Epilogue

Kurts letter concludes: "Im staying in Ohio for a few days. If you want to meet, come to the Caverns after dark on the fourteenth or fifteenth. Ill be there."

Theres no signature at the bottom of the letter. Blaine holds the thick sheaf of handwritten pages, shuffles the last page to the back, and doesnt do anything for a long moment. Today is the fourteenth. Blaine doesnt move, doesnt think, doesnt even breathe. Doesnt question the incredible tale hes just read. His decision was made before he even opened the mailbox. In his heart, where Kurt is concerned, the decision has always been made.

He doesnt wait until his parents come home, leaves the driveway unshoveled and them a note explaining that hes gone to the library to do research on a Physics paper. He wont be home until after dinner, may even crash at Sams if he doesnt get finished until late. Hell text them if he wont be home.

He has a few errands to run before dark. Things hes sure Kurt will need, some other things that may help him. Then Blaine drives the hour out to the state park just as dusk settles, indigo and blue, in the western sky.

Its not hard to get in after dark, but Blaine avoids the main road in, climbs a fence in the dark with his shopping bags, and it feels like a real adventure for a moment. But its not play. Whatever has happened to Kurt, whether what he wrote is literally true or not, has been anything but fun. And Blaine knows Kurt, knows he wouldnt make up something so elaborately horrible if it were only a game.

Unfortunately, Kurt didnt say where in the park he would be, so Blaine heads down toward the small lake. Hes not sure hell find Kurt in the caverns, but the water, he knows, Kurt will find calming.

The picnic tables are all vacant, and the moon rises, bright upon the water. Blaine keeps looking, walking around the perimeter of the lake, looking back toward the trees and limestone hills, unsure whether he should call out.

Then from behind, he hears his name, spoken softly in such a familiar voice and with such fragile wondering, Blaines heart fumbles its next beat.

He turns around, not knowing what to expect, but hoping. Hoping.

Kurts wrapped up in his dark coat, the hood pulled low to obscure his face, but Blaine would recognize the lines and stance of his body anywhere. "Kurt," he exhales, and he goes to him.

But instead of coming into a welcoming embrace, Kurt takes a step back and turns his head. The moonlight catches his face. His gaze is fever bright and wary. "Youre alone?" Kurt asks.

"Yes," Blaine says.

"No one knows youre here?"

Blaine shakes his head. "I havent told anyone anything, Kurt. I promise. My parents think Im at the library."

"Okay," Kurt says. "Lets go in." He turns away and walks up the slope toward the cavern entrance.

"Is that safe?" Blaine asks. Enclosed spaces, Kurt had written, bring danger.

"It cant come into these natural caverns, theyre too irregular. It hasnt found me here yet anyway. Its not close."

"Okay," Blaine says, and he follows Kurt. He cant tell if Kurt is wholly himself, or if he is suffering a delusion of some kind. But Kurt speaks calmly enough, and he doesnt seem dangerous.

Inside the limestone cavern is a small campsite, ringed with LED lanterns that provided a dim, pale light and stretched long dark fingers of shadow about the cave walls. Kurts belongings are there, including props from the letters story. Blaine sees the occult books, the device, the small brass elephant. Kurt steps between two low stalagmites and slips off his coat. The pommel of the dagger at his belt glints red, and Kurts left arm is in a makeshift sling. Hes dressed in a shirt and cardigan with only a few buttons done up.

His face is drawn, and hes definitely lost weight. Fatigue darkens the skin under his eyes. He looks at Blaine nervously, and Blaine understands what hes seeing in Kurts gaze, an unnatural brightness to the blue, almost as if Kurts wearing colored contacts. Something has changed him.

And then Kurt smiles, and hes suddenly entirely himself, entirely known and familiar, the boy Blaine remembers, loves, and misses. "Thank you for coming," Kurt says, and he sits down on a smooth boulder, gestures for Blaine to come closer.

"You had to know I would," Blaine says, but he hesitates to sit anywhere; he sets down the shopping bags. "Ill always come if you ask me to."

