Kurt hated the lonely drive home, but he thrilled at the idea of having Blaine's number. Now he at least had a thread of contact even through the long days. Indeed the young man was so blissful in this knowledge that he didn't notice that the front porch was occupied until he almost tripped over the young man laying there. "Finn!" Kurt gasped as he caught himself on the edge of the house. His stepbrother was pale even in the moonlight, but his chest rose and fell shallowly. //Thank god for that.// "Finn?" Kurt knelt at the other boy's side and turned his head. His blood ran cold at the sight of the marks there. He reached out, intent for a moment on loading Finn into the car and getting him to the hospital. //And then what? They'll want to know who did this. What if Finn doesn't remember? People have seen Blaine and I together...// Silently Kurt begged forgiveness for his selfishness as he called out again, "Finn? Can you hear me? We need to get you inside."

Suddenly the front door flew open and Burt, who had been waiting up for the boys to return home and heard the commotion outside, took in the scene. "What the hell--?!" he started, only to gather his half-conscious step-son up and haul him inside the house. Burt helped Finn down onto the sofa, and when the jock's head fell to the side, he caught sight of the vicious wound on his throat. "Jesus Christ," he swore under his breath. "Kurt, what happened? He was out looking for you."

Kurt bit his lip and reached out to touch Finn's cheek. He was warm but looked terrible. Whoever had gotten hold of him hadn't been interested in seducing him, they'd wanted to tear his throat out... or had at least come dangerously close to it. "Looking for me?" he murmured, his father's words finally catching up. "Oh, god... he... he was following me." Tears formed in Kurt's eyes, and he had to look away from them both. "I went to... to The Last Drop." It would have been impossible for Burt not to know the name of Lima's only vampire bar, and Kurt's hands twisted on his lap as he continued, "I met someone there... if I... if I'd known Finn... oh, god..." He would never have gone if he'd thought Finn was coming along behind him.

Burt couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had never had to really worry about Kurt. He was a good kid, got good grades, didn't do drugs. It was shocking and deeply disheartening to learn that his son was frequenting a vampire bar. "Mercedes called," Burt whispered, taking Finn's pulse. "That's how we knew you weren't with her. I was worried. Finn was worried. And he went out after you." Releasing his step-son's wrist, he confronted Kurt and whipped the scarf away from his throat. "You met someone? And you let them bite you? Dammit, Kurt! You could've been killed. Both you and your brother." He turned away and reached for the phone, dialing 911.

"No! Dad, please... he... I don't know who hurt Finn, but people there, they've... they've seen me with..." Kurt stopped himself just short of giving Blaine's name, uncertain whether it mattered but protective just the same. //Should've called 'Cedes. God. I was so distracted today!// "He wouldn't hurt anyone, but he might get in trouble. I can't..." He felt a rush of shame at the fact that he couldn't have Blaine being hurt on his conscience when he already had Finn being hurt weighing on his heart. "We need to get Finn some juice, get his blood sugar up, get some vitamins in him." Kurt was almost shaking as he met his father's gaze. "Please?"

Burt was torn. He had never seen such desperation in Kurt's eyes before. "Alright," he heard himself agreeing against his better judgement. "We'll try and help Finn. But, if he gets worse, I'm calling an ambulance." Burt was firm on the matter. He didn't even know how or where to begin in dealing with Kurt. Worrying about vampires had never really been in the equation until they'd made themselves known. Now they were everywhere, and Kurt had gone and gotten himself involved with one. As he fetched a first aid kit and started to work on Finn's terrible wound, Finn tensed and arched, limping trying to brush Burt's hand away. "I'm only going to say this one, Kurt," Burt was adamant. "You are not to go near that place ever again."

