The next day Kurt was allowed by Blaine to return home and to work. He had only missed two days of work, but he felt like he was coming off of a long relaxing vacation. He felt more awake and alert than he could ever remember feeling.

Aside from needing to return to work and get back to his life, he was actually sad to be leaving. Being able to sleep leisurely, eat his fill, and feel safe away from where Karofsky would look for him had been a joy. Blaine had stayed with him the entire time, either in the tent or outside of it. Kurt had apologized to him for taking up his time and Blaine had rebuffed the apology, saying he would have wasted the time on going to the saloon to flirt with him anyhow and this just saved him the trouble of walking there.

Blaine hadn't talked much despite being close to Kurt the entire time. After he had admitted being a victim of attacks himself, he had shut himself off and didn't open up anymore to Kurt. Blaine would check Kurt's healing, bring him food and drink, and make sure he was comfortable. Before leaving, Blaine had also given Kurt a small bag of herbs and directed him how to make a tea that would help with any residual pain he might have.

When he had left, Kurt had refused Blaine's money. There was no way Kurt could have taken the money after having been taken care of so well. It wouldn't sit well with him and Santana said she would count the time off as vacation anyhow, which meant he should still get paid. Yet when he got back to his room, he found an envelope with double his wages for the past two days and then some laying on his bed.

"He told me to leave it for you." Santana's voice came from behind him as Kurt looked sadly down at the money. He turned to look at her as she continued to speak.

"I'm glad you're alright. No more going out alone." She dictated.

Kurt smiled softly, "Yes ma'am...."

He noted she looked rather withdrawn and distant and frowned then, "Are you alright Santana? I'm sorry if my being gone left you guys overworked..."

"Oh no white boy. Not you. Just don't worry about it." She waved him off and walked down the stairs, leaving him alone in his room again.

Kurt took the money and tucked it into his pillowcase with the rest of his savings. He wasn't sure if he should return it or put it towards paying off his loan debt. It would make a nice dent in the loan after all.

He spent that day trying to catch up on his mending work. The pile had grown exponentially while he was gone - customers used to leaving the mending at the back door of the saloon for him to fix. By the time it was time to start work at the saloon, his fingers were numb and sore from stitching.

"Kurt! I'm so glad you're back and alright!" Rachel squealed and went to embrace him with a little too much force as he entered the saloon.

"Air. Rachel. Air." He reminded her as she squeezed him tightly and she released him after a moment.

"Sorry sweetie. I was just so worried and Santana told me but said you needed to rest so she wouldn't let me know where you were, and Finn was all worried, and - "

"Finn knows?" Kurt interrupted, suddenly feeling worried. He didn't want wind of this getting back to his dad and his dad worrying.

Rachel nodded, "Oh yes... but I just told him this afternoon. He's in town for some of the competitions happening starting tomorrow. He'll be here tonight. You can see him."

Kurt nodded slowly. Finn likely hadn't sent any courier messages to his dad then and Kurt could convince Finn to just keep it to himself for the sake of his dad's health. Kurt didn't want his dad to stress out over him. He was an adult now and needed to take care of his own problems.

"Alright. Love fest over. Lets get ready." Santana called from across the room and the three of them busied themselves for the next half hour cleaning tables and prepping food. Rachel fussed some more over him and inspected the stitches on his head, letting him know that it looked like it was healing up well.

Once again the saloon filled up after the events had finished for the day and the stores closed. There was a big retelling of how one patron, Sam, had won a bull wrestling competition, and how Finn and Sam had tied in the lassoing event. Both Finn and Sam were present and reenacted their moves from earlier in the day to a captive crowd.

Once the focus had been taken off Finn for awhile, he came to speak to Kurt who was working behind the bar.

"Hey man. Rachel told me what happened. Are you alright?" Finn slid up onto a stool in front of where Kurt was filling up drinks for Rachel to serve.

Kurt forced his very best smile as he turned to look at his brother, "Oh I'm fine. Nothing really happened. She probably overdramatisized it."

Finn looks Kurt up and down, trying to assess the legitimacy of the claim. Kurt had brushed his hair so the stitches on his head couldn't be seen and had a neckerchief tied around his neck where there had been some visible bruising.

"I guess you look alright... Maybe a little bit skinny. Mom and dad wanted to come out but couldn't leave the ranch right now. They want to know when you're coming home to visit."

Kurt hesitated as he thought about that. It wasn't that he didn't want to visit, in fact he desperately wanted to spend more time with his dad, however he needed to work as much as he could in order to make ends meet and get the loan paid off so he could start saving for New York.

