The walk back to Kurt's apartment was spent shivering on Blaine's part. His teeth chattered loudly as he followed Kurt, who was equally as wet. When they finally arrived at the pale door, Kurt's fingers shook violently as he fumbled with the keys, trying to jab the stupid thing into the lock. When he managed to open the door, Blaine watched as he poked his head inside and called out to Rachel and Mercedes. When they didn't reply he grinned and tugged Blaine inside.

"They're not home," he explained, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up on a hook. "It's probably a good thing, I'm not quite sure Rachel has forgiven you for the whole bathroom incident yet."

Blaine blushed and quickly looked down to where his fingers were working at the buttons of his jacket. 

"Yeah, how's that, um, coming along?" Blaine asked nervously. He still hadn't forgiven himself for that yet.

Kurt looked over his shoulder at him with a slight smirk.

"It's fine," he replied, going back to tugging off his scarf and gloves. "The plumber came in a few days ago and everything's okay now. Okay?"

Blaine nodded but still felt that lump of guilt in his throat, refusing to be swallowed. He busied himself with removing all his wet articles of clothing until he was left standing in his jeans and shirt. When Kurt finished peeling off his socks Blaine realised there was only one shower. Kurt seemed to catch the look in his eye and gripped his shoulders, pushing him towards the hall. 

"Go," he said. "You can shower first, you are my guest after all."

But Blaine was already shaking his head.

"No way," he argued. "This was my fault anyway. And this is your apartment."

Kurt rolled his eyes and disappeared into his room for a moment before reemerging with a bundle of clothes in his hands. 

"I don't care," he said bluntly, throwing the clothes at Blaine, who caught them easily. "I'm telling you to get in there already before I freeze to death out here."

"You're really not helping your cause here."

"Just go!"

"Okay," Blaine held up his hands in defence and began backing up towards the bathroom door. "I'm goin, I'm goin."

Blaine's hands found the door knob and he slipped inside the room, catching Kurt's smile before he closed the door behind him. Blaine could feel himself smiling as well. He turned to take in the small space again with an unpleasant look. It's not that the tidy little bathroom was ugly or anything, far from it. It was just the memories that came to Blaine from the last time he'd been in here that were making him feel heavy.

Blaine shook his head and quickly undressed, leaving his damp clothes in the sink. As Blaine turned on the shower and stepped under the scolding spray, he tried to forget that this was Kurt's bathroom. That he was standing in Kurt's shower where Kurt cleaned himself and…what not. 

Being in here also made Blaine remember the perfume and the mystery behind the late Mrs Hummel. His mind was buzzing with the new information Artie had given him that morning. The fact that Kurt's mother went on 'trips' to foreign countries all the time didn't sit well with Blaine. There was something behind what she was doing, he just had to figure out what.

It wasn't long before Blaine was done and dried himself off. He blushed as he pulled on Kurt's clothes. They were a little snug and not exactly what he would wear but they were warm and that was the main thing. 

He opened the door and let all the steam that had been building up rush out. Kurt was waiting down the hall, a blanket wrapped around him as he sat on the floor. His head shot up at the sound of the door opening and he quickly got to his feet, the blanket falling to the ground.

"Don't worry about your clothes," Kurt said hastily, his own clothes tucked under his arm. "I'll put those in the laundry after I'm done."

Blaine nodded and stepped out from the bathroom, allowing Kurt to enter. Before shutting the door, Kurt added.

"Just make yourself at home; I'll be right out."

Blaine smiled at him as he ducked behind the door. The moment the door shut, Blaine dashed into Kurt's room. He waited for the sound of running water before he started rifling through everything. He knew he should feel bad but this was for Kurt's protection. Anything that he could find out about Kurt's mother would do a great deal of help for everyone. 

Blaine wasn't sure what it was that he was looking for as he looked under Kurt's bed and in his dresser. There had to be something. A little light went off in Blaine's head. He crawled across Kurt's bed and opened the the drawer beside it, gently lifting out the small music box.