Kurt felt as if his heart had been torn in half. And yet he couldn't protest. How could he say anything in his own defense when Finn was in such terrible shape. Instead he nodded, mute, and went to the kitchen to get juice and some of the gummy vitamins that Finn always preferred to the real thing. He saw that his father had finally managed to clean the wound off, and Kurt lifted the glass to Finn's lips. Everything felt oddly detached and mechanical. He couldn't see Blaine. The thought echoed through his head loud enough that Kurt found it surprising no one else seemed aware. "I need you to try and drink this, Finn," Kurt said in a calm voice that didn't seem at all right when the world was falling apart.

His head was swimming and Finn swayed in and out of consciousness. A sudden urgent thought entered his mind, something important that he wasn't supposed to forget. "Kurt?" he croaked out. "Are... you okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay now, buddy," Burt said, reassuring Finn. "We've gotta concentrate on taking care of you right now." He turned to his son, and nodded down at Finn's feet. "Grab his legs, I'll take his arms and we'll carry him to his room."

Kurt nodded, silent and pale as he did his best to carry his share of his brother's imposing form. Between the two of them, they managed to wrangle Finn upstairs and into bed. He still looked bad, but at least there was some color coming back to his cheeks, and his breathing was steady instead of shallow. Kurt stood gazing at him until he felt the weight of his father's stare resting on him instead. "I'm sorry," he whispered. The number carefully tucked into his pocket was like a lead weight. How could he possibly explain when he didn't understand himself? Kurt cast around for the right thing to say and finally began hesitantly, "It isn't... what happened to Finn, it wouldn't happen to me. He isn't like that. He isn't." //You've known him for two days. Can you really know that? That he's never done this to someone?// Kurt bit his lip but fought the thought back. //But he'd never do this to me?// Despite himself, Kurt couldn't help wondering if that was really enough.

"Kurt," Burt started with barely restrained anger, "you have no idea what these... things... are like." He took his son's arm and steered him away from Finn to whisper, "Look what they did to your brother. Just because you met one that seems nice doesn't mean he won't do the same thing to you." He sighed and shook his head, almost at a loss. How could he make Kurt understand? Wasn't seeing the shape Finn was in enough of a wake up call? "Kurt," he started more softly, "I don't know why you felt that need to go to that bar. But, please, don't go there again. Please, son?"

It was so much harder to say no when his father was asking, pleading for consent instead of simply ordering him. There were tears in the young man's eyes, and he looked down to try and hide them. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I... it just..." He couldn't explain what he felt for Blaine, couldn't explain being in love heart and soul with someone he barely knew. "I'm sorry," he whispered at last before biting his lip. He couldn't cry. Not now. It would be selfish. Finn had almost gotten himself killed just looking out for him.

Burt softened, realizing how tough he had been on Kurt. Still, there was no getting around the fact that his son had done something incredibly stupid and dangerous. Before he could ponder further on the matter, Burt heard Carol coming home and immediately turned to Kurt. "Stay with your brother and keep an eye on him." Steeling himself, he disappeared downstairs to break the news to his wife without giving her a heart attack.

"Kurt?" Finn stirred, lifting his eyes with an effort and searching for his stepbrother. Imprinted in his mind was the urgent need to keep Kurt safe, and he struggled to sit up and get his point across. "You can't go back there, you can't..."

The tears had begun to fall as soon as Burt disappeared, and Kurt tried to wipe them quickly away before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Taking one of Finn's hands, he nodded. "I know. I... I promise dad. Finn, I never wanted you to get hurt. If I'd had any idea you were worried or... or that you were coming..." It would have killed him, but he would have refrained from going back if he'd known that Finn was trailing him. "I'm so sorry... so sorry that... that you got hurt..." The tears were back, and Kurt couldn't stop them anymore. "I just wanted... I needed to see him... Finn, I'm sorry..."

