Would you look at that, huh...?

I surprised myself, too xD

Here you go, chapter 21.

YAY!

...okay, that yay seemed a little inappropriate.

Just read.

Heartbreak

Kurt had thought he'd never have to experience anything like the day of 10th birthday.

Because despite everything, all the horrors he'd been through, that day had been the worst of his life. He had been ripped away from his dad, the only home he had ever known, without knowing when he would come back. Or if he ever would.

But this... This came quite near.

He had never really stopped crying after his breakdown in the middle of the night and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. The girls were crying around him even though they tried to say encouraging words. All of them assured that everything would be okay, great, awesome. And Kurt attempted to smile, even though he didn't believe any of it.

"Five more minutes!" Rachel gasped when Coach Sylvester announced it was time for them to go. She was grasping onto the front of Kurt's shirt, making it wrinkle.

"It's not going to make it easier," Kurt heard himself say.

"But Kurt..."

"I have to go." He took a step backwards, forcing himself to move even though every part of him wanted to stay. "I love you all," he whispered before following Sue to start his new life.

It had been four days.

Four days since Blaine had shown up on Wes's doorstep, again, soaking wet and shivering in the February weather. Wes had just let him in, marched him up to a hot shower and force-fed him soup and hot chocolate before asking questions. After being told everything that had happened after Blaine and Kurt had left, all those weeks ago, Wes had simply sat there for a good 3 minutes before sighing: "You guys are really bad at planning."

Blaine had chuckled but there had been no humor behind it. He felt as if he was free-falling with no means to stop and he kept staring at the phone Shannon had left him with like it could start ringing if he was glaring hard enough.

But no. The phone had been silent for all of the four days. Blaine had checked and double checked that the battery was okay, that the phone was even on and that it could recieve calls just fine. He knew there were still a couple of days before he should really get worried but right now he felt more isolated from the outside world than ever. He couldn't leave the room he was in when Wes's parents were home and helping Brittany clean the litter box while hearing endless stories about New Directions was not the distraction the teen was hoping for.

He caught himself constantly thinking about Kurt, if he was okay and if he had found Puck. He knew Kurt was stronger than what he seemed but he had made the mistake of researching how slaves were treated in such facilities. He had been able to go through a couple of sights before clicking X and it had taken him close to 15 minutes to calm his breathing as he had been nearly hyperventilating.

During his more optimistic moments, he had started to picture what life would be like when this was all over. They had talked about it, carefully, every once in a while. Sometimes, while lying in bed without being able to fall asleep, Blaine and Kurt had even dared to describe what their little house would look like and what they would grow in their garden. Once, with a slight blush on his face, Kurt had admitted that if he ever had a girl, he'd want to name her Elizabeth, after his mother. Blaine had agreed with absolutely no arguing.

Those had been great hours between them, perfect little moments of dreaming in the world of too much reality.

This particular morning Blaine had woken up with a nagging feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. It wouldn't go away and it was slowly but surely giving him a headache. He couldn't explain it and it was making him nervous in a way that prevented him from sitting down for longer than a few moments.

The clock was approaching 5 pm. Warbler practise was about to start. Gosh, just thinking about it made Blaine's chest ache. He had loved Dalton. Still loved it. Before he met Kurt, the Warblers had been the best thing to ever happened to him and had lifted him up from a very bad place.

Blaine thought back to the day he came out to his friends. It was a few days after he had told his parents and as their reaction was less than encouraging, he had ultimately decided he'd keep it from everyone else. He had had this secret for so long and it had never stopped him from acting normally so why should anything change?

Everything had changed.

Telling his parents had made the secret even heavier because saying it out loud had somehow made it even more official than quietly realizing it himself. Suddenly Blaine had found himself being extra careful about what he said and how he said it and just how much affection he showed his friends. He hadn't had much of an appetite and everytime he thought that when the bell rang, he'd have to go back to a house where he was not really wanted, he got an urging feeling to throw up. So, of course, people had noticed.

"You okay, Blaine? You've been really quiet lately."

Blaine flashed David a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm fine. Just... stressed."

"And that usually just makes you talk even more. We know you, Blaine. And we're worried."

"Don't be. Seriously, David, it's nothing. Stupid home stuff, I'm making a bigger deal out of it than I should. I'm fine."

