As the crowded plane emptied, Kurt couldn't get that mysterious boy out of his mind. Even as he kept up with the very excited Santana to the car they hired, that sweep of eyelashes or the exact curve of the neck holding the beautiful boy's bowed head crossed Kurt's subconscious thoughts. He didn't even pay attention to the amazing countryside scenery he knew would be flying by his window. Actually, he really didn't become conscious again until the car pulled up to the horseshoe shaped drive of the luxurious hotel. They were stopping there first so Santana could freshen up before meeting her potential bride. According to the new time zone it was two o'clock at that moment and their appointment wasn't until four. Despite making this stop for Santana, Kurt couldn't help but be grateful for the time to collect himself and make himself presentable in the off chance he met the mysterious urchin who newly occupied his every thought.

The pair entered the hotel and Kurt had to say that even he was excited by the lavish nature of the furnishings and decorations. Even being surrounded by this level of luxury all the time still didn't dull his appreciation and thankfulness that this was his life. Both he and Santana got separate suites so that they wouldn't kill each other over the course of the week and so the new couple could spend time alone if they wanted. Kurt took in the four poster bed and decadent linens. He was so tired by the flight and worrying over the mystery boy that he laid down on the bed and snuggled onto the enormous amount of pillows. He pulled out his iPad again and opened up the picture. He laughed at himself because of how ridiculous he was acting? Damn, was he turning into Santana? Kurt decided he didn't care how crazy he was, no one could see him anyway. Smiling, he looked down at the picture open on his device. He looked at the features of the boy again and felt warmth spread throughout his body. What would he look like in person? Kurt really couldn't wait to find out.

"Blaine! Bring these refreshments up to the meeting room! Why don't you do anything by yourself! You are so lazy!" Hunter bellowed.

"Yes sir, right away." Blaine answered he knew better than to even try to stand up for himself, and what for anyway? He probably was lazy.

"They will be here any minute. After you bring up that tray get back to your room." he fixed Blaine with a steely glare and the boy shuddered.

"Yes, okay sir." he answered timidly.

Blaine gathered the tray of coffee and light refreshments to the meeting room. Brittany was sitting nervously in one of the posh wing chairs. 

"Hey Blainey, I wish you could stay with me." she said while wringing her hands nervously. Blaine put down the tray and took her fidgety hands in his. 

"Listen Brit Brit, like I always tell you- you are amazing! If Santana doesn't see that then she's crazy." he said sweetly.

"Thanks Blainey. So does Hunter say you have to stay in your room?" 

"Well, you know what he says Brit. He doesn't want the garbage scaring the clients away." Blaine tried to make light of the statement but he knew in his heart it was true.

"I know Sanny would never think you were garbage. I really want her to meet you Blaine, you're my best friend." 

"I know Brit, but we have to listen to the boss. I better go to my room. It's almost four- thirty now." Blaine anxiously looked at the clock and realized that he was cutting it close. He bent down and kissed Brittany's cheek before quickly turning and leaving the room.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, he saw Hunter leading a couple to the meeting room.  It took just a moment to register that this must be Brittany's intended and her friend. Anxiety filled Blaine's tired body again as he realized he had disobeyed Hunter's order and his boss was was going to kill him for still being visible. He meant to turn away quickly but Hunter caught his eye with a scowl as he paused mid sentence. The pause made the two people accompanying Hunter look up. As soon as they did Blaine's eyes took in a pretty caramel skinned girl quickly before stopping on one of the most gorgeous men he'd ever seen. He felt like a deer in head lights. The crisp cool blue of the man's eyes held him and no matter what he tried, he could not let go. 

"Blaine!" The low growl of his boss snapped him out of his trance and one quick look into the mans angry eyes told Blaine he was in trouble later. He saw the willowy, gorgeous man turn angrily towards Hunter and wondered for a moment why. He realized he was staring again and quickly tuned to leave.

"Who was that?" He heard a sultry female voice ask.

"No one." Came Hunter's gruff reply.

Blaine felt tears gather in his eyes again. He was no one. His parents disowned him, his husband abused him, and now he was stuck in the desolate purgatory that was his life, just like he deserved. He moved down the hall quickly and went through the heavy industrial door at the end that separated the dorms from the rooms suitable for the public eye. Moving just a few more doors down the boy arrived at his tiny room. Kicking himself for his stupidity and wondering what punishment awaited him, Blaine did the only thing he knew to do to calm down. He picked up his beloved violin and rested it on his shoulder like a lover's arm to comfort him. Picking up the bow gently, he lifted his arm to play the only song that would come to him at that moment.

