Kate Anderson was about to go to bed when a loud knock stopped her. She frowned confused and went to the door, looking through the peephole. She yanked the door open to find her son standing in front of her. His tie was undone and hanging around his neck. He had his hands on his pockets and his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Blaine! Honey, what's wrong? What happened? Did you –"

Blaine lifted his face and met his mother's eyes. She gasped at the tear-filled honey eyes she loved so much and the way his face was distorting as he let those tears fall down his face. Her heart broke at the sight and she immediately pulled him inside, wrapping her arms around him gently.

She led him to the couch where they both sat, Blaine burying his head on his mother's neck, sobbing uncontrollably and holding her tightly. She rocked him back and forth, caressing his face, his curls, rubbing his back and whispering comforting things in his ear. Slowly, Blaine began to calm down and when she felt his sobs stop, she pulled away and grabbed his face between her hands. She gently wiped the tears away.

"What happened, sweetie?"

Blaine attempted to speak but he his voice broke and he sobbed again. Kate held him tighter and rocked him gentler, waiting for him to calm down once more, enough to tell him what had him like this, although it was pretty obvious what the cause was.

"Kurt, h-he…" he sniffed. "I b-broke up with h-him and I really – I d-didn't want to, mom. I r-really didn't want t-to and i-it hurts. It hurts…"

Kate's heart broke yet again.

"Loving s-someone shouldn't – it s-shouldn't hurt t-this much."

"Oh, honey…" Kate rubbed circles on his back. She was at a loss of what to say. She knew Kurt had some commitment issues but she didn't think they'd break up soon. Not if the way Kurt looked at her son had anything to do with it.

"What happened?" she asked him softly, noticing how Blaine's breathing was steadier. He pulled away and settled his eyes on his hands that were twisting nervously on his lap.

"H-he, um, I found –" Blaine stopped himself, thinking what he wanted her to know. "We just – we want different things."

Kate knew there was something else he wasn't telling her but she didn't push. She pressed a hand to his face.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie."

Blaine just shrugged and raised his eyes to her. He gave her a weak smile.

"C'est la vie," he whispered brokenly.

Kate pursed her lips and tried to stop her own tears from falling. She hated to see her baby boy like this, heartbroken and… tired. Because Blaine looked tired. She was about to speak when Blaine beat her.

"Can I – I mean, is it okay if I just go to sleep?"

"Of course! Come, the guest room is yours," she said getting up and leading him to his room. She hadn't wanted to put a lot of Blaine's things in it because he would be leaving for New York soon but when she opened the door, he noticed how she had hung some of the pictures he used to have in his old room. That made him smile just a little.

"I'll be here if you need me, okay?"

He nodded and hugged her.

"Thank you, mom."

He closed the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes and letting a loud sigh escape his mouth. He was so tired and sad and his eyes hurt from all the crying he'd done. He swallowed hard and started to take off his clothes.

Once he was inside the sheets he stared at the ceiling. His mind was still going through everything that had happened in the last few days. He didn't want to think about it anymore but he couldn't help it. The image of Kurt's hollow, numb eyes was there, the coldness in his voice as he showed Blaine just how different they were. He had really thought Kurt loved him throughout their months together but seeing him react like he had tonight he wasn't so sure anymore.

Before he could stop them, tears started streaming down his face again.

When he woke up, he found his mom already up and unpacking the last things on the boxes in the living room. He offered to help her and they did the task silently. When they were finished, they sat to have breakfast. It was quiet at first, only the sound of the cutlery against their dishes filling the room.

"What do you want to do today?" Kate suddenly asked him.

Blaine stared at his plate for a few seconds, toying with his fork before raising his head and meeting his mom's eyes. He shrugged.

"Um, I dunno… I just feel like moping all day, eating ice-cream and watching movies."

"Well, I think I've got some chocolate ice-cream on the fridge," Kate said getting up and grabbing their dishes. Blaine helped her.

"Do you want to invite Quinn and Santana over? Maybe call Puck or one of those nice jocks that took you under their wing after the dance?"

Blaine thought it over. "I think I'll call the girls. The jocks still freak me out a bit."

"Whatever you want, honey."

Blaine smiled.

He really had the best mom in the world.

Kurt woke up to the most horrible headache he had ever had. He groaned loudly and threw the sheets over his face, trying to hide from the blinding light coming through his window. After a minute of lying there and not getting back to sleep he groaned again and tried to get out of his bed, only to be stopped by the throbbing pain in his head. He tried again, slower this time and finally was able to sit on the edge of the bed. He noticed an empty bottle by his night-stand and pieces of glass scattered on the floor in front of him. He had apparently thrown his glass to the wall after having drunk his entire bottle of tequila.

