A/N: Hello, beloved readers! How I've missed you all! Honestly, I have. But who'd have known two days in Cornwall with the boyfriend could have given me so much inspiration? It was amazing. Loved it. But I love you guys more!

I'm actually reasonably pleased with this chapter. And I'm even more pleased with the response I got to the last chapter - ohmygosh, thank you so much! Keep it coming please, it put me on the top of the world and even helped to make this chapter extra long!

I hope you guys like this so much - at the end of this chapter we see Kurt starting to break down and accept what's happened. It's kinda dark but I hope you like it all the same! Next chapter is fluff and angst, so if you guys want it, please review!

I love you all, please review, it means the world to me! Happy reading!

Oh, and P.S. - happy easter!

Chapter ten

Kurt's gasp flew from his mouth instantly. "No way, Dad!" He near-shrieked, glancing at Blaine briefly to back him up.

But the older boy just looked resigned. He had expected this, as he would have expected this from any good parent – which he knew Burt to be – to want to protect their child, no matter what the costs, whether those where to be emotional, financial or physical.

Kurt read his boyfriend instantly, knowing exactly what he was thinking after just one look. He turned back to his dad. "No. I refuse. I know you care about my safety, Dad, and I'm touched, really I am. There are so many kids who would love to have parents who are as concerned as you are, but honestly, I feel safer at Dalton than I ever have anywhere. It's my home. I live there, I have friends there and I shine there. It's everything I want; it has everything I want," another glance was thrown at Blaine to punctuate this sentence, who smiled broadly at the reference to him, trying to focus on Kurt's words as he continued, "and I'm not leaving. There is no physical way you can make me."

"But, Kurt," Burt started, but was cut off by his son instantly.

"I would have been dead by now if I'd have stayed at McKinley." He saw the words hit both men in the room with an almost physical force; Kurt knew it was a dirty trick but it was a card he felt forced to play. "There's no way around it. You could have gotten me a bodyguard – an army of bodyguards – and Karofsky would have found a way to get to me. And he would have done something far, far worse than Jeff ever could have." There was no atom in Kurt's body that doubted this, and he was pleased to see Burt's recognition of this honesty.

"I wasn't thinking of McKinley. We could go anywhere." Burt told him, knowing it was helpless but he had to try. He had to try and protect his son – what more could he do?

"And uproot our whole family just to take me somewhere safe, when actually; I feel perfectly safe exactly where I am? Even you must see the ridiculousness of that! At McKinley, even if something like this had happened, no action would have been taken – you know that as well as I do – whereas at Dalton, someone will do something." Kurt glanced at Blaine to back him up on this, and the older boy sprang into action, seizing his opportunity to convince Burt. Although he had accepted the idea of Kurt moving schools, that was not to say that the idea appealed to him in any way. He needed Kurt and he wasn't letting him go without a fight.

"That's absolutely right. We have a zero tolerance bullying policy. At worst, Jeff will be punished and forcibly kept away from Kurt. At best, he'll be expelled. There's always an option at Dalton; there's never nothing we can do about anything." Blaine said, almost pleadingly, and Burt was powerless to ignore the desperation in the boy's voice.

"I know you're right," he admitted, gruffly, "but you're my son, Kurt. I care, more than you could ever imagine. I just want you to be safe."

"He will be," Blaine cut in, quickly, wrapping his hand around Kurt's and squeezing gently, watching as a smile tugged at the younger boy's lips. He fought the urge to grin back and instead looked straight at Burt as he said, "I promise."

Kurt looked like an angel when he slept, Blaine concluded. The only problem was, sleep was tugging at the corners of Blaine's subconscious too, and he had to fight the urge to close his eyes and curl up next to Kurt – he knew the younger boy would need him to be up and alert in case anything happened or just in case he needed him. Burt had left a couple of hours ago to grab some stuff from his house for Kurt and Blaine couldn't stand the thought of Kurt needing him and being unable to wake the older boy and being completely alone.

As stars danced across Blaine's pupils, he decided it was high time to grab a coffee to ward off sleep. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand out of Kurt's fist and pressed a kiss to the other boy's forehead. He smiled slightly at the small sigh Kurt gave before turning on his side, and exited the room quickly. He could only afford to be a few minutes, there was a small chance of something happening to Kurt in that time and it was definitely better that than Blaine falling asleep for hours on end.

As he pushed the door closed behind him silently, he felt a presence behind him. A shadow fell over him and in a second Blaine knew exactly who that shadow belonged to. The gruff voice came, reaffirming Blaine's suspicions. "Blaine?"

The older boy sucked in a breath and turned to face his boyfriend's father, a sincere smile playing on his lips. "Mr Hummel," he greeted him briefly and, knowing what he was going to ask, continued, "he's doing well. The doctors say he can go back to Dalton tomorrow." He saw the agitation at the school-reference on Burt's face and it worried him. "I mean…if that's still okay with you. I would love for him to stay at Dalton but I completely agree with you – his safety is the most important thing. If you genuinely think that pulling him out of Dalton and making him transfer to another school then please do. I just want him to be safe." Blaine punctuated this sentence with a sigh as he turned to look longingly through the window and into the private room where Kurt lay. He couldn't help but think briefly that Kurt would never have been seen dead in a hospital gown if it wasn't for the severity of the situation, but he pushed that thought aside as the memories of the incident returned to him and he had to fight to repress a shudder.

