So I have good news and bad news. The good news is that exams will be over in a month and I'll have way more time to write. The bad news is that I still have no laptop and might not have one for a long time. I'm really sorry about the lack of updates, but thank you so much for your patience and your reviews! They really make my day!

"Blaine!" Tina's shout was accompanied by the back door bursting open.

As Blaine and Kurt turned to face her, the former could already feel a blush creeping across his cheeks. He wasn't entirely sure how his friends would react to what he'd just done. Tina had frozen, mid-run, staring at Kurt. She seemed astounded. Blaine heart beat a little faster as he tried not to panic. They wouldn't be mad at him, right?

Then Tina's smile reappeared and she threw herself forward.

"Mike was right." She sounded breathless as she fell into Kurt's open arms, already beginning to sob. Blaine watched, heart clenching, as Kurt hugged her back. His face scrunched up with emotion so that he had to bury it into Tina's shoulder.

Blaine suddenly felt like he was intruding on the pair. He looked back toward the house to see that Mike was walking toward them as well. His expression was unreadable as his eyes flickered between the hugging pair and his sheepish friend. Blaine had no idea what he could possibly be thinking. He looked very grim. Then, like clouds breaking, he smiled as well. It was a look of such relief that Blaine couldn't help striding forward for a hug.

"I knew you'd do this." Mike said in his ear, as Tina's sobs and incomprehensible chatter grew louder behind them. "I could tell the second you saw Kurt get hit."

"I'm sorry, Mike." Blaine mumbled, pulling back and helping Mike to grab the two tiny bags that had come along for the carriage ride. "I know you told me he didn't want it, and I know I said I wasn't going to start thinking about Kurt as more than a passing stranger but-"

"It's fine." Mike interrupted, following as Tina tugged Kurt inside. She was still crying in earnest and clinging to his hand. "I understand that you needed to save him. And I never said you shouldn't try and help him. I just didn't think you could."

"But you think this will help him?" Blaine asked.

"If you're willing to put some effort in," Mike shut the door, and they were finally inside the Changs home. Blaine already felt himself relax. "I think it could help him."

Blaine opened his mouth to say something else, but when he turned to walk down the hallway, he saw that Tina and Kurt were now watching them. Tina, teary eyed, embraced him as well.

"Thank you," She whispered fiercely in his ear.

"No problem." Blaine was looking at Kurt over her shoulder. He seemed closed off and aloof again, but he didn't look Blaine in the eye.

"Right!" Tina's sudden call made him wince as she drew back from the hug. "Let's have dinner early, and you can tell us all about it. I bet both of you missed lunch."

They followed her up the back staircase to the small house above the shop. Mike joined them after double-checking that everything was locked. He didn't want to risk anyone finding out that the "Little Princess" was with them. It was quiet in the kitchen, other than Tina's chatter. Blaine helped her to cut the meat for a stew and Kurt sat meekly at the table, shelling peas while trying to avoid talking to his new owner. Occasionally, when Blaine turned around, he could have sworn he saw Kurt's confused gaze flit away from him.

"Thank you, Blaine." Mike said, taking the meat from him as soon as he was done. "There's a tap downstairs where you can wash you hands. Tina's using the sink right now."

Blaine nodded and left the room. He saw Kurt's exhale as the top of his head disappeared down the stairs.

...

"Are you alright, Kurt?" Mike asked. "You seem worried."

Kurt nibbled on his lower lip as he looked up at the couple.

"I just don't understand." He said slowly. He still hadn't figured out what Blaine actually wanted. He was playing some sort of mind game, Kurt was sure of that. Why else would he try to insist he didn't need anything from his new slave? He'd bought him for something after all. "What's he trying to do?"

"Blaine?" Tina clarified, though she didn't need to. "He's trying to help you, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head almost before she was done speaking. He even let out a hash laugh.

"He doesn't even know me." He said.

"We didn't know you at first." Mike pointed out.

"But that's different." Kurt said firmly. "You didn't- you don't- you never looked at me like that."

"Blaine isn't the kind of guy who'd want you for those reasons." Mike said.

"He might just be better at hiding it." Kurt was stubborn, picking apart the vegetable in his hand thoughtfully.

"Well you shouldn't assume that he is hiding something. Blaine's been our friend a long time, and so have you." Tina sat down briefly, taking Kurt's hand. "We trust both of you."

