Chapter 54 – Bed of Roses
Blaine felt the anger rising inside of him as he was sitting in the backseat of Valerie's black BMW next to Devon. It was so quiet in the car. Nobody said a word. Not even Valerie who usually couldn't shut up spilling her shit all over them. Shane's quietness was unusual, too. Blaine could feel the defeat of his brother like radiation.
For a second Blaine considered jumping out of the car. But Valerie had locked the car from the inside and Blaine couldn't open the door on his own. He hadn't even bothered buckling up, although Valerie was a rough driver.
"I hate you, Val, more than I've hated anybody before!" Blaine finally said through clenched teeth.
"What lovely premises for a wedding," Devon said with a laugh.
Blaine didn't know why but hearing Devon's mocking voice made him furious. Something inside of him snapped that had waited to snap for a while now.
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Without warning Blaine attacked him. He was punching him with all his might, causing Devon to gasp for air and crouch into the corner.
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?" Valerie shouted over her shoulder.
"GET HIM, BRO!" Shane cheered.
Soon enough Devon recovered from the first shock and started fighting back. He was stronger than Blaine and had the boy pushed into the seat in a minute. Devon gripped Blaine's wrists hard to keep him in place, but Blaine used his heels to kick him. He was out of mind, furious with rage and hate, fighting like a real wildcat. He couldn't stop thinking about what this monster had done to Kurt only weeks ago. So Blaine kept kicking him and was only satisfied when Devon let out some grunts of pain.
Shane was turning in his front seat, pulling at Devon's shoulders to keep him off Blaine and give his brother better chances at scoring some good punches.
"You little bastard!" Devon growled when Blaine kicked him in the loins. He struck out to hit Blaine, but Valerie's hysteric scream stopped him.
"DEVON!" Valerie barked at him. "Not his face, Dev! Don't hit his face! We have to show up at our engagement party in a few hours!"
Blaine was slumped back in his seat, panting and rubbing his knuckles that were hurting. "I'm going to get you, Dev," Blaine threatened. "For what you did to Kurt."
"I'd do it again," Devon spat at him. No sign of remorse. "I'm going to kill that little faggot next time I see him."
With a yell of rage and despair Blaine jumped at him again, but this time Devon saw it coming and with a quick move he grabbed Blaine's arm and twisted it on his back – just like he had done to Kurt earlier. Blaine let out a strangled gasp as pain shot up his arm, making him delirious with agony.
"Get off of him!" Shane tried to pull Devon away from Blaine and almost climbed into the back, but he couldn't stop Devon from pushing Blaine down.
"Stop it, boys," Valerie growled now as if they were just kids play-fighting. "Do you really want me to put you back into that facility, Blainey? I can wait for another couple of months until you've learned your lesson. - Let go of him, Dev."
Devon released him and Blaine stopped fighting. Instead he was staring out of the window without really seeing anything.
Shane was heartbroken to see his brother crying.
It had been an hour since they had arrived back home. Home. Huh! If you could consider a prison at the beach home.
Blaine had instantly vanished into his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. Shane had tried to console him and cheer him up, but Blaine had just turned his back on him and decided that crying into his pillow was the better cure right now. With a sigh Shane had let him mourn his life for a while and retreated to watch the catering service prepare the salon for the big party.
Now he was back to check on his brother, but Blaine hadn't moved since he had left him.
"Does it still hurt where Devon hit you?" he asked, but didn't receive an answer. Shane sat down on the bed next to Blaine and let out a sigh.
"Don't give up, B. Just wait until Plan B kicks in!"
"What's Plan B?" Blaine asked, not bothering to mention that he hadn't known Plan A existed.
"It's a surprise!" Shane said cheerfully.
"I hate surprises," Blaine muttered, sitting up and pulling a tissue out of a box to blow his nose.
"Well, I've been talking to someone," Shane confessed. "And this someone is willing and able to help us out."
"How and when?" Blaine asked, squinting his eyes at his brother. "And who?"
"I'm not telling," Shane said. "Stop crying, okay? The house will be full of guests in an hour and you can't look like a miserable button."
"Why not?" Blaine huffed. "Let everyone see how much I look forward to my birthday slash engagement party. It's not like I have a say in my own life anymore. Let me be miserable about it at least."
"Good point," Shane said, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I wonder what Mom will say to all that."
Blaine looked up. "So, she's coming?"
"As far as I know she is."
Blaine nodded to this news. He felt the slightest bit of hope rising and hated his own weakness for it. He shouldn't expect his mother to be of any help, but his foolish heart did anyway.
"We lost them!" Reed was inconsolable.
On the freeway Valerie had pushed the gas and ignored the speed limit. Although Reed had tried to bribe their driver with some extra cash he refused to speed up.
"Where to now? Back to the hotel?" Reed asked frustrated.
"No," Kurt decided. "Let's go to the facility."
"Now?" Reed stuttered nervously. "I thought we wanted to go tomorrow morning..."
"I can't wait any longer," Kurt let out a sigh. "I need to talk to this guy. You don't have to come..."
"Of course I'll come with you!" Reed replied resolutely. "Do you know where the facility is?"
