Disclaimer:- I don't own glee!
Shaking with fear, Kurt held onto Blaine and tried not to focus on the gun pointing at him. Kurt had resigned himself to dying rather than be separated from Blaine again.
The gang leader, Karofsky, was screaming and snarling like a rabid dog because they refused to be parted. Enraged Karofsky pulled up a 4ft tree root, sharpened the end with a knife, and started to whip them both. Kurt felt the pain across his back, but continued to hold onto Blaine, until he was dragged away and Kurt fell. Then, the butt of the rifle whacked Kurt in the face. Hours later, three men picked Kurt up and carried him to his mattress in the shelter. He lay there unable to sleep, his body and face was throbbing and his mind was numb.
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It was 13th May 2075, their 73rd day in the hands of ruthless gangsters who had destroyed their simple but perfect life when they climbed aboard Kurt and Blaine's yacht in Luciana at around 1am 3 months earlier. Armed with assault rifles, they were made to sail for hours, eventually reaching one of the most dangerous, lawless countries of the world. They were now demanding millions for the release of Kurt and Blaine. Kurt found the situation completely surreal. Just an ordinary couple from the State of Ohio, who'd worked hard all their lives so they could afford a few luxuries in their retirement and now lived aboard their boat, Alexander McQueen (at Kurt's request obviously).
They'd been 'liveaboards' for nearly two years and had been using Luciana as a base since the end of the Summer the year before. There had been no warning about possible hostile attacks on their route. They knew things happened, of course, but they were miles away from any of the trouble spots, and were always very careful. The boat was their home and they didn't want to do anything to jeopardise that. It wasn't the champagne lifestyle that the boys had enjoyed in their early years, they shopped in local supermarkets and lived a simple life. It was away from the public eye they'd spent so many years living under and they felt happy living on the caravan on water.
They'd recently returned to Luciana after visiting relatives in Ohio, after attending their niece's birthday. Finn and Rachel had been so proud of their little girl, you could see it in their eyes.
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It was Kurt's turn to be on watch the night it happened, as Blaine slept below. He'd seen the boat coming towards them, which was highly unusual. He grabbed a torch, but within moments, they were ambushed by a gang of ten. They hoped the gang would rob them and leave once they realised the two didn't have much money onboard. Kurt was livid the way they ransacked what the boys now called home, helping themselves to food and clothing. When they demanded shampoo Kurt gave them a bottle of cleaning fluid.
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After six long, tense days they reached their destination and were forced of the boat, it was cut adrift in the Ocean. In that moment they lost nearly everything; their home and dreams. They were devastated. Since their capture, they'd gotten used to living rough in the scrublands and sweltering heat, they were being bundled in and out of 4x4 vehicles and were fed bread, spaghetti or fried liver, they were given no privacy at all. They often slept in makeshift tents or huts and sometimes very basic 'houses' within villages. The size of the gang varied too, sometimes up to 30 men would be guarding them.
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They got used to having assault rifles pointed at them day and night, they heard sounds of gunshots and grenades being fired randomly by thugs high on adrenaline and drugs and knew that at any moment, a stay bullet could hit them. Many times, Kurt gave up on hoping someone would rescue them and resigned himself to dying. Some days it was so awful that Kurt even considered suicide, but he couldn't do it to Blaine and his family.
Yet, despite everything, they coped, because they had each other, and they were determined they wouldn't get the better of them. After decades of marriage, Blaine and Kurt knew each other perfectly, loved and trusted each other implicitly. They'd worked hard in their careers - Kurt a Broadway Star and Blaine a teacher - but they enjoyed their time on the sea, learning to sail, by working together as a team.
Luckily they'd been able to grab some of their belongings before they were taken of the boat; they'd gathered books, crosswords, notebooks, pens and playing cards. They devised a daily routine, including yoga, to calm their minds, and crosswords and card games to keep them distracted. Kurt looked forwards to the evenings because, although the gang talked loudly through the night, the darkness was a blessing because they didn't have to see the awful prison they were kept in.
Worse than anything, though, was the feeling of shame. Kurt was brought up believing crime was bad and, even though they were blameless, Kurt felt that being implicated in the crime somehow brought shame to them, too. So Kurt was mortified when almost a month after their capture they were paraded in front of cameras, with guns waving behind them, and demanding they ask the Americans for money.
Blaine, always gentle and mild-mannered, tried harder than Kurt to co-operate, to be a good hostage. Blaine was far friendlier towards the gang than Kurt was and remained optimistic that they would be released when they realised the boys weren't as wealthy as they seemed. Kurt wasn't so sure, but they tried to keep each other going.
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Then gang split the two men up. Without any explanation, Kurt was bundled into a car and driven for about 45 minutes to another destination, where he just sat down and wept. When one of the gang asked what was wrong he replied, 'No, Blaine'. Kurt was alone for over a week and yet again, became resigned to dying. He even wrote letters, one to Finn who the gangsters were phoning daily, demanding ridiculous amounts of money. And one to Blaine, the love of his life, telling him not to regret anything because they had such a wonderful life together.
Kurt still wanted to be rescued, of course, even if it meant losing his life in the process, but he hated the thought of paying the gang vast amounts of money. He'd rather have died than be ransomed for millions of pounds that could never be paid back.
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Finally, almost two weeks after separation, Blaine and Kurt were suddenly reunited. Blaine confessed to Kurt he had been desperately lonely. They vowed they would never be separated again.
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Yet a few days later, Kurt was alone for the second time. His sanity hung by a thread, but the gang continued playing mind games. 'Blaine, big problem', Karofsky would say, implying he was very sick. It was all too much. After about 12 days alone, Kurt woke up unable to stop shouting or crying. Karofsky threatened to beat him up if he didn't stop. Kurt honestly thought he was going mad.
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Eventually, Kurt got himself together and decided he had to cope. Kurt would tick off the hours, days, and weeks and he'd survive. Daydreaming became vital. He'd spend hours visualising mundane places, such as Lima, trying to picture where things had been when he was younger.
He also trained his mind to deal with fear, telling himself 'If I can accept that life has come to an end sometime, and maybe time has come. I won't be so frightened by it'. When Karofsky waved a pistol at him, he learned to think 'but he can kill you, and that would be a release from living in fear'. As weeks turned to months, however, Kurt found himself desperate for Blaine's calm reassurance and love.
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Finally, after three solitary months, Kurt got his wish. Blaine was brought back as abruptly as he'd been dragged away. Kurt discovered he'd only been a 15 minute drive away and Blaine had spent a lot of his time devising two cryptic crosswords for him as a birthday present - Kurt felt like it was the best present he'd ever had.
After that, every moment they had together was precious, although they occasionally bickered about how much salt to put in their food. They also endured a desperately dark time for a few months, when money was handed to their capturers, which their family had somehow managed to raise, but they still weren't released. It was too painful for them to talk about. They held hands for a while before turning to their coping routine for the next couple of months.
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Then finally, after 388 days, they were told they were going home. Kurt didn't believe it until he boarded a plane and stepped off after hours of flying in New York, looking like a dishevelled drunken mess, still wearing the same shoes from over a year before. They were greeted by Rachel who had to break the news that Kurt's father Burt, had died a few months before. It was heartbreaking.
They spent the night in a plush hotel, being treated like VIPs. When they returned home, strangers stopped them in the streets - recognising them from the TV footage. It took months, but eventually they pieced their lives back together, living as normally as they could.
