“Would you mind if I check my mail? Just to make sure I don�t miss anything important and maybe Finn has sent me the list sooner.”

Blaine led Kurt into his workroom and opened the laptop to type in his password. Kurt�s eyes widened as he recognised that Blaine�s icon still was a picture they had taken together. It had been their first trip to New York, only the two of them after Kurt�s senior year.
After walking through the city in the evening, they had ended on a boat driving around Ellis Island and Liberty Island. As the sun set behind them, Blaine had taken his camera, pulled Kurt near and kissed him. Both of them had giggled during their kiss and Blaine had taken a photo, that turned out to be blurry and mostly of the Statue of Liberty. Only a little bit of their hair was on the bottom of it, but they both had loved it. It had reminded them that this would be their future, New York, freedom, laughter and love.

And Blaine still had it as his icon. Kurt didn�t want to think about why, but he knew that Blaine would have been able to change it if he had wanted to.

“Take a seat and take your time. Any plans for tomorrow?” Blaine yawned loudly, but hid his mouth behind his hand – always the gentleman.

Kurt shook his head and opened the browser. He had several messages and read over some of his colleagues, mostly invitations or links to things they found funny.

There was also one from Rachel, who described her latest audition and the weekend she�d spent with Jesse.

Kurt could hear Blaine walking around his flat, opening a drawer, turning on the water, brushing his teeth.

Kurt stopped reading and eavesdropped. It sounded like it had been during their years together and the familiarity was really comforting, but hurt at the same time. He was inveigled to close his eyes and push away his memories and thoughts and simply absorb this feeling. But then he focused again and opened another message.
Kurt grew stiff.

“Blaine?”

Blaine dried his hands and furrowed his brow. Kurt sounded hysterically.

When Blaine reached his workroom, he saw Kurt staring at the screen, deathly pale.

“Kurt, what is it? Bad news? Did something happen to your Dad?”

Kurt�s hand trembled as he made a little move towards the screen that caused Blaine to step nearer and look. He drew in a sharp breath.

“Oh fuck, oh god Kurt, where is this from?”

Kurt just shook his head and Blaine realised that he wasn�t able to speak at the moment. Kurt�s eyes were glued to the screen and by now his whole body was shaking.

“Shit, Kurt. Kurt, listen, look at me!”

Blaine gripped Kurt�s shoulders and forced him to avert his eyes off the screen and look at him. His pupils were blown and he looked like a very young Kurt, like he couldn�t believe that this was happening.

With only little effort Blaine pulled him up and led him into the kitchen. He poured him a glass of water and watched Kurt drink.

“Better?”, he asked slowly and sighed as Kurt shrugged.

“Listen, stay here, okay? I�ll look at the photo and try to find out where it�s from and who took it, okay?”

Kurt shook his head and jumped up.
“No, I need to see it again. I want to look at it and tell you everything I can recognize. Please, let me help.” He looked at Blaine pleadingly and Blaine understood that Kurt simply couldn�t stand to be left behind and alone now.

When Blaine sat down and enlarged the picture attached to the e-mail, he heard Kurt taking a deep breath. When he turned around he noticed that Kurt was shaking again, not able to calm himself. So he took Kurt�s hand and tugged until Kurt sat in his lap, hiding his head in the crook of Blaine�s neck. Blaine wound an arm around Kurt�s waist and draw him as near as possible. Slowly, Kurt calmed down and seemed to relax.

It wasn�t a tender embrace or erotic at all, Kurt simply needed safety. After Kurt had stopped shaking, Blaine attracted his attention back to the photo.

It showed Kurt on the stage and frowning he recognised that he wore the things he had worn today. As he zoomed closer, Blaine noticed his own head only two or three seats in front of the place where the person with the camera must have stood.

White, hot anger welled up in Blaine and his jaw tightened. Kurt must have sensed it, because he lifted his head and looked at Blaine. Blaine noticed the traces of some tears on Kurt�s face only because he was so close.

“Blaine?”, Kurt whispered, his voice unsteady.

“He was there”, Blaine pressed through gritted teeth. “The ratfink was there today, Kurt. He stood behind me and watched you singing and took a fucking photo!”

Kurt�s hands dug into Blaine�s shirt and Blaine could feel a shiver running through Kurt�s body.
“It was the same one who called me yesterday.”

“How do you know? He didn�t tell his name and the e-mail�s addresser says P. P. Raolkoy. Doesn�t look like a real name though.”

Kurt pointed at the screen.
“Read what he wrote underneath the photo.”

Blaine read the line he hadn�t noticed until now.
“I will get you.”

Kurt nodded shakily.

“That�s the same line he said on the phone. Exactly the same. And oh my God, he was there. Blaine, he was there and no one seemed to notice him. What … what if he�s one of my colleagues, one of my friends? Oh God! That�s just... that�s... I won�t let him go through with it. I won�t. I refuse to be hunted. ”

Blaine felt Kurt straighten up, still staring at the photo.

Kurt�s fear turned into fury and he turned his head to look at Blaine.

“Promise me that we�ll get him before he gets me. We�ll bring him down, no matter the cost.”
Blaine nodded slowly, not sure what to think about Kurt�s sudden change of attitude.

Kurt�s eyes became dark and hard as he loosened his grip and stood up, still looking at Blaine.

“We�ll get him.”

It sounded like a threat and felt like a promise.

Blaine knew that their bond composed of anger and fury would be strong. Maybe even as strong as their love had been, but far more dangerous. And hotter. Hopefully, the only one burning up would be the mysterious hunter.