurt, she agreed that the stress of meeting Sasha was probably the thing that brought it on, and perhaps an adjustment in medication was all that was needed. Kurt was anxious to tell Blaine the good news, and dinner was almost ready, so he headed down to the basement with a smile on his face.

They all heard the gasp and Kurt's shout, “Daddy?”

Burt was up and taking the steps two at a time to get to Kurt, rushing into the bedroom, afraid of what he might find. He was relieved that Blane wasn't lying bleeding on the floor....but then, where was Blaine? Kurt was standing by the closet door, looking at a row of empty hangers, the empty dresser drawer open beside him, tears running down those pink cheeks.

“Where's Blaine?” Burt asked stupidly.

“I don't know, Dad. He took some clothes and the backpack and.....” Kurt walked over to the drawer and opened the small one on top, moving the contents aside. “And his money.”

“But why?” Burt asked, feeling Carole put her hands on his shoulders from behind him.

“I don't know. He did this once before, the first day he was here. He went back to get his money so he wouldn't be a burden on us. But why would he go now?” Kurt looked like he was in shock and Carole stepped forward, pressing him to sit on the bed as she took his pulse. She looked worried.

“Honey, did he say anything to you this morning?” she asked Kurt.

“He was upset about the bruises, but I told him everything was fine, under control, and I would be okay. I reassured him he would not have to leave here, no matter what. All he wanted to do was stay in bed. I bet he was planning this all along. Oh, my poor Blaine,” Kurt sobbed in to Carole's shoulder.

“I'll call Lauren and Puck, they can help find him, Kurt,” Finn had followed his mom down the stairs and reaching for his cell phone.

“Kurt, have you looked in a mirror?” Burt asked his son.

“No...” Kurt said, standing up to see into the mirror over his dresser. He drew in his breath in a hiss. The dark purple that covered his left side was terrible to look at. It went from the orbital bone around his eye across his cheek, down to his jaw and pooled down his neck. Blaine had a wicked right cross, honed by a hundred hours of practice on the punching bags at the gym, and he'd hit Kurt with all his force. Kurt had known it hurt a lot today, but he had no idea how bad it looked. No wonder Blaine was so upset.

“That's why he left. Oh, my stars....and then he felt the bandages around my ribs,” Kurt continued. Carole came over and said she needed to check those and Burt once again helped take off Kurt's shirt so Carole could unwind the bandages. Kurt's ribs were covered in purple bruises and he shied away from Carole's touch as she tried to assess the damage.

“I know it's sore, but I don't think any of them are broken. That doesn't stop them from hurting, I know, but you'll be okay,” she decreed, leaving off the bandages so Kurt could shower. “Go ahead and get cleaned up, Puck should be here in a little while,” Carole said, getting up to go upstairs.

Sitting at the dinner table, nobody had an appetite. They were waiting on Puck and Lauren and Cooper to come over. Kurt didn't even pretend to pick at his food. He called the cab company to see if a cab had picked up anyone at this house – and found Blaine had headed out of town to the south. It was all he could do not to jump in his Navigator and head out to look, but Burt talked him into waiting. Cooper flew in the front door, banging it shut as he hurried to the table, looking anxiously around.

“No, we haven't heard anything. I found out a cab picked him up and took him towards Ft Shawnee, so I guess we start there?” Kurt said, but he sounded kind of hopeless.

There was a knock at the door and Finn went to let Puck and Lauren in. Puck went straight to Kurt and wrapped his arms around him.

“How are you holding up?” he asked, Burt staring at them. He gave his wife a 'when did this happen?' stare, but Carole brushed it away.

“I'm scared. It was bad enough last time, but he's more familiar with things now, and that means he might go further. Kurt turned and Puck got a good look at his face, stepping back a few steps as he took in the ravaged looking bruises.

“Oh, my goodness....he did that, didn't he?” Lauren asked, reaching out but not actually touching Kurt's face. He flinched anyway.

