Blaine woke up slowly and stretched. He froze as his hand encountered something warm and soft. He looked over and saw Kurt sleeping peacefully. Blaine remembered every moment of the night and couldn’t seem to stop staring at the gorgeous man sleeping next to him. He glanced at his phone and saw the he only had 1 hour to get home, get dressed and be at work on time. He was reluctant to leave while Kurt was still asleep but he was hesitant to wake him up. He rolled out of bed and he winced as he was reminded that Kurt had been insatiable last night. After dozing off, Blaine was woken up by Kurt kissing the length of him and then proceeded to fuck him into the mattress. Not that Blaine was complaining but it had been a while for him and his body was making sure he remembered it had been a while as he struggled into his clothes.

He noticed a notepad on Kurt’s nightstand and he grabbed a pen from his jacket and wrote a quick note so that Kurt wouldn’t think Blaine had just been looking for a one night stand. He took one last look at Kurt and noticed all the bites, bruises and hickies he had inflicted on Kurt’s skin. He knew the marks would not fade for a few days and his primitive side thrilled at knowing Kurt would be sporting his mark. He left the note on top of Kurt’s phone to make sure it was spotted immediately. He let himself out of the apartment and waited for the elevator to get to the lobby. He walked out of the elevator trying to hold his tattered shirt in place when he noticed that the doorman on duty was the same one that would not give him Kurt’s information.

“It’s a good morning, isn’t it?” Blaine straightened his shoulders and winked at the doorman as he walked to the main doors. He laughed at the stunned look on the doorman’s face when he noticed Blaine’s rumpled and torn clothing. Blaine took a cab back to his apartment and barely had time to shower and get dressed. He mentally flipped a coin and decided to get coffee instead of shave. He knew the guys would take one look at him and somehow know he had gotten laid so he figured he would distract them with coffee and muffins.

He walked into the main office and noticed that AIC Adams was walking towards the conference room with the guys following him. He quickly followed and offered everyone a coffee and muffin. He had only purchased enough for them but he gallantly offered AIC Adams his own cup. “No thanks, I’ve had 3 cups already which is my daily limit. I was called in early this morning.” Blaine sighed in relief as he grabbed his cup of coffee and started sipping. He was exhausted and needed the quick boost of energy.

“Good news gentlemen, the Torah has been found and returned to its rightful place. The Queen is pleased and it seems that with this one case being solved 30 other international and national cold cases have been cleared.”

“How did they find the people responsible?” asked Blaine.

“It seems there was some type of argument between a group of thieves that sometimes collaborate on big jobs and one of them was arrested for an unrelated heist and decided to turn state’s evidence and cut a deal.”

“Did they find the painting and all of the other items stolen?” asked Blaine.

“No, the only item found was the Torah.”

“Then how do we know that this is the same group responsible for the other thefts? Can we send a team to England to interview them and close our case?”

“Unfortunately, the whole operation turned into a cluster. It is believed that this group had a few law enforcement agents on their payroll and they were tipped off a few minutes before the Brits put their operation into force. The group fought back and gunfire was exchanged. Most of them as well as a couple of members of the Queen’s men perished.”

“I don’t mean to sound obtuse but how do we know this group was responsible for all of the thefts?”

“The perp that turned state’s evidence received immunity for his part so he confessed that the group had indeed been responsible for the theft of all of the items plus a few that we weren’t even aware of. His statement is corroborated by the fact that they did find files and information pertaining to thousands of priceless artifacts. Amongst these items were the blueprints to the Museum of Modern Art as well as detailed accounts of the painting that was stolen.”

Blaine felt like this scenario was to perfect. The Brits came out looking like heroes for recovering the Torah and catching or in this case killing the bad guys. The problem was the fact that other than the Torah nothing else was found. Where were the items that had been stolen? “I don’t think this group was responsible for the taking the painting or any of the other items. I think if the guy gave up his friends this easily it wouldn’t have lasted this long. It doesn’t jive for me.”

