Kurt and Blaine had the rest of the week off; Annie had insisted on not letting them anywhere near the school again. Annie had torn the school staff to shreds when she called them to inform them that Blaine and Kurt would not be attending their establishment anymore. Both Kurt and Blaine had retreated to the safety of Blaine's room when Annie had started yelling down the phone at the principal.

Monday morning came quickly and Kurt was standing in front of the mirror gazing at his reflection in horror. He eyed the new uniform critically and sighed. Kurt had never been one for uniforms. He loved that he could dress the way he wanted – fashion had been a love of his from a young age but Kurt guessed he could live with the uniform if it meant he would be safe. It was a small price to pay to not constantly have to look over his shoulder and jump at the slightest noise. He'd give anything to feel secure.

The door bell rang and Kurt knew instantly that it was Blaine. Edward had agreed to take them to Dalton for their first day; Burt was unable drive them to due to an early morning client. He heard Burt open the door and knew it wouldn't be much longer until Blaine was in his room. He frowned as he tried desperately to fit his cast into his sleeve, though he knew it was hopeless. He sighed, extracting the arm and letting it hang limply under his blazer. Kurt ran a frustrated hand through his hair – he looked ridiculous.

There was small tap on the door and Blaine stuck his head in. "Hey," he grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Kurt sighed and Blaine stepped in, frowning. Kurt's eyes widened as he took in his boyfriend's appearance. "That's not fair!"

"What?" Blaine asked, confused.

"How do you make it look so good?" Kurt whined and Blaine chuckled, flushing violently.

"I don't know, you look pretty good too," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows and Kurt rolled his eyes – but couldn't help but feel pleased. Blaine took a step toward Kurt and pulled him close, kissing him softly. "Are you ready for today?" He asked quietly.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. What if it's the same as Westerville High?"

"There's a zero-tolerance bullying policy," Blaine assured him, "and our parents wouldn't send us to the school if they didn't think we would be safe."

"I know," Kurt sighed, smoothing his boyfriend's collar with his good hand. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"Me too," Blaine admitted, "but I know that I'll be OK, because I have you."

Kurt smiled at Blaine, his cheeks gaining a rosy hue. "You are so cheesy."

"But you love it," Blaine grinned and Kurt nodded.

"I do." He cupped Blaine cheek and drew him into a kiss. Blaine kissed him back deeply but pulled away much too soon for Kurt's liking.

"We'll be late if you keep that up," Blaine said, eyes slightly glazed over.

Kurt grinned and side stepped Blaine to grab his bag. He took one last look in the mirror and grabbed his boyfriend's hand, tugging him out of the room. Edward was waiting for them in the living room, making conversation with Burt.

"Ready to go boys?" Edward asked as they entered.

They nodded in unison, Blaine picking up his bag.

"Have a good day," Burt said gruffly, patting the two boys on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt smiled weakly over his shoulder as they headed out to the car.

Blaine slipped into backseat with Kurt and Edward started the car. The ride to Dalton was long and silent as Edward drove. He had the radio on and glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Kurt and Blaine looking mournfully at Kurt's cast.

"Do you think it will be OK?" Kurt murmured – it was only meant to be for Blaine's ears but Edward still heard.

"I hope so," Blaine smiled reassuringly. "We stick together, OK? Just like always."

Kurt smiled and squeezed Blaine's hand.

Edward pulled up to Dalton and parked. They jumped out of the car and began the long walk up to the building. Kurt and Blaine were standing close together, their hands brushing occasionally. Edward led the way to the front office, taking in the beautiful architecture. Blaine and Kurt flinched slightly as everyone stared after them as they passed. Kurt glanced at Blaine and saw his eyes darting around frantically. Blaine acted like he was confident but only Kurt knew that they bullying they had endured all their life had dramatically affected him.

"Breathe, Blaine," Kurt whispered, discreetly taking Blaine's hand in his.

"I'm OK," Blaine assured him, taking a deep breath and squeezed Kurt's hand tightly. They stepped into the office and were greeted warmly by the receptionist.

"The principal is ready to see you," she said and led them into the principal's office.

There was an older man sitting behind the desk and he looked up, smiling as they entered. "Welcome boys," he greeted them. "Please take a seat. I'm Andrew Carter."

"Nice to meet you," Edward replied politely, shaking his hand. They sat down and Andrew looked over the transcripts forms laying front of him.

"Everything is in order," Andrew said, "and we have your timetables ready. Do you have any questions?"

"We chose this school based on it's the zero-tolerance bullying policy. I want reassurance that this is strictly enforced," Edward raised his eyebrows in question.

