Six foot tall, came without a warning

So, I had to shoot him dead
He won't come around here anymore
No, he won't come around here

I don't feel so bad
-Wake Up Call by Maroon 5-

Kurt opened his eyes.

That smell.

The smell made him travel back in time. He was 8 years old, visiting his mother in the hospital. She was smiling at him. Smiling through her pain. Kurt told her he was going to bring her some pretty roses. Roses that smelled good and would cover up the smell in her room. That hospital smell.

America or Europe. All hospitals smell the same.

Why was he in the hospital?

He closed his eyes. He felt an aching pull in his chest laced with a soft electrical current.

He needed to go to New York. Now.

He sat up quickly and turned to climb out of bed.

"Whoa, whoa Kurt. What are you doing?" Etienne gently placed his hand on Kurt's arm. Kurt hadn't noticed him sitting there.

"I have to go. I have to go to New York."

"Kurt...you can't leave. You need to rest. You had some type of seizure, or psychotic break or something. You need to stay here and rest until the doctors figure out what happened."

Kurt shook his head. "I need to go to New York."

"No Kurt. You need to rest. Now sit back and relax. You aren't going anywhere. Do you want to call your dad? I was going to, but I thought I would wait until you woke up."

Kurt shook his head vigorously. Good God, please don't call his dad.

Kurt closed his eyes to think. He had to get out of there. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he knew he had to go to New York. If he had his wallet he could go straight to the airport, buy a plane ticket and leave. Wait. He needed his passport. Shit. That was at his flat. Okay. He could stop at the flat, get his passport and go to the airport.

He opened his eyes. What was this guy's name again? Oh, Etienne.

"Etienne, I know you don't understand, but I have to go. I have to get to New York."

"No, you don't. You are staying here, Kurt. Don't worry. I left Blaine a message. I've been calling him every 30 minutes, but he never answers."

Kurt looked at him.

Who?

Jace was lying on his back, his nails clawing the floor. He'd been lying there, suffering for four hours. He screamed as another round of fire and heat raced through his body. He rolled on to his stomach and pressed his cheek to the floor. Oh, the pain. The intense heat and pain. How long would it last? He thought Blaine's darkness would have given up by now, but it was still fighting. Despite being in Jace's body it was running from his darkness, refusing to be dissolved. All the darkness crashing through Jace was torturing him. He knew it would eventually settle. He just had to wait it out. He had to wait for Kurt. Once Kurt arrived Blaine's darkness would accept it's fate. It would melt into Jace's darkness and they would be one.

Jace looked over at Blaine. He was barely alive. Jace needed to lock him up. It would take a long time for him to die. Jace was sure he didn't pose a threat, but he didn't want to take any chances. He struggled to his feet and stumbled over to Blaine's body almost falling on top of him. He dragged him across the floor. He had planned to lock him in the storage unit in the basement of the building, but he was in too much pain to leave the apartment. Instead he put him in the guest bedroom off of the living room. It was the closest room Jace could lock with a key. Hopefully he would die within a day or so. Then Kurt could help him get rid of the body.

He locked the door and fell to the floor, screaming in agony as all the darkness in his body burned.

He just had to wait it out.

And not die.

"Oh, Kurt, my darling!"

Daveed rushed towards the hospital bed, wrapping his arms around Kurt, sobbing.

Kurt's body tensed. He closed his eyes. No. He wasn't the one. The pulling in his chest continued growing stronger. New York. Kurt had to get to New York.

"Etienne told me what happened. You have been working too hard." And not getting enough sex.

"When the doctors say it is okay you will come home with me. I will take care of you. Better yet, I have a friend with a lovely cottage on the countryside. We will go there and you can relax and recover." And have sex with me.

Kurt didn't say anything. He needed to escape.

"Etienne, why don't you go home? You look like hell. I'll keep Kurt company."

Etienne was tired. He'd been up all night. He looked at Daveed sternly. "Do not let him leave. He is to stay here and rest."

"Of course. Do not worry. I won't let him out of my sight."

Etienne patted Kurt's arm. "You rest. I will be back later."

Kurt nodded.

After Etienne left, Kurt started watching the clock. Did they live far from the hospital? He needed to give Etienne time to go home and fall asleep.

