This chapter is unbeta'd, please ignore any mistakes!

It was dark when Blaine woke up. The blinds were still closed but he could no longer see the sunlight trying to seep through the edges. The people who had been scurrying back and forth along the corridors like scurrying ants had disappeared and everywhere was quiet.

He sat up on the bed, his muscles stiff and aching from the awkward position he'd been laying in all night. He figured he must have eventually cried himself to sleep, eyes screwed shut trying to block out the fear and confusion crowding him, desperately hoping that he would open his eyes and find himself on the table in the lab in 1976 after only two weeks of being frozen and that this was all a horrible dream.

There wasn't much to look at in the room. The monitor beside the bed had been switched off at some point and there was a small chair by his bed next to a small bedside table.

Blaine swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up carefully, surprised to find his legs responding. He had almost expected his muscles to have been wasted away after thirty six years but everything about him was exactly the same. His hairs, his nails, even the stubble on his jaw were all exactly the same as when he had been put to sleep.

He had truly been frozen in time.

Blaine headed towards the door, his steps a little shaky and unbalanced at first, his fingers closing around the cold metal handle. He paused.

In this room there wasn't anything too different from his own time. The monitor was different and the chair seemed to be more leather and wood than he would have expected in a hospital room but there was nothing glaringly 'futuristic' about any of it.

But what about out there? If he opened the door what would he find and just how far had the human race advanced? Would the staffing team be made up of robots and all the equipment be able to run itself?

As long as he was in this room he felt a little safer. Nothing in here was scary or completely unrecognizable to him. He could handle this.

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the handle. He had defied his father and moved to the city to make it as a musician; he was brave. He could do this.

Blaine turned the handle and slowly opened the door, just a crack, so he could see what was outside.

The corridor looked ordinary, there were no robots anyway, and mainly empty. Now that the door was open Blaine could hear some voices murmuring at the end of the corridor. He took another deep breath and stepped out of his room.

Curiosity triumphed over fear has he headed towards the voices but still he kept close to the wall, his fingers skimming over the cold plaster.

Now that he was closer he could overhear what they were saying.

'I think you're being ridiculous.' A high, female voice with a New Jersey twang was saying.

'Think about it, they're all locked away, the door was plastered over and all the electronics controlled remotely, obviously whoever put them all there didn't want them to be found!' Another female voice responded, this one a bit lower, boarded with what Blaine would only describe as sass.

'But a conspiracy Nina? I mean really? Who would do that?'

'I don't know Mellissa, but what other explanation is there? They can't have been left there by accident. I think they were all involved in something, or someone wanted them out of the way but didn't have the balls to kill them.'

Blaine felt his stomach drop suddenly, as if he had missed a step in the dark. They were talking about him, he knew it. But they were saying it had been done on purpose, that he had been involved in something and deserved it somehow. Blaine shook his head, he hadn't done anything, he had volunteered to help out with an experiment, that was all.

'But they're just normal people, it's not like they're high up government officials or anything.'

'Well even normal people can have an impact on the world when they go missing. You don't know what changed because they vanished. One man getting shot caused the entire world to go to war, I tell you, and it only takes one small stone to start an avalanche.'

'So what was the avalanche huh? What massive world event was caused by these people vanishing?'

There was a long pause in the conversation, silence echoing throughout the corridor and Blaine was suddenly terrified they would hear his heart thumping in his chest.

'Well I haven't thought that far yet.' Nina admitted.

The other girl laughed. 'You're so full of crap. Come on coffee breaks over, let's get the rest of the night shift out of the way, Doctor Montgomery wants those files organized so the day staff can get these people relocated.'

Blaine slumped against the wall, his head spinning as he listened to them walking away from where he hid.

Conspiracies? How could that be? What in the world could have changed because he had gone missing?

He stepped out from the corridor to where he had heard the girls gossiping. There were a few comfortable chairs dotted around and a coffee machine in the corner. It looked different to Blaine was still recognizable. On the opposite wall there was a large viewing window into the lab he had been taken into and he knew the large wooden door to the left would lead to the office where he had signed the paper.

He was still in the lab, not in a hospital room as he had assumed for some reason. Still surrounded by scientists and assistants, chemicals and beakers, long words and scientific jargon that made no sense to him.

Coming to the lab the first time had made him feel so far from home, and now he knew there was no going back it felt even further.

He wanted to go back. To run away from the city he had dreamed of escaping to, back to his parent's house in Ohio, back to his over protective mother and stern father. He was even willing to return to work at his father's company if I meant being taken away from this scary new world.

'Blaine?'

