Chapter Twenty Five

Kurt jerked back around the corner, certain that he had heard someone, positive that they were going to be caught. Blaine swayed slightly at the abrupt change in pace, and Kurt felt the other boy sag against him, pressing his head into Kurt's neck. He seemed to be in a daze, smothered in a haze of confusion and distraction, his only reality pinned in Kurt's movements and supporting hands.

No one. No one was there. Kurt wished that would make him breathe easier, but his heart was trying to tear its way out of his chest, and his every muscle seemed alive with tense electricity. He adjusted his arm around Blaine, far too aware of how much longer this was taking with another person in tow.

"Nearly there, Blaine," Kurt murmured as softly as he could, hoping that his words were true because seriously could these corridors look any more identical? He had always thought that he had a pretty good memory and sense of direction, but in the panic and the dark with terror creeping up his spine, Kurt found himself second guessing every turn.

He started them moving again, keeping close to the wall, Blaine shuffling in a daze beside him in silent sock-clad feet.

Every so often, Kurt was struck by the horrible morbidly surreal nature of the situation he and Blaine currently found themselves in. They were stuck in a waking nightmare, with no actual plan for an end, and no eventual future where Kurt could see this getting any better.

"Kurt!"

Blaine jerked in Kurt's arms, shaking hands clutching automatically at Kurt's arm, his fingers tense. Kurt's reaction wasn't much better, and he didn't have the excuse of being dosed with a cocktail of heavy sense suppressants. "Puck? Finn?" Kurt hissed, furious, "What are you still doing here? And why the hell are you inside?"

Finn shrugged, his eyes trained on Blaine with a mixture of confusion and honest sadness. In contrast, Puck was looking anywhere but the boy in Kurt's arms, "We figured you'd gotten held up. Sam's waiting at the car – come on."

Puck immediately began backtracking, but Finn lingered, unable to look away from Blaine. Kurt followed his gaze for a moment, glancing down at the shell of his boyfriend. The shock of the boys' arrival over, Blaine was distracted again, lost in the same fog as he had been since Kurt had found him.

He hadn't seemed to sense them either... had barely reacted beyond Puck's whispered arrival.

Kurt shook himself mentally. He couldn't dwell on that now. Scared and frustrated, but without the target he wanted, he pushed down his emotions harshly, "Finn – move. Now."

The larger boy seemed to shake himself, "Oh right." Kurt winced as Finn began to head in the same direction as Puck, his heavy footsteps the complete opposite of Blaine's silent steps.

When they tumbled out into the sharp chilled night air, Sam's reaction to Blaine's state wasn't much better than Finn's, only he covered his shock up much faster. They hurried back to where they had left the car as quietly and quickly as they could, sticking to the grass rather than the gravel. Finn jumped into the driver's side, while Sam opened the door to let Kurt get Blaine into the back. Kurt ended up sandwiched between Sam and Blaine, while Puck jumped in the front next to Finn.

The air was thick with tension, and a million questions that no one seemed to be brave enough to ask. Blaine alone appeared oblivious to it all; he had curled up again, as much as the seatbelt allowed, wrapped against Kurt. With a gaze of vague fascination, he began to trace his finger lightly in random spirals over Kurt's thigh. It seemed to calm him, so Kurt didn't object. He was far too busy trying to repress the paranoid terror that was demanding he glance behind them every two seconds, until finally the unknown silence was too much, "Did you hear from the girls?"

Sam nodded, somehow pulling up a reassuring smile. He was pressed slightly too much against the car door, in a position of forced casualness. Kurt didn't call him on it; the stress of the situation they found themselves in, coupled with accidentally touching Kurt's skin, could actually cause Sam to really freak out. And that was the last thing they needed with Blaine in the state he was in. "Yeah. The Dalton teachers completely fell for it, and the girls got out of there before a teacher from Crawford was available. No one suspected a thing, according to Santana; the teachers were too busy trying to calm Brittany down."

"Good, that's good." Kurt nodded with more conviction and authority than he felt, but it seemed like under the circumstances, he needed to.

The closer they got to Lima, however, the more that knot in the pit of his stomach began to tighten. The reality of what he had done was setting in fast, and he genuinely had no idea what he was going to do next.

Detachedly, Kurt realised that he was starting to fall apart. The weight of the situation, of Blaine's condition, it was all pressing down on him. There was no way out...

He blinked as the car slowed to a halt, and realised with a jolt that they were parked outside Rachel's house. Right. The original plan. All meet up here, because that's where they'd been all evening as far as their parents were concerned.

Except none of them had really believed that Kurt would actually break Blaine out, not really... But he had, and he'd been caught on camera doing it.

Finn and Sam jumped out, and Kurt could feel his heart beginning to beat harder, faster. Oh god... what had he done?

Puck twisted around in his seat, eyes connecting with Kurt's. At Puck's rapidly shifting expressions, Kurt could guess that the look he returned had not been very calm. Kurt glanced down at Blaine, where his boyfriend had fallen asleep on his shoulder not too long ago. "There was a camera in his room."

