Moonlight filters through the window, spilling across the floor, lighting surfaces it touches and picking up flecks on the carpet; plastic, lint or glitter. It reminds Kurt of glass across a wooden floor, blood mixing with alcohol and he shudders, rolling over, away from it.

A deep, shaky sigh catches Kurt’s attention and he leans over the bed, fingers finding Cooper’s hair in the darkness. Blaine always got comfort through Kurt brushing his fingers through his hair, without gel of course so Kurt goes with what he knows and brushes Cooper’s hair as he cries.

Finally Cooper’s sighs and whimpers fade and Kurt thinks he’s fallen asleep until his voice, small and quiet in the darkness, reaches his ears. “Kurt?”

Kurt retracts his fingers and leans on his arm, looking down at Cooper on the floor. “Yeah?”

Cooper looks up at him and Kurt’s heart aches at the devastation and guilt in those eyes, eyes the same shape, but not colour, of his Blaine. “Why wasn’t I there? I didn’t stop him. I could’ve. I was so hard on Blaine as a kid, he was always better than me, he was going to be but I brought him down, I wanted him to be amazing but I went the wrong way. I didn’t know anything else, I-I’m such a bad brother.” He starts crying again and Kurt climbs off the bed and lies down on the mattress, wrapping his arms around Cooper and holds him, before whispering in his ear. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. I didn’t know and I was his boyfriend. No-one knew, Cooper. You knew nothing else. He loves you Cooper. He needs you. He needs us. Don’t you dare blame yourself.” Kurt glares at Cooper when Cooper looks at him then they fall asleep.

His phone’s shrill ring wakes him out of restless dreams of wide brown eyes and bruises and it takes a second for Kurt to remember where he is. He rolls over in arms that are the wrong Anderson’s and mentally flinches at that word. He and Cooper will have to have a talk about surnames if he still wants to change his and he adds it to the long list of things he has to do today, starting with answering the damn phone. He leans up and grabs it, opening it and answering before he can really open his eyes. “’lo?” He asks, unnaturally casual.

“Kuuuuurt.” The rasping whine comes down the phone and his heart twinges and lifts slightly.

“Hey baby. What’s wrong?” He asks, something must be up for the nurses to let Blaine ring him this early in the morning.

There’s a few seconds and then gulping noises where Kurt realises Blaine’s taking a long drink of water, his vocal chords already used from the whine. “I miss you. Are you coming to get me soon? I really want to go home.” Blaine asks, his voice still raspy and sore.

Kurt sighs and looks at his watch, surprised to see it’s actually 10.15, not early. He glances around and suddenly sees his dad watching him, and Cooper still sound asleep. “We’ll be there soon. Do you need anything?”

“New clothes.” Blaine mutters darkly and Kurt realises they can’t get Blaine’s clothes; he can’t go back into that house even if the police let him and he’d never put his dad, Finn or Cooper through that. He thinks about the few clothes of Blaine’s that live with his in his wardrobe and add talking to the police about Blaine’s clothes and a shopping trip to his long list. They part with trades of love and promises to see each other soon.

Kurt hangs up and looks at his dad curiously. Burt’s eyes are wet and his knuckles are white where they grip the handle of his coffee cup.

“I thought it was a nightmare for a minute when I woke up,” The older man chokes and Kurt’s heart breaks for him. “Then I realised what could’ve happened if you boys hadn’t been there and I needed to come in.”

Kurt wrestles himself out of Cooper’s hold and steps a little on his arm accidentally when Cooper shifts into the space. He walks over to his dad and wraps his arms around him, hugging him tight. “It’s okay dad. He’s okay. We’re all okay.” He sighs and he feels Cooper’s eyes on them before he gets up muttering about needing food. He smiles at his dad but it feels hollow, as does the one his dad sends back before they turn and make their way downstairs after Cooper.

Finn and Carole are already in the kitchen when they arrive and the five of them eat breakfast in relative silence, each of them deep in their own worlds.

