Chapter Twelve
“You're bleeding.” Damien said, glancing up from the book he was reading as Kurt and Blaine came through the door of the study.
“I'm aware. Thank you.” Blaine carefully touched the bite mark on the side of his neck that still hadn't started to heal. When he looked at his fingers, they were covered in his blood and he grimaced.
“So, I take it things went well, seeing as you're both still alive.” Damien waved the book through the air. “In the meantime I started to do some research on—”
“What the hell, Damien?!” Blaine was across the room in an instant and ripped the book out of Damien's hand. “Why are you reading my journal? Have I ever given you permission to just go through my stuff? No!”
“Relax. It's not your latest journal. It's from the 1780's.”
“That doesn't make a difference.” Blaine growled and quickly skimmed through the pages to look at its content. “What exactly where you trying to find in here?”
Damien hesitated. “I was trying to find out whether you wrote down any information concerning your turning.”
“Why?” Blaine asked again.
“Because I want to know if you remember anything about your maker.”
“If Blaine remembered anything about his maker, don't you think he would have told you by now?” Kurt intervened.
“Yeah, I trust he would have done that.”
Blaine still glared at Damien. “You really know no boundaries, do you? No wonder we never got along for very long.”
With a sigh Damien held up both hands in surrender. “Okay, look. I'm sorry I read your journal without permission. It won't happen again. I was just trying to figure out why all of this is happening to you now.”
“How about we worry about one thing at a time. For now we concentrate on training Kurt, so that we can go to New York as soon as possible and then we can investigate my powers further.”
“Alright.” Damien agreed. “But if more vampires come looking for you and Kurt, you know we'll have to react. We can't just sit around here until Elliot comes around with an army.”
“Who's Elliot?” Kurt questioned.
“That's Starchild's real name. You know, the vampire in Europe I talked about. The one with a whole coven under his command.”
“And you think he's really gonna come after us?”
“He might. If there's something that scares him more than death itself does, then it's the possibility of someone murdering him. He wants power over anything else. I don't think he would mind a few casualties, if it meant that he would become the most powerful man in existence.” Damien cocked his head as he looked at Blaine. “Unfortunately for us, those casualties are going to be you two, seeing as Blaine is holding that title as of now.”
“I have a feeling that at some point we're going to have to pay him a visit.” Blaine murmured and absently touched the bite on his neck that still hasn't started to heal.
Kurt saw him flinch with the pain. “I'm sorry I bit you.”
“Not your fault, love.”
But Kurt still felt bad. He knew it was his fault, knew that Blaine was only trying to make him feel better but Kurt felt like all the things he did wrong were piling up on his shoulders, no matter how hard Blaine tried to carry their weight. They were still Kurt's mistakes.
He decided that he seriously had to find a way to make all of the trouble up to Blaine.
After a pause that stretched over a couple minutes, Damien cleared his throat. “So, is anyone going to tell me how your trip to the city went?”
“No.” Blaine said with emphasis.
“Why not?!”
“Simply 'cause you're a jackass.” And with that Blaine walked out of the room, leaving Kurt and Damien behind.
Kurt looked after him, his expression a bit puzzled. “He'll calm down. I'm sure he will.”
“Yeah... I doubt he will.” Damien nodded absently. “He tends to be angry with me for quite long periods of time.” Kurt was about to say something but with a quiet 'woosh' of air Damien was gone as well.
“Wow, they're seriously pissed at each other this time.” Kurt whispered to himself before letting himself fall down on the couch with a sigh.
“Kurt?”
He looked up to find Graham standing in the door to the room, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater. He took a couple steps into the room and finally settled carefully on the armrest of the recliner opposite of Kurt.
“Hey, Graham. How are you doing?”
“Me? I'm fine. I just—” He stopped and Kurt could see that his hand had now stopped fidgeting with the sleeve but instead gripped it so tight that his knuckles were becoming white.
“Is everything okay?” Kurt asked carefully. “Did something happen? Are you hurt?”
“No, I'm okay.” Graham took a deep breath. “I just wanted to talk about something. And I wanted to talk to you. Without Blaine being around.” He looked at Kurt, expecting Kurt to react in some way but Kurt simply sat up and motioned for him to go ahead.
“You can talk to me about anything. I won't tell Blaine, if you don't want me to.”
“The thing is, I was wondering... I was wondering what's going to happen to me when you leave?” Graham's voice was quiet but Kurt heard him perfectly.
“What do you mean?”
Graham didn't answer immediately. “You are going to leave this place at some point, right?” He waited for Kurt to nod and then continued. “But what about me? A friend of mine has filed a missing person's report and what am I going to tell them when I suddenly come back? I can't tell them that I was kidnapped, because then people would come looking for you. I can't just return into my old life. I've probably lost my job by now and I—I just don't think I could live with the fact that out there somewhere the supernatural exists and I'm not a part of that world.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“I want to come with you. Wherever you're going. I don't care.”
