A/N Okay guys. I'm officially going on hiatus for the first time ever with this fic because I've got writer's block with the next chapter and I want to focus on my exams for a bit. Ultimately I plan to be back in July which I know seems forever away, sorry. Anyway, please enjoy this offering of Blaine's POV.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or Glee.

Interlude: Back Home.

Effie says that name and Blaine's world ends. He can vaguely tell that he is yelling and pushing at the barrier. Kurt is ripped away from him when they've barely had a chance to say goodbye. He can't give him a proper goodbye anyway what with the guards watching.

Blaine also vaguely remembers watching his boyfriend through that distant Capitol camera parading around in some terrible miner's outfit. Kurt must've hated it; Blaine can just hear him complaining and it almost makes him smile. Then he remembers.

It feels like the extended Hummel-Hudson-Anderson clan cannot move from their seats in front of the television. They do, of course: Finn and Burt work in the mines, Rachel has been attempting to raise sponsorship money from the little District Twelve has. She has raised quite an amount actually; District Twelve loved Kurt. Love. Love, present tense, Blaine reprimands himself.

It is a comfort to know that even when they lose Kurt- if, IF- Blaine will still have the Hummels. His own family aren't Seam, they are merchants like Kurt's mother was but they despise anyone from that side of town. He and his father certainly don't share the same views.

From the few glimpses he gets of Kurt, Blaine can't work out how he's feeling. Never mind the imminent fighting to the death, the separation is already too much for the young man. He just has to concentrate on taking one day at a time.

That is why he is sitting on the floor in the Hummel-Hudson front room, Burt and Carole behind him on the worn sofa and Finn and Rachel squashed into an armchair across the room. The training scores are in.

"Any idea what strategy Kurt's gonna play to?" Finn asks the room.

"Well," says Rachel in her I-know-everything manner. "It would be smart for him to form an alliance with someone stronger..."

Before Rachel can finish telling them why this would be she is shushed by the scores for District One being announced. It is torture for the Hummel-Hudson-Andersons as they wait through twenty further scores. Finally District Twelve is announced.

"Kurt Hummel..." Blaine's heart jumps as he hears the name.

"Five!"

Suddenly everyone is standing, hugging and celebrating. Anywhere else it wouldn't be much but here in this District Twelve household five is an excellent score. They are once more interrupted, however, by the announcement of the final score.

"Two!"

Blaine stares at the TV, sure he must have heard wrong.

"That doesn't sound like Santana," Finn frowns.

"I was hoping they'd form an alliance," Burt says quietly. "Twelve can only ever trust Twelve in these games. I hope he's got someone else in mind."

Blaine nods numbly. The idea of alliances brings back what is happening and he cannot believe they were just celebrating. Kurt doesn't stand a chance.

Days have passed, or maybe no time at all, when it comes to the interviews and Blaine finally gets to see Kurt's face again.

'This could be the last you see of him,' a little voice in his head says.

'Shut up!' says another.

Both voices are interrupted by Finn. "Look! There he is!"

Poor Blaine is instantly worried by his boyfriend's appearance. Are they feeding him? He looks thin as ever and nervous. Nervous! Kurt doesn't do nervous. What has he seen to scare him so much? Has someone threatened him?

Blaine just wants to find that person and rip them limb from limb until he realizes they are miles away in the Capitol and actually that is the point. Someone will quite possibly rip whoever's responsible limb from limb and Kurt too...

The tributes stand in a semicircle around the stage and Kurt is on the end. He will go last. Finally Caesar reaches the tributes from District Twelve. Santana is visibly shaking.

"What happened to her?" Finn demands. "She looks as scared as..."

He doesn't have to finish his sentence: they all know what he's thinking.

"So, Santana, tell us. Was that training score part of your strategy?"

Blaine can't believe he hasn't thought of this possibility. Finn is now going on about how that would make sense with what he knows of Santana. In actual fact, though, none of them really know a thing about her.

"I... I don't know what you mean."

"That kid is either a really good actress or she's genuinely terrified," Burt observes.

"Let's hope for the first one," Carole attempts to console.

Then Blaine finally sees it. He's done some acting himself in his time; it's part of being a teacher. There is a glint in Santana's eyes, just an edge. It shows that she's manipulating her every move to suit her purposes. She's dangerous.