Kurt was livid. He had to admit that he was impressed with the center as soon as they arrived. The grounds of the countryside estate were beautiful and the foyer was just as impressive. A petite blond girl had shown them to the owner's office at arrival, and even though they were a bit early due to Santana's excitement they were welcomed graciously. The owner introduced himself as Hunter Clarington and reached out to shake Kurt's hand. Despite the obvious years of private school breeding leading to impeccable manners, Kurt honestly didn't like the man. Hunter just seemed slimy and conniving to him. Growing up with a working man like his dad made Kurt shrewd. That quality had helped him navigate the world of Broadway and it had never failed him. Despite his dislike of the man, he knew they were at the center for a reason so he plastered on his best smile and sat back as Santana discussed the details of the transaction for Brittany... if the girl accepted. 

After the formalities were out of the way, Hunter led the pair down the hall to the meeting room. When they turned the corner Kurt noticed that Hunter stalled mid-sentence. When Kurt looked up he saw the reason for Hunter's stutter. The boy...the boy with the beautiful eyelashes and golden skin stood just outside an open doorway as if frozen. At first his eyes met Hunter's and after a short moment his face crumpled visibly. Kurt urged him to just meet is eyes for a moment and seemingly it worked as the soulful depths met his. Kurt was stunned. The eyes he had dreamed about were green, a beautiful amber swirled with jade that right now reflected a look of awe.

That moment of mutual curiosity vanished instantly with a low growl of the boys name from Hunter. At the barely audible sound, Kurt saw the boy's eyes cloud with pain and fear once more. Kurt pulled his eyes away from the vision before him to glare at Hunter. The owner unknowingly continued on with his sales pitch as he declared the boy 'no one' and Kurt tried to suppress his reaction until he could find out more. 

Despite the will to review the situation before pouncing on the man, Kurt could barely contain his anger as Hunter sweetly introduced Brittany as if she were a precious jewel. Of course Kurt could tell that in Santana's eyes she was, and the girl was undoubtably beautiful but Kurt couldn't help but notice the glaring difference in the owner's demeanor.

 As soon as the girl came into his friend's line of sight, Santana's jaw dropped and she looked like a seven year old on Christmas day. After offering the two of them refreshments, Hunter turned and left the room saying he would come back to get them in an hour or so.

Hesitant at first, the girls soon realized what they both wanted and ran to embrace each other. It was like they were long lost friends. Kurt was really so happy for his friend as he watched her pull Brittany into her arms. After vague but unusual pleasantries exchanged with Brittany, he could have sworn she referred to him as a dolphin, Kurt tuned the conversation out pretending to look at the surroundings and give them some privacy. After about fifteen minutes, Kurt heard a familiar name that brought him back to the conversation.

"I wish you could meet my Blainey but Hunter doesn't like him around anyone." Brit said to Santana in a sad voice.

"Why not? What's up with him? He doesn't like people?" Santana asked in a soft voice trying to soothe her girl.

"No...Hunter just says he's like leftovers and doesn't want him around. He calls him sloppy seconds or something. He makes Blainey cry." she looked up at Santana hesitantly and seeing the pure adoration in her eyes continued. "I really don't want to leave him here but he needs to pay off his debt when he was returned by his husband."

Kurt was stunned at how open this girl was being with them. Obviously Hunter didn't know his people at all or he would have never left them alone. Kurt was just reeling from the wealth of information from the sweet girl. Blaine had been married? He owed money to the center? What made someone return that precious boy? Kurt just had to find out.

"Hey Santana, I'm just going to go exploring okay? I promise I'll be back before Hunter comes- I just really want to give you two alone time." he threw a very meaningful look Santana's way and she nodded knowingly. Kurt turned toward the door and peeking both ways, went down the hall in the direction that Blaine had gone.

As soon as he set out he started berating himself. What the hell was he doing? What did he think he would do...find the boy and say 'Hey, I heard your husband returned you and your boss is an ass, want to hang out?' Despite knowing that he was acting irrationally, all Kurt cared about was that he had to see that boy again and perhaps offer comfort. He hoped that with Brittany as a best friend maybe the boy would see things simply too. Maybe he would be open to accepting comfort from a stranger.