“Agent Anderson, it’s not up to you to approve or disapprove. The British Government has issued a televised statement that closes up to 30 cold cases. They are taking full responsibility for solving these crimes. I guess after the Queen’s embarrassment they are eager to get some favorable publicity. Your team did well and now you need to go through the files and bump those against the list of items the Brits released listing all of the thefts that this group has been charged with. The Director is anxious to clear up any cold cases of items stolen in the United States.”

They were dismissed and went back to work on clearing any of the cases that might fall into question. They were all kept so busy that no one mentioned Kurt.

w34;xxxxxxw34;

Kurt was still sleeping soundly when he heard his cellphone ring. He reached over to the nightstand to grab his phone. He felt a paper laying on top of his phone and set it aside.

“Hello,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Kurt, turn on your television.” Kurt’s eyes popped open when he heard Heidi’s voice. “What’s wrong?” Oh my God he thought did they finally traced him back to her? He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “What channel?”

“CNN. Watch the special report and then call me back,” she said as she hung up on him.

He watched in amazement as England’s Prime Minister was shown handing the Torah to the German Ambassador. He continued to watch as the newscasters reported the mulit-agency task force that resulted in the death of a group of men and women who had been stealing priceless artifacts that had been taken from Jewish families being sent to the concentration camps. Kurt saw a picture of the painting of Greta’s mother and The Girl in Red as well as some of the smaller artifacts that belonged to the circle. The report stated that when the authorities surrounded the warehouse the group used as their headquarters gunfire was exchanged and the perpetrators were killed as well as two law enforcement agents. Speculation was rampant that the group had someone working in the police department in their pocket and that they were tipped off before the authorities arrived. These allegations were going to be investigated thoroughly. The sole survivor of this group had turned state’s evidence against his fellow thieves and was cooperating with the authorities in exchange for immunity. None of the other items stolen were recovered and it is believed that they have been sold on the black market to private collectors and will never be seen again.

Kurt was speechless. He turned the volume down as they proceeded to do a short report on the two agents who had perished is the gunfire. He didn’t know how to react. How was this possible? How were they able to blame these people for his crimes? It was obvious that those people were criminals but they weren’t responsible for all the items they were accused of stealing. He quickly called Heidi back, “Did you see the report?” she asked.

“Yes but I’m not sure how or why these people are being blamed for the thefts? I thought the FBI was looking at me as a suspect?”

“WHAT?” Kurt proceeded to tell her what had been happening between him and Blaine.

“Kurt, why would you think he wouldn’t be interested in Kurt Hummel?”

“No one has ever been interested in me Heidi. Sure there have been one night stands or short term hook-ups but nothing serious. Blaine was the first man who wanted something more than just a one-night stand. I was thrilled until he told me he worked for the Art Crime Team and then I totally freaked out.”

“Honey why would he tell you he was part of the Art Crime Team if he was supposedly undercover? That would defeat the purpose of spying on you, don’t you think?”

Kurt felt like an absolute idiot. Heidi had a point. “And besides, he slept with you. Don’t you think that would have compromised his job or the case?” Kurt hadn’t thought of that but it made sense.

“What do I do Heidi? I can’t let someone else take the blame for my crimes and I certainly can’t start a relationship with Blaine lying to him about my criminal past.”

“The people being blamed are not innocents that are being railroaded into paying for a crime they did not commit. Those people were lifelong criminals that stole for personal gain. They are also dead which makes your life a lot easier. I know that sounds cold blooded but don’t put yourself in the same boat as them. You stole for completely different reasons. You did it to right a wrong not for money or personal gain. You made a decision knowing you could end up paying a steep price if you were caught but you never once hesitated. Take this new lease on life and do something for yourself. It is time to start thinking about your future and your happiness. If this young man can give you both then don’t hesitate. If you feel that you need to be honest with him about your past then tell him the truth but that is something you need to decide for yourself.”

“….telling him the truth would implicate you, your son and the circle…” interrupted Kurt.

“Don’t worry about us Kurt. You have done plenty for us. However, if he is a moral man he might not be able to ignore your confession and arrest you. You must decide what you need to do for yourself. I can’t tell you what to do.” They said good-bye promising to see each other in the coming weeks.

