A/N: Done for a prompt on the glee_angst_meme.
Prompt: Carole and Kurt are out doing errands when the (bank, grocery store, pick your location) they are in gets held up.
I'm picturing the two of them desperately trying to protect one another even though they are each completely terrified. Meanwhile, Burt and Finn angst outside behind the police barricades. I can totally see a confirmed "hostage down" and everyone outside is freaking out because they don't know who it is.
"Carole, all I'm saying is give it a try. It may sound absolutely ridiculous but I promise you that those red highlights will accentuate your eyes"
Carole is a little overwhelmed by her new son's proposal. She had tried red highlights at after school and as far as she could remember they had not looked too good. But this was coming from the kid who knew every designer under the sun and who knew skin cream like Burt knew football so Carole actually found herself considering it.
"I'll think about it Kurt" she says as she reaches up for a can of peas and puts them into the shopping trolley.
"That's great!" Kurt says as he skips ahead of Carole. She wonders why he's so exuberant today- it's probably something to do with that girl he's always with. What's her name, Porsche?
The grocery store is almost empty today, being a Sunday afternoon and Carole is glad about this, less time that she has to stand in a line. The only people she can see now are an old woman and a young mother with a baby.
"Kurt, do you or Finn need anything?" Carole asks just before they head over to the cashiers "anything for lunch at school?"
Kurt sighs to himself. Trust Carole to forget that there is a cafeteria at school where he and Finn can buy perfectly good food themselves.
"It's ok Carole. We should be fine. Ready to go pay?"
It's clear to Carole that Kurt's looking forward to something and is eager to get out of the store. She smiles and remembers her teenage days when everything had seemed so fresh and exciting.
They go to the cashier and get in a line behind a tall man with a dark coat on. Kurt thinks there's something strange about the man, but he doesn't dwell on it. Carole's to busy thinking about what she's going to be cooking tonight to even notice.
But they both notice when the man pulls out a gun and holds it to the cashier's face.
Kurt lets out a little shriek and Carole feels her head start to grow dizzy. The man holds the gun at the cashier's face.
"Get all the fucking money in this place and give it to me or I'll blow your brains out!" He shouts. His voice is throaty and deep and makes Kurt think of villains in really bad movies.
The man's shout alerts all the other customers in the store but they cannot escape. There is another man in a dark suit standing by the door and he's just drawn his gun as well.
Kurt doesn't know what to do. He can't even think straight with Carole's hand digging into his arm. He does make a few realisations though.
Him and Carole are closest to the man- therefore, if he kills or stops threatening the cashier then they would be the obvious second choice.
There is a silent alarm button by the cashier's foot.
The man near them is preoccupied with the cashier, the other man is busy aiming his gun around the room.
For some reason the phrase "are you a man or are you a mouse?" runs through Kurt's head at this time. He doesn't know why, he's always hated it, but he's certain that it's what makes him do what he does next.
Quietly and carefully, while the cashier is pleading in screaming tones, Kurt drops to the ground. He crawls to the cashier's legs, using the nearby trolley as a shield/disguise and he pushes the button as hard as he can.
Absolutely nothing happens.
Carole is staring down at where Kurt is, watching him with wide, terrified eyes. As he is about to come up she shakes her head and motions with her eyes at the men- they will see him if he gets up.
"Please! I don't have the key to anything!" The cashier is begging, her voice borderline hysterical "The manager isn't here and he's the one with everything!"
"Shut up!" the man screams and violently twists the girl so he's holding her arms behind her back with his one hand and still holding the gun to her head with his other.
He turns around so he's facing the crowd of petrified onlookers. "Listen! All of you!" He shouts "if anyone tries any funny business like phoning someone or shouting, this girl dies! You understand!"
Everyone nods in agreement, far too petrified to do anything else. Carole is shepherded to a corner of the store with the rest of them and as she is forced forward she begins to frantically look and find where Kurt is. She can't see him which means he must have found a hiding place. Carole breathes a deep sigh of relief. She doesn't mind dying. It's Kurt's death that she couldn't take. Seeing Burt's face if anything happened to him…it makes her want to vomit.
