I'd like to thank my beta larinia713! She's totally awesome. Couldn't have gotten to where I am (even though it's only chapter one) without her help.

Warning: Sub/Dom Sub-themes, smut, language, and severely-cautioned trigger warnings such as self-harm.

The five-story building seemed strange from this view as Kurt stared up at it from the entrance walkway; his hands holding tight to his luggage. It was strange for him to be leaving a place he had learned to call his home in the six months he had spent there. It was going to be different living outside of the rules he had become accustomed to. Breakfast at 9:30AM, Classes at 10:30AM, Lunch at 12:30PM, Therapy at 4PM, Dinner at 5:30PM, and in bed by 10PM. He could almost do anything he wanted on his own time now and it was scary to him, the idea of so much freedom.

It was the day of Kurt's father's wedding. He was getting married to someone Kurt had never heard of or seen before. Burt had told him that Carol was from Westerville and so was her son, Finn. Instantly, Kurt didn't feel too happy to meet the two.

With no sign yet of his father, Kurt sat down at one of the benches. He sighed and carefully sat his luggage down beside his feet on each side. He looked up at the cloudy sky seeing the sun trying its hardest to break through.

Not even five minutes after Kurt sat down, his old, black Navigator came to a stop in front of the walkway. Kurt hesitated before he got to his feet as the window to the passenger's door came down, Burt leaning over with a big, excited grin. "'Ey bud! We gotta hurry! I still have to pick up our tuxes." Burt's excitement somewhat comforted Kurt. Kurt had missed that about his father. Ever since his mother died, Burt seemed to have lost any joy within him.

Kurt had to admit, the banquet hall looked beautiful. The lights were all dimmed so that the candles floating in water shined bright as the centerpieces at all of the round tables covered in a sheer white tablecloth. Burt and his new wife, Carole slowly danced their way through Michael Bublé's voice singing "Sway" on the dance floor. Kurt knew he should be happy for not only his father, but for them both, however he just couldn't reach that emotion. Kurt watched them laugh, hoping for something, but nothing changed. Just complete indifference.

"Kurt?"

The voice was somehow familiar. Kurt turned his head to see a boy with dark triangular eyebrows and wide hazel eyes smiling at him. The overly-gelled hair got to him.

"Do you remember me?" the boy asked.

Somehow, it clicked in. The look of realization crossed over Kurt's features. "Blaine?"

Blaine smiled shyly and nodded his head. "Hi."

"Wow, you look different!" Kurt pointed out. Last, he remembered Blaine having only partly-gelled hair, relaxed eyes, and confidence being that the he was the top of not only Lima High's Glee club, but the Mathletes. Yes, he was bullied just as bad as Kurt was once upon a time, but it didn't seem to faze him at the time. "What happened?"

Blaine looked away from Kurt to Burt and Carole dancing. "I had a breakdown," Blaine said shakily. "And then my dad found out about me being gay." He soon looked back to Kurt and gave a half-smile, shrugging sheepishly.

Kurt tilted his head to the side and followed Blaine's gaze, watching his father laugh more with Carole. "When my father found out, he had told me he had known since my seventh birthday," Kurt murmured.

Blaine cleared his throat, wishing for a change of subject. "So, uh, what do you think of your new mother?" he asked as he looked at Kurt.

It didn't take long for Kurt to answer.

"Carol's not my mother," Kurt started as he crossed his arms over his chest, hating the tux he was wearing. "She's just a stranger to get my dad smiling and laughing again." He waited a moment to continue. "She's okay, I guess," he said with a shrug before continuing, "She doesn't look like the evil-step-mother type, so that's a plus."

Blaine nodded his head, understanding somehow. A moment passed before he stood up, locking eyes with Kurt. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Kurt. I'm going to go get some more food." And just like that, Blaine was off.

Kurt didn't say anything and watched his father again. Carole was not his mother. She would never be, could never be.

A tall-looking jock in a tux approached Kurt next. Kurt recognized it to be his new step brother. He was awkward-looking with short brown hair, dull brown eyes, and a smile Kurt could barely believe.

"Just want to officially introduce myself. I'm Finn," he said as he outstretched a hand to Kurt.

Kurt stared at it but didn't take it. "Pleasure."

Finn's smile fell. "'Kay then. Uhm..." he looked around awkwardly and chose a direction, walking away as he got the vibe of Kurt being cold, shut off from everyone and preferring it that way.

Kurt stared after him. He's not going to get anywhere in life. Kurt could tell. He saw it in the way Finn seemed to stand before him, how too calm and collected he seemed, the way he walked as if he was stomping around without a thought or care about anything. He looked pudgy, even in a slimming black tux. And Kurt could tell how confused his dull brown eyes were at the world.

Kurt grabbed his champagne glass, given to him by Burt, and downed it without a blink of his eyes.

The throbbing wouldn't leave. It had been there all day, pounding with pain. Sebastian let out a slow, low, and deep sigh; his fingers rubbing at his own temples. The sounds of his crying ex-secretary weren't helping at all. He wanted to yell at her to just leave already, but he knew she was struggling to collect her things enough as it was with her sobbing and shakiness.

All imbeciles, he thought with venom as he opened his eyes and stared down at his desk's calendar.

The girl who was packing up her things had a puffy, red face and a line of watery, smeared makeup running down both cheeks of her face as she hugged her box of things to her chest and made her way to the elevator. She needed a way out of there and to get as far from that monster of a man as possible. As she passed, a few of the workers at their cubicles looked over the walls and watched the girl with wary eyes, occasionally exchanging looks of horror, thinking about how lucky they were to still have the job that they had.

"I need someone to get their ass in here," Sebastian finally yelled to the people outside of the office.

Through the clear glass walls of Sebastian's office, the floor's workers looked and saw their distressed boss. They looked at each other until the accountant got up and sighed shakily, making his way into Sebastian's office.

"Yes, Mr. Smythe?"

Without looking up at his accountant, he let out his heaviest sigh yet. "I need you to call the local newspaper or whatever," he started with a wave of his hand, "and set up a new ad for me. I need a secretary as soon as possible. They don't even have to have a college degree. Just get me a secretary," Sebastian said in an obviously forced calm voice.

The accountant, who was writing this all down on a notepad nodded his head and left to hurry back to his desk for safety.

Once alone, Sebastian groaned and looked up at the ceiling. I hate my job, he thought as he turned around in his chair to stare out at the ceiling-to-floor window overlooking the sky-line of Lima. Everything looked so small from the fifteenth floor of his father's company's building. Of course Sebastian found some comfort in the fact that his father had told him months ago that as long as he kept being the lawyer he was, he'd keep his independence in the family business.

At the thought of his father, his fists clenched. He still hated his father for forcing him into law school. He could be in New York City by now, dancing and singing as NYADA graduate or some other top-theater school. They would have easily accepted him for the fact that he was in private schools his entire adolescence and was the son of the one and only Jason Smythe. He still disliked his mother for the fact that she didn't stand up for her own son's dreams and life-long wishes.

Thankfully, his mind soon turned to his next secretary. He wondered if it would be a male or female, what their age would be, and also, how pathetically they would please him. The last thing I need is another worthless secretary, Sebastian thought with a disgusted look. Is it too much to ask for someone to be good enough to work for me as my secretary? Unclenching his fists, he clasped them together and rested his hands against his lips, still staring out at Lima.