Unique helped Kurt get dressed for his interview. She had given him a tight hug when he first walked into the dressing room, but she didn't say anything. Kurt was glad. Everyone he had interacted with in the hospital had been quick to tell him how sorry they were and Kurt could feel his anger growing each time. When he was finished getting dressed, Unique led him to a full length mirror where he saw his reflection for the first time since training. He was thinner and he had dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep, but otherwise he didn't look much different. He didn't know what he was expecting, but somehow his reflection seemed like a lie when he felt so broken inside. Unique had dressed him in a sleek black suit with a dark charcoal dress shirt. It was simple but beautiful. Kurt couldn't stop the tears when he imagined a matching suit for Blaine to be buried in. Blaine's father would be the one making any funeral arrangements and it broke Kurt's heart. He hated the Anderson patriarch and knew Blaine would never want his father to be in control of something so important.

Kurt's legs were shaky when he finally walked onto the stage and prepared to face the Capitol audience once again. The excited shouts and thunderous applause made Kurt want to scream. How could anyone be so happy when they had supported Blaine so fully during the Games? It was like the audience had already forgotten that only a day ago their hero, and the love of his life, had been brutally tortured. The MC rose to shake Kurt's hand, but Kurt refused to indulge the man. He wasn't going to pretend he was happy to be here. He wished he could hold the entire Capitol accountable for what had happened in the arena. Not just to Blaine, but to the others as well. Unoffended, the MC gestured for Kurt to take his seat and welcomed the audience to the 125th victory ceremony.

“Now Kurt, we typically start the ceremony with a video recap of the Games, but in light of this year's emotions we decided to change it up a bit. Let me ask you, what were your thoughts when you tried to solve the arena?”

Kurt was caught off guard by the question. He figured they were steering clear of asking about Blaine until the very end. Burt had stressed how important it was to make it through this interview. It was part of the dog and pony show that made up the Games, and he didn't know what the Capitol could do if Kurt was uncooperative.

“I don't know. I mean it changed so much that every time I'd make any progress I'd be back at square one a minute later.” Kurt just wanted to get this interview over with so he could go home and grieve without being a spectacle.

“This year's arena was a very interesting experiment for us. You know that the social events hosted during training were created based on requests from our audience and sponsors. We wanted to give the audience more of an opportunity this year to influence the actual Games. I'm sure you know by now that certain rooms in the arena contained an assortment of traps, even though we know you didn't encounter any yourself.” Kurt nodded, not knowing where this was going. “Each time a tribute entered one of these areas, the audience had a chance to vote on which trap would be triggered. Let's take a look at some of the winners.” The MC gestured to the video screen that had been lowered behind him just as a projector flickered on.

Kurt felt his heart skip a beat when he realized what he was seeing. He watched Blaine quickly figure out how to escape the shrinking room. The audience had voted for this? Kurt felt his hatred grow. He heard the crowd groan when Kurt and Blaine missed each other by mere seconds. Would anything have changed if they'd found each other at that moment? Would Blaine still be alive if he hadn't spent all of his energy trying to find Kurt? The scene changed and Kurt watched as Sam struggled through two more trapped rooms. The video cut out just as Blaine rounded the corner and found Sam on his hands and knees, still recovering from nearly drowning. Kurt was glad the video ended. He knew what came next.

The MC questioned Kurt more about his experience in the arena, asking about watching Tina die, how quickly the Games ended, and whether the skills he learned during training had been useful. Kurt answered as politely as he could, but he knew the audience wanted to know about Blaine, and he didn't think he'd ever be ready to face those questions.

“Alright, Kurt, I know this is going to be difficult for you, but everyone is just dying to know about those final moments in the arena.” Kurt visibly cringed at the MC's word choice. He felt tears spring into his eyes as the memory of holding Blaine in his arms replayed in his head. Pulling his knees up to his chest, Kurt wrapped his arms around his legs and hid his face from the audience and choked out a pained sob.

“I can't.” Kurt finally emerged from behind his legs and just shook his head. He didn't care if the Capitol tried to retaliate for being uncooperative. He wasn't going to relive the worst moment of his life for the entertainment of the audience. The crowd groaned, disappointed at missing out on the juicy parts of such an emotional interview.

“Understandable Kurt, and no hard feelings. Right, everyone?” The MC was met with silence until he shot a stern look into the crowd and a quiet murmur of agreement followed. Of course there were hard feelings. “It's time now for the video recap. We'll highlight some of our favorite moments from training and in the arena.”

The video started with an edited recap of the reapings. Kurt tried not to remember that everyone he was watching was now dead. When it reach the moment when Blaine volunteered, Kurt wasn't the only one crying. The video continued to show some of the highlights from training, but Kurt noticed with a pang that the video focused almost exclusively on Blaine. Usually the final video focused primarily on the victor, but this year they were clearly taking a different approach. Kurt dug his nails into his palms trying to ground himself. He just needed to survive this interview and he could go home. The video glossed over highlights from the interviews, but played Blaine and Kurt's in their entirety. His heart fluttered when he remembered that kiss in front of the entire Capitol. That seemed like a lifetime ago, but it hadn't even been a week. Kurt let out a quiet sob when Blaine admitted he wanted to marry him. Burt had already told him that he sent Blaine his mother's wedding band to let him know Kurt was still alive. They didn't know what happened to it because the ring hadn't been returned with the rest of their personal effects. It was probably still in the arena, laying in a dried up pool of blood. Just another piece of Kurt's life taken by the Games.

