The conversation cut off abruptly. Victor Hart looked down at his cellphone. The call was still connected, but he couldn’t hear his brother anymore. He hoped he hadn’t got caught - it would be extremely boring if he did. But even if his brother was out of luck, he wasn’t. By the time the FBI finished interrogating him, Victor hoped to be done with what he had come so far to do.

Hummel had to be near. He could almost smell his fear.

It was incredibly inconvenient not to have an actual address. He had stopped in an old bar to shelter from the rain and talk to his brother. Victor was now sitting in a corner, sipping a beer and glancing disinterestedly at the soccer game on TV. A few patrons had gathered at the counter to watch and discuss it, but he couldn’t care less. Team sports had never attracted him. After all, there wasn’t anything as thrilling as hunting…

He weighed his options. Maybe he could try contacting his brother again later, or he could start asking questions around town. That could rise suspicion among the neighbors, but it was worth the shot. He hadn’t come all the way to this God-forsaken town to leave empty-handed. It didn’t matter how hard it was, he would find Hummel.

The door of the bar opened, letting in the rambunctious sound of the storm. An old man walked in, half-soaked, and wiped his feet on the dirty mat before heading towards the counter.

“Manuel!” The bartender exclaimed, smiling. “Braving the storm?”

“Just trying to get home after visiting my son,” the old man replied, taking a seat at the bar. “It looks like I’ll have to wait it out, though.”

“What’s new in the old Anderson ranch?” The bartender asked, making Victor sit up straight.

“Not much. Though Blaine is home for a visit with his fiancé. Lovely man, that Kurt,” Manuel said, smiling fondly. “Haven’t seen Blaine that happy in a long time. Se lo merece.”

“Tell Blaine to come have a beer with us before he goes back to New York, will ya?” The bartender said, and Manuel nodded, as his eyes drifted towards the soccer game. “Can I get you anything?”

As Manuel ordered some food, Victor looked down at his drink and smiled wickedly. Oh, he definitely wasn’t out of luck yet.

*

After a much needed shower in which they had stayed a little too long under the hot water spray, Kurt and Blaine had found their way into bed. With their bodies sated and their hearts contented, they lay together, Kurt with his head on Blaine’s chest, listening to the reassuring beating of his heart mixed with the unrelenting storm outside.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so peaceful.

Blaine was playing with his hair, like he couldn’t stop touching him even in the lightest way. Kurt felt intoxicated with the scent of his skin, the softness of his touch, the rhythm of his breathing. Everything about this moment was perfect, and he wished he could make it last forever.

When he had first met Blaine, he would have never imagined that under that serious exterior, he could find such a sweet man. Sure, Blaine was definitely a sexy beast when the occasion granted it, but right now…

If this wasn’t love, then Kurt had no idea what it was.

Blaine suddenly snorted, bringing Kurt out of his reverie.

Kurt looked up and found Blaine smirking at the ceiling. “What?”

“Nothing,” Blaine said, and when Kurt nudged him, he sighed. “I was just trying to imagine what Santana would say if she could see me now.”

“Well, I’m kind of glad she can’t see us, because there are parts of me on display I have absolutely no intention of showing her,” Kurt muttered. One of Blaine’s hands slowly moved down to cup his bare ass. “Yes, that’s one of those parts, thanks for helping me illustrate my point.”

“My pleasure,” Blaine said, giving it a firm squeeze before letting go.

Kurt laughed, and then looked at him again, sobering slightly. “Are you worried you’re going to get in trouble for this?”

“It’s not the most professional thing I have ever done, but I was actually thinking about how unbearably smug she’s going to be. She has like a sixth sense when it comes to sex. She’ll know before I even walk into the room,” Blaine explained, and since he sounded amused, Kurt decided not to worry too much. “She’s tried to set me up with guys a few times in the past. Let me tell you, the guys she knows are certainly terrifying.”

Kurt could believe that without even needing examples. He imagined Santana meant well, but she was definitely abrasive. He wondered what her wife was like. And that made him think about something else he didn’t know…

Blaine was watching him quietly. He nudged him with a shoulder. “Hey. You’re thinking about my fiancé, aren’t you?”

