The fifth time
It was nice, walking through Sunnydale without having to worry about running into the slayer, even near the campus. Kurt wouldn't exactly call it safe, mostly because he didn't believe in safety anymore but it had improved vastly. It was definitely a better option than trying to earn Lady Isabelle's forgiveness. As long as he didn't draw too much attention to himself, he'd be safe around here. Who would have thought that the fae of all things would prove to be useful one night?
Kurt closed his eyes and let his hearing lead him. This hunt wasn't especially urgent. He wasn't starving, he just tried to replenish early. It was always smart to not risk a frenzy. As he tried to focus on someone, he heard what felt like a scuffle. Three people at least, so it wasn't that interesting to him. He was thinking more of a lone victim, maybe a student who forgot about time at the library. He was definitely not looking for a group. Usually, he would have just gone the other direction.
That was, of course, until he caught some of their words.
"Who the hell do you fucking fairy think you are?"
Kurt's eyes widened. Either this was interesting or infuriating as hell – either way, he wasn't going to let this one go. As he followed the sounds, he soon got a glance on the scene, and immediately had a feeling of déjà-vu. Blaine Anderson – because who else could it be but him? – was cornered by two guys looking like gorillas. To his surprise, Kurt realized that this time, they weren't vampires. They seemed to be regular humans.
"Think you can just spread your gay around here? Fucking California, seriously!"
Kurt froze, and suddenly, he felt very old. It had been decades, almost a century, since he'd been human, since he had grown up in Ohio and been taunted, tortured for who he was. He hadn't even had a boyfriend back then – the boy who vanished couldn't count, and none of those neanderthals had even met him – but Kurt's mere existence had been a problem for them. Even as a vampire who spent more time watching society than actually participating it, Kurt had noticed that humanity had grown since then. But some changes just took way too long. And these guys seemed to be stuck in at least the last century, anyway.
"You know, back home we don't have this crap. And if we find some, we punch it right out of them..."
Dumb as it sounded, it seemed to strike a chord with Blaine. Before, the boy had looked upset, defeated. Now, his head snapped up, and even with this distance, the fury in his eyes made Kurt almost take a step backwards. To his amazement, Blaine flew forward, landing a punch straight into one of the gorilla's jaws.
The guy hit stumbled backwards, howling in pain. Kurt was impressed, this had to be quite the punch. Maybe Blaine Anderson wasn't quite as defenseless as he would have thought. Unfortunately, he was still outnumbered.
While the first guy was still holding his face, the other one didn't lose any time. He too, could throw punches. Blaine raised his fists to block, and for a moment Kurt wondered if he could hold his own. But then the first guy was back, and between both of their attacks, Blaine fell against the wall, sinking down with his back against it. One of the gorillas kicked the boy, and that was when Kurt snapped. He ran as fast as he could, didn't even care if anybody could see his supernatural speed. He pulled the guy away before he could land another kick, turned him around and punched his face, sending him flying.
The other one stared at him, caught in his personal struggle of fight or flight. Kurt roared at him, getting ready to pounce on him. It was enough to send them running. A part of Kurt wanted to follow them, give them an actual lesson, and maybe soothe the hunger that was sparked by the fight.
Instead, he forced himself to calm down before he turned around.
Blaine was still on the ground but had gotten himself into a sitting position by now. His lip was bleeding, and Kurt had to force himself not to inhale. As he looked up to Kurt, different emotions were warring on the boy's face. There was relief, but also fear, and still a bit of anger.
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked.
"Are you stalking me?" Blaine replied.
"I guess I just have good timing," Kurt said shrugging. He held out his hand to help the boy to his feet. Blaine stared at it, then stood up without taking it.
"Lucky me," he said. It sounded as if he was spitting out the words.
"To be fair, that worked pretty well for you tonight. For the third time," Kurt said. "Why are you outside in the dark anyway?"
"You're not my brother," Blaine snapped. "Besides, I was just getting to the car."
Kurt looked where he was gesturing, and recognized the car he had seen Cooper in. At least the boy was trying to be more careful.
"Why are you still here, though?" Kurt asked.
Blaine stared t him with incredulity now. "I'm not sure what you're doing, but stop it. You don't get to question me. We're not friends, we are nothing. What I do is none of your business!"
Kurt was taken aback by the fierceness in the boy's voice. But he had to admit that Blaine had a point.
Kurt had interfered mostly because of his own past experience. He knew he couldn't exactly expect to bond over this, didn't even want to. Blaine Anderson wasn't his business, and he definitely didn't have any reason to talk to him like this, like they were... friends? Connected in some way?
"I did just help you," he said. "They could have seriously hurt you, even if they're just humans."
Anger flashed in Blaine's eyes. "Really?" he asked. "Some homophobic assholes could have hurt me? Gee, do tell me more about this! I had no idea this was a thing that could happen! And why would you care anyway?"
"I told you, I've been there."
It was simply the truth, and Kurt wasn't sure why he said it. But somehow, it had an effect. Blaine's anger faded as fast as it had come.
"Have you? Or is that another lie?" he asked.
"I haven't lied to you," Kurt said softly. "I hid things from you, but what I said to you was the truth." He hesitated, thinking back to that night. "I wasn't actually going to break your neck. But yes, the things I told you were the truth."
There was hesitation in Blaine's eyes. But then, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Do you really think I care about what you said? After what you've done to me?"
"I know," Kurt said, surprised how intense the shame he felt was. "And I am sorry. I know I hurt you-"
"You ruined my life," Blaine said. "And there's nothing in the world you can do to take it back. So whatever you're trying to accomplish by showing up like this all the time, if you think this is some way to make it up to me... it's not going to work. So just stop it."
Kurt wanted to protest, but Blaine didn't listen. He turned around, walked to the car and got in.
Kurt knew there was no point in arguing with him. He knew he had no right to do it, either. Blaine was right, and he couldn't just expect forgiveness for what he had done. He wasn't sure why he would want it in the first place.
Why did this even bother him? He had done worse to people. Then again... that had been in his old unlife. He had turned over a new leaf, tried to become a kind of vampire that he could stand being – that maybe his father wouldn't have been disgusted by. He hadn't done anything this bad since those children...
