If I retreat,

Words, wars, and symphonies,

Make room! Were taking over here.

And youre the galantine,

Cold and alone, it suits you well,

Wont find me perching here again.

Lets Kill Tonight - Panic! At The Disco

Blaine slumped down in his hard-backed chair, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible; not a difficult feat when youve been trying to fit in for, like, a hundred years. The babble of the coffee shop was almost deafening to his heightened senses, despite the lack of people actually in it. He flinched as a particularly loud girl walked past him, motioning widely to her extremely large companion. They took the table behind Blaine. 

Now, he didnt mean to eavesdrop of course, but the girl really was... Very loud, and if he strained to hear some of the boys responses, well that was simply work ethic. 

"But thats just it Finn, you see, Im perfectly happy to show the new kid around, but its completely impractical. I have glee practice, and unless hes got talent, he cant possibly join. I mean, we always need more back-up singers for me and our duets, but how on earth am I supposed to complete my morning warm-up routine when I have to escort him to school, from a motel. A motel Finn-"

"Sam lived in a motel..."

"Hes probably some barbaric jock out for our throats."

"Im a jock."

The girl paused for a few seconds; "Yeah but youre more than that, youre my duet partner..."

"I- I thought I was your boyfriend."

"... Its a euphemism, Finn... Of course youre my boyfriend."

"O- Oh... Okay. Sorry."

Blaine rolled his eyes. He had to smile really, or hed go mad. Rachel Berry was a notorious diva, and in such a small town, a giant personality often bloomed far above the rest. Unfortunately, this personality was a rather difficult one to like. He felt bad for Finn, the boy with her though.

I mean being her boyfriend? Thats got a be a trial, a punishment for something, right?

Although, sometimes her loud mouth was useful, today, for example. New kid and a new hunter? On the same day? Maybe he could stand to hear a little more of her banshee-like squawking. Thankfully, Finn took control of the conversation for a while. 

"Have you actually met this kid yet? I mean, he could be, like, cool or something."

The Berry girl rolled her eyes slightly. "Oh Finn, youre so considerate. But lets face it, hes probably an uncultured swine. He probably doesnt even know what Les Mis is."

"... Isnt that a disease?" 

The girl sighed, exasperated. "No Finn... Come on, we better get to work on the project Mr Schue set us. Now, of course itll be a love song, and it must fit my range so I was thinking..." 

The conversation blended in with the others around him as the pair walked away. Blaine sat for a few minutes, debating the pros and cons of inevitably stalking an innocent child. But then... if he wasnt so innocent, it could be very beneficial to his cause. So that was it then. He drained the last dregs of coffee from the bottom of his cup and left the small shop, walking quickly down the road.

By the time Burt and Kurt had checked out all the possible ways for Sam to have got home, it was far too late to talk to Sams mom; so, they headed back to their room for the night, picking up some pizza from the place Sam had worked at and chatting to the employees.

"So you knew this Sam kid?" Burt leant against the counter, talking to the boy with the mohawk on the other side.

"Yeah, I know him. We go to school together, and he worked here. Hes a good guy. No idea where hes gone though..."

Burt nodded, taking the paper bag off the counter. "Thanks kid, see you around."

He headed out of the shop and over to Kurt, who had been waiting outside. They started the short trek back to the motel in silence, listening to the sounds of the town at night.

They got back to their room quickly and Burt set the food out on the table. 

Kurt looked at it with disdain.

"You know, I can only cope with so much of this stuff, my skins going to suffer." 

Burt scoffed. "Please. You and I both know that you love pizza, despite your skin."

After theyd eaten, they decided to call it a night and get up early the next day to talk to Sams mom.

Kurt changed and did a quick version of his moisturising routine before practically collapsing into bed, falling asleep quickly.

He woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee in the room, and Burt packing up a bag. He sat up and picked the cup up off his nightstand. "Hey, you got coffee?" He asked blearily. 

