Chapter 1- Before Time Runs Out


Kurt knew that the moment Finn and Rachel had kissed at the end of Pretending that the New Direction were not taking home the Nationals trophy that year. It was evident in the aghast expressions that had consumed the majority of the audience. Santana had been correct. It was tacky and disgusting and way too personal to be displayed in front of a televised audience. Even though Light Up The World had been extremely stellar, it had not been enough. But at least Vocal Adrenaline hadn't won. That was something good to come out the competition, at least.

Quinn was currently covering for him as Kurt had needed some time alone.

He needed be in New York after graduation. Rachel or no Rachel he was attending. Preferably Juilliard, but he would see what would happen during senior year, which used to seem so far away when he had had no friends. He had come to the startling revelation that he would kind of miss high school just a little bit. Just a little bit, though. No need to over exaggerate things.

He wandered the Manhattan streets quickly, loving the very atmosphere that pulsed through the vein of the city, the people like blood cells, all needing to get somewhere, all contributing to the city's overall heartbeat. Kurt knew there was a reason that it never slept and this was it. He just hoped Quinn had a good excuse for Mr. Schuester because Kurt was not ready to head back to the hotel.

Just as he was about to cross onto another block, he heard shouting piercing the night air like a bullet. Kurt hated back alleyways; they were epicentres for trouble. Stabbings, shootings, robberies, every kind of crime took place in a dark alley somewhere.

Something inside Kurt snapped and suddenly he felt courage surging through him, replacing his blood. Adrenaline powered him up and he was ready, ready to take on whatever lay around that corner.

So he marched, unfettered by the wind, around the corner and came face to face with the true horror within.

Two men were harassing a girl, lifting up her skirt and groping her in places she was clearly uncomfortable with.

"Please stop this," she protested weakly as they slapped a hand over her mouth so they wouldn't hear her screams.

"I don't think you want to that," Kurt said boldly and the two men whipped their heads around to see the source of the disturbance.

The man closest to Kurt was lean, probably in his forties with a mess of facial hair decorating his expression, which was closer to mirth that anything else Kurt recognised.

The other man was shorter and dumpier than the other, probably around the same age. It was almost like they fit together, contrasting appearances making for a stronger bond. But Kurt wanted to sever that.

And it was almost like he could.

An unknown feeling surged through him and took control of his body, as if he was but a vessel to something more potent than he was. Leaves snapped at his feet at his eyes shut themselves, his lips whispering words he knew not. Kurt was sure they were a different language, but how did he know it? He was fluent in English, French and German but this wasn't any of the three.

The men widened their eyes as the woman slipped out of their grasps, sprinting away into the darkness. Neither of the men chased her though; they were much too transfixed on the boy in front of them whose nose was bleeding and who was seemingly controlling the gusts that whipped around them.

Kurt's hands splayed in front of him and the men flew backwards, an invisible force pushing hard against their chests, shoving them far away from Kurt. The boy in question stood, shocked, power blazing potently from his hands and every point on his body.

"What the fuck?" He whispered to himself, feeling the winds die down and everything in his vicinity returned the normal, the stillness alarming him. He rotated completely, checking for anything abnormal or anybody who may have seen his unusual actions.

There was nobody around.

Or so Kurt originally thought.

"Fascinating," a voice muttered from behind him. Kurt whipped around, seeing an attractive man skulking through the alley towards him. "Don't worry, love, I'm not going to harm you."

"I wish I could say the same," Kurt snapped, his voice low, trying to summon the harsh gales from a few moments earlier.

The man chuckled condescendingly. "Oh, you couldn't hurt me. Don't worry about that either."

"What do you want?"

"I'm intrigued. Not many humans would go out of their way to save somebody they didn't know."

"I guess I'm special," Kurt replied, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Oh, there's no doubt about that. What you just did was proof enough of that."

"Who are you?"

"You can simply call me Klaus."

"You're German?"

Klaus smirked. "Not quite. Now what may I call a beautiful man such as yourself?"

