Author's Notes: Watching Stars Collide

The sound of Barbara's stilettos echoed in Walter's apartment, making Penny's stomach knot. She didn't know why, but she was sure she had somehow just earned 100% of unadulterated disdain from Barbara. And the two of them had only met seconds ago, so that was a new record. Penny had never caused anyone to dislike her in such short time, usually people waited until she started to talk.

"Where's Walter?" Barbara asked, looking around and taking notice of every single detail of Walter's much cleaner living room. The place seemed really different from the last time she had been there, which left her wondering about who had been the cause of such change?

"He's getting ready… w-we're going to the Charity Ball," Penny explained before Walter showed up and came to her rescue.

"Hey Barbara," Walter greeted nervously, one hand rubbing the back of his head. He looked handsome, the tuxedo fitted him well and unlike the old trench coat he used on a daily basis, it actually highlighted his broad shoulders.

Barbara didn't seem impressed though. "I guess things are going well for you in the FDCT, aren't they?" It was phrased like a question, but her words were really more of a statement. "Because from what I can recall, there's no such things as going to Charity Balls in the Homicide department, only endless overtime shifts and bad coffee…"

Walter cleaned his throat. "Things change, Barbara," he said defensively.

"I can see that," His ex-wife retorted, throwing a pointed look at Penny, who couldn't help but blush. The ginger woman felt like she was being accused of something, she just couldn't figure out what.

"And who would this lovely young girl be?" Barbara said, waving her hand towards Penny, saying the word girl with such emphasis that Penny suddenly felt 12 years old again, which partly explained why Penny mentally stuck her tongue out at Barbara, Miss My-Perfect-Cheekbones-Make-Me- Look-Deadly.

"I'm Penelope, and it's nice to meet you, Barbara." Penny tried to keep her voice steady and reached out a hand towards the older woman.

Barbara stared at Penny's hand for a few seconds before taking the federal agent's hand in hers.

"I didn't know FDTC hire their agents at such young age," Barbara pointed out, letting go of Penny.

For a second, Penny found herself speechless. She had no idea what she had ever done to that woman to make her apparently dislike her so much. They had met 5 minutes ago, and Penny hadn't been nothing but cordial towards her. Making insinuations about her capacity as a Federal Agent blasted straight past the realm of cordial and into the territory of rude.

"I'm actually twenty-four." Penny gave Barbara an overly sweet smile. "But I understand why you'd think I'm younger. I've always looked a lot younger than I actually am. But I guess that's a good thing right? When I reach 40 I'll barely look 30, and well, not everyone is that lucky." In perfect honesty, Penny didn't like it when she had to act like a bitch, but she wouldn't let anyone underestimate her.

Barbara wrinkled her nose but before she could answer, leather boots echoed through the living room.

"Mom?" Blaine raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing here?" He definitely wasn't expecting a visit from Barbara. Actually, he was planning to take Kurt out to eat something, maybe to Breadstixs. Santana had sworn that they were legally banned from stop bringing the customers breadsticks. And Blaine believed her. After all, Santana had filled a wheelbarrow breadsticks last time she went there.

"Hey Blaine." Barbara smiled. "I thought I would stop by and bring some Chinese food so that we could you know, have a family dinner… But I guess you father has other plans/"

"If you had called me, Barbara, I would have told you that I wouldn't be home tonight," Walter murmured uncomfortably. He didn't like where the conversation was going and how Barbara was subtly implying that Walter was ditching them out. "But I'm sure Blaine and Kurt will love to have dinner with you."

Barbara quirked a perfect eyebrow. "Kurt? He's still here?"

"Yes Barbara, he still lives with us, actually he and Blaine share the guest room" Walter explained.

Barbara still seemed confused. "What about his parents? He's practically becoming a permanent fixture here. Doesn't he have a home, a family?"

"No I don't." The sound of Kurt's voice caused everyone in the living room to turn around and stare at him. Blaine's stomach dropped. Kurt seemed so small, clenching a hair brush between his pale fingers. "My parents are dead, so I am staying here for a while," he explained. There was a burning in the back of his eyes, one that he did not want to dwell on.

After a prolonged moment of uncomfortable silence, Barbara spoke again. "I am sorry," she said and for a fraction of second, Penny swore there was something that resembled feelings crossing the woman's features.

"I'm Kurt's guardian now," Walter assured her. "For now on and for as long as he wants, he will be a pretty permanent fixture in my life."

