The next few days found Kurt creating new habits. He woke up, went to the saloon to gather new mending and go around town to drop off the clothing that he had tailored, then returned to Blaine's camp to work there. He worked the evenings at the saloon, getting to know Mercedes and Marley better, and then returned with Blaine to camp when it was done. It had been days now since he had slept in his own bed, and he was becoming quickly accustomed to Blaine's company.

He had received word from Finn that he and Rachel had made it back to the ranch, and to not let Burt and Carole know what had transpired to make them rush back other than a rapid engagement and desire to be together. So far there had been no repercussions and no one had gone out to the ranch looking for them. Burt was also apparently talking about building a house on the ranch just for Finn and Rachel and the very heavily hinted at future grandchildren. The thought of either of those two as parents made Kurt laugh.

Despite demands from Kyle, Quinn refused to allow Santana to work as a lady of pleasure, saying she was too valuable to her as a manager. When Kurt had last stopped on at the brothel, Santana had actually looked quite happy and back to her old snarky self. Being at the bordello provided the perfect cover for a lesbian couple, and though Santana had to share Brittany with paying customers, they had made something for themselves in that place.

Blaine had been increasingly practicing his shooting skills while they spent their days together. He was planning to compete in all the shooting competitions, from distance shots to moving shots. He went through an insane amount of ammo and Kurt would spend part of his day cleaning up shell casings from the ground, always jokingly declaring that Blaine was inconsiderate of his environment for a half blood.

Kurt had also learned to use a shotgun at Blaine's behest. While Kurt was a decent shot with a revolver, he had never used a shotgun before. The weapon was comparatively large and awkward and Kurt definitely didn't like the kick back it gave. "Why on earth would anyone use this over a colt?"

Blaine chuckled and took the shotgun from him, reloading it and aiming out at a tree trunk he had been using for target practice with his revolver earlier, shooting a round into it which overtook all the smaller bullet marks in size, "More damage."

Blaine had also allowed Kurt to go for rides on Ominitago. Kurt had missed riding horses out in the open. Going so fast through the wild gave him a bit of a thrill and the mare was absolutely fearless, vaulting over felled tree trunks and plowing through rivers with ease. It had quickly become one of Kurt's favourite times of day and he could see why Blaine would value her so much. She had a personality too, easy to temper and demanding. Kurt imagined that if Santana were a horse, she would be an appaloosa mare too. Blaine noted to him though, when Kurt said that aloud, that Minnie reminded him of Kurt. "You're both happiest when you're free."

Kurt had also insisted on tailoring some new clothing for Blaine, whose clothes had so many patch jobs and stitches he wondered if there was anything left of the original fabric. Blaine had insisted on simple clothes since he wasn't courting royalty and politicians, so Kurt was limited in his ability to design what he might have otherwise created, but he was happy to be able to do something for Blaine aside from provide him with company and free whiskey.

"Why do you drink so much?"

Blaine shrugged when Kurt had asked him that. "It's what people do. Why do you drink so little?"

"Because it costs too much and it's just something you rent." Kurt informed him matter-of-factly while threading a needle.

"I suppose... but it takes the edge off. I'm better when I've had some in me." Blaine said. He was cleaning his gun during this conversation so both boys were talking but not looking at one another, focused on their own tasks.

"Better how?" Kurt thought for a moment and then noted, "I like you just fine during the day when you're not drinking."

Blaine chuckled and pulled a flask out from the pocket of his duster, pointing at his mug of coffee, "I'm never not drinking."

Kurt looked at the coffee mug and his jaw dropped, "You spike your coffee too? Blaine... you're going to kill yourself drinking all day everyday like that."

Blaine shrugged and Kurt immediately got frustrated with the ambivalent gesture, "Don't shrug it off! You realize then I've never seen you without the alcohol in your system?"

Blaine shrugged again, causing Kurt to throw his work to his side and reach over to grab the flask from Blaine, opening it and pouring it out onto the ground while a shocked and perturbed Blaine watched.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Kurt looked back at him, pained, "You can't expect me to take care of myself and protect myself if you aren't going to reciprocate. That shit will eventually kill you if you drink it like that."

Blaine groaned and left his gun cleaning, walking over to Minnie and saddling her up. "I'm going for a ride."

Kurt huffed, "Fine. Don't talk about it. Just run away from dealing with it."

Blaine paused and Kurt realized that perhaps he had said too much. After a moment, Blaine climbed atop the mare and rode off, without another word.

"Dammit...." Kurt swore to himself.

