"Well, Blainey. Tragically for you, I win yet again."

Cooper threw his cards down on the small table at the sheriff's office. He and the youngest Anderson were playing cards while waiting for the pelting rain to subside. Kurt was busy working all day and because of the rain, the job of mending the fences at the ranch was halted. So when Cooper begged Blaine to come keep him company, he relented even though he would have rather curled up in the window seat of his room and read through the medical text book Dr. Pillsbury lent him.

Blaine threw his cards into the pile alongside his brother's and leaned back in his uncomfortable chair. He was never good at any card games which is why Cooper loved to play him. He could still rile him up a little though.

"You probably just cheated. You always did play unfairly."

"I didn't cheat!" Cooper exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at his little brother and pointing a finger in his face. "You take that back!"

Blaine looked unfazed, arms folded behind his head and eyes closed. He could feel Cooper pointing. "Nope."

"Blaine! I am the damn sheriff and I can't have my tiny, jealous brother tarnishing my hard won reputation!"

Blaine snorted. "I think your dalliances with every woman at the brothel will do more damage to your reputation than anything I have to say. And I'm not tiny. Or jealous."

"You're Tom Thumb."

Blaine opened one eye and smirked. "That makes you an ugly ogre then."

Cooper made a strangled sound before jumping on Blaine. The two grappled around on the dusty floor, pulling each other's hair and punching at the other one, but the fight finally ended when Blaine bit Cooper's arm after he tried to get him in a headlock.

"Aaagh! You evil little dwarf!" Cooper rubbed at the spot he bit from the corner. Both were disheveled and breathing hard. Blaine rolled his shoulder where Cooper had bent his arm backwards.

"Yeah, a dwarf who kicked your ass."

"Did not."

Blaine rolled his eyes and laughed at Cooper's appearance. His hair was sticking up at every angle and his clothes were covered in dust from rolling on the floor. Cooper started laughing too, blue eyes sparkling with mirth. They sat there on the floor together against the wall as they caught their breath.

"God, squirt. I'm getting old," Cooper panted as he rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. Blaine shoved at him playfully and folded his legs up until his chin was resting on his knees.

He wondered what Cooper would say if he told him about Kurt. His mother's reaction had relieved him to no end and Cooper was a lot more easy-going than his mother. After they moved, Blaine had already decided he wanted to get closer to his brother and this could be the way to do it.

"Nah. You just need to exercise more. I could recommend a program."

Cooper propped an elbow up on a knee and let the other leg stretch out in front of him. Blaine had kicked that thigh and it hurt. He grinned roguishly.

"I get plenty of exercise. Just ask Ms. Benson. Or Ms. Stetson. Or Ms. Waters. Or-"

"Yeah, I get it, Coop." Blaine said as he pulled a face at his brother. Cooper just smirked at his perverted memories that Blaine wanted absolutely nothing to do with. He let his head thump back against the wall. "Hey, can I tell you something? Something personal... a secret?"

Cooper rolled his neck until it cracked and chuckled."Oooh, a secret? Been sticking your tongue down boy's throats or something?"

Blaine blinked at the elder and scratched at his scalp."Um, actually yes. That's pretty much what I wanted to tell you. I told mother and she is fine with it and I wanted you to know."

Cooper's eyes snapped to his younger brother and made eye contact to be sure he wasn't lying.

"Whoa, no shit, huh? I mean, I thought so when my old schoolmate Henry would come to dinner and you couldn't stop staring at his ass. But when you never seemed interested in courting anyone I figured you were just going to be one of those celibate fellows. Like a house plant or something."

Blaine laughed, his cheeks a little pink. He thought he had been careful about staring at Henry, but yet again he was an idiot.

"How on earth can you be supportive and offensive all at the same time?"

Cooper shrugged and then poked at Blaine's shoulder."Soooo, are there any boy asses in particular you stare at longingly these days?"

