Chapter Nine: Brand New Colony

The next morning Kurt was jolted awake by his father’s knock at the door, warning them that they better get ready and head out, the sooner the better.  It was an unwelcome intrusion to the new warmth and weight of Blaine’s body twisted around and beneath and over him, and while Blaine was alert in an instant, Kurt took a moment to convince himself that getting up now was not only worth it but absolutely compulsory. 

Showering together for the first time was a precarious balancing act between exploring each other and saving time, but in ten minutes it was over and they were both significantly cleaner and even more in sync.  Kurt sped through his usual morning moisturizing routine (“I skipped last night, Blaine, do you even know what that did to my skin?!”) while Blaine siphoned through his soulmate’s wardrobe, grabbing a few things here and there that might fit well enough to get him through the next few days.  Kurt had already packed, rightly realizing that it would take him forever to determine which of his precious clothes were best left behind.

He fought the compulsion to make the bed.  Why bother when he would never be returning?  The thought stung, but Kurt forced it down.  Instead he smiled and took Blaine’s hand.  Together they made their way downstairs.

Kurt dropped his bag by the door, following his nose into the kitchen where his dad had platters of eggs and bacon waiting.  A basket full of muffins and fresh fruit sat in the center of the table.

“What’s all this?  Since when can you cook?”

Burt didn’t meet his eyes but gestured for the boys to seat themselves at the table.  “Eggs and bacon are simple enough Kurt; I’ve seen you do it enough times.  And the muffins are from the market down the street.”

“Thank you Burt,” Blaine said politely, pulling up a chair.

Kurt studied his father, neither man moving, before doing the same.

They ate in silence save for a few compliments to the chef—mostly from Blaine—and sat there awkwardly once the food was gone in spite of the urge to rush, hurry, get out that was repeating like a mantra in Kurt’s head.

“Well,” Burt said finally, plopping his napkin down on his plate.  “Best get going.”

“Dad…” Kurt looked up at him, his voice shaky and tears in his eyes.  “At least let us help with the dishes!”

Burt looked carefully from Kurt to Blaine and back again.  “No need for that, buddy,” he said at last.  “There’s no reason not to just leave them here.  If you’ll have me, that is… I’d like to come with you.”

The tears streaming down Kurt’s cheeks couldn’t be good for his skin, and they certainly contradicted his sudden smile, but he couldn’t have cared less.  Nothing could stop them in that moment, just as there was no force on earth that could keep him from flying into his father’s arms.

“Please, Daddy.  I didn’t know how to say goodbye.  But… what about the shop?  The house?  All our memories of mom are here, and I couldn’t ask you to…”

“The shop is nothing more than a building with fancy equipment and stacks of legal paperwork, Kurt.  I’ve left a letter for the boys; they can run it without me.  And yeah, it hurts to leave our home… but my best memory of your mom has always been you.  You’re all I have that matters when it comes down to it.”

Kurt pulled back, wiping at his cheeks and turning to his soulmate.  “Blaine?”

“Don’t even pretend like you need to ask me, Kurt.  I would never try to keep the two of you apart.”

Kurt moved to him, smiling and kissing him wetly before taking his hand and holding his other out towards his father.  “Okay then,” he said resolutely.  “Let’s go.”

*******

It was about a two day drive according to Blaine.  The first day was surprisingly and blessedly uneventful.  They stopped only once for fast food, Burt running in while Kurt and Blaine slunk low, hidden in the back seat.  Twice they pulled over to a secluded area to take care of necessities, much to Kurt’s disgust and Blaine’s amusement.

It was an enjoyable trip at first, for the most part.  The boys sang along to the radio for a few hours until the news came on and Blaine’s name came on the news and Burt switched it off, and it stayed that way.

At nearly two am, Blaine was fighting to keep his eyes open and focused on the road, having been driving since dark.  Kurt’s own eyes were drooping closed, and Burt was snoring in the back seat.  They had been on the road since around seven the previous morning.