By the time Kurt needed to work, Blaine hadn't returned, and Kurt was stewing in a blend of guilt and anger. Guilt for what he had said, especially knowing that Blaine had made a habit of running from situations he didn't want to face, and anger that Blaine was avoiding him regardless of what he had said.

Kurt walked through town to get the saloon, arms full of clothing he had spent the day mending. Naturally because his mind was so preoccupied, and his arms were so full, David took this opportunity to block his path.

"You haven't been staying at your room."

Kurt took in a deep breath, looking up at David. He kept his expression as stoic as possible. "I'm staying with a friend. I haven't felt safe there."

David tsk'ed at the response. "That's a shame. Especially since I as the sheriff have nothing but your safety in mind. You should perhaps feel a little more at ease with me around."

"I don't have time for this David. I have to get to the saloon to work." Kurt tried to walk around David, but the man kept walking in front of him and blocking his path. After a couple tries, Kurt stopped. "What is it you're wanting David?"

"Well haven't you just grown an attitude." David remarked, one of his hands poking through the tailoring pile Kurt had in his arms despite Kurt trying to pull away the clothing. "Here's what's going to happen. You're staying at your place tonight, or I'm going to agree to the requests being made by some of Smythe's boys to visit your ranch and take your brother into custody for inciting a brawl."

Kurt stomped a foot down, "You can't! They started that!"

David shrugged and Kurt realized just how much he hated that particular gesture. "As the sheriff, I say otherwise." He smirked a little and leaned in towards Kurt, "See you tonight. Oh, and I would make sure that little injun boy isn't around this time. Wouldn't want anything to happen to him either." David's hand made a sudden swat against the clothing pile then, sending them scattering across the ground.

As David lumbered off, Kurt gathered up the clothing and tried to gather back his spirit. Things had been going too well, he realized. He shouldn't have just expected David to lay off with Blaine's threat to out him.

Kurt thought about telling Blaine. To what end though, he wondered. Blaine would realize just how little Kurt was worth then, since Kurt would have to tell him about David using him before. And if Blaine showed up again, or did something to David, no...Kurt couldn't risk anything happening to Blaine.

Kurt wasn't so afraid now of what David had planned for him. He had shared himself with Blaine, and given that part of him freely to the man he wanted. He still couldn't bring himself to give or receive fellatio, but he had been getting closer to feeling alright with it. Now he wondered if he would be able to be intimate with Blaine at all.

He cursed himself. How could he think like this, so amoral. He wasn't brought up to share himself between two people, even if one wasn't his choice. It wasn't even a possibility to deny David, just look what had happened to Santana, and there was no bordello for him to be relocated to if he pissed off David. Did that mean he had to give up Blaine? How the hell could a god exist if he made Kurt love men, then denied him the ability to be with the one man he wanted.

Kurt was still overtaken by his inner debate when he got back to the saloon, not even acknowledging Mercedes and Marley who had already prepped the place for customers.

He kept to himself as customers arrived and let the girls serve them. A part of him waited for Blaine to arrive, but another part didn't want him to. He didn't want to have to make this choice, but he didn't know what else he could do.

Every now and then he would catch David looking at him appraisingly, and if he felt no one was looking, David would give him a wink. When Blaine winked at Kurt, it made him warm up inside and his heart would flutter. When David winked, it made Kurt want to vomit.

Eventually Blaine did arrive and took his now usual place near Kurt's register at the bar. When Kurt brought him a whiskey, Blaine shook his head. "I'm not going to drink it if you don't want me to..." and Kurt realized that because of David's ultimatum, he hadn't even thought again about their argument from earlier. It made Kurt's heart feel like it was cracking, and at the same time, made him angry. Angry at Blaine for being so damned likable when Kurt needed to cut him loose for their own good. His anger spilled over in that moment.

"Then why the hell are you here?!" Kurt snapped and grabbed the whiskey glass back.

Blaine looked startled and then he drew his brows together, looking at Kurt as if he had lost his mind. "What do you mean why? You know why."

"No I don't. I really don't. You haven't told me why and you somehow expect me to know as if I have super powers or something."

Blaine looked away and murmured, "Well you should know."

Kurt slammed a fist down in front of Blaine, "Well I don't! So tell me! Share with me your infinite native wisdom. Tell the stupid white boy what is so obvious!"

Blaine blinked and looked back at Kurt, obviously not understanding where this overdramatic response came from. "Kurt..."

"You treat me like I'm some kind of pathetic pet that needs to be protected and shielded from the world. Well guess what... those of us that actually face our problems actually know how the world works and how to deal with it. We don't all have the luxury of running away."

