Disclaimer: I do not own glee sadly

Chapter 7: as a mother

Blaine

I woke up in Ryder's arms again. But this time my head rested against his chest and his arms where wound tightly around my waist. Since Ryder was clearly a spooner I didn't shy away from it in fact I adjusted to make it more comfortable for myself. There was something about Ryder's steady heart beat that made me calm, maybe it's because when it was as steady as it was Ryder was calm which was probably rare these days. I looked up at his face, his lips curved up in a cute smile and I slowly crept my hand around his waist, it was Saturday and I didn't have to get up for school, so I wouldn't mind just lying like this until well... as the tiredness left me and I was lying wide awake in Ryder's strong embrace I began to remember the events of last night.

"Blaine, I'm all about having your friends stay the night if you ask me first" my mother had said when Ryder was in the washroom. She had seen his bruise and was instantly worried. "But that bruise, Blaine is Ryder trouble?" it was a fair question, it very well looked like Ryder had gotten into a fight, I couldn't blame her for jumping to that conclusion.

"No mom Ryder is a good guy, he just has a lot going on" I said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?' she asked. "look I'll look the other way about the burse for now but we need to talk when Ryder goes home" and I was dreading that talk, I had made sure me and Ryder didn't spend a whole lot of time apart after that, we ate dinner and watched moves all night, I avoided several texts from both Sam and Tina and me and Ryder just hung out like we had always wanted to do. I breathed in Ryder's scent before pulling myself from his possessive arms. It was clear at this point that I was beyond the point of turning back. Ryder was beginning to become more then a friend weather he knew it or not, and I felt a great deal for the troubled boy. It was deep, this was something entirely different then how I felt for Sam, and it was beginning to match that of Kurt. For one Kurt would never cuddle with me in the night, he prefers not to be touched. I was a touchy person; it was one of the many things we clashed about.

But I had to remind myself that he was straight and I was not willing to go down that path again, I felt foolish for ever liking Sam in the first place but if I just let myself get more attached to Ryder the outcome may result in more than just embarrassment. I pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and pulled an undershirt over my head and climbed lazily up the stairs leaving Ryder asleep, I didn't want to wake him just yet, I didn't know how much sleep he actually got at home. As I expected my mom was sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen drinking her morning coffee.

"Morning Hun" she said. I wearily made my way to the fridge to retrieve milk and then to the pantry to get a bowl and my frosted flakes. I sat down across from my mom

And began putting together my cereal. "So, remember when I said we needed to talk?" I winched afraid of that.

"Can I eat?" I asked.

" yes" she said " I only have a few questions" I knew this could only end in the truth because any lie I could tell could possibly look bad on Ryder and none of this was his fault at all, he was a tragedy of circumstance.

"Shoot" I said dreading every second.

"How did Ryder get the bruise?" she asked

"Pass" I said she looked at me stern.

"Blaine he is a guest in my home I have the right to know if he is dangerous" she said, my eyes widened, Ryder dangerous? I wanted to yell but I knew no good would come of it with Ryder still fast asleep. "Did he get in some sort of fight?"

"No mom it's not like that, I swear its not" I said in Ryder's defence. "He is not like that... its, I don't know how... it's hard to say" my mother looked at me worry growing more and more on her face. The more emotional I got the more she seemed to grasp the bigger picture.

"Blaine" my mom said grabbing my hand. "This is serious"

"Mom I..." I heard the basement stairs creak and we both fell silent, a few seconds later Ryder looking at us from the entrance of the kitchen. "Morning" I said

"Good morning" Ryder said just standing there.

My mom looked sadly at me and then her gaze shifted to Ryder. " good morning Ryder, why don't you two go watch some TV and I'll make pan cakes" I got up leaving the cereal where it was and led Ryder into the living room, my mom was a strong woman, but even the strongest of us needs a moment every now and then to collect themselves. We shared a brief look of understanding before I left.

I found Ryder in the living room staring out the window into my back yard. "I didn't know you had a pool" he said. I came up beside him.

"Yeah it's awesome for really hot summer days, like today" I said "want to go swimming?"

"Yeah that would be nice" he said, he sat down on the couch and I sat next to him at the other end. Saturday morning cartoons where all we really needed to keep us occupied till my mom called us for breakfast. I'm sure it was creepy that my mom watched us eat our first bite but that's just how she was; she wanted to make sure they where the best pancakes he had ever eaten to put her heart at ease. We sat back down on the couch this time closer. He laughed at the episode of fairly odd parents and I studied him. His burse was now a dark shade of purple but it's as if it didn't even bother him, it left a sickly feeling in my stomach knowing he was probably used to this by this point.

The one thing I couldn't get threw my head was what happened next, I knew and that bridge was crossed my mother knew and she would not let it just drop, what would happen after this weekend was over and the reality set in that he couldn't live here with me forever. "Ryder?" I asked timidly.

"emhmm?" he said not taking his eyes off of the screen. I didn't know how I was going to ask the question.

"When are you?" I said "I mean, are you going to go home?" I didn't want it to come off the wrong way but I had no doubt it would somehow. He looked at me and blushed.

"Do... do you want me to go home?" he asked. "Cause I can if you want, I don't want to intrude"

"No, it's not like that at all" I said putting a hand on his arm. "You are welcome here as long as you want, it's just with your situation... what are you going to do?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

What did he mean what do I mean? He came to my house to escape from his abusive father and now he was playing dumb about it. "Ryder what are you going to do about the abuse?"

