Summary: Kurt Hummel is officially tired of people thinking he is some sort of lackey for the most annoying slayer he ever met. It's time to take a stand. Things turn out different, when he doesn't find the slayer, but rather meets the slayer's younger brother. An unexpected encounter that will leave scars on both of them.

Notes: There we go, apparently this verse isn't abandoned after all!
Just kidding, I just didn't feel like writing for a long time. But here it is, the chronologically first story so far in the CTVS-verse:
The first encounter between Kurt, a vampire sick of working for the good guys, and Blaine, younger brother to the slayer.
I hope you enjoy.
The next story (when I get around to it) is "The Damsel in Distress", an x+1 story that should build a bridge between this story and the relationship between everyone you see in the other stories in this verse.

Cooper, the Vampire Slayer

Let The Right One In

Kurt was tapping his foot, trying to keep his impatience under control. Goblins were notorious for keeping their customers waiting, and this special one only even turned up in Sunnydale once upon a blue moon. Well, technically, only during the nights of a lunar eclipse, but it was rare enough. Only a few people in Sunnydale knew how to find the creature's secret hideout that of course had to be in the sewers. Even so, when Kurt had arrived, there had already been other customers – a hag, two warlocks...

By now, it was almost his turn. The warlocks had disappeared behind the curtain where the goblin shaman held his little sessions about half an hour ago. Now it was only Kurt and the goblin's apprentice waiting for the time to pass.

Goblins were annoying, but useful. Nasty creatures, green leathery skin was drawn tight over their bizarre, knobby bone structure. Most of them only reached Kurt's hip, though he wasn't sure how much of that was due to the hunch they all seemed unable to shake. They claimed to be proud of their looks, but it was no secret that it was their appearance that had forced them to live out of the public's eyes for centuries. A side effect was that they had become masters at hiding – and in consequence, at gathering secrets. For now, Kurt was only interested in one part of their knowledge. He was seeking information about an artifact. This shaman was known to be an expert about these things. It had taken Kurt quite some time to find out where the hideout was, to figure out the right schedule, and eventually get in contact to arrange this meeting. He had heard about the goblins from his demon lord, and through her he had come to hear about the artifact he was after.

The light behind the curtain dimmed until it was completely dark. The apprentice looked up, started to count on his fingers and toes to 18, and after another moment, he turned to Kurt.

"The Master will receive you now," he said, his voice hoarse.

Without a word to the apprentice, Kurt strode through the curtain and into the shaman's actual working area.

"Why are you here, vampire?" the shaman said without looking up. If it was supposed to impress Kurt that the goblin knew what he was talking to, it was a useless attempt.

"Straight to the point then," Kurt said. "I'm in Sunnydale in order to find an artifact on behalf of my demon lord. Since nobody is as knowledgeable about artifacts as you are, I hoped you could give me information. It's-"

"It's of no importance what you are looking for," the shaman said. "You won't find help from me, or any other of my kind. So why are you here, wasting both of our time?"

"Excuse me?" Kurt's eyes flashed in anger. How dare this little thing... "My mistress is Lady Isabelle of Wright," he said between gritted teeth, "and it's on her behalf I'm looking for this artifact. Do you really want to draw her wrath?"

"Your mistress doesn't scare me. I'm safe from her while I'm in Sunnydale," the shaman said "and even outside she wouldn't dare attack a member of my kind. We know too much. As for you... who knows if you're even still working for her."

"What?"

The shaman looked at him with a look that could only be called contempt. "I make a habit of knowing important things. And so I know that you, Kurt Hummel, have started working for another master. You've become lackey for the Slayer. Do you really think any self-respecting creature of the night will help one who has betrayed their kind for the chosen one?"

Kurt's mouth fell open and it took him a moment until he knew what to say. "Wait, is this about what happened at the Solar eclipse?" he asked. It had been the first time he had helped the slayer, and even though he didn't like how this necessary partnership had developed, this first time was something he still stood behind. "It wasn't about helping the Slayer. Starchild was going to destroy the whole world. Of course I was opposed to that. I helped save all of your lives."

"Nonetheless, it was the slayer who stopped Starchild, and you helped him by betraying your friend. My sources also mention that you've been following the Slayer's orders ever since. Not something we expect from a vampire, especially not a noble one like yourself."