Kurt smiled at Walter, fighting the urge to cross the living room and hug the older man. But he couldn't. He would ruin the tuxedo. Speaking of tuxedos…"Oh my God!" the android gasped. "What are you guys still doing here!? The Charity Ball is about to start!"

"Kurt's right, we're late already!" Penny tugged at Walter's sleeve.

"O-okay." Walter nodded, fumbling with his keys, he opened the front door. "Have a nice dinner, guys. I guess I will talk to you guys later." He waved, offering them a small smile before leaving the apartment.

"Well that wasn't awkward at all," Blaine commented, watching how his mother stood motionless, staring at the door. Already counting with more of Barbara's great insights such as questioning Kurt's stay, Blaine couldn't shake off the fact that this night was going to only get more and more uncomfortable as the hours went by.

*****************

There was a blond, middle aged woman talking to Azrael.

She was holding a glass of sparkling champagne between her long fingers and her heart-shaped lips were curved in wicked a smile.

The woman's garments weren't exactly appropriate for her age, but neither was openly flirting with a boy twenty three years younger than her while still wearing a wedding ring, so in the end, Mrs. Robson's choice of gown wasn't nearly as shocking as it should be.

She wore a strapless black gown with large jeweled embellishments on the side of the waistline and an asymmetrical pleated bodice with a high side slit that exposed her right leg. Black suited her. It matched her white polished smile and the pale skin of her full breasts, not that Azrael was looking. Actually, he was one of the few men at that ball that could say he hadn't stared the woman's voluminous breasts.

His focus was at something else entirely.

Azrael had found himself fascinated by Mrs. Robson's elegant neck. It was beautiful, lean and graceful. And he couldn't help but wonder how smooth the skin would feel under his fingertips, how salty it would taste beneath his tongue, but especially, and more importantly, how easy it would be to bruise, mark, and then slit it open so he could watch all the blood flood out of the woman's body in a matter of 5 minutes or so. Maybe 4, it really depended on where and how he cut it.

Azrael shook his head slightly.

He couldn't.

He had promised Adrian, no more killing middle aged women that resembled his dead mother. "It's too Psycho Azra, and besides, Hitchcock is definitely overrated," Adrian would have said if he was here.

The woman touched his arm. "… So please give Adrian my best wishes."

Azrael looked up. "I will, Mrs. Robson." he nodded.

Mrs. Robson winked and brushing the back of her hand on his butt, she made her way towards a small group of other obnoxious middle aged socialites. Unaffected, Azrael looked down at his watch. He couldn't quite remember how much time of this he had to endure before he could leave. He considered calling Adrian, but then a glimpse of red and blue caught his attention.

Across the room, accompanied by an older man, a stunning young ginger woman laughed. The contrast between her smooth pale skin, her red hair and the long asymmetrical blue dress she wore was just magnificent. It reminded Azrael of the myth of the goddess Aphrodite's birth, rising from the sapphire sea of Paphos.

The corners of Azrael's lips lifted slightly.

He had never made any promises about young red heads with delightful smiles.

*****************

"This is amazing," Penny whispered against Walter's shoulder. She clenched the fabric of her partner's black tuxedo between her fingers, brown eyes wide and lips slightly parted. There were just so many colors bursting before her eyes.

This year's Avalon Charity Ball had been themed as a tribute to Maria Riverance, a painter famous for her colorful abstract art. Her work consisted mostly in representations of joy and bliss and such feelings were perfectly personified by the smiling acrobats twirling around in silky sheets between holographic projections of vibrant paintings, glittering like fireworks and then being engulfed by explosions of colors. There were also at least twenty variations of colorful and faceless robots, each one serving a fancy cocktail that matched the color of their surface.

Walter tugged Penny closer, trying his best to not step on her feet as they danced. He had never felt so out of element. Part of him still couldn't believe that they were actually doing this. The whirlwind of unknown faces and painted lips made his head spin. In order to embolden himself, he had taken down two glasses of champagne consecutively before Penny could drag him to the dance floor, saying that it would look suspicious if both of them just stood there staring at everyone.

And as paradoxical as it may sound, the ginger woman couldn't find another way of describing the atmosphere as just a perfectly ordered chaos. Crowds of people kept pouring into the building, rich lights flashed from the top levels and the air was heavy with expensive perfume, alcohol and the faintest smell of Cuban cigars. With a quick look, everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, but if you looked more carefully, if you really paid attention, you would be able to tell how the laughs sounded a bit too loud and the smiles were a little too bright. It was all an act. Everyone there was playing according to a strict code affirmed through forced smiles, luxurious jewelry and flawless pieces of haute couture. It reminded Penny of the old spy movies she used to watch with her dad where everyone wore the finest dresses and tuxedos but hid the nastiest secrets.