"Shit!" he hissed as he got out of his bed, careful not to step on any pieces of glass.

He grabbed the side of his head and made his way to the fridge. Yanking it open, he took a beer out and took a big gulp out of it, eager to feel a little bit better. He saw the big, wall clock that was hanging on one of the walls and noticed it was already 3 o'clock. After he finished his beer, he went to the bathroom and took a shower. He stayed under the burning water for a while, lost in his thoughts, going over his mistakes and wishing that just once, just once, he would find the strength and the courage to make things right. Right with Finn, right with Rachel, but mostly, right with Blaine. To stop being a coward. But he didn't – he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough.

So the moment he stepped out of the shower, Kurt Hummel, asshole extraordinaire, returned. He styled his hair perfectly, did his moisturizing routine, swallowed a couple of aspirins, put on his sunglasses, got into his hottest, tightest clothes and around 6 o'clock, he got out of his apartment.

As he drove his black Porsche through the streets of Lima, he turned up the radio and focused on the music playing. On a red light, he turned to see a handsome man staring right back at him from the car next to his. He was an older man, probably in his late forties and was looking at him lustfully. Kurt remained unfazed, his black sunglasses hiding whatever expression he had on his blue eyes. The man eyed him carefully and winked at him to which Kurt replied with an arched eyebrow.

The light turned green and Kurt's attention focused on the road ahead. His mind started to wander back to a pair of hazel eyes and terrified of what those thoughts could do to him, he pushed them away roughly and pressed the accelerator, as if trying to escape his own mind. Several cars hunk at him as he passed by but he didn't care. Finally, he got to his destination.

Epsilon.

He reached the door and the guards immediately let him in, everyone in the club knew who he was and about his free access. It was not as crowded, for it was still early but there were some guys dancing lazily and a few others in the bar.

As he walked through the dance floor, his eyes settled for the small hallway that led to the bathrooms and a flashback of his confrontation with Blaine a few months ago came rushing back. The way he had spat those cruel words to the boy and have him respond just as fiercely and the way his eyes sparked with emotion and life filled his head. He shook it quickly and turned his head only to be greeted by the back door where he had gone out with Finn the night he had met Blaine.

The night he had met Blaine.

So many times he had regretted taking him home that night because of everything the boy made him feel. Others, he felt like it was a good thing to have found him standing awkwardly outside the club. Tonight, though, it was nothing more than a pain on his chest and a trigger for memories he didn't want to relive.

Blaine Anderson had become both his blessing and his curse.

He snapped out of those thoughts, angry at himself for even letting them invade his mind in the first place and he stomped to the bar where he asked for a drink. The bartender quickly obliged and he drank it all in one gulp, setting the glass down and asking for another. He did the same with that one and asked for yet another. That third one he drank slowly and turned around to see the dance floor begin to crowd. He watched the men dance and make out around him until he finally saw a guy interesting enough to catch his eye. The guy noticed the attention and smiled, giving Kurt a flirty look. He finished his drink, turned to leave the glass on the counter and made his way to the guy on the dance floor.

If going back to who he used to be was the way to get Blaine out of his head and his severely damaged heart, he was happy to do it.

"Can I break his arm?"

"No."

"Can I break his nose?"

"No."

"Can I break his anything?"

"No."

"Fine, can I castrate him?"

"What? Santana, just – n-no, no you can't."

"Well, I have to do something! I can't just sit here and see you like this and not go there and rip his head off!"

"While I think it's nice of you to care so much about me, I really don't want you break or rip anything from anyone."

"Fine," Santana crossed her arms. "But if I casually run into him in the streets, I will go all Lima Heights on him."

Blaine gave her a small smile and shook his head. Both Santana and Quinn had arrived a couple of hours ago and he had told them what had happened. He decided not to tell Santana about the cheating part. He had just told her they had broken up because they weren't compatible. So far, the only person that really knew everything that had led to his breaking up with Kurt was Quinn.

They had been watching the Die Hard movies, since Quinn had told him the best thing after a break up was to watch action movies with little to none romantic scenes. So far it had been good and Blaine was feeling slightly better. After they finished watching the second and he stood up to get the third one on the DVD, though, the round of questions began again.

"What are you going to do about your clothes and stuff?" Quinn had asked him.