"Yeah, you keep saying that. I don't think you are."

Their conversation had been whispered but Blaine couldn't help but check if anyone else was listening. He relaxed visibly when he was sure that none of the other boys in the library were paying attention to the two of them.

"Alright, so things are a little complicated at home. It's nothing I can handle," he admitted quietly.

"Complicated how?" David asked, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

"Just complicated. I'm not really on the same page with Dad and he's not pleased. He'll get over it. Or he'll start ignoring me... I don't really care."

He did care and he knew it showed on his face. He turned his attention back to the math book in front of him, trying desperately to concentrate on the numbers on the page. He could feel David staring at him but ignored it, even when Wes joined them. They spent almost half an hour in near complete silence and Blaine almost heard his heart thumping in his chest. He was about to burst and it freaked him out.

'Don't do it', he kept repeating in his head. 'Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it...'

"I'm gay."

Shit.

He had both mumbled and whispered and for a moment or two he allowed himself to think that maybe the two others hadn't heard it. But then he looked up and saw that they were staring at him with indentical looks of shock on their faces.

Tears burning in the corners of his eyes, Blaine slammed his book shut and made a move to get up. He froze, however, when Wes put a gentle hand on his arm and silently told him to sit back down. The shocked expression had melted away and had been replaced with a small smile.

"I'm... I'm sorry, it's..."

"It's nothing to be sorry about, man. If it's who you are then cool," Wes said.

"What's not cool is that you obviously didn't think it was okay to tell us," David continued.

"I... I didn't mean to..." Blaine took a deep breath. "I wanted to. I was going to but my parents... Especially my Dad, he's freaked out and I panicked. Things are so horrible at home, I didn't want anything else to change..."

"Nothing is going to change," Wes promised. "You're still Blaine. Who you like is not going to change that."

Blaine chuckled. "Tell that to Dad."

"I will if you want to."

Blaine could hear from his voice that he was being completely serious. His heart was thumping again but for absolutely different reasons. "Thanks but... He's my dad. If I can't change his way of thinking then I don't think anyone can."

"Just say the words, Blaine, and we'll try."

"I know. I know and... Thank you."

"Hey. No problem, dude," David smiled. "We're still on for Call of Duty, right?"

Blaine was shaken away from his thoughts when he heard someone stumbling up the stairs. He frowned, knowing it was way too early for Wes to be home but who else could it be? Sure enough, a few seconds later the Asian boy burst through the door of the guest room, out of breath and his cheeks pink.

"Blaine..." he wheezed out. "Blaine, you... You have to come see this."

"What?" Blaine asked. The tone of Wes's voice did not promise good things.

"It's all over the news... I drove home as soon as..."

"Is this about Kurt?"

Wes paused before nodding slowly. Blaine's heart dropped to his stomach and a sudden shiver went up his spine because why, why, WHY would Wes look so scared and unsure. Numb, Blaine followed his friend to the living room where, unsurprisingly, David was already standing, staring at the TV. He saw a young, serious looking female reporter talking fast to the camera with several police cars and ambulances around him. He saw firefighters yelling orders to each other in the background and paramedics doing what they could to people with different kinds of injuries.

"What's going on?" Blaine asked, his voice weak. He had wanted news, yes, but not the kind that would make his friends miss school. "Guys...? Seriously, just..."

"Kurt's in Graydale Prison for Slaves, right?" David asked and Blaine was shocked to hear that his voice shook a bit.

"...yeah?"

Oh God... No, please, no, this wasn't happening, it couldn't happen, not after all this, no, no, no, no...

"Blaine... That's Graydale Prison for Slaves."

No.

No!

Blaine sank to the couch, his eyes glued to the screen. He couldn't concentrate on what the woman was saying as he was desperately trying to find his boyfriend. He saw smoke rising from somewhere but couldn't locate source. Guards were being treated and their wounds tended to while slaves that seemed to bleed much more heavily were left to wait, cuffed and gagged. Blaine felt his vision go black for a second when he saw the line of big, plastic bags.

"Kurt..."

"I'm so sorry, man, it's..."

"I have to go there."

With a sudden burst of energy, Blaine stood up. Wes and David stared at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Come again?"

"I have to go there! I have to find him!"

"Blaine, half of this town's police force is looking for you!" Wes said.