"Oh my God." Penny was hit with a sudden illumination. "I'm James Bond," she murmured, wide eyed.

Walter raised an eyebrow, confused. "What?"

"Just look at me: all dressed up, carrying secret devices and assigned to a dangerous mission. I'm totally James Bond," Penny chuckled and Walter twirled her around. He laughed as well, the knot of uneasiness inside of him unfolding a bit. "Alright, if you're Bond who does that make me? M?"

"Well Artie is definitely Q…." She pointed out, biting her lower lip for second. "But nah, you're not M, you're too much of sweetheart to be M…"

"Too much of a sweetheart? Me?" Walter shot her an odd look. "You know what? I'm not even going to ask how you came to that conclusion, but if you're Bond, Artie is Q and I'm not M, who the hell does that make me?"

"Let me see..." Penny titled her head slightly. "Well, you're also dressed up, but I'm doing most of the action…. So you're here basically to look pretty and distract people while I do my thing." She pursed her lips together, squeezing her eyes and making a thoughtful expression for a moment before a malicious flick crossed her features. "I guess that makes you my bond girl!" she squealed.

"I am not a bond girl!" Walter cried, mortified.

She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles. "You are so my bond girl" she teased.

"I'm going get another drink," Walter let go of Penny hand and waist. "Because I don't want to be sober when you began to call me Pussy Galore."

"Oh c'mon, don't be mad at me! You don't need to be Pussy Galore!" Penny laughed as her partner walked away with his brows furrowed together and blush high on his cheeks

"You can be Halley Berry!" she offered, ignoring the odd looks some snobby socialites shot her.

Screw these people, they wouldn't make Penny feel self-conscious.

She was James Bond after all.


*****************
The plan was simple. Well, as simple as any plan aiming to infect a huge company with a malware could be.

As usual, the Charity Ball was held in the top floor of the principal administrative headquarters, and as any other one of Avalon's buildings, at each of the four floors there was a small cleaning center. All the services of Avalon's buildings were automated. It had been years since the last time one of their employees had seen a member of the office cleaning staff that was remotely human. Cleaning robots had been responsible for the sanitation of the buildings since before the legalization laws. They were cheaper, didn't complain and could be programmed do pretty much anything, from window cleaning to watering plants.

Between vacuums cleaners and sanitizing Androids, each Cleaning Center had four or six different models. With the exception of the window cleaners, most of the robots spent the day being recharged and began the tasks they were programmed to do in the evening when the offices were empty. While recharging, the robots received their chores of the day. Due to Avalon's green policy, they didn't have the same chores every day, sanitizing only places that were really necessary in an attempt to not waste cleaning products.

The cleaning centers and their functions were connected to an Interactive Kinetic Intelligence, Prometheus, a complex form of artificial intelligence that centralized and integrated all the administrative features of Avalon's system into a single database that was programmed to manage millions of information at same time.

So the plan was to invade a Cleaning Center and connect the device disguised as Penny's ring into one of the entries where the robots were being recharged. She already had the series of six passwords that would allow her to enter the cleaning center. According to Artie, it hadn't been that hard to figure out the codes. Apparently, the guy responsible for the eventual maintenance of the center wasn't the sharpest tool around and actually had a word document saved on his personal computer with all the passwords just in case he forgot.

"Seriously," Artie had said, "Avalon should be more careful with the subcontractors they hire; the cheapest option usually is never the best one."

Luckily for their plan, it wasn't unusual for the maintenance team to visit the Cleaning Center in the middle of the night. Sure, they had an official schedule of checkups, but sometimes they would just stop by the centers unscheduled to make sure everything was alright and that they wouldn't have too much work the next time they stopped by. Cleaning robots tended to show physicals signals of their problems way before their systems caught up and alerted that there was something wrong.

Penny took a deep breath as she walked through the empty hallways, looking for the stairs. Three floors down at the third door she would find a cleaning center. She just had to calm herself down. She could do this. Even if she had insisted Walter to stay at the party and not come with her, it didn't change the fact that she trusted Artie and the malware he had designed. Penny just wouldn't take the risk of causing Walter to end up in jail. He had a son to support and if there was someone who could take care of Kurt if something happened, that person was Walter.