Kurt bit his lip. “Now I know why you didn't want to talk to Blaine. He's going to be against this on principle. He doesn't want to endanger anybody, especially not his friends. And things just got a whole lot more dangerous.”
“Please, Kurt. I don't care that it's dangerous. I'd rather be endangering myself than return to my old life. You have to understand that.”
“I do, Graham. I really do understand that.” Kurt said calmly.
“What are you saying?”
“I'm saying that I would take you with us. Simply because I can't lose another friend, not so soon after losing my dad and my stepbrother.” Kurt felt his stomach clench at the thought of them. “The hard thing will be convincing Blaine to take you with us.”
“But won't he listen to you, if you are the one asking him?”
Kurt laughed. “I wish it worked like that. No, it's quite the opposite actually. I am the one who kind of has to obey to him because of the sire bond.” Graham looked at him, a little confused. “It's complicated. But for a couple weeks still I won't be able to disobey him, when he tells me to do something.”
“That complicates things.”
“Graham, I promise I will do anything I can to convince Blaine but it won't be a walk in the park. I don't want to get your hopes up.”
Graham nodded. “I know. But thank you, Kurt. I'm glad you understand me. I'm glad we could talk about this.”
“Anytime.” Kurt smiled. “You hungry? I could cook you something. I really miss cooking.”
“Now that you mention it, that would be nice. I'm starving.”
-------
It took a couple days until Kurt worked up the courage to bring the subject up with Blaine. And just like he had expected, Blaine refused to agree to take Graham with them.
“But Blaine, he's—”
“No, Kurt. We are already bringing Jeff and Nick into this. I'm not putting Graham in danger as well.”
“But he wants to come.”
Blaine didn't answer immediately this time. “Why would he? Hasn't he had enough of us?”
“He doesn't see it that way. He is our friend and he's scared to go back home, where everyone is going to bombard him with questions and where he barely has any friends. He doesn't want to go back knowing that there is a supernatural world out there while he's stuck going to college.” Kurt was running out of arguments at this point but he wasn't giving up.
“What exactly is so appealing about living a life like this?”
“Some people would choose our life over theirs in the blink of an eye, believe me.”
Neither of them said anything more for several long minutes. Then Blaine finally sighed. “Alright.” Kurt looked up, excited. “I'm not saying that we're taking him. I'm saying that I will think about this and I'll decide, when the time comes and we're actually leaving. Okay?”
“Okay, as long as you promise to really think about it. Don't just say it to keep me quiet but really think about it.” Kurt said, pointing a finger at Blaine.
“I promise I will.”
“Good.”
“Now let's please talk about something else. Or let's do something else. You hungry?” Blaine asked as he took Kurt's hand and led them out of the music room where Blaine had been playing the piano, when Kurt had brought up Graham.
“No, I'm fine.”
“Impressive. You are getting better at restraining yourself every day.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, but that can wait a day longer.” Blaine said squeezing Kurt's hand gently.
They eventually took a walk outside, through the trees of the forest and down a small stream until they reached a little pond. All that time they talked about whatever came to their minds and not once did they let go of each other's hand.
“What do you think about going to university with me?” Blaine suddenly asked.
“We can go to university?” Kurt frowned. “I thought that was not the plan, you know, because it would be too dangerous.”
“I thought it would be too dangerous because I thought you wouldn't be able to control yourself. But now I see that you can and wouldn't it be amazing?” Blaine seemed actually excited about this idea. “We could attend classes together, we could go to student parties together, we could study together and we'll become regulars at a coffee shop around the corner. We'll go to open mic nights at a bar and we'll ace every class while having the time of our lives in the most beautiful city in the world. Wouldn't that be exciting?”
“I love the sound of that. But it's sounds too easy. There is a catch, isn't there? People are going to figure us out. What if I lose it on someone? How are we going to make friends, if we know that at some point we'll have to disappear from their lives forever?”
Blaine looked down. “I knew I would take so many opportunities from you by turning you but this is something that could work out, even if there are a couple things that are going to make this difficult. But I know we could do this. And I thought it might make you happy.”
“I am happy. I am with you.”
“Is that going to be enough for you, though?”
Kurt smiled and gently put his hand on Blaine's cheek. “Of course, that's enough. You'll always be enough.”
“Good to know.” Blaine grinned and gave Kurt a quick kiss on the lips.
“However”, Kurt said slowly, “I wouldn't say no to attending university with you. We'll just get Jeff and Nick to tag along and it'll automatically be twice as much fun.”
“Agreed.” Blaine took hold of Kurt's hand again and they kept walking, swinging their hands between them. “We'll leave for New York, soon.” Blaine said quietly.
“Really? How soon is 'soon?’”
