Blaine scrolled through the messages on his phone. He could feel Finn looking at him out of the corner of his eye but focused on the screen instead. His phone had been switched off the whole time he was at the hospital and as a result he'd got a lot of missed calls and messages. Most we're from his friends at Dalton and he knew he couldn't put off calling someone to let them know what had been going on.

He really didn't want to make the call, in fact he was getting to the point where he didn't want to talk to anyone. He hated having to keep going over and over what had happened, especially as it was getting harder not to let something slip out about what had really happened to him. But it was probably best to get it over with. Plus if he was on the phone Finn wouldn't be able to ask him any of the questions that Blaine knew he was dying to ask him.

His decided on Wes in the end, knowing he could trust the other boy to not overreact and that he would fill everyone else in, saving Blaine from having to repeat himself a dozen more times.

He didn't even hear the phone ring his end before it was answered.

"Blaine is that you" an anxious sounding Wes spoke.

"Yeah Wes it's me" Blaine put his head back on the seat and rubbed his face wearily.

"I've...we've been trying to get hold of you all weekend...where have you been?"

"At the hospital" Blaine knew he could have probably said that a little more tactfully.

"Are you allright, what happened?" the concern in his friend's voice made his throat dry up and it was a while before he could find a way to answer.

"Yeah.. yeah I'm allright" he didn't look at Finn as he said the words but he could feel him looking at him none the less.

"Then why..."

"Kurt's there" Blaine knew he should just say what happened instead of these little leading sentences but he found he was struggling to keep it together.

"Kurt, oh my god, is he okay?"

"Not really no, but he's better than he was" Blaine thought he did well to hide the small sob that almost escaped him when he spoke those words.

"Blaine talk to me man, what's happening".

Blaine didn't immediately answer but Wes must have sensed that he needed a minute to compose himself because he didn't push for an answer straight away.

Blaine took a deep breath and then just blurted it all out. "Kurt and I we're attacked Friday night. Three guys jumped us and Kurt's been in the hospital ever since."

"Jesus, what the hell?" Wes reacted.

"Yeah Kurt was knocked unconcious, it took him a while to wake up but the blood loss probably didn't help with that. There was some broken glass in the alley and a piece got stuck in Kurt's thigh. He's awake now but they're keeping him in for now to keep an eye on everything..."

"What about you?" Wes broke into his rambling.

"Me, I'm fine" he reassured the other boy. "Just a few bruises, I was the lucky one" and those words didn't feel like acid dripping off his tongue at all.

"Oh good, not about Kurt of course, just that you weren't both hurt too badly..."Wes trailed off as though embarrassed that he'd said the wrong thing.

"Yeah" Blaine's headache was coming back.

"What about the people who did it, have they been arrested yet?"

"No, not yet but the police found some cctv of them so maybe. I don't really know." Blaine found his voice fading as weariness overtook him again. The image of that face still dominating his mind.

"Are you at home? Me and David could come round and see you if you want".

"I'm staying at Kurt's house for now" Blaine knew that was just going to prompt more questions.

"Why, where are your parents?" a pause for a minute "They're not still in Italy are they?".

"Yeah" Blaine admitted.

"Do they know what happened, because I'm sure if they did they'd..."

"They know" Blaine interupted.

"Oh" Wes clearly didn't know what to say to that.

"It's okay though, they know I'm not too badly hurt and dad really needs to finish up what he's doing" he didn't know why he was defending them but it had just become second nature by now. "It's fine and anyway I'm spending so much time at the hospital it makes more sense for me to stay at Kurt's house anyway."

"Really?" Blaine could almost hear Wes's eyebrows raising as he asked the question.

"Yes really. Look I've got to go but could you do me a favour and let everyone know what's happened. I'll be in touch in a day or so to let you know how Kurt's doing."

"Okay, tell Kurt we'll be thinking of him" .

"Of course, thanks. I'll speak to you later".

"Blaine" Wes spoke again before he could end the call.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He gave a little laugh and hoped it didn't sound as forced as it felt.

"I'm fine, just worried about Kurt, it's been a long couple of days you know."

"Okay" Wes didn't sound like he was very convinced "you know where I am if you need anything. Take care Blaine. Not just of Kurt, but of yourself aswell."

Blaine closed his eyes fighting the swell of emotion he felt.

"Thanks Wes, bye" he ended the phone call and let the phone drop to his lap.

"Why do you do that?" Finn asked and Blaine didn't bother to look at him, just kept his eyes shut with his head back against the headrest.

"What?"

"Pretend like everything's okay, that nothing bothers you?"

"I don't know what you mean"Blaine started fiddling with his cell phone hoping Finn would just drop the subject.

"It's like with your parents dude. It's not cool what they're doing and you just act like it's perfectly normal".