She removed her shoes and holding the hem of her dress, she quickly made her way through the emergency stairs. There were limited sources of light but that wouldn't make her lose her cool. She just focused on the music she could still hear from the party, ignoring the darkness that engulfed her. There was a Broadway star singing in the Ball and she had a breathtaking voice. Everyone's attention, including the security guard's had been stolen by the Tony nominee's show. And as any other administrative building, there were cameras only in the parking lot and the entrance. Penny was sure no one had seen her leaving the party and those who did probably thought she was looking for a bathroom.

There was nothing to worry about, everything was going as planned.

"5739bb127b639-9, hsjd92848098�-3, 329371y32098-6 , 8473934729i-8,2746284-45,93749372-34 " She repeated to herself in order to keep the passwords in mind.

She reached the 35th floor and pushing the door open and looked around.

As she expected, it seemed empty.

She let go of her shoes and quickly crossed the hallway towards the cleaning center's metal door. Penny looked around a last time before she pushed the code that would open the door.

"5…7….3…9…-…b…b…1..-2…7…-b…-6…3…9…-9" she typed, taking a deep breath in order to calm herself and stop shaking, and then continued to type, "h...s…j…d…9…2…8…4…8..0…9…8..�..-3, 3…2…9...3…7...1…y…3…2…0….9…8…-6, 8…4…7…3…9…3…4…7…2…9…i…-8…, 2…7…4…6…2…8…4…-45, 9…3…7…4…9…3…7…2..-3…4." She bit her lip and closed her eyes until she heard the door of the small room slide open.

"Thank God," she murmured, opening her eyes.

She stepped inside and the door closed behind her. She had to muffle a scream with her hands as a set of blue lights unexpectedly switched on, making the robots inside of the small room who just a minute ago were nothing but misshaped outlines suddenly assuming much more distinct and scary forms.

The most humanoid ones had blue cables connected to entries on side of their napes, which caused their necks to be twisted in an abnormal position. The sight sent shivers to Penny's spine. It reminded her of puppets whose strings had been cut.

She had always hated puppets.

After taking the fake Sapphire off of the frame of her ring, Penny placed the small device in between her lips as she held the shoulder of one of the robots. She had to make it quickly. If it took too long to connect the device to the entry, the security system could be alerted.

Supporting one of her hands on the middle of the robot, Penny unplugged him from the cable what caused the machine to unexpectedly fall on her, throwing her off balance.

Penny found herself pressed between the metal door and the robot, taking in deep breaths of air that seemed to be devoid of oxygen. The robot was a lot heavier than it seemed. She didn't know if she was strong enough to push it away but damn, she had come so far she couldn't end up getting crushed by a 100 pound cleaning robot…

"Fuck!" she gasped, her arms beginning to throb and her vision going spotty. She felt her breath starting to turn errant and her mind raced with thoughts of how in a matter of a few seconds the security system would detect her presence.

Penny took a deep breath and closing her eyes, she bent her knees a little before grip the robot's metallic shoulders and use her weight to shove the android forwards, to opposite the wall. The impact of the robot against the wall caused a loud noise but the robot's knee's junctures didn't give up. The Cleaning model ended on his feet, back turned to Penny, head supported against another robot's shoulder as his arms hanged flat on his sides.

A breathless laugh escaped Penny's lips before she clenched the blue cable between her trembling fingers connecting to the false Safire to it. "C'mon…c'mon…C'mon…" she murmured, waiting the advice to turn red.

If it didn't turned red in a matter of 10 or so seconds it was signal that the malware had failed to infect the Central's system and that Penny should ran for her life, because the security would probably be already aware of her attempt to infect their system.

Penny bit her lower lip, mentally counting the seconds.

1…

2…

3…

4…

5…

6…

Click

The barely perceptible sound echoed as the device turned red. "Thank god," Penny breathed, waiting a few second before disconnecting the device from the blue cable.

She took several deep breaths, supporting her hands on her knees before looking up at the cleaning robot propped up against the opposite wall.

"Fuck." She sighed, putting a loose lock of her ginger hair behind her ear.

She still had to put that robot back in his place.

"Okay big boy." She took a deep breath before wiping sweat of her hands and onto her dress. "Time to connect you again."

*****************

A loud ring echoed through Walter's apartment, breaking the silent atmosphere. It was a wicked song.

"Oh." Kurt looked up from his plate.

It was his phone ringing. "Excuse me, I have to get that." He stood up and left the kitchen, not aware of how Blaine's expression morphed into a puzzled frown.

