Kurt Hummel could not shake the nerves that were causing small trembles to erupt all over his body. But this had nothing to do with the fact the was making his Broadway debut that night in his all time favorite musical, with his best friend Rachel Berry playing the female lead. It was everything the two of them had ever dreamed of and more. But while Rachel was extremely excited, Kurt couldn't help but feel like something was off that night. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that something was about to go very very wrong. It scared him cold and though he felt like he probably should say something, he kept his mouth shut. Who would believe him? Not even Rachel would. She'd chalk it up to pre-performance jitters and shrug it off.

Even so, Kurt could not help the feeling of dread that washed over him as he stepped out of the dressing room in the first of his many Fiyero costumes. He breathed in a heavy sigh, noticing something was definitely not right as he inhaled deeply. Was that smoke he was smelling?

Deciding that he was just overreacting and letting his imagination run wild, Kurt shrugged it off and hurried to the wings to take his place for his first cue.

As the performance dwindled on and he and Rachel both delivered flawlessly, Kurt decided that he'd been silly about that feeling in his stomach. Perhaps Rachel would have been right. About chalking it up to pre-performance jitters that was. But as they neared the intermission, these thoughts were turned upside down.

It started with the smallest of sparks. Kurt could just notice it out of the corner of his eye. Frayed wire running across the top of the theater. It had sparked. And that was all it took for disaster. One little spark.

The spark grew larger and the stench filled Kurt's nostrils as he danced around on the stage. He tried to ignore it while at the same time, look up at that frayed wire without anyone noticing that he was somewhat only half focused on what he was doing. Rachel didn't seem to notice anything. She was playing her best Elphaba from across the stage.

When Kurt heard the crackle, he couldn't pretend to ignore it anymore. His head made the obvious tilt that told the audience and his co-stars that he was looking up at something. A small fire had erupted from the spark in the wire. It was now blazing a bright orange. Kurt's mouth dropped open.

By now, more of the actors on stage had caught whiff that something was very wrong. Performance halted as several characters began sniffing and widening their eyes in surprise. Kurt couldn't tear his eyes from the electrical fire which to his great horror was beginning to spread and spread rapidly. In a matter of seconds it had engulfed a massive length of the wire. Smoke was starting to billow down onto the stage.

Rachel had stopped mid-sentence in her song, being overcome by a cloud of smoke and that was when Kurt realized his friend was positioned right beneath the thickest of the fire, which was still growing rapidly. He found his voice and his mobility again as his friend started to choke, spluttering over the black smoke.

"Rachel!" Kurt cried out, throwing his arm across his face in an attempt to block the smoke from getting to his own lungs. He ran forward just as the girl collapsed to the stage, still choking. Just as he was approaching her, he heard her croak out a few words.

"Kurt, get...cough...out!" she choked, coughing between the words.

"No! I won't leave you!" By this time, the fire had worked its way over to a stage curtain and was now billowing its way down. Smoke was growing rapidly onstage and starting to seep out into the audience. Screams met his ears as people hastily began getting up and trying to make their way for the exits. Stagehands we're doing what they could to attempt to subdue the fire but to no avail. It was growing at an alarming rate and had nearly reached the stage. Actors were running off, following the crowd to the exits. And still Kurt wouldn't budge.

Rachel forced herself to look up at him. She grasped the front of the vest he was wearing and stared him right in the eyes.

"Kurt Hummel, you will get yourself out of here," she managed to croak, forcing the coughs to linger in the back of her throat. "Or so help me God, I will haunt you for the rest of your days!"

Kurt's eyes went wide. The crackling of the fire grew louder and he realized it had reached the stage and was already near to engulfing half of it. If he didn't run now, he would be hard pressed to get out of there alive. But Rachel...he couldn't just leave her! What would Finn do?

It seemed he didn't have a choice. Rachel was already losing strength and she was fighting to stay conscious. Kurt wanted to help her but she shoved him with the last ounce of strength she had. "Go!" she croaked before collapsing altogether. Kurt hardly had time to worry for her as he ran from the building.

Outside, people gathered watching the theater start to go up in flames. Mouths were dropped open, Kurt was starting to choke, noting that he hadn't evaded smoke fumes altogether. Paramedics and the fire department had showed up. Kurt didn't know who had called them but he was thankful for it. His face was ash stricken, but the tears that automatically had begun to fall cut clean tracks in the black. He sniffled.

"Kurt!" He turned his head to see Finn and their parents running toward him.

"Oh thank God!" Carole Hudson-Hummel shouted as she engulfed her stepson in a tight hug. Kurt caught his father's eye and didn't miss the relief in his face. Finn was glancing around frantically.