So was it this? Him failing his own standards? Or that déjà-vu, the memory of the boy who vanished? What was it about Blaine Anderson that got under his skin like this?
Looking after the car lights that now vanished behind a corner, Kurt wondered if he'd ever find out.
The sixth time
Even in the state of slowly waking up, Kurt instantly realized that something was wrong. Somebody had come into his refuge. He was on his feet within seconds, looking around to find the intruder. He only had a moment to wonder whether Cooper had gone back on his word and hunted him down after all, when he heard the flick of a lighter, and then a wall of fire flared up right in front of his eyes.
Instinctively, Kurt stumbled backwards to the wall, but after the initial flare, only a thing line was burning in front of him, less than three feet high.
Kurt looked up, almost scared of who he was going to see – and cursed, when he saw the man standing behind the line of flame.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"And a good evening to you. How are you doing?" Jesse St. James was standing right behind the line of fire, beaming at him as if he was showing off a new magic trick – and in a way, he was.
"What is this?" Kurt asked, pointing to the flames.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Jesse asked. "Holy oil, very effective. Don't try crossing the line, no demon can. It's a new import from the holy land, and I managed to get my hand onto a sizable shipment of it."
Kurt stared at him incredulously. "Is this supposed to be some sort of sales pitch?" he asked.
"You couldn't handle it," Jesse said chuckling, "besides, I already made a deal with the slayer. He was quite happy. I actually think I've managed to get back into his good graces. Not that you were very helpful for that... And after I gave you such important information..." He sighed melodramaticallly as if that was an epic betrayal.
"What do you want?" Kurt asked.
"I need you to do something for me," Jesse said. "Don't worry, the reward is worth it. I need you to get some information for me, for a change. Information about the brotherhood."
"Where the hell am I supposed to find that?" Kurt asked. He only knew the most fleeting rumors about the brotherhood's mere existence. From what he heard, they sounded like a predecessor of the watchers' council, but they had been ridiculously secretive even before they'd been extinguished decades ago. That's what happened to people who built their headquarter right on top of the hell mouth...
"Roz Washington is coming to Sunnydale," Jesse said instead of answering. "You've heard about her, right? The terror of the watcher's council?"
"Eternal rival of Sue Sylvester," Kurt nodded.
"Well, she hates me," Jesse said. "There was this little scandal she was involved in a long time ago, which unfortunately came to light right when they were electing the watcher for Cooper Anderson. Cost her the job. And seeing as I was the one who gave that information to the council..."
"Why did you do that anyway?" Kurt asked.
Jesse shrugged. "Sue gave me a better deal, obviously. Anyway, rumor has it that dear Ms. Washington has spent most of her time since our last run-in researching the brotherhood, mostly about their old headquarter. I assume she's come to Sunnydale because she found it. If I could just get in there... the information I could find..."
"And why would I help you with that?" Kurt asked.
"You might profit from that information as well, you know?" Jesse asked. "You do know what their first priority was."
"Protecting humanity?" Kurt guessed.
"No, that just happened along the way," Jesse said. "They were founded for a scholastic purpose – to find the Philosopher's stone."
Kurt stared at him. "That's a myth," he said. It had become an automatic response.
"Your demon lord doesn't seem to think so," Jesse said. "Though I assume looking for the Philosopher's stone is a tiny bit above your pay grade. Of course, seeing how much she cares... I could imagine mere information might be enough to get you back in her good graces."
"Didn't you hear? The slayer doesn't hunt me anymore," Kurt said.
Again, Jesse sighed. "You really don't understand the concept of backup strategies, do you?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll see what I can do – if I get around to it. This is not a promise. And you better be out of here once the oil burns down," he said, glaring at the flames that were growing lower between them.
Jesse laughed. "Rumor has it you've lost your bite. Anyway, I'm getting out of dodge. Find me information, you won't regret it."
All Kurt could do was to glare at him as he walked away. He really hated Jesse St. James. He just didn't understand where this sudden chumminess was coming from. Then again, who could ever guess Jesse's motives?
With a sigh, he resigned himself to waiting some more. And he wouldn't even think about going for this information until he got some blood into his system.
Blaine knew he didn't have the power his brother had, or Sue Sylvester's experience. He couldn't wield arcane powers like Quinn could, or brew potions as Tina did. He didn't know the weak points even mortals could take advantage of when fighting monsters, like Mike. He wasn't even really a part of his brothers gang. He knew nothing, really.
Nothing, except for one thing – Roz Washington was shady as hell. And he was perplexed that nobody else seemed to be able to see it.
She had only been here a week, supposedly to investigate the faery incident. Sue had been livid. She and Cooper had reported about the faery being killed by the werewolves – because of course Sunnydale had werewolves, too – and apparently, that should have been enough for the council. Instead, they sent another watcher to check the story, and even somebody that had some sort of personal vendetta against Sue.
"The watchers don't like Sue's methods," Cooper had said. "And I kind of get it. They have strict traditions, and Sue doesn't care, she has her own strategy. Not that I'm complaining, her strategy is the main reason I'm still alive."
"Shouldn't they be happy then?" Blaine had asked.
"Everyone knows the most important watcher is the one protecting the slayer," Quinn had told him. "And that job's kind of for life. So unless either your brother or Sue dies, the job isn't going to open."
Blaine had stared at Cooper in disbelief. "They want you to get killed?"
Cooper had smirked. "No, of course not," he had said. "Only some of them."
So obviously, things hadn't exactly gone smooth when Roz appeared. Blaine hadn't been present for their meeting, but from what Cooper had told him, it had been a disaster.
Cooper still tried to keep him out of the loop, but it was clear to see that tensions were running high in the group. Even Quinn was getting snappy, and that was a side of her Blaine had only heard of so far.
"I can't help it," Quinn had complained, "she just brings out my inner cheer captain."
Of course, Cooper's reaction had been to ask if she still had her old uniform. Sometimes Blaine really wished for some brain bleach.
And then, Sunnydale community college's actual cheer captain vanished.
Blaine barely knew her, some Latina girl with the worst temper ever, but even so he couldn't help feel concerned. Apparently, it hadn't been a vampire attack, and there were neither signs of violence nor a crime. It was as if she had just left. But her disappearing right before an important competition was just suspicious.