"Hey Walter," Kurt murmured closing his bedroom's door behind him. "How are things?"

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm a nervous wreck." Walter sighed, running a hand through his curls. "Penny just left and I don't have any idea what I'm supposed to do now."

Kurt bit his lip. "Where are you?"

"I'm on a balcony. I needed to get away from that crowd. I was looking so damn nervous that people were starting to get suspicious and began asking me if I was okay," Walter explained before taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Okay, but you have to get back. You need to be there when Penny returns."

"I know, I know," Walter stuttered. "I just needed some fresh air." He paused, massaging his temples. "I'm just so worried, what if Penny gets caught? She's so stubborn that she'll probably take all the blame to herself…"

Kurt looked up at the ceiling, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. That did sound like something Penny would do and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her.

He took a deep breath. "Hey, don't be like that. Everything is going to be alright, just calm down and then go inside, Penny must be done by now. She's probably looking for you," Kurt said trying his best to sound confident when in reality he was worried as Walter was, maybe even more. After all, Penny ended up in this mess trying to help him.

"You're right kid, I-" Walter turned around and almost had a heart attack. A man stood in the balcony's entrance, holding a bottle of whiskey and staring at him. "I-I have to go now, bye Kurt," He rushed before shoving his phone back into his pocket. He didn't move or try to leave. It would look too suspicious if he just ran from there. Besides, he doubted that that guy had heard anything.

The man approached him with heavy steps and supported himself on the balcony's metal structure, beside Walter. He was tall, at least 6'2", had sharp features and his brown hair was meticulously styled. Walter could tell he was someone desperately trying to hold himself together. And he had probably been doing that for a while. There was this atmosphere of unusual weariness around him as if it was possible he was too worn out by his twenty something years of life.

After a few moments of silence and a few sips of the bottle he carried with him, the man finally spoke. "Did you just say Kurt?" the stranger asked quietly, and if Walter hadn't been panicking, he would have probably noticed the dried tears streaked across the guy's cheeks.

"M-my son," Walter lied. "His name is Kurt."

"Kurt," The man repeated quietly. He had his brown eyes vacant for a few moments, as if his thoughts had been taken by a distant memory. "I guess it's kind of a common name…"

"I guess." Walter nodded. This kid wasn't alright. He was almost twice as Walter's size, but somehow he looked so small, so vulnerable. Walter couldn't help himself and reached for the guy's shoulder. "Son, maybe you should put that bottle away."

The guy smiled, or tried to, because it didn't reach up to his eyes at all. "Don't worry old man, I'm fine," he lied bluntly, as if it was already something as natural as breathing for him.

Their eyes met, and it took too much out of Walter to hold the gaze. The guy's eyes were filled with too much of a familiar pain. There was guilt there, raw and aching, and Walter was too familiar with that feeling to be able keep their gaze locked. It brought too many of his own demons to the surface.

"Well well… If isn't Sebastian Smythe of all people drinking himself to oblivion," a feminine voice echoed in the empty balcony causing both Walter and the strange guy to turn around. "And from what I've heard, this is not the first time you've been spotted drunk at a high profile event."

Standing in the balcony's entry was a short brunette with her arms crossed over her chest. She had her brown dip-dyed hair parted with soft waves draping on her right shoulder. Her lips were painted with red and she wore a floor length silver gown with sequins, short sleeves, a bare back and a short train.

"What? Don't tell me that the heartless Sebastian is actually capable of feeling guilty?" She fixed her brown eyes on the bottle in the guy's hands as a sharp smile cut its way through her small features. "And what would Harrison think if he discovered that one of his junior associates has a thing for liquor?"

Sebastian took a step forward, his face contorted in a wounded expression. "Fuck off, Berry," He sneered, taking a sip of his drink. "Not everyone can be like you, smiling for pictures and singing as if what happened 10 years ago didn't matter."

A glimpse of hurt flashed in the woman's brown eyes, but it was soon gone. "I remember, believe me Sebastian, there isn't a single day of my life I don't remember what happened, I was there!" She gritted through a clenched jaw. "And just because I'm not drinking myself to oblivion, it doesn't mean I don't care. I'm just strong enough to move on."

A humorless laugh broke through Sebastian lips. "Careful Berry if you may end up spilling your dirty little secrets." He threw a look at Walter, as if trying to get the girl to acknowledge Walter's presence. "And we don't want some gossip magazine to find out about the dark past of the newest Broadway hit, Tony nominee, do we?"