Kurt knew the address of the facility by heart, of course.
The driver dropped them off in front of the building, eager to get away from the two crazy boys who didn't have cash or credit cards and tried to pay him with scarves, claiming them worth a couple of hundred dollars. In the end he had accepted the smaller boy's boots, figuring he could sell those on eBay.
Now here they sat on a bench in the parking lot of the mental facility, staring at the doors, waiting, but not sure what for. The sun was still high up and hot, so Kurt shrugged out of the short white jacket. He was dying to get the tight golden pants off, too, but he had to wait until they got back to the hotel.
Reed kept his red jacket on. Resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in one hand, Reed was fanning his face with his beret, gazing up to the top of the high building.
Kurt crossed his bare feet; they both had taken off their socks, feeling less stupid running around barefoot than in socks.
Kurt was trying to come up with a plan.
He didn't really know what he was hoping for. This was him clinging onto the last straw. If this Gabriel guy couldn't help him then Kurt didn't know what else he could come up with. Deep inside Kurt already felt like he'd lost the battle and he hated that feeling and tried to suppress it. The battle wasn't over yet. He couldn't let Valerie win; he couldn't let go of Blaine. Not now. Not ever.
Reed reached out and brushed golden glitter off of Kurt's shoulder. Kurt let out another sigh thinking about what they must look like made up with golden and silver eye shadow and dressed in tight pants. People must think the two of them fell off a float on a Christopher Street Day's parade.
"What now?" Reed urged him gently.
"I need you to go in," Kurt finally said. "And ask for this Gabriel guy."
Reed blanched, biting his nails again. "Oh Kurt, please don't expect me to do anything brave! You know me; I'm intimidated by the sound of my own footsteps!"
"You're much braver than you give yourself credit for, Reed," Kurt replied with an encouraging smile and a pat on his friend's knee. "You just need to ask for him at the reception. I can't go in there myself. I don't want to pull focus on Gabriel by talking to him." Kurt put on a wry grin, adding, "Also, they might have a warrant on my head."
Reed nodded in earnestness, as if Kurt hadn't made a joke. "I can do that, I guess."
"Great," Kurt turned his full attention to his friend, preparing him for his act. "Ask if he's working today and about when he's leaving. If he's not in today, ask when he will be; and if he's working late today, ask them to give him a message that you're waiting outside and that he should come out on a break if possible. Tell them you're a friend, but don't tell them your real name, come up with something. Just act naturally, as if you're friends with him and..."
Kurt noticed the way his friend's eyes grew in anxiety and he stopped his waterfall of good advice and patted his shoulder. "You'll do great, I'm sure."
Reed gave him another brave nod and got up.
"As long as you don't say something stupid," Kurt gave a last piece of advice.
Reed's face and confidence fell. "Kurt, I was born a boy who says stupid things!"
"No, you're not!" Kurt got to his feet as well and grabbed Reed's shoulders, pushing him forward. "And now go!"
"Kurt?"
Both boys startled by the sound of a man's voice saying Kurt's name. They turned around to look at a young guy with blonde hair who approached them tentatively, his eyes on Kurt.
"Hi, excuse me, are you by any chance Kurt Hummel?"
Kurt didn't know what to say. Who was this guy and how did he know his name? More importantly, was he friend or foe?
"Who's asking?" Reed demanded suspiciously and stepped in front of Kurt in a protective way.
Kurt had to stifle a grin at his friend's sudden fierce protectiveness, because Reed was smaller than Kurt. The boy's frame was just too delicate to be intimidating and with his strawberry blond curls he was absolutely cute. He looked more like a Chihuahua gritting his teeth.
The guy must have had similar thoughts, because his smile grew wider as he looked Reed up and down. "Hi, cutiepie! The name's Gabriel O'Brien. Nice to meet you!"
He held out his hand for Reed to take and when Reed automatically gave it to him, the young man bowed and kissed the back of Reed's hand. Embarrassed Reed jerked his hand away and cradled it as if burned.
"You... you're Gabriel?" Kurt asked, stunned. He didn't know why he was suddenly feeling a twinge of jealousy. Must be because the guy was absolutely good-looking. Not in a way that Kurt fancied guys, but definitely in a way Blaine fancied them if his former crush on that Jeremiah guy was any indication.
This Gabriel guy looked like he had just jumped out of a GAP catalog. He was a typical Californian sunny boy. Blond long curls pulled back with a rubber band, sun-kissed skin, six-pack abs (not that those were visible but not hard to imagine from his stature), tall and boyish with an irresistible smile.
"You really made it to L.A." The guy said, clearly all impressed and giddy about the fact that Kurt was standing in front of him, judging from the way he was looking at Kurt. "You know, Blaine mentioned once that you liked to dress up, but he didn't say that you looked like a runway model."
Kurt loved the casual way this man mentioned Blaine's name and he relaxed a little. Also, Kurt got aware of his looks again and he blushed slightly. "This is not how I usually dress."
"Actually, we're indeed just off a runway," Reed explained and straightened up a little.
"And what's your name, honey?" Gabriel turned his attentive eyes on Reed again.
