Chapter Twenty Nine
Sadly, we own neither Glee nor its characters.
"His Royal Highness Prince Blaine Anderson arrived in our city this evening with his Chosen One, Mr. Kurt Hummel. Prince Blaine, whose mother was late and beloved society belle Evangeline Hughes Anderson, was clearly enamored of his handsome mate to be, a charming young human who, one can hope, will bring a sense of style and flair back to the royal family which hasn't been seen since the Queen's passing some fourteen years ago."
-an excerpt from the society page of The Times Picayune
Kurt was more than a little nervous as they landed in New Orleans and taxied to the terminal. He had, other than his disastrous experience at the mall, never had to deal with the press before, but he knew this was something he would have to get used to as Blaine's mate.
"You ok?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded, as they were given the go ahead to disembark. Kurt clutched Blaine's hand tightly following Lord Sterling and Nathaniel, very conscious of the wall of bodyguards surrounding the small group.
"Here we go," Blaine murmured pasting on a smile and stepping off the jet way and into the gate area. The questions began almost immediately.
"Prince Blaine, is he the one? Is this your Chosen One?" A woman shouted at them.
Blaine turned and smiled at Kurt before acknowledging the reporter's question. "Yes, this is Kurt Hummel, my Chosen One."
"Why did you bring him here? Are you on a romantic getaway?" More reporters shouted.
"I would hardly think it's a romantic getaway with my father accompanying us. I have brought Kurt to our ancestral home to share our history with him." Blaine remarked, his smile kept firmly in place on his face.
"King Nathaniel! King Nathaniel, what do you think of your only son choosing a human as a mate? How do you answer accusations by the Order of Akasha amongst others that you and your son are trying to erase those qualities which make us vampires by muddying our bloodlines with humans?"
"I am pleased that my son has chosen such a worthy mate. I wouldn't care if he was human, vampire, or flying monkey, as long as he makes Blaine happy and will be good for our community and, rest assured, he will be. As far as the naysayers go, I defy them to find a vampire bloodline that didn't include some human DNA somewhere. My own line was founded by not one but two turned vampires. Kurt is amazingly strong, intelligent, caring young man. Adding him to our bloodline will only strengthen it," Nathaniel said smiling for the cameras and placing a fatherly arm around Kurt's shoulders.
"Kurt! Kurt!" The press hungrily turned their attention to the human boy between the King and the Prince
"How do you feel about being turned? What does your family think of your decision?"
"Many believe humans and vampires shouldn't mate. Are you prepared to deal with that? How can you leave behind your loving family in Lima?"
"Is there any truth to your rumored affair with David Karofsky? Are you worried that your lover will be upset now that you are leaving him behind for a much better catch in the Prince?"
"Are you just going to be a blood whore for the family?"
"Are you excited to be here in New Orleans?" A kindly reporter asked above the din.
"My father adores Prince Blaine and is thrilled that I'm so happy with him. And of course, yes, I am thrilled to be here with Blaine. New Orleans is a beautiful city and I'm anxious to explore." Kurt smiled and allowed Blaine to lead him away from the appeased press, while Jeff's father stepped forward to field more questions.
"You did great with them, Kurt." Blaine praised.
"It was a wise decision to ignore the rumors about Karofsky. Don't worry about them; I will have Michael get on that right away, if he's not already." Nathaniel added.
"Thank you. Are we getting our luggage now?"
"The guards will get it for us. We are going to the car and then through the city for you to see a few things." Blaine said.
"This is going to be so cool." Kurt bounced through the airport. "We have to do a ghost tour, Blaine."
"Really, Kurt?" Blaine raised an eyebrow at his Chosen One. "We've got enough haunted stuff at the house, so I don't think you'll need to do a ghost tour through the city."
"Your house is haunted?" Kurt excitedly asked.
"If you believe Grandmere Genevieve it is. Personally I don't, but I can tell you plenty of ghost stories about the grounds, if you want. I guarantee it will put some curl in that hair of yours." Blaine teased his Chosen One. Kurt giggled.
"You're a vampire who doesn't believe in ghosts. You do realize that's more than a little ironic right?"
"What can I say? I dare to be different," Blaine grinned, pecking Kurt on the lips as they exited the airport.