“I don't want to stay here for much longer. Originally I expected this to take at least three months but you adapted faster than I thought you would. So, I hope to get out of this place within the next week.”
“But,” Kurt hesitated. “I can't keep it together around people. You saw what happened. I—”
“We have a week time to handle that, don't we? Trust me, going to New York sooner rather than later will be for the best. Especially if we have to deal with Elliot and the rest. If we stay here, they'll find us.”
Kurt just nodded. Blaine was probably right. And for the record, he was sick of staying at this house as well.
--------
The streets of New York were packed with people at this time of the day and Finn just really wasn't used to crowds like these. He tried to watch were he walked but people seemed to come from every direction and he ran into more than a few people and kept apologizing, even if said person simply kept walking without paying him any attention.
How was he ever supposed to find Kurt in this place? He had to admit, he thought it would be easier. But he was losing hope.
He'd been in New York for about a week now and no matter how many hotels he called, no one by the name of either Kurt Hummel or Blaine Anderson had checked in anywhere.
By now Finn was sure; they had not chosen to stay at a hotel. Who knew? Maybe they had found an apartment. But even that seemed unlikely, because Finn had researched that and holy, it was impossible to rent an apartment in New York, if you weren't a multimillionaire.
He himself was staying in a rather small, run-down motel just outside of the actual city. Anything else would have been way too expensive.
Walking through the streets of New York now, Finn was having doubts about what he was doing. He should be in university or at least finding work by now. He should worry about his own life. Instead he ran through a city of eight million people looking for his brother who probably didn't want to be found.
No, no. He couldn't think like that. Kurt wouldn't... He wouldn't just run away. Blaine had to be forcing him somehow. But then again, if Blaine had kidnapped Kurt it wasn't exactly likely that he had brought him to New York to live with him in an overpriced apartment.
It had only been a feeling after all. Kurt would go to New York. That had been a universal truth for years. If Kurt would go anywhere, it would be New York.
But if Kurt had had no choice in the matter, no one could say where he had gone.
It was getting dark but the neon lights of the city kept everything in a colorful glow that seemed unnatural to Finn, who had never seen anything but Ohio. He had learned by now that going down to the subway tunnels was close to committing suicide and that people crossed the street whether a car was coming or not.
However, he had also found some beautiful spots in the city. He had especially taken a liking in a bookshop slash coffee house in Manhattan, called Caff� Bene. It was not really a bookshop to tell the truth. But it looked like one and it was the coziest place he had ever set foot in.
It was where he was headed right now. So he could get his mind off of things. He didn't want to think about Kurt anymore. Not after spending his entire day calling hotel after hotel without finding any trace of his brother.
The bell on the entrance door of the shop rang quietly, when he opened it, and he smiled at the petite woman behind the counter that he had met three days ago.
“Hey. Same order like before?” She asked as she put a strand of her hair neatly behind her ear.
“Um, yeah. That would be very nice. And can you get me one of those sandwiches to go with the coffee?” He pointed to the food items on the side and she nodded enthusiastically before getting to work.
The shop was almost empty. There were only a couple of students at a table in the corner, their laptops in front of them as they studied, only looking up to take sip from their coffees.
Finn sat down at a table near the counter to wait until his order was ready. He looked out of the window as the first drops of rain hit the glass. He would get totally soaked on his way back, if he didn't take a cab or the subway.
Suddenly he heard a voice that was somehow familiar. It was one of those voices that some people had that were simply loud and the owner just wasn't aware of it. Pretty much like Rachel's voice, if he was honest. Talking quietly was an almost impossible task for people like her.
This voice was just like that: loud. And Finn had heard it before.
His head shot up and he saw two guys walking in the door of the shop. A rather small brown-haired one and a tall blonde, who apparently was the owner of said voice.
“Nick, I still can't believe just how big that apartment is. Like, holy shit, how can he afford it?”
“I have no idea. He's gonna have some explaining to do. Anyway, what do you want? My treat.”
Finn couldn't help but stare. Even without their school uniforms, he knew exactly where he had seen these two before. They had been at Dalton. They had been there with the Warblers. They knew Kurt and Blaine!
He instantly ducked behind a pillar that hid him from their view. What was he supposed to do now? Should he just walk up them and demand to know what happened to his brother? Or should he follow them when they left to find out where they were holding Kurt against his will? They were probably in on the whole thing, if they were in New York as well.
They had said something about an apartment. Maybe that was the first actual lead he had on his brother. His doubts were suddenly gone. He would find Kurt, one way or another.
Nick and the blonde one, whose name Finn couldn't recall, ordered their drinks and sat down to wait. The employee of the shop suddenly came over to Finn to serve him his coffee and sandwich. Fortunately the pillar was still hiding him from the two boys and he would just have to wait for them to leave and then follow. If he talked to them here, they would just deny everything and eventually call the cops, if he kept pestering them.