It was a statement, hollow and lost. Kurt didn't even know what he expected Puck to do with the information; he just needed to get the poisonous words off his tongue. But the implications were clear. As soon as Dalton realised Blaine was missing, they would call Blaine's parents, they would call the police, they would check the footage. And then they would immediately go to Kurt. In the space of probably less than twelve hours, Blaine would be back in the custody of his doctors, and Kurt would be in the custody of the police.

"Guys, come on, everyone's inside." Finn hovered near the car, his worried eyes darting between the three boys still in the car.

"Give me the keys, Finn." Puck scooted into the driver's seat. Finn automatically complied before he seemed to catch up with the situation.

"Wait, what? What are you doing?"

"Getting them out of here." Puck was blunt, but Kurt could tell that he was willing for Finn to just step back, to understand. Kurt knew he certainly was.

"But... we said we'd all meet up at Rachel's..."

"And do what?" Puck hissed venomously, "Wait until the cops come knocking and drag Blaine back to that place? Wait until your brother gets arrested? Wake up, Finn, we've just done something incredibly shit-stupid. We're not going to just wake up in the morning and have everything go back to the way things were."

Finn's jaw clenched, "Then I'm coming too!"

"No Finn." Kurt's voice was so much harsher than he intended, but with Puck suddenly on his side, his voice was stronger too. "The less you know the better. When people start looking for me and Blaine, they're going to start with Dad, and Carole and you. I know you wouldn't tell anyone, but it's better if you don't have to lie."

"You can't run forever, Kurt," Finn said softly, his eyes fixed on Blaine's sleeping form.

"I know," Kurt smiled crookedly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around Blaine's arm. "But if I don't try, if I don't run – even just for a little while – then I'd never forgive myself."

There was no surprise on Finn's face, no disappointment. It was as if he hadn't expected his argument to work, but had felt that he had to try. "Good luck, little bro."

Kurt nodded jerkily, his throat tight as Puck brought the engine back to life. When did this all get so big?

As Rachel's street disappeared from view, Kurt had to say it. "Thank you, Puck. Seriously... thank you..."

Puck shrugged with one shoulder, his eyes flicking to the rear view mirror where Kurt's own gaze was waiting. "You guys deserve a chance. You'd have to be blind and sense-deaf not to see how much you help him, how good you guys are for each other."

"Finn's right though... we can't run forever, and Blaine..." Kurt couldn't finish his sentence, he just couldn't. He abruptly changed topic, "So where are we going?"

For the first time since Kurt had meet back up with him in the corridors of Dalton, Puck grinned, "Somewhere no one would think to look."

Kurt frowned, glancing out the window. It only took a few more corners until, "You cannot be serious."

McKinley.

"Hey," Puck frowned defensively at Kurt's rather deadly tone, "The auditorium's locked up all summer, and there's gotta be a bed somewhere backstage from an old production. You can use the showers when the summer school's not running, and when it is, as a current student I can bring you food. Real school won't start for another couple of weeks either, so you've got time to work things out."

Kurt stared at him, seeing the other boy in a whole new light, as well as feeling slightly guilty he hadn't even known that Puck was taking summer classes to get into their senior year. He shook his head, "How did you come up with that plan so fast?"

Puck snorted, pulling them around the side of the school and parking out of sight. "Are you kidding? I knew this was going to end up being the real plan as soon as Finn called."

Kurt was touched at Puck's faith, and the level to which he was willing to go to help. "How are we going to get in? The school must be locked..."

"Seriously Hummel? Zizes does this all the time to get dirt on students."

"How comforting..." Kurt muttered under his breath as Puck jumped out. He unbuckled his seatbelt, twisting properly to face Blaine. Gently, he nudged Blaine's head from his shoulder, smoothing his thumb over his boyfriend's forehead when confused creases appeared. "Blaine, wake up honey, we're here."

Blaine began to shift, his fingers blindly winding into Kurt's shirt as Kurt slid the seatbelt from across Blaine's chest. His limbs seemed too loose, as if he lacked the proper co-ordination and control. Cupping the side of Blaine's head, Kurt tried to get him to open his eyes, which were now squeezed tight shut. At first, Blaine just tried to bury his face into Kurt's neck, but Kurt knew they couldn't linger here too long. The sooner they got inside the better, and Puck was already risking too much.

"Alright, we're in." Puck was back, and the side door behind him was propped open, "Do you need a hand with him?"

Kurt shook his head, his mouth a thin line, "I don't want to make things worse. Come on, Blaine, wake up for me, open those beautiful eyes of yours."

Blaine shook his head, his movements sharper as he tried to bury himself further. "I don't want to..." His voice was wobbly, uncertain. Kurt's heart clenched; he sounded so small, so scared, "I don't want to wake up, you can't make me wake up, you can't make me stop dreaming."

Kurt bit his lip, willing himself not to cry. Don't cry, please don't cry, you don't have the right to cry, not when this boy is so broken in your arms...