"Where's Rachel?" he asked. Kurt's heart sank and he looked back toward the burning theater. Before he could elaborate, a hand had gripped his arm and he coughed and sputtered his way to the back of the ambulance he was being lead to.

Whoever had gripped his arm helped him sit on the tailgate of the ambulance and pulled an oxygen mask down over his face. Kurt could feel the flow of the fresh oxygen attempting to help clear his lungs.

"Easy there. Deep breaths," said a voice. Kurt froze.

Slowly, he raised his eyes up the paramedic's body and found his glasz meeting familiar hazel set under triangular eyebrows and a mass of curly hair that was for once, let loose and free.

"Blaine..." he whispered into the mask. Kurt could feel a wave of emotions, good and bad, wash over him as he stared up at the paramedic, who seemed to be going through the same thing. Apparently, he hadn't realized whose arm he had gripped. But that wasn't the point.

Years ago, back in high school, when Kurt was just months from graduating, Blaine Anderson, his boyfriend of over a year had just up and disappeared without a word. Kurt had panicked, thinking the boy had been kidnapped. His first instinct had been to go to Blaine's house and see what his parents knew. But when he got there, it was empty. The Anderson family was gone. It was like they had just packed and up and left. However, Kurt had found a note sticking underneath the door. It was from Blaine.

My Dearest Kurt,

Please know that I love you with all my heart and soul. I couldn't go without you knowing at least something. I knew you'd come here looking for me, so I left the note without my father knowing. The truth is Kurt, he doesn't like the fact that I'm gay. He thinks that you've only enforced it in me even more. He got fed up and blew his top. He declared we were moving and I wasn't to tell anyone, especially not you. You are to be a forbidden topic in my life and according to him, if I ever try dating another boy again, I will be thrown from the Anderson household without question. He's arranged a marriage for me. I have to go through with it if I hope to have any of the Anderson fortune. I don't want that money. I just want you. My mother did nothing as usual. I'm so sorry Kurt, for everything. I love you. Good-bye.

My Heart Is Yours Always My Teenage Dream,

Blaine

Even now, so many years later, Kurt still had that letter. Blaine's father had forced him out of his life. Blaine's father had caused them both heartache and misery. But the worst part was, Blaine was probably married now, with a wife and maybe kids. Almost instantly, Kurt's eyes flew to Blaine's hand, expecting to see a wedding band on his finger. There was nothing.

His eyes traveled back up to Blaine's and he found him just staring longingly back at him.

"You're not married?" Kurt asked breathlessly, pulling the oxygen mask from the front of his face and allowing it to rest atop his head. Blaine looked around, shook his head, and sat down beside him on the tail of the ambulance. Kurt could feel the warmth of his body radiating off of him as he sat down and he shuddered.

"No," Blaine said, voice just as breathless. "I...I'm not an Anderson anymore Kurt." Kurt stared at him wide-eyed, wondering what had happened. He opened his mouth to ask when the commotion of firefighters pouring out of the building with body bags caught both their attention.

Kurt glanced to Blaine with shock, tore the oxygen mask off his head, and took off running.

"Kurt!" The pale man glanced back.

"Rachel," was all he said in explanation and he kept running.

Some time later, Kurt found himself sitting alone in a hospital waiting room. Finn was somewhere outside throwing things and going off. Burt and Carole had gone to try and calm him down. Rachel's dads were speaking with hospital staff about what to do.

She was gone. Rachel was gone. The fire had taken her life and she hadn't even had the chance to finish one performance as Elphaba.

Kurt sat there staring at the ground. His mind was turning over and over and he couldn't help but feel guilty. Someone had contacted his other best friend Mercedes Jones and she was probably on a flight out to New York at that very moment. But Kurt didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that Rachel was gone and it was his fault. If he had gotten her out of there like he'd wanted to, she might have had a fighting chance.

"Hey," said a voice. Kurt turned his eyes up to see Blaine drop into the seat beside him. The shorter man put a hand on Kurt's back and the latter shivered slightly. "I'm sorry about Rachel Kurt," Blaine whispered in a sympathetic voice. Kurt merely swallowed and nodded, sniffing. Tear tracks marred his ashen face and he still didn't care that he was covered in ash.

In fact, Kurt Hummel did not really care about much of anything anymore. His best friend had just died and it was all his fault. Life as he knew it would be turned upside down and suddenly, Kurt didn't want to live anymore.

That thought made him break and without thinking, he buried his face in Blaine's shoulder and collapsed into loud sobs.