Reed blushed instantly, his cheeks getting as red as his beret. "I'm Reed Van Kamp," he introduced himself properly. "I'm Kurt's friend. I'm just here for moral support."
"Nice to meet you, Reed," Gabriel tilted his head and a playful smile crossed his lips. "Has anyone ever told you that you're like pure candy? Embodied sugar-coated sweetness."
"Don't underestimate him," Kurt cut in sharply and glared at Gabriel. "He can be tough."
Kurt reacted allergic to flirty guys that seemed to look upon other guys as easy prey. He wasn't sure yet how to rate his guy and he would be on his guard for as long as Gabriel proved himself trustworthy.
Reed blushed even more at the praise in Kurt's words. "I'm not tough, not really... I try, though..."
"Wow, Goldie Pants, you're really protective," Gabriel said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I don't mean to hit on you guys. I just can't hold my tongue when I see cute guys, that's all."
"Look, Gabriel, we've had a rough day," Kurt said in a firm voice, making it clear that he wasn't up for a nice chat. "And I don't mean to be rude, but when we talked on the phone you sounded like you wanted to help me get to Blaine and I'd appreciate if you could just help me... anyhow... Anything you can tell me about Blaine..."
Kurt's voice broke and he dropped his gaze.
"We were just chasing them in a taxi," Reed tried to explain, gesturing wildly. "But we lost them on the freeway and the thing is that Valerie threatened to put Blaine back into this cursed place if he doesn't behave and then Devon wanted to break Shane's arm but then they took off and we had to sell our boots to the taxi driver, me that is, Kurt threw his pair at Devon and my Mom's going to kill me, but I don't care as long as it's any help to Shane... and Blaine, of course..."
"Oookay," Gabriel said slowly, one eyebrow raised.
"Breathe, Reed," Kurt advised him and put a hand on Reed's arm.
"We probably should find another place to talk," Gabriel said, suddenly looking around as if remembering where they were. His eyes darted across the parking lot and he motioned them to come with him.
Instantly Kurt gazed around as well, keeping his head bowed in case there were surveillance cameras or something. He felt like a criminal on the run.
"How about I drive you to your hotel or wherever you want to go," Gabriel offered, "and on the way you tell me again what happened today, but slower."
"All right," Kurt agreed, not knowing what else to do anyway. Usually he hated getting into a car with strangers – especially after his most recent trip with Karofsky who wasn't particularly a stranger but not really a friend either. But seeing how they didn't have their wallets or phones – or even shoes! – they were practically bound to take him up on his offer if they wanted to get back to the hotel.
Gabriel walked up the parking lot towards a yellow Corvette and they followed him.
"Nice car," Reed said, drawing a hand along the smooth surface of the hood. "I like the color."
"Thanks," Gabriel said with a grin. "It definitely hasn't driven two runway models around before."
During the ride Kurt illuminated the day's events for Gabriel, starting from working backstage at Reed's mother's fashion show and catching a glimpse of Blaine in the audience to his head over heels idea of walking the runway himself and falling down at Blaine's feet.
Gabriel was laughing loudly at the image of Kurt's downfall amidst a high-fashion crowd, but he turned serious again when Kurt elaborated their attempt of escape and the way the McVaughn siblings had caught and threatened them.
As he talked and talked, Kurt felt that he needed to get all the words out in spite of staying sane. If he had his phone Kurt would have called his dad, but since Gabriel seemed to be informed about Blaine's troubles – and somehow also seemed to be involved in a way – Kurt let himself get carried away and didn't filter what he was saying.
"She can't really put Blaine back into this place without a good reason, can she?" Kurt finally asked, his eyes on the man who worked in that goddamn facility and knew better about the procedures than anyone else.
Gabriel pulled a face. "I'm sure she can come up with a good enough reason if she wants to, no matter what's his real condition," he answered. "That's why I told him to keep his head down until he found a way to escape."
Kurt's spirits sank. "We blew that chance today."
"Isn't it Wildcat's birthday today?" Gabriel asked, then met Kurt's confused glance. "Blaine, I mean," Gabriel added quickly.
"It is," Kurt confirmed, worrying his bottom lip. "Valerie has a party planned for him, it starts at eight. She gave me a password to watch the livestream."
"Wow, really?" Gabriel raised his brows. "Was she trying to be nice or is that supposed to be some kind of torture?"
"Definitely the latter," Kurt replied.
"We can watch in the hotel room," Reed offered eagerly. "I brought my computer."
"I'm not sure I want to see it," Kurt admitted. Only days ago he would have died to get a glimpse of Blaine. But this was different. Valerie intended to humiliate Blaine in front of everybody, this would be a mockery of a birthday party and Blaine would have to smile at everything and everyone. Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to be part of that humiliation by typing in the password and watching it.
Reed seemed to have a different opinion about it. "But you have to watch it!" he called out from the backseat. "Kurt, you have to support him, if only by witnessing what's happening to him. You need to know what's going on and what Valerie's plan is. Perhaps it'll even help us get a clue on how to help him."
"Don't fret too much about it," Gabriel broke in with a little reassuring smile. "Me and Footloose have just the plan."
"Who's that?" Reed asked from the backseat.
