The rest of the week went by quickly. Kurt was thankful for the coming start of term and the workload that would come with it. He kept himself busy with reading he would need to have completed by Monday. Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina came over a couple of times for movies and makeovers. He didn't care if he was 20 years old, a makeover still made him giddy. After he was done styling Tina's hair, she swore she'd never wear it any other way, which brought out an actual smile. Cooper came over and took Kurt to dinner one night and they were able to talk for a couple hours. Kurt asked how Blaine was healing, but other than that, he didn't ask anything further. He had to start distancing himself. As it was, he'd passed by Nora Anderson when he went to check the mail on Thursday and was warned to stay away from Blaine. She told him Blaine was adjusting just fine and didn't need any of his nonsense to interrupt the healing process.

Living alone was a challenge. Everything he did, something would remind him of Blaine. Getting ready in the morning, making toast for one, laundry for one person. No bowties on the dresser. The scent of Blaine on his pillow was fading. And every night he had nightmares about Blaine and him yelling at Kurt, calling him horrible names. In the end, Kurt would just sit there and scream in the dream until he woke up, typically sweaty and drenched in his own tears.

Saturday brought a moment Kurt had been dreading. He was coming back from the grocery store, a bag in his hand when Blaine walked out of the apartment building. They both froze and Kurt quickly drank in his appearance. Blaine was definitely looking better, his bruises were faded and the cuts were no longer visible. His eyes were back to a clear golden color, no longer surrounded by shadows. Kurt was truly glad to see he was doing well, even if there was an edge to his expression like Cooper had mentioned.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt said hesitantly. "How are you?"

"Kurt, right?" At Kurt's nod, Blaine continued. "I'm doing good. Healing up quick. I should be able to start classes on Monday with everyone else. And uh, hey, thanks for packing up all my stuff."

Kurt's heart soared at his words. Just hearing his voice was enough to make his nerve endings come alive.

"No problem, really," he finally said, gushing a bit too much. "Blaine, please know I'm here if you want to talk or need to fill in some memory gaps. I'd be happy to help any way I can."

Blaine's face completely shut down and his eyes, though golden, seemed to turn to ice. "I don't need your kind of help."

Kurt's eyes widened in hurt. He unconsciously took a step toward Blaine, raising a hand. "Blaine..."

"Hey back off," Blaine said, putting both his hands on Kurt's chest and shoving him roughly. Kurt stumbled back and fell on the cement.

Kurt was so shocked, he just stayed there on the ground, his eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"My parents warned me you were one of those predatory gays. Just stay away from me, got it?" Blaine barked at him. Kurt had never even heard that tone from him before.

"Hey, what's going on," Wes said, coming out of the building. "Blaine, what the hell?" He came over and gave Kurt a hand up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kurt muttered, grabbing his grocery bag that had fallen and walked into the building.

"What the hell was that?" Wes demanded. "Did you hit him?"

"I just shoved him. He looked like he was gonna try and come on to me. Who cares, anyway." Blaine retorted.

"I care. A lot of people care, Blaine. I know you don't remember, but he has been your best friend for over three years. You two have been through hell and back. Whether you remember or not, you can at least treat him with some decency," Wes insisted.

"Whatever," Blaine said, but sounded a bit more calm.

Kurt, who had been listening the whole time just inside the door, went upstairs, more miserable than ever. He put the groceries away and sat at the table, still in shock. Blaine had never raised a hand to him in anger. They'd played, wrestled, tickled, and loved, but never touched each other in anger. He couldn't even recognize the person he'd seen downstairs. That was not the man he loved. And now, he'd taken it even further by being physical.

Digging out his phone he texted Mercedes.

K: I can't do this. I can't see him every day and know he hates me.

M: What happened?

K: I reached out to him and he shoved me.

M: Kurt! Are you ok?

K: Yeah. Shocked and hurt emotionally, but okay. Wes came up to us right after. Told B to be nice to me.

M: I'm so sorry sweetie.

K: I think I should quit Velocity. It will hurt too much to see him knowing he can't stand me.

M: No, Kurt. It will be hard, but you belong in V. You need to be there. You need the support of those who love you and accept you. We'll help you thru this.

K: I'll give it a try, but I'm not promising anything.

M: That's all I'm asking.

. . .

Monday, Kurt dressed with his usual flair, taking time to do his hair for the first time since the accident. Looking at his hand, he switched the ring to his right hand. He didn't want Blaine to see it and get upset or demand it back. As long as nobody told him about the ring, he may not even know about it, and Kurt had no problem keeping it.

As he drove and found a parking spot at the college lot, he prepared himself for possibly seeing Blaine during the day. Both of them being in the arts department, though separate areas, meant some of their classes would be in the same building. He made himself promise that if he saw him, he could have one look, but keep walking.

