Life really just couldn't get any better. No longer was Blaine the lost dreamer who had to delve into the dark sinister world of prostitution in order to survive. Instead, he was now the ambitious student who insisted on working three evenings a week, studying during the day to gain his high school equivalence qualifications and teaching guitar on the weekends. He also had a new circle of friends who shared his ambitions and everything hinted that his dreams would come true and he would go on to study theatre at university in the new year. He also felt like he had the right to boast because he had just arranged an audition at a small community theatre production in the following week. Yes! Life was fantastic! And all of this was happening in the glorious city that was New York.

Blaine hummed happily to himself despite his hurried pace. Today was special. In fact, it was so special that there were not many other days in Blaine's life that could hold such significance as this one. Today was a day that was filled with happiness and a memory of Kurt's declaration of his love for him. It was his and Kurt's one year anniversary and while their busy schedules had meant they hadn't been able to spend the whole day together, they had the entire evening to themselves. And that's where Blaine was headed right now. He had just finished his afternoon classes and if he kept at this speed, he would make it back in time to have a whole hour free to work on his surprise anniversary present before Kurt returned home.

Blaine hugged himself in delight as he continued to weave past the other pedestrians, the anticipation of what the night had in store making his heart beat fast with excitement. He couldn't wait for one whole evening of pure romance and seduction! He crossed the road, merrily skipping around the last taxi that had failed to stop at the red light, and made it across to the other side of the road before half of the waiting people had even stepped foot onto the tarmac. He glanced at his watch. He was making good time and only had three more blocks before he would arrive at the glorious and extravagant apartment building that he now called home.

The shinning, sparkling building came forth. Blaine rushed through the entrance, giving a quick nod to their doorman.

"Ahh," the man smiled. "Tonight's the night, isn't it?"

Blaine's face beamed, "Yes! Tonight's the night!"

He rushed on, eager to arrive home. The lift doors opened as he approached. He stepped inside and pushed the button that would take him up to the top floor. Kurt still had an aversion to heights, but he also still stubbornly insisted that the top floor was always the best. Blaine tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator began to climb and his thoughts couldn't help but wander back to the night when he and Kurt had first met. The night when they had stood next to each in the elevator, both of them slightly uncomfortable but excited by the anticipation of what was to come.

The elevator doors opened and Blaine stepped out, rummaging for his keys as he walked to the front door. He had already bought all the supplies that he needed and had hidden them in one of the spare rooms the night before. He was sure that Kurt's busy schedule prevented him from finding them within the last twenty-four hours. Blaine had also arranged for their meal to arrive. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated to cook a romantic meal for Kurt, but knowing that he would be studying all day, he had decided that just this once, he would save up and have a professional do it. Blaine shook his head in disbelief. One year ago he would never have believed that he would be using caterers for a romantic meal for two.

Blaine fitted the key into the lock, opened the door and stopped, catching his breath in surprise, his jaw dropping open in shock. The sight before him was mesmerizing. He managed to shuffle several steps in, allowing the door to close behind him, but he never heard it click shut, his senses completely consumed by the sight before him. His hands became lax and the bag that he used for his classes slid to floor with a soft thud.

The lights in the apartment were off, but scattered throughout the lounge room in their elaborate and expensive apartment were hundreds and hundreds of burning candles. Blaine spun in a slow circle, his eyes going wide. There were candles on the floor, on the shelves, in the doorways, on the coffee tables, around the fire place, and even some placed precariously on top of several hanging plants. The effect was amazing.

The coffee table near the sofas held an unopened bottle of wine, nibbles and a sheet of paper, but from this distance he was unable to distinguish the typed print on its surface. Curious, Blaine edged closer and glanced down. His eyes went wide. It was a print-out of an electronic purchase of two plane tickets, to Paris. Gobsmacked, Blaine quickly picked up the piece of paper and brought it closer to his eyes in case he had been mistaken. Paris!?!