"Wildcat's brother."
"Why do you call Blaine Wildcat?" Kurt inquired.
Gabriel laughed. "That's kind of a long story."
"Why do you call Blaine's brother Footloose?" Reed asked.
"You're a curious button, aren't you, Candy?" Gabriel replied with a smirk.
He parked in front of the Hilton Hotel. "Here we are."
"Aren't you coming?" Kurt asked when Gabriel made no move to get out.
"I don't think I should come with you," Gabriel said, staring at the building in awe. "I don't really belong to such places."
"Don't be silly," Reed said and waved his concerns away. "You have to watch the livestream with us and you have to tell us about what you planned out with Shane! And when it was that you met him! And what he told you! Did he talk about me? Well, probably he didn't, but... did he?"
"I'd really appreciate it if we could talk more about Blaine," Kurt added.
He wanted to know about everything that Gabriel and Blaine had experienced together. Also, he tried to figure out who this Gabriel O'Brien really was and who he was to Blaine. Had they become sort of friends? Kurt wished he had talked more with Blaine in the couple of moments they had had together.
"Did Wild... did Blaine talk about me?" Gabriel asked, almost sheepishly.
Kurt flinched slightly, feeling caught. Was this guy a mind-reader?
"No," Kurt answered and noticed the way the man slumped his shoulders in a sort of disappointed way. "But... uhm... we didn't really talk that much at all. We were busy... um... you know, running away."
They entered the hotelroom and Reed instantly put up his computer, checking his internet connection.
"I'll be a minute..." Kurt excused himself and went into the bathroom to change quickly into more comfortable clothes. A gaze into the mirror reminded him of the golden eye shadow and powder on his face. With a paper towel Kurt wiped the make-up off his face.
"You all right, Goldie?" Gabriel asked, leaning with crossed arms in the doorway. Kurt had the habit of not closing the bathroom door when he was just changing or doing his hair, so he'd be able to talk to Reed in the next room. He didn't mind Gabriel watching him brushing the gold glitter out of his hair.
"You must think that my behavior is juvenile and I'm just a stupid teenager in love," Kurt said bitterly.
Gabriel surprised him by saying, "Aren't we all?"
Kurt cocked an eyebrow at him inquiringly.
"No matter what age, we all turn back into teenagers when we're in love," Gabriel said with a thin smile.
Kurt was thinking about his father and Carole and had to silently agree.
"I know that I'm powerless and all my attempts of helping Blaine are ridiculous," Kurt said with a deep sigh. "I just... I need to do something. If only to let him know that I'm still here."
Gabriel nodded in understanding. "What you're doing to reach to him isn't ridiculous. No one can foresee the outcome of this game."
"I hate that everybody is playing all of this down by calling it a game," Kurt grumbled while shrugging out of the expensive button-down shirt and changing into a Dalton sweater. "Valerie does that as well. But this is not a game to me and it sure as hell isn't a game to Blaine."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to belittle the situation." Gabriel waved his hand as if burned. "Boy, you can be really scary."
"I wish I was," Kurt replied with a huff. "But Valerie and Devon aren't very impressed by my attempts to be strong."
"That's where you're wrong, Goldie," Gabriel said. "As far as Valerie is concerned you're the only unknown variable in her plan. She knows the way you affect Blaine and that you're the only one who can give Blaine the strength to break free. Why do you think she bothered to try and intimidate you? Why had she called me to scare you off? At the same time, however, you're the only card in the game – sorry – she can use against him. So she threatens you to keep Blaine at bay. It's a high-wire act. Hard to keep balance."
"I want to see her fall," Kurt muttered. "With no safety net."
Gabriel shot Kurt an amused glance.
"It's weird to finally meet you, Kurt," Gabriel admitted with a wry smile. "Do you know the feeling when you hear a lot about a person and picture that person in your head in a certain way and then you're actually meeting him? It has a surreal touch to it, as if you were some kind of celebrity. In a way you're exactly how I pictured you to be and then again, you're different, you're more real."
Gabriel paused and tilted his head. "And I can see why Blaine's so in love with you."
Kurt didn't know why these words struck a chord with him, but he was tearing up. Hearing a total stranger tell you that your long-lost boyfriend's still in love with you does things to your heart.
"Thanks." Kurt cleared his throat. He didn't know what else to say to that.
Gabriel seemed to be a nice, straight-forward, goofy, warmhearted guy. Kurt liked him for better or worse. Still, Kurt remained wary. He didn't trust many people these days.
Anyhow, if Gabriel had helped Blaine in any possible way, Kurt was very grateful that Gabriel had been around during the hardships Blaine had been facing.
"Can you please tell me everything that happened to him?" Kurt asked.
"That'd be a long night." Gabriel pulled a face. "Also, that'd be for him to tell you, wouldn't it?"
"You're probably right."
"But..." A smirk appeared on Gabriel's features. "I can tell you guys about Shane's and my plan."
"KURT!"
Reed called out from the next room. "It's on! The livestream is on! And it looks like a very festive gathering. Oh dear, my family doesn't even dress up like that on my birthdays!"