"Like you would want Harrison to find out about what his future associate did," she retorted and then looked pointedly at Walter, throwing him a sharp look as if trying to intimidate him to not tell anyone about the scene he just had witnessed. "I'm sure you are going take all the legal precautions so our little chat doesn't leave this balcony."

She turned around and walked away without sparing a look back. This Berry girl had a way of imposing herself that made Walter think of liquid steel, lithe, indestructible. She was fueled by ambition and determination and anyone could see that.

Walter was about to ask what the scene was all about when Sebastian broke the silence. "I'm the future of Harrison & Associates, one of the biggest law firms in America," Sebastian stated.

"So…?" Walter frowned.

"So, if you tell a word of what you heard in this balcony to the press, well to anyone really, I will ruin your life, your children's lives and then of all the following generations that carry the burden of your insignificant last name," He said, shooting Walter one last menacing glance before walking away from there, leaving Walter behind without understanding what the hell had just happened there.

Because seriously, he was just trying to get some fresh air, how did he end up getting threatened by a Tony nominee and a prestigious young lawyer?

*****************

Blaine couldn't help but feel a sting of jealously inside of him when Kurt walked away from the kitchen. Who could be calling Kurt at such time?

"I had brunch with Quinn's mom this week," Barbara said, her gaze fixed on her plate.

And that brought Blaine back from his jealous conjectures. "Huh? That's nice," he said, not really understanding why his mother was bringing that up as if it wasn't something she had been doing at least twice a month since before he was born.

"She told me some interesting things." Barbara looked up with an unreadable expression on her face.

Blaine fought the urge to roll his eyes. This wasn't going to end well. He could feel it. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this…" He sighed looking up into his mother's icy blue eyes. "What did she tell you, Barbara?" he asked, letting go of his food and sinking further into his chair.

"She told me a couple of weeks ago you spent the night in her house, locked in Quinn's room…" Barbara trailed off, tentatively, almost as if she was insinuating something.

"Yeah… I did spend the night over at Quinn's." Blaine furrowed his eyebrows together, not getting his mother's point. "We have sleepovers all the time, you know that. We've been doing it since we were five…"

"Yeah, but I guess I only now noticed how important she is to you." Barbara smiled "And well, deep down she is such a good girl," she said, her blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the kitchen. "She may be a little lost now, but she comes from a nice family and I'm sure she will eventually find her way back. You have to admit, even with the piercings and the leather, Quinn is still Lima's prettiest girl."

And then Blaine got it. He understood where his mother was trying to go with that whole conversation, praising Quinn's beauty and acting as if both of them already hadn't had countless sleepovers over the past years. It made Blaine sick. The way Barbara was trying to twist his relationship with his best friend into something more just because she couldn't accept that he was gay. It made Blaine's stomach knot as this dark, suffocating feeling spread throughout his chest.

He thought Walter had told her the truth, but apparently he hadn't.

"I guess she is…" He croaked quietly, tearing his gaze from his mother's and looking down at his plate. With his shoulders slumped and head hanging low, Blaine mentally begged to a God he didn't believe in since his brother's death, to disappear. He would give anything to not be on the table having that conversation. Blaine wasn't ready to deal with this, even though he felt like the truth was going to burst out of him any minute he still wasn't ready to ruin his relationship with his mother.

Confusing Blaine's discomfort for embarrassment, Barbara pressed on. "She is, isn't she? Quinn has such an exceptional beauty." She gushed, and there was just so much hope in her voice that Blaine could tell Barbara was already picturing her grandchildren with curly blond hair and Quinn's perfect little nose.

He took a deep breath. "Yes, mom," He said trying to keep his voice steady "I do think she is beautiful, but in a totally platonic way," he clarified, hoping that it would end the conversation.

There was a hint of desperation in his voice this time. If he had to keep talking about it he would probably crack because he wouldn't be able to keep lying for his mother's sake, but Barbara didn't seem to notice and kept pressing on. "But she's such a-"

"Mom!" Blaine interrupted her, and fuck this, he just couldn't take anymore. "I-I need to tell you something. Something you probably already know but I think you need hear it from me-"

Barbara went pale. "Blaine, I don't think-"

"Let me finish this," he cut in again. He had to do this. He clenched his fists over the table, digging his nails into his palms. "I-I'm gay," he said, still not looking into his mother's eyes, too afraid of rejection and of losing the little bit of warmth that was left there for him after his brother's death.