Kurt blinks and casts his gaze down. "Id never expect you to, not now. You should know that. This is all... oh, god." He shudders and then his back heaves spasmodically. Kurt brings his free hand to his face and lets out a soft sob. "Blaine," he says, and that single syllable is weighted with all the pain from the letter, all the despair; all the suffering, confusion, and fear.

"Hey," Blaine says, and he approaches Kurt slowly, holding his hands out with open palms to show hes not a threat. Its like approaching a frightened cat. "Its okay."

Kurt drops his hand and looks at him then, tears wet on his cheeks, his eyes glassy and red. "Nothing is okay," Kurt says bitterly. "You read the letter?"

"Yes," Blaine says, and he sits next to Kurt gingerly, doesnt try to touch him. "I read it."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"And did you believe it?"

Blaine presses his lips together and keeps looking at Kurt, trying to find the answer to that simple query. "I dont know," he says at last. "I believe youve been through something terrible, but the details are hard to accept."

"Yeah," Kurt says, wry. "They really are. I wouldnt believe it myself if I got that letter."

That makes Blaine exhale a soft laugh. "All right then."

"I want you to believe me though," Kurt says more softly, and then he looks back at the shopping bags Blaine set down. "What did you bring?"

"Oh," Blaine gets up again and gets them, brings them back to where theyre sitting.

"Food and clothes mostly, some toiletries for you, things I thought you could use," he says. "Take anything you want." He bends to reach into the bottom of one of the bags and brings out a small, rectangular, pink and red striped gift box and a card. "And this," he says, and hands them to Kurt, who takes them with a startled expression. "Happy Valentines Day, Kurt." Blaine says.

Kurt takes the card and box into his lap so he can use both hands. "I didnt get you anything."

"Its not much, really," Blaine says.

Kurt opens the box first. Inside is a glass vial which holds a small measure Blaines blood. One of Blaines stops on the way had been at the medical labs where one of Coopers ex-girlfriends worked as a phlebotomist. Blaine told her he needed a favor, for a Biology project.

"What is this?" Kurt demands, and his alarm pitches his voice higher.

"In the letter, you said sacrifices made with love could give power to... things. So I thought... maybe?" Blaine shrugs "The needle really hurt."

Kurts eyes fill with tears again, and he slumps forward over the open box and whimpers. Hes so fragile, Blaine realizes, and he reaches out to lays an open hand upon Kurts back, strokes lightly to soothe. "Was that the wrong thing to do?"

But Kurt doesnt answer his question. "You must believe me, then," Kurt says. "To give me this?" He turns his face to look at Blaine and sniffs.

Blaine hadnt thought about it that way; hed simply gone with an impulse. "I guess maybe I do?"

"I dont want this kind of thing from you, Blaine. Its not why I wanted to see you. I never want to—" Kurt breaks off with a distressed hiccup. "Take anything from you like this. Its too horrible."

Blaine attempts levity. "Its just blood. Ill make more of it."

Thats enough to make Kurt smile weakly. "Honestly? I dont even know what to do with it. Im not a vampire."

"Im sure youll come up with something."

"Well, thank you," Kurt says, and he straightens as his smile fades, "But if you ever do something like this again—? Please dont ever do something like this again. I couldnt bear for you to be involved or in danger."

They fall into silence then. The implication of Kurts words sink in uncomfortably. He doesnt want Blaine to be involved. What does that mean? But before Blaine can ask, Kurt speaks up, a spark of humor in his gaze, an attempt to alleviate the increasingly awkward silence. "So I guess its lucky for me that hanging out with Sam has made you credulous."

But Blaine cant bring himself to laugh now. He slides his hand up to Kurts shoulder, and then reaches to brush his fingertips against Kurts cheek. "No," he says. "Its just you."

Kurts lips part, but he says nothing. Blaine lets his gaze drop down to the loose buttons of Kurts shirt. He cant see any of the Elder Sign, and so he asks, "Could I see it? See you?"

The work of Kurts jaw reveals his discomfort. "Its ugly," he says.

"But youre not," Blaine replies.

Kurt looks away for a moment, and then back at Blaine, his gaze uncertain. But, "Okay," Kurt accedes, and he stands, his back to Blaine, while he pulls the sling off over his head and sheds his layers.

