They traveled all night long.
After they had run themselves to near exhaustion, Kurt and Blaine slowed down and plowed through a shallow creek until their legs were throbbing and the blisters on their feet had blisters. Blaine almost fell asleep walking several times, but his freezing feet and empty stomach kept him awake.
The rising sun colored everything a faint blue at first before the sky was tinged with golds and pinks and Blaine sleepily admired its loveliness. He was suddenly jerked back to reality as Kurt pulled him from the creek and onto a patch of dried leaves. He must have almost fallen asleep again.
"Where are we?" he asked Kurt after a jaw cracking yawn.
"I have no idea," Kurt replied with a shrug and a yawn of his own. "But I'm starving."
They shuffled around in the woods looking for mushrooms and berries. Kurt only had to slap poisonous ones out of Blaine's hands twice before he ate them. They sipped some water from their cupped hands they dipped in the creek and felt a bit more awake after their meager breakfast, so they trudged on through the woods. They kept near the creek, picking their way through the rough underbrush.
"How do you know which direction to go?" Blaine chirped. He was feeling much better after some food, water, and rest. They had escaped the clutches of a nefarious gang and now he was walking out in the fresh air with the boy he loved. Soon they would be back home. Life was not too bad at the moment.
"I don't," Kurt mumbled. He wasn't quite as perky as Blaine, but he didn't take it personally. He knew Kurt wasn't a morning person. "I'm just trying to put as much distance between us and those monsters as possible. We are going to have to find somewhere to rest before one of us just falls over."
Blaine agreed and the two began scouting for some sort of inconspicuous shelter. He was on the verge of just suggesting they just flop down under a tree when Kurt suddenly froze, his arm catching Blaine across the chest.
"Wha-"
"Shhh! Do you hear that?"
Blaine stood as still as he could, his heart thudding in his chest at the thought of the gang catching up to them. The creek had widened in this area, a few small waterfalls here and there making it hard to hear much else besides the crash of the water. But once he really listened, he heard it.
"Is that- Is someone singing?"
Kurt nodded and they went as quietly as they could towards the lovely voice that grew louder with each step.
So hoe your own row and raise your own babies
Smoke your own smoke and grow your own daisies
Mend your own fences and own your own crazy
Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy
Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy
A small woman sat by the creek, strumming a guitar as something that smelled delicious bubbled over the fire in a pot. She also had a small tent set up that had seen better days. Her blonde hair was scooped back into a loose bun and she wore a dress that showed as much as one of the women at the brothel. Her voice was amazing and had them hanging on every word of her odd little song. They were so caught up in it in fact, that they forgot that they were in plain sight. Just as the woman started singing about putting salt in her sugar, she happened to look their way and screamed in terror. The sudden scream made Blaine and Kurt both scream and clutch each other. The woman eyed them warily with a hand over her heart.
"Well slap a feather on my ass and call me a rooster! You two scared the hell out of me!" the woman drawled as her breathing slowed down.
Blaine was the first to move, sticking out his hand in a friendly way. He just hoped he didn't look too awful after their night from hell. "My name is Blaine Anderson and this is my- Uh, this is Kurt."
She put up her finger and fished a flask out from between her breasts. After a deep pull from the shiny flat bottle, she wiped her own palm over her skirt and shook Blaine's hand.
"Nice to meet you, sweet pea. My name's April Rhodes." She winked at Kurt and gestured for them to sit at her fire. "Take a load off boys!" she said as she tucked her guitar away.
After sharing a look, they got comfortable as she continued. "What in the world are two little cuties like you doing out here all alone?"
Blaine glanced at Kurt, silently asking him how much they should share. Kurt thankfully took the lead. Blaine didn't trust himself not to over share with how sleepy he was.
"First of all, you have a lovely voice. I sing myself-"
"Ooh! You sing!" she squealed. Kurt smiled nervously and nodded. "We should do a duet!"
Blaine was almost certain April was slightly drunk. She was slurring her words and seemed unbothered that two strange men were sitting in her campsite.