Blaine sighed.

"I'm going to go to his house while he's at work during the week and get my things. And I'm also thinking of quitting my job at the dinner."

"What? B-but –"

"I just think it'd be weird to continue to work there. I mean, the owners are Kurt's dad and stepmom. If I stay they'll feel like they have to choose between Kurt and I and I'm not making them do that. And as much as I love them both, I just don't think I could handle any more awkwardness right now. Or ever, for that matter. Besides, I'm leaving in a couple of months."

After he got the movie in, he returned to his place in the couch.

"By the way, you and your mom wanted to go there early, didn't you?" Quinn asked him.

"Yeah, my mom wants us to go to New York soon to check out where I'll be staying and know my way around the city. She's paranoid about me getting lost or assaulted or whatever. And I know she's having a hard time dealing with me leaving so I figured we could use this trip as a mother-son bonding experience."

"Not that you two need any "bonding time", I have never seen a guy and his mom get along as well as you two do," Santana commented.

"Yeah, well, I'm lucky like that," Blaine shrugged.

"When are you going?"

"Two weeks from now, when spring break starts."

"Are you excited?" Quinn nudged him on the ribs.

He smiled down at her. "Yeah, are you?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what college life is like!"

Santana looked at her two friends fondly.

"You two better stay in touch and come back here as much as you can, you hear me?" she threatened them.

She had been accepted into Ohio State, which meant they would all go to different places. It was a subject they didn't want to go through, since it was too painful to think of not seeing each other every day but now that graduation was drawing closer, they had started to think of plans and ways to be in touch constantly.

"Of course, and we'll Skype all the time, right Quinnie?"

"You bet we will," Quinn smiled.

Santana's own smiled widened.

"Awww, let's have a group hug!"

They all laughed and continued their Die Hard marathon.

Luckily for Blaine, his mom had kept some of his clothes with her ever since she had left his dad so he did have something to wear when the week started and Blaine had to go back to school. He decided to go to Kurt's for everything once classes were over, since he knew there was absolutely no way Kurt would be home at that hour.

Things at school went by as usual but Blaine's heart skipped a beat when his last class ended. He felt incredibly nervous about going to that apartment he had called home for several months now. He knew it would hurt to go there but it was something he needed to do so when he got out of school, he drove his mom's car to Kurt's apartment, parked right in front of the entrance, took a deep breath and went inside the building with the bags on his hand.

When he was inside the apartment, his heart sank just a bit at the sight. He sighed again and immediately started looking for his things. He got all of his sketchbooks and drawing and painting materials first and took a nostalgic look at the easel on the corner. He shook the feeling off and went to the bedroom. Flashes of their nights spent in that bed came back to him and he had to close his eyes for a moment to steady himself. He needed to do this. He opened his eyes and went to the drawers, getting his stuff out.

On the night-stand, Blaine noticed some bottles and frowned. For his own mental sanity, he ignored them and focused on getting all his clothes out. Once everything was packed and he was standing by the door, he took one last look to the place and left.

His next stop was going to be even more difficult than the last one; Blaine could feel it.

When he stepped into the familiar dinner, the smell of food and the muffled sound of voices made his heart ache. This diner now held a special place in his heart and he didn't want to say goodbye. But then again, he hadn't wanted to say goodbye to a lot of things he ended up letting go. This was just another one to add to that pile.

Carole was busy taking orders and Blaine was surprised to find that Burt was there too, helping her out.

Great.

This would now be twice as hard as he had originally thought.

The first one to notice him standing there, unsure of what to do, was Carole.

"Blaine! Hi, sweetie!" there was a hint of surprise in her voice as she spoke.

He knew why; today was his day off. He tried to give her the best, most normal smile he could and went to hug her. Burt saw them interact and joined them.

"Hey, buddy. What's up?"

Blaine's weak smile faded. "I, uh, I want to talk to you guys."

Both shared a quizzical look and nodded, gesturing him to an empty booth. He went there and sat down, them sitting in front of him. They looked at him, waiting for him to start talking so Blaine took a deep breath and placed his arms on the table.

"I-I… God, this is difficult. I want to – I mean, I need to quit my job here."

Carole's eyes widened and Burt frowned.

"But why?" Carole asked, completely baffled.

"I, well, you see, Kurt and I, we – we sort of broke up and it's just… I-I really don't want to make thinks uncomfortable for you guys or –"

"Wait. You and Kurt broke up?" Burt said with a flat tone. His face revealed nothing. It was unnerving.