Burt looked up from his knife and chuckled. 

"Yeah, I went to that local place, the Lima Bean? I picked some up for you, we havent got any time for you to go gallivanting around this morning. We need to talk to Mrs Evans, and you need to go to school." 

Kurt groaned, taking a sip of the liquid. "Do I really have to?"

"Weve already had this conversation, youre going to school bud."

Kurt rolled his eyes, standing up from the bed. "Fine. Let me get dressed, then we can go."

They left the motel and walked the few doors down to the room number 21, the room where the Evans family lived. 

Burt knocked on the door, and after a few moments, a small, blonde haired girl opened it. 

"Hello mister." She said quietly, one arm in and one arm out of a cardigan. "Ill get my mummy." 

She disappeared from the doorway and returned with a brown haired, tall woman who smiled courteously. 

"Can I help you?" She asked. The bags under her eyes were visible, even through the small amount of make-up she had on. Shed clearly been crying, and no surprise considering her son was missing. 

Burt reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID card.

"Good morning maam. Im Officer Adams. Im here to ask you about your sons disappearance." 

The woman visibly flinched and motioned for her daughter to return inside. 

"Go and get ready for school, Stacey." The young girl turned and walked back into the room and Sams mom stepped further outside the door.

"Look, Ive already talked to the police and told them everything I know."

"Yes Madam I know, but Im a specialist in these cases. Ive been brought in just to look at your sons disappearance."

She looked between them, her eyes narrowed. "Then whats the kid doing here?" She asked, motioning to Kurt.

"Hes here for work experience, an officer in training. He can leave if youd more comfortable."

Kurt glanced over at him, pouting slightly. He didnt want to leave.

"No, no... Its fine... Come on in."

She stepped aside and pushed open the door so that Burt and Kurt could get past, then followed them in and closed it.

"Im sorry about the mess, but Sam used to clean up when he got in from school, and I just dont have the time." 

"No, of course, its okay."

Burt sat down at the cluttered dining table with Sams mom and began asking her questions. 

Kurt looked around the small room, then sat down on the carpet between the blonde girl and an identical boy near her.

"Hi there." He smiled "Im Kurt." 

The young girl looked at him warily, her knees pulled up close to her chest.

"Im Stevie." The boy said, holding his hand out. "Do you know my big brother? Do you know where he is?"

Kurt shook the boys hand, offering a small smile "Im sorry Stevie, I dont know where he is. But Im sure going to try and find him. My friend over there," He gestured to Burt. "Hes very smart, and if anyone can find him, he can."

"This is Stacey, she doesnt talk to strangers." 

Kurt looked over at the small girl.

"Thats very wise of you Stacey, but I promise you can talk to me." 

Stacey slowly uncurled her legs and shifted closer to him.

"Are you really going to help find our brother?" She said in a small voice.

Kurt nodded, reaching out to take her hand. 

"I cross my heart." He said, making a small cross on his chest. "Now, I think your mom said something about getting ready for school?"

The two children stood up, Stevie pulling a jumper over his head. Stacey stood, looking down at her fingers.

"Whats wrong sweetie?" Kurt asked.

"My hair..." She whispered. "I cant do my hair."

Kurt stood up and picked up two hair bobbles and two ribbons from the counter at the side. "Luckily for you, Im an expert." 

He smiled and knelt behind her, brushing her hair slowly.

"Sammy used to do this for me..." She whispered. 

Kurt paused a moment in his actions, before he continued slowly.

"Its okay. Well find him, and then he can do it again, much better than me, Im sure." 

He turned Stacey to the small mirror in the corner, showing her the two pigtails hed tied on either side of her head.

"I love them." She grinned, turning and giving him a hug. "Thank you Kurt." 

"Youre very welcome." Kurt swallowed around the lump in his throat, patting her shoulder gently. 

"Go on, I think your brothers waiting for you."

