Finn slid down the wall, exhausted. On one side he could hear Rachel alternately screaming and shouting about the injustice and sobbing like a little girl. On the other was a low growling hiss that barely abated and he wondered how she could still have air in her lungs to keep going all day and night.

She'd turned up the night after he and Rachel had been thrown in here. According to his father Rachel's mother had made the dangerous decision to creep into a blood bar primarily run by Daevi –born vampires, Blaine's mother's clan, though she was born in Italy. They'd spotted her immediately and simply dragged her by the hair, literally, to the Towers, knocked on the door and handed her over.

It had been a week since they'd been here and in that time the only company he had apart from the two crazed women was his father, Duarte who brought his food and Annalei who'd stood and stared at him for two full hours three days ago. He hadn't been read his rights or been given the list of his offences, none of them had. They'd just been locked up and fed when needed. It was maddening.

He was about to fall asleep when the trudge of boots down the stone stairs woke him back up and he stepped towards the silver bars, not stupid enough to get close. The human legends got that right at least, silver was an allergen to vampires and burned them like acid, though the burns didn't last long, it was still horribly painful. The men strode past Rachel's cell and stood in front of him. There were five men, Dmitri's aide stood in front and unrolled a scroll, clearing his throat as he did.

“Finn Lawal, son of Ion Lawal, cousin of His Highness High Prince Kurt Anderson. You are charged with treason. You will be taken from this cell and have fair trial this day. Your word will be heard and depending on your word, and the truth that comes of it you will be exonerated and return to your post, or you will be sentenced to death and executed. Guards, take the prisoner.” The man spoke and Finn gasped, hope rising in his chest. All of the Andersons could read minds and Kurt could read his soul. They'd finally realise he had nothing to do with this and let him go. His heart leapt but as they escorted him out and back up the stairs he glanced back at his mate's cell sadly. She was the traitor. When her trial was done, he would lose his mate.

He's steered into a room off to the right of where the steps to the dungeons are. It's set up like a normal court room with a prisoner's box, a place for the ‘judge' to stand and a few seats but no jury box, witness box or gallery; there's no need. Punishment is metered out by the judge and there isn't any need for witnesses or statements with mind-reading vampires running the show.

Blaine's standing at the judge's podium with Kurt to his left side and the Count to his right. Cooper is leaning against the wall with his parents and Annalei.

“Finn Lawal, you know why you are here today. You have been charged with treason and-“

“But I didn't-“

“Shut up, Finn,” Blaine says wearily and carries on. “Brought before us to prove to us that you did not commit the crime, being the kidnap of Princess Emilia Katia Anderson which is punishable by death. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty.” He replies. He's not going to get out of this by pleading his case.

Blaine nods once and walks around the lectern and down to stand in front of him. “I need to read your mind. If the mind is unwilling to be read it is excruciating and sometimes in itself can lead to death or at least insanity. I am warning you so that your mind can be open. I do not wish to harm you.”

“I get it, man. Read me.”

Blaine nods and his eyes go black, then fall shut. It's extraordinary; he can feel the footsteps in his mind and almost hear Blaine whispering to his subconscious. He can understand why an unwilling mind would break under the intensity of having someone in control, someone else inside your mind, somewhere so private. He wonders how much Blaine reads Kurt and vice versa then realises Blaine saw that when the other vampire chuckles in his mind.

Finally the black eyes turn hazel and Blaine smiles the smile of a cousin-in-law and Finn almost slumps in his feet. In the periphery he seems everyone else's eyes change back and Blaine returns to the podium where he and Kurt share a smug smile and eye-roll.

“Finn Lawal you are hereby cleared of all charges. You may return to your post.”

“Sorry dude.” Cooper says and Finn nods to him as a heavy hand comes down on his shoulder and he looks up at Duarte's smiling face.

Blaine walks past him and he follows, eager to know what's going to happen to Rachel now. “Blaine, can I go see Rachel? What's going to happen to her? Dude, I know she did wrong but she's my mate. I can't lose her.”

Blaine looks at Kurt and an uneasy feeling passes between them. He sighs and looks at the taller vampire, trying to choose his words carefully. “Finn I can't tell you what's going to happen. You know what the punishment is for what she's done. She not only kidnapped a child she committed treason, more than once. There are laws Finn. If we can't break them for you, we can't break them for her.”

“But-“

“My heart, a word?” Kurt cuts off Finn's plea and he gives his cousin a cautionary look before he takes his husband's hand and they leave.

“Kurt, please.”

“She's our friend, Blaine. Can you honestly tell me that no-one has ever done this before? That your father or great grandfather never gave leniency to someone like her?”

“Yes I can Kurt. Listen to me, this has not happened before, and no. My great grandfather simply killed those who did the things she's done. Hell Kurt, he locked Elizabeth Bathory up in her own castle and she was your ancestor. Nicolae did that. It's how things work.”

“Maybe but like you said, this is unprecedented. Blaine, please. Don't make her pay for her mother.”

“You have a plan. I know that brilliant mind, you have a plan.”

“Maybe. Cooper you can come in.” Kurt said wryly. The door opened and Cooper fell in, caught in eavesdropping.

