Kurt loved his job, but occasionally having to work late into the evenings was certainly a downfall. He knew Blaine was home, probably already finished dinner, and was settled in to study his textbooks filled with medical jargon for several hours until Kurt forced him to bed. It was a routine they had both become comfortable with.

On that particular day, things proceeded like normal. Kurt and Blaine walked to the train station on 2nd Avenue together. Blaine got off first, at 34th Street, and Kurt had to endure the commute all the way down to Fulton Street. They lived right between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, but their apartment was incredible, so they managed the commute.

Kurt had a photoshoot that night that he had to attend. He was hoping to be able to head home by 7:30, which wasn't awful, but he still loved spending time with his husband, away from the demands of Vogue and medical school.

Thankfully, the day passed quickly. It was the Thursday before Labor Day, so the long weekend would hopefully give them some rest they needed and wanted. Once Kurt wrapped up at his desk around three that afternoon, he and Isabelle headed out to oversee the shoot.

The session lasted until nearly seven, and Kurt was regretting not thinking ahead and bringing something to eat for dinner. He pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket as everyone began to tear down.

"Hey, babe," he answered. Kurt felt guilty for being away for so long. Blaine usually liked to have help studying, even if it was just talking through things Kurt didn't understand anything about. "I'm wrapping up, so I should be home in about 30 minutes. It went really well here. How was class?"

Kurt heard something rustle in the background. "Good, I'm glad you had fun. Class was fine. You're gonna hate me, but I caved and ordered pizza. Have you eaten? It's getting late."

Kurt's stomach growled at the mention of pizza. Normally he would get onto Blaine for not making something healthier with the food they already had, but he was too hungry to cast any judgment. "I ate some crackers I had in my desk. Save that pizza, Anderson, I'm coming home. Love you."

Kurt bid a quick goodbye to Isabelle and the lead photographer. After a quick debate, he opted to take a bus back home. Kurt didn't like to take the subway after dark if he could avoid it, especially being so far from the apartment.

Unfortunately, his decision didn't leave him any better off. Kurt was so worn out from the day, as well as being on his feet for close to four hours, that he had accidentally gotten off the bus two blocks too soon. Even though it only meant a short walk, Kurt was getting hungrier and more tired as he went.

It happened in between Madison and Park. 96th Street was typically very busy, but being after dark in September, most of those left on the streets were tourists. Kurt headed west from the bus stop, dodging puddles from the rain they had gotten the night before, when he witnessed it.

He heard the commotion first before he saw anything. Down a stray alley off the south side of the street. He saw the silhouettes of two heavyset men, looking a good deal older than Kurt, and a small child who was screaming.

"No! Mommy! Mommy, help me!" It was a little girl, no more than four or five.

The men picked up the girl and tried to run. Kurt felt like he was disconnected from his body as things played out from there. He dropped his messenger bag and was sprinting, but the finish line was too far away. He couldn't let it happen, he couldn't let it happen…

Kurt felt his phone in his back pocket, but didn't pull it out, knowing that trying to deal with a 911 operator would let the criminals get away even faster. He had to do something…

"Put her down!" Kurt reached the center of the alley, grabbing the man with the screaming child by the arm, trying to pin it behind his back. "Let her go, you monster, you'll hurt her!"

Luckily, the second man had run ahead, so Kurt only had to deal with one of them, but it was still a struggle. The girl screamed more, and people had begun to poke their heads down the alley.

Kurt threw a punch. The man couldn't do much with the girl in his arms, as he was too busy trying to cover her mouth with his hand.

"Let her go," Kurt repeated, teeth clenched, adrenaline surging. The girl had started to kick, and Kurt tried to swiftly grab her away, until something like a bowling ball collided with his head, until Kurt realized it was a fist.

"Move on." It was the second kidnapper, back for more. "Nothing to see here, unless you want trouble." He gestured to his waist. A gun holster.

But Kurt wasn't going to back down. The second man was relatively smaller and clumsier. Kurt settled for a kick to the knees, rendering him useless, and tried once more to free the girl. He went for the jaw, throwing a swing he never imagined having the strength for, and in the man's brief moment of weakness, Kurt grabbed the child away.

He tried to run, and seeing the half dozen or so bystanders on their phones, presumably with the police reassured Kurt. "You're okay, you're safe now," he told the hysterical girl. "We'll get your parents."

Kurt set her down, but another blow to his head left his world spinning. The men seized him this time, and Kurt didn't have much energy left in him. He saw out of the corner of his eye a woman picking up the lost girl, which reassured him, but the pain in his arm quickly distracted him. Kurt was being dragged, knocked to the ground, and his head collided with the rough asphalt painfully.

The men were yelling, but Kurt's head was swimming. He tried to get up, but blood dripped down his arm, and it was impossible to move. He took kicks to his ribs, and Kurt wondered why they weren't fleeing, if the police were supposedly on their way…

Kurt managed to get up on his feet very wobbly, and tried to get away again, no fight left in him. However, it was the deafening bang and the blood spreading out over his shirt that sent him back down. He suddenly felt warm all over, like he was cozy in his bed, just taking a nap…

Author's Notes:

Okay this was so much angst it hurts.

I re-watched the Bash episode, and wanted to try and take another spin on the events of that episode (see chapters 116 and 117 of this story) now that I have taken college writing classes and can actually pull something together. The last few weeks I've really settled in a groove of writing young, married Kurt and Blaine (with Blaine in medical school. Oh it's my favorite thing) so I added that element to this drabble.

Anyways. I have it all played out in my head how I wanted things to go from here, so hopefully this short bit draws interest. Kurt is so the one to stand up for anyone who is in danger or being bullied. And, even though I didn't include it here, when Blaine finds out about what happened, it doesn't go well at all. My boys. My heart.