The next day, two more members of the cheer leading squad had disappeared. The day after, the captain of the women's swimming team and her best swimmer also went missing. By the end of the week, a dozen girls had disappeared, all of them members of sports teams, and Cooper wasn't one step closer to solving the mystery.
This was the situation the watcher's council picked to command Sue to come in for a report on the faery situation.
Blaine started to wonder if Sue was right to doubt their competence.
Even they seemed to know that it wasn't the best idea to send the watcher away in a crisis. So, they had decided to have Roz stay and take over the investigation.
It wasn't working. There were still no clues, and everybody seemed ready to scratch each others' eyes out at the slightest provocation. Suddenly, Blaine was glad that he wasn't actually involved in the investigation. It was stressful enough to watch it from the outside.
And maybe this outsider perspective put him into the position to see that something wasn't right about Roz. She kept everyone busy, always had some task for each of them, especially Cooper and Quinn. On the other hand, she was very secretive about what she was busy with. She even seemed to have taken over Sue's office, and Blaine was sure that Sue would rather blow it up than grant an outsider access to it.
"You're really distracted."
Blaine looked up in surprise when he heard Sam's voice. He then looked around. He had almost forgotten that he was in class, and apparently he had also completely missed that the lecture was over.
"Everything okay?" Sam asked. There was actual concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," Blaine said softly, "just distracted."
"It's not that thing again, is it?" Sam asked. "That was scary, finding you in here."
Blaine shuddered as he thought back to the faery. "That's taken care of," he said, "don't worry. It won't happen again." At least he really hoped it wouldn't. "I'm just worried, about those missing girls."
"They still haven't found any clue, it's just awful..."
It took Blaine a moment until he realized that Sam was talking about the police, not about Coopr and the others. "Not as far as I know.. It's just... weird, that they could all just disappear like this.
"I just hope Santana is alright..." Sam looked genuinely upset now. "We went out a few times last year... Then again, she dated a lot of people..."
"I'm sure they find her soon," Blaine said. At that moment, his phone started to play Cooper's ring tone. "Speak of the devil... Excuse me for a second?"
Sam nodded and started to walk out, while Blaine answered the call.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hi, squirt. You doing okay? Paying attention and all that jazz?" Cooper asked. His voice was strained, though.
"I'm fine," Blaine said, "what's up with you? Did something happen?"
"Another girl vanished," Cooper said, "a friend of Tina's, Ellie, tennis player. They were talking on the phone when it happened. She called Tina, told her she got involved with something shady, and that she was scared of getting taken like the other girls. Wanted to tell Tina everything, then the connection was cut. Bad as it is, we know she was near the library. Looks like we were right – they are taken right off campus."
"That's something we can work with, right? Maybe we can find them?" Blaine asked.
"I hope so I need to talk to Roz, though. Tina has a locket of hers, so maybe Quinn could manage a locator spell with it," Cooper said. He sounded almost tired. Of course, the last weeks had been tough. "There's just one more thing. As I said, we're almost certain people are disappearing from campus. So when I'm done talking to Roz, I'll be taking you home."
"What? But I still have classes," Blaine protested.
"Blaine, I wasn't asking," Cooper snapped. "People are taken from that campus, I'm not letting you run around kidnapping grounds."
"But they're only taking girls," Blaine protested.
"And you're a magnet for trouble, I'm not taking any bets," Cooper said.
"You can't force me out of school the second something weird is going on," Blaine said. "You'd have to lock me up in my room if you're worried about that."
"I've considered it,", Cooper muttered. "And usually, the campus is safer. But with Sue gone and only Roz here... Just, humor me. This once, Blaine, come on?"
"This is insane, Cooper," Blaine said. "Can we at least talk about this?"
"What are you doing here?" Cooper asked. He sounded different, as if he wasn't talking to the phone anymore. "Never mind, listen we need to-"
There was a gasp, some sort of cracking noise, a thud... and Blaine thought he could hear footsteps.
"Cooper?" he asked. "Cooper, are you okay? Cooper!"
The call was ended.
Every fiber of Blaine's body felt frozen, as if there would never be warmth again. This couldn't be. Something had happened to Cooper? But... no! He was... Cooper! The chosen one, and all that! He was supposed to be invincible, invulnerable...
Until he wasn't.
Something had happened to Cooper – and Blaine was the only one who knew. This was not the moment to panic. This was the moment to run to Quinn.
"Everybody, calm down!"
Roz Washington wasn't Sue Sylvester, but Blaine had to admit she did know how to silence an enraged group of people. He had informed everybody of what happened and hurried back home as fast as he could. Quinn was already there, securing the living room and trying to gather any form of evidence, or anything that might give her a magical lead. Mike and Tina had been there only a short while later, and eventually, Roz herself had made an appearance.
Of course, by the time she had arrived, everyone was already tied up in a wild discussion about what should be done.
After silencing everyone, Roz looked around the group, her contempt growing as she looked from Quinn over to Tina and Mike, and eventually at Blaine.
"The slayer has been taken out," she said, "which tells us something about how serious this threat is. We need to be extremely careful. I will get in contact with the watchers' council, and I need you to stay put and not do anything stupid."
"What about my brother?" Blaine asked. "What are we going to do to find him?"
"I'll cast a locator spell," Quinn said. "There are enough of his things here. We can even get hair. We will find him."
"I must have missed you being placed in charge," Roz said, her voice scathing as nails over a chalkboard.
"You are not the boss of me," Quinn snapped. "I'm not the slayer, remember? I'm just a witch. I can do whatever I want, and what I want to do is go and save my idiot boyfriend."
Roz glared at her, and for a moment Blaine feared there would be an actual fight. But suddenly, she smirked.
"Well, then why don't you go do that?" she asked. "Cast your locator spell. Who knows, maybe someone who can take out the slayer didn't pay attention to a little detail like locator spells. At least you'll be out of my hair while I do something... useful."
A shudder went down Blaine's spine.
Quinn, too, looked uncertain – but only for a moment, before she went back into her usual mode. "Tina, you're with me. Mike, I need you to get a few things."
"Just try to stay out of my way, I've got to contact the council," Roz said. Without further question, she turned around and stormed out of the living room.
