"I did it." Blaine said with no emotion. His back was straight, his eyes steady, and his legs crossed in the uncomfortable chair that graced his mother's office.

"I know," Jane said with something akin to pride. "It was very heartless if I do say so myself, I like it." She gave him a smile and Blaine had to resist the urge to puke. It had been three days and he still felt like dying. He had just managed to drag himself out of his room and into the land of the living, only to have himself dragged into the snake's pit where he was preparing to make a deal with the devil.

"So tell me," Blaine said ignoring her twisted compliment. "What does Cooper have to do with this?" To be honest it had been bothering Blaine forever. The fact that his mother was still in contact with his brother and yet Cooper had made no attempt to speak to Blaine, and the Jane hadn't even brought Cooper up. If someone had asked Blaine before if he thought Jane remembered who Cooper was, he probably would have said no. The name hadn't graced the walls of their house in years, and Blaine hadn't expected that silence to be broken now.

"Is it really that important to you?" Jane asked cocking her head as she scrutinized her son. "I don't want you to torture yourself with the truth."

"Why, so I can torture myself with lies and the scenes that live in my imagination? Sometimes truth can be liberating mother; I beg that you don't forget that."

Jane stared at her son a second longer before cracking a small genuine smile. "My boy," she said with care in her tone. "I often forget how strong you are, how alike we both are."

Blaine bit his tongue to avoid offensive words spilling out like vomit. It was crazy how much words could sting, how they could send rivers of hate and disgust down his spine and make him want to cry. Blaine never used to think he could ever hate his mother but today he knew he was definitely close.

She was proud of him, and he had never felt worse.

"Just…Just tell me," he finally manages to spit out, swallowing all his cries of protest.

Jane shrugged leaning back in her chair. "Fine," she said with an overly dramatic sigh. "Cooper asked me to do this to you."

Blaine raised a triangular eyebrow. "I'm sorry what?"

"Yup," Jane said with a nod. "He challenged my authority too much. He challenged me. I had to raise the stakes and you were my ladder. If he had simply come home you wouldn't have had to break up with Kurt, but apparently he didn't care too much because…here we are."

Blaine stared at her blank faced. "Are you joking?" he asked with distrust and contempt. "Is this another stupid trick?"

Jane shook her head. "I told you that you wouldn't want to know. But here it is naked in front of you. Cooper had the power to stop all of this, he could have saved you but instead he threw you under the bus. He's been gone a long time, and now, it looks like he's never coming back."

Blaine stared at her fighting hard to keep his expression neutral.

There are some things in the world that everybody sees die before them. Sometimes it's love, other times it's loved ones, and occasionally it's even a pet. But everybody at some time or another watches their childhood burn. Simple innocence's are stolen, dreams are destroyed, moments are put back in context, and finally we understand that absolutely nothing will ever be as good as it used to be. It often comes as a flash, a sudden understanding that life has changed and it's different than you expected. Sometimes it's a punch to the gut that makes you double over and tears sting in your eyes because your six your old self would be disappointed in who you've become, because you've lost all faith in the world. And sometimes it's a giant kick in the nuts as everything you've ever known crumbles to pieces around you because it was all a lie. Every smile, every breath, ever fleeting moment of happiness; it was all falsity designed for this very moment, when it's realization brings you to your knees and stops the air to lungs and destroys all thought so that you have to feel it's presence. You have to feel the threads of memory burn because people aren't what you thought, things aren't what they seem, everything worthwhile now means nothing.

Blaine gasped as the wave crashed through him running through his memory and corrupting everything good Cooper ever was. In the expanse of ten seconds Blaine's big brother was dead to him.

And it hurt.

Jane cocked her head watching her son; she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off almost instantly.

"I have a proposition for you," Blaine said his voice a bit rougher than usual, but other than that he seemed absolutely fine.

"Oh you do?" Jane asked with a smirk.

"No, you're right I don't." Blaine replied. "I have a demand."

"What right do you have to demand anything from me?" Jane asked raising a brow.

"I want to go to Italy for a year, to live with Grandma and Grandpa while they're there." Blaine said ignoring her question.

"Why would I say yes to that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Blaine asked readjusting in his seat. "Do you really want my miserable self sitting around here? Dinner parties can't be much fun with a depressed child and I don't care what you do, I won't be very compliant."

"Is that a threat?" Jane asked with an amused smirk.

"No, it's a promise." Blaine replied. "Look," he said a little bit softer. "I just need to get out, okay? I can't—"

"Fine," Jane interrupted with an eye roll. "You can go."

"I…what?" Blaine asked flabbergasted that it had been so…easy.

"I don't repeat myself," Jane said. "You heard me. I'll book the ticket for Friday. You have three days to pack and I'll call mother, she'll enroll you in school and the rest."