Blaine felt his blush deepen and Cooper made a squealing noise. "Uh oh! There is! Is it that Sam kid you're always hiding behind things with? You need to be careful, squirt. Not everyone is as open-minded as me in this town."

Blaine swiped at him. "No, it's not Sam! He's my friend and you must be the only person in town who doesn't know his heart belongs to someone else."

"Huh. Well, who is it then?"

Blaine smiled though his ears were burning now as well. From the teasing glint in Cooper's eye, he knew he had that lovestruck look on his face. "Um, it's... now you can't tell anyone!" Blaine warned Cooper, who held up his palms. He bit his lip and rubbed his neck. "It's, uh, Kurt Hummel. We are together. Secretly, of course. Blaine blushed furiously again and ignored the obnoxious cooing his brother insisted upon doing.

"Nice choice! He's pretty. Don't look at me that way. I can appreciate beauty. I took that art course, you know."

Blaine rolled his eyes, but his smile undercut his annoyance. He spent the next half hour telling Cooper everything about his relationship with Kurt. It was so nice, being able to tell someone about it. His mother knew, but it wasn't like he felt comfortable explaining to her how it felt kissing Kurt or what parts of him he found physically attractive. That was more of a brother talk, especially considering how she caught them. He told Cooper about that too and had to push him away when Cooper whooped and told him he was finally a man.

"She made me sit through a talk about Kurt's virtue and how God was always watching me, Coop. It was horrifying," he shuddered.

Cooper chuckled. "Sounds like you already know your way around Kurt's virtue. Ow!" He rubbed his arm where a very red Blaine smacked him.

"Anyway Squirt, that's nothing! Remember when mother and father caught me with Dr. Smith's daughter? I think I got arthritis with how many times I had to write, 'I won't take a young lady to the rectory and do immoral things with her in front of a statue of St. Mary."

"Jesus, Cooper."

"No, it was Mary. Anyway, I don't know what their problem was. She couldn't get pregnant with what we were doing..."

"Ugh! Cooper, please stop talking!"

Cooper grinned and knocked Blaine's shoulder with his."Seriously, brother. Thank you for telling me. I know it's not easy."

Blaine knocked him back. "Thanks for listening and for not making me feel bad. You're a decent brother when you aren't attacking me or telling me the sordid details of your sexual relations."

Cooper pinched Blaine's ear and ignored his squawk. "Well, someone has to pass this knowledge down to posterity."

"Can it be anyone else?"

"Nope. And if you need advice in the bedroom..."

"And we are done with this conversation."

"Blaine, men and women really aren't that different, especially when it comes to nipples- hey! Where are you going? Come back! Kurt will thank me! Blaine!"

"I'm going to drown myself in the rain now! Bye!"

Kurt looked up from scribbling figures in the book at the sound of the door clapping shut. His heart leapt in hopes that it would be Blaine, but he was disappointed.

"Santana. How can I help you?"

She sidled up to him, a mischievous smirk on her face as if she knew all his secrets. He gulped. Santana looking like that could never be a good thing.

"Well Lady Hummel, I was just here to check up on you. Your father said you had a little rash last week and I wanted to make sure you had recovered." Palms flat against the counter, she leaned in with her face inches from Kurt's. He gave her a tight smile in return and put some space in between them.

"Yes, just got into some poison sumac, but I'm fine now. Thanks for asking."

She didn't respond other than to somehow smile wider. Something was off and if he didn't know better it seemed like she knew how he had gotten the rash... Kurt summoned every ounce of talent he had in his body to school his face into a nonchalant expression. He couldn't panic now. "Anything else I can help you with, Santana?"

She clicked her tongue and walked up to him slowly, dragging her fingers along the edge of the counter. Her nails made an ominous clicking sound against the polished wood.

"Now, now. You aren't being honest with dear Auntie Tana, are you?"

"You aren't my aunt and I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what I find funny," asked Santana as she rounded the counter and cornered him like a cat approaching a mouse. Or a lion creeping up on a gazelle. He dropped his eyes back to his book and retrieved the pencil with shaky hands.