A loud gasp coming from his mother made Blaine close his eyes. He didn't need to look up at her to know she had her eyes wide and a trembling hand above her mouth. And that was it, the end, the death of their already agonizing relationship. Blaine was sure that there was no turning back now. Barbara wouldn't be able to keep fooling herself that someday Blaine would bring a nice girl home and introduce her as his girlfriend.

Blaine looked up, hazel eyes burning with unshed tears. He didn't have much more to lose anyway. "I am not asking you to accept it. And I definitely don't expect you to buy a rainbow flag and go to a pride parade with me." He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to keep going.

"I just need you to acknowledge the fact I'm gay and stop asking me over and over again about girls…" The words made his throat go ever tighter. "I'm not going to bring a girl home and say that she's the one for me. That's not going to happen, not now, or never. This is not a phase and no matter how many girls you try to shove in my lap, I am not going to feel attracted to them and I am definitely not going to fall in love with any them regardless of how lovely or pretty they are."

Blaine was tired, so freaking tired of "Did you see how lovely Cindy is looking today?" and "how do you expect to find a good girl dressed like that?" He just wanted to be himself; his damaged and messed up self. He didn't need this kind of shit coming from his mother, there were already more than enough people telling him that his sexuality was a thing he should be ashamed of.

"And I need you to stop hurting me mom, because that's what you do every time you look at me with hopeful eyes asking me about girls. You make me feel like a freak, like I should feel ashamed of myself…" A choked sound, resembling a bitter laugh broke through his lips and he couldn't stop the accusatory tone in his voice. "And I know I'm only saying this out loud now, but for god sakes you caught making out with a boy! And don't even try to tell me that he looked like girl, because he didn't! Yes, Liam had long hair, but even a blind person could tell that he's a guy. You just choose not to see."

Barbara remained quiet, black tears streaming down her face. Once again, Blaine had ruined her impeccable make up, hurt his mother deep enough to affect her, to make her feel something. It wasn't the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last. He just wished that seeing his mother like this would get easier with time. But it didn't. And just like the first time he saw that look on her face, after throw a picture frame of a smiling Cooper against the living room's wall and shattering it into millions of pieces, Blaine felt his heart break and wished that he was never born.

Barbara pressed her red lips into a thin line. "I don't know what you want me to say," she murmured brokenly.

"You really can't think of anything to say to me? Anything?" He just needed three of words from her, just an "I love you", three little words that could change forever their relationship.

Blaine's heart skipped a beat when Barbara opened her mouth only to be broken seconds after as his mother shook her head and buried her face in her palms remaining silent.

"I guess this conversation ends here then." Blaine stood up, a razor-sharp smile cutting its way through his hurt expression. "Now if you excuse me, your faggot son is going to find some dick, thanks for the dinner Barbara."

"B-Blaine, wait!" Barbara reached up for his arm, but he stepped away from her and without looking back, disappeared into the hallway.

Barbara wouldn't come after him, part of him wanted her to, but he knew she wouldn't. A few minutes of excruciating silence passed and Blaine remained supported against the hallway's wall, holding his breath until the sound of his mother's high heels echoed inside of the apartment, followed by the front door being opened and then slammed shut.

Blaine shut his eyes, biting his lower lip and not allowing the sobs that burnt his throat to break through him. He felt the bitter, sick feeling in his stomach intensify with each sob he bit back. It was humiliating, the way his eyes burnt, how he had tears well out and spread over his cheeks. He felt like a child again, it was if he was new to this sick game, even though it had been years, 10 years since the first time a person he loved walked away from him.

It wasn't until he felt the taste of his own blood inside of his mouth that Blaine opened his eyes again, only to be faced by a pair of worried blue eyes. Kurt stood in front of him, anxiously keeping a certain distance between them as if he didn't know what to do next, if he should approach Blaine or just leave him alone.

The gritty air inside of Blaine turned to dirty ice and crusted blood, welling a bad taste into his mouth. He didn't want Kurt's pity. "I guess you heard the whole thing, huh?" he asked cynically. Blaine felt empty, his head throbbed with anger and pain and at that moment he just needed something, someone to hurt as much as he did.

Hesitantly, Kurt stepped forward. "Blaine, I'm sorry I didn't-"

"I don't need your pity." Blaine gritted his teeth, pushing Kurt out of his way and walking past him, towards the living room. He just needed his car keys and then he was getting out of there. He didn't care what Walter would say, if he got angry. Blaine couldn't care less for Walter, this was his fault too. He should have told Barbara and spared Blaine of seeing that look on his mother's face. But of course Walter wouldn't call the mother of his son to talk about him, it's not like the man knew a thing about parenthood…

Kurt took a deep breath and went after Blaine. He got a good grip of Blaine's leather jacket and forced the older boy to turn around and look at his face. "Good then because you are not getting pity from me" Kurt said, jaw clenched as he pulled Blaine by his wrists towards him.