Blaine smiled; a small smile of triumph and slight victory. "Thank you," he said with a small nod. After a slight pause Blaine stood to leave but Jane calling him made him sit again.

"What?" he asked not rudely.

"I…nothing." Jane said uncharacteristically ineloquent. "I hope you…enjoy yourself." She said awkwardly.

"Umm…okay." Blaine said. "T-thank you?"

Jane nodded once and then made a shooing motion with her hands. Being properly dismissed Blaine stood and left his mother's office not looking back.

~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT DAY

Kurt wanted to die.

He had never had a pension for suicide but right now would be a very good time for it. Everything was just too much; he didn't think he could physically take it. His veins were on fire, his heartbeat erratic, his hands clammy, his head pounding; the world around him was blurry and he just wanted it to end.
Why did this have to happen to Kurt? Not that he would wish this hell upon anybody else, but the fact that it should happen in the first place was a great tragedy. Nothing made sense and it felt like everything was tripping. Right was left, down was up, forwards was backwards; he didn't know what to do next because reality seemed to be curving around him. But one phrase kept on rotating through his waning consciousness.

Blaine saved us. Blaine saved us. Blaine saved us.

"Oh my God Blaine!" Kurt gasped and suddenly everything crashed into place. He had to find Blaine right now. He needed to see him, to touch him, to understand everything and let the broken words on his lips fall into place.

I love you.

Kurt wobbled to his feet and took a deep steadying breath. He needed to find Blaine, he would deal with everything else after, but right now he needed Blaine.

A shaky smile plastered itself onto his face. Yes, Blaine is who he needed, who he wanted even after all this time. Kurt knew what he wanted; of course he did, he wasn't stupid. And now that it was possible, well it didn't excuse what Blaine did, never would it ever, but he needed to talk to him.

Properly.

Without secrets.

But he wasn't home. That's why Cooper came here. Not just to destroy Kurt's life; he was looking for Blaine, because only Kurt would know where he is. Because there's only one place in the world that Blaine has to himself.

Kurt knew where Blaine was.

Running to the door way he pulled open the closet and shoved on a pair or white Doc Martens, not even caring that the white would probably get very dirty in the bush of the forest. It wasn't important, none of it was important except the truth and hearing it from Blaine.

He unlocked the door and stepped outside, the calm cool air flowing over him in soft rivulets.

"Kurt!" a voice yelled from behind him. "Kurt, wait!"

He turned around to see Santana, Mercedes, Rachel, and Stacey racing towards him, eyes riddled with concern. Wes, David, Nick, and Jeff flanked them with Tina, Brittany and Artie in the rear.

"What's going on?" Mercedes asked.

"Where are you going?" Rachel inputted.

Kurt held up his hands to stop the barrage of questions. "I'm going to Blaine," he said in answer to Rachel's question.

"Why?" Nick asked cocking his head slightly.

"Is Klaine getting back together?" Jeff all but squealed.

Kurt shook his head, "Not yet."

"Yet," Stacey drawled out.

"So there's a possibility?" Tina asked with an excited smile.

"I honestly don't know," Kurt deadpanned, wiping the smiles from their faces. "There's a lot going on, and he was a real ass," Kurt said biting his lip. "I can't just forgive him like that, but I need to talk to him, and I need to hear the truth from his mouth. All this lying and secrecy, it's coming to an end right now."

Artie smiled and let out a loud whoop. "Well then lover boy," he said with a knowing look. "What are you still doing here?"

"Do you even know where Blaine is?" Wes asked before Kurt could answer. "We've been looking for him for most of the night."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Of course I know where he is, it's the place he always goes."

"Which is…?" Rachel asked when he provided no more information.

Kurt just shrugged and tapped his nose, "sorry honey, I can't tell you."

Rachel harrumphed but didn't push. They all stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Stacey broke the silence. "Well go on," she said giving Kurt a weird look. "Go get your man."

Kurt grinned pulling her in for a tight hug. He let go and stared at the group, his heart warming instantaneously. "Thank you all, so much," he said his throat closing slightly. "I…I haven't been easy to work with and—"

"We'll care when you're dating Blaine again," Santana cut him off giving him a look. "G.O Now."

Kurt just shook his head and smiled fondly at the Latina before taking off down the porch steps to his car. He unlocked it with a quick beep and slid into the driver's side, his hands suddenly shaking.

He was going to talk to Blaine.

The very thing that he had dreaded since the day the shorter boy had returned was about to happen. Sure they had talked at the Sycamore tree already, but that didn't count, not really. They were faking, both of them, because they knew they could.

It's so very easy to say 'I love you' when you don't have to act on it.

Kurt sighed and stuck the key in the ignition. Here goes everything. He he goes again.