"If you don't have any business, I should get back to work. I don't really have time for social calls."

"I think it's funny that someone else had the same sort of rash you did," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. He pressed the pencil down into the book but didn't write anything. "And at the exact same time!" She mock gasped and leaned into his space again. This time he had no where to go since he was backed into the wall. Inside he was screaming, but on the outside he was cool and calm. He looked up into her dark eyes and shrugged.

"I'm not the town doctor, so I wouldn't know about that. Poison sumac must be out of control this year."

"See, what I just can't figure out," she said, her eyes searching his face for any weakness, any crack in the wall of his perfect calm. "Is how someone like you who grew up here and knows the plant life like you do, got a rash. Eyebrows I can see because he's a ninny who wouldn't know any better, but you? Sounds suspicious."

Kurt swallowed hard. He could keep denying it, but it was obvious she knew. How she figured it out he wasn't certain, but Santana didn't do anything without a reason. He glared at her and tossed the pencil down before crossing his arms across his chest.

"Alright. Fine. I won't insult your intelligence by pretending you don't know. So what do you want? I don't have any money."

She backed away, her smile slipping a bit. "I don't want anything... I... I didn't think you would admit that you were messing around with him."

She dropped her eyes to the ground and leaned against the wall. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Then why are you forcing me to admit it? And we aren't 'messing around.' We are..." He smiled softly to himself. "We are together. Courting."

Her eyes glanced back up at him and then back down to the floor. Neither one spoke for a little while. The silence was only punctured by the muffled sounds of town life outside the door, the rain pattering into the gutter, and the clanging of Burt working at the forge in the back.

"I'm not from here, you know," Santana said quietly. Kurt eyed her. "I was born... Well, I guess it doesn't matter. The important thing is that the family I was born into views me as dead now. Because, like you, I don't follow society's path set for me."

Kurt dropped his arms and tilted his head in curiosity. "You mean you...?"

"Are attracted to women instead of men?" She laughed softly. "Yes. Specifically Brittany."

Suddenly, it all made sense. How protective Santana was with Brittany. The way Brittany always found small ways to touch Santana's skin. The way they looked at each other like they were speaking some silent language only they knew. He had always known they had a deep bond, but this answered a lot of questions he didn't even know he had. She glanced back over and he saw the vulnerability in her eyes. And the fear.

"Santana, I won't tell anyone. But it's good to know I'm not alone." He started to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but stopped when he remembered she might not like that. He settled for nudging her with his elbow. She nudged him back, harder than she had to he thought, but she finally gave him a relieved smile.

"Thanks. I don't mind if you tell Eyebrows. It's only fair since I tricked him. I just wanted to let you know you weren't alone. And to be careful. This town isn't a safe place and I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Well, unless you tell anyone about Britt and me, then I would take great pleasure in your pain." She flashed a devious smile before unhitching herself from the wall and making her way towards the door.

"Santana," Kurt said, stopping her before she made it to the front. "You aren't alone either."

She nodded before pulling a scarf over her head to protect against the drizzling rain and then left the shop. Kurt let out a deep breath he didn't realize he had been holding in and rubbed a hand tiredly down his face. How was it that a week ago his life was so different? With a shake of his head, he bent back over the counter and began his work once again.

By the next day, the rain had finally let up and Blaine and Kurt were reunited in the late afternoon. They decided to head off to their secret place for a nice break from reality and where they could be them for a little while. Armed with a picnic basket and a blanket, they tromped through the woods until they made it to the waterfall.

"I told Cooper everything. He was very supportive, if a little crude," Blaine told Kurt as he spread out the blanket.

"That's good. As long as you're sure he won't blab to anyone. I hear he gets talkative when he's drunk," Kurt replied while unpacking the basket. Blaine snorted and took the sandwiches Kurt offered him.

"The only thing he talks about when he is drunk is his... intimate life. It's even more explicit, if you can imagine." Blaine shuddered as he took a large bite of his sandwich.