"Forget about Isabelle, you should worry about me if you don't tell me where I find the amulet I'm looking for," Kurt gritted out between his teeth.

The shaman remained unimpressed. "You are going to leave," he said, "or you will regret it, vampire."

Kurt glared at him, but he knew that he was beat. The goblins were dangerous, if only for their networking structures, and with their expertise on artifacts, it was even likely that they knew a way to actually hurt him.

"Fine," he said "but this is not the end of this."

It was an empty threat, and Kurt knew it. If he was actually here on Isabelle's behalf, he might have had a chance. The problem was that he needed this amulet to get back into her good graces. Without it, turning to her for help would be equivalent to a suicide attempt.

But a reputation as the slayer's lapdog? Hell would freeze over before he'd accept that! He was a vampire, damn it. This had gone far enough, and it was time to put an end to it. The only way to ensure that now was a direct confrontation.

By the time he'd arrived at the Slayer's house, Kurt's anger had just multiplied. How could he have possibly let it come this far? Fine, there was this business with Starchild, but what was he supposed to do? The world was nice, Kurt didn't want to see it destroyed. Then there was that doomsday thing, and again, saving the world wasn't exactly up for discussion. The arachnoid business on the other hand... that probably wasn't quite his business or as important. And as for the dryads, that had not been technically necessary, but it had helped further cloaking his presence from Isabelle, so that had been a win-win situation.

Every single step seemed logical, but put together, they led him down a path where he was perceived as some sort of lackey to the slayer of all people! He had to put this right.

Finally, he had arrived at the slayer's house, smartly positioned with a bit distance to the neighbors. The front door was decorated in ridiculous flower arrangement that Kurt was sure nobody but Cooper Anderson could even stand looking at. He considered tearing them off, but it didn't really matter. In one decisive motion, he put his finger onto the door bell and started ringing. He didn't take his finger away until he could hear steps coming closer inside, and then he balled his hands to fists and started banging against the door. He knew he had been heard, obviously, but this was about pressure. He didn't plan to give the slayer even a second of breath to dispute him.

The door opened, and Kurt let his fist fall against the wood one last time as it swung open.

"You!" Kurt yelled – and then, he froze.

Behind the door was not Cooper Anderson.

He found himself in front of a young man, or maybe only a boy. He was shorter than Cooper, also paler, so probably not living here in Sunnydale. His dark hair was smothered under too much product but starting to curl at the edges, and even with the loose red shirt and dark shorts, Kurt could imagine a fit body. And the eyes... Hazel, specks of green... Had he seen eyes like this before?

The coppery smell of the boy's blood waved through the air, softly calling to Kurt's instincts, like a familiar song from his childhood. The eyes, something in the way this boy looked at him, and this smell... It was the oddest sense of déjà-vu Kurt ever had.

They had met before, hadn't they? For a second, Kurt tried to think where and when that could have been. But there were too many years that were only a haze, a continued orgy of blood... It was impossible to pinpoint when this boy could have turned up. Unless...

"Can I help you?"

Kurt almost flinched when the boy actually spoke. He looked at Kurt with confusion and growing annoyance. There wasn't a spark of recognition.

"You're not Cooper," Kurt said, not very eloquently, as he had to admit.

"No," the boy said, now sounding irritated. "I'm Blaine, his brother."

Kurt felt himself deflate. Not him then, not the boy who vanished. He didn't remember much about him, but his name had not been Blaine.

"Are you here to see Cooper?"

Kurt blinked, tried to focus on the situation. He had come here with a purpose. Why was he so distracted now? And of course, now he had lost all his impetus.

"Is Cooper here?" he asked. "I have something to discuss with him."

"Who are you? Are you one of his friends? Because he said he's meeting them somewhere on campus," the boy said.

"My name is Kurt. And friends... well, I wouldn't go that far. I know him. And I need to talk to him. In private."

"Um, okay, but that doesn't really change the fact that Cooper isn't here."

"I figured," Kurt said. "When will he be back?"

"I don't know," the boy said, looking away. He seemed almost a bit upset about it. Some family troubles? This could be interesting... and it was never a bad idea to have ammunition against the slayer.