After one hour he turned to Daveed. Daveed had been chatting away and watching TV. Kurt hadn't heard a word he said.

"Could you go downstairs to the cafeteria and get me something to eat?"

"Of course. What would you like?"

"Um...soup. Soup and bread and salad."

Once he was gone Kurt shot out of bed, grabbed the bag of clothes Etienne had brought, and quicky dressed. His wallet was in the bag. He slipped out of his room past the busy nurses station and walked out of the hospital.

X-X-X-X-X

When the taxi pulled up in front of his building, he told the driver to wait. Kurt quietly entered the apartment. He figured out which room was his and looked around. Why were there so many boxes? The passport was on the dresser next to a plane ticket to New York. Kurt picked it up and stared at it. It wasn't for today, but maybe he could use it. Something told him to look in the closet. He opened the door and rummaged around on the closet floor. He found a box with a credit card inside and a bunch of cash. He took everything and stood up to leave. The pull in his chest had grown stronger, once he'd left the hospital. He had to get to New York.

"Kurt, what are you doing?"

Etienne was standing in the doorway of his room.

"I have to go. I have to go to New York."

"You can't leave! You just had a huge...seizure or something! You need to rest and let the doctors figure out what happened to you. You can't get on a plane! What if it happens again?"

"It won't. Trust me. It won't. I just have to get to New York."

"Why is it so important for you to go home today? You will be going home in less than a week."

"I can't explain it. Please move. I have to go."

Etienne planted his feet firmly and put his hands on his hips.

"No. I'm sorry Kurt. I can't let you go. If something happened to you I would never forgive myself."

"Move out of my way."

"No."

Kurt felt the pull in his chest getting stronger. He knew Etienne meant well, but he had to go. He looked at him. His hands suddenly grew hot. Oh. Of course. Okay. He looked at Etienne and felt bad for what he was about to do.

"I'm sorry."

Kurt ran forward, hands out stretched and pushed against Etienne's chest. Etienne went flying backwards out of the room and across the living room, slamming into the wall. Kurt ran out of the apartment and jumped into the taxi.

"Charles de Gaulle airport, sil vous plait."

Jace was sprawled on the couch, trying to slow his breathing. He was in hell. Oh, the pain, the pain, the pain. Where the hell was Kurt? How long would it take him to get there? He should have caught a plane by now. It had already been almost 8 hours. How long was a flight from Paris? Six hours? Seven? Jace groaned. He was determined to survive. He just had to wait. Once Kurt arrived, he would enslave him and Blaine's darkness would settle and allow itself to be dissolved into Jace's darkness. Then Jace would be his own super power. He would go to Virginia to visit his grandfather and show him how powerful his gay grandson had become. Gay Jace would be more powerful than any straight male in their family had ever been.

And he would have Kurt.

Jace was tired of searching for a slave. He thought he would find someone in college, but he never met the right person. Kurt was perfect. So incredibly perfect. Blaine had done an excellent job with Kurt. It was obvious he had trained him with patience and love. A patience Jace didn't have. Kurt was attractive, smart, well-trained and very, very fuckable. Jace would be happy with him. He would take good care of him and treat him well, and he would never fuck up like Blaine. He would keep Kurt on a very short leash. A real one if necessary.

When they first met Jace had planned to offer to buy Kurt from Blaine, or better yet, to share him, but he quickly realized how possessive Blaine was. That's why Jace could not figure out why Blaine allowed Kurt to go to Paris. It didn't make sense. Slaves don't leave their masters. In 50 years, Jace's grandmother Jessica never spent one night apart from her husband. What was Blaine thinking?

As he got to know Blaine better Jace almost changed his mind about enslaving Kurt. He liked Blaine. Actually, he had started falling in love with him. He would have loved to have Blaine as a slave, but that was impossible. Blaine's darkness was too strong. He would never submit to Jace. The only reason why Jace was able to steal Blaine's darkness, was because he was weak due to Kurt's absence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance.

Now he just had to survive until Kurt arrived.

He had to stay alive.

And hope that Blaine died quickly.

Kurt caught a break. He arrived at the airport 40 minutes before the next flight to New York. Ticket exchanges were not allowed, but he argued and cried until the ticket agent worked it out. Once he was settled on the plane he closed his eyes and tried to calm down, but he was warm and the pull in his chest had tightened. He was tired and scared. He wasn't completely sure why he needed to get to New York, he just knew he had to get there, and fast.