"I can't really say right now Finn. It's definitely too busy right now with the competitions, congratulations by the way, and afterwards there should be lots of accumulated tailoring I'll need to do."

Finn nodded slowly and looked to each side before leaning forward on the bar and whispering toward Kurt with an eager smile. "I ordered a ring today with the prize earnings."

"Finn!" Kurt cried out and then hushed himself to not arouse any attention, especially from Rachel, "That's so wonderful. I'm so happy for you!" He beamed at Finn, various conflicted thoughts and emotions going through his mind from the jealously he had over them being able to express their love so openly to delight in knowing that his family would be growing.

Finn and Kurt talked excitedly for a few more minutes about how to propose when Kurt saw Blaine enter out of the corner of his eye and sit at the far end of the bar. "Excuse me Finn. Have to serve a customer."

Kurt brought Blaine a full glass of whiskey and set it down in front of him. "On the house."

Blaine's gaze rose from where it had been set on the bar and his eyes connected with Kurt's. "Won't you get in trouble for this?"

Kurt smiled softly back to Blaine, "Somehow I think if you're around I'll be fine." Thewordscamewithout Kurt having thought about them and immediately after he spoke he wondered about the implications of what he had meant.

Blaine too seemed to think a moment on the words and then replied, "So this is the drink I get for letting you ride me." A wink followed the statement which just made Kurt chuckle and shake his head. The more deviant side to Blaine had returned.

A woman's scream followed by an abrupt yell he recognized as Finn took both their attention away from one another. In the centre of the saloon, Finn was toe to toe with Sebastian, who was flanked by several of his own men. Rachel was being held by one of Sebastian's men, Hunter, who had her up over his shoulder, legs off the ground and in the air with her head facing back. She was flailing and screaming as she tried to escape and Kurt instinctively began running out from behind the bar to try and help her.

Finn and Sebastian were shouting at one another and Sebastian kept blocking Finns path as the taller boy tried to get to Rachel as well. The bar was a contrast of stunned silent observers and yelling voices coming from the group in the middle,

"Let her go!"

"Back off giant!"

"I said let her go!"

"Finn! Help!"

"Rachel!"

"She's going next door!"

"We've had enough tease. Time to please!"

"Like hell!"

The last words came out of Finn's mouth who finished his exclamation with a punch to Sebastian's face, knocking him back and starting an all out brawl between Finn's ranch friends and Sebastian's posse. As Kurt neared Rachel, he found himself running into David who stepped into his path and grabbed his own arms to hold him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" David snarled and pushed Kurt backwards with the force of his weight, Kurt struggling and trying to look past the ogre before him to see his brother and friend.

"David. Let me go. They need me!"

In response David pushed Kurt back to the floor by the edge of the bar. Kurt winced, but ignored the pain as he tried to scramble back to his feet. He saw David coming toward him and then that view was blocked by a black duster as Blaine darted between them.

"Get outta my way injun!" David threatened and pulled a fist up to Blaine's face threateningly. Blaine looked at the fist and before David could say anything else, threw a punch into David's stomach, knocking him back a step.

Kurt scampered around Blaine and David as quickly as he could, trying to avoid the fight they were getting into and looked around in panic for Rachel and Finn. He found Finn near the entrance, cradling Rachel in his arms and trying to soothe the weeping woman.

"You two need to go. Now. Take her back to the ranch Finn." Kurt commanded as he reached them, taking the coins he had in his pockets and pushing them into Finn's hand. "Now. Get a carriage and go."

Finn looked at Kurt thankfully and slipped out with Rachel while the brawl continued behind them all. People were lying on the floor, chairs were flying, and shattered glass was everywhere.

BANG.

In one instant everyone froze and looked for the source of the shot with their eyes. Santana was holding a shotgun up, dust from the hole in the roof now gliding down around her. "Everyone get the hell out! Saloon is closed for the night!"

Begrudgingly everyone left, picking up fallen comrades on their way to take for care. Azimio and Kyle had to both heft David up, who, much to Kurt's inward amusement, was sporting a swollen eye and a drain of blood coming from a cut lip. The irony that it was the local law enforcement starting and being wholly involved in the fight was not lost on Kurt, nor was it unexpected. Ultimately Kurt was just glad that it was Santana who pulled a gun out first and not anyone else.

Santana was swearing in both english and spanish, grabbing a broom and setting down the shotgun. Kurt scanned over the room after everyone left and found only Blaine, himself and Santana remained. Blaine had returned to the bar and was drinking the rest of his whiskey from what must have been the only unbroken glass in the place. His eyes were on Kurt, just watching.