"I trust you too." Kurt said. Yet he still didn't trust their judgment in friends. He knew they could have been taken in by Blaine's seemingly innocent appearance. He knew more than them about the way the world worked. He'd seen a thousand different kinds of men. He'd slept with a thousand different kinds of men. They all turned out the same deep down. Strangers could not be trusted. Despite his attachment to the Changs, Blaine was still a stranger.

"Kurt, we know he won't try to hurt you." Tina tried to reassure him again.

"I know." And he did. Blaine wouldn't try and hurt him. After all, he'd paid a lot of money for Kurt. It was Blaine's other motivations Kurt was worrying about. "Thank you."

"If you're really worried we can-"

"Let's stop talking about this." Kurt sighed. "He'll be back soon."

Like always, they respected his wishes and didn't press the subject. He didn't miss the sorrowful glance they exchanged as Tina went back to her cooking though.

"I'm really sorry." Kurt said, wishing he could explain and knowing that he couldn't.

Mike and Tina were amazing, sure, but there were certain things they would never understand. There were certain things you just couldn't understand when you'd grown up with loving parents and married on the Mainland, safe from the harshness of the Colonies until you'd moved there out of your own free will. There were things Kurt would never want them to understand.

If only Santana, Brittany and Quinn were there. They'd know why he didn't trust Blaine. He could actually talk to them about everything. They understood how it felt to grow up in a place where you were forced to learn everything about the nature of men. And most of all, they would know what it was like for Kurt now that he was Blaine's slave. That was something else that was impossible to explain to the Changs. They didn't know what it meant to have no control over your own body.

He didn't want to listen to anyone but himself yet. So Kurt requested one last thing from his friends.

...

Blaine finished washing his hands and dried them on the towel that hung by the sink. He was still greatly perplexed by Kurt's behavior, unsure how to approach him now. They were meant to be trying for friendship or something similar, but Kurt wouldn't meet his eye. Perhaps on the ride home, they could talk properly. Kurt was likely just keen to spend the last day he could with the Changs. Blaine would let him do that. He could keep his distance and let the three friends enjoy each other's company before they had to leave.

"...can I just ask you one other thing?" Kurt's voice became audible and Blaine froze on the stairs at the distress in his voice. It didn't occur to him that he was eavesdropping until after he'd listened in. "Please don't tell him my name."

Blaine's eyes widened. He'd forgotten Kurt had no idea that Mike had slipped up earlier. It was obviously very important to Kurt that his identity remained a private thing, and though it hurt Blaine's feelings that he couldn't be trusted with something so small, he still respected that it was Kurt's secret to tell. He hoped Mike and Tina would lie about it, pretend they hadn't told yet, so that Blaine could earn Kurt's trust later on. He rocked forward on the balls of his feet, waiting for their response.

Then he remembered he was listening to a private conversation. Filled suddenly with more guilt, Blaine went back downstairs as quickly and quietly as he could, hearing Tina reply as he went.

"Oh w-why?"

Blaine thumped loudly all the way back up the stairs.

When he reentered the kitchen, they were all staring at him.

"Anything else you need help with?" Blaine offered kindly.

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate at his casual words. Tina ordered him over to her coal range to watch the stew while she got the vegetables Mike had been cutting. Kurt kept his eyes fixed determinedly on the peas in his hands. When he glanced up and saw Blaine looking at him, his face remained expressionless as he turned away.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. It was deceivingly normal, actually. They talked as they finished dinner and left the pot simmering. Then Kurt went downstairs and collected the book he'd been reading when Blaine first met him. Tina started working on a dress she'd been making for herself out of some spare fabric from the General Store. Mike took Blaine out to the house of the man who was fixing the cart, to see if he was finished yet.

When the slightly drunk cartwright answered the door, he recognised Blaine as more than just his customer the day before. Apparently, almost all of Laurel Hill had been at the stall that morning to witness Kurt's sale. Babbling excitedly about serving the owner of the Little Princess, he decided to fix the wagon overnight and do it for half the price. Though Mike and Blaine were doubtful he'd get it done properly in his drunken state, half the street seemed to be getting curious about the commotion, and they didn't want to risk being followed back to the General Store. They thanked the enthusiastic man as he was calling his friends inside to help him complete the project, and left. They were lucky that everyone was too lost in their own worlds to think of following them home.

