Kurt was bleeding. No, Kurt was literally lying in a pool of blood. His white shirt was soaked crimson, and his pale skin looked deadly translucent.

“KURT!” shouted Blaine.

He dropped on his knees next to him and took Kurt’s hand, the coldness of his boyfriend’s skin shocking him. Blaine heard Rachel’s gasp of shock and Quinn’s choked sob, but they didn’t do anything.

“Do something!” screamed Blaine, “Call an ambulance!”
Rachel fumbled with her cell phone and then with shaking hands dialed 911, while Quinn took out her phone as well and dialed Santana’s number. Kurt’s breathing got even shallower, and as he turned to look into Blaine’s eyes, Blaine felt a single tear drop slide down his cheek.

“Blaine…” whispered Kurt.

“Don’t leave me Kurt,” he whispered back, clutching his boyfriend’s hand as more tears slid down his cheeks.

“My friend is hurt! Please send an ambulance! We’re behind the gym at McKinley High, just please come quick! He’s so pale, and he lost a lot of blood already. NO I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, JUST SEND AN AMBULANCE!”

“Santana, tell Mr. Schuester to come. Kurt, he’s been hurt. Tell Finn too, but don’t bring Brittany. Just, just tell him to come. And tell Mike to bring his car around, so we can follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

“Are you coming now? Why is the ambulance not here yet?!”

“Yes Santana, it’s that bad.”
Blaine heard Rachel freaking out, and Quinn’s eerily calm response to the situation, but he didn’t care. He was watching Kurt slip away from him, a broken angel whose wings were on the verge of giving away.

[[Los Angeles; Blaine’s Apartment; March 2015; Present Day]]

Blaine woke up screaming.

It’s okay, he thought to himself, Kurt’s alright. He’s fine, he’s somewhere in New York, he’s fine. That was a long time ago.

He pulled himself out of bed and padded into the restroom of his apartment, splashing water on his face in a desperate attempt to erase the images in his mind.
Blaine still remembered that day, and both he and Kurt had suffered from nightmares for weeks after the attack. But he hadn’t had a nightmare like that in over a year, so why were they coming back now? Blaine sighed and walked back into his room to look at his alarm clock. It read 3:48am, and Blaine didn’t have to be at the studio until nine at least. He lay on his bed again and tried to go back to sleep, but it seemed hopeless. Finally, just a little after five, Blaine drifted off again.

[[Flashback; Lima; Sacred Heart Cemetery; December 2013]]

Kurt stopped in front of a white marble tombstone and clutched Blaine’s hand a little tighter. “This is her.”
Blaine swallowed and read the inscription on the grave.

-Elizabeth Hummel.
Beloved wife and mother.
The angels will sing upon your entrance to heaven.-

“I kind of talk to her,” said Kurt shyly, sitting down next to his mom, “and um yeah I think I’m gonna do that now.”

“Of course,” smiled Blaine, sitting beside him at once.
“Don’t let me bother you. Ignore me if you want to, or I could go wait in the car?”

“No,” said Kurt quickly, reaching for Blaine’s hand and lacing their fingers together, “I want to introduce you to her.”

“Oh,” said Blaine, clearly touched.

“Yeah,” replied Kurt, “Here I go. Okay um, hey mom. Today’s the 23rd of December, and I just wanted to come say hi to you. I’m back in Lima for Christmas, but New York is incredible. It’s everything I’d ever dreamed of and more, but mostly it’s amazing because I’m sharing my life with someone I love. Sorry I hadn’t brought him along before, but here he is now. His name’s Blaine mom, the one I told you so much about, and he’s my boyfriend.”

Blaine smiled softly and said, “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Hummel,”

Kurt’s eyes watered when he heard his boyfriend smoothly incorporating himself into the conversation, and chocking back a sob he said quietly, “I love him, Mom. I know I told you that two years ago, but now I know it for sure.”

“I think we have a future together,” added Blaine, “and I just want to tell you that you have a wonderful son. “

Kurt couldn’t hold it in anymore, and as he talked his tears started falling. “Thanks Mom, for everything. Somehow, I know you sent Blaine to me, so thank you.”