"Anyway," Kurt continued. "We happened to get on the wrong side of some questionable characters and now we are trying to get back home."
Blaine's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. He hadn't eaten since their picnic and he was hungry.
April shook her head sympathetically. "Oh goodness, you poor things! Here, have some soup!"
As they ate, April kept them entertained with stories of her life on the road where she had made her living as a fortune teller, a singer, and a merchant selling hair tonic. She kept the boys laughing for what felt like hours until Blaine drooped into his soup bowl for the fifth time.
"You boys look more tired than a hound dog in the sun! Here, take this," she said as she thrust a bottle of something that smelled like the strong antiseptic Blaine's father used in his practice. "Why don't you two go get some rest in the tent over there and I'll warn you if anyone comes?"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Kurt smiled at her gratefully. "That would be lovely."
She looked between them and winked. "Or if you want to go in the tent and not rest, that's fine too!"
Kurt flushed instantly so Blaine just smiled and pushed him towards the tent amid April's cackles. They got settled in the blankets, Blaine snuggling up under Kurt's arm.
"Do you think we can trust her?" He whispered into the quietness of the tent. They could hear April outside, strumming idly on her guitar and singing snatches of songs. Kurt looked down at him and twisted a curl around his finger.
"Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever trust anyone besides you and my dad ever again," Kurt replied. His eyes slid closed and he yawned, still playing in Blaine's hair.
In a matter of minutes, Kurt's breathing evened out and his chest rose up and down, Blaine's head rising and falling with it. Blaine had gone from falling asleep walking to somehow wide awake even though his eyes burned and his legs throbbed. Kurt's light snores made Blaine's heart squeeze with fondness. He looked so much younger when he was asleep. He always seemed so sure of himself and Blaine envied that quiet confidence. Sure, he could usually charm his way into and out of situations, but Kurt was like a steady rock. Blaine cuddled impossibly closer to Kurt who tightened his hold on Blaine unconsciously, like a teddy bear in his sleep.
Blaine felt tears sting his eyes. He loved Kurt so much and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had almost lost him. Maybe that's why he was awake; he was terrified that the second he went to sleep that they would be kidnapped again.
The tears slid down his face and pooled into the dirty fabric of Kurt's shirt before sinking into it and making a little dark circle. Blaine vowed that he was going to do whatever it took to make sure Kurt made it home safe, even if he himself did not.
The tears eventually dried and utter exhaustion pulled Blaine into a solid, dreamless sleep.
"Ugh! This is so ridiculous!" Rick whined to Azimio. He whined quietly. If Adam overheard him, it would probably not end well. "Why do we have to keep looking for those bastards? I want to go find a nice warm bed and something strong to drink then get out of this shitty place."
"You and everyone else," Azimio huffed back. Also quietly. He was no fool. "This is the dumbest thing we have ever done, and that's including the time we robbed that Prince's stagecoach. I don't get why those two whelps matter."
"You two need to keep your voices down," Karofsky muttered as he marched next to them. He eyed Sebastian who winked at him. Karofsky looked away quickly. Sebastian could sniff out trouble like a bloodhound. If he knew what the others were grumbling about, he might just go tell Adam to see the blood sport. "Jesse is still on the boss's bad side and he's been even more short-tempered since those boys escaped with the blueprints. Did you see Bill's face? He punched him for walking too close."
"Bill could use a good punch every once and awhile," Rick shrugged as they plodded along the creek's edge. He peered in the mud for a few seconds before dismissing the smudge he saw as something unimportant. They hadn't seen any signs of boys in a few hours and Karofsky was worried they were going the wrong way.
He was equally worried what would happen if they were going the right way too.
Sure he was a part of this gang, but he didn't enjoy the violence like some of them seemed to. He liked the feeling of finally belonging to a group, but he didn't want to do this forever. More and more lately, he was thinking about leaving.
He also couldn't shake the guilt that this whole mess was his fault. If he hadn't panicked and grabbed those boys, none of this would be happening.
"Besides," Rick continued, oblivious to Karofsky's uneasy thoughts. "We won't have to worry about it when we find those boys. The boss can take his anger out on them and we can watch."
