Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter is strictly Declan and Kurt (Durt?), and the reason for that is because I felt like Kurt needed a chapter devoted mostly to his first official reap. The next chapter will probably focus more on Blaine's quest to track down the mysterious Trevor and how 'Trevor' responds to that. Any comments or suggestions are always appreciated.

Don't own Glee (or Gleehee) or Dead Like Me

Chapter 21

Kurt awoke, his mind shifting easily between the dream world and consciousness. It had been the first completely peaceful night of sleep he'd had in over a week and despite how exhausted he'd felt the night before, he found waking up to be less of a chore than usual. He laid there for a few minutes, awake, but not quite ready to open his eyes.

It took him several seconds to realize that he wasn't on the couch like usual. This surface was much firmer, but softer to the touch. It didn't sag in the middle or create painful pressure points where the cushions on the couch connected. He was definitely in a bed and a very comfortable one at that. He stretched his legs out until they were fully extended and was pleased to find that the bottoms of his feet weren't met with an arm rest, halting his movement mid-stretch. Instead, his toes curled just slightly over the end of the bed, poking out from underneath the blanket.

With a little effort, Kurt finally squinted his eyes open, not knowing exactly what to expect. Obviously he was in Declan's bed, but aside from that detail, he wasn't sure what he'd find. As his eyes opened, he was met with the wall to the right side of the bed. Enough light was leaking through the window for him to be able to make out the details of the room. Rolling over quietly, Kurt scanned the bed. He was alone. That's weird, Kurt thought to himself. Well, it was weird that he was in Declan's bed to begin with, but if Kurt was here, where was Declan?

On slightly shaky legs, Kurt stood up from the bed and gave one last long stretch before stumbling out of the room into the hallway. He contemplated making a pit stop in the bathroom, but decided to try to locate Declan first. As he exited the hallway into the living room, he saw something that brought a small smile to his lips. Declan was curled up on the couch, neck at a painful-looking angle and snoring softly. Kurt watched the thin blanket rise and fall gently with the other boy's breaths and he briefly wondered how they'd switched sleeping arrangements last night.

He remembered coming home in a fog. He remembered explaining to Declan how he'd lost his memories at the assembly, but that was about it. They had been sitting on the couch talking, and then…what? At some point Kurt ended up in the bedroom and Declan on the couch, but at least for now, those details were a mystery to him.

It occurred to Kurt that with the light streaming into the room from outside that it had to be morning. Glancing over at the wall clock, Kurt saw that it was about seven thirty in the morning, a half hour until they were supposed to be at Maggie's for the morning report meeting. I'm glad I woke up, Kurt thought, since it appeared that neither of them bothered setting an alarm. He watched Declan for a few more seconds before crouching down at the couch near Declan's head to wake him up.

"Dec," he said softly, rubbing the other boys shoulder. "Rise and shine, we have to get up."

"Who—wha?" Declan sat up with a jolt, obviously as confused by his surroundings as Kurt had been when he woke up a few minutes earlier. "Oh, Kurt," he mumbled, finally starting to wake up. "What, um…what time is it?"

"It's seven thirty, we have to get going or we're going to be late for Sue," Kurt said, standing up and extending a hand to him. Declan accepted it and with Kurt's help, pulled himself into a sitting position. His shirt was twisted and bunched up on one side, leaving the left side of his ribcage exposed. Kurt caught a glimpse of a tattoo before quickly averting his eyes so as not to appear to be staring.

"So, why are you on the couch?" Kurt asked with a slight, playful chuckle.

"Huh? Oh," Declan looked confused, but shook his head vigorously, as if trying to clear his mind of cobwebs. Man, he's hard to wake up, Kurt thought. "Well, you were just so tired last night and I figured you could use a decent night sleep. And after spending the night on this couch, I've determined that would have been impossible for you to do if you were out here. Why didn't you tell me it was this lumpy?"

Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, it's not that bad. I mean, you are letting me stay here for free and all…" he trailed off and started to blush as Declan broke out into a laugh.

"Kurt," he said, once he was able to stifle his giggling. "You do realize we're squatting here, right?"

"Oh yeah," he muttered, slightly embarrassed. "How could I forget?" Kurt turned around and trudged toward the bathroom before turning around and remembering his manners.

"Hey thanks for letting me have the bed," He said, crossing his arms subconsciously over his chest. "You didn't have to do that and I feel kinda bad that you slept on the couch."

Declan stood up and rolled his neck around a few times, wincing as he did, to loosen it up. "No biggie, we'll um, figure something out from here on out. You know, sleeping arrangement-wise." Kurt nodded and turned around to head into the bathroom. Declan waited until the door closed to head to the bedroom to grab a fresh set of clothes.

