Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. Those would be the property of Ryan Murphy, Fox and so on and so forth

Author's Note:

Thanks again for those magnificent reviews! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm sorry for this semi-short chapter, but I really wanted to get some kind of an update out to you today, but it's getting quite late and Casey needs her sleep to bring more awesome updates! Also, if we get some good reviews, I might be able to get a longer and more awesome chapter out tomorrow! I don't know, guys…can we make it happen? ;D

-Casey

Reviewers:

klainediva – I'm glad you liked it! Blaine actually doesn't know how much Kurt and his parents know. He assumes that no one knows…isn't he in for a surprise, huh? =P

emmaplodocus – Jeez, I know right? These kinds of stories are so sad, but still, we read and write them. Lol. I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying it! =D

flamealchemist15 – I know, very sad indeed. =( Klaine forever! =D

tomboy2012 – I'm so happy you thought so! I do try and get updates out as fast as I can. In fact, I feel bad that this update is shorter than my usual ones, but I really, really, really wanted to update, but only had time for a quick one. =(

Klaine Lover – Blaine definitely needs your words. He needs that courage to get through this!

no1hpfan – Aww, I always get so sad when I hear that I either make people cry or almost cry…lol.

Glee-rific-Klaine – He definitely needs a lot of hugs! I also agree, Karofsky deserves a lot of bad things to come his way.

GLEEKfreak101 – Oh yes, my fictional Kurt is incredibly cliché and cheesy. Lol. He needs to be or this situation won't work, lol.

GreggoAddict – You, I swear…it's like you read my mind with these things. Lol. Definitely some drama to be coming this way. Lol.

riker-rocky-ross-lynchlover795 – I'm super happy to hear that! =D

Khemikle Disaster – Another Casey, huh? Lol. If so, awesome! Our name rocks. Lol.

LopeDogg – Awww, *Hugs*

StarlightFilly – I'm scared if you're going to pick up that pitchfork again after this chapter…lol. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a shit day…but it makes me feel very honored that an update from me made it better. ^.^ I know what you mean about that patience thing! Sometimes I read fics and practically die waiting for an update! Lol. I sometimes wish I had all of it to read like a book! Lol.

angel-hime96 – Jeez, I know, right? So many wonderful things came out! Can I just say, I am SUPER excited for Tuesday? I think The First Time is going to be an awesome episode!

MiaLawrence – I hope you had a great weekend! Kurt definitely needs to get Blaine to speak, I'm dying not having him speak as well! Damn my mind for coming up with the ideas that it does…lol.

tranghana – You know, I never really know the answer to that question…usually I like to write until all the loose ends are tied up or I run out of ideas…or if people lose interest in the story…none of those have happened yet, so I don't really see an end yet. Writing this fic is actually keeping me super happy. I like to write for people. I hope you don't want it to end soon…=( Lol.

Many thanks for those reviews guys, they were wonderful. Again, sorry for the short chapter, but like I said, if we give Casey awesome reviews, there just may be another update sooner than you think! ;D

Chapter 10. "How Much Do You Know?"

"Didn't I warn you about what would happen if you told Kurt about our love? I told you I was going to come after him, then I'd be back for you; didn't I?"

Blaine bolted up in terror from the hospital bed. Karofsky was back; he had found Blaine lying in waiting like a sitting duck. He locked the door behind him and wordlessly approached Blaine. He didn't waste a moment before he reached out and placed a hand tightly around Blaine's throat. He and Azimio had gone after Kurt after Blaine had broken down and finally decided to tell Kurt everything. Kurt was now lying in a hospital bed of his own; the doctors didn't know if he would ever wake from his coma.

Blaine gasped at the firm hold Karofsky had on his throat as he attempted to choke out a reply.

"I—I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to say anything…b-but, I c-can't hide a-anything f-f-from Kurt," Blaine had managed to squeak out.

"Well, baby, it looks like we won't have to worry about that anymore, will we? Azimio and I took good care of your beloved Kurt and it looks like I will have no problem having you all to myself now," Karofsky replied with a grin.

"P-please," Blaine begged, trying to get Dave to ease up the grip on his throat.

"I'm sorry, honey, am I hurting you?"

"Y-yes."

"Good, you deserve it. You deserve to be punished for being such a naughty boy, don't you, Blaine?"

Blaine didn't want to respond, he knew the answer Dave was looking for, but he didn't want to say it. He refused to.

"What have we talked about with the silent treatment, Blaine? The punishment just gets worse."

"I-I…" Blaine bit his lip, he didn't want to ask for it but what choice did he have? "I d-deserve to b-be punished…"

Blaine cringed at his admission of his supposed wrong-doing. He had done nothing wrong; it was Dave who was in the wrong here. Why should he be punished for it? In whose mind did that make sense?