"Y-yeah," Blaine cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah, we did."

"Why?"

"We just… We didn't agree on certain things and we decided it was better to… end everything."

Carole sighed but Burt frowned even deeper and he gave Blaine this unreadable look. He got nervous under the man's stare and he was certain Burt knew there was more to it than Blaine was letting them know. Fortunately, he said nothing. Blaine lowered his head just to stop having to look into Burt's eyes that seemed to see right through him.

"Listen, kid, I'm really sorry things didn't work out with Kurt but you're crazy if you think we're letting you go that easily."

Blaine's head shot upwards.

"You are part of this family now Blaine, you and your family. Whatever happened between you and my son is not going to change that. So, I'm sorry, but I can't accept your little resigning speech."

Blaine's wide eyes were fixed on Burt, who gave him a warm smile. Carole, sitting next to him, gave a small, approving nod.

"You got that?" Burt asked him.

Blaine suddenly felt like crying but he was tired of the tears so he just bit his lip and nodded.

"Good. Now, come help us take orders. It's a busy day today."

"Yes, sir." Blaine answered smiling.

Kurt came home extremely late that night, after calling in sick at work and spending his entire day fucking the cute guy he had met at Epsilon. He got his coat off like he usually did and turned on the lights. As he was leaving it on the couch and he lifted his head, he caught sight of Blaine's little artistic corner and noticed that the sketchbooks, pencils and brushes were gone. His lips parted in surprise and he stopped breathing.

Feeling his heart on his throat, he went to his bedroom and yanked the drawers open, finding nothing in them. He ran a hand through his hair desperately and bit his lip hard. His arm fell heavily on his side and he let himself drop on the bed.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself as he placed an arm over his face.

"He really is gone."

Finn and Rachel came back from their honeymoon a week after their wedding. A big welcome party was organized at their usual place; the diner. Blaine was invited, obviously, but didn't want to go because he was certain Kurt would be there. Burt had noticed his discomfort when Carole had asked him to come.

"Don't sweat it, kid. Kurt's been busy and he can't make it. Or at least, that's what he keeps saying." Burt muttered that last part to himself but Blaine was able to hear him.

His heart sank at the endless possibilities that could keep Kurt "busy" but decided to let it go. It was none of his business anymore.

Everyone was gathered in the dinner when Finn and Rachel appeared, their bags in hand since they had grabbed a cab from the airport straight to the dinner. Carole and Kate had hung a sign that read "Welcome Home, Newlyweds!" in fancy handwriting, with some doodles at the edges Blaine had done. Everyone cheered and ushered the married couple inside while taking turns hugging them and asking them about their trip.

Rachel immediately started telling them all about their hotel and the beach and every place they had been too and even how she had sung at one of the dinner shows at the hotel's restaurant.

"You know my wife, she can never go too long without being on the spotlight," Finn had teased. The look on his face and the way he said the word 'wife' was enough to let everyone see how in love he was and how proud he was to have her.

After the original excitement had subsided, they all got into small groups, chatting along. Blaine was sitting on a booth with Puck and his dad when he saw Finn shaking hands and a one-shoulder hug with Burt. They were close enough for Blaine to hear what they were saying.

"Nice to have you back, bud. Kurt couldn't come but I bet he's happy you're back."

"I wouldn't count on that," Finn said, his smile fading.

"What? Why?"

Blaine tried to appear too busy looking at his phone but his ears were listening intently to the conversation.

"We got into a fight before I left. He came to see me and was all over me because of –" he stopped talking and Blaine was dying to turn around and see why but that would give him away so he continued to stare at his phone.

"But why?" Burt sounded just as confused as Blaine felt.

"Because he thinks it's my fault. He was just being an asshole, uh, no offense. I'll tell you about it later."

"Damn it, Kurt," Burt hissed and the conversation was over, because at that moment, Carole asked Burt to help her get the food out of the kitchen.

Blaine didn't understand anything. Kurt and Finn were not talking to each other? They had fought before Finn left? But when? He was sure everything was fine when he and Kurt had said goodbye to them at the wedding. And after that Finn and Rachel had left to Hawaii. Could it be it had something to do with him? But what could that be that Finn had to be involved?

Too many questions filled his head and nothing made sense. He didn't want to think about this whole deal anymore. He was glad his mom and he would be leaving for New York soon for their reconnaissance tour.

He could use a break.

Burt needed to have a talk with his son. Ever since he had learned of his fight with Finn and what had prompted it, he knew things could not go on like this. They had reached a boiling point.