Kurt was a little surprised at all the flashes suddenly going off. Blaine automatically pulled away and pasted on a very polite, very false smile which Kurt was coming to think of as his boyfriend's public smile. Taking a deep breath, Kurt hastily followed Blaine's lead, smiling and nodding in acknowledgement to the gathered paparazzi. Kurt had assumed that all the press had been inside, but that was apparently not the case. Blaine gently prodded him toward the car, getting in after Kurt. Nathaniel followed as the mountainous vampire who was Nathaniel's guard shut the door behind them.
As they drove through the city, Kurt watched excitedly through the window of the limo while Blaine and his father pointed out places like Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, the French Market, and St. Louis Cemetery #1 which Nathaniel told him was the resting place of Marie Laveau the legendary voodoo queen of New Orleans. Kurt was a little surprised at the large number of places they passed which catered to vampires and said as much.
"New Orleans has one of the largest populations of vampires in the world, love," Blaine pointed out. "They've always been very welcoming to us here, even when most people thought us a myth."
"If it has such a large population of vampires, and since you own property here, how did the base for the High Council end up in Ohio of all places?" Kurt asked with a frown.
"First of all, Ohio is merely where the North American Council Chambers is located. We also have a place in Europe, and one in Asia. We move our seat of power every ten years. It's a tradition started when we were still hiding ourselves but we've continued it because it allows us better access to all of the vampires under our dominion. As far as Ohio, the largest populations of vampires living in North America are in New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Toronto. We wanted somewhere that was somewhat central to all of those and, because we were still trying to be discrete at the time, where no one would expect to find vampires… thus Ohio. In fact before the Plague and the Reveal, we worked out of Dalton which has always been a school for our kind" Nathaniel answered.
"I never realized all of this." Kurt answered. "I guess Ohio is sort of the last place you'd expect to find something out of the ordinary like that."
"It is refreshingly normal," Nathaniel smiled showing the tips of his fangs. "I've loved it there since my Dalton days."
"You went to Dalton sir?" Kurt asked in surprise. Nathaniel nodded, chuckling.
"I certainly did… many years ago. Duncan Hughes, Andrew Chang, Michael Sterling, Jeff's other father Jensen, and I were all in the same year. We may or may not have been the reason that they had to remodel parts of the school after we graduated," he said his eyes twinkling with a mischief Kurt would not have thought him capable of. "This one time we…"
"Dad," Blaine said, looking slightly panicked in the way all teenagers do when they are worried their parents are going to do something truly embarrassing. Nathaniel chuckled.
"Fine son. I won't tell Kurt my Dalton stories. In fact I will sit here and quietly look over some reports I have been putting off, but before I forget to tell you… I have ordered a daily supply from Coralline's this week. It's just so much more convenient than having to go to town every day."
"A daily supply of what?" Kurt asked.
"Um…" Blaine wasn't sure how to explain the daily delivery without weirding Kurt out.
Nathaniel saw how awkward his son looked at his Chosen One's question and took it upon himself to answer. "Blaine, you shouldn't be hiding who you are from Kurt. This is part of our life and he needs to be able to accept it. Coralline's is a local supplier of blood. I've known the family for years."
"I see." Kurt answered. "Blaine, your father is right. It's not like I don't know what you are and what you need to survive. It's like those stupid water bottles at Dalton. It's not like I don't know what you are drinking." He sent his future mate a scathing look that had no heat behind it.
"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable," Blaine said.
"And how am I supposed to get comfortable with it if you keep hiding parts of yourself from me Blaine?" Kurt demanded much to Nathaniel's delight. He was very glad to see Kurt was accepting, or at least attempting to accept, all that Blaine was. "I mean it's not like I hide from you when I'm eating a salad."
" Which reminds me," Nathaniel interjected. "I've taken the liberty of making sure that the kitchen is stocked with anything you might need for the week. While we don't eat the way you do, we have a completely modernized kitchen with all the bells and whistles for the use of the house staff and any guest such as yourself."
"Thank you." Kurt nodded, glad that he wouldn't have to go out every day so he could eat.
