A/N: I'm on fire, I know:)
I hope I got all the tenses right in this. Whenever I write these kind of chapters with time-jumps (as I like to call them) in them, it feels like I might be slipping up without really having the required distance to my own writing to be able to tell.
Please point out any mistakes you can find, I will be forever grateful for you telling me off for messing up. NO I am not on crack, I mean it.
Reviewers;)
To musicbeyondmagic: Two reviews:) that is so sweet of you, THANK YOU! I hope you love the story getting more dynamic again now.
To snowangellms: Thank you for the kick in the story-butt, I think I needed it, and I hope you especially like what I've done. Your feedback is what made this chapter possible the way it is. I might have pressed more of this information into that one day description if I hadn't heard from you. Gosh, I hope you like this! And again I am so grateful for your feedback, I had been somewhat desperately looking for a way to liven up this story again, and your criticism had me think harder than I think I would have otherwise, and it certainly had me making different choices in style.
To butterflyrain23: I am not exactly glad you had to cry, but I am excited and happy my writing could touch you in this way. Does that sound horrible of me? I hope not. And uh, do tell, what other username/s have you been considering? Don't let me stop you from changing it. Change is good, and in most areas of life unavoidable.
To intensewhatever: I think I have already spoiled that cliffhanger for you with my big mouth, darn;) I hope you love the chapter regardless! And finally, a quick enough update, Right! (grins WAY too smugly)
To hma1010: I hope the more I provide is more than satisfactory:) Love you are loving the story!
Getting Away
26: … swimmingly?
It is almost two weeks after that day, the day, and Kurt still, gladly, spends most of his time holding Blaine, around the house, in the backyard, on walks …, in bed at night.
They have not made it to school much in the last two weeks.
And since Burt and Carole want to take no chances, they go to see the headmaster before they are even asked.
It turns out Blaine has not gone as unnoticed in school - outside the happy façade he had put on for the Warblers, sometimes even having been able to forget he had been pretending – as it seems to Burt and Carole Blaine himself had thought all along.
"Blaine has always been quiet outside of Glee …, sad. Several teachers remarked on it over the years, and then your son had shown up. I had the impression Kurt and Blaine were very good for each other. What has happened?"
"They are, more than good for each other. And I'm sorry, but all we can do is tell you the truth in a way that leaves Blaine and Kurt protected," Carole starts.
The headmaster opens her mouth to interject but Carole, shaking her head goes on.
"Miss Harper, health and family issues, highly private issues, will have Kurt and Blaine missing most of school at least until after the Easter holidays, in, likely, highly erratic patterns, maybe altogether. We would appreciate it if you could organize for us to pick up their school work for the weeks before the holiday, ideally at the end of the week, so that we can home school our boys until they're able to productively and permanently return."
"There will be no refunds for that month, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel."
Burt grumbles almost angrily, reminded that the apparently well-meaning woman in truth has no idea what has been, what is going on in her students' lives, wonders how much she really cares, "We're not here about any money."
"Good."
"Although …," Carole starts looking between her husband and Miss Harper, "Could you tell us who pays for Blaine's schooling here?"
"Normally I could not give out such details, but Blaine Anderson is a special case," she says, with a to Burt and Carole just irritatingly bright smile.
"Why?" Carole inquires slightly worried.
"Well, I have to say I'm surprised you don't know this already. Blaine Anderson is the recipient of one of the six full scholarships this school offers at any given time. Each year a freshman, sometimes transfer sophomores with outstanding results, as in Blaine's case, is awarded one, regardless of previous grades, based solely on an admission test we have all school applicants sit before the start of the new school year. There are several other, smaller ones, but …."
"Figures," Burt huffs out with a smile in his voice, sadness too still swinging in his words, "Smart kid. Though kid."
Carole is not satisfied yet, needing to make sure, "How have his grades been lately?"
"Well, the last three weeks or so not many tests have been held if that's what you mean. I take it that's when the problems started?"
Burt wants to protest, tell Miss Harper how wrong she is, but Carole steps in, "He's already getting better again, he and Kurt just need some time to regain full focus to work as dedicated as before. Blaine won't lose his scholarship now, will he?" Carole clasps her hands in her lap, over her handbag, before speaking that last sentence, all too aware her hands had begun to tremble with nerves.
She is grateful when Burt reaches over and offers his right hand to her, something to help ground her thoughts.
"As long as he keeps up his grades, and this one month, does not turn into two, or more, I see no problem. But there will be some extra tests after Easter for both of them to take, to make up for those they will be missing now. His scholarship is for the full four, well in his case three years, until graduation. What I'm saying is, even if we wanted to, it would not be that easy to take it away from him again. We make a commitment to these kids we take in despite them not having the finances. We are very well aware of that."