Blaine jumped with fright as someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with the Doctor who had woke him up earlier.

'Doctor Montgomery, hi.' Blaine said, suddenly feeling like a child that had been caught out of bed. 'I couldn't sleep.'

'Well you've been asleep for a very long time Blaine; I don't blame you for wanting to stretch your legs. How are you feeling now?'

Blaine blushed a little as he remembered his behaviour that evening. The doctors and assistants had tried talking to him and run some tests but Blaine had screamed at them, yelling at them to leave him alone. He had behaved like a child.

'I'm a bit better now.' He lied. He had calmed down sure, but a large part of him still wanted to scream and punch things, as if that would make everything all better.

The Doctor cocked his head and looked at Blaine. 'No you're not.' He said, as if reading Blaine's mind. 'But that's ok. You've come a long way and it must all be terrifying.'

Blaine sighed and nodded.

'We're going to help you Blaine.' The doctor promised, laying a hand on Blaine's arm reassuringly. 'You're not on your own.'

Blaine opened his mouth, wanting to ask the doctor about what he had just overheard, to find out if there was any chance that it was all true and that he had been left frozen for so many years on purpose. But he stopped himself before he could ask. How did he know he could trust this doctor? If he was in charge here then there was a chance that he could be involved as well and Blaine was scared that if he started to ask questions he could be 'taken care of' again.

Blaine felt tired all of a sudden, the enormity of the situation threatening to overwhelm him once more.

'Come on; let's get you back to bed.' Doctor Montgomery said.

XxXxXxX

The blinds were open the next time Blaine woke up, sunlight streaming through the glass. The window had been cracked open slightly and Blaine could hear the sound of birds and traffic from outside.

He hadn't slept well when he had returned to bed, tossing and turning for most of the night, and his head throbbed from the lack of sleep.

'Morning!' A voice to his side called brightly. Blaine turned his head and saw the lab assistant who had been helping the doctor yesterday sitting in the chair by his bed.

'Uh morning.' Blaine replied. 'How long have you been sitting there?'

'Oh just two minutes or so, I've just gotten in, I wanted to see how you were this morning but you were asleep still so I thought I'd wait.' Kurt grinned at him, tapping his feet on the floor and looking more alert than anyone should in the mornings.

'Are you always this awake in the mornings?' Blaine grumbled, the last remains of sleep still fogging his mind.

'I've had a lot of coffee this morning.' Kurt replied, nodding enthusiastically. 'A bit too much actually but its good, it's good, I'll get a lot of work done!'

Blaine stared at him. 'Uh, ok.'

Kurt stopped tapping and looked at Blaine. 'I'm sorry, I didn't sleep well last night, I kept thinking about you.' He blushed and added. 'About what's happened to you I mean. I can't imagine how you must be feeling.'

'Yeah, it's a mindful.'

'You're going to see a lot of doctors today, they're going to run some tests but if you're as fit as all the other patients seem to be you'll be able to get out of here today.'

Blaine felt fear prickling at the back of his neck, where was he meant to go?

'I'll be looking after you.' Kurt assured him quickly, Blaine wondered if his terror had shown on his face. 'The facility is providing you with an apartment and living expenses for a while, you know, until you're able to support yourself.'

'Wow, I didn't think I'd get out of here so soon.' Blaine admitted. He hadn't thought about leaving at all, at least not in this time. He wasn't sure what to expect out in the city that had been growing for thirty six years.

'No one can think of any reason why you all need to stay.' Kurt shrugged. 'I think this whole adventure has taken up enough of your life, it's time to get you back into the world.'

XxXxXx

The day was long and frustrating. Blaine had to endure test after test and answer a multitude of questions while his own went unanswered. Every time he asked what the world was like or if Elvis was still releasing hits they just smiled at him and shook their heads, saying there would be time for all that later.

It was late afternoon and after a long, long talk with a psychiatrist they declared that he would be ok to leave. He was given new clothes to wear and he was relieved to finally change out of the gown he had been dressed in when he first entered the lab to be put to sleep.

'Now we'll need you to come back for some more tests soon but other than that I'll leave you in the capable hands of Mr. Hummel here.' Doctor Montgomery smiled at him.

Kurt stood next to the doctor, looking as eager and alert as he had that morning, only now his hair was drooping out from its styling and a the top button on his shirt had been unbuttoned. Blaine found himself staring at the small sliver of Kurt's chest that was being presented, snapping his eyes away as soon as he realised what he was doing.