Kurt and Gabriel hurried back into the room to join Reed on the mattress of the king-size bed.
Blaine paced off his anxiety. His lips were red from constant nervous biting. He wouldn't admit it to anyone – not even to Shane – that he was waiting for his mother to show up.
He hadn't seen her for months. The last time he had talked to her on the phone was back in early November when he had asked her to come to the winter festival to Dalton to see him sing but she had told him she couldn't make it.
Then Valerie had told him that his mother also wouldn't make it home for Christmas. It made him wonder if his mother had been part of the plan – if she had given her OK to the idea of getting Blaine to a mental facility to get him straight. Or if she thought he'd been there just because of his suicide attempt.
Blaine was sure that his father didn't know about Valerie's low blow against him – talking him into taking sleeping pills. But the idea of the facility must have been there before Valerie's evil schemes. Did his mother really agree to send him to such a place? Did she really not care about him anymore? And what about Shane? Did she at least still care about him?
"I can't stand the sight of him," Shane muttered to Blaine, nodding towards Devon.
Blaine was pleased to see the swelling on Devon's forehead caused by Kurt's boot. Still it wasn't enough. He wished that Devon would suffer.
Shane stayed by his side and Blaine was grateful for that. He wouldn't be able to stay sane if his brother wasn't around.
Shane had been in charge of Blaine's hair for the party; making them look like twins with different heights. Shane had gelled his hair back and let it curl in his neck. Blaine didn't mind the lookalike style. Since he let his hair grow he didn't know how to handle it anyway.
Valerie hadn't been pleased about his appearance – his eyes were red and his face blotchy from crying – but he heard her turning it to her liking, telling everyone in a stage-whisper that he was still unstable and nervous about all the guests. She made it sound like he was scared of his own shadow. His father sure didn't like her talking about Blaine that way. Richard took her aside with a scolding in his eyes – there were a lot of his colleagues around and since he wanted Blaine to be a future part of the company he didn't want his son's reputation to suffer.
Blaine was thrilled when he overheard this conversation. His father stood up for him against Valerie. This was huge!
"Mom's here!" Shane said and nudged Blaine with his elbow.
Blaine was super-nervous when he saw his mother come in. He shouldn't feel nervous about seeing her, dammit. She was his mother. But he feared rejection.
His brother didn't seem to have similar fears. He grabbed Blaine by the arm and rushed over to where their mother was just talking to their aunt Judith who had arrived earlier.
"Mom!" Shane called her and engulfed her in a hug. That was just like him. Blaine however kept a distance. "Hi Mom."
"My boys!" She said with a laugh. "God, it's so frustrating to have both kids in boarding schools," she told her sister. "I hardly get to see them." She patted Shane on his back; he was towering over her small figure despite her wearing high pumps.
Joan Anderson was a small woman with thick black hair, pulled up, wearing a red-orange Californian dress and pumps that made her taller.
"Shane, my baby boy," Joan slurred; apparently she had been drinking already. "You should've brought your girlfriend, I wanna meet her," she patted his cheek. "Your big brother's getting married, are you excited?"
"I would be if there were strippers around," Shane answered with a shrug, earning laughter from the women.
"Male strippers," he mouthed at his older brother, but Blaine was too nervous to acknowledge the joke.
Then their mother smiled warmly at Blaine.
"Sweetheart, I can't believe it," she moved forward and gently pulled Blaine into an embrace. "My big boy's getting married soon."
"Not yet," Blaine replied and tensed up. "It's also my birthday, you know? I'm eighteen now."
"Oh, don't remind me," his mother rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to feel old?"
"Mom, I need to talk to you," Blaine said all serious and lowered his voice. "You gotta help me."
His mother narrowed his eyes at him inquiringly. "What is it you need, darling? Money?"
"No, I..."
Suddenly Valerie was next to them, linking arms with their mother. "I'm so happy to see you made it, Joan. Please, help yourself to the refreshment table."
"Valerie, I don't think you've met my sister Judith before?"
The three women moved across the room, leaving Shane and Blaine to themselves.
Blaine let out a frustrated sigh.
"This sucks," Shane voiced Blaine's thoughts.
Blaine had the feeling that she was avoiding him. She had never been one of those mothers who lived and breathed for her kids only. She had never talked to him about being gay, not even when he had tried to talk to her about it – after his dad had found out and almost beaten him to death. He had tried to be brave about her lack of sympathy for him, because he knew he had to smooth the path for his little brother who had to come out someday, too.
"Well, at least there's plenty of food," Shane said cheerfully. "Come on, bro, we can't do this on an empty stomach."
His father had prepared a speech for eight o'clock and after that there was supposed to be music and dance. Blaine knew what it was that his father wanted to announce. It sure as hell wouldn't be a Happy Birthday speech. Valerie had already told him what he was supposed to say and there was a ring that he was supposed to give Valerie. It was all such an act!
"Kurt's going to be watching," Shane whispered to him with a full mouth with cheese and meat balls. "Val told me she'd given him access to the livestream that Dad has prepared."
"That's horrible!" Blaine gasped. "What did she do that for? She wants him to watch me getting thrown around in her big play?"