An hour later Kurt holds the door open for Cooper to walk through and Finn takes over for Burt and Carole as Kurt smiles reassuringly at Cooper.

Blaine’s doctor is waiting for him, along with the policeman who’d guarded Blaine overnight, Lt. Carson and another policeman Kurt doesn’t recognise. Doctor Samuels steps forward and smiles at them all, shaking Kurt’s hand in greeting. “I hope you all had a good trip over. Blaine had a very good night and we’re happy to let him go home. He’s ready and charming the nurses into giving him anything he wants.” Doctor Samuels chuckles at the last part and Kurt grins. Blaine must be feeling good if he’s using those big puppy eyes and charm.

The others all rush into Blaine’s arm and Kurt turns to join them but Lt. Carson speaks before he can move away from the doctor. “Mr Hummel, we need to talk.”

Kurt glances at the door and back at the men. “Can it wait? I-”

The policeman shakes his head and Kurt suddenly realises the change in mood. Doctor Samuels is eying his shoes and the policemen look stern, but sympathetic. Kurt sighs and they step into the waiting room.

“Mr Hummel my name is Chief Jackson. I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. Now I’m told you’re the victim, Mr Anderson’s partner?” Kurt nods and the man carries on. “I need to ask, did you have any knowledge of what Mr Anderson was going through before last night?”

Kurt’s eyes widen and he gasps. “No! Of course not, I would’ve done something to stop it. I never even met him until last night. Blaine’s d- he’s homophobic but I didn’t think he’d hurt Blaine.”

Chief Jackson steps forward and touches his arm. “I’m sorry, I had to ask. Mr Hummel, it’s my duty to inform you that last night, as we were taking Mr Anderson into custody after treatment, he killed himself.”

Kurt’s mouth drops open and his blood runs cold. “What?” He almost screeches but glances over at the door separating the family and his love from hearing them. “What happened?”

“He was being taken into custody, as a precaution our officers were armed but he managed to assault one of the officers, grab her gun and shoot himself.

Kurt’s breath leaves his lungs in a whoosh and for a second as his knees weaken he thinks he’s going to collapse right there in the waiting room. Doctor Samuels and Chief Jackson step towards him, ready to catch him if he falls but Kurt recovers himself and looks at Chief Jackson. “So he’s dead? He can’t hurt Blaine anymore.” He says weakly.

Chief Jackson nods. “Yes, essentially. He’ll never be able to harm anyone. Of course there are things to take care of now but Blaine won’t have to live through a trial or see him ever again.”

“So what happens now?” Kurt asks.

“Well Mr Anderson is legally an adult so he doesn’t need to be put into the system, though he does need an adult to live with and take care of his expenses. We have his, yours and his brother’s statements and we won’t need another. Other steps needed I’m sure Doctor Samuels will talk about with you. Thank you.” The man says and leaves with the other officer.

Kurt looks at Doctor Samuels and the man smiles reassuringly at Kurt. “We’re happy to let him go home today but we may need to look into therapy.”

Kurt’s eyes widen. “Therapy?”

The doctor nods and hands a pamphlet to Kurt. ‘Abuse: Adjustment and aftermath’ is written across it and for a minute Kurt thinks his heart stops beating. He remembers how he felt when Karofsky was bullying him. The fear, the pain, how he flinched when he’d hear a locker slam. What Blaine would go through would be a thousand times worse than he could ever imagine. “He will be traumatised. He needs to have therapy to help him and family around to look after him. Does he have anyone other than yourself and your family?”

Kurt shakes his head. “He has Cooper but both Cooper and I live away. Cooper between New York and Los Angeles and I live in New York. His mom left when he was young. My parents and brother will take him in.”

Doctor Samuels looks at Kurt seriously for a second, thinking then says. “He will need you, more than you can imagine.”

Kurt nods and they walk back into the hallway and to Blaine room. It doesn’t dawn on Kurt until his hand is on the handle that without his dad there, Blaine can never get true justice.

