Independence.

Chapter One: Breaking Away

There comes a moment in every person's life when everything comes crumbling down and they feel like everything has gone so horrible, it couldn't possibly get any worse. It could be watching your fiancé run away from you at the altar on your wedding day, in front of both of your families, or it could be finding out that the grandmother you grew up with has cancer. It could by anything really, a combination of things, but the main thing is that this set of events makes you feel that the world has ended and nothing will ever be happy again in your life.

Kurt Hummel had thought he had almost had this moment in his senior year of high school, during the whole slut-shaming fiasco caused by his boyfriend Blaine finding out about his flirty texts with a fellow senior named Chandler. But luckily, for the both of them, they managed to make up and move past this and stay together.

But the metaphorical back of "Klaine" broke the next year. Kurt had moved to New York after a little pushing from his boyfriend and was living the dream: being roommates with Rachel and interning at Vogue Magazine. So being an intern, it would be understandable that he now a very busy schedule and would need time to establish himself at the magazine and wouldn't be able to talk to Blaine every moment he called.

Blaine didn't see it that way. Blaine saw it as Kurt pushing him away. So when Blaine really missed Kurt and Kurt wasn't able to be available to talk to him, Blaine sought comfort with another. A random person from Facebook he'd never spoken to before.

When Blaine felt guilty about it, he'd hopped onto a plane to New York to see Kurt and confess everything. Perhaps he thought telling him everything would make up for what he had done. In reality, it had done the opposite. Kurt had thought after what had happened with both their indiscretions in his senior year, they had put it behind them and moved on stronger but this had proven him wrong.

He spent the next few months blocking him out of his life. He ignored his calls, deleted his texts and blocked his emails. Rachel constantly showed her concern over the situation but Kurt politely told her to mind her own business. While he was hurt badly over the situation, what made it so much worse was losing his best friend at the same time. So when he finally decided to answer one of his phone calls, Kurt latched back onto the sound of his voice, feeling whole again.

Being able to be friends with Blaine like it used to be made his life a happier place again. He got on better with Rachel, he had more ideas for Isabelle at work, and he showed it every day. Even when he had been given the bad news from his father, regarding the whole "Prostate Cancer" issue, having Blaine turn up out of the blue was a nice break away from his problems.

It only became a problem a month or so later, at Will and Emma's disaster of a wedding. Being at a wedding and all, made Kurt feel lonely and missing his casual relationship with Adam, decided to sleep with Blaine. He had made it clear to Blaine that it didn't mean anything and that they were just messing around and he had agreed with him. But later on, in the aftermath of sleeping with him, Blaine made it clear he wanted to get back together with him. Kurt was in no position to just agree and say yes, for many reasons, the main one being he already was in a relationship with Adam. Blaine was determined that they were meant to be together and wasn't about to give up. It was as if none of his past infidelities mattered to him anymore, like Kurt should pretend it never happened and jump back on the SS. Klaine.

Kurt had hardly any time to even consider properly forgiving Blaine when after a week had passed from the wedding, Blaine turned up out of the blue again, covered his roof with fairy lights and led him into a duet from one of his favourite musicals. Kurt was never one to shy away from a musical number and joined in despite knowing the meaning behind it. He had braced himself for what inevitably happened after and indeed, Blaine did bring up the whole "Meant to be together" issue again. Kurt wished he could just say yes and reunite with him then and there. But instead, what came out of his mouth was "Give me time to think."

Blaine had taken it the wrong way, of course. Taking it for a no, he had hurried himself out of there and hopped on a plane back to Ohio before you could say "How's Your Uncle?" Kurt felt bad about the whole situation. He knew how deeply Blaine felt for him and to what lengths he would go to for him in any event. He always loved him for that. It's one of the things that he would always admire him for. But something was stopping him from moving back into the way things used to be.

He wasn't sure he could trust him "relationship-wise" anymore. When he was in Lima, he was always on the defensive with Sebastian constantly ready to steal his boyfriend away from him. He had told Blaine how the whole situation made him feel but he just shrugged it off as innocent and ignored him. He had maintained constant contact with Sebastian via texts and Skype and phone calls, knowing full well how he felt. He felt heartbroken when Blaine flipped the situation onto him with the Chandler issue during Whitney week, accusing him of cheating on him, even though he had done less than Kurt had done with Sebastian. He had overlooked that and moved on together with Blaine, thinking the whole thing had made them stronger as a couple.

But when Blaine had betrayed him when he had moved to New York, he had genuine reason to pause. Kurt wasn't about to move back to Lima so he would always wonder and worry about Blaine, and if it would happen again. It was one thing to be lonely and sleep with someone else, but if they blame it on you for not being there when you were genuinely busy, it makes you wonder, would this happen again if the situation repeats itself?

Sitting on his bed, with Santana snoring lightly next to him, Kurt felt as if his decision was already made for him. He couldn't do it. He couldn't willingly walk back into his old life, knowing he could be setting himself back up for more heartbreak. He couldn't do it to himself again, but more importantly, he couldn't put Blaine back into that position where he would feel that way again.

Pulling his laptop onto his bedcovers, he quickly opened up his web browser and began looking at flights. He knew if he was going to do this, he needed to do it in person, face to face. He owed Blaine that much. He knew it was going to hurt him but they both needed to move on. Choosing the flight he wanted, he quickly finished paying for it and printed off his flight information. He closed his laptop and put it next to his bed. Knowing he was going back tomorrow due to it being a NYADA holiday period of private group projects, he settled down to catch some sleep. After all, he wanted to look his best for the flight.

Waking up the next morning, he noticed that his roommates weren't around as he packed a travel on suitcase. 'Probably for the best,' He thought, 'I hate teary goodbyes.' He finished quickly and began to pull his suitcase towards the front door when he heard a light coughing. He looked up and saw both Santana and Rachel standing there with matching hand luggage in their arms. "If you think for one minute," Santana stated, smirking slightly as she walked forwards to hug him," We're letting you go back to Lima, to break things off with Bilbo Baggins alone, you've got another thing coming!"

Rachel nodded in agreement. "If I've learned one thing since coming here, we stick together no matter what because we're all we've got here." She smiled joining the Kurtana hug. Kurt was genuinely touched by this. He was glad he wouldn't have to go to face this by himself. "Thanks you guys." He said, getting a little teary. "But what about Brody?" He asked Rachel. "Oh, he'll understand. Us girls have got to help each out."

Breaking the hug up, he pulled out his hankerchief, wiped his eyes lightly and pocketed it again. Rachel opened the door for them and Santana ushered Kurt out of the door pulling his trolley case along. As they walked onto the pavement outside, with Santana hailing a cab, Kurt knew one thing was for sure: with his best friends by his side, he may just be able to get through the trainwreck awaiting him in Lima…