"I say you play along, but nothing's to stop you to do a show of your own."
"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked. He couldn't risk doing something to piss off his father or Valerie. Not as long as Kurt was their target.
"How about a message?" Shane replied and pointed with his thumb towards the piano. "In the best way you know how to deliver a message."
Blaine nodded slowly and he tried to think of a song that embodied his situation and what he wanted Kurt to know. Then his focus shifted and he watched his mother for a while who was sitting in one of the lounging chairs with her sister, both enjoying a glass of wine.
Blaine took a chance when he saw that his aunt left for the refreshment table, leaving his mother on her own.
"Mom," he greeted her and sat down next to her. "Can we talk?"
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, my baby," she said out of the blue and reached out to stroke his hand. He turned his hand to hold hers.
"Valerie is such a sweet girl, and she will be a stunning bride."
Blaine shook his head in frustration. "Mom, you know that I'm gay. I don't want to marry Valerie. I can't. I can't live a lie! It's not fair to anyone."
She downed her glass of wine and waved for the waitress to fill up her glass.
Blaine bit his lips until the waitress left, then he said, "Mom, I thought you quit drinking."
She giggled to herself, but it was a bitter and hollow sound. "Yes, I have, but then my baby tried to kill himself."
Blaine swallowed down the lump in his throat. She cared about him after all.
"Mama, I need you. Please help me. Please do something to stop Dad. He can't decide what happens to me on his own, you're my parent, too!"
He struggled to keep his emotions under control, but he just couldn't keep the tears out of his voice.
"Mama?" He wanted her to hug him, comfort him, but she just stared at him like she was seeing a ghost.
"What are you crying about?" she scolded him. "You should be grateful that Valerie's doing all this for you."
Blaine shook his head and whispered frantically. "She's just doing it for the family money, don't you see? It's all her plan from the start! She manipulated all of us, even me! I took sleeping pills, because she told me that Dad was going after Kurt and I didn't see any other way to distract him and..."
"Stop being selfish, Blaine," his mother spat out, holding her hand up to make him shut up. "Have you for one second even thought about me when you took those damn pills? How do you think I felt when I was told that my baby wanted to kill himself? Do you know how people talk about me now, saying behind my back that I was a bad mother?"
"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I didn't think..." Blaine stammered, taken aback by her sharp words.
"Damn right you didn't think! Well, thank you very much, Blaine, for giving me all these feelings of guilt. Don't you ever dare doing it again! You're not suicidal, you're just a spoiled brat that starts yelling when things don't go your way!"
With a huff she rose and walked away from him.
Blaine was left feeling shocked and absolutely helpless. He wanted to disappear but Valerie chose this moment to come up to him and take him by the arm. "It's time," she said with a smile to him.
Richard stood in the middle of the salon, clinking a spoon against his glass.
"Everyone," he rose his voice. "Thank you all for coming. I'm proud to say that my eldest offspring has fully recovered from his little accident. He is going to do home-school until he graduates and then start studying law to follow in his old man's footsteps. But I don't want to forestall all the good news. Blaine has something exciting to share. Come up here, son."
He stepped back to give Blaine and Valerie room in the spotlight. Everyone was clapping politely and when Blaine looked around he found himself surrounded by stranger's faces. Their guests consisted of his father's co-workers and Valerie's friends and some distant relatives that he hardly ever saw.
Valerie had her arm linked with his and she leaned lovingly at his side, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. She wore a strapless blue dress and flat shoes to look smaller, because she was taller than Blaine.
She squeezed his arm to cue him to speak. Blaine knew what he had to say. He inhaled deeply and put a fake smile on, wanting to get it done and over with, when all of a sudden he noticed the guy with the camera. It was one of his father's co-workers who was filming the family event and would broadcast it at the company's online blog.
Kurt would be watching. Blaine wetted his lips and tried not to imagine Kurt sitting in front of his computer.
"It feels like I've known Valerie for all my life," he began, "she's always been by my side."
His voice sounded dull even to his own ears, but there were still some 'uhs' and 'ahs' that erupted from the audiences as they bought into the lie. Valerie clung at his arm as if she would never let go of him again – which of course was her plan – but gave him a subtle pinch to tell him to step it up. He cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes for a moment, trying to find a way to continue with this charade when all his head was screaming was wrong. wrong. wrong.
"When I was at my lowest, she was there to help me up again," Blaine went on, saying the words that Valerie wanted him to say. "She saved my life."
He pauses again, almost wanting to laugh out loud at the irony of that statement, choking on the humorous chuckle that wants to slip past his lips. But Valerie was always quick on her feet, putting her hand to her chest as if too moved to be able to speak. As if they were both choked up with emotions and tears. "Honey…" she breathed. Their audience ate her up.
"What can I say?" Blaine produced a ring box out of the pocket of his jacket and turned to her. This was the point where he was supposed to say that he loved her. But he just couldn't get the lie over his lips. He decided to improvise.
"There's no other woman for me; you're the one."
There's no other woman for me, because I'm gay. You're the one that makes my life a miserable mess.
"Oh, Blainey," Valerie purred. "You're the only one for me, too."