Blaine looked down at it with a furrowed brow. He turned the key on the back three times and watched as the lid opened and the small cat and mouse began to circle. He played it and played it,looking for something, anything! But found nothing. Huffing in frustration, Blaine shut the lid and went to put the music box back in the drawer, when his finger brushed over something on the underside. 

Curious, Blaine turned it over in his hands and examined the surface before his eyes caught sight of a small number . Well, half a number. The tiny digit disappeared around the corner of the small opening for the batteries. Blaine felt himself growing excited as he removed the the panel from its place and flipped it over to look at it. 

A trail of numbers was neatly engraved into the it like a plaque. Blaine stared at the series of digits. It had to be at least twenty numbers long. There was no way anything short of a photographic memory could remember the numbers. Confused, Blaine looked at all the little gears and bolts turning inside the music box. He traced his finger over the two small batteries resting inside the device. 

Blaine sighed, about to give up on his little search when he noticed that the batteries were different. Not different brands but different shapes. One could only tell if they were really looking for it but one was slightly thicker and stumpier than the other. When Blaine took it out, he saw that it wasn't even connected to any little springs or magnets like a normal battery.

Blaine slowly reached for his earpiece and and mumbled, "hey, Artie, are you seeing this?"

"Sure am," came the swift reply. "What is that?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Blaine murmured, rolling the small object between his fingers. Did this have something to do with Kurt's mom? Or was it just some little gear they used in music boxes.

"Artie?"

Blaine waited for a reply. Some kind of in depth explanation to what the shiny thing in his hand was. But it didn't come. He just hard Artie grunt in confusion.

"I don't know, Blaine," he said, sounding as though it was as odd to say the words as it was for Blaine to hear them. "Nothing's coming up. I guess it's one of a kind."

"One of a kind," Blaine echoed, squinting at the little cylinder closely. There was something to this little thing that didn't just sit right with Blaine.

Just then, Blaine registered that the sound of running water was no longer audible.

"Crap!" He hissed, stuffing the little object back into its original spot and slapping the numbered panel back over the opening. The familiar feeling of adrenaline rushed through Blaine as he shoved the delicate object back into the drawer and hastily closed it. Blaine then dashed out of the room, making sure Kurt wasn't asking down the hall and let onto the sofa.

Blaine could hear Kurt humming now and quickly straightened himself up and folded his arms, hoping he looked preoccupied with just waiting.

Moments later, Kurt appeared, his hair wet and clothes changed. He looked up and saw Blaine sitting ramrod straight on the sofa. 

Chuckling softly, Kurt said, "come on, don't look so high strung. Come here, I make a killer hot chocolate and you and I look like we could both use one."

Blaine smiled crookedly, his heart still pounding and rose to his feet shakily. Kurt was pouring some milk into a small pot over the stove when Blaine entered the kitchen. He tried to calm himself down otherwise Kurt would know something was up. So, he hopped onto the kitchen counter and sat down, his legs dangling over the edge as he watched Kurt stir the creamy liquid.

"Don't worry about your clothes," Kurt told him. "I'll take them in with the laundry tonight and give them back to you when I see you next, okay?"

"Sure," Blaine answered, keeping his eyes focussed on the pot and away from Kurt. He knew that if he looked into Kurt's eyes, he'd start thinking about how perfect he was and how unfair it was that he had to constantly lie to him. 

Would it be so bad if Kurt found out any way? What harm could it do? It would be a lot simpler if Kurt just knew everything that was going on. But, then again, if someone randomly told Blaine that a pack of serial killers were after him, he'd be absolutely terrified. In this case, ignorance was definitely bliss.

"So," Kurt began, breaking the silence, "what's the verdict? New York or Toronto?"

"Oh," Blaine pretended to think for a moment before responding, "totally New York."

Not that he would know. Blaine had never stepped foot in Toronto but even if he had, he was sure he would like New York better anyway. After all, Toronto didn't have Kurt.

"It is pretty awesome here," Kurt sighed, smiling down at the pot as he added cocoa. "Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to live here and nowhere else."