"We were worried something... had happened to you... when Mercedes told us you weren't with her," Finn explained weakly. "I caught up with you... going into the club, and..." His expression blanked, and he struggled to remember anything afterward. "...I thought I'd found you, but... something happened." It was useless. Obviously he'd been attacked by a vampire... Only he couldn't recall how it had taken place. Again, the intense fear of Kurt being in danger returned. And Finn reached out for his stepbrother's arm. "Please don't go back there," he begged, expending what little energy he had left. His eyes fluttered closed, and Finn drifted off to sleep with a deep sigh.

Kurt climbed off the bed again just as Carol came in. She was sniffling, and he left her and his father to fuss over Finn. He felt ill. Instead of the elation that had started the evening off, Kurt felt sick to his stomach. Finn had been hurt because of him. His father was furious and, worse, disappointed. He'd lied to all of them. And he wasn't supposed to see Blaine. He was supposed to ignore the fact that he'd fallen in love because he'd once again fallen for the wrong person. Except that being with Blaine had made him realize that what he'd felt for Finn never really was love. It had been a crush. A silly schoolboy crush, and Kurt had barely survived giving that up unscathed. How was he supposed to lose Blaine?

Finn slept for the rest of the night and then for the better part of the day. Burt insisted on Kurt staying home from school to help look after his stepbrother, with him and Carol switching duties. Strangely, Finn's strength began to return the following night. It was odd due to the fact that he hadn't stirred even once, causing great concern for all. He was up and about and devouring almost anything he could find in the kitchen. Much questioning followed, but Finn could not remember anything about the attack. The only thing that was clear in his mind was making sure Kurt was safe. In fact, Finn was so adamant about it that he barely let him out of his sight. Now, back at school and sporting a bandage on his throat, he waited for Kurt outside everyone of his classes, escorting him through the halls. It was above and beyond being overprotective, especially since vampires couldn't come out during the day. But, Finn wasn't taking any chances.

Kurt rolled his eyes as once again Finn was waiting for him like a puppy dog outside of his French class. "You honestly don't have to-" The look on Finn's face stopped him, and he sighed, shifting the scarf around his neck instead. "Thank you. It's just... seems bit like overkill is all." He'd had a restless night and looked a bit worse for wear because of it. No amount of moisturizing could hide the fact that he'd barely slept. Once he'd been sure he heard something and turned to catch a glimpse of someone darting away from the window. Or he thought he had. The whole thing was muddled form the lack of sleep. He'd been sure it was Blaine and had actually rushed to the door to look only to find the way barred by his father.

After flinging himself dejectedly into the closest chair he could find - Finn naturally taking the post next to him - Kurt noticed that Puck was staring at his brother. "What is your problem, Puckerman?"

"Dude... dude, you actually did it, didn't you?" Puck's eyes were wide, and he ignored Kurt entirely as awe and admiration filled his face. "Finn, dude, you nailed a vampire! You found yourself some undead hottie, and you got down!" He reached out, jerking the bandage away to confirm his suspicions and gave a whoop of happiness. "I am so proud of you right now!"

Finn blushed--which, as it turned out, was nothing short of miraculous considering how pale he still was--and ducked his head sheepishly. His hand flew to his exposed wound, covering his throat and shivering with the sense memory of being bitten even if he couldn't remember the act. "It wasn't like that!" he hissed at Puck. "I didn't go there looking to 'get down,' I was following Kurt--" Finn broke off, shutting his mouth tightly as he gazed wildly at his stepbrother. He hadn't meant to tell anyone about Kurt's nightly jaunts to meet a vampire. But, Puck had goaded him on, and it had just slipped out. You could have heard a pin drop in the choir room.

Kurt leveled Finn with a stare that might have killed anyone who wasn't so oblivious only to have said glaring interrupted when Puck slammed himself down into the chair on Kurt's other side. "I don't know what you-"

The scarf was gone in an instant, and Puck grinned wide while most of the class proceeded to either pretend they weren't seeing what they were seeing or looked horrified. "DUDE! So you AREN'T frigid!"

