Kurt had been on the move since sunrise, but he had long since given up on his shoe polish trick so he could be wandering in circles for all he knew. He considered just finding somewhere to stay out of sight and hoping Blaine was doing better than he was solving the arena. Kurt remembered his mother telling him once that if he ever got lost, he should stay where he was so that he'd be easier to find. It sounded like good advice when he was little and would frequently wander away from his father in the square. Sometimes he had trouble finding his way back. Burt had always managed to find him. Then again, he hadn't been hidden in a constantly changing maze. Kurt was sure that as long as he was alive and able to move, Blaine would keep trying to find him. There were the other tributes to contend with though. He'd heard the cannon boom more than half a dozen times since sunrise and he couldn't stop worrying about his boyfriend. Kurt's time in the arena had been surprisingly uneventful, so he knew there had to be more exciting fights happening elsewhere. His stomach had been churning all morning and it had nothing to do with hunger. It had only been 2 days since the Games began and there were only 6 tributes left in the arena. This had to be one of the shortest Games he'd ever seen. Kurt knew that when they reached the final 5, the Gamemakers had camera crews dispatched to the remaining tributes' Districts where they would interview friends and family members. No tribute from 12 had made it to the final 5 in his lifetime, so he wondered what his neighbors back home would have to say about him and Blaine. He hadn't even thought about Finn and Carol since he arrived in the Capitol. He'd been so focused on training and so worried about the possibility of losing Blaine that he didn't even realize how much he missed his family.

Burt was hopeful. None of his previous tributes had ever made it this far in the Games. Blaine had been making considerable progress since he'd received the compass, and Kurt had so far managed to stay away from trouble. With a little luck, they would find each other by nightfall. Burt cringed when the male tribute from 1 made his most recent kill. The Games were by their very nature violent and brutal, but for the most part the deaths had been quick and merciful up until now. The hulking boy was clearly unhinged and with the tribute pool dwindling, Burt knew he would be a formidable enemy for Kurt and Blaine. Both his boys were quick on their feet, but neither was a match for Karofsky's apparent bloodlust. For the first time, Burt would be featured in the final interviews. Not only as a mentor since both of his tributes were likely to make the final 5, but also Kurt's father. He knew camera crews were already on their way to 12 to interview his family and Blaine's father. Burt thought of his wife and stepson back home and hoped they were holding up as they watched the Games together. However the Games ended, all of their lives had been irrevocably changed this year.

Blaine had been following Kurt's trail all day and he knew he had made significant progress, but the daylight was waning quickly. Once darkness fell, Blaine wouldn't be able to use his compass. If only he hadn't lost his supply pack. The dry start flares would have given him an additional light source. Now that the tribute pool had shrunken considerably, he was less worried about drawing other tributes in his direction. He'd rather face his opponents now and keep them away from Kurt. At Blaine's last count there were only 6 tributes left. The Games were progressing rapidly. In previous years they'd lasted as long as several weeks, drawing the entertainment out in the Capitol. Blaine wondered why the Gamemakers were forcing the tributes together so quickly this time. Just before sunset he could hear light footsteps nearby. They were coming from the direction his compass was leading him in, but they were muffled through at least one wall. He was trying to find a way toward the footsteps, but kept running into corners and dead ends. Desperate, Blaine decided to throw caution to the wind. He yelled Kurt's name as loud as he dared. The footsteps grew louder and he heard a voice shout his name in reply.

“Kurt!” Blaine felt an adrenaline surge with the knowledge that only a few feet of concrete separated him from his boyfriend.

“I'm over here! Blaine! I'm here!” Kurt's replies were coming from behind a single wall, but Blaine couldn't find a way to get there. He felt his frustration growing. The Gamemakers weren't going to make this easy on the boys.

“Wait there. I'm trying to get to you.” After running into three more dead ends, Blaine remembered the rope he'd used to get out of the booby trapped room. He had looped it around his waist after his pack disappeared. Working quickly, Blaine knotted one end into a loop and threw it over the wall to Kurt. Keeping his end tied around his waist, he steadied his balance and shouted for Kurt to tighten the rope around his own waist.

“Keep both of your feet flat against the wall as you climb. And try to keep your legs straight before you take each step.” Blaine put all of his weight into the rope and slowly started walking backwards as Kurt started to climb. It was hard work and his hands were already starting to ache. Two days of exhaustion and dehydration  in the arena were taking their toll on the boy. Blaine's arms shook with the effort. He could feel the rope start to slip through his sweaty hands and tightened his grip. “I don't want to rush you, but my hands are slipping.”

“Hang on. This will help.” Blaine felt the weight on the rope lessen as the other boy threw a pack of supplies over the wall. Blaine almost laughed when he realized it was the same pack that he grabbed at the cornucopia. They had been within feet of each other yesterday. He redoubled his grip on the rope and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kurt's face appear over the wall. His boyfriend climbed onto the ledge of the wall and Blaine moved to help him reach the ground. Just as Blaine had done the day before, Kurt lowered himself until he was hanging by the tips of his fingers. Standing underneath his boyfriend, Blaine held Kurt's waist and steadied him as he let go and dropped to the ground. They threw their arms around one another and held tight. Kurt was shaking and when Blaine pulled back to look at his boyfriend, he noticed tears running down his face.

Kurt was almost in hysterics, a mix between laughing and sobbing. “I was so worried about you. I've been trying to find you the whole time.” He refused to let go of Blaine. Kurt was afraid if he did, he would wake up and find that this was a dream. When his breathing became labored, Blaine helped him sit and gently rubbed his back to help him calm down. Kurt could hardly believe this was real. He was finally back in Blaine's arms. He could almost forget they were in the Games. It felt like home.

“It's alright. I found you. We found each other. It's going to be alright.” Blaine felt like a huge weight had been lifted. There were only 4 other tributes in the arena he had to protect Kurt from. They were together. They had weapons and supplies. They were going to be okay.

Burt almost couldn't believe the response from the audience when the boys were reunited. The elation in the Capitol was overwhelming. Spontaneous parties erupted throughout the Capitol and everywhere he turned people were asking to join their team of sponsors. Burt had underestimated just how popular the boys were with this audience. The entire city was rooting for them. As the tribute pool grew smaller and smaller, however, Burt grew more and more worried that the boys would end up being the final two tributes. He began to wonder if that had been the Gamemakers' plan all along. Caught up in helping the boys find each other, Burt had forgotten the cardinal rule of the Games: there can only be one victor. As horrible as it was to think about either of them dying at the hands of someone sick like Karofsky, Burt didn't want it to come down to only Kurt and Blaine. He couldn't imagine the trauma if one of them had to kill the other in order to come home. It certainly wouldn't feel like winning.