Looking at Kurt in the background, Blaine can see that Kurt has also worked this out. He keeps one eye on her and one on the crowd whilst still appearing terrified and that makes his boyfriend's heart swell with pride.

"Okay then. Have you formed any alliances yet?"

"K-Kurt."

The room is in uproar. Burt rises to his feet yelling "No!" Finn swears. Rachel starts to cry. Blaine just sits there quietly, watching.

They almost miss Caesar's next words.

"Have you got a plan?"

As she shakes her head Blaine says quietly, "She has."

It seems the others have almost forgotten he's there.

"How can you tell?" Rachel asks.

"Her eyes," he says simply. They don't press further.

"Well, Santana. Tell us about life in District Twelve. What are your friend's names?"

Finn snorts derisively. Carole tells him to behave; it isn't nice to be mean to people who are going to die.

"I don't have any friends..."

"Come now, Santana. An attractive girl like you, do you not have a boyfriend? What about that young man behind the adult line who tried to volunteer?"

That's him, Blaine realises. They think he is the boyfriend of the tribute from District Twelve. They aren't wrong. Panic hits him. What if they ask Kurt about him? What will Kurt say? What does he want Kurt to say?

Caesar is finished with Santana now.

"This is it," whispers Rachel obnoxiously.

Kurt looks even more drawn and worried in a close-up but Blaine can see the same steely edge in his eyes as he saw in Santana's. It is probably only because he knows him so well though; the Capitol audience don't seem to see it and nor do the Hummel-Hudsons.

"Oh, I hope he's eating," frets Carole.

Blaine just looks at her incredulously. That is the least of their worries right now.

"So, Kurt, have you got a grand plan to survive the arena?"

Everyone waits, tense, to see what Kurt will say.

"No, Caesar."

An almost relieved breath is expelled from Blaine's throat.

"Come on, Kurt!" exclaims Burt. "What have they done to you? Show them your heart!"

"Santana tells me you two have formed an alliance. Now, she wouldn't tell me if you've got a plan but I'm sure you have."

"Please tell me she was lying, Kurt," Burt begs.

"She had to have been lying, right?" Finn demands.

"N-No. We're trying to make one n-now, I think..."

This is confirmation of the alliance. Rachel's tears flow freely now as Finn pulls her close to him, failing to conceal his own concern. Burt clutches Carole's hand so hard it turns white. Blaine is finding it harder to deal with the reactions of his family than what is actually happening on the screen; he pulls his legs into his chest.

"Have you got anyone at home, Kurt? Parents? Friends? Someone special?"

"Yes," Burt whispers. "Yes, of course."

"There's my dad and my stepmum, Carole. I've got a stepbrother, Finn, too."

This has become a family moment; Blaine almost feels as though he's intruded as the Hummel-Hudsons huddle closer together and he is left marooned on the floor.

The young man sees the tears in Kurt's eyes. 'Courage, Kurt,' he wills him silently.

"I've got friends at home, too."

Blaine attempts a weak smile. This is Kurt's way of acknowledging him.

"A girlfriend?" Caesar asks.

In that moment, Blaine honestly doesn't care if Kurt outs him. He just wants to be recognized in front of this huge audience as someone that matters to the tribute.

Kurt looks directly into the camera now; he talks to him without saying a word. The look speaks of love, pure love, and a determination.

"I... I don't. But I have Blaine, my best friend. He's very special to me."

The last words are not for the crowd and Blaine feels transported away from the crowd to a place where he and Kurt can be alone. Those words are for Blaine only. They acknowledge him. They encourage him.

"I love you, too," Blaine says sadly.

Mr Hummel's attention turns to Blaine and he nods poignantly. No one knows quite what to say but before they know it Kurt is whisked from the screen. The broadcast is over.

No one around the screen in the Hummel-Hudson house can bear to look at each other. Rachel the ever-prepared has brought tissues which are a real encouragement. Blaine doesn't want to be there but at the same time he can't stay away.

All too quickly, the screen flickers to life. Stupidly Blaine's first thought turns to this year's outfits. They are highly unattractive and all he can think is how much Kurt will hate that this is the outfit he will die in. No, he reprimands himself, Kurt will come home.