"Yes, yes you do, Blainey-Bear and ask and you shall receive," Dave agreed, taking his hand off Blaine's throat and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "Now, I want you to get over my knee…"

No. He didn't want that. He had had enough of that.

"P-please, n-no. Not that…"

"You do as you're told, Blaine, or I swear to god, I'll—"

Blaine woke up with a start, gasping for air. The tight hold on his throat was gone as was the horrifying image of Karofsky; now the hospital room was quiet, bright, and most importantly, vacant. He slowly but surely began to calm down and started to work on regulating his racing heartbeat. He took deep breaths as he wiped the back of his hand against his forehead collecting the light sweat that had formed as a result of the nightmare. Natural light flowed into the dreary hospital room like a beacon of hope as Blaine attempted to collect himself. At least he got through one night's sleep relatively smoothly.

This was the first nightmare he had of Karofsky and truthfully, it terrified him. The longer he was away from him, the more he was getting used to the idea of it. He was sure that he was going to make good on his promise of coming after him again, but what if he also planned to just come after Kurt after all just to scare him as a warning? What did Karofsky even have planned? Was he absolutely sure that Blaine would keep his mouth shut for good? Was he banking on that? Did he have other plans? Blaine was making himself dizzy from all the constant questions.

"Blaine, honey? Are you all right?"

Blaine jumped from the voice that had abruptly broken the silence; he felt his heart rate beginning to rise at an unhealthy pace before he recognized that it was Kurt's voice. The fluorescent lights flickered on allowing more light to flood the room as Kurt entered holding two cups of coffee that read "The Lima Bean" on them. He must have left while Blaine was asleep to go and grab some coffee; after all, Kurt loved his morning coffee. He was thankful that the nurses had let Kurt stay the night, but he also felt a twinge of guilt at the probability that he hadn't slept at all.

Blaine took a deep breath to calm himself down and shook his head in response. He had to stop being so jumpy.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Kurt spoke softly as he took his seat on the chair beside Blaine's bed. "Was it a nightmare?"

Blaine nodded slowly whilst attempting to hide his uneasiness, but he was certain he wasn't fooling Kurt.

"Here, sweetheart, it's your favorite," Kurt stated, handing over one of the cups. "Medium drip."

Blaine attempted to smile fondly at him as he took the steaming cup, gratefully. It probably came out as an uncomfortable looking smirk, but Kurt seemed to understand what he meant by it. He spent a moment just to take in the smell. He felt a sense of instant familiarity sweep over him. It was as if none of the horrible things had happened and he was back at The Lima Bean having coffee with Kurt and gazing into his beautiful blue eyes; back when none of this was their new reality. He longed for that time again when he wasn't worried about Dave or Azimo and just had to worry about what new outfit Kurt was going to try to get him to wear.

He brought the cup to his lips and felt indescribable warmth as the hot liquid came into contact with his throat. A wave of calm swept over him; it was as if he had never tasted the drink before even though he had had it nearly every day for the past few months.

He looked over at Kurt and tried to convey his gratitude through his eyes and took the free hand that wasn't holding his own non-fat mocha.

"I knew that this would cheer you up. Even in a crisis, you love your coffee," Kurt chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink.

There was a moment of silence between them as Kurt seemed to ponder what to say. In the meantime, Blaine sipped his coffee with one hand and gently guided his thumb over Kurt's with his other.

"You know that it's over, right?" Kurt inquired finally breaking the silence.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt with a look of confusion not knowing what he really meant by the question.

"They're not going to hurt you anymore…your attackers. They can't," Kurt replied when he realized his comment must have been confusing.

Blaine wished he could feel that way, but he knew they could still hurt him and what was worse: they planned on it. They also still had it in their power to hurt Kurt but he couldn't convey that message seriously. He had written it down as a warning to Kurt, but he had dismissed it truly believing that it was all over. Blaine wished to the ends of the earth that it were so but it never would be. This was his new reality that he had to accept.

"I wish you would talk to me; just one word...anything. I wouldn't care what it was as long as I could hear your voice. I don't think you understand how miserable it makes me not hearing your voice," Kurt admitted, sadly, gazing down at the floor.

Blaine didn't want to make Kurt sad. It was the last thing he ever wanted. He just wanted to keep him safe and a part of him also didn't want Kurt to know the truth. If he knew how Blaine was no longer innocent or pure, he would be disgusted and leave him. That was something he truly couldn't bear. He gave Kurt's hand a gentle squeeze as if to say, I'm sorry, I wish I could, but I love you too much to tell you the truth and I love you too much to risk your safety.

"I mean, is this your plan, Blaine? To never speak again?" Kurt asked softly, sounding on the verge of tears.

