A/N Thank you for all the follows, favourites and reviews. They all make me very happy:)

I don't own Glee or the characters.

Chapter Nine

Having gone incognito by changing to their civvies, Thad and David were hiding in the back of the amphitheatre of Carmel High, watching a small, Filipino girl singing whilst the rest of the group danced around her. The two boys were impressed by her powerful voice coming out of her tiny body, but the fact that she was the only one singing rankled the boys slightly. Sure, they usually had a soloist, but all the boys in the Warblers performed in all the songs, even if they were only backing harmonies. Vocal Adrenaline was a like a dark vacuum that sucked your very soul from existence. Especially now they had a new coach, Dustin Goolsby, whom the boys could only describe as an ass hole.

"So, what's our plan of attack then?" Thad whispered across to David, who shrugged.

"Get one of them to talk. Maybe if we put the charm on them they'll open up?" David suggested, not really knowing what else they could do.

"Do you really think any of them will talk?" Thad replied, sounding very unsure of himself.

"Probably not, but it's worth a try." They both waited for rehearsals to finish and Vocal Adrenaline's idiot of a coach to leave before venturing down to the stage, opting to start with their lead vocalist. David waved to the petite girl and ushered her over. As she noticed them both she waved back and pointed to herself as though she wasn't sure they meant her. David nodded to show that he did mean her and she bounced along happily enough towards them, obviously not realising they were from a different school.

"Hi. I'm Sunshine. Can I help you?" The girl asked pleasantly enough, smiling widely.

"We were wondering if you knew anyone by the name of Blaine Anderson?" Thad inquired, smiling his best hundred watt smile, showing off his perfectly straight pearly whites that always afforded Thad at least one guaranteed date with any girl he asked out.

"No. Should I?" Sunshine cocked her head to the side, looking bad that she couldn't help them at all.

Thad arched his brow and looked at David, who was almost mirroring his expression back. "Are you a new member of the team?" David politely questioned the petite girl, smiling himself. She seemed like a perfectly amiable, kind hearted girl. She was definitely in the wrong glee club.

"Yeah. Do you want me to ask one of the older members for you? I've only been here for a few weeks so I don't know everyone yet?" She turned a little and pointed at some of the other girls who were standing around chatting.

"That would be great. Thanks!" Thad beamed again and she blushed faintly at the attention before skipping off to talk to the other girls. "Ok, watch for their reactions to the question." Thad suggested and they both boys watched the girls intently. But when they all had blank looks on all of their faces at Sunshine's questions, David sighed and Thad groaned a little, placing his head in his hands.

"Great. Well I suppose at least we know that he's not a member of Vocal Adrenaline..." David muttered, but placed a warm smile back on his face as the small girl returned.

"Sorry they don't know anyone of that name. You must have the wrong school. Sorry. I hope you find him!" She stated comfortingly before waving a goodbye to them and wandering off so she could get home.

"Well, that was a bust. What now?" Thad questioned his friend.

"I have no idea...This guy is definitely playing under the radar though, whatever it is he's doing." David grimly responded, starting to trudge back up the stairs of the theatre and towards the school exit, Thad in tow. Wes was not going to like this. Not one bit...


It was Monday night and Blaine had felt the separation of Kurt from Dalton severely. The last two days had been so boring and lonely, all he could think about was seeing Kurt again. He had yearned to see the sublime boy all day. To see his coy smile, his perfectly placed chestnut brown hair, to hear his melodic laugh and for him to roll his eyes at Blaine teasing him with something that he knew Kurt would find cheesy. Kurt had been all he had been able to think about for the whole, long weekend and he had daydreamed in class, not taking anything in at all. Sighing happily at the thought of finally seeing his friend once more he knocked boldly on Kurt's door, not even waiting for an invitation before he opened it and peered around to see the older boy deep in concentration on a piece of homework he was trying in vain to complete.

"Can I come in? Or is this a bad time?" Blaine asked shyly, wanting to come in and comfort the clearly frazzled boy, but not wanting to overstep the mark. After all, they had only known each other for a little over a week. Even if he thought he might be developing a little bit of a crush on his friend...

Kurt, hearing a voice he had longed to hear all weekend, felt his lips curl up into a smile as he turned his head. "Please come in. This maths is driving he insane." A huge smile came over the curly haired boy and he almost skipped inside, taking Kurt's shoulders in his hands and massaging them gently. Kurt moaned and leaned into the touch of the boy as his fingers deftly kneaded into his neck and shoulders, releasing tension he didn't even know he had. "Wow Blaine, you have magic fingers. Don't stop..." Blaine chuckled at Kurt's obvious delight and carried on as his friend requested.

"Had a good weekend Kurt?" He questioned his friend, who was sitting, eyes closed, with a dopey grin on his face, humming in delight.

"It was fine. My dads doing better and Carole's making sure he eats healthily." He looked up at the dark haired boy when he abruptly stopped massaging his shoulders. A look of anxiety on his face. "He had heart troubles not too long back. But it's ok Blaine, really. He's touch as old boots my dad." Blaine visibly relaxed and squeezed Kurt's shoulders one last time before padding over to Kurt's bed and sitting cross legged on it, waiting for his friend to come and join him.

"I missed you though. You'll have to give me your phone number so I can call you at the weekend." Kurt stood up and stretched like a cat, coming over to join Blaine on the bed, bouncing it a little to elicit a giggle out of the smaller boy.

"Oh, um... For some reason my phone doesn't seem to be working. I tried it yesterday to phone Cooper, my brother, and it said it was disconnected or something." Blaine frowned, shrugging his shoulders in dismay

"Well, that's weird."

Blaine sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'll have to get a new one. Anyway I came here for a reason." he turned his body fully to Kurt, a serious look on his face.