Kurt bit his lip. “How did you know?”

“I guess it’s a little surprising you haven’t asked questions about him yet,” Blaine admitted.

“I was just scared I would overstep or… I don’t know. I didn’t want to upset you,” Kurt answered, though it was something that truly intrigued him.

“We’re not together anymore, if that’s what bothers you, although I think I mentioned that before. We’re definitely not cheating on him or doing anything we shouldn’t be doing. We broke up months ago.”

Kurt was a little embarrassed at how relieved he felt. “Oh, I see.” He waited a second. “Can I ask you what happened?”

“Kurt,” Blaine leaned on his elbow and looked down at him with the sweetest smile on his face. “Please don’t be afraid to want to know things about me. I think that after what we just did, you’re more than allowed to ask whatever you want.”

Kurt really hoped his cheeks weren’t reddening. He hated blushing. “Okay, then. What happened between you guys?”

Blaine got comfortable against the pillows and tugged him a little closer. “After what happened with my dad and Coop… I guess I just wasn’t the best fiancé. I did love him, I wouldn’t have proposed if I hadn’t loved him. But… I think that love sort of faded away. I was numb. I was spent, and tired, and confused, and angry… I started pulling away. It’s not like I wanted to do it, it wasn’t something I chose to do. But it felt like nothing truly mattered anymore. It wasn’t Liam’s fault, he deserved better. He tried to be there for me, but I kept pushing him away. I didn’t really give him much option and in the end he got sick of me rejecting him, and broke things off.”

Kurt frowned. “I’m sorry, Blaine.”

“Don’t be. I mean, I was surprised when he did it? I don’t know what I was expecting, the poor guy had a right to break up with me after I pretty much ignored him for three months. But then I realized… you know, I did love him. It was real between us. But if when things go wrong, you don’t feel like leaning on that person, letting them comfort you, is it really the kind of love that makes you want to be with someone forever?” Blaine kept his eyes up on the ceiling, his fingers idly tracing patterns on Kurt’s shoulder. “I don’t know. I think I loved him, and he loved me, but we weren’t meant to be. It was love, but it wasn’t strong enough.”

Kurt dropped a kiss on the center of Blaine’s chest. “I’m sorry. You must have felt so lonely…”

“Yeah, but it was a little bit my fault,” Blaine gave him a little sad smile. “I just need to learn to let people in.”

“Maybe when you feel the kind of love that lasts forever you won’t even have to learn…” Kurt murmured, biting his lip as he realized what that sounded like.

Blaine just pressed him a little closer and kissed the top of his head. “Maybe you’re right…”

Kurt felt his heart picking up pace. Oh, the possibilities. What if he was that love that allowed Blaine to stop pushing people away? What if he could dedicate the rest of his life to making sure Blaine never had to go through anything else by himself?

It was too soon to be thinking like this. He needed to stop. No matter how good the last few hours had been, he still didn’t know how serious Blaine was about them. It could only be a way to pass the time until they were allowed to go home. It could be more. It could be everything. But right now, Kurt didn’t know that.

Instead of worrying, he shifted until he was on top of Blaine. Blaine’s breathing stuttered as their bodies rubbed together with the movement. Kurt smirked at him sensually.

“Since you said I can ask you all the questions I want…” Kurt murmured, leaning closer so his lips were almost pressed against Blaine’s. “I have something to ask you.”

“Yes?” Blaine whispered, his pupils growing dark as he looked at him.

“Would you mind too terribly if I went down on you right now?” Kurt asked innocently.

Blaine groaned, bucking his hips up unintentionally. “God, Kurt.”

Kurt arched an eyebrow at him. “Does that mean you want me to or…?”

“Yes,” Blaine moaned, feeling himself growing hard just from the anticipation. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…”

He was still saying yes as Kurt slid down his body and positioned himself comfortably between Blaine’s spread legs. He was still saying yes when Kurt wrapped his lips around the head of his cock. He kept saying yes until he was absolutely unable to utter another coherent word, consumed by the fire that Kurt kept igniting inside of him.