"Evening," Kurt spoke softly as stepped out, revealing himself to Blaine and startling him from his thoughts. The flickering light from the many candles danced across Kurt's face and around his body, creating the sense of an aura that vibrated around his very being. For Kurt he was casually dressed in trousers and a buttoned up shirt. It lay half open on his bare chest, revealing a healthy hint of the smooth skin underneath. Blaine was lost for words, Kurt's appealing looks often left him speechless, but tonight it was even worse. It was as if he was in the very presence of an immortal.

"Kurt!" It was all Blaine could manage. He was completely dumbfounded.

Kurt chuckled, a delighted sound that echoed throughout the room. The look on Blaine's face was the very expression that he had wanted to create. He had been aware all along that Blaine had been planning his secret dinner, but he really wanted to show Blaine just what he meant to him.

They often shared their feelings and love for each other, but it wasn't often that Kurt really revealed what was on his mind. He wanted to make the night special, show him how much he loved him because while Kurt had saved Blaine from the streets of LA, Blaine had saved him in so many more ways. Kurt had only really just realized his love for Blaine when he had made the bold and out of character choice to bring Blaine back to New York to live with him and, without a doubt, he had never made a better choice in his entire life. Having Blaine with him every day, his laughter, his eagerness for life, his honesty and his gorgeous eyes made it impossible for Kurt to think about what life would be like if he didn't have him. No longer was Kurt lonely, bitter or judgmental. Blaine had revitalized his very being and turned him into a new man.

Kurt closed the distance between them, wrapped both of his arms around his waist and pulled him in for a delicate kiss. The response he received however caused Kurt to laugh again, harder this time as Blaine's lips were unresponsive to his actions, the shock of Kurt's surprise still clearly written all over his face. "I see you're a bit astonished."

Blaine met his gaze and then looked down at the piece of paper again, "Paris?! I....you know... I only planned..." He faltered for a moment. "You planned this all along?"

"Of course!"

"But Paris?"

Kurt was suddenly worried. "You don't like Paris?" He took Blaine's hands into his, "We can go somewhere else, anywhere you want. I just thought," he paused a fraction, "I've never had the chance..."

But Blaine cut him off, overcoming his shock at hearing Kurt stutter. He placed his lips forcefully against Kurt's, the passion and desire that he held for the man clearly shown this time. "I love it! I've always wanted to go there," he spoke gruffly, their foreheads now touching. Blaine rubbed his nose against Kurt's. "It's too much though, my anniversary present is nothing compared to this," Blaine sighed glumly, his face falling and it was Kurt's turn to reassure him.

"I will love whatever you've planned." He wrapped his hands back around Blaine's lower body now that they were facing one another again.

"It's just dinner, with caterers and later I was going to wear this silly little outfit that I found." Blaine blushed as he reflected on his simple plan. It seemed ridiculous now compared to Kurt's romantic affair.

But Kurt's eyes instantly gleamed with desire, "Costume?"

Blaine's blush deepened. "Yeah, just a silly Tarzan outfit, that's all." He was worried that Kurt was going to laugh, but his eyes only burned deeper and he pulled Blaine closer. A low rumble, a growl almost, escaped Kurt's lips as their bodies pressed firmly against each other's. No longer did he possess the fond, puppy love, romantic look but instead he wore the 'I'm-going-to-devour-you-on-the-spot' look. Kurt kissed him slowly. Blaine's smile returned and when he spoke, his voice was filled with lust.

"Do you want to see it?" Blaine whispered, running his hands down Kurt's chest.

Kurt licked his lips. "I don't think I can wait for you to get your costume. You can wear it later." He began to nudge him in the direction of the sofa. "I want to have you right here, right now."

Blaine flashed him a devilish grin, how could he refuse such an offer? He slid his hands down to curve over Kurt's buttocks, "I'm all yours. You can do whatever you want!"

They quickly found themselves on the sofa, hungrily ripping off each other's clothes. They somehow managed to dispose of Blaine's sweater vest before they hit the cushions and Kurt's shirt opened easily with one quick tug that sent several buttons scattering and bouncing over the tiled floor. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt and quickly maneuvered his hands under his shirt, gently scratching his fingers down his back.