Blaine's eyes shifted for just a fraction, and Kurt could see just how much he had hurt him. For just that fraction of a second, Kurt could see how much he meant to Blaine and how much what he said hurt him. Then that instant was over and Blaine's eyes clouded over in anger as he stood up and walked out the door without another word.

Kurt watched him go, releasing a trembling breath as he did. He knew what he had done, but it was for their own good. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. He looked down at the whiskey glass he had grabbed from Blaine and in one quick motion, emptied it down his throat, wincing at the burn it made travelling down his neck, chest, and gut.

When he next looked at David, he saw the man was smiling wickedly at him, and Kurt realized he was going to need more than one drink of whiskey to get through the night. He refilled the glass and kept refilling it throughout the night until by the time closing came, he could barely stand without using the bar as a support. Mercedes and Marley had exchanged constant glances between one another whenever they noticed Kurt, and while he saw them do it, he didn't give them the satisfaction of acknowledging them.

By the time he got to leave, he was completely wasted and needed to empty the contents of his stomach by the back door. Kurt didn't drink very often, and holding his liquor had never been something he had been good at when he did. His eyes were fogged over and he felt like he was living in a hazy world. How could Blaine constantly drink this stuff. He didn't feel better, he felt worse. He had no control over what his body was doing and couldn't focus on anything for very long.

Somehow he ended up in his bed, and when he tried to focus his sights, he saw David over top of him. Kurt thought he might have protested, but all he remembered next was a hand on his throat forcing him back against the bed and then blinding pain. Everything was blurry and unreal, like he was in a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. Everything hurt and at some point he passed out, whether because of the alcohol or pain, or both.

When morning came, Kurt's head was pounding and as he tried to move he found he couldn't without pain arcing through him. He whimpered and tried to look around for someone, but found himself alone, the vague memories hitting him along with the very clear memory of him berating Blaine.

So Kurt laid there, every now and then trying to push himself to move, but finding that each attempt was worse than the last. He knew something was very wrong with him, but with the throbbing in his temples, he couldn't even get his eyes to focus to try and survey himself for damage. He would pass in and out of sleep, but the migraine and the pain wouldn't go away when he woke up.

Finally he woke up to someone, a woman's voice, "Get the doctor here..." He thought it was Quinn, but he found himself falling back unconcious before he could confirm it.

The next thing Kurt remembered was an unfamiliar smell and as he opened his eyes he felt a hand squeeze his, "He's waking up!"

Santana was there, holding his hand. His head still felt horrid, but the pain in his body seemed a little better. He shut his eyes again, the light making his brain feel worse, "Where am I Santana?"

"At the clinic. Me and some of the girls brought you here when Mike said your room was too... unsanitary to keep you at."

Kurt moaned. That didn't make sense. He kept his room spotless. Maybe it was a doctor thing.

Santana gave his hand another squeeze and dropped her voice, "It was David wasn't it?"

Kurt murmured in the affirmative and again, found himself lost to dreams. He was running in his dream, but he couldn't yell. He was escaping something or someone, but he couldn't see them. He knew he had to get away though, if only he could yell for help.

"Kurt, you need to wake up. I need you to swallow some pills for me." Mike nudged him back into consciousness, and Kurt found himself with Mike, and Santana was gone. The pain had returned however. It was, thankfully, dark outside, so he didn't need to worry about the sunlight attacking his eyes.

"I need... to go to... work..." Kurt mumbled, trying to sit himself up, which ended abruptly as a sharp pain coursed up him and made him fall back down in spot. He let out a small cry of frustration and watched as Mike simply shook his head and put the pills to Kurt's mouth, which Kurt took in and let be chased by a drink of water that Mike poured in his mouth.

"Santana said you wouldn't want me contacting your family, but I think it would be prudent." Mike said as he began the process of checking over Kurt.

Kurt started breathing more heavily, realizing that his condition must be worse than he was letting himself think if Mike was suggesting that he get ahold of his father. Thank goodness for Santana. He didn't want his dad to know. Let his dad think he died in a gunfight or brawl if that's what it would come down to. Don't let him know about this.

"What's wrong with me Mike?" Kurt choked up, trying to not think about his dad and end up crying on top of everything else.

Mike sighed and pulled a stool up to the bed. Apparently this was going to take a while. "You have broken ribs, bruises all over you, anal tearing, bite marks, scratches. At some point it looks like you might have been choked...." Mike swallowed, "Kurt, who did this?"

Kurt shook his head a little, feeling his neck ache with the movement. "You know how this town works. I can't say anything...."

Mike didn't respond for a moment and Kurt recognized the look in Mike's eyes as one of pity.