He had never known burning would feel so good.

*

Captain Jones was positively livid as she heard what Agent Hart said. She couldn’t believe someone in her own department had betrayed them so horribly. She leaned over the table and stared down at Bill Hart until he recoiled in fear.

“I hope you know your career is definitely over. You won’t step into the federal bureau of investigation again, unless it’s in handcuffs like the criminal and traitor you are. You and your brother are going to rot in jail, and if your brother hurts Agent Anderson or Mr. Hummel in any way, I will make sure you pay for it for the rest of your miserable life. Is that clear?”

Santana arched an eyebrow in admiration as Hart simply nodded in defeat. She decided Hart was now in good hands, so she exited the office with her cellphone in hand, ready to contact Blaine and warn him.

She called once, twice, a million times. Every time she dialed, she got more and more nervous. The phone was out of service. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like it one bit. In the end, she threw her phone away and stalked back into the office. Blaine had to know what was going on, and he needed to know right now.

Captain Jones looked away from Hart as she came back. She must have seen the look of absolute despair in Santana’s eyes, so she said: “Agent Lopez, what is it?”

“Captain Jones, I need a helicopter, and I need it now.”

*

When Kurt woke up, it was at least midnight. The power hadn’t come back yet, and the house was plunged in darkness. But to be honest, he wasn’t worried in the slightest. He didn’t care if the power didn’t come back at all, or if it rained for weeks non-stop.

He couldn’t care, not when Blaine was sleeping right next to him, a thin sheet covering him from the waist down, his breathing paused and calm, like there suddenly wasn’t anything at all to be concerned about. They had somehow managed to create their own little bubble of perfection, and Kurt wouldn’t have minded staying there for the rest of his life.

He looked at Blaine’s face. This had to be the very first time Kurt saw him truly rest, his features relaxed as he slept deeply, without a care in the world. It was nice to see him let his guard down for a bit - Kurt knew how rough life had been to Blaine. If someone deserved a little peace, it was him.

As he watched him, doing his best not to feel like a creep, he realized there was a reason he had woken up. The storm seemed to have slow down to a drizzle, and he could now hear the dog barking insistently. Poor thing, had they left her outside in this weather?

With one last fond look towards Blaine, he disentangled himself from him and searched for some clothes in the dark. They had carried their pants and t-shirts from the kitchen and left them on a heap on the floor. Kurt assumed they were still wet, but he still grabbed for his shirt. He had every intention in the world of getting naked again as soon as Ramona was inside.

He put the shirt on and only then realized it wasn’t his own: it was Blaine’s FBI t-shirt. He bit his lip. He had always found it so erotic to share clothes with a lover… it was intimacy beyond intimacy. And it was probably something he shouldn’t have done until he and Blaine discussed things a little further, but at the moment… he couldn’t care enough. He liked the softness of this shirt against his skin, its beautiful and now familiar scent. He kept it on.

After slipping into his yoga pants, he walked out of the bedroom, careful not to make any noise. In the darkness, it surprised him how easily he could navigate the house, how used to it he was, how he had got to know every corner. He wasn’t trapped anymore. This was not his prison - this had now started feeling a lot like a new home.

He opened the door. It was chilly outside and he shivered. Ramona was still barking, standing alone in the gallery and hiding behind the banister. Kurt walked towards her, leaned down and pet her.

“What’s up, sweet girl?” He asked her in a stupid little voice he was not proud of. “Want to come inside with us?”

But Ramona seemed on edge, like something was bothering her. She began to whine. Kurt had no idea what was going on. He had never had a dog in his life, so he wasn’t sure if she was trying to communicate something or if she was just making noise for the sake of making noise.

And then he saw the truck.

It was Manuel’s truck, parked right before the gate to the ranch. The headlights were on, the gate slightly opened, but he wasn’t driving inside. He was just parked there. Wasn’t that weird?