Kurt ran his fingers through his hair and looked over the chaos that was once the saloon. He didn't even know where to begin on clean up or what to do, the rush of adrenaline still winding its way through his system. Instead he slowly walked over the broken bits of tables, chairs, and glass and sat in the stool beside Blaine, staring at the mess from there with a large degree of bewilderment.

"You got your family out then?" Blaine asked beside him.

Kurt nodded slowly, "Thank you for distracting him so I could... From the state of him I assume you're fine."

"I can hold my own... or you if you'd let me." Kurt looked over at Blaine and found that he was being winked at.

"I... think I'm good." Kurt murmured back, watching as Santana swept in futile motions over the floor still cursing under her breath.

"Santana.... I think we should just leave it for now."

Santana threw the broom to the floor and cursed in spanish before storming off into the kitchen.

"Was he the one?" Blaine piped up beside Kurt, bringing his attention back to him.

"Sorry... what?" Kurt looked to Blaine in confusion.

"That Karofsky fellow. He's the one who hurt you isn't he?"

Kurt didn't reply, instead forming an intense interest in the floor in front of him. Blaine nodded as his suspicion was confirmed by Kurt's reaction. "Glad I punched him then."

Kurt chuckled a little and Blaine stood up, sweeping a hand across the view of the room, "My indian grandmother would say the best solution to this would be fire."

Kurt nodded in agreement, looking up at where Blaine stood and asking, "Why didn't you stay with your mother's family if your father kicked you out?"

Blaine frowned and turned his head away, "I didn't belong there either." His statement was simple and concise, and with a tone that indicated that would be all he said on the matter.

"Well. I'd better go help Santana calm down and figure out what to do. Thanks Blaine.. again." Kurt touched a hand to Blaine's shoulder gently and briefly as he stood up and passed into the kitchen, going to see if Santana had broken into the scotch and letting Blaine walk himself out.

By the time they normally would have closed up, Santana and Kurt had managed to clean up the saloon as best as it could be. The tables and chairs that could be salvaged were pushed to the back wall and the floor had been swept off twenty times over until it was bare before Kurt mopped it clean of blood stains.

Thankfully they still had more glasses in storage, though they would never have quite as many as they did before.

Santana had already posted a help wanted sign with Rachel's sudden departure and a couple girls had come and inquired, setting up appointments for interviews the next day once things were tidied.

Santana had mostly been quiet throughout the night, and Kurt suspected it wasn't just because of the brawl. She wouldn't respond though each time he asked if everything was alright and after awhile he gave up on asking.

When she left, Kurt sat himself at a stool at the bar, the saloon seeming much more empty and somehow more beautiful with the floor bare of furniture, almost like a stage. He poured himself a small glass of the scotch Santana had started on and sipped it, enjoying the silence and peace after the chaos of the day.

He heard footsteps on the porch outside and called out, "Closed!" before taking another sip of his drink. The footsteps reached the saloon doors, which were pushed open, revealing David who had a black eye and stitches on his mouth. Kurt immediately went cold and froze in spot, seeing the same murderous stare in David's good eye that had chilled him to the bone before.

"Where the hell did you go for two days?" David demanded as he strode up to Kurt who pulled his knees up a little as his posture became rigid and self protective.

"I was recovering after you attacked me!" Kurt spat up at David, his voice wavering slightly despite the defiance.

"I never did anything to you! You got that?!" David had his face right in Kurt's at this point and Kurt was doing his best to hold his ground and not pull away from him.

"No. You did. I have stitches and bruises, and you threw me down again tonight." Kurt stammered back right to David's face.

David snarled and grabbed Kurt's thighs with his hands, pinching them down against the seat. Kurt flinched against the hold but braced himself inwardly, preparing for more since this was quickly becoming an unwanted routine.

"And if that indian scum didn't get in the way, I would have done more. You shouldn't be getting in the way of my boys." David's hands were going to leave a mark in his thighs. Kurt could feel them tingling from lack of blood flow.

"Your boys were attacking my family and trying to take my friend to the brothel." Kurt said. He knew he was too deep in now to avoid being hurt, so he would make the most of his words while he could.

David lifted his hands off Kurt's thighs and Kurt gasped a little as the blood quickly began flowing back into those parts of his leg, making it burn in sensation. David drew his revolver and pointed it at Kurt's chest.

"You're lucky we let you exist. You DON'T interfere." David reiterated. "Now get up and get to the kitchen."