"I don't care! I'm about to turn 18, there's only so much they can do! And if Kurt... if Kurt is..." Blaine closed his eyes, tried to collect his thoughts. "...then they can do whatever they want. They can take me home for all I care. But I have to know."

He made sure his tone left no room for arguing. It wasn't more than 5 minutes later that the three of them were speeding through the suburbs to the highway. The uneasiness Blaine had felt all day had turned into nervous little movements. The car was too small and he felt like someone was squeezing his throat but he couldn't get out so he settled on kicking the back of David's seat. If the other boy was annoyed, he didn't say anything.

It took them an hour to reach the prison. The TV hadn't really shown how bad the situation was, the only real word for it was 'chaos' and it didn't even begin cover it. Blaine's breath got stuck in his throat as he stepped out of the cad and tried to take everything in, tried to hear over the yelling, tried to see one person in the sea of people.

"Kurt!" he yelled out without stopping to think about it. His legs were moving as if he had no control over them and his brain was tuning out everything and everyone. "KURT!"

"What the hell, kid? You're not supposed to be here!"

Blaine blinked when he was suddenly stopped.

"N-no, sir, you don't understand, I... I have to find someone," he babbled out to the paramedic that was keeping him from entering the scene. His voice was pleading.

"Look, I can't let you further than this. Just tell me a name and I promise I will try to find who yo are looking for," the man said. He seemed sympathetic enough but then again, he probably assumed that Blaine was looking for his mom, dad or maybe a brother.

"Please... Please, just five minutes, that's all I ask. I... Please..."

The paramedic sighed. "It's not safe, the slaves are..."

"Dangerous?" Blaine asked, chuckling kind of hysterically. "You are letting some of them bleed to death and you're telling me they are dangerous? Let me through!"

"You are preventing from doing my job..."

"I'm not preventing you from doing anything! Go do you damn job and just let me find Kurt...!"

"Kurt?" the paramedic said, recognition widening his eyes. "You're Blaine Anderson."

"No, shit. I know my name now let me go!"

Wes and David were now standing right behind Blaine and it was because they were holding onto his arms that Blaine didn't just punch the guy in the nose and run. But now the paramedic was looking at Blaine with an expression that suggested he didn't really know what to do. There were at least 10 police officers in hearing distance, all he had to do was yell that he had found the son of Richard Anderson and Blaine would be caught in a matter of seconds. But he stayed silent and just stared at the teenager before he lowered his hand from Blaine's chest to scratch the back of his head.

"Alright, kid... Follow me."

It was his tone that made every cell in Blaine's body freeze. He knew that tone. That tone had been used when his grandpa died and when his puppy had gone to dog-heaven way before his time. He almost stayed where he was as he didn't want to know anymore. He didn't want to know because this was not what had wanted to find out.

But he followed anyway, his heart beating faster and more painfully with each step. Tears blurred his vision when he saw where they were heading. Those big plastic bags they had seen on the TV screen had been arranged to a neat row to the edge of what was probably the jail's parking lot.

"Please..." Blaine mumbled under his breath. "No, oh God, please..."

The man stopped. He glanced at Blaine before bending down slightly to turn around the tag of one of the bags.

Blaine's legs gave up.

Hummel, Kurt
Slave

"Kurt... No, no, NO, please, no, not Kurt, no, please... Kurt...! Let - let go of ME, he needs me, I have to..."

Blaine struggled against Wes's arms, tried to free himself from the embrace but his body seemed to have lost all its strength. His eyes were fixed on the name on that stupid piece of paper and all he wanted to do was rip the bag apart so that he could see that it was not Kurt that was in it.

It couldn't be.

"He was shot in the head while trying to escape," the paramedic explained, way too calmly. "I'm sorry, kid, if you thought he was..."

"SHUT UP!" Blaine screamed out. "Shut up...!"

He let himself go limp as the tears spilled and the reality kicked in.

It was Kurt's name on that tag.

Kurt's name.

Kurt had been shot in the head.

Kurt was dead.

Blaine couldn't breathe.

"No..." he whimpered pathetically, hoping against hope that this was just one of his numerous nightmares. He didn't hear it when the un-named paramedic told Wes and David to not let Blaine run off before walking away from the three of them. He didn't feel David's hand on his shoulder nor the cold pavement under him. It was as if he was simply floating in nothingness, with no air to get into his lungs. A sob escaped his lips, then another and then he was full-on crying without actually even realizing it.