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked. It was a question with a lot of different answers but there was nothing I could do. "I thought you understood"

"I do, I did but now..." I said I did understand to a certain existent but how could he just do nothing? Parent or not Ryder needs some sort of guidance and he wasn't getting it at school or at home, how long can he let it all go on before he seriously gets hurt? "Ryder I care about you a lot, I don't want to see you get hurt, today it's a burn and a black eye tomorrow what, a broken arm a cracked skull" he looked out the window again staring off into space.

"Look" he said getting up. "Thank you for letting me stay here..." I got up too this time angry.

"No Ryder, I deserve a lot more than that and you know it" I said "don't freeze me out" I grabbed his arm and he yanked away. I took a step back, why did he always get so angry, why was he always so afraid? Well I was beginning to know.

"I'm sorry, I just" he turned around tears staining his cheeks. "I'm not used to this, people actually caring" I took his hand and saw the Goosebumps on his arms at the contact, I raised an eyebrow.

"well get used to it" I said he stepped closer to me and I felt a wave of intensity flow threw me he gave me a look I had never seen before I held my breath wishing the moment could last an eternity, he stepped away from me and walked towards the door, I was so overwhelmed by what just happened in that moment that I let him walk away I zoned back into reality and ran to the door only to stop in my tracks to see him standing there.

"Ryder!" I looked over his shoulder at his angry mother standing in the door way that Ryder had just opened. "How dare you put your father and I threw this." I heard the vacuum stop. "Two days no call?"

"Mom how did you...?" He said he looked shocked and scared. My heart was beating a mile a minute I was dead weight and.

"I asked that kitty girl who came to the house that time" she said outraged. "You had us sick Ryder!" I heard my mother creeping down the stairs and watched both of our mothers eyes meet.

"I don't believe I have the pleasure" my mom said with a stony smile. I could see the redness around her eyes and wondered if she had been crying at some point.

"Cynthia Lynn" she said "I'm Ryder's mother"

My mother nodded kindly "Breanne, Anderson, Blaine's mom" Ryder's mom had no time for pleasantries but I could tell by my mother's voice that she didn't care much for them either.

"Well... Breanne, I'll have you know Ryder has had no permission to be here" she said angrily. "And I am appalled that you as a mother would let him stay here without first knowing if he had permission." my mom took a step forward.

"Mom!" Ryder said.

"As a mother..." my mother she with a scoff. "Well take a long look at your sons face, and tell me what I am doing wrong... as a mother" Ryder's mothers eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

"Excuse me" she said loudly, "how dare you, how dare you throw an accusation like that at me you bitch!"

"Mom!" Ryder yelled covering his face. I stood there watching in awe of what was happing in my foyer.

"You look like you are on drugs lady!" she said "i should call children's aid on you, you psychopath" that was a trigger to my ears and I stepped towards my mom protectively, if only my dad weren't on a business trip this might have never happened. "Ryder get in the car, I don't want you ever coming back here"

"No" Ryder resisted. "I'm not going anywhere and Mrs. Anderson is not on drugs"

"Ryder gets in the fucking car so help me!" she screamed.

"No not until you apologize" he said, He looked back at me. She grabbed his wrist and I wanted to pile driver her out the door I knew she couldn't do any real harm to Ryder but his father could and if he left then I don't know what was going to happen. "Let go of me!"

"Ryder sweetie" my mother said softy. "This is not your fault, just remember that no matter what this is not your fault and it never was and it never will be" she stepped closer to him and whispered something in his ear. His mother just looked at her stunned.

"Get away from him you psycho!" his mother shrieked.

"But I think its best" my mother said stepping back. "That you do as your mother says and leave and never come back" I felt my heart braking, I couldn't believe she had just done that, made him leave. I shrunk away and watched Ryder leave confused and angry and knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Why would you do that?!" I screamed as the car screeched down the street. "Why would you let him leave?!" I felt the tars streaming from my eyes and my mother pulled me into her embrace. "His dad... his dad is going... to kill him"

" shhh shhh shh" she said " Ryder will be fine, his mother won't say a word to his father" she said confident. "As appalling as the woman is she is still his mother"

"She's never stopped him before" I said pulling myself from her arms. "Mom what if she calls children's aid?"

My mother almost laughed. "abusive parents always deflect, they will try to make you look bad to make themselves look less bad, I'm not worried about her calling children's aid not while her son is black and blue and the cause is up in the air" she was so calm and I was so worried and afraid that Ryder would be broken just that one step further and eventually he will be beyond repair. "look Blaine, I know right now this feels like the end of your world, but trust me we won't stand idly by"

"What did you say to him?" I asked curious. "Just then?"

" I told him he was welcome here any time" she said " and I meant it he is welcome here any time, but now at least this won't be the first place his parents look" my mother was smart like that but I still couldn't get passed the betrayal. "I don't want you to worry too much about this Blaine, just text Ryder tell him you will pick him up at seven for Finn and Kurt's party" I nodded and made my way down stairs, I looked at the side of the bed Ryder was on and collapsed smelling his musk on my pillow, I hoped this wasn't the last time I would feel this close to him but doubt was scarring my mind. I quickly texted him.

I'm picking you up for the party at 7

There was no answer for hours and my paranoia was at an all time high. I didn't know what I was going to do if he didn't get back to me but at round 4 in the afternoon I got a single letter of confirmation.

K

It set my heart at ease significantly.

A/N: for some reason I see Blaine's mother as Mary-Louise Parker from weeds, a protective mother who will do questionable things for her kid. I'm sorry I have strayed from my weekly updating schedule I had lap top problems and now they are solved so hopefully I'll have a few chapters up in a few days to make up for that until the next chapter follow and review ;)