Kurt is actually hiding in the cubicle that housed the cashier. He managed to sneak under the computer part when everyone was being moved and he hopes and prays that no one can see him where he is.
He frantically digs in his pocket for his cellphone.
God, one phone call, who do I choose? He thinks. He's already pressed the silent alarm so the police are on their way which leaves someone personal.
Finn.
He can't risk actually talking to him on the phone so he just texts him.
Finn
Come to Kiplard's Grocer NOW! IMPORTANT! BRING DAD TOO!
Kurt
He hopes it's enough to get the slow quarterback to understand the urgency of the situation.
Now all he has to do is sit still and hope and pray that nothing goes wrong.
Finn Hudson is busy playing video games with Puck when he gets the text. He automatically senses that something is wrong.
"Dude, I think something serious is happening to Kurt" he says to Puck who is in the middle of a Halo session. He says I have to go to Kiplard's like now and bring Burt with me. That's where him and mom went to go and get groceries".
Puck shrugs. "Probably something stupid" he says.
But Finn is adamant and, after much pleading, he manages to get Puck to come with him to the garage and get Burt.
Burt is much easier to convince. As soon as Finn shows him the message his face goes a deathly pale colour and he tells the boys to get in the car now.
Finn knows something is wrong when he sees the police cars outside the grocer. His heart starts beating frantically.
God, oh God, his mom is in there. What if something bad is happening?
Burt doesn't even bother to park properly and leaps out the car and sprints toward the nearest cop. By the time Finn catches up he only hears half the explanation.
"guys, robbing the store. Yeah, it's a hostage situation. Don't worry sir we've got this under control".
And it's as he says this that Finn, Puck, Burt and everyone close to them hear the noise.
It's a gunshot.
It was the old woman. She had been screaming something and the man in the black cloak had shot her though the head. Carole saw it all, as much as she tried not to she did. And now she couldn't un-see it. Every time she closed her eyes the old woman's face was in front of her. Begging and pleading for mercy.
Kurt heard the gunshot from under the counter but didn't see anything. He knows it's not Carole though, he heard the old lady scream when she got shot.
It's at about this time that the man in the black suit realises that the cops are outside the store.
"Fuck dude! The cops are here!"
The two men share a look and then come to the obvious realization simultaneously.
"Which of you fuckers called the police?" the first man shouts. Carole winces.
The baby starts to cry and his mother, through her own tears, attempts to quiet him.
"Stop that baby crying" the second man growls. "Or I will kill both of you"
That's the final straw for Carole. Something inside of her snaps and she finds herself jumping to her feet.
"He's just a baby!" She cries.
The men turn their guns to her.
Kurt is crying under the counter. He can hear every single thing happening on the other side of the store but he can't get up or he will be seen and shot.
"You want to die instead?" Kurt gasps.
And then, not really knowing what he's doing, he's standing up too. And he's in clear view of everyone.
The men are confused for a moment.
But it doesn't take a genius to see the connection between him and the woman. They are obviously related in some way.
So the men each take one of them. The black coated man grabs Carole and holds his gun to her head and the black suited man aims at Kurt.
"What the fuck where you doing there?" he shouts at Kurt.
"I- I was j-just h-h-hiding" he manages to stutter through the tears. "P-please don't kill my m-mom. Please. I can't l-lose her again".
Carole realizes what Kurt is talking about and it breaks her heart.
"Kill me instead" he continues "just do it. She didn't do anything wrong".
Kurt wouldn't mind death. He isn't scared of it; he actually wouldn't mind it. He just hopes that there is a heaven where he can go and see his mom again.
"Isn't that sweet" the second man says in a mocking tone. "Little boy doesn't want to lose his mommy". He pouts out his lip and makes a baby face.
Carole really hopes that this man dies a painful death.
Outside the grocer is chaos. There are cars everywhere and people have started arriving as if sent in buses.