Kurt picked up the note Blaine had left him and read it:

Kurt, I needed to go to work and didn’t want to wake you since I knew you would be exhausted after last night – which by the way was AMAZING! You can’t continue to lie and say you didn’t feel anything when you kissed me as you proved to me last night that there is certainly something there. I want to explore this “something” so please give me a chance. Give US a chance!
-Blaine

Kurt needed to think and the first step was to clear his head. He took a shower and decided he could afford to stay home today and not go into the office especially since his body was seriously feeling the effects of last night. He fixed himself a light breakfast and sat outside on the balcony overlooking Central Park and started a mental list of pros and cons. The thought of not having to worry about being arrested for the rest of his life was a giant load off his shoulders. Could he really have a relationship with Blaine that started with a lie? If it was just him involved he would probably feel the need to confess his crimes to Blaine. However, his confession would incriminate Heidi, her son and the sweet ladies that comprised the circle of friends. They had already been in some cases, imprisoned or persecuted for crimes they had not committed. He would not be responsible for his friends being dragged into a court or possibly imprisoned. Lying to Blaine would be a small sacrifice on his part. He could live with his lies to protect those he loved.

Kurt wanted Blaine. It was as simple as that. He wanted someone to love and someone to love him in turn. Could he lie to Blaine? He decided that yes he could. It was his turn for a chance at happiness and he was going to grab it with both hands. It’s not like he went out and murdered people for fun! He didn’t feel bad about stealing those items. They did not belong to those people and the people that purchased the items knew most of these items had questionable provenances and the insurance companies had already paid them for their loss. Those who inherited the artifacts knew their families procured the items at the cost of innocent lives and yet they were also paid for their loss. Nope – Kurt couldn’t and didn’t feel bad for the so called “victims” of his crimes.

Once Kurt made his decision he quickly picked up his phone and sent Blaine a text message.

-Hi – dinner tonight?

He anxiously waited for a reply. He didn’t have to wait long.

-One of my cases had a major breakthrough. Not sure if I can get away in time but I can call you later and let you know. I really want to see you :)

Kurt smiled at the smiley face. He could imagine what case Blaine was referring to and he quickly replied.

-I really want to see you too. Just stop by whenever you are done even if it’s late.

Kurt decided he would make lasagna for dinner. He went shopping for the ingredients and by 5:00pm he had the apartment cleaned, the lasagna assembled and a salad ready. He had some wine chilling in the fridge and he was showered and dressed. He sat down with his sketch pad to work on some designs while he waited for Blaine. Now that he wasn’t expecting to be arrested at any moment he was able to concentrate on his designs. He wasn’t sure how long it would be until Blaine showed up but he did let Joseph know to clear him as soon as he arrived. That’s weird, he thought, Joseph didn’t sound as cheerful as he normally did as he continued to draw and think about Blaine.

w34;xxxxxxw34;

Blaine was exhausted. He had almost no sleep, his body was sore and they had worked straight through lunch. He was glad for the fact that the boys were kept too busy to ask about Kurt. Wes did look at him a bit too long when he shifted in his chair quite a bit but couldn’t really say anything with the boss overseeing the clearing of the cold cases. Blaine kept looking at his watch and was anxious to finish. David managed to wink at Blaine as he ran his finger around his collar but didn’t say a word. Huh – he wondered what that was all about.

It was 5:30 when AIC Adams finally called it a day. They were to report early tomorrow morning to finish. He wanted everything settled by Friday but he didn’t want to keep them any longer. “Agent Anderson, a minute of your time - the rest of you have a good night.”