Blaine scans the circle of tributes, surveying the arena as though he is a tribute. Kurt's position is enviable; almost within cover of the trees and Blaine thanks whatever deity is out there and prays and prays that Kurt will be smart.

All of a sudden the action has begun. Tributes are falling right, left and centre. The camera doesn't show the one person he wants to see.

Yet it does show Santana. She is fast and before anyone knows it is in the middle of the Cornucopia.

Finn whoops a triumphant, "I told you so!"

Rachel has finally stopped crying. She merely sits there shocked as Mr Hummel takes up where she left off, sobbing great ugly sobs.

"She's got a bow! She's got a bow!" Finn shouts as though they cannot see.

And there he is. There is Kurt. What is he doing? Blaine can't look any more. His knees are a much safer sight than the bloodbath.

"No! No, Kurt! Watch out!" It's Carole yelling which is odd. His head snaps up to see a girl aiming her javelin straight for the unsuspecting Kurt.

"Please, please, please," he murmurs.

As if answering him, Santana vaults over a dead tribute and pins Kurt to the floor.

He isn't entirely sure who is on their feet first until they all are yelling and screaming.

"Go Santana!"

"Please, please, please!"

"I knew it!"

"Run, Kurt, run!"

And then Kurt in running and Santana has a knife and everything is happening so quickly. The aggressor falls and everyone falls silent in shock.

"She means business," Blaine says.

No one says it but they have all realised that Kurt may be in more danger as her ally than her enemy.

Now that they are away from the Cornucopia the family can breathe more easily. They fall into a system over the next few hours with one person's eyes glued to the screen at any one time.

It is Finn's turn when Kurt finally fails from exhaustion.

"He's down!" he yells, unthinkingly.

Burt and Blaine burst into the room at the exact same second, looks of anguish on their faces.

Finn looks sheepish at his mistake. "I meant he fell over. He's okay," he hastily amends.

The three of them watch with tension as Santana slings him onto her back with surprising strength.

Then they finally hear the voice, the voice of the Kurt they know.

"Will they even be able to find our corpses?" His sarcasm shines through.

It isn't funny. It isn't funny at all so why are they laughing? Why can't they stop laughing? Because it's so wonderfully Kurt and there may not be much more of that left.

Blaine feels as though he hasn't left the Hummel-Hudson sitting room but somewhere in his consciousness he knows he's been to work, as have Burt and Finn. Carole has been cooking so only Rachel has been left to dutifully watch Kurt. She's almost scraped enough together to send a traditional offering from Twelve to Kurt; bread is a tradition. It will let him know they're all behind him.

The baker, Mr Mellark, is a stingy man, though, or rather his wife will not allow him to bake it for a reduced price but Rachel has her secret weapon: Peeta Mellark, his twelve-year-old son, who is possibly the sweetest kid that Blaine has had the privilege of teaching; hopefully he won't ever have to suffer through the destruction the Games bring.

It happens on the fourth day while Blaine is at work. As soon as he gets home, Rachel and Carole ambush him.

"Bubbly-tribute-from-eight-alliance-Kurt-Santana," is all Blaine catches from Rachel before Kurt's stepmother tells him what has transpired.

This should be a good thing until Blaine catches a glimpse of the screen and sees the gleam in Santana's eyes as she looks at the newcomer. He recognises it. He has seen it before in a pair of blue orbs shining up at him and suddenly he feels sick. Kurt is the odd one out in the alliance. The odd one is always the first to die.

Later Finn and Burt join them. Miles away Brittany has just fallen asleep.

"I should've left her to die," Santana is saying and the young observer can't help but agree.

Suddenly he hears Kurt's voice, ever reasonable. "We both know you can't do that. You love her, Santana. I can tell as easily as I can tell that Effie bleaches her hair."

A smile attempts to play at Blaine's lips but is stopped by wonderful Kurt's next comment.

"Just kill me quickly, Santana, when the time comes. You'll promise me that, won't you?"

And abruptly Blaine, with his knees pulled into his chest to keep the feelings in, cannot keep control any longer. Kurt is calmly begging for a quick death and that is too much, dammit, too much!

He sprints outside and cannot even make it as far as his own house before breaking down on the floor, sobbing.