"Well, I should tell you Santana knows about us as well. She figured it out somehow because of the poison sumac." He shrugged and Blaine froze mid-bite.

"She set me up!"

He proceeded to tell Kurt her story about the flower and her involvement. At the end of the story, Kurt shook his head. "Oh my, you are gullible."

"Oh hush! I got caught up in the romance of it all."

Blaine pouted as Kurt stroked his curls. They had finished their food during Blaine's story and stretched out on the blanket. Kurt was propped up on an elbow with Blaine's head in his lap. Kurt smiled down at him and gave his hair a gentle tug.

"You are quite romantic. Plus, Santana won't tell. She's in a similar situation. With Miss Pierce."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. I had no idea..."

"Me neither. But it does make sense. She told me yesterday afternoon that she would help look out for us."

Blaine started rubbing his thumb in circles on Kurt's other hand and then kissed it. "That's... surprisingly nice. Although she should be nice after she tricked me like that." He shifted and started counting on his fingers. "So that makes your dad, my mother, Cooper, Santana, and possibly Brittany that know about us. That seems like a lot," he said quietly.

Kurt smoothed the wrinkle that had formed in between his eyebrows out with his thumb and then resumed his ministrations on Blaine's hair.

"Stop worrying. It seems like a lot, but all those people care about us and wouldn't say anything. There is no need to panic until we have a reason, and then we will do what we must."

Blaine pressed his lips to Kurt's palm again and gave him a look so sweet that Kurt felt his heart flip in his chest. "Of course you're right. I am just so used to hiding everything. It's quite nice."

He stretched his head back to look at the brunet upside down. Kurt smiled back at him after nodding in agreement. It was ridiculous how Blaine just looking at him could give him butterflies so easily. Blaine's grin widened. "You know what else would be nice? For you to sing for me."

Kurt chuckled and tapped the tip of the other boy's nose. "And what would you like for me to sing?"

"Anything," he replied. "I just want to hear your beautiful voice."

Kurt blushed and cleared his throat as Blaine twisted around so that he was leaning on his elbows with his chin propped in his hands in front of a kneeling Kurt. Once he opened his mouth and started to sing, Blaine's jaw dropped open in awe.

I've got this friend, I don't think you know him

He's not much for words, he's hidden his heart away

Oh, I've got this friend, a loveless romantic

All that he really wants is someone to want him back

Oh, if the right one came

If the right one came along

Oh, if the right one came along

Kurt stuttered a bit at the look of total admiration on Blaine's face and tipped his mouth closed with a single finger. They smiled at each other as Kurt launched into the next verse.

I've got this friend, I don't think you know her

She sings a simple song that sounds a lot like his

I've got this friend holding onto her heart

Like it's a little secret, like it's all she's got to give

Oh, if the right one came

If the right one came along

Oh, if the right one came along

It'd be such a shame if they never meet

She sounds lovely, he sounds right out of a dream

If only, if only, if only

Kurt's voice was so lovely and clear and Blaine's words bubbled up from his chest before he could stop them."You're so amazing, Kurt! I love you!"

Kurt and Blaine both froze at the words, both realizing at the same time what he had just blurted out. Just as Blaine was about to go throw up in the bushes, Kurt cleared his throat and took Blaine's jaw in his palms.

"I love you, too."

The apprehension bled from Blaine's face, his eyebrows un-scrunching and a blinding smile spread across his face. "You really do?"

Kurt nodded and returned his grin. "I never in my wildest dreams thought this could happen to me," Kurt said as his fingers stroked Blaine's jawline. "But here you are and suddenly my life has turned into something again. Something hopeful."

Blaine nodded emphatically. "I know! It's a bit soon, but I know what you mean. We can't help how we feel." He looked down thoughtfully at some ants dutifully carrying away crumbs from their lunch. "This thing we have... it's unlike anything I've ever been a part of. I always do everything for someone else. And I don't really mind. I am a gentleman for my mother and I agreed to be a doctor for my father. I mean, I want to be a doctor, but part of it has always been about my dad. But this-" he motioned to Kurt and then himself with a finger. "This is just for me. This is my selfish thing."