"It is, by both staff and students," Andrew addressed them all, seriously. "Unfortunately, Kurt, Blaine, you are not the first emergency transfers and you won't be the last." The two boys nodded, shooting sideways looks at each other. They might be emergency transfers, but at least they had each other. So many boys didn't even have that. Edward nodded, appeased. "Now, we have two students who have volunteered to show you around and are in the majority of your classes."

"Thank you," Blaine smiled politely and Kurt nodded his thanks.

"Excellent. If you will follow me," Andrew said, standing up and leading them out of the office. In the reception area, they saw two boys waiting. Both grinned when they saw Blaine and Kurt. "Boys, meet Wes Montgomery and David Thompson," Andrew introduced, gesturing to the students.

"Nice to meet you," Kurt greeted quietly, shifting closer to Blaine unconsciously.

"Welcome to Dalton," David grinned.

"I have to get going," Edward said and he turned to Kurt and Blaine. "Burt will pick you up tonight."

"Thanks Edward," Kurt replied sincerely.

"Bye, Dad," Blaine smiled. Edward nodded and clapped them on the shoulder before heading out.

"Wes, David," Andrew addressed them. "I trust that you will make Kurt and Blaine feel welcome."

"Of course sir," Wes grinned. "We'll show you around."

Kurt and Blaine shared a look and followed Wes and David out into the corridor.

"So where did you guys transfer from?" David asked as they led the two new boys to their first class.

"Westerville High," Blaine answered.

"Hey, not too far from here," Wes interjected. "Dalton is lucky to have you."

"Thank you," Kurt said quietly.

Wes and David shared a concerned look. They glanced at Kurt's broken arm and the fading bruise on Blaine's jaw line.

"Rough weekend?" David inquired and both boys flinched.

"Something like that," Blaine murmured, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Were you a part of any clubs at your old school?" David asked, trying to change the subject.

"No," Kurt replied, "but we like to sing."

"Cool. Both me and David are in the Warblers," Wes grinned.

"The Warblers?" Kurt echoed, sharing a confused look with Blaine.

"It's the name of our glee club here," Wes explained. "We're like rock stars."

"Are you guys any good? Because we could talk to the council members and maybe get you an audition if you would like to join," David offered, looking between the two of them.

Blaine looked at Kurt and Wes and David were shocked to see that they appeared to be having a silent conversation with each other. "We'll think about it," Blaine finally decided.

"Sure, that's cool," Wes smiled, wanting the boys to feel comfortable here. "We'll introduce you to some of the other guys at lunch."

"Sounds good," Kurt said, smiling softly.

Wes and David led them to their first class, which was English. Wes and David sat down at a table and Kurt and Blaine immediately slid into one next to them, sitting next to each other, closer than necessary, which didn't go unnoticed by Wes and David. They'd already guessed that the two were an item, but they appeared to be closer than the boys had first imagined.

"Hey Wes, David," a blonde headed boy greeted them. "Who's this?"

"Jeff, meet Blaine and Kurt," Wes introduced them and both boys smiled shyly.

"Hi! Welcome to Dalton," Jeff beamed. "Nice to meet you. This here is Nick."

Jeff indicated to a boy who had just come behind him, smiling. He was medium height with brown hair that was swept off to one side. "Hi guys," Nick grinned.

"Hi," Kurt and Blaine said in unison.

"Boys, take your seats," instructed the English teacher as she waltzed in. The boys quickly took their seats and Kurt and Blaine were surprised that everyone was quiet and listening eagerly. They smiled at each other and pulled out their books. Kurt was immediately thankful that he didn't have to get up and introduce himself to the class. He didn't want everyone staring at him.

Kurt and Blaine found out that they were behind the curriculum in English as the lesson went on. Their class was far more enjoyable than at Westerville and everyone participated in the class when they held class discussions. The bell rang and everyone started packing up. Kurt frowned, struggling to put his things back in his bag.

"Here, let me," Blaine offered gently, hands brushing Kurt's as he took the book from his boyfriend's hands.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled at Blaine, who returned the gesture.

"When did you break your arm?" Nick asked. The group of boys had waited for them and struck up conversation as they walked to their next class.

"Last week," Kurt said quietly and Nick nodded.

"I like the art work on it. You do art?" He inquired, trying to carry the conversation with Kurt. He had a feeling that there was more of a backstory than Kurt was letting on.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded.

"Nick does art, too. He loves it," Jeff interjected, grinning at Nick who smiled back.

"You'll have art together," Blaine smiled at Kurt, trying to reassure him.

"I look forward to it," Kurt said shyly and Nick beamed at him, pleased to be making progress.

"Come on, let's get to geography," David said, leading the group through the hallway. Blaine put Kurt's bag on his shoulder and carried it for him, Kurt blushing in response and nudging his shoulder against his boyfriend's.

Both Kurt and Blaine prayed that the rest of the day went as smoothly as the morning had.