She held out her left hand for him to put the engagement ring on. He had refused beforehand to kneel down in front of her and she had compromised that he didn't have to, because in the official story he had already proposed to her. Still, she wanted him to put the ring on her for the sake of show effect.
Then she pulled him in for a small kiss on the lips. He stiffened at her touch, but didn't flinch away. If he was lucky this would be the only kiss they ever had to share for public eyes.
Their guests applauded and raised their glasses to toast them.
Before everyone's attention shifted Blaine spoke up. "I would like to perform a little piece on the piano," Blaine said and walked up to the white piano in the sunroom. He picked a single dark red rose with a red ribbon out of a bouquet and brought it along.
The guy with the video camera moved with him, capturing Blaine over the surface of the piano as he sat down.
"This is for my one and only true love," he announced loudly while slowly twirling the rose between his fingers and looking at it with loving and sad eyes. Then he put the rose on top of the piano in front of the camera.
Again, the guests sighed in awe, murmuring what a romantic guy he was.
Valerie lowered her eyes at him. She got his drift. As did Shane who gave him a thumbs-up.
Blaine hoped that Kurt – if he really was watching – got the drift as well. Even more so, he hoped that Kurt would understand and forgive him.
"Sitting here wasted and wounded at this old piano
Trying hard to capture
The moment, this morning I don't know
Some blonde gave me nightmares
I think that she's still in my bed
As I dream about movies
They won't make of me when I'm dead "
Blaine shot Valerie a glance – he wanted her to know that she was the blonde that gave him nightmares – and she stared daggers back at him while maintaining the look of pure devotion on her face for the sake of their guests.
"While we're talking
About all of the things that I long to believe
About love, the truth and
What you mean to me
And the truth is baby you're all that I need"
Blaine raised his voice to copy the tacky yet desperate tone of Jon Bon Jovi when he sung the chorus,
" I wanna lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I'll sleep on a bed of nails
Oh, I wanna be just as close as your Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on bed of roses"
It had been a while since the last time Kurt had seen Blaine play the piano. He had forgotten how absolutely talented Blaine was. As always Blaine put all his heart into his performance, but this time it was different. This was more than just a song and Kurt could feel it. He shivered and had goosebumps all over his arms as he stared at the monitor of Reed's laptop. He was soaking up each and every word Blaine sang and the way he sang them.
"Well, I'm so far away
That each step that I take is on my way home
Now as you close your eyes
Know I'll be thinking about you
While my mistress, she calls me
To stand in her spotlight again
Tonight, I won't be alone
But you know that don't mean I'm not lonely"
Blaine looked straight into the camera and laid special emphasis on the next words,
"I've got nothing to prove
For it's you that I'd die to defend!"
Reed let out a cute little squeal and dug his fingers into the covers of the bed. "Gosh, this is so romantic," he breathed. "You're so lucky, Kurt!"
Kurt was biting his lips. It may seem a romantic gesture from Blaine, but Kurt understood what this song really was about.
" I wanna lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I'll sleep on a bed of nails
Oh, I wanna be just as close as your Holy Ghost is
And lay you down
On a bed of roses."
At the end of the song Blaine had tears in his eyes and he raised his hand to kiss his wrist, but really he was kissing his golden bracelet. When he gazed into the camera again, Kurt's heart skipped a beat; it was as if Blaine was looking straight at him.
"Wow," Reed said after the song had ended and everyone at the party applauded politely. They watched how Blaine rose from his seat and soon the camera's focus wasn't on Blaine anymore, but on his father who was talking business with some colleagues.
"Wow," Reed said again and turned to his friend. "That was just... wow!"
"That boy definitely can sing," Gabriel said, impressed. "And play the piano."
Kurt didn't say anything. He knew that Blaine was playing an act – that this proposal wasn't real and the whole situation a mockery of his actual feelings. But the truth remained that most likely Blaine would have to marry this horrible woman, no matter what. And the song – the song Blaine performed for his true love – it was the worst part. It showed that Blaine was giving up; it was Blaine saying I love you, but I can't be with you.
Kurt reached out with one hand and clasped the shoulder of the man who sat next to the bed on the floor, staring at the ending of the livestream in mute consideration. When Kurt's hand touched him, Gabriel looked up.
"You have to succeed, Gabriel," Kurt said, his voice no more than a whisper. "I know it's a lot to ask you, but please, I'm begging you."
"I'll do the best I can, I promise," Gabriel replied in all earnestness.
They had exchanged numbers and Kurt hadn't protested when he noticed that Gabriel had saved Kurt's number with the name Goldie.
Gabriel had cursed a lot while watching the livestream, especially during the so-called proposal. It was good to see that the man definitely was on their side.
Reed let out a sigh. "Shane looked good in that suit, don't you think?" he murmured, his chin in his hand as he browsed the internet some more.
Kurt fell back onto the mattress, digging his fingers into the fabric of the dark red covers, holding his breath to stifle a sob.
"Kurt, what's wrong?" Reed asked over his shoulder, turning to gaze at him in concern.
Kurt couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They were tears of despair and longing. So basically Blaine was saying goodbye with this song. Kurt wasn't ready to let that happen.