8 hours laterK urt sat in a taxi in front of JFK airport in a state of panic and confusion.

"Where to?"

Kurt had no idea what to say. He looked at the cab driver.

"Um...I'm not sure."

"Then get out!" Honestly. Damn freaks...

At that moment Kurt's cell phone beeped with a text message.

400 East 67th Street – 22 Floor

X-X-X-X-X

By the time the taxi pulled up in front of the building, Kurt's chest was throbbing in pain, he was breathing hard, and he was hot. He crammed a bunch of Euros into the cabdriver's hand and ran to the building, ignoring the yelling and cursing behind him.

The doorman barely looked at him. "Good evening." He didn't ask any questions.

Kurt ran towards the elevators. They opened automatically. When he stepped in, the button for the 22nd floor lit up.

When the elevator doors opened, Kurt automatically walked towards Jace's door. As the door opened for him, he hesitated. He still felt the pull, but he felt something else too. He sensed something. What was it?

He walked in slowly and stopped when he saw Jace. Jace's body sagged in weariness and relief. "Hello Kurt." Jace was sitting on the couch, covered in sweat, his black hair matted to his head. He only wore a pair of briefs. His eyes were black and smoldering from the hot battle taking place inside him. Even from where he was standing, Kurt could feel the heat rippling off his body.

"Come to me, Kurt."

Kurt felt his enslavement rise in his chest. He took a step forward and then stopped.

Something was wrong.

Kurt closed his eyes. Something was...missing.

"Kurt, come to me."

Kurt looked at him, but didn't move. Jace stood up, the pain soaring through him as the darkness continued its vicious fighting. He struggled to stay on his feet.

"Kurt, come here!"

Kurt's enslavement forced him to take another step forward, but then he stopped again.

No. Something was wrong. The pull on his enslavement was there, but something was missing. He looked around the room, his eyes landing on the door to the bedroom.

Kurt suddenly felt dizzy. His heart started racing. He looked at Jace in confusion. Was this his master? Kurt closed his eyes. Something wasn't right.

Jace stumbled towards Kurt, almost falling into him. He reached his hand towards Kurt's chest.

"Come to me, Kurt."

Just as Jace's fingertips grazed his chest, Kurt jumped back. Jace fell to the floor as Blaine's darkness crashed into his chest with renewed force. It could sense Kurt's presence.

Kurt looked at the bedroom door and back to Jace. Jace was rolling around on the floor, struggling for control of his body as the darkness crashed through him. Kurt felt drawn to him but...something about the bedroom door. He could sense someone. A faint feeling. A memory. He looked at Jace. No. Something was wrong. He could feel the pull of the darkness, but something was off. Something was missing. He looked at the bedroom door again and started walking towards it. Jace yelled at him, "No! Come here!" Kurt stopped and struggled to disobey. He ran to the room, frantically turning the doorknob and banging on the locked door. He stopped, closed his eyes, placed his palms flat against the door and pushed.

The door flew open.

Kurt ran in, stumbled over Blaine, and fell to the floor. He suddenly felt a rush of heat. He struggled to breathe as his complete enslavement rushed to the surface, searching desperately for a connection. Kurt scrambled over to Blaine and started shaking him.

"Wake up! Please wake up!"

Nothing.

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and thought hard. A name popped into his head. Blaine. Slowly memories started unfolding in Kurt's mind. Despite the pull from the one outside the door, this was Blaine. This was his true master.

This was the person that loved him.

"Blaine! Blaine! Blaine please! Wake up!"

Nothing.

Kurt looked at him. He was very pale. His body looked limp and weak. Kurt's eyes welled up with tears. He touched Blaine's face.

He was cold.

Jace roared from the other room. "Kurt! Come here now!" Jace was struggling to breathe and trying to reach the bedroom, but he couldn't stand up. He could barely crawl across the floor. Blaine's darkness was tired, but it knew Kurt was somewhere nearby. It was waiting for Kurt to come free it from Jace's body. It raced through Jace, burning him while still trying to avoid Jace's darkness.

Kurt looked at the door and back to Blaine. He scrambled across the floor, slammed the door closed and locked it.