Blaine considered how strange it was that his new position as Kurt's current owner could grant him so much. He wondered if the man was hoping Blaine might bring his new slave when he picked up the cart the next day.

When the two got back to the General Store, they all had dinner, talked until it grew too dark to see without candlelight, and then went off to bed. Blaine refused to take the bed he had been given the night before. He offered Kurt the spare room, and slept on the floor in the main room where they'd spent the day. Tina and Mike were happy to roll out one of the mats from the store for him to stay comfortable.

They bid him goodnight and went to show Kurt his room.

After a while, Blaine walked to the window and sat on the edge, peering out the the street below. Like the previous night, he could hear the quiet chatter between the couple as they got ready for bed, indecipherable but noticeable. He wondered if their easy bond made Kurt feel as lonely as it did him. He knew the other man would probably take a while to fall asleep as well.

Their lives had changed so drastically in the past few days, he could barely believe it.

For Kurt, it meant he had a home and a friend. Blaine hoped he'd at least understood that much. They would sort out the boundaries and their own living situation when they returned home. Because Blaine owned him, Kurt would have to stay close, but Blaine wouldn't force him to live in his house if he didn't want to. If Kurt wished it, Blaine could build him his own house on his property, and give him a section of land to live on. The farm was certainly big enough. He was determined to make Kurt's life as easy as possible. With his status as a slave, he would never be able to live as he might wish to, but Blaine would help him to be as comfortable as he could be.

And perhaps we could become closer after that, Blaine thought as a he heard Tina shush Mike and the light disappeared from under the crack in the doorway. As neighbors and friends we could really get to know each other.

But he immediately shook himself. He wasn't going to hold any sort of expectation for that. No matter how Blaine felt, or what he was heading rapidly towards feeling. He was not going to push that on the slave. He knew it was already hard enough to manage with Kurt knowing of his obvious attraction, but the idea of Kurt learning that his feelings were becoming more emotional was terrifying. They were churning from a need to understand and help and care for. And maybe, just maybe, to be loved and cared for in return.

But they were the mad thoughts of a tired man awake in the light of the moon.

They weren't thoughts Blaine could indulge in the daylight hours. If he was well rested he would know they were dangerous to indulge with Kurt in such a fragile state of mind. He knew this was already too difficult. Blaine would need to be careful if he didn't want to make things harder between them. He'd have to settle things with Kurt as soon as they got home. If they only talked things out and knew where they both stood, it would all be okay.

Comforted again, Blaine returned to his bed, refusing to let his mind wander. He was determined to make this work.

As he fell asleep, the niggling doubt manifested into Kurt's voice and echoed in his head.

"Okay, Mister. We'll 'talk' later."

...

Kurt couldn't sleep. It wasn't just that he wasn't tried, it was that he was so sure that he wasn't allowed to fall asleep.

This was his first night as Blaine's slave, and despite Mike and Tina's presence, he was sort of expecting Blaine to appear and make his first demand. That's what was supposed to happen. That's what new owners were supposed to do.

Rather than climb under the covers, Kurt sat up straight in bed, naked except for the sheet he laid delicately across his lap. He kept one eye on the door as he became lost in his own thoughts again.

He could hear Blaine walking around, the floor creaking as he moved across the room. But no figure appeared at the door and beckoned him out of his bed. As Kurt listened, he realised his palms were sweating. He was actually nervous. For some reason the thought of finally seeing the other side of Blaine filled him with dread. As he wiped his hands on the sheet, he heard another sudden movement.

Screeds of men and memories ran through his mind. He tried to imagine Blaine in the place of those countless strangers; Blaine holding him down, growling in his ear, ordering him around. But the pictures didn't work. They didn't fit right.

And still, no one came to the door.

Things were silent again for a long time, but Kurt couldn't let himself fall asleep. Not only was he waiting for his owner, but the idea that someone might walk in and find him in such a vulnerable state made him even more alert.

Like he always did when he was alone, Kurt focused desperately on his situation in an attempt to keep all of his memories at bay.