To their utter dismay though, the apartment doorbell began to ring. They pulled apart, their breaths hot and quick. Blaine gazed at Kurt, his cheeks red, his lips wet and his crotch clearly indicating just how turned on he was. He didn't look one bit happy that they were being disturbed.

Blaine wasn't happy about the interruption either. "Who the hell is that?" he cried, trying to grab what was left of Kurt's buttoned shirt so he could pull him back down again.

Kurt thought for a moment, "The caterers?"

"Shit!" Blaine gasped, running his hand over Kurt's crotch. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" He looked at Kurt apologetically. "They have the worst timing!"

"We'll have to finish this later," Kurt said as he straightened his clothes.

"Urgh!" Blaine practically whimpered and then he quickly sat up. "Do we really need food tonight?"

Kurt laughed at the eagerness in his voice. "Yes, because whatever scrumptious meal you've arranged, I'm going to enjoy licking every single piece off your naked body!"

***

"When we go to Paris," Kurt began, catching his breath. "We're going to make out on top of the Eiffel Tower," he leaned down, their lips meeting gently. "And then, we're going to sail down the Seine River before dining in the most exquisite restaurants." He began to slide off Blaine so he could wrap him up in his arms, but Blaine held on to him tighter, his fingers gliding over the fine layer of sweat that glimmered on Kurt's back. He did not want to lose the feel of Kurt's weight on top of him just yet.

"Stay," Blaine encouraged him softly. "I don't want you to go anywhere right now."

Kurt grinned and gently kissed his nose. They were now lying on the rug that covered an extensive part of the lounge room, both of them snug and warm on its thick soft surface, their bodies supported amongst a variety of pillows.

"I didn't get to ask you before. What do you think of all the candles?" Kurt asked.

"They look amazing," Blaine replied, letting his fingers trace down Kurt's spine.

Kurt pulled away, frowning slightly. "Maybe I should have used more candles."

"Oh no, no!" Blaine laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "No more candles. You do realize that one of us is going to have to go around and blow them all out. "

Kurt laughed again, "Why don't I just leave that to the expert in blow jobs?"

Blaine dropped his hands even lower, squeezed Kurt's buttocks and playfully grabbed a piece of flesh between his forefinger and thumb to deliver a pinch. "I left that one wide open, didn't I."

"You sure did." Kurt swiped at his hand, gritting against the burn the pinch had created in his buttock. He pushed himself up slightly and gazed at some of the candles. "I did go a bit overboard though, didn't I?"

"Uhmm."

"I don't know why, I just have an affinity for candles," Kurt laughed.

"You think?" Blaine teased.

They were both silent for a few moments, their hands slowly massaging over skin and muscles that they were both so accustomed and used to.

"Gosh, Paris!" Blaine suddenly announced into the silence. "I still can't believe we're going to go there!"

"On one condition though," Kurt began trying to sound all serious and firm. "We'll only go to Paris if you'll agree to be my submissive servant the entire time." His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "And while we're there, you're only there to serve me and do exactly what I want you to do."

"That sounds absolutely perfect!" Blaine declared, more than happy with his condition.

"Blaine," Kurt began in a playful mocking tone. "Are you still drunk? I think I should get you to drink more often, you'll agree to anything when you're tipsy."

"I'm not that tipsy anymore," Blaine replied sulkily pouting his bottom lip in protest but they both knew that any amount of alcohol could turn Blaine into a sexual deviant. His keenness to submit to Kurt was based on other factors right at that moment however. "I think it's actually got more to do with the two orgasms you just gave me in the space of forty-five minutes."

Kurt chuckled and pulled on Blaine's pouting lips with his own. "Aaah, I have the ultimate power."

Blaine laughed, but he had been serious. "I meant what I said," returning his attention back to Kurt's fantasy. "I wouldn't want anything more than to role play that," his voice was soft and husky and he continued to stroke his hands over every inch of Kurt's back that he could reach. "I would love nothing more than to be your sex slave for the entire holiday where you get to order me around and make me do whatever you want me to do."