"It's important," Kurt said, hoping to get some information.

"Did you call him?"

"I don't have a phone," Kurt replied.

"Oh, was it stolen? That must suck," the boy said sympathetically.

"No, I just don't have one," Kurt said. "Never have." He wasn't quite sure why he answered anyway, and he started regretting it when the boy looked at him with a mix of disbelief and pity.

"Why not?"

"I just never needed one," Kurt replied. "So, you really don't know when Cooper will be back?"

"I don't," the boy said. "But he said it wouldn't take too long... then again, he always says that. Look, if you want, I can give him a message, or if it's really important... well, I guess you could come in and wait here?"

Kurt was just about to give an excuse, when the words hit him.

"Come in?" he repeated.

"Sure, why not?" The boy shrugged, as if he hadn't just given Kurt the ultimate trump card. "I'm not doing much anyway, just watching TV."

"Sounds great," Kurt said, trying to suppress the excitement running through his veins. This was amazing. A vampire couldn't enter a house without an invitation, and of course the slayer had always been very careful about this. But the slayer's brother didn't care that much. Or maybe...

Of course. The brother probably didn't even know. Could it be this simple? And just to think what he could do with an invitation... Free access to the slayer's home. And all he had to do was come in now, have some small talk with the little brother, and then excuse himself in time before Cooper showed up.

The boy turned around and walked back into the house. Kurt hesitated for a moment, wary of the door step. But this was it, a chance he had been waiting for, so he closed his eyes, and then he followed.

The hallway he stepped into didn't even look particularly impressive, but still, Kurt was amazed as he closed the door behind himself. This was the slayer's house, and he was moving freely inside it. This was perfect. He certainly would be able to use this to remind the slayer that he was not some silly lapdog.

As he followed into the living room, his eyes fell to the boy walking in front of him. Just a déjà-vu, not someone he actually knew, not even from his darker times. The boy was too young to have known him back then, anyway, and as the smell of his blood showed, he was very human, very mortal.

Of course, in his darker times, nobody would have accused Kurt to work with a slayer. Back then he had killed a slayer. And back then... Well, to make it short, Cooper Anderson's brother was very lucky not to have met him at his worst.

The lucky boy in question was now standing awkwardly in the living room, waiting for Kurt to follow him.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, gesturing to the bottle of lemonade standing on the couch table. "I think Cooper also has beer somewhere."

"Thanks, no," Kurt said. "Just water." It was hard for him to stomach human food, but he knew it was a bit suspicious to just sit around without drinking anything.

"Okay, I'll be right back," the boy said. "Sit down."

As Kurt took a seat on the couch, he wondered just how awkward this was going to get. But it was only for a short while. He would excuse himself before the slayer returned, would then ask the boy not to tell his brother he'd been here, and then... Then he would think of the best way to use this opening he'd just gotten.

In darker times, there wouldn't have been deliberation. His enemy's house, with a member of said enemy's family right here, defenseless and clueless? He would have left a blood bath.

Hail Mary full of grace...

He could almost hear the child's voice in his ears. Never again. There were other ways to show he was serious.

"Are you okay?"

Kurt looked up in surprise. He hadn't noticed the boy returning.

"Just thinking," he said.

"Here's your water," the boy said and sat down beside him.

For a while, they were silent, and Kurt pretended to look at the TV. Some girls were running around in ridiculous dresses, presenting themselves to some sort of jury. Television was something else he'd never really gotten into.

"What is this even?" he asked.

"An ANTM rerun," Blaine said. "Forgot the season." He frowned once he noticed Kurt's confusion. "Wait, you don't know America's Next Top model? And you don't have a cell? What century are you from again?"

"Late nineteenth, turn of the century, why?"

Blaine stared at him in disbelief, and for a second, Kurt wanted to bite off his tongue. Why had he said that? But then, Blaine started laughing. There was so much ease in the laughter, Kurt felt a bit lighter himself.

"You had me there for a second," he said. "Good one. But seriously, you said that with such a straight face, I almost believed it."