“Manuel?” Kurt called, trying to see better through the insistent fall of the rain. “Manuel?”

It didn’t look like there had been any kind of accident, but Kurt was still worried. He walked down the steps, out of the gallery and the shelter it provided, and headed for the truck, hoping Manuel was okay…

He didn’t even make it halfway there before there was a hand on his arm, stopping him.

Kurt didn’t need to turn around to know it was not Blaine. He had grown accustomed to his touch, knew exactly how it felt to have his hands on him. And the way his blood had suddenly ran cold told him it wasn’t Manuel either.

He turned around abruptly, and was met by the sight of those slimy green eyes that kept filling his nightmares. His pale thin lips stretched into a smile, a very triumphant smile.

The killer had found him.

He tried tugging his arm away from his grip, but the man was so deceptively strong. Kurt began pushing him away with all the strength he had, because this was not how things were going to end. After the FBI’s efforts - Blaine’s efforts - to protect him…

That’s when Kurt saw it. It glowed silver in the night, and Kurt recognized it. He would never forget this knife for the rest of his life, the way it had looked soaked in blood that very first night, when this nightmare had started.

He began to fight harder as his desperation grew right alongside the panic threatening to choke him. He kicked at him, pushed and pulled, but nothing got rid of that disgusting gleam of absolute excitement in the killer’s eyes.

This was all a game to him. It was Kurt’s life, and it was just a game.

“Blaine!” He screamed. “Blaine!”

The killer made a sudden move, taking advantage of the slippery ground to push him. Kurt fell on his side and tried to stand as quickly as he hit the muddy grass, but the killer was faster and already there, pressing on him until he was face down. Kurt fought like a wild animal, but no matter what he did, it wasn’t enough. He felt the killer getting on top of him, his heavy weight pushing him down, keeping him trapped.

Kurt’s chest seemed to constrict, as the panic took over. He was going to die here.

“Hi pretty boy,” the bastard spoke right into his ear, so close that it made Kurt nauseous. “I’ve searched for you everywhere.”

“Let me go,” Kurt managed to say. “Please, please, let me go…”

“I like it when you beg,” the killer pressed closer, his breath hot against Kurt’s skin. And then Kurt felt the sharp contact of the knife against his ribs. “You can beg and scream all you want, but you probably should stay quiet if you don’t want me to hurt you…”

Kurt knew he was as good as dead, regardless of what he did. And he wasn’t going to just lay there and let this bastard do whatever he wanted with him. “Blaine!” He screamed again, so hard it made his throat hurt. “Bla…!”

The killer’s free hand was suddenly on his hair, forcing his face down into a large puddle next to him. “Stop calling for him! He’s not going to help you!”

Kurt couldn’t breathe. He spluttered, trying to push his head back and out of the dirty water so he could get some air, but it was useless. It was all useless…

There was a beastly growl and suddenly the pressure was off Kurt’s back. He rolled away from the puddle and grabbed a mouthful of air, coughing and spitting. He looked aside and discovered Ramona, her teeth sunk into the killer’s leg. Kurt used the opportunity to stand up, and looked around for something that could help him: a stick, a branch, a large stone…

But the killer kicked the dog off, looking angrier. Kurt didn’t even have time to see if Ramona was fine before the man was right before him again, the knife pressed against his stomach.

“No more games,” he murmured. “You’re all mine, and I’m going to do whatever I want with you. You won’t be able to stop me. I’m going to cut you up in little pieces and enjoy every second of it… but before you’re even dead, I’m going to play with you…”

Kurt’s stomach churned. He knew exactly what he meant. He knew exactly what he did to his victims…

“Let’s start, what do you say?” The killer said, his lips pressed against Kurt’s cold cheek.

“Drop that knife and step the fuck away from him, now.”

Both Kurt and the killer looked around and found Blaine standing there, his gun raised steady and pointed at his target. Kurt whimpered in relief.

“Agent Anderson, how nice of you to join us…” The killer said with a smile. “We meet at last.”