Blaine stared after her, not quite believing how little she seemed to care about what any of them would do. Did she think so little of their potential contributions? Unless something else was going on...
"Quinn, something's not right here," Blaine said.
"Hey, I will find him," Quinn said. "Don't worry, we'll have him back before the night is over."
"How long will you need for this spell?" Blaine asked.
"Once I have all the ingredients?" Quinn sighed. "I'm afraid it will take a while. It could be hours, if he's being shielded. Roz seems to think that's the case."
"Don't you think something's weird about her? She's been acting strangely since she got to Sunnydale. And why did it take her so long to get here? And the way she acted about your spell...? Come on, something's going on there!"
"Look, I know she's weird. But you haven't met her before. She's always been confrontational, that's just her personality. You wouldn't trust Sue if you weren't used to her."
"But..."
Quinn held her hand up, shaking her head. "Look, Roz is a bitch. Everybody knows that. But she's a member of the watchers' council. She's on our side."
"Cooper said some of the watchers' council want him or Sue dead," Blaine said.
When Quinn spoke again, the impatience in her voice was palpable. "It's a joke, Blaine. We don't have time to deal with your paranoia, we need to find your brother."
"I'm telling you, something's not right here."
"Enough!" She looked at him fiercely. "Look, I'm sorry. I get that you're worried. You want to get your brother back. But what you're doing right now? It's not helping. I need to focus on this spell. And as much as you might hate it, there's really nothing you can do right now. Go upstairs, Blaine."
"I want to help!"
"You can't," Quinn said. "And I know if I let anything happen to you, neither me nor your brother would ever be able to forgive it. So for heaven's sake, Blaine, just do what I tell you and stay safe!"
Blaine wanted to protest, to press further how something was clearly going on with Roz, how she couldn't just send him to his room like a child...
But beneath her anger, Blaine could see that she was scared. Quinn was usually such a calm influence. If she was losing it, then things really were serious. And most importantly, she didn't give him the impression that she would listen to anything he had to say. So there was not a lot he could do.
"Okay," he said, "I'll stay out of your hair. Just... if this doesn't work, promise me you'll look into Roz."
"I'll find him with this. Just... go upstairs."
Blaine nodded and did as he was told. Once inside his room, he switched on his stereo, making sure the music was loud enough to be heard, but too quiet to be disturbing. He really didn't want to give Quinn any reason to come up here. To be safe, he locked his door and put his desk chair underneath the handle. Then, he got equipped. He had taken a jar of holy oil as well as a few stakes from Cooper's personal supply. He checked the old silver chain around his neck and the cross amulet he had inherited from his grandmother. It had been in their family for centuries, and he was pretty sure it counted as a holy symbol. He hesitated for a moment, before he went to his wardrobe. In the farthest corner, under a bunch of sweaters he'd never need in Sunnydale's heat, he hid a shoebox, and inside the switch blade knife that ther father still believed to have lost on a camping trip. Blaine didn't really know how to fight with it, and he knew that Cooper would throw a fit if he ever found out about its existence. Still, he didn't know what he was going up against, so he pocketed it.
Satisfied with his preparations, Blaine put on a jacket and then got out onto his balcony. He knew exactly how to safely climb out of his window and to the ground – Cooper had insisted he'd have a safe escape if there was an attacker inside the house again.
Quinn and everyone else could focus on that spell. He was going to find out just what Roz Washington was hiding.
Roz had taken over Sue Sylvester's office. Blaine knew enough to find it, and to remember that his brother and his friends usually met there for discussions, but of course he'd never been invited to join them. He wondered whether that would ever change. Apparently everybody just thought he was completely helpless. But this wasn't the moment to feel bitter.
Blaine wasn't sure what he expected to find in the office, but if he was going to start somewhere, it might as well be there. It wasn't a usual office, that much he could tell. It reminded him more of a throne room than an office. The whole room was centered around the mahogany desk that was ornamented with gold. A red carpet led up to it. On the walls, there were some wooden book shelves, and lots of what looked like paintings covered by black cloth. Curious, Blaine lifted a cloth to look at the painting below, only to find himself face to face with a portrait of Sue Sylvester.
Blaine didn't agree with Roz on much, but he definitely understood why she had preferred to cover these up. He turned away with a shudder
Not sure where he was going to start, Blaine decided to focus on the desk. It was cluttered with papers. Blaine started sorting through them. It seemed to be mail addressed to Sue Sylvester, and although he was sure the watcher would kill him if she ever found out about him reading them, he couldn't help his curiosity. There were several requests from the dean about what was going on with the cheer leading team. Apparently, Sue wasn't very clear about her finances and sponsors. Not important at the moment. Next, there was what looked like fan mail. Blaine just wondered whether he should actually risk his sanity by reading them, when he noticed something else. Under the letters, there were bigger papers. He carefully pulled them out.
They were blueprints, apparently from Sunnydale community college. Specifically, of its lower levels. Blaine hadn't spent too much time thinking about the basement, but from these blueprints it looked like there was a veritable maze beneath his feet. He could only guess at what kind of lunatic architect was responsible for this. But the plans marked stairs to another level beneath the basement that he hadn't even known existed. More importantly they had been circled in red.
Blaine wasn't sure what Roz was planning, but now he had an idea of where it was going on – maybe even where his brother might be. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of the plan, before he started burying it under the letters. When he was sure it looked like it had before, he stepped away from the desk. He'd check out the basement, now.
He turned around to leave the room. Unfortunately, this was the moment his luck ran out. The office doors opened and Roz herself was on the other side.
"And what are you doing here?" she asked.
Blaine froze, as she walked up to him. He was sure, Cooper or Quinn would have a quip ready in a situation like this, but he couldn't think of doing anything but standing like a deer in the headlights.
Roz looked at him, then at her desk. Maybe he had missed something, maybe she was naturally suspicious, or maybe she could just draw the right conclusions of catching him on his way out of the office. Either way, her eyes narrowed, as she walked closer to him.
"Well, boy... Are you familiar with the phrase curiosity killed the cat?"
"Where's my brother?" Blaine asked.
"You haven't figured that out yet?" Roz asked.
So she wasn't even trying to keep up a facade... that couldn't be a good sign. She'd probably figured out that he wasn't an actual threat to her.