The car pulled off the main road and down a driveway lined with what had to be hundred year old trees. It gave Kurt an impression of foreboding darkness since the trees almost seemed to block out the sun and the light. Blaine turned to his Chosen One.
"The driveway is long to keep looky-loos from getting too close to the house. Grandmere likes her privacy." He explained hastily.
"Looky-loos? You sound very southern all of a sudden Blaine," Kurt giggled. Blaine smirked.
"I am very southern Kurt. I was born in this house and Mama's family is one of the oldest in New Orleans. I am a proper southern gentleman, despite my Yankee father and upbringing," Blaine said his voice slipping into the slow smooth southern drawl effortlessly
"If the driveway looks like this, I have to assume the grounds are just as exquisite. How do you keep strangers out?" Kurt asked trying to ignore exactly how sexy Blaine sounded when talked like that
"We have a very advanced security system for this property, although not many people have ever been stupid enough to broach the house without an invitation because of all of the legends which surround the place. They tend to keep all but the heartiest souls away." Nathaniel answered with a wry smile.
"Legends?" Kurt asked quirking his eyebrow.
"My mate's family wasn't always as civilized as they are now Kurt. They hunted the swamps and back alleys of New Orleans for years before turning to other sources for their needs. There are countless stories in the city of mysterious disappearances of those unwary enough to cross Genevieve Blaine Hughes or to come uninvited into her lands," Nathaniel replied. Kurt's eyes were wide by the time Blaine's father finished speaking and his heart was beating rapidly.
"That's umm…" Kurt stuttered. Blaine squeezed his Chosen One's hand.
"Relax Kurt. Grandmere hasn't hunted in over a hundred years and she isn't at Black Oak right now anyway," Blaine reassured him. Just then they turned a corner and the house came into view.
"Oh Blaine! It's beautiful," Kurt's eyes widened as the long driveway seemed to fade away to reveal a gorgeous house which looked like it had come straight out of Gone With the Wind complete with a huge veranda and the white marble columns, except instead of cotton fields the house was surrounded by the rich greens and grays of the Louisiana bayou..
"Welcome to Black Oak Manor Kurt." Blaine laughed.
"Blaine that is… it's… beautiful." Kurt repeated staring up at the plantation style home.
"If you think this is amazing, just wait until you see the inside." Blaine replied. When the car stopped, Blaine got out and gallantly offered Kurt his arm, leading him up the stairs and into the house in a manner which would have made his very proper grandmother proud.
"I feel like I've stepped into Gone With The Wind." Kurt said as he stared at the gorgeous staircase. "Or maybe Interview With the Vampire."
"Only you, Kurt." Blaine laughed as they stood in the foyer of the house and Kurt spun around, looking at everything.
"You have servants?" Kurt asked when their luggage was spirited up to their room, nearly squealing in delight as he lightly ran his hands up the banister of the double sided marble staircase.
"Of course." Blaine answered. "We don't live here full time, so we need people that we trust taking care of the house and the grounds when we aren't here. This house has been in my mother's family for generations and it's very important to us. Would you like to see your room and then explore before we have dinner?"
"Yes, please." Kurt allowed his boyfriend to lead him up the stairs and down a hallway, stopping at the very end. Kurt was not surprised to see a large window with a window seat. He could see himself curling up there on a rainy day with a book.
Blaine opened the door to the left revealing an elegantly decorated room. "You have a bathroom through there that opens to the other room that just happens to be mine." He couldn't resist winking at Kurt when he said that.
"That's convenient." Kurt smirked.
"My father thought you would be more comfortable being close to me, since this is all new for you." Blaine answered. "Besides, it makes the bodyguard's jobs easier having us near each other. Plus, my father didn't want to make assumptions, but…" He trailed off.
"It is lovely." Kurt smiled and happy that he was so close to Blaine and if they just happened to only use one bed, so be it. "Just being here is so amazing."
Kurt felt like he was on the set of a historical romance movie or had actually stepped back in time to the Old South... The room that was his for the week contained an old fashioned brass bed. There was a gorgeous and, Kurt was certain, hand-made lace coverlet over the bed and matching lace curtains were blowing in the breeze from an open window. It was possibly the most beautiful room he had ever seen and he loved it on sight.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house now? There are quite a few things I'd like to show you." Blaine asked when Kurt was done admiring the room.