“Hey, what's going on?” He asked, trying to be nonchalant then his eyes widened as Kurt turned to him, his blue eyes lit up in green.

“Cooper? Have you ever tried to change a mind?”

Cooper's jaw dropped open and he looked between his stunned brother and his brother in law. “Uhh it's possible. I can erase memories but I have a feeling you want more than that.”

Kurt nodded and closed his eyes, projecting his thoughts so that Blaine and Cooper could see the images in his mind, in the air. “Rachel is essentially good. We've been best friends for years and she's been a friend to Blaine,” In the air they saw Rachel, a little girl giggling with Kurt, older hugging him and laughing as they dressed for the ball that changed their lives. “Coming to New York was Rachel's dream but along the way that dream got corrupted,” The happy scenes turned to created thoughts of Rachel's mother whispering in her ear, teaching her and creating hate in her heart. “If we erased those memories of the harm she's done, the twisted heart will still be there, but if we change the memories, create ones which take her mother out of the picture then her heart will change back. All the time she spent with her mother changed into ones with Finn or friends at college or even us and the bad ones will be nothing, she will be the Rachel who walked into a ballroom with me, giggling about a joke about humans.” The air cleared and both Anderson brothers were smiling as Kurt opened his eyes.

“What about her mother?” Blaine asked and Kurt sighed.

“She's too dangerous. All memory of her needs to be erased, from Rachel and her fathers, who are coming tonight. We will do what we did with the people who tried to kill you, Coop and me. Let Vlad have her head on a pike, I know he still pouts about the one I wouldn't let him have. Let Rachel have her life.”

“Rachel Barbra Berry you have been brought here charged with treason and kidnap. Your sentence has been passed down and will be served immediately.” Blaine said and flicked his wrist as her fathers stood and shouted and she screamed. They slumped to the floor and Duarte picked her up and placed her on the table that they'd had brought into the room. Cooper went to her fathers first and changed their memories to Hiram being the one to have Rachel then when that was finished he turned to Rachel then looked up at his family.

“Um, this might take some time and it might be easier if her mother's gone by the time she wakes up.”

“Oh, of course.” Blaine says and they all quickly leave apart from Finn who stands near the doorway nervously, eyes fixed on his unconscious mate.

Vlad practically skips down the steps and Kurt sighs. “You're so happy about this, aren't you?”

The older vampire looks at him and flashed a wide grin. “Of course. You got to kill the last one.”

“While simultaneously going into labour, don't remind me.” Kurt deadpans and Blaine squeezes his hand and smiles lovingly.

They get to her cell and Blaine clears his throat. The woman inside hisses, his beautiful visage gone; now all she is is what lies beneath the succubus. A withered husk of evil, lust and desire, tongue licking her lips voraciously then curling those lips back to bare her teeth and hiss and spit. It's a vile image and Kurt hopes Blaine gets on with it before he throws up.

“Shelby Corcoran you are hereby charged with treason and sentenced to death. Grandfather is here okay or would you like her released?” Blaine asked, turning to his great grandfather.

“As long as the door to the stairway is locked. I'm not cleaning up her mess; your husband's mind is more devious than mine. I do not trust him not to turn me into a cloth and wash the floors with me.” The Count retorted and Kurt snorted.

“Tempting.”

They laughed and left, leaving the Count with the keys and locked the door to their stairwell, then reinforced it so there was no possibility to escape. It took about three minutes for the first screams to begin.

Blaine's parents retired, bidding them a good night along with Annalei who went to draw a bath for the surely exhausted Cooper for when he finished.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked, watching his mate closely.

Kurt nodded and cuddled into his husband's embrace. “I will be happier when Rachel's back to normal and there's no more talk of blood and death.”

Blaine grunted in agreement and tightened his arms around Kurt. “I think we all deserve a rest and some happier talk. I know you like to tease me about my heritage, Beautiful but all of this really does make my stomach turn.”

“I know. I wish we could go back to London and relax, go to that restaurant.” Kurt said wistfully.

Blaine chuckled and smoothed his fingers over his mate's cheek. “Someday, we will go back, I promise, but you know you were pregnant then, maybe a trip away will turn out the same way.”

Kurt snorted and elbowed his husband, wriggling out his arms. “You're carrying the next one, Blaine Diavolo Anderson.” He said and walked towards the room that Cooper would move Rachel to when he was finished, leaving his mate staring after him, fingers ghosting thoughtfully across his stomach.

“Hey,” Rachel croaked as she woke and Kurt smiled at her as she looked around the room. “What happened?”

“I think the twins wore you out, you sat down for a second and I found you in here half an hour later.” Kurt replied, the lie easily rolling off of his tongue.

Rachel blinked and looked around again. “Where are they?”

“With their father,” Kurt shrugged and watched her closely as she got up. He never knew if for all the ideas he'd had if it would really work. She didn't do any of the things that she would have done if she was still under her now dead mother's control and laughed as she hooked her arm through Kurt's like she did so many times before, even if it felt so long ago to him now.

“Well that's what I like about being just an aunt.” She said and Kurt looked at her, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a smile.

“What's that?”

“Giving them back!”

Their laughter filled the hall and Blaine smiled, unseen and looked at his brother and great grandmother. Kurt really did know best.