Kurt looked back at the saloon door, hoping that someone would come out of that dark night that he had just been enjoying. He tried not to look at the gun, knowing that he could easily lose himself if he thought about what it suggested. Slowly, Kurt slid off the stool and walked to the kitchen, David prodding him with his gun the whole way.

When they reached the kitchen, David nodded toward the counter and Kurt looked from the counter and back to David in confusion before the larger man indicated, "Lean over it."

Kurt's heartbeat increased to an unheard of level. Somehow having a gun to his chest was much less threatening than what David was about to do. "No. No. No.... I'll... I'll suck you off again. Please no..."

David laughed and jabbed the gun toward Kurt. "You'd like that wouldn't you. Little whore. No. You need some good punishment."

Kurt couldn't help it now. His eyes shed tears down his face as he backed up toward the counter, pleading still the whole way.

"Drop your pants." David commanded, ignoring the pleadings and licking his lips as he watched Kurt back up.

"Somehow I didn't think I'd find you here... doing this..." A third voice noted, and Kurt and David both snapped their heads to the kitchen doorway where Blaine stood, one hand hovering over a revolver in his holster.

"What the fuck injun. Get the hell out..." David turned the gun toward Blaine and before it could fully be aimed on him, Blaine had his own gun lifted out of his holster and pointed back at David.

"Forgot something here and came to collect. Wonder what people would think if they knew the sheriff liked cock." Blaine mused aloud, keeping his sights on David.

David realized he was the odd man out and lowered his gun. "Fucking indians..." He stormed past Blaine who kept his gun and eyes on David until he knew he was safely all the way out the door.

Kurt leaned back against the counter and quickly tried to rub the tears off his face with the back of his sleeve. His heart still beating at a rapid pace.

Blaine re-holstered his gun and walked over to Kurt, standing in front of him and looking him over to assess what, if any damage had been done. "I can't keep saving you sweet stuff."

Something snapped again in Kurt, and his arm again moved to slap Blaine - the adrenaline too much to handle with all the emotions attached, and the suggestion that he was so weak he needed to be saved, true as it seemed to be. This time however, Blaine caught Kurt's arm instead of letting it mark his cheek and they stayed there, staring into each other's eyes for a moment before Kurt launched himself forward and angrily pressed his lips against Blaine's.

The move had been instigated by Kurt in a need to feel in control, and powerful, and then continued because it just felt right. He hungrily mashed his lips against Blaine's who returned the kisses with a lot more gentleness than Kurt was using on him.

In his head, Kurt acknowledged this was madness. In one moment he had gone from being about to be raped to forcing himself on someone else. He shouldn't be so lustful - should he? His experiences with David should have turned him off sexual need - right? Especially now, except he was, and it hadn't.

Animalistic fury took Kurt over and he felt the need to dominate. He pushed himself back against Blaine, his arms moving to pull off Blaine's duster as quickly as he could, arms in a flurry as they tried to undress the other man.

"Kurt...." Blaine murmured between kisses, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and pulling him close.

Kurt growled back, "Don't talk." The duster was dropped to the floor and Kurt's hands moved to unbuckle the first of Blaine's belts, returning his lips to Blaine's.

Blaine complied, humming softly back against Kurt's kisses. Blaine's hands moved more slowly and less aggressively, moving up from Kurt's waist to the buttons on his shirt which he carefully unclasped one at a time.

Kurt's lips were quickly swelling from the pressure, and it wasn't the only thing swelling. His pants had becoming too confining now and Blaine's hands moving on him only made him feel more forceful about getting Blaine undressed.

Within the next couple minutes, the two men men were standing in a pile of their entangled clothing with nothing left but undershirts, socks, and briefs. Blaine's leg was hitched up around one of Kurt's who moved them back to the wall, with Blaine sandwiched between the wall and Kurt. They were both releasing a medley of moans and whimpers as they discovered sensitive spots on the others with their roaming hands. Their swollen members rubbing against one another through their underwear.

Kurt pulled away from Blaine with a small gasp and looked at Blaine with wild, fully dilated eyes, "I need you."

Blaine nodded back to Kurt, his pupils also fully expanded and lustful. He hooked his fingers on the waistband of Kurt's briefs and slid them downwards to the point where they fell to the floor on their own, his hands then moving to gently touch and explore Kurt's exposed cock.

Kurt moaned and buried his face in Blaine's shoulder. He moved his own hands down over Blaine's back and assisted Blaine in the removal of his own briefs, so they were both exposed to one another.