He was worried about Blaine's actions that day. He'd been friendly and distant, allowing Kurt to do as he pleased. It was almost as though he was trying to lull his new slave into a false sense of security. Perhaps he was even trying to gain Kurt's trust. That would be the worst thing that could possibly happened. Not least because it would be so easy, so very easy, to trust Blaine.

Slowly, unsure, Kurt slid out of bed. He had to check that he was the only one awake before he felt safe enough to sleep.

As he tiptoed down the hall, he briefly glanced in to where Mike and Tina were entwined, fast asleep. He didn't hesitate outside the door to the main room where Blaine would be, but pushed it open. As soon as he entered, Kurt could hear the heavy breathing of slumber.

Blaine was curled into a ball, his brow furrowed even as he slept, his mouth moving in his dreams. His fists were bunched into the blankets that tucked in around him, making in smaller than ever. He looked so troubled, as if all he needed was for Kurt to reach out a finger and smooth the frown from his brow.

Kurt's hands clenched into fists. God, he hated this man.

With a huff, he turned on his heel and left the room, refusing to look at this incomprehensible person for a second longer.

...

Eleven year old Kurt Hummel stood when he saw the official looking man approach the bars of the cell he'd been housed in for a week. Shaking in the thin shirt and the threadbare pair of pants that were all he had left in this dirty prison, he wrapped a thin hand around the bars and peered into the light. Something like hope blossomed in his chest. Maybe now he would be let out.

"Come on, kid," the guard looked at Kurt with pitying eyes. "You have to come with us now."

If he had only known what was coming next, Kurt might have begged to stay. But he didn't. So he eagerly slipped out of the opening door and gratefully accepted the blanket the guard offered. His trembling seemed to fade a little as he wrapped it's warmth around his shoulders. They began to walk in silence toward the door at the end of the row of cells.

"Excuse me?" His voice croaked a little from disuse, and he had to try again before he was heard. "Excuse me, sir?"

"What is it?" The man sounded so tired, Kurt almost wanted to ask what was wrong. But something more important still weighed on his young mind.

"Where are we going? Has Carole come to pick me up?" He could already imagine how it would feel to let his step-mother hug him tightly and whisper that she loved him like she'd done the last time he had seen her. It was the only thing he longed for that seemed within his grasp. His father had been dead for over a month now, and Kurt knew he could never feel Burt's warmth again.

"Son, I'm afraid it's not anyone you know." The guard's words didn't make sense for a moment. Carole was his only family now. Who else would be picking him up?

"Who?" He didn't know how to phrase his bewilderment, but suddenly the warmth of the blanket seemed more puzzling than comforting.

"A very - um - a man saw you at your trial last week. He's paid a lot of money to have you- uh - released from your cell." The guard stumbled over his words, seeming uncomfortable. "You'll be going home with him."

"But I want my mommy." Kurt whispered. Something was wrong. The guards behavior made it clear that whatever was happening was something terrible. Suddenly, Kurt wanted to see Carole even more than he had before. He wanted Carole and Finn and no one else.

"Please don't cry," Kurt emotions obviously made the man feel even more uncomfortable. "You don't need to worry, I swear. This - this man said to tell you he would take really good care of you."

"Why?" Kurt asked, lower lip starting to tremble.

"Well he- he saw you at the trial the other day. He was in the courtroom at the time. He didn't think you were - uh- guilty of stealing that pie like those people said."

"But I was guilty. I did steal the pie." Kurt's face crumpled. "I was lost and it was so cold. I hadn't had any food. I said sorry."

"I know. It's okay." The guard laid a hesitant hand on Kurt's shoulder. "It's really okay, kid. That's why this guy is here. He knows you said sorry."

"I don't understand." Kurt wailed, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. A mixture of tiredness and despair made him feel even worse than he might have felt otherwise.

"Shhh, please don't do that." The guard hurried him along, pushing against his back as Kurt tried in vain to stop crying. He didn't know why some stranger would pay to free him when all he wanted was Carole and Finn.

Suddenly they stepped out into a wood paneled corridor and Kurt stumbled in surprise, tears jolting to a stop. The change of scenery was so overwhelming for the child who had spent a week locked away underground that he felt as if his eyes would never adjust. When he'd taken in the rich surroundings, he noticed something else.

There was a man at the end of the hall in a fancy suit. He had huge hands that he twisted greedily as he looked Kurt up and down. Though there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with the movement, it made the hairs stand up on the back of the convicted child's neck. For a moment, Kurt considered turning to run away. He hated the way the cold, pale gaze felt as it absorbed his body.