"Well, I've had some practice telling it," Kurt said. He wasn't quite sure what he was saying, really. He felt strange. But what was it? This feeling like he met this boy before? Or the smell of blood emanating from him, tantalizing and promising? Or maybe just the way his eyes lit up when he was laughing.

He needed to get a grip on himself, so he said the first thing he could think of.

"Tell me about it then. What's the point of this show?"

Kurt wasn't quite sure how long they had talked about this. He wasn't even sure this counted as a conversation topic. But somehow, he had actually enjoyed their conversation. The slayer's brother was surprisingly easy to talk to.

"So what are you doing here in Sunnydale?" Kurt asked eventually. "Visiting your brother?"

"Something like that," the boy said. "Not that I'm getting to see much of him..." There was a certain bitterness and frustration in his voice.

"He's busy a lot, isn't he?" Kurt guessed. The truth was that he didn't really know how the slayer spent his days and nights, but it made sense that there wasn't much time left to spend on guests, even on family.

"I never knew what he's really doing," the boy said. "I know he's a writer, but I always thought he was... you know, writing, from home. But he meets this weird woman from the community college, and his girlfriend, and this group of weird friends of his..."

"They're an acquired taste," Kurt commented.

The boy looked up at him, his eyes wide as if surprised. "They are," he agreed. "You think so too?"

Kurt shrugged. "Let's say we don't always get along," he said. He wasn't quite sure why he had shared that, it had just come naturally.

"I'm sure they're nice," the boy said. "It's just..." He stopped, biting his lips. "Never mind." He turned back to his bottle, taking a sip of his lemonade.

Kurt knew exactly what to do now. He should lean back, let the moment pass in silence, and eventually, he should say that he would come back some other time.

But their conversation had been the most engaging he'd had in a long time.

But the smell of his blood kept waving through the air, like a song he hadn't heard in a long time.

But there was this sense of familiarity when he looked at this boy.

But most importantly, Kurt knew the expression on his face, one of hopelessness, of loneliness, of being misunderstood. It was more than a lifetime ago that he had been mortal, but some wounds couldn't heal completely. At his darkest moments, the boy who vanished had been there to listen. Maybe now Kurt could listen to someone else.

"It's what?" he asked.

The boy – Blaine, he reminded himself, because what was the point of listening, if he didn't even remember his name? – looked at him cautiously, and eventually, he sighed and nodded. Maybe he too felt some of the familiarity, or maybe he just needed to share what was on his mind.

"I haven't visited Cooper a lot," he said. "Actually, I've never been to Sunnydale before. Cooper, he's... he's kind of the black sheep in he family. He first left to become an actor, instead of getting a business degree like our dad wanted. He only started writing when that didn't work out. And I... It wasn't exactly the brotherly thing to do, but I listened to my parents, so I wasn't in contact with him either. It was nice not to be the disappointment for once."

"They sound like charming people," Kurt said.

Again, Blaine bit his lip. "I tried to be the good son," he said. "I had a deal with them. I actually wanted to go into acting too. Musical theater."

"Really? That's still a thing?" Kurt asked.

Again, Blaine gave him that look somewhere between disbelief and pity. "It is," he said eventually.

Kurt had seen their rise, of course, and during his wild years, he had seen several shows. But then again, his memories of that time were hazy.

"Anyway, my parents didn't agree with me. I tried to see it from their perspective. I did. And I really wanted to prove them I could be good... that I could be more than a disappointment."

The second time that word had come up. "Why would you be a disappointment?" Kurt asked.

A moment of hesitation, and then... "I'm gay," Blaine said, looking down as if he just didn't want to see the reaction to this.

Maybe that was where the familiarity came from. "I've been there," Kurt said. "Hate to sound like a commercial, but it will get better." At least nobody had given him any serious trouble about his sexuality in decades.

Blaine looked at him with new found appreciation. "Thanks," he said. "Anyway, my parents and I made a deal. I was going to get a business degree, so I had something solid to fall back on, in case musical theater didn't work out. I even thought it made sense..."

"So what happened?" Kurt asked.

Blaine sighed. "Well, I went to college in Columbus, got my bachelor, and I figured that was my part of the deal, that I could start to do something I liked now. Turns out, they changed the terms of the deal. Said that either I'll work towards an MBA, or I work at Dad's business, or I could follow Cooper's example and be cut off completely."