“Let him go,” Blaine said, his eyes dark and his jaw tensed. “You have three seconds to let him go and put that knife down before I shoot.”

“Do you hear that, pretty boy?” The killer murmured in his ear. “Look at your knight in shining armor…”

“Three…” Blaine began.

“Oh, he looks angry.”

“Two…”

The killer bit the lobe of Kurt’s ear, making him feel sick. “I’m going to enjoy killing you both.” And with that, he pushed Kurt hard, until he fell against Blaine, who lowered his gun to catch him.

That was Blaine’s mistake.

The killer didn’t wait. Before Blaine was even done reaching for Kurt, he attacked, launching himself at Blaine and making him let go of Kurt. To Blaine’s dismay, the gun slipped from his fingers, falling on the wet ground, just as the killer collided with him.

But Blaine was furious enough to be able to tear this motherfucker apart with his bare hands. He closed his hands in tight fists and went straight for his face. The killer was swifter than he looked and easily avoided the hit.

“Is that all you got?” The killer taunted him. “You just ran and hid from me all the way here, and thought I wouldn’t find you? Agent Anderson, I’m appalled.”

Blaine was a good fighter. He had been top of his class in Quantico and knew very well how to move around when there wasn’t any weapons available. He could be his own weapon. But there was something about this situation, about knowing Kurt was in danger, and that this man would stop at nothing to ruin their lives… it just unsettled him. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t land a proper punch.

He threw himself at the killer, hoping to destabilize him and take him by surprise, knock him to the ground and just smash his face in with his fists. But the killer seemed to have been expecting that, and simply received the attack as if he was accepting a hug instead, throwing his arm around Blaine and holding him against him.

“You can’t stop me,” he whispered, and then drove the knife home.

Blaine gasped and his eyes grew wide. He looked down. The knife handle was protruding from his shoulder, and there was blood already spreading over his shirt. He didn’t feel pain: he was just stunned. His body seemed to have shut down, and he fell down on his knees, still staring down at the knife, unable to stop the panic that spread just as quickly as his blood.

The killer leaned towards him, a big smile on his face. “Wait, Agent Anderson. Don’t die yet. You have to see what I do with him first…”

A single tear made its way down Blaine’s face. He had failed. All that training, all that hard work, and for what? He was never able to protect the people he loved when it counted. First his dad and Cooper, and now Kurt…

There was a loud bang. The killer’s smile was frozen on his face. He looked down and now found blood spreading through his own clothes. Their eyes met, slimy green and warm gold, before they both turned their faces to look at Kurt, who was standing there shaking, with the gun in his hands.

“You got me, pretty boy,” the killer murmured amused, and then promptly collapsed on the ground.

Kurt didn’t wait to see what happened. He dropped the gun and raced towards Blaine, landing on his knees next to him, just as Blaine’s body gave in. He fell into Kurt’s arms and looked up at his face, like it was the beacon of light guiding him home. There was blood pouring freely from his shoulder, and Kurt was desperate. Was he supposed to remove the knife? Would that make it worse?

A small smile grew on Blaine’s lips as he looked at him. “Kurt…”

“D-don’t say anything,” Kurt murmured. His whole body was shaking. “Save your strength. We have to get to the car. I have to drive you to a hospital, I have to…”

“It’s okay,” Blaine whispered. “Just… Kurt…”

Kurt was crying. He didn’t know what to do. “Yes, sweetie?”

“I-I… I’m in… I…” Blaine gasped, the pain coursing through him like venom. “Kurt…”

Kurt felt him get loose in his arms as he fell unconscious. His eyes dropped shut, his hands going limp next to him. “No. Blaine! No, no, no…” Kurt pressed his forehead to Blaine’s and rocked him slowly, like cradling a baby. “Don’t. Please don’t do this…”

As Kurt felt a new kind of darkness enveloping him, he thought he heard something. The dog was barking again, this time at the sky, and he looked up just in time to see a helicopter getting closer. He knew what it meant with just one glance, but he didn’t care.

He looked down at Blaine again, held him tightly against him, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

They were too late.

*