"None of that sounds so terrible though Mike...." Kurt realized how ridiculous he must sound, saying this to a doctor. "I'll heal up and be fine."

Mike frowned and rubbed a finger against his temple af if soothing a headache, "You'll heal up... but as you said, I know how this town works. When women come in like... this. They heal and then in a week they're back, until eventually they're in the ground."

"I'm not a woman..." Kurt grumbled and looked away. It was like a shot, like he was once again assumed to be weak. Maybe he was though. Look at what he allowed to happen to him. He had a gun now and everything and he was still stuck in a bed.

"I didn't mean it like that Kurt. You know what you are and you need to know I'm fine with that. Someone was as violent to you as they would have been with a woman if they were inclined that way. Was it that curly haired man I've seen you walk with?"

Blaine. Oh god, thought Kurt, Blaine may be crude, violent, and liked his drinks a little too much, but he had never been anything but gentle with Kurt, and Kurt treated him like shit for it when it was exactly what he needed and wanted.

"No... it definitely wasn't him." Kurt whispered and tried to turn his head away so Mike couldn't see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Well... I'm keeping you here anyhow. You're definitely not going back where you can be attacked again. I would like to contact your family though."

Kurt shook his head a little once again, "Please. Don't."

Mike grumbled and Kurt could hear him walk away. He could hear Mike talking to Tina, though he couldn't make out the words. Kurt prayed to himself that they weren't going to send notice to his family.

After awhile, Kurt heard footsteps coming back and heard Tina's voice, "Kurt, are you awake?"

Kurt nodded and Tina walked around the bed so she could see his face, "Hey. I know you don't want your family here, but Mike is having a hard time accepting that. When you black out, which you still will for a bit, he needs someone to make decisions on your behalf. Is there anyone else we could contact for that?"

Kurt sighed and asked, "Santana maybe?"

Tina frowned, "We thought of that but she should stay in the bordello where she's safe. She nearly was attacked by some of Sebastian's boys when she came to the clinic."

Kurt chuckled a little at the irony of the bordello being a safe place, then resumed his thoughts. He knew he wanted Blaine there, wanted him there more than anything, but he was so damned ashamed of himself and guilty still over his hurtful words. Still, maybe Blaine could help Mike with getting him fixed up so he could get to work faster. He did seem to know a good bit about indian healing.

"Blaine... he's got a camp just out of town past the road leading to the general store..."

Tina nodded and walked back off, leaving Kurt to fall asleep once again.

This time when he woke up, his head didn't hurt as much. There was still a soreness that came with any migraine, but he didn't feel like he had a vein trying to pulse outside of his skin on his temples. He grumbled a little to himself, wishing he could sleep and just wake up healed.

"Hey there."

Kurt blinked his eyes open and saw Blaine there, sitting beside him with his hat in his lap and his fingers fidgeting over the brim. Blaine's eyes had deep dark circles underneath them and he had let himself grow a bit of stubble when he usually kept himself pretty clean shaven.

"Hey...." Kurt drawled out, just keeping his eyes locked on Blaine. What was wrong with Kurt that he could have said such hateful things to this man, who was so clearly sitting there worried over him.

Blaine didn't say anything else. He didn't know what to say, or could say. He just breathed slowly and kept his gaze on Kurt for a long while.

"I knew by the way...." Kurt finally broke the silence and his eyes looked down and to the side, shamefully.

"Knew what?"

"Why you were there. Why you've always been there. I knew." Kurt explained, biting down on his lip then, trying to stall the tears forming in his eyes.

Blaine's hands ignored his hat then and reached out to brush the tears from where they were trying to escape from between Kurt's lashes. His hands moved so carefully and finally Blaine just sighed exasperatedly, "I just want to hold you but I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you worse..."

Kurt chuckled at that. He needed any excuse to laugh and that was as good as it was going to get. Blaine looked confused by the laughter, but settled then on stroking Kurt's hair with one hand and holding hands with Kurt with his other hand.

"I'm so sorry Blaine. I didn't mean any of what I said...." Kurt admitted, looking up at Blaine for forgiveness.

Blaine tipped his head down and kissed Kurt's forehead. "You weren't wrong though, and this just proves it. I shouldn't have run away from you then. I just proved I run away from my problems and look what happened to you...."

Kurt forgot his limitations for a moment and tried to move closer to Blaine, wincing as he was rudely reminded by his body that it wasn't going to happen. "And all I'm proving is that I actually do need to be protected."

Blaine shook his head, "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Look at how you turned me into a sappy sack."

Kurt chuckled and gazed up at Blaine, "I don't suppose you could convince Mike to let me heal up in your tent again? At least then you could lay down beside me."