The statement made Puck the new target of Kurt's wrath, and he snatched the scarf back, blushing, furious and utterly embarrassed. "It is none of your business what-"

"Totally, but, just... so, dude, is it as good as they say?" When Kurt just stared at him, Puck rolled his eyes. "Vampire sex, dude, is it... like, awesome? Because everybody says it's-"

"I am NOT talking to you about my sex life." Before Puck could lean across him to grab Finn again, Kurt slapped the hand that was stretching forward, "And neither is Finn."

Puck looked thoroughly annoyed and huffed, "Fine. But you just totally admitted you HAVE a sex life, Princess, so you can stop trying to pretend you-"

"I for one am thoroughly disappointed in both of you," came a shrill, disapproving voice from behind them. Rachel was fixing both stepbrothers with a gaze that spoke of imperious disapproval. "You should both know better than to go to those sort of places. It's dangerous," she hissed in a stage whisper. "We still don't know what happened to Mike. Honestly, one of those things probably-"

"Shut up, Rachel!" Kurt snapped with more venom than he'd really intended. "You know absolutely nothing, so just close your mouth and sit quietly for once in your life."

Rachel, looking like a kicked puppy, muted as she sat back down and blinked away the beginning of tears. Finn felt bad for her, but Kurt had been right. Rachel knew nothing about vampires or what had happened to him or his stepbrother. Mike, on the other hand, was a different matter. When their friend had disappeared, there had been instant rumors circulating about vampires being involved. That was countered with assertion of tensions between Mike and his father which probably forced the teenager to run away from home. Now, Finn didn't know what to believe.

The rest of class seemed drag by, and the later in the day it became, the more anxious the jock grew. His fingers wriggled reflexively, while his legs bounced nervously. His throat woundthrobbed, nearly driving him to distraction. Flashes of his lost memory appeared like an old film in his mind; hands groping, sharp fangs, splashes of red... Instead of being terrified, Finn found himself growing gradually aroused. Without even realizing it, he had started to scratch at his arms. His fingernails bit deep into his skin, drawing blood.

Kurt leaned in toward Finn to comment on something Mr. Schu had said and caught sight of the blood. "Finn," he hissed, grabbing one of his stepbrother's hands to slow the progress and simultaneously raising his other hand. "Mr. Schu? Excuse me. I don't think Finn is feeling well. I'm going to get him home." Kurt didn't wait for a response before grabbing both their bags and more or less hauling his stepbrother from the room. Finn's larger stature didn't seem to slow Kurt's progress in the slightest, and once they were out of the room and away from prying eyes, he finally stopped at the lockers to drop their bags and examine the damage.

"Finn... what are you doing?" he questioned, fingers barely ghosting over the angry red marks. His heart pounded with an uncertain sort of fear. Finn was one of the most together people he knew most of the time. Even when he was making mistakes, they were usually met with a dopey, pleasant affability that was easy to understand and connect to. Self-mutilation was hardly in keeping with that. Not for the first time, Kurt wished that Finn remembered what had happened the other night. He'd been acting odd ever since, more than just blood loss could come close to explaining.

Finn blinked at his stepbrother, completely at a loss. He glanced down and realized what had caused Kurt so much concern. "Oh god..." Deep scratches criss-crossed his arms, with splashes of red staining his skin. Finn felt a thrum of fear in his heart, not understanding how it had happened... Until he saw torn flesh and blood under his own fingernails. "I... I don't know..." It was a feeble admission, even if it was the truth. He didn't remember harming himself, and he wasn't sure which was more frightening; not knowing or not feeling the pain. "What's wrong with me?"

Kurt found himself blinking back tears as he shook his head. "I don't know." Maybe his father was right... maybe... Kurt took a breath. Panicking would not help Finn. "Let's get home and get these cleaned up. Wouldn't want it to scar." It frightened him that Finn had managed to dig in deep enough to risk that without even noticing that he'd done it.