Blaine nearly jumped out of his skin when Burt placed a hand on his shoulder, gently. "I know you do, son."

Son? Blaine was touched, scared and confused all at once, and he hoped the look he gave Burt conveyed all of these things. It seemed to work, and Burt laughed slightly.

"I know you kids think I don't approve but honestly, I never had any doubt that you two would…find each other eventually. I'm very glad it didn't happen under my roof, but I've known how Kurt felt for a long time. Every time he talked about you he…lit up, the way I've only ever seen him do when he's performing." Burt seemed to consider this briefly for a second, before continuing, "And when I saw you two together, well, I just had this feeling. I just…knew. I knew it was only a matter of time." Burt confessed, so caught up in his own nostalgia that he barely noticed the tears framing Blaine's pupils.

"Thank you, sir," Blaine choked, touched, "that genuinely means a lot."

"You see, I never had a problem with Kurt being gay. Never. I know that's easy to say, but I knew. Like I knew with you two. What I was afraid of was Kurt being lonely. I knew back then how hard it would be for him and things like this don't help to loosen up my nerves. I was worried he'd never find anyone; I knew it would be more of a struggle for him than for most people. And I don't just mean because he's high maintenance." Blaine couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly at this and Burt joined in, smiling at the boy fondly the way Blaine had only ever seen him look at Kurt before. "When I was younger, I was taught that being homosexual was a curse. I thought it was imposed on people to ruin them, to break them down, condemn them to a life of loneliness. But now I know it's just his path; it's what was chosen for him and he can't help that." Although Blaine was far from religious, he could see the truth in Burt's words and listened intently.

"But now I know it's not a curse…I mean, it led him to you. And I can honestly say that you're the best thing that's happened to him in a long time." Burt told him, his harsh exterior crumbling away to reveal a vulnerable, caring man underneath. "And I know you think you're off the hook now. That is not the case." Burt assured him and Blaine resisted the urge to laugh. "If you hurt him, you're still getting hurt a thousand times worse. But somehow…I don't have that fear with you."

"You shouldn't," Blaine cut in, hurriedly, "I love him. The forever kind." He said, honestly, only realising how lame and high-school-ish that sounded after the words had left his mouth. Burt raised a sceptical eyebrow at this, but Blaine continued regardless. "I know that's awfully presumptuous at this age and seems completely unrealistic. I know we may not last but I'm not lying when I say I love him and that I want us to last more than anything. But I'll love him no matter what happens in the future." Blaine promised, looking Burt straight in the eyes as he said, "You have my word."

The halls of Dalton were hauntingly familiar, Kurt thought as he struggled down them, remembering back to just days ago – although it felt like years – to when he'd streaked down this very hallway in blind panic, leaving Jeff and the nearly-rape behind him.

He shuddered at the memory, utterly repulsed. Kurt tried to focus on the fact that Blaine was here, in the building somewhere. He was stopping by Kurt's room in the next hour or so to check up on him, because he was most definitely now his official boyfriend; the thing he'd waited for for so long. The thought tickled Kurt's insides with joy and sent shivers down his spine. The happiness trickled through him as he continued down the hallway, clutching his messenger bag to him with surprising force. He'd just come from the hospital and Blaine was talking to the principal about the nature of Kurt's absence and his ordeal before he joined him later. Kurt had found himself unable to face any kind of authority, much preferring Blaine to relive the horror, anything as long as he didn't have to. He knew this was selfish but Blaine simply knew the train of events. He didn't have the memories that followed them, the feel of Jeff's breath hot down his neck, the blind panic that struck him as he was held down… Everyone thought he was dealing with it, they'd been impressed with his progress…but inside he was falling apart.

Kurt eventually came to a halt outside the door to his room, pausing slightly before pressing down on the handle and entering. He'd been told that his room had been thoroughly cleaned, eradicating any trace of Jeff and his ordeal, and he'd been thankful. He couldn't deal with revisiting that dark place again.

His room was unrecognisable and Kurt decided that was a good thing. It felt like somewhere new, not where he'd nearly been raped. But he wasn't thinking about that, he couldn't let himself.

Kurt dropped his bag as he pushed the door closed behind him. He surveyed the room around him and headed directly for the bed. He sat down on it experimentally, throwing his head back in shock and panic as flashbacks pulsed through him. The creak the mattress had given as he'd been pushed down onto it, the feel of springs against his backs as he'd been held down, the dull throb his wrists had given as they'd been pinned against the bed… It was unbearable.

Kurt fell back against the pillows, hating the bed, hating the room but he couldn't leave. Where could he go? This was it. This was all he had, Blaine wasn't here to make everything okay again and he was trapped in this cage of memories and horror and panic and pain. There was no escape. It was like one of those horrific nightmares that your body refused to wake up from. But it wasn't going away and Kurt knew now that this would never fade from his subconscious the way a nightmare undoubtedly would.

It felt like this was it; this was all he was anymore.

He buried his face into his pillows and sobbed, showing no signs of ever stopping. What would be the point? What was the point of anything anymore?

A/N: Ouch! Anyways, if you're still reading, thank you so much! I love you all, and to make me love you even more and if you guys want the next chapter this evening, PLEASE review! That's the only way it's gunna be up, if you guys want it! So if you do, let me know! Thank you so much! 3