'You've got a fully furnished apartment a few blocks away, I've been rushing around all day spending on the facilities cash card.' Kurt grinned at him as the doctor said his goodbyes to the pair of them and left. 'I've made sure there's plenty of food and some clothes there for you, as well as toiletries and anything else you might need.'

'That's very thoughtful of you.' Blaine smiled.

'It's my job.' Kurt shrugged and ducked his head. 'Are you ready to go?'

No, Blaine was not ready to go; he was terrified and wanted to stay in these rooms, as stifling as they were where his experience of this new modern world was limited.

But he was curious to see what the world was like now, what things had changed and, as ever, his curiosity won in the end.

'Sure.' He said, sounding not sure at all.

Kurt led him through the labs and into the elevator. As they waited Blaine remembered stepping out of the elevator and into the lab for the first time, less than seventy two hours ago to him.

The elevator they stepped into wasn't the same one Blaine had used. It was newer and quieter, the sides made up of mirrors so he could see himself and Kurt reflected back infinitely. So much different to the dingy space that had carried him up there thirty six years ago.

Blaine could feel his heart thumping in his chest as they stepped out into the reception area. People were bustling about, doing their work and not even sparing the two of them a second glance. Blaine supposed he must look the same still even if he felt so out of place.

He looked about the busy area, trying to take everything in at once. Men still dressed in suits, mostly black, blue or gray, and most of the woman did too. But the cut of the clothes were different, the design of the dresses the women wore and the hairstyles.

Even Kurt's outfit, skin hugging jeans and a simple shirt accompanied by some sort of scarf around his neck, wasn't that dissimilar.

Everything was different, yet familiar. The cuts and patterns had changed, skirt lengths had grown but ultimately they were still dresses and suits. Fashion hadn't changed that much. At least they weren't all wearing silver jumpsuits.

Blaine felt himself calm down a bit. He wondered if he had allowed himself to be influence by too many science fiction films with his ideas about the future he had found himself in. Most of the films showing the future had depicted aliens taken over, monsters or dystopias. But everything here still seemed normal enough to him.

There were no robots at least.

'Are you ok?'

Blaine snapped out of his thoughts. He must have been standing in the reception area staring at the people for a few minutes now and Kurt was watching him.

'Yeah.' Blaine nodded.

'It's different right?' Kurt laid a hand on his shoulder, offering him support.

'Yeah, but I kind of expected it to be more different, like the films you know? Everyone walking around in silver jumpsuits and everything.'

Kurt eyes widened. 'That would be horrible.'

'Really?'

'Fashion is a chance for expression! If everyone's wearing the same thing how can you express yourself?' He exclaimed. Blaine laughed, watching Kurt incredulously.

He had never met anyone like Kurt before. In his close circle of friends he knew a few people who had admitted they were homosexual but they were discreet, keeping it behind closed doors so their parents didn't find out. But Kurt seemed to embrace that side of himself and didn't seem to care who took notice.

Blaine stopped his train of thought as he realised he was making an assumption. He didn't know that much about the man but he was labelling his sexuality based on personality traits that may have been indicators in his time, but who knew how they would be perceived in this time? Maybe it was more common for men to act a little more flamboyant without meaning they were homosexual.

Or maybe, Blaine's heart leapt at the thought, maybe homosexuality was more accepted these days, maybe he would finally be able to be himself.

'Sorry.' Kurt smiled at him. 'I'm studying fashion at college and that would probably be my worst nightmare.' He led Blaine the rest of the way across the reception area and to the front doors. Blaine could already see the people bustling about outside, it looked so crowded! He moved closer to Kurt and almost instantly the man put his hand on Blaine's arm for support.

'Its fine, we'll jump in a cab and go straight to your apartment so you can settle in, we can deal with the city later.'

With Kurt's hand on his arm Blaine felt more secure as they stepped out into the street and over to the road.

In the short time it took for a cab to arrive at Kurt's raised arm Blaine looked around. The buildings around him looked the same, some of brickwork had deteriorated and the front facades had been changed but the general shape of it was as he remembered. The intimate little cafe he had visited before entering the lab had been replaced by a shop that displayed women's lingerie in the window and the shop next door to that was boarded up. This no longer looked like the nice neighbourhood it had once been.

There was however a lot more people. It had been crowded when Blaine had first arrived in the city but now the sidewalk was heaving. People in suits, people in jeans, short skirts, dresses, hats, shaved heads, young, old, there were people everywhere. And cars too, the roads were packed with a multitude of different colours and shapes, all dazzling in the sun.

He sighed with relief as he got in the cab, sliding in after Kurt, glad to get out of the bustle. He couldn't help but look out of the window as they drove along. The buildings were taller than he remembered, stretching up towards the sky higher and higher as they drove on.