"What have you done to him?"
Roz rolled her eyes. "Your brother had the misfortune of having Sue Sylvester as his watcher. Of course she has rubbed off on him. You think he's a good Slayer? Nobody on the watchers' council thinks so. He's ridiculous. He's pulling civilians into a fight they have no reason to be in. He surrounds himself with witches! And all at Sue's encouragement. He's listening more to her than the watchers' council."
"She's his watcher. And he's doing a great job," Blaine said.
"What do you know?" Roz asked. "A decent slayer would have never told you anything. But Cooper Anderson? He doesn't care, because Sue doesn't care. He's her tool, and they're working against the council. This is not what the slayer is supposed to be."
"I bet you know best, don't you?" Blaine asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do. And when I'm done here, I'll be able to prove it. I will be in charge of the new Slayer."
Blaine paled. He knew how a new slayer was created. "Even if you kill him, the council won't make you the new watcher. Besides, how would you even find the new slayer?"
"That would be complicated," Roz agreed, "and nothing I could bet on. So I'm not going to take this chance. I will make my own slayer. Multiple slayers, if things work out the way I hope. Your brother won't be necessary when I'm done with him, and when he falls, so will Sue Sylvester."
"You won't get away with this," Blaine said, "Quinn will find him."
"This college wasn't built by the state, you know?" Roz asked. "It was built by a society not unlike the Watchers' council. The brotherhood, they called himself. Not much known about them. Sunnydale has always been a magnet for the supernatural, and they tried to shield the mortals from it. The lower levels were their sacred chambers. Do you think a simple spell could pierce their protection?"
"But if I don't get in contact with her, she'll figure out what's up," Blaine said.
"If she knew you were here, you wouldn't be here alone," Roz replied. "And I'm afraid you won't be able to tell anyone."
Out of nowhere, some sort of staff appeared in her hand. Telescopic baton, his brain provided, although he was pretty sure that those weren't supposed to be surrounded by flashes of blue lightning, or emit this cracking noise... It was the last thought he could focus on, before Roz swung the staff, and pain exploded in his head, before thankfully, darkness enveloped him.
Blaine awoke with a groan.
The first thing he noticed was the hammering pain in his head. He wasn't sure what Roz had done to him, but it had worked. He couldn't see where he was. He was in some sort of enclosed space, maybe some sort of closet, and the only light coming in was a tiny slit where he assumed the door was. There was cloth inside his mouth. His hands were held behind his back, tied together with string. His legs too, were tied together. Great... why again hadn't he told Quinn where he was going?
From outside, he could hear steps and then the soft noise of paper being shuffled. Somebody was out there. Maybe Roz had just taken care of him and was still busy? How likely was it for someone else to be here in Sue's office? He shifted, trying to push the gag out of his mouth, but without success.
The shuffling stopped. For a moment everything was silent, then Blaine heard steps coming closer. Was it Roz? Had she heard him and was about to knock him out again?
The door opened, and blinding light fell in, with a silhouette looming in front of him. Before Blaine even got a chance to get used to this, hands grabbed his arms and he was pulled out, onto his feet.
"Again?"
Blaine didn't need to get used to the light to recognize the voice of Kurt, the vampire. He almost groaned – why did it always have to be him?
The cloth was pulled out of his mouth, and finally, he got a clean breath of air.
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked.
"I'm okay," Blaine said. He tried to stand on his own, but he was swaying. There was a pull at his wrists, for a moment the string cut into his skin, and then it was torn away. A moment later, Kurt had taken care of the string around his feet, too.
"I thought Washington was on your side," Kurt said.
"Everyone did," Blaine said. "But she's trying to kill Cooper and create her own army of slayers."
"That can't possibly be good," Kurt muttered.
"Why do you care?" Blaine asked. And why did he feel the need to be contrary when Cooper's life was still in danger?
"It might surprise you, but I'm not looking forward to get used to another slayer – not when I just figured out how to deal with this one," Kurt said.
"What are you even doing here?"
"Investigating Washington. Rumor has it she found an entry to the brotherhood's sacred grounds," Kurt said.
"That's where she took Cooper," Blaine said. "I have to get there. No, wait, I've got to tell Quinn."
Kurt just watched him as he pulled out his phone, sending the picture of the blueprint to Quinn.
"Are you going to wait for her?" he asked.
"Hell no. I'm not risking Cooper getting killed," Blaine said. He hesitated. He needed to get down there, too much time had passed. But he didn't actually stand a chance against Roz. Waiting for Quinn wasn't an option...
Oh god. He actually needed to do this, didn't he? The words he never thought he'd have to utter... but this was about Cooper's life. What was the point?
"Kurt? I need your help."
...and the one time Blaine saved the day
Blaine had never been to the college's basement. The map had shown it to be a maze, but he hadn't expected it to be this big, or convoluted. There were a million passageways, and the lighting was ridiculously wonky. It was hard enough to find his way even with a map.
But Cooper's life was in danger, and Blaine was terrified. As he had learned on that horrible camping trip with his father, fear did wonders for his sense of direction.
He could feel Kurt's eyes on him as he led them through the corridors, checking his phone and counting the crossroads they passed. He wasn't sure what the vampire was thinking, less sure if he even wanted to know, but there seemed to be a bit of surprise in there.
Good, it was time he changed the way people looked at him.
"Over there," Blaine said, walking up to a wall. There was some sort of tapestry hanging from it, but the map was clear. It had to be here. Completely sure, Blaine pushed the tapestry to the side – and found himself face to face with a stone wall.
"I don't understand..." He looked back to his phone. It should be here. He couldn't have gotten it wrong. This had been the right turn. If it wasn't here... where was he even supposed to start? But before he could panic, Kurt stepped beside him.
"You're right, it's here," he said. "Look, the stone's different, and there are scratch marks on the floor."
"It's so dark I'm glad I can even see it's stone," Blaine said.
"Right, humans," Kurt muttered. "Step back."
Blaine did and watched as the vampire put his hands on different places on the wall, pushing occasionally, while looking the wall over carefully. Eventually, he pushed in one place and the wall seemed to move.
"The secret society has a secret passageway. What a surprise," Kurt said, once he was done. There was only a slim opening, enough for both of them to slip through.