For another moment they were happy to touch each other and steal glances down at their penises that seem compelled to rub against one another. Kurt left a mark on Blaine's collarbone where he suckled the skin and Blaine nibbled on Kurt's ear until Kurt tipped his head back and whimpered.

Kurt pushed gently against Blaine then and understandingly, Blaine lowered himself down, pulling Kurt on top of him as he laid down on the ground atop some of the clothing where they resumed kissing, though more gently now. Kurt moved his hands down and lightly groped at Blaine and then around to his ass, moving a finger between Blaine's cheeks to rub against the hole there.

Blaine moaned and looked up at Kurt hungrily, murmuring, "Do you have any oil...?" Not wanting to speak more than he needed to since Kurt had ordered him quiet beforehand.

Kurt took a moment to process Blaine's words through the sensations of pleasure he was feeling. He nodded and dug into a nearby cupboard to retrieve a flask of oil, with Blaine miming to him that he should put it on his fingers.

Kurt followed Blaine's lead and coated a finger in the oil before slipping it up into Blaine which caused him to gasp and squirm a little. Kurt watched him with a mixture of bewilderment and fervor, slowly moving the finger in and out. After a minute, Blaine's body seemed to relax and respond to the motion, his mouth again emitting low lusty growls and so Kurt added another finger to bring Blaine back to a point of discomfort, continuing the cycle until he was relaxed with three fingers stretching and scissoring inside him.

It was at this point that Blaine reached down and wrapped a hand around Kurt's cock, tugging it gently toward him. Kurt looked to Blaine, asking permission with his eyes and Blaine nodded to him. He removed his fingers, causing Blaine to whine softly, and lubed his cock up.

Kurt kneeled over Blaine then, rubbing the tip of his member against the opening of Blaine's ass before pushing it in. As he did, Kurt was overcome with sheer desire and need. Nothing had ever felt so right and Blaine was making noises under him that pushed him on until he was fully submerged in the man below him.

Kurt had a hard time controlling himself after that first plunge in and found himself thrusting back and forth, slowly at first and then more quickly and passionately. Below him Blaine was a mess of limbs and beautiful noises. Kurt lost himself and without regard to anything else, thrust until he came inside Blaine, letting out a soft cry into the night before collapsing on top of Blaine.

It took a few minutes for Kurt to regain his senses and when he did they all bombarded him at once. The realization that he'd just had sex for the first time, that it was with Blaine, that it was right after David tried to do the same to him, that it was in the kitchen of all places. He moaned and found Blaine wrapping his arms around him and holding him closely.

"Can I talk now...?" whisper Blaine below him, his head nuzzled into Kurt's scalp.

Kurt pulled himself off of, and out of Blaine, pushing himself out of the man's arms, "Oh... god. Blaine. I'm sorry.... I'm sorry...."

Blaine's brow furrowed and he looked at Kurt in total confusion, "What? Why?"

Kurt searched through the pile of clothing around them for his own clothes, his eyes tearing up, "I didn't mean to. I mean I wanted to... but I...."

A hand touched Kurt's and he looked toward it. Blaine was touching his hand and stroking it gently. "If I didn't want it... I would have said so. I think by now you should have figured out how much I did want it."

Kurt's eyes travelled up the hand to Blaine's face. "But I didn't even care... I didn't even care if you were enjoying it...."

Blaine laughed softly and sat up, reaching to pull Kurt to him. "Don't worry. I did. The proof is on our stomachs." Kurt allowed himself to be held and looked to the sticky mess on his stomach, realising then where it had come from.

"God I'm a mess...." Kurt murmured as he burrowed against Blaine's warm body.

Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's head. "Could sponge ourselves off if you have a basin..."

Kurt laughed at that and Blaine looked taken aback. "I meant in my mind... though yes, I guess I am physically too right now."

Blaine chuckled then, realizing his misunderstanding. He ran a hand up and down Kurt's side, which in his post orgasmic sensitivity, Kurt found made him shiver. "Sleep with me?"

"I wouldn't leave you alone now if you made me." Blaine stated and Kurt wondered if it was because of their intimacy, or because Blaine had taken on the role of protector. No matter which it was, Kurt didn't want to be without him tonight.

Together, they gathered up their clothing and snuck up the stairs, where they had to entwine their bodies together closely in order to fit on Kurt's small bed where Kurt quickly fell asleep. Blaine kept one of his colt revolvers near him that night and didn't sleep as he held Kurt in his arms, watching the door and periodically laying gentle kisses to the pale boy's forehead. Blaine knew that he had awoken a dragon in David by interfering in his attack on Kurt, and now that dragon could attack at any time.