Watching the recap of the Games themselves was almost unbearable. Kurt's heart caught in his throat when the career pack cornered Blaine at the cornucopia. As Blaine took off behind Sam, Kurt watched Santana deliberately crash into another one of the careers, making it look like an accident. Her action gave the boys precious seconds to get away. Kurt didn't realize how indebted he was not just to Blaine, but to some of his other fellow tributes as well. It was surreal to watch himself on screen. Kurt felt like the few days he spent in the arena had all blended together. He could have been in there for only one night or for several months. The reunion with Blaine felt bittersweet now that he knew how it ended. Kurt wanted to throw up when they replayed the entire encounter with Sam. He felt like his heart was being ripped out again watching Blaine break down over having to take a life. Then the arena tipped him beneath the floor and Kurt watched Blaine collapse in grief.

Kurt's blood ran cold when he realized they were going to replay every moment of Blaine's torture. He didn't want to see this. Kurt didn't even remember getting to his feet, but somehow he'd walked toward the back of the stage with every intention of ending this interview now. A Capitol attendant blocked his path and walked him back to his seat. Listening to Blaine's cries of pain, Kurt wondered if the Gamemakers realized that this was torture all over again. Even the audience had a hard time reliving the experience. He could hear other people crying, and he wanted to scream at them. They let this happen and did nothing to stop it. The Capitol audience that professed to loved Blaine so much had not only let him die, but let it happen in the worst way possible.

Kurt hadn't realized how long Blaine had suffered at Karofsky's hands and he loathed himself for not getting there sooner. Ten seconds would have saved his boyfriend's life. When Karofsky drove the knife into Blaine's chest, someone let out an agonized cry. It took Kurt a few seconds before he realized the sound had come from him. He was hyperventilating again as he was forced to relive his last moments with Blaine. He watched his boyfriend struggle to keep his eyes open, growing steadily weaker as he bled to death. Kurt didn't want to watch, but he couldn't look away. As painful as those final moments had been, Kurt never wanted to forget what it felt like to hold Blaine and see nothing but love reflected in his gorgeous eyes. The recap finally ended with the Capitol medics sedating Kurt on screen, still crying out for Blaine.

With a teary smile, the MC nodded for the attendant to turn off the projector. Kurt wanted to punch the man for having the audacity to smile at him with that pitying look on his face. He wondered where this sudden violence had come from. The MC continued as if he'd read Kurt's mind.

“Well Kurt, we know this has been a lot to endure, and you're probably on the verge of taking us all on single handedly, but if you just bear with us for another few minutes I promise we'll make it all up to you.” Kurt almost tried to walk away again. He didn't want to indulge this audience on the belief that anything could make up for what he had lost. His innocence, his best friend, the love of his life. What could they possibly give him that would replace any of that? He caught his father's gaze from the side stage and was shocked to see a huge smile on his face. Burt definitely wasn't the type to pander to the audience, and Kurt was suddenly intrigued. He might not trust the Capitol, but he trusted his dad. And the look on Burt's face told him to have hope. Kurt nodded mutely to the MC.

“Excellent! Now, I already mentioned that this year we played around with social media and audience participation. Everyone was rooting for you and Blaine. You probably guessed that to some extent by the sheer amount of sponsors you boys had here. What no one could have predicted was how the audience reacted to those final moments. No one in the Capitol would stand for having a victor like Karofsky. We couldn't imagine having to welcome him back here every year as a mentor. Everyone was so excited when you came to our rescue. And Blaine's of course.”

Kurt had no idea where this was going. He didn't kill Karofsky to keep him from winning the Games. He wasn't even trying to save his own life. Kurt killed him in his useless attempt to save Blaine. He didn't feel an ounce of remorse for taking the boy's life. In Kurt's mind, someone as vicious and cruel as Karofsky simply didn't deserve to live when someone as kind and warm as Blaine couldn't. The audience seemed like they were on the edge of their seats, an excited hum moving through the crowd. Kurt suddenly had a feeling like everyone else knew something that he didn't.

“It's no secret that everyone here simply adores Blaine.” Kurt didn't catch the MC's use of the present tense. “We were all so taken in by the two of you, and so happy you found love in each other. I know you probably hate everything about the Capitol right now, and I don't blame you in the slightest.” Kurt wished the MC would get to whatever point he was trying to make. “Before you pass judgment on us Kurt, the Capitol has a little surprise for you.” He gestured to the back of the stage and the audience started to cheer and scream in triumph. Kurt followed their gaze and his heart stopped when he saw what had everyone so excited.