It took another five minutes until both of them had received their drinks and they left the coffee shop. Finn hastily got up and followed them out the door. The rain was a bother but it also gave him an excuse to pull his hood over his head. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize him like that, if they ever turned around and saw him.
He followed, always at a safe distance, making himself feel like he was on an episode of Criminal Minds. However, it wasn't long until the two boys in front of him entered a hotel, nodding to the man who held the door open for them.
Finn's hopes were high, thinking that maybe they were staying at this hotel together with Kurt and Blaine but then he faintly remembered having called this hotel and there had not been anyone by that name. The only possibility was that they might have checked in using another name.
He might finally find them.
The door man held the door open for him as well but he was too concentrated on keeping up with Nick and the other one to actually thank the guy. He hurried into the lobby and that's when he saw them enter an elevator. The doors slid closed only a second later.
Shit. He would have to take the stairs. He had no idea which floor they would be going to, though, and if he waited for the elevator to stop, he would never make it up the stairs before they disappeared into some room.
He decided that his best shot was to be as fast as possible, so he started running up the stairs next to the elevators, dodging people walking downstairs and passing by those on their way up. When he reached the first floor, the elevator had already passed it on its way to floor two. Finn wasted no time to follow. On the second floor he had caught up with the elevator but it was still going further up. This time Finn reached the top of the stairs before the elevator arrived and stopped running for a second to catch his breath. That's when he heard the 'ding' of the doors of the elevator opening.
He lunged behind a tall plant in the corner, praying to whoever was listening that they wouldn't walk his way because this was one of the worst hiding spots he could have possibly found.
Maybe this was his lucky day, though, because the two boys walked into the other direction down the hallway, laughing and talking, way too distracted to realize they were being watched. Finn followed as quietly as he could and froze, when they suddenly stopped. He then realized, they had reached their room and took a deep calming breath.
When Nick pulled a key card out of his pocket and swiped through the device on the doorknob, Finn couldn't stop himself anymore.
“Where is my brother?” His voice sounded calm, even though that was the exact opposite of what he felt.
“Holy—” The blonde one turned and cursed when he saw Finn. “You scared me, man. Who are you?”
Nick on the other hand had frozen, staring at Finn with a mixture of disbelief and panic. He nudged his boyfriend in the side, whispering, “That's Kurt's brother, Jeff.” Jeff's eyes widened and he reached out with one hand, trying to find the door handle behind him, without taking his eyes off of Finn.
“Don't you dare!” Finn said, his voice louder than before. “Tell me, where my brother is!”
“Finn, we—”
“Don't! Just tell me the truth. What does Blaine want with him? Why did he kidnap him? Are you in on this whole thing?”
Nick shook his head determinedly. “No, Finn, no. We didn't kidnap Kurt. He and Blaine went away together, yes, but we don't know where they are.”
“You're lying. Of course you know where they are!”
“We really don't. We haven't seen them since graduation and they never told us where they were going. We haven't even heard from them. And to be honest, we don’t want to hear from them, because we had a bit of a fight.” Jeff said with emphasis.
“Then why do both of you look like you're hiding something? Are they in that room?” He took a step forward; shoving Jeff to the side to get to the door but Jeff grabbed his arm.
“Look, Finn. We have nothing to do with your brother's disappearance and I assure you that he went with Blaine voluntarily. You can check the room, if you must, but after that you leave us alone. We don't want anything to do with either them or you, understood?” His voice was quiet but clear. He sounded angry and seemed to be rather aggravated. “Don't bother us again with any of this. Or we'll ask for a restraining order.”
Finn ripped his arm out of Jeff's grasp and motioned for him to open the door. Jeff took the key card from Nick and pushed open the door to the hotel room. It was small, with a double bed, a desk, a TV and a mini fridge. Nothing else.
No Kurt.
Everything had once again been for nothing.
Finn tried to swallow the lump in his throat but somehow couldn't. He just inclined his head in a nod and ran his fingers through his hair that was slightly wet from the rain. “I'm... I'm sorry I bothered you. I'm gonna leave.” He turned, walking past the two boys. “Sorry.”
------
It was pretty much in the middle of the fucking night when Blaine's phone rang. Kurt was awake immediately, alarmed by the loud noise, not realizing what it was. Blaine on the other hand groaned, covering his ear with one hand while reaching for the phone to silence it with the other.
Only then he noticed that it was indeed a call and not an alarm. The screen showed Jeff's name. A second call within this short period of time and at this time of night? That could not mean anything good.
“What is it, Jeff?” He asked warily as he answered the call.
“We might have a wee problem,” came Jeff's answer.
Blaine's eyes found Kurt's as he spoke. “No problem we can't fix. What happened?”
“Finn is in New York. He's looking for Kurt.”