Hey! How is everyone? Long time no chat! Sorry about the long hiatus since I've written and posted anything, but this story that starts below has been in the works for a long time. Since November, to be exact. It's sitting, complete, on my computer, but not all of it's been edited yet. Thank you to Em for editing, actually, while I remember! She's the bestest! But yes, on point, this is a new story, quite long, and hopefully you'll like it. Warnings include mild violence, and adult content in later chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to let me know what you think!

EDIT: I should probably also mention for all of you who must be incredibly confused, that although this prologue seems to focus on Puck and Quinn, I have labelled this story as Kurt/Blaine for a reason. This story in its entirety focuses on multiple pairings including Rachel/Finn, Santana/Brittany, Puck/Quinn, and most importantly Kurt/Blaine. Everyone who's already read the story and acted as my betas have concluded that Kurt/Blaine is the most obvious label for this story :)

Prologue

'Long is the way,
And hard, that out of hell leads up to light.'
-John Milton, 'Paradise Lost'

The truck rumbled past, grinding its gears harshly at the traffic lights before continuing on. Inside the maintenance shaft, Quinn reached for Beth's hand, holding her close. The vehicle stormed past, but from where Noah was stationed with just his eyes above the entrance, he gave a shaky nod.

'Looked like a farmer,' he whispered.

The driver of the truck had indeed been a farmer, but it wasn't the truck that he was now worried about.

'But there's two black cars at the far end. They have tinted windows, so I can't see in, but they don't have number plates and they look legit.'

Quinn bit her lip and moved Beth onto her lap. 'We have no communication with the others, so we can't let them know,' she murmured softly. 'I guess the best we can do is hope they're onto it. They got the last ones, didn't they?'

He nodded. 'Yeah, that's kind of what I'm worried about though.' He collapsed back down beside the girl and her daughter, positioning his arm so it looped around Quinn, but didn't touch her. She looked at his arm warily, but didn't move away.

'What do you mean?' she said instead.

'I mean, now that two cars have been derailed and removed of their surveillance and communications systems, I'm sure it appeared on the other Officers' radars. I mean, wouldn't you be paying attention to all your patrols if there was a band of dangerous criminals on the run?'

'We're not dangerous criminals,' she warned.

'Fugitives, then. Whatever.' Noah shrugged, reaching out to run a hand through the hair of the small girl in Quinn's lap. 'I'm just- I have this feeling that this patrol might be forewarned.'

Quinn sighed heavily, moving her head as her daughter reached up with a tiny hand to press it into her cheek. 'Yeah, I know. I'm feeling it too.'

'You're worried about them,' he said. It was a statement, not a question, but she answered it anyway.

'Yeah.'

She turned her head downcast, and with only the slightest look of hesitation, he lifted the arm behind her back, wrapping it tight around her shoulders and pulling his small family into a hug. 'You're a beautiful mother, Quinn,' he whispered.

'And you're an asshole of a father,' she replied, but there was no bite to it.

'I know.'

And in that moment - that beautiful, peaceful serene moment that Noah wished he could capture and hold onto for a long time, just him and Quinn and Beth - there came a loud rumble, louder than the truck and closer to their maintenance shaft. And then it stopped.

Quinn turned her head to look at him, eyes blown wide with shock, and he stepped away, pulling his arm back to claim it as his own. He reached the edge of the shaft and peered over the end, observing the tunnel.

Just one tunnel over, peering over the identical ledge to the one Noah was now resting the bridge of his nose against, was a team of Officers. They moved with practice and ease, as if they knew what they were searching for, and they knew it was just a matter of time until they found it.

He ducked back down behind the protective wall and slid backwards on his hands and knees until he was beside Quinn again.

'They're looking for us,' he whispered.

'What?'

'They're in the next tunnel up, looking for us. Is there anywhere we can hide?'

She shook her head fearfully, her voice cracking as she spoke in the hurried whisper they had become accustomed to. 'We are hiding.'

'Not anymore,' he replied, and reached for Beth, hauling her into his arms and over his shoulder. 'Now we're sitting ducks.'

And then the worst thing that could ever happen, happened. It was to be expected, and at every turn that he had been wary of it, of the little girl now flung carefully over Noah's shoulder. But the panic had made him careless, and he had forgot to check that she was alright, that she was comfortable and happy. And that she wasn't aware of how much danger they were in.

Because now the girl cried, and it wasn't a gentle cascade of tears down her cheeks. It was a loud, screeching bawl.

And somewhere, just outside their maintenance shaft, a male voice called, 'I hear it! I hear the kid!'

And all hell broke loose.