The problem was, he couldn't get a hold of Kurt. The kid had been sneaky, making excuses not to see any of them, not even setting a foot in the diner. Burt knew why; Kurt didn't want to run into Blaine. That was why Burt had waited until Blaine had left for New York with Kate to get Kurt to see him.

He got home from the workshop and got a text from Harold, Blaine's dad. After the friction at the beginning and the apologizing that followed, the two men had come to amiable terms and were now friends. He had text Burt to let him know that Blaine and Kate had already boarded the plane. This was perfect. He could now force Kurt to see him and his son couldn't refuse anymore; Blaine was not around.

He made the call and waited for Kurt to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, kiddo."

"Oh hi, Dad. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I need to talk to you, think you can come over?"

"I don't think I can today…"

"Kurt, Blaine's not even in Ohio right now so no excuses," he heard a sharp breath come from the other end. Kurt probably didn't know that Blaine had gone to New York with his mom. "I need you to come here now because I really need to talk to you."

Burt usually didn't use his 'dad tone'. He really didn't have to. Kurt had always been a good kid even with everything that had happened to him. Finn was a mess sometimes but he didn't get in trouble either. He could count the times he had used that tone with one hand, this moment being one of them.

Kurt noticed and was silent for a few seconds.

"Fine, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

He hung up and Burt sighed. He had a feeling this would not go well.

Kurt got there half an hour after their talk. The doorbell rang and Burt went to get it. He was greeted with a thinner, more tired looking version of his son. He had bags under his eyes and he smelled of cheap alcohol and cigarettes. Burt knew Kurt didn't smoke so the smell probably came from spending time partying around with people who did.

Yes, this was definitely not going to go well.

"What's the big thing you had to talk to me about?" Kurt said as he entered the house.

"I think you know, son."

Kurt sighed and ran a hand through his head, a gesture that surprised Burt. Kurt never let anything mess up his hairdo.

"If this is about Blaine," he said turning to the door. "I'm not hearing it –"

"Turn around and sit, Kurt," Burt said, his voice harsher than he had intended.

Kurt stood with his back to his dad before sighing and sitting on the couch. Burt followed.

"I need you to talk to me. What's going on? First I hear you broke up with Blaine and then I find out you and Finn are not talking to each other? What the hell happened?"

"Whatever I do with my life is my business only. And whatever happened between Finn and I was between us. I can't believe he went and ratted me out."

"Hey, there's no need to use that tone with me. And he didn't rat you out. But, kid, I just don't get what's happening. You and Blaine were doing good, why did you decide to just –"

"Oh, I didn't decide anything. It was all his idea." There was a hint of bitterness to Kurt's tone and that made Burt's face soften.

His boy was heartbroken.

"But why –"

"It's better that way, though," Kurt interrupted him. "I was getting tired of him anyway."

"Oh, Kurt stop lying to yourself. Can't you see what this attitude is doing to you? You don't need to act like this anymore."

"Why do people assume I'm 'acting'?" Kurt suddenly yelled. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that this –" he gestured to himself. "This is who I am! The stupid, na�ve little boy you all miss is gone! Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because we all know this not the real you!" Burt yelled back.

"What the hell do you know? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because we love you!" Burt felt his heart beginning to race in his chest.

Kurt scoffed.

"Oh, okay. Go ahead. Laugh at this. Tell me how stupid I am for loving my own son. Tell me how wrong I am for believing you can change."

"What if I don't want to change? Huh? What if I like who I am?"

"I don't think you do. And I think you're angry right now because you're hurt. Because you love Blaine and you hate that he's gone."

Kurt huffed and turned his face away.

"You don't need to do this anymore, Kurt."

"Well, it's really none of your business, is it?" Kurt spat and got up, turning his back on his father.

Burt stood up as well, feeling his blood boil in his veins at the anger and frustration he felt. His heart thumped even faster in his chest and his hand shot to it as he tried to steady his breathing. He let his hand fall to his side.

"Damn it, Kurt! What's it going to take for you to see the light?"

Kurt turned around.

"Certainly not all of you pestering me around."

And with that he whirled around, walked to the door.

"Kurt! You come back here!"

"Kurt?" Burt heard Carole in the entrance as well as the sound of an engine and wheels leaving the front porch.

He felt a pang on his chest and his hand immediately grabbed his left side as short, shallow breaths came out of his mouth. He started to go dizzy and he fell down.

The last thing he remembered was Carole running towards him and screaming as blackness surrounded him.