He placed his hands on Blaine's chest, leaned down and kissed him. He kept kissing him and pressing against Blaine's chest as his hands grew hot and the heat passed into Blaine's body.

Blaine stirred, he opened his eyes slowly. Kurt stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes.

"Blaine?"

Blaine blinked. His voice was barely a whisper. "Kurt?"

"Yes! Blaine! Oh, Blaine!" Blaine could barely keep his eyes open. Why did he feel so cold...and empty?

Kurt tried to help him sit up, but Blaine could barely raise his head. He was too weak. He struggled to focus. His head felt hazy and confused. And he was cold. Very cold.

He struggled to speak. His voice was so low, Kurt had to strain to hear him. "What's wrong with me?"

Kurt placed his palms on either side of Blaine's face and stared directly into his eyes. What was wrong with Blaine? His eyes were dull and lifeless. His skin was cold. Kurt closed his eyes and focused.

The darkness. Where was the darkness?

Kurt couldn't sense anything, but he was sure it was here. He'd felt something when he walked into the apartment. He closed his eyes.

"Kurt! Come here!"

Jace.

Wait.

No...

Was that even possible?

"Blaine...did Jace take your darkness?"

Blaine blinked as his mind struggled to process Kurt's words. He closed his eyes and searched within himself.

Where was it?

He looked at Kurt, his eyes full of fear as realization set in.

"Kurt...the darkness..." Kurt nodded. It was all coming back to him.

"He took it from you! You have to get it back! Don't let him have it! Don't let him have me!" Blaine struggled to look into Kurt's eyes. No. He would never let anyone have Kurt. Kurt belonged to him. He loved Kurt.

Kurt helped Blaine to his feet and steadied him. Blaine tried to focus, but he couldn't think clearly. He was shivering from the cold and he felt very weak. He tried to take a step towards the door, and immediately started to fall. Kurt caught him and laid him down gently. Blaine's eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow and his skin felt a few degrees cooler than just one minute before.

Blaine was dying.

This realization slammed into Kurt's brain and filled him with panic and fear. He struggled to move Blaine to the bed. He put him under the covers for warmth. How much time did Blaine have? Kurt pressed his hand to his mouth to stop his sobs from escaping, as tears streamed down his face. He tried to calm down. He had to figure out what to do. He couldn't let Blaine die. He loved Blaine more than anything. He couldn't lose Blaine. If Blaine died...what would happen to him? He couldn't live without Blaine. He didn't want to live without Blaine.

Kurt took Blaine's hand in his. It was colder than just a moment before. He looked at Blaine's skin. It was almost completely white and felt dry. Kurt screamed. "No! No! No!" He laid his head on Blaine's chest, as sobs racked his body. He couldn't let Blaine die. He had to do something. He closed his eyes and struggled to think.

Jace had somehow stolen Blaine's darkness. Blaine was dying because the darkness was gone. Apparently he couldn't live without it. Jace had looked awful, as if he were in great pain. Did he have his darkness and Blaine's inside him? How could Kurt get Blaine's darkness back? Were they separate or one?

Kurt was sure Blaine's darkness would respond to him. It would allow him to control it because he was Blaine's slave, but how could he get it from Jace?

Kurt covered his face with his hands. He was so scared. He touched Blaine's hand. Colder. Kurt had to do something and fast.

Kurt placed his hands on Blaine's chest and closed his eyes. His palms grew hot and the heat flowed into Blaine's chest. He had to buy Blaine time. Kurt kept pressing until Blaine slowly opened his eyes.

"Blaine, help me. Tell me what to do. How do I get your darkness back? How did Jace steal it?"

Blaine opened his mouth and then closed it. His eyes glazed over and closed. Kurt screamed. "No! No! Please Blaine! No!"

Blaine opened his eyes and then closed them again. He was barely breathing.

Kurt stopped pressing and stood up.

Enough.

He couldn't waste anymore time.

He pressed his hands to Blaine's chest for five minutes straight while kissing him and whispering in his ear. "I love you Blaine. You are my master. Only you. I'm going to get it back. I promise. Just don't die. Don't leave me Blaine. I can't live without you. I love you."