His hands were starting to shake, and his throat was starting to close, and his eyes were burning and god he was going to start crying and he couldn't!

"Don't worry, Blaine, you're still dreaming. You don't have to wake up yet. Kurt's right here, look, just open your eyes, he's right in front of you. Just open your eyes, and it'll all be okay."

At some point, Puck had climbed in behind Kurt. His soft tone was lulling, even comforting. It wasn't one Kurt had ever heard from Puck's mouth. It was gentle but authoritative, cajoling but wise, and slowly, ever so slowly, Blaine began to unfurl. His eyes finally opened, immediately widening when they fixed first on Kurt. "You're still here..."

Kurt nodded jerkily, vision blurred, "Of course I am." He barely trusted his voice, barely managed to choke even those few words out.

"Alright, Blaine, you ready to go inside? Kurt will be right with you, all the way." This was a side to Puck that Kurt would never have imagined existed, and he probably would have questioned it, if he hadn't been two breaths from breaking down in tears. But it was working, Blaine was responding, and right now, that was all that Kurt cared about.

They managed to get Blaine inside, although it wasn't easy. The smaller boy kept phasing out, his steps stuttering and uncertain as every so often he seemed to forget what was happening. And then getting him to the auditorium was only half the job. They settled Blaine in plain view, and began rummaging through old sets by the meagre light of a pair of flashlights Puck had thought to bring. They found parts of a bed, but somehow the headboard had gone missing, so they just ended up dragging the mattress into one of the dressing areas. Curtains could be pulled across to enclose the small space – the glee girls often used it for costume changes – and it would offer them some sense of safety. At least, that's what Kurt hoped.

Puck disappeared back to the car to grab some supplies he had already prepared - Kurt still couldn't believe how much the other boy had thought this all through when he himself had barely thought past the single minded thought of get to Blaine. While he was away, Kurt began to get Blaine settled, worried by how even the small trip from the car had practically wiped him out. He was asleep before Kurt had even covered him a blanket.

"These should cover you guys for the weekend," Puck whispered, drawing Kurt's attention with his return as he poked his head around the curtain. "There're some candles in there too in case the batteries in the flashlights run out. I've got a class on Monday, and you've got your phone."

Checking that Blaine was definitely asleep, Kurt quietly shifted off the floor mattress, and followed Puck out onto the stage area, "Thank you, I... God, Puck, just... thank you."

Puck shifted uncomfortably, attempting to look nonchalant as he shrugged, "You know me, Hummel, I'm all for it when it comes to going 'fuck the system'. Besides, you guys are my bros, and if anyone is gonna help Blaine, it's you. Not some jumped up doctor in a white coat holding a clipboard."

Kurt tried to smile confidently, but he knew he had failed before his lips even twitched. Instead he found himself shrugging, "I'm glad you're so confident. Blaine... Blaine is worse than I think I expected... I don't know if I did the right thing, taking him out of Dalton..."

Puck shook his head. "Yes you do. You know Blaine would have only got worse in there. He was fine until he went into that place. They think they know best, but who gave them the final say? Blaine isn't textbook, and neither are you, and neither am I. Wait until the suppressants have worked their way out of his system. At the moment he's scared, and has no idea what's going on. You heard him in the car; he doesn't think any of this is real, he thinks he's tripping back at Dalton, and that this is a dream – that you're a dream. That's how suppressants work – the higher the dose, the more of the ES sense is smothered, and Blaine looks like he's on a lot of meds. I know that doesn't seem like much to you, but to someone like Blaine who's grown up with the world's emotions surrounding him... it'd be like someone made him blind and deaf in one instant. Sure they add in sedatives and shit to make it easier, but fact is it's just the simple solution to stop them screaming. Doesn't make them any less scared, it's just a different kind of fear."

Kurt stared at Puck, his mouth fallen slightly open with a coiling horror brought on by Puck's rant, "How... how do you know all this? Even with Blaine back at the car, you knew exactly what to say to him."

Puck shrugged brusquely, "When my Grams got old she started to lose sense control. When she touched someone, she couldn't process their emotions very well, so the doctors put her on suppressants. It wasn't her fault, and she wasn't harming anyone, but..." Puck shook himself, "All I'm saying is to be patient. He's still there, Kurt. I should go, get back to Berry's slumber party for my alibi."

"Right." Kurt said softly, nodding. He was careful not to let any pity show on his face, because he knew that would be the last thing Puck would want. "I'll see you Monday then."

Puck's confidence and beliefs rolled over and over in Kurt's head as he crept back behind the curtains. He shivered. Despite the late summer warmth, the auditorium was hardly what he would call cosy. Toeing off his shoes, Kurt slid under the blankets, letting his limbs settle automatically into their proper places, entwined with Blaine's. In sleep, Blaine's face was smooth, almost relaxed. Carefully, Kurt brushed his thumb over Blaine's cheek, before leaning in and pressing a feather light kiss to Blaine's dry lips, "I promise I'll find you."

TBC