Blaine resisted at first, trying to disentangle himself from Kurt's grip. He was too hurt, too furious. It would be too damn easy to just give in to old habits and hurt Kurt as well. Because that was Blaine did. He hurt people over and over again, punishing the innocent ones for the pain inflected by those who broke him.

When android pulled at Blaine's sleeve for a second time, Blaine finally allowed himself to walk a few hesitant steps forward. Blaine didn't know how to explain why he did that, maybe he was weak, too tired, or maybe there was something about Kurt that made Blaine feel safe, that made him able to control of the darkness he carried with him.

He still flinched when Kurt reached up and cupped his face, as if he wasn't used to that, to such a simple gesture of affection, causing Kurt's eyes to burn. So he brought Blaine even closer and rested his forehead against the older boy's. "Blaine…" he muttered, trying to keep his voice low and calm even though his chest was tightening. "Blaine, look at me."

Blaine raised his gaze uncertainly, his body contracting with pain and despair.

"There is nothing wrong with you," Kurt murmured, is hvoice hoarse. "Did you understand me? There is nothing wrong with you."

"Kurt." Blaine breathed heavily, before finally allowing himself to be embraced by Kurt's warmth as the android wrapped his arms tightly around him. Blaine immediately clutched at Kurt, burying his face in his neck and breathing him in once, twice and in a matter of thirty seconds or so, in which Blaine counted each one of his own painful heartbeats, he finally gave up and let the sobs he had being suppressing erupt from his lips.

*****************

Penny deserved an award. If Walter hadn't paid for her lunch for the next week, shit was going down. She had to run through three flights of stairs twice and then move around a 100 pound robot. She was now determined to never again put up with Walter's complaints when she asked him to grab them Coffee, oh no, not after this. Walter better take her to Breadsticks, let he eat all the breadsticks and then pay the bill happily.

And Artie? Oh Penny had a few demands for him too. She sure did. He was going to pay for the dessert, well scratch that, he was going to buy a whole cake for her and for his sake, it better be chocolate cake. And yes, Penny knew this had been all her idea, but those two shouldn't have agreed with her. Who in their right minds would agree with anything she said? Most of the time even she didn't!

It worked and that made her really happy, but also she could barely feel her arms. The muscular pain had reached a whole new level where the word agony would be a euphemism to describe it. If numbness didn't have taken over minutes ago, Penny was sure she would have passed out.

And it was Walter's and Artie's fault because they didn't come up with a better plan before Penny was forced to lift a robot. So yeah, dinner, breadsticks and then a chocolate cake.

"Lost?" A voice echoed behind Penny, causing her to freeze. She was in the hallway that gave access to the assembly room. It wasn't exactly suspicious to be there, but still…

She turned around and there was a guy, well, a boy. He was probably the same age as Blaine and he was looking at her.

He had long pale limbs and his crimson red hair was combed with a calculated carelessness. "Do you need assistance?" He offered, his voice like murmur, each velvety utterance like a mouthful of smoke that lingered in the air a little longer than necessary. He held himself in a way that was supposed to make people feel comfortable around him, expression calm and composed. Yet for all his apparent serenity, there was something off about that boy– maybe the quirk of his soft lips or the shady spark that slid out of a pair of suddenly not so emotionless brown eyes- it sent this cold feeling through Penny's body.

Penny couldn't explain why, but looking into that boy's eyes, she felt a sudden urge to run.

She probably should have.

"I-I was just looking for the bathroom," Penny lied nervously, looking around. They were alone and the hallway suddenly felt much more isolate and darker than it did just a few second ago. They were just a few feet away from the assembly room but the ginger girl couldn't stop herself from wondering if people at the ball would be able to hear her over the loud music if she screamed.

The music was just so loud.

"I can show you the way," The boy insisted, stepping forwards.

Penny swallowed and stepped back. "There's no need," she dismissed watching the way the boy's leather gloves stretched above his knuckles as he clenched his fists.

Who the hell wore leather gloves in that weather?

"I insist," The boy said and before Penny could argue, gloved fingers were pulling her by the wrist and into the darkness.

TBC...