The night before, Kurt had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as he curled into him. Declan stroked his back lightly, listening to the deep, even breaths of the boy he was beginning to care very deeply for. They stayed that way for a long time, but eventually Declan decided he needed some sleep as well. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, since Kurt was doing his first official reaping.

Declan shifted as softly as possible trying to get in a position to better assess the situation. Kurt breathing didn't even falter. Wow, he's really out, Declan thought to himself. He sat on the edge of the couch, contemplating the way Kurt was now leaning against the couch. When he stood up and put his arms underneath Kurt in a basket hold, he had intended just to stretch Kurt out on the couch so that he wouldn't be cramped up in the morning. But his brain could process what he was doing, his arms were lifting the boy up off the couch. Declan was surprised at how light Kurt was in his arms. Still not waking, Kurt rolled his head over so that it was resting on Declan's chest again. Declan stood still for a moment, making sure that Kurt was going to stay asleep, before carrying him gingerly to the bedroom.

Approaching the bed, he laid Kurt's body down gently. Kurt immediately rolled over on his side and hugged the pillow. Declan thought it was kind of endearing the way Kurt seemed to need to be latched on to something as he slept. Picking the blanket up, he laid it carefully over the sleeping boy, tucking it in slightly at the edges.

The thought of crawling in next Kurt briefly flitted through Declan's mind, but just as soon as it entered, it dissipated with the knowledge that Kurt would probably be more than a little uncomfortable waking up in bed next to him. Sighing heavily with a bit of self-satisfaction at the restraint he was showing, he made his way back out to the couch and laid down to rest.

The couch was horrible. Declan wondered how Kurt slept on it every night without complaint. After much tossing and turning, he finally fell into a light sleep, waking up every so often, each time with a bit of confusion as to where he was. The last time, he'd been woken up by Kurt and for a brief moment, he'd thought it was an angel in front of him.

Declan paused, arms in mid-air as he was throwing a fresh shirt on. Stop it, he told himself, breaking himself out of the reverie. This is crazy and you have to snap out of it. Kurt is not an option. Not now anyway, and maybe not ever. Either way you have to stop. Declan finished putting his clothes on and stepped out of the room. Kurt was already out of the bathroom.

As Declan headed into the bathroom, he chanced a glance down the short hallway into the living room. Kurt was in there, shirtless, with his back to him. He was unfolding a shirt and preparing to throw it over his head. Declan admired the way his slight muscles shifted underneath the skin with his arm movements.

Before he could dwell on it any more, he tore his eyes away from the scene and went into the bathroom, closing the door a little more forcefully than was necessary. Turning the cold water on full blast, he splashed his face several times, trying to jolt his brain into cooperation. What did I just tell you? He scolded himself. Stop. Now.

"Dec?" he heard Kurt's muffled voice call from the other side of the door. "You ready? We're going to be late."

"Coming!" He shouted back, giving himself one last warning look in the mirror before heading out to join Kurt.

Several hours later, Kurt found himself on the doorstep of 51 Hummingbird Avenue, standing next to Declan. They'd received the reaping assignment from Sue earlier that morning, and had spent the next few hours trying to prepare Kurt for his first official reaping. Thankfully, Kurt had the foresight to ask off from work for the whole day, just in case things didn't go well. As it was, Kurt was definitely nervous, although the only thing different from this reap compared to the others is that he would be taking the soul rather than Declan and thank goodness Declan was there for back up. Kurt didn't think he would have been able to handle it alone.

"You ready?" Declan asked, giving Kurt what he hoped was an encouraging smile. In reality, Declan was quite nervous himself. Not because of the reap necessarily, but because of the sheer intensity and suddenness of the emotions he was feeling for Kurt since the night before. Sure, he'd felt something toward Kurt from the first time they met, but last night had done something to Declan and it scared the crap out of him.

"Yeah, I think so," Kurt said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. "But what are we going to do? Ring the doorbell and say, 'hi, we're here to take your soul'?"

Declan chuckled and reached over to ring the doorbell. "Just follow my lead."

At the sound of the bell, the boys heard a dog start yipping from another part of the house. Within seconds, the sound of nails skittering over hardwood flooring brought the shrill barking closer. A few seconds later, heavier and obviously human footsteps seemed to be approaching. They hear several locks being worked and the door finally creaked open, revealing a kind-looking, elderly woman.

"Yes, can I help you boys?" She said with a tentative smile.

"Yes ma'am," Declan plastered on a smile. "My name is Roger and this is Danny," he said, indicating first to himself and then Kurt. "And we're here to talk to you about Jesus."

Kurt's head whipped over to Declan with such intensity, Declan was surprised it didn't just pop off of his shoulders. To his credit though, Kurt regained his composure fairly quickly, returning his gaze to the woman, who was looking between the two expectantly.