As they drove, Kurt fiddled with the radio and tried to keep a stream of reassuring chatter going. He felt anything but upbeat, but he wanted to take care of Finn. His stepbrother had risked his life, and now Kurt owed him at least being a good companion. As soon as they entered the house, Kurt urged Finn toward the bathroom. As he carefully dabbed hydrogen peroxide onto the cuts, Kurt asked, "You're... sure you don't remember anything? Nothing's come back to you at all?"

"Nothing." Finn shook his head as Kurt diligently worked to clean the scratches. "I get... flashes, that's all. But, none of it makes any sense." He wished he could remember, even if it was scary. At least then his life would make a kind of sense again. Confusion seemed to follow him around all the time, except this time it had swept up his emotions in the roiling cloud over his head. "Kurt, I... I think it was a dude, I mean... a male vampire who attacked me," Finn heard himself admitting. He flushed warmly. "I'm not sure. I really can't remember."

Kurt's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he got himself under control quickly enough. "Well, it's... I mean, drinking blood isn't exactly a gender specific activity," he ventured, wondering if Finn actually needed any comforting about that fact. He sighed. "And it isn't like you went looking for it either way. I'm so sorry that... that someone did this to you. I'm also sorry that I didn't keep my temper to myself and now I'll have to apologize to Rachel to keep her from being insufferable. She just... I know that it can happen like this sometimes, like what happened to you, but..." It suddenly seemed desperately important that Finn know he hadn't been attacked because Kurt was just sneaking off for a cheap thrill. "I liked him. More than liked him. I know it's crazy, but I..." Kurt swallowed hard and grabbed a cloth to clean the skin from under Finn's nails even though it made his stomach flutter with nausea. "He didn't hurt me. He didn't trick me or attack me, it was... I wanted it. I love him."

Any other time Finn would have been ecstatic for Kurt. His stepbrother had been alone for a long time, had unspeakable shitty days at school thanks to bullies, and more than deserved a little happiness. But, this was a vampire they were talking about. And, something triggered itself in Finn's mind. Kurt was in serious danger. How could he make him understand? "You have to stay away from him, you have to!" he exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Kurt's wrist with more force than he'd intended. Finn backed off, apologizing, "I'm sorry, bro... But, if anything happened to you... I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know," Kurt answered quietly, looking away under the guise of cleaning up the debris of band-aids and washcloths. "I promise dad already that I... wouldn't. I won't." He couldn't. He knew he couldn't. The very thought of that made him want to curl up into a ball and cry. Kurt's hand unconsciously moved toward his pocket, toward the cell phone there. He'd put in Blaine's number, dubbing the entry "Kevin" in case Burt or Carol decided to make sure he'd scrubbed his life clean of Blaine. And it wasn't as if it mattered. He couldn't call. He couldn't hear Blaine's beautiful voice and not go to him when that was what he wanted more than anything in the world. It had to be completely over. Kurt wiped his eyes quickly and suggested, "We could watch a movie. I'll even consent to ordering some of the revoltingly greasy pizza you like." He needed something, anything to keep him from giving in to the want for a few hours until he could justify crawling into bed and crying himself to sleep.

"That sounds pretty cool," Finn agreed, managing a soft, crooked grin. He hated seeing the pain in Kurt's eyes, and yet he couldn't help feeling relieved that his stepbrother would not be going to the bar again or seeing that vampire. Still, the voice in the back of Finn's head kept right on insisting that Kurt stay away from the undead. It rang like a constant alarm bell, reverberating in his skull. He watched him carefully as Kurt pulled himself together, picked up the phone and ordered a pizza. Finn channel surfed, growing increasingly frustrated with the vast amount of vampire-themed programming. Thankfully, he found a Terminator movie playing and settled back to watch it. After a while he turned to Kurt, feeling guilty over the day's earlier events. "You know, I really didn't mean to out you in front of everybody," he started, wearing a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry."