"What, more than just catching up? What's up?" Kurt asked, getting curious and mirroring Blaine's sitting, crossing his legs and turning his whole body to his friend.

"You know last week you asked me about my past and I was reluctant to tell you. Well, after thinking long and hard about it, I realised I was being stupid. I should tell you. Out of everyone I know, you would be the one who understand after all." Blaine smiled shyly and reached out to take Kurt's hand in his, lacing his fingers through Kurt's, his eyes softening as he looked deep into Kurt's surprised eyes. His heart beat rapidly at the thought of what he was about to do. He had never told anyone in full details apart from his family about this and it was slightly terrifying revealing his past to another person. Even if it was Kurt who he trusted with all his heart.

"Only if you're sure Blaine. I don't want to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with." Kurt sat and fingered a chain around his neck that Blaine hadn't seen before today. Sensing it was something quite dear to him, Blaine didn't ask what that was about, but watched closely as the older boy placed the chain, which seemed to have some sort of heavy pendant on the end, back underneath his clothing, hiding it from the world. All the while a slightly worried expression on his face.

Taking a deep breath in before releasing it to calm his nerves, Blaine nodded knowing he was doing the right thing. "I'm sure. Before I came here Kurt, I was at a school like the one you went to, a public school. I hated it there. I had no real friends and the only people who saw me were the jocks and only to make my life hell. The same sorts of things happened to me. Shoving into lockers, verbal abuse. I even had slushies thrown in my face too."

"Wow, that's a more popular form of torture than I realised..." Kurt stated, hearing what he thought had probably happened to his friend. He had been through it himself, he knew what type of things happened and what it did to your state of mind, let alone your physical body.

"Yeah. I guess it is. There was one teacher who helped me a couple of times when he saw it happening, but most of the time I was on my own. When I officially came out in my freshman year it got even worse. They started physically beating me up, in quiet corners of the school of course. They once threw me in the janitors closet and locked me inside. I was there for the whole weekend before the janitor opened the door up and saw I was inside. I was miserable. I told my parents but they just told me to 'man' up. I think my dad resented me for being gay and openly so. I ruined his 'perfect' family picture." Blaine's breath hitched as he felt the inevitable lump form in his throat. The tears falling freely down his face now. "I even told the faculty and the governing board but they didn't care. No one cared about some sad little gay freshman being bullied. So I just tried to brave it out, you know? When the school had a Sadie Hawkins dance I went with the only other gay person at the school and we had fun, till it was finished. When we got out into the car park, waiting for his dad to arrive, the jocks found us and beat us almost to death. Matt, my friend, he ended up in a coma. I got away with a broken leg, a fractured collar bone and a broken nose, along with half a dozen broken ribs and lots of bruising. Once that had happened my parents realised how dangerous it really was for me and transferred me here. I think that was the only time they ever showed love for me. Now they've gone back to totally ignoring me. I don't even go home at weekends because they don't even acknowledge that I've come home. That is if they are even home themselves. They go away. A lot... So now you know my story..." Blaine shrugged, as though trying to make it less of a deal then it really was. Kurt, squeezing Blaine's hand tightly in support looked on the verge of tears himself at Blaine's revelation.

"Oh Blaine. It makes what I went through seem like nothing. Did your friend get better?"

Blaine nodded his head, but sadly. "He and his parents moved away. They went to San Francisco and I haven't heard from him since. I hope he's doing alright. Better then me anyway. It took me a while to stop having nightmares about it all and I was the one least hurt in it. It was only because he shielded me..." A huge wracking sob escaped Blaine's lips as he remembered the night of pure horror that he had endured. His hand going over his mouth to try and keep any more sobs from escaping and Kurt held on, horrified and upset at seeing his friend like this. "They didn't even get prosecuted for what they did. No one cared. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me..." Kurt sat stunned. He couldn't even imagine having been bullied worse than he had. Blaine really had been through so much in his life. It wasn't fair. He was the kindest, gentlest soul he had ever met. He pulled Blaine into a warm embrace, stroking his hands up and down Blaine's back and making soothing noises to calm his friend down.

Eventually Blaine's sobbing ceased and Kurt heard his breathing even out. When he looked down he could see the dark haired boy had fallen asleep in his arms, clutching Kurt's shirt in his hands for comfort and human contact. Kurt removed his shirt from Blaine's grip, making the boy frown and mumble slightly and placed him gently down onto the bed, pulling his covers over him so he could recharge his batteries so to speak, and proceeded to go back to his homework, a stray tear falling down his face at the thought of Blaine getting hurt. He fingered the gold chain around his neck once more and remembered the tale that went with the locket tucked inside his clothing. He hadn't worn it for weeks, but after hearing Blaine's tales of woe last week, and now today, he had found it at home and put it on to remind him of what lay inside...


The Warblers had just finished having their secret meeting about Kurt's new friend and Wes left troubled. Neither Jeff and Nick or Thad and David had found anything out about why he was at Dalton. Nick was convinced however that he was a student here, but Jeff had stated that he had looked through last years yearbook and he was not in it. It would have depended on his transfer though. They couldn't be sure of anything. Wes was even beginning to doubt himself. He had always thought that he knew every student, but what if he didn't? He had told the boys to just let this friendship with Kurt play out for now, with Nick and Jeff keeping an eye on things their end since the boy had already met Nick. Nick had interestingly said that Blaine had mentioned having a big brother who lived in LA. But since Anderson was a common name Wes wasn't sure how well the quest to find his brother would pan out. Plus what exactly would he say to him if he did find him? 'Hi, you don't know me but I go to Dalton Academy. Is your brother a student there too?' I mean, how ludicrous would that sound? No, for now he would leave it in the boy's court. He could play the next move and Wes would bide his time and act accordingly...