"I want to see everything." Kurt said as Blaine took his hand and led him down the great staircase.
"The first place I want to show you is the formal living room. This is where the family used to gather at the end of the day or for formal functions. There are doors in it that can be opened into the ballroom. When my mother was alive she used to hold a lot of parties in this house." Blaine slid open the pocket door and led Kurt into the large room.
"Is that your mother?" Kurt asked, looking at a huge oil painting of a woman that hung over the fireplace. She had long dark hair which hung in beautiful ringlets down her back. Her eyes were a gorgeous, familiar hazel. She looked incredibly like Blaine; or rather Blaine looked incredibly like her.
"Yes, it is," Blaine smiled. "This was her family's home and it will one day be mine."
"Really? This will be our house someday? What about Wesley? Isn't his dad your Mom's older brother? How does the house end up going to you?"
"When my grandparents decided to retire, Uncle Duncan, as the oldest boy inherited Grandpa Beau's family home. Mama was the oldest girl so this is hers. In my mother's will, this house was bequeathed to me when I come of age and am ready to move out. Cooper was supposed to receive things from Dad's side but now…" Blaine answered, trailing off. "Anyway, I love the house and want it to stay in the family. It's a part of me I think. I've always dreamed of it being my home someday when I'm much, much older, who knows if that will actually happen though. I guess I just have to wait and see."
"Why wouldn't we want to live here?" Kurt asked.
"You mean that? You'd want to live here? Raise a family here?" Blaine asked.
"Sweetie, this house is amazing and there's such a history here. It's like you can feel it as you move through each room. I've been here less than an hour and I've already fallen in love with it," Kurt said.
"I know what you mean. I just didn't want to make assumptions Kurt. This place is home. I love it here. I've always felt that way, but, just so you know, not all of the house's history is pleasant," Blaine reminded his Chosen One.
"Oh yes the dark history of Black Oak Manor. You promised you'd tell me the ghost stories you know?" Kurt was interested in everything to do with Blaine's family.
"We can talk about that later. There are other things I want to show you in the house." Blaine took Kurt's hand once more and led him down the hall to a room that had a variety of pictures in a menagerie of frames that littered every surface. "This is the portrait gallery. Every family member is represented in here."
"Blaine, some of these photos are tin types." Kurt stared at all of the photos with awe…this was his mate's family and one day would be his as well.
"I told you we had a long family history." Blaine grinned.
"Look its Wes and Tina and is that Jeff? Oh my God! Blaine is that you? You were adorable! Look at those curls!" Kurt squealed smiling as he turned to Blaine to find his fiancee's unusually sober gaze locked on a gorgeous black and white print in a scrolled silver frame.
The smile died on Kurt's face and he slipped a comforting arm around his love's waist. The photo, sitting elegantly in its frame, was of Blaine as a small child being held by his laughing mother. A boy with a roguish smile held onto a proudly smiling Nathaniel's hand.
"Your family." Kurt breathed out softly.
"This is the last photo of us together." Blaine quietly said. "My mother and brother were killed two days later by the rogues."
"I'm so sorry Blaine. This is a beautiful photo though. You can see in her eyes how much she loved you," Kurt murmured squeezing Blaine's hand tightly and leaning his head on his shoulder.
"I hope I've made her proud," Blaine said, choked with emotion. Kurt's heart broke at the forlorn note in his love's voice.
"Oh Blaine, I know she's proud of you, just like I am. How could she not be?" Kurt asked. Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug, burying his face in the crook of Kurt's neck and inhaling deeply.
"Thank you." He said shakily, before pulling away and walking them down the hall to another room. Kurt watched him frowning in concern at his soon to be mate's rapid change of mood.
"Now, this is the library where fine Southern gentlemen went to partake in private activities." Blaine said, sliding open a door to reveal a fine collection of books and an even finer collection of alcohol. He was trying to be cheerful, but every note rang false in Kurt's ears, nevertheless, he decided to play along, hoping Blaine would talk to him about it when he was ready.
Kurt looked at the titles in the library. "Blaine, I think some of these are first editions."