Kurt sighed and set his pizza down for a moment. "It was... not something I was planning on sharing, but... it's fine, Finn. Honestly. It was stupid of me to try and keep it secret. I think we both know that things have a way of finding their way out anyway. It was silly hiding something like that. I'm not ashamed, I..." //I'm just depressed.// He trailed off, staring at the screen without really seeing the movie as he continued to eat. "Anyway, it's fine. It's nothing I mind them knowing." He'd even left the scarf off, and Kurt couldn't help but reach up, rubbing his neck and letting his mind drift to Blaine's lips pressed against the same spot.

Finn noticed Kurt fingering the bite mark on his throat. It brought on a scowl of disapproval, which softened when he felt his own wound beginning to throb again. Another hot flash of fangs and soft lips, and a shiver of excitement coursed through Finn. He was on the verge of remembering what had happened, only to have it snatched away. "Kurt," he started, swallowing down a mouthful of pizza. "Did it... hurt? Being bitten, I mean?"

The question snapped Kurt out of his daze, and found himself looked at Finn uncertainly as if sure he was being mocked somehow. Finding that the inquiry was genuine, Kurt sighed and shook his head. "No. No, it... it didn't hurt at all. I thought it might, and... maybe it did for a second, but then..." Then things had happened that he really, really didn't want to be thinking too much about while sitting next to Finn trying to have a casual meal. "It felt good. Very good," he admitted, blushing at the confession.

Finn warmed at the Kurt's frankness and the way in which his stepbrother's voice grew dreamlike recalling the experience. "I still can't remember," he replied, frustration creasing his brow. "Just when I think I might, it all goes away again." His fingers ghosted over the wound, and Finn gave an involuntary shiver before returning to his pizza. As night approached, he found himself growing agitated again. It was almost as if something were building up inside of him waiting to explode. And Finn didn't know how to even begin to explain how he was feeling to Kurt. Finishing his soda, he pushed himself up off the sofa to go and get another. A rush of dizziness hit him, bringing the towering jock down to his knees with a groan.

Kurt was there in an instant, his hand on Finn's elbow, guiding him back onto the couch. "I think maybe it's time for bed." Going to class had apparently taken more out of Finn than he realized, and Kurt cursed himself for not paying better attention. He overruled his stepbrother's protests and instead led the other teen to his bedroom, depositing him there. "Normally I'd tell you not to go to bed without brushing your teeth, but right now I think you'd be a little too likely to fall and smash your head on the sink. Safer to avoid that." Kurt tugged off Finn's sneakers, wrinkling his nose at how filthy they were before pulling the blanket up over his stepbrother. "You can shower in the morning if you're a little steadier on your feet." He resisted the urge to kiss Finn's forehead the way his mother always had after going through a similar routine when he was younger, and settled for a warm smile instead. "Sweet dreams," Kurt wished quietly before going back out to the living room to clean up the remains of their meal.

"Thanks, bro." Finn didn't know what was wrong with him. But, he appreciated Kurt's concern. "Night," he called after him. Closing his eyes, Finn felt the lightheaded spell easing... Only to be replaced by a kind of nervous excitement. It was dark outside now, and the jock's heart thundered inside his chest. A fever enveloped him as he clawed reflexively at his sheets. Sweat broke out on his forehead as his breathing hitched. His eyes blinked open, with only one thing clear in his mind... //Damien.// It all came flooding back to him in a rush of intense memories. He had to find Damien, he needed him, he wanted him! Getting back on his feet, Finn hurriedly put his shoes back on and reached for his jacket... Only to pause at the door when he heard Kurt downstairs in the kitchen. //How am I gonna get past him?// He turned in frustration, and then, without thinking twice about it, stuffed some pillows under the covers to make it appear as if he were sleeping. Finn padded over to his window, wrenched it open and spied the tree outside. Heedless of harming himself, he slithered out and climbed down. Landing on the grass with a less than delicate thump, he was already breaking out into a jog, desperate to be reunited with the vampire.