His mind took him to his dream-future. He saw a beautiful yellow house and the yard where there was a little kiddie-pool. Two perfect toddlers where splashing water, giggling when their Daddy pretended to be the Loch-Ness monster.

Their Daddy Kurt.

They'd never get it. They'd never even get a change to try and have it all, everything had been ripped away from them before their lives had truly even started. And through his crying Blaine suddenly felt a stab of anger.

Someone. Had killed. Kurt.

Kurt, who was the face of innocence, had been shot. His head had been blown apart and now he was in that bag, before even turning 18. Blaine could only wish it had been fast and that Kurt hadn't felt any pain. This was all too much already but even the thought of Kurt gasping to stay alive made Blaine's blood boil in a way that he had never experienced before.

"...ine? Blaine, you have to breathe!"

Shot.

Killed.

Murdered.

Slaughtered.

Without any warning, Blaine was all but yanked to stand up. His head still full of mixed images of his dream kids and Kurt's pale, blood stained face that he couldn't see who was now forcing him to walk. The grip on his arm was so strong it would have hurt if Blaine could actually even feel it.

Murdered.

Killed.

Slaughtered.

Shot.

"Do not make a scene," a somewhat familiar voice murmured into Blaine's ear. Blaine frowned because he simply didn't understand anything anymore. Life didn't make sense, nothing made sense, everything was worthless.

Slaughtered.

Shot.

Killed.

Mur...

"Blaine!"

...der...

Kurt?

"Blaine? Blaine, hey... Talk to me! Are you okay? What are you doing here? Blaine!"

The hands on his cheeks were so soft, so familiar and Blaine knew that at some point he must have died himself and this was Heaven. Kurt's eyes were so pretty, even when wide and questioning and Blaine said this out loud with a faint smile on his face.

A couple of lines appeared on Kurt's smooth forehead. "Blaine, honey... Darling, what are you...?"

"I'm sorry we didn't get the house, Kurt. I'm so sorry about everything. I wanted it all with you, I did... But maybe this is better, you know? At least we're together, right?"

Yes. They were together. Dead or not, this was all good.

"Blaine! Snap out of it, you're freaking me out!"

"No, but Kurt, we're together. No need to freak out anymore."

"Yes, Blaine, we're together. We're together now, please, Blaine..."

Someone said something behind Blaine but he couldn't hear it. All he could see and hear and feel was Kurt who briefly turned his gaze away from him.

"Oh Blaine," he breathed out. "Blaine, look at me. Really look at me. I'm right here. I'm okay."

"...we would have been great..."

"Blaine!" Kurt said strongly and practically slapped him in the face. Stunned at how it actually hurt a bit, Blaine shook his head again and blinked a couple of times. The world came into focus and it felt as if he had been pulled up from under water as he could suddenly hear everything.

"Kurt?"

Kurt smiled. "Yeah, babe, it's me. I'm not dead."

"Y-you're not?"

"No."

"You're alive?"

"That's what 'not dead' usually mea..."

Blaine didn't let Kurt finish his sentence before he crashed their mouths together. Kurt stumbled a bit but they kept their balance, their arms around each other and holding each other as close as humanly possible.

The world raged around them.

But they didn't care.

"I'm counting on you to make me proud. I don't want you returned anymore."

That was funny because Kurt was already planning to burn the first breakfast he'd serve.

"The Andersons are a respected family. I expect to you to behave well."

"Sue, he's not stupid, he..."

"Shut up, William. Mourning because he won't see his pathetic, singing friends anymore will only make him sloppy and he'll be sent back to us in no time. No one will want a slave that's been sent back twice. And trust me when I say that this one wouldn't do well in the Selling Center. You don't put fine china into a place full of bulls."

"I'm not weak."

He said it with a low voice that didn't sound like his own.

"Of course you're not. But sometimes physical strength is what matters. They'd rip you apart. So I am telling you now, behave. You do not want to come back."

Kurt swallowed his reply.

Did I trick anyone?

No?

Oh, well...

As if I could have actually killed Kurt, come ON!

LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK, THE ALERTS AND THE FAVORITES! MEANS MORE THAN YOU KNOW!

(oh and there are two or three chapters left...)

uh... bye?