The passageway was pitch black. Without the light from his phone, Blaine was sure he would have stumbled on the uneven floor. Kurt in front of him didn't seem to have any problem, maybe because of some sort of vampire night vision. The passage took a turn before it led to a narrow spiral staircase. Blaine thought there was noise just at the edge of his perception. He could feel it more than hear it.
Kurt raised his hand to push away the phone. "We're close, I can hear it," he whispered. "Put that away."
"But I can't see without it," Blaine protested, also whispering.
For a moment, Kurt hesitated, and then he held out his hand. "I'll lead you."
Blaine stared at the hand, not sure what to do. Kurt was a vampire, and one who had betrayed his trust before. It was a scary thought to put himself into this man's hands. But what choice did he have? Cooper was in danger, and Kurt was the only one who could help him. Blaine could take a leap of faith, or he could give up on his brother.
And really, wasn't this just a symbolic struggle? If Kurt wanted to hurt him right now, there was literally nothing he could do about it, and taking his hand wouldn't change a thing.
"Okay," Blaine whispered, put his phone away, and took the vampire's hand. It was cold and dry, but Kurt's grip was sure and solid. The vampire's other hand found its way to Blaine's back around his shoulder blade.
Carefully, Kurt started taking the stairs down, one step after the other, making sure that Blaine followed. They reached the bottom eventually, and now Blaine thought he could hear a voice chanting. Kurt was moving, still holding him, as they walked down through absolute darkness. It had to be another corridor. Blaine thought he could feel the walls close to his sides. His feet hit something, a pebble maybe, and he stumbled.
The arm holding his hand was suddenly pressed against his chest, pulling his back against the vampire's solid form, and stopping his fall before it had even really started.
"Okay?" Kurt asked, barely audible against his ear.
Blaine nodded, unable to form words anymore. He wasn't quite sure why they bothered with whispering, seeing how his heart was beating loud enough to fill the corridor anyway. But he had to swallow his fear and keep going. He took another careful step, and Kurt followed, leading him through the darkness.
Eventually, Blaine could see the outline of the door at the end of the corridor. The light from the other side shone through, flickering, as if there was fire on the other side. The chanting voice had gotten louder. So whatever was happening, it didn't seem to be over yet.
Kurt stopped, holding Blaine steady in front of him.
"I'll open the door," he whispered so quietly that Blaine could hardly understand the words. "Cover your eyes, you don't want to get blinded."
Blaine nodded wordlessly. Kurt let go of his hand and stepped in front of him. Blaine raised his hand, covered his eyes with it and turned his gaze to the ground. He heard the scratching of stone on stone, and then the corridor was flooded with light. Even with his eyes covered and turned away, the light coming from the other side of the door seemed blinding. He could tell there were flames from the flickering light, and now he could hear the fire, too.
Kurt swore.
Blaine looked through his fingers, and immediately felt blinded. It took him a few moments until he could see. Right outside the door, he could see a narrow trench, a few inches wide. The fire was coming out of it, about three feet tall.
"Holy oil," Kurt said. It sounded like a curse.
Behind the fire, Blaine could see a huge, round hall. There was some sort of altar in the middle of it, made from white marble. There were candles standing on it, and in the middle where Blaine almost expected a bible, was some sort of black and gray mass the size of a fist.
Behind the altar, there was a figure with their back to them. Even from behind, Blaine recognized Roz Washington, still chanting. There were flashes of dark smoke emitting from the thing on the altar, hitting Roz, and shot away from her fingers. She was standing in front of two smaller, lower slabs of stone behind her. On each of them, there was a person. On the left, there was a tan girl in a cheer leading uniform, that he recognized as Santana Lopez, the missing cheer captain. She was screaming and swearing in Spanish. On the other slab was Cooper, pale as the stone beneath him and hardly moving. They were both tied down with rope.
Between the slabs, there was some sort of basin filled with dark liquid. Blood, Blaine thought immediately. It shouldn't be his first thought, but this was Sunnydale. And as he looked closer, he could see that both Cooper and the girl had one arm hanging over the basin.
It was blood. Cooper had a cut on his arm, and blood was dripping out of it, into the basin. The dark flashes from Roz' fingers hit the basin between them, stirring the liquid inside and making it rise, spiraling around Santana's arm and disappearing into the skin. It looked like some sort of magical blood transfusion.
On the far side of the room, the rest of the missing girls were huddled together. They, too, were tied up.
Blaine turned to Kurt. "Come on, we have to do something!"
But Kurt stared at the flames in front of him, unable to move.
"What's wrong?" Blaine asked.
"Holy oil," Kurt repeated. He almost looked afraid. "I can't cross it."
"But we have to stop her!"
Apparently, that had been too loud.
"You again?" Roz asked. She had stopped chanting and turned around to face them.
The flashes dissolved, and the girl – Santana – stopped screaming. Cooper raised his head, slowly, as if it took all of his strength. He looked in Blaine's general direction, but he didn't seem to recognize him.
"So you managed to get free," Roz said. "And you got help from a demon. I shouldn't be surprised, you are Cooper Anderson's brother after all. This is exactly why I'm doing this."
Blaine was terrified of facing her. But then he looked to Kurt, who seemed genuinely distressed by the flames. He wasn't sure how much help he'd get from this side. No, this was apparently his fight, so again, he tried to swallow his fear and stand up to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm sure the watchers' council would be really interested."
"They too will be obsolete soon," Roz said. "I told you, I will make a new slayer. Several new ones, if I manage. Those girls will be perfect. Fit, obedient, loyal, and soon as powerful as any slayer. The gift is bound in your brother's blood. The brotherhood has found a way to siphon properties from blood. They managed to bind them into stones, like this one. But I have found a better way. The slayer's power needs to lie with a living being. I found a way to transfer the power from the blood into a living human."
"You really want to make your own slayer," Blaine said. "You're ready to kill Cooper over this?"
"He's a failure as a slayer. I will make a better one."
"Then why do you need all of these girls?" Kurt asked beside him.
"The method hasn't been tested," Roz said with a shrug. "Miss Lopez here seems to be struggling with it. I do hope she'll make it. Otherwise... I have enough girls here to get it right eventually. And if I end up with half an army... Well, the more, the merrier."