Blaine frowned and looked over Kurt before replying, "I don't want to hurt you by moving you... and I need to know what happened. Mike explained your injuries to me. I'm not a fool. I can put together what probably happened, but you need to tell me."

"So what? You can take out vigilante justice? That doesn't work in this town Blaine... it just doesn't" Kurt had been hoping to avoid talking about the source of his injuries for at least a little while but it didn't seem like he would be getting away with it.

Blaine frowned, "Of course I want to retaliate... I lo-.. I care a lot about you. That someone would do this to you infuriates me. And that you might be protecting them by not exposing them makes me even angrier - but at you. You are worth more than that."

Kurt shook his head and wished he had more freedom in himself to look away, "I'm not... and I can't. Be angry at me then."

"I'm going to find out. I don't care how this damned town works. This is not how humans should treat one another regardless of where they hang their hat."

"Blaine please... don't. I can deal with this.... but I don't think I could handle having you get hurt or worse because of me."

"Dammit Kurt. Don't be so selfish. How do you think I feel right now seeing you like this! Why should I have to be seeing you like this and not be able to do anything about it?!"

Kurt looked at the pain on Blaine's face as he spoke and knew he couldn't say anything to refute that. "I'm sorry...."

Blaine exhaled and rubbed at his eyes to remove tears before they erupted, "I'm not just some stupid half-blood Kurt. I don't have half of the feelings and half of the brains as a white person despite what people have said."

"I never thought you did Blaine... " Kurt murmured, wondering where that last statement had come from for a moment before realizing that Blaine was venting about some of the things he had dealt with. "Oh Blaine..."

Blaine dropped his head down by Kurt's and for a moment the two nuzzles their faces against one another, Kurt ending the moment when he giggled as the feeling of Blaine's facial fuzz rubbing against his cheek. They kissed softly and Blaine pulled back away, exhaling.

"When I leave here. I want you to come with me. I'll pay any loans you have, anything. I'll go to New York and figure out how to ride a horse down between all those buildings if that's where you want to go. I don't want to live without you."

Kurt went wide eyed. This was as close to a proposal as someone like him would ever get. Hell, this was his fairy princess tale fashioned for his gay self.

"Just think about it Kurt. I don't expect you to answer right away... I know you have family out around here and friends n' all. I would just do... almost anything to give you your freedom from this place and be able to be a part of your life forever."

Kurt slowly forced himself to nod, his eyes locked on Blaine, still just as wide as before. In that instant, he would have said yes. But now as the thoughts of his family and friends being left behind here, in Lima, he hesitated. Why the hell did Blaine tell him to think about it. If he had just gone on instinct he would have already been celebrating and not worrying about anything else. Now his mind was having to think about leaving the people he cared about in the care of those he hated.

Blaine took both of Kurt's hands in his own then and Kurt remembered that he still had to breath, "Blaine... you need to know... so much...."

Blaine nodded to Kurt and just looked at Kurt, waiting for him to continue.

So Kurt told him. He told him about his mother, and how he lost her. He told him about his dad, and how he had almost lost him. He talked about Finn, and about Rachel. He talked about what had happened to Santana. He explained his debt, and how he had now paid it over at least twice, with the ridiculous interest rate he had agreed to. He explained how the rent kept going up, and finally he talked about how David had forced him to "pay the rent increase". Kurt watched as Blaine held his breath, and tried to hold back his obvious anger when he spoke about the last bit. He could tell Blaine realized that the attack he had rescued him from before was not the first time David had forced himself on Kurt, and obviously wasn't the last given Kurt's current state. Kurt kept talking though, talking before he lost the nerve to talk or before he came to his senses and realized the danger he was putting both of them into.

When he was done, Blaine was quiet and Kurt realized he hadn't said everything. "There's one more thing you need to know."

Blaine just shook his head and looked incredulously at Kurt, "There's more? How can there be more?"

Kurt shook his own head and squeezed Blaine's hands gently. "No... this part isn't so bad. In fact, I actually think it's kind of good given everything else I've said."

Blaine nodded and squeezed Kurt's hands back, "Well then. Tell me. I'm still here and nothing you've said has scared me off or made me want to be with you any less."

Kurt felt himself warm at that. Any idea he had about Blaine being disgusted with him for what had happened or unwilling to put up with damaged goods were gone.

"You need to know... that I think I love you, despite my crazy mood swings and drama... No. In fact I'm pretty sure I do."

Blaine smiled warmly back at Kurt and Kurt could feel Blaine's fingers stroking over his own, "You know I do too..."

Kurt nodded, this time he did know.