"What did you do?" Kurt asked.

Blaine lowered his gaze. "At first I went to my boyfriend and suggested we just elope screw my parents and everything. Then I got dumped, because apparently, he wasn't actually serious about the relationship. So then, I came here to see Cooper. Thought he might have some ideas what to do now."

"And what did he say?" Kurt asked, genuinely curious now.

Blaine sighed. "Well, he did suggest I should tell dad to get lost... take my life into my own hands. He even offered to give me some money, to help me get started."

"That's generous. Your brother seems to care a lot about you," Kurt said.

Blaine's fingers started to play with the bottle etiquette, slowly tearing it off. "Does he? He thinks I should take his money and then go to New York, or maybe Canada, or even Europe – as long as it's far away from where he is."

"What?" Kurt looked at him in surprise. Of course, he wasn't exactly a friend of the slayer, but this sounded extremely callous.

Blaine shrugged. "He means well. I guess he just isn't a family person. I kind of knew that already. It's just..."

"Just what?" Kurt asked, careful to make his voice com out softly.

Blaine sighed. "I guess I hoped that we could be a family. We used to be really close, but then, he just broke off contact. And now, he's busy all the time. I guess I shouldn't have expected much. We haven't really been in touch since I was fifteen... right after I came out, make of that what you will."

Kurt looked at Blaine, tried to calculate his age. Early twenties, probably. At least ten years younger than Cooper. So when he was fifteen, then Cooper at about twenty-five... would have just received his calling as slayer. Kurt's eyes widened as he realized that it did make sense after all. Who would want to drag their family into the mess being a slayer brought? But obviously, that was not something to tell to someone uninitiated.

"You should talk to him about this before you jump to conclusions," he said instead. "Maybe there are other reasons."

"I guess," Blaine said, although he didn't seem convinced.

"Try," Kurt said, and even to his own surprise, he took the boy's hands. "There's enough crap happening in this world without making up things. I might not be your brother's biggest fan, but I'm sure you imagine things to be worse than they are. Besides, why would you even want to stay in Sunnydale? This place is awful. If I had a choice, I'd leave this place in a heart beat." At least he would, if he still had a heart beat. "Go to New York, that's where actual life takes place."

"What would I even do there?" Blaine asked softly.

"Give it a few years, you'll rule the city," Kurt said, his voice light and even slightly teasing.

At this, Blaine smiled – soft and sweet, and Kurt was sure it was genuine, not just out of politeness. It looked good on him, and Kurt could see how easily people would be charmed by this smile. Hell, it almost worked on him.

"Thank you," Blaine said, "I really mean it. You didn't have to listen to all this... but it's good to talk to somebody."

"It's not a problem," Kurt said, and to his surprise he actually meant it. It was easy to talk to Blaine. And most importantly, while many of his years as a vampire had left hazy memories, Kurt could still remember sharply how lonely he had been as a mortal, how relieving it was to finally have someone to talk to... Everyone should have that. What was wrong with the world that this charming boy had nobody who would listen to him? What was wrong with the slayer?

"Everybody needs to get things off their chest," Kurt said. "As I said, I've been there. I would have gone crazy if there hadn't been someone who listened to me. Well, some might say I still did... but it made things a lot less lonely."

"I think that's the hardest part of it," Blaine said softly. "That I don't really feel like I have people to rely on."

"Well, your parents are awful, your ex is an asshole, but your brother probably just needs a good kick to get his head in order. And you can always meet new people," Kurt said.

"Like you?" Blaine looked at him, his eyes wide open. Innocent, or maybe just curious. Again, that damn sense of déjà-vu, and Kurt wasn't sure whether this pull around his heart was just from those eyes, or from whatever memory he couldn't quite grasp.

It was silly, of course. And he could definitely not be the confidant of some boy, definitely not a boy who was only going to stay in Sunnydale for a short visit, and most importantly not the slayer's little brother. Why exactly did he even entertain that thought?

He opened his mouth, not even sure himself what was about to come out, when he heard it – the door opened.

Kurt froze, losing valuable seconds as the slayer's voice called out to Blaine. A moment later, the witch Quinn also could be heard. Both of them, fantastic. He wasted more moments berating himself how he could let this happen. He had not planned to confront the slayer in his own home. Not like this, not unprepared.