When Blaine pulled over into the parking lot of a sleazy, out-of-the-way motel, no one was awake enough to protest.

Burt waved off Blaine’s apologies and promises to pay him back but did compromise by requesting one room with two double beds.  Given that both boys were already half-asleep, Blaine slumped in Kurt’s arms to the extent that the taller man was practically carrying him, Burt seemed to realize that it was unlikely they had anything in mind beyond rest.

It was Kurt who woke first the next morning, the alarm that was always set on his watch cutting harshly through his haze of sleep at precisely 7:30.  He shut it off quickly and found the others still asleep.   Even as he cursed the lateness of the hour, he took a moment to study Blaine and relish the feeling of his soulmate’s body against his own.  Blaine was drooling, his head on Kurt’s shoulder and the material of Kurt’s shirt twisted in one fisted hand.  He was also hot and hard, rutting a little into Kurt’s hip, and Kurt stole a guilty glance over at his father’s sleeping figure as he reached down to adjust himself. 

Once Kurt felt calm enough he sighed, kissing Blaine awake and admiring the way his long, dark lashes parted slowly to reveal sleepy hazel eyes.  He slipped out of bed and walked over to wake his father.

Burt showered first—five minutes—before excusing himself to grab them some food from the continental breakfast and ready the car.

When Kurt stepped into the shower with Blaine for the second time, it was with every intention of washing even more hastily than the day before.  Blaine clearly had other ideas, sinking to his knees on the hard plastic floor and gripping Kurt’s hips roughly as his mouth sank around Kurt’s cock.

Kurt’s own mouth fell open in a silent exclamation of surprise and pleasure.  His fingers tangled through Blaine’s hair as he tried to keep his balance, his mind screaming in protest because time until he forgot how to think… forgot everything, it seemed, save for Blaine’s name.

It was all over quickly: Blaine on his feet and kissing him and moving against him and coming even as Kurt licked into his mouth, tasting his own come on Blaine’s tongue, and Blaine reached for the shampoo bottle, lathering Kurt’s hair.  Kurt didn’t know how to feel because it was all so amazing—Blaine’s ability to multitask was amazing—and there was no time or thought left to process it all.  They were mostly dressed before Kurt finally found the right words.

“I love you,” he whispered, watching Blaine zip up his jeans from across the room.

Blaine smiled at him, his eyes sparkling with shared affection, and that was amazing too.

*******

They clutched their bags and not each other as they made their way down to the lobby, Kurt still dazed from all that had happened in just the last half-hour, when Blaine suddenly froze in front of him.  There was a blonde girl at the front desk, and Kurt couldn’t decide from her profile if she was pretty or not because while her features were certainly nice to look at, there was something about her that screamed to Kurt that this was not a good person.  He didn’t have time to rightfully decide, because Blaine was grabbing his arm and yanking him back behind the vending machine where she was hidden from his view.  Kurt looked at him in alarm but stayed silent.

“That’s Kitty,” Blaine whispered in his ear.  “She’s one of Sue’s moles; I’ve seen her before.  This is… shit!  This is not good.”

“How did she find us?” Kurt asked a little too loudly, forgetting himself until Blaine glared.

“It doesn’t matter.  We need to get out of here fast, and she can’t see us.  She’d recognize me… probably you too, if Sue’s been thorough.  And Sue is always thorough.  Come on.”

Blaine led them back the way they had come, through the hallway and out a side entrance that was thankfully near their car.

“Burt!” he called, hurrying up to the man who was forcing an ungodly stash of pop-tarts into a backpack in the trunk.  “We’ve been found out.  I need you to go, drop off the key and meet us by the front door.  Do not answer any questions.”

Burt looked like he was about to demand an explanation, but one glance at Kurt quieted him; he took the key wordlessly and headed for the lobby.

Blaine turned to Kurt.  “You’re driving.  I’ll ride in the back.”