"Good," Burt says decidedly, then adds, "I mean …, thank you."
Miss Harper is about to get up to usher them out, when Burt speaks up again, and she only reluctantly sinks back into her seat, "One more thing."
"Yes?"
"You will have to tell the Andersons about this I take it?"
"Well, we will send out a letter, stating the general facts, yes. So they are officially informed. You will receive the same letter."
"A letter," Carole shakes her head in disbelief, 'That is all they are required to do?'
Burt's thoughts though are elsewhere as he asks, "Is there a way for us to contact Blaine's parents? An address? A phone number? Anything you can share with us?"
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Blaine has been trusting the whole family more these past days, slowly stretching into weeks.
Most visible it is maybe in the way he does no longer always hide away, out of sight, to draw in his notebook or on separate papers, gratefully using the supplies Burt and Carole had brought him and Kurt from the arts and crafts store in Columbus, with that unusual logo of a giraffe, dark blue.
'Trust,' Kurt suspects it most of all has to do with the fact that that morning after a night in Kurt's and Carole's arms, Blaine still wrapped in Kurt's arms while walking back into the kitchen, Blaine had found the notebook, his notebook, as he had left it …, untouched balancing on the brink of the kitchen table he had sat at the night before with Carole.
Privacy not even asked for respected. Everything that belongs to Blaine treated with as much love and respect as the boy himself.
Realizing this so clear for the first time, that he, this time, might just be right to trust, Blaine had broken into tears once more. Kurt had not asked for nor needed an explanation.
The next days had been mostly filled with sleep, and walks, and more sleep …, food as far as Blaine and Kurt had felt able to stomach it.
Blaine has woken up in sweat and trembling, in the middle of the night, three more times since. Has had to run to the bathroom, and thrown up.
And Kurt has been by his side in the blink of an eye, each time.
But only the first time had he had to ask at all, tenderly, "Nightmare?" - just to make absolutely sure he was not over-interpreting his own thoughts.
Blaine had responded with an only just visible nod, as he had already stumbled back to his feet to rinse out his mouth, Kurt right there to take him back into his arms as soon as he had felt ready again, not just that first time.
The most precious to Blaine so far has been, still is, the quiet around the house, in his whole life right now. Dalton might have been safe all along, but by no means quiet, by day or night, teenage boys everywhere.
At the Hummels' it had been so sudden a quiet the first days after that night that Burt and Carole had grown very worried very quickly, and stayed that way for days.
That had been before Carole had worked up the nerve to sit Kurt and Blaine down to talk, who had both calmly explained "It feels good, right, right now."
The sudden absence of voices singing, laughter, even friendly shouting (usually mostly Finn's) around the house nevertheless still keeps feeling harsh to the adults not used to it at all - Finn trying to be considerate too, spending a lot of time at Puck's, adding to the silence Burt and Carole simply cannot help but feel to be slightly unnerving.
They promised themselves, and each other, quickly though, to try their best to give it time, hold back on questions intrusive and, too, ask no less of the world - demanding and too often cold.
It had brought them here today, to Dalton, asking the world to care.
They are both quiet on most of the drive home. But somehow it is an okay quiet, address and phone number in their pocket, just in case … they are both not sure of what exactly, do not dare think too much about it right now. But it had felt important to try their best to be prepared.
Now they are, for whatever may come – only more willing to fight, for Kurt, and for Blaine.
Carole breaks the quiet thirty minutes out of town, "Don't forget the stop we have to make."
"You think Kurt is right? That we should be doing this without asking Blaine first?" Burt asks not exactly sounding worried, more uncertain.
Carole draws in a deep breath, slowly letting it back out before answering, "I mean it is already unbelievably lucky we could get hold of them this fast. But honestly, I don't know. I trust Kurt. And Kurt knows Blaine better than any of us, and if Kurt thinks there is a chance it might help I know I don't want to not try, just because I have my doubts."
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It is the late afternoon when Blaine, sitting alone in Kurt's room, drawing, is called downstairs to the living room by Carole.
He takes the steps slowly but surely. Two weeks ago he would have been a nervous wreck right now, wondering, torturing himself with the thoughts of what exactly he has done wrong. Today he is smiling at the thought that Carole pays as much attention to him as she does, every day, including him in every way she can. 'Maybe I get to help make dinner again, I'd love that.'
Kurt, Burt, Carole and even Finn are already in the living room when Blaine enters, finding them standing huddled around one of the couches.
Blaine is not sure if he likes this, nor if he should.
Spotting Blaine, they start stepping back from the furniture, giving Blaine a clear view of...
… drowning, Blaine is positively sure he is drowning as his own meet first one, then another pair of brown eyes.