"Gosh, Goldie," Gabriel said with a soft voice. "Please, don't cry."
"Blaine's not really going to marry her," Reed said in an attempt to cheer his friend up. "I mean, that's ridiculous. And he sang you a love song!"
"A very sappy love song, but still," Gabriel agreed, joining Reed in the cheering up team.
"That wasn't a love song," Kurt protested, wiping at his face. "It was a goodbye."
"Nah!" Reed disagreed, but then scrunched up his face, considering, and suddenly didn't sound so reassuring anymore. "You think so?"
"He's given up," Kurt explained, sitting up, gesturing towards the laptop. "Blaine's given up and Valerie's got him exactly where she wants him."
"But that doesn't matter if Shane's plan works, right, Gabriel?" Reed looked with searching eyes at the man. "The plan sounds very good to me."
"I'll do my best," Gabriel promised again. "I can't guarantee that it'll work, though."
"Valerie's smart, Reed," Kurt reminded his friend in a resigned tone. "What if she doesn't buy it? What if Blaine ends up marrying her?"
"He'll still love you!" Reed said firmly. "Didn't you notice that Blaine still wears the bracelet? That's got to count for something."
"Looks to me like the bracelet has become no more than a memory of what we used to be for Blaine," Kurt replied, still in tears.
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door and a hysterical yell, "Reed? Are you in there? Reed! Open up!"
"Oh, shit!" Kurt muttered, quickly wiping at his eyes.
Alarmed, Gabriel was on his feet in an instant, looking as if he had committed a crime by just hanging out in this room with them. "Who's that?"
"It's my Mom," Reed explained, and it did no good for everyone's anxiety level that he looked totally frightened. The boy jumped off the bed and opened the door for his mother.
"Hi Mom," he managed to say before Hilde Van Kamp stormed into the hotelroom like a hurricane, followed by her assistant Emily.
"Where have you been, Reed? Why didn't you come back to the show? You could at least have called me or Emily. We were looking for you in all the emergency rooms in the area. The stupid police doesn't want to move a finger unless you're missing 48 hours. Do you know what horrible, horrible things can happen in only 48 hours? I have wanted to spill red wine over all of their stupid uniforms, but of course there's never a bottle around when you need one. And who's that?"
She pointed her finger at Gabriel, frowning at him suspiciously.
"Me?" Gabriel spread his hands as if to show that he was unarmed and harmless. "I'm nobody, really. I just drove them here. I... I guess I'd better leave now."
"No one leaves the room!" Hilde ordered firmly. "Not until I know what's going on."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Reed said quickly. "We had to leave the show, but it was really, really important. And I didn't call because I didn't have my phone and I had to give my shoes to the taxi driver as payment. I'm really sorry!"
Hilde sat down in an armchair with a sigh and her features softened when he noticed that Kurt had been crying.
"There's no need to cry, Chord," she addressed Kurt in a gentle tone. "You did good, up until you fell in the end. It's my son I'm angry with." She turned back to Reed. "I have the feeling you tried to ruin my show on purpose!"
"I didn't!" Reed protested, and for the purpose of distraction he added, "And his name's Kurt, Mom. You're always saying it wrong."
"Sorry, dear, I'm bad with names."
"You should come up with nicknames for everyone, ma'am, that's what I do." Gabriel said with a shrug.
"Really?" Hilde raised a brow at him.
"Yeah, like, these two are Candy and Goldie to me."
"Why is that?" Hilde raised her brow higher.
"Come on, it's obvious," Gabriel said with a rather charming smile. "Your son is incredible cute, and now I see that he's got his good looks from his mother. Concerning Kurt, I know for a fact that Kurt is someone's greatest treasure. Also, he wore golden pants today."
"You seem very sweet," Hilde said appreciatively, then turned to her son. "Have you paid him yet? Never forget to tip a taxi driver or other service staff, son. - Emily, could you, please?"
Her assistant got out a big purse, raiding it for money.
"There's no need to pay me," Gabriel refused to take the money. "I'm not a taxi driver."
"Then who are you?"
"Uhm, that's kind of a long story, Mom," Reed interjected.
"Good. I don't have any more obligations today, have I, Emily?"
Her assistant checked the timetable. "Actually, there's the video conference with Vogue scheduled for 9.15 PM..."
"Ah, all right. I have to go, but I expect a full report tomorrow at lunch. Is that understood, honey?" She kissed Reed's cheek and then left again.
Kurt, Reed and Gabriel gazed at the door for a moment longer.
"That's one energetic lady," Gabriel remarked.
"Yeah, she's one of a kind," Reed replied with a sigh.
"I should leave now," Gabriel said and turned to the door.
"We'll stay in touch," Kurt said quickly. "You'll contact me as soon as you have anything, right?"
"I will," Gabriel promised and let his gaze linger on Kurt for a second longer; a strange sadness in his eyes. "You can count on me."
Songs in this chapter:
Bon Jovie – Bed of Roses
Emmy, thanks for all your help with this chapter! I really appreciate it! :)
For all of you who like my OC Gabriel, please go and check out my spin-off "Gabriel". I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
As always, reviews are love and motivation. :)