"Kurt."

"Are you German?"

"My father's mother is."

"Klaus and Kurt…hmm, yes. That has a rather dainty little ring to it, don't you think?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes slightly, stopping the wind that threatened to whip behind him. "Why would it need to be a thing? You're a stranger and I doubt we'll ever meet again."

Klaus parted his lips and dragged his tongue around them slowly. "Well, Kurt, this isn't the last we are going to see of each other. Certainly not. I have plenty of uses for a person of your particular talents. I sense your power and I can make it triple what it is now. In return of course, for something that I require."

"How is it that you sense my power when I literally had no idea I could even do anything like that until just then?"

Klaus hummed. "Let's just say I have a knack for detecting inner potential. I've been searching for somebody like you, Kurt. You're powerful, immensely so, but you can also hold your own in a fight. You're brave, as proven tonight and I appreciate the fact that I cannot place the colour of your eyes."

Kurt was glad that somebody finally noticed his eyes, despite the fact that Klaus was inordinately creepy. His mother had always described his eyes like 'multi-coloured, kaleidoscopic clouds' due to the fact that they seemed to shift their hues frequently, not even dependant on his mood. It was random and Kurt sometimes hated it, but he enjoyed having a rare set of eyes. But nobody had picked up on it. Not even his best friends had noticed the changes. But a stranger in a New York alley suddenly noticed. Klaus did seem strangely observant.

"Nobody has pointed that out before, have they?"

Kurt was stunned. Klaus seemed to know everything going on in his head. "Nobody since my mother."

"You mean she…?"

Kurt nodded silently, unsure why he was discussing such things with a stranger.

"Well, I apologise for your loss. I know what it is like to lose people. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that you don't really belong where you are.

"And you long for something more than the feeble life you're living."

Kurt snorted. "You're two for two."

"I thought so," Klaus said smugly, "you see, I can offer you an out from your humdrum reality. My journey is quite unlike anything you'll have experienced before. I'm going places you've never dreamed of and doing things even fiction couldn't detail."

Kurt tilted his head. "Is this the moment where I'm supposed to wake up now?"

"If you consider yourself unconscious, is this a dream or a nightmare?"

Kurt shrugged. "It could be slightly prodromic. I think my mental health is waning. That's one option."

"And the other?" Klaus' grin widened.

"It's a signal dream. Telling me to move on to bigger and better things in my life. To stop wasting time on the banalities of life and explore what I truly want."

"You're so forthcoming, it's almost refreshing. Companionship like you doesn't come across very often."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "So you have managed to appraise my entire personality while we've been talking?"

"I know what I need to. The rest I can learn on the road."

"And what makes you so sure I'm going to accompany you? I'm in high school. I'm coming to the end of my junior year. I can't just pack up and leave because you consider me special."

Klaus' lips jutted out and his eyebrows raised at the same time. "Because you know you have power inside you that none of your little friends have. You know you're destined for more and I can give you that. You know, Kurt Hummel, that it's the best thing for you.

"And if you don't realise that, I can easily persuade you."

Klaus stepped forward and tilted Kurt's chin up to look him in the eyes. A sense of panic swept over Kurt.

"Don't move," Klaus commanded, his eyes boring into Kurt's, which were now a deep green colour.

Kurt found himself actually unable to move. It was rather disconcerting.

"Now, you're going to go back to your hotel room and get your things. Leave a note for your friends detailing some reason to go soul-searching. Then come back here and we'll get going. Don't worry, love. I'm going to take very good care of you. Now go. Do hurry. If you wake anybody up, ignore them. I can't have interferers. You're going to run away with me."

Kurt nodded. "I'm going to run away with you."

Klaus grinned darkly. "Excellent." As Kurt turned away, he sighed. "We're going to have so much fun together."


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Just a note, this will get pretty dark! I'll put appropriate warnings at the top of each chapter, so look out for that whenever I update this. Thanks for everyone's support and review! xoxo