Was there enough time to break through the window and run that way?

But before he could consider, Cooper was standing in the door, his witch girlfriend following behind.

Fuck.

Blaine, blessedly ignorant of just what was happening in his brother's living room, stood up to greet them.

In a split second, Kurt made his decision.

Using his vampire speed, he lunged forward, grabbed the boy and pulled him close. On instinct, he put one hand on Blaine's head, holding it in a death grip. His claws dug into the boy's skin, breaking it to the point that droplets of blood emerged.

"Stay where you are," he shouted at Cooper and Quinn, "one move and brother dearest has a broken neck."

Both of them froze. Blaine tried to turn, to look at him, as if he could find answers in Kurt's face – and then, as the vampire let his fangs show, he did.

Even now, Kurt realized that this was a horrible idea, but he couldn't step back from it now. He had started it, he had to see it through. And if he played his cards right, the boy wouldn't be hurt. Well, not much. But most importantly, a threat once made needed to be carried out, or he would never be taken serious again.

At least the slayer seemed to take him serious though. He raised his hands, palms facing forward as if to show he was unarmed.

"Don't hurt him," he said. "How did you even get in here?"

"What do you think? I was invited," Kurt replied. "And this is a good opportunity for us to have a little chat, you and me."

"Chat? You break into my home, you take my brother hostage, and all of this for a chat? What the hell is wrong with you?!" Cooper yelled.

Before he answered, Kurt put more pressure on the nails he held on Blaine''s neck. A few, precious droplets of blood appeared, and Kurt felt his mouth water at the smell, even more delicious now that it was out in the open. "I don't like the tone," he said.

"Cooper?" Blaine's voice was shaky, higher than it had been before. It was clear panic. "I don't... what's happening?"

"Don't worry," Cooper said, and Kurt had to admire how calm he actually sounded. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"If you want that, then maybe you should listen," Kurt said.

"Why are you doing this?" Blaine asked.

Kurt almost flinched when he heard the betrayal in his voice. But It was to late to step back.

"I don't exactly like how our... acquaintance has developed. I have a reputation to lose in Sunnydale. Not easy to maintain when people think I'm the lapdog for the damn slayer. So here's how this is going to go. Leave me the hell alone. I'm not your friend, not your buddy, not your ally, and definitely not one of your idiot college kids that you can command around. Consider our cooperation permanently terminated. If you need help, call someone else. But stay out of my business. Otherwise..."He let a finger stroke over the boy's throat, where his nails had pierced the skin and dawn blood. His eyes never leaving Cooper's, Kurt raised the finger to his lips, licking off the red liquid.

He knew immediately it had been a mistake. Not because of the way Cooper tensed, as if ready to pounce. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the fact that he hadn't hunted the last two nights, or just maybe it was this taste, this somehow so familiar, delicious taste... But there was no way in hell he was going to let it go with just one drop.

"I'm not your pet, slayer," he growled. "Do you know what I am?"

"You're a demon," Cooper spat out.

"More specific," Kurt said.

"A vampire."

Blaine whimpered underneath his grip. But the call o the blood was too strong, the taste too tempting...

"And don't you forget it," Kurt hissed. Then, his eyes locked on Cooper, he opened his mouth and bit his fangs into the boy's throat.

Cooper cried out in the movement, but Kurt held Blaine's head, the silent threat still standing.

It was almost too much, the rush of blood, of life gushing into his mouth, over his tongue, down his throat. The sharp taste of blood, always much stronger after he hadn't hunted for a while, and so much more rewarding than the stale blood he stole at the hospital. Even beyond that... he wasn't sure he had ever tasted blood like this. It reminded him darkly of the first blood he'd ever had, how every drop had tasted like pure ecstasy, more intense than anything he'd ever experienced. After decades, his taste wasn't as sharp as it had been now, and this wasn't quite as intense as that first taste. But hell, it was the best he'd had in ages. He could almost feel the blood run through its own veins, lighting them up, sending heat through every fiber of his being. This was it, as good as unlife could get. Looking up, he saw the slayer and his witch staring at him in horror, but locked in place, too scared of the way he held the boy's head, still ready to twist, to end it in a heart beat. Cooper was helpless, and he knew.