Kurt couldn't resist kissing him any longer. He touched his lips to Blaine's in a gentle caress and Blaine's eyes drifted closed. He felt his heart pounding fast and he eagerly wrapped his arms around Kurt's broad shoulders. The kiss turned into something a little more heated and Kurt pushed Blaine until he was laying on his back. Kurt cupped a hand behind Blaine's neck and seemed to breathe him in as their mouths sought to devour each other. Blaine let himself get lost in the moment and the feeling of Kurt's weight pressing him down. He let his hands slide up Kurt's chest and then back over his shoulders. He had an unhealthy attraction to Kurt's shoulders, but he was only human. He found himself staring at them most days, hoping to see the smooth skin underneath and imagining all the ways he could mark them. Kurt pressed himself down on top of Blaine, straddling his hips and swallowing the moans Blaine let slip into his mouth. Blaine was just about to suggest that they loose a few garments before he was shocked by the sudden coldness of Kurt's body heat being ripped from him.

"What was that?"

Kurt had pushed off of Blaine and fell back on his butt like Blaine had electrocuted him. Blaine sat up a little and rested on his elbows. He admired Kurt's disheveled hair and swollen red lips, knowing he probably looked very similar.

"I don't hear anything," replied Blaine. A pleasant hum was thrumming through his body at his love being returned and he fully intended to turn that trickle of pleasure into an avalanche if he could coax Kurt back onto him. "Come back here."

Kurt was scanning the underbrush like a hunted rabbit with wide eyes. He shook his head. "I know I heard someone, Blaine. I know I did."

Blaine glanced around them as well before sitting up on his knees. "Maybe it was an animal-"

He didn't see the hit coming. One second he was looking at Kurt, and then the next a sharp pain shot through his head and body. He saw bursts of color, then blackness as he groaned and fell forward onto the ground. Kurt was screaming. He heard footsteps. Everything was blurry. He blinked and when he opened his eyes, he was being carried by Kurt and some scowling man was following them.

"Kurt?"

"Shhh. Don't speak."

"I told you to be quiet!" the bulky man snarled at them and shoved Kurt forwards. Blaine saw fear and indignation flash across Kurt's face.

"What's happening?" Blaine whispered. "My head..."

Kurt swallowed and squeezed Blaine a little tighter in his arms.

"Remember when I said there was no need to panic without a reason?" he whispered back. Blaine gulped and eyed the giant man poking a revolver into Kurt's back. The man was looking all around for any other signs of being followed. He whistled as Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt's shoulders.

"Then we shall do what we must."

Santana watched the burly man frog march Blaine and Kurt away with a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

What had started as an afternoon looking for mushrooms for the cafe had turned into spying on the two boys she found having a picnic in the forest. Kurt had been singing to Blaine and then things got really interesting when they started kissing passionately. She was about to jump out and scare the daylights out of them and scold them for doing that where anyone could just happen upon them when it happened. The man had come out of nowhere and pistol-whipped Blaine over the head. He had crumpled and Kurt had dove for him when the man pointed the gun at him. She couldn't hear what was said, but just as she was about to rush down there and smack the sneer right off his stupid face, she hesitated. He had whistled. That was definitely some kind of signal and if someone was close enough to hear it, they would could be outnumbered with Blaine injured. She bit her lip. She wasn't a coward. Santana could hold her own. But what if they caught her too? Then no one would know what had happened to any of them. Burt Hummel's face flashed through her mind. She knew how much they meant to each other. Someone had to tell him. They could come back with reinforcements. She was certain she could at least get Sheriff Cooper and Finn on board. Also Sam. Her mind made up, she slid back into the shadows and as quick as she dared, raced back into town to get help.

She just hoped she wouldn't be too late.

Songs used-

I've Got This Friend- The Civil Wars

*we do not own any music used*