"Is this little Kurt?" The man asked, walking forward. As he stepped closer to the boy who had become his newest possession, fear grew in the child's throat until it felt like it was going to choke him.

But then the man smiled, and suddenly Kurt's confusion seemed completely unfounded. It was the kind of charming smile that spoke of confidence, assurance, and it was impossible to think that a man with a smile like that could be doing anything wrong.

"Yes, I'm Kurt," He confirmed quietly. Something occurred to him suddenly. "Do you know my mother?"

His tears felt silly out here in the plush corridor where this expensively dressed man was waiting. He didn't feel like he needed to cry anymore.

"I don't know you mother, I'm sorry. But that's okay, gorgeous. Don't you worry about that." The man bent down to his eye level, still looking warm and kind. Things clashed in Kurt's tired mind.

He remembered how the guard had behaved, like something so wrong was about to happen. But his words had contradicted that, hadn't they? He'd said - he'd said this man had faith that Kurt was innocent and wanted to free him. And everything Kurt had seen of the man confirmed that he wasn't a bad person. Bad people didn't smile like that, or speak so kindly. Perhaps the guard just had a suspicious way of talking that Kurt had misinterpreted. Besides, the man called Kurt 'gorgeous'. He was complimenting him. He obviously liked him. Tentatively, Kurt smiled.

The responding grin was so reassuring, he couldn't imagine why he'd been so frightened.

"I'm going to get you out of this place. I promise. Pretty little thing like you should't have been locked up in the first place." The man folded a few papers and tucked them into his suit pocket. "I've already got everything sorted. You can come with me."

"Why?" Kurt asked, watching with wide eyes. He wanted to make sure this stranger understood. "I stole food."

The man laughed. It was the first time Kurt had heard the sound, and he never imagined how it would come to haunt his nightmares.

"You said sorry didn't you?" He asked.

"Yes,"

"Well then there's nothing you need to worry about. You just do whatever I say and I'll make sure you always feel real good." He held out a hand for Kurt to take.

"Can we see Carole?" Kurt asked, slipping his fingers into the warm damp palm. It didn't feel right. Immediately, the larger fingers tightened around his own.

"We'll talk about Carole later." The man spat her name. It didn't fit with his otherwise friendly manner. "You'll be coming home first."

Kurt let himself be pulled along, not sure what else to say. When they reached the door and went out to a waiting carriage, the man laid a hand on Kurt's lower back. The heat felt as though it was claiming him, and for some reason, as the carriage door closed behind them, and the usually reserved child was pulled onto an unfamiliar lap, Kurt's fear returned.

...

Kurt was screaming.

That was the first thing Blaine was aware of when he woke up.

The he was aware of several things in quick succession. His blankets falling to the floor. Sprinting across the room without any memory of standing up. His heart thudding between his ears. Flinging the door open. The wood floor smacking his feet a little too hard.

And then Kurt's slender frame thrashing in bed as he continued to cry out.

Blaine was at his side mere seconds after hearing the first scream. He knelt on the edge of the mattress and quickly and caught the arms that lashed out at nothing.

"Kurt, wake up, please." His voice broke in desperation. There was nothing scarier than seeing Kurt's distress. His beautiful face was wet with tears that he shed even as he slept. The sounds streaming in agonized gasps flew from his gaping mouth.

"Wake up!"

Suddenly the screaming stopped and Kurt's beautiful stormy eyes flew open. His pupils were blown wide in terror and took a few seconds to focus on Blaine's face. The ghosts that hid behind those pools of blue were so tangible they actually made Blaine ache.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, choking on the name.

"What do you need?" Blaine asked. All he wanted to do was help. He'd never wanted anything more. "I'll do anything you need."

Kurt stared at him for a long second. His fingers twitched around Blaine's hand. But he pushed Blaine back and fled the room. The door of the bathroom slammed shut nearby. Blaine didn't follow. He didn't want to intrude. Vaguely, he was aware that Mike and Tina had appeared in the doorway. He didn't look up. As he sat on Kurt's empty bed and listened to the sobs that seemed to jolt his bones, Blaine realised he had never been more terrified in his entire life.

He was in way over his head.