Stacey stepped back, giving him a final smile before she followed her brother out of the door, holding onto her fathers hand to walk to school.

While this had been happening, Burt had finished talking to Mrs Evans and motioned for Kurt to leave with him.

"So? Demon attack?"

Burt nodded. "Most likely, she said shed seen a new face around. She thought they were Sams friend but when she asked him, he said hed never seen them before."

He tucked his badge and notepad away in a pocket. 

"Now, you. School."

Kurt turned to him quickly. 

"You were serious?!"  

"Of course I was." Burt scoffed. "You think Im going to jeopardise your education because of some demon? No, youre going to school bud."

Kurt sighed heavily. 

"I dont want to."

"Well you have no choice. I even took the liberty of getting someone to escort you to school. See, there she is."

Kurt turned slightly to see a girl walking towards them, the biggest fake grin hed ever seen stretched across her face. Kurt groaned, turning back.

"I hate you."

"Love you too bud, see you later."

"Love you... Bye..." 

Burt turned and walked away just as a loud voice squawked in Kurts ear.

"Hi there! My name is Rachel Berry and Ill be escorting you to McKinley. I hope youll like it, and may I let you know that we have many extra curricular activities, for example the New Directions who-"

"Listen beaky, I know youre just trying to help and everything but I really cant be bothered with the Welcome to the new school speech. I dont want to be here any more than you so lets just walk to the school then you can get to pretending you have no idea who I am. Ill return the favour I assure you." Kurt snapped, crossing his arms. 

Rachel gaped at him in silence for a few seconds before she began to walk away. Kurt followed her with a stormy look on his face. It wasnt particularly anything the girl had done, it was simply he was in a bad mood, and he didnt have time to be making friends. There was a demon to catch.   

It was lunchtime before Kurt had to encounter any more friendly people; hes done a pretty good job of keeping himself to himself for most of the morning, to his relief. Kurt had walked into the lunch hall to grab a bottle of water when a voice called to him over the noise of the other students.

"Kurt! Hey, Kurt!"

He turned, scanning the room until he found the girl from the coffee shop smiling and waving him over. He smiled slightly; maybe he could afford to talk to her. She knew Sam after all.

He walked over to the table, which was occupied by Rachel from that morning, a tall boy sat next to her, a boy with a mohawk, and a boy in a wheelchair. 

"Hi Mercedes. How are you?" He grinned, a real, honest grin.

Mercedes giggled slightly. 

"Im great thanks, and you?"

"Im good."

Mercedes smiled, then she gestured to the rest of the people on the table. "Guys this is Kurt, Kurt this is Rachel, Finn, Puck and Artie."

"Oh, yeah, Rachel and I are already... Acquainted. Hi."

The people on the table smiled and waved in return, except Rachel, who scowled and looked away. 

Kurt looked around them awkwardly, his eyes focusing finally back on Mercedes, who was staring at him. Kurt cleared his throat.

"Well... Okay, Im just going to... Go, but, um. It was great to see you again." He smiled and turned, walking quickly out of the hall. No friends. Itll just hurt when you leave. Stop it.

Blaine was angry. No, more than that, he was furious. Hed spent the entire day in as a wisp of smoke, traversing the vents of the school looking for this new kid and... Nothing. 

Zip. Zilch. Nada. 

Nothing at all. Not even a whisper in the hallway or in the teachers lounge. This could be Blaines only lead on the hunter and no-one was talking about him. 

Blaine drifted out into the parking lot, and under the nearest. He stopped when he heard the words of a girl crossing the street.

"I mean, lets be honest here, hes completely anti-social. And besides, we dont need a new kid in glee club. Hell mess up the blocking of the numbers!"

The girl turned away from the mohawked boy she was talking to and the boy rolled his eyes, turning and picking up his motorbike helmet.

"Whatever Berry. See you."

Blaine hovered around the boys bike, hoping someone would say something else about the new kid. But he wasnt expecting the luck of the boy himself coming along.