Kurt took off his shirt and put it on Blaine. He wrapped his body in the sheets on the bed, and then looked in the closet for more blankets. He put every blanket he could find on top of him. He tucked the blankets all the way up to Blaine's chin, kissed him one last time and walked to the bedroom door.

He took a deep breath and stepped out into the living room.

Jace was leaning against the wall. His skin was a dark, chocolate brown and his eyes were almost red. His breathing was labored and he was obviously in excruciating pain. He looked at Kurt.

"Is he dead?"

Kurt's mind filled with hatred for Jace. The hatred fueled his determination.

"No. He's not going to die. You are going to give him his darkness back so he can live."

Jace shook his head. "No. He can't have it back. It belongs to me now. And so do you."

"It's killing you."

"No."

"Please..."

"Shut up! You are a slave! Stop talking!" Jace stumbled forward. "Come here!"

Kurt stepped back. He was sure the key to enslaving him completely was for Jace to touch his chest. Or...was it to fuck him like Blaine had done? No, no, no, no. He wasn't going to let that happen. He eyed Jace fearfully, his mind racing. How was he going to get the darkness back and avoid being enslaved?

"Please Kurt. I've been waiting for you for hours. Hell, I've been waiting for you for years. I promise. I'll take good care of you. I'm rich. Far wealthier than Blaine's family. You will want for nothing. I promise. And I won't abuse you. I will care for you, Kurt. I will. I'll be a good master."

Kurt shook his head. "No. I belong to Blaine."

Jace screamed. "Blaine is dead! His darkness is mine! You belong to me!"

Without meaning to, Kurt fell to his knees. His enslavement rose in his chest and crashed around seeking its connection. Kurt struggled to fight being controlled. What the hell made him think he could do this?

Jace walked towards him. "Just come to me, Kurt. Everything will be fine. Just trust me, beautiful."

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Only one man called him beautiful.

Kurt jumped up from the floor and ran across the room.

"Stop running from me!"

Kurt's eyes filled with tears. He didn't know what to do or how to do this. He was terrified.

Jace stumbled towards him. "Just surrender to me. You really don't have a choice. He's dying, Kurt. He's probably already dead. Just submit to me. I promise to take care of you."

Against his will Kurt's body slowly sank to his knees. He closed his eyes.

Jace stood ovr him. He laced his fingers in Kurt's hair and gently pulled his head back. He looked down to focus on Kurt's eyes, but Kurt's eyes remained closed.

"Open your eyes, Kurt."

Kurt opened his eyes and pushed Jace with all his strength. Jace went flying across the room and crashed into the wall, falling to the floor. Kurt jumped up, ran across the room and threw himself on top of Jace, pressing his body against his. Kurt screamed from the heat. Jace's body was on fire.

Jace hollered and tried to flip them over. Kurt struggled to remain on top. Blaine's darkness was weak, but on the run. It could sense Kurt's presence. It tried to ready itself to make the jump, but Jace's darkness kept attacking, determined to keep it inside Jace. Kurt was screaming at it. "Help me! Do something! Jump!" But it couldn't jump until it had a touch point. So it kept running and racing through Jace, burning him and trying to avoid permanent capture.

Jace kept trying to flip them over. They were rolling around the room. Kurt knew that once Jace was on top of him it would be over. He struggled to avoid being pinned, but even in his weakened state, Jace was far stronger than Kurt. He kept rolling them until finally he managed to pin Kurt with his body weight. He tried to grab Kurt's hands, but Kurt kept struggling. He slammed his palms up against Jace's chest and pressed up with all his strength.

Jace screamed, "No!" and tried to pull back, but Kurt kept pushing and they ended up doing a somersault with Kurt landing on top of Jace. Kurt screamed as Jace grabbed his wrists and tried to pull his hands off of his chest. Jace's touch burned his skin, but he refused to let go. He closed his eyes to avoid Jace's eyes and pressed harder. The darkness could feel Kurt's pull.

It was time to go home.

Kurt gasped and then screamed as he felt the darkness make the jump from Jace to him. It flowed into him like lava, rushing his system and flooding his mind. Jace's darkness tried to give chase. It didn't want to lose the other darkness. It wanted the additional power. It crashed against Jace's chest, angrily trying to break free.

Kurt rolled off of Jace and struggled to remain conscious. The darkness was racing through his body, burning him and causing him to feel dizzy and lightheaded. He screamed. "Stop! Stop! Stop running around!" The darkness slowed down, but did not stop moving. It wanted Blaine.