His first class was filled with familiar faces who were also heading toward a degree in fashion and it was like returning to a comfortable blanket. He even found himself excited at some of the projects they would be tackling during the year.

Leaving the building to walk to his next class, he came face to face with Blaine. His eyes went wide and he came to a stop. Then he gave himself a mental shake, lowered his eyes, and walked away. He could swear Blaine was looking back at him so he hurried to the building across the way for his next class. There was still a half hour until it started and he'd hoped to just wander a bit while listening to music, but now he just wanted to get in the classroom.

. . .

Blaine felt a twinge of remorse at the wide eyed fear that had shown in Kurt's big blue eyes. Remembering what his parents said, he shook his head and walked into the building. There were a few minutes before his classical music class, so he slid against the wall to sit on the floor. School wasn't as challenging as he'd feared. He had retained all of his memories from his classes and he knew he'd adjust to the schedule soon. So why was it that this skinny pale kid was the only person he couldn't remember? His folks had convinced him he was something of a stalker, but he hadn't seen that side of him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe the shove he'd given him had straightened him out. Chuckling to himself at his own pun brought up the most bothersome thought. Kurt, Wes, and David had all told him he'd been gay before the accident. How the hell was that even possible? He remembered girls, lots of girls over the years. Not being with them, apparently his sex life was somewhat limited. But he definitely remembered being surrounded by a lot of girls. He didn't like the thought of people thinking he was a homo, so his first extra-curricular activity would be to find a woman. There had to be a start-of-school party going on somewhere. Seeing the professor unlock the door to the class, he hopped up, feeling relieved to have a plan.

. . .

Later that afternoon, Blaine approached the Memorial Auditorium and had his first experience with nerves. He had been prepared by his roommates that Kurt was in the group. Apparently, most of the members of Velocity were their mutual friends and knew he had been with Kurt. He swore to himself that the first person to say anything would get a fist in the nose. But he had promised Wes he wouldn't raise a hand to Kurt again, choosing to believe the kid was okay until he proved otherwise. It didn't mean he was going to befriend him. He just wouldn't beat him up. Yet.

Walking into the auditorium, he looked around warily. Most of the faces he could see were familiar, thank goodness. Sam, Trent, and Artie came up to him.

"Hey man, welcome back," Sam said, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, it's good to have you back all in one piece," Trent agreed with a friendly smile.

"Hope you're ready to jump in to this, we have a number we're rehearsing today," Artie told him.

"Thanks guys. And yeah, I'm definitely ready to get back into the swing of things," Blaine said, pleased with the greeting.

As he went to take a seat by David, he looked around at the other people in the room, some of them waving or calling hello. He sat down and looked at the door when someone else entered the room. Kurt came in and scanned the room quickly. His gaze widened - that kid had really big eyes Blaine noted - when their eyes met. Kurt quickly looked down and walked to the other side of the room where he sat down near Mercedes, Rachel, and Finn.

Mr. Schuester came in the room and quieted everyone down. He saw Blaine and waved in greeting. "Hey Blaine, it's good to see you back among us! We're going to be working on a couple numbers for a performance in a couple weeks, so if you're up to it, just follow along with the choreography. Maybe you can try singing the lines we set aside for you. Sound okay?"

"Let's do it," Blaine said, with an excited smile. This was definitely something he remembered and missed. Singing, dancing, performing of all kind filled him with a thrill that truly made him feel alive.

"Alright guys, Sam, Puck, Blaine, Trent, and Joe, come on up here and let's run through the number," Mr. Schue said.

The guys piled on stage and took their places. Blaine went where Trent pointed to and looked over the music. He loved Linkin Park and had always wanted to do one of their songs. After a few times of moving through the choreography, he felt confident he could do it. As they took a water break, he turned and saw Finn come on stage. He and Puck came up to Blaine and towered over him.

"What's up, guys?" Blaine smiled, taking a gulp of water.

"I don't know what you can and can't remember, but Kurt is my brother," Finn growled.

"Um, no I didn't remember that. Odd. Okay, well, I'll keep that in mind," Blaine said, glad to have another piece of his memory puzzle in place.

"So now that you know Kurt is my brother," Finn started.

"And my boy," Puck said in a harsh tone.

"If you ever raise a hand to him again," Finn said and stepped into Blaine until he had to tilt his head up to see Finn's furious face. "I will end you."

"And I will hold you down for him. Is that clear, hobbit?" Puck demanded.

Blaine's eyes were wide. "Um, yeah, absolutely. I'll leave him alone," he assured them.

"Did you know he's got two big hand sized bruises on his chest, you little punk?" Finn bit out.

"No, I didn't," Blaine said, looking down, feeling truly remorseful. "I'm sorry."