"Probably. I just never paid much attention to them." Blaine said with a shrug. "When we were here, I was usually too busy running the grounds and exploring with all of my cousins."
Kurt was in shock that his boyfriend was treating the fortune in this room so casually. "Blaine, these are worth a fortune. I'm not sure I should even be in the same room as them."
"Kurt, they're just books. Books like any other books. If you want to read them, great, if not, no big deal." Blaine said. Kurt's eyes widened at Blaine's somewhat harsh words, having never seen this side of his fiancée. "Can I offer you a drink?"
"Blaine, I don't think starting a week with drinking bodes well for either of us. You know, I can't hold my alcohol that well." Kurt reminded him. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Would you like to get out of the house and see some of the grounds?" Blaine asked, obviously not yet ready to share what was bothering him.
"Sure." Kurt agreed watching the other boy warily. He wanted to explore the gorgeous expanse of estate, but even more than that, he wanted to distract Blaine from whatever was bothering him.
-
"Does Puck have to follow us around, even on the grounds?" Kurt asked hoping to have some privacy to talk.
"I just want to make sure you're safe, so yes, Puck will be sticking to us anytime we are outside of the house, but he's done this for a long time, Kurt. He knows when to keep his distance and give us the privacy that we want." Blaine explained. "I mean, if we were to just start ripping each other's clothes off and having sex right here, he would make sure we were safe but still be discrete and gives us the privacy we needed."
"Blaine!" Kurt blushed a deep red. "We will not be having sex for the first time outside or in front of Puck."
"Thank God for that," Puck muttered. Blaine shot him a glare.
"Not my point. The House Guard is well trained in their duties and very discrete. You're going to have to get used to it. Come on there's more to see" Blaine said, not bothering to wait for Kurt but striding away.
"Don't let anything he says get to you Porcelain. This place is difficult for him sometimes," Puck said, guiding him down the path towards Blaine. Kurt allowed him to do so, unsure of how to deal with this side of Blaine. He glanced over at Puck and saw how tense the other boy was, his eyes trained on Blaine and Kurt got the impression that he understood what was going on far better than Kurt did.
"This garden is amazing." Kurt said tentatively. He was in awe of the blooming flowers in brilliant colors in the very center of which stood a white marble angel.
"My father had this specially created to remember my mother. This is her memorial garden. The statue is to represent the angel she was to my father." Blaine explained.
"Oh." Kurt quietly said, stepping back as Blaine touched the statue in a quiet moment of reflection. He figured this for Blaine was like his mother's headstone was for him. It was starting to make sense to him now.
"Crap," Puck muttered coming up to stand next to Kurt. "I hate this part. It happens at least once, every time he comes home." Puck sighed, watching Blaine with a sad look in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.
"His mom… He'll be fine tomorrow, but tonight he's gonna need you," Puck said, giving Kurt a nudge and nodding towards Blaine. Biting his lip, Kurt took a hesitant step forward and placed a gentle hand on Blaine's shoulder. With a deep shudder, Blaine turned burying his face in Kurt's chest and giving vent to the grief he felt for the mother he never really knew. Between the two of them, Puck and Kurt somehow got Blaine to his room and into bed, Kurt climbing in alongside him.
He held Blaine the rest of the night as they lay in bed sharing stories of their childhood. Blaine told Kurt about the memories he had of his mother and the stories he had collected of her from other people. Kurt thought he would have liked Evangeline Anderson very much. In return, Kurt talked to Blaine about his mother. All of his memories of her, how she died, how he and his father had coped and grown so much closer because it had been just the two of them. As midnight approached and Blaine and Kurt began to drift to sleep in each other's arms, both boys realized that they had become even closer, their bond even more unbreakable, and they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were meant to be.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now we need your opinions… The sequel is taking longer than we had hoped, mainly because we got a fabulous idea and had to rewrite a bunch. So… we can either a) keep to the current schedule of updates, in which case there will probably be about a month between the end of this and the sequel or b) post one chapter a week and have the sequel up almost immediately after the last chapter of this is up. Just FYI, there are five chapters left and this part of the story ends on a MAJOR cliffhanger. So… post a review and let us know what you guys want and what you thought of this chapter.