"Really?" Blaine questioned. "Just here? Not London or Rome or some other fancy European country?"

"Well," Kurt drawled, "I have always had a thing for Paris."

"Oh yes," Blaine mused, grinning, "what with all the wine, Moulin Rouge references and cute French boys."

Kurt scoffed, "I don't think I'm missing out in that department."

As soon as the words left Kurt's mouth, he abruptly ceased stirring and turned red, like he'd said something he shouldn't. Blaine frowned at him, trying to work out what he'd said that could've made him embarrassed.

"Anyway," Kurt continued hastily before Blaine could ponder on the thought any longer. "There's this party next weekend to celebrate the end of the semester and I was wondering if you'd like to go? With me and Rachel and Mercedes. You can bring Santana to if you want."

"A party?" Blaine inquired. "What kind of party?"

Kurt took the opt of the stove and poured its contents into two mugs, replying, "just a little get together at this club. It's not what you think! It's kind of a western cowboy saloon meets German yodelling hall, kind of thing."

"Sounds…exciting," Blaine said, trying to keep himself from laughing.

Kurt rolled his eyes, pushing a mug towards Blaine.

"I know it sounds weird but trust me, it's a lot of fun. I've been there before and there's always music and dancing and these people in costumes, but none of it's dirty! It's amazing!"

When all Blaine did was raise an eyebrow, Kurt clasped his hands together.

"Please," he whined. "It's gonna be great and I won't have nearly as much fun if you're not there."

"Okay," Blaine laughed holding up his hands in defeat and allowing himself to enjoy the pleasant warmth that spread through his stomach when Kurt said he wanted him there. "I'll go, if you really want me to."

"I do," Kurt answered before clapping his hands in delight. "Oh my gosh, this is going to be so much fun, you'll see! We have to go shopping and get outfits…"

Blaine zoned out on what Kurt was saying, simply smiled as he watched him get worked up and excited. It was nice to see Kurt so happy.

-----------

Blaine was beginning to get tired of the cold. As much as he loved the beauty of New York in the Winter, it got old after a while. Especially when he had to trudge home in the snow. 

Blaine kept the tracking device he used to watch over Kurt clutched close to his side. He didn't like being apart from Kurt. Not only because he hated the thought of Kurt being in danger but because he generally enjoyed being around him. Now, he had to go home and count down the minutes until he could see him again. It was just awful.

Blaine sighed and rounded the corner of another street and headed down an alley in a short cut. It was then that he lost all sense of what was happening. At first he thought he'd tripped, but Blaine soon registered the throbbing pain in the back of his head and the fact that he was lying on his stomach on the wet ground. Blaine tried to regain his bearings, stop the ringing in his ears and the blurriness in his vision.

When he tried to get up, a large foot forced him back down and an alarm instantly went off in his mind: Sin. Blaine planted his feet firmly on the ground and pushed himself away, stumbling. He whipped his head around to see his tracker in the hand of his attacker, realising he must have dropped it. It was when he looked at the unmasked face holding the device that he gasped.

"Sam," he whispered, his eyes wide.

Sam was glaring at him, his eyes full of distaste. His gaze flickered to the device in his hand for a quick second before he threw it to the ground and growled, "I knew it."

Blaine didn't have time to question him or even think because the next thing he knew, Sam was charging at him, his eyes showing the intent to hurt. Blaine's reflexes finally kicked in and he barely dodged the punch that was thrown at him. Sam didn't let this deter him. He span around on the icy pavement and his elbow clipped Blaine's jaw. Blaine staggered backwards and felt a fist curl into his shirt and pull him forward. 

Blaine knew what was coming next and tilted his head down so Sam's fist collided with his forehead and not his cheek. It still hurt but it gave Blane the chance to turn the tables. He grabbed onto Sam's waist and hooked his leg around the blonde boy's ankle, sending him falling to the ground. Sam was faster than Blaine expected and managed to twist himself so that he fell on his side and not his back. He then launched his foot behind Blaine's knee, causing him to fall as well.