Puck doesn't know what to think. He knows that Kurt and Carole are in there and that someone got shot but he was never really close to either of them. Sure, Carole was always there when he and Finn did stuff at his house but he'd probably shared no more than five conversations with her. And then there was Kurt. Kurt who he still habitually threw in the dumpster. But why was he feeling bad about that now?
"Puck! What the hell is going on?" It's Mercedes. She's running across the parking lot to the bench where he's sitting, obviously overjoyed to see a familiar face. "Finn just texted me and said I should come here!"
Puck is sitting next to the scaffolding of an uncompleted add-on to the store. All around him is littered the equipment of the builders who are all watching the action unfold on the other side of the parking lot.
"It's Kurt" Puck says, watching her face lose all emotion. "and Carole. They're in there and there are some guys trying to rob the place".
Puck doesn't tell her about the gunshot. He's a lot of things but he isn't a sadist.
Mercedes collapses next to him on the bench and begins to cry. Not small, subtle tears but those huge, gut wrenching sobs that make you feel sad just to hear.
Puck grabs her hand and lets her cry it out. He remembers the last time he cried like this and how he had no one to hold his hand. He hopes that it's helping Mercedes.
She collapses into his arms and just cries, cries, cries.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Burt is shouting at the cops. Finn diverts his eyes and tries to think happier thoughts. Which doesn't work at all. All he can think about is his mom and Kurt trapped there in the store, one of them possibly shot (or dead) and both probably scared out of their minds.
When the gunshot went off there was a moment of silence. Then the world exploded. Burt had started screaming and the officers were shouting above it and trying to do something. Finn had just looked at Puck and started shaking. He was still shaking now.
Where was Puck? Finn couldn't see him but he didn't blame him for finding someplace quieter. In the thick of things everything was confusing and scary.
Finn didn't know what to do.
Kurt is sitting with the rest of the civilians now. Beside himself he starts thinking of that game Finn is always playing. Counter strike. Somehow things are very different in real life.
At least they're letting him sit with Carole. He's holding her hand tighter than he's ever held anyone's hand before and hoping and praying that nothing else goes wrong.
The men still have their guns aimed at the crowd but are also frantically whispering to each other. Their plan has gone sour and they don't know what to do next.
They eventually decide on something. It takes a while and the black coated man doesn't seem altogether happy with it but they turn to the crowd again and address them.
"Which of you wants to be our volunteer" black suit asks with a vindictive sneer.
Kurt knows it has to be him. He doesn't know why but he just knows.
He stands up and walks over to men, trying to ignore Carole's gasp and subsequent sobbing.
"Good" the man says "that wasn't hard now was it?"
Kurt shakes his head and feels his arm being violently grabbed by the man. He is led to the door knows that everyone in the store a=has their eyes focused on him.
"If you say anything you die okay?" the man growls. Kurt nods and gets led outside.
Burt notices something. Everything has gone quiet. He looks up from his phone where he was drastically dialling to see his son with a gun against his head standing in front of a crowd of policemen and onlookers.
That's when he loses it. All hope that today will turn out okay.
The man is telling the crowd that, unless they let him and his friend get to their car safely, they will kill the boy.
Their car is on the other side of the parking lot but nobody is allowed to move from where they are or the boy will die.
Burt has forgotten how to breathe.
Puck and Mercedes are hiding behind a dumpster. By the time they guessed what was going on it was too late. The men were already on their way to their car, parked only metres from where Puck and Mercedes were sitting.
Mercedes is freaking out. She keeps whimpering "they have Kurt" and as much as Puck tries to quieten her, his efforts are futile.
And then, as the men get closer he has an idea. It's one of his best, he thinks. But he doesn't have time to think it through. He only has time to act.
He grabs one of the heaviest spanners from the ground next to him and waits until the perfect moment.
As the men are right next to the dumpster Puck jumps out and hits them with two well-placed, heavy blows to the head. They go down before they even know what hit them and Puck is left standing with the spanner in his hands, looking at Kurt who is still screaming.
Mercedes isn't sure about what happens next. All she remembers is lots of screaming and running and handcuffs and crying and hugging.
But she does know one thing. Kurt and Carole are okay. They're alive and unhurt and everything is going to be okay.
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