“He didn't know he was doing it. He was in the middle of a nightmare and I didn't see he was so far out of it. It was my fault for not being more careful,” Kurt lamented. Lauren hugged him, but he flinched even more. She gave him a look that said 'spill'. Kurt lifted his shirt, showing her the bruises.

“He must be feeling awful. Okay, what do we know for certain?” Lauren asked.

“He left here about 1:30 this afternoon with his backpack full of clothes and food, and maybe a thousand in cash. He has his wallet, so credit cards, too. A cab picked him up outside the house and took him to Ft Shawnee. They let him out at the side of the road. That is all we know for sure. That and he doesn't want to be found,” Kurt said.

“Let me make a few calls, I'll be right back,” Lauren excused herself.

“What are the chances he went back to the mansion, that's where he went last time, isn't it?” Puck asked.

“Ft Shawnee is south, the mansion is north, up towards Bluffington, that doesn't make sense,” Finn interjected, a puzzled look on his face.

“Exactly,” Puck said. “He's trying to throw us off. He went south only to turn north, like a fox. I say we go look around the mansion.”

Carole looked at Cooper. He had been silent this whole time.

“Puck, have you seen anyone around there at all?” Coop asked. Puck had been hired as the caretaker for the place. He shook his head no. “Well, keep an eye out. I know you usually don't go inside much, but maybe increase your patrol, and do it four times a week now instead of once, okay?”

“Sure, Cooper. No problem. Want me to check out the tunnel, too?” Puck asked.

“Naw. I think I'll go there now,” he said just as the front door opened and Santana stepped into the room. Puck brought her up to date and she left with Kurt and Cooper to look at the tunnel. Puck left to look inside the mansion after Lauren reported that her father would have cops watching out for Blaine on all the roads out of Lima.

They all headed out, the silence in both cars was deafening. Kurt was quiet, but determined to find Blaine, sure he could get him home by evening and they would talk all of this out. The car ride to the mansion was taking forever. They parked just north of the path to the tunnel entrance while Puck drove on to the gates and went in. They had agreed to meet in the middle.

Finn got out, stretching his legs and holding out a hand to Lauren as Puck got out the driver's door. Once Puck had punched in the new code, he turned on the lights and they began the search, floor by floor, looking for anything out of place, but found nothing until they went in Blaine's room.

Cooper, Santana, and Kurt disembarked and walked up the trail, looking for any trace of footprints in the path as they approached the tunnel entrance. To Kurt, it was like a bad dream and he ended up leaning heavily on Santana as they walked up the tunnel to the inside staircase.

“Buck up, listen to Auntie Smurf, we'll find your Prince,” Santana said to Kurt, getting a small smile from him. She may tease, but he knew she was worried, too. They searched as they walked, looking for anything that was disturbed or left behind. Upon entering the house itself, they heard Finn, Puck, and Lauren walking up the stairs.

Puck was smiling, reaching out to grab at Kurt's arms as they met in the hallway. “I found fresh sheets on his bed, Kurt, he must be here!”

Kurt's face fell. He looked a the bright eyes of all of his friends and shook his head.

“No, Puck. We were here a few days ago, on the way home from the meeting with Sasha and we stayed a while,” he blushed. “We ah.....” he just couldn't finish what he was saying.

“You got wanky because you were alone? So you could howl and nobody would hear? Well, I guess I can't really blame you, Pretty Pony. The Prince looks good, I bet he can put on a show.” Santana said. Kurt glared at her.

“Let's just leave it at 'we put fresh linen on the bed' and leave it at that. There wasn't anything else?” Kurt looked hopeful.

“No, nothing else.” Cooper sighed. “We looked in every room, but...well, we thought finding that was proof he'd been here. Do you want to look, Kurt?”

“No. I just want to go home and wait. I bet he comes home soon. His phone is still on, I've left him a hundred texts, maybe he'll see sense.” But Kurt's heart wasn't in it. He was beginning to lose hope. He walked back up the stairs and hit the sconce to open the panel and began the walk back to the car, Cooper and Santana following.