Blaine is literally bouncing on the edge of the bed as Kurt walks in, talking in excited, low and gravelly tones with Finn and Carole while Burt just stares at him. He’s dressed in the jeans, striped shirt and boat shoes they’d brought for him and is sitting, his hands gripping the bed and using them to bounce his ample butt up and down in the mattress. Kurt takes the scene in for a second. His boyfriend is beautiful and at this second he can almost pretend Blaine was in for a cut finger, instead of the horror inflicted on him last night if it wasn’t for the gauze and taping across his face and body under his clothes.

Wide hazel eyes connect with glasz and Kurt forgets everything for a second and walks over, gathering his love up in his arms. Blaine giggles against his chest and Kurt feels him lick his neck before they pull away.

“Can we go home now?” Blaine asks eagerly and Kurt can do nothing but nod, grasping Blaine’s hand as he jumps off the bed and they walk out together, their family just behind them. Doctor Samuels gives Blaine’s information to Burt and they climb into the people carrier Burt borrowed to collect Blaine and leave Bellefontaine for what Kurt hopes is the last time.

They arrive home and Blaine bursts from the car and races up to Kurt’s room, tripping Cooper and Burt in his haste. Kurt and Carole chuckle and Kurt goes up to tell Blaine he’s going to be back soon but he wants to get him some clothes. Blaine nods absently, already rifling through Kurt’s things for something to slip on and smell his boyfriend. It’s a security thing they’ve done since they started dating and Kurt wonders if that should have been another pointer, but he claimed something of Blaine’s too and he wasn’t being beaten like Blaine.

Kurt is leaving the mall when his phone rings. He blinks in the cold sunlight and answers the call.

“Kurt,” His dad’s gruff voice comes down the line. “Can you – uh – can you come home?”

Kurt’s brows knit as he slams his car door, bags settled in the trunk. “Sure dad, I’m finished anyway. What’s up?” He asks, a little worried.

Burt pauses on the line and somewhere Kurt can hear voices and his breath hitches as Burt’s voice comes back. “It’s just hit him what happened.”

Kurt’s eyes widen in horror and realisation. He’d hoped Blaine’s adrenalin would last him until he got back, the excitement of being home with people who loved him repressing the pain of what his father did. Obviously not. Kurt says goodbye and hangs up, speeding back to his house. He opens the door to a scene of confusion. Finn is sitting in a corner, Cooper’s standing near Blaine looking panic-stricken with his hands in his hair, Burt is backed up against a wall and Carole seems to be hiding in the kitchen. Blaine stands in the middle of it all by an overturned table.

Kurt slowly walks towards his love, his blue eyes wide, face in an understanding and loving mask and hands up in defence. “Blaine?” He asks, wary and worried. “Blaine, baby what happened?”

Blaine looks up at him, tears running down his face. He gasps a few times before he speaks, his voice rough and confused. “He – he tried to kill me Kurt, how could he? He was my dad.”

Kurt’s shoulders slump and he walks over, wrapping his arms around the black haired man and holds him tight, feeling his tears seep through his shirt. “I know baby, its ok. It’s over now. He won’t harm you.”

Cooper walks over and Kurt feels him wrap his arms around both of them. “We’ll get him for this Blaine; he’s going away for a long time.” He whispers and it triggers Kurt’s memory of the policeman saying it to him last night.

Kurt pulls away and looks from the curious eyes of his boyfriend to his family. “No he won’t,” He whispers and holds up his hand to the starts of shouts from them. “He’s dead. He’s gone.”

“What?” Blaine asks, his eyes wide as Cooper steps back, his hand over his mouth.

“He was being released and managed to get the officer’s gun and shot himself.” Kurt says slowly, watching as Blaine’s emotions war between happy he won’t have to fear the man anymore and pain and loss. Kurt can understand. No matter what he did, the man was still Blaine’s father.