Jace was screaming. His darkness was angry. Jace was breathing hard, his eyes turning from black to red.

Kurt took one look at him, struggled to his feet, and ran to the bedroom. He was shocked to see Blaine sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling to stand up.

"Blaine!" Blaine turned and looked at Kurt and his eyes grew wide. Kurt's skin was dark, his eyes were bright and Blaine could feel heat rolling off of him. Kurt ran over to him.

"Come on! We have to go!"

He pulled Blaine up and helped him walk into the living room.

A loud roaring sound invaded the room like waves crashing violently against the shore. The floor began to shake.

Kurt and Blaine fell and scrambled to the corner of the room. They wrapped their arms around each other and looked at Jace.

They watched in horror as Jace's eyes turned a deep, rich red. His skin turned black and a dark, orange sheen floated over his body. Horrible, soul-piercing screams filled the room as Jace's darkness broke free and turned on him. Waves of electrical current flowed through the air. It turned on Jace, attacking him with hot shocks of electric pain. It soared through the air and came towards Kurt and Blaine. Kurt screamed and shifted in front of Blaine, protecting him. The current realized this was not its target and turned back towards Jace. Over and over the electricity attacked him until the orange sheen turned into flames, searing and scorching Jace's body, drowning out his harrowing and agonizing screams. And then...

Silence.

The room was eerily silent and calm.

Jace's body lay on the floor in perfect condition.

After a few minutes of sitting in still shock, Kurt slowly crawled over and looked at Jace's face. His skin was pale, his eyes open, but dull and expressionless.

He was dead.

Kurt crawled back to Blaine. Blaine was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall of windows. He was in a complete state of shock and exhaustion. The two sat there for awhile, stunned and unable to move. Finally, Kurt turned to Blaine.

"We need to get out of here."

Kurt stood up and almost fell as the darkness started thrashing again. Kurt yelled at it. "Stop it! You can't do that! I'm not Blaine! I'm not as strong. You have to be still so I can get us out of here!" The darkness seemed to understand. It calmed down.

Kurt searched frantically for Blaine's clothes. They couldn't leave them behind. He found Blaine's wallet, cell phone and keys on the dresser in Jace's room, but no clothes. He finally gave up. As much as he hated to, Kurt took one of Jace's shirts and slipped it on. He had no choice. No taxi would pick up a shirtless man.

Kurt helped Blaine to his feet, but Blaine couldn't walk. For the first time ever, Kurt scooped Blaine up in his arms. He was amazed at the strength the darkness gave him. Blaine passed out.

When they went to leave, the condo door did not automatically open.

Kurt decided leaving through the garage would be safer than through the front of the building. As they passed Jace's car, he glanced at it and then quickly away.

He walked to the side of the building and hailed a taxi.

Kurt lay in bed on his stomach, head resting on his arms, watching Blaine sleep. The tears he had been unable to stop since leaving Jace's condo, continued to fall. He gently ran the back of his fingers across Blaine's cheek. His skin was warmer than before, but still very pale. Blaine looked weak, drained and...sick. As the word, sick, popped into Kurt's brain, a fresh wave of tears ran down his cheeks. He turned his head and buried it in his arms.

This was all his fault.

How could he have done this?

He was a horrible slave. Horrible.

Why had he left Blaine? He never, ever should have gone to Paris. This was all his fault. He had left Blaine alone, vulnerable and weak. How could Kurt have forgotten O's words to him.

"Love him, Kurt and remember your place in his life. You are enslaved to him. Serve him well, but always remember that at the same time, you are not just a slave. He can't survive without you. That makes you quite powerful."

He can't survive without you.

Kurt's selfishness had almost gotten Blaine killed and him enslaved to another.

He glanced at Blaine and then buried his face again.

Guilt. Sadness. Guilt. Sadness. Guilt.

He was consumed by guilt and sadness. He would never forgive himself for this.

Would Blaine forgive him?

Tears continued to pour down Kurt's face, as his body shook with sobs.

He turned and looked at his sleeping master. He scooted closer to him and laid his arm across him, pulling him close. He whispered quietly.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I'm so sorry."

Kurt cried while Blaine slept.