"Well, my heavens," She said after a few moments. "What a pleasant surprise! Would you like to come in?"

Jackpot. "That would be lovely," Declan answered. She stepped back and opened the door wider, accepting Declan and then Kurt into the house.

"Would you boys care for some lemonade?" She asked as she shut the door, working the locks more out of habit than anything. Declan nudged Kurt and nodded silently toward the woman's back, indicating that it was time for him to take over the conversation.

"That sounds perfect, Ms., um…" Kurt trailed off. He'd memorized the name on the post-it, but he wanted to make sure they had the right person just in case.

"Roddenberry. Hilda Roddenberry," She answered.

"Well Ms. Roddenberry," Kurt smiled, relieved that this was in fact their target. He stuck out his hand to her and she accepted it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kurt watched with a shudder as the wispy, silvery form of her soul wafted away from her hand into Kurt's. He'd seen the process with Declan and the other reapers several times now, but to experience it himself was a completely different feeling. Declan shook hands with her before she pointed out the living room to them.

"You two have a seat right there in the parlor and I'll be right back with some refreshments," She smiled. "It's so nice to have an unexpected visit from a couple of young folks doing the Lord's work."

Kurt had to bite his lip to keep from saying anything. The wince from the impact of his teeth against his bottom lip must have looked like a smile to the woman because she patted his arm slightly before turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

"If only she knew," Kurt muttered under his breath to Declan as they sat side-by-side on an overstuffed loveseat. "What time is it?"

"One more minute," Declan reassured, glancing at his watch. They could hear rattling from an ice tray in the kitchen and Kurt was mulling over the different ways Ms. Roddenberry might meet her fate when Declan poked him in the ribs.

"Ow! What?" He said, arching his back and rubbing his side, giving Declan an annoyed look.

"Look," Declan pointed to the foyer and up at a chandelier. Kurt squinted until he saw the movement and shuddered.

"Graveling," He hissed. It was only his third or fourth time seeing one, but each time, it creeped him out. This one was standing on the chandelier, making it swing slightly. It sounded like it was snickering to, as it looked back in the direction of the kitchen, as if in anticipation.

Kurt took a deep breath as he heard steps coming from the kitchen. "Alright boys, here we go," Ms. Roddenberry announced as she began walking out of the kitchen. Kurt watched as the graveling swung the chandelier back and forth several times, until, when she was directly below it, the graveling jumped up and came back down with such force that the chandelier snapped free of its cable, landing on Ms. Roddenberry and sending her body crumpling to the floor. Kurt was still watching in slight, but quickly diminishing horror when he heard a voice coming from his left.

"My heavens, what a mess!" Kurt turned to see Ms. Roddenberry sitting in a rocking chair next to the loveseat. She appeared to be fretting over the spilled lemonade and cookies more than her own lifeless body. "I always knew that thing wasn't secured properly," she tsked.

"Ms. Roddenberry?" Kurt asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I don't know dear," She answered, looking between him and her body lying in the foyer. "I suppose I'm dead now?"

"Yes ma'am," Kurt answered, with a true twinge of sympathy. "You'll be headed off soon. Is there anything you'd like me to do for you?"

"Oh dear," she answered, bringing a shaky hand to her forehead. "Would you mind terribly picking those cookies up before Princess gets a hold of them?"

"Sure thing Ms. R," Declan answered, standing up from the loveseat and scooping up the cookies in the hallway. He faltered a bit when Princess, an apparently hungry and ill-tempered shih tzu growled at him and tried to snap a cookie out of his hand. Kurt and the woman watched the scene before a glimmer off in the room opposite the foyer caught his eye.

The glimmer was the light of the next world. Everyone's lights looked different, and they took the form of how each individual viewed heaven. Ms. Roddenberry's lights formed a serene lake, with a park bench and ducks milling around.

"I think they're ready for you," Kurt stood up and took her hand with a smile. She followed him without question as he led her over to the lights. She smiled back at him once before fearlessly stepping into them. She was enveloped by the lights and with a brief flash they were gone. Kurt watched the empty space for a few moments before turning around to find Declan standing behind him.

"Well that was…" Kurt started bravely, but trailed off. It had been a fairly easy reap, but still intense for Kurt as he realized that this was what his life meant now, this was his duty.

"You did a great job," Declan reassured, walking up to Kurt and pulling him into a tight hug. "Why don't we go get some lunch?"

"Sounds good, but I'm all out of cash," Kurt answered, patting his pockets for effect.

"No worries," Declan grinned sheepishly, holding up a wad of cash.

"Where did you—never mind, I don't want to know," Kurt waved him off, heading for the front door. Declan fell in step behind him. "And, 'we're here to talk to you about Jesus'? Really?"

Declan laughed a bit but didn't speak as they headed out of the house, closing the door softly behind them.