"We aren't the ones you need to apologize to," Puck said and went back to his space on the stage.

Mr. Schue called them back from their break and they all resumed their positions.

"Okay, one more time, beginning to end. Rory, watch your spins, don't run into anyone," Mr. Schue said. "And... cue lights, cue music!" The stage went dark and as the intro music began playing, shafts of light flashed down on the singers, giving the performance a haunted look.

(Puck)

In this farewell

There's no blood

There's no alibi

(Joe)

'Cause I've drawn regret

From the truth

Of a thousand lies

(Sam)

So let mercy come

And wash away

(Group)

What I've done

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

Blaine couldn't help looking at Kurt as he sang. The pale man stared back at him, deep emotion that Blaine didn't recognize on his face.

(Blaine)

Put to rest

What you thought of me

While I clean this slate

With the hands of uncertainty

(Trent)

So let mercy come

And wash away

(Group)

What I've done

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

As he sang, Blaine tried to convey a message to Kurt. He was sorry he'd shoved him. As far as he remembered, he'd never been a violent person. He didn't want to be friends or anything, but he didn't want the kid to be scared of him.

(Blaine)

For what I've done

I start again

And whatever pain may come

Today this ends

I'm forgiving what I've done

(Group)

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

(Group)

Nananana (repeat)

(Blaine)

What I've done

Forgiving what I've done

The group watching leapt up and applauded the group. Between the lights, singing, and choreography, it had been an astounding number. Blaine saw that Kurt stood and applauded, but wouldn't look at the stage. He might have to go up to him to make sure he understood the apology he'd sung. The poor kid looked like he was going to collapse. Didn't he sleep?

Mr. Schue dismissed them back to their seats. "Okay, now we have Kurt, Rachel, Tina, and Santana. Come on up and take your places."

The four walked on stage, Kurt lagging a bit. But he went up and grabbed a stool with the girls. They lined them in a row and sat down, Kurt in the middle between Rachel and Tina. Blaine wondered how well the kid sang if he had to be in a group of all girls.

"Cue music," Mr. Schue called.

(Rachel)

Kiss today goodbye,

The sweetness and the sorrow.

Wish me luck, the same to you.

But I can't regret

What I did for love, what I did for love.

(Santana)

Look my eyes are dry.

The gift was ours to borrow.

Oh, it's as if we always knew,

And I won't forget what I did for love,

What I did for love.

Blaine saw tears streaking down Kurt's face before he even began to sing. Something in him tugged at the sight. Maybe it was just because Kurt was being a wuss. That didn't sit well with him, but he pushed it aside.

(Kurt)

Gone, love is never gone.

As we travel on,

Love's what we'll remember.

Blaine stared in shock. That voice. So high pitched, but sweet and pure. He had not expected that voice to come out of the pale man sitting there, his eyes filled with emotion. Unconsciously, he leaned forward, waiting to hear that voice again.

(Tina)

Kiss today goodbye,

And point me toward tomorrow.

We did what we had to do.

(Kurt)

Oh won't forget, can't regret

What I did for love

(Rachel)

What I did for love

What I did for love

(Kurt)

Love is never gone.

As we travel on,

Love's what we'll remember.

(Group)

Kiss today goodbye,

And point me toward tomorrow.

Oh we did what we had to do.

(Kurt)

Oh won't forget, can't regret

What I did for love

(Group)

What I did for love

(Kurt)

What I did for love

The song ended to another round of applause. Blaine got to his feet and whistled his approval. That had been a beautiful number. Kurt's counter tenor voice had added a haunting loveliness to the song. Kurt glanced at him briefly before leaving the stage. He had to walk by Blaine to get back to his seat, so he reached out and touched Kurt's arm as he walked by.

"Hey Kurt, you sounded great up there," Blaine said, and felt awful as the man flinched away from him.

"Thanks," Kurt muttered, keeping his eyes down.

"I, uh, want to apologize for shoving you yesterday. That isn't me, even if I can't remember some things. I'm sorry," Blaine said sincerely.

Kurt looked up and Blaine was hit by that overwhelming blue-green gaze. "Thank you for that," he said softly before lowering his eyes and walking away.

Blaine watched him take his seat. For the rest of practice, he was silent, only answering questions that were directed at him. His thoughts were a mess and he didn't even know what to think. All he knew was, he was going to be decent to Kurt. He deserved that much, and Blaine owed it to him.

"Hey, did you hear the Alpha's are having a party tonight? First day of school thing," David told him as they gathered their things to leave. "You feel up to it?"

Blaine remembered his determination to find a girl and nodded. "Absolutely. Do we have time to go home and change?"

"Yep. It doesn't start until ten so we're good on time," he said.

Blaine nodded. This could end up being a really good day. And night.