Blaine stands too, and waits for Kurt. His bared shoulders are tense, and his arms stiff as he turns. And its truly, not nearly as bad as what Blaine has braced himself for. Kurts had time to heal, and the dark grayish raised lines of the sigil are clean, if still inflamed at the edges. As Blaine looks he sees a blueish glint skitter along the lines, like glitter catching the light. Blaine reaches a hand out and looks up at Kurts face. "May I?"

Kurt sucks in a shallow breath and he nods faintly, blinks back the glisten of fresh tears and looks off at the cavern wall.

With wonder Blaine touches, lightly, over the relief of the shape. Its warm and tingles beneath the sensitive pads of his fingers. "Does it hurt?" he asks.

"No," Kurt whispers. "My arm does, but this is fine now."

Blaine traces the irregular star, each long line, thinks about Kurt doing this to himself. It brings his own tears to sting his eyes. "And does it... work?"

"Once it healed well enough, and it has to be visible to, um..."

"To the hound?" Blaine asks, still watching his hand on Kurts skin, transfixed by the strangeness of it. He isnt horrified; this is just Kurt.

"Yeah," Kurt says. "So its not as useful as Id hoped. I mean, I cant go around shirtless like this, and I dont want to have that thing ambushing me in a grocery store."

"So its still hunting you?" Blaine passes his palm over Kurts heart to feel its beat and glances up at Kurt. Kurt shivers.

"Its, uh," and Kurt actually summons a stronger smile. "Think Terminator tenacious."

And its so lovely to see, Blaine feels drawn, to lean in and press his mouth to Kurts smile. Kurts reply is a hastily sucked in breath, and he stiffens for a moment. Then his lips relax and part beneath the gentle pressure of Blaines mouth, but when Blaine tries to deepen the kiss, Kurt pushes him away and shakes his head in denial. "Im sorry, but I cant. I cant stay here, and you cant come with me. We cant do this."

"Oh," Blaine says and frowns. "So, um?" His hand falls away from where hes touching Kurt, and his gaze slides to Kurts injuredarm, where its bandaged, how the effect of the injury is visible beyond the neat, clean dressing. A strange dark, glistening blue runs down the veins of Kurts forearm and up to his shoulder. "Why did you want to see me then?"

He hears the catch of Kurts breath, and then Kurt bends to pick up his shirt. He slips it back on. "I wanted to see you one last time, and I wanted to say goodbye."

Stunned, Blaine takes a step back. "Goodbye?"

"Im sorry," Kurt says again, "But as long as I have to live like this, I cant risk you, or my family, or anyone. This is something I have to face myself."

"You dont have to do this alone, Kurt—"

"Yes, I do, Blaine," Kurt says, an edge to hysteria creeping in to his voice. "You read my letter, you know whats hunting me, how it got to Carmen, how I couldnt help her, and how my trying to help her? All it did was bring that thing upon me. I cant let that happen to you. I cant, Blaine. Id rather die myself."

Blaine blinks and looks away, deeper into the shadows. "So... what does that mean?"

"It means," Kurt sighs, defeated, and he sits down again. "It means, every day, I get up, and I have to fight the monster. Or the monster kills me. Thats it. Thats my life. Thats all I have."

"I wont accept that," Blaine says.

"You have to. Please, for my sake?" Kurt pleads.

And Blaine knows, he knows Kurt well enough, he wont change Kurts mind today. But that doesnt mean hell abandon him to this fate. "Okay," Blaine says provisionally. "But I want you to promise me something."

"Whats that?"

"That youll still write to me and youll still call me. That well stay in each others lives, somehow."

"Blaine," Kurt says, pained.

"You promised me once," Blaine says firmly, stepping close and touching Kurt again on his good shoulder. "That you would never say goodbye to me. Maybe I cant help you defeat this thing, and maybe I cant keep you safe, but I still want to be able to support you, in any way I can. Youre not alone with this. As long as I'm breathing, Kurt, you'll never be alone."

Kurt's shoulders slump and he breathes. "All right," he says, and Blaine hears relief. When Blaine reaches for him, Kurt goes willingly into Blaine's embrace, and he holds on tightly. "All right," he says again, more softly, and with such tender gratitude it almost sounds like hope. And for now, Blaine just holds him.