As Kurt approached a large metal door he hesitated. What if the rest of the center was alarmed or something? Santana would kill him if they got thrown out before the contract was signed. With his hand hovering over the doorknob for a few moments he finally made his decision. Grasping the knob resolutely, he opened the door to find the boy.

As soon as the heavy door shut behind him he looked over the new atmosphere with shock. Gone were the plush Persian runners in the hall and in their place were thin industrial rugs of muted grey. The brocade wall coverings were missing and a drab, almost flesh toned paint covered the now noticeably concrete walls. Kurt was disgusted that Hunter would allow people to live here like this. He was even more repulsed when he realized the extent the center went to cover up this deplorable dormitory. 

When his shudders subsided Kurt realized that a peculiar noise was coming from behind a door farther down the hall. As he got closer to the room he recognized that the sound was a violin. Waves of emotion washed over him as he neared the doorway and the haunting notes filled the air. The music was some of the most beautiful and heartfelt he'd ever heard. Kurt stopped at the partially open doorway and peered in. He thought for a moment how insanely intrusive he was being but all of those thoughts cleared his mind when he saw who the musician was.

Blaine was standing in the center of the tiny room holding the instrument reverently as he played. Kurt was overwhelmed by the pain visible on the boy's face as he stroked the bow almost lovingly over the strings as if they were a lifeline. Kurt felt tears spring to his eyes he took in the sight of the shining remnants of recent tear tracks visible on the beautiful boy's sunken cheeks. When Kurt realized what song the boy was playing his breath hitched softly.

I dreamed a dream in times gone by

When hope was high

And life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung

No wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they tear your hope apart

And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side

He filled my days with endless wonder

He took my childhood in his stride

But he was gone when autumn came

As he caught the climbing melody of the music he had close his eyes because the vision and the music was too much. He wanted to join this boy in his quest for comfort and Kurt had to hold himself back from singing out with the smooth notes of longing

And still I dream he'll come to me

That we'll live the years together

But there are dreams that cannot be

And there are storms we cannot weather 

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this hell I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

At that last line, Kurt opened his eyes and couldn't help softly singing the sad ending in a show of solidarity for the mysterious boy.

The boy raised his eyes and they opened widely in shock as he saw Kurt in the doorway. The boy opened his mouth then closed it repeatedly as if he couldn't decide what to do. Finally, he just sat on his bed and broke. That was the only way to describe it. The boy seemed so overwhelmed by the emotions evoked by the song, and the day, and by being caught in a moment of sadness that he collapsed into a seated position and sobbed.

Kurt couldn't watch for one moment more. Propriety and social norms be damned, he walked quickly in the room and gathered the trembling boy into his arms. The boy stiffened at first but after a few moments of shushing and soft rocking, he melted into Kurt's embrace.

'Am I dreaming?' Blaine thought to himself. The gamut of emotion that Blaine had been subject to in the last hour had been so draining that he thought he was surely asleep. Then the beautiful voice that had pulled him from his reverie transformed to a calming susurrus. The soft shushing was accompanied by a warm puff of breath in his hair and the arms that guided his body into a rocking motion were firm and strong.

"Please, please...I'm sorry" Blaine stated weakly. He had no idea what was happening. Why was this man down in his room and why wasn't Hunter there yelling at them both? Blaine worried that Hunter would come any minute to kick the man out and Brittany would never get to marry her wife and it would be all his fault. But just the man's arms were so inviting and comforting...Blaine couldn't bring himself to pull away. 

Then he noticed that his hands were still gripping the bow and neck of his violin. He sat up to place the instrument on the end of the bed but the stranger noticed quickly what was needed. Blaine felt the secure arms leave him and whimpered at the loss.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll be right back." an angelic voice whispered.

Blaine felt so comforted at that whispered promise and let go easily as the instrument was gently separated from his fingers and placed back on the stand. The stranger came back after the task was completed and pulled Blaine back into his arms. A firm hand began running gentle circles on his back in a way that Blaine had never felt before.

"I'm sorry that I just barged in here but I needed to see if you were okay. Then when I saw you play... well you just broke my heart. I'm sorry if you think I'm crazy but I can't see you cry." the soothing timbre of the mans voice washed over Blaine as he melted further into the strangers embrace.

When Blaine was a child and didn't want to wake up for school, he would often count to ten in his half-sleep state just to keep himself barely conscious enough to not fall fully back to sleep but still get those last few moments of warmth before waking. Even though there was no school and he was physically awake, Blaine found himself using this same trick just to hold on for just a little longer before leaving the comfort of the man's arms.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine........ten.