Her hands moved, and the flashes returned.
"You won't get away with this," Blaine yelled.
"So you said," Roz said with a shrug. "But you're just a child, and your vampire can't cross the holy flames. So you'll forgive me if I'm not exactly terrified."
With that, she turned back and started chanting again. Santana's screaming commenced, got even louder than before. The flashes got more intense, turned into an almost constant stream now. Roz threw her head back, still chanting. Her eyes seemed to have turned white.
Blaine turned to Kurt. "We have to do something," he yelled.
"I can't," Kurt said. "Not if I don't find something to put out these flames."
Blaine looked around, but there was nothing here, not on their side of the flames. And nobody on the other side was in a position to help them.
Cooper was right in front him, bleeding out, dying! Quinn would take too long to get here. And putting his trust in Kurt might not have hurt him, but it certainly wasn't helping him right now either. There was nobody left to help.
There was only Blaine himself.
He took a few steps backwards, and stared at the flames. It was only a line. Only a few inches. It was still terrifying. But this was the only choice he had. He took a deep breath, he started to run, and he jumped.
He thought his heart would stop. He had never been able to jump very high in PE classes, but there was no bar to get over, just the flames. The heat enveloped his legs as he passed over the trench, hot and painful, for just a moment, and then...
Blaine landed on his feet on the other side of the flames. On instinct, he dropped to the ground. Even as he did it, he could feel the heat staying on his legs. He rolled over the floor, and for a moment he could see the flames on his pants before they extinguished. He took a moment to thank god he hated synthetic fabrics, before getting back to his feet.
Roz hadn't turned around. The black energy flow was constant now from that stone to her, and from her fingers into the basin. Blaine was shaking, but this was not the moment to lose his courage.
He felt his grandmother's amulet resting against his chest. A Hail Mary pass... wasn't that fitting? His fingers closed around the knife in his pocket. Without another moment of hesitation, Blaine stepped up to the altar. He looked down at the weird, grey mass. It looked like a stone from here, but it was pulsating like a heart.
It didn't matter what it was. He took out the knife, and brought the blade down, right into its center.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a shock wave erupted from the altar, throwing Blaine off his feet.
Roz' screaming filled the room as the energy shot back at her. She was thrashing on the ground, as if she was having some sort of seizure.
Blaine got to his feet and ran to where his brother was tied to the stone. With a few cuts, he had freed his brother from the ropes. Cooper stared at him with an expression that looked close to awe.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asked. His voice almost faltered.
"The girl," Cooper said. "Help her..." His voice was hoarse, but he seemed much surer of himself than Blaine felt.
Her face was tear stained and she was sobbing as Blaine cut her loose.
"I didn't know," she gasped. "I didn't know it would be like this. She said she'd help us... give us power... I didn't know..."
"It's okay," Blaine said softly. "You're safe now. We've got you. It's over."
Somehow, his voice seemed to calm her down at least a little bit.
Blaine looked around. Roz had stopped moving, and he wondered if she had died. The thought scared him. But hadn't she brought this on herself, really? How could he feel bad for her, when she had just tried to kill his brother?
Right, Cooper, who tried to sit up but was clearly too drained. Blaine couldn't get him and Santana and Roz out of here, not to mention all those other girls...
There was a bang from behind him. Blaine turned around to see Kurt walking up to him, right through the fire – or rather, through a gap between the flames, right over another stone slab thrown over them. It took Blaine another moment to realize it was the door that the vampire must have torn off its hinges to use as a bridge.
"We need to get them out," he said as he walked closer. "Go, cut those girls loose."
"Okay." Somehow, Blaine felt much better, now that he didn't have to be in charge anymore.
The other girls seemed to be okay, although they looked completely terrified. Somebody would have to figure out what to tell them, or how to deal with them. But right now, they needed to get them out. In a few moments, he had cut them loose. When he got back to the slabs, he found Cooper had sat up, although he looked as if he was about to collapse. Kurt stepped up to him and helped him to his feet. Blaine hurried to stand by his brother's side.
"I've got Cooper, you get Roz and Santana," he said as he put an arm around his brother, encouraging him to lean against him.
"He might be a bit too heavy for you," Kurt said.
Blaine shook his head. "He's my brother. I've got this."
Kurt hesitated, then he shrugged. "As you wish."
"I don't need help," Santana barked, even though she looked almost as shaky as Cooper. Kurt didn't seem to care. He threw Roz' unconscious form over his shoulder, but he kept close to Santana so he could catch her if she needed help.
Cooper leaned against Blaine. And yes, this would be hard, but he just got his brother back, he would not complain.
It took surprisingly long for them to get the whole group through the corridor. Thankfully, Kurt had thought to get candles from the altar, and it helped. Still, by the time they had arrived in the basement, Blaine was getting antsy. Cooper needed a hospital. He needed to call an ambulance, but his phone still didn't show even one bar.
They had just gotten the whole group out of the corridor, when they heard steps of several people coming closer. To his immense relief, Blaine recognized Quinn, Tina, Mike – and Sue.
For a moment, Quinn stared at them. Then, she ran up to Blaine and basically dragged Cooper into her arms. Blaine didn't complain, his shoulders and back were aching from the weight.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking at Sue.
"I had a hunch," she said. "I'm famous for them. And Barbie here kept me informed. Now let's get these girl upstairs. We can do the show and tell session when the medical issues have been sorted."
She turned to the group, starting to organize their return to the surface. She even took it upon herself to take hold of Cooper, who by now could barely even stand.
Blaine leaned back against the wall and allowed himself one moment to breath and close his eyes. It was okay. Sue and Quinn would take care of everything now. Cooper was safe, and things were under control. They had done well.
He had done well.
There was a hand on his arm, and when he opened his eyes, Kurt was standing in front of him. For once, the sight made him feel calm instead of nervous.
"Let's go," the vampire said, nodding to the rest of the group that had already started moving. "It's almost over now. Come on."
Three hours later, Kurt wasn't even sure himself why he lingered around outside the hospital.
Granted, he wouldn't have been too happy if Cooper Anderson had died, but that was more about adjusting to a new slayer instead of any sort of fondness. He didn't care that much either about girls they had rescued, or whether Roz Washington had survived. The one thing he had been interested in was the stone Blaine had destroyed, but that was resting safely in his coat pocket. He had pocketed it while he had taken those candles. Maybe Jesse could do something with it.