Rick and Azimio chuckled at the thought and Karofsky's stomach turned. Part of the reason he had joined this particular gang was because they had a reputation for not taking hostages. He wanted the money, but didn't want to hurt anyone.
"Hey! I found some foot prints!" one of the others shouted from the opposite bank. That spurred everyone into action as they sloshed through the creek to the other side.
Karofsky felt sick again. He certainly hoped they weren't fool enough to fall asleep.
Pam Anderson shut the door to her little home and tried to swallow back her sobs. At this point she wasn't even sure she had any tears left.
The house felt empty and cold, even though it was summer. She had finally torn herself out of the hold of her son and Burt Hummel, telling them she needed to be alone when they returned once again without Blaine and Kurt. Burt had been hopeful that they had escaped, but Pam wasn't going to be satisfied until her son was back home where he belonged.
Pam sighed and drifted through the dark house, her eyes landing on a photograph they had taken a month before Jon had passed. They had taken Blaine to the seaside on an impromptu trip. Jon had needed a break from his practice and Blaine had been moping around for some reason. Now that she knew about Blaine's secret, Blaine's moody spells made a lot more sense to her.
They had all stood at the seaside, laughing and chatting happily. That was the last time they were all able to get together like that and just be a family. She had commissioned a photograph to be taken. Although no one was smiling, there was still something that sparkled in her youngest son's eyes that hinted at his pleasant nature. He was such a sweet boy and didn't deserve what was happening. Kurt didn't either. She hoped they were okay. Tears sprang to her eyes once again somehow and she wiped them away quickly.
"Oh, Jon," she whispered hoarsely to the photograph of her late husband. "What do I do?"
Pam wished he was here. He always knew exactly what to do or say. He understood her like no one else. He would have known what to do now.
She let herself cry quietly before she finally got ahold of herself. Crying wouldn't help her boys. She set her jaw and crossed over the the couch. Sinking to her knees in front of the window, she pulled her rosary out of her shirt collar and began to pray.
"Please let them be alright…"
Kurt jolted awake out of a nightmare.
He had been running from the Crawford Gang through the town instead of the woods. His feet pounded down the empty streets and every time he ran to a neighbor's door, they locked it and ignored his cries. Panting and heart racing, he had turned to see Blaine's mother standing in front of him. She wasn't smiling, but she pointed over his shoulder. Kurt whipped around to see they had finally caught up to him. He was just about to be pounced upon by the scarf-clad men when his eyes snapped open.
"Wake up! They are close!"
His blurry vision finally focused on a petite figure shaking him awake.
"Did you hear me?" she squeaked. "I said I think those questionable characters you were talking about are headed this way!"
Kurt sat up quickly, throwing Blaine off of him in a confused heap.
"What's going on?" Blaine murmured sleepily. Kurt ignored him and peeked out of the tent. It was growing dark outside, but Kurt could see the clump of dark clad men with scarves tied around their faces. They were still some distance away, but Kurt knew they would be here in a matter of minutes. Blaine gasped beside him as he caught sight of the Crawford Gang as well.
"Kurt, we have to go," Blaine said, tugging him back by his shirt.
Kurt nodded and handed Blaine his bag before smiling at April. "Thank you so much. If I were you, I would get out of here too. That's the Crawford Gang and they aren't to be trifled with."
April grinned and waved away Kurt's warning. "I can handle myself. You boys need to run though. Quick, out the back."
They hurried to the back of the tent and gave April quick hugs.
"Thank you so much!" Blaine said as she squeezed him tightly. "I don't know what we would have done without you."
April giggled and pinched Blaine's nose. He yelped in surprise.
"Glad I could help. Now you cuties get a move on!"
They both took a deep breath before they ducked out the back and into the evening.
Sorry the update is so short today, but we went on vacation so there wasn't a lot of time for writing. Promise the next update will be longer! Let us know what you think? -A and K
*we do not own any music used*
Songs used:
Biscuits by Kacy Musgraves