"Ok, you better stop," Kurt suddenly ordered. Blaine's words had started to reignite his desire and this time Blaine allowed him to roll off him and onto his back. Blaine giggled delightedly knowing exactly why Kurt had moved. He sat up slightly, leaning on one arm and lowered his free hand to gently wrap around Kurt. He massaged slowly, enjoying the feel of Kurt's excitement building once again. Blaine lowered his eyes eagerly.

"Wow, usually we have to wait a good half hour before you're ready to go again," Blaine declared, fully impressed by the sight that greeted him. He lowered his lips and this time his kiss was more sensual and lingering, teasing Kurt into wanting more of him again.

***

Blaine rose from the floor feeling relaxed and peaceful. He quickly grabbed the throw blanket on the end of the sofa and carefully laid it over Kurt's still form. He was already dozing off. Blaine kneeled down beside him and gazed at his lover's calm face, once again romanced by his beauty. Oh, how he enjoyed watching Kurt sleep.

Blaine loved how the passion had not diminished in their sex life over the past year despite what Sam had often told him about long monogamous relationships. And while Blaine had done some kinky stuff in the bedroom as a prostitute, Kurt continued to surprise him at just what he liked to do to get him and Blaine off. It was great how they had managed to keep an adventurous side and they were still discovering new things about each other. Not only that, but their relationship was so strong that they could laugh at the failed positions, the random conversations they had during sex, the awkward sex injuries, and the jokes that ensued from those awkward sex injuries.

But there was still the intimate fucking, when all the fun and games were put aside and it was only the two of them lost in each other, where they would just look into each other's eyes until they both couldn't hold on any longer, often coming within seconds of each other. Their relationship was something that Blaine had never experienced in all his life, this level of intimacy, this level of love. He really had no idea what he would do if he didn't have Kurt.

"I love you," Blaine whispered.

"I love you too," Kurt answered, his voice soft and thick with sleep, and even though he had heard it a million times since the first time he had uttered those words, Blaine's heart still leapt with joy.

Still smiling, Blaine rose from the rug, blowing out some of the candles that had managed to stay alight after all this time. He poured himself a drink of water in the kitchen and ventured back to the couch where he found his jeans that had, at some time earlier in the evening, been carelessly discarded on the floor. His eyes fell instantly back to Kurt, but his hand hunted in his pockets, absentmindedly searching for his phone. He pulled it free from his jeans' pocket and glanced at the screen. His eyes did a double take and he found himself frowning. There were eight missed calls and several messages in his message box.

Blaine was a popular guy in his class and he had many friends, but it was rare that he would have that many unanswered and missed messages on his phone. Usually people only called once, left a message and waited for him to respond. He opened the missed calls and noted that they were all from the same number and when he caught the area code, his heart skipped a beat. It was a California area code. Who on Earth would be trying to call him from LA? He had left that whole life behind him. The only person who had his number was Sam. Sam! Blaine's heart missed another beat. He hadn't heard from Sam for a couple of months. They had stayed in touch at first but they now led such different lives. They had drifted apart and as most long distant friendships go, once they struggled to find things to talk about, they had silently and mutually stopped calling each other.

His hand was shaking. Blaine moved to his messages and pulled them up. He had been right. The person who had eagerly been trying to contact him had been Sam.

- It's Sam, please answer. I need to talk to you urgently.

- I know we haven't spoken in so long, but please man, answer your phone.

The rest of the messages continued in a similar manner until Blaine's eyes fell on the very last one.

- I'm so sorry, man, I need your help. I'm in deep shit. I'm so scared, bro. Call me ASAP.

Blaine's eyes fell back on Kurt. He hadn't stirred but just in case, Blaine moved quietly towards the balcony where he hoped his phone call would be covered by the noise below on the streets.

A cool breeze wrapped around Blaine's shoulders, threatening to pull him into the darkness where they had been unleashed from. He could feel their sinister nature, laughing, heckling him, taunting him to just give them the slightest opportunity and they would pull him under, sweep everything out from under his feet and in one instant he would have nothing but the sheer desperation that he had been living in one year before.

Blaine shivered and turned his back on the wind and waited for Sam to answer his call. The phone continued to ring, over and over. Frowning, Blaine tried again, and then another time, he listened to the dial tone until the phone rang out. Sam, however, didn't answer any of his calls.