And Blaine...

Blaine screamed.

There were many different ways humans reacted to a vampire drinking their blood. For some it was unpleasant or painful. Some actually liked it, even got aroused by it. Kurt was sure that once he had a victim come during the feeding. But Blaine... his screams were pure agony.

It was shameful how long I took for those screams to pierce through the haze of blood. But when they did, Kurt felt as if the ground under his feet was crumbling.

Hail Mary...

And here he was, just right back at where he'd been at his darkest points, attacking someone who'd been trusting, and kind... and for what? Just to prove a point? Or was it because the smell had been too tempting?

Kurt withdrew, carefully. In the corner of his eye, he could see tear tracks on the boys cheeks before he raised his eyes to face what he now felt sure would be his doom.

Cooper stared at him, an expression on his face that Kurt had never seen. He looked ten years older than before, his skin ashen, but the look in his eyes was very clear to read. Kurt had just signed his death warrant. Blaine's screams stopped, replaced by weak sobs, and he went still, just kept upright by the vampire holding him.

For the first time in his life, Kurt wished he had the ability to throw up. He couldn't even bring himself to look at the boy's face, too ashamed of himself to actually look at what he'd done. Even the smell of blood had lost its allure.

But regrets wouldn't change anything, would take nothing of what he'd just done back. The egg was broken, all he could do now was try to make sure the omelet was worth it.

"Remember this," Kurt said softly. "I'm not your friend. I'm not even your ally. This is what I am."

Cooper stared at him, still unable to form a word. But behind him, Quinn was not frozen in shock. Her hands were slowly, casually moving to her purse, and who knew what kind of witchcraft she had in there? Holy water, probably. He had to get out now.

His eyes on the couple in front of him, Kurt changed his grip on the boy and waited for the instant that Cooper blinked. Then, he pushed. Blaine almost flew through the room, and Kurt stopped long enough until he saw Cooper move to catch his brother. Quinn, too, was moving, but she was too slow to be dangerous for a vampire. Kurt turned around, and ran towards the window. Behind him, he heard the impact of Blaine being caught, and then all he could hear was himself crashing through the window. He could feel glass shards cutting his skin open, but he had no time to pay attention to it. The slayer would be distracted for only a short moment, and Kurt had to get away from him as fast as possible.

He didn't stop running until he had reached the cemetery, and hardly had a moment to think. When he stopped and finally calmed down, only one thought kept running through his head.

What had he done?

Teaching the slayer a lesson... how could he ever thought that was a good idea? Well, in his defense, he hadn't planned for a confrontation tonight. But it had happened. And what had he done? Attacked the slayer's little brother. Was there any worse way he could have handled this? Of course, the slayer was going to hunt him down now. How could he have been so stupid?

For now, he had to take care of his own safety. The slayer knew where his refuge was, so Kurt first had to make sure he wouldn't be there by day light. He knew of another hideout, one Sebastian had said he'd stayed at before. For once that bastard's big mouth turned out to be useful.

He hurried to pack his things, and tried his best not to think of the boy he had attacked. Blaine... not the boy he had remembered, but still a boy that had shown him vulnerability and trust. And once more, Kurt had ruined it before it could even begin.

With a sigh, Kurt ran a hand through his hair. He felt actually guilty, didn't he? But why? This wasn't the first time he had attacked someone. Sure, this had been stupid, but his guilt wasn't about his own predicament.

He thought of the boy's screams. He had never put someone in this much agony, had he? Or was that the norm and his memory was just unreliable? Did he feel this bad because Blaine had seemed familiar? Or did he feel guilty because he had actually enjoyed talking to him?

Either way, it didn't matter. Blaine Anderson was going to leave Sunnydale and move to New York. In the city that never sleeps, the demons of Sunnydale would be nothing but a distant nightmare. He would be fine, eventually.

At least, that's what Kurt tried to tell himself. For now, he needed to get out of here.

"I will kill him."

Cooper spoke softly as to not spook Blaine who was just starting to calm down. He had laid out his brother on the couch, sitting by his legs while Quinn sat by his head, pressing down clean tissue on the bite wound. The red blood stains on the white material just kept bringing home how much Cooper had failed.