"Y-you aren't supposed to be here." Blaine whispered into the mans shoulder.

The man stiffened slightly as if he just realized the absurdity of the situation. As Blaine felt those strong arms unravel from his body, he regretted his last statement immensely. As the warmth and comfort ebbed away slowly but surely, the will to even hold himself up emptied from Blaine's body.

'This is how it should be' Blaine thought. 'I don't deserve anything from this man.'

Blaine kept his eyes downcast toward the threadbare bedspread as he struggled against the force of sadness that now seemed multiplied by the loss of the stranger's strength. He felt the bed shift as the man stood and backed toward the doorway. Blaine glanced up for a moment to get one last look at his angel and noticed the man looked embarrassed.

"Um, so I guess I'll just go..." was the soft departing statement that met Blaine's ears before the click of the door closing signaled the mans departure.

Blaine laid down on his bed then and turned his face toward his pillow. He briefly thought of getting his violin but he knew that even that wouldn't comfort him now. Finally, exhausted by everything, he fell into a fitful sleep.

Kurt closed the dorm room door and began to walk back to the meeting room hurriedly. As soon as he passed through the heavy metal door and arrived in the place he knew he was allowed to be, he couldn't help but stop for a minute to think about what had just happened. Kurt leaned against the hallway wall to collect himself.

He rubbed his hands intently over his face for a moment. Kurt could not believe what he had just done. He didn't regret it really. He knew in his heart that there was no way he could have walked away from that situation without offering comfort to the boy, but who cuddles a complete stranger? Before words were even spoken between them, Kurt blanched to think of how he had just run in there and took the sweet boy in his arms. Could he seem any crazier? But the action felt so right. The boy in his arms made him feel like he had come home...like he was complete. Kurt shivered with the memory of the overwhelming feeling of love that flowed through his body with the action. Love? How could he feel love for someone he never even properly met?

With that though echoing in his mind, he pulled his body away from the wall and continued down the hallway and entered the meeting room once again. When he arrived into he room, he looked up to see Santana sweetly kissing her intended bride as she said her goodbye. Kurt realized that love really looked good on his friend. He was so happy for her.

Santana glanced up and noticed Kurt back in the room.

"Hey Hummel, have a nice walk?" she looked into his eyes questionably.

"Yeah, you know...the center is definitely interesting to say the least." he answered with a subtle shake of his head. He knew she would get his silent plea to talk later.

Never one to disappoint him, Santana nodded slightly and began to make plans for a get together the next day with Brittany.

"Can I take you out to dinner or maybe we can just hang out at the hotel for a while. Wait- not like that!" Santana smiled at Brittany's shocked eyes. "I just want to get to know you. The hotel has a lovely restaurant and even a library. We could snuggle up by the fireplace. What do you say sweetie?" 

"I don't know if I can. I'm really not allowed to leave the center without a chaperone before I'm married." Brittany looked excited but hesitant.

"Why don't you bring Blaine? Can't he chaperone?"  Santana asked.

"I don't know..." Brittany trailed of as the door to the meeting room opened.

Hunter strode into the room and his eyes lit up when they settled on the cozy view of the girls before him.

"How is everything going?" he asked.

Kurt earlier desire to slap this man came back full force.

"Everything is going well Mr. Clarington, we are just trying to make plans for tomorrow and Brittany informed me that she needs a chaperone to leave the center. I suggested her friend Blaine to act as chaperone."

Kurt saw Hunter's eyes darken with the mention of the boy's name. Why did Santana even bring up him up? It was obvious that Hunter wanted them to pretend he didn't even exist. What would this mean for Blaine and Brittany? Kurt noticed as Hunter turned a hard glare toward Brittany for a moment before he seemed to gather himself and plaster on his fake smile again.

"No, I'm sorry, Ms. Lopez. Blaine is an employee here and not suitable for chaperoning. Perhaps I can come up with someone else." he hedged.

"Well, I think Brittany would feel more comfortable with me if her friend were there. You know how shy she is." Santana gave Hunter a demure smile and it was then that Kurt realized her game. God! She was good. This was all Kurt could think as his friend continued. "I would absolutely be willing to pay any chaperone fees associated with letting Blaine come if you want to work out some terms with me."

At this statement Kurt saw a calculating look come over Hunter's face as his smile brightened even more.

"I'm sure we can arrange something, Ms. Lopez, if you wouldn't mind following me to my office."