Blaine scooted closer to his boyfriend and pulled him into his chest, holding the younger boy as he sobbed. “It’s okay,” he murmured, rubbing circles on Kurt’s back over his coat, “she’s so proud of you. Proud because you’re chasing your dreams of being a fashion designer, and that the college has already singled you out as one of the most promising students.”

“I know,” whispered Kurt, “I just wish she was here. I barely remember her sometimes, and it scares me. I wish she was here to tell me she’s proud of me, but mostly I wish she could meet you. She would like you, I’m sure of it. She’d probably make you call her Elizabeth though.”

The last part put a slight smile on both boys’ faces, and as they stood they faced the grave one last time. “I’ll always come back to visit you Mom, even if I’m far away.” And with that, Kurt placed a single lily beside the tombstone and stepped back.

“Don’t worry Elizabeth,” said Blaine, “I’ll take care of Kurt. I promise.” They smiled wider, both of them, and then with one last look, they walked away.

[[Los Angeles; Blaine’s Apartment; March 2015; Present Day]]

Blaine woke up with a sad smile on his face this time.
The alarm clock read 8:00am, so he got up and took a shower. Then, as he was getting dressed, he thought about his life. He’d turned twenty-one last month, and he was now in the process of recording his debut EP. After the breakup with Kurt he’d gotten his own apartment in the city, but after that semester was over he’d transferred to a college on the other side of the country. However, shortly after the semester had started, he got lucky. Armed with his guitar he walked into a coffee shop, and soon he had permission to play.

So Blaine sat on a stool and belted out Thunder by BoysLikeGirls, unaware that he was being watched by Adrian Hawk. Adrian was in the music industry, and he was also very impressed by Blaine. So the next thing you know, Blaine was being told that if his EP was successful, Black Cherry Records would give him a record deal. There had started the long days of writing and recording music, along with juggling his college classes. Finally, at the start of this semester, Adrian had convinced him to take all his classes online and focus on recording his tracks.

Blaine liked his life. He really did, but after the break up with Kurt he’d felt like a part of him had stayed in New York. Even when he’d been with Chris, something had never felt quite right. Blaine sighed. Chris. He’d been Blaine’s green eyed attempt to move on.

Had it worked? No.

Why?

Blaine had thought long and hard about that, and he thought it over once more as he ate an apple for breakfast and gathered his stuff together. He knew why, and he was finally ready to admit it.

It hadn’t worked because Chris wasn’t Kurt.

Blaine left his building and got into a cab, but doing this while in a sort of trace.

Kurt.

He really needed Kurt.

It had been almost nine months since he’d last seen his high school sweetheart, and he just couldn’t ignore the hole in his heart anymore.

He had to find Kurt, and he had to get him back.

As Blaine stepped into the Black Cherry Records building he was met by Adrian, who immediately pulled him into an elevator and started talking about his schedule.

“Blaine I know you’re a perfectionist, so if you want to record Staircase again we have time don’t worry about that. We decided on six tracks right? And you want Staircase on there but also Broken Angel, not sure how that’s gonna work but don’t worry I will try really hard to get both and um I’m thinking we can line you up for a couple performances next month since your EP is one baby step away from being done and then- BLAINE ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!” Adrian Hawk was glaring at a chuckling Blaine, and it was clear he was not amused at Blaine’s distracted attitude.

“Sorry,” mumbled Blaine, hiding a smile, “It all sounds good though. But there is something I have to talk to you about.”

Adrian glanced up from his Blackberry and said, “The cover art we’ll decide today. Like I said, DON’T WORRY. I have all of this perfectly under control. Really Blaine, you underestimate me.”

“No Adrian,” sighed Blaine, “it’s not about that.”

“Then?” shot back Adrian, not looking up from his phone this time.

“I have to go to New York.” There, he’d said it.

“Aaand you have to go why?”

Blaine sighed again and said,
“I have to get my heart back.”