Blaine quickly scrambled on the ground, frantically pushing himself away from Sam using his feet. The whole time his mind was buzzing. 

It's Sam! Sam's the Sin that's been trying to kill me!

They both got to their feet at the same time, eying each other. Blaine felt something trickling down from the corner of his mouth and realised it was blood from when Sam had landed a blow to his face. He wiped at his mouth before running at Sam, his fist raised.

He swung at Sam's face and when Sam dodged it, Blaine sent his other fist straight into Sam's gut. The other boy let out a choked sound and Blaine took the chance to trip his feet from underneath him and sent them both sprawling on the ground in a heap of punching and kicking.

"You sick bastard!" Blaine yelled, his knee pummelling Sam's side, causing the other boy to cough loudly.

Sam gritted his teeth and gripped Blaine's shoulders, flipping them over.

"You're the sick bastard!" he shouted, sending another blow to Blaine's face. "Seducing Kurt like that? Real nice."

At the mention of Kurt's name, Blaine snapped. What did Sam, the guy who had been trying to not only kill him and Santana but also harm Kurt know? He was sick one, not Blaine.

Blaine clapped his hand on the side of Sam's head and brought him down to the ground. Hard.

Sam cried out in pain before he launched his knee up into Blaine's gut. Blaine stilled before Sam pushed him over, so he was sitting on his chest. He wrapped one hand around Blaine's neck and held the other up menacingly in a tight fist.

He looked Blaine in the eye and hissed, "You're done for Sin."

"What!?" Blaine managed out before Sam's fist landed a blow on his nose.

Blaine quickly reached up and grabbed Sam's wrist before he could pull away and stared up at him incredulously. 

"I'm not the Sin!" he argued, looking up at Sam. "You're the Sin!"

"Huh?" Sam stumbled, stopping his attempts at freeing his hand. "No, I'm not! You're the Sin!"

"That's crazy!" Blaine stated. "I'm protecting Kurt from you." He said the last word with a light shove.

Sam was no longer pinning him down, he was just staring at Blaine with clear confusion.

"What? That's- not- no!" he stammered. "I'm protecting Kurt from you," he corrected glaring at him again.

Blaine closed his eyes, his head swimming, trying to make sense of everything. He settled on shaking his head.

"No," he spat, locking gazes with Sam. "You tried to kill me. Three times!"

"Kill you?" Sam repeated, looking blank. "I never touched you! I've been following you, trying to find the perfect time to get you!"

"Like at NYADA?" Blaine asked, his blood running hotly through his veins. "Or on the road? Or how about, at the mall?"

"What're you talking about?"

"I saw you!" Blaine accused. "You were following me at the mall!"

"Yeah, I was," Sam confirmed. "I was watching you go into all those stores but you never bought anything. You were checking out where Kurt likes to shop!"

"And you would know that because you've been stalking him!" Blaine countered.

"I've been stalking him?" Sam said incredulously. "You're the one with the tracking device!" He yelled, pointing to the discarded object lying a few feet away.

"That's so I could protect him!" Blaine explained, trying to push the boy off him, but Sam held him down.

Sam leaned down closed and stared straight into his eyes, looking for any form of deception.

"How do I know you're not lying?" he asked.

Blaine sighed and let his head drop down onto the cold ground. 

"Because, if I was a Sin I wouldn't tell you that I'm staying at the Rozwalt hotel, in the penthouse suit."

Sam stilled above him for a moment before laughing.

"Huh," he cuckold. "You actually told me the truth."

Blaine's head shot up so he could stare accusingly at the boy above him.

"You followed me home!?"

"Had to," Blaine replied, climbing off of Blaine and offering him his hand.

Blaine stared at his hand for a few seconds before he caught the gist and accepted it, Sam pulling him to his feet. Sam didn't let go of his hand, instead shook it in greeting.

"Hi," he grinned. "I'm Sam Evans and I've been watching over Kurt for years now, by the employment of one Burt Hummel."