What was he still doing here? It almost felt as if he was waiting for something, but he didn't know what it was.
"Hey."
He didn't turn at the sound of the soft voice, just kept staring at the street in front of him. He hadn't actually been waiting for the boy, had he? But as Blaine came to stand beside him, Kurt admitted to himself that maybe he had.
"I saw you from the window," Blaine said. "And I thought Quinn might need some time with Cooper. Alone."
"Privacy in a hospital," Kurt mused. "Isn't that unhygienic?"
"I think she'd rather rip his head off for almost getting killed," Blaine said.
"And you just abandon him? Harsh," Kurt said.
Blaine chuckled. "I guess worst case they can just sew him back together here."
They stood side by side in silence for a moment. Kurt took a glance at the boy standing beside him. He seemed... different. Almost every time Kurt had seen him, Blaine had looked more vulnerable, even when he had been angry. Now, he looked calm and relaxed. He even seemed taller, standing upright, more confident than Kurt had ever seen him – of course, mostly he had seen the boy being in various kinds of danger and under threat.
"How is everyone?" Kurt asked, trying to break the silence.
"Cooper just lost a lot of blood," Blaine said. "They have him on transfusions, he's going to be fine. The girls are mostly unharmed. Santana... I don't know. Something might have happened to her during that ritual. Quinn thinks she might actually have absorbed some of Cooper's powers. We have to wait what the watchers' council says. Sue is going to take care of it."
"What about Roz?"
"She's in a coma. But she's alive," Blaine said. His shoulders slumped in relief for a moment. Kurt wondered why he would even care – the woman had just tried to kill his brother. Then, he realized, this boy had never taken a life. He wasn't a killer. How far gone was Kurt that this came as such a surprise to him?
"I wanted to thank you," Blaine said. "For helping tonight."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Sure, you never would have made it without me standing there doing nothing."
"Well, I would have been locked up in a closet if you hadn't shown up. I also have no idea how I would have gotten anyone out of there without you," Blaine said.
For a moment, Kurt felt the urge to argue, but he let it go. Instead, he shrugged. "You're welcome, then."
There was another moment of silence, before Blaine spoke again.
"I also owe you an apology."
Kurt turned around and stared at him, not sure if he'd heard that correctly. "What?"
"For what I said, the last time I saw you. That wasn't fair, and I'm sorry," Blaine said.
"Why? I did ruin your life," Kurt said, "and I'm the one who should be sorry. I am sorry. I should never have attacked you."
"You're right. You shouldn't have," Blaine said. "But that's not what I meant. The thing is... I was only supposed to be in Sunnydale for a few days. Cooper was already planning to set me up in New York. I would have gone to college there, could study what I loved, have the life I wanted to. I would have been upset that my brother just sent me away like this. But I would have gotten over it and just... lived my life."
"It sounds nice," Kurt said, although he had no idea where the boy was going with this.
"It would have been nice," Blaine agreed. "I wouldn't have known better. But that's the thing. When you attacked me, you did more than just hurt me. You showed me the truth. Cooper sheltered me all my life, he never wanted me to know anything about this. But after I found out... It changed everything. I couldn't just leave when I knew that Cooper was out here, risking his life every night. I couldn't just go to New York and pretend this wasn't happening. I needed to help him. Or at least I needed to be here. Before, I barely even knew my brother. If I had left... Some day, I would have gotten a phone call from Quinn, telling me that my brother was dead. I couldn't stand that thought. So I had to stay. I wanted to help him, but even if I couldn't help, I at least wanted to get to know him."
"I wondered why you stayed here," Kurt said, "though that makes sense, that you wouldn't want to lose your brother." He knew exactly how that felt.
"The thing is... I didn't feel like I belonged here," Blaine said. "I felt so helpless all the time. And I got into so much trouble, and always needed somebody to come and rescue me. I wasn't helping Cooper, I was giving him even more trouble. I felt like I shouldn't stay here, but I couldn't stand the thought of leaving, either. I hated this situation so much. I didn't know how to deal with it. And you're the one who started it all, and you kept showing up. So you see, it was easy to just blame it all on you. But that wasn't fair, and I'm sorry for that."
Kurt looked the boy over. "And now?"
"If I hadn't been there tonight, Cooper would have died," Blaine said. "I could have been in New York, and I would have gotten that call. I never would have known anything about him. So, if you hadn't cast me into this madness... my brother would have died. Me being here actually helped him." He shrugged. "Maybe this was a fluke. Or maybe I'm not as out of place here as I thought. We'll see. But... I think I can get used to this, you know? Sunnydale, monsters, magic... I could make a life here. I want to. So you may have completely rerouted my life. But you didn't ruin it."
There was a moment of hesitation, but then he held out his hand to Kurt. "So, how about a fresh start?"
Kurt looked at the hand, then up at the boy in front of them. He didn't even understand why Blaine would care for this. Kurt had attacked him, had hurt him to the point that he could still remember the screams. And yes, Kurt had saved him, too, but he wasn't sure that warranted forgiveness. Or maybe, this wasn't forgiveness – maybe this was moving on. Still, not everybody would give him a chance after what he'd done.
Kurt felt the corners of his mouth twitch up, as he took the offered hand.
"To a fresh start," he said.
Blaine smiled, and for a second Kurt had an intense feeling of déjà-vu. He wasn't sure how much of that was grounded in actual memory and how much in the fact that this was the first time in forever that someone had given him a look like this. But really, it didn't matter.
Blaine let go of his hand, still smiling. "I should go back in. I think Quinn should have gotten out most of her anger by now, and I couldn't possibly let the nurses walk in on the unhygienic part."
"So you sacrifice your own sanity," Kurt said. "Maybe there's a little bit of slayer in you after all."
Blaine grinned. "Maybe. Anyway, I'll see you around?"
"You will," Kurt said.
With a last smile and a short wave, Blaine turned around and walked back into the hospital.
Kurt shook his head as the boy disappeared inside the building, his head held high and confident as if he had no care in the world.
"Blaine Anderson," he said musingly. "Sunnydale has no idea what it's in for."