Blaine's eyes were closed, and there was still the occasional tear running down his cheek, but his breathing had calmed down. He hadn't spoken yet, probably still too shocked. How could he not be?

Cooper sighed, and put his head between his hands. He was shaking, worse than he had in ages, definitely worse than he had reacted when he himself had been in near-death situations. But this was different. This was Blaine, his little brother. Cooper had tried to protect him from all this – the darkness, the demons, even knowing about it all. He had kept his distance, just to keep his brother safe. It had all come crashing down around them. This was Cooper's failure. But he would not let that monster get away with it.

"I will kill him," he said again. "Right now." He felt numb as he stood up and walked out of the living room. This was easy, he knew how to do this. Hunt the demon, destroy it, and pretend that would solve everything. He could do this... he was good at this... He went to the cupboard where he hid his stakes away and grabbed several. But when he turned around, he found himself face to face with his girlfriend.

"Cooper Jay Anderson, you will stay right where you are," Quinn said. Her voice, too, was soft, but there was steel underneath. He couldn't have ignored her if he tried. He was sure she'd make an amazing mom some day – and almost flinched when he remembered there actually was a little girl out there, one that Quinn hardly knew.

"I'm going to kill him," Cooper said. "Don't tell me he doesn't deserve it. That bastard attacked my brother-"

"And your brother doesn't need you to go on a rampage," Quinn replied. "He needs you to take care of him now. He's in shock, in pain, and he just found out that demons are real. You can go hunting any other time. You wanted to be there for him, for god's sake, Cooper! Now go and be there for him!"

For a few moments, Cooper managed to hold on to his fury, but it dissolved in the face of Quinn's resolve. He deflated, and just allowed the feeling of defeat in, instead of fighting it.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

Quinn sighed, and then she put her arms around him, pulling him closed. He sagged forward, and buried his face in her hair.

"I wanted to protect him. Twenty-three years, Quinn. For twenty-three years I tried everything to protect him. And now?"

"You can't protect him forever," Quinn replied. "The demons are here, even if we don't know about them. So he found out, he got terribly hurt. You can't take it back. You can only be there for him, help him make sense of it. Now you walk into that room, and you talk to your brother. I'll try to get hold of Sue, figure out a way to get this house protected. I've got this. You go and take care of Blaine."

He hugged her tighter for a moment, but then he stepped away from her and walked back into the living room.

Blaine was sitting on the couch by now, the tissues still held firmly against his throat. He was pale, still shaking, and when their eyes met, he looked so lost and helpless... Cooper walked closer and sat down beside him. Carefully, he took hold of the tissues and checked if there was still blood leaking. It looked alright for a moment, but then it started oozing again, so he pressed down again, careful not to hurt him.

"How are you holding up?" Cooper asked softly.

"Don't know," Blaine replied. His voice sounded a bit higher than usual. "I'm okay?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"You don't have to be," Cooper said. "I'd actually be a bit relieved if you were in shock and not okay after this. Not that I don't want you to be okay. It's just... more natural."

"Oh," Blaine said, looking down. "Well, you can be relieved then." He sighed and raked a shaking hand through his hair. "So... vampires?"

"Vampires," Cooper replied.

"And demons?"

"Demons, too."

"Does prayer actually keep them at bay?" Blaine asked.

"What?" Cooper looked at him in confusion.

"It's what you used to say when I was a kid, remember?" Blaine asked. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. "That praying would keep the demons away?"

"Oh." Cooper remembered of course, he just hadn't expected Blaine to still know it. "Yeah, it does. Well, sometimes."

"He called you Slayer," Blaine continued. "What's that?"

Cooper sighed. "That's a... really long, really ugly story."

"It's your story, isn't it?" Now Blaine looked up at him, maybe a bit calmer, but definitely serious. "I want to hear it, then."

"Okay," Cooper said, nodding. He lean back against the couch, pulling Blaine along, and put an arm over his brother's shoulders, before he propped up his legs on the couch. It reminded him of growing up in Ohio, and playing the role of the omniscient older brother. Well, one more show then.

"It all started about eight years ago..."