He pressed his head against the glass, peering up towards the sky, searching.

'What are you looking at?' Kurt asked, peering at Blaine curiously.

Blaine drew back from the window and blushed. 'Uh, hovercars.' He said sheepishly.

Kurt giggled, covering his mouth with his hand before looking at Blaine fondly. 'Oh unfortunately not. The future isn't as exciting as sci-fi made it out to be I'm afraid. There's nothing too exciting.' He pulled out the black square Blaine had seen him tapping on the day before and started to jab it with his finger once more.

'What is that?' Blaine frowned, leaning over into Kurt's space to have a look.

'Oh it's my computer.' Kurt said, holding it out for Blaine to see.

'That's a computer?' Blaine said incredulously, taking the object from Kurt. It was thin and light, the photo on the screen was crisp and clear. He had seen a computer, his Dad had one in his office, but it had been big and bulky, the screen showing green fuzzy numbers on a black back ground.

'Yeah, it's called an iPad, I was just setting a reminder.'

Blaine tapped his finger lightly on a small button that looked like a sunflower and yelped as hundreds of smaller icons flooded the screen.

'Oh sorry, I don't know what I did.' He thrust the iPad back to Kurt. 'Don't laugh!' He said indignity as Kurt tried to hide his chuckling behind his hand.

'It's ok; you just opened up the photo album. Thankfully it's the works computer so there's nothing embarrassing on there.'

'It has a camera?'

'Uh huh.'

Blaine stared at him. 'You have a computer that's as thin as a notebook you can carry around with you that doesn't have any buttons and it can take pictures.' He paused for a second. 'And you say there's nothing interesting in the future!'

Kurt nodded, looking thoughtful.

'I suppose I'm used to it.' He shrugged.

XxXxXx

'The shower's in here, you just turn that handle to turn the water on, then that one to make it hotter or colder. There's shampoo and stuff in there. Shaving cream is in the cabinet and there's a razor just in here.'

Blaine nodded, tracing a finger over a tube of toothpaste sitting in a cup to the side of the sink. He recognized the brand name but the packaging was all different, newer, brighter colours leaping out at him.

'And through here is the kitchen.'

Blaine followed Kurt out of the bathroom. The apartment was nice, it was small and modest, the exactly the kind of apartment Blaine planned on buying when he got the money from the experiment.

The walls were painted in cool colours, light greens, blues and creams and the floors were all tiles or neat wooden strips. It was a far cry from the busy patterns his Mom had decorated their own house in. He found it quite plain.

'Uh, you have the oven there, just press the buttons and it come on, it's electric. There's a microwave and a toaster. The coffee maker is pretty straightforward too. I don't think you'll have any problems with anything in here. They don't seem to have invented anything miraculous for the kitchen in a while.' Kurt smiled at him.

Blaine inspected the microwave, pressing a couple of buttons and watching the light inside come on. Like everything else in the apartment so far it was a lot sleeker and white, but it seemed easy enough to use.

'Yeah I think I can handle that.' Blaine said, turning around and effectively trapping himself and Kurt in the small corner between the counter top and the breakfast bar. Their bodies were pressed up against each other and Blaine could feel the warmth radiating off of the young assistant. His heart began to pound and his mouth went dry. He always tried to ignore his attraction to other men, he knew his father would never allow it, but standing there, so close to Kurt he could smell the man's aftershave, it was impossible to ignore.

They stared at each other for a few moments, something between them sparking as their eyes met.

Kurt blushed and slid away from the counter, heading over towards the fridge, opening the door and waving a hand at the food stocked up inside.

'Uh, this is the refrigerator; it keeps things cold... like it always has you know that.' He rambled. 'Um, let me show you the TV, that's going to be a lot different.'

He walked into the living room and Blaine followed a little sadly. Whatever had sparked between them in that moment had gone. Not vanished, just returned to wherever it had come from in the first place.

'Uh, do you have a record player?' Blaine asked as he entered the room, his eyes searching for stack of records and the record player that would certainly be there somewhere. No one could furnish an apartment and not include a record player. To Blaine that was inconceivable.

Kurt chuckled and pulled a small, flat, grey object from his pocket, holding it out to Blaine in the palm of his hand.

'Here's my record player.' He grinned, his eyes lighting up excitedly, as if he finally had something impressive to show Blaine. 'Blaine Anderson let me introduce you to the world of modern music.'

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A/N: The next few chapters are going to be dealing with Blaine finding out about modern technology, how society has changed etc, I just felt as if he had enough to deal with in this one already.