Blaine hadn't really thought that far ahead. He had said to himself that he never wanted to speak again, but he wasn't really sure for how long. To him, the future was a very dark area. He had no idea if Karofsky would be coming for him that day or the next, so it was hard to determine anything. He also hadn't thought about Kurt finding out what had actually happened to him. He didn't know. He simply didn't know. To him, it was getting through one day to the next; no real long term.

When Blaine didn't answer, Kurt placed his coffee on the bedside table and stood up. He paced over to the wall and just stood there.

Blaine felt his heart fall. He really didn't want to upset Kurt; he hadn't meant to be the one causing him to hurt now, but he really had no choice. When he heard the sniffles coming from his boyfriend, he felt his heart shatter.

Kurt hastily wiped at his eyes before he turned around and made his way back to his chair.

"I'm sorry, honey, I don't mean to be a blubbering idiot around you. It's the last thing you need right now. You need someone to be strong for you, not weak."

Blaine placed his coffee beside Kurt's, grabbed his hands and shook his head frantically attempting to communicate to Kurt that he wasn't weak.

"I am weak, Blaine. While you were gone, I didn't know how I'd stay strong. Without you, I felt like half a person. I didn't know how I was going to make it without you and now I want to hear your voice so bad, it hurts…and I just don't know how to be strong like you. You've always been the strong one. I know this sounds selfish, but it's how I feel. I still look up to you now more than ever. I'm sure if our roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have been able to make it."

Blaine loosened his grip on Kurt's hands slightly and stared silently at him. Kurt talked as if he knew what had happened to him…how much did he know exactly? Blaine felt as if there was less air in the room then there had been before as he struggled to keep his breathing at a normal pace. He felt a slight wave of nausea overcome him as his head began to spin. How much did Kurt know?

"Blaine? Are you OK?"

Blaine shook his head and motioned for the paper: their means of communication. Kurt obliged and handed him the paper as he frantically wrote his message down to Kurt. He handed it to him and grabbed at his blanket with both hands as a means of support.

How much do you know, exactly…?

He watched as Kurt read his message and gazed back up from the paper to meet his eyes.

"I know a lot of things, Blaine. Pretty much everything that happened to you, just not who did it," Kurt responded. truthfully.

Kurt knew. Blaine felt sick to the point of death. His fear had taken over as he grasped the blanket tightly. Kurt was going to leave him now that he knew. He was only here to be nice to him before he left him for someone pure. He felt the tears form and spill as he began to hyperventilate. He didn't know what he was going to do without Kurt. Kurt was his lifeline. Even though Karofsky was going to be coming back for him, he didn't want to go knowing that Kurt was disgusted by him. Truth be told, it was Kurt's love that had gotten him through the experience the first time.

Kurt sensed that Blaine had begun to panic and immediately grabbed for his hands that were at the moment clutching the blanket in a death grip.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down," Kurt insisted soothingly but firmly whilst shushing Blaine and pulling him into a tight hug.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt tightly, not wanting to let go. What if this was it? The goodbye hug?

"What are you so afraid of, honey? I'm still right here. Calm down and breathe," Kurt instructed as he rocked Blaine gently trying to calm him down, which worked slightly. Blaine felt himself relaxing in Kurt's embrace. This was actually the first hug they shared since he had been back.

"Yes, I do know some things that happened to you but I want you to know that I don't under any circumstance see you any differently."

Blaine pulled away and looked at Kurt with wide eyes. What was he saying?

"You heard me right, Blaine. What happened to you was not your fault. I look at you the same as I always did, only…if it's even possible, I hold even more admiration for you then I did. No one I know would be brave enough to go through that and come back in one piece. Yes, we have a few drawbacks to work on but honey, you're here now and you're safe with me. I've seen you attempt to smile at me and even on that first night back, you calmed me down just by looking at me with that look you do. You're strong, Blaine and you always have been," Kurt explained with tears coming to his eyes.

Blaine had a few tears of his own as he grabbed onto one of Kurt's hands and squeezed it tight.

"So don't worry about losing me over this, you never will. I love you, Blaine," Kurt assured him with a watery smile.

Blaine wanted to say he loved him back, he really did…but he still couldn't find his voice.

"Talk to me, sweetie...I know you can," Kurt encouraged in a whisper.

Blaine took a deep breath and opened his mouth slightly to try and get the words out when a voice interrupted.

"Turns out you were right, Hummel. Your boyfriend is alive and well just like you had hoped."

Karofsky?

Damn, I am sooo not nice…=/ Blaine was about to try and talk again, too…I guess I'm ready for those angry torches and pitchforks…lol. I did say this was going to be a bit of a roller coaster, right? Roller coasters do have highs and lows…I'm just trying to give you guys excuses not to hate me…lol. Anyway, 'm sorry if it seems a tad short, but it's late and I just wanted to get a quick chapter out to you guys. So please as always let me know what you think! Definitely helps with those updates! Much love to all!

-Casey