Kurt was walking out of the school when he notice a worrisome cloud of black smoke around Pucks motorbike. 

He walked over cautiously. 

"Hey, um, its Puck right?" 

Puck looked over at the boy. 

"Yeah... And youre Kurt."

Kurt nodded. "Er... Your bike... Its kind of... Smoking a bit. You might want to get that looked at."

Puck turned quickly, gaping at his bike. "What?! Smoke? Its not even running! This is a Boss Hoss 5.7 Small Block Chevy! It runs like a dream!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You know, my dad taught me some stuff... I could take a look at it if youd like?"

Puck scanned him quickly, taking another step towards his bike as though he was trying to shield it with his leather-clad body. 

"Uh, no. I dont think so somehow."

Kurt shrugged. "Fine. Your loss." He turned around to walk away. 

"See you around."

Blaine quickly moved after the boy, staying high up, out of sight, but following him closely. He took the opportunity to properly look at the other boy; he was pale, with perfectly coiffed, caramel coloured hair, and bright eyes that werent quite any particular colour, but all of them at the same time. In human standards, Blaine guessed he was actually quite attractive.

Of course hes attractive, just look at him!

Oh please, hes a human, of course he isnt.

Blaine shook himself into focus. He didnt exactly have time for an internal debate right now. 

He slipped along the ground, catching up to the boy where hed lagged behind.

Their journey took them down small alleyways and along roads until they finally reached a motel.

The boy made his way up to one of the rooms, opening the door and stepping inside unhindered.

The demon took his human shape again, moving slowly against the wall of the motel, where he heard muffled voices drifting through the peeling seals of the window.

"... Pizza again Dad? Really?"

"Hey, you know you love it. I am a brilliant cook."

"Oh yes, youre so good at heating things up in a microwave. Burt Hummel, chef extraordinaire!"

Blaine pulled back as Kurt leant against the windowsill hed been peering in. He backed up a few steps to the curb and sat down.

Burt Hummel.

This was the hunter, the one He was looking for.

Blaine sat for a moment, contemplating. What did he do now?

Hinges creaked behind him and his head shot up. He shifted to smoke and shot into the sparse bushes that lined the wall of the hotel. Burt threw an I love you over his shoulder, closing the motel door behind him. 

His boots scraped on the pavement as he headed to his truck. The engine rumbled and the lights flashed before the truck edged out of the car park and out onto the quiet street. 

Blaine crouched in the bushes, eyes trained cautiously on the truck until it was out of sight. He rose slowly, glancing between the motel and the road. The cogs in his brain were working, and only one conclusion was being churned out. 

A hostage... That be perfect leverage. What better way to bring down someones wall than a blow close to home?

But, I wont harm him. 

Not that itll come to that, I mean one scrawny teenager? He wont put up much of a fight, surely.

Now... How do we do this?

Quickly, I should think. Ive got the element of surprise.

Blaine stood before the door of the motel room. He took a breath and slicked back his already-slick hair. He summoned a wind and forced it against the door, which flung open, slamming against the wall of the motel room. Blaine charged after it swiftly, eyes black as pitch. 

The boy sprung up from where he was sat at the small table in the kitchen area. Blaine snarled and rushed at him... Only to be pushed back roughly by an unseen force. 

He shook his head to clear it, confused. He leered at Kurt, who now stood confidently before him, arms crossed and an unimpressed expression on his face. 

Blaine hesitated, reaching out a hand. It stopped unbidden, pressed flat against an invisible wall. He looked above him at the ceiling, and then down at the floor beneath him. A corner of the carpet was loose beside the door, and under it was the recognisable shape of a symbol painted in red. 

Blaines head shot up to stare bewildered at Kurt, who smirked at him with a hpmh.

"Well," Kurt began. "Ill thank you for popping in."

His face darkened as he reached to the table behind him. 

"As soon as you tell me what youre doing here."