"Maybe because for me it is" the words slipped out before he could stop them. He tried to explain himself. "I mean they're, or at least my dad is a very important person. He has a lot of responsibilites and a lot of people depend on him".

"And that doesn't include you?"

"I guess not " he admitted.

"Well I'm sorry dude but that just sucks".

Blaine smiled slightly at that.

"You get used to it".

"Well you shouldn't have too" Finn was really hitting close to the bone now and whilst Blaine appreciated what he was saying he really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Thankfully he saw that the exit they needed was coming up and drew Finn's attention to it. The next few minutes we're taken up by Blaine giving Finn directions on how to get to his house and thankfully the conversation seemed to be left behind.

Finn whistled as he pulled onto the driveway of Blaine's house. Blaine knew the house was impressive to look at but it was all for show.

He fished his house key out of his pocket and opened the front door to the darkened foyer. He deactivated the alarm whilst he waited for Finn to join him, then reached for the light switch. The chandelier above them burst into light, dazzling in it's intensity. Finn looked around, his mouth agape at the multitude of expensive art that was on show. Blaine doubted that Finn was much of an art conesiuer but it was fairly obvious that most of the things on display we're worth a lot of money. Of course that was exactly the look his parents had been going for.

As he turned around Finn's sleeve brushed against a small figurine that Blaine knew was worth at least a few thousand and he couldn't help but laugh at the panic that flashed on the other boys face. He just managed to stop it from toppling from the table it was standing on. The laugh died in his throat though when he realised that his parents would probably have been upset if one of their prized possesions had been broken, unlike their son.

"I think I'll just wait here" Finn said putting his hands in his pocket and making sure he wasn't standing anywhere near anything.

"Okay, I won't be long anyway" Blaine had every intention of getting out of this place as quickly as he could.

He headed upstairs and straight to his own room. Opening the door he was struck with such a feeling of wrong that it made him stop at the threshold. He felt like he was entering a stranger's room, he hadn't realised until this moment how much had changed for him. He slowly walked into the room looking at the tops he'd left strewn across his bed in his last minute panic about what to where for his date with Kurt. It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd last stood in this room, his biggest worry whether his very fashionable boyfriend would approve of his outfit. He sat down on the bed as the days events caught up with him.

Watching the cctv footage earlier had been yet another thing that had messed with his head. It was going to the point now that he wasn't sure how he was even managing to breath, let alone keep up this act that seemed to be fooling most people. Although even he could tell the cracks we're getting bigger and he was scared that it wouldn't be long before he fell to pieces completely. Luckily the footage only showed the outside of the movie theatre and nothing of the alley by the side. He'd had to watch stony faced as the image of Kurt and himself had walked out of the doors smiling and holding hands knowing what was about to happen and helpless to change anything. He would give anything to be able to go back to that moment in time and change everything, rewind his life in the same way that the detctive seemed to rewind the images over and over. He'd felt Kurt grip his hand a little tighter as three man had appeared on the left of the screen and he'd answered the unspoken question with a nod. Yes that was them. He saw the moment when they'd called out to the two of them. The footage was silent but the words rang in his mind clearly.

"Ahhh look at the two little boys, how sweet. Holding hands and everything".

He felt everyone in the room tense up at the expression on his and Kurt's faces knowing that that was when everything had changed. The two boys on screen had tensed up and walked quickly away and out of sight of the camera. He'd had to fight back another wave of nausea as the three men quickly followed. The last image had been a really clear one of one of the men's faces. It was a face that already haunted Blaine's nightmares and now he couldn't seem to get rid of the image. Kurt had been angry that the footage hadn't jogged his memory but Blaine had just been relieved.

He quickly stood up off the bed and grabbed a bag hastily shoving items into it not really caring what, anything would do. He wanted to get out of this room, out of this house as soon as he could. For some reason being in his own room made everything feel so much more real, so much more raw. As he opened his dresser a picture that was stood on top of it caught his attention. It had been taken a couple of years ago, the summer before he'd come out actually and in it a smiling Blaine stood inbetween his mother and father. It was a pefect image of a perfect family. But even that was a lie, it had been taken for a magazine article that his father had appeared in and he remembered how angry his father had gotten that day because he'd forgotten to wear a tie to the photoshoot, he'd had to borrow one from the wardrobe department in the end, something that his father had found very embarrassing.

Without any thought he picked the picture up and threw it at the wall. The frame broke and glass shattered all over the floor. He threw his bag over his shoulder and headed back to where Finn was waiting for him. Judging by the look on Finn's face he had heard the noise from upstairs and Blaine was grateful when he didn't bring it up.

The whole ride back to Lima was done in silence.

The hospital room was dark, visiting hours long over. The boy in the bed twisted to and fro, sweat plastered his hair to his damp forehead. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, his injuries all but forgotten as he called out one word in terror.

One word.

A name.

"Blaine".