Blaine wasn’t sure what was going on but he stayed behind. “Agent Anderson, I know you aren’t too happy with the way this case was closed. I understand you still believe that the group that perished was not responsible for the thefts. I’m not sure what you are basing this on since all the facts point to that conclusion but I understand the importance of listening to your gut feelings. In this case, politics played a key role in the case being handed over to the Brits and sometimes this will happen and we just have to suck it up and deal with our loses. Sometimes there are cases that we can’t ever let go and if this is it for you well then I suggest you keep a copy of your files and every now and then look it over. Who knows you may very well be right in your assumptions that someone else stole that painting but as of right now the FBI is officially closing this case. Your team did a good job with what little information there was. That will reflect in your personnel file. See you early tomorrow morning and please make sure that whoever left that big old hickey on your neck is a little more careful on where he marks his territory. It’s a bit hard to take someone seriously when they have a hickey the size of Texas on their neck and for God’s sake shave!”

Blaine had been is such a hurry this morning that he hadn’t shaved or taken the time to really look in the mirror this morning. He was shocked that the guys hadn’t harassed him about it but seeing as how AIC Adams had been there all day they probably hadn’t had a chance to make fun of him. He would probably hear about it tomorrow. He laughed and ran out the door. He figured he could make it to Kurt’s apartment by 7pm. He thought about calling him but figured he would just surprise him. He decided to stop by the florists shop and grabbed a huge bouquet of red and yellow roses.

He walked into the lobby and notice that Joseph was still on duty. These guys must work 12 hour shifts he thought as he walked up to the desk. “Good evening I am here to visit Kurt Hummel.”

“Good evening sir, you have been cleared by Mr. Hummel. You may proceed to the elevator,” he said as he buzzed the door open for Blaine to enter the elevator. Blaine rushed into the elevator and couldn’t stop the energy buzzing through his body as he patiently waited for the elevator to take him to the 23rd floor. He zoomed out of it as soon as the door opened and hurried to Kurt’s door. He rang the bell and grabbed Kurt as soon as he opened the door and planted a sweet, gentle kiss on his lips.

“These are for you,” he said as he handed the roses to Kurt.

“Thank you, they are beautiful. Let me put them in water.” He led Blaine to the living room as he walked into the kitchen to get a vase for the flowers. He popped the lasagna into the oven and poured some wine before making his way back to the living room. Blaine was loosening up his tie and looking a bit nervous.

“I think we need to talk,” he handed Blaine a glass of wine.

“Yeah, we do. Let me go first. Kurt, I really like you. Ever since I saw you singing at VIBE I knew I had to meet you. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and you knocked me for a loop. I’m sorry if I did something to anger you or hurt you enough to back away from me and I’m sorry I stalked you but I was just not willing to give up easily. We got along so well at the wedding and I found that I could be myself around you but maybe I came on a bit too strong and scared you off and that was never my intention. Last night was amazing and I need to tell you that I don’t want a one night stand. I want a relationship with you and I hope you will give us a chance.”

Kurt had to blink his eyes to keep the tears from streaming down his face. “I think you scared me with how intense you were and I freaked out at the airport. I’m glad you didn’t give up on me and I hope that you will give me a chance to make it up to you. I think you are exactly what I need in my life and I’m willing to give us a shot.” Kurt felt a little twinge of guilt knowing this was not the reason he freaked out at the airport but he quickly set that guilt aside. He reached over and kissed Blaine.

“Now let’s eat and you can tell me all about this big breakthrough you had on one of your cases.”

“Wait, why don’t we get to know each other a bit better? How about telling me a bit more about your family? I know I met most of them at the wedding but are there any deep, dark secrets I should know about?”

“No - not really we are a pretty boring bunch. The only one who ever got in trouble was Finn way back in high school for nailing our lawn furniture to the roof of my house but this was before our parents started dating. The jocks thought it was funny to mess with the gay kid but they got caught by my dad and he called the cops and pressed charges. This is how he met Finn’s mom. She came over to the house after picking up Finn from the police station to apologize in person. The rest is history.” He continued to tell him tidbits of his life growing up in Lima, Ohio while Blaine acted like he didn’t know any of this information already. He would have to keep the fact that he had checked up on Kurt a secret and he felt the guilt settle like a lump in his stomach.

Secrets and lies. They were both burdened with secrets and lies that neither one was willing to share. They both resolved from that moment on to always be honest with each other - and they were.

-The End