After another several attempts, including a few on Sam's home phone, Blaine's worry began to sit heavily on his shoulders. He had even tried the Blue Banana, but the phone rang out there too. He leaned against the balcony, rubbing his chin, deep in thought as to what he should do.

Sam was a tough guy and had experienced the worst kind of possible situations on the streets. He had many friends in LA who he could turn to if he got into trouble. It left Blaine perplexed and naturally concerned that Sam would resort to turning to him for help, especially when Blaine no longer had contacts in L.A. Blaine also knew that Sam wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Blaine's happiness with Kurt. He trusted Sam and considered him a true friend who wouldn't seek out and involve him in dangerous circumstances unless something was really wrong.

Blaine paced up and down the small balcony. Sam had been his sole support when he had fallen into hard times in L.A. He had given him a place to stay, preventing him from having to live on the streets. Sam had also lent him money in those first couple of weeks and he had been his support when he had first braved the world of prostitution. They had experienced many highs and lows together. Blaine sighed, he couldn't believe that just in the space of five minutes his carefree world had tumbled away and he was now seriously concerned for his friend.

He quickly looked at the time. There was nothing he could do now. It was too late. He would have to wait until morning. The best thing for him now would be to return to Kurt, get some sleep and try to call Sam again first thing in the morning. And if that came to no avail, then he would just have to catch a plane back to L.A. if he had to.

Blaine returned to the lounge, closing the sliding door from the balcony quietly behind him, hoping and praying that it wouldn't come to that. He really did not have any desire to return to LA, but for Sam he would do anything. His eyes drank in Kurt's peaceful image as he approached. He would try to resolve this without Kurt's knowledge. The last thing he wanted to do on their anniversary was to bring up his shady past.

Blaine eagerly snuggled down beside Kurt. He wrapped his top arm over his chest, holding him close and nothing, nothing could shake the omnipresent feeling that had suddenly overpowered him. Everything was going to change, everything was going to go bad and it suddenly hit Blaine like someone striking him over the head with a hammer; everything was going to go bad because he realized that no matter what he did next, he just might lose Kurt because of it.

***

Blaine didn't sleep well. He rose from the soft sheets and fluffy pillows, forgetting that sometime during the night they had both risen from the thick rug in the lounge and had found their way to their warm bed. It was surprising, how over the past year, Kurt's sleeping habits had changed. Before, he would never sleep, but now since he had Blaine, he had settled into a normal sleeping pattern, often beating Blaine in the amount of hours he got each night.

He had tried calling Sam another five times, trying to locate where he was but no one was able to help him.

Blaine threw his overnight bag over his shoulder, all the while gazing at Kurt. He had quickly packed several changes of clothes but he was determined that he would be back the day after tomorrow. Blaine had also taken a considerable amount of money from Kurt's safe. He had never done that before and he now felt like a thief, misguiding Kurt with his intentions. But it would be okay, he tried to reassure himself and he naively believed that he would see Sam, find out what had happened, help him with whatever he needed being helped with and be back in New York safe in Kurt's arms within forty-eight hours.

His hand stroked the side of Kurt's face but he refrained from doing anything else. He didn't want to wake him. Kurt had never held any despise towards his past life and Blaine loved him even more because of it. He had never asked unnecessary questions, had never judged, had never once spoken ill of his choices.

Blaine slipped the envelope that he had prepared beside Kurt's head explaining where he had gone and asking him to just wait patiently for his return here in New York. He had completed the letter with a thousand 'I love you's' and one large 'I'm sorry'. He hoped it would be enough for Kurt to understand that he should wait for him.

Blaine stopped at the front door and took one long last look at the apartment, a sudden feeling of despair rushing over him. Would this be the last time he would see it? His shoulders dropped, the happy creases at the sides of his mouth fell downwards, and a darkness entered into his eyes. He hoped not but Blaine quickly acknowledged that whatever Sam had gotten himself into, it couldn't be good. Blaine turned, entered the hallway, and closed the door behind him.