*******

Waiting for Burt to walk through the door seemed to take hours, though Kurt knew in reality it was only a matter of minutes.  He was worried about too many things, grateful now that his dad had insisted on bringing containers of gasoline and had apparently filled up the tank just this morning.  Everything felt so overwhelming right now, and Kurt Hummel did not wear overwhelming well.

He jumped when the passenger door flung open, Burt throwing himself into the seat and urging him to drive.

“They know that Kurt’s with you,” Burt confirmed Blaine’s earlier fear.  “I didn’t say anything, but that damned lady behind the counter just had to wish me a ‘nice day, Mr. Hummel’ and that girl there smiled like it was Christmas as soon as she heard the name.”

“They’re following us!” Kurt broke in, warily eying the sleek black car at his tail through the mirror.

“Kurt, have you ever participated in a high speed car chase?” Blaine asked from the back seat.

“No!” Burt and Kurt responded together.

“Well,” Blaine said almost conversationally.  “They say there’s a first time for everything.”

Kurt was already pressing down hard on the gas.

*******

The chase lasted a full hour before Kurt finally lost them, his adrenaline rush long faded and utter exhaustion taking its place.  He drove on for another hour to be certain until Burt and Blaine both insisted that someone else take a turn, and so they stopped briefly so Burt could take the wheel.

Even now they were on edge, the tension in the air holding all three men in nervous silence for quite some time. 

“We may not be able to see them, but they can’t be far behind us,” Blaine cautioned.  “They’ll find us again if we don’t keep moving.”

Kurt crawled into the back seat with Blaine, curling up next to him.  “We’ll make it,” he said, knowing it was mostly to reassure himself.

Blaine pressed a kiss to his forehead.  “We’ll make it,” he echoed with certainty.

Burt drove for several more hours; the sun was just beginning to set when Blaine perked up.

“I think we’re getting close,” he said, peering out the window.  “This looks familiar to me.”

He took the wheel, but it was another hour and a half before they seemed to be driving into nothing, the road closing in impossibly, nearly swallowed by trees.  And then out of nowhere, a clearing.

It was about two-hundred meters in front of the car, stretching as far as the eye could see above Kurt and to either side of him.  It shimmered yellow, then purple, then pink then blue.  He couldn’t see anything beyond it, and yet it was translucent.

Blaine was smiling.  “This,” he said pointedly.  “Is the barrier.”

Kurt climbed out of the car in a daze, unable to rip his eyes away from the sight before him.  He dully noted that his father appeared equally transfixed.

“Now, remember what I told you,” Blaine was saying as they gathered their bags.  “The force of it is gonna knock you out for a little while, and you might not feel it but be prepared.  Clear your mind of any negative thoughts—the barrier is guarded against impure intentions.  But I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Where are the guards?” Kurt asked, suddenly realizing how strange it was that there was no one in sight.

“There are very few, certainly not enough to guard the entire barrier by any means.  There’s no need to, really.  Most of the people here in The New World are content enough with their lives and are scared off by rumors, and the people of The Olde World are protected by the ‘pure intentions’ clause and have no desire to cross over themselves.  Although it is a bit trickier to come through the other way.”

Kurt was only half-listening, still in awe of the barrier itself, while Burt appeared to be following Blaine’s words intently and was nodding along.

“So,” Blaine said loudly, snaring Kurt’s full attention.  “Are you ready?  We should probably hurry.”

Kurt looked over at Burt, briefly feeling uncertain, and took a deep breath.  His father met his eyes and nodded.  He turned back to Blaine, who was holding out his hand.

“I’m ready,” he said confidently, taking Blaine’s hand in his and squeezing it.

As they approached the barrier, Kurt finally let the hope and contentment he’d been staving off settle through him and couldn’t help the grin he felt stretching across his face.  He had Blaine now, his soulmate, and he still had his father.  He had the promise of a new life, one of freedom and of more love than he had ever hoped to enjoy, waiting for him just ahead.  It was all that he had ever wanted and far more than he had schooled himself to need. 

Blaine’s hand was warm in his, his smile reassuring as they together stepped into the barrier—their first step into the beautiful future that lay just beyond.